nordisk-pairing 0.5.29

The boxes of an estate find each other: a seed each box is installed with, a one-time join against the front, a tunnel (WireGuard by default) they meet inside, roles decided once, a pairing loop each box runs itself, and the signal it reports. Shared by gunnar and holger; the laptop's xtask only lays machines, writes seeds and reads the signal. Design: .nornir/pairing-design.md (2026-09-24).
Documentation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
//! **The seed: what a MEDIUM is told at compose time, and nothing more.**
//!
//! The owner's ruling (2026-09-24): one seed per medium, nothing per box. An
//! estate installs the same medium on every gunnar box, so a seed that named
//! a box's own address would need a per-box channel that does not exist.
//! Instead the seed names the ESTATE and how to reach its installer: the
//! tunnel kind, the join door on the utility network, the installer CA the
//! box pins, and the bootstrap client certificate it joins with. The door
//! assigns each box its NAME and OVERLAY ADDRESS by the utility IP it joins
//! from, and FEEDS it every estate value (monetize, clock and admin keys, the
//! front's tunnel key and endpoint, …) — so one medium serves any estate.
//!
//! **The medium is CONSTANT across lays** (owner, 2026-09-24 evening): nothing
//! in a seed may change from one lay of the estate to the next, or every
//! rebuild recomposes, re-uploads and re-gates the ISO. So the seed carries
//! only what reaches the door — and the front's tunnel identity (its relay key
//! is minted with the front, its endpoint is the front's public address) is
//! NOT here: the door hands it out in the join reply, as the `front` peer
//! ([`crate::join::JoinReply::front`]). A seed from 0.1 that still carries
//! `front.tunnel_pubkey` / `front.endpoint` parses; the two are ignored.
//!
//! The bootstrap certificate and its key are on the medium, and a key on a
//! medium is only as secret as the medium (it is uploaded to the cloud's
//! storage). So they are valid during bootstrap ONLY (owner 2026-09-24): they
//! may only join, only for a slot that has not joined, and the door withdraws
//! them the moment every slot has joined. That rule is the DOOR's (the ledger,
//! [`crate::join`]), not an expiry: the installer CA is minted per MEDIUM and
//! lives as long as the medium is used (the caller's choice), because a CA
//! that died in hours made every lay a new medium. See [`crate::mtls`].

use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
use std::fmt;

/// Which tunnel the estate meets inside. WireGuard is the default (owner
/// 2026-09-24); `none` means the boxes speak over the addresses the cloud
/// gave them (UpCloud's utility network).
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
#[serde(rename_all = "lowercase")]
pub enum TunnelKind {
    #[default]
    Wireguard,
    Tailscale,
    Mullvad,
    None,
}

impl TunnelKind {
    pub fn as_str(self) -> &'static str {
        match self {
            TunnelKind::Wireguard => "wireguard",
            TunnelKind::Tailscale => "tailscale",
            TunnelKind::Mullvad => "mullvad",
            TunnelKind::None => "none",
        }
    }
}

/// What kind of box this medium installs. The front is the rendezvous; a
/// PRODUCT box's role (primary or twin) is not in the seed — it is elected.
///
/// `Holger` (0.5.4, 2026-09-27): holger's estate is gunnar's shape — vm1 the
/// front (ui + monetize + plugin door), vm2 the primary, vm3 the twin — so a
/// holger box is admitted, elected and fed exactly as a gunnar box is. The
/// two kinds never pair with each other: an election is between two boxes of
/// ONE product.
///
/// `Box(role)` (P3a, 2026-10-25, A28 H13): **any product names its own box
/// kind**, so a product that is neither Gunnar nor Holger (the Lake: `fe`,
/// `be`, `ingestor`, …) pairs. It is spelled on the wire by its own name
/// (`kind = "fe"`); the three old kinds keep their spellings, and a reserved
/// name always reads as its old kind ([`Kind::named`]). A box kind is a
/// product box ([`Kind::is_box`]) but is NOT elected ([`Kind::is_elected`]):
/// it waits for no twin and stands alone as its own primary. `Kind` stays
/// `Copy` ([`BoxRole`] is a fixed-capacity name), so every caller that copies
/// a kind is unchanged.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub enum Kind {
    Front,
    Gunnar,
    Holger,
    /// A product's own box kind (P3a), by its role's name.
    Box(BoxRole),
}

impl Kind {
    /// A product box that is ELECTED primary or twin (not the front): Gunnar and Holger.
    /// Unchanged since 0.5.4; a [`Kind::Box`] is not one (see [`Kind::is_box`]).
    pub fn is_product(self) -> bool {
        matches!(self, Kind::Gunnar | Kind::Holger)
    }

    /// The same as [`Kind::is_product`], by the name that says what it decides (P3a).
    pub fn is_elected(self) -> bool {
        self.is_product()
    }

    /// Any product box (not the front): the elected kinds and every [`Kind::Box`] (P3a).
    pub fn is_box(self) -> bool {
        !matches!(self, Kind::Front)
    }

    /// **The kind a name spells** (P3a): `front`, `gunnar` and `holger` are the old kinds;
    /// any other well-formed name is that product's [`Kind::Box`]. Refused by name:
    /// `REFUSED [seed-kind]`.
    pub fn named(name: &str) -> Result<Kind, SeedError> {
        Ok(match name {
            "front" => Kind::Front,
            "gunnar" => Kind::Gunnar,
            "holger" => Kind::Holger,
            other => Kind::Box(BoxRole::new(other)?),
        })
    }

    /// The kind's one spelling on the wire.
    pub fn as_str(&self) -> &str {
        match self {
            Kind::Front => "front",
            Kind::Gunnar => "gunnar",
            Kind::Holger => "holger",
            Kind::Box(r) => r.as_str(),
        }
    }
}

impl Serialize for Kind {
    fn serialize<S: serde::Serializer>(&self, s: S) -> Result<S::Ok, S::Error> {
        s.serialize_str(self.as_str())
    }
}

impl<'de> Deserialize<'de> for Kind {
    fn deserialize<D: serde::Deserializer<'de>>(d: D) -> Result<Kind, D::Error> {
        let name = String::deserialize(d)?;
        Kind::named(&name).map_err(serde::de::Error::custom)
    }
}

/// **A product's own box kind, by name** (P3a): lowercase ASCII letters, digits and `-`, a
/// letter first, at most [`BoxRole::MAX`] bytes, and not one of the old kinds' names. Held
/// inline so [`Kind`] stays `Copy`.
#[derive(Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Hash, PartialOrd, Ord)]
pub struct BoxRole {
    len: u8,
    name: [u8; BoxRole::MAX],
}

impl BoxRole {
    /// The longest box kind name, in bytes.
    pub const MAX: usize = 32;

    pub fn new(name: &str) -> Result<BoxRole, SeedError> {
        let bad = |why: String| Err(SeedError::Bad("kind", why));
        if matches!(name, "front" | "gunnar" | "holger") {
            return bad(format!("`{name}` is an old kind, not a product's box kind"));
        }
        let b = name.as_bytes();
        if b.is_empty() || b.len() > Self::MAX {
            return bad(format!("`{name}` is not 1 to {} bytes", Self::MAX));
        }
        if !b[0].is_ascii_lowercase() || !b.iter().all(|c| c.is_ascii_lowercase() || c.is_ascii_digit() || *c == b'-') {
            return bad(format!("`{name}` is not a box kind (lowercase letters, digits and `-`, a letter first)"));
        }
        let mut role = BoxRole { len: b.len() as u8, name: [0; Self::MAX] };
        role.name[..b.len()].copy_from_slice(b);
        Ok(role)
    }

    pub fn as_str(&self) -> &str {
        // Only ASCII is ever stored (`new`).
        std::str::from_utf8(&self.name[..self.len as usize]).unwrap_or_default()
    }
}

impl fmt::Debug for BoxRole {
    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
        fmt::Debug::fmt(self.as_str(), f)
    }
}

/// The one box every other box can reach before the tunnel exists.
///
/// Only its DOOR: an address fixed before the front exists (the estate
/// declares it), so a medium composed before the lay reaches the front of any
/// lay. The front's tunnel key and endpoint change with every lay and are FED
/// at the join ([`crate::join::FrontTunnel`]).
///
/// **Unused since 0.3.0** (owner 2026-09-24): the installer connects OUT to
/// every VM, so no VM dials a join service on the front. A 0.3 medium leaves
/// `door` empty; a 0.2 seed that names one still parses.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct Front {
    /// The 0.2 join service on the utility network, `ip:port` — empty in 0.3.
    #[serde(default)]
    pub door: String,
}

#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct Seed {
    /// The estate's name, e.g. `gunnar.rs`. A box refuses a join reply for
    /// another estate.
    pub estate: String,
    #[serde(default)]
    pub tunnel: TunnelKind,
    #[serde(default)]
    pub front: Front,
    pub kind: Kind,
    /// The installer CA (PEM, public): the ONLY root a box trusts for the door.
    pub installer_ca_pem: String,
    /// The bootstrap client certificate and its key (PEM), the same for every
    /// box of the medium — valid during bootstrap only (see the module doc).
    pub bootstrap_cert_pem: String,
    pub bootstrap_key_pem: String,
    /// How many boxes the estate has.
    pub peers_expected: u8,
    /// **Mullvad** (`tunnel = "mullvad"`): which relay to leave through. The
    /// ACCOUNT NUMBER is not here — a seed carries nothing private; the door
    /// FEEDS it (`feed.mullvad_account`) over mutual TLS at the join.
    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
    pub mullvad: Option<MullvadSeed>,
    /// **Tailscale** (`tunnel = "tailscale"`): which coordination server. The
    /// AUTH KEY is fed (`feed.tailscale_authkey`), never on the medium.
    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
    pub tailscale: Option<TailscaleSeed>,
    /// **The installer's link into the tunnel** (0.3.0; required when the
    /// tunnel is `wireguard` or `mullvad`): the installer is a TEMPORARY PEER,
    /// and every VM raises this link from its first boot so the installer's
    /// mutual TLS never touches a public interface. See
    /// [`crate::installer_link`].
    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
    pub installer_link: Option<LinkSeed>,
}

/// **The medium's half of the installer's WireGuard link** (0.3.0). Both keys
/// are per MEDIUM and constant across lays, like the installer CA:
///
/// * `installer_pubkey` — the installer's public key. Its private half stays
///   on the operator's machine (0600, beside the CA);
/// * `vm_private` — the key EVERY VM of the medium answers the link with.
///   The installer (behind NAT) initiates, so it must know the key it dials
///   before the VM exists — one VM key per medium. Like the bootstrap
///   certificate it is only as secret as the medium, and it is good for
///   bootstrap only: each VM drops the link when the installer closes it, and
///   the mutual TLS inside still demands the installer's own certificate.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct LinkSeed {
    pub installer_pubkey: String,
    pub vm_private: String,
    /// The UDP port each VM's end of the link listens on.
    #[serde(default = "link_default_port")]
    pub port: u16,
    /// **The link's WireGuard pre-shared key** (0.5.29, lane WG-PSK-3): base64 of 32 bytes,
    /// minted with the link's keys for this medium (`installer::mint_wg_psk`) and held by the
    /// installer too (the link file, [`crate::installer::Material::link_file_with_psk`]).
    /// WireGuard's handshake is X25519 alone; mixed in, a recording of the link cannot be
    /// opened later by a quantum computer. `None`: a seed from before 0.5.29, whose link runs
    /// as before (the installer holds none either).
    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
    pub psk: Option<String>,
}

fn link_default_port() -> u16 {
    crate::installer_link::LINK_PORT
}

fn looks_like_key(s: &str) -> bool {
    let t = s.trim();
    t.len() == 44 && t.ends_with('=') && t[..43].chars().all(|c| c.is_ascii_alphanumeric() || c == '+' || c == '/')
}

/// The feed key the door hands a box its Mullvad account number under.
pub const FEED_MULLVAD_ACCOUNT: &str = "mullvad_account";
/// The feed key the door hands a box its Tailscale auth key under.
pub const FEED_TAILSCALE_AUTHKEY: &str = "tailscale_authkey";

/// The public half of a Mullvad choice — no credential.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct MullvadSeed {
    /// A relay location (`se-sto`) or a country (`se`); empty = any usable relay.
    #[serde(default)]
    pub location: String,
    /// The relay port (one of Mullvad's measured ranges); default 51820.
    #[serde(default = "mullvad_default_port")]
    pub port: u16,
}

fn mullvad_default_port() -> u16 {
    51820
}

/// The public half of a Tailscale choice — no credential.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct TailscaleSeed {
    /// The coordination server: Tailscale's own, or a self-hosted headscale.
    #[serde(default = "tailscale_default_control")]
    pub control_url: String,
}

impl Default for TailscaleSeed {
    fn default() -> Self {
        TailscaleSeed { control_url: tailscale_default_control() }
    }
}

fn tailscale_default_control() -> String {
    "https://controlplane.tailscale.com".into()
}

#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub enum SeedError {
    NotToml(String),
    /// `field`, `why`
    Bad(&'static str, String),
}

impl fmt::Display for SeedError {
    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
        match self {
            SeedError::NotToml(e) => write!(f, "REFUSED [seed-not-toml] the seed is not TOML: {e}"),
            SeedError::Bad(field, why) => write!(f, "REFUSED [seed-{field}] the seed's `{field}` is unusable: {why}"),
        }
    }
}

impl std::error::Error for SeedError {}

impl Seed {
    pub fn parse(text: &str) -> Result<Seed, SeedError> {
        let s: Seed = toml::from_str(text).map_err(|e| SeedError::NotToml(e.to_string()))?;
        s.check()?;
        Ok(s)
    }

    pub fn render(&self) -> Result<String, SeedError> {
        self.check()?;
        toml::to_string(self).map_err(|e| SeedError::NotToml(e.to_string()))
    }

    /// The door's address.
    pub fn door_addr(&self) -> Result<std::net::SocketAddrV4, SeedError> {
        self.front.door.parse().map_err(|_| SeedError::Bad("front.door", format!("`{}` is not ipv4:port", self.front.door)))
    }

    /// **Every field is checked before a box acts on it**, by name.
    pub fn check(&self) -> Result<(), SeedError> {
        if self.estate.trim().is_empty() {
            return Err(SeedError::Bad("estate", "empty".into()));
        }
        let pem = |field: &'static str, text: &str, begin: &str| -> Result<(), SeedError> {
            if text.contains(begin) {
                Ok(())
            } else {
                Err(SeedError::Bad(field, format!("has no `{begin}`")))
            }
        };
        pem("installer_ca_pem", &self.installer_ca_pem, "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----")?;
        pem("bootstrap_cert_pem", &self.bootstrap_cert_pem, "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----")?;
        pem("bootstrap_key_pem", &self.bootstrap_key_pem, "PRIVATE KEY-----")?;
        if self.peers_expected < 2 {
            return Err(SeedError::Bad("peers_expected", "an estate is at least a front and one box".into()));
        }
        // The front's WireGuard key and endpoint are NOT checked here: they are
        // the door's to feed (`JoinReply::front`), because they change with
        // every lay and a seed must not.
        if !self.front.door.trim().is_empty() {
            self.door_addr()?;
        }
        if let Some(m) = &self.mullvad {
            if m.location.chars().any(|c| !(c.is_ascii_lowercase() || c.is_ascii_digit() || c == '-')) {
                return Err(SeedError::Bad("mullvad.location", format!("`{}` is not a Mullvad location code (`se-sto`) or country (`se`)", m.location)));
            }
        }
        if let Some(t) = &self.tailscale {
            if !t.control_url.starts_with("https://") {
                return Err(SeedError::Bad("tailscale.control_url", format!("`{}` is not an https:// URL", t.control_url)));
            }
        }
        // 0.4.0 (owner 2026-09-25): WireGuard + mutual TLS ALWAYS — a medium
        // with no installer link, or `tunnel = none`, is refused by name.
        if let Err(e @ crate::tunnel::TunnelError::InstallerLinkNone) = crate::installer_link::reach(self.tunnel) {
            return Err(SeedError::Bad("tunnel", e.to_string()));
        }
        match &self.installer_link {
            Some(l) => {
                if !looks_like_key(&l.installer_pubkey) {
                    return Err(SeedError::Bad("installer_link.installer_pubkey", "not a WireGuard key (44 base64)".into()));
                }
                if !looks_like_key(&l.vm_private) {
                    return Err(SeedError::Bad("installer_link.vm_private", "not a WireGuard key (44 base64)".into()));
                }
                if l.port == 0 {
                    return Err(SeedError::Bad("installer_link.port", "0".into()));
                }
                // 0.5.29: a PSK, when the medium carries one, is a 32-byte key; a blank one is
                // refused, never read as "none" (that would raise the link without it).
                if let Some(p) = &l.psk {
                    if !looks_like_key(p) {
                        return Err(SeedError::Bad("installer_link.psk", "not a WireGuard pre-shared key (44 base64)".into()));
                    }
                }
            }
            None => {
                return Err(SeedError::Bad(
                    "installer_link",
                    format!("REFUSED [installer-link-none] a `{}` medium carries no installer link: the installer reaches every VM through its WireGuard link only", self.tunnel.as_str()),
                ))
            }
        }
        Ok(())
    }
}

/// **The staged seed of a release medium** (lane B4, A9 row 18): a medium the shop lays from
/// carries no seed of its own, only this line; the box reads its seed off the provider's
/// metadata on its first boot. The one spelling every product composes and reads.
pub const SEED_FROM_METADATA: &str = "nordisk-pairing-seed-from = \"upcloud-metadata\"";

/// Pure: **a staged seed file is still a release medium's marker** — the marker line and
/// nothing else (comments and blank lines aside). The ONE parser (Holger's exact-line one):
/// the box's seed reader and its narrator never disagree on what is a marker.
pub fn is_metadata_marker(text: &str) -> bool {
    let lines: Vec<&str> = text.lines().map(str::trim).filter(|l| !l.is_empty() && !l.starts_with('#')).collect();
    lines == [SEED_FROM_METADATA]
}

/// **The ONE seed reader** (0.5.26, P4a): a release medium's seed off the provider's metadata.
pub mod metadata;

#[cfg(test)]
pub(crate) mod tests {

    /// ★ **One parser of the metadata marker** (lane B4, A9 row 18; Holger's version): a
    /// release medium's staged seed is the marker line alone (comments and blank lines aside);
    /// a seed beside it, or a seed alone, is not the marker.
    #[test]
    fn the_metadata_marker_is_its_one_line() {
        assert_eq!(SEED_FROM_METADATA, "nordisk-pairing-seed-from = \"upcloud-metadata\"");
        assert!(is_metadata_marker(&format!("{SEED_FROM_METADATA}\n")));
        assert!(is_metadata_marker(&format!("# a release medium\n\n  {SEED_FROM_METADATA}  \n")));
        assert!(!is_metadata_marker("estate = \"acme\"\n[installer_link]\ninstaller_pubkey = \"x\"\n"));
        assert!(!is_metadata_marker(&format!("{SEED_FROM_METADATA}\nestate = \"acme\"\n")), "a seed beside the marker is a seed");
        assert!(!is_metadata_marker(""));
        assert!(!is_metadata_marker("nordisk-pairing-seed-from = \"elsewhere\"\n"), "another source is not this marker");
    }
    use super::*;

    /// ★ **A seed carries the installer link's pre-shared key** (0.5.29, lane WG-PSK-3): it
    /// renders and parses back; a seed from before 0.5.29 has none (and renders no `psk`
    /// line); a PSK that is not a 32-byte base64 key is refused by name at the check.
    #[test]
    fn a_seed_carries_the_links_preshared_key_and_a_seed_from_before_carries_none() {
        let (mut s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Gunnar);
        let text = s.render().unwrap();
        assert!(!text.contains("psk"), "{text}");
        assert_eq!(Seed::parse(&text).unwrap().installer_link.unwrap().psk, None, "a seed from before 0.5.29");
        let psk = crate::installer::mint_wg_psk().unwrap();
        s.installer_link.as_mut().unwrap().psk = Some(psk.clone());
        s.check().unwrap();
        assert_eq!(Seed::parse(&s.render().unwrap()).unwrap().installer_link.unwrap().psk, Some(psk));
        for bad in ["", "  ", "short", "not-base64-not-base64-not-base64-not-base64!"] {
            s.installer_link.as_mut().unwrap().psk = Some(bad.into());
            assert!(matches!(s.check(), Err(SeedError::Bad("installer_link.psk", _))), "{bad:?} must be refused by name");
        }
    }

    /// A link with well-formed (not usable) keys.
    pub(crate) fn test_link() -> LinkSeed {
        LinkSeed { installer_pubkey: format!("{}=", "A".repeat(43)), vm_private: format!("{}=", "B".repeat(43)), port: 51821, psk: None }
    }

    /// A seed with a real installer CA and bootstrap certificate.
    pub(crate) fn a_seed(kind: Kind) -> (Seed, crate::mtls::InstallerCa) {
        let ca = crate::mtls::InstallerCa::mint("gunnar.rs", std::time::Duration::from_secs(3600)).unwrap();
        let boot = ca.issue_bootstrap(std::time::Duration::from_secs(3600)).unwrap();
        let s = Seed {
            estate: "gunnar.rs".into(),
            tunnel: TunnelKind::Wireguard,
            front: Front { door: "10.13.8.179:8474".into() },
            kind,
            installer_ca_pem: ca.cert_pem.clone(),
            bootstrap_cert_pem: boot.cert_pem,
            bootstrap_key_pem: boot.key_pem,
            peers_expected: 3,
            mullvad: None,
            tailscale: None,
            installer_link: Some(test_link()),
        };
        (s, ca)
    }

    #[test]
    fn a_seed_round_trips_through_toml_names_no_box_and_wireguard_is_the_default() {
        let (s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Gunnar);
        let text = s.render().unwrap();
        assert!(!text.contains("overlay") && !text.contains("\nname"), "nothing per box in a seed");
        assert_eq!(Seed::parse(&text).unwrap(), s);
        let without = text.replace("tunnel = \"wireguard\"\n", "");
        assert_eq!(Seed::parse(&without).unwrap().tunnel, TunnelKind::Wireguard);
    }

    /// **Nothing per LAY in a seed** (owner 2026-09-24 evening: the medium is
    /// constant): the front's tunnel key and endpoint are the door's to feed.
    /// A 0.1 seed that still carries them parses, and they are dropped.
    #[test]
    fn a_seed_carries_no_tunnel_key_or_endpoint_and_an_old_one_still_parses() {
        let (s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Gunnar);
        let text = s.render().unwrap();
        assert!(!text.contains("tunnel_pubkey") && !text.contains("endpoint"), "per-lay values are fed, not seeded:\n{text}");
        let old = text.replace("[front]\n", "[front]\ntunnel_pubkey = \"xTIBA5rboUvnH4htodjb6e697QjLERt1NAB4mZqp8Dg=\"\nendpoint = \"95.111.211.189:51820\"\n");
        assert!(old.contains("tunnel_pubkey"), "the fixture really is an old seed:\n{old}");
        assert_eq!(Seed::parse(&old).unwrap(), s, "the old fields are ignored");
    }

    #[test]
    fn a_missing_certificate_and_a_bad_door_are_refused_by_name_and_no_tunnel_key_is_asked_for() {
        let (mut s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Gunnar);
        s.installer_ca_pem = "nope".into();
        assert!(matches!(s.check(), Err(SeedError::Bad("installer_ca_pem", _))));
        let (mut s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Gunnar);
        s.bootstrap_key_pem.clear();
        assert!(matches!(s.check(), Err(SeedError::Bad("bootstrap_key_pem", _))));
        let (mut s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Gunnar);
        s.front.door = "front:8474".into();
        assert!(matches!(s.check(), Err(SeedError::Bad("front.door", _))));
        let (mut s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Front);
        assert_eq!(s.check(), Ok(()), "a WireGuard seed needs no front key: the door feeds it");
        s.tunnel = TunnelKind::None;
        assert!(matches!(s.check(), Err(SeedError::Bad("tunnel", ref why)) if why.starts_with("REFUSED [installer-link-none]")), "WireGuard + mutual TLS always");
        s.tunnel = TunnelKind::Wireguard;
        s.installer_link = None;
        assert!(matches!(s.check(), Err(SeedError::Bad("installer_link", _))), "every medium carries the link");
    }

    #[test]
    fn the_mullvad_and_tailscale_sections_are_optional_public_and_checked_by_name() {
        let (mut s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Gunnar);
        assert!(!s.render().unwrap().contains("[mullvad]"), "absent sections are not written");
        s.tunnel = TunnelKind::Mullvad;
        s.mullvad = Some(MullvadSeed { location: "se-sto".into(), port: 51820 });
        let text = s.render().unwrap();
        assert!(text.contains("[mullvad]") && !text.contains("account"), "no credential in a seed:\n{text}");
        assert_eq!(Seed::parse(&text).unwrap(), s);
        let bare = text.replace("port = 51820\n", "");
        assert_eq!(Seed::parse(&bare).unwrap().mullvad.unwrap().port, 51820, "the default port");
        s.mullvad = Some(MullvadSeed { location: "Stockholm; rm".into(), port: 51820 });
        assert!(matches!(s.check(), Err(SeedError::Bad("mullvad.location", _))));
        s.mullvad = None;
        assert_eq!(s.check(), Ok(()), "mullvad's mesh is WireGuard via the front, whose key the door feeds");
        s.tunnel = TunnelKind::Tailscale;
        assert_eq!(s.check(), Ok(()), "tailscale needs no front WireGuard key");
        s.tailscale = Some(TailscaleSeed { control_url: "http://plain".into() });
        assert!(matches!(s.check(), Err(SeedError::Bad("tailscale.control_url", _))));
    }

    /// ★ **A product names its own box kind** (P3a, A28 H13): `Kind::Box(role)` beyond
    /// {Front, Gunnar, Holger}. It is spelled by its own name on the wire (`kind = "fe"`), the
    /// three old kinds keep their spellings, and a reserved name always reads as its old kind.
    #[test]
    fn a_box_kind_is_named_by_its_product_and_round_trips_through_toml() {
        let fe = Kind::named("fe").unwrap();
        assert_eq!(fe, Kind::Box(BoxRole::new("fe").unwrap()));
        assert_eq!(fe.as_str(), "fe");
        let (mut s, _) = a_seed(fe);
        let text = s.render().unwrap();
        assert!(text.contains("kind = \"fe\""), "{text}");
        assert_eq!(Seed::parse(&text).unwrap().kind, fe);
        for (k, name) in [(Kind::Front, "front"), (Kind::Gunnar, "gunnar"), (Kind::Holger, "holger")] {
            s.kind = k;
            assert!(s.render().unwrap().contains(&format!("kind = \"{name}\"")), "{name} keeps its spelling");
            assert_eq!(Kind::named(name).unwrap(), k, "a reserved name is its old kind, never a box");
            assert_eq!(k.as_str(), name);
        }
        let copied = fe;
        assert_eq!(copied, fe, "Kind stays Copy");
    }

    /// The box kind's name is checked by name: lowercase letters, digits and `-`, a letter
    /// first, at most [`BoxRole::MAX`] bytes; a reserved name is not a box role.
    #[test]
    fn a_box_kind_name_is_checked_by_name() {
        for bad in ["", "Fe", "f e", "1fe", "-fe", "fé", &"a".repeat(BoxRole::MAX + 1)] {
            assert!(matches!(Kind::named(bad), Err(SeedError::Bad("kind", _))), "`{bad}` is refused");
        }
        assert!(BoxRole::new(&"a".repeat(BoxRole::MAX)).is_ok());
        for reserved in ["front", "gunnar", "holger"] {
            assert!(matches!(BoxRole::new(reserved), Err(SeedError::Bad("kind", _))), "`{reserved}` is an old kind");
        }
        let (s, _) = a_seed(Kind::Gunnar);
        let text = s.render().unwrap().replace("kind = \"gunnar\"", "kind = \"Lake\"");
        assert!(matches!(Seed::parse(&text), Err(SeedError::NotToml(e)) if e.contains("kind")), "a bad kind in a seed is refused");
    }

    /// A box kind is a product box, but it is NOT elected: it stands alone (no twin). The old
    /// kinds answer as before.
    #[test]
    fn a_box_kind_is_a_box_and_is_not_elected() {
        let lake = Kind::named("be").unwrap();
        assert!(lake.is_box() && !lake.is_product() && !lake.is_elected());
        assert!(Kind::Gunnar.is_product() && Kind::Holger.is_product() && !Kind::Front.is_product());
        assert!(Kind::Gunnar.is_box() && Kind::Holger.is_box() && !Kind::Front.is_box());
        assert!(Kind::Gunnar.is_elected() && Kind::Holger.is_elected());
        assert_eq!(format!("{lake:?}"), "Box(\"be\")");
    }
}