fed-sx-m1: Step 9-pre-fold — HTTP POST -> publish -> projection-fold end-to-end (10 tests)

plans/fed-sx-milestone-1.md

@@ -571,6 +571,11 @@ Auth on `POST /activity`: bearer token from env var `NEXT_PUBLISH_TOKEN`.
 
 ## Step 9 — Smoke tests
 
+**Sub-deliverables:**
+- [x] **9-pre-fold** — In-process end-to-end test of the HTTP → publish → broadcast → projection-fold chain. Proves the full vertical works without a real TCP socket. `next/tests/http_publish_fold.sh` (10 cases). Step 9a/b proper need TCP (Step 8b-start).
+- [ ] **9a** — Pin smoke test (TCP-driven, curl) — needs Step 8b-start + Define\* SX-source eval.
+- [ ] **9b** — Reactive smoke test (TCP-driven, curl) — needs DefineSubscription / DefineTrigger eval.
+
 **The proof points.** Two end-to-end smoke tests demonstrate, between them, that
 fed-sx is genuinely a substrate for distributed reactive applications expressed
 as data — not a system you extend by writing kernel code.
@@ -991,6 +996,7 @@ A few things still under-specified; resolve as work begins.
 Newest first. One line per sub-deliverable commit. Erlang conformance gate
 (`bash lib/erlang/conformance.sh`) must remain 729/729 on every entry.
 
+- **2026-05-28** — Step 9-pre-fold: in-process integration test proving the full POST → publish → broadcast → projection-fold chain. With `projection:start_link` + `nx_kernel:start_link` + `nx_kernel:with_projections([p_count, p_collect])`, three authorized POST `/activity` calls advance both projections to 3 — and the kernel's log to 3 entries — and the projection's collected activity carries the POST body as `:object`. Unauthorized or sig-failed POSTs leave projection state unchanged. Step 9a/b proper (curl-driven smoke tests) wait on Step 8b-start (TCP) + Define\* SX-source eval bridge, but the structural chain is already verified end-to-end. `next/tests/http_publish_fold.sh` 10/10. Erlang conformance 729/729. Step 9 split into 9-pre-fold (done) + 9a + 9b.
 - **2026-05-28** — Step 8c-post-publish-http: POST `/activity` handler now bridges into `nx_kernel:publish/1` when the kernel gen_server is registered (`erlang:whereis(nx_kernel) =/= undefined`). On success the response carries the canonical CID via `cid_response/1`; on pipeline failure the response is 422 via `validation_failed_response/0`. When the kernel isn't registered, the handler falls through to the existing 200 stub — preserves backwards compatibility for the auth-only tests in `http_post_activity.sh`. Distinct POSTs produce distinct CIDs (next_published counter in nx_kernel state). Unauthorized POSTs never reach the kernel — log tip stays at 0. `next/tests/http_publish.sh` 10/10. The POST `/activity` → publish → fold loop is now functional end-to-end through the kernel. Erlang conformance 729/729.
 - **2026-05-28** — Step 8c-post-publish-srv: `nx_kernel.erl` extended with gen_server callbacks + named-process API. `start_link/3(ActorId, KeySpec, ActorState)` spawns the worker and registers under the literal `nx_kernel` atom; `publish/1(Request)` calls into `handle_call({publish, Request}, ...)` which delegates to the pure `publish/2` and reflects the new state back into the server. `query/0` returns the full state proplist; `log_tip/0` is a direct accessor; `with_projections/1` mutates the projections list. Same port quirks as Step 5b/7b documented (raw Pid return, no `?MODULE`, processes don't persist across separate `erlang-eval-ast` calls — tests inline start_link with operations). `next/tests/nx_kernel_server.sh` 11/11. Erlang conformance 729/729.
 - **2026-05-28** — Step 8c-post-publish-pure: `next/kernel/nx_kernel.erl` — pure-functional kernel orchestrator that wraps `outbox:publish/2` with a long-lived runtime state. `new/3(ActorId, KeySpec, ActorState)` initialises state with an empty log + monotonic `:next_published` counter. `publish/2(Request, State)` builds the publish Context from state, calls outbox:publish, and on success advances `:log` and increments `:next_published`. The counter solves the "same Request published twice" replay collision — each call gets a distinct `:published` timestamp, so the canonical-bytes CID differs and stage_replay doesn't halt. On failure (e.g. bad key), state is returned unchanged. Step 8c-post-publish split into pure (done) + srv (gen_server wrapper) sub-deliverables. `next/tests/nx_kernel_pure.sh` 12/12. Erlang conformance 729/729.