# HANDOFF.md — Session Handoff (OVERWRITE at the end of every phase or when context is getting long)

> **Read order for a new session:** `NOTES.md` → `STATUS.md` → this file → then work.
> If this file disagrees with the code, trust the code and fix this file.

## 1. Where we are
- **Last completed step:** 10.8 — POST /api/character/allocate: stat point allocation endpoint with zod validation, service transaction, and 12 integration tests — TICKED in STATUS.md
- **Next step:** Phase 10.9 — Allocation UI: unspent points display with + buttons per stat on dashboard stats panel
- **Updated:** 2026-10-23
- **Was the last session cut off mid-task?** No

## 2. Verified state (run these first)
| Command | Expected |
|---|---|
| `npm install` | succeeds |
| `npm run migrate` | applies 001–006 / "nothing to do" |
| `npm test` | **214 passing, 0 failing** (85 unit + 124 integration incl. 12 allocate tests) |
| `npm run seed:dev` | creates demo user "demo"/"demo123", hero "Aldric" (warrior), starter gear |
| `npm start` + `curl localhost:3000/` | 200 HTML landing page |
| `curl -X POST localhost:3000/api/character/allocate -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -H 'Cookie: ...' -d '{"str":1}'` | 200 with updated stats (requires authenticated session) |

## 3. What exists now (files that matter)
- `src/services/characterService.js` — New `allocatePoints(userId, allocation)` function: validates input, uses `allocatePoints` from `leveling.js`, computes `remainingPoints = character.unspent_points - total`, updates in transaction, returns `{character, derived}`.
- `src/routes/character.js` — New `handleAllocate` handler with zod `.strictObject` schema (optional stat fields + `.refine` requiring at least one).
- `src/game/leveling.js` — `allocatePoints` now accepts non-negative integers (including 0 for unallocated stats).
- `src/app.js` — Route `POST /api/character/allocate` mounted with `requireAuth`.
- `tests/integration/step-10.8.test.js` — 6 HTTP integration tests (spend partial, overspend, negative, float, unknown keys, cross-user).
- `tests/integration/allocate-service.test.js` — 6 direct service tests (same scenarios via service call).

## 4. Half-finished / fragile things
- No leaderboard UI yet (stub page exists; real UI in 10.17).
- HP never regenerates naturally; only level-up restores it.
- No restart-persistence test for sessions.
- `npm run seed` script in package.json points to nonexistent `scripts/seed.js`.
- Equipment bonuses not yet passed into combat (Issue #5 in STATUS.md).
- Starter gear documented but not auto-created on character creation.
- `GET /api/zones` documented in API.md but not implemented (Issue #2).
- Mobile nav uses emoji icons (⚔️ 🏕️ 🎒) — verify they render acceptably on all platforms.
- **10.9 next:** Allocation UI — show unspent points with + buttons per stat on dashboard.

## 5. Decisions & deviations from the docs
- D-004..D-007 in `docs/DECISIONS.md` (combat rounds, equipment counted once, session store, clock).
- **D-014:** Mobile bottom nav uses emoji icons (⚔️ Hunt / 🏕️ Trip / 🎒 Items) instead of full text labels.
- **D-015:** Desktop tabs hidden via CSS below 700px; mobile nav shown via CSS; JS `syncMobileNav()` keeps active state in sync.
- **D-016:** `applyXpGain` in `src/game/leveling.js` is the single shared function for XP gain logic, used by both `huntService` and `expeditionService`.
- **D-017:** Landing page `public/index.html` uses `credentials: 'include'` in fetch to `/api/auth/me` to check session state; Play button shown only when `hasHero` is true.
- **D-018:** Link-checker test skips API endpoints (`/api/...`) since they're not static files.
- **D-019:** Rate limiters use `process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' ? 100 : 100` for test env (relaxed to avoid test interference; prod limit same as test).
- **D-020:** `allocatePoints` in `leveling.js` accepts non-negative integers (0 allowed for unallocated stats) — changed from "positive integer" to support partial allocation via `{str, agi, int, vit}` where unmentioned stats default to 0.

## 6. Gotchas learned
- `npm test` must be `node --test` with NO path/glob; files must be named `*.test.js`.
- better-sqlite3-session-store ignores `expired.clear: false`; that's why the timer is unref'd.
- Statement caches are per-DB-handle (WeakMap) in huntService; copy that pattern for new services.
- Verify test COUNT, not just "all passing".
- Node.js `fetch` doesn't persist cookies across calls — extract `Set-Cookie` header and pass manually in integration tests.
- SQL `SELECT id` from inventory returns the auto-increment row id; rename with `AS inventory_id` when you also need `item_id`.
- Transaction callback args must match the call order exactly. (This is the 10.1 bug — double-check param/call order in every new transaction.)
- Error responses from route-level `AppError`s do NOT include `data` field.
- `setNow` affects ALL `now()` calls including those in service logic.
- Shop API returns `{ ok: true, data: { stock: [...], character: {...} } }` — field is `stock`, not `stocks`.
- Shop stock items have flat fields (`itemId`, `buyPrice`), not nested (`item.id`).
- New characters have NO inventory items (starter gear not auto-created yet).
- `GET /api/zones` documented in API.md but not implemented.
- Hero profile endpoint is PUBLIC — no `requireAuth` middleware.
- Profile page is public: no auth.js guard needed; uses ?name= query param for lookup.
- Rate limiters in tests: set `NODE_ENV=test` to get relaxed limits; otherwise tests fail with 429.
- `seed-dev.js` must check `NODE_ENV=production` before any `require()` that loads config (config throws on placeholder SECRET).
- Express `sendFile` rejects `../` path segments — use `path.resolve()` + `path.join()` for absolute paths.
- `express.static` sends its own 404 responses; catch-all must be placed BEFORE static middleware.
- Character profile GET returns `{ ok: true, data: { character, derived, energy } }` — fields nested under `character`, `derived`, `energy`.
- Register returns 201 (Created), not 200.
- Character creation returns 201 (Created), not 200.
- Expedition start uses `defId` in request body (not `expeditionId`).
- Expedition claim uses `expeditionId` in request body.
- Expedition start response returns `data.expedition.id` — capture this for claim.
- `src/utils/time` exports `{ now, setNow, resetNow }` directly — `const time = require(...)`, not `const { time }`.
- Inventory sell endpoint (`POST /api/shop/sell`) only accepts `material`-type items.
- `handleListInventory` in `src/routes/inventory.js` — parameter name must be `res`, not `_res`.
- Character profile response has `energy` at `data.energy.current`, NOT `data.character.energy`.
- **10.3:** `expeditionService.js` import changed from `const { now, setNow } = require('../utils/time')` to `const time = require('../utils/time')` — the destructured `now` variable was shadowed by the local `opts.now ?? time.now()` pattern.
- **10.3:** `_opts` cannot be sent via HTTP (functions don't serialize to JSON); test the rng injectable via direct service call instead.
- **10.4:** `req.session.username` must be set in both `handleRegister` and `handleLogin` — register was the gap. `/me` reads it, so without it username is always empty string.
- **10.5:** Link-checker test path: `__dirname` is `tests/integration/`, so `../../public` resolves correctly. API endpoints (`/api/...`) must be excluded since they're not static files.
- **10.6:** Rate limiters add `X-RateLimit-Limit` and `X-RateLimit-Remaining` headers by default in express-rate-limit — use these to verify the limiter is real in tests.
- **10.6:** Global `/api` limiter must be mounted BEFORE auth routes so it covers them; auth-specific limiters are stricter and will trigger first.
- **10.6:** `max: 100` in test env (not 1000) to avoid interference with other tests that also login. The 429 shape test uses a mini-app with `max: 10` to validate the exact JSON body.
- **10.7:** Express JSON parser throws `SyntaxError` with `status: 400` for malformed JSON and `PayloadTooLargeError` with `status: 413` for oversized body — catch these in the error handler before the ZodError check.
- **10.7:** `req.path.startsWith('/api/')` is more reliable than `req.accepts('html')` for deciding JSON vs HTML on unknown paths — Node.js fetch defaults to accepting HTML.
- **10.7:** Session store callbacks (regenerate, destroy) must use `next(err)` not `throw` — `throw` inside a callback is not caught by Express's error handler and can crash the process.
- **10.8:** `leveling.js`'s `allocatePoints` always returns `remainingPoints: 0` — the service must compute `character.unspent_points - total` itself.
- **10.8:** zod `.strictObject` with optional fields needs `.refine()` to require at least one field present.
- **10.8:** For HTTP integration tests that need DB state setup, use direct service calls to set up state, then test the HTTP endpoint.

## 7. Next-step briefing
- **Next step: 10.9** — Allocation UI: on the dashboard stats panel show unspent points and a `+` button per stat (only when points remain), with a confirm/apply button, loading state, and error toast. Use `textContent`, never `innerHTML` with dynamic data.