Make agent creation swarm-only and refuse a name placed on another hive

swarm-controller's POST /api/agents now refuses (409) a name the swarm
has already placed on a different hive: a non-Destroyed declaration in
that hive's wanted state, or a SetAgentWanted node still queued for it.
The same name on the same hive is that agent being re-created and goes
through. A wanted state that cannot be read refuses (503/500) instead of
reading as "placed nowhere". Creations are serialised from that read to
the graph insert so two concurrent creations of one name cannot both
pass.

Hive-level creation is removed: hivectl `agent create` / `request-create`,
HostRequest::Spawn / RequestSpawn, the dashboard POST /api/request-spawn
route, and ApprovalKind::Spawn with its approve/resolve arms and the
approval-carrying `templates::spawn`. The swarm path (deploy request or
wanted-state sweep -> queue_first_deploy -> templates::first_deploy) used
none of them. Old `spawn` approval rows are skipped by collect_lenient,
as `init_config` rows were in a3b672d1.

policy.rs's comment on agent_object_name stated swarm-wide name
uniqueness as a fact; it now says where it is enforced and what that
check cannot see.

Refs #4396

docs/agent-lifecycle/agent-hierarchy.md

@@ -100,7 +100,8 @@ other agents don't:
 - **Naming/bootstrap** — the manager's broker recipient name, state-dir
   key, and nixos-container name are all `ruth` (container `h-ruth`).
   `hive-c0re` spawns it directly at boot if missing, with no operator
-  approval step — every other agent goes through a `Spawn` approval.
+  approval step — every other agent is created at swarm level
+  (`swarmctl agent create`).
   Roster-wise, `ruth` is just another entry.
 - **Wire-protocol** — the privileged `Request` variants
   (`Kill` / `Start` / `Restart` / `Update`; `GetLogs`) — marked

docs/agent-lifecycle/approvals.md

@@ -24,14 +24,6 @@ CLI) before it takes effect. What you'll see, and what to do with it:
   anything in that chain fails, the change rolls back automatically —
   the agent stays on its last-good config, no recovery action needed
   from you.
-- **New agent** (`Spawn`) — the one approval in creating a brand-new
-  agent. The swarm controller's `InitAgentConfigRepo` job
-  (`POST /api/agents`) scaffolds its config repo first, outside the
-  approval queue; `Spawn` then creates the container from that
-  config. Tailoring what the template seeded isn't a separate
-  mechanism — it's the config-change flow above, a PR you review like
-  any other. Every later change goes through that flow — there's no
-  repeat "spawn" for an existing agent.
 - **Meta/flake update** (`UpdateMetaInputs`) — an agent asked to bump
   one or more Nix flake inputs (or all of them). Approving runs the
   update and commits the lock change; it doesn't rebuild anything by
@@ -133,11 +125,11 @@ agent that lacks the `approvals` tool group: only an agent with that
 group submits approvals (for its direct children), so an agent
 without it has nothing of its own to withdraw.
 
-The swarm controller's `InitAgentConfigRepo` job creates a brand-new
+Creating a brand-new agent isn't an approval: it's swarm-level
-agent's config repo outside this queue, seeding it with a default
+(`swarmctl agent create`, `POST /api/agents` on the swarm controller),
-`agent.nix` template. The operator then **spawns** the agent
+and no hive can originate an agent. The swarm controller's
-(the `Spawn` approval / `◆ R3QU3ST SP4WN` button), which creates the
+`InitAgentConfigRepo` job seeds the agent's config repo with a default
-container from that config.
+`agent.nix` template, then asks the target hive to deploy it.
 
 Changing what the template seeded isn't a special case: like every
 later change, it's a PR on that config repo (`MergeConfigPr`), made
@@ -147,7 +139,7 @@ through the web UI or the forge.
 
 ### Approval kinds (wire shapes)
 
-`ApprovalKind` carries four variants; each maps to a different
+`ApprovalKind` carries three variants; each maps to a different
 `commit_ref` encoding because `ApprovalKind` overloads that field as
 the kind-specific payload carrier.
 
@@ -165,17 +157,6 @@ the kind-specific payload carrier.
   eval-verifies it; `DeployApply` fast-forward-merges the forge config
   repo's `main` to it (the merge) and runs `deploy_applied_target`;
   `DeployTail` compensates on failure. Never a first spawn.
-- `Spawn` — direct container creation from the agent's config repo.
-  `commit_ref` is empty. Submitted via `HostRequest::RequestSpawn`
-  (operator-gated, the `◆ R3QU3ST SP4WN` dashboard button +
-  `hivectl agent <name> request-create` CLI). The host-level `HostRequest::Spawn`
-  variant bypasses the approval queue entirely — privileged-context use
-  only (operator on the host shell, test scripts, one-off recoveries;
-  `hivectl agent <name> create`). This is the **canonical first-spawn**: the
-  swarm controller's `InitAgentConfigRepo` job seeds the agent's config
-  repo, it gets customised through a PR, then the operator spawns to
-  create the container. Subsequent config changes go through a
-  `MergeConfigPr` PR.
 - `UpdateMetaInputs` — `commit_ref` stores the JSON-encoded inputs
   array (`"[]"` = all inputs, `"[\"nixpkgs\"]"` = just nixpkgs,
   etc.). hive-c0re sets the `agent` field to the requesting root agent.
@@ -412,8 +393,8 @@ submitter pushes again (or closes it) to retry.
 
 ### Dispatch via the job queue
 
-Long-running approval work — `MergeConfigPr`, `UpdateMetaInputs`,
+Long-running approval work — `MergeConfigPr` and `UpdateMetaInputs`
-`Spawn` — runs as a DAG on the global job queue
+— runs as a DAG on the global job queue
 (`docs/scheduler/coordinator.md::Job queue`), submitted by the approval handler
 rather than run inline:
 
@@ -421,7 +402,6 @@ rather than run inline:
 |---|---|---|
 | `MergeConfigPr` | `rebuild` (`DeployWindow` root + `MergeVerify → DeployApply` + `DeployTail`) | `approval` |
 | `UpdateMetaInputs` | `meta_update` (`MetaLock` + rebuild fan-out) | `approval` |
-| `Spawn` | `spawn` (`Create → WriteDropin → Reconcile`) | `approval` |
 | `SchedulePrompt` | — runs inline (single sqlite insert) | — |
 
 The DAG carries the originating `approval_id`, surfaced on the node that
@@ -433,7 +413,7 @@ state is the authoritative outcome. That hook fires the matching
 `HelperEvent::*` via `finish_approval`, derives the `Rebuilt` event's
 terminal tag (verifying the tag actually resolves in the applied repo —
 a pre-merge rejection plants none), posts the failing build log back to
-the config PR, and for a spawn runs the post-spawn forge bookkeeping.
+the config PR.
 
 Two visible consequences:
 
@@ -612,12 +592,12 @@ event to the agent that originally submitted the approval (looked up from
 the `submitter` column on the `approvals` table). The harness delivers it
 as a regular `system` inbox message so it drives a normal claude turn.
 `finish_approval` fires an `ApprovalResolved` HelperEvent this way for
-**every** approval kind's terminal state, `Spawn` included. A
+**every** approval kind's terminal state. A
 "FYI, check when convenient" event doesn't need a message — those go
 through `Coordinator::push_todo`/`push_todo_submitter` instead, a direct
 live dial of the target agent's in-container todo socket (same
 `UpsertTodo` request in-container producers use); `finish_approval` fires
-one of these too for `Spawn`/`MergeConfigPr`, *in addition to*
+one of these too for `MergeConfigPr`, *in addition to*
 the `ApprovalResolved` HelperEvent above, not instead of it. Legacy
 approval rows that predate the submitter column fall back to the
 root agent. Variants (`hive_sh4re::manager::HelperEvent`):
@@ -651,7 +631,7 @@ hive-c0re-vouched commit sha. Optional `tag` carries the deploy
 bookkeeping tag — `deployed/<id>` on a successful build or
 `failed/<id>` on a failed one, planted by the `MergeConfigPr` deploy.
 Both fields are `Option`: `None` on the paths that don't deploy a new
-commit (spawn / meta-update / deny, and the autoupdate
+commit (meta-update / deny, and the autoupdate
 sweep's `job_queue::templates::rebuild` reapplying the existing main,
 or the dashboard `↻ R3BU1LD` button when the lock didn't move). When set,
 `git show <sha>` against `/applied/<n>/.git` inside the

docs/agent-lifecycle/persistence.md

@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ keeps its state, purging it doesn't.**
 - **`DESTR0Y`** (the default action) stops and removes the container
   but keeps everything on disk — config history, claude login, `/state/`
   notes, harness data. The agent shows up as a tombstone (K3PT ST4T3 on
-  the C0R3 page) with a `⊕ R3V1V3` button that recreates it from the
+  the C0R3 page); `swarmctl agent create` with the same name and hive
-  kept state, **no re-login needed**.
+  recreates it from the kept state, **no re-login needed**.
 - **`PURG3`** (opt-in, from the dashboard or `hivectl agent <name>
   destroy --purge`) is `DESTR0Y` plus wiping all of it — config
   history, claude credentials, `/state/` notes, everything. **No
@@ -432,8 +432,8 @@ See [For operators](#for-operators) above for what each action does to
 an agent's state. The mechanics, for completeness:
 
 - `DESTR0Y` also drops the systemd drop-in and fails any pending
-  approvals; the tombstone's `⊕ R3V1V3` button queues a Spawn approval
+  approvals; reviving the agent is `swarmctl agent create` with the same
-  that reuses the kept state on approve.
+  name and hive, which reuses the kept state.
 - `PURG3` wipes `/var/lib/hyperhive/{agents,applied}/<name>/` — the
   union of everything `DESTR0Y` left behind.
 

docs/getting-started/setup.md

@@ -303,17 +303,14 @@ a manual `hivectl` step — see _Swarm SSO_ above (`swarmctl user add`).
 
 ### 7 · Spawn sub-agents
 
-Sub-agent creation is an operator action — agents have no tool for it.
+Sub-agent creation is a swarm-level operator action — agents have no
-Two steps:
+tool for it, and no hive can create one on its own:
 
 ```
-# Step 1: scaffold the new agent's config repo. The swarm controller's
+# Create iris on hive pr1ma. The swarm controller seeds its config repo
-# InitAgentConfigRepo job does this (POST /api/agents), seeding
+# (agent-configs/iris) from the default template, then asks pr1ma to
-# /agents/iris/config/agent.nix from the default template.
+# build + start the container from that config.
-
+swarmctl agent create iris --hive pr1ma
-# Step 2: edit /agents/iris/config/agent.nix and commit it. Then spawn
-# iris from the dashboard (◆ R3QU3ST SP4WN / Spawn approval), which
-# builds + starts the container from that config.
 
 # Later config changes: open a PR on agent-configs/iris (hive-forge);
 # the operator reviews + approves it — no MCP tool call.

docs/scheduler/coordinator.md

@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ the build slot while its parent held the meta window could block waiting for
 a resource its own parent already committed to, a lock-ordering hazard that
 one multi-resource root avoids by construction.
 
-`Spawn` and `UpdateMetaInputs` approvals map onto the ordinary `spawn` /
+`UpdateMetaInputs` approvals map onto the ordinary
 `meta-update` shapes. The scheduler fires `actions::resolve_approval_dag`
 exactly once when **any** approval-carrying DAG settles terminal — deploys
 included, since their outcome is now the DAG's own state (including

docs/tools/hivectl-cli.md

@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ This document contains the help content for the `hivectl` command-line program.
 * [`hivectl agent pause`↴](#hivectl-agent-pause)
 * [`hivectl agent resume`↴](#hivectl-agent-resume)
 * [`hivectl agent start`↴](#hivectl-agent-start)
-* [`hivectl agent create`↴](#hivectl-agent-create)
-* [`hivectl agent request-create`↴](#hivectl-agent-request-create)
 * [`hivectl agent stop`↴](#hivectl-agent-stop)
 * [`hivectl agent kill`↴](#hivectl-agent-kill)
 * [`hivectl agent destroy`↴](#hivectl-agent-destroy)
@@ -271,9 +269,7 @@ Everything here targets a single named agent (`hivectl agent foo restart`, `hive
 * `restart` — Stop and start this agent container without rebuilding config
 * `pause` — Park this agent's turn loop, leaving the container running
 * `resume` — Resume this paused agent — it drains whatever queued up while parked
-* `start` — Start this EXISTING agent container. Fails immediately if `name` has no config/topology entry at all — it never attempts first-time creation. Use `create` for that
+* `start` — Start this EXISTING agent container. Fails immediately if `name` has no config/topology entry at all — it never attempts first-time creation, which is swarm-level (`swarmctl agent create`)
-* `create` — Create this agent container from scratch (full first-time provisioning), bypassing the approval queue
-* `request-create` — Queue a first-creation request for operator approval
 * `stop` — Gracefully stop this agent container: signal → drain → reconcile. Never escalates to a hard kill — use `kill` for that
 * `kill` — Hard-stop this managed container
 * `destroy` — Tear down this sub-agent container, keeping its state by default. No undo
@@ -326,7 +322,7 @@ Resume this paused agent — it drains whatever queued up while parked
 
 ## `hivectl agent start`
 
-Start this EXISTING agent container. Fails immediately if `name` has no config/topology entry at all — it never attempts first-time creation. Use `create` for that
+Start this EXISTING agent container. Fails immediately if `name` has no config/topology entry at all — it never attempts first-time creation, which is swarm-level (`swarmctl agent create`)
 
 **Usage:** `hivectl agent start [OPTIONS]`
 
@@ -336,24 +332,6 @@ Start this EXISTING agent container. Fails immediately if `name` has no config/t
 
 
 
-## `hivectl agent create`
-
-Create this agent container from scratch (full first-time provisioning), bypassing the approval queue.
-
-Operator-on-the-host only; use `request-create` for an approval-gated creation.
-
-**Usage:** `hivectl agent create`
-
-
-
-## `hivectl agent request-create`
-
-Queue a first-creation request for operator approval
-
-**Usage:** `hivectl agent request-create`
-
-
-
 ## `hivectl agent stop`
 
 Gracefully stop this agent container: signal → drain → reconcile. Never escalates to a hard kill — use `kill` for that

docs/tools/swarmctl-cli.md

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ No approval gate guards this: running this binary already means being root on th
 
 * `<NAME>` — Name for the new agent: 1–63 characters of `[a-z0-9-]`.
 
-   Becomes an SSO subject, a forge user and a repository name, so it's validated here before queuing.
+   Becomes an SSO subject, a forge user and a repository name, so it's validated here before queuing. The controller refuses a name the swarm has already placed on a different hive; the same name on the same hive re-creates that agent.
 
 ###### **Options:**
 

docs/web-ui/dashboard.md

@@ -971,7 +971,6 @@ renderApprovals`) with three stacked sections:
   | `merge_config_pr` | `⇒` | `merge-pr` | PR-head sha (`sha_short`) |
   | `update_meta_inputs` | `↻` | `meta-update` | — |
   | `schedule_prompt` | `⏱` | `schedule` | — |
-  | `spawn` | `⊕` | `spawn` | — |
 
   <!-- vale write-good.Passive = NO -->
   The chip ticks live every second via a `data-requested-at`
@@ -985,7 +984,6 @@ renderApprovals`) with three stacked sections:
     config PR into `agent-configs/<agent>/pulls/<pr_number>` (shown
     only when `forge_present` is true and `pr_number` has a value). The config diff
     lives on the forge PR itself — no inline diff side-panel.
-  - `spawn`: a one-line "container will be created" note instead.
 - **decision actions** — `◆ APPR0VE` and `DENY`. Deny pops a
   `prompt()` for an optional reason carried to the submitting agent as
   `HelperEvent::ApprovalResolved.note`.
@@ -1043,7 +1041,6 @@ below — some endpoints aren't in it yet.
 - `POST /api/{rebuild,kill,restart,start,destroy}/{name}` — lifecycle.
   `destroy` accepts `purge=on` to also wipe state dirs.
 - `POST /api/purge-tombstone/{name}` — wipe a tombstone's state dirs.
-- `POST /api/request-spawn` — queue a Spawn approval.
 - `POST /api/update-all` — rebuild every stale container.
 - `POST /api/rebuild-queue/{id}/cancel` — drop a `Queued` entry.
   Refuses `Running` / terminal-state entries (in-flight
@@ -1243,10 +1240,9 @@ payload):
 - `container_state_changed` (container: ContainerView) /
   `container_removed` (name) — per-row container mutations,
   emitted by `Coordinator::rescan_containers_and_emit` from
-  many mutation sites — post-spawn approval bookkeeping
+  the job queue's own node execution (`job_queue::exec`, for example
-  (`actions::approve`), the job queue's own node execution
+  after a rebuild's stop/swap/start steps or a destroy's teardown
-  (`job_queue::exec`, for example after a rebuild's stop/swap/start
+  step) — and from the 10s
-  steps or a destroy's teardown step) — and from the 10s
   `crash_watch` poll. Client upserts/removes by name and
   reads the pending overlay from `transientsState` since the
   payload doesn't carry it.

frontend/packages/dashboard/src/call.js

@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ export function operatorInboxAppendFromEvent(ev) {
   onCountsChanged();
 }
 
-// ─── approvals — the operator config-change / spawn approval queue ────────
+// ─── approvals — the operator config-change approval queue ────────
 const APPROVAL_TAB_KEY = "hyperhive:approvals:tab";
 // Derived approval state — cold-loaded from /api/state, then mutated
 // live by `approval_added` / `approval_resolved` dashboard events.
@@ -244,24 +244,14 @@ export function renderApprovals() {
       el(
         "span",
         { class: "glyph" },
-        isMergePr ? "⇒" : isUpdateMeta ? "↻" : isSchedule ? "⏱" : "⊕",
+        isUpdateMeta ? "↻" : isSchedule ? "⏱" : "⇒",
       ),
       el("span", { class: "id" }, "#" + a.id),
       el("span", { class: "agent" }, a.agent),
       el(
         "span",
-        {
+        { class: "kind" },
-          class:
+        isUpdateMeta ? "meta-update" : isSchedule ? "schedule" : "merge-pr",
-            "kind" +
-            (isMergePr || isUpdateMeta || isSchedule ? "" : " kind-spawn"),
-        },
-        isMergePr
-          ? "merge-pr"
-          : isUpdateMeta
-            ? "meta-update"
-            : isSchedule
-              ? "schedule"
-              : "spawn",
       ),
     );
     if (isMergePr && a.sha_short) head.append(el("code", {}, a.sha_short));
@@ -431,13 +421,11 @@ function renderApprovalHistory(root, history) {
       el(
         "span",
         { class: "kind" },
-        a.kind === "merge_config_pr"
+        a.kind === "update_meta_inputs"
-          ? "merge-pr"
+          ? "meta-update"
-          : a.kind === "update_meta_inputs"
+          : a.kind === "schedule_prompt"
-            ? "meta-update"
+            ? "schedule"
-            : a.kind === "schedule_prompt"
+            : "merge-pr",
-              ? "schedule"
-              : "spawn",
       ),
       " ",
     );

frontend/packages/dashboard/src/dashboard.css

@@ -671,10 +671,6 @@ ul form.inline {
   letter-spacing: 0.1em;
   text-transform: uppercase;
 }
-.kind-spawn {
-  color: var(--amber);
-  border-color: var(--amber);
-}
 details {
   margin-top: 0.5em;
 }

frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js

@@ -81,10 +81,9 @@ window.marked = marked;
     for (const a of approvals) {
       if (seenApprovals.has(a.id)) continue;
       seenApprovals.add(a.id);
-      const verb = a.kind === "spawn" ? "spawn approval" : "config commit";
       NOTIF.show(
         "◆ approval #" + a.id,
-        `${verb} for ${a.agent}`,
+        `config commit for ${a.agent}`,
         "hyperhive:approval:" + a.id,
       );
     }

hive-c0re/src/actions.rs

@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ use crate::lifecycle;
 ///   FinalizeDeploy`, plus an `AfterAny` `DeployTail`, under a
 ///   resource-holding root; ~30-90s)
 /// - `UpdateMetaInputs` → a `MetaUpdate` DAG (fan-out on completion)
-/// - `Spawn`       → a `Spawn` DAG (`Create → WriteDropin → Reconcile`)
 ///
 /// Every queued kind — deploys included — resolves its approval row via
 /// [`resolve_approval_dag`] when the DAG settles terminal.
@@ -55,25 +54,6 @@ pub async fn approve(coord: Arc<Coordinator>, id: i64) -> Result<()> {
             coord.emit_rebuild_queue_snapshot();
             Ok(())
         }
-        ApprovalKind::Spawn => {
-            // The spawn's tail `Reconcile` starts the container, so the
-            // new agent's power intent is `Up` from the outset.
-            if let Err(e) = coord
-                .power
-                .set(approval.agent.as_str(), crate::power::Wanted::Up)
-            {
-                tracing::warn!(agent = %approval.agent, error = ?e, "agent_power: seed on spawn failed");
-            }
-            let inserted = coord.job_queue.insert_job(|b| {
-                crate::job_queue::templates::spawn(b, approval.agent.as_str(), id);
-                Vec::new()
-            });
-            if let Err(e) = inserted {
-                return Err(e.context("insert spawn dag"));
-            }
-            coord.emit_rebuild_queue_snapshot();
-            Ok(())
-        }
         ApprovalKind::SchedulePrompt => {
             // No queue card for SchedulePrompt — the work is a single
             // sqlite insert, the actual "running" lifetime lives on
@@ -525,30 +505,16 @@ pub(crate) async fn resolve_approval_dag(
         TerminalState::Failed => Err(anyhow::anyhow!("{}", error.unwrap_or("job dag failed"))),
     };
     let mut terminal_tag = None;
-    match approval.kind {
+    if approval.kind == ApprovalKind::MergeConfigPr {
-        ApprovalKind::Spawn => {
+        terminal_tag = deploy_terminal_tag(approval.agent.as_str(), approval_id, outcome).await;
-            // Post-spawn forge bookkeeping (config repo mirror, meta
+        // On a failed deploy, surface the failing build log back onto the
-            // access) — warn-only, then the resolution events + a rescan so
+        // PR so the manager sees why it was rejected without leaving the
-            // the dashboard reflects the post-spawn state either way.
+        // forge. Posted here rather than inside a node because this is the
-            if result.is_ok() {
+        // one place that holds the DAG's definitive error — a `MergeVerify`
-                forge_after_first_spawn(coord, approval.agent.as_str()).await;
+        // rejection and a `DeployApply` build failure both land here.
-            } else {
+        if let Err(e) = &result {
-                coord.rescan_containers_and_emit().await;
+            post_merge_failure_to_pr(coord, &approval, e).await;
-                crate::dashboard::emit_tombstones_snapshot(coord).await;
-            }
         }
-        ApprovalKind::MergeConfigPr => {
-            terminal_tag = deploy_terminal_tag(approval.agent.as_str(), approval_id, outcome).await;
-            // On a failed deploy, surface the failing build log back onto the
-            // PR so the manager sees why it was rejected without leaving the
-            // forge. Posted here rather than inside a node because this is the
-            // one place that holds the DAG's definitive error — a `MergeVerify`
-            // rejection and a `DeployApply` build failure both land here.
-            if let Err(e) = &result {
-                post_merge_failure_to_pr(coord, &approval, e).await;
-            }
-        }
-        _ => {}
     }
     if let Err(e) = finish_approval(coord, &approval, result, terminal_tag).await {
         tracing::warn!(approval_id, error = ?e, "approval dag resolved with failure");
@@ -604,26 +570,6 @@ fn fetch_approval_for_worker(
     Ok(approval)
 }
 
-/// Forge bookkeeping run once after the very first container spawn:
-/// mirror the applied repo and grant read access to core/meta. The
-/// agent's forge user and token are swarm-controller's, not this
-/// hive's. Also rescans containers so the dashboard reflects the post-spawn state.
-async fn forge_after_first_spawn(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, agent: &str) {
-    if let Err(e) = crate::forge::ensure_config_repo(agent).await {
-        tracing::warn!(%agent, error = ?e, "forge: ensure_config_repo after first spawn failed");
-    }
-    if let Some(core_token) = crate::forge::core_token()
-        && let Err(e) = crate::forge::meta_read_access(agent, &core_token).await
-    {
-        tracing::warn!(%agent, error = ?e, "forge: meta_read_access after first spawn failed");
-    }
-    if let Err(e) = crate::forge::ensure_meta_remote(agent).await {
-        tracing::warn!(%agent, error = ?e, "forge: ensure_meta_remote after first spawn failed");
-    }
-    coord.rescan_containers_and_emit().await;
-    crate::dashboard::emit_tombstones_snapshot(coord).await;
-}
-
 async fn finish_approval(
     coord: &Coordinator,
     approval: &hive_sh4re::approvals::Approval,
@@ -670,35 +616,14 @@ async fn finish_approval(
         note: note.clone(),
         description: approval.description.clone(),
     });
-    // For spawn/rebuild approvals, also surface the underlying action so the
+    // For rebuild approvals, also surface the underlying action so the
     // manager knows whether the lifecycle step succeeded. The
     // ApprovalResolved event already carries the same `ok` signal but
     // separating it lets the manager react to the lifecycle change
     // without having to special-case approvals.
     match approval.kind {
-        ApprovalKind::Spawn => {
-            let summary = if ok {
-                format!("agent '{}' spawned", approval.agent)
-            } else {
-                format!(
-                    "agent '{}' spawn FAILED: {}",
-                    approval.agent,
-                    note.as_deref().unwrap_or("unknown error")
-                )
-            };
-            let _ = coord
-                .push_todo_submitter(
-                    approval.id,
-                    "core",
-                    Some(format!("spawned:{}", approval.agent)),
-                    summary,
-                    None,
-                )
-                .await;
-        }
         // MergeConfigPr ends in a container rebuild — surface a Rebuilt
-        // lifecycle event. (It is never a first spawn — the agent already
+        // lifecycle event.
-        // exists — so it never needs the Spawned arm above.)
         ApprovalKind::MergeConfigPr => {
             let summary = crate::coordinator::rebuilt_todo_summary(
                 approval.agent.as_str(),
@@ -738,8 +663,8 @@ async fn finish_approval(
 ///
 /// Caller-specific bits stay OUT of here: fetching the PR head, the
 /// `verify_commit` gate, and the ff-merge. The agent always already exists here
-/// (a merge is never a first spawn), so there's no `sync_agents` step — the
+/// (a merge is never a first deploy), so there's no `sync_agents` step — the
-/// operator `Spawn` flow owns first-time meta registration.
+/// first-deploy DAG's `Provision` node owns first-time meta registration.
 async fn prepare_applied_target(
     agent: &str,
     applied_dir: &std::path::Path,

hive-c0re/src/coordinator.rs

@@ -841,7 +841,7 @@ impl Coordinator {
     /// Call after any mutation that could affect what
     /// `nixos-container list` returns or what a row's
     /// `running` / `needs_update` / `needs_login` / `deployed_sha`
-    /// resolves to — lifecycle ops, destroy, approve (post-spawn),
+    /// resolves to — lifecycle ops, destroy,
     /// rebuild, meta-update, and the crash-watcher's periodic poll.
     /// Cheap when nothing changed (one `nixos-container list` + a
     /// `HashMap` diff + zero emits).

hive-c0re/src/dashboard/approvals.rs

@@ -83,11 +83,6 @@ pub(super) fn gc_orphans(coord: &Coordinator, approvals: Vec<Approval>) -> Vec<A
     approvals
         .into_iter()
         .filter(|a| {
-            // A Spawn approval is for a not-yet-existent agent; the proposed
-            // dir is supposed to be missing, so absence is not orphanhood.
-            if a.kind == hive_sh4re::approvals::ApprovalKind::Spawn {
-                return true;
-            }
             if Coordinator::agent_proposed_dir(&a.agent).exists() {
                 true
             } else {

hive-c0re/src/dashboard/misc_api.rs

@@ -232,56 +232,3 @@ pub(super) async fn post_op_send(
     // no full-state refresh in between.
     (axum::http::StatusCode::OK, "ok").into_response()
 }
-
-#[derive(Deserialize, ToSchema)]
-pub(super) struct RequestSpawnForm {
-    name: String,
-}
-
-/// Queue a spawn approval for `name`.
-#[utoipa::path(
-    post,
-    path = "/api/request-spawn",
-    request_body(content = RequestSpawnForm, content_type = "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"),
-    responses(
-        (status = 200, description = "spawn approval queued", body = String),
-        (status = 500, description = "missing name, or the approval submit failed"),
-    ),
-    tag = "misc_api"
-)]
-pub(super) async fn post_request_spawn(
-    State(state): State<AppState>,
-    Form(form): Form<RequestSpawnForm>,
-) -> Response {
-    let name = form.name.trim().to_owned();
-    if name.is_empty() {
-        return error_response("spawn: `name` required");
-    }
-    match state.coord.approvals.submit_kind(
-        &name,
-        hive_sh4re::approvals::ApprovalKind::Spawn,
-        "",
-        None,
-        "operator",
-        None,
-    ) {
-        Ok(id) => {
-            tracing::info!(%id, %name, "operator: spawn approval queued via dashboard");
-            // Phase 5b: notify the dashboard event channel so live
-            // subscribers can append the row without a snapshot
-            // refetch. Spawn approvals carry no sha.
-            state
-                .coord
-                .emit_approval_added(crate::coordinator::ApprovalAdded {
-                    id,
-                    agent: &name,
-                    approval_kind: "spawn",
-                    sha_short: None,
-                    description: None,
-                    pr_number: None,
-                });
-            (StatusCode::OK, "ok").into_response()
-        }
-        Err(e) => error_response(&format!("request-spawn {name} failed: {e:#}")),
-    }
-}

hive-c0re/src/dashboard/mod.rs

@@ -149,7 +149,6 @@ pub async fn serve(
         .routes(routes!(misc_api::api_stats_hive))
         .routes(routes!(misc_api::api_container_resources))
         .routes(routes!(misc_api::post_mark_all_read))
-        .routes(routes!(misc_api::post_request_spawn))
         .routes(routes!(misc_api::post_op_send))
         .routes(routes!(build_logs::get_build_logs_all))
         .routes(routes!(build_logs::get_build_log_for_node))
@@ -386,7 +385,6 @@ mod router_build_probe {
             .routes(routes!(misc_api::api_stats_hive))
             .routes(routes!(misc_api::api_container_resources))
             .routes(routes!(misc_api::post_mark_all_read))
-            .routes(routes!(misc_api::post_request_spawn))
             .routes(routes!(misc_api::post_op_send))
             .routes(routes!(build_logs::get_build_logs_all))
             .routes(routes!(build_logs::get_build_log_for_node))

hive-c0re/src/dashboard/state_snapshot.rs

@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ struct ApprovalHistoryView {
     agent: String,
     kind: &'static str,
     /// First 12 chars of the canonical sha (preferred) or
-    /// manager-supplied ref. None for resolved spawn approvals.
+    /// manager-supplied ref. None when the approval carries neither.
     sha_short: Option<String>,
     /// `approved` / `denied` / `failed`.
     status: &'static str,
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ fn build_transient_views(
 }
 
 /// Render each pending approval into its dashboard view (short sha for
-/// `MergeConfigPr`, just the name for `Spawn`).
+/// `MergeConfigPr`).
 /// Project a resolved sqlite row into the lean shape the dashboard
 /// history tab consumes — no `diff_html` (rendering 30 of them
 /// per /api/state poll would mean 30 git diffs per refresh).
@@ -439,16 +439,6 @@ fn build_approval_views(approvals: Vec<Approval>) -> Vec<ApprovalView> {
     let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(approvals.len());
     for a in approvals {
         out.push(match a.kind {
-            hive_sh4re::approvals::ApprovalKind::Spawn => ApprovalView {
-                id: a.id,
-                agent: a.agent.to_string(),
-                kind: "spawn",
-                sha_short: None,
-                description: a.description,
-                pr_number: None,
-                commit_ref: None,
-                requested_at: a.requested_at,
-            },
             hive_sh4re::approvals::ApprovalKind::UpdateMetaInputs => ApprovalView {
                 id: a.id,
                 agent: a.agent.to_string(),

hive-c0re/src/dashboard/tombstones.rs

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ pub struct TombstoneView {
 }
 
 /// State-dir names that don't appear in the live container list. Each
-/// one surfaces in the dashboard as a row with R3V1V3 + PURG3 actions.
+/// one surfaces in the dashboard as a row with a PURG3 action.
 ///
 /// ⚠️ **This lists every agent whose container is absent, not only destroyed
 /// ones** — a mid-spawn agent (state dir seeded by `Provision`, container not

hive-c0re/src/dashboard_events.rs

@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ pub enum DashboardEvent {
     /// enough to render the dashboard row without a `/api/state`
     /// refetch.
     ///
-    /// The approval's own kind (`"merge_config_pr"` / `"spawn"`) lives
+    /// The approval's own kind (`"merge_config_pr"` / `"schedule_prompt"`) lives
     /// on `approval_kind` rather than `kind` because the latter is taken
     /// by the serde tag identifying which `DashboardEvent` variant
     /// this is.
@@ -119,8 +119,8 @@ pub enum DashboardEvent {
         name: String,
         transient_kind: String,
     },
-    /// One container row changed — new container appeared (post-spawn
+    /// One container row changed — a new container appeared, an existing
-    /// finalise), an existing one flipped `running` / `needs_update` /
+    /// one flipped `running` / `needs_update` /
     /// `sha`, etc. Clients upsert by `container.name`. Payload carries
     /// the full row so cold-loaded clients and event-driven clients
     /// converge on the same render.
@@ -136,10 +136,8 @@ pub enum DashboardEvent {
     /// `nixos-container destroy` (operator-driven or otherwise) on the
     /// next rescan.
     ContainerRemoved { seq: u64, name: String },
-    /// Full snapshot of the tombstones list. Emitted on every
+    /// Full snapshot of the tombstones list. Emitted by destroy (with
-    /// mutation that could add / remove a tombstone: destroy
+    /// or without purge) and purge-tombstone. Snapshot
-    /// (with or without purge), purge-tombstone, spawn approval
-    /// (which can consume a tombstone of the same name). Snapshot
     /// shape (not diff) because the list is tiny (single-digit
     /// typical) and recomputing avoids the add/remove races a
     /// per-row event would have.

hive-c0re/src/job_queue/model.rs

@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ pub enum NodeKind {
     /// node-inventory row for its three responsibilities and why it isn't
     /// named `AbortDeploy`.
     DeployTail { agent: String, approval_id: i64 },
-    /// Tail node of an approval-carrying DAG (spawn / opaque deploy /
+    /// Tail node of an approval-carrying DAG (opaque deploy /
     /// config-PR merge): resolve the approval row from how the work ended.
     ResolveApproval {
         approval_id: i64,