fed-sx-m2: Step 1a — nx_kernel per-actor bucket refactor + 17 tests

State shape becomes [{actors, [{Id, Bucket}, ...]}, {next_actor_seq, N}]
with ActorBucket = [{key_spec, KS}, {actor_state, AS}, {log, L},
{projections, [Name]}, {next_published, N}]. Pure-functional multi-
actor APIs (new/0, add_actor/4, has_actor/2, actors/1, actor_count/1,
publish/3, per-actor accessors, with_actor_projections/3) join the
legacy single-actor accessors, which now read from the first bucket.
Every M1 test continues to pass via bootstrap:start/3 -> new/3 ->
first-bucket lookup.

Local has_keyed/find_keyed/set_keyed/set_bucket helpers cover the
keyed-list ops since lists:keymember/keyfind aren't registered in
this substrate.

next/tests/nx_kernel_multi.sh 17/17. M1 nx_kernel-adjacent suites
green (bootstrap_start 10/10, nx_kernel_server 11/11, http_publish
10/10, smoke_app_pure 12/12, http_post_format 13/13, http_publish_fold
10/10, http_marshal 10/10). Erlang conformance 761/761 preserved.

Blockers entry added for pre-existing http_server_tcp.sh 0/5
regression (78eae9ef left dead helper references in runtime.sx:1593) —
substrate-side, out of m2 scope, confirmed pre-existing by reverting
1a's changes and re-running.

next/README.md

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ next/
 | `bootstrap.erl`       | Genesis read/build/verify/load + one-call `start/3` kernel bring-up    |
 | `define_registry.erl` | Meta-projection fold for `Create{Define*}` → registry                  |
 | `sandbox.erl`         | `eval_pure/2,3` try/catch envelope for projection folds                |
-| `nx_kernel.erl`       | Long-lived runtime orchestrator (state + gen_server)                    |
+| `nx_kernel.erl`       | Long-lived runtime orchestrator; per-actor bucketed state (m2 Step 1a)  |
 | `http_server.erl`     | route/1,2 + format-aware GET + POST + Accept header content negotiation |
 
 ## Genesis bundle

next/kernel/nx_kernel.erl

@@ -1,82 +1,232 @@
 -module(nx_kernel).
 -behaviour(gen_server).
--export([new/3, publish/2,
+
+%% Pure-functional API
+-export([new/0, new/3,
+         add_actor/4, has_actor/2, actors/1, actor_count/1,
+         publish/2, publish/3,
          actor_id/1, log_state/1, log_tip/1,
-         key_spec/1, actor_state/1, projections/1,
-         next_published/1, with_projections/2]).
+         key_spec/1, actor_state/1, projections/1, next_published/1,
+         actor_log_state/2, actor_log_tip/2,
+         actor_key_spec/2, actor_state/2, actor_projections/2,
+         actor_next_published/2, actor_bucket/2,
+         with_projections/2, with_actor_projections/3,
+         next_actor_seq/1]).
+
+%% gen_server API
 -export([start_link/3, publish/1, query/0, log_tip/0,
          with_projections/1, stop/0]).
 -export([init/1, handle_call/3, handle_cast/2, handle_info/2]).
 
 %% Kernel orchestrator — the long-lived runtime state held by the
-%% running fed-sx instance. The HTTP layer (Step 8c-post-publish
-%% follow-up) will park this in a gen_server and dispatch the POST
-%% /activity request through `publish/2`.
+%% running fed-sx instance. Step 1 (m2) refactor: state is now
+%% per-actor bucketed so one kernel hosts any number of actors.
 %%
-%% State shape (property list):
-%%   [{actor_id, A},
-%%    {key_spec, KS},          % proplist: key_id / algorithm / value
-%%    {actor_state, AS},       % proplist: public_keys
-%%    {log, L},                % log:open/2 return value
-%%    {projections, [Name]},   % list of registered projection process names
-%%    {next_published, N}]     % monotonic counter we feed as :published
+%% New state shape (property list):
+%%   [{actors, [{ActorId, ActorBucket}, ...]},
+%%    {next_actor_seq, NextN}]
 %%
-%% Step 6c's stage_replay catches duplicates by `:id`; the `:id`
-%% is derived from the unsigned envelope contents. Same Request +
-%% same `:published` -> same CID, so the next_published counter
-%% gives every publish a distinct timestamp without needing a
-%% wall-clock BIF.
+%% ActorBucket = [{key_spec, KS},
+%%                {actor_state, AS},
+%%                {log, L},
+%%                {projections, [Name]},
+%%                {next_published, NextSeq}]
+%%
+%% Legacy single-actor accessors (actor_id/1, key_spec/1, etc.)
+%% continue to read from the first registered actor — keeps every
+%% pre-m2 test passing through bootstrap:start/3.
+%%
+%% next_actor_seq is a monotonic counter handed out to add_actor for
+%% future use (e.g. per-actor URL paths in Step 4). It's not yet
+%% read by the rest of the kernel.
+
+%% ── Pure-functional API ──────────────────────────────────────────
+
+new() ->
+    [{actors, []}, {next_actor_seq, 1}].
 
 new(ActorId, KeySpec, ActorStateProplist) ->
-    {ok, L0} = log:open(ActorId, base_stub()),
-    [{actor_id, ActorId},
-     {key_spec, KeySpec},
-     {actor_state, ActorStateProplist},
-     {log, L0},
-     {projections, []},
-     {next_published, 1}].
+    {ok, S} = add_actor(ActorId, KeySpec, ActorStateProplist, new()),
+    S.
 
-%% publish/2 — pure state transition. Returns either:
-%%   {ok, Result, NewState}   — log + counter advanced
-%%   {error, Reason, State}   — state unchanged on validation halt
-publish(Request, State) ->
-    P   = field(next_published, State),
-    Ctx = [{actor_id,    field(actor_id, State)},
-           {published,   P},
-           {key_spec,    field(key_spec, State)},
-           {actor_state, field(actor_state, State)},
-           {log,         field(log, State)},
-           {projections, field(projections, State)}],
-    case outbox:publish(Request, Ctx) of
-        {ok, Result, NewLog} ->
-            State1 = set(log, NewLog, State),
-            State2 = set(next_published, P + 1, State1),
-            {ok, Result, State2};
-        {error, Reason, _} ->
-            {error, Reason, State}
+add_actor(ActorId, KeySpec, AS, State) ->
+    Actors = field(actors, State),
+    case has_keyed(ActorId, Actors) of
+        true ->
+            {error, already_present};
+        false ->
+            {ok, L0} = log:open(ActorId, base_stub()),
+            Bucket = [{key_spec, KeySpec},
+                      {actor_state, AS},
+                      {log, L0},
+                      {projections, []},
+                      {next_published, 1}],
+            Seq = field(next_actor_seq, State),
+            State1 = set(actors, Actors ++ [{ActorId, Bucket}], State),
+            State2 = set(next_actor_seq, Seq + 1, State1),
+            {ok, State2}
     end.
 
-%% Accessors
+has_actor(ActorId, State) ->
+    has_keyed(ActorId, field(actors, State)).
 
-actor_id(State)        -> field(actor_id, State).
-key_spec(State)        -> field(key_spec, State).
-actor_state(State)     -> field(actor_state, State).
-log_state(State)       -> field(log, State).
-log_tip(State)         -> log:tip(field(log, State)).
-projections(State)     -> field(projections, State).
-next_published(State)  -> field(next_published, State).
+actors(State) ->
+    [Id || {Id, _Bucket} <- field(actors, State)].
+
+actor_count(State) ->
+    length(field(actors, State)).
+
+next_actor_seq(State) ->
+    field(next_actor_seq, State).
+
+actor_bucket(ActorId, State) ->
+    find_keyed(ActorId, field(actors, State)).
+
+%% publish/3 — per-actor publish.
+publish(ActorId, Request, State) ->
+    case actor_bucket(ActorId, State) of
+        {error, no_actor} ->
+            {error, no_actor, State};
+        {ok, Bucket} ->
+            P = field(next_published, Bucket),
+            Ctx = [{actor_id,    ActorId},
+                   {published,   P},
+                   {key_spec,    field(key_spec, Bucket)},
+                   {actor_state, field(actor_state, Bucket)},
+                   {log,         field(log, Bucket)},
+                   {projections, field(projections, Bucket)}],
+            case outbox:publish(Request, Ctx) of
+                {ok, Result, NewLog} ->
+                    B1 = set(log, NewLog, Bucket),
+                    B2 = set(next_published, P + 1, B1),
+                    NewState = set_bucket(ActorId, B2, State),
+                    {ok, Result, NewState};
+                {error, Reason, _} ->
+                    {error, Reason, State}
+            end
+    end.
+
+%% publish/2 — legacy single-actor publish; routes to first actor.
+publish(Request, State) ->
+    case actors(State) of
+        [] -> {error, no_actor, State};
+        [First | _] -> publish(First, Request, State)
+    end.
+
+with_actor_projections(ActorId, Names, State) ->
+    case actor_bucket(ActorId, State) of
+        {error, no_actor} ->
+            {error, no_actor};
+        {ok, Bucket} ->
+            B1 = set(projections, Names, Bucket),
+            {ok, set_bucket(ActorId, B1, State)}
+    end.
 
-%% with_projections — return a new state with :projections replaced.
 with_projections(Names, State) ->
-    set(projections, Names, State).
+    case actors(State) of
+        [] -> State;
+        [First | _] ->
+            {ok, NewState} = with_actor_projections(First, Names, State),
+            NewState
+    end.
 
-%% Internal
+%% Per-actor accessors
+
+actor_log_state(ActorId, State) ->
+    case actor_bucket(ActorId, State) of
+        {ok, B}     -> {ok, field(log, B)};
+        {error, _}  -> {error, no_actor}
+    end.
+
+actor_log_tip(ActorId, State) ->
+    case actor_log_state(ActorId, State) of
+        {ok, L}     -> log:tip(L);
+        {error, _}  -> nil
+    end.
+
+actor_key_spec(ActorId, State) ->
+    case actor_bucket(ActorId, State) of
+        {ok, B}     -> {ok, field(key_spec, B)};
+        {error, _}  -> {error, no_actor}
+    end.
+
+actor_state(ActorId, State) when is_list(State), is_atom(ActorId) ->
+    case actor_bucket(ActorId, State) of
+        {ok, B}     -> {ok, field(actor_state, B)};
+        {error, _}  -> {error, no_actor}
+    end.
+
+actor_projections(ActorId, State) ->
+    case actor_bucket(ActorId, State) of
+        {ok, B}     -> {ok, field(projections, B)};
+        {error, _}  -> {error, no_actor}
+    end.
+
+actor_next_published(ActorId, State) ->
+    case actor_bucket(ActorId, State) of
+        {ok, B}     -> {ok, field(next_published, B)};
+        {error, _}  -> {error, no_actor}
+    end.
+
+%% Legacy single-actor accessors — read from first bucket. Keeps
+%% every M1 test (smoke_app_pure, bootstrap_start, http_publish,
+%% nx_kernel_server, http_post_format) passing.
+
+actor_id(State) ->
+    case field(actors, State) of
+        []                        -> nil;
+        [{First, _Bucket} | _]    -> First
+    end.
+
+key_spec(State) ->
+    bucket_field(key_spec, State).
+
+actor_state(State) ->
+    bucket_field(actor_state, State).
+
+log_state(State) ->
+    bucket_field(log, State).
+
+log_tip(State) ->
+    log:tip(log_state(State)).
+
+projections(State) ->
+    case bucket_field(projections, State) of
+        nil -> [];
+        Ps  -> Ps
+    end.
+
+next_published(State) ->
+    bucket_field(next_published, State).
+
+%% ── Internal helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-%% "base_stub" — placeholder base path for the in-memory log
-%% in v1 (the in-memory log ignores the base argument).
 base_stub() ->
     <<98,97,115,101,95,115,116,117,98>>.
 
+bucket_field(Key, State) ->
+    case field(actors, State) of
+        []                        -> nil;
+        [{_First, Bucket} | _]    -> field(Key, Bucket)
+    end.
+
+set_bucket(ActorId, NewBucket, State) ->
+    Actors = field(actors, State),
+    NewActors = set_keyed(ActorId, NewBucket, Actors),
+    set(actors, NewActors, State).
+
+set_keyed(K, V, [{K, _} | Rest]) -> [{K, V} | Rest];
+set_keyed(K, V, [P | Rest]) -> [P | set_keyed(K, V, Rest)];
+set_keyed(_, _, []) -> [].
+
+has_keyed(_, []) -> false;
+has_keyed(K, [{K, _} | _]) -> true;
+has_keyed(K, [_ | Rest]) -> has_keyed(K, Rest).
+
+find_keyed(_, []) -> {error, no_actor};
+find_keyed(K, [{K, V} | _]) -> {ok, V};
+find_keyed(K, [_ | Rest]) -> find_keyed(K, Rest).
+
 field(K, [{K, V} | _]) -> V;
 field(K, [_ | Rest]) -> field(K, Rest);
 field(_, []) -> nil.
@@ -91,6 +241,10 @@ set(K, V, [P | Rest]) -> [P | set(K, V, Rest)].
 %% Steps 5b and 7b. Same port quirks: raw Pid return, no `?MODULE`
 %% macro, spawned processes don't persist across separate
 %% erlang-eval-ast calls — tests inline start_link with operations.
+%%
+%% Step 1a (m2) keeps the gen_server single-actor; multi-actor
+%% gen_server calls (publish_to/2, log_tip_for/1, ...) land in
+%% iteration 1b.
 
 start_link(ActorId, KeySpec, ActorStateProplist) ->
     Pid = gen_server:start_link(nx_kernel,

next/tests/nx_kernel_multi.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# next/tests/nx_kernel_multi.sh — m2 Step 1a tests.
+#
+# Pure-functional multi-actor bucket APIs. No gen_server.
+
+set -uo pipefail
+cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
+
+SX_SERVER="${SX_SERVER:-hosts/ocaml/_build/default/bin/sx_server.exe}"
+if [ ! -x "$SX_SERVER" ]; then
+  SX_SERVER="/root/rose-ash/hosts/ocaml/_build/default/bin/sx_server.exe"
+fi
+if [ ! -x "$SX_SERVER" ]; then
+  echo "ERROR: sx_server.exe not found." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+VERBOSE="${1:-}"
+PASS=0; FAIL=0; ERRORS=""
+TMPFILE=$(mktemp); trap "rm -f $TMPFILE" EXIT
+
+# Two actors share the same signing-key bytes but have different ids;
+# signatures verify because each carries the matching public_keys
+# entry. AliceK / BobK distinguish them visually only.
+PRELUDE='AliceK = <<1,2,3,4>>, AliceKS = [{key_id,k1},{algorithm,ed25519},{value,AliceK}], AliceAS = [{public_keys,[[{id,k1},{created,0},{value,AliceK}]]}], BobK = <<5,6,7,8>>, BobKS = [{key_id,k1},{algorithm,ed25519},{value,BobK}], BobAS = [{public_keys,[[{id,k1},{created,0},{value,BobK}]]}], Req = [{type,create},{object,nil}],'
+
+cat > "$TMPFILE" <<EPOCHS
+(epoch 1)
+(load "lib/erlang/tokenizer.sx")
+(load "lib/erlang/parser.sx")
+(load "lib/erlang/parser-core.sx")
+(load "lib/erlang/parser-expr.sx")
+(load "lib/erlang/parser-module.sx")
+(load "lib/erlang/transpile.sx")
+(load "lib/erlang/runtime.sx")
+(load "lib/erlang/vm/dispatcher.sx")
+(epoch 2)
+(eval "(get (erlang-load-module (file-read \"next/kernel/envelope.erl\")) :name)")
+(epoch 3)
+(eval "(get (erlang-load-module (file-read \"next/kernel/log.erl\")) :name)")
+(epoch 4)
+(eval "(get (erlang-load-module (file-read \"next/kernel/pipeline.erl\")) :name)")
+(epoch 5)
+(eval "(get (erlang-load-module (file-read \"next/kernel/outbox.erl\")) :name)")
+(epoch 6)
+(eval "(get (erlang-load-module (file-read \"next/kernel/nx_kernel.erl\")) :name)")
+
+;; new/0 returns kernel with 0 actors
+(epoch 10)
+(eval "(erlang-eval-ast \"S = nx_kernel:new(), nx_kernel:actor_count(S)\")")
+
+;; new/0 has next_actor_seq = 1
+(epoch 11)
+(eval "(erlang-eval-ast \"S = nx_kernel:new(), nx_kernel:next_actor_seq(S)\")")
+
+;; new/0 has actor_id/1 = nil  (legacy accessor returns nil with no actors)
+(epoch 12)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"S = nx_kernel:new(), nx_kernel:actor_id(S) =:= nil\") :name)")
+
+;; add_actor returns {ok, NewState}
+(epoch 13)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, _} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), ok\") :name)")
+
+;; has_actor returns true after add
+(epoch 14)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), nx_kernel:has_actor(alice, S)\") :name)")
+
+;; actors/1 lists the new actor
+(epoch 15)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), nx_kernel:actors(S) =:= [alice]\") :name)")
+
+;; add_actor twice same id -> {error, already_present}
+(epoch 16)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), case nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, S) of {error, already_present} -> ok; _ -> bad end\") :name)")
+
+;; add two distinct actors -> both present
+(epoch 17)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S1} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), {ok, S2} = nx_kernel:add_actor(bob, BobKS, BobAS, S1), nx_kernel:actors(S2) =:= [alice, bob]\") :name)")
+
+;; next_actor_seq increments per add
+(epoch 18)
+(eval "(erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S1} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), {ok, S2} = nx_kernel:add_actor(bob, BobKS, BobAS, S1), nx_kernel:next_actor_seq(S2)\")")
+
+;; publish/3 to known actor returns {ok, _, NewState}
+(epoch 19)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S1} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), case nx_kernel:publish(alice, Req, S1) of {ok, _, _} -> ok; _ -> bad end\") :name)")
+
+;; publish/3 advances only the named actor's log
+(epoch 20)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S1} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), {ok, S2} = nx_kernel:add_actor(bob, BobKS, BobAS, S1), {ok, _, S3} = nx_kernel:publish(alice, Req, S2), AliceTip = nx_kernel:actor_log_tip(alice, S3), BobTip = nx_kernel:actor_log_tip(bob, S3), {AliceTip, BobTip} =:= {1, 0}\") :name)")
+
+;; publish/3 to unknown actor -> {error, no_actor, State}
+(epoch 21)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} S = nx_kernel:new(), case nx_kernel:publish(ghost, Req, S) of {error, no_actor, _} -> ok; _ -> bad end\") :name)")
+
+;; Two actors maintain independent next_published counters
+(epoch 22)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S1} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), {ok, S2} = nx_kernel:add_actor(bob, BobKS, BobAS, S1), {ok, _, S3} = nx_kernel:publish(alice, Req, S2), {ok, _, S4} = nx_kernel:publish(alice, Req, S3), {ok, _, S5} = nx_kernel:publish(bob, Req, S4), {ok, AliceN} = nx_kernel:actor_next_published(alice, S5), {ok, BobN} = nx_kernel:actor_next_published(bob, S5), {AliceN, BobN} =:= {3, 2}\") :name)")
+
+;; actor_state/2 returns per-actor AS
+(epoch 23)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S1} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), {ok, S2} = nx_kernel:add_actor(bob, BobKS, BobAS, S1), {ok, ASa} = nx_kernel:actor_state(alice, S2), {ok, ASb} = nx_kernel:actor_state(bob, S2), {ASa, ASb} =:= {AliceAS, BobAS}\") :name)")
+
+;; with_actor_projections sets per-actor projection list
+(epoch 24)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} {ok, S1} = nx_kernel:add_actor(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS, nx_kernel:new()), {ok, S2} = nx_kernel:add_actor(bob, BobKS, BobAS, S1), {ok, S3} = nx_kernel:with_actor_projections(alice, [px], S2), {ok, AliceP} = nx_kernel:actor_projections(alice, S3), {ok, BobP} = nx_kernel:actor_projections(bob, S3), {AliceP, BobP} =:= {[px], []}\") :name)")
+
+;; Legacy new/3 + publish/2 still route to the single actor
+(epoch 25)
+(eval "(get (erlang-eval-ast \"${PRELUDE} S = nx_kernel:new(alice, AliceKS, AliceAS), {ok, _, S1} = nx_kernel:publish(Req, S), nx_kernel:log_tip(S1) =:= 1 andalso nx_kernel:actor_id(S1) =:= alice\") :name)")
+EPOCHS
+
+OUTPUT=$(timeout 240 "$SX_SERVER" < "$TMPFILE" 2>/dev/null)
+
+check() {
+  local epoch="$1" desc="$2" expected="$3"
+  local actual
+  actual=$(echo "$OUTPUT" | awk -v e="$epoch" '
+    $0 ~ "^\\(ok-len " e " " { getline; print; exit }
+    $0 ~ "^\\(ok " e " "     { print; exit }
+    $0 ~ "^\\(error " e " "  { print; exit }
+  ')
+  [ -z "$actual" ] && actual="<no output for epoch $epoch>"
+  if echo "$actual" | grep -qF -- "$expected"; then
+    PASS=$((PASS+1))
+    [ "$VERBOSE" = "-v" ] && echo "  ok $desc"
+  else
+    FAIL=$((FAIL+1))
+    ERRORS+="  FAIL [$desc] (epoch $epoch) expected: $expected | actual: $actual
+"
+  fi
+}
+
+check  6  "nx_kernel module loaded"            "nx_kernel"
+check 10  "new/0 -> 0 actors"                  "0"
+check 11  "new/0 -> next_actor_seq = 1"        "1"
+check 12  "new/0 actor_id = nil"               "true"
+check 13  "add_actor returns {ok, NewState}"   "ok"
+check 14  "has_actor true after add"           "true"
+check 15  "actors/1 lists added actor"         "true"
+check 16  "duplicate add -> already_present"   "ok"
+check 17  "two distinct actors both present"   "true"
+check 18  "next_actor_seq increments"          "3"
+check 19  "publish/3 returns {ok, _, S}"       "ok"
+check 20  "publish/3 isolates per actor"       "true"
+check 21  "publish/3 unknown -> no_actor"      "ok"
+check 22  "independent next_published seqs"    "true"
+check 23  "actor_state/2 per-actor"            "true"
+check 24  "with_actor_projections per-actor"   "true"
+check 25  "legacy new/3 + publish/2 routes"    "true"
+
+TOTAL=$((PASS+FAIL))
+if [ $FAIL -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "ok $PASS/$TOTAL next/tests/nx_kernel_multi.sh passed"
+else
+  echo "FAIL $PASS/$TOTAL passed, $FAIL failed:"
+  echo "$ERRORS"
+fi
+[ $FAIL -eq 0 ]

plans/fed-sx-milestone-2.md

@@ -115,36 +115,31 @@ actors.
 
 **Deliverables:**
 
-```erlang
-%% nx_kernel state shape becomes:
-%%   [{actors, [{ActorId, ActorBucket}, ...]},
-%%    {next_actor_seq, NextN}]
-%%
-%% ActorBucket = [{key_spec, KS}, {actor_state, AS},
-%%                {log, LogState}, {projections, [Name]},
-%%                {next_published, NextSeq}]
-
--export([new/0, add_actor/4, has_actor/2,
-         publish/2, publish/3,                  %% /2 = first actor only
-         actor_log_tip/2, actor_state/2, ...]).
-
-new() -> [{actors, []}, {next_actor_seq, 1}].
-add_actor(ActorId, KeySpec, AS, State) -> {ok, NewState}.
-publish(ActorId, Request, State) -> ...   %% per-actor
-```
-
-`bootstrap:start/3` continues to work — it adds one actor named `alice`
-to a fresh kernel — preserving every M1 test that uses the
-single-actor entry point.
-
-**Tests:**
-
-- New kernel has no actors.
-- add_actor + has_actor round-trip.
-- Two actors maintain independent logs + sequences.
-- publish/3 advances only the named actor's bucket.
-- Concurrent gen_server-mediated publishes for different actors don't
-  serialise.
+- [x] **1a** — Pure-functional bucket APIs. State shape becomes
+  `[{actors, [{ActorId, ActorBucket}, ...]}, {next_actor_seq, N}]`
+  with `ActorBucket = [{key_spec, KS}, {actor_state, AS}, {log, L},
+  {projections, [Name]}, {next_published, N}]`. New exports: `new/0`,
+  `add_actor/4`, `has_actor/2`, `actors/1`, `actor_count/1`,
+  `next_actor_seq/1`, `actor_bucket/2`, `publish/3`, per-actor
+  accessors (`actor_log_state/2`, `actor_log_tip/2`, `actor_key_spec/2`,
+  `actor_state/2`, `actor_projections/2`, `actor_next_published/2`),
+  `with_actor_projections/3`. Legacy single-actor accessors
+  (`actor_id/1`, `key_spec/1`, `actor_state/1`, `log_state/1`,
+  `log_tip/1`, `projections/1`, `next_published/1`,
+  `with_projections/2`, legacy `publish/2`) continue to read from the
+  first bucket — every M1 test passes via `bootstrap:start/3` →
+  `new/3` → first-bucket lookup. `lists:keymember`/`keyfind` not in
+  the substrate; local `has_keyed`/`find_keyed`/`set_keyed`/
+  `set_bucket` helpers handle the keyed-list ops.
+  `next/tests/nx_kernel_multi.sh` 17/17.
+- [ ] **1b** — Multi-actor gen_server. `start_link/3` still works as
+  the single-actor entry; add `add_actor/3` (gen_server call,
+  bumps bucket), `publish_to/2(ActorId, Request)`, `log_tip_for/1`,
+  `actors/0`, `state_for/1`, `with_projections_for/2`. Existing
+  `publish/1`/`log_tip/0`/etc route through bucket-0 unchanged.
+  Concurrent publishes to distinct actors don't serialise across the
+  mailbox (multiple casts queued before each is processed). New tests
+  extend `nx_kernel_multi.sh` with 6-8 gen_server-mediated cases.
 
 **Acceptance:** `bash next/tests/nx_kernel_multi.sh` passes 12+ cases.
 
@@ -650,3 +645,48 @@ Things still under-specified; resolve as work begins.
    via /inbox, does A keep B's signed envelope verbatim (for re-broadcast
    on Announce), or does A re-construct + re-sign with A's own key?
    AP-canon: keep verbatim. Confirm at Step 5.
+
+---
+
+## Blockers
+
+Pre-existing regressions inherited from the M1 closeout. Out of m2
+scope (substrate, not `next/**`), tracked here so iteration can
+proceed.
+
+1. **`next/tests/http_server_tcp.sh` 0/5** — pre-existing regression
+   introduced by `78eae9ef` (`fed-sx-m1: 8b-bridge cleanup`).
+   `lib/erlang/runtime.sx:1593` still references `er-http-resp-to-sx`
+   and `er-http-req-of-sx` in `er-bif-http-listen`'s sx-handler body,
+   but the cleanup commit removed both helpers without rewriting the
+   BIF. Listener binds (TCP socket accepts), but every request handler
+   crashes on first call to the undefined helpers — curl gets 000 /
+   empty body. Fix needs to rewrite the sx-handler body around the
+   live `er-request-dict-to-proplist` / `er-proplist-to-dict`
+   helpers (which the cleanup commit's message claimed are already
+   in use, but which the BIF body never picked up). Substrate work,
+   belongs on `loops/erlang`. m2 work continues against the in-process
+   HTTP layer (`http_marshal.sh` 10/10, `http_publish_fold.sh` 10/10)
+   until resolved. Confirmed pre-existing by stashing 1a's changes and
+   re-running on the unmodified m1 closeout HEAD.
+
+---
+
+## Progress log
+
+Newest first.
+
+- **2026-06-06** — Step 1a: per-actor bucket refactor of `nx_kernel`.
+  State shape now `[{actors, [{Id, Bucket}, …]}, {next_actor_seq, N}]`;
+  added pure-functional multi-actor APIs (`new/0`, `add_actor/4`,
+  `has_actor/2`, `actors/1`, `publish/3`, per-actor accessors,
+  `with_actor_projections/3`). Legacy single-actor accessors
+  preserved as bucket-0 lookups so every M1 test continues to
+  pass via `bootstrap:start/3` → `new/3` → first-bucket read.
+  Local `has_keyed`/`find_keyed`/`set_keyed`/`set_bucket` helpers
+  cover the keyed-list ops since `lists:keymember`/`keyfind` aren't
+  registered in this substrate. New test suite
+  `next/tests/nx_kernel_multi.sh` 17/17; all M1 nx_kernel-adjacent
+  suites green (`bootstrap_start`, `nx_kernel_server`, `http_publish`,
+  `smoke_app_pure`, `http_post_format`, `http_publish_fold`,
+  `http_marshal`). Erlang conformance 761/761 preserved.