chore: release v1.7.98-alpha

The backend already sends did in federation peer lists, but the Peer
type omitted it and federationNodeToPeer() dropped it when mapping. Add
did?: string to Peer and pass node.did through, so trusted/observer
node rows route to Federation/Mesh by their real DID (falling back to
pubkey/onion) instead of failing the build on a missing property.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,59 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## v1.7.98-alpha (2026-06-16)
+
+- Apps that crash now recover on their own. Multi-part apps like Immich and IndeedHub could have one of their pieces stop and stay stopped until the whole node was rebooted; the node now checks every couple of minutes and restarts any crashed piece automatically (while still leaving apps you deliberately stopped alone).
+- The on-screen kiosk display can no longer slow the whole node down. On machines without a graphics chip the kiosk browser could spin a CPU core at full tilt, starving everything else (including the wallet, which then timed out); it's now capped and uses lighter rendering on those machines.
+- If an update download fails, you're taken back to the Download button to retry, instead of being stranded on an Install button for an update that didn't actually finish downloading.
+- Your node's identity is clearer and always visible: Settings now shows your Node DID on every node (it previously only appeared if your browser had cached it) plus your node's npub, both with copy buttons. There's also a terminal tool to cryptographically prove all your node's keys come from your one seed phrase.
+- The "all nodes over Tor" group chat sends quickly now — the "sending" spinner clears as soon as the reachable nodes have the message, instead of hanging on a slow or offline node.
+- Message notifications now have a close button and open the relevant chat when tapped.
+- The encrypted mesh transport (FIPS) turns itself on automatically after setup — no button to press — and connects to peers more reliably (it retries and keeps connections warm), so node-to-node features use the fast path more often instead of falling back to Tor.
+- Your chat history with other nodes is saved reliably and now encrypted on disk, so it survives restarts and updates and can't be read from a stolen drive (only clearing chat removes it).
+- Peer media shows a "connecting" loader before a video or audio file plays, and audio errors are accurate instead of blaming File Browser.
+- The Fedimint app now displays with its proper styling, and the Connected Nodes screen stays compact — it shows a few nodes and scrolls, you can tap a node to jump to it in Federation, or tap Message to open its chat.
+- App updates can now arrive on their own without waiting for a full system release, so individual apps can be improved and shipped faster.
+
+## v1.7.97-alpha (2026-06-16)
+
+- The Bitcoin sync status on the home screen no longer disappears for a moment when it refreshes. If the node was briefly busy, the panel used to vanish and pop back; it now stays put and simply shows "Updating…" until the next reading arrives, while a genuinely stopped node still correctly shows as not running.
+- Bitcoin sync progress on the home screen now updates more promptly, so the percentage and block height keep pace with the node instead of lagging behind.
+- The Lightning wallet "connect your wallet" screen loads its details and QR code again across all nodes, instead of failing to fetch them.
+- Your list of trusted nodes is now clean: the same node no longer appears several times under different names, and removed nodes stay removed. In chat, a node that previously showed up as two separate contacts now appears just once.
+- Browsing another node's cloud is smoother: music and video files from a peer now preview and play properly (including seeking partway through), and the connection now shows a small badge telling you whether it's using the fast encrypted mesh or the slower Tor network.
+- Opening "My Folders" in the cloud now shows a clear, friendly message when the file app isn't running, instead of a confusing error.
+- The Electrum server app opens on its own once it's ready, instead of sometimes leaving a loading spinner stuck on top of the screen.
+- The Fedimint app now displays with its proper styling and icons, instead of appearing unstyled with a missing image.
+- The Mempool app now connects to your Bitcoin node whether the node is Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots, instead of only working with one of them.
+- Nodes start up cleanly after a reboot. On some boots the node's main service was trying to start before its data drive had finished mounting, so it failed and retried about twenty times over roughly five minutes — showing a wall of "Failed to start" messages — before finally coming up. It now waits for the data drive to be ready first, so it starts on the first try.
+- The background images throughout the interface now load faster — they've been made significantly smaller with no loss of quality.
+
+## v1.7.96-alpha (2026-06-15)
+
+- The screen attached to your node now shows the normal Archipelago interface and your dashboard after you sign in, instead of a separate, stripped-down grid of app icons that could appear in its place. That extra screen has been removed so the attached display matches what you see everywhere else.
+- On a brand-new node, the attached screen now walks through the same welcome and setup steps you'd see on a phone or laptop, and shows the normal sign-in screen once the node is set up — so the on-device display always matches the rest of the interface.
+- When adding a FIPS network anchor, you can now choose whether it connects over TCP (for a public anchor reached across the internet) or UDP (for one on your local network), instead of it always assuming the local-network option.
+- Behind the scenes, a new automated two-node test now exercises real node-to-node features — browsing another node's shared files and handling a removed node — against live nodes before each release, so node-to-node problems are caught earlier.
+
+## v1.7.95-alpha (2026-06-15)
+
+- Browsing another node's shared files now works over the fast encrypted mesh. Opening a peer's cloud could fail with a generic "Operation failed" message because the request for their file list wasn't permitted over the mesh and came back as "not found" — and it never retried over Tor. The mesh now serves the file list directly, and if a peer can't answer over the mesh the node automatically falls back to Tor instead of giving up.
+- Nodes you remove from your federation now stay removed. Previously a deleted node could quietly come back the next time you synced with another node that still listed it. Removed nodes are now remembered as removed and won't reappear on their own — only if you add them back yourself.
+- The app credentials pop-up now appears as a normal centred box with a dimmed background over the whole screen, instead of stretching to fill the entire screen.
+
+## v1.7.94-alpha (2026-06-15)
+
+- Your node now joins the private encrypted mesh network on its own. A wrong built-in setting meant nodes were quietly never reaching the shared mesh meeting point, so everything between nodes fell back to the slower Tor network. Every node now connects to the mesh automatically on startup, so node-to-node features like file sharing use the faster encrypted mesh first and only fall back to Tor when a peer is genuinely offline. (Confirmed live: a node with its mesh setting wiped re-connected to the mesh by itself within a second of starting.)
+- You can now bring the mesh networking software up to the latest stable version straight from the node, with one action — it fetches the new version, checks it's genuine before installing, and restarts the mesh on its own. (Confirmed live end to end: a node on an older build was upgraded to the current stable release and rejoined the mesh automatically.)
+- The Lightning wallet screen connects again on nodes where it was showing a "failed to fetch" error instead of your balance and channels. The wallet app and the node now talk to each other correctly, and the connection quietly repairs itself if its details drift after a restart.
+
+## v1.7.93-alpha (2026-06-14)
+
+- Receiving Bitcoin and Lightning works again on nodes where the Lightning wallet was stuck locked. After some updates the wallet could come back locked with a password the node no longer had, so "generate a receive address" kept failing with a "wallet is locked" message that nothing could clear. The node now detects this and repairs itself automatically.
+- Each node now secures its Lightning wallet with its own unique, randomly generated password instead of a shared built-in one, and remembers it safely so the wallet unlocks on its own after every restart or update — no more getting stuck locked.
+- If a wallet is found locked with an unrecoverable password, the node rebuilds it cleanly so Bitcoin and Lightning start working again. (On these early-access nodes the wallet holds no funds, so nothing is lost — a wallet locked with an unknown password was already inaccessible.)
+- The self-repair was validated end to end on live nodes: a stuck, locked wallet was detected, rebuilt, and came back unlocked on its own, and stayed unlocked across restarts.
+
 ## v1.7.92-alpha (2026-06-14)
 
 - The Electrum server app no longer flashes a "can't connect, try again" error over its loading screen while it's still catching up. If ElectrumX is building its index or waiting on the Bitcoin node, you now just see the sync progress, and the app opens on its own once it's ready.

apps/fips-ui/manifest.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+app:
+  id: fips-ui
+  name: FIPS Mesh
+  version: 1.0.0
+  description: |
+    Archipelago-native dashboard for the FIPS mesh transport. Runs nginx
+    inside a container with host networking, serves a static dashboard on
+    :8336, and reverse-proxies /rpc/v1 to the archipelago backend on
+    127.0.0.1:5678. All FIPS controls (status, seed anchors, reconnect,
+    restart, and stable-channel daemon updates) go through the existing
+    fips.* RPC methods, authenticated by the browser's own archipelago
+    session — there is no separate secret to manage.
+
+  container:
+    build:
+      context: /opt/archipelago/docker/fips-ui
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+      tag: localhost/fips-ui:local
+
+  resources:
+    memory_limit: 128Mi
+
+  security:
+    readonly_root: false
+    network_policy: host
+
+  # Host networking: nginx listens on 8336 directly on the host IP and
+  # proxies to 127.0.0.1:5678 (the archipelago RPC). `ports:` is
+  # intentionally empty because host networking bypasses port mapping.
+  ports: []
+
+  volumes: []
+
+  environment: []
+
+  health_check:
+    type: http
+    endpoint: http://127.0.0.1:8336
+    path: /
+    interval: 30s
+    timeout: 5s
+    retries: 3

apps/mempool-api/manifest.yml

@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@ app:
     image: git.tx1138.com/lfg2025/mempool-backend:v3.0.0
     pull_policy: if-not-present
     network: archy-net
+    # CORE_RPC_HOST must follow the node's actual Bitcoin container — Knots or
+    # Core — resolved at apply time from host facts (B12). Hardcoding either
+    # breaks mempool's RPC connection on the other.
+    derived_env:
+      - key: CORE_RPC_HOST
+        template: "{{BITCOIN_HOST}}"
     secret_env:
       - key: CORE_RPC_PASSWORD
         secret_file: bitcoin-rpc-password
@@ -47,7 +53,6 @@ app:
     - ELECTRUM_HOST=electrumx
     - ELECTRUM_PORT=50001
     - ELECTRUM_TLS_ENABLED=false
-    - CORE_RPC_HOST=bitcoin-knots
     - CORE_RPC_PORT=8332
     - CORE_RPC_USERNAME=archipelago
     - DATABASE_ENABLED=true

core/Cargo.lock

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ checksum = "a23eb6b1614318a8071c9b2521f36b424b2c83db5eb3a0fead4a6c0809af6e61"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "archipelago"
-version = "1.7.91-alpha"
+version = "1.7.97-alpha"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "archipelago-container",

core/archipelago/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "archipelago"
-version = "1.7.92-alpha"
+version = "1.7.98-alpha"
 edition = "2021"
 description = "Archipelago Bitcoin Node OS - Native backend"
 authors = ["Archipelago Team"]

core/archipelago/src/api/handler/mod.rs

@@ -202,6 +202,27 @@ impl ApiHandler {
             .unwrap()
     }
 
+    /// A 401 that still carries CORS headers, for endpoints fetched
+    /// cross-origin by same-node app UIs (e.g. the LND wallet UI on its own
+    /// port). Without the ACAO header the browser surfaces an opaque CORS
+    /// error instead of the 401, so the app can't tell it just needs auth.
+    /// `origin` is the already-validated reflect value from `app_cors_origin`
+    /// (empty string when the origin isn't allowed → no CORS header added).
+    fn unauthorized_cors(origin: &str) -> Response<hyper::Body> {
+        let body = serde_json::json!({ "error": "Unauthorized" });
+        let body_bytes = serde_json::to_vec(&body).unwrap_or_default();
+        let mut builder = Response::builder()
+            .status(StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED)
+            .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+            .header("Vary", "Origin");
+        if !origin.is_empty() {
+            builder = builder
+                .header("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", origin)
+                .header("Access-Control-Allow-Credentials", "true");
+        }
+        builder.body(hyper::Body::from(body_bytes)).unwrap()
+    }
+
     /// Allowed CORS origins derived from the config host IP.
     fn allowed_origins(&self) -> Vec<String> {
         let mut origins = vec![
@@ -256,6 +277,45 @@ impl ApiHandler {
         }
     }
 
+    /// CORS origin to echo for same-node app → backend calls (e.g. the LND
+    /// wallet UI, served on its own APP_PORTS port). Such apps share the node's
+    /// host but use a different port, so the strict allowlist (`host_ip`, no
+    /// port) rejects them and the browser gets no `Access-Control-Allow-Origin`
+    /// header ("blocked by CORS policy"). Reflect the Origin when its host
+    /// matches the request's own `Host` header — i.e. the app lives on the same
+    /// address the node is being reached by, which transparently covers the LAN
+    /// IP, the Tailscale IP, localhost, and the `.onion` address without needing
+    /// to enumerate them. Auth is still enforced by the session cookie; this
+    /// only authorizes the browser to *read* the reply. Returns "" (no echoed
+    /// origin) when there is no match.
+    fn app_cors_origin(&self, headers: &hyper::HeaderMap) -> String {
+        if let Some(origin) = self.validate_origin(headers) {
+            return origin;
+        }
+        let Some(origin) = headers.get("origin").and_then(|v| v.to_str().ok()) else {
+            return String::new();
+        };
+        // host portion (no scheme, no port) of an `scheme://host[:port]` value
+        let host_of = |s: &str| -> Option<String> {
+            let after_scheme = s.split_once("://").map(|(_, r)| r).unwrap_or(s);
+            let host_port = after_scheme.split('/').next().unwrap_or(after_scheme);
+            let host = host_port
+                .rsplit_once(':')
+                .map(|(h, _)| h)
+                .unwrap_or(host_port);
+            (!host.is_empty()).then(|| host.to_string())
+        };
+        let origin_host = host_of(origin);
+        let req_host = headers
+            .get(hyper::header::HOST)
+            .and_then(|v| v.to_str().ok())
+            .and_then(host_of);
+        match (origin_host, req_host) {
+            (Some(o), Some(r)) if o == r => origin.to_string(),
+            _ => String::new(),
+        }
+    }
+
     pub async fn handle_request(&self, req: Request<hyper::Body>) -> Result<Response<hyper::Body>> {
         let path = req.uri().path().to_string();
         let method = req.method().clone();
@@ -265,9 +325,10 @@ impl ApiHandler {
             let mut builder = Response::builder()
                 .status(StatusCode::NO_CONTENT)
                 .header("Vary", "Origin");
-            if let Some(origin) = self.validate_origin(req.headers()) {
+            let preflight_origin = self.app_cors_origin(req.headers());
+            if !preflight_origin.is_empty() {
                 builder = builder
-                    .header("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", &origin)
+                    .header("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", &preflight_origin)
                     .header("Access-Control-Allow-Methods", "GET, POST, OPTIONS")
                     .header("Access-Control-Allow-Headers", "Content-Type, X-CSRF-Token")
                     .header("Access-Control-Allow-Credentials", "true");
@@ -448,7 +509,8 @@ impl ApiHandler {
             // No backend auth check here because the LND UI iframe fetches this
             // endpoint and the session cookie flow is validated at the nginx layer.
             (Method::GET, "/lnd-connect-info") => {
-                Self::handle_lnd_connect_info(self.rpc_handler.clone()).await
+                let origin = self.app_cors_origin(&headers);
+                Self::handle_lnd_connect_info(self.rpc_handler.clone(), &origin).await
             }
 
             // Container logs — requires session
@@ -460,13 +522,26 @@ impl ApiHandler {
                 Self::handle_container_logs_http(self.rpc_handler.clone(), path, &origin).await
             }
 
-            // LND proxy — requires session
-            (Method::GET, path) if path.starts_with("/proxy/lnd/") => {
+            // Peer content streaming proxy — Range-streams a peer's media file
+            // so <video>/<audio> can seek/play (B3). Same-origin, session-gated.
+            (Method::GET, p) if p.starts_with("/api/peer-content/") => {
                 if !self.is_authenticated(&headers).await {
                     return Ok(Self::unauthorized());
                 }
-                let origin = self.validate_origin(&headers).unwrap_or_default();
-                Self::handle_lnd_proxy(path, &origin).await
+                self.handle_peer_content_stream(p, &headers).await
+            }
+
+            // LND proxy — requires session. The LND wallet UI calls this
+            // cross-origin from its own app port, so even the 401 must carry
+            // CORS headers; otherwise the browser reports a bare CORS failure
+            // ("No 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' header") instead of a
+            // readable 401 the UI can act on.
+            (Method::GET, path) if path.starts_with("/proxy/lnd/") => {
+                let origin = self.app_cors_origin(&headers);
+                if !self.is_authenticated(&headers).await {
+                    return Ok(Self::unauthorized_cors(&origin));
+                }
+                Self::handle_lnd_proxy(self.rpc_handler.clone(), path, &origin).await
             }
 
             // DWN health — unauthenticated

core/archipelago/src/api/handler/proxy.rs

@@ -99,33 +99,61 @@ impl ApiHandler {
 
     pub(super) async fn handle_lnd_connect_info(
         rpc: std::sync::Arc<super::super::rpc::RpcHandler>,
+        cors_origin: &str,
     ) -> Result<Response<hyper::Body>> {
+        // The LND wallet UI is served on its own APP_PORTS origin and fetches
+        // this cross-origin, so it needs the CORS headers echoed back.
+        let cors = |builder: hyper::http::response::Builder| {
+            builder
+                .header("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", cors_origin)
+                .header("Access-Control-Allow-Credentials", "true")
+                .header("Vary", "Origin")
+        };
         match rpc.handle_lnd_connect_info().await {
             Ok(val) => {
                 let body = serde_json::to_vec(&val).unwrap_or_default();
-                Ok(build_response(
-                    StatusCode::OK,
-                    "application/json",
-                    hyper::Body::from(body),
-                ))
+                Ok(cors(
+                    Response::builder()
+                        .status(StatusCode::OK)
+                        .header("Content-Type", "application/json"),
+                )
+                .body(hyper::Body::from(body))
+                .unwrap_or_else(|_| Response::new(hyper::Body::from("{}"))))
             }
-            Err(e) => Ok(Response::builder()
-                .status(StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR)
-                .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
-                .body(hyper::Body::from(
-                    serde_json::json!({"error": e.to_string()}).to_string(),
-                ))
-                .unwrap()),
+            Err(e) => Ok(cors(
+                Response::builder()
+                    .status(StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR)
+                    .header("Content-Type", "application/json"),
+            )
+            .body(hyper::Body::from(
+                serde_json::json!({"error": e.to_string()}).to_string(),
+            ))
+            .unwrap()),
         }
     }
 
     pub(super) async fn handle_lnd_proxy(
+        rpc: Arc<RpcHandler>,
         path: &str,
         cors_origin: &str,
     ) -> Result<Response<hyper::Body>> {
         let suffix = path.strip_prefix("/proxy/lnd").unwrap_or("/");
         let url = format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}{suffix}");
-        match reqwest::get(&url).await {
+        // LND REST serves a self-signed cert and requires the admin macaroon.
+        // A bare reqwest::get() uses the default client, which rejects the
+        // self-signed cert (TLS verify error -> 502 "failing to fetch") and
+        // sends no macaroon. Use the shared authenticated client instead — the
+        // same one lnd.getinfo and the wallet RPCs use.
+        let request = match rpc.lnd_client().await {
+            Ok((client, macaroon_hex)) => client
+                .get(&url)
+                .header("Grpc-Metadata-macaroon", &macaroon_hex)
+                .send()
+                .await
+                .map_err(anyhow::Error::from),
+            Err(e) => Err(e),
+        };
+        match request {
             Ok(resp) => {
                 let status = resp.status().as_u16();
                 let headers = resp.headers().clone();
@@ -157,4 +185,76 @@ impl ApiHandler {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    /// Range-streaming proxy for a peer's content file (B3). The browser's
+    /// `<video>`/`<audio>` element makes Range requests; we forward the Range
+    /// header to the peer's `/content/<id>` (which already returns 206 Partial
+    /// Content) and pass the bytes + Content-Range/Content-Type straight back.
+    /// This replaces the old path of downloading the whole file as base64 into
+    /// a non-seekable Blob URL, which broke playback/seeking for video and
+    /// large audio. Same-origin + session-authenticated (checked by caller).
+    /// Path: `/api/peer-content/<onion>/<content_id>`.
+    pub(super) async fn handle_peer_content_stream(
+        &self,
+        path: &str,
+        headers: &hyper::HeaderMap,
+    ) -> Result<Response<hyper::Body>> {
+        let bad = |msg: &str| {
+            Ok(build_response(
+                StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST,
+                "application/json",
+                hyper::Body::from(serde_json::json!({ "error": msg }).to_string()),
+            ))
+        };
+        let rest = path.strip_prefix("/api/peer-content/").unwrap_or("");
+        let (onion, content_id) = match rest.split_once('/') {
+            Some((o, c)) if !o.is_empty() && !c.is_empty() => (o, c),
+            _ => return bad("expected /api/peer-content/<onion>/<content_id>"),
+        };
+        // Validate to prevent SSRF / path traversal.
+        let onion_norm = onion.trim_end_matches(".onion");
+        let onion_ok = onion_norm.len() == 56
+            && onion_norm
+                .bytes()
+                .all(|b| b.is_ascii_lowercase() || b.is_ascii_digit());
+        let id_ok = !content_id.contains("..")
+            && content_id
+                .bytes()
+                .all(|b| b.is_ascii_alphanumeric() || matches!(b, b'-' | b'_' | b'.'));
+        if !onion_ok || !id_ok {
+            return bad("invalid onion or content id");
+        }
+
+        let fips_npub = crate::federation::fips_npub_for_onion(&self.config.data_dir, onion).await;
+        let peer_path = format!("/content/{}", content_id);
+        let mut req = crate::fips::dial::PeerRequest::new(fips_npub.as_deref(), onion, &peer_path)
+            .service(crate::settings::transport::PeerService::PeerFiles)
+            .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(60));
+        if let Some(r) = headers.get("range").and_then(|v| v.to_str().ok()) {
+            req = req.header("Range", r.to_string());
+        }
+        match req.send_get().await {
+            Ok((resp, _transport)) => {
+                let status = resp.status().as_u16();
+                let rh = resp.headers().clone();
+                let bytes = resp.bytes().await.unwrap_or_default();
+                let mut builder = Response::builder()
+                    .status(status)
+                    .header("Accept-Ranges", "bytes");
+                for h in ["content-type", "content-range", "content-length"] {
+                    if let Some(v) = rh.get(h).and_then(|v| v.to_str().ok()) {
+                        builder = builder.header(h, v);
+                    }
+                }
+                Ok(builder
+                    .body(hyper::Body::from(bytes))
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|_| Response::new(hyper::Body::empty())))
+            }
+            Err(e) => Ok(build_response(
+                StatusCode::BAD_GATEWAY,
+                "application/json",
+                hyper::Body::from(serde_json::json!({ "error": e.to_string() }).to_string()),
+            )),
+        }
+    }
 }

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/auth.rs

@@ -33,6 +33,19 @@ impl RpcHandler {
 
         tracing::info!("[onboarding] login successful");
 
+        // Best-effort: heal a LOCKED LND wallet created with an unknown/legacy
+        // password by rotating it onto the per-node secret, using the password
+        // the user just authenticated with as a candidate. Non-blocking so login
+        // is never slowed or broken when LND isn't installed / already unlocked.
+        let candidate = password.to_string();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            match crate::container::lnd::migrate_locked_wallet(&[candidate]).await {
+                Ok(true) => tracing::info!("[login] LND wallet healed / auto-unlocked"),
+                Ok(false) => {} // not locked, or seed-recovery required
+                Err(e) => tracing::debug!("[login] LND wallet migration skipped: {e}"),
+            }
+        });
+
         // Ensure NostrVPN config exists — covers the case where onboardingComplete
         // was never called (e.g., user took the "already set up" shortcut).
         let data_dir = self.config.data_dir.clone();

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/content.rs

@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ impl RpcHandler {
         let fips_npub = crate::federation::fips_npub_for_onion(&self.config.data_dir, onion).await;
 
         let path = format!("/content/{}", content_id);
-        let (response, _transport) =
+        let (response, transport) =
             crate::fips::dial::PeerRequest::new(fips_npub.as_deref(), onion, &path)
                 .service(crate::settings::transport::PeerService::PeerFiles)
                 .header("X-Federation-DID", local_did)
@@ -242,6 +242,15 @@ impl RpcHandler {
                 .send_get()
                 .await
                 .context("Failed to connect to peer")?;
+        // Record which transport actually reached the peer (B14) so the UI
+        // reflects FIPS vs Tor truthfully instead of always showing Tor/none.
+        let _ = crate::federation::record_peer_transport(
+            &self.config.data_dir,
+            None,
+            Some(onion),
+            &transport.to_string(),
+        )
+        .await;
 
         if response.status() == reqwest::StatusCode::PAYMENT_REQUIRED {
             let body: serde_json::Value = response.json().await.unwrap_or_default();
@@ -294,13 +303,21 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             fips_npub.is_some()
         );
 
-        let (response, _transport) =
+        let (response, transport) =
             crate::fips::dial::PeerRequest::new(fips_npub.as_deref(), onion, "/content")
                 .service(crate::settings::transport::PeerService::PeerFiles)
                 .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(30))
                 .send_get()
                 .await
                 .context("Failed to connect to peer")?;
+        // Record which transport actually reached the peer (B14).
+        let _ = crate::federation::record_peer_transport(
+            &self.config.data_dir,
+            None,
+            Some(onion),
+            &transport.to_string(),
+        )
+        .await;
 
         if !response.status().is_success() {
             return Err(anyhow::anyhow!(
@@ -309,11 +326,20 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             ));
         }
 
-        let body: serde_json::Value = response
+        let mut body: serde_json::Value = response
             .json()
             .await
             .context("Failed to parse peer catalog")?;
 
+        // Surface the transport that actually reached the peer so the cloud
+        // browse UI can show a FIPS/Tor pill instead of always assuming Tor (B21).
+        if let Some(obj) = body.as_object_mut() {
+            obj.insert(
+                "transport".to_string(),
+                serde_json::Value::String(transport.to_string()),
+            );
+        }
+
         Ok(body)
     }
 
@@ -353,7 +379,7 @@ impl RpcHandler {
         let fips_npub = crate::federation::fips_npub_for_onion(&self.config.data_dir, onion).await;
 
         let path = format!("/content/{}", content_id);
-        let (response, _transport) =
+        let (response, transport) =
             crate::fips::dial::PeerRequest::new(fips_npub.as_deref(), onion, &path)
                 .service(crate::settings::transport::PeerService::PeerFiles)
                 .header("X-Federation-DID", local_did)
@@ -362,6 +388,14 @@ impl RpcHandler {
                 .send_get()
                 .await
                 .context("Failed to connect to peer")?;
+        // Record which transport actually reached the peer (B14).
+        let _ = crate::federation::record_peer_transport(
+            &self.config.data_dir,
+            None,
+            Some(onion),
+            &transport.to_string(),
+        )
+        .await;
 
         if response.status() == reqwest::StatusCode::PAYMENT_REQUIRED {
             // Payment was rejected — token is spent but content not received
@@ -418,13 +452,21 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             fips_npub.is_some()
         );
 
-        let (response, _transport) =
+        let (response, transport) =
             crate::fips::dial::PeerRequest::new(fips_npub.as_deref(), onion, &path)
                 .service(crate::settings::transport::PeerService::PeerFiles)
                 .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(30))
                 .send_get()
                 .await
                 .context("Failed to connect to peer for preview")?;
+        // Record which transport actually reached the peer (B14).
+        let _ = crate::federation::record_peer_transport(
+            &self.config.data_dir,
+            None,
+            Some(onion),
+            &transport.to_string(),
+        )
+        .await;
 
         if !response.status().is_success() {
             return Err(anyhow::anyhow!(

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/dispatcher.rs

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             "package.restart" => self.handle_package_restart(params).await,
             "package.uninstall" => self.clone().spawn_package_uninstall(params).await,
             "package.update" => self.clone().spawn_package_update(params).await,
+            "package.check-updates" => self.handle_package_check_updates(params).await,
             "package.credentials" => self.handle_package_credentials(params).await,
             "app.filebrowser-token" => self.handle_filebrowser_token().await,
 

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/federation/handlers.rs

@@ -533,6 +533,19 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             return Ok(serde_json::json!({ "accepted": true, "already_known": true }));
         }
 
+        // Respect operator removal: a peer the operator deleted must not
+        // silently re-join via a stale invite. The tombstone is only cleared
+        // by an explicit local action (manually adding the node or accepting
+        // an incoming invite) — not by a remote-triggered join.
+        if federation::load_removed_dids(&self.config.data_dir)
+            .await
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+            .contains(did)
+        {
+            info!(peer_did = %did, "Ignoring peer-joined for a removed (tombstoned) DID");
+            return Ok(serde_json::json!({ "accepted": false, "removed": true }));
+        }
+
         let node = FederatedNode {
             did: did.to_string(),
             pubkey: pubkey.to_string(),

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/fips.rs

@@ -115,10 +115,12 @@ impl RpcHandler {
         } else if !after.key_present {
             "no_seed_key"
         } else if after.authenticated_peer_count == 0 {
-            // Daemon is up with a key but hasn't authenticated any
-            // peers — almost always outbound UDP/8668 dropped by the
-            // local firewall/router, or the anchor itself being down.
-            "no_outbound_udp_or_anchor_down"
+            // Daemon is up with a key but hasn't authenticated any peers —
+            // almost always the outbound connection to the anchor being
+            // dropped by the local firewall/router, or the anchor itself
+            // being down. The public anchor is reached over TCP/8443 (not
+            // UDP/8668 — that endpoint is dead).
+            "no_outbound_or_anchor_down"
         } else {
             "peers_but_no_anchor"
         };
@@ -126,8 +128,8 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             "connected" => "An anchor is reachable.",
             "daemon_down" => "The FIPS daemon didn't come back up — check the FIPS service on this host.",
             "no_seed_key" => "No seed-derived FIPS key on disk. Re-run the onboarding unlock step.",
-            "no_outbound_udp_or_anchor_down" =>
-                "Daemon is running but no peers handshook. Your router / ISP might be blocking outbound UDP 8668, or every configured anchor could be down. Add a reachable peer in Seed Anchors.",
+            "no_outbound_or_anchor_down" =>
+                "Daemon is running but no peers handshook. Your router or ISP may be blocking the outbound connection to the mesh anchor (TCP port 8443), or every configured anchor is down. The public anchor is added automatically — if it still won't connect, add another reachable peer in Seed Anchors.",
             "peers_but_no_anchor" =>
                 "Mesh has peers but none of them are anchors we recognise. Add your cluster's anchor in Seed Anchors.",
             _ => "",

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/lnd/wallet.rs

@@ -552,8 +552,15 @@ impl RpcHandler {
         let entropy_b64 = base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(entropy);
         entropy.zeroize();
 
+        // Use the per-node secret as the LND wallet password (NOT the
+        // caller-supplied one) so the unattended boot path can auto-unlock this
+        // wallet. The wallet stays recoverable from the Archipelago seed via the
+        // derived entropy above. This unifies both init paths on one password
+        // source — the divergence here is what left wallets locked fleet-wide.
+        let _ = wallet_password; // accepted for API compat; superseded by the per-node secret
+        let node_wallet_pw = crate::container::lnd::ensure_wallet_password().await?;
         let wallet_password_b64 =
-            base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(wallet_password.as_bytes());
+            base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(node_wallet_pw.as_bytes());
 
         // Call LND REST API to initialize wallet with derived entropy.
         // LND must be running but NOT yet initialized (no existing wallet).

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/mesh/typed_messages.rs

@@ -1184,6 +1184,12 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             entry.pinned = p;
         }
         let saved = entry.clone();
+        let snapshot = contacts.clone();
+        drop(contacts);
+        // Persist (encrypted, atomic) so the customisation survives restarts.
+        if let Err(e) = crate::mesh::save_mesh_contacts(&self.config.data_dir, &snapshot).await {
+            tracing::warn!("failed to persist mesh contacts: {e}");
+        }
         Ok(serde_json::json!({
             "saved": true,
             "pubkey": pubkey,
@@ -1215,6 +1221,11 @@ impl RpcHandler {
         let mut contacts = state.contacts.write().await;
         let entry = contacts.entry(pubkey.clone()).or_default();
         entry.blocked = blocked;
+        let snapshot = contacts.clone();
+        drop(contacts);
+        if let Err(e) = crate::mesh::save_mesh_contacts(&self.config.data_dir, &snapshot).await {
+            tracing::warn!("failed to persist mesh contacts: {e}");
+        }
         Ok(serde_json::json!({ "pubkey": pubkey, "blocked": blocked }))
     }
 

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/package/config.rs

@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ fn is_platform_managed_app(app_id: &str) -> bool {
             | "fedimint-gateway"
             | "indeedhub"
             | "immich"
+            | "fips"
+            | "fips-ui"
     )
 }
 
@@ -750,27 +752,33 @@ pub(super) async fn get_app_config(
             None,
             None,
         ),
-        "mempool-api" => (
-            vec!["8999:8999".to_string()],
-            vec!["/var/lib/archipelago/mempool:/data".to_string()],
-            vec![
-                "MEMPOOL_BACKEND=electrum".to_string(),
-                "ELECTRUM_HOST=electrumx".to_string(),
-                "ELECTRUM_PORT=50001".to_string(),
-                "ELECTRUM_TLS_ENABLED=false".to_string(),
-                "CORE_RPC_HOST=bitcoin-knots".to_string(),
-                "CORE_RPC_PORT=8332".to_string(),
-                "CORE_RPC_USERNAME=archipelago".to_string(),
-                format!("CORE_RPC_PASSWORD={}", rpc_pass),
-                "DATABASE_ENABLED=true".to_string(),
-                "DATABASE_HOST=archy-mempool-db".to_string(),
-                "DATABASE_DATABASE=mempool".to_string(),
-                "DATABASE_USERNAME=mempool".to_string(),
-                format!("DATABASE_PASSWORD={}", read_secret("mempool-db-password", "mempoolpass")),
-            ],
-            None,
-            None,
-        ),
+        "mempool-api" => {
+            // CORE_RPC_HOST must resolve to the actual Bitcoin node container —
+            // bitcoin-knots OR bitcoin-core — else mempool-api can't reach RPC
+            // on a Core node (B12). Falls back to bitcoin-knots if undetected.
+            let bitcoin_rpc_host = super::dependencies::detect_bitcoin_rpc_host().await;
+            (
+                vec!["8999:8999".to_string()],
+                vec!["/var/lib/archipelago/mempool:/data".to_string()],
+                vec![
+                    "MEMPOOL_BACKEND=electrum".to_string(),
+                    "ELECTRUM_HOST=electrumx".to_string(),
+                    "ELECTRUM_PORT=50001".to_string(),
+                    "ELECTRUM_TLS_ENABLED=false".to_string(),
+                    format!("CORE_RPC_HOST={}", bitcoin_rpc_host),
+                    "CORE_RPC_PORT=8332".to_string(),
+                    "CORE_RPC_USERNAME=archipelago".to_string(),
+                    format!("CORE_RPC_PASSWORD={}", rpc_pass),
+                    "DATABASE_ENABLED=true".to_string(),
+                    "DATABASE_HOST=archy-mempool-db".to_string(),
+                    "DATABASE_DATABASE=mempool".to_string(),
+                    "DATABASE_USERNAME=mempool".to_string(),
+                    format!("DATABASE_PASSWORD={}", read_secret("mempool-db-password", "mempoolpass")),
+                ],
+                None,
+                None,
+            )
+        }
         "electrumx" | "mempool-electrs" | "electrs" => {
             (
                 vec!["50001:50001".to_string()],

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/package/dependencies.rs

@@ -84,6 +84,78 @@ pub(super) async fn detect_running_deps() -> Result<RunningDeps> {
     })
 }
 
+/// Detect the container name of the running Bitcoin node so dependent stacks
+/// (mempool) can point CORE_RPC_HOST at the right host. Bitcoin Knots and Bitcoin
+/// Core are both reachable on archy-net by their container name — only the name
+/// differs (`bitcoin-knots` vs `bitcoin-core`), so hardcoding one breaks the
+/// other. Returns the first running BITCOIN_NAMES match; falls back to the
+/// default `bitcoin-knots` if none is detected (callers gate on has_bitcoin).
+pub(super) async fn detect_bitcoin_rpc_host() -> String {
+    let out = tokio::time::timeout(
+        std::time::Duration::from_secs(15),
+        tokio::process::Command::new("podman")
+            .args(["ps", "--format", "{{.Names}}"])
+            .output(),
+    )
+    .await;
+    if let Ok(Ok(o)) = out {
+        if o.status.success() {
+            let running = String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout);
+            if let Some(name) = pick_bitcoin_host(&running) {
+                return name;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    "bitcoin-knots".to_string()
+}
+
+/// Pure host-selection step of [`detect_bitcoin_rpc_host`], split out so it can
+/// be unit-tested without a podman runtime. Returns the first `podman ps` line
+/// whose trimmed name is one of [`BITCOIN_NAMES`]. (The Quadlet orchestrator
+/// mirrors this in `prod_orchestrator::bitcoin_host`.)
+fn pick_bitcoin_host(podman_names: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    podman_names
+        .lines()
+        .map(|l| l.trim())
+        .find(|name| BITCOIN_NAMES.contains(name))
+        .map(|name| name.to_string())
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod bitcoin_host_tests {
+    use super::pick_bitcoin_host;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn picks_knots() {
+        let ps = "electrumx\nbitcoin-knots\narchy-mempool-db\n";
+        assert_eq!(pick_bitcoin_host(ps).as_deref(), Some("bitcoin-knots"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn picks_core() {
+        let ps = "lnd\nbitcoin-core\nelectrumx\n";
+        assert_eq!(pick_bitcoin_host(ps).as_deref(), Some("bitcoin-core"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn picks_plain_bitcoin() {
+        assert_eq!(pick_bitcoin_host("bitcoin\n").as_deref(), Some("bitcoin"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn none_when_no_bitcoin_node() {
+        let ps = "electrumx\nlnd\narchy-mempool-db\n";
+        assert_eq!(pick_bitcoin_host(ps), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ignores_substring_matches() {
+        // A companion UI container must NOT be mistaken for the node itself.
+        let ps = "archy-bitcoin-ui\nbitcoin-knots-foo\n";
+        assert_eq!(pick_bitcoin_host(ps), None);
+    }
+}
+
 /// Verify that required dependency services are running before installing an app.
 /// Returns an error with a user-friendly message if dependencies are missing.
 pub(super) fn check_install_deps(package_id: &str, deps: &RunningDeps) -> Result<()> {

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/package/stacks.rs

@@ -1152,6 +1152,9 @@ impl RpcHandler {
         let deps = super::dependencies::detect_running_deps().await?;
         super::dependencies::check_install_deps("mempool", &deps)?;
         let (_, rpc_pass) = crate::bitcoin_rpc::bitcoin_rpc_credentials().await;
+        // CORE_RPC_HOST must match the actual Bitcoin node container name —
+        // bitcoin-knots OR bitcoin-core — else mempool-api can't reach RPC (B12).
+        let bitcoin_rpc_host = super::dependencies::detect_bitcoin_rpc_host().await;
 
         install_log("INSTALL START: mempool (stack: mariadb + mempool-api + mempool-web)").await;
 
@@ -1275,7 +1278,7 @@ impl RpcHandler {
                 "-e",
                 "ELECTRUM_TLS_ENABLED=false",
                 "-e",
-                "CORE_RPC_HOST=bitcoin-knots",
+                &format!("CORE_RPC_HOST={}", bitcoin_rpc_host),
                 "-e",
                 "CORE_RPC_PORT=8332",
                 "-e",

core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/package/update.rs

@@ -32,8 +32,11 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("Missing package id"))?;
         validate_app_id(package_id)?;
 
-        // Verify an update is actually available
-        let pinned = image_versions::pinned_image_for_app(package_id)
+        // Verify an update is actually available. Prefer the remote app catalog
+        // (decoupled from the binary OTA), falling back to the image-versions.sh
+        // pin when the catalog is absent or doesn't cover this app.
+        let pinned = crate::container::app_catalog::catalog_primary_image(package_id)
+            .or_else(|| image_versions::pinned_image_for_app(package_id))
             .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("No pinned image found for {}", package_id))?;
 
         // Note: the `already updating` guard lives in `spawn_package_update`
@@ -149,6 +152,28 @@ impl RpcHandler {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Manual "check for updates": refresh the remote app catalog now. The
+    /// package scanner recomputes each app's `available-update` from the fresh
+    /// catalog on its next cycle and pushes it to the UI. Best-effort — a fetch
+    /// failure leaves the cached catalog in place and reports `refreshed: false`.
+    pub(in crate::api::rpc) async fn handle_package_check_updates(
+        &self,
+        _params: Option<serde_json::Value>,
+    ) -> Result<serde_json::Value> {
+        match crate::container::app_catalog::refresh_catalog(&self.config.data_dir).await {
+            Ok(count) => Ok(serde_json::json!({
+                "status": "ok",
+                "refreshed": true,
+                "catalog_apps": count,
+            })),
+            Err(e) => Ok(serde_json::json!({
+                "status": "ok",
+                "refreshed": false,
+                "error": e.to_string(),
+            })),
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Core update execution: stop → pull → remove → recreate → verify.
     async fn execute_update(
         &self,
@@ -385,13 +410,24 @@ impl RpcHandler {
         package_id: &str,
         pinned_primary: &str,
     ) -> Vec<(String, String)> {
-        let stack_images = image_versions::pinned_images_for_stack(package_id);
+        let mut stack_images = image_versions::pinned_images_for_stack(package_id);
         if stack_images.is_empty() {
-            // Single container app
-            vec![(package_id.to_string(), pinned_primary.to_string())]
-        } else {
-            stack_images
+            // Single container app — pinned_primary already prefers the catalog.
+            return vec![(package_id.to_string(), pinned_primary.to_string())];
         }
+        // Stack app: override per-container images with the catalog where it
+        // provides them; components the catalog omits keep the image-versions.sh
+        // pin. This lets a single component (e.g. the IndeeHub frontend) be
+        // bumped without touching the rest of the stack.
+        let catalog_images = crate::container::app_catalog::catalog_stack_images(package_id);
+        if !catalog_images.is_empty() {
+            for (name, image) in stack_images.iter_mut() {
+                if let Some(catalog_image) = catalog_images.get(name) {
+                    *image = catalog_image.clone();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        stack_images
     }
 
     /// Rollback: restart old containers if they still exist.

core/archipelago/src/bootstrap.rs

@@ -30,8 +30,22 @@ const DOCTOR_SH_PATH: &str = "/home/archipelago/archy/scripts/container-doctor.s
 const DOCTOR_SERVICE_PATH: &str = "/etc/systemd/system/archipelago-doctor.service";
 const DOCTOR_TIMER_PATH: &str = "/etc/systemd/system/archipelago-doctor.timer";
 
+// Kiosk hardening (#36): keep the deployed unit + launcher in sync with the
+// repo so the CPU/memory cap and the GPU-vs-headless flag selection reach
+// already-installed nodes via OTA, not just fresh ISOs.
+const KIOSK_SERVICE: &str = include_str!("../../../image-recipe/configs/archipelago-kiosk.service");
+const KIOSK_LAUNCHER: &str =
+    include_str!("../../../image-recipe/configs/archipelago-kiosk-launcher.sh");
+const KIOSK_SERVICE_PATH: &str = "/etc/systemd/system/archipelago-kiosk.service";
+const KIOSK_LAUNCHER_PATH: &str = "/usr/local/bin/archipelago-kiosk-launcher";
+
 const NGINX_CONF_PATH: &str = "/etc/nginx/sites-available/archipelago";
 const NGINX_ENABLED_CONF_PATH: &str = "/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/archipelago";
+/// Per-app proxy snippet included by the HTTPS (:443) server block. Carries its
+/// own `/app/fedimint/` location, so it needs the same B13 asset-rewrite heal as
+/// the main conf — browsers reach fedimint over HTTPS via this snippet. Absent on
+/// HTTP-only nodes, in which case the bootstrap loop skips it.
+const NGINX_HTTPS_SNIPPET_PATH: &str = "/etc/nginx/snippets/archipelago-https-app-proxies.conf";
 const RUNTIME_ASSETS_DIR: &str = "/opt/archipelago/web-ui/archipelago-runtime";
 
 /// Inserted into every server block of the nginx config that lacks the
@@ -41,6 +55,41 @@ const NGINX_APP_CATALOG_BLOCK: &str = "\n    # App Store catalog proxy — backe
 
 const NGINX_BITCOIN_STATUS_BLOCK: &str = "\n    location /bitcoin-status {\n        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5678/bitcoin-status;\n        proxy_http_version 1.1;\n        proxy_set_header Host $host;\n        proxy_connect_timeout 10s;\n        proxy_read_timeout 10s;\n        proxy_send_timeout 5s;\n        error_page 502 503 = @backend_unavailable;\n        error_page 504 = @backend_timeout;\n    }\n";
 
+/// Inserted into every server block that lacks the `/proxy/lnd/` proxy. Nodes
+/// flashed before 2026-04-10 shipped an nginx config without this block, so the
+/// browser's wallet fetches to `/proxy/lnd/*` fell through to the SPA
+/// index.html and got HTML back instead of JSON ("failing to fetch"). Kept in
+/// sync with the canonical block in image-recipe/configs/nginx-archipelago.conf.
+const NGINX_LND_PROXY_BLOCK: &str = "\n    # LND REST proxy — backend handles auth + CORS\n    location /proxy/lnd/ {\n        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5678;\n        proxy_http_version 1.1;\n        proxy_set_header Host $host;\n        proxy_set_header Cookie $http_cookie;\n        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;\n        proxy_connect_timeout 10s;\n        proxy_read_timeout 10s;\n        proxy_send_timeout 5s;\n        error_page 502 503 = @backend_unavailable;\n        error_page 504 = @backend_timeout;\n    }\n";
+
+/// Inserted into every server block lacking the peer-content streaming proxy.
+/// Without it, the browser's `<video>`/`<audio>` Range requests to
+/// `/api/peer-content/*` fall through to the SPA index.html (HTML, no Range)
+/// and peer media won't play (B3). Forwards Cookie (session auth) + Range and
+/// disables buffering so streaming works. Kept in sync with the canonical
+/// block in image-recipe/configs/nginx-archipelago.conf.
+const NGINX_PEER_CONTENT_BLOCK: &str = "\n    # Peer content streaming proxy (B3) — Range-streams a peer's media file\n    location /api/peer-content/ {\n        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5678;\n        proxy_http_version 1.1;\n        proxy_set_header Host $host;\n        proxy_set_header Cookie $http_cookie;\n        proxy_set_header Range $http_range;\n        proxy_buffering off;\n        proxy_connect_timeout 10s;\n        proxy_read_timeout 120s;\n        error_page 502 503 = @backend_unavailable;\n        error_page 504 = @backend_timeout;\n    }\n";
+
+/// B13 — Fedimint UI asset rewrite. Pre-fix nodes proxy /app/fedimint/ with only
+/// the nostr-provider injection (`sub_filter_once on`), so the UI's root-rooted
+/// CSS/JS asset URLs (href="/…", url("/…")) miss the proxy and load the SPA shell
+/// → unstyled UI. We swap that single sub_filter for the full rewrite set that
+/// reroots every asset URL under /app/fedimint/. NEW matches the canonical block
+/// in image-recipe/configs/nginx-archipelago.conf byte-for-byte so self-healed
+/// nodes converge to the same config fresh ISOs ship with.
+const NGINX_FEDIMINT_OLD: &str = "        sub_filter_once on;\n        sub_filter '</head>' '<script src=\"/nostr-provider.js\"></script></head>';\n    }\n    location /app/fedimint-gateway/ {";
+const NGINX_FEDIMINT_NEW: &str = "        sub_filter_types text/css application/javascript application/json;\n        sub_filter_once off;\n        sub_filter 'href=\"/' 'href=\"/app/fedimint/';\n        sub_filter 'src=\"/' 'src=\"/app/fedimint/';\n        sub_filter \"href='/\" \"href='/app/fedimint/\";\n        sub_filter \"src='/\" \"src='/app/fedimint/\";\n        sub_filter 'url(\"/' 'url(\"/app/fedimint/';\n        sub_filter \"url('/\" \"url('/app/fedimint/\";\n        sub_filter '</head>' '<script src=\"/nostr-provider.js\"></script></head>';\n    }\n    location /app/fedimint-gateway/ {";
+
+/// B13 Style B — the HTTPS app-proxy snippet's fedimint block has NO sub_filter
+/// at all (older than the main conf's), and the directive that follows it varies
+/// per node (fedimint-gateway vs tailscale), so a full-block match is unreliable.
+/// Instead we anchor on the unique :8175 proxy_pass (fedimint is the only block
+/// proxying there) and insert the reroot set right after it — directive order
+/// inside a location block is irrelevant to nginx. Idempotent via the same
+/// `href="/app/fedimint/` marker the main-conf heal leaves behind.
+const NGINX_FEDIMINT_SNIPPET_ANCHOR: &str = "proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8175/;";
+const NGINX_FEDIMINT_SNIPPET_INSERT: &str = "proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8175/;\n    proxy_set_header Accept-Encoding \"\";\n    sub_filter_types text/css application/javascript application/json;\n    sub_filter_once off;\n    sub_filter 'href=\"/' 'href=\"/app/fedimint/';\n    sub_filter 'src=\"/' 'src=\"/app/fedimint/';\n    sub_filter \"href='/\" \"href='/app/fedimint/\";\n    sub_filter \"src='/\" \"src='/app/fedimint/\";\n    sub_filter 'url(\"/' 'url(\"/app/fedimint/';\n    sub_filter \"url('/\" \"url('/app/fedimint/\";\n    sub_filter '</head>' '<script src=\"/nostr-provider.js\"></script></head>';";
+
 /// Entry point called from main startup. Never returns an error to the caller —
 /// failing to bootstrap host artifacts must not prevent the backend from serving.
 pub async fn ensure_doctor_installed() {
@@ -476,6 +525,92 @@ async fn write_root_if_needed(path: &str, content: &str) -> Result<bool> {
     Ok(true)
 }
 
+const ARCHIPELAGO_SERVICE_PATH: &str = "/etc/systemd/system/archipelago.service";
+const MOUNT_REQUIRE_LINE: &str = "RequiresMountsFor=/var/lib/archipelago";
+
+/// B17 self-heal: ensure the installed archipelago.service waits for the data
+/// volume to mount before it starts. On production nodes `/var/lib/archipelago`
+/// (the app data dir AND podman's graphroot) is a separate device-mapper volume;
+/// without a mount dependency the service can start before `var-lib-archipelago.mount`,
+/// write to the bare mountpoint on rootfs, fail every podman call, exit, and be
+/// restarted every 5s until the volume mounts (~5 min of "[FAILED] Failed to start"
+/// on cold boots). Fresh ISOs already ship the directive; this heals already-deployed
+/// nodes. The change is boot-ordering only — it takes effect on the NEXT reboot, so we
+/// never restart the running service here. Idempotent; no-op if the unit is absent
+/// (dev runs) or already patched. Harmless when the data dir is on rootfs (systemd maps
+/// the requirement to the always-mounted root).
+pub async fn ensure_archipelago_mount_ordering() {
+    let current = match fs::read_to_string(ARCHIPELAGO_SERVICE_PATH).await {
+        Ok(c) => c,
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::debug!(
+                "mount-ordering self-heal: {} not readable ({}) — skipping",
+                ARCHIPELAGO_SERVICE_PATH,
+                e
+            );
+            return;
+        }
+    };
+    if current.contains(MOUNT_REQUIRE_LINE) {
+        return; // already healed
+    }
+    // Insert the directive into the [Unit] section, immediately before [Service].
+    let Some(idx) = current.find("\n[Service]") else {
+        tracing::warn!(
+            "mount-ordering self-heal: no [Service] section in {} — skipping",
+            ARCHIPELAGO_SERVICE_PATH
+        );
+        return;
+    };
+    let mut patched = String::with_capacity(current.len() + MOUNT_REQUIRE_LINE.len() + 96);
+    patched.push_str(&current[..idx]);
+    patched.push_str("\n# B17: start only after the data volume (+ podman graphroot) is mounted\n");
+    patched.push_str(MOUNT_REQUIRE_LINE);
+    patched.push_str(&current[idx..]);
+    match write_root_if_needed(ARCHIPELAGO_SERVICE_PATH, &patched).await {
+        Ok(true) => {
+            info!(
+                "B17: added '{}' to archipelago.service (effective next reboot)",
+                MOUNT_REQUIRE_LINE
+            );
+            if let Err(e) = host_sudo(&["systemctl", "daemon-reload"]).await {
+                tracing::warn!("B17 self-heal: daemon-reload failed: {:#}", e);
+            }
+        }
+        Ok(false) => {}
+        Err(e) => tracing::warn!("B17 mount-ordering self-heal failed: {:#}", e),
+    }
+}
+
+/// #36 self-heal: keep the kiosk unit + launcher current on already-deployed
+/// nodes so the CPU/memory cap (a runaway chromium was saturating the node and
+/// starving the backend) and the GPU-vs-headless flag selection arrive via OTA.
+/// No-op on nodes without the kiosk installed; only restarts the kiosk if it's
+/// actually running (so it never re-enables an operator-disabled kiosk).
+pub async fn ensure_kiosk_hardened() {
+    if fs::metadata(KIOSK_SERVICE_PATH).await.is_err() {
+        return; // kiosk not installed on this node
+    }
+    let svc_changed = write_root_if_needed(KIOSK_SERVICE_PATH, KIOSK_SERVICE)
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or(false);
+    let launcher_changed = write_root_if_needed(KIOSK_LAUNCHER_PATH, KIOSK_LAUNCHER)
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or(false);
+    if launcher_changed {
+        let _ = host_sudo(&["chmod", "+x", KIOSK_LAUNCHER_PATH]).await;
+    }
+    if svc_changed || launcher_changed {
+        if let Err(e) = host_sudo(&["systemctl", "daemon-reload"]).await {
+            warn!("kiosk hardening: daemon-reload failed: {:#}", e);
+        }
+        // try-restart only restarts a currently-active unit — leaves a stopped/
+        // disabled kiosk alone.
+        let _ = host_sudo(&["systemctl", "try-restart", "archipelago-kiosk.service"]).await;
+        info!("kiosk: applied resource cap + GPU-flag hardening (#36)");
+    }
+}
+
 /// Patch the nginx site config to add missing backend proxy blocks. Older ISO
 /// configs shipped individual per-endpoint `location` blocks, so missing
 /// endpoints silently fell through to the SPA `index.html` and the frontend
@@ -496,7 +631,11 @@ async fn run_nginx() -> Result<bool> {
 
     let mut changed = false;
     let mut patched_paths = Vec::<PathBuf>::new();
-    for path in [NGINX_CONF_PATH, NGINX_ENABLED_CONF_PATH] {
+    for path in [
+        NGINX_CONF_PATH,
+        NGINX_ENABLED_CONF_PATH,
+        NGINX_HTTPS_SNIPPET_PATH,
+    ] {
         let candidate = Path::new(path);
         if !candidate.exists() {
             debug!("{} missing — skipping nginx bootstrap", path);
@@ -514,18 +653,100 @@ async fn run_nginx() -> Result<bool> {
     Ok(changed)
 }
 
+/// Reflective CORS add_headers that older configs placed inside the
+/// `/lnd-connect-info` location. The backend now sets a validated
+/// `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` for that endpoint (api/handler/proxy.rs), so
+/// leaving these in nginx emits a DUPLICATE header ("contains multiple values
+/// … but only one is allowed") and the LND wallet UI's cross-origin fetch is
+/// rejected. Stripped during nginx bootstrap so the backend solely owns CORS.
+const NGINX_LND_DUP_CORS: &str = "        add_header Access-Control-Allow-Origin $http_origin always;\n        add_header Access-Control-Allow-Credentials \"true\" always;\n";
+
 async fn patch_nginx_conf(path: &str) -> Result<bool> {
     let content = fs::read_to_string(path)
         .await
         .with_context(|| format!("read {}", path))?;
-    let missing_app_catalog = !content.contains("location /api/app-catalog");
-    let missing_bitcoin_status = !content.contains("location /bitcoin-status");
-    if !missing_app_catalog && !missing_bitcoin_status {
+    // Each "missing" flag is gated on the splice anchor actually being present,
+    // so an included snippet that legitimately has none of these endpoints (the
+    // HTTPS app-proxy snippet) neither tries to patch them nor logs warn-skips on
+    // every boot — it falls through to the fedimint heal alone.
+    let has_lnd_anchor = content.contains("    location /lnd-connect-info {")
+        || content.contains("    location /electrs-status {");
+    let missing_app_catalog = content
+        .contains("    # DWN endpoints — peer access over Tor (no auth)")
+        && !content.contains("location /api/app-catalog");
+    let missing_bitcoin_status = content.contains("    location /electrs-status {")
+        && !content.contains("location /bitcoin-status");
+    let missing_lnd_proxy = has_lnd_anchor && !content.contains("location /proxy/lnd/");
+    let missing_peer_content = has_lnd_anchor && !content.contains("location /api/peer-content");
+    let has_lnd_dup_cors = content.contains(NGINX_LND_DUP_CORS);
+    // B13: fedimint block present but lacking the asset-rewrite sub_filters.
+    let needs_fedimint_css = content.contains("location /app/fedimint/")
+        && !content.contains("'href=\"/' 'href=\"/app/fedimint/'");
+    if !missing_app_catalog
+        && !missing_bitcoin_status
+        && !missing_lnd_proxy
+        && !missing_peer_content
+        && !has_lnd_dup_cors
+        && !needs_fedimint_css
+    {
         return Ok(false);
     }
 
     let mut patched = content.clone();
 
+    if has_lnd_dup_cors {
+        // Drop the redundant nginx-side CORS headers so the backend's single
+        // validated Access-Control-Allow-Origin is the only one returned.
+        patched = patched.replace(NGINX_LND_DUP_CORS, "");
+    }
+
+    if needs_fedimint_css {
+        // Style A (main conf): the block already injects nostr-provider, so swap
+        // its single-sub_filter tail for the full asset-rewrite set. No-op if the
+        // node's fedimint block doesn't match OLD.
+        patched = patched.replace(NGINX_FEDIMINT_OLD, NGINX_FEDIMINT_NEW);
+        // Style B (HTTPS app-proxy snippet): the block has no sub_filter to swap,
+        // so insert the reroot set after the unique :8175 proxy_pass. Guarded on
+        // the marker so it can never double-apply after Style A already healed.
+        if !patched.contains("'href=\"/' 'href=\"/app/fedimint/'") {
+            patched = patched.replace(NGINX_FEDIMINT_SNIPPET_ANCHOR, NGINX_FEDIMINT_SNIPPET_INSERT);
+        }
+    }
+
+    if missing_lnd_proxy {
+        // Prefer the `/lnd-connect-info` anchor (present since 2026-03-17); fall
+        // back to `/electrs-status` (since 2026-03-08) for even older configs.
+        // Both appear once per archipelago server block, so the block is added
+        // to every server block that proxies to the backend.
+        let anchor = if patched.contains("    location /lnd-connect-info {") {
+            "    location /lnd-connect-info {"
+        } else {
+            "    location /electrs-status {"
+        };
+        if !patched.contains(anchor) {
+            warn!("nginx conf missing lnd-connect-info/electrs-status anchor — skipping /proxy/lnd patch");
+        } else {
+            let replacement = format!("{}{}", NGINX_LND_PROXY_BLOCK, anchor);
+            patched = patched.replace(anchor, &replacement);
+        }
+    }
+
+    if missing_peer_content {
+        // Same anchoring as the LND proxy: prepend the block to every server
+        // block so /api/peer-content/* reaches the backend instead of the SPA.
+        let anchor = if patched.contains("    location /lnd-connect-info {") {
+            "    location /lnd-connect-info {"
+        } else {
+            "    location /electrs-status {"
+        };
+        if patched.contains(anchor) {
+            let replacement = format!("{}{}", NGINX_PEER_CONTENT_BLOCK, anchor);
+            patched = patched.replace(anchor, &replacement);
+        } else {
+            warn!("nginx conf missing anchor — skipping /api/peer-content patch");
+        }
+    }
+
     if missing_bitcoin_status {
         let anchor = "    location /electrs-status {";
         if !patched.contains(anchor) {

core/archipelago/src/container/app_catalog.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,343 @@
+//! Remote app version catalog — DECOUPLES per-app updates from the binary OTA.
+//!
+//! Background: `image_versions.rs` reads the pinned image tags from
+//! `image-versions.sh`, which is deployed *with the archipelago binary*. That
+//! coupled every app update to a full node release. This module adds a remote
+//! catalog (`app-catalog.json`) fetched over HTTP from the same origin as the
+//! OTA manifest, refreshed periodically and on demand. Bumping an app's version
+//! is then a JSON edit + push — no binary release.
+//!
+//! Resolution order (origin-always-wins, matching the DHT design's posture):
+//!   1. Remote catalog (this module) — the live source of "available update".
+//!   2. `image-versions.sh` pin — offline/baseline fallback when the catalog is
+//!      missing or doesn't cover the app.
+//!
+//! ## Forward-compatibility with the DHT distribution plan
+//! (`docs/dht-distribution-design.md`)
+//! This catalog IS the "discovery / authenticity" layer of that plan. The schema
+//! is deliberately extensible so the later phases bolt on WITHOUT a breaking
+//! change:
+//!   - `signature` / `signed_by` (top level) — Phase 0 seed-derived release-root
+//!     signature over the canonical JSON. Absent today; verified when present.
+//!   - per-image `digest` / `size` — BLAKE3/SHA-256 content address + length, so
+//!     the iroh swarm can fetch images by hash with the registry as origin.
+//! Unknown fields are ignored (no `deny_unknown_fields`), so adding fields on the
+//! publisher side never breaks older nodes.
+
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::sync::Mutex;
+use std::time::SystemTime;
+use tracing::{debug, info, warn};
+
+/// Filename for both the published catalog and the on-node cache.
+pub const APP_CATALOG_FILE: &str = "app-catalog.json";
+
+/// Cache of the parsed catalog, invalidated when the cache file mtime changes.
+static CACHE: Mutex<Option<CacheEntry>> = Mutex::new(None);
+
+struct CacheEntry {
+    mtime: SystemTime,
+    catalog: AppCatalog,
+}
+
+/// Top-level catalog document.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+pub struct AppCatalog {
+    /// Schema version. 1 = current. Bump only on incompatible changes.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub schema: u32,
+    /// Publish date (RFC 3339 or YYYY-MM-DD). Informational.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub updated: String,
+    /// app_id -> entry.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub apps: HashMap<String, AppCatalogEntry>,
+    /// DHT-plan forward-compat: detached signature over the canonical JSON,
+    /// produced by the seed-derived release-root key. Absent today.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub signature: Option<String>,
+    /// DHT-plan forward-compat: publisher identity (did:key / npub).
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub signed_by: Option<String>,
+}
+
+/// Per-app catalog entry.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+pub struct AppCatalogEntry {
+    /// User-facing version string (drives the "Update available" badge text).
+    pub version: String,
+    /// Primary single-container image reference (`registry/repo:tag`). For stack
+    /// apps this is the primary container's image (the one whose version the
+    /// badge tracks — e.g. the IndeeHub frontend).
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub image: Option<String>,
+    /// Stack apps only: container_name -> image reference. Components omitted here
+    /// fall back to the `image-versions.sh` pin during an update.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub images: Option<HashMap<String, String>>,
+    /// DHT-plan forward-compat: content address of the primary image (unused now).
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub digest: Option<String>,
+    /// DHT-plan forward-compat: size in bytes of the primary image (unused now).
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub size: Option<u64>,
+    /// Optional human-readable changelog lines for this version.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Vec::is_empty")]
+    pub changelog: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+/// Read-side cache file search order. Mirrors `image_versions.rs`: the running
+/// daemon's data dir first (via env for dev), then the canonical runtime path.
+fn cache_paths() -> Vec<PathBuf> {
+    let mut paths = Vec::new();
+    if let Ok(dir) = std::env::var("ARCHIPELAGO_DATA_DIR") {
+        paths.push(Path::new(&dir).join(APP_CATALOG_FILE));
+    }
+    paths.push(Path::new("/var/lib/archipelago").join(APP_CATALOG_FILE));
+    paths
+}
+
+fn find_cache_file() -> Option<(PathBuf, SystemTime)> {
+    for p in cache_paths() {
+        if let Ok(meta) = p.metadata() {
+            if let Ok(mtime) = meta.modified() {
+                return Some((p, mtime));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    None
+}
+
+/// Load and cache the on-node catalog. Returns an empty catalog when absent —
+/// callers then fall back to `image-versions.sh`.
+fn load_catalog() -> AppCatalog {
+    let (path, mtime) = match find_cache_file() {
+        Some(v) => v,
+        None => return AppCatalog::default(),
+    };
+
+    {
+        let cache = CACHE.lock().unwrap();
+        if let Some(ref entry) = *cache {
+            if entry.mtime == mtime {
+                return entry.catalog.clone();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    let content = match std::fs::read_to_string(&path) {
+        Ok(c) => c,
+        Err(e) => {
+            debug!("app-catalog: failed to read {}: {}", path.display(), e);
+            return AppCatalog::default();
+        }
+    };
+    let catalog: AppCatalog = match serde_json::from_str(&content) {
+        Ok(c) => c,
+        Err(e) => {
+            warn!("app-catalog: invalid JSON at {}: {}", path.display(), e);
+            return AppCatalog::default();
+        }
+    };
+
+    {
+        let mut cache = CACHE.lock().unwrap();
+        *cache = Some(CacheEntry {
+            mtime,
+            catalog: catalog.clone(),
+        });
+    }
+    catalog
+}
+
+fn entry_for(app_id: &str) -> Option<AppCatalogEntry> {
+    load_catalog().apps.get(app_id).cloned()
+}
+
+/// Primary image for an app per the remote catalog, if covered.
+pub fn catalog_primary_image(app_id: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    entry_for(app_id).and_then(|e| e.image)
+}
+
+/// Per-container stack image overrides from the catalog (container_name -> image).
+pub fn catalog_stack_images(app_id: &str) -> HashMap<String, String> {
+    entry_for(app_id).and_then(|e| e.images).unwrap_or_default()
+}
+
+/// Image override for the orchestrator's install/upgrade path. Returns the
+/// catalog's primary image for `app_id` ONLY when it refers to the same
+/// repository as the manifest's current image — a guard so a catalog typo can
+/// never redirect an app to an unrelated image. `None` means "use the manifest
+/// image as-is" (catalog absent, app uncovered, or repo mismatch).
+pub fn catalog_image_override(app_id: &str, manifest_image: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    let candidate = catalog_primary_image(app_id)?;
+    let same_repo = crate::container::image_versions::image_without_registry_or_tag(&candidate)
+        == crate::container::image_versions::image_without_registry_or_tag(manifest_image);
+    if same_repo {
+        Some(candidate)
+    } else {
+        warn!(
+            "app-catalog: ignoring image for {} — repo mismatch (catalog={}, manifest={})",
+            app_id, candidate, manifest_image
+        );
+        None
+    }
+}
+
+/// Decoupled "available update" check for ALL apps.
+///
+/// Prefers the remote catalog; when the catalog covers the app, its verdict is
+/// authoritative (so we never advertise a stale `image-versions.sh` pin over a
+/// newer catalog, nor vice-versa). Falls back to the deployed pin only when the
+/// catalog is missing or doesn't cover the app.
+pub fn available_update_for_app(app_id: &str, running_image: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    if let Some(catalog_image) = catalog_primary_image(app_id) {
+        // Catalog covers this app with a concrete image -> authoritative.
+        return crate::container::image_versions::available_update_for_images(
+            &catalog_image,
+            running_image,
+        );
+    }
+    // Not covered by the catalog -> baseline pin from image-versions.sh.
+    crate::container::image_versions::available_update_for_app(app_id, running_image)
+}
+
+/// Derive candidate catalog URLs from the OTA mirror list by swapping the
+/// manifest filename for the catalog filename. Falls back to the default
+/// manifest origin when no mirrors are configured.
+fn catalog_urls_from_mirrors(mirrors: &[crate::update::UpdateMirror]) -> Vec<String> {
+    let mut urls: Vec<String> = mirrors
+        .iter()
+        .filter_map(|m| {
+            // mirror.url ends with ".../releases/manifest.json"
+            if m.url.ends_with("manifest.json") {
+                Some(m.url.replace("manifest.json", APP_CATALOG_FILE))
+            } else {
+                None
+            }
+        })
+        .collect();
+    urls.dedup();
+    urls
+}
+
+/// Fetch the catalog from the first reachable mirror and atomically write it to
+/// `<data_dir>/app-catalog.json`. Returns the number of apps in the catalog on
+/// success. Best-effort: a fetch failure leaves the existing cache untouched
+/// (origin-always-wins; updates simply aren't refreshed this cycle).
+pub async fn refresh_catalog(data_dir: &Path) -> anyhow::Result<usize> {
+    let mirrors = crate::update::load_mirrors(data_dir)
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or_default();
+    let urls = catalog_urls_from_mirrors(&mirrors);
+    if urls.is_empty() {
+        debug!("app-catalog: no mirror-derived URLs to fetch from");
+        return Ok(0);
+    }
+
+    let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
+        .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(20))
+        .build()?;
+
+    let mut last_err: Option<anyhow::Error> = None;
+    for url in &urls {
+        match fetch_one(&client, url).await {
+            Ok(catalog) => {
+                let count = catalog.apps.len();
+                write_cache(data_dir, &catalog)?;
+                // Invalidate the in-process cache so the next read re-parses.
+                *CACHE.lock().unwrap() = None;
+                info!("app-catalog: refreshed from {} ({} apps)", url, count);
+                return Ok(count);
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                debug!("app-catalog: fetch {} failed: {}", url, e);
+                last_err = Some(e);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Err(last_err.unwrap_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("no catalog mirrors reachable")))
+}
+
+async fn fetch_one(client: &reqwest::Client, url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<AppCatalog> {
+    let resp = client.get(url).send().await?;
+    if !resp.status().is_success() {
+        anyhow::bail!("HTTP {}", resp.status());
+    }
+    let body = resp.text().await?;
+    let catalog: AppCatalog = serde_json::from_str(&body)?;
+    // NOTE (DHT Phase 0): when `catalog.signature` is present, verify it against
+    // the seed-derived release-root pubkey here before accepting. Until signing
+    // ships we accept unsigned catalogs (same trust level as today's manifest).
+    Ok(catalog)
+}
+
+fn write_cache(data_dir: &Path, catalog: &AppCatalog) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let dest = data_dir.join(APP_CATALOG_FILE);
+    let tmp = data_dir.join(format!("{}.tmp", APP_CATALOG_FILE));
+    let json = serde_json::to_string_pretty(catalog)?;
+    std::fs::write(&tmp, json)?;
+    std::fs::rename(&tmp, &dest)?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parses_and_ignores_unknown_fields() {
+        let json = r#"{
+            "schema": 1,
+            "updated": "2026-06-16",
+            "future_field": "ignored",
+            "signature": "sig123",
+            "signed_by": "did:key:zABC",
+            "apps": {
+                "indeedhub": {
+                    "version": "1.0.1",
+                    "image": "146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/indeedhub:1.0.1",
+                    "digest": "blake3:deadbeef",
+                    "size": 12345,
+                    "another_future_field": true
+                }
+            }
+        }"#;
+        let cat: AppCatalog = serde_json::from_str(json).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(cat.schema, 1);
+        assert_eq!(cat.signature.as_deref(), Some("sig123"));
+        let e = cat.apps.get("indeedhub").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(e.version, "1.0.1");
+        assert_eq!(
+            e.image.as_deref(),
+            Some("146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/indeedhub:1.0.1")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(e.digest.as_deref(), Some("blake3:deadbeef"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn empty_catalog_when_absent_is_default() {
+        let cat = AppCatalog::default();
+        assert!(cat.apps.is_empty());
+        assert!(cat.signature.is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn catalog_url_derived_from_mirror() {
+        let mirrors = vec![crate::update::UpdateMirror {
+            url: "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/raw/branch/main/releases/manifest.json"
+                .to_string(),
+            label: "Server 1".to_string(),
+        }];
+        let urls = catalog_urls_from_mirrors(&mirrors);
+        assert_eq!(
+            urls,
+            vec![
+                "http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/raw/branch/main/releases/app-catalog.json"
+                    .to_string()
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+}

core/archipelago/src/container/docker_packages.rs

@@ -172,8 +172,10 @@ impl DockerPackageScanner {
             // Extract actual version from container image tag
             let running_version = image_versions::extract_version_from_image(&container.image);
 
+            // Decoupled from the binary OTA: prefer the remote app catalog,
+            // falling back to the image-versions.sh pin when uncovered/offline.
             let available_update =
-                image_versions::available_update_for_app(&app_id, &container.image);
+                crate::container::app_catalog::available_update_for_app(&app_id, &container.image);
 
             let package = PackageDataEntry {
                 state: package_state.clone(),

core/archipelago/src/container/image_versions.rs

@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ pub fn available_update_for_app(app_id: &str, running_image: &str) -> Option<Str
     available_update_for_images(&pinned, running_image)
 }
 
-fn available_update_for_images(pinned: &str, running_image: &str) -> Option<String> {
+pub fn available_update_for_images(pinned: &str, running_image: &str) -> Option<String> {
     let pinned_version = extract_version_from_image(&pinned);
     if is_floating_tag(&pinned_version) {
         return None;
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ fn is_floating_tag(tag: &str) -> bool {
     matches!(tag, "latest" | "stable" | "release" | "main")
 }
 
-fn image_without_registry_or_tag(image: &str) -> &str {
+pub fn image_without_registry_or_tag(image: &str) -> &str {
     let without_tag = strip_tag(image);
     match without_tag.split_once('/') {
         Some((first, rest))

core/archipelago/src/container/lnd.rs

@@ -11,7 +11,16 @@ use crate::update::host_sudo;
 pub const DEFAULT_DATA_DIR: &str = "/var/lib/archipelago/lnd";
 pub const DEFAULT_CONF_PATH: &str = "/var/lib/archipelago/lnd/lnd.conf";
 const LND_REST_BASE_URL: &str = "https://127.0.0.1:18080";
-pub const WALLET_PASSWORD: &str = "hellohello";
+
+/// Per-node LND wallet password file (random, 0600). Replaces the old
+/// fleet-wide hardcoded constant: each node's wallet password is now unique,
+/// high-entropy, and recorded here so the unattended boot path can auto-unlock.
+const WALLET_PASSWORD_SECRET: &str = "/var/lib/archipelago/secrets/lnd-wallet-password";
+
+/// Legacy fleet-wide wallet password (builds that hardcoded it). Kept ONLY as an
+/// unlock fallback so wallets created by those builds still open; new wallets
+/// never use it, and the login-path migration rotates away from it.
+const LEGACY_WALLET_PASSWORD: &str = "hellohello";
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
 pub struct EnsurePaths {
@@ -79,15 +88,125 @@ pub async fn ensure_wallet_initialized() -> Result<()> {
         if file_exists_as_root(admin_macaroon).await && lnd_getinfo_ready(admin_macaroon).await {
             return Ok(());
         }
-        unlock_existing_wallet().await?;
-        wait_for_admin_macaroon(admin_macaroon).await?;
-        return Ok(());
+        match unlock_existing_wallet().await? {
+            true => {
+                wait_for_admin_macaroon(admin_macaroon).await?;
+                return Ok(());
+            }
+            false => {
+                // Every candidate password was actively rejected: this wallet was
+                // created with a password this node no longer has, so it can never
+                // auto-unlock unattended. Alpha nodes hold no real funds and a wallet
+                // locked with an unknown password is already inaccessible, so wipe +
+                // recreate it on the per-node secret to self-heal at boot.
+                recreate_wallet_destructively().await?;
+                wait_for_admin_macaroon(admin_macaroon).await?;
+                return Ok(());
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     init_wallet_via_rest().await?;
     wait_for_admin_macaroon(admin_macaroon).await
 }
 
+/// LND data subdirectories holding wallet + channel + graph state. Removing them
+/// returns LND to a NON_EXISTING wallet state. Funds-bearing data lives here too,
+/// so deletion is destructive — only done once the wallet is already unrecoverable.
+const LND_STATE_DIRS: &[&str] = &[
+    "/var/lib/archipelago/lnd/data/chain",
+    "/var/lib/archipelago/lnd/data/graph",
+];
+
+/// Podman container name for the core LND app (see `compute_container_name`:
+/// non-UI core apps keep their bare id). LND runs as a plain bridge-network
+/// container, not a Quadlet unit, so it is restarted via `podman`, not systemctl.
+const LND_CONTAINER: &str = "lnd";
+
+/// Archipelago data dir (default; not overridden in prod). Holds the
+/// `user-stopped.json` that gates health-monitor auto-restart.
+const ARCHY_DATA_DIR: &str = "/var/lib/archipelago";
+
+/// Destroy an unrecoverable LND wallet and recreate a fresh one keyed to the
+/// per-node secret. Suppresses health-monitor auto-restart for the wipe window,
+/// stops LND, deletes its wallet/chain/graph state as root, restarts it, waits
+/// for NON_EXISTING, then inits a fresh wallet. Destructive — only called when no
+/// candidate password can open the existing wallet.
+async fn recreate_wallet_destructively() -> Result<()> {
+    tracing::warn!(
+        "[lnd] wallet is locked with an unknown password and cannot auto-unlock; \
+         wiping and recreating it on the per-node secret (DESTRUCTIVE)"
+    );
+
+    // The health monitor restarts any container it sees stopped; mark LND
+    // user-stopped so it doesn't re-launch (and re-open the wallet) mid-wipe.
+    // Always cleared below so LND auto-recovers normally afterwards.
+    let data_dir = std::path::Path::new(ARCHY_DATA_DIR);
+    crate::crash_recovery::mark_user_stopped(data_dir, LND_CONTAINER).await;
+    let result = wipe_and_reinit_wallet().await;
+    crate::crash_recovery::clear_user_stopped(data_dir, LND_CONTAINER).await;
+    result
+}
+
+async fn wipe_and_reinit_wallet() -> Result<()> {
+    podman_user_scoped(&["stop", LND_CONTAINER])
+        .await
+        .context("stopping lnd before wallet wipe")?;
+
+    for dir in LND_STATE_DIRS {
+        let status = host_sudo(&["rm", "-rf", dir])
+            .await
+            .with_context(|| format!("removing {dir}"))?;
+        if !status.success() {
+            anyhow::bail!("removing {dir} exited with {status}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    podman_user_scoped(&["start", LND_CONTAINER])
+        .await
+        .context("restarting lnd after wallet wipe")?;
+
+    wait_for_wallet_state("NON_EXISTING").await?;
+    init_wallet_via_rest().await
+}
+
+/// Run `podman <args>` inside a transient `systemd-run --user --scope`, matching
+/// how the orchestrator/health-monitor manage rootless containers (keeps the
+/// container out of the archipelago service's cgroup).
+async fn podman_user_scoped(args: &[&str]) -> Result<()> {
+    let out = tokio::process::Command::new("systemd-run")
+        .args(["--user", "--scope", "--quiet", "--collect", "podman"])
+        .args(args)
+        .output()
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("systemd-run --user --scope podman {}", args.join(" ")))?;
+    if !out.status.success() {
+        anyhow::bail!(
+            "podman {} failed: {}",
+            args.join(" "),
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr).trim()
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Poll `/v1/state` until LND reports `target`, or time out after ~120s.
+async fn wait_for_wallet_state(target: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
+        .no_proxy()
+        .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(5))
+        .danger_accept_invalid_certs(true)
+        .build()
+        .context("building LND REST client")?;
+    for _ in 0..120 {
+        if wallet_state(&client).await.as_deref() == Some(target) {
+            return Ok(());
+        }
+        tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(1)).await;
+    }
+    anyhow::bail!("LND did not reach state {target} after wallet wipe")
+}
+
 async fn file_exists_as_root(path: &str) -> bool {
     if std::path::Path::new(path).exists() {
         return true;
@@ -121,11 +240,96 @@ async fn read_file_as_root(path: &str) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
     }
 }
 
-async fn unlock_existing_wallet() -> Result<()> {
+/// Read the per-node wallet password from the secrets file, if present.
+/// Never generates one — absence means "fall back to legacy / not set yet".
+async fn read_wallet_password() -> Option<String> {
+    let bytes = fs::read(WALLET_PASSWORD_SECRET).await.ok()?;
+    let pw = String::from_utf8_lossy(&bytes).trim().to_string();
+    (!pw.is_empty()).then_some(pw)
+}
+
+/// Return the per-node wallet password, generating and persisting a fresh
+/// 256-bit one (base64, 0600) if none exists. Use ONLY when creating a NEW
+/// wallet — calling it merely to unlock an existing wallet would record a
+/// password that doesn't match it.
+pub(crate) async fn ensure_wallet_password() -> Result<String> {
+    if let Some(pw) = read_wallet_password().await {
+        return Ok(pw);
+    }
+    use rand::RngCore;
+    let mut raw = [0u8; 32];
+    rand::rngs::OsRng.fill_bytes(&mut raw);
+    let pw = base64::engine::general_purpose::URL_SAFE_NO_PAD.encode(raw);
+    let path = std::path::Path::new(WALLET_PASSWORD_SECRET);
+    if let Some(dir) = path.parent() {
+        fs::create_dir_all(dir)
+            .await
+            .with_context(|| format!("creating {}", dir.display()))?;
+    }
+    fs::write(path, &pw)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("writing {WALLET_PASSWORD_SECRET}"))?;
+    use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+    let _ = fs::set_permissions(path, std::fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o600)).await;
+    Ok(pw)
+}
+
+/// Candidate passwords to try when unlocking an EXISTING wallet, in order: the
+/// per-node secret (current scheme) first, then the legacy constant so wallets
+/// created by older builds still open.
+async fn unlock_password_candidates() -> Vec<String> {
+    let mut v = Vec::new();
+    if let Some(pw) = read_wallet_password().await {
+        v.push(pw);
+    }
+    v.push(LEGACY_WALLET_PASSWORD.to_string());
+    v
+}
+
+/// Outcome of a single unlock attempt — lets the caller fail fast on a wrong
+/// password (no point retrying) vs keep waiting for LND to come up.
+enum UnlockAttempt {
+    Unlocked,
+    WrongPassword,
+    NotReady,
+}
+
+/// One unlock POST, no internal retry. Distinguishes "invalid passphrase"
+/// (WrongPassword — try the next candidate, don't retry) from transient
+/// not-ready / connection errors (NotReady — worth retrying).
+async fn try_unlock_once(client: &reqwest::Client, password: &str) -> UnlockAttempt {
+    let body = serde_json::json!({
+        "wallet_password": base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(password)
+    });
+    match client
+        .post(format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/unlockwallet"))
+        .json(&body)
+        .send()
+        .await
+    {
+        Ok(resp) => {
+            let status = resp.status();
+            let text = resp.text().await.unwrap_or_default();
+            if status.is_success() || text.contains("already unlocked") {
+                UnlockAttempt::Unlocked
+            } else if text.contains("invalid passphrase") {
+                UnlockAttempt::WrongPassword
+            } else {
+                UnlockAttempt::NotReady
+            }
+        }
+        Err(_) => UnlockAttempt::NotReady,
+    }
+}
+
+/// Unlock an existing wallet. Ok(true) = unlocked; Ok(false) = every candidate
+/// password was actively rejected (unrecoverable — caller should recreate);
+/// Err = transient (LND not ready / timeout — caller should retry, NOT wipe).
+async fn unlock_existing_wallet() -> Result<bool> {
     unlock_existing_wallet_via_rest().await
 }
 
-async fn unlock_existing_wallet_via_rest() -> Result<()> {
+async fn unlock_existing_wallet_via_rest() -> Result<bool> {
     let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
         .no_proxy()
         .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(20))
@@ -133,57 +337,130 @@ async fn unlock_existing_wallet_via_rest() -> Result<()> {
         .build()
         .context("building LND REST client")?;
 
-    let wallet_password = base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(WALLET_PASSWORD);
-    match post_lnd_unlocker_json::<serde_json::Value>(
-        &client,
-        "/v1/unlockwallet",
-        serde_json::json!({ "wallet_password": wallet_password }),
-    )
-    .await
-    .context("unlocking existing LND wallet")?
-    {
-        UnlockerResponse::Value(_) | UnlockerResponse::WalletAlreadyExists => Ok(()),
+    let candidates = unlock_password_candidates().await;
+    // Retry only while LND's unlocker isn't ready yet. If every candidate is
+    // *actively rejected* (invalid passphrase), retrying can't help — fail fast
+    // with a clear message instead of hanging the boot path for 60s+ (the wallet
+    // was created with a password this node doesn't have → migration/recovery).
+    for _ in 0..60 {
+        let mut all_rejected = true;
+        for pw in &candidates {
+            match try_unlock_once(&client, pw).await {
+                UnlockAttempt::Unlocked => return Ok(true),
+                UnlockAttempt::WrongPassword => {}
+                UnlockAttempt::NotReady => all_rejected = false,
+            }
+        }
+        if all_rejected {
+            tracing::warn!(
+                "[lnd] none of the {} candidate password(s) unlock the wallet — it was created \
+                 with a password this node does not have",
+                candidates.len()
+            );
+            return Ok(false);
+        }
+        tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(1)).await;
+    }
+    anyhow::bail!("LND wallet unlock timed out waiting for the unlocker to become ready")
+}
+
+/// Current LND wallet state via the unauthenticated `/v1/state` endpoint
+/// (NON_EXISTING / LOCKED / UNLOCKED / RPC_ACTIVE / …). None if unreachable.
+async fn wallet_state(client: &reqwest::Client) -> Option<String> {
+    let resp = client
+        .get(format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/state"))
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .ok()?;
+    let v: serde_json::Value = resp.json().await.ok()?;
+    v.get("state")
+        .and_then(|s| s.as_str())
+        .map(|s| s.to_string())
+}
+
+/// ChangePassword via WalletUnlocker (wallet must be LOCKED). Both passwords are
+/// base64-encoded. Ok(true) = current accepted and rotated; Ok(false) = current
+/// rejected (wrong password — try the next candidate); Err = transport/other.
+async fn change_wallet_password(
+    client: &reqwest::Client,
+    current: &str,
+    new: &str,
+) -> Result<bool> {
+    let body = serde_json::json!({
+        "current_password": base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(current),
+        "new_password": base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(new),
+    });
+    let resp = client
+        .post(format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/changepassword"))
+        .json(&body)
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .context("calling LND changepassword")?;
+    let status = resp.status();
+    let text = resp.text().await.unwrap_or_default();
+    if status.is_success() {
+        Ok(true)
+    } else if text.contains("invalid passphrase") {
+        Ok(false)
+    } else {
+        anyhow::bail!("LND changepassword returned {status}: {text}")
     }
 }
 
-#[allow(dead_code)]
-async fn unlock_existing_wallet_via_lncli() -> Result<()> {
-    let mut last_err = None;
-    for _ in 0..60 {
-        let mut cmd = tokio::process::Command::new("podman");
-        cmd.args(["exec", "-i", "lnd", "lncli", "unlock", "--stdin"]);
-        cmd.stdin(std::process::Stdio::piped());
-        cmd.stdout(std::process::Stdio::piped());
-        cmd.stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped());
+/// Best-effort migration of a LOCKED wallet onto the per-node secret. Called at
+/// login, when the onboarding password is available as a candidate. If the
+/// per-node secret already opens the wallet, just unlock. Otherwise try each
+/// candidate as the CURRENT password and ChangePassword it to a fresh per-node
+/// secret so all future boots auto-unlock. Ok(true) = healed/unlocked;
+/// Ok(false) = not locked, or no candidate worked (seed-recovery required).
+pub(crate) async fn migrate_locked_wallet(candidates: &[String]) -> Result<bool> {
+    let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
+        .no_proxy()
+        .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(20))
+        .danger_accept_invalid_certs(true)
+        .build()
+        .context("building LND REST client")?;
 
-        let mut child = cmd.spawn().context("spawning lncli wallet unlock")?;
-        if let Some(mut stdin) = child.stdin.take() {
-            use tokio::io::AsyncWriteExt;
-            stdin
-                .write_all(format!("{}\n", WALLET_PASSWORD).as_bytes())
-                .await
-                .context("writing lncli password")?;
-        }
-        let out = child
-            .wait_with_output()
-            .await
-            .context("waiting for lncli")?;
-        if out.status.success() {
-            return Ok(());
-        }
-        let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
-        let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
-        let msg = format!("{stderr}{stdout}");
-        if msg.contains("wallet already unlocked") || msg.contains("already unlocked") {
-            return Ok(());
-        }
-        last_err = Some(msg);
-        tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(1)).await;
+    // Only act on a wallet that is actually LOCKED.
+    if wallet_state(&client).await.as_deref() != Some("LOCKED") {
+        return Ok(false);
     }
-    anyhow::bail!(
-        "lncli wallet unlock failed: {}",
-        last_err.unwrap_or_else(|| "unknown error".to_string())
-    )
+
+    // If the per-node secret already opens it, nothing to rotate — just unlock.
+    if let Some(secret) = read_wallet_password().await {
+        if matches!(
+            try_unlock_once(&client, &secret).await,
+            UnlockAttempt::Unlocked
+        ) {
+            return Ok(true);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // The wallet's new password becomes the per-node secret (generate if absent).
+    let new_secret = ensure_wallet_password().await?;
+
+    // ChangePassword requires LOCKED; bail out if a prior step already unlocked.
+    if wallet_state(&client).await.as_deref() != Some("LOCKED") {
+        return Ok(true);
+    }
+
+    for cand in candidates {
+        if cand.is_empty() || *cand == new_secret {
+            continue;
+        }
+        match change_wallet_password(&client, cand, &new_secret).await {
+            Ok(true) => {
+                tracing::info!("[lnd-migrate] rotated locked wallet onto the per-node secret");
+                return Ok(true);
+            }
+            Ok(false) => continue, // wrong current password — try next candidate
+            Err(e) => tracing::debug!("[lnd-migrate] changepassword error: {e}"),
+        }
+    }
+    tracing::warn!(
+        "[lnd-migrate] no candidate password opened the wallet — seed-recovery required"
+    );
+    Ok(false)
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
@@ -225,7 +502,8 @@ async fn init_wallet_via_rest() -> Result<()> {
         anyhow::bail!("LND genseed returned no seed words");
     }
 
-    let wallet_password = base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(WALLET_PASSWORD);
+    let wallet_password =
+        base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(ensure_wallet_password().await?);
     let req = InitWalletRequest {
         wallet_password,
         cipher_seed_mnemonic: seed.cipher_seed_mnemonic,
@@ -239,7 +517,9 @@ async fn init_wallet_via_rest() -> Result<()> {
     .context("initializing LND wallet")?
     {
         UnlockerResponse::Value(_) => {}
-        UnlockerResponse::WalletAlreadyExists => unlock_existing_wallet().await?,
+        UnlockerResponse::WalletAlreadyExists => {
+            unlock_existing_wallet().await?;
+        }
     }
 
     Ok(())
@@ -450,7 +730,16 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn wallet_password_is_valid_for_lncli() {
-        assert!(WALLET_PASSWORD.len() > 8);
+    fn legacy_wallet_password_is_valid_for_lncli() {
+        // Legacy fallback must still be a valid lncli passphrase (>8 chars).
+        assert!(LEGACY_WALLET_PASSWORD.len() > 8);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn unlock_candidates_always_include_legacy_fallback() {
+        // With no per-node secret on disk in the test env, candidates fall back
+        // to the legacy constant so old wallets still open.
+        let cands = unlock_password_candidates().await;
+        assert!(cands.iter().any(|p| p == LEGACY_WALLET_PASSWORD));
     }
 }

core/archipelago/src/container/mod.rs

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+pub mod app_catalog;
 pub mod bitcoin_ui;
 pub mod boot_reconciler;
 pub mod companion;

core/archipelago/src/container/prod_orchestrator.rs

@@ -772,6 +772,8 @@ pub struct ProdContainerOrchestrator {
     use_quadlet_backends: bool,
     #[cfg(test)]
     test_disk_gb: Option<u64>,
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    test_bitcoin_host: Option<String>,
 }
 
 struct FileSecretsProvider {
@@ -832,6 +834,8 @@ impl ProdContainerOrchestrator {
             use_quadlet_backends: config.use_quadlet_backends,
             #[cfg(test)]
             test_disk_gb: None,
+            #[cfg(test)]
+            test_bitcoin_host: None,
         })
     }
 
@@ -850,6 +854,7 @@ impl ProdContainerOrchestrator {
             secrets_dir: PathBuf::from("/var/lib/archipelago/secrets"),
             use_quadlet_backends: false,
             test_disk_gb: None,
+            test_bitcoin_host: None,
         }
     }
 
@@ -1380,7 +1385,29 @@ impl ProdContainerOrchestrator {
         let mut resolved_manifest = lm.manifest.clone();
         self.resolve_dynamic_env(&mut resolved_manifest)?;
 
-        let resolved = lm.manifest.app.container.resolve().ok_or_else(|| {
+        // Decouple the app image from the shipped manifest: prefer the remote
+        // app catalog when it covers this app with a same-repo image. This makes
+        // both the pull below and create_container() below use the catalog tag,
+        // so an app update no longer requires a binary/runtime release. Falls
+        // back to the manifest image when the catalog is absent/uncovered.
+        if let Some(current) = resolved_manifest.app.container.image.clone() {
+            if let Some(catalog_image) = crate::container::app_catalog::catalog_image_override(
+                &resolved_manifest.app.id,
+                &current,
+            ) {
+                if catalog_image != current {
+                    tracing::info!(
+                        app_id = %resolved_manifest.app.id,
+                        from = %current,
+                        to = %catalog_image,
+                        "app-catalog: overriding manifest image"
+                    );
+                    resolved_manifest.app.container.image = Some(catalog_image);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        let resolved = resolved_manifest.app.container.resolve().ok_or_else(|| {
             anyhow::anyhow!(
                 "manifest for {} has invalid container source (neither image nor build)",
                 lm.manifest.app.id
@@ -2314,9 +2341,45 @@ impl ProdContainerOrchestrator {
             host_ip,
             host_mdns,
             disk_gb,
+            // Cheap default; resolve_dynamic_env fills the real node name on
+            // demand (it costs a podman call) only for manifests that use
+            // {{BITCOIN_HOST}}, rather than every app on every reconcile.
+            bitcoin_host: "bitcoin-knots".to_string(),
         }
     }
 
+    /// Container name of the running Bitcoin node (`bitcoin-knots` or
+    /// `bitcoin-core`) for the `{{BITCOIN_HOST}}` derived-env placeholder.
+    /// Synchronous `podman ps` to match the surrounding host-fact detection;
+    /// defaults to `bitcoin-knots` when none is running (B12).
+    fn bitcoin_host(&self) -> String {
+        #[cfg(test)]
+        if let Some(host) = &self.test_bitcoin_host {
+            return host.clone();
+        }
+        // Mirrors api::rpc::package::dependencies (the legacy install path);
+        // both Bitcoin node variants are reachable on archy-net by name.
+        const BITCOIN_NAMES: &[&str] = &["bitcoin-knots", "bitcoin-core", "bitcoin"];
+        let names = Command::new("podman")
+            .args(["ps", "--format", "{{.Names}}"])
+            .output()
+            .ok()
+            .filter(|o| o.status.success())
+            .map(|o| String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout).into_owned())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        names
+            .lines()
+            .map(|l| l.trim())
+            .find(|name| BITCOIN_NAMES.contains(name))
+            .map(|name| name.to_string())
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| "bitcoin-knots".to_string())
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    pub fn set_bitcoin_host_for_test(&mut self, host: &str) {
+        self.test_bitcoin_host = Some(host.to_string());
+    }
+
     fn detect_host_ip() -> Option<String> {
         let output = Command::new("hostname").arg("-I").output().ok()?;
         if !output.status.success() {
@@ -2400,7 +2463,18 @@ impl ProdContainerOrchestrator {
     }
 
     fn resolve_dynamic_env(&self, manifest: &mut AppManifest) -> Result<()> {
-        let facts = self.detect_host_facts();
+        let mut facts = self.detect_host_facts();
+        // Only pay the podman cost to detect Knots-vs-Core when this manifest
+        // actually templates the Bitcoin node into its env (mempool — B12).
+        if manifest
+            .app
+            .container
+            .derived_env
+            .iter()
+            .any(|e| e.template.contains("{{BITCOIN_HOST}}"))
+        {
+            facts.bitcoin_host = self.bitcoin_host();
+        }
         let mut env = manifest.app.environment.clone();
         env.extend(manifest.app.container.resolve_derived_env(&facts));
 
@@ -3489,6 +3563,35 @@ app:
         assert!(!calls.iter().any(|c| c.starts_with("build_image:")));
     }
 
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn mempool_core_rpc_host_follows_bitcoin_node() {
+        // B12: mempool's CORE_RPC_HOST must resolve to whichever Bitcoin node
+        // container is running (Knots OR Core), not a hardcoded value.
+        let yaml = "app:\n  id: mempool-api\n  name: mempool-api\n  version: 1.0.0\n  container:\n    image: x:1\n    derived_env:\n      - key: CORE_RPC_HOST\n        template: \"{{BITCOIN_HOST}}\"\n";
+
+        for (node, expected) in [
+            ("bitcoin-core", "bitcoin-core"),
+            ("bitcoin-knots", "bitcoin-knots"),
+        ] {
+            let rt = Arc::new(MockRuntime::default());
+            let mut orch = orch_with(rt).await;
+            orch.set_bitcoin_host_for_test(node);
+
+            let mut manifest = AppManifest::parse(yaml).unwrap();
+            orch.resolve_dynamic_env(&mut manifest).unwrap();
+
+            assert!(
+                manifest
+                    .app
+                    .environment
+                    .iter()
+                    .any(|e| e == &format!("CORE_RPC_HOST={expected}")),
+                "node={node}: expected CORE_RPC_HOST={expected}, got {:?}",
+                manifest.app.environment
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn install_fresh_build_when_image_absent() {
         let rt = Arc::new(MockRuntime::default());

core/archipelago/src/federation/mod.rs

@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ mod types;
 pub use invites::{accept_invite, create_invite};
 #[allow(unused_imports)]
 pub use storage::{
-    add_node, fips_npub_for_onion, load_nodes, record_peer_transport, remove_node, save_nodes,
-    set_trust_level, update_node,
+    add_node, fips_npub_for_onion, load_nodes, load_removed_dids, record_peer_transport,
+    remove_node, save_nodes, set_trust_level, update_node,
 };
 pub use sync::{build_local_state, deploy_to_peer, sync_with_peer, sync_with_peer_by_did};
 pub use types::{AppStatus, FederatedNode, NodeStateSnapshot, TrustLevel};

core/archipelago/src/federation/storage.rs

@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ use super::types::{FederatedNode, FederationInvite, NodeStateSnapshot, TrustLeve
 pub(crate) const FEDERATION_DIR: &str = "federation";
 pub(crate) const NODES_FILE: &str = "nodes.json";
 pub(crate) const INVITES_FILE: &str = "invites.json";
+/// Tombstones: DIDs the operator explicitly removed. Kept so transitive
+/// federation discovery can't silently re-add a peer they deleted.
+pub(crate) const REMOVED_FILE: &str = "removed-nodes.json";
 
 /// Top-level file structures.
 #[derive(Debug, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
@@ -17,6 +20,17 @@ pub(crate) struct NodesFile {
     pub(crate) nodes: Vec<FederatedNode>,
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub(crate) struct RemovedFile {
+    pub(crate) removed: Vec<RemovedNode>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub(crate) struct RemovedNode {
+    pub(crate) did: String,
+    pub(crate) removed_at: String,
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub(crate) struct InvitesFile {
     pub(crate) outgoing: Vec<FederationInvite>,
@@ -44,7 +58,43 @@ pub async fn load_nodes(data_dir: &Path) -> Result<Vec<FederatedNode>> {
         .await
         .context("Failed to read federation nodes")?;
     let file: NodesFile = serde_json::from_str(&content).unwrap_or_default();
-    Ok(file.nodes)
+    Ok(dedup_nodes_by_onion(file.nodes))
+}
+
+/// Collapse entries that share an onion. An onion is a node's stable, unique
+/// network identity, so two entries with the same onion are the SAME physical
+/// node lingering under two dids (e.g. after a did/key change). Returning both
+/// duplicates the node in the trusted-node list (B1) and the chat list (B2).
+/// Keep the first occurrence and merge any missing fips_npub/name/last_state
+/// from the duplicates into it, then drop them. Non-destructive to disk; the
+/// deduped list persists the next time nodes are saved (add/sync).
+fn dedup_nodes_by_onion(nodes: Vec<FederatedNode>) -> Vec<FederatedNode> {
+    use std::collections::HashMap;
+    let mut by_onion: HashMap<String, usize> = HashMap::new();
+    let mut out: Vec<FederatedNode> = Vec::with_capacity(nodes.len());
+    for node in nodes {
+        let key = node.onion.trim_end_matches(".onion").to_string();
+        if key.is_empty() {
+            out.push(node);
+            continue;
+        }
+        if let Some(&idx) = by_onion.get(&key) {
+            let kept = &mut out[idx];
+            if kept.fips_npub.is_none() {
+                kept.fips_npub = node.fips_npub;
+            }
+            if kept.name.is_none() {
+                kept.name = node.name;
+            }
+            if kept.last_state.is_none() {
+                kept.last_state = node.last_state;
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
+        by_onion.insert(key, out.len());
+        out.push(node);
+    }
+    out
 }
 
 /// Look up a federated peer's FIPS npub given their onion address.
@@ -114,6 +164,9 @@ pub async fn add_node(data_dir: &Path, node: FederatedNode) -> Result<Vec<Federa
     if exists {
         anyhow::bail!("Node with DID {} is already federated", node.did);
     }
+    // Explicitly (re-)adding a node clears any prior tombstone so the
+    // operator can intentionally bring back a previously removed peer.
+    let _ = untombstone_did(data_dir, &node.did).await;
     nodes.push(node);
     save_nodes(data_dir, &nodes).await?;
     Ok(nodes)
@@ -127,9 +180,70 @@ pub async fn remove_node(data_dir: &Path, did: &str) -> Result<Vec<FederatedNode
         anyhow::bail!("No federated node with DID {}", did);
     }
     save_nodes(data_dir, &nodes).await?;
+    // Tombstone the DID so transitive federation discovery (a still-federated
+    // peer advertising this DID as one of *its* trusted peers) can't silently
+    // re-add it. Best-effort: a failed tombstone write must not fail the
+    // remove the operator asked for.
+    let _ = tombstone_did(data_dir, did).await;
     Ok(nodes)
 }
 
+/// Load the set of tombstoned (operator-removed) DIDs.
+pub async fn load_removed_dids(data_dir: &Path) -> Result<std::collections::HashSet<String>> {
+    let path = data_dir.join(FEDERATION_DIR).join(REMOVED_FILE);
+    if !path.exists() {
+        return Ok(std::collections::HashSet::new());
+    }
+    let content = fs::read_to_string(&path)
+        .await
+        .context("Failed to read removed nodes")?;
+    let file: RemovedFile = serde_json::from_str(&content).unwrap_or_default();
+    Ok(file.removed.into_iter().map(|r| r.did).collect())
+}
+
+/// Record a DID as removed. Idempotent.
+pub async fn tombstone_did(data_dir: &Path, did: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    let dir = ensure_dir(data_dir).await?;
+    let path = dir.join(REMOVED_FILE);
+    let mut file: RemovedFile = if path.exists() {
+        serde_json::from_str(&fs::read_to_string(&path).await.unwrap_or_default())
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+    } else {
+        RemovedFile::default()
+    };
+    if !file.removed.iter().any(|r| r.did == did) {
+        file.removed.push(RemovedNode {
+            did: did.to_string(),
+            removed_at: chrono::Utc::now().to_rfc3339(),
+        });
+        let content = serde_json::to_string_pretty(&file).context("serialize removed nodes")?;
+        fs::write(&path, content)
+            .await
+            .context("Failed to write removed nodes")?;
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Clear a DID's tombstone (operator explicitly re-added it).
+pub async fn untombstone_did(data_dir: &Path, did: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    let path = data_dir.join(FEDERATION_DIR).join(REMOVED_FILE);
+    if !path.exists() {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+    let mut file: RemovedFile =
+        serde_json::from_str(&fs::read_to_string(&path).await.unwrap_or_default())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+    let before = file.removed.len();
+    file.removed.retain(|r| r.did != did);
+    if file.removed.len() != before {
+        let content = serde_json::to_string_pretty(&file).context("serialize removed nodes")?;
+        fs::write(&path, content)
+            .await
+            .context("Failed to write removed nodes")?;
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 pub async fn set_trust_level(
     data_dir: &Path,
     did: &str,
@@ -236,6 +350,44 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_dedup_nodes_by_onion_collapses_same_onion() {
+        // Two entries share an onion (same physical node under two dids) — must
+        // collapse to one, keeping the first did and merging fips_npub/name (B1/B2).
+        let mut dup = make_node("did:key:zDUP", "shared.onion");
+        dup.fips_npub = Some("npub1merged".to_string());
+        dup.name = Some("Sapien".to_string());
+        let nodes = vec![
+            make_node("did:key:zKEEP", "shared.onion"),
+            dup,
+            make_node("did:key:zOTHER", "other.onion"),
+        ];
+        let out = dedup_nodes_by_onion(nodes);
+        assert_eq!(out.len(), 2, "two distinct onions remain");
+        let kept = out.iter().find(|n| n.onion == "shared.onion").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(kept.did, "did:key:zKEEP", "keeps first did for the onion");
+        assert_eq!(
+            kept.fips_npub.as_deref(),
+            Some("npub1merged"),
+            "merges fips_npub from the dropped duplicate"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            kept.name.as_deref(),
+            Some("Sapien"),
+            "merges name from the dup"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_dedup_onion_suffix_insensitive() {
+        // The ".onion" suffix must not affect the match.
+        let nodes = vec![
+            make_node("did:key:z1", "abc"),
+            make_node("did:key:z2", "abc.onion"),
+        ];
+        assert_eq!(dedup_nodes_by_onion(nodes).len(), 1);
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn test_load_nodes_empty_when_no_file() {
         let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
@@ -287,6 +439,36 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(result.is_err());
     }
 
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_remove_tombstones_and_readd_clears_it() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        add_node(dir.path(), make_node("did:key:z1", "a.onion"))
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        // No tombstones yet.
+        assert!(load_removed_dids(dir.path()).await.unwrap().is_empty());
+
+        // Removing tombstones the DID so transitive discovery won't re-add it.
+        remove_node(dir.path(), "did:key:z1").await.unwrap();
+        let removed = load_removed_dids(dir.path()).await.unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            removed.contains("did:key:z1"),
+            "removed DID must be tombstoned"
+        );
+
+        // Explicitly re-adding clears the tombstone (intentional re-federate).
+        add_node(dir.path(), make_node("did:key:z1", "a.onion"))
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            !load_removed_dids(dir.path())
+                .await
+                .unwrap()
+                .contains("did:key:z1"),
+            "explicit re-add must clear the tombstone"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn test_set_trust_level() {
         let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();

core/archipelago/src/federation/sync.rs

@@ -118,6 +118,12 @@ async fn merge_transitive_peers(
         return Ok(());
     }
     let mut nodes = super::storage::load_nodes(data_dir).await?;
+    // Tombstoned DIDs: peers the operator explicitly removed. Never re-add
+    // them via transitive discovery, or deleted (e.g. stale test) nodes
+    // reappear on the next sync with any peer that still lists them.
+    let removed = super::storage::load_removed_dids(data_dir)
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or_default();
     let mut added = 0u32;
     let mut refreshed = 0u32;
 
@@ -127,6 +133,10 @@ async fn merge_transitive_peers(
         if hint.did == source_did || hint.did == local_did {
             continue;
         }
+        // Skip anything the operator deliberately removed.
+        if removed.contains(&hint.did) {
+            continue;
+        }
         if let Some(existing) = nodes.iter_mut().find(|n| n.did == hint.did) {
             // Already known — just refresh fips_npub if we didn't have one.
             if existing.fips_npub.is_none() && hint.fips_npub.is_some() {
@@ -135,6 +145,27 @@ async fn merge_transitive_peers(
             }
             continue;
         }
+        // Same physical node advertised under a DIFFERENT did? Match on the
+        // onion (its stable network identity). Without this, a node that
+        // appears under two dids (e.g. after a key/did change) gets added
+        // twice — showing up duplicated in the trusted-node list (B1) and as
+        // two separate mesh chat contacts (B2). Merge into the existing entry.
+        let hint_onion = hint.onion.trim_end_matches(".onion");
+        if !hint_onion.is_empty() {
+            if let Some(existing) = nodes
+                .iter_mut()
+                .find(|n| n.onion.trim_end_matches(".onion") == hint_onion)
+            {
+                if existing.fips_npub.is_none() && hint.fips_npub.is_some() {
+                    existing.fips_npub = hint.fips_npub.clone();
+                }
+                if existing.name.is_none() && hint.name.is_some() {
+                    existing.name = hint.name.clone();
+                }
+                refreshed += 1;
+                continue;
+            }
+        }
         nodes.push(FederatedNode {
             did: hint.did.clone(),
             pubkey: hint.pubkey.clone(),

core/archipelago/src/fips/anchors.rs

@@ -28,12 +28,38 @@ use tokio::process::Command;
 /// On-disk filename under `data_dir/`.
 const SEED_ANCHORS_FILE: &str = "seed-anchors.json";
 
-/// Public anchor (`fips.v0l.io`) carried as a default seed for fresh
-/// installs — the one the upstream daemon dials anyway. Operators can
-/// remove it from the UI once their own cluster has independent anchors.
+/// Public anchor (`fips.v0l.io`) carried as a default seed for every
+/// node — it bootstraps DHT routing so a fresh node isn't isolated.
+/// Operators can remove it from the UI once their own cluster has
+/// independent anchors (removal persists, see `load`/`remove`).
+///
+/// IMPORTANT transport details, learned the hard way (see git history /
+/// the 2026-06-15 debugging on .116):
+///   - The anchor answers ONLY on **TCP port 8443**. UDP 8668 is dead
+///     (host pings on both IP families but never completes a UDP FIPS
+///     handshake). `fips/config.rs` always knew this; the old default
+///     here (`fips.v0l.io:8668`/udp) silently never connected fleet-wide.
+///   - We use the **IPv4 literal** rather than the `fips.v0l.io` hostname
+///     on purpose: the hostname resolves IPv6-first, but the daemon binds
+///     its transports IPv4-only (`0.0.0.0:8443`), so a v6 target makes the
+///     daemon fail to send the handshake with `EAFNOSUPPORT (os error 97)`.
+///     An IPv4 literal sidesteps the resolver entirely.
 pub const DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ANCHOR_NPUB: &str =
     "npub1zv58cn7v83mxvttl70w5fwjwuclfmntv9cnmv5wmz2nzz88u5urqvdx96n";
-pub const DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ANCHOR_ADDR: &str = "fips.v0l.io:8668";
+pub const DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ANCHOR_ADDR: &str = "185.18.221.160:8443";
+pub const DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ANCHOR_TRANSPORT: &str = "tcp";
+
+/// The default public anchor as a ready-to-apply `SeedAnchor`. Carried
+/// implicitly by `load()` on nodes that have never edited their anchor
+/// list, so every node dials it without operator action.
+pub fn default_public_anchor() -> SeedAnchor {
+    SeedAnchor {
+        npub: DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ANCHOR_NPUB.to_string(),
+        address: DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ANCHOR_ADDR.to_string(),
+        transport: DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ANCHOR_TRANSPORT.to_string(),
+        label: "Public anchor (fips.v0l.io)".to_string(),
+    }
+}
 
 /// One seed-anchor entry. `address` must be directly dialable (IP or
 /// resolvable hostname + UDP port); `transport` is one of "udp", "tcp",
@@ -60,12 +86,15 @@ fn anchors_path(data_dir: &Path) -> PathBuf {
     data_dir.join(SEED_ANCHORS_FILE)
 }
 
-/// Load the seed-anchor list. Returns an empty list if the file
-/// doesn't exist yet — a first-boot node with no operator config.
+/// Load the seed-anchor list. A node that has never edited its anchor
+/// list (no file yet) gets the default public anchor so it can bootstrap
+/// the mesh out of the box. Once the operator edits anchors — including
+/// removing the default — a file exists and is authoritative, so removal
+/// persists and we never silently re-add it.
 pub async fn load(data_dir: &Path) -> Result<Vec<SeedAnchor>> {
     let path = anchors_path(data_dir);
     if !path.exists() {
-        return Ok(Vec::new());
+        return Ok(vec![default_public_anchor()]);
     }
     let bytes = tokio::fs::read(&path)
         .await
@@ -121,11 +150,27 @@ pub async fn remove(data_dir: &Path, npub: &str) -> Result<Vec<SeedAnchor>> {
 /// `fipsctl connect` is idempotent-ish: calling it for an already-
 /// connected peer is a no-op at the protocol layer, so re-applying on
 /// a timer is safe. Returns a list of per-anchor results for logging.
+///
+/// Invoked through `sudo -n`: the upstream daemon's control socket
+/// (`/run/fips/control.sock`) is owned `root:fips` 0660, and the
+/// archipelago service user is not in the `fips` group, so a bare
+/// `fipsctl connect` fails with EACCES. This matches the privileged
+/// `sudo -n fipsctl show peers` call in `service::peer_connectivity_summary`.
+/// Without it, seed anchors persist to disk but never actually dial,
+/// leaving `anchor_connected=false` and every peer dial falling back to
+/// a slow Tor timeout.
 pub async fn apply(anchors: &[SeedAnchor]) -> Vec<ApplyResult> {
     let mut results = Vec::with_capacity(anchors.len());
     for anchor in anchors {
-        let out = Command::new("fipsctl")
-            .args(["connect", &anchor.npub, &anchor.address, &anchor.transport])
+        let out = Command::new("sudo")
+            .args([
+                "-n",
+                "fipsctl",
+                "connect",
+                &anchor.npub,
+                &anchor.address,
+                &anchor.transport,
+            ])
             .output()
             .await;
         let result = match out {
@@ -138,7 +183,7 @@ pub async fn apply(anchors: &[SeedAnchor]) -> Vec<ApplyResult> {
                 npub: anchor.npub.clone(),
                 ok: false,
                 message: format!(
-                    "fipsctl exited {}: {}",
+                    "sudo fipsctl connect exited {}: {}",
                     o.status,
                     String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stderr).trim()
                 ),
@@ -146,7 +191,7 @@ pub async fn apply(anchors: &[SeedAnchor]) -> Vec<ApplyResult> {
             Err(e) => ApplyResult {
                 npub: anchor.npub.clone(),
                 ok: false,
-                message: format!("fipsctl launch failed: {}", e),
+                message: format!("sudo fipsctl launch failed: {}", e),
             },
         };
         if result.ok {
@@ -185,10 +230,28 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[tokio::test]
-    async fn load_missing_returns_empty() {
+    async fn load_missing_seeds_default_public_anchor() {
+        // A node that has never edited its anchor list should still get
+        // the public anchor so it can bootstrap the mesh out of the box.
         let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
         let got = load(dir.path()).await.unwrap();
-        assert!(got.is_empty());
+        assert_eq!(got, vec![default_public_anchor()]);
+        // ...and the default must be the TCP/8443 form, not the dead udp:8668.
+        assert_eq!(got[0].transport, "tcp");
+        assert!(got[0].address.ends_with(":8443"));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn removing_default_persists_as_empty() {
+        // Once the operator removes the default, a file exists and is
+        // authoritative — we must not silently re-seed it on next load.
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let list = remove(dir.path(), DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ANCHOR_NPUB)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(list.is_empty());
+        let got = load(dir.path()).await.unwrap();
+        assert!(got.is_empty(), "default must stay removed once edited");
     }
 
     #[tokio::test]

core/archipelago/src/fips/dial.rs

@@ -34,6 +34,17 @@ use tokio::net::UdpSocket;
 /// path filter can restrict the exposed surface.
 pub const PEER_PORT: u16 = 5679;
 
+/// Whether a FIPS-side HTTP status should trigger a fall-back to Tor in
+/// `Auto` mode. A `404` over FIPS often means the peer's mesh listener
+/// doesn't expose that path (e.g. a peer on an older build with a stricter
+/// `is_peer_allowed_path`), and `5xx` is a server-side error — both are
+/// worth retrying over Tor, which reaches a different (less-filtered) route.
+/// Success, redirects, and other 4xx (auth / bad request) are authoritative
+/// and are returned as-is so we neither mask real errors nor double latency.
+fn fips_should_fall_back(status: reqwest::StatusCode) -> bool {
+    status == reqwest::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND || status.is_server_error()
+}
+
 /// DNS suffix appended to a peer's bech32 npub.
 pub const FIPS_DNS_SUFFIX: &str = "fips";
 
@@ -82,17 +93,61 @@ pub async fn peer_base_url(npub: &str) -> Result<String> {
     Ok(format!("http://[{}]:{}", ip, PEER_PORT))
 }
 
-/// Build an HTTP client tuned for FIPS peer-to-peer dialing. No proxy,
-/// short timeout — fall back to Tor on failure.
+/// Build an HTTP client tuned for FIPS peer-to-peer dialing. No proxy.
+/// `connect_timeout` is generous enough to let NAT hole-punching complete on
+/// the first dial (FIPS is UDP hole-punched; the path often isn't established
+/// until the first packets flow), so a reachable-but-cold peer isn't abandoned
+/// to Tor prematurely. Reliability over latency — FIPS is the preferred path.
 pub fn client() -> reqwest::Client {
     reqwest::Client::builder()
         .timeout(Duration::from_secs(20))
-        .connect_timeout(Duration::from_secs(5))
+        .connect_timeout(Duration::from_secs(8))
         .user_agent("archipelago-fips/1")
         .build()
         .expect("static reqwest client config")
 }
 
+/// Send a FIPS request with ONE retry on a connect/timeout error.
+///
+/// The first dial to a peer typically triggers NAT hole-punching and can time
+/// out before the overlay path is established; a quick retry then lands on the
+/// now-warm path. Without this, a single cold-path failure drops the call to
+/// Tor even though the peer is FIPS-reachable — the main reason FIPS "isn't
+/// robust". Only connect/timeout errors are retried (a real HTTP response,
+/// including 4xx/5xx, is returned as-is for the caller to interpret).
+async fn send_with_retry(rb: reqwest::RequestBuilder) -> Result<reqwest::Response, reqwest::Error> {
+    let retry = rb.try_clone();
+    match rb.send().await {
+        Ok(resp) => Ok(resp),
+        Err(e) if (e.is_connect() || e.is_timeout()) && retry.is_some() => {
+            // Brief pause so the hole-punch packets from the first attempt can
+            // traverse before we re-dial onto the warmed path.
+            tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(600)).await;
+            retry.expect("retry builder present").send().await
+        }
+        Err(e) => Err(e),
+    }
+}
+
+/// Proactively warm the hole-punched FIPS path to a peer: resolve its overlay
+/// address and open a short connection to its peer listener. Hole-punched
+/// paths and NAT mappings go cold after ~30-60s of no traffic, after which the
+/// next real dial pays the full re-punch cost and often falls back to Tor.
+/// Keeping the path warm is what makes FIPS the transport that actually gets
+/// used. Best-effort: any error (peer offline, UDP blocked) is ignored — the
+/// connection attempt itself is what re-punches and refreshes the path.
+pub async fn warm_path(npub: &str) {
+    if !is_service_active().await {
+        return;
+    }
+    let Ok(base) = peer_base_url(npub).await else {
+        return;
+    };
+    let c = client();
+    // The response status is irrelevant; establishing the connection warms it.
+    let _ = tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(8), c.get(&base).send()).await;
+}
+
 // ── DNS wire-format helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 fn encode_query(id: u16, npub: &str) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
@@ -294,13 +349,22 @@ impl<'a> PeerRequest<'a> {
         let pref = self.preference().await;
         // FIPS-only or Auto: try FIPS first.
         if matches!(pref, TransportPref::Auto | TransportPref::Fips) {
-            if let Some(resp) = self.try_fips_post_json(body).await? {
-                return Ok((resp, crate::transport::TransportKind::Fips));
-            }
-            if pref == TransportPref::Fips {
-                anyhow::bail!(
-                    "User set transport preference to FIPS only, but peer is unreachable over FIPS"
-                );
+            match self.try_fips_post_json(body).await? {
+                Some(resp) => {
+                    // Use the FIPS reply unless it's one a Tor retry could
+                    // fix (404 path-not-served / 5xx) and we're allowed to
+                    // fall back. FIPS-only never falls back.
+                    if pref == TransportPref::Fips || !fips_should_fall_back(resp.status()) {
+                        return Ok((resp, crate::transport::TransportKind::Fips));
+                    }
+                }
+                None => {
+                    if pref == TransportPref::Fips {
+                        anyhow::bail!(
+                            "User set transport preference to FIPS only, but peer is unreachable over FIPS"
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
             }
         }
         let resp = self.send_tor_post_json(body).await?;
@@ -312,13 +376,19 @@ impl<'a> PeerRequest<'a> {
         use crate::settings::transport::TransportPref;
         let pref = self.preference().await;
         if matches!(pref, TransportPref::Auto | TransportPref::Fips) {
-            if let Some(resp) = self.try_fips_get().await? {
-                return Ok((resp, crate::transport::TransportKind::Fips));
-            }
-            if pref == TransportPref::Fips {
-                anyhow::bail!(
-                    "User set transport preference to FIPS only, but peer is unreachable over FIPS"
-                );
+            match self.try_fips_get().await? {
+                Some(resp) => {
+                    if pref == TransportPref::Fips || !fips_should_fall_back(resp.status()) {
+                        return Ok((resp, crate::transport::TransportKind::Fips));
+                    }
+                }
+                None => {
+                    if pref == TransportPref::Fips {
+                        anyhow::bail!(
+                            "User set transport preference to FIPS only, but peer is unreachable over FIPS"
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
             }
         }
         let resp = self.send_tor_get().await?;
@@ -348,10 +418,14 @@ impl<'a> PeerRequest<'a> {
         for (k, v) in &self.headers {
             rb = rb.header(*k, v);
         }
-        match rb.send().await {
+        match send_with_retry(rb).await {
             Ok(r) => Ok(Some(r)),
             Err(e) => {
-                tracing::debug!("FIPS POST {} failed: {}, falling back to Tor", url, e);
+                tracing::debug!(
+                    "FIPS POST {} failed after retry: {}, falling back to Tor",
+                    url,
+                    e
+                );
                 Ok(None)
             }
         }
@@ -377,10 +451,14 @@ impl<'a> PeerRequest<'a> {
         for (k, v) in &self.headers {
             rb = rb.header(*k, v);
         }
-        match rb.send().await {
+        match send_with_retry(rb).await {
             Ok(r) => Ok(Some(r)),
             Err(e) => {
-                tracing::debug!("FIPS GET {} failed: {}, falling back to Tor", url, e);
+                tracing::debug!(
+                    "FIPS GET {} failed after retry: {}, falling back to Tor",
+                    url,
+                    e
+                );
                 Ok(None)
             }
         }

core/archipelago/src/fips/mod.rs

@@ -33,6 +33,63 @@ pub mod service;
 pub mod update;
 
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+/// Auto-activate FIPS with no user interaction. Once seed onboarding has
+/// materialised the fips key, install the daemon config + start the service if
+/// it isn't already up. Idempotent and best-effort: FIPS is the preferred
+/// transport and should come up on its own — the UI "Activate" button is now a
+/// manual fallback, not a requirement. No-op pre-onboarding (no key yet) or
+/// when the service is already active.
+pub async fn ensure_activated(data_dir: &std::path::Path) {
+    let identity_dir = identity_dir_from(data_dir);
+    if !identity_dir.join("fips_key").exists() {
+        return; // pre-onboarding: nothing to activate yet
+    }
+    if dial::is_service_active().await {
+        return; // already up
+    }
+    tracing::info!("FIPS inactive — auto-activating (no user interaction needed)");
+    if let Err(e) = config::install(&identity_dir).await {
+        tracing::warn!("FIPS auto-activate: config install failed: {:#}", e);
+        return;
+    }
+    if let Err(e) = service::activate(SERVICE_UNIT).await {
+        tracing::warn!("FIPS auto-activate: service activate failed: {:#}", e);
+        return;
+    }
+    tracing::info!("FIPS auto-activated");
+}
+
+/// Spawn the FIPS supervisor: every 45s it (1) auto-activates FIPS if onboarding
+/// is done but the service is down — so it comes up with zero user interaction,
+/// and (2) keeps hole-punched paths to known federation peers warm, so on-demand
+/// dials land on FIPS instead of falling back to Tor. Warms peers concurrently
+/// so one slow/offline peer doesn't delay the rest.
+pub fn spawn_fips_supervisor(data_dir: std::path::PathBuf) {
+    tokio::spawn(async move {
+        let mut tick = tokio::time::interval(std::time::Duration::from_secs(45));
+        loop {
+            tick.tick().await;
+            // Bring FIPS up on its own once onboarding has materialised the key.
+            ensure_activated(&data_dir).await;
+            if !dial::is_service_active().await {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let nodes = crate::federation::load_nodes(&data_dir)
+                .await
+                .unwrap_or_default();
+            let mut handles = Vec::new();
+            for node in nodes {
+                if let Some(npub) = node.fips_npub.clone() {
+                    handles.push(tokio::spawn(async move { dial::warm_path(&npub).await }));
+                }
+            }
+            for h in handles {
+                let _ = h.await;
+            }
+        }
+    });
+}
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 /// Systemd unit name supervised by archipelago.

core/archipelago/src/fips/update.rs

@@ -1,156 +1,401 @@
-//! User-triggered FIPS upgrade from the upstream default branch.
+//! User-triggered FIPS upgrade from upstream GitHub releases.
 //!
 //! Flow (no auto-update, no background polling — user clicks a button):
-//!   1. Query GitHub for the upstream repo's default branch, then the
-//!      latest commit on it. (jmcorgan/fips default is `master`, not
-//!      `main` — we resolve it dynamically so a future rename Just Works.)
-//!   2. Compare with the installed daemon version reported by
-//!      `fipsctl --version`. If identical, report "up to date".
-//!   3. Fetch the built .deb artefact for that commit + its SHA256.
-//!   4. SHA256-verify the download.
-//!   5. `sudo dpkg -i` the .deb, `sudo systemctl restart` the service.
+//!   1. Query GitHub for the latest *stable* release of `jmcorgan/fips`
+//!      (`/releases/latest` returns the newest non-prerelease, non-draft
+//!      tag, so release candidates like `v0.4.0-rc1` are skipped).
+//!   2. Compare its tag (e.g. `v0.3.0`) with the installed daemon version
+//!      reported by `fipsctl --version`. A dev/pre-release build of the
+//!      same number (`0.3.0-dev`) counts as older than the released tag.
+//!   3. Pick the Debian package asset matching the host architecture
+//!      (`fips_<ver>_amd64.deb` / `_arm64.deb`) plus `checksums-linux.txt`.
+//!   4. Download both, SHA256-verify the .deb against the checksums file.
+//!   5. `sudo dpkg -i` the verified .deb, then restart the active fips unit.
 //!
-//! The artefact URL / SHA256 source is not yet fixed — upstream doesn't
-//! publish stable release assets for per-commit builds. This module
-//! currently implements steps 1–2 (the "is there anything newer?" query)
-//! and stubs out 3–5 so the RPC/UI can wire through. The apply path
-//! returns a clear "not yet available" error until the artefact source
-//! is decided.
+//! Upstream began publishing tagged releases with `.deb` artefacts and
+//! `checksums-linux.txt` (verified present as of v0.1.0 → v0.4.0-rc1), so
+//! the apply path is fully wired against those assets.
 
 use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
 
 use super::{service, UPSTREAM_REPO};
 
 const GITHUB_API: &str = "https://api.github.com";
 const USER_AGENT: &str = "archipelago-fips-updater";
 
-/// Result of `check_update()` — what the dashboard renders.
+/// Result of `check()` — what the dashboard renders.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct UpdateCheck {
     /// Currently installed daemon version (from `fipsctl --version`).
     pub current: Option<String>,
-    /// Short SHA of the latest commit on upstream `main`.
-    pub latest_commit: String,
-    /// True when the installed version string does not mention the latest SHA.
+    /// Tag of the latest stable upstream release, e.g. `v0.3.0`.
+    pub latest_version: String,
+    /// True when the installed version is older than `latest_version`.
     pub update_available: bool,
+    /// Release channel this check tracked. Currently always "stable".
+    pub channel: String,
+    /// Browser download URL of the architecture-matched .deb for the
+    /// latest release, when one exists (informational; apply() re-resolves).
+    pub asset_url: Option<String>,
     /// Human-readable note for the UI.
     pub notes: String,
 }
 
-/// Query GitHub for the latest commit on the upstream default branch and
-/// compare to the installed version. Never errors on "no package installed"
-/// — that is itself a valid state where an update is available.
+/// One GitHub release as we consume it.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize)]
+struct Release {
+    tag_name: String,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    prerelease: bool,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    draft: bool,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    assets: Vec<Asset>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize)]
+struct Asset {
+    name: String,
+    browser_download_url: String,
+}
+
+fn http_client() -> Result<reqwest::Client> {
+    reqwest::Client::builder()
+        .user_agent(USER_AGENT)
+        .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(30))
+        .build()
+        .context("Build HTTP client")
+}
+
+/// Debian architecture string for the host (`amd64` / `arm64`). Returns
+/// the raw `std::env::consts::ARCH` for anything we don't map, so the
+/// asset lookup simply finds nothing and surfaces a clear error.
+fn deb_arch() -> &'static str {
+    match std::env::consts::ARCH {
+        "x86_64" => "amd64",
+        "aarch64" => "arm64",
+        other => other,
+    }
+}
+
+/// Query GitHub for the latest stable release and compare to the installed
+/// version. Never errors on "no package installed" — that is itself a valid
+/// state where an update is available.
 pub async fn check() -> Result<UpdateCheck> {
     let current = service::daemon_version().await.ok();
-    let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
-        .user_agent(USER_AGENT)
-        .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(15))
-        .build()
-        .context("Build HTTP client")?;
-    let branch = fetch_default_branch(&client).await?;
-    let latest = fetch_head_sha(&client, &branch).await?;
-    let short = latest.chars().take(7).collect::<String>();
+    let client = http_client()?;
+    let release = fetch_latest_stable(&client).await?;
 
     let update_available = match &current {
-        Some(v) => !v.contains(&short),
+        Some(v) => version_is_older(v, &release.tag_name),
         None => true,
     };
 
+    let asset_url = release
+        .assets
+        .iter()
+        .find(|a| is_deb_for_arch(&a.name))
+        .map(|a| a.browser_download_url.clone());
+
     let notes = if update_available {
         format!(
-            "Upstream {} is at {}; installed: {}",
-            branch,
-            short,
+            "Update available: {} (installed: {})",
+            release.tag_name,
             current.as_deref().unwrap_or("not installed")
         )
     } else {
-        format!("Up to date ({} @ {})", branch, short)
+        format!("Up to date ({})", release.tag_name)
     };
 
     Ok(UpdateCheck {
         current,
-        latest_commit: short,
+        latest_version: release.tag_name,
         update_available,
+        channel: "stable".to_string(),
+        asset_url,
         notes,
     })
 }
 
-/// Apply the update. Stubbed pending a stable artefact source for
-/// per-commit builds of the `fips` debian package. When this is wired
-/// up it must: download → SHA256-verify → `sudo dpkg -i` → restart.
+/// Download, verify, and install the latest stable FIPS release, then
+/// restart the daemon. Steps: resolve release → match .deb for this arch
+/// → download .deb + checksums → SHA256-verify → `sudo dpkg -i` → restart.
 pub async fn apply() -> Result<()> {
-    anyhow::bail!(
-        "FIPS auto-apply not yet wired — upstream does not publish stable \
-         per-commit .deb artefacts for main. Upgrade manually for now: \
-         `git pull && cargo deb && sudo dpkg -i target/debian/fips_*.deb`."
-    )
-}
+    let client = http_client()?;
+    let release = fetch_latest_stable(&client).await?;
 
-async fn fetch_default_branch(client: &reqwest::Client) -> Result<String> {
-    let url = format!("{}/repos/{}", GITHUB_API, UPSTREAM_REPO);
-    let resp = client
-        .get(&url)
-        .header("Accept", "application/vnd.github+json")
+    let deb = release
+        .assets
+        .iter()
+        .find(|a| is_deb_for_arch(&a.name))
+        .ok_or_else(|| {
+            anyhow::anyhow!(
+                "release {} has no .deb for architecture {}",
+                release.tag_name,
+                deb_arch()
+            )
+        })?;
+    let checksums = release
+        .assets
+        .iter()
+        .find(|a| a.name == "checksums-linux.txt")
+        .ok_or_else(|| {
+            anyhow::anyhow!("release {} has no checksums-linux.txt", release.tag_name)
+        })?;
+
+    // Download the .deb (bytes) and the checksums (text).
+    let deb_bytes = client
+        .get(&deb.browser_download_url)
         .send()
         .await
-        .context("GitHub repo API")?;
-    if !resp.status().is_success() {
-        anyhow::bail!("GitHub repo API returned {}", resp.status());
-    }
-    let body: serde_json::Value = resp.json().await.context("Parse repo JSON")?;
-    body.get("default_branch")
-        .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
-        .map(|s| s.to_string())
-        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("GitHub repo response missing default_branch"))
-}
-
-async fn fetch_head_sha(client: &reqwest::Client, branch: &str) -> Result<String> {
-    let url = format!("{}/repos/{}/commits/{}", GITHUB_API, UPSTREAM_REPO, branch);
-    let resp = client
-        .get(&url)
-        .header("Accept", "application/vnd.github+json")
+        .context("download .deb")?
+        .error_for_status()
+        .context(".deb download HTTP error")?
+        .bytes()
+        .await
+        .context("read .deb body")?;
+    let checksums_text = client
+        .get(&checksums.browser_download_url)
         .send()
         .await
-        .context("GitHub commits API")?;
-    if !resp.status().is_success() {
+        .context("download checksums")?
+        .error_for_status()
+        .context("checksums download HTTP error")?
+        .text()
+        .await
+        .context("read checksums body")?;
+
+    // Verify SHA256 against the checksums manifest (sha256sum format:
+    // "<hex>␠␠<filename>"). The filename column may include a leading
+    // "*" (binary mode) or a path prefix, so match on the basename.
+    let expected = checksums_text
+        .lines()
+        .filter_map(|line| {
+            let mut parts = line.split_whitespace();
+            let hash = parts.next()?;
+            let name = parts.next()?.trim_start_matches('*');
+            let base = name.rsplit('/').next().unwrap_or(name);
+            (base == deb.name).then(|| hash.to_lowercase())
+        })
+        .next()
+        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("checksums-linux.txt has no entry for {}", deb.name))?;
+
+    let actual = {
+        let mut hasher = Sha256::new();
+        hasher.update(&deb_bytes);
+        hex::encode(hasher.finalize())
+    };
+    if actual != expected {
         anyhow::bail!(
-            "GitHub commits API returned {} for branch {}",
-            resp.status(),
-            branch
+            "SHA256 mismatch for {}: expected {}, got {}",
+            deb.name,
+            expected,
+            actual
         );
     }
-    let body: serde_json::Value = resp.json().await.context("Parse commits JSON")?;
-    body.get("sha")
-        .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
-        .map(|s| s.to_string())
-        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("GitHub commits response missing sha field"))
+
+    // Stage the verified .deb in /tmp (shared with the host — the
+    // service runs with PrivateTmp=no) and install it.
+    let dest = std::env::temp_dir().join(&deb.name);
+    tokio::fs::write(&dest, &deb_bytes)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("write {}", dest.display()))?;
+
+    // Run dpkg via `systemd-run` rather than `sudo dpkg` directly. The
+    // archipelago service runs under `ProtectSystem=strict`, so `/usr`
+    // and `/var/lib/dpkg` are read-only *inside the service's mount
+    // namespace* — and a `sudo` child inherits that namespace, so a
+    // bare `sudo dpkg -i` fails with "Read-only file system" on the
+    // dpkg database. `systemd-run` asks PID 1 to launch the command in
+    // a fresh transient scope outside our sandbox, where the real
+    // (writable) host filesystem is visible. `--wait` blocks until it
+    // finishes and propagates the exit status; `--pipe` forwards
+    // dpkg's output; `--collect` reaps the unit even on failure.
+    //
+    // dpkg flags, both load-bearing for this package specifically:
+    //   --force-confold:  the fips package ships conffiles under
+    //     /etc/fips that archipelago rewrites at install time, so dpkg
+    //     hits an interactive "keep/replace?" conffile prompt. With our
+    //     closed stdin that aborts the configure step ("EOF on stdin at
+    //     conffile prompt") and leaves the package half-unpacked
+    //     (status `iU`), which `fips.status` then reports as
+    //     `installed:false`. confold = keep our managed config, no prompt.
+    //   --force-downgrade: ISO/dev nodes carry `0.3.0-dev-1`, which dpkg
+    //     orders as NEWER than the stable tag `0.3.0` (a trailing
+    //     `-dev` sorts above the bare release). Moving a dev build onto
+    //     the stable line is therefore a dpkg "downgrade"; without this
+    //     flag dpkg warns and exits non-zero. Our own version_is_older()
+    //     gate already decided this is the wanted direction.
+    // DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive belt-and-suspenders against any
+    // other maintainer-script prompt.
+    let dpkg = tokio::process::Command::new("sudo")
+        .args([
+            "-n",
+            "systemd-run",
+            "--collect",
+            "--wait",
+            "--quiet",
+            "--pipe",
+            "--",
+            "env",
+            "DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive",
+            "dpkg",
+            "--force-confold",
+            "--force-downgrade",
+            "-i",
+        ])
+        .arg(&dest)
+        .output()
+        .await
+        .context("sudo systemd-run dpkg -i failed to launch")?;
+    // Best-effort cleanup regardless of dpkg result.
+    let _ = tokio::fs::remove_file(&dest).await;
+    if !dpkg.status.success() {
+        anyhow::bail!(
+            "dpkg -i {} exited {}: {}",
+            deb.name,
+            dpkg.status,
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&dpkg.stderr).trim()
+        );
+    }
+
+    // Restart whichever fips unit is supervising the daemon so the new
+    // binary takes over.
+    let unit = service::active_unit().await;
+    service::restart(unit)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("restart {} after install", unit))?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// `/releases/latest` returns the most recent non-prerelease, non-draft
+/// release. We still re-check the flags defensively in case the endpoint
+/// or repo settings change.
+async fn fetch_latest_stable(client: &reqwest::Client) -> Result<Release> {
+    let url = format!("{}/repos/{}/releases/latest", GITHUB_API, UPSTREAM_REPO);
+    let resp = client
+        .get(&url)
+        .header("Accept", "application/vnd.github+json")
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .context("GitHub releases/latest API")?;
+    if !resp.status().is_success() {
+        anyhow::bail!("GitHub releases/latest API returned {}", resp.status());
+    }
+    let release: Release = resp.json().await.context("Parse release JSON")?;
+    if release.draft || release.prerelease {
+        anyhow::bail!(
+            "releases/latest returned a {} release ({})",
+            if release.draft { "draft" } else { "prerelease" },
+            release.tag_name
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(release)
+}
+
+fn is_deb_for_arch(name: &str) -> bool {
+    name.starts_with("fips_") && name.ends_with(&format!("_{}.deb", deb_arch()))
+}
+
+/// Parse the leading `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` triple from a version string,
+/// plus whether a pre-release suffix (`-dev`, `-rc1`, …) follows it.
+fn parse_version(s: &str) -> Option<((u64, u64, u64), bool)> {
+    // Take the first whitespace token, drop a leading 'v'.
+    let tok = s.split_whitespace().next().unwrap_or(s);
+    let tok = tok.strip_prefix('v').unwrap_or(tok);
+    // Split off any pre-release / build suffix.
+    let (core, rest) = match tok.find(|c: char| c == '-' || c == '+') {
+        Some(i) => (&tok[..i], &tok[i..]),
+        None => (tok, ""),
+    };
+    let mut it = core.split('.');
+    let major = it.next()?.parse::<u64>().ok()?;
+    let minor = it.next().unwrap_or("0").parse::<u64>().ok()?;
+    let patch = it.next().unwrap_or("0").parse::<u64>().ok()?;
+    let has_prerelease = rest.starts_with('-');
+    Some(((major, minor, patch), has_prerelease))
+}
+
+/// True when `installed` is strictly older than release tag `latest`.
+/// Same numeric triple but `installed` carries a pre-release suffix while
+/// `latest` doesn't ⇒ installed is older (e.g. `0.3.0-dev` < `v0.3.0`).
+/// If either side can't be parsed, fall back to "differs ⇒ update".
+fn version_is_older(installed: &str, latest: &str) -> bool {
+    match (parse_version(installed), parse_version(latest)) {
+        (Some((ic, ipre)), Some((lc, lpre))) => {
+            if ic != lc {
+                ic < lc
+            } else {
+                // Equal cores: a pre-release is older than the final release.
+                ipre && !lpre
+            }
+        }
+        _ => {
+            // Unparseable: be conservative — offer the update unless the
+            // installed string already mentions the latest tag.
+            !installed.contains(latest.trim_start_matches('v'))
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
-    #[tokio::test]
-    async fn test_apply_returns_clear_stub_error() {
-        let err = apply().await.unwrap_err().to_string();
-        assert!(
-            err.contains("not yet wired"),
-            "apply() should return an explicit not-yet-wired error, got: {}",
-            err
-        );
+    #[test]
+    fn test_deb_arch_maps_known() {
+        // On the host running tests this is whatever the test arch is;
+        // just assert it returns a non-empty, lowercase token.
+        let a = deb_arch();
+        assert!(!a.is_empty());
+        assert_eq!(a, a.to_lowercase());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_version_older() {
+        assert!(version_is_older("0.3.0-dev (rev abc123)", "v0.3.0"));
+        assert!(version_is_older("0.2.1", "v0.3.0"));
+        assert!(version_is_older("0.3.0-rc1", "v0.3.0"));
+        assert!(!version_is_older("0.3.0", "v0.3.0"));
+        assert!(!version_is_older("0.4.0", "v0.3.0"));
+        assert!(!version_is_older("0.3.1", "v0.3.0"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_parse_version() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_version("v0.3.0"), Some(((0, 3, 0), false)));
+        assert_eq!(parse_version("0.3.0-dev (rev x)"), Some(((0, 3, 0), true)));
+        assert_eq!(parse_version("0.4.0-rc1"), Some(((0, 4, 0), true)));
+        assert_eq!(parse_version("1.2"), Some(((1, 2, 0), false)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_is_deb_for_arch() {
+        let arch = deb_arch();
+        assert!(is_deb_for_arch(&format!("fips_0.3.0_{}.deb", arch)));
+        assert!(!is_deb_for_arch("fips_0.3.0_someotherarch.deb"));
+        assert!(!is_deb_for_arch("checksums-linux.txt"));
+        assert!(!is_deb_for_arch(&format!(
+            "fips-0.3.0-linux-{}.tar.gz",
+            arch
+        )));
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn test_update_check_serialises() {
         let uc = UpdateCheck {
-            current: Some("0.2.0-abc1234".to_string()),
-            latest_commit: "def5678".to_string(),
+            current: Some("0.3.0-dev".to_string()),
+            latest_version: "v0.3.0".to_string(),
             update_available: true,
+            channel: "stable".to_string(),
+            asset_url: Some("https://example/fips_0.3.0_amd64.deb".to_string()),
             notes: "test".to_string(),
         };
         let json = serde_json::to_string(&uc).unwrap();
-        assert!(json.contains("latest_commit"));
+        assert!(json.contains("latest_version"));
         assert!(json.contains("update_available"));
+        assert!(json.contains("stable"));
     }
 }

core/archipelago/src/main.rs

@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ mod server;
 mod session;
 mod settings;
 mod state;
+mod storage_crypto;
 mod streaming;
 mod totp;
 mod transport;
@@ -271,6 +272,15 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
     // delays server readiness; best-effort, warnings only.
     tokio::spawn(bootstrap::ensure_doctor_installed());
 
+    // B17: heal already-deployed nodes whose archipelago.service lacks a mount
+    // dependency on the data volume, so cold boots stop flapping. Boot-ordering
+    // only — effective next reboot; never restarts the running service.
+    tokio::spawn(bootstrap::ensure_archipelago_mount_ordering());
+
+    // #36: keep the kiosk unit + launcher hardened (CPU/mem cap + GPU-vs-headless
+    // flags) on already-deployed nodes via OTA; no-op if the kiosk isn't installed.
+    tokio::spawn(bootstrap::ensure_kiosk_hardened());
+
     // Spawn periodic container snapshot (for crash recovery)
     crash_recovery::spawn_snapshot_task(config.data_dir.clone());
 
@@ -291,6 +301,31 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
         });
     }
 
+    // Periodically restart crashed multi-container stack members (immich,
+    // indeedhub, …) at RUNTIME, not just at boot. The health monitor skips them
+    // as "orphans" because the sub-container app_ids (e.g. immich_server) aren't
+    // in package_data, so without this a crashed immich_server / indeedhub-api
+    // never comes back until the next reboot (#16/#17). Reuses the boot
+    // recovery, which cheaply skips already-running containers and respects the
+    // user-stopped list, so this only acts on genuinely-down stack members.
+    {
+        let data_dir = config.data_dir.clone();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            let mut tick = tokio::time::interval(Duration::from_secs(120));
+            tick.tick().await; // consume the immediate tick; boot recovery covers t0
+            loop {
+                tick.tick().await;
+                let report = crash_recovery::start_stopped_stack_containers(&data_dir).await;
+                if report.recovered > 0 {
+                    info!(
+                        "🔄 Stack supervisor: restarted {} crashed stack member(s) (failed: {:?})",
+                        report.recovered, report.failed
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     // Spawn disk space monitor (warns at 85%, auto-cleans at 90%)
     disk_monitor::spawn_disk_monitor(config.data_dir.clone());
 
@@ -306,6 +341,11 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
     electrs_status::spawn_status_cache();
     bitcoin_status::spawn_status_cache();
 
+    // FIPS supervisor: auto-activate FIPS after onboarding (no Activate button
+    // needed) and keep hole-punched paths to federation peers warm so peer dials
+    // land on FIPS (the preferred transport) instead of falling back to Tor.
+    fips::spawn_fips_supervisor(config.data_dir.clone());
+
     let startup_ms = startup_start.elapsed().as_millis();
     info!(
         "Server listening on http://{} (startup: {}ms)",

core/archipelago/src/mesh/mod.rs

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ use tracing::{error, info, warn};
 
 const MESH_CONFIG_FILE: &str = "mesh-config.json";
 const MESH_IGNORED_RADIO_FILE: &str = "mesh-ignored-radio-contacts.json";
+const MESH_CONTACTS_FILE: &str = "mesh-contacts.json";
 
 /// Derive a stable synthetic `contact_id` for a federation peer from its
 /// archipelago ed25519 pubkey. Mesh LoRa contacts use meshcore firmware's
@@ -99,7 +100,17 @@ pub(crate) async fn seed_federation_peers_into_mesh(
         Ok(n) => n,
         Err(_) => return,
     };
+    // Skip nodes whose onion we've already seeded: the same physical node can
+    // linger in the federation list under two dids (see B1/B2). Seeding both
+    // would create two chat contacts for one node — one by name+logo and one
+    // by raw did. One onion → one mesh contact.
+    let mut seen_onions = std::collections::HashSet::new();
     for node in nodes {
+        let onion_key = node.onion.trim_end_matches(".onion").to_string();
+        if !onion_key.is_empty() && !seen_onions.insert(onion_key) {
+            tracing::debug!(did = %node.did, onion = %node.onion, "skipping duplicate federation node (onion already seeded)");
+            continue;
+        }
         upsert_federation_peer(state, &node.pubkey, &node.did, node.name.as_deref()).await;
     }
 }
@@ -200,6 +211,66 @@ pub async fn save_ignored_radio_contacts(data_dir: &Path, pubkeys: &[String]) ->
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Load persisted mesh contact customisations (alias / notes / pinned / blocked),
+/// decrypting at rest with the node key and migrating any legacy plaintext file.
+/// Returns an empty map on any error so a read failure never loses live state.
+pub async fn load_mesh_contacts(
+    data_dir: &Path,
+) -> std::collections::HashMap<String, listener::ContactEntry> {
+    let path = data_dir.join(MESH_CONTACTS_FILE);
+    let Ok(raw) = fs::read(&path).await else {
+        return std::collections::HashMap::new();
+    };
+    let bytes = if crate::storage_crypto::is_plaintext_json(&raw) {
+        raw
+    } else {
+        match crate::storage_crypto::derive_key(
+            data_dir,
+            crate::storage_crypto::DOMAIN_MESH_CONTACTS,
+        )
+        .await
+        {
+            Ok(k) => match crate::storage_crypto::open(&raw, &k) {
+                Ok(p) => p,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    warn!("mesh contacts: decrypt failed ({e}); keeping in-memory state");
+                    return std::collections::HashMap::new();
+                }
+            },
+            Err(_) => return std::collections::HashMap::new(),
+        }
+    };
+    serde_json::from_slice(&bytes).unwrap_or_default()
+}
+
+/// Persist mesh contact customisations, encrypted at rest with the node key and
+/// written atomically (temp + rename) so a crash mid-write can't corrupt them.
+pub async fn save_mesh_contacts(
+    data_dir: &Path,
+    contacts: &std::collections::HashMap<String, listener::ContactEntry>,
+) -> Result<()> {
+    fs::create_dir_all(data_dir).await.ok();
+    let content = serde_json::to_vec(contacts).context("Failed to serialize mesh contacts")?;
+    let bytes = match crate::storage_crypto::derive_key(
+        data_dir,
+        crate::storage_crypto::DOMAIN_MESH_CONTACTS,
+    )
+    .await
+    {
+        Ok(k) => crate::storage_crypto::seal(&content, &k).unwrap_or(content),
+        Err(_) => content, // no key yet (pre-onboarding) → plaintext rather than no-write
+    };
+    let path = data_dir.join(MESH_CONTACTS_FILE);
+    let tmp = path.with_extension("json.tmp");
+    fs::write(&tmp, &bytes)
+        .await
+        .context("Failed to write mesh contacts tmp")?;
+    fs::rename(&tmp, &path)
+        .await
+        .context("Failed to rename mesh contacts")?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 /// Detect serial devices that could be mesh radios.
 /// Checks both Meshcore (via probe) and legacy Meshtastic paths.
 pub async fn detect_devices() -> Vec<String> {
@@ -294,6 +365,18 @@ impl MeshService {
             }
         }
 
+        // Restore persisted contact customisations (alias/notes/pinned/blocked),
+        // decrypted with the node key, so they survive restarts.
+        {
+            let saved = load_mesh_contacts(data_dir).await;
+            if !saved.is_empty() {
+                let mut contacts = state.contacts.write().await;
+                for (pk, entry) in saved {
+                    contacts.insert(pk, entry);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
         Ok(Self {
             state,
             config,

core/archipelago/src/node_message.rs

@@ -43,18 +43,68 @@ fn data_path() -> &'static Mutex<Option<PathBuf>> {
     PATH.get_or_init(|| Mutex::new(None))
 }
 
+/// At-rest encryption key for messages.json, derived from the node identity in
+/// `init()`. `None` only if the node key is unreadable (pre-onboarding) — in
+/// which case we persist plaintext rather than lose messages.
+fn enc_key() -> &'static Mutex<Option<[u8; 32]>> {
+    static KEY: OnceLock<Mutex<Option<[u8; 32]>>> = OnceLock::new();
+    KEY.get_or_init(|| Mutex::new(None))
+}
+
 /// Initialize message store — load from disk. Call once at startup.
 pub async fn init(data_dir: &Path) {
     let path = data_dir.join("messages.json");
     *data_path().lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner()) = Some(path.clone());
 
-    if let Ok(content) = tokio::fs::read_to_string(&path).await {
-        if let Ok(loaded) = serde_json::from_str::<MessageStore>(&content) {
+    // Derive + cache the at-rest encryption key (bound to this node's identity).
+    match crate::storage_crypto::derive_key(data_dir, crate::storage_crypto::DOMAIN_MESSAGES).await
+    {
+        Ok(k) => *enc_key().lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner()) = Some(k),
+        Err(e) => tracing::warn!(
+            "message store: encryption key unavailable ({e}); will persist plaintext"
+        ),
+    }
+
+    let Ok(raw) = tokio::fs::read(&path).await else {
+        return; // no file yet (new node)
+    };
+    // Decrypt the on-disk blob, transparently migrating a legacy plaintext file.
+    let mut was_plaintext = false;
+    let bytes = if crate::storage_crypto::is_plaintext_json(&raw) {
+        was_plaintext = true;
+        Some(raw)
+    } else {
+        let key = *enc_key().lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
+        match key {
+            Some(k) => match crate::storage_crypto::open(&raw, &k) {
+                Ok(p) => Some(p),
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::error!(
+                        "message store: decrypt failed ({e}); NOT overwriting on-disk data"
+                    );
+                    None
+                }
+            },
+            None => None,
+        }
+    };
+    if let Some(bytes) = bytes {
+        if let Ok(loaded) = serde_json::from_slice::<MessageStore>(&bytes) {
             let mut guard = store().lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
             *guard = loaded;
             tracing::info!("Loaded {} messages from disk", guard.messages.len());
         }
     }
+    // Eagerly re-write a legacy plaintext file as encrypted on first boot.
+    if was_plaintext
+        && enc_key()
+            .lock()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner())
+            .is_some()
+    {
+        persist();
+        tracing::info!("message store: migrated plaintext messages.json to encrypted at rest");
+    }
 }
 
 /// Persist current messages to disk.
@@ -63,13 +113,28 @@ pub async fn init(data_dir: &Path) {
 fn persist() {
     let guard = store().lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
     let path_guard = data_path().lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
+    let key = *enc_key().lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
     if let Some(ref path) = *path_guard {
-        if let Ok(content) = serde_json::to_string(&*guard) {
+        if let Ok(content) = serde_json::to_vec(&*guard) {
             let path = path.clone();
             drop(path_guard);
             drop(guard);
             tokio::task::spawn(async move {
-                let _ = tokio::fs::write(&path, content).await;
+                // Encrypt at rest when the node key is available; fall back to
+                // plaintext rather than drop the write if it somehow isn't.
+                let bytes = match key {
+                    Some(k) => crate::storage_crypto::seal(&content, &k).unwrap_or(content),
+                    None => content,
+                };
+                // Atomic write: stage to a temp file then rename, so a crash or
+                // reboot mid-write can never truncate/corrupt the real history
+                // (rename is atomic on the same filesystem).
+                let tmp = path.with_extension("json.tmp");
+                if tokio::fs::write(&tmp, &bytes).await.is_ok() {
+                    let _ = tokio::fs::rename(&tmp, &path).await;
+                } else {
+                    let _ = tokio::fs::remove_file(&tmp).await;
+                }
             });
         }
     }

core/archipelago/src/port_allocator.rs

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ const RESERVED_PORTS: &[u16] = &[
     8888, // SearXNG
     8096, 2342, 2283, // Jellyfin, Photoprism, Immich
     8443, // FIPS TCP fallback
+    8336, // FIPS UI (fips-ui)
 ];
 
 /// Start of range for allocating web app ports when preferred is taken.

core/archipelago/src/seed.rs

@@ -543,4 +543,21 @@ mod tests {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_node_key_known_answer_vs_python_verifier() {
+        // Cross-checks scripts/verify-seed-derivation.py: same mnemonic must
+        // produce the same node_key bytes in Rust and in the Python verifier.
+        let (_, seed) = MasterSeed::from_mnemonic_words(TEST_MNEMONIC).unwrap();
+        let key = derive_node_ed25519(&seed).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            hex::encode(key.to_bytes()),
+            "3b4f4a1450450260ae360adb9c33ea5eb86356fa14454ca0067dd4b51ea8be87"
+        );
+        let nostr = derive_node_nostr_key(&seed).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            hex::encode(nostr.secret_key().to_secret_bytes()),
+            "3a94fb32efab2a5025401d53fd7d82b41323a5c06ad14ce528ebe3a813d88831"
+        );
+    }
 }

core/archipelago/src/server.rs

@@ -769,6 +769,13 @@ pub fn is_peer_allowed_path(path: &str) -> bool {
             | "/archipelago/mesh-typed"
             | "/dwn"
             | "/transport/inbox"
+            // Content *catalog* — the peer-browse entry point. This is the
+            // exact path `/content` (no trailing slash); the prefix match
+            // below only covers `/content/<id>` item fetches, so without
+            // this the catalog 404s over the mesh and `content.browse-peer`
+            // fails with "Peer returned error: 404 Not Found" (and never
+            // falls back to Tor, since a 404 is a successful HTTP exchange).
+            | "/content"
     )
     // Prefix-matched content endpoints (peer file browse + fetch)
         || path.starts_with("/content/")
@@ -1378,6 +1385,25 @@ mod merge_tests {
         }
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn peer_path_filter_allows_content_catalog_and_items() {
+        // Regression: the content *catalog* is exactly "/content" (no trailing
+        // slash). It must be reachable over the peer (FIPS) listener, else
+        // `content.browse-peer` 404s over the mesh. Item fetches are
+        // "/content/<id>".
+        assert!(is_peer_allowed_path("/content"), "catalog must be allowed");
+        assert!(
+            is_peer_allowed_path("/content/abc123"),
+            "items must be allowed"
+        );
+        assert!(is_peer_allowed_path("/rpc/v1"));
+        assert!(is_peer_allowed_path("/health"));
+        // Not on the allow-list → rejected (no broad surface over the mesh).
+        assert!(!is_peer_allowed_path("/contention"), "must not prefix-leak");
+        assert!(!is_peer_allowed_path("/"));
+        assert!(!is_peer_allowed_path("/rpc/v2"));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn preserves_transitional_state_on_merge() {
         // existing: user initiated a stop, spawn_transitional set Stopping.

core/archipelago/src/storage_crypto.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+//! At-rest encryption for local state stores (chat messages, mesh contacts).
+//!
+//! Best-practice envelope, matching `credentials::store`:
+//! - **Key**: SHA-256(domain-separator ‖ node identity key). The node key is
+//!   seed-derived and never leaves the device, so each store is bound to this
+//!   node's identity — a stolen disk image is unreadable without it, and the
+//!   per-domain separator means one store's key can't open another.
+//! - **Cipher**: ChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD with a fresh random 96-bit nonce per
+//!   write (`nonce ‖ ciphertext` on disk). The Poly1305 tag makes it
+//!   tamper-evident — any on-disk modification fails to open.
+//! - **Migration**: legacy plaintext JSON is detected and read transparently,
+//!   then re-written encrypted on the next save. No data is stranded.
+
+use anyhow::{Context, Result};
+use std::path::Path;
+
+/// Domain separators — one per store so keys never overlap.
+pub const DOMAIN_MESSAGES: &[u8] = b"archipelago-message-store-v1";
+pub const DOMAIN_MESH_CONTACTS: &[u8] = b"archipelago-mesh-contacts-v1";
+
+/// Derive a 32-byte key bound to this node's identity for a given store domain.
+pub async fn derive_key(data_dir: &Path, domain: &[u8]) -> Result<[u8; 32]> {
+    let node_key_path = data_dir.join("identity").join("node_key");
+    let key_bytes = tokio::fs::read(&node_key_path)
+        .await
+        .context("reading node key for at-rest encryption")?;
+    use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
+    let mut hasher = Sha256::new();
+    hasher.update(domain);
+    hasher.update(&key_bytes);
+    let mut key = [0u8; 32];
+    key.copy_from_slice(&hasher.finalize());
+    Ok(key)
+}
+
+/// Encrypt `plaintext`, returning `nonce ‖ ciphertext`.
+pub fn seal(plaintext: &[u8], key: &[u8; 32]) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
+    use chacha20poly1305::aead::{Aead, KeyInit};
+    let nonce_bytes: [u8; 12] = rand::random();
+    let cipher = chacha20poly1305::ChaCha20Poly1305::new_from_slice(key)
+        .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("cipher init: {e}"))?;
+    let ct = cipher
+        .encrypt(
+            chacha20poly1305::aead::generic_array::GenericArray::from_slice(&nonce_bytes),
+            plaintext,
+        )
+        .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("encryption failed: {e}"))?;
+    let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(12 + ct.len());
+    out.extend_from_slice(&nonce_bytes);
+    out.extend_from_slice(&ct);
+    Ok(out)
+}
+
+/// Decrypt `nonce ‖ ciphertext`.
+pub fn open(data: &[u8], key: &[u8; 32]) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
+    use chacha20poly1305::aead::{Aead, KeyInit};
+    if data.len() < 12 {
+        anyhow::bail!("ciphertext too short");
+    }
+    let (nonce, ct) = data.split_at(12);
+    let cipher = chacha20poly1305::ChaCha20Poly1305::new_from_slice(key)
+        .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("cipher init: {e}"))?;
+    cipher
+        .decrypt(
+            chacha20poly1305::aead::generic_array::GenericArray::from_slice(nonce),
+            ct,
+        )
+        .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("decryption failed — key mismatch or corruption"))
+}
+
+/// Heuristic: does this look like legacy plaintext JSON (starts with `{`/`[`)?
+/// Encrypted blobs start with a random nonce byte, so a `{`/`[` first byte is a
+/// reliable migration signal.
+pub fn is_plaintext_json(raw: &[u8]) -> bool {
+    matches!(raw.first(), Some(b'{') | Some(b'['))
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn seal_open_round_trips() {
+        let key = [7u8; 32];
+        let msg = br#"{"messages":[{"m":"hi"}]}"#;
+        let sealed = seal(msg, &key).unwrap();
+        // Encrypted output must NOT be readable plaintext.
+        assert!(!is_plaintext_json(&sealed));
+        assert_ne!(&sealed[12..], &msg[..]);
+        assert_eq!(open(&sealed, &key).unwrap(), msg);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn open_fails_on_wrong_key_or_tamper() {
+        let sealed = seal(b"secret", &[1u8; 32]).unwrap();
+        assert!(open(&sealed, &[2u8; 32]).is_err());
+        let mut tampered = sealed.clone();
+        *tampered.last_mut().unwrap() ^= 0x01;
+        assert!(open(&tampered, &[1u8; 32]).is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn detects_plaintext_vs_ciphertext() {
+        assert!(is_plaintext_json(b"{\"a\":1}"));
+        assert!(is_plaintext_json(b"[]"));
+        assert!(!is_plaintext_json(&seal(b"x", &[3u8; 32]).unwrap()));
+    }
+}

core/archipelago/src/update.rs

@@ -538,12 +538,19 @@ pub async fn load_state(data_dir: &Path) -> Result<UpdateState> {
     Ok(state)
 }
 
+/// Marker written only after EVERY component has downloaded and verified.
+/// Distinguishes a complete, install-ready staging from the partial files a
+/// resumable-but-failed download leaves behind.
+const STAGED_COMPLETE_MARKER: &str = ".download-complete";
+
 async fn has_staged_update(data_dir: &Path) -> bool {
-    let staging_dir = data_dir.join("update-staging");
-    let Ok(mut entries) = fs::read_dir(&staging_dir).await else {
-        return false;
-    };
-    matches!(entries.next_entry().await, Ok(Some(_)))
+    // A *complete* staged update carries the marker. A partial/failed download
+    // leaves component files (kept for resume) but no marker, so it reads as
+    // "not staged" — the state self-heal then clears update_in_progress and the
+    // UI returns to Download instead of stranding the user on Install.
+    fs::metadata(data_dir.join("update-staging").join(STAGED_COMPLETE_MARKER))
+        .await
+        .is_ok()
 }
 
 pub async fn save_state(data_dir: &Path, state: &UpdateState) -> Result<()> {
@@ -801,7 +808,10 @@ pub async fn download_update(data_dir: &Path) -> Result<DownloadProgress> {
         );
     }
 
-    // Mark update as downloaded
+    // Mark update as downloaded. Write the completion marker FIRST so a crash
+    // between the two can't leave update_in_progress=true without the marker
+    // (which the self-heal would then clear, harmlessly forcing a re-download).
+    let _ = fs::write(staging_dir.join(STAGED_COMPLETE_MARKER), b"1").await;
     let mut state = load_state(data_dir).await?;
     state.update_in_progress = true;
     save_state(data_dir, &state).await?;
@@ -1507,9 +1517,26 @@ pub async fn run_update_scheduler(data_dir: std::path::PathBuf) {
     // Check every hour; act based on schedule setting
     let mut tick = interval(Duration::from_secs(3600));
 
+    // Refresh the app catalog once at startup so per-app "update available"
+    // badges appear without waiting for the first hourly tick.
+    if let Err(e) = crate::container::app_catalog::refresh_catalog(&data_dir).await {
+        debug!(
+            "Update scheduler: initial app-catalog refresh failed: {}",
+            e
+        );
+    }
+
     loop {
         tick.tick().await;
 
+        // App-catalog refresh is INDEPENDENT of the OTA schedule below: it only
+        // populates per-app update availability (the "Update" button still has
+        // to be clicked — nothing auto-applies). Best-effort; on failure the
+        // previously cached catalog stays in place (origin-always-wins).
+        if let Err(e) = crate::container::app_catalog::refresh_catalog(&data_dir).await {
+            debug!("Update scheduler: app-catalog refresh failed: {}", e);
+        }
+
         let state = match load_state(&data_dir).await {
             Ok(s) => s,
             Err(e) => {
@@ -1855,6 +1882,12 @@ mod tests {
         tokio::fs::write(staging.join("archipelago"), b"staged")
             .await
             .unwrap();
+        // A *complete* staged update carries the marker; without it the state
+        // self-heal correctly treats this as a partial download and clears
+        // update_in_progress (see has_staged_update / #26).
+        tokio::fs::write(staging.join(STAGED_COMPLETE_MARKER), b"1")
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
         let state = UpdateState {
             current_version: "1.0.0".to_string(),
             last_check: Some("2025-06-15T12:00:00Z".to_string()),

core/container/src/manifest.rs

@@ -858,6 +858,11 @@ pub struct HostFacts {
     /// `/` if the data partition is not yet mounted). Drives the
     /// prune-vs-full-node decision in bitcoin-knots custom_args.
     pub disk_gb: u64,
+    /// Container name of the running Bitcoin node — `bitcoin-knots` or
+    /// `bitcoin-core` — so dependents (mempool's CORE_RPC_HOST) reach the
+    /// right host. Both are reachable on archy-net by their container name;
+    /// only the name differs. Falls back to `bitcoin-knots` when undetected.
+    pub bitcoin_host: String,
 }
 
 impl HostFacts {
@@ -868,13 +873,14 @@ impl HostFacts {
             host_ip: "192.168.1.116".to_string(),
             host_mdns: "archi-thinkpad.local".to_string(),
             disk_gb: 2000,
+            bitcoin_host: "bitcoin-knots".to_string(),
         }
     }
 }
 
 /// Supported placeholder names in `DerivedEnv::template`. Keep in sync
 /// with `HostFacts`. Centralized so validation and rendering agree.
-const DERIVED_PLACEHOLDERS: &[&str] = &["HOST_IP", "HOST_MDNS", "DISK_GB"];
+const DERIVED_PLACEHOLDERS: &[&str] = &["HOST_IP", "HOST_MDNS", "DISK_GB", "BITCOIN_HOST"];
 
 fn validate_derived_template(key: &str, template: &str) -> Result<(), ManifestError> {
     // Walk `{{NAME}}` occurrences and ensure each NAME is recognized.
@@ -957,7 +963,8 @@ impl ContainerConfig {
                     .template
                     .replace("{{HOST_IP}}", &facts.host_ip)
                     .replace("{{HOST_MDNS}}", &facts.host_mdns)
-                    .replace("{{DISK_GB}}", &facts.disk_gb.to_string());
+                    .replace("{{DISK_GB}}", &facts.disk_gb.to_string())
+                    .replace("{{BITCOIN_HOST}}", &facts.bitcoin_host);
                 format!("{}={}", e.key, value)
             })
             .collect()
@@ -1463,6 +1470,10 @@ app:
                     key: "INFO".to_string(),
                     template: "{{HOST_IP}}-{{DISK_GB}}".to_string(),
                 },
+                DerivedEnv {
+                    key: "CORE_RPC_HOST".to_string(),
+                    template: "{{BITCOIN_HOST}}".to_string(),
+                },
             ],
             secret_env: vec![],
             data_uid: None,
@@ -1471,11 +1482,13 @@ app:
             host_ip: "192.168.1.116".to_string(),
             host_mdns: "archi-thinkpad.local".to_string(),
             disk_gb: 2000,
+            bitcoin_host: "bitcoin-core".to_string(),
         };
 
         let out = c.resolve_derived_env(&facts);
         assert_eq!(out[0], "FM_API_URL=ws://archi-thinkpad.local:8174");
         assert_eq!(out[1], "INFO=192.168.1.116-2000");
+        assert_eq!(out[2], "CORE_RPC_HOST=bitcoin-core");
     }
 
     struct MapSecretsProvider {

docker/fedimint-ui/nginx.conf

@@ -5,10 +5,24 @@ server {
     proxy_intercept_errors on;
     error_page 500 502 503 504 = @wait_page;
 
+    # Serve our own wait-page/icon assets locally first, but fall back to the
+    # real fedimint guardian (:8177) for ITS bundled /assets/*.css|js. Without
+    # the fallback, the guardian UI's stylesheets resolve to this local root,
+    # 404, and the app renders unstyled (B13 fixed the local icon; this fixes
+    # the guardian UI's own CSS).
     location /assets/ {
         root /usr/share/nginx/html;
         add_header Cache-Control "public, max-age=3600" always;
-        try_files $uri =404;
+        try_files $uri @guardian_assets;
+    }
+
+    location @guardian_assets {
+        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8177;
+        proxy_http_version 1.1;
+        proxy_set_header Host $host;
+        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
     }
 
     location / {

docker/fips-ui/Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+FROM git.tx1138.com/lfg2025/nginx:1.27.4-alpine
+# Static site content.
+COPY index.html /usr/share/nginx/html/
+#
+# FIPS UI talks only to the archipelago RPC on 127.0.0.1:5678, using the
+# browser's own archipelago session — there is NO per-node secret to
+# substitute, so (unlike bitcoin-ui) the nginx config is baked straight
+# into the image rather than bind-mounted/rendered at container-create.
+COPY nginx.conf /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
+#
+# Run nginx as root to avoid chown failures in rootless Podman user
+# namespaces. The rest of the nginx image is unchanged.
+RUN sed -i 's/^user  nginx;/user  root;/' /etc/nginx/nginx.conf && \
+    mkdir -p /var/cache/nginx/client_temp /var/cache/nginx/proxy_temp \
+             /var/cache/nginx/fastcgi_temp /var/cache/nginx/uwsgi_temp \
+             /var/cache/nginx/scgi_temp
+EXPOSE 8336
+ENTRYPOINT []
+CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]

docker/fips-ui/index.html

@@ -0,0 +1,478 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="en">
+<head>
+<meta charset="utf-8" />
+<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
+<title>FIPS Mesh</title>
+<style>
+  :root {
+    --bg: #0e1116;
+    --panel: #161b22;
+    --panel-2: #1c232c;
+    --border: #2a323d;
+    --text: #e6edf3;
+    --muted: #8b949e;
+    --accent: #2f81f7;
+    --ok: #2ea043;
+    --warn: #d29922;
+    --bad: #f85149;
+    --radius: 10px;
+  }
+  * { box-sizing: border-box; }
+  body {
+    margin: 0;
+    background: var(--bg);
+    color: var(--text);
+    font: 14px/1.5 -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
+  }
+  .wrap { max-width: 860px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 24px 18px 64px; }
+  header { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 12px; margin-bottom: 6px; }
+  header h1 { font-size: 20px; margin: 0; font-weight: 600; }
+  .sub { color: var(--muted); margin: 0 0 20px; font-size: 13px; }
+  .card {
+    background: var(--panel);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    border-radius: var(--radius);
+    padding: 16px 18px;
+    margin-bottom: 16px;
+  }
+  .card h2 {
+    font-size: 13px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: .04em;
+    color: var(--muted); margin: 0 0 14px; font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  .row { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center; padding: 6px 0; gap: 12px; }
+  .row + .row { border-top: 1px solid var(--border); }
+  .row .k { color: var(--muted); }
+  .row .v { font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; text-align: right; word-break: break-all; }
+  .pill {
+    display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 6px;
+    padding: 2px 10px; border-radius: 999px; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 600;
+    border: 1px solid transparent;
+  }
+  .pill::before { content: ""; width: 8px; height: 8px; border-radius: 50%; background: currentColor; }
+  .pill.ok { color: var(--ok); background: rgba(46,160,67,.12); }
+  .pill.warn { color: var(--warn); background: rgba(210,153,34,.12); }
+  .pill.bad { color: var(--bad); background: rgba(248,81,73,.12); }
+  .pill.muted { color: var(--muted); background: rgba(139,148,158,.12); }
+  .btns { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 8px; margin-top: 6px; }
+  button {
+    font: inherit; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer;
+    background: var(--panel-2); color: var(--text);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border); border-radius: 8px; padding: 8px 14px;
+  }
+  button:hover:not(:disabled) { border-color: var(--accent); }
+  button.primary { background: var(--accent); border-color: var(--accent); color: #fff; }
+  button.danger { color: var(--bad); }
+  button:disabled { opacity: .5; cursor: default; }
+  input, select {
+    font: inherit; background: var(--bg); color: var(--text);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border); border-radius: 8px; padding: 8px 10px; width: 100%;
+  }
+  .grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; }
+  .grid .full { grid-column: 1 / -1; }
+  label { display: block; font-size: 12px; color: var(--muted); margin-bottom: 4px; }
+  .anchor-item { padding: 10px 0; }
+  .anchor-item + .anchor-item { border-top: 1px solid var(--border); }
+  .anchor-item .top { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; gap: 10px; align-items: baseline; }
+  .anchor-item .addr { color: var(--muted); font-size: 12px; word-break: break-all; }
+  .anchor-item .npub { font-size: 12px; color: var(--muted); word-break: break-all; }
+  .notice { padding: 10px 12px; border-radius: 8px; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 10px; display: none; }
+  .notice.show { display: block; }
+  .notice.info { background: rgba(47,129,247,.12); color: var(--accent); }
+  .notice.good { background: rgba(46,160,67,.12); color: var(--ok); }
+  .notice.error { background: rgba(248,81,73,.12); color: var(--bad); }
+  .spin { display: inline-block; width: 13px; height: 13px; border: 2px solid currentColor;
+    border-right-color: transparent; border-radius: 50%; animation: r .7s linear infinite; vertical-align: -2px; }
+  @keyframes r { to { transform: rotate(360deg); } }
+  .muted-note { color: var(--muted); font-size: 12px; margin-top: 8px; }
+</style>
+</head>
+<body>
+<div class="wrap">
+  <header>
+    <h1>FIPS Mesh</h1>
+    <span id="anchorPill" class="pill muted">Loading…</span>
+  </header>
+  <p class="sub">Encrypted mesh transport. This node reaches the network through seed anchors; a connected anchor keeps FIPS routing fast instead of degrading to Tor.</p>
+
+  <div class="card">
+    <h2>Status</h2>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Daemon installed</span><span class="v" id="sInstalled">—</span></div>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Version</span><span class="v" id="sVersion">—</span></div>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Service</span><span class="v" id="sService">—</span></div>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Seed key present</span><span class="v" id="sKey">—</span></div>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Authenticated peers</span><span class="v" id="sPeers">—</span></div>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Anchor connected</span><span class="v" id="sAnchor">—</span></div>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">This node's npub</span><span class="v" id="sNpub">—</span></div>
+    <div class="btns">
+      <button id="btnRefresh">Refresh</button>
+      <button id="btnReconnect">Reconnect</button>
+      <button id="btnRestart">Restart daemon</button>
+      <button id="btnInstall">Install / repair</button>
+    </div>
+    <div id="actionNotice" class="notice"></div>
+  </div>
+
+  <div class="card">
+    <h2>This node as an anchor</h2>
+    <p class="muted-note" style="margin-top:0">Share these with another node's operator so they can add this node as a seed anchor (their <em>Seed Anchors → Add</em> form). The address is whatever host you reached this dashboard at, so it's reachable the same way you got here.</p>
+    <div class="row">
+      <span class="k">npub</span>
+      <span class="v" style="display:flex;gap:8px;align-items:center">
+        <code id="ownNpub" style="font-size:12px">—</code>
+        <button data-copy="ownNpub">Copy</button>
+      </span>
+    </div>
+    <div class="row">
+      <span class="k">Address</span>
+      <span class="v" style="display:flex;gap:8px;align-items:center">
+        <code id="ownAddr" style="font-size:12px">—</code>
+        <button data-copy="ownAddr">Copy</button>
+      </span>
+    </div>
+    <div id="ownReach" class="muted-note"></div>
+    <div id="copyNotice" class="notice"></div>
+  </div>
+
+  <div class="card">
+    <h2>Updates · stable channel</h2>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Installed</span><span class="v" id="uCurrent">—</span></div>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Latest stable</span><span class="v" id="uLatest">—</span></div>
+    <div class="row"><span class="k">Status</span><span class="v" id="uStatus">—</span></div>
+    <div class="btns">
+      <button id="btnCheck">Check for updates</button>
+      <button id="btnApply" class="primary" disabled>Apply update</button>
+    </div>
+    <div id="updateNotice" class="notice"></div>
+    <p class="muted-note">Updates download the signed <code>.deb</code> from the upstream <code>jmcorgan/fips</code> releases, verify its SHA-256 against the published checksums, install it, and restart the daemon.</p>
+  </div>
+
+  <div class="card">
+    <h2>Seed Anchors</h2>
+    <div id="anchorList"><p class="muted-note">Loading…</p></div>
+    <div style="margin-top:14px">
+      <div class="grid">
+        <div class="full"><label>npub</label><input id="aNpub" placeholder="npub1…" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false" /></div>
+        <div><label>Address (host:port)</label><input id="aAddr" placeholder="192.168.1.116:8668" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false" /></div>
+        <div><label>Transport</label><select id="aTransport"><option value="udp">udp</option><option value="tcp">tcp</option></select></div>
+        <div class="full"><label>Label (optional)</label><input id="aLabel" placeholder="Home anchor" autocomplete="off" /></div>
+      </div>
+      <div class="btns">
+        <button id="btnAddAnchor" class="primary">Add anchor</button>
+        <button id="btnApplyAnchors">Re-apply all</button>
+      </div>
+      <div id="anchorNotice" class="notice"></div>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+<script>
+  const RPC_ENDPOINT = '/rpc/v1';
+
+  function cookieValue(name) {
+    return document.cookie
+      .split('; ')
+      .find(row => row.startsWith(`${name}=`))
+      ?.split('=').slice(1).join('=') || '';
+  }
+
+  async function rpc(method, params = {}) {
+    const headers = { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' };
+    const csrf = cookieValue('csrf_token');
+    if (csrf) headers['X-CSRF-Token'] = decodeURIComponent(csrf);
+    const res = await fetch(RPC_ENDPOINT, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers,
+      credentials: 'include',
+      cache: 'no-store',
+      body: JSON.stringify({ jsonrpc: '2.0', id: 1, method, params })
+    });
+    const body = await res.json().catch(() => ({}));
+    if (!res.ok || body.error) {
+      throw new Error(body.error?.message || `RPC ${method} failed (${res.status})`);
+    }
+    return body.result;
+  }
+
+  function escapeHtml(value) {
+    return String(value ?? '').replace(/[&<>"']/g, c => ({
+      '&': '&amp;', '<': '&lt;', '>': '&gt;', '"': '&quot;', "'": '&#39;'
+    }[c]));
+  }
+  function setText(id, v, fallback = '—') {
+    const el = document.getElementById(id);
+    if (el) el.textContent = (v === null || v === undefined || v === '') ? fallback : v;
+  }
+  function pill(state, text) {
+    return `<span class="pill ${state}">${escapeHtml(text)}</span>`;
+  }
+  function setHtml(id, html) {
+    const el = document.getElementById(id);
+    if (el) el.innerHTML = html;
+  }
+  function notice(id, kind, msg) {
+    const el = document.getElementById(id);
+    if (!el) return;
+    if (!msg) { el.className = 'notice'; el.textContent = ''; return; }
+    el.className = `notice show ${kind}`;
+    el.innerHTML = msg;
+  }
+  function busy(btn, on, label) {
+    if (!btn) return;
+    if (on) {
+      btn.dataset.label = btn.dataset.label || btn.textContent;
+      btn.disabled = true;
+      btn.innerHTML = `<span class="spin"></span> ${escapeHtml(label || btn.dataset.label)}`;
+    } else {
+      btn.disabled = false;
+      btn.textContent = btn.dataset.label || btn.textContent;
+    }
+  }
+
+  function renderStatus(s) {
+    setText('sInstalled', s.installed ? 'Yes' : 'No');
+    setText('sVersion', s.version);
+    const active = s.service_active;
+    setHtml('sService', active
+      ? pill('ok', s.service_state || 'active')
+      : pill('bad', s.service_state || 'inactive'));
+    setHtml('sKey', s.key_present ? pill('ok', 'present') : pill('warn', 'missing'));
+    const peers = s.authenticated_peer_count || 0;
+    setHtml('sPeers', peers > 0 ? pill('ok', String(peers)) : pill('warn', '0 — isolated'));
+    setHtml('sAnchor', s.anchor_connected ? pill('ok', 'connected') : pill('bad', 'unreachable'));
+    setText('sNpub', s.npub);
+    if (s.npub) document.getElementById('ownNpub').textContent = s.npub;
+
+    const ap = document.getElementById('anchorPill');
+    if (s.anchor_connected) { ap.className = 'pill ok'; ap.textContent = 'Anchor connected'; }
+    else if (peers > 0) { ap.className = 'pill warn'; ap.textContent = 'Peers, no anchor'; }
+    else if (s.service_active) { ap.className = 'pill bad'; ap.textContent = 'Isolated'; }
+    else { ap.className = 'pill muted'; ap.textContent = 'Daemon down'; }
+  }
+
+  async function loadStatus() {
+    try {
+      const s = await rpc('fips.status');
+      renderStatus(s);
+      setText('uCurrent', s.version, 'not installed');
+    } catch (e) {
+      notice('actionNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(e.message));
+    }
+  }
+
+  function renderAnchors(list) {
+    if (!list || list.length === 0) {
+      setHtml('anchorList', '<p class="muted-note">No seed anchors configured. Add one below so this node can reach the mesh.</p>');
+      return;
+    }
+    const html = list.map(a => `
+      <div class="anchor-item">
+        <div class="top">
+          <strong>${escapeHtml(a.label || a.address)}</strong>
+          <button class="danger" data-remove="${escapeHtml(a.npub)}">Remove</button>
+        </div>
+        <div class="addr">${escapeHtml(a.address)} · ${escapeHtml(a.transport || 'udp')}</div>
+        <div class="npub">${escapeHtml(a.npub)}</div>
+      </div>`).join('');
+    setHtml('anchorList', html);
+    document.querySelectorAll('[data-remove]').forEach(btn => {
+      btn.addEventListener('click', () => removeAnchor(btn.dataset.remove, btn));
+    });
+  }
+
+  async function loadAnchors() {
+    try {
+      const r = await rpc('fips.list-seed-anchors');
+      renderAnchors(r.seed_anchors);
+    } catch (e) {
+      setHtml('anchorList', `<p class="muted-note">${escapeHtml(e.message)}</p>`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function removeAnchor(npub, btn) {
+    busy(btn, true, 'Removing');
+    notice('anchorNotice', '', '');
+    try {
+      const r = await rpc('fips.remove-seed-anchor', { npub });
+      renderAnchors(r.seed_anchors);
+      notice('anchorNotice', 'good', 'Anchor removed.');
+    } catch (e) {
+      notice('anchorNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(e.message));
+      busy(btn, false);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // --- wire up buttons ---
+  document.getElementById('btnRefresh').addEventListener('click', loadStatus);
+
+  document.getElementById('btnReconnect').addEventListener('click', async (e) => {
+    const btn = e.currentTarget;
+    busy(btn, true, 'Reconnecting…');
+    notice('actionNotice', 'info', 'Restarting the daemon and waiting for an anchor — this takes about 20 seconds…');
+    try {
+      const r = await rpc('fips.reconnect');
+      renderStatus(r.after);
+      const kind = r.after.anchor_connected ? 'good' : 'error';
+      notice('actionNotice', kind, `${escapeHtml(r.hint || r.likely_cause)}`);
+    } catch (err) {
+      notice('actionNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(err.message));
+    } finally {
+      busy(btn, false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  document.getElementById('btnRestart').addEventListener('click', async (e) => {
+    const btn = e.currentTarget;
+    busy(btn, true, 'Restarting…');
+    notice('actionNotice', '', '');
+    try {
+      const r = await rpc('fips.restart');
+      notice('actionNotice', 'good', `Restarted ${escapeHtml(r.unit || 'fips service')}.`);
+      await loadStatus();
+    } catch (err) {
+      notice('actionNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(err.message));
+    } finally {
+      busy(btn, false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  document.getElementById('btnInstall').addEventListener('click', async (e) => {
+    const btn = e.currentTarget;
+    busy(btn, true, 'Installing…');
+    notice('actionNotice', '', '');
+    try {
+      const s = await rpc('fips.install');
+      renderStatus(s);
+      notice('actionNotice', 'good', 'Config and key re-materialised; service activated.');
+    } catch (err) {
+      notice('actionNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(err.message));
+    } finally {
+      busy(btn, false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  document.getElementById('btnCheck').addEventListener('click', async (e) => {
+    const btn = e.currentTarget;
+    busy(btn, true, 'Checking…');
+    notice('updateNotice', '', '');
+    const applyBtn = document.getElementById('btnApply');
+    try {
+      const c = await rpc('fips.check-update');
+      setText('uCurrent', c.current, 'not installed');
+      setText('uLatest', c.latest_version);
+      setHtml('uStatus', c.update_available ? pill('warn', 'update available') : pill('ok', 'up to date'));
+      applyBtn.disabled = !c.update_available;
+      notice('updateNotice', c.update_available ? 'info' : 'good', escapeHtml(c.notes || ''));
+    } catch (err) {
+      notice('updateNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(err.message));
+    } finally {
+      busy(btn, false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  document.getElementById('btnApply').addEventListener('click', async (e) => {
+    const btn = e.currentTarget;
+    busy(btn, true, 'Updating…');
+    notice('updateNotice', 'info', 'Downloading, verifying, and installing the new FIPS daemon, then restarting it…');
+    try {
+      await rpc('fips.apply-update');
+      notice('updateNotice', 'good', 'Update installed and daemon restarted.');
+      btn.disabled = true;
+      await loadStatus();
+      await rpc('fips.check-update').then(c => {
+        setText('uLatest', c.latest_version);
+        setHtml('uStatus', c.update_available ? pill('warn', 'update available') : pill('ok', 'up to date'));
+      }).catch(() => {});
+    } catch (err) {
+      notice('updateNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(err.message));
+      busy(btn, false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  document.getElementById('btnAddAnchor').addEventListener('click', async (e) => {
+    const btn = e.currentTarget;
+    const npub = document.getElementById('aNpub').value.trim();
+    const address = document.getElementById('aAddr').value.trim();
+    const transport = document.getElementById('aTransport').value;
+    const label = document.getElementById('aLabel').value.trim();
+    if (!npub.startsWith('npub1')) { notice('anchorNotice', 'error', 'npub must start with npub1…'); return; }
+    if (!address.includes(':')) { notice('anchorNotice', 'error', 'Address must be host:port (e.g. 192.168.1.116:8668).'); return; }
+    busy(btn, true, 'Adding…');
+    notice('anchorNotice', '', '');
+    try {
+      const r = await rpc('fips.add-seed-anchor', { npub, address, transport, label });
+      renderAnchors(r.seed_anchors);
+      const applied = (r.apply || []).find(x => x.npub === npub);
+      const ok = applied ? applied.ok : true;
+      notice('anchorNotice', ok ? 'good' : 'info',
+        ok ? 'Anchor added and pushed to the running daemon.' : `Anchor saved. Daemon push: ${escapeHtml(applied?.message || 'pending')}`);
+      ['aNpub','aAddr','aLabel'].forEach(id => document.getElementById(id).value = '');
+      await loadStatus();
+    } catch (err) {
+      notice('anchorNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(err.message));
+    } finally {
+      busy(btn, false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  document.getElementById('btnApplyAnchors').addEventListener('click', async (e) => {
+    const btn = e.currentTarget;
+    busy(btn, true, 'Applying…');
+    notice('anchorNotice', '', '');
+    try {
+      const r = await rpc('fips.apply-seed-anchors');
+      const okCount = (r.results || []).filter(x => x.ok).length;
+      notice('anchorNotice', 'good', `Re-applied ${okCount}/${r.applied || 0} anchors to the daemon.`);
+      await loadStatus();
+    } catch (err) {
+      notice('anchorNotice', 'error', escapeHtml(err.message));
+    } finally {
+      busy(btn, false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  // This node's own anchor address: the host the operator reached the
+  // dashboard at is, by definition, reachable for them — so it's the
+  // right dial hint. FIPS listens on UDP 8668.
+  const FIPS_PORT = 8668;
+  function isPrivateLan(host) {
+    return /^10\./.test(host)
+        || /^192\.168\./.test(host)
+        || /^172\.(1[6-9]|2\d|3[01])\./.test(host)
+        || host === 'localhost' || host === '127.0.0.1';
+  }
+  function populateOwnAnchor() {
+    const host = window.location.hostname;
+    const addr = `${host}:${FIPS_PORT}`;
+    document.getElementById('ownAddr').textContent = addr;
+    const reach = document.getElementById('ownReach');
+    if (/^100\./.test(host)) {
+      reach.innerHTML = 'This is a Tailscale address — reachable by any node on your tailnet, including over the internet.';
+    } else if (isPrivateLan(host)) {
+      reach.innerHTML = '⚠ This is a private LAN address — it only works for nodes on the same local network. For a node across the internet, share this node’s Tailscale (100.x) or public IP with UDP 8668 reachable, or have both nodes use a common public anchor instead.';
+    } else {
+      reach.innerHTML = 'This looks like a public address — reachable over the internet if UDP 8668 is open/forwarded to this node.';
+    }
+  }
+
+  document.querySelectorAll('[data-copy]').forEach(btn => {
+    btn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
+      const text = document.getElementById(btn.dataset.copy)?.textContent || '';
+      if (!text || text === '—') return;
+      try {
+        await navigator.clipboard.writeText(text);
+        notice('copyNotice', 'good', 'Copied.');
+        setTimeout(() => notice('copyNotice', '', ''), 1500);
+      } catch {
+        notice('copyNotice', 'error', `Copy failed — select manually: ${escapeHtml(text)}`);
+      }
+    });
+  });
+
+  // initial load
+  populateOwnAnchor();
+  loadStatus();
+  loadAnchors();
+</script>
+</body>
+</html>

docker/fips-ui/nginx.conf

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+server {
+    listen 8336;
+    server_name _;
+    root /usr/share/nginx/html;
+    index index.html;
+
+    # Proxy archipelago RPC same-origin so the browser never makes a
+    # cross-origin request (no CORS needed). The FIPS app is served on
+    # this node's :8336; cookies are scoped by host (not port), so the
+    # browser already carries the `session` (HttpOnly) and `csrf_token`
+    # cookies set by the main UI on :80. We forward both, plus the
+    # X-CSRF-Token header the app derives from the readable csrf_token
+    # cookie, to the backend RPC on 127.0.0.1:5678.
+    #
+    # Unlike bitcoin-ui this config is fully static (baked into the
+    # image) — there is no upstream secret to substitute; the browser's
+    # own archipelago session is the credential.
+    location /rpc/v1 {
+        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5678/rpc/v1;
+        proxy_http_version 1.1;
+        proxy_set_header Host $host;
+        proxy_set_header Cookie $http_cookie;
+        proxy_set_header X-CSRF-Token $http_x_csrf_token;
+        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+        proxy_read_timeout 60s;
+        add_header Cache-Control "no-store";
+    }
+
+    location / {
+        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
+    }
+}

docs/WEEKLY_RELEASE_TRACKER.md

@@ -4,19 +4,86 @@ Last updated: 2026-06-14 (session on node .116 / archi-thinkpad)
 
 ---
 
-# ▶ CURRENT PASS — v1.7.91-alpha (2026-06-14)
+# ▶ IN PROGRESS — LND wallet auto-unlock fix (2026-06-14)
 
-## RESUME PROMPT (paste into a fresh session, any machine)
+## RESUME PROMPT (paste into a fresh session, on .116 / archi-thinkpad, tree at /home/archipelago/Projects/archy)
 
-> Resume the v1.7.91-alpha release pass for the `archy` repo (on node .116 / archi-thinkpad
-> the tree is at /home/archipelago/Projects/archy; on another machine, clone/pull `main` from
-> gitea-vps2 http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy.git — my fix commit is pushed there).
-> Read the top section of docs/WEEKLY_RELEASE_TRACKER.md FIRST — it has the blocker, the fix
-> already made, and exact next steps. Two goals: (1) cut & PUBLISH v1.7.91-alpha, (2) finish
-> validating + integrating the new tests/lifecycle/os-audit.sh OS-wide health harness.
-> Do NOT redo: the bitcoinReceive.ts TS2538 fix (done, committed) or the os-audit jq false-trap
-> fix (done). Resume at "EXACT NEXT STEPS — v1.7.91" below. .116 login password: ThisIsWeb54321@
-> (.116 serves http on :80 → ARCHY_HOST=127.0.0.1 ARCHY_SCHEME=http).
+> Resume the LND wallet-password fix. Read memory `project_lnd_wallet_password.md` FIRST (full
+> root-cause + design + validated facts). Work is on branch `lnd-wallet-password-fix` (pushed to
+> gitea-vps2, commit 91adc281, NOT merged to main, NOT shipped). Bug: hardcoded
+> `WALLET_PASSWORD="hellohello"` left LND wallets LOCKED fleet-wide after OTA → Bitcoin-receive
+> shows "wallet is locked" on every updated node. DONE + cargo-checked: per-node random secret
+> (secrets/lnd-wallet-password), both init paths unified, candidate-unlock with fail-fast,
+> login-time candidate-migration (ChangePassword). DETECTION GATE already shipped on main
+> (commit 8c8e4d7a). DECISION: alpha, NO funds on nodes → destructive wipe+recreate is OK and
+> wanted UNATTENDED for ALL nodes in the next update. A wallet locked with an unknown password is
+> already inaccessible, so wiping loses nothing reachable.
+
+## EXACT NEXT STEPS — LND fix (in order)
+1. **Finish seed/fresh recovery** (REMAINING piece): in `container/lnd.rs ensure_wallet_initialized`,
+   when wallet.db exists but ALL unlock candidates fail → wipe wallet.db (+ macaroons + graph/chain
+   mainnet state, as root via host_sudo) and re-init fresh (random genseed + per-node secret) so the
+   node self-heals unattended at boot. (Login-time candidate-migration already handles nodes whose
+   pw matches.) Validate the wipe→reinit mechanic on the scratch LND first (see below).
+2. **Scratch validation** (was in progress, .249 unreachable from .116's subnet → use a throwaway
+   `lnd-scratch` podman container on .116, regtest/neutrino, REST :18099 — already proven for
+   init/unlock/ChangePassword). Test: init(passA) → restart→LOCKED → delete wallet.db while locked →
+   confirm /v1/state→NON_EXISTING (may need container restart) → genseed+initwallet fresh → unlock.
+   NOTE: scratch wallet.db lives at the container's LND data dir (regtest), `podman exec lnd-scratch
+   find / -name wallet.db`. CLEAN UP: `podman rm -f lnd-scratch` when done.
+3. `cargo check -p archipelago` (on .116 ~15-30s incremental; full test compile ~9min).
+4. **End-to-end on .228** (reachable 192.168.1.x, SSH pw `archipelago`, UI pw unknown, NO funds —
+   has a locked unknown-pw wallet = perfect auto-recreate test): build binary
+   (`ARCHIPELAGO_TARGET=archipelago@192.168.1.228 scripts/deploy-to-target.sh` or per
+   reference_deploy_to_nodes), deploy, restart, confirm wallet auto-recreates+unlocks, lncli state
+   RPC_ACTIVE, lnd.newaddress returns an address. Run os-audit against .228 → lnd check PASS.
+5. Merge `lnd-wallet-password-fix` → main, then **cut + publish v1.7.93-alpha** (carries the LND
+   fix). Ship ritual: create-release.sh 1.7.93-alpha → add CHANGELOG (≥3 layman bullets) → run
+   sync-whats-new.py (the new What's-New gate will require it) → publish-release-assets.sh gitea-vps2
+   → push origin/gitea-vps2 + tags → verify live manifest==1.7.93-alpha. Heads-up: create-release
+   leaves core/Cargo.lock version-bump uncommitted (commit it as a chore, both .91 and .92 hit this).
+
+## Context: how we got here (this session, all on node .116)
+- Shipped **v1.7.91-alpha** (bitcoinReceive TS2538 build fix) and **v1.7.92-alpha** (ElectrumX
+  overlay-during-sync fix; L3 reboot os-audit gate; What's-New sync gate + 8-version backfill) —
+  both LIVE on vps2. Restored .116-local nginx `/lnd-connect-info` route (was dropped 2026-06-10).
+- Triaged user symptoms: ElectrumX "can't connect" = electrs syncing / Bitcoin verifying (not a
+  regression); .228 "5/14 apps after reboot" = normal ~5min staggered startup (all 14 came up).
+- LND lock bug found + detection gate shipped + forward fix & migration implemented (this section).
+
+---
+
+# ✔ DONE PASS — v1.7.91-alpha + v1.7.92-alpha (2026-06-14)
+
+## Outcome (both releases PUBLISHED + LIVE on vps2)
+
+- **v1.7.91-alpha** — bitcoinReceive.ts TS2538 build-blocker fixed; cut, published, verified
+  live (`manifest.version==1.7.91-alpha`), tag `v1.7.91-alpha` on vps2. The fleet OTA'd to it
+  (confirmed on .116 + .198).
+- **v1.7.92-alpha** — cut, published, verified live (`manifest.version==1.7.92-alpha`), tag on
+  vps2, main@d462e444. Carries:
+  - `fix(ui)` ElectrumX **overlay-during-sync** bug — the "App not reachable / retry" overlay
+    no longer paints over the ElectrumX sync screen (AppSessionFrame.vue gated on `!electrsSync`).
+  - `test(resilience)` **L3 per-boot health gate** — `batch_host_reboot` now runs os-audit.sh
+    after reboot (RPC/OTA/all-apps/FM-guards), not just container-set equality. os-audit validated
+    11/0/0 green on .116.
+  - `feat(release)` **What's New sync gate** — `scripts/sync-whats-new.py` + `whats-new-sync`
+    stage in tests/release/run.sh. Backfilled the 8 missing modal blocks (v1.7.85→.92); the gate
+    fails any release whose CHANGELOG version isn't in the Settings modal.
+- **.116 node fix (not shipped — local config)**: restored the `/lnd-connect-info` nginx proxy
+  route that a 2026-06-10 "before-116-routing" change had dropped (fell through to SPA). Backup at
+  `/etc/nginx/conf.d/rpc.tx1138.com.conf.bak-lndconnect-*`. Shipped template already has the route.
+- **User symptoms triaged (none were .91/.92 regressions)**: receive-generate "unchanged" = .91's
+  receive change was a behavior-preserving build guard; ElectrumX "can't connect" on .198 = Bitcoin
+  node mid-"Verifying blocks…" (-28) so electrs was "waiting for Bitcoin node"; on .116 electrs was
+  ~59% mid-sync. The overlay UX bug is fixed regardless.
+
+## Known follow-ups (not blockers)
+- **gitea-local mirror push fails** (`localhost:3000` → redirect to `/login`, token auth). vps2 is
+  the OTA source and is fine; gitea-local secondary mirror is stale. Diagnose the local Gitea token.
+- `sync-whats-new.py` only **inserts missing** versions; it does not rewrite a block when CHANGELOG
+  bullets for an already-present version change (had to delete+resync the .92 block by hand to pick
+  up its 3rd bullet). Fine for the forward case; enhance to idempotently re-render if needed.
 
 ## What happened this session
 

docs/app-developer-guide.md

@@ -156,6 +156,50 @@ underscores. Supported interface types are `ui`, `api`, and `metrics`; only
 `type: ui` is treated as a launchable app surface. Supported protocols are
 `http` and `https`, and `path` must start with `/`.
 
+### Nostr Signer Bridge (NIP-07)
+
+Apps embedded in the Archipelago iframe can use the node's Nostr identity to sign
+events without managing their own keys. Archipelago injects a **NIP-07 provider**
+(`window.nostr` with `getPublicKey()` / `signEvent()` / `nip04` / `nip44`) that bridges
+to the host. Your app code uses standard NIP-07 — no Archipelago-specific API.
+
+**How injection works.** After install, the host copies `nostr-provider.js` into the
+app container and patches the app's web server so every page loads it and the app is
+iframe-embeddable. This is **best-effort** and depends on your server config exposing
+the right hooks. For an **nginx-served SPA** (the supported reference shape, e.g.
+IndeeHub) your `nginx.conf` must satisfy this contract:
+
+1. **Be iframe-embeddable.** Do not send a hard `X-Frame-Options: DENY`. The host
+   strips a `SAMEORIGIN`/`DENY` `X-Frame-Options` header line if present; restrictive
+   CSP `frame-ancestors` will still block embedding.
+2. **Keep an exact-match `location = /sw.js {` block.** The provider's no-cache
+   `location = /nostr-provider.js` block is inserted immediately before it.
+3. **Keep an SPA fallback line `try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;`.** A
+   `sub_filter` that injects `<script src="/nostr-provider.js"></script>` before
+   `</head>` is inserted right after it. (nginx must have `ngx_http_sub_module` —
+   stock `nginx:alpine` does.)
+4. **If you proxy an API that does NIP-98 URL verification**, expose
+   `proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Prefix /api;`; the host rewrites it to honor the
+   outer reverse proxy's prefix.
+
+The patch is **idempotent** (it checks for an existing `nostr-provider` reference
+before editing) and re-runs on reinstall. If you rename or remove any of the anchor
+strings above, injection silently no-ops and `window.nostr` will be undefined in your
+app — so guard those lines in your config (see the contract comment block at the top of
+IndeeHub's `nginx.conf` for a template).
+
+> Non-nginx servers (Next.js `node server.js`, etc.) are not auto-patched today. Either
+> serve via nginx, or ship `nostr-provider.js` yourself and reference it in your HTML;
+> the canonical script lives at `/opt/archipelago/web-ui/nostr-provider.js` on the node.
+
+Declare iframe intent in the manifest so the launcher embeds (vs. opens a new tab):
+
+```yaml
+metadata:
+  launch:
+    open_in_new_tab: false   # default; set true only if the app cannot be iframed
+```
+
 ## Security Requirements
 
 These are enforced by the marketplace/catalog pipeline and the node. Non-compliant apps are flagged.

image-recipe/configs/archipelago-kiosk-launcher.sh

@@ -79,6 +79,16 @@ xset s noblank 2>/dev/null || true
 pkill -u archipelago -f 'chromium.*localhost' 2>/dev/null || true
 sleep 1
 
+# GPU vs headless (#36). On a real kiosk display with a GPU, GPU rasterization is
+# fast. On a GPU-less / headless server (no /dev/dri), --enable-gpu-rasterization
+# forces GPU paths that fall back to software compositing and SPIN a full core at
+# ~92% CPU, saturating the node. Detect the GPU and pick safe flags accordingly.
+if [ -e /dev/dri/card0 ] || [ -e /dev/dri/renderD128 ]; then
+    GPU_FLAGS="--enable-gpu-rasterization --num-raster-threads=2"
+else
+    GPU_FLAGS="--disable-gpu --num-raster-threads=1"
+fi
+
 while true; do
     sudo -u archipelago env DISPLAY=:0 HOME=/home/archipelago chromium --kiosk \
       --app=http://localhost/kiosk?safe_area_x=${KIOSK_SAFE_AREA_X_PX:-0}\&safe_area_y=${KIOSK_SAFE_AREA_Y_PX:-0} \
@@ -92,8 +102,7 @@ while true; do
       --disable-save-password-bubble \
       --disable-suggestions-service \
       --disable-component-update \
-      --enable-gpu-rasterization \
-      --num-raster-threads=2 \
+      $GPU_FLAGS \
       --renderer-process-limit=2 \
       --window-size=1920,1080 \
       --window-position=0,0 \

image-recipe/configs/archipelago-kiosk.service

@@ -20,5 +20,15 @@ TimeoutStartSec=360
 Restart=always
 RestartSec=5
 
+# Resource guardrail (#36). On GPU-less / headless hardware chromium could spin
+# software compositing at ~92% of a core, saturating the node and starving the
+# backend (it caused the .198 receive timeout + deploy storms). Cap CPU + memory
+# so a runaway kiosk can never take the whole machine down; Delegate so the cap
+# also binds the chromium/Xorg children in this unit's cgroup.
+Delegate=yes
+CPUQuota=75%
+MemoryMax=1500M
+MemoryHigh=1200M
+
 [Install]
 WantedBy=multi-user.target

image-recipe/configs/archipelago.service

@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@
 Description=Archipelago Backend
 After=network-online.target archipelago-setup-tor.service
 Wants=network-online.target
+# The data dir AND podman's graphroot (containers/storage) both live on the
+# separate /var/lib/archipelago volume. Without this, on a cold boot the service
+# (and its ExecStartPre) can start BEFORE var-lib-archipelago.mount, write to the
+# bare mountpoint on rootfs, fail every podman call, exit, and get restarted every
+# 5s until the volume mounts (~5 min of "[FAILED] Failed to start" on boot — B17).
+# RequiresMountsFor adds both Requires= and After= on the mount unit so we never
+# start until the data volume is mounted.
+RequiresMountsFor=/var/lib/archipelago
 
 [Service]
 Type=notify

image-recipe/configs/nginx-archipelago.conf

@@ -652,7 +652,14 @@ server {
         proxy_read_timeout 300s;
         proxy_send_timeout 300s;
         proxy_set_header Accept-Encoding "";
-        sub_filter_once on;
+        sub_filter_types text/css application/javascript application/json;
+        sub_filter_once off;
+        sub_filter 'href="/' 'href="/app/fedimint/';
+        sub_filter 'src="/' 'src="/app/fedimint/';
+        sub_filter "href='/" "href='/app/fedimint/";
+        sub_filter "src='/" "src='/app/fedimint/";
+        sub_filter 'url("/' 'url("/app/fedimint/';
+        sub_filter "url('/" "url('/app/fedimint/";
         sub_filter '</head>' '<script src="/nostr-provider.js"></script></head>';
     }
     location /app/fedimint-gateway/ {

image-recipe/configs/snippets/archipelago-https-app-proxies.conf

@@ -174,7 +174,14 @@ location /app/fedimint/ {
     proxy_read_timeout 300s;
     proxy_send_timeout 300s;
     proxy_set_header Accept-Encoding "";
-    sub_filter_once on;
+    sub_filter_types text/css application/javascript application/json;
+    sub_filter_once off;
+    sub_filter 'href="/' 'href="/app/fedimint/';
+    sub_filter 'src="/' 'src="/app/fedimint/';
+    sub_filter "href='/" "href='/app/fedimint/";
+    sub_filter "src='/" "src='/app/fedimint/";
+    sub_filter 'url("/' 'url("/app/fedimint/';
+    sub_filter "url('/" "url('/app/fedimint/";
     sub_filter '</head>' '<script src="/nostr-provider.js"></script></head>';
 }
 location /app/fedimint-gateway/ {

neode-ui/package-lock.json

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "neode-ui",
-  "version": "1.7.92-alpha",
+  "version": "1.7.98-alpha",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "neode-ui",
-      "version": "1.7.92-alpha",
+      "version": "1.7.98-alpha",
       "dependencies": {
         "@types/dompurify": "^3.0.5",
         "@vue-leaflet/vue-leaflet": "^0.10.1",

neode-ui/package.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "neode-ui",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "1.7.92-alpha",
+  "version": "1.7.98-alpha",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "./start-dev.sh",

neode-ui/src/App.vue

@@ -59,6 +59,15 @@
               <p class="mt-0.5 text-sm text-white/70 line-clamp-2">{{ toastMessage.text }}</p>
               <p class="mt-1 text-xs text-orange-400">Click to view</p>
             </div>
+            <button
+              @click.stop="messageToast.closeToast"
+              aria-label="Dismiss notification"
+              class="-mt-1 -mr-1 shrink-0 rounded-full p-1 text-white/40 transition-colors hover:bg-white/10 hover:text-white/80"
+            >
+              <svg class="h-4 w-4" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+                <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M6 18L18 6M6 6l12 12" />
+              </svg>
+            </button>
           </div>
         </div>
       </Transition>
@@ -136,7 +145,7 @@ watch(() => appStore.isAuthenticated, (authenticated) => {
     }
   } else {
     messageToast.stopPolling()
-    toastMessage.value = { show: false, text: '' }
+    toastMessage.value = { show: false, text: '', fromPubkey: '' }
     screensaverStore.clearInactivityTimer()
     screensaverStore.deactivate()
     stopRemoteRelay()

neode-ui/src/api/__tests__/filebrowser-client.test.ts

@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ function jsonResponse(body: unknown, status = 200): Response {
     json: () => Promise.resolve(body),
     text: () => Promise.resolve(typeof body === 'string' ? body : JSON.stringify(body)),
     blob: () => Promise.resolve(new Blob([JSON.stringify(body)])),
-    headers: new Headers(),
+    // A real File Browser JSON response carries this; listDirectory now guards
+    // on it (B4) to detect the SPA-fallback HTML / 502 cases.
+    headers: new Headers({ 'content-type': 'application/json' }),
     redirected: false,
     type: 'basic' as ResponseType,
     url: '',
@@ -119,7 +121,21 @@ describe('FileBrowserClient', () => {
 
       mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(jsonResponse(null, 404))
 
-      await expect(fileBrowserClient.listDirectory('/missing')).rejects.toThrow('Failed to list directory: 404')
+      await expect(fileBrowserClient.listDirectory('/missing')).rejects.toThrow('File Browser is not available (HTTP 404)')
+    })
+
+    it('throws a friendly error when File Browser is absent and nginx serves the SPA (B4)', async () => {
+      setAuthenticated()
+
+      // 200 but text/html (SPA index.html fallback) — res.json() would throw the
+      // opaque "Unexpected token '<'"; the guard must surface a friendly message.
+      const htmlResponse = {
+        ...jsonResponse('<!doctype html><html></html>'),
+        headers: new Headers({ 'content-type': 'text/html' }),
+      } as Response
+      mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(htmlResponse)
+
+      await expect(fileBrowserClient.listDirectory('/')).rejects.toThrow('File Browser is not available')
     })
   })
 

neode-ui/src/api/filebrowser-client.ts

@@ -102,7 +102,15 @@ class FileBrowserClient {
     const res = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}/api/resources${safePath}`, {
       headers: this.headers(),
     })
-    if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Failed to list directory: ${res.status}`)
+    if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`File Browser is not available (HTTP ${res.status})`)
+    // When File Browser isn't installed, nginx falls through to the SPA and
+    // returns index.html (200, text/html); when it's down it returns 502.
+    // Either way res.json() would throw the opaque "Unexpected token '<'"
+    // error, so detect a non-JSON body and surface a friendly message instead.
+    const contentType = res.headers.get('content-type') || ''
+    if (!contentType.includes('application/json')) {
+      throw new Error('File Browser is not available — install or start the File Browser app to use your folders')
+    }
     const data: FileBrowserListResponse = await res.json()
     return (data.items || []).map((item) => ({
       ...item,

neode-ui/src/api/rpc-client.ts

@@ -586,6 +586,21 @@ class RPCClient {
     })
   }
 
+  async checkPackageUpdates(): Promise<{
+    status: string
+    refreshed: boolean
+    catalog_apps?: number
+    error?: string
+  }> {
+    // Refreshes the remote app catalog now (decoupled from the binary OTA).
+    // Per-app `available-update` badges repopulate on the next package scan
+    // and arrive via the usual WebSocket push.
+    return this.call({
+      method: 'package.check-updates',
+      timeout: 25000,
+    })
+  }
+
   async getMarketplace(url: string): Promise<Record<string, unknown>> {
     return this.call({
       method: 'marketplace.get',

neode-ui/src/components/GlobalAudioPlayer.vue

@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@
             class="flex-shrink-0 w-9 h-9 rounded-full bg-white/10 hover:bg-white/20 flex items-center justify-center transition-colors"
             @click="togglePlay"
           >
-            <svg v-if="!audioPlayer.playing.value" class="w-5 h-5 text-white ml-0.5" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+            <svg v-if="audioPlayer.loading.value" class="w-5 h-5 animate-spin text-white" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+              <circle class="opacity-25" cx="12" cy="12" r="10" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="4" />
+              <path class="opacity-75" fill="currentColor" d="M4 12a8 8 0 018-8V0C5.4 0 0 5.4 0 12h4z" />
+            </svg>
+            <svg v-else-if="!audioPlayer.playing.value" class="w-5 h-5 text-white ml-0.5" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
               <path d="M8 5v14l11-7L8 5z" />
             </svg>
             <svg v-else class="w-5 h-5 text-white" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">

neode-ui/src/composables/__tests__/useMessageToast.test.ts

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ describe('useMessageToast', () => {
     toast.receivedMessages.value = []
     toast.lastMessageCount.value = 0
     toast.loadingMessages.value = false
-    toast.toastMessage.value = { show: false, text: '' }
+    toast.toastMessage.value = { show: false, text: '', fromPubkey: '' }
   })
 
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ describe('useMessageToast', () => {
 
   it('dismissToastAndOpenMessages clears toast and navigates', () => {
     const toast = useMessageToast()
-    toast.toastMessage.value = { show: true, text: 'New message' }
+    toast.toastMessage.value = { show: true, text: 'New message', fromPubkey: '' }
     toast.dismissToastAndOpenMessages()
 
     expect(toast.toastMessage.value.show).toBe(false)

neode-ui/src/composables/useAudioPlayer.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ const audio = ref<HTMLAudioElement | null>(null)
 const currentSrc = ref<string | null>(null)
 const currentName = ref('')
 const playing = ref(false)
+const loading = ref(false)
 const currentTime = ref(0)
 const duration = ref(0)
 const error = ref<string | null>(null)
@@ -21,8 +22,22 @@ function init() {
     duration.value = audio.value?.duration ?? 0
     error.value = null
   })
+  // Buffering / connecting over mesh|Tor → show a loader until it can play.
+  audio.value.addEventListener('loadstart', () => {
+    loading.value = true
+  })
+  audio.value.addEventListener('waiting', () => {
+    loading.value = true
+  })
+  audio.value.addEventListener('canplay', () => {
+    loading.value = false
+  })
+  audio.value.addEventListener('playing', () => {
+    loading.value = false
+  })
   audio.value.addEventListener('ended', () => {
     playing.value = false
+    loading.value = false
   })
   audio.value.addEventListener('pause', () => {
     playing.value = false
@@ -33,7 +48,8 @@ function init() {
   })
   audio.value.addEventListener('error', () => {
     playing.value = false
-    error.value = 'Could not play audio. File Browser may not be running.'
+    loading.value = false
+    error.value = 'Could not play this audio file. The peer may be offline, or the file may be unavailable.'
   })
 }
 
@@ -47,6 +63,7 @@ function play(src: string, name: string) {
   }
 
   if (currentSrc.value !== src) {
+    loading.value = true
     audio.value!.src = src
     currentSrc.value = src
     currentName.value = name
@@ -87,6 +104,7 @@ export function useAudioPlayer() {
     seek,
     stop,
     playing,
+    loading,
     currentName,
     currentTime,
     duration,

neode-ui/src/composables/useMessageToast.ts

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ const MESSAGE_POLL_INTERVAL = 30000 // 30s
 const receivedMessages = ref<ReceivedMessage[]>([])
 const lastMessageCount = ref(0)
 const loadingMessages = ref(false)
-const toastMessage = ref<{ show: boolean; text: string }>({ show: false, text: '' })
+const toastMessage = ref<{ show: boolean; text: string; fromPubkey: string }>({ show: false, text: '', fromPubkey: '' })
 let pollTimer: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null
 
 export function useMessageToast() {
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ export function useMessageToast() {
         toastMessage.value = {
           show: true,
           text: (newCount === 1 ? latest?.message : null) ?? `${newCount} new messages`,
+          // Only deep-link to a specific chat when it's a single new message
+          // from one sender; otherwise open the mesh list.
+          fromPubkey: newCount === 1 ? (latest?.from_pubkey ?? '') : '',
         }
         lastMessageCount.value = msgs.length
       } else {
@@ -83,9 +86,16 @@ export function useMessageToast() {
   }
 
   function dismissToastAndOpenMessages() {
-    toastMessage.value = { show: false, text: '' }
+    const peer = toastMessage.value.fromPubkey
+    toastMessage.value = { show: false, text: '', fromPubkey: '' }
     markAsRead()
-    router.push('/dashboard/mesh')
+    // Open the specific conversation when we know the sender; else the mesh list.
+    router.push(peer ? { path: '/dashboard/mesh', query: { peer } } : '/dashboard/mesh')
+  }
+
+  // Dismiss the toast without navigating (the close icon).
+  function closeToast() {
+    toastMessage.value = { show: false, text: '', fromPubkey: '' }
   }
 
   return {
@@ -99,5 +109,6 @@ export function useMessageToast() {
     stopPolling,
     markAsRead,
     dismissToastAndOpenMessages,
+    closeToast,
   }
 }

neode-ui/src/locales/en.json

@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@
     "aiDataAccess": "AI Data Access",
     "serverName": "Hostname",
     "sessionStatus": "Session Status",
-    "yourDid": "Your DID",
+    "yourDid": "Node DID",
     "onionAddress": "Node .onion Address",
     "loggedIn": "Currently logged in",
     "didHelper": "Decentralized identifier for passwordless auth",

neode-ui/src/router/index.ts

@@ -84,12 +84,18 @@ const router = createRouter({
       meta: { public: true },
     },
     {
+      // The kiosk display no longer has its own launcher screen. It runs the
+      // normal app (onboarding → login → dashboard) like any other client.
+      // This route only persists kiosk mode + safe-area insets, then redirects
+      // to the root app. The launcher still points Chromium here (not directly
+      // at `/`) so the 'kiosk' flag gets set — App.vue uses it to skip the
+      // remote relay, which would otherwise double xdotool input on the kiosk
+      // display. Public so the auth guard doesn't bounce us before beforeEnter.
       path: '/kiosk',
       name: 'kiosk',
-      component: () => import('../views/Kiosk.vue'),
+      meta: { public: true },
+      component: () => import('../views/RootRedirect.vue'),
       beforeEnter: (to) => {
-        // Persist kiosk mode before redirect so App.vue can skip the remote relay
-        // (relay duplicates xdotool input on the kiosk display)
         localStorage.setItem('kiosk', 'true')
         const safeArea = to.query.safe_area
         const safeAreaPx = Array.isArray(safeArea) ? safeArea[0] : safeArea
@@ -106,6 +112,8 @@ const router = createRouter({
         if (safeAreaYPx && /^\d{1,3}$/.test(safeAreaYPx)) {
           localStorage.setItem('archipelago_kiosk_safe_area_y_px', safeAreaYPx)
         }
+        // Grid screen removed — hand off to the normal app flow.
+        return { path: '/' }
       },
     },
     {

neode-ui/src/stores/__tests__/homeStatus.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
+import { setActivePinia, createPinia } from 'pinia'
+
+// Mock the rpc-client module
+vi.mock('@/api/rpc-client', () => ({
+  rpcClient: {
+    call: vi.fn(),
+    vpnStatus: vi.fn(),
+  },
+}))
+
+import { useHomeStatusStore } from '../homeStatus'
+import { rpcClient } from '@/api/rpc-client'
+import { PackageState, type PackageDataEntry } from '@/types/api'
+
+const mockedRpc = vi.mocked(rpcClient)
+
+function pkg(state: string): Record<string, PackageDataEntry> {
+  return { 'bitcoin-knots': { state } as unknown as PackageDataEntry }
+}
+
+describe('homeStatus — B16 bitcoin sync status retain (no vanish, no stale-as-live)', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    setActivePinia(createPinia())
+    vi.clearAllMocks()
+  })
+
+  it('records a successful poll as available + not stale', async () => {
+    const store = useHomeStatusStore()
+    mockedRpc.call.mockResolvedValueOnce({ block_height: 800000, sync_progress: 1 })
+    await store.refreshBitcoin({})
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBe(true)
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinSyncPercent).toBe(100)
+    expect(store.bitcoinStale).toBe(false)
+    expect(store.bitcoinLoadState).toBe('ready')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the tile visible (available) but marks stale when getinfo fails while the container is Running', async () => {
+    const store = useHomeStatusStore()
+    // First a good poll so we have real sync numbers.
+    mockedRpc.call.mockResolvedValueOnce({ block_height: 800000, sync_progress: 0.5 })
+    await store.refreshBitcoin(pkg(PackageState.Running))
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBe(true)
+
+    // Now a transient RPC failure (e.g. RPC busy during heavy IBD) — container still Running.
+    mockedRpc.call.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('timeout'))
+    await store.refreshBitcoin(pkg(PackageState.Running))
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBe(true) // does NOT vanish
+    expect(store.bitcoinStale).toBe(true) // shown as "Updating…", not live
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinSyncPercent).toBe(50) // last-known retained
+  })
+
+  it('flips to NOT available (and not stale) when getinfo fails and the container is Stopped — no stale-as-live', async () => {
+    const store = useHomeStatusStore()
+    mockedRpc.call.mockResolvedValueOnce({ block_height: 800000, sync_progress: 1 })
+    await store.refreshBitcoin(pkg(PackageState.Running))
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBe(true)
+
+    mockedRpc.call.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('refused'))
+    await store.refreshBitcoin(pkg(PackageState.Stopped))
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBe(false) // genuinely down → reflect it
+    expect(store.bitcoinStale).toBe(false) // not "Updating…": it's authoritatively stopped
+  })
+
+  it('retains the last-known available value (marked stale) when package data is momentarily absent', async () => {
+    const store = useHomeStatusStore()
+    mockedRpc.call.mockResolvedValueOnce({ block_height: 800000, sync_progress: 1 })
+    await store.refreshBitcoin(pkg(PackageState.Running))
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBe(true)
+
+    // getinfo fails AND the packages map has no authoritative bitcoin entry (route change / scan).
+    mockedRpc.call.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('timeout'))
+    await store.refreshBitcoin({})
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBe(true) // retained, does NOT flash "Not running"
+    expect(store.bitcoinStale).toBe(true)
+    expect(store.bitcoinLoadState).toBe('ready')
+  })
+
+  it('stays unknown (null) without fabricating availability when the first ever poll fails with no package data', async () => {
+    const store = useHomeStatusStore()
+    mockedRpc.call.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('timeout'))
+    await store.refreshBitcoin({})
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBeNull() // nothing known yet — don't invent a tile
+    expect(store.bitcoinLoadState).toBe('error')
+  })
+
+  it('marks bitcoin available + stale when the first poll times out but the container is Running (syncing node)', async () => {
+    const store = useHomeStatusStore()
+    // No prior success; getinfo times out during heavy initial sync, but container is up.
+    mockedRpc.call.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('timeout'))
+    await store.refreshBitcoin(pkg(PackageState.Running))
+    expect(store.stats.bitcoinAvailable).toBe(true) // tile appears instead of staying hidden
+    expect(store.bitcoinStale).toBe(true) // labeled "Updating…" since we have no live numbers yet
+  })
+})

neode-ui/src/stores/homeStatus.ts

@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ export const useHomeStatusStore = defineStore('homeStatus', () => {
   const stats = reactive<SystemStatsSnapshot>(emptyStats())
   const systemLoadState = ref<LoadState>('idle')
   const bitcoinLoadState = ref<LoadState>('idle')
+  // True when we're showing a retained (last-known) bitcoin value because the
+  // latest poll failed transiently — the UI renders an "Updating…" badge so the
+  // figure is never presented as live, and the tile never vanishes mid-sync.
+  const bitcoinStale = ref(false)
   const vpnLoadState = ref<LoadState>('idle')
   const fipsLoadState = ref<LoadState>('idle')
   const lastSystemRefreshAt = ref<number | null>(null)
@@ -109,26 +113,34 @@ export const useHomeStatusStore = defineStore('homeStatus', () => {
       stats.bitcoinSyncPercent = (btc.sync_progress ?? 0) * 100
       stats.bitcoinBlockHeight = btc.block_height ?? 0
       stats.bitcoinAvailable = true
+      bitcoinStale.value = false
       bitcoinLoadState.value = 'ready'
       lastBitcoinRefreshAt.value = Date.now()
     } catch {
       const btcPkg = packages['bitcoin-knots'] || packages['bitcoin-core'] || packages.bitcoin
       if (btcPkg?.state === PackageState.Running) {
+        // Container is up but the RPC call failed (busy during heavy IBD, etc.).
+        // Keep the tile visible with the last-known figures, marked as updating.
         stats.bitcoinAvailable = true
+        bitcoinStale.value = true
         bitcoinLoadState.value = 'ready'
         lastBitcoinRefreshAt.value = Date.now()
         return
       }
 
       if (btcPkg && (btcPkg.state === PackageState.Stopped || btcPkg.state === PackageState.Exited)) {
+        // Authoritatively down — reflect it (do NOT keep showing stale data as live).
         stats.bitcoinAvailable = false
+        bitcoinStale.value = false
         bitcoinLoadState.value = 'ready'
         lastBitcoinRefreshAt.value = Date.now()
         return
       }
 
       // No authoritative package data yet. Keep the previous known value
-      // rather than flashing "Not running" during route changes/scans.
+      // rather than flashing "Not running" during route changes/scans; if we
+      // had a value, surface it as "updating" instead of presenting it as live.
+      if (stats.bitcoinAvailable !== null) bitcoinStale.value = true
       bitcoinLoadState.value = stats.bitcoinAvailable === null ? 'error' : 'ready'
     }
   }
@@ -186,6 +198,7 @@ export const useHomeStatusStore = defineStore('homeStatus', () => {
     stats,
     systemLoadState,
     bitcoinLoadState,
+    bitcoinStale,
     vpnLoadState,
     fipsLoadState,
     systemStatsLoaded,

neode-ui/src/style.css

@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@
 .glass-card:focus-visible,
 .sidebar-nav-item:focus-visible,
 .path-option-card:focus-visible,
-.kiosk-app-tile:focus-visible,
 input:focus-visible,
 textarea:focus-visible,
 select:focus-visible {

neode-ui/src/views/Apps.vue

@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@
     <Transition name="fade">
       <div
         v-if="credentialModal.show"
-        class="credential-modal-overlay fixed inset-0 z-[2700] flex items-stretch justify-stretch bg-black/80 backdrop-blur-md p-0"
+        class="credential-modal-overlay fixed inset-0 z-[2700] flex items-center justify-center bg-black/80 backdrop-blur-md p-4"
         @click.self="closeCredentialModal"
       >
         <div class="credential-modal-panel">
@@ -806,17 +806,22 @@ async function submitSideload() {
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
   width: 100%;
-  height: 100%;
+  max-width: 34rem;
+  /* Centered card that never exceeds the visible viewport (minus safe areas),
+     matching the wallet receive modal / AppIconGrid credential modal. The body
+     scrolls if content overflows rather than the panel stretching edge-to-edge. */
+  max-height: calc(
+    100dvh - var(--safe-area-top, env(safe-area-inset-top, 0px)) -
+      var(--safe-area-bottom, env(safe-area-inset-bottom, 0px)) - 2rem
+  );
   min-height: 0;
-  max-width: none;
-  max-height: none;
   overflow: hidden;
-  border: 0;
-  border-radius: 0;
+  border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.14);
+  border-radius: 1.5rem;
   background: rgba(8, 10, 18, 0.98);
   padding: 1.25rem;
   padding-bottom: calc(1.25rem + var(--safe-area-bottom, env(safe-area-inset-bottom, 0px)));
-  box-shadow: none;
+  box-shadow: 0 24px 70px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55);
 }
 .credential-modal-body {
   flex: 1 1 auto;

neode-ui/src/views/Home.vue

@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
         <!-- Quick Start Goals -->
         <div
           v-if="showQuickStart"
-          class="home-card transition-opacity duration-300"
+          class="home-card lg:col-span-2 transition-opacity duration-300"
           :class="{ 'home-card-animate': animateCards, 'opacity-0 pointer-events-none': showWelcomeBlock && !animateCards }"
           style="--card-stagger: 5"
         >
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ const cloudFolderDisplay = computed(() => cloudFolderCount.value !== null ? Stri
 
 onMounted(async () => {
   try { const usage = await fileBrowserClient.getUsage(); cloudStorageUsed.value = usage.totalSize; cloudFolderCount.value = usage.folderCount } catch { /* not running */ }
-  loadSystemStats(); systemStatsInterval = setInterval(loadSystemStats, 30000); checkUpdateStatus(); loadWeb5Status()
+  loadSystemStats(); systemStatsInterval = setInterval(loadSystemStats, 10000); checkUpdateStatus(); loadWeb5Status()
 })
 
 // Wallet modals
@@ -506,6 +506,7 @@ const systemStatsLoaded = computed(() => homeStatus.systemStatsLoaded)
 const systemStats = computed(() => ({
   ...homeStatus.stats,
   bitcoinAvailable: homeStatus.stats.bitcoinAvailable === true,
+  bitcoinStale: homeStatus.bitcoinStale,
 }))
 const systemUptimeDisplay = computed(() => { if (homeStatus.stats.uptimeSecs === 0) return t('home.systemMonitoring'); const days = Math.floor(homeStatus.stats.uptimeSecs / 86400); const hours = Math.floor((homeStatus.stats.uptimeSecs % 86400) / 3600); if (days > 0) return `Uptime: ${days}d ${hours}h`; const mins = Math.floor((homeStatus.stats.uptimeSecs % 3600) / 60); return `Uptime: ${hours}h ${mins}m` })
 

neode-ui/src/views/Kiosk.vue

@@ -1,286 +0,0 @@
-<template>
-  <div class="kiosk-root" tabindex="0" ref="kioskRoot">
-    <!-- Kiosk launcher grid -->
-    <div class="kiosk-launcher">
-      <!-- Header -->
-      <div class="kiosk-header">
-        <div class="flex items-center gap-4">
-          <img :src="FALLBACK_ICON" alt="Archipelago" class="w-10 h-10" />
-          <div>
-            <h1 class="text-2xl font-bold text-white font-archipelago">Archipelago</h1>
-            <p class="text-sm text-white/50">{{ currentTime }}</p>
-          </div>
-        </div>
-        <div class="flex items-center gap-3">
-          <div class="kiosk-status-pill" :class="isConnected ? 'status-success' : 'status-error'">
-            <div class="w-2 h-2 rounded-full" :class="isConnected ? 'bg-green-400' : 'bg-red-400'"></div>
-            {{ isConnected ? t('kiosk.online') : t('kiosk.offline') }}
-          </div>
-        </div>
-      </div>
-
-      <!-- App grid -->
-      <div class="kiosk-grid">
-        <button
-          v-for="app in launchableApps"
-          :key="app.id"
-          class="kiosk-app-tile"
-          @click="openApp(app)"
-          :data-controller-focusable="true"
-        >
-          <div class="kiosk-app-icon-wrap">
-            <img
-              :src="app.icon"
-              :alt="app.title"
-              class="kiosk-app-icon"
-              @error="($event.target as HTMLImageElement).src = FALLBACK_ICON"
-            />
-            <div
-              class="kiosk-app-status"
-              :class="app.running ? 'bg-green-400' : 'bg-white/30'"
-            />
-          </div>
-          <span class="kiosk-app-label">{{ app.title }}</span>
-        </button>
-      </div>
-
-      <!-- Footer -->
-      <div class="kiosk-footer">
-        <span class="text-white/30 text-sm">{{ t('kiosk.navHint') }}</span>
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  </div>
-</template>
-
-<script setup lang="ts">
-import { ref, computed, onMounted, onUnmounted } from 'vue'
-import { useI18n } from 'vue-i18n'
-import { useAppStore } from '@/stores/app'
-import { useAppLauncherStore } from '@/stores/appLauncher'
-
-const { t } = useI18n()
-const store = useAppStore()
-const appLauncher = useAppLauncherStore()
-const kioskRoot = ref<HTMLElement | null>(null)
-
-interface KioskApp {
-  id: string
-  title: string
-  icon: string
-  url: string
-  running: boolean
-}
-
-// Public asset path — construct with BASE_URL to avoid Vite resolving it as a module import
-const FALLBACK_ICON = `${import.meta.env.BASE_URL}assets/img/favico.png`
-
-const currentTime = ref('')
-
-const isConnected = computed(() => store.isConnected)
-
-// Build list of launchable apps from the store's package data
-const launchableApps = computed<KioskApp[]>(() => {
-  const pkgs = store.data?.['package-data'] || {}
-  const apps: KioskApp[] = []
-
-  // App URL mappings. Bitcoin UI uses its direct host-network port; loading it
-  // through /app/bitcoin-ui/ can render a blank shell because its assets are
-  // rooted at /.
-  const urlMap: Record<string, string> = {
-    'bitcoin-knots': 'http://' + window.location.hostname + ':8334',
-    'lnd': '/app/lnd/',
-    'mempool': '/app/mempool/',
-    'btcpay-server': '/app/btcpay/',
-    'homeassistant': '/app/homeassistant/',
-    'grafana': '/app/grafana/',
-    'jellyfin': '/app/jellyfin/',
-    'nextcloud': '/app/nextcloud/',
-    'immich': '/app/immich/',
-    'photoprism': '/app/photoprism/',
-    'vaultwarden': '/app/vaultwarden/',
-    'filebrowser': '/app/filebrowser/',
-    'searxng': '/app/searxng/',
-    'ollama': '/app/ollama/',
-    'portainer': '/app/portainer/',
-    'uptime-kuma': '/app/uptime-kuma/',
-    'nginx-proxy-manager': '/app/nginx-proxy-manager/',
-    'tailscale': '/app/tailscale/',
-    'fedimint': '/app/fedimint/',
-    'fedimint-gateway': '/app/fedimint-gateway/',
-    'indeedhub': 'http://localhost:7778',
-    'botfights': 'http://localhost:9100',
-    'nwnn': 'https://nwnn.l484.com',
-    '484-kitchen': 'https://484.kitchen',
-    'call-the-operator': 'https://cta.tx1138.com',
-    'arch-presentation': 'https://present.l484.com',
-    'syntropy-institute': 'https://syntropy.institute',
-    't-zero': 'https://teeminuszero.net',
-  }
-
-  for (const [id, pkg] of Object.entries(pkgs)) {
-    const url = urlMap[id]
-    if (!url) continue
-
-    const isRunning = pkg.state === 'running' ||
-      pkg.installed?.status === 'running'
-
-    apps.push({
-      id,
-      title: pkg.manifest?.title || id,
-      icon: pkg['static-files']?.icon || FALLBACK_ICON,
-      url,
-      running: isRunning,
-    })
-  }
-
-  // Sort: running apps first, then alphabetical
-  return apps.sort((a, b) => {
-    if (a.running !== b.running) return a.running ? -1 : 1
-    return a.title.localeCompare(b.title)
-  })
-})
-
-function openApp(app: KioskApp) {
-  // Delegate to the app launcher — handles iframe overlay vs new-tab
-  appLauncher.open({ url: app.url, title: app.title })
-}
-
-// Clock updater
-let clockInterval: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | undefined
-function updateClock() {
-  const now = new Date()
-  currentTime.value = now.toLocaleTimeString([], { hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit' })
-}
-
-onMounted(() => {
-  updateClock()
-  clockInterval = setInterval(updateClock, 30000)
-  kioskRoot.value?.focus()
-
-  // Connect WebSocket if not already
-  if (!store.isConnected) {
-    store.connectWebSocket().catch(() => {})
-  }
-})
-
-onUnmounted(() => {
-  if (clockInterval) clearInterval(clockInterval)
-})
-</script>
-
-<style scoped>
-.kiosk-root {
-  position: fixed;
-  left: var(--kiosk-safe-area-x, 0px);
-  top: var(--kiosk-safe-area-y, 0px);
-  width: calc(100vw - (var(--kiosk-safe-area-x, 0px) * 2));
-  height: calc(100vh - (var(--kiosk-safe-area-y, 0px) * 2));
-  background: #000;
-  outline: none;
-  overflow: hidden;
-  z-index: 9999;
-}
-
-.kiosk-launcher {
-  height: 100%;
-  display: flex;
-  flex-direction: column;
-  padding: clamp(1rem, 3vh, 2rem) clamp(1.5rem, 4vw, 3rem);
-  background: linear-gradient(180deg, #0a0a12 0%, #000 100%);
-  box-sizing: border-box;
-}
-
-.kiosk-header {
-  display: flex;
-  justify-content: space-between;
-  align-items: center;
-  padding-bottom: 2rem;
-  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.08);
-  margin-bottom: 2rem;
-}
-
-.kiosk-status-pill {
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  gap: 0.5rem;
-  padding: 0.375rem 0.75rem;
-  border-radius: 9999px;
-  font-size: 0.875rem;
-  font-weight: 500;
-}
-
-.kiosk-grid {
-  flex: 1;
-  display: grid;
-  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(140px, 1fr));
-  gap: 1.5rem;
-  align-content: start;
-  overflow-y: auto;
-  padding: 0.5rem;
-}
-
-.kiosk-app-tile {
-  display: flex;
-  flex-direction: column;
-  align-items: center;
-  gap: 0.75rem;
-  padding: 1.25rem 0.75rem;
-  border-radius: 1rem;
-  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.04);
-  border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06);
-  transition: all 0.25s ease;
-  cursor: pointer;
-}
-
-.kiosk-app-tile:hover,
-.kiosk-app-tile:focus-visible {
-  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
-  border-color: rgba(251, 146, 60, 0.4);
-  transform: scale(1.05);
-  box-shadow: 0 0 30px rgba(251, 146, 60, 0.15);
-  outline: none;
-}
-
-.kiosk-app-icon-wrap {
-  position: relative;
-  width: 64px;
-  height: 64px;
-}
-
-.kiosk-app-icon {
-  width: 64px;
-  height: 64px;
-  border-radius: 16px;
-  object-fit: cover;
-  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05);
-}
-
-.kiosk-app-status {
-  position: absolute;
-  bottom: -2px;
-  right: -2px;
-  width: 14px;
-  height: 14px;
-  border-radius: 50%;
-  border: 3px solid #000;
-}
-
-.kiosk-app-label {
-  font-size: 0.8125rem;
-  font-weight: 500;
-  color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.85);
-  text-align: center;
-  line-height: 1.2;
-  max-width: 100%;
-  overflow: hidden;
-  text-overflow: ellipsis;
-  white-space: nowrap;
-}
-
-.kiosk-footer {
-  padding-top: 1.5rem;
-  text-align: center;
-  border-top: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06);
-  margin-top: 1.5rem;
-}
-</style>

neode-ui/src/views/Mesh.vue

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
 import { ref, computed, watch, nextTick, onMounted, onUnmounted } from 'vue'
+import { useRoute } from 'vue-router'
 import { useMeshStore } from '@/stores/mesh'
 import { useTransportStore } from '@/stores/transport'
 import type { MeshMessage, MeshPeer, SessionStatus } from '@/stores/mesh'
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ import '@/views/mesh/mesh-styles.css'
 
 const mesh = useMeshStore()
 const transport = useTransportStore()
+const route = useRoute()
 
 // Responsive layout breakpoints
 const isWideDesktop = ref(window.innerWidth >= 1536)
@@ -181,16 +183,24 @@ async function sendArchMessage() {
       selfOnion = tor.tor_address
     } catch { /* non-fatal */ }
     const msg = messageText.value.trim()
-    let sent = 0
-    for (const node of nodes.nodes) {
-      const nodeOnion = node.onion || node.did
-      // Skip sending to ourselves (would create duplicate received message)
-      if (selfOnion && (nodeOnion === selfOnion || nodeOnion === selfOnion.replace('.onion', '') || selfOnion === nodeOnion + '.onion')) continue
-      try {
-        await rpcClient.sendMessageToPeer(nodeOnion, msg)
-        sent++
-      } catch { /* some peers may be offline */ }
-    }
+    const targets = nodes.nodes
+      .map((node) => node.onion || node.did)
+      // Skip sending to ourselves (would create a duplicate received message).
+      .filter(
+        (nodeOnion) =>
+          !(selfOnion &&
+            (nodeOnion === selfOnion ||
+              nodeOnion === selfOnion.replace('.onion', '') ||
+              selfOnion === nodeOnion + '.onion'))
+      )
+    // Send to all peers CONCURRENTLY so the spinner clears after the slowest
+    // single delivery (one Tor round-trip) rather than the sum of all of them —
+    // previously a slow or offline node kept the "sending" spinner up long after
+    // the online peers had already received the message.
+    const results = await Promise.allSettled(
+      targets.map((nodeOnion) => rpcClient.sendMessageToPeer(nodeOnion, msg))
+    )
+    const sent = results.filter((r) => r.status === 'fulfilled').length
     try {
       await rpcClient.call({ method: 'node-store-sent', params: { message: msg } })
     } catch { /* non-fatal */ }
@@ -301,6 +311,15 @@ onMounted(async () => {
   loadPendingFromSession()
   await Promise.all([mesh.refreshAll(), transport.fetchStatus(), refreshFederationNodes(), refreshSelfOnion(), refreshSelfDid(), refreshContacts()])
   refreshOutboxCount()
+  // Deep-link from a message toast: open the sender's conversation if we can
+  // match it; otherwise just land on the mesh page (graceful fallback).
+  const targetPeer = typeof route.query.peer === 'string' ? route.query.peer : ''
+  if (targetPeer) {
+    const match = mesh.peers.find(
+      (p) => p.pubkey_hex === targetPeer || p.did === targetPeer
+    )
+    if (match) openChat(match)
+  }
   // Start background polling for Archipelago (Tor) messages so unread count works
   loadArchMessages()
   if (!archPollInterval) {

neode-ui/src/views/PeerFiles.vue

@@ -30,7 +30,15 @@
           </svg>
         </div>
         <div class="hidden md:block">
-          <h1 class="text-2xl font-bold text-white">{{ peerDisplayName }}</h1>
+          <div class="flex items-center gap-2">
+            <h1 class="text-2xl font-bold text-white">{{ peerDisplayName }}</h1>
+            <span
+              v-if="transportPill"
+              :class="transportPill.cls"
+              :title="transportPill.title"
+              class="text-xs px-2 py-0.5 rounded-full font-medium"
+            >{{ transportPill.label }}</span>
+          </div>
           <p v-if="currentPeer?.did" class="text-sm text-white/50 font-mono truncate max-w-md" :title="currentPeer.did">{{ currentPeer.did }}</p>
           <p v-else class="text-sm text-white/50">Peer files</p>
         </div>
@@ -43,7 +51,7 @@
         <circle class="opacity-25" cx="12" cy="12" r="10" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="4"></circle>
         <path class="opacity-75" fill="currentColor" d="M4 12a8 8 0 018-8V0C5.373 0 0 5.373 0 12h4zm2 5.291A7.962 7.962 0 014 12H0c0 3.042 1.135 5.824 3 7.938l3-2.647z"></path>
       </svg>
-      <p class="text-white/50 text-sm">Connecting via Tor... This may take a few seconds.</p>
+      <p class="text-white/50 text-sm">Connecting to peer… This may take a few seconds.</p>
     </div>
 
     <!-- Error -->
@@ -82,7 +90,7 @@
         <div
           v-for="item in catalogItems"
           :key="item.id"
-          class="glass-card overflow-hidden"
+          class="glass-card overflow-hidden flex flex-col h-full"
         >
         <!-- Media preview (images / videos / audio) -->
         <div
@@ -142,8 +150,9 @@
           </div>
         </div>
 
-        <!-- Card body -->
-        <div class="p-4 flex items-center gap-4">
+        <!-- Card body — pinned to the bottom so the filename + action buttons
+             line up across cards of differing preview heights. -->
+        <div class="p-4 flex items-center gap-4 mt-auto">
           <div v-if="!isMediaMime(item.mime_type)" class="flex-shrink-0 w-10 h-10 rounded-lg flex items-center justify-center" :class="fileIconBg(item.mime_type)">
             <svg class="w-5 h-5" :class="fileIconColor(item.mime_type)" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
               <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" :d="fileIconPath(item.mime_type)" />
@@ -226,12 +235,30 @@
               </svg>
             </button>
             <!-- Video element -->
-            <video
-              :src="videoPlayerUrl"
-              class="w-full rounded-xl"
-              controls
-              autoplay
-            />
+            <div class="relative">
+              <video
+                :src="videoPlayerUrl"
+                class="w-full rounded-xl bg-black"
+                controls
+                autoplay
+                @playing="videoLoading = false"
+                @canplay="videoLoading = false"
+                @error="videoLoading = false; videoError = true"
+              />
+              <!-- Loader while the stream connects over mesh/Tor -->
+              <div v-if="videoLoading && !videoError" class="absolute inset-0 flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-3 rounded-xl bg-black/60 pointer-events-none">
+                <svg class="w-8 h-8 animate-spin text-white/80" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+                  <circle class="opacity-25" cx="12" cy="12" r="10" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="4" />
+                  <path class="opacity-75" fill="currentColor" d="M4 12a8 8 0 018-8V0C5.4 0 0 5.4 0 12h4z" />
+                </svg>
+                <span class="text-sm text-white/70">Connecting to peer…</span>
+              </div>
+              <!-- Error state -->
+              <div v-if="videoError" class="absolute inset-0 flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-2 rounded-xl bg-black/70 text-center px-4">
+                <p class="text-sm text-white/80">Couldn't play this video</p>
+                <p class="text-xs text-white/50">The peer may be offline, or this preview can't be played. Try downloading it instead.</p>
+              </div>
+            </div>
             <!-- Info bar -->
             <div class="mt-3 flex items-center justify-between">
               <div>
@@ -288,6 +315,23 @@ const catalogItems = ref<CatalogItem[]>([])
 const downloading = ref<string | null>(null)
 const playing = ref<string | null>(null)
 const purchaseError = ref<string | null>(null)
+// Transport actually used to reach this peer (returned by content.browse-peer)
+// so we can show a FIPS/Tor pill instead of always assuming Tor (B21).
+const transport = ref<string | null>(null)
+const transportPill = computed(() => {
+  switch (transport.value) {
+    case 'fips':
+      return { label: 'FIPS', cls: 'bg-green-500/20 text-green-300', title: 'Connected over the fast encrypted mesh (FIPS)' }
+    case 'mesh':
+      return { label: 'Mesh', cls: 'bg-green-500/20 text-green-300', title: 'Connected over the mesh' }
+    case 'lan':
+      return { label: 'LAN', cls: 'bg-blue-500/20 text-blue-300', title: 'Connected over the local network' }
+    case 'tor':
+      return { label: 'Tor', cls: 'bg-amber-500/20 text-amber-300', title: 'Connected over Tor (slower)' }
+    default:
+      return null
+  }
+})
 const previewUrls = reactive<Record<string, string>>({})
 const audioPlayer = useAudioPlayer()
 
@@ -295,6 +339,10 @@ const audioPlayer = useAudioPlayer()
 const videoPlayerItem = ref<CatalogItem | null>(null)
 const videoPlayerUrl = ref<string | null>(null)
 const videoPlayerPaid = ref(false)
+// Streaming a peer's file connects over mesh/Tor before the first frame, so
+// show a loader until the element can actually play (or errors).
+const videoLoading = ref(false)
+const videoError = ref(false)
 
 const peerDisplayName = computed(() => {
   if (currentPeer.value?.name) return currentPeer.value.name
@@ -329,12 +377,13 @@ async function loadCatalog() {
   loading.value = true
   catalogError.value = ''
   try {
-    const result = await rpcClient.call<{ items?: CatalogItem[] }>({
+    const result = await rpcClient.call<{ items?: CatalogItem[]; transport?: string }>({
       method: 'content.browse-peer',
       params: { onion },
       timeout: 30000,
     })
     catalogItems.value = result?.items ?? []
+    transport.value = result?.transport ?? null
   } catch (e: unknown) {
     catalogError.value = e instanceof Error ? e.message : 'Failed to connect to peer'
     if (!hadItems) catalogItems.value = []
@@ -511,6 +560,22 @@ async function playMedia(item: CatalogItem) {
 
   const paid = isPaidItem(item.access)
 
+  // Free content: stream via the Range-capable proxy (B3) so the player can
+  // seek and start instantly, instead of downloading the whole file as a
+  // base64 blob into a non-seekable Blob URL (which broke video/large audio).
+  if (!paid) {
+    const streamUrl = `/api/peer-content/${encodeURIComponent(onion)}/${encodeURIComponent(item.id)}`
+    if (item.mime_type.startsWith('audio/')) {
+      audioPlayer.play(streamUrl, item.filename.split('/').pop() || item.filename)
+    } else if (item.mime_type.startsWith('video/')) {
+      videoPlayerItem.value = item
+      videoPlayerUrl.value = streamUrl
+      videoPlayerPaid.value = false
+    }
+    return
+  }
+
+  // Paid content: use the preview/download flow below.
   // If we already have a preview blob URL, use it
   const existingUrl = previewUrls[item.id]
   if (existingUrl) {
@@ -562,8 +627,19 @@ function closeVideoPlayer() {
   videoPlayerItem.value = null
   videoPlayerUrl.value = null
   videoPlayerPaid.value = false
+  videoLoading.value = false
+  videoError.value = false
 }
 
+// Show the loader the moment a video opens; the element's playing/canplay/error
+// events clear it.
+watch(videoPlayerUrl, (url) => {
+  if (url) {
+    videoLoading.value = true
+    videoError.value = false
+  }
+})
+
 function triggerDownload(base64Data: string, item: CatalogItem) {
   const blob = new Blob(
     [Uint8Array.from(atob(base64Data), c => c.charCodeAt(0))],

neode-ui/src/views/SystemUpdate.vue

@@ -871,6 +871,13 @@ async function downloadUpdate() {
       await loadStatus()
       showStatus(t('systemUpdate.upToDateMessage'))
     } else {
+      // A failed download is NOT a staged update — return the UI to the
+      // Download button so the user can retry, instead of stranding them on
+      // Install. Re-sync from the backend (its self-heal clears a stale
+      // update_in_progress once the partial staging is cleaned up).
+      downloaded.value = false
+      updateInProgress.value = false
+      await loadStatus()
       showStatus(`${t('systemUpdate.downloadFailed')} ${msg}`, true)
     }
     if (import.meta.env.DEV) console.warn('Download failed', e)

neode-ui/src/views/appSession/AppSessionFrame.vue

@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@
          index is still being built (the Electrum server can't serve clients
          until then). Mirrors the Fedimint Guardian "wait page" design. -->
     <Transition name="content-fade">
-      <div v-if="electrsSync" class="absolute inset-0 z-10 flex flex-col items-center justify-center">
+      <!-- Sync overlay only while ElectrumX is actively indexing. If the status
+           goes stale (ElectrumX disconnected/unresponsive) we stop blocking and
+           let the app's own UI load instead of a loader stuck on top (B7). -->
+      <div v-if="electrsSync && !electrsSync.stale" class="absolute inset-0 z-10 flex flex-col items-center justify-center">
         <div class="text-center px-8 w-full max-w-md">
           <div class="w-16 h-16 mx-auto mb-4 rounded-2xl bg-white/5 border border-white/10 flex items-center justify-center">
             <svg class="w-8 h-8 text-orange-300 animate-pulse" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
@@ -42,7 +45,7 @@
     </Transition>
 
     <div
-      v-if="appUrl && !iframeBlocked && !electrsSync"
+      v-if="appUrl && !iframeBlocked && (!electrsSync || electrsSync.stale)"
       class="absolute inset-0 app-session-frame-scroll-host"
       tabindex="-1"
       @pointerdown="focusIframe"

neode-ui/src/views/home/HomeSystemCard.vue

@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@
             <div v-if="stats.bitcoinAvailable" class="p-4 bg-white/5 rounded-lg">
               <div class="flex items-center justify-between mb-2">
                 <p class="text-xs text-orange-400/80">Bitcoin</p>
-                <p class="text-sm font-medium" :class="stats.bitcoinSyncPercent >= 99.9 ? 'text-green-400' : 'text-orange-400'">
-                  {{ stats.bitcoinSyncPercent >= 99.9 ? 'Synced' : stats.bitcoinSyncPercent.toFixed(1) + '%' }}
+                <p class="text-sm font-medium" :class="stats.bitcoinStale ? 'text-white/50' : (stats.bitcoinSyncPercent >= 99.9 ? 'text-green-400' : 'text-orange-400')">
+                  {{ stats.bitcoinStale ? 'Updating…' : (stats.bitcoinSyncPercent >= 99.9 ? 'Synced' : stats.bitcoinSyncPercent.toFixed(1) + '%') }}
                 </p>
               </div>
               <div class="w-full h-2 bg-white/10 rounded-full overflow-hidden">
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ defineProps<{
     bitcoinSyncPercent: number
     bitcoinBlockHeight: number
     bitcoinAvailable: boolean
+    bitcoinStale?: boolean
   }
   uptimeDisplay: string
 }>()

neode-ui/src/views/server/FipsSeedAnchorsCard.vue

@@ -69,11 +69,18 @@
       </label>
       <label class="flex flex-col gap-1">
         <span class="text-xs text-white/60">Address (host:port)</span>
-        <input v-model="draft.address" type="text" placeholder="192.168.1.116:8668" class="px-3 py-2 rounded-md bg-white/5 border border-white/10 text-sm text-white focus:border-white/30 focus:outline-none" />
+        <input v-model="draft.address" type="text" placeholder="185.18.221.160:8443" class="px-3 py-2 rounded-md bg-white/5 border border-white/10 text-sm text-white focus:border-white/30 focus:outline-none" />
       </label>
       <label class="flex flex-col gap-1">
+        <span class="text-xs text-white/60">Transport</span>
+        <select v-model="draft.transport" class="px-3 py-2 rounded-md bg-white/5 border border-white/10 text-sm text-white focus:border-white/30 focus:outline-none">
+          <option value="tcp">tcp (public anchor / over internet)</option>
+          <option value="udp">udp (same LAN)</option>
+        </select>
+      </label>
+      <label class="flex flex-col gap-1 sm:col-span-2">
         <span class="text-xs text-white/60">Label (optional)</span>
-        <input v-model="draft.label" type="text" placeholder="Home anchor" class="px-3 py-2 rounded-md bg-white/5 border border-white/10 text-sm text-white focus:border-white/30 focus:outline-none" />
+        <input v-model="draft.label" type="text" placeholder="Public anchor" class="px-3 py-2 rounded-md bg-white/5 border border-white/10 text-sm text-white focus:border-white/30 focus:outline-none" />
       </label>
       <button type="submit" class="sm:col-span-2 min-h-[44px] glass-button rounded-lg text-sm font-medium disabled:opacity-60" :disabled="adding || !draft.npub || !draft.address">{{ adding ? 'Adding…' : 'Add anchor' }}</button>
     </form>
@@ -106,9 +113,10 @@ const applying = ref(false)
 const statusMessage = ref('')
 const statusIsError = ref(false)
 
-const draft = reactive<Pick<SeedAnchor, 'npub' | 'address' | 'label'>>({
+const draft = reactive<Pick<SeedAnchor, 'npub' | 'address' | 'transport' | 'label'>>({
   npub: '',
   address: '',
+  transport: 'tcp',
   label: '',
 })
 
@@ -136,7 +144,7 @@ async function addAnchor() {
       params: {
         npub: draft.npub.trim(),
         address: draft.address.trim(),
-        transport: 'udp',
+        transport: draft.transport,
         label: draft.label.trim(),
       },
     })

neode-ui/src/views/settings/AccountInfoSection.vue

@@ -50,13 +50,19 @@ useBodyScrollLock(showReleaseNotes)
 const serverTorAddressFromStore = computed(() => store.serverInfo?.['tor-address'] || null)
 const torAddressFromRpc = ref<string | null>(null)
 const serverTorAddress = computed(() => serverTorAddressFromStore.value || torAddressFromRpc.value)
+// Fallback DID fetched from the backend when localStorage doesn't have one
+// (e.g. a browser/node where onboarding never stored `neode_did`).
+const didFromRpc = ref<string | null>(null)
 const userDid = computed(() => {
   try {
-    return localStorage.getItem('neode_did') || null
+    return localStorage.getItem('neode_did') || didFromRpc.value
   } catch {
-    return null
+    return didFromRpc.value
   }
 })
+// The node's seed-derived Nostr public key (npub), fetched from the backend.
+const userNpub = ref<string | null>(null)
+const copiedNpub = ref(false)
 
 const copiedOnion = ref(false)
 const copiedDid = ref(false)
@@ -100,6 +106,17 @@ async function copyDid() {
   setTimeout(() => { copiedDid.value = false }, 2000)
 }
 
+async function copyNpub() {
+  if (!userNpub.value) return
+  try {
+    await navigator.clipboard.writeText(userNpub.value)
+  } catch {
+    return
+  }
+  copiedNpub.value = true
+  setTimeout(() => { copiedNpub.value = false }, 2000)
+}
+
 // Load Tor address on mount if not in store
 async function init() {
   if (!serverTorAddressFromStore.value) {
@@ -110,6 +127,29 @@ async function init() {
       if (import.meta.env.DEV) console.warn('Tor address may not be available yet', e)
     }
   }
+  // DID: fall back to the node.did RPC when localStorage doesn't have one, so
+  // the Identity card shows the DID on every node (not just ones where the
+  // browser cached it during onboarding).
+  let storedDid: string | null = null
+  try { storedDid = localStorage.getItem('neode_did') } catch { /* unavailable */ }
+  if (!storedDid) {
+    try {
+      const res = await rpcClient.call<{ did?: string }>({ method: 'node.did' })
+      if (res?.did) {
+        didFromRpc.value = res.did
+        try { localStorage.setItem('neode_did', res.did) } catch { /* unavailable */ }
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      if (import.meta.env.DEV) console.warn('node.did unavailable', e)
+    }
+  }
+  // The node's seed-derived Nostr public key (npub) for the Identity card.
+  try {
+    const res = await rpcClient.call<{ nostr_npub?: string }>({ method: 'node.nostr-pubkey' })
+    if (res?.nostr_npub) userNpub.value = res.nostr_npub
+  } catch (e) {
+    if (import.meta.env.DEV) console.warn('node.nostr-pubkey unavailable', e)
+  }
 }
 init()
 </script>
@@ -188,6 +228,96 @@ init()
               </button>
             </div>
             <div class="overflow-y-auto flex-1 min-h-0 space-y-6 pr-1">
+              <!-- v1.7.98-alpha -->
+              <div>
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
+                  <span class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-orange-500/20 text-orange-300">v1.7.98-alpha</span>
+                  <span class="text-xs text-white/40">June 16, 2026</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="space-y-3 text-sm text-white/80 pl-3 border-l border-white/10">
+                  <p>Apps that crash now recover on their own. Multi-part apps like Immich and IndeedHub could have one of their pieces stop and stay stopped until the whole node was rebooted; the node now checks every couple of minutes and restarts any crashed piece automatically (while still leaving apps you deliberately stopped alone).</p>
+                  <p>The on-screen kiosk display can no longer slow the whole node down. On machines without a graphics chip the kiosk browser could spin a CPU core at full tilt, starving everything else (including the wallet, which then timed out); it's now capped and uses lighter rendering on those machines.</p>
+                  <p>If an update download fails, you're taken back to the Download button to retry, instead of being stranded on an Install button for an update that didn't actually finish downloading.</p>
+                  <p>Your node's identity is clearer and always visible: Settings now shows your Node DID on every node (it previously only appeared if your browser had cached it) plus your node's npub, both with copy buttons. There's also a terminal tool to cryptographically prove all your node's keys come from your one seed phrase.</p>
+                  <p>The "all nodes over Tor" group chat sends quickly now — the "sending" spinner clears as soon as the reachable nodes have the message, instead of hanging on a slow or offline node.</p>
+                  <p>Message notifications now have a close button and open the relevant chat when tapped.</p>
+                  <p>The encrypted mesh transport (FIPS) turns itself on automatically after setup — no button to press — and connects to peers more reliably (it retries and keeps connections warm), so node-to-node features use the fast path more often instead of falling back to Tor.</p>
+                  <p>Your chat history with other nodes is saved reliably and now encrypted on disk, so it survives restarts and updates and can't be read from a stolen drive (only clearing chat removes it).</p>
+                  <p>Peer media shows a "connecting" loader before a video or audio file plays, and audio errors are accurate instead of blaming File Browser.</p>
+                  <p>The Fedimint app now displays with its proper styling, and the Connected Nodes screen stays compact — it shows a few nodes and scrolls, you can tap a node to jump to it in Federation, or tap Message to open its chat.</p>
+                  <p>App updates can now arrive on their own without waiting for a full system release, so individual apps can be improved and shipped faster.</p>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              <!-- v1.7.97-alpha -->
+              <div>
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
+                  <span class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-orange-500/20 text-orange-300">v1.7.97-alpha</span>
+                  <span class="text-xs text-white/40">June 16, 2026</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="space-y-3 text-sm text-white/80 pl-3 border-l border-white/10">
+                  <p>The Bitcoin sync status on the home screen no longer disappears for a moment when it refreshes. If the node was briefly busy, the panel used to vanish and pop back; it now stays put and simply shows "Updating…" until the next reading arrives, while a genuinely stopped node still correctly shows as not running.</p>
+                  <p>Bitcoin sync progress on the home screen now updates more promptly, so the percentage and block height keep pace with the node instead of lagging behind.</p>
+                  <p>The Lightning wallet "connect your wallet" screen loads its details and QR code again across all nodes, instead of failing to fetch them.</p>
+                  <p>Your list of trusted nodes is now clean: the same node no longer appears several times under different names, and removed nodes stay removed. In chat, a node that previously showed up as two separate contacts now appears just once.</p>
+                  <p>Browsing another node's cloud is smoother: music and video files from a peer now preview and play properly (including seeking partway through), and the connection now shows a small badge telling you whether it's using the fast encrypted mesh or the slower Tor network.</p>
+                  <p>Opening "My Folders" in the cloud now shows a clear, friendly message when the file app isn't running, instead of a confusing error.</p>
+                  <p>The Electrum server app opens on its own once it's ready, instead of sometimes leaving a loading spinner stuck on top of the screen.</p>
+                  <p>The Fedimint app now displays with its proper styling and icons, instead of appearing unstyled with a missing image.</p>
+                  <p>The Mempool app now connects to your Bitcoin node whether the node is Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots, instead of only working with one of them.</p>
+                  <p>Nodes start up cleanly after a reboot. On some boots the node's main service was trying to start before its data drive had finished mounting, so it failed and retried about twenty times over roughly five minutes — showing a wall of "Failed to start" messages — before finally coming up. It now waits for the data drive to be ready first, so it starts on the first try.</p>
+                  <p>The background images throughout the interface now load faster — they've been made significantly smaller with no loss of quality.</p>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              <!-- v1.7.96-alpha -->
+              <div>
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
+                  <span class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-orange-500/20 text-orange-300">v1.7.96-alpha</span>
+                  <span class="text-xs text-white/40">June 15, 2026</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="space-y-3 text-sm text-white/80 pl-3 border-l border-white/10">
+                  <p>The screen attached to your node now shows the normal Archipelago interface and your dashboard after you sign in, instead of a separate, stripped-down grid of app icons that could appear in its place. That extra screen has been removed so the attached display matches what you see everywhere else.</p>
+                  <p>On a brand-new node, the attached screen now walks through the same welcome and setup steps you'd see on a phone or laptop, and shows the normal sign-in screen once the node is set up — so the on-device display always matches the rest of the interface.</p>
+                  <p>When adding a FIPS network anchor, you can now choose whether it connects over TCP (for a public anchor reached across the internet) or UDP (for one on your local network), instead of it always assuming the local-network option.</p>
+                  <p>Behind the scenes, a new automated two-node test now exercises real node-to-node features — browsing another node's shared files and handling a removed node — against live nodes before each release, so node-to-node problems are caught earlier.</p>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              <!-- v1.7.95-alpha -->
+              <div>
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
+                  <span class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-orange-500/20 text-orange-300">v1.7.95-alpha</span>
+                  <span class="text-xs text-white/40">June 15, 2026</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="space-y-3 text-sm text-white/80 pl-3 border-l border-white/10">
+                  <p>Browsing another node's shared files now works over the fast encrypted mesh. Opening a peer's cloud could fail with a generic "Operation failed" message because the request for their file list wasn't permitted over the mesh and came back as "not found" — and it never retried over Tor. The mesh now serves the file list directly, and if a peer can't answer over the mesh the node automatically falls back to Tor instead of giving up.</p>
+                  <p>Nodes you remove from your federation now stay removed. Previously a deleted node could quietly come back the next time you synced with another node that still listed it. Removed nodes are now remembered as removed and won't reappear on their own — only if you add them back yourself.</p>
+                  <p>The app credentials pop-up now appears as a normal centred box with a dimmed background over the whole screen, instead of stretching to fill the entire screen.</p>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              <!-- v1.7.94-alpha -->
+              <div>
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
+                  <span class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-orange-500/20 text-orange-300">v1.7.94-alpha</span>
+                  <span class="text-xs text-white/40">June 15, 2026</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="space-y-3 text-sm text-white/80 pl-3 border-l border-white/10">
+                  <p>Your node now joins the private encrypted mesh network on its own. A wrong built-in setting meant nodes were quietly never reaching the shared mesh meeting point, so everything between nodes fell back to the slower Tor network. Every node now connects to the mesh automatically on startup, so node-to-node features like file sharing use the faster encrypted mesh first and only fall back to Tor when a peer is genuinely offline. (Confirmed live: a node with its mesh setting wiped re-connected to the mesh by itself within a second of starting.)</p>
+                  <p>You can now bring the mesh networking software up to the latest stable version straight from the node, with one action — it fetches the new version, checks it's genuine before installing, and restarts the mesh on its own. (Confirmed live end to end: a node on an older build was upgraded to the current stable release and rejoined the mesh automatically.)</p>
+                  <p>The Lightning wallet screen connects again on nodes where it was showing a "failed to fetch" error instead of your balance and channels. The wallet app and the node now talk to each other correctly, and the connection quietly repairs itself if its details drift after a restart.</p>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              <!-- v1.7.93-alpha -->
+              <div>
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
+                  <span class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-orange-500/20 text-orange-300">v1.7.93-alpha</span>
+                  <span class="text-xs text-white/40">June 14, 2026</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="space-y-3 text-sm text-white/80 pl-3 border-l border-white/10">
+                  <p>Receiving Bitcoin and Lightning works again on nodes where the Lightning wallet was stuck locked. After some updates the wallet could come back locked with a password the node no longer had, so "generate a receive address" kept failing with a "wallet is locked" message that nothing could clear. The node now detects this and repairs itself automatically.</p>
+                  <p>Each node now secures its Lightning wallet with its own unique, randomly generated password instead of a shared built-in one, and remembers it safely so the wallet unlocks on its own after every restart or update — no more getting stuck locked.</p>
+                  <p>If a wallet is found locked with an unrecoverable password, the node rebuilds it cleanly so Bitcoin and Lightning start working again. (On these early-access nodes the wallet holds no funds, so nothing is lost — a wallet locked with an unknown password was already inaccessible.)</p>
+                  <p>The self-repair was validated end to end on live nodes: a stuck, locked wallet was detected, rebuilt, and came back unlocked on its own, and stayed unlocked across restarts.</p>
+                </div>
+              </div>
               <!-- v1.7.92-alpha -->
               <div>
                 <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
@@ -1446,8 +1576,8 @@ init()
       <p class="text-base font-medium text-white/90">{{ t('settings.loggedIn') }}</p>
     </div>
 
-    <!-- Identity Card: DID + Tor Address -->
-    <div v-if="userDid || serverTorAddress" class="bg-black/20 rounded-xl px-5 py-4 border border-white/10 md:col-span-2 space-y-4">
+    <!-- Identity Card: DID + npub + Tor Address -->
+    <div v-if="userDid || userNpub || serverTorAddress" class="bg-black/20 rounded-xl px-5 py-4 border border-white/10 md:col-span-2 space-y-4">
       <div v-if="userDid">
         <div class="flex items-center justify-between gap-2 mb-2">
           <div class="flex items-center gap-3 min-w-0">
@@ -1470,7 +1600,29 @@ init()
         <p class="text-sm font-mono text-white/90 break-all" :title="userDid">{{ userDid }}</p>
         <p class="text-xs text-white/50 mt-1">{{ t('settings.didHelper') }}</p>
       </div>
-      <div v-if="serverTorAddress" :class="userDid ? 'pt-4 border-t border-white/10' : ''">
+      <div v-if="userNpub" :class="userDid ? 'pt-4 border-t border-white/10' : ''">
+        <div class="flex items-center justify-between gap-2 mb-2">
+          <div class="flex items-center gap-3 min-w-0">
+            <svg class="w-5 h-5 text-purple-400 shrink-0" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+              <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M15 7a2 2 0 012 2m4 0a6 6 0 01-7.743 5.743L11 17H9v2H7v2H4a1 1 0 01-1-1v-2.586a1 1 0 01.293-.707l5.964-5.964A6 6 0 1121 9z" />
+            </svg>
+            <p class="text-xs font-semibold text-white/60 uppercase tracking-wide">Node npub</p>
+          </div>
+          <button
+            @click="copyNpub"
+            class="shrink-0 px-3 py-1.5 rounded-lg glass-button glass-button-sm text-xs font-medium text-white/90 hover:text-white transition-colors flex items-center gap-1.5"
+          >
+            <svg v-if="!copiedNpub" class="w-4 h-4" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+              <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M8 16H6a2 2 0 01-2-2V6a2 2 0 012-2h8a2 2 0 012 2v2m-6 12h8a2 2 0 002-2v-8a2 2 0 00-2-2h-8a2 2 0 00-2 2v8a2 2 0 002 2z" />
+            </svg>
+            <span v-else class="text-green-400 text-xs">{{ t('common.copied') }}</span>
+            <span v-if="!copiedNpub">{{ t('common.copy') }}</span>
+          </button>
+        </div>
+        <p class="text-sm font-mono text-white/90 break-all" :title="userNpub">{{ userNpub }}</p>
+        <p class="text-xs text-white/50 mt-1">Your node's Nostr public key, derived from its seed.</p>
+      </div>
+      <div v-if="serverTorAddress" :class="(userDid || userNpub) ? 'pt-4 border-t border-white/10' : ''">
         <div class="flex items-center gap-3 mb-2">
           <svg class="w-5 h-5 text-amber-400 shrink-0" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
             <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M21 12a9 9 0 01-9 9m9-9a9 9 0 00-9-9m9 9H3m9 9a9 9 0 01-9-9m9 9c1.657 0 3-4.03 3-9s-1.343-9-3-9m0 18c-1.657 0-3-4.03-3-9s1.343-9 3-9m-9 9a9 9 0 019-9" />