A Deployment row left in Dispatching with no NodeDeploymentState rows (HandleDispatch threw
before its SaveChanges, or the process died between the AdminOps row write and the
coordinator's Tell) was recovered with an empty expected set; the deadline then hit the
0 == 0 "race" branch and returned without touching the row, so every later StartDeployment was
refused AnotherDeploymentInFlight until someone hand-edited SQL.
- PreStart: a recovered row with no expected-ack rows is a lost dispatch. Inside the apply
deadline it is re-driven through HandleDispatch (bounded: CreatedAtUtc never moves); past it
the row is closed TimedOut with a reason naming the condition.
- HandleDispatch is idempotent on a re-dispatch (rows already seeded ARE the expected set).
- HandleDeadline takes the race branch only when _expectedAcks.Count > 0.
- The PreStart recovery read projects ArtifactBlob away (R03:3.5).
Refs #733
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Ub9hGmYLQvn9XETzw7CMsT
Joseph Doherty
b437c34f92