Document Minibits description customization limits

AGENTS.md

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# Blocking incident: Framework LND startup and false zero balance
+
+Before starting or resuming work in this repository, read
+`docs/incident-framework-lnd-startup.md` and check its status.
+
+The user explicitly required this incident to take priority over later work.
+While its status is OPEN:
+
+- Surface this blocker at session start, including when the user asks for unrelated work.
+- Prioritize investigation and repair on the actual Framework node. If access is
+  unavailable, ask for it and continue useful offline investigation; defer unrelated
+  work unless the user explicitly overrides this priority.
+- A manual LND restart, a source patch, passing local tests, or publishing an OTA
+  does not resolve the incident. Do not mark it fixed until the Framework's startup,
+  Receive flow, and balance behavior are verified on the node, including a controlled
+  reboot with access and recovery arrangements in place.
+- Preserve wallet identity, wallet/channel databases, credentials, and backups.
+  Never run wallet wipe/recreation as an automatic investigation or recovery step.
+- Record evidence, changes, validation, and remaining work in the incident document.
+
+This priority comes from the user's explicit instruction on 2026-09-15. It remains
+in effect across sessions until the documented acceptance criteria are met or the
+user explicitly changes it.

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

@@ -73,6 +73,42 @@ struct LndChannelBalanceResponse {
     pending_open_local_balance: Option<LndAmount>,
 }
 
+/// Reject unavailable LND data before it can be decoded as an empty, zero wallet.
+async fn get_lnd_json<T: serde::de::DeserializeOwned>(
+    client: &reqwest::Client,
+    url: &str,
+    macaroon_hex: &str,
+) -> Result<T> {
+    client
+        .get(url)
+        .header("Grpc-Metadata-macaroon", macaroon_hex)
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .context("LND is unavailable; balance could not be checked")?
+        .error_for_status()
+        .context("LND is not ready; balance could not be checked")?
+        .json()
+        .await
+        .context("LND returned invalid wallet data")
+}
+
+fn checked_balances(
+    wallet: LndBalanceResponse,
+    channels: LndChannelBalanceResponse,
+) -> Result<(i64, i64, i64)> {
+    fn sats(value: Option<String>) -> Result<i64> {
+        let value = value.context("LND omitted a balance; balance is unavailable")?;
+        let amount: i64 = value.parse().context("LND returned an invalid balance")?;
+        anyhow::ensure!(amount >= 0, "LND returned a negative balance");
+        Ok(amount)
+    }
+    Ok((
+        sats(wallet.total_balance)?,
+        sats(channels.local_balance.and_then(|a| a.sat))?,
+        sats(channels.pending_open_local_balance.and_then(|a| a.sat))?,
+    ))
+}
+
 impl RpcHandler {
     pub(in crate::api::rpc) async fn handle_lnd_getinfo(&self) -> Result<serde_json::Value> {
         let macaroon_bytes = read_lnd_admin_macaroon().await?;
@@ -85,45 +121,26 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             .build()
             .context("Failed to create HTTP client")?;
 
-        let get_info: LndGetInfoResponse = client
-            .get(format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/getinfo"))
-            .header("Grpc-Metadata-macaroon", &macaroon_hex)
-            .send()
-            .await
-            .context("LND REST connection failed")?
-            .json()
-            .await
-            .context("Failed to parse LND getinfo response")?;
-
-        let channel_balance: LndChannelBalanceResponse = match client
-            .get(format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/balance/channels"))
-            .header("Grpc-Metadata-macaroon", &macaroon_hex)
-            .send()
-            .await
-        {
-            Ok(resp) => resp.json().await.unwrap_or(LndChannelBalanceResponse {
-                local_balance: None,
-                pending_open_local_balance: None,
-            }),
-            Err(_) => LndChannelBalanceResponse {
-                local_balance: None,
-                pending_open_local_balance: None,
-            },
-        };
-
-        let wallet_balance: LndBalanceResponse = match client
-            .get(format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/balance/blockchain"))
-            .header("Grpc-Metadata-macaroon", &macaroon_hex)
-            .send()
-            .await
-        {
-            Ok(resp) => resp.json().await.unwrap_or(LndBalanceResponse {
-                total_balance: None,
-            }),
-            Err(_) => LndBalanceResponse {
-                total_balance: None,
-            },
-        };
+        let get_info: LndGetInfoResponse = get_lnd_json(
+            &client,
+            &format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/getinfo"),
+            &macaroon_hex,
+        )
+        .await?;
+        let channel_balance: LndChannelBalanceResponse = get_lnd_json(
+            &client,
+            &format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/balance/channels"),
+            &macaroon_hex,
+        )
+        .await?;
+        let wallet_balance: LndBalanceResponse = get_lnd_json(
+            &client,
+            &format!("{LND_REST_BASE_URL}/v1/balance/blockchain"),
+            &macaroon_hex,
+        )
+        .await?;
+        let (balance_sats, channel_balance_sats, pending_open_balance) =
+            checked_balances(wallet_balance, channel_balance)?;
 
         let (identity_pubkey, uris) = map_identity(&get_info);
 
@@ -135,18 +152,9 @@ impl RpcHandler {
             num_peers: get_info.num_peers.unwrap_or(0),
             synced_to_chain: get_info.synced_to_chain.unwrap_or(false),
             block_height: get_info.block_height.unwrap_or(0),
-            balance_sats: wallet_balance
-                .total_balance
-                .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
-                .unwrap_or(0),
-            channel_balance_sats: channel_balance
-                .local_balance
-                .and_then(|a| a.sat.and_then(|s| s.parse().ok()))
-                .unwrap_or(0),
-            pending_open_balance: channel_balance
-                .pending_open_local_balance
-                .and_then(|a| a.sat.and_then(|s| s.parse().ok()))
-                .unwrap_or(0),
+            balance_sats,
+            channel_balance_sats,
+            pending_open_balance,
         };
 
         Ok(serde_json::to_value(info)?)
@@ -268,6 +276,76 @@ impl RpcHandler {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn unavailable_balances_are_not_zero() {
+        for body in [r#"{}"#, r#"{"code":14,"message":"wallet locked"}"#] {
+            assert!(checked_balances(
+                serde_json::from_str(body).unwrap(),
+                serde_json::from_str(body).unwrap(),
+            )
+            .is_err());
+        }
+        for value in ["bad", "-1", "9223372036854775808"] {
+            let wallet = LndBalanceResponse {
+                total_balance: Some(value.into()),
+            };
+            let channels = serde_json::from_str(
+                r#"{"local_balance":{"sat":"5"},"pending_open_local_balance":{"sat":"0"}}"#,
+            )
+            .unwrap();
+            assert!(checked_balances(wallet, channels).is_err());
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn verified_zero_and_nonzero_balances_survive() {
+        for expected in [0, 42] {
+            let wallet = LndBalanceResponse {
+                total_balance: Some(expected.to_string()),
+            };
+            let channels = serde_json::from_value(serde_json::json!({
+                "local_balance":{"sat":expected.to_string()},
+                "pending_open_local_balance":{"sat":"0"}
+            }))
+            .unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(
+                checked_balances(wallet, channels).unwrap(),
+                (expected, expected, 0)
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn locked_wallet_http_response_is_not_successful_getinfo() {
+        use tokio::io::{AsyncReadExt, AsyncWriteExt};
+        let listener = tokio::net::TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:0").await.unwrap();
+        let addr = listener.local_addr().unwrap();
+        let server = tokio::spawn(async move {
+            let (mut stream, _) = listener.accept().await.unwrap();
+            let mut buf = [0; 2048];
+            stream.read(&mut buf).await.unwrap();
+            let body =
+                r#"{"code":9,"message":"wallet locked, unlock it to enable full RPC access"}"#;
+            stream.write_all(format!(
+                "HTTP/1.1 503 Service Unavailable\r\nContent-Type: application/json\r\nContent-Length: {}\r\nConnection: close\r\n\r\n{}",
+                body.len(), body
+            ).as_bytes()).await.unwrap();
+        });
+        let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
+            .no_proxy()
+            .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(2))
+            .build()
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(get_lnd_json::<LndGetInfoResponse>(
+            &client,
+            &format!("http://{addr}/v1/getinfo"),
+            "test"
+        )
+        .await
+        .is_err());
+        server.await.unwrap();
+    }
+
     /// A real compressed secp256k1 pubkey shape: 66 hex characters.
     const GOOD_PUBKEY: &str = "03a1b2c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f90a1b2c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f90";
 

core/archipelago/src/container/lnd.rs

@@ -96,129 +96,21 @@ pub async fn ensure_wallet_initialized() -> Result<()> {
         if file_exists_as_root(admin_macaroon).await && lnd_getinfo_ready(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(());
-            }
-        }
+        unlock_existing_wallet_no_wipe().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";
-
 /// Canonical on-host admin macaroon — same path the RPC layer reads.
 const LND_ADMIN_MACAROON: &str =
     "/var/lib/archipelago/lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/mainnet/admin.macaroon";
 
-/// 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;
@@ -390,14 +282,8 @@ async fn unlock_existing_wallet_via_rest() -> Result<bool> {
     )
 }
 
-/// Unlock an existing wallet WITHOUT the destructive fallback.
-///
-/// `ensure_wallet_initialized` wipes and recreates a wallet no candidate
-/// password can open — correct for a boot path that must self-heal, and exactly
-/// wrong for macaroon rotation, which restarts LND against a wallet the operator
-/// still wants. Rotation calls this instead, so there is no code path from
-/// "rotate my credentials" to "delete my wallet": a rejected password surfaces
-/// as an error the caller reports, never as a wipe.
+/// Unlock the existing wallet, preserving its identity and channel data when
+/// passwords are unavailable or rejected. Used by boot and credential rotation.
 pub(crate) async fn unlock_existing_wallet_no_wipe() -> Result<()> {
     match unlock_existing_wallet().await? {
         true => Ok(()),
@@ -538,7 +424,7 @@ async fn init_wallet_via_rest() -> Result<()> {
     {
         UnlockerResponse::Value(seed) => seed,
         UnlockerResponse::WalletAlreadyExists => {
-            unlock_existing_wallet().await?;
+            unlock_existing_wallet_no_wipe().await?;
             return Ok(());
         }
     };
@@ -569,7 +455,7 @@ async fn init_wallet_via_rest() -> Result<()> {
             .await;
         }
         UnlockerResponse::WalletAlreadyExists => {
-            unlock_existing_wallet().await?;
+            unlock_existing_wallet_no_wipe().await?;
         }
     }
 

core/archipelago/src/container/prod_orchestrator.rs

@@ -1864,7 +1864,7 @@ impl ProdContainerOrchestrator {
         // Durable installation record, consulted alongside the perishable
         // `was_running` snapshot for desired-state recovery below.
         let installed_apps = crate::crash_recovery::load_installed_apps(&self.data_dir).await;
-        let (manifests, container_name_by_app_id): (
+        let (mut manifests, container_name_by_app_id): (
             Vec<LoadedManifest>,
             std::collections::HashMap<String, String>,
         ) = {
@@ -1895,6 +1895,15 @@ impl ProdContainerOrchestrator {
                 .collect();
             (filtered, names)
         };
+        // Wallet readiness must not wait behind unrelated image pulls/builds.
+        // A running LND container can still be locked after boot; its post-start
+        // hook must run promptly. Reconcile Bitcoin first, then LND, before the
+        // rest of the catalog. Each app still honors stopped/uninstalled markers.
+        manifests.sort_by_key(|lm| match lm.manifest.app.id.as_str() {
+            "bitcoin-knots" | "bitcoin-core" | "bitcoin" => 0,
+            "lnd" => 1,
+            _ => 2,
+        });
         // Live container names (any state), for the same recovery check.
         let present_containers: std::collections::HashSet<String> = self
             .runtime
@@ -6398,6 +6407,42 @@ app:
         assert!(cascade_pairs_for_report(&r, &none).is_empty());
     }
 
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn reconcile_wallet_start_precedes_unrelated_failed_image_pull() {
+        let rt = Arc::new(MockRuntime::default());
+        rt.set_state("bitcoin-knots", ContainerState::Exited);
+        rt.set_state("lnd", ContainerState::Exited);
+        *rt.fail_pull.lock().unwrap() = Some("registry unreachable".into());
+        let mut orch = orch_with(rt.clone()).await;
+        orch.set_disk_gb_for_test(2000);
+        for id in ["unrelated", "lnd", "bitcoin-knots"] {
+            orch.insert_manifest_for_test(
+                pull_manifest(id, &format!("docker.io/example/{id}:1")),
+                PathBuf::from(format!("/tmp/{id}")),
+            )
+            .await;
+        }
+        let report = orch.reconcile_all().await;
+        assert!(report.failures.iter().any(|(id, _)| id == "unrelated"));
+        let calls = rt.calls();
+        let bitcoin = calls
+            .iter()
+            .position(|c| c == "start_container:bitcoin-knots")
+            .unwrap();
+        let lnd = calls
+            .iter()
+            .position(|c| c == "start_container:lnd")
+            .unwrap();
+        let pull = calls
+            .iter()
+            .position(|c| c.starts_with("pull_image:"))
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            bitcoin < lnd && lnd < pull,
+            "wallet startup was delayed by unrelated recovery: {calls:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn reconcile_starts_exited_container() {
         let rt = Arc::new(MockRuntime::default());

docs/TODO.md

@@ -3,6 +3,14 @@
 Working backlog of forward-looking items not yet scoped into a dedicated plan
 doc. See [`ROADMAP.md`](ROADMAP.md) for the curated, public-facing direction.
 
+## Blocking incident — before unrelated work
+
+- **OPEN: Framework LND startup / missing Receive address / false zero balance.**
+  User requires investigation and a verified fix on the actual node before later
+  unrelated work. Access is pending; a manual LND restart is only a workaround.
+  See [incident evidence and closure criteria](incident-framework-lnd-startup.md)
+  and the repository `AGENTS.md` session-start instructions.
+
 ## Dev & build process (priority)
 
 - Formalize the contributor workflow: releases, CI, maintainers, automated

docs/incident-framework-lnd-startup.md

@@ -0,0 +1,378 @@
+# Framework: LND startup, missing Receive address, false zero balance
+
+**Status: OPEN — Framework startup and Cashu address verified live; source integration and final dashboard balance confirmation remain.**
+
+Reported: 2026-09-15. Source inspected: main at `3b9b74da` (v1.8.17-alpha publication).
+The Framework's installed version and exact incident time have not been verified.
+
+## Mandatory priority across sessions
+
+The user explicitly requested that this be investigated and fixed on the node
+before resuming unrelated work in later sessions. `AGENTS.md` in the repository
+and `/home/archipelago/.codex/AGENTS.md` carry this session-start priority.
+Only live verification below, or an explicit user change of priority, clears it.
+
+## Reported observations
+
+- Framework stopped showing its Lightning address in Receive.
+- After a restart, LND did not initialize and the UI displayed a balance of zero.
+- Manually restarting LND restored operation.
+- Node access will be supplied later. No Framework connection, restart, wallet
+  operation, or deployment was performed during this offline investigation.
+- Still clarify whether the restart was a full reboot or management-service
+  restart, and which Receive item vanished: a Lightning invoice, an on-chain
+  address, or the Cashu tab's `@minibits.cash` address.
+
+A successful manual restart is a workaround, not a root cause or durable fix.
+The zero display does not establish that any funds were lost. Its relation to
+v1.8.17-alpha is unknown; do not infer a release regression from timing alone.
+
+## Confirmed source findings
+
+### 1. LND errors can be presented as successful zero balances
+
+`core/archipelago/src/api/rpc/lnd/info.rs`, `handle_lnd_getinfo`:
+
+- `/v1/getinfo` is decoded without checking HTTP success. Its response fields are
+  optional, so an error object such as `{"code":14,"message":"wallet not ready"}`
+  can deserialize with every expected field absent instead of rejecting the call.
+- Channel and blockchain balance requests suppress connection/JSON failures and
+  substitute responses with absent balances. HTTP status is not checked here either.
+- Missing or unparsable balances become `0` through `unwrap_or(0)`.
+- `neode-ui/src/views/Home.vue`, `loadWeb5Status`, treats this RPC response as
+  success, sets the wallet connected flag, overwrites prior balances, and can
+  persist the false zero in the wallet snapshot. Its existing failure handling
+  preserves prior balances only when the RPC actually rejects.
+
+This is a confirmed code defect and a plausible explanation for the reported
+display. It is not proof of the Framework's failure sequence.
+
+Required fix: reject unsuccessful/incomplete LND balance responses or model
+availability explicitly end to end. Never translate unavailable data into a
+verified zero. Preserve known balances with a clear unavailable/stale indication;
+show an unknown state when no valid balance is known. Genuine successful zeros
+must still render as zero. Cover outage, partial failure, cold load, and recovery.
+
+### 2. Startup readiness and wallet unlock need live evidence
+
+- `main.rs` runs crash/container boot recovery before starting the reconciler.
+- `crash_recovery.rs` can start existing containers directly.
+- `container/prod_orchestrator.rs` runs LND post-start hooks on explicit restart
+  and on normal reconciliation of already-running containers. Therefore it is
+  incorrect to conclude that running containers categorically skip unlock.
+- `container/lnd.rs::ensure_wallet_initialized` checks wallet existence and
+  `/v1/getinfo`, then attempts unlock. Its unlock wait budget is approximately ten
+  minutes; per-request timeouts can extend elapsed time. Historical comments
+  describe slow database startup and restart loops, but that is not Framework evidence.
+- `health_monitor.rs` models LND's Bitcoin dependency. Container-running state
+  alone is not proof of wallet readiness, Bitcoin connectivity, or invoice readiness.
+
+Investigate boot ordering, Bitcoin readiness, listener/port mapping, wallet unlock,
+mount availability, stopped markers, restart counters, and actual reconcile logs.
+
+### 3. Destructive automatic recovery exists; exclude it from diagnosis
+
+`container/lnd.rs::ensure_wallet_initialized` calls
+`recreate_wallet_destructively` when all candidate passwords are rejected. That
+function can delete the LND chain and graph data directories. Its comment assumes
+alpha wallets hold no real funds; that assumption must not guide this investigation.
+
+No evidence establishes that it ran on Framework. Preserve the original wallet
+and channels; rejected passwords must lead to a recoverable error, not automatic
+wallet deletion. Review and disable this destructive fallback before using a
+modified initialization path as a repair. The existing
+`unlock_existing_wallet_no_wipe` demonstrates the non-destructive error behavior.
+
+### 4. The missing address must be identified precisely
+
+`ReceiveBitcoinModal.vue` generates Lightning invoices using `lnd.createinvoice`
+after a readiness check, and Bitcoin addresses using `lnd.newaddress`. Its Cashu
+Lightning address uses `wallet.ecash-lnaddress` and the Minibits service separately.
+Do not assume the Minibits address disappears because LND is down. Trace the actual
+tab and response once the user clarifies and the node can be inspected.
+
+## Next session: live investigation order
+
+1. Request Framework access and verify node identity without publishing its hostname,
+   address, credentials, or wallet identifiers. Do not substitute the development box.
+2. Record installed backend/image versions, boot and incident timestamps, and exact
+   restart/action sequence. Capture current and previous-boot management/LND logs
+   before another restart can obscure evidence. Keep raw logs private and redact
+   secrets, invoices, wallet identifiers, and personally identifying data in summaries.
+3. Read container/service state, restart counters, mounts, stopped markers, listener
+   mappings, Bitcoin readiness, LND wallet state, and authenticated API results.
+   Never dump container environments, macaroons, passwords, seeds, or wallet databases.
+4. Compare HTTP status and data from LND getinfo/balance endpoints with the RPC and
+   visible Receive/balance state. Distinguish unavailable data, locked wallet,
+   syncing wallet, and genuine zero. Preserve last-known balance evidence privately.
+5. Establish whether the manual restart ran a missing/failed hook, waited out a
+   dependency, refreshed networking/credentials, or masked another failure.
+6. Implement the evidenced startup repair and unavailable-balance handling with
+   regressions. Preserve wallet/channel state and arrange recovery access before
+   deploying or deliberately rebooting the node.
+
+## Acceptance criteria — all required to close
+
+- [x] Root cause of Framework startup failure supported by node evidence.
+- [x] Fix implemented and focused regression tests pass.
+- [ ] Failed, locked, delayed, and partial LND responses never masquerade as a
+      fresh zero balance; genuine zero remains correct.
+- [x] Existing wallet identity and channel state preserved through the repair.
+- [x] Framework starts LND and reaches usable wallet readiness after a controlled
+      full reboot, without manually restarting LND.
+- [ ] The originally affected Receive flow works after boot and after recovery;
+      outages show an actionable state and recover without requiring a page reload.
+- [ ] Display confirmation pending; authenticated LND balances match pre-reboot values.
+- [x] LND logs show no restart loop, repeated unlock failure, or wallet-recreation path.
+- [ ] Evidence, tested versions, deployment, and limitations recorded here; user
+      informed of live results. Only then set status RESOLVED and clear the blockers.
+
+## Work completed so far
+
+2026-09-15: source investigation and persistent session-start instructions only.
+No code fix, release, node deployment, or live reproduction for this incident yet.
+
+## Live evidence captured 2026-09-15
+
+Access was provided during the same session. Read-only inspection confirmed:
+
+- Framework runs `1.8.17-alpha-dev`; the current full boot began at 18:40:09 UTC.
+- LND opened its databases in 6.7 seconds and requested its wallet password at
+  18:40:20. It then rejected GetInfo/ChannelBalance/WalletBalance as wallet locked.
+- The management service's first sequential reconcile pass was occupied by
+  unrelated image recovery, including a missing voice image from 18:40:24 and
+  later a missing Core Lightning image. Manifests are iterated from a HashMap;
+  wallet readiness has no initial priority. Boot recovery itself completed at
+  18:40:18; the first full app-reconcile report appeared at 18:44:34.
+- The user's manual LND restart was recorded at 18:42:33. The replacement LND
+  process started at 18:42:40, requested its password at 18:43:05, and unlocked
+  at 18:43:07 through the explicit restart hook. This supports delayed unlock
+  behind unrelated recovery, rather than a missing wallet or bad password.
+- At inspection, `/v1/state` reports SERVER_ACTIVE; getinfo reports chain and
+  graph sync and two active channels. Both authenticated balance endpoints
+  report nonzero balances. No wallet-recreation event was found in captured logs.
+- The Minibits RPC separately fails with “The ecash wallet has no seed yet”.
+  `wallet/cashu_seed.json` and `wallet/minibits.json` are absent. The existing
+  ecash wallet is present with proofs and an August modification timestamp.
+  Do not overwrite it or generate an unrelated recovery identity. Still identify
+  which Receive item the user meant before declaring this part repaired.
+
+Private raw evidence: `/home/archipelago/.local/state/archy-incidents/framework-lnd-20260915/`.
+Files have mode 0600 and the directory 0700. Do not commit or publish raw logs.
+
+Candidate changes on `investigate/framework-lnd-startup`:
+
+- Run Bitcoin and LND reconciliation before unrelated image pulls/builds.
+- Reject failed/incomplete LND balance responses instead of manufacturing zeros.
+- Preserve known Home balances on invalid responses, visibly label unavailable
+  balances, and clear the warning after a successful refresh.
+- Remove automatic destructive wallet recreation; failed unlock preserves data.
+- Add backend outage/zero/ordering regressions and UI failure/recovery coverage.
+
+These changes are not yet deployed or verified through a Framework reboot.
+
+### Candidate validation and staging
+
+Source fix commit: `4237fb5e` on `investigate/framework-lnd-startup`.
+
+- 44 focused backend tests passed (including LND errors, genuine zero, startup ordering).
+- 58 additional reconciliation/update tests passed.
+- 12 Home UI tests passed, including outage/partial response/cold-load/recovery cases.
+- Rust formatting, frontend type checking and production build passed.
+- Optimized backend build passed in 8m02s.
+- Both candidate artifacts were copied to Framework and SHA-256 matched locally.
+- Private on-node baseline and static channel backup are under
+  `/var/lib/archipelago/support/framework-lnd-20260915/`, along with the previous
+  backend, dashboard, and `rollback.sh`. This directory is root-only.
+- Candidate staged at `/tmp/archy-framework-candidate/`; not applied yet.
+- A timing confirmation for the maintenance restart/full reboot was requested
+  because it interrupts all node services. Do not reboot while that is pending.
+- SSH works through the temporary control socket
+  `/tmp/archy-framework-connection/control`. No SSH password was saved to disk.
+- The supplied SSH password did not authenticate to the dashboard. Do not guess
+  additional passwords or alter dashboard authentication. Native LND diagnostics
+  are authenticated using its existing local macaroon without printing it.
+
+Status remains OPEN until deployment and live boot/Receive/balance verification.
+
+### Authorized deployment and full reboot — 2026-09-15
+
+The user answered “yes please” to applying the staged fix and rebooting. Timing
+approval is no longer pending. Applied the staged backend and dashboard after
+rechecking both checksums and rollback copies. There were no pending channel
+HTLCs at reboot. No wallet data, secrets, or recovery identities were replaced.
+
+Live results:
+
+- A different boot ID confirms a full reboot occurred.
+- Running backend on disk matches candidate SHA-256
+  `5a354f76ebe619561eef0d318e4f41f177d04004682504d7434d632733f8e298`.
+- Management service started around 19:23:57 UTC; LND asked for its wallet
+  password at 19:24:10 and logged automatic unlock at 19:24:18. No manual LND
+  restart or interactive unlock was used after this reboot.
+- LND reports SERVER_ACTIVE and chain sync. Its identity and channel-point set
+  are identical to the private pre-reboot baseline; both channels are active.
+- On-chain and Lightning balances exactly equal the pre-reboot values.
+- LND container and systemd restart counts are zero after recovery.
+- Public HTTP checks on the node returned 200 for the dashboard index and new
+  Home bundle; their bytes match the installed candidate, including the new
+  unavailable-balance notice.
+- Captured post-reboot management and LND journals in the private local evidence
+  directory. Detailed before/after identity, channel, and balance records remain
+  in the root-only support directory on Framework.
+
+The user was asked to refresh the dashboard and confirm the originally missing
+Receive item and displayed balances. Keep OPEN until that reply is assessed;
+Minibits seed absence was a separate finding and must not be mistaken for an
+LND startup failure. Candidate is a direct node deployment, not a newly signed
+fleet release. The source branch must be integrated before a subsequent release
+can preserve this fix across the fleet.
+
+### Cashu Receive follow-up
+
+The user confirmed that the remaining error is specifically on the Ecash tab:
+“Lightning address unavailable — you can still paste a token below.”
+
+Read-only checks confirm Framework has an encrypted node master seed, existing
+Cashu proofs, and neither `wallet/cashu_seed.json` nor `wallet/minibits.json`.
+The existing Minibits handler requires an ecash seed, but setup was available
+only through the Settings backup screen; Receive hid the actionable cause.
+
+UI fix commit: `a3b64670`.
+
+- Receive checks the non-secret seed status when registration fails.
+- Unseeded wallets get the existing password/TOTP/backup-passphrase-verified setup
+  component directly in Receive, with import/restore controls excluded from this
+  focused setup screen. Setup derives from the saved node seed when present.
+- The recovery words stay in the existing local reveal UI, are cleared on Done,
+  and are never emitted to Receive. Receive retries registration after Done.
+- Seeded wallets with service outages get Retry, without offering a new identity.
+- Ten focused Receive/backup tests and the production UI build passed.
+- Deployed the dashboard change without restarting services; live HTTP index and
+  setup bundle returned 200 and byte-matched the candidate.
+- Backed up original Cashu proofs to the root-only support directory as
+  `ecash-before-address-setup.json`. No seed or proof mutation was performed by
+  the assistant. Prior LND-fixed dashboard is also backed up there.
+
+The user was asked to refresh Receive → Ecash → Set up address, authenticate in
+that node UI, and click Done. Dashboard password is required to decrypt the node
+seed; the SSH password did not authenticate to the dashboard. Do not request or
+print recovery words, bypass authentication, or create an unrelated random seed.
+After completion, verify saved seed/profile presence, registration success,
+address display, and unchanged original proofs before closing the incident.
+
+### Cashu setup completed and verified — 2026-09-15
+
+The user initially reported a forgotten passphrase, then said “did it now”. No
+independent-seed fallback was implemented or used. The user completed the existing
+password-verified setup themselves; the assistant did not receive recovery words.
+
+Read-only node verification confirmed:
+
+- `wallet/cashu_seed.json` exists, is nonempty, and records source `node-seed`.
+- `wallet/minibits.json` exists with a `@minibits.cash` address and no pending claims.
+- The original ecash wallet file is byte-for-byte unchanged from the protected
+  pre-setup copy; every original proof is preserved.
+- The registered address's public LNURL-pay metadata returns HTTP 200, tag
+  `payRequest`, an HTTPS callback, and a valid amount range. No invoice was paid
+  and no funded payment test was performed.
+
+LND automatic startup and native balances were already verified after the full
+reboot. Cashu setup and address registration are now also verified on Framework.
+Do not ask for the forgotten passphrase again or propose a replacement Cashu seed.
+
+Remaining: integrate the tested source branch before the next fleet release;
+record final human confirmation of the rendered dashboard balance (native balances
+match exactly, and UI failure/recovery regressions pass). Keep this follow-up
+visible across sessions; do not rebuild/reboot/reinitialize a working wallet just
+to repeat already completed checks.
+
+### Backup copy and layout — 2026-09-15
+
+At the user's request, shortened the ecash backup explanations and stacked each
+card section's text and full-width action vertically. Kept the distinction
+between node-derived and separate phrases, and the warning that a newly created
+phrase covers future coins rather than existing legacy coins.
+
+All 10 Receive/backup tests and the production UI build pass. Deployed the UI to
+Framework without a restart; served index and backup-component bundle match the
+build byte-for-byte. The prior UI is saved as `web-ui-before-backup-copy` in the
+protected incident directory. Source integration and final rendered dashboard
+balance confirmation remain pending as above.
+
+### LNURL comment-length report — 2026-09-15
+
+User reports a maximum-comment-length error in some sending wallets. Live
+Framework address metadata advertises integer `commentAllowed: 100`. The QR
+contains the address only; Archy's Receive UI does not add a comment. The
+Minibits-hosted callback returned invoices for omitted/empty comments, 100 ASCII
+characters, 101 ASCII characters, and 100 accented characters. These were unpaid
+invoice requests at the advertised minimum amount; no funds were sent.
+
+The callback did not reproduce the error, including beyond its advertised limit.
+Sending-wallet validation against the advertised 100-character limit is therefore
+a hypothesis, not a confirmed root cause. Asked which wallets fail and whether
+an empty comment also fails. Need that result before selecting a code fix.
+The service controls the advertised limit; changing local Receive text or QR
+cannot raise it for other wallets.
+
+### Primal Spark: automatic recipient note exceeds the address limit
+
+User clarified that no comment was entered and the sender is Primal Spark.
+Checked Framework's management journal over the preceding 20 minutes: no
+comment-length errors, service active, and zero pending Minibits claims. Recent
+claim polling connected to and disconnected from the relay normally. Historical
+seed-authentication failures preceded the successful setup already documented.
+
+The live address's Minibits `text/plain` description is **101 ASCII characters**,
+while `commentAllowed` is **100**. Description template (address redacted):
+`Pay to [ADDRESS] with Lightning. Receiver will receive ecash into Minibits Wallet.`
+
+Primal Android source at `36939db97213e7f8eeefaa4adaf125d839fc662e`:
+- `WalletTextParserImpl.handleLnUrlText` assigns the parsed description to
+  `DraftTx.noteRecipient`, including for Lightning-address input.
+- `TransactionEditor` initializes its editable recipient note from that value.
+- `SparkWalletServiceImpl` passes it untrimmed to `PrepareLnurlPayRequest.comment`.
+- Breez Spark source at `8bb38ec292a590907360c4e7f2a4134b8f09de9e`,
+  `common/src/lnurl/pay.rs::validate_user_input`, rejects a comment exceeding the
+  limit with the exact reported error before requesting the callback.
+
+This identifies a concrete compatibility failure: the address description can
+become an automatic over-limit comment without the sender typing anything.
+The user confirmed that explicitly clearing the prefilled recipient note made
+the payment work, and supplied the same description observed in live metadata.
+This confirms the automatic-comment compatibility failure. The installed Primal
+platform/version was not captured. Node logs alone cannot show sender-side
+validation or requests to the external Minibits callback.
+
+Durable upstream correction: Primal should keep receiver metadata separate from
+the sender's comment and enforce the limit on actual user comments. Minibits can
+also shorten its description or raise its advertised comment limit. Archy does
+not serve this external LNURL metadata; do not rename an existing wallet address,
+rotate its seed, or claim that a local dashboard edit fixes this sender behavior.
+
+### Primal workaround confirmed by user
+
+The user confirmed successful payment after removing the automatic description.
+The permanent sender-side correction is to leave the recipient comment empty by
+default and retain receiver metadata only as display text. In Primal Android,
+remove the assignment of the LNURL description to the draft recipient note in
+`WalletTextParserImpl.handleLnUrlText`; also validate explicitly entered comments
+against the endpoint's limit. No upstream change has been submitted or deployed.
+Existing Framework addresses and wallet identities remain unchanged.
+
+### Can Archy shorten the current address description?
+
+Inspected Minibits' public wallet client (`src/services/minibitsService.ts`,
+`updateWalletProfile`) and `WalletProfileRecord`. The supported profile update
+fields are name, lud16, and avatar; there is no exposed LNURL description or
+comment-limit setting. Its public web repository also contains no implementation
+of the LNURL metadata endpoint or description template.
+
+For the existing `@minibits.cash` address, no supported client-side mechanism
+to shorten this text was found. Do not send guessed profile-update fields or
+rename the address to disguise the problem. A Minibits server change could use
+`Pay to [ADDRESS]`, well below the current limit. Controlling this metadata in
+Archy would instead require an Archy-hosted LNURL service/address and correct
+invoice metadata binding; rewriting the QR label or only proxying edited metadata
+is insufficient. No wallet/profile mutations were made during this investigation.

neode-ui/src/components/EcashSeedBackup.vue

@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ import { ref, computed, onMounted } from 'vue'
 import { rpcClient } from '@/api/rpc-client'
 import SeedRevealPanel from '@/components/SeedRevealPanel.vue'
 
+defineProps<{ setupOnly?: boolean }>()
+const emit = defineEmits<{ ready: [] }>()
+
 // Ecash (Cashu) wallet backup card — the same shape as the node recovery
 // phrase and the Lightning seed cards, deliberately: a third reveal pattern
 // would be a third thing to learn.
@@ -102,12 +105,14 @@ async function submitReveal() {
 }
 
 function closeReveal() {
+  const established = revealedWords.value.length > 0
   showRevealModal.value = false
   revealedWords.value = []
   revealPassword.value = ''
   revealCode.value = ''
   revealPassphrase.value = ''
   showRevealPassphrase.value = false
+  if (established) emit('ready')
 }
 
 async function copyRevealedWords() {
@@ -221,61 +226,54 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
       Your ecash has no backup yet
     </div>
 
-    <div class="flex items-start justify-between gap-4">
+    <div class="flex flex-col gap-3">
       <div class="min-w-0">
-        <h2 class="text-xl font-semibold text-white/96 mb-1">Ecash backup phrase</h2>
+        <h2 class="text-xl font-semibold text-white/96 mb-1">{{ setupOnly ? 'Set up your Cashu Lightning address' : 'Ecash backup phrase' }}</h2>
 
-        <p v-if="status?.active && status?.source === 'node-seed'" class="text-sm text-white/60">
-          Your ecash wallet has its own 24-word phrase, derived from this node's recovery
-          phrase — so the words you already wrote down cover your ecash too. Reveal it here
-          if you want to restore your ecash into another wallet (Minibits, Nutstash,
-          <span class="font-mono">cdk-cli</span>) without handing over the node's own seed.
+        <p v-if="status?.active && status?.source === 'node-seed'" class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60">
+          Your node's recovery phrase also recovers this ecash phrase. Reveal its 24 words
+          to restore in a compatible Cashu wallet without sharing your node's phrase.
         </p>
-        <p v-else-if="status?.active" class="text-sm text-white/60">
-          Your ecash wallet has its own 24-word phrase. Reveal it to write it down, or to
-          restore your ecash into another wallet (Minibits, Nutstash,
-          <span class="font-mono">cdk-cli</span>).
+        <p v-else-if="status?.active" class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60">
+          Save your 24-word ecash phrase to restore this wallet here or in another
+          compatible Cashu wallet.
         </p>
-        <p v-else class="text-sm text-white/60">
-          Ecash is a bearer instrument: the coins live in a file on this node, and right now
-          nothing can bring them back if that file is lost. Setting up a backup phrase fixes
-          that for every coin minted from then on.
+        <p v-else class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60">
+          If this node's coin file is lost, your ecash is lost. Set up a phrase to recover
+          future coins; existing coins aren't covered.
           <template v-if="status?.derivable_from_node_seed">
-            It's derived from this node's recovery phrase, so there's nothing new to write down.
+            Your node's recovery phrase will also recover this phrase.
           </template>
           <template v-else>
-            This node has no encrypted seed backup to derive from, so the phrase will be its
-            own — you'll need to write these words down and keep them.
+            This node has no saved seed, so write down and keep the new phrase separately.
           </template>
         </p>
 
         <p v-if="status?.source === 'independent' || status?.source === 'imported'" class="mt-2 text-xs text-orange-300/90">
-          This wallet's phrase was <strong>not</strong> derived from the node's recovery
-          phrase{{ status?.source === 'imported' ? ' — it was imported' : '' }}, so restoring
-          the node will not bring the ecash back. Only these words will.
+          {{ status?.source === 'imported' ? 'This imported phrase' : 'This phrase' }} is separate
+          from your node's backup. <strong>Only these words recover this ecash wallet.</strong>
         </p>
 
       </div>
 
       <button
         type="button"
-        class="shrink-0 glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium"
+        class="w-full glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium"
         :class="!status?.active ? 'bg-orange-500/20 border-orange-400/30' : ''"
         @click="openReveal"
-      >{{ status?.active ? 'Reveal' : 'Set up backup' }}</button>
+      >{{ status?.active ? 'Reveal' : (setupOnly ? 'Set up address' : 'Set up backup') }}</button>
     </div>
 
-    <div v-if="status?.active" class="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-white/10">
-      <div class="flex items-start justify-between gap-4">
-        <p class="text-sm text-white/60 min-w-0">
+    <div v-if="status?.active && !setupOnly" class="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-white/10">
+      <div class="flex flex-col gap-3">
+        <p class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60 min-w-0">
           <span class="text-white/80 font-medium">Restore from this phrase.</span>
-          Asks your mint which coins it has signed for these words and puts back any that
-          are still unspent. Safe to run at any time — it never duplicates coins you already
-          hold.
+          Recover unspent coins from your mint. Safe to repeat; coins you already hold
+          won't be duplicated.
         </p>
         <button
           type="button"
-          class="shrink-0 glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium disabled:opacity-50"
+          class="w-full glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium disabled:opacity-50"
           :disabled="restoring"
           @click="restoreFromPhrase"
         >{{ restoring ? 'Scanning…' : 'Restore' }}</button>
@@ -284,16 +282,16 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
       <p v-if="restoreError" role="alert" class="mt-3 text-xs alert-error px-3 py-2 rounded-lg">{{ restoreError }}</p>
     </div>
 
-    <div class="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-white/10">
-      <div class="flex items-start justify-between gap-4">
-        <p class="text-sm text-white/60 min-w-0">
+    <div v-if="!setupOnly" class="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-white/10">
+      <div class="flex flex-col gap-3">
+        <p class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60 min-w-0">
           <span class="text-white/80 font-medium">Use a phrase from another wallet.</span>
-          Point this wallet at a phrase you already have — from Minibits, Nutstash or
-          <span class="font-mono">cdk-cli</span> — so its coins can be restored here.
+          Import a phrase from Minibits, Nutstash or <span class="font-mono">cdk-cli</span>
+          to restore its coins here.
         </p>
         <button
           type="button"
-          class="shrink-0 glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium"
+          class="w-full glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium"
           @click="openImport"
         >Import</button>
       </div>
@@ -319,7 +317,7 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
         </template>
 
         <template v-else>
-          <p class="text-sm text-white/60 mb-4">
+          <p class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60 mb-4">
             Paste the 24-word phrase from the other wallet. The coins already in this wallet
             stay spendable either way.
           </p>
@@ -376,9 +374,8 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
         </h3>
 
         <template v-if="revealedWords.length === 0">
-          <p class="text-sm text-white/60 mb-4">
-            Confirm your credentials to
-            {{ status?.active ? 'display the 24-word ecash phrase' : 'derive and display your ecash backup phrase' }}.
+          <p class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60 mb-4">
+            Confirm your credentials to {{ status?.active ? 'reveal' : 'set up' }} your ecash phrase.
           </p>
           <form @submit.prevent="submitReveal" class="space-y-3">
             <div>
@@ -407,12 +404,12 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
           <SeedRevealPanel :words="revealedWords" />
           <p class="text-xs text-white/40 mt-3">
             <template v-if="revealedSource === 'node-seed'">
-              Derived from this node's recovery phrase — restoring the node restores this
-              ecash wallet too. These words also restore it into any NUT-13 wallet.
+              Your node's recovery phrase recovers this ecash wallet too. Use these words
+              separately in a compatible Cashu (NUT-13) wallet.
             </template>
             <template v-else>
-              This phrase is independent of the node's recovery phrase. It is the
-              <strong>only</strong> way to restore this ecash wallet — write it down.
+              Write these words down. They are the <strong>only</strong> way to recover
+              this ecash wallet; your node's phrase won't recover it.
             </template>
           </p>
           <div class="flex gap-2 pt-4">

neode-ui/src/components/ReceiveBitcoinModal.vue

@@ -77,8 +77,13 @@
           <div v-else-if="lnAddressLoading" class="mb-4 text-center text-white/50 text-sm py-4">
             {{ t('receiveBitcoin.lnAddressLoading') }}
           </div>
+          <div v-else-if="lnAddressNeedsSetup" class="mb-3">
+            <p class="text-sm text-white/70 mb-3">Set up this wallet's recovery phrase once to enable its Lightning address.</p>
+            <EcashSeedBackup setup-only @ready="loadLnAddress" />
+          </div>
           <div v-else-if="lnAddressError" class="mb-3 text-xs text-white/40">
             {{ t('receiveBitcoin.lnAddressUnavailable') }}
+            <button type="button" class="glass-button rounded-lg px-3 py-2 ml-2" @click="loadLnAddress">Retry</button>
           </div>
 
           <div class="mb-3">
@@ -132,6 +137,7 @@ import { useI18n } from 'vue-i18n'
 import { rpcClient } from '@/api/rpc-client'
 import BaseModal from '@/components/BaseModal.vue'
 import CopyButton from '@/components/CopyButton.vue'
+import EcashSeedBackup from '@/components/EcashSeedBackup.vue'
 import PaymentSuccessPane, { type SuccessRow } from '@/components/PaymentSuccessPane.vue'
 import { explainReceiveAddressFailure } from '@/utils/bitcoinReceive'
 import { useLightningRequired } from '@/composables/useLightningRequired'
@@ -214,6 +220,7 @@ const error = ref('')
 const lnAddress = ref('')
 const lnAddressLoading = ref(false)
 const lnAddressError = ref(false)
+const lnAddressNeedsSetup = ref(false)
 // A payment the backend fetched (and so already consumed at Minibits) but
 // couldn't redeem yet — it's queued for automatic retry, not lost, but the
 // operator should see it rather than have it be a silent, unbounded wait.
@@ -230,6 +237,7 @@ async function loadLnAddress() {
   if (lnAddress.value || lnAddressLoading.value) return
   lnAddressLoading.value = true
   lnAddressError.value = false
+  lnAddressNeedsSetup.value = false
   try {
     const res = await rpcClient.call<{ address?: string }>({
       method: 'wallet.ecash-lnaddress',
@@ -245,6 +253,16 @@ async function loadLnAddress() {
     }
   } catch {
     lnAddressError.value = true
+    // A legacy wallet may hold valid proofs without having a recovery phrase.
+    // Use the existing authenticated setup flow; never silently create a new
+    // identity or send the user to an unexplained generic service error.
+    try {
+      const seedStatus = await rpcClient.call<{ active: boolean; can_activate: boolean }>({
+        method: 'wallet.ecash-seed-status',
+        timeout: 5000,
+      })
+      lnAddressNeedsSetup.value = seedStatus.active === false && seedStatus.can_activate === true
+    } catch { /* Keep the retryable service error when status is unavailable. */ }
   } finally {
     lnAddressLoading.value = false
   }

neode-ui/src/components/__tests__/EcashSeedBackup.test.ts

@@ -22,6 +22,37 @@ describe('EcashSeedBackup reveal credentials (#127)', () => {
     document.body.innerHTML = ''
   })
 
+  it('signals readiness only after authenticated setup is finished and clears the words', async () => {
+    vi.mocked(rpcClient.call).mockImplementation(async ({ method }) => {
+      if (method === 'wallet.ecash-seed-status') {
+        return { active: false, can_activate: true, derivable_from_node_seed: true, source: null } as never
+      }
+      if (method === 'wallet.ecash-seed-reveal') {
+        return { words: [...Array(23).fill('abandon'), 'art'], source: 'node-seed' } as never
+      }
+      throw new Error('unexpected request')
+    })
+    wrapper = mount(EcashSeedBackup, { props: { setupOnly: true }, attachTo: document.body })
+    await flushPromises()
+    await wrapper.get('button').trigger('click')
+    const cancel = Array.from(document.body.querySelectorAll('button')).find(b => b.textContent === 'Cancel')!
+    cancel.click()
+    await flushPromises()
+    expect(wrapper.emitted('ready')).toBeUndefined()
+    await wrapper.get('button').trigger('click')
+    const password = document.body.querySelector<HTMLInputElement>('input[autocomplete="current-password"]')!
+    password.value = 'test-password'
+    password.dispatchEvent(new Event('input', { bubbles: true }))
+    document.body.querySelector('form')!.dispatchEvent(new Event('submit', { bubbles: true, cancelable: true }))
+    await flushPromises()
+    expect(wrapper.emitted('ready')).toBeUndefined()
+    Array.from(document.body.querySelectorAll('button')).find(b => b.textContent === 'Done')!.click()
+    await flushPromises()
+    expect(wrapper.emitted('ready')).toEqual([[]])
+    expect(document.body.querySelector('[aria-labelledby="reveal-ecash-seed-title"]')).toBeNull()
+    expect(document.body.textContent).not.toContain('abandon')
+  })
+
   it('asks for a separate backup passphrase only after password decryption fails', async () => {
     vi.mocked(rpcClient.call)
       .mockResolvedValueOnce({

neode-ui/src/components/__tests__/ReceiveBitcoinModal.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { flushPromises, mount } from '@vue/test-utils'
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import ReceiveBitcoinModal from '../ReceiveBitcoinModal.vue'
+import EcashSeedBackup from '../EcashSeedBackup.vue'
 import { rpcClient } from '@/api/rpc-client'
 
 vi.mock('vue-router', () => ({
@@ -39,6 +40,51 @@ beforeEach(() => {
 // unmounts the dialog — but the RPC-eager tab switch is exactly the kind of
 // path a future change could regress, so it's worth pinning down.
 describe('ReceiveBitcoinModal — ecash tab click', () => {
+  it('offers authenticated setup for an unseeded wallet and retries the address after setup', async () => {
+    let active = false
+    vi.mocked(rpcClient.call).mockImplementation(async ({ method }) => {
+      if (method === 'wallet.ecash-lnaddress') {
+        if (!active) throw new Error('The ecash wallet has no seed yet')
+        return { address: 'someone@minibits.cash' } as never
+      }
+      if (method === 'wallet.ecash-seed-status') {
+        return { active, can_activate: true, derivable_from_node_seed: true, source: null } as never
+      }
+      return {} as never
+    })
+    const wrapper = mount(ReceiveBitcoinModal, { props: { show: true }, attachTo: document.body })
+    const tab = Array.from(document.body.querySelectorAll('button')).find(b => b.textContent?.toLowerCase().includes('ecash'))!
+    tab.click()
+    await flushPromises()
+    expect(document.body.textContent).toContain('Set up your Cashu Lightning address')
+    expect(document.body.textContent).not.toContain('receiveBitcoin.lnAddressUnavailable')
+    expect(vi.mocked(rpcClient.call).mock.calls.some(([r]) => r.method === 'wallet.ecash-seed-reveal')).toBe(false)
+    active = true
+    wrapper.findComponent(EcashSeedBackup).vm.$emit('ready')
+    await flushPromises()
+    expect(document.body.textContent).toContain('someone@minibits.cash')
+    expect(wrapper.emitted('close')).toBeFalsy()
+    wrapper.unmount()
+  })
+
+  it('keeps a seeded wallet on the retry path during a service outage', async () => {
+    vi.mocked(rpcClient.call).mockImplementation(async ({ method }) => {
+      if (method === 'wallet.ecash-seed-status') return { active: true, can_activate: true } as never
+      throw new Error('service unavailable')
+    })
+    const wrapper = mount(ReceiveBitcoinModal, { props: { show: true }, attachTo: document.body })
+    Array.from(document.body.querySelectorAll('button')).find(b => b.textContent?.toLowerCase().includes('ecash'))!.click()
+    await flushPromises()
+    expect(wrapper.findComponent(EcashSeedBackup).exists()).toBe(false)
+    expect(document.body.textContent).toContain('receiveBitcoin.lnAddressUnavailable')
+    const retry = Array.from(document.body.querySelectorAll('button')).find(b => b.textContent === 'Retry')!
+    expect(retry).toBeTruthy()
+    retry.click()
+    await flushPromises()
+    expect(vi.mocked(rpcClient.call).mock.calls.filter(([r]) => r.method === 'wallet.ecash-lnaddress')).toHaveLength(2)
+    wrapper.unmount()
+  })
+
   it('does not close/emit when the ecash tab is clicked and the RPC succeeds', async () => {
     vi.mocked(rpcClient.call).mockResolvedValue({ address: 'someone@minibits.cash' } as never)
 

neode-ui/src/views/Home.vue

@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@
           class="order-2 lg:order-none"
           :animate="animateCards"
           :wallet-connected="walletConnected"
+          :wallet-balance-unavailable="walletBalanceUnavailable"
           :wallet-onchain="walletOnchain"
           :wallet-lightning="walletLightning"
           :wallet-ecash="walletEcash"
@@ -685,6 +686,7 @@ async function devFaucet() { try { await rpcClient.call({ method: 'dev.faucet',
 // readout instead; a rail only becomes a number when a call actually
 // succeeds, so a real 0 is still a real 0.
 const walletConnected = ref(false)
+const walletBalanceUnavailable = ref(false)
 const walletOnchain = ref<number | null>(null)
 const walletLightning = ref<number | null>(null)
 const walletEcash = ref<number | null>(null)
@@ -775,13 +777,24 @@ async function loadWeb5Status() {
   // call, which is what makes the card feel like an app launch.
   const balances = Promise.allSettled([
     rpcClient.call<{ balance_sats: number; channel_balance_sats: number }>({ method: 'lnd.getinfo', timeout: 5000, dedup: true })
-      .then(res => { walletOnchain.value = res.balance_sats || 0; walletLightning.value = res.channel_balance_sats || 0; walletConnected.value = true; walletInfoFailures = 0 })
+      .then(res => {
+        if (!Number.isSafeInteger(res.balance_sats) || res.balance_sats < 0 ||
+            !Number.isSafeInteger(res.channel_balance_sats) || res.channel_balance_sats < 0) {
+          throw new Error('LND balance is unavailable')
+        }
+        walletOnchain.value = res.balance_sats
+        walletLightning.value = res.channel_balance_sats
+        walletConnected.value = true
+        walletBalanceUnavailable.value = false
+        walletInfoFailures = 0
+      })
       .catch(() => {
         // A single slow poll must NOT flip the card to "disconnected" and
         // hide balances the user already knows — busy nodes routinely blow
         // the 5s budget mid-payment or during IO storms (a test node user
         // report: balances vanished while a payment settled). Only call it
         // disconnected after three consecutive failures (~30s of silence).
+        walletBalanceUnavailable.value = true
         walletInfoFailures += 1
         if (walletInfoFailures >= 3) walletConnected.value = false
       }),

neode-ui/src/views/__tests__/homeTabCache.test.ts

@@ -238,6 +238,47 @@ describe('Home tab cache (Task 2): system/update/storage groups + wallet freshne
     wrapper.unmount()
   })
 
+  it.each(['failure', 'missing', 'partial'])('preserves known balances during %s and clears the warning on recovery', async (failure) => {
+    const wrapper = mountHomeHost()
+    await settle()
+    const home = wrapper.findComponent(Home)
+    const refresh = () => (home.vm as unknown as { loadWeb5Status: () => Promise<void> }).loadWeb5Status()
+    rpcCallMock.mockImplementationOnce(async () => {
+      if (failure === 'failure') throw new Error('wallet locked')
+      return failure === 'partial' ? { balance_sats: 0 } : {}
+    })
+    await refresh()
+    await settle()
+    const card = wrapper.findComponent(HomeWalletCard)
+    expect(card.props('walletOnchain')).toBe(5000)
+    expect(card.props('walletLightning')).toBe(2500)
+    expect(card.find('[data-testid="wallet-balance-unavailable"]').text()).toContain('last known')
+    const snapshot = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('archy-wallet-snapshot-v1')!)
+    expect(snapshot.onchain).toBe(5000)
+    expect(snapshot.lightning).toBe(2500)
+    rpcCallMock.mockImplementationOnce(async () => ({ balance_sats: 0, channel_balance_sats: 0, synced_to_chain: true }))
+    await refresh()
+    await settle()
+    expect(card.props('walletOnchain')).toBe(0)
+    expect(card.props('walletLightning')).toBe(0)
+    expect(card.find('[data-testid="wallet-balance-unavailable"]').exists()).toBe(false)
+    wrapper.unmount()
+  })
+
+  it('shows unknown rather than zero when the first LND request fails', async () => {
+    rpcCallMock.mockImplementation(async (request) => {
+      if (request.method === 'lnd.getinfo') throw new Error('wallet locked')
+      return defaultRpcCallImpl(request)
+    })
+    const wrapper = mountHomeHost()
+    await settle()
+    const card = wrapper.findComponent(HomeWalletCard)
+    expect(card.props('walletOnchain')).toBeNull()
+    expect(card.props('walletLightning')).toBeNull()
+    expect(card.find('[data-testid="wallet-balance-unavailable"]').text()).toContain('unavailable')
+    wrapper.unmount()
+  })
+
   it('no sessionStorage key exists for the wallet resource after a mount and reactivation cycle', async () => {
     const wrapper = mountHomeHost()
     await settle()

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

@@ -54,6 +54,12 @@
           </div>
         </div>
 
+        <p v-if="walletBalanceUnavailable" data-testid="wallet-balance-unavailable" class="text-sm text-amber-200 mb-3" role="status">
+          {{ walletOnchain != null || walletLightning != null
+            ? 'Bitcoin and Lightning balances could not be refreshed. Showing last known amounts.'
+            : 'Bitcoin and Lightning balances are unavailable while the wallet starts or reconnects.' }}
+        </p>
+
         <!-- Incoming Transactions Panel -->
         <transition name="incoming-tx-slide">
           <div v-if="showIncomingTxPanel && incomingTransactions.length > 0" class="mb-4 rounded-xl overflow-hidden border border-green-500/20">
@@ -221,6 +227,7 @@ export interface WalletTransaction {
 const props = defineProps<{
   animate: boolean
   walletConnected: boolean
+  walletBalanceUnavailable?: boolean
   // `null` = not loaded yet, `0` = genuinely empty. Keeping those apart is
   // what lets the card show a pixel readout instead of claiming a figure.
   walletOnchain: number | null

release-manifest.json

@@ -1,30 +1,30 @@
 {
   "changelog": [
-    "App updates refresh and verify the signed catalog before changing containers. A failed refresh or manifest reload cancels the update, and automatic updates wait for a successful refresh.",
-    "Fixed repeated Mempool update offers: downstream `-archyN` patches now sort above their upstream release, and moving a published image between registry namespaces does not hide a genuine upgrade.",
-    "Updates inspect installed component versions, refuse known downgrades, skip containers already at the target versions, and verify the resulting versions before reporting success.",
-    "Added regression coverage for stale catalogs, matching versions, publisher namespace changes, stack component updates, and keeping running containers untouched when no upgrade is needed."
+    "Minibits claims that every mint reports as already spent leave the retry queue, clearing repeated failure notices. Network errors and mixed mint failures remain queued for another attempt.",
+    "Minibits polls its primary relay first and connects to public fallback relays only when the primary is unreachable, reducing unnecessary connections.",
+    "Large payment backlogs are fetched from newest to oldest with a saved cursor, so polling can resume after interruptions or page limits. Payments sharing the same timestamp remain reachable.",
+    "Added regression coverage for spent-claim classification, wrapped and mixed mint errors, same-second payments, and interrupted or multi-poll backlogs."
   ],
   "components": [
     {
-      "current_version": "1.8.16-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.16-alpha/archipelago",
+      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago",
       "name": "archipelago",
-      "new_version": "1.8.16-alpha",
-      "sha256": "1800f57678a0b994ab2e43a830ef06d1c96fd3cc7be47ce4e6e46b7df8a5420f",
-      "size_bytes": 64851944
+      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "sha256": "32a7b009eb58f8c9f256e6597711a77ded11e15d5865a3fe16901603264e1f70",
+      "size_bytes": 64953344
     },
     {
-      "current_version": "1.8.16-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.16-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.16-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.16-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "new_version": "1.8.16-alpha",
-      "sha256": "7dd73c50a54bc530385d9e450a18cbff9c3f4ffaf289a2a7b21e5d3803116722",
-      "size_bytes": 98799570
+      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "sha256": "faf692e9a0e16268357bcac2bf86b62950ae49663e3c95982e54a132bb761980",
+      "size_bytes": 98801608
     }
   ],
   "release_date": "2026-09-15",
-  "signature": "083b131a6b895e1ff8fb9e9a52b1ead260e2140081a0295ae6756cbbc4f8f2c30e8a8bc72822c905702e21ac90f7cb85d5cca9b5f8c10fc87f32a365da202c0d",
+  "signature": "c8196fe278a5747b3c3ba3bf70998874f1e3e6eedbdab33b9e33c3339a3769ab4431f41d99924ec4cdd15a5ffed299a5af786c7ab5e9d084cdc11beabbee9103",
   "signed_by": "did:key:z6Mkfu5LT8d4DjETtrkATvHh9Dvcbnr7zBCUwfau8Sw7DLWT",
-  "version": "1.8.16-alpha"
+  "version": "1.8.17-alpha"
 }

releases/manifest.json

@@ -1,30 +1,30 @@
 {
   "changelog": [
-    "App updates refresh and verify the signed catalog before changing containers. A failed refresh or manifest reload cancels the update, and automatic updates wait for a successful refresh.",
-    "Fixed repeated Mempool update offers: downstream `-archyN` patches now sort above their upstream release, and moving a published image between registry namespaces does not hide a genuine upgrade.",
-    "Updates inspect installed component versions, refuse known downgrades, skip containers already at the target versions, and verify the resulting versions before reporting success.",
-    "Added regression coverage for stale catalogs, matching versions, publisher namespace changes, stack component updates, and keeping running containers untouched when no upgrade is needed."
+    "Minibits claims that every mint reports as already spent leave the retry queue, clearing repeated failure notices. Network errors and mixed mint failures remain queued for another attempt.",
+    "Minibits polls its primary relay first and connects to public fallback relays only when the primary is unreachable, reducing unnecessary connections.",
+    "Large payment backlogs are fetched from newest to oldest with a saved cursor, so polling can resume after interruptions or page limits. Payments sharing the same timestamp remain reachable.",
+    "Added regression coverage for spent-claim classification, wrapped and mixed mint errors, same-second payments, and interrupted or multi-poll backlogs."
   ],
   "components": [
     {
-      "current_version": "1.8.16-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.16-alpha/archipelago",
+      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago",
       "name": "archipelago",
-      "new_version": "1.8.16-alpha",
-      "sha256": "1800f57678a0b994ab2e43a830ef06d1c96fd3cc7be47ce4e6e46b7df8a5420f",
-      "size_bytes": 64851944
+      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "sha256": "32a7b009eb58f8c9f256e6597711a77ded11e15d5865a3fe16901603264e1f70",
+      "size_bytes": 64953344
     },
     {
-      "current_version": "1.8.16-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.16-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.16-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.16-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "new_version": "1.8.16-alpha",
-      "sha256": "7dd73c50a54bc530385d9e450a18cbff9c3f4ffaf289a2a7b21e5d3803116722",
-      "size_bytes": 98799570
+      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "sha256": "faf692e9a0e16268357bcac2bf86b62950ae49663e3c95982e54a132bb761980",
+      "size_bytes": 98801608
     }
   ],
   "release_date": "2026-09-15",
-  "signature": "083b131a6b895e1ff8fb9e9a52b1ead260e2140081a0295ae6756cbbc4f8f2c30e8a8bc72822c905702e21ac90f7cb85d5cca9b5f8c10fc87f32a365da202c0d",
+  "signature": "c8196fe278a5747b3c3ba3bf70998874f1e3e6eedbdab33b9e33c3339a3769ab4431f41d99924ec4cdd15a5ffed299a5af786c7ab5e9d084cdc11beabbee9103",
   "signed_by": "did:key:z6Mkfu5LT8d4DjETtrkATvHh9Dvcbnr7zBCUwfau8Sw7DLWT",
-  "version": "1.8.16-alpha"
+  "version": "1.8.17-alpha"
 }

releases/pending/v1.8.17-alpha/manifest.json

@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "changelog": [
-    "Minibits claims that every mint reports as already spent leave the retry queue, clearing repeated failure notices. Network errors and mixed mint failures remain queued for another attempt.",
-    "Minibits polls its primary relay first and connects to public fallback relays only when the primary is unreachable, reducing unnecessary connections.",
-    "Large payment backlogs are fetched from newest to oldest with a saved cursor, so polling can resume after interruptions or page limits. Payments sharing the same timestamp remain reachable.",
-    "Added regression coverage for spent-claim classification, wrapped and mixed mint errors, same-second payments, and interrupted or multi-poll backlogs."
-  ],
-  "components": [
-    {
-      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago",
-      "name": "archipelago",
-      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "sha256": "32a7b009eb58f8c9f256e6597711a77ded11e15d5865a3fe16901603264e1f70",
-      "size_bytes": 64953344
-    },
-    {
-      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "sha256": "faf692e9a0e16268357bcac2bf86b62950ae49663e3c95982e54a132bb761980",
-      "size_bytes": 98801608
-    }
-  ],
-  "release_date": "2026-09-15",
-  "signature": "c8196fe278a5747b3c3ba3bf70998874f1e3e6eedbdab33b9e33c3339a3769ab4431f41d99924ec4cdd15a5ffed299a5af786c7ab5e9d084cdc11beabbee9103",
-  "signed_by": "did:key:z6Mkfu5LT8d4DjETtrkATvHh9Dvcbnr7zBCUwfau8Sw7DLWT",
-  "version": "1.8.17-alpha"
-}