fix(errors): plain copy for failed history reads and connections

src/app/App.tsx

@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ import { PanelLaunchers } from "./shell/PanelLaunchers";
 import { ShellBackdrops } from "../features/backdrops/ShellBackdrops";
 import { PanelCard } from "../features/panels/PanelCard";
 import { communityDestination } from "../features/communities/destination";
+import { UNUSABLE_CONNECTION } from "../features/relay/ConnectionFailed";
 import { CommunityLanding } from "../features/communities/CommunityLanding";
 import { LegacyCommunityImport } from "../features/communities/LegacyCommunityImport";
 import {
@@ -433,6 +434,9 @@ function ConnectedAppContent({ services }: { services: AppServices }) {
     route.reconnecting &&
     !route.state.ingress &&
     (failureReason === "timeout" || failureReason === "unavailable");
+  // An answer this Buzz can't use comes back the same on Try again.
+  const unusableConnection =
+    connection.status === "error" && connection.error?.kind === "unusable";
   const retryButton = (variant: "primary" | "quiet") => (
     <Button
       type="button"
@@ -515,18 +519,20 @@ function ConnectedAppContent({ services }: { services: AppServices }) {
           icon={<CloudOffIcon />}
           title="Can’t connect"
           description={
-            retriedEntry === route.state.entry.id
-              ? keepTrying
-                ? "Still can’t connect. We’ll keep trying."
-                : "Still can’t connect. Check your connection, then try again."
-              : keepTrying
-                ? "Check your connection. We’ll keep trying."
-                : "Check your connection, then try again."
+            unusableConnection
+              ? UNUSABLE_CONNECTION
+              : retriedEntry === route.state.entry.id
+                ? keepTrying
+                  ? "Still can’t connect. We’ll keep trying."
+                  : "Still can’t connect. Check your connection, then try again."
+                : keepTrying
+                  ? "Check your connection. We’ll keep trying."
+                  : "Check your connection, then try again."
           }
           action={
             <>
-              {retryButton("primary")}
               {messagesButton("quiet")}
+              {!unusableConnection && retryButton("primary")}
             </>
           }
         />
@@ -538,6 +544,7 @@ function ConnectedAppContent({ services }: { services: AppServices }) {
           description="Turn it on in Manage plugins to open this page."
           action={
             <>
+              {messagesButton("quiet")}
               <Button
                 type="button"
                 variant="primary"
@@ -547,7 +554,6 @@ function ConnectedAppContent({ services }: { services: AppServices }) {
               >
                 Manage plugins
               </Button>
-              {messagesButton("quiet")}
             </>
           }
         />
@@ -558,8 +564,8 @@ function ConnectedAppContent({ services }: { services: AppServices }) {
           description="It may have been removed, or you may need to update Buzz."
           action={
             <>
-              {messagesButton("primary")}
               {retryButton(leaveForMessages ? "quiet" : "primary")}
+              {messagesButton("primary")}
             </>
           }
         />
@@ -570,8 +576,8 @@ function ConnectedAppContent({ services }: { services: AppServices }) {
           description="It didn’t load this time. Try again in a moment."
           action={
             <>
-              {retryButton("primary")}
               {messagesButton("quiet")}
+              {retryButton("primary")}
             </>
           }
         />

src/app/entity-navigation.test.tsx

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import {
   within,
 } from "@testing-library/react";
 import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
-import { afterEach, beforeEach, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { afterEach, assert, beforeEach, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { finalizeEvent, getPublicKey } from "nostr-tools";
 import { App } from "./App";
 import { createServices, type AppServices } from "./services";
@@ -502,7 +502,8 @@ function bindCommunityLinks(
   return { current, ping: () => ping() };
 }
 
-function offlineMessagesFixture() {
+/** Messages opened while the session read answers `status`, until `online`. */
+function offlineMessagesFixture(status = 503) {
   vi.stubGlobal(
     "ResizeObserver",
     class {
@@ -527,7 +528,7 @@ function offlineMessagesFixture() {
       if (url.endsWith("/identity")) return Response.json({ viewer });
       if (url.endsWith("/session"))
         return offline
-          ? Response.json({ error: "offline" }, { status: 503 })
+          ? Response.json({ error: "offline" }, { status })
           : Response.json({ viewer, relayAuthor: viewer, relayUrl: origin });
       if (url.endsWith("/query")) return Response.json([]);
       return Response.json({});
@@ -603,6 +604,42 @@ it("reopens a visit that timed out while connecting once the connection is live"
     vi.useRealTimers();
   }
 });
+it("says only that Buzz couldn't connect, with no Try again, when the session answer can't be used", async () => {
+  vi.useFakeTimers({ shouldAdvanceTime: true });
+  try {
+    // An edge answering 400 during a relay deploy.
+    const { current, online } = offlineMessagesFixture(400);
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(current.relay.snapshot()).toMatchObject({
+        status: "error",
+        error: { kind: "unusable" },
+      }),
+    );
+    await act(() => vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(15_000));
+    const heading = await screen.findByRole("heading", {
+      name: "Can’t connect",
+    });
+    const card = heading.closest<HTMLElement>('[role="alert"]');
+    assert.exists(card);
+    expect(
+      within(card).getByText("Buzz couldn’t connect to this community."),
+    ).toBeVisible();
+    // Trying again gets the same answer, so the card doesn't ask for it.
+    expect(
+      within(card).queryByRole("button", { name: "Try again" }),
+    ).toBeNull();
+    expect(card).not.toHaveTextContent(/try again|check your connection/i);
+    // The relay still asks again by itself, and the visit reopens.
+    online();
+    await act(() => vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(31_000));
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(current.navigation.snapshot().status).toBe("opened"),
+    );
+    expect(screen.queryByText(pageFailure)).toBeNull();
+  } finally {
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+  }
+});
 it("does not reopen a failed visit after the user has left it", async () => {
   vi.useFakeTimers({ shouldAdvanceTime: true });
   try {
@@ -783,11 +820,11 @@ it("keeps a failed message read in place until its own Retry succeeds", async ()
     document.querySelector('[data-channel-timeline="alpha"]');
   while (!timeline()) {
     await userEvent.click(
-      await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Retry messages" }),
+      await screen.findByRole("button", { name: "Try again" }),
     );
     await waitFor(() =>
       expect(
-        timeline() ?? screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "Retry messages" }),
+        timeline() ?? screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "Try again" }),
       ).not.toBeNull(),
     );
   }
@@ -798,7 +835,7 @@ it("keeps a failed message read in place until its own Retry succeeds", async ()
       .session.channels.window("alpha")
       .rows.map((row) => row.content),
   ).toEqual(["Back again"]);
-  expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "Retry messages" })).toBeNull();
+  expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "Try again" })).toBeNull();
   expect(current.navigation.snapshot().attempt.signal.aborted).toBe(false);
   expect(failures).toBe(0);
   expect(current.relay.snapshot().generation).toBe(generation);
@@ -1298,7 +1335,7 @@ async function activityTurnedOff() {
     within(card)
       .getAllByRole("button")
       .map((button) => button.textContent),
-  ).toEqual(["Manage plugins", "Go to Messages"]);
+  ).toEqual(["Go to Messages", "Manage plugins"]);
   return card;
 }
 
@@ -1392,7 +1429,7 @@ it("turning a plugin back on over its failed page offers Try again, which opens
     within(card)
       .getAllByRole("button")
       .map((button) => button.textContent),
-  ).toEqual(["Try again", "Go to Messages"]);
+  ).toEqual(["Go to Messages", "Try again"]);
   expect(
     screen.queryByRole("heading", { name: "Activity is turned off" }),
   ).not.toBeInTheDocument();

src/app/services.test.ts

@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@ it("restores the selected native community and recovers discovery failure withou
   await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0);
   expect(services.relay.snapshot()).toMatchObject({
     status: "error",
-    error: expect.stringContaining("Discovery offline"),
+    error: { details: expect.stringContaining("Discovery offline") },
   });
   unavailable = false;
   services.relay.retry();
@@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ it("seeds a packaged native community after onboarding and preserves the user's
   });
   expect(services.relay.snapshot()).toMatchObject({
     status: "error",
-    error: expect.stringContaining("Discovery offline"),
+    error: { details: expect.stringContaining("Discovery offline") },
   });
   unavailable = false;
   services.relay.retry();

src/app/shell/PageSearch.test.tsx

@@ -1034,7 +1034,7 @@ it("finds and opens saved conversations while the community is unreachable or st
   );
   let connection: RelaySnapshot = {
     status: "error",
-    error: "Relay broker session is malformed",
+    error: { kind: "connection", details: "Relay broker session is malformed" },
     cached: true,
     generation: 1,
     scope: "s",

src/app/shell/PrimarySidebar.test.tsx

@@ -1080,7 +1080,10 @@ it("moves a refusal's recovery from the sidebar to its one notice", async () =>
   );
   const sidebar = () => screen.getByRole("complementary", { name: "Sidebar" });
   // A connection failure with native's sign-in error asks for sign-in here.
-  f.connection({ status: "error", error: "Federated sign-in is required" });
+  f.connection({
+    status: "error",
+    error: { kind: "refused", details: "Federated sign-in is required" },
+  });
   expect(
     within(sidebar()).getByRole("button", {
       name: "Sign in with builderlab.example",
@@ -1125,7 +1128,7 @@ it("makes Try again a person's retry, which asks the issuer again", async () =>
   const sidebar = () => screen.getByRole("complementary", { name: "Sidebar" });
   f.connection({
     status: "error",
-    error: "grant-refused",
+    error: { kind: "unknown", details: "grant-refused" },
     origin: "wss://relay.example",
   });
   // So its issuer-refusal advice is that Try again, not a restart.
@@ -1143,7 +1146,10 @@ it("shows Try again beside a settled failure, and Connecting while the connectio
   const f = fixture(true);
   const retry = vi.spyOn(f.relay, "tryAgain");
   const sidebar = () => screen.getByRole("complementary", { name: "Sidebar" });
-  const error = "ReadError: Relay read failed (502)";
+  const error = {
+    kind: "connection",
+    details: "ReadError: Relay read failed (502)",
+  } as const;
   f.connection({ status: "error", error });
   expect(within(sidebar()).getByText("Couldn’t load channels.")).toBeVisible();
   expect(within(sidebar()).queryByText(/ReadError/)).toBeNull();
@@ -1155,7 +1161,10 @@ it("shows Try again beside a settled failure, and Connecting while the connectio
   // every page; the sidebar neither repeats it nor offers Try again.
   f.connection({
     status: "error",
-    error: "ReadError: Relay read failed (403)",
+    error: {
+      kind: "refused",
+      details: "ReadError: Relay read failed (403)",
+    },
     denied: true,
   });
   const notice = await screen.findByRole("dialog", {

src/app/shell/PrimarySidebar.tsx

@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ function ScopedSidebar({
           cached={!!connection.cached}
           layoutReady={filter === "team" || soloReady}
           preserveSidebar={preserveSidebar}
-          connectionError={connection.error}
+          connectionError={connection.error?.details}
           render={({
             sidebar,
             dmPreviews,
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ function ScopedSidebar({
                           props.federatedIdentity,
                           connection.origin,
                         )}
-                        error={connection.error}
+                        error={connection.error?.details}
                         retry={props.relay.tryAgain}
                         relay={connection.origin}
                         memberships={props.memberships}

src/bundled/bestie/PinnedBestie.test.tsx

@@ -858,15 +858,62 @@ it("keeps the saved Bestie visible through reconnect and offers connection recov
     screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "Set up Bestie" }),
   ).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   act(() =>
-    f.updateRelay({ status: "error", error: "Community temporarily offline" }),
+    f.updateRelay({
+      status: "error",
+      error: {
+        kind: "connection",
+        details: "ReadError: Relay read failed (502)",
+      },
+    }),
   );
-  expect(screen.getByText("Community temporarily offline")).toBeVisible();
+  expect(
+    screen.getByText("Check your connection, then try again."),
+  ).toBeVisible();
+  expect(screen.queryByText(/ReadError|502/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   await userEvent.click(
     screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Retry connection" }),
   );
   expect(f.retryConnection).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
 });
 
+it("offers Check for updates, not Retry connection, for an answer Buzz can't use", async () => {
+  const f = await fixture({ existing: true });
+  f.choose(pollen);
+  const open = vi.fn(async () => ({ status: "opened" }) as const);
+  render(
+    f.element({
+      renderedNavigator: Object.create(f.navigator, { open: { value: open } }),
+    }),
+  );
+  await screen.findByRole("textbox", { name: "Message Pollen" });
+  act(() =>
+    f.updateRelay({
+      status: "error",
+      error: {
+        kind: "unusable",
+        details: "ReadError: Relay response is not an event array",
+      },
+    }),
+  );
+  expect(
+    screen.getByText("Buzz couldn’t connect to this community."),
+  ).toBeVisible();
+  expect(screen.queryByText(/try again/i)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  // Reconnecting gets the same answer; an update may not.
+  expect(
+    screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "Retry connection" }),
+  ).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  await userEvent.click(
+    screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Check for updates" }),
+  );
+  expect(open).toHaveBeenCalledExactlyOnceWith({
+    version: 1,
+    kind: "settings",
+    section: "updates",
+  });
+  expect(f.retryConnection).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+});
+
 it("recovers a saved agent missing from a partial inventory through refresh", async () => {
   const f = await fixture({ localFailed: true });
   f.choose(pollen);

src/bundled/bestie/PinnedBestie.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ import { useAgentChoices } from "../../features/agents/use-choices";
 import { useChannelList, useRelayConnection } from "../../features/relay/react";
 import type { ChannelSummary } from "../../features/relay/contracts";
 import type { RelayData } from "../../features/relay/service";
+import {
+  connectionFailureAction,
+  connectionFailureText,
+  openUpdatesWith,
+} from "../../features/relay/ConnectionFailed";
 import type { RelaySession } from "../../features/relay/session";
 import { useSavedAgent } from "../../features/solo/default-agent";
 import { RobotIcon } from "../../shared/design-system/icons";
@@ -91,14 +96,15 @@ export function PinnedBestie({
         description={
           connection.status === "connecting"
             ? "Your bestie conversation opens once this community is connected."
-            : (connection.error ??
-              "Choose a community to chat with your bestie.")
-        }
-        action={
-          connection.status === "error" ? (
-            <Button onClick={relay.tryAgain}>Retry connection</Button>
-          ) : undefined
+            : connection.error
+              ? connectionFailureText(connection)
+              : "Choose a community to chat with your bestie."
         }
+        action={connectionFailureAction({
+          connection,
+          relay,
+          openUpdates: openUpdatesWith(navigator),
+        })}
       />
     );
   } else if (channel && saved) {