MCP: preserve EC2 runtime and publisher identity

README.md

@@ -157,10 +157,12 @@ when set (otherwise `~/.codex` / `~/.claude`). MCP responses default to the
 `mcp_safe` redaction profile. Upload redaction defaults to `off`, preserving raw
 events as the rebuildable source of truth; opt in with `init
 --upload-redaction standard`. A repository allowlist is enforced before upload
-and during import. Unknown sessions fail closed. Changing upload redaction or
-the repository allowlist after offsets advance requires a new bucket prefix or
-an intentional ledger reset, because already-uploaded chunks are immutable and
-filtered history cannot be backfilled from an advanced cursor.
+and during import. An explicitly allowed local-only repository is resolved from
+its working-directory path even when it intentionally has no Git remote.
+Unknown sessions fail closed. Changing upload redaction or the repository
+allowlist after offsets advance requires a new bucket prefix or an intentional
+ledger reset, because already-uploaded chunks are immutable and filtered
+history cannot be backfilled from an advanced cursor.
 
 On a systemd-based EC2 developer VM, enable lingering once so the per-user
 tracker starts at boot without an SSH login, then run `init` normally:
@@ -169,11 +171,16 @@ tracker starts at boot without an SSH login, then run `init` normally:
 sudo loginctl enable-linger "$USER"
 ```
 
+The installed service runs from `$HOME`; its config, cursors, corpus, upload
+ledger, and log therefore stay under exactly one `$HOME/.synty/` directory.
+
 The bucket is the durable shared backplane; an S3 deployment may optionally add
 Glue catalog metadata and a bounded Athena workgroup for remote trace queries.
 There is still no migration, crawler, build server, or coordination service.
 Each machine writes a stable `edge-<machine>-<source>` stream, so
-writers do not overwrite one another. Local readers and builders pull every
+writers do not overwrite one another. `init` persists the resolved machine id
+and writes that same id into the login-time tracker, activation marker, and
+stream names. Local readers and builders pull every
 stream plus the latest published read-model. MCP-only readers pull the semantic
 index and compact analysis projection. With `--athena-workgroup`, their trace
 tools query time/stream-pruned raw event rows directly and do not download

docs/design.md

@@ -328,7 +328,9 @@ the watcher. `--capture-since` persists an absolute event boundary and
 `--upload-interval` sets the network batching cadence. Optional `--campaign` /
 `--role` persist campaign stamps used by later track/import runs.
 `--capture-repo`, `--upload-redaction`, and `--mcp-redaction` persist the
-corresponding privacy policy. A systemd
+corresponding privacy policy. The resolved `--machine` identity is persisted
+and reused by autostart, so activation and event streams cannot silently fall
+back to `local`. A systemd
 user service starts at boot on a headless developer VM when the administrator
 enables lingering for that user (`loginctl enable-linger`).
 The state shows on `status` and the TUI footer (`◐ local`, accent → `✓

src/config.rs

@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ pub struct Config {
     /// defaults to it; an explicit --bucket flag still wins.
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub bucket: Option<String>,
+    /// Resolved machine id used by the login-time tracker. Persisting it keeps
+    /// the autostart unit aligned with the activation marker and stream names.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub machine: Option<String>,
     /// Named AWS shared-config profile used by the S3 credential chain. For an
     /// unattended workstation this should use credential_process (including
     /// IAM Roles Anywhere); ordinary shared credentials also work. Empty means
@@ -171,14 +175,25 @@ pub fn captured_at(ts: &str, cutoff_ms: Option<i64>) -> bool {
 }
 
 pub fn load() -> Config {
-    std::fs::read_to_string(PATH).ok().and_then(|s| serde_json::from_str(&s).ok()).unwrap_or_default()
+    load_from(Path::new(PATH))
 }
 
 pub fn save(c: &Config) -> Result<()> {
-    if let Some(dir) = Path::new(PATH).parent() {
+    save_to(Path::new(PATH), c)
+}
+
+fn load_from(path: &Path) -> Config {
+    std::fs::read_to_string(path).ok().and_then(|s| serde_json::from_str(&s).ok()).unwrap_or_default()
+}
+
+fn save_to(path: &Path, c: &Config) -> Result<()> {
+    if let Some(dir) = path.parent() {
         std::fs::create_dir_all(dir)?;
     }
-    crate::write_atomic(PATH, serde_json::to_string_pretty(c)?.as_bytes())?;
+    let path = path
+        .to_str()
+        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("config path must be valid UTF-8"))?;
+    crate::write_atomic(path, serde_json::to_string_pretty(c)?.as_bytes())?;
     Ok(())
 }
 
@@ -202,4 +217,28 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(captured_at("2026-07-21T00:00:00Z", Some(cutoff)));
         assert!(captured_at("future-envelope-time", Some(cutoff)));
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn machine_identity_roundtrips_and_legacy_config_defaults_to_none() {
+        let root = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!(
+            "synty-machine-config-{}",
+            std::process::id()
+        ));
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&root);
+        let path = root.join("config.json");
+        let configured = Config {
+            machine: Some("sie-dev-cuda-rust".into()),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+
+        save_to(&path, &configured).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            load_from(&path).machine.as_deref(),
+            Some("sie-dev-cuda-rust")
+        );
+
+        std::fs::write(&path, r#"{"bucket":"s3://team"}"#).unwrap();
+        assert!(load_from(&path).machine.is_none());
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&root);
+    }
 }

src/init.rs

@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ pub fn run(opts: Opts) -> Result<()> {
         no_build,
         no_autostart,
     } = opts;
+    let machine = identity::resolve_machine(&machine);
     let mut cfg = config::load();
 
     // 1. Bucket: setting it is the local→bucket switch; absent → stay local
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ pub fn run(opts: Opts) -> Result<()> {
     if let Some(role) = role.filter(|value| !value.is_empty()) {
         cfg.campaign_role = Some(role);
     }
+    cfg.machine = Some(machine.clone());
 
     // 2. GitHub identity — best-effort, no prompts. With a token, pin the login
     //    (so sessions merge with the person's PRs) and default the backfill org
@@ -114,7 +116,7 @@ pub fn run(opts: Opts) -> Result<()> {
     if no_autostart {
         eprintln!("init: autostart skipped — run `synty track --watch` under your supervisor");
     } else {
-        track::autostart_set(true).context(
+        track::autostart_set_for_machine(true, Some(&machine)).context(
             "enable login-time tracker (configuration was saved, but initialization is not complete)",
         )?;
         eprintln!("init: login-time tracker enabled");
@@ -165,4 +167,15 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(root.join("members/dev-b/activation.json").is_file());
         let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&root);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn explicit_machine_is_resolved_once_for_activation_and_tracking() {
+        let requested = "runner/7";
+        let resolved = identity::resolve_machine(requested);
+        assert_eq!(resolved, "runner-7");
+        assert_eq!(
+            track::autostart_machine(Some(&resolved), Some("stale-machine")),
+            "runner-7"
+        );
+    }
 }

src/main.rs

@@ -696,9 +696,9 @@ enum TraceCmd {
 
 /// Run from the synty home: an explicit $SYNTY_HOME wins; a cwd that already
 /// holds synty state (.synty/) is its own home (the dev-checkout case); else
-/// fall back to ~/.synty when the installer created it. Every state path in
-/// the binary is home-relative, so this one chdir makes `synty tui` work from
-/// any directory.
+/// fall back to $HOME when the installer created ~/.synty. Every state path in
+/// the binary already includes `.synty/`, so this one chdir makes `synty tui`
+/// work from any directory without nesting the state directory.
 fn resolve_home() {
     if let Ok(h) = std::env::var("SYNTY_HOME") {
         if let Err(e) = std::env::set_current_dir(&h) {
@@ -711,8 +711,9 @@ fn resolve_home() {
     }
     if let Ok(home) = std::env::var("HOME") {
         let d = std::path::Path::new(&home).join(".synty");
-        if d.is_dir() && std::env::set_current_dir(&d).is_ok() {
-            eprintln!("synty: home {}", d.display());
+        let workdir = track::installed_workdir(std::path::Path::new(&home));
+        if d.is_dir() && std::env::set_current_dir(&workdir).is_ok() {
+            eprintln!("synty: home {}", workdir.display());
         }
     }
 }

src/mcp.rs

@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ pub(crate) struct Server {
     scope: crate::policy::ReadScope,
     redaction: crate::redact::Profile,
     allow_repo_paths: bool,
+    bucket: Option<String>,
     trace: TraceBackend,
     /// The build the engine serves + encoder + index — loaded on the first
     /// search call, kept warm, reopened when the pointer moves.
@@ -216,6 +217,7 @@ impl Server {
             scope,
             redaction,
             allow_repo_paths,
+            bucket,
             trace,
             engine: None,
         }
@@ -264,7 +266,9 @@ impl Server {
             "synty_related" => self.related(a),
             "synty_topics" => topics_text(a, &self.scope),
             "synty_recent" => recent_text(a, &self.scope),
-            "synty_status" => view::status().map(|s| view::status_md(&s)),
+            "synty_status" => {
+                view::status_for_bucket(self.bucket.as_deref()).map(|s| view::status_md(&s))
+            }
             "synty_stats" => view::stats(bounded_positive(a, "weeks", 4, 52)).map(|s| view::stats_md(&s)),
             "synty_tool" => {
                 let name = a["name"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
@@ -753,6 +757,30 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(called["error"]["message"].as_str().unwrap().contains("restricted"));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn status_reports_the_server_bucket_without_local_config() {
+        let mut server = Server::new(
+            "m".into(),
+            crate::policy::McpRole::Operator,
+            crate::policy::ReadScope::default(),
+            crate::redact::Profile::Off,
+            true,
+            Some("s3://team-synty".into()),
+            None,
+        );
+        let response = server
+            .handle(&json!({"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call",
+                "params":{"name":"synty_status","arguments":{}}}))
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(response["result"]["isError"], false);
+        assert!(
+            response["result"]["content"][0]["text"]
+                .as_str()
+                .unwrap()
+                .contains("✓ on the team — s3://team-synty")
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn remote_related_schema_requires_context_and_hides_server_paths() {
         let tools = tool_defs(

src/sync.rs

@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ fn push_events_scoped(
     let profile = crate::config::upload_redaction();
     let config = crate::config::load();
     let capture_repos = config.capture_repos;
-    let known_repos: std::collections::HashSet<String> = config.repos.into_iter().collect();
+    let known_repos = upload_known_repos(config.repos, &capture_repos);
     let profile_name = profile.as_str();
     ensure_upload_policy_compatible(
         &state,
@@ -398,6 +398,19 @@ fn push_events_scoped(
     Ok(n)
 }
 
+/// Repository names that can be resolved without consulting a checkout's Git
+/// remote. Explicit upload policy is part of this set: local-only repositories
+/// have no remote by design, but their cwd still identifies them unambiguously.
+fn upload_known_repos(
+    configured: Vec<String>,
+    capture_repos: &[String],
+) -> std::collections::HashSet<String> {
+    configured
+        .into_iter()
+        .chain(capture_repos.iter().cloned())
+        .collect()
+}
+
 fn ensure_upload_policy_compatible(
     state: &UploadState,
     bucket_uri: &str,
@@ -1139,6 +1152,28 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!filtered.contains("not-json"));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn explicitly_allowed_local_repo_resolves_without_a_git_remote() {
+        let capture_repos = vec!["sie-harness".to_string()];
+        let known_repos = upload_known_repos(Vec::new(), &capture_repos);
+        let raw = concat!(
+            r#"{"session_id":"local","kind":"session_start","payload":{"cwd":"/mnt/cache/workspaces/sie-harness"}}"#,
+            "\n",
+            r#"{"session_id":"other","kind":"session_start","payload":{"cwd":"/mnt/cache/workspaces/unlisted-local"}}"#,
+            "\n",
+        );
+        let mut allowed = BTreeSet::new();
+
+        update_allowed_sessions(
+            raw.as_bytes(),
+            &capture_repos,
+            &known_repos,
+            &mut allowed,
+        );
+
+        assert_eq!(allowed, BTreeSet::from(["local".to_string()]));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn upload_redaction_removes_bearer_tokens_while_off_is_lossless() {
         let raw = concat!(

src/trace_athena.rs

@@ -1137,22 +1137,29 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn raw_athena_rows_reconstruct_the_existing_span_surface() {
+        let started = Utc::now() - Duration::minutes(2);
+        let called = started + Duration::seconds(1);
+        let completed = started + Duration::seconds(3);
+        let day = started.format("%Y-%m-%d").to_string();
+        let started = started.to_rfc3339();
+        let called = called.to_rfc3339();
+        let completed = completed.to_rfc3339();
         let lines = vec![
             event(
                 "start",
-                "2026-07-22T10:00:00Z",
+                &started,
                 "session_start",
                 json!({"cwd":"/work/synty"}),
             ),
             event(
                 "call-1",
-                "2026-07-22T10:00:01Z",
+                &called,
                 "tool_call",
                 json!({"name":"exec_command","call_id":"c1","arguments":"{\"cmd\":\"cargo test\"}"}),
             ),
             event(
                 "result-1",
-                "2026-07-22T10:00:03Z",
+                &completed,
                 "tool_result",
                 json!({"call_id":"c1","output":"Process exited with code 0"}),
             ),
@@ -1172,7 +1179,7 @@ mod tests {
                 calls: Arc::clone(&calls),
             }),
             streams: Some(vec!["edge-m-codex".into()]),
-            days: Some(vec!["2026-07-22".into()]),
+            days: Some(vec![day]),
             cached: None,
         };
         let out = backend
@@ -1184,7 +1191,7 @@ mod tests {
                 None,
                 None,
                 false,
-                Some("2026-07-22T10:00:00Z"),
+                Some(&started),
                 None,
                 "recent",
                 20,