docs(node): document the invalid_url webhook delivery outcome

* fix(gl): truncate node-supplied display strings at a char boundary (#350)

Every timestamp/id/SHA the CLI prints was cut with &s[..N] or
&s[..N.min(s.len())]. The first panics on a short value, the second
still panics when byte N is inside a multi-byte char. A shared
text::truncate cuts at a char boundary and covers all sites, including
two the issue did not name (node events, agent did) and the same shape
in bounty, changelog, ipfs pin listing, and the merge-commit print.

* fix(gl): bound truncate by bytes, not chars (#460)

Address PR review feedback: char_indices().nth(max) capped characters,
so a multibyte char near the cut could exceed the byte limit. Start at
max.min(len) and walk back to the nearest char boundary instead.

* fix(gl): bound the bounty leaderboard did suffix at a char boundary

crates/gitlawb-attest/src/attestation.rs

@@ -504,6 +504,23 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(matches!(err, Error::Did(_)));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn verify_rejects_oversized_method_id_before_decoding() {
+        let sk = fresh();
+        let mut att = dummy_attestation(&sk, sample_cert_hash());
+        // A well-formed prefix on an absurdly long id must fail the length
+        // bound, not the decoder: base58 decode cost is quadratic in input
+        // length, so reaching it at all is the defect.
+        att.signer = format!("did:key:z{}", "1".repeat(256));
+        let err = att.verify_signature(sample_cert_hash()).unwrap_err();
+        // Match the bound's own message: any other Did error (a decode or
+        // length mismatch downstream) means the oversized input was decoded.
+        match err {
+            Error::Did(m) => assert!(m.contains("too long"), "unexpected: {m}"),
+            e => panic!("expected Error::Did, got {e:?}"),
+        }
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn verify_rejects_bad_signature_base64() {
         let sk = fresh();

crates/gitlawb-attest/src/verifier.rs

@@ -150,23 +150,48 @@ impl Registry {
     }
 
     /// Verify a batch, then enforce `RequireAll`.
+    ///
+    /// Under [`Policy::RequireAll`] this never short-circuits: an attestation
+    /// that fails to verify — bad signature, cert-hash mismatch, or malformed
+    /// payload, the actual `Err` paths of [`Registry::verify`] — is dropped
+    /// from the result rather than aborting the batch. A valid attestation of
+    /// a type with NO registered verifier is not one of those: under
+    /// `RequireAll` it verifies to `Ok` with `fully_verified: false` and stays
+    /// in the result, preserving the distinction between *untrusted* and
+    /// *invalid* (see `require_all_is_lenient_on_unknown_types_in_the_batch`).
+    /// Any third party can attach an attestation, so a hard error here would
+    /// let an unrelated `attacker/spam/v1` deny-of-service the whole cert (the
+    /// DoS vector the module docstring warns about). The `required_types`
+    /// check below is the real gate, and it only counts `fully_verified`
+    /// entries — so a required type represented solely by a malformed
+    /// attestation still fails with [`Error::RequiredMissing`].
+    ///
+    /// Under `AcceptKnown` and `RejectUnknown` the batch stays strict: the
+    /// first verification error is surfaced to the caller.
     pub fn verify_all(
         &self,
         attestations: &[Attestation],
         expected_cert_hash: [u8; 32],
     ) -> Result<Vec<VerifiedAttestation>> {
-        let mut verified = Vec::with_capacity(attestations.len());
-        for a in attestations {
-            verified.push(self.verify(a, expected_cert_hash)?);
+        if self.policy != Policy::RequireAll {
+            let mut verified = Vec::with_capacity(attestations.len());
+            for a in attestations {
+                verified.push(self.verify(a, expected_cert_hash)?);
+            }
+            return Ok(verified);
         }
-        if self.policy == Policy::RequireAll {
-            for required in &self.required_types {
-                let present = verified
-                    .iter()
-                    .any(|v| &v.type_ == required && v.fully_verified);
-                if !present {
-                    return Err(Error::RequiredMissing(required.clone()));
-                }
+
+        // RequireAll: drop entries that fail to verify instead of aborting.
+        let verified: Vec<VerifiedAttestation> = attestations
+            .iter()
+            .filter_map(|a| self.verify(a, expected_cert_hash).ok())
+            .collect();
+        for required in &self.required_types {
+            let present = verified
+                .iter()
+                .any(|v| &v.type_ == required && v.fully_verified);
+            if !present {
+                return Err(Error::RequiredMissing(required.clone()));
             }
         }
         Ok(verified)
@@ -324,6 +349,38 @@ mod tests {
             .any(|v| v.type_ == "other/v1" && !v.fully_verified));
     }
 
+    /// The strict policies must surface a batch member's verification error
+    /// through `verify_all`, not launder it into a partial result. This binds
+    /// the POLICY BOUNDARY itself: only the `RequireAll` arm may drop failing
+    /// entries, and an apparently harmless cleanup that applies its
+    /// `filter_map(Result::ok)` shape to the strict arms would silently turn
+    /// the fail-closed contracts into fail-open — with every per-attestation
+    /// `verify` test still green, because none of them go through the batch
+    /// path. The failing entry is a wrong-cert-hash attestation (signed over a
+    /// different hash than the batch expects), a genuine `Err` under every
+    /// policy.
+    #[test]
+    fn strict_policies_propagate_a_batch_members_error() {
+        let sk = fresh();
+        let cert_hash = sample_hash();
+        let mut wrong_hash = sample_hash();
+        wrong_hash[0] ^= 0xff;
+
+        for policy in [Policy::AcceptKnown, Policy::RejectUnknown] {
+            let mut reg = Registry::new().with_policy(policy);
+            reg.register(DemoVerifier);
+            let good = signed_demo(&sk, cert_hash, "ok");
+            let bad = signed_demo(&sk, wrong_hash, "ok");
+            let err = reg
+                .verify_all(&[good, bad], cert_hash)
+                .expect_err("a strict policy must fail the whole batch");
+            assert!(
+                matches!(err, Error::Signature(_) | Error::CertHashMismatch),
+                "expected the underlying verification error, got {err:?}"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
     /// A required type that is present but unverified (no verifier registered
     /// even though the type appears in `required_types`) must fail
     /// `verify_all` with `RequiredMissing`. Catches a misconfiguration where
@@ -341,6 +398,65 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(matches!(err, Error::RequiredMissing(t) if t == "demo/v1"));
     }
 
+    /// A cert-hash that does not match `sample_hash()`, so an attestation
+    /// signed against it fails `verify_signature` when the batch is checked
+    /// against `sample_hash()`.
+    fn other_hash() -> [u8; 32] {
+        let mut h = sample_hash();
+        h[0] ^= 0xff;
+        h
+    }
+
+    /// Under `RequireAll`, a malformed attestation (here: signed against the
+    /// wrong cert hash, so it fails signature verification) attached alongside a
+    /// valid required one must not abort the batch. The junk is dropped and the
+    /// cert still verifies. Before the fix, `verify_all` propagated the error
+    /// via `?` and the whole batch failed — the DoS vector the docstring warns
+    /// about.
+    #[test]
+    fn require_all_drops_a_malformed_extra_and_still_accepts() {
+        let sk = fresh();
+        let cert_hash = sample_hash();
+        let mut reg = Registry::new()
+            .with_policy(Policy::RequireAll)
+            .require_types(["demo/v1"]);
+        reg.register(DemoVerifier);
+
+        // Signed against `other_hash()`, so it will not verify under `cert_hash`.
+        let malformed = signed_demo(&sk, other_hash(), "boom");
+        let real = signed_demo(&sk, cert_hash, "ok");
+
+        let verified = reg
+            .verify_all(&[malformed, real], cert_hash)
+            .expect("a malformed extra must not abort the batch under RequireAll");
+        assert_eq!(verified.len(), 1, "the malformed entry should be dropped");
+        assert!(verified
+            .iter()
+            .any(|v| v.type_ == "demo/v1" && v.fully_verified));
+    }
+
+    /// Leniency must not open a hole: if the *only* attestation of a required
+    /// type is malformed, dropping it leaves the required type absent and
+    /// `verify_all` must still fail with `RequiredMissing`. Guards against a fix
+    /// that skips errors so eagerly it lets an unverified required type pass.
+    #[test]
+    fn require_all_rejects_when_only_a_malformed_required_type_is_present() {
+        let sk = fresh();
+        let cert_hash = sample_hash();
+        let mut reg = Registry::new()
+            .with_policy(Policy::RequireAll)
+            .require_types(["demo/v1"]);
+        reg.register(DemoVerifier);
+
+        // The sole demo/v1 is bound to the wrong cert hash → fails verification.
+        let malformed_required = signed_demo(&sk, other_hash(), "ok");
+
+        let err = reg
+            .verify_all(&[malformed_required], cert_hash)
+            .unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::RequiredMissing(t) if t == "demo/v1"));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn payload_check_failure_rejects() {
         let sk = fresh();

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

@@ -285,11 +285,22 @@ pub async fn submit_bounty(
     Path(id): Path<String>,
     Json(req): Json<SubmitBountyRequest>,
 ) -> Result<Json<BountyRecord>> {
-    let bounty = state
-        .db
-        .get_bounty(&id)
-        .await?
-        .ok_or_else(|| AppError::NotFound(format!("bounty {id} not found")))?;
+    let not_found = || AppError::NotFound(format!("bounty {id} not found"));
+
+    let bounty = state.db.get_bounty(&id).await?.ok_or_else(not_found)?;
+
+    if crate::api::authorize_repo_read(
+        &state,
+        &bounty.repo_owner,
+        &bounty.repo_name,
+        Some(auth.0.as_str()),
+        "/",
+    )
+    .await
+    .is_err()
+    {
+        return Err(not_found());
+    }
 
     if bounty.status != "claimed" {
         return Err(AppError::BadRequest(format!(
@@ -325,11 +336,22 @@ pub async fn approve_bounty(
     Path(id): Path<String>,
     Json(req): Json<ApproveBountyRequest>,
 ) -> Result<Json<BountyRecord>> {
-    let bounty = state
-        .db
-        .get_bounty(&id)
-        .await?
-        .ok_or_else(|| AppError::NotFound(format!("bounty {id} not found")))?;
+    let not_found = || AppError::NotFound(format!("bounty {id} not found"));
+
+    let bounty = state.db.get_bounty(&id).await?.ok_or_else(not_found)?;
+
+    if crate::api::authorize_repo_read(
+        &state,
+        &bounty.repo_owner,
+        &bounty.repo_name,
+        Some(auth.0.as_str()),
+        "/",
+    )
+    .await
+    .is_err()
+    {
+        return Err(not_found());
+    }
 
     if bounty.status != "submitted" {
         return Err(AppError::BadRequest(format!(
@@ -372,11 +394,22 @@ pub async fn cancel_bounty(
     Extension(auth): Extension<AuthenticatedDid>,
     Path(id): Path<String>,
 ) -> Result<Json<BountyRecord>> {
-    let bounty = state
-        .db
-        .get_bounty(&id)
-        .await?
-        .ok_or_else(|| AppError::NotFound(format!("bounty {id} not found")))?;
+    let not_found = || AppError::NotFound(format!("bounty {id} not found"));
+
+    let bounty = state.db.get_bounty(&id).await?.ok_or_else(not_found)?;
+
+    if crate::api::authorize_repo_read(
+        &state,
+        &bounty.repo_owner,
+        &bounty.repo_name,
+        Some(auth.0.as_str()),
+        "/",
+    )
+    .await
+    .is_err()
+    {
+        return Err(not_found());
+    }
 
     if bounty.status != "open" {
         return Err(AppError::BadRequest(format!(
@@ -407,11 +440,22 @@ pub async fn dispute_bounty(
     Extension(auth): Extension<AuthenticatedDid>,
     Path(id): Path<String>,
 ) -> Result<Json<BountyRecord>> {
-    let bounty = state
-        .db
-        .get_bounty(&id)
-        .await?
-        .ok_or_else(|| AppError::NotFound(format!("bounty {id} not found")))?;
+    let not_found = || AppError::NotFound(format!("bounty {id} not found"));
+
+    let bounty = state.db.get_bounty(&id).await?.ok_or_else(not_found)?;
+
+    if crate::api::authorize_repo_read(
+        &state,
+        &bounty.repo_owner,
+        &bounty.repo_name,
+        Some(auth.0.as_str()),
+        "/",
+    )
+    .await
+    .is_err()
+    {
+        return Err(not_found());
+    }
 
     if bounty.status != "claimed" && bounty.status != "submitted" {
         return Err(AppError::BadRequest(format!(
@@ -456,21 +500,68 @@ pub async fn dispute_bounty(
     Ok(Json(updated))
 }
 
+/// Resolve the set of `(owner_did, name)` pairs for repos an anonymous caller
+/// can list.  Mirrors the `stats()` pattern in `server.rs` (#104): batch-load
+/// all deduped repos, batch-load their visibility rules, keep only those that
+/// pass `listable_at_root`.  Pure I/O after the two DB round-trips — no
+/// per-repo authorization queries.
+///
+/// Both bounty stats handlers mount behind `optional_signature` (see
+/// `bounty_read_routes` in server.rs), so the caller is always `None` for
+/// anonymous access.  Every caller, signed or not, currently receives the
+/// anonymous-scoped aggregates (matching the #104 pattern); per-caller
+/// visibility can be threaded through here when that work lands.
+///
+/// A database error is returned to the caller, never collapsed to an empty
+/// set: an empty set would render as HTTP 200 with zero counts, which a client
+/// reads as confirmed absence of activity.
+async fn visible_repo_pairs(state: &AppState) -> Result<Vec<(String, String)>> {
+    let rows = state.db.list_all_repos_deduped().await?;
+    let ids: Vec<String> = rows.iter().map(|r| r.id.clone()).collect();
+    let rules_by_repo = state.db.list_visibility_rules_for_repos(&ids).await?;
+    let pairs = rows
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|r| {
+            let rules = rules_by_repo.get(&r.id).map(Vec::as_slice).unwrap_or(&[]);
+            // mirror-rows-handled: a mirror with a canonical twin is deduped to the
+            // canonical row and its rules; a mirror-only repo counts as public, the
+            // same answer authorize_repo_read and /stats give. Pinned by
+            // bounty_stats_mirror_rows_follow_canonical_twin_or_count_when_alone.
+            crate::visibility::listable_at_root(rules, r.is_public, &r.owner_did, None)
+        })
+        .map(|r| {
+            (
+                crate::db::normalize_owner_key(&r.owner_did).to_string(),
+                r.name.clone(),
+            )
+        })
+        .collect();
+    Ok(pairs)
+}
+
 /// GET /api/v1/bounties/stats
+///
+/// Aggregates are restricted to anonymously-listable repos so private-repo
+/// bounty activity is not exposed (#477).  The visible-repo set is resolved
+/// once per request via `visible_repo_pairs` (two SQL round-trips), then
+/// passed into the filtered aggregate queries.
 pub async fn bounty_stats(State(state): State<AppState>) -> Result<Json<BountyStatsResponse>> {
-    let open = state.db.count_bounties_by_status("open").await.unwrap_or(0);
+    let visible = visible_repo_pairs(&state).await?;
+
+    let open = state
+        .db
+        .count_bounties_by_status_visible("open", &visible)
+        .await?;
     let claimed = state
         .db
-        .count_bounties_by_status("claimed")
-        .await
-        .unwrap_or(0);
+        .count_bounties_by_status_visible("claimed", &visible)
+        .await?;
     let completed = state
         .db
-        .count_bounties_by_status("completed")
-        .await
-        .unwrap_or(0);
+        .count_bounties_by_status_visible("completed", &visible)
+        .await?;
 
-    let leaders = state.db.bounty_leaderboard(10).await.unwrap_or_default();
+    let leaders = state.db.bounty_leaderboard_visible(10, &visible).await?;
     let leaderboard = leaders
         .into_iter()
         .map(|(did, cnt, total)| AgentBountyEntry {
@@ -489,11 +580,14 @@ pub async fn bounty_stats(State(state): State<AppState>) -> Result<Json<BountySt
 }
 
 /// GET /api/v1/agents/{did}/bounties
+///
+/// Per-agent earnings restricted to anonymously-listable repos (#477).
 pub async fn agent_bounty_stats(
     State(state): State<AppState>,
     Path(did): Path<String>,
 ) -> Result<Json<serde_json::Value>> {
-    let (count, total) = state.db.agent_bounty_stats(&did).await.unwrap_or((0, 0));
+    let visible = visible_repo_pairs(&state).await?;
+    let (count, total) = state.db.agent_bounty_stats_visible(&did, &visible).await?;
     Ok(Json(serde_json::json!({
         "did": did,
         "completed_bounties": count,

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

@@ -14,14 +14,13 @@ pub struct LabelRequest {
     pub label: String,
 }
 
-/// POST /api/v1/repos/:owner/:repo/labels
-pub async fn add_label(
-    State(state): State<AppState>,
-    Extension(auth): Extension<AuthenticatedDid>,
-    Path((owner, name)): Path<(String, String)>,
-    Json(req): Json<LabelRequest>,
-) -> Result<(StatusCode, Json<serde_json::Value>)> {
-    let label = req.label.trim().to_lowercase();
+/// Canonicalize and validate a label string. `add_label` and `remove_label`
+/// must agree on the form stored in the DB: `add_label` already trims and
+/// lowercases before storing, so `remove_label` has to do the same to find
+/// the row. Validation is shared so neither handler can drift on charset or
+/// length (#344).
+fn canonicalize_label(raw: &str) -> std::result::Result<String, AppError> {
+    let label = raw.trim().to_lowercase();
     if label.is_empty() || label.len() > 50 {
         return Err(AppError::BadRequest("label must be 1–50 characters".into()));
     }
@@ -33,6 +32,17 @@ pub async fn add_label(
             "label must contain only alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and colons".into(),
         ));
     }
+    Ok(label)
+}
+
+/// POST /api/v1/repos/:owner/:repo/labels
+pub async fn add_label(
+    State(state): State<AppState>,
+    Extension(auth): Extension<AuthenticatedDid>,
+    Path((owner, name)): Path<(String, String)>,
+    Json(req): Json<LabelRequest>,
+) -> Result<(StatusCode, Json<serde_json::Value>)> {
+    let label = canonicalize_label(&req.label)?;
 
     let record = state
         .db
@@ -59,6 +69,8 @@ pub async fn remove_label(
     Extension(auth): Extension<AuthenticatedDid>,
     Path((owner, name, label)): Path<(String, String, String)>,
 ) -> Result<Json<serde_json::Value>> {
+    let label = canonicalize_label(&label)?;
+
     let record = state
         .db
         .get_repo(&owner, &name)
@@ -66,7 +78,10 @@ pub async fn remove_label(
         .ok_or_else(|| AppError::RepoNotFound(format!("{owner}/{name}")))?;
     crate::api::require_repo_owner(&record, &auth.0)?;
 
-    state.db.remove_label(&record.id, &label).await?;
+    let removed = state.db.remove_label(&record.id, &label).await?;
+    if !removed {
+        return Err(AppError::NotFound(format!("label '{label}'")));
+    }
     Ok(Json(serde_json::json!({ "label": label, "removed": true })))
 }
 

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

@@ -70,6 +70,8 @@ pub struct PeerResponse {
     pub reachable: bool,
 }
 
+pub(crate) const PUBLIC_HTTP_URL_REQUIREMENT: &str = "must be a public http(s) URL (no loopback, private, localhost, .localhost, .internal, or .local hosts)";
+
 /// Extract an IPv4 address embedded in an IPv6 literal across the transition
 /// formats that carry one: IPv4-mapped (`::ffff:a.b.c.d`), IPv4-compatible
 /// (`::a.b.c.d`), 6to4 (`2002:WWXX:YYZZ::/16`), and the NAT64 well-known prefix
@@ -104,8 +106,8 @@ fn embedded_ipv4(v6: std::net::Ipv6Addr) -> Option<std::net::Ipv4Addr> {
 
 /// Whether a peer `http_url` is a public http(s) endpoint safe to register.
 /// Rejects non-http(s) schemes, loopback/unspecified/private/link-local IPs,
-/// and `localhost` / `.local` / `.internal` hostnames. Used at announce time
-/// and by the boot-time prune of already-poisoned rows.
+/// and `localhost` / `.localhost` / `.local` / `.internal` hostnames. Used at
+/// announce time and by the boot-time prune of already-poisoned rows.
 pub fn is_public_http_url(raw: &str) -> bool {
     let url = match reqwest::Url::parse(raw) {
         Ok(u) => u,
@@ -125,6 +127,7 @@ pub fn is_public_http_url(raw: &str) -> bool {
     host.truncate(host.trim_end_matches('.').len());
     if host.is_empty()
         || host == "localhost"
+        || host.ends_with(".localhost")
         || host.ends_with(".local")
         || host.ends_with(".internal")
     {
@@ -260,9 +263,9 @@ pub async fn announce(
     // and turn our outbound sync-notify fan-out into an SSRF probe — and bury
     // the real peers under junk so node-origin repos stop replicating.
     if !is_public_http_url(&req.http_url) {
-        return Err(AppError::BadRequest(
-            "http_url must be a public http(s) URL (no loopback, private, or .internal/.local hosts)".into(),
-        ));
+        return Err(AppError::BadRequest(format!(
+            "http_url {PUBLIC_HTTP_URL_REQUIREMENT}"
+        )));
     }
 
     // Reject self-announcements: a peer row whose http_url is our own public
@@ -541,6 +544,7 @@ mod tests {
     fn rejects_loopback_private_and_internal() {
         for bad in [
             "http://localhost:7545",
+            "http://node.localhost:7545",
             "http://127.0.0.1:5432/",
             "http://localhost:22/",
             "http://0.0.0.0:7545",
@@ -620,11 +624,14 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn rejects_repeated_trailing_root_dots() {
         // Stripping a single root dot leaves `localhost.`, which matches
-        // neither the equality nor the suffix check. The subdomain form
-        // (`node.localhost..`) is not asserted here: `.localhost` is not yet a
-        // rejected suffix on this base, so that case belongs to whichever
-        // change adds it rather than to this one.
-        for bad in ["http://localhost../", "http://localhost...:7545"] {
+        // neither the equality nor the suffix check. The subdomain form now
+        // exercises the `.localhost` suffix rejection together with the extra
+        // trailing dot.
+        for bad in [
+            "http://localhost../",
+            "http://localhost...:7545",
+            "http://node.localhost../",
+        ] {
             assert!(!is_public_http_url(bad), "{bad:?} must be rejected");
         }
     }
@@ -1582,6 +1589,31 @@ mod tests {
         )
     }
 
+    #[sqlx::test]
+    async fn announce_rejects_localhost_subdomains_with_an_accurate_error(pool: PgPool) {
+        let state = test_state(pool).await;
+        let did = Keypair::generate().did().to_string();
+        let resp = announce_only(state.clone())
+            .oneshot(announce_as(
+                &did,
+                &announce_body(&did, "https://node.localhost:7545"),
+            ))
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let (status, error, message) = status_and_error(resp).await;
+        assert_eq!(status, StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST);
+        assert_eq!(error, "bad_request");
+        assert_eq!(
+            message,
+            "http_url must be a public http(s) URL (no loopback, private, localhost, .localhost, .internal, or .local hosts)"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            snapshot(&state.db, &did).await.is_none(),
+            "a rejected .localhost announce must leave no row behind"
+        );
+    }
+
     /// U4 scenario 1, and the first test the keyid branch has ever had: a caller
     /// who proved control of one DID must not announce another's. Kills
     /// neutralizing the handler's keyid comparison, and kills demoting this

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

@@ -46,9 +46,10 @@ pub async fn create_webhook(
     // endpoints (SSRF). Delivery runs on the shared no-redirect client
     // (main.rs), which closes the 3xx-to-internal bounce.
     if !crate::api::peers::is_public_http_url(&req.url) {
-        return Err(AppError::BadRequest(
-            "webhook URL must be a public http(s) URL (no loopback, private, or .internal/.local hosts)".into(),
-        ));
+        return Err(AppError::BadRequest(format!(
+            "webhook URL {}",
+            crate::api::peers::PUBLIC_HTTP_URL_REQUIREMENT
+        )));
     }
 
     let events = req.events.unwrap_or_else(|| vec!["*".into()]);
@@ -141,7 +142,19 @@ pub async fn delete_webhook(
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use crate::api::peers::is_public_http_url;
+    use axum::extract::{Extension, Path, State};
+    use axum::Json;
+    use chrono::Utc;
+    use gitlawb_core::identity::Keypair;
+    use sqlx::PgPool;
+    use uuid::Uuid;
+
+    use super::{create_webhook, CreateWebhookRequest};
+    use crate::api::peers::{is_public_http_url, PUBLIC_HTTP_URL_REQUIREMENT};
+    use crate::auth::AuthenticatedDid;
+    use crate::db::RepoRecord;
+    use crate::error::AppError;
+    use crate::test_support::test_state;
 
     // create_webhook gates req.url through is_public_http_url. Pin the exact
     // SSRF targets from issue #81 so the webhook path can never regress to the
@@ -152,6 +165,7 @@ mod tests {
             "http://127.0.0.1:5432/",
             "http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/",
             "http://localhost/",
+            "http://node.localhost/",
             "http://10.0.0.5/",
             "http://[::1]/",
             // IPv6 transition encodings smuggling loopback v4 (6to4 / NAT64).
@@ -169,4 +183,53 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(is_public_http_url("https://hooks.example.com/gitlawb"));
         assert!(is_public_http_url("http://203.0.113.10:7545/"));
     }
+
+    #[sqlx::test]
+    async fn webhook_localhost_rejection_uses_shared_public_url_contract(pool: PgPool) {
+        let state = test_state(pool).await;
+        let owner = Keypair::generate().did().to_string();
+        let repo_id = Uuid::new_v4().to_string();
+        state
+            .db
+            .create_repo(&RepoRecord {
+                id: repo_id.clone(),
+                name: "webhook-contract".to_string(),
+                owner_did: owner.clone(),
+                description: None,
+                is_public: true,
+                default_branch: "main".to_string(),
+                created_at: Utc::now(),
+                updated_at: Utc::now(),
+                disk_path: "/tmp/webhook-contract.git".to_string(),
+                forked_from: None,
+                machine_id: None,
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let result = create_webhook(
+            State(state.clone()),
+            Extension(AuthenticatedDid(owner.clone())),
+            Path((owner, "webhook-contract".to_string())),
+            Json(CreateWebhookRequest {
+                url: "https://node.localhost/hook".to_string(),
+                secret: None,
+                events: None,
+            }),
+        )
+        .await;
+
+        match result {
+            Err(AppError::BadRequest(message)) => assert_eq!(
+                message,
+                format!("webhook URL {PUBLIC_HTTP_URL_REQUIREMENT}")
+            ),
+            Err(error) => panic!("unexpected webhook rejection: {error}"),
+            Ok(_) => panic!("a .localhost webhook must be rejected"),
+        }
+        assert!(
+            state.db.list_webhooks(&repo_id).await.unwrap().is_empty(),
+            "a rejected .localhost webhook must leave no row behind"
+        );
+    }
 }

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

@@ -141,19 +141,10 @@ pub fn resolve_issue_id(repo_path: &Path, id_or_prefix: &str) -> Result<Option<S
         return Ok(None);
     }
 
-    // Try exact match first — fast path for callers passing the full UUID.
+    // List all refs that start with the given string; the glob also matches the exact
+    // ref. The id handed back is always git's own refname, never the request input.
     let exact_ref = format!("refs/gitlawb/issues/{id_or_prefix}");
-    let check = Command::new("git")
-        .args(["cat-file", "-e", &exact_ref])
-        .current_dir(repo_path)
-        .output()
-        .context("failed to run git cat-file -e")?;
-    if check.status.success() {
-        return Ok(Some(id_or_prefix.to_string()));
-    }
-
-    // Prefix search: list all refs that start with the given string.
-    let prefix_glob = format!("refs/gitlawb/issues/{id_or_prefix}*");
+    let prefix_glob = format!("{exact_ref}*");
     let list = Command::new("git")
         .args(["for-each-ref", "--format=%(refname)", &prefix_glob])
         .current_dir(repo_path)
@@ -165,25 +156,44 @@ pub fn resolve_issue_id(repo_path: &Path, id_or_prefix: &str) -> Result<Option<S
     }
 
     let output = String::from_utf8_lossy(&list.stdout);
-    let matches: Vec<&str> = output.lines().filter(|l| !l.trim().is_empty()).collect();
+    let matches: Vec<&str> = output
+        .lines()
+        .map(str::trim)
+        .filter(|l| !l.is_empty())
+        .collect();
 
-    match matches.len() {
-        0 => Ok(None),
-        1 => {
-            // Strip the "refs/gitlawb/issues/" prefix to get the bare ID.
-            let full_id = matches[0]
-                .trim()
-                .strip_prefix("refs/gitlawb/issues/")
-                .unwrap_or(matches[0].trim())
-                .to_string();
-            Ok(Some(full_id))
+    // An exact id wins over longer ids that share it as a prefix, but only if its
+    // object exists: for-each-ref also lists a ref whose blob is missing, so a
+    // dangling exact ref falls through to the prefix rules below.
+    let exact = match matches.iter().find(|m| **m == exact_ref) {
+        Some(m) => {
+            let check = Command::new("git")
+                .args(["cat-file", "-e", m])
+                .current_dir(repo_path)
+                .output()
+                .context("failed to run git cat-file -e")?;
+            check.status.success().then_some(*m)
         }
-        _ => anyhow::bail!(
-            "ambiguous issue prefix '{}': matches {} issues",
-            id_or_prefix,
-            matches.len()
-        ),
-    }
+        None => None,
+    };
+    let found = match exact {
+        Some(m) => m,
+        None => match matches.as_slice() {
+            [] => return Ok(None),
+            [m] => *m,
+            _ => anyhow::bail!(
+                "ambiguous issue prefix '{}': matches {} issues",
+                id_or_prefix,
+                matches.len()
+            ),
+        },
+    };
+    // Strip the "refs/gitlawb/issues/" prefix to get the bare ID.
+    let full_id = found
+        .strip_prefix("refs/gitlawb/issues/")
+        .unwrap_or(found)
+        .to_string();
+    Ok(Some(full_id))
 }
 
 /// Close an issue by updating its status to "closed" in the git ref.
@@ -267,6 +277,43 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(resolved, Some(full_id.to_string()));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_resolve_exact_id_wins_over_longer_id() {
+        let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        init_repo(&dir);
+        create_issue(dir.path(), "abc12345", r#"{"status":"open"}"#).unwrap();
+        create_issue(dir.path(), "abc12345-0000", r#"{"status":"open"}"#).unwrap();
+        let resolved = resolve_issue_id(dir.path(), "abc12345").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(resolved, Some("abc12345".to_string()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_resolve_dangling_exact_id_does_not_win_over_longer_id() {
+        let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        init_repo(&dir);
+        create_issue(dir.path(), "abc12345", r#"{"status":"open","n":1}"#).unwrap();
+        create_issue(dir.path(), "abc12345-0000", r#"{"status":"open","n":2}"#).unwrap();
+        // Dangle the exact ref: the ref stays listed by for-each-ref, but its blob is gone.
+        let out = Command::new("git")
+            .args(["rev-parse", "refs/gitlawb/issues/abc12345"])
+            .current_dir(dir.path())
+            .output()
+            .unwrap();
+        let hash = String::from_utf8(out.stdout).unwrap();
+        let hash = hash.trim();
+        std::fs::remove_file(
+            dir.path()
+                .join(".git/objects")
+                .join(&hash[..2])
+                .join(&hash[2..]),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+
+        let result = resolve_issue_id(dir.path(), "abc12345");
+        assert!(result.unwrap_err().to_string().contains("ambiguous"));
+        assert!(close_issue(dir.path(), "abc12345").is_err());
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_resolve_prefix_matches_unique() {
         let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();

crates/gitlawb-node/src/metrics.rs

@@ -314,7 +314,9 @@ pub fn record_sync_processed(status: &str) {
 }
 
 /// Record one webhook delivery attempt outcome. `result` ∈
-/// {ok, http_error, network_error, skipped}.
+/// {ok, http_error, network_error, skipped, invalid_url}.
+/// `invalid_url` is a policy skip: the stored hook URL failed the public-URL
+/// check at delivery time and the POST was never sent.
 pub fn record_webhook_delivery(result: &str) {
     if let Some(c) = WEBHOOK_DELIVERIES.get() {
         c.with_label_values(&[result]).inc();

crates/gitlawb-node/src/webhooks.rs

@@ -79,6 +79,19 @@ async fn fire_event_async(
         let delivery_id = uuid::Uuid::new_v4().to_string();
 
         tokio::spawn(async move {
+            // Policy skip, not a delivery failure: the stored URL predates the
+            // create-time gate. The "invalid_url" label is documented on
+            // record_webhook_delivery in metrics.rs.
+            if !crate::api::peers::is_public_http_url(&hook.url) {
+                crate::metrics::record_webhook_delivery("invalid_url");
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    url = %hook.url,
+                    event = %event_name,
+                    "webhook delivery skipped: stored URL is not a public http(s) target"
+                );
+                return;
+            }
+
             let signature = hook.secret.as_deref().map(|s| sign_payload(s, &bytes));
 
             let mut req = client

crates/gl/src/agent.rs

@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ async fn cmd_list(node: String, capability: Option<String>) -> Result<()> {
         let short = did
             .split(':')
             .next_back()
-            .map(|s| &s[..s.len().min(16)])
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 16))
             .unwrap_or("?");
         let trust = agent["trust_score"].as_f64().unwrap_or(0.0);
         let caps = agent["capabilities"]

crates/gl/src/bounty.rs

@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ async fn cmd_list(
                 let title = b["title"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
                 let amount = b["amount"].as_i64().unwrap_or(0);
                 let st = b["status"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
-                let short_id = &id[..8.min(id.len())];
+                let short_id = crate::text::truncate(id, 8);
                 println!("{short_id}  {st:<10}  {amount:>12} $GITLAWB  {title}");
             }
         }
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ async fn cmd_stats(node: String) -> Result<()> {
                 let did = entry["did"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
                 let count = entry["completed"].as_i64().unwrap_or(0);
                 let earned = entry["total_earned"].as_i64().unwrap_or(0);
-                let short = &did[did.len().saturating_sub(8)..];
+                let short = crate::text::truncate_suffix(did, 8);
                 println!(
                     "  {}. ...{short}  {count} bounties  {earned} $GITLAWB",
                     i + 1

crates/gl/src/cert.rs

@@ -117,7 +117,10 @@ async fn cmd_list(repo: String, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<()
         let id = cert["id"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
         let ref_name = cert["ref_name"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
         let new_sha = cert["new_sha"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
-        let issued_at = cert["issued_at"].as_str().map(|s| &s[..19]).unwrap_or("?");
+        let issued_at = cert["issued_at"]
+            .as_str()
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 19))
+            .unwrap_or("?");
         println!("  {id:.8}  {issued_at}  {ref_name}  {new_sha:.12}");
     }
     Ok(())

crates/gl/src/changelog.rs

@@ -75,14 +75,14 @@ pub async fn run(args: ChangelogArgs) -> Result<()> {
 
     for event in &events {
         let ts = event["timestamp"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
-        let date = &ts[..ts.len().min(10)];
+        let date = crate::text::truncate(ts, 10);
 
         match event["type"].as_str().unwrap_or("") {
             "commit" => {
                 let sha = event["sha"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
                 let msg = event["message"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
                 let first_line = msg.lines().next().unwrap_or(msg);
-                let short_sha = &sha[..sha.len().min(8)];
+                let short_sha = crate::text::truncate(sha, 8);
                 println!("  {date}  commit      {short_sha}  {first_line}");
             }
             "pr_merged" => {

crates/gl/src/ipfs_cmd.rs

@@ -131,11 +131,7 @@ async fn cmd_list(node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<()> {
         let sha = pin["sha256_hex"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
         let pinned_at = pin["pinned_at"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
         // Trim pinned_at to date+time without subseconds
-        let ts = if pinned_at.len() >= 19 {
-            &pinned_at[..19]
-        } else {
-            pinned_at
-        };
+        let ts = crate::text::truncate(pinned_at, 19);
         println!("  {cid}");
         println!("    sha256: {sha}");
         println!("    pinned: {ts}");

crates/gl/src/issue.rs

@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ async fn cmd_list(repo: String, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<()
         let status = issue["status"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
         let created = issue["created_at"]
             .as_str()
-            .map(|s| &s[..10])
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
             .unwrap_or("?");
         let icon = match status {
             "open" => "○",
@@ -365,10 +365,13 @@ async fn cmd_issue_comments(
         let author_short = author
             .split(':')
             .next_back()
-            .map(|s| &s[..s.len().min(8)])
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 8))
             .unwrap_or("?");
         let cbody = c["body"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
-        let created = c["created_at"].as_str().map(|s| &s[..10]).unwrap_or("?");
+        let created = c["created_at"]
+            .as_str()
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
+            .unwrap_or("?");
         println!("  · {author_short} ({created})");
         println!("    {cbody}");
         println!();
@@ -439,6 +442,34 @@ mod tests {
         .unwrap();
     }
 
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_cmd_list_survives_malformed_timestamps() {
+        let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        write_identity(&dir);
+
+        let mut server = mockito::Server::new_async().await;
+        // A short timestamp used to panic on `&s[..10]`; a timestamp whose
+        // byte 10 is mid-char panics even with a len() guard.
+        let _m = server
+            .mock(
+                "GET",
+                mockito::Matcher::Regex(r"^/api/v1/repos/[^/]+/myrepo/issues$".to_string()),
+            )
+            .with_status(200)
+            .with_header("content-type", "application/json")
+            .with_body(r#"{"issues":[{"id":"a","title":"short ts","status":"open","created_at":"2026"},{"id":"b","title":"mb ts","status":"open","created_at":"2026-08-1é5T00:00:00Z"},{"id":"c","title":"empty ts","status":"open","created_at":""}]}"#)
+            .create_async()
+            .await;
+
+        cmd_list(
+            "myrepo".to_string(),
+            server.url(),
+            Some(dir.path().to_path_buf()),
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn test_cmd_create_success() {
         let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();

crates/gl/src/main.rs

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ mod star;
 mod status;
 mod sync;
 mod task;
+mod text;
 mod ucan_cmd;
 mod visibility;
 mod webhook;

crates/gl/src/node.rs

@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ async fn cmd_status(node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<()> {
                     let ref_name = ev["ref"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
                     let ts = ev["timestamp"]
                         .as_str()
-                        .map(|s| &s[..10.min(s.len())])
+                        .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
                         .unwrap_or("?");
                     println!("  {ts}  {repo}  {ref_name}");
                 }

crates/gl/src/peer.rs

@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ async fn cmd_list(node: String) -> Result<()> {
         let reachable = peer["reachable"].as_bool().unwrap_or(false);
         let last_seen = peer["last_seen"]
             .as_str()
-            .map(|s| &s[..10])
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
             .unwrap_or("never");
         let status = if reachable { "✓" } else { "✗" };
         println!("  {status} {url}");

crates/gl/src/pr.rs

@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ async fn cmd_list(repo: String, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<()
         let author_short = author
             .split(':')
             .next_back()
-            .map(|s| &s[..s.len().min(8)])
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 8))
             .unwrap_or("?");
         let status_icon = match status {
             "open" => "○",
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ async fn cmd_view(repo: String, number: u64, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>)
             let reviewer_short = reviewer
                 .split(':')
                 .next_back()
-                .map(|s| &s[..s.len().min(8)])
+                .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 8))
                 .unwrap_or("?");
             let rstatus = r["status"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
             let rbody = r["body"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
@@ -414,10 +414,13 @@ async fn cmd_view(repo: String, number: u64, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>)
             let author_short = author
                 .split(':')
                 .next_back()
-                .map(|s| &s[..s.len().min(8)])
+                .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 8))
                 .unwrap_or("?");
             let cbody = c["body"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
-            let created = c["created_at"].as_str().map(|s| &s[..10]).unwrap_or("?");
+            let created = c["created_at"]
+                .as_str()
+                .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
+                .unwrap_or("?");
             println!("  · {author_short} ({created})");
             println!("    {cbody}");
         }
@@ -464,7 +467,7 @@ async fn cmd_merge(repo: String, number: u64, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>
 
     let sha = result["merge_sha"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
     println!("✓ Merged PR #{number}");
-    println!("  Merge commit: {}", &sha[..sha.len().min(12)]);
+    println!("  Merge commit: {}", crate::text::truncate(sha, 12));
     Ok(())
 }
 
@@ -555,10 +558,13 @@ async fn cmd_comments(repo: String, number: u64, node: String, dir: Option<PathB
         let author_short = author
             .split(':')
             .next_back()
-            .map(|s| &s[..s.len().min(8)])
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 8))
             .unwrap_or("?");
         let cbody = c["body"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
-        let created = c["created_at"].as_str().map(|s| &s[..10]).unwrap_or("?");
+        let created = c["created_at"]
+            .as_str()
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
+            .unwrap_or("?");
         println!("  · {author_short} ({created})");
         println!("    {cbody}");
         println!();

crates/gl/src/repo.rs

@@ -337,7 +337,10 @@ async fn cmd_list(node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<()> {
         let name = r["name"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
         let desc = r["description"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
         let public = r["is_public"].as_bool().unwrap_or(true);
-        let updated = r["updated_at"].as_str().map(|s| &s[..10]).unwrap_or("?");
+        let updated = r["updated_at"]
+            .as_str()
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
+            .unwrap_or("?");
         let vis = if public { "public" } else { "private" };
         println!("  {name:<24}  {vis:<8}  {updated}  {desc}");
     }
@@ -514,7 +517,7 @@ async fn cmd_replicas(repo: String, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Resul
             let url = r["replica_url"].as_str().unwrap_or("?");
             let registered = r["registered_at"]
                 .as_str()
-                .map(|s| &s[..10.min(s.len())])
+                .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
                 .unwrap_or("?");
             println!("  {registered}  {did}  →  {url}");
         }
@@ -556,7 +559,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn cmd_commits(
             .or_else(|| c["sha"].as_str())
             .or_else(|| c["oid"].as_str())
             .unwrap_or("?");
-        let short_sha = &sha[..sha.len().min(10)];
+        let short_sha = crate::text::truncate(sha, 10);
         let msg = c["message"].as_str().unwrap_or("(no message)");
         let first_line = msg.lines().next().unwrap_or(msg);
         let author = c["author_name"]
@@ -566,7 +569,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn cmd_commits(
         let date = c["date"]
             .as_str()
             .or_else(|| c["committer_date"].as_str())
-            .map(|s| &s[..10.min(s.len())])
+            .map(|s| crate::text::truncate(s, 10))
             .unwrap_or("?");
         println!("  {short_sha}  {date}  {first_line}  ({author})");
     }

crates/gl/src/text.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+//! Display helpers for strings that come off the wire unchecked.
+
+/// Truncate `s` to at most `max` bytes, cutting at a char boundary.
+///
+/// `&s[..max]` panics when `s` is shorter than `max` bytes and when `max`
+/// lands inside a multi-byte char; `s.len().min(max)` guards only the first
+/// case. Node-supplied timestamps and ids hit both.
+pub(crate) fn truncate(s: &str, max: usize) -> &str {
+    let mut end = max.min(s.len());
+    while !s.is_char_boundary(end) {
+        end -= 1;
+    }
+    &s[..end]
+}
+
+/// Keep at most the last `max` bytes of `s`, cutting at a char boundary.
+///
+/// `&s[s.len().saturating_sub(max)..]` panics when the start index lands
+/// inside a multi-byte char; node-supplied ids hit that case.
+pub(crate) fn truncate_suffix(s: &str, max: usize) -> &str {
+    let mut start = s.len().saturating_sub(max);
+    while !s.is_char_boundary(start) {
+        start += 1;
+    }
+    &s[start..]
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::{truncate, truncate_suffix};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cuts_ascii_at_max() {
+        assert_eq!(truncate("2026-08-15T12:34:56Z", 10), "2026-08-15");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn short_and_empty_inputs_return_whole() {
+        assert_eq!(truncate("2026", 10), "2026");
+        assert_eq!(truncate("", 10), "");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn multibyte_cut_does_not_panic() {
+        // Byte index 10 lands inside 'é'; the cut must land on the boundary
+        // before it (9 bytes) rather than panic or exceed the byte limit.
+        assert_eq!(truncate("2026-08-1\u{e9}5T12:34:56Z", 10), "2026-08-1");
+        // A string that is entirely multi-byte and shorter than max.
+        assert_eq!(truncate("\u{e9}\u{e9}", 10), "\u{e9}\u{e9}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn suffix_cut_does_not_panic() {
+        // 'é' is two bytes; a start index of len-8 lands inside it.
+        assert_eq!(truncate_suffix("did:key:\u{e9}1234567", 8), "1234567");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn suffix_short_input_returns_whole() {
+        assert_eq!(truncate_suffix("short", 8), "short");
+        assert_eq!(truncate_suffix("", 8), "");
+    }
+}

crates/icaptcha-client/src/lib.rs

@@ -88,20 +88,81 @@ fn sanitize_excerpt(s: &str) -> String {
     out
 }
 
-/// Whether `u` parses as a trusted URL.
+/// Fixed warning when `GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE` is present but not an
+/// explicit truthy value. Does not include the raw env value (arbitrary
+/// deployment input — secrets / terminal controls).
+fn warn_icaptcha_insecure_non_truthy() {
+    // One literal line on purpose: a continuation escape here keeps emitting
+    // correct prose (Rust strips the next line's leading whitespace), but the
+    // single-line form makes that property visible without knowing the escape
+    // semantics, which is what the review asked for.
+    tracing::warn!(
+        "GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE is set but not truthy (expected 1 or true); loopback HTTP trust relaxation remains disabled"
+    );
+}
+
+/// Parse a possibly-present `GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE` string.
 ///
-/// Production trusts only `https`.  When `GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE` is set (a
-/// runtime escape hatch for integration tests) the function also trusts
-/// `http://127.0.0.1` and `http://localhost` so the full iCaptcha retry path
-/// can be exercised against a local mockito server.
-fn is_https(u: &str) -> bool {
+/// Only an explicit truthy value (`1` / `true`, case-insensitive, after trim)
+/// enables the loopback-HTTP trust relaxation. Presence alone is not enough:
+/// `=0`, `=false`, or an empty value leave it off. A non-empty non-truthy
+/// value emits [`warn_icaptcha_insecure_non_truthy`].
+fn icaptcha_insecure_from_str(raw: Option<&str>) -> bool {
+    let Some(v) = raw else {
+        return false;
+    };
+    let t = v.trim();
+    if t.eq_ignore_ascii_case("1") || t.eq_ignore_ascii_case("true") {
+        true
+    } else {
+        if !t.is_empty() {
+            warn_icaptcha_insecure_non_truthy();
+        }
+        false
+    }
+}
+
+/// Interpret `std::env::var("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE")` without reading the
+/// environment again — used by production and by unit tests.
+///
+/// `NotPresent` → disabled. `NotUnicode` → disabled + the same fixed warning
+/// as a present non-truthy value (fail closed; do not treat as unset).
+fn icaptcha_insecure_from_var(result: Result<String, std::env::VarError>) -> bool {
+    match result {
+        Ok(v) => icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some(&v)),
+        Err(std::env::VarError::NotUnicode(_)) => {
+            warn_icaptcha_insecure_non_truthy();
+            false
+        }
+        Err(std::env::VarError::NotPresent) => false,
+    }
+}
+
+/// Whether `GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE` explicitly enables the loopback-HTTP
+/// trust relaxation used by integration tests.
+///
+/// Only an explicit truthy value (`1` / `true`, case-insensitive, after trim)
+/// enables it. Presence alone is not enough: `=0`, `=false`, or an empty
+/// value leave the relaxation off. A non-empty non-truthy value (including a
+/// present non-Unicode value) emits a `tracing::warn!` (visible when the
+/// `icaptcha_client` target is at WARN+, e.g. `RUST_LOG=icaptcha_client=warn`).
+fn icaptcha_insecure_enabled() -> bool {
+    icaptcha_insecure_from_var(std::env::var("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE"))
+}
+
+/// Whether `u` parses as a trusted URL, given a pre-parsed insecure flag.
+///
+/// Production trusts only `https`. When `insecure` is true the function also
+/// trusts `http://127.0.0.1` and `http://localhost` so the full iCaptcha retry
+/// path can be exercised against a local mockito server.
+fn is_https_with(u: &str, insecure: bool) -> bool {
     let Ok(parsed) = reqwest::Url::parse(u) else {
         return false;
     };
     if parsed.scheme() == "https" {
         return true;
     }
-    if std::env::var_os("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE").is_some()
+    if insecure
         && parsed.scheme() == "http"
         && matches!(parsed.host_str(), Some("127.0.0.1" | "localhost"))
     {
@@ -139,7 +200,15 @@ fn origin_key(u: &str) -> Option<String> {
 /// explicitly-configured host (never a node-discovered one), so a key is never
 /// exfiltrated to an origin the operator did not choose.
 fn resolve_solver_url(advertised: Option<&str>, operator: Option<&str>) -> (String, bool) {
-    let operator = operator.filter(|u| is_https(u));
+    resolve_solver_url_with(advertised, operator, icaptcha_insecure_enabled())
+}
+
+fn resolve_solver_url_with(
+    advertised: Option<&str>,
+    operator: Option<&str>,
+    insecure: bool,
+) -> (String, bool) {
+    let operator = operator.filter(|u| is_https_with(u, insecure));
     let operator_origin = operator.as_ref().and_then(|u| origin_key(u));
     let default_origin = origin_key(DEFAULT_URL);
 
@@ -157,7 +226,7 @@ fn resolve_solver_url(advertised: Option<&str>, operator: Option<&str>) -> (Stri
     };
 
     let chosen = match advertised {
-        Some(a) if is_https(a) && allowed(&origin_key(a)) => a.to_string(),
+        Some(a) if is_https_with(a, insecure) && allowed(&origin_key(a)) => a.to_string(),
         Some(a) => {
             tracing::warn!(
                 advertised = %a,
@@ -389,27 +458,36 @@ mod tests {
     use std::ffi::OsString;
     use std::sync::{Mutex, MutexGuard};
 
-    /// Serializes tests that touch the process-global
-    /// `GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE` env var so they never race.
+    /// Serializes the real-env reader test so it never races with other
+    /// process-global env mutations (and recovers from a poisoned lock).
     static ICAPTCHA_ENV_LOCK: Mutex<()> = Mutex::new(());
 
-    /// Set `GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE` for the test lifetime, restoring any
-    /// prior value on drop.
-    struct InsecureEnv {
+    struct EnvGuard {
         _lock: MutexGuard<'static, ()>,
         prev: Option<OsString>,
     }
 
-    impl InsecureEnv {
-        fn new() -> Self {
-            let lock = ICAPTCHA_ENV_LOCK.lock().unwrap();
+    impl EnvGuard {
+        fn lock() -> MutexGuard<'static, ()> {
+            ICAPTCHA_ENV_LOCK.lock().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner())
+        }
+
+        fn with_value(val: &str) -> Self {
+            let lock = Self::lock();
             let prev = std::env::var_os("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE");
-            std::env::set_var("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE", "1");
-            InsecureEnv { _lock: lock, prev }
+            std::env::set_var("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE", val);
+            EnvGuard { _lock: lock, prev }
+        }
+
+        fn unset() -> Self {
+            let lock = Self::lock();
+            let prev = std::env::var_os("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE");
+            std::env::remove_var("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE");
+            EnvGuard { _lock: lock, prev }
         }
     }
 
-    impl Drop for InsecureEnv {
+    impl Drop for EnvGuard {
         fn drop(&mut self) {
             match self.prev.take() {
                 Some(v) => std::env::set_var("GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE", v),
@@ -418,6 +496,118 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
+    /// #227 / #246: cover the production env read in `icaptcha_insecure_enabled`.
+    /// Pure-helper tests alone leave mutations of this function green.
+    #[test]
+    fn icaptcha_insecure_enabled_reads_real_env() {
+        {
+            let _g = EnvGuard::unset();
+            assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_enabled(), "unset must disable");
+        }
+        {
+            let _g = EnvGuard::with_value("0");
+            assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_enabled(), "=0 must disable");
+        }
+        {
+            let _g = EnvGuard::with_value("false");
+            assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_enabled(), "=false must disable");
+        }
+        {
+            let _g = EnvGuard::with_value("");
+            assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_enabled(), "empty must disable");
+        }
+        {
+            let _g = EnvGuard::with_value("1");
+            assert!(icaptcha_insecure_enabled(), "=1 must enable");
+        }
+        {
+            let _g = EnvGuard::with_value("true");
+            assert!(icaptcha_insecure_enabled(), "=true must enable");
+        }
+        {
+            let _g = EnvGuard::with_value("TRUE");
+            assert!(icaptcha_insecure_enabled(), "=TRUE must enable");
+        }
+        {
+            let _g = EnvGuard::with_value(" 1 ");
+            assert!(icaptcha_insecure_enabled(), "\" 1 \" (trimmed) must enable");
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// #227: `=0` / `=false` / empty / unset must NOT enable loopback HTTP;
+    /// only explicit truthy `1` / `true` may. Uses pure helpers so tests do
+    /// not mutate process-global environment (avoids races with parallel
+    /// resolver tests that also call `resolve_solver_url`).
+    #[test]
+    fn insecure_env_only_truthy_enables_loopback_http() {
+        assert!(
+            !is_https_with("http://127.0.0.1", icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("0"))),
+            "=0 must leave loopback HTTP disabled"
+        );
+        assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("0")));
+
+        assert!(
+            !is_https_with(
+                "http://127.0.0.1",
+                icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("false"))
+            ),
+            "=false must leave loopback HTTP disabled"
+        );
+        assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("false")));
+
+        assert!(
+            !is_https_with("http://127.0.0.1", icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some(""))),
+            "empty value must leave loopback HTTP disabled"
+        );
+        assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("")));
+
+        assert!(
+            !is_https_with("http://127.0.0.1", icaptcha_insecure_from_str(None)),
+            "unset must leave loopback HTTP disabled"
+        );
+        assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_from_str(None));
+        assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_from_var(Err(
+            std::env::VarError::NotPresent
+        )));
+
+        assert!(
+            is_https_with("http://127.0.0.1", icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("1"))),
+            "=1 must enable loopback HTTP"
+        );
+        assert!(is_https_with(
+            "http://localhost",
+            icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("1"))
+        ));
+        assert!(icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("1")));
+
+        assert!(
+            is_https_with("http://127.0.0.1", icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("true"))),
+            "=true must enable loopback HTTP"
+        );
+        assert!(icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("true")));
+
+        assert!(
+            is_https_with("http://127.0.0.1", icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some("TRUE"))),
+            "=TRUE (case-insensitive) must enable loopback HTTP"
+        );
+
+        // Trim is load-bearing: whitespace around a truthy token must still enable.
+        assert!(
+            is_https_with("http://127.0.0.1", icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some(" 1 "))),
+            "\" 1 \" (trimmed) must enable loopback HTTP"
+        );
+        assert!(icaptcha_insecure_from_str(Some(" 1 ")));
+
+        // Present non-Unicode: fail closed + same fixed warning path as non-truthy.
+        assert!(!icaptcha_insecure_from_var(Err(
+            std::env::VarError::NotUnicode(OsString::from("x"))
+        )));
+
+        // https remains trusted regardless of the insecure flag.
+        assert!(is_https_with("https://icaptcha.gitlawb.com", false));
+        assert!(is_https_with("https://icaptcha.gitlawb.com", true));
+    }
+
     // ── P1: hostile error bodies must not reach the terminal raw ──────────
 
     #[test]
@@ -543,13 +733,12 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn rejects_insecure_advertised_url_on_different_port() {
-        // With GITLAWB_ICAPTCHA_INSECURE=1, two loopback URLs on different
+        // With insecure mode enabled, two loopback URLs on different
         // ports must be treated as distinct origins so a hostile node cannot
         // redirect the bearer key to a different listener on localhost.
-        let _env = InsecureEnv::new();
-
         let op = "http://localhost:3000";
-        let (url, key_trusted) = resolve_solver_url(Some("http://localhost:9000"), Some(op));
+        let (url, key_trusted) =
+            resolve_solver_url_with(Some("http://localhost:9000"), Some(op), true);
         assert_eq!(
             url, op,
             "must fall back to operator origin, not use different port"