fix(chat): Campaign CH round 3 — SpewBox flush-top/font, /help exact print sequence

User-gate round 3 findings (a)-(c):

(a) SpewBox: TopOffset moves from the round-1 60px placeholder to 0 (flush
to the viewport top). SpewBoxController never wired DatFont/Font at all
before this round, so it silently rendered through the 15px debug
BitmapFont fallback; it now resolves retail dat Font 0x40000025
(MaxCharHeight=11px) through a new RetailUiRuntime.Assets accessor —
the smallest font id confirmed in use by any currently-imported retail
LayoutDesc fixture, cross-referenced against every
tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/fixtures/*.json dump and confirmed
against the installed DAT via AcDream.Cli dump-font-atlas. It is also the
chat window's own smallest font (the 0x2100006F floating-window 1/2/3/4
indicator badges), so both selection criteria the brief offered agree.
Both remain best-available approximations, not resolved retail values —
register row AP-178 updated accordingly.

(b)/(c) /help and /help death: round 2 extracted the individual retail
strings byte-exact but never traced ClientCommunicationSystem::DoHelp's
complete print sequence. Byte-swept DoHelp's own range plus the five
Summary-branch functions it calls into (HelpEmote/HelpSquelch/
HelpStatusGroup/HelpTextGroup/HelpAllGroup) against the PDB-paired
acclient.exe. Retail's real shape: bare /help prints exactly TWO scroll
entries (HelpPrefixNote, then the 13-item AvailableHelpListing built from
DoHelp's own literals and each group's Summary_HelpType branch, in exact
source order) — not the acdream-invented cheat sheet BuildHelpText()
built before. Any resolved /help <verb> gets the SAME two-entry shape:
HelpPrefixNote, then ForMoreInformationPrefix concatenated directly onto
the verb's own Detail text (retail's own unsubstituted "<command>"
literal, ported verbatim). ChatCommandRouter.EmitVerbHelp applies this
uniformly to every resolved verb, not just death. An unresolved verb now
shows retail's real "Unknown command" fallback text; that fallback types
0x1A (ClientLocal), which retail routes to the SpewBox exclusively — a
gap ChatVM's UI.Abstractions layer can't yet reach, filed as ISSUES #367
/ register AP-186 rather than left silently unregistered.

Jump-in-air (round 2's open item 1) was root-caused and fixed separately
at a5a7eb4f between rounds — recorded in the campaign ledger.

Debug suite (all projects): 12,329 passed / 4 skipped / 1 failed — the
one failure is issue #351, a pre-existing Debug-only streaming flake
confirmed reproducing identically on the pristine pre-round-3 commit via
git stash, not a regression. Release verification covers every project
reachable without rebuilding AcDream.App: a live client process (PID
15064) held its own Release binaries locked for the session and was not
killed per project policy — AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests (867/867, the
layer both /help fixes live in) plus every other non-App-dependent
project, all 0 failed. AcDream.App/AcDream.App.Tests/AcDream.Core.Tests
(the SpewBox fix's layer) are green in Debug only this session.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/ISSUES.md

@@ -192,6 +192,49 @@ click — not decoded by CH6a.
 `src/AcDream.App/UI/Layout/LayoutImporter.cs`
 (`BuildWidget`/`ConsumesDatChildren` handling); `src/AcDream.App/UI/UiText.cs`.
 
+## #367 — ChatCommandRouter's local-presentation fallbacks type-0x1A text still lands in the chat scroll, never the SpewBox
+
+**Status:** OPEN — filed 2026-08-10, Campaign CH user-gate round 3, while
+tracing `ClientCommunicationSystem::DoHelp @0x0057f9e0`'s complete print
+sequence for findings (b)/(c). Retail's DoHelp fallback for an unresolved
+`/help <verb>` is `AddTextToScroll(u"Unknown command", 0x1A, 1, 0)` — type
+`0x1A` (`ClientLocal`) is HARDCODED to the SpewBox, never the chat window
+(`docs/research/2026-08-09-chat-retail-interface-text.md` §2.1/§2.2, the
+same routing rule Campaign CH user-gate round 2 item 2 already ported for
+the portal-space notice). `RuntimeCommunicationState.AddText` (Runtime
+layer) implements this rule correctly — `type == ClientLocal` routes to
+`SpewBox` only. But `ChatCommandRouter`/`ChatVM` live in
+`AcDream.UI.Abstractions`, a layer beneath Runtime that must stay
+presentation/Runtime-independent (Code Structure Rules), so they have no
+path to the SpewBox at all — every local-presentation fallback
+(`RetailCommandHelpTable.UnknownCommand` now; also the pre-existing
+"Unknown command: {verb}." command-shaped-input refusal in
+`ChatCommandRouter.Submit`'s main body) still writes through
+`ChatVM.ShowSystemMessage`, which only ever reaches `ChatLog`. Not a
+regression this round — the fallback text was already wrong AND
+already routed to the chat window before this round's fix; this round
+corrected the TEXT ("Unknown command", byte-exact) and traced the
+routing divergence clearly enough to file it. Register row AP-186.
+
+**Fix shape:** either (a) give `ChatVM` (or a sibling in UI.Abstractions)
+an optional `Action<string>? OnClientLocalText` hook the App-layer host
+wires to `RuntimeCommunicationState.AddText(text, RetailLogTextType.ClientLocal)`
+the same way `ChatWindowController`/other retained-UI controllers already
+receive delegates from the composition layer, or (b) accept the
+divergence permanently as an acdream simplification (all local-presentation
+refusals show in the chat window instead of splitting across two surfaces)
+and retire AP-186 as an accepted Intentional Architecture row instead. Needs
+a product decision, not just an implementation — small either way once
+decided.
+
+**Where:** `src/AcDream.UI.Abstractions/Panels/Chat/ChatCommandRouter.cs`;
+`src/AcDream.UI.Abstractions/Panels/Chat/ChatVM.cs`;
+`src/AcDream.Runtime/Gameplay/RuntimeCommunicationState.cs` (`AddText`, the
+correctly-implemented Runtime-layer oracle this should eventually reach).
+
+**Campaign:** `docs/plans/2026-08-09-chat-parity-campaign.md` (Campaign CH,
+user gate round 3).
+
 ## #364 — Three `/help` group topics still partial: HelpStupidChannelHack unresolved
 
 **Status:** OPEN — filed 2026-08-09, Campaign CH user-gate round 2, item 3.

docs/plans/2026-08-09-chat-parity-campaign.md

@@ -33,10 +33,20 @@ character on the probe account), and two temporary graphical-only probes
 are left behind for the next round. **CH6a (main-window layout + 8-grip
 resize) landed CODE-COMPLETE the same day** — see its ledger row and the
 updated round-1 items H/I and round-2 item 6 dispositions below; CH6b
-(floating windows 1–4) and CH6c (opacity) remain not started. Status
+(floating windows 1–4) and CH6c (opacity) remain not started. Round 2's
-stays CODE-COMPLETE pending the next user gate round (still needed for
+open item 1 (jump-in-air) was root-caused between rounds from live probe
-item 1, CH6a's own visual confirmation, CH6b/CH6c, and a final in-client
+evidence and FIXED at `a5a7eb4f` — a production-controller install path
-visual pass on everything fixed so far).
+never wired `OnInterfaceText`. **User gate round 3 ran 2026-08-10 and
+found three more findings, all presentation; see "User gate — round 3"
+below.** All three are fixed in this round's commit: the SpewBox now
+mounts flush to the viewport top and resolves a real (smaller) retail dat
+font instead of the unwired 15px debug fallback; bare `/help` and
+`/help <verb>` (including `/help death`) now print retail's exact
+`DoHelp` shape — two scroll entries in the right order, not one
+acdream-invented blob. Status stays CODE-COMPLETE pending the next user
+gate round (still needed for CH6a's own visual confirmation, CH6b/CH6c,
+round 3's fixes, and a final in-client visual pass on everything fixed so
+far).
 
 **Why now:** first track of the alpha-release program (chat is the most
 visible daily surface for the friend-alpha). User-directed 2026-08-09.
@@ -201,6 +211,9 @@ implementer per slice against a pinned contract (per
 | CH6a main-window layout + 8-grip resize | (this commit) | 12,317 passed / 4 skipped / 0 failed | pending (no subagent review pass this session — implementer-only) | pending — needs the next in-client round (items H/I round 1, item 6 round 2) |
 | CH6b/CH6c floating windows + opacity | not started | — | — | not started |
 | User gate round 2 | (this commit) | 12,267 passed / 4 skipped / 0 failed | — | items 2/4/5 fixed this commit, item 3 confirmed-fixed, item 6 folded into CH6a's spec, item 1 NOT reproduced (see "User gate — round 2" below) |
+| CH6a main-window layout + 8-grip resize | `1fd51543` | 12,317 passed / 4 skipped / 0 failed | pending | pending — landed same day as round 2 |
+| Jump-in-air root cause (round-2 item 1, resolved) | `a5a7eb4f` | Runtime tests 1,323/0 | — | round-3 probe evidence pinpointed a missing `OnInterfaceText` wire on the production controller-commit path (`RuntimeLocalPlayerMovementState.CommitRuntimeOwnedController`); FIXED, regression test added |
+| User gate round 3 | (this commit) | Debug (all projects): 12,329 passed / 4 skipped / 1 failed (pre-existing #351 Debug-only flake — reproduces identically on the pristine pre-round-3 commit, not a regression); Release (every project reachable while a live `AcDream.App.exe` client — PID 15064, must not be killed per project policy — holds its own Release binaries locked, blocking `AcDream.App`/`AcDream.App.Tests`/`AcDream.Core.Tests` specifically): `AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests` (the layer this round's `/help` fix lives in) 867/867, plus `Core.Net.Tests` 823/823, `Runtime.Tests` 1,323/1,323, `Content.Tests` 130/130, `Headless.Tests` 89/89, `Bake.Tests` 15/15, `Cli.Tests` 4/4 — all 0 failed | — | findings (a)-(c) fixed this commit — SpewBox flush-top + retail dat font, `/help`/`/help death` exact retail print sequence (see "User gate — round 3" below) |
 
 ### CH4 closeout (2026-08-09)
 
@@ -590,3 +603,86 @@ chrome mount), plus new/updated tests in
 `tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/UiRootInputTests.cs`,
 `tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/CursorFeedbackControllerTests.cs`, and
 `tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/ChatLayoutConformanceTests.cs`.
+
+## User gate — round 3 (2026-08-10)
+
+The user tested round 2's fixes live and reported three more findings, all
+presentation. Between rounds, the main session also root-caused round 2's
+open item 1 (jump-in-air silence) from live probe evidence and landed the
+fix at `a5a7eb4f` — see the standalone ledger row above; not repeated here
+since it needed no further work this round.
+
+| # | User finding (condensed) | Disposition |
+|---|---|---|
+| (a) | The SpewBox yellow text is "still not aligned all the way to the top" and not "the correct font and size" (retail's is SMALLER than ours). | **FIXED this SHA.** Two independent sub-fixes, both best-available APPROXIMATIONS (the true retail values remain unmeasurable — `SpewBoxLayoutDumpDiagnostic` re-run this round still finds no `FontDid`/colour property on element `0x10000048` or its ListBox child): **position** — `SpewBoxController.TopOffset` moves from round 1's 60px placeholder to `0` (flush to the viewport top), per the user's explicit direction. **Font** — the controller never wired `DatFont`/`Font` at all before this round, so it silently fell through to the retained-UI host's 15px debug `BitmapFont`; it now resolves retail dat Font `0x40000025` (`MaxCharHeight=11px`) through `RetailUiRuntime.Assets.ResolveFont` (a new public accessor), the SAME memoized resolver the rest of the retained UI uses. `0x40000025` was picked by cross-referencing every currently-imported retail LayoutDesc fixture (`tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/fixtures/*.json`) for the smallest FontDid actually in use — it is 11px, smaller than every other font found (`0x40000000`=16px, `0x40000002`=14px, etc.), confirmed against the installed DAT via `AcDream.Cli dump-font-atlas` sweeping every populated font id `0x40000000`-`0x40000032`. It is ALSO the chat window's own smallest font (the `0x2100006F` floating-window 1/2/3/4 indicator badges use the same id) — both selection criteria the round-3 brief offered landed on the same answer, no tie to break. Register row AP-178 updated (not retired — position/font remain approximations, not resolved retail values; only vertical content flow stays fully OPEN). |
+| (b) | `/help` output is "still not what retail displays". | **FIXED this SHA.** Round 2 extracted the individual STRINGS byte-exact but never traced `ClientCommunicationSystem::DoHelp @0x0057f9e0`'s complete PRINT SEQUENCE, so the bare `/help` listing was still an acdream-invented cheat sheet ("Chat: /say...", "Channels: /general...", etc. — none of it retail text). Traced this round via a byte-sweep of DoHelp's own range (`0x57f9e0`-`0x57fe7e`) plus the five Summary-branch functions it calls into, against the PDB-paired `C:\Users\erikn\Downloads\acclient.exe` (verified MATCH). Retail's real bare-`/help` output is exactly TWO scroll entries — `RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote` (now re-swept with its leading blank line and trailing double newline, previously dropped) then `RetailCommandHelpTable.AvailableHelpListing`, a 13-item straight-line concatenation of retail's real topic-group one-liners (allegiances/channels/chatting/death/emote/fillcomps/friends/house/squelch/status/text/commands) in DoHelp's exact source order — never one concatenated blob. `ChatCommandRouter.EmitBareHelp` now emits two `ShowSystemMessage` calls, matching. The acdream-only `RetailClientCommandCatalog.BuildHelpText()`/router `BuildHelpText()` methods that built the old fabricated listing are deleted outright (dead code once nothing calls them). |
+| (c) | `/help death` is "still not formatted correctly". | **FIXED this SHA.** The CONTENT (`DeathGroupDetail`'s 8 lines) was already byte-exact from round 2 — what was still wrong was the SHAPE. DoHelp wraps EVERY successfully-resolved `/help <verb>` in the SAME two-entry shape as the bare listing: `HelpPrefixNote` as its own entry, then a SECOND entry that is `ForMoreInformationPrefix` ("For more information, type @help <command>.\n" — retail's own literal; "<command>" is NOT a substituted placeholder, confirmed by the absence of any sprintf/substitution call in the decomp) concatenated DIRECTLY onto the verb's own detail text — no blank line, no third entry, because retail's own handler call appends into the SAME string accumulator the prefix was built into. `ChatCommandRouter.EmitVerbHelp` now applies this wrap UNIFORMLY to every resolved verb (both `RetailClientCommandCatalog` and `RetailCommandHelpTable` lookups), not just death — the general fix, not a death-specific patch, per CLAUDE.md's root-cause discipline. An unresolved verb now shows retail's real fallback text, `RetailCommandHelpTable.UnknownCommand` ("Unknown command", swept verbatim) instead of the acdream-invented "No help available for '{verb}'." — this surfaced a SEPARATE finding: retail types this fallback `0x1A` (`ClientLocal`), which routes to the SpewBox exclusively, never the chat window; `ChatCommandRouter`/`ChatVM` live in `AcDream.UI.Abstractions`, a layer beneath Runtime with no SpewBox access, so the fallback still renders in the chat scroll — not a regression (it was already there, just with fabricated text), now tracked as ISSUES.md #367 / register row AP-186 instead of silently continuing unregistered. |
+
+Evidence: this commit's diff + `tests/AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests/Panels/Chat/RetailCommandHelpTableTests.cs`
+(new pinning tests for `HelpPrefixNote`, `ForMoreInformationPrefix`,
+`UnknownCommand`, `AvailableHelpListing`, and the router-level `/help death`
+two-entry shape) + `tests/AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests/Panels/Chat/ChatCommandRouterTests.cs`
+(updated `/help` tests for the new shape) +
+`tests/AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests/Panels/Chat/ChatPanelInputTests.cs`
+(updated entry-count assertions) + `tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/SpewBoxControllerTests.cs`
+(new flush-top / resize / font-wiring tests). Debug suite (all projects)
+green — 12,329 passed / 4 skipped / 1 failed, the single failure being
+issue #351 (a pre-existing, load-sensitive Debug-only flake in an
+unrelated streaming test, confirmed reproducing identically on the
+pristine pre-round-3 commit via `git stash`, not a regression from this
+work). Release verification was possible for every project reachable
+without rebuilding `AcDream.App` — a live client process (PID 15064) held
+its own Release binaries locked for the whole session and was not killed
+per project policy (`feedback_dont_kill_clients_before_launch`) —
+including `AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests` (867/867, the layer both `/help`
+fixes live in) and every other non-App-dependent test project, all 0
+failed. `AcDream.App`/`AcDream.App.Tests`/`AcDream.Core.Tests` (which the
+SpewBox fix and the SpewBox tests live in) could not be Release-verified
+this session; they are green in Debug.
+
+### Byte-sweep method for findings (b)/(c)
+
+`ClientCommunicationSystem::DoHelp @0x0057f9e0` has two branches
+(`arg2 > 0` = verb specified, `arg2 <= 0` = bare `/help`). Both ALWAYS
+print via exactly two `AddTextToScroll` calls, both typed `0`
+(informational) — never a single concatenated string:
+
+1. The SAME `HelpPrefixNote` line, unconditionally, in both branches.
+2. Bare: `AvailableHelpListing` — 13 items, 8 inline literals DoHelp
+   builds itself (allegiances/channels/chatting/death/fillcomps/friends/
+   house, plus the header) interleaved with 5 items DoHelp gets by calling
+   each group's own `Summary_HelpType` branch (`HelpEmote`/`HelpSquelch`/
+   `HelpStatusGroup`/`HelpTextGroup`/`HelpAllGroup` — every one of those 5
+   functions has the identical `if (arg2 != Summary_HelpType) {Detail}
+   else {"@help X - ..."}` shape `HelpEmote` makes explicit at
+   `acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:388664`). Verb-specified (verb resolves):
+   `ForMoreInformationPrefix` immediately followed (string concatenation,
+   no separator) by the verb's own Detail-branch text.
+
+When the verb does NOT resolve, DoHelp instead prints ONE entry,
+`UnknownCommand`, typed `0x1A` — the SpewBox-exclusive routing type CH
+user-gate round 2 item 2 already ported for the portal-space notice.
+
+Tool: `py tools/pdb-extract/sweep_weenie_strings.py
+C:/Users/erikn/Downloads/acclient.exe --range 0x57f9e0 0x57fe7e
+--ascii-only --min-len 3` (DoHelp's own range) plus the same tool against
+each of the five Summary-branch functions' own ranges (`HelpEmote`
+`0x578b80`-`0x578c60`, `HelpSquelch` `0x57c190`-`0x57c2d0`,
+`HelpStatusGroup` `0x57c410`-`0x57c5a0`, `HelpTextGroup`
+`0x57c6c0`-`0x57c860`, `HelpAllGroup` `0x57e7f0`-`0x57eba0`), each range
+read from the pseudo-C's own function-header addresses. `check_exe_pdb.py`
+confirmed the candidate binary MATCH before any of this.
+
+### SpewBox font selection method for finding (a)
+
+`AcDream.Cli dump-font-atlas <dat-dir> 0x400000XX` (already-existing
+tooling, extended nowhere — used as-is) against every populated font id
+from `0x40000000` to `0x40000032` (38 of 50 candidate ids populated in the
+installed `client_portal.dat`), reading each `Font` DBObj's own
+`MaxCharHeight`/`BaselineOffset`/glyph-table-size fields. Cross-referenced
+against every `FontDid` value appearing in
+`tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/fixtures/*.json` (24 already-imported
+retail LayoutDesc dumps) to find the smallest font id actually CONFIRMED
+in use by any retail UI import acdream has ported, rather than merely
+present in the DAT. `0x40000025` (11px) was both the global minimum across
+those fixtures AND the chat window's own minimum — no tie-break needed.

docs/research/2026-08-09-campaign-ch-test-script.md

@@ -8,14 +8,18 @@ FEEL right".
 ## 1. On-screen interface text (CH2 — the SpewBox)
 
 - Jump, and press jump again while airborne → **"You can't jump while in
-  the air"** appears as transient text near the top of the viewport, NOT
+  the air"** appears as transient text flush to the very TOP of the
-  in the chat window. Chat gets no line at all.
+  viewport (round 3, 2026-08-10 — moved off the earlier 60px-down
+  placeholder), NOT in the chat window. Chat gets no line at all.
 - Spam it 5+ times fast: the line refreshes in place (no stacking of
   identical text); distinct refusals stack newest-on-top, max 4 lines.
 - Try `@version` → its output goes to CHAT (green), not the SpewBox.
-- **Report presentation impressions**: position, color, and how long lines
+- The SpewBox text should now read visibly SMALLER than round 2 (retail
-  linger are placeholders pending measurement (register AP-177/AP-178) —
+  dat Font `0x40000025`, 11px, replacing the earlier 15px debug font).
-  say what looks wrong vs your retail memory.
+- **Report presentation impressions**: position and font are now
+  best-available approximations, not resolved retail values (register
+  AP-178); line lifetime is still a placeholder (AP-177) — say what looks
+  wrong vs your retail memory.
 
 ## 2. Chat colors (CH1)
 
@@ -58,11 +62,31 @@ Side-by-side vs retail if possible:
 - An unknown verb like `@somenonsense` → passes through to ACE (server
   answers, client does not swallow it).
 
+## 5. Help text (round 3, 2026-08-10)
+
+- `/help` (no args) → TWO lines in the chat window: a "Note: You may
+  substitute a forward slash..." line, then "Available help:" followed by
+  13 real retail topic one-liners (allegiances/channels/chatting/death/
+  emote/fillcomps/friends/house/squelch/status/text/commands). This
+  replaced an acdream-invented cheat sheet ("Chat: /say...", "Client:
+  /help...") — that text should no longer appear at all.
+- `/help death` → the SAME "Note:" line first, then a SECOND line starting
+  "For more information, type @help <command>." immediately followed by
+  the 8-line corpse/death command listing — not just the 8 lines alone.
+- `/help somenonsenseverb` → "Unknown command" (no "Note:" line before it;
+  retail's fallback skips the wrapper). This still shows in the CHAT
+  window rather than the SpewBox — a known, tracked gap (#367/AP-186), not
+  a new bug to report.
+
 ## Known-open, do not report as new
 
 - Ctrl+M mute chord (#358) — still broken, separate from this campaign.
-- SpewBox lifetime/position/color are registered placeholders
+- SpewBox line lifetime is still a placeholder (AP-177) pending a retail
-  (AP-177/AP-178) pending a retail measurement session.
+  measurement session; position/font are now best-available
+  approximations (AP-178), not confirmed retail pixel values.
+- `/help <verb>` fallback ("Unknown command") shows in the chat window,
+  not the SpewBox — retail types it for the SpewBox exclusively, but
+  `ChatCommandRouter` has no path there yet (#367/AP-186).
 - Allegiance management subcommands print the help refusal instead of
   executing (#360); `@day`/`@log`/`@render` deferred (#361); four request
   commands send but responses aren't rendered yet (#362).

src/AcDream.App/Composition/LivePresentationComposition.cs

@@ -1091,11 +1091,22 @@ internal sealed class LivePresentationCompositionPhase
             SpewBoxController>? spewBoxLease = null;
         if (interaction.RetainedUi is { } spewBoxRetainedUi)
         {
+            // Campaign CH user-gate round 3: resolve the SpewBox's own
+            // retail dat font through the SAME memoized resolver the rest
+            // of the retained UI uses (RetailUiRuntime.Assets), rather than
+            // silently falling back to the debug bitmap font every prior
+            // round shipped with. See SpewBoxController's class remarks
+            // and register row AP-178.
+            RetailUiAssets spewBoxAssets = spewBoxRetainedUi.Runtime.Assets;
+            UiDatFont? spewBoxFont =
+                spewBoxAssets.ResolveFont(SpewBoxController.RetailFontId);
             spewBoxLease = scope.Acquire(
                 "spew box",
                 () => new SpewBoxController(
                     spewBoxRetainedUi.Host.Root,
-                    new SpewBoxVM(d.Runtime.CommunicationOwner.SpewBox)),
+                    new SpewBoxVM(d.Runtime.CommunicationOwner.SpewBox),
+                    spewBoxFont,
+                    spewBoxAssets.DebugFont),
                 static value => value.Dispose());
         }
         CompositionAcquisitionScope.CompositionAcquisitionLease<

src/AcDream.App/UI/RetailUiRuntime.cs

@@ -321,6 +321,17 @@ public sealed class RetailUiRuntime : IDisposable
     }
 
     public UiHost Host => _bindings.Host;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Shared dat/sprite/font resolvers this runtime was built with.
+    /// Campaign CH user-gate round 3: lets a controller built OUTSIDE this
+    /// runtime's own <c>Mount*</c> graph (e.g. <c>SpewBoxController</c>,
+    /// composed directly in <c>LivePresentationComposition</c>) resolve the
+    /// SAME memoized <see cref="UiDatFont"/> instances instead of loading
+    /// its own copy.
+    /// </summary>
+    public RetailUiAssets Assets => _bindings.Assets;
+
     public ItemInteractionController ItemInteraction => _bindings.Inventory.ItemInteraction;
     public CharacterSheetProvider CharacterSheetProvider => _bindings.Character.Provider;
     public ToolbarController? ToolbarController { get; private set; }

src/AcDream.App/UI/SpewBoxController.cs

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 using System.Numerics;
+using AcDream.App.Rendering;
 using AcDream.App.UI.Layout;
 using AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Panels.SpewBox;
 
@@ -67,19 +68,73 @@ namespace AcDream.App.UI;
 /// the divergence register rows this class cites for each remaining
 /// placeholder.
 /// </remarks>
+/// <remarks>
+/// <b>Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10), finding (a) — position
+/// and font.</b> The user reported live: "still not aligned all the way to
+/// the top" and "not the correct font and size (retail's is SMALLER than
+/// ours)". Two changes, both still user-DIRECTED approximations (not
+/// resolved retail values — the true absolute position/parent and the true
+/// retail font remain unmeasurable statically; <c>SpewBoxLayoutDumpDiagnostic</c>
+/// re-run this round still finds no <c>FontDid</c>/colour property on
+/// element <c>0x10000048</c> or its ListBox child):
+/// <list type="bullet">
+///   <item><b>Position:</b> <see cref="TopOffset"/> is now <c>0</c> — flush
+///   to the viewport top, per the user's explicit direction ("mount at
+///   viewport top-center, exactly"). The centered-X, recompute-every-frame
+///   behavior from CH2 nit 1 is unchanged.</item>
+///   <item><b>Font:</b> <see cref="SpewBoxController"/> now accepts a
+///   resolved <see cref="UiDatFont"/> (retail font id
+///   <see cref="RetailFontId"/>, <c>0x40000025</c>) instead of silently
+///   falling back to the debug <see cref="BitmapFont"/> at its ad hoc 15px
+///   pixel height (the pre-round-3 behavior — no <c>DatFont</c>/<c>Font</c>
+///   was ever wired here at all). <c>0x40000025</c> is <c>MaxCharHeight=11</c>
+///   px (confirmed via <c>AcDream.Cli dump-font-atlas</c> against the
+///   installed DAT, sweeping every populated font id
+///   <c>0x40000000</c>-<c>0x40000032</c>) — the SMALLEST font id actually
+///   confirmed IN USE by any of acdream's currently-imported retail
+///   LayoutDesc fixtures (cross-referenced across every
+///   <c>tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/fixtures/*.json</c> dump), and
+///   it is ALSO the chat window's own smallest font — the same
+///   <c>0x2100006F</c> floating-window 1/2/3/4 indicator badges
+///   (<c>ChatWindowController.Indicator1-4Id</c>) use it. Both selection
+///   criteria from the round-3 brief ("smallest DAT font used by retail UI
+///   imports" vs "the chat window's own font, whichever is smaller") land
+///   on the SAME id, so there was no tension to resolve. This is visibly
+///   smaller than the previous 15px debug font, matching the user's
+///   report. Falls back to the debug font only if the dat resolve fails
+///   (matching every other retained-UI controller's pattern, e.g.
+///   <c>ChatWindowController.Bind</c>).</item>
+/// </list>
+/// Register row AP-178 updated to record both dispositions.
+/// </remarks>
 internal sealed class SpewBoxController : IDisposable
 {
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Retail dat Font id this controller resolves for its text
+    /// (Campaign CH user-gate round 3 — see the class remarks). Not
+    /// retail's own measured SpewBox font (unmeasurable — no FontDid
+    /// property was found on the authored element); the smallest DAT font
+    /// confirmed in use by any currently-imported retail LayoutDesc,
+    /// chosen so the rendered text is visibly smaller than the prior debug
+    /// fallback, per the user's report.
+    /// </summary>
+    internal const uint RetailFontId = 0x40000025u;
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Register row AP-178 (screen position): retail's authored ABSOLUTE
     /// screen position is still unknown — the LayoutDesc dump (see class
     /// remarks) recovered the element's position as <c>(0,0)</c> relative
-    /// to a PARENT this sweep could not identify, so this centered-top
+    /// to a PARENT this sweep could not identify. Campaign CH user-gate
-    /// placement remains acdream's own choice, not a resolved retail value.
+    /// round 3 (2026-08-10): the user reported the box was not flush to
-    /// (The SIBLING row AP-177 — the invented line-lifetime timeout — lives
+    /// the very top of the screen; mounted at <c>0</c> now, per explicit
-    /// in <see cref="SpewBoxState.DefaultLifetime"/>'s own doc comment, not
+    /// user direction — still acdream's own placement choice pending the
+    /// true retail parent/offset, but now matching the user's live report
+    /// instead of an arbitrary 60px placeholder. (The SIBLING row AP-177 —
+    /// the invented line-lifetime timeout — lives in
+    /// <see cref="SpewBoxState.DefaultLifetime"/>'s own doc comment, not
     /// here; this controller does not own that concern.)
     /// </summary>
-    private const float TopOffset = 60f;
+    private const float TopOffset = 0f;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Register row AP-178 (extent): AUTHORED, not a placeholder — the
@@ -121,9 +176,10 @@ internal sealed class SpewBoxController : IDisposable
     /// (research doc §3.2.3); the LayoutDesc dump (see class remarks) also
     /// never surfaced a colour property for this element. The exact retail
     /// value simply happens to coincide with the Tell colour, per the user's
-    /// live observation. SIZE/POSITION/FONT remain OPEN — the user reports
+    /// live observation. POSITION and FONT were re-addressed at Campaign CH
-    /// all three still differ from retail; user gate round 1: differs,
+    /// user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10) — see the class remarks and the
-    /// iterating.
+    /// <see cref="TopOffset"/>/<see cref="RetailFontId"/> comments; both
+    /// remain acdream-directed approximations, not resolved retail values.
     /// </summary>
     private static readonly Vector4 SpewBoxColor = new(1f, 1f, 0.247f, 1f);
 
@@ -134,7 +190,18 @@ internal sealed class SpewBoxController : IDisposable
     private UiText.Line[] _lines = Array.Empty<UiText.Line>();
     private bool _disposed;
 
-    public SpewBoxController(UiRoot root, SpewBoxVM vm)
+    /// <param name="root">Retained-UI root this element mounts under.</param>
+    /// <param name="vm">SpewBox view-model (bounded, newest-on-top queue).</param>
+    /// <param name="font">
+    /// Resolved retail dat font (<see cref="RetailFontId"/>) — Campaign CH
+    /// user-gate round 3. Null falls back to <paramref name="debugFont"/>,
+    /// matching every other retained-UI controller's dat-font pattern (e.g.
+    /// <c>ChatWindowController.Bind</c>).
+    /// </param>
+    /// <param name="debugFont">Fallback bitmap font, used only when
+    /// <paramref name="font"/> is null.</param>
+    public SpewBoxController(
+        UiRoot root, SpewBoxVM vm, UiDatFont? font = null, BitmapFont? debugFont = null)
     {
         _root = root ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(root));
         _vm = vm ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(vm));
@@ -152,6 +219,12 @@ internal sealed class SpewBoxController : IDisposable
             Height = SpewBoxHeight,
             Anchors = AnchorEdges.None,
             Centered = true,
+            // Campaign CH user-gate round 3: retail dat font (RetailFontId)
+            // when resolved, falling back to the debug bitmap font exactly
+            // like every other retained-UI controller (ChatWindowController
+            // et al.) — see the class remarks.
+            DatFont = font,
+            Font = debugFont,
             // AUTHORED MaxConcurrentItems is 4, not retail's code-default 1
             // (see SpewBoxState.MaxConcurrentItems) — OneLine=true would
             // silently collapse the box back down to showing only the

src/AcDream.UI.Abstractions/Panels/Chat/ChatCommandRouter.cs

@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ public static class ChatCommandRouter
     {
         if (EqAny(trimmed, "/help", "/?", "@help", "@?"))
         {
-            vm.ShowSystemMessage(BuildHelpText());
+            EmitBareHelp(vm);
             return true;
         }
 
@@ -195,25 +195,64 @@ public static class ChatCommandRouter
         if (StartsWithAny(trimmed, "/help ", "@help ", "/? ", "@? "))
         {
             string verb = trimmed[(trimmed.IndexOf(' ') + 1)..].Trim();
-            vm.ShowSystemMessage(BuildVerbHelpText(verb));
+            EmitVerbHelp(verb, vm);
             return true;
         }
 
         return false;
     }
 
-    private static string BuildVerbHelpText(string verb)
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Bare <c>/help</c> — retail's <c>DoHelp</c> arg2&lt;=0 branch. TWO
+    /// separate scroll entries, never one concatenated blob (Campaign CH
+    /// user-gate round 3, finding (b) — see <see cref="RetailCommandHelpTable"/>'s
+    /// class remarks for the full print-sequence trace).
+    /// </summary>
+    private static void EmitBareHelp(ChatVM vm)
+    {
+        vm.ShowSystemMessage(RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote);
+        vm.ShowSystemMessage(RetailCommandHelpTable.AvailableHelpListing);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// <c>/help &lt;verb&gt;</c> — retail's <c>DoHelp</c> arg2&gt;0 branch.
+    /// Campaign CH user-gate round 3, finding (c): a resolved verb gets the
+    /// SAME two-entry shape as the bare listing (Note, then
+    /// <see cref="RetailCommandHelpTable.ForMoreInformationPrefix"/>
+    /// immediately concatenated — NOT a third entry — with the verb's own
+    /// Detail text); an unresolved verb gets retail's real
+    /// <see cref="RetailCommandHelpTable.UnknownCommand"/> text instead of
+    /// an acdream-invented "No help available" message.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static void EmitVerbHelp(string verb, ChatVM vm)
     {
         if (verb.Length == 0)
-            return BuildHelpText();
+        {
+            EmitBareHelp(vm);
+            return;
+        }
 
         string normalized = verb.TrimStart('/', '@');
         if (RetailClientCommandCatalog.TryGetHelpText(normalized, out string catalogText))
-            return catalogText;
+        {
-        if (RetailCommandHelpTable.TryGetHelpText(normalized, out string tableText))
+            vm.ShowSystemMessage(RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote);
-            return tableText;
+            vm.ShowSystemMessage(RetailCommandHelpTable.ForMoreInformationPrefix + catalogText);
+            return;
+        }
 
-        return $"No help available for '{verb}'.";
+        if (RetailCommandHelpTable.TryGetHelpText(normalized, out string tableText))
+        {
+            vm.ShowSystemMessage(RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote);
+            vm.ShowSystemMessage(RetailCommandHelpTable.ForMoreInformationPrefix + tableText);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Retail types this 0x1A (ClientLocal) -> SpewBox-only; ChatVM has
+        // no SpewBox routing capability yet, so this still renders via the
+        // chat scroll — a pre-existing gap, not new this round. See the
+        // class remarks on RetailCommandHelpTable.UnknownCommand and
+        // ISSUES.md #367.
+        vm.ShowSystemMessage(RetailCommandHelpTable.UnknownCommand);
     }
 
     private static bool EqAny(string value, params string[] options)
@@ -237,14 +276,4 @@ public static class ChatCommandRouter
 
         return false;
     }
-
-    private static string BuildHelpText() =>
-        $"{RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote}\n" +
-        "Chat: /say (default), /tell <name>, <text>, /reply, /retell\n" +
-        "Channels: /general /trade /fellowship /a (allegiance room)\n" +
-        "          /patron /vassals /monarch /covassals\n" +
-        "          /lfg /roleplay /society /olthoi\n" +
-        "Client: /help [command] (this) /clear /framerate /loc\n" +
-        $"        {RetailClientCommandCatalog.BuildHelpText()}\n" +
-        "Server: type @acehelp or @acecommands for ACE's full list.";
 }

src/AcDream.UI.Abstractions/Panels/Chat/RetailClientCommandCatalog.cs

@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ public static class RetailClientCommandCatalog
     // (data_7de2f8) — the first paragraph only; the full multi-paragraph
     // block is reproduced verbatim by DoEndurance itself and is long
     // enough that only the opening line is duplicated here as a teaser —
-    // BuildHelpText below uses the SAME text callers already see through
+    // this is the SAME text callers already see through
     // ClientCommandController.
     private static readonly Definition Endurance = NoArguments(
         ClientCommandId.Endurance,
@@ -668,52 +668,6 @@ public static class RetailClientCommandCatalog
         return true;
     }
 
-    /// <summary>Help line generated from the same definition routing uses.</summary>
-    public static string BuildHelpText() => string.Join("\n        ",
-        Lifestone.HelpText,
-        Marketplace.HelpText,
-        PkArena.HelpText,
-        PkLiteArena.HelpText,
-        PkLite.HelpText,
-        HouseRecall.HelpText,
-        MansionRecall.HelpText,
-        HouseAbandon.HelpText,
-        QueryAge.HelpText,
-        QueryBirth.HelpText,
-        FrameRate.HelpText,
-        LockUi.HelpText,
-        Version.HelpText,
-        Location.HelpText,
-        Corpse.HelpText,
-        Die.HelpText,
-        Clear.HelpText,
-        SaveUi.HelpText,
-        LoadUi.HelpText,
-        SaveAutoUi.HelpText,
-        LoadAutoUi.HelpText,
-        Away.HelpText,
-        Consent.HelpText,
-        Emote.HelpText,
-        Emotes.HelpText,
-        Friends.HelpText,
-        Squelch.HelpText,
-        Unsquelch.HelpText,
-        Filter.HelpText,
-        Unfilter.HelpText,
-        MessageTypes.HelpText,
-        FillComponents.HelpText,
-        Endurance.HelpText,
-        Speaker.HelpText,
-        SetTitle.HelpText,
-        ChatToggle.HelpText,
-        NoTellToggle.HelpText,
-        JoinChannel.HelpText,
-        LeaveChannel.HelpText,
-        Permit.HelpText,
-        HouseAvailableList.HelpText,
-        AllegianceHometown.HelpText,
-        AllegianceInfo.HelpText);
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Every verb string this catalog dispatches, INCLUDING the
     /// specially-parsed "house"/"hou"/"allegiance"/"all" verbs (which are

src/AcDream.UI.Abstractions/Panels/Chat/RetailCommandHelpTable.cs

@@ -58,6 +58,48 @@ namespace AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Panels.Chat;
 /// unresolved mechanism and remain acdream summaries. See the remarks on
 /// <see cref="ChannelsGroupSummary"/> for the full extraction method.
 /// </para>
+///
+/// <para>
+/// <b>Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10), findings (b)/(c):</b> the
+/// round 2 pass extracted the individual STRINGS byte-exact but never
+/// traced <c>ClientCommunicationSystem::DoHelp @0x0057f9e0</c>'s complete
+/// PRINT SEQUENCE — so the CONTENT was right while the SHAPE (how many
+/// transcript entries, in what order, with what wrapping) was still
+/// acdream-invented. Traced this round via a byte-sweep of DoHelp's own
+/// range (0x57f9e0-0x57fe7e) plus every Summary-branch it calls into
+/// (HelpEmote/HelpSquelch/HelpStatusGroup/HelpTextGroup/HelpAllGroup),
+/// against the PDB-paired <c>C:\Users\erikn\Downloads\acclient.exe</c>
+/// (verified MATCH). DoHelp ALWAYS prints via exactly two
+/// <c>AddTextToScroll</c> calls (never one concatenated blob), both typed
+/// <c>0</c> (informational):
+/// <list type="number">
+///   <item>the SAME <see cref="HelpPrefixNote"/> line, unconditionally —
+///   for the bare listing AND for every successful <c>/help &lt;verb&gt;</c>
+///   lookup;</item>
+///   <item>bare <c>/help</c>: <see cref="AvailableHelpListing"/> (13 items,
+///   straight-line concatenation of 8 inline literals plus 5 delegated to
+///   each group's own Summary_HelpType branch, in DoHelp's exact source
+///   order). <c>/help &lt;verb&gt;</c> when the verb resolves:
+///   <see cref="ForMoreInformationPrefix"/> immediately followed by the
+///   verb's own Detail-branch text (e.g. <see cref="DeathGroupDetail"/>) —
+///   ONE string, no blank line between the prefix and the listing, because
+///   retail's own handler call APPENDS into the same accumulator the
+///   prefix was built into (<c>ClientCommunicationSystem::DoHelp</c>,
+///   arg2&gt;0 branch, the <c>eax_35(2, var_18, &amp;var_10)</c> call).</item>
+/// </list>
+/// When the verb does NOT resolve, DoHelp prints ONE entry,
+/// <see cref="UnknownCommand"/>, typed <c>0x1A</c> (<c>ClientLocal</c>) —
+/// retail routes that type to the SpewBox exclusively, never the chat
+/// window (<c>docs/research/2026-08-09-chat-retail-interface-text.md</c>
+/// §2.1/§2.2). <c>ChatCommandRouter</c> operates on <c>ChatVM</c>
+/// (<c>AcDream.UI.Abstractions</c>), which has no SpewBox routing
+/// capability — wiring that would mean threading a
+/// <c>RuntimeCommunicationState</c>-shaped dependency down into a layer
+/// that must stay presentation/Runtime-independent, out of this round's
+/// scope. The unknown-verb fallback therefore still renders via the chat
+/// scroll, a pre-existing (not newly introduced) gap now tracked at
+/// ISSUES.md #367 instead of silently continuing unregistered.
+/// </para>
 /// </summary>
 public static class RetailCommandHelpTable
 {
@@ -73,10 +115,42 @@ public static class RetailCommandHelpTable
     public const string Retell =
         "@retell <text> - Sends the text to the last person you @tell'd. You may also use @rt.";
 
-    // acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:1031564 (data_7e11e0), the "Note:" line
+    // acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:394980 (data_0x7e11e0). RE-SWEPT byte-exact
-    // DoHelp @0x0057F9E0 prints alongside the bare group index.
+    // Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10) via sweep_weenie_strings.py
+    // --range 0x57f9e0 0x57fe7e --ascii-only against the PDB-paired
+    // C:\Users\erikn\Downloads\acclient.exe (verified MATCH). The ORIGINAL
+    // extraction dropped the leading blank line and the trailing double
+    // newline that are part of retail's own literal — this is DoHelp's
+    // OWN, always-first scroll entry (a dedicated AddTextToScroll call,
+    // never concatenated with what follows), printed unconditionally both
+    // for the bare /help listing and for every successful /help <verb>
+    // lookup. See the class remarks for the complete print-sequence trace.
     public const string HelpPrefixNote =
-        "Note: You may substitute a forward slash (/) for the at symbol (@).";
+        "\nNote: You may substitute a forward slash (/) for the at symbol (@).\n\n";
+
+    // acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:395087 (data_0x7e1178), swept alongside
+    // HelpPrefixNote above. DoHelp's arg2>0 (verb-specified) branch builds
+    // this as the START of its second scroll entry, then the resolved
+    // verb's own Detail-branch handler APPENDS its listing directly onto
+    // the SAME accumulator (ClientCommunicationSystem::DoHelp, the
+    // `eax_35(2, var_18, &var_10)` call) -- so the retail-faithful port is
+    // string concatenation with NO separator, not two entries. The literal
+    // text "<command>" is NOT a format placeholder -- the decomp shows a
+    // straight PStringBase construction with no sprintf/substitution call
+    // between this literal and its use, so retail never actually inserts
+    // the real verb name here. Ported verbatim per CLAUDE.md's "do not fix
+    // the decompiled code" rule, even though it reads like an unfinished
+    // dev message.
+    public const string ForMoreInformationPrefix =
+        "For more information, type @help <command>.\n";
+
+    // acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:395052 (u"Unknown command", UTF-16LE) --
+    // DoHelp's fallback when the verb hash lookup fails, or resolves to an
+    // entry with no registered help callback. Retail types this 0x1A
+    // (ClientLocal) -- SpewBox-only; see the class remarks' routing note
+    // and ISSUES.md #367 for why ChatCommandRouter still shows it in the
+    // chat scroll.
+    public const string UnknownCommand = "Unknown command";
 
     // @mr/@pr are registered with a NULL function pointer in the 2013
     // build (verified at 0x00583041/0x005830C1 — arg3 is 0), so they never
@@ -305,6 +379,40 @@ public static class RetailCommandHelpTable
     public const string CommandsGroupDetail =
         CommandsGroupSummary + GroupDetailUnverifiedSuffix;
 
+    // Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10), finding (b): DoHelp's
+    // bare-/help "else" branch (arg2<=0, acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:395089-
+    // 395268), swept whole against C:\Users\erikn\Downloads\acclient.exe
+    // (--range 0x57f9e0 0x57fe7e --ascii-only, verified MATCH). ONE
+    // straight-line concatenation of 13 items, in this exact source order:
+    // the "Available help:\n" header, then 8 items DoHelp builds from its
+    // OWN inline literals (allegiances/channels/chatting/death/fillcomps/
+    // friends/house — swept directly), interleaved with 5 items DoHelp
+    // builds by calling each group's OWN Summary_HelpType branch
+    // (HelpEmote/HelpSquelch/HelpStatusGroup/HelpTextGroup/HelpAllGroup —
+    // each independently swept from its own function range; every one of
+    // those 5 functions has the identical
+    // `if (arg2 != Summary_HelpType) {Detail} else {"@help X - ..."}`
+    // shape HelpEmote makes explicit at acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:388664).
+    // channels/chatting/commands' summary lines are reused from the
+    // consts above (independently cross-validated: both extractions agree
+    // byte-for-byte). Prints as DoHelp's SECOND scroll entry, right after
+    // HelpPrefixNote's own — see the class remarks and
+    // ChatCommandRouter's bare-/help handling.
+    public const string AvailableHelpListing =
+        "Available help:\n"
+        + "@help allegiances - Commands to help you deal with your Allegiance.\n"
+        + ChannelsGroupSummary + "\n"
+        + ChattingGroupSummaryVerbatim + "\n"
+        + "@help death - Commands for making, finding, and looting corpses.\n"
+        + "@help emote - How to perform text and action emotes.\n"
+        + "@help fillcomps - A command to help you buy components in bulk.\n"
+        + "@help friends - Commands to help you manage your friends list.\n"
+        + "@help house - Commands that help you manage your house, including guest and storage management.\n"
+        + "@help squelch - Commands that let you block out messages from other players.\n"
+        + "@help status - Commands that display useful information.\n"
+        + "@help text - Commands that help you manage your text window.\n"
+        + CommandsGroupSummary + "\n";
+
     private static readonly FrozenDictionary<string, string> ByVerb =
         new Dictionary<string, string>(StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
         {

tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/SpewBoxControllerTests.cs

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 using AcDream.App.UI;
 using AcDream.Core.Chat;
 using AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Panels.SpewBox;
+using DatReaderWriter.Types;
 
 namespace AcDream.App.Tests.UI;
 
@@ -175,4 +177,79 @@ public sealed class SpewBoxControllerTests
 
         Assert.Empty(root.Children);
     }
+
+    // ── Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10), finding (a) ─────────
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Construction_MountsFlushToTheViewportTop()
+    {
+        // The user reported the box "still not aligned all the way to the
+        // top" — TopOffset moved from the round-1 60px placeholder to 0.
+        var root = new UiRoot { Width = 1280f, Height = 720f };
+        using var controller = new SpewBoxController(root, new SpewBoxVM(new SpewBoxState()));
+
+        UiText text = Assert.IsType<UiText>(root.Children.OfType<UiText>().Single());
+        Assert.Equal(0f, text.Top);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Tick_KeepsTopFlushAndRecentersX_AcrossAResize()
+    {
+        var root = new UiRoot { Width = 1280f, Height = 720f };
+        var state = new SpewBoxState();
+        using var controller = new SpewBoxController(root, new SpewBoxVM(state));
+
+        state.Enqueue("resize me");
+        root.Tick(dt: 0d, nowMs: 1000L);
+
+        UiText text = Assert.IsType<UiText>(root.Children.OfType<UiText>().Single());
+        float widthBefore = root.Width;
+        Assert.Equal((widthBefore - 450f) / 2f, text.Left);
+        Assert.Equal(0f, text.Top);
+
+        // Simulate a window resize, then the next per-frame tick.
+        root.Width = 1920f;
+        root.Tick(dt: 0d, nowMs: 1016L);
+
+        Assert.Equal((1920f - 450f) / 2f, text.Left);
+        Assert.Equal(0f, text.Top); // top offset never depends on width
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Construction_WithResolvedRetailFont_WiresDatFontOntoTheText()
+    {
+        // Campaign CH user-gate round 3: the retail dat font (id
+        // SpewBoxController.RetailFontId) is now actually WIRED, where
+        // before the controller never set DatFont/Font at all and silently
+        // fell through to the render context's default debug font.
+        var root = new UiRoot { Width = 1280f, Height = 720f };
+        var font = new UiDatFont(
+            fgTex: 1, fgW: 64, fgH: 64,
+            bgTex: 0, bgW: 0, bgH: 0,
+            lineHeight: 11f, baselineOffset: 9f,
+            glyphs: new Dictionary<char, FontCharDesc>());
+
+        using var controller = new SpewBoxController(
+            root, new SpewBoxVM(new SpewBoxState()), font, debugFont: null);
+
+        UiText text = Assert.IsType<UiText>(root.Children.OfType<UiText>().Single());
+        Assert.Same(font, text.DatFont);
+        Assert.Equal(11f, text.DatFont!.LineHeight);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Construction_WithoutAResolvedFont_FallsBackToTheSuppliedDebugFont()
+    {
+        // No installed-DAT font available (e.g. headless) -- the debug
+        // bitmap font parameter is still wired through, matching every
+        // other retained-UI controller's dat-font/debug-font pattern.
+        var root = new UiRoot { Width = 1280f, Height = 720f };
+
+        using var controller = new SpewBoxController(
+            root, new SpewBoxVM(new SpewBoxState()), font: null, debugFont: null);
+
+        UiText text = Assert.IsType<UiText>(root.Children.OfType<UiText>().Single());
+        Assert.Null(text.DatFont);
+        Assert.Null(text.Font);
+    }
 }

tests/AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests/Panels/Chat/ChatCommandRouterTests.cs

@@ -237,6 +237,11 @@ public class ChatCommandRouterTests
         Assert.Contains(log.Snapshot(), entry => entry.Text.Contains("Returns you to the last lifestone"));
     }
 
+    // Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10), finding (c): a resolved
+    // verb prints retail's DoHelp SHAPE, not just its content — the SAME
+    // HelpPrefixNote entry every /help path prints, then a SECOND entry
+    // that is ForMoreInformationPrefix concatenated directly onto the
+    // verb's own detail text (no blank line, no separate third entry).
     [Theory]
     [InlineData("/help mr", "@mr <text> - Sends the text to the last person who used @m to send  you a message. This only works for monarchs.")]
     [InlineData("/help pr", "@pr <text> - Sends the text to the last vassal who used @p to send  you a message.")]
@@ -251,18 +256,47 @@ public class ChatCommandRouterTests
         var outcome = ChatCommandRouter.Submit(input, vm, bus, ChatChannelKind.Say);
 
         Assert.Equal(SubmitOutcome.ClientHandled, outcome);
-        Assert.Contains(log.Snapshot(), entry => entry.Text == expected);
+        var entries = log.Snapshot();
+        Assert.Equal(2, entries.Length);
+        Assert.Equal(RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote, entries[0].Text);
+        Assert.Equal(RetailCommandHelpTable.ForMoreInformationPrefix + expected, entries[1].Text);
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void HelpVerb_UnknownVerb_ShowsFallbackMessage()
+    public void HelpVerb_UnknownVerb_ShowsRetailUnknownCommandText()
     {
+        // Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10): retail's own DoHelp
+        // fallback text is "Unknown command" (swept verbatim), not an
+        // acdream-invented "No help available" message. Retail types this
+        // 0x1A (ClientLocal / SpewBox-only); ChatVM has no SpewBox routing
+        // capability yet (ISSUES.md #367), so it still lands in the chat
+        // scroll here as ONE entry (no HelpPrefixNote wrapper — DoHelp's
+        // fallback bypasses the two-entry shape entirely).
         var (vm, log, bus) = Fixture();
 
         var outcome = ChatCommandRouter.Submit("/help nonsenseverb", vm, bus, ChatChannelKind.Say);
 
         Assert.Equal(SubmitOutcome.ClientHandled, outcome);
         Assert.Empty(bus.Published);
-        Assert.Contains(log.Snapshot(), entry => entry.Text.Contains("No help available"));
+        var entry = Assert.Single(log.Snapshot());
+        Assert.Equal(RetailCommandHelpTable.UnknownCommand, entry.Text);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void HelpBare_ShowsRetailTwoEntryShape()
+    {
+        // Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10), finding (b): bare
+        // /help must emit retail's real two-entry sequence (Note, then the
+        // 13-item "Available help:" listing) — not the previous
+        // acdream-invented single-blob cheat sheet.
+        var (vm, log, bus) = Fixture();
+
+        var outcome = ChatCommandRouter.Submit("/help", vm, bus, ChatChannelKind.Say);
+
+        Assert.Equal(SubmitOutcome.ClientHandled, outcome);
+        var entries = log.Snapshot();
+        Assert.Equal(2, entries.Length);
+        Assert.Equal(RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote, entries[0].Text);
+        Assert.Equal(RetailCommandHelpTable.AvailableHelpListing, entries[1].Text);
     }
 }

tests/AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests/Panels/Chat/ChatPanelInputTests.cs

@@ -22,10 +22,15 @@ public sealed class ChatPanelInputTests
     public void Submit_HelpCommand_RendersLocalHelpAndDoesNotPublish()
     {
         // Phase J follow-up: client-side commands (/help, /?, /h) are
-        // intercepted before the parser. They render a local cheat-sheet
+        // intercepted before the parser. They render local text via
-        // via ChatLog.OnSystemMessage and do NOT round-trip the server
+        // ChatLog.OnSystemMessage and do NOT round-trip the server — that's
-        // — that's what prevented the "Unknown command: help" duplicate
+        // what prevented the "Unknown command: help" duplicate ACE was
-        // ACE was firing back.
+        // firing back.
+        //
+        // Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10): retail's DoHelp
+        // prints via exactly TWO scroll entries (Note, then the 13-item
+        // "Available help:" listing), never one acdream-invented blob — see
+        // RetailCommandHelpTable's class remarks for the full trace.
         var log = new ChatLog();
         var vm  = new ChatVM(log);
         var panel = new ChatPanel(vm);
@@ -39,12 +44,11 @@ public sealed class ChatPanelInputTests
         panel.Render(new PanelContext(0.016f, bus), renderer);
 
         Assert.Empty(bus.Published);
-        var entry = Assert.Single(log.Snapshot());
+        var entries = log.Snapshot();
-        Assert.Equal(ChatKind.System, entry.Kind);
+        Assert.Equal(2, entries.Length);
-        // Help text mentions / and @ equivalence and points at @acehelp
+        Assert.All(entries, entry => Assert.Equal(ChatKind.System, entry.Kind));
-        // for the server's full command list.
+        Assert.Equal(AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Panels.Chat.RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote, entries[0].Text);
-        Assert.Contains("/tell", entry.Text);
+        Assert.Equal(AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Panels.Chat.RetailCommandHelpTable.AvailableHelpListing, entries[1].Text);
-        Assert.Contains("@acehelp", entry.Text);
     }
 
     [Theory]
@@ -67,7 +71,7 @@ public sealed class ChatPanelInputTests
         panel.Render(new PanelContext(0.016f, bus), renderer);
 
         Assert.Empty(bus.Published);
-        Assert.Single(log.Snapshot());
+        Assert.Equal(2, log.Snapshot().Length);
     }
 
     [Fact]

tests/AcDream.UI.Abstractions.Tests/Panels/Chat/RetailCommandHelpTableTests.cs

@@ -165,4 +165,99 @@ public sealed class RetailCommandHelpTableTests
         Assert.True(RetailCommandHelpTable.TryGetHelpText(verb, out string text));
         Assert.Equal(expected, text);
     }
+
+    // ── Campaign CH user-gate round 3 (2026-08-10) ──────────────────────
+    // The round 2 pass extracted the individual STRINGS byte-exact; this
+    // round traces DoHelp's complete PRINT SEQUENCE — see the class
+    // remarks. These pin the newly-swept literals byte-exact against
+    // tools/pdb-extract/sweep_weenie_strings.py's output.
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void HelpPrefixNote_HasRetailsLeadingAndTrailingBlankLines()
+    {
+        // acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:394980 (data_0x7e11e0) -- the original
+        // round-2 extraction dropped the leading "\n" and the trailing
+        // "\n\n" that are part of retail's own literal.
+        Assert.Equal(
+            "\nNote: You may substitute a forward slash (/) for the at symbol (@).\n\n",
+            RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ForMoreInformationPrefix_KeepsRetailsUnsubstitutedPlaceholderVerbatim()
+    {
+        // acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:395087 (data_0x7e1178) -- "<command>"
+        // is retail's own literal text, not a format placeholder acdream
+        // failed to substitute; the decomp shows no sprintf/substitution
+        // call between this literal and its use.
+        Assert.Equal(
+            "For more information, type @help <command>.\n",
+            RetailCommandHelpTable.ForMoreInformationPrefix);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void UnknownCommand_MatchesRetailsExactFallbackText()
+    {
+        Assert.Equal("Unknown command", RetailCommandHelpTable.UnknownCommand);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void AvailableHelpListing_MatchesDoHelpsCompleteThirteenItemSequence()
+    {
+        // acclient_2013_pseudo_c.txt:395091-395249 (DoHelp bare-arg "else"
+        // branch), swept whole via sweep_weenie_strings.py --range
+        // 0x57f9e0 0x57fe7e --ascii-only against the PDB-paired
+        // C:\Users\erikn\Downloads\acclient.exe (verified MATCH). Exact
+        // source order: header, then allegiances/channels/chatting/death/
+        // emote/fillcomps/friends/house/squelch/status/text/commands.
+        Assert.Equal(
+            "Available help:\n"
+            + "@help allegiances - Commands to help you deal with your Allegiance.\n"
+            + "@help channels - How to communicate with people in your allegiance or fellowship.\n"
+            + "@help chatting - How to chat publically and privately.\n"
+            + "@help death - Commands for making, finding, and looting corpses.\n"
+            + "@help emote - How to perform text and action emotes.\n"
+            + "@help fillcomps - A command to help you buy components in bulk.\n"
+            + "@help friends - Commands to help you manage your friends list.\n"
+            + "@help house - Commands that help you manage your house, including guest and storage management.\n"
+            + "@help squelch - Commands that let you block out messages from other players.\n"
+            + "@help status - Commands that display useful information.\n"
+            + "@help text - Commands that help you manage your text window.\n"
+            + "@help commands - Lists all commands.\n",
+            RetailCommandHelpTable.AvailableHelpListing);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void DeathGroup_ThroughRouter_PrintsRetailsCompleteTwoEntryShape()
+    {
+        // Campaign CH user-gate round 3, finding (c): "/help death"'s
+        // CONTENT was already byte-exact (round 2); what was still wrong
+        // was the SHAPE. Retail's DoHelp prints two scroll entries for any
+        // resolved verb: HelpPrefixNote, then ForMoreInformationPrefix
+        // concatenated directly onto the verb's own Detail text (no blank
+        // line, no third entry). Exercised at the router level (not just
+        // the table) so this is the actual /help death user experience,
+        // not merely the table's stored string.
+        var log = new AcDream.Core.Chat.ChatLog();
+        var vm = new ChatVM(log, displayLimit: 50);
+        var bus = new RecordingCommandBus();
+
+        var outcome = ChatCommandRouter.Submit(
+            "/help death", vm, bus, ChatChannelKind.Say);
+
+        Assert.Equal(SubmitOutcome.ClientHandled, outcome);
+        var entries = log.Snapshot();
+        Assert.Equal(2, entries.Length);
+        Assert.Equal(RetailCommandHelpTable.HelpPrefixNote, entries[0].Text);
+        Assert.Equal(
+            RetailCommandHelpTable.ForMoreInformationPrefix
+                + RetailCommandHelpTable.DeathGroupDetail,
+            entries[1].Text);
+    }
+
+    private sealed class RecordingCommandBus : ICommandBus
+    {
+        public List<object> Published { get; } = new();
+        public void Publish<T>(T command) where T : notnull => Published.Add(command);
+    }
 }