fix(node): distinguish missing ref from probe failure in store::log

Three sites folded failures into empty results indistinguishable from
genuine emptiness:

- clone.rs encrypted-blobs list fetch: a non-2xx or transport error
  silently returned no recovered paths; now warns via emit_warning,
  matching the per-blob stage in the same function.
- clone.rs arweave fallback: unwrap_or_default() became unwrap_or_else
  that warns, matching the node-recovery arm directly above it.
- changelog handler: store::log failures now return a git error and
  list_prs failures propagate (503 when the pool is unreachable)
  instead of answering 200 with an empty timeline. store::log itself
  only returns empty when the ref genuinely does not resolve: a ref
  that resolves but fails to log is a read failure, not an empty repo.

Closes #400.

crates/gitlawb-node/src/api/changelog.rs

@@ -43,7 +43,10 @@ pub async fn get_changelog(
         .await
         .map_err(|e| AppError::Git(e.to_string()))?;
     let head_ref = store::resolve_head(&disk_path, &record.default_branch);
-    let commits = store::log(&disk_path, &head_ref, limit).unwrap_or_default();
+    // A read failure is not an empty history: returning a bare 200 with no
+    // events makes a degraded repo look identical to a brand-new one (#400).
+    let commits =
+        store::log(&disk_path, &head_ref, limit).map_err(|e| AppError::Git(e.to_string()))?;
 
     let mut events: Vec<serde_json::Value> = commits
         .into_iter()
@@ -60,7 +63,9 @@ pub async fn get_changelog(
         .collect();
 
     // ── Merged PRs ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    let prs = state.db.list_prs(&record.id).await.unwrap_or_default();
+    // Same for the DB half: an outage must surface as an error (503 when the
+    // pool is unreachable), not an empty timeline (#400).
+    let prs = state.db.list_prs(&record.id).await?;
     for pr in prs.iter().filter(|p| p.status == "merged") {
         events.push(serde_json::json!({
             "type": "pr_merged",
@@ -88,3 +93,212 @@ pub async fn get_changelog(
         "count": events.len(),
     })))
 }
+
+/// #400: endpoint-level proof that a degraded store or DB reaches the caller
+/// as an error, not a 200 with an empty timeline.
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use axum::http::Request;
+    use axum::http::StatusCode;
+    use axum::Router;
+    use sqlx::PgPool;
+    use tempfile::TempDir;
+    use tower::ServiceExt;
+
+    fn seed_repo(owner_did: &str, name: &str) -> crate::db::RepoRecord {
+        let now = chrono::Utc::now();
+        crate::db::RepoRecord {
+            id: uuid::Uuid::new_v4().to_string(),
+            name: name.to_string(),
+            owner_did: owner_did.to_string(),
+            description: None,
+            is_public: true,
+            default_branch: "main".to_string(),
+            created_at: now,
+            updated_at: now,
+            disk_path: format!("/tmp/{name}"),
+            forked_from: None,
+            machine_id: None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// A state whose repo store roots in `repos_dir` so the test controls the
+    /// on-disk repo, with the repo record already inserted.
+    async fn seeded_state(
+        pool: &PgPool,
+        repos_dir: &std::path::Path,
+        owner: &str,
+        name: &str,
+    ) -> AppState {
+        let mut state = crate::test_support::test_state(pool.clone()).await;
+        state.repo_store =
+            crate::git::repo_store::RepoStore::for_testing(repos_dir.to_path_buf(), pool.clone());
+        state
+            .db
+            .create_repo(&seed_repo(owner, name))
+            .await
+            .expect("seed repo");
+        state
+    }
+
+    fn repo_disk_path(repos_dir: &std::path::Path, owner: &str, name: &str) -> std::path::PathBuf {
+        repos_dir
+            .join(owner.replace([':', '/'], "_"))
+            .join(format!("{name}.git"))
+    }
+
+    fn init_bare(path: &std::path::Path) {
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(path).unwrap();
+        let out = std::process::Command::new("git")
+            .args(["init", "--bare"])
+            .arg(path)
+            .output()
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(out.status.success());
+    }
+
+    /// A bare repo with one real commit on HEAD.
+    fn bare_repo_with_commit(
+        repos_dir: &std::path::Path,
+        owner: &str,
+        name: &str,
+    ) -> std::path::PathBuf {
+        let scratch = repos_dir.join(format!("scratch-{name}"));
+        let out = std::process::Command::new("git")
+            .args(["init"])
+            .arg(&scratch)
+            .output()
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(out.status.success());
+        let out = std::process::Command::new("git")
+            .args([
+                "-c",
+                "user.email=t@t",
+                "-c",
+                "user.name=t",
+                "commit",
+                "--allow-empty",
+                "-m",
+                "initial",
+            ])
+            .current_dir(&scratch)
+            .output()
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(out.status.success());
+        let repo_path = repo_disk_path(repos_dir, owner, name);
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(repo_path.parent().unwrap()).unwrap();
+        let out = std::process::Command::new("git")
+            .args(["clone", "--bare"])
+            .arg(&scratch)
+            .arg(&repo_path)
+            .output()
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(out.status.success());
+        repo_path
+    }
+
+    /// Delete the object behind HEAD and leave garbage: `git log` fails while
+    /// `rev-parse` still resolves the ref.
+    fn corrupt_head_object(repo_path: &std::path::Path) {
+        let out = std::process::Command::new("git")
+            .args(["rev-parse", "HEAD"])
+            .current_dir(repo_path)
+            .output()
+            .unwrap();
+        let oid = String::from_utf8(out.stdout).unwrap().trim().to_string();
+        let obj = repo_path.join("objects").join(&oid[..2]).join(&oid[2..]);
+        std::fs::remove_file(&obj).unwrap();
+        std::fs::write(&obj, b"garbage").unwrap();
+    }
+
+    async fn oneshot_changelog(
+        state: AppState,
+        owner: &str,
+        name: &str,
+    ) -> axum::response::Response {
+        Router::new()
+            .route(
+                "/api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/changelog",
+                axum::routing::get(get_changelog),
+            )
+            .with_state(state)
+            .oneshot(
+                Request::builder()
+                    .uri(format!("/api/v1/repos/{owner}/{name}/changelog"))
+                    .body(axum::body::Body::empty())
+                    .unwrap(),
+            )
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
+    }
+
+    /// The git half of the fold: a repo whose HEAD resolves but whose object
+    /// store is corrupt must be a 500, not a 200 with zero events.
+    #[sqlx::test]
+    async fn changelog_on_corrupt_object_store_returns_500_not_empty_200(pool: PgPool) {
+        let owner = "did:key:zCHANGELOGCORRUPTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA";
+        let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let state = seeded_state(&pool, dir.path(), owner, "corrupt-log").await;
+        let repo_path = bare_repo_with_commit(dir.path(), owner, "corrupt-log");
+        corrupt_head_object(&repo_path);
+
+        let resp = oneshot_changelog(state, owner, "corrupt-log").await;
+        assert_eq!(
+            resp.status(),
+            StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR,
+            "a resolving ref whose objects cannot be read is a git error"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// The DB half of the fold: with the pull_requests table gone, list_prs
+    /// fails and the endpoint must surface it (503) rather than answering a
+    /// 200 with only the git-derived events.
+    #[sqlx::test]
+    async fn changelog_on_pr_table_failure_returns_error_not_empty_200(pool: PgPool) {
+        let owner = "did:key:zCHANGELOGDBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB";
+        let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let state = seeded_state(&pool, dir.path(), owner, "db-fail").await;
+        init_bare(&repo_disk_path(dir.path(), owner, "db-fail"));
+        sqlx::query("DROP TABLE pull_requests")
+            .execute(&pool)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let resp = oneshot_changelog(state, owner, "db-fail").await;
+        assert!(
+            resp.status().is_server_error(),
+            "a DB failure must not answer a 200 empty timeline; got {}",
+            resp.status()
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Must-not direction: a healthy repo with a commit still returns the
+    /// event; an empty repo is still a valid empty timeline.
+    #[sqlx::test]
+    async fn changelog_still_serves_commit_and_empty_repo(pool: PgPool) {
+        let owner = "did:key:zCHANGELOGOKCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC";
+        let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let state = seeded_state(&pool, dir.path(), owner, "with-commit").await;
+        bare_repo_with_commit(dir.path(), owner, "with-commit");
+
+        let resp = oneshot_changelog(state, owner, "with-commit").await;
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+        let bytes = axum::body::to_bytes(resp.into_body(), usize::MAX)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let v: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(&bytes).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(v["count"], 1, "the seeded commit must appear");
+        assert_eq!(v["events"][0]["type"], "commit");
+
+        let state = seeded_state(&pool, dir.path(), owner, "empty-repo").await;
+        init_bare(&repo_disk_path(dir.path(), owner, "empty-repo"));
+        let resp = oneshot_changelog(state, owner, "empty-repo").await;
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+        let bytes = axum::body::to_bytes(resp.into_body(), usize::MAX)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let v: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(&bytes).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(v["count"], 0, "a genuinely empty repo is still 200/empty");
+    }
+}

crates/gitlawb-node/src/git/store.rs

@@ -141,7 +141,29 @@ pub fn log(repo_path: &Path, refname: &str, limit: usize) -> Result<Vec<CommitIn
         .context("failed to run git log")?;
 
     if !output.status.success() {
-        return Ok(vec![]); // empty repo
+        // An unresolvable ref means a genuinely empty repo. A ref that
+        // resolves but fails to log is a read failure (corrupt object store, a
+        // gc mid-read): report it rather than passing an empty log off as no
+        // history (#400). rev-parse resolves the name without reading objects.
+        // allow-unbounded-git: failure-path existence recheck; module
+        // convention, at most one extra spawn per failed log.
+        let resolved = Command::new("git")
+            .args(["rev-parse", "--verify", "--quiet", refname])
+            .current_dir(repo_path)
+            .output()
+            .context("failed to run git rev-parse")?;
+        // --quiet exits 1 only for "ref does not resolve"; other failures
+        // (not a repo, broken config) are real errors, not an empty history.
+        match resolved.status.code() {
+            Some(1) => return Ok(vec![]),
+            Some(0) => {}
+            _ => {
+                let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&resolved.stderr);
+                anyhow::bail!("git rev-parse failed for {refname}: {}", stderr.trim());
+            }
+        }
+        let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);
+        anyhow::bail!("git log failed for {refname}: {}", stderr.trim());
     }
 
     let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout);
@@ -2025,4 +2047,65 @@ mod tests {
             "a clean `missing` twice on a readable store is a genuine absence; got {res:?}"
         );
     }
+
+    // #400: `log` may fold a failed `git log` into Ok(vec![]) only when the ref
+    // genuinely does not resolve (an empty repo). A ref that resolves but
+    // fails to read is an error, not an empty history.
+    #[test]
+    fn log_empty_is_empty_and_resolved_ref_read_failure_errors() {
+        let td = tempfile::TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let work: &Path = td.path();
+        let g = |args: &[&str]| {
+            assert!(Command::new("git")
+                .args(args)
+                .current_dir(work)
+                .status()
+                .unwrap()
+                .success());
+        };
+        g(&["init", "-q"]);
+        g(&["config", "user.email", "t@t"]);
+        g(&["config", "user.name", "t"]);
+
+        // No commits: nothing resolves, so a failed log is a real empty repo.
+        assert!(super::log(work, "HEAD", 10).unwrap().is_empty());
+
+        std::fs::write(work.join("f.txt"), b"x\n").unwrap();
+        g(&["add", "."]);
+        g(&["commit", "-qm", "c1"]);
+        assert_eq!(super::log(work, "HEAD", 10).unwrap().len(), 1);
+
+        // Corrupt the object the branch resolves to: `git log` fails but
+        // `rev-parse --verify` still resolves the name, so the failure must
+        // surface as an error rather than an empty history.
+        let oid = {
+            let o = Command::new("git")
+                .args(["rev-parse", "HEAD"])
+                .current_dir(work)
+                .output()
+                .unwrap();
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout).trim().to_string()
+        };
+        let obj = work.join(".git/objects").join(&oid[..2]).join(&oid[2..]);
+        std::fs::remove_file(&obj).unwrap();
+        std::fs::write(&obj, b"garbage").unwrap();
+
+        assert!(super::log(work, "HEAD", 10).is_err());
+    }
+
+    /// The rev-parse recheck inside `log` must distinguish "ref missing"
+    /// (exit 1 -> empty history) from a real probe failure (exit 128 on a
+    /// non-repo -> error), not fold both into `Ok(vec![])`.
+    #[test]
+    fn log_probe_failure_on_a_non_repo_errors_instead_of_empty() {
+        let td = tempfile::TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        // A directory that is not a git repo at all: `git log` fails and the
+        // `rev-parse` recheck fails with 128, which is not "missing ref".
+        let not_a_repo = td.path().join("not-a-repo");
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&not_a_repo).unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            super::log(&not_a_repo, "HEAD", 10).is_err(),
+            "a rev-parse probe failure must not read as an empty repo"
+        );
+    }
 }

crates/gl/src/clone.rs

@@ -54,6 +54,13 @@ fn emit_warning(line: &str) {
     let _ = writeln!(warn_sink(), "{line}");
 }
 
+/// Warn-and-degrade for the recovery arms in `run`: a failed recovery source
+/// is reported and yields no paths, never silently empty (#400).
+fn warn_recovery_failed(what: &str, e: &anyhow::Error) -> Vec<String> {
+    emit_warning(&format!("warning: {what} failed: {e}"));
+    Vec::new()
+}
+
 #[cfg(not(test))]
 fn warn_sink() -> impl std::io::Write {
     std::io::stderr()
@@ -322,7 +329,19 @@ async fn recover_encrypted_blobs(
         .await
     {
         Ok(r) if r.status().is_success() => r,
-        _ => return Ok(vec![]),
+        Ok(r) => {
+            emit_warning(&format!(
+                "warning: could not list encrypted blobs for {owner}/{name}: node returned {}; skipping recovery",
+                r.status()
+            ));
+            return Ok(vec![]);
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            emit_warning(&format!(
+                "warning: could not list encrypted blobs for {owner}/{name}: {e}; skipping recovery"
+            ));
+            return Ok(vec![]);
+        }
     };
     let body: EncryptedBlobsResponse = resp.json().await.context("parsing encrypted-blobs")?;
     if body.blobs.is_empty() {
@@ -836,8 +855,7 @@ pub async fn run(args: CloneArgs) -> Result<()> {
                 // fallback still runs), but the strict /encrypted-blobs parse now
                 // fails closed on schema drift, so surface it rather than letting
                 // `.unwrap_or_default()` silently swallow it into "no paths".
-                eprintln!("warning: encrypted-blobs recovery failed: {e}");
-                Vec::new()
+                warn_recovery_failed("encrypted-blobs recovery", &e)
             });
         let from_arweave = recover_from_arweave(
             &args.arweave_gateway,
@@ -848,7 +866,10 @@ pub async fn run(args: CloneArgs) -> Result<()> {
             &keypair,
         )
         .await
-        .unwrap_or_default();
+        .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+            // Same rule as the node-recovery arm above: warn, never abort.
+            warn_recovery_failed("arweave/ipfs gateway recovery", &e)
+        });
         paths.extend(from_arweave);
 
         if !paths.is_empty() {
@@ -929,6 +950,46 @@ mod tests {
         WARNINGS.with(|w| w.borrow().clone())
     }
 
+    // #400: the recovery-arm degrade must warn, not silently become "no
+    // paths". `warn_recovery_failed` is the write both arms go through.
+    #[test]
+    fn warn_recovery_failed_warns_and_returns_empty() {
+        reset_warnings();
+        let out =
+            super::warn_recovery_failed("arweave/ipfs gateway recovery", &anyhow::anyhow!("boom"));
+        assert!(out.is_empty());
+        assert!(
+            warnings().contains("arweave/ipfs gateway recovery failed: boom"),
+            "a recovery failure must warn, got: {:?}",
+            warnings()
+        );
+    }
+
+    // #400: the encrypted-blobs LIST fetch must warn on failure instead of
+    // silently returning an empty recovery set. The per-blob stage already
+    // warns; the list fetch was the outlier.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn encrypted_blobs_list_failure_warns_and_returns_empty() {
+        let mut server = mockito::Server::new_async().await;
+        let _m = server
+            .mock("GET", "/api/v1/repos/o/r/encrypted-blobs")
+            .with_status(500)
+            .create_async()
+            .await;
+        let kp = gitlawb_core::identity::Keypair::generate();
+        let dest = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        reset_warnings();
+        let paths = recover_encrypted_blobs(&server.url(), "o", "r", dest.path(), &kp)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(paths.is_empty());
+        assert!(
+            warnings().contains("could not list encrypted blobs"),
+            "a failed list fetch must warn, got: {:?}",
+            warnings()
+        );
+    }
+
     fn g(args: &[&str], dir: &Path) {
         assert!(Command::new("git")
             .args(args)