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//! Agent presence / heartbeat on single-writer side refs `refs/presence/<role>`
//!. Each update is a fresh **orphan** commit carrying a tiny JSON
//! record (`last_seen`, `cursor`, host, poll interval), force-pushed to the
//! agent's own ref. Because it lives OFF `main`, it never pollutes the durable
//! message log (which must stay immutable — cursors + signatures depend on it),
//! and because each agent writes only its own ref there is zero cross-agent
//! contention. Readers fetch `refs/presence/*` on demand (it's not in the default
//! refspec, so it never burdens the hot watch loop).
//!
//! Doubling as read-receipts: `cursor` is the commit the agent has consumed up to,
//! so "has X seen message M?" = M.commit is an ancestor of `presence[X].cursor`.
use crate::gitcmd;
use anyhow::{anyhow, Result};
use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
use std::path::Path;
#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug, Clone)]
pub struct Presence {
pub role: String,
#[serde(default)]
pub host: Option<String>,
/// RFC 3339 UTC of the last heartbeat.
pub last_seen: String,
/// Commit consumed up to (the read-receipt frontier).
#[serde(default)]
pub cursor: Option<String>,
/// The agent's watch poll interval — lets `who` scale the liveness window.
#[serde(default)]
pub poll_secs: u64,
/// The confer build this agent is running, as `"<semver> <sha>"` (the pin form).
/// Published so peers can audit fleet version state without a manual sweep. Optional
/// for back-compat with pre-build presence records.
#[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
pub build: Option<String>,
}
fn presence_ref(role: &str) -> String {
format!("refs/presence/{role}")
}
/// Publish this agent's presence: orphan commit → single-file tree → force-push to
/// `refs/presence/<role>`. Best-effort by contract (presence is ephemeral) — the
/// caller treats failure (e.g. offline) as non-fatal. Never touches the index or
/// working tree (pure plumbing), so it can't disturb a concurrent read.
pub fn publish(root: &Path, p: &Presence) -> Result<()> {
let json = serde_json::to_string(p)?;
let blob = must(gitcmd::output_stdin(root, &["hash-object", "-w", "--stdin"], &json)?, "hash-object")?;
// A tree with exactly one entry: presence.json -> blob.
let tree_input = format!("100644 blob {blob}\tpresence.json\n");
let tree = must(gitcmd::output_stdin(root, &["mktree"], &tree_input)?, "mktree")?;
// Parentless commit (no -p) — the ref stays depth-1 forever; the prior commit
// dangles and the host's gc reclaims it.
let msg = format!("presence {} {}", p.role, p.last_seen);
// SIGN the heartbeat with the agent's key so peers can verify liveness
// — an unsigned/forged beat must not be trusted once a role has a pinned key. Unsigned only
// when this clone has no key (legacy/advisory).
let commit = if let Some(key) = crate::config::signing_key(root) {
let keygen = crate::ssh_keygen_path();
must(
gitcmd::output(
root,
&[
"-c", "gpg.format=ssh",
"-c", &format!("user.signingkey={}", key.display()),
"-c", &format!("gpg.ssh.program={keygen}"),
"commit-tree", &tree, "-S", "-m", &msg,
],
)?,
"commit-tree -S",
)?
} else {
must(gitcmd::output(root, &["commit-tree", &tree, "-m", &msg])?, "commit-tree")?
};
let refname = presence_ref(&p.role);
gitcmd::check(root, &["update-ref", &refname, &commit])?;
// Single-writer ref → plain --force is safe (non-fast-forward by construction).
// (Hardening TODO: --force-with-lease against the last-pushed sha to guard a
// stale same-agent process; the watch single-lock already makes that rare.)
let refspec = format!("{commit}:{refname}");
let push = gitcmd::output(root, &["push", "--force", "origin", &refspec])?;
if !push.status.success() {
return Err(anyhow!("presence push: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&push.stderr).trim()));
}
Ok(())
}
fn must(o: std::process::Output, what: &str) -> Result<String> {
if o.status.success() {
Ok(String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout).trim().to_string())
} else {
Err(anyhow!("{what}: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stderr).trim()))
}
}
/// Load every agent's latest presence record. When `fetch`, pulls `refs/presence/*`
/// from the hub first (on-demand — presence is not in the default refspec).
pub fn load_all(root: &Path, fetch: bool) -> Vec<Presence> {
if fetch {
let _ = gitcmd::output(root, &["fetch", "-q", "origin", "+refs/presence/*:refs/presence/*"]);
}
let mut out = Vec::new();
let Ok(o) = gitcmd::output(root, &["for-each-ref", "--format=%(refname)", "refs/presence/"]) else {
return out;
};
for refname in String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout).lines() {
let spec = format!("{}:presence.json", refname.trim());
if let Ok(b) = gitcmd::output(root, &["cat-file", "blob", &spec]) {
if b.status.success() {
if let Ok(p) = serde_json::from_slice::<Presence>(&b.stdout) {
out.push(p);
}
}
}
}
out
}
/// A presence record plus the trust verdict on the heartbeat that carried it (DESIGN.md
/// Phase 2b). Liveness/cursor/build from an `Untrusted` beat must NOT be believed.
pub struct Beat {
pub p: Presence,
pub trust: BeatTrust,
}
#[derive(PartialEq, Eq, Debug, Clone)]
pub enum BeatTrust {
/// Verified against the role's pinned key.
Signed,
/// No pin for this role yet — advisory (renders, like an unsigned card), not vouched.
Unsigned,
/// Has a pin but the beat isn't validly signed by it, OR the timestamp regressed — a forged
/// or replayed/suppressed heartbeat. The reason is human-facing.
Untrusted(String),
}
impl BeatTrust {
/// May its LIVENESS be rendered? (Signed or advisory-Unsigned — not a rejected forge.)
pub fn ok(&self) -> bool {
!matches!(self, BeatTrust::Untrusted(_))
}
/// May its `build`/`cursor` be BELIEVED for a decision (require --bump, seen)? Only a
/// cryptographically signed beat — an advisory Unsigned beat's fields are attacker-forgeable
/// during the rollout window (red-team), so they must not feed version floors or read-receipts.
pub fn is_signed(&self) -> bool {
matches!(self, BeatTrust::Signed)
}
}
fn hwm_path(hub_key: &str) -> Option<std::path::PathBuf> {
let safe: String = hub_key.chars().map(|c| if c.is_ascii_alphanumeric() { c } else { '_' }).collect();
Some(crate::config::home().ok()?.join(".confer").join("presence_hwm").join(format!("{safe}.json")))
}
/// Per-role presence anchor: the newest `last_seen` we've accepted (monotonicity, to defeat
/// signed-replay SUPPRESSION), and whether this role has EVER signed a beat (per-role presence
/// TOFU — once it has, an unsigned beat is a downgrade; before that, unsigned is advisory so the
/// pre-signing fleet isn't wrongly rejected). Local-only, per hub.
#[derive(serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize, Default, Clone)]
struct Hwm {
#[serde(default)]
last_seen: String,
#[serde(default)]
ever_signed: bool,
}
fn load_hwm(hub_key: &str) -> std::collections::HashMap<String, Hwm> {
hwm_path(hub_key)
.and_then(|p| std::fs::read_to_string(p).ok())
.and_then(|s| serde_json::from_str(&s).ok())
.unwrap_or_default()
}
fn save_hwm(hub_key: &str, updates: &std::collections::HashMap<String, Hwm>) {
let Some(p) = hwm_path(hub_key) else { return };
if let Some(d) = p.parent() {
let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(d);
}
// Serialize + MERGE under a lock: reload the CURRENT map, fold our updates in monotonically
// (newer last_seen wins, ever_signed is sticky), then atomic-replace. This stops a concurrent
// writer's update for a DIFFERENT role being clobbered by our stale snapshot (a review
// finding) — and the tmp+rename still prevents a torn read (a review probe).
let _guard = crate::config::state_lock(&p.with_extension("lock"));
let mut cur = load_hwm(hub_key);
for (role, u) in updates {
let e = cur.entry(role.clone()).or_default();
e.ever_signed |= u.ever_signed;
let newer = e.last_seen.is_empty()
|| matches!(
(DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339(&u.last_seen), DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339(&e.last_seen)),
(Ok(a), Ok(b)) if a > b
);
if newer && !u.last_seen.is_empty() {
e.last_seen = u.last_seen.clone();
}
}
if let Ok(s) = serde_json::to_string(&cur) {
let tmp = p.with_extension(format!("tmp.{}", std::process::id()));
if std::fs::write(&tmp, s).is_ok() {
let _ = std::fs::rename(&tmp, &p);
}
}
}
/// Load every agent's latest presence WITH a trust verdict: verify the
/// heartbeat commit's signature against the role's pinned key, and reject a non-monotonic
/// `last_seen`. Callers that make decisions on liveness/cursor/build (`who`, `seen`, `require`)
/// must use this and ignore `Untrusted` beats; `load_all` stays for raw/legacy reads.
pub fn load_verified(root: &Path, hub_key: &str, ros: &crate::roster::Roster, fetch: bool) -> Vec<Beat> {
if fetch {
// A failed presence fetch → stale/empty presence → `who`/`fleet`/`seen` confidently report
// the wrong liveness ("X is down / behind") purely because the git read failed. Surface it.
match gitcmd::output(root, &["fetch", "-q", "origin", "+refs/presence/*:refs/presence/*"]) {
Ok(o) if !o.status.success() => eprintln!(
"confer: ⚠ presence fetch failed ({}) — liveness (who/fleet/seen) may be STALE.",
String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stderr).trim()
),
Err(e) => eprintln!(
"confer: ⚠ presence fetch failed ({e}) — liveness (who/fleet/seen) may be STALE."
),
_ => {}
}
}
let mut cache = crate::verify::Cache::default();
let mut hwm = load_hwm(hub_key);
let mut hwm_dirty = false;
let mut out = Vec::new();
let now = Utc::now();
let skew = chrono::Duration::seconds(300);
let o = match gitcmd::output(root, &["for-each-ref", "--format=%(objectname) %(refname)", "refs/presence/"]) {
Ok(o) if o.status.success() => o,
// Don't check ONLY that git spawned (the old `let Ok(o)`) — a non-zero exit yields empty
// stdout that would parse as "zero presence records", i.e. a confident "nobody's here".
other => {
let why = match &other {
Ok(o) => String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stderr).trim().to_string(),
Err(e) => e.to_string(),
};
eprintln!("confer: ⚠ could not read presence refs ({why}) — who/fleet may show NO or STALE presence.");
return out;
}
};
for line in String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout).lines() {
let Some((sha, refname)) = line.trim().split_once(' ') else { continue };
let refname = refname.trim();
let spec = format!("{refname}:presence.json");
let Ok(b) = gitcmd::output(root, &["cat-file", "blob", &spec]) else { continue };
if !b.status.success() {
continue;
}
let Ok(p) = serde_json::from_slice::<Presence>(&b.stdout) else { continue };
// Bind the record to its ref: the blob's `role` MUST match the ref segment, else it's a
// beat planted at the wrong ref (a signed beat for A replayed onto refs/presence/B) —
// skip it, so it can't cry-wolf or duplicate (red-team).
if refname != format!("refs/presence/{}", p.role) {
continue;
}
let prev = hwm.get(&p.role).cloned().unwrap_or_default();
let ct = crate::verify::commit_trust(root, hub_key, ros, &mut cache, &p.role, sha);
// Cryptographically signed by the pinned key? (FirstSight counts — the beat IS signed;
// the "confirm the key" caveat is an identity/`who` concern, not a beat-authenticity one.)
let signed = matches!(
ct,
crate::verify::Trust::Verified { .. } | crate::verify::Trust::FirstSight { .. }
);
// An unsigned beat is a DOWNGRADE (not merely advisory) once the role is EXPECTED to sign:
// it has a human-CONFIRMED pinned key, or we've ever seen it sign a beat. Deriving the
// trigger from the confirmed pin — not only local `ever_signed` — closes the "suppress the
// signed beat to keep the window open" attack (red-team).
let must_sign = prev.ever_signed || crate::keyring::confirmed(hub_key, &p.role);
let mut trust = match ct {
crate::verify::Trust::Verified { .. } | crate::verify::Trust::FirstSight { .. } => BeatTrust::Signed,
crate::verify::Trust::Mismatch { .. } => BeatTrust::Untrusted("presence key mismatch vs the pin".into()),
crate::verify::Trust::Unverified { .. } if must_sign => {
BeatTrust::Untrusted("heartbeat not signed, but this role is expected to sign (downgrade/forge?)".into())
}
crate::verify::Trust::Unverified { .. } => BeatTrust::Unsigned,
};
let cur_ts = DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339(&p.last_seen).ok().map(|t| t.with_timezone(&Utc));
let prev_ts = DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339(&prev.last_seen).ok().map(|t| t.with_timezone(&Utc));
// Monotonicity applies only to a SIGNED beat: an advisory Unsigned beat must never move the
// high-water mark (else one forged future-dated advisory beat poisons it and rejects every
// later real beat — red-team HWM poisoning).
if matches!(trust, BeatTrust::Signed) {
if let (Some(cur), Some(old)) = (cur_ts, prev_ts) {
if cur < old {
trust = BeatTrust::Untrusted("last_seen went backwards (replay/suppression?)".into());
}
}
}
// Persist: `ever_signed` from any genuinely signed beat; advance the HWM only from a
// currently-trusted Signed beat whose timestamp is NEWER and NOT in the future.
let mut rec = prev;
if signed && !rec.ever_signed {
rec.ever_signed = true;
hwm_dirty = true;
}
if matches!(trust, BeatTrust::Signed) {
if let Some(cur) = cur_ts {
let not_future = cur <= now + skew;
let newer = prev_ts.map(|old| cur > old).unwrap_or(true);
if not_future && newer {
rec.last_seen = p.last_seen.clone();
hwm_dirty = true;
}
}
}
hwm.insert(p.role.clone(), rec);
out.push(Beat { p, trust });
}
if hwm_dirty {
save_hwm(hub_key, &hwm);
}
out
}
#[derive(PartialEq, Eq, Debug)]
pub enum Live {
Up,
Stale,
Down,
}
/// Classify liveness from `last_seen` age. The heartbeat publishes every
/// ~max(12×poll, 180)s, so "live" must span ~2 cadences or a healthy watcher
/// flickers to "idle" between beats. Live within max(24×poll, 360s); stale within
/// 30 min; else down.
pub fn liveness(p: &Presence, now: DateTime<Utc>) -> Live {
let Ok(seen) = DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339(&p.last_seen) else {
return Live::Down;
};
let age = (now - seen.with_timezone(&Utc)).num_seconds();
if age < 0 {
// Tolerate small clock skew, but a FAR-future stamp is a forged "fresh forever" beat
// — don't let it pin the agent Up indefinitely.
return if age > -300 { Live::Up } else { Live::Down };
}
let live_win = (p.poll_secs.max(10) * 24).max(360) as i64;
if age <= live_win {
Live::Up
} else if age <= 1800 {
Live::Stale
} else {
Live::Down
}
}
/// The glyph for a liveness state (for `who`).
pub fn glyph(l: &Live) -> &'static str {
match l {
Live::Up => "●",
Live::Stale => "○",
Live::Down => "✕",
}
}
#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
use super::*;
fn p(last_seen: &str, poll: u64) -> Presence {
Presence { role: "x".into(), host: None, last_seen: last_seen.into(), cursor: None, poll_secs: poll, build: None }
}
#[test]
fn liveness_windows() {
let now = DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339("2026-07-10T12:00:00Z").unwrap().with_timezone(&Utc);
// 30s ago, poll 10 → within the live window → Up
assert_eq!(liveness(&p("2026-07-10T11:59:30Z", 10), now), Live::Up);
// 5 min ago → still within the live window (360s spans ~2 heartbeats) → Up
assert_eq!(liveness(&p("2026-07-10T11:55:00Z", 10), now), Live::Up);
// 10 min ago → past live window, within 30min → Stale
assert_eq!(liveness(&p("2026-07-10T11:50:00Z", 10), now), Live::Stale);
// 45 min ago → Down
assert_eq!(liveness(&p("2026-07-10T11:15:00Z", 10), now), Live::Down);
// unparseable → Down
assert_eq!(liveness(&p("not-a-date", 10), now), Live::Down);
}
#[test]
fn far_future_stamp_is_not_trusted_as_up() {
// DESIGN.md Phase 2b: a small clock skew is fine, but a far-future stamp is a forged
// "fresh forever" beat and must not pin the agent Up.
let now = DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339("2026-07-10T12:00:00Z").unwrap().with_timezone(&Utc);
assert_eq!(liveness(&p("2026-07-10T12:02:00Z", 10), now), Live::Up); // +2 min tolerated
assert_eq!(liveness(&p("2026-07-11T12:00:00Z", 10), now), Live::Down); // +1 day rejected
}
#[test]
fn beat_trust_ok_only_when_not_untrusted() {
assert!(BeatTrust::Signed.ok());
assert!(BeatTrust::Unsigned.ok());
assert!(!BeatTrust::Untrusted("forged".into()).ok());
}
}