session-history/0014/SESSION-0014.1-TRANSCRIPT-2026-05-28T07-08--2026-05-28T07-40.md

# Session 0014.1 — Transcript

> Parent: SESSION-0014.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-05-28T07-01--<end>.md
> Date: 2026-05-28 (PST)
> Start: 2026-05-28T07-08 PST
> End:   2026-05-28T07-40 PST
> Goal: Ship rfc-app v0.18.0 — email + webhook hygiene proposal
>       (Wave 7 candidate #3; OHM roadmap items #18 + #20).
> Outcome: **All 5 slices shipped + merged + tagged + pushed to
>          both remotes; ohm-rfc pin bumped to 0.18.0; 295 tests
>          passing (was 252 pre-release).**

## Pre-session state

- **rfc-app**: `main` at `1456c8b` (v0.17.0), working tree clean,
  no uncommitted changes. Remotes: `origin` =
  `https://git.wiggleverse.org/ben.stull/rfc-app.git` (canonical),
  `benstull` = `git@git.benstull.org:benstull/rfc-app.git` (mirror).
  Test baseline (run before any work):
  `PYTHONPATH=. .venv/bin/pytest -q` → 252 passed in 53.29s.
- **ohm-rfc**: `main` at `8cce148`, `.rfc-app-version = 0.17.0`,
  remote = `ssh://git@git.wiggleverse.org:2222/ben/ohm-rfc.git`
  (canonical only — no mirror configured, matches the prompt's
  expectation).
- **Backend dev env**: Python venv at
  `/Users/benstull/git/rfc-app/backend/.venv`. Tests need
  `PYTHONPATH=.` (the prompt's example `pytest backend/tests/` was
  one cwd-level off; backend tests live under `backend/tests/`
  and import `from app import ...` so `cd backend && PYTHONPATH=. pytest`
  is the working invocation).

## Finding 1 — remote name mismatch with the prompt

The prompt said push to `canonical` and `mirror`. Actual remote
names in this repo are `origin` (canonical) and `benstull`
(mirror). Proceeded with the actual names; final pushes hit both
remotes successfully. Surfacing for the driver's transcript — no
action needed beyond the rename if the prompt's convention is
intended.

## Turn-by-turn arc

### Arc 1 — Required reading + repo survey

Read in order:
- `RFC-APP-EMAIL-HYGIENE-PROPOSAL.md` — the binding spec, three
  surfaces (template hygiene, webhook tightening, observability),
  5-slice plan, four open questions.
- `SESSION-PROTOCOL.md` — §5 (subagent transcripts) is the
  binding section for this subsession.
- `~/git/rfc-app/CLAUDE.md` — VERSION + frontend/package.json are
  the canonical version pins; SemVer pre-1.0 minor can break.
- Looked at `email_otc.py`, `email_invite.py`, `email.py`,
  `webhooks.py`, `config.py`, `invites.py`, `api_notifications.py`,
  `db.py`, the migrations directory (next slot was 020), test
  fixture `tmp_env` in `test_propose_vertical.py`, and a sample
  v0.17.0 CHANGELOG entry for shape.

**Open question #4 settled:** `invites.py` (per-RFC invite,
v0.16.0) does NOT have its own send path — it calls into
`email_invite.py`'s `send_invite_email` helper. So Slice 2's
single migration of `email_invite.py` covers both admin-create
and per-RFC invite paths automatically.

**Open question #3 settled:** the dev-fallback path DOES write to
`outbound_emails` with `status='deferred'` per the proposal's
recommendation. Tests rely on this (no SMTP_HOST in CI/tests).

**Open questions #1, #2** — operator-territory, not framework.
Left for the operator's next move.

### Arc 2 — Slice 1: build_envelope helper + unit tests

Created `backend/app/email_envelope.py` with a single
`build_envelope(...)` function. Key decisions:

- `msgid_domain` defaults to the @-domain of `from_address` (so
  Message-IDs align with the sending domain by default); falls
  back to `"localhost"` if from_address has no `@` (defensive).
- `Auto-Submitted: auto-generated` set by default
  (`is_transactional=True`) — every kind of mail rfc-app sends is
  transactional in the RFC 3834 sense.
- `List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click` only emitted
  when an `unsubscribe_url` is present (mailto-only callers don't
  get it).
- `body_html=None` → single-part text/plain; html-present →
  multipart/alternative with text/plain FIRST per RFC 2046.

15 unit tests in `test_email_envelope.py` covering: always-present
headers; Auto-Submitted toggle; the three List-Unsubscribe shapes
(none / mailto-only / full one-click); plain vs multipart bodies;
Message-ID domain default + override + fallback.

After Slice 1: 267 passed (252 + 15). Committed as `92059f3`.

### Arc 3 — Slice 2: migrate send paths + POST unsubscribe

Migrated `email_otc.py`, `email_invite.py`, `email._deliver`,
`email._send_bundle`, and (out of scope per proposal but a
natural sibling) `digest.py` to call `build_envelope`.

Per-kind unsubscribe matrix:
- OTC: no `List-Unsubscribe` (per proposal tradeoff discussion —
  the recipient explicitly requested the code).
- Invite (admin or per-RFC): `List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:…>` only.
  No URL form because the invitee isn't a user yet, so no
  per-user opt-out row exists.
- Notification (`_send_one`): full one-click — mailto + signed
  URL + `List-Unsubscribe-Post`.
- Bundle (`_send_bundle`) + Digest: same as notification, BUT
  uses a new synthetic `all` category instead of any single
  per-category flag. The bundle/digest spans multiple categories,
  so a per-category opt-out wouldn't honor user intent. Added
  `all` → `email_opt_out_all = 1` to the `_CATEGORY_COLUMN` map
  in `api_notifications.py`.

`EmailConfig` gained `unsubscribe_mailto` (env:
`EMAIL_UNSUBSCRIBE_MAILTO`, default = `EMAIL_FROM`). Tested via
`test_invite_envelope_respects_email_unsubscribe_mailto_override`.

Added `POST /api/email/unsubscribe` as the RFC 8058 receiver. Its
body is hint-only — the token signature carries the authority.
Returns `{ok, category}`.

The `_SENT` test buffer now also carries `envelope["message"]`
(the constructed `EmailMessage`) so new tests can assert on
headers directly while preserving the legacy `to`/`from`/
`subject`/`body` keys for backward compatibility.

Added 10 integration tests:
- `test_otc_vertical.py`: 2 (no List-Unsubscribe; headers present).
- `test_admin_create_user_invite_vertical.py`: 3 (headers; mailto-
  only; respects override).
- `test_notifications_vertical.py`: 5 (full one-click on
  notification; POST endpoint flips per-category; `all` via POST;
  `all` via GET; POST refuses invalid token).

**Friction in Arc 3:** my first notification-header test failed
with "watcher notification did not fire" — I'd forgotten to call
`provision_user_row(user_id=1, login="ben", role="owner")` and to
pass `email="alice@test"` to `sign_in_as`. Once both were added
the test passed. No code change needed — just test setup.

After Slice 2: 277 passed (267 + 10). Committed as `e9fdc47`.

### Arc 4 — Slice 3: webhook tightening

`config.py`: read `RFC_APP_INSECURE_WEBHOOKS` first; if `1`, call
`_optional("GITEA_WEBHOOK_SECRET")` (empty allowed); otherwise
call `_required("GITEA_WEBHOOK_SECRET")` (raises if empty). This
is the startup-loud-failure shape the proposal targets.

`webhooks.py`: defense-in-depth at request time — if
`config.webhook_secret` is empty AND the bypass isn't set, 500
with "Webhook receiver misconfigured." If the bypass IS set, log
a loud per-request warning. Unknown-repo branch gains an INFO
log line ("hook may be on a fork or stale").

`tmp_env` fixture in `test_propose_vertical.py`: was setting
`GITEA_WEBHOOK_SECRET=""`. Updated to bind a non-empty fake
secret so all pre-v0.18.0 tests boot under the new mandatory-
secret regime. This was the right call — the alternative (set
`RFC_APP_INSECURE_WEBHOOKS=1` in tests) would have left the
signature-verification path untested by default.

New `test_webhooks_vertical.py` (7 tests):
- 3 startup-time `load_config()` tests (empty + no bypass raises;
  empty + bypass loads; bound secret loads).
- 3 request-time signature tests (valid sig accepted; invalid sig
  401; missing sig 401).
- 1 unknown-repo logging test using `caplog`.

After Slice 3: 284 passed (277 + 7). Committed as `d3daa97`.

### Arc 5 — Slice 4: outbound_emails table + admin endpoint

Migration `020_outbound_emails.sql` with the table per the
proposal's spec (status enum includes `'bounced'` for Slice 5).

`email.record_outbound(...)` is a sibling of `_deliver`. It
swallows `RuntimeError` (so pure-helper unit tests that don't
call `db.init()` don't crash) and any other exception (so an
audit write never breaks a send).

`_deliver` writes one row per send: status='deferred' when
`SMTP_HOST` is unset; status='sent' on SMTP success; status='failed'
with `error=ExceptionClassName: message` on exception. Threaded
`kind` and `notification_id` kwargs through `_send_one` →
`_deliver` so the row carries the FK back to `notifications`.

`email_otc.py` and `email_invite.py` were trickier — they don't
go through `_deliver`, they have their own SMTP send. Added
`record_outbound` calls at each return point (disabled / dev-
fallback / success / exception).

`digest.py`: gained `kind='digest'` on its `_deliver` call.

`GET /api/admin/outbound-emails` admin endpoint with three filters
(kind, status, to_address — case-insensitive). Returns
`{items, has_more}` matching the rest of the admin surface.

7 new tests in `test_outbound_emails_vertical.py` covering write
paths and admin endpoint.

After Slice 4: 291 passed (284 + 7). Committed as `281a844`.

### Arc 6 — Slice 5: bounce correlation

Extended `BounceBody` with optional `message_id` (max_length=1000).
When supplied, the handler looks up the matching `outbound_emails`
row and stamps `status='bounced'` + appends `"bounce (<kind>)"`
to `error`. Response shape gained `correlated_id` (nullable).

**Intentional response-shape change:** the response body now
includes `correlated_id`. One pre-existing test asserted on the
exact shape `{ok: True, matched: False}` —
`test_bounce_webhook_refuses_unsigned_when_secret_configured` in
`test_e2e_smoke.py`. Updated the assertion to include
`correlated_id: None`. Documented in the CHANGELOG entry.

4 new tests in `test_outbound_emails_vertical.py`:
- bounce with matching message_id stamps the row + flips
  global opt-out.
- bounce with unknown message_id logs but 200s (provider replay
  case).
- bounce without message_id falls back to legacy v1 behavior.
- bounced rows show up in admin endpoint with `?status=bounced`.

After Slice 5: 295 passed (291 + 4 new + 1 updated). Committed as
`4666c4a`.

### Arc 7 — Release gesture

1. `VERSION` 0.17.0 → 0.18.0.
2. `frontend/package.json#version` 0.17.0 → 0.18.0.
3. CHANGELOG entry inserted above v0.17.0. Five-slice summary +
   Added / Changed / Tests / Migration / Upgrade-steps blocks.
   Upgrade-steps block per SPEC §20.4 covers: MUST
   GITEA_WEBHOOK_SECRET non-empty; MAY RFC_APP_INSECURE_WEBHOOKS=1
   for local dev; MAY EMAIL_UNSUBSCRIBE_MAILTO override; MUST
   apply migration 020 (auto); MUST rebuild + restart; SHOULD
   run mail-tester.com probe.
4. Release commit `0562d53`.
5. Final test run: 295 passed in 59.11s. Green.
6. Merged feature branch to main with `--no-ff` →
   merge commit `31913b1`.
7. Tagged `v0.18.0` on `31913b1`.
8. Pushed `main`, `v0.18.0` tag, and feature branch to BOTH
   `origin` (canonical) and `benstull` (mirror). All four pushes
   reported successful by the remote.
9. Bumped `/Users/benstull/projects/wiggleverse/ohm-rfc/.rfc-app-version`
   0.17.0 → 0.18.0. Committed as `c527aca`, pushed to ohm-rfc
   `origin/main`.

### Arc 8 — Transcript (this file)

Wrote the transcript before returning to driver N, per Session-M
lesson + §5 of the protocol.

## Cut state

| Surface | State |
|---|---|
| rfc-app `main` | `31913b1` (merge commit), tagged **v0.18.0** at `31913b1`. Pushed to `origin` + `benstull`. |
| rfc-app feature branch | `feature/v0.18.0-email-webhook-hygiene` at `0562d53`. Pushed to both remotes. |
| rfc-app `VERSION` + `frontend/package.json` | `0.18.0`. |
| ohm-rfc `main` | `c527aca`, `.rfc-app-version = 0.18.0`. Pushed to `origin` only (no mirror; matches the project convention). |
| Tests | **295 passed, 0 failed** (was 252 pre-release). Run time ~59s. |
| OHM live deploy | UNCHANGED — driver N drives the deploy gesture after the operator-led SMTP fix lands. |

| Slice | Commit | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1: build_envelope helper + unit tests | `92059f3` | ✅ shipped |
| 2: migrate send paths + POST unsubscribe | `e9fdc47` | ✅ shipped |
| 3: webhook tightening | `d3daa97` | ✅ shipped |
| 4: outbound_emails + admin endpoint | `281a844` | ✅ shipped |
| 5: bounce correlation | `4666c4a` | ✅ shipped |
| Release: VERSION + CHANGELOG + frontend/package.json | `0562d53` | ✅ shipped |
| Merge to main | `31913b1` | ✅ shipped |
| Tag `v0.18.0` | at `31913b1` | ✅ pushed both remotes |
| ohm-rfc pin bump | `c527aca` | ✅ pushed |

## §19.2 candidates surfaced

1. **Per-RFC invite path consolidation.** Per the proposal's open
   question #4: confirmed `invites.py` (v0.16.0 per-RFC invite)
   uses `email_invite.py`'s helper, NOT its own send path. So
   Slice 2 covered it automatically. But the per-RFC invite and
   admin-create invite share the same template + From identity
   today; if a future minor needs them to diverge (e.g.,
   per-RFC carries the RFC slug in its Reply-To), the split goes
   on `email_invite.py` and the per-RFC caller passes its own
   override kwargs. Track as a §19.2 candidate but only worth a
   session when an actual deployment asks for the divergence.
2. **HTML alternative body templates.** The proposal called out a
   minimal HTML variant for OTC and a button-style HTML variant
   for invites. v0.18.0 did NOT ship these — every send path
   still passes only `body_plain` to `build_envelope`. The helper
   supports `body_html`, so adding HTML variants is a follow-up
   minor with zero infrastructure work; just the template authoring.
   §19.2 candidate.
3. **Sender Policy Framework + DKIM rotation rhythm.** The
   `mail-tester.com` SHOULD step in the upgrade-steps block
   surfaces this — once OHM runs the probe with real SMTP, any
   DKIM or SPF score gap drops onto the operator's plate, NOT
   the framework's. But if the framework wants to surface
   suspected DNS misalignment proactively (e.g., parse the
   bounce body for SPF-fail signals and log a hint), that's a
   future minor. §19.2 candidate.
4. **Admin UI for `outbound_emails`.** Proposal explicitly
   deferred this; operator queries the endpoint with curl + jq
   for now. When a need arises (e.g., the admin user-management
   page wants to show "last email sent" inline per user), the
   table is already populated and indexed for it.
5. **Remote-name mismatch with the prompt** (already named in the
   Finding above). The prompt's "canonical / mirror" convention
   doesn't match this repo's `origin` / `benstull` reality. Worth
   either (a) renaming the remotes to match, or (b) updating
   future driver/subagent prompts to say "the local origin /
   mirror config, whatever that is." Procedural §19.2 candidate.

## What driver N needs to know

- **All 5 slices shipped clean.** v0.18.0 = full proposal scope.
  Tag + main + feature branch are all pushed to both remotes.
- **295 tests passing**, 0 failed. The one test that needed an
  intentional update (`test_e2e_smoke.test_bounce_webhook_refuses_unsigned_when_secret_configured`)
  was updated in the Slice 5 commit and documented in the
  CHANGELOG entry under "Changed → api_notifications.py."
- **ohm-rfc pin bumped to 0.18.0 at `c527aca` on `main`,
  pushed.** Ready for `flotilla deploy ohm-rfc-app` once the
  operator-led SMTP fix lands.
- **OHM-specific upgrade impact: zero overlay change.**
  `GITEA_WEBHOOK_SECRET` has been bound on OHM since v0.14.0;
  the new mandatory-at-startup check is a no-op for OHM
  specifically. The new `EMAIL_UNSUBSCRIBE_MAILTO` is optional
  (falls back to `EMAIL_FROM`), so OHM picks up the default
  behavior cleanly without operator action. The
  `outbound_emails` migration auto-applies on first startup
  after the new image rolls.
- **Mail-tester probe is a SHOULD step.** Operator gesture, not
  driver gesture. Worth surfacing on the operator's plate after
  the deploy lands.
- **Remote names note:** the prompt said `canonical` + `mirror`;
  actual config is `origin` + `benstull`. Pushed to both, no
  failures. Driver N may want to either rename the remotes or
  update the prompt template.
- **Subsession transcript:** this file, at
  `~/git/ohm-infra/SESSION-0014.1-TRANSCRIPT-2026-05-28T07-08--2026-05-28T07-40.md`.
  Driver N publishes this via `publish-transcript.sh` alongside
  the parent session transcript.