Merge pull request 'Stop polling idle Agent updates controls' (#52) from fix-agent-update-refresh into main

The previous wording told operators to leave the slot blank and then
warned that doing so disables prune, which is contradictory. Prune is
gated on the admin slot for every backend, on both paths:
scheduled (maintenance_dispatch.go:52) skips silently, manual
(repo_ops.go:39) returns 400 admin_creds_required.

Also reworded the opening line, which still said 'only needed for
rest-server repos' while the new text asks other backends to fill it in.

.gitea/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # Notes for anyone editing this file:
 #
 # Custom runner image
-#   Every job runs inside `gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/ci-runner-go`
+#   Every job runs inside `docker.dcglab.co.uk/public/ci-runner-go:latest`
 #   (recipe: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/ci/src/branch/main/images/ci-runner-go).
 #   That image already ships:
 #     * Go on PATH at /usr/local/go/bin (so `actions/setup-go` is
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
 #       otherwise re-download Go on every job)
 #     * Node.js + npm (used by docs / e2e workflows)
 #     * Docker CLI, Buildx, Compose v2 (used by docker-build steps)
-#   When bumping the Go floor, push a new ci-runner-go image with
-#   the matching Go version and bump the date pin in IMAGE below.
+#   The runner image is intentionally tracked via `latest`: it is shared CI
+#   infrastructure, and updates should propagate to consuming repositories.
 #
 # Self-hosted runner expectations
 #   Each runner host bind-mounts persistent volumes for
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ jobs:
     # one runner. The third shard ("rest") covers everything else.
     name: Test (${{ matrix.name }})
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    container: gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/ci-runner-go:2026-05-08
+    container:
+      image: docker.dcglab.co.uk/public/ci-runner-go:latest
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
@@ -105,7 +106,8 @@ jobs:
   lint:
     name: Lint
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    container: gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/ci-runner-go:2026-05-08
+    container:
+      image: docker.dcglab.co.uk/public/ci-runner-go:latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - uses: golangci/golangci-lint-action@v7
@@ -121,7 +123,8 @@ jobs:
   build:
     name: Build (${{ matrix.goos }}/${{ matrix.goarch }})
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    container: gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/ci-runner-go:2026-05-08
+    container:
+      image: docker.dcglab.co.uk/public/ci-runner-go:latest
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:

.gitea/workflows/e2e.yml

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ jobs:
   e2e:
     name: Playwright vs docker-compose
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    container: gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/ci-runner-go:2026-05-08
+    container: docker.dcglab.co.uk/public/ci-runner-go:latest
     timeout-minutes: 15
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4

.gitea/workflows/release.yml

@@ -12,18 +12,14 @@
 #     plus install.sh / install.ps1 / the systemd unit baked in under
 #     /opt/restic-manager/dist (the read-only fallback path the server
 #     handlers use when <DataDir>/... is empty).
-#   * Pushes to this Gitea instance's container registry under
-#     <gitea-host>/<owner>/restic-manager.
+#   * Pushes to the public namespace in the zot OCI registry
+#     (docker.dcglab.co.uk/public/restic-manager). Pulls are anonymous;
+#     pushes remain authenticated.
 #
 # Tag fan-out
 #   * tag push: :vX.Y.Z, :X.Y, :X
 #   * tag push and X >= 1: also :latest
 #   * workflow_dispatch: only :snapshot-<shortsha>; nothing else moves.
-#
-# Why no goreleaser
-#   The architecture already routes agent distribution through the
-#   server's /agent/binary endpoint. The image is the only deliverable;
-#   binary archives would just be a second source of truth.
 
 name: Release
 
@@ -34,8 +30,8 @@ on:
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 env:
-  REGISTRY: gitea.dcglab.co.uk
-  IMAGE_NAME: ${{ gitea.repository }}
+  REGISTRY: docker.dcglab.co.uk
+  IMAGE_NAME: public/restic-manager
 
 # Force bash as the default shell — see ci.yml header.
 defaults:
@@ -46,19 +42,20 @@ jobs:
   image:
     name: Build + push image
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    container: gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/ci-runner-go:2026-05-08
+    container:
+      image: docker.dcglab.co.uk/public/ci-runner-go:latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
       - uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
       - uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
 
-      - name: Log in to Gitea registry
+      - name: Log in to zot registry
         uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
           registry: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}
-          username: ${{ gitea.actor }}
-          password: ${{ secrets.DEV_TOKEN }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.ZOT_USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.ZOT_PASSWORD }}
 
       - name: Compute tags + version
         id: meta

.gitignore

@@ -45,3 +45,10 @@ coverage.html
 # tooling already skips paths starting with _, but ignore explicitly
 # so an accidental `git add cmd/.` can't sneak them into a release.
 /cmd/_*/
+
+# Local-only planning / scratch — never committed.
+/ask.md
+/docs/superpowers/
+
+# Claude Code agent worktrees (transient, harness-created).
+/.claude/worktrees/

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -6,6 +6,95 @@ and the project follows [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.2.0] - 2026-08-22
+
+### Added
+
+- Fleet-wide agent updates are now discoverable from Settings and the
+  dashboard, with arbitrary host subsets, name/tag/version/eligibility
+  filtering, explicit exclusion reasons, server-side membership validation,
+  and a canary-first pause after the first verified reconnect. Halted rolls
+  expose retry and resume actions. ([#43])
+- Running jobs with no recent persisted activity are detected server-side and
+  surfaced through deduplicated alerts. Kind-aware thresholds protect normal
+  long-running work, terminal jobs self-resolve, and Prometheus exports stuck
+  job count and oldest inactivity age. ([#41])
+- Snapshot projections now retain host-level refresh timestamps—including
+  authoritative empty reports—expose a derived stale flag, refresh after
+  backup, forget, and prune, and support an explicit operator reconciliation
+  endpoint. ([#40])
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Raised the bounded WebSocket read limit on both peers so ordinary large
+  snapshot reports and restic events no longer disconnect otherwise healthy
+  agents. Regression coverage exercises payloads beyond the library's former
+  32 KiB default in both directions. ([#44])
+- Fleet-update timeout verification now performs a final authoritative read of
+  the agent version delivered by the reconnect `hello`, avoiding a poll/deadline
+  race and reporting the last observed version when verification fails. ([#43])
+
+### Changed
+
+- CI runner images and release images use the anonymous-pull `public`
+  namespace at `docker.dcglab.co.uk`; registry authentication remains required
+  only for publishing.
+
+## [1.1.1] - 2026-08-22
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Prevented agents from panicking when a WebSocket connection ends. The
+  WebSocket library transfers ownership of a successful upgrade stream to
+  the connection and leaves the HTTP response body nil; attempting to close
+  that body caused agents to restart and left forget jobs permanently stuck
+  in `running`. ([#37])
+- Manual forget jobs now receive the same per-source-group retention policies
+  as scheduled forget jobs. The API also supports a validated `--dry-run`
+  option through the complete server-to-agent-to-restic path, and rejects
+  hosts without configured retention before creating a job. ([#36])
+- Corrected the admin-credentials help text to reflect that forget uses normal
+  append-only credentials and blank admin credentials do not provide a
+  fallback for prune. ([#34])
+
+## [1.1.0] - 2026-06-15
+
+### Added
+
+- **Always-On vs intermittent host mode.** A host can now be marked as
+  not always-on — for laptops/workstations that legitimately sleep,
+  travel, or shut down outside hours. An intermittent host no longer
+  raises "agent offline" alerts when it disappears; instead it shows a
+  calm "asleep" state in the UI ("asleep · last seen … · will catch up
+  on return") and is covered by a longer-horizon staleness alert (raised
+  only when it has an enabled schedule and no successful backup in 7
+  days). When such a host reconnects, the server waits a short settle
+  window and then automatically dispatches any scheduled backup whose
+  window elapsed while it was asleep. Toggle per host from the host
+  detail page (operator-band, audited as `host.mode_updated`). New and
+  existing hosts default to always-on, so current fleets are unaffected.
+
+### Changed
+
+- Host-detail header redesign: tags and presence are grouped into
+  labelled, boxed pills with click-to-edit; presence shows a `24x7` /
+  `Free` chip; the agent "out of date" indicator is simplified (the full
+  version detail remains in the Agent-update panel and on hover).
+- Relative timestamps ("2h ago") now tick client-side, so a tab left
+  open no longer shows a stale value as wall-clock time moves on.
+- Release and CI container images are now published to and pulled from
+  the zot OCI registry (`docker.dcglab.co.uk`).
+
+## [1.0.1] - 2026-05-09
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Build version is now single-sourced from `internal/version`, and the
+  server Dockerfile's ldflags were corrected so docker-built binaries
+  report their real version. Previously `internal/version.Version` stayed
+  at its "dev" default in docker images, which made every host look
+  permanently out-of-date to the update logic.
+
 ## [1.0.0] - 2026-05-09
 
 First tagged release. Six development phases brought the project from
@@ -85,5 +174,16 @@ with a web UI, JSON API, and self-updating agent fleet.
   go vet, golangci-lint).
 - Threat model published (`docs/threat-model.md`).
 
-[Unreleased]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/compare/v1.0.0...HEAD
+[Unreleased]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/compare/v1.2.0...HEAD
+[1.2.0]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/compare/v1.1.1...v1.2.0
+[1.1.1]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/compare/v1.1.0...v1.1.1
+[1.1.0]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/releases/tag/v1.1.0
 [1.0.0]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/releases/tag/v1.0.0
+
+[#37]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/issues/37
+[#36]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/issues/36
+[#34]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/issues/34
+[#40]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/issues/40
+[#41]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/issues/41
+[#43]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/issues/43
+[#44]: https://gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/issues/44

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 Thanks for your interest in restic-manager. This document covers how
 to set up a development environment, the conventions the project
-follows, and how patches make it from your machine into `main`.
+follows, and how to contribute through issues as well as patches that
+make it from your machine into `main`.
 
 ## Project status and scope
 
@@ -108,6 +109,32 @@ admin user.
 
 ## Workflow
 
+### Opening an issue
+
+Issues are contributions too. Use them to report a bug, suggest a
+feature, improve the documentation, or start a design discussion even
+if you do not plan to submit a patch.
+
+Before opening one, search the existing issues and check `tasks.md` to
+see whether the topic is already tracked. Then choose the closest issue
+template:
+
+- [Bug report](./.gitea/issue_template/bug_report.md) for behaviour that
+  does not match the documentation or expected operation.
+- [Feature request](./.gitea/issue_template/feature_request.md) for a new
+  capability or a change to existing behaviour.
+
+Give the issue a specific title, keep it to one problem or proposal,
+and complete the relevant template fields. If no template is an exact
+fit, open a regular issue and explain the context, desired outcome, and
+any alternatives you have considered. Maintainers may ask follow-up
+questions or close requests that duplicate existing work or fall
+outside the project's scope.
+
+Security-sensitive reports are the exception: follow the
+[SECURITY.md](./SECURITY.md) disclosure process and do not open a public
+issue.
+
 ### Before opening a PR
 
 1. **Open an issue first** for non-trivial changes. The design is
@@ -136,25 +163,24 @@ The PR template asks for:
 
 ### Reporting bugs
 
-Open an issue with:
+Use the bug report issue template and include:
 
 - restic-manager version (`server --version`) and agent version.
 - restic version on the affected host.
 - Steps to reproduce.
 - Server and agent logs (sanitise any tokens before pasting).
 
-Security-sensitive bugs go through the [SECURITY.md](./SECURITY.md)
-disclosure path instead — please don't open a public issue for
-them.
+For security-sensitive bugs, use the private disclosure process noted
+above.
 
 ### Suggesting features
 
-Open an issue describing the use case (not just the proposed
-solution). The roadmap in `tasks.md` shows where the project is
-heading; if the suggestion fits a future phase we'll wire it in
-there. If it falls outside the project's scope (multi-tenancy, SaaS,
-non-restic backends — see `spec.md` §2 non-goals) we'll say so
-early to save your time.
+Use the feature request issue template and describe the use case (not
+just the proposed solution). The roadmap in `tasks.md` shows where the
+project is heading; if the suggestion fits a future phase we'll wire it
+in there. If it falls outside the project's scope (multi-tenancy, SaaS,
+non-restic backends — see `spec.md` §2 non-goals) we'll say so early to
+save your time.
 
 ## Code of conduct
 

Makefile

@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ VERSION        ?= $(shell git describe --tags --always --dirty 2>/dev/null || ec
 COMMIT         ?= $(shell git rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo none)
 DATE           ?= $(shell date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
 VERSION_PKG    := gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/version
-LDFLAGS        := -s -w -X main.version=$(VERSION) -X main.commit=$(COMMIT) -X main.date=$(DATE) \
-                  -X $(VERSION_PKG).Version=$(VERSION) -X $(VERSION_PKG).Commit=$(COMMIT)
+LDFLAGS        := -s -w \
+                  -X $(VERSION_PKG).Version=$(VERSION) \
+                  -X $(VERSION_PKG).Commit=$(COMMIT) \
+                  -X $(VERSION_PKG).Date=$(DATE)
 GOFLAGS        := -trimpath
 DOCKER_IMAGE   ?= gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager
 DOCKER_TAG     ?= dev

cmd/agent/main.go

@@ -22,12 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/agent/wsclient"
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/api"
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/restic"
-)
-
-var (
-	version = "dev"
-	commit  = "none"
-	date    = "unknown"
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/version"
 )
 
 func main() {
@@ -66,7 +61,7 @@ func run() error {
 	flag.Parse()
 
 	if *showVersion {
-		fmt.Printf("restic-manager-agent %s (commit %s, built %s)\n", version, commit, date)
+		fmt.Printf("restic-manager-agent %s (commit %s, built %s)\n", version.Version, version.Commit, version.Date)
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -82,14 +77,14 @@ func run() error {
 		if *enrollServer == "" {
 			return errors.New("enrollment: -enroll-server is required with -enroll-token")
 		}
-		return doEnroll(*enrollServer, *enrollToken, cfg, version)
+		return doEnroll(*enrollServer, *enrollToken, cfg, version.Version)
 	}
 
 	// Announce-and-approve: -enroll-server set, no token, agent not
 	// yet enrolled. Run the announce flow inline; on success the cfg
 	// has the bearer + host_id and we drop into the normal run loop.
 	if !cfg.Enrolled() && *enrollServer != "" {
-		if err := doAnnounce(*enrollServer, cfg, version); err != nil {
+		if err := doAnnounce(*enrollServer, cfg, version.Version); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("announce: %w", err)
 		}
 	}
@@ -106,7 +101,7 @@ func run() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("sysinfo: %w", err)
 	}
 	slog.Info("agent starting",
-		"version", version,
+		"version", version.Version,
 		"host_id", cfg.HostID,
 		"server", cfg.ServerURL,
 		"restic_version", snap.ResticVersion,
@@ -136,7 +131,7 @@ func run() error {
 		CertPinSHA256: cfg.CertPinSHA256,
 		HelloPayload: api.HelloPayload{
 			ProtocolVersion: snap.ProtocolVersion,
-			AgentVersion:    version,
+			AgentVersion:    version.Version,
 			ResticVersion:   snap.ResticVersion,
 			Hostname:        snap.Hostname,
 			OS:              snap.OS,
@@ -301,6 +296,9 @@ func (d *dispatcher) handle(ctx context.Context, env api.Envelope, tx wsclient.S
 		}
 		go d.handleTreeList(ctx, env.ID, p, tx)
 
+	case api.MsgSnapshotsRefresh:
+		go d.refreshSnapshots(ctx, tx)
+
 	case api.MsgScheduleSet:
 		var p api.ScheduleSetPayload
 		if err := env.UnmarshalPayload(&p); err != nil {
@@ -410,6 +408,22 @@ func (d *dispatcher) handle(ctx context.Context, env api.Envelope, tx wsclient.S
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (d *dispatcher) refreshSnapshots(ctx context.Context, tx wsclient.Sender) {
+	creds, err := d.secrets.Load()
+	if err != nil || creds.Empty() {
+		slog.Warn("ws agent: snapshots.refresh unavailable", "err", err)
+		return
+	}
+	r := runner.New(runner.Config{
+		ResticBin: d.resticBin, ResticVersion: d.resticVer,
+		RepoURL: creds.URL, RepoUsername: creds.Username, RepoPassword: creds.Password,
+		SupportsRestoreNoOwnership: d.resticSupportsNoOwnership,
+	}, tx, time.Second)
+	if err := r.RefreshSnapshots(ctx); err != nil {
+		slog.Warn("ws agent: snapshots.refresh failed", "err", err)
+	}
+}
+
 // handleTreeList runs `restic ls --json <snapshot> <path>` and ships
 // the matching tree.list.result envelope back, correlated by the
 // request envelope's ID. Errors (missing creds, restic failure)
@@ -606,6 +620,11 @@ func (d *dispatcher) runJob(ctx context.Context, p api.CommandRunPayload, tx wsc
 			failJob(p, tx, "forget: command.run carried no forget_groups (server didn't populate them)")
 			return fmt.Errorf("forget: command.run carried no forget_groups (server didn't populate them)")
 		}
+		if len(p.Args) > 1 || (len(p.Args) == 1 && p.Args[0] != "--dry-run") {
+			failJob(p, tx, "forget: command.run carried unsupported arguments")
+			return fmt.Errorf("forget: command.run carried unsupported arguments")
+		}
+		dryRun := len(p.Args) == 1
 		groups := make([]restic.ForgetGroup, 0, len(p.ForgetGroups))
 		for _, g := range p.ForgetGroups {
 			groups = append(groups, restic.ForgetGroup{
@@ -620,9 +639,9 @@ func (d *dispatcher) runJob(ctx context.Context, p api.CommandRunPayload, tx wsc
 				},
 			})
 		}
-		slog.Info("agent: accepting forget job", "job_id", p.JobID, "groups", len(groups))
+		slog.Info("agent: accepting forget job", "job_id", p.JobID, "groups", len(groups), "dry_run", dryRun)
 		spawn("forget", func(jobCtx context.Context) error {
-			return r.RunForget(jobCtx, p.JobID, groups)
+			return r.RunForget(jobCtx, p.JobID, groups, dryRun)
 		})
 	case api.JobPrune:
 		// Prune may require admin creds (delete authority on rest-server).

cmd/server/main.go

@@ -26,12 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/server/ui"
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/server/ws"
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/store"
-)
-
-var (
-	version = "dev"
-	commit  = "none"
-	date    = "unknown"
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/version"
 )
 
 func main() {
@@ -47,7 +42,7 @@ func run() error {
 	flag.Parse()
 
 	if *showVersion {
-		fmt.Printf("restic-manager-server %s (commit %s, built %s)\n", version, commit, date)
+		fmt.Printf("restic-manager-server %s (commit %s, built %s)\n", version.Version, version.Commit, version.Date)
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -123,7 +118,7 @@ func run() error {
 		NotificationHub: notifHub,
 		UpdateWatcher:   updateWatcher,
 		UI:              renderer,
-		Version:         version,
+		Version:         version.Version,
 		OIDC:            oidcClient,
 		Metrics:         metricsRegistry,
 	}
@@ -177,7 +172,7 @@ func run() error {
 
 	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
 	go func() {
-		slog.Info("server listening", "addr", cfg.Listen, "version", version)
+		slog.Info("server listening", "addr", cfg.Listen, "version", version.Version)
 		errCh <- srv.Start()
 	}()
 
@@ -232,6 +227,7 @@ func run() error {
 				}
 			case <-pendingDrainTick.C:
 				srv.DrainAllDue(ctx)
+				srv.RunCatchupsDue(ctx)
 			case <-pendingExpiryTick.C:
 				if n, err := st.DeleteExpiredPendingHosts(ctx, time.Now().UTC()); err == nil && n > 0 {
 					slog.Info("expired pending hosts swept", "n", n)

deploy/Dockerfile.server

@@ -26,7 +26,11 @@ ARG DATE=unknown
 ARG TARGETOS
 ARG TARGETARCH
 
-ENV LDFLAGS="-s -w -X main.version=${VERSION} -X main.commit=${COMMIT} -X main.date=${DATE}"
+ENV VERSION_PKG="gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/version"
+ENV LDFLAGS="-s -w \
+    -X ${VERSION_PKG}.Version=${VERSION} \
+    -X ${VERSION_PKG}.Commit=${COMMIT} \
+    -X ${VERSION_PKG}.Date=${DATE}"
 
 # Server: built for the image's runtime arch.
 RUN GOOS=${TARGETOS} GOARCH=${TARGETARCH} \

docs/specs/2026-06-15-always-on-host-mode-design.md

@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+# Always-On vs Intermittent host mode
+
+**Date:** 2026-06-15
+**Branch:** `feat-laptop-host-mode`
+**Status:** Design — awaiting review
+
+## Problem
+
+The server currently assumes every host should be present 24×7. When an
+agent stops heartbeating for 90s it is flipped to `offline`, and after 15
+minutes that raises a `warning` alert. This is correct for a server, but
+wrong for a host that legitimately comes and goes — a workstation or
+laptop that sleeps overnight, travels, or is shut down on weekends. Such
+a host generates noise alerts every time it is closed, and — more
+importantly — there is **no mechanism to catch up a backup it missed
+while it was away.**
+
+Two distinct facts make the catch-up gap real:
+
+- **Backup cron runs on the agent, locally.** The agent fires
+  `MsgScheduleFire`; the server only dispatches in response. If the host
+  is asleep, the agent process is suspended, so the cron tick never
+  fires and no `MsgScheduleFire` is ever sent.
+- Therefore the existing `pending_runs` retry queue **does not** cover
+  this case. `pending_runs` only gets a row when a schedule *fired* but
+  the agent was momentarily disconnected at dispatch time. A window
+  missed entirely during sleep never enqueues anything.
+
+## Goal
+
+Let an operator mark a host as **not** always-on. Such a host:
+
+1. Does **not** raise offline/agent-down alerts when it is not visible.
+2. Renders a distinct, calm "asleep" state in the UI instead of the
+   alarming red "offline".
+3. When it reconnects, after a short settle delay, the server checks
+   whether it missed a scheduled backup and — if so — triggers a
+   catch-up backup automatically.
+4. Still raises a *staleness* alert if it has genuinely gone too long
+   without any backup (a host left in a drawer). This is the only
+   alert covering an asleep host: while the agent is offline no job
+   runs, so there is no failure to detect — staleness is the safety
+   net for "no backups are happening at all."
+5. Leaves normal job-failure alerting untouched: a backup that
+   actually runs (scheduled or catch-up) and fails alerts as it does
+   today. Failures can only occur while the agent is online and
+   executing restic.
+
+Default behaviour is unchanged for the entire existing fleet.
+
+## Decisions (from brainstorming)
+
+- **Setting shape:** a single boolean `Always On` checkbox per host,
+  **default ON**. Checked = today's 24×7 server semantics. Unchecked =
+  intermittent host. Opt-in only; zero behaviour change for current and
+  future hosts unless explicitly toggled.
+- **Overdue trigger:** evaluated on **reconnect + behind schedule**
+  (not a continuous always-evaluating sweep).
+- **Alert policy for intermittent hosts:** suppress offline alerts;
+  keep a long-threshold **staleness** alert; keep job-failure alerts.
+- **Staleness threshold:** **7 days**, a global constant for v1. May
+  become per-host configurable later — out of scope now.
+- **Catch-up granularity:** **per enabled schedule.** A host with a
+  daily and a weekly schedule catches up only whichever is actually
+  behind.
+- **UI vocabulary:** not-visible intermittent host shows a grey
+  `asleep` state; detail line reads
+  `asleep · last seen <relTime> · will catch up on return`.
+- **Chip:** chip and checkbox highlight the **same** truth (24×7). Show
+  a chip for **Always-On** hosts; **no** chip for intermittent.
+
+## Architecture
+
+The change is deliberately a thin policy + presentation layer over the
+existing online/offline state machine. We do **not** add a new `status`
+enum value or alter heartbeat / `last_seen_at` tracking. "Asleep" is a
+reinterpretation of `status='offline' AND NOT always_on`.
+
+### 1. Data model
+
+- **Migration `0024_hosts_always_on.sql`:**
+  ```sql
+  ALTER TABLE hosts ADD COLUMN always_on INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1;
+  ```
+  Column-level ALTER per the repo's migration rules. Default `1` means
+  every existing row is Always-On — no behaviour change on upgrade.
+- `store/types.go`: add `AlwaysOn bool` to the `Host` struct; thread it
+  through every host SELECT scan and the host insert/update paths.
+- New store helper `SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx, hostID, bool) error`.
+
+### 2. Online/offline mechanics — UNCHANGED
+
+The 30s offline sweeper (`cmd/server/main.go:220`) still flips an unseen
+host to `status='offline'` and still calls
+`alertEngine.NotifyHostOffline(id)`. `TouchHost` / `MarkHostHello`
+behaviour is untouched. The intermittent distinction is applied
+*downstream* of this state, in the alert engine and the templates.
+
+### 3. Alert behaviour
+
+All changes key off `host.AlwaysOn`, which the engine already has access
+to via the host row it loads.
+
+- **Suppress offline alert** (`alert/engine.go` `handleHostOffline()`
+  and the 60s `tick()`): when `!host.AlwaysOn`, do not raise
+  `agent_offline`.
+- **Resolve-on-toggle:** when a host is switched server→intermittent and
+  has an open `agent_offline` alert, auto-resolve it. (Handled in the
+  mode-change handler, fanning through the normal resolve path so
+  channels/audit fire as usual.)
+- **Staleness alert** — wire up the currently-dead `KindStaleSchedule`
+  constant, **for intermittent hosts only.** On the 60s tick, for each
+  host where `!AlwaysOn` AND the host has ≥1 enabled schedule AND
+  `LastBackupAt != nil` AND `now - LastBackupAt > 7*24h`: raise a
+  `warning` `stale_schedule` alert (dedup key `""`, one per host).
+  Auto-resolves when `LastBackupAt` advances past the threshold (i.e.
+  any successful backup, including the catch-up). Always-On hosts'
+  `stale_schedule` remains a no-op (unchanged, out of scope).
+  - If `LastBackupAt == nil` (intermittent host enrolled but never
+    backed up): no staleness alert in v1 — there is no baseline to
+    measure against, and onboarding probe state (`repo_status`) already
+    covers "never successfully set up."
+- **Job-failure alerts:** untouched. A catch-up backup that runs and
+  fails alerts exactly like any other backup.
+
+### 4. Catch-up on reconnect
+
+A new small component — the **catch-up scheduler** — lives server-side
+alongside the existing ticks.
+
+- **Arm:** on agent hello (`server/ws/handler.go` hello path /
+  `onAgentHello`), if the host is `!AlwaysOn`, record
+  `catchupDueAt[hostID] = now + 60s` in an in-memory map. Re-arming on a
+  subsequent hello just overwrites the timestamp (debounce — rapid
+  flapping does not stack catch-ups). In-memory is acceptable: catch-up
+  is best-effort and a server restart simply re-arms on the next hello.
+- **Fire:** reuse the existing 30s server tick. For each due entry
+  (`catchupDueAt <= now`):
+  1. Re-verify the agent is still connected (`Hub.Connected(hostID)`).
+     If it bounced back offline within the settle window, drop the entry
+     (it will re-arm on the next hello).
+  2. Skip if a backup is already running or queued for the host
+     (`current_job_id` set, or a relevant `pending_runs` row exists) —
+     avoid double-firing alongside a normal dispatch or pending drain.
+  3. For each **enabled** schedule on the host, compute overdue:
+     ```
+     overdue := sched.Next(host.LastBackupAt) <= now
+     ```
+     using `robfig/cron/v3` (already a dependency) to parse
+     `Schedule.CronExpr`. `Next(lastBackup)` is the first fire strictly
+     after the last successful backup; if that moment has already
+     passed, the window was missed → overdue. (If `LastBackupAt` is nil,
+     treat as overdue so a never-backed-up intermittent host with a
+     schedule gets its first run on connect.)
+  4. For each overdue schedule, dispatch its source-groups via the
+     existing `dispatchBackupForGroupCore()`.
+  5. Clear the entry.
+
+Net latency is ~60–90s after wake (60s settle + up to one 30s tick).
+This path is independent of and complementary to the `pending_runs`
+drain, which continues to handle the fired-but-not-sent case.
+
+### 5. UI
+
+- **CSS:** new grey `dot-asleep` token in `web/styles/input.css`,
+  visually distinct from red `dot-offline`.
+- **`partials/host_row.html` and `partials/host_chrome.html`:** when
+  `!AlwaysOn && status=='offline'`, render the grey dot + label
+  `asleep`; the detail/last-seen line reads
+  `asleep · last seen <relTime> · will catch up on return`. All other
+  states unchanged.
+- **24×7 chip:** on the host detail header, render a small
+  `Always On` / `24×7` chip **only when `AlwaysOn` is true**. No chip
+  for intermittent hosts. (Chip and checkbox highlight the same fact.)
+- **Toggle:** an `Always On` checkbox (default checked) on the host edit
+  surface. Operator-band `POST` (mirrors existing host-edit handlers),
+  audited as `host.mode_updated`. On save, if switching to intermittent,
+  trigger the resolve-on-toggle path for any open `agent_offline` alert.
+
+## Error handling & edge cases
+
+- **Toggle server→intermittent while offline+alerting:** open
+  `agent_offline` alert auto-resolved on save.
+- **Toggle intermittent→server while asleep:** host resumes normal
+  offline/alert semantics; it will alert per the 15-minute floor once
+  the sweeper/tick next evaluates it.
+- **No enabled schedules:** no catch-up and no staleness alert — there
+  is no backup expectation to measure against.
+- **Catch-up vs in-flight work:** guarded by the running/queued check in
+  step 4.2 so catch-up never races a normal dispatch or pending drain.
+- **Agent flaps during settle window:** entry dropped if not connected
+  at fire time; re-armed on the next hello.
+
+## Testing
+
+- **Alert engine (unit):**
+  - offline alert suppressed when `!AlwaysOn`.
+  - staleness alert raised when intermittent + schedule + last backup >
+    7d; not raised for Always-On hosts; not raised when last backup is
+    recent; not raised when no enabled schedule.
+  - staleness alert auto-resolves after a backup advances `LastBackupAt`.
+  - server→intermittent toggle resolves an open `agent_offline` alert.
+- **Overdue computation (unit, table-driven):** `(cronExpr,
+  lastBackupAt, now) → overdue?` including nil-last-backup and
+  daily/weekly cases.
+- **Catch-up scheduler (unit):** fires only when still connected; skips
+  when a backup is running/queued; dispatches only overdue schedules.
+- **UI (render test):** asleep state + 24×7 chip render under the right
+  conditions; offline state for Always-On hosts unchanged.
+- `go vet ./...` and full `go test ./...` green before merge.
+
+## Out of scope
+
+- Per-host staleness thresholds (global 7d constant for v1).
+- Continuous (non-reconnect) overdue evaluation.
+- Agent-side catch-up cron — the server is the reliable arbiter.
+- Wiring `stale_schedule` for Always-On hosts (separate concern).
+
+## Task tracking
+
+Add an entry to `tasks.md` under "Next steps from testing" (or a new
+small section) once the plan is approved, per the repo's tasks.md
+source-of-truth rule.

internal/agent/runner/runner.go

@@ -77,6 +77,12 @@ func (r *Runner) resticEnv() restic.Env {
 	}
 }
 
+// RefreshSnapshots reconciles the server's cached projection without running
+// a mutating repository job.
+func (r *Runner) RefreshSnapshots(ctx context.Context) error {
+	return r.reportSnapshots(ctx, r.resticEnv())
+}
+
 // sendStarted ships a job.started envelope.
 func (r *Runner) sendStarted(jobID string, kind api.JobKind, startedAt time.Time) {
 	env, _ := api.Marshal(api.MsgJobStarted, jobID, api.JobStartedPayload{
@@ -226,14 +232,9 @@ func (r *Runner) RunBackup(ctx context.Context, jobID string, paths, excludes, t
 		}
 	}
 
-	r.sendFinished(ctx, jobID, finishedAt, err, statsBlob)
-
 	// On a successful backup, refresh the server's snapshot projection.
-	// We do this *after* job.finished so the UI sees the job land first;
-	// the snapshot list is a follow-up that the host detail page polls
-	// or the dashboard sees on its next refresh. A failure here is
-	// logged but doesn't fail the job — the next successful backup will
-	// catch the projection up.
+	// Do this before job.finished so a failure in terminal reporting cannot
+	// prevent the independently useful projection refresh.
 	if err == nil {
 		if rerr := r.reportSnapshots(ctx, env); rerr != nil {
 			slog.Warn("runner: snapshots.report failed", "job_id", jobID, "err", rerr)
@@ -242,6 +243,7 @@ func (r *Runner) RunBackup(ctx context.Context, jobID string, paths, excludes, t
 			slog.Warn("runner: stats.report after backup failed", "job_id", jobID, "err", rerr)
 		}
 	}
+	r.sendFinished(ctx, jobID, finishedAt, err, statsBlob)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("runner backup: %w", err)
@@ -274,16 +276,14 @@ func (r *Runner) RunInit(ctx context.Context, jobID string) error {
 // snapshot projection (forget rewrites the snapshot index — the
 // host's snapshot list shrinks). Snapshot refresh runs once after
 // every group completes, not per-group.
-func (r *Runner) RunForget(ctx context.Context, jobID string, groups []restic.ForgetGroup) error {
+func (r *Runner) RunForget(ctx context.Context, jobID string, groups []restic.ForgetGroup, dryRun bool) error {
 	startedAt := time.Now().UTC()
 	r.sendStarted(jobID, api.JobForget, startedAt)
 
 	env := r.resticEnv()
 	var seq atomic.Int64
-	err := env.RunForget(ctx, groups, r.streamHandler(jobID, &seq))
+	err := env.RunForget(ctx, groups, dryRun, r.streamHandler(jobID, &seq))
 	finishedAt := time.Now().UTC()
-	r.sendFinished(ctx, jobID, finishedAt, err, nil)
-
 	// Refresh the server's snapshot projection — forget rewrites the
 	// index so the host's snapshot list almost certainly shrunk.
 	if err == nil {
@@ -292,6 +292,7 @@ func (r *Runner) RunForget(ctx context.Context, jobID string, groups []restic.Fo
 				"job_id", jobID, "err", rerr)
 		}
 	}
+	r.sendFinished(ctx, jobID, finishedAt, err, nil)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("runner forget: %w", err)
@@ -318,6 +319,9 @@ func (r *Runner) RunPrune(ctx context.Context, jobID string) error {
 		if rerr := r.reportStats(ctx, env, api.RepoStatsPayload{LastPruneAt: &pruneAt}); rerr != nil {
 			slog.Warn("runner: stats.report after prune failed", "job_id", jobID, "err", rerr)
 		}
+		if rerr := r.reportSnapshots(ctx, env); rerr != nil {
+			slog.Warn("runner: snapshots.report after prune failed", "job_id", jobID, "err", rerr)
+		}
 	}
 
 	r.sendFinished(ctx, jobID, finishedAt, err, nil)

internal/agent/runner/runner_test.go

@@ -116,7 +116,8 @@ func envelopeOrder(envs []api.Envelope) []api.MessageType {
 // TestRunPruneShipsExpectedEnvelopes drives RunPrune with a fake
 // binary that prints "prune" on stdout (for the log.stream envelope)
 // and emits valid stats JSON so reportStats can populate size fields.
-// Expected sequence: job.started → log.stream → repo.stats → job.finished.
+// Expected sequence: job.started → log.stream → repo.stats → snapshots.report
+// → job.finished.
 func TestRunPruneShipsExpectedEnvelopes(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
@@ -126,6 +127,7 @@ func TestRunPruneShipsExpectedEnvelopes(t *testing.T) {
 case "$1" in
   prune)  echo "prune" ;;
   stats)  echo '`+statsJSON+`' ;;
+	  snapshots) echo "[]" ;;
   *)      echo "unknown: $*" ;;
 esac
 `)
@@ -138,7 +140,7 @@ esac
 
 	order := envelopeOrder(tx.envs)
 	// Confirm landmark envelope types appear in the required order.
-	wantTypes := []api.MessageType{api.MsgJobStarted, api.MsgLogStream, api.MsgRepoStats, api.MsgJobFinished}
+	wantTypes := []api.MessageType{api.MsgJobStarted, api.MsgLogStream, api.MsgRepoStats, api.MsgSnapshotsRpt, api.MsgJobFinished}
 	positions := map[api.MessageType]int{}
 	for i, mt := range order {
 		if _, seen := positions[mt]; !seen {
@@ -379,6 +381,15 @@ func TestRunInitShipsStartedAndFinished(t *testing.T) {
 	_ = firstEnvOfType(t, tx.envs, api.MsgJobFinished)
 }
 
+func firstIndexOfType(envs []api.Envelope, typ api.MessageType) int {
+	for i, env := range envs {
+		if env.Type == typ {
+			return i
+		}
+	}
+	return -1
+}
+
 // TestRunForgetShipsStartedAndFinished confirms the refactored
 // RunForget still produces job.started and job.finished envelopes.
 func TestRunForgetShipsStartedAndFinished(t *testing.T) {
@@ -398,9 +409,13 @@ esac
 		Tag:    "documents",
 		Policy: restic.ForgetPolicy{KeepLast: &keepLast},
 	}}
-	if err := r.RunForget(context.Background(), "job-forget", groups); err != nil {
+	if err := r.RunForget(context.Background(), "job-forget", groups, false); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("RunForget: %v", err)
 	}
 	_ = firstEnvOfType(t, tx.envs, api.MsgJobStarted)
-	_ = firstEnvOfType(t, tx.envs, api.MsgJobFinished)
+	finished := firstIndexOfType(tx.envs, api.MsgJobFinished)
+	refreshed := firstIndexOfType(tx.envs, api.MsgSnapshotsRpt)
+	if refreshed < 0 || finished < 0 || refreshed >= finished {
+		t.Fatalf("snapshot refresh must precede terminal report: %v", envelopeOrder(tx.envs))
+	}
 }

internal/agent/wsclient/client.go

@@ -103,15 +103,15 @@ func connectOnce(ctx context.Context, cfg Config, handle Handler) error {
 	}
 
 	dialCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 30*time.Second)
-	conn, res, err := websocket.Dial(dialCtx, wsURL, dialOpts)
+	conn, _, err := websocket.Dial(dialCtx, wsURL, dialOpts) //nolint:bodyclose // successful upgrades have a nil response body owned by conn
 	cancel()
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("dial: %w", err)
 	}
-	// websocket.Dial returns the upgrade response separately from the
-	// conn. Body is empty on a successful upgrade but Go's net/http
-	// still expects it closed to release the connection.
-	defer func() { _ = res.Body.Close() }()
+	conn.SetReadLimit(api.MaxWebSocketMessageBytes)
+	// On a successful upgrade coder/websocket transfers ownership of the
+	// response stream to conn and deliberately sets res.Body to nil. Closing
+	// the connection below releases that stream.
 	defer conn.CloseNow() //nolint:errcheck
 
 	// Send hello.

internal/agent/wsclient/client_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+package wsclient
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/coder/websocket"
+
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/api"
+)
+
+func TestConnectOnceCleanDisconnectDoesNotPanic(t *testing.T) {
+	serverErr := make(chan error, 1)
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		conn, err := websocket.Accept(w, r, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			serverErr <- err
+			return
+		}
+		defer conn.CloseNow() //nolint:errcheck
+
+		// Wait for the agent hello so Dial and the first client write have both
+		// completed before ending the connection normally.
+		if _, _, err := conn.Read(r.Context()); err != nil {
+			serverErr <- err
+			return
+		}
+		serverErr <- conn.Close(websocket.StatusNormalClosure, "test complete")
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	err := connectOnce(ctx, Config{
+		ServerURL:       srv.URL,
+		AgentToken:      "test-token",
+		HeartbeatPeriod: time.Hour,
+	}, nil)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("connectOnce returned nil after server disconnected")
+	}
+	if err := <-serverErr; err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("server websocket: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConnectOnceAcceptsMessageLargerThanDefaultReadLimit(t *testing.T) {
+	received := make(chan struct{}, 1)
+	serverErr := make(chan error, 1)
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		conn, err := websocket.Accept(w, r, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			serverErr <- err
+			return
+		}
+		defer conn.CloseNow() //nolint:errcheck
+		if _, _, err := conn.Read(r.Context()); err != nil {
+			serverErr <- err
+			return
+		}
+		env := api.Envelope{
+			Type:    api.MsgConfigUpdate,
+			Payload: json.RawMessage(`{"padding":"` + strings.Repeat("x", 40*1024) + `"}`),
+		}
+		raw, _ := json.Marshal(env)
+		serverErr <- conn.Write(r.Context(), websocket.MessageText, raw)
+		<-r.Context().Done()
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		done <- connectOnce(ctx, Config{
+			ServerURL:       srv.URL,
+			AgentToken:      "test-token",
+			HeartbeatPeriod: time.Hour,
+		}, func(_ context.Context, env api.Envelope, _ Sender) error {
+			if env.Type == api.MsgConfigUpdate {
+				received <- struct{}{}
+				cancel()
+			}
+			return nil
+		})
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-received:
+	case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("agent did not receive oversized server message")
+	}
+	if err := <-serverErr; err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("server websocket: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := <-done; err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("connectOnce returned nil")
+	}
+}

internal/alert/engine.go

@@ -22,6 +22,17 @@ import (
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/store"
 )
 
+// staleBackupThreshold is how long an intermittent host may go without
+// a successful backup before we raise a stale_schedule alert. Global
+// constant for v1 (may become per-host later). Only intermittent hosts
+// are evaluated — always-on hosts' stale_schedule stays a no-op.
+const staleBackupThreshold = 7 * 24 * time.Hour
+
+const (
+	defaultStuckJobThreshold = 6 * time.Hour
+	longStuckJobThreshold    = 24 * time.Hour
+)
+
 // JobFinishedEvent carries everything the engine needs to evaluate
 // the failed-X rules. Pushed via Engine.NotifyJobFinished from the
 // MarkJobFinished site.
@@ -47,11 +58,23 @@ type Engine struct {
 	// we raise. Configurable for tests; default 15m.
 	agentOfflineFloor time.Duration
 	tickPeriod        time.Duration
+	stuckThresholds   map[string]time.Duration
 
 	closeOnce sync.Once
+	notifyWG  sync.WaitGroup
 	done      chan struct{}
 }
 
+func (e *Engine) dispatchNotification(ctx context.Context, payload notification.Payload) {
+	e.notifyWG.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer e.notifyWG.Done()
+		e.hub.Dispatch(ctx, payload)
+	}()
+}
+
+func (e *Engine) waitNotifications() { e.notifyWG.Wait() }
+
 // NewEngine builds the engine. agentOfflineFloor + tickPeriod default
 // to 15min and 60s respectively when zero.
 func NewEngine(st *store.Store, hub *notification.Hub) *Engine {
@@ -63,7 +86,12 @@ func NewEngine(st *store.Store, hub *notification.Hub) *Engine {
 		hostUp:            make(chan string, 32),
 		agentOfflineFloor: 15 * time.Minute,
 		tickPeriod:        60 * time.Second,
-		done:              make(chan struct{}),
+		stuckThresholds: map[string]time.Duration{
+			"backup":  longStuckJobThreshold,
+			"restore": longStuckJobThreshold,
+			"check":   longStuckJobThreshold,
+		},
+		done: make(chan struct{}),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -119,6 +147,10 @@ func (e *Engine) NotifyHostOnline(hostID string) {
 }
 
 func (e *Engine) handleJobFinished(ctx context.Context, ev JobFinishedEvent) {
+	// A late terminal message is authoritative and clears any stuck alert for
+	// this exact job regardless of its outcome or kind.
+	e.resolveAndNotify(ctx, ev.HostID, KindJobStuck, ev.JobID, ev.When)
+
 	// Determine which kind/severity pair this job maps to. Jobs not
 	// listed here (init, unlock, restore, diff) produce no alerts in v1.
 	var kind, severity string
@@ -149,6 +181,10 @@ func (e *Engine) handleJobFinished(ctx context.Context, ev JobFinishedEvent) {
 			fmt.Sprintf("%s job %s failed", ev.Kind, ev.JobID), ev.When)
 	case "succeeded":
 		e.resolveAndNotify(ctx, ev.HostID, kind, dedupKey, ev.When)
+		if ev.Kind == "backup" {
+			// A fresh backup clears staleness for intermittent hosts.
+			e.resolveAndNotify(ctx, ev.HostID, KindStaleSchedule, "", ev.When)
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -157,6 +193,12 @@ func (e *Engine) handleHostOffline(ctx context.Context, hostID string) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return
 	}
+	// Intermittent hosts (laptops) legitimately disappear — never raise
+	// agent_offline for them. The stale_schedule sweep in tick() is the
+	// only staleness signal for these hosts.
+	if !host.AlwaysOn {
+		return
+	}
 	// Apply the 15-min floor — raise only when last_seen_at is older
 	// than agentOfflineFloor. A nil last_seen_at (host enrolled but
 	// never connected) is treated as "now" so we don't raise
@@ -180,11 +222,9 @@ func (e *Engine) handleHostOnline(ctx context.Context, hostID string) {
 // tick is the 60-second sweep. Responsibilities:
 //  1. Re-evaluate agent_offline for every offline host that may have
 //     crossed the floor between explicit events.
-//  2. Stale-schedule detection — declared in the spec but intentionally
-//     left as a no-op in v1. The precise "expected to have fired but
-//     didn't" trigger requires a store helper that lands in a later
-//     task. The KindStaleSchedule constant is exported so UI code can
-//     reference the tag string today.
+//  2. Stale-schedule detection for intermittent hosts — raises
+//     stale_schedule when LastBackupAt is older than 7 days and the
+//     host has an enabled schedule. Always-on hosts are excluded.
 func (e *Engine) tick(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) {
 	// User-management cleanup piggy-backed here for now. Setup tokens
 	// have a 1h expiry; the alert engine tick is the cheapest existing
@@ -196,6 +236,7 @@ func (e *Engine) tick(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) {
 	if _, err := e.store.CleanupExpiredOIDCState(ctx, now.Add(-5*time.Minute)); err != nil {
 		slog.Warn("alert: cleanup expired oidc state", "err", err)
 	}
+	e.evaluateStuckJobs(ctx, now)
 
 	hosts, err := e.store.ListHosts(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -203,6 +244,35 @@ func (e *Engine) tick(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) {
 		return
 	}
 	for _, h := range hosts {
+		// Intermittent hosts: suppress agent_offline entirely; instead
+		// raise stale_schedule when they have gone too long with no
+		// successful backup AND they have at least one enabled schedule
+		// to be measured against. A nil LastBackupAt (never backed up)
+		// has no baseline — onboarding/repo_status covers that case.
+		if !h.AlwaysOn {
+			if h.LastBackupAt == nil {
+				continue
+			}
+			if now.Sub(*h.LastBackupAt) < staleBackupThreshold {
+				continue
+			}
+			hasEnabled, err := e.hostHasEnabledSchedule(ctx, h.ID)
+			if err != nil {
+				slog.Warn("alert: tick list schedules", "host_id", h.ID, "err", err)
+				continue
+			}
+			if !hasEnabled {
+				continue
+			}
+			e.raiseAndNotify(ctx, h.ID, KindStaleSchedule, "", "warning",
+				fmt.Sprintf("No backup in %s (threshold %s)",
+					roundDur(now.Sub(*h.LastBackupAt)), staleBackupThreshold), now)
+			// Resolution is handled in handleJobFinished on a successful
+			// backup (and ResolveOnModeChange on toggle) — the tick only
+			// raises, it does not auto-resolve.
+			continue
+		}
+		// Always-on hosts: existing agent_offline re-evaluation.
 		if h.Status != "offline" || h.LastSeenAt == nil {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -212,7 +282,46 @@ func (e *Engine) tick(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) {
 					roundDur(now.Sub(*h.LastSeenAt)), e.agentOfflineFloor), now)
 		}
 	}
-	// Stale-schedule sweep — no-op in v1. See KindStaleSchedule doc comment.
+}
+
+func (e *Engine) evaluateStuckJobs(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) {
+	running, err := e.store.ListRunningJobActivity(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.Warn("alert: tick list running jobs", "err", err)
+		return
+	}
+	active := make(map[string]store.RunningJobActivity, len(running))
+	for _, job := range running {
+		active[job.JobID] = job
+		threshold := defaultStuckJobThreshold
+		if configured, ok := e.stuckThresholds[job.Kind]; ok {
+			threshold = configured
+		}
+		age := now.Sub(job.LastActivity)
+		if age < threshold {
+			continue
+		}
+		e.raiseAndNotify(ctx, job.HostID, KindJobStuck, job.JobID, "warning",
+			fmt.Sprintf("%s job %s is stuck: started %s, last activity %s (%s ago; threshold %s)",
+				job.Kind, job.JobID, job.StartedAt.Format(time.RFC3339),
+				job.LastActivity.Format(time.RFC3339), roundDur(age), threshold), now)
+	}
+
+	// Self-heal alerts when another server path made a job terminal without
+	// emitting JobFinishedEvent, or after a restart missed the event.
+	alerts, err := e.store.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open"})
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	acked, _ := e.store.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "acknowledged"})
+	for _, item := range append(alerts, acked...) {
+		if item.Kind != KindJobStuck || item.HostID == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if _, ok := active[item.DedupKey]; !ok {
+			e.resolveAndNotify(ctx, *item.HostID, KindJobStuck, item.DedupKey, now)
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 // roundDur returns a human-readable duration string, rounding to the
@@ -224,3 +333,19 @@ func roundDur(d time.Duration) string {
 	}
 	return d.Round(time.Minute).String()
 }
+
+// hostHasEnabledSchedule reports whether the host has at least one
+// enabled backup schedule — the precondition for a stale_schedule
+// alert (no schedule = no backup expectation to measure against).
+func (e *Engine) hostHasEnabledSchedule(ctx context.Context, hostID string) (bool, error) {
+	schedules, err := e.store.ListSchedulesByHost(ctx, hostID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	for _, sc := range schedules {
+		if sc.Enabled {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return false, nil
+}

internal/alert/intermittent_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,255 @@
+package alert
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/oklog/ulid/v2"
+
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/store"
+)
+
+// TestIntermittentHostSuppressesOfflineAlert checks that handleHostOffline
+// does NOT raise agent_offline for a host with AlwaysOn=false.
+func TestIntermittentHostSuppressesOfflineAlert(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// Make the host intermittent.
+	if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx, hostID, false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetHostAlwaysOn: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Give it a stale last_seen_at well past the floor.
+	if _, err := st.DB().Exec(
+		`UPDATE hosts SET last_seen_at = ?, status = ? WHERE id = ?`,
+		time.Now().UTC().Add(-2*time.Hour).Format(time.RFC3339Nano),
+		"offline",
+		hostID,
+	); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("update last_seen_at: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	eng.handleHostOffline(ctx, hostID)
+
+	open, _ := st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	if len(open) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 0 open alerts for intermittent host; got %d: %+v", len(open), open)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestAlwaysOnHostStillRaisesOfflineAlert checks that always-on hosts still
+// get an agent_offline alert when offline past the floor.
+func TestAlwaysOnHostStillRaisesOfflineAlert(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// always_on=true is the default, but be explicit.
+	if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx, hostID, true); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetHostAlwaysOn: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Give it a stale last_seen_at well past the 15m floor.
+	if _, err := st.DB().Exec(
+		`UPDATE hosts SET last_seen_at = ?, status = ? WHERE id = ?`,
+		time.Now().UTC().Add(-2*time.Hour).Format(time.RFC3339Nano),
+		"offline",
+		hostID,
+	); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("update last_seen_at: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	eng.handleHostOffline(ctx, hostID)
+
+	open, _ := st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	if len(open) != 1 || open[0].Kind != KindAgentOffline {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 agent_offline alert; got %d: %+v", len(open), open)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestStalenessAlertForIntermittentHost checks that tick raises stale_schedule
+// for an intermittent host whose last backup is older than 7 days AND has an
+// enabled schedule. Also verifies that a succeeded backup clears the alert.
+func TestStalenessAlertForIntermittentHost(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// Make intermittent.
+	if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx, hostID, false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetHostAlwaysOn: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Create a source group to attach the schedule to.
+	sgID := ulid.Make().String()
+	if err := st.CreateSourceGroup(ctx, &store.SourceGroup{
+		ID:       sgID,
+		HostID:   hostID,
+		Name:     "default",
+		Includes: []string{"/home"},
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CreateSourceGroup: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Create an enabled schedule pointing at the source group.
+	schedID := ulid.Make().String()
+	if err := st.CreateSchedule(ctx, &store.Schedule{
+		ID:             schedID,
+		HostID:         hostID,
+		CronExpr:       "0 2 * * *",
+		Enabled:        true,
+		SourceGroupIDs: []string{sgID},
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CreateSchedule: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Set last_backup_at to 8 days ago.
+	eightDaysAgo := time.Now().UTC().Add(-8 * 24 * time.Hour)
+	if err := st.SetHostLastBackup(ctx, hostID, "succeeded", eightDaysAgo); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetHostLastBackup: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	eng.tick(ctx, time.Now().UTC())
+
+	open, _ := st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	var staleCount int
+	for _, a := range open {
+		if a.Kind == KindStaleSchedule {
+			staleCount++
+		}
+	}
+	if staleCount != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 stale_schedule alert after tick; got %d (all open: %+v)", staleCount, open)
+	}
+
+	// A succeeded backup should clear the stale_schedule alert.
+	eng.handleJobFinished(ctx, JobFinishedEvent{
+		HostID:        hostID,
+		JobID:         ulid.Make().String(),
+		Kind:          "backup",
+		Status:        "succeeded",
+		SourceGroupID: sgID,
+		When:          time.Now().UTC(),
+	})
+
+	open, _ = st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	for _, a := range open {
+		if a.Kind == KindStaleSchedule {
+			t.Fatalf("expected stale_schedule to be resolved after backup succeeded; still open: %+v", a)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestNoStalenessWithoutEnabledSchedule checks that no stale_schedule is
+// raised for an intermittent host with a stale backup but no enabled schedule.
+func TestNoStalenessWithoutEnabledSchedule(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// Make intermittent.
+	if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx, hostID, false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetHostAlwaysOn: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Set last_backup_at to 8 days ago — stale — but no schedule.
+	eightDaysAgo := time.Now().UTC().Add(-8 * 24 * time.Hour)
+	if err := st.SetHostLastBackup(ctx, hostID, "succeeded", eightDaysAgo); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetHostLastBackup: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	eng.tick(ctx, time.Now().UTC())
+
+	open, _ := st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	for _, a := range open {
+		if a.Kind == KindStaleSchedule {
+			t.Fatalf("expected no stale_schedule without an enabled schedule; got: %+v", a)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestResolveOnModeChangeClearsOfflineAlert checks that ResolveOnModeChange
+// clears an open agent_offline alert when a host's mode is toggled.
+func TestResolveOnModeChangeClearsOfflineAlert(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// Make always-on and set it offline with a stale last_seen_at.
+	if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx, hostID, true); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetHostAlwaysOn: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := st.DB().Exec(
+		`UPDATE hosts SET last_seen_at = ?, status = ? WHERE id = ?`,
+		time.Now().UTC().Add(-2*time.Hour).Format(time.RFC3339Nano),
+		"offline",
+		hostID,
+	); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("update last_seen_at: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Raise the offline alert.
+	eng.handleHostOffline(ctx, hostID)
+
+	open, _ := st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	if len(open) != 1 || open[0].Kind != KindAgentOffline {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 agent_offline alert before mode change; got %d: %+v", len(open), open)
+	}
+
+	// Toggle mode — should clear the alert.
+	eng.ResolveOnModeChange(ctx, hostID, time.Now().UTC())
+
+	open, _ = st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	for _, a := range open {
+		if a.Kind == KindAgentOffline {
+			t.Fatalf("expected agent_offline to be resolved after mode change; still open: %+v", a)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestNoStalenessWhenNeverBackedUp checks that no stale_schedule alert is
+// raised for an intermittent host that has never backed up (nil LastBackupAt).
+func TestNoStalenessWhenNeverBackedUp(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// Make intermittent.
+	if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx, hostID, false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetHostAlwaysOn: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Create a source group and an enabled schedule — but do NOT set LastBackupAt.
+	sgID := ulid.Make().String()
+	if err := st.CreateSourceGroup(ctx, &store.SourceGroup{
+		ID:       sgID,
+		HostID:   hostID,
+		Name:     "default",
+		Includes: []string{"/home"},
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CreateSourceGroup: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	schedID := ulid.Make().String()
+	if err := st.CreateSchedule(ctx, &store.Schedule{
+		ID:             schedID,
+		HostID:         hostID,
+		CronExpr:       "0 2 * * *",
+		Enabled:        true,
+		SourceGroupIDs: []string{sgID},
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CreateSchedule: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	eng.tick(ctx, time.Now().UTC())
+
+	open, _ := st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	for _, a := range open {
+		if a.Kind == KindStaleSchedule {
+			t.Fatalf("expected no stale_schedule when never backed up; got: %+v", a)
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/alert/rules.go

@@ -27,15 +27,19 @@ const (
 	// integrity is at risk) when a check job fails.
 	KindCheckFailed = "check_failed"
 
-	// KindStaleSchedule is declared for completeness but intentionally
-	// left as a no-op in v1. The precise "expected to have fired but
-	// didn't" logic requires a store helper that lands in a follow-up
-	// task. Ask the team before implementing.
+	// KindStaleSchedule is raised for intermittent (non-always-on) hosts
+	// when their last successful backup is older than staleBackupThreshold
+	// (7 days) and they have at least one enabled schedule. Resolved on
+	// backup success or when the host is switched to always-on mode.
 	KindStaleSchedule = "stale_schedule"
 
 	// KindAgentOffline is raised when a host's last_seen_at is older
 	// than the 15-minute floor and resolved when the host reconnects.
 	KindAgentOffline = "agent_offline"
+
+	// KindJobStuck is raised per job when a running job has no persisted
+	// activity beyond its kind-specific threshold. The job ID is the dedup key.
+	KindJobStuck = "job_stuck"
 )
 
 // raiseAndNotify is the standard raise pattern: store.RaiseOrTouch
@@ -56,7 +60,7 @@ func (e *Engine) raiseAndNotify(ctx context.Context, hostID, kind, dedupKey, sev
 	if err == nil {
 		hostName = host.Name
 	}
-	go e.hub.Dispatch(ctx, notification.Payload{
+	e.dispatchNotification(ctx, notification.Payload{
 		Event:    notification.EventRaised,
 		AlertID:  id,
 		Severity: severity,
@@ -81,7 +85,7 @@ func (e *Engine) Acknowledge(ctx context.Context, alertID, userID string, when t
 		return nil //nolint:nilerr
 	}
 	p := alertPayload(ctx, e.store, notification.EventAcknowledged, a)
-	go e.hub.Dispatch(context.WithoutCancel(ctx), p)
+	e.dispatchNotification(context.WithoutCancel(ctx), p)
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -95,7 +99,7 @@ func (e *Engine) Resolve(ctx context.Context, alertID string, when time.Time) er
 		return nil
 	}
 	p := alertPayload(ctx, e.store, notification.EventResolved, a)
-	go e.hub.Dispatch(context.WithoutCancel(ctx), p)
+	e.dispatchNotification(context.WithoutCancel(ctx), p)
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -122,6 +126,16 @@ func alertPayload(ctx context.Context, st *store.Store, ev notification.Event, a
 	}
 }
 
+// ResolveOnModeChange clears any open agent_offline and stale_schedule
+// alerts for a host whose always-on flag was just toggled. The next
+// 60s tick re-raises whichever still applies under the new mode, so
+// this is a self-correcting "wipe and let the sweep settle" call.
+// Safe to invoke from the HTTP layer (it only touches the store + hub).
+func (e *Engine) ResolveOnModeChange(ctx context.Context, hostID string, when time.Time) {
+	e.resolveAndNotify(ctx, hostID, KindAgentOffline, "", when)
+	e.resolveAndNotify(ctx, hostID, KindStaleSchedule, "", when)
+}
+
 // resolveAndNotify clears the open (or acknowledged) alert matching
 // (host_id, kind, dedup_key) via store.AutoResolve, then fires
 // alert.resolved for the row(s) actually closed. Best-effort —
@@ -150,7 +164,7 @@ func (e *Engine) resolveAndNotify(ctx context.Context, hostID, kind, dedupKey st
 		if a.Kind != kind || a.DedupKey != dedupKey {
 			continue
 		}
-		go e.hub.Dispatch(ctx, notification.Payload{
+		e.dispatchNotification(ctx, notification.Payload{
 			Event:    notification.EventResolved,
 			AlertID:  a.ID,
 			Severity: a.Severity,

internal/alert/rules_test.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package alert
 import (
 	"context"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ func setupEngine(t *testing.T) (*Engine, *store.Store, string) {
 	aead, _ := crypto.NewAEAD(key)
 	hub := notification.NewHub(st, aead, "https://rm.example")
 	eng := NewEngine(st, hub)
+	t.Cleanup(eng.waitNotifications)
 	hostID := ulid.Make().String()
 	if err := st.CreateHost(context.Background(), store.Host{
 		ID: hostID, Name: "alfa-01", OS: "linux", Arch: "amd64",
@@ -69,6 +71,65 @@ func TestEngineBackupFailedRaisesThenResolves(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestEngineStuckJobRaisesDeduplicatesAndResolves(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := time.Now().UTC().Truncate(time.Second)
+	started := now.Add(-7 * time.Hour)
+	if err := st.CreateJob(ctx, store.Job{ID: "stuck-job", HostID: hostID, Kind: "prune", ActorKind: "user", CreatedAt: started}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create job: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := st.MarkJobStarted(ctx, "stuck-job", started); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start job: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	eng.evaluateStuckJobs(ctx, now)
+	eng.evaluateStuckJobs(ctx, now.Add(time.Minute))
+	open, err := st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("list alerts: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(open) != 1 || open[0].Kind != KindJobStuck || open[0].DedupKey != "stuck-job" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected one deduplicated stuck alert, got %+v", open)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(open[0].Message, started.Format(time.RFC3339)) {
+		t.Errorf("alert does not identify start/activity time: %q", open[0].Message)
+	}
+
+	if err := st.MarkJobFinished(ctx, "stuck-job", "succeeded", 0, nil, "", now); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("finish job: %v", err)
+	}
+	eng.evaluateStuckJobs(ctx, now.Add(2*time.Minute))
+	open, _ = st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	if len(open) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected terminal job alert resolved, got %+v", open)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEngineStuckJobUsesLatestLogActivity(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := time.Now().UTC().Truncate(time.Second)
+	started := now.Add(-7 * time.Hour)
+	if err := st.CreateJob(ctx, store.Job{ID: "active-job", HostID: hostID, Kind: "forget", ActorKind: "user", CreatedAt: started}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create job: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := st.MarkJobStarted(ctx, "active-job", started); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start job: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := st.AppendJobLog(ctx, "active-job", 1, now.Add(-time.Hour), "stdout", "active"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("append log: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	eng.evaluateStuckJobs(ctx, now)
+	open, _ := st.ListAlerts(ctx, store.AlertFilter{Status: "open", HostID: hostID})
+	if len(open) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("recent activity should suppress stuck alert, got %+v", open)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestEngineCheckFailedSeverityCritical(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	eng, st, hostID := setupEngine(t)

internal/api/wire.go

@@ -10,6 +10,13 @@ import (
 // (not iota ints) makes traffic readable in logs and packet captures.
 type MessageType string
 
+// MaxWebSocketMessageBytes is the protocol-wide upper bound for one agent ↔
+// server envelope. Snapshot projections and restic JSON log events can exceed
+// coder/websocket's 32 KiB default on ordinary repositories, so both peers set
+// this limit explicitly. It remains bounded to protect either process from an
+// untrusted or malfunctioning peer allocating without limit.
+const MaxWebSocketMessageBytes int64 = 8 << 20
+
 // Agent → server message types.
 const (
 	MsgHello          MessageType = "hello"
@@ -29,12 +36,13 @@ const (
 
 // Server → agent message types.
 const (
-	MsgCommandRun    MessageType = "command.run"
-	MsgCommandCancel MessageType = "command.cancel"
-	MsgScheduleSet   MessageType = "schedule.set"
-	MsgConfigUpdate  MessageType = "config.update"
-	MsgCommandUpdate MessageType = "command.update"
-	MsgTreeList      MessageType = "tree.list" // sync RPC: list a snapshot's children
+	MsgCommandRun       MessageType = "command.run"
+	MsgCommandCancel    MessageType = "command.cancel"
+	MsgScheduleSet      MessageType = "schedule.set"
+	MsgConfigUpdate     MessageType = "config.update"
+	MsgCommandUpdate    MessageType = "command.update"
+	MsgTreeList         MessageType = "tree.list" // sync RPC: list a snapshot's children
+	MsgSnapshotsRefresh MessageType = "snapshots.refresh"
 )
 
 // Envelope is the framing for every WS message in either direction.

internal/restic/runner.go

@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ type ForgetGroup struct {
 // any keep-* would delete every snapshot in the tagged set).
 // Returns the first error encountered, or nil when every group runs
 // to a clean exit.
-func (e Env) RunForget(ctx context.Context, groups []ForgetGroup, handle LineHandler) error {
+func (e Env) RunForget(ctx context.Context, groups []ForgetGroup, dryRun bool, handle LineHandler) error {
 	if len(groups) == 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("restic forget: refusing to run with no groups (would be a no-op)")
 	}
@@ -332,6 +332,9 @@ func (e Env) RunForget(ctx context.Context, groups []ForgetGroup, handle LineHan
 		}
 		args := []string{"forget", "--json", "--tag", g.Tag}
 		args = append(args, g.Policy.args()...)
+		if dryRun {
+			args = append(args, "--dry-run")
+		}
 		cmd := e.resticCmd(ctx, args...)
 		if err := runWithPump(cmd, handle); err != nil {
 			return err

internal/restic/runner_test.go

@@ -60,6 +60,26 @@ func TestRunPruneInvokesPrune(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Fatalf("expected 'prune' in captured output; got: %v", *lines)
 }
 
+func TestRunForgetDryRunArgument(t *testing.T) {
+	bin := setupScriptBin(t, `echo "$@"`)
+	env := Env{Bin: bin}
+	lines, h := captureLines()
+	keepLast := 1
+	groups := []ForgetGroup{{
+		Tag:    "documents",
+		Policy: ForgetPolicy{KeepLast: &keepLast},
+	}}
+	if err := env.RunForget(context.Background(), groups, true, h); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("RunForget: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, line := range *lines {
+		if strings.Contains(line, "forget --json --tag documents --keep-last 1 --dry-run") {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	t.Fatalf("expected forget invocation with --dry-run; got: %v", *lines)
+}
+
 // --- B2: RunCheck ---
 
 func TestRunCheckLockSniff(t *testing.T) {

internal/server/fleetupdate/worker.go

@@ -71,6 +71,16 @@ func NewWorker(st *store.Store, hub Hub, disp Dispatcher, alerts AlertRaiser) *W
 // worker goroutine. Returns the new fleet_update_id on success.
 // store.ErrFleetUpdateRunning bubbles up unchanged.
 func (w *Worker) Start(ctx context.Context, userID, targetVersion string, hostIDs []string) (string, error) {
+	return w.start(ctx, userID, targetVersion, hostIDs, false)
+}
+
+// StartCanary starts the same sequential rollout but pauses after the first
+// verified host so an operator can inspect it before starting the remainder.
+func (w *Worker) StartCanary(ctx context.Context, userID, targetVersion string, hostIDs []string) (string, error) {
+	return w.start(ctx, userID, targetVersion, hostIDs, true)
+}
+
+func (w *Worker) start(ctx context.Context, userID, targetVersion string, hostIDs []string, pauseAfterFirst bool) (string, error) {
 	if userID == "" || targetVersion == "" {
 		return "", errors.New("fleetupdate: userID and targetVersion required")
 	}
@@ -85,6 +95,7 @@ func (w *Worker) Start(ctx context.Context, userID, targetVersion string, hostID
 		StartedByUserID: userID,
 		TargetVersion:   targetVersion,
 		Status:          "running",
+		PauseAfterFirst: pauseAfterFirst,
 	}, hostIDs); err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
@@ -137,6 +148,13 @@ func (w *Worker) run(ctx context.Context, fuID, userID, targetVersion string) {
 
 		next := pending[0]
 		w.processHost(ctx, fuID, userID, next)
+		if fu.PauseAfterFirst && next.Position == 0 {
+			updated, _, gerr := w.store.GetFleetUpdate(ctx, fuID)
+			if gerr == nil && updated.Status == "running" {
+				_ = w.store.HaltFleetUpdate(ctx, fuID, "canary succeeded; review the host, then resume remaining agents", time.Now().UTC())
+			}
+			return
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -195,7 +213,19 @@ func (w *Worker) processHost(ctx context.Context, fuID, userID string, slot stor
 			return
 		}
 	}
-	reason := fmt.Sprintf("timeout waiting for %s to reach %s", hostID, w.targetVersion)
+	// One authoritative final read closes the poll/deadline race. AgentVersion
+	// is written directly from the reconnect hello handshake.
+	lastVersion := "unknown"
+	if h, err := w.store.GetHost(ctx, hostID); err == nil && h != nil {
+		if h.AgentVersion == w.targetVersion {
+			_ = w.store.SetFleetUpdateHostStatus(ctx, fuID, hostID, "succeeded", "", jobID)
+			return
+		}
+		if h.AgentVersion != "" {
+			lastVersion = h.AgentVersion
+		}
+	}
+	reason := fmt.Sprintf("timeout waiting for %s reconnect hello at %s (last reported %s)", hostID, w.targetVersion, lastVersion)
 	_ = w.store.SetFleetUpdateHostStatus(ctx, fuID, hostID, "failed", reason, jobID)
 	w.halt(ctx, fuID, reason)
 }

internal/server/fleetupdate/worker_test.go

@@ -160,6 +160,35 @@ func TestWorkerTwoHostsBothSucceed(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestWorkerCanaryPausesAfterFirstVerifiedHost(t *testing.T) {
+	st := openStore(t)
+	uid := mustCreateAdmin(t, st)
+	h1 := mustCreateHost(t, st, "canary", "v0")
+	h2 := mustCreateHost(t, st, "remainder", "v0")
+	hub := &fakeHub{online: map[string]bool{h1: true, h2: true}}
+	disp := &fakeDispatcher{st: st, target: "v2", delayMS: 20}
+	alerts := &recAlert{}
+	w := NewWorker(st, hub, disp, alerts)
+	w.pollPeriod = 10 * time.Millisecond
+	w.hostTimeout = time.Second
+
+	fuID, err := w.StartCanary(context.Background(), uid, "v2", []string{h1, h2})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start canary: %v", err)
+	}
+	fu := waitForStatus(t, st, fuID, "halted", 2*time.Second)
+	if fu.HaltedReason != "canary succeeded; review the host, then resume remaining agents" {
+		t.Fatalf("halt reason: %q", fu.HaltedReason)
+	}
+	_, hosts, _ := st.GetFleetUpdate(context.Background(), fuID)
+	if hosts[0].Status != "succeeded" || hosts[1].Status != "pending" {
+		t.Fatalf("canary statuses: %+v", hosts)
+	}
+	if len(alerts.reasons) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("successful canary pause must not alert: %v", alerts.reasons)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestWorkerSecondHostTimesOutHalts(t *testing.T) {
 	st := openStore(t)
 	uid := mustCreateAdmin(t, st)

internal/server/http/catchup.go

@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+// catchup.go — server-side catch-up for intermittent (non-always-on)
+// hosts. When such a host reconnects we wait a short settle window,
+// then dispatch a backup for any schedule whose window elapsed while
+// the host was asleep. This is separate from pending_runs: a host that
+// was asleep never fired its local cron, so no pending row exists.
+package http
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"log/slog"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// scheduleOverdue reports whether a schedule's most recent expected
+// fire is newer than the host's last successful backup — i.e. a window
+// passed with no backup. A nil lastBackup means "never backed up" and
+// is always overdue (provided the cron parses). An unparseable cron is
+// treated as not-overdue so a bad expression can never trigger a
+// surprise dispatch. Uses the same cronParser the agent's scheduler
+// and schedule validation use, so interpretation is identical.
+func scheduleOverdue(cronExpr string, lastBackup *time.Time, now time.Time) bool {
+	sched, err := cronParser.Parse(cronExpr)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	if lastBackup == nil {
+		return true
+	}
+	next := sched.Next(*lastBackup)
+	return !next.After(now)
+}
+
+// catchupSettle is how long after a reconnect we wait before evaluating
+// catch-up, so a laptop that wakes briefly and sleeps again doesn't
+// trigger a backup it can't finish. ~1 minute per the spec.
+const catchupSettle = 60 * time.Second
+
+// ArmCatchup records that an intermittent host just reconnected and
+// should be evaluated for a missed backup after the settle window.
+// No-op for always-on hosts (caller passes only intermittent hosts).
+// Re-arming overwrites the timer (debounce — flapping doesn't stack).
+func (s *Server) ArmCatchup(hostID string, now time.Time) {
+	s.catchupMu.Lock()
+	defer s.catchupMu.Unlock()
+	s.catchupDueAt[hostID] = now.Add(catchupSettle)
+}
+
+// dueCatchups returns the hostIDs whose settle window has elapsed and
+// removes them from the map. Caller evaluates each.
+func (s *Server) dueCatchups(now time.Time) []string {
+	s.catchupMu.Lock()
+	defer s.catchupMu.Unlock()
+	var due []string
+	for id, at := range s.catchupDueAt {
+		if !now.Before(at) {
+			due = append(due, id)
+			delete(s.catchupDueAt, id)
+		}
+	}
+	return due
+}
+
+// RunCatchupsDue is the tick entrypoint. For each host past its settle
+// window it dispatches a backup for every enabled schedule that is
+// overdue. Skips hosts that bounced back offline, that are already
+// running/queued a job, or that turned out to be always-on.
+func (s *Server) RunCatchupsDue(ctx context.Context) {
+	if s.deps.Hub == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	for _, hostID := range s.dueCatchups(now) {
+		s.runCatchup(ctx, hostID, now)
+	}
+}
+
+// runCatchup evaluates and dispatches catch-up backups for a single
+// host. Kept separate so RunCatchupsDue reads cleanly.
+func (s *Server) runCatchup(ctx context.Context, hostID string, now time.Time) {
+	conn := s.deps.Hub.Conn(hostID)
+	if conn == nil {
+		return // bounced offline during the settle window; re-arms on next hello
+	}
+	host, err := s.deps.Store.GetHost(ctx, hostID)
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.Warn("catchup: load host", "host_id", hostID, "err", err)
+		return
+	}
+	if host.AlwaysOn {
+		return // mode flipped during settle window
+	}
+	// Skip if a backup is already queued or running for this host —
+	// don't pile a catch-up on top of in-flight work. (hosts.current_job_id
+	// is not maintained, so we check the jobs table directly.)
+	active, err := s.deps.Store.HasActiveBackupJob(ctx, hostID)
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.Warn("catchup: check active backup", "host_id", hostID, "err", err)
+		return
+	}
+	if active {
+		return
+	}
+	schedules, err := s.deps.Store.ListSchedulesByHost(ctx, hostID)
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.Warn("catchup: list schedules", "host_id", hostID, "err", err)
+		return
+	}
+	// NOTE: overdue is measured against host.LastBackupAt, which is the
+	// most recent *successful backup of any schedule* on this host — not
+	// a per-schedule timestamp. For the common intermittent host (a
+	// single backup schedule) this is exact. With multiple schedules of
+	// different cadences, a recent backup from one schedule can mask
+	// another schedule's missed window. Acceptable for v1; revisit with
+	// per-schedule last-success tracking if multi-cadence laptops appear.
+	for _, sc := range schedules {
+		if !sc.Enabled || len(sc.SourceGroupIDs) == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+		if !scheduleOverdue(sc.CronExpr, host.LastBackupAt, now) {
+			continue
+		}
+		for _, gid := range sc.SourceGroupIDs {
+			g, err := s.deps.Store.GetSourceGroup(ctx, hostID, gid)
+			if err != nil {
+				slog.Warn("catchup: load source group",
+					"host_id", hostID, "schedule_id", sc.ID, "group_id", gid, "err", err)
+				continue
+			}
+			if _, derr := s.dispatchBackupForGroupCore(ctx, conn, hostID, sc.ID, g, now); derr != nil {
+				// Send failed for this group — host may have dropped
+				// again. Earlier groups in this batch were already
+				// dispatched; re-arm so a later reconnect re-evaluates
+				// any still-overdue schedules.
+				s.ArmCatchup(hostID, now)
+				return
+			}
+			slog.Info("catchup: dispatched missed backup",
+				"host_id", hostID, "schedule_id", sc.ID, "group", g.Name)
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/server/http/catchup_scheduler_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+// catchup_scheduler_test.go — integration tests for the catch-up scheduler.
+package http
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/oklog/ulid/v2"
+
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/api"
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/store"
+)
+
+// TestRunCatchupDispatchesOverdue verifies four properties of the
+// catch-up scheduler in separate sub-tests sharing no state.
+func TestRunCatchupDispatchesOverdue(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	// --- 1. Overdue host with connected agent → backup dispatched -------
+	t.Run("overdue_dispatch", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		srv, ts, st := rawTestServer(t)
+		hostID, token := enrolHostForWS(t, srv, st, "catchup-overdue")
+
+		if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(context.Background(), hostID, false); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("set always_on: %v", err)
+		}
+		// Last backup ~8 days ago → schedule overdue.
+		eightDaysAgo := time.Now().UTC().Add(-8 * 24 * time.Hour)
+		if err := st.SetHostLastBackup(context.Background(), hostID, "succeeded", eightDaysAgo); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("set last backup: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		if err := st.CreateJob(context.Background(), store.Job{
+			ID: ulid.Make().String(), HostID: hostID, Kind: "init",
+			ActorKind: "system", CreatedAt: time.Now().UTC(),
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("seed init: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		gid := ulid.Make().String()
+		if err := st.CreateSourceGroup(context.Background(), &store.SourceGroup{
+			ID: gid, HostID: hostID, Name: "home", Includes: []string{"/home"},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("source group: %v", err)
+		}
+		sid := ulid.Make().String()
+		if err := st.CreateSchedule(context.Background(), &store.Schedule{
+			ID: sid, HostID: hostID, CronExpr: "0 2 * * *", Enabled: true,
+			SourceGroupIDs: []string{gid},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("schedule: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		c := agentDial(t, srv, ts, hostID, token)
+		sendHello(t, c, "catchup-overdue")
+		_ = drainUntil(t, c, api.MsgScheduleSet)
+
+		// Arm with a past time so the settle window is already elapsed.
+		srv.ArmCatchup(hostID, time.Now().UTC().Add(-2*time.Minute))
+		srv.RunCatchupsDue(context.Background())
+
+		// Give the dispatch goroutine a moment to write the job row.
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+		var n int
+		if err := st.DB().QueryRow(
+			`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM jobs WHERE host_id = ? AND kind = 'backup'`, hostID).Scan(&n); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("count: %v", err)
+		}
+		if n < 1 {
+			t.Errorf("overdue host: want ≥1 backup job, got %d", n)
+		}
+	})
+
+	// --- 2. Not overdue → no dispatch -----------------------------------
+	t.Run("not_overdue_no_dispatch", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		srv, ts, st := rawTestServer(t)
+		hostID, token := enrolHostForWS(t, srv, st, "catchup-notoverdue")
+
+		if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(context.Background(), hostID, false); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("set always_on: %v", err)
+		}
+		// Last backup just now → not overdue.
+		now := time.Now().UTC()
+		if err := st.SetHostLastBackup(context.Background(), hostID, "succeeded", now); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("set last backup: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		if err := st.CreateJob(context.Background(), store.Job{
+			ID: ulid.Make().String(), HostID: hostID, Kind: "init",
+			ActorKind: "system", CreatedAt: now,
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("seed init: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		gid := ulid.Make().String()
+		if err := st.CreateSourceGroup(context.Background(), &store.SourceGroup{
+			ID: gid, HostID: hostID, Name: "home", Includes: []string{"/home"},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("source group: %v", err)
+		}
+		sid := ulid.Make().String()
+		if err := st.CreateSchedule(context.Background(), &store.Schedule{
+			ID: sid, HostID: hostID, CronExpr: "0 2 * * *", Enabled: true,
+			SourceGroupIDs: []string{gid},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("schedule: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		c := agentDial(t, srv, ts, hostID, token)
+		sendHello(t, c, "catchup-notoverdue")
+		_ = drainUntil(t, c, api.MsgScheduleSet)
+
+		srv.ArmCatchup(hostID, time.Now().UTC().Add(-2*time.Minute))
+		srv.RunCatchupsDue(context.Background())
+
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+		var n int
+		if err := st.DB().QueryRow(
+			`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM jobs WHERE host_id = ? AND kind = 'backup'`, hostID).Scan(&n); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("count: %v", err)
+		}
+		if n != 0 {
+			t.Errorf("not-overdue host: want 0 backup jobs, got %d", n)
+		}
+	})
+
+	// --- 3. Active backup in flight → no new dispatch -------------------
+	t.Run("active_backup_blocks_dispatch", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		srv, ts, st := rawTestServer(t)
+		hostID, token := enrolHostForWS(t, srv, st, "catchup-active")
+
+		if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(context.Background(), hostID, false); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("set always_on: %v", err)
+		}
+		eightDaysAgo := time.Now().UTC().Add(-8 * 24 * time.Hour)
+		if err := st.SetHostLastBackup(context.Background(), hostID, "succeeded", eightDaysAgo); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("set last backup: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		if err := st.CreateJob(context.Background(), store.Job{
+			ID: ulid.Make().String(), HostID: hostID, Kind: "init",
+			ActorKind: "system", CreatedAt: time.Now().UTC(),
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("seed init: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		gid := ulid.Make().String()
+		if err := st.CreateSourceGroup(context.Background(), &store.SourceGroup{
+			ID: gid, HostID: hostID, Name: "home", Includes: []string{"/home"},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("source group: %v", err)
+		}
+		sid := ulid.Make().String()
+		if err := st.CreateSchedule(context.Background(), &store.Schedule{
+			ID: sid, HostID: hostID, CronExpr: "0 2 * * *", Enabled: true,
+			SourceGroupIDs: []string{gid},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("schedule: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		// Seed a queued backup job — this is "already in flight".
+		if err := st.CreateJob(context.Background(), store.Job{
+			ID: ulid.Make().String(), HostID: hostID, Kind: "backup",
+			ActorKind: "schedule", CreatedAt: time.Now().UTC(),
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("seed queued backup: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		c := agentDial(t, srv, ts, hostID, token)
+		sendHello(t, c, "catchup-active")
+		_ = drainUntil(t, c, api.MsgScheduleSet)
+
+		srv.ArmCatchup(hostID, time.Now().UTC().Add(-2*time.Minute))
+		srv.RunCatchupsDue(context.Background())
+
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+		var n int
+		if err := st.DB().QueryRow(
+			`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM jobs WHERE host_id = ? AND kind = 'backup'`, hostID).Scan(&n); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("count: %v", err)
+		}
+		// Count must still be exactly 1 — no second job added.
+		if n != 1 {
+			t.Errorf("active backup guard: want 1 job (the seeded one), got %d", n)
+		}
+	})
+
+	// --- 4. Disconnected host → no dispatch -----------------------------
+	t.Run("disconnected_no_dispatch", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		srv, _, st := rawTestServer(t)
+		hostID, _ := enrolHostForWS(t, srv, st, "catchup-disconnected")
+
+		if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(context.Background(), hostID, false); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("set always_on: %v", err)
+		}
+		eightDaysAgo := time.Now().UTC().Add(-8 * 24 * time.Hour)
+		if err := st.SetHostLastBackup(context.Background(), hostID, "succeeded", eightDaysAgo); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("set last backup: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		if err := st.CreateJob(context.Background(), store.Job{
+			ID: ulid.Make().String(), HostID: hostID, Kind: "init",
+			ActorKind: "system", CreatedAt: time.Now().UTC(),
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("seed init: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		gid := ulid.Make().String()
+		if err := st.CreateSourceGroup(context.Background(), &store.SourceGroup{
+			ID: gid, HostID: hostID, Name: "home", Includes: []string{"/home"},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("source group: %v", err)
+		}
+		sid := ulid.Make().String()
+		if err := st.CreateSchedule(context.Background(), &store.Schedule{
+			ID: sid, HostID: hostID, CronExpr: "0 2 * * *", Enabled: true,
+			SourceGroupIDs: []string{gid},
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("schedule: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		// Host is NOT connected — no agentDial.
+
+		srv.ArmCatchup(hostID, time.Now().UTC().Add(-2*time.Minute))
+		srv.RunCatchupsDue(context.Background())
+
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+		var n int
+		if err := st.DB().QueryRow(
+			`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM jobs WHERE host_id = ? AND kind = 'backup'`, hostID).Scan(&n); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("count: %v", err)
+		}
+		if n != 0 {
+			t.Errorf("disconnected host: want 0 backup jobs, got %d", n)
+		}
+	})
+}

internal/server/http/catchup_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+package http
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestScheduleOverdue(t *testing.T) {
+	mustParse := func(s string) time.Time {
+		t.Helper()
+		v, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, s)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("parse %q: %v", s, err)
+		}
+		return v
+	}
+	daily := "0 2 * * *" // 02:00 every day
+
+	cases := []struct {
+		name       string
+		cron       string
+		lastBackup *time.Time
+		now        time.Time
+		want       bool
+	}{
+		{name: "never backed up is overdue", cron: daily, lastBackup: nil, now: mustParse("2026-06-15T09:00:00Z"), want: true},
+		{name: "missed last nights window", cron: daily, lastBackup: ptrTime(mustParse("2026-06-13T02:05:00Z")), now: mustParse("2026-06-15T09:00:00Z"), want: true},
+		{name: "backed up after the most recent window", cron: daily, lastBackup: ptrTime(mustParse("2026-06-15T02:05:00Z")), now: mustParse("2026-06-15T09:00:00Z"), want: false},
+		{name: "unparseable cron is never overdue", cron: "not a cron", lastBackup: nil, now: mustParse("2026-06-15T09:00:00Z"), want: false},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		t.Run(c.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := scheduleOverdue(c.cron, c.lastBackup, c.now)
+			if got != c.want {
+				t.Fatalf("scheduleOverdue(%q, %v, %v) = %v, want %v", c.cron, c.lastBackup, c.now, got, c.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func ptrTime(t time.Time) *time.Time { return &t }

internal/server/http/fleet_update.go

@@ -32,6 +32,13 @@ import (
 type fleetUpdateStartReq struct {
 	TargetVersion string   `json:"target_version,omitempty"`
 	HostIDs       []string `json:"host_ids,omitempty"`
+	CanaryFirst   bool     `json:"canary_first,omitempty"`
+}
+
+type fleetUpdateCandidate struct {
+	Host     store.Host
+	Eligible bool
+	Reason   string
 }
 
 // fleetUpdateHostView is one row in the JSON response for GET
@@ -56,6 +63,7 @@ type fleetUpdateView struct {
 	CurrentHostID   string                `json:"current_host_id,omitempty"`
 	HaltedReason    string                `json:"halted_reason,omitempty"`
 	CompletedAt     *string               `json:"completed_at,omitempty"`
+	CanaryFirst     bool                  `json:"canary_first"`
 	Hosts           []fleetUpdateHostView `json:"hosts"`
 }
 
@@ -65,6 +73,7 @@ type fleetUpdateView struct {
 type fleetUpdatePage struct {
 	// Idle-state fields.
 	OutOfDateHosts []store.Host // online hosts whose version != target
+	Candidates     []fleetUpdateCandidate
 	TargetVersion  string
 
 	// Active-state fields. Nil when no fleet update has ever run.
@@ -100,6 +109,11 @@ func (s *Server) handleAPIFleetUpdateStart(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.
 	if target == "" {
 		target = version.Version
 	}
+	if target != version.Version {
+		writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusUnprocessableEntity, "unsupported_target_version",
+			"fleet updates can only target the running server version")
+		return
+	}
 	hostIDs := body.HostIDs
 	if len(hostIDs) == 0 {
 		derived, err := s.deriveOutOfDateOnlineHostIDs(r.Context(), target)
@@ -108,6 +122,19 @@ func (s *Server) handleAPIFleetUpdateStart(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.
 			return
 		}
 		hostIDs = derived
+	} else {
+		validated, reasons, err := s.validateFleetUpdateHostIDs(r.Context(), target, hostIDs)
+		if err != nil {
+			writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusInternalServerError, "internal", err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+		if len(reasons) > 0 {
+			writeJSON(w, stdhttp.StatusUnprocessableEntity, map[string]any{
+				"code": "ineligible_hosts", "message": "one or more selected hosts are ineligible", "reasons": reasons,
+			})
+			return
+		}
+		hostIDs = validated
 	}
 	if len(hostIDs) == 0 {
 		writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusConflict, "no_hosts_eligible",
@@ -115,7 +142,20 @@ func (s *Server) handleAPIFleetUpdateStart(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.
 		return
 	}
 
-	fuID, err := s.deps.FleetWorker.Start(r.Context(), user.ID, target, hostIDs)
+	var fuID string
+	var err error
+	if body.CanaryFirst && len(hostIDs) > 1 {
+		worker, supported := s.deps.FleetWorker.(interface {
+			StartCanary(context.Context, string, string, []string) (string, error)
+		})
+		if !supported {
+			writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusServiceUnavailable, "canary_unavailable", "")
+			return
+		}
+		fuID, err = worker.StartCanary(r.Context(), user.ID, target, hostIDs)
+	} else {
+		fuID, err = s.deps.FleetWorker.Start(r.Context(), user.ID, target, hostIDs)
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, store.ErrFleetUpdateRunning) {
 			writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusConflict, "fleet_update_in_progress", err.Error())
@@ -129,6 +169,7 @@ func (s *Server) handleAPIFleetUpdateStart(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.
 		"fleet_update_id": fuID,
 		"target_version":  target,
 		"host_count":      len(hostIDs),
+		"canary_first":    body.CanaryFirst,
 	})
 	_ = s.deps.Store.AppendAudit(r.Context(), store.AuditEntry{
 		ID: ulid.Make().String(), UserID: &user.ID, Actor: "user",
@@ -209,6 +250,7 @@ func (s *Server) handleAPIFleetUpdateGet(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.Re
 		Status:          fu.Status,
 		CurrentHostID:   fu.CurrentHostID,
 		HaltedReason:    fu.HaltedReason,
+		CanaryFirst:     fu.PauseAfterFirst,
 		Hosts:           make([]fleetUpdateHostView, 0, len(hosts)),
 	}
 	if fu.CompletedAt != nil {
@@ -286,6 +328,27 @@ func (s *Server) buildFleetUpdatePage(r *stdhttp.Request) (fleetUpdatePage, erro
 	}
 	for _, h := range hosts {
 		page.HostNames[h.ID] = h.Name
+		candidate := fleetUpdateCandidate{Host: h}
+		switch {
+		case h.AgentVersion == "":
+			candidate.Reason = "version unknown"
+		case h.AgentVersion == page.TargetVersion:
+			candidate.Reason = "already current"
+		case s.deps.Hub == nil || !s.deps.Hub.Connected(h.ID):
+			candidate.Reason = "offline"
+		default:
+			updating, uerr := s.deps.Store.RunningUpdateJobForHost(r.Context(), h.ID)
+			if uerr != nil {
+				return page, uerr
+			}
+			if updating != "" {
+				candidate.Reason = "update already running"
+			} else {
+				candidate.Eligible = true
+				page.OutOfDateHosts = append(page.OutOfDateHosts, h)
+			}
+		}
+		page.Candidates = append(page.Candidates, candidate)
 	}
 
 	active, err := s.deps.Store.ActiveFleetUpdate(r.Context())
@@ -328,20 +391,54 @@ func (s *Server) buildFleetUpdatePage(r *stdhttp.Request) (fleetUpdatePage, erro
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Idle list (or "still out of date" reference even when an active
-	// roll is running — cheap to compute, harmless to attach).
-	for _, h := range hosts {
-		if h.Status != "online" {
-			continue
-		}
-		if h.AgentVersion == "" || h.AgentVersion == page.TargetVersion {
-			continue
-		}
-		page.OutOfDateHosts = append(page.OutOfDateHosts, h)
-	}
 	return page, nil
 }
 
+// validateFleetUpdateHostIDs deduplicates an explicit selection while
+// preserving review order and rejects the entire request if membership has
+// changed or any selected host is not dispatchable.
+func (s *Server) validateFleetUpdateHostIDs(ctx context.Context, target string, requested []string) ([]string, map[string]string, error) {
+	hosts, err := s.deps.Store.ListHosts(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+	byID := make(map[string]store.Host, len(hosts))
+	for _, h := range hosts {
+		byID[h.ID] = h
+	}
+	seen := map[string]bool{}
+	validated := make([]string, 0, len(requested))
+	reasons := map[string]string{}
+	for _, id := range requested {
+		if seen[id] {
+			continue
+		}
+		seen[id] = true
+		h, ok := byID[id]
+		switch {
+		case !ok:
+			reasons[id] = "host not found"
+		case h.AgentVersion == "":
+			reasons[id] = "agent version unknown"
+		case h.AgentVersion == target:
+			reasons[id] = "already at target version"
+		case s.deps.Hub == nil || !s.deps.Hub.Connected(id):
+			reasons[id] = "host offline"
+		default:
+			jobID, jerr := s.deps.Store.RunningUpdateJobForHost(ctx, id)
+			if jerr != nil {
+				return nil, nil, jerr
+			}
+			if jobID != "" {
+				reasons[id] = "update already in progress"
+			} else {
+				validated = append(validated, id)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return validated, reasons, nil
+}
+
 // deriveOutOfDateOnlineHostIDs returns the list of host IDs that
 // (a) are online (Hub.Connected) and (b) have an agent_version that's
 // non-empty AND != target. Used by the start endpoint when the caller

internal/server/http/fleet_update_test.go

@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"io"
 	stdhttp "net/http"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -19,6 +21,67 @@ import (
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/version"
 )
 
+func TestFleetUpdateIdlePageDoesNotPollOrRequireTypedConfirmation(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	_, baseURL, st := newTestServerWithUI(t)
+	cookie := loginAsAdmin(t, st)
+	_ = makeHost(t, st, "fleet-filter-host")
+
+	req, _ := stdhttp.NewRequest("GET", baseURL+"/settings/fleet-update", nil)
+	req.AddCookie(cookie)
+	res, err := stdhttp.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("get fleet update page: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer res.Body.Close()
+	if res.StatusCode != stdhttp.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("status: got %d, want 200", res.StatusCode)
+	}
+	raw, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
+	body := string(raw)
+
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		`id="fleet-filter-name"`,
+		`id="fleet-filter-version"`,
+		`id="fleet-filter-state"`,
+		"r.style.display=",
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(body, want) {
+			t.Errorf("page missing %q", want)
+		}
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(body, "Type selected count to confirm") || strings.Contains(body, `id="fleet-update-confirm"`) {
+		t.Error("page still renders the typed-count confirmation")
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(body, `hx-trigger="every 3s`) {
+		t.Error("idle selection page must not poll and replace operator input")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFleetUpdateRunningPagePollsForProgress(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	_, baseURL, st := newTestServerWithUI(t)
+	cookie, userID := loginAsAdminWithID(t, st)
+	hostID := makeHost(t, st, "fleet-running-host")
+	if err := st.CreateFleetUpdate(context.Background(), store.FleetUpdate{
+		ID: ulid.Make().String(), StartedByUserID: userID, TargetVersion: version.Version,
+	}, []string{hostID}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create fleet update: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	req, _ := stdhttp.NewRequest("GET", baseURL+"/settings/fleet-update", nil)
+	req.AddCookie(cookie)
+	res, err := stdhttp.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("get fleet update page: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer res.Body.Close()
+	raw, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
+	if body := string(raw); !strings.Contains(body, `hx-trigger="every 3s`) {
+		t.Error("running rollout page must poll for progress")
+	}
+}
+
 // fakeFleetWorker stands in for *fleetupdate.Worker in HTTP tests.
 // It records what was passed to Start/Cancel and lets tests inject
 // canned errors. Satisfies the FleetWorker interface in
@@ -50,6 +113,10 @@ func (f *fakeFleetWorker) Start(_ context.Context, userID, target string, hostID
 	return f.startID, nil
 }
 
+func (f *fakeFleetWorker) StartCanary(ctx context.Context, userID, target string, hostIDs []string) (string, error) {
+	return f.Start(ctx, userID, target, hostIDs)
+}
+
 func (f *fakeFleetWorker) Cancel(_ context.Context, id string) error {
 	f.mu.Lock()
 	defer f.mu.Unlock()
@@ -190,6 +257,67 @@ func TestFleetUpdateStartDerivesHostIDsWhenEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestFleetUpdateStartDeduplicatesExplicitSelection(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	srv, ts, st := rawTestServer(t)
+	worker := &fakeFleetWorker{startID: ulid.Make().String()}
+	srv.deps.FleetWorker = worker
+	cookie := loginAsAdmin(t, st)
+	hostID := helloOnlineHost(t, srv, st, "duplicate-host", "v0")
+	raw, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"host_ids": []string{hostID, hostID}})
+	req, _ := stdhttp.NewRequest("POST", ts.URL+"/api/fleet/update", bytes.NewReader(raw))
+	req.AddCookie(cookie)
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	res, err := stdhttp.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("do: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer res.Body.Close()
+	if res.StatusCode != stdhttp.StatusAccepted {
+		t.Fatalf("status: %d", res.StatusCode)
+	}
+	if got := worker.startCalls[0].HostIDs; len(got) != 1 || got[0] != hostID {
+		t.Fatalf("deduplicated ids: %v", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFleetUpdateStartRejectsUnknownAndIneligibleHosts(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	srv, ts, st := rawTestServer(t)
+	worker := &fakeFleetWorker{startID: ulid.Make().String()}
+	srv.deps.FleetWorker = worker
+	cookie := loginAsAdmin(t, st)
+	offline := makeHost(t, st, "offline-host")
+	if err := st.MarkHostHello(context.Background(), offline, "v0", "0.17", api.CurrentProtocolVersion, time.Now().UTC()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mark offline host: %v", err)
+	}
+	raw, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"host_ids": []string{offline, "does-not-exist"}})
+	req, _ := stdhttp.NewRequest("POST", ts.URL+"/api/fleet/update", bytes.NewReader(raw))
+	req.AddCookie(cookie)
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	res, err := stdhttp.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("do: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer res.Body.Close()
+	if res.StatusCode != stdhttp.StatusUnprocessableEntity {
+		t.Fatalf("status: got %d, want 422", res.StatusCode)
+	}
+	var body struct {
+		Code    string            `json:"code"`
+		Reasons map[string]string `json:"reasons"`
+	}
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(res.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode: %v", err)
+	}
+	if body.Code != "ineligible_hosts" || len(body.Reasons) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("structured reasons: %+v", body)
+	}
+	if len(worker.startCalls) != 0 {
+		t.Fatal("worker must not start with invalid membership")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFleetUpdateCancelHappyPath(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	srv, ts, st := rawTestServer(t)

internal/server/http/host_credentials.go

@@ -483,6 +483,12 @@ func (s *Server) onAgentHello(ctx context.Context, hostID string, conn *ws.Conn)
 	// and the drain may take seconds across many rows. A non-blocking
 	// goroutine keeps the hello path snappy.
 	go s.DrainPending(context.Background(), hostID)
+	// Intermittent hosts that just reconnected may have slept through a
+	// backup window. Arm a catch-up evaluation after a settle delay; the
+	// pending-drain tick fires it. Always-on hosts never need this.
+	if host, err := s.deps.Store.GetHost(ctx, hostID); err == nil && !host.AlwaysOn {
+		s.ArmCatchup(hostID, time.Now().UTC())
+	}
 }
 
 // maybeAutoInit dispatches a `restic init` job iff the host has no

internal/server/http/jobs.go

@@ -65,10 +65,32 @@ func (s *Server) handleRunNow(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.Request) {
 func (s *Server) dispatchJob(ctx context.Context, user *store.User,
 	hostID string, kind api.JobKind, args []string,
 ) (res runNowResponse, status int, code, msg string) {
-	return s.dispatchJobWithPayload(ctx, user, hostID, kind, nil, api.CommandRunPayload{
+	payload := api.CommandRunPayload{
 		Kind: kind,
 		Args: args,
-	})
+	}
+	if kind == api.JobForget {
+		if !validForgetArgs(args) {
+			return res, stdhttp.StatusBadRequest, "invalid_args",
+				"forget accepts no arguments other than --dry-run"
+		}
+		var ok bool
+		var err error
+		payload, ok, err = s.buildForgetPayloadForHost(ctx, hostID)
+		if err != nil {
+			return res, stdhttp.StatusInternalServerError, "internal", ""
+		}
+		if !ok {
+			return res, stdhttp.StatusUnprocessableEntity, "no_retention_policy",
+				"host has no source groups with a retention policy"
+		}
+		payload.Args = args
+	}
+	return s.dispatchJobWithPayload(ctx, user, hostID, kind, nil, payload)
+}
+
+func validForgetArgs(args []string) bool {
+	return len(args) == 0 || (len(args) == 1 && args[0] == "--dry-run")
 }
 
 // dispatchJobWithPayload is dispatchJob's variant that lets callers

internal/server/http/jobs_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+package http
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	stdhttp "net/http"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/oklog/ulid/v2"
+
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/api"
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/store"
+)
+
+func TestRunNowForgetShipsRetentionGroupsAndDryRun(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	srv, ts, st := rawTestServer(t)
+	hostID, token := enrolHostForWS(t, srv, st, "manual-forget-host")
+	seedInitJob(t, st, hostID)
+
+	keepDaily := 7
+	if err := st.CreateSourceGroup(context.Background(), &store.SourceGroup{
+		ID:              ulid.Make().String(),
+		HostID:          hostID,
+		Name:            "documents",
+		Includes:        []string{"/home/documents"},
+		RetentionPolicy: store.RetentionPolicy{KeepDaily: &keepDaily},
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create source group: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	c := agentDial(t, srv, ts, hostID, token)
+	sendHello(t, c, "manual-forget-host")
+	_ = drainUntil(t, c, api.MsgScheduleSet)
+
+	body, err := json.Marshal(runNowRequest{Kind: api.JobForget, Args: []string{"--dry-run"}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal request: %v", err)
+	}
+	req, err := stdhttp.NewRequest(stdhttp.MethodPost, ts.URL+"/api/hosts/"+hostID+"/jobs", bytes.NewReader(body))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("new request: %v", err)
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	req.AddCookie(loginAsAdmin(t, st))
+	res, err := stdhttp.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("post run-now: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer res.Body.Close()
+	if res.StatusCode != stdhttp.StatusAccepted {
+		t.Fatalf("status: got %d, want %d", res.StatusCode, stdhttp.StatusAccepted)
+	}
+
+	got := readNextCommandRun(t, c, time.Now().Add(2*time.Second))
+	if got == nil {
+		t.Fatal("no command.run received")
+	}
+	if len(got.Args) != 1 || got.Args[0] != "--dry-run" {
+		t.Fatalf("Args: got %q, want [--dry-run]", got.Args)
+	}
+	if len(got.ForgetGroups) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("ForgetGroups: got %d, want 1", len(got.ForgetGroups))
+	}
+	group := got.ForgetGroups[0]
+	if group.Tag != "documents" || group.Policy.KeepDaily == nil || *group.Policy.KeepDaily != 7 {
+		t.Fatalf("ForgetGroups[0]: got %+v", group)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRunNowForgetRejectsHostWithoutRetention(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	srv, ts, st := rawTestServer(t)
+	hostID, token := enrolHostForWS(t, srv, st, "no-manual-retention-host")
+	seedInitJob(t, st, hostID)
+
+	c := agentDial(t, srv, ts, hostID, token)
+	sendHello(t, c, "no-manual-retention-host")
+	_ = drainUntil(t, c, api.MsgScheduleSet)
+
+	body := []byte(`{"kind":"forget","args":["--dry-run"]}`)
+	req, err := stdhttp.NewRequest(stdhttp.MethodPost, ts.URL+"/api/hosts/"+hostID+"/jobs", bytes.NewReader(body))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("new request: %v", err)
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	req.AddCookie(loginAsAdmin(t, st))
+	res, err := stdhttp.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("post run-now: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer res.Body.Close()
+	if res.StatusCode != stdhttp.StatusUnprocessableEntity {
+		t.Fatalf("status: got %d, want %d", res.StatusCode, stdhttp.StatusUnprocessableEntity)
+	}
+
+	var jobs int
+	if err := st.DB().QueryRow(`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM jobs WHERE host_id = ? AND kind = 'forget'`, hostID).Scan(&jobs); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("count forget jobs: %v", err)
+	}
+	if jobs != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("forget jobs: got %d, want 0", jobs)
+	}
+}

internal/server/http/maintenance_dispatch.go

@@ -37,7 +37,12 @@ func (s *Server) DispatchMaintenance(ctx context.Context, decisions []maintenanc
 		}
 		switch d.Kind {
 		case "forget":
-			payload, ok := s.buildForgetPayloadForHost(ctx, d.HostID)
+			payload, ok, err := s.buildForgetPayloadForHost(ctx, d.HostID)
+			if err != nil {
+				slog.Warn("maintenance: list source groups failed",
+					"host_id", d.HostID, "err", err)
+				continue
+			}
 			if !ok {
 				slog.Info("maintenance: forget skipped — no source groups with retention",
 					"host_id", d.HostID)
@@ -88,11 +93,10 @@ func (s *Server) DispatchMaintenance(ctx context.Context, decisions []maintenanc
 // that has a non-empty retention policy and builds a CommandRunPayload
 // with ForgetGroups populated. Returns ok=false if the host has no
 // such groups (the dispatcher then skips this kind).
-func (s *Server) buildForgetPayloadForHost(ctx context.Context, hostID string) (api.CommandRunPayload, bool) {
+func (s *Server) buildForgetPayloadForHost(ctx context.Context, hostID string) (api.CommandRunPayload, bool, error) {
 	groups, err := s.deps.Store.ListSourceGroupsByHost(ctx, hostID)
 	if err != nil {
-		slog.Warn("maintenance: list source groups failed", "host_id", hostID, "err", err)
-		return api.CommandRunPayload{}, false
+		return api.CommandRunPayload{}, false, err
 	}
 	fg := make([]api.ForgetGroup, 0, len(groups))
 	for _, g := range groups {
@@ -105,9 +109,9 @@ func (s *Server) buildForgetPayloadForHost(ctx context.Context, hostID string) (
 		})
 	}
 	if len(fg) == 0 {
-		return api.CommandRunPayload{}, false
+		return api.CommandRunPayload{}, false, nil
 	}
-	return api.CommandRunPayload{ForgetGroups: fg}, true
+	return api.CommandRunPayload{ForgetGroups: fg}, true, nil
 }
 
 func isEmptyRetention(p store.RetentionPolicy) bool {

internal/server/http/metrics.go

@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ import (
 	"net/netip"
 	"runtime"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/alert"
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/server/config"
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/server/metrics"
 	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/store"
@@ -173,13 +175,37 @@ func (s *Server) gatherMetricsSnapshot(ctx context.Context) (metrics.Snapshot, e
 		return metrics.Snapshot{}, err
 	}
 	bySeverity := map[string]int{"info": 0, "warning": 0, "critical": 0}
+	stuckJobs := 0
+	var oldestStuckAge time.Duration
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	running, err := s.deps.Store.ListRunningJobActivity(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return metrics.Snapshot{}, err
+	}
+	activityByJob := make(map[string]time.Time, len(running))
+	for _, job := range running {
+		activityByJob[job.JobID] = job.LastActivity
+	}
 	for _, a := range open {
 		bySeverity[a.Severity]++
+		if a.Kind == alert.KindJobStuck {
+			stuckJobs++
+			lastActivity, ok := activityByJob[a.DedupKey]
+			if !ok {
+				continue
+			}
+			if age := now.Sub(lastActivity); age > oldestStuckAge {
+				oldestStuckAge = age
+			}
+		}
 	}
 
 	reg := s.deps.Metrics
 	if reg == nil {
 		reg = metrics.NewRegistry() // empty histogram block
 	}
-	return reg.SnapshotWith(hostRows, bySeverity, version.Version, version.Commit, runtime.Version()), nil
+	snap := reg.SnapshotWith(hostRows, bySeverity, version.Version, version.Commit, runtime.Version())
+	snap.StuckJobs = stuckJobs
+	snap.OldestStuckAge = oldestStuckAge
+	return snap, nil
 }

internal/server/http/pending_drain_test.go

@@ -512,11 +512,27 @@ func TestDrainPendingSerializesPerHost(t *testing.T) {
 	// Connect the agent so DrainPending can dispatch.
 	c := agentDial(t, srv, ts, hostID, token)
 	sendHello(t, c, "serialise-host")
-	// Drain the on-hello goroutine's pass first (no pending rows yet),
-	// then wait for the schedule.set so the connection is fully settled.
+	// Wait for the on-hello push to settle.
 	_ = drainUntil(t, c, api.MsgScheduleSet)
 
-	// Insert 5 pending rows now that the on-hello drain has already run.
+	// A real agent is always in a read loop. Keep this test client
+	// reading in the background for the rest of the test: without an
+	// active reader the server-side conn can be dropped under parallel
+	// load, which unregisters it from the hub and makes DrainPending
+	// no-op (conn == nil) — the historical source of this test's
+	// flakiness (it would observe 0 or a partial drain). The reader also
+	// consumes the command.run envelopes our drains emit.
+	readerCtx, stopReader := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer stopReader()
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			if _, _, err := c.Read(readerCtx); err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+
+	// Insert 5 due pending rows.
 	now := time.Now().UTC()
 	for i := range 5 {
 		pid := ulid.Make().String()
@@ -533,7 +549,8 @@ func TestDrainPendingSerializesPerHost(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Spawn 10 goroutines all calling DrainPending concurrently.
+	// Fire 10 concurrent DrainPending calls. The per-host mutex must
+	// ensure each row is dispatched at most once (no double-dispatch).
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	for range 10 {
 		wg.Add(1)
@@ -544,24 +561,26 @@ func TestDrainPendingSerializesPerHost(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	wg.Wait()
 
-	// Drain any envelopes the agent received so we don't block below.
-	// We read with short timeouts and stop when the connection goes quiet.
-	drainDeadline := time.Now().Add(500 * time.Millisecond)
-	for time.Now().Before(drainDeadline) {
-		ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 100*time.Millisecond)
-		_, _, err := c.Read(ctx)
-		cancel()
-		if err != nil {
-			break
-		}
+	// Drain to completion. The fire-and-forget on-hello DrainPending
+	// shares the same per-host mutex and can hold it during the burst,
+	// leaving rows for a later pass — exactly how production drains
+	// (repeatedly, via the 30s tick / on reconnect). Re-drain until the
+	// queue is empty; because every drain is still serialised, each row
+	// is dispatched at most once, so the exactly-5 job count below proves
+	// there was no double-dispatch.
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for countPendingForHost(t, st, hostID) > 0 && time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		srv.DrainPending(context.Background(), hostID)
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
 	}
 
-	// All 5 pending rows must be gone.
+	// All 5 pending rows must be drained.
 	if n := countPendingForHost(t, st, hostID); n != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("pending rows after concurrent drain: got %d, want 0", n)
+		t.Errorf("pending rows after drain-to-completion: got %d, want 0", n)
 	}
 
-	// Exactly 5 backup job rows (one per pending row), not 10+ from a race.
+	// Exactly 5 backup job rows (one per pending row) — never more, which
+	// would mean the per-host mutex failed to prevent double-dispatch.
 	var n int
 	_ = st.DB().QueryRow(
 		`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM jobs WHERE host_id = ? AND kind = 'backup' AND actor_kind = 'schedule'`,

internal/server/http/server.go

@@ -90,6 +90,13 @@ type Server struct {
 	// directories (P3-X2). Pre-allocated in New so the lazy-init
 	// race is impossible.
 	treeCache *treeCache
+
+	// catchupDueAt tracks intermittent hosts that reconnected and are
+	// in their settle window. Keyed hostID → earliest time to evaluate
+	// catch-up. Best-effort + in-memory: a server restart simply re-arms
+	// on the next hello. Guarded by catchupMu.
+	catchupMu    sync.Mutex
+	catchupDueAt map[string]time.Time
 }
 
 // New builds a configured but not-yet-started server.
@@ -104,11 +111,12 @@ func New(deps Deps) *Server {
 	r.Use(requestLogger)
 
 	s := &Server{
-		deps:       deps,
-		drainLocks: make(map[string]*sync.Mutex),
-		announceRL: newAnnounceLimiter(),
-		pendingHub: newPendingHub(),
-		treeCache:  newTreeCache(),
+		deps:         deps,
+		drainLocks:   make(map[string]*sync.Mutex),
+		announceRL:   newAnnounceLimiter(),
+		pendingHub:   newPendingHub(),
+		treeCache:    newTreeCache(),
+		catchupDueAt: make(map[string]time.Time),
 	}
 	s.routes(r)
 
@@ -254,6 +262,7 @@ func (s *Server) routes(r chi.Router) {
 		r.Post("/api/hosts/{id}/repo/unlock", s.handleRunRepoUnlock)
 		r.Post("/api/jobs/{id}/cancel", s.handleCancelJob)
 		r.Post("/api/hosts/{id}/snapshots/diff", s.handleSnapshotDiff)
+		r.Post("/api/hosts/{id}/snapshots/refresh", s.handleRefreshHostSnapshots)
 
 		// HTMX form variants outside /api.
 		r.Post("/hosts/{id}/snapshots/diff", s.handleSnapshotDiff)
@@ -279,6 +288,7 @@ func (s *Server) routes(r chi.Router) {
 			r.Post("/hosts/{id}/repo/probe", s.handleUIRepoProbe)
 			r.Post("/hosts/{id}/repo/hooks", s.handleUIRepoHooksSave)
 			r.Post("/hosts/{id}/tags", s.handleUIHostTagsSave)
+			r.Post("/hosts/{id}/mode", s.handleUIHostModeSave)
 			r.Post("/hosts/{id}/admin-credentials", s.handleUIAdminCredentialsSave)
 			r.Post("/hosts/{id}/admin-credentials/delete", s.handleUIAdminCredentialsDelete)
 			r.Post("/hosts/{id}/schedules/new", s.handleUIScheduleSave)

internal/server/http/snapshots.go

@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5"
+	"github.com/oklog/ulid/v2"
+
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/api"
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/store"
 )
 
 // snapshotView is the public JSON shape for a snapshot. Matches the
@@ -26,6 +30,7 @@ type listSnapshotsResponse struct {
 	HostID      string         `json:"host_id"`
 	Count       int            `json:"count"`
 	RefreshedAt *time.Time     `json:"refreshed_at,omitempty"`
+	Stale       bool           `json:"stale"`
 	Snapshots   []snapshotView `json:"snapshots"`
 }
 
@@ -45,7 +50,8 @@ func (s *Server) handleListHostSnapshots(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.Re
 		return
 	}
 
-	if _, err := s.deps.Store.GetHost(r.Context(), hostID); err != nil {
+	host, err := s.deps.Store.GetHost(r.Context(), hostID)
+	if err != nil {
 		writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusNotFound, "host_not_found", "")
 		return
 	}
@@ -61,10 +67,13 @@ func (s *Server) handleListHostSnapshots(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.Re
 		Count:     len(snaps),
 		Snapshots: make([]snapshotView, len(snaps)),
 	}
-	if len(snaps) > 0 {
-		t := snaps[0].RefreshedAt
-		out.RefreshedAt = &t
+	out.RefreshedAt = host.SnapshotRefreshedAt
+	mutationAt, err := s.deps.Store.LatestSuccessfulRepoMutation(r.Context(), hostID)
+	if err != nil {
+		writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusInternalServerError, "internal", "")
+		return
 	}
+	out.Stale = mutationAt != nil && (out.RefreshedAt == nil || out.RefreshedAt.Before(*mutationAt))
 	for i, sn := range snaps {
 		out.Snapshots[i] = snapshotView{
 			ID:        sn.ID,
@@ -80,3 +89,31 @@ func (s *Server) handleListHostSnapshots(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.Re
 
 	writeJSON(w, stdhttp.StatusOK, out)
 }
+
+func (s *Server) handleRefreshHostSnapshots(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.Request) {
+	user, ok := s.requireUser(r)
+	if !ok {
+		writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusUnauthorized, "unauthorised", "")
+		return
+	}
+	hostID := chi.URLParam(r, "id")
+	if _, err := s.deps.Store.GetHost(r.Context(), hostID); err != nil {
+		writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusNotFound, "host_not_found", "")
+		return
+	}
+	if s.deps.Hub == nil || !s.deps.Hub.Connected(hostID) {
+		writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusConflict, "host_offline", "agent is not currently connected")
+		return
+	}
+	env, _ := api.Marshal(api.MsgSnapshotsRefresh, ulid.Make().String(), nil)
+	if err := s.deps.Hub.Send(r.Context(), hostID, env); err != nil {
+		writeJSONError(w, stdhttp.StatusConflict, "host_offline", err.Error())
+		return
+	}
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	_ = s.deps.Store.AppendAudit(r.Context(), store.AuditEntry{
+		ID: ulid.Make().String(), UserID: &user.ID, Actor: "user",
+		Action: "host.snapshots_refresh", TargetKind: ptr("host"), TargetID: &hostID, TS: now,
+	})
+	writeJSON(w, stdhttp.StatusAccepted, map[string]string{"status": "refresh_requested"})
+}

internal/server/http/snapshots_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+package http
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	stdhttp "net/http"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/api"
+	"gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/restic-manager/internal/store"
+)
+
+func TestSnapshotsFreshnessAndExplicitRefresh(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	srv, ts, st := rawTestServerWithUI(t)
+	hostID, token := enrolHostForUI(t, srv, st, "snapshot-refresh-host")
+	c := agentDial(t, srv, ts, hostID, token)
+	sendHello(t, c, "snapshot-refresh-host")
+	_ = drainUntil(t, c, api.MsgScheduleSet)
+	cookie := loginAsAdmin(t, st)
+
+	mutationAt := time.Now().UTC().Add(-time.Minute).Truncate(time.Millisecond)
+	if err := st.CreateJob(context.Background(), store.Job{
+		ID: "mutation-job", HostID: hostID, Kind: "forget", ActorKind: "user", CreatedAt: mutationAt.Add(-time.Minute),
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create mutation: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := st.MarkJobFinished(context.Background(), "mutation-job", "succeeded", 0, nil, "", mutationAt); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("finish mutation: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	get := func() listSnapshotsResponse {
+		req, _ := stdhttp.NewRequest(stdhttp.MethodGet, ts.URL+"/api/hosts/"+hostID+"/snapshots", nil)
+		req.AddCookie(cookie)
+		res, err := stdhttp.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("get snapshots: %v", err)
+		}
+		defer res.Body.Close()
+		var body listSnapshotsResponse
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(res.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("decode snapshots: %v", err)
+		}
+		return body
+	}
+	if body := get(); !body.Stale || body.RefreshedAt != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unrefreshed projection should be stale: %+v", body)
+	}
+
+	refreshedAt := mutationAt.Add(time.Second)
+	if err := st.ReplaceHostSnapshots(context.Background(), hostID, nil, refreshedAt); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("replace empty: %v", err)
+	}
+	if body := get(); body.Stale || body.RefreshedAt == nil || !body.RefreshedAt.Equal(refreshedAt) {
+		t.Fatalf("fresh empty projection reported incorrectly: %+v", body)
+	}
+
+	req, _ := stdhttp.NewRequest(stdhttp.MethodPost, ts.URL+"/api/hosts/"+hostID+"/snapshots/refresh", nil)
+	req.AddCookie(cookie)
+	res, err := stdhttp.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("request refresh: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer res.Body.Close()
+	if res.StatusCode != stdhttp.StatusAccepted {
+		t.Fatalf("refresh status = %d, want 202", res.StatusCode)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 2*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	_, raw, err := c.Read(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read refresh command: %v", err)
+	}
+	var env api.Envelope
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &env); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode envelope: %v", err)
+	}
+	if env.Type != api.MsgSnapshotsRefresh {
+		t.Fatalf("message type = %q, want %q", env.Type, api.MsgSnapshotsRefresh)
+	}
+}

internal/server/http/ui_dashboard_sparkline_test.go

@@ -49,8 +49,14 @@ func TestDashboard_HostRowSparklineRendersWithHistory(t *testing.T) {
 	hostID := makeHost(t, st, "h-spark")
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
-	// Two history points → polyline must render.
-	for i, day := range []string{"2026-05-05", "2026-05-06"} {
+	// Two history points → polyline must render. Use dates relative to
+	// now so the points always fall inside the dashboard's rolling
+	// 30-day window (ui_handlers.go: since = now-30d); hard-coded dates
+	// silently age out of the window and break this test over time.
+	for i, day := range []string{
+		time.Now().UTC().AddDate(0, 0, -2).Format("2006-01-02"),
+		time.Now().UTC().AddDate(0, 0, -1).Format("2006-01-02"),
+	} {
 		v := int64(100 + i*50)
 		if err := st.UpsertHostRepoStatsHistory(ctx, hostID, day,
 			store.HostRepoStats{TotalSizeBytes: &v}, time.Now().UTC()); err != nil {

internal/server/http/ui_handlers.go

@@ -983,6 +983,43 @@ func (s *Server) handleUIHostTagsSave(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.Reque
 	stdhttp.Redirect(w, r, "/hosts/"+hostID, stdhttp.StatusSeeOther)
 }
 
+// handleUIHostModeSave flips a host's always-on flag. Checkbox present
+// in the form (value any) => always-on; absent => intermittent.
+// Operator-band; mounted in server.go. On change we clear open
+// offline/staleness alerts via the engine so the next sweep re-raises
+// only what still applies under the new mode.
+func (s *Server) handleUIHostModeSave(w stdhttp.ResponseWriter, r *stdhttp.Request) {
+	u := s.requireUIUser(w, r)
+	if u == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	hostID := chi.URLParam(r, "id")
+	if _, err := s.deps.Store.GetHost(r.Context(), hostID); err != nil {
+		stdhttp.NotFound(w, r)
+		return
+	}
+	if err := r.ParseForm(); err != nil {
+		stdhttp.Error(w, "bad request", stdhttp.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+	alwaysOn := r.PostForm.Get("always_on") != ""
+	if err := s.deps.Store.SetHostAlwaysOn(r.Context(), hostID, alwaysOn); err != nil {
+		slog.Error("ui host mode: save", "host_id", hostID, "err", err)
+		stdhttp.Error(w, "internal", stdhttp.StatusInternalServerError)
+		return
+	}
+	if s.deps.AlertEngine != nil {
+		s.deps.AlertEngine.ResolveOnModeChange(r.Context(), hostID, time.Now().UTC())
+	}
+	_ = s.deps.Store.AppendAudit(r.Context(), store.AuditEntry{
+		ID: ulid.Make().String(), UserID: &u.ID, Actor: "user",
+		Action:     "host.mode_updated",
+		TargetKind: ptr("host"), TargetID: &hostID,
+		TS: time.Now().UTC(),
+	})
+	stdhttp.Redirect(w, r, "/hosts/"+hostID, stdhttp.StatusSeeOther)
+}
+
 // normaliseTags splits a comma-separated string, lowercases each token,
 // trims whitespace, drops empties, and dedupes. Order is preserved
 // from first occurrence (so the user's typing order shows on screen).

internal/server/http/ui_host_mode_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+// ui_host_mode_test.go — covers handleUIHostModeSave: toggling a
+// host's always-on flag via POST /hosts/{id}/mode.
+package http
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	stdhttp "net/http"
+	"net/url"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestHostModeSaveToggle verifies the checkbox-absent ⇒ intermittent
+// and checkbox-present ⇒ always-on semantics, and that the audit row
+// lands for each request.
+func TestHostModeSaveToggle(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	_, ts, st := rawTestServerWithUI(t)
+	hostID, _ := enrolHostForUI(t, nil, st, "mode-toggle-host")
+
+	cookie := loginAsAdmin(t, st)
+
+	cli := &stdhttp.Client{
+		CheckRedirect: func(*stdhttp.Request, []*stdhttp.Request) error {
+			return stdhttp.ErrUseLastResponse
+		},
+	}
+
+	// --- POST with no always_on field => intermittent ---
+	form := url.Values{}
+	req, _ := stdhttp.NewRequest("POST", ts.URL+"/hosts/"+hostID+"/mode",
+		strings.NewReader(form.Encode()))
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded")
+	req.AddCookie(cookie)
+	res, err := cli.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("do: %v", err)
+	}
+	_ = res.Body.Close()
+	if res.StatusCode != stdhttp.StatusSeeOther {
+		t.Fatalf("status: got %d, want 303", res.StatusCode)
+	}
+	if loc := res.Header.Get("Location"); loc != "/hosts/"+hostID {
+		t.Errorf("Location: got %q, want /hosts/%s", loc, hostID)
+	}
+
+	got, err := st.GetHost(context.Background(), hostID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("GetHost: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.AlwaysOn {
+		t.Errorf("AlwaysOn after empty form: got true, want false")
+	}
+
+	// --- POST with always_on=on => always-on ---
+	form2 := url.Values{"always_on": {"on"}}
+	req2, _ := stdhttp.NewRequest("POST", ts.URL+"/hosts/"+hostID+"/mode",
+		strings.NewReader(form2.Encode()))
+	req2.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded")
+	req2.AddCookie(cookie)
+	res2, err := cli.Do(req2)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("do: %v", err)
+	}
+	_ = res2.Body.Close()
+	if res2.StatusCode != stdhttp.StatusSeeOther {
+		t.Fatalf("status: got %d, want 303", res2.StatusCode)
+	}
+
+	got2, err := st.GetHost(context.Background(), hostID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("GetHost: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !got2.AlwaysOn {
+		t.Errorf("AlwaysOn after always_on=on: got false, want true")
+	}
+
+	// Audit rows must exist (one per request).
+	var n int
+	if err := st.DB().QueryRow(
+		`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM audit_log WHERE action = 'host.mode_updated' AND target_id = ?`,
+		hostID).Scan(&n); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("count audit: %v", err)
+	}
+	if n != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("audit rows: got %d, want 2", n)
+	}
+}

internal/server/metrics/metrics.go

@@ -155,6 +155,8 @@ type Snapshot struct {
 	BuildCommit      string
 	GoVersion        string
 	JobDurationRows  []HistogramRow
+	StuckJobs        int
+	OldestStuckAge   time.Duration
 }
 
 // SnapshotWith builds a Snapshot from raw inputs and the registry's
@@ -205,6 +207,13 @@ func Render(w io.Writer, s Snapshot) error {
 	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "rm_build_info{version=%q,commit=%q,go_version=%q} 1\n",
 		s.BuildVersion, s.BuildCommit, s.GoVersion)
 
+	b.WriteString("# HELP rm_stuck_jobs Number of open job_stuck alerts.\n")
+	b.WriteString("# TYPE rm_stuck_jobs gauge\n")
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "rm_stuck_jobs %d\n", s.StuckJobs)
+	b.WriteString("# HELP rm_oldest_stuck_job_age_seconds Time since last activity for the oldest open stuck job.\n")
+	b.WriteString("# TYPE rm_oldest_stuck_job_age_seconds gauge\n")
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "rm_oldest_stuck_job_age_seconds %.0f\n", s.OldestStuckAge.Seconds())
+
 	// --- Per-host gauges -------------------------------------------------
 	// Stable order: by host id.
 	hosts := append([]HostRow(nil), s.Hosts...)

internal/server/metrics/metrics_test.go

@@ -114,6 +114,8 @@ func TestRenderGolden(t *testing.T) {
 	snap := r.SnapshotWith(hosts,
 		map[string]int{"info": 0, "warning": 1, "critical": 0},
 		"v1.2.3", "deadbeef", "go1.25.0")
+	snap.StuckJobs = 2
+	snap.OldestStuckAge = 90 * time.Minute
 
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	if err := Render(&buf, snap); err != nil {
@@ -129,6 +131,8 @@ func TestRenderGolden(t *testing.T) {
 		`rm_active_alerts{severity="info"} 0`,
 		`rm_active_alerts{severity="critical"} 0`,
 		`rm_build_info{version="v1.2.3",commit="deadbeef",go_version="go1.25.0"} 1`,
+		`rm_stuck_jobs 2`,
+		`rm_oldest_stuck_job_age_seconds 5400`,
 		`rm_host_agent_online{host_id="01H0001",host="alpha"} 1`,
 		`rm_host_agent_online{host_id="01H0002",host="bravo"} 0`,
 		`rm_host_last_backup_timestamp_seconds{host_id="01H0001",host="alpha"} 1700000000`,

internal/server/ui/funcs.go

@@ -221,23 +221,40 @@ func formatBytes(n int64) template.HTML {
 // "in 5m"-style. Accepts *time.Time or time.Time so templates can
 // pass either without fighting Go's lack of an address-of operator.
 // Anything else returns "—".
-func formatRelTime(v any) string {
+//
+// The output is wrapped in a <time data-rel-ts="..."> element so a
+// small client-side ticker (see base.html) can refresh the label
+// without a full page reload — otherwise a long-open tab shows
+// timestamps frozen at render time.
+func formatRelTime(v any) template.HTML {
 	var t time.Time
 	switch x := v.(type) {
 	case time.Time:
 		t = x
 	case *time.Time:
 		if x == nil {
-			return "—"
+			return template.HTML("—")
 		}
 		t = *x
 	default:
-		return "—"
+		return template.HTML("—")
 	}
 	if t.IsZero() {
-		return "—"
+		return template.HTML("—")
 	}
-	d := time.Since(t)
+	label := relTimeLabel(time.Since(t))
+	return template.HTML(fmt.Sprintf(
+		`<time data-rel-ts="%s" title="%s">%s</time>`,
+		t.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano),
+		t.UTC().Format("2006-01-02 15:04:05 UTC"),
+		label,
+	))
+}
+
+// relTimeLabel turns a duration-since-now into the short human label
+// used by formatRelTime (and mirrored verbatim by the JS ticker, so
+// keep the two in sync if you change the buckets).
+func relTimeLabel(d time.Duration) string {
 	suffix := "ago"
 	if d < 0 {
 		d = -d

internal/server/ui/funcs_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+package ui
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestFormatRelTimeWrapsInTickableTimeElement(t *testing.T) {
+	// A long-open tab needs a stable anchor so the JS ticker can
+	// refresh the label — see base.html.
+	when := time.Now().Add(-3 * time.Hour)
+	got := string(formatRelTime(when))
+	if !strings.Contains(got, `<time data-rel-ts="`) {
+		t.Errorf("missing data-rel-ts anchor in %q", got)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "3h ago</time>") {
+		t.Errorf("expected '3h ago' label, got %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFormatRelTimeNilReturnsDash(t *testing.T) {
+	var p *time.Time
+	if string(formatRelTime(p)) != "—" {
+		t.Errorf("nil should render as em-dash, got %q", formatRelTime(p))
+	}
+	if string(formatRelTime(time.Time{})) != "—" {
+		t.Errorf("zero should render as em-dash")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRelTimeLabelBuckets(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		d    time.Duration
+		want string
+	}{
+		{30 * time.Second, "30s ago"},
+		{5 * time.Minute, "5m ago"},
+		{2 * time.Hour, "2h ago"},
+		{3 * 24 * time.Hour, "3d ago"},
+		{2 * 7 * 24 * time.Hour, "2w ago"},
+		{-5 * time.Minute, "5m from now"},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		if got := relTimeLabel(c.d); got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("relTimeLabel(%v) = %q, want %q", c.d, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/server/ws/handler.go

@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ func AgentHandler(deps HandlerDeps) stdhttp.Handler {
 			slog.Warn("ws accept failed", "err", err, "host_id", host.ID)
 			return
 		}
+		conn.SetReadLimit(api.MaxWebSocketMessageBytes)
 
 		c := NewConn(host.ID, conn)
 		// Keep agents alive across NAT boxes; coder/websocket

internal/server/ws/hub_test.go

@@ -123,6 +123,71 @@ func TestWSHelloAndHeartbeat(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Error("heartbeat did not update last_seen_at")
 }
 
+func TestWSAcceptsSnapshotReportLargerThanDefaultReadLimit(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	url, token, hostID, st, hub := setupTestHub(t)
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	c, resp, err := websocket.Dial(ctx, url, &websocket.DialOptions{
+		HTTPHeader: stdhttp.Header{"Authorization": []string{"Bearer " + token}},
+	})
+	if resp != nil && resp.Body != nil {
+		defer resp.Body.Close() //nolint:errcheck
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("dial: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer c.CloseNow() //nolint:errcheck
+
+	hello, _ := api.Marshal(api.MsgHello, "", api.HelloPayload{
+		ProtocolVersion: api.CurrentProtocolVersion,
+		AgentVersion:    "0.1.0",
+		ResticVersion:   "0.17.1",
+		Hostname:        "h1",
+		OS:              api.OSLinux,
+		Arch:            api.ArchAmd64,
+	})
+	helloRaw, _ := json.Marshal(hello)
+	if err := c.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageText, helloRaw); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write hello: %v", err)
+	}
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(time.Second)
+	for !hub.Connected(hostID) && time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+
+	report, _ := api.Marshal(api.MsgSnapshotsRpt, "", api.SnapshotsReportPayload{
+		Snapshots: []api.Snapshot{{
+			ID:       strings.Repeat("a", 64),
+			ShortID:  "aaaaaaaa",
+			Time:     time.Now().UTC(),
+			Hostname: "h1",
+			Paths:    []string{"/" + strings.Repeat("long-path/", 5000)},
+		}},
+	})
+	reportRaw, _ := json.Marshal(report)
+	if len(reportRaw) <= 32*1024 {
+		t.Fatalf("test payload is only %d bytes; must exceed old limit", len(reportRaw))
+	}
+	if int64(len(reportRaw)) >= api.MaxWebSocketMessageBytes {
+		t.Fatalf("test payload %d exceeds protocol limit", len(reportRaw))
+	}
+	if err := c.Write(ctx, websocket.MessageText, reportRaw); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write snapshots.report: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	deadline = time.Now().Add(2 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		host, err := st.GetHost(context.Background(), hostID)
+		if err == nil && host.SnapshotCount == 1 {
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	t.Fatal("oversized snapshots.report was not projected")
+}
+
 func TestWSRejectsOldProtocol(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	url, token, _, _, _ := setupTestHub(t)

internal/store/fleet_updates.go

@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ func (st *Store) CreateFleetUpdate(ctx context.Context, fu FleetUpdate, hostIDs
 	}
 
 	if _, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx,
-		`INSERT INTO fleet_updates (id, started_at, started_by_user_id, target_version, status)
-		 VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`,
-		fu.ID, fu.StartedAt.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano), fu.StartedByUserID, fu.TargetVersion, fu.Status,
+		`INSERT INTO fleet_updates (id, started_at, started_by_user_id, target_version, status, pause_after_first)
+		 VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`,
+		fu.ID, fu.StartedAt.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano), fu.StartedByUserID, fu.TargetVersion, fu.Status, fu.PauseAfterFirst,
 	); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("store: insert fleet_updates: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -67,12 +67,13 @@ func (st *Store) ActiveFleetUpdate(ctx context.Context) (*FleetUpdate, error) {
 	var current sql.NullString
 	var halted sql.NullString
 	var completedAt sql.NullString
+	var pauseAfterFirst int
 	err := st.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
 		`SELECT id, started_at, started_by_user_id, target_version, status,
-		   current_host_id, halted_reason, completed_at
+		   current_host_id, halted_reason, completed_at, pause_after_first
 		 FROM fleet_updates WHERE status = 'running' LIMIT 1`).
 		Scan(&fu.ID, &startedAt, &fu.StartedByUserID, &fu.TargetVersion, &fu.Status,
-			&current, &halted, &completedAt)
+			&current, &halted, &completedAt, &pauseAfterFirst)
 	if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ func (st *Store) ActiveFleetUpdate(ctx context.Context) (*FleetUpdate, error) {
 	fu.StartedAt, _ = time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, startedAt)
 	fu.CurrentHostID = current.String
 	fu.HaltedReason = halted.String
+	fu.PauseAfterFirst = pauseAfterFirst != 0
 	if completedAt.Valid {
 		t, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, completedAt.String)
 		fu.CompletedAt = &t
@@ -97,12 +99,13 @@ func (st *Store) GetFleetUpdate(ctx context.Context, id string) (*FleetUpdate, [
 	var current sql.NullString
 	var halted sql.NullString
 	var completedAt sql.NullString
+	var pauseAfterFirst int
 	err := st.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
 		`SELECT id, started_at, started_by_user_id, target_version, status,
-		   current_host_id, halted_reason, completed_at
+		   current_host_id, halted_reason, completed_at, pause_after_first
 		 FROM fleet_updates WHERE id = ?`, id).
 		Scan(&fu.ID, &startedAt, &fu.StartedByUserID, &fu.TargetVersion, &fu.Status,
-			&current, &halted, &completedAt)
+			&current, &halted, &completedAt, &pauseAfterFirst)
 	if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
 		return nil, nil, ErrNotFound
 	}
@@ -112,6 +115,7 @@ func (st *Store) GetFleetUpdate(ctx context.Context, id string) (*FleetUpdate, [
 	fu.StartedAt, _ = time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, startedAt)
 	fu.CurrentHostID = current.String
 	fu.HaltedReason = halted.String
+	fu.PauseAfterFirst = pauseAfterFirst != 0
 	if completedAt.Valid {
 		t, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, completedAt.String)
 		fu.CompletedAt = &t

internal/store/hosts.go

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func (s *Store) LookupHostByAgentToken(ctx context.Context, tokenHash string) (*
 			repo_size_bytes, snapshot_count, open_alert_count,
 			applied_schedule_version, bandwidth_up_kbps, bandwidth_down_kbps,
 			pre_hook_default, post_hook_default,
-			repo_status, repo_status_error
+			repo_status, repo_status_error, always_on, snapshot_refreshed_at
 		 FROM hosts WHERE agent_token_hash = ?`,
 		tokenHash)
 	return scanHost(row)
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ func (s *Store) GetHost(ctx context.Context, id string) (*Host, error) {
 			repo_size_bytes, snapshot_count, open_alert_count,
 			applied_schedule_version, bandwidth_up_kbps, bandwidth_down_kbps,
 			pre_hook_default, post_hook_default,
-			repo_status, repo_status_error
+			repo_status, repo_status_error, always_on, snapshot_refreshed_at
 		 FROM hosts WHERE id = ?`, id)
 	return scanHost(row)
 }
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func (s *Store) ListHosts(ctx context.Context) ([]Host, error) {
 			repo_size_bytes, snapshot_count, open_alert_count,
 			applied_schedule_version, bandwidth_up_kbps, bandwidth_down_kbps,
 			pre_hook_default, post_hook_default,
-			repo_status, repo_status_error
+			repo_status, repo_status_error, always_on, snapshot_refreshed_at
 		 FROM hosts ORDER BY name`)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("store: list hosts: %w", err)
@@ -267,6 +267,8 @@ func scanHostRow(s hostScanner) (*Host, error) {
 		tags                         string
 		bwUp, bwDown                 sql.NullInt64
 		preHook, postHook            sql.NullString
+		alwaysOn                     int
+		snapshotRefreshedAt          sql.NullString
 	)
 	err := s.Scan(&h.ID, &h.Name, &h.OS, &h.Arch,
 		&h.AgentVersion, &h.ResticVersion, &h.ProtocolVersion,
@@ -275,7 +277,7 @@ func scanHostRow(s hostScanner) (*Host, error) {
 		&h.RepoSizeBytes, &h.SnapshotCount, &h.OpenAlertCount,
 		&h.AppliedScheduleVersion, &bwUp, &bwDown,
 		&preHook, &postHook,
-		&h.RepoStatus, &h.RepoStatusError)
+		&h.RepoStatus, &h.RepoStatusError, &alwaysOn, &snapshotRefreshedAt)
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
 			return nil, ErrNotFound
@@ -330,6 +332,14 @@ func scanHostRow(s hostScanner) (*Host, error) {
 	if postHook.Valid {
 		h.PostHookDefault = postHook.String
 	}
+	h.AlwaysOn = alwaysOn != 0
+	if snapshotRefreshedAt.Valid {
+		t, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, snapshotRefreshedAt.String)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("store: parse snapshot_refreshed_at: %w", err)
+		}
+		h.SnapshotRefreshedAt = &t
+	}
 	return &h, nil
 }
 
@@ -378,6 +388,25 @@ func (s *Store) SetHostTags(ctx context.Context, hostID string, tags []string) e
 	return nil
 }
 
+// SetHostAlwaysOn flips the host's always-on flag. true = 24x7 server
+// (default); false = intermittent host (laptop). See the
+// always-on-host-mode spec.
+func (s *Store) SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx context.Context, hostID string, alwaysOn bool) error {
+	v := 0
+	if alwaysOn {
+		v = 1
+	}
+	res, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`UPDATE hosts SET always_on = ? WHERE id = ?`, v, hostID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("store: set host always_on: %w", err)
+	}
+	if n, _ := res.RowsAffected(); n == 0 {
+		return ErrNotFound
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // DistinctHostTags returns the union of every tag in use across the
 // fleet, sorted. Powers the autocomplete on the host-tags editor and
 // the chip-row filter on the dashboard. Cheap at fleet sizes this

internal/store/hosts_always_on_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestHostAlwaysOnDefaultAndToggle(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	st := openTestStore(t)
+
+	h := Host{
+		ID: "h-always-on", Name: "lap", OS: "linux", Arch: "amd64",
+		ProtocolVersion: 1, EnrolledAt: time.Now().UTC(),
+	}
+	if err := st.CreateHost(ctx, h, "tok-hash", "pin"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create host: %v", err)
+	}
+	got, err := st.GetHost(ctx, h.ID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("get host: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !got.AlwaysOn {
+		t.Fatalf("new host should default to always_on=true, got false")
+	}
+
+	if err := st.SetHostAlwaysOn(ctx, h.ID, false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("set always_on: %v", err)
+	}
+	got, err = st.GetHost(ctx, h.ID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("get host 2: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.AlwaysOn {
+		t.Fatalf("expected always_on=false after toggle, got true")
+	}
+
+	hosts, err := st.ListHosts(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("list hosts: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(hosts) != 1 || hosts[0].AlwaysOn {
+		t.Fatalf("ListHosts should report always_on=false, got %+v", hosts)
+	}
+
+	// Verify the agent hot-path (LookupHostByAgentToken) also reflects the toggle.
+	byToken, err := st.LookupHostByAgentToken(ctx, "tok-hash")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("lookup by agent token: %v", err)
+	}
+	if byToken.AlwaysOn {
+		t.Fatalf("LookupHostByAgentToken: expected always_on=false after toggle, got true")
+	}
+}

internal/store/jobs.go

@@ -27,6 +27,73 @@ type Job struct {
 	CreatedAt     time.Time
 }
 
+// RunningJobActivity is the persisted activity summary used to detect jobs
+// whose terminal message was lost. LastActivity is the newer of started_at and
+// the most recent persisted log line; ephemeral progress events deliberately
+// do not extend it.
+type RunningJobActivity struct {
+	JobID        string
+	HostID       string
+	Kind         string
+	StartedAt    time.Time
+	LastActivity time.Time
+}
+
+// LatestSuccessfulRepoMutation returns the newest completion time for a job
+// that can change the repository's snapshot projection.
+func (s *Store) LatestSuccessfulRepoMutation(ctx context.Context, hostID string) (*time.Time, error) {
+	var raw sql.NullString
+	err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx, `
+		SELECT MAX(finished_at) FROM jobs
+		WHERE host_id = ? AND status = 'succeeded'
+		  AND kind IN ('backup', 'forget', 'prune')`, hostID).Scan(&raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("store: latest successful repo mutation: %w", err)
+	}
+	if !raw.Valid {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+	t, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, raw.String)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("store: parse latest repo mutation: %w", err)
+	}
+	return &t, nil
+}
+
+// ListRunningJobActivity returns every running job with its latest persisted
+// activity. Jobs without started_at are excluded because they have not actually
+// entered the running state coherently and cannot be aged safely here.
+func (s *Store) ListRunningJobActivity(ctx context.Context) ([]RunningJobActivity, error) {
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx, `
+		SELECT j.id, j.host_id, j.kind, j.started_at,
+		       COALESCE(MAX(l.ts), j.started_at) AS last_activity
+		FROM jobs j
+		LEFT JOIN job_logs l ON l.job_id = j.id
+		WHERE j.status = 'running' AND j.started_at IS NOT NULL
+		GROUP BY j.id, j.host_id, j.kind, j.started_at
+		ORDER BY j.started_at`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("store: list running job activity: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = rows.Close() }()
+
+	var out []RunningJobActivity
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var item RunningJobActivity
+		var started, activity string
+		if err := rows.Scan(&item.JobID, &item.HostID, &item.Kind, &started, &activity); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("store: scan running job activity: %w", err)
+		}
+		item.StartedAt, _ = time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, started)
+		item.LastActivity, _ = time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, activity)
+		out = append(out, item)
+	}
+	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("store: iterate running job activity: %w", err)
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 // CreateJob inserts a queued job. The agent will mark it running
 // when it actually starts work. ScheduledID is set when the job
 // originates from a cron fire (actor_kind="schedule"); nil for
@@ -270,6 +337,22 @@ func (s *Store) LatestJobByKind(ctx context.Context, hostID, kind string) (*Job,
 	return &j, nil
 }
 
+// HasActiveBackupJob reports whether the host has a backup job that is
+// still queued or running. The catch-up scheduler uses this to avoid
+// dispatching a duplicate backup alongside one already in flight
+// (hosts.current_job_id is not maintained, so this is the authoritative
+// in-flight check).
+func (s *Store) HasActiveBackupJob(ctx context.Context, hostID string) (bool, error) {
+	var exists bool
+	err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM jobs WHERE host_id = ? AND kind = 'backup' AND status IN ('queued','running'))`,
+		hostID).Scan(&exists)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("store: has active backup job: %w", err)
+	}
+	return exists, nil
+}
+
 // HasJobOfKind reports whether any job of the given kind exists for
 // this host, regardless of status. Used by the auto-init path on
 // agent hello to decide whether to dispatch a fresh `restic init` —

internal/store/jobs_test.go

@@ -7,6 +7,48 @@ import (
 	"time"
 )
 
+func TestListRunningJobActivity(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	s := openTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	hostID := makeSchedHost(t, s)
+	started := time.Now().UTC().Add(-8 * time.Hour).Truncate(time.Second)
+
+	for _, id := range []string{"running-idle", "running-active", "finished"} {
+		if err := s.CreateJob(ctx, Job{ID: id, HostID: hostID, Kind: "backup", ActorKind: "user", CreatedAt: started}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("create %s: %v", id, err)
+		}
+		if err := s.MarkJobStarted(ctx, id, started); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("start %s: %v", id, err)
+		}
+	}
+	activity := started.Add(7 * time.Hour)
+	if err := s.AppendJobLog(ctx, "running-active", 1, activity, "stdout", "still working"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("append log: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := s.MarkJobFinished(ctx, "finished", "succeeded", 0, nil, "", activity); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("finish: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	got, err := s.ListRunningJobActivity(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("list activity: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(got) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d rows, want 2: %+v", len(got), got)
+	}
+	byID := make(map[string]RunningJobActivity, len(got))
+	for _, row := range got {
+		byID[row.JobID] = row
+	}
+	if !byID["running-idle"].LastActivity.Equal(started) {
+		t.Errorf("idle last activity = %s, want %s", byID["running-idle"].LastActivity, started)
+	}
+	if !byID["running-active"].LastActivity.Equal(activity) {
+		t.Errorf("active last activity = %s, want %s", byID["running-active"].LastActivity, activity)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestLatestJobByKind(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 	s := openTestStore(t)

internal/store/migrations/0024_hosts_always_on.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+-- 0024: distinguish always-on (24x7 server) hosts from intermittent
+-- hosts (laptops/workstations that legitimately sleep). Default 1 so
+-- every existing and future host keeps today's offline/alert
+-- semantics unless explicitly opted out. Column-level ALTER per the
+-- repo's migration rules (no table rebuild — hosts has inbound FKs).
+ALTER TABLE hosts ADD COLUMN always_on INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1;

internal/store/migrations/0025_hosts_snapshot_refreshed_at.sql

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ALTER TABLE hosts ADD COLUMN snapshot_refreshed_at TEXT;

internal/store/migrations/0026_fleet_update_canary.sql

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ALTER TABLE fleet_updates ADD COLUMN pause_after_first INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;

internal/store/snapshots.go

@@ -69,8 +69,8 @@ func (s *Store) ReplaceHostSnapshots(ctx context.Context, hostID string, snaps [
 	}
 
 	if _, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx,
-		`UPDATE hosts SET snapshot_count = ? WHERE id = ?`,
-		len(snaps), hostID); err != nil {
+		`UPDATE hosts SET snapshot_count = ?, snapshot_refreshed_at = ? WHERE id = ?`,
+		len(snaps), when.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano), hostID); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("store: update host snapshot_count: %w", err)
 	}
 

internal/store/snapshots_test.go

@@ -138,7 +138,8 @@ func TestReplaceHostSnapshotsEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("replace 1: %v", err)
 	}
 	// Then empty — host has been wiped.
-	if err := s.ReplaceHostSnapshots(ctx, hostID, nil, time.Now().UTC()); err != nil {
+	refreshedAt := time.Now().UTC().Truncate(time.Millisecond)
+	if err := s.ReplaceHostSnapshots(ctx, hostID, nil, refreshedAt); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("replace empty: %v", err)
 	}
 	out, err := s.ListSnapshotsByHost(ctx, hostID)
@@ -152,4 +153,7 @@ func TestReplaceHostSnapshotsEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	if h.SnapshotCount != 0 {
 		t.Errorf("snapshot_count should reset to 0, got %d", h.SnapshotCount)
 	}
+	if h.SnapshotRefreshedAt == nil || !h.SnapshotRefreshedAt.Equal(refreshedAt) {
+		t.Errorf("empty projection refresh time = %v, want %s", h.SnapshotRefreshedAt, refreshedAt)
+	}
 }

internal/store/types.go

@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ type Host struct {
 	LastBackupStatus       *string
 	RepoSizeBytes          int64
 	SnapshotCount          int
+	SnapshotRefreshedAt    *time.Time
 	OpenAlertCount         int
 	AppliedScheduleVersion int64
 	// Host-wide bandwidth caps applied to every restic invocation
@@ -99,6 +100,12 @@ type Host struct {
 	// agent-side message when RepoStatus == "init_failed".
 	RepoStatus      string
 	RepoStatusError string
+
+	// AlwaysOn is true for 24x7 server hosts (the default). When false
+	// the host is intermittent (laptop/workstation): offline alerts are
+	// suppressed, the UI shows an "asleep" state, and a missed backup is
+	// caught up ~1 min after reconnect. See the always-on-host-mode spec.
+	AlwaysOn bool
 }
 
 // Schedule is now intentionally slim: cron + which groups + enabled.
@@ -224,6 +231,7 @@ type FleetUpdate struct {
 	CurrentHostID   string
 	HaltedReason    string
 	CompletedAt     *time.Time
+	PauseAfterFirst bool
 }
 
 // FleetUpdateHost is one host's slot in a fleet update. Position is

internal/version/version.go

@@ -13,4 +13,8 @@ var (
 	// Commit is the short git SHA. Informational only; surfaced via
 	// /api/version but not used for any comparison.
 	Commit = ""
+
+	// Date is the RFC3339 build timestamp. Informational only; printed
+	// by `--version` but not used for any comparison.
+	Date = "unknown"
 )

tasks.md

@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ Sizes: **S** = under a day, **M** = 1–3 days, **L** = 3–7 days.
 > **Sweep verified (smoke env):** admin adds operator → setup link generated → curl-as-new-user fetches /setup (200, page shows username) → POSTs password → 303 to / + Set-Cookie → operator authenticated → 200 on /, 200 on /settings/account, **403 on /settings/users** (admin-only) → admin disables user → operator's next request is **401** + session row count drops to 0 → audit log shows `user.created` + `user.setup_completed` for the cycle. All 26 implementation tasks landed; full `go test ./...` green.
 - [x] **P4-05** (L) OIDC login (generic provider config, group → role mapping)
 
-> **As shipped (2026-05-05):** Authorization Code + PKCE (S256) against any OIDC IdP advertising standard discovery. Config is YAML+env (`oidc.issuer`, `oidc.client_id`, `oidc.client_secret`/`_file`, `oidc.role_claim` default `groups`, `oidc.role_mapping`, `oidc.display_name`, `oidc.redirect_url`); empty issuer → OIDC disabled, no routes mounted. Migration 0019 adds `users.auth_source`/`oidc_subject` (partial unique index on `oidc_subject`), `sessions.id_token`, and a small `oidc_state` table for state+verifier round-trip (cleaned up every alert tick, 5 min TTL). Login page renders **Sign in with `<display_name>`** above the local form when OIDC is enabled; the SSO button kicks off a 303 to the IdP with state + S256 code_challenge persisted server-side. Callback verifies ID token, fetches `/userinfo` to merge claims (Authelia / many IdPs only put `sub` in the ID token and surface `preferred_username`/`email`/`groups` from userinfo), maps the first matching group to a role; **no match → deny banner**, no row created, audit `user.oidc_login_blocked`. Username-collision with an existing local user → same deny path with `username_taken`. New user → JIT-provisioned with `auth_source='oidc'`, `oidc_subject=<sub>`, `password_hash=''`. Returning user → looked up by `oidc_subject` (stable when usernames change at the IdP), role + email refreshed on every login. Local password login is rejected for `auth_source='oidc'` users. Logout posts to `/logout` and, when the IdP advertised `end_session_endpoint`, follows up with RP-initiated logout (carries `id_token_hint` + `post_logout_redirect_uri=BaseURL`); when not advertised (Authelia in our smoke env), the local session is cleared and the browser lands on `/login`. Users list shows a small **oidc** chip beside enabled/disabled; the edit page disables username/email/role for OIDC users (server-side guard mirrors UI, returns 403). Force-logout, disable, and the last-admin guard from P4-04 all still apply. **Live Authelia sweep verified all four paths against `https://auth.example.invalid`:** rm-admin → admin role + JIT row + chip + readonly edit; rm-operator → operator JIT, 403 on `/settings/users`; rm-viewer → viewer JIT, 403 on `/hosts/new`; rm-other (group not in role_mapping) → no_role_match banner, no row created, audit logged. Returning rm-admin login resolved to the same row by sub. Screenshots in `_diag/p4-05-sweep/`. Out-of-scope and on Phase 6 candidate list: refresh tokens, back-channel logout, multiple providers, post-login PKCE for the cookie itself.
+> **As shipped (2026-05-05):** Authorization Code + PKCE (S256) against any OIDC IdP advertising standard discovery. Config is YAML+env (`oidc.issuer`, `oidc.client_id`, `oidc.client_secret`/`_file`, `oidc.role_claim` default `groups`, `oidc.role_mapping`, `oidc.display_name`, `oidc.redirect_url`); empty issuer → OIDC disabled, no routes mounted. Migration 0019 adds `users.auth_source`/`oidc_subject` (partial unique index on `oidc_subject`), `sessions.id_token`, and a small `oidc_state` table for state+verifier round-trip (cleaned up every alert tick, 5 min TTL). Login page renders **Sign in with `<display_name>`** above the local form when OIDC is enabled; the SSO button kicks off a 303 to the IdP with state + S256 code_challenge persisted server-side. Callback verifies ID token, fetches `/userinfo` to merge claims (Authelia / many IdPs only put `sub` in the ID token and surface `preferred_username`/`email`/`groups` from userinfo), maps the first matching group to a role; **no match → deny banner**, no row created, audit `user.oidc_login_blocked`. Username-collision with an existing local user → same deny path with `username_taken`. New user → JIT-provisioned with `auth_source='oidc'`, `oidc_subject=<sub>`, `password_hash=''`. Returning user → looked up by `oidc_subject` (stable when usernames change at the IdP), role + email refreshed on every login. Local password login is rejected for `auth_source='oidc'` users. Logout posts to `/logout` and, when the IdP advertised `end_session_endpoint`, follows up with RP-initiated logout (carries `id_token_hint` + `post_logout_redirect_uri=BaseURL`); when not advertised (Authelia in our smoke env), the local session is cleared and the browser lands on `/login`. Users list shows a small **oidc** chip beside enabled/disabled; the edit page disables username/email/role for OIDC users (server-side guard mirrors UI, returns 403). Force-logout, disable, and the last-admin guard from P4-04 all still apply. **Live Authelia sweep verified all four paths against local auth:** rm-admin → admin role + JIT row + chip + readonly edit; rm-operator → operator JIT, 403 on `/settings/users`; rm-viewer → viewer JIT, 403 on `/hosts/new`; rm-other (group not in role_mapping) → no_role_match banner, no row created, audit logged. Returning rm-admin login resolved to the same row by sub. Screenshots in `_diag/p4-05-sweep/`. Out-of-scope and on Phase 6 candidate list: refresh tokens, back-channel logout, multiple providers, post-login PKCE for the cookie itself.
 
 - [x] **P4-07** (S) Per-host tags + dashboard filtering by tag
 
@@ -498,6 +498,8 @@ Sizes: **S** = under a day, **M** = 1–3 days, **L** = 3–7 days.
 - [x] **NS-03** Auto-init repo on first onboard, surface credential failures eagerly. ✅ Landed: migration 0020 adds `hosts.repo_status` (`unknown`/`ready`/`init_failed`) + `repo_status_error`; WS handler projects every init job's terminal state onto the host row (with idempotent "config file already exists" → ready); creds-save handlers (UI + JSON API) reset status to `unknown` and dispatch a fresh init when the agent is online; new `/hosts/{id}/repo/probe` retry endpoint and a status banner on the repo page. Remainder of original scope below. surface credential failures eagerly. Today the operator types repo URL + creds during Add-host and the credentials are pushed to the agent on connect, but no `restic init`/probe runs until the first scheduled job — so a typo in the password or a wrong URL goes undetected for hours/days, manifesting as a silent missed-backup. Wanted behaviour: when the host completes enrolment (or when an admin saves new repo creds), the server dispatches a one-shot probe job that runs `restic cat config` (cheap, repo-existence + creds-validity in one call). On `Is there already a config file? unable to open config file` → run `restic init`. On success → mark the host's repo as ready. On any other error (network, auth, fingerprint) → surface a panel-level error on the host detail page and audit the failure, leaving the host in an "init pending" state with a "Retry" button. Needs: a new `JobKind` (or piggyback on an existing one) for the probe, server-side state on the host row (`repo_status` enum: `unknown`/`ready`/`init_pending`/`init_failed`), UI panel that shows the state, and clear copy on the Add-host page so the operator knows the save isn't fire-and-forget.
 - [x] **NS-05** Drop redundant `actions/setup-go` from `.gitea/workflows/ci.yml`. ✅ Already gone — verified `.gitea/workflows/ci.yml` has zero `actions/setup-go@v5` invocations and no `GO_VERSION` env; the file's header comment now documents that the runner image (`gitea.dcglab.co.uk/steve/ci-runner-go`) is the single source of truth for the Go version. Closing as done; no further code change needed.
 - [x] **NS-06** Remove the permanently-disabled "Run backup now" button from `web/templates/partials/host_chrome.html`. ✅ Landed: dropped the disabled tombstone button from the host header action row; only "Edit credentials" + the ⋯ menu remain. Per-source-group Run-now on `/hosts/{id}/sources` is the only path now. No e2e change needed — `smoke.spec.ts` does not assert on host_chrome's button row.
+- [x] **NS-07** Relative timestamps go stale on long-open tabs. ✅ Landed: `formatRelTime` now wraps its label in `<time data-rel-ts=…>` and both layouts (`base.html`, `chromeless.html`) carry a small ticker that re-renders every 30s, so a page rendered an hour ago no longer keeps showing "2h ago" when the wall-clock truth is "3h ago". Covered by `funcs_test.go`. The bug: every relative label was computed once at server render and never updated client-side, so a job-detail page left open drifted further from reality the longer it sat.
+- [x] **NS-08** Always-On vs intermittent host mode. ✅ Landed: a host can now be marked not-always-on (laptop/workstation) so it stops generating offline-alert noise when it legitimately sleeps. Migration 0024 adds `hosts.always_on` (default 1 = today's 24×7 behaviour; intermittent is strictly opt-in). The alert engine suppresses `agent_offline` for intermittent hosts and instead wires up the previously-dead `stale_schedule` alert for them — raised at a 7-day global threshold when the host has an enabled schedule and a stale last backup, resolved on the next successful backup. A new server-side catch-up scheduler (`internal/server/http/catchup.go`) arms on agent hello and fires from the existing 30s pending-drain tick: ~60s after an intermittent host reconnects it dispatches a backup for any enabled schedule whose window elapsed while asleep (overdue = `cron.Next(lastBackup) <= now`, reusing the shared `cronParser`), guarded against firing when the host bounced offline, flipped to always-on, or already has a job running. Overdue is measured against the per-host `LastBackupAt` (exact for the common single-schedule laptop; a known coarseness for multi-cadence hosts, documented in code). Operator toggle via `POST /hosts/{id}/mode` (audited `host.mode_updated`), which also clears open offline/staleness alerts so the next sweep re-settles. UI: intermittent offline hosts render a calm grey `asleep · <relTime> · will catch up on return` state (new `.dot-asleep`) instead of red "offline"; a `24×7` chip shows only for always-on hosts; a "presence" inline toggle on the host header. Design + plan in `docs/specs/2026-06-15-always-on-host-mode-design.md` and `docs/plans/2026-06-15-always-on-host-mode.md`. Spec §2 (online/offline mechanics) deliberately left untouched. Out of scope for v1: per-host staleness thresholds, continuous (non-reconnect) overdue evaluation, per-schedule last-success tracking.
 - [x] **NS-04** Dashboard parity with the alerts screen: live refresh, column sorting, filters. ✅ Landed: `/` now parses `q`/`status`/`repo_status`/`tag`/`sort`/`dir` query params (round-trip durable for bookmarks); table is wrapped in an `id="hosts-table"` htmx live-poll matching the alerts cadence (5s, gated on `document.visibilityState` and `localStorage.rm-dashboard-live`); filter row above the table with hostname free-text + status + repo_status selects + tag chips + clear; column headers (Host / OS · arch / Last backup / Repo size / Snapshots) are clickable links that toggle direction on the active column; pure-Go sort+filter pipeline covered by `dashboard_filter_test.go`. Original scope below. live refresh, column sorting, filters. The host list is currently a static render — operators have to reload to see new heartbeats / job state changes. Mirror the alerts pattern (`web/templates/pages/alerts.html` uses `hx-trigger="every 5s [document.visibilityState==='visible' && localStorage.getItem('rm-alerts-live')!=='off']"` plus a Live/Off toggle so background tabs and explicit-off don't burn server cycles). Add: server-side sort on every meaningful column (name, OS, last-backup time, last-backup status, agent online/offline, restic version, tags), and a small filter row above the table — at minimum free-text on hostname, status (online/offline/never-seen), and tag chips. Columns + filter state should round-trip through query string so a bookmarked / shared URL is durable. Re-use the `host_row` partial that already exists so the live-refresh swap is a clean OOB swap, not a full table re-render.
 
 ---

web/styles/input.css

@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@
   .dot-online   { background: var(--ok);   box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px color-mix(in oklch, var(--ok),   transparent 80%); }
   .dot-degraded { background: var(--warn); box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px color-mix(in oklch, var(--warn), transparent 80%); }
   .dot-offline  { background: var(--off); }
+  .dot-asleep   { background: var(--ink-fade); opacity: 0.6; }
   .dot-failed   { background: var(--bad);  box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px color-mix(in oklch, var(--bad),  transparent 80%); }
   .pulse        { animation: rm-pulse 2.4s ease-in-out infinite; }
   @keyframes rm-pulse {
@@ -195,6 +196,17 @@
   }
   .tag-removable .x { color: var(--ink-fade); cursor: pointer; padding-left: 2px; }
 
+  /* ---------- header meta groups (boxed tags / presence pills) ---------- */
+  .meta-group {
+    display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 6px;
+    font-size: 11px; line-height: 1; padding: 3px 9px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 5px;
+    background: color-mix(in oklch, var(--ink), transparent 95%);
+  }
+  .meta-group .meta-label { color: var(--ink-mute); }
+  .meta-group .meta-val { color: var(--ink-mid); text-decoration: none; }
+  .meta-group a.meta-val:hover { color: var(--ink); text-decoration: underline; }
+
   /* ---------- form fields ---------- */
   .field-label { font-size: 12px; color: var(--ink-mid); margin-bottom: 6px; display: block; }
   .field-help  { font-size: 12px; color: var(--ink-mute); margin-top: 6px; line-height: 1.55; }

web/templates/layouts/base.html

@@ -20,6 +20,37 @@
 
   {{template "toast" .}}
 
+  <script>
+  // Tick <time data-rel-ts> labels so long-open tabs don't freeze
+  // (e.g. a job page rendered an hour ago kept showing "2h ago" when
+  // the truth was "3h ago"). Buckets must match relTimeLabel in
+  // internal/server/ui/funcs.go.
+  (function () {
+    function label(ms) {
+      var suffix = 'ago';
+      if (ms < 0) { ms = -ms; suffix = 'from now'; }
+      var s = Math.floor(ms / 1000);
+      if (s < 60) return s + 's ' + suffix;
+      var m = Math.floor(s / 60);
+      if (m < 60) return m + 'm ' + suffix;
+      var h = Math.floor(m / 60);
+      if (h < 24) return h + 'h ' + suffix;
+      var d = Math.floor(h / 24);
+      if (d < 7) return d + 'd ' + suffix;
+      return Math.floor(d / 7) + 'w ' + suffix;
+    }
+    function tick() {
+      var now = Date.now();
+      document.querySelectorAll('time[data-rel-ts]').forEach(function (el) {
+        var t = Date.parse(el.getAttribute('data-rel-ts'));
+        if (!isNaN(t)) el.textContent = label(now - t);
+      });
+    }
+    tick();
+    setInterval(tick, 30000);
+  })();
+  </script>
+
 </body>
 </html>
 {{end}}

web/templates/layouts/chromeless.html

@@ -11,6 +11,34 @@
 </head>
 <body class="min-h-screen flex flex-col">
   {{block "content" .}}{{end}}
+  <script>
+  // See base.html for rationale; chromeless pages (e.g. pending host)
+  // also use the relTime helper, so they need the same ticker.
+  (function () {
+    function label(ms) {
+      var suffix = 'ago';
+      if (ms < 0) { ms = -ms; suffix = 'from now'; }
+      var s = Math.floor(ms / 1000);
+      if (s < 60) return s + 's ' + suffix;
+      var m = Math.floor(s / 60);
+      if (m < 60) return m + 'm ' + suffix;
+      var h = Math.floor(m / 60);
+      if (h < 24) return h + 'h ' + suffix;
+      var d = Math.floor(h / 24);
+      if (d < 7) return d + 'd ' + suffix;
+      return Math.floor(d / 7) + 'w ' + suffix;
+    }
+    function tick() {
+      var now = Date.now();
+      document.querySelectorAll('time[data-rel-ts]').forEach(function (el) {
+        var t = Date.parse(el.getAttribute('data-rel-ts'));
+        if (!isNaN(t)) el.textContent = label(now - t);
+      });
+    }
+    tick();
+    setInterval(tick, 30000);
+  })();
+  </script>
 </body>
 </html>
 {{end}}

web/templates/pages/dashboard.html

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
     {{/* ---------- Hosts-behind hero tile (P6-18) ---------- */}}
     {{if gt $page.UpdatesBehind 0}}
       <div class="pt-4">
-        <a href="?updates=behind" class="hero-tile hero-tile--amber" style="display:inline-flex;">
+		<a href="/settings/fleet-update" class="hero-tile hero-tile--amber" style="display:inline-flex;">
           <span class="hero-num">{{$page.UpdatesBehind}}</span>
           <span class="hero-label">{{if eq $page.UpdatesBehind 1}}host behind{{else}}hosts behind{{end}} · review →</span>
         </a>

web/templates/pages/fleet_update.html

@@ -8,18 +8,18 @@
   <div class="crumbs pt-6">
     <a href="/">Dashboard</a><span class="sep">/</span>
     <a href="/settings">Settings</a><span class="sep">/</span>
-    <span class="text-ink-mid">fleet update</span>
+	<span class="text-ink-mid">agent updates</span>
   </div>
 
   {{/* page header */}}
   <div class="flex items-baseline justify-between mt-3.5">
     <div>
       <h1 class="text-[22px] font-medium tracking-[-0.005em]">
-        Fleet update
+		Agent updates
         <span class="text-ink-fade font-normal text-[14px] ml-2 mono">target {{$page.TargetVersion}}</span>
       </h1>
       <p class="text-ink-mute text-[12px] mt-1 max-w-[760px] leading-[1.55]">
-        Rolling, sequential agent self-update. One host at a time, halts on first failure,
+		Rolling, sequential agent self-update. One host at a time, halts on first failure,
         cancellable mid-roll. Only online hosts whose <span class="mono">agent_version</span>
         differs from the server are eligible.
       </p>
@@ -28,5 +28,15 @@
 
   {{template "fleet_update_inner" .}}
 
+  <script>
+    function fleetBoxes(){return Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('.fleet-host:not(:disabled)'))}
+    function fleetReview(){const n=fleetBoxes().filter(x=>x.checked).length;document.getElementById('fleet-selected-count').textContent=n;document.getElementById('fleet-timeout').textContent=n+' × 95s';document.getElementById('fleet-update-start-btn').disabled=n===0}
+    function fleetFilter(){const q=document.getElementById('fleet-filter-name').value.toLowerCase(),v=document.getElementById('fleet-filter-version').value.toLowerCase(),s=document.getElementById('fleet-filter-state').value;document.querySelectorAll('.fleet-candidate').forEach(r=>r.style.display=r.dataset.name.toLowerCase().includes(q)&&r.dataset.version.toLowerCase().includes(v)&&(s==='all'||r.dataset.state===s)?'':'none')}
+    function fleetSelectVisible(on){document.querySelectorAll('.fleet-candidate').forEach(r=>{const x=r.querySelector('.fleet-host:not(:disabled)');if(x&&r.style.display!=='none')x.checked=on});fleetReview()}
+    function fleetSelectOnly(id){fleetBoxes().forEach(x=>x.checked=x.value===id);fleetReview()}
+    async function fleetStart(e){e.preventDefault();const ids=fleetBoxes().filter(x=>x.checked).map(x=>x.value),out=document.getElementById('fleet-start-error');out.textContent='';const res=await fetch('/api/fleet/update',{method:'POST',headers:{'Content-Type':'application/json'},body:JSON.stringify({host_ids:ids,canary_first:document.getElementById('fleet-canary').checked})});if(res.ok){location.reload();return false}const body=await res.json();out.textContent=body.message||body.code||'Unable to start';return false}
+    if(document.getElementById('fleet-selected-count'))fleetReview()
+  </script>
+
 </div>
 {{end}}

web/templates/pages/host_repo.html

@@ -82,10 +82,14 @@
         <div class="text-[12px] text-ok mb-3 mono">✓ saved</div>
       {{end}}
       <p class="text-[12.5px] text-ink-mid leading-[1.6] mb-4 max-w-[640px]">
-        Only needed for rest-server repos that distinguish an append-only
-        user (everyday backups) from a delete-capable user (prune /
-        forget). For S3 / B2 / SFTP / local, leave this blank — the
-        everyday repo credentials handle prune too.
+        Required for prune. On rest-server repos this is the
+        delete-capable user, as distinct from the append-only user used
+        for everyday backups. Note that <strong>forget</strong> always
+        runs with the everyday repo credentials, so those must have
+        delete authority. For S3 / B2 / SFTP / local, enter the same
+        delete-capable repository credentials here if you want prune
+        enabled. <strong>Prune is skipped when admin credentials are
+        unset</strong>, on any backend.
       </p>
       <div class="grid grid-cols-2 gap-4">
         <div>

web/templates/pages/settings.html

@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
       {{if not $page.Form}}<span class="mono text-ink-fade text-[11px] ml-1">{{len $page.Channels}}</span>{{end}}
     </a>
     <a href="/settings/users" class="sub-tab {{if eq $page.ActiveTab "users"}}active{{end}}">Users</a>
+	<a href="/settings/fleet-update" class="sub-tab">Agent updates</a>
     <span class="sub-tab text-ink-fade cursor-default" title="lands later">Authentication</span>
   </div>
 

web/templates/partials/fleet_update_inner.html

@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@
 */}}
 {{define "fleet_update_inner"}}
 {{$page := .Page}}
-<div id="fleet-update-panel" class="mt-5"
+<div id="fleet-update-panel" class="mt-5"{{if and $page.Active (eq $page.Active.Status "running")}}
      hx-get="{{$page.PollURL}}"
      hx-trigger="every 3s [document.visibilityState==='visible']"
      hx-select="#fleet-update-panel"
-     hx-swap="outerHTML">
+     hx-swap="outerHTML"{{end}}>
 
 {{if and $page.Active (eq $page.Active.Status "running")}}
 
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
     </div>
     <div class="text-[11.5px] text-ink-mute mt-1">
       target <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{$page.Active.TargetVersion}}</span>
+	  {{if $page.Active.PauseAfterFirst}} · canary-first{{end}}
       · started <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{relTime $page.Active.StartedAt}}</span>
       {{if $page.Active.CurrentHostID}}
         · waiting on <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{index $page.HostNames $page.Active.CurrentHostID}}</span>
@@ -68,6 +69,12 @@
     {{if $page.Active.HaltedReason}}
       <div class="text-[12px] text-bad mt-2">{{$page.Active.HaltedReason}}</div>
     {{end}}
+	{{if eq $page.Active.Status "halted"}}
+	  <div class="mt-3 flex gap-2 text-[12px]">
+		<a class="btn" href="#fleet-update-start-form">Resume remaining as new rollout</a>
+		{{range $page.ActiveRows}}{{if eq .Status "failed"}}<button class="btn" type="button" onclick="fleetSelectOnly('{{.HostID}}');document.getElementById('fleet-update-start-form').scrollIntoView()">Retry {{.HostName}}</button>{{end}}{{end}}
+	  </div>
+	{{end}}
   </div>
 
   {{template "fleet_update_rows" $page}}
@@ -122,11 +129,11 @@
 {{define "fleet_update_idle_panel"}}
 {{$page := .}}
 <div class="panel rounded-[7px] px-5 py-4">
-  {{if eq (len $page.OutOfDateHosts) 0}}
+  {{if eq (len $page.Candidates) 0}}
     <div class="flex items-center gap-3">
       <span class="dot dot-online"></span>
       <div>
-        <div class="text-ink text-[14px] font-medium">All hosts are up to date.</div>
+        <div class="text-ink text-[14px] font-medium">No hosts enrolled.</div>
         <div class="text-ink-mute text-[12px] mt-0.5">
           Every online agent matches server version <span class="mono">{{$page.TargetVersion}}</span>.
         </div>
@@ -137,34 +144,36 @@
       <h2 class="text-[14px] font-medium">{{len $page.OutOfDateHosts}} host{{if ne (len $page.OutOfDateHosts) 1}}s{{end}} out of date</h2>
       <span class="mono text-[11px] text-ink-fade">target {{$page.TargetVersion}}</span>
     </div>
-    <ul class="mt-3 space-y-1 text-[12px]">
-      {{range $page.OutOfDateHosts}}
-        <li class="flex items-center gap-3">
-          <span class="dot dot-online"></span>
-          <span class="mono text-ink">{{.Name}}</span>
-          <span class="mono text-ink-mute">{{if .AgentVersion}}{{.AgentVersion}}{{else}}—{{end}} → {{$page.TargetVersion}}</span>
-        </li>
-      {{end}}
-    </ul>
-
-    <form id="fleet-update-start-form" class="mt-4 flex items-center gap-3"
-          hx-post="/api/fleet/update"
-          hx-headers='{"Content-Type":"application/json"}'
-          hx-vals='{}'
-          hx-swap="none"
-          hx-on::after-request="if(event.detail.successful) location.reload()">
-      <label class="text-[11.5px] text-ink-mute">
-        Type the count
-        <span class="mono text-ink-mid">({{len $page.OutOfDateHosts}})</span>
-        to enable Start:
+    <div class="mt-3 flex flex-wrap gap-2">
+      <input id="fleet-filter-name" class="field text-[12px]" placeholder="Filter name or tag" oninput="fleetFilter()">
+      <input id="fleet-filter-version" class="field text-[12px] mono" placeholder="Version" oninput="fleetFilter()">
+      <select id="fleet-filter-state" class="field text-[12px]" onchange="fleetFilter()">
+        <option value="all">All states</option><option value="eligible">Eligible</option><option value="excluded">Excluded</option>
+      </select>
+      <button type="button" class="btn" onclick="fleetSelectVisible(true)">Select visible eligible</button>
+      <button type="button" class="btn" onclick="fleetSelectVisible(false)">Clear selection</button>
+    </div>
+    <div class="panel mt-3 rounded-[7px] overflow-hidden">
+      {{range $page.Candidates}}
+      <label class="fleet-candidate grid items-center px-3 py-2 hairline text-[12px]"
+             data-name="{{.Host.Name}} {{range .Host.Tags}}{{.}} {{end}}" data-version="{{.Host.AgentVersion}}" data-state="{{if .Eligible}}eligible{{else}}excluded{{end}}"
+             style="grid-template-columns: 28px 1.4fr .8fr .8fr 1.2fr;gap:12px">
+        <input class="fleet-host" type="checkbox" value="{{.Host.ID}}" {{if .Eligible}}checked onchange="fleetReview()"{{else}}disabled{{end}}>
+        <span class="mono">{{.Host.Name}}</span>
+        <span class="mono text-ink-mute">{{if .Host.AgentVersion}}{{.Host.AgentVersion}}{{else}}unknown{{end}}</span>
+        <span class="mono text-ink-mute">{{$page.TargetVersion}}</span>
+        <span class="text-ink-mute">{{if .Eligible}}eligible{{else}}{{.Reason}}{{end}}</span>
       </label>
-      <input type="text" id="fleet-update-confirm" class="field mono text-[12.5px]"
-             style="width: 80px; padding: 5px 8px;"
-             oninput="document.getElementById('fleet-update-start-btn').disabled = (this.value !== '{{len $page.OutOfDateHosts}}');"
-             autocomplete="off" />
-      <button type="submit" id="fleet-update-start-btn" class="btn btn-amber" disabled>
-        Start fleet update
-      </button>
+      {{end}}
+    </div>
+    <div class="mt-4 text-[12px] text-ink-mute">
+      <span id="fleet-selected-count">{{len $page.OutOfDateHosts}}</span> selected · sequential, halts on first failure · worst-case
+      <span id="fleet-timeout" class="mono">{{len $page.OutOfDateHosts}} × 95s</span>
+    </div>
+    <form class="mt-3 flex items-center gap-3" onsubmit="return fleetStart(event)">
+	  <label class="text-[11.5px] text-ink-mute"><input id="fleet-canary" type="checkbox" checked> Pause after first host for canary review</label>
+      <button id="fleet-update-start-btn" class="btn btn-amber">Start agent update</button>
+      <span id="fleet-start-error" class="text-bad text-[12px]"></span>
     </form>
   {{end}}
 </div>

web/templates/partials/host_chrome.html

@@ -34,17 +34,32 @@
         {{else if eq $host.Status "degraded"}}
           <span class="dot dot-degraded"></span>
         {{else if eq $host.Status "offline"}}
-          <span class="dot dot-offline"></span>
+          {{if $host.AlwaysOn}}
+            <span class="dot dot-offline"></span>
+          {{else}}
+            <span class="dot dot-asleep"></span>
+          {{end}}
         {{else}}
           <span class="dot dot-failed"></span>
         {{end}}
         <h1 class="mono text-[26px] font-medium tracking-[0.005em] text-ink">{{$host.Name}}</h1>
-        <div class="flex gap-1.5 items-center">
-          {{range $host.Tags}}<a href="/?tag={{.}}" class="tag" title="filter dashboard by this tag">{{.}}</a>{{end}}
-          <button type="button" class="text-ink-fade text-[11px] hover:text-ink-mid whitespace-nowrap"
-                  style="padding: 2px 8px; border: 1px dashed var(--line); border-radius: 3px; cursor: pointer;"
+        <div class="flex items-center gap-2.5">
+          {{/* tags group pill — click the "tags" label to edit; the tag
+               values still filter the dashboard by that tag. */}}
+          <span class="meta-group">
+            <span class="meta-label cursor-pointer hover:text-ink"
                   onclick="document.getElementById('tags-edit-{{$host.ID}}').classList.toggle('hidden')"
-                  title="Edit tags">{{if $host.Tags}}edit tags{{else}}add tags{{end}}</button>
+                  title="Edit tags">tags</span>
+            {{range $host.Tags}}<a href="/?tag={{.}}" class="meta-val" title="filter dashboard by this tag">{{.}}</a>{{end}}
+            {{if not $host.Tags}}<span class="meta-val">—</span>{{end}}
+          </span>
+          {{/* presence group pill — click anywhere to edit. */}}
+          <span class="meta-group cursor-pointer"
+                onclick="document.getElementById('mode-edit-{{$host.ID}}').classList.toggle('hidden')"
+                title="Change presence mode">
+            <span class="meta-label">presence</span>
+            <span class="meta-val">{{if $host.AlwaysOn}}24x7{{else}}Free{{end}}</span>
+          </span>
         </div>
         {{if gt $page.ScheduleVersion 0}}
           <span class="mono text-[11px] text-ink-mute ml-2">
@@ -80,6 +95,24 @@
         </div>
         <div class="field-help">Comma-separated. Lowercased automatically.</div>
       </form>
+      {{/* Presence-mode editor — hidden by default; toggled by the
+           "presence" button. Checkbox present => always-on (24×7);
+           unchecked => intermittent (laptop): no offline alerts, shows
+           "asleep", auto-catches-up a missed backup on reconnect. */}}
+      <form id="mode-edit-{{$host.ID}}" method="post"
+            action="/hosts/{{$host.ID}}/mode"
+            class="hidden mt-3" style="max-width: 640px;">
+        <label class="flex items-center gap-2 text-[12px] text-ink-mid">
+          <input type="checkbox" name="always_on" value="on" {{if $host.AlwaysOn}}checked{{end}} />
+          Always On — expected online 24×7
+        </label>
+        <div class="field-help">
+          Uncheck for an intermittent host (laptop/workstation): it won't
+          raise offline alerts when asleep, shows an "asleep" state, and
+          catches up a missed backup ~1 minute after it reconnects.
+        </div>
+        <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary mt-2 whitespace-nowrap">Save presence</button>
+      </form>
       <div class="flex items-center gap-3 mt-3 text-[13px] text-ink-mute">
         <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{$host.OS}}/{{$host.Arch}}</span>
         <span class="text-ink-fade">·</span>
@@ -88,7 +121,11 @@
         <span>restic <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{if $host.ResticVersion}}{{$host.ResticVersion}}{{else}}—{{end}}</span></span>
         <span class="text-ink-fade">·</span>
         {{if eq $host.Status "offline"}}
-          <span>last seen <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{relTime $host.LastSeenAt}}</span></span>
+          {{if $host.AlwaysOn}}
+            <span>last seen <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{relTime $host.LastSeenAt}}</span></span>
+          {{else}}
+            <span>asleep · last seen <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{relTime $host.LastSeenAt}}</span> · will catch up on return</span>
+          {{end}}
         {{else}}
           <span>online · last heartbeat <span class="mono text-ink-mid">{{relTime $host.LastSeenAt}}</span></span>
         {{end}}

web/templates/partials/host_row.html

@@ -8,7 +8,11 @@
     {{- else if eq $h.Status "degraded" -}}
       <span class="dot dot-degraded"></span>
     {{- else if eq $h.Status "offline" -}}
-      <span class="dot dot-offline"></span>
+      {{- if $h.AlwaysOn -}}
+        <span class="dot dot-offline"></span>
+      {{- else -}}
+        <span class="dot dot-asleep"></span>
+      {{- end -}}
     {{- else -}}
       <span class="dot dot-failed"></span>
     {{- end -}}
@@ -26,7 +30,11 @@
     {{- else if eq (deref $h.LastBackupStatus) "cancelled" -}}
       <span class="text-warn">cancelled</span> · <span class="mono">{{relTime $h.LastBackupAt}}</span>
     {{- else if eq $h.Status "offline" -}}
-      <span class="text-ink-mute">last seen <span class="mono">{{relTime $h.LastSeenAt}}</span></span>
+      {{- if $h.AlwaysOn -}}
+        <span class="text-ink-mute">last seen <span class="mono">{{relTime $h.LastSeenAt}}</span></span>
+      {{- else -}}
+        <span class="text-ink-mute">asleep · <span class="mono">{{relTime $h.LastSeenAt}}</span> · will catch up on return</span>
+      {{- end -}}
     {{- else -}}
       <span class="text-ink-fade italic">never run</span>
     {{- end -}}
@@ -53,7 +61,7 @@
   </div>
   <div class="text-right row-action">
     {{- if eq $h.Status "offline" -}}
-      <span class="mono text-xs text-ink-fade">offline</span>
+      <span class="mono text-xs text-ink-fade">{{if $h.AlwaysOn}}offline{{else}}asleep{{end}}</span>
     {{- else if $h.CurrentJobID -}}
       <a href="/jobs/{{deref $h.CurrentJobID}}" class="btn btn-ghost">View job →</a>
     {{- else if .RunAllScheduleID -}}

web/templates/partials/host_update_chip.html

@@ -7,5 +7,5 @@
   Hidden entirely when UpdateAvailable is false.
 */}}
 {{define "host_update_chip"}}
-{{if .UpdateAvailable}}<span class="update-chip" title="Agent at {{.Host.AgentVersion}}; server at {{.TargetVersion}}">out of date · {{.Host.AgentVersion}} → {{.TargetVersion}}</span>{{end}}
+{{if .UpdateAvailable}}<span class="update-chip" title="Agent at {{.Host.AgentVersion}}; server at {{.TargetVersion}}">out of date</span>{{end}}
 {{end}}