feat(hint): idle-gated wallet-free vs_ai hint on a monotonic clock (B4)

A vs_ai hint is now unlimited and wallet-free, but idle-gated as an anti-frustration
aid: it unlocks only after the player has been stuck ~30 min on a turn (timed from the
robot's last move; the human's first move, before the robot has played, is exempt).
While gated the hint button carries a small lock badge and a tap shows the remaining
minutes ('Available in N min.'); the lock lifts live at the mark.

The gate is enforced CLIENT-SIDE against a MONOTONIC clock (performance.now()), never a
wall-clock timestamp: a device clock the player controls (or an auto-sync) must not be
able to open or freeze it. The wait is therefore session-scoped -- a reload restarts it
(there is no tamper-proof way to carry idle time across a relaunch without a wall clock).
An online vs_ai game will gate the same way but from the server's clock (a follow-up).

- lib/hints.ts: HINT_GATE_MS + pure hintGateRemainingMs (monotonic) + hintLockMinutes;
  removed the wall-clock hintRemainingMs. Unit-tested red->green.
- Game.svelte: the monotonic gate (hintGateStart/monoNow, armed on the turn change), a
  vs_ai hint button (plain: no confirm, no count; lock badge + gated tap -> toast), a
  live 10s tick.
- localgame: removed the wall-clock hint gate and the now-dead robotLastMoveAtUnix field
  from source.ts/serialize.ts (the client is authoritative); hint() just serves the top
  move.
- i18n game.hintLockedIn.
- offline.spec.ts: assert the first move is un-gated and the lock arms after the robot moves.
- Docs FUNCTIONAL(+_ru) + ARCHITECTURE; bundle budget 114->115 (game-screen feature).

docs/ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -1252,7 +1252,11 @@ an *Offline* chip and confines play to on-device `vs_ai` games. The **offline lo
 device-local games** (reconstructed by replaying the IndexedDB move journal) and its New-vs-AI entry
 creates one through the in-browser engine — the same game screen then drives it, the robot replying
 locally; online-only affordances (the Stats tab, the friend/random options in New Game) are disabled
-or hidden. To have data ready before the switch, the **Profile advertises the current dictionary
+or hidden. A local `vs_ai` hint is unlimited and wallet-free but idle-gated (unlocked ~30 min into a
+stuck turn); the gate is enforced **client-side against a monotonic clock** (`performance.now()`,
+`lib/hints`), never a wall-clock timestamp — a device clock the player controls must not be able to
+open or freeze it, so the wait is session-scoped (a reload restarts it). An online `vs_ai` game will
+gate the same way but from the server's clock (a follow-up). To have data ready before the switch, the **Profile advertises the current dictionary
 version per variant** (`dict_versions`,
 filled from the registry on the existing cold-start profile request — no extra round-trip), and an
 eligible installed PWA (standalone web + confirmed email) **background-preloads** those dictionaries

docs/FUNCTIONAL.md

@@ -215,7 +215,14 @@ unlimited and offers a complaint on any result; for a word it finds, it also lin
 external reference dictionary (gramota.ru for Russian games, scrabblewordfinder.org for
 English) to look it up. Hints are governed per game —
 whether they are allowed and how many each player starts with — and draw on a
-personal hint wallet once the per-game allowance is spent. The game ends when the
+personal hint wallet once the per-game allowance is spent. Against the robot
+(**vs_ai**) hints are instead **unlimited and wallet-free**, but idle-gated as an
+anti-frustration aid: one unlocks only after the player has been **stuck ~30 minutes
+on a turn** (timed from the robot's last move; the very first move, before the robot
+has played, is exempt). While gated the hint button carries a small **🔒 lock** and a
+tap shows how long remains; the lock lifts live at the mark. The wait uses a steady
+in-app timer, not the device clock — changing the clock cannot open or freeze it
+(though a reload restarts the wait). The game ends when the
 bag empties and a player clears their rack, after 6 consecutive scoreless turns,
 by resignation, or by the per-game move timeout (5 minutes to 24 hours, default
 24 hours): a missed turn auto-resigns, except while the player is inside their

docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md

@@ -222,7 +222,14 @@ e-mail) либо ввод фразы. Активные игры форфейтя
 внешний справочный словарь (gramota.ru для русских игр, scrabblewordfinder.org для английских),
 чтобы его посмотреть. Подсказки управляются настройками
 партии — разрешены ли они и сколько их у каждого игрока на старте — и расходуют
-личный кошелёк подсказок после исчерпания внутриигрового лимита. Партия
+личный кошелёк подсказок после исчерпания внутриигрового лимита. Против робота
+(**vs_ai**) подсказки, наоборот, **безлимитны и без кошелька**, но с idle-гейтом как
+анти-фрустрация: подсказка открывается, только когда игрок **застрял на ходу ~30 минут**
+(отсчёт от последнего хода робота; самый первый ход, до хода робота, исключён). Пока гейт
+закрыт, кнопка подсказки несёт маленький **🔒 замок**, а тап показывает, сколько осталось;
+замок снимается вживую в нужный момент. Отсчёт идёт по ровному внутриигровому таймеру, а не
+по системным часам — их перевод не откроет и не заморозит гейт (но перезагрузка отсчёт
+начинает заново). Партия
 завершается, когда мешок пуст и игрок выложил стойку, после 6 подряд бесплодных
 ходов, по сдаче, либо по таймауту хода (от 5 минут до 24 часов, дефолт 24 часа):
 пропущенный ход означает авто-сдачу, кроме как когда игрок внутри своего

ui/e2e/offline.spec.ts

@@ -60,6 +60,9 @@ test.describe('offline mode', () => {
     await page.locator('button.invite').click();
     await expect(page.locator('[data-cell]').first()).toBeVisible();
 
+    // The human's first move is not idle-gated: the hint is available at once (no 🔒 lock badge).
+    await expect(page.locator('.lock')).toHaveCount(0);
+
     // The human plays WAY horizontally across the centre (7,5)-(7,7).
     await placeTile(page, 'W', 7, 5);
     await placeTile(page, 'A', 7, 6);
@@ -74,6 +77,10 @@ test.describe('offline mode', () => {
     }).toPass({ timeout: 15000 });
     const filled = await page.locator('[data-cell].filled').count();
 
+    // Now it is the human's turn again after the robot moved: the idle hint gate arms, so the hint
+    // button shows the 🔒 lock (it lifts after 30 idle minutes on a monotonic clock — not waited here).
+    await expect(page.locator('.lock')).toBeVisible();
+
     // Reload: the hash router restores the /game/<id> route and the local game replays from
     // IndexedDB with every committed tile intact.
     await page.reload();

ui/scripts/bundle-size.mjs

@@ -20,12 +20,13 @@ import { join } from 'node:path';
 const DIST = 'dist';
 
 // Per-chunk gzip budgets in KB. The app entry was raised to 110 for the local move-preview
-// wiring, to 112 for the PWA install feature, to 113 for the offline-mode wiring, then to 114 for
-// the offline auto-detect: the cold-start reachability check and the "no connection" dialog live in
-// the boot path (app.svelte.ts / the App shell), which cannot be lazy-loaded. The heavy parts — the
-// dict loader, the move generator and the preload orchestration — still stay in lazy chunks. Scoped
-// CSS lands in the CSS chunk, not this JS budget.
-const BUDGET = { app: 114, shared: 30, landing: 5 };
+// wiring, to 112 for the PWA install feature, to 113 for the offline-mode wiring, to 114 for
+// the offline auto-detect (the cold-start reachability check and the "no connection" dialog live in
+// the boot path), then to 115 for the vs_ai idle-hint gate — its monotonic clock, lock badge and
+// countdown toast live in the always-loaded game screen (Game.svelte). The heavy parts — the dict
+// loader, the move generator and the preload orchestration — still stay in lazy chunks. Scoped CSS
+// lands in the CSS chunk, not this JS budget.
+const BUDGET = { app: 115, shared: 30, landing: 5 };
 
 // gzipped returns the gzipped byte size of a built asset, or 0 when the reference is not a
 // local file (e.g. the Telegram SDK loaded from a CDN) or is missing.

ui/src/game/Game.svelte

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
   import { centre, premiumGrid } from '../lib/premiums';
   import { variantNameKey, usesStarBlank, BLANK_STAR } from '../lib/variants';
   import { alphabetLetters, hasAlphabet } from '../lib/alphabet';
-  import { hintsLeft } from '../lib/hints';
+  import { hintsLeft, hintGateRemainingMs, hintLockMinutes } from '../lib/hints';
   import { downloadUrl, shareOrDownloadGcg, shareUrlAsFile } from '../lib/share';
   import { insideVK, vkAndroidWebView, vkCopyText, vkDownloadFile, vkPlatform, vkShowImages } from '../lib/vk';
   import { getCachedGame, setCachedGame, setCachedDraft, type CachedGame } from '../lib/gamecache';
@@ -167,6 +167,38 @@
   // wallet from the profile (not the per-game view snapshot) keeps it correct after a wallet
   // hint was spent in another game (see lib/hints).
   const hintCount = $derived(hintsLeft(view, app.profile?.hintBalance ?? 0));
+  // A vs_ai game's hint is unlimited and wallet-free, but idle-gated (an anti-frustration aid: it
+  // unlocks only after the player has been stuck ~30 min on a turn). The wait is measured with a
+  // MONOTONIC clock (performance.now()), never a wall-clock timestamp — a device clock change (by the
+  // player or an auto-sync) must not open or freeze the gate. hintGateStart is that clock when the
+  // current turn's wait began (null = open: the human's first move, or the robot's turn); monoNow
+  // ticks so the 🔒 lifts live at the mark. A reload restarts the wait — the monotonic clock is
+  // session-scoped, and there is no tamper-proof way to carry idle time across a relaunch.
+  let hintGateStart = $state<number | null>(null);
+  let hintArmedFor = -1; // the moveCount the current wait was armed for (plain: not a reactive dep)
+  let monoNow = $state(performance.now());
+  const hintRemaining = $derived(view?.game.vsAi ? hintGateRemainingMs(hintGateStart, monoNow) : 0);
+  const hintGated = $derived(hintRemaining > 0);
+  // Arm the wait when it becomes the human's turn after the robot has moved; a human-first opening
+  // (no move yet, moveCount 0) is open at once. Re-arms only when the turn actually changes.
+  $effect(() => {
+    const mc = view?.game.moveCount ?? 0;
+    if (!view?.game.vsAi || !isMyTurn) {
+      hintGateStart = null;
+      hintArmedFor = -1;
+      return;
+    }
+    if (hintArmedFor !== mc) {
+      hintArmedFor = mc;
+      hintGateStart = mc === 0 ? null : performance.now();
+    }
+  });
+  // Tick the monotonic clock while a vs_ai game is open, so the gate re-evaluates and unlocks live.
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (!view?.game.vsAi) return;
+    const iv = setInterval(() => (monoNow = performance.now()), 10_000);
+    return () => clearInterval(iv);
+  });
   // RACK_SIZE mirrors the engine's rules.RackSize (7 for every current variant). The exchange
   // gate is only a UX guard: the backend stays the source of truth and rejects an under-supplied
   // exchange regardless (engine rejects when bag.Len() < rules.RackSize).
@@ -854,6 +886,16 @@
     }
   }
   async function doHint() {
+    // vs_ai: the idle gate replaces the wallet. While it is still closed, a tap only explains when the
+    // hint unlocks (no wallet is ever spent) — matching the 🔒 badge. Measured fresh off the monotonic
+    // clock at tap time.
+    if (view?.game.vsAi) {
+      const remaining = hintGateRemainingMs(hintGateStart, performance.now());
+      if (remaining > 0) {
+        showToast(t('game.hintLockedIn', { n: hintLockMinutes(remaining) }), 'info');
+        return;
+      }
+    }
     try {
       const h = await source.hint(id);
       if (h.move.tiles.length && view) {
@@ -1496,15 +1538,25 @@
   <button class="tab" disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady} onclick={openExchange}>
     <span class="sq" data-coach="game-turn">🔄</span><span class="lbl">{t('game.draw')}</span>
   </button>
-  <TapConfirm
-    triggerClass="tab"
-    label={t('game.hint')}
-    disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady || hintCount <= 0}
-    onconfirm={doHint}
-  >
-    <span class="sq" data-coach="game-hints">🛟{#if hintCount > 0}<span class="badge">{hintCount}</span>{/if}</span>
-    <span class="lbl">{t('game.hint')}</span>
-  </TapConfirm>
+  {#if view?.game.vsAi}
+    <!-- vs_ai hints are unlimited and wallet-free, so no confirm and no count. A 🔒 badge marks the
+         idle gate while it is closed; tapping then only explains when it opens (doHint), and the lock
+         lifts live at the unlock moment. -->
+    <button class="tab" disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady} onclick={doHint}>
+      <span class="sq" data-coach="game-hints">🛟{#if hintGated}<span class="lock" aria-hidden="true">🔒</span>{/if}</span>
+      <span class="lbl">{t('game.hint')}</span>
+    </button>
+  {:else}
+    <TapConfirm
+      triggerClass="tab"
+      label={t('game.hint')}
+      disabled={busy || !isMyTurn || !netReady || hintCount <= 0}
+      onconfirm={doHint}
+    >
+      <span class="sq" data-coach="game-hints">🛟{#if hintCount > 0}<span class="badge">{hintCount}</span>{/if}</span>
+      <span class="lbl">{t('game.hint')}</span>
+    </TapConfirm>
+  {/if}
   {#if placement.pending.length > 0}
     <button class="tab" disabled={busy} onclick={resetPlacement}>
       <span class="sq">↩️</span><span class="lbl">{t('game.reset')}</span>
@@ -2052,4 +2104,13 @@
   .scoreboard.flat {
     cursor: default;
   }
+  /* The vs_ai hint's idle lock: a small 🔒 at the icon-square corner (the .sq is positioned by the
+     shared TabBar rule). No count pill — the hint is unlimited; the lock alone marks the gate. */
+  .sq .lock {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: -4px;
+    right: -4px;
+    font-size: 0.62rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+  }
 </style>

ui/src/lib/hints.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { hintsLeft } from './hints';
+import { hintsLeft, hintGateRemainingMs, hintLockMinutes } from './hints';
 
 // view carries only the two fields hintsLeft reads.
 const view = (hintsRemaining: number, walletBalance: number) => ({ hintsRemaining, walletBalance });
@@ -30,3 +30,32 @@ describe('hintsLeft', () => {
     expect(hintsLeft(view(1, 0), -5)).toBe(1);
   });
 });
+
+describe('hintGateRemainingMs (the vs_ai idle-hint gate, monotonic)', () => {
+  it('is 0 when the gate is open — a null start (the human first move, or a non-gated game)', () => {
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(null, 5000, 1000)).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it('is 0 once the idle window has fully elapsed', () => {
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(0, 1000, 1000)).toBe(0);
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(0, 1500, 1000)).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it('counts down the monotonic time remaining while still gated (only the delta matters)', () => {
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(0, 400, 1000)).toBe(600);
+    expect(hintGateRemainingMs(1000, 1400, 1000)).toBe(600);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('hintLockMinutes (the toast N, rounded up)', () => {
+  it('rounds up to whole minutes, so a still-closed gate never reads 0', () => {
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(1)).toBe(1);
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(60_000)).toBe(1);
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(61_000)).toBe(2);
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(29 * 60_000)).toBe(29);
+  });
+
+  it('is 0 when nothing remains', () => {
+    expect(hintLockMinutes(0)).toBe(0);
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/hints.ts

@@ -24,3 +24,29 @@ export function hintsLeft(
   const allowance = Math.max(0, view.hintsRemaining - view.walletBalance);
   return allowance + Math.max(0, walletBalance);
 }
+
+/** HINT_GATE_MS is the idle time a vs_ai player must be stuck on a turn before a hint unlocks. */
+export const HINT_GATE_MS = 30 * 60 * 1000;
+
+/**
+ * hintGateRemainingMs returns how long (in milliseconds) until a vs_ai game's idle hint unlocks — 0
+ * once it is available. It is measured from a MONOTONIC clock (performance.now()), never a wall-clock
+ * timestamp, so a device clock change — by the user or an auto-sync — can neither open nor freeze the
+ * gate. gateStartMono is the performance.now() captured when the current turn's wait began; null
+ * means the gate is open (the human's first move, or not a gated game). The vs_ai hint is unlimited
+ * and wallet-free; this idle gate is an anti-frustration aid that unlocks only after a stuck turn.
+ */
+export function hintGateRemainingMs(
+  gateStartMono: number | null,
+  monoNow: number,
+  gateMs: number = HINT_GATE_MS,
+): number {
+  if (gateStartMono === null) return 0;
+  return Math.max(0, gateMs - (monoNow - gateStartMono));
+}
+
+/** hintLockMinutes rounds a remaining-milliseconds gap up to whole minutes for the "available in N
+ *  min." toast, so a gate that is still closed never reads 0. */
+export function hintLockMinutes(remainingMs: number): number {
+  return Math.ceil(remainingMs / 60000);
+}

ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts

@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ export const en = {
   'game.draw': 'Exchange/Pass',
   'game.shuffle': 'Shuffle',
   'game.hint': 'Hint',
+  'game.hintLockedIn': 'Available in {n} min.',
   'game.chat': 'Chat',
   'game.checkWord': 'Check word',
   'game.dictionary': 'Dictionary',

ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts

@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'game.draw': 'Обмен/Пас',
   'game.shuffle': 'Перемешать',
   'game.hint': 'Подсказка',
+  'game.hintLockedIn': 'Будет доступно через {n} мин.',
   'game.chat': 'Чат',
   'game.checkWord': 'Проверить слово',
   'game.dictionary': 'Словарь',

ui/src/lib/localgame/serialize.test.ts

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ function makeGame(seed: bigint): LocalGame {
   return new LocalGame({ variant: 'scrabble_en', version: 'sample', seed, players: 2, dawg, multipleWords: true });
 }
 
-const meta = { id: 'g1', seats, createdAtUnix: 1, updatedAtUnix: 2, robotLastMoveAtUnix: 3 };
+const meta = { id: 'g1', seats, createdAtUnix: 1, updatedAtUnix: 2 };
 
 describe('local game serialize + replay', () => {
   it('reconstructs a mid-game position by replay', () => {

ui/src/lib/localgame/serialize.ts

@@ -38,8 +38,6 @@ export interface LocalGameRecord {
   status: 'active' | 'finished';
   createdAtUnix: number;
   updatedAtUnix: number;
-  /** Unix seconds of the robot's most recent move — the local hint gate (>30 min) reads this. */
-  robotLastMoveAtUnix: number;
 }
 
 /** The record fields the caller owns (the engine supplies the rest). */
@@ -48,7 +46,6 @@ export interface RecordMeta {
   seats: Seat[];
   createdAtUnix: number;
   updatedAtUnix: number;
-  robotLastMoveAtUnix: number;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -70,7 +67,6 @@ export function serializeGame(game: LocalGame, meta: RecordMeta): LocalGameRecor
     status: game.isOver ? 'finished' : 'active',
     createdAtUnix: meta.createdAtUnix,
     updatedAtUnix: meta.updatedAtUnix,
-    robotLastMoveAtUnix: meta.robotLastMoveAtUnix,
   };
 }
 

ui/src/lib/localgame/source.test.ts

@@ -59,9 +59,15 @@ describe('LocalSource', () => {
     expect(events.some((e) => e.kind === 'opponent_moved')).toBe(true);
   });
 
-  it('gates the hint until 30 minutes since the robot last moved', async () => {
+  it('does not wall-clock-gate the hint (the idle gate is client-side and monotonic)', async () => {
     const src = await newSource('local:g3', 7n);
-    await expect(src.hint('local:g3')).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'hint_not_ready' });
+    // hint() serves the engine's top move (or no_hint when the tiny sample dictionary has none for
+    // this rack), but never the old timestamp gate 'hint_not_ready' — that moved to the client
+    // (lib/hints, measured with performance.now()) so a device clock change cannot defeat it.
+    await src.hint('local:g3').then(
+      (h) => expect(h.move).toBeDefined(),
+      (e) => expect((e as { code: string }).code).toBe('no_hint'),
+    );
   });
 
   it('records decoded moves in the history', async () => {

ui/src/lib/localgame/source.ts

@@ -34,9 +34,6 @@ import type { Move } from '../dict/validate';
 
 export { LOCAL_ID_PREFIX, isLocalGameId };
 
-/** HINT_GATE_MS is the idle time since the robot's last move before an offline hint unlocks. */
-export const HINT_GATE_MS = 30 * 60 * 1000;
-
 /**
  * GameLoopSource is the subset of GatewayClient the game screen calls to run a game. The real
  * gateway satisfies it structurally; the local source implements it for offline play.
@@ -123,7 +120,6 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
       seats: opts.seats.map((s) => ({ kind: s.kind, name: s.name, accountId: s.accountId })),
       createdAtUnix: now,
       updatedAtUnix: now,
-      robotLastMoveAtUnix: now,
     });
     const entry: Live = { game, record };
     this.live.set(opts.id, entry);
@@ -191,10 +187,10 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
   }
 
   async hint(gameId: string): Promise<HintResult> {
+    // The idle gate is enforced client-side with a monotonic clock (see Game.svelte / lib/hints):
+    // a wall-clock timestamp here could be defeated by changing the device clock. This just serves
+    // the engine's top-ranked move; the client only calls it once the gate is open.
     const entry = await this.load(gameId);
-    if (nowUnix() * 1000 - entry.record.robotLastMoveAtUnix * 1000 < HINT_GATE_MS) {
-      throw new GatewayError('hint_not_ready');
-    }
     const top = this.topMove(entry.game);
     if (!top) throw new GatewayError('no_hint');
     return { move: this.moveFromGen(entry.record.variant, entry.game.currentPlayer, top), hintsRemaining: 1, walletBalance: 0 };
@@ -280,7 +276,6 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
       if (dec.kind === 'play') out.push(g.play(dec.move.dir, dec.move.tiles));
       else if (dec.kind === 'exchange' && g.bagLength >= RULESETS[entry.record.variant].rackSize) out.push(g.exchange(dec.exchange));
       else out.push(g.pass());
-      entry.record.robotLastMoveAtUnix = nowUnix();
     }
     return out;
   }
@@ -306,7 +301,6 @@ export class LocalSource implements GameLoopSource {
       seats: entry.record.seats,
       createdAtUnix: entry.record.createdAtUnix,
       updatedAtUnix: nowUnix(),
-      robotLastMoveAtUnix: entry.record.robotLastMoveAtUnix,
     });
     await saveLocalGame(entry.record);
   }