HF_FIX_SUMMARY.md

HF Spaces Data Persistence Fix

Problem

The application was using /tmp/human_notes_evaluator for data storage, which is ephemeral on HF Spaces and gets cleared between requests/restarts.

Solution Applied

1. Forced persistent DATA_DIR: Changed from environment-dependent to forced persistent location

   DATA_DIR = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), 'data')  # Always use ./data/
   

2. Added startup logging: Clear messages showing which directory is being used

   IMPORTANT: Using DATA_DIR = /path/to/your/space/data
   

3. Fixed session storage: Switched from filesystem to in-memory sessions for HF compatibility

   # Removed filesystem session config that caused permission errors
   app.config['SESSION_PERMANENT'] = False  # Simple in-memory sessions
   

4. Enhanced debugging: Added /hf-debug route to diagnose HF-specific issues

Expected Result

• Data will now persist in ./data/ directory
• Evaluations saved to ./data/evaluations.csv
• Sessions stored in-memory (HF Spaces compatible)
• Documents loaded from ./data/documents.csv

How to Verify on HF

1. Push these changes to HF Spaces
2. Check startup logs - should show DATA_DIR = /path/to/space/data
3. Visit /hf-debug route to see system info
4. Test evaluation submission and check results persistence

Key Files Changed

• app.py - Main DATA_DIR fix and logging
• DEPLOYMENT.md - Deployment instructions
• requirements.txt - Dependencies
• .gitignore - Exclude data files

Debug Routes

• /debug - Full application debug info
• /hf-debug - HF Spaces specific debugging

Next Steps

1. Commit and push to HF Spaces
2. Check startup logs for DATA_DIR confirmation
3. Upload documents.csv to the space
4. Test evaluation workflow
5. Use debug routes if issues persist