diff --git a/hive-ag3nt/src/bin/hive.rs b/hive-ag3nt/src/bin/hive.rs
index 0748f356..6e710138 100644
--- a/hive-ag3nt/src/bin/hive.rs
+++ b/hive-ag3nt/src/bin/hive.rs
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ async fn serve_main<S: Surface>(socket: &Path, poll_ms: u64) -> Result<()> {
     // through `<parent>` via the `send_to_parent` failure-notify path.
     // The broker resolves `<parent>` per `topology::parent_of`;
     // root agents fall through to operator.
-    for failure in plugins::install_configured(socket).await {
+    for failure in plugins::install_configured().await {
         S::send_to_parent(socket, failure).await;
     }
     tokio::spawn(hive_ag3nt::forge_notify::run(socket.to_path_buf()));
diff --git a/hive-ag3nt/src/client.rs b/hive-ag3nt/src/client.rs
index 33e9fa80..0cfd36f9 100644
--- a/hive-ag3nt/src/client.rs
+++ b/hive-ag3nt/src/client.rs
@@ -76,7 +76,9 @@ where
             }
         }
     }
-    Err(last_err.unwrap_or_else(|| anyhow!("hive socket: retries exhausted")))
+    // Reaching here means the final attempt returned `Transient`, which always
+    // sets `last_err` — so this is infallible.
+    Err(last_err.expect("a transient failure on the final attempt set last_err"))
 }
 
 /// Transient = connect / IO error worth a retry (server restart, broken
diff --git a/hive-ag3nt/src/identity.rs b/hive-ag3nt/src/identity.rs
index 56759aee..4cafa13b 100644
--- a/hive-ag3nt/src/identity.rs
+++ b/hive-ag3nt/src/identity.rs
@@ -14,14 +14,18 @@ pub fn label() -> String {
     env::var("HIVE_LABEL").unwrap_or_default()
 }
 
+/// `env::var(key)` reduced to `Some(value)` only when the var is set and
+/// non-empty — the shared shape of the hive/swarm display-name lookups below.
+fn non_empty_env(key: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    env::var(key).ok().filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+}
+
 /// The hive's canonical DNS domain when set, otherwise None. Single-hive
 /// deployments where `HYPERHIVE_HIVE_DOMAIN` is unset return None — callers
 /// then degrade gracefully to the short label.
 #[must_use]
 pub fn hive_domain() -> Option<String> {
-    env::var("HYPERHIVE_HIVE_DOMAIN")
-        .ok()
-        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+    non_empty_env("HYPERHIVE_HIVE_DOMAIN")
 }
 
 /// Human display name of this hive (e.g. `pr1ma`). Distinct from
@@ -32,9 +36,7 @@ pub fn hive_domain() -> Option<String> {
 /// at their discretion.
 #[must_use]
 pub fn hive_name() -> Option<String> {
-    env::var("HYPERHIVE_HIVE_NAME")
-        .ok()
-        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+    non_empty_env("HYPERHIVE_HIVE_NAME")
 }
 
 /// Human display name of the wider swarm this hive belongs to (e.g.
@@ -43,9 +45,7 @@ pub fn hive_name() -> Option<String> {
 /// `services.hyperhive.swarmName` option is unset.
 #[must_use]
 pub fn swarm_name() -> Option<String> {
-    env::var("HYPERHIVE_SWARM_NAME")
-        .ok()
-        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+    non_empty_env("HYPERHIVE_SWARM_NAME")
 }
 
 /// One peer hive in the same swarm. Parsed from `HYPERHIVE_PEERS`.
diff --git a/hive-ag3nt/src/plugins.rs b/hive-ag3nt/src/plugins.rs
index f5b21765..e3bc3cdc 100644
--- a/hive-ag3nt/src/plugins.rs
+++ b/hive-ag3nt/src/plugins.rs
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@
 //! plugin specs resolve against current index data. Marketplace update
 //! failures are non-fatal — stale index is better than no install attempt.
 
-use std::path::Path;
-
 use tokio::process::Command;
 
 const PLUGINS_PATH: &str = "/etc/hyperhive/claude-plugins.json";
@@ -103,8 +101,7 @@ async fn update_marketplaces() {
 /// notification, see `Surface::send_to_parent`). Wire-agnostic: the
 /// caller picks the recipient via the same `<parent>` sentinel that
 /// failure-notify uses everywhere else.
-pub async fn install_configured(socket: &Path) -> Vec<String> {
-    let _ = socket; // Reserved for future telemetry; currently unused.
+pub async fn install_configured() -> Vec<String> {
     let Ok(raw) = tokio::fs::read_to_string(PLUGINS_PATH).await else {
         return Vec::new();
     };