ESP32_Serial_Swiss_Army_Knife/docs/agent/current-state.md

# Current project state

Working memory, not an implementation timeline. Source is authoritative; begin with [code map](code-map.md), then [architecture](architecture.md) and [decisions](design-decisions.md).

## Phase 9D continuation — IDF 5.5.3 integration — 2026-09-18

- Initial working tree already contained platform6.13/framework3.50503/toolchains14.2.0+20251107 migration, exact version guards/hash rebases and new httpd_ws override; preserved/audited rather than overwrote. Complete official packages archived/verified under .pio/idf-candidate-5.5.3; all WiFi/PHY/coex/supplicant trees match pinned package. PMF/WPA3 unchanged. Vendor radio correction integrated in candidate, not hardware exploit/closure proof.
- Existing eightC+header corrections all retained after semantic audit; new ninth C override corrects five WS signed-receive/unsigned-size comparisons introduced upstream. Dedicated982guard/canary cases plus fivecompile+fivebehavior mutations PASS. HTTPD private layout/owner and heap extent contracts re-audited5.5.3; no weakening guards. Root dependencies.lock updated only IDF5.5.0→5.5.3 to match actual resolver result; six managed dependencies unchanged.
- Default root pio run timed out200s during sharedpackage installation before compilation; no normalrootbuildPASS claim/retry. Separate fresh app-validated stage uses complete verified archives and isolatedcore. Agent buildPASS50.51s **95,552 B linked RAM / 1,749,493 B flash** (+1,212RAM/−19,408flash vs old). Staging fresh-only explicitdestination avoids prior app overwrite; manifest includes transformedconfig hashes and records sole resolver lock change. All ninegeneratedC+PUBLICheader actualregistration verified; WS vendororiginal absent.
- Final parent tools/validate_phase9.py with --build-dir .pio/idf-candidate-5.5.3/app-validated/.pio/build/esp32-s3-devkitc-1-n16r8 --idf-path .pio/idf-candidate-5.5.3/core/packages/framework-espidf --platformio-core-dir .pio/idf-candidate-5.5.3/core --interop --web-performance **24/24PASS**. Pre/post3237sourceinputs equal hash3a1af78c15cfdd02da1055a8957b4086f9018862b7aa1c7c52fd2401a1a0a031. Earlier5webcookie failures were stale5.5.0 fixture updated5.5.3; allpassnow. Parent helper5/runner16fixturesPASS. Independent recheck noactionableblocker, reran WS/performance/runner, verified archive/linkpaths/sourceequality/rootlock. No device validation.
- Notice catalog semanticallyrebased9entries, other66unchanged;75inputs36testsPASS twoactualbundles77files4433930bytes. Evidence/docs updated with candidatenotrootbuild distinction and historical baselines. No full environmentclosure or legalclearance claim.
- **Next:** normal package installation/build completion remains unverified after timeout; ask user before retrying longer. Isolated source/currentconfig technically validated; wholePhase9 radio/resource/recovery/noEXTclient/abuse/operations targetgates stillpending, release source/notice/legal obligations open. Candidate5.5.3 is newest available official PlatformIO5.5 package verified, not latest upstream maintenance or alladvisoriesclosed. No upload/erase/assets/secureboot/encryptedNVS changes or commits.

## Phase 9D continuation — broader snapshot / reproducible validation — 2026-09-16

- Initial Git clean. `docs/dependency_advisory_coverage.md` completes finite dated search of all22official IDF advisories/3pages plus specified managed/browser channels. **New current-profile blocker:** PMF-capable mixed WPA2/WPA3 SoftAP matches vendor management-frame memory-corruption path; installed7S3WiFi archives match original5.5. No exploit demonstrated. `docs/wifi_security_update_plan.md` verifies fix/release bundle differences and both callback uint8_t*→size_t* ABI changes. Verified reference IDF5.5.3 commit2c211b236707889e8400c4dc5644dd5c4ee071e0 contains fix; not deployment approval or automatic recommendation over newer releases. Do not C-only patch/swap one archive/disable PMF as guessed mitigation. Next coherent framework/toolchain/source/header/radio update evaluation with audited override rebase; PHY/coexistence/privateABI compatibility unresolved. Direct SDK AES-DMA/PSRAM applicability remains explicit review gap.
- `tools/validate_phase9.py` fixed23command host plan, optional --build/--interop, strict existing build inputs, timeouts/process cleanup, no installs/device commands/permanent log captures. New10fixture tests. Actual run revealed stale admin_console_boundary extraction ending at removed ssh_malloc; replaced with reviewed consume_external_close endpoint and eight unique ordered markers, all existing assertions retained.
- **Final parent default validation23/23PASS and orchestrator fixtures10PASS.** Default intentionally skips build/interop; no firmware rebuild or new device/interoperability claim this slice. Prior firmware94340RAM1768901flash remains historical. Additional boundary accounts/lifecycle/psram suites passed agent. Run full opt-ins only deliberately with prerequisites.
- Exact retained USB/WiFi SVGs verified byte-identical official@mdi/svg7.4.47 commit9e04201d4557e729822fb57f62a316c3dea1d4a8; archive source/license/metadata/tree hashes in third_party/material-design-icons/upstream-7.4.47 and docs/icon_provenance.md. USB Google/WiFi Simran; fullApache text present. Mockup WiFi differs and firmware bitmap manual derivation not mechanically proven. Notice catalog75inputs preserving oldinputs except editedscopeREADME pins,36testsPASS; two actual agent bundles77files4433930bytes deterministic. No assets regenerated.
- Globaldocs/code map reflect fresh blocker, finite review boundaries and final parent results. Remaining release/source/radiolegal/wolf packaging/bitmap preferred-source delivery questions not cleared. Whole-phase hardware still deferred; secureboot/encryptedNVS excluded. No upgrades/device operations/commits. Continue concrete WiFi correction evaluation, not repeat completed finite snapshots.

## Phase 9D continuation — deferred applicability / notice tooling — 2026-09-16

- Initial Git clean. `tools/security_overrides.py` now requires exact ssh-userauth service, exact bounded CHANNEL_FAILURE recipient with existing fatal policy, and length-first exact names for all nine channel requests. Supported bodies and unknown-request ACK/consumption retained. No ordering/crypto/version changes. `docs/ssh_parser_remaining_review.md` closes finite PR899/902/918/919 and generic current signature caller trace: client key-skip functions remain unpatched but blocked by current server ordering; forwarding absent; no current short-digest/OID trigger found. Not exhaustive parser certification.
- `docs/idf_security_review.md` adds six named advisory dispositions with original/generated/config evidence: ECDH callers sized safely, driver-only PK path excluded, no untrusted CA promotion, privileged-local ECC sidechannel excluded not fixed, server tickets off despite compiled support, fixed CN avoids ASN zero-length replacement. No additional current-path source fix established; generic library defects remain explicitly recorded.
- `tools/release_notices.py` + `third_party/release-notices/inputs.json` assemble62 exact hash-pinned allowlisted notice inputs offline into fresh explicit output, descriptor no-follow traversal, bounded preflight, exclusive creates/no overwrite, deterministic names/bytes. No secret scanning/full repo/config/build collection. Tests30PASS; agent+independent reviewer verified two actual deterministic bundles and hashes. Historical64files541147bytes not general future promise. `docs/release_packaging.md` separates notices from source/recipient/legal obligations. No distribution clearance: radio source exception question, wolf package discrepancy, exact icon provenance and recipient delivery remain open.
- Parent `pio run` PASS **94,340 B linked RAM / 1,768,901 B flash** (+200flash). Parent seven suites PASS: parser3,258x2 plus channel production2,737x2 and fouralternate profiles, 11parser+18name+2appgate mutations; release notices30; auth135; protocol; strict crypto; SDK actual8C+header registration; ordering8,028/7mutations and12OpenSSH sessions each256KiB exact with rekey/cleancloseEOF. Independent review no actionable scoped defects, reran parser/notices and actual bundle determinism. Host evidence not hardware/resource/signoff.
- README/roadmap/hardening/wolf/license/code map integrated latest evidence and finite closure. **Next:** use hardeningdoc remaining implementation/maintenance, release/source/delivery and whole-phase target gates rather than repeatedly reopening completed finite reviews. Broader advisory coverage/unpatched unused primitives not certified; release packaging does not solve legal/source/provenance questions. User whole-phase validation remains deferred; secureboot/encryptedNVS excluded. No device/asset regeneration/dependency upgrade/commit.

## Phase 9D continuation — restricted SSH ordering correction — 2026-09-16

- Initial Git status clean. Implemented restricted-profile CVE-2025-14942 correction without upgrading managed pins. `tools/wolfssh_order/` archives exact PR793/819/840/855/921 bytes, hashes/commits, authoritative consolidated delta and scope. Generator now replaces eight C sources plus one internal header. PUBLIC forced overlay and stale-header marker preserve ABI across all consumers; joined `-include/path` avoids PlatformIO argument sorting/dedup failure.
- Independent SELF/PEER keying bits, exact expected-message tracking, wrong-role/preauth/repeated-message rejection, nonblocking NEWKEYS continuation and EOF/window/exit send fences. Only current Curve25519/P256 KEX supported. Existing auth/password/parser/crypto fixes retained. **EXT_INFO deliberately disabled** in advertise/send/receive paths to eliminate skipped continuation: no server-sig-algs on wire. Tested Ed25519/P256/password OpenSSH combinations work; no RSA or broad-client compatibility claim. This is not wholesale upstream backport or unrestricted CVE closure.
- Review caught misplaced EOF guard (on exit-status); corrected real SendChannelEof and retained explicit CHANNEL_REQUEST exit guard. Added actual shutdown/pending-buffer/stale-WANT_WRITE tests, zero output/state mutation during keying. Independent recheck found no remaining scoped blockers. Initial build flag integration failure and obsolete constant warning fixed; no guards weakened.
- Parent `pio run` PASS **94,340 B linked RAM / 1,768,701 B flash** (−248 B vs prior slice). Final parent six suites PASS: ordering `--interop` (8,028 checks, seven rejected mutations, 12 sessions each exact256KiB with completed rekey/channel close/transportEOF), SDK actual build registration, auth135, protocol, strict crypto and parser3,124x2. Agent also passed36 consecutive interop sessions. Real generated wolfSSH/wolfCrypt tested with both KEX and three rekey directions; production authentication/broker integration and target timing still separate gates.
- Initial parent interop exposed harness early exit/false-early PASS before peer channel close; corrected harness independently owns server over AF_UNIX fd-passing, waits channel closure/EOF and requires both exit0 plus exact binary data. Final parent AF_UNIX test needed explicit unsandboxed approval; no remote network or device operation. Remaining suites sandboxed.
- Updated review/hardening/roadmap/license/code map with effective restricted scope and evidence. **Next:** finish remaining advisory/parser applicability and release notice/source obligations, then whole-Phase9 target validation including cleanup during rekey, no-EXT client compatibility and validation CPU/heap/stack costs. Secure boot/encrypted NVS excluded; no device operations/assets/version upgrades/commits. Phase9 remains in progress, not production sign-off.

## Phase 9D continuation — SSH parser / key validation — 2026-09-15

- Initial Git status clean; previous 9D work already retained. Current slice keeps managed pins and seven-source override mechanism unchanged. `tools/security_overrides.py` now bounds IGNORE/service/helper parsing, rejects window-add overflow, fixes ECC/Ed25519 label predicates, and enforces ECC nested r/s plus outer signature exact consumption and Ed25519 exact signature-field consumption. Password wipe/async and state ordering unchanged.
- `cmake/wolf_crypto_policy.*` PUBLIC-propagates `WOLFSSL_VALIDATE_ECC_IMPORT` and `WOLFSSL_ECDHX_SHARED_NOT_ZERO`, with fail-closed resolved guards. Verified prior P256 peer point reaches scalar multiplication without equivalent validation; nontrivial low-order X25519 inputs bypassed old precheck. Real vendor tests now reject these inputs. Evidence in `docs/ssh_key_validation_review.md`; generic digest/OID API hardening remains separate, no current short-digest trigger found in inspected callers.
- Parent `pio run` PASS **94,340 B linked RAM / 1,768,949 B flash** (+1,732 flash vs prior9D). Strict crypto suite initially rejected concurrent parser changes; corrected independent exact-delta expectations, not weakened provenance. Final parent five suites PASS: `wolf_crypto_policy`, `wolfssh_parser_contract` (3,124 cases in each of two stack modes, six guard-removal mutations), `wolfssh_auth_contract`135cases, `ssh_protocol_policy`, `sdk_security_overrides --build-dir .pio/build/esp32-s3-devkitc-1-n16r8`. Independent review no scoped blockers; strict crypto/parser suites rerun PASS. Real vendor arithmetic tests and parser doubles remain separate, not live SSH transactions.
- **Ordering CVE-2025-14942 still unresolved.** Official registry queries returned404 for wolfSSH1.5.0/wolfSSL5.9.2; upstream releases exist, so a full upgrade requires deliberate pinned component integration. Temporary-only PR793/819/840/855/921 backport evaluation found manual context adaptation plus unresolved SendNewKeys WANT_WRITE / skipped SendExtInfo continuation and extInfoSent rekey semantics. No partial ordering/header-layout patch installed. Next choose coherent tested nonblocking source+header backport or upstream component integration; preserve all local auth/wiping/parser contracts. Full provenance/rekey/negative-order tests required. Details and official links in wolf review.
- Other remaining work: deferred parser/API applicability, release notices/source obligations, and whole-phase hardware validation. Review recommends a valid-but-inconsistent private/public ECC fixture and parser-to-real-crypto integration gate. No hardware/latency/resource/handshake claims, no device operations/assets/upgrades/secure-boot/encrypted-NVS changes. Do not mark Phase9 complete or require intermediate hardware signoff.

## Phase 9D — advisory mitigation / operational review — 2026-09-15

- Work in progress; user validates Phase 9 as a whole. Secure boot/encrypted NVS excluded. No device operations or dependency upgrades.
- New `security_operations.md`, `dependency_licenses.md`, `wolf_security_review.md`, and `idf_security_review.md` record runbooks, bounded license inventory, and advisory applicability. Phase 9 is not release-ready: wolfSSH message ordering/parser issues and distribution/source-notice questions remain unresolved.
- Current implementation adds consistent Xtensa small X25519/Ed25519 policy and fail-closed compiler guards; seven pinned overrides now include DHCP option bounds, TLS EMS error propagation, and certificate-name allocation failure handling. All generated copies carry dated project modification notices. Nested mbedTLS targets are selected explicitly; installed dependencies remain untouched.
- Parent `pio run` PASS: **94,340 B linked RAM / 1,767,217 B flash** (same RAM, −64,092 B flash vs 9C; not runtime headroom). Parent SDK override suite with actual seven-source registration, strict production wolf crypto policy/vector suite, wolfSSH auth contract135cases, and SSH protocol/context suite all PASS with `CCACHE_DISABLE=1`. Independent review found no actionable implementation defects and repeated the first two suites successfully. DHCP includes196,623 guard-page/equivalence cases; extracted EMS/X509 error tests do not establish full handshake/persistence fault behavior.
- Review docs now distinguish original baseline from implemented mitigations. Seven generated modification/date notices resolved; broader license packaging/source questions remain. No target timing/interoperability, fault-injection or legal-clearance claim. **Next:** coherent wolfSSH message-order/parser correction or reviewed upgrade (1.5.0 candidate, not verified managed compatibility), ECC validation review, remaining advisory inventory and release notices. Do not call Phase9 complete or wait for per-slice target approval.

## Phase 9C — library cleanup / protocol policy — 2026-09-15

- User requested continuation; hardware still deferred to **whole Phase 9**, no per-slice approval gate. Initial Git status clean. Secure boot/encrypted NVS excluded; no eFuse/partition/dependency-version/asset changes, no SDK/managed source mutation.
- `tools/security_overrides.py` + `cmake/security_overrides.cmake` included after root `project()`: require exact IDF5.5/version/originalSHA/edit matches, generate four full notice-preserving source copies in build tree, replace exact component source preserving flags/includes. Compile inputs are pinned originals PLUS checked-in edits. Missing/changed/ambiguous target/source fails; reconfigure tracks originals/script/generated. Never edit derived files or blindly repin. Original sources remain unchanged; compiled dependency behavior intentionally changes.
- Overrides: HTTPS post-handshake allocation-failure TLS deletion, complete failed-start destruction and raw key pre-free wipe (failedstop owns live state); HTTPD scratch allocate/copy/wipe/free preserve old on failure, finalwipe, null first-read/nullable parserpointer fix; server-local TLS1.2 ECDHEECDSA AES128/256GCM, no renegotiation, no change clientdefaults/global primitives; wolfSSH GetSize both password lengths, failed newpassword framing skips callback, checked method suffix wiped before responses with prefix/canaries preserved, library asyncpending retains payload (project synchronous).
- `ssh_memory.{c,h}` installed as globalwolfSSL hooks before initialization, PSRAMpreferred/internalfallback, usableextent securefree/noheaders, shrink wipes tail retains capacity, growth old+new allocation failure preservesold. Guards unpoisonedIDF5.5; dynamicIDF TLS buffers compile-rejected for cleanup contract. These costs need actual peak/latency evidence; liveinline/compaction/stack/hardware intermediates not allwiped.
- `ssh_protocol_policy.{c,h}` applies checked staticlists before contextpublication: Curve25519/P256KEX, P256hostkey, AES128/256GCM, hmacsha256 advertisement, Ed25519/P256userkey advertisement (DB enforcesauth). LegacyCBC/CTR/removedKEX-only clients fail; no identitymigration. TLSpolicy is serveronly so future outboundHTTPS RSAclients unaffected.
- `web_cookie_auth`: nonconsuming earlyquota/epoch probe before receive, final postparse reservation unchanged; JSONwipe beforeKDF, credentialsafter/beforeerrors; handler-lifetime RetryAfter. Existing5verification/60s fixedwindow/restartreset/malformednotcharged retained; no challengefairness/generalrequestlimit claim. All10domain modes passed implementation.
- Final parent `pio run` PASS **94,340 B linked RAM / 1,831,309 B flash** (sameRAM/+1,384flash vs9B). Final fivefocused suites PASS incl installedSDK allocationextent, SDKcleanup/TLS/generator/nullfirstread+actual4source registration, SSHpolicy actual15contextintegration+KEXINIT, generatedwolfSSH135cases, web early admission. 17 related regressioncommands PASS before finalnullablefirstreadpatch; patchedSDKsuite+firmware rerunafter. Two independent reviews no blocking issues; inherited null-pointer subtraction found/fixed/tested. Standard UBSan linking unavailable earlier; new parser/allocator trap instrumentation passed in focused development. No realnetwork/hardware/cryptohandshake or reserveclaims.
- Bounded review in `docs/security_library_review.md`: normal inspected mbedTLS record/MPI/PK/HMAC and wolfECC scalar paths alreadywipe; newhooks cover observed retired DER/buffer gaps, not proof everycopy erased. Password12–64ASCII/PBKDF2SHA25650k/generated24of64 unchanged pending costmeasurement; P256selfsigned2025–2049/trust verification retained; CSP/headers reviewed no blindHSTS or crypto-global removal.
- **Next: Phase9D current upstream advisory/license review and provisioning/rotation/reset/backup/recovery/decommissioning runbooks.** No external advisory/CVE review or full license audit performed by9C; do not describe pinned versions/localfixes as certified current. Any versionupgrade now must re-audit/source-rebase overrides. Target checklist in hardeningdoc adds modern/legacy suite negotiation, rekey, malformed encryptedpassword packets, TLS/scratch failurecleanup, securefree CPU and old+new allocationheadroom under fullmix. Do not wait for9Ctarget signoff tocontinue.

## Phase 9B — SSH admission / credential handling — 2026-09-15

- User requested continued Phase 9 work and will validate **the phase as a whole**. Do not pause between slices for target approval; all target gates remain unrun and collected in `docs/security_hardening.md`. Secure boot/encrypted NVS remain excluded; Phase 8 sign-off stays closed. Initial Git status for this slice was clean.
- `ssh_auth_policy.{c,h}`: 72-byte owner-only boot-lifetime state, independent handshake and password/signed-key buckets (capacity6, refill1/10s), unsigned-probe bucket(capacity12, refill1/5s). No waits, allocations, per-peer maps or NVS writes. Reconnect, stop/start/rotation/counter clear do not replenish; no refunds, idle saturation/no excess credit, clock regression fails closed. Global starvation is a deliberate documented tradeoff; natural refill only after hostile traffic subsides, not fairness/zeroCPU protection.
- `ssh_transport` gates handshake before wolfSSH allocation and credentials before database/ordinary signature work; keeps existing per-slot three-counted-attempt closure and 15s deadline. Explicit pending-result marker fences duplicate/unexpected completion. wolfSSH1.4.20 and certificates/none-disabled guard; keyboard prompt rejection callback/context prevents unregistered callback dispatch while keeping password/publickey advertisement. New aggregate admission/probe/throttle/limit/backend/method counters via `ssh counters`; `add_counter` saturates (do not generalize to unrelated direct lifecycle increments).
- Admin RX consumed spans / TX positively accepted spans are securely wiped; pending retry and serial hot-path bytes unchanged. Whole retired slot securely wiped before generation/fd restoration. `console_input` and shared remote hidden prompts reject overflow/unsupported bytes on submit, sticky across editing; visible CLI behavior preserved; existing callers prevent prefix persistence. Input errors wipe output and return zero length.
- Source audit verified actual pinned wolfSSH auth callback order and `SendChannelData` positive copied/consumed behavior. Tests pin `internal.c` SHA256 and execute extracted vendor parser/send functions with crypto/IO doubles plus actual compiler-feature preprocessing. Followup resolved reviewer concern about keyboard error-path one-byte write: inline buffer initialized, framed packets retain padding reserve, exact-sized protocol-identification pending state cannot reach auth, rejection purges without advancing length. This is a narrow invariant audit, not library security certification.
- Validation: parent `pio run` PASS **94,340 B linked RAM / 1,829,925 B flash** (+144RAM/+1,360flash vs9A; not runtime reserve). Parent and independent review PASS all four new suites `ssh_auth_policy`, `ssh_auth_transport`, `wolfssh_auth_contract` (35 vendor cases+resolved feature profile), `hidden_input`; token policy UB-sanitizer trap mode passed, standard UBSan runtime absent. Related 11 command suite PASS: SSH management/security/runtime, console boundary/accounts/lifecycle, admin SSH policy, web cookie SSH/accounts, web admin transport+tickets, security build policy18. `git diff --check` PASS. No blocking review findings; no upload/erase/device operations/deps/generated assets/commit.
- 9B's planned library/protocol and early web-admission follow-up is implemented and bounded by 9C above. Challenge fairness/full-memory wiping are not guaranteed. External maintenance/lifecycle work is next; no intermediate target sign-off needed.
- Final target checklist includes real SSH clients offering several keys, bad signatures/passwords, keyboard decline, each pool/refill/restart-clear persistence, established mixed transport/USB/UART0 responsiveness and reserve measurements, hidden-input errors/CRLF timing and crash recovery. UART0 paired/delayed LF relies on next-prompt flush; host UART fake does not model timing. No real-crypto/live packet-network or target claims from extracted-function tests.

## Phase 9A — crash/debug baseline — 2026-09-15

- User requested Phase 9 and explicitly excluded secure boot and encrypted NVS. Roadmap now marks Phase 9 in progress; Phase 8 acceptance remains closed. Physical extraction/firmware replacement stay outside the threat model even after hardening; no encryption/eFuse/partition changes.
- `src/security_build_policy.c` enforces resolved no-core-dump + silent-panic-reboot settings and rejects panic/register output, runtime/panic GDB stubs and OCD-aware handling. Registered unconditionally in CMake; explicit defaults. No runtime task/buffer added. This intentionally removes decoded panic traces, not ordinary boot/status logging or physical debug access.
- `docs/security_hardening.md` defines shared operational profiles, secret-bearing artifact handling, evidence limits and target gates. Reserved partitions unchanged; old dump/credential copies are not erased. No generated assets/dependency changes.
- Validation: `pio run` PASS **94,196 B linked RAM / 1,828,565 B flash**. Host policy matrix PASS17; actual generated SDK header PASS as eighteenth case. Initial host test hit read-only ccache storage; `CCACHE_DISABLE=1` rerun passed. Independent review found no actionable issues and repeated both host modes and diff check. No upload, erase, hardware validation or commit.
- **9A target gate remains open:** synthetic-secret controlled panic, no register/UART/flash dump, reboot rather than halt, UART0/USB/network recovery and broker behavior. No test-only panic command was added to production.
- 9A changed no authentication behavior; its planned SSH follow-up is now implemented in 9B above. Whole-phase target validation remains deferred.

## Web popup cosmetics — 2026-09-14

- `src/web_ui.c`: contextual buttons now occupy entire status cards; bounded grid columns and clipped/ellipsized values prevent narrow-window overflow. Quick panels preserve the visible terminal title, admin toolbar and selected-view indication; full-page promotion retains drafts and restores Settings presentation.
- Quick panels hide full-page explanations and duplicate detail readouts while preserving live status, errors and operation results. Wi-Fi exposes configured profile selection/enabled state and AP policy, plus Apply/Save/Refresh/Result; empty profile slots and advanced editors remain full-page-only. Profile selection is an editing target, not a direct-connect command; existing backend operations are unchanged.
- Validation: all 161 UI behavior groups and C/HTML checks PASS; 36 Chromium geometry fixtures PASS at 320/600/900/1200px. `pio run` PASS (94,212 B linked RAM / 1,830,329 B flash). No generated-asset regeneration, upload, erase or hardware validation. Updated regression coverage in `tests/web_ui_session/`.

## Focused cleanup / PSRAM review — 2026-09-13

- User-authorized post-acceptance code review: removed superseded `admin_ssh_console_open()` SSH-only wrapper; production already uses available-slot admission. Updated adapter regression to actual production entry. Wrapper was already linker-discarded: no binary saving attributed to removal.
- Moved ping queue payload4,200 B and public user snapshot2,156 B to lazy PSRAM-only lifetime allocations, no fallback. Queue control/internal locks unchanged; allocation failure affects only ping or status/list/show, not UART0 registration/mutations/recovery. Snapshot fully wiped on success/error. No serial hot-path, stacks, CPU, queue bounds or external-BSS config changes.
- Baseline pio PASS23.79s100,556 RAM/1,828,573 flash. Final parent pio PASS22.11s **94,212 RAM/1,828,809 flash: −6,344 B linked internal RAM/+236 B flash**. Requested lazy PSRAM6,356 B plus allocator overhead; target pointer sizes4 B, controls84 B verified. This is not measured runtime-minimum improvement. CPU160 retained.
- Focused ping allocation/callback/end-capacity and accounts allocation/full-wipe/failure/retry tests PASS; console boundary/lifecycle/policy and SSH management/runtime suites PASS. Independent review found no actionable bugs and reran ping/accounts/boundary/diff PASS. Sanitizer linking unavailable (missing host runtimes), no sanitizer or hardware pass. No upload/erase/commit. Next target check: ping/user list/show repeatedly alongside NVS writes and full mix230400, collect serial/broker counters and memory before/after first allocations.
- Further audited opportunities, not implemented: OLED framebuffer1,024 B (internal I2C staging retained), local/remote completion scratch1,024 B each, optional web diagnostic ring2,816 B, remote console output payload8,192 B. Console rings need explicit secret-output wiping/lifecycle and admission-failure isolation; do not relocate mixed state wholesale. Leave authoritative user database, driver/DMA buffers, locks and task stacks internal. Global external-BSS enable is not surgical: it also changes SDK library placement.

## Accepted state — 2026-09-13

- **8D.22 explicitly signed off by the user:** “Yep, I tested the firmware thats a 8d.22 signoff.” The retained Phase 8D scope is complete; earlier per-slice pending target/review/integration gates are superseded. Roadmap already records 8A/B/C as complete and target-hardware validated, so **Phase 8 is complete**. Acceptance does not manufacture individual unreported test passes.
- [Roadmap](../roadmap.md#phase-8--role-based-users-and-administrative-access--complete) holds the completed-phase gist; [web administration](../web_administration.md) holds current API/owner/recovery contracts; [acceptance evidence](../web_administration_acceptance.md) holds the latest report and limits. The old plan/baseline/per-slice histories are consolidated, not archived as another timeline. Test READMEs now link directly to current contracts and evidence; obsolete forwarding notes were removed too.
- Final prior production build **PASS: 100,556 B linked RAM / 1,828,573 B flash, CPU 160 MHz**. No build/test/device execution is implied by this documentation update. The prior combined binary WebSocket-send fix was separately user-accepted at **160 MHz / 230400 baud with full mix including browser admin**; preserve combined send and bounded failed-send isolation.
- Latest loaded capture: two serial WS, USB, two SSH roles with SSH serial writer; browser admin used then closed, not active in the capture. Internal/DMA/PSRAM free **31,508 / 23,752 / 8,136,624 B**, minima **2,052 / 460 / 8,065,972 B**, largest **18,432 / 18,432 / 7,995,392 B**; SSH minimum-free stack **15,028 B**. Full boot/loaded table is in acceptance evidence. Web send/queue/protocol and SSH IO errors zero; one SSH handshake failure/session revocation. Missing latest broker/serial counters prohibit an exact zero-drop inference.

## Follow-ups, not acceptance blockers

- Extremely low internal/DMA lifetime minima warrant correlated transient-headroom investigation; overlapping capability pools and conservative/non-simultaneous region minima do not prove allocation failure. Numeric reserves, HTTPD/dispatcher stack margins, peak correlation and detailed soak/fault evidence remain unapproved/unreported. Do not reopen functional sign-off or invent a reserve threshold.
- SDK TLS `-0x004C` is generic NET_RECV_FAILED, not OOM. Two boot auth failures plausibly involve stale cookies, but causation is unconfirmed. Prior intermittent web admission issues and accepted idle cleanup do not justify claiming every admission failure fixed.
- Real DNS/reannouncement, NVS power-loss, browser geometry/accessibility, individual fault cases and exact duration claims require explicit evidence if investigated; retained [regression procedures](../user_administration_tests.md) are not execution records.
- The earlier documentation-only handoff is superseded by the user's Phase 9 request; current scope and evidence are recorded above. Device operations remain unperformed.

## Scope and safety to retain

- 8D.15 dedicated typed network diagnostics was removed; shell diagnostics remain subject to frontend policy. Unimplemented 8D.19 ordinary browser-session/native-USB controls were removed; SSH settings remain. No implicit full browser-shell parity or browser identity reset/recovery/export.
- One UART1 broker writer, isolated observers and binary transparency. UART0 is administrative recovery; native USB is network-independent UART1, not administration or uninterrupted reboot.
- Typed operations carry original-login IDs to the existing dispatcher. Owner-reserved generations fence stale/ABA changes; later revocation/timeout does not cancel admitted work. HTTPS commits before stop/restart; SSH stops before commit/restart; committed identity never rolls back on lifecycle failure. Lost ACK/result means uncertainty, never automatic replay.
- Preserve private IDF HTTPD version guards, at-most-one owner-work reservations through failed destruction, retained SSH context until all slots retire, bounded queues/buffers and secret-free metadata. Canonical recovery survives conditional-token exhaustion.

## Previous documentation consolidation handoff

Initial Git status was clean. This task changes root `README.md`, `docs/` and five test-directory READMEs; executable source/tests/config/generated assets remain untouched. Independent documentation review checked acceptance scope, owner contracts and local links. It restored explicit pointer-backed HTTPD response-header lifetime and same-version SDK-patch audit warnings, updated test README links, and removed obsolete forwarding notes without reopening sign-off.

Validation completed: independent Python local-link/anchor audit PASS across 29 authored Markdown files (122 local links, 53 Markdown fragments); 213 authored source/test/document files checked with zero obsolete Phase 8D filename references. Earlier path audit resolved127 expanded navigation references. GPT logs, vendored/generated trees and remote URL fetching excluded. Twenty obsolete phase documents removed, with no forwarding stubs/archive dump. Git diff/scope checks confirm documentation-only changes. No firmware tests/build/device commands run.