docs: extract best-effort oneshot service contract + matrix-avatar (#718 batch 6)

Two new sections housing rationale that was inline in
`harness-base.nix`:

- `docs/conventions.md::Best-effort oneshot services` — shape
  contract shared by `tea-login`, `forge-avatar-sync`, and
  `matrix-avatar-sync`: always exit 0, no `set -e`, skip silently
  on missing prerequisites, wired to multi-user.target,
  re-runnable. Plus the artefact-under-agent-home + service-stays-
  root posture and the operator-visible-via-journalctl trade-off.

- `docs/persistence.md::matrix-avatar-sync` — the two-step `media
  upload` → `set avatar_url` matrix-spec dance + why
  `RemainAfterExit = false` (so the `.path` watcher's re-fire on
  token appearance actually re-executes the unit).

In-code comments trim to one-liner purpose + pointers; the script
bodies stay (they're the actual implementation) but their inline
`#` rationale comments collapse where the docs cover them.

`description = ''…''` blocks (operator-facing options docs)
preserved per iris #718.

`nix flake check` clean; `nix fmt` clean.

docs/conventions.md

@@ -206,3 +206,53 @@ Stage and commit when work *looks* ready, then run validation
 (`cargo check`, `nix flake check`, real deploy). Failures get a
 follow-up commit rather than an amend. The commit history is the
 work log; rewriting it loses signal.
+
+## Best-effort oneshot services
+
+The harness ships a family of one-shot systemd services that
+configure agent-side surfaces from values hive-c0re writes into
+the state dir at provisioning time:
+
+- `tea-login` — writes `~/.config/tea/config.yml` from the
+  `forge-token` written by `hive-c0re::forge::ensure_user_for`,
+  so `tea repos create` / `tea pulls create` work without
+  interactive prompts.
+- `forge-avatar-sync` — uploads `hyperhive.icon` SVG to the
+  agent's Forgejo profile, so the icon shows up on commits / PRs /
+  issue comments.
+- `matrix-avatar-sync` — same idea for matrix profile avatars
+  (two-step `media upload` → `set avatar_url` dance — see
+  `docs/persistence.md::matrix-avatar-sync` for the protocol
+  detail).
+
+Shape contract — every one of these:
+
+1. **Always `exit 0`**, even on internal failure. A non-zero exit
+   would mark the unit `failed`, which in turn aborts
+   `nixos-container update` and blocks rebuilds. The agent's
+   capability surface is not allowed to gate the container
+   build.
+2. **No `set -e`** in the script body. Subshell failures must not
+   propagate. Use `... || true` on every external call that can
+   fail (forge unreachable, missing icon, parse error, etc.)
+3. **Skip silently when prerequisites are missing**: no token
+   file, no icon, no reachable upstream → `echo` a short skip
+   line + `exit 0`. The next boot tries again.
+4. **Wired to `multi-user.target`** so they run on every boot
+   (lets a rotated token / new icon take effect without
+   `systemctl restart` gymnastics).
+5. **Re-runnable**: a second invocation produces the same final
+   state (idempotent uploads, idempotent config rewrites). Used
+   by the `.path` watchers that re-fire on token appearance
+   (#571 — see `docs/persistence.md::matrix-avatar-sync`).
+
+The artefact lives under the agent user's home where applicable
+(`~/.config/tea/config.yml`) and is chown'd to that user, but the
+service itself stays root-owned so the bootstrap ordering doesn't
+need a user-existence check before each fire.
+
+This pattern keeps the rebuild path resilient: any failure inside
+these services degrades the corresponding surface (no tea config,
+no avatar) but never blocks the container from coming up. The
+operator notices through `journalctl -u <unit>` rather than a
+broken switch-to-configuration.

docs/persistence.md

@@ -259,3 +259,25 @@ restart. The `.path` unit makes the appearance of the token re-fire
 the service so the daemon comes alive in the same boot cycle as
 provisioning. `matrix-avatar-sync.path` uses the same pattern for
 the icon-upload oneshot.
+
+### matrix-avatar-sync (two-step media + profile dance)
+
+Mirrors the forge-avatar oneshot's shape (`docs/conventions.md::
+Best-effort oneshot services`) but differs in protocol: matrix
+avatars are a two-step `POST /media/r0/upload` → `PUT
+/profile/<user_id>/avatar_url` dance, both authenticated by the
+`access_token` written by `hive-c0re::matrix::ensure_user_for` to
+`<state>/matrix-token`.
+
+Triggered by EITHER boot (`wantedBy = multi-user.target`) OR the
+sibling `matrix-avatar-sync.path` firing on token appearance. Both
+paths re-run the oneshot idempotently — running the avatar set
+twice is harmless.
+
+Critically: **`RemainAfterExit = false`** (not the more common
+`true` for oneshots). systemd treats `RemainAfterExit = true`
+oneshots as "still running" after the first exit, so the second
+trigger from the `.path` watcher becomes a no-op. Setting it to
+`false` lets re-fires actually re-execute. The trade-off is the
+service unit shows `inactive (dead)` between fires — visible in
+`journalctl` but harmless; the `.path` unit drives the lifecycle.