The keeper can bring back a seat a browser lost: a new token on the ledger, the old one refused, and a link that carries it in the fragment, minted by <slug>-reseat.sh through a /keeper door Caddy does not proxy; a spectator at a game in play is told both ways back, and the hall asks before forgetting a game in play

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01MbtUPJ24P6vc6tE1x6RS3m

template/src/lib/components/Hall.svelte

@@ -143,7 +143,14 @@
 		if (c) void goto(`/join/${c}`);
 	}
 
+	/** A game in play asks before it is forgotten: this browser may be the only thing that holds the seat. */
+	let forgetting = $state<string | null>(null);
 	function forget(roomId: string) {
+		if (!games[roomId]?.over && forgetting !== roomId) {
+			forgetting = roomId;
+			return;
+		}
+		forgetting = null;
 		forgetSeat(roomId);
 		seats = allSeats();
 	}
@@ -252,7 +259,11 @@
 				<span class="ledger-code">{held.roomId}</span>
 				<span class="ledger-info">{status(held)}{#if unread(held) > 0} · <span class="talk-new">{unread(held)} new {unread(held) === 1 ? 'line' : 'lines'} of talk</span>{/if}</span>
 			</a>
-			<button type="button" class="dismiss" title="forget this game" onclick={() => forget(held.roomId)}>×</button>
+			{#if forgetting === held.roomId}
+				<span class="forget-ask">This browser may be all that holds your seat. <button type="button" class="quiet" onclick={() => forget(held.roomId)}>Forget it</button> <button type="button" class="quiet" onclick={() => (forgetting = null)}>Keep it</button></span>
+			{:else}
+				<button type="button" class="dismiss" title="forget this game" onclick={() => forget(held.roomId)}>×</button>
+			{/if}
 		</div>
 	{/snippet}
 
@@ -520,6 +531,11 @@
 		background: rgba(240, 165, 58, 0.08);
 	}
 
+	.forget-ask {
+		font-size: 0.85em;
+		flex: none;
+	}
+
 	.ledger-row.your-move .ledger-info {
 		color: var(--ember);
 	}

template/src/lib/net/client.ts

@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ function heldSeats(): Record<string, HeldSeat> {
 	}
 }
 
+/** A seat the keeper sent in a link, `#seat=<seat>.<token>`: a fragment stays in the browser, out of every log. */
+export function seatInLink(hash: string): HeldSeat | null {
+	const m = /^#seat=([^.]+)\.([A-Za-z0-9_-]+)$/.exec(hash);
+	return m ? { seat: m[1], token: m[2] } : null;
+}
+
 export function seatFor(roomId: string): HeldSeat | null {
 	return heldSeats()[roomId] ?? null;
 }

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

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 <script lang="ts">
-	import { goto } from '$app/navigation';
+	import { goto, replaceState } from '$app/navigation';
 	import { page } from '$app/state';
 	import Board from '$lib/components/Board.svelte';
 	import Lobby from '$lib/components/Lobby.svelte';
 	import ReportSlip from '$lib/components/ReportSlip.svelte';
 	import Preferences from '$lib/components/Preferences.svelte';
-	import { seatFor } from '$lib/net/client';
+	import { rememberSeat, seatFor, seatInLink, trustSeat } from '$lib/net/client';
 	import { NAME_MAX, playerName, rememberName, Room } from '$lib/net/room.svelte';
 
 	const roomId = $derived((page.params.code ?? '').toUpperCase());
@@ -30,6 +30,13 @@
 		const id = roomId;
 		room = null;
 		error = '';
+		// A link from the keeper carries a seat; it is kept, and the token taken out of the address bar.
+		const sent = seatInLink(location.hash);
+		if (sent) {
+			rememberSeat(id, sent);
+			trustSeat(id);
+			replaceState(location.pathname + location.search, {});
+		}
 		const held = seatFor(id);
 		const arrive = held ? Room.resume(id, held) : Room.watch(id);
 		joining = !held;
@@ -171,6 +178,10 @@
 	</section>
 {/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>
+{/if}
+
 {#if room && !room.started}
 	<Lobby {room} {link} {copied} {copyLink} />
 {:else if room}