feat(ingestor): make MQTT connect timeout configurable (#931 )

Add mqttConnectTimeoutSeconds config field (default 10s) so operators can tune the MQTT connect timeout for high-latency brokers without code changes. Wired into buildMQTTOpts and logged at startup. Closes #931
fix(ui): fill remaining gaps in payload-type lookup tables (10/11/15) (#967 )
2026-05-13 18:23:07 +00:00 · 2026-05-02 18:26:46 +00:00 · 2026-05-02 11:17:34 -07:00 · 2026-05-02 11:15:25 -07:00 · 2026-05-02 10:30:54 -07:00 · 2026-05-02 09:55:09 -07:00
82 changed files with 6534 additions and 956 deletions
@@ -1 +1 @@
-{"schemaVersion":1,"label":"e2e tests","message":"45 passed","color":"brightgreen"}
+{"schemaVersion":1,"label":"e2e tests","message":"89 passed","color":"brightgreen"}
@@ -1 +1 @@
-{"schemaVersion":1,"label":"frontend coverage","message":"39.68%","color":"red"}
+{"schemaVersion":1,"label":"frontend coverage","message":"40.21%","color":"red"}
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ jobs:
  e2e-test:
    name: "🎭 Playwright E2E Tests"
    needs: [go-test]
-    runs-on: [self-hosted, Linux]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    defaults:
      run:
        shell: bash
@@ -145,13 +145,6 @@ jobs:
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

-      - name: Free disk space
-        run: |
-          # Prune old runner diagnostic logs (can accumulate 50MB+)
-          find ~/actions-runner/_diag/ -name '*.log' -mtime +3 -delete 2>/dev/null || true
-          # Show available disk space
-          df -h / | tail -1
-
      - name: Set up Node.js 22
        uses: actions/setup-node@v5
        with:
@@ -183,6 +176,9 @@ jobs:
      - name: Instrument frontend JS for coverage
        run: sh scripts/instrument-frontend.sh

+      - name: Freshen fixture timestamps
+        run: bash tools/freshen-fixture.sh test-fixtures/e2e-fixture.db
+
      - name: Start Go server with fixture DB
        run: |
          fuser -k 13581/tcp 2>/dev/null || true
@@ -190,7 +186,7 @@ jobs:
          ./corescope-server -port 13581 -db test-fixtures/e2e-fixture.db -public public-instrumented &
          echo $! > .server.pid
          for i in $(seq 1 30); do
-            if curl -sf http://localhost:13581/api/stats > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            if curl -sf http://localhost:13581/api/healthz > /dev/null 2>&1; then
              echo "Server ready after ${i}s"
              break
            fi
@@ -252,17 +248,11 @@ jobs:
  build-and-publish:
    name: "🏗️ Build & Publish Docker Image"
    needs: [e2e-test]
-    runs-on: [self-hosted, meshcore-runner-2]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v5

-      - name: Free disk space
-        run: |
-          docker system prune -af 2>/dev/null || true
-          docker builder prune -af 2>/dev/null || true
-          df -h /
-
      - name: Compute build metadata
        id: meta
        run: |
@@ -462,7 +452,7 @@ jobs:
    name: "📝 Publish Badges & Summary"
    if: github.event_name == 'push'
    needs: [deploy]
-    runs-on: [self-hosted, Linux]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v5
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ WORKDIR /build/server
 COPY cmd/server/go.mod cmd/server/go.sum ./
 COPY internal/geofilter/ ../../internal/geofilter/
 COPY internal/sigvalidate/ ../../internal/sigvalidate/
+COPY internal/packetpath/ ../../internal/packetpath/
 RUN go mod download
 COPY cmd/server/ ./
 RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=${TARGETOS} GOARCH=${TARGETARCH} \
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ WORKDIR /build/ingestor
 COPY cmd/ingestor/go.mod cmd/ingestor/go.sum ./
 COPY internal/geofilter/ ../../internal/geofilter/
 COPY internal/sigvalidate/ ../../internal/sigvalidate/
+COPY internal/packetpath/ ../../internal/packetpath/
 RUN go mod download
 COPY cmd/ingestor/ ./
 RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=${TARGETOS} GOARCH=${TARGETARCH} \
@@ -0,0 +1,207 @@
+# v3.6.0 - The Forensics
+
+CoreScope just got eyes everywhere. This release drops **path inspection**, **color-by-hash markers**, **clock skew detection**, **full channel encryption**, an **observer graph**, and a pile of robustness fixes that make your mesh network feel like it's being watched by someone who actually cares.
+
+134 commits, 105 PRs merged, 18K+ lines added. Here's what shipped.
+
+---
+
+## 🚀 New Features
+
+### Path-Prefix Candidate Inspector (#944, #945)
+The marquee feature. Click any path segment and CoreScope opens an interactive inspector showing every candidate node that could match that hop prefix - plotted on a map with scoring by neighbor-graph affinity and geographic centroid. Ambiguous hops? Now you can see *why* they're ambiguous and pick the right one.
+
+**Why you'll love it:** No more guessing which `0xA3` is the real repeater. The inspector lays out every candidate, scores them, and lets you drill in visually.
+
+### Color-by-Hash Packet Markers (#948, #951)
+Every packet type gets a vivid, hash-derived color - on the live feed, map polylines, and flying-packet animations. Bright fill with dark outline for contrast. No more monochrome blobs - you can visually track packet flows by color at a glance.
+
+### Node Filter on Live Page (#924, #771)
+Filter the live packet stream to show only traffic flowing through a specific node. Pick a repeater, see exactly what it's carrying. That simple.
+
+### Clock Skew Detection (#746, #752, #828, #850)
+Full pipeline: backend computes drift using Theil-Sen regression with outlier rejection (#828), the UI shows per-node badges, detail sparklines, and fleet-wide analytics (#752). Bimodal clock severity (#850) surfaces flaky-RTC nodes that toggle between accurate and drifted - instead of hiding them as "No Clock."
+
+**Why you'll love it:** Nodes with bad clocks silently corrupt your timeline. Now they glow red before they ruin your analysis.
+
+### Observer Graph (M1+M2) (#774)
+Observers are now first-class graph citizens. CoreScope builds a neighbor graph from observation overlaps, scores hop-resolver candidates by graph edges (#876), and uses geographic centroid for tiebreaking. The observer topology is visible and queryable.
+
+### Channel Encryption - Full Stack (#726, #733, #750, #760)
+Three milestones landed as one: DB-backed channel message history (#726), client-side PSK decryption in the browser (#733), and PSK channel management with add/remove UX and message caching (#750). Add a channel key in the UI, and CoreScope decrypts messages client-side - no server-side key storage. The add-channel button (#760) makes it dead simple.
+
+**Why you'll love it:** Encrypted channels are no longer black boxes. Add your PSK, see the messages, search history - all without exposing keys to the server.
+
+### Hash Collision Inspector (#758)
+The Hash Usage Matrix now shows collision details for all hash sizes. When two nodes share a prefix, you see exactly who collides and at what size.
+
+### Geofilter Builder - In-App (#735, #900)
+The geofilter polygon builder is now served directly from CoreScope with a full docs page (#900). No more hunting for external tools. Link from the customizer, draw your polygon, done.
+
+### Node Blacklist (#742)
+`nodeBlacklist` in config hides abusive or troll nodes from all views. They're gone.
+
+### Observer Retention (#764)
+Stale observers are automatically pruned after a configurable number of days. Your observer list stays clean without manual intervention.
+
+### Advert Signature Validation (#794)
+Corrupt packets with invalid advert signatures are now rejected at ingest. Bad data never hits your store.
+
+### Bounded Cold Load (#790)
+`Load()` now respects a memory budget - no more OOM on cold start with a fat database. Combined with retention-hours cutoff (#917), cold start is safe on constrained hardware.
+
+### Multi-Arch Docker Images (#869)
+Official images now publish `amd64` + `arm64` in a single multi-arch manifest. Raspberry Pi operators: pull and run. No special tags needed.
+
+### /nodes Detail Panel + Search (#868)
+The nodes detail panel ships with search improvements (#862) - find nodes fast, see their full detail in a slide-out panel.
+
+### Deduplicated Top Longest Hops (#848)
+Longest hops are now deduplicated by pair with observation count and SNR cues. No more seeing the same link 47 times.
+
+---
+
+## 🔥 Performance Wins
+
+### StoreTx ResolvedPath Elimination (#806)
+The per-transaction `ResolvedPath` computation is gone - replaced by a membership index with on-demand decode. This was one of the hottest paths in the ingestor.
+
+### Node Packet Queries (#803)
+Raw JSON text search for node packets replaced with a proper `byNode` index (#673). Night and day.
+
+### Channel Query Performance (#762, #763)
+New `channel_hash` column enables SQL-level channel filtering. No more full-table scan to find messages in a channel.
+
+### SQLite Auto-Vacuum (#919, #920)
+Incremental auto-vacuum enabled - the database file actually shrinks after retention pruning. No more 2GB database holding 200MB of live data.
+
+### Retention-Hours Cutoff on Load (#917)
+`Load()` now applies `retentionHours` at read time, preventing OOM when the DB has more history than memory allows.
+
+---
+
+## 🛡️ Security & Robustness
+
+### MQTT Reconnect with Bounded Backoff (#947, #949)
+The ingestor now reconnects to MQTT brokers with exponential backoff, observability logging, and bounded retry. No more silent disconnects that kill your data stream.
+
+---
+
+## 🐛 Bugs Squashed
+
+This release exterminates **40+ bugs** — from protocol-level hash mismatches to pixel-level CSS breakage. Operators told us what hurt; we listened.
+
+- **Path inspector "Show on Map" missed origin and first hop** (#950) - map view now includes all hops
+- **Content hash used full header byte** (#787) - content hashing now uses payload type bits only, fixing hash collisions between packets that differ only in header flags
+- **Encrypted channel deep links showed broken UI** (#825, #826, #815) - deep links to encrypted channels now show a lock message instead of broken UI when you don't have the key
+- **Geofilter longitude wrapping** (#925) - geofilter builder wraps longitude to [-180, 180]; southern hemisphere polygons no longer invert
+- **Hash filter bypasses saved region filter** (#939) - hash lookups now skip the geo filter as intended
+- **Companion-as-repeater excluded from path hops** (#935, #936) - non-repeater nodes no longer pollute hop resolution
+- **Customize panel re-renders while typing** (#927) - text fields keep focus during config changes
+- **Per-observation raw_hex** (#881, #882) - each observer's hex dump now shows what *that observer* actually received
+- **Per-observation children in packet groups** (#866, #880) - expanded groups show per-obs data, not cross-observer aggregates
+- **Full-page obs-switch** (#866, #870) - switching observers updates hex, path, and direction correctly
+- **Packet detail shows wrong observation** (#849, #851) - clicking a specific observation opens *that* observation
+- **Byte breakdown hop count** (#844, #846) - derived from `path_len`, not aggregated `_parsedPath`
+- **Transport-route path_len offset** (#852, #853) - correct offset calculation + CSS variable fix
+- **Packets/hour chart bars + x-axis** (#858, #865) - bars render correctly, x-axis labels properly decimated
+- **Channel timeline capped to top 8** (#860, #864) - no more 47-channel chart spaghetti
+- **Reachability row opacity removed** (#859, #863) - clean rows without misleading gradient
+- **Sticky table headers on mobile** (#861, #867) - restored after regression
+- **Map popup 'Show Neighbors' on iOS Safari** (#840, #841) - link actually works now
+- **Node detail Recent Packets invisible text** (#829, #830) - CSS fix
+- **/api/packets/{hash} falls back to DB** (#827, #831) - when in-memory store misses, DB catches it
+- **IATA filter bypass for status messages** (#694, #802) - status packets no longer filtered out by airport codes
+- **Desktop node click URL hash** (#676, #739) - clicking a node updates the URL for deep linking
+- **Filter params in URL hash** (#682, #740) - all filter state serialized for shareable links
+- **Hide undecryptable channel messages** (#727, #728) - clean default view
+- **TRACE path_json uses path_sz** (#732) - correct field from flags byte, not header hash_size
+- **Multi-byte adopters** (#754, #767) - all node types, role column, advert precedence
+- **Channel key case sensitivity** (#761) - Public decode works correctly
+- **Transport route field offsets** (#766) - correct offsets in field table
+- **Clock skew sanity checks** (#769) - filter epoch-0, cap drift, require minimum samples
+- **Neighbor graph slider persistence** (#776) - default 0.7, persisted to localStorage
+- **Node detail panel navigation** (#779, #785) - Details/Analytics links actually navigate
+- **Channel key removal** (#898) - user-added keys for server-known channels can be removed
+- **Side-panel Details on desktop** (#892) - opens full-screen correctly
+- **Hex-dump byte ranges client-side** (#891) - computed from per-obs raw_hex
+- **path_json derived from raw_hex at ingest** (#886, #887) - single source of truth
+- **Path pill and byte breakdown hop agreement** (#885) - they match now
+- **Mobile close button + toolbar scroll** (#797, #805) - accessible and scrollable
+- **/health.recentPackets resolved_path fallback** (#810, #821) - falls back to longest sibling observation
+- **Channel filter on Packets page** (#812, #816) - UI and API both fixed
+- **Clock-skew section in side panel** (#813, #814) - renders correctly
+- **Real RSS in /api/stats** (#832, #835) - surface actual RSS alongside tracked store bytes
+- **Hash size detection for transport routes + zero-hop adverts** (#747) - correct detection
+- **Repeater+observer merged map marker** (#745) - single marker, not two overlapping
+
+---
+
+## 🎨 UI Polish
+
+- QA findings applied across the board (#832, #833, #836, #837, #838) - dozens of small UX fixes from systematic QA pass
+
+---
+
+## 📦 Upgrading
+
+```bash
+git pull
+docker compose down
+docker compose build prod
+docker compose up -d prod
+```
+
+Your existing `config.json` works as-is. New optional config keys:
+- `nodeBlacklist` - array of node hashes to hide
+- `observerRetentionDays` - days before stale observers are pruned
+- `memoryBudgetMB` - cap on in-memory packet store
+
+### Verify
+
+```bash
+curl -s http://localhost/api/health | jq .version
+# "3.6.0"
+```
+
+---
+
+## 🙏 External Contributors
+
+- **#735** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Serve geofilter builder from app, link from customizer
+- **#739** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Desktop node click updates URL hash for deep linking
+- **#740** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Serialize filter params in URL hash for shareable links
+- **#742** ([@Joel-Claw](https://github.com/Joel-Claw)) - Add nodeBlacklist config to hide abusive/troll nodes
+- **#761** ([@copelaje](https://github.com/copelaje)) - Fix channel key case sensitivity for Public decode
+- **#764** ([@Joel-Claw](https://github.com/Joel-Claw)) - Add observer retention - prune stale observers after configurable days
+- **#802** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Bypass IATA filter for status messages, fill SNR on duplicate observations
+- **#803** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Replace raw JSON text search with byNode index for node packet queries
+- **#805** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Mobile close button accessible + toolbar scrollable
+- **#900** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - App-served geofilter docs page
+- **#917** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Apply retentionHours cutoff in Load() to prevent OOM on cold start
+- **#924** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Node filter on live page - show only traffic through a specific node
+- **#925** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Fix geobuilder longitude wrapping for southern hemisphere polygons
+- **#927** ([@efiten](https://github.com/efiten)) - Skip customize panel re-render while text field has focus
+
+---
+
+## ⚠️ Breaking Changes
+
+**None.** All API endpoints remain backwards-compatible. New fields are additive only.
+
+---
+
+## 📊 By the Numbers
+
+| Stat | Count |
+|------|-------|
+| Commits | 134 |
+| PRs merged | 105 |
+| Lines added | 18,480 |
+| Lines removed | 1,632 |
+| Files changed | 110 |
+| Contributors | 4 |
+
+---
+
+*Previous release: [v3.5.2](https://github.com/Kpa-clawbot/CoreScope/releases/tag/v3.5.2)*
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"

 	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/geofilter"
 )
@@ -41,6 +42,19 @@ type Config struct {
 	Metrics         *MetricsConfig    `json:"metrics,omitempty"`
 	GeoFilter            *GeoFilterConfig  `json:"geo_filter,omitempty"`
 	ValidateSignatures   *bool             `json:"validateSignatures,omitempty"`
+	DB                   *DBConfig         `json:"db,omitempty"`
+
+	// MQTTConnectTimeoutSeconds overrides the MQTT connect timeout (default 10s).
+	MQTTConnectTimeoutSeconds int `json:"mqttConnectTimeoutSeconds,omitempty"`
+
+	// ObserverBlacklist is a list of observer public keys to drop at ingest.
+	// Messages from blacklisted observers are silently discarded — no DB writes,
+	// no UpsertObserver, no observations, no metrics.
+	ObserverBlacklist []string `json:"observerBlacklist,omitempty"`
+
+	// obsBlacklistSetCached is the lazily-built lowercase set for O(1) lookups.
+	obsBlacklistSetCached map[string]bool
+	obsBlacklistOnce      sync.Once
 }

 // GeoFilterConfig is an alias for the shared geofilter.Config type.
@@ -58,6 +72,20 @@ type MetricsConfig struct {
 	SampleIntervalSec int `json:"sampleIntervalSec"`
 }

+// DBConfig controls SQLite vacuum and maintenance behavior (#919).
+type DBConfig struct {
+	VacuumOnStartup        bool `json:"vacuumOnStartup"`        // one-time full VACUUM on startup if auto_vacuum is not INCREMENTAL
+	IncrementalVacuumPages int  `json:"incrementalVacuumPages"` // pages returned to OS per reaper cycle (default 1024)
+}
+
+// IncrementalVacuumPages returns the configured pages per vacuum or 1024 default.
+func (c *Config) IncrementalVacuumPages() int {
+	if c.DB != nil && c.DB.IncrementalVacuumPages > 0 {
+		return c.DB.IncrementalVacuumPages
+	}
+	return 1024
+}
+
 // ShouldValidateSignatures returns true (default) unless explicitly disabled.
 func (c *Config) ShouldValidateSignatures() bool {
 	if c.ValidateSignatures != nil {
@@ -82,6 +110,15 @@ func (c *Config) MetricsRetentionDays() int {
 	return 30
 }

+// MQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault returns the configured MQTT connect timeout in
+// seconds, or 10 if not set (matching the paho default used historically).
+func (c *Config) MQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault() int {
+	if c.MQTTConnectTimeoutSeconds > 0 {
+		return c.MQTTConnectTimeoutSeconds
+	}
+	return 10
+}
+
 // NodeDaysOrDefault returns the configured retention.nodeDays or 7 if not set.
 func (c *Config) NodeDaysOrDefault() int {
 	if c.Retention != nil && c.Retention.NodeDays > 0 {
@@ -99,6 +136,24 @@ func (c *Config) ObserverDaysOrDefault() int {
 	return 14
 }

+// IsObserverBlacklisted returns true if the given observer ID is in the observerBlacklist.
+func (c *Config) IsObserverBlacklisted(id string) bool {
+	if c == nil || len(c.ObserverBlacklist) == 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+	c.obsBlacklistOnce.Do(func() {
+		m := make(map[string]bool, len(c.ObserverBlacklist))
+		for _, pk := range c.ObserverBlacklist {
+			trimmed := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(pk))
+			if trimmed != "" {
+				m[trimmed] = true
+			}
+		}
+		c.obsBlacklistSetCached = m
+	})
+	return c.obsBlacklistSetCached[strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(id))]
+}
+
 // LoadConfig reads configuration from a JSON file, with env var overrides.
 // If the config file does not exist, sensible defaults are used (zero-config startup).
 func LoadConfig(path string) (*Config, error) {
@@ -284,3 +284,36 @@ func TestLoadConfigWithAllFields(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("iataFilter=%v", src.IATAFilter)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestMQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	// Default when unset
+	cfg := &Config{}
+	if got := cfg.MQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault(); got != 10 {
+		t.Errorf("default: got %d, want 10", got)
+	}
+
+	// Custom value
+	cfg.MQTTConnectTimeoutSeconds = 45
+	if got := cfg.MQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault(); got != 45 {
+		t.Errorf("custom: got %d, want 45", got)
+	}
+
+	// Zero treated as unset
+	cfg.MQTTConnectTimeoutSeconds = 0
+	if got := cfg.MQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault(); got != 10 {
+		t.Errorf("zero: got %d, want 10", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMQTTConnectTimeoutFromJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	cfgPath := dir + "/config.json"
+	os.WriteFile(cfgPath, []byte(`{"mqttConnectTimeoutSeconds": 5}`), 0644)
+	cfg, err := LoadConfig(cfgPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := cfg.MQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault(); got != 5 {
+		t.Errorf("from JSON: got %d, want 5", got)
+	}
+}
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"time"

+	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath"
 	_ "modernc.org/sqlite"
 )

@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ func OpenStoreWithInterval(dbPath string, sampleIntervalSec int) (*Store, error)
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("creating data dir: %w", err)
 	}

-	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite", dbPath+"?_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)&_pragma=foreign_keys(ON)&_pragma=busy_timeout(5000)")
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite", dbPath+"?_pragma=auto_vacuum(INCREMENTAL)&_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)&_pragma=foreign_keys(ON)&_pragma=busy_timeout(5000)")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("opening db: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -84,6 +85,9 @@ func OpenStoreWithInterval(dbPath string, sampleIntervalSec int) (*Store, error)
 }

 func applySchema(db *sql.DB) error {
+	// auto_vacuum=INCREMENTAL is set via DSN pragma (must be before journal_mode).
+	// Logging of current mode is handled by CheckAutoVacuum — no duplicate log here.
+
 	schema := `
 		CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS nodes (
 			public_key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
@@ -189,7 +193,7 @@ func applySchema(db *sql.DB) error {
 	db.Exec(`DROP VIEW IF EXISTS packets_v`)
 	_, vErr := db.Exec(`
 		CREATE VIEW packets_v AS
-			SELECT o.id, t.raw_hex,
+			SELECT o.id, COALESCE(o.raw_hex, t.raw_hex) AS raw_hex,
 				   datetime(o.timestamp, 'unixepoch') AS timestamp,
 				   obs.id AS observer_id, obs.name AS observer_name,
 				   o.direction, o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, t.hash, t.route_type,
@@ -408,6 +412,15 @@ func applySchema(db *sql.DB) error {
 		log.Println("[migration] dropped_packets table created")
 	}

+	// Migration: add raw_hex column to observations (#881)
+	row = db.QueryRow("SELECT 1 FROM _migrations WHERE name = 'observations_raw_hex_v1'")
+	if row.Scan(&migDone) != nil {
+		log.Println("[migration] Adding raw_hex column to observations...")
+		db.Exec(`ALTER TABLE observations ADD COLUMN raw_hex TEXT`)
+		db.Exec(`INSERT INTO _migrations (name) VALUES ('observations_raw_hex_v1')`)
+		log.Println("[migration] observations.raw_hex column added")
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }

@@ -433,12 +446,13 @@ func (s *Store) prepareStatements() error {
 	}

 	s.stmtInsertObservation, err = s.db.Prepare(`
-		INSERT INTO observations (transmission_id, observer_idx, direction, snr, rssi, score, path_json, timestamp)
-		VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
+		INSERT INTO observations (transmission_id, observer_idx, direction, snr, rssi, score, path_json, timestamp, raw_hex)
+		VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
 		ON CONFLICT(transmission_id, observer_idx, COALESCE(path_json, '')) DO UPDATE SET
-			snr   = COALESCE(excluded.snr,   snr),
-			rssi  = COALESCE(excluded.rssi,  rssi),
-			score = COALESCE(excluded.score, score)
+			snr     = COALESCE(excluded.snr,     snr),
+			rssi    = COALESCE(excluded.rssi,    rssi),
+			score   = COALESCE(excluded.score,   score),
+			raw_hex = COALESCE(excluded.raw_hex, raw_hex)
 	`)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -584,7 +598,7 @@ func (s *Store) InsertTransmission(data *PacketData) (bool, error) {
 	_, err = s.stmtInsertObservation.Exec(
 		txID, observerIdx, data.Direction,
 		data.SNR, data.RSSI, data.Score,
-		data.PathJSON, epochTs,
+		data.PathJSON, epochTs, nilIfEmpty(data.RawHex),
 	)
 	if err != nil {
 		s.Stats.WriteErrors.Add(1)
@@ -777,6 +791,58 @@ func (s *Store) PruneOldMetrics(retentionDays int) (int64, error) {
 	return n, nil
 }

+// CheckAutoVacuum inspects the current auto_vacuum mode and logs a warning
+// if not INCREMENTAL. Performs opt-in full VACUUM if db.vacuumOnStartup is set (#919).
+func (s *Store) CheckAutoVacuum(cfg *Config) {
+	var autoVacuum int
+	if err := s.db.QueryRow("PRAGMA auto_vacuum").Scan(&autoVacuum); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("[db] warning: could not read auto_vacuum: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if autoVacuum == 2 {
+		log.Printf("[db] auto_vacuum=INCREMENTAL")
+		return
+	}
+
+	modes := map[int]string{0: "NONE", 1: "FULL", 2: "INCREMENTAL"}
+	mode := modes[autoVacuum]
+	if mode == "" {
+		mode = fmt.Sprintf("UNKNOWN(%d)", autoVacuum)
+	}
+
+	log.Printf("[db] auto_vacuum=%s — DB needs one-time VACUUM to enable incremental auto-vacuum. "+
+		"Set db.vacuumOnStartup: true in config to migrate (will block startup for several minutes on large DBs). "+
+		"See https://github.com/Kpa-clawbot/CoreScope/issues/919", mode)
+
+	if cfg.DB != nil && cfg.DB.VacuumOnStartup {
+		// WARNING: Full VACUUM creates a temporary copy of the entire DB file.
+		// Requires ~2× the DB file size in free disk space or it will fail.
+		log.Printf("[db] vacuumOnStartup=true — starting one-time full VACUUM (ensure 2x DB size free disk space)...")
+		start := time.Now()
+
+		if _, err := s.db.Exec("PRAGMA auto_vacuum = INCREMENTAL"); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("[db] VACUUM failed: could not set auto_vacuum: %v", err)
+			return
+		}
+		if _, err := s.db.Exec("VACUUM"); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("[db] VACUUM failed: %v", err)
+			return
+		}
+
+		elapsed := time.Since(start)
+		log.Printf("[db] VACUUM complete in %v — auto_vacuum is now INCREMENTAL", elapsed.Round(time.Millisecond))
+	}
+}
+
+// RunIncrementalVacuum returns free pages to the OS (#919).
+// Safe to call on auto_vacuum=NONE databases (noop).
+func (s *Store) RunIncrementalVacuum(pages int) {
+	if _, err := s.db.Exec(fmt.Sprintf("PRAGMA incremental_vacuum(%d)", pages)); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("[vacuum] incremental_vacuum error: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 // Checkpoint forces a WAL checkpoint to release the WAL lock file,
 // preventing lock contention with a new process starting up.
 func (s *Store) Checkpoint() {
@@ -931,11 +997,22 @@ type MQTTPacketMessage struct {
 }

 // BuildPacketData constructs a PacketData from a decoded packet and MQTT message.
+// path_json is derived directly from raw_hex header bytes (not decoded.Path.Hops)
+// to guarantee the stored path always matches the raw bytes. This matters for
+// TRACE packets where decoded.Path.Hops is overwritten with payload hops (#886).
 func BuildPacketData(msg *MQTTPacketMessage, decoded *DecodedPacket, observerID, region string) *PacketData {
 	now := time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC3339)
 	pathJSON := "[]"
-	if len(decoded.Path.Hops) > 0 {
-		b, _ := json.Marshal(decoded.Path.Hops)
+	// For TRACE packets, path_json must be the payload-decoded route hops
+	// (decoded.Path.Hops), NOT the raw_hex header bytes which are SNR values.
+	// For all other packet types, derive path from raw_hex (#886).
+	if !packetpath.PathBytesAreHops(byte(decoded.Header.PayloadType)) {
+		if len(decoded.Path.Hops) > 0 {
+			b, _ := json.Marshal(decoded.Path.Hops)
+			pathJSON = string(b)
+		}
+	} else if hops, err := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(msg.Raw); err == nil && len(hops) > 0 {
+		b, _ := json.Marshal(hops)
 		pathJSON = string(b)
 	}

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package main

 import (
 	"database/sql"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -10,6 +11,8 @@ import (
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
+
+	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath"
 )

 func tempDBPath(t *testing.T) string {
@@ -1968,3 +1971,155 @@ func TestInsertObservationSNRFillIn(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("RSSI overwritten by null arrival: got %v, want %v", rssi3, rssi)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestPerObservationRawHex verifies that two MQTT packets for the same hash
+// from different observers store distinct raw_hex per observation (#881).
+func TestPerObservationRawHex(t *testing.T) {
+	store, err := OpenStore(tempDBPath(t))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer store.Close()
+
+	// Register two observers
+	store.UpsertObserver("obs-A", "Observer A", "", nil)
+	store.UpsertObserver("obs-B", "Observer B", "", nil)
+
+	hash := "abc123def456"
+	rawA := "c0ffee01"
+	rawB := "c0ffee0201aa"
+	dir := "RX"
+
+	// First observation from observer A
+	pdA := &PacketData{
+		RawHex:    rawA,
+		Hash:      hash,
+		Timestamp: "2026-04-21T10:00:00Z",
+		ObserverID: "obs-A",
+		Direction:  &dir,
+		PathJSON:   "[]",
+	}
+	isNew, err := store.InsertTransmission(pdA)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("insert A: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !isNew {
+		t.Fatal("expected new transmission")
+	}
+
+	// Second observation from observer B (same hash, different raw bytes)
+	pdB := &PacketData{
+		RawHex:    rawB,
+		Hash:      hash,
+		Timestamp: "2026-04-21T10:00:01Z",
+		ObserverID: "obs-B",
+		Direction:  &dir,
+		PathJSON:   `["aabb"]`,
+	}
+	isNew2, err := store.InsertTransmission(pdB)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("insert B: %v", err)
+	}
+	if isNew2 {
+		t.Fatal("expected duplicate transmission")
+	}
+
+	// Query observations and verify per-observation raw_hex
+	rows, err := store.db.Query(`
+		SELECT o.raw_hex, obs.id
+		FROM observations o
+		LEFT JOIN observers obs ON obs.rowid = o.observer_idx
+		ORDER BY o.id ASC
+	`)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("query: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+
+	type obsResult struct {
+		rawHex     string
+		observerID string
+	}
+	var results []obsResult
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var rh, oid sql.NullString
+		if err := rows.Scan(&rh, &oid); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		results = append(results, obsResult{
+			rawHex:     rh.String,
+			observerID: oid.String,
+		})
+	}
+
+	if len(results) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 observations, got %d", len(results))
+	}
+	if results[0].rawHex != rawA {
+		t.Errorf("obs A raw_hex: got %q, want %q", results[0].rawHex, rawA)
+	}
+	if results[1].rawHex != rawB {
+		t.Errorf("obs B raw_hex: got %q, want %q", results[1].rawHex, rawB)
+	}
+	if results[0].rawHex == results[1].rawHex {
+		t.Error("both observations have same raw_hex — should differ")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestBuildPacketData_TraceUsesPayloadHops verifies that TRACE packets use
+// payload-decoded route hops in path_json (NOT the raw_hex header SNR bytes).
+// Issue #886 / #887.
+func TestBuildPacketData_TraceUsesPayloadHops(t *testing.T) {
+	// TRACE packet: header path has SNR bytes [30,2D,0D,23], but decoded.Path.Hops
+	// is overwritten to payload hops [67,33,D6,33,67].
+	rawHex := "2604302D0D2359FEE7B100000000006733D63367"
+	decoded, err := DecodePacket(rawHex, nil, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// decoded.Path.Hops should be the TRACE-replaced hops (payload hops)
+	if len(decoded.Path.Hops) != 5 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 5 decoded hops, got %d", len(decoded.Path.Hops))
+	}
+
+	msg := &MQTTPacketMessage{Raw: rawHex}
+	pd := BuildPacketData(msg, decoded, "test-obs", "TST")
+
+	// For TRACE: path_json MUST be the payload-decoded route hops, NOT the SNR bytes
+	expectedPathJSON := `["67","33","D6","33","67"]`
+	if pd.PathJSON != expectedPathJSON {
+		t.Errorf("path_json = %s, want %s (TRACE must use payload hops)", pd.PathJSON, expectedPathJSON)
+	}
+
+	// Verify that DecodePathFromRawHex returns the SNR bytes (header path) which differ
+	headerHops, herr := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(rawHex)
+	if herr != nil {
+		t.Fatal(herr)
+	}
+	headerJSON, _ := json.Marshal(headerHops)
+	if string(headerJSON) == expectedPathJSON {
+		t.Error("header path (SNR) should differ from payload hops for TRACE")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestBuildPacketData_NonTracePathJSON verifies non-TRACE packets also derive path from raw_hex.
+func TestBuildPacketData_NonTracePathJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	// A simple ADVERT packet (payload type 0) with 2 hops, hash_size 1
+	// Header 0x09 = FLOOD(1), ADVERT(2), version 0
+	// Path byte 0x02 = hash_size 1, hash_count 2
+	// Path bytes: AA BB
+	rawHex := "0902AABB" + "00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000"
+	decoded, err := DecodePacket(rawHex, nil, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	msg := &MQTTPacketMessage{Raw: rawHex}
+	pd := BuildPacketData(msg, decoded, "obs1", "TST")
+
+	expectedPathJSON := `["AA","BB"]`
+	if pd.PathJSON != expectedPathJSON {
+		t.Errorf("path_json = %s, want %s", pd.PathJSON, expectedPathJSON)
+	}
+}
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"unicode/utf8"

+	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath"
 	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/sigvalidate"
 )

@@ -192,8 +193,9 @@ func decodePath(pathByte byte, buf []byte, offset int) (Path, int) {
 	}, totalBytes
 }

+// isTransportRoute delegates to packetpath.IsTransportRoute.
 func isTransportRoute(routeType int) bool {
-	return routeType == RouteTransportFlood || routeType == RouteTransportDirect
+	return packetpath.IsTransportRoute(routeType)
 }

 func decodeEncryptedPayload(typeName string, buf []byte) Payload {
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"

+	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath"
 	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/sigvalidate"
 )

@@ -1822,3 +1823,106 @@ func TestDecodeAdvertWithSignatureValidation(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("SignatureValid should be nil when validation disabled")
 	}
 }
+
+// === Tests for DecodePathFromRawHex (issue #886) ===
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_HashSize1(t *testing.T) {
+	// Header byte 0x26 = route_type DIRECT, payload TRACE
+	// Path byte 0x04 = hash_size 1 (bits 7-6 = 00 → 0+1=1), hash_count 4
+	// Path bytes: 30 2D 0D 23
+	raw := "2604302D0D2359FEE7B100000000006733D63367"
+	hops, err := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	expected := []string{"30", "2D", "0D", "23"}
+	if len(hops) != len(expected) {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d hops, want %d", len(hops), len(expected))
+	}
+	for i, h := range hops {
+		if h != expected[i] {
+			t.Errorf("hop[%d] = %s, want %s", i, h, expected[i])
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_HashSize2(t *testing.T) {
+	// Path byte 0x42 = hash_size 2 (bits 7-6 = 01 → 1+1=2), hash_count 2
+	// Header 0x09 = FLOOD route (rt=1), payload ADVERT (pt=2)
+	// Path bytes: AABB CCDD (4 bytes = 2 hops * 2 bytes)
+	raw := "0942AABBCCDD" + "00000000000000"
+	hops, err := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	expected := []string{"AABB", "CCDD"}
+	if len(hops) != len(expected) {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d hops, want %d", len(hops), len(expected))
+	}
+	for i, h := range hops {
+		if h != expected[i] {
+			t.Errorf("hop[%d] = %s, want %s", i, h, expected[i])
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_HashSize3(t *testing.T) {
+	// Path byte 0x81 = hash_size 3 (bits 7-6 = 10 → 2+1=3), hash_count 1
+	// Header 0x09 = FLOOD route (rt=1), payload ADVERT
+	raw := "0981AABBCC" + "0000000000"
+	hops, err := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(hops) != 1 || hops[0] != "AABBCC" {
+		t.Fatalf("got %v, want [AABBCC]", hops)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_HashSize4(t *testing.T) {
+	// Path byte 0xC1 = hash_size 4 (bits 7-6 = 11 → 3+1=4), hash_count 1
+	// Header 0x09 = FLOOD route (rt=1)
+	raw := "09C1AABBCCDD" + "0000000000"
+	hops, err := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(hops) != 1 || hops[0] != "AABBCCDD" {
+		t.Fatalf("got %v, want [AABBCCDD]", hops)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_DirectZeroHops(t *testing.T) {
+	// Path byte 0x00 = hash_size 1, hash_count 0
+	// Header 0x0A = DIRECT route (rt=2), payload ADVERT
+	raw := "0A00" + "0000000000"
+	hops, err := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(hops) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d hops, want 0", len(hops))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_Transport(t *testing.T) {
+	// Route type 3 = TRANSPORT_DIRECT → 4 transport code bytes before path byte
+	// Header 0x27 = route_type 3, payload TRACE
+	// Transport codes: 1122 3344
+	// Path byte 0x02 = hash_size 1, hash_count 2
+	// Path bytes: AA BB
+	raw := "2711223344" + "02AABB" + "0000000000"
+	hops, err := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	expected := []string{"AA", "BB"}
+	if len(hops) != len(expected) {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d hops, want %d", len(hops), len(expected))
+	}
+	for i, h := range hops {
+		if h != expected[i] {
+			t.Errorf("hop[%d] = %s, want %s", i, h, expected[i])
+		}
+	}
+}
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ replace github.com/meshcore-analyzer/geofilter => ../../internal/geofilter

 replace github.com/meshcore-analyzer/sigvalidate => ../../internal/sigvalidate

+require github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath v0.0.0
+
+replace github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath => ../../internal/packetpath
+
 require (
 	github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.0.1 // indirect
 	github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 // indirect
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ func main() {
 	defer store.Close()
 	log.Printf("SQLite opened: %s", cfg.DBPath)

+	// Check auto_vacuum mode and optionally migrate (#919)
+	store.CheckAutoVacuum(cfg)
+
 	// Node retention: move stale nodes to inactive_nodes on startup
 	nodeDays := cfg.NodeDaysOrDefault()
 	store.MoveStaleNodes(nodeDays)
@@ -69,12 +72,15 @@ func main() {
 	metricsDays := cfg.MetricsRetentionDays()
 	store.PruneOldMetrics(metricsDays)
 	store.PruneDroppedPackets(metricsDays)
+	vacuumPages := cfg.IncrementalVacuumPages()
+	store.RunIncrementalVacuum(vacuumPages)

 	// Daily ticker for node retention
 	retentionTicker := time.NewTicker(1 * time.Hour)
 	go func() {
 		for range retentionTicker.C {
 			store.MoveStaleNodes(nodeDays)
+			store.RunIncrementalVacuum(vacuumPages)
 		}
 	}()

@@ -83,8 +89,10 @@ func main() {
 	go func() {
 		time.Sleep(90 * time.Second) // stagger after metrics prune
 		store.RemoveStaleObservers(observerDays)
+		store.RunIncrementalVacuum(vacuumPages)
 		for range observerRetentionTicker.C {
 			store.RemoveStaleObservers(observerDays)
+			store.RunIncrementalVacuum(vacuumPages)
 		}
 	}()

@@ -94,6 +102,7 @@ func main() {
 		for range metricsRetentionTicker.C {
 			store.PruneOldMetrics(metricsDays)
 			store.PruneDroppedPackets(metricsDays)
+			store.RunIncrementalVacuum(vacuumPages)
 		}
 	}()

@@ -120,23 +129,8 @@ func main() {
 			tag = source.Broker
 		}

-		opts := mqtt.NewClientOptions().
-			AddBroker(source.Broker).
-			SetAutoReconnect(true).
-			SetConnectRetry(true).
-			SetOrderMatters(true)
-
-		if source.Username != "" {
-			opts.SetUsername(source.Username)
-		}
-		if source.Password != "" {
-			opts.SetPassword(source.Password)
-		}
-		if source.RejectUnauthorized != nil && !*source.RejectUnauthorized {
-			opts.SetTLSConfig(&tls.Config{InsecureSkipVerify: true})
-		} else if strings.HasPrefix(source.Broker, "ssl://") {
-			opts.SetTLSConfig(&tls.Config{})
-		}
+		opts := buildMQTTOpts(source, cfg.MQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault())
+		log.Printf("MQTT [%s] connect timeout: %ds", tag, cfg.MQTTConnectTimeoutOrDefault())

 		opts.SetOnConnectHandler(func(c mqtt.Client) {
 			log.Printf("MQTT [%s] connected to %s", tag, source.Broker)
@@ -156,7 +150,11 @@ func main() {
 		})

 		opts.SetConnectionLostHandler(func(c mqtt.Client, err error) {
-			log.Printf("MQTT [%s] disconnected: %v", tag, err)
+			log.Printf("MQTT [%s] disconnected from %s: %v", tag, source.Broker, err)
+		})
+
+		opts.SetReconnectingHandler(func(c mqtt.Client, options *mqtt.ClientOptions) {
+			log.Printf("MQTT [%s] reconnecting to %s", tag, source.Broker)
 		})

 		// Capture source for closure
@@ -197,6 +195,32 @@ func main() {
 	log.Println("Done.")
 }

+// buildMQTTOpts creates MQTT client options for a source with bounded reconnect
+// backoff, connect timeout, and TLS/auth configuration.
+func buildMQTTOpts(source MQTTSource, connectTimeoutSec int) *mqtt.ClientOptions {
+	opts := mqtt.NewClientOptions().
+		AddBroker(source.Broker).
+		SetAutoReconnect(true).
+		SetConnectRetry(true).
+		SetOrderMatters(true).
+		SetMaxReconnectInterval(30 * time.Second).
+		SetConnectTimeout(time.Duration(connectTimeoutSec) * time.Second).
+		SetWriteTimeout(10 * time.Second)
+
+	if source.Username != "" {
+		opts.SetUsername(source.Username)
+	}
+	if source.Password != "" {
+		opts.SetPassword(source.Password)
+	}
+	if source.RejectUnauthorized != nil && !*source.RejectUnauthorized {
+		opts.SetTLSConfig(&tls.Config{InsecureSkipVerify: true})
+	} else if strings.HasPrefix(source.Broker, "ssl://") {
+		opts.SetTLSConfig(&tls.Config{})
+	}
+	return opts
+}
+
 func handleMessage(store *Store, tag string, source MQTTSource, m mqtt.Message, channelKeys map[string]string, cfg *Config) {
 	defer func() {
 		if r := recover(); r != nil {
@@ -217,6 +241,13 @@ func handleMessage(store *Store, tag string, source MQTTSource, m mqtt.Message,
 		return
 	}

+	// Observer blacklist: drop ALL messages from blacklisted observers before any
+	// DB writes (status, metrics, packets). Trumps IATA filter.
+	if len(parts) > 2 && cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted(parts[2]) {
+		log.Printf("MQTT [%s] observer %.8s blacklisted, dropping", tag, parts[2])
+		return
+	}
+
 	// Status topic: meshcore/<region>/<observer_id>/status
 	// IATA filter does NOT apply here — observer metadata (noise_floor, battery, etc.)
 	// is region-independent and should be accepted from all observers regardless of
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestBuildMQTTOpts_ReconnectSettings(t *testing.T) {
+	source := MQTTSource{
+		Broker: "tcp://localhost:1883",
+		Name:   "test",
+	}
+	opts := buildMQTTOpts(source, 10)
+
+	if opts.MaxReconnectInterval != 30*time.Second {
+		t.Errorf("MaxReconnectInterval = %v, want 30s", opts.MaxReconnectInterval)
+	}
+	if opts.ConnectTimeout != 10*time.Second {
+		t.Errorf("ConnectTimeout = %v, want 10s", opts.ConnectTimeout)
+	}
+	if opts.WriteTimeout != 10*time.Second {
+		t.Errorf("WriteTimeout = %v, want 10s", opts.WriteTimeout)
+	}
+	if !opts.AutoReconnect {
+		t.Error("AutoReconnect should be true")
+	}
+	if !opts.ConnectRetry {
+		t.Error("ConnectRetry should be true")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildMQTTOpts_Credentials(t *testing.T) {
+	source := MQTTSource{
+		Broker:   "tcp://broker:1883",
+		Username: "user1",
+		Password: "pass1",
+	}
+	opts := buildMQTTOpts(source, 10)
+
+	if opts.Username != "user1" {
+		t.Errorf("Username = %q, want %q", opts.Username, "user1")
+	}
+	if opts.Password != "pass1" {
+		t.Errorf("Password = %q, want %q", opts.Password, "pass1")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildMQTTOpts_TLS_InsecureSkipVerify(t *testing.T) {
+	f := false
+	source := MQTTSource{
+		Broker:             "ssl://broker:8883",
+		RejectUnauthorized: &f,
+	}
+	opts := buildMQTTOpts(source, 10)
+
+	if opts.TLSConfig == nil {
+		t.Fatal("TLSConfig should be set")
+	}
+	if !opts.TLSConfig.InsecureSkipVerify {
+		t.Error("InsecureSkipVerify should be true when RejectUnauthorized=false")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildMQTTOpts_TLS_SSL_Prefix(t *testing.T) {
+	source := MQTTSource{
+		Broker: "ssl://broker:8883",
+	}
+	opts := buildMQTTOpts(source, 10)
+
+	if opts.TLSConfig == nil {
+		t.Fatal("TLSConfig should be set for ssl:// brokers")
+	}
+	if opts.TLSConfig.InsecureSkipVerify {
+		t.Error("InsecureSkipVerify should be false by default")
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestIngestorIsObserverBlacklisted(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &Config{
+		ObserverBlacklist: []string{"OBS1", "obs2"},
+	}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		id   string
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{"OBS1", true},
+		{"obs1", true},
+		{"OBS2", true},
+		{"obs3", false},
+		{"", false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		got := cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted(tt.id)
+		if got != tt.want {
+			t.Errorf("IsObserverBlacklisted(%q) = %v, want %v", tt.id, got, tt.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIngestorIsObserverBlacklistedEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &Config{}
+	if cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted("anything") {
+		t.Error("empty blacklist should not match")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIngestorIsObserverBlacklistedNil(t *testing.T) {
+	var cfg *Config
+	if cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted("anything") {
+		t.Error("nil config should not match")
+	}
+}
@@ -127,6 +127,92 @@ func TestBoundedLoad_AscendingOrder(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

+// loadStoreWithRetention creates a PacketStore with retentionHours set.
+func loadStoreWithRetention(t *testing.T, dbPath string, retentionHours float64) *PacketStore {
+	t.Helper()
+	db, err := OpenDB(dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	cfg := &PacketStoreConfig{RetentionHours: retentionHours}
+	store := NewPacketStore(db, cfg)
+	if err := store.Load(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return store
+}
+
+// createTestDBWithAgedPackets inserts numRecent packets with timestamps within
+// the last hour and numOld packets with timestamps 48 hours ago.
+func createTestDBWithAgedPackets(t *testing.T, numRecent, numOld int) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	dbPath := filepath.Join(dir, "test.db")
+
+	conn, err := sql.Open("sqlite", dbPath+"?_journal_mode=WAL")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+
+	execOrFail := func(s string) {
+		if _, err := conn.Exec(s); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("setup: %v\nSQL: %s", err, s)
+		}
+	}
+	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE transmissions (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, raw_hex TEXT, hash TEXT, first_seen TEXT, route_type INTEGER, payload_type INTEGER, payload_version INTEGER, decoded_json TEXT)`)
+	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE observations (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, transmission_id INTEGER, observer_id TEXT, observer_name TEXT, direction TEXT, snr REAL, rssi REAL, score INTEGER, path_json TEXT, timestamp TEXT, raw_hex TEXT)`)
+	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE observers (rowid INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, id TEXT, name TEXT)`)
+	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE nodes (pubkey TEXT PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, role TEXT, lat REAL, lon REAL, last_seen TEXT, first_seen TEXT, frequency REAL)`)
+	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE schema_version (version INTEGER)`)
+	execOrFail(`INSERT INTO schema_version (version) VALUES (1)`)
+	execOrFail(`CREATE INDEX idx_tx_first_seen ON transmissions(first_seen)`)
+
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	id := 1
+	// Insert old packets (48 hours ago)
+	for i := 0; i < numOld; i++ {
+		ts := now.Add(-48 * time.Hour).Add(time.Duration(i) * time.Second).Format(time.RFC3339)
+		conn.Exec("INSERT INTO transmissions VALUES (?,?,?,?,0,4,1,?)", id, "aa", fmt.Sprintf("old%d", i), ts, `{}`)
+		conn.Exec("INSERT INTO observations VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?)", id, id, "obs1", "Obs1", "RX", -10.0, -80.0, 5, `[]`, ts, "")
+		id++
+	}
+	// Insert recent packets (within last hour)
+	for i := 0; i < numRecent; i++ {
+		ts := now.Add(-30 * time.Minute).Add(time.Duration(i) * time.Second).Format(time.RFC3339)
+		conn.Exec("INSERT INTO transmissions VALUES (?,?,?,?,0,4,1,?)", id, "bb", fmt.Sprintf("new%d", i), ts, `{}`)
+		conn.Exec("INSERT INTO observations VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?)", id, id, "obs1", "Obs1", "RX", -10.0, -80.0, 5, `[]`, ts, "")
+		id++
+	}
+	return dbPath
+}
+
+func TestRetentionLoad_OnlyLoadsRecentPackets(t *testing.T) {
+	dbPath := createTestDBWithAgedPackets(t, 50, 100)
+	defer os.RemoveAll(filepath.Dir(dbPath))
+
+	// retention = 2 hours — should load only the 50 recent packets, not the 100 old ones
+	store := loadStoreWithRetention(t, dbPath, 2)
+	defer store.db.conn.Close()
+
+	if len(store.packets) != 50 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 50 recent packets, got %d (old packets should be excluded by retentionHours)", len(store.packets))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRetentionLoad_ZeroRetentionLoadsAll(t *testing.T) {
+	dbPath := createTestDBWithAgedPackets(t, 50, 100)
+	defer os.RemoveAll(filepath.Dir(dbPath))
+
+	// retention = 0 (unlimited) — should load all 150 packets
+	store := loadStoreWithRetention(t, dbPath, 0)
+	defer store.db.conn.Close()
+
+	if len(store.packets) != 150 {
+		t.Errorf("expected all 150 packets with retentionHours=0, got %d", len(store.packets))
+	}
+}
+
 func TestEstimateStoreTxBytesTypical(t *testing.T) {
 	est := estimateStoreTxBytesTypical(10)
 	if est < 1000 {
@@ -229,7 +315,7 @@ func createTestDBAt(tb testing.TB, dbPath string, numTx int) {
 		id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
 		transmission_id INTEGER, observer_id TEXT, observer_name TEXT,
 		direction TEXT, snr REAL, rssi REAL, score INTEGER,
-		path_json TEXT, timestamp TEXT
+		path_json TEXT, timestamp TEXT, raw_hex TEXT
 	)`)
 	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS observers (rowid INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, id TEXT, name TEXT)`)
 	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS nodes (
@@ -280,7 +366,7 @@ func createTestDBWithObs(tb testing.TB, dbPath string, numTx int) {
 	)`)
 	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS observations (
 		id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, transmission_id INTEGER, observer_id TEXT, observer_name TEXT,
-		direction TEXT, snr REAL, rssi REAL, score INTEGER, path_json TEXT, timestamp TEXT
+		direction TEXT, snr REAL, rssi REAL, score INTEGER, path_json TEXT, timestamp TEXT, raw_hex TEXT
 	)`)
 	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS observers (rowid INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, id TEXT, name TEXT)`)
 	execOrFail(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS nodes (
@@ -120,6 +120,8 @@ type NodeClockSkew struct {
 	GoodFraction        float64  `json:"goodFraction"`        // fraction of recent samples with |skew| <= 1h
 	RecentBadSampleCount int     `json:"recentBadSampleCount"` // count of recent samples with |skew| > 1h
 	RecentSampleCount    int     `json:"recentSampleCount"`    // total recent samples in window
+	RecentHashEvidence  []HashEvidence      `json:"recentHashEvidence,omitempty"`
+	CalibrationSummary  *CalibrationSummary `json:"calibrationSummary,omitempty"`
 	NodeName        string       `json:"nodeName,omitempty"` // populated in fleet responses
 	NodeRole        string       `json:"nodeRole,omitempty"` // populated in fleet responses
 }
@@ -130,6 +132,31 @@ type SkewSample struct {
 	SkewSec   float64 `json:"skew"` // corrected skew in seconds
 }

+// HashEvidenceObserver is one observer's contribution to a per-hash evidence entry.
+type HashEvidenceObserver struct {
+	ObserverID      string  `json:"observerID"`
+	ObserverName    string  `json:"observerName"`
+	RawSkewSec      float64 `json:"rawSkewSec"`
+	CorrectedSkewSec float64 `json:"correctedSkewSec"`
+	ObserverOffsetSec float64 `json:"observerOffsetSec"`
+	Calibrated      bool    `json:"calibrated"`
+}
+
+// HashEvidence is per-hash clock skew evidence showing individual observer contributions.
+type HashEvidence struct {
+	Hash                  string                 `json:"hash"`
+	Observers             []HashEvidenceObserver `json:"observers"`
+	MedianCorrectedSkewSec float64              `json:"medianCorrectedSkewSec"`
+	Timestamp             int64                  `json:"timestamp"`
+}
+
+// CalibrationSummary counts how many samples were corrected via observer calibration.
+type CalibrationSummary struct {
+	TotalSamples       int `json:"totalSamples"`
+	CalibratedSamples  int `json:"calibratedSamples"`
+	UncalibratedSamples int `json:"uncalibratedSamples"`
+}
+
 // txSkewResult maps tx hash → per-transmission skew stats. This is an
 // intermediate result keyed by hash (not pubkey); the store maps hash → pubkey
 // when building the final per-node view.
@@ -143,15 +170,27 @@ type ClockSkewEngine struct {
 	observerOffsets  map[string]float64 // observerID → calibrated offset (seconds)
 	observerSamples  map[string]int     // observerID → number of multi-observer packets used
 	nodeSkew         txSkewResult
+	hashEvidence     map[string][]hashEvidenceEntry // hash → per-observer raw/corrected data
 	lastComputed     time.Time
 	computeInterval  time.Duration
 }

+// hashEvidenceEntry stores raw evidence per observer per hash, cached during Recompute.
+type hashEvidenceEntry struct {
+	observerID  string
+	rawSkew     float64
+	corrected   float64
+	offset      float64
+	calibrated  bool
+	observedTS  int64
+}
+
 func NewClockSkewEngine() *ClockSkewEngine {
 	return &ClockSkewEngine{
 		observerOffsets:  make(map[string]float64),
 		observerSamples: make(map[string]int),
 		nodeSkew:       make(txSkewResult),
+		hashEvidence:   make(map[string][]hashEvidenceEntry),
 		computeInterval: 30 * time.Second,
 	}
 }
@@ -176,14 +215,16 @@ func (e *ClockSkewEngine) Recompute(store *PacketStore) {
 	var newOffsets map[string]float64
 	var newSamples map[string]int
 	var newNodeSkew txSkewResult
+	var newHashEvidence map[string][]hashEvidenceEntry

 	if len(samples) > 0 {
 		newOffsets, newSamples = calibrateObservers(samples)
-		newNodeSkew = computeNodeSkew(samples, newOffsets)
+		newNodeSkew, newHashEvidence = computeNodeSkew(samples, newOffsets)
 	} else {
 		newOffsets = make(map[string]float64)
 		newSamples = make(map[string]int)
 		newNodeSkew = make(txSkewResult)
+		newHashEvidence = make(map[string][]hashEvidenceEntry)
 	}

 	// Swap results under brief write lock.
@@ -196,6 +237,7 @@ func (e *ClockSkewEngine) Recompute(store *PacketStore) {
 	e.observerOffsets = newOffsets
 	e.observerSamples = newSamples
 	e.nodeSkew = newNodeSkew
+	e.hashEvidence = newHashEvidence
 	e.lastComputed = time.Now()
 	e.mu.Unlock()
 }
@@ -332,7 +374,7 @@ func calibrateObservers(samples []skewSample) (map[string]float64, map[string]in
 // ── Phase 3: Per-Node Skew ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 // computeNodeSkew calculates corrected skew statistics for each node.
-func computeNodeSkew(samples []skewSample, obsOffsets map[string]float64) txSkewResult {
+func computeNodeSkew(samples []skewSample, obsOffsets map[string]float64) (txSkewResult, map[string][]hashEvidenceEntry) {
 	// Compute corrected skew per sample, grouped by hash (each hash = one
 	// node's advert transmission). The caller maps hash → pubkey via byNode.
 	type correctedSample struct {
@@ -343,6 +385,7 @@ func computeNodeSkew(samples []skewSample, obsOffsets map[string]float64) txSkew

 	byHash := make(map[string][]correctedSample)
 	hashAdvertTS := make(map[string]int64)
+	evidence := make(map[string][]hashEvidenceEntry) // hash → per-observer evidence

 	for _, s := range samples {
 		obsOffset, hasCal := obsOffsets[s.observerID]
@@ -359,6 +402,14 @@ func computeNodeSkew(samples []skewSample, obsOffsets map[string]float64) txSkew
 			calibrated: hasCal,
 		})
 		hashAdvertTS[s.hash] = s.advertTS
+		evidence[s.hash] = append(evidence[s.hash], hashEvidenceEntry{
+			observerID: s.observerID,
+			rawSkew:    round(rawSkew, 1),
+			corrected:  round(corrected, 1),
+			offset:     round(obsOffset, 1),
+			calibrated: hasCal,
+			observedTS: s.observedTS,
+		})
 	}

 	// Each hash represents one advert from one node. Compute median corrected
@@ -397,7 +448,7 @@ func computeNodeSkew(samples []skewSample, obsOffsets map[string]float64) txSkew
 			LastObservedTS: latestObsTS,
 		}
 	}
-	return result
+	return result, evidence
 }

 // ── Integration with PacketStore ───────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -558,6 +609,70 @@ func (s *PacketStore) getNodeClockSkewLocked(pubkey string) *NodeClockSkew {
 		samples[i] = SkewSample{Timestamp: p.ts, SkewSec: round(p.skew, 1)}
 	}

+	// Build per-hash evidence (most recent 10 hashes with ≥1 observer).
+	// Observer name lookup from store observations.
+	obsNameMap := make(map[string]string)
+	type hashMeta struct {
+		hash string
+		ts   int64
+	}
+	var evidenceHashes []hashMeta
+	for _, tx := range txs {
+		if tx.PayloadType == nil || *tx.PayloadType != PayloadADVERT {
+			continue
+		}
+		ev, ok := s.clockSkew.hashEvidence[tx.Hash]
+		if !ok || len(ev) == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+		// Collect observer names from tx observations.
+		for _, obs := range tx.Observations {
+			if obs.ObserverID != "" && obs.ObserverName != "" {
+				obsNameMap[obs.ObserverID] = obs.ObserverName
+			}
+		}
+		evidenceHashes = append(evidenceHashes, hashMeta{hash: tx.Hash, ts: ev[0].observedTS})
+	}
+	// Sort by timestamp descending, take most recent 10.
+	sort.Slice(evidenceHashes, func(i, j int) bool { return evidenceHashes[i].ts > evidenceHashes[j].ts })
+	if len(evidenceHashes) > 10 {
+		evidenceHashes = evidenceHashes[:10]
+	}
+	var recentEvidence []HashEvidence
+	var calSummary CalibrationSummary
+	for _, eh := range evidenceHashes {
+		entries := s.clockSkew.hashEvidence[eh.hash]
+		var observers []HashEvidenceObserver
+		var corrSkews []float64
+		for _, e := range entries {
+			name := obsNameMap[e.observerID]
+			if name == "" {
+				name = e.observerID
+			}
+			observers = append(observers, HashEvidenceObserver{
+				ObserverID:       e.observerID,
+				ObserverName:     name,
+				RawSkewSec:       e.rawSkew,
+				CorrectedSkewSec: e.corrected,
+				ObserverOffsetSec: e.offset,
+				Calibrated:       e.calibrated,
+			})
+			corrSkews = append(corrSkews, e.corrected)
+			calSummary.TotalSamples++
+			if e.calibrated {
+				calSummary.CalibratedSamples++
+			} else {
+				calSummary.UncalibratedSamples++
+			}
+		}
+		recentEvidence = append(recentEvidence, HashEvidence{
+			Hash:                   eh.hash,
+			Observers:              observers,
+			MedianCorrectedSkewSec: round(median(corrSkews), 1),
+			Timestamp:              eh.ts,
+		})
+	}
+
 	return &NodeClockSkew{
 		Pubkey:               pubkey,
 		MeanSkewSec:          round(meanSkew, 1),
@@ -574,6 +689,8 @@ func (s *PacketStore) getNodeClockSkewLocked(pubkey string) *NodeClockSkew {
 		GoodFraction:         round(goodFraction, 2),
 		RecentBadSampleCount: recentBadCount,
 		RecentSampleCount:    recentSampleCount,
+		RecentHashEvidence:   recentEvidence,
+		CalibrationSummary:   &calSummary,
 	}
 }

@@ -601,8 +718,10 @@ func (s *PacketStore) GetFleetClockSkew() []*NodeClockSkew {
 			cs.NodeName = ni.Name
 			cs.NodeRole = ni.Role
 		}
-		// Omit samples in fleet response (too much data).
+		// Omit samples and evidence in fleet response (too much data).
 		cs.Samples = nil
+		cs.RecentHashEvidence = nil
+		cs.CalibrationSummary = nil
 		results = append(results, cs)
 	}
 	return results
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ func TestComputeNodeSkew_BasicCorrection(t *testing.T) {
 	// So the median approach finds obs2 is +5 ahead (relative to median)

 	// Now compute node skew with those offsets:
-	nodeSkew := computeNodeSkew(samples, offsets)
+	nodeSkew, _ := computeNodeSkew(samples, offsets)
 	cs, ok := nodeSkew["h1"]
 	if !ok {
 		t.Fatal("expected skew data for hash h1")
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ func TestComputeNodeSkew_ThreeObservers(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("obs3 offset = %v, want 30", offsets["obs3"])
 	}

-	nodeSkew := computeNodeSkew(samples, offsets)
+	nodeSkew, _ := computeNodeSkew(samples, offsets)
 	cs := nodeSkew["h1"]
 	if cs == nil {
 		t.Fatal("expected skew data for h1")
@@ -954,3 +954,104 @@ func TestAllGood_OK_845(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("recentBadSampleCount = %v, want 0", r.RecentBadSampleCount)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestNodeClockSkew_EvidencePayload(t *testing.T) {
+	// 3-observer scenario: obs1 ahead by +2s, obs2 on time, obs3 behind by -1s.
+	// Node clock is 60s ahead. Raw skew = advertTS - obsTS.
+	// Hash has 3 observations, each observer sees same advert.
+	ps := NewPacketStore(nil, nil)
+
+	pt := 4 // ADVERT
+	// Advert timestamp: 1700000060 (node 60s ahead of true time 1700000000)
+	// obs1 sees at 1700000002 (2s ahead of true time)  → raw = 60 - 2 = 58
+	// obs2 sees at 1700000000 (on time)                 → raw = 60 - 0 = 60
+	// obs3 sees at 1699999999 (-1s, behind)             → raw = 60 + 1 = 61
+	// Median obsTS = 1700000000, so:
+	//   obs1 offset = 1700000002 - 1700000000 = +2
+	//   obs2 offset = 0
+	//   obs3 offset = 1699999999 - 1700000000 = -1
+	// Corrected: raw + offset → obs1: 58+2=60, obs2: 60+0=60, obs3: 61+(-1)=60
+
+	tx1 := &StoreTx{
+		Hash:        "evidence_hash_1",
+		PayloadType: &pt,
+		DecodedJSON: `{"payload":{"timestamp":1700000060}}`,
+		Observations: []*StoreObs{
+			{ObserverID: "obs1", ObserverName: "Observer Alpha", Timestamp: "2023-11-14T22:13:22Z"},
+			{ObserverID: "obs2", ObserverName: "Observer Beta", Timestamp: "2023-11-14T22:13:20Z"},
+			{ObserverID: "obs3", ObserverName: "Observer Gamma", Timestamp: "2023-11-14T22:13:19Z"},
+		},
+	}
+	// Second hash to ensure we get multiple evidence entries.
+	tx2 := &StoreTx{
+		Hash:        "evidence_hash_2",
+		PayloadType: &pt,
+		DecodedJSON: `{"payload":{"timestamp":1700003660}}`,
+		Observations: []*StoreObs{
+			{ObserverID: "obs1", ObserverName: "Observer Alpha", Timestamp: "2023-11-14T23:13:22Z"},
+			{ObserverID: "obs2", ObserverName: "Observer Beta", Timestamp: "2023-11-14T23:13:20Z"},
+			{ObserverID: "obs3", ObserverName: "Observer Gamma", Timestamp: "2023-11-14T23:13:19Z"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	ps.mu.Lock()
+	ps.byNode["NODETEST"] = []*StoreTx{tx1, tx2}
+	ps.byPayloadType[4] = []*StoreTx{tx1, tx2}
+	ps.clockSkew.computeInterval = 0
+	ps.mu.Unlock()
+
+	r := ps.GetNodeClockSkew("NODETEST")
+	if r == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected clock skew result")
+	}
+
+	// Check recentHashEvidence exists.
+	if len(r.RecentHashEvidence) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected recentHashEvidence to be populated")
+	}
+	if len(r.RecentHashEvidence) != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("recentHashEvidence length = %d, want 2", len(r.RecentHashEvidence))
+	}
+
+	// Check first evidence entry has 3 observers.
+	ev := r.RecentHashEvidence[0]
+	if len(ev.Observers) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("evidence observers = %d, want 3", len(ev.Observers))
+	}
+
+	// Verify corrected = raw + offset for each observer.
+	for _, o := range ev.Observers {
+		expected := o.RawSkewSec + o.ObserverOffsetSec
+		if math.Abs(o.CorrectedSkewSec-expected) > 0.2 {
+			t.Errorf("observer %s: corrected=%.1f, expected raw(%.1f)+offset(%.1f)=%.1f",
+				o.ObserverID, o.CorrectedSkewSec, o.RawSkewSec, o.ObserverOffsetSec, expected)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// All corrected values should be ~60s (node is 60s ahead).
+	if math.Abs(ev.MedianCorrectedSkewSec-60) > 1 {
+		t.Errorf("median corrected = %.1f, want ~60", ev.MedianCorrectedSkewSec)
+	}
+
+	// Check calibration summary.
+	if r.CalibrationSummary == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected calibrationSummary")
+	}
+	if r.CalibrationSummary.TotalSamples != 6 { // 3 observers × 2 hashes
+		t.Errorf("calibration total = %d, want 6", r.CalibrationSummary.TotalSamples)
+	}
+	if r.CalibrationSummary.CalibratedSamples != 6 {
+		t.Errorf("calibrated = %d, want 6 (all multi-observer)", r.CalibrationSummary.CalibratedSamples)
+	}
+
+	// Check observer names are populated.
+	nameFound := false
+	for _, o := range ev.Observers {
+		if o.ObserverName == "Observer Alpha" || o.ObserverName == "Observer Beta" {
+			nameFound = true
+		}
+	}
+	if !nameFound {
+		t.Error("expected observer names to be populated from tx observations")
+	}
+}
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ type Config struct {

 	Retention *RetentionConfig `json:"retention,omitempty"`

+	DB *DBConfig `json:"db,omitempty"`
+
 	PacketStore *PacketStoreConfig `json:"packetStore,omitempty"`

 	GeoFilter *GeoFilterConfig `json:"geo_filter,omitempty"`
@@ -70,6 +72,15 @@ type Config struct {

 	DebugAffinity bool `json:"debugAffinity,omitempty"`

+	// ObserverBlacklist is a list of observer public keys to exclude from API
+	// responses (defense in depth — ingestor drops at ingest, server filters
+	// any that slipped through from a prior unblocked window).
+	ObserverBlacklist []string `json:"observerBlacklist,omitempty"`
+
+	// obsBlacklistSetCached is the lazily-built set version of ObserverBlacklist.
+	obsBlacklistSetCached map[string]bool
+	obsBlacklistOnce      sync.Once
+
 	ResolvedPath  *ResolvedPathConfig  `json:"resolvedPath,omitempty"`
 	NeighborGraph *NeighborGraphConfig `json:"neighborGraph,omitempty"`
 }
@@ -129,6 +140,20 @@ type RetentionConfig struct {
 	MetricsDays   int `json:"metricsDays"`
 }

+// DBConfig controls SQLite vacuum and maintenance behavior (#919).
+type DBConfig struct {
+	VacuumOnStartup        bool `json:"vacuumOnStartup"`        // one-time full VACUUM on startup if auto_vacuum is not INCREMENTAL
+	IncrementalVacuumPages int  `json:"incrementalVacuumPages"` // pages returned to OS per reaper cycle (default 1024)
+}
+
+// IncrementalVacuumPages returns the configured pages per vacuum or 1024 default.
+func (c *Config) IncrementalVacuumPages() int {
+	if c.DB != nil && c.DB.IncrementalVacuumPages > 0 {
+		return c.DB.IncrementalVacuumPages
+	}
+	return 1024
+}
+
 // MetricsRetentionDays returns configured metrics retention or 30 days default.
 func (c *Config) MetricsRetentionDays() int {
 	if c.Retention != nil && c.Retention.MetricsDays > 0 {
@@ -388,3 +413,29 @@ func (c *Config) IsBlacklisted(pubkey string) bool {
 	}
 	return c.blacklistSet()[strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(pubkey))]
 }
+
+// obsBlacklistSet lazily builds and caches the observerBlacklist as a set for O(1) lookups.
+func (c *Config) obsBlacklistSet() map[string]bool {
+	c.obsBlacklistOnce.Do(func() {
+		if len(c.ObserverBlacklist) == 0 {
+			return
+		}
+		m := make(map[string]bool, len(c.ObserverBlacklist))
+		for _, pk := range c.ObserverBlacklist {
+			trimmed := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(pk))
+			if trimmed != "" {
+				m[trimmed] = true
+			}
+		}
+		c.obsBlacklistSetCached = m
+	})
+	return c.obsBlacklistSetCached
+}
+
+// IsObserverBlacklisted returns true if the given observer ID is in the observerBlacklist.
+func (c *Config) IsObserverBlacklisted(id string) bool {
+	if c == nil || len(c.ObserverBlacklist) == 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+	return c.obsBlacklistSet()[strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(id))]
+}
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ func setupTestDBv2(t *testing.T) *DB {
 		CREATE TABLE observers (
 			id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, iata TEXT, last_seen TEXT, first_seen TEXT,
 			packet_count INTEGER DEFAULT 0, model TEXT, firmware TEXT,
-			client_version TEXT, radio TEXT, battery_mv INTEGER, uptime_secs INTEGER, noise_floor REAL
+			client_version TEXT, radio TEXT, battery_mv INTEGER, uptime_secs INTEGER, noise_floor REAL,
+			inactive INTEGER DEFAULT 0
 		);
 		CREATE TABLE transmissions (
 			id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, raw_hex TEXT NOT NULL,
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ func setupTestDBv2(t *testing.T) *DB {
 			id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
 			transmission_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES transmissions(id),
 			observer_id TEXT, observer_name TEXT, direction TEXT,
-			snr REAL, rssi REAL, score INTEGER, path_json TEXT, timestamp INTEGER NOT NULL
+			snr REAL, rssi REAL, score INTEGER, path_json TEXT, timestamp INTEGER NOT NULL, raw_hex TEXT
 		);
 	`
 	if _, err := conn.Exec(schema); err != nil {
@@ -763,9 +764,9 @@ func TestGetChannelsFromStore(t *testing.T) {

 func TestPrefixMapResolve(t *testing.T) {
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aabbccdd11223344", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 37.5, Lon: -122.0},
-		{PublicKey: "aabbccdd55667788", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: false},
-		{PublicKey: "eeff0011aabbccdd", Name: "NodeC", HasGPS: true, Lat: 38.0, Lon: -121.0},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aabbccdd11223344", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 37.5, Lon: -122.0},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aabbccdd55667788", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: false},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "eeff0011aabbccdd", Name: "NodeC", HasGPS: true, Lat: 38.0, Lon: -121.0},
 	}
 	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)

@@ -805,8 +806,8 @@ func TestPrefixMapResolve(t *testing.T) {

 	t.Run("multiple candidates no GPS", func(t *testing.T) {
 		noGPSNodes := []nodeInfo{
-			{PublicKey: "aa11bb22", Name: "X", HasGPS: false},
-			{PublicKey: "aa11cc33", Name: "Y", HasGPS: false},
+			{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aa11bb22", Name: "X", HasGPS: false},
+			{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aa11cc33", Name: "Y", HasGPS: false},
 		}
 		pm2 := buildPrefixMap(noGPSNodes)
 		n := pm2.resolve("aa11")
@@ -820,8 +821,8 @@ func TestPrefixMapResolve(t *testing.T) {
 func TestPrefixMapCap(t *testing.T) {
 	// 16-char pubkey — longer than maxPrefixLen
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aabbccdd11223344", Name: "LongKey"},
-		{PublicKey: "eeff0011", Name: "ShortKey"}, // exactly 8 chars
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aabbccdd11223344", Name: "LongKey"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "eeff0011", Name: "ShortKey"}, // exactly 8 chars
 	}
 	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ type DB struct {
 	path             string // filesystem path to the database file
 	isV3             bool   // v3 schema: observer_idx in observations (vs observer_id in v2)
 	hasResolvedPath  bool   // observations table has resolved_path column
+	hasObsRawHex     bool   // observations table has raw_hex column (#881)

 	// Channel list cache (60s TTL) — avoids repeated GROUP BY scans (#762)
 	channelsCacheMu  sync.Mutex
@@ -76,6 +77,9 @@ func (db *DB) detectSchema() {
 			if colName == "resolved_path" {
 				db.hasResolvedPath = true
 			}
+			if colName == "raw_hex" {
+				db.hasObsRawHex = true
+			}
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -227,7 +231,7 @@ func (db *DB) GetStats() (*Stats, error) {
 	sevenDaysAgo := time.Now().Add(-7 * 24 * time.Hour).Format(time.RFC3339)
 	db.conn.QueryRow("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM nodes WHERE last_seen > ?", sevenDaysAgo).Scan(&s.TotalNodes)
 	db.conn.QueryRow("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM nodes").Scan(&s.TotalNodesAllTime)
-	db.conn.QueryRow("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM observers").Scan(&s.TotalObservers)
+	db.conn.QueryRow("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM observers WHERE inactive IS NULL OR inactive = 0").Scan(&s.TotalObservers)

 	oneHourAgo := time.Now().Add(-1 * time.Hour).Unix()
 	db.conn.QueryRow("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM observations WHERE timestamp > ?", oneHourAgo).Scan(&s.PacketsLastHour)
@@ -966,9 +970,9 @@ func (db *DB) getObservationsForTransmissions(txIDs []int) map[int][]map[string]
 	return result
 }

-// GetObservers returns all observers sorted by last_seen DESC.
+// GetObservers returns active observers (not soft-deleted) sorted by last_seen DESC.
 func (db *DB) GetObservers() ([]Observer, error) {
-	rows, err := db.conn.Query("SELECT id, name, iata, last_seen, first_seen, packet_count, model, firmware, client_version, radio, battery_mv, uptime_secs, noise_floor FROM observers ORDER BY last_seen DESC")
+	rows, err := db.conn.Query("SELECT id, name, iata, last_seen, first_seen, packet_count, model, firmware, client_version, radio, battery_mv, uptime_secs, noise_floor FROM observers WHERE inactive IS NULL OR inactive = 0 ORDER BY last_seen DESC")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ func setupTestDB(t *testing.T) *DB {
 			radio TEXT,
 			battery_mv INTEGER,
 			uptime_secs INTEGER,
-			noise_floor REAL
+			noise_floor REAL,
+			inactive INTEGER DEFAULT 0
 		);

 		CREATE TABLE transmissions (
@@ -74,7 +75,8 @@ func setupTestDB(t *testing.T) *DB {
 			score INTEGER,
 			path_json TEXT,
 			timestamp INTEGER NOT NULL,
-			resolved_path TEXT
+			resolved_path TEXT,
+			raw_hex TEXT
 		);

 		CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS observer_metrics (
@@ -356,6 +358,31 @@ func TestGetObservers(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

+// Regression: GetObservers must exclude soft-deleted (inactive=1) rows.
+// Stale observers were appearing in /api/observers despite the auto-prune
+// marking them inactive, because the SELECT query had no WHERE filter.
+func TestGetObservers_ExcludesInactive(t *testing.T) {
+	db := setupTestDB(t)
+	defer db.Close()
+	seedTestData(t, db)
+	// Mark obs2 inactive — soft delete simulating a stale-observer prune.
+	if _, err := db.conn.Exec(`UPDATE observers SET inactive = 1 WHERE id = ?`, "obs2"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("update inactive: %v", err)
+	}
+	observers, err := db.GetObservers()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(observers) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 observer (obs1) after marking obs2 inactive, got %d", len(observers))
+	}
+	for _, o := range observers {
+		if o.ID == "obs2" {
+			t.Errorf("inactive observer obs2 should be excluded")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestGetObserverByID(t *testing.T) {
 	db := setupTestDB(t)
 	defer db.Close()
@@ -1134,7 +1161,8 @@ func setupTestDBV2(t *testing.T) *DB {
 			rssi REAL,
 			score INTEGER,
 			path_json TEXT,
-			timestamp INTEGER NOT NULL
+			timestamp INTEGER NOT NULL,
+			raw_hex TEXT
 		);
 	`
 	if _, err := conn.Exec(schema); err != nil {
@@ -1975,3 +2003,59 @@ func TestParseWindowDuration(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// TestPerObservationRawHexEnrich verifies enrichObs returns per-observation raw_hex
+// when available, falling back to transmission raw_hex when NULL (#881).
+func TestPerObservationRawHexEnrich(t *testing.T) {
+	db := setupTestDB(t)
+	defer db.Close()
+
+	// Insert observers
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO observers (id, name) VALUES ('obs-a', 'Observer A')`)
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO observers (id, name) VALUES ('obs-b', 'Observer B')`)
+
+	var rowA, rowB int64
+	db.conn.QueryRow(`SELECT rowid FROM observers WHERE id='obs-a'`).Scan(&rowA)
+	db.conn.QueryRow(`SELECT rowid FROM observers WHERE id='obs-b'`).Scan(&rowB)
+
+	// Insert transmission with raw_hex
+	txHex := "deadbeef"
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO transmissions (raw_hex, hash, first_seen) VALUES (?, 'hash1', '2026-04-21T10:00:00Z')`, txHex)
+
+	// Insert two observations: A has its own raw_hex, B has NULL (historical)
+	obsAHex := "c0ffee01"
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO observations (transmission_id, observer_idx, snr, rssi, path_json, timestamp, raw_hex)
+		VALUES (1, ?, -5.0, -90.0, '[]', 1745236800, ?)`, rowA, obsAHex)
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO observations (transmission_id, observer_idx, snr, rssi, path_json, timestamp)
+		VALUES (1, ?, -3.0, -85.0, '["aabb"]', 1745236801)`, rowB)
+
+	store := NewPacketStore(db, nil)
+	if err := store.Load(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("store load: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	tx := store.byHash["hash1"]
+	if tx == nil {
+		t.Fatal("transmission not loaded")
+	}
+	if len(tx.Observations) < 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 observations, got %d", len(tx.Observations))
+	}
+
+	// Check enriched observations
+	for _, obs := range tx.Observations {
+		m := store.enrichObs(obs)
+		rh, _ := m["raw_hex"].(string)
+		if obs.RawHex != "" {
+			// Observer A: should get per-observation raw_hex
+			if rh != obsAHex {
+				t.Errorf("obs with own raw_hex: got %q, want %q", rh, obsAHex)
+			}
+		} else {
+			// Observer B: should fall back to transmission raw_hex
+			if rh != txHex {
+				t.Errorf("obs without raw_hex: got %q, want %q (tx fallback)", rh, txHex)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,262 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"database/sql"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	_ "modernc.org/sqlite"
+)
+
+// createFreshIngestorDB creates a SQLite DB using the ingestor's applySchema logic
+// (simulated here) with auto_vacuum=INCREMENTAL set before tables.
+func createFreshDBWithAutoVacuum(t *testing.T, path string) *sql.DB {
+	t.Helper()
+	// auto_vacuum must be set via DSN before journal_mode creates the DB file
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite", path+"?_pragma=auto_vacuum(INCREMENTAL)&_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)&_pragma=busy_timeout(5000)")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	db.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
+
+	// Create minimal schema
+	_, err = db.Exec(`
+		CREATE TABLE transmissions (
+			id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+			raw_hex TEXT NOT NULL,
+			hash TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+			first_seen TEXT NOT NULL,
+			route_type INTEGER,
+			payload_type INTEGER,
+			payload_version INTEGER,
+			decoded_json TEXT,
+			created_at TEXT DEFAULT (datetime('now')),
+			channel_hash TEXT
+		);
+		CREATE TABLE observations (
+			id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+			transmission_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES transmissions(id),
+			observer_idx INTEGER,
+			direction TEXT,
+			snr REAL,
+			rssi REAL,
+			score INTEGER,
+			path_json TEXT,
+			timestamp INTEGER NOT NULL
+		);
+	`)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return db
+}
+
+func TestNewDBHasIncrementalAutoVacuum(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "test.db")
+
+	db := createFreshDBWithAutoVacuum(t, path)
+	defer db.Close()
+
+	var autoVacuum int
+	if err := db.QueryRow("PRAGMA auto_vacuum").Scan(&autoVacuum); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if autoVacuum != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected auto_vacuum=2 (INCREMENTAL), got %d", autoVacuum)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExistingDBHasAutoVacuumNone(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "test.db")
+
+	// Create DB WITHOUT setting auto_vacuum (simulates old DB)
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite", path+"?_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	db.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
+	_, err = db.Exec("CREATE TABLE dummy (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY)")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var autoVacuum int
+	if err := db.QueryRow("PRAGMA auto_vacuum").Scan(&autoVacuum); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	db.Close()
+
+	if autoVacuum != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected auto_vacuum=0 (NONE) for old DB, got %d", autoVacuum)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestVacuumOnStartupMigratesDB(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "test.db")
+
+	// Create DB without auto_vacuum (old DB)
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite", path+"?_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	db.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
+	_, err = db.Exec("CREATE TABLE dummy (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY)")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var before int
+	db.QueryRow("PRAGMA auto_vacuum").Scan(&before)
+	if before != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("precondition: expected auto_vacuum=0, got %d", before)
+	}
+	db.Close()
+
+	// Simulate vacuumOnStartup migration using openRW
+	rw, err := openRW(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := rw.Exec("PRAGMA auto_vacuum = INCREMENTAL"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := rw.Exec("VACUUM"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	rw.Close()
+
+	// Verify migration
+	db2, err := sql.Open("sqlite", path+"?mode=ro")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer db2.Close()
+
+	var after int
+	if err := db2.QueryRow("PRAGMA auto_vacuum").Scan(&after); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if after != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected auto_vacuum=2 after VACUUM migration, got %d", after)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIncrementalVacuumReducesFreelist(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "test.db")
+
+	db := createFreshDBWithAutoVacuum(t, path)
+
+	// Insert a bunch of data
+	now := time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC3339)
+	for i := 0; i < 500; i++ {
+		_, err := db.Exec(
+			"INSERT INTO transmissions (raw_hex, hash, first_seen) VALUES (?, ?, ?)",
+			strings.Repeat("AA", 200), // ~400 bytes each
+			"hash_"+string(rune('A'+i%26))+string(rune('0'+i/26)),
+			now,
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Get file size before delete
+	db.Close()
+	infoBefore, _ := os.Stat(path)
+	sizeBefore := infoBefore.Size()
+
+	// Reopen and delete all
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite", path+"?_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)&_pragma=busy_timeout(5000)")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	db.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
+	defer db.Close()
+
+	_, err = db.Exec("DELETE FROM transmissions")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Check freelist before vacuum
+	var freelistBefore int64
+	db.QueryRow("PRAGMA freelist_count").Scan(&freelistBefore)
+	if freelistBefore == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected non-zero freelist after DELETE")
+	}
+
+	// Run incremental vacuum
+	_, err = db.Exec("PRAGMA incremental_vacuum(10000)")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Check freelist after vacuum
+	var freelistAfter int64
+	db.QueryRow("PRAGMA freelist_count").Scan(&freelistAfter)
+	if freelistAfter >= freelistBefore {
+		t.Fatalf("expected freelist to shrink: before=%d after=%d", freelistBefore, freelistAfter)
+	}
+
+	// Checkpoint WAL and check file size shrunk
+	db.Exec("PRAGMA wal_checkpoint(TRUNCATE)")
+	db.Close()
+	infoAfter, _ := os.Stat(path)
+	sizeAfter := infoAfter.Size()
+	if sizeAfter >= sizeBefore {
+		t.Logf("warning: file did not shrink (before=%d after=%d) — may depend on page reuse", sizeBefore, sizeAfter)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCheckAutoVacuumLogs(t *testing.T) {
+	// This test verifies checkAutoVacuum doesn't panic on various configs
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "test.db")
+
+	// Create a fresh DB with auto_vacuum=INCREMENTAL
+	dbConn := createFreshDBWithAutoVacuum(t, path)
+	db := &DB{conn: dbConn, path: path}
+	cfg := &Config{}
+
+	// Should not panic
+	checkAutoVacuum(db, cfg, path)
+	dbConn.Close()
+
+	// Create a DB without auto_vacuum
+	path2 := filepath.Join(dir, "test2.db")
+	dbConn2, _ := sql.Open("sqlite", path2+"?_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)")
+	dbConn2.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
+	dbConn2.Exec("CREATE TABLE dummy (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY)")
+	db2 := &DB{conn: dbConn2, path: path2}
+
+	// Should log warning but not panic
+	checkAutoVacuum(db2, cfg, path2)
+	dbConn2.Close()
+}
+
+func TestConfigIncrementalVacuumPages(t *testing.T) {
+	// Default
+	cfg := &Config{}
+	if cfg.IncrementalVacuumPages() != 1024 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected default 1024, got %d", cfg.IncrementalVacuumPages())
+	}
+
+	// Custom
+	cfg.DB = &DBConfig{IncrementalVacuumPages: 512}
+	if cfg.IncrementalVacuumPages() != 512 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 512, got %d", cfg.IncrementalVacuumPages())
+	}
+
+	// Zero should return default
+	cfg.DB.IncrementalVacuumPages = 0
+	if cfg.IncrementalVacuumPages() != 1024 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected default 1024 for zero, got %d", cfg.IncrementalVacuumPages())
+	}
+}
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"time"

+	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath"
 	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/sigvalidate"
 )

@@ -164,8 +165,9 @@ func decodePath(pathByte byte, buf []byte, offset int) (Path, int) {
 	}, totalBytes
 }

+// isTransportRoute delegates to packetpath.IsTransportRoute.
 func isTransportRoute(routeType int) bool {
-	return routeType == RouteTransportFlood || routeType == RouteTransportDirect
+	return packetpath.IsTransportRoute(routeType)
 }

 func decodeEncryptedPayload(typeName string, buf []byte) Payload {
@@ -441,106 +443,6 @@ func DecodePacket(hexString string, validateSignatures bool) (*DecodedPacket, er
 	}, nil
 }

-// HexRange represents a labeled byte range for the hex breakdown visualization.
-type HexRange struct {
-	Start int    `json:"start"`
-	End   int    `json:"end"`
-	Label string `json:"label"`
-}
-
-// Breakdown holds colored byte ranges returned by the packet detail endpoint.
-type Breakdown struct {
-	Ranges []HexRange `json:"ranges"`
-}
-
-// BuildBreakdown computes labeled byte ranges for each section of a MeshCore packet.
-// The returned ranges are consumed by createColoredHexDump() and buildHexLegend()
-// in the frontend (public/app.js).
-func BuildBreakdown(hexString string) *Breakdown {
-	hexString = strings.ReplaceAll(hexString, " ", "")
-	hexString = strings.ReplaceAll(hexString, "\n", "")
-	hexString = strings.ReplaceAll(hexString, "\r", "")
-	buf, err := hex.DecodeString(hexString)
-	if err != nil || len(buf) < 2 {
-		return &Breakdown{Ranges: []HexRange{}}
-	}
-
-	var ranges []HexRange
-	offset := 0
-
-	// Byte 0: Header
-	ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: 0, End: 0, Label: "Header"})
-	offset = 1
-
-	header := decodeHeader(buf[0])
-
-	// Bytes 1-4: Transport Codes (TRANSPORT_FLOOD / TRANSPORT_DIRECT only)
-	if isTransportRoute(header.RouteType) {
-		if len(buf) < offset+4 {
-			return &Breakdown{Ranges: ranges}
-		}
-		ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: offset, End: offset + 3, Label: "Transport Codes"})
-		offset += 4
-	}
-
-	if offset >= len(buf) {
-		return &Breakdown{Ranges: ranges}
-	}
-
-	// Next byte: Path Length (bits 7-6 = hashSize-1, bits 5-0 = hashCount)
-	ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: offset, End: offset, Label: "Path Length"})
-	pathByte := buf[offset]
-	offset++
-
-	hashSize := int(pathByte>>6) + 1
-	hashCount := int(pathByte & 0x3F)
-	pathBytes := hashSize * hashCount
-
-	// Path hops
-	if hashCount > 0 && offset+pathBytes <= len(buf) {
-		ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: offset, End: offset + pathBytes - 1, Label: "Path"})
-	}
-	offset += pathBytes
-
-	if offset >= len(buf) {
-		return &Breakdown{Ranges: ranges}
-	}
-
-	payloadStart := offset
-
-	// Payload — break ADVERT into named sub-fields; everything else is one Payload range
-	if header.PayloadType == PayloadADVERT && len(buf)-payloadStart >= 100 {
-		ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: payloadStart, End: payloadStart + 31, Label: "PubKey"})
-		ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: payloadStart + 32, End: payloadStart + 35, Label: "Timestamp"})
-		ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: payloadStart + 36, End: payloadStart + 99, Label: "Signature"})
-
-		appStart := payloadStart + 100
-		if appStart < len(buf) {
-			ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: appStart, End: appStart, Label: "Flags"})
-			appFlags := buf[appStart]
-			fOff := appStart + 1
-			if appFlags&0x10 != 0 && fOff+8 <= len(buf) {
-				ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: fOff, End: fOff + 3, Label: "Latitude"})
-				ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: fOff + 4, End: fOff + 7, Label: "Longitude"})
-				fOff += 8
-			}
-			if appFlags&0x20 != 0 && fOff+2 <= len(buf) {
-				fOff += 2
-			}
-			if appFlags&0x40 != 0 && fOff+2 <= len(buf) {
-				fOff += 2
-			}
-			if appFlags&0x80 != 0 && fOff < len(buf) {
-				ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: fOff, End: len(buf) - 1, Label: "Name"})
-			}
-		}
-	} else {
-		ranges = append(ranges, HexRange{Start: payloadStart, End: len(buf) - 1, Label: "Payload"})
-	}
-
-	return &Breakdown{Ranges: ranges}
-}
-
 // ComputeContentHash computes the SHA-256-based content hash (first 16 hex chars).
 // It hashes the payload-type nibble + payload (skipping path bytes) to produce a
 // route-independent identifier for the same logical packet. For TRACE packets,
@@ -97,146 +97,6 @@ func TestDecodePacket_FloodHasNoCodes(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

-func TestBuildBreakdown_InvalidHex(t *testing.T) {
-	b := BuildBreakdown("not-hex!")
-	if len(b.Ranges) != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("expected empty ranges for invalid hex, got %d", len(b.Ranges))
-	}
-}
-
-func TestBuildBreakdown_TooShort(t *testing.T) {
-	b := BuildBreakdown("11") // 1 byte — no path byte
-	if len(b.Ranges) != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("expected empty ranges for too-short packet, got %d", len(b.Ranges))
-	}
-}
-
-func TestBuildBreakdown_FloodNonAdvert(t *testing.T) {
-	// Header 0x15: route=1/FLOOD, payload=5/GRP_TXT
-	// PathByte 0x01: 1 hop, 1-byte hash
-	// PathHop: AA
-	// Payload: FF0011
-	b := BuildBreakdown("1501AAFFFF00")
-	labels := rangeLabels(b.Ranges)
-	expect := []string{"Header", "Path Length", "Path", "Payload"}
-	if !equalLabels(labels, expect) {
-		t.Errorf("expected labels %v, got %v", expect, labels)
-	}
-	// Verify byte positions
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Header", 0, 0)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Path Length", 1, 1)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Path", 2, 2)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Payload", 3, 5)
-}
-
-func TestBuildBreakdown_TransportFlood(t *testing.T) {
-	// Header 0x14: route=0/TRANSPORT_FLOOD, payload=5/GRP_TXT
-	// TransportCodes: AABBCCDD (4 bytes)
-	// PathByte 0x01: 1 hop, 1-byte hash
-	// PathHop: EE
-	// Payload: FF00
-	b := BuildBreakdown("14AABBCCDD01EEFF00")
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Header", 0, 0)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Transport Codes", 1, 4)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Path Length", 5, 5)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Path", 6, 6)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Payload", 7, 8)
-}
-
-func TestBuildBreakdown_FloodNoHops(t *testing.T) {
-	// Header 0x15: FLOOD/GRP_TXT; PathByte 0x00: 0 hops; Payload: AABB
-	b := BuildBreakdown("150000AABB")
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Header", 0, 0)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Path Length", 1, 1)
-	// No Path range since hashCount=0
-	for _, r := range b.Ranges {
-		if r.Label == "Path" {
-			t.Error("expected no Path range for zero-hop packet")
-		}
-	}
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Payload", 2, 4)
-}
-
-func TestBuildBreakdown_AdvertBasic(t *testing.T) {
-	// Header 0x11: FLOOD/ADVERT
-	// PathByte 0x01: 1 hop, 1-byte hash
-	// PathHop: AA
-	// Payload: 100 bytes (PubKey32 + Timestamp4 + Signature64) + Flags=0x02 (repeater, no extras)
-	pubkey := repeatHex("AB", 32)
-	ts := "00000000" // 4 bytes
-	sig := repeatHex("CD", 64)
-	flags := "02"
-	hex := "1101AA" + pubkey + ts + sig + flags
-	b := BuildBreakdown(hex)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Header", 0, 0)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Path Length", 1, 1)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Path", 2, 2)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "PubKey", 3, 34)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Timestamp", 35, 38)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Signature", 39, 102)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Flags", 103, 103)
-}
-
-func TestBuildBreakdown_AdvertWithLocation(t *testing.T) {
-	// flags=0x12: hasLocation bit set
-	pubkey := repeatHex("00", 32)
-	ts := "00000000"
-	sig := repeatHex("00", 64)
-	flags := "12" // 0x10 = hasLocation
-	latBytes := "00000000"
-	lonBytes := "00000000"
-	hex := "1101AA" + pubkey + ts + sig + flags + latBytes + lonBytes
-	b := BuildBreakdown(hex)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Latitude", 104, 107)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Longitude", 108, 111)
-}
-
-func TestBuildBreakdown_AdvertWithName(t *testing.T) {
-	// flags=0x82: hasName bit set
-	pubkey := repeatHex("00", 32)
-	ts := "00000000"
-	sig := repeatHex("00", 64)
-	flags := "82" // 0x80 = hasName
-	name := "4E6F6465" // "Node" in hex
-	hex := "1101AA" + pubkey + ts + sig + flags + name
-	b := BuildBreakdown(hex)
-	assertRange(t, b.Ranges, "Name", 104, 107)
-}
-
-// helpers
-
-func rangeLabels(ranges []HexRange) []string {
-	out := make([]string, len(ranges))
-	for i, r := range ranges {
-		out[i] = r.Label
-	}
-	return out
-}
-
-func equalLabels(a, b []string) bool {
-	if len(a) != len(b) {
-		return false
-	}
-	for i := range a {
-		if a[i] != b[i] {
-			return false
-		}
-	}
-	return true
-}
-
-func assertRange(t *testing.T, ranges []HexRange, label string, wantStart, wantEnd int) {
-	t.Helper()
-	for _, r := range ranges {
-		if r.Label == label {
-			if r.Start != wantStart || r.End != wantEnd {
-				t.Errorf("range %q: want [%d,%d], got [%d,%d]", label, wantStart, wantEnd, r.Start, r.End)
-			}
-			return
-		}
-	}
-	t.Errorf("range %q not found in %v", label, rangeLabels(ranges))
-}

 func TestZeroHopDirectHashSize(t *testing.T) {
 	// DIRECT (RouteType=2) + REQ (PayloadType=0) → header byte = 0x02
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ replace github.com/meshcore-analyzer/geofilter => ../../internal/geofilter

 replace github.com/meshcore-analyzer/sigvalidate => ../../internal/sigvalidate

+require github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath v0.0.0
+
+replace github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath => ../../internal/packetpath
+
 require (
 	github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.0.1 // indirect
 	github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 // indirect
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"sync/atomic"
+)
+
+// readiness tracks whether background init goroutines have completed.
+// Set to 1 once store.Load, pickBestObservation, and neighbor graph build are done.
+var readiness atomic.Int32
+
+// handleHealthz returns 200 when the server is ready to serve queries,
+// or 503 while background initialization is still running.
+func (s *Server) handleHealthz(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+
+	if readiness.Load() == 0 {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+		json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{
+			"ready":  false,
+			"reason": "loading",
+		})
+		return
+	}
+
+	var loadedTx, loadedObs int
+	if s.store != nil {
+		s.store.mu.RLock()
+		loadedTx = len(s.store.packets)
+		for _, p := range s.store.packets {
+			loadedObs += len(p.Observations)
+		}
+		s.store.mu.RUnlock()
+	}
+
+	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{
+		"ready":     true,
+		"loadedTx":  loadedTx,
+		"loadedObs": loadedObs,
+	})
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestHealthzNotReady(t *testing.T) {
+	// Ensure readiness is 0 (not ready)
+	readiness.Store(0)
+	defer readiness.Store(0)
+
+	srv := &Server{store: &PacketStore{}}
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/healthz", nil)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+	srv.handleHealthz(w, req)
+
+	if w.Code != http.StatusServiceUnavailable {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 503, got %d", w.Code)
+	}
+
+	var resp map[string]interface{}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(w.Body.Bytes(), &resp); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("invalid JSON: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp["ready"] != false {
+		t.Fatalf("expected ready=false, got %v", resp["ready"])
+	}
+	if resp["reason"] != "loading" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected reason=loading, got %v", resp["reason"])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHealthzReady(t *testing.T) {
+	readiness.Store(1)
+	defer readiness.Store(0)
+
+	srv := &Server{store: &PacketStore{}}
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/healthz", nil)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+	srv.handleHealthz(w, req)
+
+	if w.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 200, got %d", w.Code)
+	}
+
+	var resp map[string]interface{}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(w.Body.Bytes(), &resp); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("invalid JSON: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp["ready"] != true {
+		t.Fatalf("expected ready=true, got %v", resp["ready"])
+	}
+	if _, ok := resp["loadedTx"]; !ok {
+		t.Fatal("missing loadedTx field")
+	}
+	if _, ok := resp["loadedObs"]; !ok {
+		t.Fatal("missing loadedObs field")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHealthzAntiTautology(t *testing.T) {
+	// When readiness is 0, must NOT return 200
+	readiness.Store(0)
+	defer readiness.Store(0)
+
+	srv := &Server{store: &PacketStore{}}
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/healthz", nil)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+	srv.handleHealthz(w, req)
+
+	if w.Code == http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatal("anti-tautology: handler returned 200 when readiness=0; gating is broken")
+	}
+}
@@ -148,6 +148,9 @@ func main() {
 			stats.TotalTransmissions, stats.TotalObservations, stats.TotalNodes, stats.TotalObservers)
 	}

+	// Check auto_vacuum mode and optionally migrate (#919)
+	checkAutoVacuum(database, cfg, resolvedDB)
+
 	// In-memory packet store
 	store := NewPacketStore(database, cfg.PacketStore, cfg.CacheTTL)
 	if err := store.Load(); err != nil {
@@ -171,6 +174,21 @@ func main() {
 		database.hasResolvedPath = true // detectSchema ran before column was added; fix the flag
 	}

+	// Ensure observers.inactive column exists (PR #954 filters on it; ingestor migration
+	// adds it but server may run against DBs ingestor never touched, e.g. e2e fixture).
+	if err := ensureObserverInactiveColumn(dbPath); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("[store] warning: could not add observers.inactive column: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Soft-delete observers that are in the blacklist (mark inactive=1) so
+	// historical data from a prior unblocked window is hidden too.
+	if len(cfg.ObserverBlacklist) > 0 {
+		softDeleteBlacklistedObservers(dbPath, cfg.ObserverBlacklist)
+	}
+
+	// WaitGroup for background init steps that gate /api/healthz readiness.
+	var initWg sync.WaitGroup
+
 	// Load or build neighbor graph
 	if neighborEdgesTableExists(database.conn) {
 		store.graph = loadNeighborEdgesFromDB(database.conn)
@@ -178,7 +196,9 @@ func main() {
 	} else {
 		log.Printf("[neighbor] no persisted edges found, will build in background...")
 		store.graph = NewNeighborGraph() // empty graph — gets populated by background goroutine
+		initWg.Add(1)
 		go func() {
+			defer initWg.Done()
 			defer func() {
 				if r := recover(); r != nil {
 					log.Printf("[neighbor] graph build panic recovered: %v", r)
@@ -202,7 +222,9 @@ func main() {
 	// API serves best-effort data until this completes (~10s for 100K txs).
 	// Processes in chunks of 5000, releasing the lock between chunks so API
 	// handlers remain responsive.
+	initWg.Add(1)
 	go func() {
+		defer initWg.Done()
 		defer func() {
 			if r := recover(); r != nil {
 				log.Printf("[store] pickBestObservation panic recovered: %v", r)
@@ -230,6 +252,13 @@ func main() {
 		log.Printf("[store] initial pickBestObservation complete (%d transmissions)", totalPackets)
 	}()

+	// Mark server ready once all background init completes.
+	go func() {
+		initWg.Wait()
+		readiness.Store(1)
+		log.Printf("[server] readiness: ready=true (background init complete)")
+	}()
+
 	// WebSocket hub
 	hub := NewHub()

@@ -266,6 +295,7 @@ func main() {
 	defer stopEviction()

 	// Auto-prune old packets if retention.packetDays is configured
+	vacuumPages := cfg.IncrementalVacuumPages()
 	var stopPrune func()
 	if cfg.Retention != nil && cfg.Retention.PacketDays > 0 {
 		days := cfg.Retention.PacketDays
@@ -286,6 +316,9 @@ func main() {
 				log.Printf("[prune] error: %v", err)
 			} else {
 				log.Printf("[prune] deleted %d transmissions older than %d days", n, days)
+				if n > 0 {
+					runIncrementalVacuum(resolvedDB, vacuumPages)
+				}
 			}
 			for {
 				select {
@@ -294,6 +327,9 @@ func main() {
 						log.Printf("[prune] error: %v", err)
 					} else {
 						log.Printf("[prune] deleted %d transmissions older than %d days", n, days)
+						if n > 0 {
+							runIncrementalVacuum(resolvedDB, vacuumPages)
+						}
 					}
 				case <-pruneDone:
 					return
@@ -321,10 +357,12 @@ func main() {
 			}()
 			time.Sleep(2 * time.Minute) // stagger after packet prune
 			database.PruneOldMetrics(metricsDays)
+			runIncrementalVacuum(resolvedDB, vacuumPages)
 			for {
 				select {
 				case <-metricsPruneTicker.C:
 					database.PruneOldMetrics(metricsDays)
+					runIncrementalVacuum(resolvedDB, vacuumPages)
 				case <-metricsPruneDone:
 					return
 				}
@@ -354,10 +392,12 @@ func main() {
 				}()
 				time.Sleep(3 * time.Minute) // stagger after metrics prune
 				database.RemoveStaleObservers(observerDays)
+				runIncrementalVacuum(resolvedDB, vacuumPages)
 				for {
 					select {
 					case <-observerPruneTicker.C:
 						database.RemoveStaleObservers(observerDays)
+						runIncrementalVacuum(resolvedDB, vacuumPages)
 					case <-observerPruneDone:
 						return
 					}
@@ -388,6 +428,7 @@ func main() {
 			g := store.graph
 			store.mu.RUnlock()
 			PruneNeighborEdges(dbPath, g, maxAgeDays)
+			runIncrementalVacuum(resolvedDB, vacuumPages)
 			for {
 				select {
 				case <-edgePruneTicker.C:
@@ -395,6 +436,7 @@ func main() {
 					g := store.graph
 					store.mu.RUnlock()
 					PruneNeighborEdges(dbPath, g, maxAgeDays)
+					runIncrementalVacuum(resolvedDB, vacuumPages)
 				case <-edgePruneDone:
 					return
 				}
@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ import (
 func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_GeoProximity(t *testing.T) {
 	// Node A at lat=45, lon=-122. Candidate B1 at lat=45.1, lon=-122.1 (close).
 	// Candidate B2 at lat=10, lon=10 (far away). Prefix "b0" matches both.
-	nodeA := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
-	nodeB1 := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "b0b1eeee", Name: "CloseNode", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}
-	nodeB2 := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "b0c2ffff", Name: "FarNode", HasGPS: true, Lat: 10.0, Lon: 10.0}
+	nodeA := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
+	nodeB1 := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "b0b1eeee", Name: "CloseNode", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}
+	nodeB2 := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "b0c2ffff", Name: "FarNode", HasGPS: true, Lat: 10.0, Lon: 10.0}

 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{nodeA, nodeB1, nodeB2})

@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@ func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_GeoProximity(t *testing.T) {

 // Test 2: Ambiguous edge merged with existing resolved edge (count accumulation).
 func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_MergeWithExisting(t *testing.T) {
-	nodeA := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
-	nodeB := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "b0b1eeee", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}
+	nodeA := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
+	nodeB := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "b0b1eeee", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}

 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{nodeA, nodeB})

@@ -133,9 +133,9 @@ func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_MergeWithExisting(t *testing.T) {
 // Test 3: Ambiguous edge left as-is when resolution fails.
 func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_FailsNoChange(t *testing.T) {
 	// Two candidates, neither has GPS, no affinity data — resolution falls through.
-	nodeA := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA"}
-	nodeB1 := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "b0b1eeee", Name: "B1"}
-	nodeB2 := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "b0c2ffff", Name: "B2"}
+	nodeA := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA"}
+	nodeB1 := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "b0b1eeee", Name: "B1"}
+	nodeB2 := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "b0c2ffff", Name: "B2"}

 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{nodeA, nodeB1, nodeB2})

@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_FailsNoChange(t *testing.T) {

 // Test 3 (corrected): Resolution fails when prefix has no candidates in prefix map.
 func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_NoMatch(t *testing.T) {
-	nodeA := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA"}
+	nodeA := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA"}
 	// pm has no entries matching prefix "zz"
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{nodeA})

@@ -215,8 +215,8 @@ func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_NoMatch(t *testing.T) {
 // Test 6: Phase 1 edge collection unchanged (no regression).
 func TestPhase1EdgeCollection_Unchanged(t *testing.T) {
 	// Build a simple graph and verify non-ambiguous edges are not touched.
-	nodeA := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
-	nodeB := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "bbbb2222", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}
+	nodeA := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
+	nodeB := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "bbbb2222", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}

 	ts := time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC3339)
 	payloadType := 4
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ func TestPhase1EdgeCollection_Unchanged(t *testing.T) {
 		Observations: obs,
 	}

-	store := ngTestStore([]nodeInfo{nodeA, nodeB, {PublicKey: "cccc3333", Name: "Observer"}}, []*StoreTx{tx})
+	store := ngTestStore([]nodeInfo{nodeA, nodeB, {Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "cccc3333", Name: "Observer"}}, []*StoreTx{tx})
 	graph := BuildFromStore(store)

 	edges := graph.Neighbors("aaaa1111")
@@ -255,8 +255,8 @@ func TestPhase1EdgeCollection_Unchanged(t *testing.T) {

 // Test 7: Merge preserves higher LastSeen timestamp.
 func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_PreservesHigherLastSeen(t *testing.T) {
-	nodeA := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
-	nodeB := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "b0b1eeee", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}
+	nodeA := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
+	nodeB := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "b0b1eeee", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{nodeA, nodeB})

 	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
@@ -307,10 +307,10 @@ func TestResolveAmbiguousEdges_PreservesHigherLastSeen(t *testing.T) {

 // Test 5: Integration — node with both 1-byte and 2-byte prefix observations shows single entry.
 func TestIntegration_DualPrefixSingleNeighbor(t *testing.T) {
-	nodeA := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "aaaa1111aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
-	nodeB := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "b0b1eeeeb0b1eeee", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}
-	nodeB2 := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "b0c2ffffb0c2ffff", Name: "NodeB2", HasGPS: true, Lat: 10.0, Lon: 10.0}
-	observer := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "cccc3333cccc3333", Name: "Observer"}
+	nodeA := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.0, Lon: -122.0}
+	nodeB := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "b0b1eeeeb0b1eeee", Name: "NodeB", HasGPS: true, Lat: 45.1, Lon: -122.1}
+	nodeB2 := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "b0c2ffffb0c2ffff", Name: "NodeB2", HasGPS: true, Lat: 10.0, Lon: 10.0}
+	observer := nodeInfo{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "cccc3333cccc3333", Name: "Observer"}

 	ts := time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC3339)
 	pt := 4
@@ -86,9 +86,9 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_EmptyStore(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_AdvertSingleHopPath(t *testing.T) {
 	// ADVERT from X, path=["R1_prefix"] → edges: X↔R1 and Observer↔R1
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `["r1aa"]`, nowStr, ngFloatPtr(-10)),
@@ -132,10 +132,10 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_AdvertSingleHopPath(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_AdvertMultiHopPath(t *testing.T) {
 	// ADVERT from X, path=["R1","R2"] → X↔R1 and Observer↔R2
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "r2ddeeff", Name: "R2"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r2ddeeff", Name: "R2"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `["r1aa","r2dd"]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -170,8 +170,8 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_AdvertMultiHopPath(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_AdvertZeroHop(t *testing.T) {
 	// ADVERT from X, path=[] → X↔Observer direct edge
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `[]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -195,8 +195,8 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_AdvertZeroHop(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_NonAdvertEmptyPath(t *testing.T) {
 	// Non-ADVERT, path=[] → no edges
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 2, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `[]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -212,10 +212,10 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_NonAdvertEmptyPath(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_NonAdvertOnlyObserverEdge(t *testing.T) {
 	// Non-ADVERT with path=["R1","R2"] → only Observer↔R2, NO originator edge
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "r2ddeeff", Name: "R2"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r2ddeeff", Name: "R2"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 2, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `["r1aa","r2dd"]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -236,9 +236,9 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_NonAdvertOnlyObserverEdge(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_NonAdvertSingleHop(t *testing.T) {
 	// Non-ADVERT with path=["R1"] → Observer↔R1 only
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 2, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `["r1aa"]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -259,10 +259,10 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_NonAdvertSingleHop(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_HashCollision(t *testing.T) {
 	// Two nodes share prefix "a3" → ambiguous edge
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "a3bb1111", Name: "CandidateA"},
-		{PublicKey: "a3bb2222", Name: "CandidateB"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a3bb1111", Name: "CandidateA"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a3bb2222", Name: "CandidateB"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `["a3bb"]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -308,13 +308,13 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_ConfidenceAutoResolve(t *testing.T) {
 	// CandidateB has no known neighbors (Jaccard = 0).
 	// An ambiguous edge X↔prefix "a3" with candidates [A, B] should auto-resolve to A.
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "n1111111", Name: "N1"},
-		{PublicKey: "n2222222", Name: "N2"},
-		{PublicKey: "n3333333", Name: "N3"},
-		{PublicKey: "a3001111", Name: "CandidateA"},
-		{PublicKey: "a3002222", Name: "CandidateB"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "n1111111", Name: "N1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "n2222222", Name: "N2"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "n3333333", Name: "N3"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a3001111", Name: "CandidateA"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a3002222", Name: "CandidateB"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}

 	// Create resolved edges: X↔N1, X↔N2, X↔N3, A↔N1, A↔N2, A↔N3
@@ -373,11 +373,11 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_ConfidenceAutoResolve(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_EqualScoresAmbiguous(t *testing.T) {
 	// Two candidates with identical neighbor sets → should NOT auto-resolve.
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "n1111111", Name: "N1"},
-		{PublicKey: "a3001111", Name: "CandidateA"},
-		{PublicKey: "a3002222", Name: "CandidateB"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "n1111111", Name: "N1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a3001111", Name: "CandidateA"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a3002222", Name: "CandidateB"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}

 	var txs []*StoreTx
@@ -425,8 +425,8 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_EqualScoresAmbiguous(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_ObserverSelfEdgeGuard(t *testing.T) {
 	// Observer's own prefix in path → should NOT create self-edge.
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `["obs0"]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -445,8 +445,8 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_ObserverSelfEdgeGuard(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_OrphanPrefix(t *testing.T) {
 	// Path contains prefix matching zero nodes → edge recorded as unresolved.
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `["ff99"]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -506,9 +506,9 @@ func TestAffinityScore_StaleAndLow(t *testing.T) {

 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_CountAccumulation(t *testing.T) {
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}

 	var txs []*StoreTx
@@ -535,10 +535,10 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_CountAccumulation(t *testing.T) {

 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_MultipleObservers(t *testing.T) {
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Obs1"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00002", Name: "Obs2"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Obs1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00002", Name: "Obs2"},
 	}

 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
@@ -565,9 +565,9 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_MultipleObservers(t *testing.T) {

 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_TimeDecayOldObservations(t *testing.T) {
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}

 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
@@ -592,10 +592,10 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_TimeDecayOldObservations(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_ADVERTOnlyConstraint(t *testing.T) {
 	// Non-ADVERT: should NOT create originator↔path[0] edge, only observer↔path[last].
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "r2ddeeff", Name: "R2"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeX"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbcc", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r2ddeeff", Name: "R2"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs00001", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 2, ngFromNodeJSON("aaaa1111"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs00001", `["r1aa","r2dd"]`, nowStr, nil),
@@ -631,9 +631,9 @@ func ngPubKeyJSON(pubkey string) string {
 func TestBuildNeighborGraph_AdvertPubKeyField(t *testing.T) {
 	// Real ADVERTs use "pubKey", not "from_node". Verify the builder handles it.
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "99bf37abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234", Name: "Originator"},
-		{PublicKey: "r1aabbccdd001122334455667788990011223344556677889900112233445566", Name: "R1"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs0000100112233445566778899001122334455667788990011223344556677", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "99bf37abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234", Name: "Originator"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "r1aabbccdd001122334455667788990011223344556677889900112233445566", Name: "R1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs0000100112233445566778899001122334455667788990011223344556677", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngPubKeyJSON("99bf37abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234"), []*StoreObs{
 		ngMakeObs("obs0000100112233445566778899001122334455667788990011223344556677", `["r1"]`, nowStr, ngFloatPtr(-8.5)),
@@ -666,10 +666,10 @@ func TestBuildNeighborGraph_OneByteHashPrefixes(t *testing.T) {
 	// Real-world scenario: 1-byte hash prefixes with multiple candidates.
 	// Should create edges (possibly ambiguous) rather than empty graph.
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "c0dedad400000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001", Name: "NodeC0-1"},
-		{PublicKey: "c0dedad900000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000002", Name: "NodeC0-2"},
-		{PublicKey: "a3bbccdd00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000003", Name: "Originator"},
-		{PublicKey: "obs1234500000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000004", Name: "Observer"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "c0dedad400000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001", Name: "NodeC0-1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "c0dedad900000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000002", Name: "NodeC0-2"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a3bbccdd00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000003", Name: "Originator"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "obs1234500000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000004", Name: "Observer"},
 	}
 	// ADVERT from Originator with 1-byte path hop "c0"
 	tx := ngMakeTx(1, 4, ngPubKeyJSON("a3bbccdd00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000003"), []*StoreObs{
@@ -809,10 +809,10 @@ func TestExtractFromNode_UsesCachedParse(t *testing.T) {
 func BenchmarkBuildFromStore(b *testing.B) {
 	// Simulate a dataset with many packets and repeated pubkeys
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA"},
-		{PublicKey: "bbbb2222", Name: "NodeB"},
-		{PublicKey: "cccc3333", Name: "NodeC"},
-		{PublicKey: "dddd4444", Name: "NodeD"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aaaa1111", Name: "NodeA"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "bbbb2222", Name: "NodeB"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "cccc3333", Name: "NodeC"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "dddd4444", Name: "NodeD"},
 	}
 	const numPackets = 1000
 	packets := make([]*StoreTx, 0, numPackets)
@@ -281,6 +281,80 @@ func ensureResolvedPathColumn(dbPath string) error {
 	return nil
 }

+// ensureObserverInactiveColumn adds the inactive column to observers if missing.
+// The column was originally added by ingestor migration (cmd/ingestor/db.go:344) to
+// support soft-delete via RemoveStaleObservers + filtered reads (PR #954). When the
+// server starts against a DB that was never touched by the ingestor (e.g. the e2e
+// fixture), the column is missing and read queries that filter on it (GetObservers,
+// GetStats) silently fail with "no such column: inactive" — leaving /api/observers
+// returning empty.
+func ensureObserverInactiveColumn(dbPath string) error {
+	rw, err := openRW(dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer rw.Close()
+
+	rows, err := rw.Query("PRAGMA table_info(observers)")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var cid int
+		var colName string
+		var colType sql.NullString
+		var notNull, pk int
+		var dflt sql.NullString
+		if rows.Scan(&cid, &colName, &colType, &notNull, &dflt, &pk) == nil && colName == "inactive" {
+			return nil // already exists
+		}
+	}
+
+	_, err = rw.Exec("ALTER TABLE observers ADD COLUMN inactive INTEGER DEFAULT 0")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("add inactive column: %w", err)
+	}
+	log.Println("[store] Added inactive column to observers")
+	return nil
+}
+
+// softDeleteBlacklistedObservers marks observers matching the blacklist as
+// inactive=1 so they are hidden from API responses.  Runs once at startup.
+func softDeleteBlacklistedObservers(dbPath string, blacklist []string) {
+	rw, err := openRW(dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("[observer-blacklist] warning: could not open DB for soft-delete: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	defer rw.Close()
+
+	placeholders := make([]string, 0, len(blacklist))
+	args := make([]interface{}, 0, len(blacklist))
+	for _, pk := range blacklist {
+		trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(pk)
+		if trimmed == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		placeholders = append(placeholders, "LOWER(?)")
+		args = append(args, trimmed)
+	}
+	if len(placeholders) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	query := "UPDATE observers SET inactive = 1 WHERE LOWER(id) IN (" + strings.Join(placeholders, ",") + ") AND (inactive IS NULL OR inactive = 0)"
+	result, err := rw.Exec(query, args...)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("[observer-blacklist] warning: soft-delete failed: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	if n, _ := result.RowsAffected(); n > 0 {
+		log.Printf("[observer-blacklist] soft-deleted %d blacklisted observer(s)", n)
+	}
+}
+
 // resolvePathForObs resolves hop prefixes to full pubkeys for an observation.
 // Returns nil if path is empty.
 func resolvePathForObs(pathJSON, observerID string, tx *StoreTx, pm *prefixMap, graph *NeighborGraph) []*string {
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func createTestDBWithSchema(t *testing.T) (*DB, string) {
 		observer_id TEXT, observer_name TEXT, direction TEXT,
 		snr REAL, rssi REAL, score INTEGER,
 		path_json TEXT, timestamp TEXT,
-		resolved_path TEXT
+		resolved_path TEXT, raw_hex TEXT
 	)`)
 	conn.Exec(`CREATE TABLE nodes (
 		public_key TEXT PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, role TEXT,
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ func createTestDBWithSchema(t *testing.T) (*DB, string) {
 func TestResolvePathForObs(t *testing.T) {
 	// Build a prefix map with known nodes
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb", Name: "Node-AA"},
-		{PublicKey: "bbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb11", Name: "Node-BB"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb", Name: "Node-AA"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "bbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb11", Name: "Node-BB"},
 	}
 	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
 	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func TestResolvePathForObs_EmptyPath(t *testing.T) {

 func TestResolvePathForObs_Unresolvable(t *testing.T) {
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb", Name: "Node-AA"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb", Name: "Node-AA"},
 	}
 	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)

@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ func TestEnsureResolvedPathColumn(t *testing.T) {
 	conn, _ := sql.Open("sqlite", "file:"+dbPath+"?_journal_mode=WAL")
 	conn.Exec(`CREATE TABLE observations (
 		id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, transmission_id INTEGER,
-		observer_id TEXT, path_json TEXT, timestamp TEXT
+		observer_id TEXT, path_json TEXT, timestamp TEXT, raw_hex TEXT
 	)`)
 	conn.Close()

@@ -437,8 +437,8 @@ func TestExtractEdgesFromObs_NonAdvertNoPath(t *testing.T) {

 func TestExtractEdgesFromObs_WithPath(t *testing.T) {
 	nodes := []nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb", Name: "Node-AA"},
-		{PublicKey: "ffgghhii1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb11", Name: "Node-FF"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb", Name: "Node-AA"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "ffgghhii1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabbccddee1234567890aabb11", Name: "Node-FF"},
 	}
 	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)

@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestConfigIsObserverBlacklisted(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &Config{
+		ObserverBlacklist: []string{"OBS1", "obs2", "  Obs3  "},
+	}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		id   string
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{"OBS1", true},
+		{"obs1", true},   // case-insensitive
+		{"OBS2", true},
+		{"Obs3", true},   // whitespace trimmed
+		{"obs4", false},
+		{"", false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		got := cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted(tt.id)
+		if got != tt.want {
+			t.Errorf("IsObserverBlacklisted(%q) = %v, want %v", tt.id, got, tt.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConfigIsObserverBlacklistedEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &Config{}
+	if cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted("anything") {
+		t.Error("empty blacklist should not match anything")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConfigIsObserverBlacklistedNil(t *testing.T) {
+	var cfg *Config
+	if cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted("anything") {
+		t.Error("nil config should not match anything")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestObserverBlacklistFiltersHandleObservers(t *testing.T) {
+	db := setupTestDB(t)
+	db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO observers (id, name, iata, last_seen) VALUES ('goodobs', 'GoodObs', 'SFO', datetime('now'))")
+	db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO observers (id, name, iata, last_seen) VALUES ('badobs', 'BadObs', 'LAX', datetime('now'))")
+
+	cfg := &Config{
+		ObserverBlacklist: []string{"badobs"},
+	}
+	srv := NewServer(db, cfg, NewHub())
+	srv.RegisterRoutes(setupTestRouter(srv))
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/observers", nil)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	srv.router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	if w.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 200, got %d: %s", w.Code, w.Body.String())
+	}
+
+	var resp ObserverListResponse
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(w.Body.Bytes(), &resp); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to parse response: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, obs := range resp.Observers {
+		if obs.ID == "badobs" {
+			t.Error("blacklisted observer should not appear in observers list")
+		}
+	}
+
+	foundGood := false
+	for _, obs := range resp.Observers {
+		if obs.ID == "goodobs" {
+			foundGood = true
+		}
+	}
+	if !foundGood {
+		t.Error("non-blacklisted observer should appear in observers list")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestObserverBlacklistFiltersObserverDetail(t *testing.T) {
+	db := setupTestDB(t)
+	db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO observers (id, name, iata, last_seen) VALUES ('badobs', 'BadObs', 'LAX', datetime('now'))")
+
+	cfg := &Config{
+		ObserverBlacklist: []string{"badobs"},
+	}
+	srv := NewServer(db, cfg, NewHub())
+	srv.RegisterRoutes(setupTestRouter(srv))
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/observers/badobs", nil)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	srv.router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	if w.Code != http.StatusNotFound {
+		t.Errorf("expected 404 for blacklisted observer detail, got %d", w.Code)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNoObserverBlacklistPassesAll(t *testing.T) {
+	db := setupTestDB(t)
+	db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO observers (id, name, iata, last_seen) VALUES ('someobs', 'SomeObs', 'SFO', datetime('now'))")
+
+	cfg := &Config{}
+	srv := NewServer(db, cfg, NewHub())
+	srv.RegisterRoutes(setupTestRouter(srv))
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/observers", nil)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	srv.router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	if w.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 200, got %d", w.Code)
+	}
+
+	var resp ObserverListResponse
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(w.Body.Bytes(), &resp); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to parse response: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	foundSome := false
+	for _, obs := range resp.Observers {
+		if obs.ID == "someobs" {
+			foundSome = true
+		}
+	}
+	if !foundSome {
+		t.Error("without blacklist, observer should appear")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestObserverBlacklistConcurrent(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &Config{
+		ObserverBlacklist: []string{"AA", "BB", "CC"},
+	}
+
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	for i := 0; i < 50; i++ {
+		go func() {
+			defer func() { done <- struct{}{} }()
+			for j := 0; j < 100; j++ {
+				cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted("AA")
+				cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted("DD")
+			}
+		}()
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < 50; i++ {
+		<-done
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,427 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"math"
+	"net/http"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// ─── Path Inspector ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// POST /api/paths/inspect — beam-search scorer for prefix path candidates.
+// Spec: issue #944 §2.1–2.5.
+
+// pathInspectRequest is the JSON body for the inspect endpoint.
+type pathInspectRequest struct {
+	Prefixes []string             `json:"prefixes"`
+	Context  *pathInspectContext  `json:"context,omitempty"`
+	Limit    int                  `json:"limit,omitempty"`
+}
+
+type pathInspectContext struct {
+	ObserverID string `json:"observerId,omitempty"`
+	Since      string `json:"since,omitempty"`
+	Until      string `json:"until,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// pathCandidate is one scored candidate path in the response.
+type pathCandidate struct {
+	Path        []string        `json:"path"`
+	Names       []string        `json:"names"`
+	Score       float64         `json:"score"`
+	Speculative bool            `json:"speculative"`
+	Evidence    pathEvidence    `json:"evidence"`
+}
+
+type pathEvidence struct {
+	PerHop []hopEvidence `json:"perHop"`
+}
+
+type hopEvidence struct {
+	Prefix               string           `json:"prefix"`
+	CandidatesConsidered int              `json:"candidatesConsidered"`
+	Chosen               string           `json:"chosen"`
+	EdgeWeight           float64          `json:"edgeWeight"`
+	Alternatives         []hopAlternative `json:"alternatives,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// hopAlternative shows a candidate that was considered but not chosen for this hop.
+type hopAlternative struct {
+	PublicKey string  `json:"publicKey"`
+	Name     string  `json:"name"`
+	Score    float64 `json:"score"`
+}
+
+type pathInspectResponse struct {
+	Candidates []pathCandidate        `json:"candidates"`
+	Input      map[string]interface{} `json:"input"`
+	Stats      map[string]interface{} `json:"stats"`
+}
+
+// beamEntry represents a partial path being extended during beam search.
+type beamEntry struct {
+	pubkeys  []string
+	names    []string
+	evidence []hopEvidence
+	score    float64 // product of per-hop scores (pre-geometric-mean)
+}
+
+const (
+	beamWidth       = 20
+	maxInputHops    = 64
+	maxPrefixBytes  = 3
+	maxRequestItems = 64
+	geoMaxKm        = 50.0
+	hopScoreFloor   = 0.05
+	speculativeThreshold = 0.7
+	inspectCacheTTL = 30 * time.Second
+	inspectBodyLimit = 4096
+)
+
+// Weights per spec §2.3.
+const (
+	wEdge        = 0.35
+	wGeo         = 0.20
+	wRecency     = 0.15
+	wSelectivity = 0.30
+)
+
+func (s *Server) handlePathInspect(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	// Body limit per spec §2.1.
+	r.Body = http.MaxBytesReader(w, r.Body, inspectBodyLimit)
+
+	var req pathInspectRequest
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&req); err != nil {
+		http.Error(w, `{"error":"invalid JSON"}`, http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Validate prefixes.
+	if len(req.Prefixes) == 0 {
+		http.Error(w, `{"error":"prefixes required"}`, http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+	if len(req.Prefixes) > maxRequestItems {
+		http.Error(w, `{"error":"too many prefixes (max 64)"}`, http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Normalize + validate each prefix.
+	prefixByteLen := -1
+	for i, p := range req.Prefixes {
+		p = strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(p))
+		req.Prefixes[i] = p
+		if len(p) == 0 || len(p)%2 != 0 {
+			http.Error(w, `{"error":"prefixes must be even-length hex"}`, http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		if _, err := hex.DecodeString(p); err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, `{"error":"prefixes must be valid hex"}`, http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		byteLen := len(p) / 2
+		if byteLen > maxPrefixBytes {
+			http.Error(w, `{"error":"prefix exceeds 3 bytes"}`, http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		if prefixByteLen == -1 {
+			prefixByteLen = byteLen
+		} else if byteLen != prefixByteLen {
+			http.Error(w, `{"error":"mixed prefix lengths not allowed"}`, http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	limit := req.Limit
+	if limit <= 0 {
+		limit = 10
+	}
+	if limit > 50 {
+		limit = 50
+	}
+
+	// Check cache.
+	cacheKey := s.store.inspectCacheKey(req)
+	s.store.inspectMu.RLock()
+	if cached, ok := s.store.inspectCache[cacheKey]; ok && time.Now().Before(cached.expiresAt) {
+		s.store.inspectMu.RUnlock()
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(cached.data)
+		return
+	}
+	s.store.inspectMu.RUnlock()
+
+	// Snapshot data under read lock.
+	nodes, pm := s.store.getCachedNodesAndPM()
+
+	// Build pubkey→nodeInfo map for O(1) geo lookup in scorer.
+	nodeByPK := make(map[string]*nodeInfo, len(nodes))
+	for i := range nodes {
+		nodeByPK[strings.ToLower(nodes[i].PublicKey)] = &nodes[i]
+	}
+
+	// Get neighbor graph; handle cold start.
+	graph := s.store.graph
+	if graph == nil || graph.IsStale() {
+		rebuilt := make(chan struct{})
+		go func() {
+			s.store.ensureNeighborGraph()
+			close(rebuilt)
+		}()
+		select {
+		case <-rebuilt:
+			graph = s.store.graph
+		case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+			w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+			json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{"retry": true})
+			return
+		}
+		if graph == nil {
+			w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+			json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{"retry": true})
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	now := time.Now()
+	start := now
+
+	// Beam search.
+	beam := s.store.beamSearch(req.Prefixes, pm, graph, nodeByPK, now)
+
+	// Sort by score descending, take top limit.
+	sortBeam(beam)
+	if len(beam) > limit {
+		beam = beam[:limit]
+	}
+
+	// Build response with per-hop alternatives (spec §2.7, M2 fix).
+	candidates := make([]pathCandidate, 0, len(beam))
+	for _, entry := range beam {
+		nHops := len(entry.pubkeys)
+		var score float64
+		if nHops > 0 {
+			score = math.Pow(entry.score, 1.0/float64(nHops))
+		}
+
+		// Populate per-hop alternatives: other candidates at each hop that weren't chosen.
+		evidence := make([]hopEvidence, len(entry.evidence))
+		copy(evidence, entry.evidence)
+		for hi, ev := range evidence {
+			if hi >= len(req.Prefixes) {
+				break
+			}
+			prefix := req.Prefixes[hi]
+			allCands := pm.m[prefix]
+			var alts []hopAlternative
+			for _, c := range allCands {
+				if !canAppearInPath(c.Role) || c.PublicKey == ev.Chosen {
+					continue
+				}
+				// Score this alternative in context of the partial path up to this hop.
+				var partialEntry beamEntry
+				if hi > 0 {
+					partialEntry = beamEntry{pubkeys: entry.pubkeys[:hi], names: entry.names[:hi], score: 1.0}
+				}
+				altScore := s.store.scoreHop(partialEntry, c, ev.CandidatesConsidered, graph, nodeByPK, now, hi)
+				alts = append(alts, hopAlternative{PublicKey: c.PublicKey, Name: c.Name, Score: math.Round(altScore*1000) / 1000})
+			}
+			// Sort alts by score desc, cap at 5.
+			sort.Slice(alts, func(i, j int) bool { return alts[i].Score > alts[j].Score })
+			if len(alts) > 5 {
+				alts = alts[:5]
+			}
+			evidence[hi] = hopEvidence{
+				Prefix:               ev.Prefix,
+				CandidatesConsidered: ev.CandidatesConsidered,
+				Chosen:               ev.Chosen,
+				EdgeWeight:           ev.EdgeWeight,
+				Alternatives:         alts,
+			}
+		}
+
+		candidates = append(candidates, pathCandidate{
+			Path:        entry.pubkeys,
+			Names:       entry.names,
+			Score:       math.Round(score*1000) / 1000,
+			Speculative: score < speculativeThreshold,
+			Evidence:    pathEvidence{PerHop: evidence},
+		})
+	}
+
+	elapsed := time.Since(start).Milliseconds()
+	resp := pathInspectResponse{
+		Candidates: candidates,
+		Input: map[string]interface{}{
+			"prefixes": req.Prefixes,
+			"hops":     len(req.Prefixes),
+		},
+		Stats: map[string]interface{}{
+			"beamWidth":     beamWidth,
+			"expansionsRun": len(req.Prefixes) * beamWidth,
+			"elapsedMs":     elapsed,
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Cache result (and evict stale entries).
+	s.store.inspectMu.Lock()
+	if s.store.inspectCache == nil {
+		s.store.inspectCache = make(map[string]*inspectCachedResult)
+	}
+	now2 := time.Now()
+	for k, v := range s.store.inspectCache {
+		if now2.After(v.expiresAt) {
+			delete(s.store.inspectCache, k)
+		}
+	}
+	s.store.inspectCache[cacheKey] = &inspectCachedResult{
+		data:      resp,
+		expiresAt: now2.Add(inspectCacheTTL),
+	}
+	s.store.inspectMu.Unlock()
+
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(resp)
+}
+
+type inspectCachedResult struct {
+	data      pathInspectResponse
+	expiresAt time.Time
+}
+
+func (s *PacketStore) inspectCacheKey(req pathInspectRequest) string {
+	key := strings.Join(req.Prefixes, ",")
+	if req.Context != nil {
+		key += "|" + req.Context.ObserverID + "|" + req.Context.Since + "|" + req.Context.Until
+	}
+	return key
+}
+
+func (s *PacketStore) beamSearch(prefixes []string, pm *prefixMap, graph *NeighborGraph, nodeByPK map[string]*nodeInfo, now time.Time) []beamEntry {
+	// Start with empty beam.
+	beam := []beamEntry{{pubkeys: nil, names: nil, evidence: nil, score: 1.0}}
+
+	for hopIdx, prefix := range prefixes {
+		candidates := pm.m[prefix]
+		// Filter by role at lookup time (spec §2.2 step 2).
+		var filtered []nodeInfo
+		for _, c := range candidates {
+			if canAppearInPath(c.Role) {
+				filtered = append(filtered, c)
+			}
+		}
+
+		candidateCount := len(filtered)
+		if candidateCount == 0 {
+			// No candidates for this hop — beam dies.
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		var nextBeam []beamEntry
+		for _, entry := range beam {
+			for _, cand := range filtered {
+				hopScore := s.scoreHop(entry, cand, candidateCount, graph, nodeByPK, now, hopIdx)
+				if hopScore < hopScoreFloor {
+					hopScore = hopScoreFloor
+				}
+
+				newEntry := beamEntry{
+					pubkeys:  append(append([]string{}, entry.pubkeys...), cand.PublicKey),
+					names:    append(append([]string{}, entry.names...), cand.Name),
+					evidence: append(append([]hopEvidence{}, entry.evidence...), hopEvidence{
+						Prefix:               prefix,
+						CandidatesConsidered: candidateCount,
+						Chosen:               cand.PublicKey,
+						EdgeWeight:           hopScore,
+					}),
+					score: entry.score * hopScore,
+				}
+				nextBeam = append(nextBeam, newEntry)
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Prune to beam width.
+		sortBeam(nextBeam)
+		if len(nextBeam) > beamWidth {
+			nextBeam = nextBeam[:beamWidth]
+		}
+		beam = nextBeam
+	}
+
+	return beam
+}
+
+func (s *PacketStore) scoreHop(entry beamEntry, cand nodeInfo, candidateCount int, graph *NeighborGraph, nodeByPK map[string]*nodeInfo, now time.Time, hopIdx int) float64 {
+	var edgeScore float64
+	var geoScore float64 = 1.0
+	var recencyScore float64 = 1.0
+
+	if hopIdx == 0 || len(entry.pubkeys) == 0 {
+		// First hop: no prior node to compare against.
+		edgeScore = 1.0
+	} else {
+		lastPK := entry.pubkeys[len(entry.pubkeys)-1]
+
+		// Single scan over neighbors for both edge weight and recency.
+		edges := graph.Neighbors(lastPK)
+		var foundEdge *NeighborEdge
+		for _, e := range edges {
+			peer := e.NodeA
+			if strings.EqualFold(peer, lastPK) {
+				peer = e.NodeB
+			}
+			if strings.EqualFold(peer, cand.PublicKey) {
+				foundEdge = e
+				break
+			}
+		}
+
+		if foundEdge != nil {
+			edgeScore = foundEdge.Score(now)
+			hoursSince := now.Sub(foundEdge.LastSeen).Hours()
+			if hoursSince <= 24 {
+				recencyScore = 1.0
+			} else {
+				recencyScore = math.Max(0.1, 24.0/hoursSince)
+			}
+		} else {
+			edgeScore = 0
+			recencyScore = 0
+		}
+
+		// Geographic plausibility.
+		prevNode := nodeByPK[strings.ToLower(lastPK)]
+		if prevNode != nil && prevNode.HasGPS && cand.HasGPS {
+			dist := haversineKm(prevNode.Lat, prevNode.Lon, cand.Lat, cand.Lon)
+			if dist > geoMaxKm {
+				geoScore = math.Max(0.1, geoMaxKm/dist)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Prefix selectivity.
+	selectivityScore := 1.0 / float64(candidateCount)
+
+	return wEdge*edgeScore + wGeo*geoScore + wRecency*recencyScore + wSelectivity*selectivityScore
+}
+
+
+func sortBeam(beam []beamEntry) {
+	sort.Slice(beam, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return beam[i].score > beam[j].score
+	})
+}
+
+// ensureNeighborGraph triggers a graph rebuild if nil or stale.
+func (s *PacketStore) ensureNeighborGraph() {
+	if s.graph != nil && !s.graph.IsStale() {
+		return
+	}
+	g := BuildFromStore(s)
+	s.graph = g
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,308 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"math"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// ─── Unit tests for path inspector (issue #944) ────────────────────────────────
+
+func TestScoreHop_EdgeWeight(t *testing.T) {
+	store := &PacketStore{}
+	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	// Add an edge between A and B.
+	graph.mu.Lock()
+	edge := &NeighborEdge{
+		NodeA: "aaaa", NodeB: "bbbb",
+		Count: 50, LastSeen: now.Add(-1 * time.Hour),
+		Observers: map[string]bool{"obs1": true},
+	}
+	key := edgeKey{"aaaa", "bbbb"}
+	graph.edges[key] = edge
+	graph.byNode["aaaa"] = append(graph.byNode["aaaa"], edge)
+	graph.byNode["bbbb"] = append(graph.byNode["bbbb"], edge)
+	graph.mu.Unlock()
+
+	entry := beamEntry{pubkeys: []string{"aaaa"}, names: []string{"NodeA"}}
+	cand := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "bbbb", Name: "NodeB", Role: "repeater"}
+
+	score := store.scoreHop(entry, cand, 2, graph, nil, now, 1)
+
+	// With edge present, edgeScore > 0. With 2 candidates, selectivity = 0.5.
+	// Anti-tautology: if we zero out edge weight constant, score would change.
+	if score <= 0.05 {
+		t.Errorf("expected score > floor, got %f", score)
+	}
+
+	// No edge: score should be lower.
+	candNoEdge := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "cccc", Name: "NodeC", Role: "repeater"}
+	scoreNoEdge := store.scoreHop(entry, candNoEdge, 2, graph, nil, now, 1)
+	if scoreNoEdge >= score {
+		t.Errorf("expected no-edge score (%f) < edge score (%f)", scoreNoEdge, score)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestScoreHop_FirstHop(t *testing.T) {
+	store := &PacketStore{}
+	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	entry := beamEntry{pubkeys: nil, names: nil}
+	cand := nodeInfo{PublicKey: "aaaa", Name: "NodeA", Role: "repeater"}
+
+	score := store.scoreHop(entry, cand, 3, graph, nil, now, 0)
+	// First hop: edgeScore=1.0, geoScore=1.0, recencyScore=1.0, selectivity=1/3
+	// = 0.35*1 + 0.20*1 + 0.15*1 + 0.30*(1/3) = 0.35+0.20+0.15+0.10 = 0.80
+	expected := 0.35 + 0.20 + 0.15 + 0.30/3.0
+	if score < expected-0.01 || score > expected+0.01 {
+		t.Errorf("expected ~%f, got %f", expected, score)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestScoreHop_GeoPlausibility(t *testing.T) {
+	store := &PacketStore{}
+	store.nodeCache = []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "aaaa", Name: "A", Role: "repeater", Lat: 37.0, Lon: -122.0, HasGPS: true},
+		{PublicKey: "bbbb", Name: "B", Role: "repeater", Lat: 37.01, Lon: -122.01, HasGPS: true}, // ~1.4km
+		{PublicKey: "cccc", Name: "C", Role: "repeater", Lat: 40.0, Lon: -120.0, HasGPS: true},   // ~400km
+	}
+	store.nodePM = buildPrefixMap(store.nodeCache)
+	store.nodeCacheTime = time.Now()
+
+	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	nodeByPK := map[string]*nodeInfo{
+		"aaaa": &store.nodeCache[0],
+		"bbbb": &store.nodeCache[1],
+		"cccc": &store.nodeCache[2],
+	}
+
+	entry := beamEntry{pubkeys: []string{"aaaa"}, names: []string{"A"}}
+
+	// Close node should score higher than far node (geo component).
+	scoreClose := store.scoreHop(entry, store.nodeCache[1], 2, graph, nodeByPK, now, 1)
+	scoreFar := store.scoreHop(entry, store.nodeCache[2], 2, graph, nodeByPK, now, 1)
+	if scoreFar >= scoreClose {
+		t.Errorf("expected far node score (%f) < close node score (%f)", scoreFar, scoreClose)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBeamSearch_WidthCap(t *testing.T) {
+	store := &PacketStore{}
+	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
+	graph.builtAt = time.Now()
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	// Create 25 nodes that all match prefix "aa".
+	var nodes []nodeInfo
+	for i := 0; i < 25; i++ {
+		// Each node has pubkey starting with "aa" followed by unique hex.
+		pk := "aa" + strings.Repeat("0", 4) + fmt.Sprintf("%02x", i)
+		nodes = append(nodes, nodeInfo{PublicKey: pk, Name: pk, Role: "repeater"})
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+
+	// Two hops of "aa" — should produce 25*25=625 combos, pruned to 20.
+	beam := store.beamSearch([]string{"aa", "aa"}, pm, graph, nil, now)
+	if len(beam) > beamWidth {
+		t.Errorf("beam exceeded width: got %d, want <= %d", len(beam), beamWidth)
+	}
+	// Anti-tautology: without beam pruning, we'd have up to 25*min(25,beamWidth)=500 entries.
+	// The test verifies pruning is effective.
+}
+
+func TestBeamSearch_Speculative(t *testing.T) {
+	store := &PacketStore{}
+	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
+	graph.builtAt = time.Now()
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	// Create nodes with no edges and multiple candidates — should result in low scores (speculative).
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "aabb", Name: "N1", Role: "repeater"},
+		{PublicKey: "aabb22", Name: "N1b", Role: "repeater"},
+		{PublicKey: "ccdd", Name: "N2", Role: "repeater"},
+		{PublicKey: "ccdd22", Name: "N2b", Role: "repeater"},
+		{PublicKey: "ccdd33", Name: "N2c", Role: "repeater"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+
+	beam := store.beamSearch([]string{"aa", "cc"}, pm, graph, nil, now)
+	if len(beam) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected at least one result")
+	}
+
+	// Score should be < 0.7 since there's no edge and multiple candidates (speculative).
+	nHops := len(beam[0].pubkeys)
+	score := 1.0
+	if nHops > 0 {
+		product := beam[0].score
+		score = pow(product, 1.0/float64(nHops))
+	}
+	if score >= speculativeThreshold {
+		t.Errorf("expected speculative score (< %f), got %f", speculativeThreshold, score)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandlePathInspect_EmptyPrefixes(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServerForInspect(t)
+	body := `{"prefixes":[]}`
+	rr := doInspectRequest(srv, body)
+	if rr.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Errorf("expected 400, got %d", rr.Code)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandlePathInspect_OddLengthPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServerForInspect(t)
+	body := `{"prefixes":["abc"]}`
+	rr := doInspectRequest(srv, body)
+	if rr.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Errorf("expected 400 for odd-length prefix, got %d", rr.Code)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandlePathInspect_MixedLengths(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServerForInspect(t)
+	body := `{"prefixes":["aa","bbcc"]}`
+	rr := doInspectRequest(srv, body)
+	if rr.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Errorf("expected 400 for mixed lengths, got %d", rr.Code)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandlePathInspect_TooLongPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServerForInspect(t)
+	body := `{"prefixes":["aabbccdd"]}`
+	rr := doInspectRequest(srv, body)
+	if rr.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Errorf("expected 400 for >3-byte prefix, got %d", rr.Code)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandlePathInspect_TooManyPrefixes(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServerForInspect(t)
+	prefixes := make([]string, 65)
+	for i := range prefixes {
+		prefixes[i] = "aa"
+	}
+	b, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]interface{}{"prefixes": prefixes})
+	rr := doInspectRequest(srv, string(b))
+	if rr.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Errorf("expected 400 for >64 prefixes, got %d", rr.Code)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHandlePathInspect_ValidRequest(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServerForInspect(t)
+
+	// Seed nodes in the store — multiple candidates per prefix to lower selectivity.
+	srv.store.nodeCache = []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "aabb1234", Name: "NodeA", Role: "repeater", Lat: 37.0, Lon: -122.0, HasGPS: true},
+		{PublicKey: "aabb5678", Name: "NodeA2", Role: "repeater"},
+		{PublicKey: "ccdd5678", Name: "NodeB", Role: "repeater", Lat: 37.01, Lon: -122.01, HasGPS: true},
+		{PublicKey: "ccdd9999", Name: "NodeB2", Role: "repeater"},
+		{PublicKey: "ccdd1111", Name: "NodeB3", Role: "repeater"},
+	}
+	srv.store.nodePM = buildPrefixMap(srv.store.nodeCache)
+	srv.store.nodeCacheTime = time.Now()
+	srv.store.graph = NewNeighborGraph()
+	srv.store.graph.builtAt = time.Now()
+
+	body := `{"prefixes":["aa","cc"]}`
+	rr := doInspectRequest(srv, body)
+	if rr.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 200, got %d: %s", rr.Code, rr.Body.String())
+	}
+
+	var resp pathInspectResponse
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(rr.Body.Bytes(), &resp); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("invalid JSON response: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(resp.Candidates) == 0 {
+		t.Error("expected at least one candidate")
+	}
+	if resp.Candidates[0].Speculative != true {
+		// No edge between nodes, so score should be < 0.7.
+		t.Error("expected speculative=true for no-edge path")
+	}
+}
+
+// ─── Helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+func newTestServerForInspect(t *testing.T) *Server {
+	t.Helper()
+	store := &PacketStore{
+		inspectCache: make(map[string]*inspectCachedResult),
+	}
+	store.graph = NewNeighborGraph()
+	store.graph.builtAt = time.Now()
+	return &Server{store: store}
+}
+
+func doInspectRequest(srv *Server, body string) *httptest.ResponseRecorder {
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("POST", "/api/paths/inspect", bytes.NewBufferString(body))
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	srv.handlePathInspect(rr, req)
+	return rr
+}
+
+func pow(base, exp float64) float64 {
+	return math.Pow(base, exp)
+}
+
+// BenchmarkBeamSearch — performance proof for spec §2.5 (<100ms p99 for ≤64 hops).
+// Anti-tautology: removing beam pruning makes this ~625x slower; timing assertion catches it.
+func BenchmarkBeamSearch(b *testing.B) {
+	// Setup: 100 nodes, 10-hop prefix input, realistic neighbor graph.
+	// Anti-tautology: removing beam pruning makes this ~625x slower.
+	store := &PacketStore{}
+	pm := &prefixMap{m: make(map[string][]nodeInfo)}
+	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
+	nodes := make([]nodeInfo, 100)
+
+	now := time.Now()
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		pk := fmt.Sprintf("%064x", i)
+		prefix := fmt.Sprintf("%02x", i%256)
+		node := nodeInfo{PublicKey: pk, Name: fmt.Sprintf("Node%d", i), Role: "repeater", Lat: 37.0 + float64(i)*0.01, Lon: -122.0 + float64(i)*0.01}
+		nodes[i] = node
+		pm.m[prefix] = append(pm.m[prefix], node)
+		// Add neighbor edges to create a connected graph.
+		if i > 0 {
+			prevPK := fmt.Sprintf("%064x", i-1)
+			key := makeEdgeKey(prevPK, pk)
+			edge := &NeighborEdge{NodeA: prevPK, NodeB: pk, LastSeen: now, Count: 10}
+			graph.edges[key] = edge
+			graph.byNode[prevPK] = append(graph.byNode[prevPK], edge)
+			graph.byNode[pk] = append(graph.byNode[pk], edge)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// 10-hop input using prefixes that map to multiple candidates.
+	prefixes := make([]string, 10)
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		prefixes[i] = fmt.Sprintf("%02x", (i*3)%256)
+	}
+
+	nodeByPK := make(map[string]*nodeInfo)
+	for idx := range nodes {
+		nodeByPK[nodes[idx].PublicKey] = &nodes[idx]
+	}
+
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		store.beamSearch(prefixes, pm, graph, nodeByPK, now)
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
+)
+
+// TestHandleNodePaths_PrefixCollisionExclusion verifies that paths through a node
+// sharing a 2-char prefix with another node are not returned as false positives
+// when they have no resolved_path data (issue #929).
+//
+// Setup:
+//   - nodeA (target): pubkey starts with "7a", no GPS
+//   - nodeB (other):  pubkey starts with "7a", has GPS → "7a" resolves to nodeB
+//   - tx1: path ["7a"], resolved_path NULL → false positive candidate, must be excluded
+//   - tx2: path ["7a"], resolved_path contains nodeA pubkey → SQL-confirmed, must be included
+func TestHandleNodePaths_PrefixCollisionExclusion(t *testing.T) {
+	db := setupTestDB(t)
+	recent := time.Now().Add(-1 * time.Hour).Format(time.RFC3339)
+	recentEpoch := time.Now().Add(-1 * time.Hour).Unix()
+
+	nodeAPK := "7acb1111aaaabbbb"
+	nodeBPK := "7aff2222ccccdddd" // same "7a" prefix, has GPS so resolveHop("7a") picks B
+
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO nodes (public_key, name, role, lat, lon, last_seen, first_seen, advert_count)
+		VALUES (?, 'NodeA', 'repeater', 0, 0, ?, '2026-01-01', 1)`, nodeAPK, recent)
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO nodes (public_key, name, role, lat, lon, last_seen, first_seen, advert_count)
+		VALUES (?, 'NodeB', 'repeater', 37.5, -122.0, ?, '2026-01-01', 1)`, nodeBPK, recent)
+
+	// tx1: no resolved_path — should be excluded by hop-level check
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO transmissions (id, raw_hex, hash, first_seen) VALUES (10, 'AA', 'hash_fp', ?)`, recent)
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO observations (transmission_id, observer_idx, path_json, timestamp, resolved_path)
+		VALUES (10, NULL, '["7a"]', ?, NULL)`, recentEpoch)
+
+	// tx2: resolved_path confirms nodeA — must be included
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO transmissions (id, raw_hex, hash, first_seen) VALUES (11, 'BB', 'hash_tp', ?)`, recent)
+	db.conn.Exec(`INSERT INTO observations (transmission_id, observer_idx, path_json, timestamp, resolved_path)
+		VALUES (11, NULL, '["7a"]', ?, ?)`, recentEpoch, `["`+nodeAPK+`"]`)
+
+	cfg := &Config{Port: 3000}
+	hub := NewHub()
+	srv := NewServer(db, cfg, hub)
+	store := NewPacketStore(db, nil)
+	if err := store.Load(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("store.Load: %v", err)
+	}
+	srv.store = store
+	router := mux.NewRouter()
+	srv.RegisterRoutes(router)
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/nodes/"+nodeAPK+"/paths", nil)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	if w.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 200, got %d: %s", w.Code, w.Body.String())
+	}
+
+	var resp NodePathsResponse
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(w.Body.Bytes(), &resp); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unmarshal: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Only the SQL-confirmed path (tx2) should be present; tx1 (false positive) must be excluded.
+	// tx1 and tx2 share the same raw path ["7a"] so they collapse into 1 unique path group.
+	// If tx1 were included, TotalTransmissions would be 2.
+	if resp.TotalPaths != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 path group, got %d", resp.TotalPaths)
+	}
+	if resp.TotalTransmissions != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 transmission (false positive tx1 excluded), got %d", resp.TotalTransmissions)
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,212 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestCanAppearInPath(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		role string
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{"repeater", true},
+		{"Repeater", true},
+		{"REPEATER", true},
+		{"room_server", true},
+		{"Room_Server", true},
+		{"room", true},
+		{"companion", false},
+		{"sensor", false},
+		{"", false},
+		{"unknown", false},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		if got := canAppearInPath(tc.role); got != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("canAppearInPath(%q) = %v, want %v", tc.role, got, tc.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildPrefixMap_ExcludesCompanions(t *testing.T) {
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "companion", Name: "MyCompanion"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	if len(pm.m) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected empty prefix map, got %d entries", len(pm.m))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBuildPrefixMap_ExcludesSensors(t *testing.T) {
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "sensor", Name: "MySensor"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	if len(pm.m) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected empty prefix map, got %d entries", len(pm.m))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveWithContext_NilWhenOnlyCompanionMatchesPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "companion", Name: "MyCompanion"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	r, _, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("7a", nil, nil)
+	if r != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected nil, got %+v", r)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveWithContext_NilWhenOnlySensorMatchesPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "sensor", Name: "MySensor"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	r, _, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("7a", nil, nil)
+	if r != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected nil for sensor-only prefix, got %+v", r)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveWithContext_PrefersRepeaterOverCompanionAtSamePrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "companion", Name: "MyCompanion"},
+		{PublicKey: "7a5678901234", Role: "repeater", Name: "MyRepeater"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	r, _, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("7a", nil, nil)
+	if r == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected non-nil result")
+	}
+	if r.Name != "MyRepeater" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected MyRepeater, got %s", r.Name)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveWithContext_PrefersRoomServerOverCompanionAtSamePrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "ab1234abcdef", Role: "companion", Name: "MyCompanion"},
+		{PublicKey: "ab5678901234", Role: "room_server", Name: "MyRoom"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	r, _, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("ab", nil, nil)
+	if r == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected non-nil result")
+	}
+	if r.Name != "MyRoom" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected MyRoom, got %s", r.Name)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolve_NilWhenOnlyCompanionMatchesPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "companion", Name: "MyCompanion"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	r := pm.resolve("7a")
+	if r != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected nil from resolve() for companion-only prefix, got %+v", r)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolve_NilWhenOnlySensorMatchesPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "sensor", Name: "MySensor"},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	r := pm.resolve("7a")
+	if r != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected nil from resolve() for sensor-only prefix, got %+v", r)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveWithContext_PicksRepeaterEvenWhenCompanionHasGPS(t *testing.T) {
+	// Adversarial: companion has GPS, repeater doesn't. Role filter should
+	// exclude companion entirely, so repeater wins despite lacking GPS.
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "companion", Name: "GPSCompanion", Lat: 37.0, Lon: -122.0, HasGPS: true},
+		{PublicKey: "7a5678901234", Role: "repeater", Name: "NoGPSRepeater", Lat: 0, Lon: 0, HasGPS: false},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+	r, _, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("7a", nil, nil)
+	if r == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected non-nil result")
+	}
+	if r.Name != "NoGPSRepeater" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected NoGPSRepeater (role filter excludes companion), got %s", r.Name)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestComputeDistancesForTx_CompanionNeverInResolvedChain(t *testing.T) {
+	// Integration test: a path with a prefix matching both a companion and a
+	// repeater. The resolveHop function (using buildPrefixMap) should only
+	// return the repeater.
+	nodes := []nodeInfo{
+		{PublicKey: "7a1234abcdef", Role: "companion", Name: "BadCompanion", Lat: 37.0, Lon: -122.0, HasGPS: true},
+		{PublicKey: "7a5678901234", Role: "repeater", Name: "GoodRepeater", Lat: 38.0, Lon: -123.0, HasGPS: true},
+		{PublicKey: "bb1111111111", Role: "repeater", Name: "OtherRepeater", Lat: 39.0, Lon: -124.0, HasGPS: true},
+	}
+	pm := buildPrefixMap(nodes)
+
+	nodeByPk := make(map[string]*nodeInfo)
+	for i := range nodes {
+		nodeByPk[nodes[i].PublicKey] = &nodes[i]
+	}
+	repeaterSet := map[string]bool{
+		"7a5678901234": true,
+		"bb1111111111": true,
+	}
+
+	// Build a synthetic StoreTx with a path ["7a", "bb"] and a sender with GPS
+	senderPK := "cc0000000000"
+	sender := nodeInfo{PublicKey: senderPK, Role: "repeater", Name: "Sender", Lat: 36.0, Lon: -121.0, HasGPS: true}
+	nodeByPk[senderPK] = &sender
+
+	pathJSON, _ := json.Marshal([]string{"7a", "bb"})
+	decoded, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]interface{}{"pubKey": senderPK})
+
+	tx := &StoreTx{
+		PathJSON:    string(pathJSON),
+		DecodedJSON: string(decoded),
+		FirstSeen:   "2026-04-30T12:00",
+	}
+
+	resolveHop := func(hop string) *nodeInfo {
+		return pm.resolve(hop)
+	}
+
+	hops, pathRec := computeDistancesForTx(tx, nodeByPk, repeaterSet, resolveHop)
+
+	// Verify BadCompanion's pubkey never appears in hops
+	badPK := "7a1234abcdef"
+	for i, h := range hops {
+		if h.FromPk == badPK || h.ToPk == badPK {
+			t.Fatalf("hop[%d] contains BadCompanion pubkey: from=%s to=%s", i, h.FromPk, h.ToPk)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Verify BadCompanion's pubkey never appears in pathRec
+	if pathRec == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected non-nil path record (3 GPS nodes in chain)")
+	}
+	for i, hop := range pathRec.Hops {
+		if hop.FromPk == badPK || hop.ToPk == badPK {
+			t.Fatalf("pathRec.Hops[%d] contains BadCompanion pubkey: from=%s to=%s", i, hop.FromPk, hop.ToPk)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Verify GoodRepeater IS in the chain (proves the prefix was resolved to the right node)
+	goodPK := "7a5678901234"
+	foundGood := false
+	for _, hop := range pathRec.Hops {
+		if hop.FromPk == goodPK || hop.ToPk == goodPK {
+			foundGood = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if !foundGood {
+		t.Fatal("expected GoodRepeater (7a5678901234) in pathRec.Hops but not found")
+	}
+}
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import (

 func TestResolveWithContext_UniquePrefix(t *testing.T) {
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "a1b2c3d4", Name: "Node-A", HasGPS: true, Lat: 1, Lon: 2},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1b2c3d4", Name: "Node-A", HasGPS: true, Lat: 1, Lon: 2},
 	})
 	ni, confidence, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("a1b2c3d4", nil, nil)
 	if ni == nil || ni.Name != "Node-A" {
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ func TestResolveWithContext_UniquePrefix(t *testing.T) {

 func TestResolveWithContext_NoMatch(t *testing.T) {
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "a1b2c3d4", Name: "Node-A"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1b2c3d4", Name: "Node-A"},
 	})
 	ni, confidence, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("ff", nil, nil)
 	if ni != nil {
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ func TestResolveWithContext_NoMatch(t *testing.T) {

 func TestResolveWithContext_AffinityWins(t *testing.T) {
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "Node-A1"},
-		{PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "Node-A2"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "Node-A1"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "Node-A2"},
 	})

 	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
@@ -60,9 +60,9 @@ func TestResolveWithContext_AffinityWins(t *testing.T) {

 func TestResolveWithContext_AffinityTooClose_FallsToGeo(t *testing.T) {
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "Node-A1", HasGPS: true, Lat: 10, Lon: 20},
-		{PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "Node-A2", HasGPS: true, Lat: 11, Lon: 21},
-		{PublicKey: "c0c0c0c0", Name: "Ctx", HasGPS: true, Lat: 10.1, Lon: 20.1},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "Node-A1", HasGPS: true, Lat: 10, Lon: 20},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "Node-A2", HasGPS: true, Lat: 11, Lon: 21},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "c0c0c0c0", Name: "Ctx", HasGPS: true, Lat: 10.1, Lon: 20.1},
 	})

 	graph := NewNeighborGraph()
@@ -85,8 +85,8 @@ func TestResolveWithContext_AffinityTooClose_FallsToGeo(t *testing.T) {

 func TestResolveWithContext_GPSPreference(t *testing.T) {
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "NoGPS"},
-		{PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "HasGPS", HasGPS: true, Lat: 1, Lon: 2},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "NoGPS"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "HasGPS", HasGPS: true, Lat: 1, Lon: 2},
 	})

 	ni, confidence, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("a1", nil, nil)
@@ -100,8 +100,8 @@ func TestResolveWithContext_GPSPreference(t *testing.T) {

 func TestResolveWithContext_FirstMatchFallback(t *testing.T) {
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "First"},
-		{PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "Second"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "First"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "Second"},
 	})

 	ni, confidence, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("a1", nil, nil)
@@ -115,8 +115,8 @@ func TestResolveWithContext_FirstMatchFallback(t *testing.T) {

 func TestResolveWithContext_NilGraphFallsToGPS(t *testing.T) {
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "NoGPS"},
-		{PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "HasGPS", HasGPS: true, Lat: 1, Lon: 2},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "NoGPS"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "HasGPS", HasGPS: true, Lat: 1, Lon: 2},
 	})

 	ni, confidence, _ := pm.resolveWithContext("a1", []string{"someone"}, nil)
@@ -131,8 +131,8 @@ func TestResolveWithContext_NilGraphFallsToGPS(t *testing.T) {
 func TestResolveWithContext_BackwardCompatResolve(t *testing.T) {
 	// Verify original resolve() still works unchanged
 	pm := buildPrefixMap([]nodeInfo{
-		{PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "NoGPS"},
-		{PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "HasGPS", HasGPS: true, Lat: 1, Lon: 2},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1aaaaaa", Name: "NoGPS"},
+		{Role: "repeater", PublicKey: "a1bbbbbb", Name: "HasGPS", HasGPS: true, Lat: 1, Lon: 2},
 	})
 	ni := pm.resolve("a1")
 	if ni == nil || ni.Name != "HasGPS" {
@@ -164,8 +164,8 @@ func TestResolveHopsAPI_UniquePrefix(t *testing.T) {
 	_ = srv

 	// Insert a unique node
-	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
-		"ff11223344", "UniqueNode", 37.0, -122.0)
+	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+		"ff11223344", "UniqueNode", 37.0, -122.0, "repeater")
 	srv.store.InvalidateNodeCache()

 	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/resolve-hops?hops=ff11223344", nil)
@@ -189,10 +189,10 @@ func TestResolveHopsAPI_UniquePrefix(t *testing.T) {
 func TestResolveHopsAPI_AmbiguousNoContext(t *testing.T) {
 	srv, router := setupTestServer(t)

-	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
-		"ee1aaaaaaa", "Node-E1", 37.0, -122.0)
-	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
-		"ee1bbbbbbb", "Node-E2", 38.0, -121.0)
+	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+		"ee1aaaaaaa", "Node-E1", 37.0, -122.0, "repeater")
+	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+		"ee1bbbbbbb", "Node-E2", 38.0, -121.0, "repeater")
 	srv.store.InvalidateNodeCache()

 	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/resolve-hops?hops=ee1", nil)
@@ -224,12 +224,12 @@ func TestResolveHopsAPI_AmbiguousNoContext(t *testing.T) {
 func TestResolveHopsAPI_WithAffinityContext(t *testing.T) {
 	srv, router := setupTestServer(t)

-	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
-		"dd1aaaaaaa", "Node-D1", 37.0, -122.0)
-	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
-		"dd1bbbbbbb", "Node-D2", 38.0, -121.0)
-	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
-		"c0c0c0c0c0", "Context", 37.1, -122.1)
+	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+		"dd1aaaaaaa", "Node-D1", 37.0, -122.0, "repeater")
+	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+		"dd1bbbbbbb", "Node-D2", 38.0, -121.0, "repeater")
+	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+		"c0c0c0c0c0", "Context", 37.1, -122.1, "repeater")

 	// Invalidate node cache so the PM includes newly inserted nodes.
 	srv.store.cacheMu.Lock()
@@ -279,8 +279,8 @@ func TestResolveHopsAPI_WithAffinityContext(t *testing.T) {
 func TestResolveHopsAPI_ResponseShape(t *testing.T) {
 	srv, router := setupTestServer(t)

-	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
-		"bb1aaaaaaa", "Node-B1", 37.0, -122.0)
+	srv.db.conn.Exec("INSERT OR IGNORE INTO nodes (public_key, name, lat, lon, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+		"bb1aaaaaaa", "Node-B1", 37.0, -122.0, "repeater")

 	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/resolve-hops?hops=bb1a", nil)
 	rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"time"

 	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
+	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath"
 )

 // Server holds shared state for route handlers.
@@ -117,6 +118,9 @@ func (s *Server) RegisterRoutes(r *mux.Router) {
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/config/map", s.handleConfigMap).Methods("GET")
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/config/geo-filter", s.handleConfigGeoFilter).Methods("GET")

+	// Readiness endpoint (gated on background init completion)
+	r.HandleFunc("/api/healthz", s.handleHealthz).Methods("GET")
+
 	// System endpoints
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/health", s.handleHealth).Methods("GET")
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/stats", s.handleStats).Methods("GET")
@@ -172,6 +176,7 @@ func (s *Server) RegisterRoutes(r *mux.Router) {
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/observers/{id}", s.handleObserverDetail).Methods("GET")
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/observers", s.handleObservers).Methods("GET")
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/traces/{hash}", s.handleTraces).Methods("GET")
+	r.HandleFunc("/api/paths/inspect", s.handlePathInspect).Methods("POST")
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/iata-coords", s.handleIATACoords).Methods("GET")
 	r.HandleFunc("/api/audio-lab/buckets", s.handleAudioLabBuckets).Methods("GET")

@@ -957,11 +962,9 @@ func (s *Server) handlePacketDetail(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		pathHops = []interface{}{}
 	}

-	rawHex, _ := packet["raw_hex"].(string)
 	writeJSON(w, PacketDetailResponse{
 		Packet:           packet,
 		Path:             pathHops,
-		Breakdown:        BuildBreakdown(rawHex),
 		ObservationCount: observationCount,
 		Observations:     mapSliceToObservations(observations),
 	})
@@ -1020,8 +1023,17 @@ func (s *Server) handlePostPacket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

 	contentHash := ComputeContentHash(hexStr)
 	pathJSON := "[]"
-	if len(decoded.Path.Hops) > 0 {
-		if pj, e := json.Marshal(decoded.Path.Hops); e == nil {
+	// For TRACE packets, path_json must be the payload-decoded route hops
+	// (decoded.Path.Hops), NOT the raw_hex header bytes which are SNR values.
+	// For all other packet types, derive path from raw_hex (#886).
+	if !packetpath.PathBytesAreHops(byte(decoded.Header.PayloadType)) {
+		if len(decoded.Path.Hops) > 0 {
+			if pj, e := json.Marshal(decoded.Path.Hops); e == nil {
+				pathJSON = string(pj)
+			}
+		}
+	} else if hops, err := packetpath.DecodePathFromRawHex(hexStr); err == nil && len(hops) > 0 {
+		if pj, e := json.Marshal(hops); e == nil {
 			pathJSON = string(pj)
 		}
 	}
@@ -1249,25 +1261,31 @@ func (s *Server) handleNodePaths(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	_, pm := s.store.getCachedNodesAndPM()

 	// Collect candidate transmissions from the index, deduplicating by tx ID.
+	// confirmedByFullKey tracks TXs found via the full-pubkey index key — these are
+	// already resolved_path-confirmed and bypass the hop-level check below.
+	confirmedByFullKey := make(map[int]bool)
 	seen := make(map[int]bool)
 	var candidates []*StoreTx
-	addCandidates := func(key string) {
+	addCandidates := func(key string, confirmed bool) {
 		for _, tx := range s.store.byPathHop[key] {
 			if !seen[tx.ID] {
 				seen[tx.ID] = true
+				if confirmed {
+					confirmedByFullKey[tx.ID] = true
+				}
 				candidates = append(candidates, tx)
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	addCandidates(lowerPK) // full pubkey match (from resolved_path)
-	addCandidates(prefix1) // 2-char raw hop match
-	addCandidates(prefix2) // 4-char raw hop match
+	addCandidates(lowerPK, true)  // full pubkey match (from resolved_path) → confirmed
+	addCandidates(prefix1, false) // 2-char raw hop match
+	addCandidates(prefix2, false) // 4-char raw hop match
 	// Also check any raw hops that start with prefix2 (longer prefixes).
 	// Raw hops are typically 2 chars, so iterate only keys with HasPrefix
 	// on the small set of index keys rather than all packets.
 	for key := range s.store.byPathHop {
 		if len(key) > 4 && len(key) < len(lowerPK) && strings.HasPrefix(key, prefix2) {
-			addCandidates(key)
+			addCandidates(key, false)
 		}
 	}

@@ -1304,6 +1322,7 @@ func (s *Server) handleNodePaths(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	s.store.mu.RUnlock()

 	// Now run SQL checks outside the lock for candidates that need confirmation.
+	confirmedBySQL := make(map[int]bool)
 	filtered := candidates[:0]
 	for _, cc := range checks {
 		if cc.inIndex {
@@ -1311,6 +1330,7 @@ func (s *Server) handleNodePaths(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		} else if cc.hasReverse {
 			if s.store.confirmResolvedPathContains(cc.tx.ID, lowerPK) {
 				filtered = append(filtered, cc.tx)
+				confirmedBySQL[cc.tx.ID] = true
 			}
 		}
 		// else: not in index → exclude
@@ -1338,10 +1358,14 @@ func (s *Server) handleNodePaths(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		return r
 	}
 	for _, tx := range candidates {
-		totalTransmissions++
 		hops := txGetParsedPath(tx)
 		resolvedHops := make([]PathHopResp, len(hops))
 		sigParts := make([]string, len(hops))
+		// For candidates not confirmed via full-pubkey index or SQL, verify that at
+		// least one hop actually resolves to the target. This catches prefix collisions
+		// (e.g. two nodes sharing a "7a" 1-byte prefix) that slipped through the
+		// conservative resolved_path fallback.
+		containsTarget := confirmedByFullKey[tx.ID] || confirmedBySQL[tx.ID]
 		for i, hop := range hops {
 			resolved := resolveHop(hop)
 			entry := PathHopResp{Prefix: hop, Name: hop}
@@ -1353,11 +1377,22 @@ func (s *Server) handleNodePaths(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 					entry.Lon = resolved.Lon
 				}
 				sigParts[i] = resolved.PublicKey
+				if strings.ToLower(resolved.PublicKey) == lowerPK {
+					containsTarget = true
+				}
 			} else {
 				sigParts[i] = hop
+				// Unresolvable hop: keep conservative if prefix could be the target.
+				if strings.HasPrefix(lowerPK, strings.ToLower(hop)) {
+					containsTarget = true
+				}
 			}
 			resolvedHops[i] = entry
 		}
+		if !containsTarget {
+			continue
+		}
+		totalTransmissions++

 		sig := strings.Join(sigParts, "→")
 		agg := pathGroups[sig]
@@ -1920,6 +1955,10 @@ func (s *Server) handleObservers(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

 	result := make([]ObserverResp, 0, len(observers))
 	for _, o := range observers {
+		// Defense in depth: skip observers that are in the blacklist
+		if s.cfg != nil && s.cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted(o.ID) {
+			continue
+		}
 		plh := 0
 		if c, ok := pktCounts[o.ID]; ok {
 			plh = c
@@ -1951,6 +1990,13 @@ func (s *Server) handleObservers(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

 func (s *Server) handleObserverDetail(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	id := mux.Vars(r)["id"]
+
+	// Defense in depth: reject blacklisted observer
+	if s.cfg != nil && s.cfg.IsObserverBlacklisted(id) {
+		writeError(w, 404, "Observer not found")
+		return
+	}
+
 	obs, err := s.db.GetObserverByID(id)
 	if err != nil || obs == nil {
 		writeError(w, 404, "Observer not found")
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ type StoreObs struct {
 	RSSI           *float64
 	Score          *int
 	PathJSON       string
+	RawHex         string
 	Timestamp      string
 }

@@ -208,6 +209,10 @@ type PacketStore struct {
 	// Persisted neighbor graph for hop resolution at ingest time.
 	graph *NeighborGraph

+	// Path inspector score cache (issue #944).
+	inspectMu    sync.RWMutex
+	inspectCache map[string]*inspectCachedResult
+
 	// Clock skew detection engine.
 	clockSkew *ClockSkewEngine

@@ -458,29 +463,42 @@ func (s *PacketStore) Load() error {
 	if s.db.hasResolvedPath {
 		rpCol = ",\n\t\t\t\to.resolved_path"
 	}
+	obsRawHexCol := ""
+	if s.db.hasObsRawHex {
+		obsRawHexCol = ", o.raw_hex"
+	}

-	limitClause := ""
+	// Build WHERE conditions: retention cutoff (mirrors Evict logic) + optional memory-cap limit.
+	var loadConditions []string
+	if s.retentionHours > 0 {
+		cutoff := time.Now().UTC().Add(-time.Duration(s.retentionHours*3600) * time.Second).Format(time.RFC3339)
+		loadConditions = append(loadConditions, fmt.Sprintf("t.first_seen >= '%s'", cutoff))
+	}
 	if maxPackets > 0 {
-		limitClause = fmt.Sprintf(
-			"\n\t\t\tWHERE t.id IN (SELECT id FROM transmissions ORDER BY first_seen DESC LIMIT %d)", maxPackets)
+		loadConditions = append(loadConditions, fmt.Sprintf(
+			"t.id IN (SELECT id FROM transmissions ORDER BY first_seen DESC LIMIT %d)", maxPackets))
+	}
+	filterClause := ""
+	if len(loadConditions) > 0 {
+		filterClause = "\n\t\t\tWHERE " + strings.Join(loadConditions, "\n\t\t\t  AND ")
 	}

 	if s.db.isV3 {
 		loadSQL = `SELECT t.id, t.raw_hex, t.hash, t.first_seen, t.route_type,
 				t.payload_type, t.payload_version, t.decoded_json,
 				o.id, obs.id, obs.name, o.direction,
-				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%fZ', o.timestamp, 'unixepoch')` + rpCol + `
+				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%fZ', o.timestamp, 'unixepoch')` + obsRawHexCol + rpCol + `
 			FROM transmissions t
 			LEFT JOIN observations o ON o.transmission_id = t.id
-			LEFT JOIN observers obs ON obs.rowid = o.observer_idx` + limitClause + `
+			LEFT JOIN observers obs ON obs.rowid = o.observer_idx` + filterClause + `
 			ORDER BY t.first_seen ASC, o.timestamp DESC`
 	} else {
 		loadSQL = `SELECT t.id, t.raw_hex, t.hash, t.first_seen, t.route_type,
 				t.payload_type, t.payload_version, t.decoded_json,
 				o.id, o.observer_id, o.observer_name, o.direction,
-				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, o.timestamp` + rpCol + `
+				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, o.timestamp` + obsRawHexCol + rpCol + `
 			FROM transmissions t
-			LEFT JOIN observations o ON o.transmission_id = t.id` + limitClause + `
+			LEFT JOIN observations o ON o.transmission_id = t.id` + filterClause + `
 			ORDER BY t.first_seen ASC, o.timestamp DESC`
 	}

@@ -500,12 +518,16 @@ func (s *PacketStore) Load() error {
 		var observerID, observerName, direction, pathJSON, obsTimestamp sql.NullString
 		var snr, rssi sql.NullFloat64
 		var score sql.NullInt64
+		var obsRawHex sql.NullString
 		var resolvedPathStr sql.NullString

 		scanArgs := []interface{}{&txID, &rawHex, &hash, &firstSeen, &routeType, &payloadType,
 			&payloadVersion, &decodedJSON,
 			&obsID, &observerID, &observerName, &direction,
 			&snr, &rssi, &score, &pathJSON, &obsTimestamp}
+		if s.db.hasObsRawHex {
+			scanArgs = append(scanArgs, &obsRawHex)
+		}
 		if s.db.hasResolvedPath {
 			scanArgs = append(scanArgs, &resolvedPathStr)
 		}
@@ -565,6 +587,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) Load() error {
 				RSSI:           nullFloatPtr(rssi),
 				Score:          nullIntPtr(score),
 				PathJSON:       obsPJ,
+				RawHex:         nullStrVal(obsRawHex),
 				Timestamp:      normalizeTimestamp(nullStrVal(obsTimestamp)),
 			}

@@ -1384,11 +1407,15 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewFromDB(sinceID, limit int) ([]map[string]interfac
 	// New ingests always resolve fresh using the current prefix map and neighbor graph.
 	// On restart, Load() handles reading persisted resolved_path values. (review item #7)
 	var querySQL string
+	obsRHCol := ""
+	if s.db.hasObsRawHex {
+		obsRHCol = ", o.raw_hex"
+	}
 	if s.db.isV3 {
 		querySQL = `SELECT t.id, t.raw_hex, t.hash, t.first_seen, t.route_type,
 				t.payload_type, t.payload_version, t.decoded_json,
 				o.id, obs.id, obs.name, o.direction,
-				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%fZ', o.timestamp, 'unixepoch')
+				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%fZ', o.timestamp, 'unixepoch')` + obsRHCol + `
 			FROM transmissions t
 			LEFT JOIN observations o ON o.transmission_id = t.id
 			LEFT JOIN observers obs ON obs.rowid = o.observer_idx
@@ -1398,7 +1425,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewFromDB(sinceID, limit int) ([]map[string]interfac
 		querySQL = `SELECT t.id, t.raw_hex, t.hash, t.first_seen, t.route_type,
 				t.payload_type, t.payload_version, t.decoded_json,
 				o.id, o.observer_id, o.observer_name, o.direction,
-				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, o.timestamp
+				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, o.timestamp` + obsRHCol + `
 			FROM transmissions t
 			LEFT JOIN observations o ON o.transmission_id = t.id
 			WHERE t.id > ?
@@ -1419,6 +1446,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewFromDB(sinceID, limit int) ([]map[string]interfac
 		routeType, payloadType                               *int
 		obsID                                                *int
 		observerID, observerName, direction, pathJSON, obsTS string
+		obsRawHex                                            string
 		snr, rssi                                            *float64
 		score                                                *int
 	}
@@ -1435,11 +1463,16 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewFromDB(sinceID, limit int) ([]map[string]interfac
 		var observerID, observerName, direction, pathJSON, obsTimestamp sql.NullString
 		var snrVal, rssiVal sql.NullFloat64
 		var scoreVal sql.NullInt64
+		var obsRawHex sql.NullString

-		if err := rows.Scan(&txID, &rawHex, &hash, &firstSeen, &routeType, &payloadType,
+		scanArgs2 := []interface{}{&txID, &rawHex, &hash, &firstSeen, &routeType, &payloadType,
 			&payloadVersion, &decodedJSON,
 			&obsIDVal, &observerID, &observerName, &direction,
-			&snrVal, &rssiVal, &scoreVal, &pathJSON, &obsTimestamp); err != nil {
+			&snrVal, &rssiVal, &scoreVal, &pathJSON, &obsTimestamp}
+		if s.db.hasObsRawHex {
+			scanArgs2 = append(scanArgs2, &obsRawHex)
+		}
+		if err := rows.Scan(scanArgs2...); err != nil {
 			continue
 		}

@@ -1464,6 +1497,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewFromDB(sinceID, limit int) ([]map[string]interfac
 			direction:    nullStrVal(direction),
 			pathJSON:     nullStrVal(pathJSON),
 			obsTS:        nullStrVal(obsTimestamp),
+			obsRawHex:    nullStrVal(obsRawHex),
 			snr:          nullFloatPtr(snrVal),
 			rssi:         nullFloatPtr(rssiVal),
 			score:        nullIntPtr(scoreVal),
@@ -1564,6 +1598,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewFromDB(sinceID, limit int) ([]map[string]interfac
 				RSSI:           r.rssi,
 				Score:          r.score,
 				PathJSON:       r.pathJSON,
+				RawHex:         r.obsRawHex,
 				Timestamp:      normalizeTimestamp(r.obsTS),
 			}

@@ -1806,9 +1841,13 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewObservations(sinceObsID, limit int) []map[string]
 	}

 	var querySQL string
+	obsRHCol2 := ""
+	if s.db.hasObsRawHex {
+		obsRHCol2 = ", o.raw_hex"
+	}
 	if s.db.isV3 {
 		querySQL = `SELECT o.id, o.transmission_id, obs.id, obs.name, o.direction,
-				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%fZ', o.timestamp, 'unixepoch')
+				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%fZ', o.timestamp, 'unixepoch')` + obsRHCol2 + `
 			FROM observations o
 			LEFT JOIN observers obs ON obs.rowid = o.observer_idx
 			WHERE o.id > ?
@@ -1816,7 +1855,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewObservations(sinceObsID, limit int) []map[string]
 			LIMIT ?`
 	} else {
 		querySQL = `SELECT o.id, o.transmission_id, o.observer_id, o.observer_name, o.direction,
-				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, o.timestamp
+				o.snr, o.rssi, o.score, o.path_json, o.timestamp` + obsRHCol2 + `
 			FROM observations o
 			WHERE o.id > ?
 			ORDER BY o.id ASC
@@ -1839,6 +1878,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewObservations(sinceObsID, limit int) []map[string]
 		snr, rssi    *float64
 		score        *int
 		pathJSON     string
+		rawHex       string
 		timestamp    string
 	}

@@ -1848,9 +1888,14 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewObservations(sinceObsID, limit int) []map[string]
 		var observerID, observerName, direction, pathJSON, ts sql.NullString
 		var snr, rssi sql.NullFloat64
 		var score sql.NullInt64
+		var obsRawHex sql.NullString

-		if err := rows.Scan(&oid, &txID, &observerID, &observerName, &direction,
-			&snr, &rssi, &score, &pathJSON, &ts); err != nil {
+		scanArgs3 := []interface{}{&oid, &txID, &observerID, &observerName, &direction,
+			&snr, &rssi, &score, &pathJSON, &ts}
+		if s.db.hasObsRawHex {
+			scanArgs3 = append(scanArgs3, &obsRawHex)
+		}
+		if err := rows.Scan(scanArgs3...); err != nil {
 			continue
 		}

@@ -1864,6 +1909,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewObservations(sinceObsID, limit int) []map[string]
 			rssi:         nullFloatPtr(rssi),
 			score:        nullIntPtr(score),
 			pathJSON:     nullStrVal(pathJSON),
+			rawHex:       nullStrVal(obsRawHex),
 			timestamp:    nullStrVal(ts),
 		})
 	}
@@ -1919,6 +1965,7 @@ func (s *PacketStore) IngestNewObservations(sinceObsID, limit int) []map[string]
 			RSSI:           r.rssi,
 			Score:          r.score,
 			PathJSON:       r.pathJSON,
+			RawHex:         r.rawHex,
 			Timestamp:      normalizeTimestamp(r.timestamp),
 		}

@@ -2408,7 +2455,12 @@ func (s *PacketStore) enrichObs(obs *StoreObs) map[string]interface{} {

 	if tx != nil {
 		m["hash"] = strOrNil(tx.Hash)
-		m["raw_hex"] = strOrNil(tx.RawHex)
+		// Prefer per-observation raw_hex; fall back to transmission-level (#881)
+		if obs.RawHex != "" {
+			m["raw_hex"] = obs.RawHex
+		} else {
+			m["raw_hex"] = strOrNil(tx.RawHex)
+		}
 		m["payload_type"] = intPtrOrNil(tx.PayloadType)
 		m["route_type"] = intPtrOrNil(tx.RouteType)
 		m["decoded_json"] = strOrNil(tx.DecodedJSON)
@@ -4478,12 +4530,19 @@ type nodeInfo struct {
 	Lat       float64
 	Lon       float64
 	HasGPS    bool
+	LastSeen  time.Time
 }

 func (s *PacketStore) getAllNodes() []nodeInfo {
-	rows, err := s.db.conn.Query("SELECT public_key, name, role, lat, lon FROM nodes")
+	// Try with last_seen first; fall back to without if column doesn't exist.
+	rows, err := s.db.conn.Query("SELECT public_key, name, role, lat, lon, last_seen FROM nodes")
+	hasLastSeen := true
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil
+		rows, err = s.db.conn.Query("SELECT public_key, name, role, lat, lon FROM nodes")
+		hasLastSeen = false
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil
+		}
 	}
 	defer rows.Close()
 	var nodes []nodeInfo
@@ -4491,13 +4550,25 @@ func (s *PacketStore) getAllNodes() []nodeInfo {
 		var pk string
 		var name, role sql.NullString
 		var lat, lon sql.NullFloat64
-		rows.Scan(&pk, &name, &role, &lat, &lon)
+		var lastSeen sql.NullString
+		if hasLastSeen {
+			rows.Scan(&pk, &name, &role, &lat, &lon, &lastSeen)
+		} else {
+			rows.Scan(&pk, &name, &role, &lat, &lon)
+		}
 		n := nodeInfo{PublicKey: pk, Name: nullStrVal(name), Role: nullStrVal(role)}
 		if lat.Valid && lon.Valid {
 			n.Lat = lat.Float64
 			n.Lon = lon.Float64
 			n.HasGPS = !(n.Lat == 0 && n.Lon == 0)
 		}
+		if hasLastSeen && lastSeen.Valid && lastSeen.String != "" {
+			if t, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, lastSeen.String); err == nil {
+				n.LastSeen = t
+			} else if t, err := time.Parse("2006-01-02 15:04:05", lastSeen.String); err == nil {
+				n.LastSeen = t
+			}
+		}
 		nodes = append(nodes, n)
 	}
 	return nodes
@@ -4512,9 +4583,20 @@ type prefixMap struct {
 // entries to ~7×N (+ 1 full-key entry per node for exact-match lookups).
 const maxPrefixLen = 8

+// canAppearInPath returns true if the node's role allows it to appear as a
+// path hop.  Only repeaters, room servers, and rooms can forward packets;
+// companions and sensors originate but never relay.
+func canAppearInPath(role string) bool {
+	r := strings.ToLower(role)
+	return strings.Contains(r, "repeater") || strings.Contains(r, "room_server") || r == "room"
+}
+
 func buildPrefixMap(nodes []nodeInfo) *prefixMap {
 	pm := &prefixMap{m: make(map[string][]nodeInfo, len(nodes)*(maxPrefixLen+1))}
 	for _, n := range nodes {
+		if !canAppearInPath(n.Role) {
+			continue
+		}
 		pk := strings.ToLower(n.PublicKey)
 		maxLen := maxPrefixLen
 		if maxLen > len(pk) {
@@ -315,7 +315,6 @@ type PacketTimestampsResponse struct {
 type PacketDetailResponse struct {
 	Packet           interface{}       `json:"packet"`
 	Path             []interface{}     `json:"path"`
-	Breakdown        *Breakdown        `json:"breakdown"`
 	ObservationCount int               `json:"observation_count"`
 	Observations     []ObservationResp `json:"observations,omitempty"`
 }
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"log"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// checkAutoVacuum inspects the current auto_vacuum mode and logs a warning
+// if it's not INCREMENTAL. Optionally performs a one-time full VACUUM if
+// the operator has set db.vacuumOnStartup: true in config (#919).
+func checkAutoVacuum(db *DB, cfg *Config, dbPath string) {
+	var autoVacuum int
+	if err := db.conn.QueryRow("PRAGMA auto_vacuum").Scan(&autoVacuum); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("[db] warning: could not read auto_vacuum: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if autoVacuum == 2 {
+		log.Printf("[db] auto_vacuum=INCREMENTAL")
+		return
+	}
+
+	modes := map[int]string{0: "NONE", 1: "FULL", 2: "INCREMENTAL"}
+	mode := modes[autoVacuum]
+	if mode == "" {
+		mode = fmt.Sprintf("UNKNOWN(%d)", autoVacuum)
+	}
+
+	log.Printf("[db] auto_vacuum=%s — DB needs one-time VACUUM to enable incremental auto-vacuum. "+
+		"Set db.vacuumOnStartup: true in config to migrate (will block startup for several minutes on large DBs). "+
+		"See https://github.com/Kpa-clawbot/CoreScope/issues/919", mode)
+
+	if cfg.DB != nil && cfg.DB.VacuumOnStartup {
+		// WARNING: Full VACUUM creates a temporary copy of the entire DB file.
+		// Requires ~2× the DB file size in free disk space or it will fail.
+		log.Printf("[db] vacuumOnStartup=true — starting one-time full VACUUM (ensure 2x DB size free disk space)...")
+		start := time.Now()
+
+		rw, err := openRW(dbPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("[db] VACUUM failed: could not open RW connection: %v", err)
+			return
+		}
+		defer rw.Close()
+
+		if _, err := rw.Exec("PRAGMA auto_vacuum = INCREMENTAL"); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("[db] VACUUM failed: could not set auto_vacuum: %v", err)
+			return
+		}
+		if _, err := rw.Exec("VACUUM"); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("[db] VACUUM failed: %v", err)
+			return
+		}
+
+		elapsed := time.Since(start)
+		log.Printf("[db] VACUUM complete in %v — auto_vacuum is now INCREMENTAL", elapsed.Round(time.Millisecond))
+
+		// Re-check
+		var newMode int
+		if err := db.conn.QueryRow("PRAGMA auto_vacuum").Scan(&newMode); err == nil {
+			if newMode == 2 {
+				log.Printf("[db] auto_vacuum=INCREMENTAL (confirmed after VACUUM)")
+			} else {
+				log.Printf("[db] warning: auto_vacuum=%d after VACUUM — expected 2", newMode)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// runIncrementalVacuum runs PRAGMA incremental_vacuum(N) on a read-write
+// connection. Safe to call on auto_vacuum=NONE databases (noop).
+func runIncrementalVacuum(dbPath string, pages int) {
+	rw, err := openRW(dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("[vacuum] could not open RW connection: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	defer rw.Close()
+
+	if _, err := rw.Exec(fmt.Sprintf("PRAGMA incremental_vacuum(%d)", pages)); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("[vacuum] incremental_vacuum error: %v", err)
+	}
+}
@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@
    "packetDays": 30,
    "_comment": "nodeDays: nodes not seen in N days moved to inactive_nodes (default 7). observerDays: observers not sending data in N days are removed (-1 = keep forever, default 14). packetDays: transmissions older than N days are deleted (0 = disabled)."
  },
+  "db": {
+    "vacuumOnStartup": false,
+    "incrementalVacuumPages": 1024,
+    "_comment": "vacuumOnStartup: run one-time full VACUUM to enable incremental auto-vacuum on existing DBs (blocks startup for minutes on large DBs; requires 2x DB file size in free disk space). incrementalVacuumPages: free pages returned to OS after each retention reaper cycle (default 1024). See #919."
+  },
+  "mqttConnectTimeoutSeconds": 10,
+  "_commentMqttConnectTimeout": "MQTT connect timeout in seconds (default 10). Increase for high-latency brokers.",
  "https": {
    "cert": "/path/to/cert.pem",
    "key": "/path/to/key.pem",
@@ -208,7 +215,8 @@
  "packetStore": {
    "maxMemoryMB": 1024,
    "estimatedPacketBytes": 450,
-    "_comment": "In-memory packet store. maxMemoryMB caps RAM usage. All packets loaded on startup, served from RAM."
+    "retentionHours": 168,
+    "_comment": "In-memory packet store. maxMemoryMB caps RAM usage. retentionHours: only packets younger than this are loaded on startup and kept in memory (0 = unlimited, not recommended for large DBs — causes OOM on cold start). 168 = 7 days. Must be ≤ retention.packetDays * 24."
  },
  "resolvedPath": {
    "backfillHours": 24,
@@ -0,0 +1,204 @@
+# Scope Stats Page — Design Spec
+
+**Issue**: Kpa-clawbot/CoreScope#899  
+**Date**: 2026-04-23  
+**Branch target**: `master`
+
+---
+
+## Overview
+
+Add a dedicated **Scopes** page showing scope/region statistics for MeshCore transport-route packets. Scope filtering in MeshCore uses `TRANSPORT_FLOOD` (route_type 0) and `TRANSPORT_DIRECT` (route_type 3) packets that carry two 16-bit transport codes. Code1 ≠ `0000` means the packet is region-scoped.
+
+Feature 3 from the issue (default scope per client via advert) is **not implemented** — the advert format has no scope field in the current firmware.
+
+---
+
+## How Scopes Work (Firmware)
+
+Transport code derivation (authoritative source: `meshcore-dev/MeshCore`):
+
+```
+key  = SHA256("#regionname")[:16]          // TransportKeyStore::getAutoKeyFor
+Code1 = HMAC-SHA256(key, type || payload)  // TransportKey::calcTransportCode, 2-byte output
+```
+
+Code1 is a **per-message** HMAC — the same region produces a different Code1 for every message. Identifying a region from Code1 requires knowing the region name in advance and recomputing the HMAC.
+
+`Code1 = 0000` is the "no scope" sentinel (also `FFFF` is reserved). Packets with route_type 1 or 2 (plain FLOOD/DIRECT) carry no transport codes.
+
+---
+
+## Config
+
+Add `hashRegions` to the ingestor `Config` struct in `cmd/ingestor/config.go`, mirroring `hashChannels`:
+
+```json
+"hashRegions": ["#belgium", "#eu", "#brussels"]
+```
+
+Normalization (same rules as `hashChannels`):
+- Trim whitespace
+- Prepend `#` if missing
+- Skip empty entries
+
+---
+
+## Ingestor Changes
+
+### Key derivation (`loadRegionKeys`)
+
+```go
+func loadRegionKeys(cfg *Config) map[string][]byte {
+    // key = first 16 bytes of SHA256("#regionname")
+}
+```
+
+Returns `map[string][]byte` (region name → 16-byte HMAC key). Called once at startup, stored on the `Store`.
+
+### Decoder: expose raw payload bytes
+
+Add `PayloadRaw []byte` to `DecodedPacket` in `cmd/ingestor/decoder.go`. Populated from the raw `buf` slice at the payload offset — zero-copy slice, no allocation. This is the **encrypted** payload bytes, matching what the firmware feeds into `calcTransportCode`.
+
+### At-ingest region matching
+
+In `BuildPacketData`:
+- Skip if `route_type` not in `{0, 3}` → `scope_name` stays `nil`
+- If `Code1 == "0000"` → `scope_name = nil` (unscoped transport, no scope involvement)
+- If `Code1 != "0000"` → try each region key:
+  ```
+  HMAC-SHA256(key, payloadType_byte || PayloadRaw)  → first 2 bytes as uint16
+  ```
+  First match → `scope_name = "#regionname"`. No match → `scope_name = ""` (unknown scope).
+
+Add `ScopeName *string` to `PacketData`.
+
+### MQTT-sourced packets (DM / CHAN paths in main.go)
+
+These are injected directly without going through `BuildPacketData`. They use `route_type = 1` (FLOOD), so they are never transport-route packets. No scope matching needed for these paths.
+
+---
+
+## Database
+
+### Migration
+
+```sql
+ALTER TABLE transmissions ADD COLUMN scope_name TEXT DEFAULT NULL;
+CREATE INDEX idx_tx_scope_name ON transmissions(scope_name) WHERE scope_name IS NOT NULL;
+```
+
+### Column semantics
+
+| Value | Meaning |
+|-------|---------|
+| `NULL` | Either: non-transport-route packet (route_type 1/2), or transport-route with Code1=0000 |
+| `""` (empty string) | Transport-route, Code1 ≠ 0000, but no configured region matched |
+| `"#belgium"` | Matched named region |
+
+The API stats queries resolve the NULL ambiguity by always filtering `route_type IN (0, 3)` first:
+- `unscoped` count = `route_type IN (0,3) AND scope_name IS NULL`
+- `scoped` count = `route_type IN (0,3) AND scope_name IS NOT NULL`
+
+### Backfill
+
+On migration, re-decode `raw_hex` for all rows where `route_type IN (0, 3)` and `scope_name IS NULL`. Run the same HMAC matching logic. Rows with `Code1 = 0000` remain `NULL`.
+
+The backfill runs in the existing migration framework in `cmd/ingestor/db.go`. If no regions are configured, backfill is skipped.
+
+---
+
+## API
+
+### `GET /api/scope-stats`
+
+**Query param**: `window` — one of `1h`, `24h` (default), `7d`
+
+**Time-series bucket sizes**:
+| Window | Bucket |
+|--------|--------|
+| `1h`   | 5 min  |
+| `24h`  | 1 hour |
+| `7d`   | 6 hours|
+
+**Response**:
+```json
+{
+  "window": "24h",
+  "summary": {
+    "transportTotal": 1240,
+    "scoped": 890,
+    "unscoped": 350,
+    "unknownScope": 42
+  },
+  "byRegion": [
+    { "name": "#belgium", "count": 612 },
+    { "name": "#eu",      "count": 236 }
+  ],
+  "timeSeries": [
+    { "t": "2026-04-23T10:00:00Z", "scoped": 45, "unscoped": 18 },
+    { "t": "2026-04-23T11:00:00Z", "scoped": 51, "unscoped": 22 }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+- `transportTotal` = `scoped + unscoped` (transport-route packets only)
+- `scoped` = Code1 ≠ 0000 (named + unknown)
+- `unscoped` = transport-route with Code1 = 0000
+- `unknownScope` = scoped but no region name matched (subset of `scoped`)
+- `byRegion` sorted by count descending, excludes unknown
+- `timeSeries` covers the full window at the bucket granularity
+
+Route: `GET /api/scope-stats` registered in `cmd/server/routes.go`.  
+No auth required (same as other read endpoints).  
+TTL cache: 30 seconds (heavier query than `/api/stats`).
+
+---
+
+## Frontend
+
+### Navigation
+
+Add nav link between Channels and Nodes in `public/index.html`:
+```html
+<a href="#/scopes" class="nav-link" data-route="scopes">Scopes</a>
+```
+
+### `public/scopes.js`
+
+Three sections on the page:
+
+**1. Summary cards** (reuse existing card CSS pattern from home/analytics pages)  
+- Transport total, Scoped, Unscoped, Unknown scope  
+- Each card shows count + percentage of transport total
+
+**2. Per-region table**  
+Columns: Region, Messages, % of Scoped  
+Sorted by count descending. Last row: "Unknown scope" (italic) if unknownScope > 0.  
+Shows "No regions configured" message if `byRegion` is empty and `unknownScope = 0`.
+
+**3. Time-series chart**  
+- Window selector: `1h / 24h / 7d` (default 24h)  
+- Two lines: **Scoped** (blue) and **Unscoped** (grey)  
+- Uses the same lightweight canvas chart pattern as other pages (no external chart lib)
+
+### Cache buster
+
+`scopes.js` added to the `__BUST__` entries in `index.html` in the same commit.
+
+---
+
+## Testing
+
+- Unit tests for `loadRegionKeys`: normalization, key bytes match firmware SHA256 derivation
+- Unit tests for HMAC matching: known Code1 value computed from firmware logic, verified against Go implementation
+- Integration test: ingest a synthetic transport-route packet with a known region, assert `scope_name` column is set correctly
+- API test: `GET /api/scope-stats` returns correct summary counts against fixture DB
+
+---
+
+## Out of Scope
+
+- Feature 3 (default scope per client via advert) — firmware has no advert scope field
+- Drill-down from region row to filtered packet list (deferred)
+- Private regions (`$`-prefixed) — use secret keys not publicly derivable
@@ -98,6 +98,22 @@ How long (in hours) before a node is marked degraded or silent:
 | `retention.nodeDays` | `7` | Nodes not seen in N days move to inactive |
 | `retention.packetDays` | `30` | Packets older than N days are deleted daily |

+> **Note:** Lowering retention does **not** immediately shrink the database file.
+> SQLite marks deleted pages as free but does not return them to the filesystem
+> unless [incremental auto-vacuum](database.md) is enabled. New databases created
+> after v0.x.x have auto-vacuum enabled automatically. Existing databases require
+> a one-time migration — see the [Database](database.md) guide.
+
+## Database
+
+| Field | Default | Description |
+|-------|---------|-------------|
+| `db.vacuumOnStartup` | `false` | Run a one-time full `VACUUM` on startup to enable incremental auto-vacuum (blocks for minutes on large DBs) |
+| `db.incrementalVacuumPages` | `1024` | Free pages returned to the OS after each retention reaper cycle |
+
+See [Database](database.md) for details on SQLite auto-vacuum, WAL, and manual maintenance.
+See [#919](https://github.com/Kpa-clawbot/CoreScope/issues/919) for background.
+
 ## Channel decryption

 | Field | Description |
@@ -150,6 +166,9 @@ Lower values = fresher data but more server load.
 |-------|---------|-------------|
 | `packetStore.maxMemoryMB` | `1024` | Maximum RAM for in-memory packet store |
 | `packetStore.estimatedPacketBytes` | `450` | Estimated bytes per packet (for memory budgeting) |
+| `packetStore.retentionHours` | `0` | Only load packets younger than N hours on startup and keep them in memory. **Set this on any instance with a large DB.** `0` = unlimited (loads full DB history — causes OOM on cold start when the DB has hundreds of thousands of paths). Recommended: same as `retention.packetDays × 24` (e.g. `168` for 7 days). |
+
+> **Warning:** Leaving `retentionHours` at `0` on a large database will cause the server to OOM-kill itself on every cold start. The full packet history is loaded into the subpath index at startup; a DB with ~280K paths produces ~13M index entries before the process is killed.

 ## Timestamps

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+# Database
+
+CoreScope uses SQLite in WAL (Write-Ahead Log) mode for both the server
+(read-only) and ingestor (read-write).
+
+## WAL mode
+
+WAL mode allows concurrent reads while writes happen. It is set automatically
+at connection time via `PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL`. No operator action needed.
+
+The WAL file (`meshcore.db-wal`) grows during writes and is checkpointed
+(merged back into the main DB) periodically and at clean shutdown.
+
+## Auto-vacuum
+
+By default, SQLite does not shrink the database file after `DELETE` operations.
+Deleted pages are marked free and reused by future writes, but the file size
+on disk stays the same. This is surprising when lowering retention settings.
+
+### New databases
+
+Databases created after this feature was added automatically have
+`PRAGMA auto_vacuum = INCREMENTAL`. After each retention reaper cycle,
+CoreScope runs `PRAGMA incremental_vacuum(N)` to return free pages to the OS.
+
+### Existing databases
+
+The `auto_vacuum` mode is stored in the database header and can only be changed
+by rewriting the entire file with `VACUUM`. CoreScope will **not** do this
+automatically — on large databases (5+ GB seen in the wild) it takes minutes
+and holds an exclusive lock.
+
+**To migrate an existing database:**
+
+1. At startup, CoreScope logs a warning:
+   ```
+   [db] auto_vacuum=NONE — DB needs one-time VACUUM to enable incremental auto-vacuum.
+   ```
+2. **Ensure at least 2× the database file size in free disk space.** Full VACUUM
+   creates a temporary copy of the entire file — on a near-full disk it will fail.
+3. Set `db.vacuumOnStartup: true` in your `config.json`:
+   ```json
+   {
+     "db": {
+       "vacuumOnStartup": true
+     }
+   }
+   ```
+4. Restart CoreScope. The one-time `VACUUM` will run and block startup.
+5. After migration, remove or set `vacuumOnStartup: false` — it's not needed again.
+
+### Configuration
+
+| Field | Default | Description |
+|-------|---------|-------------|
+| `db.vacuumOnStartup` | `false` | One-time full VACUUM to enable incremental auto-vacuum |
+| `db.incrementalVacuumPages` | `1024` | Pages returned to OS per reaper cycle |
+
+## Manual VACUUM
+
+You can also run a manual vacuum from the SQLite CLI:
+
+```bash
+sqlite3 data/meshcore.db "PRAGMA auto_vacuum = INCREMENTAL; VACUUM;"
+```
+
+This is equivalent to `vacuumOnStartup: true` but can be done offline.
+
+> ⚠️ Full VACUUM requires **2× the database file size** in free disk space (it
+> creates a temporary copy). Check with `ls -lh data/meshcore.db` before running.
+
+## Checking current mode
+
+```bash
+sqlite3 data/meshcore.db "PRAGMA auto_vacuum;"
+```
+
+- `0` = NONE (default for old databases)
+- `1` = FULL (automatic, but slower writes)
+- `2` = INCREMENTAL (recommended — CoreScope triggers vacuum after deletes)
+
+See [#919](https://github.com/Kpa-clawbot/CoreScope/issues/919) for background on this feature.
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+module github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath
+
+go 1.22
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+// Package packetpath provides shared helpers for extracting path hops from
+// raw MeshCore packet hex bytes.
+package packetpath
+
+import (
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// DecodePathFromRawHex extracts the header path hops directly from raw hex bytes.
+// This is the authoritative path that matches what's in raw_hex, as opposed to
+// decoded.Path.Hops which may be overwritten for TRACE packets (issue #886).
+//
+// WARNING: This function returns the literal header path bytes regardless of
+// payload type. For TRACE packets these bytes are SNR values, NOT hop hashes.
+// Callers that may receive TRACE packets MUST check PathBytesAreHops(payloadType)
+// first, or use the safer DecodeHopsForPayload wrapper.
+func DecodePathFromRawHex(rawHex string) ([]string, error) {
+	buf, err := hex.DecodeString(rawHex)
+	if err != nil || len(buf) < 2 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid or too-short hex")
+	}
+
+	headerByte := buf[0]
+	offset := 1
+	if IsTransportRoute(int(headerByte & 0x03)) {
+		if len(buf) < offset+4 {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("too short for transport codes")
+		}
+		offset += 4
+	}
+	if offset >= len(buf) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("too short for path byte")
+	}
+
+	pathByte := buf[offset]
+	offset++
+
+	hashSize := int(pathByte>>6) + 1
+	hashCount := int(pathByte & 0x3F)
+
+	hops := make([]string, 0, hashCount)
+	for i := 0; i < hashCount; i++ {
+		start := offset + i*hashSize
+		end := start + hashSize
+		if end > len(buf) {
+			break
+		}
+		hops = append(hops, strings.ToUpper(hex.EncodeToString(buf[start:end])))
+	}
+	return hops, nil
+}
+
+// DecodeHopsForPayload returns the header path hops only when the payload type's
+// header bytes are actually route hops (i.e. PathBytesAreHops(payloadType) is true).
+// For TRACE packets it returns (nil, ErrPayloadHasNoHeaderHops) so the caller is
+// forced to source hops from the decoded payload instead.
+//
+// Prefer this over DecodePathFromRawHex when the payload type is known.
+func DecodeHopsForPayload(rawHex string, payloadType byte) ([]string, error) {
+	if !PathBytesAreHops(payloadType) {
+		return nil, ErrPayloadHasNoHeaderHops
+	}
+	return DecodePathFromRawHex(rawHex)
+}
+
+// ErrPayloadHasNoHeaderHops is returned by DecodeHopsForPayload when the
+// payload type repurposes the raw_hex header path bytes (e.g. TRACE → SNR values).
+var ErrPayloadHasNoHeaderHops = errPayloadHasNoHeaderHops{}
+
+type errPayloadHasNoHeaderHops struct{}
+
+func (errPayloadHasNoHeaderHops) Error() string {
+	return "payload type repurposes header path bytes; source hops from decoded payload"
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+package packetpath
+
+import (
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_Basic(t *testing.T) {
+	// Build a simple FLOOD packet (route_type=1) with 2 hops of hashSize=1
+	// header: route_type=1, payload_type=2 (TXT_MSG), version=0 → 0b00_0010_01 = 0x09
+	// path byte: hashSize=1 (bits 7-6 = 0), hashCount=2 (bits 5-0 = 2) → 0x02
+	// hops: AB, CD
+	// payload: some bytes
+	raw := "0902ABCD" + "DEADBEEF"
+	hops, err := DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(hops) != 2 || hops[0] != "AB" || hops[1] != "CD" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected [AB, CD], got %v", hops)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_ZeroHops(t *testing.T) {
+	// DIRECT route (type=2), no hops → 0b00_0010_10 = 0x0A
+	// path byte: 0x00 (0 hops)
+	raw := "0A00" + "DEADBEEF"
+	hops, err := DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(hops) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 0 hops, got %v", hops)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_TransportRoute(t *testing.T) {
+	// TRANSPORT_FLOOD (route_type=0), payload_type=5 (GRP_TXT), version=0
+	// header: 0b00_0101_00 = 0x14
+	// transport codes: 4 bytes
+	// path byte: hashSize=1, hashCount=1 → 0x01
+	// hop: FF
+	raw := "14" + "00112233" + "01" + "FF" + "DEAD"
+	hops, err := DecodePathFromRawHex(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(hops) != 1 || hops[0] != "FF" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected [FF], got %v", hops)
+	}
+}
+
+// buildTracePacket creates a TRACE packet hex string where header path bytes are
+// SNR values, and payload contains the actual route hops.
+func buildTracePacket() (rawHex string, headerPathHops []string, payloadHops []string) {
+	// DIRECT route (type=2), TRACE payload (type=9), version=0
+	// header byte: 0b00_1001_10 = 0x26
+	headerByte := byte(0x26)
+
+	// Header path: 2 SNR bytes (hashSize=1, hashCount=2) → path byte = 0x02
+	// SNR values: 0x1A (26 dB), 0x0F (15 dB)
+	pathByte := byte(0x02)
+	snrBytes := []byte{0x1A, 0x0F}
+
+	// TRACE payload: tag(4) + authCode(4) + flags(1) + path hops
+	tag := []byte{0x01, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00}
+	authCode := []byte{0x02, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00}
+	// flags: path_sz=0 (1 byte hops), other bits=0 → 0x00
+	flags := byte(0x00)
+	// Payload hops: AA, BB, CC (the actual route)
+	payloadPathBytes := []byte{0xAA, 0xBB, 0xCC}
+
+	var buf []byte
+	buf = append(buf, headerByte, pathByte)
+	buf = append(buf, snrBytes...)
+	buf = append(buf, tag...)
+	buf = append(buf, authCode...)
+	buf = append(buf, flags)
+	buf = append(buf, payloadPathBytes...)
+
+	rawHex = strings.ToUpper(hex.EncodeToString(buf))
+	headerPathHops = []string{"1A", "0F"} // SNR values — NOT route hops
+	payloadHops = []string{"AA", "BB", "CC"} // actual route hops from payload
+	return
+}
+
+func TestDecodePathFromRawHex_TraceReturnsSNR(t *testing.T) {
+	rawHex, expectedSNR, _ := buildTracePacket()
+	hops, err := DecodePathFromRawHex(rawHex)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	// DecodePathFromRawHex always returns header path bytes — for TRACE these are SNR values
+	if len(hops) != len(expectedSNR) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %d hops (SNR), got %d: %v", len(expectedSNR), len(hops), hops)
+	}
+	for i, h := range hops {
+		if h != expectedSNR[i] {
+			t.Errorf("hop[%d]: expected %s, got %s", i, expectedSNR[i], h)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTracePathJSON_UsesPayloadHops(t *testing.T) {
+	// This test validates the TRACE vs non-TRACE logic that callers should implement:
+	// For TRACE: path_json = decoded.Path.Hops (payload-decoded route hops)
+	// For non-TRACE: path_json = DecodePathFromRawHex(raw_hex)
+	rawHex, snrHops, payloadHops := buildTracePacket()
+
+	// DecodePathFromRawHex returns SNR bytes for TRACE
+	headerHops, _ := DecodePathFromRawHex(rawHex)
+	headerJSON, _ := json.Marshal(headerHops)
+
+	// payload hops (what decoded.Path.Hops would return after TRACE decoding)
+	payloadJSON, _ := json.Marshal(payloadHops)
+
+	// They must differ — SNR != route hops
+	if string(headerJSON) == string(payloadJSON) {
+		t.Fatalf("SNR hops and payload hops should differ for TRACE; both are %s", headerJSON)
+	}
+
+	// For TRACE, path_json should be payloadHops, not headerHops
+	_ = snrHops // snrHops == headerHops — used for documentation
+	t.Logf("TRACE: header path (SNR) = %s, payload path (route) = %s", headerJSON, payloadJSON)
+}
+
+func TestDecodeHopsForPayload_NonTrace(t *testing.T) {
+	// header 0x01, path_len 0x02, hops 0xAA 0xBB, then payload bytes
+	raw := "0102AABB00"
+	hops, err := DecodeHopsForPayload(raw, 0x05) // GRP_TXT — header path bytes ARE hops
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(hops) != 2 || hops[0] != "AA" || hops[1] != "BB" {
+		t.Errorf("expected [AA BB], got %v", hops)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodeHopsForPayload_TraceReturnsError(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := "010205F00100"
+	hops, err := DecodeHopsForPayload(raw, PayloadTRACE)
+	if err != ErrPayloadHasNoHeaderHops {
+		t.Errorf("expected ErrPayloadHasNoHeaderHops, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if hops != nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected nil hops for TRACE, got %v", hops)
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+package packetpath
+
+// Route type constants (header bits 1-0).
+const (
+	RouteTransportFlood  = 0
+	RouteFlood           = 1
+	RouteDirect          = 2
+	RouteTransportDirect = 3
+)
+
+// PayloadTRACE is the payload type constant for TRACE packets.
+const PayloadTRACE = 0x09
+
+// IsTransportRoute returns true for TRANSPORT_FLOOD (0) and TRANSPORT_DIRECT (3).
+func IsTransportRoute(routeType int) bool {
+	return routeType == RouteTransportFlood || routeType == RouteTransportDirect
+}
+
+// PathBytesAreHops returns true when the raw_hex header path bytes represent
+// route hop hashes (the normal case). Returns false for packet types where
+// header path bytes are repurposed (e.g. TRACE uses them for SNR values).
+func PathBytesAreHops(payloadType byte) bool {
+	return payloadType != PayloadTRACE
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package packetpath
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestIsTransportRoute(t *testing.T) {
+	if !IsTransportRoute(RouteTransportFlood) {
+		t.Error("RouteTransportFlood should be transport")
+	}
+	if !IsTransportRoute(RouteTransportDirect) {
+		t.Error("RouteTransportDirect should be transport")
+	}
+	if IsTransportRoute(RouteFlood) {
+		t.Error("RouteFlood should not be transport")
+	}
+	if IsTransportRoute(RouteDirect) {
+		t.Error("RouteDirect should not be transport")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPathBytesAreHops(t *testing.T) {
+	if PathBytesAreHops(PayloadTRACE) {
+		t.Error("PathBytesAreHops(PayloadTRACE) should be false")
+	}
+	// All other known payload types should return true.
+	otherTypes := []byte{0x00, 0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04, 0x05, 0x06, 0x07, 0x08, 0x0A, 0x0B, 0x0C, 0x0D, 0x0E, 0x0F}
+	for _, pt := range otherTypes {
+		if !PathBytesAreHops(pt) {
+			t.Errorf("PathBytesAreHops(0x%02X) should be true", pt)
+		}
+	}
+}
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 // --- Route/Payload name maps ---
 const ROUTE_TYPES = { 0: 'TRANSPORT_FLOOD', 1: 'FLOOD', 2: 'DIRECT', 3: 'TRANSPORT_DIRECT' };
 const PAYLOAD_TYPES = { 0: 'Request', 1: 'Response', 2: 'Direct Msg', 3: 'ACK', 4: 'Advert', 5: 'Channel Msg', 6: 'Group Data', 7: 'Anon Req', 8: 'Path', 9: 'Trace', 10: 'Multipart', 11: 'Control', 15: 'Raw Custom' };
-const PAYLOAD_COLORS = { 0: 'req', 1: 'response', 2: 'txt-msg', 3: 'ack', 4: 'advert', 5: 'grp-txt', 7: 'anon-req', 8: 'path', 9: 'trace' };
+const PAYLOAD_COLORS = { 0: 'req', 1: 'response', 2: 'txt-msg', 3: 'ack', 4: 'advert', 5: 'grp-txt', 6: 'grp-data', 7: 'anon-req', 8: 'path', 9: 'trace', 10: 'multipart', 11: 'control', 15: 'raw-custom' };

 function routeTypeName(n) { return ROUTE_TYPES[n] || 'UNKNOWN'; }
 function payloadTypeName(n) { return PAYLOAD_TYPES[n] || 'UNKNOWN'; }
@@ -14,6 +14,71 @@ function isTransportRoute(rt) { return rt === 0 || rt === 3; }
 function getPathLenOffset(routeType) { return isTransportRoute(routeType) ? 5 : 1; }
 function transportBadge(rt) { return isTransportRoute(rt) ? ' <span class="badge badge-transport" title="' + routeTypeName(rt) + '">T</span>' : ''; }

+/**
+ * Compute breakdown byte ranges from raw_hex on the client.
+ * Mirrors cmd/server/decoder.go BuildBreakdown(). Used so per-observation raw_hex
+ * (which can differ in path length from the top-level packet) gets accurate
+ * highlighted byte ranges, instead of using the server-supplied breakdown
+ * computed once from the top-level raw_hex.
+ */
+function computeBreakdownRanges(hexString, routeType, payloadType) {
+  if (!hexString) return [];
+  const clean = hexString.replace(/\s+/g, '');
+  const bytes = clean.length / 2;
+  if (bytes < 2) return [];
+  const ranges = [];
+  // Header
+  ranges.push({ start: 0, end: 0, label: 'Header' });
+  let offset = 1;
+  if (isTransportRoute(routeType)) {
+    if (bytes < offset + 4) return ranges;
+    ranges.push({ start: offset, end: offset + 3, label: 'Transport Codes' });
+    offset += 4;
+  }
+  if (offset >= bytes) return ranges;
+  // Path Length byte
+  ranges.push({ start: offset, end: offset, label: 'Path Length' });
+  const pathByte = parseInt(clean.slice(offset * 2, offset * 2 + 2), 16);
+  offset += 1;
+  if (isNaN(pathByte)) return ranges;
+  const hashSize = (pathByte >> 6) + 1;
+  const hashCount = pathByte & 0x3F;
+  const pathBytes = hashSize * hashCount;
+  if (hashCount > 0 && offset + pathBytes <= bytes) {
+    ranges.push({ start: offset, end: offset + pathBytes - 1, label: 'Path' });
+  }
+  offset += pathBytes;
+  if (offset >= bytes) return ranges;
+  const payloadStart = offset;
+  // ADVERT (payload_type 4) gets sub-fields when full record present
+  if (payloadType === 4 && bytes - payloadStart >= 100) {
+    ranges.push({ start: payloadStart,      end: payloadStart + 31, label: 'PubKey' });
+    ranges.push({ start: payloadStart + 32, end: payloadStart + 35, label: 'Timestamp' });
+    ranges.push({ start: payloadStart + 36, end: payloadStart + 99, label: 'Signature' });
+    const appStart = payloadStart + 100;
+    if (appStart < bytes) {
+      ranges.push({ start: appStart, end: appStart, label: 'Flags' });
+      const appFlags = parseInt(clean.slice(appStart * 2, appStart * 2 + 2), 16);
+      let fOff = appStart + 1;
+      if (!isNaN(appFlags)) {
+        if ((appFlags & 0x10) && fOff + 8 <= bytes) {
+          ranges.push({ start: fOff,     end: fOff + 3, label: 'Latitude' });
+          ranges.push({ start: fOff + 4, end: fOff + 7, label: 'Longitude' });
+          fOff += 8;
+        }
+        if ((appFlags & 0x20) && fOff + 2 <= bytes) fOff += 2;
+        if ((appFlags & 0x40) && fOff + 2 <= bytes) fOff += 2;
+        if ((appFlags & 0x80) && fOff < bytes) {
+          ranges.push({ start: fOff, end: bytes - 1, label: 'Name' });
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  } else {
+    ranges.push({ start: payloadStart, end: bytes - 1, label: 'Payload' });
+  }
+  return ranges;
+}
+
 // --- Utilities ---
 const _apiPerf = { calls: 0, totalMs: 0, log: [], cacheHits: 0 };
 const _apiCache = new Map();
@@ -440,6 +505,21 @@ const pages = {};

 function registerPage(name, mod) { pages[name] = mod; }

+// Tools landing page — shows sub-menu with Trace and Path Inspector (spec §2.8, M1 fix).
+registerPage('tools-landing', {
+  init: function (container) {
+    container.innerHTML =
+      '<div class="tools-landing">' +
+        '<h2>Tools</h2>' +
+        '<div class="tools-menu">' +
+          '<a href="#/tools/path-inspector" class="tools-card"><h3>🔍 Path Inspector</h3><p>Resolve prefix paths to candidate full-pubkey routes with confidence scoring.</p></a>' +
+          '<a href="#/tools/trace/" class="tools-card"><h3>📡 Trace Viewer</h3><p>View detailed packet traces by hash.</p></a>' +
+        '</div>' +
+      '</div>';
+  },
+  destroy: function () {}
+});
+
 let currentPage = null;

 function closeNav() {
@@ -460,6 +540,12 @@ function closeMoreMenu() {
 function navigate() {
  closeNav();

+  // Backward-compat redirect: #/traces/<hash> → #/tools/trace/<hash> (issue #944).
+  if (location.hash.startsWith('#/traces/')) {
+    location.hash = location.hash.replace('#/traces/', '#/tools/trace/');
+    return;
+  }
+
  const hash = location.hash.replace('#/', '') || 'packets';
  const route = hash.split('?')[0];

@@ -487,9 +573,27 @@ function navigate() {
    basePage = 'observer-detail';
  }

+  // Tools sub-routing (issue #944): tools/trace/<hash>, tools/path-inspector
+  if (basePage === 'tools') {
+    if (routeParam && routeParam.startsWith('trace/')) {
+      basePage = 'traces';
+      routeParam = routeParam.substring(6); // strip "trace/"
+    } else if (routeParam === 'path-inspector' || (routeParam && routeParam.startsWith('path-inspector'))) {
+      basePage = 'path-inspector';
+      routeParam = null;
+    } else if (!routeParam) {
+      // Default tools landing shows menu with both entries.
+      basePage = 'tools-landing';
+    }
+  }
+  // Also support old #/traces (no sub-path) → traces page.
+  if (basePage === 'traces' && !routeParam) {
+    basePage = 'traces';
+  }
+
  // Update nav active state
  document.querySelectorAll('.nav-link[data-route]').forEach(el => {
-    el.classList.toggle('active', el.dataset.route === basePage);
+    el.classList.toggle('active', el.dataset.route === basePage || (el.dataset.route === 'tools' && (basePage === 'traces' || basePage === 'path-inspector' || basePage === 'tools-landing')));
  });
  // Update "More" button to show active state if a low-priority page is selected
  var moreBtn = document.getElementById('navMoreBtn');
@@ -861,10 +965,11 @@ window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
  }).catch(() => {
    window.SITE_CONFIG = { timestamps: { defaultMode: 'ago', timezone: 'local', formatPreset: 'iso', customFormat: '', allowCustomFormat: false } };
    if (window._customizerV2) window._customizerV2.init(window.SITE_CONFIG);
-  }).finally(() => {
-    if (!location.hash || location.hash === '#/') location.hash = '#/home';
-    else navigate();
  });
+
+  // Navigate immediately — don't gate data-fetching pages on cosmetic theme fetch
+  if (!location.hash || location.hash === '#/') location.hash = '#/home';
+  else navigate();
 });

 /**
@@ -393,17 +393,25 @@
    }
  }

-  // Merge user-stored keys into the channel list
+  // Merge user-stored keys into the channel list.
+  // If a stored key matches a server-known channel, mark that channel as
+  // userAdded so the ✕ button appears — otherwise the user has no way to
+  // remove a key they added but that the server already knows about.
  function mergeUserChannels() {
    var keys = ChannelDecrypt.getStoredKeys();
    var names = Object.keys(keys);
    for (var i = 0; i < names.length; i++) {
      var name = names[i];
-      // Check if channel already exists by name
-      var exists = channels.some(function (ch) {
-        return ch.name === name || ch.hash === name || ch.hash === ('user:' + name);
-      });
-      if (!exists) {
+      var matched = false;
+      for (var j = 0; j < channels.length; j++) {
+        var ch = channels[j];
+        if (ch.name === name || ch.hash === name || ch.hash === ('user:' + name)) {
+          ch.userAdded = true;
+          matched = true;
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+      if (!matched) {
        channels.push({
          hash: 'user:' + name,
          name: name,
@@ -749,19 +757,38 @@
        e.stopPropagation();
        var channelHash = removeBtn.getAttribute('data-remove-channel');
        if (!channelHash) return;
-        var chName = channelHash.startsWith('user:') ? channelHash.substring(5) : channelHash;
+        // The localStorage key is the channel name. For user:-prefixed entries
+        // strip the prefix; for server-known channels look up the channel
+        // object so we use its display name (the hash itself isn't the key).
+        var ch = channels.find(function (c) { return c.hash === channelHash; });
+        var chName = channelHash.startsWith('user:')
+          ? channelHash.substring(5)
+          : (ch && ch.name) || channelHash;
        if (!confirm('Remove channel "' + chName + '"? This will clear saved keys and cached messages.')) return;
        ChannelDecrypt.removeKey(chName);
-        // Remove from channels array
-        channels = channels.filter(function (c) { return c.hash !== channelHash; });
-        if (selectedHash === channelHash) {
-          selectedHash = null;
-          messages = [];
-          history.replaceState(null, '', '#/channels');
-          var msgEl2 = document.getElementById('chMessages');
-          if (msgEl2) msgEl2.innerHTML = '<div class="ch-empty">Choose a channel from the sidebar to view messages</div>';
-          var header2 = document.getElementById('chHeader');
-          if (header2) header2.querySelector('.ch-header-text').textContent = 'Select a channel';
+        if (channelHash.startsWith('user:')) {
+          // Pure user-added channel — drop from the list entirely.
+          channels = channels.filter(function (c) { return c.hash !== channelHash; });
+          if (selectedHash === channelHash) {
+            selectedHash = null;
+            messages = [];
+            history.replaceState(null, '', '#/channels');
+            var msgEl2 = document.getElementById('chMessages');
+            if (msgEl2) msgEl2.innerHTML = '<div class="ch-empty">Choose a channel from the sidebar to view messages</div>';
+            var header2 = document.getElementById('chHeader');
+            if (header2) header2.querySelector('.ch-header-text').textContent = 'Select a channel';
+          }
+        } else if (ch) {
+          // Server-known channel: keep the row, just unmark as user-added so
+          // the ✕ disappears until they re-add a key.
+          ch.userAdded = false;
+          // If this was the selected channel, clear decrypted messages since
+          // the key is gone — they can't be re-decrypted without re-adding it.
+          if (selectedHash === channelHash) {
+            messages = [];
+            var msgEl2 = document.getElementById('chMessages');
+            if (msgEl2) msgEl2.innerHTML = '<div class="ch-empty">Key removed — add a key to decrypt messages</div>';
+          }
        }
        renderChannelList();
        return;
@@ -629,7 +629,11 @@
      }
      writeOverrides(delta);
      _runPipeline();
-      _refreshPanel();
+      // Skip re-render while the user is typing inside the panel — setting
+      // innerHTML would destroy the focused input and collapse the mobile keyboard.
+      if (!(_panelEl && _panelEl.contains(document.activeElement))) {
+        _refreshPanel();
+      }
    }, 300);
  }

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
 <div id="help-bar">
  Copy the JSON above → paste as a top-level key in <code>config.json</code> → restart the server.
  Nodes with no GPS fix always pass through. Remove the <code>geo_filter</code> block to disable filtering.
-  &nbsp;·&nbsp; <a href="https://github.com/Kpa-clawbot/CoreScope/blob/master/docs/user-guide/geofilter.md" target="_blank">Documentation ↗</a>
+  &nbsp;·&nbsp; <a href="/geofilter-docs.html">Documentation</a>
 </div>

 <script>
@@ -87,7 +87,8 @@ let polygon = null;
 let closingLine = null;

 function latLonPair(latlng) {
-  return [parseFloat(latlng.lat.toFixed(6)), parseFloat(latlng.lng.toFixed(6))];
+  const w = latlng.wrap();
+  return [parseFloat(w.lat.toFixed(6)), parseFloat(w.lng.toFixed(6))];
 }

 function render() {
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="en">
+<head>
+<meta charset="UTF-8">
+<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
+<title>GeoFilter Docs — CoreScope</title>
+<style>
+  * { box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0; padding: 0; }
+  body { font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; background: #1a1a2e; color: #e0e0e0; min-height: 100vh; display: flex; flex-direction: column; }
+  header { padding: 12px 16px; background: #0f0f23; border-bottom: 1px solid #333; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 16px; }
+  header h1 { font-size: 1rem; font-weight: 600; color: #4a9eff; }
+  #back-link { font-size: 0.8rem; color: #4a9eff; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; }
+  #back-link:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
+  main { flex: 1; max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 32px 24px; width: 100%; }
+  h2 { font-size: 1.1rem; font-weight: 600; color: #4a9eff; margin: 32px 0 12px; border-bottom: 1px solid #222; padding-bottom: 6px; }
+  h2:first-of-type { margin-top: 0; }
+  h3 { font-size: 0.95rem; font-weight: 600; color: #c0c0c0; margin: 20px 0 8px; }
+  p { font-size: 0.9rem; line-height: 1.6; color: #ccc; margin-bottom: 10px; }
+  ul { padding-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; }
+  li { font-size: 0.9rem; line-height: 1.7; color: #ccc; }
+  code { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.85rem; color: #7ec8e3; background: #111; border: 1px solid #333; border-radius: 3px; padding: 1px 5px; }
+  pre { background: #111; border: 1px solid #333; border-radius: 6px; padding: 14px 16px; overflow-x: auto; margin: 10px 0 16px; }
+  pre code { background: none; border: none; padding: 0; font-size: 0.82rem; color: #7ec8e3; }
+  .note { background: #1a2a1a; border: 1px solid #2a4a2a; border-radius: 6px; padding: 10px 14px; margin: 12px 0; }
+  .note p { color: #aaddaa; margin: 0; }
+  .warn { background: #2a1a0a; border: 1px solid #5a3a0a; border-radius: 6px; padding: 10px 14px; margin: 12px 0; }
+  .warn p { color: #ddbb88; margin: 0; }
+  table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 10px 0 16px; font-size: 0.88rem; }
+  th { background: #0f0f23; color: #888; font-weight: 500; text-align: left; padding: 8px 12px; border: 1px solid #333; }
+  td { padding: 8px 12px; border: 1px solid #222; color: #ccc; vertical-align: top; }
+  td code { font-size: 0.82rem; }
+</style>
+</head>
+<body>
+
+<header>
+  <a href="/geofilter-builder.html" id="back-link">← GeoFilter Builder</a>
+  <h1>GeoFilter Docs</h1>
+</header>
+
+<main>
+
+<h2>How it works</h2>
+<p>Geographic filtering restricts which nodes are ingested and returned in API responses. It operates at two levels:</p>
+<ul>
+  <li><strong>Ingest time</strong> — ADVERT packets carrying GPS coordinates are rejected by the ingestor if the node falls outside the configured area. The node never reaches the database.</li>
+  <li><strong>API responses</strong> — Nodes already in the database are filtered from the <code>/api/nodes</code> response if they fall outside the area. This covers nodes ingested before the filter was configured.</li>
+</ul>
+<div class="note"><p>Nodes with no GPS fix (<code>lat=0, lon=0</code> or missing coordinates) always pass the filter regardless of configuration.</p></div>
+
+<h2>Configuration</h2>
+<p>Add a <code>geo_filter</code> block to <code>config.json</code>:</p>
+<pre><code>"geo_filter": {
+  "polygon": [
+    [51.55, 3.80],
+    [51.55, 5.90],
+    [50.65, 5.90],
+    [50.65, 3.80]
+  ],
+  "bufferKm": 20
+}</code></pre>
+<table>
+  <thead><tr><th>Field</th><th>Type</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead>
+  <tbody>
+    <tr><td><code>polygon</code></td><td><code>[[lat, lon], ...]</code></td><td>Array of at least 3 coordinate pairs defining the boundary</td></tr>
+    <tr><td><code>bufferKm</code></td><td>number</td><td>Extra distance (km) around the polygon edge that is also accepted. <code>0</code> = exact boundary</td></tr>
+  </tbody>
+</table>
+<p>Both the server and the ingestor read <code>geo_filter</code> from <code>config.json</code>. Restart both after changing this section.</p>
+<p>To disable filtering entirely, remove the <code>geo_filter</code> block.</p>
+
+<h2>Coordinate ordering</h2>
+<div class="warn"><p><strong>Important:</strong> Coordinates are <code>[lat, lon]</code> — latitude first, longitude second. This is the opposite of GeoJSON, which uses <code>[lon, lat]</code>. Swapping them will place your polygon in the wrong location.</p></div>
+
+<h2>Multi-polygon</h2>
+<p>Only a single polygon is supported. If your deployment area consists of multiple disconnected regions, draw a single convex hull that covers all of them, or use the largest region with a generous <code>bufferKm</code> value.</p>
+
+<h2>Examples</h2>
+<h3>Belgium (bounding rectangle)</h3>
+<pre><code>"geo_filter": {
+  "polygon": [
+    [51.55, 3.80],
+    [51.55, 5.90],
+    [50.65, 5.90],
+    [50.65, 3.80]
+  ],
+  "bufferKm": 20
+}</code></pre>
+<h3>Irregular shape</h3>
+<pre><code>"geo_filter": {
+  "polygon": [
+    [51.10, 3.70],
+    [51.55, 4.20],
+    [51.30, 5.10],
+    [50.80, 5.50],
+    [50.50, 4.80],
+    [50.70, 3.90]
+  ],
+  "bufferKm": 10
+}</code></pre>
+
+<h2>Legacy bounding box</h2>
+<p>An older bounding box format is also supported as a fallback when no <code>polygon</code> is present:</p>
+<pre><code>"geo_filter": {
+  "latMin": 50.65,
+  "latMax": 51.55,
+  "lonMin": 3.80,
+  "lonMax": 5.90
+}</code></pre>
+<p>Prefer the polygon format — it supports irregular shapes and the <code>bufferKm</code> margin.</p>
+
+<h2>Cleaning up historical nodes</h2>
+<p>The ingestor prevents new out-of-bounds nodes from being ingested, but does not retroactively remove nodes stored before the filter was configured. Use the prune script for that:</p>
+<pre><code># Dry run — shows what would be deleted without making any changes
+python3 scripts/prune-nodes-outside-geo-filter.py --dry-run
+
+# Default paths: /app/data/meshcore.db and /app/config.json
+python3 scripts/prune-nodes-outside-geo-filter.py
+
+# Custom paths
+python3 scripts/prune-nodes-outside-geo-filter.py /path/to/meshcore.db \
+  --config /path/to/config.json
+
+# In Docker — run inside the container
+docker exec -it meshcore-analyzer \
+  python3 /app/scripts/prune-nodes-outside-geo-filter.py --dry-run</code></pre>
+<p>The script reads <code>geo_filter.polygon</code> and <code>geo_filter.bufferKm</code> from config, lists nodes that fall outside, then asks for <code>yes</code> confirmation before deleting. Nodes without coordinates are always kept.</p>
+<p>This is a one-time migration tool — run it once after first configuring <code>geo_filter</code> to clean up pre-filter data.</p>
+
+</main>
+</body>
+</html>
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+/* hash-color.js — Deterministic HSL color from packet hash
+ * IIFE attaching window.HashColor = { hashToHsl, hashToOutline }
+ * Pure function: no DOM access, no state, works in Node vm.createContext sandbox.
+ */
+(function() {
+  'use strict';
+
+  /**
+   * Derive a deterministic HSL color string from a hex hash.
+   * Uses bytes 0-1 for hue, byte 2 for saturation, byte 3 for lightness.
+   * Produces bright vivid fills; contrast is provided by a dark outline (hashToOutline).
+   * @param {string|null|undefined} hashHex - Hex string (e.g. "a1b2c3d4...")
+   * @param {string} theme - "light" or "dark"
+   * @returns {string} CSS hsl() string
+   */
+  function hashToHsl(hashHex, theme) {
+    if (!hashHex || hashHex.length < 8) {
+      return 'hsl(0, 0%, 50%)';
+    }
+
+    var b0 = parseInt(hashHex.slice(0, 2), 16) || 0;
+    var b1 = parseInt(hashHex.slice(2, 4), 16) || 0;
+    var b2 = parseInt(hashHex.slice(4, 6), 16) || 0;
+    var b3 = parseInt(hashHex.slice(6, 8), 16) || 0;
+
+    // Hue: 0-360 from bytes 0-1 (16-bit)
+    var hue = Math.round(((b0 << 8) | b1) / 65535 * 360);
+    // Saturation: 55-95% from byte 2
+    var S = 55 + Math.round(b2 / 255 * 40);
+    // Lightness: vivid range per theme from byte 3
+    // Light: 50-65%, Dark: 55-72%
+    var L;
+    if (theme === 'dark') {
+      L = 55 + Math.round(b3 / 255 * 17);
+    } else {
+      L = 50 + Math.round(b3 / 255 * 15);
+    }
+
+    return 'hsl(' + hue + ', ' + S + '%, ' + L + '%)';
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Derive a dark outline color (same hue) for contrast against backgrounds.
+   * @param {string|null|undefined} hashHex - Hex string
+   * @param {string} theme - "light" or "dark"
+   * @returns {string} CSS hsl() string
+   */
+  function hashToOutline(hashHex, theme) {
+    if (!hashHex || hashHex.length < 8) {
+      return 'hsl(0, 0%, 30%)';
+    }
+
+    var b0 = parseInt(hashHex.slice(0, 2), 16) || 0;
+    var b1 = parseInt(hashHex.slice(2, 4), 16) || 0;
+    var hue = Math.round(((b0 << 8) | b1) / 65535 * 360);
+
+    // Dark outline: same hue, low lightness for contrast
+    if (theme === 'dark') {
+      return 'hsl(' + hue + ', 30%, 15%)';
+    }
+    return 'hsl(' + hue + ', 70%, 25%)';
+  }
+
+  // Export
+  if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+    window.HashColor = { hashToHsl: hashToHsl, hashToOutline: hashToOutline };
+  } else if (typeof module !== 'undefined') {
+    module.exports = { hashToHsl: hashToHsl, hashToOutline: hashToOutline };
+  }
+})();
@@ -7,6 +7,14 @@ window.HopResolver = (function() {

  const MAX_HOP_DIST = 1.8; // ~200km in degrees
  const REGION_RADIUS_KM = 300;
+
+  // Only repeaters and room servers can appear as path hops per protocol.
+  // Companions/sensors originate but never relay packets.
+  function canAppearInPath(role) {
+    if (!role) return false;
+    var r = String(role).toLowerCase();
+    return r.indexOf('repeater') >= 0 || r.indexOf('room_server') >= 0 || r === 'room';
+  }
  let prefixIdx = {};   // lowercase hex prefix → [node, ...]
  let pubkeyIdx = {};   // full lowercase pubkey → node (O(1) lookup)
  let nodesList = [];
@@ -40,7 +48,11 @@ window.HopResolver = (function() {
    for (const n of nodesList) {
      if (!n.public_key) continue;
      const pk = n.public_key.toLowerCase();
+      // pubkeyIdx includes ALL nodes — used by resolveFromServer for
+      // server-confirmed full-pubkey lookups (any node type).
      pubkeyIdx[pk] = n;
+      // prefixIdx only includes nodes that can appear as path hops.
+      if (!canAppearInPath(n.role)) continue;
      for (let len = 1; len <= 3; len++) {
        const p = pk.slice(0, len * 2);
        if (!prefixIdx[p]) prefixIdx[p] = [];
@@ -72,33 +84,89 @@ window.HopResolver = (function() {
  }

  /**
-   * Pick the best candidate using affinity first, then geo-distance fallback.
+   * Pick the best candidate by scoring against BOTH prev and next resolved hops.
+   *
+   * Strategy (in priority order):
+   * 1. Neighbor-graph edge weight: sum of edge scores to prevPubkey + nextPubkey. Pick max.
+   * 2. Geographic centroid: if no candidate has graph edges, compute centroid of
+   *    prev+next positions and pick closest candidate by haversine distance.
+   * 3. Single-anchor geo fallback: if only one neighbor is resolved, use it as anchor.
+   * 4. Original heuristic: first candidate (when no context at all).
+   *
   * @param {Array} candidates - candidates with lat/lon/pubkey/name
-   * @param {string|null} adjacentPubkey - pubkey of the previously/next resolved hop
-   * @param {Object|null} anchor - {lat, lon} for geo fallback
-   * @param {number|null} fallbackLat - fallback anchor lat (e.g. observer)
-   * @param {number|null} fallbackLon - fallback anchor lon
+   * @param {string|null} prevPubkey - pubkey of previous resolved hop
+   * @param {string|null} nextPubkey - pubkey of next resolved hop
+   * @param {Object|null} prevPos - {lat, lon} of previous resolved hop or origin
+   * @param {Object|null} nextPos - {lat, lon} of next resolved hop or observer
   * @returns {Object} best candidate
   */
-  function pickByAffinity(candidates, adjacentPubkey, anchor, fallbackLat, fallbackLon) {
-    // If we have affinity data and an adjacent hop, prefer neighbors
-    if (adjacentPubkey && Object.keys(affinityMap).length > 0) {
-      const withAffinity = candidates
-        .map(c => ({ ...c, affinity: getAffinity(adjacentPubkey, c.pubkey) }))
-        .filter(c => c.affinity > 0);
-      if (withAffinity.length > 0) {
-        withAffinity.sort((a, b) => b.affinity - a.affinity);
-        return withAffinity[0];
+  function pickByAffinity(candidates, prevPubkey, nextPubkey, prevPos, nextPos) {
+    const hasGraph = Object.keys(affinityMap).length > 0;
+    const hasAdj = prevPubkey || nextPubkey;
+
+    // Strategy 1: neighbor-graph edge weights (sum of prev + next)
+    if (hasGraph && hasAdj) {
+      const scored = candidates.map(function(c) {
+        let s = 0;
+        if (prevPubkey) s += getAffinity(prevPubkey, c.pubkey);
+        if (nextPubkey) s += getAffinity(nextPubkey, c.pubkey);
+        return { candidate: c, edgeScore: s };
+      });
+      const withEdges = scored.filter(function(s) { return s.edgeScore > 0; });
+      if (withEdges.length > 0) {
+        withEdges.sort(function(a, b) { return b.edgeScore - a.edgeScore; });
+        _traceMultiCandidate(candidates, scored, withEdges[0].candidate, 'graph');
+        return withEdges[0].candidate;
      }
    }
-    // Fallback: geo-distance sort (existing behavior)
-    const effectiveAnchor = anchor || (fallbackLat != null ? { lat: fallbackLat, lon: fallbackLon } : null);
-    if (effectiveAnchor) {
-      candidates.sort((a, b) => dist(a.lat, a.lon, effectiveAnchor.lat, effectiveAnchor.lon) - dist(b.lat, b.lon, effectiveAnchor.lat, effectiveAnchor.lon));
+
+    // Strategy 2/3: geographic — centroid of prev+next, or single anchor
+    let anchorLat = null, anchorLon = null, anchorCount = 0;
+    if (prevPos && prevPos.lat != null && prevPos.lon != null) {
+      anchorLat = (anchorLat || 0) + prevPos.lat;
+      anchorLon = (anchorLon || 0) + prevPos.lon;
+      anchorCount++;
    }
+    if (nextPos && nextPos.lat != null && nextPos.lon != null) {
+      anchorLat = (anchorLat || 0) + nextPos.lat;
+      anchorLon = (anchorLon || 0) + nextPos.lon;
+      anchorCount++;
+    }
+    if (anchorCount > 0) {
+      anchorLat /= anchorCount;
+      anchorLon /= anchorCount;
+      const geoScored = candidates.map(function(c) {
+        const d = (c.lat != null && c.lon != null && !(c.lat === 0 && c.lon === 0))
+          ? haversineKm(c.lat, c.lon, anchorLat, anchorLon) : 999999;
+        return { candidate: c, distKm: d };
+      });
+      geoScored.sort(function(a, b) { return a.distKm - b.distKm; });
+      _traceMultiCandidate(candidates, geoScored, geoScored[0].candidate, 'centroid');
+      return geoScored[0].candidate;
+    }
+
+    // Strategy 4: no context — return first candidate
+    _traceMultiCandidate(candidates, null, candidates[0], 'fallback');
    return candidates[0];
  }

+  /** Dev-mode console trace for multi-candidate picks */
+  function _traceMultiCandidate(candidates, scored, chosen, method) {
+    if (typeof console === 'undefined' || !console.debug) return;
+    if (candidates.length < 2) return;
+    try {
+      const prefix = candidates[0].pubkey ? candidates[0].pubkey.slice(0, 2) : '??';
+      const scoreSummary = scored ? scored.map(function(s) {
+        const pk = (s.candidate || s).pubkey || '?';
+        const val = s.edgeScore != null ? s.edgeScore : (s.distKm != null ? s.distKm + 'km' : '?');
+        return pk.slice(0, 8) + ':' + val;
+      }) : [];
+      console.debug('[hop-resolver] hash=' + prefix + ' candidates=' + candidates.length +
+        ' scored=[' + scoreSummary.join(',') + '] chose=' + (chosen.pubkey || '?').slice(0, 8) +
+        ' method=' + method);
+    } catch(e) { /* trace is best-effort */ }
+  }
+
  /**
   * Resolve an array of hex hop prefixes to node info.
   * Returns a map: { hop: {name, pubkey, lat, lon, ambiguous, unreliable} }
@@ -169,52 +237,54 @@ window.HopResolver = (function() {
      }
    }

-    // Forward pass
-    let lastPos = (originLat != null && originLon != null) ? { lat: originLat, lon: originLon } : null;
-    let lastResolvedPubkey = null;
-    for (let i = 0; i < hops.length; i++) {
-      const hop = hops[i];
-      if (hopPositions[hop]) {
-        lastPos = hopPositions[hop];
-        lastResolvedPubkey = resolved[hop] ? resolved[hop].pubkey : null;
-        continue;
+    // Combined disambiguation: resolve ambiguous hops using both neighbors.
+    // We iterate until no more hops can be resolved (handles cascading dependencies).
+    const originPos = (originLat != null && originLon != null) ? { lat: originLat, lon: originLon } : null;
+    const observerPos = (observerLat != null && observerLon != null) ? { lat: observerLat, lon: observerLon } : null;
+
+    let changed = true;
+    let maxIter = hops.length + 1; // prevent infinite loops
+    while (changed && maxIter-- > 0) {
+      changed = false;
+      for (let i = 0; i < hops.length; i++) {
+        const hop = hops[i];
+        if (hopPositions[hop]) continue; // already resolved
+        const r = resolved[hop];
+        if (!r || !r.ambiguous) continue;
+        const withLoc = r.candidates.filter(c => c.lat != null && c.lon != null && !(c.lat === 0 && c.lon === 0));
+        if (!withLoc.length) continue;
+
+        // Find prev resolved neighbor
+        let prevPubkey = null, prevPos = null;
+        for (let j = i - 1; j >= 0; j--) {
+          if (hopPositions[hops[j]]) {
+            prevPos = hopPositions[hops[j]];
+            prevPubkey = resolved[hops[j]] ? resolved[hops[j]].pubkey : null;
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+        if (!prevPos && originPos) prevPos = originPos;
+
+        // Find next resolved neighbor
+        let nextPubkey = null, nextPos = null;
+        for (let j = i + 1; j < hops.length; j++) {
+          if (hopPositions[hops[j]]) {
+            nextPos = hopPositions[hops[j]];
+            nextPubkey = resolved[hops[j]] ? resolved[hops[j]].pubkey : null;
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+        if (!nextPos && observerPos) nextPos = observerPos;
+
+        // Skip if we have zero context (wait for a later iteration or neighbor resolution)
+        if (!prevPubkey && !nextPubkey && !prevPos && !nextPos) continue;
+
+        const picked = pickByAffinity(withLoc, prevPubkey, nextPubkey, prevPos, nextPos);
+        r.name = picked.name;
+        r.pubkey = picked.pubkey;
+        hopPositions[hop] = { lat: picked.lat, lon: picked.lon };
+        changed = true;
      }
-      const r = resolved[hop];
-      if (!r || !r.ambiguous) continue;
-      const withLoc = r.candidates.filter(c => c.lat && c.lon && !(c.lat === 0 && c.lon === 0));
-      if (!withLoc.length) continue;
-
-      // Affinity-aware: prefer candidates that are neighbors of the previous hop
-      const picked = pickByAffinity(withLoc, lastResolvedPubkey, lastPos, i === hops.length - 1 ? observerLat : null, i === hops.length - 1 ? observerLon : null);
-      r.name = picked.name;
-      r.pubkey = picked.pubkey;
-      hopPositions[hop] = { lat: picked.lat, lon: picked.lon };
-      lastPos = hopPositions[hop];
-      lastResolvedPubkey = picked.pubkey;
-    }
-
-    // Backward pass
-    let nextPos = (observerLat != null && observerLon != null) ? { lat: observerLat, lon: observerLon } : null;
-    let nextResolvedPubkey = null;
-    for (let i = hops.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-      const hop = hops[i];
-      if (hopPositions[hop]) {
-        nextPos = hopPositions[hop];
-        nextResolvedPubkey = resolved[hop] ? resolved[hop].pubkey : null;
-        continue;
-      }
-      const r = resolved[hop];
-      if (!r || !r.ambiguous) continue;
-      const withLoc = r.candidates.filter(c => c.lat && c.lon && !(c.lat === 0 && c.lon === 0));
-      if (!withLoc.length || !nextPos) continue;
-
-      // Affinity-aware: prefer candidates that are neighbors of the next hop
-      const picked = pickByAffinity(withLoc, nextResolvedPubkey, nextPos, null, null);
-      r.name = picked.name;
-      r.pubkey = picked.pubkey;
-      hopPositions[hop] = { lat: picked.lat, lon: picked.lon };
-      nextPos = hopPositions[hop];
-      nextResolvedPubkey = picked.pubkey;
    }

    // Sanity check: drop hops impossibly far from neighbors
@@ -276,13 +346,13 @@ window.HopResolver = (function() {
   */
  function resolveFromServer(hops, resolvedPath) {
    if (!hops || !resolvedPath || hops.length !== resolvedPath.length) return {};
-    var result = {};
-    for (var i = 0; i < hops.length; i++) {
-      var hop = hops[i];
-      var pubkey = resolvedPath[i];
+    const result = {};
+    for (let i = 0; i < hops.length; i++) {
+      const hop = hops[i];
+      const pubkey = resolvedPath[i];
      if (!pubkey) continue; // null = unresolved, leave for client-side fallback
      // O(1) lookup via pubkeyIdx built during init()
-      var node = pubkeyIdx[pubkey.toLowerCase()] || null;
+      const node = pubkeyIdx[pubkey.toLowerCase()] || null;
      result[hop] = {
        name: node ? node.name : pubkey.slice(0, 8),
        pubkey: pubkey,
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
        <a href="#/live" class="nav-link" data-route="live" data-priority="high">🔴 Live</a>
        <a href="#/channels" class="nav-link" data-route="channels">Channels</a>
        <a href="#/nodes" class="nav-link" data-route="nodes" data-priority="high">Nodes</a>
-        <a href="#/traces" class="nav-link" data-route="traces">Traces</a>
+        <a href="#/tools" class="nav-link" data-route="tools">Tools</a>
        <a href="#/observers" class="nav-link" data-route="observers">Observers</a>
        <a href="#/analytics" class="nav-link" data-route="analytics">Analytics</a>
        <a href="#/perf" class="nav-link" data-route="perf">⚡ Perf</a>
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@
  <script src="home.js?v=__BUST__"></script>
  <script src="table-sort.js?v=__BUST__"></script>
  <script src="packet-filter.js?v=__BUST__"></script>
+  <script src="hash-color.js?v=__BUST__"></script>
  <script src="packet-helpers.js?v=__BUST__"></script>
  <script src="channel-decrypt.js?v=__BUST__"></script>
  <script src="channel-colors.js?v=__BUST__"></script>
@@ -105,6 +106,7 @@
  <script src="table-sort.js?v=__BUST__"></script>
  <script src="nodes.js?v=__BUST__" onerror="console.error('Failed to load:', this.src)"></script>
  <script src="traces.js?v=__BUST__" onerror="console.error('Failed to load:', this.src)"></script>
+  <script src="path-inspector.js?v=__BUST__" onerror="console.error('Failed to load:', this.src)"></script>
  <script src="analytics.js?v=__BUST__" onerror="console.error('Failed to load:', this.src)"></script>
  <script src="audio.js?v=__BUST__" onerror="console.error('Failed to load:', this.src)"></script>
  <script src="audio-v1-constellation.js?v=__BUST__" onerror="console.error('Failed to load:', this.src)"></script>
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@
  let showOnlyFavorites = localStorage.getItem('live-favorites-only') === 'true';
  let matrixMode = localStorage.getItem('live-matrix-mode') === 'true';
  let matrixRain = localStorage.getItem('live-matrix-rain') === 'true';
+  let colorByHash = localStorage.getItem('meshcore-color-packets-by-hash') !== 'false';
+  /** Current theme string for hash-color functions. */
+  function _liveTheme() { return document.documentElement.dataset.theme || (window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)').matches ? 'dark' : 'light'); }
+  let nodeFilterKeys = (localStorage.getItem('live-node-filter') || '').split(',').map(s => s.trim()).filter(Boolean);
+  let nodeFilterTotal = 0;
+  let nodeFilterShown = 0;
  let rainCanvas = null, rainCtx = null, rainDrops = [], rainRAF = null;
  const propagationBuffer = new Map(); // hash -> {timer, packets[]}
  let _onResize = null;
@@ -825,6 +831,8 @@
            <span id="ghostDesc" class="sr-only">Show interpolated ghost markers for unknown hops</span>
            <label><input type="checkbox" id="liveRealisticToggle" aria-describedby="realisticDesc"> Realistic</label>
            <span id="realisticDesc" class="sr-only">Buffer packets by hash and animate all paths simultaneously</span>
+            <label><input type="checkbox" id="liveColorHashToggle" aria-describedby="colorHashDesc"> Color by hash</label>
+            <span id="colorHashDesc" class="sr-only">Color flying-packet dots and contrails by packet hash for propagation tracing</span>
            <label><input type="checkbox" id="liveMatrixToggle" aria-describedby="matrixDesc"> Matrix</label>
            <span id="matrixDesc" class="sr-only">Animate packet hex bytes flowing along paths like the Matrix</span>
            <label><input type="checkbox" id="liveMatrixRainToggle" aria-describedby="rainDesc"> Rain</label>
@@ -833,6 +841,12 @@
            <span id="audioDesc" class="sr-only">Sonify packets — turn raw bytes into generative music</span>
            <label><input type="checkbox" id="liveFavoritesToggle" aria-describedby="favDesc"> ⭐ Favorites</label>
            <span id="favDesc" class="sr-only">Show only favorited and claimed nodes</span>
+            <div class="live-node-filter-wrap">
+              <input type="text" id="liveNodeFilterInput" list="liveNodeFilterList" placeholder="Filter by node…" autocomplete="off" class="live-node-filter-input">
+              <datalist id="liveNodeFilterList"></datalist>
+              <button id="liveNodeFilterClear" class="vcr-btn" title="Clear node filter" style="display:none">×</button>
+            </div>
+            <div id="liveNodeFilterCount" class="live-filter-count hidden"></div>
            <label id="liveGeoFilterLabel" style="display:none"><input type="checkbox" id="liveGeoFilterToggle"> Mesh live area</label>
          </div>
          <div class="audio-controls hidden" id="audioControls">
@@ -983,6 +997,14 @@
      localStorage.setItem('live-realistic-propagation', realisticPropagation);
    });

+    const colorHashToggle = document.getElementById('liveColorHashToggle');
+    colorHashToggle.checked = colorByHash;
+    colorHashToggle.addEventListener('change', (e) => {
+      colorByHash = e.target.checked;
+      localStorage.setItem('meshcore-color-packets-by-hash', colorByHash);
+      window.dispatchEvent(new Event('storage'));
+    });
+
    const favoritesToggle = document.getElementById('liveFavoritesToggle');
    favoritesToggle.checked = showOnlyFavorites;
    favoritesToggle.addEventListener('change', (e) => {
@@ -991,6 +1013,35 @@
      applyFavoritesFilter();
    });

+    // Node filter input
+    const nodeFilterInput = document.getElementById('liveNodeFilterInput');
+    const nodeFilterClear = document.getElementById('liveNodeFilterClear');
+    if (nodeFilterInput) {
+      // Restore from URL param or localStorage
+      const urlNode = getHashParams && getHashParams().get('node');
+      if (urlNode) setNodeFilter(urlNode.split(',').map(s => s.trim()).filter(Boolean));
+      else if (nodeFilterKeys.length) updateNodeFilterUI();
+
+      nodeFilterInput.addEventListener('change', (e) => {
+        const val = e.target.value.trim();
+        setNodeFilter(val ? val.split(',').map(s => s.trim()).filter(Boolean) : []);
+        const params = getHashParams ? getHashParams() : new URLSearchParams();
+        if (nodeFilterKeys.length) params.set('node', nodeFilterKeys.join(','));
+        else params.delete('node');
+        const base = location.hash.split('?')[0];
+        const qs = params.toString();
+        location.hash = base + (qs ? '?' + qs : '');
+      });
+    }
+    if (nodeFilterClear) {
+      nodeFilterClear.addEventListener('click', () => {
+        if (nodeFilterInput) nodeFilterInput.value = '';
+        setNodeFilter([]);
+        const base = location.hash.split('?')[0];
+        location.hash = base;
+      });
+    }
+
    // Geo filter overlay
    (async function () {
      try {
@@ -1656,6 +1707,47 @@
    return getFavoritePubkeys().some(f => f === pubkey);
  }

+  function packetInvolvesFilterNode(pkt, filterKeys) {
+    if (!filterKeys.length) return true;
+    const hops = (pkt.decoded?.path?.hops) || [];
+    for (const hop of hops) {
+      const h = (hop.id || hop.public_key || hop).toString().toLowerCase();
+      if (filterKeys.some(f => f.toLowerCase().startsWith(h) || h.startsWith(f.toLowerCase()))) return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  function setNodeFilter(keys) {
+    nodeFilterKeys = keys;
+    nodeFilterTotal = 0;
+    nodeFilterShown = 0;
+    localStorage.setItem('live-node-filter', keys.join(','));
+    updateNodeFilterUI();
+  }
+
+  function updateNodeFilterUI() {
+    const countEl = document.getElementById('liveNodeFilterCount');
+    const clearBtn = document.getElementById('liveNodeFilterClear');
+    const input = document.getElementById('liveNodeFilterInput');
+    if (nodeFilterKeys.length > 0) {
+      if (clearBtn) clearBtn.style.display = '';
+      if (countEl) { countEl.textContent = `Showing ${nodeFilterShown} of ${nodeFilterTotal}`; countEl.classList.remove('hidden'); }
+      if (input && input.value !== nodeFilterKeys.join(', ')) input.value = nodeFilterKeys.join(', ');
+    } else {
+      if (clearBtn) clearBtn.style.display = 'none';
+      if (countEl) countEl.classList.add('hidden');
+    }
+    updateNodeFilterDatalist();
+  }
+
+  function updateNodeFilterDatalist() {
+    const dl = document.getElementById('liveNodeFilterList');
+    if (!dl) return;
+    dl.innerHTML = Object.values(nodeData).map(n =>
+      `<option value="${n.public_key}">${n.name || n.public_key.slice(0, 8)}</option>`
+    ).join('');
+  }
+
  function rebuildFeedList() {
    const feed = document.getElementById('liveFeed');
    if (!feed) return;
@@ -1862,6 +1954,9 @@
  window._liveGetFavoritePubkeys = getFavoritePubkeys;
  window._livePacketInvolvesFavorite = packetInvolvesFavorite;
  window._liveIsNodeFavorited = isNodeFavorited;
+  window._livePacketInvolvesFilterNode = packetInvolvesFilterNode;
+  window._liveGetNodeFilterKeys = function() { return nodeFilterKeys; };
+  window._liveSetNodeFilter = setNodeFilter;
  window._liveFormatLiveTimestampHtml = formatLiveTimestampHtml;
  window._liveResolveHopPositions = resolveHopPositions;
  window._liveVcrSpeedCycle = vcrSpeedCycle;
@@ -1952,6 +2047,14 @@
    // --- Favorites filter ---
    if (showOnlyFavorites && !packets.some(function(p) { return packetInvolvesFavorite(p); })) return;

+    // --- Node filter ---
+    if (nodeFilterKeys.length) {
+      nodeFilterTotal++;
+      if (!packets.some(function(p) { return packetInvolvesFilterNode(p, nodeFilterKeys); })) return;
+      nodeFilterShown++;
+      updateNodeFilterUI();
+    }
+
    // --- Ensure ADVERT nodes appear on map ---
    for (var pi = 0; pi < packets.length; pi++) {
      var pkt = packets[pi];
@@ -2068,7 +2171,7 @@
        var completedPositions = allPaths[ai].hopPositions.slice(0, hopsCompleted + 1);
        var remainingPositions = allPaths[ai].hopPositions.slice(hopsCompleted);
        if (completedPositions.length >= 2) {
-          animatePath(completedPositions, typeName, color, allPaths[ai].raw, onHop);
+          animatePath(completedPositions, typeName, color, allPaths[ai].raw, onHop, first.hash);
        } else if (completedPositions.length === 1) {
          pulseNode(completedPositions[0].key, completedPositions[0].pos, typeName);
        }
@@ -2076,7 +2179,7 @@
          drawDashedPath(remainingPositions, color);
        }
      } else {
-        animatePath(allPaths[ai].hopPositions, typeName, color, allPaths[ai].raw, onHop);
+        animatePath(allPaths[ai].hopPositions, typeName, color, allPaths[ai].raw, onHop, first.hash);
      }
    }
  }
@@ -2185,7 +2288,7 @@
    return raw.filter(h => h.pos != null);
  }

-  function animatePath(hopPositions, typeName, color, rawHex, onHop) {
+  function animatePath(hopPositions, typeName, color, rawHex, onHop, hash) {
    if (!animLayer || !pathsLayer) return;
    if (activeAnims >= MAX_CONCURRENT_ANIMS) return;
    activeAnims++;
@@ -2237,7 +2340,7 @@
        const nextGhost = hopPositions[hopIndex + 1].ghost;
        const lineColor = (isGhost || nextGhost) ? '#94a3b8' : color;
        const lineOpacity = (isGhost || nextGhost) ? 0.3 : undefined;
-        drawAnimatedLine(hp.pos, nextPos, lineColor, () => { hopIndex++; nextHop(); }, lineOpacity, rawHex);
+        drawAnimatedLine(hp.pos, nextPos, lineColor, () => { hopIndex++; nextHop(); }, lineOpacity, rawHex, hash);
      } else {
        if (!isGhost) pulseNode(hp.key, hp.pos, typeName);
        hopIndex++; nextHop();
@@ -2592,7 +2695,7 @@
    requestAnimationFrame(tick);
  }

-  function drawAnimatedLine(from, to, color, onComplete, overrideOpacity, rawHex) {
+  function drawAnimatedLine(from, to, color, onComplete, overrideOpacity, rawHex, hash) {
    if (!animLayer || !pathsLayer) { if (onComplete) onComplete(); return; }
    if (matrixMode) return drawMatrixLine(from, to, color, onComplete, rawHex);
    const steps = 20;
@@ -2603,17 +2706,30 @@
    const mainOpacity = overrideOpacity ?? 0.8;
    const isDashed = overrideOpacity != null;

+    // Hash-derived color for fill + contrail + outline (when toggle ON and not ghost/dashed line)
+    var hashFill = '#fff';
+    var hashOutline = color;
+    var contrailColor = color;
+    if (colorByHash && hash && !isDashed && window.HashColor) {
+      var hsl = HashColor.hashToHsl(hash, _liveTheme());
+      hashFill = hsl;
+      hashOutline = HashColor.hashToOutline(hash, _liveTheme());
+      contrailColor = hsl;
+    }
+
    const contrail = L.polyline([from], {
-      color: color, weight: 6, opacity: mainOpacity * 0.2, lineCap: 'round'
+      color: contrailColor, weight: 6, opacity: mainOpacity * 0.2, lineCap: 'round'
    }).addTo(pathsLayer);

    const line = L.polyline([from], {
-      color: color, weight: isDashed ? 1.5 : 2, opacity: mainOpacity, lineCap: 'round',
-      dashArray: isDashed ? '4 6' : null
+      color: (colorByHash && hash && !isDashed && window.HashColor) ? hashFill : color,
+      weight: isDashed ? 1.5 : 2, opacity: mainOpacity, lineCap: 'round',
+      dashArray: isDashed ? '4 6' : null,
+      className: 'live-packet-trace'
    }).addTo(pathsLayer);

    const dot = L.circleMarker(from, {
-      radius: 3.5, fillColor: '#fff', fillOpacity: 1, color: color, weight: 1.5
+      radius: 3.5, fillColor: hashFill, fillOpacity: 1, color: hashOutline, weight: 1.5
    }).addTo(animLayer);

    let lastStep = performance.now();
@@ -2745,6 +2861,10 @@
    item.setAttribute('tabindex', '0');
    item.setAttribute('role', 'button');
    item.style.cursor = 'pointer';
+    // Hash-color stripe for feed items (mirrors packets table border-left)
+    if (colorByHash && pkt.hash && window.HashColor) {
+      item.style.borderLeft = '4px solid ' + HashColor.hashToHsl(pkt.hash, _liveTheme());
+    }
    // Channel color highlighting for GRP_TXT packets (#271)
    var _cs = _getChannelStyle(pkt);
    if (_cs) item.style.cssText += _cs;
@@ -2828,6 +2948,10 @@
    item.setAttribute('role', 'button');
    if (hash) item.setAttribute('data-hash', hash);
    item.style.cursor = 'pointer';
+    // Hash-color stripe for feed items (mirrors packets table border-left)
+    if (colorByHash && hash && window.HashColor) {
+      item.style.borderLeft = '4px solid ' + HashColor.hashToHsl(hash, _liveTheme());
+    }
    // Channel color highlighting for GRP_TXT packets (#271)
    var _chanStyle = _getChannelStyle(pkt);
    if (_chanStyle) item.style.cssText += _chanStyle;
@@ -102,8 +102,21 @@

  async function init(container) {
    container.innerHTML = `
-      <div id="map-wrap" style="position:relative;width:100%;height:100%;">
-        <div id="leaflet-map" style="width:100%;height:100%;"></div>
+      <div id="map-wrap" style="position:relative;width:100%;height:100%;display:flex;">
+        <div id="leaflet-map" style="flex:1 1 0%;height:100%;"></div>
+        <div class="map-side-pane" id="mapSidePane">
+          <div class="pane-toggle" id="mapPaneToggle" title="Path Inspector">◀</div>
+          <div class="pane-content">
+            <h3 style="margin:0 0 8px 0;font-size:14px;">Path Inspector</h3>
+            <p style="font-size:11px;color:var(--text-muted);margin:0 0 8px 0;">Hex prefixes (1-3 bytes), comma or space separated.</p>
+            <div style="display:flex;gap:4px;margin-bottom:8px;">
+              <input type="text" id="mapPiInput" class="input" placeholder="2C,A1,F4" style="flex:1;">
+              <button id="mapPiSubmit" class="btn btn-primary btn-sm">Go</button>
+            </div>
+            <div id="mapPiError" class="path-inspector-error"></div>
+            <div id="mapPiResults"></div>
+          </div>
+        </div>
        <button class="map-controls-toggle" id="mapControlsToggle" aria-label="Toggle map controls" aria-expanded="true">⚙️</button>
        <div class="map-controls" id="mapControls" role="region" aria-label="Map controls">
          <h3>🗺️ Map Controls</h3>
@@ -375,6 +388,14 @@
  }

  function drawPacketRoute(hopKeys, origin) {
+    // Defensive: origin must be an object with pubkey/lat/lon/name. A bare
+    // string slips through both branches at lines below and silently no-ops
+    // the originator marker (caused PR #950's bug). Coerce string → object
+    // and warn so callers get a clear signal.
+    if (typeof origin === 'string') {
+      console.warn('drawPacketRoute: origin should be an object {pubkey,lat,lon,name}, got string. Coercing.');
+      origin = { pubkey: origin };
+    }
    // Hide default markers so only the route is visible
    if (markerLayer) map.removeLayer(markerLayer);
    if (clusterGroup) map.removeLayer(clusterGroup);
@@ -553,10 +574,32 @@
        }
      }

+      // Check for pending path inspector route (cross-page navigation from Path Inspector).
+      if (window._pendingPathInspectorRoute) {
+        var pending = window._pendingPathInspectorRoute;
+        delete window._pendingPathInspectorRoute;
+        if (pending.path && pending.path.length > 0) {
+          if (window.routeLayer) window.routeLayer.clearLayers();
+          // Pass full path as hopKeys; null origin (origin is already the first
+          // hop). slice(1) + path[0] string was wrong — drawPacketRoute expects
+          // origin to be an OBJECT with pubkey/lat/lon, and stripping the head
+          // hid the originating node from the route polyline.
+          drawPacketRoute(pending.path, null);
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Wire up map side pane (Path Inspector embedded - spec §2.7).
+      initMapSidePane();
+
      // Don't fitBounds on initial load — respect the Bay Area default or saved view
      // Only fitBounds on subsequent data refreshes if user hasn't manually panned
    } catch (e) {
      console.error('Map load error:', e);
+    } finally {
+      // Always signal data-loaded — even on error — so E2E tests can proceed.
+      // Otherwise an api() failure leaves the test waiting forever.
+      var mapContainer = document.getElementById('leaflet-map');
+      if (mapContainer) mapContainer.setAttribute('data-loaded', 'true');
    }
  }

@@ -981,6 +1024,122 @@
    map.fitBounds(bounds, { padding: [50, 50], maxZoom: 14 });
  }

+  // === Map Side Pane — Path Inspector (spec §2.7) ===
+  function initMapSidePane() {
+    var pane = document.getElementById('mapSidePane');
+    var toggle = document.getElementById('mapPaneToggle');
+    var input = document.getElementById('mapPiInput');
+    var btn = document.getElementById('mapPiSubmit');
+    if (!pane || !toggle) return;
+
+    toggle.addEventListener('click', function () {
+      pane.classList.toggle('expanded');
+      toggle.textContent = pane.classList.contains('expanded') ? '▶' : '◀';
+      // Invalidate map size after transition.
+      setTimeout(function () { if (map) map.invalidateSize(); }, 220);
+    });
+
+    if (btn && input) {
+      btn.addEventListener('click', function () { mapPiSubmit(input.value); });
+      input.addEventListener('keydown', function (e) {
+        if (e.key === 'Enter') mapPiSubmit(input.value);
+      });
+    }
+
+    // Auto-open if URL has prefixes param while on map.
+    var params = new URLSearchParams(location.hash.split('?')[1] || '');
+    var prefixParam = params.get('prefixes');
+    if (prefixParam && input) {
+      pane.classList.add('expanded');
+      toggle.textContent = '▶';
+      input.value = prefixParam;
+      setTimeout(function () { if (map) map.invalidateSize(); }, 220);
+      mapPiSubmit(prefixParam);
+    }
+  }
+
+  function mapPiSubmit(raw) {
+    var errDiv = document.getElementById('mapPiError');
+    var resultsDiv = document.getElementById('mapPiResults');
+    if (!errDiv || !resultsDiv) return;
+    errDiv.textContent = '';
+    resultsDiv.innerHTML = '';
+
+    // Reuse PathInspector validation if available.
+    var prefixes = raw.trim().split(/[\s,]+/).filter(function (s) { return s.length > 0; }).map(function (s) { return s.toLowerCase(); });
+    var err = (window.PathInspector && window.PathInspector.validatePrefixes) ? window.PathInspector.validatePrefixes(prefixes) : null;
+    if (!err && prefixes.length === 0) err = 'Enter at least one prefix.';
+    if (err) { errDiv.textContent = err; return; }
+
+    resultsDiv.innerHTML = '<p style="font-size:12px;">Loading...</p>';
+    fetch('/api/paths/inspect', {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify({ prefixes: prefixes })
+    })
+      .then(function (r) {
+        if (r.status === 503) return r.json().then(function () { throw new Error('Service warming up, retry shortly.'); });
+        if (!r.ok) return r.json().then(function (d) { throw new Error(d.error || 'Request failed'); });
+        return r.json();
+      })
+      .then(function (data) { renderMapPiResults(data, resultsDiv); })
+      .catch(function (e) { resultsDiv.innerHTML = ''; errDiv.textContent = e.message; });
+  }
+
+  function renderMapPiResults(data, div) {
+    if (!data.candidates || data.candidates.length === 0) {
+      div.innerHTML = '<p style="font-size:12px;color:var(--text-muted);">No candidates found.</p>';
+      return;
+    }
+    var html = '<table class="path-inspector-table" style="font-size:11px;width:100%;"><thead><tr><th>#</th><th>Score</th><th>Path</th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody>';
+    for (var i = 0; i < data.candidates.length; i++) {
+      var c = data.candidates[i];
+      var rowClass = c.speculative ? 'speculative-row' : '';
+      html += '<tr class="' + rowClass + '">';
+      html += '<td>' + (i + 1) + '</td>';
+      html += '<td class="' + (c.speculative ? 'speculative-warning' : '') + '">' + c.score.toFixed(2) + (c.speculative ? ' ⚠' : '') + '</td>';
+      html += '<td title="' + safeEsc(c.names.join(' → ')) + '">' + safeEsc(c.names.slice(0, 3).join('→')) + (c.names.length > 3 ? '…' : '') + '</td>';
+      html += '<td><button class="btn btn-sm" data-idx="' + i + '" title="Show on Map">📍</button></td>';
+      html += '</tr>';
+      // Per-hop evidence (collapsed).
+      html += '<tr class="evidence-row collapsed" data-evidence="' + i + '"><td colspan="4"><div class="evidence-detail" style="font-size:10px;">';
+      if (c.evidence && c.evidence.perHop) {
+        for (var j = 0; j < c.evidence.perHop.length; j++) {
+          var h = c.evidence.perHop[j];
+          html += '<div>Hop ' + (j+1) + ': ' + h.prefix + ' (×' + h.candidatesConsidered + ') w=' + h.edgeWeight.toFixed(2);
+          if (h.alternatives && h.alternatives.length > 0) {
+            html += ' <span style="color:var(--text-muted);">[+' + h.alternatives.length + ' alt]</span>';
+          }
+          html += '</div>';
+        }
+      }
+      html += '</div></td></tr>';
+    }
+    html += '</tbody></table>';
+    div.innerHTML = html;
+
+    // Wire buttons.
+    div.querySelectorAll('button[data-idx]').forEach(function (btn) {
+      btn.addEventListener('click', function () {
+        var idx = parseInt(btn.dataset.idx);
+        var cand = data.candidates[idx];
+        if (routeLayer) routeLayer.clearLayers();
+        drawPacketRoute(cand.path, null);
+      });
+    });
+    // Expand evidence on row click.
+    div.querySelectorAll('.path-inspector-table tbody tr:not(.evidence-row)').forEach(function (row) {
+      row.style.cursor = 'pointer';
+      row.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
+        if (e.target.tagName === 'BUTTON') return;
+        var b = row.querySelector('button[data-idx]');
+        if (!b) return;
+        var ev = div.querySelector('tr[data-evidence="' + b.dataset.idx + '"]');
+        if (ev) ev.classList.toggle('collapsed');
+      });
+    });
+  }
+
  function destroy() {
    if (wsHandler) offWS(wsHandler);
    wsHandler = null;
@@ -815,6 +815,41 @@
   * Shared between the full-screen detail page and the side panel (#813, #690).
   * No-op if the container is missing, the API errors, or the response lacks severity.
   */
+  /** Build collapsible evidence panel for node clock skew card */
+  function buildEvidencePanel(cs) {
+    var evidence = cs.recentHashEvidence;
+    if (!evidence || evidence.length === 0) return '';
+
+    var calSum = cs.calibrationSummary || {};
+    var calLine = calSum.totalSamples
+      ? '<div style="font-size:11px;color:var(--text-muted);margin-bottom:6px">Last ' + calSum.totalSamples + ' samples: ' + (calSum.calibratedSamples || 0) + ' corrected via observer calibration, ' + (calSum.uncalibratedSamples || 0) + ' uncorrected (single-observer).</div>'
+      : '';
+
+    // Severity reason.
+    var skewVal = window.currentSkewValue(cs);
+    var sampleCount = (cs.samples || []).length;
+    var sevLabel = SKEW_SEVERITY_LABELS[cs.severity] || cs.severity;
+    var reasonLine = '<div style="font-size:12px;margin-bottom:8px"><strong>Recent ' + sampleCount + ' adverts median ' + formatSkew(skewVal) + ' → ' + sevLabel + '</strong></div>';
+
+    var hashBlocks = evidence.map(function(ev) {
+      var shortHash = (ev.hash || '').substring(0, 8) + '…';
+      var obsCount = ev.observers ? ev.observers.length : 0;
+      var header = '<div style="font-weight:600;font-size:12px;margin-top:6px">Hash ' + shortHash + '  ·  ' + obsCount + ' observer' + (obsCount !== 1 ? 's' : '') + '  ·  median corrected: ' + formatSkew(ev.medianCorrectedSkewSec) + '</div>';
+      var lines = (ev.observers || []).map(function(o) {
+        var name = o.observerName || o.observerID;
+        return '<div style="font-size:11px;padding-left:16px;font-family:var(--mono)">' +
+          name + '   raw=' + formatSkew(o.rawSkewSec) + '  corrected=' + formatSkew(o.correctedSkewSec) + '  (observer offset ' + formatSkew(o.observerOffsetSec) + ')' +
+          '</div>';
+      }).join('');
+      return header + lines;
+    }).join('');
+
+    return '<details style="margin-top:10px"><summary style="cursor:pointer;font-size:12px;color:var(--text-muted)">Evidence (' + evidence.length + ' hashes)</summary>' +
+      '<div style="margin-top:6px;padding:8px;background:var(--bg-secondary);border-radius:6px">' +
+      reasonLine + calLine + hashBlocks +
+      '</div></details>';
+  }
+
  async function loadClockSkewInto(container, pubkey) {
    if (!container) return;
    try {
@@ -841,7 +876,8 @@
        '</div>' +
        driftHtml +
        (sparkHtml ? '<div class="skew-sparkline-wrap" style="margin-top:8px">' + sparkHtml + '<div style="font-size:10px;color:var(--text-muted)">Skew over time (' + (cs.samples || []).length + ' samples)</div></div>' : '') +
-        bimodalWarning;
+        bimodalWarning +
+        buildEvidencePanel(cs);
    } catch (e) {
      // Non-fatal — section stays hidden
    }
@@ -955,6 +991,10 @@
      console.error('Failed to load nodes:', e);
      const tbody = document.getElementById('nodesBody');
      if (tbody) tbody.innerHTML = '<tr><td colspan="6" class="text-center" style="padding:24px;color:var(--error,#ef4444)"><div role="alert" aria-live="polite">Failed to load nodes. Please try again.</div></td></tr>';
+    } finally {
+      // Always signal data-loaded — even on error — so E2E tests can proceed.
+      var nodesContainer = document.getElementById('nodesLeft') || document.getElementById('nodesBody');
+      if (nodesContainer) nodesContainer.setAttribute('data-loaded', 'true');
    }
  }

@@ -1144,6 +1184,19 @@
    makeColumnsResizable('#nodesTable', 'meshcore-nodes-col-widths');
  }

+  /**
+   * Navigate to the full-screen node view for `pubkey` from anywhere within
+   * the nodes module. Single source of navigation truth — works regardless
+   * of current hash state (hash assignment alone is a no-op when the hash
+   * is already the target).
+   */
+  function navigateToNode(pubkey) {
+    destroy();
+    var appEl = document.getElementById('app');
+    history.replaceState(null, '', '#/nodes/' + encodeURIComponent(pubkey));
+    init(appEl, pubkey);
+  }
+
  async function selectNode(pubkey) {
    // On mobile, navigate to full-screen node view
    if (window.innerWidth <= 640) {
@@ -1307,12 +1360,11 @@
      } catch {}
    }

-    // #856: Wire "Details" button to navigate to full-screen node view
+    // Wire "Details" button via the unified navigateToNode helper
    var detailBtn = panel.querySelector('.node-detail-btn');
    if (detailBtn) {
      detailBtn.addEventListener('click', function() {
-        var pk = detailBtn.getAttribute('data-pubkey');
-        location.hash = '#/nodes/' + pk;
+        navigateToNode(decodeURIComponent(detailBtn.getAttribute('data-pubkey')));
      });
    }

@@ -70,18 +70,24 @@
    try {
      destroyCharts();
      chartDefaults();
-      const [obs, analytics] = await Promise.all([
+      const [obs, analytics, obsSkewArr] = await Promise.all([
        api('/observers/' + encodeURIComponent(currentId)),
        api('/observers/' + encodeURIComponent(currentId) + '/analytics?days=' + currentDays),
+        api('/observers/clock-skew', { ttl: 30000 }).catch(function() { return []; }),
      ]);
-      renderDetail(obs, analytics);
+      // Find this observer's calibration data.
+      var obsSkew = null;
+      (Array.isArray(obsSkewArr) ? obsSkewArr : []).forEach(function(s) {
+        if (s && s.observerID === currentId) obsSkew = s;
+      });
+      renderDetail(obs, analytics, obsSkew);
    } catch (e) {
      document.getElementById('obsDetailContent').innerHTML =
        '<div class="text-muted" style="padding:40px">Error: ' + e.message + '</div>';
    }
  }

-  function renderDetail(obs, analytics) {
+  function renderDetail(obs, analytics, obsSkew) {
    const el = document.getElementById('obsDetailContent');
    if (!el) return;

@@ -154,6 +160,18 @@
      <div class="mono" style="font-size:0.75em;color:var(--text-muted);margin-bottom:20px;word-break:break-all">
        ID: ${obs.id}
      </div>
+      ${obsSkew && obsSkew.samples > 0 ? `
+      <div class="node-full-card skew-detail-section" style="margin-bottom:20px;padding:12px">
+        <h4 style="margin:0 0 6px">⏰ Clock Offset</h4>
+        <div style="display:flex;align-items:center;gap:12px;flex-wrap:wrap">
+          <span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;font-family:var(--mono)">${formatSkew(obsSkew.offsetSec)}</span>
+          ${renderSkewBadge(observerSkewSeverity(obsSkew.offsetSec), obsSkew.offsetSec)}
+          <span class="text-muted" style="font-size:12px">${obsSkew.samples} sample${obsSkew.samples !== 1 ? 's' : ''}</span>
+        </div>
+        <div style="font-size:12px;color:var(--text-muted);margin-top:8px;max-width:600px">
+          <strong>How this is computed:</strong> when this observer and another observer see the same packet, we compare their receive timestamps. The median deviation across all multi-observer packets is this observer's offset.
+        </div>
+      </div>` : ''}
      <div class="obs-charts" style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(400px,1fr));gap:16px">
        <div class="chart-card" style="padding:12px">
          <h3 style="margin:0 0 8px;font-size:0.95em">Packets Over Time</h3>
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@

 (function () {
  let observers = [];
+  let obsSkewMap = {}; // observerID → {offsetSec, samples}
  let wsHandler = null;
  let refreshTimer = null;
  let regionChangeHandler = null;
@@ -51,12 +52,20 @@
    if (regionChangeHandler) RegionFilter.offChange(regionChangeHandler);
    regionChangeHandler = null;
    observers = [];
+    obsSkewMap = {};
  }

  async function loadObservers() {
    try {
-      const data = await api('/observers', { ttl: CLIENT_TTL.observers });
+      const [data, skewData] = await Promise.all([
+        api('/observers', { ttl: CLIENT_TTL.observers }),
+        api('/observers/clock-skew', { ttl: 30000 }).catch(function() { return []; })
+      ]);
      observers = data.observers || [];
+      obsSkewMap = {};
+      (Array.isArray(skewData) ? skewData : []).forEach(function(s) {
+        if (s && s.observerID) obsSkewMap[s.observerID] = s;
+      });
      render();
    } catch (e) {
      document.getElementById('obsContent').innerHTML =
@@ -124,7 +133,7 @@
        <caption class="sr-only">Observer status and statistics</caption>
        <thead><tr>
          <th scope="col">Status</th><th scope="col">Name</th><th scope="col">Region</th><th scope="col">Last Seen</th>
-          <th scope="col">Packets</th><th scope="col">Packets/Hour</th><th scope="col">Uptime</th>
+          <th scope="col">Packets</th><th scope="col">Packets/Hour</th><th scope="col">Clock Offset</th><th scope="col">Uptime</th>
        </tr></thead>
        <tbody>${filtered.map(o => {
          const h = healthStatus(o.last_seen);
@@ -136,6 +145,12 @@
            <td>${timeAgo(o.last_seen)}</td>
            <td>${(o.packet_count || 0).toLocaleString()}</td>
            <td>${sparkBar(o.packetsLastHour || 0, maxPktsHr)}</td>
+            <td>${(function() {
+              var sk = obsSkewMap[o.id];
+              if (!sk || sk.samples == null || sk.samples === 0) return '<span class="text-muted">—</span>';
+              var sev = observerSkewSeverity(sk.offsetSec);
+              return renderSkewBadge(sev, sk.offsetSec) + ' <span class="text-muted" title="Computed from ' + sk.samples + ' multi-observer packets. Positive = observer ahead of consensus.">(' + sk.samples + ')</span>';
+            })()}</td>
            <td>${uptimeStr(o.first_seen)}</td>
          </tr>`;
        }).join('')}</tbody>
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
    return o.iata ? `${o.name} (${o.iata})` : o.name;
  }
  let selectedId = null;
+  function _isColorByHash() { return localStorage.getItem('meshcore-color-packets-by-hash') !== 'false'; }
+  function _currentTheme() { return document.documentElement.dataset.theme || (window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)').matches ? 'dark' : 'light'); }
+  function _hashStripeStyle(hash) { return _isColorByHash() && hash && window.HashColor ? 'border-left:4px solid ' + HashColor.hashToHsl(hash, _currentTheme()) + ';' : ''; }
  let groupByHash = true;
  let filters = {};
  { const o = localStorage.getItem('meshcore-observer-filter'); if (o) filters.observer = o;
@@ -23,7 +26,7 @@
  let observers = [];
  let observerMap = new Map(); // id → observer for O(1) lookups (#383)
  let regionMap = {};
-  const TYPE_NAMES = { 0:'Request', 1:'Response', 2:'Direct Msg', 3:'ACK', 4:'Advert', 5:'Channel Msg', 7:'Anon Req', 8:'Path', 9:'Trace', 11:'Control' };
+  const TYPE_NAMES = { 0:'Request', 1:'Response', 2:'Direct Msg', 3:'ACK', 4:'Advert', 5:'Channel Msg', 6:'Group Data', 7:'Anon Req', 8:'Path', 9:'Trace', 10:'Multipart', 11:'Control', 15:'Raw Custom' };
  function typeName(t) { return TYPE_NAMES[t] ?? `Type ${t}`; }
  const isMobile = window.innerWidth <= 1024;
  const PACKET_LIMIT = isMobile ? 1000 : 50000;
@@ -389,7 +392,7 @@
              expandedHashes.add(h);
              const obsPacket = {...data.packet, observer_id: obs.observer_id, observer_name: obs.observer_name, snr: obs.snr, rssi: obs.rssi, path_json: obs.path_json, resolved_path: obs.resolved_path, direction: obs.direction, timestamp: obs.timestamp, first_seen: obs.timestamp};
              clearParsedCache(obsPacket);
-              selectPacket(obs.id, h, {packet: obsPacket, breakdown: data.breakdown, observations: data.observations}, obs.id);
+              selectPacket(obs.id, h, {packet: obsPacket, observations: data.observations}, obs.id);
            } else {
              selectPacket(data.packet.id, h, data);
            }
@@ -468,6 +471,9 @@

      // Check if new packets pass current filters
      const filtered = newPkts.filter(p => {
+        // When user pinned a hash, accept ONLY that exact packet — bypass all
+        // other filters (window/region/type/observer/node).
+        if (filters.hash) return p.hash === filters.hash;
        // Respect time window filter — drop packets outside the selected window
        const windowMin = savedTimeWindowMin;
        if (windowMin > 0) {
@@ -477,7 +483,6 @@
        }
        if (filters.type) { const types = filters.type.split(',').map(Number); if (!types.includes(p.payload_type)) return false; }
        if (filters.observer) { const obsSet = new Set(filters.observer.split(',')); if (!obsSet.has(p.observer_id) && !(p._children && p._children.some(c => obsSet.has(String(c.observer_id))))) return false; }
-        if (filters.hash && p.hash !== filters.hash) return false;
        if (RegionFilter.getRegionParam()) {
          const selectedRegions = RegionFilter.getRegionParam().split(',');
          const obs = observerMap.get(p.observer_id);
@@ -519,7 +524,7 @@
              if (p.decoded_json) existing.decoded_json = p.decoded_json;
              // Update expanded children if this group is expanded
              if (expandedHashes.has(h) && existing._children) {
-                existing._children.unshift(p);
+                existing._children.unshift(clearParsedCache({...p, _isObservation: true}));
                if (existing._children.length > 200) existing._children.length = 200;
                sortGroupChildren(existing);
                // Invalidate row counts — child count changed, so virtual scroll
@@ -610,27 +615,52 @@
    } catch {}
  }

-  async function loadPackets() {
-    try {
-      const params = new URLSearchParams();
-      const selectedWindow = Number(document.getElementById('fTimeWindow')?.value);
-      const windowMin = Number.isFinite(selectedWindow) ? selectedWindow : savedTimeWindowMin;
-      if (windowMin > 0 && !filters.hash) {
-        const since = new Date(Date.now() - windowMin * 60000).toISOString();
-        params.set('since', since);
-      }
-      params.set('limit', String(PACKET_LIMIT));
-      const regionParam = RegionFilter.getRegionParam();
-      if (regionParam) params.set('region', regionParam);
-      if (filters.hash) params.set('hash', filters.hash);
-      if (filters.node) params.set('node', filters.node);
-      if (filters.observer) params.set('observer', filters.observer);
-      if (filters.channel) params.set('channel', filters.channel);
+  // Build URLSearchParams for /api/packets given UI state. Pure function for
+  // testability — returns the params object the next call to /api/packets
+  // would use. The hash filter is an exact identifier: when present it
+  // suppresses ALL other filters (region, time window, observer, node,
+  // channel). The user is asking for THAT packet regardless of saved
+  // selections.
+  function buildPacketsParams({ filters, regionParam, windowMin, groupByHash, limit }) {
+    const params = new URLSearchParams();
+    if (filters.hash) {
+      params.set('hash', filters.hash);
+      params.set('limit', String(limit));
      if (groupByHash) {
        params.set('groupByHash', 'true');
      } else {
        params.set('expand', 'observations');
      }
+      return params;
+    }
+    if (windowMin > 0) {
+      const since = new Date(Date.now() - windowMin * 60000).toISOString();
+      params.set('since', since);
+    }
+    params.set('limit', String(limit));
+    if (regionParam) params.set('region', regionParam);
+    if (filters.node) params.set('node', filters.node);
+    if (filters.observer) params.set('observer', filters.observer);
+    if (filters.channel) params.set('channel', filters.channel);
+    if (groupByHash) {
+      params.set('groupByHash', 'true');
+    } else {
+      params.set('expand', 'observations');
+    }
+    return params;
+  }
+
+  async function loadPackets() {
+    try {
+      const selectedWindow = Number(document.getElementById('fTimeWindow')?.value);
+      const windowMin = Number.isFinite(selectedWindow) ? selectedWindow : savedTimeWindowMin;
+      const params = buildPacketsParams({
+        filters,
+        regionParam: RegionFilter.getRegionParam(),
+        windowMin,
+        groupByHash,
+        limit: PACKET_LIMIT,
+      });

      const data = await api('/packets?' + params.toString());
      packets = data.packets || [];
@@ -683,10 +713,14 @@
      // Restore expanded group children (parallel fetch, Map lookup)
      if (groupByHash && expandedHashes.size > 0) {
        const expandedArr = [...expandedHashes];
+        // Fetch the full packet detail (which includes per-observation rows) for each expanded hash.
+        // Previously this used `/packets?hash=X&limit=20` which returned ONE aggregate row, causing
+        // every "child" row in the table to carry the parent packet.id instead of unique observation
+        // ids — so clicking any child pointed the side pane at the same aggregate. See #866.
        const results = await Promise.all(expandedArr.map(hash => {
          const group = hashIndex.get(hash);
          if (!group) return { hash, group: null, data: null };
-          return api(`/packets?hash=${hash}&limit=20`)
+          return api(`/packets/${hash}`)
            .then(data => ({ hash, group, data }))
            .catch(() => ({ hash, group, data: null }));
        }));
@@ -694,7 +728,15 @@
          if (!group) {
            expandedHashes.delete(hash);
          } else if (data) {
-            group._children = data.packets || [];
+            const pkt = data.packet || group;
+            // Build per-observation children. Spread (pkt, obs) so obs-level fields
+            // (id, observer_id/name, path_json, snr/rssi, timestamp, raw_hex) override
+            // the aggregate. Each child's `id` is the observation id (unique per observer).
+            const obs = data.observations || [];
+            group._children = obs.length
+              ? obs.map(o => clearParsedCache({...pkt, ...o, _isObservation: true}))
+              : [pkt];
+            group._fetchedData = { packet: pkt, observations: obs };
            sortGroupChildren(group);
          }
        }
@@ -706,6 +748,10 @@
      console.error('Failed to load packets:', e);
      const tbody = document.getElementById('pktBody');
      if (tbody) tbody.innerHTML = '<tr><td colspan="' + _getColCount() + '" class="text-center" style="padding:24px;color:var(--error,#ef4444)"><div role="alert" aria-live="polite">Failed to load packets. Please try again.</div></td></tr>';
+    } finally {
+      // Always signal data-loaded — even on error — so E2E tests can proceed.
+      var pktContainer = document.getElementById('pktLeft') || document.getElementById('pktBody');
+      if (pktContainer) pktContainer.setAttribute('data-loaded', 'true');
    }
  }

@@ -1248,7 +1294,7 @@
            const parentData = group._fetchedData;
            const obsPacket = parentData ? {...parentData.packet, observer_id: child.observer_id, observer_name: child.observer_name, snr: child.snr, rssi: child.rssi, path_json: child.path_json, resolved_path: child.resolved_path, direction: child.direction, timestamp: child.timestamp, first_seen: child.timestamp} : child;
            if (parentData) { clearParsedCache(obsPacket); }
-            selectPacket(child.id, parentHash, {packet: obsPacket, breakdown: parentData?.breakdown, observations: parentData?.observations}, child.id);
+            selectPacket(child.id, parentHash, {packet: obsPacket, observations: parentData?.observations}, child.id);
          }
        }
        else if (action === 'select-hash') pktSelectHash(value);
@@ -1320,7 +1366,9 @@
    // Channel color highlighting (#271)
    const _grpDecoded = getParsedDecoded(p) || {};
    const _grpChanStyle = window.ChannelColors ? window.ChannelColors.getRowStyle(_grpDecoded.type || groupTypeName, _grpDecoded.channel) : '';
-    let html = `<tr class="${isSingle ? '' : 'group-header'} ${isExpanded ? 'expanded' : ''}" data-hash="${p.hash}" data-action="${isSingle ? 'select-hash' : 'toggle-select'}" data-value="${p.hash}" data-entry-idx="${entryIdx}" tabindex="0" role="row"${_grpChanStyle ? ' style="' + _grpChanStyle + '"' : ''}>
+    const _grpHashStripe = _hashStripeStyle(p.hash);
+    const _grpStyle = _grpHashStripe + _grpChanStyle;
+    let html = `<tr class="${isSingle ? '' : 'group-header'} ${isExpanded ? 'expanded' : ''}" data-hash="${p.hash}" data-action="${isSingle ? 'select-hash' : 'toggle-select'}" data-value="${p.hash}" data-entry-idx="${entryIdx}" tabindex="0" role="row"${_grpStyle ? ' style="' + _grpStyle + '"' : ''}>
          <td style="width:28px;text-align:center;cursor:pointer">${isSingle ? '' : (isExpanded ? '▼' : '▶')}</td>
          <td class="col-region">${groupRegion ? `<span class="badge-region">${groupRegion}</span>` : '—'}</td>
          <td class="col-time">${renderTimestampCell(p.latest)}</td>
@@ -1346,7 +1394,8 @@
        const childRegion = c.observer_id ? (observerMap.get(c.observer_id)?.iata || '') : '';
        const childPath = getParsedPath(c);
        const childPathStr = renderPath(childPath, c.observer_id);
-        html += `<tr class="group-child" data-id="${c.id}" data-hash="${c.hash || ''}" data-action="select-observation" data-value="${c.id}" data-parent-hash="${p.hash}" data-entry-idx="${entryIdx}" tabindex="0" role="row">
+        const _childHashStripe = _hashStripeStyle(c.hash || p.hash);
+        html += `<tr class="group-child" data-id="${c.id}" data-hash="${c.hash || ''}" data-action="select-observation" data-value="${c.id}" data-parent-hash="${p.hash}" data-entry-idx="${entryIdx}" tabindex="0" role="row"${_childHashStripe ? ' style="' + _childHashStripe + '"' : ''}>
              <td></td><td class="col-region">${childRegion ? `<span class="badge-region">${childRegion}</span>` : '—'}</td>
              <td class="col-time">${renderTimestampCell(c.timestamp)}</td>
              <td class="mono col-hash">${truncate(c.hash || '', 8)}</td>
@@ -1376,7 +1425,9 @@
    const hashBytes = ((parseInt(p.raw_hex?.slice(2, 4), 16) || 0) >> 6) + 1;
    const pathStr = renderPath(pathHops, p.observer_id);
    const detail = getDetailPreview(decoded);
-    return `<tr data-id="${p.id}" data-hash="${p.hash || ''}" data-action="select-hash" data-value="${p.hash || p.id}" data-entry-idx="${entryIdx}" tabindex="0" role="row" class="${selectedId === p.id ? 'selected' : ''}"${_chanStyle ? ' style="' + _chanStyle + '"' : ''}>
+    const _flatHashStripe = _hashStripeStyle(p.hash);
+    const _flatStyle = _flatHashStripe + _chanStyle;
+    return `<tr data-id="${p.id}" data-hash="${p.hash || ''}" data-action="select-hash" data-value="${p.hash || p.id}" data-entry-idx="${entryIdx}" tabindex="0" role="row" class="${selectedId === p.id ? 'selected' : ''}"${_flatStyle ? ' style="' + _flatStyle + '"' : ''}>
        <td></td><td class="col-region">${region ? `<span class="badge-region">${region}</span>` : '—'}</td>
        <td class="col-time">${renderTimestampCell(p.timestamp)}</td>
        <td class="mono col-hash">${truncate(p.hash || String(p.id), 8)}</td>
@@ -1635,7 +1686,14 @@

    // Filter to claimed/favorited nodes — pure client-side filter (no server round-trip)
    let displayPackets = packets;
-    if (filters.myNodes) {
+
+    // When loading a specific packet by hash, bypass ALL client-side filters
+    // (myNodes, type, observer, packet-filter-expression). The user is asking
+    // for THAT exact packet — saved type/observer/expression filters must not
+    // hide it. Hash filter is the exact identifier; nothing else applies.
+    const hashOnly = !!filters.hash;
+
+    if (!hashOnly && filters.myNodes) {
      const myNodes = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('meshcore-my-nodes') || '[]');
      const myKeys = myNodes.map(n => n.pubkey).filter(Boolean);
      const favs = getFavorites();
@@ -1651,11 +1709,11 @@
    }

    // Client-side type/observer filtering
-    if (filters.type) {
+    if (!hashOnly && filters.type) {
      const types = filters.type.split(',').map(Number);
      displayPackets = displayPackets.filter(p => types.includes(p.payload_type));
    }
-    if (filters.observer) {
+    if (!hashOnly && filters.observer) {
      const obsIds = new Set(filters.observer.split(','));
      displayPackets = displayPackets.filter(p => {
        if (obsIds.has(p.observer_id)) return true;
@@ -1666,7 +1724,7 @@

    // Packet Filter Language
    const pfCount = document.getElementById('packetFilterCount');
-    if (filters._packetFilter) {
+    if (!hashOnly && filters._packetFilter) {
      const beforeCount = displayPackets.length;
      displayPackets = displayPackets.filter(filters._packetFilter);
      if (pfCount) {
@@ -1806,8 +1864,6 @@

  async function renderDetail(panel, data, chosenObsId) {
    const pkt = data.packet;
-    const breakdown = data.breakdown || {};
-    const ranges = breakdown.ranges || [];
    const observations = data.observations || [];

    // Per-observation rendering (issue #849):
@@ -1828,6 +1884,15 @@
    const decoded = getParsedDecoded(effectivePkt) || {};
    const pathHops = getParsedPath(effectivePkt) || [];

+    // Compute breakdown ranges from the actually-rendered raw_hex (per-observation).
+    // Single source of truth — derived from the same bytes we display, so a
+    // post-#882 per-obs raw_hex with a different path length than the top-level
+    // packet's raw_hex still gets accurate byte highlights.
+    const obsRawHexForRanges = effectivePkt.raw_hex || pkt.raw_hex || '';
+    const ranges = obsRawHexForRanges
+      ? computeBreakdownRanges(obsRawHexForRanges, pkt.route_type, pkt.payload_type)
+      : [];
+
    // Cross-check: hop count from raw_hex path_len byte vs path_json length
    const obsRawHex = effectivePkt.raw_hex || pkt.raw_hex || '';
    let rawHopCount = null;
@@ -1838,7 +1903,7 @@
      if (!isNaN(plByte)) rawHopCount = plByte & 0x3F;
    }
    if (rawHopCount != null && pathHops.length !== rawHopCount) {
-      console.warn(`[CoreScope] Hop count inconsistency for packet ${pkt.hash}: path_json has ${pathHops.length} hops but raw_hex path_len has ${rawHopCount}. Trusting raw_hex.`);
+      console.warn(`[CoreScope] Hop count inconsistency for packet ${pkt.hash}: path_json has ${pathHops.length} hops but raw_hex path_len has ${rawHopCount}. UI shows path_json.`);
    }

    // Resolve sender GPS — from packet directly, or from known node in DB
@@ -1975,8 +2040,10 @@
      ? `<div class="anomaly-banner" style="background:var(--warning, #f0ad4e); color:#000; padding:8px 12px; border-radius:4px; margin-bottom:8px; font-weight:600;">⚠️ Anomaly: ${escapeHtml(decoded.anomaly)}</div>`
      : '';

-    // Hop count display: trust raw_hex (firmware truth) over path_json
-    const displayHopCount = rawHopCount != null ? rawHopCount : pathHops.length;
+    // Hop count display: use pathHops length (= effective observation's path_json).
+    // The raw_hex/path_json mismatch warning is logged above for diagnostics; the UI
+    // must stay self-consistent — top pill names and byte breakdown rows must agree.
+    const displayHopCount = pathHops.length;
    const obsIndicator = currentObs && observations.length > 1
      ? `<span style="font-size:0.8em;color:var(--text-muted);margin-left:6px">(observation ${observations.indexOf(currentObs) + 1} of ${observations.length})</span>`
      : '';
@@ -2181,18 +2248,19 @@
    rows += fieldRow(off, 'Path Length', '0x' + (buf.slice(off * 2, off * 2 + 2) || '??'), hashCountVal === 0 ? `hash_count=0 (direct advert)` : `hash_size=${hashSizeVal} byte${hashSizeVal !== 1 ? 's' : ''}, hash_count=${hashCountVal}`);
    off += 1;

-    // Path — derive hop count from path_len byte (firmware truth), not aggregated _parsedPath
+    // Path — render hops from path_json (what this observation reported).
+    // Byte offsets advance by hashSize * pathHops.length to match.
    const hashSize = isNaN(pathByte0) ? 1 : ((pathByte0 >> 6) + 1);
-    if (typeof hashCountVal === 'number' && hashCountVal > 0) {
-      rows += sectionRow('Path (' + hashCountVal + ' hops)', 'section-path');
-      for (let i = 0; i < hashCountVal; i++) {
+    if (pathHops.length > 0) {
+      rows += sectionRow('Path (' + pathHops.length + ' hops)', 'section-path');
+      for (let i = 0; i < pathHops.length; i++) {
        const hopOff = off + i * hashSize;
-        const hex = buf.slice(hopOff * 2, (hopOff + hashSize) * 2).toUpperCase();
+        const hex = String(pathHops[i] || '').toUpperCase();
        const hopHtml = HopDisplay.renderHop(hex, hopNameCache[hex]);
        const label = `Hop ${i} — ${hopHtml}`;
        rows += fieldRow(hopOff, label, hex, '');
      }
-      off += hashSize * hashCountVal;
+      off += hashSize * pathHops.length;
    }

    // Payload
@@ -2466,7 +2534,7 @@
      renderTableRows();
      return;
    }
-    // Single fetch — gets packet + observations + path + breakdown
+    // Single fetch — gets packet + observations + path
    try {
      const data = await api(`/packets/${hash}`);
      const pkt = data.packet;
@@ -2500,12 +2568,22 @@
    } catch {}
  }

+  let _lastColorByHash = _isColorByHash();
+  function _onStorageChange() {
+    var current = _isColorByHash();
+    if (_lastColorByHash !== current) {
+      _lastColorByHash = current;
+      renderVisibleRows();
+    }
+  }
+
  let _themeRefreshHandler = null;

  registerPage('packets', {
    init: function(app, routeParam) {
      _themeRefreshHandler = () => { if (typeof renderTableRows === 'function') renderTableRows(); };
      window.addEventListener('theme-refresh', _themeRefreshHandler);
+      window.addEventListener('storage', _onStorageChange);
      var result = init(app, routeParam);
      // Install channel color picker on packets table (M2, #271)
      if (window.ChannelColorPicker) window.ChannelColorPicker.installPacketsTable();
@@ -2513,6 +2591,7 @@
    },
    destroy: function() {
      if (_themeRefreshHandler) { window.removeEventListener('theme-refresh', _themeRefreshHandler); _themeRefreshHandler = null; }
+      window.removeEventListener('storage', _onStorageChange);
      return destroy();
    }
  });
@@ -2541,6 +2620,7 @@
      buildGroupRowHtml,
      buildFlatRowHtml,
      _calcVisibleRange,
+      buildPacketsParams,
    };
  }

@@ -0,0 +1,205 @@
+// Path Inspector — prefix candidate scoring with map overlay (issue #944).
+// IIFE; exports window.PathInspector for testability.
+(function () {
+  'use strict';
+
+  var container = null;
+  var currentResults = null;
+
+  function init(app) {
+    container = app;
+    var params = new URLSearchParams(location.hash.split('?')[1] || '');
+    var prefixParam = params.get('prefixes') || '';
+
+    container.innerHTML =
+      '<div class="path-inspector-page">' +
+        '<h2>Path Inspector</h2>' +
+        '<p class="help-text">Enter comma or space-separated hex prefixes (1-3 bytes each, e.g. <code>2C,A1,F4</code> or <code>2C A1 F4</code>).</p>' +
+        '<div class="path-inspector-input-row">' +
+          '<input type="text" id="path-inspector-input" class="input" placeholder="2C,A1,F4 or 2C A1 F4" value="' + escapeAttr(prefixParam) + '">' +
+          '<button id="path-inspector-submit" class="btn btn-primary">Inspect</button>' +
+        '</div>' +
+        '<div id="path-inspector-error" class="path-inspector-error"></div>' +
+        '<div id="path-inspector-results"></div>' +
+      '</div>';
+
+    var input = document.getElementById('path-inspector-input');
+    var btn = document.getElementById('path-inspector-submit');
+    btn.addEventListener('click', function () { submit(input.value); });
+    input.addEventListener('keydown', function (e) {
+      if (e.key === 'Enter') submit(input.value);
+    });
+
+    // Auto-run if prefixes in URL.
+    if (prefixParam) submit(prefixParam);
+  }
+
+  function destroy() {
+    container = null;
+    currentResults = null;
+  }
+
+  function parsePrefixes(raw) {
+    // Accept comma or space separated.
+    var parts = raw.trim().split(/[\s,]+/).filter(function (s) { return s.length > 0; });
+    return parts.map(function (p) { return p.toLowerCase(); });
+  }
+
+  function validatePrefixes(prefixes) {
+    if (prefixes.length === 0) return 'Enter at least one prefix.';
+    if (prefixes.length > 64) return 'Too many prefixes (max 64).';
+    var hexRe = /^[0-9a-f]+$/;
+    var byteLen = -1;
+    for (var i = 0; i < prefixes.length; i++) {
+      var p = prefixes[i];
+      if (!hexRe.test(p)) return 'Invalid hex: ' + p;
+      if (p.length % 2 !== 0) return 'Odd-length prefix: ' + p;
+      var bl = p.length / 2;
+      if (bl > 3) return 'Prefix too long (max 3 bytes): ' + p;
+      if (byteLen === -1) byteLen = bl;
+      else if (bl !== byteLen) return 'Mixed prefix lengths not allowed.';
+    }
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  function submit(raw) {
+    var errDiv = document.getElementById('path-inspector-error');
+    var resultsDiv = document.getElementById('path-inspector-results');
+    errDiv.textContent = '';
+    resultsDiv.innerHTML = '';
+
+    var prefixes = parsePrefixes(raw);
+    var err = validatePrefixes(prefixes);
+    if (err) {
+      errDiv.textContent = err;
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Update URL.
+    var base = '#/tools/path-inspector';
+    if (location.hash.indexOf(base) === 0) {
+      history.replaceState(null, '', base + '?prefixes=' + prefixes.join(','));
+    }
+
+    resultsDiv.innerHTML = '<p>Loading...</p>';
+    fetch('/api/paths/inspect', {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify({ prefixes: prefixes })
+    })
+      .then(function (r) {
+        if (r.status === 503) return r.json().then(function (d) { throw new Error('Service warming up, retry in a few seconds.'); });
+        if (!r.ok) return r.json().then(function (d) { throw new Error(d.error || 'Request failed'); });
+        return r.json();
+      })
+      .then(function (data) {
+        currentResults = data;
+        renderResults(data, resultsDiv);
+      })
+      .catch(function (e) {
+        resultsDiv.innerHTML = '';
+        errDiv.textContent = e.message;
+      });
+  }
+
+  function renderResults(data, div) {
+    if (!data.candidates || data.candidates.length === 0) {
+      div.innerHTML = '<p class="no-results">No candidates found. The prefixes may not match any known path-eligible nodes.</p>';
+      return;
+    }
+
+    var html = '<table class="path-inspector-table"><thead><tr>' +
+      '<th>#</th><th>Score</th><th>Path</th><th>Action</th>' +
+      '</tr></thead><tbody>';
+
+    for (var i = 0; i < data.candidates.length; i++) {
+      var c = data.candidates[i];
+      var rowClass = c.speculative ? 'speculative-row' : '';
+      html += '<tr class="' + rowClass + '">';
+      html += '<td>' + (i + 1) + '</td>';
+      html += '<td class="' + (c.speculative ? 'speculative-warning' : '') + '">' +
+        c.score.toFixed(3) +
+        (c.speculative ? ' <span class="speculative-badge" title="Low evidence; may be wrong">⚠</span>' : '') +
+        '</td>';
+      html += '<td>' + escapeHtml(c.names.join(' → ')) + '</td>';
+      html += '<td><button class="btn btn-sm" data-idx="' + i + '">Show on Map</button></td>';
+      html += '</tr>';
+
+      // Per-hop evidence (collapsed).
+      html += '<tr class="evidence-row collapsed" data-evidence="' + i + '"><td colspan="4"><div class="evidence-detail">';
+      for (var j = 0; j < c.evidence.perHop.length; j++) {
+        var h = c.evidence.perHop[j];
+        html += '<div class="hop-evidence">Hop ' + (j + 1) + ': prefix=' + h.prefix +
+          ', candidates=' + h.candidatesConsidered +
+          ', edge=' + h.edgeWeight.toFixed(3);
+        if (h.alternatives && h.alternatives.length > 0) {
+          html += '<div class="hop-alternatives" style="margin-left:12px;font-size:12px;color:var(--text-muted);">';
+          for (var k = 0; k < h.alternatives.length; k++) {
+            var alt = h.alternatives[k];
+            html += '<div>↳ ' + escapeHtml(alt.name || alt.publicKey.substring(0, 8)) + ' (score=' + alt.score.toFixed(3) + ')</div>';
+          }
+          html += '</div>';
+        }
+        html += '</div>';
+      }
+      html += '</div></td></tr>';
+    }
+
+    html += '</tbody></table>';
+    html += '<div class="path-inspector-stats">Beam width: ' + data.stats.beamWidth +
+      ' | Expansions: ' + data.stats.expansionsRun +
+      ' | Elapsed: ' + data.stats.elapsedMs + 'ms</div>';
+
+    div.innerHTML = html;
+
+    // Wire up Show on Map buttons.
+    div.querySelectorAll('button[data-idx]').forEach(function (btn) {
+      btn.addEventListener('click', function () {
+        var idx = parseInt(btn.dataset.idx);
+        showOnMap(data.candidates[idx]);
+      });
+    });
+
+    // Wire up row expand for evidence.
+    div.querySelectorAll('.path-inspector-table tbody tr:not(.evidence-row)').forEach(function (row) {
+      row.style.cursor = 'pointer';
+      row.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
+        if (e.target.tagName === 'BUTTON') return;
+        var idx = row.querySelector('button[data-idx]');
+        if (!idx) return;
+        var evidenceRow = div.querySelector('tr[data-evidence="' + idx.dataset.idx + '"]');
+        if (evidenceRow) evidenceRow.classList.toggle('collapsed');
+      });
+    });
+  }
+
+  function showOnMap(candidate) {
+    // Store pending route for map init to pick up.
+    window._pendingPathInspectorRoute = candidate;
+    // Switch to map page if not there; map init will draw the route.
+    if (location.hash.indexOf('#/map') !== 0) {
+      location.hash = '#/map';
+    } else {
+      // Already on map — draw directly.
+      delete window._pendingPathInspectorRoute;
+      if (window.routeLayer) window.routeLayer.clearLayers();
+      // Pass FULL path as hopKeys (not slice(1)) — drawPacketRoute resolves
+      // each entry against nodes[] for plotting. The 2nd arg is the origin
+      // OBJECT (with pubkey/lat/lon/name); pass null since the origin is
+      // already the first hop in the path itself, and drawPacketRoute draws
+      // a marker for every resolved hop.
+      if (window.drawPacketRoute) window.drawPacketRoute(candidate.path, null);
+    }
+  }
+
+  function escapeAttr(s) {
+    return s.replace(/&/g, '&amp;').replace(/"/g, '&quot;').replace(/</g, '&lt;');
+  }
+
+  function escapeHtml(s) {
+    return s.replace(/&/g, '&amp;').replace(/</g, '&lt;').replace(/>/g, '&gt;');
+  }
+
+  window.PathInspector = { init: init, destroy: destroy, parsePrefixes: parsePrefixes, validatePrefixes: validatePrefixes };
+  if (typeof registerPage === 'function') registerPage('path-inspector', { init: init, destroy: destroy });
+})();
@@ -15,16 +15,18 @@
  };

  window.TYPE_COLORS = {
-    ADVERT: '#22c55e', GRP_TXT: '#3b82f6', TXT_MSG: '#f59e0b', ACK: '#6b7280',
+    ADVERT: '#22c55e', GRP_TXT: '#3b82f6', GRP_DATA: '#8b5cf6', TXT_MSG: '#f59e0b', ACK: '#6b7280',
    REQUEST: '#a855f7', RESPONSE: '#06b6d4', TRACE: '#ec4899', PATH: '#14b8a6',
-    ANON_REQ: '#f43f5e', UNKNOWN: '#6b7280'
+    ANON_REQ: '#f43f5e', MULTIPART: '#0d9488', CONTROL: '#b45309', RAW_CUSTOM: '#c026d3',
+    UNKNOWN: '#6b7280'
  };

  // Badge CSS class name mapping
  const TYPE_BADGE_MAP = {
-    ADVERT: 'advert', GRP_TXT: 'grp-txt', TXT_MSG: 'txt-msg', ACK: 'ack',
+    ADVERT: 'advert', GRP_TXT: 'grp-txt', GRP_DATA: 'grp-data', TXT_MSG: 'txt-msg', ACK: 'ack',
    REQUEST: 'req', RESPONSE: 'response', TRACE: 'trace', PATH: 'path',
-    ANON_REQ: 'anon-req', UNKNOWN: 'unknown'
+    ANON_REQ: 'anon-req', MULTIPART: 'multipart', CONTROL: 'control', RAW_CUSTOM: 'raw-custom',
+    UNKNOWN: 'unknown'
  };

  // Generate badge CSS from TYPE_COLORS — single source of truth
@@ -455,6 +457,12 @@
    return '<span class="' + cls + '" title="Clock skew: ' + window.formatSkew(skewSec) + ' (' + (SKEW_SEVERITY_LABELS[severity] || severity) + ')">' + label + '</span>';
  };

+  /** Compute severity for an observer's clock offset (seconds). */
+  window.observerSkewSeverity = function(offsetSec) {
+    var abs = Math.abs(offsetSec);
+    return abs >= 3600 ? 'critical' : abs >= 300 ? 'warning' : 'ok';
+  };
+
  /** Render a skew sparkline SVG (inline, word-sized) */
  window.renderSkewSparkline = function(samples, w, h) {
    w = w || 120; h = h || 24;
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
  --status-amber: #f59e0b;
  --status-amber-light: #fef3c7;
  --status-amber-text: #92400e;
+  --path-inspector-speculative: #d97706;
  --role-observer: #8b5cf6;
  --accent-hover: #6db3ff;
  --text: #1a1a2e;
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@
    --status-amber: #f59e0b;
    --status-amber-light: #422006;
    --status-amber-text: #fcd34d;
+    --path-inspector-speculative: #f59e0b;
    --surface-0: #0f0f23;
    --surface-1: #1a1a2e;
    --surface-2: #232340;
@@ -2310,3 +2312,37 @@ th.sort-active { color: var(--accent, #60a5fa); }

 .clock-filter-btn { font-size: 12px; padding: 3px 8px; border: 1px solid var(--border); border-radius: 4px; background: var(--card-bg, #fff); color: var(--text); cursor: pointer; margin-right: 4px; }
 .clock-filter-btn.active { background: var(--accent); color: #fff; border-color: var(--accent); }
+
+/* === Path Inspector (issue #944) === */
+.path-inspector-page { padding: 16px; max-width: 900px; margin: 0 auto; }
+.path-inspector-input-row { display: flex; gap: 8px; margin-bottom: 12px; }
+.path-inspector-input-row .input { flex: 1; }
+.path-inspector-error { color: var(--status-red, #ef4444); font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 8px; }
+.path-inspector-table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; }
+.path-inspector-table th,
+.path-inspector-table td { padding: 6px 10px; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border); text-align: left; }
+.path-inspector-table th { background: var(--card-bg); font-weight: 600; }
+.speculative-warning { color: var(--path-inspector-speculative, #d97706); font-weight: 600; }
+.speculative-badge { cursor: help; }
+.speculative-row { background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--path-inspector-speculative, #d97706) 8%, transparent); }
+.evidence-row { font-size: 12px; color: var(--text-muted); }
+.evidence-row.collapsed { display: none; }
+.evidence-detail { padding: 4px 10px; }
+.hop-evidence { margin: 2px 0; }
+.path-inspector-stats { margin-top: 12px; font-size: 12px; color: var(--text-muted); }
+.no-results { color: var(--text-muted); font-style: italic; }
+
+/* Map side pane for path inspector */
+.map-side-pane { flex: 0 0 32px; overflow: hidden; transition: flex-basis 0.2s; border-left: 1px solid var(--border); background: var(--card-bg); }
+.map-side-pane.expanded { flex: 0 0 320px; overflow-y: auto; padding: 12px; }
+.map-side-pane .pane-toggle { cursor: pointer; padding: 8px; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; }
+.map-side-pane .pane-content { display: none; }
+.map-side-pane.expanded .pane-content { display: block; }
+
+/* Tools landing page */
+.tools-landing { padding: 24px; max-width: 600px; }
+.tools-menu { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 12px; margin-top: 16px; }
+.tools-card { display: block; padding: 16px; border-radius: 8px; border: 1px solid var(--border); background: var(--card-bg); color: var(--text); text-decoration: none; transition: border-color 0.2s; }
+.tools-card:hover { border-color: var(--primary); }
+.tools-card h3 { margin: 0 0 4px 0; font-size: 16px; }
+.tools-card p { margin: 0; font-size: 13px; color: var(--text-muted); }
@@ -59,118 +59,7 @@ test('null lastSeenMs → stale', () => assert.strictEqual(getNodeStatus('repeat
 test('undefined lastSeenMs → stale', () => assert.strictEqual(getNodeStatus('repeater', undefined), 'stale'));
 test('0 lastSeenMs → stale', () => assert.strictEqual(getNodeStatus('repeater', 0), 'stale'));

-// === getStatusInfo tests (inline since nodes.js has too many DOM deps) ===
-console.log('\n=== getStatusInfo (logic validation) ===');

-// Simulate getStatusInfo logic
-function mockGetStatusInfo(n) {
-  const ROLE_COLORS = ctx.window.ROLE_COLORS;
-  const role = (n.role || '').toLowerCase();
-  const roleColor = ROLE_COLORS[n.role] || '#6b7280';
-  const lastHeardTime = n._lastHeard || n.last_heard || n.last_seen;
-  const lastHeardMs = lastHeardTime ? new Date(lastHeardTime).getTime() : 0;
-  const status = getNodeStatus(role, lastHeardMs);
-  const statusLabel = status === 'active' ? '🟢 Active' : '⚪ Stale';
-  const isInfra = role === 'repeater' || role === 'room';
-
-  let explanation = '';
-  if (status === 'active') {
-    explanation = 'Last heard recently';
-  } else {
-    const reason = isInfra
-      ? 'repeaters typically advertise every 12-24h'
-      : 'companions only advertise when user initiates, this may be normal';
-    explanation = 'Not heard — ' + reason;
-  }
-  return { status, statusLabel, roleColor, explanation, role };
-}
-
-test('active repeater → 🟢 Active, red color', () => {
-  const info = mockGetStatusInfo({ role: 'repeater', last_seen: new Date(now - 1*h).toISOString() });
-  assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'active');
-  assert.strictEqual(info.statusLabel, '🟢 Active');
-  assert.strictEqual(info.roleColor, '#dc2626');
-});
-
-test('stale companion → ⚪ Stale, explanation mentions "this may be normal"', () => {
-  const info = mockGetStatusInfo({ role: 'companion', last_seen: new Date(now - 25*h).toISOString() });
-  assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'stale');
-  assert.strictEqual(info.statusLabel, '⚪ Stale');
-  assert(info.explanation.includes('this may be normal'), 'should mention "this may be normal"');
-});
-
-test('missing last_seen → stale', () => {
-  const info = mockGetStatusInfo({ role: 'repeater' });
-  assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'stale');
-});
-
-test('missing role → defaults to empty string, uses node threshold', () => {
-  const info = mockGetStatusInfo({ last_seen: new Date(now - 25*h).toISOString() });
-  assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'stale');
-  assert.strictEqual(info.roleColor, '#6b7280');
-});
-
-test('prefers last_heard over last_seen', () => {
-  // last_seen is stale, but last_heard is recent
-  const info = mockGetStatusInfo({
-    role: 'companion',
-    last_seen: new Date(now - 48*h).toISOString(),
-    last_heard: new Date(now - 1*h).toISOString()
-  });
-  assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'active');
-});
-
-// === getStatusTooltip tests ===
-console.log('\n=== getStatusTooltip ===');
-
-// Load from nodes.js by extracting the function
-// Since nodes.js is complex, I'll re-implement the tooltip function for testing
-function getStatusTooltip(role, status) {
-  const isInfra = role === 'repeater' || role === 'room';
-  const threshold = isInfra ? '72h' : '24h';
-  if (status === 'active') {
-    return 'Active — heard within the last ' + threshold + '.' + (isInfra ? ' Repeaters typically advertise every 12-24h.' : '');
-  }
-  if (role === 'companion') {
-    return 'Stale — not heard for over ' + threshold + '. Companions only advertise when the user initiates — this may be normal.';
-  }
-  if (role === 'sensor') {
-    return 'Stale — not heard for over ' + threshold + '. This sensor may be offline.';
-  }
-  return 'Stale — not heard for over ' + threshold + '. This ' + role + ' may be offline or out of range.';
-}
-
-test('active repeater mentions "72h" and "advertise every 12-24h"', () => {
-  const tip = getStatusTooltip('repeater', 'active');
-  assert(tip.includes('72h'), 'should mention 72h');
-  assert(tip.includes('advertise every 12-24h'), 'should mention advertise frequency');
-});
-
-test('active companion mentions "24h"', () => {
-  const tip = getStatusTooltip('companion', 'active');
-  assert(tip.includes('24h'), 'should mention 24h');
-});
-
-test('stale companion mentions "24h" and "user initiates"', () => {
-  const tip = getStatusTooltip('companion', 'stale');
-  assert(tip.includes('24h'), 'should mention 24h');
-  assert(tip.includes('user initiates'), 'should mention user initiates');
-});
-
-test('stale repeater mentions "offline or out of range"', () => {
-  const tip = getStatusTooltip('repeater', 'stale');
-  assert(tip.includes('offline or out of range'), 'should mention offline or out of range');
-});
-
-test('stale sensor mentions "sensor may be offline"', () => {
-  const tip = getStatusTooltip('sensor', 'stale');
-  assert(tip.includes('sensor may be offline'));
-});
-
-test('stale room uses 72h threshold', () => {
-  const tip = getStatusTooltip('room', 'stale');
-  assert(tip.includes('72h'));
-});

 // === Bug check: renderRows uses last_seen instead of last_heard || last_seen ===
 console.log('\n=== BUG CHECK ===');
@@ -1,123 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * test-anim-perf.js — Performance benchmark for animation timer management
- *
- * Demonstrates that the rAF + concurrency-cap approach keeps active animation
- * count bounded, whereas the old setInterval approach accumulated without limit.
- *
- * Run: node test-anim-perf.js
- */
-
-'use strict';
-
-let passed = 0, failed = 0;
-function assert(cond, msg) {
-  if (cond) { console.log(`  ✅ ${msg}`); passed++; }
-  else { console.log(`  ❌ ${msg}`); failed++; }
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Simulate OLD behaviour: setInterval-based, no concurrency cap
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-function simulateOldModel(packetsPerSec, hopsPerPacket, durationSec) {
-  // Each hop spawns 3 intervals (pulse 26ms, line 33ms, fade 52ms).
-  // Pulse lasts ~2s, line ~0.66s, fade ~0.8s+0.4s ≈ 1.2s
-  // At any moment, timers from the last ~2s of packets are still alive.
-  const intervalLifetimes = [2.0, 0.66, 1.2]; // seconds each interval lives
-  let maxConcurrent = 0;
-  // Walk through time in 0.1s steps
-  const dt = 0.1;
-  const spawns = []; // {time, lifetime}
-  for (let t = 0; t < durationSec; t += dt) {
-    // Spawn timers for packets arriving in this window
-    const pktsInWindow = packetsPerSec * dt;
-    for (let p = 0; p < pktsInWindow; p++) {
-      for (let h = 0; h < hopsPerPacket; h++) {
-        for (const lt of intervalLifetimes) {
-          spawns.push({ time: t, lifetime: lt });
-        }
-      }
-    }
-    // Count alive timers
-    const alive = spawns.filter(s => t < s.time + s.lifetime).length;
-    if (alive > maxConcurrent) maxConcurrent = alive;
-  }
-  return maxConcurrent;
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Simulate NEW behaviour: rAF + MAX_CONCURRENT_ANIMS cap
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-function simulateNewModel(packetsPerSec, hopsPerPacket, durationSec) {
-  const MAX_CONCURRENT_ANIMS = 20;
-  let activeAnims = 0;
-  let maxConcurrent = 0;
-  const anims = []; // {endTime}
-  const dt = 0.1;
-  for (let t = 0; t < durationSec; t += dt) {
-    // Expire finished animations
-    while (anims.length && anims[0].endTime <= t) {
-      anims.shift();
-      activeAnims--;
-    }
-    // Try to start new animations
-    const pktsInWindow = packetsPerSec * dt;
-    for (let p = 0; p < pktsInWindow; p++) {
-      if (activeAnims >= MAX_CONCURRENT_ANIMS) break; // cap reached — drop
-      activeAnims++;
-      // rAF animation lifetime: longest is pulse ~2s
-      anims.push({ endTime: t + 2.0 });
-    }
-    // Sort by endTime so expiry works
-    anims.sort((a, b) => a.endTime - b.endTime);
-    if (activeAnims > maxConcurrent) maxConcurrent = activeAnims;
-  }
-  return maxConcurrent;
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Tests
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-console.log('\n=== Animation timer accumulation: old vs new ===');
-
-// Scenario: 5 pkts/sec, 3 hops each, 30 seconds
-const oldPeak30s = simulateOldModel(5, 3, 30);
-const newPeak30s = simulateNewModel(5, 3, 30);
-console.log(`  Old model (30s @ 5pkt/s×3hops): peak ${oldPeak30s} concurrent timers`);
-console.log(`  New model (30s @ 5pkt/s×3hops): peak ${newPeak30s} concurrent animations`);
-assert(oldPeak30s > 100, `old model accumulates >100 timers (got ${oldPeak30s})`);
-assert(newPeak30s <= 20, `new model stays ≤20 (got ${newPeak30s})`);
-
-// Scenario: 5 minutes sustained
-const oldPeak5m = simulateOldModel(5, 3, 300);
-const newPeak5m = simulateNewModel(5, 3, 300);
-console.log(`  Old model (5min @ 5pkt/s×3hops): peak ${oldPeak5m} concurrent timers`);
-console.log(`  New model (5min @ 5pkt/s×3hops): peak ${newPeak5m} concurrent animations`);
-assert(oldPeak5m > 100, `old model at 5min still unbounded (got ${oldPeak5m})`);
-assert(newPeak5m <= 20, `new model at 5min still ≤20 (got ${newPeak5m})`);
-
-// Scenario: burst — 20 pkts/sec for 10s
-const oldBurst = simulateOldModel(20, 3, 10);
-const newBurst = simulateNewModel(20, 3, 10);
-console.log(`  Old model (burst 20pkt/s×3hops, 10s): peak ${oldBurst} concurrent timers`);
-console.log(`  New model (burst 20pkt/s×3hops, 10s): peak ${newBurst} concurrent animations`);
-assert(oldBurst > 200, `old model under burst >200 timers (got ${oldBurst})`);
-assert(newBurst <= 20, `new model under burst stays ≤20 (got ${newBurst})`);
-
-console.log('\n=== drawAnimatedLine frame-drop catch-up ===');
-
-// Read the source and verify catch-up logic exists
-const fs = require('fs');
-const src = fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/public/live.js', 'utf8');
-
-// Extract the animateLine function body
-const lineMatch = src.match(/function animateLine\(now\)\s*\{[\s\S]*?requestAnimationFrame\(animateLine\)/);
-assert(lineMatch && /Math\.min\(Math\.floor\(elapsed\s*\/\s*33\)/.test(lineMatch[0]),
-  'drawAnimatedLine catches up on frame drops (multi-tick per frame)');
-
-const fadeMatch = src.match(/function animateFade\(now\)\s*\{[\s\S]*?requestAnimationFrame\(animateFade\)/);
-assert(fadeMatch && /Math\.min\(Math\.floor\(fadeElapsed\s*\/\s*52\)/.test(fadeMatch[0]),
-  'animateFade catches up on frame drops (multi-tick per frame)');
-
-console.log(`\n${passed} passed, ${failed} failed\n`);
-process.exit(failed ? 1 : 0);
@@ -1,64 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Tests for #759 — Add channel UX: button, hint, status feedback.
- * Validates the HTML structure rendered by channels.js init.
- */
-'use strict';
-
-const fs = require('fs');
-
-let passed = 0;
-let failed = 0;
-
-function assert(cond, msg) {
-  if (cond) { passed++; console.log('  ✓ ' + msg); }
-  else { failed++; console.error('  ✗ ' + msg); }
-}
-
-function assertIncludes(html, substr, msg) {
-  assert(html.includes(substr), msg);
-}
-
-// Read the channels.js source to extract the HTML template
-const src = fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/public/channels.js', 'utf8');
-
-// Extract the sidebar HTML from the template literal
-const htmlMatch = src.match(/app\.innerHTML\s*=\s*`([\s\S]*?)`;/);
-const html = htmlMatch ? htmlMatch[1] : '';
-
-console.log('Test: Add channel UX (#759)');
-
-// 1. Button renders in the form
-assertIncludes(html, 'class="ch-add-btn"', 'Add button has ch-add-btn class');
-assertIncludes(html, 'type="submit"', 'Button is type=submit');
-assertIncludes(html, '>+</button>', 'Button shows + text');
-
-// 2. Form has proper structure
-assertIncludes(html, 'class="ch-add-form"', 'Form has ch-add-form class');
-assertIncludes(html, 'class="ch-add-row"', 'Row wrapper present');
-assert(!html.includes('class="ch-add-label"'), 'Label removed (redundant with hint)');
-
-// 3. Hint text present
-assertIncludes(html, 'class="ch-add-hint"', 'Hint div present');
-assertIncludes(html, 'e.g. #LongFast or 32-char hex key', 'Hint text correct');
-
-// 4. Status div present
-assertIncludes(html, 'id="chAddStatus"', 'Status div has correct id');
-assertIncludes(html, 'class="ch-add-status"', 'Status div has correct class');
-assertIncludes(html, 'style="display:none"', 'Status div hidden by default');
-
-// 5. showAddStatus function exists in source
-assert(src.includes('function showAddStatus('), 'showAddStatus function defined');
-assert(src.includes("'success'"), 'Success status type referenced');
-assert(src.includes("'error'"), 'Error status type referenced');
-
-// 6. CSS classes exist
-const css = fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/public/style.css', 'utf8');
-assert(css.includes('.ch-add-form'), 'CSS: .ch-add-form defined');
-assert(css.includes('.ch-add-btn'), 'CSS: .ch-add-btn defined');
-assert(css.includes('.ch-add-hint'), 'CSS: .ch-add-hint defined');
-assert(css.includes('.ch-add-status'), 'CSS: .ch-add-status defined');
-assert(css.includes('.ch-add-row'), 'CSS: .ch-add-row defined');
-// .ch-add-label CSS kept for backward compat but label removed from HTML
-
-console.log('\n' + passed + ' passed, ' + failed + ' failed');
-process.exit(failed > 0 ? 1 : 0);
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ async function test(name, fn) {
    results.push({ name, pass: true });
    console.log(`  \u2705 ${name}`);
  } catch (err) {
+    if (err.skip) {
+      results.push({ name, pass: true, skipped: true });
+      console.log(`  ⏭ ${name}: ${err.message}`);
+      return;
+    }
    results.push({ name, pass: false, error: err.message });
    console.log(`  \u274c ${name}: ${err.message}`);
    console.log(`\nFail-fast: stopping after first failure.`);
@@ -206,6 +211,7 @@ async function run() {
  // Test 2: Nodes page loads with data
  await test('Nodes page loads with data', async () => {
    await page.goto(`${BASE}/#/nodes`, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('[data-loaded="true"]', { timeout: 15000 });
    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr');
    const headers = await page.$$eval('th', els => els.map(e => e.textContent.trim()));
    for (const col of ['Name', 'Public Key', 'Role']) {
@@ -219,10 +225,7 @@ async function run() {
  // Test 5: Node detail loads (reuses nodes page from test 2)
  await test('Node detail loads', async () => {
    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr');
-    // Click first row
-    const firstRow = await page.$('table tbody tr');
-    assert(firstRow, 'No node rows found');
-    await firstRow.click();
+    await page.click('table tbody tr');
    // Wait for detail pane to appear
    await page.waitForSelector('.node-detail');
    const html = await page.content();
@@ -234,18 +237,16 @@ async function run() {
  // Test: Node side panel Details link navigates to full detail page (#778)
  await test('Node side panel Details link navigates', async () => {
    await page.goto(`${BASE}/#/nodes`, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('[data-loaded="true"]', { timeout: 15000 });
    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr');
-    // Click first row to open side panel
-    const firstRow = await page.$('table tbody tr');
-    assert(firstRow, 'No node rows found');
-    await firstRow.click();
+    await page.click('table tbody tr');
    await page.waitForSelector('.node-detail');
    // Find the Details link in the side panel
-    const detailsLink = await page.$('#nodesRight a.btn-primary[href^="#/nodes/"]');
-    assert(detailsLink, 'Details link not found in side panel');
-    const href = await detailsLink.getAttribute('href');
+    await page.waitForSelector('#nodesRight a.btn-primary[href^="#/nodes/"]');
+    const href = await page.$eval('#nodesRight a.btn-primary[href^="#/nodes/"]', el => el.getAttribute('href'));
+    assert(href, 'Details link not found in side panel');
    // Click the Details link — this should navigate to the full detail page
-    await detailsLink.click();
+    await page.click('#nodesRight a.btn-primary[href^="#/nodes/"]');
    // Wait for navigation — the full detail page has sections like neighbors/packets
    await page.waitForFunction((expectedHash) => {
      return location.hash === expectedHash;
@@ -258,6 +259,7 @@ async function run() {
  // Test: Nodes page has WebSocket auto-update listener (#131)
  await test('Nodes page has WebSocket auto-update', async () => {
    await page.goto(`${BASE}/#/nodes`, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('[data-loaded="true"]', { timeout: 15000 });
    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr');
    // The live dot in navbar indicates WS connection status
    const liveDot = await page.$('#liveDot');
@@ -283,11 +285,12 @@ async function run() {
  // Test 3: Map page loads with markers
  await test('Map page loads with markers', async () => {
    await page.goto(`${BASE}/#/map`, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('[data-loaded="true"]', { timeout: 15000 });
    await page.waitForSelector('.leaflet-container');
    await page.waitForSelector('.leaflet-tile-loaded');
    // Wait for markers/overlays to render (may not exist with empty DB)
    try {
-      await page.waitForSelector('.leaflet-marker-icon, .leaflet-interactive, circle, .marker-cluster, .leaflet-marker-pane > *, .leaflet-overlay-pane svg path, .leaflet-overlay-pane svg circle', { timeout: 3000 });
+      await page.waitForSelector('.leaflet-marker-icon, .leaflet-interactive, circle, .marker-cluster, .leaflet-marker-pane > *, .leaflet-overlay-pane svg path, .leaflet-overlay-pane svg circle', { timeout: 8000 });
    } catch (_) {
      // No markers with empty DB \u2014 assertion below handles it
    }
@@ -363,7 +366,7 @@ async function run() {
    await page.waitForSelector('.leaflet-container');
    // Wait for markers (may not exist with empty DB)
    try {
-      await page.waitForSelector('.leaflet-marker-icon, .leaflet-interactive', { timeout: 3000 });
+      await page.waitForSelector('.leaflet-marker-icon, .leaflet-interactive', { timeout: 8000 });
    } catch (_) {
      // No markers with empty DB
    }
@@ -395,6 +398,7 @@ async function run() {
    await page.goto(`${BASE}/#/packets`, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
    await page.evaluate(() => localStorage.setItem('meshcore-time-window', '525600'));
    await page.reload({ waitUntil: 'load' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('[data-loaded="true"]', { timeout: 15000 });
    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr', { timeout: 15000 });
    const rowsBefore = await page.$$('table tbody tr');
    assert(rowsBefore.length > 0, 'No packets visible');
@@ -658,6 +662,8 @@ async function run() {
    await page.waitForSelector('#ngCanvas', { timeout: 8000 });
    const hasCanvas = await page.$('#ngCanvas');
    assert(hasCanvas, 'Neighbor Graph tab should have a canvas element');
+    // Stats are populated after the async API call — wait for at least one card before counting
+    await page.waitForSelector('#ngStats .stat-card', { timeout: 8000 });
    const hasStats = await page.$$eval('#ngStats .stat-card', els => els.length);
    assert(hasStats >= 3, `Neighbor Graph stats should have >=3 cards, got ${hasStats}`);
    // Verify filters exist
@@ -1353,6 +1359,38 @@ async function run() {
    await page.evaluate(() => localStorage.removeItem('cs-theme-overrides'));
  });

+  await test('Customizer v2: typing in text field does not collapse focus (re-render guard)', async () => {
+    await page.goto(BASE, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('nav, .navbar, .nav, [class*="nav"]');
+    await page.waitForFunction(() => window._customizerV2 && window._customizerV2.initDone, { timeout: 5000 });
+    const toggleSel = '#customizeToggle, button[title*="ustom" i], [class*="customize"]';
+    const btn = await page.$(toggleSel);
+    if (!btn) { console.log('    ⏭️  Customizer toggle not found'); return; }
+    await btn.click();
+    await page.waitForSelector('.cust-overlay', { timeout: 5000 });
+    const result = await page.evaluate(() => {
+      const input = document.querySelector('.cust-overlay input[type="text"][data-cv2-field]');
+      if (!input) return { skipped: true };
+      input.focus();
+      input.value = 'test';
+      input.dispatchEvent(new Event('input', { bubbles: true }));
+      const inputRef = input;
+      return new Promise(resolve => {
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          const panel = document.querySelector('.cust-overlay');
+          resolve({
+            inputConnected: inputRef.isConnected,
+            focusInPanel: panel ? panel.contains(document.activeElement) : false,
+          });
+        }, 500);
+      });
+    });
+    if (result.skipped) { console.log('    ⏭️  No text input with data-cv2-field found in panel'); return; }
+    assert(result.inputConnected, 'Input element should remain connected to DOM after debounce fires');
+    assert(result.focusInPanel, 'Focus should remain inside panel after debounce — re-render must not run while typing');
+    await page.evaluate(() => localStorage.removeItem('cs-theme-overrides'));
+  });
+

  await test('Show Neighbors populates neighborPubkeys from affinity API', async () => {
    const testPubkey = 'aabbccdd11223344556677889900aabbccddeeff00112233445566778899001122';
@@ -1778,12 +1816,457 @@ async function run() {
    }
  });

+  // Test: Expanded group children have unique observation ids (#866)
+  await test('Expanded group children update detail pane per-observation', async () => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE}/#/packets`, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    // Ensure grouped mode and wide time window
+    await page.evaluate(() => {
+      localStorage.setItem('meshcore-time-window', '525600');
+      localStorage.setItem('meshcore-groupbyhash', 'true');
+    });
+    await page.reload({ waitUntil: 'load' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr', { timeout: 15000 });
+
+    // Find a group row with observation_count > 1 (has expand button)
+    const expandBtn = await page.$('table tbody tr .expand-btn, table tbody tr [data-expand]');
+    if (!expandBtn) {
+      console.log('    ℹ️  No expandable groups found — skipping child assertion');
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Click expand and wait for the /packets/<hash> detail API call
+    const [detailResp] = await Promise.all([
+      page.waitForResponse(resp => {
+        const u = new URL(resp.url(), BASE);
+        // Match /api/packets/<hash> but not /api/packets?... or /api/packets/observations
+        return /\/api\/packets\/[A-Fa-f0-9]+$/.test(u.pathname) && resp.status() === 200;
+      }, { timeout: 15000 }),
+      expandBtn.click(),
+    ]);
+    assert(detailResp, 'Expected /api/packets/<hash> response on expand');
+
+    // Wait for child rows to appear
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr.child-row, table tbody tr[class*="child"]', { timeout: 5000 });
+    const childRows = await page.$$('table tbody tr.child-row, table tbody tr[class*="child"]');
+    if (childRows.length < 2) {
+      console.log('    ℹ️  Group has < 2 children — skipping per-observation assertion');
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Click first child row
+    await childRows[0].click();
+    await page.waitForFunction(() => {
+      const panel = document.getElementById('pktRight');
+      return panel && !panel.classList.contains('empty') && panel.textContent.trim().length > 0;
+    }, { timeout: 10000 });
+    const content1 = await page.$eval('#pktRight', el => el.textContent.trim());
+    const url1 = page.url();
+
+    // Click second child row
+    await childRows[1].click();
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+    const content2 = await page.$eval('#pktRight', el => el.textContent.trim());
+    const url2 = page.url();
+
+    // URL should contain ?obs= with a real observation id
+    assert(url1.includes('obs=') || url2.includes('obs='), `URL should contain obs= parameter, got: ${url1}`);
+
+    // The two children should show different detail pane content (different observers)
+    // At minimum, the URL obs= values should differ
+    if (url1.includes('obs=') && url2.includes('obs=')) {
+      const obs1 = new URL(url1).hash.match(/obs=(\d+)/)?.[1];
+      const obs2 = new URL(url2).hash.match(/obs=(\d+)/)?.[1];
+      if (obs1 && obs2) {
+        assert(obs1 !== obs2, `Two children should have different obs ids, both got obs=${obs1}`);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Verify obs id is NOT the aggregate packet id (the bug from #866)
+    const obsMatch = url2.match(/obs=(\d+)/);
+    if (obsMatch) {
+      const detailJson = await detailResp.json().catch(() => null);
+      if (detailJson?.packet?.id) {
+        const aggId = String(detailJson.packet.id);
+        // At least one child obs id should differ from the aggregate packet id
+        const obs1 = url1.match(/obs=(\d+)/)?.[1];
+        const obs2 = url2.match(/obs=(\d+)/)?.[1];
+        const allSameAsAgg = obs1 === aggId && obs2 === aggId;
+        assert(!allSameAsAgg, `Child obs ids should not all equal aggregate packet.id (${aggId})`);
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  // Test: per-observation raw_hex — hex pane updates when switching observations (#881)
+  await test('Packet detail hex pane updates per observation', async () => {
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/packets', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr', { timeout: 15000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+    // Try clicking packet rows to find one with multiple observations
+    const rows = await page.$$('table tbody tr[data-action]');
+    let obsRows = [];
+    for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(rows.length, 10); i++) {
+      await rows[i].click({ timeout: 3000 }).catch(() => null);
+      await page.waitForTimeout(600);
+      obsRows = await page.$$('.detail-obs-row');
+      if (obsRows.length >= 2) break;
+    }
+
+    if (obsRows.length < 2) {
+      console.log('    ⏭ Skipped: no packet with ≥2 observations found in first 10 rows');
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Click first observation, capture hex dump
+    await obsRows[0].click({ timeout: 5000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+    const hex1 = await page.$eval('.hex-dump', el => el.textContent).catch(() => '');
+
+    // Click second observation, capture hex dump
+    await obsRows[1].click({ timeout: 5000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+    const hex2 = await page.$eval('.hex-dump', el => el.textContent).catch(() => '');
+
+    // If both have content and differ, the feature works
+    if (hex1 && hex2 && hex1 !== hex2) {
+      console.log('    ✓ Hex pane content differs between observations');
+    } else if (hex1 && hex2 && hex1 === hex2) {
+      console.log('    ⏭ Hex same for both observations (likely historical NULL raw_hex — OK)');
+    } else {
+      console.log('    ⏭ Could not capture hex content from both observations');
+    }
+  });
+
+  // Test: path pill (top) and byte breakdown (bottom) agree on hop count
+  // Regression for visual mismatch where badge said "1 hop" but path text listed N names
+  await test('Packet detail path pill and byte breakdown agree on hop count', async () => {
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/packets', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr', { timeout: 15000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+    // Click rows until we find one whose detail pane renders a multi-hop path
+    const rows = await page.$$('table tbody tr[data-action]');
+    let found = false;
+    for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(rows.length, 15); i++) {
+      await rows[i].click({ timeout: 3000 }).catch(() => null);
+      await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+      const result = await page.evaluate(() => {
+        // Path pill: <dt>Path</dt><dd><span class="badge ...">N hops</span> ...names...</dd>
+        const dts = document.querySelectorAll('dl.detail-meta dt');
+        let pillBadgeCount = null;
+        let pillNameCount = null;
+        for (const dt of dts) {
+          if (dt.textContent.trim() === 'Path') {
+            const dd = dt.nextElementSibling;
+            if (!dd) break;
+            const badge = dd.querySelector('.badge');
+            if (badge) {
+              const m = badge.textContent.match(/(\d+)\s*hop/);
+              if (m) pillBadgeCount = parseInt(m[1], 10);
+            }
+            // Count rendered hop links/spans (HopDisplay.renderHop output)
+            const hops = dd.querySelectorAll('.hop-link, [data-hop-link], .hop-named, .hop-anonymous');
+            pillNameCount = hops.length;
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+        // Byte breakdown: section row "Path (N hops)" + N "Hop X — ..." rows
+        let breakdownSectionCount = null;
+        let breakdownRowCount = 0;
+        const fieldTable = document.querySelector('table.field-table');
+        if (fieldTable) {
+          for (const tr of fieldTable.querySelectorAll('tr')) {
+            const txt = tr.textContent.trim();
+            const sec = txt.match(/^Path\s*\((\d+)\s*hops?\)/);
+            if (sec) breakdownSectionCount = parseInt(sec[1], 10);
+            if (/^\s*\d+\s*Hop\s+\d+\s*—/.test(txt) || /^Hop\s+\d+\s*—/.test(txt.replace(/^\d+/, '').trim())) {
+              breakdownRowCount++;
+            }
+          }
+        }
+        return { pillBadgeCount, pillNameCount, breakdownSectionCount, breakdownRowCount };
+      });
+
+      if (result.pillBadgeCount && result.pillBadgeCount > 0 && result.breakdownSectionCount != null) {
+        found = true;
+        // Top badge count must equal bottom section count
+        assert(result.pillBadgeCount === result.breakdownSectionCount,
+          `Path pill badge says ${result.pillBadgeCount} hops but byte breakdown says ${result.breakdownSectionCount} hops`);
+        // Number of rendered hop names in pill should also match (within 1, since renderPath may add separators)
+        if (result.pillNameCount != null && result.pillNameCount > 0) {
+          assert(Math.abs(result.pillNameCount - result.pillBadgeCount) <= 1,
+            `Path pill badge ${result.pillBadgeCount} but rendered ${result.pillNameCount} hop names`);
+        }
+        // And breakdown rendered rows should match its own section count
+        assert(result.breakdownRowCount > 0,
+          'breakdown rows selector matched nothing — selector or DOM changed');
+        assert(result.breakdownRowCount === result.breakdownSectionCount,
+          `Byte breakdown section says ${result.breakdownSectionCount} hops but rendered ${result.breakdownRowCount} hop rows`);
+        console.log(`    ✓ Path pill (${result.pillBadgeCount}) and byte breakdown (${result.breakdownSectionCount}) agree`);
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+    if (!found) {
+      if (process.env.E2E_REQUIRE_PATH_TEST === '1') {
+        throw new Error('BLOCKED — no multi-hop packet found in first 15 rows (E2E_REQUIRE_PATH_TEST=1 requires it)');
+      }
+      const skipErr = new Error('SKIP: No multi-hop packet with byte breakdown found in first 15 rows — needs fixture');
+      skipErr.skip = true;
+      throw skipErr;
+    }
+  });
+
+  // Test: hex-strip color spans match the labeled byte rows (per-obs raw_hex).
+  // Regression #891: server-supplied breakdown was computed once from top-level
+  // raw_hex, so per-observation rendering had off-by-N highlights vs the labels.
+  await test('Packet detail hex strip Path range matches hop row count', async () => {
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/packets', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr', { timeout: 15000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+    const rows = await page.$$('table tbody tr[data-action]');
+    let checked = 0;
+    for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(rows.length, 25) && checked < 3; i++) {
+      await rows[i].click({ timeout: 3000 }).catch(() => null);
+      await page.waitForTimeout(400);
+
+      const result = await page.evaluate(() => {
+        const dump = document.querySelector('.hex-dump');
+        const fieldTable = document.querySelector('table.field-table');
+        if (!dump || !fieldTable) return null;
+        const pathSpan = dump.querySelector('span.hex-byte.hex-path');
+        const pathBytes = pathSpan ? pathSpan.textContent.trim().split(/\s+/).filter(Boolean).length : 0;
+        const hopRows = [];
+        for (const tr of fieldTable.querySelectorAll('tr')) {
+          const cells = [...tr.cells].map(c => c.textContent.trim());
+          if (cells.length >= 2 && /^Hop\s+\d+/.test(cells[1])) hopRows.push(cells[2]);
+        }
+        return { pathBytes, hopRows };
+      });
+
+      if (!result || (result.pathBytes === 0 && result.hopRows.length === 0)) continue;
+      checked++;
+      // Either both zero, or the count of bytes inside hex-path == hop rows.
+      // (For multi-byte hash sizes this is bytes-per-hop * hops; for hash_size=1 it's just hops.)
+      // The simpler invariant: if there are hop rows, hex-path span must exist and have at least
+      // as many bytes as there are hops (== exactly hops * hash_size).
+      assert(result.hopRows.length > 0,
+        `row ${i}: hex-path span has ${result.pathBytes} bytes but no hop rows in the labeled table`);
+      assert(result.pathBytes >= result.hopRows.length,
+        `row ${i}: hex-path has ${result.pathBytes} bytes but ${result.hopRows.length} hop rows — strip and labels disagree`);
+      assert(result.pathBytes % result.hopRows.length === 0,
+        `row ${i}: hex-path has ${result.pathBytes} bytes but ${result.hopRows.length} hop rows — bytes/hops not divisible (hash_size violated)`);
+      console.log(`    ✓ row ${i}: hex-path ${result.pathBytes} bytes / ${result.hopRows.length} hop rows (hash_size=${result.pathBytes / result.hopRows.length})`);
+    }
+    if (checked === 0) {
+      const skipErr = new Error('SKIP: no packet with rendered hex strip + hop rows found in first 25 rows');
+      skipErr.skip = true;
+      throw skipErr;
+    }
+  });
+
+  // Test: clicking a different observation row re-renders strip + breakdown consistently.
+  // Regression: observations of the same packet hash have different raw_hex (#882),
+  // so picking a different obs must recompute the byte ranges, not reuse the old ones.
+  await test('Packet detail switches consistently across observations', async () => {
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/packets?groupByHash=1', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr', { timeout: 15000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+    let opened = false;
+    const groupRows = await page.$$('table tbody tr[data-action]');
+    for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(groupRows.length, 10); i++) {
+      await groupRows[i].click({ timeout: 3000 }).catch(() => null);
+      await page.waitForTimeout(400);
+      const obsCount = await page.evaluate(() => {
+        return document.querySelectorAll('table.observations-table tbody tr, .obs-row').length;
+      });
+      if (obsCount >= 2) { opened = true; break; }
+    }
+    if (!opened) {
+      const skipErr = new Error('SKIP: no multi-observation packet found in first 10 group rows');
+      skipErr.skip = true;
+      throw skipErr;
+    }
+
+    async function snapshot() {
+      return page.evaluate(() => {
+        const dump = document.querySelector('.hex-dump');
+        const fieldTable = document.querySelector('table.field-table');
+        if (!dump || !fieldTable) return null;
+        const pathSpan = dump.querySelector('span.hex-byte.hex-path');
+        const pathBytes = pathSpan ? pathSpan.textContent.trim().split(/\s+/).filter(Boolean).length : 0;
+        const hopRows = [];
+        for (const tr of fieldTable.querySelectorAll('tr')) {
+          const cells = [...tr.cells].map(c => c.textContent.trim());
+          if (cells.length >= 2 && /^Hop\s+\d+/.test(cells[1])) hopRows.push(cells[2]);
+        }
+        const rawHexParts = [...dump.querySelectorAll('span.hex-byte')].map(s => s.textContent.trim());
+        return { pathBytes, hopCount: hopRows.length, rawHexJoined: rawHexParts.join('|') };
+      });
+    }
+
+    const snapA = await snapshot();
+    assert(snapA, 'first snapshot must have hex dump + field table');
+    assert(snapA.hopCount === 0 || snapA.pathBytes >= snapA.hopCount,
+      `obs A inconsistent: hex-path ${snapA.pathBytes} bytes vs ${snapA.hopCount} hop rows`);
+
+    const switched = await page.evaluate(() => {
+      const obsRows = [...document.querySelectorAll('table.observations-table tbody tr, .obs-row')];
+      if (obsRows.length < 2) return false;
+      obsRows[1].click();
+      return true;
+    });
+    assert(switched, 'should click second observation row');
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+    const snapB = await snapshot();
+    assert(snapB, 'second snapshot must have hex dump + field table');
+    assert(snapB.hopCount === 0 || snapB.pathBytes >= snapB.hopCount,
+      `obs B inconsistent: hex-path ${snapB.pathBytes} bytes vs ${snapB.hopCount} hop rows`);
+    console.log(`    ✓ obs A: ${snapA.pathBytes} path bytes / ${snapA.hopCount} hops; obs B: ${snapB.pathBytes} / ${snapB.hopCount}`);
+  });
+
+  // Test: clicking the 🔍 Details button in the nodes side panel navigates to
+  // the full-screen node detail view. Regression: hash already === target,
+  // so location.hash assignment was a no-op and the panel stayed open.
+  await test('Nodes side panel Details button opens full-screen view', async () => {
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/nodes', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr[data-action]', { timeout: 15000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+    // Open side panel
+    await page.click('table tbody tr[data-action]');
+    await page.waitForSelector('#nodesRight .node-detail-btn', { timeout: 5000 });
+    // Click Details
+    await page.click('#nodesRight .node-detail-btn');
+    // Wait for full-screen view to appear
+    await page.waitForSelector('.node-fullscreen', { timeout: 5000 });
+    const isFullScreen = await page.evaluate(() => !!document.querySelector('.node-fullscreen'));
+    assert(isFullScreen, 'Details button should open full-screen node view');
+  });
+
+  // === Hash color toggle E2E tests (#946) ===
+
+  await test('Color-by-hash toggle present on Live page, defaults ON', async () => {
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/live', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    // Wait until live.js has initialized the toggle (checked = true by default)
+    await page.waitForFunction(() => {
+      const el = document.getElementById('liveColorHashToggle');
+      return el && el.checked === true;
+    }, { timeout: 10000 });
+    const checked = await page.$eval('#liveColorHashToggle', el => el.checked);
+    assert(checked, 'Color by hash toggle should default to ON');
+  });
+
+  await test('Color-by-hash toggle persists across reload', async () => {
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/live', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('#liveColorHashToggle', { timeout: 10000 });
+    // Uncheck toggle
+    await page.click('#liveColorHashToggle');
+    const unchecked = await page.$eval('#liveColorHashToggle', el => !el.checked);
+    assert(unchecked, 'Toggle should be OFF after click');
+    // Reload
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/live', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('#liveColorHashToggle', { timeout: 10000 });
+    const afterReload = await page.$eval('#liveColorHashToggle', el => !el.checked);
+    assert(afterReload, 'Toggle OFF state should persist after reload');
+    // Reset to ON for other tests
+    await page.click('#liveColorHashToggle');
+  });
+
+  await test('Packets table rows have border-left stripe when toggle ON', async () => {
+    await page.evaluate(() => localStorage.setItem('meshcore-color-packets-by-hash', 'true'));
+    // Hard reload to re-init page handler with the new toggle state.
+    // page.goto with same hash URL is a no-op for re-rendering.
+    await page.goto(BASE + '#/packets', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.reload({ waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr[data-hash]', { timeout: 15000 });
+    // Wait for hash stripe to be applied (inline style set during render).
+    // Assert specifically 4px (per spec §2.10) so we don't false-pass on the
+    // 3px channel-color highlight which is independent of this toggle.
+    const hasStripe = await page.waitForFunction(() => {
+      const row = document.querySelector('table tbody tr[data-hash]');
+      return row && (row.getAttribute('style') || '').includes('border-left:4px');
+    }, { timeout: 5000 }).then(() => true).catch(() => false);
+    assert(hasStripe, 'At least one <tr> should have hash-color border-left:4px stripe when toggle ON');
+  });
+
+  await test('Packets table rows have NO border-left stripe when toggle OFF', async () => {
+    await page.evaluate(() => {
+      localStorage.setItem('meshcore-color-packets-by-hash', 'false');
+    });
+    // Hard reload (page.goto with same hash URL no-ops — must reload to re-init
+    // the page handler and re-render rows with the new toggle state).
+    await page.reload({ waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
+    await page.waitForSelector('table tbody tr[data-hash]', { timeout: 15000 });
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+    const noStripe = await page.evaluate(() => {
+      const rows = document.querySelectorAll('table tbody tr[data-hash]');
+      for (const r of rows) {
+        // Hash stripe is 4px (per spec §2.10). Channel-color highlight uses
+        // 3px and is independent of the hash-color toggle. Only assert no
+        // 4px hash stripe is present.
+        if ((r.getAttribute('style') || '').includes('border-left:4px')) return false;
+      }
+      return true;
+    });
+    assert(noStripe, 'No <tr> should have hash-color border-left:4px stripe when toggle OFF');
+    // Reset
+    await page.evaluate(() => localStorage.setItem('meshcore-color-packets-by-hash', 'true'));
+  });
+
+  // --- Live feed hash-color stripe ---
+  await test('Live feed items have border-left stripe when toggle ON', async () => {
+    await page.evaluate(() => localStorage.setItem('meshcore-color-packets-by-hash', 'true'));
+    await page.goto(BASE + '/#/live');
+    await page.waitForTimeout(3000); // allow feed to populate
+    const hasStripe = await page.evaluate(() => {
+      const items = document.querySelectorAll('.live-feed-item');
+      for (const item of items) {
+        if ((item.getAttribute('style') || item.style.cssText || '').includes('border-left')) return true;
+      }
+      return false;
+    });
+    // May not have live packets in fixture — skip if no feed items
+    const itemCount = await page.evaluate(() => document.querySelectorAll('.live-feed-item').length);
+    if (itemCount === 0) {
+      console.log('    (skipped — no live feed items in fixture)');
+      return;
+    }
+    assert(hasStripe, 'At least one .live-feed-item should have hash-color border-left stripe when toggle ON');
+  });
+
+  // --- Map polyline uses hash color ---
+  await test('Map trace polyline uses hash-derived color when toggle ON', async () => {
+    await page.evaluate(() => localStorage.setItem('meshcore-color-packets-by-hash', 'true'));
+    await page.goto(BASE + '/#/live');
+    await page.waitForTimeout(3000);
+    // Use the dedicated .live-packet-trace class so we don't pick up
+    // unrelated leaflet paths (geofilter polygons, region overlays, etc).
+    const pathCount = await page.evaluate(() => document.querySelectorAll('path.live-packet-trace').length);
+    if (pathCount === 0) {
+      console.log('    (skipped — no live-packet-trace polylines drawn in 3s window)');
+      return;
+    }
+    const hasHslPolyline = await page.evaluate(() => {
+      const paths = document.querySelectorAll('path.live-packet-trace');
+      for (const p of paths) {
+        const stroke = p.getAttribute('stroke') || '';
+        if (stroke.startsWith('hsl(')) return true;
+      }
+      return false;
+    });
+    assert(hasHslPolyline, 'At least one live-packet-trace polyline should have hsl() stroke color from hash');
+  });
+
  await browser.close();

  // Summary
-  const passed = results.filter(r => r.pass).length;
+  const skipped = results.filter(r => r.skipped).length;
+  const passed = results.filter(r => r.pass && !r.skipped).length;
  const failed = results.filter(r => !r.pass).length;
-  console.log(`\n${passed}/${results.length} tests passed${failed ? `, ${failed} failed` : ''}`);
+  console.log(`\n${passed}/${results.length} tests passed${skipped ? `, ${skipped} skipped` : ''}${failed ? `, ${failed} failed` : ''}`);
  process.exit(failed > 0 ? 1 : 0);
 }

@@ -690,6 +690,88 @@ console.log('\n=== haversineKm (hop-resolver.js) ===');
  });
 }

+// ===== pickByAffinity — neighbor-graph + centroid scoring (#874) =====
+console.log('\n=== pickByAffinity neighbor-graph scoring (#874) ===');
+{
+  const ctx = makeSandbox();
+  ctx.IATA_COORDS_GEO = {};
+  loadInCtx(ctx, 'public/hop-resolver.js');
+  const HR = ctx.window.HopResolver;
+
+  // Two nodes sharing prefix "ab", hundreds of km apart.
+  // NodeSF is near San Francisco, NodeDEN is near Denver.
+  const nodeSF = { public_key: 'ab11111111111111', name: 'NodeSF', lat: 37.7, lon: -122.4 };
+  const nodeDEN = { public_key: 'ab22222222222222', name: 'NodeDEN', lat: 39.7, lon: -104.9 };
+  // A known neighbor of NodeSF (in the graph)
+  const nodeNeighbor = { public_key: 'cc33333333333333', name: 'SFNeighbor', lat: 37.8, lon: -122.3 };
+  // Another known node near Denver
+  const nodeDenNeighbor = { public_key: 'dd44444444444444', name: 'DENNeighbor', lat: 39.8, lon: -105.0 };
+
+  test('#874: graph edge scoring picks correct regional candidate (SF)', () => {
+    HR.init([nodeSF, nodeDEN, nodeNeighbor, nodeDenNeighbor]);
+    HR.setAffinity({ edges: [
+      { source: 'cc33333333333333', target: 'ab11111111111111', weight: 5 },
+      { source: 'dd44444444444444', target: 'ab22222222222222', weight: 5 },
+    ]});
+    // Path: SFNeighbor → [ab??] → DENNeighbor
+    // With graph edges, ab11 (NodeSF) has edge to SFNeighbor, ab22 (NodeDEN) has edge to DENNeighbor
+    // Prev=SFNeighbor, Next=DENNeighbor → both have score 5, but SFNeighbor edge only to ab11
+    const result = HR.resolve(['cc', 'ab', 'dd'],
+      null, null, null, null);
+    assert.strictEqual(result['ab'].name, 'NodeSF',
+      'Should pick NodeSF because it has a graph edge to prev hop SFNeighbor');
+  });
+
+  test('#874: graph edge scoring — next hop breaks tie', () => {
+    HR.init([nodeSF, nodeDEN, nodeNeighbor, nodeDenNeighbor]);
+    HR.setAffinity({ edges: [
+      { source: 'dd44444444444444', target: 'ab22222222222222', weight: 8 },
+      // No edge from SFNeighbor to either ab node
+    ]});
+    // Path: SFNeighbor → [ab??] → DENNeighbor
+    // Only ab22 (NodeDEN) has edge to DENNeighbor (next hop)
+    const result = HR.resolve(['cc', 'ab', 'dd'],
+      null, null, null, null);
+    assert.strictEqual(result['ab'].name, 'NodeDEN',
+      'Should pick NodeDEN because it has graph edge to next hop DENNeighbor');
+  });
+
+  test('#874: centroid fallback when no graph edges exist', () => {
+    HR.init([nodeSF, nodeDEN, nodeNeighbor]);
+    HR.setAffinity({ edges: [] }); // no edges at all
+    // Path: SFNeighbor → [ab??]
+    // SFNeighbor is at (37.8, -122.3), centroid is just that point
+    // NodeSF (37.7, -122.4) is ~14km away, NodeDEN (39.7, -104.9) is ~1500km away
+    const result = HR.resolve(['cc', 'ab'],
+      null, null, null, null);
+    assert.strictEqual(result['ab'].name, 'NodeSF',
+      'Should pick NodeSF via centroid proximity to SFNeighbor');
+  });
+
+  test('#874: centroid uses average of prev+next positions', () => {
+    // Prev near SF, next near Denver → centroid is midpoint (~Nevada)
+    // NodeDEN is closer to Nevada midpoint than NodeSF
+    const nodeMid = { public_key: 'ee55555555555555', name: 'MidNode', lat: 38.5, lon: -114.0 };
+    HR.init([nodeSF, nodeDEN, nodeNeighbor, nodeDenNeighbor, nodeMid]);
+    HR.setAffinity({ edges: [] });
+    // Path: SFNeighbor → [ab??] → DENNeighbor
+    // centroid = avg(37.8,-122.3, 39.8,-105.0) = (38.8, -113.65) — closer to Denver
+    const result = HR.resolve(['cc', 'ab', 'dd'],
+      null, null, null, null);
+    assert.strictEqual(result['ab'].name, 'NodeDEN',
+      'Should pick NodeDEN because centroid of SF+Denver neighbors is closer to Denver');
+  });
+
+  test('#874: fallback when no context at all', () => {
+    HR.init([nodeSF, nodeDEN]);
+    HR.setAffinity({ edges: [] });
+    // Single ambiguous hop, no origin/observer, no neighbors
+    const result = HR.resolve(['ab'], null, null, null, null);
+    assert.ok(result['ab'].ambiguous || result['ab'].name != null,
+      'Should resolve to some candidate without crashing');
+  });
+}
+
 // ===== SNR/RSSI Number casting =====
 {
  // These test the pattern used in observer-detail.js, home.js, traces.js, live.js
@@ -1722,6 +1804,128 @@ console.log('\n=== app.js: formatEngineBadge ===');
  });
 }

+// ===== APP.JS: computeBreakdownRanges =====
+console.log('\n=== app.js: computeBreakdownRanges ===');
+{
+  const ctx = makeSandbox();
+  loadInCtx(ctx, 'public/roles.js');
+  loadInCtx(ctx, 'public/app.js');
+  const computeBreakdownRanges = ctx.computeBreakdownRanges;
+
+  function findRange(ranges, label) {
+    return ranges.find(r => r.label === label);
+  }
+
+  test('returns [] for empty hex', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(computeBreakdownRanges('', 1, 5), []);
+  });
+
+  test('returns [] for too-short hex (< 2 bytes)', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(computeBreakdownRanges('15', 1, 5), []);
+  });
+
+  test('FLOOD non-transport: 4-hop hash_size=1', () => {
+    // header=15, plb=04 → hash_size=1, hash_count=4
+    // bytes: 15 04 90 FA F9 10 6E 01 D9
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges('150490FAF910 6E01D9'.replace(/\s/g,''), 1, 5);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Header'),      { start: 0, end: 0, label: 'Header' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path Length'), { start: 1, end: 1, label: 'Path Length' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'),        { start: 2, end: 5, label: 'Path' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Payload'),     { start: 6, end: 8, label: 'Payload' });
+    assert.strictEqual(findRange(r, 'Transport Codes'), undefined);
+  });
+
+  test('FLOOD non-transport: 7-hop hash_size=1', () => {
+    // header=15, plb=07
+    const hex = '15077f6d7d1cadeca33988fd95e0851ebf01ea12e1879e';
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges(hex, 1, 5);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'), { start: 2, end: 8, label: 'Path' });
+    const payload = findRange(r, 'Payload');
+    assert.strictEqual(payload.start, 9, 'payload starts after the 7 path bytes');
+  });
+
+  test('FLOOD non-transport: 8-hop hash_size=1', () => {
+    const hex = '1508' + '11223344556677AA' + 'BBCCDD';
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges(hex, 1, 5);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'), { start: 2, end: 9, label: 'Path' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Payload'), { start: 10, end: 12, label: 'Payload' });
+  });
+
+  test('Direct advert: 0-hop, no Path range', () => {
+    // plb=00 → 0 hops; expect Path Length but NO Path range
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges('1100AABBCCDD', 1, 4);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path Length'), { start: 1, end: 1, label: 'Path Length' });
+    assert.strictEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'), undefined);
+  });
+
+  test('Transport route shifts path-length offset by 4', () => {
+    // route_type=0 (TRANSPORT_FLOOD): bytes 1..4 are Transport Codes
+    // header=14, transport=AABBCCDD, plb=02, hops=11 22, payload=99
+    const hex = '14AABBCCDD021122' + '99';
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges(hex, 0, 5);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Transport Codes'), { start: 1, end: 4, label: 'Transport Codes' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path Length'),     { start: 5, end: 5, label: 'Path Length' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'),            { start: 6, end: 7, label: 'Path' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Payload'),         { start: 8, end: 8, label: 'Payload' });
+  });
+
+  test('hash_size=2 (plb top bits=01): 4 hops × 2 bytes', () => {
+    // plb = 01 0001 00 = 0x44 → hash_size=2, hash_count=4 → 8 path bytes
+    const hex = '15' + '44' + 'AABB' + 'CCDD' + 'EEFF' + '1122' + '9988';
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges(hex, 1, 5);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'), { start: 2, end: 9, label: 'Path' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Payload'), { start: 10, end: 11, label: 'Payload' });
+  });
+
+  test('hash_size=3 (plb top bits=10): 2 hops × 3 bytes', () => {
+    // plb = 10 0000 10 = 0x82 → hash_size=3, hash_count=2 → 6 path bytes
+    const hex = '15' + '82' + 'AABBCC' + 'DDEEFF' + '99';
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges(hex, 1, 5);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'), { start: 2, end: 7, label: 'Path' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Payload'), { start: 8, end: 8, label: 'Payload' });
+  });
+
+  test('hash_size=4 (plb top bits=11): 2 hops × 4 bytes', () => {
+    // plb = 11 0000 10 = 0xC2 → hash_size=4, hash_count=2 → 8 path bytes
+    const hex = '15' + 'C2' + 'AABBCCDD' + 'EEFF1122' + '99887766';
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges(hex, 1, 5);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'), { start: 2, end: 9, label: 'Path' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Payload'), { start: 10, end: 13, label: 'Payload' });
+  });
+
+  test('truncated path: not enough bytes → no Path range', () => {
+    // plb=04 says 4 hops but only 2 bytes remain
+    const hex = '1504AABB';
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges(hex, 1, 5);
+    assert.strictEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'), undefined);
+  });
+
+  test('ADVERT (payload_type=4) with full record: PubKey/Timestamp/Signature/Flags', () => {
+    // header=11, plb=00 (direct advert)
+    // payload: 32 bytes pubkey + 4 bytes ts + 64 bytes sig + 1 byte flags
+    const pubkey = 'AB'.repeat(32);
+    const ts = '11223344';
+    const sig = 'CD'.repeat(64);
+    const flags = '00';
+    const hex = '1100' + pubkey + ts + sig + flags;
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges(hex, 1, 4);
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'PubKey'),    { start: 2,  end: 33,  label: 'PubKey' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Timestamp'), { start: 34, end: 37,  label: 'Timestamp' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Signature'), { start: 38, end: 101, label: 'Signature' });
+    assert.deepEqual(findRange(r, 'Flags'),     { start: 102, end: 102, label: 'Flags' });
+  });
+
+  test('NaN-safe: malformed path-length byte produces no Path range', () => {
+    // hex with non-hex char in plb position would parseInt-fail → bail
+    // Use a 1-byte payload that makes pathByte parseInt produce NaN-ish via X
+    // (parseInt of 'XY' is NaN). Since fs reads only hex chars, simulate via short hex.
+    // Easier: empty string already returns []; 1-byte returns []. Both covered above.
+    // Use plb=FF (hash_size=4, hash_count=63) too long for input → no Path
+    const r = computeBreakdownRanges('15FF' + 'AA', 1, 5);
+    assert.strictEqual(findRange(r, 'Path'), undefined);
+  });
+}
+
 // ===== APP.JS: isTransportRoute + transportBadge =====
 console.log('\n=== app.js: isTransportRoute + transportBadge ===');
 {
@@ -5462,40 +5666,33 @@ console.log('\n=== packets.js: buildFieldTable hop count from path_len (#844) ==
  loadInCtx(ftCtx, 'public/packets.js');
  const { buildFieldTable } = ftCtx.window._packetsTestAPI;

-  test('#844: byte breakdown uses path_len hop count, not aggregated _parsedPath', () => {
+  test('#885: byte breakdown uses pathHops length (single source of truth)', () => {
+    // After #885 the byte breakdown agrees with the path pill: both render
+    // from the per-observation path_json. raw_hex is the underlying bytes
+    // for that same observation, so consistency is by construction.
    // path_len = 0x42 → hash_size=2, hash_count=2
    // raw_hex: header(11) + path_len(42) + hop0(41B1) + hop1(27D7) + pubkey(32 bytes)...
    const pubkey = 'C0DEDAD4'.padEnd(64, '0'); // 32 bytes = 64 hex chars
    const raw = '1142' + '41B1' + '27D7' + pubkey + '00000000' + '0'.repeat(128);
    const pkt = { raw_hex: raw, route_type: 1, payload_type: 0 };
-    // Pass aggregated pathHops with 7 hops (mismatched)
-    const pathHops = ['41B1', '5EB0', '1000', '2DD2', '52F8', '9535', '762B'];
+    // Per-obs path_json IS the source of truth — pass the 2 hops that match raw_hex.
+    const pathHops = ['41B1', '27D7'];
    const html = buildFieldTable(pkt, {}, pathHops, {});

-    // Section header should say "2 hops", not "7 hops"
-    assert.ok(html.includes('Path (2 hops)'), 'Should show "Path (2 hops)" from path_len, got: ' +
-      (html.match(/Path \(\d+ hops\)/)?.[0] || 'no match'));
-    assert.ok(!html.includes('Path (7 hops)'), 'Should NOT show 7 hops from aggregated path');
-
-    // Should contain hop values from raw_hex
+    assert.ok(html.includes('Path (2 hops)'), 'Should show "Path (2 hops)"');
    assert.ok(html.includes('41B1'), 'Should show hop 0 = 41B1');
    assert.ok(html.includes('27D7'), 'Should show hop 1 = 27D7');
-
-    // Should NOT contain hops from aggregated path that aren't in raw_hex
-    assert.ok(!html.includes('5EB0'), 'Should NOT show aggregated hop 5EB0');
-    assert.ok(!html.includes('9535'), 'Should NOT show aggregated hop 9535');
  });

-  test('#844: pubkey offset correct after 2-hop path (not after 7-hop)', () => {
+  test('#885: pubkey offset advances by hashSize * pathHops.length', () => {
    const pubkey = 'C0DEDAD4'.padEnd(64, '0');
    const raw = '1142' + '41B1' + '27D7' + pubkey + '00000000' + '0'.repeat(128);
    const pkt = { raw_hex: raw, route_type: 1, payload_type: 0 };
-    const html = buildFieldTable(pkt, { type: 'ADVERT', pubKey: pubkey }, ['41B1','5EB0','1000','2DD2','52F8','9535','762B'], {});
+    const html = buildFieldTable(pkt, { type: 'ADVERT', pubKey: pubkey }, ['41B1', '27D7'], {});

    // Public Key should be at offset 6 (1 header + 1 path_len + 2*2 hops = 6)
-    // Not at offset 16 (1 + 1 + 2*7 = 16)
    assert.ok(html.includes('>6<') || html.includes('"6"'),
-      'Public Key should be at offset 6, not 16');
+      'Public Key should be at offset 6');
  });

  test('#844: hashCountVal=0 (direct advert) skips Path section', () => {
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+/* test-hash-color.js — Unit tests for hash-color.js (vm.createContext sandbox)
+ * Tests: purity, theme split, saturation variability, lightness variability,
+ *        outline darker than fill, sentinel, perceptual distance
+ */
+'use strict';
+const vm = require('vm');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+
+const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, 'public', 'hash-color.js'), 'utf8');
+
+function createSandbox() {
+  const sandbox = { window: {}, module: {} };
+  vm.createContext(sandbox);
+  vm.runInContext(src, sandbox);
+  return sandbox.window.HashColor || sandbox.module.exports;
+}
+
+const HashColor = createSandbox();
+let passed = 0;
+let failed = 0;
+
+function assert(cond, msg) {
+  if (cond) { passed++; console.log('  ✓ ' + msg); }
+  else { failed++; console.error('  ✗ ' + msg); }
+}
+
+function parseHsl(str) {
+  const m = str.match(/hsl\((\d+),\s*(\d+)%,\s*(\d+)%\)/);
+  if (!m) return null;
+  return { h: parseInt(m[1]), s: parseInt(m[2]), l: parseInt(m[3]) };
+}
+
+// --- Purity: same input → same output ---
+console.log('Purity:');
+const r1 = HashColor.hashToHsl('a1b2c3d4', 'light');
+const r2 = HashColor.hashToHsl('a1b2c3d4', 'light');
+assert(r1 === r2, 'Same hash+theme → identical output');
+const r3 = HashColor.hashToHsl('a1b2c3d4', 'light');
+assert(r1 === r3, 'Third call still identical (no internal state)');
+
+// --- Theme split: light vs dark produce different L ---
+console.log('Theme split:');
+const light = HashColor.hashToHsl('ff00aa80', 'light');
+const dark = HashColor.hashToHsl('ff00aa80', 'dark');
+assert(light !== dark, 'Light and dark produce different colors for same hash');
+const lightP = parseHsl(light);
+const darkP = parseHsl(dark);
+assert(lightP.l >= 50 && lightP.l <= 65, 'Light theme L in [50,65] (got ' + lightP.l + ')');
+assert(darkP.l >= 55 && darkP.l <= 72, 'Dark theme L in [55,72] (got ' + darkP.l + ')');
+
+// --- Saturation varies with byte 2 ---
+console.log('Saturation variability (byte 2):');
+const lowSat = HashColor.hashToHsl('000000ff', 'light');  // byte2=0x00
+const highSat = HashColor.hashToHsl('0000ffff', 'light'); // byte2=0xff
+const lowSatP = parseHsl(lowSat);
+const highSatP = parseHsl(highSat);
+assert(lowSatP.s === 55, 'byte2=0x00 → S=55% (got ' + lowSatP.s + ')');
+assert(highSatP.s === 95, 'byte2=0xff → S=95% (got ' + highSatP.s + ')');
+// Mid value
+const midSat = HashColor.hashToHsl('00008000', 'light'); // byte2=0x80
+const midSatP = parseHsl(midSat);
+assert(midSatP.s > 55 && midSatP.s < 95, 'byte2=0x80 → S between 55 and 95 (got ' + midSatP.s + ')');
+
+// --- Lightness varies with byte 3 ---
+console.log('Lightness variability (byte 3):');
+const lowL = HashColor.hashToHsl('00000000', 'light');  // byte3=0x00
+const highL = HashColor.hashToHsl('000000ff', 'light'); // byte3=0xff
+const lowLP = parseHsl(lowL);
+const highLP = parseHsl(highL);
+assert(lowLP.l === 50, 'byte3=0x00 light → L=50 (got ' + lowLP.l + ')');
+assert(highLP.l === 65, 'byte3=0xff light → L=65 (got ' + highLP.l + ')');
+const lowLD = HashColor.hashToHsl('00000000', 'dark');
+const highLD = HashColor.hashToHsl('000000ff', 'dark');
+assert(parseHsl(lowLD).l === 55, 'byte3=0x00 dark → L=55 (got ' + parseHsl(lowLD).l + ')');
+assert(parseHsl(highLD).l === 72, 'byte3=0xff dark → L=72 (got ' + parseHsl(highLD).l + ')');
+
+// --- Outline is darker than fill ---
+console.log('Outline darker than fill:');
+['a1b2c3d4', 'ff00aa80', '12345678', 'deadbeef'].forEach(h => {
+  ['light', 'dark'].forEach(theme => {
+    const fill = parseHsl(HashColor.hashToHsl(h, theme));
+    const outline = parseHsl(HashColor.hashToOutline(h, theme));
+    assert(outline.l < fill.l, 'Outline L(' + outline.l + ') < Fill L(' + fill.l + ') for ' + h + '/' + theme);
+  });
+});
+
+// --- Outline same hue as fill ---
+console.log('Outline same hue as fill:');
+['a1b2c3d4', 'deadbeef'].forEach(h => {
+  const fill = parseHsl(HashColor.hashToHsl(h, 'light'));
+  const outline = parseHsl(HashColor.hashToOutline(h, 'light'));
+  assert(fill.h === outline.h, 'Hue matches: fill=' + fill.h + ' outline=' + outline.h + ' for ' + h);
+});
+
+// --- Sentinel: null/empty/short hash ---
+console.log('Sentinel:');
+assert(HashColor.hashToHsl(null, 'light') === 'hsl(0, 0%, 50%)', 'null → sentinel');
+assert(HashColor.hashToHsl('', 'light') === 'hsl(0, 0%, 50%)', 'empty string → sentinel');
+assert(HashColor.hashToHsl('ab', 'dark') === 'hsl(0, 0%, 50%)', 'too short (2 chars) → sentinel');
+assert(HashColor.hashToHsl('abcdef', 'dark') === 'hsl(0, 0%, 50%)', '6 chars (need 8) → sentinel');
+assert(HashColor.hashToHsl(undefined, 'dark') === 'hsl(0, 0%, 50%)', 'undefined → sentinel');
+assert(HashColor.hashToOutline(null, 'light') === 'hsl(0, 0%, 30%)', 'null outline → sentinel');
+
+// --- Variability: different hashes → different colors (anti-tautology) ---
+console.log('Variability (anti-tautology):');
+const colors = new Set();
+['00008080', '80008080', 'ff008080', '00ff8080', 'ffff8080'].forEach(h => {
+  colors.add(HashColor.hashToHsl(h, 'light'));
+});
+assert(colors.size >= 4, 'At least 4 distinct colors from 5 different hashes (got ' + colors.size + ')');
+
+// Adjacent hashes differ
+const c1 = HashColor.hashToHsl('01008080', 'light');
+const c2 = HashColor.hashToHsl('02008080', 'light');
+assert(c1 !== c2, 'Adjacent hashes produce different colors');
+
+// --- Perceptual distance: sample 50 hashes, compute pairwise HSL distance ---
+console.log('Perceptual distance (50 sample hashes):');
+function hslDistance(a, b) {
+  // Simple cylindrical distance: weight hue wrap, sat, lightness
+  var dh = Math.min(Math.abs(a.h - b.h), 360 - Math.abs(a.h - b.h)) / 180; // 0-1
+  var ds = Math.abs(a.s - b.s) / 100; // 0-1
+  var dl = Math.abs(a.l - b.l) / 100; // 0-1
+  return Math.sqrt(dh*dh + ds*ds + dl*dl);
+}
+
+const deterministicHashes = [];
+for (var i = 0; i < 50; i++) {
+  var hex = ('0000000' + (i * 5347 + 12345).toString(16)).slice(-8);
+  deterministicHashes.push(hex);
+}
+
+const parsedColors = deterministicHashes.map(h => parseHsl(HashColor.hashToHsl(h, 'light')));
+var distances = [];
+for (var i = 0; i < parsedColors.length; i++) {
+  for (var j = i + 1; j < parsedColors.length; j++) {
+    distances.push(hslDistance(parsedColors[i], parsedColors[j]));
+  }
+}
+var avgDist = distances.reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0) / distances.length;
+var minDist = Math.min(...distances);
+console.log('    Avg pairwise HSL distance: ' + avgDist.toFixed(4));
+console.log('    Min pairwise HSL distance: ' + minDist.toFixed(4));
+assert(avgDist > 0.15, 'Average pairwise distance > 0.15 (got ' + avgDist.toFixed(4) + ')');
+assert(minDist > 0.01, 'Min pairwise distance > 0.01 (got ' + minDist.toFixed(4) + ')');
+
+// --- Summary ---
+console.log('\n' + passed + ' passed, ' + failed + ' failed');
+if (failed > 0) process.exit(1);
@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ function assert(condition, msg) {

 // ── Test nodes ──
 // Two nodes share the same 1-byte prefix "ab"
-const nodeA = { public_key: 'ab1111', name: 'NodeA', lat: 37.0, lon: -122.0 };
-const nodeB = { public_key: 'ab2222', name: 'NodeB', lat: 38.0, lon: -123.0 };
-const nodeC = { public_key: 'cd3333', name: 'NodeC', lat: 37.5, lon: -122.5 };
+const nodeA = { public_key: 'ab1111', name: 'NodeA', role: 'repeater', lat: 37.0, lon: -122.0 };
+const nodeB = { public_key: 'ab2222', name: 'NodeB', role: 'repeater', lat: 38.0, lon: -123.0 };
+const nodeC = { public_key: 'cd3333', name: 'NodeC', role: 'repeater', lat: 37.5, lon: -122.5 };

 console.log('\n=== HopResolver Affinity Tests ===\n');

@@ -88,12 +88,65 @@ assert(result5['ab'].name === 'NodeB', 'Should pick NodeB (highest affinity 0.9)

 // Test 6: Unambiguous hops are not affected by affinity
 console.log('\nTest 6: Unambiguous hops unaffected by affinity');
-const nodeD = { public_key: 'ee4444', name: 'NodeD', lat: 36.0, lon: -121.0 };
+const nodeD = { public_key: 'ee4444', name: 'NodeD', role: 'repeater', lat: 36.0, lon: -121.0 };
 HopResolver.init([nodeA, nodeB, nodeC, nodeD]);
 HopResolver.setAffinity({ edges: [] });
 const result6 = HopResolver.resolve(['ee44'], null, null, null, null, null);
 assert(result6['ee44'].name === 'NodeD', 'Unique prefix resolves directly — got: ' + result6['ee44'].name);
 assert(!result6['ee44'].ambiguous, 'Should not be marked ambiguous');

+// Test 7: lat=0 / lon=0 candidates are NOT excluded (equator/prime-meridian bug fix)
+console.log('\nTest 7: lat=0 / lon=0 candidates are included in geo scoring');
+const nodeEquator = { public_key: 'ab5555', name: 'EquatorNode', role: 'repeater', lat: 0, lon: 10 };
+const nodeFar = { public_key: 'ab6666', name: 'FarNode', role: 'repeater', lat: 60, lon: 60 };
+const anchorNearEq = { public_key: 'cd7777', name: 'AnchorEq', role: 'repeater', lat: 1, lon: 11 };
+HopResolver.init([nodeEquator, nodeFar, anchorNearEq]);
+HopResolver.setAffinity({});
+// Anchor near equator — EquatorNode (0,10) should be geo-closest
+const result7 = HopResolver.resolve(['cd77', 'ab'], 1.0, 11.0, null, null, null);
+assert(result7['ab'].name === 'EquatorNode',
+  'lat=0 candidate should be included and win by geo — got: ' + result7['ab'].name);
+
+// Test 8: lon=0 candidate is also included
+console.log('\nTest 8: lon=0 candidate is included in geo scoring');
+const nodePrime = { public_key: 'ab8888', name: 'PrimeMeridian', role: 'repeater', lat: 10, lon: 0 };
+const anchorNearPM = { public_key: 'cd9999', name: 'AnchorPM', role: 'repeater', lat: 11, lon: 1 };
+HopResolver.init([nodePrime, nodeFar, anchorNearPM]);
+HopResolver.setAffinity({});
+const result8 = HopResolver.resolve(['cd99', 'ab'], 11.0, 1.0, null, null, null);
+assert(result8['ab'].name === 'PrimeMeridian',
+  'lon=0 candidate should be included and win by geo — got: ' + result8['ab'].name);
+
+// ── Role filter tests (#935) ──
+console.log('\nTest: Role filter — companions excluded from prefixIdx');
+const companion = { public_key: 'ab9999', name: 'Companion1', role: 'companion', lat: 37.0, lon: -122.0 };
+const sensor = { public_key: 'ab7777', name: 'Sensor1', role: 'sensor', lat: 37.0, lon: -122.0 };
+const repeater = { public_key: 'ab1234', name: 'Repeater1', role: 'repeater', lat: 37.0, lon: -122.0 };
+const roomSrv = { public_key: 'ff1234', name: 'RoomSrv1', role: 'room_server', lat: 37.0, lon: -122.0 };
+
+HopResolver.init([companion, sensor, repeater, roomSrv]);
+HopResolver.setAffinity({});
+
+// Prefix 'ab' should only resolve to repeater (companion/sensor excluded)
+const r1 = HopResolver.resolve(['ab12'], 0, 0, null, null, null);
+assert(r1['ab12'] && r1['ab12'].name === 'Repeater1',
+  'prefix ab12 resolves to Repeater1 not companion — got: ' + (r1['ab12'] && r1['ab12'].name));
+
+// Prefix 'ff' should resolve to room_server
+const r2 = HopResolver.resolve(['ff12'], 0, 0, null, null, null);
+assert(r2['ff12'] && r2['ff12'].name === 'RoomSrv1',
+  'prefix ff12 resolves to RoomSrv1 — got: ' + (r2['ff12'] && r2['ff12'].name));
+
+// Prefix that only matches companion should return nothing
+const r3 = HopResolver.resolve(['ab99'], 0, 0, null, null, null);
+assert(!r3['ab99'] || !r3['ab99'].name,
+  'prefix ab99 (companion only) resolves to nothing — got: ' + (r3['ab99'] && r3['ab99'].name));
+
+// pubkeyIdx should still have companion (full pubkey lookup)
+console.log('\nTest: pubkeyIdx still includes all roles');
+const fromServer = HopResolver.resolveFromServer(['ab99'], [companion.public_key]);
+assert(fromServer['ab99'] && fromServer['ab99'].name === 'Companion1',
+  'resolveFromServer finds companion by full pubkey — got: ' + (fromServer['ab99'] && fromServer['ab99'].name));
+
 console.log('\n' + (passed + failed) + ' tests, ' + passed + ' passed, ' + failed + ' failed\n');
 process.exit(failed > 0 ? 1 : 0);
@@ -928,6 +928,56 @@ console.log('\n=== live.js: source-level safety checks ===');
  });
 }

+// ===== Node filter (M3 — #771) =====
+console.log('\n=== live.js: node filter ===');
+{
+  const ctx = makeLiveSandbox();
+  const pktInvolvesFilter = ctx.window._livePacketInvolvesFilterNode;
+  assert.ok(pktInvolvesFilter, '_livePacketInvolvesFilterNode must be exposed');
+
+  const makePkt = (hops) => ({ decoded: { path: { hops }, payload: {} } });
+
+  test('packetInvolvesFilterNode returns true when filter is empty', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pktInvolvesFilter(makePkt(['abcd1234']), []), true);
+  });
+
+  test('packetInvolvesFilterNode matches hop by prefix', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pktInvolvesFilter(makePkt(['abcd1234', 'ef012345']), ['abcd1234567890ab']), true);
+  });
+
+  test('packetInvolvesFilterNode matches full key against short hop', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pktInvolvesFilter(makePkt(['abcd']), ['abcd1234567890ab']), true);
+  });
+
+  test('packetInvolvesFilterNode returns false when no hop matches', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pktInvolvesFilter(makePkt(['ffff1234', '00001111']), ['abcd1234567890ab']), false);
+  });
+
+  test('packetInvolvesFilterNode matches any of multiple filter keys (OR logic)', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pktInvolvesFilter(makePkt(['ffff0000']), ['abcd1234', 'ffff0000']), true);
+  });
+
+  test('packetInvolvesFilterNode returns false for packet with no hops', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(pktInvolvesFilter(makePkt([]), ['abcd1234']), false);
+  });
+
+  const getNodeFilterKeys = ctx.window._liveGetNodeFilterKeys;
+  assert.ok(getNodeFilterKeys, '_liveGetNodeFilterKeys must be exposed');
+
+  test('node filter defaults to empty array when localStorage is unset', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(getNodeFilterKeys().length, 0);
+  });
+
+  test('node filter saves to localStorage when set', () => {
+    const setFilter = ctx.window._liveSetNodeFilter;
+    assert.ok(setFilter, '_liveSetNodeFilter must be exposed');
+    setFilter(['abcd1234', 'ef012345']);
+    assert.strictEqual(ctx.localStorage.getItem('live-node-filter'), 'abcd1234,ef012345');
+    setFilter([]);
+    assert.strictEqual(ctx.localStorage.getItem('live-node-filter'), '');
+  });
+}
+
 // ===== SUMMARY =====
 Promise.allSettled(pendingTests).then(() => {
  console.log(`\n${'═'.repeat(40)}`);
@@ -844,6 +844,120 @@ console.log('\n=== packets.js: _invalidateRowCounts / _refreshRowCountsIfDirty (
  });
 }

+console.log('\n=== packets.js: buildPacketsParams ===');
+{
+  const ctx = loadPacketsSandbox();
+  const api = ctx._packetsTestAPI;
+  assert(typeof api.buildPacketsParams === 'function', 'buildPacketsParams must be exported');
+
+  test('hash filter suppresses region — direct hash links work regardless of saved region', () => {
+    // This is the bug from URL https://analyzer.../#/packets?hash=178525e9f693aa7e
+    // when the user's saved RegionFilter excludes the packet's observer region.
+    // The hash is an exact identifier; ALL other filters must be ignored.
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: { hash: 'abc123' },
+      regionParam: 'SJC,SFO,OAK,MRY',
+      windowMin: 60,
+      groupByHash: false,
+      limit: 200,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('hash'), 'abc123');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('region'), null, 'region must NOT be set when hash is present');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('since'), null, 'since must NOT be set when hash is present');
+  });
+
+  test('hash filter suppresses ALL other filters — observer, node, channel too', () => {
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: { hash: 'h', node: 'n', observer: 'o', channel: 'c' },
+      regionParam: 'SJC',
+      windowMin: 60,
+      groupByHash: false,
+      limit: 200,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('hash'), 'h');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('node'), null);
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('observer'), null);
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('channel'), null);
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('region'), null);
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('since'), null);
+  });
+
+  test('hash filter suppresses region with default windowMin=0', () => {
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: { hash: 'deadbeef' },
+      regionParam: 'COA',
+      windowMin: 0,
+      groupByHash: false,
+      limit: 50,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('hash'), 'deadbeef');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('region'), null);
+  });
+
+  test('region applied normally when hash filter is absent', () => {
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: {},
+      regionParam: 'SJC,SFO',
+      windowMin: 60,
+      groupByHash: false,
+      limit: 200,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('region'), 'SJC,SFO', 'region must apply when no hash');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('hash'), null);
+    assert(p.get('since'), 'since must apply when no hash and windowMin>0');
+  });
+
+  test('observer/node/channel pass through normally when no hash', () => {
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: { observer: 'obs1', node: 'node1', channel: '#test' },
+      regionParam: '',
+      windowMin: 0,
+      groupByHash: false,
+      limit: 50,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('observer'), 'obs1');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('node'), 'node1');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('channel'), '#test');
+  });
+
+  test('region absent when regionParam empty — no spurious empty region= param', () => {
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: {},
+      regionParam: '',
+      windowMin: 0,
+      groupByHash: false,
+      limit: 50,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('region'), null);
+  });
+
+  test('groupByHash=true with hash sets groupByHash and omits expand', () => {
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: { hash: 'h' }, regionParam: '', windowMin: 0, groupByHash: true, limit: 50,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('groupByHash'), 'true');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('expand'), null);
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('hash'), 'h');
+  });
+
+  test('groupByHash=false with hash sets expand=observations', () => {
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: { hash: 'h' }, regionParam: '', windowMin: 0, groupByHash: false, limit: 50,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('expand'), 'observations');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('groupByHash'), null);
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('hash'), 'h');
+  });
+
+  test('groupByHash=false without hash sets expand=observations', () => {
+    const p = api.buildPacketsParams({
+      filters: {}, regionParam: '', windowMin: 0, groupByHash: false, limit: 50,
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('expand'), 'observations');
+    assert.strictEqual(p.get('groupByHash'), null);
+  });
+}
+
 // ===== SUMMARY =====
 console.log(`\n${'='.repeat(40)}`);
 console.log(`packets.js tests: ${passed} passed, ${failed} failed`);
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+// E2E tests for Path Inspector (spec §5 — Playwright).
+// Run: npx playwright test test-path-inspector-e2e.js
+// Requires: running server on BASE_URL (default http://localhost:3000).
+'use strict';
+
+const { test, expect } = require('@playwright/test');
+const BASE_URL = process.env.BASE_URL || 'http://localhost:3000';
+
+test.describe('Path Inspector — Map Side Pane (spec §2.7)', () => {
+  test('side pane present and collapsed by default', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE_URL}/#/map`);
+    const pane = page.locator('#mapSidePane');
+    await expect(pane).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(pane).not.toHaveClass(/expanded/);
+  });
+
+  test('click toggle expands the pane', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE_URL}/#/map`);
+    await page.click('#mapPaneToggle');
+    const pane = page.locator('#mapSidePane');
+    await expect(pane).toHaveClass(/expanded/);
+  });
+
+  test('submit valid prefixes renders candidates within 1s', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE_URL}/#/map`);
+    await page.click('#mapPaneToggle');
+    await page.fill('#mapPiInput', '2c,a1,f4');
+    await page.click('#mapPiSubmit');
+    // Wait for results or error (both indicate API round-trip complete).
+    await expect(page.locator('#mapPiResults table, #mapPiResults .no-results, #mapPiError')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 1000 });
+  });
+
+  test('Show on Map button draws polyline on map', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE_URL}/#/map`);
+    await page.click('#mapPaneToggle');
+    await page.fill('#mapPiInput', '2c,a1');
+    await page.click('#mapPiSubmit');
+    // Wait for results.
+    const btn = page.locator('#mapPiResults button[data-idx="0"]');
+    await btn.waitFor({ timeout: 2000 });
+    await btn.click();
+    // Check that route layer has SVG polyline paths drawn.
+    const svg = page.locator('#leaflet-map .leaflet-overlay-pane svg path');
+    await expect(svg.first()).toBeVisible({ timeout: 2000 });
+  });
+
+  test('switching candidate clears prior polyline', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE_URL}/#/map`);
+    await page.click('#mapPaneToggle');
+    await page.fill('#mapPiInput', '2c,a1');
+    await page.click('#mapPiSubmit');
+    const btn0 = page.locator('#mapPiResults button[data-idx="0"]');
+    await btn0.waitFor({ timeout: 2000 });
+    await btn0.click();
+    // Click second candidate if available.
+    const btn1 = page.locator('#mapPiResults button[data-idx="1"]');
+    if (await btn1.isVisible()) {
+      await btn1.click();
+      // Prior route should be cleared — only one polyline group visible.
+    }
+  });
+});
+
+test.describe('Path Inspector — Standalone Page', () => {
+  test('deep link auto-fills and runs', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE_URL}/#/tools/path-inspector?prefixes=2c,a1,f4`);
+    const input = page.locator('#path-inspector-input');
+    await expect(input).toHaveValue('2c,a1,f4');
+    // Should auto-submit and show results or error.
+    await expect(page.locator('#path-inspector-results table, #path-inspector-results .no-results, #path-inspector-error')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 2000 });
+  });
+
+  test('old #/traces/<hash> redirects to #/tools/trace/<hash>', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE_URL}/#/traces/abc123`);
+    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
+    expect(page.url()).toContain('#/tools/trace/abc123');
+  });
+});
+
+test.describe('Path Inspector — Tools Landing (spec §2.8)', () => {
+  test('Tools nav shows landing with both entries', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${BASE_URL}/#/tools`);
+    await expect(page.locator('.tools-landing')).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.locator('a[href="#/tools/path-inspector"]')).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.locator('a[href*="#/tools/trace"]')).toBeVisible();
+  });
+});
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+// test-path-inspector.js — vm.createContext sandbox tests for path-inspector.js
+'use strict';
+const vm = require('vm');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+const src = fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/public/path-inspector.js', 'utf8');
+
+function createSandbox() {
+  const sandbox = {
+    window: {},
+    document: {
+      getElementById: () => ({ textContent: '', innerHTML: '', addEventListener: () => {}, querySelectorAll: () => [] }),
+      querySelectorAll: () => []
+    },
+    location: { hash: '#/tools/path-inspector' },
+    history: { replaceState: () => {} },
+    fetch: () => Promise.resolve({ ok: true, json: () => Promise.resolve({ candidates: [] }) }),
+    URLSearchParams: URLSearchParams,
+    registerPage: function () {},
+    escapeHtml: s => s,
+    console: console
+  };
+  sandbox.self = sandbox;
+  sandbox.globalThis = sandbox;
+  const ctx = vm.createContext(sandbox);
+  vm.runInContext(src, ctx);
+  return sandbox;
+}
+
+// Test: parsePrefixes accepts comma-separated.
+(function testParseComma() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const result = sb.window.PathInspector.parsePrefixes('2C,A1,F4');
+  assert.strictEqual(JSON.stringify(result), JSON.stringify(['2c', 'a1', 'f4']));
+  console.log('✓ parsePrefixes comma-separated');
+})();
+
+// Test: parsePrefixes accepts space-separated.
+(function testParseSpace() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const result = sb.window.PathInspector.parsePrefixes('2C A1 F4');
+  assert.strictEqual(JSON.stringify(result), JSON.stringify(['2c', 'a1', 'f4']));
+  console.log('✓ parsePrefixes space-separated');
+})();
+
+// Test: parsePrefixes accepts mixed.
+(function testParseMixed() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const result = sb.window.PathInspector.parsePrefixes(' 2C, A1  F4 ');
+  assert.strictEqual(JSON.stringify(result), JSON.stringify(['2c', 'a1', 'f4']));
+  console.log('✓ parsePrefixes mixed separators');
+})();
+
+// Test: validatePrefixes rejects empty.
+(function testValidateEmpty() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const err = sb.window.PathInspector.validatePrefixes([]);
+  assert.ok(err !== null, 'should reject empty');
+  console.log('✓ validatePrefixes rejects empty');
+})();
+
+// Test: validatePrefixes rejects odd-length.
+(function testValidateOdd() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const err = sb.window.PathInspector.validatePrefixes(['abc']);
+  assert.ok(err !== null && err.includes('Odd'), 'should reject odd-length');
+  console.log('✓ validatePrefixes rejects odd-length');
+})();
+
+// Test: validatePrefixes rejects >3 bytes.
+(function testValidateTooLong() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const err = sb.window.PathInspector.validatePrefixes(['aabbccdd']);
+  assert.ok(err !== null && err.includes('too long'), 'should reject >3 bytes');
+  console.log('✓ validatePrefixes rejects >3 bytes');
+})();
+
+// Test: validatePrefixes rejects mixed lengths.
+(function testValidateMixed() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const err = sb.window.PathInspector.validatePrefixes(['aa', 'bbcc']);
+  assert.ok(err !== null && err.includes('Mixed'), 'should reject mixed');
+  console.log('✓ validatePrefixes rejects mixed lengths');
+})();
+
+// Test: validatePrefixes accepts valid input.
+(function testValidateValid() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const err = sb.window.PathInspector.validatePrefixes(['2c', 'a1', 'f4']);
+  assert.strictEqual(err, null);
+  console.log('✓ validatePrefixes accepts valid');
+})();
+
+// Test: validatePrefixes rejects invalid hex.
+(function testValidateInvalidHex() {
+  const sb = createSandbox();
+  const err = sb.window.PathInspector.validatePrefixes(['zz']);
+  assert.ok(err !== null && err.includes('Invalid hex'), 'should reject invalid hex');
+  console.log('✓ validatePrefixes rejects invalid hex');
+})();
+
+// Anti-tautology: if validation were removed (always return null), the odd-length test would fail.
+// Mental revert: validatePrefixes = () => null; → testValidateOdd would fail because err would be null.
+
+console.log('\nAll path-inspector tests passed!');
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# freshen-fixture.sh — Shift all timestamps in the fixture DB to be relative to now.
+# Preserves the relative ordering between timestamps.
+# Usage: bash tools/freshen-fixture.sh <path-to-fixture.db>
+set -euo pipefail
+
+DB="${1:?Usage: freshen-fixture.sh <path-to-fixture.db>}"
+
+if [ ! -f "$DB" ]; then
+  echo "ERROR: DB file not found: $DB" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Find the max timestamp across all time columns, compute offset, shift everything forward.
+sqlite3 "$DB" <<'SQL'
+-- Shift all timestamps forward so the newest is ~now, preserving relative ordering.
+-- Use strftime to produce RFC3339 format (T separator + Z suffix) for correct comparison.
+UPDATE nodes SET last_seen = strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', last_seen,
+  (SELECT printf('+%d seconds', CAST((julianday('now') - julianday(MAX(last_seen))) * 86400 AS INTEGER)) FROM nodes)
+) WHERE last_seen IS NOT NULL;
+
+UPDATE transmissions SET first_seen = strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', first_seen,
+  (SELECT printf('+%d seconds', CAST((julianday('now') - julianday(MAX(first_seen))) * 86400 AS INTEGER)) FROM transmissions)
+) WHERE first_seen IS NOT NULL;
+
+-- Observers: shift last_seen too so they don't get auto-pruned by RemoveStaleObservers
+-- on server startup (default 14d threshold marks all >14d observers inactive=1, which
+-- the /api/observers filter then excludes — leaving the map page with no observer markers).
+UPDATE observers SET last_seen = strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', last_seen,
+  (SELECT printf('+%d seconds', CAST((julianday('now') - julianday(MAX(last_seen))) * 86400 AS INTEGER)) FROM observers)
+) WHERE last_seen IS NOT NULL;
+SQL
+
+# Defensive: clear any stale inactive=1 flags. Column may not exist on fresh fixtures
+# (added by server migration on first startup); silently no-op if missing.
+sqlite3 "$DB" "UPDATE observers SET inactive = 0 WHERE inactive = 1;" 2>/dev/null || true
+
+# neighbor_edges may not exist in all fixture versions
+sqlite3 "$DB" "UPDATE neighbor_edges SET last_seen = strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', last_seen, (SELECT printf('+%d seconds', CAST((julianday('now') - julianday(MAX(last_seen))) * 86400 AS INTEGER)) FROM neighbor_edges)) WHERE last_seen IS NOT NULL;" 2>/dev/null || true
+
+echo "Fixture timestamps freshened in $DB"
+sqlite3 "$DB" "SELECT 'nodes: min=' || MIN(last_seen) || ' max=' || MAX(last_seen) FROM nodes;"
+sqlite3 "$DB" "SELECT 'observers: count=' || COUNT(*) || ' max=' || MAX(last_seen) FROM observers;"
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@ let polygon = null;
 let closingLine = null;

 function latLonPair(latlng) {
-  return [parseFloat(latlng.lat.toFixed(6)), parseFloat(latlng.lng.toFixed(6))];
+  const w = latlng.wrap();
+  return [parseFloat(w.lat.toFixed(6)), parseFloat(w.lng.toFixed(6))];
 }

 function render() {