hive-c0re: fail on a malformed agent name and on an unreadable container list

An agent name that is not a valid Ident made `Coordinator::agent_paths`
panic. Job payloads carry names as plain strings (the swarm's published
wanted state is one source), and a panic inside a job-queue node never
reaches `complete_growing`, so the node's resources (the deploy
window included) were held until hive-c0re restarted. `agent_paths` now
returns an error; the job-queue nodes, the admin-socket spawn and
set-limits paths, the root-agent spawn and the dashboard set-limits
handler propagate it.

`lifecycle::list().await.unwrap_or_default()` turned a failed container
list into "no agents":
- meta-update cascade: the lock bump committed and zero rebuilds fanned
  out, reported as success. The cascade is now resolved before the lock
  bump and a list failure fails the node.
- dashboard update-all: queued nothing and returned 200 "ok". Now 500
  with the error.
- container rescan: every row was emitted as removed and the cache
  emptied. Now the last snapshot stands; `hivectl status` gets an error.
- dashboard journal: answered 404 "no managed container". Now 500.
- spawn/rebuild port-collision check: silently skipped. Now fails.
- startup migration: the per-agent phases ran over nothing, and phase 3
  handed an empty agent list to `meta::sync_agents`, which renders the
  meta flake with exactly the agents it is given. Both now log the list
  failure and skip.

The hive-jobq scheduler still leaks a node's resources on any executor
panic; that root is not addressed here.

Refs #4723

hive-c0re/src/container_view.rs

@@ -152,8 +152,12 @@ fn agent_url_for_domain(domain: &str, name: &str) -> String {
 /// fallback onto the hive-wide `agent_cpu_quota` / `agent_memory_max`,
 /// and those live on [`crate::coordinator::HiveEnv`], not on disk. Both callers already
 /// hold a `Coordinator`, so this is a parameter rather than a global.
-pub async fn build_all(hive: &crate::coordinator::HiveEnv) -> Vec<ContainerView> {
+///
-    let raw = lifecycle::list().await.unwrap_or_default();
+/// # Errors
+///
+/// The container list could not be read.
+pub async fn build_all(hive: &crate::coordinator::HiveEnv) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<ContainerView>> {
+    let raw = lifecycle::list().await?;
     let locked = read_meta_locked_revs();
     // Read once per scan rather than re-read for every container on every
     // SSE scan. An unreadable file shows every row at the hive defaults;
@@ -254,7 +258,7 @@ pub async fn build_all(hive: &crate::coordinator::HiveEnv) -> Vec<ContainerView>
             memory_max,
         });
     }
-    out
+    Ok(out)
 }
 
 /// Host-side mirror of `hive_agent::login::has_session`. Returns true

hive-c0re/src/coordinator.rs

@@ -558,21 +558,22 @@ impl Coordinator {
     /// from `crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(name)` (pure path) or from
     /// `lifecycle::ensure_agent_runtime_dir(name)` when the dir must be
     /// created. All other paths are derived statically from `name`.
-    #[must_use]
+    ///
-    pub fn agent_paths(name: &str, agent_dir: PathBuf) -> AgentPaths {
+    /// # Errors
-        // `name` is validated upstream (spawn-approval / enqueue gate / the
+    ///
-        // MANAGER_NAME const), so an invalid ident here is a construction
+    /// `name` is not a valid [`hive_types::Ident`]. Job payloads carry agent
-        // bug. This is the step-3 boundary between the Ident-threaded path
+    /// names as plain strings, one source being the swarm's published wanted
-        // builders and the job_queue layer (threaded post hive-jobq cutover).
+    /// state, so this is an error for the caller to report, not an invariant.
+    pub fn agent_paths(name: &str, agent_dir: PathBuf) -> Result<AgentPaths> {
         let name = hive_types::Ident::parse(name)
-            .expect("agent_paths: name must be a valid ident (validated at spawn/enqueue)");
+            .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("invalid agent name {name:?}: {e}"))?;
-        AgentPaths {
+        Ok(AgentPaths {
             agent: agent_dir,
             proposed: Self::agent_proposed_dir(&name),
             applied: crate::paths::applied_dir(name.as_str()),
             claude: Self::agent_claude_dir(&name),
             notes: Self::agent_notes_dir(&name),
-        }
+        })
     }
 
     /// Emit a `RebuildQueueChanged` tick. Called from the queue mutation
@@ -845,7 +846,15 @@ impl Coordinator {
     /// Cheap when nothing changed (one `nixos-container list` + a
     /// `HashMap` diff + zero emits).
     pub async fn rescan_containers_and_emit(self: &Arc<Self>) {
-        let fresh = container_view::build_all(&self.hive_env()).await;
+        // An unreadable list says nothing about which containers exist, so
+        // the last snapshot stands rather than every row being reported gone.
+        let fresh = match container_view::build_all(&self.hive_env()).await {
+            Ok(fresh) => fresh,
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "container rescan: list failed; keeping last snapshot");
+                return;
+            }
+        };
         let mut last = self.last_containers.lock().await;
         let mut changed_or_new = Vec::new();
         let mut removed = Vec::new();
@@ -1580,3 +1589,24 @@ mod rebuilt_todo_summary_tests {
         );
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod agent_paths_tests {
+    use super::Coordinator;
+
+    /// A name from a job payload that is not an `Ident` fails the caller's
+    /// node instead of panicking the executor task.
+    #[test]
+    fn a_malformed_name_is_an_error_not_a_panic() {
+        let err = Coordinator::agent_paths("../etc", std::path::PathBuf::from("/nonexistent"))
+            .expect_err("a malformed agent name must be rejected");
+        assert!(format!("{err:#}").contains("invalid agent name"), "{err:#}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_valid_name_builds_its_paths() {
+        let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths("iris", std::path::PathBuf::from("/run/x"))
+            .expect("a valid agent name");
+        assert_eq!(paths.agent, std::path::PathBuf::from("/run/x"));
+    }
+}

hive-c0re/src/dashboard/journal.rs

@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ pub(super) struct JournalQuery {
         (status = 200, description = "journal text", body = String, content_type = "text/plain"),
         (status = 400, description = "bad agent name or unknown unit"),
         (status = 404, description = "no such managed container"),
+        (status = 500, description = "container list unreadable"),
     ),
     tag = "journal"
 )]
@@ -97,7 +98,14 @@ pub(super) async fn get_journal(
     // containers so we don't shell out with arbitrary input.
     let container = strip_container_prefix(name.as_str());
     let prefixed = format!("{}{container}", lifecycle::AGENT_PREFIX);
-    let live = lifecycle::list().await.unwrap_or_default();
+    let live = match lifecycle::list().await {
+        Ok(live) => live,
+        Err(e) => {
+            return Err(error_problem(&format!(
+                "journal: listing containers: {e:#}"
+            )));
+        }
+    };
     if !live.iter().any(|c| c == &prefixed) {
         return Err(ProblemDetails::from_status_code(StatusCode::NOT_FOUND)
             .with_detail(format!("journal: no managed container {prefixed:?}")));

hive-c0re/src/dashboard/lifecycle_ops.rs

@@ -392,7 +392,10 @@ pub(super) async fn post_resource_limits(
     }
     let agent_dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(ident.as_str());
     let hive = state.coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = crate::coordinator::Coordinator::agent_paths(ident.as_str(), agent_dir);
+    let paths = match crate::coordinator::Coordinator::agent_paths(ident.as_str(), agent_dir) {
+        Ok(p) => p,
+        Err(e) => return error_response(&format!("write_dropins {logical}: {e:#}")),
+    };
     if let Err(e) = crate::lifecycle::write_dropins(ident.as_str(), &hive, &paths).await {
         return error_response(&format!("write_dropins {logical}: {e:#}"));
     }
@@ -405,18 +408,18 @@ pub(super) async fn post_resource_limits(
 #[utoipa::path(
     post,
     path = "/api/update-all",
-    responses((status = 200, description = "rebuilds queued", body = String)),
+    responses(
+        (status = 200, description = "rebuilds queued", body = String),
+        (status = 500, description = "container list unreadable, nothing queued"),
+    ),
     tag = "lifecycle_ops"
 )]
 pub(super) async fn post_update_all(State(state): State<AppState>) -> Response {
-    let containers = lifecycle::list().await.unwrap_or_default();
+    let agents = match lifecycle::agent_names(lifecycle::list().await) {
-    for container in containers {
+        Ok(agents) => agents,
-        let Some(logical) = container
+        Err(e) => return error_response(&format!("update-all: listing containers: {e:#}")),
-            .strip_prefix(lifecycle::AGENT_PREFIX)
-            .map(str::to_owned)
-        else {
-            continue;
     };
+    for logical in agents {
         if let Err(e) = state.coord.job_queue.insert_job(|b| {
             crate::job_queue::templates::rebuild(b, &logical, true);
             Vec::new()

hive-c0re/src/job_queue/exec.rs

@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ async fn run_meta_sync(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str, relock: bool) -> Re
     // listener (event-driven: registered at start/create).
     let agent_dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(name);
     let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir);
+    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir)?;
     crate::lifecycle::prepare_rebuild_dirs(name, &paths).await?;
     // Idempotent meta sync so a manual rebuild can also recover from a
     // divergent meta repo; then bump just this agent's input. `relock =
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ async fn run_swap(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str, id: NodeId) -> Result<()
     // and listener were created earlier. Pure path accessor suffices.
     let agent_dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(name);
     let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir);
+    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir)?;
     let result = crate::lifecycle::swap_update(name, &hive, &paths, Some(id.get())).await;
     // On success the Ok-only bookkeeping tail (rev marker, forge/matrix
     // sync, kick, rescan, snapshot) runs in the sibling `RebuildBookkeeping` node,
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ async fn run_rebuild_bookkeeping(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str) -> Result
 async fn run_provision(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str) -> Result<()> {
     let agent_dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(name);
     let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir);
+    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir)?;
     crate::lifecycle::provision_container(name, &hive, &paths).await?;
     Ok(())
 }
@@ -536,13 +536,15 @@ async fn run_meta_lock(
         return Ok(fanout.unwrap_or_default());
     }
     let _progress = coord.meta_update_guard();
+    // Resolved before the lock bump so a failed container list aborts
+    // the update before anything is committed.
+    let cascade = match fanout {
+        Some(list) => validate_agent_names(list),
+        None => meta_update_cascade_agents(inputs).await?,
+    };
     crate::meta::lock_update(inputs).await?;
     // Lock file changed — meta-inputs panel re-renders.
     crate::dashboard::emit_meta_inputs_snapshot(coord);
-    let cascade = match fanout {
-        Some(list) => validate_agent_names(list),
-        None => meta_update_cascade_agents(inputs).await,
-    };
     // Pull each cascade agent's own input too — an agent's config-repo main
     // is trusted, so a meta-input bump is a reasonable place to also catch
     // it up. Without this, a meta-input bump rebuilds every affected agent
@@ -627,7 +629,7 @@ async fn run_start(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str) -> Result<()> {
     // omitting this becomes a compile error.
     let agent_dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(name);
     let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir);
+    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir)?;
     let token = crate::lifecycle::converge_start_preamble(name, &hive, &paths).await?;
     crate::lifecycle::start_with_fallback(token).await?;
     // Bind the MCP listener immediately after starting the container.
@@ -764,7 +766,7 @@ async fn run_write_dropin(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str) -> Result<()> {
     // on the upstream Prebuild/Start node).
     let agent_dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(name);
     let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir);
+    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir)?;
     crate::lifecycle::write_dropins(name, &hive, &paths).await?;
     Ok(())
 }
@@ -870,26 +872,23 @@ async fn run_deploy_tail(
 /// cascade agent's name. The `touched_hyperhive` branch's names need no
 /// such filter: they come from `lifecycle::list()`, already real
 /// container names by construction, not parsed out of caller input.
-pub async fn meta_update_cascade_agents(inputs: &[String]) -> Vec<String> {
+///
+/// # Errors
+///
+/// The every-container branch could not list the containers.
+pub async fn meta_update_cascade_agents(inputs: &[String]) -> Result<Vec<String>> {
     let touched_hyperhive = inputs
         .iter()
         .any(|i| i == "hyperhive" || i.starts_with("hyperhive/"));
     let touched_agents = parse_agent_input_names(inputs);
     let mut names = if touched_hyperhive || inputs.is_empty() {
-        crate::lifecycle::list()
+        crate::lifecycle::agent_names(crate::lifecycle::list().await)
-            .await
+            .context("listing containers for the meta-update cascade")?
-            .unwrap_or_default()
-            .into_iter()
-            .filter_map(|c| {
-                c.strip_prefix(crate::lifecycle::AGENT_PREFIX)
-                    .map(str::to_owned)
-            })
-            .collect()
     } else {
         touched_agents
     };
     names.sort();
-    names
+    Ok(names)
 }
 
 /// Parse `agent-<name>` input strings into validated agent names. Pure and

hive-c0re/src/lifecycle/mod.rs

@@ -269,9 +269,11 @@ fn validate(name: &str) -> Result<()> {
 /// would otherwise loop on `AddrInUse` forever; we surface the
 /// conflict here so spawn / rebuild fails loudly with an actionable
 /// message instead.
-async fn port_collision(self_name: &str) -> Option<String> {
+async fn port_collision(self_name: &str) -> Result<Option<String>> {
     let port = agent_web_port(self_name);
-    let raw = list().await.unwrap_or_default();
+    let raw = list()
+        .await
+        .context("listing containers for the port-collision check")?;
     for c in raw {
         let Some(other) = c.strip_prefix(AGENT_PREFIX) else {
             continue;
@@ -280,10 +282,10 @@ async fn port_collision(self_name: &str) -> Option<String> {
             continue;
         }
         if agent_web_port(other) == port && is_running(other).await {
-            return Some(other.to_owned());
+            return Ok(Some(other.to_owned()));
         }
     }
-    None
+    Ok(None)
 }
 
 pub async fn spawn(name: &str, hive: &HiveEnv, paths: &AgentPaths) -> Result<()> {
@@ -303,7 +305,7 @@ pub async fn spawn(name: &str, hive: &HiveEnv, paths: &AgentPaths) -> Result<()>
 /// create the container — that's `create_only` / the `Create` node.
 pub async fn provision_container(name: &str, hive: &HiveEnv, paths: &AgentPaths) -> Result<()> {
     validate(name)?;
-    if let Some(other) = port_collision(name).await {
+    if let Some(other) = port_collision(name).await? {
         bail!(
             "port {} is already taken by '{other}' — rename one of them and retry",
             agent_web_port(name)
@@ -356,7 +358,7 @@ pub async fn create_container(name: &str, hive: &HiveEnv, paths: &AgentPaths) ->
 /// than the clear bail this replaces.
 pub async fn prepare_rebuild_dirs(name: &str, paths: &AgentPaths) -> Result<()> {
     validate(name)?;
-    if let Some(other) = port_collision(name).await {
+    if let Some(other) = port_collision(name).await? {
         bail!(
             "port {} is already taken by '{other}' — rename one of them and retry",
             agent_web_port(name)
@@ -888,6 +890,16 @@ pub async fn list() -> Result<Vec<String>> {
         .collect())
 }
 
+/// Logical agent names from a [`list`] result. An unreadable list stays an
+/// error rather than becoming "no agents": a caller fanning work out over
+/// every agent would otherwise report success after doing nothing.
+pub fn agent_names(listed: Result<Vec<String>>) -> Result<Vec<String>> {
+    Ok(listed?
+        .into_iter()
+        .filter_map(|c| c.strip_prefix(AGENT_PREFIX).map(str::to_owned))
+        .collect())
+}
+
 /// Sync `/etc/tmpfiles.d/hyperhive-agents.conf` with the currently-known
 /// agent set (from `nixos-container list`). Strips the `h-` prefix to get
 /// logical names. Best-effort: errors are logged but never propagated — a

hive-c0re/src/lifecycle/tests.rs

@@ -377,3 +377,18 @@ fn failed_destroy_with_an_unreadable_list_fails() {
     .expect_err("an unreadable list must not pass for an absent container");
     assert!(format!("{err:#}").contains("cannot confirm"), "{err:#}");
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn agent_names_strips_the_container_prefix() {
+    let names = agent_names(Ok(vec![format!("{AGENT_PREFIX}iris"), "other".to_owned()]))
+        .expect("a readable list");
+    assert_eq!(names, vec!["iris"]);
+}
+
+/// A failed list is not an empty hive: the error reaches the caller.
+#[test]
+fn agent_names_propagates_an_unreadable_list() {
+    let err = agent_names(Err(anyhow::anyhow!("connect to hive-priv socket")))
+        .expect_err("an unreadable list must not read as zero agents");
+    assert!(format!("{err:#}").contains("hive-priv"), "{err:#}");
+}

hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs

@@ -63,7 +63,13 @@ pub async fn run(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
             Err(e) => tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "clear stale meta lock failed"),
         }
     }
-    let names = enumerate_agents().await;
+    let names = match enumerate_agents().await {
+        Ok(names) => names,
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "migration: container list failed; skipping per-agent phases");
+            Vec::new()
+        }
+    };
     tracing::info!(count = names.len(), "migration: scanning");
 
     // Phase 0: move harness-owned files out of state/ into harness/.
@@ -94,9 +100,15 @@ pub async fn run(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
 
     // Phase 3: meta repo.
     tracing::debug!("migration: phase 3 (meta sync_agents)");
-    let agents = lifecycle::agents_for_meta_listing()
+    // `sync_agents` renders exactly the agents it is given, so an empty
-        .await
+    // stand-in for an unreadable list would drop every agent from the flake.
-        .unwrap_or_default();
+    let agents = match lifecycle::agents_for_meta_listing().await {
+        Ok(agents) => agents,
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "migration: container list failed; skipping meta sync_agents");
+            return Ok(());
+        }
+    };
     match tokio::time::timeout(GIT_TIMEOUT, meta::sync_agents(&coord.hive_env(), &agents)).await {
         Ok(Err(e)) => tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "migration: meta sync_agents failed"),
         Err(_) => {
@@ -139,9 +151,9 @@ fn migrate_harness_files(name: &hive_types::Ident) {
     }
 }
 
-async fn enumerate_agents() -> Vec<hive_types::Ident> {
+async fn enumerate_agents() -> Result<Vec<hive_types::Ident>> {
-    let containers = lifecycle::list().await.unwrap_or_default();
+    let containers = lifecycle::list().await?;
-    containers
+    Ok(containers
         .into_iter()
         .filter_map(|c| {
             let name = if c == MANAGER_CONTAINER {
@@ -151,7 +163,7 @@ async fn enumerate_agents() -> Vec<hive_types::Ident> {
             };
             hive_types::Ident::parse(name).ok()
         })
-        .collect()
+        .collect())
 }
 
 async fn migrate_applied_repo(name: &str) -> Result<()> {

hive-c0re/src/server.rs

@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ async fn handle_spawn(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, name: &str) -> Result<HostRespon
     tracing::info!(%name, "spawn");
     let agent_dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(name);
     let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir);
+    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name, agent_dir)?;
     // lifecycle::spawn creates the runtime dir internally before start.
     // MCP listener registration is event-driven: bind immediately on
     // success so the harness can connect on its first turn without
@@ -375,12 +375,15 @@ async fn handle_set_paused(
 
 /// Collect per-agent status rows for `hivectl status` and the dashboard.
 async fn handle_agent_status(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) -> HostResponse {
-    let rows = crate::container_view::build_all(&coord.hive_env())
+    match crate::container_view::build_all(&coord.hive_env()).await {
-        .await
+        Ok(views) => HostResponse::agent_statuses(
+            views
                 .into_iter()
                 .map(hive_sh4re::container::AgentStatusRow::from)
-        .collect();
+                .collect(),
-    HostResponse::agent_statuses(rows)
+        ),
+        Err(e) => HostResponse::error(format!("listing containers: {e:#}")),
+    }
 }
 
 /// `SubscribeAgentStatus` — ack once, then push one single-row
@@ -502,7 +505,7 @@ async fn handle_set_resource_limits(
     // in the JSON until the agent's next spawn or rebuild.
     let agent_dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(name.as_str());
     let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name.as_str(), agent_dir);
+    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(name.as_str(), agent_dir)?;
     crate::lifecycle::write_dropins(name.as_str(), &hive, &paths).await?;
 
     let (cpu, mem) = crate::resource_limits::effective(

hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs

@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ pub async fn ensure_root_agent(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
     // ensure_agent_runtime_dir needed here.
     let runtime = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(MANAGER_NAME);
     let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(MANAGER_NAME, runtime);
+    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(MANAGER_NAME, runtime)?;
     lifecycle::spawn(MANAGER_NAME, &hive, &paths).await?;
     seed_manager_tool_groups();
     if let Err(e) = coord.power.set(MANAGER_NAME, crate::power::Wanted::Up) {