fix: keep favourites and joins when the server refuses an edit #34

When the server refused an edit made on the device (a book or calendar
that turned read-only, an event in a calendar where only one's own
events may be changed), the engine put the item back by deleting its
rows and inserting a fresh copy. A contact lost its star, ringtone and
the link to the contacts it was joined with; an event got a new row id.

The rows are now rewritten in place from the server's version, as after
an accepted upload. A refused deletion still brings the item back as a
new copy.

src/device-sync/__tests__/engine/real-planners.test.ts

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
   CALENDAR_AUTHORITY,
   CONTACTS_AUTHORITY,
   createHarness,
+  renameDeviceContact,
   rowWrites,
   type Harness,
 } from './harness';
@@ -235,6 +236,62 @@ describe('device sync engine with the real planners', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('a device edit the server refuses (forbidden)', () => {
+    it('puts a contact back in place, keeping what only the device knows', async () => {
+      const h = real();
+      const [ada] = addServerCards(h, ['Ada Lovelace']);
+      await h.run();
+      const before = h.contactNamed('Ada Lovelace')!;
+      h.device.user.star(before.id);
+      renameDeviceContact(h, before.id, 'Ada King');
+      h.server.setErrorFor('ContactCard', 'a', ada, { type: 'forbidden' });
+
+      const report = await h.run();
+
+      expect(report.itemErrors).toEqual([expect.objectContaining({ ref: `a/${ada}`, type: 'forbidden' })]);
+      expect(h.server.get('ContactCard', 'a', ada)).toMatchObject({ name: { full: 'Ada Lovelace' } });
+      expect(h.contacts()).toEqual([expect.objectContaining({ id: before.id, name: 'Ada Lovelace', dirty: false })]);
+      expect(h.contacts()[0].row.starred).toBe(1);
+    });
+
+    it('brings a contact back whose deletion the server refuses', async () => {
+      const h = real();
+      const [ada] = addServerCards(h, ['Ada Lovelace']);
+      await h.run();
+      h.device.user.deleteContact(h.contactNamed('Ada Lovelace')!.id);
+      h.server.setErrorFor('ContactCard', 'a', ada, { type: 'forbidden' });
+
+      const report = await h.run();
+
+      expect(report.itemErrors).toEqual([expect.objectContaining({ ref: `a/${ada}`, type: 'forbidden' })]);
+      expect(h.server.get('ContactCard', 'a', ada)).toBeDefined();
+      expect(h.contacts()).toEqual([expect.objectContaining({ sourceId: `a/${ada}`, name: 'Ada Lovelace', dirty: false, deleted: false })]);
+    });
+
+    it('puts an event back in place', async () => {
+      const h = real();
+      const standup = h.server.addEvent('a', {
+        uid: 'standup-uid',
+        title: 'Standup',
+        start: '2026-09-28T09:00:00',
+        duration: 'PT15M',
+        timeZone: 'Europe/Berlin',
+        calendarIds: { [h.calendar]: true },
+      });
+      await h.run(CALENDAR_AUTHORITY);
+      const row = h.events()[0];
+      h.device.user.updateEvent(Number(row._id), { [Events.TITLE]: 'Mine', [Events.CUSTOM_APP_PACKAGE]: 'org.example.app' });
+      h.server.setErrorFor('CalendarEvent', 'a', standup, { type: 'forbidden' });
+
+      const report = await h.run(CALENDAR_AUTHORITY);
+
+      expect(report.itemErrors).toEqual([expect.objectContaining({ ref: `a/${standup}`, type: 'forbidden' })]);
+      expect(h.events()).toEqual([
+        expect.objectContaining({ _id: row._id, title: 'Standup', dirty: 0, [Events.CUSTOM_APP_PACKAGE]: 'org.example.app' }),
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('a create whose target the server deleted after the claim', () => {
     it('claims a new contact again for a book that exists', async () => {
       const h = real();

src/device-sync/engine/item-sync.ts

@@ -1390,6 +1390,8 @@ export abstract class ItemSync {
       }];
     }
     await this.beforePlanning(acct, [object]);
+    // An edit is undone in place, so what only the device keeps stays: a star, a ringtone, a joined contact, row ids.
+    if (objectKind === kind && !p.meta.deleted) return [this.overwriteWork(acct, kind, local, object)];
     const insert = objectKind.planDownload(object, null, acct);
     return [{
       group: concatGroups(ref, remove, insert.ops),
@@ -1398,6 +1400,23 @@ export abstract class ItemSync {
     }];
   }
 
+  /** The rows become `object` where they are and DIRTY is cleared (the planner's write of an accepted version). */
+  private overwriteWork(acct: string, kind: Kind, local: unknown, object: ServerObject): Work {
+    return {
+      group: kind.planAccepted(local, object, acct).ops,
+      state: this.listing(kind, acct, object.id, true),
+      applied: () => this.onDownloaded(kind, acct, object),
+      replan: async () => {
+        const again = await this.reload(kind, local);
+        return again === null ? null : this.overwriteWork(acct, kind, again, object);
+      },
+      failed: (reason, message) => {
+        this.markStale(acct, object.id);
+        this.env.report.itemError({ ref: refOf(acct, object.id), side: 'upload', type: reason, description: message });
+      },
+    };
+  }
+
   /**
    * `invalidProperties` on `uid`: the object exists (a lost response, or the
    * client's automatic retry of the create). Cards name it in the error;