# Progress Log

## Current Stage: Phase 1 — Research + First Improvement Cycle

### Status: Cycle 15 COMPLETE

## Plan Overview
1. **Phase 0**: Codebase audit — understand current swactor architecture, existing tests, benchmarks ✅
2. **Phase 1**: Broad survey + interleaved improvements
3. **Phase 2**: Deeper improvements based on findings
4. **Phase 3**: Testing methodology improvements
5. **Phase 4**: Final evaluation & documentation

## Completed This Session

### Cycle 1: Fairness (Message Budget)
- **Research**: Studied ractor, tokio, Erlang/OTP BEAM, Linux CFS/EEVDF, libuv
- **Finding**: `tick_all` drained ENTIRE mailbox per actor per tick — critical fairness bug
  - BEAM uses 4000 reduction budget, tokio uses 128-op cooperative budget
  - Swactor had zero budget — one hot actor could starve all others on same worker
- **Implementation**: Added `actor_message_budget` to `RuntimeConfig` (default: 64)
  - Modified `tick_all` to break after `budget` messages per actor
  - `budget=0` means unlimited (backward compatible)
- **Tests**: 3 new fairness tests (hot_actor_does_not_starve_cold_actor, unlimited_budget_drains_all, budget_messages_drain_across_multiple_ticks)
- **Benchmarks**: Added fairness benchmark group (cold_latency_under_pressure, throughput_by_budget)
- **Fixes**: Updated RuntimeConfig struct literals across crates (python, runtime-dashboard, mt_benchmarks)
- **Result**: 45 tests pass (42 original + 3 new), all workspace crates compile

### Cycle 2: Stress Tests, Benchmarks, Research Expansion
- **Research**: Added Kameo and Actix analysis to synthesis
  - Actix uses custom Vyukov lock-free MPSC queue (why it's fastest)
  - Kameo has dual bounded/unbounded mailbox, default capacity 64
  - Both use vtable dispatch (not Box<dyn Any> downcast)
  - Actix has 256-message assertion guard (validates our budget approach)
- **Stress tests**: 6 new tests
  - `message_ordering_preserved_under_budget` — FIFO order with budget=8
  - `mt_stress_many_senders_one_receiver` — 50 senders × 100 msgs, 4 threads
  - `mt_stress_concurrent_spawn_and_send` — 200 concurrent spawn+send, 4 threads
  - `mt_chain_spawning_under_load` — 50-level chain across 2 workers
  - `mt_panic_isolation_under_load` — 10 panicking + 10 healthy actors, 4 threads
  - `sustained_throughput_does_not_drop_messages` — 10 batches × 100 msgs
- **Benchmarks**: 2 new benchmark groups
  - `msg_size`: throughput and send_latency by message size (8B-4KB)
  - `contention`: fanin (1-100 senders to 1 sink), cross_worker (1-4 threads)
- **Result**: 51 tests pass (42 original + 3 fairness + 6 stress), all workspace compiles

### Cycle 3: Thread Parking (Adaptive Backoff)
- **Implementation**: Replaced `thread::sleep` with `thread::park_timeout` in worker run loop
  - Workers register `thread::current()` via `OnceLock<Thread>` on startup
  - `send_to` and `spawn` call `Thread::unpark()` on target worker
  - Cross-worker sends from `WorkerContext` also unpark target
  - Zero new dependencies (uses `std::sync::OnceLock` + `std::thread::park_timeout`)
- **Design source**: Tokio's parker state machine, Linux NO_HZ adaptive ticks
- **Benefits**: Parked workers wake instantly when work arrives (vs waiting for sleep timer)
  - Reduces idle-to-active latency from up to 1ms to near-zero
  - No overhead on hot path — `unpark()` is no-op if thread isn't parked
- **Tests**: 1 new test (`mt_parked_worker_wakes_on_send`)
- **Result**: 52 tests pass (51 + 1 new), all workspace compiles

### Cycle 4: Shutdown Fix + Bug-Inspired Tests
- **Shutdown improvement**: `shutdown()` now unparks all workers for immediate exit
  - Previously, parked workers wouldn't notice shutdown until park_timeout expired
- **Bug-inspired tests** (5 new, from competitor bug reports):
  - `stats_snapshot_is_read_only` — from ractor #310 (destructive get_children)
  - `stats_under_load_do_not_interfere_with_processing` — stats don't affect msg processing
  - `shutdown_wakes_parked_workers_immediately` — validates fast shutdown with parking
  - `mt_send_after_run_delivers_to_running_actors` — from kameo #185 (startup delivery)
  - `budget_respected_even_with_self_sends` — from actix #515 (mailbox bypass)
- **Result**: 57 tests pass, all workspace compiles

### Cycle 5: Work Stealing Research + Load-Aware Placement
- **Research**: Deep analysis of work stealing in Tokio, Go, BEAM, ForkJoinPool
  - Tokio: fixed 256-slot ring, steal-half, LIFO slot (3-use starvation cap), N/2 searcher limit
  - Go: M:N scheduler, runnext + 256-slot local queue, steal-half, 4 tries with random permutation
  - BEAM: unique dual approach — reactive stealing + proactive migration via check_balance()
  - ForkJoinPool: owner LIFO / thief FIFO deque, even/odd queue indexing
- **Feasibility analysis**: Full actor migration IS mechanically possible (ActorSlot is Send), but:
  - Requires push-based donation (ActorPool not Sync → no pull stealing)
  - 1-tick message loss window during migration
  - Significant complexity for uncertain benefit
- **Implementation**: Load-aware placement replaces blind round-robin
  - `Placement::next_worker()` now reads per-worker stats (num_actors + mailbox_depth)
  - Scan starts from rotating position → round-robin when all stats equal (initial burst)
  - O(N) relaxed atomic loads per spawn, trivial for N≤8 workers
- **Tests**: 3 new tests
  - `load_aware_placement_prefers_lighter_worker` — imbalanced load biases toward lighter worker
  - `load_aware_placement_single_worker_degrades_gracefully` — single-thread works correctly
  - `load_aware_placement_falls_back_to_round_robin_on_fresh_runtime` — even distribution before ticks
- **Benchmarks**: 1 new group — `placement/spawn_under_load` (2t, 4t)
- **Result**: 60 tests pass, all workspace compiles

### Cycle 9: Lifecycle Hooks + Graceful Stop
- **Research**: Cross-framework lifecycle analysis (Erlang init/terminate, Akka preStart/postStop,
  Actix started/stopping/stopped, Kameo on_start/on_stop/on_panic, Ractor pre_start/post_stop,
  Stakker state-based Prep/Ready/Zombie, CAF on_exit)
  - Also researched graceful stop across Erlang (gen_server:stop, exit, kill), Akka (stop, PoisonPill,
    Kill, gracefulStop), Actix (ctx.stop, Running::Stop), Kameo (stop_gracefully, kill), Go (context.Done)
  - Key finding: most frameworks have on_stop NOT called on panic (state may be corrupt)
  - Key finding: self-stop should be immediate (after current message), external stop is queued
- **Implementation**: Lifecycle hooks + dual-mode graceful stop
  - `ActorInterface::on_start()` and `on_stop()` — default no-ops, backward compatible
  - `AnyActor::on_start()`/`on_stop()` forwarded from `Actor<A>` impl
  - `ctx.stop_self()` — immediate stop after current message via `request_stop` buffer
  - `runtime.stop_actor(addr)` — external stop via StopSignal message (PoisonPill semantics)
  - `ActorSlot` gains `started: bool` and `stopping: bool` flags
  - `on_start` called in tick_all before first message; panic in on_start → immediate poison
  - `on_stop` called in cleanup_dead for stopping (not poisoned) actors, wrapped in catch_unwind
  - Restarted actors get `started=false` so on_start fires again on fresh instance
  - `stops: AtomicU64` added to WorkerStats and WorkerInfo
  - `ContextInner::request_stop()` method for same-worker immediate stop
  - Phase 7 cleanup_dead now handles both poisoned AND stopping actors, with on_stop context
- **Tests**: 12 new tests
  - `on_start_called_before_first_message` — on_start fires on first tick, before messages
  - `on_start_called_per_actor` — 5 actors each get one on_start call
  - `on_start_panic_poisons_actor` — panic in on_start → poisoned, no messages processed
  - `actor_can_stop_self` — 5 msgs sent, stops after 3, only 3 processed, on_stop called
  - `runtime_can_stop_actor` — external stop via runtime, on_stop called, actor removed
  - `send_to_stopped_actor_returns_error` — stopped actor gone from address map
  - `stop_vs_panic_tracked_separately_in_stats` — stops and panics counted independently
  - `on_stop_can_send_messages` — farewell message sent during on_stop is delivered
  - `on_start_called_again_after_restart` — restartable actor gets on_start on fresh instance
  - `external_stop_is_queued_after_pending_messages` — PoisonPill semantics for external stop
  - `external_stop_before_new_messages_prevents_processing` — stop before send blocks msgs
  - `stop_nonexistent_actor_returns_error` — stop on bad address returns Err
- **Result**: 82 tests pass, all workspace compiles

### Cycle 15: Ask Pattern (Request-Response)
- **Research**: Studied ask/call/request-response patterns across Erlang gen_server:call (From + reply),
  Akka ask (temporary actor + Future), Ractor call (RpcReplyPort), Kameo ask (async + Reply trait),
  xactor Handler (return value auto-routing)
  - Key finding: swactor's synchronous tick model requires explicit reply_to, not implicit routing
  - Decision: convenience wrapper over existing inbox pattern, not implicit auto-reply
- **Implementation**: `Ask<R>` struct + `Runtime::ask()` method
  - `Ask<R>`: wraps `Inbox<R>` with `try_recv()` and `recv_ticking(rt, max_ticks)`
  - `rt.ask(addr, |reply_to| Msg { reply_to })` — creates inbox, builds message, sends, returns Ask<R>
  - `ask.recv_ticking(&rt, max_ticks)` — ticks until response or timeout (single-threaded only)
  - `ask.try_recv()` — poll without ticking (works in both modes)
  - `ask.reply_addr()` — access inbox address for manual use
  - Purely sugar over `new_inbox → send_to → tick → try_recv` pattern
  - Zero changes to ContextInner or ActorInterface — no implicit auto-reply magic
- **Tests**: 5 new behavioral tests
  - `ask_recv_ticking_returns_response` — basic PingPong ask roundtrip
  - `ask_multiple_times_tracks_state` — 3 sequential asks to CounterActor
  - `ask_timeout_when_no_response` — ask dead actor → timeout error
  - `ask_try_recv_returns_none_before_tick` — poll before tick → None, after tick → Some
  - `ask_reply_addr_is_accessible` — reply address is valid
- **Result**: 127 tests pass (120 behavioral + 7 proptest), all workspace compiles, zero warnings

### Cycle 14: Actor Groups (Pub-Sub)
- **Research**: Studied group/pub-sub patterns across Erlang pg (scopes, join/leave/get_members),
  Akka DistributedPubSub (mediator, topics), Ractor pg (join/leave/broadcast), Bastion (Dispatcher),
  Redis pub/sub (channels, patterns)
  - Common patterns: auto-cleanup on death, at-most-once delivery, string-based naming,
    flat groups (not hierarchical), lazy creation/deletion
  - Decision: Erlang pg-style flat groups, string keys, auto-cleanup, RwLock<HashMap> pattern
- **Implementation**: `GroupRegistry` in delivery.rs with forward + reverse maps
  - `groups: RwLock<HashMap<String, HashSet<ActorAddress>>>` — group→members
  - `memberships: RwLock<HashMap<ActorAddress, HashSet<String>>>` — actor→groups (reverse for cleanup)
  - Groups auto-create on first join, auto-delete when empty
  - Runtime API: `join_group(addr, name)`, `leave_group(addr, name)`, `publish_to(group, msg)`,
    `group_members(group)`, `groups()`
  - Ctx API: `join_group(name)`, `leave_group(name)`, `publish(group, msg)`, `group_members(group)`
  - `publish` clones at the typed level (Message: Clone), sends to each member via normal routing
  - Auto-cleanup: `group_registry.cleanup(&addr)` in cleanup_dead phase removes dead actor from all groups
  - ContextInner extended: `join_group()`, `leave_group()`, `group_members()` (publish is Ctx-level only)
- **Tests**: 9 new behavioral tests
  - `group_members_returns_joined_actors` — join + query
  - `empty_group_returns_no_members` — nonexistent group → empty
  - `publish_broadcasts_to_all_members` — 2 members, both receive
  - `leave_group_stops_receiving_publishes` — leave → excluded from broadcast
  - `dead_actor_auto_removed_from_group` — stop → removed from group
  - `actor_removed_from_all_groups_on_death` — multi-group membership cleanup
  - `empty_group_auto_deleted` — last member leaves → group removed from groups()
  - `ctx_join_group_from_handler` — join via on_start
  - `ctx_publish_broadcasts_from_handler` — publish via handler
- **Result**: 122 tests pass (115 behavioral + 7 proptest), all workspace compiles, zero warnings

### Cycle 13: Actor Monitoring / Death Watch
- **Research**: Studied monitoring across Erlang (monitor/2, DOWN messages), Akka (watch/Terminated),
  Ractor (link, SupervisionEvent), Actix (none), Kameo (link, on_link_died callback)
  - Key finding: Erlang's unidirectional monitor + message delivery is the best fit for swactor
    (reuses existing type-erased handler, zero trait changes, composable)
  - Callbacks (Ractor/Kameo style) rejected: would require adding to AnyActor/ActorInterface traits
  - Bidirectional links deferred: can layer on top of monitors later
- **Implementation**: `MonitorRegistry` in delivery.rs + `Down`/`StopReason`/`MonitorRef` in actor.rs
  - `MonitorRegistry`: `RwLock<HashMap<ActorAddress, Vec<(MonitorRef, ActorAddress)>>>` (watched→watchers)
    + reverse `RwLock<HashMap<MonitorRef, ActorAddress>>` for O(1) demonitor
  - `MonitorRef(u64)`: unique token from `AtomicU64` counter
  - `Down { addr: ActorAddress, reason: StopReason }`: delivered as normal mailbox message
  - `StopReason`: `Normal` (graceful stop) | `Panicked` (panic, not restartable)
  - `ctx.monitor(target)` → `MonitorRef` — subscribe to death notifications
  - `ctx.demonitor(mref)` — cancel a subscription
  - `cleanup_dead` now returns `Vec<(ActorAddress, StopReason)>` instead of `Vec<ActorAddress>`
  - After cleanup_dead: iterate dead actors, take_monitors from registry, route Down through normal
    delivery (pool.deliver for same-worker, transfer_txs for cross-worker, inbox_registry for inboxes)
  - Dead watcher cleanup: `remove_watcher()` strips monitor subscriptions for dead watchers
  - Multiple monitors of same target produce independent notifications (stacking, like Erlang)
- **Tests**: 7 new behavioral tests
  - `monitor_notifies_on_graceful_stop` — Down{reason: Normal} on stop
  - `monitor_notifies_on_panic` — Down{reason: Panicked} on panic
  - `multiple_watchers_all_notified` — two watchers both get Down
  - `demonitor_cancels_notification` — demonitor → no Down delivered
  - `dead_watcher_does_not_receive_down` — dead watcher's monitors cleaned up
  - `down_delivered_to_external_inbox` — Down forwarded through inbox
  - `stacked_monitors_produce_multiple_notifications` — two monitors on same target → two Downs
- **Result**: 113 tests pass (106 behavioral + 7 proptest), all workspace compiles, zero warnings

### Cycle 12: Named Actor Registry
- **Research**: Studied named actor/service discovery across Erlang (register/2, whereis/1, global, pg),
  Actix (Registry, SystemRegistry — TypeId keys), Bastion (hierarchy-based), Ractor (String keys, DashMap,
  global static), xactor (TypeId singleton), Akka (Receptionist, ServiceKey[T])
  - Key findings: TypeId keys (Actix/xactor) don't fit swactor's type-erased model; global static
    (Ractor) breaks multi-runtime scenarios; Erlang's register/whereis is the gold standard
  - Decision: String keys, RwLock<HashMap> (matches existing AddressMap/InboxRegistry pattern),
    per-runtime scope, error on collision, auto-unregister on death
- **Implementation**: `NameRegistry` in delivery.rs with forward + reverse maps
  - `NameRegistry`: `RwLock<HashMap<String, ActorAddress>>` + `RwLock<HashMap<ActorAddress, String>>`
  - Forward map for O(1) name→addr lookup, reverse map for O(1) addr→name cleanup
  - Added to `Runtime` as `Arc<NameRegistry>`, threaded through `TickContext`
  - Runtime API: `spawn_named(name, actor)`, `where_is(name)`, `unregister(name)`, `registered_names()`
  - Ctx API: `spawn_named(name, actor)`, `where_is(name)` — usable from inside handlers
  - `ContextInner` trait extended: `where_is()` + `register_name()` (private, supports both Runtime and WorkerContext)
  - Auto-unregister on death: `cleanup_dead` phase calls `name_registry.unregister_by_addr()` for each dead actor
  - Name reservation is immediate (before spawn queue push) — prevents TOCTOU race
  - Collision returns `Err("Name already registered")` — original binding preserved
- **Tests**: 11 new behavioral tests
  - `named_actor_lookup_returns_spawn_address` — spawn_named → where_is roundtrip
  - `named_actor_receives_messages_via_lookup` — send to looked-up address works
  - `duplicate_name_returns_error` — collision error, original preserved
  - `where_is_returns_none_for_unknown_name` — nonexistent name → None
  - `name_auto_unregistered_on_actor_death` — stop_actor → name freed
  - `name_can_be_reused_after_actor_death` — death → respawn with same name
  - `name_auto_unregistered_on_panic` — panic → name freed
  - `registered_names_lists_all` — all registered names returned
  - `manual_unregister_frees_name_but_actor_lives` — unregister doesn't kill actor
  - `ctx_where_is_resolves_inside_handler` — where_is from handler context
  - `ctx_spawn_named_registers_from_handler` — spawn_named from handler context
- **Result**: 106 tests pass (99 behavioral + 7 proptest), all workspace compiles, zero warnings

### Cycle 11: Property-Based Testing (proptest + fuzz extension)
- **Research**: Studied testing approaches across tokio (loom), Erlang (PropEr, QuickCheck, Concuerror),
  Rust property-based testing (proptest vs quickcheck), cargo-fuzz, and actor-specific testing patterns.
  - Ranked approaches: #1 proptest-state-machine (perfect fit for deterministic ticks),
    #2 extend cargo-fuzz, #3 simple proptest, #4 shuttle, #5 loom, #6 DST
  - Also researched remaining feature gaps: named actors, monitoring/death watch, groups, ask pattern
- **Implementation**: Property-based testing suite with proptest-state-machine
  - Added `proptest` and `proptest-state-machine` to dev-dependencies
  - New test file: `tests/proptest_runtime.rs` with 7 tests:
    - `fifo_ordering_for_any_message_sequence` — FIFO preserved for 1-100 random messages
    - `budget_limits_per_actor_processing` — budget caps per-tick processing for 2-10 actors
    - `one_shot_timer_fires_at_correct_tick` — timer with delay 1-20 fires at exact right tick
    - `interval_timer_fires_at_correct_period` — period 1-10, verifies 3 consecutive fires
    - `bounded_mailbox_never_exceeds_capacity` — capacity 1-20, 1-200 messages, never exceeds
    - `spawn_n_actors_all_tracked` — 1-50 actors, all unique, all in stats
    - `swactor_state_machine` — stateful property test: random Spawn/Send/Tick/Stop/CheckStats
      sequences (up to 40 transitions, 128 cases), verifies runtime invariants after each step
  - State machine test defines SwactorModel (reference) vs SwactorTest (SUT) with:
    - Reference model: HashMap<id, alive> tracking expected actor lifecycle
    - Invariants checked after every transition: worker count, actor placement, mailbox safety
    - Automatic shrinking finds minimal failing sequences
  - Extended fuzz targets (fuzz_runtime.rs) with 4 new RawAction variants:
    - `StopActor` — graceful stop via runtime.stop_actor
    - `SpawnRestartable` — spawn_restartable with configurable max_restarts
    - `ScheduleTimer` — one-shot timer via TimerSchedulerActor
    - `ScheduleInterval` — interval timer via IntervalSchedulerActor
  - Added 3 new actor types to fuzz: TimerSchedulerActor, IntervalSchedulerActor, RestartableEchoActor
- **Bug found**: State machine test immediately caught invariant mismatch: address map tracks spawned
  actors immediately, but per-worker num_actors lags until first tick. Fixed invariant to use <= check.
- **Result**: 95 tests pass (88 behavioral + 7 proptest), fuzz targets compile, zero warnings

### Cycle 10: Actor Timers (Tick-Counting)
- **Research**: Studied timer/scheduling patterns across Erlang (timer:send_after, erlang:start_timer),
  Akka (scheduleOnce, scheduler), Actix (ctx.run_later, ctx.run_interval), Kameo (tokio::time::sleep),
  Tokio (tokio::time), Go (time.After, time.NewTicker)
  - Also researched priority messages (REJECTED: lifecycle hooks cover 95% of use cases)
  - Also researched SmallBox optimization (DEFERRED: measure allocation cost first)
  - Key finding: per-worker tick-counting is ideal for swactor's synchronous model (deterministic)
- **Implementation**: Per-worker `TimerWheel` with deterministic tick-based scheduling
  - `OnceTimer`: fire once at `fire_at` tick, consumed after firing
  - `IntervalTimer`: fire every `period` ticks, message cloned via `CloneMsg` trait
  - `CloneMsg` trait: type-erased clone for interval timer messages (blanket impl for `Message`)
  - `TimerRequest` enum: `Once { dest, msg, ticks }` | `Interval { dest, msg, period }`
  - `ctx.send_after_ticks(addr, msg, ticks)` — one-shot timer API
  - `ctx.send_interval_ticks(addr, msg, period)` — interval timer API
  - Phase 2.5 in tick_once: fire due timers, route through full delivery system
    (pool.deliver for local actors, transfer_txs for cross-worker, inbox_registry for inboxes)
  - Phase 5.5: drain timer requests from handler buffer into TimerWheel
  - GC: interval timers for removed actors cleaned up after cleanup_dead
  - `schedule_timer` on Runtime's ContextInner: no-op with warning (timers are per-worker only)
- **Bug fixed**: `gc_dead_intervals` was over-aggressive — removed timers for ANY address not
  in the local pool, including inboxes and cross-worker actors. Fixed to only GC timers for
  addresses in the `dead` set from cleanup_dead.
- **Tests**: 6 new tests
  - `one_shot_timer_fires_after_n_ticks` — timer with delay=3 fires on tick 4
  - `handler_can_schedule_one_shot_timer` — timer scheduled from handler, fires correctly
  - `one_shot_timer_fires_only_once` — consumed after firing, doesn't repeat
  - `interval_timer_fires_repeatedly` — period=2, fires every 2 ticks (3 fires verified)
  - `interval_timer_cleaned_up_when_actor_dies` — GC removes orphaned timers
  - `timer_with_zero_delay_fires_next_tick` — delay=0 fires on next tick
- **Result**: 88 tests pass, all workspace compiles, zero warnings

### Cycle 8: Dead Actor Cleanup (Memory Leak Fix)
- **Research**: Audited remaining improvement gaps, found ActorPool and AddressMap both leak
  permanently poisoned actors. Known class of bug in Akka (#22990), CAF (#420).
- **Implementation**: Automatic cleanup of poisoned actors after tick_all
  - `AddressMap::remove()` added to delivery.rs
  - `ActorPool::cleanup_dead()` collects and removes poisoned actors, returns their addresses
  - Phase 7 in tick_once: cleanup_dead → remove from address_map → update num_actors stat
  - Re-publish num_actors after cleanup so stats immediately reflect removal
- **Behavior change**: Sends to poisoned actors now return Err (address not found) instead of
  silently discarding. This is better — callers learn the actor is gone.
- **Tests**: 2 new tests + 2 existing tests updated
  - `dead_actor_cleaned_up_from_stats_and_address_map` — good actor persists, bad actor removed
  - `bulk_dead_actor_cleanup` — 20 panicked actors all cleaned up
  - Updated `send_to_poisoned_actor_is_a_silent_black_hole` — now asserts send returns Err
  - Updated `poisoned_actor_messages_not_counted_as_processed` — sends fail to cleaned-up actor
- **Result**: 70 tests pass, all workspace compiles

### Cycle 7: Actor Recovery (Factory Restart)
- **Research**: Deep analysis of supervision/recovery across Erlang (supervision trees, restart intensity),
  Akka (Resume/Restart/Stop/Escalate), Kameo (on_panic hook), Actix (Supervised trait), Ractor (SupervisionEvent)
  - Erlang: fresh process via factory (MFA tuple), mailbox lost, PID changes
  - Akka: replace internals but keep ActorRef stable, mailbox preserved (docs say this is usually wrong)
  - Kameo: on_panic(&mut self) — risky with corrupt state after panic
  - Decision: factory-based restart (Erlang-style), safest approach
- **Implementation**: `spawn_restartable(actor, factory, max_restarts)` on Runtime and Ctx
  - `Actor<A>` expanded from tuple struct to named fields: inner, restart_factory, max_restarts, restart_count
  - `AnyActor::try_restart(&self)` trait method (default None, backward compatible)
  - Factory stored as `Arc<dyn Fn() -> A + Send + Sync>` — cloned into fresh Actor on restart
  - `tick_all` panic handler: try_restart before poisoning, clear mailbox, fresh state
  - `restarts` counter added to `WorkerStats` and `WorkerInfo`
- **Safety**: Factory fields are "cold" (never touched by handle_any), safe to read after catch_unwind
- **Tests**: 4 new tests
  - `restartable_actor_recovers_after_panic` — basic restart works
  - `restartable_actor_resets_state_on_restart` — fresh state post-restart
  - `restartable_actor_respects_max_restarts` — 2 restarts then permanent poison
  - `non_restartable_actor_still_poisons_on_panic` — backward compatibility
- **Result**: 68 tests pass, all workspace compiles

### Cycle 6: Mailbox Backpressure
- **Research**: Compared backpressure across Erlang (unbounded, pobox), Actix (cap 16, do_send bypass),
  Kameo (cap 64, bounded), Tokio mpsc (bounded, permit pattern), Go channels (blocking)
  - Consensus: bounded by default, configurable overflow policy
- **Implementation**: Per-actor bounded mailboxes with configurable overflow
  - Added `MailboxOverflow` enum: `DropNewest` (discard incoming) and `DropOldest` (evict oldest)
  - Added `default_mailbox_capacity` and `mailbox_overflow` to `RuntimeConfig`
  - Default: capacity=0 (unbounded) — 100% backward compatible
  - `ActorSlot` stores per-actor capacity and policy (from runtime defaults)
  - `deliver()` enforces bounds; dropped messages tracked via `drops_this_tick` counter
  - `messages_dropped: AtomicU64` added to `WorkerStats` and `WorkerInfo`
- **Tests**: 4 new tests
  - `bounded_mailbox_drop_newest_caps_at_capacity` — 50 msgs, cap 10 → only 10 delivered
  - `bounded_mailbox_drop_oldest_keeps_newest` — 10 msgs, cap 5 → newest 5 kept
  - `unbounded_mailbox_delivers_all_messages` — backward compatibility check
  - `bounded_mailbox_refills_after_processing` — cap 5, process, refill works
- **Result**: 64 tests pass, all workspace compiles

### Research Notes
- Full analysis in `CLAUDE/notes/research_synthesis.md`
- Baseline benchmarks in `CLAUDE/notes/baseline_benchmarks.md`
- Constraints in `CLAUDE/notes/constraints.md`

## Next Steps
- [x] **Cycle 2: Stress testing + property-based tests** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 3: Adaptive backoff with thread parking** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 4: Enhanced benchmarks + bug-inspired tests** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 5: Work stealing research + load-aware placement** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 6: Mailbox backpressure** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 7: Actor recovery (factory restart)** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 8: Dead actor cleanup** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 9: Lifecycle hooks + graceful stop** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 10: Actor timers (tick-counting)** ✅
- [x] **Cycle 11: Property-based testing (proptest-state-machine + fuzz extension)** ✅
- [ ] **Cycle 12: Next improvement**
  - Candidates: named actors/registry (small effort, high value), actor monitoring/death watch,
    actor groups/pub-sub, SmallBox optimization
  - Priority messages REJECTED (lifecycle hooks cover 95% of cases)
  - LIFO slot rejected (0-5% benefit for typical workloads, not worth complexity)

## Open Questions
- Should budget be configurable per-actor (not just per-runtime)?
- Is 64 the right default budget? Benchmarks show budget=32 slightly faster for throughput
- ~~Thread parking: notification mechanism~~ RESOLVED: OnceLock<Thread> + unpark()
- Should load-aware placement weight mailbox depth more than actor count?
- LIFO slot for same-worker sends: worth the complexity?

## Blockers
- (none)