Move the `wg_lan` examples under `examples/multihost/`

`tests/test_docs_examples.py` walks `examples/` **recursively**
and subproc-runs every collected file asserting `rc == 0`. Ran
its exact filter against the tree: all 4 of our files were being
collected — including `README.md`, since the filter never checks
the extension, so CI would have literally tried `python
README.md`. These need a real second host + a live `wg` tunnel,
so they can't ever satisfy that gate.

`'multihost' not in p[0]` is already in the test's exclusion
list w/ no dir yet using it, so this is a pure `git mv` — zero
test changes — and it's what the exclusion was plainly there
for. Collection drops 24 -> 20 files, 0 of them ours.

Also records *why* in the two places someone would look before
adding the next one: a callout at the top of the example README
and a note on plan 03's §3.4 deliverables. Anything needing a
second host or live tunnel goes under `examples/multihost/`.

(this patch was generated in some part by `claude-code` using `claude-opus-5` (`anthropic`))

ai/prompt-io/claude/20260702T161624Z_65bf9df5_prompt_io.md

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+---
+model: claude-fable-5
+service: claude
+session: f4da6654-63f9-4641-b567-f200da46d697
+timestamp: 2026-07-02T16:16:24Z
+git_ref: 65bf9df5
+scope: tests
+substantive: true
+raw_file: 20260702T161624Z_65bf9df5_prompt_io.raw.md
+---
+
+## Prompt
+
+> attempt to resolve
+> https://github.com/goodboy/tractor/issues/474
+> do it with /open-wkt.
+
+Issue #474: "We need test suite for
+`.trionics.start_or_cancel()`" — dig out the use case
+from `modden` as a unit test (and provide motivation
+for upstream `trio` to possibly provide better
+porcelain around this case). The wrapper landed via
+PR #464 with no tests.
+
+## Response summary
+
+New `tests/trionics/test_taskc.py` (9 tests) covering
+`start_or_cancel()`, authored in wkt
+`start_or_cancel_tests_474`.
+
+Behaviour was first probed empirically (trio 0.29):
+the lossy `RuntimeError('child exited without calling
+task_status.started()')` only fires when the child
+exits pre-`.started()` WITHOUT propagating the ambient
+`Cancelled` — i.e. when the child (or lib code it
+calls) absorbs the cancel in a graceful-teardown
+pattern; a well-behaved child surfaces `Cancelled`
+straight out of `.start()`. The `modden`
+`progman.open_wks()` use case was reconstructed from
+`modden/runtime/progman.py` accordingly.
+
+Tests (each `use_start_or_cancel` parametrization also
+pins upstream trio's current lossy behaviour as
+wart-documentation):
+
+- `test_sibling_err_not_masked_by_startup_rte` — the
+  `modden` case: sibling error OOB-cancels the shared
+  nursery scope; with the wrapper ONLY the root-cause
+  `ValueError` escapes; bare `.start()` adds the lossy
+  RTE alongside.
+- `test_pure_oob_cancel_not_morphed_to_rte` — plain
+  ancestor `cs.cancel()`: wrapper → clean exit; bare
+  → eg-wrapped RTE.
+- `test_genuine_startup_rte_still_raised` — no
+  cancellation → protocol-bug RTE re-raised same as
+  bare.
+- `test_childs_own_rte_never_demoted_to_cancel` — a
+  child's own `RuntimeError('never got started!')` /
+  `RuntimeError(1234)` under ambient cancel is never
+  demoted to `Cancelled` (exact-msg-match + str-guard
+  regression cover).
+- `test_started_value_and_args_passthru` — happy path:
+  positional args, `name=`, `.started()` value.
+
+Verified: 9/9 pass; 0 flakes across 50 hammer runs;
+two impl mutations (checkpoint removed; guard relaxed
+to substring match) each caught by exactly the
+targeted tests; `tests/trionics/` +
+`tests/test_trioisms.py` subset green (23 passed,
+5 xfailed); ruff clean; 69-col style.
+
+## Files changed
+
+- `tests/trionics/test_taskc.py` — new
+  `start_or_cancel()` unit-test suite (gh #474).
+
+## Human edits
+
+Pending review — session paused pre-commit per user
+deadline; nothing committed as of this entry.

ai/prompt-io/claude/20260702T161624Z_65bf9df5_prompt_io.raw.md

@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+---
+model: claude-fable-5
+service: claude
+timestamp: 2026-07-02T16:16:24Z
+git_ref: 65bf9df5
+diff_cmd: git diff main..wkt/start_or_cancel_tests_474
+---
+
+# Raw output — gh #474 `start_or_cancel()` test suite
+
+## Generated test code
+
+> `git diff main..wkt/start_or_cancel_tests_474 -- tests/trionics/test_taskc.py`
+
+Prose summary of the generated module
+(`tests/trionics/test_taskc.py`):
+
+- module docstring framing the `trio.Nursery.start()`
+  startup-cancellation wart, the wrapper's repair, and
+  the intent that `use_start_or_cancel=False` params
+  double as upstream-trio wart-documentation (break on
+  a trio upgrade → upstream may have shipped porcelain,
+  re-audit the wrapper); cites gh #474 / PR #464 and
+  `modden`'s `progman.open_wks()` as the source use
+  case.
+- shared children: `absorbs_cancel_pre_started()` (the
+  graceful-teardown cancel-absorber which triggers the
+  lossy RTE path) + `raise_val_err()` (fast-erroring
+  sibling).
+- `test_sibling_err_not_masked_by_startup_rte`
+  (parametrized `use_start_or_cancel`): asserts eg
+  contains exactly one `ValueError` and, wrapper-case,
+  NO residual RTE (`eg.split(ValueError)` remainder is
+  `None`); bare-case, the residual RTE carries trio's
+  exact "child exited without calling" wording.
+- `test_pure_oob_cancel_not_morphed_to_rte`
+  (parametrized): wrapper-case runs clean and asserts
+  `cs.cancelled_caught`; bare-case asserts the
+  eg-wrapped RTE.
+- `test_genuine_startup_rte_still_raised`
+  (parametrized): no-cancel protocol bug → RTE with
+  trio's wording from both call forms.
+- `test_childs_own_rte_never_demoted_to_cancel`
+  (parametrized `rte_arg` in `'never got started!'`,
+  `1234`): child cancels the ambient scope then raises
+  its own RTE synchronously (no checkpoint between →
+  deterministically under-cancellation at catch time);
+  asserts the RTE survives with `args[0]` intact.
+- `test_started_value_and_args_passthru`: `.started()`
+  value, positional args and the `name=` kwarg (via
+  `trio.lowlevel.current_task().name`) all forward.
+
+## Non-code output (verbatim highlights)
+
+Behaviour probe (trio 0.29, scratchpad scripts) — the
+decision basis for the test shapes:
+
+```
+== B-sibling-err use_soc=False
+  start raised: RuntimeError('child exited without
+    calling task_status.started()')
+  top-level: ExceptionGroup([ValueError('sibling blew
+    up!'), RuntimeError('child exited without calling
+    task_status.started()')])
+== B-cs-cancel use_soc=False
+  top-level: ExceptionGroup([RuntimeError('child
+    exited without calling task_status.started()')])
+== B-sibling-err use_soc=True
+  start raised: Cancelled()
+  top-level: ExceptionGroup([ValueError('sibling blew
+    up!')])
+== B-cs-cancel use_soc=True
+  start raised: Cancelled()
+  top-level: clean return
+== own-rte-under-cancel (both) -> RTE('never got
+  started!') propagates unchanged
+```
+
+Key finding: with a WELL-BEHAVED (non-absorbing) child
+an OOB ancestor cancel surfaces `Cancelled` directly
+from `.start()` on trio 0.29 — the lossy RTE requires
+the child to absorb its cancel pre-`.started()`, which
+is what `modden`'s `open_from_wks` teardown did. Trio's
+nursery-exit wait defers cancel delivery to children,
+so all tested shapes are deterministic (0 flakes / 50
+runs).
+
+Mutation verification:
+
+```
+mutation 1 (checkpoint_if_cancelled removed):
+  FAILED test_sibling_err_not_masked_by_startup_rte[True]
+  FAILED test_pure_oob_cancel_not_morphed_to_rte[True]
+mutation 2 (guard relaxed to 'started' substring,
+            isinstance dropped):
+  FAILED test_childs_own_rte_never_demoted_to_cancel[never got started!]
+  FAILED test_childs_own_rte_never_demoted_to_cancel[1234]
+```
+
+Final runs:
+
+```
+tests/trionics/test_taskc.py: 9 passed in 0.03s
+hammer: 0/50 runs failed
+tests/trionics/ + tests/test_trioisms.py:
+  23 passed, 5 xfailed in 3.02s
+```

ai/tpt-backends/03_wg_tunnel_bindspace.md

@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@ examples in gh #482) used a *suffix* form
 semantically inverted: it puts the overlay addr where the bearer
 belongs, `tcp` where wg's `udp` `ListenPort` goes, and declares
 no overlay endpoint at all. `parse_wg_maddr()` in
-`examples/wg_lan/` now rejects it with an actionable error.
+`examples/multihost/wg_lan/` now rejects it with an actionable
+error.
 Observed protocol-name lists, for writing the `match`:
 
 | maddr | `[p.name for p in m.protocols()]` |
@@ -197,7 +198,14 @@ side-effect-free; verification is the *caller's* explicit step
 ### 3.4 deliverables
 
 - `examples/` scripts distilled from #482 §§3-5 (this is the
-  unchecked "commit examples from ^" bullet in #443).
+  unchecked "commit examples from ^" bullet in #443). They live
+  under `examples/multihost/` — `test_docs_examples.py` walks
+  `examples/` recursively and runs every collected file as a
+  subproc asserting `rc == 0` (it doesn't even filter by
+  extension, so a stray `README.md` would be `python`-run too),
+  and `'multihost' not in p[0]` is already in its exclusion
+  list. Anything needing a real second host or a live tunnel
+  belongs there.
 - a `docs/` page: tunnel setup, the maddr form, the two-host
   run. Keep prose in the docs; keep the examples runnable and
   minimal.

examples/multihost/wg_lan/README.md

@@ -8,6 +8,13 @@ Supersedes the example set in gh
 [#482](https://github.com/goodboy/tractor/issues/482) — see
 [what changed](#what-changed-vs-482).
 
+> **Why `examples/multihost/`?** `tests/test_docs_examples.py`
+> walks `examples/` recursively and runs everything it collects
+> as a subproc, asserting `rc == 0`. These need a real second
+> host and a live `wg` tunnel, so they can't satisfy that;
+> `'multihost' not in p[0]` is already in the test's exclusion
+> list, which is what keeps them out of CI.
+
 ## the maddr form
 
 ```

tests/test_log_sys.py

@@ -2,16 +2,19 @@
 `tractor.log`-wrapping unit tests.
 
 '''
+import logging
 from pathlib import Path
 import shutil
 from types import ModuleType
 
 import pytest
 import tractor
+import trio
 from tractor import (
     _code_load,
     log,
 )
+from tractor.ipc import _chan
 
 
 def test_root_pkg_not_duplicated_in_logger_name():
@@ -222,6 +225,88 @@ def test_add_log_level_pluggable():
             delattr(log.StackLevelAdapter, name.lower())
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'suppression',
+    [
+        'level',
+        'logger',
+        'global',
+    ],
+)
+def test_log_guard_skips_payload_formatting(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+    suppression: str,
+):
+    '''
+    Suppressed transport logs must not render payloads.
+
+    The original hot-path guard compared only the effective logger
+    level. A logger disabled through its `Logger.disabled` flag or
+    the global `logging.disable()` threshold could therefore still
+    call `pformat()` before `Logger.isEnabledFor()` discarded the
+    record.
+
+    Exercise effective-level, per-logger, and global suppression
+    independently. A poisoned `_chan.pformat()` proves rendering is
+    skipped, while the fake transport proves `Channel.send()` still
+    transmits the original payload and traceback-hiding flag.
+
+    '''
+    sent: list[tuple[object, bool]] = []
+
+    class FakeTransport:
+        async def send(
+            self,
+            payload: object,
+            hide_tb: bool = False,
+        ) -> None:
+            sent.append((payload, hide_tb))
+
+    def fail_pformat(payload: object) -> str:
+        raise AssertionError(
+            f'suppressed log rendered payload: {payload!r}'
+        )
+
+    chan_log = log.get_logger(
+        name=f'guard_test.{suppression}',
+    )
+    std_log = chan_log.logger
+    orig_level: int = std_log.level
+    orig_disable: int = logging.root.manager.disable
+    transport_level: int = log.CUSTOM_LEVELS['TRANSPORT']
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_chan, 'log', chan_log)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_chan, 'pformat', fail_pformat)
+    try:
+        logging.disable(logging.NOTSET)
+        std_log.setLevel(transport_level)
+
+        if suppression == 'level':
+            std_log.setLevel(logging.INFO)
+        elif suppression == 'logger':
+            monkeypatch.setattr(std_log, 'disabled', True)
+        else:
+            logging.disable(logging.CRITICAL)
+
+        assert not chan_log.isEnabledFor(transport_level)
+
+        transport = FakeTransport()
+        chan = _chan.Channel(transport=transport)
+        payload = object()
+
+        async def send_payload() -> None:
+            await chan.send(
+                payload,
+                hide_tb=True,
+            )
+
+        trio.run(send_payload)
+        assert sent == [(payload, True)]
+    finally:
+        std_log.setLevel(orig_level)
+        logging.disable(orig_disable)
+
+
 # TODO, moar tests against existing feats:
 # ------ - ------
 # - [ ] color settings?

tests/trionics/test_taskc.py

@@ -0,0 +1,333 @@
+'''
+`tractor.trionics._taskc.start_or_cancel()` unit tests.
+
+`trio.Nursery.start()` collapses an out-of-band (ancestor)
+cancellation into a lossy,
+
+  `RuntimeError('child exited without calling
+  task_status.started()')`
+
+whenever the started child exits pre-`.started()` WITHOUT
+propagating the ambient `trio.Cancelled`; a common outcome
+when the child (or any lib code it calls) runs a graceful
+teardown which absorbs the cancel and returns early. Our
+`start_or_cancel()` wrapper re-surfaces the real in-flight
+cancellation in that case so the true root error/cancel
+propagates to the `.start()` caller instead.
+
+These tests verify both that repair AND document upstream
+`trio`'s current lossy behaviour via the
+`use_start_or_cancel=False` parametrizations; if a `trio`
+upgrade breaks one of THOSE cases it likely means upstream
+shipped better startup-cancellation porcelain and our
+wrapper deserves a re-audit!
+
+The core use case was dug out of `modden`'s
+`progman.open_wks()` program-spawn machinery as per gh
+issue #474; the wrapper landed originally via gh PR #464.
+
+'''
+import pytest
+import trio
+from trio import TaskStatus
+
+from tractor.trionics import start_or_cancel
+
+
+async def absorbs_cancel_pre_started(
+    task_status: TaskStatus[None] = trio.TASK_STATUS_IGNORED,
+):
+    '''
+    Swallow the ambient (ancestor-scope) cancel and return
+    early, a naughty-but-realistic graceful-teardown pattern
+    and the exact shape which causes `trio.Nursery.start()`
+    to raise its lossy startup `RuntimeError` in place of
+    the real `trio.Cancelled`.
+
+    '''
+    try:
+        await trio.sleep_forever()
+    except trio.Cancelled:
+        return
+
+
+async def raise_val_err():
+    '''
+    Sibling task which blows up (fast) thus OOB-cancelling
+    the shared parent-nursery's cancel-scope.
+
+    '''
+    await trio.lowlevel.checkpoint()
+    raise ValueError('sibling blew up!')
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'use_start_or_cancel',
+    [
+        True,
+        False,
+    ],
+)
+def test_sibling_err_not_masked_by_startup_rte(
+    use_start_or_cancel: bool,
+):
+    '''
+    The `modden.runtime.progman` use case: a sibling task
+    errors while the `.start()`-ed child is still
+    pre-`.started()`, OOB-cancelling the shared nursery
+    scope; the child absorbs its cancel (graceful teardown)
+    and exits early.
+
+    - with `start_or_cancel()` the in-flight cancellation
+      is re-surfaced as the real `trio.Cancelled` (then
+      absorbed by the cancelled nursery scope) so ONLY the
+      root-cause sibling error escapes the nursery.
+
+    - with a bare `.start()`, upstream `trio` (currently)
+      also delivers its lossy startup `RuntimeError`
+      alongside, obscuring that the child was in fact
+      cancelled due to the sibling's error.
+
+    `cancelled_at_start` records that the wrapper's own await
+    raises `Cancelled`, rather than merely relying on the
+    nursery's eventual exception-group shape.
+
+    '''
+    cancelled_at_start: list[bool] = []
+
+    async def main():
+        async with trio.open_nursery() as tn:
+            tn.start_soon(raise_val_err)
+            if use_start_or_cancel:
+                try:
+                    await start_or_cancel(
+                        tn,
+                        absorbs_cancel_pre_started,
+                    )
+                except trio.Cancelled:
+                    cancelled_at_start.append(True)
+                    raise
+            else:
+                await tn.start(absorbs_cancel_pre_started)
+
+    with pytest.raises(ExceptionGroup) as excinfo:
+        trio.run(main)
+
+    eg: ExceptionGroup = excinfo.value
+    val_eg, rest_eg = eg.split(ValueError)
+    assert len(val_eg.exceptions) == 1
+
+    if use_start_or_cancel:
+        assert cancelled_at_start == [True]
+        # the re-surfaced `Cancelled` is absorbed by the
+        # (sibling-error cancelled) nursery scope leaving
+        # NO startup-noise, just the root cause.
+        assert rest_eg is None
+    else:
+        # the `trio` wart: a lossy startup RTE rides along
+        # with (and distracts from) the root cause.
+        rte = rest_eg.exceptions[0]
+        assert isinstance(rte, RuntimeError)
+        assert 'child exited without calling' in rte.args[0]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'use_start_or_cancel',
+    [
+        True,
+        False,
+    ],
+)
+def test_pure_oob_cancel_not_morphed_to_rte(
+    use_start_or_cancel: bool,
+):
+    '''
+    A plain (error-free) ancestor `CancelScope.cancel()`
+    fired while the (cancel-absorbing) child is still
+    pre-`.started()`:
+
+    - `start_or_cancel()` re-surfaces the `Cancelled` so
+      the cancelled scope exits CLEAN, no error at all.
+
+    - a bare `.start()` (currently) morphs the plain
+      cancel into an (eg-wrapped) startup `RuntimeError`.
+
+    `cancelled_at_start` proves cancellation interrupts the
+    wrapper call itself before the cancelled scope exits.
+
+    '''
+    cancelled_at_start: list[bool] = []
+
+    async def main():
+        with trio.CancelScope() as cs:
+            async with trio.open_nursery() as tn:
+
+                async def canceller():
+                    await trio.lowlevel.checkpoint()
+                    cs.cancel()
+
+                tn.start_soon(canceller)
+                if use_start_or_cancel:
+                    try:
+                        await start_or_cancel(
+                            tn,
+                            absorbs_cancel_pre_started,
+                        )
+                    except trio.Cancelled:
+                        cancelled_at_start.append(True)
+                        raise
+                else:
+                    await tn.start(
+                        absorbs_cancel_pre_started,
+                    )
+
+        assert cs.cancelled_caught
+
+    if use_start_or_cancel:
+        trio.run(main)
+        assert cancelled_at_start == [True]
+    else:
+        with pytest.raises(ExceptionGroup) as excinfo:
+            trio.run(main)
+
+        rte = excinfo.value.exceptions[0]
+        assert isinstance(rte, RuntimeError)
+        assert 'child exited without calling' in rte.args[0]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'use_start_or_cancel',
+    [
+        True,
+        False,
+    ],
+)
+def test_genuine_startup_rte_still_raised(
+    use_start_or_cancel: bool,
+):
+    '''
+    Absent ANY in-flight cancellation, a child exiting
+    cleanly without calling `task_status.started()` is a
+    genuine startup-protocol bug; `start_or_cancel()` must
+    re-raise the resulting `RuntimeError` exactly like a
+    bare `.start()` does.
+
+    '''
+    async def exits_wo_started(
+        task_status: TaskStatus[None] = (
+            trio.TASK_STATUS_IGNORED
+        ),
+    ):
+        await trio.lowlevel.checkpoint()
+
+    async def main():
+        async with trio.open_nursery() as tn:
+            with pytest.raises(RuntimeError) as excinfo:
+                if use_start_or_cancel:
+                    await start_or_cancel(
+                        tn,
+                        exits_wo_started,
+                    )
+                else:
+                    await tn.start(exits_wo_started)
+
+            rte = excinfo.value
+            assert (
+                'child exited without calling'
+                in
+                rte.args[0]
+            )
+
+    trio.run(main)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'rte_arg',
+    [
+        # Broad substring matches would wrongly demote either
+        # child-owned error to `Cancelled` under cancellation.
+        'never got started!',
+        'child exited without calling user hook',
+        # non-`str` first-arg edge; must not `TypeError`
+        # inside the wrapper's msg-match guard.
+        1234,
+    ],
+)
+def test_childs_own_rte_never_demoted_to_cancel(
+    rte_arg: str|int,
+):
+    '''
+    A child's OWN `RuntimeError`, one which merely smells
+    like `trio`'s startup wording (or carries a non-`str`
+    first arg), raised under ambient cancellation must NOT
+    be demoted to a `trio.Cancelled` by the exact-msg-match
+    guard inside `start_or_cancel()`; the real error must
+    always propagate to the caller as the sole exception-group
+    leaf, preserving object identity.
+
+    '''
+    child_rte = RuntimeError(rte_arg)
+
+    async def cancels_cs_then_raises(
+        task_status: TaskStatus[None] = (
+            trio.TASK_STATUS_IGNORED
+        ),
+    ):
+        # cancel the ambient (ancestor) scope then raise
+        # sync-ly, no checkpoint between, so the child
+        # deterministically dies with ITS error while the
+        # caller is under effective cancellation.
+        cs.cancel()
+        raise child_rte
+
+    cs = trio.CancelScope()
+
+    async def main():
+        with cs:
+            async with trio.open_nursery() as tn:
+                await start_or_cancel(
+                    tn,
+                    cancels_cs_then_raises,
+                )
+
+    with pytest.raises(ExceptionGroup) as excinfo:
+        trio.run(main)
+
+    assert excinfo.value.exceptions == (child_rte,)
+
+
+def test_started_value_and_args_passthru():
+    '''
+    Happy path: positional args, the `name=` kwarg and the
+    `.started(value)`-delivered value all pass through
+    `start_or_cancel()` identically to a bare `.start()`.
+
+    '''
+    async def echo_started(
+        *args,
+        task_status: TaskStatus[tuple] = (
+            trio.TASK_STATUS_IGNORED
+        ),
+    ):
+        task_name: str = trio.lowlevel.current_task().name
+        task_status.started((
+            args,
+            task_name,
+        ))
+
+    async def main():
+        async with trio.open_nursery() as tn:
+            (
+                args,
+                task_name,
+            ) = await start_or_cancel(
+                tn,
+                echo_started,
+                'chillin',
+                10,
+                name='doggy',
+            )
+            assert args == ('chillin', 10)
+            assert task_name == 'doggy'
+
+    trio.run(main)

tractor/ipc/_chan.py

@@ -198,9 +198,6 @@ class Channel:
         # assert transport.raddr == addr
         chan = Channel(transport=transport)
 
-        # ?TODO, compact this into adapter level-methods?
-        # -[ ] would avoid extra repr-calcs if level not active?
-        #   |_ how would the `calc_if_level` look though? func?
         if log.at_least_level('runtime'):
             from tractor.devx import (
                 pformat as _pformat,
@@ -325,10 +322,12 @@ class Channel:
         '''
         __tracebackhide__: bool = hide_tb
         try:
-            log.transport(
-                '=> send IPC msg:\n\n'
-                f'{pformat(payload)}\n'
-            )
+            if log.at_least_level('transport'):
+                # don't materialize the payload repr if not necessary
+                log.transport(
+                    '=> send IPC msg:\n\n'
+                    f'{pformat(payload)}\n'
+                )
             # assert self._transport  # but why typing?
             await self._transport.send(
                 payload,

tractor/ipc/_transport.py

@@ -309,7 +309,10 @@ class MsgpackTransport(MsgTransport):
             log.transport(f'received header {size}')  # type: ignore
             msg_bytes: bytes = await self.recv_stream.receive_exactly(size)
 
-            log.transport(f"received {msg_bytes}")  # type: ignore
+            if log.at_least_level('transport'):
+                log.transport(  # type: ignore
+                    f'received {msg_bytes}'
+                )
             try:
                 # NOTE: lookup the `trio.Task.context`'s var for
                 # the current `MsgCodec`.

tractor/log.py

@@ -111,9 +111,7 @@ def at_least_level(
     if isinstance(level, str):
         level: int = CUSTOM_LEVELS[level.upper()]
 
-    if log.getEffectiveLevel() <= level:
-        return True
-    return False
+    return log.isEnabledFor(level)
 
 
 # TODO, compare with using a "filter" instead?

tractor/msg/_ops.py

@@ -306,15 +306,15 @@ class PldRx(Struct):
             ):
                 try:
                     pld: PayloadT = self._pld_dec.decode(pld)
-                    log.runtime(
-                        f'Decoded payload for\n'
-                        # f'\n'
-                        f'{msg}\n'
-                        # ^TODO?, ideally just render with `,
-                        # pld={decode}` in the `msg.pformat()`??
-                        f'where, '
-                        f'{type(msg).__name__}.pld={pld!r}\n'
-                    )
+                    if log.at_least_level('runtime'):
+                        # don't materialize the payload repr if not necessary
+                        log.runtime(
+                            f'Decoded payload for\n'
+                            f'\n'
+                            f'{msg}\n'
+                            f'where, '
+                            f'{type(msg).__name__}.pld={pld!r}\n'
+                        )
                     return pld
                 except TypeError as typerr:
                     __tracebackhide__: bool = False

tractor/runtime/_rpc.py

@@ -1003,20 +1003,18 @@ async def process_messages(
             task_status.started(loop_cs)
 
             async for msg in chan:
-                log.transport(   # type: ignore
-                    f'IPC msg from peer\n'
-                    f'<= {chan.aid.reprol()}\n\n'
+                if log.at_least_level('transport'):
+                    log.transport(   # type: ignore
+                        f'IPC msg from peer\n'
+                        f'<= {chan.aid.reprol()}\n\n'
 
-                    # TODO: use of the pprinting of structs is
-                    # FRAGILE and should prolly not be
-                    #
-                    # avoid fmting depending on loglevel for perf?
-                    # -[ ] specifically `pretty_struct.pformat()` sub-call..?
-                    #   - how to only log-level-aware actually call this?
-                    # -[ ] use `.msg.pretty_struct` here now instead!
-                    # f'{pretty_struct.pformat(msg)}\n'
-                    f'{msg}\n'
-                )
+                        # TODO: pretty-printing structs is FRAGILE;
+                        # -[ ] add a non-raising log formatter with
+                        #      native-repr fallback before using
+                        #      `.msg.pretty_struct` here.
+                        # f'{pretty_struct.pformat(msg)}\n'
+                        f'{msg}\n'
+                    )
 
                 match msg:
                     # msg for an ongoing IPC ctx session, deliver msg to
@@ -1262,11 +1260,12 @@ async def process_messages(
                         log.exception(message)
                         raise RuntimeError(message)
 
-                log.transport(
-                    'Waiting on next IPC msg from\n'
-                    f'peer: {chan.aid.reprol()}\n'
-                    f'|_{chan}\n'
-                )
+                if log.at_least_level('transport'):
+                    log.transport(
+                        'Waiting on next IPC msg from\n'
+                        f'peer: {chan.aid.reprol()}\n'
+                        f'|_{chan}\n'
+                    )
 
             # END-OF `async for`:
             # IPC disconnected via `trio.EndOfChannel`, likely

tractor/trionics/_taskc.py

@@ -349,7 +349,10 @@ async def start_or_cancel(
             # demote it to a `Cancelled`, losing the real error. The
             # `isinstance` guard also avoids a `TypeError` when
             # `rte.args[0]` isn't a `str`.
-            'child exited without calling' in rte.args[0]
+            rte.args[0] == (
+                'child exited without calling '
+                'task_status.started()'
+            )
         ):
             # re-raises the in-flight `trio.Cancelled` IFF we're
             # under effective cancellation; else a cheap no-op and

uv.lock

@@ -308,11 +308,11 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "idna"
-version = "3.10"
+version = "3.18"
 source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
-sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/f1/70/7703c29685631f5a7590aa73f1f1d3fa9a380e654b86af429e0934a32f7d/idna-3.10.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:12f65c9b470abda6dc35cf8e63cc574b1c52b11df2c86030af0ac09b01b13ea9", size = 190490, upload-time = "2024-09-15T18:07:39.745Z" }
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/cd/63/9496c57188a2ee585e0f1db071d75089a11e98aa86eb99d9d7618fc1edce/idna-3.18.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:ffb385a7e039654cef1ab9ef32c6fafe283c0c0467bba1d9029738ce4a14a848", size = 196711, upload-time = "2026-06-02T14:34:07.794Z" }
 wheels = [
-    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/76/c6/c88e154df9c4e1a2a66ccf0005a88dfb2650c1dffb6f5ce603dfbd452ce3/idna-3.10-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:946d195a0d259cbba61165e88e65941f16e9b36ea6ddb97f00452bae8b1287d3", size = 70442, upload-time = "2024-09-15T18:07:37.964Z" },
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/1e/5e/d4e9f1a599fb8e573b7b87160658329fbf28d19eac2718f51fc3def3aa5a/idna-3.18-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:7f952cbe720b688055e3f87de14f5c3e5fdaa8bc3928985c4077ca689de849a2", size = 65455, upload-time = "2026-06-02T14:34:06.319Z" },
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -900,11 +900,11 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "setuptools"
-version = "82.0.1"
+version = "83.0.0"
 source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
-sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/4f/db/cfac1baf10650ab4d1c111714410d2fbb77ac5a616db26775db562c8fab2/setuptools-82.0.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:7d872682c5d01cfde07da7bccc7b65469d3dca203318515ada1de5eda35efbf9", size = 1152316, upload-time = "2026-03-09T12:47:17.221Z" }
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/34/26/f5d29e25ffdb535afef2d35cdb55b325298f96debd670da4c325e08d70f4/setuptools-83.0.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:025bccbbf0fa05b6192bc64ae1e7b16e001fd6d6d4d5de03c97b1c1ade523bef", size = 1154254, upload-time = "2026-07-04T15:31:22.699Z" }
 wheels = [
-    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/9d/76/f789f7a86709c6b087c5a2f52f911838cad707cc613162401badc665acfe/setuptools-82.0.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:a59e362652f08dcd477c78bb6e7bd9d80a7995bc73ce773050228a348ce2e5bb", size = 1006223, upload-time = "2026-03-09T12:47:15.026Z" },
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/5d/40/e1e72872c6354b306daef1703549e8e83b4d43cfea356311bf722a043752/setuptools-83.0.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:29b23c360f22f414dc7336bb39178cc7bcbf6021ed2733cde173f09dba19abb3", size = 1008090, upload-time = "2026-07-04T15:31:20.885Z" },
 ]
 
 [[package]]