core: finish the hostile-mode matrix -- 8 remaining end-to-end cases

Was 7/16 of tools/testserver/README.md's mode table covered by
engine_test.cpp. Adds the rest:

- engine_expiring_signed_url_recovers_via_refresh_url: an expired signed
  URL 403s, the engine asks (paused, decision_calls >= 1) rather than
  failing terminally, and DownloadHandle::refresh_url() with a freshly
  signed URL completes it -- exercises both do_refresh_url() fixes and
  the probe-level referrer retry's second-403 path from the previous
  commit.
- engine_403_without_referer_retries_with_origin: no spec.referrer set,
  the automatic single retry (previous commit) recovers with zero
  decisions asked.
- engine_redirect_chain_follows_to_completion: 5 hops of a plain 302.
  No core-side change needed -- documents that CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION/
  MAXREDIRS (already on, RequestOptions::follow_redirects) cover both
  the probe's and every worker's own request, not just one of the two.
- engine_slow_loris_stall_timeout_fires: proves curl's stall detector
  (CURLOPT_LOW_SPEED_LIMIT/_TIME, download_task.cpp's hardcoded 1024 B/s
  for 30s) actually fires rather than hanging. Needed a real fix, not
  just a test: every other test in this file relies on TestServer's
  short 1s loris dribble to keep runtime down, but 1s of trickle
  followed by full-speed streaming never accumulates curl's required 30
  CONSECUTIVE seconds under the floor, so it would never actually abort
  -- a test built on the default dribble would pass by the download
  merely finishing a bit late, not by observing the stall timeout fire.
  testserver_fixture.hpp's TestServer gained an explicit-loris-seconds
  constructor (default ctor unchanged, still 1s) so this one test can
  ask for a dribble (40s) that genuinely outlasts the threshold.
- engine_401_digest_then_provide_auth_completes: same shape as the
  existing 401-basic test: http_client.cpp already asks libcurl for
  CURLAUTH_ANY regardless of net::AuthScheme, so this needed no core
  change -- it passed on the first run and is here to prove that's true
  end-to-end, not just at the http_client unit level.
- engine_chunked_no_length_completes_single_segment: Transfer-Encoding:
  chunked, no Content-Length anywhere (including HEAD). No core change
  needed -- takes the same size-agnostic "unknown size, one plain-GET
  segment" path as the existing no-range test.
- utf8/legacy-content-disposition: already covered end-to-end by
  probe_reads_utf8_content_disposition and
  probe_reads_legacy_content_disposition in probe_test.cpp (probe-level,
  as these modes only affect the initial request) -- verified passing,
  no new test needed.

All 20 engine_test.cpp cases and all 10 probe_test.cpp cases pass. Every
testserver.py spawned while writing and running this was reaped by
TestServer's destructor; verified no stragglers with `ps aux` after each
run.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <[email protected]>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Q3QrF7rCt21bkAjt9BCDFQ

contracts/fixtures/download.addBatch.json

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
       ],
       "defaults": {
         "url": "https://example.org/",
-        "categoryId": "compressed",
+        "categoryId": "programs",
         "startMode": "queue",
         "queueId": "main"
       }

contracts/fixtures/errors/session.hello.version-mismatch.json

@@ -30,5 +30,6 @@
     "the version check is transport-independent; this is replayed on the Unix socket so it is not masked by -32002",
     "data.expected is the daemon's own current protocol version string (kProtocolVersion), not a bare major and not pinnable in a golden file -- the conformance compare on error payloads is on `code` only, structural elsewhere, so echoing the live version is fine"
   ],
-  "transport": "uds"
+  "transport": "uds",
+  "closesConnection": true
 }

core/src/task/download_task.cpp

@@ -64,6 +64,19 @@ std::string lower(std::string s) {
     return s;
 }
 
+// scheme://host[:port] of `url`, with no path/query/fragment -- what docs/04 §7's "403
+// after redirect: retry once with the original referrer" retries with as the Referer
+// header. Empty on an unparseable URL (the caller just won't get a referrer retry).
+std::string origin_of(std::string_view url) {
+    auto s = net::split_url(url);
+    if (!s.valid)
+        return {};
+    std::string out = s.scheme + "://" + s.host;
+    if (s.port)
+        out += ":" + std::to_string(*s.port);
+    return out;
+}
+
 }  // namespace
 
 // What to do once every worker has drained (see DownloadTaskState::begin_drain_locked).
@@ -88,6 +101,7 @@ struct SegWorker {
     bool needs_auth = false;
     bool wrong_status = false;
     bool range_bad = false;
+    bool forbidden = false;  // 403 -- docs/04 §7's "retry once with the original referrer"
     bool auth_handshake = false;  // saw a 401/407 and let libcurl resend with credentials
     std::string resp_etag, resp_last_modified;  // captured on a wrong_status 200, for demote
     std::optional<ErrorInfo> flush_error;
@@ -135,6 +149,16 @@ struct DownloadTaskState : std::enable_shared_from_this<DownloadTaskState> {
     std::optional<std::uint64_t> total_size;
     std::string origin_host;
 
+    // docs/04 §7's "403 after redirect: retry once with the original referrer" -- many
+    // CDNs 403 a bare/foreign Referer. Starts as spec.referrer (the browser's, verbatim);
+    // start_worker_locked() sends this, not spec.referrer directly, so a 403 retry can
+    // override it (to the download URL's own origin) without touching what the caller
+    // actually asked for. referrer_retried bounds it to exactly once per task -- a second
+    // 403 with a same-origin Referer already set is a real, honest failure
+    // (Error::forbidden), not something a referrer swap can fix.
+    std::string effective_referrer;
+    bool referrer_retried = false;
+
     std::unique_ptr<segment::Segmenter> seg;
     std::unique_ptr<io::SparseFile> file;
     std::unordered_map<std::uint32_t, std::unique_ptr<SegWorker>> workers;
@@ -164,7 +188,7 @@ struct DownloadTaskState : std::enable_shared_from_this<DownloadTaskState> {
     std::vector<std::function<void()>> deferred;
 
     DownloadTaskState(TaskHost &h, TaskId i, DownloadSpec s, DownloadCallbacks c)
-        : host(h), id(i), spec(std::move(s)), cbs(std::move(c)) {}
+        : host(h), id(i), spec(std::move(s)), cbs(std::move(c)), effective_referrer(spec.referrer) {}
 
     // --- deferred callbacks -------------------------------------------------------------
     void defer(std::function<void()> fn) {
@@ -286,7 +310,7 @@ void DownloadTaskState::restart_probe(bool with_auth) {
     pr.url = spec.url;
     pr.headers = spec.headers;
     pr.cookies = spec.cookies;
-    pr.referrer = spec.referrer;
+    pr.referrer = effective_referrer;
     pr.user_agent = spec.user_agent;
     pr.proxy = spec.proxy;
     if (with_auth)
@@ -299,12 +323,37 @@ void DownloadTaskState::restart_probe(bool with_auth) {
 }
 
 void DownloadTaskState::on_probe_result(Result<net::ProbeResult> r) {
+    bool retry_probe_with_referrer = false;
     {
         std::unique_lock lk(mu);
         if (retired.load() || is_terminal(state))
             return;
         if (!r.has_value()) {
-            fail_locked(std::move(r).error());
+            ErrorInfo e = std::move(r).error();
+            // docs/04 §7's referrer retry applies here too: a probe (HEAD, or the
+            // ranged-GET fallback when HEAD is refused -- probe.cpp) can be the request
+            // that actually gets 403'd, before any segment worker exists to retry it
+            // (net::Prober builds its own request from ProbeRequest::referrer, not
+            // through start_worker_locked() -- see restart_probe()'s use of
+            // effective_referrer below). Same one-shot bound via referrer_retried as the
+            // worker-level retry (seg_finished's w->forbidden branch) shares.
+            if (e.code == Error::forbidden && !referrer_retried) {
+                referrer_retried = true;
+                effective_referrer = origin_of(spec.url);
+                retry_probe_with_referrer = true;
+            } else if (e.code == Error::forbidden) {
+                // Already retried with the origin referrer and still 403 -- not something
+                // another blind retry fixes (an expired signed URL, a private resource).
+                // Ask rather than fail outright, the same "ask, don't just fail" shape as
+                // wrong_status/range_bad/the worker-level 403 branch: refresh_url() is a
+                // no-op once the task is terminal, and tools/testserver's expiring-signed-
+                // url mode (also a bare 403, indistinguishable from any other without
+                // parsing the body -- CLAUDE.md §3, core never does) is meant to be
+                // recovered exactly that way.
+                auto_pause_locked(std::move(e), false, true);
+            } else {
+                fail_locked(std::move(e));
+            }
         } else {
             probe = std::move(r).value();
             have_probe = true;
@@ -319,6 +368,8 @@ void DownloadTaskState::on_probe_result(Result<net::ProbeResult> r) {
         }
     }
     flush_deferred();
+    if (retry_probe_with_referrer)
+        restart_probe(false);
 }
 
 void DownloadTaskState::finish_probe_locked() {
@@ -472,7 +523,7 @@ void DownloadTaskState::start_worker_locked(std::uint32_t seg_idx) {
     req.url = current_url();
     req.headers = spec.headers;
     req.cookies = spec.cookies;
-    req.referrer = spec.referrer;
+    req.referrer = effective_referrer;
     req.user_agent = spec.user_agent;
     req.proxy = spec.proxy;
     req.auth = spec.auth;
@@ -552,6 +603,10 @@ net::DataAction DownloadTaskState::seg_head(std::uint32_t seg_idx, const net::Re
         w->range_bad = true;
         return net::DataAction::abort;
     }
+    if (h.status == 403) {
+        w->forbidden = true;
+        return net::DataAction::abort;
+    }
     if (h.status >= 400)
         return net::DataAction::abort;
     seg->set_segment_state(seg_idx, segment::SegState::downloading);
@@ -637,7 +692,7 @@ void DownloadTaskState::seg_finished(std::uint32_t seg_idx, Result<net::Transfer
     // (content-length-mismatch's honest-length lie, flaky-reset's tail, a proxy RST after
     // the last byte). If the segment is fully covered, that's a success.
     if (seg && !cancel_requested && !pause_requested && !w->needs_auth && !w->wrong_status &&
-        !w->flush_error && !w->range_bad) {
+        !w->flush_error && !w->range_bad && !w->forbidden) {
         const std::uint64_t len = seg->segment_end(seg_idx) - seg->segment_start(seg_idx) + 1;
         if (len != 0 && seg->segment_completed(seg_idx) >= len) {
             r = Result<net::TransferStats>(net::TransferStats{});
@@ -756,6 +811,35 @@ void DownloadTaskState::seg_finished(std::uint32_t seg_idx, Result<net::Transfer
         auto_pause_locked(ErrorInfo(Error::range_not_satisfiable, "416"), false, true);
         return done();
     }
+    if (w->forbidden) {
+        // docs/04 §7: "403 after redirect: retry once with the original referrer -- many
+        // CDNs require it." Bare/foreign Referer is the common cause; origin_of() rebuilds
+        // it from the (possibly redirected) URL the response actually came from. Exactly
+        // once per task, not a backoff series -- a second 403 with a same-origin Referer
+        // already set isn't something another blind retry can fix (a private/expired
+        // resource, an expiring signed URL past its window, ...). That's not necessarily
+        // terminal, though: ask (same "ask, don't just fail outright" shape as
+        // wrong_status/range_bad above) rather than fail_locked() outright, specifically
+        // so DownloadHandle::refresh_url() -- do_refresh_url() is a no-op once the task is
+        // terminal -- stays usable for the case tools/testserver's README pairs it with:
+        // a caller that gets a fresh signed URL and hands it back.
+        release_slot();
+        if (!referrer_retried) {
+            referrer_retried = true;
+            effective_referrer = origin_of(current_url());
+            seg->set_segment_state(seg_idx, segment::SegState::stalled);
+            auto wp = weak_from_this();
+            host.schedule(std::chrono::steady_clock::now(), [wp, seg_idx] {
+                if (auto s = wp.lock())
+                    s->retry_worker(seg_idx);
+            });
+            if (workers.empty())
+                transition(EngineState::retry_wait, std::nullopt);
+        } else {
+            auto_pause_locked(ErrorInfo(Error::forbidden, "403", w->http_status), false, true);
+        }
+        return done();
+    }
 
     if (!r.has_value()) {
         ErrorInfo e = std::move(r).error();
@@ -1215,6 +1299,7 @@ void DownloadTaskState::do_refresh_url(std::string url, std::vector<net::HeaderF
     net::ProbeRequest pr;
     pr.url = spec.url;
     pr.headers = spec.headers;
+    pr.referrer = effective_referrer;
     pr.auth = spec.auth;
     pr.proxy = spec.proxy;
     host.probe(std::move(pr), [wp](Result<net::ProbeResult> r) {
@@ -1224,10 +1309,43 @@ void DownloadTaskState::do_refresh_url(std::string url, std::vector<net::HeaderF
         std::unique_lock lk(s->mu);
         if (s->retired.load() || is_terminal(s->state))
             return;
-        if (r.has_value()) {
-            s->probe.effective_url = r.value().effective_url;
-            s->probe.etag = r.value().etag;
-            s->probe.last_modified = r.value().last_modified;
+        if (!r.has_value()) {
+            lk.unlock();
+            s->flush_deferred();
+            return;  // still paused; the caller can retry refresh_url() or decide()
+        }
+        if (!s->have_probe) {
+            // The task's *first* probe never succeeded (e.g. this session's own
+            // expiring-signed-url path: 403, one referrer retry, still 403 -> ask rather
+            // than fail outright -- see on_probe_result() -- specifically so this branch
+            // exists to recover it). finish_probe_locked() is what actually registers the
+            // task with the budget and builds its Segmenter; nothing downstream of a
+            // partial field copy would ever start a worker without it.
+            s->probe = std::move(r).value();
+            s->have_probe = true;
+            s->awaiting_auth = false;
+            s->awaiting_decision = false;
+            s->finish_probe_locked();
+            lk.unlock();
+            s->flush_deferred();
+            return;
+        }
+        s->probe.effective_url = r.value().effective_url;
+        s->probe.etag = r.value().etag;
+        s->probe.last_modified = r.value().last_modified;
+        // refresh_url()'s own contract is "on a live OR PAUSED task, without losing
+        // progress" -- distinct from do_decide(restart), which discards progress. A task
+        // can be paused here for any of three reasons (a plain user pause, awaiting_auth,
+        // or awaiting_decision -- e.g. this session's own 403-after-referrer-retry path,
+        // or the pre-existing wrong_status/range_bad ones); apply_slot_target()'s guard
+        // blocks on awaiting_auth/awaiting_decision specifically, so leaving either set
+        // would have set_want() below recompute a target that nothing ever acts on --
+        // the caller's new URL re-probed successfully and then the task just sat there.
+        // Clear both and leave `paused` the same way do_decide(restart) does.
+        if (s->state == EngineState::paused) {
+            s->awaiting_auth = false;
+            s->awaiting_decision = false;
+            s->transition(EngineState::connecting, std::nullopt);
         }
         if (s->registered)
             s->host.budget().set_want(s->id, s->want_slots());

core/tests/net/testserver_fixture.hpp

@@ -28,7 +28,14 @@ namespace vdm::testing {
 
 class TestServer {
   public:
-    TestServer() {
+    TestServer() : TestServer(1.0) {}
+
+    // loris_seconds overrides the dribble duration slow-loris mode uses (default matches the
+    // no-arg ctor's long-standing 1s). A test that needs curl's stall detector
+    // (CURLOPT_LOW_SPEED_TIME, hardcoded to 30s in download_task.cpp) to actually fire needs a
+    // dribble that outlasts that threshold, not the short one every other test relies on to
+    // keep runtime down.
+    explicit TestServer(double loris_seconds) {
         const char *script = VDM_TESTSERVER_PY;
         if (!script || !*script || ::access(script, R_OK) != 0)
             return;
@@ -50,8 +57,9 @@ class TestServer {
             int devnull = ::open("/dev/null", O_WRONLY);
             if (devnull >= 0)
                 ::dup2(devnull, STDERR_FILENO);
+            std::string loris_str = std::to_string(loris_seconds);
             ::execlp("python3", "python3", script, "--port", "0", "--seed", "9", "--loris-seconds",
-                     "1", "--throttle-bps", "131072", static_cast<char *>(nullptr));
+                     loris_str.c_str(), "--throttle-bps", "131072", static_cast<char *>(nullptr));
             ::_exit(127);
         }
         ::close(pipefd[1]);

core/tests/task/engine_test.cpp

@@ -124,6 +124,31 @@ std::string server_sha(TestServer &srv, const std::string &mode, const std::stri
     return out.substr(open + 1, close - open - 1);
 }
 
+// Small, deliberately identical extraction to server_sha's: GET /<mode>/sign/<size>?ttl=N
+// and pull the "url" field's value out of the {"url":..., "exp":...} JSON body.
+std::string sign_url(TestServer &srv, const std::string &mode, const std::string &size,
+                     int ttl_seconds) {
+    std::string url =
+        srv.url("/" + mode + "/sign/" + size + "?ttl=" + std::to_string(ttl_seconds));
+    std::string cmd = "curl -s '" + url + "'";
+    std::string out;
+    if (FILE *f = ::popen(cmd.c_str(), "r")) {
+        char buf[1024];
+        while (std::fgets(buf, sizeof buf, f))
+            out += buf;
+        ::pclose(f);
+    }
+    auto q = out.find("\"url\"");
+    if (q == std::string::npos)
+        return {};
+    auto colon = out.find(':', q);
+    auto open = out.find('"', colon);
+    auto close = out.find('"', open + 1);
+    if (open == std::string::npos || close == std::string::npos)
+        return {};
+    return out.substr(open + 1, close - open - 1);
+}
+
 DownloadSpec spec_for(TestServer &srv, const std::string &urlpath, const std::string &save) {
     DownloadSpec s;
     s.url = srv.url(urlpath);
@@ -328,6 +353,30 @@ VT_TEST(engine_401_then_provide_auth_completes) {
     VT_CHECK_EQ(file_size(td.file("au.bin")), 1u * 1024 * 1024);
 }
 
+VT_TEST(engine_401_digest_then_provide_auth_completes) {
+    // Same shape as engine_401_then_provide_auth_completes, but the challenge is HTTP
+    // Digest (qop=auth) rather than Basic. provide_auth() doesn't know or care which --
+    // http_client.cpp always asks libcurl for CURLAUTH_ANY (net::AuthScheme::any) and lets
+    // curl negotiate against whatever WWW-Authenticate the server actually sent -- so this
+    // exists purely to prove that's true end-to-end, not just at the unit level.
+    TestServer srv;
+    VT_REQUIRE(srv.available());
+    TmpDir td;
+    Recorder rec;
+    Engine eng;
+    DownloadHandle h;
+    auto cbs = rec.cbs(&h, "test", "test");
+    h = eng.start(spec_for(srv, "/401-digest/file/1M", td.file("dg.bin")), std::move(cbs));
+    rec.arm(h);
+
+    auto r = rec.wait();
+    VT_REQUIRE(r.has_value());
+    VT_CHECK(rec.auth_calls.load() >= 1);
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(file_size(td.file("dg.bin")), 1u * 1024 * 1024);
+    auto got = hash_file(td.file("dg.bin"), Checksum::Algo::sha256);
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(got.value(), server_sha(srv, "401-digest", "1M"));
+}
+
 // --- hostile-mode matrix: the four where a bug is silent corruption, not a visible
 // failure (docs/04 §5 "ask, never silently corrupt" / §7's failure-policy table). ---
 
@@ -458,6 +507,142 @@ VT_TEST(engine_content_length_mismatch_fails_honestly) {
     VT_CHECK_EQ(::access(td.file("clm.bin").c_str(), F_OK), -1);  // never renamed into place
 }
 
+// --- remaining hostile-mode matrix (tools/testserver/README.md's mode table). ---
+
+VT_TEST(engine_expiring_signed_url_recovers_via_refresh_url) {
+    // A signed URL past its ttl 403s (tools/testserver's own JSON body distinguishes
+    // "expired" from "bad signature", but core never parses response bodies -- CLAUDE.md
+    // §3 -- so both just read as a 403). The one automatic referrer retry (see
+    // engine_403_without_referer_retries_with_origin, below) can't fix an expired
+    // signature, so the second 403 asks -- via the same auto_pause_locked(..., false,
+    // true) "ask, don't just fail" path as wrong_status/range_bad -- rather than
+    // terminally failing outright, specifically so DownloadHandle::refresh_url() (its own
+    // contract: works "on a live or paused task", never on a terminal one) stays usable:
+    // the README pairs this mode with exactly that recovery.
+    TestServer srv;
+    VT_REQUIRE(srv.available());
+    TmpDir td;
+    Recorder rec;
+    Engine eng;
+
+    std::string expired = sign_url(srv, "expiring-signed-url", "64K", /*ttl=*/1);
+    VT_REQUIRE(!expired.empty());
+    std::this_thread::sleep_for(1500ms);  // let the ttl actually pass before the first request
+
+    DownloadSpec s;
+    s.url = expired;
+    s.save_path = td.file("exp.bin");
+    auto h = eng.start(std::move(s), rec.cbs());
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < 300 && rec.decision_calls.load() == 0; ++i)
+        std::this_thread::sleep_for(20ms);
+    VT_REQUIRE(rec.decision_calls.load() >= 1);
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(h.state(), EngineState::paused);
+
+    std::string fresh = sign_url(srv, "expiring-signed-url", "64K", /*ttl=*/60);
+    VT_REQUIRE(!fresh.empty());
+    h.refresh_url(fresh);
+
+    auto r = rec.wait(60s);
+    VT_REQUIRE(r.has_value());
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(file_size(td.file("exp.bin")), 64u * 1024);
+    auto got = hash_file(td.file("exp.bin"), Checksum::Algo::sha256);
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(got.value(), server_sha(srv, "expiring-signed-url", "64K"));
+}
+
+VT_TEST(engine_403_without_referer_retries_with_origin) {
+    // docs/04 §7: "403 after redirect: retry once with the original referrer -- many CDNs
+    // require it." No spec.referrer is set here (the common case for anything not
+    // initiated from a browser page, e.g. `velox add <url>`), so the first attempt 403s;
+    // the engine's own retry supplies the download URL's own origin as Referer, which
+    // this mode accepts, and the download completes with no decision ever asked.
+    TestServer srv;
+    VT_REQUIRE(srv.available());
+    TmpDir td;
+    Recorder rec;
+    Engine eng;
+    auto h = eng.start(spec_for(srv, "/403-without-referer/file/128K", td.file("ref.bin")),
+                       rec.cbs());
+    auto r = rec.wait(30s);
+    VT_REQUIRE(r.has_value());
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(rec.decision_calls.load(), 0);  // recovered automatically, not asked
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(file_size(td.file("ref.bin")), 128u * 1024);
+    auto got = hash_file(td.file("ref.bin"), Checksum::Algo::sha256);
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(got.value(), server_sha(srv, "403-without-referer", "128K"));
+}
+
+VT_TEST(engine_redirect_chain_follows_to_completion) {
+    // 5 hops (tools/testserver's own --redirect-depth default) of a plain 302, query
+    // string preserved across each. No CORE-side logic needed for this one -- libcurl's
+    // own CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION (RequestOptions::follow_redirects, already on) and
+    // CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS (default 20, well over 5) do the whole thing -- this is here as
+    // the end-to-end check that they're actually wired through both the probe and every
+    // segment worker's own request, not just one of the two.
+    TestServer srv;
+    VT_REQUIRE(srv.available());
+    TmpDir td;
+    Recorder rec;
+    Engine eng;
+    auto h = eng.start(spec_for(srv, "/redirect-chain/file/1M", td.file("rc.bin")), rec.cbs());
+    auto r = rec.wait(30s);
+    VT_REQUIRE(r.has_value());
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(file_size(td.file("rc.bin")), 1u * 1024 * 1024);
+    auto got = hash_file(td.file("rc.bin"), Checksum::Algo::sha256);
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(got.value(), server_sha(srv, "redirect-chain", "1M"));
+}
+
+VT_TEST(engine_slow_loris_stall_timeout_fires) {
+    // Status line, headers, and body dribbled out one byte at a time for --loris-seconds,
+    // then (if the dribble hasn't already been cut off) normal streaming -- a connection
+    // that's technically alive (bytes ARE arriving, just far too slowly) but must not be
+    // allowed to hang the task forever. http_client.cpp sets CURLOPT_LOW_SPEED_LIMIT/_TIME
+    // (RequestOptions::low_speed_bytes_per_sec/low_speed_secs, hardcoded in
+    // download_task.cpp to 1024 B/s for 30s) for exactly this.
+    //
+    // Every other test in this file uses TestServer's default 1s loris dribble to keep
+    // runtime down, but 1s is far shorter than curl's 30s low_speed_time: a 1s trickle
+    // followed by full-speed streaming never accumulates 30 CONSECUTIVE seconds under the
+    // floor, so curl would never actually abort it -- the download would just complete
+    // slightly late, which would make this test pass for the wrong reason (or not exercise
+    // the stall timeout at all). Explicitly ask for a dribble that outlasts the 30s
+    // threshold so the stall timeout is the thing actually observed firing, not assumed.
+    TestServer srv(40.0);
+    VT_REQUIRE(srv.available());
+    TmpDir td;
+    Recorder rec;
+    Engine eng;
+    auto s = spec_for(srv, "/slow-loris/file/64K", td.file("sl.bin"));
+    s.segments = 1;
+    s.max_retries = 1;
+    auto h = eng.start(std::move(s), rec.cbs());
+    auto r = rec.wait(60s);  // stall timeout fires ~30s in; must resolve, not hang to 60s
+    VT_REQUIRE(!r.has_value());
+    VT_CHECK(is_retryable(r.error().code) || r.error().code == Error::max_retries_exhausted);
+}
+
+VT_TEST(engine_chunked_no_length_completes_single_segment) {
+    // No Content-Length anywhere (HEAD gets none either, since it's the same handler path)
+    // -- the probe can't know total_size or prove resumability, so this should take the
+    // exact same "unknown size, one plain-GET segment" path as engine_non_resumable_single_
+    // segment, just arriving there via a chunked body instead of a server that plainly
+    // refuses Range. No core-side work needed if that demotion is already size-agnostic;
+    // this is here to prove it, since every other test's server tells the probe the size
+    // up front.
+    TestServer srv;
+    VT_REQUIRE(srv.available());
+    TmpDir td;
+    Recorder rec;
+    Engine eng;
+    auto h = eng.start(spec_for(srv, "/chunked-no-length/file/2M", td.file("ch.bin")),
+                       rec.cbs());
+    auto r = rec.wait();
+    VT_REQUIRE(r.has_value());
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(rec.decision_calls.load(), 0);
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(file_size(td.file("ch.bin")), 2u * 1024 * 1024);
+    auto got = hash_file(td.file("ch.bin"), Checksum::Algo::sha256);
+    VT_CHECK_EQ(got.value(), server_sha(srv, "chunked-no-length", "2M"));
+}
+
 // --- DAEMON-reported bug: Progress.speed_bps reads 0 for the whole life of a live
 // download while downloaded bytes visibly advance. DAEMON reads progress by polling
 // DownloadHandle::progress() (engine_port_core.hpp), not the on_progress push callback --

extension/src/background/index.ts

@@ -19,7 +19,12 @@ import {
 } from './context-menus.js';
 import { MediaBridge, notifyTab } from './media-bridge.js';
 import { createTransport, transportStorage, type TransportStatus, type VeloxTransport } from './transport/index.js';
-import type { CaptureOfferParams, CaptureRules, DownloadSpec } from '../shared/protocol/index.js';
+import {
+  SESSION_SUBSCRIBE_PARAMS_EVENTS_ITEM_VALUES,
+  type CaptureOfferParams,
+  type CaptureRules,
+  type DownloadSpec,
+} from '../shared/protocol/index.js';
 
 let transport: VeloxTransport | undefined;
 let rules: CaptureRules = DEFAULT_CAPTURE_RULES;
@@ -75,10 +80,31 @@ async function refreshRules(): Promise<void> {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * "Nothing is delivered until this is called" (session.subscribe's own description) —
+ * without it, event.task.progress et al. never reach this connection at all, no matter
+ * how many listeners bridge.ts registers locally. Requests the whole set every time
+ * because any popup/options document could open at any moment and none of them narrow
+ * per-tab; a fresh connection (first connect, or after a drop) starts with nothing
+ * subscribed until this runs again.
+ */
+async function subscribeToEvents(): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    await mustTransport().call('session.subscribe', {
+      events: [...SESSION_SUBSCRIBE_PARAMS_EVENTS_ITEM_VALUES],
+    });
+  } catch {
+    // Best-effort; a reconnect (or the next event.settings.changed-driven refresh) retries.
+  }
+}
+
 function onTransportState(status: TransportStatus): void {
   const detail = status.fatal ?? (status.needsPairing ? 'needs pairing' : '');
   console.debug(`[velox] transport ${status.state}${detail ? ` — ${detail}` : ''}`);
-  if (status.state === 'connected') void refreshRules();
+  if (status.state === 'connected') {
+    void refreshRules();
+    void subscribeToEvents();
+  }
 }
 
 async function setOverride(override: 'auto' | 'ws' | 'uds'): Promise<void> {

extension/tests/live/real-veloxd.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,389 @@
+// Runs the transport, the capture hook, and the popup event path against a REAL veloxd
+// — not FakeDaemon. Everything else in this suite is faithful to the documented wire
+// protocol, but "faithful" isn't "real"; this is what actually proves it.
+//
+// Requires VELOXD_BIN (path to a built veloxd) in the environment. Skips itself with a
+// clear message otherwise, so `npm test` and CI (no daemon binary lying around) are
+// unaffected. Run it like:
+//
+//   VELOXD_BIN=/path/to/build/dev/bin/veloxd npx vitest run tests/live
+//
+// Each veloxd instance gets its own scratch XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/XDG_DATA_HOME/
+// XDG_CONFIG_HOME/HOME (main.cpp's single-instance lock is keyed to the runtime dir, so
+// this can run alongside another developer's or CI's own veloxd on the same machine).
+// VELOX_PAIR_AUTO=1 stands in for the GUI's Allow-prompt approver during dev/test
+// (rpc/pairing.hpp's EnvAutoApprover) — pairing itself is exercised for real, only the
+// human click is stubbed.
+import { spawn, type ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams } from 'node:child_process';
+import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { dirname, join, resolve } from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { WebSocket as WsClient } from 'ws';
+
+import { RpcError, TransportClosedError } from '../../src/background/transport/types.js';
+import { WebSocketTransport, type WebSocketCtor, type WebSocketTransportDeps } from '../../src/background/transport/websocket.js';
+import { CaptureHook } from '../../src/background/capture/index.js';
+import type { OnHeadersReceivedDetails } from '../../src/background/capture/index.js';
+import type { CaptureRules, DownloadSpec, TaskProgressEvent, TaskStateEvent } from '../../src/shared/protocol/index.js';
+
+const VELOXD_BIN = process.env.VELOXD_BIN;
+const REPO_ROOT = resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '../../..');
+const TESTSERVER_PY = join(REPO_ROOT, 'tools/testserver/testserver.py');
+
+// A fixed moz-extension origin, used both as session.pair's extensionId and as the WS
+// upgrade's Origin header — real Firefox sets the latter itself; ws's client needs it
+// spelled out (docs/05 §4: the daemon refuses the upgrade without a moz-extension:// Origin).
+const EXTENSION_ID = '11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555';
+const ORIGIN = `moz-extension://${EXTENSION_ID}`;
+
+class OriginWebSocket extends WsClient {
+  constructor(url: string) {
+    super(url, { origin: ORIGIN });
+  }
+}
+const CTOR = OriginWebSocket as unknown as WebSocketCtor;
+
+function sleep(ms: number): Promise<void> {
+  return new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, ms));
+}
+
+async function waitFor(cond: () => Promise<boolean> | boolean, timeoutMs: number, what: string): Promise<void> {
+  const deadline = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
+  for (;;) {
+    if (await cond()) return;
+    if (Date.now() > deadline) throw new Error(`timed out waiting for ${what}`);
+    await sleep(50);
+  }
+}
+
+interface VeloxdInstance {
+  proc: ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams;
+  scratch: string;
+  wsPort: number;
+  /** True once the process has actually exited, by signal or otherwise. Node only sets
+   *  `proc.exitCode` for a normal exit — a signal-killed process reports its death via
+   *  `signalCode` and an `exit` event instead, never a non-null `exitCode`. */
+  hasExited(): boolean;
+  kill(signal?: NodeJS.Signals): void;
+}
+
+async function startVeloxd(bin: string): Promise<VeloxdInstance> {
+  const scratch = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'velox-live-'));
+  const runtime = join(scratch, 'rt');
+  const data = join(scratch, 'data');
+  const config = join(scratch, 'cfg');
+  const home = join(scratch, 'home');
+  mkdirSync(runtime, { mode: 0o700 });
+  mkdirSync(data, { recursive: true });
+  mkdirSync(config, { recursive: true });
+  mkdirSync(join(home, 'Downloads'), { recursive: true });
+
+  const proc = spawn(bin, [], {
+    env: {
+      ...process.env,
+      VELOX_PAIR_AUTO: '1',
+      XDG_RUNTIME_DIR: runtime,
+      XDG_DATA_HOME: data,
+      XDG_CONFIG_HOME: config,
+      HOME: home,
+    },
+  });
+  let exited = false;
+  proc.on('exit', () => {
+    exited = true;
+  });
+  let stderr = '';
+  proc.stderr.on('data', (d) => {
+    stderr += String(d);
+  });
+
+  const portFile = join(runtime, 'velox', 'ws.port');
+  try {
+    await waitFor(async () => {
+      if (exited) throw new Error(`veloxd exited early (code ${proc.exitCode}, signal ${proc.signalCode}): ${stderr}`);
+      try {
+        await readFile(portFile);
+        return true;
+      } catch {
+        return false;
+      }
+    }, 10_000, 'veloxd to write ws.port');
+  } catch (e) {
+    proc.kill('SIGKILL');
+    rmSync(scratch, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    throw e;
+  }
+  const wsPort = Number((await readFile(portFile, 'utf8')).trim());
+
+  return {
+    proc,
+    scratch,
+    wsPort,
+    hasExited: () => exited,
+    kill(signal: NodeJS.Signals = 'SIGTERM') {
+      proc.kill(signal);
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+interface TestServerInstance {
+  proc: ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams;
+  baseUrl: string;
+}
+
+async function startTestServer(): Promise<TestServerInstance> {
+  const proc = spawn('python3', [TESTSERVER_PY, '--port', '0'], {});
+  let stdout = '';
+  let port: number | null = null;
+  proc.stdout.on('data', (d) => {
+    stdout += String(d);
+    const m = /^(\d+)\s*$/m.exec(stdout);
+    if (m) port = Number(m[1]);
+  });
+  await waitFor(() => port !== null, 5_000, 'testserver to print its port');
+  const baseUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${port}`;
+  await waitFor(async () => {
+    try {
+      const res = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/__health`);
+      return res.ok;
+    } catch {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }, 5_000, 'testserver /__health');
+  return { proc, baseUrl };
+}
+
+function memDeps(init: { token?: string | null } = {}): { deps: WebSocketTransportDeps; store: { token: string | null } } {
+  const store = { token: init.token ?? null };
+  return {
+    store,
+    deps: {
+      getToken: async () => store.token,
+      setToken: async (t) => {
+        store.token = t;
+      },
+      getCachedPort: async () => null,
+      setCachedPort: async () => undefined,
+      extensionId: EXTENSION_ID,
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+function makeTransport(port: number, deps: WebSocketTransportDeps, extra: Partial<WebSocketTransportDeps> = {}): WebSocketTransport {
+  return new WebSocketTransport({
+    ...deps,
+    ...extra,
+    webSocketCtor: CTOR,
+    portRange: { start: port, end: port },
+    openTimeoutMs: 2000,
+  });
+}
+
+const maybeDescribe = VELOXD_BIN ? describe : describe.skip;
+
+if (!VELOXD_BIN) {
+  console.warn('tests/live/real-veloxd.test.ts: VELOXD_BIN not set — skipping (see file header).');
+}
+
+maybeDescribe('WebSocketTransport against a real veloxd', () => {
+  let daemon: VeloxdInstance;
+  let testserver: TestServerInstance;
+  // The mid-test fail-open case kills `daemon` and a later test starts a replacement —
+  // every scratch dir that ever existed gets cleaned up here, not just the last one.
+  const allScratchDirs: string[] = [];
+
+  async function freshVeloxd(): Promise<VeloxdInstance> {
+    const d = await startVeloxd(VELOXD_BIN!);
+    allScratchDirs.push(d.scratch);
+    return d;
+  }
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    daemon = await freshVeloxd();
+    testserver = await startTestServer();
+  }, 20_000);
+
+  afterAll(() => {
+    daemon?.kill('SIGKILL');
+    testserver?.proc.kill('SIGKILL');
+    for (const dir of allScratchDirs) rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  it('session.hello without a token surfaces NotPaired / needsPairing', async () => {
+    const { deps } = memDeps();
+    const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps, { autoPair: false });
+    await expect(t.connect()).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(RpcError);
+    expect(t.status.needsPairing).toBe(true);
+    t.disconnect();
+  });
+
+  let pairedToken: string;
+
+  it('pairs (VELOX_PAIR_AUTO=1 stands in for the human Allow click) and hellos with the issued token', async () => {
+    const { deps, store } = memDeps();
+    const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps); // autoPair: true (default)
+    await t.connect();
+    expect(t.state).toBe('connected');
+    expect(t.status.daemonVersion).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(store.token).toBeTruthy();
+    pairedToken = store.token!;
+    t.disconnect();
+  });
+
+  it('the pairing token survives a reconnect: a fresh transport reuses it with no fresh pairing', async () => {
+    const { deps } = memDeps({ token: pairedToken });
+    // autoPair: false — if this succeeds at all, it can only be because the stored
+    // token from the previous test was accepted outright, not because this transport
+    // silently re-paired.
+    const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps, { autoPair: false });
+    await t.connect();
+    expect(t.state).toBe('connected');
+    t.disconnect();
+  });
+
+  it('a wrong token is rejected, and repeating it rate-limits the next pairing attempt', async () => {
+    // Five failed session.hello attempts from this origin (ws_server.cpp records a
+    // rate-limiter failure on every not-paired hello, not only on a failed session.pair)
+    // exhausts the window; the sixth thing this origin tries — a pairing attempt — gets
+    // RateLimited rather than a fresh token.
+    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i += 1) {
+      const { deps } = memDeps({ token: 'not-the-real-token' });
+      const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps, { autoPair: false });
+      await expect(t.connect()).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(RpcError);
+      t.disconnect();
+    }
+
+    const { deps } = memDeps(); // no token -> autoPair kicks in -> session.pair
+    const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps);
+    await expect(t.connect()).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(RpcError);
+    expect(t.status.needsPairing).toBe(true);
+    expect(t.status.retryAfterSec).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    t.disconnect();
+  });
+
+  it('download.add creates a real task the engine picks up', async () => {
+    const { deps } = memDeps({ token: pairedToken });
+    const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps, { autoPair: false });
+    await t.connect();
+    try {
+      const spec: DownloadSpec = { url: `${testserver.baseUrl}/plain/file/64K`, filename: 'plain-download.bin' };
+      const added = await t.call('download.add', spec);
+      expect(added.taskId).toBeTruthy();
+
+      await waitFor(async () => {
+        const detail = await t.call('download.get', { taskId: added.taskId });
+        const state = detail.summary.state;
+        return state === 'complete' || state === 'downloading' || state === 'verifying';
+      }, 10_000, 'the task to leave the queued state');
+    } finally {
+      t.disconnect();
+    }
+  }, 15_000);
+
+  it('capture.offer end to end: the real capture path takes a monitored download, ignores its own duplicate, and fails open when the daemon dies mid-offer', async () => {
+    const { deps } = memDeps({ token: pairedToken });
+    const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps, { autoPair: false });
+    await t.connect();
+
+    const rules: CaptureRules = await t.call('capture.getRules', {});
+    expect(rules.monitoredExtensions).toContain('zip'); // seeded default (0001_initial.sql)
+
+    const hook = new CaptureHook({
+      offer: (params, opts) => t.call('capture.offer', params, opts),
+      stash: { take: () => undefined, peek: () => undefined },
+      getCookies: async () => [],
+      getRules: () => rules,
+      origin: ORIGIN,
+    });
+
+    // A throttled URL so the task the first offer creates is still active (not yet
+    // complete) when the dedupe offer for the same URL follows immediately after.
+    const url = `${testserver.baseUrl}/throttled/file/512K`;
+    const details: OnHeadersReceivedDetails = {
+      requestId: 'live-1',
+      url,
+      method: 'GET',
+      type: 'other',
+      statusCode: 200,
+      tabId: 1,
+      responseHeaders: [{ name: 'content-disposition', value: 'attachment; filename="live-capture.zip"' }],
+    };
+
+    const first = await hook.handle(details);
+    expect(first).toEqual({ cancel: true }); // the daemon took it — Firefox never starts its own download
+
+    const list = await t.call('download.list', { filter: { query: 'live-capture' } });
+    expect(list.items.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    const task = list.items[0]!;
+    expect(task.categoryId).toBe('programs'); // "zip" routes to the built-in Programs category
+    expect(task.saveDir).toContain('Downloads/Programs');
+
+    // Same URL again, task still active: the daemon's own dedupe (has_active_duplicate)
+    // says Ignore, so the hook proceeds instead of cancelling a second time.
+    const dup = await hook.handle({ ...details, requestId: 'live-2' });
+    expect(dup).toEqual({});
+
+    // Now kill the daemon mid-offer and prove fail-open holds against the REAL binary,
+    // not just FakeDaemon: the hook must still resolve to {} (Firefox downloads
+    // normally) well inside its own 750 ms budget.
+    daemon.kill('SIGKILL');
+    await waitFor(() => daemon.hasExited(), 5_000, 'veloxd to actually die');
+
+    const started = Date.now();
+    const afterDeath = await hook.handle({ ...details, requestId: 'live-3', url: `${url}?after-death=1` });
+    const elapsedMs = Date.now() - started;
+    expect(afterDeath).toEqual({}); // fail open — never {cancel: true} with a dead daemon
+    expect(elapsedMs).toBeLessThan(900); // budget is 750ms; the hook's own timer bounds this
+
+    t.disconnect();
+  }, 20_000);
+
+  it('event.task.progress reaches a subscribed client (the popup\'s own path)', async () => {
+    if (daemon.hasExited()) {
+      // The previous test kills the daemon on purpose to prove fail-open; start a fresh
+      // one so this test still exercises the real event path end to end.
+      daemon = await freshVeloxd();
+    }
+    const { deps } = memDeps();
+    const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps); // fresh daemon instance -> fresh pairing
+    await t.connect();
+    try {
+      await t.call('session.subscribe', {
+        events: ['event.task.added', 'event.task.state', 'event.task.progress'],
+      });
+
+      const progressEvents: TaskProgressEvent[] = [];
+      const stateEvents: TaskStateEvent[] = [];
+      t.on('event.task.progress', (p) => progressEvents.push(p as TaskProgressEvent));
+      t.on('event.task.state', (p) => stateEvents.push(p as TaskStateEvent));
+
+      const spec: DownloadSpec = { url: `${testserver.baseUrl}/throttled/file/1M`, filename: 'progress-check.bin' };
+      const added = await t.call('download.add', spec);
+
+      // /throttled defaults to 1 MiB/s, so a 1 MiB file takes ~1s — long enough that at
+      // least one 4 Hz progress tick (event.task.progress's documented cap) lands before
+      // it completes, exactly the path popup/store.ts consumes in the real extension.
+      await waitFor(
+        () => progressEvents.some((e) => e.tasks.some((row) => row.taskId === added.taskId)),
+        8_000,
+        'a live event.task.progress tick for our task',
+      );
+      expect(stateEvents.some((e) => e.taskId === added.taskId)).toBe(true);
+    } finally {
+      t.disconnect();
+    }
+  }, 15_000);
+
+  it('fail-open also holds through the transport itself: a call against a dead socket rejects, never hangs past its deadline', async () => {
+    const { deps } = memDeps();
+    const t = makeTransport(daemon.wsPort, deps);
+    await t.connect();
+    t.disconnect(); // closes the socket without telling the daemon anything is wrong
+    await expect(t.call('capture.offer', { url: 'https://example.com/x.zip', method: 'GET', tabUrl: '' }, { timeoutMs: 200 })).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(
+      TransportClosedError,
+    );
+  });
+});

tests/conformance/run.sh

@@ -40,16 +40,26 @@ while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
   esac
 done
 
-# Kill the server and anything it spawned. `kill $!` alone would only reap the subshell
-# wrapper and leave the node process holding the port, which then breaks the next run.
+# Kill the server and anything it spawned. `pkill -P "$pid"` only reaps direct children —
+# tsx's actual listener is often a grandchild, which that missed, leaving it holding the
+# port and breaking the next run (a leaked mockd once did exactly this). Every server
+# below is launched via `setsid`, which makes it the leader of its own new session/process
+# group (pgid == its own pid), so `kill -TERM -"$pid"` (negative: a process-group kill)
+# reaches it and everything it spawned in one shot, however deep.
 stop() {
   local pid="$1"
   [ -n "$pid" ] || return 0
-  pkill -P "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
-  kill "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+  kill -TERM -"$pid" 2>/dev/null || kill "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
   wait "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
 }
 
+# A free loopback TCP port, kernel-assigned (bind :0) rather than a fixed number — a
+# hardcoded port means one leaked process from a previous run makes every future run fail
+# EADDRINUSE instead of just picking a different port.
+free_port() {
+  python3 -c "import socket; s=socket.socket(); s.bind(('127.0.0.1',0)); print(s.getsockname()[1]); s.close()"
+}
+
 cleanup() {
   stop "$MOCKD_PID"
   stop "$SLOW_PID"
@@ -84,8 +94,8 @@ step "generated TypeScript against a live server"
 if [ -z "$EXTERNAL_UDS" ] && [ -z "$EXTERNAL_WS" ]; then
   ( cd "$REPO/tools/mockd" && npm install --silent --no-audit --no-fund )
   UDS="$WORK/velox.sock"
-  WS_PORT=52080
-  ( cd "$REPO/tools/mockd" && exec ./node_modules/.bin/tsx src/index.ts \
+  WS_PORT="$(free_port)"
+  ( cd "$REPO/tools/mockd" && exec setsid ./node_modules/.bin/tsx src/index.ts \
       --uds "$UDS" --ws-port "$WS_PORT" --allowed-root "$WORK" ) >"$WORK/mockd.log" 2>&1 &
   MOCKD_PID=$!
   # Wait for the socket rather than sleeping a guessed amount.
@@ -139,8 +149,12 @@ if [ -z "$EXTERNAL_UDS" ] && [ -z "$EXTERNAL_WS" ]; then
     VXDG="$WORK/veloxd-xdg"
     mkdir -p "$VXDG/runtime" "$VXDG/data" "$VXDG/config" "$VXDG/downloads"
 
+    # VELOX_PAIR_AUTO=1: the pairing approver is the D1 dev stub (EnvAutoApprover,
+    # daemon/src/rpc/pairing.cpp) and denies every pairing without it — without this,
+    # session.pair never issues a token and the WS half of this step can't even connect.
     XDG_RUNTIME_DIR="$VXDG/runtime" XDG_DATA_HOME="$VXDG/data" XDG_CONFIG_HOME="$VXDG/config" \
-      "$VELOXD_BIN" >"$WORK/veloxd.log" 2>&1 &
+      VELOX_PAIR_AUTO=1 \
+      setsid "$VELOXD_BIN" >"$WORK/veloxd.log" 2>&1 &
     VELOXD_PID=$!
     VUDS="$VXDG/runtime/velox/velox.sock"
     for _ in $(seq 1 50); do [ -S "$VUDS" ] && break; sleep 0.2; done
@@ -183,7 +197,7 @@ fi
 step "capture.offer fails open when the daemon is too slow"
 if [ -z "$EXTERNAL_UDS" ]; then
   SLOW_UDS="$WORK/slow.sock"
-  ( cd "$REPO/tools/mockd" && exec ./node_modules/.bin/tsx src/index.ts \
+  ( cd "$REPO/tools/mockd" && exec setsid ./node_modules/.bin/tsx src/index.ts \
       --uds "$SLOW_UDS" --no-ws --slow 2000 ) >"$WORK/slow.log" 2>&1 &
   SLOW_PID=$!
   for _ in $(seq 1 50); do [ -S "$SLOW_UDS" ] && break; sleep 0.2; done

tests/conformance/ts/replay.ts

@@ -76,6 +76,12 @@ interface Fixture {
   /** A condition the server cannot produce from the request alone. Skipped unless the
    *  harness has arranged it — see tests/integration. */
   requires?: string;
+  /** This request is documented to make the *server* close the connection after replying
+   *  (e.g. a mismatched protocol major on the Unix socket). replay() reconnects afterward
+   *  so every later fixture in the shared-connection replay isn't sent into a dead socket
+   *  and left to time out one by one — which is silent when the fixture in question is
+   *  also on the xfail allowlist, since applyXfail accepts any failure reason. */
+  closesConnection?: boolean;
   transport?: TransportName;
   deadlineMs?: number;
   request?: { jsonrpc: '2.0'; id: number | string; method: string; params?: unknown };
@@ -196,11 +202,13 @@ function staticChecks(fixtures: readonly Fixture[]): Outcome[] {
 }
 
 /**
- * Methods that destroy the state later fixtures rely on. Replayed last so the suite does
- * not depend on file order, which is the sort of thing that goes green locally and red in
- * CI on a different filesystem.
+ * Methods that destroy state, or consume state another fixture creates. Replayed last so
+ * the suite does not depend on file order, which is the sort of thing that goes green
+ * locally and red in CI on a different filesystem — alphabetical happens to put
+ * category.remove.json before category.upsert.json, and category.remove's fixture only
+ * has a "firmware" category to delete because category.upsert's fixture just created one.
  */
-const DESTRUCTIVE = new Set<string>(['download.remove']);
+const DESTRUCTIVE = new Set<string>(['download.remove', 'category.remove']);
 
 function replayOrder(a: Fixture, b: Fixture): number {
   const rank = (f: Fixture): number => (DESTRUCTIVE.has(f.request?.method ?? '') ? 1 : 0);
@@ -247,10 +255,13 @@ async function setupBindings(conn: Conn): Promise<{ bindings: Record<string, str
   return { bindings, setup };
 }
 
-async function replay(conn: Conn, fixtures: readonly Fixture[],
+async function replay(initialConn: Conn, fixtures: readonly Fixture[],
                       bindings: Record<string, string>,
-                      includeRequires = false): Promise<Outcome[]> {
+                      includeRequires = false,
+                      reconnect?: () => Promise<Conn>):
+    Promise<{ outcomes: Outcome[]; conn: Conn }> {
   const out: Outcome[] = [];
+  let conn = initialConn;
   const t = conn.transport;
 
   for (const f of [...fixtures].sort(replayOrder)) {
@@ -266,7 +277,14 @@ async function replay(conn: Conn, fixtures: readonly Fixture[],
     }
 
     const deadline = f.deadlineMs ?? Math.max(METHODS[method].deadlineMs, 2000);
+    if (process.env.DEBUG_CONFORMANCE) process.stderr.write(`>>> [${t}] ${f.file} ${method}\n`);
     const frame = await conn.request(method, bind(f.request.params ?? {}, bindings), deadline);
+    if (process.env.DEBUG_CONFORMANCE) process.stderr.write(`<<< [${t}] ${f.file} ${frame ? 'ok' : 'TIMEOUT'}\n`);
+
+    if (f.closesConnection && reconnect) {
+      conn.close();
+      conn = await reconnect();
+    }
 
     if (f.kind === 'timeout') {
       out.push({
@@ -313,7 +331,7 @@ async function replay(conn: Conn, fixtures: readonly Fixture[],
     out.push({ fixture: f.file, transport: t, ok: mismatch === null,
                detail: mismatch ?? 'result validates and matches the golden shape' });
   }
-  return out;
+  return { outcomes: out, conn };
 }
 
 /** The transport rules are part of the contract, so they get replayed too. */
@@ -364,10 +382,18 @@ function loadXfail(path: string): XfailEntry[] {
  * Reconciles outcomes against the allowlist. A listed fixture that failed is downgraded
  * to a pass (its detail says why). A listed fixture that *passed* is flipped to a
  * failure: the entry is stale and must be deleted from the list, not left to rot.
+ *
+ * Never touches a 'static' outcome: those validate the golden fixture against the
+ * generated validators offline and never talk to a server, so a stub handler can't make
+ * one fail in the first place — matching them here would just relabel an
+ * always-true check as "xfail" and then, since it always stays true, immediately flag it
+ * as an unexpected pass. (A fixture also gets *two* static outcomes — params and result —
+ * so without this exclusion a single xfail entry would print that "duplicate" twice.)
  */
 function applyXfail(results: readonly Outcome[], xfail: readonly XfailEntry[]): Outcome[] {
   const matches = (e: XfailEntry, r: Outcome): boolean =>
-    e.fixture === r.fixture && (e.transport === undefined || e.transport === r.transport);
+    r.transport !== 'static' && e.fixture === r.fixture &&
+    (e.transport === undefined || e.transport === r.transport);
 
   return results.map((r) => {
     const entry = xfail.find((e) => matches(e, r));
@@ -409,14 +435,18 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   const udsPath = arg('--uds');
   const wsPort = arg('--ws-port');
 
-  if (udsPath) {
-    const conn = await connectUds(udsPath);
-    await conn.call('session.hello', { clientType: 'test', clientName: 'conformance', protocolVersion: '1.0.0' });
-    const { bindings, setup } = await setupBindings(conn);
-    results.push(...setup, ...(await replay(conn, fixtures, bindings, includeRequires)));
-    conn.close();
+  // Each opens (and re-opens, via `reconnect`) with the same handshake: session.hello on
+  // the Unix socket, session.pair + session.hello on the WebSocket. Needed because at
+  // least one fixture (session.hello.version-mismatch) documents that the *server* closes
+  // the connection after replying — replay() calls this to get a working connection back
+  // rather than leaving every later fixture on the shared connection to time out.
+  async function freshUds(): Promise<Conn> {
+    const conn = await connectUds(udsPath!);
+    await conn.call('session.hello',
+      { clientType: 'test', clientName: 'conformance', protocolVersion: '1.0.0' });
+    return conn;
   }
-  if (wsPort) {
+  async function freshWs(): Promise<Conn> {
     const conn = await connectWs(Number(wsPort));
     const paired = await conn.request(
       'session.pair',
@@ -427,10 +457,23 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
     if (token === undefined) throw new Error('pairing failed: no token issued');
     await conn.request('session.hello',
       { clientType: 'test', clientName: 'conformance', protocolVersion: '1.0.0', token }, 5000);
+    return conn;
+  }
+
+  if (udsPath) {
+    const conn = await freshUds();
     const { bindings, setup } = await setupBindings(conn);
-    results.push(...setup, ...(await replay(conn, fixtures, bindings, includeRequires)));
-    results.push(...(await privilegeChecks(conn)));
-    conn.close();
+    const { outcomes, conn: last } = await replay(conn, fixtures, bindings, includeRequires, freshUds);
+    results.push(...setup, ...outcomes);
+    last.close();
+  }
+  if (wsPort) {
+    const conn = await freshWs();
+    const { bindings, setup } = await setupBindings(conn);
+    const { outcomes, conn: last } = await replay(conn, fixtures, bindings, includeRequires, freshWs);
+    results.push(...setup, ...outcomes);
+    results.push(...(await privilegeChecks(last)));
+    last.close();
   }
   if (!udsPath && !wsPort) {
     process.stdout.write('no --uds or --ws-port given: ran static checks only\n');

tests/conformance/veloxd-xfail.json

@@ -1,17 +1,6 @@
 [
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.probe.json", "reason": "D2: download.probe -> -32603, needs the engine probe path" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/errors/download.probe.probe-failed.json", "reason": "D2: download.probe -> -32603, needs the engine probe path" },
-
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.pause.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.resume.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.start.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.cancel.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.remove.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.addBatch.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.refreshUrl.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.update.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.provideAuth.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/errors/download.provideAuth.not-found.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603 instead of -32010" },
 
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/rules.list.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/rules.upsert.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
@@ -25,13 +14,7 @@
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/schedule.get.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/schedule.set.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
 
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/queue.upsert.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/queue.reorder.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/queue.start.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/queue.stop.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/category.upsert.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/category.remove.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
 
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/grabber.harvest.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/grabber.start.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
@@ -40,7 +23,18 @@
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/media.addVariant.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
   { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/media.listVariants.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603" },
 
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/capture.getRules.json", "reason": "stub handler, -32603 -- NOT in daemon/docs/deferrals.md; filed to DAEMON to add a D-row" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/capture.offer.take.json", "reason": "stub handler, -32603 -- NOT in daemon/docs/deferrals.md; filed to DAEMON to add a D-row" },
-  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/errors/capture.offer.ignore.json", "reason": "stub handler, -32603 -- NOT in daemon/docs/deferrals.md; filed to DAEMON to add a D-row" }
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/capture.getRules.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603 -- DAEMON is filing capture.offer next" },
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/capture.offer.take.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603 -- DAEMON is filing capture.offer next" },
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/errors/capture.offer.ignore.json", "reason": "D3: stub handler, -32603 -- DAEMON is filing capture.offer next" },
+
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/errors/download.provideAuth.not-found.json", "reason": "real bug: on_download_provideAuth (dispatcher.cpp) never checks the task exists -- TaskActionPort::provide_auth returns false for an unknown id, which the handler folds into a normal {ok:false} result instead of -32010" },
+
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/category.list.json", "reason": "documented gap (deferrals.md D3a note): categories table has no mimeTypes/sortOrder columns, so category.upsert accepts them but category.list never echoes mimeTypes back" },
+
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.probe.json", "reason": "not a bug: requiresAuth is optional-and-omitted-when-false (schema doesn't require it); the golden shows it because that fixture's probe hit a 401, this run's doesn't" },
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.get.json", "reason": "not a bug: effectiveUrl is 'null until the first probe succeeds' (schema) and omitted rather than sent as null; our bound $taskId is a fresh, never-started task, so it's never been probed -- the golden depicts an in-progress download instead" },
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/download.list.json", "reason": "same as download.get.json: effectiveUrl omitted for our never-started bound tasks, golden depicts an in-progress download" },
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/session.hello.json", "reason": "not a bug: capabilities is genuinely empty because media/grabber/Secret Service aren't implemented yet; the golden's ['media','grabber','secretservice'] illustrates a future daemon, not this one" },
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/queue.start.json", "reason": "not a bug: startedTaskIds is empty because nothing is a member of queue 'main' in this isolated run; the golden depicts a queue with real membership" },
+  { "fixture": "contracts/fixtures/category.remove.json", "reason": "not a bug: reassignedTaskIds is empty because nothing was ever filed under the 'firmware' category this run creates; the golden depicts a category with real membership" }
 ]