changelog.d/240.md

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+### Fixed
+
+- Read Forgejo timelines to exhaustion so busy issues retain their newest label events despite dishonest total-count headers (#240).

lib/forge-forgejo.sh

@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ forgejo_page_url() {
   esac
 }
 
-# forge_api [--paginate] <endpoint> [--jq <expr>]
+# forge_api [--paginate | --paginate-exhaustive] <endpoint> [--jq <expr>]
 #
 # --paginate walks page= until a short page, then PROVES the walk was
 # complete by comparing what it collected against the server's declared
@@ -94,11 +94,26 @@ forgejo_page_url() {
 # make the completeness check compare null to a number — the guard itself
 # degrading silently, which is the failure class re-entering through the
 # door built to stop it.
+#
+# --paginate-exhaustive is the narrow alternative for an endpoint whose
+# x-total-count is known not to describe the collection. It proves completion
+# by reading through the first short page and never consults that header.
 forge_api() {
-  local paginate=false endpoint="" jqexpr="" have_jq=false
+  local paginate=false paginate_exhaustive=false method=GET endpoint="" jqexpr="" have_jq=false
   while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
     case "$1" in
       --paginate) paginate=true ;;
+      --paginate-exhaustive) paginate_exhaustive=true ;;
+      -X | --method)
+        [ "$#" -ge 2 ] || { echo "forge_api: $1 requires a value" >&2; return 1; }
+        method="$2"
+        shift
+        ;;
+      -X?*) method="${1#-X}" ;;
+      --method=*)
+        method="${1#*=}"
+        [ -n "$method" ] || { echo "forge_api: --method requires a value" >&2; return 1; }
+        ;;
       --jq) jqexpr="$2"; have_jq=true; shift ;;
       -*) ;;
       *) [ -n "$endpoint" ] || endpoint="$1" ;;
@@ -106,6 +121,14 @@ forge_api() {
     shift
   done
   [ -n "$endpoint" ] || { echo "forge_api: endpoint required" >&2; return 1; }
+  if [ "$paginate" = true ] && [ "$paginate_exhaustive" = true ]; then
+    echo "forge_api: --paginate and --paginate-exhaustive are mutually exclusive" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+  if { [ "$paginate" = true ] || [ "$paginate_exhaustive" = true ]; } && [ "$method" != GET ]; then
+    echo "forge_api: pagination is available only for GET requests" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
 
   local base token
   base="$(forgejo_api_base)" || return 1
@@ -116,7 +139,7 @@ forge_api() {
   # shellcheck disable=SC2064 # the paths are fixed at trap time on purpose
   trap "rm -f '$hdr' '$body'" RETURN
 
-  if [ "$paginate" = false ]; then
+  if [ "$paginate" = false ] && [ "$paginate_exhaustive" = false ]; then
     if ! curl -sS -D "$hdr" -o "$body" \
       -H "Authorization: token $token" -H 'Accept: application/json' \
       "$base/$endpoint"; then
@@ -142,21 +165,23 @@ forge_api() {
     fi
     forgejo_http_ok "$hdr" "GET $endpoint" || return 1
 
-    # Re-read on EVERY page, not once (#4712). A board that changes size
+    if [ "$paginate_exhaustive" = false ]; then
-    # under the walk was invisible: page 1 declaring 4 and page 2 declaring
+      # Re-read on EVERY page, not once (#4712). A board that changes size
-    # 9 stopped at 4 believing itself whole. A moving total means the read
+      # under the walk was invisible: page 1 declaring 4 and page 2 declaring
-    # cannot have been atomic, so it is refused rather than reconciled.
+      # 9 stopped at 4 believing itself whole. A moving total means the read
-    local page_total
+      # cannot have been atomic, so it is refused rather than reconciled.
-    page_total="$(forgejo_total_count "$hdr")" || return 1
+      local page_total
-    if [ -z "$total" ]; then
+      page_total="$(forgejo_total_count "$hdr")" || return 1
-      total="$page_total"
+      if [ -z "$total" ]; then
-    elif [ "$page_total" != "$total" ]; then
+        total="$page_total"
-      cat >&2 <<EOF
+      elif [ "$page_total" != "$total" ]; then
+        cat >&2 <<EOF
 forge_api: the declared total for '$endpoint' changed between pages — $total then $page_total (#188).
   The collection moved under the walk, so no page set can be proven whole.
   Refusing rather than reconciling a board that is already out of date.
 EOF
-      return 1
+        return 1
+      fi
     fi
 
     pagejson="$(cat "$body")"
@@ -175,13 +200,17 @@ EOF
     [ "$n" -gt 0 ] || break
     all="$(jq -s '.[0] + .[1]' <<<"$all"$'\n'"$pagejson")"
     got=$((got + n))
-    [ "$got" -lt "$total" ] || break
+    if [ "$paginate_exhaustive" = true ]; then
+      [ "$n" -eq 50 ] || break
+    else
+      [ "$got" -lt "$total" ] || break
+    fi
     page=$((page + 1))
   done
 
   # The assert. A short read here is the silent-truncation bug arriving by
   # another route, so it is fatal rather than a warning.
-  if [ "$got" -ne "$total" ]; then
+  if [ "$paginate_exhaustive" = false ] && [ "$got" -ne "$total" ]; then
     cat >&2 <<EOF
 forge_api: incomplete gather for '$endpoint' — collected $got of $total declared (#188).
   Refusing rather than reconciling a partial board: a sweep over part of the
@@ -561,7 +590,13 @@ forge_request_reviewer() {
 # empty timeline — the two states the ruling ladder must tell apart (#4853).
 forge_timeline() {
   local n="${1:?forge_timeline: number required}" raw
-  raw="$(forge_api --paginate "repos/$REPO/issues/$n/timeline")" || return 1
+  # Measured on this instance: limit=10 reports x-total-count=10 and limit=50
+  # reports 50, while crew!96 held 151 events and strict pagination returned
+  # only its first 50. No other measured endpoint echoes its page size this
+  # way. Timelines are append-only, so exhaustion can include concurrent new
+  # events but cannot create a deletion hole; that is why only this call site
+  # may bypass the header-bound completeness proof (#240).
+  raw="$(forge_api --paginate-exhaustive "repos/$REPO/issues/$n/timeline")" || return 1
   jq '
     [.[]
       | select(.type == "label")

test/forge-backends.test.sh

@@ -746,6 +746,7 @@ check "no api base refuses" 1 "cannot reach the forge" \
 # .user.login -> .actor.login. Mutation-verified: collapsing add/remove or
 # emitting .user instead of .actor each reds its own case (#4853).
 timeline_stub() {
+  : >"$timeline_calls"
   # shellcheck disable=SC2317 # invoked indirectly, by forge_api
   curl() {
     local hdr="" out="" url=""
@@ -753,14 +754,44 @@ timeline_stub() {
       case "$1" in -D) hdr="$2"; shift ;; -o) out="$2"; shift ;; -H) shift ;; *) url="$1" ;; esac
       shift
     done
-    printf 'HTTP/1.1 200 OK\r\nX-Total-Count: %s\r\n\r\n' "${FAKE_TL_N:-2}" >"$hdr"
+    printf '%s\n' "$url" >>"$timeline_calls"
+    local page=1 page_body="$FAKE_TIMELINE" page_total="${FAKE_TL_N:-2}"
+    case "$url" in *page=*) page="${url##*page=}"; page="${page%%&*}" ;; esac
+    if [ "${#FAKE_TL_PAGES[@]}" -gt 0 ]; then
+      if [ "$page" -le "${#FAKE_TL_PAGES[@]}" ]; then
+        page_body="${FAKE_TL_PAGES[$((page - 1))]}"
+      else
+        page_body='[]'
+      fi
+      page_total="$(jq 'length' <<<"$page_body")"
+    fi
+    {
+      printf 'HTTP/1.1 200 OK\r\n'
+      [ "${FAKE_TL_HEADERS:-yes}" = no ] || printf 'X-Total-Count: %s\r\n' "$page_total"
+      printf '\r\n'
+    } >"$hdr"
     case "$url" in
-      *timeline*) printf '%s' "$FAKE_TIMELINE" >"$out" ;;
+      *timeline*) printf '%s' "$page_body" >"$out" ;;
       *) printf '[]' >"$out" ;;
     esac
     return 0
   }
 }
+timeline_page() {
+  jq -nc --argjson first "$1" --argjson count "$2" '
+    [range($first; $first + $count)
+      | {
+          type: "label",
+          body: "1",
+          user: {login: "setter"},
+          label: {name: "needs-ruling"},
+          created_at: ("event-" + tostring)
+        }]
+  '
+}
+timeline_calls="$TMP/timeline_calls"
+FAKE_TL_PAGES=()
+FAKE_TL_HEADERS=yes
 FAKE_TIMELINE='[
   {"type":"label","body":"1","user":{"login":"setter"},"label":{"name":"needs-ruling"},"created_at":"2026-08-02T14:58:13Z"},
   {"type":"label","body":"","user":{"login":"setter"},"label":{"name":"needs-ruling"},"created_at":"2026-08-02T15:22:22Z"},
@@ -777,6 +808,61 @@ check "forge_timeline drops non-label events" 0 "" \
   test "$(jq '[.[] | select(.event == null or .event == "")] | length' <<<"$tl")" = 0
 check "forge_timeline uses .actor.login, not a bare .user" 0 "" \
   jq -e 'all(.[]; has("actor") and (.user|not))' <<<"$tl" >/dev/null
+
+# Forgejo's timeline endpoint lies consistently: x-total-count echoes the
+# current page size. With 151 events its pages declare 50, 50, 50 and 1, so
+# strict pagination stops successfully after page 1 and drops the newest 101
+# events. Exhaustion is safe only here because timelines are append-only.
+FAKE_TL_PAGES=(
+  "$(timeline_page 1 50)"
+  "$(timeline_page 51 50)"
+  "$(timeline_page 101 50)"
+  "$(timeline_page 151 1)"
+)
+timeline_stub
+tl="$(REPO=o/r forge_timeline 188)"
+check "forge_timeline exhausts all pages despite per-page total headers" 0 "" \
+  test "$(jq 'length' <<<"$tl")" = 151
+check "forge_timeline retains the newest event beyond page one" 0 "" \
+  jq -e 'any(.[]; .created_at == "event-151")' <<<"$tl" >/dev/null
+check "a short final page terminates without an extra empty-page read" 0 "" \
+  test "$(wc -l <"$timeline_calls")" = 4
+
+# A collection exactly divisible by the page size needs one final empty read;
+# stopping after the second full page cannot prove exhaustion.
+FAKE_TL_PAGES=("$(timeline_page 1 50)" "$(timeline_page 51 50)")
+timeline_stub
+exhaustive_count="$(REPO=o/r forge_api --paginate-exhaustive 'repos/o/r/issues/188/timeline' --jq 'length')"
+check "exhaustive pagination terminates after an empty page" 0 "" \
+  test "$exhaustive_count" = 100
+check "an exactly-full exhaustive gather reads the empty third page" 0 "" \
+  test "$(wc -l <"$timeline_calls")" = 3
+
+# The exhaustive path's completeness proof is the short page itself; it must
+# never consult the endpoint's missing or dishonest total header.
+FAKE_TL_PAGES=("$(timeline_page 1 50)" "$(timeline_page 51 1)")
+FAKE_TL_HEADERS=no
+timeline_stub
+check "exhaustive pagination needs no x-total-count header" 0 "" \
+  eq 51 forge_api --paginate-exhaustive 'repos/o/r/issues/188/timeline' --jq 'length'
+check "the same missing-header fixture is still refused by strict pagination" 1 \
+  "did not send x-total-count" \
+  forge_api --paginate 'repos/o/r/issues/188/timeline' --jq 'length'
+FAKE_TL_HEADERS=yes
+
+check "strict and exhaustive pagination are mutually exclusive" 1 "mutually exclusive" \
+  forge_api --paginate --paginate-exhaustive 'repos/o/r/issues/188/timeline'
+check "exhaustive pagination refuses a non-GET method" 1 "GET" \
+  forge_api --paginate-exhaustive -X POST 'repos/o/r/issues/188/timeline'
+check "exhaustive pagination refuses compact -XPOST too" 1 "GET" \
+  forge_api --paginate-exhaustive -XPOST 'repos/o/r/issues/188/timeline'
+check "exhaustive pagination refuses --method=POST too" 1 "GET" \
+  forge_api --paginate-exhaustive --method=POST 'repos/o/r/issues/188/timeline'
+check "the exhaustive flag has exactly one production call site" 0 "" \
+  test "$(grep -c 'paginate-exhaustive' "$ROOT/lib/forge-forgejo.sh")" = 5
+check "only forge_timeline invokes exhaustive pagination" 0 "" \
+  test "$(grep -c 'forge_api --paginate-exhaustive' "$ROOT/lib/forge-forgejo.sh")" = 1
+
 # Unreadable: curl fails. Status must surface through forge_timeline itself
 # (not a later jq), or the ruling ladder invents a verdict on a half-read.
 # shellcheck disable=SC2317