watcher: keep port state when no nameserver of a name answered (closes #193)

The port check removed the saved port state of every address no
configured name resolves to. A name whose nameservers all timed out
or failed is saved with no records, so its addresses looked gone and
lost their port state; when the nameservers answered again it was
recorded afresh, and a port that opened or closed meanwhile was not
notified.

An entry is now kept when one of the names saved on it is configured
and none of its nameservers answered on its last check, and such a
name stays on the entry when the port is checked again for another
name. A name whose nameservers answer with no addresses still loses
it, and so does a name no longer configured.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -110,7 +110,9 @@ Contributions that introduce mocked, faked, or stubbed DNS will be rejected.
     - Port transitioned from open to closed (or vice versa).
     - New IP appeared (from DNS change) and its port state was recorded.
     - IP disappeared (from DNS change) — noted in the DNS change notification;
-      port state for that IP is removed.
+      port state for that IP is removed. When none of a name's nameservers
+      answered, its addresses are not known, so the port state saved for them is
+      kept.
 
 ### TLS Certificate Monitoring
 

TODO.md

@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ trial run of the finished image: https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/dnswatcher/issues/149
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-01: when none of a configured name's nameservers answered, the port
+  state saved for its addresses is kept, not removed (closes #193).
 - 2026-10-01: `ResolveIPAddresses` returns an error, not no addresses, when no
   nameserver of the name's zone answered (closes #190).
 - 2026-10-01: `make fmt` and `make fmt-check` cover Markdown with prettier, run

internal/watcher/export_test.go

@@ -67,6 +67,11 @@ func (w *Watcher) DetectNSAddressChanges(
 	w.detectNSAddressChanges(ctx, domain, prev, current)
 }
 
+// CheckAllPorts exports checkAllPorts for testing.
+func (w *Watcher) CheckAllPorts(ctx context.Context) {
+	w.checkAllPorts(ctx)
+}
+
 // BuildHostnameState exports buildHostnameState for testing.
 func BuildHostnameState(
 	results map[string]*resolver.NameserverResponse,

internal/watcher/nsfailure_test.go

@@ -331,3 +331,118 @@ func TestNameserverThatRefuses(t *testing.T) {
 		)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestPortStateWhenNoNameserverAnswered runs the port checks on
+// hostname state built here, which gives the name no address. The port
+// state saved for its old address is kept only when the name is a
+// configured hostname or domain and none of its nameservers answered.
+func TestPortStateWhenNoNameserverAnswered(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	noneAnswered := saved(map[string]*state.NameserverRecordState{
+		nsA: failed(), nsB: failed(),
+	})
+	oneAnsweredNoAddress := saved(map[string]*state.NameserverRecordState{
+		nsA: answered(map[string][]string{}), nsB: failed(),
+	})
+
+	configured := []string{host}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		hostname  *state.HostnameState
+		hostnames []string
+		domains   []string
+		wantKept  bool
+	}{
+		{"no nameserver answered", noneAnswered, configured, nil, true},
+		{
+			"no nameserver answered, configured as a domain",
+			noneAnswered, nil, configured, true,
+		},
+		{
+			"one answered with no address",
+			oneAnsweredNoAddress, configured, nil, false,
+		},
+		{"no nameserver answered, not configured", noneAnswered, nil, nil, false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
+			cfg.Hostnames = tt.hostnames
+			cfg.Domains = tt.domains
+
+			// The port checks read the saved hostname state and look
+			// nothing up, so the watcher has no resolver.
+			deps := newTestDeps(t, cfg)
+			w := watcher.NewForTest(
+				cfg, deps.state, nil,
+				deps.portChecker, deps.tlsChecker, deps.notifier,
+			)
+
+			key := ip1 + ":443"
+
+			deps.state.SetHostnameState(host, tt.hostname)
+			deps.state.SetPortState(key, &state.PortState{
+				Open: true, Hostnames: []string{host},
+			})
+
+			w.CheckAllPorts(t.Context())
+
+			_, kept := deps.state.GetPortState(key)
+			if kept != tt.wantKept {
+				t.Errorf("port state %s kept: %v, want %v", key, kept, tt.wantKept)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestPortStateWhenNoNameserverAnsweredAndOtherNameMovesAway saves the
+// port state of an address two configured hostnames resolve to. While
+// none of the first one's nameservers answer, the port checks run with
+// the other one still at that address, then after it moved away; the
+// port state is kept both times.
+func TestPortStateWhenNoNameserverAnsweredAndOtherNameMovesAway(
+	t *testing.T,
+) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const other = "mail.example.net"
+
+	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
+	cfg.Hostnames = []string{host, other}
+
+	// The port checks read the saved hostname state and look nothing
+	// up, so the watcher has no resolver.
+	deps := newTestDeps(t, cfg)
+	w := watcher.NewForTest(
+		cfg, deps.state, nil,
+		deps.portChecker, deps.tlsChecker, deps.notifier,
+	)
+
+	key := ip1 + ":443"
+
+	deps.state.SetPortState(key, &state.PortState{
+		Open: true, Hostnames: []string{host, other},
+	})
+	deps.state.SetHostnameState(host, saved(
+		map[string]*state.NameserverRecordState{nsA: failed(), nsB: failed()},
+	))
+
+	for _, otherIP := range []string{ip1, ip2} {
+		deps.state.SetHostnameState(other, saved(
+			map[string]*state.NameserverRecordState{
+				nsA: answered(map[string][]string{"A": {otherIP}}),
+			},
+		))
+
+		w.CheckAllPorts(t.Context())
+
+		if _, kept := deps.state.GetPortState(key); !kept {
+			t.Fatalf("port state %s removed with %s at %s", key, other, otherIP)
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/watcher/watcher.go

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
+	"slices"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -708,15 +709,46 @@ func parsePortKey(key string) (string, int) {
 }
 
 // cleanupStalePorts removes port state entries that are no
-// longer referenced by any hostname in the current DNS data.
+// longer referenced by any hostname in the current DNS data. An
+// entry saved for a configured name none of whose nameservers
+// answered is kept: that name's addresses are not known, not gone.
 func (w *Watcher) cleanupStalePorts(
 	currentAssociations map[string][]string,
 ) {
 	for _, key := range w.state.GetAllPortKeys() {
-		if _, exists := currentAssociations[key]; !exists {
-			w.state.DeletePortState(key)
+		if _, exists := currentAssociations[key]; exists {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		ps, ok := w.state.GetPortState(key)
+		if ok && slices.ContainsFunc(ps.Hostnames, w.noNameserverAnswered) {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		w.state.DeletePortState(key)
+	}
+}
+
+// noNameserverAnswered reports whether name is a configured domain or
+// hostname and none of its nameservers answered on its last check.
+func (w *Watcher) noNameserverAnswered(name string) bool {
+	if !slices.Contains(w.config.Hostnames, name) &&
+		!slices.Contains(w.config.Domains, name) {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	hs, ok := w.state.GetHostnameState(name)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	for _, nsState := range hs.RecordsByNameserver {
+		if nsState.Status == statusOK {
+			return false
 		}
 	}
+
+	return true
 }
 
 func (w *Watcher) collectIPs(hostname string) []string {
@@ -795,9 +827,24 @@ func (w *Watcher) checkSinglePort(
 		)
 	}
 
+	// A configured name on the saved list none of whose nameservers
+	// answered stays on it, so the entry is kept when the other names
+	// stop resolving to this address.
+	savedHostnames := slices.Clone(hostnames)
+
+	if hasPrev {
+		for _, name := range prev.Hostnames {
+			if !slices.Contains(hostnames, name) && w.noNameserverAnswered(name) {
+				savedHostnames = append(savedHostnames, name)
+			}
+		}
+
+		sort.Strings(savedHostnames)
+	}
+
 	w.state.SetPortState(key, &state.PortState{
 		Open:        result.Open,
-		Hostnames:   hostnames,
+		Hostnames:   savedHostnames,
 		LastChecked: now,
 	})
 }