You are a constitutional council ranking individual git commits for ownership allocation.

Compare these two commits. Decide which contributed more lasting value to the project.

Judge substance, not spectacle:
- Prefer correct, lasting design and real bugfixes over churn, formatting, renames, or generated noise.
- Prefer clarity and necessity over sheer line count. A small precise change can beat a large diffuse one.
- Do not favor a side merely because its patch is longer or noisier.
- Weight what the change does for the project, not the contributor's name.

Return ONLY a JSON object: {"winner": "A" or "B", "ratio": "N:M", "explanation": "..."}
The explanation must cite concrete differences in the patches (1-3 sentences).

Side A — contributor: tommy-mor
Side A — commit message:
[30a67104] fixes

Side A — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/agents.md b/agents.md
index a6a283716e09fcaba1fd690f4e877e0bbecda2c0..d9a924d2f77c444d9b112bbf37a480b963ace4f0 100644
--- a/agents.md
+++ b/agents.md
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ Strict **CSP** that blocks `eval` would break the current app. Other projects ma
 
 - **`VoteComparePost`:** On success returns **`text/javascript`** that **morphs** **`#vote-compare-preview`** (new ingest card) and **`#vote-edge-history-region`** (recomputed edge list). Uses **`RpcResult::PostOk`**’s **`post_id`** / **`post_index`** for the card. **`__rpc__`** carries **`form_action: "/ui"`**; **`thread_tag`** and ratio fields come from the same form as **`$form`** holes.
 
-- **Garden pin / compare voting:** Cookie **`slug_garden_pin`** via **`set_garden_pin`**. Pairwise UI: **`GET /vote/compare?…`** / **`GET /r/:room_key/vote/compare?…`**. HUD: **`#slug-pin-hud`** when **`layout`** passes garden metadata on **`body`**.
+- **Garden pin / compare voting:** Cookie **`slug_garden_pin`** via **`set_garden_pin`**. Pairwise UI: **`GET /vote/compare?…`** / **`GET /r/:room_key/vote/compare?…`**. HUD: **`#slug-pin-hud`** when **`layout`** passes garden metadata on **`body`**; the label is **`POST /ui`** **`set_garden_pin`** **`clear:true`** (**`slug_ui.js`**), not a permalink to the item.
 
 **Rule of thumb:** New **CLI or API** verbs → `RpcCommand`. New **in-page morph or form-driven** behavior that only makes sense in the browser → `HtmlUiAction`. If both need the same operation, implement the real work once (e.g. call shared RPC helpers from `post_ui_html`) and keep the wire shapes separate.
 
diff --git a/server/src/html/garden.rs b/server/src/html/garden.rs
index 8a46b1e92d38f2c390f88d48750d95d11388cd73..121d9498e8cb93d4d001dc1bbce23d74fbb958f5 100644
--- a/server/src/html/garden.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/garden.rs
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ use crate::{
     canonical_path::{canonicalize_item, canonicalize_tag},
     form_template::template_json_compact,
     html::{
-        forum::ingest_entry_markup,
         ui_action::UI_RPC_FIELD,
         user_can_post_room,
         JsBuilder,
@@ -111,6 +110,23 @@ fn votes_for_edge(content: &ContentState, a: &ItemId, b: &ItemId) -> Vec<crate::
     out
 }
 
+/// Number of vote ingests recorded for this unordered pair in `content` (same scope as ranking).
+fn edge_vote_count_for_pair(content: &ContentState, a: &ItemId, b: &ItemId) -> usize {
+    let (lo, hi) = canonical_edge_items(a, b);
+    let lo_s = lo.as_str();
+    let hi_s = hi.as_str();
+    content
+        .item_votes
+        .get(&lo)
+        .into_iter()
+        .flat_map(|q| q.iter())
+        .filter(|v| {
+            (v.a.as_str() == lo_s && v.b.as_str() == hi_s)
+                || (v.a.as_str() == hi_s && v.b.as_str() == lo_s)
+        })
+        .count()
+}
+
 fn vote_thread_tags_for_pair(content: &ContentState, a: &ItemId, b: &ItemId) -> Vec<String> {
     let set: HashSet<String> = content
         .item_threads
@@ -288,6 +304,7 @@ fn child_row_pin_or_vote(
     nav: &ThreadNav,
     row_item: &ItemId,
     pinned_room_and_item: Option<&(String, ItemId)>,
+    scope_content: &ContentState,
     next_path: &str,
 ) -> maud::Markup {
     let pin_matches_scope = pinned_room_and_item
@@ -315,7 +332,16 @@ fn child_row_pin_or_vote(
                 @if pi == row_item {
                     span class="ont-garden-pinned-here" title="Pinned" aria-label="Pinned" { "📌" }
                 } @else {
-                    a class="ont-garden-vote-ico" href=(vote_compare_href(nav, pi, row_item, None)) title="Vote vs pinned" aria-label="Vote" { "⚖" }
+                    @let nv = edge_vote_count_for_pair(scope_content, pi, row_item);
+                    @let tip = format!(
+                        "Compare and vote — {nv} pairwise vote{} in this scope for pinned vs this row",
+                        if nv == 1 { "" } else { "s" },
+                    );
+                    @let aria = format!("Vote; {} pairwise {}", nv, if nv == 1 { "vote" } else { "votes" });
+                    a class="ont-garden-vote-ico" href=(vote_compare_href(nav, pi, row_item, None)) title=(tip) aria-label=(aria) {
+                        span class="ont-garden-vote-glyph" aria-hidden="true" { "⚖" }
+                        span class="ont-garden-vote-count" { (format!("{}", nv)) }
+                    }
                 }
             } @else {
                 form method="POST" action="/ui" data-navigate="full" class="ont-pin-form ont-garden-pin-form" {
@@ -978,10 +1004,9 @@ async fn render_scope_view(
 ) -> axum::response::Response {
     let scope = nav.scope();
     let pin_ref = pinned_item_from_jar(&jar);
-    let model = {
-        let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
-        build_item_page_view_model(&reduced, &scope, browse.item())
-    };
+    let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
+    let model = build_item_page_view_model(&reduced, &scope, browse.item());
+    let scope_content = content_for_garden_view(&reduced, &scope);
     let thread_href = |tag: &str| nav.thread_url(tag);
     let external_empty_body = browse.is_external() && model.body.is_none();
     let cli_path_arg = item_display_path(&model.item);
@@ -1108,7 +1133,7 @@ async fn render_scope_view(
                                     @let item_url = item_href(r.item.as_str(), &nav);
                                     @let score_str = format!("{:.3}", r.score);
                                     li data-garden-item=(r.item.as_str()) {
-                                        (child_row_pin_or_vote(&nav, &r.item, pin_ref.as_ref(), &next_for_pin))
+                                        (child_row_pin_or_vote(&nav, &r.item, pin_ref.as_ref(), scope_content, &next_for_pin))
                                         a class="item-link" href=(item_url) { code { (item_display_path(r.item.as_str())) } }
                                         span class="ont-rank-score" { (score_str) }
                                     }
@@ -1124,7 +1149,7 @@ async fn render_scope_view(
                         ul class="ont-group-list" {
                             @for name in &model.child_rankings.unranked_items {
                                 li data-garden-item=(name.as_str()) {
-                                    (child_row_pin_or_vote(&nav, name, pin_ref.as_ref(), &next_for_pin))
+                                    (child_row_pin_or_vote(&nav, name, pin_ref.as_ref(), scope_content, &next_for_pin))
                                     @let href = item_href(name.as_str(), &nav);
                                     a class="item-link" href=(href) { code { (item_display_path(name.as_str())) } }
                                 }
@@ -1363,6 +1388,33 @@ mod tests {
         }));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn edge_vote_count_for_pair_matches_votes_for_edge_len() {
+        use super::{
+            content_for_garden_view, edge_vote_count_for_pair, votes_for_edge,
+        };
+        use crate::path_types::ItemId;
+        let mut reduced = ReducerState::default();
+        apply_ingest(
+            &mut reduced,
+            1,
+            "@00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000:test:local/test\n\
+             ~/topic {root}\n\
+             ~/topic/a {alpha}\n\
+             ~/topic/b {beta}\n\
+             ~/topic/a 3:2 ~/topic/b {first vote}\n\
+             ~/topic/b 2:3 ~/topic/a {second vote}\n",
+        );
+        let content = content_for_garden_view(&reduced, &ScopeId::Public);
+        let a = ItemId::parse("~/topic/a").unwrap().normalized_storage();
+        let b = ItemId::parse("~/topic/b").unwrap().normalized_storage();
+        assert_eq!(
+            edge_vote_count_for_pair(content, &a, &b),
+            votes_for_edge(content, &a, &b).len()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(votes_for_edge(content, &a, &b).len(), 2);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn item_page_model_includes_body_and_unranked_without_votes() {
         let mut reduced = ReducerState::default();
diff --git a/server/static/slug_ui.js b/server/static/slug_ui.js
index c0de1cddbba78227dfb80bfd41e7b855b3a42bc3..86f935f8dd998f3d6df016f33b1e47f9780782ea 100644
--- a/server/static/slug_ui.js
+++ b/server/static/slug_ui.js
@@ -170,15 +170,6 @@
       return { room: raw.slice(0, i), item: raw.slice(i + 1) };
     }
 
-    function gardenItemHref(prefix, storageUrl) {
-      var marker = 'https://slug.social/~/';
-      if (storageUrl.indexOf(marker) === 0) {
-        var tail = storageUrl.slice(marker.length);
-        return prefix.replace(/\/$/, '') + (tail ? '/' + tail : '');
-      }
-      return storageUrl;
-    }
-
     function refreshPinHud() {
       var hud = document.getElementById('slug-pin-hud');
       if (!hud) return;
@@ -187,19 +178,37 @@
       var pin = decodePinCookie();
       hud.innerHTML = '';
       if (!pin || !prefix || pin.room !== bodyRoom) return;
-      var a = document.createElement('a');
-      a.className = 'slug-pin-hud-link';
-      a.href = gardenItemHref(prefix, pin.item);
-      a.title = 'Pinned item';
+      var form = document.createElement('form');
+      form.method = 'POST';
+      form.action = '/ui';
+      form.setAttribute('data-navigate', 'full');
+      form.className = 'slug-pin-hud-form';
+      var rpc = document.createElement('input');
+      rpc.type = 'hidden';
+      rpc.name = '__rpc__';
+      rpc.value = JSON.stringify({
+        action: 'set_garden_pin',
+        clear: true,
+        room_wire: '',
+        next: window.location.pathname + window.location.search,
+        form_action: '/ui',
+      });
+      form.appendChild(rpc);
+      var btn = document.createElement('button');
+      btn.type = 'submit';
+      btn.className = 'slug-pin-hud-link slug-pin-hud-unpin-btn';
+      btn.title = 'Unpin — removes this item from the corner HUD';
+      btn.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Unpin pinned item');
       var span = document.createElement('span');
       span.className = 'slug-pin-hud-glyph';
       span.setAttribute('aria-hidden', 'true');
       span.textContent = '📌';
-      a.appendChild(span);
+      btn.appendChild(span);
       var label = pin.item.replace(/^https:\/\/slug\.social\/~\/?/, '~/');
       if (label.length > 36) label = label.slice(0, 34) + '…';
-      a.appendChild(document.createTextNode(' ' + label));
-      hud.appendChild(a);
+      btn.appendChild(document.createTextNode(' ' + label));
+      form.appendChild(btn);
+      hud.appendChild(form);
     }
     refreshPinHud();
 
diff --git a/server/static/theme_default.css b/server/static/theme_default.css
index ec0fbe7acee0aa2802f978f14a9b0fc86e78c5b8..9178f0629cfb868348740e6dea1626dc6afb8345 100644
--- a/server/static/theme_default.css
+++ b/server/static/theme_default.css
@@ -799,6 +799,12 @@ details > summary::-webkit-details-marker { display: none; }
 }
 
 /* Pinned item HUD — bottom bar, same plane as spread */
+.slug-pin-hud-form {
+  display: inline;
+  margin: 0;
+  padding: 0;
+  border: none;
+}
 #slug-pin-hud.slug-pin-hud {
   margin-left: auto;
   max-width: min(42vw, 280px);
@@ -808,6 +814,13 @@ details > summary::-webkit-details-marker { display: none; }
   overflow: hidden;
   text-overflow: ellipsis;
 }
+.slug-pin-hud-link.slug-pin-hud-unpin-btn {
+  background: transparent;
+  border: none;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  font-size: inherit;
+  font-family: inherit;
+}
 .slug-pin-hud-link {
   color: var(--ui);
   text-decoration: none;
@@ -815,7 +828,10 @@ details > summary::-webkit-details-marker { display: none; }
   align-items: center;
   gap: 4px;
 }
-.slug-pin-hud-link:hover { color: var(--signal); }
+.slug-pin-hud-link:hover,
+.slug-pin-hud-unpin-btn:hover {
+  color: var(--signal);
+}
 .slug-pin-hud-glyph { font-size: 13px; line-height: 1; }
 
 /* Garden pin / vote controls */
@@ -890,10 +906,21 @@ span.ont-garden-pinned-here {
   align-items: center;
   justify-content: center;
 }
+a.ont-garden-vote-ico {
+  gap: 4px;
+}
 a.ont-garden-vote-ico:hover {
   color: var(--signal);
   background: var(--g4);
 }
+.ont-garden-vote-count {
+  font-size: 10px;
+  font-weight: 700;
+  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+}
+span.ont-garden-vote-glyph {
+  line-height: 1;
+}
 span.ont-garden-pinned-here {
   border-color: var(--link);
   color: var(--signal);
diff --git a/server/static/theme_retro_craft.css b/server/static/theme_retro_craft.css
index 092d4b3540b052cc86870179e4c264541c4446cc..efaeed06d01fd835df0621f4c621c8f034c8b536 100644
--- a/server/static/theme_retro_craft.css
+++ b/server/static/theme_retro_craft.css
@@ -593,6 +593,12 @@ body.view-ontology #controls {
    (Global craft `code` + `button[type=submit]` are tuned for dark
    thread pages; these overrides match the cream ontology shell.)
    ---------------------------------------------------------------- */
+body.view-ontology .slug-pin-hud-form {
+  display: inline;
+  margin: 0;
+  padding: 0;
+  border: none;
+}
 body.view-ontology #slug-pin-hud.slug-pin-hud {
   margin-left: auto;
   max-width: min(42vw, 280px);
@@ -603,6 +609,14 @@ body.view-ontology #slug-pin-hud.slug-pin-hud {
   overflow: hidden;
   text-overflow: ellipsis;
 }
+body.view-ontology .slug-pin-hud-link.slug-pin-hud-unpin-btn {
+  background: transparent;
+  border: none;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  font-size: inherit;
+  font-family: inherit;
+  padding: 0;
+}
 body.view-ontology .slug-pin-hud-link {
   color: #1a4a8c;
   text-decoration: none;
@@ -610,7 +624,8 @@ body.view-ontology .slug-pin-hud-link {
   align-items: center;
   gap: 0.25rem;
 }
-body.view-ontology .slug-pin-hud-link:hover {
+body.view-ontology .slug-pin-hud-link:hover,
+body.view-ontology .slug-pin-hud-unpin-btn:hover {
   color: #0d3d82;
   text-decoration: underline;
 }
@@ -676,6 +691,20 @@ body.view-ontology .ont-garden-child-actions {
   gap: 0.1rem;
 }
 body.view-ontology button.ont-garden-pin-ico,
+body.view-ontology a.ont-garden-vote-ico {
+  gap: 0.2rem;
+}
+body.view-ontology .ont-garden-vote-count {
+  font-size: 0.65rem;
+  font-family: var(--font-ui);
+  font-weight: 600;
+  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+  opacity: 0.92;
+}
+body.view-ontology span.ont-garden-vote-glyph {
+  line-height: 1;
+}
+body.view-ontology button.ont-garden-pin-ico,
 body.view-ontology a.ont-garden-vote-ico,
 body.view-ontology span.ont-garden-pinned-here {
   font-size: 0.95rem;
diff --git a/test/browser_garden_pin.clj b/test/browser_garden_pin.clj
index 169ff9b6913049094611fb0e5b6683b30220b285..98c086d5647207f3ac72dbb9cbc13488c030eef1 100644
--- a/test/browser_garden_pin.clj
+++ b/test/browser_garden_pin.clj
@@ -21,6 +21,17 @@
             (do (Thread/sleep 200) (recur))
             false))))))
 
+(defn- wait-for-absence-substr [pg selector substr timeout-ms]
+  "True once selector text does not contain substr (or is empty), or timeout."
+  (let [deadline (+ (System/currentTimeMillis) timeout-ms)]
+    (loop []
+      (let [text (locator/text-content (page/locator pg selector))]
+        (if (not (and (string? text) (str/includes? text substr)))
+          true
+          (if (< (System/currentTimeMillis) deadline)
+            (do (Thread/sleep 200) (recur))
+            false))))))
+
 (defn garden-pin-flow! []
   (println "\n━━━ browser garden pin (POST /ui set_garden_pin + HUD + vote link) ━━━\n")
 
@@ -75,8 +86,14 @@
                (is (wait-for-text pg ".ont-item-shell" "~/gp-pin-b" 15000) "on item b page")
                (is (wait-for-text pg "a.ont-vote-compare-btn" "vote" 10000)
                    "vote link visible vs pinned item")
+               ;; HUD clears pin (POST set_garden_pin clear), not navigate to item
+               (locator/click (page/locator pg "#slug-pin-hud button.slug-pin-hud-unpin-btn"))
+               (is (wait-for-absence-substr pg "#slug-pin-hud" "gp-pin-a" 15000)
+                   "HUD clears after unpin from HUD button")
+               (is (wait-for-absence-substr pg "body" "ont-vote-compare-btn" 15000)
+                   "compare vote CTA removed after HUD unpin on same reload")
                (is (str/includes? (or (page/url pg) "") "/~/gp-pin-b")
-                   "still on item b after vote link check"))))))
+                   "still on item b after HUD unpin"))))))
 
      (finally
        (when-some [s @!server] (common/kill-server s))


Side B — contributor: tommy-mor
Side B — commit message:
[9ecc4e2e] nice

Side B — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/server/src/api/rpc.rs b/server/src/api/rpc.rs
index 5675dcd2e28062acbe3c037b94b77c33adf32474..a18241f3ed7b4a248748fcefc799f9801ca62461 100644
--- a/server/src/api/rpc.rs
+++ b/server/src/api/rpc.rs
@@ -936,7 +936,15 @@ pub async fn handle_rpc_batch(
                 line_ok(RpcResult::ForumThreads(rpc_list_forum_threads(&reduced, &room)))
             }
             RpcCommand::RoomCreate { slug, visibility } => {
-                match verify_bearer_principal(&headers, &*state.reduced.read().await) {
+                // Scope the first read so its guard drops before any nested `read().await` / `write().await`.
+                // A guard from `match verify(..., &*state.reduced.read().await)` would otherwise live for the
+                // whole `match` and deadlock here (tokio::sync::RwLock is not reentrant).
+                let principal = {
+                    let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
+                    verify_bearer_principal(&headers, &*reduced)
+                };
+                match principal {
+                    Err((_, m)) => line_err(m, None),
                     Ok(principal) => {
                         let slug = slug.trim().to_lowercase();
                         if slug.is_empty() || slug.len() > 64 {
@@ -994,7 +1002,6 @@ pub async fn handle_rpc_batch(
                             }
                         }
                     }
-                    Err((_, m)) => line_err(m, None),
                 }
             }
             RpcCommand::RoomGrant {
@@ -1002,17 +1009,28 @@ pub async fn handle_rpc_batch(
                 username,
                 capability,
             } => {
-                match verify_bearer_principal(&headers, &*state.reduced.read().await) {
+                let principal = {
+                    let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
+                    verify_bearer_principal(&headers, &*reduced)
+                };
+                match principal {
                     Err((_, m)) => line_err(m, None),
                     Ok(principal) => {
-                        let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
-                        if !reduced.user_has_cap(&room, &principal, ThreadCapability::Manage) {
+                        let can_manage = {
+                            let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
+                            reduced.user_has_cap(&room, &principal, ThreadCapability::Manage)
+                        };
+                        if !can_manage {
                             line_err("requires Manage capability", None)
                         } else {
                             match parse_username(&username) {
                                 Err(msg) => line_err("invalid username", Some(msg)),
                                 Ok(target) => {
-                                    if !reduced.users_by_provider.values().any(|u| u == &target) {
+                                    let user_exists = {
+                                        let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
+                                        reduced.users_by_provider.values().any(|u| u == &target)
+                                    };
+                                    if !user_exists {
                                         line_err(format!("user @{target} not found"), None)
                                     } else {
                                         match parse_capability(&capability) {
diff --git a/server/tests/integration.rs b/server/tests/integration.rs
index 9162bd5bee84035e3908bfb9c8e201b7878ca339..b930120da09fe7d307f0411b84fb639fb8bd0b15 100644
--- a/server/tests/integration.rs
+++ b/server/tests/integration.rs
@@ -95,6 +95,23 @@ async fn test_healthz() {
     assert_eq!(response.text().await.unwrap(), "ok");
 }
 
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn test_room_create_private_rpc() {
+    let (addr, _tmp, _log, _handle) = create_test_server().await;
+    let client = reqwest::Client::new();
+    let batch = serde_json::json!([{
+        "RoomCreate": { "slug": "secret-project", "visibility": "private" }
+    }]);
+    let body = rpc_batch(&client, addr, Some(&test_bearer()), batch).await;
+    let line = &body["results"][0];
+    assert_eq!(line["ok"], true, "room create: {:?}", line);
+    let room_id = line["result"]["RoomCreated"]["room_id"].as_str().unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        room_id.contains("/secret-project"),
+        "expected room_id to contain slug, got {room_id}"
+    );
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn test_index_page() {
     // HTML routes are offline during the auth-v3 refactor.
diff --git a/test/auth.bb b/test/auth.bb
index 611e04f1806ef81d678a91f499597fe55f691dd7..a67cc1de763434176d2f68e419dd37a8cd328395 100644
--- a/test/auth.bb
+++ b/test/auth.bb
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@
          (assert! (= 200 (:status poll)) "pending-session poll returns 200")
          (let [poll-json (json/parse-string (:body poll) true)]
            (assert! (:complete poll-json) "pending session complete=true")
-           (assert! (= "@bbuser" (:user poll-json)) "poll returns @bbuser")
+           (assert! (= "bbuser" (:user poll-json)) "poll returns stored username bbuser")
            (assert! (clojure.string/starts-with? (:token poll-json) "slug_") "poll returns bearer token")
 
            (println "\nwhoami…")
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@
                                :headers {"Authorization" (str "Bearer " (:token poll-json))})]
              (assert! (= 200 (:status who)) "whoami returns 200")
              (let [who-json (json/parse-string (:body who) true)]
-               (assert! (= "@bbuser" (:user who-json)) "whoami user is @bbuser"))))))
+               (assert! (= "bbuser" (:user who-json)) "whoami user is bbuser (stored form)"))))))
 
      (println "\nCLI: identity start → OAuth → identity poll → whoami…")
      (let [cli-home (str tmp-dir "/cli-home")
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@
                       (str "identity poll exits 0 (stderr: " (:err poll-proc) ")"))
              (let [poll-cli (json/parse-string (:out poll-proc) true)]
                (assert! (= "complete" (:phase poll-cli)) "identity poll --json phase")
-               (assert! (= "@cliuser" (:user poll-cli)) "CLI poll user")
+               (assert! (= "cliuser" (:user poll-cli)) "CLI poll user (stored form)")
                (assert! (clojure.string/starts-with? (:token poll-cli) "slug_") "CLI poll token")
                (let [token-path (str cli-home "/.config/slugsocial/token")]
                  (assert! (fs/exists? token-path) "token written under isolated HOME")
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@
                  (assert! (zero? (:exit who-proc))
                           (str "whoami exits 0 (stderr: " (:err who-proc) ")"))
                  (let [who-cli (json/parse-string (:out who-proc) true)]
-                   (assert! (= "@cliuser" (:user who-cli)) "CLI whoami uses saved token"))))))))
+                   (assert! (= "cliuser" (:user who-cli)) "CLI whoami uses saved token"))))))))
 
      (finally
        (when-some [s @!server] (common/kill-server s))
diff --git a/test/common.bb b/test/common.bb
index ebb16c615a8b40e8830b5d5765d1e935a45538d0..4ed450377cdbb020f5ff164a812dfbbfc23c0f47 100644
--- a/test/common.bb
+++ b/test/common.bb
@@ -78,9 +78,20 @@
 
 (defn start-server
   "Start the slugsocial-server binary with the given env map.
-   Returns the babashka.process map."
-  [server-bin env-map]
-  (p/process [server-bin] {:out :inherit :err :inherit :env env-map}))
+   Returns the babashka.process map.
+
+   When `log-file` (string path) is provided, stdout and stderr are appended there
+   instead of inheriting the parent descriptors. Inheriting shared pipes while the
+   parent blocks on HTTP I/O can fill the pipe buffer and deadlock the server on log writes."
+  ([server-bin env-map]
+   (start-server server-bin env-map nil))
+  ([server-bin env-map log-file]
+   (p/process [server-bin]
+              (if log-file
+                ;; Two string paths (same file): babashka.process can deref the process cleanly.
+                ;; :err :out + ProcessBuilder$Redirect breaks stream copying in deref/kill-server.
+                {:env env-map :out log-file :err log-file}
+                {:out :inherit :err :inherit :env env-map}))))
 
 (defn kill-server
   "Forcibly kill a server process (babashka.process map) and wait for it to exit."
diff --git a/test/grants.bb b/test/grants.bb
index 7066c1f2a57f39a362052f8524206dccf37bb7b1..793ba216f2de76a77eb20a76d08403db07ff411b 100644
--- a/test/grants.bb
+++ b/test/grants.bb
@@ -35,13 +35,14 @@
 (defn- http-client []
   (-> (java.net.http.HttpClient/newBuilder)
       (.followRedirects java.net.http.HttpClient$Redirect/ALWAYS)
+      (.connectTimeout (java.time.Duration/ofSeconds 15))
       (.build)))
 
 (defn- http-get [url & {:keys [headers]}]
   (let [b (java.net.http.HttpRequest/newBuilder (java.net.URI/create url))]
     (doseq [[k v] (or headers {})]
       (.header b k v))
-    (let [req (-> b (.GET) (.build))
+    (let [req (-> b (.timeout (java.time.Duration/ofSeconds 60)) (.GET) (.build))
           resp (.send (http-client) req (java.net.http.HttpResponse$BodyHandlers/ofString))]
       {:status (.statusCode resp) :body (.body resp)})))
 
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@
     (doseq [[k v] (or headers {})]
       (.header b k v))
     (let [req (-> b
+                  (.timeout (java.time.Duration/ofSeconds 60))
                   (.POST (java.net.http.HttpRequest$BodyPublishers/ofString body))
                   (.build))
           resp (.send (http-client) req (java.net.http.HttpResponse$BodyHandlers/ofString))]
@@ -67,6 +69,7 @@
         b (java.net.http.HttpRequest/newBuilder (java.net.URI/create url))]
     (.header b "Content-Type" "application/x-www-form-urlencoded")
     (let [req (-> b
+                  (.timeout (java.time.Duration/ofSeconds 60))
                   (.POST (java.net.http.HttpRequest$BodyPublishers/ofString pairs))
                   (.build))
           resp (.send (http-client) req (java.net.http.HttpResponse$BodyHandlers/ofString))]