Merge pull request 'release: VK Mini App + landscape UI + dict v1.3.1 seed (development→master)' (#144) from development into master

The scrabble-dictionary release v1.3.1 drops the obscene lexicon (mat).
Bump the centralised CI seed so unit/integration jobs validate against the
same dictionary the prod deploy now pins (vars.PROD_DICT_VERSION=v1.3.1).

.claude/skills/deploy-check/SKILL.md

@@ -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").

.claude/vk-games-integration.md

@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+# 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 —
+  the bottom home-bar safe area is handled by CSS `env(safe-area-inset-*)` (viewport-fit=cover).
+
+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>

.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ on:
 # unit/integration jobs inherit it. The deploy job overrides it per contour with
 # vars.TEST_DICT_VERSION (the seed for a fresh volume), see deploy/README.md.
 env:
-  DICT_VERSION: v1.3.0
+  DICT_VERSION: v1.3.1
 
 jobs:
   # changes detects which areas a PR/push touched, so the test jobs can skip when
@@ -261,12 +261,16 @@ jobs:
           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.
+          GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET: ${{ secrets.TEST_GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET }}
           GM_BASICAUTH_USER: ${{ vars.TEST_GM_BASICAUTH_USER }}
           GRAFANA_ROOT_URL: ${{ vars.TEST_GRAFANA_ROOT_URL }}
           CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS: ${{ vars.TEST_CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS }}
           TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL: ${{ vars.TEST_TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL }}
           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 }}

.gitea/workflows/prod-deploy.yaml

@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ jobs:
       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.PROD_GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET }}
       PROD_BOTLINK_CA: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_CA }}
       PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_CERT: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_CERT }}
       PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROD_BOTLINK_GATEWAY_KEY }}
@@ -136,6 +137,7 @@ jobs:
           export APP_VERSION='$TAG'
           export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN='$TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN'
           export TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL='$TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL'
+          export GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET='$GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET'
           export GATEWAY_ABUSE_BAN_ENABLED='true'
           EOF
           printf '%s\n' "$PROD_BOTLINK_CA"           > stage/certs-main/ca.crt
@@ -179,6 +181,7 @@ jobs:
       TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL: ${{ vars.PROD_TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_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: ${{ vars.PROD_VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK }}
     steps:
@@ -200,6 +203,7 @@ jobs:
           export TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL='$TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL'
           export TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID='$TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID'
           export TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID='$TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID'
+          export TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID='$TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID'
           export TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN='$TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN'
           export TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME='$TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME'
           export TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK='$TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK'

backend/internal/account/account.go

@@ -22,12 +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. Robot is a synthetic kind: each pooled
-// robot opponent is a durable account bound to one robot identity.
+// 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"
 )
@@ -185,6 +186,28 @@ func (s *Store) ProvisionTelegram(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode,
 	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) 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,
 // collapsing a concurrent-create race on the identity unique constraint into a
 // re-read of the winner's account.
@@ -258,6 +281,24 @@ func telegramSeed(languageCode, username, firstName string) provisionSeed {
 	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
+}
+
 // GetByID loads the account identified by id, or ErrNotFound when it is absent.
 func (s *Store) GetByID(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (Account, error) {
 	stmt := postgres.SELECT(table.Accounts.AllColumns).
@@ -421,7 +462,7 @@ 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
 		}

backend/internal/account/profile.go

@@ -101,6 +101,66 @@ func validateVariantPreferences(prefs []string) ([]string, error) {
 	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
 // returns the stored row. It reports ErrInvalidProfile for a bad language,
 // timezone or display name and ErrNotFound when no account matches id.

backend/internal/account/provision_test.go

@@ -75,3 +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)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

backend/internal/account/variant_seed_test.go

@@ -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)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

backend/internal/adminconsole/render_test.go

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ func TestRendererRendersEveryPage(t *testing.T) {
 		{"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"},
+		{"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",

backend/internal/adminconsole/templates/pages/user_detail.gohtml

@@ -142,6 +142,11 @@
 {{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>

backend/internal/adminconsole/views.go

@@ -162,7 +162,11 @@ type UserDetailView struct {
 	Stats        StatsRow
 	Identities   []IdentityRow
 	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.

backend/internal/inttest/account_test.go

@@ -154,6 +154,53 @@ func TestProvisionTelegramSeedsNewAccountOnly(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestProvisionVKSeedsNewAccountOnly checks VK first contact seeds the new account's
+// language, display name and time zone from the launch fields / detected offset, records
+// the vk identity as confirmed (a platform identity), and never overwrites an existing
+// account on a later launch. It also exercises the widened identities.kind CHECK — a
+// 'vk' row must insert.
+func TestProvisionVKSeedsNewAccountOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	store := account.NewStore(testDB)
+	ext := "vk-" + uuid.NewString()
+
+	acc, created, err := store.ProvisionVK(ctx, ext, "ru", "Иван Петров", "+03:00")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("provision vk: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !created {
+		t.Error("created = false on first contact, want true")
+	}
+	if acc.PreferredLanguage != "ru" {
+		t.Errorf("PreferredLanguage = %q, want ru", acc.PreferredLanguage)
+	}
+	if acc.DisplayName != "Иван Петров" {
+		t.Errorf("DisplayName = %q, want Иван Петров", acc.DisplayName)
+	}
+	if acc.TimeZone != "+03:00" {
+		t.Errorf("TimeZone = %q, want the seeded +03:00", acc.TimeZone)
+	}
+	// A VK identity is a platform identity: confirmed on insert.
+	if !identityConfirmed(t, account.KindVK, ext) {
+		t.Error("vk identity must be confirmed")
+	}
+
+	// A later launch with different fields returns the same account, unchanged.
+	again, created, err := store.ProvisionVK(ctx, ext, "en", "Other Name", "+09:00")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("re-provision vk: %v", err)
+	}
+	if created {
+		t.Error("created = true on a repeat launch, want false")
+	}
+	if again.ID != acc.ID {
+		t.Errorf("re-provision id = %s, want %s", again.ID, acc.ID)
+	}
+	if again.PreferredLanguage != "ru" || again.DisplayName != "Иван Петров" || again.TimeZone != "+03:00" {
+		t.Errorf("existing account overwritten: lang=%q name=%q tz=%q", again.PreferredLanguage, again.DisplayName, again.TimeZone)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestProvisionSeedsTimeZone checks the create-time time-zone seed across paths: a
 // valid detected offset is stored verbatim (even "+00:00", which is deliberately
 // distinct from the unset "UTC" default), a guest is seeded the same way, and a

backend/internal/inttest/promo_variant_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+//go:build integration
+
+package inttest
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"go.uber.org/zap/zaptest"
+
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/account"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/server"
+	"scrabble/backend/internal/session"
+)
+
+// TestTelegramAuthSeedsPromoVariantForNewUserOnly drives the sessions/telegram endpoint
+// to confirm a promo deep-link start-param seeds a brand-new account's variant
+// preferences (English Scrabble alongside the default Erudit), that a new account with no
+// such payload keeps the Erudit-only default, and that an existing account is never
+// re-seeded on a later login (the new-user-only contract).
+func TestTelegramAuthSeedsPromoVariantForNewUserOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := server.New(":0", server.Deps{
+		Logger:   zaptest.NewLogger(t),
+		DB:       testDB,
+		Accounts: account.NewStore(testDB),
+		Sessions: session.NewService(session.NewStore(testDB), session.NewCache()),
+		Notifier: &captureNotifier{},
+	})
+	h := srv.Handler()
+
+	post := func(ext, startParam string) {
+		body := `{"external_id":"` + ext + `","language_code":"en","first_name":"Promo"`
+		if startParam != "" {
+			body += `,"start_param":"` + startParam + `"`
+		}
+		body += `}`
+		rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/api/v1/internal/sessions/telegram", strings.NewReader(body))
+		req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+		if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+			t.Fatalf("telegram auth = %d: %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+		}
+	}
+	store := account.NewStore(testDB)
+	reload := func(ext string) []string {
+		acc, err := store.AccountByIdentity(context.Background(), account.KindTelegram, ext)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("lookup %s: %v", ext, err)
+		}
+		return acc.VariantPreferences
+	}
+
+	// A brand-new account reached through a promo deep-link is seeded with English
+	// Scrabble alongside the default Erudit.
+	promoExt := "tg-" + uuid.NewString()
+	post(promoExt, "verudit_ru-scrabble_en")
+	if got, want := reload(promoExt), []string{"erudit_ru", "scrabble_en"}; !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("promo new account variants = %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+
+	// A brand-new account with no promo payload keeps the Erudit-only default.
+	plainExt := "tg-" + uuid.NewString()
+	post(plainExt, "")
+	if got, want := reload(plainExt), []string{"erudit_ru"}; !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("plain new account variants = %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+
+	// A later login of the promo account, even via a different payload, must not re-seed:
+	// the seed is first-contact only.
+	post(promoExt, "vscrabble_ru")
+	if got, want := reload(promoExt), []string{"erudit_ru", "scrabble_en"}; !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("existing account re-seeded = %v, want unchanged %v", got, want)
+	}
+}

backend/internal/postgres/migrations/00005_vk_identity.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+-- Admit the 'vk' platform identity (VK Mini App users) into the identities.kind check
+-- constraint, alongside telegram/email/robot. Expand-contract: widening the allowed set
+-- is backward-compatible, so a backend image rollback stays DB-safe — the older code
+-- simply never writes a 'vk' row. The table shape is unchanged (only the CHECK), so the
+-- generated go-jet model is not regenerated.
+
+-- +goose Up
+ALTER TABLE backend.identities DROP CONSTRAINT identities_kind_chk;
+ALTER TABLE backend.identities ADD CONSTRAINT identities_kind_chk CHECK ((kind = ANY (ARRAY['telegram'::text, 'vk'::text, 'email'::text, 'robot'::text])));
+
+-- +goose Down
+ALTER TABLE backend.identities DROP CONSTRAINT identities_kind_chk;
+ALTER TABLE backend.identities ADD CONSTRAINT identities_kind_chk CHECK ((kind = ANY (ARRAY['telegram'::text, 'email'::text, 'robot'::text])));

backend/internal/server/handlers.go

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ func (s *Server) registerRoutes() {
 	if s.sessions != nil && s.accounts != nil {
 		in := s.internal
 		in.POST("/sessions/telegram", s.handleTelegramAuth)
+		in.POST("/sessions/vk", s.handleVKAuth)
 		in.POST("/sessions/guest", s.handleGuestAuth)
 		in.POST("/sessions/email/request", s.handleEmailRequest)
 		in.POST("/sessions/email/login", s.handleEmailLogin)

backend/internal/server/handlers_admin_console.go

@@ -362,6 +362,9 @@ func (s *Server) consoleUserDetail(c *gin.Context) {
 	if tg, err := s.accounts.IdentityExternalID(ctx, id, account.KindTelegram); err == nil {
 		view.TelegramID = tg
 	}
+	if vk, err := s.accounts.IdentityExternalID(ctx, id, account.KindVK); err == nil {
+		view.VKID = vk
+	}
 	if games, err := s.games.ListForAccount(ctx, id); err == nil {
 		for _, g := range games {
 			view.Games = append(view.Games, gameRow(g))

backend/internal/server/handlers_auth.go

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
 	"scrabble/backend/internal/account"
 )
@@ -19,13 +20,16 @@ import (
 // telegramAuthRequest carries the identity the connector extracted from a
 // validated initData payload. Username, FirstName and LanguageCode seed a
 // brand-new account's display name and language; BrowserTZ (the client's detected
-// "±HH:MM" UTC offset) seeds its time zone (first contact only).
+// "±HH:MM" UTC offset) seeds its time zone; StartParam is the validated launch
+// deep-link payload, which may seed the new account's variant preferences (first
+// contact only).
 type telegramAuthRequest struct {
 	ExternalID   string `json:"external_id"`
 	Username     string `json:"username"`
 	FirstName    string `json:"first_name"`
 	LanguageCode string `json:"language_code"`
 	BrowserTZ    string `json:"browser_tz"`
+	StartParam   string `json:"start_param"`
 }
 
 // handleTelegramAuth provisions (or finds) the account bound to a Telegram
@@ -47,6 +51,47 @@ func (s *Server) handleTelegramAuth(c *gin.Context) {
 		// joined the chat before registering is granted on the spot (no chat_member
 		// event fires on registration).
 		s.publishChatAccessChange(acc.ID)
+		// A promo deep-link may seed this brand-new account's variant preferences (e.g.
+		// English Scrabble alongside the default Erudit). Best-effort: an absent or
+		// malformed payload leaves the account on its defaults, and a write failure must
+		// not block the session mint.
+		if seed := account.SeedVariantsFromStartParam(req.StartParam); len(seed) > 0 {
+			if _, err := s.accounts.SetVariantPreferences(c.Request.Context(), acc.ID, seed); err != nil {
+				s.log.Warn("telegram: seed variant preferences failed",
+					zap.String("account", acc.ID.String()), zap.Error(err))
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	s.mintSession(c, acc)
+}
+
+// vkAuthRequest carries the identity the gateway extracted from verified VK launch
+// params. LanguageCode (vk_language) and DisplayName (read client-side via
+// VKWebAppGetUserInfo, since VK omits the name from the signed params) seed a brand-new
+// account's language and display name; BrowserTZ (the client's detected "±HH:MM" UTC
+// offset) seeds its time zone. All seeds apply on first contact only.
+type vkAuthRequest struct {
+	ExternalID   string `json:"external_id"`
+	LanguageCode string `json:"language_code"`
+	DisplayName  string `json:"display_name"`
+	BrowserTZ    string `json:"browser_tz"`
+}
+
+// handleVKAuth provisions (or finds) the account bound to a VK identity and mints a
+// session for it, seeding a new account's language and display name from the supplied VK
+// fields (first contact only). Unlike Telegram there is no moderated-chat re-evaluation
+// or deep-link variant seed: a fresh VK account has no Telegram chat eligibility and the
+// MVP carries no launch deep link.
+func (s *Server) handleVKAuth(c *gin.Context) {
+	var req vkAuthRequest
+	if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&req); err != nil || req.ExternalID == "" {
+		abortBadRequest(c, "external_id is required")
+		return
+	}
+	acc, _, err := s.accounts.ProvisionVK(c.Request.Context(), req.ExternalID, req.LanguageCode, req.DisplayName, req.BrowserTZ)
+	if err != nil {
+		s.abortErr(c, err)
+		return
 	}
 	s.mintSession(c, acc)
 }

deploy/.env.example

@@ -47,9 +47,17 @@ AWG_CONF=                              # required; AmneziaWG sidecar config (the
 TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=                    # required
 TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID=
 TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID=                      # moderated discussion chat (channel's linked group); empty disables gating
+TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID=              # private forum supergroup for the support relay (topic per user); empty disables it
 TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN=             # optional standalone promo bot token; empty disables it
 TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME=               # main bot @username without the @ (promo message); required when the promo token is set
 TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK=                    # main bot Mini App link for the promo button (reuse VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK); required when the promo token is set
+TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM=           # promo button startapp payload — a variant-seed deep link (default verudit_ru-scrabble_en) adding English Scrabble for new users; empty forwards the user's /start payload
 TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL=                  # required
 TELEGRAM_TEST_ENV=false
 TELEGRAM_API_BASE_URL=
+
+# --- VK Mini App ------------------------------------------------------------
+# The VK app's "protected key" (client_secret): the gateway verifies the Mini App
+# launch-parameter signature in-process under it (a pure offline HMAC, no VK API call).
+# Empty disables the VK auth path (auth.vk). Set from the Gitea TEST_/PROD_ secret.
+GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET=

deploy/caddy/Caddyfile

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Edge reverse proxy for the Scrabble contour. A single Basic-Auth gate covers
 # every operator surface under /_gm (the backend-rendered admin console and the
-# Grafana subpath); the game SPA (/app/, /telegram/) and the Connect edge go to
+# Grafana subpath); the game SPA (/app/, /telegram/, /vk/) and the Connect edge go to
 # the gateway; the catch-all — notably the public landing at / — goes to the
 # static landing container, so stray traffic never reaches the Go edge.
 # Mirrors ../galaxy-game's /_gm model.
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 	# The game SPA and the Connect edge are served by the gateway. Strip any
 	# client-supplied X-Scrabble-Honeypot here so the gateway only ever honours the
 	# tag the honeypot block sets below (a client cannot self-tag a real request).
-	@gateway path /app /app/* /telegram /telegram/* /scrabble.edge.v1.Gateway/*
+	@gateway path /app /app/* /telegram /telegram/* /vk /vk/* /scrabble.edge.v1.Gateway/*
 	handle @gateway {
 		reverse_proxy gateway:8081 {
 			header_up -X-Scrabble-Honeypot

deploy/docker-compose.bot.yml

@@ -23,9 +23,15 @@ services:
       TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN: ${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN:?set TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}
       TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID: ${TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID:-}
       TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID: ${TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID:-}
+      # Support relay: a private forum supergroup the bot relays direct user messages
+      # into (one topic per user). 0/unset disables it; the bot needs admin there with
+      # the manage-topics and delete-messages rights.
+      TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID: ${TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID:-}
+      TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR: /data
       TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN: ${TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN:-}
       TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME: ${TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME:-}
       TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK: ${TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK:-}
+      TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM: ${TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM:-}
       TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL: ${TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL:?set TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL}
       # Real Bot API in prod (the test contour pins TELEGRAM_TEST_ENV=true instead).
       TELEGRAM_TEST_ENV: "false"
@@ -46,8 +52,13 @@ services:
       GOMAXPROCS: "1"
     volumes:
       - ${SCRABBLE_CONFIG_DIR:-.}/certs:/certs:ro
+      # Support relay state (topic mapping, block list); survives redeploys.
+      - bot-state:/data
     deploy:
       resources:
         limits:
           cpus: "1.0"
           memory: 256M
+
+volumes:
+  bot-state:

deploy/docker-compose.yml

@@ -147,6 +147,10 @@ services:
       GATEWAY_BACKEND_GRPC_ADDR: backend:9090
       # Telegram auth validates against the home validator (plaintext, internal).
       GATEWAY_VALIDATOR_ADDR: validator:9091
+      # VK Mini App auth verifies the launch-parameter signature in-process under the VK
+      # app's protected key (a pure offline HMAC, no VK API round-trip). Empty disables
+      # the VK auth path (auth.vk is then unregistered).
+      GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET: ${GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET:-}
       # The reverse bot-link: the bot dials :9443 over mTLS; the backend admin relay
       # reaches the gateway at :9092 (plaintext, internal). In the test contour both
       # listeners stay on the internal network (the bot shares the VPN netns); in prod
@@ -292,6 +296,11 @@ services:
       # only restricts (mutes the ineligible) — and the bot must be an admin there with the
       # "Ban users" right; chat_member updates are delivered only to a chat admin.
       TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID: ${TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID:-}
+      # The private forum supergroup the bot relays direct user messages into (one topic
+      # per user) and reads operator replies from. Empty disables the support relay; when
+      # set the bot must be an admin there with the manage-topics and delete-messages rights.
+      TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID: ${TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID:-}
+      TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR: /data
       # The optional standalone promo bot (its own token) answering /start with a button
       # into the main bot's app. Empty disables it; when set it needs the main bot's
       # @username and the Mini App link (reused from the UI's VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK).
@@ -325,6 +334,8 @@ services:
       GOMAXPROCS: "1"
     volumes:
       - ${SCRABBLE_CONFIG_DIR:-.}/certs:/certs:ro
+      # Support relay state (topic mapping, block list); survives redeploys.
+      - bot-state:/data
     deploy:
       resources:
         limits:
@@ -496,3 +507,4 @@ volumes:
   prometheus-data:
   tempo-data:
   grafana-data:
+  bot-state:

docs/ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -42,7 +42,12 @@ Three executables plus per-platform side-services:
   users, a weighted fair rotation — §10),
   and a client **board-style** setting (bonus-label
   mode). The visual/interaction design system is documented in
-  [`UI_DESIGN.md`](UI_DESIGN.md).
+  [`UI_DESIGN.md`](UI_DESIGN.md). Inside the Telegram Mini App the client additionally
+  tracks Telegram's live theme switch (`themeChanged`), fits the full device safe-area
+  insets (the bottom/home-indicator strip taking the bottom bar's colour), exposes
+  Telegram's native **Settings** button into the in-app settings, and syncs the
+  device-independent display preferences (theme, reduce-motion, board labels — **not** the
+  interface language) across the user's Telegram devices via **CloudStorage**.
 - **`platform/telegram`** — the Telegram side-service (module
   `scrabble/platform/telegram`), split into two binaries that share the bot token
   (**one bot**, one optional game channel, §3):
@@ -144,15 +149,23 @@ arrive from a platform rather than completing a mandatory registration).
 
 - The gateway validates the originating credential **once** — Telegram `initData`
   (delegated to the **validator's** `ValidateInitData` RPC, which holds the bot token —
-  the HMAC secret — so it never reaches the gateway), an email-code login, or a guest
+  the HMAC secret — so it never reaches the gateway), a **VK Mini App** launch (verified
+  **in-process** by `gateway/internal/vkauth`: HMAC-SHA256 over the signed `vk_*` params
+  under the VK app's protected key `GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET`, base64url — a pure offline check,
+  as VK signing needs no API round-trip, so no side-service), an email-code login, or a guest
   bootstrap — then mints a **thin opaque server session token** (`session_id`). First
-  Telegram contact seeds the new account's language (from the launch `language_code`)
-  and display name (§4). The validator runs on the main host and never reaches the Bot
-  API, so login does not depend on Telegram or the remote bot being up (§10, §12).
+  Telegram/VK contact seeds the new account's language (Telegram's `language_code` / VK's
+  `vk_language`) and display name (§4; VK omits the name from the signed params, so the client
+  reads it via `VKWebAppGetUserInfo` as an unsigned, cosmetic seed). The validator runs on the
+  main host and never reaches the Bot API, so login does not depend on Telegram or the remote
+  bot being up (§10, §12). VK launch params carry no built-in expiry (unlike Telegram's
+  `auth_date`), so freshness is not enforced — the minted session is the short-lived credential,
+  and a replay only re-authenticates the same `vk_user_id`.
 - **Single bot.** The platform side-service runs **one bot** (one token + one optional
   game channel), split into a home **validator** and a remote **bot** that share the
   token. `ValidateInitData` (the validator) validates `initData` against that single
-  token and returns only the Telegram user identity — there is no per-bot "service
+  token, **rejects a bot user** (the signed `is_bot` flag), and returns only the Telegram
+  user identity — there is no per-bot "service
   language" and no supported-languages set on the wire. The bot's chat messages and
   out-of-app push are
   rendered in the recipient's **interface language** (`preferred_language`, en/ru), not in
@@ -204,7 +217,7 @@ arrive from a platform rather than completing a mandatory registration).
 > recipient's interface language (`preferred_language`), with no per-bot routing. New
 > Game variant gating moved off the login language onto a per-user profile setting
 > `variant_preferences` (default Erudit only, server-enforced on the caller's create
-> paths; an invited friend may still accept any variant). The per-bot env vars and
+> paths; an invited friend may still accept any variant, and a Telegram **promo deep-link** seeds extra variants — e.g. English Scrabble — onto a brand-new account via the validated `start_param`). The per-bot env vars and
 > `GATEWAY_DEFAULT_SUPPORTED_LANGUAGES` were removed; the wire dropped
 > `service_language`/`supported_languages` and the push `language` routing field, and
 > gained `variant_preferences` on Profile/UpdateProfile.
@@ -972,7 +985,7 @@ edits take effect on the next `profile.get` (open/reconnect/foreground), not mid
 | Concern | Enforced by |
 | --- | --- |
 | Public rate limiting / anti-abuse | gateway (per-IP public/email/admin classes, per-user authenticated class; a request body cap of `GATEWAY_MAX_BODY_BYTES`; rejections are metered, summarised to the backend and surfaced in the admin console with a conservative reversible auto-flag — §11). In prod a **temporary IP ban** (`GATEWAY_ABUSE_BAN_ENABLED`) blocks an IP that sustains rejections or trips a **honeypot** decoy path / **honeytoken**, refused with 429 before any work; operators lift bans from the console. Off in the shared-NAT test contour, where the client IP is not real (§11) |
-| Telegram initData validation (bot-token HMAC) | the Telegram **validator**; the gateway delegates it over gRPC, so the bot token (the HMAC secret) lives only in the validator and the bot, never in the gateway |
+| Telegram initData validation (bot-token HMAC) | the Telegram **validator**; the gateway delegates it over gRPC, so the bot token (the HMAC secret) lives only in the validator and the bot, never in the gateway. The validator also **rejects a bot principal** (the signed `is_bot` flag) before any account is provisioned |
 | Session minting; email-code / guest validation | gateway (with backend) |
 | Session → `user_id` resolution, `X-User-ID` injection | gateway |
 | Authorisation, ownership, state transitions | backend (`X-User-ID` is the sole identity input) |
@@ -1040,10 +1053,11 @@ a dedicated redeem sub-limit or a longer code is the hardening step if abuse app
 Single public origin, path-routed. The Vite build has two entries: a lightweight
 **landing page** and the game **SPA**. The gateway **embeds** the SPA build
 (`go:embed`, baked in by a node stage in `gateway/Dockerfile`) and serves it at
-`/app/` (web) and `/telegram/` (the Telegram Mini App; on that path without sign-in data
+`/app/` (web), `/telegram/` (the Telegram Mini App; on that path without sign-in data
 — no `initData` — the client renders a compact, shareable launch-diagnostic screen instead
-of redirecting away); a stray hit on the gateway's `/`
-308-redirects to `/app/`. The **landing** ships in its own static container: the
+of redirecting away) and `/vk/` (the VK Mini App; the client reads the signed `vk_*` launch
+parameters from the URL and the gateway verifies them in-process — §12); a stray hit on the
+gateway's `/` 308-redirects to `/app/`. The **landing** ships in its own static container: the
 `landing` target of `gateway/Dockerfile` (caddy:2-alpine + the same Vite build,
 `deploy/landing/Caddyfile`) serves it at `/`, so stray public traffic is absorbed by
 static file serving and never reaches the Go edge. Hash-named `/assets/*` are served
@@ -1052,7 +1066,7 @@ static file serving and never reaches the Go edge. Hash-named `/assets/*` are se
 in-compose **caddy** is the contour's edge: it owns a single `/_gm` Basic-Auth and
 routes `/_gm/grafana/*` to **Grafana** (anonymous-admin, so the one shared login gates
 it with no per-user Grafana accounts) and the rest of `/_gm/*` to the backend-rendered
-**admin console**; `/app/`, `/telegram/` and the Connect path go to the gateway; the
+**admin console**; `/app/`, `/telegram/`, `/vk/` and the Connect path go to the gateway; the
 catch-all — notably the landing at `/` — goes to the landing container. The
 **Telegram validator** runs as a separate container with **no public ingress**,
 answering only internal gRPC (HMAC, no Telegram egress). The **Telegram bot** holds
@@ -1200,3 +1214,27 @@ blocks **only** feedback submission (unlike a suspension, the whole-account bloc
 granted from the feedback section (the delete-with-block checkbox) and granted/revoked from the
 `/users` console card. Roles are validated against a known set in Go, so adding one needs no
 migration.
+
+**Telegram support relay.** Separate from the in-app Feedback above, the bot offers a direct
+support channel for users who message it on Telegram. Any message other than `/start` is relayed
+into a private **forum supergroup** (`TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID`): a user's first message opens a
+dedicated **forum topic** whose first message is an info card (the name is a tappable profile
+mention via a `text_mention` entity — which also keeps a name beginning with `/` from being read as
+a command — plus @username, language, premium, id) carrying a Block/Unblock toggle and a Clear
+button; every message is then
+copied into that topic (`copyMessage`, so any content — text, media, voice, files — carries over).
+Any **administrator** of the support chat who writes in a user's topic has their message copied
+back to that user; non-admins and the bot's own posts are ignored (the loop guard). Block drops the
+user's incoming messages (the topic stays); Clear deletes the relayed messages, keeping the info
+card; a topic the operators delete is reopened on the next message. State (user→topic map, block
+list, relayed message ids) is a small JSON file on a writable volume — the bot host has no database
+and cannot reach Postgres. The relay is **bot-local**: it touches neither the backend, the gateway,
+nor `feedback_messages`. The bot must be an administrator in the forum group with the manage-topics
+and delete-messages rights.
+
+> **Decision (2026-06-23) — bot-local support relay over forum topics.** The direct Telegram
+> support channel lives entirely in the bot (no backend, no bot-link command), because the bot host
+> has no database. One forum **topic per user** (not a reply-to-header thread) gives native per-user
+> separation and survives message deletion; the topic id, not a fragile header message, anchors the
+> mapping. Operators are the support chat's administrators (no separate owner id); messages relay
+> both ways with `copyMessage`. State persists as JSON on a dedicated volume.

docs/FUNCTIONAL.md

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ costs nothing when the rack has no legal move. The word-check accepts only the
 variant's alphabet, remembers answers within the session and rate-limits repeats.
 A public **landing page** at the site root introduces the game, switches language and
 theme, and links to the matching per-language Telegram channel; the game itself runs at
-`/app/` (web) and `/telegram/` (the Telegram Mini App). The landing's theme is ephemeral
+`/app/` (web), `/telegram/` (the Telegram Mini App) and `/vk/` (the VK Mini App). The landing's theme is ephemeral
 (it follows the system scheme, not the saved preference); its language choice is saved.
 
 ### Identity & sessions
@@ -30,10 +30,15 @@ A player arrives from a platform (Telegram first), via email login, or as an
 ephemeral guest. The gateway validates the credential once and mints a thin
 session token; the backend resolves it to an internal `user_id`. A **Telegram Mini
 App** launch authenticates from the platform's signed `initData`, themes the UI to
-the Telegram colours, and — on first contact — seeds the new account's interface
+the Telegram colours (re-theming live if you switch Telegram's light/dark mode) and fits
+the device safe-area, and — on first contact — seeds the new account's interface
 language from the Telegram client. If a launch cannot reach the backend (for example during a
 deployment), the Mini App retries quietly and then shows a small "couldn't load" screen with a
 **Retry** button, rather than dropping to the web sign-in, which has no place inside Telegram.
+A **VK Mini App** launch works the same way: it authenticates from VK's signed launch parameters
+(verified by the gateway), and on first contact seeds the new account's interface language from
+`vk_language` and its display name from the VK profile (read on the client, since VK does not put
+the name in the signed launch). The same quiet-retry "couldn't load" screen applies inside VK.
 Telegram runs a **single bot**: every player uses
 the same bot, and all of its chat and out-of-app notifications are written in the
 player's own **interface language** (en/ru). A separate optional **promo bot** can run alongside the
@@ -120,7 +125,7 @@ and any incidental perpendicular words are ignored and not scored — while on i
 standard Scrabble. English games are always standard and show no such toggle. In auto-match
 the choice joins the pairing key, so a player only meets opponents who picked the same rule. Friend games (2–4) are
 formed by inviting players from the friend list (an invitation, like a friend code,
-is shareable as a Telegram deep link that opens it directly): the inviter chooses the
+is shareable as a Telegram or VK deep link that opens it directly): the inviter chooses the
 settings and the game starts once every invitee has accepted — any decline cancels it, and an unanswered invitation
 expires after seven days.
 
@@ -249,12 +254,16 @@ is first created — so robot games are timed correctly before you ever open thi
 daily away window (on a 10-minute grid, at most 12 hours, wrapping midnight) and the
 block toggles. The profile form is edited inline (no separate edit mode). Linking
 an email or Telegram and merging accounts are covered under "Accounts, linking &
-merge".
+merge". Inside the Telegram Mini App, Telegram's own ⋮ menu also offers a **Settings**
+entry that opens this screen, and your display preferences (theme, board-label style and
+reduce-motion — not the interface language, which follows your account) sync across your
+Telegram devices.
 
 **Preferences (which variants you can be matched into).** A profile setting picks the game
 variants — Erudite, Russian Scrabble and English Scrabble, shown **Erudite-first** — you allow
-yourself to be matched into; a **new account starts with Erudite only**, and you must keep **at
-least one** selected. This list is exactly what **New Game** offers when you start a game
+yourself to be matched into; a **new account starts with Erudite only** — unless it was created
+through the **promo bot's deep link**, which also enables **English Scrabble** — and you must keep
+**at least one** selected. This list is exactly what **New Game** offers when you start a game
 (auto-match, an AI game, or a friend invitation you create) — a variant you have not enabled is
 not offered, and the server refuses it. It does not restrict games you are **invited** to: an
 invited friend may accept an invitation in **any** variant, and you can always open and play
@@ -272,6 +281,15 @@ marked read once the screen shows it and disappears a week later. A badge on the
 unanswered reply. Guests cannot send feedback (the entry is hidden). A player the operator has
 barred from feedback (a role, not a full account block) sees the send control disabled.
 
+### Telegram support chat
+A user can also reach the operators straight from the Telegram bot: anything they send the bot
+other than `/start` — text, a photo, a voice message, a file — is forwarded into the operators'
+private support group, grouped into a per-user thread. The user sees no automatic reply; an
+operator answers from that thread and the bot delivers the answer back as an ordinary bot message,
+so to the user it is a quiet one-to-one conversation. Operators can block a user (the bot then
+silently ignores their messages) or clear a thread's messages. This is independent of the in-app
+Feedback above — it serves people who write to the bot directly rather than through the app.
+
 ### History & statistics
 Finished games are archived in a dictionary-independent form and exportable to
 GCG; the export is offered **only once a game is finished**, and never for an

docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ top-1 подсказку, безлимитную проверку слова с
 и ограничивает частоту повторов.
 Публичная **посадочная страница** в корне сайта представляет игру, переключает язык и
 тему и ведёт в соответствующий по-язычный Telegram-канал; сама игра живёт по адресам
-`/app/` (веб) и `/telegram/` (Telegram Mini App). Тема на странице эфемерна (берётся из
+`/app/` (веб), `/telegram/` (Telegram Mini App) и `/vk/` (VK Mini App). Тема на странице эфемерна (берётся из
 системной настройки, а не из сохранённой), выбор языка сохраняется.
 
 ### Личность и сессии
@@ -31,11 +31,17 @@ top-1 подсказку, безлимитную проверку слова с
 эфемерный гость. Gateway один раз валидирует доступ и выдаёт тонкий
 session-токен; backend сопоставляет его с внутренним `user_id`. Запуск **Telegram
 Mini App** авторизует по подписанным `initData` платформы, перекрашивает интерфейс
-в цвета Telegram и — при первом контакте — задаёт язык интерфейса нового аккаунта по
+в цвета Telegram (перекрашиваясь вживую при смене светлой/тёмной темы Telegram) и
+вписывается в безопасные зоны экрана (safe-area), а — при первом контакте — задаёт язык
+интерфейса нового аккаунта по
 языку Telegram-клиента. Если запуск не может достучаться до бэкенда (например, во время
 деплоя), Mini App тихо повторяет попытки, а затем показывает небольшой экран «не удалось
 загрузить» с кнопкой **Повторить**, вместо того чтобы сбрасывать на веб-вход, которому внутри
-Telegram не место. Telegram держит **единого бота**: все игроки пользуются одним
+Telegram не место. Запуск **VK Mini App** работает так же: авторизует по подписанным
+launch-параметрам VK (их проверяет gateway), и при первом контакте задаёт язык интерфейса
+нового аккаунта по `vk_language`, а отображаемое имя — по профилю VK (читается на клиенте,
+так как VK не кладёт имя в подписанный запуск). Тот же экран тихого повтора «не удалось
+загрузить» действует и внутри VK. Telegram держит **единого бота**: все игроки пользуются одним
 и тем же ботом, а весь его чат и внеприложенческие уведомления пишутся на **языке
 интерфейса** самого игрока (en/ru). Рядом с основным может работать отдельный опциональный
 **промо-бот** — его единственная задача отвечать на `/start` коротким сообщением и кнопкой,
@@ -125,7 +131,7 @@ _Вход сейчас только через провайдера, поэто
 показывают. В авто-подборе выбор входит в ключ подбора, поэтому игрок сводится только с теми,
 кто выбрал то же правило. Игры с друзьями (2–4)
 формируются приглашением игроков из списка друзей (приглашение, как и код друга,
-можно отправить deep-link'ом в Telegram, который откроет его сразу): инициатор
+можно отправить deep-link'ом в Telegram или VK, который откроет его сразу): инициатор
 выбирает настройки, и партия стартует, когда приняли все приглашённые — любой отказ отменяет приглашение, а без
 ответа приглашение протухает через семь дней.
 
@@ -255,12 +261,17 @@ UTC; при создании аккаунта она подставляется
 игры с роботом таймились правильно ещё до открытия этой формы), суточного окна отсутствия
 (away; сетка по 10 минут, не более 12 часов, с переходом через полночь) и переключателей блокировок. Форма профиля редактируется
 сразу (без отдельного режима редактирования). Привязка email и Telegram, а также
-слияние аккаунтов вынесены в раздел «Аккаунты, привязка и слияние».
+слияние аккаунтов вынесены в раздел «Аккаунты, привязка и слияние». Внутри Telegram
+Mini App пункт **Settings** в системном меню «⋮» Telegram также открывает этот экран, а
+ваши настройки отображения (тема, стиль подписей клеток и reduce-motion — кроме языка
+интерфейса, который следует за аккаунтом) синхронизируются между вашими устройствами в
+Telegram.
 
 **Предпочтения (в какие варианты тебя можно подбирать).** Настройка профиля задаёт варианты
 игры — Эрудит, русский Scrabble и английский Scrabble, показанные **сначала Эрудит**, — в
-которые ты разрешаешь себя подбирать; **новый аккаунт стартует только с Эрудитом**, и нужно
-оставить выбранным **хотя бы один**. Именно этот список предлагает **Новая игра**, когда ты
+которые ты разрешаешь себя подбирать; **новый аккаунт стартует только с Эрудитом** — если только
+он не создан по **диплинку промо-бота**, который дополнительно включает **английский Scrabble**, —
+и нужно оставить выбранным **хотя бы один**. Именно этот список предлагает **Новая игра**, когда ты
 запускаешь партию (авто-подбор, игра с ИИ или приглашение друга, которое ты создаёшь), — не
 включённый вариант не предлагается, и сервер его отклоняет. На партии, в которые тебя
 **приглашают**, это не влияет: приглашённый друг может принять приглашение в **любом** варианте,
@@ -278,6 +289,15 @@ UTC; при создании аккаунта она подставляется
 ответе. Гость отправлять обратную связь не может (пункт скрыт). Игрок, которому оператор запретил
 обратную связь (роль, а не полная блокировка аккаунта), видит кнопку отправки недоступной.
 
+### Чат поддержки в Telegram
+С операторами можно поговорить и прямо из Telegram-бота: всё, что пользователь присылает боту,
+кроме `/start` — текст, фото, голосовое, файл, — пересылается в закрытую группу поддержки операторов
+и собирается в отдельную ветку на пользователя. Пользователь не получает автоответа; оператор
+отвечает из этой ветки, и бот доставляет ответ обратно обычным сообщением — для пользователя это
+тихий диалог один на один. Операторы могут заблокировать пользователя (тогда бот молча игнорирует
+его сообщения) или очистить сообщения ветки. Это независимо от встроенной «Обратной связи» выше —
+канал для тех, кто пишет боту напрямую, а не через приложение.
+
 ### История и статистика
 Завершённые партии архивируются в независимом от словаря виде и экспортируются
 в GCG; экспорт доступен **только после завершения партии** и никогда — для

docs/UI_DESIGN.md

@@ -97,14 +97,16 @@ dismisses as soon as the lobby is ready. The pure layout and timing live in `lib
   which leaks into the Telegram Desktop webview and otherwise fights it) and the Settings
   theme switcher is hidden; the nav bar takes Telegram's background and `setHeaderColor` /
   `setBackgroundColor` / `setBottomBarColor` paint Telegram's own chrome to match; the
-  native header **BackButton** drives back-navigation (the app's chevron is hidden in
-  Telegram); **HapticFeedback** fires on tile placement / commit / error; on **mobile**
-  clients the app enters **immersive fullscreen** on launch (`requestFullscreen`, Bot API
-  8.0+) like Telegram's own Mini Apps, while desktop keeps the bot's full-size window;
-  **closing confirmation** is enabled while a game is open **on mobile only** (on desktop
-  closing is deliberate and the "changes may not be saved" dialog is just noise — move drafts
-  auto-save); **vertical swipes** (swipe-to-minimise)
-  are disabled so they don't fight tile drag or the board scroll; **external links** (the word-check
+  app's **own back chevron** (Header) drives back-navigation on every platform — the native
+  Telegram BackButton is not used, as it does not render reliably in the windowed Mini App;
+  **HapticFeedback** fires on tile placement / commit / error; the app calls `expand()` for the
+  bot's full-size (max-height) window but **never `requestFullscreen`** — immersive fullscreen hid
+  the native header (and its BackButton) and the Android system swipe-back then minimised the app,
+  so it stays windowed with Telegram's thin native header (close) above the app's own header; move
+  drafts auto-save, so there is **no closing-confirmation guard**; a hidden **debug panel** (ten
+  quick taps on the header title) shows and shares a privacy-safe client diagnostic snapshot for
+  support; **vertical swipes** (swipe-to-minimise) are disabled so they don't fight tile drag or
+  the board scroll; **external links** (the word-check
   dictionary lookup, the rules link, operator-reply links) open through `Telegram.WebApp.openLink`
   so Telegram shows them in its in-app browser instead of the WebView's "open this link?"
   confirmation a plain `target=_blank` triggers; and a live stream dropped

gateway/README.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ thin opaque session, rate-limits, injects `X-User-ID` when forwarding to the
 backend over REST/JSON, and bridges the backend's gRPC push stream to each
 client's in-app live channel. It **embeds the static UI build** (`go:embed`, baked
 in by the gateway image's node stage) and serves a **landing page** at `/` and the game
-**SPA** at `/app/` (web) and `/telegram/` (the Mini App) — the single-origin model.
+**SPA** at `/app/` (web), `/telegram/` (the Telegram Mini App) and `/vk/` (the VK Mini App) — the single-origin model.
 Hash-named `/assets/*` are served `immutable`; the HTML shells are `no-cache`. It can also serve the
 backend's admin console at `/_gm` behind HTTP Basic-Auth for a local non-caddy run;
 in the deployed contour the front caddy owns `/_gm` (see
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ internal/push/          # live-event fan-out hub (per-user client streams)
 internal/transcode/     # FlatBuffers<->REST bridge + message_type registry
 internal/connectsrv/    # the Connect Gateway service over h2c (+ the in-memory active_users gauge)
 internal/admin/         # Basic-Auth reverse proxy mounting the backend admin console at /_gm (verbatim)
-internal/webui/         # embedded UI build (go:embed dist): landing at /, SPA at /app/ + /telegram/
+internal/webui/         # embedded UI build (go:embed dist): landing at /, SPA at /app/ + /telegram/ + /vk/
 ```
 
 The FlatBuffers payloads and the backend push proto are the shared wire
@@ -54,7 +54,14 @@ them down the same link and awaits the bot's ack (ARCHITECTURE.md §10/§12). Wh
 `GATEWAY_VALIDATOR_ADDR` is unset Telegram auth is disabled; when `GATEWAY_BOTLINK_ADDR`
 is unset the bot channel (out-of-app push + admin relay) is disabled.
 
-The message-type catalog: `auth.telegram`, `auth.guest`,
+`auth.vk` validates a VK Mini App launch **in-process** (`internal/vkauth`): it verifies the
+signed `vk_*` launch parameters against the VK app's protected key (`GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET`) —
+HMAC-SHA256 over the sorted params, base64url — a pure offline check with no side-service or VK API
+round-trip, then forwards the trusted `vk_user_id` (and the client-read display name, which VK omits
+from the signed params) to the backend. When `GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET` is unset VK auth is disabled
+(`auth.vk` is unregistered).
+
+The message-type catalog: `auth.telegram`, `auth.vk`, `auth.guest`,
 `auth.email.request`, `auth.email.login`, `profile.get`, `game.submit_play`,
 `game.state`, `lobby.enqueue`, `lobby.poll`, `chat.post`, `chat.read` and the play-loop ops;
 live events
@@ -81,6 +88,7 @@ validator (`ValidateLoginWidget`) and forward the trusted `external_id`. These
 | `GATEWAY_BACKEND_TIMEOUT` | `5s` | per backend REST call |
 | `GATEWAY_ADMIN_USER` / `GATEWAY_ADMIN_PASSWORD` | unset | enable + guard the admin console at `/_gm` |
 | `GATEWAY_VALIDATOR_ADDR` | unset | Telegram validator gRPC address (enables initData / Login Widget validation) |
+| `GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET` | unset | VK app protected key; enables in-process VK Mini App launch-signature verification (`auth.vk`) |
 | `GATEWAY_BOTLINK_ADDR` | unset | reverse mTLS bot-link listener the remote bot dials (enables out-of-app push + admin relay) |
 | `GATEWAY_BOTLINK_RELAY_ADDR` | unset | plaintext internal listener serving the backend admin `SendToUser`/`SendToGameChannel` relay |
 | `GATEWAY_BOTLINK_TLS_CERT` / `_KEY` / `_CA` | unset | gateway server cert, its key, and the CA that signs accepted bot client certs (required when `GATEWAY_BOTLINK_ADDR` is set) |

gateway/cmd/gateway/main.go

@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.Config, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 		logger.Info("admin console disabled (set GATEWAY_ADMIN_USER and GATEWAY_ADMIN_PASSWORD)")
 	}
 
-	registry := transcode.NewRegistry(backend, validator)
+	registry := transcode.NewRegistry(backend, validator, transcode.WithVKAuth(cfg.VKAppSecret))
 	edge := connectsrv.NewServer(connectsrv.Deps{
 		Registry:     registry,
 		Sessions:     sessions,

gateway/internal/backendclient/api.go

@@ -184,10 +184,10 @@ type ChatResp struct {
 }
 
 // TelegramAuth provisions/finds the Telegram account and mints a session, seeding a
-// brand-new account's display name and language from the validated launch fields and
-// its time zone from browserTz (the client's detected "±HH:MM" UTC offset; first
-// contact only).
-func (c *Client) TelegramAuth(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode, username, firstName, browserTz string) (SessionResp, error) {
+// brand-new account's display name and language from the validated launch fields, its
+// time zone from browserTz (the client's detected "±HH:MM" UTC offset) and, from the
+// validated launch deep-link startParam, its variant preferences (first contact only).
+func (c *Client) TelegramAuth(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode, username, firstName, browserTz, startParam string) (SessionResp, error) {
 	var out SessionResp
 	err := c.do(ctx, http.MethodPost, "/api/v1/internal/sessions/telegram", "", "",
 		map[string]string{
@@ -196,6 +196,24 @@ func (c *Client) TelegramAuth(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode, use
 			"username":      username,
 			"first_name":    firstName,
 			"browser_tz":    browserTz,
+			"start_param":   startParam,
+		}, &out)
+	return out, err
+}
+
+// VKAuth provisions/finds the VK account and mints a session, seeding a brand-new
+// account's preferred language from languageCode (the vk_language hint), its display
+// name from displayName (read client-side via VKWebAppGetUserInfo, since VK omits the
+// name from the signed launch params) and its time zone from browserTz (the client's
+// detected "±HH:MM" UTC offset). All seeds apply on first contact only.
+func (c *Client) VKAuth(ctx context.Context, externalID, languageCode, displayName, browserTz string) (SessionResp, error) {
+	var out SessionResp
+	err := c.do(ctx, http.MethodPost, "/api/v1/internal/sessions/vk", "", "",
+		map[string]string{
+			"external_id":   externalID,
+			"language_code": languageCode,
+			"display_name":  displayName,
+			"browser_tz":    browserTz,
 		}, &out)
 	return out, err
 }

gateway/internal/config/config.go

@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ type Config struct {
 	// plaintext, internal). The gateway calls it to validate Mini App initData and
 	// Login Widget data. Empty disables the telegram auth path.
 	ValidatorAddr string
+	// VKAppSecret is the VK Mini App protected ("secure") key. The gateway verifies the
+	// VK launch-parameter signature in-process under it (a pure offline HMAC, no VK API
+	// round-trip). Empty disables the VK auth path (auth.vk is then unregistered).
+	VKAppSecret string
 	// BotLink configures the reverse mTLS channel to the remote Telegram bot. An
 	// empty BotLink.Addr disables the bot channel (out-of-app push and admin relay).
 	BotLink BotLinkConfig
@@ -169,6 +173,7 @@ func Load() (Config, error) {
 		AdminUser:       os.Getenv("GATEWAY_ADMIN_USER"),
 		AdminPassword:   os.Getenv("GATEWAY_ADMIN_PASSWORD"),
 		ValidatorAddr:   os.Getenv("GATEWAY_VALIDATOR_ADDR"),
+		VKAppSecret:     os.Getenv("GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET"),
 		SessionCacheMax: defaultSessionCacheMax,
 		RateLimit:       DefaultRateLimit(),
 		Abuse:           DefaultAbuse(),

gateway/internal/connectsrv/server.go

@@ -183,14 +183,15 @@ func (s *Server) HTTPHandler() http.Handler {
 		// does not serve the app shell at the operator path.
 		mux.Handle("/_gm/", http.NotFoundHandler())
 	}
-	// The embedded UI: the game SPA under /app/ (web) and /telegram/ (the Telegram
-	// Mini App) — the single-origin model (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §13). Both sit below
-	// the h2c wrap so the Connect edge (a more specific prefix) keeps priority, and
-	// each mount falls back to the app shell (index.html) for the hash router. The
-	// public landing lives in its own static container behind the contour caddy,
-	// so the catch-all redirects a stray root hit to the app shell — which
-	// keeps a local no-caddy run usable.
+	// The embedded UI: the game SPA under /app/ (web), /telegram/ (the Telegram Mini
+	// App) and /vk/ (the VK Mini App) — the single-origin model (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
+	// §13). All sit below the h2c wrap so the Connect edge (a more specific prefix) keeps
+	// priority, and each mount falls back to the app shell (index.html) for the hash
+	// router. The public landing lives in its own static container behind the contour
+	// caddy, so the catch-all redirects a stray root hit to the app shell — which keeps a
+	// local no-caddy run usable.
 	mux.Handle("/telegram/", webui.Handler("/telegram/", "index.html"))
+	mux.Handle("/vk/", webui.Handler("/vk/", "index.html"))
 	mux.Handle("/app/", webui.Handler("/app/", "index.html"))
 	mux.Handle("/", http.RedirectHandler("/app/", http.StatusPermanentRedirect))
 	// abuseGuard is the outermost wrap (right under h2c) so a banned IP or a

gateway/internal/transcode/transcode.go

@@ -9,15 +9,18 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
+	"net/url"
 
 	"scrabble/gateway/internal/backendclient"
 	"scrabble/gateway/internal/connector"
+	"scrabble/gateway/internal/vkauth"
 	fb "scrabble/pkg/fbs/scrabblefb"
 )
 
 // Message types in the vertical slice.
 const (
 	MsgAuthTelegram   = "auth.telegram"
+	MsgAuthVK         = "auth.vk"
 	MsgAuthGuest      = "auth.guest"
 	MsgAuthEmailReq   = "auth.email.request"
 	MsgAuthEmailLogin = "auth.email.login"
@@ -88,8 +91,9 @@ type TelegramValidator interface {
 
 // NewRegistry builds the slice's message-type catalog over the backend client.
 // The Telegram auth op is registered only when a validator is supplied (the
-// connector is configured); otherwise auth.telegram is simply unknown.
-func NewRegistry(backend *backendclient.Client, tg TelegramValidator) *Registry {
+// connector is configured); otherwise auth.telegram is simply unknown. Optional ops
+// (e.g. WithVKAuth) are applied last from opts.
+func NewRegistry(backend *backendclient.Client, tg TelegramValidator, opts ...Option) *Registry {
 	r := &Registry{ops: make(map[string]Op)}
 	if tg != nil {
 		r.ops[MsgAuthTelegram] = Op{Handler: authTelegramHandler(backend, tg)}
@@ -125,9 +129,27 @@ func NewRegistry(backend *backendclient.Client, tg TelegramValidator) *Registry
 	r.ops[MsgFeedbackUnread] = Op{Handler: feedbackUnreadHandler(backend), Auth: true}
 	registerSocialOps(r, backend)
 	registerLinkOps(r, backend, tg)
+	for _, opt := range opts {
+		opt(r, backend)
+	}
 	return r
 }
 
+// Option configures an optional registry operation at construction. It is kept out of
+// NewRegistry's positional signature so existing call sites stay unaffected.
+type Option func(r *Registry, backend *backendclient.Client)
+
+// WithVKAuth registers the VK Mini App auth op (auth.vk), which verifies launch params
+// in-process under the VK app secret. A blank secret leaves auth.vk unregistered, so
+// the op is simply unknown wherever VK is not configured.
+func WithVKAuth(secret string) Option {
+	return func(r *Registry, backend *backendclient.Client) {
+		if secret != "" {
+			r.ops[MsgAuthVK] = Op{Handler: authVKHandler(backend, secret)}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // Lookup returns the operation for messageType, and whether it is registered.
 func (r *Registry) Lookup(messageType string) (Op, bool) {
 	op, ok := r.ops[messageType]
@@ -145,6 +167,9 @@ func DomainCode(err error) (string, bool) {
 	if errors.Is(err, connector.ErrInvalidInitData) {
 		return "invalid_init_data", true
 	}
+	if errors.Is(err, vkauth.ErrInvalid) {
+		return "invalid_vk_params", true
+	}
 	if errors.Is(err, connector.ErrInvalidLoginWidget) {
 		return "invalid_login_widget", true
 	}
@@ -154,11 +179,38 @@ func DomainCode(err error) (string, bool) {
 func authTelegramHandler(backend *backendclient.Client, tg TelegramValidator) Handler {
 	return func(ctx context.Context, req Request) ([]byte, error) {
 		in := fb.GetRootAsTelegramLoginRequest(req.Payload, 0)
-		user, err := tg.ValidateInitData(ctx, string(in.InitData()))
+		initData := string(in.InitData())
+		user, err := tg.ValidateInitData(ctx, initData)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		sess, err := backend.TelegramAuth(ctx, user.ExternalID, user.LanguageCode, user.Username, user.FirstName, string(in.BrowserTz()))
+		// start_param rides inside the signed initData validated just above, so the launch
+		// deep-link payload can be trusted here without a separate wire field; the backend
+		// uses it to seed a brand-new account's variant preferences.
+		startParam := ""
+		if q, perr := url.ParseQuery(initData); perr == nil {
+			startParam = q.Get("start_param")
+		}
+		sess, err := backend.TelegramAuth(ctx, user.ExternalID, user.LanguageCode, user.Username, user.FirstName, string(in.BrowserTz()), startParam)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return encodeSession(sess), nil
+	}
+}
+
+// authVKHandler verifies a VK Mini App launch in-process (HMAC over the signed vk_*
+// params under the app secret) and provisions/finds the bound account. Unlike Telegram,
+// VK omits the user's name from the signed params, so the client-supplied display_name
+// rides the wire as a cosmetic seed for a brand-new account.
+func authVKHandler(backend *backendclient.Client, secret string) Handler {
+	return func(ctx context.Context, req Request) ([]byte, error) {
+		in := fb.GetRootAsVKLoginRequest(req.Payload, 0)
+		user, err := vkauth.Verify(string(in.Params()), secret)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		sess, err := backend.VKAuth(ctx, user.ExternalID, user.Language, string(in.DisplayName()), string(in.BrowserTz()))
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}

gateway/internal/transcode/transcode_telegram_test.go

@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func TestTelegramAuthForwardsSeedFields(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("auth.telegram not registered")
 	}
 
-	payload, err := op.Handler(context.Background(), transcode.Request{Payload: telegramLoginPayload("init")})
+	payload, err := op.Handler(context.Background(), transcode.Request{Payload: telegramLoginPayload("start_param=verudit_ru-scrabble_en&query_id=abc")})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("handler: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ func TestTelegramAuthForwardsSeedFields(t *testing.T) {
 	if gotBody["external_id"] != "42" || gotBody["language_code"] != "ru" || gotBody["first_name"] != "Иван" {
 		t.Errorf("forwarded body = %+v, want external_id=42 language_code=ru first_name=Иван", gotBody)
 	}
+	// start_param is parsed out of the validated initData and forwarded so the backend can
+	// seed the new account's variant preferences from a promo deep link.
+	if gotBody["start_param"] != "verudit_ru-scrabble_en" {
+		t.Errorf("forwarded start_param = %q, want verudit_ru-scrabble_en", gotBody["start_param"])
+	}
 }
 
 func TestTelegramAuthInvalidInitData(t *testing.T) {

gateway/internal/transcode/transcode_vk_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+package transcode_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
+	"testing"
+
+	flatbuffers "github.com/google/flatbuffers/go"
+
+	"scrabble/gateway/internal/transcode"
+	fb "scrabble/pkg/fbs/scrabblefb"
+)
+
+const (
+	vkTestSecret = "wv527nm6mvf3rgomfhd6"
+	// vkGoldenSign is the base64url HMAC-SHA256 of the unsigned params below under
+	// vkTestSecret, computed independently (a Python reference) — so a green test
+	// exercises VK's real algorithm end to end, not a self-consistent fake.
+	vkGoldenSign = "x7RUe9sKN05Bigm-pBIl8gLmfMwZCloPrwZaZEQAdOA"
+)
+
+// vkParams is the canonical VK launch-parameter set (without the sign) that
+// vkGoldenSign covers.
+func vkParams() url.Values {
+	return url.Values{
+		"vk_access_token_settings":     {""},
+		"vk_app_id":                    {"6736218"},
+		"vk_are_notifications_enabled": {"0"},
+		"vk_is_app_user":               {"1"},
+		"vk_is_favorite":               {"0"},
+		"vk_language":                  {"ru"},
+		"vk_platform":                  {"android"},
+		"vk_ref":                       {"other"},
+		"vk_ts":                        {"1546961916"},
+		"vk_user_id":                   {"494075"},
+	}
+}
+
+func vkLoginPayload(params, browserTz, displayName string) []byte {
+	b := flatbuffers.NewBuilder(0)
+	p := b.CreateString(params)
+	tz := b.CreateString(browserTz)
+	dn := b.CreateString(displayName)
+	fb.VKLoginRequestStart(b)
+	fb.VKLoginRequestAddParams(b, p)
+	fb.VKLoginRequestAddBrowserTz(b, tz)
+	fb.VKLoginRequestAddDisplayName(b, dn)
+	b.Finish(fb.VKLoginRequestEnd(b))
+	return b.FinishedBytes()
+}
+
+func TestVKAuthForwardsSeedFields(t *testing.T) {
+	var gotBody map[string]string
+	backend, cleanup := fakeBackend(t, func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.URL.Path != "/api/v1/internal/sessions/vk" {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected path %q", r.URL.Path)
+		}
+		_ = json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&gotBody)
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"token":"tok-vk","user_id":"u-vk","is_guest":false,"display_name":"Иван"}`))
+	})
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	reg := transcode.NewRegistry(backend, nil, transcode.WithVKAuth(vkTestSecret))
+	op, ok := reg.Lookup(transcode.MsgAuthVK)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("auth.vk not registered")
+	}
+
+	signed := vkParams()
+	signed.Set("sign", vkGoldenSign)
+	payload, err := op.Handler(context.Background(), transcode.Request{Payload: vkLoginPayload(signed.Encode(), "+03:00", "Иван Петров")})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("handler: %v", err)
+	}
+	sess := fb.GetRootAsSession(payload, 0)
+	if string(sess.Token()) != "tok-vk" || string(sess.UserId()) != "u-vk" {
+		t.Fatalf("session decoded wrong: token=%q user=%q", sess.Token(), sess.UserId())
+	}
+	// The verified vk_user_id and vk_language plus the client-supplied display name are
+	// forwarded so the backend can seed a brand-new account.
+	if gotBody["external_id"] != "494075" || gotBody["language_code"] != "ru" || gotBody["display_name"] != "Иван Петров" {
+		t.Errorf("forwarded body = %+v, want external_id=494075 language_code=ru display_name=Иван Петров", gotBody)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestVKAuthInvalidSign confirms a bad signature is a domain failure (invalid_vk_params)
+// and the backend is never called.
+func TestVKAuthInvalidSign(t *testing.T) {
+	backend, cleanup := fakeBackend(t, func(http.ResponseWriter, *http.Request) {
+		t.Error("backend must not be called when the sign is invalid")
+	})
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	reg := transcode.NewRegistry(backend, nil, transcode.WithVKAuth(vkTestSecret))
+	op, _ := reg.Lookup(transcode.MsgAuthVK)
+
+	tampered := vkParams()
+	tampered.Set("sign", "deadbeef")
+	_, err := op.Handler(context.Background(), transcode.Request{Payload: vkLoginPayload(tampered.Encode(), "", "")})
+	if code, ok := transcode.DomainCode(err); !ok || code != "invalid_vk_params" {
+		t.Errorf("DomainCode = (%q, %v), want (invalid_vk_params, true)", code, ok)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestVKAuthDisabledWithoutSecret confirms a blank VK app secret leaves auth.vk
+// unregistered.
+func TestVKAuthDisabledWithoutSecret(t *testing.T) {
+	backend, cleanup := fakeBackend(t, func(http.ResponseWriter, *http.Request) {})
+	defer cleanup()
+	reg := transcode.NewRegistry(backend, nil)
+	if _, ok := reg.Lookup(transcode.MsgAuthVK); ok {
+		t.Error("auth.vk should be unregistered without a VK app secret")
+	}
+}

gateway/internal/vkauth/vkauth.go

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+// Package vkauth verifies VK Mini App launch parameters in-process. VK signs the
+// launch query string with the app's protected ("secure") key; the gateway holds that
+// secret (GATEWAY_VK_APP_SECRET) and validates the `sign` itself rather than calling a
+// side-service, because the check is a pure offline HMAC with no VK API round-trip
+// (unlike the Telegram validator, which lives in a separate process to isolate the bot
+// token). See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §12.
+package vkauth
+
+import (
+	"crypto/hmac"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"crypto/subtle"
+	"encoding/base64"
+	"errors"
+	"net/url"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// ErrInvalid is returned when launch params fail signature verification, are
+// malformed, carry no signed vk_* parameters, or lack the vk_user_id.
+var ErrInvalid = errors.New("vkauth: invalid vk launch params")
+
+// Identity is the user extracted from verified VK launch params. ExternalID is the
+// vk_user_id used as the identities external_id; Language is the vk_language hint that
+// seeds a brand-new account's preferred language.
+type Identity struct {
+	ExternalID string
+	Language   string
+}
+
+// Verify checks the `sign` of a VK Mini App launch query string against secret and
+// returns the launching user's identity. Per VK's documented algorithm the signature
+// is HMAC-SHA256 over the vk_*-prefixed parameters — sorted by key and serialized as a
+// URL-encoded query string (url.Values.Encode mirrors VK's reference serialization for
+// the constrained launch-parameter charset) — under the app secret, then base64url
+// without padding; the comparison is constant-time.
+//
+// VK launch params carry no built-in expiry (unlike Telegram's auth_date), so freshness
+// is deliberately not enforced here: the gateway mints its own short-lived session, and
+// a replay only re-authenticates the same vk_user_id.
+func Verify(params, secret string) (Identity, error) {
+	values, err := url.ParseQuery(params)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Identity{}, ErrInvalid
+	}
+	sign := values.Get("sign")
+	if sign == "" {
+		return Identity{}, ErrInvalid
+	}
+	// Only vk_*-prefixed parameters are signed; any other query parameter the client
+	// appended is outside the signature and must be excluded from the check.
+	signed := url.Values{}
+	for k, v := range values {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(k, "vk_") {
+			signed[k] = v
+		}
+	}
+	if len(signed) == 0 {
+		return Identity{}, ErrInvalid
+	}
+	mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, []byte(secret))
+	mac.Write([]byte(signed.Encode()))
+	want := base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString(mac.Sum(nil))
+	if subtle.ConstantTimeCompare([]byte(want), []byte(sign)) != 1 {
+		return Identity{}, ErrInvalid
+	}
+	externalID := values.Get("vk_user_id")
+	if externalID == "" {
+		return Identity{}, ErrInvalid
+	}
+	return Identity{ExternalID: externalID, Language: values.Get("vk_language")}, nil
+}

gateway/internal/vkauth/vkauth_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+package vkauth_test
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"net/url"
+	"testing"
+
+	"scrabble/gateway/internal/vkauth"
+)
+
+const (
+	testSecret = "wv527nm6mvf3rgomfhd6"
+	// goldenSign is HMAC-SHA256(sorted vk_* query, testSecret) base64url without
+	// padding, computed independently from a Python reference over goldenParams — so a
+	// green test proves Verify matches VK's documented algorithm, not merely itself.
+	goldenSign = "x7RUe9sKN05Bigm-pBIl8gLmfMwZCloPrwZaZEQAdOA"
+)
+
+// goldenParams is the canonical VK launch-parameter set the golden signature covers
+// (a representative real launch, including the empty vk_access_token_settings).
+func goldenParams() url.Values {
+	return url.Values{
+		"vk_access_token_settings":     {""},
+		"vk_app_id":                    {"6736218"},
+		"vk_are_notifications_enabled": {"0"},
+		"vk_is_app_user":               {"1"},
+		"vk_is_favorite":               {"0"},
+		"vk_language":                  {"ru"},
+		"vk_platform":                  {"android"},
+		"vk_ref":                       {"other"},
+		"vk_ts":                        {"1546961916"},
+		"vk_user_id":                   {"494075"},
+	}
+}
+
+func signedParams() url.Values {
+	p := goldenParams()
+	p.Set("sign", goldenSign)
+	return p
+}
+
+func TestVerifyValid(t *testing.T) {
+	id, err := vkauth.Verify(signedParams().Encode(), testSecret)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Verify: unexpected error %v", err)
+	}
+	if id.ExternalID != "494075" || id.Language != "ru" {
+		t.Fatalf("identity = %+v, want ExternalID=494075 Language=ru", id)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestVerifyCommaValue locks the URL-encoding of the one realistic special-char VK
+// value: vk_access_token_settings can carry a comma (e.g. "email,phone"), which VK's
+// signer and our url.Values.Encode both escape to %2C. The golden sign was computed
+// independently (Node crypto) over these params under testSecret — so a green test
+// proves Go's encoding matches VK's for that character.
+func TestVerifyCommaValue(t *testing.T) {
+	p := url.Values{
+		"vk_access_token_settings": {"email,phone"},
+		"vk_app_id":                {"6736218"},
+		"vk_language":              {"ru"},
+		"vk_platform":              {"mobile_web"},
+		"vk_ts":                    {"1546961916"},
+		"vk_user_id":               {"494075"},
+		"sign":                     {"6g9FKCAfHfT-fBUdBAcJ5QK1xUm-vKMvGZrQ63aPgnQ"},
+	}
+	id, err := vkauth.Verify(p.Encode(), testSecret)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Verify: unexpected error %v", err)
+	}
+	if id.ExternalID != "494075" {
+		t.Fatalf("ExternalID = %q, want 494075", id.ExternalID)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestVerifyIgnoresForeignParams asserts a non-vk_ query parameter the client may
+// append (e.g. a tracking tag) is outside the signed set and does not break the check.
+func TestVerifyIgnoresForeignParams(t *testing.T) {
+	id, err := vkauth.Verify(signedParams().Encode()+"&utm_source=catalog", testSecret)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Verify: unexpected error %v", err)
+	}
+	if id.ExternalID != "494075" {
+		t.Fatalf("ExternalID = %q, want 494075", id.ExternalID)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestVerifyRejects(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		raw    string
+		secret string
+	}{
+		{name: "tampered param", secret: testSecret, raw: func() string {
+			p := signedParams()
+			p.Set("vk_user_id", "1") // user id changed; the golden sign no longer matches
+			return p.Encode()
+		}()},
+		{name: "wrong secret", secret: "not-the-secret", raw: signedParams().Encode()},
+		{name: "missing sign", secret: testSecret, raw: goldenParams().Encode()},
+		{name: "no vk params", secret: testSecret, raw: url.Values{"sign": {goldenSign}, "foo": {"bar"}}.Encode()},
+		{name: "malformed query", secret: testSecret, raw: "%zz=bad"},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if _, err := vkauth.Verify(tt.raw, tt.secret); !errors.Is(err, vkauth.ErrInvalid) {
+				t.Fatalf("Verify error = %v, want ErrInvalid", err)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

pkg/fbs/scrabble.fbs

@@ -108,6 +108,20 @@ table TelegramLoginRequest {
   browser_tz:string;
 }
 
+// VKLoginRequest carries a VK Mini App launch. params is the raw query string of the
+// signed vk_* launch parameters plus the sign, which the gateway verifies in-process
+// (HMAC-SHA256 over the sorted vk_* params under the app secret, base64url) before
+// forwarding the extracted vk_user_id to the backend. display_name is the player's
+// name read client-side via VKWebAppGetUserInfo — VK omits it from the signed params,
+// so it is an untrusted, cosmetic seed for a brand-new account's display name.
+// browser_tz is the client's detected UTC offset ("±HH:MM"), seeded into a brand-new
+// account's time zone (see TelegramLoginRequest.browser_tz; first contact only).
+table VKLoginRequest {
+  params:string;
+  browser_tz:string;
+  display_name:string;
+}
+
 // GuestLoginRequest bootstraps an ephemeral guest session. locale is an optional
 // preferred-language hint; browser_tz is the detected UTC offset seeded into the
 // guest account's time zone (see TelegramLoginRequest.browser_tz).

pkg/fbs/scrabblefb/VKLoginRequest.go

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+// Code generated by the FlatBuffers compiler. DO NOT EDIT.
+
+package scrabblefb
+
+import (
+	flatbuffers "github.com/google/flatbuffers/go"
+)
+
+type VKLoginRequest struct {
+	_tab flatbuffers.Table
+}
+
+func GetRootAsVKLoginRequest(buf []byte, offset flatbuffers.UOffsetT) *VKLoginRequest {
+	n := flatbuffers.GetUOffsetT(buf[offset:])
+	x := &VKLoginRequest{}
+	x.Init(buf, n+offset)
+	return x
+}
+
+func FinishVKLoginRequestBuffer(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, offset flatbuffers.UOffsetT) {
+	builder.Finish(offset)
+}
+
+func GetSizePrefixedRootAsVKLoginRequest(buf []byte, offset flatbuffers.UOffsetT) *VKLoginRequest {
+	n := flatbuffers.GetUOffsetT(buf[offset+flatbuffers.SizeUint32:])
+	x := &VKLoginRequest{}
+	x.Init(buf, n+offset+flatbuffers.SizeUint32)
+	return x
+}
+
+func FinishSizePrefixedVKLoginRequestBuffer(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, offset flatbuffers.UOffsetT) {
+	builder.FinishSizePrefixed(offset)
+}
+
+func (rcv *VKLoginRequest) Init(buf []byte, i flatbuffers.UOffsetT) {
+	rcv._tab.Bytes = buf
+	rcv._tab.Pos = i
+}
+
+func (rcv *VKLoginRequest) Table() flatbuffers.Table {
+	return rcv._tab
+}
+
+func (rcv *VKLoginRequest) Params() []byte {
+	o := flatbuffers.UOffsetT(rcv._tab.Offset(4))
+	if o != 0 {
+		return rcv._tab.ByteVector(o + rcv._tab.Pos)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (rcv *VKLoginRequest) BrowserTz() []byte {
+	o := flatbuffers.UOffsetT(rcv._tab.Offset(6))
+	if o != 0 {
+		return rcv._tab.ByteVector(o + rcv._tab.Pos)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (rcv *VKLoginRequest) DisplayName() []byte {
+	o := flatbuffers.UOffsetT(rcv._tab.Offset(8))
+	if o != 0 {
+		return rcv._tab.ByteVector(o + rcv._tab.Pos)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func VKLoginRequestStart(builder *flatbuffers.Builder) {
+	builder.StartObject(3)
+}
+func VKLoginRequestAddParams(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, params flatbuffers.UOffsetT) {
+	builder.PrependUOffsetTSlot(0, flatbuffers.UOffsetT(params), 0)
+}
+func VKLoginRequestAddBrowserTz(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, browserTz flatbuffers.UOffsetT) {
+	builder.PrependUOffsetTSlot(1, flatbuffers.UOffsetT(browserTz), 0)
+}
+func VKLoginRequestAddDisplayName(builder *flatbuffers.Builder, displayName flatbuffers.UOffsetT) {
+	builder.PrependUOffsetTSlot(2, flatbuffers.UOffsetT(displayName), 0)
+}
+func VKLoginRequestEnd(builder *flatbuffers.Builder) flatbuffers.UOffsetT {
+	return builder.EndObject()
+}

platform/telegram/Dockerfile

@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ ARG VERSION=dev
 RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux go build -trimpath -ldflags "-X scrabble/pkg/version.Version=${VERSION}" -o /out/validator ./platform/telegram/cmd/validator
 RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux go build -trimpath -ldflags "-X scrabble/pkg/version.Version=${VERSION}" -o /out/bot ./platform/telegram/cmd/bot
 
+# The bot's support relay writes its JSON state under /data. Stage an empty directory
+# owned by the distroless nonroot UID so a fresh named volume mounted there inherits
+# writable ownership (Docker copies the image dir's mode/owner into an empty volume).
+RUN mkdir -p /out/data
+
 # --- validator (home) --------------------------------------------------------
 FROM gcr.io/distroless/static-debian12:nonroot AS validator
 COPY --from=build /out/validator /usr/local/bin/validator
@@ -32,4 +37,5 @@ ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/validator"]
 # --- bot (remote) ------------------------------------------------------------
 FROM gcr.io/distroless/static-debian12:nonroot AS bot
 COPY --from=build /out/bot /usr/local/bin/bot
+COPY --from=build --chown=65532:65532 /out/data /data
 ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/bot"]

platform/telegram/README.md

@@ -63,13 +63,32 @@ Telegram identity to an account from a browser. Both map a rejection to gRPC
   `getChatMember`, since bots cannot list members). The bot must be an **administrator** there
   with the **"Ban users"** right (the Bot API `can_restrict_members`), and it subscribes to
   `chat_member` updates, which Telegram delivers only to a chat admin.
+- **Support relay (optional).** When `TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID` names a private **forum
+  supergroup**, the bot runs a direct support channel for users who message it. A user's first
+  non-`/start` message opens a dedicated **forum topic** whose first message is an info card (the
+  name is a tappable profile mention via a `text_mention` entity — which also stops a name starting
+  with `/` from rendering as a command — plus @username, language, premium, id) with a **Block/Unblock** toggle
+  and a **Clear** button; each message is then copied into that topic (`copyMessage`, so any content
+  — text, media, voice, files — carries over). Any **administrator** of the support chat who writes
+  in a user's topic has it copied back to that user; the bot's own posts and non-admins are ignored
+  (the loop guard). **Block** drops a user's incoming messages (the topic stays); **Clear** deletes
+  the relayed messages, keeping the info card; a topic the operators delete is reopened on the next
+  message. State (user→topic map, block list, relayed ids) is a JSON file under
+  `TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR` on a persistent volume — the bot host has no database. The bot must
+  be an **administrator** in the group with the **manage-topics** and **delete-messages** rights.
+  The relay is bot-local (no backend, no bot-link) and the user gets no automatic reply.
 - **Promo bot (optional).** When `TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN` is set, the container also
   runs a **second, standalone** bot whose only job is to answer `/start` with a localized
   message and a button that opens the **main** bot's Mini App. The button is a **URL** to
   the main bot's direct link (`TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK`, the same link the UI uses) with
   `?startapp` — a `web_app` button would launch under the promo bot's identity (its token
   would sign the initData), which the main bot's validator rejects. It is fully
-  self-contained: no bot-link, no gateway, no game.
+  self-contained: no bot-link, no gateway, no game. Its `?startapp` payload
+  (`TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM`, default `verudit_ru-scrabble_en`) is a variant-seed deep
+  link the backend decodes to seed a brand-new user's variant preferences (English Scrabble
+  alongside the default Erudit). The message body also renders the bot's `@username` as that
+  same deep link (an HTML `text_link`), so tapping the mention — not just the button — opens
+  the seeded Mini App rather than the bot profile.
 - **Rate limiting.** Outbound sends are throttled (`TELEGRAM_SEND_RATE_PER_SECOND`,
   default 25) to respect the Bot API flood limits.
 
@@ -132,9 +151,12 @@ Bot (`cmd/bot`):
 | `TELEGRAM_BOTLINK_TLS_CERT` / `_KEY` / `_CA` | — (required) | the bot client cert, its key, and the CA that signs the gateway server cert |
 | `TELEGRAM_GAME_CHANNEL_ID` | — | the bot's game channel chat id for `SendToGameChannel` |
 | `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` | — | the moderated discussion chat id (a channel's linked group); empty disables chat gating |
+| `TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID` | — | the support relay's forum supergroup id (topic per user); empty disables the relay |
+| `TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR` | `/data` | directory for the support relay's JSON state (a writable volume) |
 | `TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN` | — | the optional standalone promo bot's token; empty disables it |
 | `TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME` | — | the main bot's @username without the @ (promo message); required when the promo bot runs |
 | `TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK` | — | the main bot's Mini App link for the promo button (the UI's `VITE_TELEGRAM_LINK`); required when the promo bot runs |
+| `TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM` | `verudit_ru-scrabble_en` | the promo button's `startapp` payload — a variant-seed deep link the backend decodes to seed a brand-new user's variant preferences; empty forwards the user's own `/start` payload |
 | `TELEGRAM_OWNS_UPDATES` | `true` | run the exclusive `getUpdates` long-poll (one bot per token) |
 | `TELEGRAM_SEND_RATE_PER_SECOND` | `25` | outbound Bot API send cap (0 disables) |
 | `TELEGRAM_INSTANCE_ID` | hostname | bot identity reported to the gateway |

platform/telegram/cmd/bot/main.go

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"log"
 	"os/signal"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"sync"
 	"syscall"
 	"time"
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"scrabble/platform/telegram/internal/botlink"
 	"scrabble/platform/telegram/internal/config"
 	"scrabble/platform/telegram/internal/promobot"
+	"scrabble/platform/telegram/internal/support"
 )
 
 // telemetryShutdownTimeout bounds the OpenTelemetry flush during process exit.
@@ -65,6 +67,19 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.BotConfig, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 		logger.Warn("telemetry: start runtime metrics", zap.Error(err))
 	}
 
+	// The support relay keeps its per-user state in a JSON file on a writable volume
+	// (the bot host has no database). A corrupt file is logged and the relay starts
+	// empty rather than crash-looping the bot.
+	var supportStore *support.Store
+	if cfg.SupportChatID != 0 {
+		statePath := filepath.Join(cfg.SupportStateDir, "support.json")
+		supportStore, err = support.Open(statePath)
+		if err != nil {
+			logger.Warn("support: state load failed, starting empty", zap.String("path", statePath), zap.Error(err))
+			supportStore = support.New(statePath)
+		}
+	}
+
 	b, err := bot.New(bot.Config{
 		Token:             cfg.Token,
 		APIBaseURL:        cfg.APIBaseURL,
@@ -73,6 +88,8 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.BotConfig, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 		SendRatePerSecond: cfg.SendRatePerSecond,
 		ChatID:            cfg.ChatID,
 		GameChannelID:     cfg.GameChannelID,
+		SupportChatID:     cfg.SupportChatID,
+		SupportStore:      supportStore,
 	}, logger)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -114,6 +131,7 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.BotConfig, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 			TestEnv:           cfg.TestEnv,
 			BotUsername:       cfg.BotUsername,
 			BotLinkURL:        cfg.BotLinkURL,
+			StartParam:        cfg.PromoStartParam,
 			SendRatePerSecond: cfg.SendRatePerSecond,
 		}, logger)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -128,6 +146,7 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, cfg config.BotConfig, logger *zap.Logger) error {
 		zap.Bool("owns_updates", cfg.OwnsUpdates),
 		zap.Bool("test_env", cfg.TestEnv),
 		zap.Bool("chat_gating", cfg.ChatID != 0),
+		zap.Bool("support_relay", cfg.SupportChatID != 0),
 		zap.Bool("promo_bot", promo != nil))
 
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup

platform/telegram/internal/bot/bot.go

@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/go-telegram/bot/models"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 	"golang.org/x/time/rate"
+
+	"scrabble/platform/telegram/internal/support"
 )
 
 // Config configures the bot wrapper.
@@ -39,6 +41,14 @@ type Config struct {
 	// GameChannelID is the game channel whose public @username the /start welcome links
 	// to (resolved from this id via getChat at startup); 0 omits that follow link.
 	GameChannelID int64
+	// SupportChatID is the private forum supergroup the bot relays direct user messages
+	// into (one topic per user) and reads operator replies from; 0 disables the support
+	// relay. The bot must be an administrator there with the manage-topics and
+	// delete-messages rights.
+	SupportChatID int64
+	// SupportStore persists the support relay's state (topic mapping, block list,
+	// relayed message ids); required when SupportChatID is set, ignored otherwise.
+	SupportStore *support.Store
 }
 
 // EligibilityResolver answers whether the Telegram user identified by externalID
@@ -66,11 +76,21 @@ type Bot struct {
 	channelUsername string
 	chatUsername    string
 	// botID is the bot's own Telegram user id (resolved at startup); it skips the
-	// chat_member updates the bot's own restrict actions generate — the grant loop guard.
+	// chat_member updates the bot's own restrict actions generate — the grant loop guard —
+	// and the bot's own relayed copies in the support chat.
 	botID int64
 	// eligibility resolves a joining user's chat write eligibility; nil leaves a
 	// joiner muted (fail-closed) until it is wired.
 	eligibility EligibilityResolver
+	// supportChatID is the support relay's forum supergroup (0 disables the relay).
+	supportChatID int64
+	// support persists the support relay's per-user state; nil when the relay is off.
+	support *support.Store
+	// supportLocks serialises per-user topic creation so a burst of a new user's
+	// messages opens exactly one topic.
+	supportLocks *keyedMutex
+	// admins caches the support chat's administrator ids (who may reply and act).
+	admins *adminCache
 }
 
 // New builds the bot wrapper, registering the /start handler and a default handler
@@ -80,7 +100,14 @@ func New(cfg Config, log *zap.Logger) (*Bot, error) {
 	if log == nil {
 		log = zap.NewNop()
 	}
-	t := &Bot{miniAppURL: cfg.MiniAppURL, log: log, chatID: cfg.ChatID, channelID: cfg.GameChannelID}
+	t := &Bot{
+		miniAppURL:    cfg.MiniAppURL,
+		log:           log,
+		chatID:        cfg.ChatID,
+		channelID:     cfg.GameChannelID,
+		supportChatID: cfg.SupportChatID,
+		support:       cfg.SupportStore,
+	}
 	if cfg.SendRatePerSecond > 0 {
 		t.limiter = rate.NewLimiter(rate.Limit(cfg.SendRatePerSecond), cfg.SendRatePerSecond)
 	}
@@ -89,15 +116,26 @@ func New(cfg Config, log *zap.Logger) (*Bot, error) {
 		tgbot.WithDefaultHandler(t.handleUpdate),
 		tgbot.WithMessageTextHandler("/start", tgbot.MatchTypePrefix, t.handleStart),
 	}
+	if t.supportEnabled() {
+		t.supportLocks = newKeyedMutex()
+		t.admins = &adminCache{}
+		// The info-card buttons are callback_query updates; route them to the support
+		// callback handler by their "sup:" data prefix.
+		opts = append(opts, tgbot.WithCallbackQueryDataHandler(supportCallbackPrefix, tgbot.MatchTypePrefix, t.handleSupportCallback))
+	}
+	// Allowed updates default to "all except chat_member". Specify an explicit set only
+	// when we need chat_member (moderated chat) — and then re-add callback_query (which
+	// the explicit set would otherwise drop) when the support relay needs it.
 	if cfg.ChatID != 0 {
-		// chat_member updates are off by default; subscribe explicitly (alongside
-		// messages) so the bot sees joins in the moderated chat. The bot must also be an
-		// administrator there for Telegram to deliver them.
-		opts = append(opts, tgbot.WithAllowedUpdates(tgbot.AllowedUpdates{
+		allowed := tgbot.AllowedUpdates{
 			models.AllowedUpdateMessage,
 			models.AllowedUpdateMyChatMember,
 			models.AllowedUpdateChatMember,
-		}))
+		}
+		if t.supportEnabled() {
+			allowed = append(allowed, models.AllowedUpdateCallbackQuery)
+		}
+		opts = append(opts, tgbot.WithAllowedUpdates(allowed))
 	}
 	if cfg.TestEnv {
 		// Route to the Bot API test environment (.../bot<token>/test/METHOD).
@@ -134,6 +172,9 @@ func (t *Bot) Run(ctx context.Context) {
 	if t.chatID != 0 {
 		t.logChatAdminStatus(ctx)
 	}
+	if t.supportEnabled() {
+		t.initSupport(ctx)
+	}
 	t.resolveWelcomeHandles(ctx)
 	t.api.Start(ctx)
 }
@@ -305,6 +346,19 @@ func (t *Bot) handleUpdate(ctx context.Context, api *tgbot.Bot, update *models.U
 		t.handleChatMember(ctx, update.ChatMember)
 		return
 	}
+	// Support relay (when enabled): a non-/start message — /start has its own handler —
+	// is either an operator's reply in the support chat or a user's direct message to
+	// relay. Everything else falls through to the Mini App launch reply.
+	if t.supportEnabled() && update.Message != nil {
+		switch {
+		case update.Message.Chat.ID == t.supportChatID:
+			t.handleSupportGroupMessage(ctx, update.Message)
+			return
+		case update.Message.Chat.Type == models.ChatTypePrivate:
+			t.handleSupportUserMessage(ctx, update.Message)
+			return
+		}
+	}
 	t.handleStart(ctx, api, update)
 }
 

platform/telegram/internal/bot/support.go

@@ -0,0 +1,484 @@
+package bot
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+	"unicode/utf16"
+
+	tgbot "github.com/go-telegram/bot"
+	"github.com/go-telegram/bot/models"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+
+	"scrabble/platform/telegram/internal/support"
+)
+
+// Support relay: the bot forwards a user's direct messages into a per-user forum
+// topic in the operators' private support chat, and relays operator replies in that
+// topic back to the user. The info card opening each topic carries a Block/Unblock
+// toggle and a Clear button. State (topic mapping, block list, relayed message ids)
+// lives in a small JSON file via internal/support.
+const (
+	// supportCallbackPrefix namespaces the info-card button callbacks
+	// ("sup:<action>:<userID>").
+	supportCallbackPrefix = "sup:"
+	supportActionBlock    = "block"
+	supportActionUnblock  = "unblock"
+	supportActionClear    = "clear"
+	// supportAdminTTL is how long the support chat's administrator set is cached.
+	supportAdminTTL = time.Minute
+	// supportTopicNameMax bounds the forum topic name (the Telegram limit is 128).
+	supportTopicNameMax = 128
+	// supportDeleteBatch is the maximum message ids per deleteMessages call (the
+	// Telegram limit is 100).
+	supportDeleteBatch = 100
+)
+
+// supportEnabled reports whether the support relay is configured.
+func (t *Bot) supportEnabled() bool {
+	return t.supportChatID != 0 && t.support != nil
+}
+
+// initSupport prepares the support relay at startup: it resolves the bot's own user
+// id (getMe) for the loop guard, unless the chat-gating self-check already did, and
+// logs readiness. The loop guard also tests From.IsBot, so an unresolved id is not
+// fatal.
+func (t *Bot) initSupport(ctx context.Context) {
+	if t.botID == 0 {
+		if me, err := t.api.GetMe(ctx); err != nil {
+			t.log.Warn("support: getMe failed; relying on is_bot for the loop guard", zap.Error(err))
+		} else {
+			t.botID = me.ID
+		}
+	}
+	t.log.Info("support relay ready", zap.Int64("support_chat_id", t.supportChatID))
+}
+
+// keyedMutex serialises work per int64 key (here, per user id) so two concurrent
+// updates from the same user — the go-telegram/bot library runs handlers in
+// goroutines — cannot both open a forum topic.
+type keyedMutex struct {
+	mu sync.Mutex
+	m  map[int64]*sync.Mutex
+}
+
+func newKeyedMutex() *keyedMutex { return &keyedMutex{m: map[int64]*sync.Mutex{}} }
+
+// lock acquires the per-key mutex and returns its unlock function.
+func (k *keyedMutex) lock(key int64) func() {
+	k.mu.Lock()
+	mu, ok := k.m[key]
+	if !ok {
+		mu = &sync.Mutex{}
+		k.m[key] = mu
+	}
+	k.mu.Unlock()
+	mu.Lock()
+	return mu.Unlock
+}
+
+// adminCache caches the support chat's administrator ids for a short TTL, so the bot
+// does not call getChatAdministrators on every operator action.
+type adminCache struct {
+	mu        sync.Mutex
+	ids       map[int64]bool
+	fetchedAt time.Time
+}
+
+// isSupportAdmin reports whether userID administers the support chat, refreshing the
+// cache when stale. On a refresh failure it falls back to the last known set
+// (fail-closed when nothing is cached yet).
+func (t *Bot) isSupportAdmin(ctx context.Context, userID int64) bool {
+	t.admins.mu.Lock()
+	if t.admins.ids != nil && time.Since(t.admins.fetchedAt) < supportAdminTTL {
+		ok := t.admins.ids[userID]
+		t.admins.mu.Unlock()
+		return ok
+	}
+	t.admins.mu.Unlock()
+
+	members, err := t.api.GetChatAdministrators(ctx, &tgbot.GetChatAdministratorsParams{ChatID: t.supportChatID})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: getChatAdministrators failed; using cached admin set", zap.Error(err))
+		t.admins.mu.Lock()
+		defer t.admins.mu.Unlock()
+		return t.admins.ids[userID] // a nil map yields false (fail-closed)
+	}
+	ids := make(map[int64]bool, len(members))
+	for _, m := range members {
+		if u := chatMemberUser(m); u != nil {
+			ids[u.ID] = true
+		}
+	}
+	t.admins.mu.Lock()
+	t.admins.ids = ids
+	t.admins.fetchedAt = time.Now()
+	t.admins.mu.Unlock()
+	return ids[userID]
+}
+
+// handleSupportUserMessage relays a user's direct message into their forum topic in
+// the support chat, opening the topic (and its info card) on first contact. A blocked
+// user's message is dropped silently, and the user receives no reply — operators
+// answer from the topic.
+func (t *Bot) handleSupportUserMessage(ctx context.Context, m *models.Message) {
+	if m.From == nil || m.From.IsBot {
+		return
+	}
+	uid := m.From.ID
+	unlock := t.supportLocks.lock(uid)
+	defer unlock()
+
+	rec, _ := t.support.Get(uid)
+	if rec.Blocked {
+		return
+	}
+	topicID, err := t.ensureTopic(ctx, m.From, rec)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: ensure topic failed", zap.Int64("user_id", uid), zap.Error(err))
+		return
+	}
+
+	newID, err := t.copyToTopic(ctx, m.Chat.ID, m.ID, topicID)
+	if err != nil && isTopicMissingErr(err) {
+		// Backstop: the topic vanished between the liveness probe and the copy.
+		t.log.Info("support: topic gone on copy, reopening", zap.Int64("user_id", uid), zap.Int("topic_id", topicID))
+		if topicID, err = t.openSupportTopic(ctx, m.From); err == nil {
+			newID, err = t.copyToTopic(ctx, m.Chat.ID, m.ID, topicID)
+		}
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: relay to topic failed", zap.Int64("user_id", uid), zap.Error(err))
+		return
+	}
+	if err := t.support.AppendMsg(uid, newID); err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: persist relayed id failed", zap.Int64("user_id", uid), zap.Error(err))
+	}
+}
+
+// handleSupportGroupMessage relays an operator's reply in a user's topic back to that
+// user. It ignores the bot's own posts (the loop guard), messages outside a topic,
+// unknown topics, and non-administrators. The operator's message is tracked too, so a
+// later clear removes it.
+func (t *Bot) handleSupportGroupMessage(ctx context.Context, m *models.Message) {
+	if m.From == nil || m.From.IsBot {
+		return // the bot's own relayed copies (and other bots) — never loop them back
+	}
+	if t.botID != 0 && m.From.ID == t.botID {
+		return
+	}
+	if m.MessageThreadID == 0 {
+		return // the chat's general area, not a user's topic
+	}
+	uid, ok := t.support.ByTopic(m.MessageThreadID)
+	if !ok {
+		return
+	}
+	if !t.isSupportAdmin(ctx, m.From.ID) {
+		return // only operators reach the user
+	}
+	if err := t.support.AppendMsg(uid, m.ID); err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: persist operator msg id failed", zap.Int64("user_id", uid), zap.Error(err))
+	}
+	if _, err := t.copyToUser(ctx, m.ID, uid); err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: relay reply to user failed", zap.Int64("user_id", uid), zap.Error(err))
+	}
+}
+
+// handleSupportCallback handles the info-card buttons (block/unblock/clear). Only
+// support-chat administrators may act; others get a denial. It always answers the
+// callback query so the client's spinner clears.
+func (t *Bot) handleSupportCallback(ctx context.Context, _ *tgbot.Bot, update *models.Update) {
+	cq := update.CallbackQuery
+	if cq == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	action, uid, ok := parseSupportCallback(cq.Data)
+	if !ok {
+		t.answerSupportCallback(ctx, cq.ID, "")
+		return
+	}
+	if !t.isSupportAdmin(ctx, cq.From.ID) {
+		t.answerSupportCallback(ctx, cq.ID, "Недостаточно прав")
+		return
+	}
+	switch action {
+	case supportActionBlock:
+		t.setSupportBlocked(ctx, cq, uid, true)
+	case supportActionUnblock:
+		t.setSupportBlocked(ctx, cq, uid, false)
+	case supportActionClear:
+		t.clearSupportTopic(ctx, cq, uid)
+	default:
+		t.answerSupportCallback(ctx, cq.ID, "")
+	}
+}
+
+// setSupportBlocked sets the user's block state, flips the info-card toggle to match,
+// and answers the callback. Blocking does not delete the topic — it stays.
+func (t *Bot) setSupportBlocked(ctx context.Context, cq *models.CallbackQuery, uid int64, blocked bool) {
+	if err := t.support.SetBlocked(uid, blocked); err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: set blocked failed", zap.Int64("user_id", uid), zap.Error(err))
+		t.answerSupportCallback(ctx, cq.ID, "Ошибка")
+		return
+	}
+	if rec, ok := t.support.Get(uid); ok && rec.HeaderMsgID != 0 {
+		if _, err := t.api.EditMessageReplyMarkup(ctx, &tgbot.EditMessageReplyMarkupParams{
+			ChatID:      t.supportChatID,
+			MessageID:   rec.HeaderMsgID,
+			ReplyMarkup: supportCardMarkup(uid, blocked),
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.log.Debug("support: update card markup failed", zap.Error(err))
+		}
+	}
+	msg := "Разблокирован"
+	if blocked {
+		msg = "Заблокирован"
+	}
+	t.answerSupportCallback(ctx, cq.ID, msg)
+}
+
+// clearSupportTopic deletes the messages relayed into the user's topic (keeping the
+// info card) and answers the callback.
+func (t *Bot) clearSupportTopic(ctx context.Context, cq *models.CallbackQuery, uid int64) {
+	ids, err := t.support.ClearMsgs(uid)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: clear failed", zap.Int64("user_id", uid), zap.Error(err))
+		t.answerSupportCallback(ctx, cq.ID, "Ошибка")
+		return
+	}
+	t.deleteSupportMessages(ctx, ids)
+	t.answerSupportCallback(ctx, cq.ID, "Очищено")
+}
+
+// ensureTopic returns a live forum-topic id for the user, opening a fresh topic (and
+// info card) when none exists or the previous one was deleted. Telegram silently
+// routes a copy aimed at a deleted topic into the chat's General topic (no error), so
+// the bot cannot rely on copyMessage failing; instead it probes the info card —
+// re-applying the card's reply markup is a no-op that errors only when the card (hence
+// the topic) is gone — and reopens on that signal. The probe also keeps the card's
+// block button in sync with the stored state.
+func (t *Bot) ensureTopic(ctx context.Context, u *models.User, rec support.User) (int, error) {
+	if rec.TopicID == 0 || rec.HeaderMsgID == 0 {
+		return t.openSupportTopic(ctx, u)
+	}
+	_, err := t.api.EditMessageReplyMarkup(ctx, &tgbot.EditMessageReplyMarkupParams{
+		ChatID:      t.supportChatID,
+		MessageID:   rec.HeaderMsgID,
+		ReplyMarkup: supportCardMarkup(u.ID, rec.Blocked),
+	})
+	if isCardMissingErr(err) {
+		t.log.Info("support: topic gone, reopening", zap.Int64("user_id", u.ID), zap.Int("topic_id", rec.TopicID))
+		return t.openSupportTopic(ctx, u)
+	}
+	// Any other outcome (success, or a benign "message is not modified") means the
+	// topic is alive; reuse it.
+	return rec.TopicID, nil
+}
+
+// openSupportTopic creates a forum topic for the user and posts its info card with
+// the block/clear buttons, persisting both. It returns the new topic id. A failure to
+// persist is logged but not fatal: the in-memory mapping still lets the relay proceed.
+func (t *Bot) openSupportTopic(ctx context.Context, u *models.User) (int, error) {
+	topic, err := t.api.CreateForumTopic(ctx, &tgbot.CreateForumTopicParams{
+		ChatID: t.supportChatID,
+		Name:   supportTopicName(u),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("create forum topic: %w", err)
+	}
+	headerID := 0
+	cardText, cardEntities := supportCard(u)
+	header, err := t.api.SendMessage(ctx, &tgbot.SendMessageParams{
+		ChatID:          t.supportChatID,
+		MessageThreadID: topic.MessageThreadID,
+		Text:            cardText,
+		Entities:        cardEntities,
+		ReplyMarkup:     supportCardMarkup(u.ID, false),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: post info card failed (topic opened without it)", zap.Error(err))
+	} else {
+		headerID = header.ID
+	}
+	if err := t.support.SetTopic(u.ID, topic.MessageThreadID, headerID, u.FirstName, u.LastName, u.Username); err != nil {
+		t.log.Warn("support: persist topic state failed (kept in memory)", zap.Int64("user_id", u.ID), zap.Error(err))
+	}
+	return topic.MessageThreadID, nil
+}
+
+// copyToTopic copies a message into the user's forum topic and returns the new
+// message id.
+func (t *Bot) copyToTopic(ctx context.Context, fromChatID int64, messageID, topicID int) (int, error) {
+	if err := t.throttle(ctx); err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	res, err := t.api.CopyMessage(ctx, &tgbot.CopyMessageParams{
+		ChatID:          t.supportChatID,
+		MessageThreadID: topicID,
+		FromChatID:      fromChatID,
+		MessageID:       messageID,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return res.ID, nil
+}
+
+// copyToUser copies a support-chat message to the user's private chat and returns the
+// new message id.
+func (t *Bot) copyToUser(ctx context.Context, messageID int, userID int64) (int, error) {
+	if err := t.throttle(ctx); err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	res, err := t.api.CopyMessage(ctx, &tgbot.CopyMessageParams{
+		ChatID:     userID,
+		FromChatID: t.supportChatID,
+		MessageID:  messageID,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return res.ID, nil
+}
+
+// deleteSupportMessages best-effort deletes the given support-chat messages in
+// batches; individual failures (for example a message already removed) are ignored.
+func (t *Bot) deleteSupportMessages(ctx context.Context, ids []int) {
+	for start := 0; start < len(ids); start += supportDeleteBatch {
+		end := min(start+supportDeleteBatch, len(ids))
+		if _, err := t.api.DeleteMessages(ctx, &tgbot.DeleteMessagesParams{
+			ChatID:     t.supportChatID,
+			MessageIDs: ids[start:end],
+		}); err != nil {
+			t.log.Debug("support: delete batch failed", zap.Error(err))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// answerSupportCallback answers a callback query, logging a failure at debug (the
+// only effect of a miss is a lingering client spinner).
+func (t *Bot) answerSupportCallback(ctx context.Context, id, text string) {
+	if _, err := t.api.AnswerCallbackQuery(ctx, &tgbot.AnswerCallbackQueryParams{
+		CallbackQueryID: id,
+		Text:            text,
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.log.Debug("support: answer callback failed", zap.Error(err))
+	}
+}
+
+// parseSupportCallback parses "sup:<action>:<userID>" callback data.
+func parseSupportCallback(data string) (action string, userID int64, ok bool) {
+	rest, found := strings.CutPrefix(data, supportCallbackPrefix)
+	if !found {
+		return "", 0, false
+	}
+	action, idStr, found := strings.Cut(rest, ":")
+	if !found {
+		return "", 0, false
+	}
+	userID, err := strconv.ParseInt(idStr, 10, 64)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", 0, false
+	}
+	return action, userID, true
+}
+
+// supportCardMarkup builds the info-card buttons: a Block/Unblock toggle reflecting
+// the current state, and a Clear button.
+func supportCardMarkup(userID int64, blocked bool) *models.InlineKeyboardMarkup {
+	toggleText, toggleAction := "Заблокировать", supportActionBlock
+	if blocked {
+		toggleText, toggleAction = "Разблокировать", supportActionUnblock
+	}
+	return &models.InlineKeyboardMarkup{
+		InlineKeyboard: [][]models.InlineKeyboardButton{{
+			{Text: toggleText, CallbackData: fmt.Sprintf("%s%s:%d", supportCallbackPrefix, toggleAction, userID)},
+			{Text: "Очистить", CallbackData: fmt.Sprintf("%s%s:%d", supportCallbackPrefix, supportActionClear, userID)},
+		}},
+	}
+}
+
+// supportTopicName builds the forum topic title for a user: full name and @username,
+// trimmed to the Telegram length limit.
+func supportTopicName(u *models.User) string {
+	name := strings.TrimSpace(u.FirstName + " " + u.LastName)
+	if name == "" {
+		name = "user " + strconv.FormatInt(u.ID, 10)
+	}
+	if u.Username != "" {
+		name += " @" + u.Username
+	}
+	if r := []rune(name); len(r) > supportTopicNameMax {
+		return string(r[:supportTopicNameMax])
+	}
+	return name
+}
+
+// supportCard renders the topic info card describing the user and the message
+// entities for it. The display name is covered by a text_mention entity: it links to
+// the user's profile (the reliable way to mention a user who has no public username —
+// the bot has seen them, since they messaged it) and, because the name sits inside an
+// entity, Telegram does not auto-detect a leading "/" as a bot command or a stray
+// "@handle" inside the name as a mention. The remaining lines are plain text; a public
+// @username, when present, is left for Telegram to auto-link. Entity offsets are in
+// UTF-16 code units, as the Bot API requires; the name is at offset 0.
+func supportCard(u *models.User) (string, []models.MessageEntity) {
+	name := strings.TrimSpace(u.FirstName + " " + u.LastName)
+	if name == "" {
+		name = "user " + strconv.FormatInt(u.ID, 10)
+	}
+	username := "—"
+	if u.Username != "" {
+		username = "@" + u.Username
+	}
+	lang := u.LanguageCode
+	if lang == "" {
+		lang = "—"
+	}
+	premium := "нет"
+	if u.IsPremium {
+		premium = "да"
+	}
+	var b strings.Builder
+	b.WriteString(name)
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\nUsername: %s", username)
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\nID: %d", u.ID)
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\nЯзык: %s · Premium: %s", lang, premium)
+	entities := []models.MessageEntity{{
+		Type:   models.MessageEntityTypeTextMention,
+		Offset: 0,
+		Length: len(utf16.Encode([]rune(name))),
+		User:   &models.User{ID: u.ID},
+	}}
+	return b.String(), entities
+}
+
+// isCardMissingErr reports whether err means the info-card message no longer exists
+// (the operators deleted the topic), as opposed to a benign "message is not modified"
+// no-op when the card is still there.
+func isCardMissingErr(err error) bool {
+	if err == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	s := strings.ToLower(err.Error())
+	return strings.Contains(s, "message to edit not found") ||
+		strings.Contains(s, "message can't be edited") ||
+		strings.Contains(s, "message_id_invalid")
+}
+
+// isTopicMissingErr reports whether err is Telegram's deleted/absent forum-topic
+// error, signalling the topic must be reopened.
+func isTopicMissingErr(err error) bool {
+	if err == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	s := strings.ToLower(err.Error())
+	return strings.Contains(s, "thread not found") ||
+		strings.Contains(s, "thread_not_found") ||
+		strings.Contains(s, "topic deleted") ||
+		strings.Contains(s, "topic_deleted")
+}

platform/telegram/internal/bot/support_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,473 @@
+package bot
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/go-telegram/bot/models"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+
+	"scrabble/platform/telegram/internal/support"
+)
+
+const supportChatID = -1001000000000
+
+// copyRec records one copyMessage call.
+type copyRec struct {
+	chatID, fromChatID, threadID, messageID string
+}
+
+// supportAPI is a fake Bot API for the support-relay handlers: it answers the
+// methods they call with incrementing ids and records the requests for assertions.
+type supportAPI struct {
+	mu           sync.Mutex
+	adminIDs     []int64
+	nextThread   int
+	nextMsg      int
+	topicsOpened int
+	copies       []copyRec
+	headerThread string // message_thread_id of the last header sendMessage
+	deleted      [][]int
+	editedMsgIDs []string
+	answers      []string
+	// editErr, when set, makes editMessageReplyMarkup return that Telegram error
+	// description (simulating a deleted info card / topic).
+	editErr string
+}
+
+func newSupportAPI(adminIDs ...int64) *supportAPI {
+	return &supportAPI{adminIDs: adminIDs, nextThread: 1000, nextMsg: 5000}
+}
+
+func (s *supportAPI) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	path := r.URL.Path
+	switch {
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/getMe"):
+		io.WriteString(w, `{"ok":true,"result":{"id":1,"is_bot":true,"first_name":"bot","username":"b"}}`)
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/createForumTopic"):
+		s.topicsOpened++
+		tid := s.nextThread
+		s.nextThread++
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, `{"ok":true,"result":{"message_thread_id":%d,"name":%q}}`, tid, r.FormValue("name"))
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/sendMessage"):
+		s.headerThread = r.FormValue("message_thread_id")
+		mid := s.nextMsg
+		s.nextMsg++
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, `{"ok":true,"result":{"message_id":%d}}`, mid)
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/copyMessage"):
+		s.copies = append(s.copies, copyRec{
+			chatID:     r.FormValue("chat_id"),
+			fromChatID: r.FormValue("from_chat_id"),
+			threadID:   r.FormValue("message_thread_id"),
+			messageID:  r.FormValue("message_id"),
+		})
+		mid := s.nextMsg
+		s.nextMsg++
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, `{"ok":true,"result":{"message_id":%d}}`, mid)
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/deleteMessages"):
+		var ids []int
+		_ = json.Unmarshal([]byte(r.FormValue("message_ids")), &ids)
+		s.deleted = append(s.deleted, ids)
+		io.WriteString(w, `{"ok":true,"result":true}`)
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/editMessageReplyMarkup"):
+		if s.editErr != "" {
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, `{"ok":false,"error_code":400,"description":%q}`, s.editErr)
+			return
+		}
+		s.editedMsgIDs = append(s.editedMsgIDs, r.FormValue("message_id"))
+		io.WriteString(w, `{"ok":true,"result":{"message_id":1}}`)
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/answerCallbackQuery"):
+		s.answers = append(s.answers, r.FormValue("text"))
+		io.WriteString(w, `{"ok":true,"result":true}`)
+	case strings.HasSuffix(path, "/getChatAdministrators"):
+		var b strings.Builder
+		b.WriteString(`{"ok":true,"result":[`)
+		for i, id := range s.adminIDs {
+			if i > 0 {
+				b.WriteString(",")
+			}
+			fmt.Fprintf(&b, `{"status":"administrator","user":{"id":%d,"is_bot":false}}`, id)
+		}
+		b.WriteString(`]}`)
+		io.WriteString(w, b.String())
+	default:
+		io.WriteString(w, `{"ok":true,"result":true}`)
+	}
+}
+
+func (s *supportAPI) copyCount() int {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	return len(s.copies)
+}
+
+// newSupportBot builds a support-enabled bot against the fake API and returns it with
+// its backing store.
+func newSupportBot(t *testing.T, api http.Handler) (*Bot, *support.Store) {
+	t.Helper()
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(api)
+	t.Cleanup(srv.Close)
+	st := support.New(filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "support.json"))
+	b, err := New(Config{
+		Token:         "123:ABC",
+		APIBaseURL:    srv.URL,
+		MiniAppURL:    "https://example.com/telegram/",
+		SupportChatID: supportChatID,
+		SupportStore:  st,
+	}, zap.NewNop())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("new support bot: %v", err)
+	}
+	return b, st
+}
+
+// userMsg builds a private direct message from the given user.
+func userMsg(userID int64, text string) *models.Message {
+	return &models.Message{
+		ID:   int(userID)*10 + 1,
+		Chat: models.Chat{ID: userID, Type: models.ChatTypePrivate},
+		From: &models.User{ID: userID, FirstName: "Ann", Username: "annlee", LanguageCode: "ru"},
+		Text: text,
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportFirstContactOpensTopicAndRelays(t *testing.T) {
+	api := newSupportAPI()
+	b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+
+	b.handleSupportUserMessage(context.Background(), userMsg(7, "hello"))
+
+	if api.topicsOpened != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("topics opened = %d, want 1", api.topicsOpened)
+	}
+	rec, ok := st.Get(7)
+	if !ok || rec.TopicID != 1000 || rec.HeaderMsgID != 5000 {
+		t.Fatalf("store = %+v ok=%v, want topic 1000 / header 5000", rec, ok)
+	}
+	if api.headerThread != "1000" {
+		t.Errorf("header posted to thread %q, want 1000", api.headerThread)
+	}
+	if len(api.copies) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("copies = %d, want 1", len(api.copies))
+	}
+	c := api.copies[0]
+	if c.threadID != "1000" || c.fromChatID != "7" || c.chatID != fmt.Sprint(supportChatID) {
+		t.Errorf("copy = %+v, want thread 1000 from 7 into the support chat", c)
+	}
+	if len(rec.RelayedMsgIDs) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("relayed ids = %v, want 1 tracked", rec.RelayedMsgIDs)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportSubsequentReusesTopic(t *testing.T) {
+	api := newSupportAPI()
+	b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+
+	b.handleSupportUserMessage(context.Background(), userMsg(7, "first"))
+	b.handleSupportUserMessage(context.Background(), userMsg(7, "second"))
+
+	if api.topicsOpened != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("topics opened = %d, want 1 (topic reused)", api.topicsOpened)
+	}
+	if len(api.copies) != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("copies = %d, want 2", len(api.copies))
+	}
+	rec, _ := st.Get(7)
+	if len(rec.RelayedMsgIDs) != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("relayed ids = %v, want 2", rec.RelayedMsgIDs)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSupportTopicRecreatedWhenDeleted covers the case the operator hit in prod:
+// after they delete a user's whole topic, Telegram routes a copy aimed at it into
+// General with no error, so the bot must proactively detect the dead topic (the card
+// probe fails) and reopen it instead of silently losing the message to General.
+func TestSupportTopicRecreatedWhenDeleted(t *testing.T) {
+	api := newSupportAPI()
+	api.editErr = "message to edit not found" // the operators deleted the topic + its card
+	b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+	// Seed a topic that has since been deleted in Telegram.
+	if err := st.SetTopic(7, 999, 4999, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed topic: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	b.handleSupportUserMessage(context.Background(), userMsg(7, "still there?"))
+
+	if api.topicsOpened != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("topics opened = %d, want 1 (reopened after deletion)", api.topicsOpened)
+	}
+	rec, _ := st.Get(7)
+	if rec.TopicID != 1000 || rec.HeaderMsgID != 5000 {
+		t.Errorf("store = topic %d / header %d, want the reopened 1000 / 5000", rec.TopicID, rec.HeaderMsgID)
+	}
+	if len(api.copies) != 1 || api.copies[0].threadID != "1000" {
+		t.Errorf("relay copies = %+v, want one into the reopened topic 1000", api.copies)
+	}
+	if _, ok := st.ByTopic(999); ok {
+		t.Error("stale topic 999 still indexed after reopen")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportBlockedUserDropped(t *testing.T) {
+	api := newSupportAPI()
+	b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+	if err := st.SetTopic(7, 1000, 5000, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed topic: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := st.SetBlocked(7, true); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("block: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	b.handleSupportUserMessage(context.Background(), userMsg(7, "hello?"))
+
+	if api.copyCount() != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("a blocked user's message was relayed (%d copies)", api.copyCount())
+	}
+	if api.topicsOpened != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("a blocked user opened a topic (%d)", api.topicsOpened)
+	}
+}
+
+// supportGroupMsg builds an operator message inside a topic of the support chat.
+func supportGroupMsg(fromID int64, threadID int, isBot bool) *models.Message {
+	return &models.Message{
+		ID:              700 + threadID,
+		Chat:            models.Chat{ID: supportChatID, Type: models.ChatTypeSupergroup},
+		From:            &models.User{ID: fromID, IsBot: isBot},
+		MessageThreadID: threadID,
+		Text:            "operator reply",
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportOperatorReplyRelayed(t *testing.T) {
+	api := newSupportAPI(50) // user 50 is an admin
+	b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+	if err := st.SetTopic(7, 1000, 5000, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed topic: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	b.handleSupportGroupMessage(context.Background(), supportGroupMsg(50, 1000, false))
+
+	if len(api.copies) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("copies = %d, want 1 (reply relayed to user)", len(api.copies))
+	}
+	if api.copies[0].chatID != "7" || api.copies[0].fromChatID != fmt.Sprint(supportChatID) {
+		t.Errorf("copy = %+v, want from the support chat to user 7", api.copies[0])
+	}
+	rec, _ := st.Get(7)
+	if len(rec.RelayedMsgIDs) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("operator message not tracked for clear: %v", rec.RelayedMsgIDs)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportGroupMessageIgnored(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name   string
+		msg    *models.Message
+		admins []int64
+	}{
+		{"bot's own copy (loop guard)", supportGroupMsg(1, 1000, true), []int64{50}},
+		{"non-admin sender", supportGroupMsg(999, 1000, false), []int64{50}},
+		{"outside any topic", supportGroupMsg(50, 0, false), []int64{50}},
+		{"unknown topic", supportGroupMsg(50, 4242, false), []int64{50}},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			api := newSupportAPI(tc.admins...)
+			b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+			if err := st.SetTopic(7, 1000, 5000, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("seed topic: %v", err)
+			}
+			b.handleSupportGroupMessage(context.Background(), tc.msg)
+			if api.copyCount() != 0 {
+				t.Errorf("message relayed (%d copies); it should be ignored", api.copyCount())
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// supportCallback builds a callback-query update for the given data and presser.
+func supportCallback(data string, fromID int64) *models.Update {
+	return &models.Update{CallbackQuery: &models.CallbackQuery{
+		ID:   "cb1",
+		From: models.User{ID: fromID},
+		Data: data,
+	}}
+}
+
+func TestSupportCallbackBlockToggle(t *testing.T) {
+	api := newSupportAPI(50)
+	b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+	if err := st.SetTopic(7, 1000, 5000, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed topic: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	b.handleSupportCallback(context.Background(), b.api, supportCallback("sup:block:7", 50))
+	if !st.Blocked(7) {
+		t.Error("user not blocked after sup:block")
+	}
+	if len(api.editedMsgIDs) != 1 || api.editedMsgIDs[0] != "5000" {
+		t.Errorf("edited markup msg ids = %v, want [5000]", api.editedMsgIDs)
+	}
+
+	b.handleSupportCallback(context.Background(), b.api, supportCallback("sup:unblock:7", 50))
+	if st.Blocked(7) {
+		t.Error("user still blocked after sup:unblock")
+	}
+	if len(api.answers) != 2 || api.answers[0] != "Заблокирован" || api.answers[1] != "Разблокирован" {
+		t.Errorf("answers = %v, want [Заблокирован Разблокирован]", api.answers)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportCallbackNonAdminDenied(t *testing.T) {
+	api := newSupportAPI(50)
+	b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+	if err := st.SetTopic(7, 1000, 5000, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed topic: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	b.handleSupportCallback(context.Background(), b.api, supportCallback("sup:block:7", 999))
+
+	if st.Blocked(7) {
+		t.Error("a non-admin managed to block the user")
+	}
+	if len(api.answers) != 1 || api.answers[0] != "Недостаточно прав" {
+		t.Errorf("answers = %v, want a permission denial", api.answers)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportCallbackClearDeletesTracked(t *testing.T) {
+	api := newSupportAPI(50)
+	b, st := newSupportBot(t, api)
+	if err := st.SetTopic(7, 1000, 5000, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed topic: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, id := range []int{501, 502, 503} {
+		if err := st.AppendMsg(7, id); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("append: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	b.handleSupportCallback(context.Background(), b.api, supportCallback("sup:clear:7", 50))
+
+	if len(api.deleted) != 1 || len(api.deleted[0]) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("deleted batches = %v, want one batch of 3", api.deleted)
+	}
+	rec, _ := st.Get(7)
+	if len(rec.RelayedMsgIDs) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("relayed ids after clear = %v, want empty", rec.RelayedMsgIDs)
+	}
+	if rec.HeaderMsgID != 5000 {
+		t.Errorf("clear disturbed the header (%d)", rec.HeaderMsgID)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseSupportCallback(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		data       string
+		wantAction string
+		wantUID    int64
+		wantOK     bool
+	}{
+		{"sup:block:7", "block", 7, true},
+		{"sup:clear:-100", "clear", -100, true},
+		{"sup:unblock:42", "unblock", 42, true},
+		{"block:7", "", 0, false},
+		{"sup:block", "", 0, false},
+		{"sup:block:notanumber", "", 0, false},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.data, func(t *testing.T) {
+			action, uid, ok := parseSupportCallback(tc.data)
+			if action != tc.wantAction || uid != tc.wantUID || ok != tc.wantOK {
+				t.Errorf("parseSupportCallback(%q) = %q,%d,%v; want %q,%d,%v",
+					tc.data, action, uid, ok, tc.wantAction, tc.wantUID, tc.wantOK)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportCard(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("name is a plain-text mention, not a command", func(t *testing.T) {
+		u := &models.User{ID: 7, FirstName: "/start", Username: "ann", LanguageCode: "ru", IsPremium: true}
+		text, ents := supportCard(u)
+		// The name is rendered verbatim (no HTML, no escaping) at the start of the card.
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(text, "/start\n") {
+			t.Errorf("card = %q, want it to start with the raw name", text)
+		}
+		// A text_mention entity covers exactly the name with the user id — this both
+		// suppresses the "/start" command auto-detection and links the profile.
+		if len(ents) != 1 {
+			t.Fatalf("entities = %d, want 1", len(ents))
+		}
+		e := ents[0]
+		if e.Type != models.MessageEntityTypeTextMention || e.Offset != 0 || e.Length != len("/start") {
+			t.Errorf("entity = %+v, want a text_mention over the name", e)
+		}
+		if e.User == nil || e.User.ID != 7 {
+			t.Errorf("entity user = %+v, want id 7", e.User)
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(text, "tg://") || strings.Contains(text, "<") {
+			t.Errorf("card = %q, want no tg:// link and no HTML", text)
+		}
+		if !strings.Contains(text, "Premium: да") || !strings.Contains(text, "@ann") {
+			t.Errorf("card = %q, want premium + @username", text)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("entity length is UTF-16, not runes", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// "😀A" is 2 runes but 3 UTF-16 code units (the emoji is a surrogate pair).
+		u := &models.User{ID: 9, FirstName: "😀A"}
+		_, ents := supportCard(u)
+		if len(ents) != 1 || ents[0].Length != 3 {
+			t.Fatalf("entity = %+v, want length 3 UTF-16 units", ents)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("nameless user falls back to an id label", func(t *testing.T) {
+		u := &models.User{ID: 42}
+		text, ents := supportCard(u)
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(text, "user 42") {
+			t.Errorf("card = %q, want the id fallback name", text)
+		}
+		if ents[0].Length != len("user 42") {
+			t.Errorf("entity length = %d, want it over the fallback name", ents[0].Length)
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+func TestSupportTopicName(t *testing.T) {
+	if got := supportTopicName(&models.User{ID: 7, FirstName: "Ann", LastName: "Lee", Username: "annlee"}); got != "Ann Lee @annlee" {
+		t.Errorf("topic name = %q, want %q", got, "Ann Lee @annlee")
+	}
+	if got := supportTopicName(&models.User{ID: 7}); got != "user 7" {
+		t.Errorf("nameless topic = %q, want %q", got, "user 7")
+	}
+	long := strings.Repeat("x", 200)
+	if got := supportTopicName(&models.User{ID: 7, FirstName: long}); len([]rune(got)) != supportTopicNameMax {
+		t.Errorf("topic name length = %d, want %d (trimmed)", len([]rune(got)), supportTopicNameMax)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSupportDisabledFallsThrough(t *testing.T) {
+	// With no SupportChatID the relay is off and supportEnabled is false.
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(&supportAPI{nextThread: 1000, nextMsg: 5000})
+	t.Cleanup(srv.Close)
+	b, err := New(Config{Token: "123:ABC", APIBaseURL: srv.URL, MiniAppURL: "https://example.com/"}, zap.NewNop())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("new bot: %v", err)
+	}
+	if b.supportEnabled() {
+		t.Error("supportEnabled() = true without a SupportChatID")
+	}
+}

platform/telegram/internal/config/config.go

@@ -42,6 +42,16 @@ type BotConfig struct {
 	// (TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID, optional; 0 disables chat gating). The bot must be an admin
 	// there with the "Ban users" right, and "chat_member" in its allowed updates.
 	ChatID int64
+	// SupportChatID is the chat id of the private forum supergroup the bot relays
+	// direct user messages into — one forum topic per user — and reads operator
+	// replies from (TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID, optional; 0 disables the support relay).
+	// The bot must be an administrator there with the manage-topics and
+	// delete-messages rights. Distinct from ChatID (the moderated discussion chat).
+	SupportChatID int64
+	// SupportStateDir is the directory holding the support relay's JSON state file
+	// (TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR, default /data). It must be writable by the
+	// container user (UID 65532) and backed by a persistent volume.
+	SupportStateDir string
 	// PromoBotToken is the API token of the optional standalone promo bot run in this
 	// container — a second bot whose only job is to answer /start with a button that
 	// opens the main bot's Mini App (TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN, optional; empty disables
@@ -55,6 +65,12 @@ type BotConfig struct {
 	// button appends ?startapp=<payload> to it (TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK; required when the
 	// promo bot runs). It is distinct from the BotLink mTLS dial config below.
 	BotLinkURL string
+	// PromoStartParam is the promo button's launch payload, appended as
+	// ?startapp=<PromoStartParam> (TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM, default
+	// "verudit_ru-scrabble_en"). It is a variant-seed deep link the backend decodes to
+	// seed a brand-new user's variant preferences; its labels must match the backend's
+	// known variants. Empty falls back to forwarding the user's own /start payload.
+	PromoStartParam string
 	// MiniAppURL is the HTTPS origin of the Mini App registered with BotFather; it is
 	// the base of every launch button (TELEGRAM_MINIAPP_URL, required).
 	MiniAppURL string
@@ -103,6 +119,10 @@ const (
 	defaultValidatorGRPCAddr = ":9091"
 	defaultBotReconnectDelay = 2 * time.Second
 	defaultSendRatePerSecond = 25
+	// defaultPromoStartParam is the promo button's default launch payload: a variant-seed
+	// deep link the backend decodes to add English Scrabble to a brand-new user's variant
+	// preferences alongside the default Erudit. Override with TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM.
+	defaultPromoStartParam = "verudit_ru-scrabble_en"
 )
 
 // LoadValidator reads the validator configuration from the environment.
@@ -135,6 +155,8 @@ func LoadBot() (BotConfig, error) {
 		PromoBotToken:     os.Getenv("TELEGRAM_PROMO_BOT_TOKEN"),
 		BotUsername:       strings.TrimPrefix(os.Getenv("TELEGRAM_BOT_USERNAME"), "@"),
 		BotLinkURL:        os.Getenv("TELEGRAM_BOT_LINK"),
+		PromoStartParam:   envOr("TELEGRAM_PROMO_START_PARAM", defaultPromoStartParam),
+		SupportStateDir:   envOr("TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR", "/data"),
 		LogLevel:          envOr("TELEGRAM_LOG_LEVEL", "info"),
 		BotLink: BotLinkClientConfig{
 			GatewayAddr: os.Getenv("TELEGRAM_GATEWAY_ADDR"),
@@ -152,6 +174,9 @@ func LoadBot() (BotConfig, error) {
 	if cfg.ChatID, err = envInt64("TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID", 0); err != nil {
 		return BotConfig{}, err
 	}
+	if cfg.SupportChatID, err = envInt64("TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID", 0); err != nil {
+		return BotConfig{}, err
+	}
 	if cfg.SendRatePerSecond, err = envInt("TELEGRAM_SEND_RATE_PER_SECOND", defaultSendRatePerSecond); err != nil {
 		return BotConfig{}, err
 	}

platform/telegram/internal/config/config_test.go

@@ -151,6 +151,48 @@ func TestLoadBotChatAndPromo(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+// TestLoadBotSupportRelay verifies the support-relay chat id parses, the state
+// directory defaults to /data, and the relay is disabled (chat id 0) by default.
+func TestLoadBotSupportRelay(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("parsed", func(t *testing.T) {
+		setBotRequired(t)
+		t.Setenv("TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID", "-1001234567890")
+		t.Setenv("TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_STATE_DIR", "/srv/state")
+		c, err := LoadBot()
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("LoadBot: %v", err)
+		}
+		if c.SupportChatID != -1001234567890 {
+			t.Errorf("SupportChatID = %d, want -1001234567890", c.SupportChatID)
+		}
+		if c.SupportStateDir != "/srv/state" {
+			t.Errorf("SupportStateDir = %q, want /srv/state", c.SupportStateDir)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("defaults", func(t *testing.T) {
+		setBotRequired(t)
+		c, err := LoadBot()
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("LoadBot: %v", err)
+		}
+		if c.SupportChatID != 0 {
+			t.Errorf("SupportChatID = %d, want 0 (relay disabled)", c.SupportChatID)
+		}
+		if c.SupportStateDir != "/data" {
+			t.Errorf("SupportStateDir = %q, want /data", c.SupportStateDir)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("malformed chat id rejected", func(t *testing.T) {
+		setBotRequired(t)
+		t.Setenv("TELEGRAM_SUPPORT_CHAT_ID", "not-a-number")
+		if _, err := LoadBot(); err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("LoadBot: expected an error for a malformed support chat id, got nil")
+		}
+	})
+}
+
 // TestLoadRejectsUnsupportedExporter verifies an exporter outside the supported set
 // fails validation (the validator path).
 func TestLoadRejectsUnsupportedExporter(t *testing.T) {

platform/telegram/internal/initdata/validator.go

@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 // ErrInvalidInitData is returned when initData fails HMAC validation, is missing
-// the hash, is malformed, or is older than the freshness window.
+// the hash, is malformed, is older than the freshness window, or identifies a bot
+// user (is_bot), which is denied.
 var ErrInvalidInitData = errors.New("initdata: invalid telegram init data")
 
 // defaultMaxAge bounds how old a validated initData payload may be.
@@ -120,6 +121,7 @@ func parseUser(userJSON string) (User, error) {
 	}
 	var u struct {
 		ID           int64  `json:"id"`
+		IsBot        bool   `json:"is_bot"`
 		Username     string `json:"username"`
 		FirstName    string `json:"first_name"`
 		LanguageCode string `json:"language_code"`
@@ -127,6 +129,12 @@ func parseUser(userJSON string) (User, error) {
 	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(userJSON), &u); err != nil || u.ID == 0 {
 		return User{}, ErrInvalidInitData
 	}
+	// Deny bot principals: the HMAC has already proved Telegram signed this payload, so is_bot==true
+	// is Telegram itself attesting the launching user is a bot. A real user opening the Mini App
+	// never carries it, so reject defensively rather than provision an account for a bot.
+	if u.IsBot {
+		return User{}, ErrInvalidInitData
+	}
 	return User{
 		ExternalID:   strconv.FormatInt(u.ID, 10),
 		Username:     u.Username,

platform/telegram/internal/initdata/validator_test.go

@@ -83,3 +83,28 @@ func TestValidateRejects(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	})
 }
+
+func TestValidateBotUser(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("is_bot true is denied", func(t *testing.T) {
+		initData := signInitData(testToken, map[string]string{
+			"auth_date": strconv.FormatInt(time.Now().Unix(), 10),
+			"user":      `{"id":42,"is_bot":true,"first_name":"Robo"}`,
+		})
+		if _, err := NewHMACValidator(testToken).Validate(initData); !errors.Is(err, ErrInvalidInitData) {
+			t.Errorf("err = %v, want ErrInvalidInitData", err)
+		}
+	})
+	t.Run("is_bot false is allowed", func(t *testing.T) {
+		initData := signInitData(testToken, map[string]string{
+			"auth_date": strconv.FormatInt(time.Now().Unix(), 10),
+			"user":      `{"id":42,"is_bot":false,"first_name":"Thomas"}`,
+		})
+		u, err := NewHMACValidator(testToken).Validate(initData)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("validate: %v", err)
+		}
+		if u.ExternalID != "42" || u.FirstName != "Thomas" {
+			t.Errorf("user = %+v, want {42 Thomas}", u)
+		}
+	})
+}

platform/telegram/internal/promobot/promobot.go

@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@
 package promobot
 
 import (
+	"cmp"
 	"context"
+	"html"
 	"net/url"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -33,6 +35,11 @@ type Config struct {
 	// BotLinkURL is the main bot's Mini App direct link; the button appends
 	// ?startapp=<payload> to it.
 	BotLinkURL string
+	// StartParam is the campaign payload appended as ?startapp=<StartParam> to the launch
+	// button — e.g. a variant-seed deep link ("verudit_ru-scrabble_en") the backend
+	// decodes to seed a brand-new user's variant preferences. Empty falls back to
+	// forwarding the user's own /start payload.
+	StartParam string
 	// SendRatePerSecond caps outbound sends to respect the Bot API flood limits; 0
 	// disables the limiter. The burst equals the per-second rate.
 	SendRatePerSecond int
@@ -43,6 +50,7 @@ type Bot struct {
 	api        *tgbot.Bot
 	username   string
 	linkURL    string
+	startParam string
 	log        *zap.Logger
 	limiter    *rate.Limiter
 }
@@ -53,7 +61,7 @@ func New(cfg Config, log *zap.Logger) (*Bot, error) {
 	if log == nil {
 		log = zap.NewNop()
 	}
-	t := &Bot{username: cfg.BotUsername, linkURL: cfg.BotLinkURL, log: log}
+	t := &Bot{username: cfg.BotUsername, linkURL: cfg.BotLinkURL, startParam: cfg.StartParam, log: log}
 	if cfg.SendRatePerSecond > 0 {
 		t.limiter = rate.NewLimiter(rate.Limit(cfg.SendRatePerSecond), cfg.SendRatePerSecond)
 	}
@@ -87,7 +95,8 @@ func (t *Bot) Run(ctx context.Context) {
 }
 
 // handleStart replies to any message (typically /start) with the localized promo text
-// and a button that opens the main bot's Mini App, forwarding any /start payload.
+// and a button that opens the main bot's Mini App at the configured campaign payload
+// (falling back to forwarding any /start payload the user arrived with).
 func (t *Bot) handleStart(ctx context.Context, api *tgbot.Bot, update *models.Update) {
 	if update.Message == nil {
 		return
@@ -104,11 +113,16 @@ func (t *Bot) handleStart(ctx context.Context, api *tgbot.Bot, update *models.Up
 	if update.Message.From != nil {
 		lang = update.Message.From.LanguageCode
 	}
-	text, button := promoText(lang, t.username)
+	// The configured campaign payload (a variant-seed deep link) takes precedence; absent
+	// one, fall back to forwarding any /start payload the user arrived with. The same
+	// payload backs both the inline button and the @username link in the body.
+	param := cmp.Or(t.startParam, startPayload(update.Message.Text))
+	text, button := promoText(lang, t.username, t.launchURL(param))
 	if _, err := api.SendMessage(ctx, &tgbot.SendMessageParams{
 		ChatID:      update.Message.Chat.ID,
 		Text:        text,
-		ReplyMarkup: t.launchMarkup(button, startPayload(update.Message.Text)),
+		ParseMode:   models.ParseModeHTML,
+		ReplyMarkup: t.launchMarkup(button, param),
 	}); err != nil {
 		t.log.Warn("promo: reply to start failed", zap.Error(err))
 	}
@@ -159,11 +173,15 @@ func startPayload(text string) string {
 	return strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(text, cmd))
 }
 
-// promoText returns the localized message body and button label, naming the main bot
-// (Russian for a "ru" language code, English otherwise).
-func promoText(lang, username string) (text, button string) {
+// promoText returns the localized message body and button label. The body names the main
+// bot as a clickable @username whose link is the Mini App deep link (launchURL, the same
+// target as the button), so tapping the mention opens the seeded Mini App rather than the
+// bot profile. The body is sent with ParseMode HTML; only the link carries markup, so the
+// static sentences need no escaping. Russian for a "ru" language code, English otherwise.
+func promoText(lang, username, launchURL string) (text, button string) {
+	mention := `<a href="` + html.EscapeString(launchURL) + `">@` + html.EscapeString(username) + `</a>`
 	if strings.HasPrefix(strings.ToLower(lang), "ru") {
-		return "Откройте @" + username + " и выберите в настройках профиля нужный вариант игры.", "🤩 Хочу играть!"
+		return "Откройте " + mention + " и выберите в настройках профиля нужный вариант игры.", "🤩 Хочу играть!"
 	}
-	return "Open @" + username + " and choose your game variant in the profile settings.", "🤩 I want to play!"
+	return "Open " + mention + " and choose your game variant in the profile settings.", "🤩 I want to play!"
 }

platform/telegram/internal/promobot/promobot_test.go

@@ -13,25 +13,30 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestPromoTextLocalization(t *testing.T) {
-	en, enBtn := promoText("en", "ScrabbleBot")
-	if !strings.Contains(en, "@ScrabbleBot") || !strings.Contains(en, "profile settings") {
+	const url = "https://t.me/bot/app?startapp=verudit_ru-scrabble_en"
+	// The @username is rendered as a clickable deep link (the same target as the button),
+	// not a plain mention, so tapping it opens the seeded Mini App.
+	wantLink := `<a href="` + url + `">@ScrabbleBot</a>`
+
+	en, enBtn := promoText("en", "ScrabbleBot", url)
+	if !strings.Contains(en, wantLink) || !strings.Contains(en, "profile settings") {
 		t.Errorf("en text = %q", en)
 	}
 	if enBtn != "🤩 I want to play!" {
 		t.Errorf("en button = %q", enBtn)
 	}
 
-	ru, ruBtn := promoText("ru-RU", "ScrabbleBot")
-	if !strings.Contains(ru, "@ScrabbleBot") || !strings.Contains(ru, "Откройте") {
+	ru, ruBtn := promoText("ru-RU", "ScrabbleBot", url)
+	if !strings.Contains(ru, wantLink) || !strings.Contains(ru, "Откройте") {
 		t.Errorf("ru text = %q", ru)
 	}
 	if ruBtn != "🤩 Хочу играть!" {
 		t.Errorf("ru button = %q", ruBtn)
 	}
 
-	// An unknown language falls back to English.
-	if got, _ := promoText("de", "B"); !strings.Contains(got, "Open @B") {
-		t.Errorf("fallback text = %q, want English", got)
+	// An unknown language falls back to English, still with the linked mention.
+	if got, _ := promoText("de", "B", url); !strings.Contains(got, "Open ") || !strings.Contains(got, `">@B</a>`) {
+		t.Errorf("fallback text = %q, want English with a linked mention", got)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -93,8 +98,8 @@ func TestHandleStartReplies(t *testing.T) {
 	if api.chatID != "42" {
 		t.Errorf("chat_id = %q, want 42", api.chatID)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(api.text, "@ScrabbleBot") {
-		t.Errorf("text = %q, want the @mention", api.text)
+	if !strings.Contains(api.text, `<a href="https://t.me/bot/app?startapp=f99">@ScrabbleBot</a>`) {
+		t.Errorf("text = %q, want the @mention linked to the startapp deep link", api.text)
 	}
 	if strings.Contains(api.replyMarkup, "web_app") {
 		t.Errorf("reply_markup = %q has a web_app button; want a url button", api.replyMarkup)

platform/telegram/internal/support/store.go

@@ -0,0 +1,227 @@
+// Package support persists the Telegram bot's support-relay state. For each user
+// who direct-messages the bot it records the dedicated forum topic the bot opened
+// in the operators' support chat, whether the user is blocked, and the ids of the
+// messages relayed into that topic — so an operator's "clear" can delete them while
+// keeping the topic's info card. The state is a small JSON file on a writable
+// volume: the bot host has no database.
+//
+// The store is concurrency-safe. The go-telegram/bot library dispatches each update
+// in its own goroutine, so every exported method locks. Mutators update only their
+// own fields (SetTopic never touches Blocked, SetBlocked never touches the relayed
+// ids) so a topic recreate cannot clobber a concurrent block toggle.
+package support
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// User is one user's support-relay state.
+type User struct {
+	// UserID is the user's Telegram user id (the private chat id the bot relays to).
+	UserID int64 `json:"user_id"`
+	// TopicID is the forum topic's message_thread_id in the support chat; 0 means no
+	// topic has been created yet.
+	TopicID int `json:"topic_id"`
+	// HeaderMsgID is the info-card message that opens the topic and carries the
+	// block/clear buttons; it is never deleted by a clear.
+	HeaderMsgID int `json:"header_msg_id"`
+	// Blocked reports whether the bot drops this user's incoming messages.
+	Blocked bool `json:"blocked"`
+	// FirstName, LastName and Username snapshot the user's Telegram profile at the
+	// time the topic was created or last refreshed (for the topic name and info card).
+	FirstName string `json:"first_name,omitempty"`
+	LastName  string `json:"last_name,omitempty"`
+	Username  string `json:"username,omitempty"`
+	// RelayedMsgIDs are the ids of the messages posted into the topic after the header
+	// (the user's relayed messages and the operators' replies); a clear deletes them.
+	RelayedMsgIDs []int `json:"relayed_msg_ids,omitempty"`
+	// CreatedAt is when the topic was first opened for this user.
+	CreatedAt time.Time `json:"created_at"`
+}
+
+// Store is the concurrency-safe, JSON-backed support-relay state. The zero value is
+// not usable; build one with Open or New.
+type Store struct {
+	mu      sync.Mutex
+	path    string
+	users   map[int64]*User
+	byTopic map[int]int64 // TopicID -> UserID, for resolving operator replies
+}
+
+// file is the on-disk shape: a flat list of users. A JSON object keyed by user id
+// would force the int64 keys through strings; a list keeps the ids typed.
+type file struct {
+	Users []*User `json:"users"`
+}
+
+// New returns an empty store that persists to path, creating the parent directory
+// when missing. Use it as the fallback when Open reports a corrupt file.
+func New(path string) *Store {
+	_ = os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0o755)
+	return &Store{path: path, users: map[int64]*User{}, byTopic: map[int]int64{}}
+}
+
+// Open loads the store from path. A missing file yields an empty store and no
+// error; an unreadable or malformed file returns an error so the caller can decide
+// whether to start empty.
+func Open(path string) (*Store, error) {
+	s := New(path)
+	b, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return s, nil
+		}
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("support: read state %s: %w", path, err)
+	}
+	var f file
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(b, &f); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("support: parse state %s: %w", path, err)
+	}
+	for _, u := range f.Users {
+		if u == nil || u.UserID == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+		s.users[u.UserID] = u
+		if u.TopicID != 0 {
+			s.byTopic[u.TopicID] = u.UserID
+		}
+	}
+	return s, nil
+}
+
+// Get returns a detached copy of the user's state and whether it exists.
+func (s *Store) Get(userID int64) (User, bool) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	u, ok := s.users[userID]
+	if !ok {
+		return User{}, false
+	}
+	cp := *u
+	cp.RelayedMsgIDs = append([]int(nil), u.RelayedMsgIDs...)
+	return cp, true
+}
+
+// ByTopic returns the user id owning the given forum topic, and whether one is known.
+func (s *Store) ByTopic(topicID int) (int64, bool) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	uid, ok := s.byTopic[topicID]
+	return uid, ok
+}
+
+// Blocked reports whether the user's incoming messages are dropped.
+func (s *Store) Blocked(userID int64) bool {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	if u, ok := s.users[userID]; ok {
+		return u.Blocked
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// SetTopic records the forum topic and info-card message opened for the user and
+// refreshes the profile snapshot, creating the record on first contact. It rebuilds
+// the topic index when the topic changes (a recreate) and preserves the block state
+// and the relayed-message ids. It persists the result.
+func (s *Store) SetTopic(userID int64, topicID, headerMsgID int, firstName, lastName, username string) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	u, ok := s.users[userID]
+	if !ok {
+		u = &User{UserID: userID, CreatedAt: time.Now().UTC()}
+		s.users[userID] = u
+	} else if u.TopicID != 0 && u.TopicID != topicID {
+		delete(s.byTopic, u.TopicID)
+	}
+	u.TopicID = topicID
+	u.HeaderMsgID = headerMsgID
+	u.FirstName, u.LastName, u.Username = firstName, lastName, username
+	if topicID != 0 {
+		s.byTopic[topicID] = userID
+	}
+	return s.save()
+}
+
+// SetBlocked sets the user's blocked flag, creating a minimal record when none
+// exists, and persists the result.
+func (s *Store) SetBlocked(userID int64, blocked bool) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	u, ok := s.users[userID]
+	if !ok {
+		u = &User{UserID: userID, CreatedAt: time.Now().UTC()}
+		s.users[userID] = u
+	}
+	u.Blocked = blocked
+	return s.save()
+}
+
+// AppendMsg records a message posted into the user's topic (for a later clear) and
+// persists the result. It is a no-op when the user has no record yet.
+func (s *Store) AppendMsg(userID int64, msgID int) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	u, ok := s.users[userID]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil
+	}
+	u.RelayedMsgIDs = append(u.RelayedMsgIDs, msgID)
+	return s.save()
+}
+
+// ClearMsgs empties and returns the user's relayed-message ids (the info card is not
+// among them) and persists the result, so the caller can delete them from the chat.
+func (s *Store) ClearMsgs(userID int64) ([]int, error) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	u, ok := s.users[userID]
+	if !ok || len(u.RelayedMsgIDs) == 0 {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+	ids := u.RelayedMsgIDs
+	u.RelayedMsgIDs = nil
+	if err := s.save(); err != nil {
+		// Roll back so the ids are not lost if the write fails.
+		u.RelayedMsgIDs = ids
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return ids, nil
+}
+
+// save writes the state atomically (temp file in the same directory, then rename).
+// The caller must hold s.mu.
+func (s *Store) save() error {
+	f := file{Users: make([]*User, 0, len(s.users))}
+	for _, u := range s.users {
+		f.Users = append(f.Users, u)
+	}
+	sort.Slice(f.Users, func(i, j int) bool { return f.Users[i].UserID < f.Users[j].UserID })
+	b, err := json.MarshalIndent(f, "", "  ")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("support: marshal state: %w", err)
+	}
+	tmp, err := os.CreateTemp(filepath.Dir(s.path), ".support-*.json")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("support: create temp state: %w", err)
+	}
+	tmpName := tmp.Name()
+	defer func() { _ = os.Remove(tmpName) }() // no-op once the rename succeeds
+	if _, err := tmp.Write(b); err != nil {
+		_ = tmp.Close()
+		return fmt.Errorf("support: write temp state: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := tmp.Close(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("support: close temp state: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.Rename(tmpName, s.path); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("support: replace state %s: %w", s.path, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}

platform/telegram/internal/support/store_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+package support
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// statePath returns a path inside a fresh temp directory for a store file.
+func statePath(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	return filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "support.json")
+}
+
+func TestOpenMissingReturnsEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	s, err := Open(statePath(t))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Open missing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, ok := s.Get(42); ok {
+		t.Error("Get on an empty store returned a record")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOpenCorruptReturnsError(t *testing.T) {
+	path := statePath(t)
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte("{not json"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write corrupt: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Open(path); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Open on a corrupt file: expected an error, got nil")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSetTopicPersistsAndReloads(t *testing.T) {
+	path := statePath(t)
+	s := New(path)
+	if err := s.SetTopic(7, 100, 101, "Ann", "Lee", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetTopic: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// In-memory view.
+	got, ok := s.Get(7)
+	if !ok || got.TopicID != 100 || got.HeaderMsgID != 101 || got.Username != "annlee" {
+		t.Fatalf("Get = %+v ok=%v, want topic 100 / header 101 / annlee", got, ok)
+	}
+	if got.CreatedAt.IsZero() {
+		t.Error("CreatedAt not set on first contact")
+	}
+	if uid, ok := s.ByTopic(100); !ok || uid != 7 {
+		t.Errorf("ByTopic(100) = %d ok=%v, want 7/true", uid, ok)
+	}
+
+	// Reloaded from disk.
+	reload, err := Open(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Open: %v", err)
+	}
+	got, ok = reload.Get(7)
+	if !ok || got.TopicID != 100 || got.FirstName != "Ann" {
+		t.Fatalf("reloaded Get = %+v ok=%v, want topic 100 / Ann", got, ok)
+	}
+	if uid, ok := reload.ByTopic(100); !ok || uid != 7 {
+		t.Errorf("reloaded ByTopic(100) = %d ok=%v, want 7/true", uid, ok)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSetTopicRecreateReindexes(t *testing.T) {
+	s := New(statePath(t))
+	if err := s.SetTopic(7, 100, 101, "Ann", "", ""); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetTopic: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := s.SetTopic(7, 200, 201, "Ann", "", ""); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetTopic recreate: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, ok := s.ByTopic(100); ok {
+		t.Error("ByTopic(100) still resolves after recreate; the stale topic was not dropped")
+	}
+	if uid, ok := s.ByTopic(200); !ok || uid != 7 {
+		t.Errorf("ByTopic(200) = %d ok=%v, want 7/true", uid, ok)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestBlockSurvivesTopicRecreate is the field-isolation guarantee: a topic recreate
+// (SetTopic) must not clear a block set concurrently from the buttons.
+func TestBlockSurvivesTopicRecreate(t *testing.T) {
+	s := New(statePath(t))
+	if err := s.SetTopic(7, 100, 101, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetTopic: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := s.SetBlocked(7, true); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetBlocked: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := s.SetTopic(7, 200, 201, "Ann", "", "annlee"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetTopic recreate: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !s.Blocked(7) {
+		t.Error("block was cleared by a topic recreate")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAppendAndClearMsgs(t *testing.T) {
+	s := New(statePath(t))
+	if err := s.SetTopic(7, 100, 101, "Ann", "", ""); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetTopic: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, id := range []int{500, 501, 502} {
+		if err := s.AppendMsg(7, id); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("AppendMsg %d: %v", id, err)
+		}
+	}
+	got, _ := s.Get(7)
+	if len(got.RelayedMsgIDs) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("RelayedMsgIDs = %v, want 3 ids", got.RelayedMsgIDs)
+	}
+
+	ids, err := s.ClearMsgs(7)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ClearMsgs: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(ids) != 3 || ids[0] != 500 || ids[2] != 502 {
+		t.Errorf("ClearMsgs = %v, want [500 501 502]", ids)
+	}
+	got, _ = s.Get(7)
+	if len(got.RelayedMsgIDs) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("RelayedMsgIDs after clear = %v, want empty", got.RelayedMsgIDs)
+	}
+	if got.HeaderMsgID != 101 || got.TopicID != 100 {
+		t.Errorf("clear disturbed the topic/header: %+v", got)
+	}
+
+	// A second clear is a no-op.
+	if ids, err := s.ClearMsgs(7); err != nil || ids != nil {
+		t.Errorf("second ClearMsgs = %v, %v, want nil, nil", ids, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGetReturnsDetachedCopy(t *testing.T) {
+	s := New(statePath(t))
+	if err := s.SetTopic(7, 100, 101, "Ann", "", ""); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetTopic: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := s.AppendMsg(7, 500); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("AppendMsg: %v", err)
+	}
+	got, _ := s.Get(7)
+	got.RelayedMsgIDs[0] = 999 // mutate the copy
+	again, _ := s.Get(7)
+	if again.RelayedMsgIDs[0] != 500 {
+		t.Error("Get returned a slice that aliases the store's state")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestConcurrentMutationsSafe exercises the mutex under parallel writers; run with
+// -race to catch data races.
+func TestConcurrentMutationsSafe(t *testing.T) {
+	s := New(statePath(t))
+	if err := s.SetTopic(7, 100, 101, "Ann", "", ""); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetTopic: %v", err)
+	}
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for i := range 20 {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(n int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			_ = s.AppendMsg(7, 1000+n)
+			_ = s.SetBlocked(7, n%2 == 0)
+			_, _ = s.Get(7)
+			_, _ = s.ByTopic(100)
+		}(i)
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	got, ok := s.Get(7)
+	if !ok || len(got.RelayedMsgIDs) != 20 {
+		t.Errorf("after concurrent appends: %d ids, want 20", len(got.RelayedMsgIDs))
+	}
+}

ui/package.json

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
     "@bufbuild/protobuf": "^2.12.0",
     "@connectrpc/connect": "^2.1.0",
     "@connectrpc/connect-web": "^2.1.0",
+    "@vkontakte/vk-bridge": "^3.0.2",
     "flatbuffers": "^25.9.23"
   },
   "devDependencies": {

ui/pnpm-lock.yaml

@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ importers:
       '@connectrpc/connect-web':
         specifier: ^2.1.0
         version: 2.1.1(@bufbuild/protobuf@2.12.0)(@connectrpc/connect@2.1.1(@bufbuild/protobuf@2.12.0))
+      '@vkontakte/vk-bridge':
+        specifier: ^3.0.2
+        version: 3.0.2
       flatbuffers:
         specifier: ^25.9.23
         version: 25.9.23
@@ -413,6 +416,9 @@ packages:
       svelte: ^5.0.0
       vite: ^6.0.0
 
+  '@swc/helpers@0.5.23':
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-5lSsMOTXURePglDfvuAQUqkGek9Hg2kksOYay2m0+XR++b2NWYL/4sWyuvVBIs8oKnJaxkdi9whaL/sqN13afw==}
+
   '@types/chai@5.2.3':
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-Mw558oeA9fFbv65/y4mHtXDs9bPnFMZAL/jxdPFUpOHHIXX91mcgEHbS5Lahr+pwZFR8A7GQleRWeI6cGFC2UA==}
 
@@ -462,6 +468,9 @@ packages:
   '@vitest/utils@3.2.6':
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-lI23nIs4bnT3T8NIoh+vFaz5s2/DdP0Jgt2jxwgWljvwn82cLJtyi/If+fjFyoLMGIOz0U/fKvWE0d4jsNQEfg==}
 
+  '@vkontakte/vk-bridge@3.0.2':
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-MTp+nl0/jH4Sa2TXDyxNfy9VkhOhRQR1oQ4yhvthVDA4aWUa26npns7bRgfTuR3xDVGFiqW7zAwLnwcv3mL+dA==}
+
   acorn@8.16.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-UVJyE9MttOsBQIDKw1skb9nAwQuR5wuGD3+82K6JgJlm/Y+KI92oNsMNGZCYdDsVtRHSak0pcV5Dno5+4jh9sw==}
     engines: {node: '>=0.4.0'}
@@ -689,6 +698,9 @@ packages:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-azl+t0z7pw/z958Gy9svOTuzqIk6xq+NSheJzn5MMWtWTFywIacg2wUlzKFGtt3cthx0r2SxMK0yzJOR0IES7Q==}
     engines: {node: '>=14.0.0'}
 
+  tslib@2.8.1:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-oJFu94HQb+KVduSUQL7wnpmqnfmLsOA/nAh6b6EH0wCEoK0/mPeXU6c3wKDV83MkOuHPRHtSXKKU99IBazS/2w==}
+
   typescript@5.4.5:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-vcI4UpRgg81oIRUFwR0WSIHKt11nJ7SAVlYNIu+QpqeyXP+gpQJy/Z4+F0aGxSE4MqwjyXvW/TzgkLAx2AGHwQ==}
     engines: {node: '>=14.17'}
@@ -1022,6 +1034,10 @@ snapshots:
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - supports-color
 
+  '@swc/helpers@0.5.23':
+    dependencies:
+      tslib: 2.8.1
+
   '@types/chai@5.2.3':
     dependencies:
       '@types/deep-eql': 4.0.2
@@ -1086,6 +1102,10 @@ snapshots:
       loupe: 3.2.1
       tinyrainbow: 2.0.0
 
+  '@vkontakte/vk-bridge@3.0.2':
+    dependencies:
+      '@swc/helpers': 0.5.23
+
   acorn@8.16.0: {}
 
   aria-query@5.3.1: {}
@@ -1318,6 +1338,8 @@ snapshots:
 
   tinyspy@4.0.4: {}
 
+  tslib@2.8.1: {}
+
   typescript@5.4.5: {}
 
   typescript@5.9.3: {}

ui/src/App.svelte

@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@
   import { onMount } from 'svelte';
   import { cubicOut } from 'svelte/easing';
   import { app, bootstrap } from './lib/app.svelte';
-  import { navigate, router, type RouteName } from './lib/router.svelte';
+  import { router, type RouteName } from './lib/router.svelte';
   import { t } from './lib/i18n/index.svelte';
-  import { insideTelegram, telegramBackButton } from './lib/telegram';
   import Toast from './components/Toast.svelte';
   import Splash from './components/Splash.svelte';
   import StaleInviteModal from './components/StaleInviteModal.svelte';
   import WelcomeRedeemModal from './components/WelcomeRedeemModal.svelte';
+  import DebugPanel from './components/DebugPanel.svelte';
   import Login from './screens/Login.svelte';
   import Lobby from './screens/Lobby.svelte';
   import NewGame from './screens/NewGame.svelte';
@@ -30,19 +30,6 @@
   // another screen is not covered.
   const routeIsLobby = $derived(router.route.name === 'lobby');
 
-  // Inside Telegram, drive its native header back button: show it on any sub-screen
-  // (everything returns to the lobby root), hide it on the lobby/login. The app's own
-  // back chevron is hidden in Telegram (Header.svelte) so only the native one shows.
-  $effect(() => {
-    if (!insideTelegram()) return;
-    const r = router.route;
-    // The chat / check sub-screens step back to their game; every other sub-screen to the lobby.
-    let target = '/';
-    if (r.name === 'gameChat' || r.name === 'gameCheck') target = `/game/${r.params.id}`;
-    else if (r.name === 'feedback') target = '/about'; // back to the Settings → Info tab
-    telegramBackButton(r.name !== 'lobby' && r.name !== 'login', () => navigate(target));
-  });
-
   // Screen transitions: the lobby is the navigation root. Entering a screen from the
   // lobby slides it in from the right (forward); returning to the lobby slides the
   // screen out to the right and reveals the lobby (back). Transitions are local, so
@@ -138,6 +125,10 @@
   <Splash />
 {/if}
 
+{#if app.debugOpen}
+  <DebugPanel />
+{/if}
+
 <style>
   .splash {
     height: 100%;

ui/src/app.css

@@ -46,9 +46,16 @@
   /* Height Telegram's native nav overlays at the top in fullscreen; set from the SDK's
      content-safe-area inset, 0 elsewhere. */
   --tg-content-top: 0px;
-  /* Telegram device safe-area top (the notch); TG's own nav controls sit between it and
-     --tg-content-top, so the in-app header aligns to that band, 0 elsewhere. */
-  --tg-safe-top: 0px;
+  /* Device safe-area top (the notch); inside Telegram TG's own nav controls sit between it and
+     --tg-content-top, so the in-app header aligns to that band. Inside Telegram these are set from
+     the SDK (lib/app.svelte.ts); elsewhere they fall back to the CSS env() safe area, so a VK Mini
+     App / Capacitor / PWA webview clears the device cut-outs too (a plain browser tab reports 0). */
+  --tg-safe-top: env(safe-area-inset-top, 0px);
+  /* Device safe-area bottom / sides (home indicator; landscape notch) — the screen pads its bottom
+     and left/right edges by these so content clears the cut-outs (e.g. the VK mobile home bar). */
+  --tg-safe-bottom: env(safe-area-inset-bottom, 0px);
+  --tg-safe-left: env(safe-area-inset-left, 0px);
+  --tg-safe-right: env(safe-area-inset-right, 0px);
   --font: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial,
     "Noto Sans", "Liberation Sans", sans-serif;
   --shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08), 0 6px 16px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06);

ui/src/components/DebugPanel.svelte

@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  // Hidden on-device debug panel, opened by tapping the header title ten times (Header.svelte) and
+  // closed by tapping anywhere except the Share control. It shows a privacy-safe client diagnostic
+  // snapshot (no secrets, no initData values, no IP) and shares it through the OS share sheet (or a
+  // clipboard copy on desktop) — a support aid for reproducing client-specific issues, e.g. the
+  // Telegram Android presentation quirks. Drawn from the top, just under the app header.
+  import { app, closeDebug } from '../lib/app.svelte';
+  import { connection } from '../lib/connection.svelte';
+  import { shareText } from '../lib/share';
+  import { telegramChromeDiag } from '../lib/telegram';
+
+  const report = [
+    `app: ${__APP_VERSION__}`,
+    `locale: ${app.locale}  theme: ${app.theme}  reduceMotion: ${app.reduceMotion}`,
+    `online: ${connection.online}  streamAlive: ${app.streamAlive}`,
+    `userId: ${app.session?.userId ?? '—'}  guest: ${app.profile?.isGuest ?? '—'}`,
+    telegramChromeDiag(),
+  ].join('\n');
+
+  let label = $state('Share');
+  async function share(e: MouseEvent): Promise<void> {
+    e.stopPropagation(); // a tap on Share shares; it must not also close the panel
+    const r = await shareText(report, `Scrabble debug ${__APP_VERSION__}`);
+    if (r === 'copied') {
+      label = 'Copied';
+      setTimeout(() => (label = 'Share'), 1500);
+    }
+  }
+</script>
+
+<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events -->
+<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_no_static_element_interactions -->
+<div class="overlay" onclick={closeDebug}>
+  <button class="share" onclick={share}>{label}</button>
+  <pre class="body">{report}</pre>
+</div>
+
+<style>
+  .overlay {
+    position: fixed;
+    inset: 0;
+    z-index: 10000;
+    /* Drawn from the top; the content clears the app header (~56px + the device safe-area). */
+    padding: calc(var(--tg-safe-top, 0px) + 56px) 12px 16px;
+    background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.82);
+    overflow: auto;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 10px;
+    align-items: flex-start;
+  }
+  .share {
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    padding: 7px 16px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--accent);
+    background: var(--accent);
+    color: var(--accent-text);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    font-size: 0.95rem;
+  }
+  .body {
+    margin: 0;
+    width: 100%;
+    white-space: pre-wrap;
+    overflow-wrap: anywhere;
+    font-family: ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, monospace;
+    font-size: 11px;
+    line-height: 1.45;
+    color: #d6e6ff;
+  }
+</style>

ui/src/components/Header.svelte

@@ -1,17 +1,30 @@
 <script lang="ts">
   import { navigate } from '../lib/router.svelte';
-  import { insideTelegram } from '../lib/telegram';
   import { connection } from '../lib/connection.svelte';
   import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
-  import { app } from '../lib/app.svelte';
+  import { app, openDebug } from '../lib/app.svelte';
   import Spinner from './Spinner.svelte';
   import AdBanner from './AdBanner.svelte';
 
   let { title, back, grow = false }: { title: string; back?: string; grow?: boolean } = $props();
 
-  // Inside Telegram the native header back button (App.svelte) is the back control, so
-  // the app's own chevron is hidden to avoid two back affordances.
-  const showBack = $derived(!!back && !insideTelegram());
+  // The app always shows its own back chevron when there is a back target — on every platform, in
+  // and out of Telegram. The native Telegram BackButton is not used: it does not render reliably in
+  // the windowed Mini App (relying on it would lose back navigation there).
+  const showBack = $derived(!!back);
+
+  // Ten quick taps on the title open the hidden debug panel (components/DebugPanel) — a support aid.
+  let titleTaps = 0;
+  let lastTitleTap = 0;
+  function onTitleTap(): void {
+    const now = Date.now();
+    titleTaps = now - lastTitleTap < 400 ? titleTaps + 1 : 1;
+    lastTitleTap = now;
+    if (titleTaps >= 10) {
+      titleTaps = 0;
+      openDebug();
+    }
+  }
 </script>
 
 <header class="nav" class:grow>
@@ -24,7 +37,9 @@
       <span class="spacer"></span>
     {/if}
     {#if connection.online}
-      <h1>{title}</h1>
+      <!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events -->
+      <!-- svelte-ignore a11y_no_noninteractive_element_interactions -->
+      <h1 onclick={onTitleTap}>{title}</h1>
     {:else}
       <h1 class="connecting"><Spinner /> <span>{t('connection.connecting')}</span></h1>
     {/if}
@@ -66,7 +81,7 @@
     display: flex;
     align-items: center;
     gap: var(--gap);
-    padding: 10px var(--pad);
+    padding: 5px var(--pad);
   }
   h1 {
     font-size: 1.05rem;
@@ -124,15 +139,15 @@
        back chevron is hidden), so min-height (the nav-band height) doesn't bind. Without the
        (removed) hamburger that content shrank and the bar sat flush under Telegram's native nav
        band. So **padding-top** is the lever: it drops the title clear of the band — the notch
-       plus a **10px** gap (was 6). A fixed px (not rem/em) gap so the clearance from Telegram's
-       native controls stays constant if the user scales up the font (the title then grows
-       downward and the bar with it). (Owner-tunable: the 10px.) */
+       plus an **8px** gap (halved from 16). A fixed px (not rem/em) gap so the clearance from
+       Telegram's native controls stays constant if the user scales up the font (the title then
+       grows downward and the bar with it). (Owner-tunable: the 8px.) */
     min-height: var(--tg-content-top);
     box-sizing: border-box;
     align-items: center;
     justify-content: center;
-    padding-top: calc(var(--tg-safe-top) + 16px);
-    padding-bottom: 6px;
+    padding-top: calc(var(--tg-safe-top) + 8px);
+    padding-bottom: 3px;
   }
   :global(html.tg-fullscreen) .spacer {
     display: none;

ui/src/components/Screen.svelte

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
     scroll = true,
     growNav = false,
     column = false,
+    selfInset = false,
   }: {
     title: string;
     back?: string;
@@ -21,6 +22,10 @@
     children?: Snippet;
     scroll?: boolean;
     growNav?: boolean;
+    // selfInset: the content paints the bottom home-indicator inset itself (a tab-bar-less screen
+    // whose own bottom element owns the strip, e.g. the landscape game's left-panel controls), so
+    // the shell does not add the detached .content padding-bottom below it.
+    selfInset?: boolean;
     // column lays the content out as a flex column so a child can own the vertical fit
     // (the game makes only its board scroll while the score/rack/tab bar stay put).
     column?: boolean;
@@ -87,7 +92,7 @@
 
 <div class="screen">
   <Header {title} {back} grow={growNav} />
-  <main class="content" class:scroll class:fill={!growNav} class:column>{@render children?.()}</main>
+  <main class="content" class:scroll class:fill={!growNav} class:column class:selfinset={selfInset}>{@render children?.()}</main>
   {#if tabbar}
     <nav class="tabbar">{@render tabbar()}</nav>
   {/if}
@@ -101,6 +106,12 @@
        bottom input — chat, word-check — stays above an open soft keyboard without the page
        scrolling; falls back to the full height where the var is unset. */
     height: var(--vvh, 100%);
+    /* Clear the landscape notch sides inside Telegram (0 elsewhere). The top inset is owned by the
+       header; the home-indicator (bottom) inset is owned by the bottom bar — the .tabbar paints its
+       own chrome into it, and a screen with no tab bar pads its content (.content:last-child) — so
+       the strip takes the bar's colour rather than the detached content background. */
+    padding-left: var(--tg-safe-left, 0px);
+    padding-right: var(--tg-safe-right, 0px);
   }
   .content {
     flex: 0 1 auto;
@@ -116,7 +127,23 @@
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
   }
+  /* No tab bar → the content is the bottom-most element: pad it by the device home-indicator inset
+     so it clears the cut-out, the strip taking the content's own background. With a tab bar the
+     .tabbar owns that inset instead (and content is not the last child, so this does not apply). */
+  .content:last-child {
+    padding-bottom: var(--tg-safe-bottom, 0px);
+  }
+  /* selfInset: the content's own bottom element paints the home-indicator strip (the landscape
+     game's left-panel controls), so the shell does not add a detached padding strip below it. */
+  .content.selfinset:last-child {
+    padding-bottom: 0;
+  }
   .tabbar {
     flex: 0 0 auto;
+    /* Extend the bottom bar's chrome (the TabBar's --bg-elev) under the device home indicator
+       inside Telegram (the inset is 0 elsewhere), so the safe-area strip reads as part of the bar
+       instead of the content background showing through. */
+    background: var(--bg-elev);
+    padding-bottom: var(--tg-safe-bottom, 0px);
   }
 </style>

ui/src/components/StaleInviteModal.svelte

@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 <script lang="ts">
   import { app, dismissStaleInvite } from '../lib/app.svelte';
+  import { router } from '../lib/router.svelte';
   import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
   import { botUsername } from '../lib/deeplink';
-  import { telegramOpenLink } from '../lib/telegram';
+  import { insideTelegram, telegramDialogsAvailable, telegramOpenLink, telegramShowPopup } from '../lib/telegram';
+  import { BOT_BUTTON_ID, botInfoPopup } from '../lib/nativedialogs';
   import Modal from './Modal.svelte';
 
   // The single bot's @username, for the deep link.
@@ -19,9 +21,30 @@
     }
     dismissStaleInvite();
   }
+
+  // Native path: when the notice fires inside the Mini App with native popups, present Telegram's
+  // own popup instead of the in-app modal. insideTelegram()/dialogs are evaluated at fire time, not
+  // captured at init: this component mounts before bootstrap loads the SDK, so a captured value
+  // would be stale. The popup's "open bot" button opens the bot chat; any other dismissal clears the
+  // notice; the `shown` guard fires it once per notice.
+  // The notice is raised during boot; wait until the loading cover for the current route is gone —
+  // the tile splash on the lobby (splashDone), the plain loading screen elsewhere (app.ready) — so
+  // the native popup never appears over the splash.
+  const ready = $derived(router.route.name === 'lobby' ? app.splashDone : app.ready);
+  let shown = false;
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (app.staleInvite && !shown && ready && insideTelegram() && telegramDialogsAvailable()) {
+      shown = true;
+      void telegramShowPopup(
+        botInfoPopup(t('friends.staleInviteTitle'), t('friends.staleInvite'), username ?? '', t('common.ok')),
+      ).then((id) => (id === BOT_BUTTON_ID ? openBot() : dismissStaleInvite()));
+    } else if (!app.staleInvite) {
+      shown = false;
+    }
+  });
 </script>
 
-{#if app.staleInvite}
+{#if app.staleInvite && ready && !(insideTelegram() && telegramDialogsAvailable())}
   <Modal title={t('friends.staleInviteTitle')} onclose={dismissStaleInvite}>
     <p class="msg">{parts[0]}{#if username}<button type="button" class="bot" onclick={openBot}>@{username}</button>{/if}{parts[1] ?? ''}</p>
     <button class="ok" onclick={dismissStaleInvite}>{t('common.ok')}</button>

ui/src/components/WelcomeRedeemModal.svelte

@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 <script lang="ts">
   import { app, dismissWelcomeRedeem } from '../lib/app.svelte';
+  import { router } from '../lib/router.svelte';
   import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
   import { botUsername } from '../lib/deeplink';
-  import { telegramOpenLink } from '../lib/telegram';
+  import { insideTelegram, telegramDialogsAvailable, telegramOpenLink, telegramShowPopup } from '../lib/telegram';
+  import { BOT_BUTTON_ID, botInfoPopup } from '../lib/nativedialogs';
   import Modal from './Modal.svelte';
 
   // The single bot's @username, for the deep link.
@@ -22,9 +24,30 @@
     }
     dismissWelcomeRedeem();
   }
+
+  // Native path: when the greeting fires inside the Mini App with native popups, present Telegram's
+  // own popup instead of the in-app modal. insideTelegram()/dialogs are evaluated at fire time, not
+  // captured at init: this component mounts before bootstrap loads the SDK, so a captured value
+  // would be stale. The popup's "open bot" button opens the bot chat; any other dismissal clears it;
+  // the `shown` guard fires it once per greeting.
+  // The greeting is raised during boot; wait until the loading cover for the current route is gone —
+  // the tile splash on the lobby (splashDone), the plain loading screen elsewhere (app.ready) — so
+  // the native popup never appears over the splash.
+  const ready = $derived(router.route.name === 'lobby' ? app.splashDone : app.ready);
+  let shown = false;
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (app.welcomeRedeem && !shown && ready && insideTelegram() && telegramDialogsAvailable()) {
+      shown = true;
+      void telegramShowPopup(
+        botInfoPopup(t('friends.welcomeRedeemTitle'), t('friends.welcomeRedeem', { name }), username ?? '', t('common.ok')),
+      ).then((id) => (id === BOT_BUTTON_ID ? openBot() : dismissWelcomeRedeem()));
+    } else if (!app.welcomeRedeem) {
+      shown = false;
+    }
+  });
 </script>
 
-{#if app.welcomeRedeem}
+{#if app.welcomeRedeem && ready && !(insideTelegram() && telegramDialogsAvailable())}
   <Modal title={t('friends.welcomeRedeemTitle')} onclose={dismissWelcomeRedeem}>
     <p class="msg">{parts[0]}{#if username}<button type="button" class="bot" onclick={openBot}>@{username}</button>{/if}{parts[1] ?? ''}</p>
     <button class="ok" onclick={dismissWelcomeRedeem}>{t('common.ok')}</button>

ui/src/game/Board.svelte

@@ -105,18 +105,27 @@
     prevZoom = on;
     prevRecenter = rc;
     if (landscape) {
-      // Height-driven board in a wide viewport: pan so the focused cell is centred. The board
-      // magnifies over the .scaler.land width/height transition, so the focus-centred scroll target
-      // is only reachable once the board has grown — clamp it to the CURRENT scrollable size each
-      // frame and ride the transition over a fixed time budget. (A scrollWidth-progress tween like
-      // portrait's never settles here: zoom-out shrinks the board below the viewport, where it
-      // stops overflowing.)
+      // A wide viewport overflows VERTICALLY as soon as the square board grows past its height, but
+      // HORIZONTALLY only once the board grows past the (much larger) width — so a per-axis scroll
+      // moves the vertical axis early and the horizontal axis late (the browser pins scrollLeft to 0
+      // until the board is wider than the viewport): the board positioning "in two steps". Drive
+      // BOTH axes by one progress q — how far the board has grown past the viewport width, the point
+      // at which a horizontal pan first becomes possible. Until then q is 0 and the board simply
+      // zooms centred; past it both axes pan together in one diagonal motion. The full-zoom focus
+      // target is finalSL/ST on zoom-in and the current position on zoom-out (where final is 0), so
+      // q running 1→0 unwinds the scroll before the board shrinks back below the viewport.
       if (toggled || (recentered && on && f)) {
-        const t0 = performance.now();
-        let raf = requestAnimationFrame(function tick(now: number) {
-          vp.scrollLeft = Math.min(finalSL, Math.max(0, vp.scrollWidth - vp.clientWidth));
-          vp.scrollTop = Math.min(finalST, Math.max(0, vp.scrollHeight - vp.clientHeight));
-          if (now - t0 < 320) raf = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
+        const scaler = vp.firstElementChild as HTMLElement | null;
+        const targetSL = on ? finalSL : vp.scrollLeft;
+        const targetST = on ? finalST : vp.scrollTop;
+        const span = Math.max(1, fullSide - clientW);
+        let raf = requestAnimationFrame(function tick() {
+          const side = scaler ? scaler.getBoundingClientRect().width : fullSide;
+          const q = Math.max(0, Math.min(1, (side - clientW) / span));
+          vp.scrollLeft = targetSL * q;
+          vp.scrollTop = targetST * q;
+          const settled = on ? side >= fullSide - 1 : side <= fitSide + 1;
+          if (!settled) raf = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
         });
         return () => cancelAnimationFrame(raf);
       }
@@ -204,6 +213,69 @@
     };
   });
 
+  // Mouse drag-to-pan the zoomed board. Touch scrolls the overflow:auto viewport natively, but a
+  // mouse cannot drag-scroll it, so on desktop / the landscape iframe the magnified board could not
+  // be moved at all. Active only while zoomed, for a primary-button drag that does NOT start on a
+  // pending tile (those own their pointer for relocation), and only once the pointer passes a small
+  // threshold — so a plain click still places a rack tile or toggles zoom. A completed pan swallows
+  // the trailing click so it does not also act on the cell under the release.
+  $effect(() => {
+    const vp = viewport;
+    if (!vp) return;
+    let armed = false;
+    let panning = false;
+    let sx = 0;
+    let sy = 0;
+    let sl = 0;
+    let st = 0;
+    const onDown = (e: PointerEvent) => {
+      if (e.pointerType === 'touch' || e.button !== 0 || !zoomed) return;
+      if ((e.target as HTMLElement | null)?.closest('.cell.pending')) return;
+      armed = true;
+      panning = false;
+      sx = e.clientX;
+      sy = e.clientY;
+      sl = vp.scrollLeft;
+      st = vp.scrollTop;
+    };
+    const onMove = (e: PointerEvent) => {
+      if (!armed) return;
+      const dx = e.clientX - sx;
+      const dy = e.clientY - sy;
+      if (!panning) {
+        if (Math.hypot(dx, dy) < 4) return; // a small move is still a click, not a pan
+        panning = true;
+        vp.setPointerCapture(e.pointerId);
+      }
+      vp.scrollLeft = sl - dx;
+      vp.scrollTop = st - dy;
+    };
+    const onUp = (e: PointerEvent) => {
+      armed = false;
+      if (!panning) return;
+      panning = false;
+      if (vp.hasPointerCapture(e.pointerId)) vp.releasePointerCapture(e.pointerId);
+      // Swallow the click the drag would otherwise produce (capture phase, before it reaches the
+      // cell); self-remove on that click, and clean up on the next tick if none fired.
+      const swallow = (ev: Event) => {
+        ev.stopPropagation();
+        vp.removeEventListener('click', swallow, true);
+      };
+      vp.addEventListener('click', swallow, true);
+      setTimeout(() => vp.removeEventListener('click', swallow, true), 0);
+    };
+    vp.addEventListener('pointerdown', onDown);
+    vp.addEventListener('pointermove', onMove);
+    vp.addEventListener('pointerup', onUp);
+    vp.addEventListener('pointercancel', onUp);
+    return () => {
+      vp.removeEventListener('pointerdown', onDown);
+      vp.removeEventListener('pointermove', onMove);
+      vp.removeEventListener('pointerup', onUp);
+      vp.removeEventListener('pointercancel', onUp);
+    };
+  });
+
   // Double-tap a pending tile recalls it; double-tap any other cell toggles zoom toward
   // it. A single tap places a selected rack tile (handled by oncell). Drag also auto-zooms
   // toward a cell the held tile hovers over (handled in Game), so the one-finger native
@@ -287,6 +359,9 @@
     /* Clamp the pan at the board edge: kill the native rubber-band/overscroll so the zoomed
        board cannot be dragged past its content into empty space — it just stops at the edge. */
     overscroll-behavior: none;
+    /* The zoom effect drives scrollLeft/Top itself while the board grows/shrinks; turn off the
+       browser's scroll-anchoring so it does not fight those writes mid-transition. */
+    overflow-anchor: none;
   }
   /* The query container is the (zoom-scaled) board, so cqw labels scale WITH the board
      — a magnifying-glass zoom. */

ui/src/game/Game.svelte

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
   import { getCachedGame, setCachedGame, setCachedDraft, type CachedGame } from '../lib/gamecache';
   import { patchLobbyGame } from '../lib/lobbycache';
   import { applyGameOver, applyMoveDelta, applyOpponentJoined, type DeltaResult } from '../lib/gamedelta';
-  import { telegramClosingConfirmation, telegramHaptic } from '../lib/telegram';
+  import { insideTelegram, telegramDialogsAvailable, telegramHaptic, telegramShowConfirm } from '../lib/telegram';
   import {
     BLANK,
     newPlacement,
@@ -228,8 +228,6 @@
     placement = tiles.length ? placementFromHint(tiles, rack) : newPlacement(rack);
   }
   onMount(() => {
-    // Guard against an accidental swipe-close losing the open game (Telegram).
-    telegramClosingConfirmation(true);
     // Render instantly from the cache (a game opened before), then refresh in the
     // background. A cold open shows the loading state until load() resolves.
     const cached = getCachedGame(id);
@@ -579,7 +577,6 @@
       clearTimeout(draftSaveTimer);
       void gateway.draftSave(id, serializeDraft(rackIds, placement.pending)).catch(() => {});
     }
-    telegramClosingConfirmation(false);
   });
 
   function onCell(row: number, col: number) {
@@ -715,6 +712,16 @@
       busy = false;
     }
   }
+  // onResignClick: inside the Mini App (and online) confirm with Telegram's native dialog and resign
+  // on accept; otherwise open the in-app confirm modal (which also carries the offline-disabled action).
+  async function onResignClick(): Promise<void> {
+    if (connection.online && insideTelegram() && telegramDialogsAvailable()) {
+      if (await telegramShowConfirm(t('game.confirmResign'))) doResign();
+      return;
+    }
+    resignOpen = true;
+  }
+
   async function doResign() {
     resignOpen = false;
     busy = true;
@@ -1067,6 +1074,7 @@
   column
   scroll={false}
   tabbar={landscape ? undefined : bottomBar}
+  selfInset={landscape}
 >
   {#if view}
     {#if landscape}
@@ -1152,7 +1160,7 @@
           <button class="hicon" onclick={exportGcg} aria-label={t('game.exportGcg')}>📤</button>
         {/if}
       {:else}
-        <button class="hicon" onclick={() => (resignOpen = true)} disabled={waitingForOpponent} aria-label={t('game.dropGame')}>🏁</button>
+        <button class="hicon" onclick={onResignClick} disabled={waitingForOpponent} aria-label={t('game.dropGame')}>🏁</button>
       {/if}
       {#if !view.game.multipleWordsPerTurn}<span class="oneword-label">{t('game.oneWordRule')}</span>{/if}
       <!-- A finished AI game has no comms at all (no chat, and the dictionary closes with the
@@ -1537,6 +1545,14 @@
   .make:disabled {
     opacity: 0.4;
   }
+  /* Landscape: the rack fills a narrow fixed-width panel with exactly seven tile slots, so the 56px
+     button (sized for the roomy portrait rack) is wider than the single slot a staged tile frees and
+     overlaps the now-rightmost tile. Match the button to one landscape tile slot (its width formula),
+     so it sits inside the freed slot with its right edge level with the rack's right edge — the
+     mirror of the first tile's left edge. */
+  .game-land .make {
+    width: calc((100% - 2 * var(--pad) - 6 * 5px) / 7);
+  }
   /* The move-history header: leave (active) / export (finished) on the left, comms on the
      right, icon-only. Sticky so it stays atop the scrolling move list. */
   .hhead {
@@ -1723,8 +1739,10 @@
     grid-template-columns: clamp(260px, 32%, 360px) 1fr;
     gap: 4px;
     /* The left-column children carry their own horizontal --pad (matching portrait), so the
-       grid only pads its right edge; the board centres in the right pane. */
-    padding: 4px var(--pad) 6px 0;
+       grid only pads its right edge; the board centres in the right pane. The bottom is flush so the
+       controls bar and the board reach the screen edge — the controls bar owns the home-indicator
+       inset (see the .leftpane .tabbar rule), the board runs under the thin indicator. */
+    padding: 4px var(--pad) 0 0;
     overflow: hidden;
   }
   .leftpane {
@@ -1732,6 +1750,13 @@
     flex-direction: column;
     min-height: 0;
   }
+  /* The home-indicator inset on the controls side: the left panel's controls bar paints its own
+     chrome (--bg-elev) into it so the buttons clear the cut-out (the shell's detached content strip
+     is suppressed here via Screen selfInset); the board pane runs to the edge under the thin
+     indicator. */
+  .game-land .leftpane :global(.tabbar) {
+    padding-bottom: calc(8px + var(--tg-safe-bottom, 0px));
+  }
   .rightpane {
     /* A size container spanning the whole right area: the board (Board.svelte's .viewport.land)
        fills it and fits the square board by HEIGHT via min(100cqw,100cqh); on zoom-in the board

ui/src/game/Rack.svelte

@@ -112,12 +112,32 @@
   /* Landscape: the rack sits in a fixed-width left panel, so the tiles share the panel width
      (capped at the portrait size) and shrink below it when the panel is narrow, instead of the
      viewport-width measure that would overflow seven tiles in a column. */
+  .rack.landscape {
+    /* Size the tile glyphs relative to the rack (the board sizes its labels the same way, on its
+       .scaler container). The tile is a flex + aspect-ratio item whose OWN container-query size
+       resolves unreliably, so the rack — which has a definite width — is the query container. A
+       fixed-rem letter overflowed the tile once it shrank below 46px in a narrow left panel and
+       dropped into the bottom-left corner. The cqw values track the rack≈7×tile relation. */
+    container-type: inline-size;
+  }
   .rack.landscape .tile {
-    flex: 1 1 0;
-    width: auto;
-    min-width: 0;
+    /* Fixed tile size (1/7 of the fixed-width rack, accounting for the six 5px gaps), NOT flex-grow:
+       so placing a tile leaves the remaining ones put instead of growing them to refill the row —
+       matching the portrait rack. The constant rack width also keeps the cqw glyphs above steady as
+       tiles leave. */
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    width: calc((100% - 6 * 5px) / 7);
     max-width: 46px;
   }
+  .rack.landscape .letter {
+    font-size: 6cqw;
+  }
+  .rack.landscape .val {
+    font-size: 3.1cqw;
+  }
+  .rack.landscape .star {
+    font-size: 7.6cqw;
+  }
   /* While reordering, tiles at/after the drop slot slide right to open a gap there (one
      tile width plus the rack gap), so the drop position is visible. */
   .rack.reordering .tile {

ui/src/gen/fbs/scrabblefb.ts

@@ -71,5 +71,6 @@ export { TargetRequest } from './scrabblefb/target-request.js';
 export { TelegramLoginRequest } from './scrabblefb/telegram-login-request.js';
 export { TileRecord } from './scrabblefb/tile-record.js';
 export { UpdateProfileRequest } from './scrabblefb/update-profile-request.js';
+export { VKLoginRequest } from './scrabblefb/vklogin-request.js';
 export { WordCheckResult } from './scrabblefb/word-check-result.js';
 export { YourTurnEvent } from './scrabblefb/your-turn-event.js';

ui/src/gen/fbs/scrabblefb/vklogin-request.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+// automatically generated by the FlatBuffers compiler, do not modify
+
+import * as flatbuffers from 'flatbuffers';
+
+export class VKLoginRequest {
+  bb: flatbuffers.ByteBuffer|null = null;
+  bb_pos = 0;
+  __init(i:number, bb:flatbuffers.ByteBuffer):VKLoginRequest {
+  this.bb_pos = i;
+  this.bb = bb;
+  return this;
+}
+
+static getRootAsVKLoginRequest(bb:flatbuffers.ByteBuffer, obj?:VKLoginRequest):VKLoginRequest {
+  return (obj || new VKLoginRequest()).__init(bb.readInt32(bb.position()) + bb.position(), bb);
+}
+
+static getSizePrefixedRootAsVKLoginRequest(bb:flatbuffers.ByteBuffer, obj?:VKLoginRequest):VKLoginRequest {
+  bb.setPosition(bb.position() + flatbuffers.SIZE_PREFIX_LENGTH);
+  return (obj || new VKLoginRequest()).__init(bb.readInt32(bb.position()) + bb.position(), bb);
+}
+
+params():string|null
+params(optionalEncoding:flatbuffers.Encoding):string|Uint8Array|null
+params(optionalEncoding?:any):string|Uint8Array|null {
+  const offset = this.bb!.__offset(this.bb_pos, 4);
+  return offset ? this.bb!.__string(this.bb_pos + offset, optionalEncoding) : null;
+}
+
+browserTz():string|null
+browserTz(optionalEncoding:flatbuffers.Encoding):string|Uint8Array|null
+browserTz(optionalEncoding?:any):string|Uint8Array|null {
+  const offset = this.bb!.__offset(this.bb_pos, 6);
+  return offset ? this.bb!.__string(this.bb_pos + offset, optionalEncoding) : null;
+}
+
+displayName():string|null
+displayName(optionalEncoding:flatbuffers.Encoding):string|Uint8Array|null
+displayName(optionalEncoding?:any):string|Uint8Array|null {
+  const offset = this.bb!.__offset(this.bb_pos, 8);
+  return offset ? this.bb!.__string(this.bb_pos + offset, optionalEncoding) : null;
+}
+
+static startVKLoginRequest(builder:flatbuffers.Builder) {
+  builder.startObject(3);
+}
+
+static addParams(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, paramsOffset:flatbuffers.Offset) {
+  builder.addFieldOffset(0, paramsOffset, 0);
+}
+
+static addBrowserTz(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, browserTzOffset:flatbuffers.Offset) {
+  builder.addFieldOffset(1, browserTzOffset, 0);
+}
+
+static addDisplayName(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, displayNameOffset:flatbuffers.Offset) {
+  builder.addFieldOffset(2, displayNameOffset, 0);
+}
+
+static endVKLoginRequest(builder:flatbuffers.Builder):flatbuffers.Offset {
+  const offset = builder.endObject();
+  return offset;
+}
+
+static createVKLoginRequest(builder:flatbuffers.Builder, paramsOffset:flatbuffers.Offset, browserTzOffset:flatbuffers.Offset, displayNameOffset:flatbuffers.Offset):flatbuffers.Offset {
+  VKLoginRequest.startVKLoginRequest(builder);
+  VKLoginRequest.addParams(builder, paramsOffset);
+  VKLoginRequest.addBrowserTz(builder, browserTzOffset);
+  VKLoginRequest.addDisplayName(builder, displayNameOffset);
+  return VKLoginRequest.endVKLoginRequest(builder);
+}
+}

ui/src/lib/app.svelte.ts

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { GatewayError } from './client';
 import { navigate, router } from './router.svelte';
 import { errorKey, localeFrom, setLocale, t, type Locale } from './i18n/index.svelte';
 import { languageNeedsServerSync } from './language';
-import { applyReduceMotion, applyTelegramTheme, applyTheme, type ThemePref } from './theme';
+import { applyReduceMotion, applyTelegramTheme, applyTheme, type ThemePref, type TelegramThemeParams } from './theme';
 import {
   insideTelegram,
   collectTelegramDiag,
@@ -18,16 +18,22 @@ import {
   hasLaunchFragment,
   loadTelegramSDK,
   telegramColorScheme,
+  telegramThemeParams,
   telegramContentSafeAreaTop,
-  telegramSafeAreaTop,
+  telegramSafeAreaInset,
   telegramDisableVerticalSwipes,
+  telegramShowSettingsButton,
   telegramHaptic,
   telegramLaunch,
   type TelegramLaunch,
   telegramOnEvent,
-  telegramRequestFullscreen,
   telegramSetChrome,
+  telegramCloudAvailable,
+  telegramCloudGet,
+  telegramCloudSet,
 } from './telegram';
+import { onVKPath, insideVK, vkInit, vkLaunchParams, vkUserName, vkStartParam, vkOnScheme, vkOnInsets } from './vk';
+import { CLOUD_PREFS_KEY, decodeClientPrefs, encodeClientPrefs } from './cloudprefs';
 import { parseStartParam } from './deeplink';
 import { clearSession, loadPrefs, loadSession, saveSession, savePrefs } from './session';
 import { connection, reportOffline, reportOnline, resetConnection } from './connection.svelte';
@@ -56,6 +62,9 @@ export const app = $state<{
    *  launch-error screen (screens/TelegramLaunchError) — a shareable probe for why Telegram
    *  delivered no initData (seen on some Android clients) — instead of bouncing to the landing. */
   launchError: TelegramDiag | null;
+  /** Whether the hidden on-device debug panel (components/DebugPanel) is open — toggled by tapping
+   *  the header title ten times in quick succession. A support aid; carries no secrets. */
+  debugOpen: boolean;
   /** Whether the lobby's first cold load has settled (success or error). The loading splash
    *  (components/Splash.svelte) watches it to know when to dismiss; set by screens/Lobby. */
   lobbyReady: boolean;
@@ -106,6 +115,7 @@ export const app = $state<{
   ready: false,
   bootError: false,
   launchError: null,
+  debugOpen: false,
   lobbyReady: false,
   splashDone: false,
   streamAlive: false,
@@ -197,6 +207,16 @@ export function dismissWelcomeRedeem(): void {
   app.welcomeRedeem = false;
 }
 
+/** openDebug / closeDebug toggle the hidden on-device debug panel (components/DebugPanel), opened
+ *  by tapping the header title ten times — a support aid that shows and shares client diagnostics. */
+export function openDebug(): void {
+  app.debugOpen = true;
+}
+
+export function closeDebug(): void {
+  app.debugOpen = false;
+}
+
 /**
  * seedChatUnread sets a game's unread flags from an authoritative per-viewer REST view (the lobby
  * list, a game's state, or a move result): unread is any unread entry, message whether one of them
@@ -514,17 +534,25 @@ function syncTelegramChrome(): void {
 }
 
 /**
- * syncTelegramSafeArea mirrors Telegram's content-safe-area top inset (the height its native
- * nav overlays the viewport in fullscreen) into the --tg-content-top CSS var and toggles a
- * `tg-fullscreen` class, so the header can drop below the nav and centre the title in its
- * band. Called on launch and on Telegram's safe-area / fullscreen change events.
+ * syncTelegramSafeArea mirrors Telegram's safe-area insets into CSS vars: the content-safe-area top
+ * (the height Telegram's native nav overlays the viewport in fullscreen) into --tg-content-top
+ * (which also toggles the `tg-fullscreen` class so the header drops below the nav and centres the
+ * title in its band), and the device safe-area insets — notch / status bar (top), home indicator
+ * (bottom) and the landscape notch sides (left / right) — into --tg-safe-top / --tg-safe-bottom /
+ * --tg-safe-left / --tg-safe-right, so the header, rack and screen edges clear the device cut-outs.
+ * Called on launch and on Telegram's safe-area / fullscreen change events.
  */
 function syncTelegramSafeArea(): void {
   if (typeof document === 'undefined') return;
+  const root = document.documentElement;
   const top = telegramContentSafeAreaTop();
-  document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--tg-content-top', `${top}px`);
-  document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-top', `${telegramSafeAreaTop()}px`);
-  document.documentElement.classList.toggle('tg-fullscreen', top > 0);
+  const safe = telegramSafeAreaInset();
+  root.style.setProperty('--tg-content-top', `${top}px`);
+  root.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-top', `${safe.top}px`);
+  root.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-bottom', `${safe.bottom}px`);
+  root.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-left', `${safe.left}px`);
+  root.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-right', `${safe.right}px`);
+  root.classList.toggle('tg-fullscreen', top > 0);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -541,26 +569,33 @@ function syncViewportHeight(): void {
 }
 
 /**
- * applyTelegramChrome applies a Mini App launch's visual integration: Telegram's authoritative
- * colour scheme and theme, the matching header / background / bottom chrome, the safe-area insets,
- * the swipe-down guard, and immersive fullscreen on mobile. It is idempotent, so both the initial
- * bootstrap and a manual launch retry call it.
+ * syncTelegramTheme re-applies Telegram's theme integration — the themeParams token overrides,
+ * Telegram's authoritative colour scheme, and the matching chrome — from theme, or from the SDK's
+ * current themeParams when omitted. Called on launch with the launch snapshot and live on the
+ * themeChanged event, so switching Telegram's light/dark theme while the app is open is picked up
+ * without a relaunch.
  */
-function applyTelegramChrome(launch: TelegramLaunch): void {
-  if (launch.theme) applyTelegramTheme(launch.theme);
+function syncTelegramTheme(theme: TelegramThemeParams | undefined = telegramThemeParams()): void {
+  if (theme) applyTelegramTheme(theme);
   // Inside Telegram the colour scheme is Telegram's to decide; force it explicitly so the OS
   // prefers-color-scheme (which leaks into the Telegram Desktop webview) cannot fight it. Falls
   // back to the stored preference when the SDK omits it.
   applyTheme(telegramColorScheme() ?? app.theme);
-  // Match Telegram's chrome to the app and stop its swipe-down-to-minimise from fighting tile
-  // drag / board scroll.
   syncTelegramChrome();
+}
+
+/**
+ * applyTelegramChrome applies a Mini App launch's visual integration: Telegram's authoritative
+ * colour scheme and theme (syncTelegramTheme), the matching header / background / bottom chrome,
+ * the safe-area insets, and the swipe-down-to-minimise guard. It is idempotent, so both the
+ * initial bootstrap and a manual launch retry call it.
+ */
+function applyTelegramChrome(launch: TelegramLaunch): void {
+  syncTelegramTheme(launch.theme);
+  // Mirror the safe-area insets and stop Telegram's swipe-down-to-minimise from fighting tile drag
+  // / board scroll.
   syncTelegramSafeArea();
   telegramDisableVerticalSwipes();
-  // On mobile, go immersive fullscreen like Telegram's own Mini Apps; the fullscreenChanged
-  // listener (registered at bootstrap) then re-syncs the safe-area insets. Desktop keeps the bot's
-  // full-size window. No-op on clients predating Bot API 8.0.
-  telegramRequestFullscreen();
 }
 
 /** How long to wait for the dynamically loaded Telegram Mini App SDK before giving up and showing
@@ -612,15 +647,49 @@ export async function bootstrap(): Promise<void> {
   if (insideTelegram()) {
     const launch = telegramLaunch();
     applyTelegramChrome(launch);
+    // Pull the device-independent display prefs (theme / reduce-motion / board labels) from
+    // CloudStorage in the background so a change on another device follows the user here; the local
+    // values applied above render instantly, so this reconciles without blocking launch.
+    void reconcileCloudPrefs();
     // Re-sync the safe-area insets whenever Telegram's chrome changes (registered once per load).
     telegramOnEvent('contentSafeAreaChanged', syncTelegramSafeArea);
     telegramOnEvent('safeAreaChanged', syncTelegramSafeArea);
     telegramOnEvent('fullscreenChanged', syncTelegramSafeArea);
+    // Re-apply the theme live when the user switches Telegram's light/dark mode while the app is open.
+    telegramOnEvent('themeChanged', () => syncTelegramTheme());
+    // Telegram's native Settings button (Bot API 7.0) opens our Settings screen; the in-app gear
+    // entry stays the primary path. No-op on clients predating the button.
+    telegramShowSettingsButton(() => navigate('/settings'));
     await bootTelegram(launch);
     app.ready = true;
     return;
   }
 
+  // VK Mini App launch: signal readiness to the VK client (which dismisses its loading cover), then
+  // authenticate from the signed launch parameters in the URL — the display name comes from
+  // VKWebAppGetUserInfo, since VK omits it from the signed params. The /vk/ entry opened outside VK
+  // (no signed params — e.g. a developer hitting the URL directly) falls through to the web flow.
+  if (onVKPath() && insideVK()) {
+    // Follow the VK client's light/dark appearance while the user keeps the app's "auto" theme (the
+    // VK mobile webview's prefers-color-scheme does not track it).
+    void vkOnScheme((scheme) => {
+      if (app.theme === 'auto') applyTheme(scheme);
+    });
+    // Clear the device safe area from VK's insets — the VK mobile webview does not surface them via
+    // CSS env() (notably the Android home bar). max() keeps whichever of env() / the VK value is real.
+    void vkOnInsets((i) => {
+      const root = document.documentElement;
+      root.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-top', `max(env(safe-area-inset-top, 0px), ${i.top}px)`);
+      root.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-bottom', `max(env(safe-area-inset-bottom, 0px), ${i.bottom}px)`);
+      root.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-left', `max(env(safe-area-inset-left, 0px), ${i.left}px)`);
+      root.style.setProperty('--tg-safe-right', `max(env(safe-area-inset-right, 0px), ${i.right}px)`);
+    });
+    await vkInit();
+    await bootVK();
+    app.ready = true;
+    return;
+  }
+
   const saved = await loadSession();
   if (saved) {
     await adoptSession(saved);
@@ -631,10 +700,10 @@ export async function bootstrap(): Promise<void> {
   app.ready = true;
 }
 
-// Inside a Mini App the only identity is the Telegram session, so a failed launch must never fall
-// back to the web login screen. A transient backend outage (a deploy rolling over) is retried a
-// few times in silence; only then does the boot-error screen surface, from which Retry re-runs the
-// same path (retryTelegramBoot).
+// Inside a Mini App the only identity is the platform session (Telegram or VK), so a failed launch
+// must never fall back to the web login screen. A transient backend outage (a deploy rolling over)
+// is retried a few times in silence; only then does the boot-error screen surface, from which Retry
+// re-runs the same path (retryMiniAppBoot).
 const TELEGRAM_BOOT_RETRIES = 2;
 const TELEGRAM_BOOT_RETRY_MS = 1200;
 
@@ -671,14 +740,54 @@ async function bootTelegram(launch: TelegramLaunch): Promise<void> {
 }
 
 /**
- * retryTelegramBoot re-attempts the Mini App launch from the boot-error screen's Retry button. It
- * clears the error and shows the loading state again, then runs the same retrying boot; on success
- * the app renders normally, otherwise the boot-error screen returns.
+ * bootVK authenticates a VK Mini App launch from the signed launch parameters in the URL, seeding a
+ * brand-new account's display name from VKWebAppGetUserInfo. Like bootTelegram it retries a few
+ * times on a transient failure before raising the boot-error screen, and a blocked account is
+ * terminal. This MVP carries no VK deep-link routing.
  */
-export async function retryTelegramBoot(): Promise<void> {
+async function bootVK(): Promise<void> {
+  const params = vkLaunchParams();
+  const displayName = await vkUserName();
+  for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
+    try {
+      await adoptSession(await gateway.authVK(params, displayName));
+      // VK forwards only the signed vk_* params to the iframe — a custom payload on the app link
+      // (whether after '#', eaten by the vk.com SPA, or as a '?' query, dropped) never reaches it,
+      // confirmed on the contour. So there is no friend-code auto-redeem on VK in test mode: the
+      // launch lands on the lobby. vkStartParam stays as the reader for a future (post-moderation)
+      // deep-link channel, and routes the lobby for an empty payload today.
+      if (!app.blocked) await routeStartParam(vkStartParam());
+      app.bootError = false;
+      return;
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (err instanceof GatewayError && err.code === 'account_blocked') {
+        await enterBlocked();
+        return;
+      }
+      if (attempt >= TELEGRAM_BOOT_RETRIES) {
+        app.bootError = true;
+        return;
+      }
+      await delay(TELEGRAM_BOOT_RETRY_MS);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * retryMiniAppBoot re-attempts a Mini App launch from the boot-error screen's Retry button — the VK
+ * boot on the /vk/ entry, the Telegram boot otherwise. It clears the error and shows the loading
+ * state again, then runs the same retrying boot; on success the app renders normally, otherwise the
+ * boot-error screen returns.
+ */
+export async function retryMiniAppBoot(): Promise<void> {
   app.bootError = false;
   app.ready = false;
+  if (onVKPath()) {
+    await vkInit();
+    await bootVK();
+  } else {
     await bootTelegram(telegramLaunch());
+  }
   app.ready = true;
 }
 
@@ -802,6 +911,42 @@ function persistPrefs(): void {
     reduceMotion: app.reduceMotion,
     boardLabels: app.boardLabels,
   });
+  // Mirror the device-independent display prefs to Telegram CloudStorage so they follow the user
+  // across devices (no-op outside Telegram / on a client predating it). Locale is excluded — it
+  // syncs via the durable account (Profile.preferredLanguage) instead.
+  void telegramCloudSet(
+    CLOUD_PREFS_KEY,
+    encodeClientPrefs({ theme: app.theme, reduceMotion: app.reduceMotion, boardLabels: app.boardLabels }),
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * reconcileCloudPrefs pulls the device-independent display prefs (theme / reduce-motion / board
+ * labels) from Telegram CloudStorage and applies any that differ from the current values, so a
+ * change made on another Telegram device follows the user here. The local store is the
+ * instant-render cache (read synchronously at boot); this runs once on launch after it and persists
+ * what it applied. Theme is not re-applied visually — inside Telegram the colour scheme is
+ * Telegram's to decide — only its stored value is updated. A no-op outside Telegram or when
+ * CloudStorage is unavailable; locale is never synced this way (it has its own server reconciler).
+ */
+async function reconcileCloudPrefs(): Promise<void> {
+  if (!telegramCloudAvailable()) return;
+  const cloud = decodeClientPrefs(await telegramCloudGet(CLOUD_PREFS_KEY));
+  let changed = false;
+  if (cloud.theme !== undefined && cloud.theme !== app.theme) {
+    app.theme = cloud.theme;
+    changed = true;
+  }
+  if (cloud.reduceMotion !== undefined && cloud.reduceMotion !== app.reduceMotion) {
+    app.reduceMotion = cloud.reduceMotion;
+    applyReduceMotion(app.reduceMotion);
+    changed = true;
+  }
+  if (cloud.boardLabels !== undefined && cloud.boardLabels !== app.boardLabels) {
+    app.boardLabels = cloud.boardLabels;
+    changed = true;
+  }
+  if (changed) persistPrefs();
 }
 
 export function setTheme(theme: ThemePref): void {

ui/src/lib/client.ts

@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ export type Unsubscribe = () => void;
 export interface GatewayClient {
   // --- auth (unauthenticated) ---
   authTelegram(initData: string): Promise<Session>;
+  /** Authenticate a VK Mini App launch: params is the signed vk_* launch query string (the gateway
+   *  verifies its sign); displayName is the client-read VKWebAppGetUserInfo name (an unsigned,
+   *  cosmetic seed for a brand-new account). */
+  authVK(params: string, displayName: string): Promise<Session>;
   authGuest(locale?: string): Promise<Session>;
   authEmailRequest(email: string): Promise<void>;
   authEmailLogin(email: string, code: string): Promise<Session>;

ui/src/lib/cloudprefs.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { CLOUD_PREFS_KEY, decodeClientPrefs, encodeClientPrefs } from './cloudprefs';
+
+describe('cloudprefs', () => {
+  it('round-trips the synced client prefs', () => {
+    const p = { theme: 'dark', reduceMotion: true, boardLabels: 'classic' } as const;
+    expect(decodeClientPrefs(encodeClientPrefs(p))).toEqual(p);
+  });
+
+  it('never encodes the locale (it syncs via the durable account instead)', () => {
+    const raw = encodeClientPrefs({ theme: 'light', reduceMotion: false, boardLabels: 'none' });
+    expect(raw).not.toContain('locale');
+  });
+
+  it('returns an empty partial for missing or malformed input', () => {
+    expect(decodeClientPrefs(null)).toEqual({});
+    expect(decodeClientPrefs(undefined)).toEqual({});
+    expect(decodeClientPrefs('')).toEqual({});
+    expect(decodeClientPrefs('not json')).toEqual({});
+    expect(decodeClientPrefs('[1,2,3]')).toEqual({});
+  });
+
+  it('keeps only valid fields and drops unknown or mistyped ones', () => {
+    const raw = JSON.stringify({ theme: 'neon', reduceMotion: 'yes', boardLabels: 'classic', locale: 'ru' });
+    expect(decodeClientPrefs(raw)).toEqual({ boardLabels: 'classic' });
+  });
+
+  it('exposes the CloudStorage key', () => {
+    expect(CLOUD_PREFS_KEY).toBe('prefs');
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/cloudprefs.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+// Telegram CloudStorage sync for the device-independent client display preferences — theme,
+// reduce-motion and board labels — so they follow the user across their Telegram devices. The
+// interface language is intentionally excluded: it has its own server-side sync
+// (Profile.preferredLanguage) plus an on-launch reconciler, and mixing it in here would fight that.
+// The pure encode/decode is kept free of the SDK and the DOM so it unit-tests in the node
+// environment; the CloudStorage transport wrappers live in telegram.ts and the wiring (mirror on
+// save, reconcile on launch) in app.svelte.ts.
+
+import type { ThemePref } from './theme';
+import type { BoardLabelMode } from './boardlabels';
+
+/** ClientPrefs is the subset of preferences synced across devices via Telegram CloudStorage. */
+export interface ClientPrefs {
+  theme: ThemePref;
+  reduceMotion: boolean;
+  boardLabels: BoardLabelMode;
+}
+
+/** CLOUD_PREFS_KEY is the Telegram CloudStorage key holding the JSON-encoded ClientPrefs. */
+export const CLOUD_PREFS_KEY = 'prefs';
+
+/** encodeClientPrefs serialises the synced client prefs (and only those — never the locale). */
+export function encodeClientPrefs(p: ClientPrefs): string {
+  return JSON.stringify({ theme: p.theme, reduceMotion: p.reduceMotion, boardLabels: p.boardLabels });
+}
+
+/**
+ * decodeClientPrefs parses a CloudStorage payload into a partial ClientPrefs, keeping only valid
+ * fields and dropping anything unknown, mistyped or malformed — so a value written by a newer or
+ * older build, or a corrupt entry, never throws and never applies a bad setting. A missing field
+ * stays absent, so the caller leaves the corresponding local value untouched.
+ */
+export function decodeClientPrefs(raw: string | null | undefined): Partial<ClientPrefs> {
+  if (!raw) return {};
+  let o: Record<string, unknown>;
+  try {
+    o = JSON.parse(raw) as Record<string, unknown>;
+  } catch {
+    return {};
+  }
+  if (!o || typeof o !== 'object') return {};
+  const out: Partial<ClientPrefs> = {};
+  if (o.theme === 'auto' || o.theme === 'light' || o.theme === 'dark') out.theme = o.theme;
+  if (typeof o.reduceMotion === 'boolean') out.reduceMotion = o.reduceMotion;
+  if (o.boardLabels === 'beginner' || o.boardLabels === 'classic' || o.boardLabels === 'none') {
+    out.boardLabels = o.boardLabels;
+  }
+  return out;
+}

ui/src/lib/codec.test.ts

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import {
   encodeTarget,
   encodeTelegramLogin,
   encodeUpdateProfile,
+  encodeVKLogin,
 } from './codec';
 
 describe('codec', () => {
@@ -94,6 +95,13 @@ describe('codec', () => {
     );
     expect(email.email()).toBe('a@example.com');
     expect(email.browserTz()).toBe('+00:00');
+
+    const vk = fb.VKLoginRequest.getRootAsVKLoginRequest(
+      new ByteBuffer(encodeVKLogin('vk_user_id=494075&vk_ts=1&sign=abc', '+03:00', 'Иван Петров')),
+    );
+    expect(vk.params()).toBe('vk_user_id=494075&vk_ts=1&sign=abc');
+    expect(vk.browserTz()).toBe('+03:00');
+    expect(vk.displayName()).toBe('Иван Петров');
   });
 
   it('round-trips a feedback submit and decodes state + unread', () => {

ui/src/lib/codec.ts

@@ -189,6 +189,18 @@ export function encodeTelegramLogin(initData: string, browserTz: string): Uint8A
   return finish(b, fb.TelegramLoginRequest.endTelegramLoginRequest(b));
 }
 
+export function encodeVKLogin(params: string, browserTz: string, displayName: string): Uint8Array {
+  const b = new Builder(512);
+  const p = b.createString(params);
+  const tz = b.createString(browserTz);
+  const dn = b.createString(displayName);
+  fb.VKLoginRequest.startVKLoginRequest(b);
+  fb.VKLoginRequest.addParams(b, p);
+  fb.VKLoginRequest.addBrowserTz(b, tz);
+  fb.VKLoginRequest.addDisplayName(b, dn);
+  return finish(b, fb.VKLoginRequest.endVKLoginRequest(b));
+}
+
 export function encodeGuestLogin(locale: string, browserTz: string): Uint8Array {
   const b = new Builder(64);
   const l = b.createString(locale);

ui/src/lib/deeplink.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
-import { botUsername, friendCodeParam, gameParam, invitationParam, parseStartParam, shareLink } from './deeplink';
+import { botUsername, friendCodeParam, gameParam, invitationParam, parseStartParam, shareLink, vkShareLink } from './deeplink';
 
 describe('parseStartParam', () => {
   it('classifies game / invitation / friend code', () => {
@@ -37,6 +37,20 @@ describe('shareLink', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('vkShareLink', () => {
+  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+
+  it('returns null outside a VK launch (no vk_app_id)', () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { search: '' });
+    expect(vkShareLink()).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('returns the plain vk.com/app link (VK drops a custom query payload, so the code is not carried)', () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { search: '?vk_app_id=6736218&vk_user_id=1&sign=x' });
+    expect(vkShareLink()).toBe('https://vk.com/app6736218');
+  });
+});
+
 describe('botUsername', () => {
   afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllEnvs());
 

ui/src/lib/deeplink.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 //   f<6-digit code>     redeem that friend code
 // An empty or unrecognised parameter opens the lobby.
 
+import { vkAppId } from './vk';
+
 export type DeepLink =
   | { kind: 'lobby' }
   | { kind: 'game'; id: string }
@@ -74,3 +76,16 @@ export function shareLink(param: string): string | null {
   const sep = base.includes('?') ? '&' : '?';
   return `${base}${sep}startapp=${encodeURIComponent(param)}`;
 }
+
+/**
+ * vkShareLink returns the VK Mini App link (https://vk.com/app<id>) to share on VK, or null when the
+ * VK app id is unknown (outside a VK launch). VK forwards no custom payload through the app link to
+ * the iframe — the '#' form is eaten by the vk.com SPA and a '?' query is dropped (confirmed on the
+ * contour: only the signed vk_* params arrive) — so the link cannot carry the friend code; the
+ * recipient enters the copied code by hand.
+ */
+export function vkShareLink(): string | null {
+  const id = vkAppId();
+  if (!id) return null;
+  return `https://vk.com/app${id}`;
+}

ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts

@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ export const en = {
   'friends.redeem': 'Add',
   'friends.copy': 'Copy',
   'friends.codeCopied': 'Code copied.',
-  'friends.shareTelegram': 'Share via Telegram',
+  'friends.shareTelegram': 'Share',
   'friends.inviteText': "Let's play Scrabble!",
   'friends.linkCopied': 'Link copied.',
   'friends.selfInvite': "Hopefully you've been friends with yourself for a while ☺️",

ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts

@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'friends.redeem': 'Добавить',
   'friends.copy': 'Копировать',
   'friends.codeCopied': 'Код скопирован.',
-  'friends.shareTelegram': 'Поделиться через Telegram',
+  'friends.shareTelegram': 'Поделиться',
   'friends.inviteText': 'Давай играть в Эрудит!',
   'friends.linkCopied': 'Ссылка скопирована.',
   'friends.selfInvite': 'Надеюсь, что с собой Вы уже давно дружите ☺️',
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'game.exportGcg': 'Экспорт GCG',
   'game.gcgActiveOnly': 'Доступно после завершения игры.',
   'game.addFriendShort': 'В друзья?',
-  'game.blockShort': 'Блокируем?',
+  'game.blockShort': 'В бан?',
 
   'time.minutes': '{n} мин',
   'time.hours': '{n} ч',

ui/src/lib/mock/client.ts

@@ -142,6 +142,9 @@ export class MockGateway implements GatewayClient {
     if (initData.includes('bootfail')) throw new GatewayError('unavailable');
     return { ...SESSION, isGuest: false };
   }
+  async authVK(): Promise<Session> {
+    return { ...SESSION, isGuest: false };
+  }
   async authGuest(): Promise<Session> {
     return { ...SESSION };
   }

ui/src/lib/nativedialogs.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { BOT_BUTTON_ID, botInfoPopup } from './nativedialogs';
+
+describe('botInfoPopup', () => {
+  it('inlines the bot handle and adds an open-bot button', () => {
+    const p = botInfoPopup('Title', 'Open the bot {bot} to play.', 'erudit_bot', 'OK');
+    expect(p.title).toBe('Title');
+    expect(p.message).toBe('Open the bot @erudit_bot to play.');
+    expect(p.buttons).toEqual([
+      { id: BOT_BUTTON_ID, text: '@erudit_bot' },
+      { id: 'ok', text: 'OK' },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('drops the token and the open-bot button when no username is known', () => {
+    const p = botInfoPopup('Title', 'Open the bot {bot} to play.', '', 'OK');
+    expect(p.message).toBe('Open the bot to play.');
+    expect(p.buttons).toEqual([{ id: 'ok', text: 'OK' }]);
+  });
+
+  it('preserves newlines in the message', () => {
+    const p = botInfoPopup('Hi', 'Welcome!\n\nUse {bot} now.', 'b', 'OK');
+    expect(p.message).toBe('Welcome!\n\nUse @b now.');
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/nativedialogs.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+// Pure builder for the Telegram native popup (showPopup) used by the deep-link info modals
+// (StaleInviteModal / WelcomeRedeemModal) inside the Mini App. Kept free of the SDK and the DOM so
+// it unit-tests in the node environment; the showPopup transport wrapper lives in telegram.ts and
+// the wiring (native inside Telegram, the in-app Modal elsewhere) in the modal components.
+
+import type { TelegramPopupParams } from './telegram';
+
+/** BOT_BUTTON_ID is the showPopup button id that means "open the bot chat". */
+export const BOT_BUTTON_ID = 'bot';
+
+/**
+ * botInfoPopup builds the native popup for a deep-link info modal: the message with the `{bot}`
+ * token replaced by the `@username` as plain text (a native popup has no inline link, unlike the
+ * in-app Modal), plus an "open bot" button when a username is known and a closing OK button. With
+ * no username it is the message (token removed) and OK only.
+ */
+export function botInfoPopup(title: string, message: string, username: string, okText: string): TelegramPopupParams {
+  const handle = username ? `@${username}` : '';
+  const text = (username ? message.replace('{bot}', handle) : message.replace('{bot}', '').replace('  ', ' ')).trim();
+  const buttons = username
+    ? [{ id: BOT_BUTTON_ID, text: handle }, { id: 'ok', text: okText }]
+    : [{ id: 'ok', text: okText }];
+  return { title, message: text, buttons };
+}

ui/src/lib/telegram.test.ts

@@ -5,10 +5,14 @@ import {
   loadTelegramSDK,
   telegramSdkOutcome,
   routeExternalLinkInTelegram,
-  telegramClosingConfirmation,
   telegramLaunch,
   telegramOpenExternalLink,
-  telegramRequestFullscreen,
+  telegramThemeParams,
+  telegramSafeAreaInset,
+  telegramShowSettingsButton,
+  telegramDialogsAvailable,
+  telegramShowConfirm,
+  telegramShowPopup,
 } from './telegram';
 
 function stubWebApp(initData: string, startParam?: string) {
@@ -46,68 +50,19 @@ describe('telegram launch detection', () => {
     expect(launch.startParam).toBe('g123');
     expect(launch.theme?.bg_color).toBe('#101418');
   });
-});
 
-// stubClient stands up a fake WebApp on the given platform with spies for the mobile-gated
-// chrome toggles, so the platform gate can be asserted without a real Telegram client.
-function stubClient(platform?: string) {
-  const enable = vi.fn();
-  const disable = vi.fn();
-  const requestFullscreen = vi.fn();
+  it('telegramThemeParams reads the live palette (undefined outside Telegram)', () => {
+    expect(telegramThemeParams()).toBeUndefined();
+    stubWebApp('query_id=abc');
+    expect(telegramThemeParams()?.bg_color).toBe('#101418');
+  });
+
+  it('telegramSafeAreaInset returns zeros outside Telegram and the SDK insets inside', () => {
+    expect(telegramSafeAreaInset()).toEqual({ top: 0, bottom: 0, left: 0, right: 0 });
     vi.stubGlobal('window', {
-    Telegram: {
-      WebApp: { platform, enableClosingConfirmation: enable, disableClosingConfirmation: disable, requestFullscreen },
-    },
+      Telegram: { WebApp: { initData: 'x', safeAreaInset: { top: 59, bottom: 34, left: 0, right: 0 } } },
     });
-  return { enable, disable, requestFullscreen };
-}
-
-const mobilePlatforms = ['ios', 'android', 'android_x'];
-const desktopPlatforms = ['tdesktop', 'macos', 'web', undefined];
-
-describe('telegramClosingConfirmation', () => {
-  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
-
-  it('arms the close guard on mobile clients', () => {
-    for (const p of mobilePlatforms) {
-      const { enable } = stubClient(p);
-      telegramClosingConfirmation(true);
-      expect(enable, `platform=${p}`).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
-    }
-  });
-
-  it('skips the close guard on desktop clients (the dialog there is just noise)', () => {
-    for (const p of desktopPlatforms) {
-      const { enable } = stubClient(p);
-      telegramClosingConfirmation(true);
-      expect(enable, `platform=${p}`).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    }
-  });
-
-  it('always lifts the guard on leave, regardless of platform', () => {
-    const { disable } = stubClient('tdesktop');
-    telegramClosingConfirmation(false);
-    expect(disable).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
-  });
-});
-
-describe('telegramRequestFullscreen', () => {
-  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
-
-  it('goes immersive fullscreen on mobile clients', () => {
-    for (const p of mobilePlatforms) {
-      const { requestFullscreen } = stubClient(p);
-      telegramRequestFullscreen();
-      expect(requestFullscreen, `platform=${p}`).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
-    }
-  });
-
-  it('leaves desktop clients as a standard window (the bot full-size setting fills it)', () => {
-    for (const p of desktopPlatforms) {
-      const { requestFullscreen } = stubClient(p);
-      telegramRequestFullscreen();
-      expect(requestFullscreen, `platform=${p}`).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    }
+    expect(telegramSafeAreaInset()).toEqual({ top: 59, bottom: 34, left: 0, right: 0 });
   });
 });
 
@@ -126,6 +81,56 @@ describe('telegramOpenExternalLink', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('telegramShowSettingsButton', () => {
+  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+
+  it('shows the native Settings button and wires its click inside Telegram', () => {
+    const onClick = vi.fn();
+    const show = vi.fn();
+    const handler = vi.fn();
+    vi.stubGlobal('window', { Telegram: { WebApp: { SettingsButton: { onClick, show } } } });
+    telegramShowSettingsButton(handler);
+    expect(onClick).toHaveBeenCalledWith(handler);
+    expect(show).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('is a no-op without the SDK button (older client / outside Telegram)', () => {
+    expect(() => telegramShowSettingsButton(() => {})).not.toThrow();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('native dialogs', () => {
+  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+
+  it('telegramDialogsAvailable reflects showPopup presence', () => {
+    expect(telegramDialogsAvailable()).toBe(false);
+    vi.stubGlobal('window', { Telegram: { WebApp: { showPopup: () => {} } } });
+    expect(telegramDialogsAvailable()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('telegramShowConfirm resolves the user choice inside Telegram', async () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('window', {
+      Telegram: { WebApp: { showConfirm: (_m: string, cb: (ok: boolean) => void) => cb(true) } },
+    });
+    await expect(telegramShowConfirm('Sure?')).resolves.toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('telegramShowConfirm resolves false without the SDK dialog', async () => {
+    await expect(telegramShowConfirm('Sure?')).resolves.toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('telegramShowPopup resolves the pressed button id', async () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('window', {
+      Telegram: { WebApp: { showPopup: (_p: unknown, cb: (id: string) => void) => cb('bot') } },
+    });
+    await expect(telegramShowPopup({ message: 'Hi' })).resolves.toBe('bot');
+  });
+
+  it('telegramShowPopup resolves null without the SDK', async () => {
+    await expect(telegramShowPopup({ message: 'Hi' })).resolves.toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
 describe('routeExternalLinkInTelegram', () => {
   afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
 

ui/src/lib/telegram.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,20 @@
 
 import type { TelegramThemeParams } from './theme';
 
+/** TelegramPopupButton is one button of a native showPopup (Bot API 6.2). */
+export interface TelegramPopupButton {
+  id?: string;
+  type?: 'default' | 'ok' | 'close' | 'cancel' | 'destructive';
+  text?: string;
+}
+
+/** TelegramPopupParams configures a native showPopup (title optional, message required, up to 3 buttons). */
+export interface TelegramPopupParams {
+  title?: string;
+  message: string;
+  buttons?: TelegramPopupButton[];
+}
+
 interface TelegramWebApp {
   initData: string;
   initDataUnsafe?: { start_param?: string };
@@ -14,11 +28,14 @@ interface TelegramWebApp {
   themeParams?: TelegramThemeParams;
   colorScheme?: 'light' | 'dark';
   isFullscreen?: boolean;
+  isExpanded?: boolean;
+  viewportHeight?: number;
+  viewportStableHeight?: number;
+  exitFullscreen?: () => void;
   safeAreaInset?: { top: number; bottom: number; left: number; right: number };
   contentSafeAreaInset?: { top: number; bottom: number; left: number; right: number };
   ready?: () => void;
   expand?: () => void;
-  requestFullscreen?: () => void;
   openTelegramLink?: (url: string) => void;
   openLink?: (url: string) => void;
   onEvent?: (event: string, handler: () => void) => void;
@@ -26,19 +43,30 @@ interface TelegramWebApp {
   setBackgroundColor?: (color: string) => void;
   setBottomBarColor?: (color: string) => void;
   disableVerticalSwipes?: () => void;
-  enableClosingConfirmation?: () => void;
-  disableClosingConfirmation?: () => void;
   HapticFeedback?: {
     impactOccurred?: (style: string) => void;
     notificationOccurred?: (type: string) => void;
     selectionChanged?: () => void;
   };
   BackButton?: {
+    isVisible?: boolean;
     show?: () => void;
     hide?: () => void;
     onClick?: (cb: () => void) => void;
     offClick?: (cb: () => void) => void;
   };
+  SettingsButton?: {
+    show?: () => void;
+    hide?: () => void;
+    onClick?: (cb: () => void) => void;
+    offClick?: (cb: () => void) => void;
+  };
+  CloudStorage?: {
+    getItem?: (key: string, cb: (err: string | null, value?: string) => void) => void;
+    setItem?: (key: string, value: string, cb?: (err: string | null, ok?: boolean) => void) => void;
+  };
+  showConfirm?: (message: string, cb?: (ok: boolean) => void) => void;
+  showPopup?: (params: TelegramPopupParams, cb?: (buttonId: string) => void) => void;
 }
 
 function webApp(): TelegramWebApp | undefined {
@@ -241,6 +269,15 @@ export function telegramColorScheme(): 'light' | 'dark' | undefined {
   return webApp()?.colorScheme;
 }
 
+/**
+ * telegramThemeParams returns Telegram's current theme palette (WebApp.themeParams), or undefined
+ * outside Telegram. It reads the live value rather than a launch snapshot, so the themeChanged
+ * event can re-apply the palette when the user switches Telegram's light/dark theme mid-session.
+ */
+export function telegramThemeParams(): TelegramThemeParams | undefined {
+  return webApp()?.themeParams;
+}
+
 /**
  * telegramSetChrome paints Telegram's own header, background and bottom bar to match the
  * app's colours, so the surrounding Telegram chrome does not clash with the UI. No-op
@@ -263,13 +300,15 @@ export function telegramContentSafeAreaTop(): number {
 }
 
 /**
- * telegramSafeAreaTop returns the device safe-area top inset (px) — the notch / status bar
- * (Bot API 8.0). Telegram's own nav controls sit in the band between it and
- * telegramContentSafeAreaTop, so aligning our header to that band lines it up with them. 0
- * outside Telegram or on older clients.
+ * telegramSafeAreaInset returns the device safe-area insets (px) — the notch / status bar (top),
+ * the home indicator (bottom) and, in landscape, the notch sides (left / right) — from the SDK's
+ * safeAreaInset (Bot API 8.0). All 0 outside Telegram or on a client predating it, so callers can
+ * pad defensively. Telegram's own nav controls sit in the band between the top inset and
+ * telegramContentSafeAreaTop, so aligning our header to that band lines it up with them.
  */
-export function telegramSafeAreaTop(): number {
-  return webApp()?.safeAreaInset?.top ?? 0;
+export function telegramSafeAreaInset(): { top: number; bottom: number; left: number; right: number } {
+  const i = webApp()?.safeAreaInset;
+  return { top: i?.top ?? 0, bottom: i?.bottom ?? 0, left: i?.left ?? 0, right: i?.right ?? 0 };
 }
 
 /**
@@ -280,6 +319,78 @@ export function telegramDisableVerticalSwipes(): void {
   webApp()?.disableVerticalSwipes?.();
 }
 
+/**
+ * telegramShowSettingsButton reveals Telegram's native Settings button (in the Mini App's ⋮ menu,
+ * Bot API 7.0) and routes its taps to handler. A no-op outside Telegram or on a client predating
+ * the button, so the app's own in-app settings entry stays the primary path. The app registers it
+ * once per launch (Telegram hides the button when the Mini App closes), so there is no offClick.
+ */
+export function telegramShowSettingsButton(handler: () => void): void {
+  const b = webApp()?.SettingsButton;
+  if (!b?.show) return;
+  b.onClick?.(handler);
+  b.show();
+}
+
+/** telegramCloudAvailable reports whether Telegram CloudStorage (Bot API 6.9) is usable. */
+export function telegramCloudAvailable(): boolean {
+  return !!webApp()?.CloudStorage?.getItem;
+}
+
+/**
+ * telegramCloudGet reads a value from Telegram CloudStorage, resolving null when the key is absent,
+ * CloudStorage is unavailable (outside Telegram / a client predating Bot API 6.9), or the read
+ * errors — so the caller can fall back to the local value.
+ */
+export function telegramCloudGet(key: string): Promise<string | null> {
+  const cs = webApp()?.CloudStorage;
+  if (!cs?.getItem) return Promise.resolve(null);
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    cs.getItem!(key, (err, value) => resolve(err ? null : (value ?? null)));
+  });
+}
+
+/**
+ * telegramCloudSet writes a value to Telegram CloudStorage, resolving once the write settles. It is
+ * best-effort: a no-op outside Telegram / on an older client, and it swallows write errors, since
+ * the local store remains the source of truth.
+ */
+export function telegramCloudSet(key: string, value: string): Promise<void> {
+  const cs = webApp()?.CloudStorage;
+  if (!cs?.setItem) return Promise.resolve();
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    cs.setItem!(key, value, () => resolve());
+  });
+}
+
+/** telegramDialogsAvailable reports whether Telegram's native dialogs (showConfirm / showPopup, Bot
+ *  API 6.2) are usable, so a caller can choose the native path over its own modal. */
+export function telegramDialogsAvailable(): boolean {
+  return !!webApp()?.showPopup;
+}
+
+/**
+ * telegramShowConfirm shows Telegram's native confirm dialog and resolves true when the user
+ * accepts. Resolves false outside Telegram or on a client predating the dialog, so callers should
+ * gate on telegramDialogsAvailable and fall back to their own modal otherwise.
+ */
+export function telegramShowConfirm(message: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  const w = webApp();
+  if (!w?.showConfirm) return Promise.resolve(false);
+  return new Promise((resolve) => w.showConfirm!(message, (ok) => resolve(!!ok)));
+}
+
+/**
+ * telegramShowPopup shows Telegram's native popup and resolves the pressed button id (the empty
+ * string when dismissed without pressing a button). Resolves null outside Telegram or on a client
+ * predating the popup, so callers can fall back to their own modal.
+ */
+export function telegramShowPopup(params: TelegramPopupParams): Promise<string | null> {
+  const w = webApp();
+  if (!w?.showPopup) return Promise.resolve(null);
+  return new Promise((resolve) => w.showPopup!(params, (id) => resolve(id ?? '')));
+}
+
 /** Haptic is the set of feedbacks the app triggers. */
 export type Haptic = 'select' | 'success' | 'error' | 'warning' | 'light' | 'medium' | 'heavy';
 
@@ -292,66 +403,6 @@ export function telegramHaptic(kind: Haptic): void {
   else h.impactOccurred?.(kind);
 }
 
-/**
- * isMobilePlatform reports whether the Mini App runs on a Telegram mobile client — iOS or
- * Android (the latter reported as 'android' by Telegram for Android and 'android_x' by
- * Telegram X). Desktop clients (tdesktop, macOS, web) report other values. Used to limit
- * mobile-only chrome such as the close guard and immersive fullscreen.
- */
-function isMobilePlatform(): boolean {
-  const p = webApp()?.platform;
-  return p === 'ios' || p === 'android' || p === 'android_x';
-}
-
-/**
- * telegramRequestFullscreen asks Telegram to open the Mini App in fullscreen (Bot API 8.0+),
- * but only on mobile clients — mirroring how Telegram's own Mini Apps go immersive on phones
- * while staying a standard window on desktop (where the bot's full-size setting already fills
- * the window). A no-op outside Telegram, on desktop, or on clients predating the method.
- */
-export function telegramRequestFullscreen(): void {
-  if (isMobilePlatform()) webApp()?.requestFullscreen?.();
-}
-
-/**
- * telegramClosingConfirmation toggles the confirmation Telegram shows when the user swipes
- * the Mini App closed — enabled during an active game so it is not lost by accident. The
- * guard is only armed on mobile clients: on desktop, closing a window is deliberate and
- * Telegram surfaces a "changes may not be saved" dialog that is just noise here (drafts
- * auto-save), so the confirmation is skipped there.
- */
-export function telegramClosingConfirmation(on: boolean): void {
-  const w = webApp();
-  if (on) {
-    if (isMobilePlatform()) w?.enableClosingConfirmation?.();
-  } else {
-    w?.disableClosingConfirmation?.();
-  }
-}
-
-let backHandler: (() => void) | null = null;
-
-/**
- * telegramBackButton shows or hides Telegram's native header back button, wiring its
- * click to onClick (replacing any previous handler). The app hides its own back chevron
- * inside Telegram so only the native control shows.
- */
-export function telegramBackButton(show: boolean, onClick?: () => void): void {
-  const b = webApp()?.BackButton;
-  if (!b) return;
-  if (backHandler) b.offClick?.(backHandler);
-  backHandler = null;
-  if (show) {
-    if (onClick) {
-      backHandler = onClick;
-      b.onClick?.(onClick);
-    }
-    b.show?.();
-  } else {
-    b.hide?.();
-  }
-}
-
 /**
  * startParamFromURL reads a startapp parameter from the page URL — a bot web_app
  * launch button carries the deep-link there rather than in initDataUnsafe.
@@ -496,6 +547,34 @@ export function collectTelegramDiag(): TelegramDiag {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * telegramChromeDiag returns a compact, privacy-safe readout of Telegram's viewport / chrome state
+ * (platform, version, fullscreen/expanded, viewport geometry, safe-area insets, SDK-load outcome,
+ * back-button state, UA). It feeds the hidden debug panel (components/DebugPanel), opened by tapping
+ * the header title ten times. No secrets: no initData values, no IP.
+ */
+export function telegramChromeDiag(): string {
+  const w = webApp();
+  if (!w) return 'no telegram';
+  const win = typeof window === 'undefined' ? undefined : window;
+  const scr = typeof screen === 'undefined' ? undefined : screen;
+  const vv = win?.visualViewport ?? undefined;
+  const bar = typeof document === 'undefined' ? null : (document.querySelector('.bar')?.getBoundingClientRect() ?? null);
+  const sa = w.safeAreaInset;
+  const csa = w.contentSafeAreaInset;
+  const n = (v: number | undefined): string => (v === undefined ? '—' : String(Math.round(v)));
+  return [
+    `platform: ${w.platform ?? '—'}  version: ${w.version ?? '—'}  scheme: ${w.colorScheme ?? '—'}`,
+    `isFullscreen: ${w.isFullscreen}  isExpanded: ${w.isExpanded}`,
+    `inTG: ${insideTelegram()}  sdkLoad: ${sdkLoadOutcome}  backPresent: ${!!w.BackButton}  backVisible: ${w.BackButton?.isVisible}`,
+    `innerH: ${n(win?.innerHeight)}  outerH: ${n(win?.outerHeight)}  screenH: ${n(scr?.height)}  availH: ${n(scr?.availHeight)}`,
+    `screenY: ${n(win?.screenY)}  vv.offTop: ${n(vv?.offsetTop)}  vv.h: ${n(vv?.height)}`,
+    `tgViewportH: ${n(w.viewportHeight)}  stableH: ${n(w.viewportStableHeight)}`,
+    `safeArea T/B: ${n(sa?.top)}/${n(sa?.bottom)}  contentSafe T/B: ${n(csa?.top)}/${n(csa?.bottom)}`,
+    `appHeader top/h: ${bar ? Math.round(bar.top) : '—'}/${bar ? Math.round(bar.height) : '—'}`,
+  ].join('\n');
+}
+
 // --- Login Widget (web sign-in for account linking) ---
 
 // The Login Widget is the web (non-Mini-App) Telegram sign-in. It is used only to

ui/src/lib/transport.ts

@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ export function createTransport(baseUrl: string): GatewayClient {
     async authTelegram(initData) {
       return codec.decodeSession(await exec('auth.telegram', codec.encodeTelegramLogin(initData, browserOffset())));
     },
+    async authVK(params, displayName) {
+      return codec.decodeSession(await exec('auth.vk', codec.encodeVKLogin(params, browserOffset(), displayName)));
+    },
     async authGuest(locale) {
       return codec.decodeSession(await exec('auth.guest', codec.encodeGuestLogin(locale ?? '', browserOffset())));
     },

ui/src/lib/vk.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { insideVK, onVKPath, vkAppId, vkLaunchParams, vkStartParam } from './vk';
+
+describe('vk launch detection', () => {
+  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+
+  it('is not inside VK and not on the VK path without a location (node / SSR)', () => {
+    expect(onVKPath()).toBe(false);
+    expect(insideVK()).toBe(false);
+    expect(vkLaunchParams()).toBe('');
+  });
+
+  it('detects the dedicated /vk/ entry path', () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { pathname: '/vk/', search: '' });
+    expect(onVKPath()).toBe(true);
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { pathname: '/app/', search: '' });
+    expect(onVKPath()).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('returns the signed launch query only when a sign is present', () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { pathname: '/vk/', search: '?vk_user_id=1&vk_ts=2&sign=abc' });
+    expect(vkLaunchParams()).toBe('vk_user_id=1&vk_ts=2&sign=abc');
+    expect(insideVK()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('treats a URL carrying no sign as not a VK launch', () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { pathname: '/vk/', search: '?utm_source=catalog' });
+    expect(vkLaunchParams()).toBe('');
+    expect(insideVK()).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('vk launch params', () => {
+  afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+
+  it('reads the VK app id from the launch query', () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { pathname: '/vk/', search: '?vk_app_id=6736218&sign=x' });
+    expect(vkAppId()).toBe('6736218');
+  });
+
+  it('reads the direct-link deep-link payload from the hash query param', () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { pathname: '/vk/', search: '?vk_user_id=1&sign=x&hash=f123456' });
+    expect(vkStartParam()).toBe('f123456');
+  });
+
+  it('returns empty app id / start param when absent', () => {
+    vi.stubGlobal('location', { pathname: '/vk/', search: '?vk_user_id=1&sign=x' });
+    expect(vkAppId()).toBe('');
+    expect(vkStartParam()).toBe('');
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/vk.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+// VK Mini App SDK access via @vkontakte/vk-bridge. The bridge is imported lazily inside the
+// functions that need it — not at module top level — because the SDK reads browser globals on
+// import: the lazy import keeps the pure URL helpers below importable in the node test environment,
+// and code-splits the bridge into a chunk loaded only on the /vk/ entry. This wraps the subset the
+// app uses: launch detection, the signed launch parameters (for auth.vk) and the user's display name
+// (VKWebAppGetUserInfo, since VK omits it from the signed launch params). Every helper is safe to
+// call outside VK.
+
+async function bridge() {
+  return (await import('@vkontakte/vk-bridge')).default;
+}
+
+/**
+ * onVKPath reports whether the app is served under the dedicated VK entry path (/vk/).
+ */
+export function onVKPath(): boolean {
+  if (typeof location === 'undefined') return false;
+  return location.pathname.startsWith('/vk/');
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkLaunchParams returns the raw signed VK launch query string (the vk_* parameters plus sign) from
+ * the page URL — the exact form the gateway verifies — or '' when the URL carries no signed launch
+ * (an ordinary browser tab, or the /vk/ path opened directly).
+ */
+export function vkLaunchParams(): string {
+  if (typeof location === 'undefined') return '';
+  const query = location.search.replace(/^\?/, '');
+  return new URLSearchParams(query).has('sign') ? query : '';
+}
+
+/**
+ * insideVK reports whether the app launched as a VK Mini App — the URL carries signed launch
+ * parameters (an ordinary browser tab has none).
+ */
+export function insideVK(): boolean {
+  return vkLaunchParams() !== '';
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkInit signals to the VK client that the Mini App has loaded (VKWebAppInit), dismissing VK's own
+ * loading cover. Best-effort: it resolves even if the bridge is unavailable (outside VK), so the
+ * caller can await it unconditionally.
+ */
+export async function vkInit(): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    await (await bridge()).send('VKWebAppInit', {});
+  } catch {
+    // Outside VK there is no client to receive it; the launch continues regardless.
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkUserName fetches the launching user's display name via VKWebAppGetUserInfo, since VK omits it
+ * from the signed launch params. Returns '' on any failure or outside VK, so the backend falls back
+ * to a generated placeholder. The value is a cosmetic seed only — being unsigned, the gateway never
+ * trusts it for identity.
+ */
+export async function vkUserName(): Promise<string> {
+  try {
+    const u = await (await bridge()).send('VKWebAppGetUserInfo', {});
+    return [u.first_name, u.last_name].filter(Boolean).join(' ').trim();
+  } catch {
+    return '';
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkAppId returns the launching VK app id (vk_app_id) from the signed launch parameters in the URL —
+ * so the app can build its own vk.com/app<id> links without a VK API call — or '' outside a VK launch.
+ */
+export function vkAppId(): string {
+  if (typeof location === 'undefined') return '';
+  return new URLSearchParams(location.search.replace(/^\?/, '')).get('vk_app_id') ?? '';
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkStartParam returns the VK direct-link deep-link payload. VK passes everything after the '#' in a
+ * vk.com/app<id>#<payload> link to the app as the `hash` query parameter (it is also in location.hash,
+ * but that collides with the app's hash router, so the query parameter is the safe source). Empty when
+ * the launch carried no deep link.
+ */
+export function vkStartParam(): string {
+  if (typeof location === 'undefined') return '';
+  return new URLSearchParams(location.search.replace(/^\?/, '')).get('hash') ?? '';
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkShare opens VK's native share dialog for link (VKWebAppShare) — the in-iframe replacement for
+ * navigator.share, which is unavailable in the desktop VK iframe. Resolves true when the share was
+ * handled, false on any failure or outside VK.
+ */
+export async function vkShare(link: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    await (await bridge()).send('VKWebAppShare', { link });
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkCopyText copies text to the clipboard via VKWebAppCopyText — which works inside the VK iframe,
+ * where navigator.clipboard is blocked. Resolves true on success, false on any failure or outside VK.
+ */
+export async function vkCopyText(text: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    await (await bridge()).send('VKWebAppCopyText', { text });
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkOnScheme subscribes to VK's appearance (VKWebAppUpdateConfig) and calls handler with the mapped
+ * 'light' | 'dark' scheme on launch and whenever the user switches the VK client theme — so the app's
+ * "auto" theme can follow the VK client instead of the (often wrong) webview prefers-color-scheme.
+ * A no-op outside VK.
+ */
+export async function vkOnScheme(handler: (scheme: 'light' | 'dark') => void): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    const b = await bridge();
+    b.subscribe((e) => {
+      const detail = (e as { detail?: { type?: string; data?: { scheme?: string; appearance?: string } } }).detail;
+      if (detail?.type !== 'VKWebAppUpdateConfig') return;
+      const scheme = detail.data?.scheme ?? detail.data?.appearance ?? '';
+      handler(/dark|space_gray/i.test(scheme) ? 'dark' : 'light');
+    });
+  } catch {
+    // Outside VK / bridge unavailable: leave the app on its own theme.
+  }
+}
+
+/** VKInsets is the device safe-area the VK client reports (px). */
+export interface VKInsets {
+  top: number;
+  bottom: number;
+  left: number;
+  right: number;
+}
+
+/**
+ * vkOnInsets subscribes to VK's safe-area insets and calls handler with them on launch and on change.
+ * VK reports them via VKWebAppUpdateConfig (iOS) and the dedicated VKWebAppUpdateInsets event; the VK
+ * mobile webview does not expose them through CSS env() the way iOS Safari does, so the app reads them
+ * from the bridge to clear the home bar (notably on Android). A no-op outside VK.
+ */
+export async function vkOnInsets(handler: (insets: VKInsets) => void): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    const b = await bridge();
+    b.subscribe((e) => {
+      const d = (e as { detail?: { type?: string; data?: { insets?: Partial<VKInsets> } } }).detail;
+      if (d?.type !== 'VKWebAppUpdateConfig' && d?.type !== 'VKWebAppUpdateInsets') return;
+      const i = d.data?.insets;
+      if (!i) return;
+      handler({ top: i.top ?? 0, bottom: i.bottom ?? 0, left: i.left ?? 0, right: i.right ?? 0 });
+    });
+  } catch {
+    // Outside VK / bridge unavailable: the CSS env() safe-area fallback applies.
+  }
+}

ui/src/screens/BootError.svelte

@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 <script lang="ts">
   // The Mini App launch failed to authenticate after its silent retries (e.g. the backend was
-  // briefly down during a deploy). Inside Telegram there is no web login to fall back to, so this
-  // terminal screen offers a manual Retry that re-runs the launch (app.svelte retryTelegramBoot).
-  import { retryTelegramBoot } from '../lib/app.svelte';
+  // briefly down during a deploy). Inside a Mini App (Telegram or VK) there is no web login to fall
+  // back to, so this terminal screen offers a manual Retry that re-runs the launch (app.svelte
+  // retryMiniAppBoot).
+  import { retryMiniAppBoot } from '../lib/app.svelte';
   import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
 
   let retrying = $state(false);
@@ -10,7 +11,7 @@
     if (retrying) return;
     retrying = true;
     try {
-      await retryTelegramBoot();
+      await retryMiniAppBoot();
     } finally {
       retrying = false;
     }

ui/src/screens/Friends.svelte

@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@
   import { gateway } from '../lib/gateway';
   import { GatewayError } from '../lib/client';
   import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
-  import { friendCodeParam, shareLink } from '../lib/deeplink';
-  import { shareTelegramLink } from '../lib/telegram';
+  import { friendCodeParam, shareLink, vkShareLink } from '../lib/deeplink';
+  import { insideTelegram, shareTelegramLink, telegramDialogsAvailable, telegramShowConfirm } from '../lib/telegram';
+  import { insideVK, vkCopyText, vkShare } from '../lib/vk';
   import type { AccountRef, FriendCode, RobotBlockEntry } from '../lib/model';
 
   let friends = $state<AccountRef[]>([]);
@@ -66,20 +67,36 @@
 
   // confirmBlock / confirmUnfriend run the pending action once its modal is
   // accepted, then clear the target and the revealed row.
-  function confirmBlock(): void {
-    const target = blockTarget;
+  function confirmBlock(target = blockTarget): void {
     blockTarget = null;
     revealedId = null;
     if (target) void blockUser(target.accountId);
   }
 
-  function confirmUnfriend(): void {
-    const target = unfriendTarget;
+  function confirmUnfriend(target = unfriendTarget): void {
     unfriendTarget = null;
     revealedId = null;
     if (target) void remove(target.accountId);
   }
 
+  // onBlockClick / onUnfriendClick: inside the Mini App (and online) confirm with Telegram's native
+  // dialog and act on accept; otherwise open the in-app confirm modal (the offline / web path).
+  async function onBlockClick(f: AccountRef): Promise<void> {
+    if (connection.online && insideTelegram() && telegramDialogsAvailable()) {
+      if (await telegramShowConfirm(`${t('friends.blockConfirm')}\n${f.displayName}`)) confirmBlock(f);
+      return;
+    }
+    blockTarget = f;
+  }
+
+  async function onUnfriendClick(f: AccountRef): Promise<void> {
+    if (connection.online && insideTelegram() && telegramDialogsAvailable()) {
+      if (await telegramShowConfirm(`${t('friends.unfriendConfirm')}\n${f.displayName}`)) confirmUnfriend(f);
+      return;
+    }
+    unfriendTarget = f;
+  }
+
   // While a friend row is slid open, a tap anywhere outside its action buttons
   // closes it again. Taps on a kebab are skipped so its own toggle stays in charge.
   $effect(() => {
@@ -124,6 +141,11 @@
 
   async function copyCode() {
     if (!code) return;
+    // Inside the VK iframe navigator.clipboard is blocked, so copy via VK Bridge there.
+    if (insideVK()) {
+      if (await vkCopyText(code.code)) showToast(t('friends.codeCopied'));
+      return;
+    }
     try {
       await navigator.clipboard.writeText(code.code);
       showToast(t('friends.codeCopied'));
@@ -137,6 +159,13 @@
   // copies the link to the clipboard.
   async function shareInvite(url: string) {
     const text = t('friends.inviteText');
+    // Inside VK navigator.share is absent (desktop iframe) and the clipboard is blocked: share via VK
+    // Bridge, falling back to a VK-Bridge clipboard copy if the share is dismissed or unavailable.
+    if (insideVK()) {
+      if (await vkShare(url)) return;
+      if (await vkCopyText(url)) showToast(t('friends.linkCopied'));
+      return;
+    }
     if (shareTelegramLink(url, text)) return;
     if (typeof navigator !== 'undefined' && navigator.share) {
       try {
@@ -172,7 +201,7 @@
         <button class="btn" onclick={redeem} disabled={!connection.online}>{t('friends.redeem')}</button>
       </div>
       {#if code}
-        {@const tg = shareLink(friendCodeParam(code.code))}
+        {@const shareUrl = insideVK() ? vkShareLink() : shareLink(friendCodeParam(code.code))}
         <div class="code" data-testid="friend-code">
           <div class="coderow">
             <button class="codeval" onclick={copyCode}>{code.code}</button>
@@ -181,8 +210,8 @@
           <span class="codehint">
             {t('friends.codeHint')} · {t('friends.codeExpires', { time: codeTime(code.expiresAtUnix) })}
           </span>
-          {#if tg}
-            <button type="button" class="link tgshare" onclick={() => shareInvite(tg)}>{t('friends.shareTelegram')}</button>
+          {#if shareUrl}
+            <button type="button" class="link" onclick={() => shareInvite(shareUrl)}>{t('friends.shareTelegram')}</button>
           {/if}
         </div>
       {:else}
@@ -216,8 +245,8 @@
           {#each friends as f (f.accountId)}
             <div class="rowwrap" class:revealed={revealedId === f.accountId}>
               <div class="acts">
-                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => (blockTarget = f)} disabled={!connection.online} aria-label={t('friends.block')}>🚫</button>
-                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => (unfriendTarget = f)} disabled={!connection.online} aria-label={t('friends.unfriend')}>✖️</button>
+                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => onBlockClick(f)} disabled={!connection.online} aria-label={t('friends.block')}>🚫</button>
+                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => onUnfriendClick(f)} disabled={!connection.online} aria-label={t('friends.unfriend')}>✖️</button>
               </div>
               <div class="row">
                 <span class="who">{f.displayName}</span>
@@ -264,7 +293,7 @@
         <p class="confirm-name">{blockTarget.displayName}</p>
         <div class="confirm-row">
           <button class="cancel" onclick={() => (blockTarget = null)}>{t('common.cancel')}</button>
-          <button class="danger" onclick={confirmBlock} disabled={!connection.online}>{t('friends.block')}</button>
+          <button class="danger" onclick={() => confirmBlock()} disabled={!connection.online}>{t('friends.block')}</button>
         </div>
       </Modal>
     {/if}
@@ -273,7 +302,7 @@
         <p class="confirm-name">{unfriendTarget.displayName}</p>
         <div class="confirm-row">
           <button class="cancel" onclick={() => (unfriendTarget = null)}>{t('common.cancel')}</button>
-          <button class="danger" onclick={confirmUnfriend} disabled={!connection.online}>{t('friends.unfriend')}</button>
+          <button class="danger" onclick={() => confirmUnfriend()} disabled={!connection.online}>{t('friends.unfriend')}</button>
         </div>
       </Modal>
     {/if}