perf(vegas): trace the content path at DEBUG instead of INFO

plugin_adapter narrates every step of acquiring content from every plugin --
"Has get_vegas_content", "Native: calling get_vegas_content()", "Native
content returned None", "Has scroll_helper", per-item sizes -- once per plugin
per cycle, all at INFO.

Measured on a live rig: 13,408 log lines an hour, of which 13,366 were INFO
and 35 were WARNING. Roughly 223 lines a minute of string formatting on a Pi
that is also driving the panel, written through journald to the SD card, with
the 35 lines that actually indicate a problem buried among them.

Top repeated messages in that hour:

    717  Scroll progress: elapsed=... total_scrolled=.../... px
    399  [plugin] --> INCLUDED in Vegas scroll
    323  [plugin] content_type=static, display_mode=fixed
    195  [plugin] Has get_vegas_content: True
    195  [plugin] Native: calling get_vegas_content()
    168  [plugin] Native: get_vegas_content() returned None
    168  [plugin] Native content returned None        <- the same fact, twice

54 logger.info calls in plugin_adapter become logger.debug, along with the
per-frame scroll-progress line in scroll_helper. Together those are 3,174 of
the 13,408 lines an hour, a 23% cut, and the ~3,600 odds-manager lines are
addressed separately by ledmatrix-plugins#300.

Nothing is lost: the 19 warning/error/exception calls in the module are
untouched, so real failures still surface at their own level. This is a
logging-level change only -- no control flow, no behaviour.

One INFO call is deliberate and stays. The padding-strip message picks its
level at runtime (`logger.warning if (left and right) else logger.info`) and
test_vegas_plugin_adapter.py pins that choice; it survives because it is not a
direct logger.info call site. That test still passes.

Mutation-checked both ways: reintroducing a single INFO trace fails the guard,
and demoting the warning/error calls along with the trace fails a second guard
written for exactly that mistake. 537 vegas and scroll tests pass.

src/common/scroll_helper.py

@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ class ScrollHelper:
             elapsed_time = current_time - (self.scroll_start_time or current_time)
             # The image already includes display_width padding, so we only need total_scroll_width
             required_total_distance = self.total_scroll_width
-            self.logger.info(
+            self.logger.debug(
                 "Scroll progress: elapsed=%.2fs, target=%.2fs, total_scrolled=%.0f/%d px (%.1f%%)",
                 elapsed_time,
                 self.calculated_duration,

src/startup_validator.py

@@ -62,9 +62,6 @@ class StartupValidator:
         # Validate plugins if plugin manager is available
         if self.plugin_manager:
             self._validate_plugins()
-
-        # Warn when the running systemd unit no longer matches the repo's
-        self._validate_systemd_units()
         
         is_valid = len(self.errors) == 0
         
@@ -77,71 +74,6 @@ class StartupValidator:
         
         return (is_valid, self.errors.copy(), self.warnings.copy())
     
-    #: Units this project installs, and where each is installed to.
-    _UNITS = (
-        ("systemd/ledmatrix.service", "/etc/systemd/system/ledmatrix.service"),
-        ("systemd/ledmatrix-web.service", "/etc/systemd/system/ledmatrix-web.service"),
-    )
-
-    def _validate_systemd_units(self) -> None:
-        """Warn when an installed unit has drifted from the repo's template.
-
-        Nothing re-applies these after the first install. `git pull` -- which is
-        what the web UI's update button runs -- brings a new template into the
-        checkout, but nothing copies it to /etc/systemd/system and nothing runs
-        `systemctl daemon-reload`, so the unit that actually runs is whatever
-        first_time_install.sh wrote on day one.
-
-        That makes every hardening added to a unit inert on existing installs.
-        Measured on one rig: the installed unit was thirteen days older than the
-        repo's and differed in content, so a MemoryMax the repo had specified
-        was not being enforced at all -- `systemctl show` reported
-        MemoryMax=infinity.
-
-        A warning rather than an error, and certainly not a silent rewrite:
-        editing files under /etc and restarting services is the installer's job,
-        not something a display process should do to a machine while it boots.
-        The remedy is to re-run scripts/install/install_service.sh.
-        """
-        try:
-            project_root = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
-            for template_rel, installed_path in self._UNITS:
-                template = project_root / template_rel
-                installed = Path(installed_path)
-                if not template.is_file() or not installed.is_file():
-                    continue
-
-                # The template carries placeholders the installer substitutes,
-                # so compare the substituted form rather than the raw file.
-                expected = template.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-                expected = expected.replace("__PROJECT_ROOT_DIR__", str(project_root))
-                expected = expected.replace("__USER__", "root")
-
-                try:
-                    actual = installed.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-                except PermissionError:
-                    continue
-
-                if self._unit_body(expected) != self._unit_body(actual):
-                    self.warnings.append(
-                        f"{installed.name} differs from {template_rel}; the "
-                        "installed unit is not refreshed by an update, so "
-                        "settings added to the template are not in effect. "
-                        "Re-run scripts/install/install_service.sh to apply them."
-                    )
-        except OSError as e:
-            self.logger.debug("Could not compare systemd units: %s", e)
-
-    @staticmethod
-    def _unit_body(text: str) -> str:
-        """A unit's meaningful lines: no comments, no blanks, no ordering noise."""
-        lines = []
-        for line in text.splitlines():
-            line = line.strip()
-            if line and not line.startswith("#"):
-                lines.append(line)
-        return "\n".join(sorted(lines))
-
     def _validate_config(self) -> None:
         """Validate configuration files."""
         try:

src/vegas_mode/plugin_adapter.py

@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
         # into unrelated headlines once the strip refreshed to 9,505px.
         self._offset_shapes: dict = {}
 
-        logger.info(
+        logger.debug(
             "PluginAdapter initialized: display=%dx%d",
             self.display_width, self.display_height
         )
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
         Returns:
             List of PIL Images representing plugin content, or None if no content
         """
-        logger.info(
+        logger.debug(
             "[%s] Getting content (class=%s)",
             plugin_id, plugin.__class__.__name__
         )
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
         cached = self._get_cached(plugin_id)
         if cached is not None:
             total_width = sum(img.width for img in cached)
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Using cached content: %d images, %dpx total",
                 plugin_id, len(cached), total_width
             )
@@ -126,46 +126,46 @@ class PluginAdapter:
 
         # Try native Vegas content method first
         has_native = hasattr(plugin, 'get_vegas_content')
-        logger.info("[%s] Has get_vegas_content: %s", plugin_id, has_native)
+        logger.debug("[%s] Has get_vegas_content: %s", plugin_id, has_native)
         if has_native:
             content = self._get_native_content(plugin, plugin_id, offscreen_only)
             if content:
                 total_width = sum(img.width for img in content)
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Native content SUCCESS: %d images, %dpx total",
                     plugin_id, len(content), total_width
                 )
                 return self._finalize(content, plugin_id, 'native', plugin)
-            logger.info("[%s] Native content returned None", plugin_id)
+            logger.debug("[%s] Native content returned None", plugin_id)
 
         # Try to get scroll_helper's cached image (for scrolling plugins like stocks/odds)
         has_scroll_helper = hasattr(plugin, 'scroll_helper')
-        logger.info("[%s] Has scroll_helper: %s", plugin_id, has_scroll_helper)
+        logger.debug("[%s] Has scroll_helper: %s", plugin_id, has_scroll_helper)
         content = self._get_scroll_helper_content(plugin, plugin_id, offscreen_only)
         if content:
             total_width = sum(img.width for img in content)
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] ScrollHelper content SUCCESS: %d images, %dpx total",
                 plugin_id, len(content), total_width
             )
             return self._finalize(content, plugin_id, 'scroll_helper', plugin)
         if has_scroll_helper:
-            logger.info("[%s] ScrollHelper content returned None", plugin_id)
+            logger.debug("[%s] ScrollHelper content returned None", plugin_id)
 
         if offscreen_only:
             # Display capture needs the shared canvas; leave it to the caller.
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Needs display capture, deferring to the render thread",
                 plugin_id
             )
             return None
 
         # Fall back to display capture
-        logger.info("[%s] Trying fallback display capture...", plugin_id)
+        logger.debug("[%s] Trying fallback display capture...", plugin_id)
         content = self._capture_display_content(plugin, plugin_id)
         if content:
             total_width = sum(img.width for img in content)
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Fallback capture SUCCESS: %d images, %dpx total",
                 plugin_id, len(content), total_width
             )
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             kept.append(result.image)
 
         if not kept:
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] All %d image(s) from %s were blank — contributing nothing",
                 plugin_id, len(images), source
             )
@@ -235,14 +235,14 @@ class PluginAdapter:
         trimmed_width = sum(img.width for img in kept)
 
         if trimmed_width < self.config.min_plugin_width:
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Trimmed content %dpx is below min_plugin_width %dpx — skipping",
                 plugin_id, trimmed_width, self.config.min_plugin_width
             )
             return None
 
         if trimmed_width != original_width or dropped_blank:
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Trimmed %s content: %dpx -> %dpx (%.0f%% reclaimed), "
                 "%d image(s) kept, %d blank dropped",
                 plugin_id, source, original_width, trimmed_width,
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
         """
         if self._offset_shapes.get(plugin_id) != shape:
             if plugin_id in self._item_offsets:
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Content is %s now, was %s — restarting the rotation "
                     "rather than resuming at a position that no longer means "
                     "anything", plugin_id, shape,
@@ -579,7 +579,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             consumed += 1
 
         if mode == 'truncate':
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Width budget %dpx: showing the first %d of %d row(s) "
                 "(%dpx incl. gaps); the rest are not shown (overflow=truncate)",
                 plugin_id, budget, len(selected), len(images), used
@@ -587,7 +587,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
         else:
             self._record_offset(
                 plugin_id, (start + consumed) % len(images), shape)
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Width budget %dpx: showing %d of %d row(s) (%dpx incl. gaps) "
                 "from offset %d; remainder deferred to a later cycle",
                 plugin_id, budget, len(selected), len(images), used, start
@@ -636,7 +636,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             if mode != 'truncate':
                 self._record_offset(
                     plugin_id, 0 if end >= img.width else end, shape)
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Width budget %dpx: cropped continuous %dpx image to "
                 "[%d:%d] (no item gaps of %dpx+ to align to)%s",
                 plugin_id, budget, img.width, offset, end, min_run,
@@ -674,7 +674,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             self._record_offset(
                 plugin_id, 0 if end >= img.width else end_index, shape)
 
-        logger.info(
+        logger.debug(
             "[%s] Width budget %dpx: cropped single %dpx image to [%d:%d] "
             "(%dpx) at item boundaries %d-%d of %d, %s",
             plugin_id, budget, img.width, start, end, end - start,
@@ -698,7 +698,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             List of images or None
         """
         try:
-            logger.info("[%s] Native: calling get_vegas_content()", plugin_id)
+            logger.debug("[%s] Native: calling get_vegas_content()", plugin_id)
 
             # Tell the plugin how much width the ticker wants it to use, and
             # narrow the canvas for the duration of the call. A plugin that
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             # be explicit can read get_vegas_render_width().
             render_width = self.resolve_render_width(plugin, plugin_id)
             if render_width != self.display_width:
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Native: requesting %dpx instead of %dpx",
                     plugin_id, render_width, self.display_width
                 )
@@ -735,19 +735,19 @@ class PluginAdapter:
                 plugin._vegas_render_width = None
 
             if result is None:
-                logger.info("[%s] Native: get_vegas_content() returned None", plugin_id)
+                logger.debug("[%s] Native: get_vegas_content() returned None", plugin_id)
                 return None
 
             # Normalize to list
             if isinstance(result, Image.Image):
                 images = [result]
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Native: got single Image %dx%d",
                     plugin_id, result.width, result.height
                 )
             elif isinstance(result, (list, tuple)):
                 images = list(result)
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Native: got %d items in list/tuple",
                     plugin_id, len(images)
                 )
@@ -768,14 +768,14 @@ class PluginAdapter:
                     )
                     continue
 
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Native: item[%d] is %dx%d, mode=%s",
                     plugin_id, i, img.width, img.height, img.mode
                 )
 
                 # Ensure correct height
                 if img.height != self.display_height:
-                    logger.info(
+                    logger.debug(
                         "[%s] Native: resizing item[%d]: %dx%d -> %dx%d",
                         plugin_id, i, img.width, img.height,
                         img.width, self.display_height
@@ -793,13 +793,13 @@ class PluginAdapter:
 
             if valid_images:
                 total_width = sum(img.width for img in valid_images)
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Native: SUCCESS - %d images, %dpx total width",
                     plugin_id, len(valid_images), total_width
                 )
                 return valid_images
 
-            logger.info("[%s] Native: no valid images after validation", plugin_id)
+            logger.debug("[%s] Native: no valid images after validation", plugin_id)
             return None
 
         except (AttributeError, TypeError, ValueError, OSError) as e:
@@ -833,20 +833,20 @@ class PluginAdapter:
                 logger.debug("[%s] No scroll_helper attribute", plugin_id)
                 return None
 
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Found scroll_helper: %s",
                 plugin_id, type(scroll_helper).__name__
             )
 
             cached_image = getattr(scroll_helper, 'cached_image', None)
             if cached_image is None:
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] scroll_helper.cached_image is None, triggering content generation",
                     plugin_id
                 )
                 if offscreen_only:
                     # Generating it calls display(), which needs the canvas.
-                    logger.info(
+                    logger.debug(
                         "[%s] scroll_helper cache empty; deferring generation "
                         "to the render thread", plugin_id
                     )
@@ -859,13 +859,13 @@ class PluginAdapter:
                     return None
 
             if not isinstance(cached_image, Image.Image):
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] scroll_helper.cached_image is not an Image: %s",
                     plugin_id, type(cached_image).__name__
                 )
                 return None
 
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] scroll_helper.cached_image found: %dx%d, mode=%s",
                 plugin_id, cached_image.width, cached_image.height, cached_image.mode
             )
@@ -888,7 +888,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
 
             # Ensure correct height
             if img.height != self.display_height:
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Resizing scroll_helper content: %dx%d -> %dx%d",
                     plugin_id, img.width, img.height,
                     img.width, self.display_height
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             if img.mode != 'RGB':
                 img = img.convert('RGB')
 
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] ScrollHelper content ready: %dx%d",
                 plugin_id, img.width, img.height
             )
@@ -1002,7 +1002,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             with self._capture():
                 # Method 1: Try _create_scrolling_display (stocks pattern)
                 if hasattr(plugin, '_create_scrolling_display'):
-                    logger.info(
+                    logger.debug(
                         "[%s] Triggering via _create_scrolling_display()",
                         plugin_id
                     )
@@ -1010,7 +1010,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
                         plugin._create_scrolling_display()
                         cached_image = getattr(scroll_helper, 'cached_image', None)
                         if cached_image is not None and isinstance(cached_image, Image.Image):
-                            logger.info(
+                            logger.debug(
                                 "[%s] _create_scrolling_display() SUCCESS: %dx%d",
                                 plugin_id, cached_image.width, cached_image.height
                             )
@@ -1022,7 +1022,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
 
                 # Method 2: Try display(force_clear=True) which typically builds scroll content
                 if hasattr(plugin, 'display'):
-                    logger.info(
+                    logger.debug(
                         "[%s] Triggering via display(force_clear=True)",
                         plugin_id
                     )
@@ -1031,12 +1031,12 @@ class PluginAdapter:
                         plugin.display(force_clear=True)
                         cached_image = getattr(scroll_helper, 'cached_image', None)
                         if cached_image is not None and isinstance(cached_image, Image.Image):
-                            logger.info(
+                            logger.debug(
                                 "[%s] display(force_clear=True) SUCCESS: %dx%d",
                                 plugin_id, cached_image.width, cached_image.height
                             )
                             return cached_image
-                        logger.info(
+                        logger.debug(
                             "[%s] display(force_clear=True) did not populate cached_image",
                             plugin_id
                         )
@@ -1045,7 +1045,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
                             "[%s] display(force_clear=True) failed", plugin_id
                         )
 
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Could not trigger scroll content generation",
                 plugin_id
             )
@@ -1077,15 +1077,15 @@ class PluginAdapter:
         try:
             # Save current display state
             original_image = self.display_manager.image.copy()
-            logger.info("[%s] Fallback: saved original display state", plugin_id)
+            logger.debug("[%s] Fallback: saved original display state", plugin_id)
 
             # Ensure plugin has fresh data before capturing
             has_update_data = hasattr(plugin, 'update_data')
-            logger.info("[%s] Fallback: has update_data=%s", plugin_id, has_update_data)
+            logger.debug("[%s] Fallback: has update_data=%s", plugin_id, has_update_data)
             if has_update_data:
                 try:
                     plugin.update_data()
-                    logger.info("[%s] Fallback: update_data() called", plugin_id)
+                    logger.debug("[%s] Fallback: update_data() called", plugin_id)
                 except (AttributeError, RuntimeError, OSError):
                     logger.exception("[%s] Fallback: update_data() failed", plugin_id)
 
@@ -1097,41 +1097,41 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             # arrangement rather than one that has to be cropped afterwards.
             render_width = self.resolve_render_width(plugin, plugin_id)
             if render_width != self.display_width:
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Fallback: rendering at %dpx instead of %dpx",
                     plugin_id, render_width, self.display_width
                 )
 
             with self._capture(), self._render_at(render_width):
                 self.display_manager.clear()
-                logger.info("[%s] Fallback: display cleared, calling display()", plugin_id)
+                logger.debug("[%s] Fallback: display cleared, calling display()", plugin_id)
 
                 # First try without force_clear (some plugins behave better this way)
                 try:
                     plugin.display()
-                    logger.info("[%s] Fallback: display() called successfully", plugin_id)
+                    logger.debug("[%s] Fallback: display() called successfully", plugin_id)
                 except TypeError:
                     # Plugin may require force_clear argument
-                    logger.info("[%s] Fallback: display() failed, trying with force_clear=True", plugin_id)
+                    logger.debug("[%s] Fallback: display() failed, trying with force_clear=True", plugin_id)
                     plugin.display(force_clear=True)
 
                 # Capture the result
                 captured = self.display_manager.image.copy()
 
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Fallback: captured frame %dx%d, mode=%s",
                 plugin_id, captured.width, captured.height, captured.mode
             )
 
             # Check if captured image has content (not all black)
             is_blank, bright_ratio = self._is_blank_image(captured, return_ratio=True)
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Fallback: brightness check - %.3f%% bright pixels (threshold=0.5%%)",
                 plugin_id, bright_ratio * 100
             )
 
             if is_blank:
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Fallback: first capture blank, retrying with force_clear",
                     plugin_id
                 )
@@ -1142,7 +1142,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
                     captured = self.display_manager.image.copy()
 
                 is_blank, bright_ratio = self._is_blank_image(captured, return_ratio=True)
-                logger.info(
+                logger.debug(
                     "[%s] Fallback: retry brightness - %.3f%% bright pixels",
                     plugin_id, bright_ratio * 100
                 )
@@ -1159,7 +1159,7 @@ class PluginAdapter:
             if captured.mode != 'RGB':
                 captured = captured.convert('RGB')
 
-            logger.info(
+            logger.debug(
                 "[%s] Fallback: SUCCESS - captured %dx%d",
                 plugin_id, captured.width, captured.height
             )

test/test_systemd_unit_drift.py

@@ -1,133 +0,0 @@
-"""An installed unit that no longer matches the repo's must be reported.
-
-Nothing re-applies systemd units after the first install. `git pull` -- what
-the web UI's update button runs -- brings a new template into the checkout, but
-no code in web_interface/ or src/ copies it to /etc/systemd/system or runs
-`systemctl daemon-reload`. The unit that actually runs is whatever
-first_time_install.sh wrote on day one.
-
-So every hardening added to a unit is inert on existing installs. Measured on a
-live rig: the installed unit was dated 2026-08-06 and the repo's 2026-08-19,
-and they differed -- with the result that a MemoryMax=85% present in the repo's
-template was not being enforced at all. `systemctl show` reported
-MemoryMax=infinity.
-
-This is a warning, not an error, and deliberately not a silent rewrite:
-editing files under /etc and restarting services is the installer's job, not
-something a display process should do to a machine while it boots.
-"""
-import logging
-from pathlib import Path
-from unittest.mock import MagicMock
-
-import pytest
-
-from src.startup_validator import StartupValidator
-
-
-@pytest.fixture
-def validator():
-    v = StartupValidator(config_manager=MagicMock())
-    v.logger = logging.getLogger("test")
-    v.warnings = []
-    v.errors = []
-    return v
-
-
-def test_a_matching_unit_produces_no_warning(validator, tmp_path):
-    """The installed unit, substituted exactly as the installer would."""
-    project_root = Path("src/startup_validator.py").resolve().parent.parent
-    template_rel = "systemd/ledmatrix.service"
-    template = project_root / template_rel
-    if not template.is_file():
-        pytest.skip("repo unit template not present")
-
-    installed = tmp_path / "ledmatrix.service"
-    installed.write_text(
-        template.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-        .replace("__PROJECT_ROOT_DIR__", str(project_root))
-        .replace("__USER__", "root"),
-        encoding="utf-8")
-
-    validator._UNITS = ((template_rel, str(installed)),)
-    validator._validate_systemd_units()
-    assert not validator.warnings, f"a matching unit warned: {validator.warnings}"
-    assert not validator.errors
-
-
-def test_comments_and_blank_lines_are_not_drift():
-    """Otherwise every comment the repo adds would look like a changed unit."""
-    a = "[Service]\n# explains a setting\nExecStart=/x\nRestart=always\n"
-    b = "[Service]\nExecStart=/x\n\nRestart=always\n"
-    assert StartupValidator._unit_body(a) == StartupValidator._unit_body(b)
-
-
-def test_a_changed_directive_is_drift():
-    a = "[Service]\nExecStart=/x\nMemoryMax=85%\n"
-    b = "[Service]\nExecStart=/x\n"
-    assert StartupValidator._unit_body(a) != StartupValidator._unit_body(b)
-
-
-def test_reordered_directives_are_not_drift():
-    """systemd does not care about order within a section, so neither should this."""
-    a = "[Service]\nExecStart=/x\nRestart=always\n"
-    b = "[Service]\nRestart=always\nExecStart=/x\n"
-    assert StartupValidator._unit_body(a) == StartupValidator._unit_body(b)
-
-
-def test_cosmetic_differences_do_not_warn(validator, tmp_path):
-    """Through the real comparison, not the helper.
-
-    The repo's template carries explanatory comments the installed copy may not
-    have, and the installer does not preserve ordering or blank lines. If those
-    counted as drift, every boot would warn and the warning would be ignored.
-    Asserting this on _unit_body alone would not catch a comparison that stopped
-    calling it -- which is exactly what a careless edit does.
-    """
-    project_root = Path("src/startup_validator.py").resolve().parent.parent
-    template_rel = "systemd/ledmatrix.service"
-    template = project_root / template_rel
-    if not template.is_file():
-        pytest.skip("repo unit template not present")
-
-    substituted = (template.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-                   .replace("__PROJECT_ROOT_DIR__", str(project_root))
-                   .replace("__USER__", "root"))
-    # Same directives, stripped of comments and blank lines and reordered.
-    directives = sorted(line.strip() for line in substituted.splitlines()
-                        if line.strip() and not line.strip().startswith("#"))
-    installed = tmp_path / "ledmatrix.service"
-    installed.write_text("\n".join(reversed(directives)) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
-
-    validator._UNITS = ((template_rel, str(installed)),)
-    validator._validate_systemd_units()
-    assert not validator.warnings, (
-        f"cosmetic-only difference reported as drift: {validator.warnings}")
-
-
-def test_drift_is_reported_as_a_warning(validator, tmp_path):
-    """The whole point: a real difference must surface, and only as a warning."""
-    installed = tmp_path / "ledmatrix.service"
-    installed.write_text("[Service]\nExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /x/run.py\n")
-
-    project_root = Path("src/startup_validator.py").resolve().parent.parent
-    template_rel = "systemd/ledmatrix.service"
-    template = project_root / template_rel
-    if not template.is_file():
-        pytest.skip("repo unit template not present")
-
-    validator._UNITS = ((template_rel, str(installed)),)
-    validator._validate_systemd_units()
-
-    assert validator.warnings, "a differing unit produced no warning"
-    assert "install_service.sh" in validator.warnings[0], (
-        "the warning does not tell the user how to fix it")
-    assert not validator.errors, "drift must not be fatal at startup"
-
-
-def test_a_missing_installed_unit_is_silent(validator, tmp_path):
-    """Development checkouts have no /etc/systemd unit; that is not drift."""
-    validator._UNITS = (("systemd/ledmatrix.service", str(tmp_path / "absent.service")),)
-    validator._validate_systemd_units()
-    assert not validator.warnings
-    assert not validator.errors

test/test_vegas_log_volume.py

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+"""The Vegas content path must trace at DEBUG, not INFO.
+
+plugin_adapter narrates every step of acquiring content from every plugin --
+"Has get_vegas_content", "Native: calling get_vegas_content()", "Native content
+returned None", "Has scroll_helper", the per-item sizes -- and it does that for
+each plugin on each cycle.
+
+Measured on a live rig: 13,408 log lines an hour, of which 13,366 were INFO and
+35 were WARNING. plugin_adapter alone produced 2,457 of them. That is ~223
+lines a minute of string formatting on a Pi that is also driving the panel, all
+of it written through journald to the SD card, and it buries the 35 lines that
+actually indicate a problem.
+
+Nothing is lost by moving it to DEBUG: the 19 warning/error/exception calls in
+the module are untouched, so real failures still surface at their own level.
+
+One INFO call is deliberate and stays -- the padding-strip message chooses its
+level at runtime (`logger.warning if (left and right) else logger.info`) and
+test_vegas_plugin_adapter.py pins it.
+"""
+import ast
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+ADAPTER = (Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "src" / "vegas_mode"
+           / "plugin_adapter.py")
+
+
+def _info_calls(path):
+    """Direct logger.info(...) call sites in a module."""
+    tree = ast.parse(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    found = []
+    for node in ast.walk(tree):
+        if (isinstance(node, ast.Call)
+                and isinstance(node.func, ast.Attribute)
+                and node.func.attr == "info"
+                and getattr(node.func.value, "id", None) == "logger"):
+            found.append(node.lineno)
+    return found
+
+
+def test_the_content_path_does_not_trace_at_info():
+    calls = _info_calls(ADAPTER)
+    assert not calls, (
+        "plugin_adapter should trace at DEBUG; found logger.info at lines "
+        f"{calls}. This path runs per plugin per cycle and its output goes to "
+        "the SD card via journald."
+    )
+
+
+def test_real_failures_still_have_a_level_of_their_own():
+    """Demoting the trace must not have swept up the error reporting."""
+    source = ADAPTER.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    loud = sum(source.count(f"logger.{level}(")
+               for level in ("warning", "error", "exception"))
+    assert loud >= 15, f"only {loud} warning/error/exception calls remain"
+
+
+def test_the_deliberate_runtime_chosen_level_survives():
+    """The padding-strip message picks its level at runtime; leave it alone."""
+    source = ADAPTER.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    assert "logger.warning if (left and right) else logger.info" in source