Check the path, layer by layer
Begin with the symptom and the component that can observe it. A client history error can be a missing network route even when the server is healthy. An approved resource can still be unusable if launch or membership verification failed.
- Client → homeserver: TLS, login, sync, history, and media.
- Homeserver → bridge: actual application-service event delivery.
- Bridge → runtime: scoped authority, launch health, and task outcome.
Preserve the state that matters
Back up the server database and the private configuration needed to restore the deployment. Retain Matrix device and crypto stores if encrypted history matters. Treat account identifiers, homeserver identity, agent identity, and task authority as durable relationships.
Update with a known baseline
Record the revisions and release assets you use. Follow each project’s upgrade and rollback instructions, test the intended user workflow, and distinguish a passing unit test from a passing integrated deployment. Native lifecycle skips remain unresolved evidence, not successful tests.
Palpo’s companion admin service currently has explicit gaps such as credential rotation and fleet-wide stop acknowledgment. Design recovery around documented capabilities and keep partial failures visible.