The host has a hand on the other seats: once the duel begins, Seats makes a transfer phrase for another wizard's seat, which gives it a new token when claimed, and gives the seat of a wizard who cannot go on to a bot, which duels the turn it owes at once and keeps gestures already sealed; the wizard's token opens nothing while it stands in, their page goes to the gallery with the reason and a claim box, the roster says a bot duels for them, 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

src/routes/guide/+page.svelte

@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@
 		<p>A room's link is an invitation to sit while the table is laid and to watch once the duel has begun. Anyone who opens it without a seat takes a place in the Peanut Gallery. They see the ledger, the result of each turn and the chronicle, and the table can see how many are watching. The gallery is shown only what every wizard at the table could see. A gesture hidden from any one wizard is a question mark to the whole gallery, and the turn being written shows nothing at all.</p>
 		<p><em>Table talk</em>, in the rail, is for the wizards seated. A line goes to everyone at the table and in the gallery, and it is kept with the duel. When you come back, the hall says how many lines were said while you were away. The gallery only listens unless the host lets it talk. Then a watcher signs a name, and their lines read <em>Name (gallery)</em>.</p>
 		<p>Before a duel begins, any seated wizard may <strong>challenge the keeper</strong>, who looks after this site. A seat is held under the keeper's name and the keeper's phone rings. The note beside the button gives the hour where the keeper lives, so you know whether to wait or come back later.</p>
-		<p>When a duel is over, anyone at the table may call for <strong>a rematch</strong>. That opens a new table of the same size with the same bots, and holds a seat for everyone who played. <strong>Transfer seat</strong> at the top of the page gives you four words that move your seat to another device. They work for ten minutes, and you enter them in the hall on the other device. If your browser has lost your seat altogether, write to the keeper from the room's page, and the keeper can send you a link that brings it back.</p>
+		<p>When a duel is over, anyone at the table may call for <strong>a rematch</strong>. That opens a new table of the same size with the same bots, and holds a seat for everyone who played. <strong>Transfer seat</strong> at the top of the page gives you four words that move your seat to another device. They work for ten minutes, and you enter them in the hall on the other device. If your browser has lost your seat altogether, ask the host: <strong>Seats</strong> at the top of their page makes the four words for you. Failing that, write to the keeper from the room's page for a link that brings the seat back. A wizard who cannot go on can have their seat given to a bot by the host, and four words from the host bring them back to it.</p>
 	</section>
 
 	<section id="first">

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

@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@
 	import { page } from '$app/state';
 	import Board from '$lib/components/Board.svelte';
 	import ReportSlip from '$lib/components/ReportSlip.svelte';
+	import SeatsSlip from '$lib/components/SeatsSlip.svelte';
 	import TableTalk from '$lib/components/TableTalk.svelte';
-	import { rememberSeat, seatFor, seatInLink, ServerError, trustSeat, type HeldSeat } from '$lib/game/client';
+	import { api, rememberSeat, seatFor, seatInLink, ServerError, trustSeat, type HeldSeat } from '$lib/game/client';
 	import { COMPACT_QUERY, Duel, NAME_MAX, playerName } from '$lib/game/duel.svelte';
 
 	const roomId = $derived((page.params.code ?? '').toUpperCase());
@@ -19,6 +20,11 @@
 	/** 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);
 
 	/** The hour where the keeper lives, in words, so a caller knows whether to wait. */
 	let minute = $state(0);
@@ -90,8 +96,14 @@
 			});
 		// 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;
+		// 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 Duel.watchRoom(id);
+		};
+		seatLost = '';
 		const arrive = held
-			? Duel.resumeRoom(id, held).catch((e: Error) => (sent && refused(e) ? take(sent) : Promise.reject(e)))
+			? Duel.resumeRoom(id, held).catch((e: Error) => (sent && refused(e) ? take(sent) : refused(e) ? watchRefused(e) : Promise.reject(e)))
 			: sent
 				? take(sent).catch(() => Duel.watchRoom(id))
 				: Duel.watchRoom(id);
@@ -113,6 +125,37 @@
 		return stop;
 	});
 
+	// The seat stopped opening while the page was open (the host gave it to a bot): watch on from the gallery.
+	$effect(() => {
+		const r = room;
+		const lost = r?.remote?.lost;
+		if (!r || !lost) return;
+		seatLost = lost;
+		Duel.watchRoom(r.remote!.roomId)
+			.then((remote) => (room = new Duel(remote)))
+			.catch((e: Error) => (error = e.message));
+	});
+
+	/** Sit back down by a phrase: the host's, or one this seat minted on another device. */
+	async function claim(e: SubmitEvent) {
+		e.preventDefault();
+		claiming = true;
+		error = '';
+		try {
+			const got = await api.claim(claimPhrase.trim());
+			rememberSeat(got.roomId, { seat: got.seat, token: got.token });
+			trustSeat(got.roomId);
+			claimPhrase = '';
+			seatLost = '';
+			if (got.roomId === roomId) room = new Duel(await Duel.resumeRoom(roomId, { seat: got.seat, token: got.token }));
+			else await goto(`/join/${got.roomId}`);
+		} catch (err) {
+			error = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'The phrase opened no seat.';
+		} finally {
+			claiming = false;
+		}
+	}
+
 	// The store's idea of a narrow screen must agree with the stylesheets' breakpoint.
 	$effect(() => {
 		const r = room;
@@ -183,6 +226,9 @@
 			{#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.remote?.started}
+				<button type="button" class="quiet" title="Bring a wizard back to a seat their browser lost, or give a seat to a bot" onclick={() => (seatsOpen = true)}>Seats</button>
+			{/if}
 		{/if}
 		<a class="quiet" href="/guide">How to play</a>
 		<a class="quiet" href="/rules">Rules</a>
@@ -195,6 +241,7 @@
 
 {#if room}
 	<ReportSlip duel={room} bind:open={reporting} />
+	{#if room.isHost}<SeatsSlip duel={room} bind:open={seatsOpen} />{/if}
 {/if}
 
 {#if error}
@@ -205,8 +252,19 @@
 	<p class="notice muted">On the other device, open the hall and claim this phrase within ten minutes: <b class="phrase">{phrase.phrase}</b></p>
 {/if}
 
+{#if room?.remote?.started && !seatLost && room.remote.seats.some((s) => s.standIn)}
+	<p class="notice muted">A bot duels for {room.remote.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?.remote?.started && !room.state.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 duel? 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="rename" 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?.remote?.started && room.state.over && !watching}