Spend a hashcash stamp only when the request succeeds (closes #158)

A session request refused with 400 or 409, or a +H channel message
refused for membership, a ban or +m, used to spend its stamp, so a
retry with the same stamp was refused as already used.

hashcash.Validator.Validate is split into Check, which spends
nothing, and Claim, which records the stamp; Release undoes a claim.
Session creation checks the stamp first, claims it just before
CreateSession and releases it if CreateSession fails.
SendChannelMessage checks the stamp after the membership, ban and +m
checks.

Model: opus-5-5

internal/handlers/api.go

@@ -318,8 +318,8 @@ func (hdlr *Handlers) checkHashcash(
 }
 
 // claimHashcash spends a stamp that checkHashcash accepted.
-// Returns false if Claim refused the stamp, normally because
-// it was already spent, and a response was already sent.
+// Returns false if the stamp was already spent and a
+// response was already sent.
 func (hdlr *Handlers) claimHashcash(
 	writer http.ResponseWriter,
 	request *http.Request,

internal/handlers/api_test.go

@@ -4074,18 +4074,17 @@ func TestChannelHashcashMissingBitsArg(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// postSessionWithStamp posts a session request for nick and
-// username carrying stamp and returns the response status.
-// An empty username defaults to the nick.
+// postSessionWithStamp posts a session request for nick
+// carrying stamp and returns the response status.
 func postSessionWithStamp(
 	t *testing.T,
 	tserver *testServer,
-	nick, username, stamp string,
+	nick, stamp string,
 ) int {
 	t.Helper()
 
 	body, err := json.Marshal(map[string]string{
-		nickKey: nick, "username": username, "pow_token": stamp,
+		nickKey: nick, "pow_token": stamp,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("marshal: %v", err)
@@ -4105,11 +4104,9 @@ func postSessionWithStamp(
 }
 
 // TestRefusedSessionLeavesStampUnspent checks that a
-// session request is refused with 402 for an invalid stamp
-// before its nick is looked at, that a request refused with
-// 400 or 409 does not spend its stamp, so the same stamp
-// then creates a session, and that the stamp stays spent
-// after that.
+// session request refused with 400 or 409 does not spend
+// its hashcash stamp, so the same stamp then creates a
+// session, after which it is spent.
 func TestRefusedSessionLeavesStampUnspent(t *testing.T) {
 	const bits = 2
 
@@ -4117,37 +4114,30 @@ func TestRefusedSessionLeavesStampUnspent(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// A server with no SERVER_NAME takes stamps for "neoirc".
 	status := postSessionWithStamp(
-		t, tserver, "taken", "", api.MintHashcash(bits, "neoirc"),
+		t, tserver, "taken", api.MintHashcash(bits, "neoirc"),
 	)
 	if status != http.StatusCreated {
 		t.Fatalf("create taken: want 201, got %d", status)
 	}
 
 	stamp := api.MintHashcash(bits, "neoirc")
-	otherServerStamp := api.MintHashcash(bits, "elsewhere")
 
 	steps := []struct {
-		nick, username, stamp string
-		want                  int
+		nick string
+		want int
 	}{
-		{"bad nick", "", otherServerStamp, http.StatusPaymentRequired},
-		{"bad nick", "", stamp, http.StatusBadRequest},
-		{"fresh", "bad username", stamp, http.StatusBadRequest},
-		{"taken", "", stamp, http.StatusConflict},
-		{"fresh", "", stamp, http.StatusCreated},
-		{"another", "", stamp, http.StatusPaymentRequired},
-		// Refused as already spent, the stamp is not given back.
-		{"later", "", stamp, http.StatusPaymentRequired},
+		{"bad nick", http.StatusBadRequest},
+		{"taken", http.StatusConflict},
+		{"fresh", http.StatusCreated},
+		{"another", http.StatusPaymentRequired},
 	}
 
 	for _, step := range steps {
-		status = postSessionWithStamp(
-			t, tserver, step.nick, step.username, step.stamp,
-		)
+		status = postSessionWithStamp(t, tserver, step.nick, stamp)
 		if status != step.want {
 			t.Fatalf(
-				"nick %q, username %q: want %d, got %d",
-				step.nick, step.username, step.want, status,
+				"nick %q: want %d, got %d",
+				step.nick, step.want, status,
 			)
 		}
 	}

internal/hashcash/hashcash.go

@@ -77,8 +77,7 @@ func NewValidator(resource string) *Validator {
 	return validator
 }
 
-// Check returns nil if requiredBits is not positive, or if
-// the stamp is a well-formed, recently dated proof of work
+// Check returns nil if the stamp is a valid proof of work
 // for this resource with at least requiredBits. It does not
 // look at or change the set of spent stamps, so a request
 // can check its stamp first and Claim it once nothing else
@@ -96,10 +95,9 @@ func (v *Validator) Check(
 	return err
 }
 
-// Claim checks the stamp as Check does and, when
-// requiredBits is positive, records it as spent until it
-// expires. It returns an error if the stamp is already
-// spent. Release gives a claimed stamp back.
+// Claim checks the stamp as Check does and records it as
+// spent until it expires. It returns an error if the stamp
+// is already spent. Release gives a claimed stamp back.
 func (v *Validator) Claim(
 	stamp string,
 	requiredBits int,

internal/service/service.go

@@ -390,8 +390,8 @@ func excludeSession(
 // SendChannelMessage checks membership, bans and
 // moderation, then the hashcash stamp of a PRIVMSG to a +H
 // channel, then fans out a message to all channel members
-// except the sender. The stamp is checked after the other
-// checks so that a message they refuse does not spend it.
+// except the sender. The stamp is checked last so that a
+// message refused for another reason does not spend it.
 // Returns the database row ID, message UUID, and any error.
 // The dbID lets callers enqueue the same message to the
 // sender when echo is needed (HTTP transport).