realtime

Activate When

• /godmode:realtime, "add websockets", "real-time"
• "live notifications", "typing indicator", "presence"
• "collaborative editing", "live cursors", "SSE"
• Polling patterns that need push-based delivery

Workflow

1. Requirements Assessment

grep -r "socket.io\|ws\|websocket\|sse\|EventSource" \
  --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" -l 2>/dev/null
grep -r "redis.*pub\|redis.*sub\|createAdapter" \
  --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" -l 2>/dev/null

Direction: server->client | bidirectional | both
Latency: <100ms | <1s | <30s
Concurrency: <1K | 1K-10K | 10K-100K | >100K
Persistence: ephemeral | replay needed

2. Protocol Selection

• SSE: server->client only, auto-reconnect, works through HTTP proxies. Use for notifications, feeds.
• WebSocket: bidirectional, low latency. Use for chat, collaboration, gaming.
• Socket.io: WebSocket + fallback, rooms, namespace. Use for most real-time web apps.
• WebTransport: HTTP/3, multi-stream. Bleeding edge.

IF only server->client push: use SSE (simpler). IF bidirectional needed: use WebSocket/Socket.io.

3. Connection Architecture

Authenticate during handshake (not after). Reject unauthenticated connections immediately. Heartbeat: client+server exchange every 30s. Dead connection detection within 60s.

4. Pub/Sub & Channel Design

Channel patterns: room:{id}, user:{id}, team:{id}, presence:{room}, typing:{room}. Use Redis pub/sub for multi-server fan-out.

5. Presence System

Track online/offline per user+room in Redis sorted set. Score = last-seen timestamp. Expire after 60s. Debounce "user left" by 3-5s (prevents flicker on network blips).

6. Typing Indicators

Ephemeral state. Never persist. Broadcast at most once per 2s. Auto-expire after 5s. Send stop_typing on blur or submit.

7. Collaboration (CRDT/OT)

• CRDT (Yjs, Automerge): automatic conflict resolution, no central server. Best for concurrent editing (docs, whiteboards).
• OT (ShareJS): server-based transforms. Older approach, more complex.
• Last-write-wins: simplest. Use for settings, non-collaborative fields.

IF multiple users edit same document: use CRDT (Yjs). IF simple form fields: last-write-wins sufficient.

8. Scaling

Redis pub/sub adapter for Socket.io multi-instance. Sticky sessions (IP hash) for WebSocket at LB. Per-instance: ~10K connections. Cluster: scale horizontally with Redis adapter.

upstream websocket_backend {
    ip_hash;
    server ws1:3000;
    server ws2:3000;
}

9. Client Reconnection

Exponential backoff: base=1s, max=30s, max attempts=10. On reconnect: re-authenticate, rejoin rooms, fetch missed messages by last-received ID. Queue messages during disconnection.

10. Validation

[ ] Auth on handshake
[ ] Heartbeat configured (30s interval)
[ ] Reconnection with state recovery
[ ] Redis pub/sub for multi-instance
[ ] Presence with debounce (3-5s)
[ ] Rate limiting on incoming messages
[ ] Server-side message validation

Hard Rules

1. NEVER send credentials in WebSocket messages.
2. NEVER trust client data without server validation.
3. ALWAYS authenticate on connection handshake.
4. ALWAYS implement heartbeat (detect dead connections).
5. ALWAYS design for disconnection (queue + sync).
6. NEVER persist typing state.
7. ALWAYS use Redis pub/sub for multi-server.
8. Rate limit incoming messages per connection.

TSV Logging

Append .godmode/realtime-results.tsv:

timestamp	transport	event_types	rooms	presence	scaling	reconnection	status

Keep/Discard

KEEP if: reconnection recovers state AND latency
  < 100ms p95 AND ordering preserved.
DISCARD if: messages lost on reconnect
  OR cross-instance delivery fails.

Stop Conditions

STOP when FIRST of:
  - All features work (chat, presence, typing)
  - Reconnection with state recovery verified
  - Cross-instance delivery confirmed

Autonomous Operation

On failure: git reset --hard HEAD~1. Never pause.

Error Recovery

Failure	Action
Connections drop often	Heartbeat + backoff reconnect
Out-of-order messages	Add sequence numbers, reorder
Memory grows per client	Check listener leaks, limit buffers
Updates not reaching all	Verify Redis pub/sub fan-out