ask_operator: operator-side ✗ CANC3L on pending questions

new POST /cancel-question/{id} resolves a pending operator question
with the sentinel answer '[cancelled]' and fires the usual
HelperEvent::OperatorAnswered so the manager sees a terminal state
and can fall back. uses the same OperatorQuestions::answer path —
no special handling, the manager already has to deal with arbitrary
answer strings.

dashboard renders the cancel as a separate <form> below the main
qform so the answer-merge submit handler on the main form doesn't
inadvertently fire when the operator clicks cancel. confirm dialog
spells out what the manager will see.

ttl-based auto-cancel is still on the todo (would spawn a tokio task
per submitted question).

TODO.md

@@ -70,12 +70,13 @@ Pick anything from here when relevant. Cross-cutting design notes live in
 
 ## Manager → operator question channel
 
-- **TTL / cancel on `ask_operator`.** Questions today block forever; the
+- **TTL on `ask_operator`.** Manual cancel via dashboard already
-  manager turn stays alive until the operator answers. Add a per-question
+  ships (✗ CANC3L button resolves the question with answer
-  `ttl_seconds` (or a dashboard "cancel" button that resolves the question
+  `[cancelled]` and fires `OperatorAnswered` so the manager sees a
-  with a sentinel answer) so a long-idle question can time out and let the
+  terminal state). Still missing: per-question `ttl_seconds` that
-  manager fall back. Wire the timeout into `OperatorQuestions::wait_answered`
+  auto-cancels after a deadline. Spawn a tokio task per submitted
-  and surface remaining-time on the dashboard.
+  question that calls the same cancel path after the ttl expires
+  (cheap; rare). Surface remaining time on the dashboard.
 
 ## Spawn flow
 

hive-c0re/assets/app.js

@@ -284,12 +284,28 @@
         if (!merged) { ev.preventDefault(); alert('pick an option or type an answer'); }
       }, true);
       if (hasOptions) f.append(optionGroup);
-      f.append(
+      const buttons = el('div', { class: 'q-buttons' });
-        el('div', { class: 'q-free' }, freeText),
+      buttons.append(
         el('button', { type: 'submit', class: 'btn btn-approve' },
           isMulti ? '▸ ANSW3R · ' + (q.options.length) + ' opts' : '▸ ANSW3R'),
       );
+      f.append(
+        el('div', { class: 'q-free' }, freeText),
+        buttons,
+      );
       li.append(f);
+      // Separate form so the cancel button doesn't get the answer
+      // merge-on-submit handler attached to the main form.
+      const cancelForm = el('form', {
+        method: 'POST', action: '/cancel-question/' + q.id,
+        class: 'qform-cancel', 'data-async': '',
+        'data-confirm': 'cancel this question? manager will see '
+          + '"[cancelled]" as the answer.',
+      });
+      cancelForm.append(
+        el('button', { type: 'submit', class: 'btn btn-deny' }, '✗ CANC3L'),
+      );
+      li.append(cancelForm);
       ul.append(li);
     }
     root.append(ul);

hive-c0re/assets/dashboard.css

@@ -332,6 +332,7 @@ summary:hover { color: var(--purple); }
 .qform .q-free input::placeholder { color: var(--muted); }
 .qform .q-free input:focus { outline: 1px solid var(--amber); }
 .qform button { align-self: flex-start; }
+.qform-cancel { margin-top: 0.3em; }
 .inbox {
   background: var(--bg-elev);
   border: 1px solid var(--border);

hive-c0re/src/dashboard.rs

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ pub async fn serve(port: u16, coord: Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
         .route("/rebuild/{name}", post(post_rebuild))
         .route("/update-all", post(post_update_all))
         .route("/answer-question/{id}", post(post_answer_question))
+        .route("/cancel-question/{id}", post(post_cancel_question))
         .route("/purge-tombstone/{name}", post(post_purge_tombstone))
         .route("/request-spawn", post(post_request_spawn))
         .route("/messages/stream", get(messages_stream))
@@ -417,6 +418,33 @@ async fn post_answer_question(
     }
 }
 
+/// Resolve a pending operator question with a sentinel answer when
+/// the operator decides not to / can't answer. The manager harness
+/// receives an `OperatorAnswered` event with `answer = "[cancelled]"`
+/// so it can fall back on whatever default it had. Same code path as
+/// a real answer — just lets the operator close the loop instead of
+/// letting the question dangle forever.
+async fn post_cancel_question(
+    State(state): State<AppState>,
+    AxumPath(id): AxumPath<i64>,
+) -> Response {
+    const SENTINEL: &str = "[cancelled]";
+    match state.coord.questions.answer(id, SENTINEL) {
+        Ok(question) => {
+            tracing::info!(%id, "operator cancelled question");
+            state
+                .coord
+                .notify_manager(&hive_sh4re::HelperEvent::OperatorAnswered {
+                    id,
+                    question,
+                    answer: SENTINEL.to_owned(),
+                });
+            Redirect::to("/").into_response()
+        }
+        Err(e) => error_response(&format!("cancel-question {id} failed: {e:#}")),
+    }
+}
+
 async fn post_purge_tombstone(
     State(state): State<AppState>,
     AxumPath(name): AxumPath<String>,