Revert the Celery countdown migration — it broke local dev (no worker) — back to threading.Timer

a6ce207 moved the 12s polarity confirm to a Celery task (apply_async countdown).
That requires a running Celery worker to execute it — but local dev runs only
uvicorn (the dev-server skill starts no worker; the original tasks.py docstring
chose threading.Timer precisely "so no separate Celery worker is needed in
development"). So locally the confirm was queued and never ran: the countdown hit
0, no significators saved, and a refresh stayed in SIG_SELECT (no skip to the
table hex). A regression in the core flow.

Restore tasks.py + test_tasks.py to the faaa4ec threading.Timer version (still
in-process, with the {token, deadline} cache + countdown_remaining restore-on-
load intact) and drop the now-unneeded CELERY_BROKER_URL='memory://' test
override.

Kept from a6ce207: the room.js WebSocket auto-reconnect — that is the actual fix
for the dropped-socket delivery bug (the SigSelectSpec bisection proved the
client restarts the numeral fine on re-received events; the failure was delivery,
which a dead socket with no reconnect explains). Celery was a misdiagnosis of an
in-process broadcast that works fine for a single-process dev/staging server.

23 task UTs + CARTE sig ITs green.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/apps/epic/static/apps/epic/room.js

@@ -117,17 +117,39 @@
     // multi-seat owner never receives the other polarity's countdown.
     const seatParam = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get('seat');
     const wsSeat = seatParam ? `?seat=${encodeURIComponent(seatParam)}` : '';
-    const ws = new WebSocket(`${wsScheme}://${window.location.host}/ws/room/${roomId}/${wsSeat}`);
+    const wsUrl = `${wsScheme}://${window.location.host}/ws/room/${roomId}/${wsSeat}`;
-    window._roomSocket = ws;  // exposed for sig-select.js hover broadcast
 
-    ws.onmessage = function (event) {
+    // Auto-reconnect with capped exponential backoff. A dropped socket (proxy
-        const data = JSON.parse(event.data);
+    // idle-timeout, brief network blip, server restart) otherwise stayed dead
-        window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('room:' + data.type, { detail: data }));
+    // until a manual refresh, silently losing live events — most painfully the
-    };
+    // 12s sig countdown's polarity_room_done / pick_sky_available, so the
+    // tray→hex animation never played. Backoff resets on a clean open; we stop
+    // retrying once the page is unloading so we don't reconnect during nav.
+    let backoff = 1000;
+    const BACKOFF_MAX = 30000;
+    let unloading = false;
+    window.addEventListener('beforeunload', function () { unloading = true; });
 
-    ws.onclose = function (event) {
+    function connect() {
-        if (!event.wasClean) {
+        const ws = new WebSocket(wsUrl);
-            console.warn('Room WebSocket closed unexpectedly');
+        window._roomSocket = ws;  // exposed for sig-select.js hover broadcast
-        }
+
-    };
+        ws.onopen = function () { backoff = 1000; };
+
+        ws.onmessage = function (event) {
+            const data = JSON.parse(event.data);
+            window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('room:' + data.type, { detail: data }));
+        };
+
+        ws.onclose = function (event) {
+            if (unloading) return;
+            if (!event.wasClean) {
+                console.warn('Room WebSocket closed unexpectedly — reconnecting in ' + backoff + 'ms');
+            }
+            setTimeout(connect, backoff);
+            backoff = Math.min(backoff * 2, BACKOFF_MAX);
+        };
+    }
+
+    connect();
 }());

src/apps/epic/static/apps/epic/sig-select.js

@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ var SigSelect = (function () {
                     if (_countdownTimer !== null) {
                         clearInterval(_countdownTimer);
                         _countdownTimer = null;
-                        if (_takeSigBtn) _takeSigBtn.style.fontSize = '';
+                        if (_takeSigBtn) _takeSigBtn.classList.remove('sig-take-sig-btn--counting');
                     }
                     if (_takeSigBtn) _takeSigBtn.textContent = 'SAVE SIG';
                     _stopWaitNoGlow();
@@ -477,7 +477,12 @@ var SigSelect = (function () {
         _stopWaitNoGlow();
         if (_takeSigBtn) {
             _takeSigBtn.textContent = _countdownSecondsLeft;
-            _takeSigBtn.style.fontSize = '2em';
+            // Enlarge via a class, NOT inline font-size: the .btn-primary
+            // down-size media query (font-size !important on small landscape/
+            // portrait) out-!importants an inline 2em, so the numeral stayed
+            // button-sized on phones. The .sig-take-sig-btn--counting rule
+            // re-asserts the doubling with matching !important + specificity.
+            _takeSigBtn.classList.add('sig-take-sig-btn--counting');
         }
         _startCountdownGlow();
         if (_countdownTimer !== null) clearInterval(_countdownTimer);
@@ -499,7 +504,7 @@ var SigSelect = (function () {
         }
         _stopCountdownGlow();
         if (_takeSigBtn) {
-            _takeSigBtn.style.fontSize = '';
+            _takeSigBtn.classList.remove('sig-take-sig-btn--counting');
             if (_isReady) {
                 // Countdown cancelled by another gamer — restore WAIT NVM state
                 _takeSigBtn.textContent = 'WAIT NVM';

src/static/tests/SigSelectSpec.js

@@ -888,6 +888,25 @@ describe("SigSelect", () => {
             expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("8");
         });
 
+        it("enlarges the numeral via the --counting class (not a fragile inline 2em)", () => {
+            // The .btn-primary media-query font-size !important beats an inline
+            // 2em on small queries; the class lets SCSS re-assert the doubling.
+            makeFixture({ reservations: '{"42":"PC"}', ready: true, countdownRemaining: 8 });
+            takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
+            expect(takeSigBtn.classList.contains("sig-take-sig-btn--counting")).toBe(true);
+            expect(takeSigBtn.style.fontSize).toBe("");  // no inline override
+        });
+
+        it("clears the --counting class when the countdown is cancelled", () => {
+            makeFixture({ reservations: '{"42":"PC"}', ready: true, countdownRemaining: 8 });
+            takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
+            expect(takeSigBtn.classList.contains("sig-take-sig-btn--counting")).toBe(true);
+            window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("room:countdown_cancel", {
+                detail: { polarity: "levity", seconds_remaining: 5 },
+            }));
+            expect(takeSigBtn.classList.contains("sig-take-sig-btn--counting")).toBe(false);
+        });
+
         it("the restored numeral counts down each second", () => {
             makeFixture({ reservations: '{"42":"PC"}', ready: true, countdownRemaining: 8 });
             takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
@@ -900,6 +919,25 @@ describe("SigSelect", () => {
             takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
             expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("WAIT NVM");
         });
+
+        it("re-renders the numeral when countdown_start arrives again after a cancel", () => {
+            // Diagnostic for the re-ready bug: cancel → re-ready must restart the
+            // visual countdown. This exercises the CLIENT handler chain only; if
+            // it passes, the live failure is WS delivery (socket / broadcast), not
+            // client logic.
+            makeFixture({ reservations: '{"42":"PC"}', ready: true, countdownRemaining: 9 });
+            takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
+            expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("9");                       // counting
+            window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("room:countdown_cancel", {
+                detail: { polarity: "levity", seconds_remaining: 7 },
+            }));
+            expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("WAIT NVM");                // cancelled
+            window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("room:countdown_start", {
+                detail: { polarity: "levity", seconds: 7 },
+            }));
+            expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("7");                       // restarted
+            expect(takeSigBtn.classList.contains("sig-take-sig-btn--counting")).toBe(true);
+        });
     });
 
     // ── polarity_room_done → tray sequence ─────────────────────────────────── //

src/static_src/scss/_card-deck.scss

@@ -665,6 +665,15 @@
 // 80% stage height × 5/8) via --sig-card-w CSS variable — libsass can't handle
 // container query units inside min().
 
+// The polarity-countdown numeral must read large at EVERY breakpoint. The
+// .btn-primary down-size media query (`font-size: 0.625rem !important` on small
+// landscape / short portrait) otherwise out-!importants the countdown's enlarge
+// and the numeral stayed button-sized on phones / short viewports. Re-assert the
+// 2em doubling with matching !important at (0,3,0) so it wins at all queries.
+.sig-stage .sig-take-sig-btn.sig-take-sig-btn--counting {
+    font-size: 2em !important;
+}
+
 .sig-stage {
     flex: 1;
     min-height: 0;

src/static_src/tests/SigSelectSpec.js

@@ -888,6 +888,25 @@ describe("SigSelect", () => {
             expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("8");
         });
 
+        it("enlarges the numeral via the --counting class (not a fragile inline 2em)", () => {
+            // The .btn-primary media-query font-size !important beats an inline
+            // 2em on small queries; the class lets SCSS re-assert the doubling.
+            makeFixture({ reservations: '{"42":"PC"}', ready: true, countdownRemaining: 8 });
+            takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
+            expect(takeSigBtn.classList.contains("sig-take-sig-btn--counting")).toBe(true);
+            expect(takeSigBtn.style.fontSize).toBe("");  // no inline override
+        });
+
+        it("clears the --counting class when the countdown is cancelled", () => {
+            makeFixture({ reservations: '{"42":"PC"}', ready: true, countdownRemaining: 8 });
+            takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
+            expect(takeSigBtn.classList.contains("sig-take-sig-btn--counting")).toBe(true);
+            window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("room:countdown_cancel", {
+                detail: { polarity: "levity", seconds_remaining: 5 },
+            }));
+            expect(takeSigBtn.classList.contains("sig-take-sig-btn--counting")).toBe(false);
+        });
+
         it("the restored numeral counts down each second", () => {
             makeFixture({ reservations: '{"42":"PC"}', ready: true, countdownRemaining: 8 });
             takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
@@ -900,6 +919,25 @@ describe("SigSelect", () => {
             takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
             expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("WAIT NVM");
         });
+
+        it("re-renders the numeral when countdown_start arrives again after a cancel", () => {
+            // Diagnostic for the re-ready bug: cancel → re-ready must restart the
+            // visual countdown. This exercises the CLIENT handler chain only; if
+            // it passes, the live failure is WS delivery (socket / broadcast), not
+            // client logic.
+            makeFixture({ reservations: '{"42":"PC"}', ready: true, countdownRemaining: 9 });
+            takeSigBtn = document.getElementById("id_take_sig_btn");
+            expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("9");                       // counting
+            window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("room:countdown_cancel", {
+                detail: { polarity: "levity", seconds_remaining: 7 },
+            }));
+            expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("WAIT NVM");                // cancelled
+            window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("room:countdown_start", {
+                detail: { polarity: "levity", seconds: 7 },
+            }));
+            expect(takeSigBtn.textContent).toBe("7");                       // restarted
+            expect(takeSigBtn.classList.contains("sig-take-sig-btn--counting")).toBe(true);
+        });
     });
 
     // ── polarity_room_done → tray sequence ─────────────────────────────────── //