CB-522: resolve the pinned primary.terminal pane as the primary, not a worker

A primary running INSIDE a herdr pane was resolved as a worker by the
pane-match rule and refused every orchestration tool — the exact lockout
bridge_whoami surfaced on this deployment. The CB-307 primary.terminal pin
always claimed to replace connection-derived identity but only fed the push
loop; it now short-circuits CallerResolver ahead of the pane→worker rule
(the pane mapping is as unforgeable as a worker's, so no credential needed,
even in token mode). bridged.example.yaml documents the block.

Also guard the presence bridge against the primary's null terminal: the MCP
context extractor marks presence on every request, and the first genuine
primary contact NPEd into the SPAWNING→READY transition.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01SUTLvxtRPr2iT5u5g45BEs

bridged/bridged.example.yaml

@@ -31,6 +31,17 @@ bind:
 #   mode: token
 #   tokenEnv: BRIDGED_API_TOKEN
 
+# Optional pinned primary terminal (CB-307). Names the herdr pane the PRIMARY itself runs in:
+# a caller whose connection maps to this pane resolves as the primary (no credential needed —
+# the pane mapping is as unforgeable as a worker's), and reply nudges are pushed to it.
+# REQUIRED when the primary runs inside a herdr pane — without it the pane match reads the
+# primary as a worker and refuses spawn/send/stop. Get the id from bridge_whoami; re-pin if
+# the primary moves panes.
+# primary:
+#   terminal: term_0123456789abcd
+#   pushReminders: 5      # max nudges before giving up (default 5)
+#   pushBackoffMs: 15000  # delay between nudges (default 15000)
+
 # herdr Unix socket. Omit to use the client default
 # (${HERDR_SOCKET_PATH:-~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock}).
 herdrSocket: ~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/Bridged.java

@@ -191,8 +191,10 @@ public final class Bridged {
             log.info("reply inbox: in-memory (soft-state)");
         }
         // CB-307: learn the primary's terminal from orchestration tool calls (or pin from config).
-        PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry = new PrimaryRegistry(
-                cfg.primary() != null ? cfg.primary().terminal() : null);
+        // The pin also feeds CallerResolver below: a primary running inside a herdr pane would
+        // otherwise resolve as a worker and be refused every orchestration tool.
+        String pinnedPrimaryTerminal = cfg.primary() != null ? cfg.primary().terminal() : null;
+        PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry = new PrimaryRegistry(pinnedPrimaryTerminal);
 
         // CB-307: active push-to-primary loop — nudge the primary when replies land without an
         // open bridge_send. Uses its own lightweight scheduled executor, separate from the injector.
@@ -229,11 +231,11 @@ public final class Bridged {
                 throw new IllegalStateException("auth.mode=token but env var " + cfg.auth().tokenEnv()
                         + " is unset or empty — export it before starting bridged");
             }
-            callers = new CallerResolver(identity, true, token);
+            callers = new CallerResolver(identity, true, token, pinnedPrimaryTerminal);
             log.info("auth: token mode (bearer required for non-worker callers, env {})",
                     cfg.auth().tokenEnv());
         } else {
-            callers = new CallerResolver(identity);
+            callers = new CallerResolver(identity, false, null, pinnedPrimaryTerminal);
             log.info("auth: loopback-trust (any loopback non-worker caller is the primary)");
         }
 

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/auth/CallerResolver.java

@@ -15,7 +15,11 @@ import java.security.MessageDigest;
  *
  * <p><strong>Resolution order</strong> — connection identity first, token second, nothing third:
  * <ol>
- *   <li>A loopback peer PID that maps to a herdr worker pane ⇒ {@link Role#WORKER}. This is
+ *   <li>A loopback peer PID that maps to the pinned {@code primary.terminal} pane (CB-307) ⇒
+ *       {@link Role#PRIMARY}. The pane mapping is as unforgeable as a worker's, and the config
+ *       explicitly names that pane as the primary's own — without this rule a primary running
+ *       <em>inside</em> a herdr pane is misread as a worker and locked out of orchestration.</li>
+ *   <li>A loopback peer PID that maps to any other herdr pane ⇒ {@link Role#WORKER}. This is
  *       unforgeable (the OS reports the PID, herdr owns the PID→pane map) and is honoured
  *       regardless of auth mode, so enabling auth never breaks the fleet.</li>
  *   <li>Otherwise, under {@code token} mode, a valid bearer token ⇒ {@link Role#PRIMARY}.</li>
@@ -29,18 +33,29 @@ public final class CallerResolver {
     private final ConnectionIdentity identity;
     private final boolean tokenMode;
     private final byte[] expectedToken; // null unless tokenMode
+    private final String pinnedPrimaryTerminal; // null unless primary.terminal is configured
 
     /** Loopback-trust resolver: no token required, historical behaviour. */
     public CallerResolver(ConnectionIdentity identity) {
-        this(identity, false, null);
+        this(identity, false, null, null);
+    }
+
+    /** As {@link #CallerResolver(ConnectionIdentity, boolean, String, String)} with no pin. */
+    public CallerResolver(ConnectionIdentity identity, boolean tokenMode, String token) {
+        this(identity, tokenMode, token, null);
     }
 
     /**
-     * @param identity  connection-based worker identification
-     * @param tokenMode when true, a non-worker caller must present a valid bearer token
-     * @param token     the expected bearer token; required (non-blank) when {@code tokenMode}
+     * @param identity               connection-based worker identification
+     * @param tokenMode              when true, a non-worker caller must present a valid bearer token
+     * @param token                  the expected bearer token; required (non-blank) when
+     *                               {@code tokenMode}
+     * @param pinnedPrimaryTerminal  the primary's own herdr {@code terminal_id} from
+     *                               {@code primary.terminal} ({@code null}/blank = unpinned); a
+     *                               caller resolving to this pane is the primary, not a worker
      */
-    public CallerResolver(ConnectionIdentity identity, boolean tokenMode, String token) {
+    public CallerResolver(ConnectionIdentity identity, boolean tokenMode, String token,
+                          String pinnedPrimaryTerminal) {
         if (tokenMode && (token == null || token.isBlank())) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                     "auth.mode=token requires a non-empty token; check that the env var named by "
@@ -49,6 +64,9 @@ public final class CallerResolver {
         this.identity = identity;
         this.tokenMode = tokenMode;
         this.expectedToken = tokenMode ? token.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8) : null;
+        this.pinnedPrimaryTerminal =
+                pinnedPrimaryTerminal == null || pinnedPrimaryTerminal.isBlank()
+                        ? null : pinnedPrimaryTerminal;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -61,6 +79,11 @@ public final class CallerResolver {
     public Principal resolve(String remoteAddr, int remotePort, String authorizationHeader) {
         ConnectionIdentity.Caller c = identity.resolve(remoteAddr, remotePort);
         if (c.terminal() != null) {
+            if (c.terminal().equals(pinnedPrimaryTerminal)) {
+                // The config names this pane as the primary's own. The pane mapping is exactly as
+                // unforgeable as a worker's, so it outranks the token path — no credential needed.
+                return Principal.primary(c.pid());
+            }
             return Principal.worker(c.terminal(), c.pid()); // unforgeable; never token-gated
         }
 

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/config/BridgedConfig.java

@@ -254,8 +254,11 @@ public record BridgedConfig(
     /**
      * Optional pinned primary terminal config (CB-307). When present with a non-blank
      * {@code terminal}, the bridge uses this as the primary's herdr identity instead of
-     * deriving it from the MCP connection. Useful when the primary runs off-host or in a
-     * non-herdr terminal where connection-derived identity is unavailable.
+     * deriving it from the MCP connection. It feeds two consumers: the push loop (where to nudge
+     * when replies land), and caller resolution — a caller whose connection maps to this pane is
+     * the primary, where the pane match would otherwise classify it as a worker. Pin it when the
+     * primary runs <em>inside</em> a herdr pane; it also helps off-host or non-herdr primaries,
+     * where connection-derived identity is unavailable and only the nudge target matters.
      *
      * @param terminal       the primary's herdr {@code terminal_id} ({@code null}/blank → derive)
      * @param pushReminders  max reminder nudges before giving up (default 5)

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/session/SessionManager.java

@@ -437,6 +437,9 @@ public final class SessionManager implements TurnListener {
 
         @Override
         public void markPresent(String terminal) {
+            if (terminal == null || terminal.isBlank()) {
+                return; // the primary's contact carries no worker terminal — not a readiness signal
+            }
             super.markPresent(terminal);
             sessions.onReady(terminal);
         }

bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/auth/CallerResolverTest.java

@@ -44,6 +44,34 @@ class CallerResolverTest {
         assertEquals("term_a", underToken.terminal());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void aPinnedPrimaryTerminalResolvesToPrimaryNotWorker() {
+        // The primary's own session lives in a herdr pane (term_a here). Without the pin the pane
+        // match wins and the primary is locked out of spawn/send/stop as a misread worker.
+        Principal p = new CallerResolver(workerIdentity(), false, null, "term_a")
+                .resolve("127.0.0.1", 42, null);
+
+        assertEquals(Role.PRIMARY, p.role());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aPinnedPrimaryTerminalNeedsNoTokenEvenInTokenMode() {
+        Principal p = new CallerResolver(workerIdentity(), true, "s3cret", "term_a")
+                .resolve("127.0.0.1", 42, null);
+
+        assertEquals(Role.PRIMARY, p.role(),
+                "the pane mapping is as unforgeable as a worker's — the pin outranks the token path");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void otherPanesRemainWorkersWhenAPinIsSet() {
+        Principal p = new CallerResolver(workerIdentity(), false, null, "term_someone_else")
+                .resolve("127.0.0.1", 42, null);
+
+        assertEquals(Role.WORKER, p.role());
+        assertEquals("term_a", p.terminal());
+    }
+
     @Test
     void loopbackTrustTreatsANonWorkerLoopbackCallerAsThePrimary() {
         Principal p = new CallerResolver(nonWorkerIdentity()).resolve("127.0.0.1", 99, null);

bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/session/SessionManagerTest.java

@@ -48,6 +48,17 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
         return new SessionManager(workers, new GitWorktrees(), clock, contextCap);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void primaryContactWithNoTerminalIsNotAReadinessSignal() {
+        // The MCP context extractor calls presence.markPresent(p.terminal()) on EVERY request,
+        // and the primary's terminal is null — the presence bridge must treat that as a no-op,
+        // not feed it into the READY transition (which NPEd on the first real primary contact).
+        SessionManager sessions = sessionManager(new FakeHerdr());
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> sessions.asPresence().markPresent(null));
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> sessions.asPresence().markPresent("  "));
+    }
+
     @Test
     void acquireRegistersSpawningSessionWithDistinctPaneId() {
         FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();