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+# ePlant AI Agent Instructions
+
+ePlant is a gene-centric visualization tool for plant genomes built with React, TypeScript, and Vite.
+
+## Core Architecture
+
+### View System
+- **Views** are the central abstraction - data visualization components that implement the `View<Data, State, Action>` interface
+- Each View defines: `component`, `getInitialData`, `getInitialState`, `reducer`, `actions`, `icon`, and `citation`
+- Views are configured in `Eplant/config.ts` as `genericViews` (non-gene-specific) and `userViews` (gene-specific)
+- View components receive props: `{ activeData, state, dispatch, geneticElement }`
+
+#### View Interface Pattern
+Views implement `View<Data, State, Action>` with these required/optional properties:
+
+**Required:**
+- `component`: React component receiving `ViewProps<Data, State, Action>`
+- `getInitialData`: Async function that loads view data for a gene
+- `name`: Display name for the view
+- `id`: Unique identifier used in routing and storage
+
+**Optional:**
+- `getInitialState()`: Returns initial state (defaults to `null`)
+- `reducer(state, action)`: Handles state updates via actions
+- `actions[]`: Menu items with `{action, render()}` for view options
+- `icon()`: JSX icon component for view selector
+- `citation()`: JSX component for data attribution
+
+**Two Implementation Patterns:**
+1. **Object views** (simple): `const MyView: View = { name, id, component, ... }`
+2. **Class views** (complex): `class MyView implements View { constructor(...) { this.component = this.component.bind(this) } }`
+
+**Routing & View Registration:**
+1. **Add to config**: Register view in `Eplant/config.ts` in `userViews` or `genericViews` array
+2. **View ID routing**: The `id` property automatically becomes the URL route (e.g., `id: 'my-view'` → `/my-view`)
+3. **Default view**: Set `defaultView: 'view-id'` in config to control initial view
+4. **View switching**: Use `useSetActiveViewId()` to programmatically change views
+
+Example view registration:
+```typescript
+// In Eplant/config.ts
+import MyNewView from './views/MyNewView'
+
+const userViews = [
+  GeneInfoView,
+  MyNewView,  // Add your view here
+  // ... other views
+]
+```
+
+Example minimal view:
+```typescript
+const SimpleView: View<string> = {
+  name: 'Simple View',
+  id: 'simple',  // This becomes the route
+  component: ({ activeData }) => <div>{activeData}</div>,
+  async getInitialData(gene) {
+    return gene ? `Data for ${gene.id}` : 'No gene'
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### State Management
+- Uses **Jotai** atoms for global state, not Redux/Context extensively
+- Custom `atomWithStorage` pattern persists state to IndexedDB via `Storage` utility class
+- Key atoms: `genesAtom`, `activeViewIdAtom`, `activeGeneIdAtom`, `darkModeAtom`
+- State persistence can be disabled with `persistAtom`
+
+### Data Loading Pattern
+- Views load data via `getInitialData(gene, loadEvent)` with progress callbacks
+- `useViewData` hook manages loading states and caches data in `viewDataStorage`
+- Species-specific loaders in `Species/arabidopsis/loaders/` handle API calls to BAR (Bio-Analytic Resource)
+
+## File Organization Conventions
+
+### View Structure
+```
+views/
+  ViewName/
+    index.tsx          # View configuration object
+    component.tsx      # React component implementation
+    types.tsx          # TypeScript interfaces
+    icon.tsx          # Icon component
+```
+
+### Import Aliases
+- Use `@eplant/*` imports via TypeScript path mapping
+- Example: `import { View } from '@eplant/View'`
+
+### Component Patterns
+- Views can be classes (`EFP`) or objects (`GeneInfoView`)
+- Use `ViewProps<Data, State, Action>` for component props
+- Actions rendered via `view.actions[].render()` for view options menu
+
+#### Data Loading & Error Handling
+Views must handle three scenarios in `getInitialData`:
+1. **Success**: Return the loaded data
+2. **Unsupported gene**: `throw ViewDataError.UNSUPPORTED_GENE`
+3. **Loading failure**: `throw ViewDataError.FAILED_TO_LOAD`
+
+The `loadEvent` callback reports progress (0-1 float):
+```typescript
+async getInitialData(gene, loadEvent) {
+  loadEvent(0.0)  // Starting
+  const data = await api.fetchData(gene.id)
+  loadEvent(0.5)  // Halfway
+  const processed = await processData(data)
+  loadEvent(1.0)  // Complete
+  return processed
+}
+```
+
+Species-specific loaders live in `Species/arabidopsis/loaders/` and are referenced by view ID:
+```typescript
+// In Species definition
+loaders: {
+  'gene-info': GeneInfoViewLoader,
+  'publication-viewer': PublicationViewerLoader
+}
+```
+
+## Development Workflow
+
+### Key Commands
+```bash
+npm run dev          # Vite dev server
+npm run build        # Production build for GitHub Pages
+npm run lint         # ESLint + Prettier check
+npm run lint:fix     # Auto-fix linting issues
+```
+
+### Build Configuration
+- Vite with React, TypeScript paths, and ESLint plugins
+- GitHub Pages deployment via `.github/workflows/deploy.yml`
+- Environment variables: `BASE_URL='/ePlant'`, `VITE_MAPS_API_KEY`
+
+## Unique Patterns
+
+### GeneticElement & Species
+- `GeneticElement` represents genes with species-specific APIs
+- `Species` class provides `searchGene`, `autocomplete`, and `loaders`
+- Currently only supports Arabidopsis via BAR API at `bar.utoronto.ca`
+
+### ViewContainer Architecture
+- `ViewContainer` wraps views with toolbar, loading states, and error handling
+- Renders `<view.component />` with standardized props structure
+- Handles view switching, gene selection, and print functionality
+
+### Storage & Persistence
+- Custom `Storage` class wraps IndexedDB with key-value persistence
+- View data cached by `${viewId}-${geneId}` keys
+- Loading progress tracked globally via `pageLoad` singleton
+
+## Common Pitfalls
+
+- Views must handle both loading and error states in `getInitialData`
+- Use `ViewDataError.UNSUPPORTED_GENE` for genes that don't support a view
+- State updates should go through `dispatch` actions, not direct state mutation
+- SVG manipulation in eFP views requires careful DOM querying with view-specific IDs
+
+## Integration Points
+
+- **BAR API**: External service for gene data, expression data, and annotations
+- **Jotai DevTools**: Available in development for state debugging
+- **Material-UI**: Consistent theming via `css/theme.tsx` with dark/light modes
+- **FlexLayout**: For complex layouts (currently commented out but present)
+
+When implementing new views, follow the View interface pattern and ensure proper error handling for unsupported genes.