# Call to Play review findings evaluation

The implementation is fundamentally sound, but I would make four focused
follow-ups before calling it finished. Two address real behavioral gaps; two
complete the new lifecycle cleanly.

## Worth fixing before finish

### 1. Propagate rootless terminal tombstones

This is the most important finding.

After 15 minutes, a peer retains only the `Start` or `Cancel` event. A fresh
peer receiving that tombstone during handshake currently rejects it as missing
its `Create` root, and the handshake path merely logs the missing root.

That means the fresh peer has no protection against a stale peer later
resurrecting the finished call. It only self-heals if a tombstone-holder is
still online afterward.

I would:

- Add an explicit handshake merge policy that permits rootless `Start` and
  `Cancel` events as non-visible tombstones.
- Keep local and live orphan actions returning `NeedHistory`.
- Never expose a rootless tombstone as a nomination in the UI.
- Verify that a later stale complete history is classified obsolete.
- Add store and handshake tests for this sequence.

This restores the intended "tombstone prevents resurrection for the rest of the
session" invariant. I would fix the semantics, not merely downgrade the repeated
warning.

### 2. Distinguish missing game directory from peer startup

Kimi is correct here. The peer is only started after a valid directory reaches
`update_game_directory`. Without one, "still connecting -- try again" never
becomes true.

I would:

- Model directory readiness as `checking | missing | ready`, rather than passing
  only a boolean that conflates hydration with a known missing directory.
- Pass that prerequisite state into `useCallToPlay`.
- Show folder guidance only for the confirmed `missing` state.
- Preserve the current connecting message for `checking` or
  `ready-but-peer-starting`.
- Test both states and the transition after a valid directory is selected.

That finishes the original finding's full intent without returning to misleading
folder advice during normal startup.

### 3. Add a local Launch action to Running receipts

Fable's UX point is persuasive. Participants currently reach the key moment and
see only that the game is running.

I would add a local-only Launch button when:

- The call is `running`.
- The game is installed and launchable locally.
- No conflicting operation prevents launch.

This would not violate the read-only terminal invariant: launching the local
game does not mutate the replicated call. I would use a dedicated play callback
rather than the generic primary action, so a button labelled "Launch" cannot
unexpectedly initiate an install or update.

### 4. Make terminal receipts visually static and correct the spec

The terminal receipt details are small but real:

- `MiniBubbles` continue advancing pending-ready countdowns after a call is
  Running or Cancelled.
- Terminal cards still draw empty seats.
- The specification still says "one row per active call" and documents the old
  ticker rank, despite terminal rows and expired-first ordering.

I would:

- Freeze participant readiness at `terminalAt`, or render terminal participants
  without countdown tags.
- Suppress empty roster slots on terminal cards.
- Change Ready ticker text to name the creator.
- Update the ticker specification to match the actual visible-call and ranking
  behavior.

## Coverage to add alongside those fixes

I would close the acknowledgement-heal test gap, but without introducing a full
React test stack or waiting five real minutes:

- Exercise `NeedHistory` from a live orphan action.
- Apply the full history through the handshake merge path.
- Assert the receiver is revived exactly once.
- Cover the new rootless-tombstone handshake followed by stale-history
  rejection.
- Rename the IP test so its name honestly describes what it proves; the current
  helper no longer accepts a source address.

## Findings not worth pursuing now

- **Backend/frontend semantic duplication:** a real maintenance risk, but
  eliminating it would require an architectural rewrite. Shared conformance
  fixtures could be a later improvement.
- **Full-store cloning per merge:** acceptable under the 4,096 unresolved-event
  cap.
- **Substring-matched frontend errors:** brittle, but currently pinned by tests;
  a proper fix requires a typed peer-to-Tauri error contract and is
  disproportionate for finishing this branch.
- **Missing component-test infrastructure:** inspection plus pure reducer tests
  is adequate here; I would not add a UI test framework solely for these
  controls.
- **Time's-up calls in the badge:** intentional. These calls remain unresolved
  and visible, even for non-creators.
- **The direct-reply observation:** there is nothing to fix; the CLI already
  uses the reply channel.

## Recommended finish scope

The recommended finish scope is:

1. Tombstone propagation.
2. Accurate directory/startup diagnosis.
3. A Running-card Launch action.
4. Terminal-receipt polish and specification corrections.
5. Targeted replication tests.