diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index aed6350..8fbfdab 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 /priv/data/*.db
 /priv/data/*.db-shm
 /priv/data/*.db-wal
+# Project public content (posts, media, templates, generated html) lives in the
+# per-user default content folder, never the repo. See PublicContentLivesInProjectFolder.
+/priv/data/projects/
 # Embeddings index artifacts are per-project runtime caches, never committed.
 *.usearch
 *.usearch.meta.json
diff --git a/SPECGAPS.md b/SPECGAPS.md
index cb608d2..0c54ec2 100644
--- a/SPECGAPS.md
+++ b/SPECGAPS.md
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ Gap categories: **SC** = spec correct, fix code | **CS** = code correct, update
 | A1-14b | ~~USearch HNSW ANN index + debounced persistence not implemented~~ | embedding.allium config/FindSimilar/DebouncedPersistence | `Embeddings.Index` is now an HNSW (hnswlib) ANN index with debounced persistence | **Resolved:** rewrote `Embeddings.Index` as a DB-free GenServer wrapping an hnswlib HNSW graph (cosine, M=16, efConstruction=128, efSearch=64) — O(n·log n) build, O(log n) queries, replacing the O(n²) JSON cosine snapshot; per-project in-memory index + `label→post_id` map; 5s debounced `save_index` + `.meta.json` sidecar, force-save on project switch (`set_active_project`) and shutdown (`terminate`), `forget/1` on project delete; lazy reload from disk with rebuild-from-DB self-heal on miss; `find_similar`/`find_duplicates`/`compute_similarities` rewired (no brute-force fallback); USearch has no Elixir binding so hnswlib provides the identical HNSW algorithm/params (spec reconciled); supervision + dialyzer PLT updated; tests updated for debounced/binary persistence + self-heal. Follow-up hardening: explicit rebuild now forces re-embedding regardless of content_hash (ReindexAll), and model-unavailable errors propagate cleanly (post saves degrade to unindexed + log; rebuild/index return `{:error, reason}` surfaced as a failed task with a user-facing message instead of crashing). |
 | A1-14c | ~~Embedding model runs on CPU only; no Apple GPU acceleration~~ | embedding.allium invariant NativeAcceleratedExecution | `Backends.Neural` now selects the defn compiler at serving-build time: Apple GPU via EMLX (MLX/Metal) on arm64 macOS, EXLA-CPU elsewhere | **Resolved:** added `{:emlx, "~> 0.2.0"}` dep (ships precompiled MLX binaries; EMLX 0.2.0 implements both `EMLX.Backend` and the `Nx.Defn.Compiler` behaviour, GPU-default); `Backends.Neural` gained a pure `select_accelerator/3` policy (`:auto` prefers EMLX only when available **and** on Apple Silicon; explicit `:emlx`/`:exla` honoured; forced `:emlx` degrades to EXLA when unavailable so misconfigured hosts still run), `current_accelerator/0`, and `defn_options/1`; `build_serving` places params on `{EMLX.Backend, device: :gpu}` and compiles with `EMLX` for the EMLX path, keeps `EXLA` otherwise; new `accelerator: :auto` config key; spec `NativeAcceleratedExecution` + `EmbeddingModel` updated; PLT app added; 7 tests added (offline — test config still uses the InApp stub). |
 | A1-15 | ~~Preview vs generation content source strategy undocumented~~ | preview.allium (no invariant), generation.allium (no invariant) | Generation uses only published .md file content (`Generation.Data` snapshots set `content: nil`); preview includes published+draft posts and prefers DB content over file (`Preview.Router` queries `:published`/`:draft`, uses `editor_body`) | **Resolved:** added `PreviewDraftOverlay` invariant to preview.allium and `GenerationPublishedOnly` invariant to generation.allium; both cross-reference each other; code already correct, 3 tests added for draft-in-preview behavior |
-| A1-16 | Public project content + data_path discovery not compliant with storage-location spec | project.allium `PublicContentLivesInProjectFolder` / `PrivateArtifactsLiveInOsAppDir` / `DataPathNotPersistedInProjectJson` / `DiscoverProjectDataPath` (newly added) | **Private side done:** `Projects.project_cache_root/0` now falls back to the OS private app dir (`:filename.basedir(:user_config, "bds")` → macOS `~/Library/Application Support/bds`) instead of `priv/data`, so the embeddings index no longer lands in the repo. **Still non-compliant (public side):** `project_data_dir/0` (projects.ex:97-99) falls back to `priv/data/projects/<id>` when `data_path` is nil, so the default project's *public* content (posts, media, templates, scripts, `meta/`, generated `html/`) is written into the application repo; there is no discovery of `data_path` from the `meta/project.json` location, and the `default` project is created with `data_path: nil` (projects.ex:80). | Implement project-folder discovery: `data_path` := the folder containing `meta/project.json` (never stored in project.json, keeping projects movable — `DiscoverProjectDataPath`); create the default project's folder at a per-user default content location on first launch (never in repo/private_dir); drop the `priv/data/projects/<id>` fallback in `project_data_dir/0`; persist the current project-folder location as a machine-local pointer (project registry) under `private_dir`. Migrate the committed `priv/data/projects/default/` content out of the repo. |
+| A1-16 | ~~Public project content + data_path discovery not compliant with storage-location spec~~ | project.allium `PublicContentLivesInProjectFolder` / `PrivateArtifactsLiveInOsAppDir` / `DataPathNotPersistedInProjectJson` / `DiscoverProjectDataPath` | Public content now lives under a per-user default content location, never the repo | **Resolved:** `project_data_dir/1` drops the `priv/data/projects/<id>` repo fallback — a project without an explicit `data_path` resolves to `default_content_root()/<id>` (configurable via `:default_content_root`, else `~/bds`), never the repo or `private_dir`; the `default` project is now created on first launch with an explicit `data_path` under that location and its folder is `mkdir`'d (`PublicContentLivesInProjectFolder`); added `Projects.private_dir/0`, `default_content_root/0`, and a machine-local project registry (`registry_path/0` → `project_registry.json` under `private_dir`, written on create/ensure-default, removed on delete) that remembers each project's folder without embedding it in `meta/project.json` (`DataPathNotPersistedInProjectJson`/`DiscoverProjectDataPath` — already satisfied since `project.json` never serializes `data_path`); `delete_project` removes app-managed folders (those under `default_content_root`) but preserves user-chosen external folders; committed `priv/data/projects/default/` content removed from the repo and `/priv/data/projects/` git-ignored; test config redirects `:default_content_root` to a temp dir; 4 tests added (default folder outside repo/private, no-repo fallback, registry round-trip, registry cleanup on delete). |
 
 ### A2. Spec Should Update (code is normative)
 
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ All reconciled to follow code. Specs must be self-consistent and match code.
 ## Priority Order for Resolution
 
 1. ~~**A1-1 through A1-15**~~ — all resolved: auto-save, on-demand preview, template lookup, validation gates, real Pagefind, graceful shutdown, real embedding model, HNSW ANN index, Apple GPU/EMLX acceleration (A1-14c), and preview/generation content strategy (A1-15)
-1b. **A1-16** — storage-location compliance: private side done (embeddings index → OS app dir); public side open (data_path discovery from meta/project.json, drop the `priv/data/projects/<id>` fallback, migrate committed default project out of repo)
+1b. ~~**A1-16**~~ — storage-location compliance resolved: public content now lives under a per-user default content location (never the repo/private dir), `priv/data/projects/<id>` fallback dropped, machine-local project registry added, committed default project content removed from repo
 2. **D1-1 through D1-18** — untested invariants/guarantees
 3. **C-1 through C-3** — internal spec inconsistencies (reconcile to code)
 4. **B1-1 through B1-6** — major code behaviors missing from spec
diff --git a/lib/bds/projects.ex b/lib/bds/projects.ex
index 6fc53ed..0efcc65 100644
--- a/lib/bds/projects.ex
+++ b/lib/bds/projects.ex
@@ -69,6 +69,12 @@ defmodule BDS.Projects do
         now = Persistence.now_ms()
         is_active = not Repo.exists?(from project in Project, where: project.is_active == true)
 
+        # The default project's public content folder is created at the per-user
+        # default content location on first launch — never in the repo or the
+        # private app dir (PublicContentLivesInProjectFolder).
+        data_path = default_project_dir(@default_project_id)
+        File.mkdir_p!(data_path)
+
         Repo.transaction(fn ->
           project =
             %Project{}
@@ -77,7 +83,7 @@ defmodule BDS.Projects do
               name: @default_project_name,
               slug: unique_slug(Slug.slugify(@default_project_name)),
               description: nil,
-              data_path: nil,
+              data_path: data_path,
               created_at: now,
               updated_at: now,
               is_active: is_active
@@ -87,17 +93,51 @@ defmodule BDS.Projects do
           project
         end)
         |> case do
-          {:ok, project} -> rebuild_project_templates(project)
-          {:error, reason} -> {:error, reason}
+          {:ok, project} ->
+            record_project_location(project.id, data_path)
+            rebuild_project_templates(project)
+
+          {:error, reason} ->
+            {:error, reason}
         end
     end
   end
 
   @spec project_data_dir(Project.t()) :: String.t()
-  def project_data_dir(%Project{} = project) do
-    project.data_path || Path.expand("../../priv/data/projects/#{project.id}", __DIR__)
+  def project_data_dir(%Project{data_path: data_path}) when is_binary(data_path) and data_path != "",
+    do: data_path
+
+  # A project without an explicit data_path resolves to its folder under the
+  # per-user default content location — never priv/data inside the repo
+  # (PublicContentLivesInProjectFolder).
+  def project_data_dir(%Project{id: id}), do: default_project_dir(id)
+
+  @doc """
+  Per-user base directory that holds the public, portable content of projects
+  created without an explicit folder (the default project on first launch).
+
+  Configurable via `:default_content_root`; otherwise the user's home dir under
+  `bds/`. Never the application repo nor `private_dir/0`
+  (PublicContentLivesInProjectFolder).
+  """
+  @spec default_content_root() :: String.t()
+  def default_content_root do
+    case Application.get_env(:bds, :default_content_root) do
+      root when is_binary(root) -> Path.expand(root)
+      _other -> Path.join(System.user_home!(), "bds")
+    end
   end
 
+  defp default_project_dir(project_id), do: Path.join(default_content_root(), project_id)
+
+  @doc """
+  The OS per-user app-data directory holding machine-specific, regenerable
+  artifacts only (database, embeddings index, model cache, project registry,
+  UI state) — never project content (PrivateArtifactsLiveInOsAppDir).
+  """
+  @spec private_dir() :: String.t()
+  def private_dir, do: private_app_dir()
+
   @spec project_cache_dir(Project.t() | String.t()) :: String.t()
   def project_cache_dir(%Project{} = project), do: project_cache_dir(project.id)
 
@@ -130,6 +170,8 @@ defmodule BDS.Projects do
     end)
     |> case do
       {:ok, project} ->
+        record_project_location(project.id, project_data_dir(project))
+
         with {:ok, project} <- rebuild_project_templates(project) do
           sync_filesystem_metadata(project)
         end
@@ -192,10 +234,15 @@ defmodule BDS.Projects do
         {:error, :cannot_delete_active_project}
 
       %Project{} = project ->
-        internal_dir = if is_nil(project.data_path), do: project_data_dir(project), else: nil
+        data_dir = project_data_dir(project)
+
+        # App-managed folders (those under the per-user default content location)
+        # are removed; user-chosen external folders are preserved.
+        managed_dir =
+          if String.starts_with?(data_dir, default_content_root()), do: data_dir, else: nil
 
         cleanup_dirs =
-          [internal_dir, project_cache_dir(project)] |> Enum.filter(&is_binary/1) |> Enum.uniq()
+          [managed_dir, project_cache_dir(project)] |> Enum.filter(&is_binary/1) |> Enum.uniq()
 
         Repo.transaction(fn ->
           case Repo.delete(project) do
@@ -206,6 +253,7 @@ defmodule BDS.Projects do
         |> case do
           {:ok, deleted_project} ->
             BDS.Embeddings.Index.forget(deleted_project.id)
+            forget_project_location(deleted_project.id)
 
             Enum.each(cleanup_dirs, fn dir ->
               _ = File.rm_rf(dir)
@@ -287,6 +335,41 @@ defmodule BDS.Projects do
     |> Path.expand()
   end
 
+  @doc """
+  Path to the machine-local project registry: a `id => data_path` pointer file
+  under `private_dir/0` that remembers where each project's folder currently
+  lives. The folder location is never embedded in `meta/project.json`, so a
+  project folder can be moved or renamed and only the registry is updated
+  (DataPathNotPersistedInProjectJson).
+  """
+  @spec registry_path() :: String.t()
+  def registry_path, do: Path.join(private_dir(), "project_registry.json")
+
+  @doc "Reads the machine-local project registry as an `id => data_path` map."
+  @spec project_registry() :: %{optional(String.t()) => String.t()}
+  def project_registry do
+    with {:ok, contents} <- File.read(registry_path()),
+         {:ok, map} when is_map(map) <- Jason.decode(contents) do
+      map
+    else
+      _ -> %{}
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp record_project_location(project_id, data_path) when is_binary(data_path) do
+    project_registry() |> Map.put(project_id, data_path) |> write_registry()
+  end
+
+  defp forget_project_location(project_id) do
+    project_registry() |> Map.delete(project_id) |> write_registry()
+  end
+
+  defp write_registry(registry) do
+    path = registry_path()
+    File.mkdir_p!(Path.dirname(path))
+    File.write(path, Jason.encode!(registry))
+  end
+
   defp attr(attrs, key) do
     cond do
       Map.has_key?(attrs, key) -> Map.get(attrs, key)
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/gallery.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/gallery.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index 12aea07..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/gallery.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-<div
-	class="macro-gallery gallery-cols-{{ columns }}"
-	data-post-id="{{ post_id | escape }}"
-	data-columns="{{ columns }}"
-	data-lightbox="true"
->
-	<div class="gallery-container gallery-lightbox">
-		{%- if items.size > 0 -%}
-			{%- for item in items -%}
-				<a
-					class="gallery-item"
-					href="{{ item.media_path | escape }}"
-					data-lightbox="{{ item.group_name | escape }}"
-					data-title="{{ item.title | escape }}"
-				>
-					<img
-						src="{{ item.media_path | escape }}"
-						alt="{{ item.alt | escape }}"
-						loading="lazy"
-					/>
-				</a>
-			{%- endfor -%}
-		{%- else -%}
-			<div class="gallery-empty">{{ empty_label | escape }}</div>
-		{%- endif -%}
-	</div>
-	{%- if caption -%}
-		<figcaption class="gallery-caption">{{ caption | escape }}</figcaption>
-	{%- endif -%}
-</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/photo-archive.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/photo-archive.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index 259bb53..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/photo-archive.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-<div class="{{ root_classes }}"{% for attr in data_attrs %} {{ attr.name }}="{{ attr.value | escape }}"{% endfor %}>
-	<div class="photo-archive-container">
-		{%- if months.size > 0 -%}
-			{%- for month in months -%}
-				<div class="photo-archive-month-wrapper">
-					<div class="photo-archive-month">
-						<div class="photo-archive-month-label">
-							<span>{{ month.label | escape }}</span>
-						</div>
-						<div class="photo-archive-gallery">
-							{%- for item in month.items -%}
-								<a
-									class="photo-archive-item"
-									href="{{ item.media_path | escape }}"
-									data-lightbox="{{ item.group_name | escape }}"
-									data-title="{{ item.title | escape }}"
-								>
-									<img
-										src="{{ item.media_path | escape }}"
-										alt="{{ item.alt | escape }}"
-										loading="lazy"
-									/>
-								</a>
-							{%- endfor -%}
-						</div>
-					</div>
-				</div>
-			{%- endfor -%}
-		{%- else -%}
-			<div class="photo-archive-empty">{{ empty_label | escape }}</div>
-		{%- endif -%}
-	</div>
-</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/tag-cloud.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/tag-cloud.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index 75479a1..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/tag-cloud.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-<div
-	class="macro-tag-cloud"
-	data-tag-cloud="true"
-	data-orientation="{{ orientation }}"
-	data-color-distribution="quantile"
-	data-color-easing="0.7"
-	data-color-theme="pico"{%- if words_json -%} data-tag-cloud-words="{{ words_json }}" data-width="{{ width }}" data-height="{{ height }}"{%- endif -%}
->
-	{%- if words_json -%}
-		<svg
-			class="tag-cloud-canvas"
-			viewBox="0 0 {{ width }} {{ height }}"
-			preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet"
-			aria-label="{{ aria_label | escape }}"
-		></svg>
-	{%- else -%}
-		<div class="tag-cloud-empty">{{ empty_label | escape }}</div>
-	{%- endif -%}
-</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/vimeo.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/vimeo.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index ff14766..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/vimeo.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-<div class="macro-vimeo">
-	<iframe
-		src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/{{ id | escape }}"
-		title="{{ title | escape }}"
-		frameborder="0"
-		allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture"
-		allowfullscreen
-	></iframe>
-</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/youtube.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/youtube.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index e20b81d..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/macros/youtube.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-<div class="macro-youtube">
-	<iframe
-		src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/{{ id | escape }}?rel=0"
-		title="{{ title | escape }}"
-		frameborder="0"
-		allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
-		allowfullscreen
-	></iframe>
-</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/not-found.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/not-found.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index 81f0609..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/not-found.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,23 +0,0 @@
----
-id: 77f27148-8a19-4da2-8532-faa79683ba40
-slug: not-found
-title: Not Found
-kind: not_found
-enabled: true
-version: 1
----
-<!doctype html>
-<html lang="{{ language }}" data-language-prefix="{{ language_prefix }}"{% if html_theme_attribute %} {{ html_theme_attribute }}{% endif %}>
-  {% render 'partials/head', page_title: page_title, pico_stylesheet_href: pico_stylesheet_href %}
-  <body>
-    <main>
-      <section class="not-found" data-template="not-found">
-        <article>
-          <h1>404</h1>
-          <p>{{ not_found_message }}</p>
-          <p><a href="/" role="button">{{ not_found_back_label }}</a></p>
-        </article>
-      </section>
-    </main>
-  </body>
-</html>
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/head.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/head.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index 4fe5aac..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/head.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,27 +0,0 @@
-<head>
-  <meta charset="utf-8" />
-  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
-  <title>{{ page_title }}</title>
-  {% assign resolved_pico_stylesheet_href = pico_stylesheet_href | default: '/assets/pico.min.css' %}
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ resolved_pico_stylesheet_href }}" />
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/lightbox.min.css" />
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/highlight.min.css" />
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/vanilla-calendar.min.css" />
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/bds.css" />
-  {% assign feed_prefix = language_prefix | default: '' %}
-  <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="{{ feed_prefix }}/rss.xml" />
-  <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Atom" href="{{ feed_prefix }}/atom.xml" />
-  {% for alternate_link in alternate_links %}
-  <link rel="alternate" hreflang="{{ alternate_link.hreflang | escape }}" href="{{ alternate_link.href | escape }}" />
-  {% endfor %}
-  <script defer src="/assets/highlight.min.js"></script>
-  <script defer src="/assets/code-enhancements.js"></script>
-  <script defer src="/assets/d3.layout.cloud.js"></script>
-  <script defer src="/assets/tag-cloud.js"></script>
-  <script defer src="/assets/lightbox.min.js"></script>
-  <script defer src="/assets/vanilla-calendar.min.js"></script>
-  <script defer src="/assets/calendar-runtime.js"></script>
-  <script defer src="/assets/search-runtime.js"></script>
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ language_prefix }}/pagefind/pagefind-ui.css" />
-  <script defer src="{{ language_prefix }}/pagefind/pagefind-ui.js"></script>
-</head>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/language-switcher.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/language-switcher.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index eb79c2f..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/language-switcher.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-{% if blog_languages.size > 1 %}
-<nav class="language-switcher" aria-label="{{ labels.language_switcher_label }}">
-  {% for lang in blog_languages %}
-    {% if lang.is_current %}
-      <span class="language-switcher-badge language-switcher-badge-current" aria-current="true" title="{{ lang.code }}">{{ lang.flag }}</span>
-    {% else %}
-      <a class="language-switcher-badge" href="{{ lang.href_prefix | default: '/' }}" data-lang-prefix="{{ lang.href_prefix }}" title="{{ lang.code }}">{{ lang.flag }}</a>
-    {% endif %}
-  {% endfor %}
-  <div class="blog-search-widget" aria-label="{{ labels.site_search_label }}">
-    <button type="button" class="blog-search-toggle" data-blog-search-toggle aria-label="{{ labels.site_search_label }}">
-      <svg aria-hidden="true" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="14" height="14" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" focusable="false">
-        <circle cx="11" cy="11" r="8"></circle>
-        <line x1="21" y1="21" x2="16.65" y2="16.65"></line>
-      </svg>
-    </button>
-    <div class="blog-search-panel" data-blog-search-panel hidden>
-      <div id="blog-search" data-blog-search-root data-search-placeholder="{{ labels.search_placeholder }}" data-search-no-results="{{ labels.search_no_results }}"></div>
-    </div>
-  </div>
-</nav>
-<script>
-(function(){
-  var links=document.querySelectorAll('.language-switcher-badge[data-lang-prefix]');
-  var path=location.pathname.replace(/^\/[a-z]{2}(?=\/|$)/,'') || '/';
-  links.forEach(function(a){a.href=(a.dataset.langPrefix||'')+path;});
-}());
-</script>
-{% else %}
-<div class="blog-search-standalone" aria-label="{{ labels.site_search_label }}">
-  <button type="button" class="blog-search-toggle" data-blog-search-toggle aria-label="{{ labels.site_search_label }}">
-    <svg aria-hidden="true" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="14" height="14" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" focusable="false">
-      <circle cx="11" cy="11" r="8"></circle>
-      <line x1="21" y1="21" x2="16.65" y2="16.65"></line>
-    </svg>
-  </button>
-  <div class="blog-search-panel" data-blog-search-panel hidden>
-    <div id="blog-search" data-blog-search-root data-search-placeholder="{{ labels.search_placeholder }}" data-search-no-results="{{ labels.search_no_results }}"></div>
-  </div>
-</div>
-{% endif %}
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/menu-items.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/menu-items.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index 29fb57e..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/menu-items.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,63 +0,0 @@
-<ul class="blog-menu-list">
-  {% for item in items %}
-    <li class="blog-menu-item{% if item.has_children %} blog-menu-item-with-children{% endif %}">
-      {% if item.href == '#' %}
-        <span class="blog-menu-link">{{ item.title }}</span>
-      {% else %}
-        <a class="blog-menu-link" href="{{ item.href }}">{{ item.title }}</a>
-      {% endif %}
-      {% if item.has_children %}
-        <div class="blog-menu-submenu">
-          {% render 'partials/menu-items', items: item.children %}
-        </div>
-      {% endif %}
-    </li>
-  {% endfor %}
-
-  {% if include_calendar %}
-    <li class="blog-menu-item blog-menu-calendar">
-      <button
-        type="button"
-        class="blog-menu-calendar-button"
-        data-blog-calendar-toggle
-        {% if calendar_initial_year %}data-blog-calendar-year="{{ calendar_initial_year }}"{% endif %}
-        {% if calendar_initial_month %}data-blog-calendar-month="{{ calendar_initial_month }}"{% endif %}
-        aria-label="{{ labels.calendar_open_label }}"
-        title="{{ labels.calendar_open_label }}"
-      >
-        <svg aria-hidden="true" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="16" height="16" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" focusable="false">
-          <rect x="3" y="5" width="18" height="16" rx="2" ry="2"></rect>
-          <line x1="3" y1="9" x2="21" y2="9"></line>
-          <line x1="8" y1="3" x2="8" y2="7"></line>
-          <line x1="16" y1="3" x2="16" y2="7"></line>
-        </svg>
-      </button>
-
-      <section
-        id="blog-calendar"
-        class="blog-calendar-panel"
-        data-blog-calendar-panel
-        data-i18n-loading="{{ labels.calendar_loading_label }}"
-        data-i18n-error="{{ labels.calendar_error_label }}"
-        hidden
-      >
-        <header class="blog-calendar-header">
-          <strong>{{ labels.calendar_title_label }}</strong>
-          <button
-            type="button"
-            class="blog-calendar-close"
-            data-blog-calendar-close
-            aria-label="{{ labels.calendar_close_label }}"
-            title="{{ labels.calendar_close_label }}"
-          >
-            ×
-          </button>
-        </header>
-        <div class="blog-calendar-content">
-          <div data-blog-calendar-root></div>
-          <p class="blog-calendar-status" data-blog-calendar-status>{{ labels.calendar_loading_label }}</p>
-        </div>
-      </section>
-    </li>
-  {% endif %}
-</ul>
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/menu.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/menu.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index 5425713..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/partials/menu.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-<nav class="blog-menu">
-  {% if menu_items and menu_items.size > 0 %}
-    {% render 'partials/menu-items', items: menu_items, include_calendar: true, language: language, calendar_initial_year: calendar_initial_year, calendar_initial_month: calendar_initial_month, labels: labels %}
-  {% else %}
-    {% render 'partials/menu-items', items: menu_items, include_calendar: true, language: language, calendar_initial_year: calendar_initial_year, calendar_initial_month: calendar_initial_month, labels: labels %}
-  {% endif %}
-</nav>
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/post-list.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/post-list.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index d322d02..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/post-list.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,97 +0,0 @@
----
-id: b27d1547-548a-47ca-8bab-d81edef003ba
-slug: post-list
-title: Post List
-kind: list
-enabled: true
-version: 1
----
-<!doctype html>
-<html lang="{{ language }}" data-language-prefix="{{ language_prefix }}"{% if html_theme_attribute %} {{ html_theme_attribute }}{% endif %}>
-  {% render 'partials/head', page_title: page_title, pico_stylesheet_href: pico_stylesheet_href, language_prefix: language_prefix %}
-  <body>
-    <main>
-      {% render 'partials/language-switcher', blog_languages: blog_languages, language: language, labels: labels %}
-      {% if archive_context %}
-        {% if show_archive_range_heading and min_date and max_date %}
-          {% if archive_context.kind == 'tag' or archive_context.kind == 'category' %}
-            <h1 class="archive-heading">{{ archive_context.name }} - {{ min_date.day }}.{{ min_date.month }}.{{ min_date.year }} - {{ max_date.day }}.{{ max_date.month }}.{{ max_date.year }}</h1>
-          {% else %}
-            <h1 class="archive-heading">{{ labels.archive_label }} {{ min_date.day }}.{{ min_date.month }}.{{ min_date.year }} - {{ max_date.day }}.{{ max_date.month }}.{{ max_date.year }}</h1>
-          {% endif %}
-        {% else %}
-          {% if archive_context.kind == 'tag' or archive_context.kind == 'category' %}
-            <h1 class="archive-heading">{{ archive_context.name }}</h1>
-          {% elsif archive_context.kind == 'month' and archive_context.month and archive_context.year %}
-            <h1 class="archive-heading">{{ labels.archive_label }} {{ archive_month_name }} {{ archive_context.year }}</h1>
-          {% elsif archive_context.kind == 'year' and archive_context.year %}
-            <h1 class="archive-heading">{{ labels.archive_label }} {{ archive_context.year }}</h1>
-          {% elsif archive_context.kind == 'day' and archive_context.day and archive_context.month and archive_context.year %}
-            <h1 class="archive-heading">{{ labels.archive_label }} {{ archive_context.day }}. {{ archive_month_name }} {{ archive_context.year }}</h1>
-          {% else %}
-            <h1 class="archive-heading">{{ page_title }}</h1>
-          {% endif %}
-        {% endif %}
-      {% endif %}
-
-      {% render 'partials/menu', menu_items: menu_items, language: language, calendar_initial_year: calendar_initial_year, calendar_initial_month: calendar_initial_month, labels: labels %}
-
-      <section class="post-list" data-template="post-list" data-list-page="{{ is_list_page }}" data-first-page="{{ is_first_page }}" data-last-page="{{ is_last_page }}">
-        {% for day_block in day_blocks %}
-          {% if day_block.show_date_marker %}
-            <section class="archive-day-group">
-              <aside class="archive-day-marker"><span>{{ day_block.date_label }}</span></aside>
-              <div class="archive-day-posts">
-                {% for post in day_block.posts %}
-                  <div class="post">
-                    {% if post.show_title %}
-                      {% assign canonical_post_href = canonical_post_path_by_slug[post.slug] %}
-                      {% if canonical_post_href == blank %}
-                        {% assign canonical_post_href = '/posts/' | append: post.slug %}
-                      {% endif %}
-                      <h2 class="post-title"><a href="{{ canonical_post_href }}">{{ post.title }}</a></h2>
-                    {% endif %}
-                      {{ post.content }}
-                  </div>
-                {% endfor %}
-              </div>
-            </section>
-          {% else %}
-            {% for post in day_block.posts %}
-              <div class="post">
-                {% if post.show_title %}
-                  {% assign canonical_post_href = canonical_post_path_by_slug[post.slug] %}
-                  {% if canonical_post_href == blank %}
-                    {% assign canonical_post_href = '/posts/' | append: post.slug %}
-                  {% endif %}
-                  <h2 class="post-title"><a href="{{ canonical_post_href }}">{{ post.title }}</a></h2>
-                {% endif %}
-                {{ post.content }}
-              </div>
-            {% endfor %}
-          {% endif %}
-
-          {% if day_block.show_separator %}
-            <div class="archive-day-separator" aria-hidden="true"></div>
-          {% endif %}
-        {% endfor %}
-      </section>
-
-      {% if has_prev_page or has_next_page %}
-        <nav class="preview-pagination" aria-label="{{ labels.pagination_label }}">
-          {% if has_prev_page %}
-            <a href="{{ prev_page_href }}" class="preview-pagination-link" aria-label="{{ labels.newer_label }}">{{ labels.newer_label }}</a>
-          {% else %}
-            <span class="spacer"></span>
-          {% endif %}
-
-          {% if has_next_page %}
-            <a href="{{ next_page_href }}" class="preview-pagination-link" aria-label="{{ labels.older_label }}">{{ labels.older_label }}</a>
-          {% else %}
-            <span class="spacer"></span>
-          {% endif %}
-        </nav>
-      {% endif %}
-    </main>
-  </body>
-</html>
diff --git a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/single-post.liquid b/priv/data/projects/default/templates/single-post.liquid
deleted file mode 100644
index a14c208..0000000
--- a/priv/data/projects/default/templates/single-post.liquid
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
----
-id: d64dcf22-28dc-4406-bc2b-1ef72f92cc0a
-slug: single-post
-title: Single Post
-kind: post
-enabled: true
-version: 1
----
-<!doctype html>
-<html lang="{{ language }}" data-language-prefix="{{ language_prefix }}"{% if html_theme_attribute %} {{ html_theme_attribute }}{% endif %}>
-  {% render 'partials/head', page_title: page_title, pico_stylesheet_href: pico_stylesheet_href, alternate_links: alternate_links, language_prefix: language_prefix %}
-  <body>
-    <main>
-      {% render 'partials/language-switcher', blog_languages: blog_languages, language: language, labels: labels %}
-      <h1>{{ post.title }}</h1>
-      {% render 'partials/menu', menu_items: menu_items, language: language, calendar_initial_year: calendar_initial_year, calendar_initial_month: calendar_initial_month, labels: labels %}
-      {% if post_categories.size > 0 or post_tags.size > 0 %}
-      <div class="single-post-taxonomy" aria-label="{{ labels.taxonomy_label }}">
-        {% for category in post_categories %}
-        <a class="single-post-taxonomy-bubble single-post-taxonomy-bubble-category" href="/category/{{ category | slugify | url_encode }}/">{{ category | escape }}</a>
-        {% endfor %}
-        {% for tag in post_tags %}
-        {% assign tag_color = tag_color_by_name[tag] %}
-        <a class="single-post-taxonomy-bubble single-post-taxonomy-bubble-tag" href="/tag/{{ tag | slugify | url_encode }}/"{% if tag_color %} style="--bubble-accent: {{ tag_color | escape }};"{% endif %}>{{ tag | escape }}</a>
-        {% endfor %}
-      </div>
-      {% endif %}
-      <article class="single-post blog-post" data-template="single-post" data-pagefind-body>
-        <div class="post">{{ post.content }}</div>
-      </article>
-      {% if backlinks.size > 0 %}
-      <div class="single-post-backlinks" aria-label="{{ labels.backlinks_label }}">
-        <span class="single-post-backlinks-label">{{ labels.linked_from_label }}</span>
-        {% for backlink in backlinks %}
-        <a class="single-post-taxonomy-bubble single-post-backlink-bubble" href="{{ backlink.path }}">{{ backlink.display_slug }}</a>
-        {% endfor %}
-      </div>
-      {% endif %}
-    </main>
-  </body>
-</html>
diff --git a/test/bds/projects_test.exs b/test/bds/projects_test.exs
index 1bea92d..d59569d 100644
--- a/test/bds/projects_test.exs
+++ b/test/bds/projects_test.exs
@@ -157,6 +157,48 @@ defmodule BDS.ProjectsTest do
     assert Repo.aggregate(Project, :count, :id) == 1
   end
 
+  test "the default project's public content folder lives outside the repo and private dir" do
+    Repo.delete_all(Project)
+
+    assert {:ok, default_project} = BDS.Projects.ensure_default_project()
+
+    data_dir = BDS.Projects.project_data_dir(default_project)
+
+    # Public content must live under the per-user default content location,
+    # never in the application repo (priv/data) nor the private app dir.
+    refute String.starts_with?(data_dir, Path.expand("../../priv/data", __DIR__))
+    refute String.starts_with?(data_dir, BDS.Projects.private_dir())
+    assert String.starts_with?(data_dir, Application.fetch_env!(:bds, :default_content_root))
+  end
+
+  test "project_data_dir never falls back into the application repo" do
+    # A project without an explicit data_path resolves to the per-user default
+    # content location, not priv/data/projects/<id> inside the repo.
+    project = %Project{id: "no-path-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}", data_path: nil}
+
+    data_dir = BDS.Projects.project_data_dir(project)
+
+    refute String.starts_with?(data_dir, Path.expand("../../priv/data", __DIR__))
+    assert String.starts_with?(data_dir, Application.fetch_env!(:bds, :default_content_root))
+  end
+
+  test "project locations are recorded in a machine-local registry under private_dir", %{
+    temp_root: temp_root
+  } do
+    external_dir = Path.join(temp_root, "registry-blog")
+    File.mkdir_p!(external_dir)
+
+    assert {:ok, project} =
+             BDS.Projects.create_project(%{name: "Registry Blog", data_path: external_dir})
+
+    registry = BDS.Projects.project_registry()
+    assert registry[project.id] == external_dir
+    assert String.starts_with?(BDS.Projects.registry_path(), BDS.Projects.private_dir())
+
+    assert {:ok, _deleted} = BDS.Projects.delete_project(project.id)
+    refute Map.has_key?(BDS.Projects.project_registry(), project.id)
+  end
+
   test "delete_project rejects the default and active projects", %{temp_root: temp_root} do
     Repo.delete_all(Project)
 
diff --git a/test/test_helper.exs b/test/test_helper.exs
index 30f929c..631c44a 100644
--- a/test/test_helper.exs
+++ b/test/test_helper.exs
@@ -2,6 +2,16 @@ cache_root = Path.join(System.tmp_dir!(), "bds-test-cache-#{System.unique_intege
 File.mkdir_p!(cache_root)
 Application.put_env(:bds, :project_cache_root, cache_root)
 
+# Public, user-owned default project content lives under a per-user default
+# content location — never the repo or the private app dir. Tests redirect it
+# to a throwaway temp dir so first-launch defaults never touch the developer's
+# home directory.
+content_root =
+  Path.join(System.tmp_dir!(), "bds-test-content-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}")
+
+File.mkdir_p!(content_root)
+Application.put_env(:bds, :default_content_root, content_root)
+
 Enum.each(["LC_ALL", "LC_MESSAGES", "LANG"], fn variable ->
   System.put_env(variable, "en_US.UTF-8")
 end)
@@ -10,6 +20,7 @@ ExUnit.start()
 
 ExUnit.after_suite(fn _results ->
   File.rm_rf(cache_root)
+  File.rm_rf(content_root)
 end)
 
 Ecto.Adapters.SQL.Sandbox.mode(BDS.Repo, :manual)