Merge pull request 'Release v1.10.0: banner colours + urgent, and 3 UI fixes' (#183 ) from development into master

Merge pull request 'feat(banner): per-campaign colour overrides and urgent alerts' (#182 ) from feature/banner-colors-urgent into development
feat(banner): per-campaign colour overrides and urgent alerts
2026-07-05 14:10:25 +00:00 · 2026-07-05 13:57:32 +00:00 · 2026-07-05 15:36:35 +02:00 · 2026-07-05 12:24:08 +00:00 · 2026-07-05 12:20:38 +00:00 · 2026-07-05 12:16:22 +00:00
773 changed files with 80387 additions and 8383 deletions
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+---
+name: deploy-check
+description: "Use before any deploy-touching change to this repo — phrases like '/deploy-check', 'is this prod-safe', 'before we deploy', 'deploy safety review', 'проверь перед деплоем', 'это безопасно для прода'. Runs a pre-deploy checklist of this project's hard-won runtime constraints against the current diff, so the crash classes that have bitten live environments get caught before shipping instead of after."
+---
+
+# Pre-deploy runtime-constraint check
+
+Triggered before shipping anything that touches the deploy contour (Dockerfiles,
+`deploy/`, Caddyfile, compose, migrations, boot guards, the Telegram side-service,
+edge config). The worst frictions in this repo were never logic bugs — they were
+**environment mismatches that crashed a live env and forced a redesign**. Run this
+list against the diff first; turn crash-and-redesign into a single pass.
+
+This checklist is a prompt, **not** the source of truth. The canonical detail
+lives in `deploy/README.md`, `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`, `docs/EDGE_HTTP3.md`, and the
+agent memory files referenced below — read them when an item is in play, and add a
+new class here when a new incident teaches one.
+
+## How to run it
+
+1. `git diff <base>...HEAD --stat` to see what the change actually touches.
+2. For every risk class below that the diff touches, perform the **Check** and
+   report PASS / FAIL with the exact file:line to fix. Skip classes the diff does
+   not touch — say which you skipped and why.
+3. Remember: **deploy-job green ≠ healthy**. CI's deploy probe has historically
+   passed with a dead backend (it only checked static landing+gateway). Verify the
+   real feature live (`/readyz`, the actual flow) after deploy, not just the green.
+
+## Risk classes
+
+### 1. Container user — distroless nonroot UID 65532
+- **Bit us:** TLS keys `chmod 600` for the host owner crash-looped gateway + bot at
+  boot with "permission denied" — service images run UID 65532.
+- **Check:** any new/changed mounted secret, key, or config file must be readable by
+  UID 65532 (`0644`, not `0600`). Scan the diff for file modes, `chmod`, and new
+  volume mounts. (memory: `distroless-nonroot-mounted-secrets`)
+
+### 2. Caddy header pipeline ordering
+- **Bit us:** `header_up delete` after `set` nulled the value (the honeypot tag went
+  empty); it passed CI and only showed up live.
+- **Check:** in any Caddyfile change, verify the `set` / `delete` / `header_up`
+  ordering for every affected route, and test the tripwire/route on the live
+  contour, not just CI.
+
+### 3. Edge Alt-Svc / HTTP3
+- **Bit us:** edge advertised `Alt-Svc: h3` while UDP/443 was never exposed
+  (docker tcp-only + ufw tcp-only); clients cached it 30 days and stalled on dead
+  QUIC before falling back to h2 — Mini App "hangs on load".
+- **Check:** any edge/caddy change keeps `Alt-Svc: clear` (or only advertises h3 if
+  UDP/443 is genuinely exposed). (memory: `tg-app-load-stall-dead-http3-altsvc`,
+  `docs/EDGE_HTTP3.md`)
+
+### 4. Prod caddy config recreate
+- **Bit us:** prod rolling deploy did **not** recreate caddy on a config-only change
+  (pinned `caddy:2-alpine` + `admin off`), so a new Caddyfile deployed GREEN but
+  stayed inert until a manual `docker restart`.
+- **Check:** a config-only edge change must `--force-recreate` caddy in
+  `prod-deploy.sh` `roll()`; never trust deploy-green for edge config.
+  (memory: `prod-deploy-caddy-config-recreate`)
+
+### 5. DICT_VERSION / dictionary boot
+- **Bit us:** an early `DICT_VERSION` refuse-boot guard was wrong and crashed the
+  live env when bumped on a seeded volume; it had to be redesigned to "marker-wins".
+- **Check:** any change touching `DICT_VERSION`, dict load, or the boot guard must
+  keep marker-wins semantics and survive a seeded volume **and** an image rollback.
+  `DICT_VERSION` is a required build-arg (no default), single-sourced. A new dict
+  goes live via the admin console upload, not a redeploy. (memory:
+  `dict-version-deploy-verify`, `contour-schema-change-wipe`)
+
+### 6. Migrations — expand-contract + rollback safety
+- **Bit us / risk:** a non-backward-compatible migration breaks image rollback (DB
+  ahead of rolled-back code).
+- **Check:** migrations must be **expand-contract** (backward-compatible). A schema
+  change adds the maintenance window + a consistent `pg_dump` in prod-deploy. On the
+  **test contour**, a schema/wire-label change needs `DROP SCHEMA backend CASCADE` +
+  backend restart (new code vs old persisted DB), else the contour breaks. (memory:
+  `contour-schema-change-wipe`)
+
+### 7. Telegram permission model
+- **Bit us:** permissions are an **AND-intersection** — default-allow with explicit
+  denies, not default-deny; inverting it broke access.
+- **Check:** any change to the Telegram permission / relay logic preserves the
+  AND-intersection default-allow shape. (memory: `telegram-forum-relay-gotchas`)
+
+## Output
+
+A short PASS/FAIL table over the classes the diff touches, each FAIL with the exact
+file:line and the fix. If every touched class passes, say so plainly and name the
+post-deploy live check to run (not just "CI green").
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+# VK Mini App / VK Games — integration reference
+
+Captured research + our implementation map, so a future session does not need to re-fetch
+the VK docs. Authoritative external source: <https://dev.vk.com/> (the `dev.vk.com` portal
+does not render via plain HTTP fetch; the facts below were cross-checked against the VKCOM
+reference repos cited at the end and verified against our own Go implementation).
+
+A VK **game** is technically a **VK Mini App**: an HTML5 SPA VK loads in an **iframe inside
+vk.com** (desktop + mobile web) and in a **WebView** inside the VK mobile apps (iOS/Android).
+We serve our existing SPA under a dedicated `/vk/` path, mirroring the Telegram `/telegram/`
+entry — the single-origin, path-routed model.
+
+## 1. Embedding model
+
+- VK loads the app at the **Web iframe URL** configured in the app settings (HTTPS + valid
+  cert required), appending the signed launch parameters as the **URL query string**.
+- An optional separate **Mobile iframe URL** is used by the VK mobile apps (we use the same).
+- No special `X-Frame-Options` / CSP `frame-ancestors` is required from us — VK frames the
+  configured origin. (Our edge sets **no** framing headers today, so VK works as-is; see the
+  clickjacking note in §Security.)
+- URL must match the settings exactly (scheme, host, no stray `www`/whitespace).
+
+## 2. Launch parameters (URL query)
+
+VK appends these to the iframe `src`. The `vk_*` set is what the signature covers.
+
+| Param | Meaning |
+| --- | --- |
+| `vk_user_id` | signed-in VK user numeric id — **the identity** |
+| `vk_app_id` | our registered app id |
+| `vk_is_app_user` | 0/1 — user authorized/installed the app |
+| `vk_are_notifications_enabled` | 0/1 |
+| `vk_language` | 2-letter UI language (`ru`, `en`, …) |
+| `vk_platform` | `mobile_iphone` \| `mobile_android` \| `mobile_web` \| `desktop_web` \| … |
+| `vk_ts` | unix seconds when VK generated the params |
+| `vk_ref` | where the app was opened from (`catalog`, `feed`, …) |
+| `vk_access_token_settings` | comma-separated granted scopes (often empty) |
+| `vk_group_id`, `vk_viewer_group_role`, `vk_is_favorite`, `vk_client` | optional/contextual |
+| `sign` | **the signature** (see §3) — NOT part of the signed set |
+
+Always present: `vk_user_id`, `vk_app_id`, `vk_platform`, `vk_ts`, `sign`.
+
+The user's **name is NOT in the launch params** (only `vk_user_id`). Read it client-side via
+`VKWebAppGetUserInfo` (see §4) — unsigned, so treat it as a cosmetic display seed only.
+
+## 3. Signature verification (`sign`)  — CONFIRMED base64url, not hex
+
+Algorithm (verified against our `gateway/internal/vkauth` + an independent Python reference):
+
+1. Collect the query params whose key starts with `vk_` (exclude `sign`).
+2. Sort by key (alphabetical).
+3. Serialize as a URL-encoded query string `k=v&k=v…` (Go `url.Values.Encode()` matches VK's
+   reference serialization for the constrained launch-param charset).
+4. `HMAC-SHA256(serialized, secret)` where `secret` = the app's **«Защищённый ключ»**
+   (protected / secure key, a.k.a. client_secret) from the app settings.
+5. **base64url, no padding** (`+`→`-`, `/`→`_`, strip `=`).
+6. Constant-time compare against `sign`.
+
+VK launch params have **no built-in expiry** (unlike Telegram's `auth_date`). We do NOT enforce
+freshness — the minted server session is the short-lived credential; a replay only
+re-authenticates the same `vk_user_id`.
+
+Verified against the official doc <https://dev.vk.com/ru/mini-apps/development/launch-params-sign>
+(prose + PHP example: base64url = `strtr('+/','-_')` + `rtrim('=')`) and reproduced identically by
+independent Node `crypto` + Python references. **Doc-example caveat**: that page shows secret
+`wvl68m4dR1UpLrVRli` → sign `exTIBP…`, but the secret is a **placeholder** — recomputing with it does
+NOT yield the shown sign (it was made with the real, unshown key). Don't chase the mismatch; our
+`vkauth.Verify` is correct (`gateway/internal/vkauth/vkauth_test.go` carries cross-checked vectors,
+incl. the `%2C` comma case for `vk_access_token_settings`).
+
+## 4. VK Bridge (client SDK)
+
+`@vkontakte/vk-bridge` (npm, v3.x; bundled — `default` export `bridge`). Methods we use / may use:
+
+- `VKWebAppInit` — **required**: tells VK the Mini App loaded (dismisses VK's loading cover).
+- `VKWebAppGetUserInfo` — `{ id, first_name, last_name, photo_200, … }`; no extra scope needed.
+- `VKWebAppGetLaunchParams` — parsed `vk_*` **without** `sign` (so NOT usable for our server
+  verification — read `window.location.search` instead, which carries `sign`).
+- `VKWebAppGetAuthToken` — OAuth access token for VK API calls (only if we ever call VK API).
+- `VKWebAppShare` — native share dialog (the friend-code invite uses it; `navigator.share` is absent
+  in the desktop VK iframe). **Used.**
+- `VKWebAppCopyText` — clipboard copy that works inside the VK iframe, where `navigator.clipboard` is
+  blocked. **Used** as the copy-code / copy-link path.
+- `VKWebAppUpdateConfig` (subscribe) — light/dark scheme; the app follows it while the theme pref is
+  "auto" (the VK webview's prefers-color-scheme does not track it). **Used.**
+- `VKWebAppSetViewSettings` / `VKWebAppSetSwipeSettings` — viewport / swipe-back (mobile); not used.
+- `VKWebAppUpdateInsets` (+ `VKWebAppUpdateConfig`) — device safe-area insets; the app **max'es** them
+  with CSS `env(safe-area-inset-*)` (viewport-fit=cover) so the bottom home bar is cleared. The bridge
+  value is needed on Android, where the VK webview exposes no `env()` inset. **Used.**
+
+The bridge talks to the embedding VK client over postMessage; it is NOT an external fetch, so
+it has no telegram.org-style load-hang risk. The SDK reads browser globals at import — we import
+it **lazily** so the pure URL helpers stay node-test-importable.
+
+**Deep links — NOT possible on VK (confirmed on the contour).** The VK iframe receives ONLY the signed
+`vk_*` launch params (+ `sign`); VK strips any custom data from the app link. The documented
+`vk.com/app<id>#<payload>` form is eaten by the vk.com SPA (which owns the URL hash), and a
+`vk.com/app<id>?hash=<payload>` query is dropped (the diagnostic showed `rawSearch` with only `vk_*`
+and an empty `hash`). So the friend-code invite link is just `vk.com/app<id>` (`vkShareLink`, app id
+from `vk_app_id`); the recipient enters the **copied code by hand** (`VKWebAppCopyText` works). The
+`vkStartParam` reader + the `bootVK` routing stay as a no-op today, ready if a post-moderation VK
+channel (e.g. an invite API) ever delivers a payload.
+
+## 5. Test mode (to verify before moderation)
+
+1. App already registered (we have the App ID).
+2. In the app settings (dev.vk.com / `vk.com/editapp?act=settings&app_id=<id>`):
+   - Category = **Игра** (Game).
+   - **Web iframe URL** = our public HTTPS `/vk/` (the test-contour origin for contour testing,
+     prod `https://erudit-game.ru/vk/` later). Mobile iframe URL = same.
+   - Copy the **«Защищённый ключ»** → set as `GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET` (Gitea `TEST_`/`PROD_` secret).
+   - Add own VK id to **testers**; open in test mode.
+3. Test mode = visible only to admins/testers, no payments processed.
+
+## 6. Auth / identity (our model)
+
+- `vk_user_id` (from verified params) → backend identity `kind='vk'`, `external_id=vk_user_id`,
+  auto-confirmed (a platform identity). First contact seeds language from `vk_language` and the
+  display name from the client-supplied `VKWebAppGetUserInfo` name (placeholder if empty).
+- No VK access token / VK API call needed for the launch+login MVP.
+
+## 7. Payments / monetization
+
+VK Pay / «голоса» (votes) are **optional**, not required to publish a free game. Not planned.
+
+## 8. ToS / moderation (pre-publish, analyzed — no blocker for a free «Эрудит»)
+
+- **Trademark**: "Scrabble" is trademarked. Our public brand is **«Эрудит»** (erudit-game.ru),
+  a generic Russian word-game name → fine. Ensure the VK-registered app name is «Эрудит»/word-game,
+  NOT "Scrabble". The repo name is internal and irrelevant to moderation.
+- **Pre-publish requirements**: public **Privacy Policy** + **ToS** URLs (disclose collected data:
+  `vk_user_id`, language; mention VK), **age rating** (likely 6+/12+), icon, description.
+- **Dictionary**: standard word lists; VK may expect offensive-word filtering — likely fine for a
+  dictionary game, flag if moderation asks.
+- **In-game chat (UGC)**: we already have a moderated chat + support relay → covered.
+- Moderation reviews after submission (commonly ~24–72h); rejects on violence/hate/sexual/illegal
+  content or IP infringement — none apply.
+
+## 9. Platforms
+
+Desktop web (iframe), mobile web (iframe), VK iOS app (WKWebView), VK Android app (WebView). Bridge
+methods behave per-platform; the app's own back chevron + app-shell document-pin cover navigation
+without VK-specific code. Theme/viewport fine-tuning is best verified live in the real VK client
+(not reproducible in Playwright — like the iOS gesture caveats).
+
+## 10. Our implementation map (what to touch for VK)
+
+- **Wire**: `pkg/fbs/scrabble.fbs` → `VKLoginRequest{ params, browser_tz, display_name }`
+  (regen: `make -C pkg fbs` + `pnpm -C ui codegen`).
+- **Gateway**: `internal/vkauth/` (the §3 verify), `internal/transcode` op `auth.vk`
+  (registered via `WithVKAuth(secret)` option; `DomainCode` → `invalid_vk_params`),
+  `internal/backendclient` `VKAuth` → `POST /api/v1/internal/sessions/vk`,
+  config `GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET`, SPA mount `/vk/` in `internal/connectsrv/server.go`.
+- **Backend**: `internal/account` `KindVK` + `ProvisionVK`/`vkSeed` + `confirmed` for platform
+  kinds; `internal/server/handlers_auth.go` `handleVKAuth` + route; migration
+  `00005_vk_identity.sql` (widen `identities_kind_chk` to include `'vk'`, expand-contract).
+- **UI**: `src/lib/vk.ts` (`onVKPath`/`vkLaunchParams`/`insideVK`/`vkInit`/`vkUserName` plus `vkAppId`/
+  `vkStartParam`/`vkShare`/`vkCopyText`/`vkOnScheme`), `app.svelte.ts` `bootVK` (+ deep-link routing
+  and VK scheme→theme) + the `/vk/` dispatch branch + shared `retryMiniAppBoot`, `codec.ts`
+  `encodeVKLogin`, `transport.ts`/`client.ts`/`mock/client.ts` `authVK`, `deeplink.ts` `vkShareLink`,
+  `Friends.svelte` (VK share/copy), `app.css` `--tg-safe-*` defaulting to `env(safe-area-inset-*)`.
+- **Edge/deploy**: `deploy/caddy/Caddyfile` `/vk` path; `GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET` in
+  `docker-compose.yml` + `.env.example` + `ci.yaml` (`TEST_…` secret) + `prod-deploy.yaml`
+  (`PROD_…` secret, deploy-main).
+- **Deferred**: payments (VK Pay / votes), native (Capacitor) VK, account-linking a vk identity to an
+  existing account, VK push. (Done after the launch+auth MVP — Group B: native share + clipboard via
+  the bridge, the friend-code deep link, the auto-theme follow, and the home-bar safe area.)
+
+## Sources
+
+- VKCOM/vk-bridge — <https://github.com/VKCOM/vk-bridge>
+- VKCOM/vk-apps-launch-params (canonical signature examples) — <https://github.com/VKCOM/vk-apps-launch-params>
+- kravetsone/vk-launch-params — <https://github.com/kravetsone/vk-launch-params>
+- SevereCloud/vksdk `vkapps.ParamsVerify` (Go reference) — <https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/SevereCloud/vksdk/v2/vkapps>
+- VK Mini Apps API — <https://github.com/VKCOM/vk-mini-apps-api>
@@ -0,0 +1,535 @@
+name: CI
+
+# Single gated pipeline for the test contour. Gitea cannot express
+# cross-workflow `needs`, so the full test suite and the auto test-deploy live in
+# one workflow.
+#
+# Branch model (CLAUDE.md): feature branches are cut from `development`; a commit
+# to a feature branch triggers nothing. The pipeline runs on a PR into
+# `development` or `master` (the full test suite — the merge gate) and on a push
+# to `development` (after a merge). The deploy job runs only for `development`
+# (PR or merge), so a PR into `master` is test-only; the prod deploy is a manual
+# workflow.
+#
+# Path-conditional jobs: `unit`/`integration`/`ui` run only when their
+# code changed (the `changes` job decides). Because a skipped required check would
+# block a merge under branch protection, the always-running `gate` job aggregates
+# their results and is the ONLY required status check; it passes when every
+# upstream job either succeeded or was skipped.
+#
+# Console output is kept plain (NO_COLOR + `docker compose --ansi never` +
+# `--progress plain`) so the Gitea logs stay readable.
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [development, master]
+  push:
+    branches: [development]
+
+# The dictionary release. One Gitea variable is the single source of truth: the
+# test suite validates against it here (inherited by the unit/integration jobs) and
+# both contours' deploy jobs seed a fresh volume with the same value. A release bump
+# is one edit (the variable). See deploy/README.md.
+env:
+  DICT_VERSION: ${{ vars.DICT_VERSION }}
+
+jobs:
+  # changes detects which areas a PR/push touched, so the test jobs can skip when
+  # irrelevant. It defaults to running everything when the diff cannot be computed.
+  changes:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    outputs:
+      go: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.go }}
+      ui: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.ui }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Detect changed paths
+        id: filter
+        run: |
+          if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "pull_request" ]; then
+            git fetch -q origin "${{ github.base_ref }}" || true
+            range="origin/${{ github.base_ref }}...HEAD"
+          else
+            before="${{ github.event.before }}"
+            if [ -z "$before" ] || [ "$before" = "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000" ] || ! git cat-file -e "${before}^{commit}" 2>/dev/null; then
+              range="HEAD~1...HEAD"
+            else
+              range="${before}...HEAD"
+            fi
+          fi
+          echo "comparison range: $range"
+          # Default to running everything; narrow only when the diff is computable.
+          go=true; ui=true
+          files="$(git diff --name-only "$range" 2>/dev/null || echo __DIFF_FAILED__)"
+          if [ "$files" != "__DIFF_FAILED__" ]; then
+            echo "changed files:"; echo "$files"
+            go=false; ui=false
+            if echo "$files" | grep -qE '^(backend/|pkg/|gateway/|platform/|loadtest/|go\.work)'; then go=true; fi
+            if echo "$files" | grep -qE '^ui/'; then ui=true; fi
+            # The render sidecar bundles ui/src/lib, so its dir rides the ui lane (the
+            # deploy's compose build picks it up either way).
+            if echo "$files" | grep -qE '^renderer/'; then ui=true; fi
+            # A workflow or deploy change re-runs everything as a safety net.
+            if echo "$files" | grep -qE '^(\.gitea/workflows/|deploy/)'; then go=true; ui=true; fi
+          else
+            echo "diff failed; running all jobs"
+          fi
+          echo "selected: go=$go ui=$ui"
+          echo "go=$go" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "ui=$ui" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+  unit:
+    needs: changes
+    if: ${{ needs.changes.outputs.go == 'true' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      # The engine consumes the published scrabble-solver module from this Gitea;
+      # GOPRIVATE makes go fetch it directly (skipping the public proxy/checksum DB).
+      GOPRIVATE: gitea.iliadenisov.ru/*
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Fetch dictionary DAWGs
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
+          curl -fsSL -o /tmp/dawg.tar.gz "https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/${DICT_VERSION}/scrabble-dawg-${DICT_VERSION}.tar.gz"
+          tar xzf /tmp/dawg.tar.gz -C "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
+          ls -la "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
+
+      - name: Set up Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version-file: go.work
+          cache: true
+
+      - name: gofmt
+        run: |
+          unformatted="$(gofmt -l .)"
+          if [ -n "$unformatted" ]; then
+            echo "gofmt needed on:"; echo "$unformatted"; exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - name: vet
+        run: go vet ./backend/... ./pkg/... ./gateway/... ./platform/telegram/... ./loadtest/...
+
+      - name: build
+        run: go build ./backend/... ./pkg/... ./gateway/... ./platform/telegram/... ./loadtest/...
+
+      - name: test
+        env:
+          BACKEND_DICT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/dawg
+        run: go test -count=1 ./backend/... ./pkg/... ./gateway/... ./platform/telegram/... ./loadtest/...
+
+  integration:
+    needs: changes
+    if: ${{ needs.changes.outputs.go == 'true' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      # Ryuk (testcontainers' reaper) does not start cleanly on every runner; the
+      # suite's TestMain terminates its own container, so disable it.
+      TESTCONTAINERS_RYUK_DISABLED: "true"
+      GOPRIVATE: gitea.iliadenisov.ru/*
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Fetch dictionary DAWGs
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
+          curl -fsSL -o /tmp/dawg.tar.gz "https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/${DICT_VERSION}/scrabble-dawg-${DICT_VERSION}.tar.gz"
+          tar xzf /tmp/dawg.tar.gz -C "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
+          ls -la "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
+
+      - name: Set up Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version-file: go.work
+          cache: true
+
+      - name: Integration tests
+        # -count=1 disables the cache; -p=1 -parallel=1 keeps the container-backed
+        # tests serial; the 15-minute timeout bounds a stuck container pull.
+        env:
+          BACKEND_DICT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/dawg
+        run: go test -tags=integration -count=1 -p=1 -parallel=1 -timeout=15m ./backend/...
+
+  ui:
+    needs: changes
+    if: ${{ needs.changes.outputs.ui == 'true' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+        working-directory: ui
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Node
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 22
+
+      - name: Install pnpm
+        run: npm install -g pnpm@11.0.9
+
+      - name: Install deps
+        run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
+
+      - name: Type-check
+        run: pnpm run check
+
+      - name: Unit tests
+        run: pnpm run test:unit
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: pnpm run build
+
+      - name: Bundle-size budget
+        run: node scripts/bundle-size.mjs
+
+      # The render sidecar executes the shared ui/src/lib/gameimage.ts on skia-canvas;
+      # its smoke test guards the bundling + skia seam (docs/TESTING.md).
+      - name: Render sidecar test
+        working-directory: renderer
+        run: |
+          pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
+          pnpm test
+
+      - name: Install Playwright browsers
+        run: pnpm exec playwright install chromium webkit
+        timeout-minutes: 5
+
+      - name: E2E smoke (mock)
+        run: pnpm run test:e2e
+        timeout-minutes: 5
+
+  # conformance proves the client's local move preview (the ported dawg reader +
+  # validator, ui/src/lib/dict) byte-for-byte against the authoritative Go engine:
+  # a Go step generates golden parity vectors from the release dictionaries, then the
+  # gated Vitest suite replays them. It spans both toolchains, so it runs whenever the
+  # Go engine side or the UI side changed.
+  conformance:
+    needs: changes
+    if: ${{ needs.changes.outputs.go == 'true' || needs.changes.outputs.ui == 'true' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      GOPRIVATE: gitea.iliadenisov.ru/*
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Fetch dictionary DAWGs
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
+          curl -fsSL -o /tmp/dawg.tar.gz "https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/${DICT_VERSION}/scrabble-dawg-${DICT_VERSION}.tar.gz"
+          tar xzf /tmp/dawg.tar.gz -C "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
+
+      - name: Set up Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version-file: go.work
+          cache: true
+
+      - name: Generate golden parity vectors
+        run: |
+          go run ./backend/cmd/dictgen -dawg-dir "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg" -out /tmp/dictgold
+          go run ./backend/cmd/validategen -dawg-dir "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg" -out /tmp/validgold
+
+      - name: Set up Node
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 22
+
+      - name: Install pnpm
+        run: npm install -g pnpm@11.0.9
+
+      - name: Install deps
+        working-directory: ui
+        run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
+
+      - name: Local-eval conformance (reader + validator vs the Go engine)
+        working-directory: ui
+        env:
+          DICT_DAWG_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/dawg
+          DICT_GOLD_DIR: /tmp/dictgold
+          DICT_VALID_DIR: /tmp/validgold
+        run: pnpm exec vitest run src/lib/dict/
+
+  # gate is the single branch-protection required check. It always runs and passes
+  # only when each upstream job succeeded or was skipped (a path-filtered no-op),
+  # failing the merge if any actually failed or was cancelled.
+  gate:
+    needs: [unit, integration, ui, conformance]
+    if: always()
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    steps:
+      - name: Aggregate required checks
+        run: |
+          fail=
+          for r in "unit:${{ needs.unit.result }}" "integration:${{ needs.integration.result }}" "ui:${{ needs.ui.result }}" "conformance:${{ needs.conformance.result }}"; do
+            name="${r%%:*}"; res="${r#*:}"
+            echo "$name = $res"
+            case "$res" in
+              success|skipped) ;;
+              *) echo "::error::$name=$res"; fail=1 ;;
+            esac
+          done
+          [ -z "$fail" ] || { echo "one or more required jobs failed"; exit 1; }
+          echo "all required jobs passed or were skipped"
+
+  deploy:
+    # Auto test-deploy on a PR into development and on the push that merges it.
+    # A PR into master is test-only (this job is skipped); prod deploy is manual.
+    # Gates on `gate` (so a real test failure blocks the deploy) but runs even when
+    # some test jobs were path-skipped.
+    needs: [gate]
+    if: ${{ (github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/development') || (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.base_ref == 'development') }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      NO_COLOR: "1"
+      DOCKER_CLI_HINTS: "false"
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Build and (re)deploy the test contour
+        working-directory: deploy
+        env:
+          # Sensitive values -> secrets; non-sensitive -> variables. The compose
+          # interpolates these unprefixed names (see deploy/.env.example).
+          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.TEST_POSTGRES_PASSWORD }}
+          AWG_CONF: ${{ secrets.TEST_AWG_CONF }}
+          GM_BASICAUTH_HASH: ${{ secrets.TEST_GM_BASICAUTH_HASH }}
+          GRAFANA_ADMIN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.TEST_GRAFANA_ADMIN_PASSWORD }}
+          TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.TEST_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN }}
+          TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.TEST_TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN }}
+          # VK Mini App protected key (offline HMAC for the launch-param signature); empty
+          # leaves the VK auth path (auth.vk) disabled until the operator sets the secret.
+          # One VK Mini App serves every contour -> unprefixed secret.
+          GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET: ${{ secrets.GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET }}
+          # VK ID web login (browser VK-identity linking): the VK ID "Web" app's protected key
+          # for the server-side confidential code exchange — a SEPARATE VK app from the Mini
+          # App above. One VK ID "Web" app serves every contour -> unprefixed secret.
+          GATEWAY_VK_ID_CLIENT_SECRET: ${{ secrets.GATEWAY_VK_ID_CLIENT_SECRET }}
+          # Planted honeytoken bearer: presenting it flags the caller (logs + a ban metric on
+          # test where the IP ban is off; a 24h IP ban on prod). Per-contour secret; empty = trap off.
+          GATEWAY_HONEYTOKEN: ${{ secrets.TEST_GATEWAY_HONEYTOKEN }}
+          # Signs the finished-game export download URLs (backend + compose interpolation).
+          EXPORT_SIGN_KEY: ${{ secrets.TEST_EXPORT_SIGN_KEY }}
+          # Transactional email via the shared Selectel relay: one account for every
+          # contour -> unprefixed host/port/tls/user/pass. Empty host leaves the backend
+          # on the log mailer (email disabled) but the contour still boots.
+          SMTP_RELAY_USER: ${{ secrets.SMTP_RELAY_USER }}
+          SMTP_RELAY_PASS: ${{ secrets.SMTP_RELAY_PASS }}
+          SMTP_RELAY_HOST: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_HOST }}
+          SMTP_RELAY_PORT: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_PORT }}
+          SMTP_RELAY_TLS: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_TLS }}
+          SMTP_RELAY_FROM: ${{ vars.TEST_SMTP_RELAY_FROM }}
+          # Operator alerts: backend admin emails (new feedback / complaints) + Grafana
+          # infra alerts. Distinct senders + recipients; Grafana uses the relay's STARTTLS
+          # host:port. Empty leaves the alert worker off and Grafana SMTP disabled.
+          SMTP_RELAY_ADMIN_FROM: ${{ vars.TEST_SMTP_RELAY_ADMIN_FROM }}
+          ADMIN_EMAIL: ${{ vars.TEST_ADMIN_EMAIL }}
+          SMTP_RELAY_SERVICE_FROM: ${{ vars.TEST_SMTP_RELAY_SERVICE_FROM }}
+          SERVICE_EMAIL: ${{ vars.TEST_SERVICE_EMAIL }}
+          GRAFANA_SMTP_PORT: ${{ vars.GRAFANA_SMTP_PORT }}
+          GF_SMTP_ENABLED: ${{ vars.TEST_GF_SMTP_ENABLED }}
+          # Canonical public origin for links in the email (this contour's URL);
+          # required by the backend whenever SMTP_RELAY_HOST is set.
+          PUBLIC_BASE_URL: ${{ vars.TEST_PUBLIC_BASE_URL }}
+          GM_BASICAUTH_USER: ${{ vars.TEST_GM_BASICAUTH_USER }}
+          CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS: ${{ vars.TEST_CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS }}
+          # TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL, GRAFANA_ROOT_URL and VITE_VK_ID_REDIRECT_URL are derived
+          # from PUBLIC_BASE_URL in the run step below, not stored as their own variables.
+          TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID: ${{ vars.TEST_TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID }}
+          TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID: ${{ vars.TEST_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID }}
+          TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID: ${{ vars.TEST_TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID }}
+          TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME: ${{ vars.TEST_TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME }}
+          # The promo button reuses the UI's Mini App link variable.
+          TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK: ${{ vars.TEST_VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK }}
+          # The test contour always uses Telegram's test environment — pinned here,
+          # not an operator variable. The prod workflow leaves it false.
+          TELEGRAM_TEST_ENV: "true"
+          VITE_TELEGRAM_BOT_ID: ${{ vars.TEST_VITE_TELEGRAM_BOT_ID }}
+          VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK: ${{ vars.TEST_VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK }}
+          VITE_TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_NAME: ${{ vars.TEST_VITE_TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_NAME }}
+          # VK Mini App landing link + VK ID "Web" app id: one value each serves every
+          # contour -> unprefixed. VITE_VK_APP_ID also feeds the gateway (GATEWAY_VK_ID_APP_ID);
+          # the VK ID redirect URL is derived from PUBLIC_BASE_URL in the run step below.
+          VITE_VK_APP_LINK: ${{ vars.VITE_VK_APP_LINK }}
+          VITE_VK_APP_ID: ${{ vars.VITE_VK_APP_ID }}
+          # VITE_GATEWAY_URL omitted: the SPA is served same-origin, so it stays the
+          # compose ":-" empty default. Other unset vars likewise fall to their defaults.
+          POSTGRES_DB: ${{ vars.TEST_POSTGRES_DB }}
+          POSTGRES_USER: ${{ vars.TEST_POSTGRES_USER }}
+          DICT_VERSION: ${{ vars.DICT_VERSION }}
+          LOG_LEVEL: ${{ vars.TEST_LOG_LEVEL }}
+        run: |
+          # Seed the config files to a stable host path. The runner checks out into
+          # an ephemeral act workspace that is removed after the job, which would
+          # dangle the compose config bind mounts in the long-lived containers
+          # (e.g. Grafana then logs "no such file or directory"). Bind from a stable
+          # dir instead (mirrors ../galaxy-game's $HOME/.galaxy-dev/monitoring).
+          conf="$HOME/.scrabble-deploy"
+          rm -rf "$conf"
+          mkdir -p "$conf"
+          cp -r caddy otelcol prometheus tempo grafana blackbox "$conf"/
+          export SCRABBLE_CONFIG_DIR="$conf"
+          # Maintenance page for the redeploy window, mirroring prod-deploy.sh so the SPA
+          # overlay is exercised on the test contour too (not only prod). Raised just before
+          # the recreate and lowered once caddy is back (below); the trap clears it if the
+          # step fails so the contour never sticks in maintenance (and the reseed above wipes a
+          # stale flag anyway). The caddy-routed probes run in the NEXT step, after it is lowered.
+          maint_flag="$conf/caddy/on"
+          trap 'rm -f "$maint_flag"' EXIT
+          # Derive the public URLs from the one canonical origin instead of storing each as
+          # its own variable (paths are structural SPA routes / the Caddy /_gm sub-path).
+          # Exported before build so the VK ID redirect is baked into the SPA.
+          base="${PUBLIC_BASE_URL%/}"
+          export TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL="$base/telegram/"
+          export GRAFANA_ROOT_URL="$base/_gm/grafana/"
+          export VITE_VK_ID_REDIRECT_URL="$base/app/"
+          # Grafana's SMTP from_address must be a BARE address (it rejects the "Name" <addr>
+          # form the backend go-mail accepts) and validates it even when SMTP is disabled — a
+          # bad value crash-loops Grafana. Split the display-format SERVICE From into a bare
+          # address + name for Grafana; the backend keeps the full form.
+          svc_from="${SMTP_RELAY_SERVICE_FROM:-}"
+          case "$svc_from" in
+            *"<"*">"*)
+              export GRAFANA_SMTP_FROM_ADDRESS="$(printf '%s' "$svc_from" | sed -E 's/.*<([^>]+)>.*/\1/')"
+              export GRAFANA_SMTP_FROM_NAME="$(printf '%s' "$svc_from" | sed -E 's/[[:space:]]*<[^>]*>.*$//; s/^"//; s/"$//')" ;;
+            *)
+              export GRAFANA_SMTP_FROM_ADDRESS="$svc_from" ;;
+          esac
+          # Bot-link mTLS material for the test contour: a private CA + gateway/bot
+          # leaves (CN=gateway, the service name the bot dials). Prod supplies these
+          # from PROD_ secrets instead. Regenerated each deploy; both ends redeploy
+          # together so they always share the fresh CA (see deploy/gen-certs.sh).
+          bash "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/deploy/gen-certs.sh" "$conf/certs"
+          # App version for the About screen: the git tag if present, else the short SHA
+          # (the test checkout is shallow/untagged, so this is the SHA here — fine).
+          export APP_VERSION="$(git -C "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE" describe --tags --always 2>/dev/null || echo dev)"
+          # The telegram-local profile brings the bot + its VPN sidecar; prod runs the
+          # bot on its own host instead (deploy/docker-compose.bot.yml), and the prod
+          # main host omits both. Without the profile they would not start here.
+          docker compose --ansi never --profile telegram-local build --progress plain
+          # Raise the maintenance page, THEN bring caddy onto the reseeded config mount so it
+          # actually carries the flag: the running caddy sits on the stale pre-reseed mount (the
+          # dir was rm'd + recreated — see the force-recreate note below), so a flag written to
+          # the new dir is invisible until caddy is recreated. With the fresh caddy up, an open
+          # SPA sees the 503 marker + overlay for the whole recreate window, not a bare reconnect.
+          : > "$maint_flag"
+          docker compose --ansi never up -d --force-recreate --no-deps caddy
+          docker compose --ansi never --profile telegram-local up -d --remove-orphans
+          # The config-only services bind-mount the reseeded config dir. A plain `up -d`
+          # leaves them on the previous bind mount (the dir was rm'd + recreated), so a
+          # changed Grafana dashboard is ignored — force-recreate them to pick up the fresh
+          # config. (Caddy was already recreated above so it would carry the maintenance flag.)
+          docker compose --ansi never up -d --force-recreate --no-deps otelcol prometheus tempo grafana
+          # Lower the maintenance page: services are back. An open SPA's poll now gets through
+          # (once the gateway finishes booting) and reloads into the fresh client; the caddy
+          # probes in the next step see 200. The EXIT trap is a backstop if we failed earlier.
+          rm -f "$maint_flag"
+
+      - name: Probe the landing, gateway and backend
+        run: |
+          set -u
+          # Three probes. "/" is the static landing container and "/app/" the
+          # gateway-served SPA shell (both through the contour caddy on the edge net).
+          # The backend /readyz is probed on the internal net as well: the caddy probes
+          # are blind to a crash-looping backend (the landing is static and the SPA
+          # shell is served without it), which let a bad deploy go green while the
+          # backend was down — so check it directly here.
+          for i in $(seq 1 20); do
+            if docker run --rm --network edge alpine:3.20 wget -q -T 5 -O /dev/null http://scrabble/ &&
+               docker run --rm --network edge alpine:3.20 wget -q -T 5 -O /dev/null http://scrabble/app/ &&
+               docker run --rm --network scrabble-internal alpine:3.20 wget -q -T 5 -O /dev/null http://backend:8080/readyz; then
+              echo "healthy: GET / (landing) + /app/ (gateway) + backend /readyz"
+              exit 0
+            fi
+            sleep 3
+          done
+          echo "probe failed; recent landing + gateway + backend logs:"
+          docker logs --tail 50 scrabble-landing || true
+          docker logs --tail 50 scrabble-gateway || true
+          docker logs --tail 50 scrabble-backend || true
+          exit 1
+
+      - name: Probe the /dict edge route reaches the gateway
+        run: |
+          set -u
+          # The client fetches each game's dictionary blob at {edge}/dict/{variant}/{version}
+          # for the local move preview. If caddy does not route /dict to the gateway the request
+          # falls to the static landing and the client silently gets a non-dawg blob. Probed
+          # unauthenticated it must be the gateway's 401 (the route reaches the gateway), never a
+          # 404/200 from the landing catch-all.
+          out="$(docker run --rm --network edge alpine:3.20 wget -S -q -O /dev/null http://scrabble/dict/scrabble_en/v1 2>&1 || true)"
+          echo "$out" | grep -E "HTTP/" || true
+          if echo "$out" | grep -q " 401"; then
+            echo "ok: /dict reaches the gateway (401 unauthenticated)"
+          else
+            echo "FAIL: /dict did not reach the gateway (expected 401) — caddy route missing?"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - name: Probe the Telegram validator and bot liveness
+        run: |
+          set -u
+          # The gateway/backend probes cannot see a crash-looping validator or bot
+          # (the validator answers only internal gRPC; the bot long-polls + egresses
+          # through the VPN sidecar with no public ingress). Inspect the containers
+          # directly: each must be running, not restarting, with a stable restart
+          # count. A grace period lets the VPN handshake and the bot-link dial settle.
+          sleep 20
+          for name in scrabble-telegram-validator scrabble-telegram-bot; do
+            ok=
+            for i in $(seq 1 20); do
+              status="$(docker inspect -f '{{.State.Status}}' "$name" 2>/dev/null || echo missing)"
+              restarting="$(docker inspect -f '{{.State.Restarting}}' "$name" 2>/dev/null || echo true)"
+              if [ "$status" = "running" ] && [ "$restarting" = "false" ]; then
+                c1="$(docker inspect -f '{{.RestartCount}}' "$name")"
+                sleep 5
+                c2="$(docker inspect -f '{{.RestartCount}}' "$name")"
+                if [ "$c1" = "$c2" ]; then
+                  echo "$name healthy: status=$status restarts=$c2"
+                  ok=1
+                  break
+                fi
+                echo "$name still restarting ($c1 -> $c2); waiting"
+              fi
+              sleep 3
+            done
+            if [ -z "$ok" ]; then
+              echo "$name not healthy; recent logs:"
+              docker logs --tail 80 "$name" || true
+              exit 1
+            fi
+          done
+
+      - name: Prune dangling images
+        if: always()
+        run: docker image prune -f
@@ -1,81 +0,0 @@
-name: Tests · Go
-
-# Fast unit tests for the Go side of the monorepo. Runs on every push and pull
-# request whose path filter matches a Go source directory. The module list
-# grows as new go.work modules (gateway, pkg/*, platform/*) are added by later
-# stages.
-
-on:
-  push:
-    paths:
-      - 'backend/**'
-      - 'gateway/**'
-      - 'pkg/**'
-      - 'platform/**'
-      - 'go.work'
-      - 'go.work.sum'
-      - '.gitea/workflows/go-unit.yaml'
-      - '!**/*.md'
-  pull_request:
-    paths:
-      - 'backend/**'
-      - 'gateway/**'
-      - 'pkg/**'
-      - 'platform/**'
-      - 'go.work'
-      - 'go.work.sum'
-      - '.gitea/workflows/go-unit.yaml'
-      - '!**/*.md'
-
-jobs:
-  test:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    defaults:
-      run:
-        shell: bash
-    env:
-      # The engine consumes the published scrabble-solver module from this Gitea;
-      # GOPRIVATE makes go fetch it directly (skipping the public proxy/checksum DB).
-      # DICT_VERSION selects the dictionary DAWG release the engine tests load.
-      GOPRIVATE: gitea.iliadenisov.ru/*
-      DICT_VERSION: v1.0.0
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Fetch dictionary DAWGs
-        # The DAWGs moved to the scrabble-dictionary repo (the solver is now a
-        # versioned module pinned in backend/go.mod, fetched via GOPRIVATE — no
-        # sibling clone). They ship as a release artifact, one semver per set.
-        run: |
-          mkdir -p "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
-          curl -fsSL -o /tmp/dawg.tar.gz "https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/${DICT_VERSION}/scrabble-dawg-${DICT_VERSION}.tar.gz"
-          tar xzf /tmp/dawg.tar.gz -C "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
-          ls -la "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
-
-      - name: Set up Go
-        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
-        with:
-          go-version-file: go.work
-          cache: true
-
-      - name: gofmt
-        run: |
-          unformatted="$(gofmt -l .)"
-          if [ -n "$unformatted" ]; then
-            echo "gofmt needed on:"; echo "$unformatted"; exit 1
-          fi
-
-      - name: vet
-        run: go vet ./backend/... ./pkg/... ./gateway/... ./platform/telegram/...
-
-      - name: build
-        run: go build ./backend/... ./pkg/... ./gateway/... ./platform/telegram/...
-
-      - name: test
-        # -count=1 disables the test cache so a green run never depends on a
-        # previous runner's cached state. BACKEND_DICT_DIR points the engine
-        # tests at the DAWGs fetched from the dictionary release.
-        env:
-          BACKEND_DICT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/dawg
-        run: go test -count=1 ./backend/... ./pkg/... ./gateway/... ./platform/telegram/...
@@ -1,71 +0,0 @@
-name: Tests · Integration
-
-# Postgres-backed integration tests for the Go backend, gated behind the
-# `integration` build tag. They spin a throwaway postgres:17-alpine container via
-# testcontainers-go, which reaches the host Docker daemon through the socket the
-# Gitea runner exposes. Slower than the unit job (go-unit.yaml); run serially
-# (-p=1) with Ryuk disabled — TestMain terminates its own container. The module
-# list grows as new go.work modules are added by later stages.
-
-on:
-  push:
-    paths:
-      - 'backend/**'
-      - 'pkg/**'
-      - 'go.work'
-      - 'go.work.sum'
-      - '.gitea/workflows/integration.yaml'
-      - '!**/*.md'
-  pull_request:
-    paths:
-      - 'backend/**'
-      - 'pkg/**'
-      - 'go.work'
-      - 'go.work.sum'
-      - '.gitea/workflows/integration.yaml'
-      - '!**/*.md'
-
-jobs:
-  integration:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    defaults:
-      run:
-        shell: bash
-    env:
-      # Ryuk (testcontainers' reaper) does not start cleanly on every runner;
-      # the suite's TestMain terminates its own container, so disable it.
-      TESTCONTAINERS_RYUK_DISABLED: "true"
-      # The engine consumes the published scrabble-solver module from this Gitea
-      # (GOPRIVATE -> direct fetch, skipping the public proxy/checksum DB);
-      # DICT_VERSION selects the dictionary DAWG release the engine tests load.
-      GOPRIVATE: gitea.iliadenisov.ru/*
-      DICT_VERSION: v1.0.0
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Fetch dictionary DAWGs
-        # The DAWGs moved to the scrabble-dictionary repo (the solver is now a
-        # versioned module pinned in backend/go.mod, fetched via GOPRIVATE — no
-        # sibling clone). They ship as a release artifact; the engine's untagged
-        # tests (compiled here too) load them.
-        run: |
-          mkdir -p "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
-          curl -fsSL -o /tmp/dawg.tar.gz "https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/${DICT_VERSION}/scrabble-dawg-${DICT_VERSION}.tar.gz"
-          tar xzf /tmp/dawg.tar.gz -C "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
-          ls -la "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/dawg"
-
-      - name: Set up Go
-        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
-        with:
-          go-version-file: go.work
-          cache: true
-
-      - name: Integration tests
-        # -count=1 disables the test cache; -p=1 -parallel=1 keeps the
-        # container-backed tests serial; the 15-minute timeout bounds a stuck
-        # container pull. The engine package's (untagged) tests also compile and
-        # run here, so BACKEND_DICT_DIR points them at the DAWGs from the release.
-        env:
-          BACKEND_DICT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/dawg
-        run: go test -tags=integration -count=1 -p=1 -parallel=1 -timeout=15m ./backend/...
@@ -0,0 +1,285 @@
+# Manual production rollout. Runs ONLY from master, ONLY on workflow_dispatch with
+# confirm=deploy (development->master is merged + green first; this is the separate,
+# deliberate prod step). Visible sequential jobs from most to least significant:
+#   build -> deploy-main -> deploy-bot -> verify
+# The per-service rolling (postgres->backend->gateway->landing->validator->caddy),
+# health-gating and auto-rollback live in deploy/prod-deploy.sh on the main host and
+# show in the deploy-main log. Manual post-deploy rollback is prod-rollback.yaml.
+# See deploy/README.md (prod runbook).
+name: prod-deploy
+run-name: "prod deploy ${{ github.sha }}"
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      confirm:
+        description: 'Type "deploy" to confirm a production rollout from master.'
+        required: true
+        default: ""
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+env:
+  NO_COLOR: "1"
+  DOCKER_CLI_HINTS: "false"
+  REGISTRY: docker.iliadenisov.ru/developer
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' && inputs.confirm == 'deploy' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    outputs:
+      tag: ${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}
+    env:
+      PROD_REGISTRY_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_REGISTRY_USER }}
+      PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+      VITE_TELEGRAM_BOT_ID: ${{ vars.PROD_VITE_TELEGRAM_BOT_ID }}
+      VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK: ${{ vars.PROD_VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK }}
+      VITE_TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_NAME: ${{ vars.PROD_VITE_TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_NAME }}
+      # VK Mini App link + VK ID "Web" app id: one value each serves every contour.
+      VITE_VK_APP_LINK: ${{ vars.VITE_VK_APP_LINK }}
+      VITE_VK_APP_ID: ${{ vars.VITE_VK_APP_ID }}
+      # VITE_GATEWAY_URL omitted: the SPA is served same-origin (compose ":-" default).
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_POSTGRES_PASSWORD }}
+      GM_BASICAUTH_HASH: ${{ secrets.PROD_GM_BASICAUTH_HASH }}
+      # `docker compose build` interpolates the WHOLE compose file, so every :?-guarded
+      # runtime var must be present at build even though it is not a build-arg — incl. the
+      # backend's EXPORT_SIGN_KEY (added with the finished-game export after v1.7.0, which is
+      # why the first v1.8.0 build tripped on it). POSTGRES_PASSWORD/GM_BASICAUTH_HASH above
+      # are here for the same reason; DICT_VERSION + the derived Mini App URL cover the rest.
+      EXPORT_SIGN_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_EXPORT_SIGN_KEY }}
+      # PUBLIC_BASE_URL drives the derived VK ID redirect (baked into the SPA) and the
+      # Mini App URL; both are computed in the build step, not stored variables.
+      PUBLIC_BASE_URL: ${{ vars.PROD_PUBLIC_BASE_URL }}
+      DICT_VERSION: ${{ vars.DICT_VERSION }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+      - name: Compute version tag
+        id: ver
+        run: echo "tag=$(git describe --tags --always)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+      - name: Registry login
+        run: echo "$PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | docker login "${REGISTRY%%/*}" -u "$PROD_REGISTRY_USER" --password-stdin
+      - name: Build and push images
+        working-directory: deploy
+        run: |
+          export TAG="${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}" APP_VERSION="${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}" SCRABBLE_CONFIG_DIR=.
+          # Derive the public URLs from the one canonical origin: the VK ID redirect is a
+          # build-arg baked into the SPA, and the Mini App URL satisfies the (profiled-out)
+          # bot service's compose ":?" guard during parse. See deploy/write-prod-env.sh.
+          base="${PUBLIC_BASE_URL%/}"
+          export VITE_VK_ID_REDIRECT_URL="$base/app/" TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL="$base/telegram/"
+          # The main-stack images via compose (reuses the build args, incl. VERSION);
+          # the bot separately, since it is profiled out of the prod compose.
+          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml build
+          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml push backend gateway landing validator renderer
+          docker build -f ../platform/telegram/Dockerfile --target bot --build-arg VERSION="$TAG" -t "$REGISTRY/scrabble-telegram-bot:$TAG" ..
+          docker push "$REGISTRY/scrabble-telegram-bot:$TAG"
+
+  deploy-main:
+    needs: build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      TAG: ${{ needs.build.outputs.tag }}
+      PROD_REGISTRY_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_REGISTRY_USER }}
+      PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+      PROD_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KEY }}
+      PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS }}
+      MAIN_HOST: ${{ vars.PROD_MAIN_HOST }}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_POSTGRES_PASSWORD }}
+      GM_BASICAUTH_HASH: ${{ secrets.PROD_GM_BASICAUTH_HASH }}
+      GRAFANA_ADMIN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_GRAFANA_ADMIN_PASSWORD }}
+      TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.PROD_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN }}
+      GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET: ${{ secrets.GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET }}
+      # VK ID web login: the "Web" app id (the gateway reuses it as GATEWAY_VK_ID_APP_ID at
+      # runtime) + the app's protected key. Both shared across contours. The redirect URL is
+      # derived from PUBLIC_BASE_URL in deploy/write-prod-env.sh.
+      VITE_VK_APP_ID: ${{ vars.VITE_VK_APP_ID }}
+      GATEWAY_VK_ID_CLIENT_SECRET: ${{ secrets.GATEWAY_VK_ID_CLIENT_SECRET }}
+      # Planted honeytoken bearer: presenting it earns a 24h IP ban + a high-severity alarm.
+      # Per-contour secret; empty = trap off. Rendered by deploy/write-prod-env.sh.
+      GATEWAY_HONEYTOKEN: ${{ secrets.PROD_GATEWAY_HONEYTOKEN }}
+      # Signs the finished-game export download URLs (backend BACKEND_EXPORT_SIGN_KEY).
+      EXPORT_SIGN_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_EXPORT_SIGN_KEY }}
+      # Transactional email via the shared Selectel relay (confirm-codes): one account for
+      # every contour -> unprefixed host/port/tls/user/pass.
+      SMTP_RELAY_USER: ${{ secrets.SMTP_RELAY_USER }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_PASS: ${{ secrets.SMTP_RELAY_PASS }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_HOST: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_HOST }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_PORT: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_PORT }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_TLS: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_TLS }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_FROM: ${{ vars.PROD_SMTP_RELAY_FROM }}
+      # Operator alerts: backend admin emails + Grafana infra alerts (distinct senders +
+      # recipients; Grafana uses the relay's STARTTLS host:port).
+      SMTP_RELAY_ADMIN_FROM: ${{ vars.PROD_SMTP_RELAY_ADMIN_FROM }}
+      ADMIN_EMAIL: ${{ vars.PROD_ADMIN_EMAIL }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_SERVICE_FROM: ${{ vars.PROD_SMTP_RELAY_SERVICE_FROM }}
+      SERVICE_EMAIL: ${{ vars.PROD_SERVICE_EMAIL }}
+      GRAFANA_SMTP_PORT: ${{ vars.GRAFANA_SMTP_PORT }}
+      GF_SMTP_ENABLED: ${{ vars.PROD_GF_SMTP_ENABLED }}
+      PUBLIC_BASE_URL: ${{ vars.PROD_PUBLIC_BASE_URL }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_CA: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_CA }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_CERT: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_CERT }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_KEY }}
+      GM_BASICAUTH_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_GM_BASICAUTH_USER }}
+      CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS: ${{ vars.PROD_CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS }}
+      LOG_LEVEL: ${{ vars.PROD_LOG_LEVEL }}
+      DICT_VERSION: ${{ vars.DICT_VERSION }}
+      POSTGRES_DB: ${{ vars.PROD_POSTGRES_DB }}
+      POSTGRES_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_POSTGRES_USER }}
+      # TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL and GRAFANA_ROOT_URL are derived from PUBLIC_BASE_URL in
+      # deploy/write-prod-env.sh, not stored variables.
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+      - name: Set up SSH
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KEY" > ~/.ssh/id_deploy && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_deploy
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts
+      - name: Determine previous tag and migration
+        run: |
+          ssh_main() { ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes "deploy@$MAIN_HOST" "$@"; }
+          PREV_TAG="$(ssh_main 'cat /opt/scrabble/DEPLOYED_TAG 2>/dev/null || echo none')"
+          MIGRATION=0
+          if [ "$PREV_TAG" != none ]; then
+            if ! git cat-file -e "$PREV_TAG^{commit}" 2>/dev/null; then
+              MIGRATION=1
+            elif git diff --name-only "$PREV_TAG..$TAG" -- backend/internal/postgres/migrations/ | grep -q .; then
+              MIGRATION=1
+            fi
+          fi
+          { echo "PREV_TAG=$PREV_TAG"; echo "MIGRATION=$MIGRATION"; } >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+          echo "prev=$PREV_TAG migration=$MIGRATION"
+      - name: Render main env + certs
+        run: |
+          umask 077
+          mkdir -p stage/certs-main
+          # Shared with prod-rollback so the two paths render an identical runtime env.
+          APP_VERSION="$TAG" bash deploy/write-prod-env.sh stage/env.sh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_CA"           > stage/certs-main/ca.crt
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_CERT" > stage/certs-main/gateway.crt
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_KEY"  > stage/certs-main/gateway.key
+          chmod 644 stage/certs-main/*
+      - name: Deploy the main host
+        run: |
+          ssh_main() { ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes "deploy@$MAIN_HOST" "$@"; }
+          ssh_main 'mkdir -p /opt/scrabble/compose'
+          tar -C deploy -czf - docker-compose.yml docker-compose.prod.yml prod-deploy.sh \
+            | ssh_main 'tar -C /opt/scrabble/compose -xzf -'
+          tar -C deploy -czf - caddy otelcol prometheus tempo grafana blackbox \
+            | ssh_main 'tar -C /opt/scrabble -xzf -'
+          tar -C stage -czf - certs-main \
+            | ssh_main 'rm -rf /opt/scrabble/certs && mkdir -p /opt/scrabble/certs && tar -C /opt/scrabble/certs --strip-components=1 -xzf -'
+          scp -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes stage/env.sh "deploy@$MAIN_HOST:/opt/scrabble/env.sh"
+          echo "$PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | ssh_main "docker login ${REGISTRY%%/*} -u $PROD_REGISTRY_USER --password-stdin"
+          ssh_main "TAG='$TAG' PREV_TAG='$PREV_TAG' MIGRATION='$MIGRATION' bash /opt/scrabble/compose/prod-deploy.sh"
+
+  deploy-bot:
+    needs: [build, deploy-main]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      TAG: ${{ needs.build.outputs.tag }}
+      PROD_REGISTRY_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_REGISTRY_USER }}
+      PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+      PROD_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KEY }}
+      PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS }}
+      TG_HOST: ${{ vars.PROD_TG_HOST }}
+      MAIN_HOST: ${{ vars.PROD_MAIN_HOST }}
+      TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.PROD_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN }}
+      TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.PROD_TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_CA: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_CA }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_CERT: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_CERT }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_KEY }}
+      LOG_LEVEL: ${{ vars.PROD_LOG_LEVEL }}
+      # PUBLIC_BASE_URL drives the derived Mini App URL in deploy/write-prod-bot-env.sh.
+      PUBLIC_BASE_URL: ${{ vars.PROD_PUBLIC_BASE_URL }}
+      TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID }}
+      TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID }}
+      TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID }}
+      TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME }}
+      TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK: ${{ vars.PROD_VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Set up SSH
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KEY" > ~/.ssh/id_deploy && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_deploy
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts
+      - name: Render bot env + certs
+        run: |
+          umask 077
+          mkdir -p stage/certs-bot
+          # Shared with prod-rollback so the two paths render an identical bot env.
+          BOT_IMAGE="$REGISTRY/scrabble-telegram-bot:$TAG" bash deploy/write-prod-bot-env.sh stage/env.bot.sh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_CA"       > stage/certs-bot/ca.crt
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_CERT" > stage/certs-bot/bot.crt
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_KEY"  > stage/certs-bot/bot.key
+          chmod 644 stage/certs-bot/*
+      - name: Deploy the bot host
+        run: |
+          ssh_tg() { ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes "deploy@$TG_HOST" "$@"; }
+          ssh_tg 'mkdir -p /opt/scrabble/compose'
+          tar -C deploy -czf - docker-compose.bot.yml | ssh_tg 'tar -C /opt/scrabble/compose -xzf -'
+          tar -C stage -czf - certs-bot \
+            | ssh_tg 'rm -rf /opt/scrabble/certs && mkdir -p /opt/scrabble/certs && tar -C /opt/scrabble/certs --strip-components=1 -xzf -'
+          scp -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes stage/env.bot.sh "deploy@$TG_HOST:/opt/scrabble/env.bot.sh"
+          echo "$PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | ssh_tg "docker login ${REGISTRY%%/*} -u $PROD_REGISTRY_USER --password-stdin"
+          ssh_tg 'set -a; . /opt/scrabble/env.bot.sh; set +a; cd /opt/scrabble/compose;
+            docker compose -f docker-compose.bot.yml pull;
+            docker compose -f docker-compose.bot.yml up -d'
+          ssh_tg 'for i in $(seq 1 20); do
+              s=$(docker inspect -f "{{.State.Status}}" scrabble-telegram-bot 2>/dev/null || echo missing)
+              r=$(docker inspect -f "{{.State.Restarting}}" scrabble-telegram-bot 2>/dev/null || echo true)
+              if [ "$s" = running ] && [ "$r" = false ]; then
+                c1=$(docker inspect -f "{{.RestartCount}}" scrabble-telegram-bot); sleep 5
+                c2=$(docker inspect -f "{{.RestartCount}}" scrabble-telegram-bot)
+                [ "$c1" = "$c2" ] && { echo "bot healthy"; exit 0; }
+              fi
+              sleep 3
+            done
+            echo "bot not healthy:"; docker logs --tail 80 scrabble-telegram-bot; exit 1'
+
+  verify:
+    needs: [deploy-main, deploy-bot]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      PROD_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KEY }}
+      PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS }}
+      MAIN_HOST: ${{ vars.PROD_MAIN_HOST }}
+      CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS: ${{ vars.PROD_CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Set up SSH
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KEY" > ~/.ssh/id_deploy && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_deploy
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts
+      - name: Verify the public site
+        run: |
+          domain="${CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS%% *}"
+          ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes "deploy@$MAIN_HOST" "for i in \$(seq 1 20); do
+              if curl -fsS -k --resolve $domain:443:127.0.0.1 https://$domain/ -o /dev/null &&
+                 curl -fsS -k --resolve $domain:443:127.0.0.1 https://$domain/app/ -o /dev/null &&
+                 docker run --rm --network scrabble-internal alpine:3.20 wget -q -T 5 -O /dev/null http://backend:8080/readyz; then
+                echo 'public site + /app/ + backend healthy'; exit 0
+              fi
+              sleep 5
+            done
+            echo 'public verify failed; recent caddy + gateway + backend logs:'
+            docker logs --tail 40 scrabble-caddy; docker logs --tail 40 scrabble-gateway; docker logs --tail 40 scrabble-backend
+            exit 1"
@@ -0,0 +1,218 @@
+# Manual production rollback. Runs ONLY from master, ONLY on workflow_dispatch with
+# confirm=rollback. Re-deploys an already-published image tag (no build): leave
+# target_version blank to roll back to the previously deployed version (read from the
+# main host), or set it to a specific release tag from the Releases page. The
+# re-deploy is the same rolling, health-gated path as prod-deploy (TAG=target,
+# MIGRATION=0 — rollback is image-only and never migrates the DB; image rollback is
+# DB-safe under the expand-contract rule). See deploy/README.md (prod runbook).
+name: prod-rollback
+run-name: "prod rollback ${{ inputs.target_version || 'previous' }}"
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      confirm:
+        description: 'Type "rollback" to confirm a production rollback.'
+        required: true
+        default: ""
+      target_version:
+        description: "Release tag to roll back to (blank = the previous deployed version)."
+        required: false
+        default: ""
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+env:
+  NO_COLOR: "1"
+  DOCKER_CLI_HINTS: "false"
+  REGISTRY: docker.iliadenisov.ru/developer
+
+jobs:
+  rollback-main:
+    if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' && inputs.confirm == 'rollback' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    outputs:
+      target: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.target }}
+    env:
+      PROD_REGISTRY_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_REGISTRY_USER }}
+      PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+      PROD_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KEY }}
+      PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS }}
+      MAIN_HOST: ${{ vars.PROD_MAIN_HOST }}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_POSTGRES_PASSWORD }}
+      GM_BASICAUTH_HASH: ${{ secrets.PROD_GM_BASICAUTH_HASH }}
+      GRAFANA_ADMIN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_GRAFANA_ADMIN_PASSWORD }}
+      TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.PROD_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_CA: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_CA }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_CERT: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_CERT }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_KEY }}
+      GM_BASICAUTH_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_GM_BASICAUTH_USER }}
+      CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS: ${{ vars.PROD_CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS }}
+      LOG_LEVEL: ${{ vars.PROD_LOG_LEVEL }}
+      DICT_VERSION: ${{ vars.DICT_VERSION }}
+      POSTGRES_DB: ${{ vars.PROD_POSTGRES_DB }}
+      POSTGRES_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_POSTGRES_USER }}
+      PUBLIC_BASE_URL: ${{ vars.PROD_PUBLIC_BASE_URL }}
+      # Full runtime env — parity with prod-deploy's deploy-main so a rollback re-renders
+      # the SAME env.sh (email / VK login / Grafana alerts survive a rollback). TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL
+      # and GRAFANA_ROOT_URL are derived from PUBLIC_BASE_URL in deploy/write-prod-env.sh.
+      GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET: ${{ secrets.GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET }}
+      VITE_VK_APP_ID: ${{ vars.VITE_VK_APP_ID }}
+      GATEWAY_VK_ID_CLIENT_SECRET: ${{ secrets.GATEWAY_VK_ID_CLIENT_SECRET }}
+      GATEWAY_HONEYTOKEN: ${{ secrets.PROD_GATEWAY_HONEYTOKEN }}
+      EXPORT_SIGN_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_EXPORT_SIGN_KEY }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_USER: ${{ secrets.SMTP_RELAY_USER }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_PASS: ${{ secrets.SMTP_RELAY_PASS }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_HOST: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_HOST }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_PORT: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_PORT }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_TLS: ${{ vars.SMTP_RELAY_TLS }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_FROM: ${{ vars.PROD_SMTP_RELAY_FROM }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_ADMIN_FROM: ${{ vars.PROD_SMTP_RELAY_ADMIN_FROM }}
+      ADMIN_EMAIL: ${{ vars.PROD_ADMIN_EMAIL }}
+      SMTP_RELAY_SERVICE_FROM: ${{ vars.PROD_SMTP_RELAY_SERVICE_FROM }}
+      SERVICE_EMAIL: ${{ vars.PROD_SERVICE_EMAIL }}
+      GRAFANA_SMTP_PORT: ${{ vars.GRAFANA_SMTP_PORT }}
+      GF_SMTP_ENABLED: ${{ vars.PROD_GF_SMTP_ENABLED }}
+      INPUT_TARGET: ${{ inputs.target_version }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Set up SSH
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KEY" > ~/.ssh/id_deploy && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_deploy
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts
+      - name: Resolve rollback target
+        id: resolve
+        run: |
+          ssh_main() { ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes "deploy@$MAIN_HOST" "$@"; }
+          CURRENT="$(ssh_main 'cat /opt/scrabble/DEPLOYED_TAG 2>/dev/null || echo none')"
+          if [ -n "$INPUT_TARGET" ]; then
+            TARGET="$INPUT_TARGET"
+          else
+            TARGET="$(ssh_main 'cat /opt/scrabble/PREVIOUS_TAG 2>/dev/null || echo none')"
+          fi
+          if [ -z "$TARGET" ] || [ "$TARGET" = none ]; then
+            echo "no rollback target (no PREVIOUS_TAG on the host and no target_version input)"; exit 1
+          fi
+          if [ "$TARGET" = "$CURRENT" ]; then
+            echo "target $TARGET is already the deployed version; nothing to do"; exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "rolling back: current=$CURRENT -> target=$TARGET"
+          echo "target=$TARGET" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          { echo "TARGET=$TARGET"; echo "CURRENT=$CURRENT"; } >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+      - name: Render main env + certs
+        run: |
+          umask 077
+          mkdir -p stage/certs-main
+          # Same writer as prod-deploy's deploy-main -> the rollback re-renders the FULL
+          # runtime env (not a subset), so email / VK login / Grafana alerts survive it.
+          APP_VERSION="$TARGET" bash deploy/write-prod-env.sh stage/env.sh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_CA"           > stage/certs-main/ca.crt
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_CERT" > stage/certs-main/gateway.crt
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_KEY"  > stage/certs-main/gateway.key
+          chmod 644 stage/certs-main/*
+      - name: Roll the main host back
+        run: |
+          ssh_main() { ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes "deploy@$MAIN_HOST" "$@"; }
+          ssh_main 'mkdir -p /opt/scrabble/compose'
+          tar -C deploy -czf - docker-compose.yml docker-compose.prod.yml prod-deploy.sh \
+            | ssh_main 'tar -C /opt/scrabble/compose -xzf -'
+          tar -C deploy -czf - caddy otelcol prometheus tempo grafana \
+            | ssh_main 'tar -C /opt/scrabble -xzf -'
+          tar -C stage -czf - certs-main \
+            | ssh_main 'rm -rf /opt/scrabble/certs && mkdir -p /opt/scrabble/certs && tar -C /opt/scrabble/certs --strip-components=1 -xzf -'
+          scp -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes stage/env.sh "deploy@$MAIN_HOST:/opt/scrabble/env.sh"
+          echo "$PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | ssh_main "docker login ${REGISTRY%%/*} -u $PROD_REGISTRY_USER --password-stdin"
+          # Image-only rollback: no migration window (TAG=target, MIGRATION=0). A failed
+          # rollback's auto-revert returns to the current version (PREV_TAG=$CURRENT).
+          ssh_main "TAG='$TARGET' PREV_TAG='$CURRENT' MIGRATION=0 bash /opt/scrabble/compose/prod-deploy.sh"
+
+  rollback-bot:
+    needs: rollback-main
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      TARGET: ${{ needs.rollback-main.outputs.target }}
+      PROD_REGISTRY_USER: ${{ vars.PROD_REGISTRY_USER }}
+      PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+      PROD_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KEY }}
+      PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS }}
+      TG_HOST: ${{ vars.PROD_TG_HOST }}
+      MAIN_HOST: ${{ vars.PROD_MAIN_HOST }}
+      TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.PROD_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN }}
+      TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.PROD_TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_CA: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_CA }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_CERT: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_CERT }}
+      PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_KEY }}
+      LOG_LEVEL: ${{ vars.PROD_LOG_LEVEL }}
+      # PUBLIC_BASE_URL drives the derived Mini App URL; SUPPORT_CHAT_ID for parity with deploy.
+      PUBLIC_BASE_URL: ${{ vars.PROD_PUBLIC_BASE_URL }}
+      TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID }}
+      TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID }}
+      TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID }}
+      TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME }}
+      TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK: ${{ vars.PROD_VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Set up SSH
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KEY" > ~/.ssh/id_deploy && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_deploy
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts
+      - name: Render bot env + certs
+        run: |
+          umask 077
+          mkdir -p stage/certs-bot
+          # Same writer as prod-deploy's deploy-bot (parity; includes TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID).
+          BOT_IMAGE="$REGISTRY/scrabble-telegram-bot:$TARGET" bash deploy/write-prod-bot-env.sh stage/env.bot.sh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_CA"       > stage/certs-bot/ca.crt
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_CERT" > stage/certs-bot/bot.crt
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_BOT_KEY"  > stage/certs-bot/bot.key
+          chmod 644 stage/certs-bot/*
+      - name: Roll the bot host back
+        run: |
+          ssh_tg() { ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes "deploy@$TG_HOST" "$@"; }
+          ssh_tg 'mkdir -p /opt/scrabble/compose'
+          tar -C deploy -czf - docker-compose.bot.yml | ssh_tg 'tar -C /opt/scrabble/compose -xzf -'
+          tar -C stage -czf - certs-bot \
+            | ssh_tg 'rm -rf /opt/scrabble/certs && mkdir -p /opt/scrabble/certs && tar -C /opt/scrabble/certs --strip-components=1 -xzf -'
+          scp -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes stage/env.bot.sh "deploy@$TG_HOST:/opt/scrabble/env.bot.sh"
+          echo "$PROD_REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | ssh_tg "docker login ${REGISTRY%%/*} -u $PROD_REGISTRY_USER --password-stdin"
+          ssh_tg 'set -a; . /opt/scrabble/env.bot.sh; set +a; cd /opt/scrabble/compose;
+            docker compose -f docker-compose.bot.yml pull;
+            docker compose -f docker-compose.bot.yml up -d'
+
+  verify:
+    needs: [rollback-main, rollback-bot]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+    env:
+      PROD_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KEY }}
+      PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS: ${{ secrets.PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS }}
+      MAIN_HOST: ${{ vars.PROD_MAIN_HOST }}
+      CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS: ${{ vars.PROD_CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Set up SSH
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KEY" > ~/.ssh/id_deploy && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_deploy
+          printf '%s\n' "$PROD_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS" > ~/.ssh/known_hosts
+      - name: Verify the public site
+        run: |
+          domain="${CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS%% *}"
+          ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy -o BatchMode=yes "deploy@$MAIN_HOST" "for i in \$(seq 1 20); do
+              if curl -fsS -k --resolve $domain:443:127.0.0.1 https://$domain/ -o /dev/null &&
+                 docker run --rm --network scrabble-internal alpine:3.20 wget -q -T 5 -O /dev/null http://backend:8080/readyz; then
+                echo 'rolled-back site healthy'; exit 0
+              fi
+              sleep 5
+            done
+            echo 'verify failed'; docker logs --tail 40 scrabble-caddy; docker logs --tail 40 scrabble-backend; exit 1"
@@ -1,67 +0,0 @@
-name: Tests · UI
-
-# Hermetic UI checks: type-check, Vitest unit tests, production build with a
-# bundle-size budget, and a Playwright smoke (Chromium + WebKit) against the in-memory
-# mock transport (no backend/gateway/Postgres). The committed src/gen/ codegen is built, not
-# regenerated (the same model as the Go committed jet/fbs output).
-
-on:
-  push:
-    paths:
-      - 'ui/**'
-      - '.gitea/workflows/ui-test.yaml'
-  pull_request:
-    paths:
-      - 'ui/**'
-      - '.gitea/workflows/ui-test.yaml'
-
-jobs:
-  test:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    defaults:
-      run:
-        shell: bash
-        working-directory: ui
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up Node
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-        with:
-          node-version: 22
-
-      - name: Install pnpm
-        run: npm install -g pnpm@11.0.9
-
-      - name: Install deps
-        run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
-
-      - name: Type-check
-        run: pnpm run check
-
-      - name: Unit tests
-        run: pnpm run test:unit
-
-      - name: Build
-        run: pnpm run build
-
-      - name: Bundle-size budget
-        run: node scripts/bundle-size.mjs
-
-      # The Playwright system libraries are provisioned once on the runner host
-      # (`sudo npx playwright@<version> install-deps chromium`), so the job needs no
-      # apt and no sudo: it only downloads the browser binaries into the runner cache
-      # (persisted by the host executor) and runs the suite. WebKit's Debian build
-      # bundles most of its own libraries and runs headless without extra host deps; if
-      # a runner ever lacks one, provision it once on the host with
-      # `sudo npx playwright install-deps webkit`. The timeouts guard against a future
-      # hang. Keep this in lockstep with @playwright/test in package.json — re-run
-      # install-deps on the host after a major bump.
-      - name: Install Playwright browsers
-        run: pnpm exec playwright install chromium webkit
-        timeout-minutes: 5
-
-      - name: E2E smoke (mock)
-        run: pnpm run test:e2e
-        timeout-minutes: 5
@@ -16,3 +16,10 @@
 # Local, unstaged env overrides
 **/.env.local
 **/.env.*.local
+
+# Bot-link mTLS material: private keys never belong in the repo. The test contour
+# generates them with deploy/gen-certs.sh; prod supplies them from PROD_ secrets.
+deploy/certs/
+
+# Claude Code harness runtime artifacts
+.claude/scheduled_tasks.lock
@@ -1,83 +1,97 @@
 # scrabble-game — project guide

-Multiplatform Scrabble game. Read this first every session. The owner drives the
-project **one stage per session** (tariff constraint), so the repository — not
-conversation memory — is the source of continuity. Keep it that way.
+Multiplatform Scrabble game, **in production** at `https://erudit-game.ru`. Read this
+first every session. The repository — not conversation memory — is the source of
+continuity; keep it that way.

 ## Sources of truth (read before changing behaviour)

- [`PLAN.md`](PLAN.md) — staged plan + **stage tracker** + per-stage *open
-  details to interview*.
- [`docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) — architecture, transport,
-  security, the decision record. Always describes current state.
- [`docs/FUNCTIONAL.md`](docs/FUNCTIONAL.md) (+ [`_ru`](docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md)
-  mirror) — per-domain user stories. English authoritative.
- [`docs/TESTING.md`](docs/TESTING.md) — test layers + the per-stage CI gate.
+- [`docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) — architecture, transport, security,
+  the decision record. Always describes the current state.
+- [`docs/FUNCTIONAL.md`](docs/FUNCTIONAL.md) (+ [`_ru`](docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md) mirror)
+  — per-domain user stories. English authoritative.
+- [`docs/TESTING.md`](docs/TESTING.md) — test layers + the CI gate.
 - [`docs/UI_DESIGN.md`](docs/UI_DESIGN.md) — the `ui` visual/interaction design system.
+- [`deploy/README.md`](deploy/README.md) — the deploy contour + the production
+  rollout / rollback runbook.

-## Mandatory per-stage workflow
+## How we work

-**Start of a stage**
-1. Read `PLAN.md` (the stage's scope + *open details*) and the relevant `docs/`.
-2. Analyse what the stage actually requires against the current code.
-3. **Interview the owner** on every open detail and any fork not already fixed
-   in the plan — do not silently pick borderline decisions. Offer options with
-   brief pros/cons.
-4. Only then implement, strictly within the stage's scope.
-
-**End of a stage**
-1. Bake every new agreement back into `PLAN.md`, `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`,
-   `docs/FUNCTIONAL.md` (+ `_ru`), the affected service `README`, and Go Doc
-   comments — in the **same** PR. Correct earlier stages' docs/code if a new
-   decision changes them.
-2. Update the stage tracker; add a line under *Refinements logged during
-   implementation* for any plan deviation.
-3. Get CI green, then mark the stage done.
-
-(The `stage-implementation` skill encodes this same loop and can be invoked.)
+- Inspect the relevant code path and the docs above before changing behaviour.
+- **Interview the owner on every fork** — do not silently pick borderline decisions;
+  offer options with brief pros/cons.
+- Smallest correct diff. Prefer compact code; reuse before adding; do not add deps,
+  seams or knobs until they are needed.
+- **Update or add tests for every functional change**, at the layers
+  `docs/TESTING.md` calls out.
+- **Bake docs in the same PR**: update `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`, `docs/FUNCTIONAL.md`
+  (+`_ru`), the affected service `README` and Go Doc comments alongside the change.
+- Document added packages, types, funcs, consts and vars with Go Doc comments.

 ## Conventions

 - All code, comments, identifiers, commits, docs, filenames in **English**.
- Chat with the owner follows the user-level `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` (Russian,
-  the agreed persona and translation rules).
- Mirror every point edit of `docs/FUNCTIONAL.md` into `docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md`
-  in the same patch (translate only the touched paragraphs).
- Prefer compact code; do not add deps, seams or knobs until a stage needs them.
-  Reuse before adding. Document added packages/types/funcs with Go Doc comments.
- Update or add tests for every functional change.
+- Chat with the owner follows the user-level `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` (Russian, the
+  agreed persona and translation rules).
+- Mirror every point edit of `docs/FUNCTIONAL.md` into `docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md` in the
+  same patch (translate only the touched paragraphs).

-## Branching & CI
+## Branching, CI & production

- Trunk is **`master`** (owner preference). From Stage 1, work on `feature/*`
-  and merge via PR with a green CI gate. The genesis commit (Stage 0) lands on
-  `master` by necessity (an empty branch has nothing to PR into).
- After any push, watch the run to green before declaring a stage done — use the
-  ready-made watcher, never an inline poll loop:
-  `python3 ~/.claude/bin/gitea-ci-watch.py` (background). It reads `$GITEA_URL`
-  / `$GITEA_TOKEN`; `gitea.iliadenisov.ru` is allow-listed in
-  `.claude/settings.json`. Remote: `origin git@gitea.iliadenisov.ru:developer/scrabble-game.git`.
+- **Two long-lived branches**: **`development`** is the integration branch; **`master`**
+  is the production trunk. Cut `feature/*` from `development` and PR back into it;
+  promote `development → master` via PR when ready to release. Both branches require
+  one approval + the `CI / gate` check.
+- A commit to a `feature/*` branch triggers nothing. The single workflow
+  `.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml` runs the full suite (`unit` + `integration` + `ui`) on a
+  PR into `development` or `master`, and the gated **`deploy`** job auto-rolls the
+  **test contour** on a PR into — or a push to — `development`
+  (`docker compose up -d --build` on the runner host + landing/SPA/backend probes). A
+  PR into `master` is test-only.
+- **Production is live on two hosts** (main + the Telegram bot host) and deploys
+  **only manually** (`workflow_dispatch`), never automatically:
+  - **`.gitea/workflows/prod-deploy.yaml`** (`confirm=deploy`, from `master`) builds +
+    pushes the images to the registry, then SSH-deploys both hosts — rolling per
+    service in dependency order, health-gated, **auto-rollback to the previous tag**;
+    a schema migration adds a maintenance window + a consistent `pg_dump`. Four visible
+    jobs: build → deploy-main → deploy-bot → verify.
+  - **`.gitea/workflows/prod-rollback.yaml`** (`confirm=rollback`) re-deploys a prior
+    release (blank `target_version` = the previous deployed version) — image-only,
+    rolling, health-gated.
+  - **Releases are git tags `vX.Y.Z` on `master`**; the deploy stamps `git describe
+    --tags` into the image tag, every binary (`pkg/version` via `-ldflags` → the
+    `service.version` telemetry attribute) and the SPA About screen. Tag the release
+    before deploying.
+  - Hosts are provisioned idempotently by **`deploy/ansible/`**. Per-contour
+    secrets/variables use the `TEST_` / `PROD_` prefix (Gitea 1.26 has no deployment
+    environments). Migrations must be **expand-contract** (backward-compatible) so
+    image rollback stays DB-safe. Full runbook + variable list in `deploy/README.md`.
+- After any push, merge or deploy, **watch the run to green** before declaring done —
+  use the ready-made watcher (run it in the background), never an inline poll loop:
+  `python3 ~/.claude/bin/gitea-ci-watch.py`. It reads `$GITEA_URL` / `$GITEA_TOKEN`;
+  `gitea.iliadenisov.ru` is allow-listed in `.claude/settings.json`. Remote:
+  `origin git@gitea.iliadenisov.ru:developer/scrabble-game.git`.

 ## Stack

-Go 1.26.3, `go.work` monorepo, module paths `scrabble/<name>`. Dependencies are
-added **when first used** (incremental): backend uses `gin` + `zap` +
-`pgx`/`go-jet`/`goose`/OTel (added in Stage 1). Client↔gateway is Connect-RPC +
-FlatBuffers (h2c); gateway↔backend is REST/JSON + `X-User-ID` plus a gRPC
-server-stream for live events. UI is pure HTML5/CSS on plain Svelte + Vite,
-packaged to native with Capacitor. Likely no Redis.
+Go 1.26.3, `go.work` monorepo, module paths `scrabble/<name>`. Backend uses `gin` +
+`zap` + `pgx`/`go-jet`/`goose`/OTel. Client↔gateway is Connect-RPC + FlatBuffers
+(h2c); gateway↔backend is REST/JSON + `X-User-ID` plus a gRPC server-stream for live
+events. UI is pure HTML5/CSS on plain Svelte + Vite, packaged to native with
+Capacitor. No Redis.

 ## Reused engine: `../scrabble-solver` (module `scrabble-solver`, Go 1.26.3)

-Embedded **in-process as a library** — there is no per-game container. Public
-API to reuse (do not reimplement):
+Embedded **in-process as a library** (`replace scrabble-solver => ../scrabble-solver`
+in `go.work`; CI checks out the sibling from
+`https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/.../scrabble-solver.git`). There is no per-game
+container. Public API to reuse (do not reimplement):

- `scrabble.NewSolver(rs, finder)` → `GenerateMoves(b, r, mode)` (ranked,
-  highest score first), `ValidatePlay(b, dir, tiles)`, `ScorePlay(...)`;
-  `scrabble.Apply(b, m)`; types `Move/Word/Placement/Direction/Mode`
+- `scrabble.NewSolver(rs, finder)` → `GenerateMoves(b, r, mode)` (ranked, highest
+  score first), `ValidatePlay(b, dir, tiles)`, `ScorePlay(...)`; `scrabble.Apply(b, m)`;
+  types `Move/Word/Placement/Direction/Mode`
  (`scrabble-solver/scrabble/{solver,move,apply}.go`).
- `rules.English() / RussianScrabble() / Erudit()`
-  (`scrabble-solver/rules/rules.go`).
+- `rules.English() / RussianScrabble() / Erudit()` (`scrabble-solver/rules/rules.go`).
 - `board.New / Parse / Clone / Transpose`; `rack.New / Add / Remove / Clone`;
  `selfplay.NewBag / Draw / Len` (bag pattern).
 - Load committed dictionaries with `dawg.Load(path)` from
@@ -86,20 +100,17 @@ API to reuse (do not reimplement):

 Constraints:
 - Words/tiles are **alphabet-index bytes**, meaningful only with the matching
-  `rules.Ruleset` (`Alphabet.Decode`); blank flag carried separately. **Decode
+  `rules.Ruleset` (`Alphabet.Decode`); the blank flag is carried separately. **Decode
  to real characters before persisting history** (history must be
  dictionary-independent — see `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md` §9.1).
 - The solver's `internal/*` is NOT importable from this sibling module.
 - **GCG is test-only** in the solver (no public writer) — we ship our own.
- Wiring: add `replace scrabble-solver => ../scrabble-solver` to `go.work` in
-  **Stage 2** (when `internal/engine` first imports it), and make CI check out
-  the solver sibling (`https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/.../scrabble-solver.git`).
-  It uses published `github.com/iliadenisov/{alphabet,dafsa}` (no local replace).
+- The solver uses published `github.com/iliadenisov/{alphabet,dafsa}` (no local replace).

 ## Repository layout

 ```
-go.work                      # use the existing modules; grows per stage
+go.work                      # the go.work monorepo
 backend/                     # module scrabble/backend
  cmd/backend/               # main: telemetry -> db+migrate -> cache -> server
  cmd/jetgen/                # dev tool: regenerate go-jet code (throwaway container)
@@ -110,9 +121,15 @@ backend/                     # module scrabble/backend
  internal/session/          # opaque tokens, sessions store, cache, service
  internal/server/           # gin engine, /api/v1 groups, X-User-ID, probes
  internal/inttest/          # //go:build integration Postgres-backed tests
-docs/  .gitea/workflows/  PLAN.md  CLAUDE.md  README.md
-gateway/  ui/  pkg/              # added by their stages
-platform/telegram/               # Telegram connector side-service (Stage 9): bot + gRPC API
+gateway/                     # module scrabble/gateway: Connect-RPC edge, embeds the SPA
+ui/                          # Svelte + Vite SPA + landing (Node project, not in go.work)
+pkg/                         # shared: telemetry, version, wire/FlatBuffers, proto, mtls
+platform/telegram/           # Telegram side-service: cmd/validator (HMAC, no VPN) + cmd/bot (Bot API; dials gateway over reverse mTLS bot-link)
+renderer/                    # image-render sidecar (Node + skia-canvas): runs ui/src/lib/gameimage.ts server-side for the finished-game PNG export
+loadtest/                    # module scrabble/loadtest: the load/stress harness
+docs/  .gitea/workflows/  CLAUDE.md  README.md
+backend/Dockerfile gateway/Dockerfile platform/telegram/Dockerfile loadtest/Dockerfile renderer/Dockerfile  # multi-stage distroless (renderer: node:22-slim + skia-canvas + fonts); gateway/Dockerfile has the `landing` target, platform/telegram/Dockerfile has `validator`+`bot` targets
+deploy/                      # docker-compose (+ prod overlay + bot host) + ansible provisioning + caddy + landing + otelcol (OTLP + docker_stats) + prometheus/tempo/grafana + node_exporter + postgres_exporter; prod-deploy.sh
 ```

 ## Build & test
@@ -122,14 +139,20 @@ go build ./backend/...          # per module ('./...' from the root won't span t
 go vet ./backend/...
 gofmt -l .                      # must print nothing
 go test -count=1 ./backend/...
-go build ./platform/telegram/... && go test ./platform/telegram/...  # Telegram connector (Stage 9)
+go build ./platform/telegram/... && go test ./platform/telegram/...  # Telegram validator + bot
 go run ./backend/cmd/backend    # /healthz, /readyz on :8080

-cd ui && pnpm install && pnpm check && pnpm test:unit && pnpm build  # the UI (Stage 7+)
+cd ui && pnpm install && pnpm check && pnpm test:unit && pnpm build  # the UI
 pnpm start                      # UI mock mode: lobby -> game, no backend
+cd renderer && pnpm install && pnpm test  # image-render sidecar (bundles ui/src/lib/gameimage.ts, skia smoke)
+
+docker build --build-arg DICT_VERSION=v1.3.0 -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .  # DICT_VERSION required (no default); gateway embeds the SPA
+docker build -f gateway/Dockerfile --target gateway -t scrabble-gateway .
+docker build -f gateway/Dockerfile --target landing -t scrabble-landing .  # static landing
+docker compose -f deploy/docker-compose.yml config         # validate the full contour
 ```

-The `ui` module is a Node project (pnpm), **not** in `go.work`; its CI is
-`.gitea/workflows/ui-test.yaml`. Committed edge codegen under `ui/src/gen/`
+The `ui` module is a Node project (pnpm), **not** in `go.work`; it is the `ui` job of
+the single `.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml`. Committed edge codegen under `ui/src/gen/`
 (regenerate with `pnpm codegen`); pnpm build-script approval lives in
 `ui/pnpm-workspace.yaml` (`allowBuilds: esbuild: true`).
@@ -8,14 +8,13 @@ supports English Scrabble, Russian Scrabble and Эрудит.

 - **`gateway`** — the only public ingress: anti-abuse, platform authentication
  (resolves the player and injects `X-User-ID`), routing to `backend`, and an
-  admin surface behind Basic Auth. *(added in a later stage)*
+  admin surface behind Basic Auth.
 - **`backend`** — internal-only service that owns every domain concern and
  embeds the [`scrabble-solver`](../scrabble-solver) engine library in-process.
 - **`ui`** — pure-HTML5 client (plain Svelte 5 + TypeScript + Vite) over Connect-RPC
  + FlatBuffers, embeddable in platform webviews and packageable to native via
  Capacitor. See [`ui/README.md`](ui/README.md).
 - **`platform/*`** — per-platform side-services (e.g. the Telegram bot).
-  *(added in a later stage)*

 ## Documentation (sources of truth)

@@ -23,9 +22,8 @@ supports English Scrabble, Russian Scrabble and Эрудит.
  security, cross-service contracts.
 - [`docs/FUNCTIONAL.md`](docs/FUNCTIONAL.md) (+ [`_ru`](docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md)) —
  per-domain user stories.
- [`docs/TESTING.md`](docs/TESTING.md) — test layers and the per-stage CI gate.
- [`PLAN.md`](PLAN.md) — the staged implementation plan and stage tracker.
- [`CLAUDE.md`](CLAUDE.md) — project guide and the mandatory per-stage workflow.
+- [`docs/TESTING.md`](docs/TESTING.md) — test layers and the CI gate.
+- [`CLAUDE.md`](CLAUDE.md) — project guide and development workflow.

 ## Build & test

@@ -80,3 +78,24 @@ pnpm dev       # against a running gateway (Vite proxies the RPC path to :8081)
 `pnpm check` (type-check), `pnpm test:unit` (Vitest), `pnpm test:e2e` (Playwright
 smoke vs the mock), `pnpm build` (static bundle). Details — including the committed
 edge codegen (`pnpm codegen`) — are in [`ui/README.md`](ui/README.md).
+
+## Deploy (`deploy/`)
+
+The full contour is [`deploy/docker-compose.yml`](deploy/docker-compose.yml):
+`backend` + `gateway` (with the UI embedded via `go:embed`, baked in by its node
+build stage) + Postgres + the Telegram connector (with a VPN sidecar) + an
+observability stack (OTel Collector → Prometheus + Tempo → Grafana) + a front
+**caddy** that owns a single `/_gm` Basic-Auth (admin console + Grafana). The Go
+services build from multi-stage distroless `*/Dockerfile`.
+
+```sh
+docker build --build-arg DICT_VERSION=v1.3.0 -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .  # DICT_VERSION required; pulls that DAWG release artifact
+docker build -f gateway/Dockerfile -t scrabble-gateway .   # node stage builds + embeds the UI
+docker compose -f deploy/docker-compose.yml config         # validate (needs the TEST_/PROD_ env)
+```
+
+CI auto-deploys the **test contour** on a PR into — or push to — `development`
+(`.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml`); the **prod contour** is a manual deploy after
+`development → master`. Env reference: [`deploy/.env.example`](deploy/.env.example);
+the topology and the two-contour model are in
+[`docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) §13.
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# Erudit — site icons + Open Graph card
+
+The favicon set and the `og:image` link-preview card for the public landing
+(`ui/landing.html`) and the SPA shell (`ui/index.html`). Same design language as the
+[VK loading-screen logo](../vk/README.md): the wooden Erudit «Э» tile (score `8`),
+with the wordmark on the app's dark board green (`ui/src/app.css` tokens).
+
+| Output (committed to `ui/public/`) | Purpose |
+|------|---------|
+| `favicon.svg` | Vector favicon, transparent; tile + «Э» only (the score is illegible below ~32 px). |
+| `favicon.ico` | 32×32 PNG-in-ICO fallback (also answers the browsers' blind `/favicon.ico` probe). |
+| `apple-touch-icon.png` | 180×180 opaque full-bleed tile; iOS masks its own corners. |
+| `og-image.png` | 1200×630 card: tile + «Эрудит / Скрэббл — игра в слова». Referenced absolutely as `https://erudit-game.ru/og-image.png`. |
+
+## How it works
+
+`build/extract.js` extracts the needed glyph outlines (tile glyphs + every wordmark
+character) from LiberationSans (Arial-metric, the game's font stack) with their
+advance widths into `build/glyphs.json` (committed). `build/generate.js` composes
+plain SVG from those outlines — no font is needed at generation time — writes
+`favicon.svg` and rasterises the PNG/ICO outputs by screenshotting the SVGs with the
+`ui` package's Playwright chromium (`@playwright/test`); the `.ico` container is
+assembled in-script (a single PNG entry). Raster bytes therefore depend on the
+installed chromium version; the SVG sources are deterministic.
+
+## Regenerate
+
+Requirements: Node ≥ 18, `ui` installed (`pnpm install`, provides Playwright).
+`extract.js` additionally needs `opentype.js` (`npm i opentype.js`); **`generate.js`
+needs no extra packages**.
+
+```sh
+cd assets/icons
+
+# 1. (optional) re-extract the glyphs — only if the font or the wordmark changes:
+#    default font: /usr/share/fonts/truetype/liberation/LiberationSans-Regular.ttf
+node build/extract.js [/path/to/font.ttf]      # -> build/glyphs.json
+
+# 2. regenerate everything in ui/public/:
+node build/generate.js
+```
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+'use strict';
+// Extract the glyph outlines the site icons and the og-image wordmark need from a
+// grotesque font (LiberationSans = Arial-metric, matching the game's system-ui/Arial
+// stack) and emit cubic-bezier contours per character, baseline at y=0, y-down,
+// plus the advance width so generate.js can lay out words without the font.
+// Same outline conversion as ../../vk/build/extract.js, generalised to a char set.
+const opentype = require('opentype.js');
+const fs = require('fs');
+
+const FONT = process.argv[2] || '/usr/share/fonts/truetype/liberation/LiberationSans-Regular.ttf';
+const b = fs.readFileSync(FONT);
+const font = opentype.parse(b.buffer.slice(b.byteOffset, b.byteOffset + b.byteLength));
+const FS = 1000; // em scale
+
+// The tile glyphs («Э», «8») + every character of the og-image wordmark lines
+// («Эрудит», «Скрэббл — игра в слова»). The space carries only an advance.
+const CHARS = [...new Set('Э8рудитСкэббл—игра в слова')];
+
+function glyphData(ch) {
+  const g = font.charToGlyph(ch);
+  const p = g.getPath(0, 0, FS); // baseline at y=0, y-down
+  const contours = [];
+  let cur = null, prev = null;
+  for (const c of p.commands) {
+    if (c.type === 'M') {
+      if (cur) contours.push(cur);
+      cur = [{ v: [c.x, c.y], i: [c.x, c.y], o: [c.x, c.y] }];
+      prev = { x: c.x, y: c.y };
+    } else if (c.type === 'L') {
+      cur.push({ v: [c.x, c.y], i: [c.x, c.y], o: [c.x, c.y] });
+      prev = { x: c.x, y: c.y };
+    } else if (c.type === 'C') {
+      cur[cur.length - 1].o = [c.x1, c.y1];
+      cur.push({ v: [c.x, c.y], i: [c.x2, c.y2], o: [c.x, c.y] });
+      prev = { x: c.x, y: c.y };
+    } else if (c.type === 'Q') {
+      const c1 = [prev.x + 2 / 3 * (c.x1 - prev.x), prev.y + 2 / 3 * (c.y1 - prev.y)];
+      const c2 = [c.x + 2 / 3 * (c.x1 - c.x), c.y + 2 / 3 * (c.y1 - c.y)];
+      cur[cur.length - 1].o = c1;
+      cur.push({ v: [c.x, c.y], i: c2, o: [c.x, c.y] });
+      prev = { x: c.x, y: c.y };
+    } else if (c.type === 'Z') {
+      if (cur && cur.length > 1) {
+        const last = cur[cur.length - 1], first = cur[0];
+        if (Math.hypot(last.v[0] - first.v[0], last.v[1] - first.v[1]) < 1e-3) {
+          first.i = last.i; // fold the duplicate closing point into the first
+          cur.pop();
+        }
+      }
+      if (cur) { contours.push(cur); cur = null; }
+    }
+  }
+  if (cur) contours.push(cur);
+
+  let minx = Infinity, miny = Infinity, maxx = -Infinity, maxy = -Infinity;
+  const out = contours.map(ct => {
+    const v = [], i = [], o = [];
+    ct.forEach(pt => {
+      v.push(pt.v);
+      i.push([pt.i[0] - pt.v[0], pt.i[1] - pt.v[1]]);
+      o.push([pt.o[0] - pt.v[0], pt.o[1] - pt.v[1]]);
+      minx = Math.min(minx, pt.v[0]); maxx = Math.max(maxx, pt.v[0]);
+      miny = Math.min(miny, pt.v[1]); maxy = Math.max(maxy, pt.v[1]);
+    });
+    return { i, o, v, c: true };
+  });
+  const bbox = out.length
+    ? { x: minx, y: miny, w: maxx - minx, h: maxy - miny }
+    : { x: 0, y: 0, w: 0, h: 0 }; // the space has no outline
+  return { adv: g.advanceWidth * (FS / font.unitsPerEm), bbox, contours: out };
+}
+
+const glyphs = {};
+for (const ch of CHARS) glyphs[ch] = glyphData(ch);
+
+const out = __dirname + '/glyphs.json';
+fs.writeFileSync(out, JSON.stringify({ em: FS, glyphs }));
+console.log('wrote', out, fs.statSync(out).size, 'bytes;', CHARS.length, 'glyphs:', CHARS.join(''));
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+'use strict';
+// Site icons + the Open Graph card for the public landing, drawn from the same
+// design as ../../vk (the wooden Erudit tile: face «Э», score «8») and the app's
+// board palette (ui/src/app.css). Everything is composed as SVG from the committed
+// glyph outlines (build/extract.js -> glyphs.json), so no font is needed at build
+// time; the PNG/ICO rasters are screenshots taken with the ui package's Playwright
+// chromium (@playwright/test re-exports the browser API). Outputs go straight to
+// ui/public/:
+//   favicon.svg          96 viewBox, transparent, tile + «Э» (the score is illegible small)
+//   favicon.ico          32x32 PNG-in-ICO render of the same
+//   apple-touch-icon.png 180x180 opaque full-bleed tile (iOS masks its own corners)
+//   og-image.png         1200x630 card: tile + wordmark on the board green
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+
+const G = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, 'glyphs.json'), 'utf8'));
+const UI = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../ui');
+const OUT = path.join(UI, 'public');
+
+// ---- palette (vk loader tile + app.css board tokens) ------------------------
+const FACE = '#D9B978', BORDER = '#B49559', GLYPH = '#1A1A1A';
+const BOARD_DARK = '#2a3330', TEXT = '#e7ece8', TEXT_MUTED = '#cdd6cf';
+
+// ---- glyph outlines -> SVG path data ----------------------------------------
+const r2 = n => Math.round(n * 100) / 100;
+// pathD renders one glyph's contours scaled by sc and translated by (tx, ty).
+function pathD(g, sc, tx, ty) {
+  const pt = (v, d) => `${r2(v[0] * sc + tx + d[0] * sc)} ${r2(v[1] * sc + ty + d[1] * sc)}`;
+  const Z = [0, 0];
+  return g.contours.map(ct => {
+    const n = ct.v.length;
+    let d = `M${pt(ct.v[0], Z)}`;
+    for (let k = 1; k <= n; k++) {
+      const a = k - 1, b = k % n;
+      d += `C${pt(ct.v[a], ct.o[a])} ${pt(ct.v[b], ct.i[b])} ${pt(ct.v[b], Z)}`;
+    }
+    return d + 'Z';
+  }).join('');
+}
+// glyphAt centres a glyph's bbox at (cx, cy) with the given pixel cap height, the
+// same placement rule as the vk loader's glyph(). stroke fattens it slightly.
+function glyphAt(ch, capPx, cx, cy, stroke, colour) {
+  const g = G.glyphs[ch], sc = capPx / g.bbox.h;
+  const d = pathD(g, sc, cx - (g.bbox.x + g.bbox.w / 2) * sc, cy - (g.bbox.y + g.bbox.h / 2) * sc);
+  return `<path d="${d}" fill="${colour}" stroke="${colour}" stroke-width="${r2(stroke)}"/>`;
+}
+// textLine lays out a string on a baseline from the per-glyph advances; capPx sets
+// the capital height (measured on «Э»). Returns the combined path + the width.
+function textLine(str, capPx, x, y, colour) {
+  const sc = capPx / G.glyphs['Э'].bbox.h;
+  let d = '', w = 0;
+  for (const ch of str) {
+    const g = G.glyphs[ch];
+    if (g.contours.length) d += pathD(g, sc, x + w, y);
+    w += g.adv * sc;
+  }
+  return { svg: `<path d="${d}" fill="${colour}"/>`, width: w };
+}
+// tile draws the rounded wooden tile centred at (cx, cy): size px wide/high, with
+// the vk loader's corner (6/52) and rim proportions, «Э» and optionally the «8».
+function tile(cx, cy, size, withScore) {
+  const h = size / 2, rx = size * (6 / 52), rim = size * (1.8 / 52);
+  let s = `<rect x="${r2(cx - h + rim / 2)}" y="${r2(cy - h + rim / 2)}" width="${r2(size - rim)}" height="${r2(size - rim)}" rx="${r2(rx)}" fill="${FACE}" stroke="${BORDER}" stroke-width="${r2(rim)}"/>`;
+  s += glyphAt('Э', size * (32 / 52), cx, cy - size * (1 / 52), size * (1 / 52), GLYPH);
+  if (withScore) s += glyphAt('8', size * (8.5 / 52), cx + size * (19.5 / 52), cy + size * (18.5 / 52), size * (0.5 / 52), GLYPH);
+  return s;
+}
+const svg = (w, h, body) => `<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="${w}" height="${h}" viewBox="0 0 ${w} ${h}">${body}</svg>`;
+
+// ---- favicon.svg (the committed vector master) -------------------------------
+const favicon = svg(96, 96, tile(48, 48, 88, false)) + '\n';
+
+// ---- apple-touch-icon: opaque full bleed, iOS applies its own corner mask ----
+const appleTouch = svg(180, 180,
+  `<rect width="180" height="180" fill="${FACE}"/>` +
+  `<rect x="8" y="8" width="164" height="164" rx="18" fill="none" stroke="${BORDER}" stroke-width="4"/>` +
+  glyphAt('Э', 100, 90, 88, 3, GLYPH) +
+  glyphAt('8', 26, 146, 142, 1.5, GLYPH));
+
+// ---- og-image: tile + wordmark, centred as one group on the board green ------
+function ogImage() {
+  const W = 1200, H = 630, tileSize = 340, gap = 84;
+  const l1 = textLine('Эрудит', 112, 0, 0, TEXT);
+  const l2 = textLine('Скрэббл — игра в слова', 44, 0, 0, TEXT_MUTED);
+  const textW = Math.max(l1.width, l2.width);
+  const left = (W - (tileSize + gap + textW)) / 2;
+  const tx = left + tileSize + gap;
+  // Two baselines around the vertical centre; the tile centre sits between them.
+  const b1 = 295, b2 = 408;
+  const body =
+    `<rect width="${W}" height="${H}" fill="${BOARD_DARK}"/>` +
+    tile(left + tileSize / 2, H / 2, tileSize, true) +
+    textLine('Эрудит', 112, tx, b1, TEXT).svg +
+    textLine('Скрэббл — игра в слова', 44, tx, b2, TEXT_MUTED).svg;
+  console.log(`og-image: text ${Math.round(textW)}px wide, group left ${Math.round(left)}px`);
+  return svg(W, H, body);
+}
+
+// ---- rasterisation (Playwright chromium from ui/node_modules) ----------------
+async function shoot(page, markup, w, h, transparent) {
+  await page.setViewportSize({ width: w, height: h });
+  await page.setContent(`<body style="margin:0">${markup}</body>`);
+  return page.screenshot({ omitBackground: transparent });
+}
+// icoFromPNG wraps one PNG as a single-entry .ico (ICONDIR + ICONDIRENTRY + PNG).
+function icoFromPNG(png, sizePx) {
+  const h = Buffer.alloc(22);
+  h.writeUInt16LE(0, 0); h.writeUInt16LE(1, 2); h.writeUInt16LE(1, 4); // icon, 1 image
+  h.writeUInt8(sizePx, 6); h.writeUInt8(sizePx, 7);                    // 32x32
+  h.writeUInt16LE(1, 10); h.writeUInt16LE(32, 12);                     // planes, 32bpp
+  h.writeUInt32LE(png.length, 14); h.writeUInt32LE(22, 18);            // size, offset
+  return Buffer.concat([h, png]);
+}
+
+(async () => {
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(OUT, 'favicon.svg'), favicon);
+  const { chromium } = require(path.join(UI, 'node_modules', '@playwright/test'));
+  const browser = await chromium.launch();
+  const page = await browser.newPage();
+  const fav32 = await shoot(page, svg(32, 32, tile(16, 16, 29.33, false)), 32, 32, true);
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(OUT, 'favicon.ico'), icoFromPNG(fav32, 32));
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(OUT, 'apple-touch-icon.png'), await shoot(page, appleTouch, 180, 180, false));
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(OUT, 'og-image.png'), await shoot(page, ogImage(), 1200, 630, false));
+  await browser.close();
+  for (const f of ['favicon.svg', 'favicon.ico', 'apple-touch-icon.png', 'og-image.png']) {
+    console.log('wrote', path.join(OUT, f), fs.statSync(path.join(OUT, f)).size, 'bytes');
+  }
+})();
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+# Erudit — VK loading-screen logo (Lottie)
+
+Animated logo for the **VK app loading screen** (shown before the SPA assets load).
+The Erudit «Э» tile (score `8`) **drops in under gravity, lands with a soft squash —
+its left/right edges bulging into a cushion — then springs back up**, looping. A light
+"glint" is caught at the moment of the bounce.
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|------|---------|
+| `erudit-loader.json` | The Lottie to upload to VK. |
+| `erudit-loader-preview.gif` | Looping preview. Rendered on a green "baize" background **only in the preview** — the real asset has a **transparent** background. |
+| `build/` | The reproducible build pipeline (see *Regenerate*). |
+
+**VK requirements met:** 96×96 px · vector Lottie JSON · ≤ 24 KB (~11 KB) · seamless
+~1.1 s loop · transparent background.
+
+Design reference: a photo of the physical wooden Erudit tile.
+
+---
+
+## How it works
+
+A single flat layer holds the tile — a rounded-rect **face path**, the two glyphs, and
+a thin border — and everything is driven by that layer's transform plus a few colour /
+shape tracks. The anchor sits on the tile's **bottom edge**, so the squash happens
+against the floor.
+
+### Bounce (gravity)
+`position.y` of the bottom edge goes apex → floor → apex with **no dwell** (the apex is
+an instantaneous turn-around). The fall uses a strong **ease-in** (accelerate) and the
+rise a strong **ease-out** (decelerate), so it reads as real gravity. While falling fast
+the tile slightly **stretches** (tall+thin); that is the squash-and-stretch setup.
+
+### Soft cushion (squash)
+On contact the layer **squashes** (scaleY↓, scaleX↑) about the bottom anchor, with a
+touch of skew. Crucially the squash/cushion is **decoupled from the fall speed** — it
+eases in and out *slowly* (`ES`), so the landing feels soft even though the fall is
+fast. The squash is deliberately gentle (≈ 86 % / 112 %).
+
+### The cushion shape (the hard part)
+The face is **not** a plain rounded rect — it is a path whose left/right contour bows
+out into a convex cushion on impact:
+- the rest rounded-rect outline is sampled (fine corner arcs + edge mids), and on impact
+  every point is pushed outward by a smooth **barrel** profile `f(y) = b·(1 − (y/HH)²)`
+  (max at the middle, fading to zero at the top/bottom);
+- so the **whole side — corners included — bows out as one piece**, never just the
+  straight middle;
+- bezier handles are computed as a **chordal spline** (handle length ∝ the adjacent
+  chord), which stays smooth across the uneven corner/edge point spacing. This is what
+  keeps the corner↔cushion junction kink-free — both at rest and fully bulged — which a
+  naïve uniform Catmull-Rom (or moving discrete points with fixed tangents) does not.
+
+### Glint
+At the bounce the face flashes a little lighter (`FACE_GLINT`) and the glyphs warm
+toward brown-red (`BLACK_LIT`), then settle back. A cheap, warm "catch the light".
+
+### Border & background
+The tile carries a thin static **border** a touch darker than the face (`BORDER`) so it
+reads on any background. The **green baize background is added only when rendering the
+preview GIF** — the Lottie itself is transparent.
+
+### Player compatibility
+Only plain 2-D shapes (`ddd:0`) — no 3-D layers, expressions or effects — so every
+Lottie player (lottie-web on the web, rlottie on native) renders it identically.
+
+---
+
+## Glyphs
+
+`Э` (U+042D) and `8` are **real outlines from LiberationSans-Regular** — metric-
+compatible with Arial, matching the game's `--font: system-ui … Arial` stack
+(see `ui/src/app.css`). `build/extract.js` pulls the contours into `build/glyphs.json`
+as Lottie cubic paths; a hair of same-colour stroke adds a touch of weight.
+
+---
+
+## Regenerate
+
+Requirements: Node ≥ 18. `extract.js` additionally needs `opentype.js`
+(`npm i opentype.js`); **`generate.js` has no dependencies**.
+
+```sh
+cd assets/vk
+
+# 1. (optional) re-extract the glyphs — only if you change the font:
+#    default font: /usr/share/fonts/truetype/liberation/LiberationSans-Regular.ttf
+node build/extract.js [/path/to/font.ttf]      # -> build/glyphs.json
+
+# 2. build the animation (reads build/glyphs.json):
+node build/generate.js erudit-loader.json      # -> erudit-loader.json
+
+# 3. (optional) live preview — needs lottie-web (npm i lottie-web):
+node build/build-preview.js erudit-loader.json preview.html
+#    then open preview.html in a browser.
+```
+
+The preview GIF is assembled by rendering the Lottie frame-by-frame (lottie-web canvas,
+filled with the green baize) and stitching with `ffmpeg`; the live HTML preview is the
+quickest way to eyeball changes.
+
+## Tunables (top of `build/generate.js`)
+
+| Symbol | Meaning |
+|--------|---------|
+| `OP`, `FR` | loop length (frames) / fps — overall speed |
+| `T_HIT / T_PEAK / T_LIFT / T_REC` | beats: contact / squash peak / lift-off / cushion recovered |
+| `EI / EO / ES` | easings: fast fall / fast rise / slow soft cushion |
+| `APEX`, `FLOOR` | bottom-edge screen-y at the top of the bounce / at rest |
+| `HW`, `HH`, `CR` | tile half-width / half-height / corner radius |
+| `scl` squash values | the squash amount (scaleX↑ / scaleY↓) |
+| `bulge` `b` | cushion depth (how far the sides bow out) |
+| `FACE / FACE_GLINT` | wood face / glint flash |
+| `BORDER` | tile rim colour |
+| `BLACK / BLACK_LIT` | glyph / glyph-at-glint (brown-red) |
+| preview bg `#3C7858` | the green-baize colour used **only** in the GIF |
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+'use strict';
+const fs = require('fs');
+const data = fs.readFileSync(process.argv[2] || 'erudit.json', 'utf8');
+const lottiePath = __dirname + '/node_modules/lottie-web/build/player/lottie.min.js';
+const html = `<!doctype html><html><head><meta charset="utf8"><style>
+body{margin:0;background:#2b2b2b;font-family:sans-serif;color:#ccc}
+.row{display:flex;gap:18px;padding:18px;align-items:flex-end;flex-wrap:wrap}
+.cell{text-align:center}
+.chk{background-image:linear-gradient(45deg,#8a8a8a 25%,transparent 25%),linear-gradient(-45deg,#8a8a8a 25%,transparent 25%),linear-gradient(45deg,transparent 75%,#8a8a8a 75%),linear-gradient(-45deg,transparent 75%,#8a8a8a 75%);background-size:16px 16px;background-position:0 0,0 8px,8px -8px,-8px 0;background-color:#b5b5b5}
+.s96{width:96px;height:96px}.big{width:336px;height:336px}small{font-size:11px}
+</style></head><body><div class="row" id="row"></div>
+<script src="./lottie.min.js"></script>
+<script>
+const animationData=${data};window.AD=animationData;
+const row=document.getElementById('row');window.anims=[];
+function make(cls,frame,label){
+  const cell=document.createElement('div');cell.className='cell';
+  const box=document.createElement('div');box.className='chk '+cls;cell.appendChild(box);
+  cell.appendChild(document.createElement('br'));
+  const cap=document.createElement('small');cap.textContent=label;cell.appendChild(cap);
+  row.appendChild(cell);
+  const a=lottie.loadAnimation({container:box,renderer:'svg',loop:false,autoplay:false,animationData:JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(animationData))});
+  a.addEventListener('DOMLoaded',()=>a.goToAndStop(frame,true));
+  window.anims.push(a);
+}
+[0,22,45,68].forEach(f=>make('s96',f,'f'+f));
+make('big',22,'f22 x3.5');
+window.__ready=true;
+</script></body></html>`;
+fs.writeFileSync(process.argv[3] || 'preview.html', html);
+console.log('wrote', process.argv[3] || 'preview.html');
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+'use strict';
+// Extract the Cyrillic "Э" (U+042D) and the digit "8" outlines from a grotesque
+// font (LiberationSans = Arial-metric, matching the game's system-ui/Arial stack)
+// and emit Lottie cubic-bezier contours, centred at the origin, y-down.
+const opentype = require('opentype.js');
+const fs = require('fs');
+
+const FONT = process.argv[2] || '/usr/share/fonts/truetype/liberation/LiberationSans-Regular.ttf';
+const b = fs.readFileSync(FONT);
+const font = opentype.parse(b.buffer.slice(b.byteOffset, b.byteOffset + b.byteLength));
+const FS = 1000; // em scale
+
+function glyphContours(ch) {
+  const p = font.charToGlyph(ch).getPath(0, 0, FS); // baseline at y=0, y-down
+  const contours = [];
+  let cur = null, prev = null;
+  for (const c of p.commands) {
+    if (c.type === 'M') {
+      if (cur) contours.push(cur);
+      cur = [{ v: [c.x, c.y], i: [c.x, c.y], o: [c.x, c.y] }];
+      prev = { x: c.x, y: c.y };
+    } else if (c.type === 'L') {
+      cur.push({ v: [c.x, c.y], i: [c.x, c.y], o: [c.x, c.y] });
+      prev = { x: c.x, y: c.y };
+    } else if (c.type === 'C') {
+      cur[cur.length - 1].o = [c.x1, c.y1];
+      cur.push({ v: [c.x, c.y], i: [c.x2, c.y2], o: [c.x, c.y] });
+      prev = { x: c.x, y: c.y };
+    } else if (c.type === 'Q') {
+      const c1 = [prev.x + 2 / 3 * (c.x1 - prev.x), prev.y + 2 / 3 * (c.y1 - prev.y)];
+      const c2 = [c.x + 2 / 3 * (c.x1 - c.x), c.y + 2 / 3 * (c.y1 - c.y)];
+      cur[cur.length - 1].o = c1;
+      cur.push({ v: [c.x, c.y], i: c2, o: [c.x, c.y] });
+      prev = { x: c.x, y: c.y };
+    } else if (c.type === 'Z') {
+      if (cur && cur.length > 1) {
+        const last = cur[cur.length - 1], first = cur[0];
+        if (Math.hypot(last.v[0] - first.v[0], last.v[1] - first.v[1]) < 1e-3) {
+          first.i = last.i;            // fold the duplicate closing point into the first
+          cur.pop();
+        }
+      }
+      if (cur) { contours.push(cur); cur = null; }
+    }
+  }
+  if (cur) contours.push(cur);
+
+  let minx = Infinity, miny = Infinity, maxx = -Infinity, maxy = -Infinity;
+  const out = contours.map(ct => {
+    const v = [], i = [], o = [];
+    ct.forEach(pt => {
+      v.push(pt.v);
+      i.push([pt.i[0] - pt.v[0], pt.i[1] - pt.v[1]]);
+      o.push([pt.o[0] - pt.v[0], pt.o[1] - pt.v[1]]);
+      minx = Math.min(minx, pt.v[0]); maxx = Math.max(maxx, pt.v[0]);
+      miny = Math.min(miny, pt.v[1]); maxy = Math.max(maxy, pt.v[1]);
+    });
+    return { i, o, v, c: true };
+  });
+  return { contours: out, bbox: { x: minx, y: miny, w: maxx - minx, h: maxy - miny } };
+}
+
+const E = glyphContours('Э');
+const D8 = glyphContours('8');
+fs.writeFileSync('glyphs.json', JSON.stringify({ em: FS, E, D8 }));
+console.log('Э bbox', E.bbox, 'contours', E.contours.map(c => c.v.length));
+console.log('8 bbox', D8.bbox, 'contours', D8.contours.map(c => c.v.length));
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+'use strict';
+// VK preloader Lottie: a flat wooden Erudit tile ("Э" + score "8") that drops in
+// under gravity, squashes on impact (convex cushion bulging out the left/right edges
+// + a touch of skew), and springs back up — looping. A light "glint" is caught at the
+// moment of the bounce. Pure 2D shapes (ddd:0). Glyphs are real LiberationSans
+// outlines (Arial-metric, = the game's font stack); see extract.js -> glyphs.json.
+const fs = require('fs');
+const G = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/glyphs.json', 'utf8'));
+
+// ---- canvas / timing -------------------------------------------------------
+const W = 96, H = 96, cx = 48;
+const FR = 30, OP = 34;                      // ~1.13 s loop (dynamic, 25% faster)
+// keyframe beats (frames): fast fall -> soft squash -> lift -> fast rise -> apex (no dwell)
+const T_HIT = 13, T_PEAK = 18, T_LIFT = 19, T_REC = 28;
+
+// ---- geometry --------------------------------------------------------------
+const HW = 26, HH = 26, CR = 6;              // tile half-width / half-height / corner radius
+const FLOOR = 90, APEX = 60;                 // bottom-centre screen-y at rest / at the top of the bounce
+
+// ---- palette ---------------------------------------------------------------
+const col = h => [parseInt(h.slice(1,3),16)/255, parseInt(h.slice(3,5),16)/255, parseInt(h.slice(5,7),16)/255];
+const FACE = col('#D9B978');                 // wood face (flat)
+const FACE_GLINT = col('#E7CD95');           // face flash caught on impact (gentle, not blinding)
+const BORDER = col('#B49559');               // tile rim: a touch darker than the face, reads on any bg
+const BLACK = col('#1A1A1A');
+const BLACK_LIT = col('#421A0B');            // glyph warms to brown-red on the glint
+const lerp = (a, b, t) => a.map((v, i) => v + (b[i] - v) * t);
+
+// ---- property / easing helpers ---------------------------------------------
+const still = v => ({ a: 0, k: v });
+const EI = { o: { x: [0.82], y: [0] }, i: { x: [1], y: [1] } };  // strong accelerate (gravity fall)
+const EO = { o: { x: [0], y: [0] }, i: { x: [0.18], y: [1] } };  // strong decelerate (rise to apex)
+const ES = { o: { x: [0.42], y: [0] }, i: { x: [0.58], y: [1] } }; // soft/slow (the cushion)
+function anim(samples) {                      // samples: {t, v, e?} ; e = easing toward the NEXT key
+  return { a: 1, k: samples.map((s, idx) => {
+    const kf = { t: s.t, s: s.v };
+    if (idx < samples.length - 1) { const e = s.e || ES; kf.o = e.o; kf.i = e.i; }
+    return kf;
+  }) };
+}
+const animColor = s => anim(s.map(x => ({ t: x.t, v: [...x.v, 1], e: x.e })));
+
+// ---- shape helpers ---------------------------------------------------------
+const tr = () => ({ ty: 'tr', p: still([0,0]), a: still([0,0]), s: still([100,100]), r: still(0), o: still(100) });
+const grp = (items, nm) => ({ ty: 'gr', it: [...items, tr()], nm });
+const fill = c => ({ ty: 'fl', c, o: still(100), r: 1, bm: 0 });
+const stroke = (c,w) => ({ ty: 'st', c: still(c), o: still(100), w: still(w), lc: 2, lj: 2, ml: 4, bm: 0 });
+function glyph(gd, hpx, px, py, bold, colour, nm) {  // font glyph -> filled+stroked group
+  const sc = hpx / gd.bbox.h;
+  const bcx = gd.bbox.x + gd.bbox.w / 2, bcy = gd.bbox.y + gd.bbox.h / 2;
+  const shapes = gd.contours.map(ct => ({
+    ty: 'sh', d: 1, ks: still({
+      i: ct.i.map(p => [p[0]*sc, p[1]*sc]), o: ct.o.map(p => [p[0]*sc, p[1]*sc]),
+      v: ct.v.map(p => [(p[0]-bcx)*sc + px, (p[1]-bcy)*sc + py]), c: true,
+    }),
+  }));
+  return grp([...shapes, fill(colour), stroke(BLACK, bold)], nm);
+}
+
+// Sample the rest rounded-rect outline (clockwise): fine corner arcs + one mid point
+// per straight edge, so a smooth interpolant reproduces it cleanly.
+function arc(ccx, ccy, a0, a1, n) {
+  const out = [];
+  for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) { const a = (a0 + (a1 - a0) * i / (n - 1)) * Math.PI / 180; out.push([ccx + CR*Math.cos(a), ccy + CR*Math.sin(a)]); }
+  return out;
+}
+const REST = (() => {
+  const NC = 7, yi = HH - CR, xi = HW - CR;
+  const C = [ arc(xi,-yi,-90,0,NC), arc(xi,yi,0,90,NC), arc(-xi,yi,90,180,NC), arc(-xi,-yi,180,270,NC) ];
+  const pts = [];
+  for (let k = 0; k < 4; k++) {
+    pts.push(...C[k]);
+    const a = C[k][NC-1], b = C[(k+1)%4][0];
+    pts.push([(a[0]+b[0])/2, (a[1]+b[1])/2]);   // straight-edge mid point (keeps the edge straight)
+  }
+  return pts;
+})();
+// The whole left/right contour (corners + side) bows out by one smooth barrel profile;
+// Catmull-Rom tangents (from neighbours) make every junction C1-smooth -> no kink, the
+// corners follow the cushion and the cushion melts into the corners, bulged or not.
+function facePath(b) {
+  const f = y => b * (1 - (y/HH) * (y/HH));                       // 0 at top/bottom, max at the middle
+  const V = REST.map(([x, y]) => [x + Math.sign(x) * f(y), y]);   // push the sides out, top/bottom stay
+  const n = V.length, I = [], O = [];
+  for (let k = 0; k < n; k++) {
+    const p0 = V[(k-1+n)%n], p1 = V[k], p2 = V[(k+1)%n];
+    let dx = p2[0]-p0[0], dy = p2[1]-p0[1];                       // tangent direction (neighbours)
+    const dl = Math.hypot(dx, dy) || 1; dx /= dl; dy /= dl;
+    const ln = Math.hypot(p2[0]-p1[0], p2[1]-p1[1]) / 3;          // handles ~ 1/3 of the adjacent chord
+    const lp = Math.hypot(p1[0]-p0[0], p1[1]-p0[1]) / 3;          // -> chordal spline, no overshoot/facets
+    O.push([dx*ln, dy*ln]); I.push([-dx*lp, -dy*lp]);
+  }
+  return { i: I, o: O, v: V, c: true };
+}
+const facePathKeys = samples => ({ a: 1, k: samples.map((s, idx) => {
+  const kf = { t: s.t, s: [facePath(s.b)] };
+  if (idx < samples.length - 1) { const e = s.e || ES; kf.o = e.o; kf.i = e.i; }
+  return kf;
+}) });
+
+// ---- animation tracks ------------------------------------------------------
+// bottom-centre screen-y (the tile rests/squashes on its bottom edge)
+const posY = anim([
+  { t: 0,      v: [cx, APEX, 0],  e: EI },           // apex -> immediately falls (no dwell)
+  { t: T_HIT,  v: [cx, FLOOR, 0], e: ES },           // FAST fall (accelerate) -> floor
+  { t: T_LIFT, v: [cx, FLOOR, 0], e: EO },           // sit on the floor while the cushion absorbs
+  { t: OP,     v: [cx, APEX, 0] },                   // FAST rise (decelerate) -> apex = loop start
+]);
+// scale about the bottom anchor: stretch while falling, gentle/slow cushion squash on impact
+const scl = anim([
+  { t: 0,        v: [100, 100, 100], e: ES },
+  { t: T_HIT-5,  v: [95, 106, 100], e: ES },         // stretch while falling fast
+  { t: T_HIT,    v: [104, 95, 100], e: ES },         // touch down
+  { t: T_PEAK,   v: [112, 86, 100], e: ES },         // soft squash peak (gentler, less plче)
+  { t: T_REC,    v: [100, 100, 100], e: ES },        // slow cushion release -> soft landing
+  { t: OP,       v: [100, 100, 100] },
+]);
+// a touch of skew through the squash (organic deform), back to 0
+const skw = anim([
+  { t: T_HIT, v: [0], e: ES }, { t: T_PEAK, v: [4], e: ES }, { t: T_REC, v: [0] }, { t: OP, v: [0] },
+]);
+// left/right cushion bulge: 0 -> gentle peak -> 0 (never inward)
+const bulge = facePathKeys([
+  { t: T_HIT, b: 0, e: ES }, { t: T_PEAK, b: 4, e: ES }, { t: T_REC, b: 0 }, { t: OP, b: 0 },
+]);
+// glint: face + glyph catch the light at the bounce
+const faceCol = animColor([
+  { t: T_HIT-2, v: FACE, e: ES }, { t: T_PEAK, v: FACE_GLINT, e: ES }, { t: T_REC, v: FACE }, { t: OP, v: FACE },
+]);
+const glyphCol = animColor([
+  { t: T_HIT-2, v: BLACK, e: ES }, { t: T_PEAK, v: BLACK_LIT, e: ES }, { t: T_REC, v: BLACK }, { t: OP, v: BLACK },
+]);
+
+// ---- layer (face + glyphs share the bounce/squash transform) ---------------
+const faceShape = grp([ { ty: 'sh', d: 1, ks: bulge }, fill(faceCol), stroke(BORDER, 1.8) ], 'face');
+const glyphE = glyph(G.E,  32, 0, -1, 1.0, glyphCol, 'E');                 // centred Э
+const glyph8 = glyph(G.D8, 8.5, HW-6.5, HH-7.5, 0.5, glyphCol, 'score');   // 8 in the corner
+
+const tile = {
+  ddd: 0, ind: 1, ty: 4, nm: 'tile', sr: 1,
+  ks: { o: still(100), r: still(0), p: posY, a: still([0, HH, 0]), s: scl, sk: skw, sa: still(0) },
+  ao: 0, shapes: [ glyph8, glyphE, faceShape ], ip: 0, op: OP, st: 0, bm: 0,
+};
+
+const root = {
+  v: '5.7.4', fr: FR, ip: 0, op: OP, w: W, h: H, nm: 'erudit-vk-loader', ddd: 0,
+  assets: [], layers: [ tile ], markers: [],
+};
+
+const out = process.argv[2] || 'erudit.json';
+const round = (k, v) => (typeof v === 'number' ? Math.round(v * 100) / 100 : v);
+fs.writeFileSync(out, JSON.stringify(root, round));
+console.log('wrote', out, fs.statSync(out).size, 'bytes');
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Multi-stage build for the backend service. Mirrors platform/telegram/Dockerfile:
+# a golang-alpine builder yields a static binary shipped on distroless nonroot.
+#
+# The dictionary DAWGs are baked in from the scrabble-dictionary release artifact
+# — the same set the Go CI downloads — and BACKEND_DICT_DIR points the
+# binary at them. The published solver module is fetched directly from Gitea
+# (GOPRIVATE), so the build stage needs git and network.
+#
+# Build from the repository root so go.work, go.work.sum, pkg/ and backend/ are all
+# in the Docker context. DICT_VERSION has no default — the caller supplies the
+# scrabble-dictionary release tag (compose/CI pass it; see deploy/README.md
+# "Bumping the dictionary version"):
+#   docker build --build-arg DICT_VERSION=v1.3.0 -f backend/Dockerfile -t scrabble-backend .
+
+# --- dictionary artifact -----------------------------------------------------
+FROM alpine:3.20 AS dawg
+ARG DICT_VERSION
+RUN apk add --no-cache curl tar
+RUN mkdir -p /dawg \
+ && curl -fsSL -o /tmp/dawg.tar.gz \
+      "https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/${DICT_VERSION}/scrabble-dawg-${DICT_VERSION}.tar.gz" \
+ && tar xzf /tmp/dawg.tar.gz -C /dawg
+
+# --- build -------------------------------------------------------------------
+FROM golang:1.26.3-alpine AS build
+WORKDIR /src
+# git: the published solver module is fetched from Gitea directly (GOPRIVATE).
+RUN apk add --no-cache git
+ENV GOPRIVATE=gitea.iliadenisov.ru/*
+
+COPY go.work go.work.sum ./
+COPY pkg ./pkg
+COPY backend ./backend
+
+# Reduce the workspace to what the backend needs: backend + pkg. loadtest and the
+# gateway replace it requires are not in this context, so drop both.
+RUN go work edit -dropuse=./gateway -dropuse=./platform/telegram -dropuse=./loadtest -dropreplace=scrabble/gateway@v0.0.0
+# VERSION (the deploy passes the git tag) is stamped into the binary via the linker.
+ARG VERSION=dev
+RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux go build -trimpath -ldflags "-X scrabble/pkg/version.Version=${VERSION}" -o /out/backend ./backend/cmd/backend
+
+# --- runtime -----------------------------------------------------------------
+FROM gcr.io/distroless/static-debian12:nonroot
+# Re-declare the build arg in this stage so it labels the seed dictionary. One
+# DICT_VERSION drives both the artifact the dawg stage downloads and the version
+# label the binary pins, so the resident version equals the release tag.
+ARG DICT_VERSION
+COPY --from=build /out/backend /usr/local/bin/backend
+# Own the seed dictionary as the nonroot runtime user (UID 65532): a named volume
+# mounted at /opt/dawg inherits this ownership on first use, so the admin console
+# can write new version subdirectories at runtime. The volume preserves uploaded
+# versions across deploys and, once seeded, is not re-seeded — so after bootstrap
+# every dictionary change goes through the console, not a rebuild (ARCHITECTURE.md §5).
+COPY --from=dawg --chown=65532:65532 /dawg /opt/dawg
+ENV BACKEND_DICT_DIR=/opt/dawg
+ENV BACKEND_DICT_VERSION=${DICT_VERSION}
+ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/backend"]
@@ -1,93 +1,143 @@
 # backend

 Internal-only domain service for the Scrabble platform (module `scrabble/backend`).
-It owns identity/sessions, accounts, and — in later stages — the lobby, game
-runtime, robot, chat, history and administration. Its only network consumers are
-the `gateway` and the platform side-services; it is never exposed publicly.
+It owns identity/sessions, accounts, the lobby, game runtime, robot, chat, history
+and administration. Its only network consumers are the `gateway` and the platform
+side-services; it is never exposed publicly.

-As of Stage 1 the backend provides the foundation: configuration, the HTTP
-listener with the `/api/v1` route-group skeleton and probes, the Postgres pool
-with embedded goose migrations, OpenTelemetry wiring, an in-memory session cache,
-and the durable accounts / identities / sessions data model. The session and
-account REST endpoints are added with the `gateway` (Stage 6); Stage 1 ships the
-store/service layer they will call.
+The backend provides the foundation: configuration, the HTTP listener with the
+`/api/v1` route-group skeleton and probes, the Postgres pool with embedded goose
+migrations, OpenTelemetry wiring, an in-memory session cache, and the durable
+accounts / identities / sessions data model. The session and account REST
+endpoints live in the `gateway`; the backend ships the store/service layer they
+call.

-Stage 2 adds `internal/engine`, the in-process bridge to the `scrabble-solver`
+`internal/engine` is the in-process bridge to the `scrabble-solver`
 library: a versioned dictionary registry, a deterministic tile bag, and a pure
 rules `Game` (legal plays, passes, exchanges, resignations and end-condition
 detection) that emits dictionary-independent move records. It is a library only;
-the game domain wires it into the process in Stage 3.
+the game domain wires it into the process.

-Stage 3 adds `internal/game`, the game domain over the engine. Active games are
+`internal/game` is the game domain over the engine. Active games are
 event-sourced: a `games` row plus an append-only decoded move journal, with the
 live `engine.Game` kept warm in a cache and rebuilt by replay on a miss. It
 provides create, the play/pass/exchange/resign transitions, an unlimited
-score/legality preview, the hint (per-game allowance plus a profile wallet), the
+word/score/legality preview, the hint (per-game allowance plus a profile wallet), the
 word-check tool with complaint capture, per-player game state, history and GCG
 export, per-account statistics on finish, and a background turn-timeout sweeper
 that auto-resigns overdue turns (honouring each player's daily away window). Like
-Stages 1–2 it is a service/store layer; the HTTP surface lands with the
-`gateway` (Stage 6).
+the engine it is a service/store layer; the HTTP surface lives in the `gateway`.

-Stage 4 adds the lobby and social fabric. `internal/lobby` holds an in-memory
-matchmaking pool (FIFO per variant, pairs two humans into an auto-match) and
+The lobby and social fabric. `internal/lobby` runs **auto-match** — `Enqueue` opens a
+real game seating the caller with an **empty opponent seat** (status `open`) or, when
+another player already waits for the same variant and per-turn word rule, seats the
+caller into that open game and starts it — and
 friend-game invitations (invite → accept, starting a 2–4 player game once every
-invitee accepts). `internal/social` owns the friend graph (request/accept),
+invitee accepts). A **simultaneous-game cap** (`game.MaxActiveQuickGames` = 10) limits a
+player's active quick games — status `active`/`open`, excluding invitation-linked friend
+games (`game.Service.CountActiveQuickGames`); the server refuses `lobby/enqueue` and
+`invitations` creation with **409 `game_limit_reached`** at the cap (accepting an invitation
+is exempt), and the `games.list` response carries an `at_game_limit` flag for the lobby.
+`internal/social` owns the friend graph (request/accept),
 per-user blocks, and per-game chat with nudges folded in as a message kind; chat
 messages are length-capped, content-filtered (no links/emails/phone numbers,
-including obfuscated forms) and stored with the sender's IP. `internal/account`
+including obfuscated forms) and stored with the sender's IP. Each message carries an
+`unread_seats` read bitmask (a set bit per recipient seat still to read it); `MarkRead`
+clears a reader's bit when they open the move history or chat, a wired `NudgeClearer`
+clears a nudge when its recipient moves, and a wired `NudgeExpirer` clears **all** of a game's
+nudges when it finishes (any completion path) — the first two record the publish-to-read latency,
+the completion expiry does not (it is not a read); chat messages stay unread on completion.
+A friend request (or block) aimed at a **disguised pooled robot** is recorded per game+seat
+in `robot_friend_requests` / `robot_blocks`, never against the shared robot account; a
+background reaper drops a robot friend request once its game has been finished for **7 days**.
+`internal/account`
 gains profile editing and the email confirm-code flow (a `Mailer` seam: SMTP or a
 development log mailer). The engine now also handles **multi-player drop-out**: in
 a 3–4 player game a resignation or timeout drops that seat and the rest play on
 (the tile disposition is a per-game setting), the game ending when one active seat
 remains. As before this is a service/store layer — chat and nudges are persisted
-but their live delivery, and all REST endpoints, arrive with the `gateway`
-(Stage 6); the services are exposed via `Server` accessors for those handlers.
+but their live delivery, and all REST endpoints, live in the `gateway`; the
+services are exposed via `Server` accessors for those handlers.

-Stage 5 adds the robot opponent (`internal/robot`). A pool of durable accounts —
+The robot opponent (`internal/robot`). A pool of durable accounts —
 each a `kind='robot'` identity, provisioned at startup with chat and friend
-requests blocked — backs a human-like name pool. A background driver plays the
+requests blocked — carries human-like names. The disguised reaper stamps a **fresh per-game name** on
+the robot's seat (a `game_players.display_name` snapshot — which also freezes humans' names per game, so
+a later rename never rewrites past games) drawn from a wide composed corpus (Western locales, native
+Japanese/Chinese, a gender-agreed Russian pool, and handles); a Russian game stays Cyrillic with ≤20%
+Latin and no CJK script, an English game uses the full corpus (`namevariety.go`, `PickNamed`). A
+background driver plays the
 robot's moves through the public game API as an ordinary seated player (so only
 `internal/engine` imports the solver): it decides once per game whether to play to
-win (≈ 40%), targets a small score margin, and times its moves with a right-skewed
-delay, a night-sleep window anchored to the opponent's timezone, and nudge
+win (≈ 40%), targets a small score margin — with an occasional off-strategy move that tapers to
+none as the bag empties — and times its moves with a move-number-aware
+right-skewed delay (quick openings, long endgames), a night-sleep window anchored to the opponent's timezone, and nudge
 behaviour — all derived deterministically from the game seed, so it keeps no extra
-state. The matchmaker now substitutes a pooled robot after a 10-second wait and
-exposes `Poll` so a waiting player can collect the started game (the live
-match-found notification arrives with the `gateway`).
+state. In a dead-drawn endgame — the last two journal moves are both passes, so the robot is bound
+to pass again — it shortens that delay to a `[0.8, 1.5]×` band around the human's last-move think
+time (the gap between the last two moves), clamped to `[30 s, 8 min]` and `min`-ed with the normal
+delay, so a decided game is not dragged out while the robot never moves slower than usual. A background **reaper** seats a pooled robot (matching the game's language) in any open
+game whose wait window — a fixed **90 s** plus a random **0–90 s** (so **90–180 s**) — has
+elapsed, and the waiting starter is told an opponent took the seat by an in-app
+**opponent_joined** push (carrying their refreshed game state) that fills the opponent card and
+re-enables resign and chat in place.

-Stage 6 opens the backend to the edge. The route groups gain their first
+The same robot also backs an **honest-AI quick game** (`games.vs_ai`), the alternative to the random
+path that the player chooses on New Game. `Matchmaker.StartVsAI` picks a pooled robot and creates a
+game **already seated and active** (random seat order) — it never enters the open pool. The robot
+driver has a `vs_ai` branch (no sleep, no proactive nudge, zero delay) plus a focused
+`DriveGame`/`TriggerMove` fast path wired from the game service's after-create/after-commit hook
+(`SetAITrigger`), so the robot replies the instant the player moves. AI games keep the same strength
+(`playToWin`), have **no per-move timeout** (`turn_timeout_secs = AIInactivityTimeout`, 7 days, so an
+abandoned game is lost after a week of inactivity — only the human is ever on the clock), record **no
+statistics** (skipped in `commit`), and disable chat/nudge (`social` `VsAI` → `ErrGameVsAI`).
+
+The backend opens to the edge. The route groups gain their first
 handlers (`internal/server/handlers_*.go`): gateway-only session endpoints under
 `/api/v1/internal` (Telegram/guest/email login → mint, resolve, revoke) and a
 slice of authenticated `/api/v1/user` operations (profile, submit play, game
-state, lobby enqueue/poll, chat). Stage 8 fills in the social/account/history
-operations under `/api/v1/user`: `friends/*` (request/respond/cancel/unfriend,
+state, lobby enqueue, chat). The social/account/history operations under
+`/api/v1/user`: `friends/*` (request/respond/cancel/unfriend,
 list/incoming, the one-time `code` issue/redeem), `blocks/*`, `invitations/*`
 (create/accept/decline/cancel/list), `PUT profile`, `email/{request,confirm}`,
-`stats`, and `games/:id/gcg` (finished-only). A new `internal/notify` hub feeds a
+`stats`, and `games/:id/gcg` (finished-only). The `internal/notify` hub feeds a
 second listener — `internal/pushgrpc`, a gRPC server (`BACKEND_GRPC_ADDR`) streaming
 live events (your-turn, opponent-moved, chat, nudge, match-found, notify) to the
-gateway. Stage 9 adds the gateway-only `POST /api/v1/internal/push-target` (a user's
-Telegram `external_id`, language and `notifications_in_app_only` flag) that the gateway
-uses to route out-of-app push to the Telegram connector, extends the Telegram login to
-seed a new account's language and display name from the launch fields, and adds
-migration `00007` (`accounts.notifications_in_app_only`, default true).
-Migration `00005` adds `accounts.is_guest`: an ephemeral guest is a durable row
-with no identity, excluded from statistics. **Stage 10** adds the server-rendered
+gateway. The gateway-only `POST /api/v1/internal/push-target` (a user's
+Telegram `external_id`, language and `notifications_in_app_only` flag) lets the gateway
+route out-of-app push to the Telegram bot over the gateway bot-link; the Telegram login
+seeds a new account's language and display name from the launch fields, and the
+`accounts.notifications_in_app_only` flag (default true).
+The gateway-only `POST /api/v1/internal/chat-access` resolves a Telegram identity (the
+bot's join-time query) or an account id (a `chat_access_changed` event) to its
+**moderated-chat write eligibility** — `registered AND NOT suspended AND NOT chat_muted`.
+That event is emitted on an admin block/unblock, a `chat_muted` role grant/revoke, or — via
+the `account.SuspensionSweeper` started in `cmd/backend` — a temporary block lapsing;
+`chat_muted` is an `account.KnownRoles` entry, a chat-only mute distinct from the game
+suspension (which dominates it).
+`accounts.is_guest` marks an ephemeral guest — a durable row
+with no identity, excluded from statistics. The server-rendered
 **admin console** at `/_gm` (`internal/adminconsole` + `internal/server/handlers_admin_console.go`;
 the gateway fronts it with Basic-Auth and a same-origin guard protects its POSTs), the
-**complaint resolution** lifecycle (migration `00008` adds `disposition`/`resolution_note`/
-`resolved_at`/`applied_in_version` + the `status` CHECK) feeding a dictionary-change
-pipeline, dictionary **hot-reload** from `BACKEND_DICT_DIR/<version>/`
-(`engine.OpenWithVersions` / `Registry.LoadAvailable`), and operator **broadcasts** via a
-backend Telegram-connector client (`internal/connector`, `BACKEND_CONNECTOR_ADDR`) — each
-broadcast picks the delivering bot by an operator-chosen language. **Stage 15** adds
-migration `00010` (`accounts.service_language`): the language tag of the bot a Telegram
-user last signed in through, written on every login and returned by
-`/internal/push-target` (falling back to `preferred_language`) so out-of-app push routes
-to the right bot. The shared wire contracts live in the sibling [`../pkg`](../pkg) module.
+**complaint resolution** lifecycle (the `complaints` `disposition`/`resolution_note`/
+`resolved_at`/`applied_in_version` columns + the `status` CHECK) feeding a dictionary-change
+pipeline, the online **dictionary update** (upload the `scrabble-dawg-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz` release
+archive, preview the per-variant word diff, then install + activate — `internal/dictadmin` +
+`engine.DiffWords` / `Registry.LoadAvailable`, written to per-version subdirectories of the
+`BACKEND_DICT_DIR` volume with the active version persisted in `dictionary_state`), and operator **broadcasts** via a
+backend client (`internal/connector`, `BACKEND_CONNECTOR_ADDR`) that calls the gateway's
+**bot-link relay** — each broadcast renders through the bot in an operator-chosen language
+and the relay awaits the bot's delivery ack. There is one bot,
+so `/internal/push-target` returns the recipient's `preferred_language` as the render
+language for out-of-app push; no per-bot routing remains. The console also manages the **advertising banner** (`/_gm/banners` +
+`/_gm/banner-settings`, `internal/ads`): operator campaigns with a percent weight, an optional
+window and bilingual messages, plus the global display timings. `GET /api/v1/user/profile` attaches
+the resolved, weighted campaign feed for an **eligible** viewer (`!paid_account && hint_balance == 0
+&& !no_banner` role, the message language picked by `preferred_language`); changing those inputs
+publishes a `notify` `banner` re-poll signal so the client shows/hides it in place. The shared wire
+contracts live in the sibling [`../pkg`](../pkg) module.

-Stage 11 adds **account linking & merge** (`/api/v1/user/link/*`). `internal/link`
+**Account linking & merge** (`/api/v1/user/link/*`). `internal/link`
 orchestrates it: an email confirm-code or a gateway-validated Telegram identity is
 attached to the current account, and when the identity already has its own account
 the two are merged in one transaction (`internal/accountmerge`) — stats and the hint
@@ -96,8 +146,23 @@ friends/blocks de-duplicated, the secondary kept as a `merged_into` tombstone (s
 shared finished game's foreign keys hold); a shared **active** game blocks the merge.
 The current account is primary, except a guest initiator whose linked identity has a
 durable owner — then the durable account wins and a fresh session is minted for it.
-Migration `00009` adds `paid_account`/`merged_into`/`merged_at`. This supersedes the
-Stage 8 `email.bind.*` edge surface (the `RequestCode`/`ConfirmCode` primitives stay).
+The `accounts.paid_account`/`merged_into`/`merged_at` columns back this. This supersedes the
+former `email.bind.*` edge surface (the `RequestCode`/`ConfirmCode` primitives stay).
+
+Rate-limit observability: the gateway posts its periodic rejection
+summaries to `POST /api/v1/internal/ratelimit/report`; `internal/ratewatch` keeps a
+bounded in-memory episode window for the console's **Throttled** page and applies the
+conservative auto-flag — an account sustaining `BACKEND_HIGHRATE_FLAG_THRESHOLD`
+rejected calls within `BACKEND_HIGHRATE_FLAG_WINDOW` gets the soft, reversible
+`accounts.flagged_high_rate_at` marker (set-once; a badge in the user list and a
+**Clear** action on the user card; never an automatic ban).
+
+The gateway also syncs its active IP bans (prod-only — see ARCHITECTURE §11) to
+`POST /api/v1/internal/bans/sync`; `internal/banview` mirrors them for the console's
+**Throttled** page (an **Active IP bans** panel with an **Unban** action) and returns
+the operator's pending unbans in the response, which the gateway applies on its next
+sync. Like `ratewatch` it is in-memory and resets on restart — the enforced ban lives
+in the gateway, not here.

 ## Package layout

@@ -110,17 +175,21 @@ internal/postgres/   # pgx-over-database/sql pool (otelsql), goose migrations
  migrations/        #   embedded *.sql (goose), schema `backend`
  jet/               #   generated go-jet models + table builders (committed)
 internal/account/    # durable accounts + platform/email identities (store) + email/identity link primitives
-internal/accountmerge/ # single-transaction merge of a secondary account into a primary (Stage 11)
-internal/link/       # link/merge orchestrator over account + accountmerge + session (Stage 11)
+internal/accountmerge/ # single-transaction merge of a secondary account into a primary
+internal/link/       # link/merge orchestrator over account + accountmerge + session
 internal/session/    # opaque tokens, sessions store, write-through cache, service (incl. RevokeAllForAccount)
 internal/server/     # gin engine, route groups, X-User-ID middleware, probes
 internal/engine/     # in-process scrabble-solver bridge: registry, bag, Game, replay
 internal/game/       # game domain: lifecycle, journal+cache, hint, word-check, GCG, sweeper
 internal/social/     # friend graph, per-user blocks, per-game chat + nudge, content filter
-internal/lobby/      # in-memory matchmaking pool (+ robot substitution) + friend-game invitations
+internal/feedback/   # user feedback: messages + attachment (bytea), anti-spam gate, admin review/reply
+internal/lobby/      # auto-match (DB-backed open games + robot substitution) + friend-game invitations
 internal/robot/      # human-like robot opponent: account pool, seed-derived strategy, move driver
 internal/adminconsole/ # server-rendered admin console (Go templates + embedded CSS, view models), served at /_gm
-internal/connector/  # backend gRPC client to the Telegram connector (operator broadcasts)
+internal/ads/        # advertising banner: campaigns + bilingual messages + display timings, weighted-rotation feed (ActiveSet)
+internal/connector/  # backend gRPC client to the gateway bot-link relay (operator broadcasts)
+internal/ratewatch/  # gateway rate-limit reports: episode window for the console + the high-rate auto-flag
+internal/banview/    # gateway active-ban mirror: the console's Active IP bans panel + the operator unban backchannel
 ```

 ## Configuration (environment)
@@ -139,27 +208,31 @@ internal/connector/  # backend gRPC client to the Telegram connector (operator b
 | `BACKEND_OTEL_TRACES_EXPORTER` | `none` | `none`, `stdout` or `otlp` (gRPC; endpoint from the standard `OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_*`). |
 | `BACKEND_OTEL_METRICS_EXPORTER` | `none` | `none`, `stdout` or `otlp`. |
 | `BACKEND_DICT_DIR` | — | **Required.** Directory of committed `.dawg` dictionaries. |
-| `BACKEND_DICT_VERSION` | `v1` | Dictionary version new games pin. |
+| `BACKEND_DICT_VERSION` | `v1` | Version label for the flat dictionary dir. Recorded in a `.seed_version` marker on first boot and authoritative after: on a seeded volume a changed value is ignored (it seeds only a fresh volume) — the seed-drift guard (ARCHITECTURE.md §5). |
 | `BACKEND_GAME_TIMEOUT_SWEEP_INTERVAL` | `1m` | How often the turn-timeout sweeper runs. |
 | `BACKEND_GAME_CACHE_TTL` | `24h` | Idle window before a live game is evicted from cache. |
 | `BACKEND_LOBBY_ROBOT_WAIT` | `10s` | Auto-match wait before a robot is substituted for a missing human. |
 | `BACKEND_LOBBY_REAPER_INTERVAL` | `1s` | How often the substitution reaper scans for over-waited players. |
 | `BACKEND_ROBOT_DRIVE_INTERVAL` | `30s` | How often the robot driver scans for due robot turns. |
-| `BACKEND_SMTP_HOST` | — | Email relay host. **Empty selects the development log mailer** (the confirm-code is logged, not sent). |
-| `BACKEND_SMTP_PORT` | `587` | Email relay port. |
-| `BACKEND_SMTP_USERNAME` | — | SMTP user; empty relays without authentication. |
-| `BACKEND_SMTP_PASSWORD` | — | SMTP password. |
-| `BACKEND_SMTP_FROM` | `no-reply@localhost` | Envelope/From address for confirm-codes. |
-| `BACKEND_CONNECTOR_ADDR` | — | Telegram connector gRPC address for admin-console operator broadcasts. Empty disables broadcasts. |
+| `BACKEND_SMTP_HOST` | — | Confirm-code relay host. **Empty selects the development log mailer** (the code is logged, not sent). |
+| `BACKEND_SMTP_PORT` | `587` | Relay port. No client certificate is needed (the server cert is validated against the system roots). |
+| `BACKEND_SMTP_TLS` | — | Transport security: `ssl` (implicit TLS from connect) or `starttls`. Empty derives it from the port (implicit on `465`, STARTTLS otherwise); set it for a relay on a non-standard port (e.g. Selectel's `1127` = SSL, `1126` = STARTTLS). |
+| `BACKEND_SMTP_USERNAME` | — | SMTP AUTH user; empty relays without authentication. |
+| `BACKEND_SMTP_PASSWORD` | — | SMTP AUTH password. |
+| `BACKEND_SMTP_FROM` | `no-reply@localhost` | From address. A deployed contour must use the prod domain (the relay only accepts its verified sender domain). |
+| `BACKEND_PUBLIC_BASE_URL` | — | Canonical public origin (scheme + host) for links in the email. **Required when `BACKEND_SMTP_HOST` is set.** Never derived from a request Host header (anti-injection). |
+| `BACKEND_CONNECTOR_ADDR` | — | the gateway bot-link relay gRPC address for admin-console operator broadcasts. Empty disables broadcasts. |
 | `BACKEND_GUEST_REAP_INTERVAL` | `1h` | How often the abandoned-guest reaper sweeps. |
 | `BACKEND_GUEST_RETENTION` | `720h` | Account age past which a guest with no game seat is deleted. |
+| `BACKEND_HIGHRATE_FLAG_THRESHOLD` | `1000` | Gateway-reported rejected calls within the window past which an account is soft-flagged. |
+| `BACKEND_HIGHRATE_FLAG_WINDOW` | `10m` | The rolling window those rejections accumulate over. |

 ## Run

 ```sh
 docker run -d --name scrabble-pg -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=dev -p 5432:5432 postgres:17-alpine
 # DAWGs: extract the dictionary release artifact (or point at a local scrabble-solver/dawg):
-mkdir -p /tmp/dawg && curl -fsSL https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/v1.0.0/scrabble-dawg-v1.0.0.tar.gz | tar xz -C /tmp/dawg
+mkdir -p /tmp/dawg && curl -fsSL https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary/releases/download/v1.3.0/scrabble-dawg-v1.3.0.tar.gz | tar xz -C /tmp/dawg
 BACKEND_POSTGRES_DSN='postgres://postgres:dev@localhost:5432/postgres?search_path=backend&sslmode=disable' \
  BACKEND_DICT_DIR=/tmp/dawg \
  GOPRIVATE='gitea.iliadenisov.ru/*' \
@@ -176,7 +249,10 @@ warmed.
 ## Migrations & generated code

 Migrations are plain goose SQL under `internal/postgres/migrations` (sequential
-`NNNNN_name.sql`), embedded and applied at startup. After changing the schema,
+`NNNNN_name.sql`), embedded and applied at startup. The incremental history was
+squashed into a single `00001_baseline.sql` before the first production deploy
+(there was no production data); new schema changes append as `00002_*` onward.
+After changing the schema,
 regenerate the committed go-jet code (needs Docker):

 ```sh
@@ -194,9 +270,15 @@ local solver co-development you may add a temporary replace — see `go.work`).
 (`en_sowpods.dawg`, `ru_scrabble.dawg`, `ru_erudit.dawg`) ship as a **release artifact**
 from the [`scrabble-dictionary`](https://gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-dictionary)
 repo (one semver per set); the engine loads them by `(variant, dict_version)` from
-`BACKEND_DICT_DIR`. Since Stage 3 the backend loads them at startup as a hard dependency
-(a missing dictionary aborts the boot). See [`../PLAN.md`](../PLAN.md) Stage 14
-(TODO-1/TODO-2).
+`BACKEND_DICT_DIR`. The backend loads them at startup as a hard dependency
+(a missing dictionary aborts the boot). The flat directory is the seed version,
+labelled `BACKEND_DICT_VERSION`; uploaded versions live in `<version>/`
+subdirectories the admin console writes and a restart re-loads. Because the DAWGs
+carry no embedded version, the first boot records the seed in a `.seed_version`
+marker that is authoritative after: on a seeded volume a changed `BACKEND_DICT_VERSION`
+is ignored (it seeds only a fresh volume) — the seed-drift guard — so a live contour's
+dictionary is changed through the console, never by bumping the build seed
+(ARCHITECTURE.md §5).

 ## Tests

@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 // loads the dictionaries into the engine registry, warms the session cache,
 // constructs the game domain and starts its turn-timeout sweeper, constructs the
 // lobby and social domains, then serves the HTTP listener with the infrastructure
-// probes and the /api/v1 route-group skeleton. Domain HTTP endpoints are added
-// with the gateway in a later stage described in PLAN.md.
+// probes and the /api/v1 route group, behind which the domains expose their HTTP
+// endpoints to the gateway.
 package main

 import (
@@ -12,22 +12,30 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"log"
 	"os/signal"
+	"strings"
 	"syscall"
 	"time"

+	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"

 	"scrabble/backend/internal/account"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/accountmerge"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/adminalert"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/ads"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/banview"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/config"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/connector"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/engine"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/feedback"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/game"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/link"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/lobby"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/notify"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/pushgrpc"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/ratewatch"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/render"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/robot"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/server"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/session"
@@ -38,6 +46,10 @@ import (
 // telemetryShutdownTimeout bounds the OpenTelemetry flush during process exit.
 const telemetryShutdownTimeout = 5 * time.Second

+// adminAlertInterval is how often the operator-alert worker checks for new feedback /
+// complaints; a burst within one interval coalesces into a single digest email.
+const adminAlertInterval = 5 * time.Minute
+
 func main() {
 	cfg, err := config.Load()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -107,7 +119,7 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.Config, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 		zap.String("dir", cfg.Game.DictDir),
 		zap.String("version", cfg.Game.DictVersion))

-	// Stage 10 admin console: an optional backend client to the Telegram connector
+	// Admin console: an optional backend client to the Telegram connector
 	// side-service for operator broadcasts. Unset (BACKEND_CONNECTOR_ADDR empty)
 	// leaves broadcasts disabled — the console shows a "not configured" notice.
 	var conn *connector.Client
@@ -132,14 +144,23 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.Config, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 	hub := notify.NewHub(0)

 	accounts := account.NewStore(db)
+	accounts.SetMetrics(tel.MeterProvider().Meter("scrabble/backend/account"))
 	games := game.NewService(game.NewStore(db), accounts, registry, cfg.Game, logger)
+	// Reconcile the persisted active dictionary version with the registry: a
+	// version activated through the admin console (and written to the dictionary
+	// volume) is adopted again after a restart; otherwise the configured seed
+	// version is kept and persisted (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §5).
+	if err := games.InitActiveVersion(ctx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("init active dictionary version: %w", err)
+	}
+	logger.Info("active dictionary version", zap.String("version", games.ActiveVersion()))
 	games.SetNotifier(hub)
 	games.SetMetrics(tel.MeterProvider().Meter("scrabble/backend/game"))
 	go games.RunSweeper(ctx, cfg.Game.TimeoutSweepInterval)
 	logger.Info("game turn-timeout sweeper started",
 		zap.Duration("interval", cfg.Game.TimeoutSweepInterval))

-	// Stage 12 TODO-3: reap abandoned guest accounts (no game seat, account age past
+	// Reap abandoned guest accounts (no game seat, account age past
 	// the retention window). Dependent rows fall away via ON DELETE CASCADE.
 	guestReaper := account.NewGuestReaper(accounts, cfg.GuestRetention, logger)
 	go guestReaper.Run(ctx, cfg.GuestReapInterval)
@@ -147,34 +168,107 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.Config, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 		zap.Duration("interval", cfg.GuestReapInterval),
 		zap.Duration("retention", cfg.GuestRetention))

-	// Stage 4 lobby & social domains. Their REST and stream surface is added with
-	// the gateway in Stage 6, so they are handed to the server (like the route
-	// groups) for the handlers to come.
+	// Purge the account-deletion legal dossier past its retention TTL: the
+	// retained-identities journal, and the feedback thread + dossier PII of long-deleted
+	// accounts (chat is kept). Checked daily; the TTL is a two-year policy constant.
+	retentionReaper := account.NewRetentionReaper(accounts, account.RetentionTTL, logger)
+	go retentionReaper.Run(ctx, 24*time.Hour)
+	logger.Info("retention reaper started",
+		zap.Duration("interval", 24*time.Hour),
+		zap.Duration("retention", account.RetentionTTL))
+
+	// Re-evaluate moderated-chat write access when a temporary block self-expires:
+	// no operator action fires then, so the sweeper emits the chat-access-changed
+	// event for lapsed blocks and the gateway re-pushes the chat-gate command.
+	chatSweeper := account.NewSuspensionSweeper(accounts, func(id uuid.UUID) {
+		hub.Publish(notify.ChatAccessChanged(id))
+	}, logger)
+	go chatSweeper.Run(ctx)
+	logger.Info("suspension expiry sweeper started", zap.Duration("interval", chatSweeper.Interval()))
+
+	// Lobby & social domains. Their REST and stream surface lives in the gateway,
+	// so they are handed to the server (like the route groups) for the handlers.
 	mailer := newMailer(cfg.SMTP, logger)
-	emails := account.NewEmailService(accounts, mailer)
-	// Stage 11 account linking & merge: the orchestrator over the account, merge and
+	emails := account.NewEmailService(accounts, mailer, cfg.PublicBaseURL)
+	// Throttle confirm-code sends per recipient: at most one per minute and five per
+	// rolling hour, guarding against email bombing and the relay's own quota.
+	emails.SetSendLimiter(account.NewSendLimiter(time.Minute, 5))
+	// Account linking & merge: the orchestrator over the account, merge and
 	// session layers. Wired to the /api/v1/user/link REST surface below.
 	links := link.NewService(emails, accounts, accountmerge.NewMerger(db), sessions)
 	socialSvc := social.NewService(social.NewStore(db), accounts, games)
 	socialSvc.SetNotifier(hub)
 	socialSvc.SetMetrics(tel.MeterProvider().Meter("scrabble/backend/social"))
+	// A nudge the recipient answered by moving is marked read on the move path; every nudge in a
+	// game is marked read when the game finishes (a stale badge), on any completion path.
+	games.SetNudgeClearer(socialSvc.ClearNudges)
+	games.SetNudgeExpirer(socialSvc.ExpireNudges)
+	// Reap per-game disguised-robot friend requests once their game is long finished
+	// (the robot ignores them; the row only pins the in-game "request sent" state).
+	robotReqReaper := social.NewRobotFriendRequestReaper(socialSvc, logger)
+	go robotReqReaper.Run(ctx)
+	logger.Info("robot friend request reaper started",
+		zap.Duration("interval", robotReqReaper.Interval()),
+		zap.Duration("retention", robotReqReaper.Retention()))
+	feedbackSvc := feedback.NewService(feedback.NewStore(db), accounts)
+	feedbackSvc.SetNotifier(hub)

-	// Stage 5 robot opponent: provision its durable account pool (a hard startup
+	// Operator alert emails on new feedback / word complaints, coalesced into one digest
+	// per interval. Inert unless a distinct admin sender and recipient are configured.
+	if cfg.SMTP.AdminFrom != "" && cfg.SMTP.AdminTo != "" {
+		consoleURL := ""
+		if cfg.PublicBaseURL != "" {
+			consoleURL = strings.TrimRight(cfg.PublicBaseURL, "/") + "/_gm"
+		}
+		alerts := adminalert.New(mailer, feedbackSvc, games, cfg.SMTP.AdminFrom, cfg.SMTP.AdminTo, consoleURL, logger)
+		go alerts.Run(ctx, adminAlertInterval)
+		logger.Info("admin alert worker started", zap.Duration("interval", adminAlertInterval))
+	}
+
+	// Robot opponent: provision its durable account pool (a hard startup
 	// dependency, like the dictionaries) and start its move driver. The matchmaker
 	// substitutes a pooled robot for a missing human after the wait window.
 	robots := robot.NewService(games, accounts, socialSvc, tel.MeterProvider().Meter("scrabble/backend/robot"), logger)
 	if err := robots.EnsurePool(ctx); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("provision robot pool: %w", err)
 	}
+	// Honest-AI fast path: a move in a vs_ai game triggers the robot's reply at once
+	// (the periodic driver below is the fallback). Set after the pool is provisioned.
+	games.SetAITrigger(robots.TriggerMove)
 	go robots.Run(ctx, cfg.Robot.DriveInterval)
 	logger.Info("robot driver started", zap.Duration("interval", cfg.Robot.DriveInterval))

-	matchmaker := lobby.NewMatchmaker(games, robots, cfg.Lobby.RobotWait, logger)
+	matchmaker := lobby.NewMatchmaker(games, robots, cfg.Lobby.RobotWait, cfg.Lobby.RobotWaitJitter, logger)
 	matchmaker.SetNotifier(hub)
+	matchmaker.SetBlocker(socialSvc)
 	go matchmaker.RunReaper(ctx, cfg.Lobby.ReaperInterval)
 	invitations := lobby.NewInvitationService(lobby.NewStore(db), games, accounts, socialSvc)
 	invitations.SetNotifier(hub)
-	logger.Info("lobby and social domains ready", zap.Duration("robot_wait", cfg.Lobby.RobotWait))
+	logger.Info("lobby and social domains ready",
+		zap.Duration("robot_wait", cfg.Lobby.RobotWait),
+		zap.Duration("robot_wait_jitter", cfg.Lobby.RobotWaitJitter))
+
+	// Rate-limit observability: ingest the gateway's rejection reports for the
+	// admin throttled view and the conservative high-rate auto-flag.
+	rateWatch := ratewatch.New(cfg.RateWatch, accounts, logger)
+	logger.Info("rate watch ready",
+		zap.Int("flag_threshold", cfg.RateWatch.FlagThreshold),
+		zap.Duration("flag_window", cfg.RateWatch.FlagWindow))
+
+	// Ban observability: mirror the gateway's active IP bans for the admin console's
+	// active-bans panel and collect operator unban requests.
+	banView := banview.New()
+
+	// Advertising-banner domain: campaign rotation feeding the profile.get banner
+	// block and the banner admin console section.
+	adsSvc := ads.NewService(ads.NewStore(db))
+
+	// The image-render sidecar client for the PNG export artifact; nil (PNG
+	// download answers 404) when BACKEND_RENDERER_URL is unset.
+	var renderer *render.Client
+	if cfg.RendererURL != "" {
+		renderer = render.New(cfg.RendererURL)
+	}

 	srv := server.New(cfg.HTTPAddr, server.Deps{
 		Logger:        logger,
@@ -184,6 +278,7 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.Config, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 		Sessions:      sessions,
 		Accounts:      accounts,
 		Games:         games,
+		Feedback:      feedbackSvc,
 		Social:        socialSvc,
 		Matchmaker:    matchmaker,
 		Invitations:   invitations,
@@ -192,6 +287,12 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.Config, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 		Registry:      registry,
 		DictDir:       cfg.Game.DictDir,
 		Connector:     conn,
+		RateWatch:     rateWatch,
+		BanView:       banView,
+		Ads:           adsSvc,
+		Notifier:      hub,
+		ExportSignKey: cfg.ExportSignKey,
+		Renderer:      renderer,
 	})
 	pushSrv := pushgrpc.NewServer(cfg.GRPCAddr, hub, logger)

@@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
+// Command dictgen dumps golden parity vectors from the committed dawg
+// dictionaries so the TypeScript dawg reader can be checked byte-for-byte
+// against the authoritative Go dafsa reader.
+//
+// For each *.dawg file it writes, into the output directory:
+//
+//   - <name>.words.bin — every stored word as alphabet-index bytes, in index
+//     order, framed as [1-byte length][length index bytes]. The word at stream
+//     position k has IndexOfB == k.
+//   - <name>.neg.bin — negative lookups (sequences whose IndexOfB is -1), same
+//     framing, to exercise the not-found path at varying depths.
+//   - <name>.meta.json — NumAdded/NumNodes/NumEdges plus the alphabet size, for
+//     a header-parse sanity cross-check on the TS side.
+//
+// It is a development tool (not built into any service), analogous to
+// cmd/jetgen. Run it from the repository root:
+//
+//	go run ./backend/cmd/dictgen -dawg-dir ../scrabble-solver/dawg -out <dir>
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"math/rand"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+
+	dawg "github.com/iliadenisov/dafsa"
+)
+
+// meta is the per-dictionary sanity payload cross-checked by the TS reader.
+type meta struct {
+	NumAdded int `json:"numAdded"`
+	NumNodes int `json:"numNodes"`
+	NumEdges int `json:"numEdges"`
+	Alphabet int `json:"alphabet"`
+}
+
+func main() {
+	dawgDir := flag.String("dawg-dir", "../scrabble-solver/dawg", "directory holding the .dawg files")
+	outDir := flag.String("out", "", "output directory for the golden files (required)")
+	negCount := flag.Int("neg", 20000, "number of negative lookups to emit per dictionary")
+	flag.Parse()
+
+	if *outDir == "" {
+		fail("-out is required")
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(*outDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		fail("mkdir out: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	files, err := filepath.Glob(filepath.Join(*dawgDir, "*.dawg"))
+	if err != nil {
+		fail("glob: %v", err)
+	}
+	sort.Strings(files)
+	if len(files) == 0 {
+		fail("no .dawg files in %s", *dawgDir)
+	}
+
+	for _, f := range files {
+		if err := process(f, *outDir, *negCount); err != nil {
+			fail("%s: %v", filepath.Base(f), err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// process emits the golden files for a single dawg dictionary.
+func process(path, outDir string, negCount int) error {
+	name := strings.TrimSuffix(filepath.Base(path), ".dawg")
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	finder, err := dawg.Read(bytes.NewReader(data), 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("read dawg: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer finder.Close()
+
+	// Stream every stored word in index order; keep a decimated sample and the
+	// maximum alphabet index for negative generation.
+	wf, err := os.Create(filepath.Join(outDir, name+".words.bin"))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	bw := bufio.NewWriter(wf)
+
+	var (
+		count  int
+		maxIx  byte
+		sample [][]byte
+	)
+	finder.EnumerateB(func(index int, word []byte, final bool) int {
+		if !final {
+			return 0 // Continue
+		}
+		if index != count {
+			panic(fmt.Sprintf("%s: enumerate index gap: got %d want %d", name, index, count))
+		}
+		writeWord(bw, word)
+		for _, b := range word {
+			if b > maxIx {
+				maxIx = b
+			}
+		}
+		if count%4 == 0 && len(sample) < 60000 {
+			sample = append(sample, append([]byte(nil), word...))
+		}
+		count++
+		return 0 // Continue
+	})
+	if err := bw.Flush(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := wf.Close(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if count != finder.NumAdded() {
+		return fmt.Errorf("word count %d != NumAdded %d", count, finder.NumAdded())
+	}
+
+	alphabet := int(maxIx) + 1
+
+	// Negatives: mutate sampled real words and keep the ones the reader rejects.
+	nf, err := os.Create(filepath.Join(outDir, name+".neg.bin"))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	nbw := bufio.NewWriter(nf)
+	rng := rand.New(rand.NewSource(1))
+	neg := 0
+	for neg < negCount && len(sample) > 0 {
+		base := sample[rng.Intn(len(sample))]
+		cand := append([]byte(nil), base...)
+		switch rng.Intn(3) {
+		case 0: // extend by one index
+			cand = append(cand, byte(rng.Intn(alphabet)))
+		case 1: // flip one index
+			if len(cand) > 0 {
+				cand[rng.Intn(len(cand))] = byte(rng.Intn(alphabet))
+			}
+		case 2: // drop the tail and flip the new last index
+			if len(cand) > 1 {
+				cand = cand[:len(cand)-1]
+				cand[len(cand)-1] = byte(rng.Intn(alphabet))
+			}
+		}
+		if finder.IndexOfB(cand) == -1 {
+			writeWord(nbw, cand)
+			neg++
+		}
+	}
+	if err := nbw.Flush(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := nf.Close(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	m := meta{NumAdded: finder.NumAdded(), NumNodes: finder.NumNodes(), NumEdges: finder.NumEdges(), Alphabet: alphabet}
+	mb, err := json.MarshalIndent(m, "", "  ")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(outDir, name+".meta.json"), mb, 0o644); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	fmt.Printf("%-12s words=%d negatives=%d alphabet=%d nodes=%d edges=%d\n",
+		name, count, neg, alphabet, finder.NumNodes(), finder.NumEdges())
+	return nil
+}
+
+// writeWord frames one index-byte word as [length][bytes].
+func writeWord(w *bufio.Writer, word []byte) {
+	if len(word) > 255 {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("word too long to frame: %d", len(word)))
+	}
+	w.WriteByte(byte(len(word)))
+	w.Write(word)
+}
+
+func fail(format string, args ...any) {
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "dictgen: "+format+"\n", args...)
+	os.Exit(1)
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,486 @@
+// Command validategen produces golden conformance fixtures for the TypeScript
+// move validator (ui/src/lib/dict/validate.ts). For each variant it self-plays
+// greedy games with the authoritative scrabble-solver engine to build realistic
+// board positions, then records a battery of candidate plays — the engine's own
+// top move, letter-mutated variants, random scatters and (on the empty board) an
+// off-centre translation — each paired with the ground-truth result of
+// ValidatePlayOpts (legal, score, the words formed). The TS conformance test
+// replays these and must agree exactly.
+//
+// It is a development tool (not built into any service), analogous to
+// cmd/dictgen. Run it from the repository root:
+//
+//	go run ./backend/cmd/validategen -dawg-dir ../scrabble-solver/dawg -out <dir>
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"math/rand"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/board"
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/rack"
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/rules"
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/scrabble"
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/selfplay"
+	dawg "github.com/iliadenisov/dafsa"
+)
+
+// blankTile marks a blank tile in a drawn hand (matches selfplay).
+const blankTile byte = 0xff
+
+// variantSpec pairs a variant label with its ruleset and dawg file.
+type variantSpec struct {
+	name  string
+	rules *rules.Ruleset
+	dawg  string
+}
+
+// cell is an occupied board square or a placement (alphabet-index letter).
+type cell struct {
+	R, C, Letter int
+	Blank        bool
+}
+
+// word mirrors scrabble.Word in index space.
+type word struct {
+	Row, Col, Dir int
+	Letters       []int
+	Blanks        []bool
+	Score         int
+}
+
+// fixture is one candidate play with the engine's ground-truth verdict.
+type fixture struct {
+	Board            int    `json:"board"` // index into the boards list
+	Dir              int    `json:"dir"`
+	IgnoreCrossWords bool   `json:"ignoreCrossWords"`
+	Tiles            []cell `json:"tiles"`
+	Legal            bool   `json:"legal"`
+	Score            int    `json:"score"`
+	Bonus            int    `json:"bonus"`
+	Main             *word  `json:"main,omitempty"`
+	Cross            []word `json:"cross,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// alphaEntry mirrors one row of the per-variant alphabet table the server sends the
+// client (index, concrete letter as the ruleset emits it, tile value), so the adapter
+// cross-test can drive the letter-space client path exactly as production does.
+type alphaEntry struct {
+	Index  int    `json:"index"`
+	Letter string `json:"letter"`
+	Value  int    `json:"value"`
+}
+
+// variantFile is the whole conformance payload for one variant.
+type variantFile struct {
+	Variant  string       `json:"variant"`
+	Rows     int          `json:"rows"`
+	Cols     int          `json:"cols"`
+	Center   int          `json:"center"`
+	RackSize int          `json:"rackSize"`
+	Bingo    int          `json:"bingo"`
+	Values   []int        `json:"values"`
+	Premiums []int        `json:"premiums"` // row-major rules.Premium codes
+	Alphabet []alphaEntry `json:"alphabet"`
+	Boards   [][]cell     `json:"boards"`
+	Fixtures []fixture    `json:"fixtures"`
+}
+
+func main() {
+	dawgDir := flag.String("dawg-dir", "../scrabble-solver/dawg", "directory holding the .dawg files")
+	outDir := flag.String("out", "", "output directory for the fixture files (required)")
+	games := flag.Int("games", 6, "self-play games per (variant, rule)")
+	plies := flag.Int("plies", 40, "maximum plies captured per game")
+	flag.Parse()
+	if *outDir == "" {
+		fail("-out is required")
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(*outDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		fail("mkdir out: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	specs := []variantSpec{
+		{"scrabble_en", rules.English(), "en_sowpods.dawg"},
+		{"scrabble_ru", rules.RussianScrabble(), "ru_scrabble.dawg"},
+		{"erudit_ru", rules.Erudit(), "ru_erudit.dawg"},
+	}
+	for _, sp := range specs {
+		if err := generate(sp, *dawgDir, *outDir, *games, *plies); err != nil {
+			fail("%s: %v", sp.name, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func generate(sp variantSpec, dawgDir, outDir string, games, plies int) error {
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(dawgDir, sp.dawg))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	finder, err := dawg.Read(bytes.NewReader(data), 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("read dawg: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer finder.Close()
+
+	rs := sp.rules
+	solver := scrabble.NewSolver(rs, finder)
+
+	out := variantFile{
+		Variant: sp.name, Rows: rs.Rows, Cols: rs.Cols, Center: rs.Center,
+		RackSize: rs.RackSize, Bingo: rs.Bingo, Values: rs.Values,
+		Premiums: premiumCodes(rs), Alphabet: alphabetOf(rs),
+	}
+
+	// Capture under both the standard rule and the single-word rule, building the
+	// board with the same rule so positions are reachable under it.
+	for _, ignore := range []bool{false, true} {
+		opts := scrabble.PlayOptions{IgnoreCrossWords: ignore}
+		for g := range games {
+			seed := int64(g*1000) + boolseed(ignore) + variantSeed(sp.name)
+			playAndCapture(&out, rs, solver, opts, seed, plies)
+		}
+	}
+
+	b, err := json.Marshal(&out)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(outDir, sp.name+".fixtures.json"), b, 0o644); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	fmt.Printf("%-12s boards=%d fixtures=%d\n", sp.name, len(out.Boards), len(out.Fixtures))
+	return nil
+}
+
+// playAndCapture greedily self-plays one game, recording candidate plays against
+// each board position along the way.
+func playAndCapture(out *variantFile, rs *rules.Ruleset, solver *scrabble.Solver, opts scrabble.PlayOptions, seed int64, plies int) {
+	rng := rand.New(rand.NewSource(seed))
+	bag := selfplay.NewBag(rs, seed)
+	b := board.New(rs.Rows, rs.Cols)
+	hands := [2][]byte{bag.Draw(rs.RackSize), bag.Draw(rs.RackSize)}
+
+	passes := 0
+	for turn := range plies {
+		p := turn % 2
+		rk := rackOf(hands[p], rs.Size())
+		moves := solver.GenerateMovesOpts(b, rk, scrabble.Both, opts)
+		if len(moves) == 0 {
+			if passes++; passes >= 4 {
+				break
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+		passes = 0
+		top := moves[0]
+
+		boardIdx := len(out.Boards)
+		out.Boards = append(out.Boards, boardCells(b))
+		captureCandidates(out, rs, solver, opts, b, boardIdx, top, rng)
+
+		scrabble.Apply(b, top)
+		hands[p] = removeUsed(hands[p], top)
+		if need := rs.RackSize - len(hands[p]); need > 0 {
+			hands[p] = append(hands[p], bag.Draw(need)...)
+		}
+		if len(hands[p]) == 0 && bag.Len() == 0 {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// captureCandidates records the engine's top move plus derived candidates for one
+// board, each with its ValidatePlayOpts verdict.
+func captureCandidates(out *variantFile, rs *rules.Ruleset, solver *scrabble.Solver, opts scrabble.PlayOptions, b *board.Board, boardIdx int, top scrabble.Move, rng *rand.Rand) {
+	size := rs.Size()
+	record := func(tiles []scrabble.Placement) {
+		if len(tiles) == 0 {
+			return
+		}
+		out.Fixtures = append(out.Fixtures, makeFixture(solver, opts, b, boardIdx, tiles))
+	}
+
+	// The engine's own top move (legal).
+	record(top.Tiles)
+
+	// Letter-mutated variants: usually reject on the dictionary, occasionally form
+	// a different legal word.
+	for range 3 {
+		mut := clonePlacements(top.Tiles)
+		i := rng.Intn(len(mut))
+		mut[i].Letter = byte((int(mut[i].Letter) + 1 + rng.Intn(size-1)) % size)
+		record(mut)
+	}
+
+	// Random scatters: exercise geometry, dictionary and connectivity paths.
+	for range 3 {
+		record(randomScatter(b, size, 2+rng.Intn(4), rng))
+	}
+
+	// Single tiles abutting the board exercise the direction inference — a single
+	// tile is ambiguous, its orientation resolved from which axis it extends.
+	for range 3 {
+		if t, ok := randomAdjacentSingle(b, size, rng); ok {
+			record([]scrabble.Placement{t})
+		}
+	}
+
+	// On the empty board, an off-centre translation of the first move exercises the
+	// first-move centre rule.
+	if b.IsEmpty() {
+		shifted := clonePlacements(top.Tiles)
+		ok := true
+		for i := range shifted {
+			shifted[i].Row++
+			shifted[i].Col++
+			if !b.InBounds(shifted[i].Row, shifted[i].Col) {
+				ok = false
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		if ok {
+			record(shifted)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// makeFixture validates a candidate against board b and serializes it with its
+// ground truth. Word breakdown is recorded only for legal plays (the TS test
+// checks words only then); an illegal play records legal=false alone.
+func makeFixture(solver *scrabble.Solver, opts scrabble.PlayOptions, b *board.Board, boardIdx int, tiles []scrabble.Placement) fixture {
+	// Infer the orientation exactly as the backend evaluate does (dir-less), so the
+	// fixture matches the real eval path and pins the client's ported inference.
+	dir := playDirectionMirror(solver, b, tiles, opts)
+	fx := fixture{
+		Board:            boardIdx,
+		Dir:              int(dir),
+		IgnoreCrossWords: opts.IgnoreCrossWords,
+		Tiles:            placementCells(tiles),
+	}
+	m, err := solver.ValidatePlayOpts(b, dir, tiles, opts)
+	if err == nil {
+		fx.Legal = true
+		fx.Score = m.Score
+		fx.Bonus = m.Bonus
+		fx.Main = toWord(m.Main)
+		for _, cw := range m.Cross {
+			fx.Cross = append(fx.Cross, *toWord(cw))
+		}
+	}
+	return fx
+}
+
+func placementCells(ts []scrabble.Placement) []cell {
+	cs := make([]cell, len(ts))
+	for i, t := range ts {
+		cs[i] = cell{R: t.Row, C: t.Col, Letter: int(t.Letter), Blank: t.Blank}
+	}
+	return cs
+}
+
+func toWord(w scrabble.Word) *word {
+	letters := make([]int, len(w.Letters))
+	for i, l := range w.Letters {
+		letters[i] = int(l)
+	}
+	return &word{
+		Row: w.Row, Col: w.Col, Dir: int(w.Dir),
+		Letters: letters, Blanks: append([]bool(nil), w.Blanks...), Score: w.Score,
+	}
+}
+
+func alphabetOf(rs *rules.Ruleset) []alphaEntry {
+	n := rs.Alphabet.Size()
+	out := make([]alphaEntry, n)
+	for i := range n {
+		ch, _ := rs.Alphabet.Character(byte(i))
+		out[i] = alphaEntry{Index: i, Letter: ch, Value: rs.Values[i]}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+func premiumCodes(rs *rules.Ruleset) []int {
+	codes := make([]int, rs.Rows*rs.Cols)
+	for i := range codes {
+		codes[i] = int(rs.PremiumAt(i))
+	}
+	return codes
+}
+
+func boardCells(b *board.Board) []cell {
+	var cs []cell
+	for r := 0; r < b.Rows(); r++ {
+		for c := 0; c < b.Cols(); c++ {
+			if b.Filled(r, c) {
+				v := b.At(r, c)
+				cs = append(cs, cell{R: r, C: c, Letter: int(v&0x3f) - 1, Blank: v&0x80 != 0})
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return cs
+}
+
+func clonePlacements(ts []scrabble.Placement) []scrabble.Placement {
+	return append([]scrabble.Placement(nil), ts...)
+}
+
+// randomScatter picks n distinct empty in-bounds squares with random letters.
+func randomScatter(b *board.Board, size, n int, rng *rand.Rand) []scrabble.Placement {
+	seen := map[[2]int]bool{}
+	var ts []scrabble.Placement
+	for tries := 0; tries < n*20 && len(ts) < n; tries++ {
+		r := rng.Intn(b.Rows())
+		c := rng.Intn(b.Cols())
+		if seen[[2]int{r, c}] || b.Filled(r, c) {
+			continue
+		}
+		seen[[2]int{r, c}] = true
+		ts = append(ts, scrabble.Placement{Row: r, Col: c, Letter: byte(rng.Intn(size)), Blank: rng.Intn(10) == 0})
+	}
+	return ts
+}
+
+// randomAdjacentSingle picks a random empty in-bounds square abutting at least one
+// filled square, with a random letter — a single-tile play whose orientation the
+// inference must resolve. It returns ok=false on an empty board.
+func randomAdjacentSingle(b *board.Board, size int, rng *rand.Rand) (scrabble.Placement, bool) {
+	var cands [][2]int
+	for r := 0; r < b.Rows(); r++ {
+		for c := 0; c < b.Cols(); c++ {
+			if b.Filled(r, c) {
+				continue
+			}
+			if b.Filled(r-1, c) || b.Filled(r+1, c) || b.Filled(r, c-1) || b.Filled(r, c+1) {
+				cands = append(cands, [2]int{r, c})
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if len(cands) == 0 {
+		return scrabble.Placement{}, false
+	}
+	rc := cands[rng.Intn(len(cands))]
+	return scrabble.Placement{Row: rc[0], Col: rc[1], Letter: byte(rng.Intn(size)), Blank: rng.Intn(10) == 0}, true
+}
+
+// playDirectionMirror mirrors engine (*Game).playDirection: the geometric
+// resolution, except a single tile under the single-word rule tries both
+// orientations through the solver and keeps the higher-scoring legal one (H wins
+// ties). It reproduces the orientation the backend evaluate infers.
+func playDirectionMirror(solver *scrabble.Solver, b *board.Board, placements []scrabble.Placement, opts scrabble.PlayOptions) scrabble.Direction {
+	geo := resolveDirectionMirror(b, placements)
+	if len(placements) != 1 || !opts.IgnoreCrossWords {
+		return geo
+	}
+	best, found, bestScore := geo, false, 0
+	for _, dir := range [...]scrabble.Direction{scrabble.Horizontal, scrabble.Vertical} {
+		m, err := solver.ValidatePlayOpts(b, dir, placements, opts)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if !found || m.Score > bestScore {
+			best, found, bestScore = dir, true, m.Score
+		}
+	}
+	return best
+}
+
+// resolveDirectionMirror mirrors engine.resolveDirection.
+func resolveDirectionMirror(b *board.Board, placements []scrabble.Placement) scrabble.Direction {
+	if len(placements) >= 2 {
+		row := placements[0].Row
+		for _, p := range placements[1:] {
+			if p.Row != row {
+				return scrabble.Vertical
+			}
+		}
+		return scrabble.Horizontal
+	}
+	if len(placements) == 1 {
+		p := placements[0]
+		h := runLengthMirror(b, p.Row, p.Col, scrabble.Horizontal)
+		v := runLengthMirror(b, p.Row, p.Col, scrabble.Vertical)
+		if v >= 2 && v > h {
+			return scrabble.Vertical
+		}
+		if h >= 2 {
+			return scrabble.Horizontal
+		}
+		if v >= 2 {
+			return scrabble.Vertical
+		}
+	}
+	return scrabble.Horizontal
+}
+
+// runLengthMirror mirrors engine.runLength.
+func runLengthMirror(b *board.Board, row, col int, dir scrabble.Direction) int {
+	dr, dc := 0, 1
+	if dir == scrabble.Vertical {
+		dr, dc = 1, 0
+	}
+	n := 1
+	for r, c := row-dr, col-dc; b.Filled(r, c); r, c = r-dr, c-dc {
+		n++
+	}
+	for r, c := row+dr, col+dc; b.Filled(r, c); r, c = r+dr, c+dc {
+		n++
+	}
+	return n
+}
+
+// rackOf builds a generation rack from a hand of tiles (reimplemented from the
+// unexported selfplay helper).
+func rackOf(tiles []byte, size int) rack.Rack {
+	r := rack.New(size)
+	for _, t := range tiles {
+		if t == blankTile {
+			r.AddBlank()
+		} else {
+			r.Add(t)
+		}
+	}
+	return r
+}
+
+// removeUsed returns the hand with the tiles consumed by m removed.
+func removeUsed(tiles []byte, m scrabble.Move) []byte {
+	out := append([]byte(nil), tiles...)
+	for _, p := range m.Tiles {
+		want := p.Letter
+		if p.Blank {
+			want = blankTile
+		}
+		for i, t := range out {
+			if t == want {
+				out = append(out[:i], out[i+1:]...)
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+func boolseed(b bool) int64 {
+	if b {
+		return 500000
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
+func variantSeed(name string) int64 {
+	var s int64
+	for _, r := range name {
+		s = s*131 + int64(r)
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+func fail(format string, args ...any) {
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "validategen: "+format+"\n", args...)
+	os.Exit(1)
+}
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module scrabble/backend
 go 1.26.3

 require (
-	gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver v1.0.0
+	gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver v1.1.1
 	github.com/XSAM/otelsql v0.42.0
 	github.com/gin-gonic/gin v1.12.0
 	github.com/go-jet/jet/v2 v2.14.1
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/pressly/goose/v3 v3.27.1
 	github.com/testcontainers/testcontainers-go v0.42.0
 	github.com/testcontainers/testcontainers-go/modules/postgres v0.42.0
+	github.com/wneessen/go-mail v0.7.3
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.43.0
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/stdout/stdoutmetric v1.43.0
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/stdout/stdouttrace v1.43.0
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ require (
 	golang.org/x/net v0.53.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/sync v0.20.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.43.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/text v0.36.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/text v0.37.0 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/grpc v1.80.0
 	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
@@ -279,6 +279,8 @@ github.com/twitchyliquid64/golang-asm v0.15.1 h1:SU5vSMR7hnwNxj24w34ZyCi/FmDZTkS
 github.com/twitchyliquid64/golang-asm v0.15.1/go.mod h1:a1lVb/DtPvCB8fslRZhAngC2+aY1QWCk3Cedj/Gdt08=
 github.com/ugorji/go/codec v1.3.1 h1:waO7eEiFDwidsBN6agj1vJQ4AG7lh2yqXyOXqhgQuyY=
 github.com/ugorji/go/codec v1.3.1/go.mod h1:pRBVtBSKl77K30Bv8R2P+cLSGaTtex6fsA2Wjqmfxj4=
+github.com/wneessen/go-mail v0.7.3 h1:g3DravXC5SMlVdboFrQA8Jx95A8sOzoBeS5F+vzNRK0=
+github.com/wneessen/go-mail v0.7.3/go.mod h1:QGhBX0yNbc1J+Mkjcu7z2rpj4B4l+BmDY8gYznPC9sk=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.4.13/go.mod h1:6yULJ656Px+3vBD8DxQVa3kxgyrAnzto9xy5taEt/CY=
 github.com/yusufpapurcu/wmi v1.2.4 h1:zFUKzehAFReQwLys1b/iSMl+JQGSCSjtVqQn9bBrPo0=
 github.com/yusufpapurcu/wmi v1.2.4/go.mod h1:SBZ9tNy3G9/m5Oi98Zks0QjeHVDvuK0qfxQmPyzfmi0=
@@ -400,6 +402,8 @@ golang.org/x/text v0.9.0/go.mod h1:e1OnstbJyHTd6l/uOt8jFFHp6TRDWZR/bV3emEE/zU8=
 golang.org/x/text v0.14.0/go.mod h1:18ZOQIKpY8NJVqYksKHtTdi31H5itFRjB5/qKTNYzSU=
 golang.org/x/text v0.36.0 h1:JfKh3XmcRPqZPKevfXVpI1wXPTqbkE5f7JA92a55Yxg=
 golang.org/x/text v0.36.0/go.mod h1:NIdBknypM8iqVmPiuco0Dh6P5Jcdk8lJL0CUebqK164=
+golang.org/x/text v0.37.0 h1:Cqjiwd9eSg8e0QAkyCaQTNHFIIzWtidPahFWR83rTrc=
+golang.org/x/text v0.37.0/go.mod h1:a5sjxXGs9hsn/AJVwuElvCAo9v8QYLzvavO5z2PiM38=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20180917221912-90fa682c2a6e/go.mod h1:n7NCudcB/nEzxVGmLbDWY5pfWTLqBcC2KZ6jyYvM4mQ=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190311212946-11955173bddd/go.mod h1:LCzVGOaR6xXOjkQ3onu1FJEFr0SW1gC7cKk1uF8kGRs=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190425163242-31fd60d6bfdc/go.mod h1:RgjU9mgBXZiqYHBnxXauZ1Gv1EHHAz9KjViQ78xBX0Q=
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
-	"unicode/utf8"

 	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
 	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/qrm"
@@ -23,12 +22,13 @@ import (
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/table"
 )

-// Identity kinds recognised by the backend. Email is modelled as an identity
-// alongside platform identities; its confirmed flag is driven by the email
-// confirm-code flow in a later stage. Robot is a synthetic kind: each pooled
-// robot opponent is a durable account bound to one robot identity (Stage 5).
+// Identity kinds recognised by the backend. Telegram and VK are platform identities,
+// auto-confirmed on first contact. Email is modelled as an identity alongside them; its
+// confirmed flag is driven by the email confirm-code flow. Robot is a synthetic kind:
+// each pooled robot opponent is a durable account bound to one robot identity.
 const (
 	KindTelegram = "telegram"
+	KindVK       = "vk"
 	KindEmail    = "email"
 	KindRobot    = "robot"
 )
@@ -56,27 +56,32 @@ type Account struct {
 	HintBalance         int
 	BlockChat           bool
 	BlockFriendRequests bool
-	// ServiceLanguage is the language tag (en/ru) of the bot the account last
-	// authenticated through (its last Telegram ValidateInitData); it routes the
-	// account's out-of-app push back through the right bot. Empty when the account
-	// has never signed in through a tagged bot. Distinct from PreferredLanguage (the
-	// interface language) and from a game's variant language.
-	ServiceLanguage string
+	// VariantPreferences is the set of game variants (engine.Variant stable labels:
+	// "scrabble_en", "scrabble_ru", "erudit_ru") the player is willing to be matched
+	// into. It gates the New Game picker, the matchmaker and the friend-invite the
+	// player creates; an invited friend may still accept any variant. A new account
+	// defaults to Erudit only. Never empty — enforced on update and by a DB check.
+	VariantPreferences []string
 	// IsGuest marks an ephemeral guest account: a durable row with no identity,
 	// excluded from statistics, friends and history.
 	IsGuest bool
 	// NotificationsInAppOnly confines notifications to the in-app live stream when
 	// true (the default): the platform side-service skips out-of-app push for the
-	// account (Stage 9).
+	// account.
 	NotificationsInAppOnly bool
 	// PaidAccount marks a lifetime one-time-payment account. It is a service field
 	// (no purchase flow yet); an account linking & merge ORs it so a paid status is
-	// never lost when accounts are consolidated (Stage 11).
+	// never lost when accounts are consolidated.
 	PaidAccount bool
 	// MergedInto is the primary account a retired (merged) secondary points at, or
 	// uuid.Nil for a live account. A tombstone keeps the row so the no-cascade
-	// foreign keys of a shared finished game stay valid (Stage 11).
+	// foreign keys of a shared finished game stay valid.
 	MergedInto uuid.UUID
+	// FlaggedHighRateAt is the soft, reversible "suspected high-rate" marker: the
+	// zero time for an unflagged account, otherwise when the gateway-reported
+	// rate-limiter rejections first crossed the sustained threshold. An
+	// operator clears it in the admin console; it never gates any request.
+	FlaggedHighRateAt time.Time
 	CreatedAt         time.Time
 	UpdatedAt         time.Time
 }
@@ -94,11 +99,16 @@ type Identity struct {
 // Store is the Postgres-backed query surface for accounts and identities.
 type Store struct {
 	db      *sql.DB
+	metrics *accountMetrics
+	// suspensions caches each account's current manual block, read by the suspension gate on
+	// every authenticated request and invalidated on Suspend/LiftSuspension. See suspension.go.
+	suspensions *suspensionCache
 }

-// NewStore constructs a Store wrapping db.
+// NewStore constructs a Store wrapping db. Metrics default to a no-op meter until
+// SetMetrics installs the real one during startup wiring.
 func NewStore(db *sql.DB) *Store {
-	return &Store{db: db}
+	return &Store{db: db, metrics: defaultAccountMetrics(), suspensions: newSuspensionCache()}
 }

 // ProvisionByIdentity returns the account bound to (kind, externalID), creating
@@ -110,13 +120,123 @@ func (s *Store) ProvisionByIdentity(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string
 	return s.provision(ctx, kind, externalID, provisionSeed{})
 }

-// ProvisionTelegram provisions (or finds) the account bound to a Telegram
-// identity. On first contact only, it seeds the new account's preferred language
-// from the Telegram client languageCode (when it maps to a supported language) and
-// its display name from firstName (falling back to username); an already-existing
+// ProvisionEmail returns the account owning the email identity externalID, creating
+// it on first contact with browserTZ — the client's detected "±HH:MM" UTC offset —
+// seeded into its time zone, language seeded from the client's UI language, and its
+// display name seeded from the email's local part (so it is not left nameless). Like
+// ProvisionByIdentity it is race-safe and leaves an existing account untouched, so a
+// returning user's saved zone, language and name are never overwritten. The email account is
+// created here (the code-request step), not at the later login, so this is where its
+// zone and language are seeded. It is created flagged is_guest with an unconfirmed
+// email identity: an abandoned, never-confirmed login is then reaped like any guest,
+// freeing the reserved address, and confirming the code clears the guest flag.
+func (s *Store) ProvisionEmail(ctx context.Context, externalID, browserTZ, language string) (Account, error) {
+	return s.provision(ctx, KindEmail, externalID, provisionSeed{
+		displayName:       emailDisplayName(externalID),
+		timeZone:          seedZone(browserTZ),
+		preferredLanguage: supportedLanguage(language),
+		isGuest:           true,
+	})
+}
+
+// emailDisplayName derives a display name from an email address — the local part
+// before '@', trimmed and capped to the column width — so a new email account is not
+// left nameless. It is only the first-contact seed; the user can rename it later.
+func emailDisplayName(email string) string {
+	local, _, _ := strings.Cut(email, "@")
+	local = strings.TrimSpace(local)
+	if r := []rune(local); len(r) > maxDisplayName {
+		local = strings.TrimRight(string(r[:maxDisplayName]), " ")
+	}
+	return local
+}
+
+// supportedLanguage returns code normalised to a supported UI language ("en" or
+// "ru"), or "" when it maps to neither, so a new account keeps the 'en' default. It
+// accepts region-tagged codes ("ru-RU").
+func supportedLanguage(code string) string {
+	if lang, _, _ := strings.Cut(strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(code)), "-"); lang == "en" || lang == "ru" {
+		return lang
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// ProvisionRobot provisions (or finds) the durable account backing a robot pool
+// member: a KindRobot identity carrying displayName, with chat blocked but friend
+// requests NOT blocked — a request to a robot is accepted as pending and, since the
+// robot never responds, simply expires (friendRequestTTL), exactly mirroring a human
+// who ignores the request. Robot names are system-generated, not player-edited, so they
+// bypass the editable display-name validation and may carry forms the editor rejects (an
+// abbreviated surname like "Peter J."). It is idempotent: repeated calls converge the
+// display name and both block flags.
+func (s *Store) ProvisionRobot(ctx context.Context, externalID, displayName string) (Account, error) {
+	acc, err := s.provision(ctx, KindRobot, externalID, provisionSeed{displayName: displayName})
+	if err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
+	if acc.DisplayName == displayName && acc.BlockChat && !acc.BlockFriendRequests {
+		return acc, nil
+	}
+	stmt := table.Accounts.UPDATE(
+		table.Accounts.DisplayName, table.Accounts.BlockChat,
+		table.Accounts.BlockFriendRequests, table.Accounts.UpdatedAt,
+	).SET(
+		postgres.String(displayName), postgres.Bool(true),
+		postgres.Bool(false), postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC()),
+	).WHERE(table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(acc.ID))).
+		RETURNING(table.Accounts.AllColumns)
+
+	var row model.Accounts
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		return Account{}, fmt.Errorf("account: provision robot %q: %w", externalID, err)
+	}
+	return modelToAccount(row), nil
+}
+
+// ProvisionTelegram provisions (or finds) the account bound to a Telegram identity,
+// reporting whether this call created it (first contact). On first contact only, it
+// seeds the new account's preferred language from the Telegram client languageCode
+// (when it maps to a supported language) and its display name sanitized from firstName
+// (falling back to username, then to a generated placeholder when neither yields any
+// letters); an already-existing account is returned unchanged, so a later profile edit
+// is never overwritten. The created flag lets the auth handler re-evaluate moderated-
+// chat write access on first registration — the path of a user who joined the chat
+// before registering, whom no chat_member event covers.
+func (s *Store) ProvisionTelegram(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode, username, firstName, browserTZ string) (Account, bool, error) {
+	// Pre-check whether the identity already exists so the caller can act on first
+	// contact. A race with a concurrent create only over- or under-reports created for
+	// that one call, which the idempotent chat-access re-evaluation tolerates.
+	_, err := s.findByIdentity(ctx, KindTelegram, externalID)
+	created := errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound)
+	if err != nil && !created {
+		return Account{}, false, err
+	}
+	seed := telegramSeed(languageCode, username, firstName)
+	seed.timeZone = seedZone(browserTZ)
+	acc, err := s.provision(ctx, KindTelegram, externalID, seed)
+	return acc, created, err
+}
+
+// ProvisionVK provisions (or finds) the account bound to a VK identity, reporting
+// whether this call created it (first contact). On first contact only, it seeds the new
+// account's preferred language from the VK languageCode (vk_language, when it maps to a
+// supported language) and its display name sanitized from displayName — the name read
+// client-side via VKWebAppGetUserInfo, since VK omits it from the signed launch params —
+// falling back to a generated placeholder when it yields no letters; an already-existing
 // account is returned unchanged, so a later profile edit is never overwritten.
-func (s *Store) ProvisionTelegram(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode, username, firstName string) (Account, error) {
-	return s.provision(ctx, KindTelegram, externalID, telegramSeed(languageCode, username, firstName))
+func (s *Store) ProvisionVK(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode, displayName, browserTZ string) (Account, bool, error) {
+	// Pre-check whether the identity already exists so the caller can act on first
+	// contact (mirrors ProvisionTelegram); a create race only mis-reports created for
+	// that one call.
+	_, err := s.findByIdentity(ctx, KindVK, externalID)
+	created := errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound)
+	if err != nil && !created {
+		return Account{}, false, err
+	}
+	seed := vkSeed(languageCode, displayName)
+	seed.timeZone = seedZone(browserTZ)
+	acc, err := s.provision(ctx, KindVK, externalID, seed)
+	return acc, created, err
 }

 // provision finds the account for (kind, externalID) or creates it with seed,
@@ -143,29 +263,73 @@ func (s *Store) provision(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string, seed pro
 }

 // provisionSeed carries the optional create-time profile seed for a brand-new
-// account (Telegram first contact). Empty fields fall back to the accounts table
-// defaults, so an unknown language keeps the 'en' default and an empty name keeps
-// the ” default.
+// account (first contact). Empty fields fall back to the accounts table defaults,
+// so an unknown language keeps the 'en' default, an empty name keeps the ” default
+// and an empty time zone keeps the 'UTC' default.
 type provisionSeed struct {
 	preferredLanguage string
 	displayName       string
+	timeZone          string
+	// isGuest creates the account flagged is_guest. It is set for an email-login
+	// account, which stays a guest until the address is confirmed (so an abandoned,
+	// never-confirmed login is reaped and its address freed); confirming clears the
+	// flag. Platform identities (telegram/vk) are durable from creation.
+	isGuest bool
+}
+
+// seedZone returns browserTZ when it is a well-formed zone to persist at account
+// creation (a "±HH:MM" offset or a loadable IANA name), else "" so the new account
+// falls back to the accounts table's 'UTC' default. The client reports the device's
+// detected offset deterministically; a bad value is dropped rather than guessed at.
+func seedZone(browserTZ string) string {
+	if validZone(browserTZ) {
+		return browserTZ
+	}
+	return ""
 }

 // telegramSeed derives the create-time seed from Telegram launch fields: a
 // supported preferred language from languageCode (an ISO-639 code, possibly
-// region-tagged like "ru-RU"), and a display name from firstName or, failing that,
-// username (capped to maxDisplayName runes).
+// region-tagged like "ru-RU"), and a display name. The name precedence is the real
+// name (firstName, sanitized to the editable format) → the @username taken verbatim
+// (already a valid handle, only trimmed and length-capped, never character-stripped)
+// → a generated placeholder in the seeded language (placeholderDisplayName), reached
+// only when firstName has no usable letters and no username is set.
 func telegramSeed(languageCode, username, firstName string) provisionSeed {
 	var seed provisionSeed
 	if lang, _, _ := strings.Cut(strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(languageCode)), "-"); lang == "en" || lang == "ru" {
 		seed.preferredLanguage = lang
 	}
-	name := strings.TrimSpace(firstName)
+	name := sanitizeDisplayName(firstName)
 	if name == "" {
+		// The real name yielded nothing usable: fall back to the @username verbatim
+		// (Telegram guarantees a valid handle), only trimmed and capped to the column
+		// width — never character-stripped like the real name.
 		name = strings.TrimSpace(username)
+		if r := []rune(name); len(r) > maxDisplayName {
+			name = strings.TrimRight(string(r[:maxDisplayName]), " ")
 		}
-	if utf8.RuneCountInString(name) > maxDisplayName {
-		name = string([]rune(name)[:maxDisplayName])
+	}
+	if name == "" {
+		name = placeholderDisplayName(seed.preferredLanguage)
+	}
+	seed.displayName = name
+	return seed
+}
+
+// vkSeed derives the create-time seed from VK launch fields: a supported preferred
+// language from languageCode (vk_language, normally a 2-letter code) and a display name
+// from displayName (sanitized to the editable format), falling back to a generated
+// placeholder in the seeded language when the name yields no usable letters. Unlike
+// telegramSeed there is no @username fallback — VK provides only the name.
+func vkSeed(languageCode, displayName string) provisionSeed {
+	var seed provisionSeed
+	if lang, _, _ := strings.Cut(strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(languageCode)), "-"); lang == "en" || lang == "ru" {
+		seed.preferredLanguage = lang
+	}
+	name := sanitizeDisplayName(displayName)
+	if name == "" {
+		name = placeholderDisplayName(seed.preferredLanguage)
 	}
 	seed.displayName = name
 	return seed
@@ -259,6 +423,14 @@ func (s *Store) CountAccounts(ctx context.Context) (int, error) {
 	return int(dest.Count), nil
 }

+// AccountByIdentity returns the account bound to (kind, externalID), or ErrNotFound
+// when none exists. Unlike ProvisionByIdentity it never creates one: the chat-access
+// resolver uses it to tell a registered Telegram user (eligible to be granted chat
+// write access) from an unregistered one (left muted).
+func (s *Store) AccountByIdentity(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string) (Account, error) {
+	return s.findByIdentity(ctx, kind, externalID)
+}
+
 // findByIdentity joins identities to accounts and returns the matching account,
 // or ErrNotFound.
 func (s *Store) findByIdentity(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string) (Account, error) {
@@ -297,16 +469,22 @@ func (s *Store) create(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string, seed provis

 	var created Account
 	err = withTx(ctx, s.db, func(tx *sql.Tx) error {
-		// Seed the new row's display name and language (Telegram first contact); an
-		// empty seed reproduces the table defaults ('' and 'en') the other callers
-		// relied on, so their behaviour is unchanged.
+		// Seed the new row's display name, language and time zone (first contact); an
+		// empty seed reproduces the table defaults ('', 'en' and 'UTC') the other callers
+		// relied on, so their behaviour is unchanged. time_zone is written explicitly (the
+		// detected offset, or 'UTC' equal to the column default) so a seeded zone lands at
+		// creation while an unseeded one stays UTC.
 		lang := seed.preferredLanguage
 		if lang == "" {
 			lang = "en"
 		}
+		tz := seed.timeZone
+		if tz == "" {
+			tz = "UTC"
+		}
 		insertAccount := table.Accounts.
-			INSERT(table.Accounts.AccountID, table.Accounts.DisplayName, table.Accounts.PreferredLanguage).
-			VALUES(accountID, seed.displayName, lang).
+			INSERT(table.Accounts.AccountID, table.Accounts.DisplayName, table.Accounts.PreferredLanguage, table.Accounts.TimeZone, table.Accounts.IsGuest).
+			VALUES(accountID, seed.displayName, lang, tz, seed.isGuest).
 			RETURNING(table.Accounts.AllColumns)

 		var row model.Accounts
@@ -320,7 +498,7 @@ func (s *Store) create(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string, seed provis
 			table.Identities.Kind,
 			table.Identities.ExternalID,
 			table.Identities.Confirmed,
-		).VALUES(identityID, accountID, kind, externalID, kind == KindTelegram)
+		).VALUES(identityID, accountID, kind, externalID, kind == KindTelegram || kind == KindVK)
 		if _, err := insertIdentity.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -331,6 +509,11 @@ func (s *Store) create(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string, seed provis
 	if err != nil {
 		return Account{}, fmt.Errorf("account: create for identity (%s, %s): %w", kind, externalID, err)
 	}
+	// Count genuinely new durable accounts; robots are a fixed provisioned pool,
+	// not users, so they are excluded.
+	if kind != KindRobot {
+		s.metrics.recordCreated(ctx, kind)
+	}
 	return created, nil
 }

@@ -340,21 +523,28 @@ const guestDisplayName = "Guest"
 // ProvisionGuest creates a fresh ephemeral guest account: a durable row carrying
 // no identity, flagged is_guest, so it can hold a session and a game seat (both
 // foreign-key the accounts table) while being excluded from statistics, friends
-// and history. Guests are not reused — each bootstrap mints a new account.
-func (s *Store) ProvisionGuest(ctx context.Context) (Account, error) {
+// and history. Guests are not reused — each bootstrap mints a new account. browserTZ
+// (the client's detected "±HH:MM" UTC offset) seeds the guest's time zone, falling
+// back to the 'UTC' default when empty or malformed.
+func (s *Store) ProvisionGuest(ctx context.Context, browserTZ string) (Account, error) {
 	accountID, err := uuid.NewV7()
 	if err != nil {
 		return Account{}, fmt.Errorf("account: new guest id: %w", err)
 	}
+	tz := seedZone(browserTZ)
+	if tz == "" {
+		tz = "UTC"
+	}
 	stmt := table.Accounts.
-		INSERT(table.Accounts.AccountID, table.Accounts.DisplayName, table.Accounts.IsGuest).
-		VALUES(accountID, guestDisplayName, true).
+		INSERT(table.Accounts.AccountID, table.Accounts.DisplayName, table.Accounts.IsGuest, table.Accounts.TimeZone).
+		VALUES(accountID, guestDisplayName, true, tz).
 		RETURNING(table.Accounts.AllColumns)

 	var row model.Accounts
 	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
 		return Account{}, fmt.Errorf("account: provision guest: %w", err)
 	}
+	s.metrics.recordCreated(ctx, kindGuest)
 	return modelToAccount(row), nil
 }

@@ -380,22 +570,63 @@ func (s *Store) SpendHint(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (bool, error) {
 	return n > 0, nil
 }

-// SetServiceLanguage records the service language (en/ru) of the bot a Telegram
-// user authenticated through. It is called on every Telegram login — new and
-// existing accounts — so it tracks the bot the user last came through (last-login-
-// wins), and the out-of-app push routes by it. It is a no-op for an empty language
-// (a non-Telegram login carries none) and does not bump updated_at (an infra
-// routing field, not a user profile edit).
-func (s *Store) SetServiceLanguage(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, language string) error {
-	if language == "" {
-		return nil
+// GrantHints adds n hints to the account's wallet and returns the new balance. n must be
+// positive: the additive update can only raise the balance, never lower it, so it enforces the
+// admin console's raise-only rule by construction and stays correct under a concurrent SpendHint.
+// It returns ErrNotFound when no account matches.
+func (s *Store) GrantHints(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, n int) (int, error) {
+	if n <= 0 {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("account: grant hints %s: n must be positive, got %d", id, n)
 	}
 	stmt := table.Accounts.
-		UPDATE(table.Accounts.ServiceLanguage).
-		SET(postgres.String(language)).
+		UPDATE(table.Accounts.HintBalance, table.Accounts.UpdatedAt).
+		SET(table.Accounts.HintBalance.ADD(postgres.Int(int64(n))), postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC())).
+		WHERE(table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id))).
+		RETURNING(table.Accounts.HintBalance)
+
+	var row model.Accounts
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return 0, ErrNotFound
+		}
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("account: grant hints %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	return int(row.HintBalance), nil
+}
+
+// FlagHighRate stamps the soft "suspected high-rate" marker with at, only when
+// the account is not already flagged — the first sustained episode wins, and a
+// re-flag after an operator clear starts a fresh timestamp. An infra marker, not
+// a profile edit, so updated_at is untouched; it never gates any request.
+// It reports whether the flag was newly set.
+func (s *Store) FlagHighRate(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, at time.Time) (bool, error) {
+	stmt := table.Accounts.
+		UPDATE(table.Accounts.FlaggedHighRateAt).
+		SET(postgres.TimestampzT(at.UTC())).
+		WHERE(
+			table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id)).
+				AND(table.Accounts.FlaggedHighRateAt.IS_NULL()),
+		)
+	res, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("account: flag high rate %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	n, err := res.RowsAffected()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("account: flag high rate rows %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	return n > 0, nil
+}
+
+// ClearHighRateFlag removes the high-rate marker — the operator's reversible
+// action in the admin console. Clearing an unflagged account is a no-op.
+func (s *Store) ClearHighRateFlag(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) error {
+	stmt := table.Accounts.
+		UPDATE(table.Accounts.FlaggedHighRateAt).
+		SET(postgres.NULL).
 		WHERE(table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id)))
 	if _, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("account: set service language %s: %w", id, err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: clear high-rate flag %s: %w", id, err)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -406,15 +637,15 @@ func modelToAccount(row model.Accounts) Account {
 	if row.MergedInto != nil {
 		mergedInto = *row.MergedInto
 	}
-	var serviceLanguage string
-	if row.ServiceLanguage != nil {
-		serviceLanguage = *row.ServiceLanguage
+	var flaggedHighRateAt time.Time
+	if row.FlaggedHighRateAt != nil {
+		flaggedHighRateAt = *row.FlaggedHighRateAt
 	}
 	return Account{
 		ID:                     row.AccountID,
 		DisplayName:            row.DisplayName,
 		PreferredLanguage:      row.PreferredLanguage,
-		ServiceLanguage:        serviceLanguage,
+		VariantPreferences:     []string(row.VariantPreferences),
 		TimeZone:               row.TimeZone,
 		AwayStart:              row.AwayStart,
 		AwayEnd:                row.AwayEnd,
@@ -425,6 +656,7 @@ func modelToAccount(row model.Accounts) Account {
 		NotificationsInAppOnly: row.NotificationsInAppOnly,
 		PaidAccount:            row.PaidAccount,
 		MergedInto:             mergedInto,
+		FlaggedHighRateAt:      flaggedHighRateAt,
 		CreatedAt:              row.CreatedAt,
 		UpdatedAt:              row.UpdatedAt,
 	}
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	crand "crypto/rand"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"database/sql"
+	"encoding/base64"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
@@ -26,6 +27,22 @@ const (
 	emailCodeTTL = 15 * time.Minute
 	// emailCodeMaxAttempts caps wrong-code submissions before a code is dead.
 	emailCodeMaxAttempts = 5
+	// linkTokenBytes is the entropy of a confirm deeplink token: 256 bits.
+	linkTokenBytes = 32
+	// emailConfirmPath is the SPA route the one-tap confirm deeplink opens (the token
+	// is appended). The SPA is served under /app/ behind a hash router.
+	emailConfirmPath = "/app/#/confirm/"
+)
+
+// Confirmation purposes recorded on a pending confirm-code row. They select what
+// verifying the code or the deeplink token does: sign in (login), link/confirm the
+// address on the current account (link), or replace the account's confirmed email with
+// a new address (change). Account deletion adds a further purpose in a later stage.
+const (
+	purposeLogin  = "login"
+	purposeLink   = "link"
+	purposeChange = "change"
+	purposeDelete = "delete"
 )

 // Errors returned by the email confirm-code flow.
@@ -33,7 +50,7 @@ var (
 	// ErrInvalidEmail is returned for an unparseable email address.
 	ErrInvalidEmail = errors.New("account: invalid email address")
 	// ErrEmailTaken is returned when the email is already confirmed by another
-	// account; binding it would be a merge, which Stage 11 owns.
+	// account; binding it would be a merge, which the link/merge flow owns.
 	ErrEmailTaken = errors.New("account: email already confirmed by another account")
 	// ErrAlreadyConfirmed is returned when the email is already confirmed by the
 	// requesting account.
@@ -46,23 +63,95 @@ var (
 	ErrTooManyAttempts = errors.New("account: too many confirmation attempts")
 	// ErrCodeMismatch is returned when the submitted code does not match.
 	ErrCodeMismatch = errors.New("account: confirmation code does not match")
+	// ErrTooManyRequests is returned when confirm-code sends to an address are being
+	// requested too frequently (the resend cooldown or the rolling-hour cap).
+	ErrTooManyRequests = errors.New("account: too many code requests")
+	// ErrNoEmail is returned when an email-code step-up is requested for an account that
+	// holds no confirmed email (the caller must use the typed-phrase path instead).
+	ErrNoEmail = errors.New("account: no confirmed email")
 )

 // EmailService runs the email confirm-code flow: it issues a 6-digit code over a
 // Mailer and verifies it, binding a confirmed email identity to the requesting
 // account. Only the SHA-256 hash of a code is stored (never the plaintext),
 // matching the session model. Binding an email already confirmed by a different
-// account is refused (ErrEmailTaken) — merging two accounts is Stage 11 — and
-// using an email as a login is Stage 6, which reuses this mechanism.
+// account is refused (ErrEmailTaken) — merging two accounts is the link/merge flow —
+// and using an email as a login reuses this mechanism.
 type EmailService struct {
 	store   *Store
 	mailer  Mailer
+	baseURL string
+	limiter *SendLimiter
 	now     func() time.Time
 }

-// NewEmailService constructs an EmailService over store, sending via mailer.
-func NewEmailService(store *Store, mailer Mailer) *EmailService {
-	return &EmailService{store: store, mailer: mailer, now: func() time.Time { return time.Now().UTC() }}
+// NewEmailService constructs an EmailService over store, sending via mailer. baseURL
+// is the canonical public origin (scheme + host) used to build the one-tap confirm
+// deeplink and the email footer landing link; an empty baseURL omits the deeplink
+// (development / log mailer).
+func NewEmailService(store *Store, mailer Mailer, baseURL string) *EmailService {
+	return &EmailService{store: store, mailer: mailer, baseURL: baseURL, now: func() time.Time { return time.Now().UTC() }}
+}
+
+// SetSendLimiter installs a per-recipient send throttle. When unset (nil), sends are
+// not throttled — production wires a limiter; tests leave it off.
+func (s *EmailService) SetSendLimiter(l *SendLimiter) { s.limiter = l }
+
+// allowSend reports whether a confirm-code send to email is permitted now, recording
+// it when so. A nil limiter permits every send.
+func (s *EmailService) allowSend(email string) bool {
+	return s.limiter == nil || s.limiter.Allow(email)
+}
+
+// issueCode generates a fresh confirm-code and one-tap deeplink token for (accountID,
+// email), replaces any prior pending confirmation, and mails the branded code in
+// locale; purpose selects the email wording and what verifying does. Only the SHA-256
+// hashes of the code and token are stored.
+func (s *EmailService) issueCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, email, purpose, locale string) error {
+	code, codeHash, err := generateCode()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	token, tokenHash, err := generateLinkToken()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := s.store.replacePendingConfirmation(ctx, accountID, email, codeHash, tokenHash, purpose, s.now().Add(emailCodeTTL)); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	// Account deletion is never a one-tap link (a prefetch or a stray click must not delete
+	// an account): the delete code is entered in the app only, so the email omits the
+	// deeplink and ConfirmByToken refuses a delete token.
+	deeplink := s.confirmURL(token, locale)
+	if purpose == purposeDelete {
+		deeplink = ""
+	}
+	msg, err := renderConfirmationEmail(purpose, code, deeplink, s.baseURL, locale)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	msg.To = email
+	return s.mailer.Send(ctx, msg)
+}
+
+// confirmURL builds the absolute one-tap confirm deeplink for token in locale, or ""
+// when no public base URL is configured. The locale rides the fragment as ?lang so the
+// confirm screen (opened in a browser with no session) renders in the email's language.
+func (s *EmailService) confirmURL(token, locale string) string {
+	if s.baseURL == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return strings.TrimRight(s.baseURL, "/") + emailConfirmPath + token + "?lang=" + normalizeLocale(locale)
+}
+
+// accountLocale returns the account's preferred UI language for localising email,
+// defaulting to "en" when the account cannot be loaded.
+func (s *EmailService) accountLocale(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) string {
+	acc, err := s.store.GetByID(ctx, accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "en"
+	}
+	return acc.PreferredLanguage
 }

 // RequestCode issues a fresh confirm-code for email to accountID and mails it,
@@ -73,6 +162,9 @@ func (s *EmailService) RequestCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, ema
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	if !s.allowSend(addr) {
+		return ErrTooManyRequests
+	}
 	owner, ok, err := s.store.confirmedEmailAccount(ctx, addr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -83,16 +175,7 @@ func (s *EmailService) RequestCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, ema
 		}
 		return ErrEmailTaken
 	}
-	code, hash, err := generateCode()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	if err := s.store.replacePendingConfirmation(ctx, accountID, addr, hash, s.now().Add(emailCodeTTL)); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	subject := "Your Scrabble confirmation code"
-	body := fmt.Sprintf("Your confirmation code is %s. It expires in %d minutes.", code, int(emailCodeTTL/time.Minute))
-	return s.mailer.Send(ctx, addr, subject, body)
+	return s.issueCode(ctx, accountID, addr, purposeLink, s.accountLocale(ctx, accountID))
 }

 // ConfirmCode verifies code for accountID and email. On success it attaches a
@@ -123,34 +206,35 @@ func (s *EmailService) ConfirmCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, ema
 	if err := s.store.confirmEmailIdentity(ctx, conf.id, accountID, addr, s.now()); err != nil {
 		return Account{}, err
 	}
+	// Binding the first confirmed email promotes a guest to a durable account, matching the
+	// link and deeplink flows (defence-in-depth: no confirmed-email path leaves is_guest set).
+	if err := s.store.ClearGuest(ctx, accountID); err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
 	return s.store.GetByID(ctx, accountID)
 }

 // RequestLoginCode issues a login confirm-code to the account that owns email,
-// provisioning a fresh (unconfirmed) durable account when the email is new. It is
-// the unauthenticated email-login entry point (Stage 6) and, unlike RequestCode,
-// does not refuse an already-confirmed email — that is the ordinary returning-user
-// login. The code is mailed to the address, so only its real owner can complete
-// the login. It returns the target account id for the subsequent LoginWithCode.
-func (s *EmailService) RequestLoginCode(ctx context.Context, email string) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+// provisioning a fresh (unconfirmed) guest account when the email is new — it becomes
+// durable once the code is confirmed. It is the unauthenticated email-login entry
+// point and, unlike RequestCode, does not refuse an already-confirmed email — that is
+// the ordinary returning-user login. The code is mailed to the address, so only its
+// real owner can complete the login. On first contact browserTZ (the client's
+// detected "±HH:MM" UTC offset) seeds the new account's time zone and language its UI
+// language. It returns the target account id for the subsequent LoginWithCode.
+func (s *EmailService) RequestLoginCode(ctx context.Context, email, browserTZ, language string) (uuid.UUID, error) {
 	addr, err := normalizeEmail(email)
 	if err != nil {
 		return uuid.UUID{}, err
 	}
-	acc, err := s.store.ProvisionByIdentity(ctx, KindEmail, addr)
+	if !s.allowSend(addr) {
+		return uuid.UUID{}, ErrTooManyRequests
+	}
+	acc, err := s.store.ProvisionEmail(ctx, addr, browserTZ, language)
 	if err != nil {
 		return uuid.UUID{}, err
 	}
-	code, hash, err := generateCode()
-	if err != nil {
-		return uuid.UUID{}, err
-	}
-	if err := s.store.replacePendingConfirmation(ctx, acc.ID, addr, hash, s.now().Add(emailCodeTTL)); err != nil {
-		return uuid.UUID{}, err
-	}
-	subject := "Your Scrabble login code"
-	body := fmt.Sprintf("Your login code is %s. It expires in %d minutes.", code, int(emailCodeTTL/time.Minute))
-	if err := s.mailer.Send(ctx, addr, subject, body); err != nil {
+	if err := s.issueCode(ctx, acc.ID, addr, purposeLogin, language); err != nil {
 		return uuid.UUID{}, err
 	}
 	return acc.ID, nil
@@ -189,9 +273,104 @@ func (s *EmailService) LoginWithCode(ctx context.Context, email, code string) (A
 	if err := s.store.confirmEmailLogin(ctx, conf.id, acc.ID, addr, s.now()); err != nil {
 		return Account{}, err
 	}
+	if err := s.store.ClearGuest(ctx, acc.ID); err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
 	return s.store.GetByID(ctx, acc.ID)
 }

+// LinkConfirmation is the outcome of confirming a one-tap deeplink token: what the
+// transport layer must finish. Purpose is the pending row's purpose. For a login,
+// Account is the account to sign in. For a link, Account is the account the email was
+// (or would be) attached to; NeedsMerge is set when another account (MergeOwner)
+// already owns the address, so the caller drives the interactive merge instead of a
+// plain link — the token is left unconsumed for that merge step.
+type LinkConfirmation struct {
+	Purpose    string
+	Account    uuid.UUID
+	NeedsMerge bool
+	MergeOwner uuid.UUID
+}
+
+// IsLogin reports whether the confirmation is a login (the caller mints a session)
+// rather than a link (attach the identity, or drive a merge).
+func (r LinkConfirmation) IsLogin() bool { return r.Purpose == purposeLogin }
+
+// ConfirmByToken verifies a one-tap deeplink token and performs its purpose. A login
+// confirms the email identity, clears the guest flag and returns the account to sign
+// in. A link attaches the confirmed email to the pending account when the address is
+// free, or reports NeedsMerge when another account already owns it (leaving the token
+// live so the caller's merge step can re-verify). It returns ErrNoPendingCode when the
+// token matches no live confirmation and ErrCodeExpired when it has lapsed. The token
+// is high-entropy, so there is no wrong-attempt counter.
+func (s *EmailService) ConfirmByToken(ctx context.Context, token string) (LinkConfirmation, error) {
+	pend, err := s.store.pendingByTokenHash(ctx, hashCode(token))
+	if err != nil {
+		return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+	}
+	if s.now().After(pend.expiresAt) {
+		return LinkConfirmation{}, ErrCodeExpired
+	}
+	switch pend.purpose {
+	case purposeLogin:
+		if err := s.store.confirmEmailLogin(ctx, pend.id, pend.accountID, pend.email, s.now()); err != nil {
+			return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+		}
+		if err := s.store.ClearGuest(ctx, pend.accountID); err != nil {
+			return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+		}
+		return LinkConfirmation{Purpose: purposeLogin, Account: pend.accountID}, nil
+	case purposeLink:
+		owner, ok, err := s.store.confirmedEmailAccount(ctx, pend.email)
+		if err != nil {
+			return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+		}
+		if ok {
+			if owner == pend.accountID {
+				if err := s.store.consumeConfirmation(ctx, pend.id, s.now()); err != nil {
+					return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+				}
+				return LinkConfirmation{Purpose: purposeLink, Account: pend.accountID}, nil
+			}
+			return LinkConfirmation{Purpose: purposeLink, Account: pend.accountID, NeedsMerge: true, MergeOwner: owner}, nil
+		}
+		if err := s.store.confirmEmailIdentity(ctx, pend.id, pend.accountID, pend.email, s.now()); err != nil {
+			return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+		}
+		// Binding the first email promotes a guest to a durable account, matching the
+		// code-based link flow (which clears the guest flag in the link service).
+		if err := s.store.ClearGuest(ctx, pend.accountID); err != nil {
+			return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+		}
+		return LinkConfirmation{Purpose: purposeLink, Account: pend.accountID}, nil
+	case purposeChange:
+		owner, ok, err := s.store.confirmedEmailAccount(ctx, pend.email)
+		if err != nil {
+			return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+		}
+		if ok && owner != pend.accountID {
+			// The new address is confirmed by a different account: refuse without
+			// disclosing it (anti-enumeration). Unlike a link, a change never merges.
+			return LinkConfirmation{}, ErrEmailTaken
+		}
+		if ok && owner == pend.accountID {
+			if err := s.store.consumeConfirmation(ctx, pend.id, s.now()); err != nil {
+				return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+			}
+			return LinkConfirmation{Purpose: purposeChange, Account: pend.accountID}, nil
+		}
+		if err := s.store.replaceEmailIdentity(ctx, pend.id, pend.accountID, pend.email, s.now()); err != nil {
+			return LinkConfirmation{}, err
+		}
+		return LinkConfirmation{Purpose: purposeChange, Account: pend.accountID}, nil
+	case purposeDelete:
+		// Deletion is confirmed in the app with the code, never via a one-tap link.
+		return LinkConfirmation{}, fmt.Errorf("account: deletion cannot be confirmed by link")
+	default:
+		return LinkConfirmation{}, fmt.Errorf("account: unsupported confirmation purpose %q", pend.purpose)
+	}
+}
+
 // emailConfirmation is a pending confirm-code row in domain form.
 type emailConfirmation struct {
 	id        uuid.UUID
@@ -220,9 +399,30 @@ func (s *Store) confirmedEmailAccount(ctx context.Context, email string) (uuid.U
 	return row.AccountID, true, nil
 }

+// confirmedEmailOf returns the account's confirmed email address and true, or ("", false)
+// when it holds none. It backs the deletion step-up, which mails a code to the account's
+// own address.
+func (s *Store) confirmedEmailOf(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) (string, bool, error) {
+	stmt := postgres.SELECT(table.Identities.ExternalID).
+		FROM(table.Identities).
+		WHERE(
+			table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)).
+				AND(table.Identities.Kind.EQ(postgres.String(KindEmail))).
+				AND(table.Identities.Confirmed.EQ(postgres.Bool(true))),
+		).LIMIT(1)
+	var row model.Identities
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return "", false, nil
+		}
+		return "", false, fmt.Errorf("account: confirmed email of %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	return row.ExternalID, true, nil
+}
+
 // replacePendingConfirmation clears any pending code for (accountID, email) and
 // inserts a fresh one, inside one transaction.
-func (s *Store) replacePendingConfirmation(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, email, codeHash string, expiresAt time.Time) error {
+func (s *Store) replacePendingConfirmation(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, email, codeHash, linkTokenHash, purpose string, expiresAt time.Time) error {
 	id, err := uuid.NewV7()
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("account: new confirmation id: %w", err)
@@ -239,7 +439,8 @@ func (s *Store) replacePendingConfirmation(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.U
 		ins := table.EmailConfirmations.INSERT(
 			table.EmailConfirmations.ConfirmationID, table.EmailConfirmations.AccountID,
 			table.EmailConfirmations.Email, table.EmailConfirmations.CodeHash, table.EmailConfirmations.ExpiresAt,
-		).VALUES(id, accountID, email, codeHash, expiresAt)
+			table.EmailConfirmations.LinkTokenHash, table.EmailConfirmations.Purpose,
+		).VALUES(id, accountID, email, codeHash, expiresAt, linkTokenHash, purpose)
 		if _, err := ins.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("insert confirmation: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -272,6 +473,54 @@ func (s *Store) latestPendingConfirmation(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UU
 	}, nil
 }

+// pendingConfirmation is a pending confirm-code row loaded by its deeplink token, in
+// domain form.
+type pendingConfirmation struct {
+	id        uuid.UUID
+	accountID uuid.UUID
+	email     string
+	purpose   string
+	expiresAt time.Time
+}
+
+// pendingByTokenHash loads the unconsumed confirmation whose deeplink token hashes to
+// tokenHash, or ErrNoPendingCode. The high-entropy token needs no attempt counter, so
+// a partial-unique index guarantees at most one match.
+func (s *Store) pendingByTokenHash(ctx context.Context, tokenHash string) (pendingConfirmation, error) {
+	stmt := postgres.SELECT(table.EmailConfirmations.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.EmailConfirmations).
+		WHERE(
+			table.EmailConfirmations.LinkTokenHash.EQ(postgres.String(tokenHash)).
+				AND(table.EmailConfirmations.ConsumedAt.IS_NULL()),
+		).LIMIT(1)
+	var row model.EmailConfirmations
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return pendingConfirmation{}, ErrNoPendingCode
+		}
+		return pendingConfirmation{}, fmt.Errorf("account: load confirmation by token: %w", err)
+	}
+	return pendingConfirmation{
+		id:        row.ConfirmationID,
+		accountID: row.AccountID,
+		email:     row.Email,
+		purpose:   row.Purpose,
+		expiresAt: row.ExpiresAt,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// consumeConfirmation marks a confirmation consumed without writing an identity, used
+// for the idempotent already-linked deeplink path.
+func (s *Store) consumeConfirmation(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, now time.Time) error {
+	upd := table.EmailConfirmations.UPDATE(table.EmailConfirmations.ConsumedAt).
+		SET(postgres.TimestampzT(now)).
+		WHERE(table.EmailConfirmations.ConfirmationID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id)))
+	if _, err := upd.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: consume confirmation: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // bumpConfirmationAttempts increments a code's wrong-attempt counter by one.
 func (s *Store) bumpConfirmationAttempts(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) error {
 	stmt := table.EmailConfirmations.
@@ -318,6 +567,69 @@ func (s *Store) confirmEmailIdentity(ctx context.Context, confirmationID, accoun
 	return nil
 }

+// replaceEmailIdentity consumes the confirmation, deletes the account's existing email
+// identity (freeing the old address) and inserts newEmail as its confirmed email, inside
+// one transaction. It backs the change-email flow. A unique-constraint violation — the
+// new address was confirmed elsewhere in the meantime — surfaces as ErrEmailTaken. When
+// the account holds no email identity yet the delete is a no-op, so this doubles as an
+// attach.
+func (s *Store) replaceEmailIdentity(ctx context.Context, confirmationID, accountID uuid.UUID, newEmail string, now time.Time) error {
+	identityID, err := uuid.NewV7()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: new identity id: %w", err)
+	}
+	err = withTx(ctx, s.db, func(tx *sql.Tx) error {
+		upd := table.EmailConfirmations.
+			UPDATE(table.EmailConfirmations.ConsumedAt).
+			SET(postgres.TimestampzT(now)).
+			WHERE(table.EmailConfirmations.ConfirmationID.EQ(postgres.UUID(confirmationID)))
+		if _, err := upd.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("consume confirmation: %w", err)
+		}
+		// Journal the outgoing email before replacing it, so the legal dossier keeps the
+		// address the account used to hold (see retention.go).
+		var old model.Identities
+		sel := postgres.SELECT(
+			table.Identities.ExternalID, table.Identities.Confirmed, table.Identities.CreatedAt,
+		).FROM(table.Identities).WHERE(
+			table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)).
+				AND(table.Identities.Kind.EQ(postgres.String(KindEmail))),
+		).LIMIT(1)
+		switch err := sel.QueryContext(ctx, tx, &old); {
+		case err == nil:
+			if err := retainIdentityTx(ctx, tx, accountID, KindEmail, old.ExternalID, old.Confirmed, old.CreatedAt, retainChange); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		case errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows):
+			// No prior email (this doubles as an attach); nothing to retain.
+		default:
+			return fmt.Errorf("load outgoing email identity: %w", err)
+		}
+		del := table.Identities.DELETE().WHERE(
+			table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)).
+				AND(table.Identities.Kind.EQ(postgres.String(KindEmail))),
+		)
+		if _, err := del.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("delete old email identity: %w", err)
+		}
+		ins := table.Identities.INSERT(
+			table.Identities.IdentityID, table.Identities.AccountID, table.Identities.Kind,
+			table.Identities.ExternalID, table.Identities.Confirmed,
+		).VALUES(identityID, accountID, KindEmail, newEmail, true)
+		if _, err := ins.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		if isUniqueViolation(err) {
+			return ErrEmailTaken
+		}
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: replace email identity: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // confirmEmailLogin consumes the login code and marks the existing email
 // identity confirmed, inside one transaction. The identity already exists (a
 // login provisioned it), so this updates rather than inserts and is idempotent
@@ -365,6 +677,18 @@ func generateCode() (code, hash string, err error) {
 	return code, hashCode(code), nil
 }

+// generateLinkToken returns a fresh opaque one-tap confirm deeplink token (URL-safe
+// base64, 256-bit) and its hex SHA-256 hash. Only the hash is stored; the token
+// travels only in the emailed link, mirroring the session-token model.
+func generateLinkToken() (token, hash string, err error) {
+	buf := make([]byte, linkTokenBytes)
+	if _, err := crand.Read(buf); err != nil {
+		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("account: generate link token: %w", err)
+	}
+	token = base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString(buf)
+	return token, hashCode(token), nil
+}
+
 // hashCode returns the hex-encoded SHA-256 of a confirm-code.
 func hashCode(code string) string {
 	sum := sha256.Sum256([]byte(code))
@@ -0,0 +1,239 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"html/template"
+	"strings"
+	tmpltext "text/template"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// emailBrandColor is the single accent used in the confirmation email — a calm
+// tile green, matching the "no riot of colours" brief.
+const emailBrandColor = "#2f7d4f"
+
+// confirmEmailView is the fully-localised data the confirmation email templates
+// render. Every string is resolved before rendering, so the templates carry no
+// localisation logic.
+type confirmEmailView struct {
+	Brand        string
+	Heading      string
+	Intro        string
+	Code         string
+	Expiry       string
+	CTALabel     string
+	DeeplinkURL  string
+	FooterIgnore string
+	LandingURL   string
+	LandingLabel string
+	Preheader    string
+	Locale       string
+	Accent       string
+}
+
+// emailCopy is the purpose- and locale-specific wording of a confirmation email.
+type emailCopy struct {
+	Subject      string
+	Preheader    string
+	Heading      string
+	Intro        string
+	CTALabel     string
+	FooterIgnore string
+}
+
+// confirmEmailCopy holds the wording per (purpose, locale). Unknown purposes fall
+// back to the neutral link wording and unknown locales fall back to English.
+var confirmEmailCopy = map[string]map[string]emailCopy{
+	purposeLogin: {
+		"en": {
+			Subject:      "Your Erudit sign-in code",
+			Preheader:    "Your sign-in code",
+			Heading:      "Sign in to Erudit",
+			Intro:        "Enter this code to sign in:",
+			CTALabel:     "Sign in with one tap",
+			FooterIgnore: "If you didn't request this email, you can safely ignore it.",
+		},
+		"ru": {
+			Subject:      "Код для входа в Эрудит",
+			Preheader:    "Ваш код для входа",
+			Heading:      "Вход в Эрудит",
+			Intro:        "Введите этот код, чтобы войти в игру:",
+			CTALabel:     "Войти одним нажатием",
+			FooterIgnore: "Если вы не запрашивали это письмо, просто проигнорируйте его.",
+		},
+	},
+	purposeLink: {
+		"en": {
+			Subject:      "Your Erudit confirmation code",
+			Preheader:    "Your confirmation code",
+			Heading:      "Confirm your e-mail",
+			Intro:        "Enter this code to confirm your address:",
+			CTALabel:     "Confirm with one tap",
+			FooterIgnore: "If you didn't request this email, you can safely ignore it.",
+		},
+		"ru": {
+			Subject:      "Код подтверждения Эрудит",
+			Preheader:    "Ваш код подтверждения",
+			Heading:      "Подтверждение e-mail",
+			Intro:        "Введите этот код, чтобы подтвердить адрес:",
+			CTALabel:     "Подтвердить одним нажатием",
+			FooterIgnore: "Если вы не запрашивали это письмо, просто проигнорируйте его.",
+		},
+	},
+	purposeChange: {
+		"en": {
+			Subject:      "Confirm your new Erudit e-mail",
+			Preheader:    "Confirm your new address",
+			Heading:      "Confirm your new e-mail",
+			Intro:        "Enter this code to switch your account to this address:",
+			CTALabel:     "Confirm with one tap",
+			FooterIgnore: "If you didn't request this change, you can safely ignore it — your address stays the same.",
+		},
+		"ru": {
+			Subject:      "Подтвердите новый e-mail в Эрудит",
+			Preheader:    "Подтвердите новый адрес",
+			Heading:      "Смена e-mail",
+			Intro:        "Введите этот код, чтобы привязать аккаунт к новому адресу:",
+			CTALabel:     "Подтвердить одним нажатием",
+			FooterIgnore: "Если вы не запрашивали смену, просто проигнорируйте письмо — адрес останется прежним.",
+		},
+	},
+	purposeDelete: {
+		"en": {
+			Subject:      "Confirm your Erudit account deletion",
+			Preheader:    "Confirm account deletion",
+			Heading:      "Delete your account",
+			Intro:        "Enter this code in the app to permanently delete your account:",
+			CTALabel:     "",
+			FooterIgnore: "If you didn't request this, ignore it — your account stays as it is.",
+		},
+		"ru": {
+			Subject:      "Подтвердите удаление аккаунта Эрудит",
+			Preheader:    "Подтверждение удаления аккаунта",
+			Heading:      "Удаление аккаунта",
+			Intro:        "Введите этот код в приложении, чтобы удалить аккаунт без восстановления:",
+			CTALabel:     "",
+			FooterIgnore: "Если вы не запрашивали удаление, проигнорируйте письмо — аккаунт останется.",
+		},
+	},
+}
+
+// emailBrand is the brand wordmark per locale.
+var emailBrand = map[string]string{"en": "Erudit", "ru": "Эрудит"}
+
+// emailExpiry formats the code-lifetime line per locale (abbreviated minutes to
+// avoid plural agreement).
+func emailExpiry(locale string, d time.Duration) string {
+	min := int(d / time.Minute)
+	if locale == "ru" {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("Код действует %d мин.", min)
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("The code is valid for %d minutes.", min)
+}
+
+// normalizeLocale maps an account language to a supported email locale, defaulting
+// to English.
+func normalizeLocale(locale string) string {
+	if locale == "ru" {
+		return "ru"
+	}
+	return "en"
+}
+
+// renderConfirmationEmail builds the branded confirmation email for purpose in
+// locale: a large readable code plus a one-tap deeplink button, with an
+// ignore-notice footer and a landing link. Both a plain-text body and an HTML
+// alternative are produced. deeplinkURL is the absolute /confirm link and
+// landingURL the public landing origin.
+func renderConfirmationEmail(purpose, code, deeplinkURL, landingURL, locale string) (Message, error) {
+	loc := normalizeLocale(locale)
+	byLocale, ok := confirmEmailCopy[purpose]
+	if !ok {
+		byLocale = confirmEmailCopy[purposeLink]
+	}
+	cp := byLocale[loc]
+	view := confirmEmailView{
+		Brand:        emailBrand[loc],
+		Heading:      cp.Heading,
+		Intro:        cp.Intro,
+		Code:         code,
+		Expiry:       emailExpiry(loc, emailCodeTTL),
+		CTALabel:     cp.CTALabel,
+		DeeplinkURL:  deeplinkURL,
+		FooterIgnore: cp.FooterIgnore,
+		LandingURL:   landingURL,
+		LandingLabel: emailBrand[loc],
+		Preheader:    cp.Preheader,
+		Locale:       loc,
+		Accent:       emailBrandColor,
+	}
+	var html strings.Builder
+	if err := confirmEmailHTML.Execute(&html, view); err != nil {
+		return Message{}, fmt.Errorf("account: render confirmation email (html): %w", err)
+	}
+	var text strings.Builder
+	if err := confirmEmailText.Execute(&text, view); err != nil {
+		return Message{}, fmt.Errorf("account: render confirmation email (text): %w", err)
+	}
+	return Message{Subject: cp.Subject, Text: text.String(), HTML: html.String()}, nil
+}
+
+// confirmEmailHTML is a compact, image-free, mobile-friendly HTML email. Layout is
+// table-based for broad mail-client compatibility and all styling is inlined
+// because clients strip <style> blocks.
+var confirmEmailHTML = template.Must(template.New("confirmEmailHTML").Parse(`<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="{{.Locale}}">
+<head>
+<meta charset="utf-8">
+<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
+<title>{{.Brand}}</title>
+</head>
+<body style="margin:0;padding:0;background:#f4f5f7;">
+<span style="display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden;opacity:0;">{{.Preheader}}</span>
+<table role="presentation" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:#f4f5f7;padding:24px 12px;">
+<tr><td align="center">
+<table role="presentation" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width:460px;background:#ffffff;border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:14px;overflow:hidden;font-family:-apple-system,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
+<tr><td style="padding:28px 32px 4px;">
+<div style="font-size:15px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.04em;color:{{.Accent}};">{{.Brand}}</div>
+</td></tr>
+<tr><td style="padding:8px 32px 0;">
+<h1 style="margin:0;font-size:20px;line-height:1.3;color:#111827;font-weight:600;">{{.Heading}}</h1>
+<p style="margin:12px 0 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5;color:#374151;">{{.Intro}}</p>
+</td></tr>
+<tr><td style="padding:18px 32px 0;">
+<div style="font-size:34px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:8px;text-align:center;color:#111827;background:#f3f4f6;border-radius:10px;padding:18px 0;font-family:'SFMono-Regular',Consolas,Menlo,monospace;">{{.Code}}</div>
+<p style="margin:10px 0 0;font-size:13px;line-height:1.5;color:#6b7280;text-align:center;">{{.Expiry}}</p>
+</td></tr>
+{{if .DeeplinkURL}}<tr><td style="padding:22px 32px 0;" align="center">
+<a href="{{.DeeplinkURL}}" style="display:inline-block;background:{{.Accent}};color:#ffffff;text-decoration:none;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;padding:12px 26px;border-radius:9px;">{{.CTALabel}}</a>
+</td></tr>
+{{end}}<tr><td style="padding:26px 32px 28px;">
+<hr style="border:none;border-top:1px solid #eceef1;margin:0 0 16px;">
+<p style="margin:0;font-size:12px;line-height:1.6;color:#9ca3af;">{{.FooterIgnore}}</p>
+<p style="margin:10px 0 0;font-size:12px;color:#9ca3af;"><a href="{{.LandingURL}}" style="color:#6b7280;text-decoration:none;">{{.LandingLabel}}</a></p>
+</td></tr>
+</table>
+</td></tr>
+</table>
+</body>
+</html>
+`))
+
+// confirmEmailText is the plain-text alternative (and multipart fallback).
+var confirmEmailText = tmpltext.Must(tmpltext.New("confirmEmailText").Parse(`{{.Brand}}
+
+{{.Heading}}
+
+{{.Intro}}
+
+    {{.Code}}
+
+{{.Expiry}}
+
+{{if .DeeplinkURL}}{{.CTALabel}}:
+{{.DeeplinkURL}}
+
+{{end}}—
+{{.FooterIgnore}}
+{{.LandingLabel}} — {{.LandingURL}}
+`))
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestRenderConfirmationEmail checks that each (purpose, locale) renders a localised
+// subject, embeds the code and the one-tap deeplink in both bodies, and produces HTML.
+func TestRenderConfirmationEmail(t *testing.T) {
+	const deeplink = "https://erudit-game.ru/app/#/confirm/tok123"
+	cases := []struct {
+		name, purpose, locale, subjectSub string
+	}{
+		{"login ru", purposeLogin, "ru", "вход"},
+		{"login en", purposeLogin, "en", "sign-in"},
+		{"link ru", purposeLink, "ru", "подтвержд"},
+		{"link en", purposeLink, "en", "confirmation"},
+		{"change ru", purposeChange, "ru", "новый"},
+		{"change en", purposeChange, "en", "new"},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		t.Run(c.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			msg, err := renderConfirmationEmail(c.purpose, "123456", deeplink, "https://erudit-game.ru", c.locale)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("render: %v", err)
+			}
+			if !strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(msg.Subject), c.subjectSub) {
+				t.Errorf("subject %q does not contain %q", msg.Subject, c.subjectSub)
+			}
+			if !strings.Contains(msg.Text, "123456") || !strings.Contains(msg.HTML, "123456") {
+				t.Error("code missing from a body")
+			}
+			if !strings.Contains(msg.Text, deeplink) || !strings.Contains(msg.HTML, "confirm/tok123") {
+				t.Error("deeplink missing from a body")
+			}
+			if !strings.Contains(msg.HTML, "<html") {
+				t.Error("HTML body is not HTML")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRenderConfirmationEmailUnknownLocaleDefaultsEnglish falls back to English for an
+// unsupported locale rather than erroring or emitting an empty subject.
+func TestRenderConfirmationEmailUnknownLocaleDefaultsEnglish(t *testing.T) {
+	msg, err := renderConfirmationEmail(purposeLogin, "000000", "", "https://erudit-game.ru", "de")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("render: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(msg.Subject), "sign-in") {
+		t.Errorf("unknown locale should default to English, got subject %q", msg.Subject)
+	}
+}
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package account

 import (
 	"context"
+	"database/sql"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"time"
@@ -13,29 +14,85 @@ import (
 )

 // ErrIdentityTaken is returned when a platform identity being linked already
-// belongs to another account; the caller turns it into a merge (Stage 11).
+// belongs to another account; the caller turns it into a merge.
 var ErrIdentityTaken = errors.New("account: identity already linked to another account")

+// ErrLastIdentity is returned when removing an identity would leave the account with
+// none, making it unreachable after logout. The admin email-erase refuses it.
+var ErrLastIdentity = errors.New("account: cannot remove the last identity")
+
+// RemoveIdentity deletes the account's identity of the given kind (and, for an email,
+// any pending confirmations for it), freeing it for reuse. It refuses when that is the
+// account's only identity (ErrLastIdentity) — which would leave the account
+// unreachable — and returns ErrNotFound when the account has no identity of that kind.
+// It backs the profile Unlink control and the admin "erase email" action.
+func (s *Store) RemoveIdentity(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, kind string) error {
+	ids, err := s.Identities(ctx, accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	var toRetain []Identity
+	others := 0
+	for _, id := range ids {
+		if id.Kind == kind {
+			toRetain = append(toRetain, id)
+		} else {
+			others++
+		}
+	}
+	if len(toRetain) == 0 {
+		return ErrNotFound
+	}
+	if others == 0 {
+		return ErrLastIdentity
+	}
+	return withTx(ctx, s.db, func(tx *sql.Tx) error {
+		// Journal the detached credential before removing it, so the legal dossier
+		// survives while the identity frees for reuse (see retention.go).
+		for _, id := range toRetain {
+			if err := retainIdentityTx(ctx, tx, accountID, id.Kind, id.ExternalID, id.Confirmed, id.CreatedAt, retainUnlink); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+		delID := table.Identities.DELETE().WHERE(
+			table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)).
+				AND(table.Identities.Kind.EQ(postgres.String(kind))),
+		)
+		if _, err := delID.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("account: delete %s identity %s: %w", kind, accountID, err)
+		}
+		if kind == KindEmail {
+			delConf := table.EmailConfirmations.DELETE().WHERE(
+				table.EmailConfirmations.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)),
+			)
+			if _, err := delConf.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("account: delete email confirmations %s: %w", accountID, err)
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+}
+
+// RemoveEmailIdentity erases the account's email identity. It backs the admin console's
+// "erase email" action; the user-facing profile never unlinks email (it is changed).
+func (s *Store) RemoveEmailIdentity(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) error {
+	return s.RemoveIdentity(ctx, accountID, KindEmail)
+}
+
 // RequestLinkCode issues and mails a confirm-code for email to accountID,
 // replacing any prior pending code. Unlike RequestCode it never refuses up front
 // (taken or already-confirmed): possession of the address is the authorization for
 // a later link or merge, and the merge is only revealed once the code is verified,
-// so a probe cannot learn whether an address is registered (Stage 11).
+// so a probe cannot learn whether an address is registered.
 func (s *EmailService) RequestLinkCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, email string) error {
 	addr, err := normalizeEmail(email)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	code, hash, err := generateCode()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	if !s.allowSend(addr) {
+		return ErrTooManyRequests
 	}
-	if err := s.store.replacePendingConfirmation(ctx, accountID, addr, hash, s.now().Add(emailCodeTTL)); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	subject := "Your Scrabble confirmation code"
-	body := fmt.Sprintf("Your confirmation code is %s. It expires in %d minutes.", code, int(emailCodeTTL/time.Minute))
-	return s.mailer.Send(ctx, addr, subject, body)
+	return s.issueCode(ctx, accountID, addr, purposeLink, s.accountLocale(ctx, accountID))
 }

 // ConfirmLink verifies code for (accountID, email) and reports the address's
@@ -70,6 +127,100 @@ func (s *EmailService) ConfirmLink(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, ema
 	return accountID, true, nil
 }

+// RequestChangeCode issues and mails a confirm-code to newEmail for an authenticated
+// email change on accountID, replacing any prior pending code. Like RequestLinkCode it
+// never refuses up front on "taken" (anti-enumeration): possession of newEmail is the
+// authorization, and a conflict with another account is revealed only at confirm — as a
+// non-disclosing refusal, never a merge.
+func (s *EmailService) RequestChangeCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, newEmail string) error {
+	addr, err := normalizeEmail(newEmail)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if !s.allowSend(addr) {
+		return ErrTooManyRequests
+	}
+	return s.issueCode(ctx, accountID, addr, purposeChange, s.accountLocale(ctx, accountID))
+}
+
+// ConfirmChange verifies code for (accountID, newEmail) and atomically replaces the
+// account's confirmed email with newEmail, freeing the old address. When newEmail is
+// already confirmed by another account it refuses with ErrEmailTaken (surfaced to the
+// user as a non-disclosing "check the address or contact support"), never merging; when
+// the account already owns newEmail it is an idempotent no-op. It returns the usual
+// confirm-code errors (ErrNoPendingCode, ErrCodeExpired, ErrTooManyAttempts,
+// ErrCodeMismatch) and the updated account on success.
+func (s *EmailService) ConfirmChange(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, newEmail, code string) (Account, error) {
+	addr, err := normalizeEmail(newEmail)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
+	conf, err := s.verifyPendingCode(ctx, accountID, addr, code)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
+	owner, ok, err := s.store.confirmedEmailAccount(ctx, addr)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
+	if ok && owner != accountID {
+		return Account{}, ErrEmailTaken
+	}
+	if ok && owner == accountID {
+		if err := s.store.consumeConfirmation(ctx, conf.id, s.now()); err != nil {
+			return Account{}, err
+		}
+		return s.store.GetByID(ctx, accountID)
+	}
+	if err := s.store.replaceEmailIdentity(ctx, conf.id, accountID, addr, s.now()); err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
+	return s.store.GetByID(ctx, accountID)
+}
+
+// HasEmail reports whether accountID owns a confirmed email. The account-deletion step-up
+// mails a confirm-code when it does, and falls back to a typed phrase otherwise.
+func (s *EmailService) HasEmail(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) (bool, error) {
+	_, ok, err := s.store.confirmedEmailOf(ctx, accountID)
+	return ok, err
+}
+
+// RequestDeleteCode mails an account-deletion confirm-code to the account's own confirmed
+// email (no deeplink — deletion is confirmed in the app). It returns ErrNoEmail when the
+// account holds no email, ErrTooManyRequests when throttled.
+func (s *EmailService) RequestDeleteCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) error {
+	addr, ok, err := s.store.confirmedEmailOf(ctx, accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		return ErrNoEmail
+	}
+	if !s.allowSend(addr) {
+		return ErrTooManyRequests
+	}
+	return s.issueCode(ctx, accountID, addr, purposeDelete, s.accountLocale(ctx, accountID))
+}
+
+// VerifyDeleteCode verifies the account-deletion code against the account's own email and
+// consumes it on success. It returns ErrNoEmail (no email), the usual confirm-code errors
+// (ErrNoPendingCode, ErrCodeExpired, ErrTooManyAttempts, ErrCodeMismatch), or nil when the
+// code is valid — the caller then performs the deletion.
+func (s *EmailService) VerifyDeleteCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, code string) error {
+	addr, ok, err := s.store.confirmedEmailOf(ctx, accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		return ErrNoEmail
+	}
+	conf, err := s.verifyPendingCode(ctx, accountID, addr, code)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return s.store.consumeConfirmation(ctx, conf.id, s.now())
+}
+
 // verifyPendingCode loads and checks the pending confirm-code for (accountID,
 // addr), counting a wrong attempt. It returns the confirmation on success.
 func (s *EmailService) verifyPendingCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, addr, code string) (emailConfirmation, error) {
@@ -94,7 +245,7 @@ func (s *EmailService) verifyPendingCode(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUI

 // AccountIDByIdentity returns the account owning (kind, externalID) and true, or
 // (uuid.Nil, false) when the identity is free. It backs the platform-identity link
-// flow (Stage 11).
+// flow.
 func (s *Store) AccountIDByIdentity(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string) (uuid.UUID, bool, error) {
 	acc, err := s.findByIdentity(ctx, kind, externalID)
 	if errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound) {
@@ -109,7 +260,7 @@ func (s *Store) AccountIDByIdentity(ctx context.Context, kind, externalID string
 // AttachIdentity links a new (kind, externalID) identity to an existing account.
 // A unique-constraint violation means the identity was taken meanwhile, surfaced
 // as ErrIdentityTaken. It is used to attach a platform identity (e.g. Telegram)
-// to the current account during linking (Stage 11).
+// to the current account during linking.
 func (s *Store) AttachIdentity(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, kind, externalID string, confirmed bool) error {
 	id, err := uuid.NewV7()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -129,7 +280,7 @@ func (s *Store) AttachIdentity(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, kind, e
 }

 // ClearGuest removes the is_guest flag from accountID, promoting an ephemeral guest
-// to a durable account once it gains its first identity (Stage 11). It is a no-op
+// to a durable account once it gains its first identity. It is a no-op
 // for an already-durable account.
 func (s *Store) ClearGuest(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) error {
 	upd := table.Accounts.UPDATE(table.Accounts.IsGuest, table.Accounts.UpdatedAt).
@@ -3,33 +3,99 @@ package account
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"net"
-	"net/smtp"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"time"

+	"github.com/wneessen/go-mail"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 )

+// Message is a transactional email to send through a Mailer. Text is the
+// required plain-text body and doubles as the multipart/alternative fallback;
+// HTML, when non-empty, is the preferred body a capable client renders instead.
+type Message struct {
+	// To is the recipient address, or several comma-separated (all get the one message).
+	To string
+	// From, when non-empty, overrides the configured sender for this message — the admin
+	// alert path uses a distinct From from the user-facing confirm-code sender.
+	From    string
+	Subject string
+	Text    string
+	HTML    string
+}
+
 // Mailer delivers a transactional email. It is the seam behind which the email
 // confirm-code flow sends codes, so the relay is swappable and unit tests use a
-// fixture (see docs/TESTING.md: no real network in tests). The context is offered
-// for cancellation; the standard-library SMTP implementation sends synchronously
-// and ignores it.
+// fixture (see docs/TESTING.md: no real network in tests). The context bounds the
+// delivery and is honoured by the SMTP implementation.
 type Mailer interface {
-	Send(ctx context.Context, to, subject, body string) error
+	Send(ctx context.Context, msg Message) error
+}
+
+// splitAddrs splits a comma-separated recipient list into trimmed, non-empty addresses.
+func splitAddrs(list string) []string {
+	parts := strings.Split(list, ",")
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(parts))
+	for _, p := range parts {
+		if a := strings.TrimSpace(p); a != "" {
+			out = append(out, a)
+		}
+	}
+	return out
 }

 // SMTPConfig configures the SMTP relay. An empty Host selects the LogMailer
 // instead, so a deployment without a relay still runs (the code lands in the log).
+// TLS is always used and no client certificate is required — only the server
+// certificate is validated against the system roots.
 type SMTPConfig struct {
 	Host     string
 	Port     string
 	Username string
 	Password string
 	From     string
+	// TLS selects the transport security: "ssl" for implicit TLS from connect, or
+	// "starttls" to upgrade a plaintext connection. Empty derives the mode from the
+	// port (implicit TLS on 465, STARTTLS otherwise); set it explicitly for a relay on
+	// a non-standard port (e.g. Selectel's 1127 = SSL, 1126 = STARTTLS).
+	TLS string
+	// AdminFrom / AdminTo drive the operator alert emails (new feedback / word complaints),
+	// distinct from the user-facing confirm-code sender. AdminTo may be several
+	// comma-separated addresses. Both empty disables the alert worker.
+	AdminFrom string
+	AdminTo   string
 }

-// SMTPMailer sends mail through an SMTP relay using the standard library. When a
-// username is set it authenticates with PLAIN; otherwise it relays unauthenticated.
+const (
+	// SMTP transport-security modes for SMTPConfig.TLS.
+	smtpTLSImplicit = "ssl"
+	smtpTLSSTARTTLS = "starttls"
+	// smtpDialTimeout bounds a single relay connect-and-send. The confirm-code send
+	// is synchronous on the request path, so an unreachable relay must fail fast
+	// rather than hold the request open.
+	smtpDialTimeout = 15 * time.Second
+)
+
+// tlsMode resolves the transport-security mode for the relay: the explicitly
+// configured SMTPConfig.TLS, or — when unset — implicit TLS on the conventional SSL
+// port 465 and STARTTLS on any other port.
+func (cfg SMTPConfig) tlsMode(port int) string {
+	switch strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(cfg.TLS)) {
+	case smtpTLSImplicit, "tls":
+		return smtpTLSImplicit
+	case smtpTLSSTARTTLS:
+		return smtpTLSSTARTTLS
+	}
+	if port == 465 {
+		return smtpTLSImplicit
+	}
+	return smtpTLSSTARTTLS
+}
+
+// SMTPMailer sends mail through an SMTP relay using go-mail. When a username is
+// set it authenticates, auto-discovering the strongest mechanism the relay
+// advertises; otherwise it relays unauthenticated.
 type SMTPMailer struct {
 	cfg SMTPConfig
 }
@@ -39,29 +105,55 @@ func NewSMTPMailer(cfg SMTPConfig) SMTPMailer {
 	return SMTPMailer{cfg: cfg}
 }

-// Send delivers a plain-text UTF-8 message to to via the configured relay.
-func (m SMTPMailer) Send(_ context.Context, to, subject, body string) error {
-	addr := net.JoinHostPort(m.cfg.Host, m.cfg.Port)
-	var auth smtp.Auth
-	if m.cfg.Username != "" {
-		auth = smtp.PlainAuth("", m.cfg.Username, m.cfg.Password, m.cfg.Host)
+// Send delivers a UTF-8 message to msg.To via the configured relay. When msg.HTML
+// is set the message is multipart/alternative (plain text plus HTML); otherwise
+// it is plain text only.
+func (m SMTPMailer) Send(ctx context.Context, msg Message) error {
+	port, err := strconv.Atoi(m.cfg.Port)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: invalid SMTP port %q: %w", m.cfg.Port, err)
 	}
-	if err := smtp.SendMail(addr, auth, m.cfg.From, []string{to}, message(m.cfg.From, to, subject, body)); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("account: send mail to %s: %w", to, err)
+	opts := []mail.Option{mail.WithPort(port), mail.WithTimeout(smtpDialTimeout)}
+	if m.cfg.tlsMode(port) == smtpTLSImplicit {
+		opts = append(opts, mail.WithSSL())
+	} else {
+		opts = append(opts, mail.WithTLSPortPolicy(mail.TLSMandatory))
+	}
+	if m.cfg.Username != "" {
+		opts = append(opts,
+			mail.WithSMTPAuth(mail.SMTPAuthAutoDiscover),
+			mail.WithUsername(m.cfg.Username),
+			mail.WithPassword(m.cfg.Password),
+		)
+	}
+	client, err := mail.NewClient(m.cfg.Host, opts...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: build mail client: %w", err)
+	}
+	out := mail.NewMsg()
+	from := m.cfg.From
+	if msg.From != "" {
+		from = msg.From
+	}
+	if err := out.From(from); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: set From %q: %w", from, err)
+	}
+	// To may carry several comma-separated recipients; go-mail wants them as separate
+	// arguments (a single joined string parses as one malformed address).
+	if err := out.To(splitAddrs(msg.To)...); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: set To %q: %w", msg.To, err)
+	}
+	out.Subject(msg.Subject)
+	out.SetBodyString(mail.TypeTextPlain, msg.Text)
+	if msg.HTML != "" {
+		out.AddAlternativeString(mail.TypeTextHTML, msg.HTML)
+	}
+	if err := client.DialAndSendWithContext(ctx, out); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: send mail to %s: %w", msg.To, err)
 	}
 	return nil
 }

-// message renders a minimal RFC 5322 plain-text email.
-func message(from, to, subject, body string) []byte {
-	return []byte("From: " + from + "\r\n" +
-		"To: " + to + "\r\n" +
-		"Subject: " + subject + "\r\n" +
-		"MIME-Version: 1.0\r\n" +
-		"Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\r\n" +
-		"\r\n" + body + "\r\n")
-}
-
 // LogMailer logs the message instead of sending it. It is the default when no
 // SMTP relay is configured and is intended for development only: it logs the body,
 // which carries the confirm-code, so it must not be used in production.
@@ -74,11 +166,12 @@ func NewLogMailer(log *zap.Logger) LogMailer {
 	return LogMailer{log: log}
 }

-// Send logs the message at info level and reports success.
-func (m LogMailer) Send(_ context.Context, to, subject, body string) error {
+// Send logs the message at info level and reports success. It logs the plain-text
+// body only (which carries the confirm-code); the HTML alternative is omitted.
+func (m LogMailer) Send(_ context.Context, msg Message) error {
 	if m.log != nil {
 		m.log.Info("email not sent (log mailer)",
-			zap.String("to", to), zap.String("subject", subject), zap.String("body", body))
+			zap.String("to", msg.To), zap.String("subject", msg.Subject), zap.String("body", msg.Text))
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"slices"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestSplitAddrs covers the comma-separated recipient parsing used for the admin alert
+// To (several operator mailboxes in one message), including trimming and empty entries.
+func TestSplitAddrs(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		in   string
+		want []string
+	}{
+		{"a@x.ru", []string{"a@x.ru"}},
+		{"a@x.ru, b@y.ru", []string{"a@x.ru", "b@y.ru"}},
+		{" a@x.ru ,, b@y.ru ,", []string{"a@x.ru", "b@y.ru"}},
+		{"", nil},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		if got := splitAddrs(c.in); !slices.Equal(got, c.want) {
+			t.Errorf("splitAddrs(%q) = %v, want %v", c.in, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSMTPTLSMode covers the explicit TLS mode and the port-based fallback, including
+// the non-standard Selectel ports (1127 = SSL, 1126 = STARTTLS) that the 465 heuristic
+// alone cannot classify.
+func TestSMTPTLSMode(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name string
+		tls  string
+		port int
+		want string
+	}{
+		{"explicit ssl on a custom port (Selectel 1127)", "ssl", 1127, smtpTLSImplicit},
+		{"explicit starttls on a custom port (Selectel 1126)", "starttls", 1126, smtpTLSSTARTTLS},
+		{"tls is an alias for ssl", "TLS", 2525, smtpTLSImplicit},
+		{"empty derives implicit TLS on 465", "", 465, smtpTLSImplicit},
+		{"empty derives STARTTLS on 587", "", 587, smtpTLSSTARTTLS},
+		{"an unknown value falls back to the port heuristic", "bogus", 465, smtpTLSImplicit},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		t.Run(c.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := (SMTPConfig{TLS: c.tls}).tlsMode(c.port); got != c.want {
+				t.Errorf("tlsMode(TLS=%q, port=%d) = %q, want %q", c.tls, c.port, got, c.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric/noop"
+)
+
+// meterName scopes the account domain's OpenTelemetry instruments.
+const meterName = "scrabble/backend/account"
+
+// kindGuest labels guest accounts in accounts_created_total. Guests carry no
+// identity, so they have no identity Kind; this is the metric label for them.
+const kindGuest = "guest"
+
+// accountMetrics holds the account domain's operational instruments. It defaults
+// to no-ops (see defaultAccountMetrics); SetMetrics installs the real meter during
+// startup wiring.
+type accountMetrics struct {
+	created metric.Int64Counter
+}
+
+// defaultAccountMetrics returns instruments backed by a no-op meter.
+func defaultAccountMetrics() *accountMetrics {
+	return newAccountMetrics(noop.NewMeterProvider().Meter(meterName))
+}
+
+// newAccountMetrics builds the instruments on meter, falling back to a no-op
+// counter on the (rare) construction error.
+func newAccountMetrics(meter metric.Meter) *accountMetrics {
+	c, err := meter.Int64Counter("accounts_created_total",
+		metric.WithDescription("New accounts created, labelled by kind (telegram/email/guest); robots are not counted."))
+	if err != nil {
+		c, _ = noop.NewMeterProvider().Meter(meterName).Int64Counter("accounts_created_total")
+	}
+	return &accountMetrics{created: c}
+}
+
+// SetMetrics installs the meter the account store records to. It must be called
+// during startup wiring; the default is a no-op meter.
+func (s *Store) SetMetrics(meter metric.Meter) {
+	if meter == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	s.metrics = newAccountMetrics(meter)
+}
+
+// recordCreated counts one newly created account of the given kind.
+func (m *accountMetrics) recordCreated(ctx context.Context, kind string) {
+	m.created.Add(ctx, 1, metric.WithAttributes(attribute.String("kind", kind)))
+}
@@ -4,14 +4,17 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"math/rand/v2"
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
+	"unicode"
 	"unicode/utf8"

 	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
 	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/qrm"
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"github.com/lib/pq"

 	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/model"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/table"
@@ -21,14 +24,23 @@ import (
 // is unbounded; auto-provisioned platform names bypass this editor validation).
 const maxDisplayName = 32

+// maxDisplayNameSpecials caps the total special characters (every name rune that is
+// neither a letter, a space, nor a digit — i.e. the "." / "_" separators) an editable
+// display name may carry, so a still-well-formed name cannot be made of mostly
+// punctuation. A trailing digit run is bounded separately by displayNameRe.
+const maxDisplayNameSpecials = 5
+
 // maxAwayWindow bounds the daily away window's duration (midnight-wrap aware).
 const maxAwayWindow = 12 * time.Hour

-// displayNameRe enforces the editable display-name format (Stage 8): Unicode letters
+// displayNameRe enforces the editable display-name format: Unicode letters
 // joined by single space / "." / "_" separators, where a "." or "_" may be followed
-// by a single space. No leading or trailing separator and no two adjacent separators,
-// except "<dot|underscore> <space>". So "Name_P. Last" is valid, "Name P._Last" is not.
-var displayNameRe = regexp.MustCompile(`^\p{L}+(?:(?:[._] ?| )\p{L}+)*$`)
+// by a single space. No leading separator and no two adjacent separators (except
+// "<dot|underscore> <space>"). The name may end with EITHER a single trailing "."
+// (an initial, "Anna B.") OR a run of 1–5 digits (a handle's number or year,
+// "Player2007"), but not both; digits never appear elsewhere. So "Name_P. Last",
+// "Anna B." and "Аня2007" are valid, while "Name P._Last" and "Dark2Wolf" are not.
+var displayNameRe = regexp.MustCompile(`^\p{L}+(?:(?:[._] ?| )\p{L}+)*(?:\.|[0-9]{1,5})?$`)

 // ErrInvalidProfile is returned when a profile update carries an unacceptable
 // field (an unknown language, an invalid timezone, or an over-long display name).
@@ -47,6 +59,106 @@ type ProfileUpdate struct {
 	BlockChat              bool
 	BlockFriendRequests    bool
 	NotificationsInAppOnly bool
+	// VariantPreferences is the set of game variants the player allows themselves to
+	// be matched into (engine.Variant stable labels). UpdateProfile cleans it to a
+	// deduplicated, canonically ordered subset of the known variants and rejects an
+	// empty set.
+	VariantPreferences []string
+}
+
+// knownVariants is the closed set of game-variant labels (engine.Variant stable
+// labels) a profile's variant preferences may contain. It lives here so the store
+// does not depend on the engine package; the server handler additionally validates
+// against engine.ParseVariant, and a DB check enforces the same subset.
+var knownVariants = map[string]bool{"erudit_ru": true, "scrabble_ru": true, "scrabble_en": true}
+
+// canonicalVariantOrder is the deterministic order variant preferences are stored
+// in (Erudit, Russian Scrabble, English), independent of the client's order.
+var canonicalVariantOrder = []string{"erudit_ru", "scrabble_ru", "scrabble_en"}
+
+// validateVariantPreferences cleans a profile's variant-preference set: it drops
+// duplicates, rejects an unknown label or an empty set (ErrInvalidProfile) and
+// returns the preferences in canonicalVariantOrder so the stored value is
+// deterministic regardless of the order the client sent.
+func validateVariantPreferences(prefs []string) ([]string, error) {
+	seen := make(map[string]bool, len(prefs))
+	for _, p := range prefs {
+		p = strings.TrimSpace(p)
+		if !knownVariants[p] {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: variant preference %q", ErrInvalidProfile, p)
+		}
+		seen[p] = true
+	}
+	if len(seen) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: variant preferences must not be empty", ErrInvalidProfile)
+	}
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(seen))
+	for _, v := range canonicalVariantOrder {
+		if seen[v] {
+			out = append(out, v)
+		}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// variantSeedPrefix marks a Telegram start-param payload that seeds a brand-new
+// account's variant preferences (e.g. "verudit_ru-scrabble_en"): the prefix, then the
+// canonical variant labels joined by "-". It is deliberately distinct from the routing
+// deep links (g/i/f; see platform/telegram .../deeplink) so the client's start-param
+// router falls through to the lobby for it.
+const variantSeedPrefix = "v"
+
+// SeedVariantsFromStartParam decodes a promo deep-link start-param into the variant
+// preference set to seed onto a brand-new account: the variantSeedPrefix followed by
+// the canonical variant labels joined by "-" (e.g. "verudit_ru-scrabble_en"). It
+// returns nil for any payload that is not a variant-seed link or that fails validation
+// against the known variants, so a malformed, empty or unrelated start-param simply
+// leaves the account on its default preferences rather than failing the login.
+func SeedVariantsFromStartParam(startParam string) []string {
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(startParam, variantSeedPrefix) {
+		return nil
+	}
+	body := strings.TrimPrefix(startParam, variantSeedPrefix)
+	if body == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	prefs, err := validateVariantPreferences(strings.Split(body, "-"))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return prefs
+}
+
+// SetVariantPreferences overwrites only the variant-preference set of the account,
+// cleaning it to a deduplicated, canonically ordered subset of the known variants
+// (rejecting an empty or unknown set with ErrInvalidProfile) and bumping updated_at; it
+// reports ErrNotFound when no account matches id. It is the narrow counterpart to
+// UpdateProfile used to seed a promo-onboarded account's variants at first contact
+// without disturbing its other profile fields.
+func (s *Store) SetVariantPreferences(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, prefs []string) (Account, error) {
+	clean, err := validateVariantPreferences(prefs)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}
+	stmt := table.Accounts.UPDATE(
+		table.Accounts.VariantPreferences, table.Accounts.UpdatedAt,
+	).SET(
+		// clean is validated against the closed knownVariants set; bind as a text[]
+		// parameter (lib/pq encodes the array, the cast pins the column type), mirroring
+		// UpdateProfile.
+		postgres.Raw("#variant_prefs::text[]", map[string]interface{}{"#variant_prefs": pq.StringArray(clean)}),
+		postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC()),
+	).WHERE(table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id))).
+		RETURNING(table.Accounts.AllColumns)
+
+	var row model.Accounts
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return Account{}, ErrNotFound
+		}
+		return Account{}, fmt.Errorf("account: set variant preferences %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	return modelToAccount(row), nil
 }

 // UpdateProfile validates and overwrites the editable fields of the account, then
@@ -68,17 +180,26 @@ func (s *Store) UpdateProfile(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, p ProfileUpdate
 	if err := validateAwayWindow(p.AwayStart, p.AwayEnd); err != nil {
 		return Account{}, err
 	}
+	prefs, err := validateVariantPreferences(p.VariantPreferences)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Account{}, err
+	}

 	stmt := table.Accounts.UPDATE(
 		table.Accounts.DisplayName, table.Accounts.PreferredLanguage, table.Accounts.TimeZone,
 		table.Accounts.AwayStart, table.Accounts.AwayEnd,
 		table.Accounts.BlockChat, table.Accounts.BlockFriendRequests,
-		table.Accounts.NotificationsInAppOnly, table.Accounts.UpdatedAt,
+		table.Accounts.NotificationsInAppOnly, table.Accounts.VariantPreferences,
+		table.Accounts.UpdatedAt,
 	).SET(
 		postgres.String(name), postgres.String(lang), postgres.String(tz),
 		postgres.TimeT(p.AwayStart), postgres.TimeT(p.AwayEnd),
 		postgres.Bool(p.BlockChat), postgres.Bool(p.BlockFriendRequests),
-		postgres.Bool(p.NotificationsInAppOnly), postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC()),
+		postgres.Bool(p.NotificationsInAppOnly),
+		// prefs are validated against the closed knownVariants set; bind as a text[]
+		// parameter (lib/pq encodes the array, the cast pins the column type).
+		postgres.Raw("#variant_prefs::text[]", map[string]interface{}{"#variant_prefs": pq.StringArray(prefs)}),
+		postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC()),
 	).WHERE(table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id))).
 		RETURNING(table.Accounts.AllColumns)

@@ -107,9 +228,51 @@ func ValidateDisplayName(raw string) (string, error) {
 	if !displayNameRe.MatchString(name) {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: display name has an invalid character or layout", ErrInvalidProfile)
 	}
+	specials := 0
+	for _, r := range name {
+		if r != ' ' && !unicode.IsLetter(r) && !unicode.IsDigit(r) {
+			specials++
+		}
+	}
+	if specials > maxDisplayNameSpecials {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: display name has more than %d special characters", ErrInvalidProfile, maxDisplayNameSpecials)
+	}
 	return name, nil
 }

+// sanitizeDisplayName best-effort cleans a platform-supplied name (e.g. a Telegram
+// first name) to the editable display-name format: it keeps the maximal runs of
+// Unicode letters and joins them with a single space, dropping every other rune
+// (emoji, digits, punctuation), then caps the result to maxDisplayName runes. The
+// result therefore always satisfies ValidateDisplayName, or is empty when the input
+// carries no letters — in which case the caller substitutes placeholderDisplayName.
+// Mirroring the profile editor's rule means a connector-provisioned name is editable
+// later without first failing validation.
+func sanitizeDisplayName(raw string) string {
+	fields := strings.FieldsFunc(raw, func(r rune) bool { return !unicode.IsLetter(r) })
+	if len(fields) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	name := strings.Join(fields, " ")
+	if utf8.RuneCountInString(name) > maxDisplayName {
+		name = strings.TrimRight(string([]rune(name)[:maxDisplayName]), " ")
+	}
+	return name
+}
+
+// placeholderDisplayName builds a fallback display name for a platform account whose
+// supplied name had no usable letters: "Player-NNNNN" for lang "en" (the default) or
+// "Игрок-NNNNN" for "ru", with five random digits. The generated name intentionally
+// carries digits and a hyphen, so it lies outside the editable format and the player
+// is expected to rename it; provisioned names bypass that editor validation.
+func placeholderDisplayName(lang string) string {
+	prefix := "Player"
+	if lang == "ru" {
+		prefix = "Игрок"
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%05d", prefix, rand.IntN(100000))
+}
+
 // validateAwayWindow checks that the daily away window's duration, wrapping across
 // midnight, does not exceed maxAwayWindow. A zero-length window (start == end) means
 // "no away time" and is allowed.
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package account
 import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
+	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -12,11 +13,11 @@ import (

 // TestUpdateProfileValidation checks that bad fields are rejected before any
 // database access, so a nil-backed Store is enough to exercise the guards. It also
-// confirms UpdateProfile wires the Stage 8 validators (name format, away window,
+// confirms UpdateProfile wires the validators (name format, away window,
 // offset/IANA timezone), not just their unit tests in validate_test.go.
 func TestUpdateProfileValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	s := &Store{}
-	base := ProfileUpdate{DisplayName: "Kaya", PreferredLanguage: "en", TimeZone: "UTC"}
+	base := ProfileUpdate{DisplayName: "Kaya", PreferredLanguage: "en", TimeZone: "UTC", VariantPreferences: []string{"erudit_ru"}}
 	hm := func(h, m int) time.Time { return time.Date(0, 1, 1, h, m, 0, 0, time.UTC) }
 	tests := []struct {
 		name string
@@ -28,6 +29,8 @@ func TestUpdateProfileValidation(t *testing.T) {
 		{"over-long name", func(p *ProfileUpdate) { p.DisplayName = strings.Repeat("x", maxDisplayName+1) }},
 		{"bad name layout", func(p *ProfileUpdate) { p.DisplayName = "Bad__Name" }},
 		{"away over 12h", func(p *ProfileUpdate) { p.AwayStart, p.AwayEnd = hm(8, 0), hm(21, 0) }},
+		{"empty variant preferences", func(p *ProfileUpdate) { p.VariantPreferences = nil }},
+		{"unknown variant preference", func(p *ProfileUpdate) { p.VariantPreferences = []string{"chess"} }},
 	}
 	for _, tc := range tests {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -39,3 +42,22 @@ func TestUpdateProfileValidation(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+// TestValidateVariantPreferences checks the cleaning of a profile's variant set:
+// duplicates collapse, the result is canonically ordered (Erudit, Russian Scrabble,
+// English) regardless of input order, and an empty or unknown set is rejected.
+func TestValidateVariantPreferences(t *testing.T) {
+	got, err := validateVariantPreferences([]string{"scrabble_en", "erudit_ru", "scrabble_en"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("validate: %v", err)
+	}
+	if want := []string{"erudit_ru", "scrabble_en"}; !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("got %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+	if _, err := validateVariantPreferences(nil); !errors.Is(err, ErrInvalidProfile) {
+		t.Fatalf("empty err = %v, want ErrInvalidProfile", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := validateVariantPreferences([]string{"chess"}); !errors.Is(err, ErrInvalidProfile) {
+		t.Fatalf("unknown err = %v, want ErrInvalidProfile", err)
+	}
+}
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package account

 import (
+	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"unicode/utf8"
@@ -8,7 +9,9 @@ import (

 // TestTelegramSeed covers the pure mapping from Telegram launch fields to the
 // create-time account seed: supported-language detection (bare and region-tagged),
-// the first-name / username display-name precedence, and trimming.
+// the real-name → @username (verbatim) → placeholder display-name precedence, and
+// the sanitization of the real name (emoji, digits, punctuation stripped to the
+// editable format). The username, when used, is kept verbatim.
 func TestTelegramSeed(t *testing.T) {
 	cases := map[string]struct {
 		languageCode, username, firstName string
@@ -21,8 +24,12 @@ func TestTelegramSeed(t *testing.T) {
 		"empty language":      {"", "neo", "Neo", "", "Neo"},
 		"first name wins":     {"en", "handle", "Real Name", "en", "Real Name"},
 		"username fallback":   {"en", "handle", "", "en", "handle"},
-		"both empty":        {"en", "", "", "en", ""},
 		"trimmed":             {" RU ", "  ", "  Anna  ", "ru", "Anna"},
+		"emoji stripped":      {"en", "user", "🎮Kaya🎮", "en", "Kaya"},
+		"punct to space":      {"en", "user", "John❤Doe", "en", "John Doe"},
+		"digits dropped":      {"ru", "user", "Маша123", "ru", "Маша"},
+		"garbage to username": {"en", "good", "123!@#", "en", "good"},
+		"username verbatim":   {"en", "co_ol99", "🎮🎮", "en", "co_ol99"},
 	}
 	for name, tc := range cases {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -37,6 +44,28 @@ func TestTelegramSeed(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

+// TestTelegramSeedPlaceholder checks that a name with no usable letters falls back to
+// a generated placeholder in the seeded language ("Player-NNNNN" / "Игрок-NNNNN").
+func TestTelegramSeedPlaceholder(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[string]struct {
+		languageCode, username, firstName string
+		wantRe                            string
+	}{
+		"en empty":                  {"en", "", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
+		"ru empty":                  {"ru", "", "", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
+		"default en":                {"fr", "", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
+		"name garbage, no username": {"ru", "", "!!!", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
+	}
+	for name, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := telegramSeed(tc.languageCode, tc.username, tc.firstName).displayName
+			if !regexp.MustCompile(tc.wantRe).MatchString(got) {
+				t.Errorf("displayName = %q, want match %s", got, tc.wantRe)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 // TestTelegramSeedTruncatesLongName checks an over-long Telegram name is capped to
 // maxDisplayName runes (counted in runes, not bytes).
 func TestTelegramSeedTruncatesLongName(t *testing.T) {
@@ -46,3 +75,55 @@ func TestTelegramSeedTruncatesLongName(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("display name rune count = %d, want %d", n, maxDisplayName)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestVKSeed covers the pure mapping from VK launch fields to the create-time account
+// seed: supported-language detection from vk_language (bare and region-tagged) and the
+// display name sanitized from the client-supplied name. Unlike Telegram there is no
+// @username fallback — VK provides only the name.
+func TestVKSeed(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[string]struct {
+		languageCode, displayName string
+		wantLang, wantName        string
+	}{
+		"ru bare":          {"ru", "Иван", "ru", "Иван"},
+		"en region-tagged": {"en-US", "John", "en", "John"},
+		"full name kept":   {"ru", "Иван Петров", "ru", "Иван Петров"},
+		"unknown language": {"uk", "Тарас", "", "Тарас"},
+		"empty language":   {"", "Neo", "", "Neo"},
+		"trimmed":          {" RU ", "  Anna  ", "ru", "Anna"},
+		"emoji stripped":   {"en", "🎮Kaya🎮", "en", "Kaya"},
+	}
+	for name, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := vkSeed(tc.languageCode, tc.displayName)
+			if got.preferredLanguage != tc.wantLang {
+				t.Errorf("preferredLanguage = %q, want %q", got.preferredLanguage, tc.wantLang)
+			}
+			if got.displayName != tc.wantName {
+				t.Errorf("displayName = %q, want %q", got.displayName, tc.wantName)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestVKSeedPlaceholder checks a VK name with no usable letters falls back to a
+// generated placeholder in the seeded language ("Player-NNNNN" / "Игрок-NNNNN").
+func TestVKSeedPlaceholder(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[string]struct {
+		languageCode, displayName string
+		wantRe                    string
+	}{
+		"en empty":     {"en", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
+		"ru empty":     {"ru", "", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
+		"default en":   {"uk", "", `^Player-\d{5}$`},
+		"name garbage": {"ru", "123!@#", `^Игрок-\d{5}$`},
+	}
+	for name, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := vkSeed(tc.languageCode, tc.displayName).displayName
+			if !regexp.MustCompile(tc.wantRe).MatchString(got) {
+				t.Errorf("displayName = %q, want match %s", got, tc.wantRe)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// SendLimiter throttles confirm-code sends per recipient address: it enforces a
+// minimum cooldown between two sends and a cap over a rolling hour. It guards against
+// email bombing and protects the relay's own quota. State is in-memory (per process,
+// reset on restart) and keyed by the normalised recipient address, which is adequate
+// for the single-instance backend. Safe for concurrent use.
+type SendLimiter struct {
+	mu       sync.Mutex
+	cooldown time.Duration
+	perHour  int
+	now      func() time.Time
+	sends    map[string][]time.Time
+}
+
+// NewSendLimiter returns a SendLimiter allowing at most one send per cooldown and at
+// most perHour sends over any rolling hour, to the same recipient.
+func NewSendLimiter(cooldown time.Duration, perHour int) *SendLimiter {
+	return &SendLimiter{
+		cooldown: cooldown,
+		perHour:  perHour,
+		now:      func() time.Time { return time.Now() },
+		sends:    make(map[string][]time.Time),
+	}
+}
+
+// Allow reports whether a send to key is permitted now, recording the send when it is.
+// It is denied when the last send was within the cooldown or the rolling-hour cap is
+// already reached.
+func (l *SendLimiter) Allow(key string) bool {
+	l.mu.Lock()
+	defer l.mu.Unlock()
+	now := l.now()
+	cutoff := now.Add(-time.Hour)
+	kept := l.sends[key][:0]
+	for _, t := range l.sends[key] {
+		if t.After(cutoff) {
+			kept = append(kept, t)
+		}
+	}
+	if n := len(kept); n > 0 && now.Sub(kept[n-1]) < l.cooldown {
+		l.set(key, kept)
+		return false
+	}
+	if len(kept) >= l.perHour {
+		l.set(key, kept)
+		return false
+	}
+	l.set(key, append(kept, now))
+	return true
+}
+
+// set stores the retained send times for key, dropping the entry entirely once empty
+// so the map stays bounded to recipients active within the last hour.
+func (l *SendLimiter) set(key string, times []time.Time) {
+	if len(times) == 0 {
+		delete(l.sends, key)
+		return
+	}
+	l.sends[key] = times
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// TestSendLimiter checks the per-recipient cooldown and the rolling-hour cap, and
+// that recipients are throttled independently.
+func TestSendLimiter(t *testing.T) {
+	base := time.Now()
+	now := base
+	l := NewSendLimiter(time.Minute, 3)
+	l.now = func() time.Time { return now }
+
+	if !l.Allow("a") {
+		t.Fatal("send 1 should be allowed")
+	}
+	if l.Allow("a") {
+		t.Fatal("immediate resend must be blocked by the cooldown")
+	}
+	if !l.Allow("b") {
+		t.Fatal("a different recipient is independent")
+	}
+
+	now = base.Add(time.Minute)
+	if !l.Allow("a") {
+		t.Fatal("send 2 after the cooldown should be allowed")
+	}
+	now = base.Add(2 * time.Minute)
+	if !l.Allow("a") {
+		t.Fatal("send 3 should be allowed")
+	}
+	now = base.Add(3 * time.Minute)
+	if l.Allow("a") {
+		t.Fatal("send 4 within the hour must be blocked by the cap")
+	}
+
+	now = base.Add(time.Hour + time.Minute)
+	if !l.Allow("a") {
+		t.Fatal("after the rolling hour the cap resets")
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,224 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"database/sql"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/qrm"
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/model"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/table"
+)
+
+// RetentionTTL bounds how long the account-deletion legal dossier is kept before the
+// reaper purges it: two years from the detach/deletion event (owner policy, 2026-07-03).
+const RetentionTTL = 2 * 365 * 24 * time.Hour
+
+// Reasons recorded on a retained_identities row: what detached the credential from its
+// account (unlink / email change / account deletion here; an account merge that drops a
+// same-kind colliding identity writes reason "merge" from the accountmerge package). The
+// row is written just before the live identities row is removed, preserving the legal
+// dossier (which email/vk/tg was linked, and when) even as the identity frees for reuse.
+// See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §9.1.
+const (
+	retainUnlink = "unlink"
+	retainChange = "change"
+	retainDelete = "delete"
+)
+
+// retainIdentityTx appends a retention-journal row for one identity being detached, inside
+// tx. linkedAt is the identity's original creation time; detached_at defaults to now(). It
+// must run in the same transaction as the identity removal, so the dossier and the live
+// state can never diverge.
+func retainIdentityTx(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, accountID uuid.UUID, kind, externalID string, confirmed bool, linkedAt time.Time, reason string) error {
+	id, err := uuid.NewV7()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: new retained id: %w", err)
+	}
+	ins := table.RetainedIdentities.INSERT(
+		table.RetainedIdentities.RetainedID, table.RetainedIdentities.AccountID,
+		table.RetainedIdentities.Kind, table.RetainedIdentities.ExternalID,
+		table.RetainedIdentities.Confirmed, table.RetainedIdentities.LinkedAt,
+		table.RetainedIdentities.Reason,
+	).VALUES(id, accountID, kind, externalID, confirmed, linkedAt, reason)
+	if _, err := ins.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: retain identity (%s, %s): %w", kind, externalID, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// StampLastLogin records the account's last cold-load time and client IP, but only when
+// the stored value is missing or older than an hour — so it costs at most one write per
+// account per hour (its caller, the profile fetch, runs once per cold app-load). It is a
+// best-effort audit signal that feeds the account-deletion dossier.
+func (s *Store) StampLastLogin(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, ip string) error {
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	upd := table.Accounts.UPDATE(table.Accounts.LastLoginAt, table.Accounts.LastLoginIP).
+		SET(postgres.TimestampzT(now), postgres.String(ip)).
+		WHERE(
+			table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)).
+				AND(
+					table.Accounts.LastLoginAt.IS_NULL().
+						OR(table.Accounts.LastLoginAt.LT(postgres.TimestampzT(now.Add(-time.Hour)))),
+				),
+		)
+	if _, err := upd.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: stamp last login %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// ReapExpiredRetention purges retention data whose event is older than cutoff: every
+// retained_identities row by its detached_at (covering unlink/change on live accounts as
+// well as deleted ones), plus — for accounts tombstoned before cutoff — the retained
+// feedback thread and the dossier PII (deleted_display_name, last_login_ip). Chat is kept
+// (a shared game artifact), and the tombstone account row itself stays (its no-cascade
+// foreign keys). It returns how many journal rows and feedback messages were removed.
+func (s *Store) ReapExpiredRetention(ctx context.Context, cutoff time.Time) (identities, feedback int64, err error) {
+	cut := postgres.TimestampzT(cutoff)
+	delJournal := table.RetainedIdentities.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.RetainedIdentities.DetachedAt.LT(cut))
+	res, err := delJournal.ExecContext(ctx, s.db)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, 0, fmt.Errorf("account: reap retained identities: %w", err)
+	}
+	identities, _ = res.RowsAffected()
+
+	expired := postgres.SELECT(table.Accounts.AccountID).
+		FROM(table.Accounts).
+		WHERE(table.Accounts.DeletedAt.IS_NOT_NULL().AND(table.Accounts.DeletedAt.LT(cut)))
+	delFeedback := table.FeedbackMessages.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.FeedbackMessages.AccountID.IN(expired))
+	fbRes, err := delFeedback.ExecContext(ctx, s.db)
+	if err != nil {
+		return identities, 0, fmt.Errorf("account: reap deleted feedback: %w", err)
+	}
+	feedback, _ = fbRes.RowsAffected()
+
+	clearPII := table.Accounts.UPDATE(table.Accounts.DeletedDisplayName, table.Accounts.LastLoginIP).
+		SET(postgres.NULL, postgres.NULL).
+		WHERE(
+			table.Accounts.DeletedAt.IS_NOT_NULL().
+				AND(table.Accounts.DeletedAt.LT(cut)).
+				AND(table.Accounts.DeletedDisplayName.IS_NOT_NULL().
+					OR(table.Accounts.LastLoginIP.IS_NOT_NULL())),
+		)
+	if _, err := clearPII.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return identities, feedback, fmt.Errorf("account: clear expired dossier PII: %w", err)
+	}
+	return identities, feedback, nil
+}
+
+// RetainedIdentity is one row of the retention journal, for the admin dossier.
+type RetainedIdentity struct {
+	Kind       string
+	ExternalID string
+	Reason     string
+	Confirmed  bool
+	LinkedAt   time.Time
+	DetachedAt time.Time
+}
+
+// RetainedIdentities returns the account's retention-journal rows (the legal dossier of
+// detached credentials), newest detach first, for the admin console.
+func (s *Store) RetainedIdentities(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) ([]RetainedIdentity, error) {
+	var rows []model.RetainedIdentities
+	err := postgres.SELECT(table.RetainedIdentities.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.RetainedIdentities).
+		WHERE(table.RetainedIdentities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID))).
+		ORDER_BY(table.RetainedIdentities.DetachedAt.DESC()).
+		QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &rows)
+	if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: retained identities %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	out := make([]RetainedIdentity, 0, len(rows))
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		out = append(out, RetainedIdentity{
+			Kind: r.Kind, ExternalID: r.ExternalID, Reason: r.Reason,
+			Confirmed: r.Confirmed, LinkedAt: r.LinkedAt, DetachedAt: r.DetachedAt,
+		})
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// DeletionInfo is a tombstoned account's dossier header, for the admin console.
+type DeletionInfo struct {
+	DeletedAt          *time.Time
+	DeletedDisplayName string
+	LastLoginAt        *time.Time
+	LastLoginIP        string
+}
+
+// DeletionInfo reads the account's deletion tombstone + last-login dossier fields.
+func (s *Store) DeletionInfo(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) (DeletionInfo, error) {
+	var row model.Accounts
+	err := postgres.SELECT(
+		table.Accounts.DeletedAt, table.Accounts.DeletedDisplayName,
+		table.Accounts.LastLoginAt, table.Accounts.LastLoginIP,
+	).FROM(table.Accounts).
+		WHERE(table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID))).
+		QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row)
+	if err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return DeletionInfo{}, ErrNotFound
+		}
+		return DeletionInfo{}, fmt.Errorf("account: deletion info %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	info := DeletionInfo{DeletedAt: row.DeletedAt, LastLoginAt: row.LastLoginAt}
+	if row.DeletedDisplayName != nil {
+		info.DeletedDisplayName = *row.DeletedDisplayName
+	}
+	if row.LastLoginIP != nil {
+		info.LastLoginIP = *row.LastLoginIP
+	}
+	return info, nil
+}
+
+// RetentionReaper periodically purges expired account-deletion retention data via
+// Store.ReapExpiredRetention, mirroring GuestReaper: one background goroutine started once
+// from main.
+type RetentionReaper struct {
+	store *Store
+	ttl   time.Duration
+	clock func() time.Time
+	log   *zap.Logger
+}
+
+// NewRetentionReaper constructs a reaper purging retention data older than ttl. log may be
+// nil.
+func NewRetentionReaper(store *Store, ttl time.Duration, log *zap.Logger) *RetentionReaper {
+	if log == nil {
+		log = zap.NewNop()
+	}
+	return &RetentionReaper{
+		store: store,
+		ttl:   ttl,
+		clock: func() time.Time { return time.Now().UTC() },
+		log:   log,
+	}
+}
+
+// Run purges expired retention data on each tick until ctx is cancelled.
+func (r *RetentionReaper) Run(ctx context.Context, interval time.Duration) {
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(interval)
+	defer ticker.Stop()
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return
+		case <-ticker.C:
+			idn, fb, err := r.store.ReapExpiredRetention(ctx, r.clock().Add(-r.ttl))
+			if err != nil {
+				r.log.Warn("retention reap failed", zap.Error(err))
+			} else if idn > 0 || fb > 0 {
+				r.log.Info("reaped expired retention", zap.Int64("identities", idn), zap.Int64("feedback", fb))
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/table"
+)
+
+// Per-account roles. A role is a named capability or restriction attached to an
+// account, the reusable replacement for per-feature boolean flags. The set is
+// expected to grow; roles are validated against KnownRoles in Go so adding one
+// needs no migration. Granted/revoked from the admin console (/users and the
+// feedback section).
+const (
+	// RoleFeedbackBanned forbids the account from submitting feedback (only that;
+	// it is not a full account suspension). See internal/feedback.
+	RoleFeedbackBanned = "feedback_banned"
+
+	// RoleNoBanner suppresses the in-app advertising banner for the account
+	// unconditionally, overriding the usual eligibility (a free account with an
+	// empty hint wallet otherwise sees it). See internal/ads.
+	RoleNoBanner = "no_banner"
+
+	// RoleChatMuted forbids the account from writing in the moderated Telegram
+	// discussion chat, without otherwise restricting the game (the chat-only
+	// counterpart to a full account suspension). It is one input to the chat-access
+	// gate; an active admin suspension mutes the player regardless, so this role only
+	// matters for an account that is not suspended. Granting or revoking it re-pushes
+	// the chat-gate command for a member currently in the chat.
+	RoleChatMuted = "chat_muted"
+)
+
+// KnownRoles is the set of roles the console may grant or revoke; an operator
+// cannot assign an unrecognised role.
+var KnownRoles = []string{RoleFeedbackBanned, RoleNoBanner, RoleChatMuted}
+
+// IsKnownRole reports whether role is a recognised account role.
+func IsKnownRole(role string) bool {
+	for _, r := range KnownRoles {
+		if r == role {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// GrantRole gives the account the role, idempotently (a repeat grant is a no-op).
+func (s *Store) GrantRole(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, role string) error {
+	stmt := table.AccountRoles.
+		INSERT(table.AccountRoles.AccountID, table.AccountRoles.Role).
+		VALUES(accountID, role).
+		ON_CONFLICT(table.AccountRoles.AccountID, table.AccountRoles.Role).DO_NOTHING()
+	if _, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: grant role %q to %s: %w", role, accountID, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// RevokeRole removes the role from the account, idempotently.
+func (s *Store) RevokeRole(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, role string) error {
+	stmt := table.AccountRoles.
+		DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.AccountRoles.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)).
+			AND(table.AccountRoles.Role.EQ(postgres.String(role))))
+	if _, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: revoke role %q from %s: %w", role, accountID, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// HasRole reports whether the account holds the role.
+func (s *Store) HasRole(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, role string) (bool, error) {
+	var ok bool
+	err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM backend.account_roles WHERE account_id = $1 AND role = $2)`,
+		accountID, role).Scan(&ok)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("account: has-role %q %s: %w", role, accountID, err)
+	}
+	return ok, nil
+}
+
+// ListRoles returns the account's roles, oldest grant first.
+func (s *Store) ListRoles(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) ([]string, error) {
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT role FROM backend.account_roles WHERE account_id = $1 ORDER BY granted_at ASC`,
+		accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: list roles %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []string
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var role string
+		if err := rows.Scan(&role); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: scan role: %w", err)
+		}
+		out = append(out, role)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package account

 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"

@@ -13,16 +14,43 @@ import (
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/table"
 )

+// BestMoveTile is one letter cell of a best-move word: its concrete letter (the
+// designated letter for a blank), its tile point value (0 for a blank) and whether it
+// is a blank. It is the persisted/served shape: the game domain marshals a slice of
+// these into account_best_move.tiles, and the statistics screen renders them as game
+// tiles without consulting the variant's alphabet.
+type BestMoveTile struct {
+	Letter string `json:"letter"`
+	Value  int    `json:"value"`
+	Blank  bool   `json:"blank"`
+}
+
+// BestMove is an account's highest-scoring single play within one game variant: the
+// move's total score (every word it formed plus the all-tiles bonus, matching
+// MaxWordPoints) and its main word as an ordered slice of tiles.
+type BestMove struct {
+	Variant string
+	Score   int
+	Tiles   []BestMoveTile
+}
+
 // Stats is a durable account's lifetime record, written by the game domain on each
 // finish and read for the player's statistics screen. MaxGamePoints is the best
 // single game's total; MaxWordPoints is the best single move's score (which already
-// includes every word it formed plus the all-tiles bonus).
+// includes every word it formed plus the all-tiles bonus). BestMoves holds the same
+// best move broken down per variant, with the word itself — empty for an account with
+// no recorded play yet, and never carrying a variant the account has not played.
 type Stats struct {
 	Wins          int
 	Losses        int
 	Draws         int
 	MaxGamePoints int
 	MaxWordPoints int
+	// Moves is the lifetime count of the account's plays (tile placements); HintsUsed is the
+	// lifetime count of hints taken. The statistics screen shows the hint share (HintsUsed / Moves).
+	Moves     int
+	HintsUsed int
+	BestMoves []BestMove
 }

 // GetStats returns the lifetime statistics for id. An account with no account_stats
@@ -40,11 +68,48 @@ func (s *Store) GetStats(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (Stats, error) {
 		}
 		return Stats{}, fmt.Errorf("account: get stats %s: %w", id, err)
 	}
+	best, err := s.bestMoves(ctx, id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Stats{}, err
+	}
 	return Stats{
 		Wins:          int(row.Wins),
 		Losses:        int(row.Losses),
 		Draws:         int(row.Draws),
 		MaxGamePoints: int(row.MaxGamePoints),
 		MaxWordPoints: int(row.MaxWordPoints),
+		Moves:         int(row.Moves),
+		HintsUsed:     int(row.HintsUsed),
+		BestMoves:     best,
 	}, nil
 }
+
+// bestMoves reads an account's per-variant best moves, ordered by variant for a stable
+// response. Each row's tiles JSON is decoded into the served BestMoveTile slice. An
+// account with no recorded play yields an empty (nil) slice rather than an error.
+func (s *Store) bestMoves(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) ([]BestMove, error) {
+	stmt := postgres.SELECT(
+		table.AccountBestMove.Variant,
+		table.AccountBestMove.Score,
+		table.AccountBestMove.Tiles,
+	).
+		FROM(table.AccountBestMove).
+		WHERE(table.AccountBestMove.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id))).
+		ORDER_BY(table.AccountBestMove.Variant.ASC())
+	var rows []model.AccountBestMove
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &rows); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: best moves %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	out := make([]BestMove, 0, len(rows))
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		var tiles []BestMoveTile
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(r.Tiles), &tiles); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: decode best-move tiles %s/%s: %w", id, r.Variant, err)
+		}
+		out = append(out, BestMove{Variant: r.Variant, Score: int(r.Score), Tiles: tiles})
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,375 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/qrm"
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/model"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/table"
+)
+
+// Suspension is an account's currently-in-force manual block, the operator's hard counterpart
+// to the soft, reversible FlaggedHighRateAt marker. It is named "suspension" to stay distinct
+// from the peer-to-peer blocks in internal/social (one player muting another); the vocabulary
+// the player sees is "blocked". BlockedUntil is nil for a permanent block and the expiry
+// instant for a temporary one. ReasonEn and ReasonRu are the reason-text snapshot taken at
+// block time (both empty when no reason was cited), so editing or deleting the picklist entry
+// never changes what an already-blocked player is shown.
+type Suspension struct {
+	AccountID    uuid.UUID
+	BlockedAt    time.Time
+	BlockedUntil *time.Time
+	ReasonEn     string
+	ReasonRu     string
+}
+
+// Permanent reports whether the suspension has no expiry.
+func (s Suspension) Permanent() bool { return s.BlockedUntil == nil }
+
+// LocalizedReason returns the reason text in the given language ("ru" selects Russian, anything
+// else English), or empty when no reason was cited. The two snapshots are always both set or
+// both empty, since a reason is chosen from the en+ru picklist.
+func (s Suspension) LocalizedReason(language string) string {
+	if language == "ru" {
+		return s.ReasonRu
+	}
+	return s.ReasonEn
+}
+
+// Reason is one entry of the operator-editable suspension-reason picklist, carrying the English
+// and Russian text shown to a blocked player in their language.
+type Reason struct {
+	ID        uuid.UUID
+	TextEn    string
+	TextRu    string
+	CreatedAt time.Time
+	UpdatedAt time.Time
+}
+
+// Suspend records a new manual block on the account: permanent when until is nil, otherwise in
+// force until that instant. reasonEn and reasonRu are the optional reason-text snapshot (both
+// empty for no reason) and reasonID is the loose picklist link (nil when none, nulled later if
+// that entry is deleted). It returns the persisted Suspension. Suspending an already-blocked
+// account simply appends another block; CurrentSuspension always reflects the strongest.
+func (s *Store) Suspend(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, until *time.Time, reasonEn, reasonRu string, reasonID *uuid.UUID) (Suspension, error) {
+	suspensionID, err := uuid.NewV7()
+	if err != nil {
+		return Suspension{}, fmt.Errorf("account: new suspension id: %w", err)
+	}
+	stmt := table.AccountSuspensions.INSERT(
+		table.AccountSuspensions.SuspensionID,
+		table.AccountSuspensions.AccountID,
+		table.AccountSuspensions.BlockedUntil,
+		table.AccountSuspensions.ReasonEn,
+		table.AccountSuspensions.ReasonRu,
+		table.AccountSuspensions.ReasonID,
+	).VALUES(
+		suspensionID,
+		accountID,
+		nullableTimestamp(until),
+		nullableString(reasonEn),
+		nullableString(reasonRu),
+		nullableUUID(reasonID),
+	).RETURNING(table.AccountSuspensions.AllColumns)
+
+	var row model.AccountSuspensions
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		return Suspension{}, fmt.Errorf("account: suspend %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	s.invalidateSuspension(accountID)
+	return modelToSuspension(row), nil
+}
+
+// LiftSuspension lifts every in-force block on the account (the operator's manual unblock),
+// stamping lifted_at on each. It is a no-op when the account is not currently blocked. Lifting
+// does not un-resign games already forfeited at block time — those stay lost.
+func (s *Store) LiftSuspension(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) error {
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	stmt := table.AccountSuspensions.
+		UPDATE(table.AccountSuspensions.LiftedAt).
+		SET(postgres.TimestampzT(now)).
+		WHERE(
+			table.AccountSuspensions.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)).
+				AND(activeSuspensionPredicate(now)),
+		)
+	if _, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: lift suspension %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	s.invalidateSuspension(accountID)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// CurrentSuspension returns the account's in-force block and true, or false when the account is
+// not blocked. When several blocks overlap it returns the strongest — a permanent one first,
+// otherwise the latest-expiring — which is what the player's blocked screen shows. The gate
+// middleware calls it on every authenticated request, served by account_suspensions_account_idx.
+func (s *Store) CurrentSuspension(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) (Suspension, bool, error) {
+	// A store with no database (the zero-value store used by the routing unit tests) has no
+	// suspensions; report not-blocked rather than dereferencing a nil pool. A real pool that
+	// errors still surfaces the error to the gate, which fails closed.
+	if s.db == nil {
+		return Suspension{}, false, nil
+	}
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	if s.suspensions != nil {
+		if e, ok := s.suspensions.get(accountID); ok {
+			if !e.found {
+				return Suspension{}, false, nil // cached: not blocked
+			}
+			if suspensionActiveAt(e.susp, now) {
+				return e.susp, true, nil // cached block still in force
+			}
+			// The cached block has lapsed since it was cached; refresh from the database below.
+		}
+	}
+	susp, found, err := s.queryCurrentSuspension(ctx, accountID, now)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Suspension{}, false, err
+	}
+	if s.suspensions != nil {
+		s.suspensions.put(accountID, suspensionCacheEntry{susp: susp, found: found})
+	}
+	return susp, found, nil
+}
+
+// queryCurrentSuspension reads the account's strongest in-force block straight from the database
+// (no cache), as of now. It backs CurrentSuspension on a cache miss or a lapsed entry.
+func (s *Store) queryCurrentSuspension(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID, now time.Time) (Suspension, bool, error) {
+	stmt := postgres.SELECT(table.AccountSuspensions.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.AccountSuspensions).
+		WHERE(
+			table.AccountSuspensions.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)).
+				AND(activeSuspensionPredicate(now)),
+		).
+		ORDER_BY(table.AccountSuspensions.BlockedUntil.DESC().NULLS_FIRST()).
+		LIMIT(1)
+
+	var row model.AccountSuspensions
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return Suspension{}, false, nil
+		}
+		return Suspension{}, false, fmt.Errorf("account: current suspension %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	return modelToSuspension(row), true, nil
+}
+
+// SuspensionsExpiredBetween returns the distinct account ids whose temporary block lapsed in the
+// half-open window (since, until]: a non-lifted suspension with a blocked_until in that range. The
+// chat-access sweeper uses it to re-evaluate chat write access when a temporary block self-expires,
+// since no operator action fires then. An account that still has another active block may be
+// included; the eligibility resolver returns the true state, so emitting for it is harmless.
+func (s *Store) SuspensionsExpiredBetween(ctx context.Context, since, until time.Time) ([]uuid.UUID, error) {
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT DISTINCT account_id FROM backend.account_suspensions
+		 WHERE lifted_at IS NULL AND blocked_until > $1 AND blocked_until <= $2`,
+		since.UTC(), until.UTC())
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: suspensions expired between: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []uuid.UUID
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var id uuid.UUID
+		if err := rows.Scan(&id); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: scan expired suspension: %w", err)
+		}
+		out = append(out, id)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+// invalidateSuspension drops the account's cached block so the next CurrentSuspension re-reads it.
+// Called after Suspend and LiftSuspension.
+func (s *Store) invalidateSuspension(accountID uuid.UUID) {
+	if s.suspensions != nil {
+		s.suspensions.invalidate(accountID)
+	}
+}
+
+// suspensionActiveAt reports whether a suspension is in force at now: permanent, or not yet
+// expired. The lifted check is implicit — only non-lifted blocks are ever cached or returned.
+func suspensionActiveAt(susp Suspension, now time.Time) bool {
+	return susp.BlockedUntil == nil || susp.BlockedUntil.After(now)
+}
+
+// suspensionCache is the gate's write-through cache of each account's current block, keyed by
+// account id. The suspension gate reads it on every authenticated request; Suspend and
+// LiftSuspension invalidate the account's entry. An entry holds the strongest active block at
+// query time (or a not-blocked marker), re-evaluated against the wall clock on read, so a
+// temporary block lapses without an explicit invalidation. It is single-instance, matching the
+// deployment (one shared Store); a multi-instance deployment would need a shared cache.
+type suspensionCache struct {
+	mu sync.RWMutex
+	m  map[uuid.UUID]suspensionCacheEntry
+}
+
+// suspensionCacheEntry is a cached lookup: the strongest active block when found, else a
+// not-blocked marker (found=false).
+type suspensionCacheEntry struct {
+	susp  Suspension
+	found bool
+}
+
+func newSuspensionCache() *suspensionCache {
+	return &suspensionCache{m: make(map[uuid.UUID]suspensionCacheEntry)}
+}
+
+func (c *suspensionCache) get(id uuid.UUID) (suspensionCacheEntry, bool) {
+	c.mu.RLock()
+	defer c.mu.RUnlock()
+	e, ok := c.m[id]
+	return e, ok
+}
+
+func (c *suspensionCache) put(id uuid.UUID, e suspensionCacheEntry) {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+	c.m[id] = e
+}
+
+func (c *suspensionCache) invalidate(id uuid.UUID) {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+	delete(c.m, id)
+}
+
+// activeSuspensionPredicate matches the rows of a block that is in force at now: not lifted and
+// either permanent or not yet expired.
+func activeSuspensionPredicate(now time.Time) postgres.BoolExpression {
+	return table.AccountSuspensions.LiftedAt.IS_NULL().
+		AND(
+			table.AccountSuspensions.BlockedUntil.IS_NULL().
+				OR(table.AccountSuspensions.BlockedUntil.GT(postgres.TimestampzT(now))),
+		)
+}
+
+// ListReasons returns the suspension-reason picklist, oldest first.
+func (s *Store) ListReasons(ctx context.Context) ([]Reason, error) {
+	stmt := postgres.SELECT(table.SuspensionReasons.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.SuspensionReasons).
+		ORDER_BY(table.SuspensionReasons.CreatedAt.ASC())
+	var rows []model.SuspensionReasons
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &rows); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: list reasons: %w", err)
+	}
+	out := make([]Reason, 0, len(rows))
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		out = append(out, modelToReason(r))
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// GetReason loads one picklist entry, or ErrNotFound when it is absent.
+func (s *Store) GetReason(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (Reason, error) {
+	stmt := postgres.SELECT(table.SuspensionReasons.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.SuspensionReasons).
+		WHERE(table.SuspensionReasons.ReasonID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id))).
+		LIMIT(1)
+	var row model.SuspensionReasons
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return Reason{}, ErrNotFound
+		}
+		return Reason{}, fmt.Errorf("account: get reason %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	return modelToReason(row), nil
+}
+
+// CreateReason inserts a new picklist entry with the given English and Russian text.
+func (s *Store) CreateReason(ctx context.Context, textEn, textRu string) (Reason, error) {
+	id, err := uuid.NewV7()
+	if err != nil {
+		return Reason{}, fmt.Errorf("account: new reason id: %w", err)
+	}
+	stmt := table.SuspensionReasons.INSERT(
+		table.SuspensionReasons.ReasonID,
+		table.SuspensionReasons.TextEn,
+		table.SuspensionReasons.TextRu,
+	).VALUES(id, textEn, textRu).
+		RETURNING(table.SuspensionReasons.AllColumns)
+	var row model.SuspensionReasons
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		return Reason{}, fmt.Errorf("account: create reason: %w", err)
+	}
+	return modelToReason(row), nil
+}
+
+// UpdateReason rewrites a picklist entry's English and Russian text, returning ErrNotFound when
+// it is absent. Existing suspensions keep their text snapshot, so the change only affects future
+// blocks.
+func (s *Store) UpdateReason(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, textEn, textRu string) (Reason, error) {
+	stmt := table.SuspensionReasons.
+		UPDATE(table.SuspensionReasons.TextEn, table.SuspensionReasons.TextRu, table.SuspensionReasons.UpdatedAt).
+		SET(postgres.String(textEn), postgres.String(textRu), postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC())).
+		WHERE(table.SuspensionReasons.ReasonID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id))).
+		RETURNING(table.SuspensionReasons.AllColumns)
+	var row model.SuspensionReasons
+	if err := stmt.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return Reason{}, ErrNotFound
+		}
+		return Reason{}, fmt.Errorf("account: update reason %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	return modelToReason(row), nil
+}
+
+// DeleteReason removes a picklist entry. It is a hard delete: the reason_id link on past
+// suspensions is nulled by the foreign key, but their text snapshot is untouched.
+func (s *Store) DeleteReason(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) error {
+	stmt := table.SuspensionReasons.
+		DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.SuspensionReasons.ReasonID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id)))
+	if _, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("account: delete reason %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// modelToSuspension projects a generated row into the public Suspension struct.
+func modelToSuspension(row model.AccountSuspensions) Suspension {
+	s := Suspension{AccountID: row.AccountID, BlockedAt: row.BlockedAt, BlockedUntil: row.BlockedUntil}
+	if row.ReasonEn != nil {
+		s.ReasonEn = *row.ReasonEn
+	}
+	if row.ReasonRu != nil {
+		s.ReasonRu = *row.ReasonRu
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+// modelToReason projects a generated row into the public Reason struct.
+func modelToReason(row model.SuspensionReasons) Reason {
+	return Reason{ID: row.ReasonID, TextEn: row.TextEn, TextRu: row.TextRu, CreatedAt: row.CreatedAt, UpdatedAt: row.UpdatedAt}
+}
+
+// nullableString renders an empty string as SQL NULL, otherwise the string literal.
+func nullableString(v string) postgres.Expression {
+	if v == "" {
+		return postgres.NULL
+	}
+	return postgres.String(v)
+}
+
+// nullableTimestamp renders a nil time as SQL NULL, otherwise the UTC timestamp literal.
+func nullableTimestamp(v *time.Time) postgres.Expression {
+	if v == nil {
+		return postgres.NULL
+	}
+	return postgres.TimestampzT(v.UTC())
+}
+
+// nullableUUID renders a nil id as SQL NULL, otherwise the uuid literal.
+func nullableUUID(v *uuid.UUID) postgres.Expression {
+	if v == nil {
+		return postgres.NULL
+	}
+	return postgres.UUID(*v)
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+)
+
+// TestSuspensionActiveAt covers the wall-clock re-evaluation the cache relies on: a permanent
+// block is always active, a future-dated one is active, a past-dated one is not.
+func TestSuspensionActiveAt(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Date(2026, 6, 14, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	future := now.Add(time.Hour)
+	past := now.Add(-time.Hour)
+
+	if !suspensionActiveAt(Suspension{BlockedUntil: nil}, now) {
+		t.Error("a permanent block must be active")
+	}
+	if !suspensionActiveAt(Suspension{BlockedUntil: &future}, now) {
+		t.Error("a future-dated block must be active")
+	}
+	if suspensionActiveAt(Suspension{BlockedUntil: &past}, now) {
+		t.Error("a past-dated block must be inactive")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSuspensionCache covers the cache primitives: a miss on an empty cache, a hit after put for
+// both the not-blocked and blocked markers, and a miss after invalidate.
+func TestSuspensionCache(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newSuspensionCache()
+	id := uuid.New()
+
+	if _, ok := c.get(id); ok {
+		t.Fatal("empty cache must miss")
+	}
+
+	c.put(id, suspensionCacheEntry{found: false})
+	if e, ok := c.get(id); !ok || e.found {
+		t.Fatalf("cached not-blocked entry = (%+v, ok %v), want hit with found=false", e, ok)
+	}
+
+	c.put(id, suspensionCacheEntry{susp: Suspension{AccountID: id}, found: true})
+	if e, ok := c.get(id); !ok || !e.found {
+		t.Fatalf("cached blocked entry = (%+v, ok %v), want hit with found=true", e, ok)
+	}
+
+	c.invalidate(id)
+	if _, ok := c.get(id); ok {
+		t.Fatal("invalidated entry must miss")
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+)
+
+// suspensionSweepInterval is how often the sweeper re-checks for temporary blocks
+// that lapsed. A minute is well under the coarsest block grain (operators pick day
+// presets) while keeping the query trivial.
+const suspensionSweepInterval = time.Minute
+
+// suspensionExpiryQuerier is the slice of the account store the sweeper depends on:
+// the accounts whose temporary block lapsed in a window. *Store satisfies it; a fake
+// drives the sweeper's unit tests.
+type suspensionExpiryQuerier interface {
+	SuspensionsExpiredBetween(ctx context.Context, since, until time.Time) ([]uuid.UUID, error)
+}
+
+// SuspensionSweeper re-evaluates chat write access when a temporary block self-
+// expires. No operator action fires on expiry — the suspension gate just re-reads
+// the wall clock — so without this a temporarily blocked player would stay muted in
+// the moderated discussion chat after their block lapsed. Each tick it finds blocks
+// that expired since the previous tick and calls onExpire for the affected accounts;
+// onExpire is wired to publish the chat-access-changed event, after which the gateway
+// re-resolves the true eligibility. A liberal call (an account that still has another
+// active block) is therefore harmless. The window is in-memory, so a block that
+// expires while the process is down is not re-granted until the next operator action
+// or the player rejoins — an accepted best-effort gap.
+type SuspensionSweeper struct {
+	store    suspensionExpiryQuerier
+	onExpire func(accountID uuid.UUID)
+	log      *zap.Logger
+	// since is the upper bound of the previous swept window; the next sweep covers
+	// (since, now]. It advances only on a successful query, so a failed tick retries
+	// the same window rather than dropping expiries.
+	since time.Time
+}
+
+// NewSuspensionSweeper builds the sweeper over the account store, the per-account
+// expiry callback (publishing the chat-access-changed event) and a logger. The first
+// window opens at construction time, so blocks that lapsed earlier are not re-emitted.
+func NewSuspensionSweeper(store *Store, onExpire func(accountID uuid.UUID), log *zap.Logger) *SuspensionSweeper {
+	if log == nil {
+		log = zap.NewNop()
+	}
+	return &SuspensionSweeper{store: store, onExpire: onExpire, log: log, since: time.Now().UTC()}
+}
+
+// Interval reports the sweep cadence, for the startup log line.
+func (w *SuspensionSweeper) Interval() time.Duration { return suspensionSweepInterval }
+
+// Run sweeps every Interval until ctx is cancelled.
+func (w *SuspensionSweeper) Run(ctx context.Context) {
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(suspensionSweepInterval)
+	defer ticker.Stop()
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return
+		case <-ticker.C:
+			w.sweep(ctx)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// sweep emits a chat-access-changed signal for every account whose temporary block
+// lapsed in (since, now], then advances the window. On a query error it keeps the
+// window so the next tick retries it.
+func (w *SuspensionSweeper) sweep(ctx context.Context) {
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	ids, err := w.store.SuspensionsExpiredBetween(ctx, w.since, now)
+	if err != nil {
+		w.log.Warn("suspension expiry sweep failed", zap.Error(err))
+		return
+	}
+	w.since = now
+	for _, id := range ids {
+		w.onExpire(id)
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+)
+
+// fakeExpiryQuerier records the `since` bound of each call and replays a scripted
+// result/error per call, so the sweeper's window and dispatch logic is testable
+// without a database.
+type fakeExpiryQuerier struct {
+	results [][]uuid.UUID
+	errs    []error
+	sinces  []time.Time
+	idx     int
+}
+
+func (f *fakeExpiryQuerier) SuspensionsExpiredBetween(_ context.Context, since, _ time.Time) ([]uuid.UUID, error) {
+	f.sinces = append(f.sinces, since)
+	i := f.idx
+	f.idx++
+	if i < len(f.errs) && f.errs[i] != nil {
+		return nil, f.errs[i]
+	}
+	if i < len(f.results) {
+		return f.results[i], nil
+	}
+	return nil, nil
+}
+
+func newSweeper(store suspensionExpiryQuerier, onExpire func(uuid.UUID)) *SuspensionSweeper {
+	return &SuspensionSweeper{
+		store:    store,
+		onExpire: onExpire,
+		log:      zap.NewNop(),
+		since:    time.Now().Add(-time.Minute).UTC(),
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSuspensionSweeperDispatchesAndAdvances(t *testing.T) {
+	id1, id2 := uuid.New(), uuid.New()
+	fake := &fakeExpiryQuerier{results: [][]uuid.UUID{{id1, id2}, nil}}
+	var got []uuid.UUID
+	w := newSweeper(fake, func(id uuid.UUID) { got = append(got, id) })
+
+	first := w.since
+	w.sweep(context.Background())
+	assert.Equal(t, []uuid.UUID{id1, id2}, got, "every expired account is dispatched")
+	assert.True(t, w.since.After(first), "the window advances on success")
+
+	// A second sweep opens the next window at the previous upper bound.
+	prev := w.since
+	w.sweep(context.Background())
+	require.Len(t, fake.sinces, 2)
+	assert.True(t, fake.sinces[1].After(fake.sinces[0]), "consecutive windows are contiguous and forward")
+	assert.True(t, fake.sinces[1].Equal(prev), "the next window starts at the previous upper bound")
+}
+
+func TestSuspensionSweeperKeepsWindowOnError(t *testing.T) {
+	fake := &fakeExpiryQuerier{errs: []error{errors.New("db down")}}
+	w := newSweeper(fake, func(uuid.UUID) { t.Fatal("onExpire must not run when the query fails") })
+
+	before := w.since
+	w.sweep(context.Background())
+	assert.True(t, w.since.Equal(before), "the window is retained on error so the next tick retries it")
+}
+
+func TestNewSuspensionSweeperDefaults(t *testing.T) {
+	w := NewSuspensionSweeper(nil, func(uuid.UUID) {}, nil)
+	assert.Equal(t, time.Minute, w.Interval())
+	assert.NotNil(t, w.log, "a nil logger is tolerated")
+	assert.WithinDuration(t, time.Now().UTC(), w.since, time.Second, "the first window opens at construction time")
+}
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import (
 )

 // offsetZoneRe matches a fixed UTC offset like "+03:00" or "-05:30" — the form the
-// Stage 8 profile editor stores (an offset dropdown rather than an IANA name).
+// profile editor stores (an offset dropdown rather than an IANA name).
 var offsetZoneRe = regexp.MustCompile(`^([+-])(\d{2}):(\d{2})$`)

 // parseOffsetZone parses a "±HH:MM" offset into a fixed-offset location, reporting
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"database/sql"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+)
+
+// UserListItem is the admin user-list projection: a small subset of the account plus
+// whether it is a robot (derived from its identities), so the console can label the kind
+// without a per-row identity query.
+type UserListItem struct {
+	ID                uuid.UUID
+	DisplayName       string
+	PreferredLanguage string
+	IsGuest           bool
+	IsRobot           bool
+	// IsDeleted marks a tombstoned account (deleted_at set), shown as a badge — a search
+	// spans both lists, so a result can be either live or deleted.
+	IsDeleted bool
+	// FlaggedHighRateAt is the soft high-rate marker (zero when unflagged), shown
+	// as a badge in the console list.
+	FlaggedHighRateAt time.Time
+	CreatedAt         time.Time
+}
+
+// UserFilter narrows the admin user list: Robots selects robot accounts (otherwise the
+// non-robot "people"); Deleted selects tombstoned accounts (every other scope hides them);
+// NameMask and ExternalIDMask are glob masks ('*' = any run, '?' = one char) matched
+// case-insensitively against the display name / any identity's external id; EmailExact is a
+// strict (exact) match against an account's email identity. An empty value means no filter
+// on that field.
+type UserFilter struct {
+	Robots         bool
+	Deleted        bool
+	NameMask       string
+	ExternalIDMask string
+	EmailExact     string
+}
+
+// robotExists is the correlated subquery testing whether account a is a robot.
+const robotExists = `EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM backend.identities i WHERE i.account_id = a.account_id AND i.kind = 'robot')`
+
+// IsRobot reports whether the account is a robot pool member (it carries a robot
+// identity). The admin console uses it to label a game's robot seats.
+func (s *Store) IsRobot(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) (bool, error) {
+	var ok bool
+	err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM backend.identities WHERE account_id = $1 AND kind = 'robot')`,
+		accountID).Scan(&ok)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("account: is-robot %s: %w", accountID, err)
+	}
+	return ok, nil
+}
+
+// userListWhere builds the shared WHERE clause and its positional args (from $1). On the
+// Robots tab it lists/searches robots only. Otherwise a search (any of the name /
+// external-id / email filters) spans live and deleted people alike — never robots — so the
+// operator finds a match from one query regardless of the People / Deleted tab; the search
+// also looks in the retention journal, so a deleted account is still found by the email /
+// external id it held (those rows moved from identities to retained_identities on deletion)
+// and by its retained real name. With no search, the People / Deleted tab scope applies.
+func userListWhere(f UserFilter) (string, []any) {
+	name := LikePattern(f.NameMask)
+	ext := LikePattern(f.ExternalIDMask)
+	email := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(f.EmailExact))
+	searching := name != "" || ext != "" || email != ""
+
+	var args []any
+	var where string
+	switch {
+	case f.Robots:
+		where = robotExists + ` = true`
+	case searching:
+		where = robotExists + ` = false`
+	case f.Deleted:
+		where = robotExists + ` = false AND a.deleted_at IS NOT NULL`
+	default:
+		where = robotExists + ` = false AND a.deleted_at IS NULL`
+	}
+	if name != "" {
+		args = append(args, name)
+		where += fmt.Sprintf(` AND (a.display_name ILIKE $%d ESCAPE '\' OR a.deleted_display_name ILIKE $%d ESCAPE '\')`, len(args), len(args))
+	}
+	if ext != "" {
+		args = append(args, ext)
+		where += fmt.Sprintf(` AND (EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM backend.identities i WHERE i.account_id = a.account_id AND i.external_id ILIKE $%d ESCAPE '\') OR EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM backend.retained_identities r WHERE r.account_id = a.account_id AND r.external_id ILIKE $%d ESCAPE '\'))`, len(args), len(args))
+	}
+	if email != "" {
+		args = append(args, email)
+		where += fmt.Sprintf(` AND (EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM backend.identities i WHERE i.account_id = a.account_id AND i.kind = 'email' AND i.external_id = $%d) OR EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM backend.retained_identities r WHERE r.account_id = a.account_id AND r.kind = 'email' AND r.external_id = $%d))`, len(args), len(args))
+	}
+	return where, args
+}
+
+// ListUsers returns the filtered admin user list, newest first, paginated.
+func (s *Store) ListUsers(ctx context.Context, f UserFilter, limit, offset int) ([]UserListItem, error) {
+	where, args := userListWhere(f)
+	q := `SELECT a.account_id, a.display_name, a.preferred_language, a.is_guest, a.flagged_high_rate_at, a.created_at, ` + robotExists + ` AS is_robot, (a.deleted_at IS NOT NULL) AS is_deleted
+FROM backend.accounts a WHERE ` + where +
+		fmt.Sprintf(` ORDER BY a.created_at DESC LIMIT $%d OFFSET $%d`, len(args)+1, len(args)+2)
+	args = append(args, limit, offset)
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx, q, args...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: list users: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []UserListItem
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var it UserListItem
+		var flagged sql.NullTime
+		if err := rows.Scan(&it.ID, &it.DisplayName, &it.PreferredLanguage, &it.IsGuest, &flagged, &it.CreatedAt, &it.IsRobot, &it.IsDeleted); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: scan user: %w", err)
+		}
+		if flagged.Valid {
+			it.FlaggedHighRateAt = flagged.Time
+		}
+		out = append(out, it)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+// FlaggedAccount is one row of the console's high-rate review queue.
+type FlaggedAccount struct {
+	ID                uuid.UUID
+	DisplayName       string
+	FlaggedHighRateAt time.Time
+}
+
+// flaggedListCap bounds the console's flagged-account list; the operator clears
+// flags as they are reviewed, so the queue stays short in practice.
+const flaggedListCap = 200
+
+// ListFlaggedHighRate returns the accounts carrying the high-rate flag, most
+// recently flagged first.
+func (s *Store) ListFlaggedHighRate(ctx context.Context) ([]FlaggedAccount, error) {
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT account_id, display_name, flagged_high_rate_at
+FROM backend.accounts WHERE flagged_high_rate_at IS NOT NULL
+ORDER BY flagged_high_rate_at DESC LIMIT $1`, flaggedListCap)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: list flagged: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []FlaggedAccount
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var fa FlaggedAccount
+		if err := rows.Scan(&fa.ID, &fa.DisplayName, &fa.FlaggedHighRateAt); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("account: scan flagged: %w", err)
+		}
+		out = append(out, fa)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+// CountUsers counts the filtered admin user list, for pagination.
+func (s *Store) CountUsers(ctx context.Context, f UserFilter) (int, error) {
+	where, args := userListWhere(f)
+	var n int
+	if err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx, `SELECT COUNT(*) FROM backend.accounts a WHERE `+where, args...).Scan(&n); err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("account: count users: %w", err)
+	}
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+// LikePattern converts a glob mask ('*' any run, '?' one char) to an ILIKE pattern,
+// escaping the SQL wildcards already in the input first. An empty/blank mask returns "".
+func LikePattern(mask string) string {
+	mask = strings.TrimSpace(mask)
+	if mask == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+	escaped := strings.NewReplacer(`\`, `\\`, `%`, `\%`, `_`, `\_`).Replace(mask)
+	escaped = strings.ReplaceAll(escaped, "*", "%")
+	return strings.ReplaceAll(escaped, "?", "_")
+}
@@ -21,10 +21,24 @@ func TestValidateDisplayName(t *testing.T) {
 		"adjacent specials":   {"Name P._Last", "", false},
 		"two spaces":          {"Name  Last", "", false},
 		"leading special":     {"_Name", "", false},
-		"trailing special":   {"Name.", "", false},
-		"digit rejected":     {"Name2", "", false},
+		"trailing underscore": {"Name_", "", false},
+		"trailing dot ok":     {"Anna B.", "Anna B.", true},
+		"double trailing dot": {"Name..", "", false},
+		"trailing digit ok":   {"Name2", "Name2", true},
+		"trailing year ok":    {"Аня2007", "Аня2007", true},
+		"five digits ok":      {"Player12345", "Player12345", true},
+		"six digits rejected": {"Player123456", "", false},
+		"mid digit rejected":  {"Dark2Wolf", "", false},
+		"all digits rejected": {"12345", "", false},
+		"digit then dot":      {"Name2.", "", false},
+		"dot then digit":      {"Anna B.2", "", false},
+		"sep plus digits ok":  {"Night.Fox2007", "Night.Fox2007", true},     // "." is the only special; digits do not count
+		"max specials+digits": {"a.a.a.a.a.a2007", "a.a.a.a.a.a2007", true}, // 5 dots + a digit run still passes
 		"blank":               {"   ", "", false},
 		"too long":            {strings.Repeat("a", 33), "", false},
+		"five specials ok":    {"a.a.a.a.a.a", "a.a.a.a.a.a", true},           // 5 dots
+		"six specials":        {"a.a.a.a.a.a.a", "", false},                   // 6 dots
+		"initials spaces ok":  {"J. R. R. Tolkien", "J. R. R. Tolkien", true}, // 3 dots; spaces don't count
 	}
 	for name, tc := range cases {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package account
+
+import (
+	"slices"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestSeedVariantsFromStartParam covers decoding a promo deep-link start-param into the
+// variant-preference set to seed: a valid "v"-prefixed, "-"-joined label list is cleaned
+// to the canonical order and deduplicated, while anything that is not a variant-seed link
+// or that names an unknown variant yields nil (leaving the account on its defaults).
+func TestSeedVariantsFromStartParam(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name  string
+		param string
+		want  []string
+	}{
+		{"english promo", "verudit_ru-scrabble_en", []string{"erudit_ru", "scrabble_en"}},
+		{"single variant", "vscrabble_en", []string{"scrabble_en"}},
+		{"canonical order regardless of payload order", "vscrabble_en-erudit_ru", []string{"erudit_ru", "scrabble_en"}},
+		{"deduplicated", "verudit_ru-erudit_ru", []string{"erudit_ru"}},
+		{"empty", "", nil},
+		{"prefix only", "v", nil},
+		{"routing game link is not a seed", "g0190abcd", nil},
+		{"friend code link is not a seed", "f123456", nil},
+		{"unknown variant rejected", "vscrabble_de", nil},
+		{"one unknown label rejects the whole set", "verudit_ru-scrabble_de", nil},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := SeedVariantsFromStartParam(tc.param)
+			if !slices.Equal(got, tc.want) {
+				t.Errorf("SeedVariantsFromStartParam(%q) = %v, want %v", tc.param, got, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+// Package accountdelete deactivates an account as legal retention, not erasure: it keeps
+// the account row as a tombstone (its chat/complaint foreign keys have no cascade, so a
+// hard delete is impossible) while journalling and freeing the account's credentials,
+// anonymising the live surfaces, and dropping the account's own social/ephemeral rows.
+// The retained_identities journal plus the tombstone (deleted_at, deleted_display_name,
+// last_login_at/ip) form the admin/legal dossier; messages are deliberately kept. Session
+// revocation and active-game forfeit are orchestrated one layer up (they need the session
+// cache and the game service). See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §9.1 and the retention TTL reaper.
+package accountdelete
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"database/sql"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/qrm"
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/model"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/table"
+)
+
+// AnonymizedName is the label a deleted account shows to opponents. Display names are
+// stored strings resolved identically for every viewer (no per-viewer localisation in this
+// codebase), so a single canonical label is used. The brackets are deliberate: the
+// editable-name rule (account.displayNameRe) forbids them, so a live player can never set a
+// name that impersonates a deleted account.
+const AnonymizedName = "[Deleted]"
+
+// retainDelete is the retained_identities reason written when a credential is journalled
+// because its account is being deleted.
+const retainDelete = "delete"
+
+// Deleter performs the SQL-atomic part of account deletion over a Postgres handle.
+type Deleter struct {
+	db  *sql.DB
+	now func() time.Time
+}
+
+// NewDeleter constructs a Deleter over db.
+func NewDeleter(db *sql.DB) *Deleter {
+	return &Deleter{db: db, now: func() time.Time { return time.Now().UTC() }}
+}
+
+// AnonymizeAndTombstone retires accountID atomically: it journals every live identity into
+// retained_identities (reason=delete) then removes them so the credentials free for reuse,
+// snapshots the real display name into deleted_display_name and scrubs the live one to
+// AnonymizedName, sets deleted_at, anonymises the account's game-seat snapshots, and drops
+// its friendships, blocks, invitations, friend codes, drafts and pending codes. Chat,
+// feedback and complaints are kept (the surviving tombstone keeps their no-cascade foreign
+// keys valid). It is idempotent-safe on an already-tombstoned account (re-journalling
+// nothing, since the identities are already gone).
+func (d *Deleter) AnonymizeAndTombstone(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) error {
+	now := d.now()
+	return withTx(ctx, d.db, func(tx *sql.Tx) error {
+		if err := journalAndDropIdentities(ctx, tx, accountID, now); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if err := tombstone(ctx, tx, accountID, now); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if _, err := table.GamePlayers.UPDATE(table.GamePlayers.DisplayName).
+			SET(postgres.String(AnonymizedName)).
+			WHERE(table.GamePlayers.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID))).
+			ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: anonymise seats: %w", err)
+		}
+		return dropSocialAndEphemerals(ctx, tx, accountID)
+	})
+}
+
+// dropAllRobotGamesSQL deletes every game in which the account plays and no other seat is a
+// human — a robot seat is one whose account holds a 'robot' identity, so this covers both
+// honest vs-AI games and disguised auto-match substitutes. The game rows are deleted; their
+// moves/chat/players/complaints fall away through ON DELETE CASCADE.
+const dropAllRobotGamesSQL = `
+DELETE FROM games g
+WHERE EXISTS (
+    SELECT 1 FROM game_players p WHERE p.game_id = g.game_id AND p.account_id = $1
+) AND NOT EXISTS (
+    SELECT 1 FROM game_players o
+    WHERE o.game_id = g.game_id AND o.account_id <> $1
+      AND NOT EXISTS (
+          SELECT 1 FROM identities i WHERE i.account_id = o.account_id AND i.kind = 'robot'
+      )
+)`
+
+// DropAllRobotGames deletes the account's games that have no human opponent (solo vs-AI or
+// auto-match-robot games), returning how many were removed. Games with any human seat are
+// kept — their seat is anonymised by AnonymizeAndTombstone instead. Run it after the
+// account's active games are resigned, so no live game is removed under the robot driver.
+func (d *Deleter) DropAllRobotGames(ctx context.Context, accountID uuid.UUID) (int64, error) {
+	res, err := d.db.ExecContext(ctx, dropAllRobotGamesSQL, accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: drop all-robot games: %w", err)
+	}
+	n, err := res.RowsAffected()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: dropped games count: %w", err)
+	}
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+// journalAndDropIdentities copies the account's live identities into the retention journal
+// (reason=delete) and then removes them, freeing each (kind, external_id) for reuse.
+func journalAndDropIdentities(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, accountID uuid.UUID, now time.Time) error {
+	var ids []model.Identities
+	err := postgres.SELECT(table.Identities.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.Identities).
+		WHERE(table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID))).
+		QueryContext(ctx, tx, &ids)
+	if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: load identities: %w", err)
+	}
+	for _, id := range ids {
+		rid, err := uuid.NewV7()
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: new retained id: %w", err)
+		}
+		ins := table.RetainedIdentities.INSERT(
+			table.RetainedIdentities.RetainedID, table.RetainedIdentities.AccountID,
+			table.RetainedIdentities.Kind, table.RetainedIdentities.ExternalID,
+			table.RetainedIdentities.Confirmed, table.RetainedIdentities.LinkedAt,
+			table.RetainedIdentities.DetachedAt, table.RetainedIdentities.Reason,
+		).VALUES(rid, accountID, id.Kind, id.ExternalID, id.Confirmed, id.CreatedAt, now, retainDelete)
+		if _, err := ins.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: retain identity %s: %w", id.Kind, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if _, err := table.Identities.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID))).
+		ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete identities: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// tombstone marks the account deleted, snapshotting the real display name into
+// deleted_display_name (evaluated from the old row) before scrubbing the live one.
+func tombstone(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, accountID uuid.UUID, now time.Time) error {
+	upd := table.Accounts.UPDATE(
+		table.Accounts.DeletedAt, table.Accounts.DeletedDisplayName,
+		table.Accounts.DisplayName, table.Accounts.UpdatedAt,
+	).SET(
+		postgres.TimestampzT(now), table.Accounts.DisplayName,
+		postgres.String(AnonymizedName), postgres.TimestampzT(now),
+	).WHERE(table.Accounts.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(accountID)))
+	if _, err := upd.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: tombstone account: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// dropSocialAndEphemerals removes the account's own friendships, blocks, invitations
+// (as inviter and as invitee), friend codes, drafts and pending confirm-codes. These are
+// the deleting user's private data with no dossier value; chat and feedback are kept.
+func dropSocialAndEphemerals(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, accountID uuid.UUID) error {
+	id := postgres.UUID(accountID)
+	// Friendships and blocks are two-account edges keyed on either endpoint.
+	if _, err := table.Friendships.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.Friendships.RequesterID.EQ(id).OR(table.Friendships.AddresseeID.EQ(id))).
+		ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete friendships: %w", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := table.Blocks.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.Blocks.BlockerID.EQ(id).OR(table.Blocks.BlockedID.EQ(id))).
+		ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete blocks: %w", err)
+	}
+	// Invitations: drop the account's invitee rows, then its own invitations' invitees and
+	// the invitations themselves (children first, to respect the foreign key).
+	if _, err := table.GameInvitationInvitees.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.GameInvitationInvitees.AccountID.EQ(id)).
+		ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete invitee rows: %w", err)
+	}
+	ownInvitations := postgres.SELECT(table.GameInvitations.InvitationID).
+		FROM(table.GameInvitations).
+		WHERE(table.GameInvitations.InviterID.EQ(id))
+	if _, err := table.GameInvitationInvitees.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.GameInvitationInvitees.InvitationID.IN(ownInvitations)).
+		ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete own invitation invitees: %w", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := table.GameInvitations.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.GameInvitations.InviterID.EQ(id)).
+		ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete invitations: %w", err)
+	}
+	// Ephemerals: friend codes, move drafts, pending confirm-codes.
+	if _, err := table.FriendCodes.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.FriendCodes.AccountID.EQ(id)).ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete friend codes: %w", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := table.GameDrafts.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.GameDrafts.AccountID.EQ(id)).ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete drafts: %w", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := table.EmailConfirmations.DELETE().
+		WHERE(table.EmailConfirmations.AccountID.EQ(id)).ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: delete confirmations: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// withTx runs fn inside a transaction, committing on success and rolling back on error.
+func withTx(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, fn func(tx *sql.Tx) error) error {
+	tx, err := db.BeginTx(ctx, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: begin tx: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := fn(tx); err != nil {
+		_ = tx.Rollback()
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := tx.Commit(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountdelete: commit tx: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 // Package accountmerge retires a secondary account into a primary one in a single
-// transaction: it sums statistics and the hint wallet, ORs the paid flag, repoints
+// transaction: it sums statistics (merging the per-variant best moves), sums the hint
+// wallet, ORs the paid flag, repoints
 // the secondary's identities, transfers its games/chat/complaints/invitations,
 // de-duplicates friends and blocks, and leaves the secondary as an audit tombstone
-// (accounts.merged_into). It is the data core of Stage 11 account linking & merge
+// (accounts.merged_into). It is the data core of account linking & merge
 // (ARCHITECTURE.md §4); session revocation and any session switch are orchestrated
 // one layer up (the link service), since the in-memory session cache lives there.
 package accountmerge
@@ -26,6 +27,11 @@ import (
 // without taking a dependency on the game package.
 const statusActive = "active"

+// retainReasonMerge is the retained_identities.reason for a credential dropped by a merge
+// collision (both accounts held the same kind). It mirrors the account package's retain
+// reasons, kept local to avoid importing that package's unexported constants.
+const retainReasonMerge = "merge"
+
 // Friendship statuses, highest precedence first, mirroring internal/social.
 const (
 	friendAccepted = "accepted"
@@ -68,9 +74,15 @@ func (m *Merger) Merge(ctx context.Context, primary, secondary uuid.UUID) error
 		if err := mergeStats(ctx, tx, primary, secondary, now); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+		if err := mergeBestMoves(ctx, tx, primary, secondary, now); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 		if err := mergeAccountFields(ctx, tx, primary, secondary, now); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+		if err := dedupeIdentities(ctx, tx, primary, secondary); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 		if err := reassignColumn(ctx, tx, table.Identities, table.Identities.AccountID, primary, secondary); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: identities: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -147,8 +159,8 @@ func activeGameIDs(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, accountID uuid.UUID) ([]uuid
 	return out, nil
 }

-// mergeStats folds secondary's lifetime statistics into primary (wins/losses/draws
-// summed, max points kept) and deletes the secondary row.
+// mergeStats folds secondary's lifetime statistics into primary (wins/losses/draws and
+// the moves/hints-used counters summed, max points kept) and deletes the secondary row.
 func mergeStats(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, primary, secondary uuid.UUID, now time.Time) error {
 	var sec model.AccountStats
 	err := postgres.SELECT(table.AccountStats.AllColumns).
@@ -178,13 +190,16 @@ func mergeStats(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, primary, secondary uuid.UUID, n

 	upd := table.AccountStats.UPDATE(
 		table.AccountStats.Wins, table.AccountStats.Losses, table.AccountStats.Draws,
-		table.AccountStats.MaxGamePoints, table.AccountStats.MaxWordPoints, table.AccountStats.UpdatedAt,
+		table.AccountStats.MaxGamePoints, table.AccountStats.MaxWordPoints,
+		table.AccountStats.Moves, table.AccountStats.HintsUsed, table.AccountStats.UpdatedAt,
 	).SET(
 		postgres.Int(int64(pri.Wins+sec.Wins)),
 		postgres.Int(int64(pri.Losses+sec.Losses)),
 		postgres.Int(int64(pri.Draws+sec.Draws)),
 		postgres.Int(int64(max(pri.MaxGamePoints, sec.MaxGamePoints))),
 		postgres.Int(int64(max(pri.MaxWordPoints, sec.MaxWordPoints))),
+		postgres.Int(int64(pri.Moves+sec.Moves)),
+		postgres.Int(int64(pri.HintsUsed+sec.HintsUsed)),
 		postgres.TimestampzT(now),
 	).WHERE(table.AccountStats.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(primary)))
 	if _, err := upd.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
@@ -198,6 +213,41 @@ func mergeStats(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, primary, secondary uuid.UUID, n
 	return nil
 }

+// mergeBestMoves folds secondary's per-variant best moves into primary, keeping the
+// higher-scoring play per variant (the same rule the per-game upsert uses), then deletes
+// the secondary's rows — the secondary is only tombstoned, not removed, so without this
+// they would linger on a dead account and never reach the merged statistics screen.
+func mergeBestMoves(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, primary, secondary uuid.UUID, now time.Time) error {
+	var srows []model.AccountBestMove
+	err := postgres.SELECT(table.AccountBestMove.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.AccountBestMove).
+		WHERE(table.AccountBestMove.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(secondary))).
+		QueryContext(ctx, tx, &srows)
+	if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: load secondary best moves: %w", err)
+	}
+	for _, s := range srows {
+		ins := table.AccountBestMove.
+			INSERT(table.AccountBestMove.AccountID, table.AccountBestMove.Variant,
+				table.AccountBestMove.Score, table.AccountBestMove.Tiles, table.AccountBestMove.UpdatedAt).
+			VALUES(primary, s.Variant, s.Score, s.Tiles, postgres.TimestampzT(now)).
+			ON_CONFLICT(table.AccountBestMove.AccountID, table.AccountBestMove.Variant).
+			DO_UPDATE(postgres.SET(
+				table.AccountBestMove.Score.SET(table.AccountBestMove.EXCLUDED.Score),
+				table.AccountBestMove.Tiles.SET(table.AccountBestMove.EXCLUDED.Tiles),
+				table.AccountBestMove.UpdatedAt.SET(table.AccountBestMove.EXCLUDED.UpdatedAt),
+			).WHERE(table.AccountBestMove.EXCLUDED.Score.GT(table.AccountBestMove.Score)))
+		if _, err := ins.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: merge best move %s: %w", s.Variant, err)
+		}
+	}
+	del := table.AccountBestMove.DELETE().WHERE(table.AccountBestMove.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(secondary)))
+	if _, err := del.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: delete secondary best moves: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // mergeAccountFields adds secondary's hint wallet to primary and ORs the paid flag;
 // all other profile fields stay the primary's.
 func mergeAccountFields(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, primary, secondary uuid.UUID, now time.Time) error {
@@ -258,6 +308,77 @@ func reassignColumn(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, tbl postgres.Table, col pos
 	return err
 }

+// dedupeIdentities resolves a same-kind identity collision before the blanket identity
+// reassign: when both accounts already hold an identity of the same kind (e.g. each has a
+// confirmed email — reachable when two email-bearing accounts merge), the primary keeps
+// its own and the secondary's is journaled to retained_identities (reason=merge) and
+// removed. Without this the blanket reassign would leave the survivor with two identities
+// of one kind (there is no per-account-kind unique on identities), which the profile and
+// the retention dossier both treat as singular. Non-colliding identities are untouched and
+// move with the blanket reassign.
+func dedupeIdentities(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, primary, secondary uuid.UUID) error {
+	var prows []model.Identities
+	if err := postgres.SELECT(table.Identities.Kind).
+		FROM(table.Identities).
+		WHERE(table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(primary))).
+		QueryContext(ctx, tx, &prows); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: primary identity kinds: %w", err)
+	}
+	occupied := make(map[string]struct{}, len(prows))
+	for _, r := range prows {
+		occupied[r.Kind] = struct{}{}
+	}
+	if len(occupied) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	var srows []model.Identities
+	if err := postgres.SELECT(
+		table.Identities.Kind, table.Identities.ExternalID,
+		table.Identities.Confirmed, table.Identities.CreatedAt,
+	).FROM(table.Identities).
+		WHERE(table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(secondary))).
+		QueryContext(ctx, tx, &srows); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: secondary identities: %w", err)
+	}
+	for _, s := range srows {
+		if _, dup := occupied[s.Kind]; !dup {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := retainMergedIdentity(ctx, tx, secondary, s); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		del := table.Identities.DELETE().WHERE(
+			table.Identities.AccountID.EQ(postgres.UUID(secondary)).
+				AND(table.Identities.Kind.EQ(postgres.String(s.Kind))).
+				AND(table.Identities.ExternalID.EQ(postgres.String(s.ExternalID))),
+		)
+		if _, err := del.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: drop colliding %s identity: %w", s.Kind, err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// retainMergedIdentity appends a retained_identities row for a secondary identity dropped
+// by a merge collision (reason=merge), preserving it in the legal dossier. It mirrors
+// account.retainIdentityTx, which is unexported; detached_at falls to the column default.
+func retainMergedIdentity(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, accountID uuid.UUID, id model.Identities) error {
+	rid, err := uuid.NewV7()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: new retained id: %w", err)
+	}
+	ins := table.RetainedIdentities.INSERT(
+		table.RetainedIdentities.RetainedID, table.RetainedIdentities.AccountID,
+		table.RetainedIdentities.Kind, table.RetainedIdentities.ExternalID,
+		table.RetainedIdentities.Confirmed, table.RetainedIdentities.LinkedAt,
+		table.RetainedIdentities.Reason,
+	).VALUES(rid, accountID, id.Kind, id.ExternalID, id.Confirmed, id.CreatedAt, retainReasonMerge)
+	if _, err := ins.ExecContext(ctx, tx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("accountmerge: retain merged %s identity: %w", id.Kind, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // friendRank ranks a friendship status for dedupe precedence (higher wins).
 func friendRank(status string) int {
 	switch status {
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+// Package adminalert emails the operator when new player feedback or word complaints
+// arrive, coalescing a burst into a single digest per interval so a flood is one email,
+// not N. It is inert unless an admin sender and recipient are configured. The sender is
+// distinct from the user-facing confirm-code From, and the recipient may be several
+// comma-separated addresses (the mailer splits them).
+package adminalert
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/account"
+)
+
+// FeedbackCounter counts feedback created since a time (satisfied by feedback.Service).
+type FeedbackCounter interface {
+	CountSince(ctx context.Context, since time.Time) (int, error)
+}
+
+// ComplaintCounter counts word complaints filed since a time (satisfied by game.Service).
+type ComplaintCounter interface {
+	CountComplaintsSince(ctx context.Context, since time.Time) (int, error)
+}
+
+// Notifier polls for new feedback and complaints and emails the operator a digest.
+type Notifier struct {
+	mailer     account.Mailer
+	feedback   FeedbackCounter
+	complaints ComplaintCounter
+	from       string
+	to         string
+	consoleURL string
+	clock      func() time.Time
+	log        *zap.Logger
+	last       time.Time
+}
+
+// New constructs a Notifier. from and to are the alert sender and recipient(s); consoleURL,
+// when non-empty, is the admin-console link included in the email. log may be nil. The
+// watermark starts at "now", so only items arriving after start-up are reported.
+func New(mailer account.Mailer, fb FeedbackCounter, cp ComplaintCounter, from, to, consoleURL string, log *zap.Logger) *Notifier {
+	if log == nil {
+		log = zap.NewNop()
+	}
+	return &Notifier{
+		mailer: mailer, feedback: fb, complaints: cp, from: from, to: to, consoleURL: consoleURL,
+		clock: func() time.Time { return time.Now().UTC() }, log: log, last: time.Now().UTC(),
+	}
+}
+
+// Run polls on each tick until ctx is cancelled.
+func (n *Notifier) Run(ctx context.Context, interval time.Duration) {
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(interval)
+	defer ticker.Stop()
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return
+		case <-ticker.C:
+			n.tick(ctx)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// tick counts what arrived since the last watermark and, if anything did, emails one
+// digest. The watermark only advances after a successful send (or a quiet tick), so a
+// transient send failure is retried on the next tick — the counts simply grow.
+func (n *Notifier) tick(ctx context.Context) {
+	now := n.clock()
+	fb, err := n.feedback.CountSince(ctx, n.last)
+	if err != nil {
+		n.log.Warn("admin alert: count feedback failed", zap.Error(err))
+		return
+	}
+	cp, err := n.complaints.CountComplaintsSince(ctx, n.last)
+	if err != nil {
+		n.log.Warn("admin alert: count complaints failed", zap.Error(err))
+		return
+	}
+	if fb == 0 && cp == 0 {
+		n.last = now
+		return
+	}
+	if err := n.mailer.Send(ctx, n.digest(fb, cp)); err != nil {
+		n.log.Warn("admin alert: send failed", zap.Error(err))
+		return
+	}
+	n.log.Info("admin alert sent", zap.Int("feedback", fb), zap.Int("complaints", cp))
+	n.last = now
+}
+
+// digest builds the operator alert email for fb new feedback and cp new complaints.
+func (n *Notifier) digest(fb, cp int) account.Message {
+	var parts []string
+	if fb > 0 {
+		parts = append(parts, fmt.Sprintf("%d new feedback message(s)", fb))
+	}
+	if cp > 0 {
+		parts = append(parts, fmt.Sprintf("%d new word complaint(s)", cp))
+	}
+	summary := strings.Join(parts, ", ")
+	text := summary + "."
+	if n.consoleURL != "" {
+		text += "\n\nOpen the admin console: " + n.consoleURL
+	}
+	return account.Message{
+		From:    n.from,
+		To:      n.to,
+		Subject: "Erudit — " + summary,
+		Text:    text,
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+package adminalert
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/account"
+)
+
+// The fakes ignore the watermark and return a fixed count, which is all the digest logic
+// needs.
+type fbCounter struct{ n int }
+
+func (f fbCounter) CountSince(context.Context, time.Time) (int, error) { return f.n, nil }
+
+type cpCounter struct{ n int }
+
+func (c cpCounter) CountComplaintsSince(context.Context, time.Time) (int, error) { return c.n, nil }
+
+type recordingMailer struct{ sent []account.Message }
+
+func (m *recordingMailer) Send(_ context.Context, msg account.Message) error {
+	m.sent = append(m.sent, msg)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func TestNotifierSkipsWhenNothingNew(t *testing.T) {
+	mailer := &recordingMailer{}
+	n := New(mailer, fbCounter{0}, cpCounter{0}, "alerts@erudit-game.ru", "op@x.ru", "", nil)
+	n.tick(context.Background())
+	if len(mailer.sent) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("sent %d emails, want 0 when nothing is new", len(mailer.sent))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNotifierDigestsNewItems(t *testing.T) {
+	mailer := &recordingMailer{}
+	n := New(mailer, fbCounter{2}, cpCounter{1}, "alerts@erudit-game.ru", "op@x.ru, two@x.ru", "https://erudit-game.ru/_gm", nil)
+	n.tick(context.Background())
+	if len(mailer.sent) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("sent %d emails, want 1 digest", len(mailer.sent))
+	}
+	msg := mailer.sent[0]
+	if msg.From != "alerts@erudit-game.ru" || msg.To != "op@x.ru, two@x.ru" {
+		t.Errorf("digest addressing = From %q To %q", msg.From, msg.To)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(msg.Subject, "2 new feedback") || !strings.Contains(msg.Subject, "1 new word complaint") {
+		t.Errorf("digest subject = %q, want the feedback + complaint counts", msg.Subject)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(msg.Text, "/_gm") {
+		t.Errorf("digest body = %q, want the console link", msg.Text)
+	}
+}
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ h1 { font-size: 1.4rem; margin: 0 0 0.4rem; }
 .subnav a.active { color: var(--ink); }

 .form { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 0.6rem; align-items: end; margin-top: 0.4rem; }
+.form .export { margin-left: auto; align-self: center; color: var(--accent); white-space: nowrap; }
 .form.col { flex-direction: column; align-items: stretch; max-width: 540px; }
 .form label { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.2rem; font-size: 0.85rem; color: var(--ink-dim); }
 .form input, .form select, .form textarea {
@@ -85,6 +86,22 @@ h1 { font-size: 1.4rem; margin: 0 0 0.4rem; }
  font: inherit;
 }
 .form textarea { min-height: 4rem; resize: vertical; }
+/* A static help aside (e.g. message-formatting hints) beside an intro note at the top of a
+   section: the note fills the row, the aside takes ~40% and both wrap on a narrow viewport. */
+.help-top { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 1rem; align-items: flex-start; margin: 0.2rem 0 0.6rem; }
+.help-top .note { flex: 1 1 16rem; margin: 0; }
+.help {
+  flex: 0 1 40%;
+  min-width: 16rem;
+  background: var(--panel-hi);
+  border: 1px solid var(--line);
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  padding: 0.5rem 0.8rem;
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  color: var(--ink-dim);
+}
+.help h4 { margin: 0 0 0.4rem; font-size: 0.85rem; color: var(--ink); }
+.help p { margin: 0.35rem 0; }
 button {
  background: var(--accent);
  color: #06121f;
@@ -101,3 +118,99 @@ code { background: var(--bg); padding: 0.05rem 0.3rem; border-radius: 4px; }
 .actions { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 0.6rem; margin: 0.8rem 0; }
 .actions form { margin: 0; }
 .pill { padding: 0.05rem 0.4rem; border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 999px; font-size: 0.8rem; }
+
+/* Move-timing chart: a server-rendered, script-free inline SVG line chart. */
+.chart { width: 100%; height: auto; max-width: 680px; margin-top: 0.4rem; }
+.chart .axis { stroke: var(--line); stroke-width: 1; }
+.chart .grid { stroke: var(--line); stroke-width: 1; stroke-dasharray: 2 3; opacity: 0.6; }
+.chart .lbl { fill: var(--ink-dim); font-size: 11px; }
+.chart .ln { fill: none; stroke-width: 1.5; }
+.chart .ln-min { stroke: var(--ok); }
+.chart .ln-avg { stroke: var(--accent); }
+.chart .ln-max { stroke: var(--danger); }
+.lg { font-weight: 600; }
+.lg-min { color: var(--ok); }
+.lg-avg { color: var(--accent); }
+.lg-max { color: var(--danger); }
+
+/* Feedback: user-controlled message bodies are wrapped and escaped (never HTML);
+   an image attachment is previewed inline, bounded so it cannot dominate the page. */
+.msgbody { white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: break-word; background: var(--bg); padding: 0.6rem 0.8rem; border-radius: 6px; margin: 0.6rem 0; }
+.attach { max-width: 100%; max-height: 480px; height: auto; border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 6px; }
+
+/* Game replay (admin): a script-stepped board with rack panels around it, a move log and the
+   first-move draw. A placed tile shows its value as a subscript; a 0 value (a blank) shows none. */
+.replay-stage {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns: auto minmax(0, 1fr) auto;
+  grid-template-areas: ".    top    ." "left board  right" ".    bottom .";
+  gap: 0.5rem;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-items: center;
+  margin-bottom: 0.6rem;
+}
+.rack-top { grid-area: top; }
+.rack-bottom { grid-area: bottom; }
+.rack-left { grid-area: left; }
+.rack-right { grid-area: right; }
+.replay-board { grid-area: board; overflow: auto; }
+.board-grid {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns: 1.4rem repeat(15, 1.7rem);
+  grid-auto-rows: 1.7rem;
+  gap: 1px;
+  background: var(--line);
+  border: 1px solid var(--line);
+  width: max-content;
+}
+.board-grid .bh { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; font-size: 0.6rem; color: var(--ink-dim); background: var(--panel); }
+.board-grid .cell { position: relative; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; background: var(--panel-hi); }
+.cell .prem { font-size: 0.55rem; color: var(--ink); opacity: 0.8; }
+.cell.tw { background: #7a2230; }
+.cell.dw { background: #a8506a; }
+.cell.tl { background: #235a7a; }
+.cell.dl { background: #3f87a8; }
+.cell.centre .prem { font-size: 0.95rem; color: var(--warn); opacity: 1; }
+.tile {
+  display: inline-flex; align-items: baseline; justify-content: center;
+  min-width: 1.35rem; height: 1.35rem; padding: 0 0.12rem;
+  background: #e8d9a0; color: #1b1408; border-radius: 3px;
+  font-weight: 700; font-size: 0.8rem; line-height: 1.35rem;
+}
+.tile sub { font-size: 0.5rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1; align-self: flex-end; margin-left: 1px; }
+.tile.blank { background: #cdbfe0; }
+.cell.filled { background: var(--panel-hi); }
+.cell.filled .tile { width: 100%; height: 100%; border-radius: 2px; }
+.rack-slot { padding: 0.25rem; border-radius: 6px; }
+.rack-slot.active { outline: 2px solid var(--accent); background: var(--panel-hi); }
+.rack-name { font-size: 0.72rem; color: var(--ink-dim); margin-bottom: 0.2rem; text-align: center; }
+.rack-tiles { display: flex; gap: 2px; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; }
+.rack-left .rack-tiles, .rack-right .rack-tiles { flex-direction: column; }
+.replay-controls { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.8rem; justify-content: center; margin: 0.6rem 0; }
+.replay-controls button { background: var(--panel-hi); color: var(--ink); border: 1px solid var(--line); font-weight: 600; }
+.replay-controls button:disabled { opacity: 0.4; cursor: default; }
+.replay-pos { color: var(--ink-dim); font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; }
+.replay-log { margin: 0.4rem 0 0; padding-left: 1.4rem; max-height: 14rem; overflow: auto; font-size: 0.85rem; }
+.replay-log li { color: var(--ink-dim); padding: 0.1rem 0; }
+.replay-log li.cur { color: var(--ink); font-weight: 600; }
+
+/* Banner colour override editor + live preview (banner_detail). The override
+   fieldsets group the enable toggle with the native colour swatches; the preview
+   renders a sample strip on both themes from those inputs (see the inline script). */
+.ovr { border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 6px; padding: 0.3rem 0.8rem 0.7rem; margin: 0.2rem 0; }
+.ovr legend { padding: 0 0.3rem; font-size: 0.85rem; color: var(--ink); }
+.ovr legend label { flex-direction: row; align-items: center; gap: 0.4rem; color: var(--ink); }
+.ovr .note { margin: 0.2rem 0 0.4rem; }
+.ovr .swatches { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 1rem; }
+.ovr .swatches label { flex-direction: column; gap: 0.25rem; align-items: flex-start; }
+.ovr input[type=color] { width: 3rem; height: 1.8rem; padding: 0; border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 4px; background: var(--bg); cursor: pointer; }
+.ovr input[type=color]:disabled { opacity: 0.4; cursor: default; }
+.ovr .hex { font-size: 0.72rem; color: var(--ink-dim); font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; }
+.banner-preview { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 0.8rem; margin: 0.7rem 0 0.2rem; }
+.banner-preview .bp { flex: 1 1 18rem; }
+.banner-preview .bp-label { display: block; font-size: 0.75rem; color: var(--ink-dim); margin-bottom: 0.25rem; }
+.ad-frame { padding: 0.7rem; border-radius: 6px; border: 1px solid var(--line); }
+.ad-frame.light { background: #f4f6f9; }
+.ad-frame.dark { background: #0f1420; }
+.ad-sample { padding: 0.35rem 0.7rem; font-size: 0.85rem; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; }
+.ad-sample .ad-link { text-decoration: underline; }
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package adminconsole
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"html/template"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// ChartPoint is one move-number sample of the move-duration chart: the min, mean and
+// max think time (seconds) the account took on its Ordinal-th move across its games.
+type ChartPoint struct {
+	Ordinal int
+	Min     float64
+	Max     float64
+	Avg     float64
+}
+
+// FormatDuration renders a think-time in seconds as a compact human string
+// ("45s", "3m", "1h5m"), for the user-list columns and the chart's Y labels.
+func FormatDuration(secs float64) string {
+	d := time.Duration(secs * float64(time.Second))
+	switch {
+	case d < time.Minute:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%ds", int(d.Seconds()+0.5))
+	case d < time.Hour:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%dm", int(d.Minutes()+0.5))
+	default:
+		h := int(d.Hours())
+		if m := int(d.Minutes()) - h*60; m > 0 {
+			return fmt.Sprintf("%dh%dm", h, m)
+		}
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%dh", h)
+	}
+}
+
+// MoveDurationChart renders the per-move-number think-time chart as a self-contained,
+// script-free inline SVG with three series (min, mean, max). The coordinates and
+// labels are all derived from numeric data, so the result is safe template.HTML.
+// An empty series renders nothing.
+func MoveDurationChart(points []ChartPoint) template.HTML {
+	if len(points) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	const (
+		w, h = 640, 240
+		padL = 46
+		padR = 12
+		padT = 10
+		padB = 28
+	)
+	maxOrd := points[len(points)-1].Ordinal
+	if maxOrd < 1 {
+		maxOrd = 1
+	}
+	var maxY float64
+	for _, p := range points {
+		maxY = max(maxY, p.Max)
+	}
+	if maxY <= 0 {
+		maxY = 1
+	}
+	xOf := func(ord int) float64 {
+		if maxOrd == 1 {
+			return padL
+		}
+		return padL + (float64(ord-1)/float64(maxOrd-1))*(w-padL-padR)
+	}
+	yOf := func(v float64) float64 { return padT + (1-v/maxY)*(h-padT-padB) }
+	line := func(get func(ChartPoint) float64) string {
+		pts := make([]string, len(points))
+		for i, p := range points {
+			pts[i] = fmt.Sprintf("%.1f,%.1f", xOf(p.Ordinal), yOf(get(p)))
+		}
+		return strings.Join(pts, " ")
+	}
+
+	var b strings.Builder
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<svg viewBox="0 0 %d %d" class="chart" role="img" aria-label="Move duration by move number">`, w, h)
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<line x1="%d" y1="%d" x2="%d" y2="%.1f" class="axis"/>`, padL, padT, padL, float64(h-padB))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<line x1="%d" y1="%.1f" x2="%d" y2="%.1f" class="axis"/>`, padL, float64(h-padB), w-padR, float64(h-padB))
+	for _, frac := range []float64{0, 0.5, 1} {
+		v := maxY * frac
+		y := yOf(v)
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<line x1="%d" y1="%.1f" x2="%d" y2="%.1f" class="grid"/>`, padL, y, w-padR, y)
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<text x="%d" y="%.1f" class="lbl" text-anchor="end">%s</text>`, padL-5, y+3, FormatDuration(v))
+	}
+	for _, ord := range xTicks(maxOrd) {
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<text x="%.1f" y="%d" class="lbl" text-anchor="middle">%d</text>`, xOf(ord), h-padB+15, ord)
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<polyline points="%s" class="ln ln-max"/>`, line(func(p ChartPoint) float64 { return p.Max }))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<polyline points="%s" class="ln ln-avg"/>`, line(func(p ChartPoint) float64 { return p.Avg }))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, `<polyline points="%s" class="ln ln-min"/>`, line(func(p ChartPoint) float64 { return p.Min }))
+	b.WriteString(`</svg>`)
+	return template.HTML(b.String())
+}
+
+// xTicks returns up to three distinct ordinal labels for the chart's X axis.
+func xTicks(maxOrd int) []int {
+	if maxOrd <= 2 {
+		out := make([]int, 0, maxOrd)
+		for i := 1; i <= maxOrd; i++ {
+			out = append(out, i)
+		}
+		return out
+	}
+	return []int{1, (maxOrd + 1) / 2, maxOrd}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package adminconsole
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestFormatDuration(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[float64]string{
+		0: "0s", 30: "30s", 59: "59s", 60: "1m", 150: "3m", 3600: "1h", 3660: "1h1m", 7800: "2h10m",
+	}
+	for secs, want := range cases {
+		if got := FormatDuration(secs); got != want {
+			t.Errorf("FormatDuration(%v) = %q, want %q", secs, got, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMoveDurationChartEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	if got := MoveDurationChart(nil); got != "" {
+		t.Errorf("empty chart = %q, want empty", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMoveDurationChart(t *testing.T) {
+	pts := []ChartPoint{{Ordinal: 1, Min: 5, Max: 20, Avg: 10}, {Ordinal: 2, Min: 8, Max: 40, Avg: 18}, {Ordinal: 3, Min: 12, Max: 90, Avg: 30}}
+	svg := string(MoveDurationChart(pts))
+	for _, want := range []string{"<svg", "ln-min", "ln-avg", "ln-max", "</svg>"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(svg, want) {
+			t.Errorf("chart missing %q\n%s", want, svg)
+		}
+	}
+	if n := strings.Count(svg, "<polyline"); n != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("polylines = %d, want 3", n)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestXTicks(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[int][]int{1: {1}, 2: {1, 2}, 3: {1, 2, 3}, 10: {1, 5, 10}}
+	for maxOrd, want := range cases {
+		got := xTicks(maxOrd)
+		if len(got) != len(want) {
+			t.Fatalf("xTicks(%d) = %v, want %v", maxOrd, got, want)
+		}
+		for i := range want {
+			if got[i] != want[i] {
+				t.Errorf("xTicks(%d) = %v, want %v", maxOrd, got, want)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package adminconsole

 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"html/template"
 	"io/fs"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
@@ -20,14 +21,33 @@ func TestRendererRendersEveryPage(t *testing.T) {
 		data any
 		want string
 	}{
-		{"dashboard", DashboardView{Accounts: 3, Variants: []VariantVersions{{Variant: "english", Latest: "v1", Versions: []string{"v1"}}}}, "Dashboard"},
-		{"users", UsersView{Items: []UserRow{{ID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya"}}, Pager: NewPager(1, 50, 1)}, "Kaya"},
+		{"dashboard", DashboardView{Accounts: 3, Variants: []VariantVersions{{Variant: "scrabble_en", Latest: "v1", Versions: []string{"v1"}}}}, "Dashboard"},
+		{"users", UsersView{Items: []UserRow{{ID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya", FlaggedHighRate: true}}, Pager: NewPager(1, 50, 1)}, "high-rate"},
 		{"user_detail", UserDetailView{ID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya", HasStats: true, Stats: StatsRow{Wins: 2}, TelegramID: "123", ConnectorEnabled: true}, "Send Telegram message"},
-		{"games", GamesView{Items: []GameRow{{ID: "g1", Variant: "english", Status: "active"}}, Status: "active", Pager: NewPager(1, 50, 1)}, "g1"},
-		{"game_detail", GameDetailView{ID: "g1", Variant: "english", Seats: []SeatRow{{Seat: 0, DisplayName: "Kaya"}}}, "Seats"},
+		{"user_detail", UserDetailView{ID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya", VKID: "494075"}, "vk.com/id494075"},
+		{"user_detail", UserDetailView{ID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya", FlaggedHighRateAt: "2026-06-10 12:00"}, "Clear high-rate flag"},
+		{"user_detail", UserDetailView{ID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya", Roles: []string{"feedback_banned"}, KnownRoles: []string{"feedback_banned"}}, "feedback_banned"},
+		{"user_detail", UserDetailView{ID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya",
+			Friends:   []RelationRow{{AccountID: "b2", DisplayName: "Ann", Date: "2026-06-10 12:00"}},
+			Blocks:    []RelationRow{{AccountID: "c3", DisplayName: "Bob", Date: "2026-06-11 09:00"}},
+			BlockedBy: []RelationRow{{AccountID: "d4", DisplayName: "Cay", Date: "2026-06-12 08:00"}},
+		}, `/_gm/users/c3`},
+		{"throttled", ThrottledView{
+			Episodes:      []ThrottleEpisodeRow{{Class: "user", Key: "a1", UserID: "a1", Rejected: 1234, FirstSeen: "2026-06-10 12:00", LastSeen: "2026-06-10 12:05"}},
+			Flagged:       []FlaggedAccountRow{{ID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya", FlaggedAt: "2026-06-10 12:05"}},
+			FlagThreshold: 1000, FlagWindow: "10m0s",
+		}, "Recent episodes"},
+		{"games", GamesView{Items: []GameRow{{ID: "g1", Variant: "scrabble_en", Status: "active"}}, Status: "active", Pager: NewPager(1, 50, 1)}, "g1"},
+		{"games", GamesView{Items: []GameRow{{ID: "g-open", Variant: "scrabble_en", Status: "open"}}, Status: "open", Pager: NewPager(1, 50, 1)}, "?status=open"},
+		{"game_detail", GameDetailView{ID: "g1", Variant: "scrabble_en", Seats: []SeatRow{{Seat: 0, DisplayName: "Kaya"}}}, "Seats"},
 		{"complaints", ComplaintsView{Items: []ComplaintRow{{ID: "c1", Word: "qi", Status: "open"}}, Status: "open", Pager: NewPager(1, 50, 1)}, "qi"},
-		{"complaint_detail", ComplaintDetailView{ID: "c1", Word: "qi", Variant: "english"}, "Resolve"},
-		{"dictionary", DictionaryView{Variants: []VariantVersions{{Variant: "english", Latest: "v1", Versions: []string{"v1"}}}, Changes: []DictChangeRow{{Variant: "english", Word: "qi", Action: "add"}}}, "Hot-reload"},
+		{"messages", MessagesView{Items: []MessageRow{{ID: "m1", SenderID: "a1", SenderName: "Kaya", Source: "telegram", Body: "good luck", GameID: "g1", Unread: true}}, UnreadOnly: true, Pager: NewPager(1, 50, 1)}, "unread only"},
+		{"chatmessage", ChatMessageDetailView{ID: "m1", GameID: "g1", SenderID: "a1", SenderName: "Kaya", Source: "telegram", Kind: "message", Body: "good luck", Unread: true, Seats: []ChatSeatStatusRow{{Seat: 0, AccountID: "a1", DisplayName: "Kaya", Role: "sender"}, {Seat: 1, AccountID: "b2", DisplayName: "Opp", Role: "unread"}}}, "Read by seat"},
+		{"feedback", FeedbackView{Items: []FeedbackRow{{ID: "f1", AccountID: "a1", SenderName: "Kaya", Source: "telegram", Channel: "web", HasAttachment: true, Replied: true}}, Status: "unread", Pager: NewPager(1, 50, 1)}, "replied"},
+		{"feedback_detail", FeedbackDetailView{ID: "f1", AccountID: "a1", SenderName: "Kaya", Channel: "telegram", InterfaceLanguage: "en", Body: "please fix the board", HasAttachment: true, AttachmentName: "shot.png", IsImage: true, Banned: true}, "Interface language"},
+		{"complaint_detail", ComplaintDetailView{ID: "c1", Word: "qi", Variant: "scrabble_en"}, "Resolve"},
+		{"dictionary", DictionaryView{ActiveVersion: "v1.0.0", Variants: []VariantVersions{{Variant: "scrabble_en", Versions: []string{"v1.0.0"}}}, Changes: []DictChangeRow{{Variant: "scrabble_en", Word: "qi", Action: "add"}}}, "Update dictionaries"},
+		{"dictionary_preview", DictionaryPreviewView{Version: "v1.1.0", Token: "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef", ActiveVersion: "v1.0.0", Variants: []VariantDiffRow{{Variant: "scrabble_en", AddedCount: 2, RemovedCount: 1, AddedSample: []string{"qi", "za"}, RemovedSample: []string{"xqz"}, RemovedTruncated: true}}}, "v1.1.0"},
 		{"broadcast", BroadcastView{ConnectorEnabled: true}, "Post to the game channel"},
 		{"message", MessageView{Heading: "Done", Body: "ok", Back: "/_gm/"}, "Done"},
 	}
@@ -48,6 +68,56 @@ func TestRendererRendersEveryPage(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

+// TestPagerLinksPreserveFilterQuery guards the paginated lists whose links carry a
+// pre-encoded filter query (url.Values.Encode) past the page number. The query fragment
+// must reach the link verbatim: the contextual escaper would otherwise re-encode its
+// structural "=" and "&" (turning "kind=robots" into the broken "kind%3drobots"), dropping
+// the active filter on every page step. FilterQuery is typed template.URL to prevent that.
+func TestPagerLinksPreserveFilterQuery(t *testing.T) {
+	r := MustNewRenderer()
+
+	t.Run("users", func(t *testing.T) {
+		var buf bytes.Buffer
+		view := UsersView{Robots: true, FilterQuery: template.URL("kind=robots"), Pager: NewPager(2, 50, 200)}
+		if err := r.Render(&buf, "users", PageData{Title: "Users", Data: view}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("render users: %v", err)
+		}
+		out := buf.String()
+		for _, want := range []string{
+			`href="/_gm/users?kind=robots&amp;page=1"`,
+			`href="/_gm/users?kind=robots&amp;page=3"`,
+		} {
+			if !strings.Contains(out, want) {
+				t.Errorf("users pager: missing %q in:\n%s", want, out)
+			}
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(out, "kind%3drobots") {
+			t.Error("users pager: filter query was double-encoded (kind%3drobots)")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("messages", func(t *testing.T) {
+		var buf bytes.Buffer
+		view := MessagesView{FilterQuery: template.URL("game=abc&user=def"), Pager: NewPager(2, 50, 200)}
+		if err := r.Render(&buf, "messages", PageData{Title: "Messages", Data: view}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("render messages: %v", err)
+		}
+		out := buf.String()
+		for _, want := range []string{
+			`href="/_gm/messages.csv?game=abc&amp;user=def"`,
+			`href="/_gm/messages?game=abc&amp;user=def&amp;page=1"`,
+			`href="/_gm/messages?game=abc&amp;user=def&amp;page=3"`,
+		} {
+			if !strings.Contains(out, want) {
+				t.Errorf("messages pager: missing %q in:\n%s", want, out)
+			}
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(out, "%3d") || strings.Contains(out, "%26") {
+			t.Error("messages pager: filter query was double-encoded (%3d / %26)")
+		}
+	})
+}
+
 // TestRendererUnknownPage reports an error for a page that does not exist.
 func TestRendererUnknownPage(t *testing.T) {
 	r := MustNewRenderer()
@@ -16,8 +16,14 @@
    <a href="/_gm/users"{{if eq .ActiveNav "users"}} class="active"{{end}}>Users</a>
    <a href="/_gm/games"{{if eq .ActiveNav "games"}} class="active"{{end}}>Games</a>
    <a href="/_gm/complaints"{{if eq .ActiveNav "complaints"}} class="active"{{end}}>Complaints</a>
+    <a href="/_gm/feedback"{{if eq .ActiveNav "feedback"}} class="active"{{end}}>Feedback</a>
+    <a href="/_gm/messages"{{if eq .ActiveNav "messages"}} class="active"{{end}}>Messages</a>
+    <a href="/_gm/throttled"{{if eq .ActiveNav "throttled"}} class="active"{{end}}>Throttled</a>
+    <a href="/_gm/reasons"{{if eq .ActiveNav "reasons"}} class="active"{{end}}>Reasons</a>
+    <a href="/_gm/banners"{{if eq .ActiveNav "banners"}} class="active"{{end}}>Banners</a>
    <a href="/_gm/dictionary"{{if eq .ActiveNav "dictionary"}} class="active"{{end}}>Dictionary</a>
    <a href="/_gm/broadcast"{{if eq .ActiveNav "broadcast"}} class="active"{{end}}>Broadcast</a>
+    <a href="/_gm/grafana/">Grafana ↗</a>
  </nav>
 </header>
 <main class="content">
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+{{with .Data}}
+<p class="note"><a href="/_gm/banners">← all campaigns</a></p>
+<h1>{{.Name}}{{if .IsDefault}} <span class="pill">default</span>{{end}}</h1>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Settings</h2>
+{{if .IsDefault}}<p class="note">The default campaign is perpetual and fills the unsold remainder — only its name and messages are editable.</p>{{end}}
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/banners/{{.ID}}">
+<label>Name <input type="text" name="name" value="{{.Name}}" maxlength="80" required></label>
+{{if not .IsDefault}}
+<label>Weight (%) <input type="number" name="weight" min="1" max="100" value="{{.Weight}}" required></label>
+<label>Starts (UTC) <input type="datetime-local" name="starts_at" value="{{.StartsAt}}"></label>
+<label>Ends (UTC) <input type="datetime-local" name="ends_at" value="{{.EndsAt}}"></label>
+<label><input type="checkbox" name="enabled"{{if .Enabled}} checked{{end}}> Enabled</label>
+<fieldset class="ovr">
+<legend><label><input type="checkbox" name="urgent"{{if .Urgent}} checked{{end}}> Urgent</label></legend>
+<p class="note">Shows to <em>everyone</em>, always — bypassing paid accounts, hint wallets and the no-banner role. While any urgent campaign is live it is the only thing the strip shows (other campaigns and the default are suppressed). For system alerts.</p>
+</fieldset>
+<fieldset class="ovr" data-ovr-group>
+<legend><label><input type="checkbox" name="override_all_on" data-ovr="all"{{if .OverrideAllOn}} checked{{end}}> Colour override — all themes</label></legend>
+<div class="swatches">
+<label>Background <input type="color" name="override_bg" value="{{.AllBg}}" data-ovr-color{{if not .OverrideAllOn}} disabled{{end}}><span class="hex"></span></label>
+<label>Text <input type="color" name="override_fg" value="{{.AllFg}}" data-ovr-color{{if not .OverrideAllOn}} disabled{{end}}><span class="hex"></span></label>
+<label>Link <input type="color" name="override_link" value="{{.AllLink}}" data-ovr-color{{if not .OverrideAllOn}} disabled{{end}}><span class="hex"></span></label>
+</div>
+</fieldset>
+<fieldset class="ovr" data-ovr-group>
+<legend><label><input type="checkbox" name="override_dark_on" data-ovr="dark"{{if .OverrideDarkOn}} checked{{end}}> Colour override — dark theme only</label></legend>
+<div class="swatches">
+<label>Background <input type="color" name="override_bg_dark" value="{{.DarkBg}}" data-ovr-color{{if not .OverrideDarkOn}} disabled{{end}}><span class="hex"></span></label>
+<label>Text <input type="color" name="override_fg_dark" value="{{.DarkFg}}" data-ovr-color{{if not .OverrideDarkOn}} disabled{{end}}><span class="hex"></span></label>
+<label>Link <input type="color" name="override_link_dark" value="{{.DarkLink}}" data-ovr-color{{if not .OverrideDarkOn}} disabled{{end}}><span class="hex"></span></label>
+</div>
+</fieldset>
+{{end}}
+<div><button type="submit">Save</button></div>
+</form>
+{{if not .IsDefault}}
+<div class="banner-preview">
+<div class="bp"><span class="bp-label">Light theme</span><div class="ad-frame light"><div class="ad-sample" id="prev-light"><span>Sample banner text — <span class="ad-link">a link</span></span></div></div></div>
+<div class="bp"><span class="bp-label">Dark theme</span><div class="ad-frame dark"><div class="ad-sample" id="prev-dark"><span>Sample banner text — <span class="ad-link">a link</span></span></div></div></div>
+</div>
+<p class="note">Live preview of the strip on both themes. An empty override falls back to the neutral theme colours; the top/bottom border is derived from the background.</p>
+<script>
+(function(){
+  // Neutral fallbacks — mirror ui/src/app.css (--ad-bg / --text-muted / --accent).
+  var TOK={light:{bg:'#e3e7ee',fg:'#6b7280',link:'#2f6df6'},dark:{bg:'#272f3c',fg:'#9aa3b2',link:'#5b8cff'}};
+  function byName(n){return document.querySelector('[name="'+n+'"]');}
+  var allOn=byName('override_all_on'), darkOn=byName('override_dark_on');
+  if(!allOn||!darkOn){return;}
+  var f={ab:byName('override_bg'),af:byName('override_fg'),al:byName('override_link'),db:byName('override_bg_dark'),df:byName('override_fg_dark'),dl:byName('override_link_dark')};
+  var lightEl=document.getElementById('prev-light'), darkEl=document.getElementById('prev-dark');
+  function hexToRgb(h){h=h.replace('#','');return [parseInt(h.slice(0,2),16),parseInt(h.slice(2,4),16),parseInt(h.slice(4,6),16)];}
+  function pad(x){x=Math.max(0,Math.min(255,Math.round(x))).toString(16);return x.length<2?'0'+x:x;}
+  function rgbToHex(r){return '#'+pad(r[0])+pad(r[1])+pad(r[2]);}
+  function mix(a,b,t){return [a[0]+(b[0]-a[0])*t,a[1]+(b[1]-a[1])*t,a[2]+(b[2]-a[2])*t];}
+  function lum(r){return (0.2126*r[0]+0.7152*r[1]+0.0722*r[2])/255;}
+  // Derived border: nudge the background 14% toward black on a light bg, toward white on a dark bg.
+  function border(bg){var r=hexToRgb(bg);return rgbToHex(mix(r, lum(r)>0.5?[0,0,0]:[255,255,255], 0.14));}
+  function paint(el,c){
+    el.style.background=c.bg; el.style.color=c.fg;
+    el.style.borderTop='1px solid '+border(c.bg); el.style.borderBottom='1px solid '+border(c.bg);
+    var a=el.querySelector('.ad-link'); if(a){a.style.color=c.link;}
+  }
+  function resolve(){
+    var light=allOn.checked?{bg:f.ab.value,fg:f.af.value,link:f.al.value}:TOK.light;
+    var dark=darkOn.checked?{bg:f.db.value,fg:f.df.value,link:f.dl.value}
+            :(allOn.checked?{bg:f.ab.value,fg:f.af.value,link:f.al.value}:TOK.dark);
+    paint(lightEl,light); paint(darkEl,dark);
+    document.querySelectorAll('.ovr .swatches label').forEach(function(lab){
+      var inp=lab.querySelector('input[type=color]'), hx=lab.querySelector('.hex');
+      if(inp&&hx){hx.textContent=inp.value;}
+    });
+  }
+  function toggleGroup(chk){chk.closest('fieldset').querySelectorAll('[data-ovr-color]').forEach(function(inp){inp.disabled=!chk.checked;});}
+  [allOn,darkOn].forEach(function(chk){chk.addEventListener('change',function(){toggleGroup(chk);resolve();});});
+  Object.keys(f).forEach(function(k){f[k].addEventListener('input',resolve);});
+  resolve();
+})();
+</script>
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/banners/{{.ID}}/delete" onsubmit="return confirm('Delete this campaign and its messages?')">
+<button type="submit" class="danger">Delete campaign</button>
+</form>
+{{end}}
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Messages</h2>
+<div class="help-top">
+<p class="note">Each message must be filled in both languages; the viewer sees the variant for the bot they play through. The messages of a campaign share its show weight, rotating in this order.</p>
+<aside class="help">
+<h4>Formatting</h4>
+<p>Plain text is shown as-is (any HTML is escaped).</p>
+<p>Add a link with markdown — <code>[visible text](https://example.com)</code> — which renders as the linked <em>visible text</em>.</p>
+<p>Only <code>https://</code>, <code>http://</code> and root-relative <code>/path</code> targets become links; any other scheme (e.g. <code>javascript:</code>, <code>ftp:</code>) is dropped and shown as plain text.</p>
+<p>Keep it short: an over-long line scrolls in the strip; the same formatting applies when editing a message above.</p>
+</aside>
+</div>
+{{range .Messages}}
+<div class="row">
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/banners/{{$.Data.ID}}/messages/{{.ID}}">
+<label>English <textarea name="body_en" rows="3" maxlength="500" required>{{.BodyEn}}</textarea></label>
+<label>Russian <textarea name="body_ru" rows="3" maxlength="500" required>{{.BodyRu}}</textarea></label>
+<div class="actions">
+<button type="submit">Save</button>
+</div>
+</form>
+<div class="actions">
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/banners/{{$.Data.ID}}/messages/{{.ID}}/move"><input type="hidden" name="dir" value="up"><button type="submit"{{if .First}} disabled{{end}}>↑</button></form>
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/banners/{{$.Data.ID}}/messages/{{.ID}}/move"><input type="hidden" name="dir" value="down"><button type="submit"{{if .Last}} disabled{{end}}>↓</button></form>
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/banners/{{$.Data.ID}}/messages/{{.ID}}/delete" onsubmit="return confirm('Delete this message?')"><button type="submit" class="danger">Delete</button></form>
+</div>
+</div>
+{{else}}<p class="note">no messages yet</p>{{end}}
+<h3>Add message</h3>
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/banners/{{.ID}}/messages">
+<label>English <textarea name="body_en" rows="3" maxlength="500" required></textarea></label>
+<label>Russian <textarea name="body_ru" rows="3" maxlength="500" required></textarea></label>
+<div><button type="submit">Add message</button></div>
+</form>
+</section>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+<p class="note"><a href="/_gm/banners">← all campaigns</a></p>
+<h1>Banner display timings</h1>
+{{with .Data}}
+<p class="note">Global timings the client's banner rotator reads. Out-of-range values are clamped on save. The transition between messages is fade-out, then a gap, then fade-in (skipped under reduce-motion).</p>
+<section class="panel">
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/banner-settings">
+<label>Hold (ms) — how long one message shows <input type="number" name="hold_ms" min="3000" max="600000" value="{{.HoldMs}}" required></label>
+<label>Edge pause (ms) — pause at each end before/after scrolling a long message <input type="number" name="edge_pause_ms" min="0" max="60000" value="{{.EdgePauseMs}}" required></label>
+<label>Scroll speed (px/s) — for a message wider than the strip <input type="number" name="scroll_px_per_sec" min="5" max="1000" value="{{.ScrollPxPerSec}}" required></label>
+<label>Fade-out (ms) <input type="number" name="fade_out_ms" min="0" max="5000" value="{{.FadeOutMs}}" required></label>
+<label>Gap (ms) — pause between fade-out and fade-in <input type="number" name="gap_ms" min="0" max="5000" value="{{.GapMs}}" required></label>
+<label>Fade-in (ms) <input type="number" name="fade_in_ms" min="0" max="5000" value="{{.FadeInMs}}" required></label>
+<div><button type="submit">Save</button></div>
+</form>
+</section>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+<h1>Advertising banners</h1>
+{{with .Data}}
+<p class="note">Campaigns compete for the one-line banner shown to free users (no paid account, an empty hint wallet, and no <code>no_banner</code> role). A campaign's weight is a show percent; the perpetual <strong>default</strong> campaign fills the remainder up to 100% and drops out of the rotation when timed campaigns already total 100%. <a href="/_gm/banner-settings">Display timings →</a></p>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Add campaign</h2>
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/banners">
+<label>Name <input type="text" name="name" maxlength="80" required></label>
+<label>Weight (%) <input type="number" name="weight" min="1" max="100" value="10" required></label>
+<label>Starts (UTC) <input type="datetime-local" name="starts_at"></label>
+<label>Ends (UTC) <input type="datetime-local" name="ends_at"></label>
+<label><input type="checkbox" name="enabled" checked> Enabled</label>
+<div><button type="submit">Add</button></div>
+</form>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Campaigns</h2>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Name</th><th class="num">Weight</th><th>Window</th><th class="num">Messages</th><th>Status</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Items}}
+<tr>
+<td><a href="/_gm/banners/{{.ID}}">{{.Name}}</a>{{if .IsDefault}} <span class="pill">default</span>{{end}}</td>
+<td class="num">{{if .IsDefault}}remainder{{else}}{{.Weight}}%{{end}}</td>
+<td>{{.Window}}</td>
+<td class="num">{{.Messages}}</td>
+<td>{{if .ActiveNow}}live{{else if .Enabled}}idle{{else}}disabled{{end}}</td>
+</tr>
+{{else}}<tr><td colspan="5"><span class="note">no campaigns</span></td></tr>{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+</section>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 {{if .ConnectorEnabled}}
 <form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/broadcast">
 <label>Message <textarea name="text" required></textarea></label>
-<label>Bot language <select name="language"><option value="en">en</option><option value="ru">ru</option></select></label>
 <div><button type="submit">Post to channel</button></div>
 </form>
 {{else}}<p class="note">connector not configured (set BACKEND_CONNECTOR_ADDR)</p>{{end}}
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+{{with .Data}}
+<h1>Message</h1>
+<nav class="subnav"><a href="/_gm/messages">&laquo; messages</a> · <a href="/_gm/games/{{.GameID}}">game</a> · <a href="/_gm/messages?game={{.GameID}}">game messages</a></nav>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Summary</h2>
+<ul class="kv">
+<li><b>Time</b> {{.CreatedAt}}</li>
+<li><b>Sender</b> <a href="/_gm/users/{{.SenderID}}">{{.SenderName}}</a> ({{.Source}})</li>
+<li><b>IP</b> {{.IP}}</li>
+<li><b>Kind</b> {{.Kind}}</li>
+<li><b>Read</b> {{if .Unread}}unread{{else}}read{{end}}</li>
+<li><b>Message</b> {{.Body}}</li>
+</ul>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Read by seat</h2>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Seat</th><th>Player</th><th>Status</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Seats}}
+<tr><td>{{.Seat}}</td><td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">{{if .DisplayName}}{{.DisplayName}}{{else}}{{.AccountID}}{{end}}</a></td><td>{{if eq .Role "read"}}<span class="ok">read</span>{{else if eq .Role "unread"}}unread{{else}}sender{{end}}</td></tr>
+{{else}}
+<tr><td colspan="3"><span class="note">no seats</span></td></tr>
+{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+</section>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 <a class="card" href="/_gm/games"><h2>Games</h2><p class="bignum">{{.Games}}</p></a>
 <a class="card" href="/_gm/games?status=active"><h2>Active games</h2><p class="bignum">{{.ActiveGames}}</p></a>
 <a class="card" href="/_gm/complaints?status=open"><h2>Open complaints</h2><p class="bignum">{{.OpenComplaints}}</p></a>
+<a class="card" href="/_gm/feedback?status=unread"><h2>Unread feedback</h2><p class="bignum">{{.OpenFeedback}}</p></a>
 <a class="card" href="/_gm/dictionary"><h2>Pending dict changes</h2><p class="bignum">{{.PendingChanges}}</p></a>
 </div>
 <section class="panel">
@@ -1,21 +1,24 @@
 {{define "content" -}}
 <h1>Dictionary</h1>
 {{with .Data}}
+<section class="panel"><h2>Active version</h2>
+<p>New games pin <span class="pill">{{.ActiveVersion}}</span>. Games already in progress keep the version they started on.</p>
+</section>
 <section class="panel"><h2>Resident versions</h2>
 <table class="list">
-<thead><tr><th>Variant</th><th>Latest</th><th>Resident</th></tr></thead>
+<thead><tr><th>Variant</th><th>Resident</th></tr></thead>
 <tbody>
 {{range .Variants}}
-<tr><td>{{.Variant}}</td><td>{{.Latest}}</td><td>{{range .Versions}}<span class="pill">{{.}}</span> {{end}}</td></tr>
+<tr><td>{{.Variant}}</td><td>{{range .Versions}}<span class="pill">{{.}}</span> {{end}}</td></tr>
 {{end}}
 </tbody>
 </table>
 </section>
-<section class="panel"><h2>Hot-reload a version</h2>
-<p class="note">Drop the rebuilt DAWG set into BACKEND_DICT_DIR/&lt;version&gt;/ first, then load it here.</p>
-<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/dictionary/reload">
-<label>Version <input type="text" name="version" placeholder="v2" required></label>
-<div><button type="submit">Reload</button></div>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Update dictionaries</h2>
+<p class="note">Upload the release archive <code>scrabble-dawg-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz</code> downloaded from the scrabble-dictionary repository. The next step previews the added and removed words per variant; nothing is installed until you confirm.</p>
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/dictionary/upload" enctype="multipart/form-data">
+<label>Release archive <input type="file" name="archive" accept=".gz,.tgz,application/gzip" required></label>
+<div><button type="submit">Upload &amp; preview</button></div>
 </form>
 </section>
 <section class="panel"><h2>Pending dictionary changes</h2>
@@ -30,12 +33,12 @@
 <form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/dictionary/changes/apply">
 <label>Mark applied for variant
 <select name="variant">
-<option value="english">english</option>
-<option value="russian_scrabble">russian_scrabble</option>
-<option value="erudit">erudit</option>
+<option value="scrabble_en">scrabble_en</option>
+<option value="scrabble_ru">scrabble_ru</option>
+<option value="erudit_ru">erudit_ru</option>
 </select>
 </label>
-<label>In version <input type="text" name="version" placeholder="v2" required></label>
+<label>In version <input type="text" name="version" value="{{.ActiveVersion}}" required></label>
 <div><button type="submit">Mark applied</button></div>
 </form>
 </section>
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+<h1>Dictionary update — preview</h1>
+{{with .Data}}
+<section class="panel">
+<p>Comparing the uploaded archive against the active version <span class="pill">{{.ActiveVersion}}</span>. Review the changes below, then confirm to install and activate.</p>
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/dictionary/install">
+<input type="hidden" name="token" value="{{.Token}}">
+<label>Version <input type="text" name="version" value="{{.Version}}" required></label>
+<div><button type="submit">Update dictionaries</button></div>
+</form>
+</section>
+{{range .Variants}}
+<section class="panel">
+<h2>{{.Variant}}</h2>
+<p><strong>{{.AddedCount}}</strong> added, <strong>{{.RemovedCount}}</strong> removed.
+{{if .LargeRemoval}}<span class="warn">Large removal — double-check this is expected before updating.</span>{{end}}</p>
+<h3>Added{{if .AddedTruncated}} (showing first {{len .AddedSample}}){{end}}</h3>
+<p>{{range .AddedSample}}<code>{{.}}</code> {{else}}<span class="note">none</span>{{end}}</p>
+{{if .AddedTruncated}}<p class="note">… and more; the full list is not shown.</p>{{end}}
+<h3>Removed{{if .RemovedTruncated}} (showing first {{len .RemovedSample}}){{end}}</h3>
+<p>{{range .RemovedSample}}<code>{{.}}</code> {{else}}<span class="note">none</span>{{end}}</p>
+{{if .RemovedTruncated}}<p class="note">… and more; the full list is not shown.</p>{{end}}
+</section>
+{{end}}
+<p><a href="/_gm/dictionary">Cancel</a></p>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+<h1>Feedback</h1>
+{{with .Data}}
+<nav class="subnav">
+<a href="/_gm/feedback?status=unread"{{if eq .Status "unread"}} class="active"{{end}}>unread</a> ·
+<a href="/_gm/feedback?status=read"{{if eq .Status "read"}} class="active"{{end}}>read</a> ·
+<a href="/_gm/feedback?status=archived"{{if eq .Status "archived"}} class="active"{{end}}>archived</a>
+</nav>
+<form class="form" method="get" action="/_gm/feedback">
+<input type="hidden" name="status" value="{{.Status}}">
+{{if .UserID}}<input type="hidden" name="user" value="{{.UserID}}">{{end}}
+<input name="name" value="{{.NameMask}}" placeholder="display name mask (* ?)">
+<input name="ext" value="{{.ExtMask}}" placeholder="external id mask (* ?)">
+<button type="submit">Filter</button>
+</form>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Sender</th><th>Source</th><th>Channel</th><th>Attach</th><th>Reply</th><th>State</th><th>Filed</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Items}}
+<tr>
+<td><a href="/_gm/feedback/{{.ID}}">{{.SenderName}}</a></td>
+<td>{{.Source}}</td>
+<td>{{.Channel}}</td>
+<td>{{if .HasAttachment}}yes{{else}}<span class="note">—</span>{{end}}</td>
+<td>{{if .Replied}}<span class="ok">replied</span>{{else}}<span class="note">—</span>{{end}}</td>
+<td>{{if .Archived}}archived{{else if .Read}}read{{else}}<span class="warn">unread</span>{{end}}</td>
+<td>{{.CreatedAt}}</td>
+</tr>
+{{else}}<tr><td colspan="7"><span class="note">no feedback</span></td></tr>{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+<nav class="pager">
+{{if .Pager.HasPrev}}<a href="/_gm/feedback?{{.FilterQuery}}&amp;page={{.Pager.PrevPage}}">&laquo; prev</a>{{end}}
+<span>page {{.Pager.Page}} · {{.Pager.Total}} total</span>
+{{if .Pager.HasNext}}<a href="/_gm/feedback?{{.FilterQuery}}&amp;page={{.Pager.NextPage}}">next &raquo;</a>{{end}}
+</nav>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+{{with .Data}}
+<h1>Feedback</h1>
+<nav class="subnav"><a href="/_gm/feedback">&laquo; feedback</a> · <a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">user</a></nav>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Message</h2>
+<ul class="kv">
+<li><b>From</b> <a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">{{.SenderName}}</a> ({{.Source}})</li>
+<li><b>Channel</b> {{.Channel}}</li>
+<li><b>Interface language</b> {{.InterfaceLanguage}}</li>
+<li><b>App version</b> {{if .Version}}<code>{{.Version}}</code>{{else}}<span class="note">unknown</span>{{end}}</li>
+<li><b>IP</b> {{if .IP}}<code>{{.IP}}</code>{{else}}<span class="note">none</span>{{end}}</li>
+<li><b>Filed</b> {{.CreatedAt}} UTC &middot; browser {{if .CreatedAtBrowser}}{{.CreatedAtBrowser}} ({{.BrowserTZ}}){{else}}<span class="note">N/A</span>{{end}} &middot; user {{if .CreatedAtUser}}{{.CreatedAtUser}} ({{.UserTZ}}){{else}}<span class="note">N/A</span>{{end}}</li>
+<li><b>State</b> {{if .Archived}}archived{{else if .Read}}read{{else}}<span class="warn">unread</span>{{end}}</li>
+{{if .Banned}}<li><b>Feedback</b> <span class="warn">sender is banned from feedback</span></li>{{end}}
+</ul>
+<div class="msgbody">{{.Body}}</div>
+{{if .HasAttachment}}
+<h3>Attachment</h3>
+{{if .IsImage}}<p><img class="attach" src="/_gm/feedback/{{.ID}}/attachment" alt="attachment"></p>{{end}}
+<p><a href="/_gm/feedback/{{.ID}}/attachment" download>download {{.AttachmentName}}</a></p>
+{{end}}
+</section>
+{{if .Replied}}
+<section class="panel"><h2>Current reply</h2>
+<div class="msgbody">{{.ReplyBody}}</div>
+<p class="note">sent {{.RepliedAt}}</p>
+</section>
+{{end}}
+<section class="panel"><h2>{{if .Replied}}Re-reply{{else}}Reply{{end}}</h2>
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/feedback/{{.ID}}/reply">
+<label>Reply <textarea name="reply" required></textarea></label>
+<div><button type="submit">Send reply</button></div>
+</form>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Actions</h2>
+{{if not .Read}}<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/feedback/{{.ID}}/read"><button type="submit">Mark read</button></form>{{end}}
+{{if not .Archived}}<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/feedback/{{.ID}}/archive"><button type="submit">Archive</button></form>{{end}}
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/feedback/{{.ID}}/delete">
+<label><input type="checkbox" name="block" value="1"> ban the player from feedback</label>
+<div>
+<button type="submit">Delete</button>
+<button type="submit" formaction="/_gm/feedback/{{.ID}}/delete-all">Delete all from this player</button>
+</div>
+</form>
+</section>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 {{define "content" -}}
 {{with .Data}}
 <h1>Game {{.ID}}</h1>
-<nav class="subnav"><a href="/_gm/games">&laquo; games</a></nav>
+<nav class="subnav"><a href="/_gm/games">&laquo; games</a> · <a href="/_gm/messages?game={{.ID}}">messages</a></nav>
 <section class="panel"><h2>Summary</h2>
 <ul class="kv">
 <li><b>Variant</b> {{.Variant}}</li>
 <li><b>Dictionary</b> {{.DictVersion}}</li>
 <li><b>Status</b> {{.Status}}{{if .EndReason}} ({{.EndReason}}){{end}}</li>
+<li><b>AI game</b> {{if .VsAI}}🤖 yes{{else}}no{{end}}</li>
 <li><b>Players</b> {{.Players}}</li>
 <li><b>To move</b> seat {{.ToMove}}</li>
 <li><b>Moves</b> {{.MoveCount}}</li>
@@ -17,13 +18,96 @@
 </section>
 <section class="panel"><h2>Seats</h2>
 <table class="list">
-<thead><tr><th class="num">Seat</th><th>Player</th><th class="num">Score</th><th class="num">Hints</th><th>Winner</th></tr></thead>
+<thead><tr><th>Seat</th><th>Player</th><th>Score</th><th>Hints used</th><th>Winner</th><th>Robot</th></tr></thead>
 <tbody>
 {{range .Seats}}
-<tr><td class="num">{{.Seat}}</td><td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">{{.DisplayName}}</a></td><td class="num">{{.Score}}</td><td class="num">{{.HintsUsed}}</td><td>{{if .Winner}}<span class="ok">winner</span>{{end}}</td></tr>
+<tr><td>{{.Seat}}</td><td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">{{.DisplayName}}</a></td><td>{{.Score}}</td><td>{{.HintsUsed}}</td><td>{{if .Winner}}<span class="ok">winner</span>{{end}}</td><td>{{if .IsRobot}}🤖 {{.RobotIntent}}{{if .NextMove}}<br><small>next move {{.NextMove}}</small>{{end}}{{end}}</td></tr>
+{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+{{if .HasRobot}}<p><small>Play-to-win is decided once per game from the bag seed; robots play to win in ~{{.RobotTargetPct}}% of games.</small></p>{{end}}
+</section>
+{{if .SetupDraws}}
+<section class="panel"><h2>First-move draw</h2>
+<p class="note">Each player draws a tile; the one closest to &ldquo;A&rdquo; moves first (a blank beats every letter), ties re-drawing until a single leader remains.{{if .FirstMover}} <b>{{.FirstMover}}</b> leads.{{end}}</p>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Round</th><th>Player</th><th>Tile</th><th>Rank</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .SetupDraws}}
+<tr><td>{{.Round}}</td><td>{{if .AccountID}}<a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">{{.Name}}</a>{{else}}{{.Name}}{{end}}</td><td>{{.Letter}}{{if .Blank}} <small>(blank)</small>{{end}}</td><td>{{.Rank}}</td></tr>
 {{end}}
 </tbody>
 </table>
 </section>
 {{end}}
+{{if .HasReplay}}
+<section class="panel"><h2>Replay</h2>
+<div class="replay-stage">
+  <div class="rack-slot rack-top" data-seat="0"></div>
+  <div class="rack-slot rack-left" data-seat="2"></div>
+  <div class="replay-board" id="replay-board"></div>
+  <div class="rack-slot rack-right" data-seat="3"></div>
+  <div class="rack-slot rack-bottom" data-seat="1"></div>
+</div>
+<div class="replay-controls">
+  <button type="button" id="replay-prev">&#9664; prev</button>
+  <span class="replay-pos" id="replay-pos"></span>
+  <button type="button" id="replay-next">next &#9654;</button>
+</div>
+<ol class="replay-log" id="replay-log"></ol>
+<script>
+const REPLAY = {{.ReplayJSON}};
+(function(){
+  if(!REPLAY||!REPLAY.steps){return;}
+  const N=15, COLS="ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO", PREM={tw:"3W",dw:"2W",tl:"3L",dl:"2L"};
+  const boardEl=document.getElementById("replay-board"), logEl=document.getElementById("replay-log");
+  const posEl=document.getElementById("replay-pos"), prevBtn=document.getElementById("replay-prev"), nextBtn=document.getElementById("replay-next");
+  let step=0;
+  function esc(s){const d=document.createElement("div");d.textContent=s==null?"":s;return d.innerHTML;}
+  function tileHTML(t){const sub=(t.v&&t.v>0)?"<sub>"+t.v+"<\/sub>":"";return "<span class=\"tile"+(t.b?" blank":"")+"\">"+esc(t.l)+sub+"<\/span>";}
+  function placedAt(k){const m={};for(let s=1;s<=k;s++){const mv=REPLAY.steps[s]&&REPLAY.steps[s].move;if(mv&&mv.placements){for(const p of mv.placements){m[p.r+","+p.c]=p;}}}return m;}
+  function renderBoard(){
+    const placed=placedAt(step);let h="<div class=\"board-grid\"><div class=\"bh corner\"><\/div>";
+    for(let c=0;c<N;c++){h+="<div class=\"bh\">"+COLS[c]+"<\/div>";}
+    for(let r=0;r<N;r++){h+="<div class=\"bh\">"+(r+1)+"<\/div>";
+      for(let c=0;c<N;c++){const p=placed[r+","+c];
+        if(p){h+="<div class=\"cell filled\">"+tileHTML(p)+"<\/div>";continue;}
+        const prem=REPLAY.premium[r][c], centre=(r===REPLAY.centre[0]&&c===REPLAY.centre[1]);
+        const label=centre?"&#9733;":(prem?PREM[prem]:"");
+        h+="<div class=\"cell "+(prem||"")+(centre?" centre":"")+"\">"+(label?"<span class=\"prem\">"+label+"<\/span>":"")+"<\/div>";}}
+    h+="<\/div>";boardEl.innerHTML=h;
+  }
+  function renderRacks(){
+    const st=REPLAY.steps[step];
+    document.querySelectorAll(".rack-slot").forEach(function(slot){
+      const seat=parseInt(slot.dataset.seat,10), info=REPLAY.seats.find(function(s){return s.seat===seat;}), rack=st.racks[seat];
+      if(!info||!rack){slot.style.display="none";slot.innerHTML="";return;}
+      slot.style.display="";slot.classList.toggle("active",st.toMove===seat);
+      const nm=info.accountId?"<a href=\"/_gm/users/"+info.accountId+"\">"+esc(info.name)+"<\/a>":esc(info.name||("seat "+seat));
+      slot.innerHTML="<div class=\"rack-name\">"+nm+" &middot; "+(st.scores[seat]||0)+"<\/div><div class=\"rack-tiles\">"+rack.map(tileHTML).join("")+"<\/div>";
+    });
+  }
+  function renderLog(){
+    let h="";
+    for(let s=1;s<=step;s++){const st=REPLAY.steps[s], m=st.move;if(!m){continue;}
+      const who=((REPLAY.seats.find(function(x){return x.seat===m.seat;})||{}).name)||("seat "+m.seat);
+      let desc;
+      if(m.action==="play"){desc="played "+((m.words&&m.words.length)?m.words.join(", "):"")+" for "+m.score;}
+      else if(m.action==="exchange"){desc="exchanged "+((m.exchanged&&m.exchanged.length)||0)+" tiles";}
+      else if(m.action==="pass"){desc="passed";}
+      else{desc=m.action;}
+      const drew=(st.drawn&&st.drawn.length)?" &middot; drew "+st.drawn.map(function(t){return t.l;}).join(""):"";
+      h+="<li class=\""+(s===step?"cur":"")+"\">"+esc(who)+" "+esc(desc)+drew+" &middot; bag "+st.bagLen+"<\/li>";}
+    logEl.innerHTML=h||"<li class=\"note\">opening position<\/li>";
+  }
+  function render(){renderBoard();renderRacks();renderLog();posEl.textContent=step+" / "+(REPLAY.steps.length-1);prevBtn.disabled=step<=0;nextBtn.disabled=step>=REPLAY.steps.length-1;}
+  prevBtn.onclick=function(){if(step>0){step--;render();}};
+  nextBtn.onclick=function(){if(step<REPLAY.steps.length-1){step++;render();}};
+  document.addEventListener("keydown",function(e){if(e.key==="ArrowLeft"){prevBtn.click();}else if(e.key==="ArrowRight"){nextBtn.click();}});
+  render();
+})();
+</script>
+</section>
+{{end}}
+{{end}}
 {{- end}}
@@ -3,15 +3,16 @@
 {{with .Data}}
 <nav class="subnav">
 <a href="/_gm/games"{{if eq .Status ""}} class="active"{{end}}>all</a> ·
+<a href="/_gm/games?status=open"{{if eq .Status "open"}} class="active"{{end}}>open</a> ·
 <a href="/_gm/games?status=active"{{if eq .Status "active"}} class="active"{{end}}>active</a> ·
 <a href="/_gm/games?status=finished"{{if eq .Status "finished"}} class="active"{{end}}>finished</a>
 </nav>
 <table class="list">
-<thead><tr><th>Game</th><th>Variant</th><th>Status</th><th class="num">Players</th><th>Updated</th></tr></thead>
+<thead><tr><th>Game</th><th>Variant</th><th>Status</th><th>🤖</th><th class="num">Players</th><th>Updated</th></tr></thead>
 <tbody>
 {{range .Items}}
-<tr><td><a href="/_gm/games/{{.ID}}">{{.ID}}</a></td><td>{{.Variant}}</td><td>{{.Status}}</td><td class="num">{{.Players}}</td><td>{{.UpdatedAt}}</td></tr>
-{{else}}<tr><td colspan="5"><span class="note">no games</span></td></tr>{{end}}
+<tr><td><a href="/_gm/games/{{.ID}}">{{.ID}}</a></td><td>{{.Variant}}</td><td>{{.Status}}</td><td>{{if .VsAI}}🤖{{end}}</td><td class="num">{{.Players}}</td><td>{{.UpdatedAt}}</td></tr>
+{{else}}<tr><td colspan="6"><span class="note">no games</span></td></tr>{{end}}
 </tbody>
 </table>
 <nav class="pager">
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+<h1>Messages</h1>
+{{with .Data}}
+<form class="form" method="get" action="/_gm/messages">
+{{if .GameID}}<input type="hidden" name="game" value="{{.GameID}}">{{end}}
+{{if .UserID}}<input type="hidden" name="user" value="{{.UserID}}">{{end}}
+<input name="name" value="{{.NameMask}}" placeholder="sender name mask (* ?)">
+<input name="ext" value="{{.ExtMask}}" placeholder="sender external id mask (* ?)">
+<label class="check"><input type="checkbox" name="unread" value="1"{{if .UnreadOnly}} checked{{end}}> unread only</label>
+<button type="submit">Filter</button>
+<a class="export" href="/_gm/messages.csv?{{.FilterQuery}}">Export CSV ↓</a>
+</form>
+{{if or .GameID .UserID}}
+<p class="note">Filtered{{if .GameID}} to game <a href="/_gm/games/{{.GameID}}">{{.GameID}}</a>{{end}}{{if .UserID}} from <a href="/_gm/users/{{.UserID}}">sender</a>{{end}} · <a href="/_gm/messages">clear</a></p>
+{{end}}
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Time</th><th>Source</th><th>Sender</th><th>IP</th><th>Message</th><th>Read</th><th>Game</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Items}}
+<tr>
+<td><a href="/_gm/messages/{{.ID}}">{{.CreatedAt}}</a></td>
+<td>{{.Source}}</td>
+<td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.SenderID}}">{{.SenderName}}</a></td>
+<td>{{.IP}}</td>
+<td>{{.Body}}</td>
+<td>{{if .Unread}}unread{{else}}read{{end}}</td>
+<td><a href="/_gm/games/{{.GameID}}">game</a></td>
+</tr>
+{{else}}
+<tr><td colspan="7"><span class="note">no messages</span></td></tr>
+{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+<nav class="pager">
+{{if .Pager.HasPrev}}<a href="/_gm/messages?{{.FilterQuery}}&amp;page={{.Pager.PrevPage}}">&laquo; prev</a>{{end}}
+<span>page {{.Pager.Page}} · {{.Pager.Total}} total</span>
+{{if .Pager.HasNext}}<a href="/_gm/messages?{{.FilterQuery}}&amp;page={{.Pager.NextPage}}">next &raquo;</a>{{end}}
+</nav>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+<h1>Suspension reasons</h1>
+{{with .Data}}
+<p class="note">Reasons offered when blocking a user; each is shown to the blocked player in their own language. Editing or deleting a reason does not change a reason already shown to a currently-blocked player (blocks snapshot the text).</p>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Add reason</h2>
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/reasons">
+<label>English <input type="text" name="text_en" required></label>
+<label>Russian <input type="text" name="text_ru" required></label>
+<div><button type="submit">Add</button></div>
+</form>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Existing reasons</h2>
+{{range .Items}}
+<div class="row">
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/reasons/{{.ID}}/update">
+<input type="text" name="text_en" value="{{.TextEn}}" aria-label="English" required>
+<input type="text" name="text_ru" value="{{.TextRu}}" aria-label="Russian" required>
+<button type="submit">Save</button>
+</form>
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/reasons/{{.ID}}/delete">
+<button type="submit">Delete</button>
+</form>
+</div>
+{{else}}<p class="note">no reasons yet</p>{{end}}
+</section>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+{{define "content" -}}
+<h1>Throttled</h1>
+{{with .Data}}
+<p class="note">Rate-limiter rejections reported periodically by the gateway. The episode
+list is in-memory and resets on a backend restart. An account sustaining
+{{.FlagThreshold}}+ rejected calls within {{.FlagWindow}} is soft-flagged for review
+below — never banned automatically; clear the flag on the user card.</p>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Active IP bans</h2>
+<p class="note">Temporary IP bans the gateway is currently enforcing (in-memory, prod-only;
+reset on a gateway restart). Unban applies on the gateway's next sync.</p>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>IP</th><th>Reason</th><th>Since</th><th>Expires</th><th></th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Bans}}
+<tr>
+<td><code>{{.IP}}</code></td>
+<td>{{.Reason}}</td>
+<td>{{.Since}}</td>
+<td>{{.Expires}}</td>
+<td><form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/bans/unban"><input type="hidden" name="ip" value="{{.IP}}"><button type="submit">Unban</button></form></td>
+</tr>
+{{else}}
+<tr><td colspan="5"><span class="note">no active bans</span></td></tr>
+{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Recent episodes</h2>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Class</th><th>Key</th><th class="num">Rejected</th><th>First seen</th><th>Last seen</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Episodes}}
+<tr>
+<td>{{.Class}}</td>
+<td>{{if .UserID}}<a href="/_gm/users/{{.UserID}}">{{.Key}}</a>{{else}}<code>{{.Key}}</code>{{end}}</td>
+<td class="num">{{.Rejected}}</td>
+<td>{{.FirstSeen}}</td>
+<td>{{.LastSeen}}</td>
+</tr>
+{{else}}
+<tr><td colspan="5"><span class="note">nothing throttled recently</span></td></tr>
+{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Flagged accounts</h2>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Account</th><th>Display name</th><th>Flagged</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Flagged}}
+<tr><td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.ID}}">{{.ID}}</a></td><td>{{.DisplayName}}</td><td>{{.FlaggedAt}}</td></tr>
+{{else}}
+<tr><td colspan="3"><span class="note">no flagged accounts</span></td></tr>
+{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+</section>
+{{end}}
+{{- end}}
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {{define "content" -}}
 {{with .Data}}
 <h1>{{.DisplayName}}</h1>
-<nav class="subnav"><a href="/_gm/users">&laquo; users</a></nav>
+<nav class="subnav"><a href="/_gm/users">&laquo; users</a> · <a href="/_gm/messages?user={{.ID}}">messages</a> · <a href="/_gm/feedback?user={{.ID}}">feedback</a></nav>
 <div class="cards">
 <section class="panel"><h2>Account</h2>
 <ul class="kv">
@@ -13,8 +13,18 @@
 <li><b>Paid</b> {{if .PaidAccount}}yes{{else}}no{{end}}</li>
 <li><b>Hint wallet</b> {{.HintBalance}}</li>
 {{if .MergedInto}}<li><b>Merged into</b> {{.MergedInto}}</li>{{end}}
+{{if .FlaggedHighRateAt}}<li><b>High-rate flag</b> <span class="warn">{{.FlaggedHighRateAt}}</span></li>{{end}}
 <li><b>Created</b> {{.CreatedAt}}</li>
 </ul>
+{{if .FlaggedHighRateAt}}
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{.ID}}/clear-high-rate-flag">
+<button type="submit">Clear high-rate flag</button>
+</form>
+{{end}}
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{.ID}}/grant-hints">
+<label>Add hints <input type="number" name="amount" min="1" max="{{.HintGrantMax}}" value="1"></label>
+<button type="submit">Grant</button>
+</form>
 </section>
 <section class="panel"><h2>Statistics</h2>
 {{if .HasStats}}
@@ -22,12 +32,66 @@
 <li><b>Wins</b> {{.Stats.Wins}}</li>
 <li><b>Losses</b> {{.Stats.Losses}}</li>
 <li><b>Draws</b> {{.Stats.Draws}}</li>
+<li><b>Moves</b> {{.Stats.Moves}}</li>
+<li><b>Hints used</b> {{.Stats.HintsUsed}}</li>
 <li><b>Best game</b> {{.Stats.MaxGamePoints}}</li>
 <li><b>Best move</b> {{.Stats.MaxWordPoints}}</li>
 </ul>
 {{else}}<p class="note">no statistics</p>{{end}}
 </section>
 </div>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Account block</h2>
+{{$uid := .ID}}
+{{with .Suspension}}{{if .Blocked}}
+<ul class="kv">
+<li><b>Status</b> <span class="warn">{{if .Permanent}}blocked (permanent){{else}}blocked until {{.Until}} (UTC){{end}}</span></li>
+{{if .BlockedAt}}<li><b>Since</b> {{.BlockedAt}}</li>{{end}}
+{{if .ReasonEn}}<li><b>Reason</b> {{.ReasonEn}} / {{.ReasonRu}}</li>{{end}}
+</ul>
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{$uid}}/unblock">
+<button type="submit">Unblock</button>
+</form>
+{{else}}<p class="note">not blocked</p>{{end}}{{end}}
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{.ID}}/block">
+<label>Duration <select name="duration">
+<option value="permanent">permanent</option>
+<option value="1d">1 day</option>
+<option value="3d">3 days</option>
+<option value="1w">1 week</option>
+<option value="1m">1 month</option>
+<option value="custom">custom date (UTC)</option>
+</select></label>
+<label>Custom until (UTC; used when duration is "custom") <input type="datetime-local" name="until"></label>
+<label>Reason <select name="reason">
+<option value="">&mdash; none &mdash;</option>
+{{range .Reasons}}<option value="{{.ID}}">{{.TextEn}}</option>{{end}}
+</select></label>
+<div><button type="submit">{{if .Suspension.Blocked}}Re-block{{else}}Block{{end}}</button></div>
+</form>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Roles</h2>
+{{$id := .ID}}
+{{if .Roles}}
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Role</th><th></th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Roles}}
+<tr><td><code>{{.}}</code></td><td><form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{$id}}/revoke-role"><input type="hidden" name="role" value="{{.}}"><button type="submit">Revoke</button></form></td></tr>
+{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+{{else}}<p class="note">no roles</p>{{end}}
+<form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{$id}}/grant-role">
+<label>Grant role <select name="role">{{range .KnownRoles}}<option value="{{.}}">{{.}}</option>{{end}}</select></label>
+<div><button type="submit">Grant</button></div>
+</form>
+</section>
+{{if .MoveChart}}
+<section class="panel"><h2>Move timing</h2>
+<p class="note">Think time per move number across all games — <span class="lg lg-min">min</span> · <span class="lg lg-avg">mean</span> · <span class="lg lg-max">max</span>.</p>
+{{.MoveChart}}
+</section>
+{{end}}
 <section class="panel"><h2>Identities</h2>
 <table class="list">
 <thead><tr><th>Kind</th><th>External ID</th><th>Confirmed</th><th>Created</th></tr></thead>
@@ -37,18 +101,75 @@
 {{else}}<tr><td colspan="4"><span class="note">no identities (guest)</span></td></tr>{{end}}
 </tbody>
 </table>
+{{if .HasEmail}}
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{.ID}}/remove-email" onsubmit="return confirm('Erase the email identity from this account? The address will be freed.')">
+<button type="submit">Erase email</button>
+</form>
+{{end}}
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Deletion &amp; retention</h2>
+{{if .LastLoginAt}}<p class="note">Last login: {{.LastLoginAt}}{{if .LastLoginIP}} — <code>{{.LastLoginIP}}</code>{{end}}</p>{{end}}
+{{if .Deleted}}<p><span class="warn">Deleted</span> at {{.DeletedAt}}{{if .DeletedName}} — was <code>{{.DeletedName}}</code>{{end}}</p>{{end}}
+{{if .Retained}}
+<h3>Retention journal (legal dossier of detached credentials)</h3>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Kind</th><th>Credential</th><th>Reason</th><th>Detached</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Retained}}<tr><td>{{.Kind}}</td><td><code>{{.ExternalID}}</code></td><td>{{.Reason}}</td><td>{{.DetachedAt}}</td></tr>{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+{{end}}
+{{if not .Deleted}}
+<form class="form" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{.ID}}/delete" onsubmit="return confirm('Delete this account? Its credentials are journalled and freed, its data anonymised, and its sessions revoked. This cannot be undone.')">
+<button type="submit">Delete user</button>
+</form>
+{{end}}
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Friends</h2>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Account</th><th>Friends since</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Friends}}
+<tr><td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">{{.DisplayName}}</a></td><td>{{.Date}}</td></tr>
+{{else}}<tr><td colspan="2"><span class="note">no friends</span></td></tr>{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Blocks</h2>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Account</th><th>Blocked at</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .Blocks}}
+<tr><td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">{{.DisplayName}}</a></td><td>{{.Date}}</td></tr>
+{{else}}<tr><td colspan="2"><span class="note">blocks no one</span></td></tr>{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
+</section>
+<section class="panel"><h2>Blocked by</h2>
+<table class="list">
+<thead><tr><th>Account</th><th>Blocked at</th></tr></thead>
+<tbody>
+{{range .BlockedBy}}
+<tr><td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.AccountID}}">{{.DisplayName}}</a></td><td>{{.Date}}</td></tr>
+{{else}}<tr><td colspan="2"><span class="note">blocked by no one</span></td></tr>{{end}}
+</tbody>
+</table>
 </section>
 {{if .TelegramID}}
 <section class="panel"><h2>Send Telegram message</h2>
 {{if .ConnectorEnabled}}
 <form class="form col" method="post" action="/_gm/users/{{.ID}}/message">
 <label>Message <textarea name="text" required></textarea></label>
-<label>Bot language <select name="language"><option value="en">en</option><option value="ru">ru</option></select></label>
 <div><button type="submit">Send to user</button></div>
 </form>
 {{else}}<p class="note">connector not configured (set BACKEND_CONNECTOR_ADDR)</p>{{end}}
 </section>
 {{end}}
+{{if .VKID}}
+<section class="panel"><h2>VK</h2>
+<p>VK ID: <code>{{.VKID}}</code> · <a href="https://vk.com/id{{.VKID}}" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open profile</a></p>
+</section>
+{{end}}
 <section class="panel"><h2>Games</h2>
 <table class="list">
 <thead><tr><th>Game</th><th>Variant</th><th>Status</th><th class="num">Players</th><th>Updated</th></tr></thead>
@@ -1,26 +1,39 @@
 {{define "content" -}}
 <h1>Users</h1>
 {{with .Data}}
+<nav class="subnav">
+<a href="/_gm/users"{{if and (not .Robots) (not .Deleted)}} class="active"{{end}}>People</a> ·
+<a href="/_gm/users?kind=deleted"{{if .Deleted}} class="active"{{end}}>Deleted</a> ·
+<a href="/_gm/users?kind=robots"{{if .Robots}} class="active"{{end}}>Robots</a>
+</nav>
+<form class="form" method="get" action="/_gm/users">
+{{if .Robots}}<input type="hidden" name="kind" value="robots">{{end}}{{if .Deleted}}<input type="hidden" name="kind" value="deleted">{{end}}
+<input name="name" value="{{.NameMask}}" placeholder="display name mask (* ?)">
+<input name="ext" value="{{.ExternalIDMask}}" placeholder="external id mask (* ?)">
+<input name="email" value="{{.EmailExact}}" placeholder="email (exact)" type="search">
+<button type="submit">Filter</button>
+</form>
 <table class="list">
-<thead><tr><th>Account</th><th>Display name</th><th>Kind</th><th>Lang</th><th>Created</th></tr></thead>
+<thead><tr><th>Account</th><th>Display name</th><th>Kind</th><th>Lang</th><th>Created</th><th title="per-move think time across all games">Move min</th><th>avg</th><th>max</th></tr></thead>
 <tbody>
 {{range .Items}}
 <tr>
 <td><a href="/_gm/users/{{.ID}}">{{.ID}}</a></td>
-<td>{{.DisplayName}}{{if .Guest}} <span class="pill">guest</span>{{end}}</td>
+<td>{{.DisplayName}}{{if .Deleted}} <span class="pill">deleted</span>{{end}}{{if .Guest}} <span class="pill">guest</span>{{end}}{{if .FlaggedHighRate}} <span class="pill">high-rate</span>{{end}}</td>
 <td>{{.Kind}}</td>
 <td>{{.Language}}</td>
 <td>{{.CreatedAt}}</td>
+{{if .HasMoveStats}}<td>{{.MoveMin}}</td><td>{{.MoveAvg}}</td><td>{{.MoveMax}}</td>{{else}}<td colspan="3"><span class="note">—</span></td>{{end}}
 </tr>
 {{else}}
-<tr><td colspan="5"><span class="note">no users</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="8"><span class="note">no users</span></td></tr>
 {{end}}
 </tbody>
 </table>
 <nav class="pager">
-{{if .Pager.HasPrev}}<a href="/_gm/users?page={{.Pager.PrevPage}}">&laquo; prev</a>{{end}}
+{{if .Pager.HasPrev}}<a href="/_gm/users?{{.FilterQuery}}&amp;page={{.Pager.PrevPage}}">&laquo; prev</a>{{end}}
 <span>page {{.Pager.Page}} · {{.Pager.Total}} total</span>
-{{if .Pager.HasNext}}<a href="/_gm/users?page={{.Pager.NextPage}}">next &raquo;</a>{{end}}
+{{if .Pager.HasNext}}<a href="/_gm/users?{{.FilterQuery}}&amp;page={{.Pager.NextPage}}">next &raquo;</a>{{end}}
 </nav>
 {{end}}
 {{- end}}
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package adminconsole

+import "html/template"
+
 // The *View types are the display models the gin handlers fill and the templates
 // render. Time values are pre-formatted to strings by the handlers so the
 // templates stay logic-free.
@@ -40,7 +42,11 @@ type DashboardView struct {
 	Games          int
 	ActiveGames    int
 	OpenComplaints int
+	OpenFeedback   int
 	PendingChanges int
+	// ActiveVersion is the dictionary version new games pin (the persisted active
+	// version), distinct from the per-variant resident versions.
+	ActiveVersion string
 	Variants      []VariantVersions
 }

@@ -48,16 +54,91 @@ type DashboardView struct {
 type UsersView struct {
 	Items []UserRow
 	Pager Pager
+	// Robots is the active people/robots toggle; NameMask/ExternalIDMask are the current
+	// glob filters; FilterQuery is those URL-encoded for the pager links. It is an
+	// already-escaped query fragment (url.Values.Encode), so it is typed template.URL to
+	// be emitted verbatim — interpolated as a plain string it would have its "=" and "&"
+	// percent-encoded again by the contextual escaper.
+	Robots         bool
+	Deleted        bool
+	NameMask       string
+	ExternalIDMask string
+	EmailExact     string
+	FilterQuery    template.URL
 }

-// UserRow is one account row in the list.
+// UserRow is one account row in the list. MoveMin/Avg/Max are the account's
+// pre-formatted move-duration summary (empty when it has no timed move);
+// FlaggedHighRate marks the soft high-rate badge.
 type UserRow struct {
 	ID              string
 	DisplayName     string
 	Kind            string
 	Language        string
 	Guest           bool
+	Deleted         bool
+	FlaggedHighRate bool
 	CreatedAt       string
+	HasMoveStats    bool
+	MoveMin         string
+	MoveAvg         string
+	MoveMax         string
+}
+
+// MessagesView is the paginated chat-message moderation list. NameMask/ExtMask are the
+// current sender glob filters; GameID/UserID pin the list to one game / sender (set from a
+// game or user card); FilterQuery is the active filters URL-encoded for the pager and CSV
+// links — an already-escaped query fragment, hence template.URL so it is not re-encoded
+// inside the link (see UsersView.FilterQuery).
+type MessagesView struct {
+	Items       []MessageRow
+	Pager       Pager
+	NameMask    string
+	ExtMask     string
+	GameID      string
+	UserID      string
+	UnreadOnly  bool
+	FilterQuery template.URL
+}
+
+// MessageRow is one chat message in the moderation list: its sender (linked to the user
+// card), source, IP, body, game (linked to the game card), time, and whether it is still
+// unread by at least one recipient.
+type MessageRow struct {
+	ID         string
+	SenderID   string
+	SenderName string
+	Source     string
+	IP         string
+	Body       string
+	GameID     string
+	CreatedAt  string
+	Unread     bool
+}
+
+// ChatMessageDetailView is one chat message with its per-seat read breakdown, for the
+// console message card.
+type ChatMessageDetailView struct {
+	ID         string
+	GameID     string
+	SenderID   string
+	SenderName string
+	Source     string
+	Kind       string
+	Body       string
+	IP         string
+	CreatedAt  string
+	Unread     bool
+	Seats      []ChatSeatStatusRow
+}
+
+// ChatSeatStatusRow is one seat's read status on the message card: the seat index, the
+// occupant (linked to the user card) and its role ("sender", "read" or "unread").
+type ChatSeatStatusRow struct {
+	Seat        int
+	AccountID   string
+	DisplayName string
+	Role        string
 }

 // UserDetailView is one account with its stats, identities and recent games.
@@ -70,16 +151,82 @@ type UserDetailView struct {
 	NotificationsInAppOnly bool
 	PaidAccount            bool
 	// MergedInto is the primary account id when this account has been retired by a
-	// merge (Stage 11), or empty for a live account.
+	// merge, or empty for a live account.
 	MergedInto string
+	// The account-deletion dossier. Deleted marks a tombstoned account; DeletedAt and
+	// DeletedName are its deletion time and retained real name; LastLoginAt/IP are the
+	// last cold-load stamp (shown for any account); Retained is the credential journal.
+	Deleted     bool
+	DeletedAt   string
+	DeletedName string
+	LastLoginAt string
+	LastLoginIP string
+	Retained    []RetainedRow
+	// FlaggedHighRateAt is the pre-formatted soft high-rate marker timestamp,
+	// empty for an unflagged account; the card shows it with the Clear action.
+	FlaggedHighRateAt string
 	HintBalance       int
+	// HintGrantMax is the per-grant cap the operator's "add hints" form enforces (it mirrors the
+	// server's maxHintGrant), passed through so the policy value lives in one place.
+	HintGrantMax int
 	CreatedAt    string
 	HasStats     bool
 	Stats        StatsRow
 	Identities   []IdentityRow
+	// HasEmail gates the "Erase email" action; set when the account carries an email identity.
+	HasEmail bool
 	Games    []GameRow
+	// TelegramID and VKID are the account's platform external ids (empty when absent).
+	// TelegramID gates the "Send Telegram message" operator action; VKID surfaces the VK
+	// user id with a link to the VK profile (there is no VK messaging to drive).
 	TelegramID       string
+	VKID             string
 	ConnectorEnabled bool
+	// MoveChart is the pre-rendered inline SVG of the account's per-move-number think
+	// time (min/mean/max), empty when the account has no timed move.
+	MoveChart template.HTML
+	// Suspension is the account's current manual-block state, shown with the block/unblock
+	// form; Reasons is the operator-editable reason picklist offered in the block form.
+	Suspension SuspensionView
+	Reasons    []ReasonOption
+	// Roles is the account's current roles (each revocable); KnownRoles is the set the
+	// grant form offers. The first role is the feedback ban (see internal/account).
+	Roles      []string
+	KnownRoles []string
+	// Blocks, BlockedBy and Friends are the social graph on the card: who this account has
+	// blocked, who currently blocks it, and its mutual friendships — each cross-linked to the
+	// other account with the date it happened. They are the full truth; the asymmetric block
+	// suppression that hides relationships from players never applies to the console.
+	Blocks    []RelationRow
+	BlockedBy []RelationRow
+	Friends   []RelationRow
+}
+
+// RelationRow is one cross-linked account in the user card's blocks / blocked-by / friends
+// lists: the other account's id (the link target), its display name, and the pre-formatted date.
+type RelationRow struct {
+	AccountID   string
+	DisplayName string
+	Date        string
+}
+
+// SuspensionView is an account's current manual-block state shown on the user card: whether it
+// is blocked, whether the block is permanent, the pre-formatted expiry (empty when permanent),
+// when it was applied, and the reason snapshot in both languages (empty when none was cited).
+type SuspensionView struct {
+	Blocked   bool
+	Permanent bool
+	Until     string
+	BlockedAt string
+	ReasonEn  string
+	ReasonRu  string
+}
+
+// ReasonOption is one suspension-reason picklist entry offered in the block form's dropdown.
+type ReasonOption struct {
+	ID     string
+	TextEn string
+	TextRu string
 }

 // StatsRow is an account's lifetime statistics.
@@ -89,6 +236,8 @@ type StatsRow struct {
 	Draws         int
 	MaxGamePoints int
 	MaxWordPoints int
+	Moves         int
+	HintsUsed     int
 }

 // IdentityRow is one platform/email identity of an account.
@@ -99,6 +248,17 @@ type IdentityRow struct {
 	CreatedAt  string
 }

+// RetainedRow is one credential in the account-deletion retention journal (the legal
+// dossier of detached credentials): what was detached, when, and why.
+type RetainedRow struct {
+	Kind       string
+	ExternalID string
+	Reason     string
+	Confirmed  bool
+	LinkedAt   string
+	DetachedAt string
+}
+
 // GameRow is one game row in a list.
 type GameRow struct {
 	ID        string
@@ -106,6 +266,8 @@ type GameRow struct {
 	Status    string
 	Players   int
 	UpdatedAt string
+	// VsAI marks an honest-AI game (rendered as 🤖 in the list's AI column).
+	VsAI bool
 }

 // GamesView is the paginated games list, optionally filtered by status.
@@ -128,10 +290,39 @@ type GameDetailView struct {
 	CreatedAt   string
 	UpdatedAt   string
 	FinishedAt  string
+	// VsAI marks an honest-AI game (shown as a 🤖 flag in the summary).
+	VsAI  bool
 	Seats []SeatRow
+	// HasRobot is true when any seat is a robot, gating the robot-target caption;
+	// RobotTargetPct is the configured global play-to-win rate, in percent.
+	HasRobot       bool
+	RobotTargetPct int
+	// ReplayJSON is the game-replay payload (board, seats, per-step racks/scores/bag) the
+	// game_detail page feeds to its vanilla-JS stepper; HasReplay gates the replay section.
+	ReplayJSON template.JS
+	HasReplay  bool
+	// SetupDraws is the first-move draw — one row per tile drawn (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §6) —
+	// and FirstMover is the resolved name of the seat-0 player the draw elected.
+	SetupDraws []SetupDrawRow
+	FirstMover string
 }

-// SeatRow is one seat of a game.
+// SetupDrawRow is one tile drawn in the first-move seeding (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §6): the
+// round, the player (Name/AccountID, or "(opponent)" with an empty AccountID for an
+// auto-match synthetic draw not yet back-filled), the drawn letter (upper-cased; "?" for a
+// blank) and its draw rank.
+type SetupDrawRow struct {
+	Round     int
+	Name      string
+	AccountID string
+	Letter    string
+	Blank     bool
+	Rank      int
+}
+
+// SeatRow is one seat of a game. For a robot seat (IsRobot) RobotIntent is the game's
+// deterministic play-to-win decision ("play to win"/"play to lose"), and NextMove is the
+// scheduled next-move ETA shown only while it is that robot's turn in an active game.
 type SeatRow struct {
 	Seat        int
 	DisplayName string
@@ -139,6 +330,9 @@ type SeatRow struct {
 	Score       int
 	HintsUsed   int
 	Winner      bool
+	IsRobot     bool
+	RobotIntent string
+	NextMove    string
 }

 // ComplaintsView is the paginated complaint review queue.
@@ -176,9 +370,11 @@ type ComplaintDetailView struct {
 	Resolved       bool
 }

-// DictionaryView lists the resident versions per variant and the pending
-// wordlist changes from accepted complaints.
+// DictionaryView lists the resident versions per variant, the active version new
+// games pin, and the pending wordlist changes from accepted complaints.
 type DictionaryView struct {
+	// ActiveVersion is the dictionary version new games pin; the update form sets it.
+	ActiveVersion string
 	Variants      []VariantVersions
 	Changes       []DictChangeRow
 }
@@ -191,14 +387,228 @@ type DictChangeRow struct {
 	ResolvedAt string
 }

+// DictionaryPreviewView is the second step of a dictionary update: the version
+// parsed from the uploaded archive (editable before confirming), the staging token
+// that names the uploaded files on disk, the active version the diff is against, and
+// the per-variant word diff.
+type DictionaryPreviewView struct {
+	Version       string
+	Token         string
+	ActiveVersion string
+	Variants      []VariantDiffRow
+}
+
+// VariantDiffRow summarises one variant's word diff in the update preview.
+// AddedCount/RemovedCount are the full totals; AddedSample/RemovedSample are the
+// first words shown (capped); AddedTruncated/RemovedTruncated mark a capped list;
+// LargeRemoval flags a removal large enough to warrant caution before confirming.
+type VariantDiffRow struct {
+	Variant          string
+	AddedCount       int
+	RemovedCount     int
+	AddedSample      []string
+	RemovedSample    []string
+	AddedTruncated   bool
+	RemovedTruncated bool
+	LargeRemoval     bool
+}
+
 // BroadcastView is the operator-broadcast form page.
 type BroadcastView struct {
 	ConnectorEnabled bool
 }

+// ThrottledView is the rate-limit observability page: the temporary IP bans the
+// gateway is currently enforcing, the recent gateway-reported throttle episodes
+// (in-memory, reset on restart) and the accounts currently carrying the high-rate
+// flag. FlagThreshold and FlagWindow caption the active auto-flag tuning.
+type ThrottledView struct {
+	Bans          []BanRow
+	Episodes      []ThrottleEpisodeRow
+	Flagged       []FlaggedAccountRow
+	FlagThreshold int
+	FlagWindow    string
+}
+
+// BanRow is one temporary IP ban the gateway is enforcing, with its reason and its
+// since/expiry timestamps; the row carries an unban action.
+type BanRow struct {
+	IP      string
+	Reason  string
+	Since   string
+	Expires string
+}
+
+// ThrottleEpisodeRow is one recently throttled limiter key. UserID links to the
+// user card and is set only for the user class (the other classes key by IP).
+type ThrottleEpisodeRow struct {
+	Class     string
+	Key       string
+	UserID    string
+	Rejected  int
+	FirstSeen string
+	LastSeen  string
+}
+
+// FlaggedAccountRow is one account carrying the high-rate flag.
+type FlaggedAccountRow struct {
+	ID          string
+	DisplayName string
+	FlaggedAt   string
+}
+
+// ReasonsView is the suspension-reason picklist management page: every editable reason entry.
+type ReasonsView struct {
+	Items []ReasonRow
+}
+
+// ReasonRow is one editable suspension-reason entry, with its English and Russian text.
+type ReasonRow struct {
+	ID        string
+	TextEn    string
+	TextRu    string
+	CreatedAt string
+}
+
 // MessageView is the result page shown after a POST action.
 type MessageView struct {
 	Heading string
 	Body    string
 	Back    string
 }
+
+// BannersView is the advertising-campaign list page.
+type BannersView struct {
+	Items []BannerCampaignRow
+}
+
+// BannerCampaignRow is one campaign in the list. Window is a human-readable
+// validity window ("perpetual" for the default); ActiveNow reports whether it
+// would rotate right now (enabled and within its window).
+type BannerCampaignRow struct {
+	ID        string
+	Name      string
+	Weight    int
+	IsDefault bool
+	Enabled   bool
+	Window    string
+	Messages  int
+	ActiveNow bool
+}
+
+// BannerDetailView is the campaign detail/edit page. StartsAt/EndsAt are the
+// "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM" (UTC) values for the datetime-local inputs, empty when open.
+//
+// The colour-override and urgent fields drive the non-default campaign's editor:
+// OverrideAllOn/OverrideDarkOn report whether each colour set is active, and the
+// six *Bg/*Fg/*Link values seed the native colour inputs — the stored override
+// when a set is on, otherwise the neutral theme token so the picker starts from a
+// sensible colour and the live preview shows the real fallback.
+type BannerDetailView struct {
+	ID             string
+	Name           string
+	Weight         int
+	IsDefault      bool
+	Enabled        bool
+	StartsAt       string
+	EndsAt         string
+	Urgent         bool
+	OverrideAllOn  bool
+	AllBg          string
+	AllFg          string
+	AllLink        string
+	OverrideDarkOn bool
+	DarkBg         string
+	DarkFg         string
+	DarkLink       string
+	Messages       []BannerMessageRow
+}
+
+// BannerMessageRow is one bilingual message of a campaign. First/Last drive the
+// reorder buttons (disabled at the ends).
+type BannerMessageRow struct {
+	ID     string
+	BodyEn string
+	BodyRu string
+	First  bool
+	Last   bool
+}
+
+// BannerSettingsView is the global display-timings form.
+type BannerSettingsView struct {
+	HoldMs         int
+	EdgePauseMs    int
+	ScrollPxPerSec int
+	FadeOutMs      int
+	GapMs          int
+	FadeInMs       int
+}
+
+// FeedbackView is the paginated user-feedback queue. Status is the active
+// unread/read/archived filter; NameMask/ExtMask are the sender glob filters;
+// UserID pins the list to one account (the per-user link from /users);
+// FilterQuery is the active filters URL-encoded for the pager links (already
+// escaped, hence template.URL — see UsersView.FilterQuery).
+type FeedbackView struct {
+	Items       []FeedbackRow
+	Status      string
+	NameMask    string
+	ExtMask     string
+	UserID      string
+	Pager       Pager
+	FilterQuery template.URL
+}
+
+// FeedbackRow is one feedback message in the queue: its sender (linked to the user
+// card), source, channel, whether it has an attachment / a reply, its state and
+// time.
+type FeedbackRow struct {
+	ID            string
+	AccountID     string
+	SenderName    string
+	Source        string
+	Channel       string
+	HasAttachment bool
+	Read          bool
+	Replied       bool
+	Archived      bool
+	CreatedAt     string
+}
+
+// FeedbackDetailView is one feedback message with its body, attachment, state and
+// the reply / archive / delete forms. Body, AttachmentName, SenderName and IP are
+// user-controlled and rendered as plain auto-escaped text. IsImage gates the inline
+// <img> preview; Banned shows whether the sender already holds the feedback ban.
+type FeedbackDetailView struct {
+	ID         string
+	AccountID  string
+	SenderName string
+	Source     string
+	Channel    string
+	// InterfaceLanguage is the sender's interface language (account preference).
+	InterfaceLanguage string
+	IP                string
+	Body              string
+	HasAttachment     bool
+	AttachmentName    string
+	IsImage           bool
+	Read              bool
+	Archived          bool
+	Replied           bool
+	ReplyBody         string
+	RepliedAt         string
+	CreatedAt         string
+	// Version is the client app build the report was sent from (empty for rows that predate it).
+	Version string
+	// The Filed time is shown in three zones so the operator can tell what is certainly known from
+	// what is merely defaulted. CreatedAt is the authoritative UTC time. CreatedAtBrowser is that
+	// instant in the client's UTC offset detected at submit (BrowserTZ its "±HH:MM" label), empty
+	// when the client reported none (an older build). CreatedAtUser is that instant in the sender's
+	// saved profile zone (UserTZ its label), empty when the account has no zone beyond the UTC
+	// default — the template then shows "N/A" so the missing datum is explicit.
+	CreatedAtBrowser string
+	BrowserTZ        string
+	CreatedAtUser    string
+	UserTZ           string
+	Banned           bool
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,252 @@
+// Package ads owns the server-driven advertising banner ("advertising network"):
+// operator-managed campaigns, their bilingual messages and the global display
+// timings the client's one-line announcement strip rotates through.
+//
+// A campaign is one placement order with a show weight (an integer percent).
+// Simultaneously active campaigns compete for display slots in proportion to
+// their weights; the single perpetual default campaign fills the unsold
+// remainder up to 100%. The actual rotation runs client-side (a smooth weighted
+// round-robin over campaigns, round-robin over a campaign's messages); the server
+// only computes the effective weighted, language-resolved set a viewer should
+// rotate, via ActiveSet. Who sees a banner at all is decided by Eligible.
+package ads
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+)
+
+// ErrNotFound is returned when a campaign or message does not exist.
+var ErrNotFound = errors.New("ads: not found")
+
+// ErrDefaultImmutable is returned when an operation is refused on the perpetual
+// default campaign (it cannot be deleted, disabled, windowed, or have its
+// weight or default flag changed).
+var ErrDefaultImmutable = errors.New("ads: the default campaign cannot be modified that way")
+
+// ErrValidation wraps an operator-facing validation failure (a bad weight,
+// window or message body).
+var ErrValidation = errors.New("ads: validation")
+
+// ColorSet is an optional per-campaign colour override for the banner strip:
+// background, foreground (text) and link, each a "#rrggbb" hex string. The three
+// are set together or the whole set is absent (a nil *ColorSet).
+type ColorSet struct {
+	Bg   string
+	Fg   string
+	Link string
+}
+
+// Campaign is one advertising placement order with its messages.
+type Campaign struct {
+	ID        uuid.UUID // uuid.Nil on create
+	Name      string
+	Weight    int // show percent, 1..100; nominal (ignored) for the default
+	IsDefault bool
+	Enabled   bool
+	StartsAt  *time.Time // nil = open-ended start; always nil for the default
+	EndsAt    *time.Time // nil = open-ended end; always nil for the default
+	Messages  []Message
+	// OverrideAll paints the strip on every theme; OverrideDark, when set, further
+	// overrides the dark theme (the client resolves dark ← dark ?? all ?? token,
+	// light ← all ?? token). Both are nil for the default campaign and for a
+	// campaign that keeps the neutral theme tokens. Non-default only.
+	OverrideAll  *ColorSet
+	OverrideDark *ColorSet
+	// Urgent forces the banner on every viewer (bypassing eligibility) and, while
+	// any urgent campaign is active, suppresses every non-urgent campaign and the
+	// default remainder. Non-default only; always false for the default campaign.
+	Urgent    bool
+	CreatedAt time.Time
+	UpdatedAt time.Time
+}
+
+// Message is one bilingual creative of a campaign. Both bodies are mandatory;
+// the client shows the variant for the viewer's bot (service) language. Position
+// orders the messages within a campaign (the round-robin order).
+type Message struct {
+	ID         uuid.UUID // uuid.Nil on create
+	CampaignID uuid.UUID
+	Position   int
+	BodyEn     string
+	BodyRu     string
+}
+
+// Timings are the global banner display timings, in milliseconds except
+// ScrollPxPerSec. HoldMs is how long one message shows; EdgePauseMs and
+// ScrollPxPerSec drive the scroll of a message wider than the strip; a
+// transition between messages is FadeOutMs then GapMs then FadeInMs.
+type Timings struct {
+	HoldMs         int
+	EdgePauseMs    int
+	ScrollPxPerSec int
+	FadeOutMs      int
+	GapMs          int
+	FadeInMs       int
+}
+
+// ActiveCampaign is one campaign in the resolved rotation feed sent to a client:
+// its GCD-reduced show weight and its messages, already resolved to the viewer's
+// language and in display (round-robin) order, plus the optional colour overrides
+// the client applies to the strip (nil = the neutral theme tokens). Urgency is not
+// carried here: it is resolved server-side into the set's membership and the
+// eligibility bypass, so the client only ever renders what it is sent.
+type ActiveCampaign struct {
+	Weight       int
+	Messages     []string
+	OverrideAll  *ColorSet
+	OverrideDark *ColorSet
+}
+
+// Eligible reports whether an account should be shown the advertising banner: a
+// free account (not paid) with an empty hint wallet and without the no_banner
+// role. The no_banner role suppresses the banner unconditionally; buying a paid
+// account or any hints also removes it.
+func Eligible(paidAccount bool, hintBalance int, hasNoBanner bool) bool {
+	return !paidAccount && hintBalance <= 0 && !hasNoBanner
+}
+
+// computeActiveSet builds the resolved rotation feed from the enabled campaigns
+// at time now, in language lang, and reports whether the feed is an urgent one.
+// Campaigns outside their validity window, and campaigns with no messages, are
+// dropped.
+//
+// While any active campaign is urgent, the feed is the urgent campaigns alone —
+// every non-urgent timed campaign and the default remainder are suppressed for
+// the duration (and the caller shows the feed to every viewer, bypassing
+// eligibility). Otherwise the default campaign's effective weight is the
+// remainder up to 100% — max(0, 100 - sum of active timed weights) — so it fills
+// unsold inventory and is dropped entirely when timed campaigns already reach
+// 100%. Weights are then reduced by their GCD so the fair rotation cycle stays
+// short. The input is expected to be the enabled campaigns (ActiveCampaigns);
+// disabled ones must already be excluded.
+func computeActiveSet(campaigns []Campaign, now time.Time, lang string) ([]ActiveCampaign, bool) {
+	var timed []Campaign
+	var def *Campaign
+	for i := range campaigns {
+		c := campaigns[i]
+		if len(c.Messages) == 0 {
+			continue // a campaign with no creative cannot fill a slot
+		}
+		if c.IsDefault {
+			def = &campaigns[i]
+			continue
+		}
+		if withinWindow(c, now) {
+			timed = append(timed, c)
+		}
+	}
+	if urgent := filterUrgent(timed); len(urgent) > 0 {
+		out := make([]ActiveCampaign, 0, len(urgent))
+		for _, c := range urgent {
+			out = append(out, activeFrom(c, lang))
+		}
+		reduceByGCD(out)
+		return out, true
+	}
+	sumTimed := 0
+	for _, c := range timed {
+		sumTimed += c.Weight
+	}
+	out := make([]ActiveCampaign, 0, len(timed)+1)
+	for _, c := range timed {
+		out = append(out, activeFrom(c, lang))
+	}
+	if def != nil {
+		if dw := 100 - sumTimed; dw > 0 {
+			a := activeFrom(*def, lang)
+			a.Weight = dw // the default's stored weight is nominal; it fills the remainder
+			out = append(out, a)
+		}
+	}
+	reduceByGCD(out)
+	return out, false
+}
+
+// activeFrom projects a campaign to its rotation-feed entry: its show weight, its
+// language-resolved messages and its colour overrides (carried through by
+// reference, they are read-only).
+func activeFrom(c Campaign, lang string) ActiveCampaign {
+	return ActiveCampaign{
+		Weight:       c.Weight,
+		Messages:     resolveBodies(c.Messages, lang),
+		OverrideAll:  c.OverrideAll,
+		OverrideDark: c.OverrideDark,
+	}
+}
+
+// filterUrgent returns the urgent campaigns among cs, preserving order. It is the
+// preempt selector: a non-empty result makes the whole feed urgent.
+func filterUrgent(cs []Campaign) []Campaign {
+	var out []Campaign
+	for _, c := range cs {
+		if c.Urgent {
+			out = append(out, c)
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// ActiveAt reports whether the campaign would rotate at time now: enabled, and
+// either the perpetual default or within its validity window. It mirrors the
+// filter computeActiveSet applies (a campaign with no messages still reports
+// active here — that is a content gap the console surfaces, not an inactive
+// campaign).
+func (c Campaign) ActiveAt(now time.Time) bool {
+	return c.Enabled && (c.IsDefault || withinWindow(c, now))
+}
+
+// withinWindow reports whether now lies inside the campaign's validity window. A
+// nil bound is open-ended on that side.
+func withinWindow(c Campaign, now time.Time) bool {
+	if c.StartsAt != nil && now.Before(*c.StartsAt) {
+		return false
+	}
+	if c.EndsAt != nil && now.After(*c.EndsAt) {
+		return false
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+// resolveBodies projects each message to the body for lang ("ru" picks the
+// Russian body; anything else picks English), preserving display order.
+func resolveBodies(msgs []Message, lang string) []string {
+	out := make([]string, len(msgs))
+	for i, m := range msgs {
+		if lang == "ru" {
+			out[i] = m.BodyRu
+		} else {
+			out[i] = m.BodyEn
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// reduceByGCD divides every weight by the greatest common divisor of all weights
+// (in place), shrinking a {50,30,20} set to {5,3,2} and a lone {100} to {1}. A
+// no-op when the set is empty or already coprime.
+func reduceByGCD(cs []ActiveCampaign) {
+	g := 0
+	for _, c := range cs {
+		g = gcd(g, c.Weight)
+	}
+	if g <= 1 {
+		return
+	}
+	for i := range cs {
+		cs[i].Weight /= g
+	}
+}
+
+// gcd returns the greatest common divisor of a and b (gcd(0, n) == n).
+func gcd(a, b int) int {
+	for b != 0 {
+		a, b = b, a%b
+	}
+	if a < 0 {
+		return -a
+	}
+	return a
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,239 @@
+package ads
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestEligible(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		paidAccount bool
+		hintBalance int
+		hasNoBanner bool
+		want        bool
+	}{
+		{name: "free, empty wallet, no role", want: true},
+		{name: "paid", paidAccount: true, want: false},
+		{name: "has hints", hintBalance: 3, want: false},
+		{name: "no_banner role", hasNoBanner: true, want: false},
+		{name: "paid and has hints", paidAccount: true, hintBalance: 5, want: false},
+		{name: "no_banner overrides everything", hasNoBanner: true, want: false},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := Eligible(tt.paidAccount, tt.hintBalance, tt.hasNoBanner); got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("Eligible(%v,%d,%v) = %v, want %v", tt.paidAccount, tt.hintBalance, tt.hasNoBanner, got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestComputeActiveSet(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Date(2026, 6, 15, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	past := now.Add(-24 * time.Hour)
+	future := now.Add(24 * time.Hour)
+
+	// msg builds a one-message slice with distinct bodies so resolution and
+	// campaign identity are visible in assertions.
+	msg := func(tag string) []Message {
+		return []Message{{BodyEn: tag + "-en", BodyRu: tag + "-ru"}}
+	}
+	def := func(msgs []Message) Campaign {
+		return Campaign{Name: "default", Weight: 100, IsDefault: true, Enabled: true, Messages: msgs}
+	}
+	timed := func(name string, weight int, starts, ends *time.Time, msgs []Message) Campaign {
+		return Campaign{Name: name, Weight: weight, Enabled: true, StartsAt: starts, EndsAt: ends, Messages: msgs}
+	}
+	urgent := func(name string, weight int, msgs []Message) Campaign {
+		c := timed(name, weight, nil, nil, msgs)
+		c.Urgent = true
+		return c
+	}
+	red := &ColorSet{Bg: "#aa0000", Fg: "#ffffff", Link: "#ffdd00"}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		campaigns  []Campaign
+		lang       string
+		want       []ActiveCampaign
+		wantUrgent bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "default only reduces to weight 1",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{def(msg("house"))},
+			lang:      "en",
+			want:      []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"house-en"}}},
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "default fills the remainder",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{def(msg("house")), timed("promo", 30, nil, nil, msg("promo"))},
+			lang:      "en",
+			// timed 30, default 100-30=70; gcd 10 -> 3 and 7; timed first, default last.
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{
+				{Weight: 3, Messages: []string{"promo-en"}},
+				{Weight: 7, Messages: []string{"house-en"}},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "timed fills 100, default dropped",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{def(msg("house")), timed("promo", 100, nil, nil, msg("promo"))},
+			lang:      "en",
+			want:      []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"promo-en"}}},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "timed over 100, default dropped, proportional",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				timed("a", 60, nil, nil, msg("a")),
+				timed("b", 80, nil, nil, msg("b")),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			// default dropped (sum 140 >= 100); gcd(60,80)=20 -> 3 and 4.
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{
+				{Weight: 3, Messages: []string{"a-en"}},
+				{Weight: 4, Messages: []string{"b-en"}},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "future and past windows exclude timed",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				timed("future", 50, &future, nil, msg("future")),
+				timed("past", 50, nil, &past, msg("past")),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"house-en"}}},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "active window included",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				timed("live", 25, &past, &future, msg("live")),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			// timed 25, default 75; gcd 25 -> 1 and 3.
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{
+				{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"live-en"}},
+				{Weight: 3, Messages: []string{"house-en"}},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "campaign without messages is skipped and not counted",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				timed("empty", 40, nil, nil, nil),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			// empty campaign skipped; default fills full 100 -> reduced to 1.
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"house-en"}}},
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "russian bodies resolved",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{def(msg("house"))},
+			lang:      "ru",
+			want:      []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"house-ru"}}},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "three timed split by gcd",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				timed("a", 50, nil, nil, msg("a")),
+				timed("b", 30, nil, nil, msg("b")),
+				timed("c", 20, nil, nil, msg("c")),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			// sum 100, default dropped; gcd 10 -> 5,3,2.
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{
+				{Weight: 5, Messages: []string{"a-en"}},
+				{Weight: 3, Messages: []string{"b-en"}},
+				{Weight: 2, Messages: []string{"c-en"}},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "campaign with multiple messages keeps order",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def([]Message{{BodyEn: "one-en", BodyRu: "one-ru"}, {BodyEn: "two-en", BodyRu: "two-ru"}}),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"one-en", "two-en"}}},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "urgent preempts default and normal timed",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				timed("promo", 40, nil, nil, msg("promo")),
+				urgent("alert", 50, msg("alert")),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			// only the urgent campaign survives; a lone weight reduces to 1.
+			want:       []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"alert-en"}}},
+			wantUrgent: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "multiple urgent share the feed by gcd",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				urgent("a", 60, msg("a")),
+				urgent("b", 40, msg("b")),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			// default and any non-urgent dropped; gcd(60,40)=20 -> 3 and 2.
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{
+				{Weight: 3, Messages: []string{"a-en"}},
+				{Weight: 2, Messages: []string{"b-en"}},
+			},
+			wantUrgent: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "out-of-window urgent does not preempt",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				func() Campaign { c := urgent("future", 50, msg("future")); c.StartsAt = &future; return c }(),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			// the urgent campaign is not yet live, so the normal default feed stands.
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"house-en"}}},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "colour overrides ride the active campaign",
+			campaigns: []Campaign{
+				def(msg("house")),
+				func() Campaign { c := timed("promo", 100, nil, nil, msg("promo")); c.OverrideAll = red; return c }(),
+			},
+			lang: "en",
+			want: []ActiveCampaign{{Weight: 1, Messages: []string{"promo-en"}, OverrideAll: red}},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got, gotUrgent := computeActiveSet(tt.campaigns, now, tt.lang)
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tt.want) {
+				t.Errorf("computeActiveSet() =\n  %#v\nwant\n  %#v", got, tt.want)
+			}
+			if gotUrgent != tt.wantUrgent {
+				t.Errorf("computeActiveSet() urgent = %v, want %v", gotUrgent, tt.wantUrgent)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestComputeActiveSetEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	// No campaigns at all yields an empty (non-nil-or-nil) feed without panicking.
+	if got, urgent := computeActiveSet(nil, time.Now(), "en"); len(got) != 0 || urgent {
+		t.Errorf("computeActiveSet(nil) = %#v urgent=%v, want empty non-urgent", got, urgent)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGCD(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct{ a, b, want int }{
+		{0, 5, 5}, {5, 0, 5}, {12, 18, 6}, {100, 100, 100}, {7, 13, 1},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		if got := gcd(tt.a, tt.b); got != tt.want {
+			t.Errorf("gcd(%d,%d) = %d, want %d", tt.a, tt.b, got, tt.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,347 @@
+package ads
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+)
+
+// Operator-input bounds and the display-timing clamps. The timings are clamped
+// (not rejected) on update so the client rotator can never be driven into a
+// broken state by a typo in the console.
+const (
+	maxCampaignName = 80
+	maxMessageBody  = 500
+
+	minHoldMs = 3000   // 3s — below this the fade transition would dominate
+	maxHoldMs = 600000 // 10 min
+
+	maxEdgePauseMs = 60000
+
+	minScrollPxPerSec = 5
+	maxScrollPxPerSec = 1000
+
+	maxFadeMs = 5000
+)
+
+// Service is the domain layer over Store: it validates operator input, enforces
+// the default campaign's invariants, clamps the display timings, and assembles
+// the resolved rotation feed (ActiveSet) for a viewer.
+type Service struct {
+	store *Store
+}
+
+// NewService constructs a Service over store.
+func NewService(store *Store) *Service { return &Service{store: store} }
+
+// ActiveSet returns the resolved rotation feed for a viewer in language lang
+// (en/ru) together with the global display timings: the currently-active
+// campaigns, each with its GCD-reduced show weight and its messages resolved to
+// lang, ready for the client's weighted round-robin. The bool result reports
+// whether the feed is urgent — an urgent feed is shown to every viewer
+// regardless of eligibility (the caller skips the eligibility gate for it).
+func (s *Service) ActiveSet(ctx context.Context, lang string) ([]ActiveCampaign, Timings, bool, error) {
+	campaigns, err := s.store.ActiveCampaigns(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, Timings{}, false, err
+	}
+	timings, err := s.store.Settings(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, Timings{}, false, err
+	}
+	set, urgent := computeActiveSet(campaigns, time.Now().UTC(), lang)
+	return set, timings, urgent, nil
+}
+
+// ListCampaigns returns every campaign with its messages, for the admin console.
+func (s *Service) ListCampaigns(ctx context.Context) ([]Campaign, error) {
+	return s.store.ListCampaigns(ctx)
+}
+
+// Campaign returns one campaign with its messages, or ErrNotFound.
+func (s *Service) Campaign(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (Campaign, error) {
+	return s.store.Campaign(ctx, id)
+}
+
+// CreateCampaign validates and creates a new time-limited campaign (never the
+// default) and returns its id.
+func (s *Service) CreateCampaign(ctx context.Context, c Campaign) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+	name, err := validName(c.Name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, err
+	}
+	if err := validWeight(c.Weight); err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, err
+	}
+	if err := validWindow(c.StartsAt, c.EndsAt); err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, err
+	}
+	all, dark, err := validOverrides(c.OverrideAll, c.OverrideDark)
+	if err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, err
+	}
+	return s.store.CreateCampaign(ctx, Campaign{
+		Name: name, Weight: c.Weight, Enabled: c.Enabled, StartsAt: c.StartsAt, EndsAt: c.EndsAt,
+		OverrideAll: all, OverrideDark: dark, Urgent: c.Urgent,
+	})
+}
+
+// UpdateCampaign validates and updates a campaign. The default campaign keeps its
+// weight (nominal), enabled flag and (empty) window — only its name is editable;
+// any submitted weight/window/enabled are ignored for it.
+func (s *Service) UpdateCampaign(ctx context.Context, c Campaign) error {
+	existing, err := s.store.Campaign(ctx, c.ID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	name, err := validName(c.Name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	upd := Campaign{ID: existing.ID, Name: name}
+	if existing.IsDefault {
+		upd.Weight = existing.Weight
+		upd.Enabled = true
+		upd.StartsAt = nil
+		upd.EndsAt = nil
+		// The default (house) campaign stays plain: no colour overrides, never urgent.
+	} else {
+		if err := validWeight(c.Weight); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if err := validWindow(c.StartsAt, c.EndsAt); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		all, dark, err := validOverrides(c.OverrideAll, c.OverrideDark)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		upd.Weight = c.Weight
+		upd.Enabled = c.Enabled
+		upd.StartsAt = c.StartsAt
+		upd.EndsAt = c.EndsAt
+		upd.OverrideAll = all
+		upd.OverrideDark = dark
+		upd.Urgent = c.Urgent
+	}
+	return s.store.UpdateCampaign(ctx, upd)
+}
+
+// DeleteCampaign removes a campaign, refusing the perpetual default.
+func (s *Service) DeleteCampaign(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) error {
+	existing, err := s.store.Campaign(ctx, id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if existing.IsDefault {
+		return ErrDefaultImmutable
+	}
+	return s.store.DeleteCampaign(ctx, id)
+}
+
+// AddMessage validates a bilingual message and appends it to a campaign.
+func (s *Service) AddMessage(ctx context.Context, campaignID uuid.UUID, bodyEn, bodyRu string) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+	en, ru, err := validBodies(bodyEn, bodyRu)
+	if err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, err
+	}
+	c, err := s.store.Campaign(ctx, campaignID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, err
+	}
+	return s.store.AddMessage(ctx, Message{CampaignID: campaignID, Position: len(c.Messages), BodyEn: en, BodyRu: ru})
+}
+
+// EditMessage validates and updates the bilingual bodies of a message that
+// belongs to campaignID (its position is unchanged). It returns ErrNotFound when
+// the message is not part of that campaign, so a mismatched campaign/message pair
+// never edits an unrelated campaign's message.
+func (s *Service) EditMessage(ctx context.Context, campaignID, messageID uuid.UUID, bodyEn, bodyRu string) error {
+	en, ru, err := validBodies(bodyEn, bodyRu)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	c, err := s.store.Campaign(ctx, campaignID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if !campaignOwnsMessage(c, messageID) {
+		return ErrNotFound
+	}
+	return s.store.UpdateMessageBodies(ctx, messageID, en, ru)
+}
+
+// MoveMessage reorders a message within its campaign by swapping its position
+// with the adjacent message in direction dir (-1 up, +1 down). A move past an
+// edge is a no-op.
+func (s *Service) MoveMessage(ctx context.Context, campaignID, messageID uuid.UUID, dir int) error {
+	c, err := s.store.Campaign(ctx, campaignID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	idx := -1
+	for i, m := range c.Messages {
+		if m.ID == messageID {
+			idx = i
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if idx < 0 {
+		return ErrNotFound
+	}
+	j := idx + dir
+	if j < 0 || j >= len(c.Messages) {
+		return nil // already at the edge
+	}
+	a, b := c.Messages[idx], c.Messages[j]
+	if err := s.store.SetMessagePosition(ctx, a.ID, j); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return s.store.SetMessagePosition(ctx, b.ID, idx)
+}
+
+// DeleteMessage removes a message that belongs to campaignID, refusing to remove
+// the default campaign's last remaining message (the default must always have a
+// creative to show). It returns ErrNotFound when the message is not part of that
+// campaign — so a mismatched campaign/message pair can neither delete an
+// unrelated campaign's message nor bypass the default's last-message guard.
+func (s *Service) DeleteMessage(ctx context.Context, campaignID, messageID uuid.UUID) error {
+	c, err := s.store.Campaign(ctx, campaignID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if !campaignOwnsMessage(c, messageID) {
+		return ErrNotFound
+	}
+	if c.IsDefault && len(c.Messages) <= 1 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%w: the default campaign must keep at least one message", ErrValidation)
+	}
+	return s.store.DeleteMessage(ctx, messageID)
+}
+
+// campaignOwnsMessage reports whether messageID is one of the campaign's messages.
+func campaignOwnsMessage(c Campaign, messageID uuid.UUID) bool {
+	for _, m := range c.Messages {
+		if m.ID == messageID {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// Settings returns the global display timings.
+func (s *Service) Settings(ctx context.Context) (Timings, error) {
+	return s.store.Settings(ctx)
+}
+
+// UpdateSettings clamps every timing into its safe range and stores them.
+func (s *Service) UpdateSettings(ctx context.Context, t Timings) error {
+	return s.store.UpdateSettings(ctx, clampTimings(t))
+}
+
+// validName trims and bounds a campaign name.
+func validName(name string) (string, error) {
+	name = strings.TrimSpace(name)
+	if name == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: the campaign name is required", ErrValidation)
+	}
+	if len([]rune(name)) > maxCampaignName {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: the campaign name must be at most %d characters", ErrValidation, maxCampaignName)
+	}
+	return name, nil
+}
+
+// validWeight bounds a campaign show weight to the 1..100 percent range.
+func validWeight(w int) error {
+	if w < 1 || w > 100 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%w: the weight must be a percent between 1 and 100", ErrValidation)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// validWindow rejects an inverted validity window.
+func validWindow(starts, ends *time.Time) error {
+	if starts != nil && ends != nil && ends.Before(*starts) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%w: the end must not precede the start", ErrValidation)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// hexColor matches a "#rrggbb" colour — the format the console's native colour
+// input emits and the wire carries.
+var hexColor = regexp.MustCompile(`^#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}$`)
+
+// validOverrides validates the two optional colour sets together and returns
+// their normalised copies (nil when a set is absent), so a caller can store them
+// directly.
+func validOverrides(all, dark *ColorSet) (*ColorSet, *ColorSet, error) {
+	va, err := validColorSet(all)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+	vd, err := validColorSet(dark)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+	return va, vd, nil
+}
+
+// validColorSet validates one optional colour override: a nil set passes (no
+// override); otherwise all three colours must be present and "#rrggbb". It
+// returns a trimmed, lower-cased copy.
+func validColorSet(cs *ColorSet) (*ColorSet, error) {
+	if cs == nil {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+	bg := strings.TrimSpace(cs.Bg)
+	fg := strings.TrimSpace(cs.Fg)
+	link := strings.TrimSpace(cs.Link)
+	if bg == "" || fg == "" || link == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: a colour override needs all of background, text and link", ErrValidation)
+	}
+	for _, h := range []string{bg, fg, link} {
+		if !hexColor.MatchString(h) {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: colours must be #rrggbb hex", ErrValidation)
+		}
+	}
+	return &ColorSet{Bg: strings.ToLower(bg), Fg: strings.ToLower(fg), Link: strings.ToLower(link)}, nil
+}
+
+// validBodies trims and bounds both mandatory language bodies of a message.
+func validBodies(bodyEn, bodyRu string) (string, string, error) {
+	en := strings.TrimSpace(bodyEn)
+	ru := strings.TrimSpace(bodyRu)
+	if en == "" || ru == "" {
+		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("%w: both the English and Russian message bodies are required", ErrValidation)
+	}
+	if len([]rune(en)) > maxMessageBody || len([]rune(ru)) > maxMessageBody {
+		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("%w: a message body must be at most %d characters", ErrValidation, maxMessageBody)
+	}
+	return en, ru, nil
+}
+
+// clampTimings forces every display timing into its safe range.
+func clampTimings(t Timings) Timings {
+	return Timings{
+		HoldMs:         clampInt(t.HoldMs, minHoldMs, maxHoldMs),
+		EdgePauseMs:    clampInt(t.EdgePauseMs, 0, maxEdgePauseMs),
+		ScrollPxPerSec: clampInt(t.ScrollPxPerSec, minScrollPxPerSec, maxScrollPxPerSec),
+		FadeOutMs:      clampInt(t.FadeOutMs, 0, maxFadeMs),
+		GapMs:          clampInt(t.GapMs, 0, maxFadeMs),
+		FadeInMs:       clampInt(t.FadeInMs, 0, maxFadeMs),
+	}
+}
+
+func clampInt(v, lo, hi int) int {
+	if v < lo {
+		return lo
+	}
+	if v > hi {
+		return hi
+	}
+	return v
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,327 @@
+package ads
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"database/sql"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/postgres"
+	"github.com/go-jet/jet/v2/qrm"
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/model"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres/jet/backend/table"
+)
+
+// Store is the Postgres-backed query surface for advertising campaigns, their
+// messages and the single global display-settings row.
+type Store struct {
+	db *sql.DB
+}
+
+// NewStore constructs a Store wrapping db.
+func NewStore(db *sql.DB) *Store { return &Store{db: db} }
+
+// ListCampaigns returns every campaign with its messages, the default first then
+// by creation time, for the admin console.
+func (s *Store) ListCampaigns(ctx context.Context) ([]Campaign, error) {
+	return s.loadCampaigns(ctx, false)
+}
+
+// ActiveCampaigns returns the enabled campaigns with their messages, the default
+// first then by creation time. Window filtering and the default-remainder weight
+// are applied by the Service (ActiveSet), not here.
+func (s *Store) ActiveCampaigns(ctx context.Context) ([]Campaign, error) {
+	return s.loadCampaigns(ctx, true)
+}
+
+// loadCampaigns reads campaigns (optionally only the enabled ones) and attaches
+// each one's messages in display order, with a single messages query (the table
+// is small, so this avoids both an N+1 and a join projection).
+func (s *Store) loadCampaigns(ctx context.Context, enabledOnly bool) ([]Campaign, error) {
+	sel := postgres.SELECT(table.AdCampaigns.AllColumns).FROM(table.AdCampaigns)
+	if enabledOnly {
+		sel = sel.WHERE(table.AdCampaigns.Enabled.EQ(postgres.Bool(true)))
+	}
+	sel = sel.ORDER_BY(table.AdCampaigns.IsDefault.DESC(), table.AdCampaigns.CreatedAt.ASC())
+
+	var rows []model.AdCampaigns
+	if err := sel.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &rows); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("ads: list campaigns: %w", err)
+	}
+	byID, err := s.messagesByCampaign(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	out := make([]Campaign, 0, len(rows))
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		c := modelToCampaign(r)
+		c.Messages = byID[r.CampaignID]
+		out = append(out, c)
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// Campaign returns one campaign with its messages, or ErrNotFound.
+func (s *Store) Campaign(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (Campaign, error) {
+	sel := postgres.SELECT(table.AdCampaigns.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.AdCampaigns).
+		WHERE(table.AdCampaigns.CampaignID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id))).
+		LIMIT(1)
+	var row model.AdCampaigns
+	if err := sel.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, qrm.ErrNoRows) {
+			return Campaign{}, ErrNotFound
+		}
+		return Campaign{}, fmt.Errorf("ads: get campaign %s: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	c := modelToCampaign(row)
+	msgs, err := s.messagesFor(ctx, id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Campaign{}, err
+	}
+	c.Messages = msgs
+	return c, nil
+}
+
+// CreateCampaign inserts a campaign (always non-default) and returns its new id.
+func (s *Store) CreateCampaign(ctx context.Context, c Campaign) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+	id := uuid.New()
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	abg, afg, alink := colorCols(c.OverrideAll)
+	dbg, dfg, dlink := colorCols(c.OverrideDark)
+	stmt := table.AdCampaigns.INSERT(
+		table.AdCampaigns.CampaignID, table.AdCampaigns.Name, table.AdCampaigns.Weight,
+		table.AdCampaigns.IsDefault, table.AdCampaigns.Enabled,
+		table.AdCampaigns.StartsAt, table.AdCampaigns.EndsAt,
+		table.AdCampaigns.OverrideBg, table.AdCampaigns.OverrideFg, table.AdCampaigns.OverrideLink,
+		table.AdCampaigns.OverrideBgDark, table.AdCampaigns.OverrideFgDark, table.AdCampaigns.OverrideLinkDark,
+		table.AdCampaigns.Urgent,
+		table.AdCampaigns.CreatedAt, table.AdCampaigns.UpdatedAt,
+	).VALUES(
+		postgres.UUID(id), postgres.String(c.Name), postgres.Int(int64(c.Weight)),
+		postgres.Bool(false), postgres.Bool(c.Enabled),
+		tsOrNull(c.StartsAt), tsOrNull(c.EndsAt),
+		abg, afg, alink,
+		dbg, dfg, dlink,
+		postgres.Bool(c.Urgent),
+		postgres.TimestampzT(now), postgres.TimestampzT(now),
+	)
+	if _, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, fmt.Errorf("ads: create campaign: %w", err)
+	}
+	return id, nil
+}
+
+// UpdateCampaign updates a campaign's name, weight, enabled flag and validity
+// window. The default flag is never touched here. Returns ErrNotFound when no
+// campaign matches.
+func (s *Store) UpdateCampaign(ctx context.Context, c Campaign) error {
+	abg, afg, alink := colorCols(c.OverrideAll)
+	dbg, dfg, dlink := colorCols(c.OverrideDark)
+	stmt := table.AdCampaigns.UPDATE(
+		table.AdCampaigns.Name, table.AdCampaigns.Weight, table.AdCampaigns.Enabled,
+		table.AdCampaigns.StartsAt, table.AdCampaigns.EndsAt,
+		table.AdCampaigns.OverrideBg, table.AdCampaigns.OverrideFg, table.AdCampaigns.OverrideLink,
+		table.AdCampaigns.OverrideBgDark, table.AdCampaigns.OverrideFgDark, table.AdCampaigns.OverrideLinkDark,
+		table.AdCampaigns.Urgent, table.AdCampaigns.UpdatedAt,
+	).SET(
+		postgres.String(c.Name), postgres.Int(int64(c.Weight)), postgres.Bool(c.Enabled),
+		tsOrNull(c.StartsAt), tsOrNull(c.EndsAt),
+		abg, afg, alink,
+		dbg, dfg, dlink,
+		postgres.Bool(c.Urgent), postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC()),
+	).WHERE(table.AdCampaigns.CampaignID.EQ(postgres.UUID(c.ID)))
+	return execOne(ctx, s.db, stmt, "update campaign")
+}
+
+// DeleteCampaign removes a campaign (its messages cascade). Returns ErrNotFound
+// when no campaign matches. The Service refuses to delete the default.
+func (s *Store) DeleteCampaign(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) error {
+	stmt := table.AdCampaigns.DELETE().WHERE(table.AdCampaigns.CampaignID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id)))
+	return execOne(ctx, s.db, stmt, "delete campaign")
+}
+
+// AddMessage inserts a message into a campaign and returns its new id.
+func (s *Store) AddMessage(ctx context.Context, m Message) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+	id := uuid.New()
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	stmt := table.AdMessages.INSERT(
+		table.AdMessages.MessageID, table.AdMessages.CampaignID, table.AdMessages.Position,
+		table.AdMessages.BodyEn, table.AdMessages.BodyRu,
+		table.AdMessages.CreatedAt, table.AdMessages.UpdatedAt,
+	).VALUES(
+		postgres.UUID(id), postgres.UUID(m.CampaignID), postgres.Int(int64(m.Position)),
+		postgres.String(m.BodyEn), postgres.String(m.BodyRu),
+		postgres.TimestampzT(now), postgres.TimestampzT(now),
+	)
+	if _, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, fmt.Errorf("ads: add message: %w", err)
+	}
+	return id, nil
+}
+
+// UpdateMessageBodies updates a message's bilingual bodies (its position is
+// unchanged). Returns ErrNotFound when no message matches.
+func (s *Store) UpdateMessageBodies(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, bodyEn, bodyRu string) error {
+	stmt := table.AdMessages.UPDATE(
+		table.AdMessages.BodyEn, table.AdMessages.BodyRu, table.AdMessages.UpdatedAt,
+	).SET(
+		postgres.String(bodyEn), postgres.String(bodyRu), postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC()),
+	).WHERE(table.AdMessages.MessageID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id)))
+	return execOne(ctx, s.db, stmt, "update message")
+}
+
+// SetMessagePosition updates only a message's position (used to reorder).
+func (s *Store) SetMessagePosition(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, position int) error {
+	stmt := table.AdMessages.UPDATE(table.AdMessages.Position, table.AdMessages.UpdatedAt).
+		SET(postgres.Int(int64(position)), postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC())).
+		WHERE(table.AdMessages.MessageID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id)))
+	return execOne(ctx, s.db, stmt, "reorder message")
+}
+
+// DeleteMessage removes a message. Returns ErrNotFound when no message matches.
+func (s *Store) DeleteMessage(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) error {
+	stmt := table.AdMessages.DELETE().WHERE(table.AdMessages.MessageID.EQ(postgres.UUID(id)))
+	return execOne(ctx, s.db, stmt, "delete message")
+}
+
+// Settings returns the global display timings.
+func (s *Store) Settings(ctx context.Context) (Timings, error) {
+	sel := postgres.SELECT(table.AdSettings.AllColumns).FROM(table.AdSettings).LIMIT(1)
+	var row model.AdSettings
+	if err := sel.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &row); err != nil {
+		return Timings{}, fmt.Errorf("ads: get settings: %w", err)
+	}
+	return Timings{
+		HoldMs:         int(row.HoldMs),
+		EdgePauseMs:    int(row.EdgePauseMs),
+		ScrollPxPerSec: int(row.ScrollPxPerSec),
+		FadeOutMs:      int(row.FadeOutMs),
+		GapMs:          int(row.GapMs),
+		FadeInMs:       int(row.FadeInMs),
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// UpdateSettings overwrites the single global display-settings row.
+func (s *Store) UpdateSettings(ctx context.Context, t Timings) error {
+	stmt := table.AdSettings.UPDATE(
+		table.AdSettings.HoldMs, table.AdSettings.EdgePauseMs, table.AdSettings.ScrollPxPerSec,
+		table.AdSettings.FadeOutMs, table.AdSettings.GapMs, table.AdSettings.FadeInMs, table.AdSettings.UpdatedAt,
+	).SET(
+		postgres.Int(int64(t.HoldMs)), postgres.Int(int64(t.EdgePauseMs)), postgres.Int(int64(t.ScrollPxPerSec)),
+		postgres.Int(int64(t.FadeOutMs)), postgres.Int(int64(t.GapMs)), postgres.Int(int64(t.FadeInMs)),
+		postgres.TimestampzT(time.Now().UTC()),
+	).WHERE(table.AdSettings.ID.EQ(postgres.Bool(true)))
+	if _, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, s.db); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("ads: update settings: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// messagesByCampaign loads every message grouped by campaign id, in display order.
+func (s *Store) messagesByCampaign(ctx context.Context) (map[uuid.UUID][]Message, error) {
+	sel := postgres.SELECT(table.AdMessages.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.AdMessages).
+		ORDER_BY(table.AdMessages.CampaignID.ASC(), table.AdMessages.Position.ASC(), table.AdMessages.CreatedAt.ASC())
+	var rows []model.AdMessages
+	if err := sel.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &rows); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("ads: list messages: %w", err)
+	}
+	out := make(map[uuid.UUID][]Message, len(rows))
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		out[r.CampaignID] = append(out[r.CampaignID], modelToMessage(r))
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// messagesFor loads one campaign's messages in display order.
+func (s *Store) messagesFor(ctx context.Context, campaignID uuid.UUID) ([]Message, error) {
+	sel := postgres.SELECT(table.AdMessages.AllColumns).
+		FROM(table.AdMessages).
+		WHERE(table.AdMessages.CampaignID.EQ(postgres.UUID(campaignID))).
+		ORDER_BY(table.AdMessages.Position.ASC(), table.AdMessages.CreatedAt.ASC())
+	var rows []model.AdMessages
+	if err := sel.QueryContext(ctx, s.db, &rows); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("ads: list messages for %s: %w", campaignID, err)
+	}
+	out := make([]Message, 0, len(rows))
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		out = append(out, modelToMessage(r))
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// execOne runs a statement expected to touch exactly one row, mapping a zero
+// row-count to ErrNotFound.
+func execOne(ctx context.Context, db qrm.Executable, stmt postgres.Statement, what string) error {
+	res, err := stmt.ExecContext(ctx, db)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("ads: %s: %w", what, err)
+	}
+	n, err := res.RowsAffected()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("ads: %s rows: %w", what, err)
+	}
+	if n == 0 {
+		return ErrNotFound
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func modelToCampaign(r model.AdCampaigns) Campaign {
+	return Campaign{
+		ID:           r.CampaignID,
+		Name:         r.Name,
+		Weight:       int(r.Weight),
+		IsDefault:    r.IsDefault,
+		Enabled:      r.Enabled,
+		StartsAt:     r.StartsAt,
+		EndsAt:       r.EndsAt,
+		OverrideAll:  colorSetFrom(r.OverrideBg, r.OverrideFg, r.OverrideLink),
+		OverrideDark: colorSetFrom(r.OverrideBgDark, r.OverrideFgDark, r.OverrideLinkDark),
+		Urgent:       r.Urgent,
+		CreatedAt:    r.CreatedAt,
+		UpdatedAt:    r.UpdatedAt,
+	}
+}
+
+// colorSetFrom rebuilds an optional ColorSet from three nullable colour columns.
+// The all-or-nothing CHECK keeps the trio consistent, so a nil in any one means
+// the set is absent.
+func colorSetFrom(bg, fg, link *string) *ColorSet {
+	if bg == nil || fg == nil || link == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return &ColorSet{Bg: *bg, Fg: *fg, Link: *link}
+}
+
+// colorCols renders a *ColorSet as its three column value-expressions in
+// bg, fg, link order — NULL for each when the set is absent.
+func colorCols(cs *ColorSet) (bg, fg, link postgres.Expression) {
+	if cs == nil {
+		return postgres.NULL, postgres.NULL, postgres.NULL
+	}
+	return postgres.String(cs.Bg), postgres.String(cs.Fg), postgres.String(cs.Link)
+}
+
+func modelToMessage(r model.AdMessages) Message {
+	return Message{
+		ID:         r.MessageID,
+		CampaignID: r.CampaignID,
+		Position:   int(r.Position),
+		BodyEn:     r.BodyEn,
+		BodyRu:     r.BodyRu,
+	}
+}
+
+// tsOrNull renders a nullable validity-window bound: NULL for a nil pointer,
+// otherwise the UTC timestamp.
+func tsOrNull(t *time.Time) postgres.Expression {
+	if t == nil {
+		return postgres.NULL
+	}
+	return postgres.TimestampzT(t.UTC())
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+// Package banview mirrors the gateway's active IP bans for the admin console and
+// collects operator unban requests for the gateway to apply. Like ratewatch it is
+// in-memory, single-instance and resets on a backend restart by design — the
+// gateway re-reports its active set on the next sync, and the durable effect (the
+// ban itself) lives in the gateway, not here.
+package banview
+
+import (
+	"sort"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// Ban is one active IP ban as reported by the gateway.
+type Ban struct {
+	IP      string
+	Reason  string
+	Since   time.Time
+	Expires time.Time
+}
+
+// View holds the last-reported active bans and the operator's pending unbans.
+type View struct {
+	now func() time.Time
+
+	mu    sync.Mutex
+	bans  map[string]Ban      // last reported active set, keyed by IP
+	unban map[string]struct{} // IPs an operator marked for unban
+}
+
+// New constructs an empty View.
+func New() *View {
+	return &View{now: time.Now, bans: make(map[string]Ban), unban: make(map[string]struct{})}
+}
+
+// Ingest replaces the mirrored active set with the gateway's latest report,
+// skipping entries with an empty IP or one that has already expired.
+func (v *View) Ingest(active []Ban) {
+	now := v.now()
+	v.mu.Lock()
+	defer v.mu.Unlock()
+	v.bans = make(map[string]Ban, len(active))
+	for _, b := range active {
+		if b.IP == "" || !now.Before(b.Expires) {
+			continue
+		}
+		v.bans[b.IP] = b
+	}
+}
+
+// Recent returns the mirrored active bans, most recently banned first.
+func (v *View) Recent() []Ban {
+	now := v.now()
+	v.mu.Lock()
+	defer v.mu.Unlock()
+	out := make([]Ban, 0, len(v.bans))
+	for _, b := range v.bans {
+		if now.Before(b.Expires) {
+			out = append(out, b)
+		}
+	}
+	sort.Slice(out, func(i, j int) bool { return out[i].Since.After(out[j].Since) })
+	return out
+}
+
+// RequestUnban records an operator request to lift the ban on ip; the gateway
+// applies it on its next sync (so the console reflects it within the sync
+// interval). An empty ip is ignored.
+func (v *View) RequestUnban(ip string) {
+	if ip == "" {
+		return
+	}
+	v.mu.Lock()
+	defer v.mu.Unlock()
+	v.unban[ip] = struct{}{}
+}
+
+// DrainUnbans returns and clears the IPs operators have marked for unban since the
+// previous drain. It returns nil when there are none.
+func (v *View) DrainUnbans() []string {
+	v.mu.Lock()
+	defer v.mu.Unlock()
+	if len(v.unban) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(v.unban))
+	for ip := range v.unban {
+		out = append(out, ip)
+	}
+	clear(v.unban)
+	return out
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package banview
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func viewAt(clk *time.Time) *View {
+	v := New()
+	v.now = func() time.Time { return *clk }
+	return v
+}
+
+func TestIngestRecentDropsExpired(t *testing.T) {
+	clk := time.Date(2026, 6, 21, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	v := viewAt(&clk)
+	v.Ingest([]Ban{
+		{IP: "1.1.1.1", Reason: "tripwire", Since: clk, Expires: clk.Add(time.Hour)},
+		{IP: "2.2.2.2", Reason: "rejections", Since: clk.Add(-2 * time.Hour), Expires: clk.Add(-time.Hour)}, // expired
+		{IP: "", Reason: "x", Since: clk, Expires: clk.Add(time.Hour)},                                      // empty IP
+	})
+	got := v.Recent()
+	if len(got) != 1 || got[0].IP != "1.1.1.1" || got[0].Reason != "tripwire" {
+		t.Fatalf("Recent = %+v, want one live ban for 1.1.1.1", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIngestReplaces(t *testing.T) {
+	clk := time.Date(2026, 6, 21, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	v := viewAt(&clk)
+	v.Ingest([]Ban{{IP: "1.1.1.1", Since: clk, Expires: clk.Add(time.Hour)}})
+	v.Ingest([]Ban{{IP: "2.2.2.2", Since: clk, Expires: clk.Add(time.Hour)}})
+	got := v.Recent()
+	if len(got) != 1 || got[0].IP != "2.2.2.2" {
+		t.Fatalf("Recent = %+v, want only the latest report (2.2.2.2)", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRecentOrdersBySince(t *testing.T) {
+	clk := time.Date(2026, 6, 21, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	v := viewAt(&clk)
+	v.Ingest([]Ban{
+		{IP: "old", Since: clk.Add(-10 * time.Minute), Expires: clk.Add(time.Hour)},
+		{IP: "new", Since: clk.Add(-1 * time.Minute), Expires: clk.Add(time.Hour)},
+	})
+	got := v.Recent()
+	if len(got) != 2 || got[0].IP != "new" || got[1].IP != "old" {
+		t.Fatalf("Recent order = %+v, want most recent first", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestUnbanRoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
+	clk := time.Date(2026, 6, 21, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	v := viewAt(&clk)
+	v.RequestUnban("3.3.3.3")
+	v.RequestUnban("") // ignored
+	drained := v.DrainUnbans()
+	if len(drained) != 1 || drained[0] != "3.3.3.3" {
+		t.Fatalf("DrainUnbans = %v, want [3.3.3.3]", drained)
+	}
+	if again := v.DrainUnbans(); again != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("second DrainUnbans = %v, want nil (cleared)", again)
+	}
+}
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ package config

 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"time"
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/game"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/lobby"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/postgres"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/ratewatch"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/robot"
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/telemetry"
 )
@@ -35,9 +37,18 @@ type Config struct {
 	Lobby lobby.Config
 	// Robot configures the robot opponent driver (scan cadence).
 	Robot robot.Config
+	// RateWatch tunes the conservative high-rate auto-flag applied to the
+	// gateway's rate-limiter rejection reports.
+	RateWatch ratewatch.Config
 	// SMTP configures the email relay used for confirm-codes. An empty Host
 	// selects the development log mailer (the code is logged, not sent).
 	SMTP account.SMTPConfig
+	// PublicBaseURL is the canonical public origin (scheme + host, e.g.
+	// https://erudit-game.ru) used to build absolute links in outgoing email — the
+	// confirm deeplink and the footer landing link. It is deliberately not derived
+	// from a request Host header, which would let an attacker inject a phishing link
+	// into the email. Required whenever an SMTP relay is configured.
+	PublicBaseURL string
 	// ConnectorAddr is the gRPC address of the Telegram platform connector
 	// side-service, used by the admin console to send operator broadcasts. Empty
 	// disables broadcasts (the admin broadcast actions report "not configured").
@@ -47,6 +58,12 @@ type Config struct {
 	// GuestRetention is the account age past which an unused guest (no game seat)
 	// is eligible for deletion by the reaper.
 	GuestRetention time.Duration
+	// ExportSignKey signs the finished-game export download URLs. Empty leaves
+	// the export-URL endpoints disabled (503 on mint, 404 on download).
+	ExportSignKey string
+	// RendererURL is the base URL of the internal image-render sidecar (e.g.
+	// http://renderer:8090). Empty disables the PNG export artifact.
+	RendererURL string
 }

 // Defaults applied when the corresponding environment variable is unset.
@@ -96,6 +113,9 @@ func Load() (Config, error) {
 	if lb.RobotWait, err = envDuration("BACKEND_LOBBY_ROBOT_WAIT", lb.RobotWait); err != nil {
 		return Config{}, err
 	}
+	if lb.RobotWaitJitter, err = envDuration("BACKEND_LOBBY_ROBOT_WAIT_JITTER", lb.RobotWaitJitter); err != nil {
+		return Config{}, err
+	}
 	if lb.ReaperInterval, err = envDuration("BACKEND_LOBBY_REAPER_INTERVAL", lb.ReaperInterval); err != nil {
 		return Config{}, err
 	}
@@ -105,6 +125,14 @@ func Load() (Config, error) {
 		return Config{}, err
 	}

+	rw := ratewatch.DefaultConfig()
+	if rw.FlagThreshold, err = envInt("BACKEND_HIGHRATE_FLAG_THRESHOLD", rw.FlagThreshold); err != nil {
+		return Config{}, err
+	}
+	if rw.FlagWindow, err = envDuration("BACKEND_HIGHRATE_FLAG_WINDOW", rw.FlagWindow); err != nil {
+		return Config{}, err
+	}
+
 	guestReapInterval, err := envDuration("BACKEND_GUEST_REAP_INTERVAL", defaultGuestReapInterval)
 	if err != nil {
 		return Config{}, err
@@ -120,6 +148,9 @@ func Load() (Config, error) {
 		Username:  os.Getenv("BACKEND_SMTP_USERNAME"),
 		Password:  os.Getenv("BACKEND_SMTP_PASSWORD"),
 		From:      envOr("BACKEND_SMTP_FROM", "no-reply@localhost"),
+		TLS:       os.Getenv("BACKEND_SMTP_TLS"),
+		AdminFrom: os.Getenv("BACKEND_SMTP_ADMIN_FROM"),
+		AdminTo:   os.Getenv("BACKEND_ADMIN_EMAIL"),
 	}

 	c := Config{
@@ -131,10 +162,14 @@ func Load() (Config, error) {
 		Game:              gm,
 		Lobby:             lb,
 		Robot:             rb,
+		RateWatch:         rw,
 		SMTP:              smtp,
+		PublicBaseURL:     os.Getenv("BACKEND_PUBLIC_BASE_URL"),
 		ConnectorAddr:     os.Getenv("BACKEND_CONNECTOR_ADDR"),
 		GuestReapInterval: guestReapInterval,
 		GuestRetention:    guestRetention,
+		ExportSignKey:     os.Getenv("BACKEND_EXPORT_SIGN_KEY"),
+		RendererURL:       os.Getenv("BACKEND_RENDERER_URL"),
 	}
 	if err := c.validate(); err != nil {
 		return Config{}, err
@@ -170,12 +205,23 @@ func (c Config) validate() error {
 	if err := c.Robot.Validate(); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("config: %w", err)
 	}
+	if err := c.RateWatch.Validate(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("config: %w", err)
+	}
 	if c.GuestReapInterval <= 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("config: BACKEND_GUEST_REAP_INTERVAL must be positive")
 	}
 	if c.GuestRetention <= 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("config: BACKEND_GUEST_RETENTION must be positive")
 	}
+	if c.SMTP.Host != "" {
+		if c.PublicBaseURL == "" {
+			return fmt.Errorf("config: BACKEND_PUBLIC_BASE_URL must be set when BACKEND_SMTP_HOST is configured")
+		}
+		if u, err := url.Parse(c.PublicBaseURL); err != nil || u.Scheme == "" || u.Host == "" {
+			return fmt.Errorf("config: BACKEND_PUBLIC_BASE_URL %q must be an absolute URL (scheme://host)", c.PublicBaseURL)
+		}
+	}
 	return nil
 }

@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
-// Package connector is the backend's gRPC client for the Telegram platform
-// connector side-service. The admin console uses it to send operator broadcasts:
-// a direct message to one user, or a post to a game channel. Each broadcast
-// selects the delivering bot by language (an operator choice, since the connector
-// hosts one bot per service language). The connector lives on the trusted internal
-// network, so the connection uses insecure (plaintext) transport credentials
-// (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §12). It mirrors gateway/internal/connector, narrowed to
-// the two broadcast methods the admin surface needs.
+// Package connector is the backend's gRPC client for operator broadcasts: a direct
+// message to one user, or a post to the game channel. It calls the gateway's
+// bot-link relay (which forwards the send to the remote bot over the reverse mTLS
+// link and reports back whether it was delivered). The relay lives on the trusted
+// internal network, so the connection uses insecure (plaintext) transport
+// credentials (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §12). It speaks the Telegram service contract,
+// narrowed to the two broadcast methods the admin surface needs.
 package connector

 import (
@@ -37,22 +36,21 @@ func New(addr string) (*Client, error) {
 func (c *Client) Close() error { return c.conn.Close() }

 // SendToUser sends an operator text message to one user, addressed by their
-// platform external_id, through the bot for the given language. delivered reports
-// whether the connector actually sent it (false when the user has not started that
-// bot).
-func (c *Client) SendToUser(ctx context.Context, externalID, text, language string) (bool, error) {
-	resp, err := c.c.SendToUser(ctx, &telegramv1.SendToUserRequest{ExternalId: externalID, Text: text, Language: language})
+// platform external_id, through the bot. delivered reports whether the connector
+// actually sent it (false when the user has not started the bot).
+func (c *Client) SendToUser(ctx context.Context, externalID, text string) (bool, error) {
+	resp, err := c.c.SendToUser(ctx, &telegramv1.SendToUserRequest{ExternalId: externalID, Text: text})
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
 	return resp.GetDelivered(), nil
 }

-// SendToGameChannel posts an operator text message to the game channel of the bot
-// for the given language. delivered reports whether the connector sent it (false
-// when that bot has no channel configured).
-func (c *Client) SendToGameChannel(ctx context.Context, text, language string) (bool, error) {
-	resp, err := c.c.SendToGameChannel(ctx, &telegramv1.SendToGameChannelRequest{Text: text, Language: language})
+// SendToGameChannel posts an operator text message to the bot's game channel.
+// delivered reports whether the connector sent it (false when the bot has no
+// channel configured).
+func (c *Client) SendToGameChannel(ctx context.Context, text string) (bool, error) {
+	resp, err := c.c.SendToGameChannel(ctx, &telegramv1.SendToGameChannelRequest{Text: text})
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
@@ -0,0 +1,262 @@
+// Package dictadmin stages and installs scrabble-dictionary release archives for
+// the admin console's online dictionary-update flow. It validates the release
+// archive (scrabble-dawg-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz), extracts it safely into a per-version
+// directory under BACKEND_DICT_DIR, and keeps a staging area for the two-step
+// upload-then-confirm interaction. Extraction is hardened against the usual
+// archive risks (path traversal, symlinks, decompression bombs).
+package dictadmin
+
+import (
+	"archive/tar"
+	"compress/gzip"
+	crand "crypto/rand"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
+	"time"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/engine"
+)
+
+// MaxArchiveBytes bounds an uploaded release archive; the handler wraps the request
+// body in an http.MaxBytesReader with this limit. The three compressed DAWGs are a
+// few MB together, so 64 MiB is generous.
+const MaxArchiveBytes int64 = 64 << 20
+
+// stagingRoot is the dot-prefixed directory under the dictionary dir holding
+// not-yet-installed uploads. The engine's boot scan skips dot-prefixed dirs, so a
+// staged upload never becomes a resident version.
+const stagingRoot = ".staging"
+
+// stagingTTL is how long an abandoned staged upload lingers before Stage sweeps it.
+const stagingTTL = time.Hour
+
+// maxMemberBytes and maxEntries bound a single archive member and the number of
+// entries, defeating decompression and entry-count bombs. They are variables so
+// tests can lower them. maxMemberBytes is per file; a real DAWG is a few MB.
+var (
+	maxMemberBytes int64 = 32 << 20
+	maxEntries           = 64
+)
+
+var (
+	nameRE    = regexp.MustCompile(`^scrabble-dawg-(v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)\.tar\.gz$`)
+	versionRE = regexp.MustCompile(`^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$`)
+	tokenRE   = regexp.MustCompile(`^[0-9a-f]{32}$`)
+)
+
+// ParseVersionFromName extracts the version from a release archive filename of the
+// form scrabble-dawg-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz, or returns an error for any other shape.
+func ParseVersionFromName(filename string) (string, error) {
+	m := nameRE.FindStringSubmatch(filename)
+	if m == nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: %q is not a scrabble-dawg-vX.Y.Z.tar.gz archive", filename)
+	}
+	return m[1], nil
+}
+
+// ValidVersion reports whether v is a vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH version label. It guards
+// the operator's manual override before the version is used as a directory name.
+func ValidVersion(v string) bool {
+	return versionRE.MatchString(v)
+}
+
+// Extract reads a gzip+tar release archive from r and writes the recognised
+// dictionary files into destDir, returning the variants found in catalogue order.
+// Only regular files whose base name is a known DAWG filename are written (their
+// directory part is discarded, so a traversal entry cannot escape destDir);
+// symlinks and other types are ignored, and oversize members or an excessive entry
+// count are rejected.
+func Extract(r io.Reader, destDir string) ([]engine.Variant, error) {
+	gz, err := gzip.NewReader(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: open gzip: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = gz.Close() }()
+	tr := tar.NewReader(gz)
+
+	byName := filenameToVariant()
+	seen := make(map[engine.Variant]bool)
+	entries := 0
+	for {
+		hdr, err := tr.Next()
+		if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+			break
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: read archive: %w", err)
+		}
+		entries++
+		if entries > maxEntries {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: archive has more than %d entries", maxEntries)
+		}
+		if hdr.Typeflag != tar.TypeReg {
+			continue
+		}
+		base := filepath.Base(filepath.Clean(hdr.Name))
+		v, ok := byName[base]
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		if seen[v] {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: duplicate %s in archive", base)
+		}
+		if hdr.Size > maxMemberBytes {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: %s exceeds the %d-byte member limit", base, maxMemberBytes)
+		}
+		if err := writeMember(filepath.Join(destDir, base), tr); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		seen[v] = true
+	}
+
+	var found []engine.Variant
+	for _, v := range engine.Variants() {
+		if seen[v] {
+			found = append(found, v)
+		}
+	}
+	return found, nil
+}
+
+// writeMember copies one archive member into path, bounding it at maxMemberBytes so
+// a member whose declared size lies cannot exhaust the disk.
+func writeMember(path string, tr *tar.Reader) error {
+	f, err := os.OpenFile(path, os.O_CREATE|os.O_TRUNC|os.O_WRONLY, 0o644)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: create %s: %w", filepath.Base(path), err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
+	n, err := io.Copy(f, io.LimitReader(tr, maxMemberBytes+1))
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: write %s: %w", filepath.Base(path), err)
+	}
+	if n > maxMemberBytes {
+		return fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: %s exceeds the %d-byte member limit", filepath.Base(path), maxMemberBytes)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// filenameToVariant inverts the engine's variant-to-filename map.
+func filenameToVariant() map[string]engine.Variant {
+	files := engine.DictFiles()
+	out := make(map[string]engine.Variant, len(files))
+	for v, name := range files {
+		out[name] = v
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// Manager stages and installs release archives under a dictionary directory
+// (BACKEND_DICT_DIR).
+type Manager struct {
+	dir string
+}
+
+// New constructs a Manager rooted at the dictionary directory dir.
+func New(dir string) *Manager {
+	return &Manager{dir: dir}
+}
+
+// Stage accepts an uploaded archive: it sweeps abandoned previews, allocates a
+// staging directory under <dir>/.staging/<token>, extracts the archive there and
+// returns the token and the variants found. The staging directory is removed on an
+// extraction error.
+func (m *Manager) Stage(r io.Reader) (string, []engine.Variant, error) {
+	m.cleanStaging()
+	token, err := newToken()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", nil, err
+	}
+	dest := filepath.Join(m.dir, stagingRoot, token)
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(dest, 0o755); err != nil {
+		return "", nil, fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: create staging dir: %w", err)
+	}
+	variants, err := Extract(r, dest)
+	if err != nil {
+		_ = os.RemoveAll(dest)
+		return "", nil, err
+	}
+	return token, variants, nil
+}
+
+// StagedDir returns the directory of the staged upload named by token, after
+// validating the token's shape and confirming the directory exists.
+func (m *Manager) StagedDir(token string) (string, error) {
+	if !tokenRE.MatchString(token) {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: invalid staging token")
+	}
+	dir := filepath.Join(m.dir, stagingRoot, token)
+	info, err := os.Stat(dir)
+	if err != nil || !info.IsDir() {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: staged upload not found")
+	}
+	return dir, nil
+}
+
+// VersionExists reports whether the version directory <dir>/<version> is present.
+func (m *Manager) VersionExists(version string) bool {
+	info, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(m.dir, version))
+	return err == nil && info.IsDir()
+}
+
+// Install promotes a staged upload into its version directory <dir>/<version> by an
+// atomic rename (same filesystem) and returns the destination path. It rejects an
+// invalid version and refuses to overwrite an existing version: versions are
+// immutable, protecting games pinned to that tag.
+func (m *Manager) Install(token, version string) (string, error) {
+	if !ValidVersion(version) {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: invalid version %q", version)
+	}
+	staged, err := m.StagedDir(token)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	if m.VersionExists(version) {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: version %s already exists", version)
+	}
+	dest := filepath.Join(m.dir, version)
+	if err := os.Rename(staged, dest); err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: install %s: %w", version, err)
+	}
+	return dest, nil
+}
+
+// Discard removes the staging directory named by token, best effort. It is called
+// when a preview is rejected (an incomplete or unusable archive).
+func (m *Manager) Discard(token string) {
+	if dir, err := m.StagedDir(token); err == nil {
+		_ = os.RemoveAll(dir)
+	}
+}
+
+// cleanStaging removes staging directories older than stagingTTL, best effort.
+func (m *Manager) cleanStaging() {
+	root := filepath.Join(m.dir, stagingRoot)
+	entries, err := os.ReadDir(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	cutoff := time.Now().Add(-stagingTTL)
+	for _, e := range entries {
+		if !e.IsDir() {
+			continue
+		}
+		if info, err := e.Info(); err == nil && info.ModTime().Before(cutoff) {
+			_ = os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(root, e.Name()))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// newToken returns a 32-hex-character random staging token.
+func newToken() (string, error) {
+	var b [16]byte
+	if _, err := crand.Read(b[:]); err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("dictadmin: generate token: %w", err)
+	}
+	return hex.EncodeToString(b[:]), nil
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,248 @@
+package dictadmin
+
+import (
+	"archive/tar"
+	"bytes"
+	"compress/gzip"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/engine"
+)
+
+// dawgNames are the three committed dictionary filenames a release archive holds.
+func dawgNames() []string {
+	out := make([]string, 0, 3)
+	for _, name := range engine.DictFiles() {
+		out = append(out, name)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// fullArchive builds a gzip+tar archive holding all three dictionary files with
+// dummy content, the shape of a real release archive.
+func fullArchive(t *testing.T) []byte {
+	t.Helper()
+	files := map[string][]byte{}
+	for _, n := range dawgNames() {
+		files[n] = []byte("dawg:" + n)
+	}
+	return tarGz(t, files, nil)
+}
+
+// tarGz builds a gzip+tar archive. regular maps a member name to its bytes; extra
+// lets a test inject crafted headers (symlinks, oversized members, junk entries).
+func tarGz(t *testing.T, regular map[string][]byte, extra []*tar.Header) []byte {
+	t.Helper()
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	gz := gzip.NewWriter(&buf)
+	tw := tar.NewWriter(gz)
+	for name, data := range regular {
+		if err := tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{Name: name, Mode: 0o644, Size: int64(len(data)), Typeflag: tar.TypeReg}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("write header %s: %v", name, err)
+		}
+		if _, err := tw.Write(data); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("write %s: %v", name, err)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, hdr := range extra {
+		if err := tw.WriteHeader(hdr); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("write extra header %s: %v", hdr.Name, err)
+		}
+		if hdr.Typeflag == tar.TypeReg && hdr.Size > 0 {
+			if _, err := tw.Write(bytes.Repeat([]byte("x"), int(hdr.Size))); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("write extra %s: %v", hdr.Name, err)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if err := tw.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("close tar: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := gz.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("close gzip: %v", err)
+	}
+	return buf.Bytes()
+}
+
+func TestParseVersionFromName(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name    string
+		want    string
+		wantErr bool
+	}{
+		{"scrabble-dawg-v1.2.3.tar.gz", "v1.2.3", false},
+		{"scrabble-dawg-v10.0.1.tar.gz", "v10.0.1", false},
+		{"scrabble-dawg-v1.2.tar.gz", "", true},
+		{"scrabble-dawg-1.2.3.tar.gz", "", true},
+		{"scrabble-dawg-v1.2.3.zip", "", true},
+		{"dawg-v1.2.3.tar.gz", "", true},
+		{"scrabble-dawg-v1.2.3.tar.gz.exe", "", true},
+		{"", "", true},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		got, err := ParseVersionFromName(c.name)
+		if c.wantErr {
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Errorf("ParseVersionFromName(%q) = %q, want error", c.name, got)
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+		if err != nil || got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("ParseVersionFromName(%q) = %q, %v; want %q", c.name, got, err, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestValidVersion(t *testing.T) {
+	valid := []string{"v1.0.0", "v10.20.30", "v0.0.1"}
+	invalid := []string{"v1.0", "1.0.0", "v1.0.0.0", "v1.0.0/..", "v1.0.0 ", "", "vx.y.z", "../v1.0.0"}
+	for _, v := range valid {
+		if !ValidVersion(v) {
+			t.Errorf("ValidVersion(%q) = false, want true", v)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, v := range invalid {
+		if ValidVersion(v) {
+			t.Errorf("ValidVersion(%q) = true, want false", v)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExtractAcceptsFullArchive(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	variants, err := Extract(bytes.NewReader(fullArchive(t)), dir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Extract: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(variants) != len(engine.Variants()) {
+		t.Errorf("variants = %v, want all %d", variants, len(engine.Variants()))
+	}
+	for _, n := range dawgNames() {
+		if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(dir, n)); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("missing extracted %s: %v", n, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExtractIgnoresUnexpectedAndTraversal(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	files := map[string][]byte{
+		"pkg/en_sowpods.dawg": []byte("ok"),   // a subdir path is stripped to its base
+		"README.txt":          []byte("junk"), // an unexpected name is ignored
+	}
+	// A traversal name with a recognised base must still land inside destDir.
+	traversal := &tar.Header{Name: "../ru_scrabble.dawg", Mode: 0o644, Size: 2, Typeflag: tar.TypeReg}
+	// A symlink, even named like a DAWG, is ignored.
+	symlink := &tar.Header{Name: "erudit_ru.dawg", Linkname: "/etc/passwd", Typeflag: tar.TypeSymlink}
+
+	if _, err := Extract(bytes.NewReader(tarGz(t, files, []*tar.Header{traversal, symlink})), dir); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Extract: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(dir, "README.txt")); err == nil {
+		t.Error("README.txt was extracted; unexpected files must be ignored")
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(dir, "en_sowpods.dawg")); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("en_sowpods.dawg not extracted from a subdir entry: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(dir, "ru_scrabble.dawg")); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("ru_scrabble.dawg not extracted from a traversal entry: %v", err)
+	}
+	// Nothing escaped the destination directory.
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(dir), "ru_scrabble.dawg")); err == nil {
+		t.Error("path traversal wrote outside the destination directory")
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(dir, "erudit_ru.dawg")); err == nil {
+		t.Error("a symlink member was materialised")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExtractRejectsOversizeMember(t *testing.T) {
+	old := maxMemberBytes
+	maxMemberBytes = 8
+	defer func() { maxMemberBytes = old }()
+
+	files := map[string][]byte{"en_sowpods.dawg": bytes.Repeat([]byte("x"), 64)}
+	if _, err := Extract(bytes.NewReader(tarGz(t, files, nil)), t.TempDir()); err == nil {
+		t.Error("Extract accepted an oversize member, want error")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExtractRejectsTooManyEntries(t *testing.T) {
+	var extra []*tar.Header
+	for i := 0; i < maxEntries+1; i++ {
+		extra = append(extra, &tar.Header{Name: fmt.Sprintf("junk-%d.bin", i), Mode: 0o644, Size: 1, Typeflag: tar.TypeReg})
+	}
+	if _, err := Extract(bytes.NewReader(tarGz(t, nil, extra)), t.TempDir()); err == nil {
+		t.Error("Extract accepted an archive with too many entries, want error")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestManagerStageInstall(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	m := New(dir)
+
+	token, variants, err := m.Stage(bytes.NewReader(fullArchive(t)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Stage: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(variants) != len(engine.Variants()) {
+		t.Fatalf("staged variants = %v, want all", variants)
+	}
+	staged, err := m.StagedDir(token)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("StagedDir: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(staged, filepath.Join(".staging", token)) {
+		t.Errorf("staged dir %q not under .staging/%s", staged, token)
+	}
+
+	if m.VersionExists("v1.0.0") {
+		t.Fatal("v1.0.0 should not exist before install")
+	}
+	dest, err := m.Install(token, "v1.0.0")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Install: %v", err)
+	}
+	if dest != filepath.Join(dir, "v1.0.0") {
+		t.Errorf("install dest = %q, want %q", dest, filepath.Join(dir, "v1.0.0"))
+	}
+	if !m.VersionExists("v1.0.0") {
+		t.Error("VersionExists(v1.0.0) = false after install")
+	}
+	for _, n := range dawgNames() {
+		if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(dest, n)); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("installed %s missing: %v", n, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestManagerInstallRejectsExistingVersion(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	m := New(dir)
+	token, _, err := m.Stage(bytes.NewReader(fullArchive(t)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Stage: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := m.Install(token, "v2.0.0"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("first Install: %v", err)
+	}
+	token2, _, err := m.Stage(bytes.NewReader(fullArchive(t)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("second Stage: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := m.Install(token2, "v2.0.0"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("Install overwrote an existing version, want error (versions are immutable)")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStagedDirRejectsBadToken(t *testing.T) {
+	m := New(t.TempDir())
+	for _, bad := range []string{"", "../etc", "ABC", "zz", strings.Repeat("g", 32)} {
+		if _, err := m.StagedDir(bad); err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("StagedDir(%q) = nil error, want rejection", bad)
+		}
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package engine
+
+import "testing"
+
+// TestAbortFinishesAsDrawWithoutAdjustment covers Abort, the graceful close used when a
+// committed game can no longer be reconstructed from its journal. The game ends as a draw
+// (no winner) regardless of the running scores, and the scores are left untouched (no
+// end-game rack adjustment).
+func TestAbortFinishesAsDrawWithoutAdjustment(t *testing.T) {
+	g, err := New(testReg, Options{Variant: VariantEnglish, Version: testVersion, Players: 2, Seed: 1})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("new game: %v", err)
+	}
+	g.scores[0], g.scores[1] = 10, 5 // a clear leader, so a draw cannot come from equal scores
+
+	g.Abort()
+
+	if !g.Over() {
+		t.Error("aborted game should be over")
+	}
+	if g.Reason() != EndAborted {
+		t.Errorf("reason = %v, want EndAborted", g.Reason())
+	}
+	res := g.Result()
+	if res.Winner != -1 {
+		t.Errorf("winner = %d, want -1 (draw)", res.Winner)
+	}
+	if res.Scores[0] != 10 || res.Scores[1] != 5 {
+		t.Errorf("scores = %v, want [10 5] (no rack adjustment on abort)", res.Scores)
+	}
+}
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import (

 // AlphabetEntry is one letter of a variant's alphabet: its alphabet-index byte, the
 // concrete character and its tile point value. It is the dictionary-independent display
-// table the edge sends to the client (Stage 13), produced from the variant's solver
+// table the edge sends to the client, produced from the variant's solver
 // ruleset (its alphabet and value table) and so pinned by the solver version, not by any
 // dictionary.
 type AlphabetEntry struct {
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ import (

 // TestAlphabetTableEnglish pins the English table against the solver ruleset: 26 letters,
 // contiguous indices, the concrete lower-case characters the solver emits and the standard
-// tile values. This is the real parity check the UI no longer carries (Stage 13).
+// tile values. This is the real parity check the UI no longer carries.
 func TestAlphabetTableEnglish(t *testing.T) {
 	tab, err := AlphabetTable(VariantEnglish)
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("AlphabetTable(english): %v", err)
+		t.Fatalf("AlphabetTable(scrabble_en): %v", err)
 	}
 	if len(tab) != 26 {
 		t.Fatalf("size = %d, want 26", len(tab))
@@ -40,23 +40,23 @@ func TestAlphabetTableEnglish(t *testing.T) {
 func TestAlphabetTableRussianVariants(t *testing.T) {
 	ru, err := AlphabetTable(VariantRussianScrabble)
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("AlphabetTable(russian_scrabble): %v", err)
+		t.Fatalf("AlphabetTable(scrabble_ru): %v", err)
 	}
 	er, err := AlphabetTable(VariantErudit)
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("AlphabetTable(erudit): %v", err)
+		t.Fatalf("AlphabetTable(erudit_ru): %v", err)
 	}
 	if len(ru) != 33 || len(er) != 33 {
 		t.Fatalf("sizes = %d/%d, want 33/33", len(ru), len(er))
 	}
 	if ru[0].Letter != "а" || ru[0].Value != 1 {
-		t.Errorf("russian entry 0 = %q/%d, want а/1", ru[0].Letter, ru[0].Value)
+		t.Errorf("scrabble_ru entry 0 = %q/%d, want а/1", ru[0].Letter, ru[0].Value)
 	}
 	if ru[6].Letter != "ё" || ru[6].Value != 3 {
-		t.Errorf("russian ё (entry 6) = %q/%d, want ё/3", ru[6].Letter, ru[6].Value)
+		t.Errorf("scrabble_ru ё (entry 6) = %q/%d, want ё/3", ru[6].Letter, ru[6].Value)
 	}
 	if er[6].Letter != "ё" || er[6].Value != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("erudit ё (entry 6) = %q/%d, want ё/0", er[6].Letter, er[6].Value)
+		t.Errorf("erudit_ru ё (entry 6) = %q/%d, want ё/0", er[6].Letter, er[6].Value)
 	}
 	if ru[32].Letter != "я" || er[32].Letter != "я" {
 		t.Errorf("last letter = %q/%q, want я/я", ru[32].Letter, er[32].Letter)
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ const (
 	// ActionResign abandons the game.
 	ActionResign
 	// ActionTimeout is the auto-resignation a missed turn becomes; recorded by
-	// the game domain in a later stage, never produced by the engine itself.
+	// the game domain, never produced by the engine itself.
 	ActionTimeout
 )

@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"maps"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
+
+	dawg "github.com/iliadenisov/dafsa"
+)
+
+// WordDiff is the set difference between two dictionaries of one variant: the
+// words present only in the new dictionary (Added) and only in the old one
+// (Removed), decoded to characters and each sorted by the variant's alphabet
+// order. It drives the admin dictionary-update preview.
+type WordDiff struct {
+	Added   []string
+	Removed []string
+}
+
+// DictFiles returns a copy of the variant-to-committed-DAWG-filename map. It lets
+// callers outside the package (the dictionary-admin upload validation) check an
+// archive against the expected file set without sharing the engine's own map.
+func DictFiles() map[Variant]string {
+	out := make(map[Variant]string, len(dictFiles))
+	maps.Copy(out, dictFiles)
+	return out
+}
+
+// OpenFinder loads the committed DAWG of variant v from dir and returns its
+// finder. The caller owns the finder and must Close it. It backs enumeration of
+// a staged, not-yet-registered dictionary version.
+func OpenFinder(dir string, v Variant) (dawg.Finder, error) {
+	name, ok := dictFiles[v]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %d", ErrUnknownVariant, v)
+	}
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, name)
+	finder, err := dawg.Load(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("engine: load %s dictionary from %s: %w", v, path, err)
+	}
+	return finder, nil
+}
+
+// Finder returns the loaded finder for the (variant, version) pair so its words
+// can be enumerated, or ErrUnknownVariant / ErrUnknownVersion when that
+// dictionary is not resident. The finder remains owned by the registry; callers
+// must not Close it.
+func (r *Registry) Finder(v Variant, version string) (dawg.Finder, error) {
+	r.mu.RLock()
+	defer r.mu.RUnlock()
+	versions, ok := r.entries[v]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", ErrUnknownVariant, v)
+	}
+	e, ok := versions[version]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s/%s", ErrUnknownVersion, v, version)
+	}
+	return e.finder, nil
+}
+
+// DiffWords compares the old and new finders of variant v and returns the words
+// added and removed, decoded through v's alphabet. Both dictionaries are
+// enumerated as alphabet-index bytes and merged; only the differing words are
+// decoded, so a full-dictionary comparison does not materialise two large string
+// sets.
+func DiffWords(v Variant, old, updated dawg.Finder) (WordDiff, error) {
+	rs, ok := v.ruleset()
+	if !ok {
+		return WordDiff{}, fmt.Errorf("%w: %d", ErrUnknownVariant, v)
+	}
+	oldWords := collectWords(old)
+	newWords := collectWords(updated)
+
+	var diff WordDiff
+	i, j := 0, 0
+	for i < len(oldWords) && j < len(newWords) {
+		switch cmp := bytes.Compare(oldWords[i], newWords[j]); {
+		case cmp == 0:
+			i++
+			j++
+		case cmp < 0:
+			s, err := rs.Alphabet.Decode(oldWords[i])
+			if err != nil {
+				return WordDiff{}, fmt.Errorf("engine: decode %s removed word: %w", v, err)
+			}
+			diff.Removed = append(diff.Removed, s)
+			i++
+		default:
+			s, err := rs.Alphabet.Decode(newWords[j])
+			if err != nil {
+				return WordDiff{}, fmt.Errorf("engine: decode %s added word: %w", v, err)
+			}
+			diff.Added = append(diff.Added, s)
+			j++
+		}
+	}
+	for ; i < len(oldWords); i++ {
+		s, err := rs.Alphabet.Decode(oldWords[i])
+		if err != nil {
+			return WordDiff{}, fmt.Errorf("engine: decode %s removed word: %w", v, err)
+		}
+		diff.Removed = append(diff.Removed, s)
+	}
+	for ; j < len(newWords); j++ {
+		s, err := rs.Alphabet.Decode(newWords[j])
+		if err != nil {
+			return WordDiff{}, fmt.Errorf("engine: decode %s added word: %w", v, err)
+		}
+		diff.Added = append(diff.Added, s)
+	}
+	return diff, nil
+}
+
+// collectWords enumerates every complete word of f as a copy of its
+// alphabet-index bytes, sorted ascending. The dawg already enumerates in index
+// order; the explicit sort makes the merge in DiffWords robust to that being an
+// implementation detail.
+func collectWords(f dawg.Finder) [][]byte {
+	out := make([][]byte, 0, f.NumAdded())
+	f.EnumerateB(func(_ int, word []byte, final bool) dawg.EnumerationResult {
+		if final && len(word) > 0 {
+			cp := make([]byte, len(word))
+			copy(cp, word)
+			out = append(out, cp)
+		}
+		return dawg.Continue
+	})
+	sort.Slice(out, func(a, b int) bool { return bytes.Compare(out[a], out[b]) < 0 })
+	return out
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/iliadenisov/alphabet"
+	dawg "github.com/iliadenisov/dafsa"
+)
+
+// buildFinderB builds an in-memory finder over idx from the given words, each
+// expressed as alphabet-index bytes. The words must be supplied in strictly
+// increasing alphabet-index order, as the builder requires.
+func buildFinderB(t *testing.T, idx alphabet.Indexer, words ...[]byte) dawg.Finder {
+	t.Helper()
+	b := dawg.New(idx)
+	for _, w := range words {
+		if err := b.AddB(w); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("addB %v: %v", w, err)
+		}
+	}
+	return b.Finish()
+}
+
+// mustDecode decodes index bytes through idx or fails the test.
+func mustDecode(t *testing.T, idx alphabet.Indexer, word []byte) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	s, err := idx.Decode(word)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode %v: %v", word, err)
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+func equalStrings(a, b []string) bool {
+	if len(a) != len(b) {
+		return false
+	}
+	for i := range a {
+		if a[i] != b[i] {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+// TestDiffWords checks that DiffWords reports the words present only in the new
+// dictionary as added and those present only in the old one as removed, decoded
+// to characters through the variant's alphabet.
+func TestDiffWords(t *testing.T) {
+	rs, _ := VariantEnglish.ruleset()
+	idx := rs.Alphabet
+
+	old := buildFinderB(t, idx, []byte{0}, []byte{0, 1}, []byte{2})
+	defer func() { _ = old.Close() }()
+	updated := buildFinderB(t, idx, []byte{0}, []byte{2}, []byte{2, 3})
+	defer func() { _ = updated.Close() }()
+
+	diff, err := DiffWords(VariantEnglish, old, updated)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("DiffWords: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	wantAdded := []string{mustDecode(t, idx, []byte{2, 3})}
+	wantRemoved := []string{mustDecode(t, idx, []byte{0, 1})}
+	if !equalStrings(diff.Added, wantAdded) {
+		t.Errorf("added = %v, want %v", diff.Added, wantAdded)
+	}
+	if !equalStrings(diff.Removed, wantRemoved) {
+		t.Errorf("removed = %v, want %v", diff.Removed, wantRemoved)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDiffWordsIdentical checks that comparing a dictionary with itself yields an
+// empty diff.
+func TestDiffWordsIdentical(t *testing.T) {
+	rs, _ := VariantEnglish.ruleset()
+	f := buildFinderB(t, rs.Alphabet, []byte{0}, []byte{1}, []byte{1, 2})
+	defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
+
+	diff, err := DiffWords(VariantEnglish, f, f)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("DiffWords: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(diff.Added) != 0 || len(diff.Removed) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("diff = %+v, want empty", diff)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDiffWordsUnknownVariant checks that an unrecognised variant is rejected.
+func TestDiffWordsUnknownVariant(t *testing.T) {
+	rs, _ := VariantEnglish.ruleset()
+	f := buildFinderB(t, rs.Alphabet, []byte{0})
+	defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
+	if _, err := DiffWords(Variant(250), f, f); !errors.Is(err, ErrUnknownVariant) {
+		t.Errorf("err = %v, want ErrUnknownVariant", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestOpenFinder checks that OpenFinder loads a committed DAWG from a directory.
+func TestOpenFinder(t *testing.T) {
+	f, err := OpenFinder(testDictDir(), VariantEnglish)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("OpenFinder: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
+	if f.NumAdded() == 0 {
+		t.Error("english dictionary is empty")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRegistryFinder checks that Finder returns the resident finder for a pair
+// and the right sentinel when the version is absent.
+func TestRegistryFinder(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := testReg.Finder(VariantEnglish, testVersion); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Finder(scrabble_en, %q): %v", testVersion, err)
+	}
+	if _, err := testReg.Finder(VariantEnglish, "absent"); !errors.Is(err, ErrUnknownVersion) {
+		t.Errorf("Finder absent version err = %v, want ErrUnknownVersion", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDictFiles checks that DictFiles exposes the variant filename map as a copy
+// the caller cannot use to mutate the engine's own map.
+func TestDictFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	files := DictFiles()
+	if len(files) != len(Variants()) {
+		t.Fatalf("DictFiles has %d entries, want %d", len(files), len(Variants()))
+	}
+	files[VariantEnglish] = "tampered"
+	if again := DictFiles(); again[VariantEnglish] == "tampered" {
+		t.Error("DictFiles returned a shared map; mutating it changed the engine's map")
+	}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/board"
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/scrabble"
+)
+
+// resolveDirection infers a play's orientation from the placed tiles and the
+// board, so a caller need not declare it (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §5). Two or more
+// tiles fix the orientation by the line they share: a common row reads
+// horizontally, otherwise vertically (a non-linear placement is left for
+// Evaluate to reject). A single tile is ambiguous on its own — it may extend a
+// word down a column or across a row — so the orientation is the axis along
+// which it abuts existing tiles, preferring the axis that yields the longer word
+// and horizontal on a tie. A tile that abuts nothing falls back to horizontal
+// and is rejected downstream as disconnected (or, on the first move, as too
+// short).
+func resolveDirection(b *board.Board, placements []scrabble.Placement) scrabble.Direction {
+	if len(placements) >= 2 {
+		row := placements[0].Row
+		for _, p := range placements[1:] {
+			if p.Row != row {
+				return scrabble.Vertical
+			}
+		}
+		return scrabble.Horizontal
+	}
+	if len(placements) == 1 {
+		p := placements[0]
+		h := runLength(b, p.Row, p.Col, scrabble.Horizontal)
+		v := runLength(b, p.Row, p.Col, scrabble.Vertical)
+		if v >= 2 && v > h {
+			return scrabble.Vertical
+		}
+		if h >= 2 {
+			return scrabble.Horizontal
+		}
+		if v >= 2 {
+			return scrabble.Vertical
+		}
+	}
+	return scrabble.Horizontal
+}
+
+// runLength returns how many cells the word through (row, col) along dir would
+// span once a tile is placed on the empty target square: the square itself plus
+// the runs of filled cells immediately before and after it along dir. A result
+// below two means the tile forms no word on that axis. Filled treats
+// off-board coordinates as empty, so the walks stop at the board edge.
+func runLength(b *board.Board, row, col int, dir scrabble.Direction) int {
+	dr, dc := 0, 1
+	if dir == scrabble.Vertical {
+		dr, dc = 1, 0
+	}
+	n := 1
+	for r, c := row-dr, col-dc; b.Filled(r, c); r, c = r-dr, c-dc {
+		n++
+	}
+	for r, c := row+dr, col+dc; b.Filled(r, c); r, c = r+dr, c+dc {
+		n++
+	}
+	return n
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/board"
+	"gitea.iliadenisov.ru/developer/scrabble-solver/scrabble"
+)
+
+// boardWith returns a 15x15 board with the given (row, col) cells occupied. The
+// concrete letter is irrelevant to direction inference, which reads only
+// occupancy, so every filler uses alphabet index 0.
+func boardWith(cells ...[2]int) *board.Board {
+	b := board.New(15, 15)
+	ps := make([]scrabble.Placement, len(cells))
+	for i, c := range cells {
+		ps[i] = scrabble.Placement{Row: c[0], Col: c[1], Letter: 0}
+	}
+	scrabble.Apply(b, scrabble.Move{Tiles: ps})
+	return b
+}
+
+// TestRunLength covers the word-span measurement that drives single-tile
+// direction inference, including the board edge.
+func TestRunLength(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		filled   [][2]int
+		row, col int
+		dir      scrabble.Direction
+		want     int
+	}{
+		{"isolated horizontal", nil, 7, 7, scrabble.Horizontal, 1},
+		{"isolated vertical", nil, 7, 7, scrabble.Vertical, 1},
+		{"neighbour below", [][2]int{{8, 7}}, 7, 7, scrabble.Vertical, 2},
+		{"neighbour above", [][2]int{{6, 7}}, 7, 7, scrabble.Vertical, 2},
+		{"run below", [][2]int{{8, 7}, {9, 7}}, 7, 7, scrabble.Vertical, 3},
+		{"bridge vertical", [][2]int{{6, 7}, {8, 7}}, 7, 7, scrabble.Vertical, 3},
+		{"neighbour left", [][2]int{{7, 6}}, 7, 7, scrabble.Horizontal, 2},
+		{"neighbour right", [][2]int{{7, 8}}, 7, 7, scrabble.Horizontal, 2},
+		{"bridge horizontal", [][2]int{{7, 6}, {7, 8}}, 7, 7, scrabble.Horizontal, 3},
+		{"perpendicular ignored", [][2]int{{7, 6}}, 7, 7, scrabble.Vertical, 1},
+		{"top edge", [][2]int{{1, 0}}, 0, 0, scrabble.Vertical, 2},
+		{"left edge", [][2]int{{0, 1}}, 0, 0, scrabble.Horizontal, 2},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+			b := boardWith(tt.filled...)
+			if got := runLength(b, tt.row, tt.col, tt.dir); got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("runLength(%d,%d,%v) = %d, want %d", tt.row, tt.col, tt.dir, got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestResolveDirection covers orientation inference for both multi-tile plays
+// (fixed by the shared line) and the ambiguous single tile (the axis it abuts,
+// longer word winning and horizontal on a tie; disconnected falls back to
+// horizontal for the downstream rejection).
+func TestResolveDirection(t *testing.T) {
+	at := func(cells ...[2]int) []scrabble.Placement {
+		ps := make([]scrabble.Placement, len(cells))
+		for i, c := range cells {
+			ps[i] = scrabble.Placement{Row: c[0], Col: c[1]}
+		}
+		return ps
+	}
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		filled [][2]int
+		play   []scrabble.Placement
+		want   scrabble.Direction
+	}{
+		{"single extends down", [][2]int{{8, 7}, {9, 7}}, at([2]int{7, 7}), scrabble.Vertical},
+		{"single extends up", [][2]int{{6, 7}, {5, 7}}, at([2]int{7, 7}), scrabble.Vertical},
+		{"single extends left", [][2]int{{7, 6}}, at([2]int{7, 7}), scrabble.Horizontal},
+		{"single extends right", [][2]int{{7, 8}}, at([2]int{7, 7}), scrabble.Horizontal},
+		{"single both axes vertical longer", [][2]int{{6, 7}, {8, 7}, {7, 6}}, at([2]int{7, 7}), scrabble.Vertical},
+		{"single both axes horizontal longer", [][2]int{{7, 6}, {7, 8}, {6, 7}}, at([2]int{7, 7}), scrabble.Horizontal},
+		{"single both axes equal prefers horizontal", [][2]int{{6, 7}, {7, 6}}, at([2]int{7, 7}), scrabble.Horizontal},
+		{"single disconnected falls back to horizontal", nil, at([2]int{7, 7}), scrabble.Horizontal},
+		{"multi shared row is horizontal", nil, at([2]int{7, 7}, [2]int{7, 8}), scrabble.Horizontal},
+		{"multi shared column is vertical", nil, at([2]int{7, 7}, [2]int{8, 7}), scrabble.Vertical},
+		{"multi non-linear is vertical", nil, at([2]int{7, 7}, [2]int{8, 8}), scrabble.Vertical},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+			b := boardWith(tt.filled...)
+			if got := resolveDirection(b, tt.play); got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("resolveDirection = %v, want %v", got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestResolveDirectionEmpty checks the degenerate empty placement does not panic
+// and falls back to horizontal (Evaluate rejects the empty play downstream).
+func TestResolveDirectionEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	if got := resolveDirection(boardWith(), nil); got != scrabble.Horizontal {
+		t.Errorf("resolveDirection(empty) = %v, want Horizontal", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSubmitPlaySingleTileVerticalExtension is the regression for the reported
+// bug: a single tile placed above an existing vertical word forms a legal play
+// the engine must accept by inferring the vertical orientation. Trusting a
+// horizontal orientation (the pre-fix client default) wrongly rejects it.
+func TestSubmitPlaySingleTileVerticalExtension(t *testing.T) {
+	// БАК runs down column 7 (rows 7..9); the mover holds А and plays it at
+	// (6,7), prefixing АБАК. This mirrors the contour game that surfaced the bug.
+	setup := func(t *testing.T) (*Game, []TileRecord) {
+		t.Helper()
+		g, err := New(testReg, Options{Variant: VariantErudit, Version: testVersion, Players: 2, Seed: 1})
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("new erudit game: %v", err)
+		}
+		idx := func(s string) byte {
+			i, err := g.rules.Alphabet.Index(s)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("index %q: %v", s, err)
+			}
+			return i
+		}
+		scrabble.Apply(g.board, scrabble.Move{Tiles: []scrabble.Placement{
+			{Row: 7, Col: 7, Letter: idx("б")},
+			{Row: 8, Col: 7, Letter: idx("а")},
+			{Row: 9, Col: 7, Letter: idx("к")},
+		}})
+		g.hands[0] = []byte{idx("а")}
+		return g, []TileRecord{{Row: 6, Col: 7, Letter: "а"}}
+	}
+
+	t.Run("inferred direction accepts the play", func(t *testing.T) {
+		g, tiles := setup(t)
+		rec, err := g.SubmitPlay(tiles)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("submit play: %v", err)
+		}
+		if rec.Dir != Vertical {
+			t.Errorf("direction = %v, want Vertical", rec.Dir)
+		}
+		if len(rec.Words) == 0 || rec.Words[0] != "абак" {
+			t.Errorf("words = %v, want main word абак", rec.Words)
+		}
+		if rec.Score <= 0 {
+			t.Errorf("score = %d, want positive", rec.Score)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("trusting horizontal rejects it", func(t *testing.T) {
+		g, tiles := setup(t)
+		if _, err := g.SubmitPlayDir(Horizontal, tiles); !errors.Is(err, ErrIllegalPlay) {
+			t.Errorf("submit horizontal = %v, want ErrIllegalPlay", err)
+		}
+	})
+}
@@ -52,11 +52,25 @@ func fromScrabbleDir(d scrabble.Direction) Direction {

 // SubmitPlay validates and applies the current player's play described in decoded
 // terms: each TileRecord carries a concrete letter (the letter a blank stands for
-// when Blank is set) and a board coordinate. It encodes the tiles through the
+// when Blank is set) and a board coordinate. It infers the play's orientation
+// from the tiles and the board (resolveDirection), encodes the tiles through the
 // ruleset alphabet and delegates to Play, so it returns the same errors
 // (ErrTilesNotOnRack, ErrIllegalPlay, ErrGameOver) plus ErrIllegalPlay when a
 // letter is outside the variant's alphabet.
-func (g *Game) SubmitPlay(dir Direction, tiles []TileRecord) (MoveRecord, error) {
+func (g *Game) SubmitPlay(tiles []TileRecord) (MoveRecord, error) {
+	placements, err := g.placements(tiles)
+	if err != nil {
+		return MoveRecord{}, err
+	}
+	return g.Play(g.playDirection(placements), placements)
+}
+
+// SubmitPlayDir is SubmitPlay with the orientation supplied rather than inferred.
+// It exists for journal replay, which reproduces a committed game exactly from
+// the stored "H"/"V" rather than re-deriving it (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §9.1):
+// re-derivation would tie historical reconstruction to the current resolver, so
+// replay trusts the recorded direction. Live play uses SubmitPlay.
+func (g *Game) SubmitPlayDir(dir Direction, tiles []TileRecord) (MoveRecord, error) {
 	placements, err := g.placements(tiles)
 	if err != nil {
 		return MoveRecord{}, err
@@ -78,10 +92,13 @@ func (g *Game) SubmitExchange(tiles []string) (MoveRecord, error) {

 // EvaluatePlay scores and validates a tentative play without committing it,
 // backing the unlimited "what would my next move score, and is it legal?" tool.
-// It returns the decoded move (placed tiles, the words it forms and its score)
-// or ErrIllegalPlay when the solver rejects it. The board, racks, bag and turn
-// are left untouched.
-func (g *Game) EvaluatePlay(dir Direction, tiles []TileRecord) (MoveRecord, error) {
+// It infers the play's orientation from the tiles and the board and applies the
+// game's play options exactly as SubmitPlay does, so under the single-word rule
+// perpendicular cross-words are ignored: the preview's legality and score then
+// match what submitting the play would yield. It returns the decoded move (placed
+// tiles, the words it forms, its orientation and its score) or ErrIllegalPlay when
+// the solver rejects it. The board, racks, bag and turn are left untouched.
+func (g *Game) EvaluatePlay(tiles []TileRecord) (MoveRecord, error) {
 	if g.over {
 		return MoveRecord{}, ErrGameOver
 	}
@@ -89,7 +106,7 @@ func (g *Game) EvaluatePlay(dir Direction, tiles []TileRecord) (MoveRecord, erro
 	if err != nil {
 		return MoveRecord{}, err
 	}
-	move, err := g.solver.ValidatePlay(g.board, dir.scrabbleDir(), placements)
+	move, err := g.solver.ValidatePlayOpts(g.board, g.playDirection(placements), placements, g.playOpts())
 	if err != nil {
 		return MoveRecord{}, fmt.Errorf("%w: %v", ErrIllegalPlay, err)
 	}
@@ -152,6 +169,33 @@ func (g *Game) placements(tiles []TileRecord) ([]scrabble.Placement, error) {
 	return out, nil
 }

+// playDirection resolves the orientation for a live play. resolveDirection infers it from
+// geometry alone, preferring the longer word when a single tile abuts the board on both
+// axes; under the single-word rule that can pick an orientation whose word is not in the
+// dictionary while the other orientation's is. So for a single tile under that rule the
+// engine tries both orientations through the solver and keeps the higher-scoring legal one
+// (horizontal breaks a tie). Multi-tile plays, and every play under the standard rule, keep
+// the geometric resolution: a multi-tile play's orientation is fixed by the line its tiles
+// share, and under the standard rule every word the play forms must be valid regardless of
+// which one is named the main word.
+func (g *Game) playDirection(placements []scrabble.Placement) scrabble.Direction {
+	geo := resolveDirection(g.board, placements)
+	if len(placements) != 1 || g.multipleWords {
+		return geo
+	}
+	best, found, bestScore := geo, false, 0
+	for _, dir := range [...]scrabble.Direction{scrabble.Horizontal, scrabble.Vertical} {
+		m, err := g.solver.ValidatePlayOpts(g.board, dir, placements, g.playOpts())
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if !found || m.Score > bestScore {
+			best, found, bestScore = dir, true, m.Score
+		}
+	}
+	return best
+}
+
 // encodeTiles encodes decoded exchange tiles ("?" for a blank, otherwise a
 // concrete letter) into the internal byte form, wrapping a bad letter as
 // ErrTilesNotOnRack (the caller cannot hold a tile it cannot name).
--- a/Show More
+++ b/Show More