The host has a hand on the other seats: once the game begins, Seats makes a transfer phrase for another person's seat, which gives it a new token when claimed, and gives the seat of a player who cannot go on to a bot, which plays the move the seat owes at once and speaks nothing in their name; the person's token opens nothing while it stands in, their page goes to the gallery with the reason and a claim box, and a rematch holds their seat without the stand-in; the server pings every socket and closes one a dead browser left open

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_0141G6xqLeNRYEtviLWSB5Up

template/src/routes/join/[code]/+page.svelte

@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@
 	import Board from '$lib/components/Board.svelte';
 	import Lobby from '$lib/components/Lobby.svelte';
 	import ReportSlip from '$lib/components/ReportSlip.svelte';
+	import SeatsSlip from '$lib/components/SeatsSlip.svelte';
 	import Preferences from '$lib/components/Preferences.svelte';
 	import { rememberSeat, seatFor, seatInLink, ServerError, trustSeat, type HeldSeat } from '$lib/net/client';
-	import { NAME_MAX, playerName, rememberName, Room } from '$lib/net/room.svelte';
+	import { api, NAME_MAX, playerName, rememberName, Room } from '$lib/net/room.svelte';
 
 	const roomId = $derived((page.params.code ?? '').toUpperCase());
 
@@ -21,6 +22,11 @@
 	/** A phrase minted to carry this seat to another device, while it lasts. */
 	let phrase = $state<{ phrase: string; expiresAt: number } | null>(null);
 	let rematching = $state(false);
+	let seatsOpen = $state(false);
+	/** Why this browser's seat no longer opens, when the server said so; shown while watching. */
+	let seatLost = $state('');
+	let claimPhrase = $state('');
+	let claiming = $state(false);
 
 	const link = $derived(`${location.origin}/join/${roomId}`);
 	const watching = $derived(room?.spectating ?? false);
@@ -44,7 +50,17 @@
 			});
 		// Only the server's refusal of the held token lets a link in: a dropped connection is not a lost seat.
 		const refused = (e: unknown) => e instanceof ServerError && e.status === 403;
-		const arrive = held ? Room.resume(id, held).catch((e: Error) => (sent && refused(e) ? take(sent) : Promise.reject(e))) : sent ? take(sent).catch(() => Room.watch(id)) : Room.watch(id);
+		// A held seat the server refuses, with no link to replace it, is watched from the gallery, with the reason.
+		const watchRefused = (e: Error) => {
+			seatLost = e.message;
+			return Room.watch(id);
+		};
+		seatLost = '';
+		const arrive = held
+			? Room.resume(id, held).catch((e: Error) => (sent && refused(e) ? take(sent) : refused(e) ? watchRefused(e) : Promise.reject(e)))
+			: sent
+				? take(sent).catch(() => Room.watch(id))
+				: Room.watch(id);
 		joining = !held && !sent;
 		if (!held) name = playerName();
 		arrive
@@ -62,6 +78,36 @@
 		return r.connect();
 	});
 
+	// The seat stopped opening while the page was open (the host gave it to a bot): watch on from the gallery.
+	$effect(() => {
+		const r = room;
+		if (!r?.lost) return;
+		seatLost = r.lost;
+		Room.watch(r.roomId)
+			.then((w) => (room = w))
+			.catch((e: Error) => (error = e.message));
+	});
+
+	/** Sit back down by a phrase: the host's, or one this seat minted on another device. */
+	async function claim(e: SubmitEvent) {
+		e.preventDefault();
+		claiming = true;
+		error = '';
+		try {
+			const got = await api.claim(claimPhrase.trim());
+			rememberSeat(got.roomId, { seat: got.seat, token: got.token });
+			trustSeat(got.roomId);
+			claimPhrase = '';
+			seatLost = '';
+			if (got.roomId === roomId) room = await Room.resume(roomId, { seat: got.seat, token: got.token });
+			else await goto(`/join/${got.roomId}`);
+		} catch (err) {
+			error = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'The phrase could not be claimed.';
+		} finally {
+			claiming = false;
+		}
+	}
+
 	async function takeSeat(e: SubmitEvent) {
 		e.preventDefault();
 		busy = true;
@@ -137,6 +183,9 @@
 			{#if !watching}
 				<button type="button" class="quiet" title="A phrase that brings this seat to another device" onclick={transfer}>Transfer seat</button>
 			{/if}
+			{#if room.isHost && room.started}
+				<button type="button" class="quiet" title="Bring a player back to a seat their browser lost, or give a seat to a bot" onclick={() => (seatsOpen = true)}>Seats</button>
+			{/if}
 		{/if}
 		<button type="button" class="quiet" onclick={() => (prefsOpen = true)}>Preferences</button>
 		<a class="quiet" href={room ? `/guide?room=${roomId}` : '/guide'}>How to play</a>
@@ -151,6 +200,7 @@
 <Preferences bind:open={prefsOpen} />
 {#if room}
 	<ReportSlip {room} bind:open={reporting} />
+	{#if room.isHost}<SeatsSlip {room} bind:open={seatsOpen} />{/if}
 {/if}
 
 {#if error}
@@ -189,8 +239,19 @@
 	</section>
 {/if}
 
+{#if room?.started && !seatLost && room.view.seats.some((s) => s.standIn)}
+	<p class="notice muted">A bot plays for {room.view.seats.filter((s) => s.standIn).map((s) => s.name).join(', ')}, at the host's word, until a transfer phrase from the host brings them back.</p>
+{/if}
+
 {#if watching && room?.started && !room.view.over}
-	<p class="notice muted">Had a seat at this table on another device? Transfer it from there and claim the phrase in the hall, or <a href="mailto:eric@ericwagoner.com?subject={encodeURIComponent(`My seat in room ${roomId}`)}">write to the keeper</a> for a link that brings it back.</p>
+	<div class="notice muted">
+		{#if seatLost}<p>{seatLost} Claim it here, or <a href="mailto:eric@ericwagoner.com?subject={encodeURIComponent(`My seat in room ${roomId}`)}">write to the keeper</a>.</p>
+		{:else}<p>Had a seat at this table? Ask the host for a transfer phrase, or make one on the device that still holds the seat, and claim it here. Or <a href="mailto:eric@ericwagoner.com?subject={encodeURIComponent(`My seat in room ${roomId}`)}">write to the keeper</a> for a link that brings it back.</p>{/if}
+		<form class="sit" onsubmit={claim}>
+			<input type="text" bind:value={claimPhrase} placeholder="the four-word phrase" autocomplete="off" aria-label="transfer phrase" />
+			<button type="submit" class="quiet" disabled={claiming || claimPhrase.trim().split(/[\s-]+/).length < 4}>Claim the seat</button>
+		</form>
+	</div>
 {/if}
 
 {#if room && !room.started}