- Enhanced configuration options for `auto_manage_contacts` to support 'device' mode, allowing firmware to handle companion auto-addition and favourite hygiene.
- Updated `MessageHandler` to track new companions based on the `auto_manage_contacts` setting, with distinct behaviors for 'false', 'device', and 'bot' modes.
- Introduced scheduled jobs in `MessageScheduler` for device mode to manage firmware preferences and favourite keys with specified delays.
- Modified `RepeaterManager` to skip companion auto-purge in device mode, ensuring firmware manages contact slots effectively.
- Added tests to validate new behaviors and configurations, ensuring robust handling of contact management across different modes.
- Improved error handling for `out_path_hash_mode` and `out_path_len` to ensure proper type conversion and validation.
- Added logic to derive `out_path_len` from `out_path` when it is missing, enhancing robustness against incomplete data.
- Updated tests to verify correct behavior when `out_path_hash_mode` is provided as a string and `out_path_len` is absent.
- Added configuration options for URL shortening in `config.ini.example` and updated documentation in `FEEDS.md`.
- Enhanced `FeedManager` to support URL shortening based on new settings, allowing for both global and per-link shortening.
- Refactored message formatting logic to incorporate URL shortening features, ensuring compatibility with existing link handling.
- Introduced new utility functions for encoding path length bytes in `utils.py`, improving path management in message handling.
- Added unit tests to validate the new URL shortening functionality and ensure proper behavior under various conditions.