fix(#79): degrade gracefully when the broker dump fails (G2 finding)

The G2 BLE log showed the config protocol works (GETs return values; the broker
dump starts) but the firmware's broker dump stalls without BROKERS_END, so
getBrokers() times out. The client was treating that as a TOTAL failure --
discarding the 7 flat settings it read cleanly and blanking the pane.

Now the broker pool loads independently: refresh() builds + shows the flat
config even when getBrokers fails, flags brokersUnavailable, and the pane shows
the broker section as "unavailable" instead of going stale. Flat settings stay
usable. TDD red->green; full observer suite (39) green.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

lib/screens/settings/observer_settings_view.dart

@@ -236,6 +236,12 @@ class _ObserverSettingsViewState extends State<ObserverSettingsView> {
         ),
         const Divider(height: 32),
         _sectionTitle('MQTT brokers'),
+        if (svc.brokersUnavailable)
+          _banner(
+            Icons.cloud_off,
+            'Broker pool unavailable — the device did not finish sending it.',
+          )
+        else
           ..._brokerTiles(svc.config?.brokers ?? const []),
       ],
     );

lib/services/observer_config_service.dart

@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ class ObserverConfigService extends ChangeNotifier {
   String? _lastError;
   String? get lastError => _lastError;
 
+  /// True when the broker-pool dump failed but the flat settings read OK — the
+  /// UI shows the broker section as unavailable instead of blanking the pane.
+  bool _brokersUnavailable = false;
+  bool get brokersUnavailable => _brokersUnavailable;
+
   /// Whether the connected device supports the config command — the version
   /// gate AND the capability bit, read live from the connector's device-info
   /// parse. The settings UI watches the connector, so the Observer category
@@ -164,28 +169,27 @@ class ObserverConfigService extends ChangeNotifier {
       final rotation = await getFlat('display.rotation');
       final brokers = await getBrokers();
 
-      if (brokers == null) {
+      // The broker pool loads independently of the flat settings: a broker-dump
-        _stale = true;
+      // failure (e.g. the firmware never sends BROKERS_END) must NOT blank
-        notifyListeners();
+      // settings that read cleanly. Surface it as broker-only "unavailable".
-        return;
-      }
-
       _config = ObserverConfig(
         wifi: _parseWifi(ssid, wifiEnabled, wifiStatus),
         mqtt: MqttGlobalConfig(
           iata: iata ?? '',
           statusInterval: int.tryParse(statusInterval ?? '') ?? 60,
         ),
-        brokers: brokers,
+        brokers: brokers ?? const [],
         display: DisplayConfig(
           alwaysOn: alwaysOn == '1',
           rotation: int.tryParse(rotation ?? '') ?? 0,
         ),
       );
-      // A null from any getFlat is a failed read (GET returns the value, null
+      _brokersUnavailable = brokers == null;
-      // on ERR/timeout). Don't present defaults as a complete snapshot or wipe
+
-      // the error a failed field already surfaced (SAFELANE error-visibility).
+      // A null from any flat getFlat is a failed read (GET returns the value,
-      final allRead =
+      // null on ERR/timeout). Stale reflects the FLAT read only; a broker miss
+      // is shown in its own section, not as a stale snapshot (SAFELANE §6).
+      final allFlatRead =
           ssid != null &&
           wifiEnabled != null &&
           wifiStatus != null &&
@@ -193,8 +197,8 @@ class ObserverConfigService extends ChangeNotifier {
           statusInterval != null &&
           alwaysOn != null &&
           rotation != null;
-      _stale = !allRead;
+      _stale = !allFlatRead;
-      if (allRead) _lastError = null;
+      if (allFlatRead) _lastError = null;
       notifyListeners();
     } catch (e) {
       _stale = true;

test/screens/observer_settings_view_test.dart

@@ -17,14 +17,21 @@ import 'package:meshcore_open/services/observer_config_service.dart';
 class _DummyConn extends MeshCoreConnector {}
 
 class _FakeSvc extends ObserverConfigService {
-  _FakeSvc(this._cfg, {this.staleFlag = false, this.errorText})
+  _FakeSvc(
-    : super(_DummyConn());
+    this._cfg, {
+    this.staleFlag = false,
+    this.errorText,
+    this.brokersDown = false,
+  }) : super(_DummyConn());
 
   final ObserverConfig _cfg;
   final bool staleFlag;
   final String? errorText;
+  final bool brokersDown;
   final List<MapEntry<String, String>> sets = [];
 
+  @override
+  bool get brokersUnavailable => brokersDown;
   @override
   bool get supported => true;
   @override
@@ -171,4 +178,16 @@ void main() {
     expect(iv, hasLength(1));
     expect(iv.single.value, '120');
   });
+
+  testWidgets('broker pool shows unavailable when the dump failed (#79)', (
+    tester,
+  ) async {
+    final fake = _FakeSvc(_cfg(), brokersDown: true);
+    await _pump(tester, fake);
+
+    // The broker section is at the bottom of the scroll view; scroll it in.
+    await tester.drag(find.byType(ListView), const Offset(0, -2000));
+    await tester.pumpAndSettle();
+    expect(find.textContaining('Broker pool unavailable'), findsOneWidget);
+  });
 }

test/services/observer_config_service_test.dart

@@ -52,8 +52,9 @@ class _FakeConnector extends MeshCoreConnector {
 /// manual interleaving. [failKeys] answer ERR; others answer VALUE; the broker
 /// dump is an empty pool (START -> END).
 class _AutoConnector extends MeshCoreConnector {
-  _AutoConnector({this.failKeys = const {}});
+  _AutoConnector({this.failKeys = const {}, this.failBrokers = false});
   final Set<String> failKeys;
+  final bool failBrokers;
   final StreamController<Uint8List> _frames =
       StreamController<Uint8List>.broadcast();
 
@@ -78,6 +79,7 @@ class _AutoConnector extends MeshCoreConnector {
           : _resp(ObserverConfigClient.rValue, '$key = ${_valueFor(key)}');
       Future.microtask(() => _frames.add(frame));
     } else if (op == ObserverConfigClient.opBrokers) {
+      if (failBrokers) return; // no response -> getBrokers times out
       Future.microtask(() {
         _frames.add(
           Uint8List.fromList([
@@ -222,4 +224,28 @@ void main() {
     expect(s.lastError, isNull);
     auto.closeStream();
   });
+
+  // ---- #79: a broker-dump failure must not blank the flat settings ----
+  test(
+    'broker-dump failure keeps flat settings + flags brokers unavailable',
+    () async {
+      final auto = _AutoConnector(failBrokers: true);
+      final s = ObserverConfigService(auto);
+      s.timeout = const Duration(milliseconds: 50);
+      await s.refresh();
+      expect(
+        s.config,
+        isNotNull,
+        reason: 'settings that read cleanly must still show',
+      );
+      expect(s.config!.wifi.ssid, 'x');
+      expect(s.brokersUnavailable, isTrue);
+      expect(
+        s.stale,
+        isFalse,
+        reason: 'a broker-dump miss is not a stale snapshot',
+      );
+      auto.closeStream();
+    },
+  );
 }