Suggest a new topic (proposedTopic field)

src/content/config.ts

@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@ const posts = defineCollection({
       // backward compat with existing frontmatter but no longer rendered.
       topic: z.string().optional(),
       topicId: z.enum(TOPIC_IDS),
+      // A writer-suggested topic not yet in TOPIC_IDS — surfaced for a maintainer
+      // (or automation) to create the topic or remap topicId. Ignored by rendering.
+      proposedTopic: z.string().optional(),
       tags: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
       updated: z.coerce.date().optional(),
       cover: z.union([image(), z.string().url()]).optional(),

src/write/WritePortal.tsx

@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ function emptyMeta(): PostMeta {
     tags: [],
     slug: '',
     coverFileName: '',
+    proposedTopic: '',
   };
 }
 

src/write/meta/MetaForm.tsx

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ type Props = {
 export function MetaForm({ authors, topics, meta, images, onChange }: Props) {
   const [slugTouched, setSlugTouched] = useState(false);
   const [tagInput, setTagInput] = useState('');
+  const [proposing, setProposing] = useState(!!meta.proposedTopic);
 
   const set = (patch: Partial<PostMeta>) => onChange({ ...meta, ...patch });
 
@@ -98,10 +99,15 @@ export function MetaForm({ authors, topics, meta, images, onChange }: Props) {
         <label>
           Topic
           <select
-            value={meta.topicId}
+            value={proposing ? '__propose__' : meta.topicId}
             onChange={(e) => {
+              if (e.target.value === '__propose__') {
+                setProposing(true);
+                return;
+              }
               const topic = topics.find((t) => t.id === e.target.value);
-              set({ topicId: topic?.id ?? '', topicName: topic?.name ?? '' });
+              setProposing(false);
+              set({ topicId: topic?.id ?? '', topicName: topic?.name ?? '', proposedTopic: '' });
             }}
           >
             <option value="">Pick a topic…</option>
@@ -110,10 +116,42 @@ export function MetaForm({ authors, topics, meta, images, onChange }: Props) {
                 {t.name}
               </option>
             ))}
+            <option value="__propose__">＋ Propose a new topic…</option>
           </select>
         </label>
       </div>
 
+      {proposing && (
+        <div className="write-meta-row">
+          <label>
+            New topic
+            <input
+              type="text"
+              placeholder="e.g. Memory Systems"
+              value={meta.proposedTopic ?? ''}
+              onChange={(e) => set({ proposedTopic: e.target.value })}
+            />
+          </label>
+          <label>
+            File under for now
+            <select
+              value={meta.topicId}
+              onChange={(e) => {
+                const topic = topics.find((t) => t.id === e.target.value);
+                set({ topicId: topic?.id ?? '', topicName: topic?.name ?? '' });
+              }}
+            >
+              <option value="">Pick the closest…</option>
+              {topics.map((t) => (
+                <option key={t.id} value={t.id}>
+                  {t.name}
+                </option>
+              ))}
+            </select>
+          </label>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
       <div className="write-meta-row">
         <label>
           URL slug

src/write/serialize/toMdx.test.ts

@@ -473,9 +473,19 @@ describe('frontmatter', () => {
     const fm = mdx.split('---')[1];
     expect(fm).not.toContain('tags:');
     expect(fm).not.toContain('cover:');
+    expect(fm).not.toContain('proposedTopic:');
     expect(fm).toContain('readMin: 1');
   });
 
+  it('emits a proposedTopic when the writer suggests a new one', () => {
+    const { mdx } = serializePost(
+      { ...meta, proposedTopic: 'Memory Systems' },
+      [block('paragraph', {}, [t('x')])],
+      { tableVariants: {}, today },
+    );
+    expect(mdx.split('---')[1]).toContain("proposedTopic: 'Memory Systems'");
+  });
+
   it('serializes multiple authors into the frontmatter array', () => {
     const { mdx } = serializePost(
       { ...meta, authors: ['dinesh', 'felix'] },

src/write/serialize/toMdx.ts

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ export type PostMeta = {
   coverFileName: string;
   // Set only when editing an existing post; preserves its original publish date.
   date?: string;
+  // A topic the writer proposes that isn't in the list yet — a maintainer (or, later,
+  // automation) reads this from the frontmatter and creates it or remaps topicId.
+  proposedTopic?: string;
 };
 
 export type TableStyle = { border: 'rule' | 'lined' | 'plain'; zebra: boolean };
@@ -385,6 +388,7 @@ function buildFrontmatter(meta: PostMeta, blocks: SBlock[], opts: SerializeOptio
     `topicId: ${yaml(meta.topicId)}`,
   ];
   if (meta.tags.length > 0) lines.push(`tags: [${meta.tags.map(yaml).join(', ')}]`);
+  if (meta.proposedTopic?.trim()) lines.push(`proposedTopic: ${yaml(meta.proposedTopic.trim())}`);
   if (meta.coverFileName) lines.push(`cover: ${yaml(`./${meta.coverFileName}`)}`);
   return `---\n${lines.join('\n')}\n---`;
 }