Pete news: salted per-event GUID token + zone_clear taxonomy

Closes the two deferred code-review follow-ups on the adventure-news
seam, plus folds in two pre-committed WIP fixes.

A. Privacy — the public GUID no longer leaks a stable per-player id.
   Replaced userHash(userID)=sha256(userID)[:6] with
   eventToken(userID, discriminator)=HMAC-SHA256(salt, userID‖disc).
   The salt is 32 random bytes, auto-generated once and persisted in the
   durable news_config table (cached via sync.Once). Because each event
   uses a distinct HMAC message, tokens are a PRF output and are BOTH
   uncomputable from a Matrix handle (no enumeration of a player's
   events, incl. ones anonymized after !news optout) AND mutually
   unlinkable (a named event can't be walked back to a player's other,
   anonymized events). Updated all emit sites: pete.go zone, dnd_combat
   death, adventure_duel rival, dnd_setup arrival, achievements
   milestone, bootstrap x3.

B. Taxonomy — repeat zone clears were mislabeled zone_first. Now emit
   zone_clear (bulletin) vs zone_first (realm-first, priority). Adopted
   the invariant GUID-prefix == event_type, which also fixes latent
   permalink mislabels (achv->milestone, rival->rival_result rendered a
   neutral "Dispatch" on their permalink pages).

Folded-in WIP fixes: create the news_config table b42beec's
newsEmissionOn reads but never created; reap sent pete_emit_queue rows
in RunMaintenance; don't burn a retry attempt when shutdown cancels an
in-flight send.

Tests: TestEventToken (salted/stable/per-event/persisted),
TestEmitZoneClearTaxonomy (first->zone_first, repeat->zone_clear),
updated pete_test.go prefixes. Full internal suite + vet green.

Unshipped. Deploy Pete first (it must know zone_clear), then gogobee.

internal/db/db.go

@@ -616,6 +616,10 @@ func RunMaintenance() {
 		{"urban_cache", `DELETE FROM urban_cache WHERE cached_at < ?`, []interface{}{cutoff30d}},
 		{"url_cache", `DELETE FROM url_cache WHERE cached_at < ?`, []interface{}{cutoff30d}},
 
+		// Pete adventure-news queue — reap delivered rows (kept only for
+		// idempotency); undelivered rows stay so the sender can retry/park them.
+		{"pete_emit_queue", `DELETE FROM pete_emit_queue WHERE sent_at IS NOT NULL AND sent_at < ?`, []interface{}{cutoff7d}},
+
 		// Rate limits — purge entries older than today
 		{"rate_limits", `DELETE FROM rate_limits WHERE date < ?`, []interface{}{today}},
 
@@ -979,6 +983,14 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS news_realm_firsts (
 	PRIMARY KEY (kind, target)
 );
 
+-- Durable runtime config for adventure news (e.g. the emission kill-switch).
+-- Deliberately NOT stored in api_cache: RunMaintenance prunes that table after
+-- 7 days, which would silently revert an operator's !news off back to on.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS news_config (
+	key   TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+	value TEXT NOT NULL
+);
+
 -- Birthdays
 CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS birthdays (
 	user_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,

internal/peteclient/client.go

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import (
 // only names permitted to appear in Pete's rendered output. See
 // pete_adventure_news_voice.md for the field contract.
 type Fact struct {
-	GUID       string   `json:"guid"` // stable idempotency key, e.g. "death:<hash>:<ts>"
+	GUID       string   `json:"guid"` // stable idempotency key, e.g. "death:<token>:<ts>"; prefix == event_type
 	EventType  string   `json:"event_type"`
 	Tier       string   `json:"tier"` // "priority" | "bulletin"
 	Actors     []string `json:"actors"`
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ var std *Client
 const (
 	senderTick    = 15 * time.Second
 	senderBatch   = 20
-	maxAttempts   = 8               // ~ up to a few hours of backoff, then park
+	maxAttempts   = 8 // ~ up to a few hours of backoff, then park
 	backoffBase   = 30 * time.Second
 	backoffCapSec = 3600
 	sendTimeout   = 15 * time.Second
@@ -175,6 +175,12 @@ func (c *Client) drain(ctx context.Context) {
 			return
 		}
 		if err := c.send(ctx, []byte(it.payload)); err != nil {
+			if ctx.Err() != nil {
+				// Shutdown canceled the in-flight send — Pete didn't reject
+				// anything. Don't burn a durable retry attempt; the row is picked
+				// up on the next boot's drain.
+				return
+			}
 			db.Exec("pete emit retry",
 				`UPDATE pete_emit_queue
 				 SET attempts = attempts + 1, next_attempt_at = unixepoch() + ?

internal/plugin/achievements.go

@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ func (p *AchievementsPlugin) emitMilestoneNews(d *sql.DB, userID id.UserID, achi
 	}
 	ts := nowUnix()
 	emitFact(peteclient.Fact{
-		GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("achv:%s:%s", userHash(userID), achievementID),
+		GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("milestone:%s:%s", eventToken(userID, achievementID), achievementID),
 		EventType:  "milestone",
 		Tier:       "bulletin",
 		Subject:    name,

internal/plugin/adventure_duel.go

@@ -618,8 +618,9 @@ func (p *AdventurePlugin) settleDuel(ctx MessageContext, ch *advDuelChallenge, c
 	// fires once). Character names only; no-op unless the seam is enabled.
 	if wn, ln := charName(winnerID), charName(loserID); wn != "" && ln != "" {
 		ts := nowUnix()
+		disc := fmt.Sprintf("rival:%d", ts)
 		emitFact(peteclient.Fact{
-			GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("rival:%s:%s:%d", userHash(winnerID), userHash(loserID), ts),
+			GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("rival_result:%s:%s:%d", eventToken(winnerID, disc), eventToken(loserID, disc), ts),
 			EventType:  "rival_result",
 			Tier:       "bulletin",
 			Subject:    wn,

internal/plugin/bootstrap_pete_news.go

@@ -93,12 +93,9 @@ func (p *AdventurePlugin) backfillZoneFirsts() int {
 			continue
 		}
 		zone := zoneOrFallback(ZoneID(f.zoneID))
-		lvl := 0
-		if dc, _ := LoadDnDCharacter(uid); dc != nil {
-			lvl = dc.Level
-		}
+		lvl := charLevel(uid)
 		emitFact(peteclient.Fact{
-			GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("zone:%s:%s:%d", userHash(uid), f.zoneID, ts.Unix()),
+			GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("zone_first:%s:%s:%d", eventToken(uid, fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", f.zoneID, ts.Unix())), f.zoneID, ts.Unix()),
 			EventType:  "zone_first",
 			Tier:       "priority",
 			Subject:    name,
@@ -150,12 +147,9 @@ func backfillDeaths() int {
 		if err != nil {
 			continue
 		}
-		lvl := 0
-		if dc, _ := LoadDnDCharacter(uid); dc != nil {
-			lvl = dc.Level
-		}
+		lvl := charLevel(uid)
 		emitFact(peteclient.Fact{
-			GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("death:%s:%s", userHash(uid), d.date),
+			GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("death:%s:%s", eventToken(uid, d.date), d.date),
 			EventType:  "death",
 			Tier:       "priority",
 			Subject:    name,
@@ -219,7 +213,7 @@ func (p *AdventurePlugin) backfillSoloAchievements() int {
 			ts = nowUnix()
 		}
 		emitFact(peteclient.Fact{
-			GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("achv:%s:%s", userHash(uid), s.achID),
+			GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("milestone:%s:%s", eventToken(uid, s.achID), s.achID),
 			EventType:  "milestone",
 			Tier:       "bulletin",
 			Subject:    name,

internal/plugin/dnd_combat.go

@@ -587,13 +587,10 @@ func emitDeathNews(userID id.UserID, location string) {
 	if name == "" {
 		return
 	}
-	lvl := 0
-	if dc, _ := LoadDnDCharacter(userID); dc != nil {
-		lvl = dc.Level
-	}
+	lvl := charLevel(userID)
 	ts := nowUnix()
 	emitFact(peteclient.Fact{
-		GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("death:%s:%d", userHash(userID), ts),
+		GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("death:%s:%d", eventToken(userID, fmt.Sprintf("%d", ts)), ts),
 		EventType:  "death",
 		Tier:       "priority",
 		Subject:    name,

internal/plugin/dnd_setup.go

@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ func (p *AdventurePlugin) dndSetupConfirm(ctx MessageContext) error {
 	if name := charName(ctx.Sender); name != "" {
 		ts := nowUnix()
 		emitFact(peteclient.Fact{
-			GUID:       "arrival:" + userHash(ctx.Sender),
+			GUID:       "arrival:" + eventToken(ctx.Sender, "arrival"),
 			EventType:  "arrival",
 			Tier:       "bulletin",
 			Subject:    name,

internal/plugin/pete.go

@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 package plugin
 
 import (
+	"crypto/hmac"
+	"crypto/rand"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"gogobee/internal/db"
@@ -19,17 +22,22 @@ import (
 // — Pete owns the voice. See pete_adventure_news_plan.md / _voice.md.
 
 const (
-	newsEnabledKey = "adventure_news_enabled"
-	// foreverTTL makes CacheGet a persistent flag: the row never "expires".
-	foreverTTL = 100 * 365 * 24 * 3600
-	anonName   = "an adventurer"
+	newsEnabledKey  = "adventure_news_enabled"
+	newsGUIDSaltKey = "adventure_news_guid_salt"
+	anonName        = "an adventurer"
 )
 
 // newsEmissionOn is the runtime kill-switch (default on). An operator flips it
 // with `!news off` without a redeploy; FEATURE_PETE_NEWS is the source-level
-// master switch checked separately by peteclient.Enabled.
+// master switch checked separately by peteclient.Enabled. Persisted in the
+// durable news_config table (NOT api_cache, which RunMaintenance prunes).
 func newsEmissionOn() bool {
-	return db.CacheGet(newsEnabledKey, foreverTTL) != "0"
+	var v string
+	err := db.Get().QueryRow(`SELECT value FROM news_config WHERE key = ?`, newsEnabledKey).Scan(&v)
+	if err != nil {
+		return true // no row → default on
+	}
+	return v != "0"
 }
 
 // setNewsEmission persists the runtime kill-switch.
@@ -38,7 +46,10 @@ func setNewsEmission(on bool) {
 	if !on {
 		v = "0"
 	}
-	db.CacheSet(newsEnabledKey, v)
+	db.Exec("news emission set",
+		`INSERT INTO news_config (key, value) VALUES (?, ?)
+		 ON CONFLICT(key) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value`,
+		newsEnabledKey, v)
 }
 
 // isNewsOptedOut reports whether a player asked not to be named in the news.
@@ -61,12 +72,66 @@ func setNewsOptout(userID id.UserID, out bool) {
 	db.Exec("news optout clear", `DELETE FROM news_optout WHERE user_id = ?`, string(userID))
 }
 
-// userHash is a stable, one-way digest of a Matrix user id. It keys per-player
-// event GUIDs (which become PUBLIC permalink paths on Pete) WITHOUT leaking the
-// Matrix handle. Not reversible, stable across restarts.
-func userHash(userID id.UserID) string {
-	sum := sha256.Sum256([]byte(userID))
-	return hex.EncodeToString(sum[:6]) // 12 hex chars — ample for 4–thousands of players
+var (
+	guidSaltOnce sync.Once
+	guidSalt     []byte
+)
+
+// newsGUIDSalt returns the secret, server-side salt that keys every public event
+// token. It is 32 random bytes, generated once and persisted in the durable
+// news_config table, cached in-process. Secret from anyone outside the server
+// (external users never see it), stable across restarts (so a re-emit or the
+// cold-start backfill reproduces the same GUID). No operator action needed.
+func newsGUIDSalt() []byte {
+	guidSaltOnce.Do(func() {
+		var stored string
+		if err := db.Get().QueryRow(
+			`SELECT value FROM news_config WHERE key = ?`, newsGUIDSaltKey).Scan(&stored); err == nil {
+			if b, e := hex.DecodeString(stored); e == nil && len(b) > 0 {
+				guidSalt = b
+				return
+			}
+		}
+		b := make([]byte, 32)
+		if _, err := rand.Read(b); err != nil {
+			// crypto/rand should never fail; if it does, refuse to fall back to a
+			// predictable salt (that would reopen the enumeration attack). Leave the
+			// salt empty and let eventToken sort it out.
+			return
+		}
+		salt := hex.EncodeToString(b)
+		// Persist. OR IGNORE so a concurrent first-writer wins cleanly; we then
+		// re-read the row so every caller agrees on the same salt.
+		db.Exec("news guid salt seed",
+			`INSERT OR IGNORE INTO news_config (key, value) VALUES (?, ?)`, newsGUIDSaltKey, salt)
+		_ = db.Get().QueryRow(`SELECT value FROM news_config WHERE key = ?`, newsGUIDSaltKey).Scan(&salt)
+		guidSalt, _ = hex.DecodeString(salt)
+	})
+	return guidSalt
+}
+
+// eventToken is the per-event, one-way identifier embedded in a public GUID
+// (which becomes a PUBLIC permalink path on Pete). It is HMAC-SHA256 over the
+// Matrix user id AND an event-specific discriminator, keyed by the secret
+// newsGUIDSalt.
+//
+// Two properties matter and both come from HMAC being a PRF under a secret key:
+//   - Not computable from a Matrix handle. An attacker who knows @alice:server
+//     cannot derive any of her tokens without the salt — so her events (including
+//     ones anonymized after `!news optout`) can't be enumerated from her handle.
+//   - Per-event, so tokens are mutually unlinkable. Even for the same user, two
+//     events yield unrelated tokens; a story that names her (opted-in, or a duel
+//     opponent) exposes only that one event's token and can't be walked back to
+//     her other, anonymized events.
+//
+// The discriminator must uniquely identify the logical event so a re-emit or the
+// backfill reproduces the same token (idempotency rides on the GUID).
+func eventToken(userID id.UserID, discriminator string) string {
+	mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, newsGUIDSalt())
+	mac.Write([]byte(userID))
+	mac.Write([]byte{0}) // domain separator: keep id and discriminator from bleeding
+	mac.Write([]byte(discriminator))
+	return hex.EncodeToString(mac.Sum(nil)[:9]) // 18 hex chars — ample, non-reversible
 }
 
 // charName returns a player's in-game character name, never their Matrix handle.
@@ -76,6 +141,15 @@ func charName(userID id.UserID) string {
 	return strings.TrimSpace(name)
 }
 
+// charLevel returns a player's current character level for a news Fact, or 0 if
+// no character loads (Level is omitempty, so 0 is dropped from the payload).
+func charLevel(userID id.UserID) int {
+	if dc, _ := LoadDnDCharacter(userID); dc != nil {
+		return dc.Level
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
 // classRaceLabel renders a character's race + class for the arrival fact, e.g.
 // "Elf Ranger".
 func classRaceLabel(c *DnDCharacter) string {
@@ -184,7 +258,9 @@ func claimRealmFirst(kind, target string) bool {
 }
 
 // emitZoneClearNews files a zone-clear dispatch (boss down = zone cleared). The
-// realm's first clear of a zone is PRIORITY; later clears are BULLETIN. Character
+// realm's first clear of a zone is a PRIORITY "zone_first"; later clears are a
+// BULLETIN "zone_clear". The event_type and the GUID prefix track the tier so
+// Pete templates and labels a repeat as a repeat, not a first-ever. Character
 // name only; no-op unless the seam is enabled.
 func emitZoneClearNews(userID id.UserID, exp *Expedition) {
 	if !peteclient.Enabled() || !newsEmissionOn() {
@@ -201,18 +277,16 @@ func emitZoneClearNews(userID id.UserID, exp *Expedition) {
 			region = r.Name
 		}
 	}
-	lvl := 0
-	if dc, _ := LoadDnDCharacter(userID); dc != nil {
-		lvl = dc.Level
-	}
-	tier := "bulletin"
+	lvl := charLevel(userID)
+	eventType, tier := "zone_clear", "bulletin"
 	if claimRealmFirst("zone", string(exp.ZoneID)) {
-		tier = "priority"
+		eventType, tier = "zone_first", "priority"
 	}
 	ts := nowUnix()
+	disc := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", exp.ZoneID, ts)
 	emitFact(peteclient.Fact{
-		GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("zone:%s:%s:%d", userHash(userID), exp.ZoneID, ts),
-		EventType:  "zone_first",
+		GUID:       fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s:%s:%d", eventType, eventToken(userID, disc), exp.ZoneID, ts),
+		EventType:  eventType,
 		Tier:       tier,
 		Subject:    name,
 		Zone:       zone.Display,

internal/plugin/pete_test.go

@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 package plugin
 
 import (
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/hex"
 	"os"
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
 
 	"gogobee/internal/db"
@@ -98,10 +101,10 @@ func TestPeteNewsBackfill(t *testing.T) {
 	if got := queuedCount(t, "death:%"); got != 1 {
 		t.Errorf("death dispatches queued = %d, want 1", got)
 	}
-	if got := queuedCount(t, "achv:%"); got != 1 {
+	if got := queuedCount(t, "milestone:%"); got != 1 {
 		t.Errorf("achievement dispatches queued = %d, want 1", got)
 	}
-	if got := queuedCount(t, "zone:%"); got != 1 {
+	if got := queuedCount(t, "zone_first:%"); got != 1 {
 		t.Errorf("zone-first dispatches queued = %d, want 1", got)
 	}
 	// Realm-first ledger seeded so a later live clear tiers as a repeat.
@@ -116,6 +119,80 @@ func TestPeteNewsBackfill(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestEventToken: the public GUID token is salted (not a bare sha256 an attacker
+// can recompute from the handle), stable per logical event (idempotency), and
+// per-event so a user's tokens don't link to each other.
+func TestEventToken(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	db.Close()
+	if err := db.Init(dir); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("db.Init: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(db.Close)
+
+	// The salt is cached process-wide via sync.Once; reset it so it derives (and
+	// persists) against this test's fresh DB rather than an earlier test's.
+	guidSaltOnce = sync.Once{}
+	guidSalt = nil
+
+	u := id.UserID("@alice:example.org")
+
+	// Not the old unsalted digest: an attacker with the handle can't recompute it.
+	bare := sha256.Sum256([]byte(u))
+	if got := eventToken(u, "arrival"); got == hex.EncodeToString(bare[:9]) {
+		t.Error("token matches unsalted sha256(handle) — enumeration attack reopened")
+	}
+
+	// Stable for the same (user, discriminator): a re-emit dedups.
+	if eventToken(u, "arrival") != eventToken(u, "arrival") {
+		t.Error("token not stable for the same event — idempotency broken")
+	}
+
+	// Per-event: two different events for the same user yield unrelated tokens, so
+	// a named event can't be walked back to the user's anonymized events.
+	if eventToken(u, "arrival") == eventToken(u, "death:123") {
+		t.Error("tokens collide across events — linkage attack reopened")
+	}
+
+	// Different users, same discriminator, still differ.
+	if eventToken(u, "arrival") == eventToken(id.UserID("@bob:example.org"), "arrival") {
+		t.Error("token collides across users")
+	}
+
+	// The salt persisted, so it survives a restart (a re-emit after reboot dedups).
+	var salt string
+	if err := db.Get().QueryRow(`SELECT value FROM news_config WHERE key = ?`, newsGUIDSaltKey).Scan(&salt); err != nil || salt == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("guid salt not persisted: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestEmitZoneClearTaxonomy: the realm's first clear of a zone emits a PRIORITY
+// zone_first; a later clear emits a BULLETIN zone_clear — distinct event_type and
+// GUID prefix, so Pete never files a repeat as a first-ever.
+func TestEmitZoneClearTaxonomy(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	db.Close()
+	if err := db.Init(dir); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("db.Init: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(db.Close)
+	enablePeteSeam(t)
+
+	db.Exec("seed player", `INSERT INTO player_meta (user_id, display_name) VALUES (?, ?)`,
+		"@zapp:x", "Zapp")
+	exp := &Expedition{ZoneID: "goblin_warren"}
+
+	emitZoneClearNews(id.UserID("@zapp:x"), exp) // realm-first
+	emitZoneClearNews(id.UserID("@zapp:x"), exp) // repeat
+
+	if got := queuedCount(t, "zone_first:%"); got != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("zone_first queued = %d, want 1 (the realm-first)", got)
+	}
+	if got := queuedCount(t, "zone_clear:%"); got != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("zone_clear queued = %d, want 1 (the repeat)", got)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestNewsEmissionKillSwitch: the runtime flag defaults on and persists a flip.
 func TestNewsEmissionKillSwitch(t *testing.T) {
 	dir := t.TempDir()