Merge branch 'push/version-reporting' into push/compatibility-gate

From CodeRabbit on #428, all three valid:

- The module docstring claimed the tag check "runs at release time in
  .github/workflows/release-version-check.yml". That workflow is held back to
  a follow-up PR (the pushing token lacks the `workflow` scope), so the claim
  was false as written. Both files now describe the script as a manual
  pre-flight and say the CI wiring is still to come.

- `\d` also matches non-ASCII decimal digits, which int() happily parses, and
  `\s` matches newlines -- so "##\n3.2.0" read as a version heading. Patterns
  now use [0-9] and [ \t], kept in step across the test and the script, with a
  regression test pinning both behaviours.

- A missing or unreadable CHANGELOG.md raised OSError out of read_text() and
  printed a traceback. In a release gate that reads as "the tooling is
  broken"; it now reports the path and a recovery action and exits 1.

Verified: v3.2.0 passes, a mismatched tag exits 1, and a missing CHANGELOG
exits 1 with the new message instead of a traceback. 5 tests pass.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Udr6MfaFLUPhX5Fgo67Jf5

docs/SPORTS_UNIFICATION.md

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ These are independent concerns. Conflating them is what produces god classes.
 | Plugin loads on a core that predates a module | Guarded import with a bundled fallback (`try: from src.X import Y / except ModuleNotFoundError: from y import Y`) |
 | Plugin loads on a core that predates a *method* | Capability probing — `hasattr(SportsCore, "_detect_stale_games")` — never a version comparison. The loader's compat check is advisory-only (it logs and continues), so probing is the real protection. |
 | Core changes never break a plugin's rendering | The **view-model contract**: `_extract_game_details_common` returns a dict whose `GUARANTEED_KEYS` are frozen by `test/test_skin_system.py::TestViewModelContract`. Keys may be added, never renamed or removed. |
-| A plugin can drop its bundled copy safely | The **sunset rule**: its manifest must floor `ledmatrix_min_version` at the first core release shipping the module (recorded in `CHANGELOG.md`) — *necessary but not sufficient*. Nothing enforces that floor today, so the copy also waits for the B6 gate below. |
+| A plugin can drop its bundled copy safely | The **sunset rule**: only when its manifest floors `ledmatrix_min_version` at the first core release shipping the module (recorded in `CHANGELOG.md`). |
 
 The core API is **additive-only**. A method the plugins call is never removed or
 given a new required parameter; new behavior arrives as new methods with
@@ -201,133 +201,26 @@ legacy compatibility rather than the mechanism.
 
 ## Phases
 
-B0–B3 are merged and shipping in core 3.2.0. Everything that remains is
-**rollout**, and it splits into three phases with very different risk profiles.
-The original plan folded the last two together; they are separated here because
-one of them is safe by construction and the other is not.
+| Phase | Scope | Risk control |
+|---|---|---|
+| **B0** ✅ | Characterization tests, CI unit job, `element_style`, font cwd fix, CHANGELOG discipline | — |
+| **B1** ✅ | Promote the nine universal methods; convert `sports.py` → package | Characterization suite must stay green; no behavior change intended |
+| **B2** ✅ | `CelebrationMixin` + rotation strategies as opt-in capabilities | Plugins that don't opt in have zero new code in their MRO; strategies checked against verbatim plugin transcriptions |
+| **B3** ✅ | Upstream the scroll **orchestration** layer as `src/common/sports_scroll.py`, reading `global_config['target_fps']` natively | Plugin copies remain until sunset; content building stays per-sport |
+| **B4** | Bump to 3.2.0, record modules in CHANGELOG, migrate `ledmatrix_min` → `ledmatrix_min_version` | Gives plugins a version to floor on |
+| **B5** ⏳ | Pilot one plugin per lineage (hockey, soccer, football) on core imports; then the remaining six; then delete bundled copies | Pilot soaks before rollout; harness + golden suites gate each |
 
-| Phase | Scope | Status | Gate |
-|---|---|---|---|
-| **B0** | Characterization tests, CI unit job, `element_style`, font cwd fix, CHANGELOG discipline | ✅ | — |
-| **B1** | Promote the nine universal methods; convert `sports.py` → package | ✅ | Characterization suite green; no behavior change intended |
-| **B2** | `CelebrationMixin` + rotation strategies as opt-in capabilities | ✅ | Non-adopters have zero new code in their MRO; strategies checked against verbatim plugin transcriptions |
-| **B3** | Upstream the scroll **orchestration** layer as `src/common/sports_scroll.py`, reading `global_config['target_fps']` natively | ✅ | Content building stays per-sport |
-| **B4** | Ship 3.2.0 *and* make version reporting trustworthy | ⏳ **next** | Tag, release, and `src.__version__` agree; compatibility gate merged |
-| **B5** | Adoption — guarded core imports: three pilots, then the remaining six. **Bundled copies stay.** | after B4 | Per plugin: harness + goldens byte-identical, then a device soak |
-| **B6** | Sunset — delete the bundled copies | **blocked** | B4's gate shipped *and* in users' hands (see below) |
+**B5 is blocked on this PR merging and 3.2.0 shipping** — a plugin cannot floor
+`ledmatrix_min_version` at a release that does not exist, and an unguarded
+`src.common.sports_scroll` import would break every user on 3.1.0.
 
-### B4 — what "ship 3.2.0" actually requires
-
-Cutting the tag is the small part. The version *number* has to become something
-a floor can be trusted against, and today it is not:
-
-- **The tag and `src.__version__` have never agreed.** `v3.1.0` was tagged
-  2026-05-31; `__version__` only became `"3.1.0"` on 2026-07-12 (`7f7f0d64`).
-  The v3.1.0 release therefore reports `__version__ = "1.0.0"`.
-- **Which silences the compatibility warning entirely for that population.**
-  `PluginLoader._warn_if_incompatible` skips the check when the parsed core
-  version is below `(2, 0, 0)` — an anti-spam guard that, given the above,
-  matches exactly the users most likely to be behind.
-- **Nothing enforces a floor anyway.** The check is advisory (it logs and
-  continues), and neither `StoreManager.install_plugin` nor
-  `StoreManager.update_plugin` compares the core version at all — `update_plugin`
-  compares the plugin's manifest version against the registry's
-  `latest_version` and nothing else.
-
-So B4 is: tag and release 3.2.0; make the tag, the release, and `__version__`
-agree, and keep them agreeing; reconsider the `< 2.0.0` skip; migrate manifests
-from `ledmatrix_min` to `ledmatrix_min_version`; and add the install/update
-compatibility gate that B6 depends on.
-
-### B5 — adoption is safe by construction
-
-A plugin adopting core imports keeps its bundled copy and reaches it through the
-guarded import (see the Upgradability table above). On a core that ships the
-module the plugin uses core code; on one that doesn't it falls back and behaves
-exactly as it does today. There is no version of this step that breaks a user,
-which is why it does not wait for B6's gate.
-
-The hockey scroll-display pilot is **already validated**: adopted against a core
-carrying 3.2.0, `scroll_display.py` went from 691 to 289 lines and all 16 harness
-renders (8 sizes × 2 screens) came out byte-for-byte identical to the
-pre-adoption run. That byte-comparison is the acceptance gate for every
-adoption. The recipe and its two gotchas are in the plugins repo's
+The hockey scroll-display pilot has been **validated ahead of that gate**:
+adopted against a core carrying 3.2.0, `scroll_display.py` went from 691 to 289
+lines and all 16 harness renders (8 sizes × 2 screens) came out byte-for-byte
+identical to the pre-adoption run. The adoption recipe and the two gotchas it
+surfaced are written up in the plugins repo's
 `docs/plugin-development/08-shared-sports-code.md`.
 
-### B6 — why the sunset needs more than a version floor
-
-Deleting a bundled copy removes the fallback, so the guarded import becomes a
-hard dependency. On a core without the module the plugin raises
-`ModuleNotFoundError` at load; `PluginManager.load_plugin` catches it, records
-`PluginState.ERROR`, logs one line, and continues. Nothing crashes — the user
-simply loses that scoreboard, with no visible explanation.
-
-Verified against a `v3.1.0` worktree: `src/common/sports_scroll.py`,
-`src/element_style.py` and the `src/base_classes/sports/` package are all absent
-there, and the import fails with `exc.name == 'src.common.sports_scroll'`. Guard
-sets must name that exact dotted path — `{"src"}` alone does not match it.
-
-Combined with the B4 findings, a plugin that deletes its copy today reaches an
-un-updated user through a normal store update, fails to load, and warns nobody.
-**B6 therefore waits for B4's compatibility gate to have shipped and to have
-been in users' hands long enough that the population running a core without it
-is small.** The bundled copies cost disk space; deleting them early costs
-scoreboards, silently. That trade is not close.
-
-Before the first sunset, add a **compatibility regression test**: load each
-adopted plugin with its bundled copy removed against a pinned old-core worktree
-and assert it fails loudly and specifically, then against current core and assert
-it works. That test is what turns "we think this is safe" into something CI
-re-checks on every change.
-
-## What's next
-
-In order. Each step is independently useful and independently revertible.
-
-1. **Tag and publish v3.2.0.** The code is already on `main` (`21825cbf`).
-   Nothing else blocks this, and it is what makes `ledmatrix_min_version:
-   "3.2.0"` refer to something real.
-2. **Make the version number honest.** Have the release process assert that the
-   tag, the GitHub release, and `src.__version__` agree — a check in CI is
-   cheaper than the confusion of the last two releases. Then revisit the
-   `< 2.0.0` skip in `_warn_if_incompatible`, which currently silences the
-   warning for the users who most need it.
-3. **Add the compatibility gate** to `StoreManager.install_plugin` and
-   `.update_plugin`: refuse a plugin whose declared floor exceeds
-   `src.__version__`, and surface the reason in the store UI rather than only
-   the log. This is the single change that turns the floor from documentation
-   into a guarantee, and B6 depends on it.
-4. **Migrate the manifests** to `ledmatrix_min_version`. Currently 28 plugins
-   spell it both ways across their `versions[]` entries, 12 use only the old
-   spelling, and 2 only the new. Scope the sweep to the nine sports plugins if a
-   42-plugin version-bump wave isn't worth it.
-5. **Run B5 adoption** — hockey, soccer, football, then the remaining six.
-   Bundled copies stay. Byte-identical harness output per plugin, then a soak.
-6. **Only then plan B6**, with the compatibility regression test described above
-   in CI first.
-
-## How to keep this project healthy
-
-Lessons this migration paid for, worth applying beyond it:
-
-- **A version number is a promise; keep it in one place.** Three different
-  answers to "what version am I on" (tag, release, `__version__`) is what made
-  the floor untrustworthy. Assert their agreement mechanically.
-- **Advisory checks protect nobody.** If a rule matters, enforce it where the
-  action happens — the install path, not a log line the user will never read.
-  If it doesn't matter enough to enforce, don't write the rule.
-- **Prefer failures that are loud and early.** A plugin that dies at load with
-  one journal line is indistinguishable, to a user, from a plugin that was never
-  installed. Surface plugin health in the UI.
-- **Keep the two repos' rules in sync deliberately.** The sunset rule lives in
-  both this file and the plugins repo's
-  `docs/plugin-development/08-shared-sports-code.md`. When one changes, change
-  the other in the same PR — drift between them is how a contributor ends up
-  following a rule that was superseded.
-- **Measure before and after, on real hardware.** Byte-identical harness renders
-  and a device soak caught what unit tests could not. Reserve "it should be
-  fine" for things you have actually looked at.
-
 ## Rules for contributors
 
 - **Promote on evidence, not intuition.** A method moves to core when every copy

scripts/check_release_version.py

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Assert that a release tag, the CHANGELOG, and `src.__version__` all agree.
+
+Run it *before* creating a tag to check yourself:
+
+    python scripts/check_release_version.py v3.2.0
+
+Wiring it into CI (on pushed `v*` tags and published releases) is a follow-up
+PR, so for now it is a manual pre-flight: run it before creating the tag and a
+mismatch shows up here rather than as a silent wrong answer on user devices.
+
+Why this exists: `v3.1.0` was tagged 2026-05-31 while `src/__init__.py` still
+said `"1.0.0"`; the bump to `"3.1.0"` did not land until 2026-07-12. Devices
+installed from that release report `1.0.0`, which is below the `(2, 0, 0)` floor
+in `PluginLoader._warn_if_incompatible`, so they are silently exempt from every
+plugin compatibility warning. Plugin `ledmatrix_min_version` floors are only as
+trustworthy as this agreement. See `docs/SPORTS_UNIFICATION.md`, phase B4.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import re
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+sys.path.insert(0, str(REPO_ROOT))
+
+# [0-9] rather than \d, and [ \t] rather than \s: \d also matches non-ASCII
+# decimal digits (which int() parses), and \s matches newlines, so "##\n3.2.0"
+# would otherwise read as a version heading. Keep these in step with
+# test/test_version_consistency.py.
+SEMVER = re.compile(r"^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$")
+HEADING = re.compile(
+    r"^##[ \t]+(?P<version>[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)[ \t]*$", re.MULTILINE)
+
+
+def normalize(tag: str) -> str:
+    """`v3.2.0` and `3.2.0` are the same release; tags here carry the `v`."""
+    return tag[1:] if tag.startswith("v") else tag
+
+
+def newest_changelog_version(changelog: Path) -> str | None:
+    """Newest version heading, or None when there is none.
+
+    Raises OSError if the file cannot be read; main() turns that into a clear
+    message rather than a traceback, because this runs as a release gate and a
+    traceback there reads as "the tooling is broken", not "your CHANGELOG is
+    missing".
+    """
+    headings = HEADING.findall(changelog.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    return headings[0] if headings else None
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "tag",
+        help="Release tag to check, with or without the leading 'v' (e.g. v3.2.0)",
+    )
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    from src import __version__ as core_version
+
+    tag_version = normalize(args.tag)
+    changelog_path = REPO_ROOT / "CHANGELOG.md"
+
+    problems: list[str] = []
+
+    try:
+        changelog_version = newest_changelog_version(changelog_path)
+    except OSError as e:
+        print(
+            f"Release version check FAILED for tag {args.tag}:\n"
+            f"  - could not read {changelog_path}: {e}\n"
+            f"    Restore the file (git checkout -- CHANGELOG.md) and re-run.",
+            file=sys.stderr,
+        )
+        return 1
+
+    if not SEMVER.match(tag_version):
+        problems.append(
+            f"tag {args.tag!r} is not vX.Y.Z. Older tags (v2.5) predate this "
+            "check; new releases must be full semver so floors can parse them."
+        )
+
+    if not SEMVER.match(core_version):
+        problems.append(f"src.__version__ is {core_version!r}, which is not X.Y.Z")
+
+    if tag_version != core_version:
+        problems.append(
+            f"tag says {tag_version} but src.__version__ says {core_version}. "
+            "Bump src/__init__.py to match the tag before releasing — devices "
+            "report __version__, not the tag, and plugin floors compare "
+            "against it."
+        )
+
+    if changelog_version is None:
+        problems.append("CHANGELOG.md has no '## X.Y.Z' version heading")
+    elif changelog_version != core_version:
+        problems.append(
+            f"CHANGELOG.md's newest heading is {changelog_version} but "
+            f"src.__version__ is {core_version}. Plugin authors read the "
+            "CHANGELOG to pick a ledmatrix_min_version floor."
+        )
+
+    if problems:
+        print(f"Release version check FAILED for tag {args.tag}:", file=sys.stderr)
+        for problem in problems:
+            print(f"  - {problem}", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 1
+
+    print(
+        f"OK: tag {args.tag}, src.__version__ {core_version}, and the CHANGELOG "
+        "all agree."
+    )
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())

src/plugin_system/compatibility.py

@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+"""One place that answers "can this plugin run on this core?".
+
+Two callers ask that question and they must not drift apart:
+
+- `PluginLoader._warn_if_incompatible` — at load time, **advisory**. A plugin
+  already on disk keeps loading regardless, because the guarded-import pattern
+  means most incompatibilities degrade rather than break.
+- `PluginStoreManager.install_plugin` — at install/update time, **blocking**.
+  This is the point where refusing costs the user nothing (they keep the
+  version they already had) and allowing can cost them a plugin that fails to
+  load with only a log line to explain it.
+
+## The trustworthiness problem
+
+The core's own `__version__` has not always been right. `v3.1.0` was tagged
+2026-05-31 while `src/__init__.py` still said `"1.0.0"`; the bump landed
+2026-07-12. Devices installed from that release report `1.0.0` — below the
+floor that essentially every published plugin declares.
+
+So a core reporting a version below `TRUSTWORTHY_FLOOR` is treated as
+**unknown, not old**: it neither warns nor blocks. Blocking on it would be far
+worse than the problem being solved — nearly every manifest in the ecosystem
+floors at `2.0.0`, so a strict gate would stop those users installing *any*
+plugin. They are unprotected until they update the core, which is also what
+fixes their version string. See `docs/SPORTS_UNIFICATION.md`, phase B4.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Tuple
+
+# Below this, the core's self-reported version is not evidence of anything.
+# See the module docstring.
+TRUSTWORTHY_FLOOR: Tuple[int, int, int] = (2, 0, 0)
+
+
+def parse_semver(value: Any) -> Optional[Tuple[int, int, int]]:
+    """Parse ``X.Y.Z`` (extra parts and suffixes ignored) into a comparable
+    3-tuple, or ``None`` when unparseable. A leading ``v`` is tolerated."""
+    if not isinstance(value, str):
+        return None
+    parts = value.strip().lstrip('v').split('.')
+    try:
+        nums = [int(''.join(ch for ch in p if ch.isdigit()) or 0) for p in parts[:3]]
+    except ValueError:
+        return None
+    while len(nums) < 3:
+        nums.append(0)
+    return tuple(nums)  # type: ignore[return-value]
+
+
+def declared_min_version(manifest: Dict[str, Any]) -> Optional[str]:
+    """The core version this plugin says it needs, or ``None`` if it doesn't say.
+
+    Checked in order of specificity. `ledmatrix_min` is the deprecated spelling
+    of `ledmatrix_min_version` (`store_manager._validate_manifest_fields` flags
+    it); both are read because a large share of published manifests still carry
+    the old one.
+    """
+    declared = (
+        manifest.get('min_ledmatrix_version')
+        or (manifest.get('requires') or {}).get('min_ledmatrix_version')
+    )
+    if declared:
+        return declared
+
+    versions = manifest.get('versions') or []
+    if versions and isinstance(versions[0], dict):
+        return (versions[0].get('ledmatrix_min_version')
+                or versions[0].get('ledmatrix_min'))
+    return None
+
+
+def check(manifest: Dict[str, Any], core_version: str) -> Tuple[bool, Optional[str]]:
+    """Return ``(compatible, reason)``.
+
+    ``compatible`` is False **only** when the plugin declares a parseable floor,
+    the core reports a parseable and trustworthy version, and the floor is
+    genuinely above it. Every uncertain case resolves to compatible: an
+    undeclared floor, an unparseable version on either side, or a core whose
+    version is below `TRUSTWORTHY_FLOOR`. Refusing on a guess would break
+    working installs, which is the more expensive mistake here.
+
+    ``reason`` is user-facing text, present only when incompatible.
+    """
+    declared = declared_min_version(manifest)
+    needed = parse_semver(declared)
+    if needed is None:
+        return True, None
+
+    current = parse_semver(core_version)
+    if current is None or current < TRUSTWORTHY_FLOOR:
+        return True, None
+
+    if needed > current:
+        name = manifest.get('name') or manifest.get('id') or 'This plugin'
+        return False, (
+            f"{name} requires LEDMatrix {declared} or newer, but this system is "
+            f"running {core_version}. Update LEDMatrix first, then install it."
+        )
+
+    return True, None

src/plugin_system/plugin_loader.py

@@ -702,30 +702,21 @@ class PluginLoader:
         newer than the running core. Advisory only — never raises — so a
         plugin that guards optional features with try/except keeps working.
         """
-        declared = (
-            manifest.get('min_ledmatrix_version')
-            or manifest.get('requires', {}).get('min_ledmatrix_version')
-        )
-        if not declared:
-            versions = manifest.get('versions') or []
-            if versions and isinstance(versions[0], dict):
-                declared = (versions[0].get('ledmatrix_min_version')
-                            or versions[0].get('ledmatrix_min'))
-        needed = self._parse_semver(declared)
-        if needed is None:
-            return
-
         from src import __version__ as core_version
-        current = self._parse_semver(core_version)
-        # Anti-spam guard: if the core's own version number is stale (below
-        # the ecosystem floor every shipped plugin declares), comparing would
-        # warn on nearly everything — skip with a debug note instead.
-        if current is None or current < (2, 0, 0):
+        from src.plugin_system import compatibility
+
+        compatible, _reason = compatibility.check(manifest, core_version)
+        if compatible:
+            # Distinguish "fine" from "couldn't tell" for anyone reading logs:
+            # a core below the trustworthy floor is skipped, not cleared.
+            current = compatibility.parse_semver(core_version)
+            if current is None or current < compatibility.TRUSTWORTHY_FLOOR:
                 self.logger.debug(
                     "Skipping version compatibility check for %s: core __version__ "
                     "(%s) is below the ecosystem floor", plugin_id, core_version)
             return
-        if needed > current:
+
+        declared = compatibility.declared_min_version(manifest)
         self.logger.warning(
             "Plugin %s declares min LEDMatrix version %s but this core is %s — "
             "features it relies on may be missing; update the core or expect "

src/plugin_system/store_manager.py

@@ -149,18 +149,27 @@ class PluginStoreManager:
         # loser can end up renaming the winner's in-progress install aside
         # mid-download, stealing its own rollback safety net. Keyed by
         # plugin_id so unrelated plugins still update concurrently.
-        self._reinstall_locks: Dict[str, threading.Lock] = {}
+        # Reentrant: install_plugin takes this lock, and _reinstall_with_rollback
+        # holds it across its call to install_plugin. A plain Lock would
+        # self-deadlock on that nesting.
+        self._reinstall_locks: Dict[str, "threading.RLock"] = {}
         self._reinstall_locks_guard = threading.Lock()
 
         # Ensure plugins directory exists
         self.plugins_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
 
-    def _get_reinstall_lock(self, plugin_id: str) -> threading.Lock:
-        """Lazily create (or fetch) the per-plugin reinstall lock."""
+    def _get_reinstall_lock(self, plugin_id: str):
+        """Lazily create (or fetch) the per-plugin reinstall lock.
+
+        Reentrant by necessity: `install_plugin` acquires it to protect its
+        set-aside/restore, and `_reinstall_with_rollback` holds it across its
+        own call to `install_plugin`. With a plain `Lock` that nesting
+        deadlocks the request thread.
+        """
         with self._reinstall_locks_guard:
             lock = self._reinstall_locks.get(plugin_id)
             if lock is None:
-                lock = threading.Lock()
+                lock = threading.RLock()
                 self._reinstall_locks[plugin_id] = lock
             return lock
 
@@ -1192,6 +1201,90 @@ class PluginStoreManager:
         return next((p for p in plugins if p.get('id') == plugin_id), None)
     
     def install_plugin(self, plugin_id: str, branch: Optional[str] = None) -> bool:
+        """Install a plugin, keeping any existing install until the new one is
+        known good.
+
+        `_install_plugin_impl` deletes the existing directory *before*
+        downloading, so every failure after that point — a dropped connection, a
+        malformed manifest, or the compatibility gate refusing the new version —
+        left the user with no plugin at all. `_reinstall_with_rollback` gives the
+        *update* path exactly this protection; a direct install had none, and the
+        compatibility gate added a new way to reach it.
+
+        Pass-through when nothing is installed, and when called from
+        `_reinstall_with_rollback`, which has already moved the old copy aside.
+
+        The aside name embeds '.standalone-backup-' so plugin discovery
+        (`plugin_manager._scan_directory_for_plugins`) skips it even though it
+        still holds a manifest.json.
+
+        Held under the per-plugin reinstall lock for the same reason
+        `_reinstall_with_rollback` is: the web UI runs Flask with
+        threaded=True, so a double-clicked Install button gives two threads the
+        same plugin_id. Interleaved, one thread's restore would delete the
+        other's freshly installed copy. The lock is reentrant because the
+        rollback path already holds it when it calls in here.
+        """
+        with self._get_reinstall_lock(plugin_id):
+            plugin_path = self.plugins_dir / plugin_id
+            if not plugin_path.exists():
+                return self._install_plugin_impl(plugin_id, branch)
+
+            backup_path = plugin_path.with_name(
+                f"{plugin_path.name}.standalone-backup-preinstall")
+            if backup_path.exists() and not self._safe_remove_directory(backup_path):
+                # Can't stage a safety net. Better to attempt the install than
+                # to refuse outright, which is what callers got before this
+                # existed.
+                self.logger.warning(
+                    "Could not clear stale pre-install backup for %s at %s; "
+                    "installing without a rollback net", plugin_id, backup_path)
+                return self._install_plugin_impl(plugin_id, branch)
+
+            try:
+                plugin_path.rename(backup_path)
+            except OSError as e:
+                self.logger.warning(
+                    "Could not set aside existing install of %s (%s); "
+                    "installing without a rollback net", plugin_id, e)
+                return self._install_plugin_impl(plugin_id, branch)
+
+            try:
+                installed = self._install_plugin_impl(plugin_id, branch)
+            except Exception:
+                self._restore_preinstall_backup(plugin_id, plugin_path, backup_path)
+                raise
+
+            if installed:
+                if not self._safe_remove_directory(backup_path):
+                    self.logger.warning(
+                        "Install of %s succeeded but the previous copy at %s "
+                        "could not be removed; it will be cleared on the next "
+                        "install", plugin_id, backup_path)
+                return True
+
+            self._restore_preinstall_backup(plugin_id, plugin_path, backup_path)
+            return False
+
+    def _restore_preinstall_backup(
+        self, plugin_id: str, plugin_path: Path, backup_path: Path
+    ) -> None:
+        """Put the previous install back after a failed (re)install."""
+        self.logger.error(
+            "Install of %s failed; restoring the previous version", plugin_id)
+        try:
+            if plugin_path.exists():
+                # Partial download debris from the failed install.
+                self._safe_remove_directory(plugin_path)
+            backup_path.rename(plugin_path)
+            self.logger.info("Restored previous install of %s", plugin_id)
+        except OSError as e:
+            self.logger.error(
+                "CRITICAL: could not restore %s from %s: %s. The previous "
+                "install is preserved there — rename it back manually.",
+                plugin_id, backup_path, e)
+
+    def _install_plugin_impl(self, plugin_id: str, branch: Optional[str] = None) -> bool:
         """
         Install a plugin from the official registry. Always installs the latest commit
         from the repository's default branch (or specified branch).
@@ -1333,6 +1426,26 @@ class PluginStoreManager:
                     self._safe_remove_directory(plugin_path)
                     return False
 
+                # Refuse a plugin that needs a newer core than this one. The
+                # registry carries no compatibility field, so the floor is only
+                # knowable once the files are down — checking here, before
+                # dependency installation, is the earliest possible point.
+                #
+                # Refusing costs the user nothing: on an update this returns
+                # False and _reinstall_with_rollback restores the version they
+                # already had. Allowing it costs them a plugin that raises
+                # ModuleNotFoundError at load and is reported only as one line
+                # in the journal. See docs/SPORTS_UNIFICATION.md (phase B4/B6).
+                from src import __version__ as core_version
+                from src.plugin_system import compatibility
+
+                compatible, reason = compatibility.check(manifest, core_version)
+                if not compatible:
+                    self.logger.error(
+                        "Refusing to install %s: %s", plugin_id, reason)
+                    self._safe_remove_directory(plugin_path)
+                    return False
+
                 if 'entry_point' not in manifest:
                     manifest['entry_point'] = 'manager.py'
                     manifest_modified = True

test/test_install_preserves_existing.py

@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+"""A failed (re)install must not destroy the working plugin it replaced.
+
+`_install_plugin_impl` deletes the existing plugin directory *before* it
+downloads anything, so any failure after that point used to leave the user with
+nothing. The update path was protected — `_reinstall_with_rollback` renames the
+old copy aside first — but a direct `install_plugin` was not, and the
+compatibility gate added a new way to fail late: a plugin whose declared floor
+exceeds the running core is now refused *after* the old copy is already gone.
+
+Concretely, without the wrapper: a user on core 3.1.0 with a working
+hockey-scoreboard clicks Install; the new manifest floors at 3.2.0; the gate
+refuses; the plugin they had is deleted. Floors are hand-written and can be
+over-declared, so this could remove a plugin that was working fine.
+"""
+
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+import pytest
+
+from src.plugin_system.store_manager import PluginStoreManager
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def store(tmp_path):
+    plugins_dir = tmp_path / "plugin-repos"
+    plugins_dir.mkdir()
+    mgr = PluginStoreManager(plugins_dir=str(plugins_dir))
+    mgr.logger = MagicMock()
+    return mgr, plugins_dir
+
+
+def _existing_install(plugins_dir: Path, plugin_id: str, marker: str) -> Path:
+    path = plugins_dir / plugin_id
+    path.mkdir(parents=True)
+    (path / "manifest.json").write_text(
+        json.dumps({"id": plugin_id, "name": plugin_id, "class_name": "P",
+                    "display_modes": ["a"], "version": "1.0.0"}),
+        encoding="utf-8")
+    (path / "marker.txt").write_text(marker, encoding="utf-8")
+    return path
+
+
+class TestFailedInstallPreservesPrevious:
+    def test_failed_install_restores_the_old_copy(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        path = _existing_install(plugins_dir, "hockey-scoreboard", "the-original")
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_plugin_impl", lambda *a, **k: False)
+
+        assert mgr.install_plugin("hockey-scoreboard") is False
+        assert path.exists(), "the previous install must be restored"
+        assert (path / "marker.txt").read_text() == "the-original"
+
+    def test_raising_install_restores_and_reraises(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        path = _existing_install(plugins_dir, "hockey-scoreboard", "the-original")
+
+        def boom(*a, **k):
+            raise RuntimeError("network died mid-install")
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_plugin_impl", boom)
+
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+            mgr.install_plugin("hockey-scoreboard")
+        assert path.exists()
+        assert (path / "marker.txt").read_text() == "the-original"
+
+    def test_successful_install_clears_the_backup(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        _existing_install(plugins_dir, "hockey-scoreboard", "the-original")
+
+        def succeed(plugin_id, branch=None):
+            _existing_install(plugins_dir, plugin_id, "the-new-one")
+            return True
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_plugin_impl", succeed)
+
+        assert mgr.install_plugin("hockey-scoreboard") is True
+        assert (plugins_dir / "hockey-scoreboard" / "marker.txt").read_text() == "the-new-one"
+        leftovers = [p.name for p in plugins_dir.iterdir() if "backup" in p.name]
+        assert not leftovers, f"backup left behind: {leftovers}"
+
+    def test_backup_name_is_invisible_to_plugin_discovery(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        """A backup that discovery can see becomes a duplicate plugin entry;
+        the marker '.standalone-backup-' is what makes it skip."""
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        _existing_install(plugins_dir, "hockey-scoreboard", "the-original")
+
+        seen = {}
+
+        def capture(plugin_id, branch=None):
+            seen["dirs"] = sorted(p.name for p in plugins_dir.iterdir())
+            return False
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_plugin_impl", capture)
+        mgr.install_plugin("hockey-scoreboard")
+
+        backups = [d for d in seen["dirs"] if d != "hockey-scoreboard"]
+        assert backups, "expected the old copy to be set aside during install"
+        for name in backups:
+            assert ".standalone-backup-" in name, (
+                f"{name} would be picked up by "
+                "plugin_manager._scan_directory_for_plugins as a real plugin")
+
+    def test_fresh_install_is_a_pass_through(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        """Nothing installed means nothing to protect; don't create stray dirs."""
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        calls = []
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            mgr, "_install_plugin_impl",
+            lambda *a, **k: calls.append(a) or True)
+
+        assert mgr.install_plugin("brand-new") is True
+        assert calls, "the implementation must still be called"
+        assert list(plugins_dir.iterdir()) == []
+
+    def test_stale_backup_from_a_crash_does_not_block(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        _existing_install(plugins_dir, "hockey-scoreboard", "the-original")
+        stale = plugins_dir / "hockey-scoreboard.standalone-backup-preinstall"
+        stale.mkdir()
+        (stale / "junk.txt").write_text("from a previous crash", encoding="utf-8")
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_plugin_impl", lambda *a, **k: False)
+
+        assert mgr.install_plugin("hockey-scoreboard") is False
+        assert (plugins_dir / "hockey-scoreboard" / "marker.txt").read_text() == "the-original"
+
+
+class TestUpdatePathStillWorks:
+    def test_reinstall_with_rollback_is_not_double_wrapped(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        """_reinstall_with_rollback moves the plugin aside itself, so by the
+        time install_plugin runs there is nothing at the original path and the
+        wrapper must be a pass-through rather than staging a second backup."""
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        path = _existing_install(plugins_dir, "hockey-scoreboard", "the-original")
+
+        observed = {}
+
+        def impl(plugin_id, branch=None):
+            observed["dirs"] = sorted(p.name for p in plugins_dir.iterdir())
+            return False
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_plugin_impl", impl)
+
+        assert mgr._reinstall_with_rollback("hockey-scoreboard", path) is False
+        # Exactly one aside directory existed during the attempt — rollback's.
+        assert observed["dirs"] == ["hockey-scoreboard.standalone-backup-migrating"]
+        # And the user still has their plugin.
+        assert (plugins_dir / "hockey-scoreboard" / "marker.txt").read_text() == "the-original"
+
+
+class TestConcurrency:
+    """The web UI runs Flask threaded, so a double-clicked Install button puts
+    two threads on the same plugin_id. `_reinstall_with_rollback` already
+    guarded against this; the install wrapper has to as well, or one thread's
+    restore deletes the other's freshly installed copy."""
+
+    def test_rollback_calling_install_does_not_deadlock(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        """The rollback path holds the per-plugin lock across its call to
+        install_plugin. A non-reentrant lock would hang the request thread
+        forever — this test would time out rather than fail."""
+        import threading
+
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        path = _existing_install(plugins_dir, "hockey-scoreboard", "the-original")
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            mgr, "_install_plugin_impl",
+            lambda pid, branch=None: bool(_existing_install(plugins_dir, pid, "new")))
+
+        done = threading.Event()
+        result = {}
+
+        def run():
+            result["ok"] = mgr._reinstall_with_rollback("hockey-scoreboard", path)
+            done.set()
+
+        t = threading.Thread(target=run, daemon=True)
+        t.start()
+        assert done.wait(timeout=10), (
+            "install_plugin deadlocked when called from _reinstall_with_rollback "
+            "— the per-plugin lock must be reentrant"
+        )
+        assert result["ok"] is True
+
+    def test_concurrent_installs_serialize(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        """Two threads installing the same plugin must not interleave their
+        set-aside/restore, and the survivor must be a complete install."""
+        import threading
+
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        _existing_install(plugins_dir, "hockey-scoreboard", "the-original")
+
+        in_flight = []
+        overlap = []
+
+        def slow_impl(plugin_id, branch=None):
+            in_flight.append(1)
+            if len(in_flight) > 1:
+                overlap.append(1)
+            threading.Event().wait(0.05)
+            _existing_install(plugins_dir, plugin_id, "installed")
+            in_flight.pop()
+            return True
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_plugin_impl", slow_impl)
+
+        threads = [threading.Thread(target=mgr.install_plugin,
+                                    args=("hockey-scoreboard",), daemon=True)
+                   for _ in range(2)]
+        for t in threads:
+            t.start()
+        for t in threads:
+            t.join(timeout=10)
+            assert not t.is_alive(), "concurrent install hung"
+
+        assert not overlap, "two installs of the same plugin ran concurrently"
+        assert (plugins_dir / "hockey-scoreboard" / "marker.txt").exists()
+        leftovers = [p.name for p in plugins_dir.iterdir() if "backup" in p.name]
+        assert not leftovers, f"backup left behind: {leftovers}"

test/test_plugin_compatibility_gate.py

@@ -0,0 +1,232 @@
+"""The install/update gate, and the shared compatibility rules behind it.
+
+Before this existed, `ledmatrix_min_version` was decoration: the loader logged
+an advisory warning and the store never looked at the core version at all, so a
+routine store update happily delivered a plugin that could not run. Deleting a
+plugin's bundled fallback under those conditions would have handed un-updated
+users a scoreboard that fails to load with one line in the journal.
+
+The rules being pinned here, in priority order:
+
+1. Refuse only on **evidence**. Undeclared floor, unparseable version on either
+   side, or a core whose self-reported version is untrustworthy → allow. A
+   wrong refusal breaks a working install; a wrong allowance degrades to the
+   behavior we already had.
+2. A core below `TRUSTWORTHY_FLOOR` is *unknown*, not old. The v3.1.0 release
+   reports `1.0.0` while nearly every manifest floors at `2.0.0`; blocking on
+   that number would stop those users installing anything at all.
+3. The loader and the store must agree, because they read the same manifests.
+"""
+
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+import pytest
+
+from src.plugin_system import compatibility
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Floor resolution — every spelling published plugins actually use
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class TestDeclaredMinVersion:
+    def test_top_level_min_ledmatrix_version(self):
+        assert compatibility.declared_min_version(
+            {"min_ledmatrix_version": "3.2.0"}) == "3.2.0"
+
+    def test_requires_block(self):
+        assert compatibility.declared_min_version(
+            {"requires": {"min_ledmatrix_version": "3.1.0"}}) == "3.1.0"
+
+    def test_versions_array_new_spelling(self):
+        assert compatibility.declared_min_version(
+            {"versions": [{"ledmatrix_min_version": "3.2.0"}]}) == "3.2.0"
+
+    def test_versions_array_deprecated_spelling(self):
+        """Most published manifests still say `ledmatrix_min`; ignoring it
+        would silently exempt them from the gate."""
+        assert compatibility.declared_min_version(
+            {"versions": [{"ledmatrix_min": "2.0.0"}]}) == "2.0.0"
+
+    def test_absent(self):
+        assert compatibility.declared_min_version({"id": "x"}) is None
+
+    def test_requires_present_but_null(self):
+        assert compatibility.declared_min_version({"requires": None}) is None
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# The decision itself
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class TestCheck:
+    def test_blocks_when_plugin_needs_a_newer_core(self):
+        ok, reason = compatibility.check(
+            {"name": "Hockey Scoreboard", "min_ledmatrix_version": "3.2.0"}, "3.1.0")
+        assert ok is False
+        assert "3.2.0" in reason and "3.1.0" in reason
+        assert "Hockey Scoreboard" in reason
+
+    def test_allows_equal_version(self):
+        ok, _ = compatibility.check({"min_ledmatrix_version": "3.2.0"}, "3.2.0")
+        assert ok is True
+
+    def test_allows_newer_core(self):
+        ok, _ = compatibility.check({"min_ledmatrix_version": "3.2.0"}, "4.0.0")
+        assert ok is True
+
+    def test_allows_when_no_floor_declared(self):
+        ok, reason = compatibility.check({"id": "x"}, "3.2.0")
+        assert ok is True and reason is None
+
+    def test_untrustworthy_core_version_allows_everything(self):
+        """The v3.1.0 release reports 1.0.0. Nearly every manifest floors at
+        2.0.0, so blocking here would stop those users installing any plugin
+        at all — strictly worse than the problem being solved."""
+        ok, reason = compatibility.check(
+            {"min_ledmatrix_version": "3.2.0"}, "1.0.0")
+        assert ok is True and reason is None
+
+    def test_unparseable_core_version_allows(self):
+        ok, _ = compatibility.check({"min_ledmatrix_version": "3.2.0"}, "not-a-version")
+        assert ok is True
+
+    def test_unparseable_floor_allows(self):
+        ok, _ = compatibility.check({"min_ledmatrix_version": {"nope": 1}}, "3.2.0")
+        assert ok is True
+
+    def test_v_prefix_tolerated_on_both_sides(self):
+        ok, _ = compatibility.check({"min_ledmatrix_version": "v3.3.0"}, "v3.2.0")
+        assert ok is False
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("floor,core,expected_ok", [
+        ("3.2.0", "3.2.1", True),
+        ("3.2.1", "3.2.0", False),
+        ("3.10.0", "3.9.0", False),   # numeric compare, not lexical
+        ("3.9.0", "3.10.0", True),
+    ])
+    def test_ordering(self, floor, core, expected_ok):
+        ok, _ = compatibility.check({"min_ledmatrix_version": floor}, core)
+        assert ok is expected_ok
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# The gate in install_plugin
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _write_plugin(plugins_dir: Path, plugin_id: str, manifest: dict) -> Path:
+    path = plugins_dir / plugin_id
+    path.mkdir(parents=True)
+    (path / "manifest.json").write_text(json.dumps(manifest), encoding="utf-8")
+    (path / "manager.py").write_text("class P: pass\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    return path
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def store(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """A PluginStoreManager whose download step is stubbed to drop a plugin
+    directory in place, so the test exercises the post-download validation
+    path without touching the network."""
+    from src.plugin_system.store_manager import PluginStoreManager
+
+    plugins_dir = tmp_path / "plugin-repos"
+    plugins_dir.mkdir()
+    mgr = PluginStoreManager(plugins_dir=str(plugins_dir))
+    mgr.logger = MagicMock()
+    return mgr, plugins_dir
+
+
+class TestInstallGate:
+    """`install_plugin` is the chokepoint: `_reinstall_with_rollback` calls it,
+    so gating there covers updates too, and a refused update restores the
+    version the user already had."""
+
+    def _install_with_manifest(self, store, manifest, core_version, monkeypatch):
+        mgr, plugins_dir = store
+        plugin_id = manifest["id"]
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            mgr, "get_plugin_info",
+            lambda *a, **k: {"repo": "https://example.invalid/r",
+                             "plugin_path": f"plugins/{plugin_id}",
+                             "branch": "main"})
+        # Stand in for the download: put the files where install_plugin expects.
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            mgr, "_install_from_monorepo",
+            lambda *a, **k: bool(_write_plugin(plugins_dir, plugin_id, manifest)))
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_from_monorepo_api", lambda *a, **k: False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mgr, "_install_dependencies", lambda *a, **k: True)
+
+        import src
+        monkeypatch.setattr(src, "__version__", core_version)
+        return mgr.install_plugin(plugin_id), plugins_dir / plugin_id
+
+    def test_refuses_and_leaves_nothing_behind(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        manifest = {
+            "id": "needs-newer", "name": "Needs Newer", "class_name": "P",
+            "display_modes": ["a"], "min_ledmatrix_version": "9.9.9",
+        }
+        ok, path = self._install_with_manifest(store, manifest, "3.2.0", monkeypatch)
+
+        assert ok is False, "install must refuse a plugin that needs a newer core"
+        assert not path.exists(), (
+            "a refused install must not leave a half-installed directory — "
+            "plugin discovery would pick it up and fail to load it")
+
+    def test_allows_a_compatible_plugin(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        manifest = {
+            "id": "fine", "name": "Fine", "class_name": "P",
+            "display_modes": ["a"], "min_ledmatrix_version": "3.0.0",
+        }
+        ok, path = self._install_with_manifest(store, manifest, "3.2.0", monkeypatch)
+
+        assert ok is True
+        assert (path / "manifest.json").exists()
+
+    def test_untrustworthy_core_does_not_block_installs(self, store, monkeypatch):
+        """Regression guard for the worst possible outcome of this feature:
+        users on the v3.1.0 release (which reports 1.0.0) must not be locked
+        out of the plugin store entirely."""
+        manifest = {
+            "id": "floored", "name": "Floored", "class_name": "P",
+            "display_modes": ["a"], "versions": [{"ledmatrix_min": "2.0.0"}],
+        }
+        ok, path = self._install_with_manifest(store, manifest, "1.0.0", monkeypatch)
+
+        assert ok is True, (
+            "a core below the trustworthy floor must not block installs — "
+            "nearly every published manifest floors at 2.0.0")
+        assert (path / "manifest.json").exists()
+
+
+class TestLoaderAndStoreAgree:
+    """Both read the same manifests; a disagreement means one of them is
+    lying to the user."""
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("manifest,core,expected", [
+        ({"min_ledmatrix_version": "3.2.0"}, "3.1.0", False),
+        ({"versions": [{"ledmatrix_min": "2.0.0"}]}, "3.2.0", True),
+        ({"versions": [{"ledmatrix_min_version": "9.0.0"}]}, "3.2.0", False),
+        ({}, "3.2.0", True),
+    ])
+    def test_same_verdict(self, manifest, core, expected):
+        from src.plugin_system.plugin_loader import PluginLoader
+
+        store_ok, _ = compatibility.check(manifest, core)
+        assert store_ok is expected
+
+        # The loader resolves the floor through the same helper, so a
+        # divergence in spelling handling would show up here.
+        loader_needed = compatibility.parse_semver(
+            compatibility.declared_min_version(manifest))
+        current = compatibility.parse_semver(core)
+        loader_would_warn = (
+            loader_needed is not None
+            and current is not None
+            and current >= compatibility.TRUSTWORTHY_FLOOR
+            and loader_needed > current
+        )
+        assert loader_would_warn is (not expected)
+        assert hasattr(PluginLoader, "_warn_if_incompatible")

test/test_version_consistency.py

@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+"""Version reporting must have exactly one answer.
+
+`src.__version__` is the canonical core version. The plugin loader compares
+plugin `ledmatrix_min_version` floors against it, and the plugin ecosystem
+floors on the number recorded in `CHANGELOG.md` — so if those two disagree, a
+plugin can declare a floor that is satisfied by a core which does not actually
+ship the module it needs.
+
+This has already gone wrong once. The `v3.1.0` tag was cut 2026-05-31, but
+`src/__init__.py` was not bumped from `"1.0.0"` to `"3.1.0"` until 2026-07-12,
+six weeks later. Every device installed from that release reports `1.0.0`,
+which is below the `(2, 0, 0)` floor in `PluginLoader._warn_if_incompatible` —
+so those users get no compatibility warning at all. See
+`docs/SPORTS_UNIFICATION.md` (phase B4).
+
+A tag is not available here, so the tag half of the check lives in
+`scripts/check_release_version.py`. Wiring that script into CI (on pushed `v*`
+tags and published releases) is a follow-up PR; until it lands, run it by hand
+before tagging:
+
+    python scripts/check_release_version.py v3.2.0
+
+Note: `src.plugin_system.__version__` is deliberately NOT checked. That module
+versions the *plugin API* (it sits beside `__api_version__` and is documented as
+such), which moves independently of the core version.
+"""
+
+import re
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+import src
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+CHANGELOG = REPO_ROOT / "CHANGELOG.md"
+
+# [0-9] rather than \d: \d also matches non-ASCII decimal digits, which int()
+# happily parses, so a heading in Arabic-Indic numerals would pass the pattern
+# and then mismatch confusingly. [ \t] rather than \s for the same class of
+# reason -- \s matches newlines, so "##\n3.2.0" would read as a heading.
+SEMVER = re.compile(r"^([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)$")
+# Version headings look like "## 3.2.0". A leading "## Unreleased" section is
+# allowed and skipped -- it is where module additions are staged before a bump.
+HEADING = re.compile(
+    r"^##[ \t]+(?P<version>[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)[ \t]*$", re.MULTILINE)
+
+
+def test_core_version_is_semver():
+    """A floor comparison parses this string; it has to be parseable."""
+    assert SEMVER.match(src.__version__), (
+        f"src.__version__ is {src.__version__!r}, which is not X.Y.Z. "
+        "The loader's floor comparison cannot parse it."
+    )
+
+
+def test_changelog_documents_the_current_version():
+    """The newest versioned CHANGELOG heading is the version we claim to be.
+
+    Plugins floor on the version recorded in the CHANGELOG as first shipping a
+    module. If the code says 3.2.0 and the CHANGELOG's newest entry is 3.1.0,
+    that record points at the wrong release.
+    """
+    text = CHANGELOG.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    headings = HEADING.findall(text)
+    assert headings, "CHANGELOG.md has no '## X.Y.Z' version headings"
+
+    newest = headings[0]
+    assert newest == src.__version__, (
+        f"src.__version__ is {src.__version__!r} but the newest CHANGELOG "
+        f"heading is {newest!r}. Bump one to match the other: the CHANGELOG is "
+        "what plugin authors read to pick a ledmatrix_min_version floor."
+    )
+
+
+def test_changelog_versions_are_ordered_and_unique():
+    """A duplicated or out-of-order heading makes 'first release shipping X'
+    ambiguous, which is exactly the question the sunset rule asks."""
+    text = CHANGELOG.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    versions = [tuple(int(p) for p in v.split(".")) for v in HEADING.findall(text)]
+
+    duplicates = {v for v in versions if versions.count(v) > 1}
+    assert not duplicates, f"CHANGELOG.md has duplicate version headings: {duplicates}"
+
+    assert versions == sorted(versions, reverse=True), (
+        "CHANGELOG.md version headings are not in descending order; "
+        f"got {['.'.join(map(str, v)) for v in versions]}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_web_interface_version_tracks_the_core():
+    """web_interface used to carry its own hardcoded "3.0.0", a third answer to
+    'what version is this'. It now re-exports the canonical one."""
+    web_interface = pytest.importorskip(
+        "web_interface", reason="web_interface needs Flask, which is optional here"
+    )
+    assert getattr(web_interface, "__version__", None) == src.__version__, (
+        "web_interface.__version__ has drifted from src.__version__; it should "
+        "re-export the canonical value rather than hardcode its own."
+    )
+
+
+def test_heading_pattern_is_strict_about_digits_and_whitespace():
+    """`\\d` also matches non-ASCII decimal digits and `\\s` matches newlines,
+    either of which would let a malformed heading through and then fail the
+    comparison with a confusing message. Pin the tightened patterns."""
+    assert HEADING.findall("## 3.2.0\n") == ["3.2.0"]
+    assert HEADING.findall("##\t3.2.0  \n") == ["3.2.0"]
+    # A bare "##" whose version sits on the next line is not a heading.
+    assert HEADING.findall("##\n3.2.0\n") == []
+    # Arabic-Indic digits parse via int() but are not our version format.
+    assert HEADING.findall("## ٣.٢.٠\n") == []
+    assert SEMVER.match("٣.٢.٠") is None

web_interface/__init__.py

@@ -2,5 +2,10 @@
 LED Matrix Web Interface V3
 Modern web interface for controlling the LED Matrix display
 """
-__version__ = "3.0.0"
+
+# Re-exported, never hardcoded. This used to carry its own "3.0.0", a third
+# answer to "what version is this" alongside the tag and src.__version__ —
+# and disagreeing version numbers are what made plugin compatibility floors
+# untrustworthy (see docs/SPORTS_UNIFICATION.md, phase B4).
+from src import __version__  # noqa: F401