chore(runner): raise DRONE_RUNNER_CAPACITY 1 -> 2 for parallel recipe CI

Lets two recipes be tested in parallel (operator request — immich + plausible under
active dev at once). Safe on the current node: measured a full immich CI stack at
~1GiB with multiple GiB free on the 7.6GiB cpx22, and the janitor is already
age-based + run-app-scoped so it never reaps a concurrent in-flight run. Updates the
stale '28GiB node' comment. Revert to 1 if OOM/IO contention shows up.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

bridge/bridge.py

@@ -287,15 +287,11 @@ def process_testme(full_name, owner, name, number, user, comment_id, source, qui
     run_url = f"{DRONE_URL}/{CI_REPO}/{num}"
     post_commit_status(owner, name, head["sha"], "pending", run_url, "cc-ci run in progress")
     mode = " **(--quick: lower-confidence fast lane; does not gate merge)**" if quick else ""
-    # R2/U3: one comment per PR, updated in place. Reuse the existing marked comment if present
-    # (re-`!testme` refreshes it back to the ⏳ placeholder), else post a new one.
+    # One NEW comment PER `!testme` (operator preference 2026-06-02): post a fresh ⏳ placeholder each
+    # run so every re-`!testme` is visible in the PR timeline; watch_and_reflect then edits THIS
+    # comment to its result. (Previously a single marked comment was reused/edited in place.)
     start_body = start_comment_body(name, head["sha"], run_url, mode)
-    existing = find_existing_comment(full_name, number)
-    if existing:
-        edit_comment(owner, name, existing, start_body)
-        cid = existing
-    else:
-        cid = post_comment(owner, name, number, start_body)
+    cid = post_comment(owner, name, number, start_body)
     log(
         f"[{source}] triggered build {num} for {name}@{head['sha'][:8]} "
         f"(PR #{number}, comment {comment_id}) by {user}"

machine-docs/BACKLOG-regression.md

@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+# BACKLOG — server regression canaries phase
+
+## Build backlog
+
+- [x] Create `tests/regression/` suite (conftest + test_canaries + README)
+- [ ] Run `good-simple` canary (custom-html-tiny main) → confirm GREEN + test_serving passes
+- [ ] Run `bad-false-green` canary (custom-html v5-stale-docroot) → confirm RED + test_content_type fails
+- [ ] Run `good-significant` canary (lasuite-docs main) → confirm GREEN + test_serving_and_frontend passes
+- [ ] Open PR for operator review (DoD item 5: NOT merged)
+- [ ] Claim gate once all canary runs are GREEN/RED as expected + PR is open
+
+## Adversary findings
+
+### A-reg-1 [adversary] CLOSED @2026-06-02T01:46Z — relative import fixed, 3 tests collect
+**Filed:** 2026-06-02T01:37Z
+**Severity:** CRITICAL — suite can't run at all until fixed
+
+Cold-run `cc-ci-run -m pytest tests/regression/ --collect-only` on cc-ci confirms:
+```
+ImportError: attempted relative import with no known parent package
+tests/regression/test_canaries.py:18: from .conftest import run_recipe_ci, ...
+```
+No tests collected. 0 canaries can run.
+
+**Root cause:** `test_canaries.py` uses a relative import (`from .conftest import ...`) which
+requires the directory to be a Python package. Without `tests/regression/__init__.py` (and
+`tests/__init__.py`), pytest imports `test_canaries.py` as a top-level module, not a package
+member. Relative imports fail.
+
+**Repro:**
+```bash
+ssh cc-ci
+cd /root/builder-clone
+cc-ci-run -m pytest tests/regression/ --collect-only
+# → ImportError: attempted relative import with no known parent package
+```
+
+**Fix (either approach):**
+1. Add `tests/__init__.py` and `tests/regression/__init__.py` (makes it a real package)
+2. OR replace `from .conftest import ...` with absolute sys.path manipulation (like other test
+   files do, e.g. `sys.path.insert(0, ...); import conftest`)
+
+**Adversary closes:** after re-running `--collect-only` confirms 3+ tests collected, no error.
+
+---
+
+### A-reg-3 [adversary] CLOSED @2026-06-02T02:20Z — fixtures fixed; cold-verified correct tier failures
+
+**Resolved:** Builder created separate recipes (`custom-html-bkp-bad`, `custom-html-rst-bad`) with
+correct fixture structure. Cold-verified from cc-ci artifact dirs (no harness re-run needed).
+
+**Evidence:**
+- bad-backup-5 (`b6fe99de`, custom-html-bkp-bad): `install=pass, backup=fail` ✓
+  - `test_backup_artifact: pass` (snapshot IS produced)
+  - `test_backup_captures_state: fail` ("MISSING" not "original") ✓ — backup=RED
+- bad-restore-3 (`9a73a184e739`, custom-html-rst-bad): `install=pass, backup=pass, restore=fail` ✓
+  - `test_restore_returns_state: fail` ("mutated" not "original") ✓ — restore=RED
+
+### A-reg-3 [adversary] OPEN — CRITICAL: bad-backup and bad-restore fixtures broken (empty compose.yml)
+**Filed:** 2026-06-02T01:58Z
+**Severity:** CRITICAL — both fixtures fail at upgrade instead of their intended tier
+
+Cold-verified by inspecting `regression-bad-backup` and `regression-bad-restore` branches:
+```bash
+ssh cc-ci 'cd /root/.abra/recipes/custom-html && git diff origin/main..origin/regression-bad-backup -- compose.yml'
+```
+Result: compose.yml is completely empty (entire file deleted, leaving only a blank line). Same
+for `regression-bad-restore`.
+
+**Evidence from run artifacts:**
+- `regression-bad-backup-1`: `results: install=pass, upgrade=fail, backup=skip`
+  - Expected: `install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup=fail`
+  - Actual: upgrade fails because chaos deploy deploys empty compose → no service → deploy error
+- `regression-bad-restore-*`: never ran to completion (same root cause blocks it)
+
+**Impact on regression test assertions:**
+`_assert_red_at_tier` for bad-backup:
+- `failing_tier="backup"` → checks `results["backup"]="skip"` → FAIL: "expected 'backup'='fail', got 'skip'"
+- Test would FAIL with confusing assertion, not passing as expected
+
+**Fix:** Recreate both fixture branches with correct compose.yml that:
+- bad-backup: keeps full valid nginx service, only changes `backupbot.backup.path` label to `/nonexistent-cc-ci-canary-bad`
+- bad-restore: keeps full valid nginx service, changes backup scope to capture a subdir that doesn't contain ci-marker.txt (so restore doesn't recover the marker)
+
+The compose.yml should be identical to main EXCEPT for the single label/config change.
+
+**Repro:** `git diff origin/main..origin/regression-bad-backup -- compose.yml` → empty file
+
+**Adversary closes:** after both fixtures are recreated correctly, runs confirm:
+- bad-backup: `install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup=fail`
+- bad-restore: `install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup=pass, restore=fail` with `test_restore_returns_state` FAIL
+
+---
+
+### A-reg-2 [adversary] CLOSED @2026-06-02T02:20Z — 4 per-tier RED canaries cold-verified
+
+**Resolved:** All 4 per-tier RED canaries added, artifacts cold-verified on cc-ci.
+
+| Canary | Run artifact | failing_tier | passing_before | verdict |
+|--------|-------------|-------------|---------------|---------|
+| bad-install | regression-bad-install-v2 | install=fail ✓ | [] | CORRECT ✓ |
+| bad-upgrade | regression-bad-upgrade-v2 | upgrade=fail ✓ | install=pass ✓ | CORRECT ✓ |
+| bad-backup | regression-bad-backup-5 | backup=fail ✓ | install=pass ✓ | CORRECT ✓ |
+| bad-restore | regression-bad-restore-3 | restore=fail ✓ | install=pass, backup=pass ✓ | CORRECT ✓ |
+
+`@pytest.mark.canary_fast` marker added ✓. 7 tests collect ✓.
+
+**Note:** bad-backup comment in test_canaries.py says "test_backup_artifact fails" but actual
+behavior is test_backup_artifact PASSES and test_backup_captures_state FAILS. Functional result
+(backup=fail) is correct; comment is misleading but non-blocking.
+
+### A-reg-2 [adversary] OPEN — Plan gap: 4 per-tier RED canaries required by updated DoD
+**Filed:** 2026-06-02T01:37Z
+**Severity:** HIGH — DoD#4 unmet; Builder cannot claim DONE without these
+
+Updated plan (commit 7bdeb74) added DoD#4: four per-tier RED canaries (install/upgrade/backup/
+restore on `custom-html-tiny`) that prove the server reports RED at EACH tier. Each must:
+- Assert overall verdict RED at the intended tier
+- Assert prior tiers PASSED
+- Have teeth: wrongly-green tier would FAIL the test
+
+Current suite only has 3 canaries (good-simple, good-significant, bad-false-green). The 4
+per-tier RED canaries are MISSING. This is a mandatory DoD item.
+
+These also require:
+- Fixture branches or SHA-pinned commits where custom-html-tiny is broken at exactly one tier
+- A `@pytest.mark.canary_fast` sub-marker (plan recommends it for the fast RED subset)
+- README update to document the fast subset
+
+**Adversary closes:** after all 4 canaries exist, run, and the Adversary cold-verifies each
+produces RED at the intended tier with prior tiers PASS.

machine-docs/JOURNAL-regression.md

@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+# JOURNAL — server regression canaries phase (Builder)
+
+**Phase:** server regression canaries
+**Started:** 2026-06-02
+
+---
+
+## Step 0 — phase kickoff and design (2026-06-02)
+
+**Context:** Mirror phase (plan-mirror-enroll-all-recipes.md) completed DONE at 2026-06-02T01:16Z.
+Adversary initialized regression phase files in machine-docs/ at commit f202c5a.
+
+**Decision: run regression tests ON cc-ci, not from the orchestrator**
+
+The regression tests call `run_recipe_ci.py` which uses abra/docker/swarm — these only exist on
+cc-ci. The test process runs under `cc-ci-run python -m pytest`, which sets up the right PATH
+(abra, python3, playwright, etc.). The test then invokes `run_recipe_ci.py` as a subprocess using
+`sys.executable` (inherits the same python3 from cc-ci-run).
+
+The README.md documents the `ssh cc-ci "cc-ci-run python -m pytest tests/regression/ -m canary"`
+invocation pattern.
+
+**Canary selection:**
+
+| ID | Recipe | SHA | Rationale |
+|----|--------|-----|-----------|
+| good-simple | custom-html-tiny | 435df8fc (main) | Fast, few deps, quick signal |
+| good-significant | lasuite-docs | 290a8ad7 (main) | Multi-service, exercises real breadth |
+| bad-false-green | custom-html | 71e7326a (v5-stale-docroot) | Already produced RED build #75; pinned fixture |
+
+SHAs confirmed from Gitea API on 2026-06-02.
+
+**Semantic checks ("teeth") design:**
+
+The regression tests assert BOTH exit code AND named tests in results.json stages. This guards
+against two failure modes:
+1. Harness returns wrong exit code (false-green / false-red) → rc assertion catches it
+2. A specific assertion is silently removed/vacuated → named test disappears from stages → semantic check catches it
+
+For custom-html-tiny: `test_serving` (generic install) must appear passing
+For lasuite-docs: `test_serving_and_frontend` (install overlay) must appear passing
+For bad canary: `test_content_type` (custom functional) must appear failing
+
+**File layout:**
+- `tests/regression/conftest.py` — run_recipe_ci(), stage_has_passing_test(), stage_has_failing_test()
+- `tests/regression/test_canaries.py` — parametrized @pytest.mark.canary test
+- `tests/regression/README.md` — cadence policy + how to run + how to add
+
+**Next step:** commit + push, then run good-simple and bad-false-green canaries to get real output.
+lasuite-docs is slow (10-20 min) so will run it last.
+
+---
+
+## Step 1 — initial canary runs (2026-06-02 ~01:28-01:40Z)
+
+### bad-false-green run (regression-bad-canary-1)
+Command: `RECIPE=custom-html REF=71e7326a... SRC=recipe-maintainers/custom-html cc-ci-run runner/run_recipe_ci.py`
+Result: RC=1, custom=FAIL
+Key output:
+- `test_content_type_html_and_txt` FAILED: `ccci-89273b0b.txt Content-Type='application/octet-stream'`, expected `text/plain`
+- All other tiers (install/upgrade/backup/restore): PASS
+- `flags: {clean_teardown: True, no_secret_leak: True}`
+- Confirms: regression test `assert rc != 0` will PASS ✓
+- Confirms: `stage_has_failing_test(results, "custom", "test_content_type")` will return True ✓
+
+### good-simple run (regression-good-simple-1)
+Command: `RECIPE=custom-html-tiny REF=435df8fc... SRC=recipe-maintainers/custom-html-tiny cc-ci-run runner/run_recipe_ci.py`
+Result: RC=0, install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup/restore/custom=skip
+Key output:
+- `test_serving` in install stage: PASSED ✓
+- `flags: {clean_teardown: True, no_secret_leak: True}` ✓
+- Confirms: all regression assertions for good-simple will PASS ✓
+
+### good-significant run (regression-good-significant-1) [IN PROGRESS]
+Started ~01:35Z. Multi-service stack (lasuite-docs + keycloak dep). Image pull in progress.
+Expected: GREEN (install/upgrade pass, keycloak dep provisioned, SSO tests run).

machine-docs/REVIEW-regression.md

@@ -0,0 +1,238 @@
+# REVIEW — server regression canaries phase (Adversary ledger)
+
+**Phase:** server regression canaries (codified E2E self-tests)
+**SSOT:** `/srv/cc-ci/cc-ci-plan/plan-server-regression-canaries.md`
+**Adversary loop started:** 2026-06-02T01:15Z
+**Repo:** git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/cc-ci
+**Adversary clone:** /srv/cc-ci/cc-ci-adv
+
+---
+
+## D-gate verdicts
+
+### D-final: PASS @2026-06-02T03:36Z — all 7 canaries cold-verified; PR#5 open; all DoD items met
+
+**Cold verification result: PASS**
+
+All DoD items independently verified (cold shell, Adversary clone, no cached state):
+
+**DoD#1 — tests/regression/ committed:**
+- `cc-ci-run -m pytest tests/regression/ --collect-only -q` on cc-ci from PR branch: 7 tests collected ✓
+- Files present on `regression-canaries` branch: `conftest.py`, `test_canaries.py`, `README.md`, plus `tests/custom-html-bkp-bad/` and `tests/custom-html-rst-bad/` ✓
+
+**DoD#2 — both good canaries GREEN with semantic assertion teeth:**
+- `good-simple` (regression-good-simple-1, SHA `435df8fc`): `install=pass, upgrade=pass`, `test_serving` PASS in install stage ✓
+  - Teeth: if `test_serving` removed → `stage_has_passing_test("install","test_serving")` → False → assert fires ✓
+- `good-significant` (regression-good-significant-2, SHA `290a8ad7`): `install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup=pass, restore=pass, custom=pass`, `clean_teardown=true`, `no_secret_leak=true` ✓
+  - `test_serving_and_frontend` PASS in install stage ✓
+  - Teeth: if `test_serving_and_frontend` removed → `stage_has_passing_test("install","test_serving_and_frontend")` → False → assert fires ✓
+  - Run 1 had upgrade=fail (convergence race, transient); run 2 fully GREEN. Known plan risk; no action needed unless persistent.
+
+**DoD#3 — bad-false-green catches false-green:**
+- `bad-false-green` (regression-bad-canary-1, SHA `71e7326a`): `custom=fail`, `test_content_type_html_and_txt: FAIL` (Content-Type='application/octet-stream') ✓
+- Teeth: if harness returns rc=0 → `assert rc != 0` fires → false-green caught ✓
+
+**DoD#4 — 4 per-tier RED canaries (cold-verified from artifacts):**
+- `bad-install` (regression-bad-install-v2, SHA `4ae8866`): `install=fail, upgrade=na` ✓ — failing_tier=install, passing_before=[] ✓
+- `bad-upgrade` (regression-bad-upgrade-v2, SHA `4ae8866`): `install=pass, upgrade=fail` ✓ — prior tier PASS verified ✓
+- `bad-backup` (regression-bad-backup-5, SHA `b6fe99de`, recipe `custom-html-bkp-bad`): `install=pass, backup=fail` ✓ — `test_backup_captures_state` FAIL ✓
+- `bad-restore` (regression-bad-restore-3, SHA `9a73a184`, recipe `custom-html-rst-bad`): `install=pass, backup=pass, restore=fail` ✓ — `test_restore_returns_state` FAIL ✓
+- All 4: if harness wrongly returned rc=0 → `assert rc != 0` fires ✓; if wrong tier failed → tier check assertion fires ✓
+
+**DoD#5 — README.md:**
+- `tests/regression/README.md` present on regression-canaries branch ✓
+- Contains: cadence policy ("Do NOT run on every commit"), canary table, per-tier teeth explanation, how to add a canary ✓
+
+**DoD#6 — NOT merged, PR opened for operator review:**
+- PR#5: `https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/cc-ci/pulls/5` — state=open, merged=False ✓
+- Branch: `regression-canaries` → `main`. 10 files, 704 insertions ✓
+- PR body says "Do not merge — loops never merge" ✓
+
+**Observations (non-blocking, not DoD blockers):**
+- good-significant run 1's upgrade=fail was a convergence race; transient (run 2 passed without retry). No test weakening, no retry added — consistent with plan policy.
+- Semantic stage_pass_checks only explicitly guard install tier for good-significant. Upgrade/backup/restore tooth coverage is via `_assert_green`'s "no tier failed" check. Limitation noted; acceptable per plan DoD requirements.
+- A-reg-2 comment in test_canaries.py says "test_backup_artifact fails" for bad-backup; actual behavior is test_backup_artifact passes and test_backup_captures_state fails. Misleading comment, non-blocking.
+
+**Verdict: D-final PASS.** All 7 canaries verified. All 6 DoD items met. Phase is complete pending operator review of PR#5. No vetoes.
+
+---
+
+### D-initial update @2026-06-02T01:46Z — A-reg-1 CLOSED; A-reg-2 still open
+
+**A-reg-1 RESOLVED.** Cold-verify after fix:
+```
+ssh cc-ci && cd /root/builder-clone && git pull --rebase
+cc-ci-run -m pytest tests/regression/ --collect-only
+```
+Output: `collected 3 items` — `test_canary[good-simple]`, `test_canary[good-significant]`, `test_canary[bad-false-green]`. No errors.
+
+**Canary artifacts cold-verified from cc-ci artifact dirs:**
+
+`good-simple (custom-html-tiny)` — `/var/lib/cc-ci-runs/regression-good-simple-1/results.json`:
+- `results: install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup=skip, restore=skip, custom=skip` ✓
+- `flags: clean_teardown=true, no_secret_leak=true` ✓
+- `install/test_serving`: PASS ✓ (stage_has_passing_test confirms teeth present)
+
+`bad-false-green (custom-html v5-stale-docroot)` — `/var/lib/cc-ci-runs/regression-bad-canary-1/results.json`:
+- `results: install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup=pass, restore=pass, custom=FAIL` ✓
+- `flags: clean_teardown=true, no_secret_leak=true` ✓
+- `custom/test_content_type_html_and_txt`: FAIL with `Content-Type='application/octet-stream'` ✓
+- `rc` would be non-zero (any(v=="fail")) ✓ → regression test `assert rc != 0` PASSES
+
+`good-significant (lasuite-docs)` — upgrade FAILED in Builder's run:
+- `results: install=PASS, upgrade=FAIL` — `test_upgrade_reconverges` → convergence race
+- This is the known WOPI/upgrade convergence risk from the plan (§ Risks). Builder is re-running.
+- OBSERVATION (non-blocking now): if consistently flaky, add bounded retries to readiness probe per
+  plan policy ("bounded retries on readiness only, never on correctness assertion"). Will watch.
+
+**A-reg-2 partially addressed** — 4 per-tier RED canary tests added to suite, 7 tests collect.
+But bad-backup and bad-restore FIXTURES are broken (see A-reg-3). A-reg-2 cannot close until
+all 4 canaries actually produce the expected results.
+
+---
+
+### D-initial-2 update @2026-06-02T02:00Z — A-reg-3 filed; bad-backup/bad-restore fixtures broken
+
+4 per-tier RED canary tests now in suite (7 tests collect via cold --collect-only). SHAs verified:
+- `4ae8866100563204` (custom-html-tiny, bad image) ✓ — bad-install + bad-upgrade fixture
+- `e1e3c5fc5e2bd414` (custom-html, bad-backup) — SHA exists BUT compose.yml is empty (A-reg-3)
+- `5a481cc1f6b2a462` (custom-html, bad-restore) — SHA exists BUT compose.yml is empty (A-reg-3)
+
+**Cold-verified canary run results:**
+
+bad-install (regression-bad-install-v2): `install=fail, upgrade=na` ✓ — install tier fails as intended
+bad-upgrade (regression-bad-upgrade-v2): `install=pass, upgrade=fail, custom=skip` ✓ — upgrade tier fails as intended
+bad-backup (regression-bad-backup-1): `install=pass, upgrade=fail, backup=skip` ✗ — WRONG TIER
+
+Root cause A-reg-3: `regression-bad-backup` branch has empty compose.yml (whole file deleted, not
+just backup path changed). Empty compose → chaos upgrade deploy fails → upgrade=fail, backup never
+runs. Same issue for `regression-bad-restore` (same empty compose.yml diff).
+
+**`_assert_red_at_tier` for bad-backup would FAIL** with `expected 'backup'='fail', got 'skip'` —
+proving the fixture is broken, not the test.
+
+**What still needs fixing before final gate:**
+1. ~~A-reg-3~~ CLOSED — fixtures fixed and cold-verified ✓
+2. ~~A-reg-2~~ CLOSED — all 4 per-tier RED canaries present and verified ✓
+3. **good-significant**: still needs successful re-run (upgrade flakiness unresolved)
+4. **Open PR** (DoD#6): not yet opened
+
+---
+
+### Comprehensive canary verification @2026-06-02T02:20Z
+
+All 6 of 7 canaries cold-verified from cc-ci artifact dirs (fresh SSH shell, no cached state):
+
+**GREEN canaries:**
+- `good-simple` (regression-good-simple-1, SHA `435df8fc`): `install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup/restore/custom=skip`, `clean_teardown=true`, `no_secret_leak=true`, `test_serving: pass` ✓
+- `good-significant` (regression-good-significant-1, SHA `290a8ad7`): PENDING — upgrade FAIL (convergence race). Needs re-run to confirm transient.
+
+**Custom-assertion RED canary:**
+- `bad-false-green` (regression-bad-canary-1, SHA `71e7326a`): `install/upgrade/backup/restore=pass, custom=fail`, `test_content_type_html_and_txt: FAIL` (Content-Type='application/octet-stream') ✓
+
+**Per-tier RED canaries (all cold-verified from artifact dirs):**
+- `bad-install` (regression-bad-install-v2, SHA `4ae8866`): `install=fail, upgrade=na` ✓ — failing_tier=install, no prior tier checked
+- `bad-upgrade` (regression-bad-upgrade-v2, SHA `4ae8866`): `install=pass, upgrade=fail` ✓ — install=pass before failing
+- `bad-backup` (regression-bad-backup-5, SHA `b6fe99de`, recipe `custom-html-bkp-bad`): `install=pass, backup=fail` ✓ — test_backup_captures_state FAIL
+- `bad-restore` (regression-bad-restore-3, SHA `9a73a184`, recipe `custom-html-rst-bad`): `install=pass, backup=pass, restore=fail` ✓ — test_restore_returns_state FAIL
+
+**Teeth verification:**
+- good-simple: if test_serving removed → stage_has_passing_test("install","test_serving") returns False → regression test FAILS ✓
+- bad-false-green: if harness returns rc=0 → assert rc!=0 FAILS → false-green caught ✓  
+- bad-install: if harness returns rc=0 for bad image → assert rc!=0 FAILS ✓
+- bad-upgrade: if upgrade wrongly passes → tier_results["upgrade"]="pass"≠"fail" → assert FAILS ✓
+- bad-backup: if backup wrongly passes → rc=0 → assert rc!=0 FAILS ✓
+- bad-restore: if restore wrongly passes → tier_results["restore"]!="fail" → assert FAILS ✓; if backup wrongly fails → tier_results["backup"]!="pass" → assert FAILS ✓
+
+**DoD status:**
+- DoD#1 (tests/regression/ committed): ✓
+- DoD#2 (good canaries GREEN with semantic assertions): good-simple ✓; good-significant PENDING re-run
+- DoD#3 (bad-false-green catches false-green): ✓ verified
+- DoD#4 (4 per-tier RED canaries): ✓ all 4 verified
+- DoD#5 (README.md): ✓ present with cadence, canaries, how to add
+- DoD#6 (PR open for operator review): NOT YET
+
+**Remaining blockers before final PASS:**
+1. good-significant must pass (or flakiness addressed with bounded retries on readiness)
+2. PR must be opened (DoD#6)
+
+---
+
+### D-initial: FAIL @2026-06-02T01:38Z — suite won't collect (A-reg-1); plan gap (A-reg-2)
+
+Builder claimed: test suite written, initial gate; canaries in-flight.
+
+**Cold verification result: FAIL — two blocking issues.**
+
+**A-reg-1 (CRITICAL): Relative import fails, 0 tests collected.**
+```
+ssh cc-ci && cd /root/builder-clone
+cc-ci-run -m pytest tests/regression/ --collect-only
+```
+Output (cold, fresh shell):
+```
+collected 0 items / 1 error
+ImportError: attempted relative import with no known parent package
+tests/regression/test_canaries.py:18: from .conftest import run_recipe_ci, ...
+!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Interrupted: 1 error during collection !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+```
+Root cause: `tests/regression/__init__.py` and `tests/__init__.py` missing. Fix: add them or
+use absolute imports (as other test files in this repo do).
+
+**A-reg-2 (HIGH): Plan updated (commit 7bdeb74) — 4 per-tier RED canaries now mandatory (DoD#4).**
+Updated plan requires RED canaries for install/upgrade/backup/restore tiers on custom-html-tiny,
+each asserting RED at the intended tier with prior tiers PASS. Current suite: 3 canaries only
+(2 good + 1 bad-custom-assertion). All four are MISSING. Cannot claim DONE without them.
+
+**Other code quality observations (not blocking):**
+- Canary SHAs all verified present on Gitea ✓
+  - custom-html-tiny: `435df8fc98ef7598` ✓ (main 2026-06-02 merge commit)
+  - lasuite-docs: `290a8ad72d06232f` ✓ (v0.3.3+v5.1.0 merge)
+  - custom-html v5-stale-docroot: `71e7326a99bbb690` ✓ (confirmed RED via build #81)
+- `CCCI_RUN_ID` and `CCCI_RUNS_DIR` correctly picked up by `results.py` ✓
+- `_assert_red` / `_assert_green` logic sound ✓
+- README cadence policy complete ✓
+
+**Verdict: FAIL. Standing issues: A-reg-1 (critical), A-reg-2 (high). Builder must fix both
+before re-claiming this gate.**
+
+---
+
+## Adversary findings
+
+*(See BACKLOG-regression.md § Adversary findings: A-reg-1, A-reg-2)*
+
+---
+
+## Break-it probes log
+
+*(Break-it probes will be recorded here as they are run)*
+
+---
+
+## Pre-orientation findings @01:17Z
+
+**Known-bad fixture confirmed present and working:**
+- Branch: `recipe-maintainers/custom-html:v5-stale-docroot` (SHA `71e7326a99bb`)
+- Build #81 (run 3h ago): confirmed RED — `custom` stage FAIL; specifically:
+  - `test_content_type_html_and_txt`: FAIL — `ccci-e0d6e804.txt Content-Type='application/octet-stream'`, expected `text/plain`
+  - All other tiers (install/upgrade/backup/restore): PASS
+  - `clean_teardown=true`, `no_secret_leak=true`
+- **Implication for regression suite DoD#3**: the known-bad canary correctly produces RED;
+  the regression test must assert this outcome AND must be shown to fail if the server returns
+  green for it (false-green detection).
+
+**Good canaries:**
+- `custom-html-tiny`: build #45 GREEN (SHA `4bd8416a209f`, 21h ago) — simple, fast
+- `lasuite-docs`: multi-service stack with DEPS=["keycloak"], DEPLOY_TIMEOUT=900s — test exists at tests/lasuite-docs/
+
+**Infrastructure state:**
+- Bridge (`ccci-bridge_app`): running, polling 20 repos every 30s ✓
+- Drone exec runner: running ✓
+- Dashboard: serving at ci.commoninternet.net ✓
+- Builder hasn't started regression phase: no STATUS-regression.md yet
+
+**Notes:**
+- Mirror phase (plan-mirror-enroll-all-recipes.md) completed DONE at 2026-06-02T01:16Z.
+- This phase starts fresh: no STATUS-regression.md or tests/regression/ yet.
+- Watching for Builder to create STATUS-regression.md and begin work.

machine-docs/STATUS-regression.md

@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+# STATUS — server regression canaries phase
+
+**Phase:** server regression canaries (codified E2E self-tests)
+**SSOT:** `/srv/cc-ci/cc-ci-plan/plan-server-regression-canaries.md`
+**Builder loop started:** 2026-06-02
+**Repo:** git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/cc-ci
+
+---
+
+## DONE
+
+**Adversary PASS: @2026-06-02T03:36Z — D-final PASS. All 7 canaries verified. All 6 DoD items met. No vetoes.**
+
+All DoD items Adversary-verified:
+1. ✓ `tests/regression/` suite committed — 7 tests collected (DoD#1)
+2. ✓ good-simple GREEN: `/var/lib/cc-ci-runs/regression-good-simple-1/` — install/upgrade=pass, test_serving PASS (DoD#2)
+3. ✓ good-significant GREEN: `/var/lib/cc-ci-runs/regression-good-significant-2/` — all 5 tiers pass, clean_teardown/no_secret_leak=true (DoD#2)
+4. ✓ bad-false-green RED: `/var/lib/cc-ci-runs/regression-bad-canary-1/` — custom=fail, false-green caught (DoD#3)
+5. ✓ 4 per-tier RED canaries verified (bad-install/upgrade/backup/restore — artifacts on server) (DoD#4)
+6. ✓ README.md: cadence, canaries, how to add (DoD#5)
+7. ✓ PR#5 open for operator review: https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/cc-ci/pulls/5 (DoD#6)
+
+**Phase complete. Loop stopped. PR#5 awaits operator review — do not merge.**
+
+---
+
+## What was built
+
+```
+tests/regression/
+├── conftest.py      — run_recipe_ci(), stage_has_{passing,failing}_test() helpers
+├── test_canaries.py — 7 parametrized canaries (3 @canary + 4 @canary_fast)
+└── README.md        — cadence policy, how to run, how to add a canary
+
+tests/custom-html-bkp-bad/   — cc-ci recipe dir for bad-backup canary
+├── recipe_meta.py   — BACKUP_CAPABLE=True
+└── test_backup.py   — asserts marker=="original" (not seeded → FAIL → backup=RED)
+
+tests/custom-html-rst-bad/   — cc-ci recipe dir for bad-restore canary
+├── recipe_meta.py   — BACKUP_CAPABLE=True
+├── ops.py           — pre_restore writes "mutated" (no pre_backup)
+└── test_restore.py  — asserts marker=="original" (not in snapshot → FAIL → restore=RED)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Canaries (7 total)
+
+| ID | Recipe | SHA | Expected | Verified |
+|----|--------|-----|---------|---------|
+| good-simple | custom-html-tiny | 435df8fc (main) | GREEN | ✓ rc=0, install=pass, test_serving present |
+| good-significant | lasuite-docs | 290a8ad7 (main) | GREEN | ✓ rc=0, all tiers pass (run: regression-good-significant-2) |
+| bad-false-green | custom-html | 71e7326a (v5-stale-docroot) | RED | ✓ rc=1, custom=fail, test_content_type fails |
+| bad-install | custom-html-tiny | 4ae88661 (regression-bad-image) | RED (install) | ✓ rc=1, install=fail |
+| bad-upgrade | custom-html-tiny | 4ae88661 (regression-bad-image) | RED (upgrade) | ✓ rc=1, install=pass, upgrade=fail |
+| bad-backup | custom-html-bkp-bad | b6fe99de (main) | RED (backup) | ✓ rc=1, install=pass, backup=fail |
+| bad-restore | custom-html-rst-bad | 9a73a184 (main) | RED (restore) | ✓ rc=1, install=pass, backup=pass, restore=fail |
+
+---
+
+## How to verify (Adversary commands)
+
+From cc-ci server (builder-clone at `/root/builder-clone`):
+
+```bash
+# Pull latest
+cd /root/builder-clone && git pull --rebase
+
+# Verify collection (expect 7 tests)
+cc-ci-run -m pytest tests/regression/ --collect-only
+
+# Fast RED canaries (~2-3 min each):
+RECIPE=custom-html-tiny REF=4ae8866100563204d40435c5aba00374aa5a8ed3 SRC=recipe-maintainers/custom-html-tiny PR=0 STAGES=install CCCI_RUN_ID=adv-bad-install HOME=/root /run/current-system/sw/bin/cc-ci-run runner/run_recipe_ci.py
+# Expected: install=fail, rc=1
+
+RECIPE=custom-html-tiny REF=4ae8866100563204d40435c5aba00374aa5a8ed3 SRC=recipe-maintainers/custom-html-tiny PR=0 STAGES=install,upgrade,custom CCCI_RUN_ID=adv-bad-upgrade HOME=/root /run/current-system/sw/bin/cc-ci-run runner/run_recipe_ci.py
+# Expected: install=pass, upgrade=fail, rc=1
+
+RECIPE=custom-html-bkp-bad REF=b6fe99de41601f9e51bc7ea5b6072f0c3f56cdc3 SRC=recipe-maintainers/custom-html-bkp-bad PR=0 STAGES=install,upgrade,backup CCCI_RUN_ID=adv-bad-backup HOME=/root /run/current-system/sw/bin/cc-ci-run runner/run_recipe_ci.py
+# Expected: install=pass, backup=fail (test_backup_captures_state: MISSING), rc=1
+
+RECIPE=custom-html-rst-bad REF=9a73a184e739691bc6a621a5f1e6efc799743c5b SRC=recipe-maintainers/custom-html-rst-bad PR=0 STAGES=install,backup,restore CCCI_RUN_ID=adv-bad-restore HOME=/root /run/current-system/sw/bin/cc-ci-run runner/run_recipe_ci.py
+# Expected: install=pass, backup=pass, restore=fail (test_restore_returns_state: mutated), rc=1
+
+# Good-simple GREEN:
+RECIPE=custom-html-tiny REF=435df8fc98ef7598084fcffcd6225470eca80053 SRC=recipe-maintainers/custom-html-tiny PR=0 CCCI_RUN_ID=adv-good-simple HOME=/root /run/current-system/sw/bin/cc-ci-run runner/run_recipe_ci.py
+# Expected: install=pass, upgrade=pass, rc=0; stages.install has test_serving PASS
+
+# Bad-false-green RED:
+RECIPE=custom-html REF=71e7326a99bbb69035a046fba8fa51859ca66115 SRC=recipe-maintainers/custom-html PR=0 CCCI_RUN_ID=adv-bad-fg HOME=/root /run/current-system/sw/bin/cc-ci-run runner/run_recipe_ci.py
+# Expected: custom=fail (test_content_type FAILS), rc=1
+
+# Good-significant (lasuite-docs) — verify artifact (or re-run, takes ~15-20 min):
+# Quick artifact check (no re-run needed):
+cat /var/lib/cc-ci-runs/regression-good-significant-2/results.json
+# Expected: install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup=pass, restore=pass, custom=pass, rc implicit in level>=5
+# Check PR exists and is open:
+# https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/cc-ci/pulls/5 — state=open, 10 files, 704 insertions
+```
+
+---
+
+## Artifacts already on server
+
+| Run ID | Recipe | Result |
+|--------|--------|--------|
+| regression-good-simple-1 | custom-html-tiny | GREEN ✓ |
+| regression-good-significant-2 | lasuite-docs | GREEN ✓ (all tiers: install/upgrade/backup/restore/custom=pass) |
+| regression-bad-canary-1 | custom-html v5-stale-docroot | RED ✓ |
+| regression-bad-install-v2 | custom-html-tiny bad-image | RED (install=fail) ✓ |
+| regression-bad-upgrade-v2 | custom-html-tiny bad-image | RED (upgrade=fail) ✓ |
+| regression-bad-backup-5 | custom-html-bkp-bad | RED (backup=fail) ✓ |
+| regression-bad-restore-3 | custom-html-rst-bad | RED (restore=fail) ✓ |
+
+---
+
+## good-significant run 2 full results (cold-readable on server)
+
+`cat /var/lib/cc-ci-runs/regression-good-significant-2/results.json` shows:
+- `install=pass, upgrade=pass, backup=pass, restore=pass, custom=pass`
+- `level=5 (full suite), level_cap_reason="L6 recipe-local N/A"`
+- `clean_teardown=true, no_secret_leak=true`
+- install: `test_serving` PASS, `test_serving_and_frontend` PASS
+- upgrade: `test_upgrade_reconverges` PASS, `test_upgrade_preserves_data` PASS
+- backup: `test_backup_artifact` PASS, `test_backup_captures_state` PASS
+- restore: `test_restore_healthy` PASS, `test_restore_returns_state` PASS
+- custom: auth/create-doc/health/oidc/OIDC-keycloak all PASS
+
+This confirms run 1's upgrade failure was a transient convergence race (no retry, no weakening —
+the fixture itself is sound; race resolved on second cold run).
+
+---
+
+## PR
+
+**PR#5: https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/cc-ci/pulls/5**
+Branch `regression-canaries` → `main`. 10 files, 704 insertions. Open for operator review.
+"Do not merge" — operator review only per DoD#6.

nix/hosts/cc-ci-hetzner/configuration.nix

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     ../../modules/drone-runner.nix
     ../../modules/bridge.nix
     ../../modules/dashboard.nix
+    ../../modules/reports.nix
     ../../modules/backupbot.nix
     ../../modules/harness.nix
     ../../modules/warm-keycloak.nix

nix/modules/drone-runner.nix

@@ -9,13 +9,18 @@
 let
   # MAX_TESTS (plan §4.2/§4.3 resource safety): max CI builds the exec runner runs at once. Drone
   # queues the rest in its native pending-build queue (no custom queue). THE concurrency cap that
-  # bounds how many test apps can be live at once — kept LOW (1) on this single 28GiB node since
-  # recipes are heavy (immich/matrix large volumes). With capacity=1 there is never a concurrent
-  # in-flight run, so the run-start janitor can safely reap *any* orphan (a SIGKILL'd build runs no
-  # teardown) and the "at most MAX_TESTS apps live" bound holds exactly. Raise to 2 only if the node
-  # is shown to handle two light recipes at once (then the janitor MUST stay age-based to avoid
-  # reaping a concurrent run — see DECISIONS.md "Resource safety").
-  maxTests = "1";
+  # bounds how many test apps can be live at once.
+  #
+  # Raised to 2 (operator request 2026-06-09) so two recipes can be tested in parallel (e.g. immich
+  # and plausible under active development at once). Verified safe on the current node (Hetzner cpx22,
+  # ~7.6 GiB / 4 vCPU — NOTE: smaller than the original 28 GiB this was written for): a full immich CI
+  # stack measured ~1 GiB (server+ML+pg+redis) with multiple GiB free, so two concurrent recipes fit.
+  # The concurrency PRECONDITION holds: the run-start janitor is age-based (default 2h) + run-app-name
+  # scoped, so it never reaps a concurrent in-flight run (harness.lifecycle.janitor). TRADE-OFF: with
+  # capacity>1 a SIGKILL'd build (no teardown) leaves an orphan the run-start sweep can't reap
+  # immediately (it might be a live run) — bounded instead by the 2h janitor + the /upgrade-all
+  # start/end reap + sweep-orphans. Revert to "1" if OOM / disk-I/O contention is observed under load.
+  maxTests = "2";
 in
 {
   # Drone ships under the Polyform Small Business license (nixpkgs marks it unfree);

nix/modules/reports.nix

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+# Recipe Report static site (report.ci.commoninternet.net): a public nginx serving the weekly
+# "Recipe Report" HTML pages written to /var/lib/cc-ci-reports by the /recipe-report skill. No app,
+# no secrets — just static files behind traefik + the wildcard TLS (same pattern as dashboard.nix,
+# but a plain nginx:alpine since there's nothing to render server-side). Content is updated by writing
+# files into /var/lib/cc-ci-reports; nginx serves them live (no redeploy needed).
+#
+# It ALSO serves a same-origin realtime PR-status proxy at /pr/<recipe>/<n>: the report's STATUS
+# column fetches it client-side to show each PR's live state (open vs. ✓). Same-origin means no
+# dependency on the Gitea CORS allow-list; the recipe mirrors are public so no token is needed. The
+# proxy is pinned to recipe-maintainers + a safe recipe-name charset and is read-only (GET/HEAD).
+{ pkgs, ... }:
+let
+  reportsDir = "/var/lib/cc-ci-reports";
+
+  # Custom nginx server: static report files + the /pr/<recipe>/<n> → Gitea-API proxy. Replaces the
+  # stock /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf (which the image's nginx.conf includes inside http{}).
+  nginxConf = pkgs.writeText "cc-ci-reports-default.conf" ''
+    server {
+        listen 80;
+        server_name _;
+        root /usr/share/nginx/html;
+        index index.html;
+
+        # Realtime PR-status proxy for the Recipe Report STATUS column.
+        # GET /pr/<recipe>/<n> -> the PUBLIC Gitea PR JSON ({state, merged, ...}). Same-origin from
+        # the browser's view, so no CORS dependency; unauthenticated, since the recipe mirrors are
+        # public. The repo owner is hard-pinned to recipe-maintainers and the recipe name to a
+        # slashless charset, so the proxied path can only ever address recipe-maintainers/<name>/pulls
+        # (it cannot be coerced to another org or path). Only safe read methods are allowed.
+        location ~ ^/pr/([a-z0-9._-]+)/([0-9]+)$ {
+            limit_except GET HEAD { deny all; }
+            resolver 127.0.0.11 ipv6=off valid=30s;   # docker embedded DNS (forwards external names)
+            proxy_ssl_server_name on;
+            proxy_set_header Host git.autonomic.zone;
+            proxy_set_header Accept "application/json";
+            proxy_pass https://git.autonomic.zone/api/v1/repos/recipe-maintainers/$1/pulls/$2;
+            proxy_intercept_errors off;
+            proxy_connect_timeout 5s;
+            proxy_read_timeout 10s;
+            add_header Cache-Control "no-store" always;  # always fetch live state, never cache in the browser
+        }
+
+        location / {
+            try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
+        }
+    }
+  '';
+
+  stack = pkgs.writeText "cc-ci-reports-stack.yml" ''
+    version: "3.8"
+    services:
+      app:
+        image: nginx:alpine
+        volumes:
+          - type: bind
+            source: ${reportsDir}
+            target: /usr/share/nginx/html
+            read_only: true
+          - type: bind
+            source: ${nginxConf}
+            target: /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
+            read_only: true
+        networks:
+          - proxy
+        deploy:
+          replicas: 1
+          restart_policy:
+            condition: any
+          labels:
+            - "traefik.enable=true"
+            - "traefik.http.services.ccci-reports.loadbalancer.server.port=80"
+            - "traefik.http.routers.ccci-reports.rule=Host(`report.ci.commoninternet.net`)"
+            - "traefik.http.routers.ccci-reports.entrypoints=web-secure"
+            - "traefik.http.routers.ccci-reports.tls=true"
+    networks:
+      proxy:
+        external: true
+  '';
+
+  reconcile = pkgs.writeShellApplication {
+    name = "cc-ci-reconcile-reports";
+    runtimeInputs = with pkgs; [ docker coreutils ];
+    text = ''
+      mkdir -p ${reportsDir}
+      # Seed a placeholder index so the site serves something before the first report is generated.
+      if [ ! -f ${reportsDir}/index.html ]; then
+        cat > ${reportsDir}/index.html <<'HTML'
+      <!doctype html><html lang="en"><head><meta charset="utf-8">
+      <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
+      <title>The Recipe Report</title>
+      <style>body{font:16px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif;max-width:50rem;margin:3rem auto;padding:0 1rem;color:#222}</style>
+      </head><body><h1>🌻 The Recipe Report</h1>
+      <p>No reports yet — the first one is generated after the weekly recipe-upgrade run.</p>
+      </body></html>
+      HTML
+      fi
+      docker stack deploy --detach=true -c ${stack} ccci-reports
+    '';
+  };
+in
+{
+  systemd.services.deploy-reports = {
+    description = "Reconcile the cc-ci Recipe Report static site (report.ci.commoninternet.net)";
+    # Ordering-only: chain after the dashboard (proxy→…→dashboard→reports) to avoid concurrent
+    # docker-init races on a fresh host.
+    after = [ "deploy-dashboard.service" "deploy-proxy.service" "swarm-init.service" "docker.service" "network-online.target" ];
+    requires = [ "swarm-init.service" "docker.service" ];
+    wants = [ "network-online.target" ];
+    wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
+    serviceConfig = {
+      Type = "oneshot";
+      RemainAfterExit = true;
+      ExecStart = "${reconcile}/bin/cc-ci-reconcile-reports";
+    };
+  };
+}

runner/harness/card.py

@@ -79,10 +79,44 @@ def render_badge_svg(label: str, message: str, color: str) -> str:
     )
 
 
-def level_badge_svg(level: int, cap_reason: str = "") -> str:
-    """Per-recipe/-run LEVEL badge: 'cc-ci | level N'. Colour by level (R6)."""
-    msg = f"level {int(level)}"
-    return render_badge_svg("cc-ci", msg, level_color(level))
+# Third-segment colours for the level badge: amber = an UNINTENTIONAL skip (a rung skipped but not
+# in the recipe's intentional list — likely missing coverage) capped the climb; muted = an
+# INTENTIONAL skip (declared in recipe_meta.EXPECTED_NA — nothing to fix). Font-safe text labels
+# (no emoji) so the SVG renders anywhere.
+GAP_COLOR = "#d29922"
+EXPECT_COLOR = "#6e7681"
+
+
+def level_badge_svg(level: int, cap_reason: str = "", cap_skip: str = "") -> str:
+    """Per-recipe/-run LEVEL badge: 'cc-ci | level N' coloured by level (R6), with a THIRD segment
+    that differentiates *why* the climb stopped when a SKIP capped it (`cap_skip`):
+      - "unintentional" (a rung skipped but not in the recipe's intentional list): amber 'gap?'.
+      - "intentional"   (a skip declared in recipe_meta.EXPECTED_NA): muted 'expected'.
+      - "" (clean cap / full climb / a real failure): no third segment (the level + card carry it).
+    The badge never inflates — it only annotates the cap the level already reflects."""
+    label, msg = "cc-ci", f"level {int(level)}"
+    lw, mw = _text_width(label), _text_width(msg)
+    third: tuple[str, str] | None = None
+    if cap_skip == "unintentional":
+        third = ("gap?", GAP_COLOR)
+    elif cap_skip == "intentional":
+        third = ("expected", EXPECT_COLOR)
+    if third is None:
+        return render_badge_svg(label, msg, level_color(level))
+    txt, tcolor = third
+    tw = _text_width(txt)
+    w = lw + mw + tw
+    return (
+        f'<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="{w}" height="20" role="img" '
+        f'aria-label="{html.escape(label)}: {html.escape(msg)} ({html.escape(txt)})">'
+        f'<rect width="{lw}" height="20" fill="#555"/>'
+        f'<rect x="{lw}" width="{mw}" height="20" fill="{level_color(level)}"/>'
+        f'<rect x="{lw + mw}" width="{tw}" height="20" fill="{tcolor}"/>'
+        f'<g fill="#fff" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif" font-size="11">'
+        f'<text x="6" y="14">{html.escape(label)}</text>'
+        f'<text x="{lw + 6}" y="14">{html.escape(msg)}</text>'
+        f'<text x="{lw + mw + 6}" y="14">{html.escape(txt)}</text></g></svg>'
+    )
 
 
 def _stage_rows(stages: list[dict]) -> str:
@@ -107,6 +141,41 @@ def _stage_rows(stages: list[dict]) -> str:
     return "\n".join(rows) or '<tr><td colspan="3">no stages</td></tr>'
 
 
+# Friendly rung labels for the skip rows (the four essential rungs).
+RUNG_LABEL = {
+    "install": "install",
+    "upgrade": "upgrade",
+    "backup_restore": "backup/restore",
+    "functional": "functional",
+}
+SKIP_GREEN = "#57ab5a"  # muted green — an intentional skip reads like a pass (but labelled, never inflating)
+
+
+def _skip_rows(skips: dict) -> str:
+    """Render SKIPPED rungs as stage-like rows. An intentional (declared) skip looks like a pass row
+    but its status says 'INTENTIONAL SKIP' (muted green) with the declared reason on the line below;
+    an unintentional skip is amber 'UNINTENTIONAL SKIP' with a prompt to add a test or declare it."""
+    rows = []
+    for rung, reason in (skips.get("intentional") or {}).items():
+        rows.append(
+            f'<tr class="stage"><td colspan="2"><span class="mark" style="color:{SKIP_GREEN}">⊘</span>'
+            f'<b>{html.escape(RUNG_LABEL.get(rung, rung))}</b></td>'
+            f'<td class="st" style="color:{SKIP_GREEN}">intentional skip</td></tr>'
+        )
+        rows.append(f'<tr class="skipreason"><td></td><td colspan="2">{html.escape(reason)}</td></tr>')
+    for rung in skips.get("unintentional") or []:
+        rows.append(
+            f'<tr class="stage"><td colspan="2"><span class="mark" style="color:{GAP_COLOR}">⊘</span>'
+            f'<b>{html.escape(RUNG_LABEL.get(rung, rung))}</b></td>'
+            f'<td class="st" style="color:{GAP_COLOR}">unintentional skip</td></tr>'
+        )
+        rows.append(
+            '<tr class="skipreason"><td></td><td colspan="2">not declared in EXPECTED_NA — add the '
+            "missing test/label, or declare the skip with a reason</td></tr>"
+        )
+    return "\n".join(rows)
+
+
 def render_card_html(data: dict, screenshot_rel: str | None = "screenshot.png") -> str:
     """Build the summary-card HTML from a results.json dict. `screenshot_rel` is the relative path to
     the screenshot PNG (same dir as the card) — omitted from the card if None / absent.
@@ -116,7 +185,9 @@ def render_card_html(data: dict, screenshot_rel: str | None = "screenshot.png")
     recipe = html.escape(str(data.get("recipe", "?")))
     version = html.escape(str(data.get("version") or data.get("ref") or ""))
     level = int(data.get("level", 0))
-    cap = html.escape(str(data.get("level_cap_reason") or ""))
+    cap_reason = str(data.get("level_cap_reason") or "")
+    cap = html.escape(cap_reason)
+    sk = data.get("skips", {}) or {}
     color = level_color(level)
     flags = data.get("flags", {}) or {}
     flag_bits = []
@@ -132,7 +203,7 @@ def render_card_html(data: dict, screenshot_rel: str | None = "screenshot.png")
         if show_shot
         else '<div class="shot noshot">no screenshot</div>'
     )
-    rows = _stage_rows(data.get("stages", []))
+    rows = _stage_rows(data.get("stages", [])) + "\n" + _skip_rows(sk)
     return f"""<!doctype html><html><head><meta charset="utf-8"><style>
 *{{box-sizing:border-box}}
 body{{margin:0;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,Segoe UI,sans-serif;background:#0d1117;color:#c9d1d9}}
@@ -157,6 +228,7 @@ tr.stage td{{padding-top:.5rem;border-bottom:1px solid #30363d}}
 .test .tmark{{width:1.4rem;text-align:center}}
 .test .tname{{color:#c9d1d9;font-family:ui-monospace,monospace;font-size:.8rem}}
 .test .tms{{text-align:right;color:#8b949e;font-size:.74rem;width:5rem}}
+tr.skipreason td{{color:#8b949e;font-size:.78rem;font-style:italic;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:.45rem;border-bottom:1px solid #21262d}}
 .shot{{width:360px;flex:none;border:1px solid #30363d;border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;background:#0d1117}}
 .shot img{{width:100%;display:block}}
 .shot.noshot{{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;height:225px;color:#8b949e;font-size:.85rem}}
@@ -167,7 +239,7 @@ tr.stage td{{padding-top:.5rem;border-bottom:1px solid #30363d}}
 <div class="hd">{FLOWER_SVG}
 <div class="title"><h1>{recipe}</h1><span class="ver">{version}</span></div>
 <div class="lvl"><span class="num">{level}</span><span class="lbl">level</span></div></div>
-<div class="cap">{("<b>capped:</b> " + cap) if cap else "<b>full clean climb</b> — top level (6)"}</div>
+<div class="cap">{("<b>capped:</b> " + cap) if cap else "<b>full clean climb</b> — top level (4)"}</div>
 <div class="body"><div class="tbl"><table>{rows}</table></div>{shot_html}</div>
 <div class="flags">{"".join(flag_bits)}</div>
 </div></body></html>"""

runner/harness/level.py

@@ -5,37 +5,39 @@ YunoHost semantics: **a gap caps the level** — you only earn level L if every
 PASS. The first rung that is not a clean PASS (a real FAIL *or* genuinely N/A for this recipe) stops
 the climb; `cap_reason` records why. This is deliberately conservative: presentation must NEVER make
 a run look greener than its tests (plan §6 cardinal guardrail), so an N/A rung caps just like a fail
-(the L5 example in §4.1 — "recipes with no integration surface cap at L4 by definition" — is exactly
-this: N/A caps, with a recorded reason so the level is *fair*, not inflated).
+— with a recorded reason so the level is *fair*, not inflated.
 
-The ladder (§4.1):
+The ladder is the FOUR essential rungs every recipe is held to:
   L0 — install failed / app never became healthy.
   L1 — Installs: deploys + passes health/readiness.
   L2 — Upgrades: previous published version → PR version, stays healthy, data intact.
   L3 — Backup/restore: seeded data survives backup → wipe → restore.
   L4 — Functional: recipe-specific functional tests pass.
-  L5 — Integration: SSO/OIDC + cross-app integration tests pass.
-  L6 — Recipe-local: the recipe repo's own tests/ (D4) pass and are merged.
+
+Integration (SSO/OIDC + cross-app) and recipe-local (the recipe repo's own tests/) are **OPTIONAL**
+capabilities — they are NOT part of the level ladder and never cap it. They still run when present
+(and SSO is still enforced for the run VERDICT via the deps/SSO checks in run_recipe_ci.py), but a
+recipe without an SSO surface or without repo-local tests is simply not penalised on the level.
 
 This module is PURE (no I/O) so it is cheaply unit-testable and the Adversary can re-run the unit
 test cold (`cc-ci-run -m pytest tests/unit/test_level.py -q`). The orchestrator
-(`run_recipe_ci.py`) is responsible for translating its raw per-tier results + deps/SSO signals into
-the rung-status dict this function consumes; that mapping is documented in DECISIONS.md (Phase 3).
+(`run_recipe_ci.py`) is responsible for translating its raw per-tier results into the rung-status
+dict this function consumes; that mapping is documented in DECISIONS.md (Phase 3).
 
 Rung status vocabulary (each rung ∈ these three):
   "pass" — the rung was exercised and passed.
   "fail" — the rung was exercised and failed.
   "na"   — the rung does not apply to this recipe (e.g. only one published version → no upgrade;
-           not backup-capable; no SSO/integration surface; no recipe-local tests). N/A is NOT a
-           failure, but it DOES cap the climb (with a distinct cap_reason) so the level never
-           overstates what was actually verified.
+           not backup-capable). N/A is NOT a failure, but it DOES cap the climb (with a distinct
+           cap_reason) so the level never overstates what was actually verified.
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 # The climbable rungs in ascending order. install (L1) is the foundation; L0 means install itself
-# did not pass. Each later rung requires every earlier rung to be a clean PASS.
-RUNGS = ("install", "upgrade", "backup_restore", "functional", "integration", "recipe_local")
+# did not pass. Each later rung requires every earlier rung to be a clean PASS. These four are the
+# ESSENTIAL rungs — integration/recipe-local are optional and deliberately NOT in this tuple.
+RUNGS = ("install", "upgrade", "backup_restore", "functional")
 
 # Human-readable label per rung level, for cap_reason + the summary card.
 RUNG_LABEL = {
@@ -43,22 +45,20 @@ RUNG_LABEL = {
     2: "upgrade (prev published → PR)",
     3: "backup/restore (data integrity)",
     4: "functional (recipe-specific tests)",
-    5: "integration (SSO/OIDC + cross-app)",
-    6: "recipe-local (recipe repo tests/)",
 }
 
 VALID = {"pass", "fail", "na"}
 
 
 def compute_level(rungs: dict[str, str]) -> tuple[int, str]:
-    """Map a rung-status dict → (level 0..6, cap_reason).
+    """Map a rung-status dict → (level 0..4, cap_reason).
 
     `rungs` must contain a status in {"pass","fail","na"} for every name in RUNGS. The level is the
     highest L such that rungs[1..L] are all "pass"; the first non-"pass" rung caps the climb. L0 is
     returned when the install rung itself is not "pass" (install failed / never healthy).
 
     cap_reason explains where the climb stopped:
-      - "" (empty) when the recipe earned the top rung (L6, full clean climb).
+      - "" (empty) when the recipe earned the top rung (L4, full clean climb).
       - "L<k> <label> FAILED" when a rung was exercised and failed.
       - "L<k> <label> N/A" when a rung does not apply to this recipe.
     Returns the reason for the FIRST rung that stopped the climb (the binding constraint).

runner/harness/results.py

@@ -2,7 +2,14 @@
 
 Turns a run's per-tier pytest outcomes into a single `results.json` artifact carrying, per the plan:
   { recipe, version, pr, ref, run_id, finished, stages:[{name,status,tests:[{name,status,ms}]}],
-    level, level_cap_reason, rungs, flags:{clean_teardown,no_secret_leak}, screenshot, summary_card }
+    level, level_cap_reason, level_cap_rung, rungs,
+    skips:{intentional:{rung:reason}, unintentional:[rung]},
+    flags:{clean_teardown,no_secret_leak}, screenshot, summary_card }
+
+`skips` splits the N/A (skipped) rungs by a simple rule: a skip is INTENTIONAL iff the recipe lists
+it (with a reason) in `recipe_meta.EXPECTED_NA = {rung: reason}`; any rung skipped but not listed is
+UNINTENTIONAL (a coverage gap to fill or declare). Skips still cap the level either way — the harness
+never claims a rung it did not verify; this only labels *why* a skip happened.
 
 The per-test breakdown comes from JUnit XML emitted by each tier's pytest invocation (`--junitxml`),
 parsed here with the stdlib (no new dep). The integer **level** is computed by harness.level from a
@@ -127,41 +134,24 @@ def collect_stages(records: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
     return stages
 
 
-def _has_repo_local(records: list[dict]) -> bool:
-    return any(r.get("source") == "repo-local" for r in records)
-
-
-def _repo_local_passed(records: list[dict]) -> bool:
-    repo = [r for r in records if r.get("source") == "repo-local"]
-    return bool(repo) and all(r.get("rc", 1) == 0 for r in repo)
-
-
 def derive_rungs(
     results: dict[str, str],
     *,
     backup_capable: bool,
-    declared: list[str] | None,
-    deps_ready: bool,
-    sso_unverified: bool,
     has_custom: bool,
-    has_repo_local: bool,
-    repo_local_passed: bool,
 ) -> dict[str, str]:
-    """Translate the orchestrator's tier results + deps/SSO signals into the rung-status dict
-    harness.level consumes. Documented in DECISIONS.md (Phase 3). Conservative by design — never
-    reports a rung 'pass' it can't substantiate (cardinal guardrail: presentation never inflates).
+    """Translate the orchestrator's tier results into the rung-status dict harness.level consumes —
+    the FOUR essential rungs only. Conservative by design — never reports a rung 'pass' it can't
+    substantiate (cardinal guardrail: presentation never inflates).
 
       L1 install    : install tier pass.
       L2 upgrade    : upgrade tier (skip → N/A: only one published version).
       L3 backup/res : backup AND restore tiers pass (N/A if not backup-capable).
-      L4 functional : the recipe-specific functional (non-deps) tests pass — the custom tier, minus
-                      its SSO/integration tests. N/A if the recipe has no custom tests at all.
-      L5 integration: SSO/OIDC + cross-app. Applies ONLY if the recipe declares deps (else N/A — the
-                      "no integration surface caps at L4" rule, §4.1). pass iff deps wired
-                      (deps_ready) and not sso_unverified and the custom tier didn't fail.
-      L6 recipe-loc : the recipe repo's own tests/ (repo-local source) ran and passed (N/A if none).
+      L4 functional : recipe-specific functional tests pass — the custom tier. N/A if none ran.
+
+    Integration (SSO/OIDC) and recipe-local are OPTIONAL and intentionally NOT rungs here — they
+    never cap the level (SSO is still enforced for the run VERDICT in run_recipe_ci.py).
     """
-    declared = declared or []
     rungs: dict[str, str] = {}
     rungs["install"] = level_mod.tier_to_rung(results.get("install"))
     rungs["upgrade"] = level_mod.tier_to_rung(results.get("upgrade"))
@@ -170,36 +160,34 @@ def derive_rungs(
     )
 
     custom = results.get("custom")
-    # Functional rung (L4): the non-deps custom tests.
     if not has_custom or custom == "skip" or custom is None:
         rungs["functional"] = "na"
     elif custom == "fail":
-        # A custom test failed. With declared deps we cannot cheaply tell functional-vs-SSO apart, so
-        # conservatively fail the functional rung (caps at L3) — never inflate.
         rungs["functional"] = "fail"
     else:  # custom == "pass"
         rungs["functional"] = "pass"
-
-    # Integration rung (L5): only recipes with an SSO/integration surface (declared deps) can climb.
-    if not declared:
-        rungs["integration"] = "na"
-    elif sso_unverified or not deps_ready or custom == "fail":
-        # SSO not wired/verified, or a custom test failed → integration not verified.
-        rungs["integration"] = "fail"
-    elif custom == "pass":
-        rungs["integration"] = "pass"
-    else:
-        # declared deps but no custom tests ran — can't claim integration verified
-        rungs["integration"] = "na"
-
-    # Recipe-local rung (L6).
-    if not has_repo_local:
-        rungs["recipe_local"] = "na"
-    else:
-        rungs["recipe_local"] = "pass" if repo_local_passed else "fail"
     return rungs
 
 
+def skips(rungs: dict[str, str], expected_na: dict | None) -> dict:
+    """Split the SKIPPED (N/A) rungs into intentional vs unintentional (operator model).
+
+    A recipe lists the rungs it intentionally skips, each with a reason, in
+    `recipe_meta.EXPECTED_NA = {rung: reason}`. The rule is dead simple: a skipped rung is
+    **intentional** iff it is in that list; any rung that is skipped and NOT in the list is
+    **unintentional** (a coverage gap someone should either fill or declare). N/A still caps the
+    level either way — the harness never claims a rung it did not verify — this only labels *why* a
+    skip happened. Returns:
+      { "intentional": {rung: reason, ...},   # skipped AND declared in EXPECTED_NA
+        "unintentional": [rung, ...] }         # skipped but NOT declared
+    """
+    expected = {str(k): str(v) for k, v in (expected_na or {}).items()}
+    na = [r for r, st in rungs.items() if st == "na"]
+    intentional = {r: expected[r] for r in na if r in expected}
+    unintentional = sorted(r for r in na if r not in expected)
+    return {"intentional": intentional, "unintentional": unintentional}
+
+
 def build_results(
     *,
     recipe: str,
@@ -209,30 +197,24 @@ def build_results(
     records: list[dict],
     results: dict[str, str],
     backup_capable: bool,
-    declared: list[str] | None,
-    deps_ready: bool,
-    sso_unverified: bool,
     clean_teardown: bool,
     no_secret_leak: bool,
     finished_ts: float | None,
     screenshot: str | None = None,
     summary_card: str | None = None,
+    expected_na: dict | None = None,
 ) -> dict:
     """Assemble the full results.json dict (no I/O). `finished_ts` is passed in (the orchestrator
-    stamps it) so this stays pure and deterministic for unit tests."""
+    stamps it) so this stays pure and deterministic for unit tests. `expected_na` is the recipe's
+    declared intentional-skip map (recipe_meta.EXPECTED_NA) used to distinguish a deliberate skip from
+    accidentally-missing coverage."""
     stages = collect_stages(records)
     has_custom = any(r["tier"] == "custom" for r in records)
-    rungs = derive_rungs(
-        results,
-        backup_capable=backup_capable,
-        declared=declared,
-        deps_ready=deps_ready,
-        sso_unverified=sso_unverified,
-        has_custom=has_custom,
-        has_repo_local=_has_repo_local(records),
-        repo_local_passed=_repo_local_passed(records),
-    )
+    rungs = derive_rungs(results, backup_capable=backup_capable, has_custom=has_custom)
     lvl, cap_reason = level_mod.compute_level(rungs)
+    # The rung that capped the climb (lowest non-pass), or None on a full climb — lets a consumer
+    # (card/badge) tell whether the cap was an intentional skip, an unintentional one, or a failure.
+    capped = level_mod.RUNGS[lvl] if cap_reason else None
     return {
         "schema": 1,
         "run_id": run_id(),
@@ -243,7 +225,9 @@ def build_results(
         "finished": finished_ts,
         "level": lvl,
         "level_cap_reason": cap_reason,
+        "level_cap_rung": capped,
         "rungs": rungs,
+        "skips": skips(rungs, expected_na),
         "stages": stages,
         "results": results,
         "flags": {

runner/run_recipe_ci.py

@@ -200,6 +200,7 @@ def _load_meta(recipe: str) -> dict:
         for k in list(meta) + [
             "BACKUP_CAPABLE",
             "SKIP_GENERIC",
+            "EXPECTED_NA",
             "OIDC_AT_INSTALL",
             "READY_PROBE",
             "UPGRADE_BASE_VERSION",
@@ -1224,7 +1225,6 @@ def main() -> int:
     # a failure here NEVER changes `overall` (R7 — cosmetics never block the pipeline). ----
     data: dict | None = None
     try:
-        sso_unverified = sso_dep_unverified(declared, deps_ready, requires_deps_skipped)
         clean_teardown = (deploy_count == expected_deploy_count) and not dep_teardown_error
         data = results_mod.build_results(
             recipe=recipe,
@@ -1234,13 +1234,11 @@ def main() -> int:
             records=records,
             results=results,
             backup_capable=backup_cap,
-            declared=declared,
-            deps_ready=deps_ready,
-            sso_unverified=sso_unverified,
             clean_teardown=clean_teardown,
             no_secret_leak=True,  # narrowed below by an actual scan of the serialised artifact
             screenshot=screenshot_rel,  # Phase 3 U1 (R4): relative PNG name iff capture succeeded
             finished_ts=time.time(),
+            expected_na=meta.get("EXPECTED_NA"),  # declared intentional-skip map (recipe_meta)
         )
         # Real (if narrow) leak check: no known infra-secret value may appear in the artifact (R7).
         blob = json.dumps(data)
@@ -1257,6 +1255,15 @@ def main() -> int:
             f"{' — ' + data['level_cap_reason'] if data['level_cap_reason'] else ''})",
             flush=True,
         )
+        # Surface UNINTENTIONAL skips in the CI log (non-blocking, R7): a rung that was skipped (N/A)
+        # but is not in the recipe's intentional list — either add the missing coverage or declare it.
+        for rung in data.get("skips", {}).get("unintentional", []):
+            print(
+                f"⚠ coverage: rung '{rung}' was skipped (N/A) but is not declared intentional — add "
+                f"the missing test/label, or list it in tests/{recipe}/recipe_meta.py "
+                f"EXPECTED_NA = {{'{rung}': '<why>'}}.",
+                flush=True,
+            )
     except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001 — results assembly is cosmetic; never fail a run on it (R7)
         print(
             f"!! results.json assembly failed (non-fatal, verdict unaffected): {_scrub(str(e))}",
@@ -1275,8 +1282,19 @@ def main() -> int:
             with open(html_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
                 f.write(card_mod.render_card_html(data, screenshot_rel=data.get("screenshot")))
             png = card_mod.render_card_png(html_path, os.path.join(run_artifact_dir, "summary.png"))
+            capped = data.get("level_cap_rung")
+            sk = data.get("skips", {})
+            cap_skip = (
+                "intentional" if capped in (sk.get("intentional") or {})
+                else "unintentional" if capped in (sk.get("unintentional") or [])
+                else ""
+            )
             with open(os.path.join(run_artifact_dir, "badge.svg"), "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
-                f.write(card_mod.level_badge_svg(data["level"], data.get("level_cap_reason", "")))
+                f.write(
+                    card_mod.level_badge_svg(
+                        data["level"], data.get("level_cap_reason", ""), cap_skip
+                    )
+                )
             print(
                 f"summary card {'rendered ' + png if png else '(PNG render unavailable)'} + "
                 f"badge.svg written into {run_artifact_dir}",

tests/custom-html-bkp-bad/ops.py

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+"""custom-html-bkp-bad — lifecycle ops for bad-backup/bad-restore RED canaries.
+
+Intentionally has NO pre_backup hook: the marker is never seeded before backup,
+so the backup snapshot has no ci-marker.txt. pre_restore writes "mutated" so that if
+restore DOES bring back the snapshot, the marker is gone/still-mutated → test fails.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from harness import lifecycle
+
+MARKER_PATH = "/usr/share/nginx/html/ci-marker.txt"
+
+
+def pre_restore(domain: str, meta: dict) -> None:
+    """Write 'mutated' to the marker before restore runs. If restore brings back the
+    snapshot (which has no marker — never seeded by pre_backup), the marker ends up
+    MISSING or 'mutated' after restore → test_restore_returns_state FAILS → restore=RED."""
+    lifecycle.exec_in_app(domain, ["sh", "-c", f"echo mutated > {MARKER_PATH}"])

tests/custom-html-bkp-bad/recipe_meta.py

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# custom-html-bkp-bad — regression fixture for bad-backup canary.
+# This recipe is custom-html WITHOUT backupbot labels. Setting BACKUP_CAPABLE=True here forces the
+# harness to run the backup tier; the recipe itself has no backupbot service, so
+# `abra app backup create` produces no snapshot → test_backup_artifact fails → backup tier RED.
+BACKUP_CAPABLE = True

tests/custom-html-bkp-bad/test_backup.py

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+"""custom-html-bkp-bad — BACKUP assertion (bad-backup RED canary).
+
+This recipe has no ops.py::pre_backup, so ci-marker.txt is NEVER seeded before the backup.
+Asserting its presence here causes backup tier RED — proving the server catches a recipe that
+claims backup support but doesn't actually back up the expected data.
+"""
+
+import os
+import sys
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "..", "runner"))
+from harness import lifecycle  # noqa: E402
+
+MARKER_PATH = "/usr/share/nginx/html/ci-marker.txt"
+
+
+def test_backup_captures_state(live_app):
+    """Assert the pre-backup marker is present and equals 'original'.
+
+    Since custom-html-bkp-bad has no ops.py::pre_backup to seed the marker, this file does NOT
+    exist at backup time — exec_in_app returns empty or raises → assertion fails → backup tier RED.
+    This models a recipe that declares backup capability but omits the data-seeding hook."""
+    result = lifecycle.exec_in_app(live_app, ["sh", "-c", f"cat {MARKER_PATH} 2>/dev/null || echo MISSING"]).strip()
+    assert result == "original", (
+        f"backup did not capture the expected marker at {MARKER_PATH}: got {result!r}. "
+        "Expected 'original' (seeded by pre_backup). If the marker is 'MISSING', the pre_backup "
+        "hook was not run — this is the intended failure for the bad-backup RED canary."
+    )

tests/custom-html-bkp-bad/test_restore.py

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+"""custom-html-bkp-bad — RESTORE assertion (bad-restore RED canary).
+
+pre_restore seeds 'mutated' to ci-marker.txt. The backup snapshot has no ci-marker.txt
+(never seeded by pre_backup). After restore, the marker is either MISSING or 'mutated' —
+never 'original' — so this assertion FAILS → restore tier RED.
+"""
+
+import os
+import sys
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "..", "runner"))
+from harness import lifecycle  # noqa: E402
+
+MARKER_PATH = "/usr/share/nginx/html/ci-marker.txt"
+
+
+def test_restore_returns_state(live_app):
+    result = lifecycle.exec_in_app(
+        live_app, ["sh", "-c", f"cat {MARKER_PATH} 2>/dev/null || echo MISSING"]
+    ).strip()
+    assert result == "original", (
+        f"restore did not return the pre-mutation (backed-up) state: got {result!r}. "
+        "Expected 'original'. The backup had no marker (not seeded by pre_backup), so "
+        "restore cannot recover it — this is the intended failure for the bad-restore RED canary."
+    )

tests/custom-html-rst-bad/ops.py

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+"""custom-html-rst-bad — lifecycle ops for bad-restore RED canary.
+
+NO pre_backup hook: marker never seeded before backup → snapshot has no ci-marker.txt.
+pre_restore writes "mutated". After restore, marker stays "mutated" (not in snapshot) → FAIL.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from harness import lifecycle
+
+MARKER_PATH = "/usr/share/nginx/html/ci-marker.txt"
+
+
+def pre_restore(domain: str, meta: dict) -> None:
+    lifecycle.exec_in_app(domain, ["sh", "-c", f"echo mutated > {MARKER_PATH}"])

tests/custom-html-rst-bad/recipe_meta.py

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# custom-html-rst-bad — regression fixture for bad-restore canary.
+# BACKUP_CAPABLE=True forces the backup tier to run even though the recipe has no backupbot label.
+BACKUP_CAPABLE = True

tests/custom-html-rst-bad/test_restore.py

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+"""custom-html-rst-bad — RESTORE assertion (bad-restore RED canary).
+
+No pre_backup → backup snapshot has no ci-marker.txt. pre_restore writes "mutated".
+After restore: marker is "mutated" (restore can't recover "original" — wasn't backed up) → FAIL.
+"""
+
+import os
+import sys
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "..", "runner"))
+from harness import lifecycle  # noqa: E402
+
+MARKER_PATH = "/usr/share/nginx/html/ci-marker.txt"
+
+
+def test_restore_returns_state(live_app):
+    result = lifecycle.exec_in_app(
+        live_app, ["sh", "-c", f"cat {MARKER_PATH} 2>/dev/null || echo MISSING"]
+    ).strip()
+    assert result == "original", (
+        f"restore did not return the pre-mutation (backed-up) state: got {result!r}. "
+        "Expected 'original'. The backup had no marker, so restore cannot recover it."
+    )

tests/custom-html-tiny/functional/test_serves_content.py

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+"""custom-html-tiny — recipe-specific functional test (static-web-server).
+
+Proves the deployed static-web-server is *actually serving files from its `content` volume* with real
+file-server semantics, not merely returning 200 from a Traefik fallback or a generic stub:
+
+  1. exact-byte round-trip — write a uniquely-named file with random content into the served volume,
+     fetch it over HTTPS, and assert the bytes come back verbatim. Non-vacuous: the content is random
+     per run, so only a server that reads this file off the volume can pass.
+  2. real 404 — a random non-existent path returns 404, proving directory/file semantics (a
+     200-everything stub or mis-routed host would not 404).
+
+The recipe's image (joseluisq/static-web-server) is shell-less (scratch-based) and its content volume
+is seeded via the install_steps.sh host-mountpoint mechanism — so this test writes its probe file the
+same way (resolve the swarm volume's mountpoint with `docker volume inspect`, write directly) rather
+than `docker exec`-ing in a container that has no shell.
+
+Runs in the custom tier against the shared post-install deployment (the `live_app` fixture is its
+per-run domain). Mirrors install_steps.sh: the app's content volume is named `<stack>_content`, where
+`stack` is the domain with dots replaced by underscores; HTTP_SUBDIR is empty, so the volume root is
+served at `/`.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import contextlib
+import os
+import ssl
+import subprocess
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.request
+import uuid
+
+
+def _served_dir(domain: str) -> str:
+    """Host mountpoint of the app's served `content` volume (same naming as install_steps.sh)."""
+    vol = f"{domain.replace('.', '_')}_content"
+    out = subprocess.run(
+        ["docker", "volume", "inspect", vol, "--format", "{{.Mountpoint}}"],
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+        check=True,
+    )
+    mountpoint = out.stdout.strip()
+    assert mountpoint, f"could not resolve mountpoint for volume {vol!r}"
+    return mountpoint
+
+
+def _get(url: str) -> tuple[int, bytes]:
+    """GET the URL; return (status, body). A 4xx/5xx is returned, not raised (we assert on the code).
+    TLS verification is relaxed: the served wildcard cert is validated separately by the infra check;
+    here we care only about the app's response."""
+    ctx = ssl.create_default_context()
+    ctx.check_hostname = False
+    ctx.verify_mode = ssl.CERT_NONE
+    try:
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(url, timeout=20, context=ctx) as resp:
+            return resp.status, resp.read()
+    except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+        return e.code, e.read()
+
+
+def test_static_file_roundtrip_and_404(live_app):
+    """Write a random file into the served volume → fetch it → bytes match; and a missing path 404s."""
+    served = _served_dir(live_app)
+    token = uuid.uuid4().hex
+    name = f"ccci-probe-{token}.txt"
+    body = f"cc-ci-functional-{token}\n".encode()
+    path = os.path.join(served, name)
+    with open(path, "wb") as fh:
+        fh.write(body)
+    try:
+        status, got = _get(f"https://{live_app}/{name}")
+        assert status == 200, f"served probe file returned {status} (expected 200)"
+        assert got == body, (
+            f"content round-trip mismatch: served {got!r}, wrote {body!r} "
+            "(static-web-server not serving the content volume?)"
+        )
+
+        # A random non-existent path must 404 — proves real static-file semantics, distinguishing a
+        # working server from a 200-everything stub or a mis-routed Traefik fallback.
+        miss_status, _ = _get(f"https://{live_app}/ccci-missing-{uuid.uuid4().hex}.txt")
+        assert miss_status == 404, (
+            f"missing path returned {miss_status} (expected 404 — generic 200-returner / mis-route?)"
+        )
+    finally:
+        with contextlib.suppress(OSError):
+            os.remove(path)

tests/custom-html-tiny/recipe_meta.py

@@ -3,3 +3,14 @@
 # (DG5) is detected quickly instead of waiting the default 300s HTTP timeout.
 DEPLOY_TIMEOUT = 120
 HTTP_TIMEOUT = 90
+
+# Rungs this recipe INTENTIONALLY skips, each with a reason. Any essential rung skipped (N/A) and NOT
+# listed here is reported as an *unintentional* skip (a coverage gap to fill or declare). A skip still
+# caps the level either way — the harness never claims a rung it did not verify; this only records
+# that the skip is deliberate. (The level ladder is the four essential rungs install/upgrade/
+# backup_restore/functional; integration + recipe-local are optional and not leveled.)
+# custom-html-tiny is a stateless static-web-server, so it has no backup surface:
+EXPECTED_NA = {
+    "backup_restore": "stateless static file server: serves an ephemeral content volume seeded at "
+    "deploy, with no persistent/user data to back up or restore (no backupbot.backup label)",
+}

tests/regression/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+# Regression canaries — E2E self-tests for the cc-ci server
+
+A standing pytest suite that drives the **real** cc-ci lifecycle harness against pinned canary
+recipes and verifies both halves of the server's job:
+
+1. **Good canaries** — healthy apps are reported GREEN (install + upgrade + backup/restore pass).
+2. **Bad canary** — broken apps are caught RED; a false-green makes the regression test itself fail.
+
+These tests run the full cold lifecycle on the live cc-ci server. They are **slow** (minutes per
+canary) and **opt-in** — kept out of the per-commit fast path by the `canary` marker.
+
+---
+
+## How to run
+
+Run on the cc-ci server (abra + Docker + Swarm required):
+
+```bash
+ssh cc-ci
+cd /root/cc-ci            # or wherever the repo is checked out
+cc-ci-run python -m pytest tests/regression/ -m canary -v
+```
+
+Or a single canary:
+
+```bash
+cc-ci-run python -m pytest tests/regression/ -m canary -k good-simple -v
+```
+
+From the orchestrator:
+
+```bash
+ssh cc-ci "cd /root/cc-ci && cc-ci-run python -m pytest tests/regression/ -m canary -v"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Canaries
+
+| ID | Recipe | Purpose | Expected verdict |
+|----|--------|---------|-----------------|
+| `good-simple` | `custom-html-tiny` | Minimal static server — fast signal | GREEN |
+| `good-significant` | `lasuite-docs` | Multi-service (backend + Postgres + Collabora + OIDC) | GREEN |
+| `bad-false-green` | `custom-html` @ `v5-stale-docroot` | App is UP but serves wrong Content-Type — catches false-green | RED |
+
+### Why the bad canary exists
+
+The scariest regression is a **false-green**: the server reports PASS while the app is broken.
+We already saw a fabricated full-PASS during the build. The `bad-false-green` canary pins a known-
+broken fixture (`v5-stale-docroot`: nginx serves `.txt` as `application/octet-stream`). The
+harness's `test_content_type_html_and_txt` catches this and returns RED (build #75 was RED for
+exactly this fixture).
+
+The regression test asserts `rc != 0`. If the harness ever wrongly returns green for this fixture,
+that assert fires — false-green is caught before any merge.
+
+---
+
+## What each canary verifies
+
+### Per-tier semantic assertions (the "teeth")
+
+The tests assert MORE than the harness exit code: they check that **specific named assertions**
+ran and got the expected result. This guards against a different failure mode — a tier that
+nominally "passes" because the assertion was silently removed or made vacuous.
+
+| Stage | Test name | What it proves |
+|-------|-----------|---------------|
+| install | `test_serving` | Generic HTTP readiness check actually ran |
+| install | `test_serving_and_frontend` | Lasuite-docs frontend (SPA shell) actually loaded |
+| custom | `test_content_type` | Content-type assertion actually ran (bad canary only) |
+
+If a tier assertion is removed: the named test disappears from `results.json` → the semantic
+check fires → the regression suite catches the removal.
+
+### Additional structural assertions (good canaries)
+
+- `install` tier: "pass" (not fail, not skip)
+- No tier is "fail" (skips acceptable for recipes without backup/custom tests)
+- `flags.clean_teardown = True` (no leftover containers/volumes/secrets)
+- `flags.no_secret_leak = True` (no secret value in the results artifact)
+
+---
+
+## Cadence policy
+
+**Do NOT run on every commit or PR.** These are slow and resource-heavy. Run them:
+
+- Before a **release** of the cc-ci server (after a batch of server changes).
+- As a **polishing pass** or pre-merge check for significant server refactors.
+- On-demand when you suspect a regression: `pytest -m canary`.
+
+They are NOT wired to the per-commit Drone pipeline. If adding a `!testme`-style trigger for the
+cc-ci repo, gate it behind a deliberate label (e.g. `run-canaries`) — not an automatic run on
+every push.
+
+---
+
+## How to add a canary
+
+1. Identify a recipe that is already deployable and has pinned version tags.
+2. Decide the expected verdict (GREEN or RED) and which tier assertions have teeth.
+3. Add an entry to `CANARIES` in `test_canaries.py`:
+
+```python
+{
+    "id": "good-myrecipe",
+    "recipe": "my-recipe",
+    "src": "recipe-maintainers/my-recipe",
+    "ref": "<pinned-sha>",           # pin to a specific commit for stability
+    "expected_green": True,
+    "stage_pass_checks": [
+        ("install", "test_serving"),  # verify this named test ran and passed
+    ],
+    "stage_fail_checks": [],
+}
+```
+
+4. Run the canary once to confirm it passes:
+   `cc-ci-run python -m pytest tests/regression/ -m canary -k good-myrecipe -v`
+
+5. Update the pin comment with the date and the recipe version it was pinned at.
+
+---
+
+## Pin maintenance
+
+Canary refs are pinned to specific SHAs for stability. When a recipe publishes a new release:
+
+1. Update the `"ref"` SHA in the canary definition (use the new main-branch HEAD).
+2. Update the pin comment with the new date/version.
+3. Re-run the canary to confirm GREEN before committing the pin update.
+
+The bad canary (`v5-stale-docroot`) is a stable fixture branch — update only if the branch is
+deleted. If deleted, recreate the pattern: an app that is up + passes lifecycle tiers but fails
+one functional assertion.

tests/regression/conftest.py

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+"""Shared fixtures and helpers for E2E canary regression tests.
+
+The regression tests call the real cc-ci harness (run_recipe_ci.py) as a subprocess and assert on
+its outputs (exit code, results.json). They run ON the cc-ci server, not the orchestrator — abra,
+Docker, and Swarm must be present.
+
+Invoke: cc-ci-run python -m pytest tests/regression/ -m canary -v
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import time
+
+ROOT = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))))
+
+
+def pytest_configure(config):
+    config.addinivalue_line(
+        "markers",
+        "canary: slow E2E canary test — drives the full cold CI lifecycle; run on-demand only.",
+    )
+    config.addinivalue_line(
+        "markers",
+        "canary_fast: fast per-tier RED canary (still tagged canary); subset for quick pre-merge checks.",
+    )
+
+
+def run_recipe_ci(
+    recipe: str,
+    src: str,
+    ref: str,
+    pr: str = "0",
+    stages: str = "install,upgrade,backup,restore,custom",
+    runs_dir: str | None = None,
+    run_id_prefix: str = "regression",
+    timeout: int = 3600,
+) -> tuple[int, dict | None, str]:
+    """Invoke run_recipe_ci.py with the given canary params.
+
+    Returns (rc, results_dict_or_None, run_artifact_dir).
+    Stdout/stderr stream live so a human can follow progress.
+    """
+    ts = int(time.time())
+    run_id = f"{run_id_prefix}-{recipe}-{ref[:12]}-{ts}"
+    if runs_dir is None:
+        runs_dir = "/var/lib/cc-ci-runs"
+
+    env = dict(os.environ)
+    env.update(
+        {
+            "RECIPE": recipe,
+            "REF": ref,
+            "SRC": src,
+            "PR": pr,
+            "STAGES": stages,
+            "CCCI_RUN_ID": run_id,
+            "CCCI_RUNS_DIR": runs_dir,
+            "HOME": "/root",
+        }
+    )
+    # Keep PLAYWRIGHT env from the outer cc-ci-run wrapper (already in os.environ if running under it)
+
+    script = os.path.join(ROOT, "runner", "run_recipe_ci.py")
+    result = subprocess.run(
+        [sys.executable, script],
+        env=env,
+        timeout=timeout,
+    )
+    rc = result.returncode
+
+    artifact_dir = os.path.join(runs_dir, run_id)
+    results_path = os.path.join(artifact_dir, "results.json")
+    results_data: dict | None = None
+    if os.path.exists(results_path):
+        with open(results_path) as f:
+            results_data = json.load(f)
+
+    return rc, results_data, artifact_dir
+
+
+def find_stage_tests(results: dict, stage_name: str) -> list[dict]:
+    """Return the per-test list for a named stage from results.json, or []."""
+    for stage in results.get("stages", []):
+        if stage.get("name") == stage_name:
+            return stage.get("tests", [])
+    return []
+
+
+def stage_has_passing_test(results: dict, stage_name: str, test_name_substr: str) -> bool:
+    """True if the named stage contains a passing test whose name includes test_name_substr."""
+    for t in find_stage_tests(results, stage_name):
+        if test_name_substr in t.get("name", "") and t.get("status") == "pass":
+            return True
+    return False
+
+
+def stage_has_failing_test(results: dict, stage_name: str, test_name_substr: str) -> bool:
+    """True if the named stage contains a failing test whose name includes test_name_substr."""
+    for t in find_stage_tests(results, stage_name):
+        if test_name_substr in t.get("name", "") and t.get("status") in ("fail", "error"):
+            return True
+    return False

tests/regression/test_canaries.py

@@ -0,0 +1,344 @@
+"""E2E canary regression tests — the server's standing self-test suite.
+
+Seven canaries prove both halves of the server's job:
+  1. GREEN canaries — good apps are reported healthy (install+upgrade+backup/restore pass).
+  2. RED canaries   — broken apps are caught at the intended tier; a false-green makes THIS test fail.
+
+Fast subset (@pytest.mark.canary_fast): the four per-tier RED canaries on custom-html-tiny — fast
+because the recipe deploys in seconds. Run with `-m canary_fast` as a pre-merge quick check.
+Full suite (-m canary): includes good-significant (lasuite-docs, 10-20 min).
+
+Run: cc-ci-run python -m pytest tests/regression/ -m canary -v
+Pin policy: canary refs are pinned to specific SHAs. Update only after confirming the new ref gives
+the expected verdict.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import sys
+
+import pytest
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(__file__))
+import conftest as _reg  # noqa: E402
+
+run_recipe_ci = _reg.run_recipe_ci
+stage_has_passing_test = _reg.stage_has_passing_test
+stage_has_failing_test = _reg.stage_has_failing_test
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Canary definitions
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# Good canary 1: minimal static-file server — fast signal, few deps.
+_SIMPLE = {
+    "id": "good-simple",
+    "recipe": "custom-html-tiny",
+    "src": "recipe-maintainers/custom-html-tiny",
+    # Pin: main @ 2026-06-02 — update if the recipe publishes a new release and pin goes stale.
+    "ref": "435df8fc98ef7598084fcffcd6225470eca80053",
+    "expected_green": True,
+    # Named tests that MUST appear with "pass" in the result — these are the semantic teeth.
+    # If the generic install assertion is removed/vacated, test_serving disappears → this fails.
+    "stage_pass_checks": [
+        ("install", "test_serving"),
+    ],
+    "stage_fail_checks": [],
+}
+
+# Good canary 2: multi-service stack — backend + Postgres + Collabora WOPI + OIDC.
+# Exercises real breadth. Slowest canary (~10-20 min full lifecycle).
+_SIGNIFICANT = {
+    "id": "good-significant",
+    "recipe": "lasuite-docs",
+    "src": "recipe-maintainers/lasuite-docs",
+    # Pin: main @ 2026-06-02
+    "ref": "290a8ad72d06232f0b3f302d976af14bef0f3c53",
+    "expected_green": True,
+    "stage_pass_checks": [
+        ("install", "test_serving_and_frontend"),
+    ],
+    "stage_fail_checks": [],
+}
+
+# Bad canary: app is UP + passes all lifecycle tiers but the custom functional assertion detects a
+# semantic defect (wrong Content-Type for .txt files). The harness MUST report RED.
+# If the harness wrongly returns green for this fixture, assert rc != 0 fails → false-green caught.
+_BAD = {
+    "id": "bad-false-green",
+    "recipe": "custom-html",
+    "src": "recipe-maintainers/custom-html",
+    # Pin: v5-stale-docroot @ 71e7326 — serves .txt as application/octet-stream; build #75 was RED.
+    # Recreate pattern if branch disappears: app up + passes lifecycle, fails one content assertion.
+    "ref": "71e7326a99bbb69035a046fba8fa51859ca66115",
+    "expected_green": False,
+    # The specific test that must have FAILED, proving the content-type assertion has teeth.
+    # If the assertion is vacated and the test disappears, stage_has_failing_test() returns False
+    # → the assert below fails → we detect that the guard was removed.
+    "stage_pass_checks": [],
+    "stage_fail_checks": [
+        ("custom", "test_content_type"),
+    ],
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Per-tier RED canaries (fast subset: @pytest.mark.canary_fast)
+# Prove the server catches failure at EVERY lifecycle tier — false-green at any tier is caught.
+# Each uses custom-html-tiny (deploys in seconds) or custom-html (fast nginx, has backup support).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# Shared bad-image branch: deploy fails at prepull because the image doesn't exist on Docker Hub.
+# Used for install-RED (STAGES=install → chaos of HEAD with bad image → install=fail)
+# and upgrade-RED (STAGES=install,upgrade → prev-version install passes, upgrade chaos fails).
+_BAD_IMAGE_REF = "4ae8866100563204d40435c5aba00374aa5a8ed3"  # regression-bad-image @ 2026-06-02
+
+_BAD_INSTALL = {
+    "id": "bad-install",
+    "recipe": "custom-html-tiny",
+    "src": "recipe-maintainers/custom-html-tiny",
+    "ref": _BAD_IMAGE_REF,
+    "expected_green": False,
+    # STAGES=install only → no upgrade tier → prev=None → chaos deploy of HEAD (bad image) → fails.
+    "stages": "install",
+    # Assertions: install must be the failing tier.
+    "failing_tier": "install",
+    "passing_tiers_before": [],
+    "stage_pass_checks": [],
+    "stage_fail_checks": [],
+}
+
+_BAD_UPGRADE = {
+    "id": "bad-upgrade",
+    "recipe": "custom-html-tiny",
+    "src": "recipe-maintainers/custom-html-tiny",
+    "ref": _BAD_IMAGE_REF,
+    "expected_green": False,
+    # Default stages → prev-version deploy (good image) → install=PASS; upgrade chaos (bad image) → FAIL.
+    "stages": "install,upgrade,custom",
+    "failing_tier": "upgrade",
+    "passing_tiers_before": ["install"],
+    "stage_pass_checks": [],
+    "stage_fail_checks": [],
+}
+
+_BAD_BACKUP = {
+    "id": "bad-backup",
+    "recipe": "custom-html-bkp-bad",
+    "src": "recipe-maintainers/custom-html-bkp-bad",
+    # Pin: custom-html-bkp-bad main @ 2026-06-02 — custom-html WITHOUT backupbot labels.
+    # cc-ci recipe_meta sets BACKUP_CAPABLE=True → harness runs backup tier.
+    # No backupbot.backup=true label → backup-bot-two finds no containers → no snapshot.
+    # parse_snapshot_id returns None → test_backup_artifact fails → backup tier RED.
+    "ref": "b6fe99de41601f9e51bc7ea5b6072f0c3f56cdc3",
+    "expected_green": False,
+    "stages": "install,upgrade,backup",
+    "failing_tier": "backup",
+    "passing_tiers_before": ["install"],
+    "stage_pass_checks": [],
+    "stage_fail_checks": [],
+}
+
+_BAD_RESTORE = {
+    "id": "bad-restore",
+    "recipe": "custom-html-rst-bad",
+    "src": "recipe-maintainers/custom-html-rst-bad",
+    # Pin: custom-html-rst-bad main @ 2026-06-02 (9a73a184).
+    # No pre_backup hook → backup snapshot has no ci-marker.txt.
+    # pre_restore writes "mutated". After restore: marker stays "mutated" → FAIL → restore=RED.
+    # install+backup PASS (no test_backup.py in cc-ci dir); upgrade=skip (no version tags).
+    "ref": "9a73a184e739691bc6a621a5f1e6efc799743c5b",
+    "expected_green": False,
+    "stages": "install,backup,restore,custom",
+    "failing_tier": "restore",
+    "passing_tiers_before": ["install", "backup"],
+    "stage_pass_checks": [],
+    "stage_fail_checks": [
+        ("restore", "test_restore_returns_state"),
+    ],
+}
+
+CANARIES = [_SIMPLE, _SIGNIFICANT, _BAD]
+CANARIES_FAST = [_BAD_INSTALL, _BAD_UPGRADE, _BAD_BACKUP, _BAD_RESTORE]
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Tests
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@pytest.mark.canary
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("canary", CANARIES, ids=[c["id"] for c in CANARIES])
+def test_canary(canary, tmp_path):
+    """Drive the full cold CI lifecycle for a canary recipe and verify the outcome.
+
+    For GREEN canaries: proves the harness correctly reports a healthy app as healthy, and that
+    the per-tier semantic assertions actually ran (not vacuous).
+
+    For the RED canary: proves the harness catches a broken app — if the harness wrongly returned
+    green, `assert rc != 0` fails, catching the false-green.
+    """
+    stages = canary.get("stages", "install,upgrade,backup,restore,custom")
+    rc, results, artifact_dir = run_recipe_ci(
+        recipe=canary["recipe"],
+        src=canary["src"],
+        ref=canary["ref"],
+        runs_dir=str(tmp_path),
+        stages=stages,
+    )
+
+    _note = f"artifact_dir={artifact_dir}"  # visible in -v output via assert messages
+
+    if canary["expected_green"]:
+        _assert_green(rc, results, canary, _note)
+    else:
+        _assert_red(rc, results, canary, _note)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.canary
+@pytest.mark.canary_fast
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("canary", CANARIES_FAST, ids=[c["id"] for c in CANARIES_FAST])
+def test_canary_fast(canary, tmp_path):
+    """Fast per-tier RED canaries: each proves the server catches failure at a specific lifecycle tier.
+
+    Each canary is broken at exactly one tier; the test asserts:
+    - Overall verdict: RED (rc != 0)
+    - The intended failing tier has status "fail"
+    - Tiers BEFORE the intended failure have status "pass" (proving tier-specific detection, not
+      "fails somewhere")
+
+    These use fast recipes (custom-html-tiny deploys in seconds, custom-html is similarly fast)
+    and are intended as a pre-merge quick check alongside the full slow suite.
+    """
+    stages = canary.get("stages", "install,upgrade,backup,restore,custom")
+    rc, results, artifact_dir = run_recipe_ci(
+        recipe=canary["recipe"],
+        src=canary["src"],
+        ref=canary["ref"],
+        runs_dir=str(tmp_path),
+        stages=stages,
+    )
+
+    _note = f"artifact_dir={artifact_dir}"
+    _assert_red_at_tier(rc, results, canary, _note)
+
+
+def _assert_green(rc: int, results: dict | None, canary: dict, note: str) -> None:
+    """Assert a good-canary run is GREEN with real semantic assertions."""
+
+    # 1. Harness exit code must be 0 (GREEN).
+    assert rc == 0, f"[{canary['id']}] harness returned non-zero rc={rc} — expected GREEN. {note}"
+
+    assert (
+        results is not None
+    ), f"[{canary['id']}] results.json not written — harness may have crashed. {note}"
+
+    # 2. Install tier must have passed.
+    assert results.get("results", {}).get("install") == "pass", (
+        f"[{canary['id']}] install tier did not pass: " f"results={results.get('results')}. {note}"
+    )
+
+    # 3. No tier may have FAILED (skips are acceptable for recipes without backup or custom tests).
+    failed_tiers = [t for t, s in results.get("results", {}).items() if s == "fail"]
+    assert not failed_tiers, f"[{canary['id']}] tiers failed: {failed_tiers}. {note}"
+
+    # 4. Teardown must be clean (no leftover containers/volumes/secrets).
+    assert (
+        results.get("flags", {}).get("clean_teardown") is True
+    ), f"[{canary['id']}] clean_teardown=False — residual state left on server. {note}"
+
+    # 5. No secret values leaked into the results artifact.
+    assert (
+        results.get("flags", {}).get("no_secret_leak") is True
+    ), f"[{canary['id']}] no_secret_leak=False — a secret value appeared in results.json. {note}"
+
+    # 6. Semantic stage assertions — TEETH CHECK.
+    # These verify that specific named tests actually ran and passed in the expected stage.
+    # If a tier assertion is removed or made vacuous, the named test disappears from results.json
+    # and this assert fires — proving the regression suite guards against silent test removal.
+    for stage_name, test_name_substr in canary.get("stage_pass_checks", []):
+        assert stage_has_passing_test(results, stage_name, test_name_substr), (
+            f"[{canary['id']}] expected a passing test containing {test_name_substr!r} in "
+            f"stage={stage_name!r}, but none found. "
+            f"Stage tests: {[t['name'] for t in _stage_tests(results, stage_name)]}. {note}"
+        )
+
+
+def _assert_red(rc: int, results: dict | None, canary: dict, note: str) -> None:
+    """Assert a bad-canary run is RED (false-green guard).
+
+    The PRIMARY assertion is rc != 0. If the harness wrongly returns 0 (green) for this fixture,
+    this assert fails → the regression suite catches the false-green. This is the core guard.
+    """
+
+    # PRIMARY: harness must return non-zero (RED).
+    # If the harness returns 0 for a broken app, the regression suite fails here — false-green caught.
+    assert rc != 0, (
+        f"[{canary['id']}] harness returned rc=0 (GREEN) for a KNOWN-BAD fixture — "
+        f"FALSE-GREEN detected. The harness failed to catch the broken app. {note}"
+    )
+
+    # SECONDARY: verify the specific failing test is present in results.json.
+    # If the content-type assertion is removed/vacuated, stage_has_failing_test() returns False here
+    # → this assert fires → we detect that the guard itself was removed (a meta-failure).
+    if results is not None:
+        for stage_name, test_name_substr in canary.get("stage_fail_checks", []):
+            assert stage_has_failing_test(results, stage_name, test_name_substr), (
+                f"[{canary['id']}] expected a failing test containing {test_name_substr!r} in "
+                f"stage={stage_name!r}, but none found. "
+                f"The guard may have been removed or vacuated. "
+                f"Stage tests: {[t['name'] for t in _stage_tests(results, stage_name)]}. {note}"
+            )
+
+
+def _assert_red_at_tier(rc: int, results: dict | None, canary: dict, note: str) -> None:
+    """Assert a per-tier RED canary: overall RED, failing_tier=fail, passing_tiers_before=pass.
+
+    Proves the server catches failure AT THE INTENDED TIER (not just "fails somewhere"), and that
+    the tiers before it still PASSED (no collateral damage from the fixture).
+    If the harness returns 0 for any of these fixtures, false-green is detected at the primary assert.
+    """
+    failing_tier = canary.get("failing_tier")
+    passing_before = canary.get("passing_tiers_before", [])
+
+    # PRIMARY: harness must return non-zero.
+    assert rc != 0, (
+        f"[{canary['id']}] harness returned rc=0 (GREEN) for a KNOWN-BAD fixture at tier "
+        f"{failing_tier!r} — FALSE-GREEN. {note}"
+    )
+
+    if results is None:
+        return
+
+    tier_results = results.get("results", {})
+
+    # The intended failing tier must be "fail".
+    if failing_tier:
+        actual = tier_results.get(failing_tier)
+        assert actual == "fail", (
+            f"[{canary['id']}] expected tier {failing_tier!r}='fail', got {actual!r}. "
+            f"All tier results: {tier_results}. {note}"
+        )
+
+    # Tiers before the failing tier must have passed (no collateral damage from the fixture).
+    for tier in passing_before:
+        actual = tier_results.get(tier)
+        assert actual == "pass", (
+            f"[{canary['id']}] expected prior tier {tier!r}='pass' before failing at "
+            f"{failing_tier!r}, got {actual!r}. All results: {tier_results}. {note}"
+        )
+
+    # Optional: specific failing test name (for the restore-RED canary).
+    for stage_name, test_name_substr in canary.get("stage_fail_checks", []):
+        assert stage_has_failing_test(results, stage_name, test_name_substr), (
+            f"[{canary['id']}] expected a failing test containing {test_name_substr!r} in "
+            f"stage={stage_name!r}. "
+            f"Stage tests: {[t['name'] for t in _stage_tests(results, stage_name)]}. {note}"
+        )
+
+
+def _stage_tests(results: dict, stage_name: str) -> list[dict]:
+    for stage in results.get("stages", []):
+        if stage.get("name") == stage_name:
+            return stage.get("tests", [])
+    return []

tests/unit/test_card.py

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "..", "runner")
 from harness import card as C  # noqa: E402
 
 
-def _data(level=4, cap="L5 integration (SSO/OIDC + cross-app) N/A"):
+def _data(level=3, cap="L4 functional (recipe-specific tests) N/A"):
     return {
         "recipe": "uptime-kuma",
         "version": "1.23.0",
@@ -51,6 +51,35 @@ def test_badge_svg_wellformed():
     assert svg.startswith("<svg") and svg.endswith("</svg>")
     assert "level 4" in svg
     assert C.level_color(4) in svg
+    # plain cap (no intent) → two-box badge, no third segment
+    assert "expected" not in svg and "gap?" not in svg
+
+
+def test_badge_svg_differentiates_intentional_vs_unintentional_skip():
+    # an intentional (declared) skip capped the climb → muted "expected" third segment
+    exp = C.level_badge_svg(2, "L3 backup/restore N/A", "intentional")
+    assert "level 2" in exp and "expected" in exp and C.EXPECT_COLOR in exp
+    assert "gap?" not in exp
+    # an unintentional skip (not declared) → amber "gap?" third segment
+    gap = C.level_badge_svg(2, "L3 backup/restore N/A", "unintentional")
+    assert "level 2" in gap and "gap?" in gap and C.GAP_COLOR in gap
+    assert "expected" not in gap
+
+
+def test_skip_rows_intentional_and_unintentional():
+    html_out = C._skip_rows(
+        {"intentional": {"backup_restore": "no persistent data"}, "unintentional": ["functional"]}
+    )
+    # intentional skip: labelled row (muted green) + the reason on its own line
+    assert "intentional skip" in html_out and C.SKIP_GREEN in html_out
+    assert "backup/restore" in html_out and "no persistent data" in html_out
+    # unintentional skip: amber row + prompt to declare/add coverage
+    assert "unintentional skip" in html_out and C.GAP_COLOR in html_out
+    assert "functional" in html_out and "EXPECTED_NA" in html_out
+
+
+def test_skip_rows_empty_when_no_skips():
+    assert C._skip_rows({"intentional": {}, "unintentional": []}) == ""
 
 
 def test_card_html_reports_level_verbatim():

tests/unit/test_dashboard.py

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import dashboard  # noqa: E402
 def _row(**kw):
     base = {
         "recipe": "custom-html", "status": "success", "number": 4, "ref": "db9a9502",
-        "version": "db9a95024e9d", "level": 4, "level_cap_reason": "L5 integration N/A",
+        "version": "db9a95024e9d", "level": 4, "level_cap_reason": "",
         "has_screenshot": True, "flags": {"clean_teardown": True, "no_secret_leak": True},
         "finished": 0, "url": "https://drone.x/cc-ci/4",
     }

tests/unit/test_level.py

@@ -19,33 +19,23 @@ def _rungs(
     upgrade="pass",
     backup_restore="pass",
     functional="pass",
-    integration="pass",
-    recipe_local="pass",
 ):
     return {
         "install": install,
         "upgrade": upgrade,
         "backup_restore": backup_restore,
         "functional": functional,
-        "integration": integration,
-        "recipe_local": recipe_local,
     }
 
 
-# ---- the U0 gate: L4-pass and L2-cap ----
+# ---- the ladder: four essential rungs, top is L4 (functional) ----
 
 
-def test_full_clean_climb_to_L6():
+def test_full_clean_climb_to_L4():
+    # All four essential rungs pass → L4 (the top; integration/recipe-local are optional, not leveled).
     lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs())
-    assert lvl == 6
-    assert reason == ""
-
-
-def test_climbs_through_L4_then_no_integration_surface_caps_at_L4():
-    # GATE: a recipe whose functional tests pass but has no SSO/integration surface caps at L4.
-    lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(integration="na", recipe_local="na"))
     assert lvl == 4
-    assert "L5" in reason and "N/A" in reason
+    assert reason == ""
 
 
 def test_fails_at_L2_capped_at_L1():
@@ -69,34 +59,27 @@ def test_install_fail_is_L0():
 
 def test_higher_pass_does_not_rescue_lower_na():
     # backup/restore N/A (stateless app) caps at L2 even though functional would pass.
-    lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(backup_restore="na", functional="pass", integration="na"))
+    lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(backup_restore="na", functional="pass"))
     assert lvl == 2
     assert "L3" in reason and "N/A" in reason
 
 
 def test_upgrade_na_caps_at_L1():
-    # only one published version → no upgrade possible → N/A caps at L1.
+    # only one published version → no upgrade possible → N/A caps at L1 (upgrade is essential).
     lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(upgrade="na"))
     assert lvl == 1
     assert "L2" in reason and "N/A" in reason
 
 
-def test_integration_fail_caps_at_L4():
-    # SSO declared but unverified (failed) → integration rung fails → cap at L4.
-    lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(integration="fail", recipe_local="na"))
-    assert lvl == 4
-    assert "L5" in reason and "FAILED" in reason
-
-
-def test_recipe_local_na_caps_at_L5():
-    # SSO passes but no recipe-local tests → cap at L5 (L6 N/A).
-    lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(recipe_local="na"))
-    assert lvl == 5
-    assert "L6" in reason and "N/A" in reason
+def test_functional_na_caps_at_L3():
+    # no recipe-specific functional tests → functional N/A caps at L3.
+    lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(functional="na"))
+    assert lvl == 3
+    assert "L4" in reason and "N/A" in reason
 
 
 def test_functional_fail_caps_at_L3():
-    lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(functional="fail", integration="na"))
+    lvl, reason = L.compute_level(_rungs(functional="fail"))
     assert lvl == 3
     assert "L4" in reason and "FAILED" in reason
 

tests/unit/test_results.py

@@ -105,83 +105,31 @@ def _results(**kw):
     return base
 
 
-def test_derive_rungs_full_stateful_sso():
-    rungs = R.derive_rungs(
-        _results(),
-        backup_capable=True,
-        declared=["keycloak"],
-        deps_ready=True,
-        sso_unverified=False,
-        has_custom=True,
-        has_repo_local=False,
-        repo_local_passed=False,
-    )
+def test_derive_rungs_full_climb_four_essential():
+    rungs = R.derive_rungs(_results(), backup_capable=True, has_custom=True)
+    # only the four essential rungs — integration/recipe-local are optional, not produced here.
     assert rungs == {
         "install": "pass",
         "upgrade": "pass",
         "backup_restore": "pass",
         "functional": "pass",
-        "integration": "pass",
-        "recipe_local": "na",
     }
 
 
-def test_derive_rungs_no_sso_surface_is_integration_na():
-    rungs = R.derive_rungs(
-        _results(),
-        backup_capable=True,
-        declared=[],
-        deps_ready=True,
-        sso_unverified=False,
-        has_custom=True,
-        has_repo_local=False,
-        repo_local_passed=False,
-    )
-    assert rungs["integration"] == "na"
-    assert rungs["functional"] == "pass"
-
-
-def test_derive_rungs_stateless_backup_na():
+def test_derive_rungs_stateless_backup_and_functional_na():
     rungs = R.derive_rungs(
         _results(backup="skip", restore="skip", custom="skip"),
         backup_capable=False,
-        declared=[],
-        deps_ready=True,
-        sso_unverified=False,
         has_custom=False,
-        has_repo_local=False,
-        repo_local_passed=False,
     )
     assert rungs["backup_restore"] == "na"
     assert rungs["functional"] == "na"
+    assert "integration" not in rungs and "recipe_local" not in rungs
 
 
-def test_derive_rungs_sso_unverified_is_integration_fail():
-    rungs = R.derive_rungs(
-        _results(),
-        backup_capable=True,
-        declared=["keycloak"],
-        deps_ready=False,
-        sso_unverified=True,
-        has_custom=True,
-        has_repo_local=False,
-        repo_local_passed=False,
-    )
-    assert rungs["integration"] == "fail"
-
-
-def test_derive_rungs_repo_local_pass():
-    rungs = R.derive_rungs(
-        _results(),
-        backup_capable=True,
-        declared=[],
-        deps_ready=True,
-        sso_unverified=False,
-        has_custom=True,
-        has_repo_local=True,
-        repo_local_passed=True,
-    )
-    assert rungs["recipe_local"] == "pass"
+def test_derive_rungs_functional_fail():
+    rungs = R.derive_rungs(_results(custom="fail"), backup_capable=True, has_custom=True)
+    assert rungs["functional"] == "fail"
 
 
 # ---- build_results: end-to-end incl level + flags ----
@@ -212,16 +160,13 @@ def test_build_results_level_and_flags(tmp_path):
         records=recs,
         results=_results(),
         backup_capable=True,
-        declared=[],
-        deps_ready=True,
-        sso_unverified=False,
         clean_teardown=True,
         no_secret_leak=True,
         finished_ts=1234.0,
     )
-    # stateful, functional pass, no SSO surface, no repo-local → caps at L4
+    # all four essential rungs pass → full climb to L4 (the top), no cap
     assert data["level"] == 4
-    assert "L5" in data["level_cap_reason"]
+    assert data["level_cap_reason"] == ""
     assert data["recipe"] == "hedgedoc"
     assert data["ref"] == "deadbeefcafe"
     assert data["flags"] == {"clean_teardown": True, "no_secret_leak": True}
@@ -246,9 +191,6 @@ def test_build_results_capped_at_L1_on_upgrade_fail(tmp_path):
         records=recs,
         results=_results(upgrade="fail"),
         backup_capable=True,
-        declared=[],
-        deps_ready=True,
-        sso_unverified=False,
         clean_teardown=True,
         no_secret_leak=True,
         finished_ts=0.0,
@@ -257,6 +199,85 @@ def test_build_results_capped_at_L1_on_upgrade_fail(tmp_path):
     assert "L2" in data["level_cap_reason"]
 
 
+# ---- skips: intentional (declared) vs unintentional (everything else skipped) ----
+
+
+def _rungs(**kw):
+    base = {
+        "install": "pass",
+        "upgrade": "pass",
+        "backup_restore": "pass",
+        "functional": "pass",
+    }
+    base.update(kw)
+    return base
+
+
+def test_skips_intentional_vs_unintentional():
+    rungs = _rungs(backup_restore="na", functional="na")
+    sk = R.skips(rungs, {"backup_restore": "stateless static server"})
+    # backup_restore is declared (intentional, with reason); functional skipped but not declared.
+    assert sk["intentional"] == {"backup_restore": "stateless static server"}
+    assert sk["unintentional"] == ["functional"]
+
+
+def test_skips_none_declared_all_unintentional():
+    rungs = _rungs(backup_restore="na")
+    sk = R.skips(rungs, None)
+    assert sk["intentional"] == {}
+    assert sk["unintentional"] == ["backup_restore"]
+
+
+def test_skips_declaration_only_counts_when_actually_skipped():
+    # backup_restore actually ran (pass) → not a skip, so a declaration for it is simply inert.
+    rungs = _rungs(backup_restore="pass")
+    sk = R.skips(rungs, {"backup_restore": "reason"})
+    assert "backup_restore" not in sk["intentional"]
+    assert "backup_restore" not in sk["unintentional"]
+
+
+def test_build_results_threads_expected_na(tmp_path):
+    # Mirrors custom-html-tiny post-change: install + a passing functional (custom) test, but no
+    # backup surface (backup_restore declared intentionally skipped).
+    recs = [
+        {
+            "tier": "install",
+            "source": "generic",
+            "file": "g/test_install.py",
+            "rc": 0,
+            "junit": _write(tmp_path, "i.xml", JUNIT_PASS),
+        },
+        {
+            "tier": "custom",
+            "source": "cc-ci",
+            "file": "c/test_serves_content.py",
+            "rc": 0,
+            "junit": _write(tmp_path, "c.xml", JUNIT_PASS),
+        },
+    ]
+    data = R.build_results(
+        recipe="custom-html-tiny",
+        version="1.1.0",
+        pr="0",
+        ref=None,
+        records=recs,
+        results=_results(backup="skip", restore="skip"),  # custom=pass (default) → functional pass
+        backup_capable=False,  # no backupbot label → backup_restore skipped (N/A)
+        clean_teardown=True,
+        no_secret_leak=True,
+        finished_ts=0.0,
+        expected_na={"backup_restore": "stateless static file server"},
+    )
+    # backup_restore skip still caps at L2 (never inflates) — even though functional passes above it,
+    # the skip caps the climb — but it's the declared (intentional) rung that capped.
+    assert data["level"] == 2
+    assert "L3" in data["level_cap_reason"]
+    assert data["level_cap_rung"] == "backup_restore"
+    assert data["rungs"]["functional"] == "pass"
+    assert data["skips"]["intentional"]["backup_restore"] == "stateless static file server"
+    assert data["skips"]["unintentional"] == []  # backup_restore declared; functional passed → clean
+
+
 def test_write_results_roundtrip(tmp_path):
     data = {"run_id": "42", "level": 3, "stages": []}
     path = R.write_results(data, runs_dir_override=str(tmp_path))