Getting Started

AxilDB organizes botanical accession records into collections. Each collection keeps its own plant definitions, plant specimens, photos, propagation history, bloom records, husbandry, care queue, follows, reminders, transfers, and administrative history, while site-level validated definitions provide reviewed reference records that collections can reuse.

How it is used

• Sign in or create a viewer account from the app home page.
• Choose a collection from the collection switcher in the sidebar or mobile menu.
• Use Dashboard for recent activity, high-level counts, care-at-a-glance, and quick links into the collection.
• Use Search when you know a plant ID, name, cultivar, alias, location, source, note, or other record text.

Notes

• Public collections can be browsed without signing in, but following records requires collection membership.
• Private collections require an active membership before records are visible.

Accounts, Email, and Security

Account settings manage your email address, password, email verification, two-factor authentication, recovery codes, and email preferences.

How it is used

• Open Account from the sidebar footer.
• Update your email or password from the Account page.
• Use Resend verification when your email status is not verified.
• Open Account Security to set up authenticator-app verification codes and recovery codes.
• Use Forgot password or Magic login from the login page when needed.
• Review My Sunshine for plant instances you have appreciated. Optional plant-sunshine email and push notifications default off and never reveal who gave sunshine.
• Review image upload prompts when AxilDB asks you to keep, remove, or continue with a no-plant or uncertain-plant image.

Collections and Membership

Collections are tenant-like workspaces. Records in one collection are isolated from records, locations, suggestions, photos, search results, and usage stats in other collections.

How it is used

• Use Manage collections from the collection switcher to view collections available to you.
• Request access to a public or known collection when you need membership.
• Request a new collection if you need a workspace of your own. A server admin reviews and approves collection requests.
• Collection managers can edit collection settings, approve members, and invite users by email.

Notes

• Collection roles are Viewer, Logger, Gardener, and Manager.
• Server admins manage sitewide settings, collections, users, backups, and health checks from Server Management.

Plant Definitions

Plant definitions describe the taxon, cultivar, label interpretation, aliases, reference links, type image, and definition-level husbandry for a kind of plant.

How it is used

• Open Plant Definitions from the sidebar.
• Use Add plant definition to create a new definition.
• Enter genus, species, cultivar, author citation, governing body, reference URLs, aliases, description, and notes.
• Use AI draft for a short botanical description, Magic fill to draft taxonomy metadata and aliases, or ID My Plant to suggest an identification from your description, known names, and optional image when AI is enabled for the collection.
• Use ID History from the Plant Definitions header to review past ID My Plant suggestions for the collection and create a new plant definition prefilled from a saved result.
• Open Validated from the Plant Definitions header to browse reviewed site-level definitions that can be used by any collection.
• Managers can nominate a local definition for validation from the edit page. Server admins review nominations from Server Management.
• Managers can dispute a validated definition or create a local copy for selected specimens when the collection needs an independent definition.
• Managers and gardeners can review Recent Collection Updates on the dashboard when validated definition edits affect specimens in the collection.
• Upload a plant definition type image when the representative image comes from a reference source rather than your collection.
• Use Copy on an existing definition to start a similar definition without copying cultivar-specific fields or images.
• Use Share Definition when you have an active collection connection and want another collection to review and copy the definition.

Notes

• Species values are normalized to lowercase on submission.
• Author Citation records the formal botanical author citation, such as “(L.f.) R.Br.”
• Aliases are useful for old taxonomy, trade names, common names, shorthand, and misapplied labels.
• Validated definitions are site-level records, not collection-owned records, so collection deletion does not remove approved validated definitions.
• Your own ID My Plant results also appear under Account → My Plant IDs, even if you did not create a plant definition immediately.
• Collection Update Digest is separate from care reminders. It covers validated definition reference changes for definitions currently used by the collection.
• Use specimen-level husbandry overrides for local care differences before detaching from a validated definition.

Plant Instances

Plant instances are the actual specimens in a collection. Each instance receives a generated plant ID, status, structured location, acquisition details, source, notes, photos, bloom records, propagation relationships, sport review, care history, reminders, follows, and a Plant Health Timeline.

How it is used

• Open Plant Instances and choose Add plant instance.
• Select a plant definition and enter specimen details such as type, acquisition date, structured location, legacy location text, source, distributor, stock label, and notes.
• Open a specimen detail page to review identity, photos, Plant Health Timeline, husbandry summary, sport status, follows, children, notes, reminders, bloom tracker, and archive actions.
• Use the Plant Health Timeline to scan accession, propagation, care, condition, bloom, photo, note, reminder, archive, and sport activity in a compact strip, then open the Life Story list for grouped deterministic history.
• Use the generated QR label to open the specimen record quickly from a printed label.
• Give sunshine to plant instances as a quiet appreciation/bookmark marker, then use Most sunshine or Least sunshine sorting when reviewing instance lists.
• Use the plant ID refresh action when the current ID no longer matches the generated ID format after type or date changes.
• Use Green Thumb assist for one focused care question per specimen per day when AI is enabled for the collection.
• Filter the instance list by structured location, with optional inclusion of child locations.
• Review quarantine status from the specimen page. Gardeners can start, update, release, or cancel quarantine records manually.

Notes

• Plant IDs are generated from the plant definition and relevant date context, then made unique inside the collection.
• Plant ID links in briefings, care lists, location views, recent activity, and related-specimen sections show compact hover/focus previews with a thumbnail and key status. On touch screens, tap once to preview and use Open plant inside the card to navigate.
• Structured locations show stable codes and breadcrumb paths. Legacy freeform location text is preserved for audit and migration context.
• Active quarantine records show on specimen pages and plant cards, and their target release dates create care queue review items.
• Acquired propagation is for purchased or received cuttings, leaf props, starter plugs, and similar plants without an internal parent record.
• Timeline v1 uses existing records and includes plant location moves plus quarantine start, update, release, and cancellation events. Dedicated label-change, restore, and sport-transition events are future data-source candidates.

Locations

Locations map rooms, cabinets, shelves, greenhouses, benches, and other spaces as a collection-scoped hierarchy.

How it is used

• Open Locations from the sidebar.
• Managers can create location types such as Room, Cabinet, Shelf, or Greenhouse.
• Managers can create locations from Locations or plant forms, choose a parent location, edit the hierarchy, drag/reorder/reparent locations, and archive empty locations.
• Managers can regenerate a location code after changing the location type when the current code no longer matches the type abbreviation.
• Gardeners can move plants between existing active locations one at a time, drag plants onto locations, or use batch move preview for direct-only or direct-plus-nested moves.
• Open a location detail page to see parent location, breadcrumbs, child locations, direct plants, and nested plants separately.
• Use quarantine-type locations to group isolated plants, then start plant-level quarantine records from specimen pages.
• Use QR label actions to print location labels through the existing bulk label PDF workflow.

Notes

• Location codes are generated from the location type abbreviation and remain stable after creation.
• Location QR labels include the collection name, location name, code, type, and breadcrumb when space allows.
• Batch moves require preview and confirmation, then write one move-history row per plant.
• Drag/drop is an enhancement. Dropdown and button controls remain available for mobile and keyboard workflows.
• Dragging a plant into a quarantine-type location prompts to start quarantine, move only, or cancel; it does not automatically create a quarantine record.
• The migration creates top-level Legacy Location records from distinct old freeform location strings.
• Drag-and-drop hierarchy editing is deferred; this version uses accessible select-and-save controls.

Photos and Gallery

Photos provide visual evidence for specimens, blooms, and plant definitions. The gallery provides a collection-wide browser with full-screen viewing, while background moderation keeps unsafe uploads away from public and normal member views.

How it is used

• Upload specimen photos from a plant instance detail page.
• Set a specimen cover photo to control list/card presentation.
• Set a specimen photo as type photo when it should represent the plant definition.
• Upload plant definition type images directly when the best representative image comes from a trusted reference source.
• Upload bloom photos from bloom records.
• Use Gallery to browse specimen, bloom, and definition images and open larger versions.
• Use photo framing controls to crop or set a center-bias point for card and preview layouts.

Notes

• Uploads are resized to a maximum dimension to reduce storage use while preserving useful detail.
• Framing metadata is used by cards and previews so important plant details stay centered.
• Source and source URL fields help document reference images used for plant definition type images.
• When image moderation is enabled, uploads complete immediately and a background worker checks them in two layers: OpenAI Moderation for unsafe content first, then a plant-content vision check only if the safety layer passes.
• If you leave a photo caption blank, the plant-content vision check may add a short AI caption from the same analysis response. Captions you enter yourself are preserved exactly.
• Unsafe images are censored from normal users and public visitors until a server admin reviews them. Images with no detected plant content create an Account review item; uncertain plant-content images ask the uploader, “We’re not sure this image contains a plant. Continue anyway?”
• Server admins review censored images from Server Management. Uploader-facing review items remain collection-scoped and do not expose unrelated users or collections.

Plant Husbandry

Husbandry guides capture care guidance for plant definitions and allow specimen-specific local overrides where one plant needs special treatment.

How it is used

• Open a plant definition and use the Husbandry panel to create, link, fork, edit, or delete a guide.
• Use Magic Fill husbandry to draft the structured care guide with one AI call when AI is enabled.
• Edit individual husbandry fields inline with the edit controls next to each field instead of working through one large form.
• Link a definition to another definition’s guide when care is identical, or make a local copy when it diverges.
• On a specimen detail page, use override controls next to inherited husbandry values for local adjustments.

Notes

• Quick summary fields are standardized for consistent water, light, and toxicity badges.
• Summary badges use standardized colors and icons for watering, light, and toxicity.
• Full guides are grouped by care sections so future care sheets can include only selected topics.

Care Queue and Green Thumb

The Care Queue answers “what needs attention today, and why?” by combining husbandry guidance, watering history, propagation stage, open conditions, bloom follow-ups, pest checks, and manual reminders.

How it is used

• Open Care Queue from the sidebar to review today’s tasks, overdue work, watering, propagation checks, health issues, pest checks, bloom follow-ups, custom reminders, and completed care.
• Complete or snooze generated care tasks from the queue.
• Use Bulk care by location to record one care event per selected plant in a location, with direct-only or nested-location scope and a required review step before submit.
• Open Bulk care from a location detail page when you want the location preselected.
• Use per-plant overrides for individual notes, results, or skip reasons while keeping shared task details on the batch.
• Open Weekly checklist to group overdue, due, and upcoming care by location for a printable work session.
• Open a specimen to log watering, add conditions such as wilting or pests, resolve conditions, and review recent care history.
• Use Green Thumb assist on a specimen to ask one concise care question per day with plant identity, husbandry, recent care history, and optional photo context.
• Delete a Green Thumb care note if the response was not useful.

Notes

• Generated care tasks are dynamic; completed care is stored as care events.
• Bulk care completes only matching due or overdue care queue items for the selected plants; unrelated queue items are left alone.
• Manual reminders continue to send email and are also merged into the queue when due.
• Green Thumb requests are limited per specimen and per collection to control AI usage.

Greenhouse Workflows

Greenhouse Workflows let collections define repeatable operating procedures such as new-arrival quarantine, weekly greenhouse rounds, pest response, seasonal moves, bloom reviews, and propagation checks.

How it is used

• Open Workflows from the sidebar.
• Use starter templates as-is, copy them into editable collection-local templates, or create a custom template. Starter templates stay read-only so they remain stable.
• Managers can drag steps into order, use keyboard move controls, choose typed step functions, mark steps required or optional, and store future trigger notes while triggers remain disabled.
• Start a manual workflow run from Workflows, the Dashboard launchpad, Care Queue, the plant list selection bar, a location detail page, quarantine context, or a specimen detail page.
• Scope a run to the whole collection, one location with child locations included by default, or selected plants, and optionally assign the whole run to a user.
• Complete steps from the run page. Typed steps can create care events, notes, reminders, photo records, location moves, quarantine records, quarantine releases, and condition records.
• Complete or cancel the run once the required steps are handled.

Notes

• Workflow runs snapshot their template steps when started, so later template edits do not rewrite run history.
• Workflow-created records appear in normal AxilDB history, including Plant Health Timeline where relevant.
• Photo steps upload through the existing photo pipeline and complete the step after linking the photo to the selected plant, location, or collection.
• Workflow-created care events clear matching due care queue items and reminders where appropriate.
• Unused custom templates can be deleted. Templates with run history are archived instead so history remains intact.
• Trigger fields are stored for future automation, but v1 does not run workflows automatically.

Weekly Greenhouse Checklist

The Weekly Greenhouse Checklist turns due and upcoming care queue work into a location-grouped checklist for watering, pest checks, propagation follow-ups, bloom checks, health checks, and custom reminders.

How it is used

• Open Care Queue, then choose Weekly checklist.
• Review tasks grouped by location with photos, plant IDs, due dates, and reasons.
• Use View to open the plant record, Complete to log finished care, or Snooze to move a task forward.
• Save the checklist as a printable care sheet when you want a stable handout or PDF.

Notes

• The checklist uses the same care engine as Care Queue, so husbandry, local overrides, recent care events, open conditions, and acquired propagation age all affect what appears.
• Saved checklists can be found in Care Sheets.

Care Sheets and Plant Sitter Mode

Care Sheets package selected specimens, husbandry sections, photos, quick badges, and tasks into printable guides, weekly checklists, or limited plant-sitter sessions.

How it is used

• Open Care Sheets from the sidebar.
• Create a new care sheet, weekly checklist, or plant sitter plan.
• Select specimens, choose husbandry sections, and set print or sitter-session options.
• Open a saved care sheet to review the web view, download the PDF, copy a tokenized sitter link, revoke access, or delete the sheet.
• Use plant sitter links when someone needs limited access to selected plants and tasks without a full account.

Notes

• Care sheets merge definition-level husbandry with plant-specific local overrides and mark local adjustments where they differ.
• Sitter links expose only the selected plants and tasks, expire automatically, and can be revoked.
• Deleting a care sheet removes that saved package; it does not delete the underlying plants, photos, husbandry, or care history.

Collection Exhibits

Collection Exhibits are curated, read-only public or unlisted showcase pages made from selected specimens and grouped by plant definition.

How it is used

• Open Collection Exhibits from the Admin section of the sidebar.
• Gardeners can create draft exhibits, edit title/intro text, choose a cover photo, and control which public-safe sections appear.
• Use the Exhibit Builder to search, sort, or group available plants, then add specimens with the plus button or by dragging them into the Exhibit Plants pane.
• Drag Exhibit Plant cards to change presentation order. Featured stars, captions, add/remove actions, and ordering save automatically as you curate.
• Managers can publish or unpublish exhibits, copy/open the public share link, review subscriber totals and subscriber status, and send manual update emails.
• Guests can view a published exhibit without an account and can subscribe to updates by confirming a double opt-in email.
• Use Print / save PDF for browser printing or Download PDF for a generated botanical booklet-style PDF.

Notes

• Published exhibits can be public or unlisted. Unlisted links include a token and should be treated like share links.
• Sensitive specimen notes, care notes, and condition details are off by default and only appear when explicitly enabled in the exhibit editor.
• Images are filtered through public-safe moderation flags before display.
• Basics, visibility toggles, image mode, and update digest settings still use the Save exhibit button.
• Daily and weekly automatic update digests are sent by the scheduled reminders worker when public-safe selected changes are detected.
• Manual updates can include a detected-change summary since the last sent exhibit update.

Propagations and Lineage Graphs

Propagation records connect parent specimens to child specimens and preserve the context for divisions, cuttings, leaves, rhizomes, sport lines, and other propagation methods.

How it is used

• Open Propagations and use Add propagation to record a propagation event.
• Select parent and child specimens, propagation method, date, status, and notes.
• Use Lineage Graphs to search for a specimen and view its connected tree.
• Select nodes in the graph to change focus and follow ancestry and descendants.
• Use Acquired propagation for starter plants or leaf props obtained from outside the collection.

Notes

• Lineage graph connectors use different styles for propagation methods where possible.
• Transferred specimens preserve relevant transfer notes, but cross-collection lineage links are not created.

Bloom Tracker

Bloom tracking records bloom starts, first bloom flags, peak dates, flower counts, closure dates, notes, and bloom photos.

How it is used

• Open a plant instance and use Bloom tracker to open a new bloom event.
• Later, update the bloom record with peak date, flower count, closure date, notes, and photos.
• Open Bloom Tracker from the sidebar to browse bloom events as cards.

Notes

• Bloom cards use selected bloom/specimen photos when available and placeholders otherwise.
• If a collection has no blooms yet, the Bloom Tracker shows an empty-state prompt instead of a blank page.

Sport Review

Sport review tracks suspected mutations, candidate sport lines, reverted specimens, and stable sport evidence through propagation generations.

How it is used

• Open a plant instance and use Sport / mutation when a plant appears different from its expected cultivar or species.
• Mark suspected sports with observation notes.
• Review candidate and suspected sports from Sport Review.
• Mark descendants as propagated true, reverted, or stable as evidence accumulates.

Notes

• Reverted status cancels a sport line for descendants that return to the original cultivar behavior.
• Stable sport workflows can create a new cultivar definition when evidence supports it.

Search, Follows, and Reminders

Search finds collection records, follows send email updates for records you care about, and reminders create scheduled plant check-ins or other tasks.

How it is used

• Use Search near the top of the sidebar to search plant IDs, names, aliases, locations, notes, sources, and husbandry text.
• Use Follow buttons on plant definitions, specimens, and lineage-related records to subscribe to updates.
• Create reminders from specimen pages or the Reminders section.
• Manage followed records from Following and reminder history from Reminders.

Notes

• Following requires active membership in the collection, even for public collections.
• Email links route back into the relevant collection and record after login.

QR Labels and Bulk Tags

Labels generate printable QR codes and plant IDs for specimen tags.

How it is used

• Open Bulk Tags to choose plants, locations, or both for label export.
• Choose a label format: 2.25 × 1.25 inch single labels, a legacy ganged print sheet, or Brother DK-2210 continuous labels.
• Choose portrait or landscape orientation independently of the label format.
• Scan a plant label QR code to open the specimen detail page, or a location label QR code to open the location detail page.

Notes

• Plant labels show collection name, plant name, QR code, and plant ID. Location labels show collection name, location name, type, breadcrumb when space allows, QR code, and location code.
• Private collection labels require sign-in before showing the specimen record.

Collection Transfers and Definition Sharing

Transfers let connected collections share plant definitions and queue specimen transfers while preserving privacy boundaries.

How it is used

• Collection managers request a transfer connection by entering another collection slug.
• The target collection manager can allow, ignore, block, unblock, or remove the connection.
• Use Connect back to make a reciprocal connection when another collection has already connected to yours.
• Once a bidirectional connection exists, browse connected definitions and copy them into your collection.
• Use Share Definition from a plant definition to queue a specific definition for another connected collection.
• Gardeners and managers can request specimen transfers through active connections.
• Receivers review a summary, then accept or decline the transfer.

Notes

• Specimen transfers copy the package into the receiving collection and archive the source specimen after acceptance.
• Pre-acceptance previews show summary/count information rather than full private data.
• Connection and transfer events can send email alerts to the relevant collection managers.

Collection Tools, Governing Bodies, and Audit Log

Collection tools help gardeners and managers maintain controlled vocabulary, demo data, governing bodies, audit visibility, and record cleanup inside one collection.

How it is used

• Use Governing Bodies to manage registration authorities and similar organizations.
• Use Collection Tools to seed demo data, run collection maintenance helpers, and review collection-only utilities.
• Use Audit Log to review changes made inside the current collection.

Server Management

Server Management is restricted to server admins and covers sitewide users, collection creation and archival, validated definition review, image moderation, AI availability, AI access requests, collection requests, maintenance mode, backups, restore planning, health metrics, incident history, and usage statistics.

How it is used

• Open Server Management from the admin nav when signed in as a server admin.
• Review server health, open incidents, collection usage, AI usage, pending collection and AI access requests, backup status, and storage estimates.
• Use Site Users to manage global roles and collection memberships.
• Use Server Collections to create, archive, restore, or permanently delete collections.
• Use Validated Definitions to review nominations and disputes, edit approved site-level reference definitions, and preserve reusable taxonomy outside any one collection.
• Use Image Moderation to review censored uploads, override false alarms, remove images, or remove an image and block the uploader.
• Use Incident History to search/filter open or resolved incidents, inspect clustered memory/disk graph markers, create manual incidents, and attach notes or postmortem details.
• Use Maintenance Mode before planned downtime so public visitors and normal users see a maintenance screen while server admins retain access.
• Use Backup Management to initiate sitewide backups, review recent runs and readable backup folders in one list, inspect manifests/artifact sizes/git commits, validate restore readiness, and generate the SSH-only restore command.
• Use backup deletion tools only when intentionally pruning server storage: individual deletion requires the exact folder name, and older-than cleanup starts with a dry-run preview before confirmation. Active and incomplete backups are skipped by default, and restore request history is retained.
• Use Restore History to document restore requests, validation results, generated commands, notes, and externally completed or cancelled restores. The web UI never executes a database or file restore.
• Use Orphaned Image Cleanup to scan uploaded image storage for files no longer referenced by database records, review the dry-run list, select files, and delete only after confirmation.

Notes

• Collection managers do not see the full site user list.
• Validated definitions are site-level records; they can be linked by collection specimens without making them collection-owned.
• Image moderation is two-layered when enabled: unsafe-content moderation runs before plant-content vision analysis.
• AI availability can be toggled per collection by server admins, and collection managers can request AI access.
• Incidents are durable operational records. Memory incidents open after three consecutive samples above warning or critical thresholds; disk incidents open on threshold crossing; metric incidents resolve automatically after three clear samples. Worker, SMTP, email backlog, AI, and moderation incidents are detected from durable worker/delivery records. Manual incidents remain until a server admin resolves them.
• Orphaned Image Cleanup only scans the upload image directory and re-checks database references immediately before deleting selected files.
• Backup manifests record deployment commit metadata from GIT_COMMIT, SOURCE_COMMIT, common provider commit variables, or git rev-parse when repository metadata is available.