fix(catalog_view): fail loud when site content (corner C) is missing

build_catalog_view silently returned 0 tracks when www is on a branch without
next/content/lives (the redesign branch) — which would let tide.py build clobber the
good catalog_view.json with an empty one. Now raises a clear error; IT fixtures skip
cleanly when the external site dep is unavailable. Suite: 49 passed, 17 skipped.

armada/tide-table/build_catalog_view.py

@@ -57,6 +57,14 @@ DN_HINT = re.compile(r"\bd(\d{1,2})\b")
 
 # ── corner C: site gig tracklists ────────────────────────────────────────────
 def load_gigs():
+    # Corner C lives in the www repo's working tree. If www is checked out to a branch
+    # without the content (e.g. the redesign branch), refuse to build an empty catalog —
+    # a vanished input must fail LOUD, never silently zero the corpus (and never let
+    # `tide.py build` clobber the good catalog_view.json). [[feedback_parsers_over_copy]]
+    if not LIVES.is_dir():
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"site content not found at {LIVES} — is the www repo on the right branch? "
+            "corner-C (gig tracklists) is missing; refusing to build an empty catalog.")
     gigs = {}
     for f in glob.glob(str(LIVES / "**/tracks.json"), recursive=True):
         slug = str(Path(f).parent.relative_to(LIVES))
@@ -67,6 +75,8 @@ def load_gigs():
         tracks = d.get("tracks") if isinstance(d, dict) else d
         dt = (d.get("date") if isinstance(d, dict) else None) or ""
         gigs[slug] = {"date": dt[:10], "tracks": tracks or []}
+    if not gigs:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"no tracks.json found under {LIVES} — site content empty/moved.")
     return gigs
 
 

armada/tide-table/tests/conftest.py

@@ -26,13 +26,28 @@ def fixtures():
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
 def view():
-    """The real pipeline output, built once (IT-on-real-data)."""
+    """The real pipeline output, built once (IT-on-real-data). Skips cleanly when the
+    site content (corner C, in the www repo) is unavailable — e.g. www checked out to a
+    branch without next/content/lives — since these IT tests depend on that external repo."""
     import build_catalog_view as bcv
-    return bcv.build()
+    try:
+        v = bcv.build()
+    except RuntimeError as e:
+        pytest.skip(f"site content unavailable: {e}")
+    if not (v["tracks"] if isinstance(v, dict) else v.tracks):
+        pytest.skip("site content unavailable (0 tracks) — www on a contentless branch?")
+    return v
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
 def registry():
-    """The real pattern registry, built once (IT-on-real-data)."""
+    """The real pattern registry, built once (IT-on-real-data). Skips when the site
+    content is unavailable (same external www dependency as `view`)."""
     import pattern_ngrams as pn
-    return pn.build()
+    try:
+        r = pn.build()
+    except RuntimeError as e:
+        pytest.skip(f"site content unavailable: {e}")
+    if not r.get("tracks"):
+        pytest.skip("site content unavailable (0 tracks) — www on a contentless branch?")
+    return r