feat(timeline,background): Add live remote post fetching and background sync

- Implement live post fetching from followed remote users with parallel requests and timeouts
- Add remote-sync background task to periodically cache posts from followed remote users
- Optimize swarm node detection and prioritize swarm API over ActivityPub for faster responses
- Add timeout wrapper (5s per node) to prevent slow remote nodes from blocking timeline requests
- Enhance scheduler to support background sync tasks with configurable intervals
- Transform remote posts to match local format with proper media and author metadata
- Improve error handling and logging for remote user post fetching
- Replace cached-only approach with hybrid live/cached strategy for fresher content

src/app/api/posts/route.ts

@@ -519,23 +519,92 @@ export async function GET(request: Request) {
                 const followedRemoteUsers = await db.query.remoteFollows.findMany({
                     where: eq(remoteFollows.followerId, user.id),
                 });
-                const followedRemoteHandles = followedRemoteUsers.map(f => f.targetHandle);
 
-                // Get cached remote posts from followed users
-                let remotePostsData: typeof remotePosts.$inferSelect[] = [];
-                if (followedRemoteHandles.length > 0) {
-                    remotePostsData = await db.query.remotePosts.findMany({
-                        where: inArray(remotePosts.authorHandle, followedRemoteHandles),
-                        orderBy: [desc(remotePosts.publishedAt)],
-                        limit: limit,
+                // Fetch posts LIVE from followed remote users (in parallel, with timeout)
+                let liveRemotePosts: any[] = [];
+                if (followedRemoteUsers.length > 0) {
+                    const { fetchSwarmUserProfile, isSwarmNode } = await import('@/lib/swarm/interactions');
+                    const { resolveRemoteUser } = await import('@/lib/activitypub/fetch');
+                    
+                    // Wrap each fetch with a timeout to prevent slow nodes from blocking
+                    const withTimeout = <T>(promise: Promise<T>, ms: number): Promise<T | null> => {
+                        return Promise.race([
+                            promise,
+                            new Promise<null>((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve(null), ms))
+                        ]);
+                    };
+                    
+                    const fetchPromises = followedRemoteUsers.map(async (follow) => {
+                        try {
+                            const atIndex = follow.targetHandle.lastIndexOf('@');
+                            if (atIndex === -1) return [];
+                            
+                            const handle = follow.targetHandle.slice(0, atIndex);
+                            const domain = follow.targetHandle.slice(atIndex + 1);
+                            
+                            // Check if swarm node - use swarm API (faster)
+                            const isSwarm = await isSwarmNode(domain);
+                            
+                            if (isSwarm) {
+                                const profileData = await withTimeout(
+                                    fetchSwarmUserProfile(handle, domain, limit),
+                                    5000 // 5s timeout per node
+                                );
+                                if (!profileData?.posts) return [];
+                                
+                                return profileData.posts.map(post => ({
+                                    id: `swarm:${domain}:${post.id}`,
+                                    content: post.content,
+                                    createdAt: new Date(post.createdAt),
+                                    likesCount: post.likesCount || 0,
+                                    repostsCount: post.repostsCount || 0,
+                                    repliesCount: post.repliesCount || 0,
+                                    isRemote: true,
+                                    isNsfw: post.isNsfw,
+                                    linkPreviewUrl: post.linkPreviewUrl,
+                                    linkPreviewTitle: post.linkPreviewTitle,
+                                    linkPreviewDescription: post.linkPreviewDescription,
+                                    linkPreviewImage: post.linkPreviewImage,
+                                    author: {
+                                        id: `swarm:${domain}:${handle}`,
+                                        handle: follow.targetHandle,
+                                        displayName: follow.displayName || profileData.profile?.displayName || handle,
+                                        avatarUrl: follow.avatarUrl || profileData.profile?.avatarUrl,
+                                        isRemote: true,
+                                    },
+                                    media: post.media?.map((m: any, idx: number) => ({
+                                        id: `swarm:${domain}:${post.id}:media:${idx}`,
+                                        url: m.url,
+                                        altText: m.altText || null,
+                                    })) || [],
+                                    replyTo: null,
+                                }));
+                            } else {
+                                // ActivityPub - fetch from outbox
+                                const remoteProfile = await resolveRemoteUser(handle, domain);
+                                if (!remoteProfile?.outbox) return [];
+                                
+                                // For AP, fall back to cached posts (live outbox fetch is slower)
+                                const cachedPosts = await db.query.remotePosts.findMany({
+                                    where: eq(remotePosts.authorHandle, follow.targetHandle),
+                                    orderBy: [desc(remotePosts.publishedAt)],
+                                    limit: limit,
+                                });
+                                
+                                return transformRemotePosts(cachedPosts);
+                            }
+                        } catch (error) {
+                            console.error(`[Home] Error fetching posts from ${follow.targetHandle}:`, error);
+                            return [];
+                        }
                     });
+                    
+                    const results = await Promise.all(fetchPromises);
+                    liveRemotePosts = results.flat();
                 }
 
-                // Transform remote posts to match local post format (with deduplication)
-                const transformedRemotePosts = transformRemotePosts(remotePostsData);
-
                 // Merge and sort by date
-                const allPosts = [...localPosts, ...transformedRemotePosts]
+                const allPosts = [...localPosts, ...liveRemotePosts]
                     .sort((a, b) => new Date(b.createdAt).getTime() - new Date(a.createdAt).getTime())
                     .slice(0, limit);
 

src/lib/background/remote-sync.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+/**
+ * Remote Follows Sync
+ * 
+ * Periodically syncs posts from remote users that local users follow.
+ * This ensures the home timeline shows fresh posts from followed remote users.
+ */
+
+import { db, remoteFollows } from '@/db';
+import { resolveRemoteUser } from '@/lib/activitypub/fetch';
+import { cacheRemoteUserPosts } from '@/lib/activitypub/cache';
+import { cacheSwarmUserPosts, isSwarmNode } from '@/lib/swarm/interactions';
+
+// Track last sync time per remote handle to avoid over-fetching
+const lastSyncTimes = new Map<string, number>();
+const MIN_SYNC_INTERVAL_MS = 60 * 1000; // Don't sync same user more than once per minute
+
+interface SyncResult {
+  synced: number;
+  skipped: number;
+  errors: number;
+  details: Array<{ handle: string; cached: number; error?: string }>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Sync posts from all remote users that any local user follows
+ */
+export async function syncRemoteFollowsPosts(origin: string): Promise<SyncResult> {
+  const result: SyncResult = { synced: 0, skipped: 0, errors: 0, details: [] };
+
+  try {
+    // Get all unique remote handles that are being followed
+    const allRemoteFollows = await db.query.remoteFollows.findMany();
+    
+    // Deduplicate by target handle (multiple users might follow the same remote user)
+    const uniqueHandles = new Map<string, typeof allRemoteFollows[0]>();
+    for (const follow of allRemoteFollows) {
+      if (!uniqueHandles.has(follow.targetHandle)) {
+        uniqueHandles.set(follow.targetHandle, follow);
+      }
+    }
+
+    const now = Date.now();
+
+    for (const [targetHandle, follow] of uniqueHandles) {
+      try {
+        // Check if we've synced this user recently
+        const lastSync = lastSyncTimes.get(targetHandle);
+        if (lastSync && (now - lastSync) < MIN_SYNC_INTERVAL_MS) {
+          result.skipped++;
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        // Parse handle to get username and domain
+        const atIndex = targetHandle.lastIndexOf('@');
+        if (atIndex === -1) {
+          result.skipped++;
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        const handle = targetHandle.slice(0, atIndex);
+        const domain = targetHandle.slice(atIndex + 1);
+
+        // Check if this is a swarm node
+        const isSwarm = await isSwarmNode(domain);
+
+        let cached = 0;
+        if (isSwarm) {
+          // Use swarm sync for swarm nodes
+          const swarmResult = await cacheSwarmUserPosts(handle, domain, targetHandle, 20);
+          cached = swarmResult.cached;
+        } else {
+          // Use ActivityPub sync for federated nodes
+          const remoteProfile = await resolveRemoteUser(handle, domain);
+          if (remoteProfile?.outbox) {
+            const apResult = await cacheRemoteUserPosts(remoteProfile, targetHandle, origin, 20);
+            cached = apResult.cached;
+          }
+        }
+
+        lastSyncTimes.set(targetHandle, now);
+        
+        if (cached > 0) {
+          result.synced++;
+          result.details.push({ handle: targetHandle, cached });
+        } else {
+          result.skipped++;
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        result.errors++;
+        result.details.push({ 
+          handle: targetHandle, 
+          cached: 0, 
+          error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error' 
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error('[RemoteSync] Error syncing remote follows:', error);
+    result.errors++;
+  }
+
+  return result;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Clear the sync cache (useful for testing or forcing a full resync)
+ */
+export function clearSyncCache(): void {
+  lastSyncTimes.clear();
+}

src/lib/background/scheduler.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  * Runs periodic tasks within the Next.js process:
  * - Bot autonomous posting (every 1 minute)
  * - Swarm gossip (every 5 minutes)
+ * - Remote follows sync (every 10 minutes)
  * - Swarm announcement (on startup)
  */
 
@@ -11,9 +12,11 @@ import { processAllAutonomousBots } from '@/lib/bots/autonomous';
 import { runGossipRound } from '@/lib/swarm/gossip';
 import { announceToSeeds } from '@/lib/swarm/discovery';
 import { getSwarmStats } from '@/lib/swarm/registry';
+import { syncRemoteFollowsPosts } from '@/lib/background/remote-sync';
 
 const BOT_INTERVAL_MS = 60 * 1000; // 1 minute
 const GOSSIP_INTERVAL_MS = 5 * 60 * 1000; // 5 minutes
+const REMOTE_SYNC_INTERVAL_MS = 60 * 1000; // 1 minute - keep feeds fresh
 const STARTUP_DELAY_MS = 10 * 1000; // Wait 10s for server to be ready
 
 let isStarted = false;
@@ -82,13 +85,33 @@ async function announceToSwarm() {
   }
 }
 
-export function startBackgroundTasks() {
+async function runRemoteSync(origin: string) {
+  try {
+    const result = await syncRemoteFollowsPosts(origin);
+    if (result.synced > 0 || result.errors > 0) {
+      log('REMOTE_SYNC', `Synced ${result.synced} users, skipped ${result.skipped}, errors ${result.errors}`);
+      if (result.details.length > 0) {
+        const newPosts = result.details.filter(d => d.cached > 0);
+        if (newPosts.length > 0) {
+          log('REMOTE_SYNC', `New posts: ${newPosts.map(d => `${d.handle}: ${d.cached}`).join(', ')}`);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    log('REMOTE_SYNC', `Error: ${error}`);
+  }
+}
+
+export function startBackgroundTasks(origin?: string) {
   // Prevent double-start (Next.js can call register() multiple times in dev)
   if (isStarted) return;
   isStarted = true;
 
+  // Default origin for remote sync (can be overridden)
+  const syncOrigin = origin || process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL || 'http://localhost:3000';
+
   log('STARTUP', 'Background task scheduler starting...');
-  log('STARTUP', `Bot interval: ${BOT_INTERVAL_MS / 1000}s, Gossip interval: ${GOSSIP_INTERVAL_MS / 1000}s`);
+  log('STARTUP', `Bot interval: ${BOT_INTERVAL_MS / 1000}s, Gossip interval: ${GOSSIP_INTERVAL_MS / 1000}s, Remote sync interval: ${REMOTE_SYNC_INTERVAL_MS / 1000}s`);
 
   // Wait for server to be fully ready before starting tasks
   setTimeout(async () => {
@@ -100,9 +123,13 @@ export function startBackgroundTasks() {
     // Run initial bot check
     await runBotTasks();
     
+    // Run initial remote sync (after 15s to let server stabilize)
+    setTimeout(() => runRemoteSync(syncOrigin), 15 * 1000);
+    
     // Schedule recurring tasks
     setInterval(runBotTasks, BOT_INTERVAL_MS);
     setInterval(runSwarmGossip, GOSSIP_INTERVAL_MS);
+    setInterval(() => runRemoteSync(syncOrigin), REMOTE_SYNC_INTERVAL_MS);
     
     // First gossip after 30s (let announcement propagate)
     setTimeout(runSwarmGossip, 30 * 1000);

src/lib/bots/autonomous.ts

@@ -11,9 +11,10 @@
 import { db, botContentItems, bots } from '@/db';
 import { eq, and } from 'drizzle-orm';
 import { ContentGenerator, type Bot as ContentGeneratorBot, type ContentItem } from './contentGenerator';
-import { canPost, recordPost } from './rateLimiter';
+import { canPost } from './rateLimiter';
 import { decryptApiKey, deserializeEncryptedData } from './encryption';
 import { parseScheduleConfig, isDue } from './scheduler';
+import { triggerPost } from './posting';
 
 // ============================================
 // TYPES
@@ -446,9 +447,6 @@ export async function attemptAutonomousPost(
     );
   }
 
-  const contentGeneratorBot = toContentGeneratorBot(dbBot, dbBot.user.handle);
-  const generator = new ContentGenerator(contentGeneratorBot);
-
   // Check if bot has content sources
   const hasSourcesConfigured = await hasContentSources(botId);
 
@@ -471,25 +469,25 @@ export async function attemptAutonomousPost(
           );
 
           if (evaluation.shouldPost) {
-            const generatedContent = await generator.generatePost(contentItem);
+            // Use triggerPost to actually create the post in the database
+            const postResult = await triggerPost(botId, {
+              sourceContentId: contentItem.id,
+              skipRateLimitCheck, // Already checked above
+            });
 
-            // Record the post for rate limiting
-            if (!skipRateLimitCheck) {
-              await recordPost(botId);
+            if (postResult.success) {
+              return {
+                posted: true,
+                postId: postResult.post?.id,
+                postText: postResult.post?.content,
+                contentItem,
+              };
+            } else {
+              throw new AutonomousPostError(
+                postResult.error || 'Failed to create post',
+                postResult.errorCode as AutonomousPostErrorCode || 'POST_CREATION_FAILED'
+              );
             }
-
-            await markContentItemProcessed(
-              contentItem.id,
-              'pending',
-              evaluation.interestScore,
-              evaluation.reason
-            );
-
-            return {
-              posted: true,
-              postText: generatedContent.text,
-              contentItem,
-            };
           }
         } catch (error) {
           console.error(`Error evaluating content item ${contentItem.id}:`, error);
@@ -507,24 +505,21 @@ export async function attemptAutonomousPost(
   }
 
   // Generate original post based on personality (no content source needed)
-  try {
-    const generatedContent = await generator.generatePost(undefined, undefined);
-
-    // Record the post for rate limiting
-    if (!skipRateLimitCheck) {
-      await recordPost(botId);
-    }
+  // Use triggerPost which handles database insertion, rate limiting, and federation
+  const postResult = await triggerPost(botId, {
+    skipRateLimitCheck, // Already checked above
+  });
 
+  if (postResult.success) {
     return {
       posted: true,
-      postText: generatedContent.text,
+      postId: postResult.post?.id,
+      postText: postResult.post?.content,
     };
-  } catch (error) {
-    if (error instanceof AutonomousPostError) throw error;
+  } else {
     throw new AutonomousPostError(
-      `Failed to create post: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`,
-      'POST_CREATION_FAILED',
-      error instanceof Error ? error : undefined
+      postResult.error || 'Failed to create post',
+      postResult.errorCode as AutonomousPostErrorCode || 'POST_CREATION_FAILED'
     );
   }
 }