@rangojs/router 0.0.0-experimental.debug-cache-2383ca26 → 0.0.0-experimental.df410dd5

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@rangojs/router",
-  "version": "0.0.0-experimental.debug-cache-2383ca26",
+  "version": "0.0.0-experimental.df410dd5",
   "description": "Django-inspired RSC router with composable URL patterns",
   "keywords": [
     "react",
@@ -126,6 +126,31 @@
     "./host/testing": {
       "types": "./src/host/testing.ts",
       "default": "./src/host/testing.ts"
+    },
+    "./testing": {
+      "types": "./src/testing/index.ts",
+      "default": "./src/testing/index.ts"
+    },
+    "./testing/vitest": {
+      "types": "./src/testing/vitest.ts",
+      "default": "./dist/testing/vitest.js"
+    },
+    "./testing/dom": {
+      "types": "./src/testing/dom.entry.ts",
+      "default": "./src/testing/dom.entry.ts"
+    },
+    "./testing/e2e": {
+      "types": "./src/testing/e2e/index.ts",
+      "default": "./src/testing/e2e/index.ts"
+    },
+    "./testing/flight": {
+      "types": "./src/testing/flight.entry.ts",
+      "react-server": "./src/testing/flight.entry.ts",
+      "default": "./src/testing/flight.entry.ts"
+    },
+    "./testing/flight-matchers": {
+      "types": "./src/testing/flight-matchers.ts",
+      "default": "./src/testing/flight-matchers.ts"
     }
   },
   "publishConfig": {
@@ -133,45 +158,66 @@
     "tag": "experimental"
   },
   "scripts": {
-    "build": "pnpm dlx esbuild src/vite/index.ts --bundle --format=esm --outfile=dist/vite/index.js --platform=node --packages=external && pnpm dlx esbuild src/bin/rango.ts --bundle --format=esm --outfile=dist/bin/rango.js --platform=node --packages=external --banner:js='#!/usr/bin/env node' && chmod +x dist/bin/rango.js",
+    "build": "pnpm dlx esbuild src/vite/index.ts --bundle --format=esm --outfile=dist/vite/index.js --platform=node --packages=external && mkdir -p dist/vite/plugins && cp src/vite/plugins/cloudflare-protocol-loader-hook.mjs dist/vite/plugins/cloudflare-protocol-loader-hook.mjs && pnpm dlx esbuild src/testing/vitest.ts --bundle --format=esm --outfile=dist/testing/vitest.js --platform=node --packages=external && pnpm dlx esbuild src/bin/rango.ts --bundle --format=esm --outfile=dist/bin/rango.js --platform=node --packages=external --banner:js='#!/usr/bin/env node' && chmod +x dist/bin/rango.js",
     "prepublishOnly": "pnpm build",
-    "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",
+    "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit && tsc -p tsconfig.strict-check.json --noEmit && tsc -p tsconfig.augment-check.json --noEmit",
     "test": "playwright test",
     "test:ui": "playwright test --ui",
+    "test:hmr-local": "playwright test --project=dev-warmup --project=hmr-routes --project=hmr-basename --project=hmr-prerender --no-deps --workers=1",
     "test:unit": "vitest run",
-    "test:unit:watch": "vitest"
+    "test:unit:watch": "vitest",
+    "test:unit:rsc": "vitest run --config vitest.rsc.config.ts"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "@vitejs/plugin-rsc": "^0.5.14",
+    "@types/debug": "^4.1.12",
+    "@vitejs/plugin-rsc": "^0.5.26",
+    "debug": "^4.4.1",
     "magic-string": "^0.30.17",
     "picomatch": "^4.0.3",
-    "rsc-html-stream": "^0.0.7"
+    "rsc-html-stream": "^0.0.7",
+    "tinyexec": "^0.3.2"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@playwright/test": "^1.49.1",
+    "@shared/e2e": "workspace:*",
+    "@testing-library/dom": "^10.4.1",
+    "@testing-library/react": "^16.3.2",
     "@types/node": "^24.10.1",
     "@types/react": "catalog:",
     "@types/react-dom": "catalog:",
     "esbuild": "^0.27.0",
+    "happy-dom": "^20.10.1",
     "jiti": "^2.6.1",
     "react": "catalog:",
     "react-dom": "catalog:",
-    "tinyexec": "^0.3.2",
     "typescript": "^5.3.0",
     "vitest": "^4.0.0"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
-    "@cloudflare/vite-plugin": "^1.25.0",
-    "@vitejs/plugin-rsc": "^0.5.14",
-    "react": "^18.0.0 || ^19.0.0",
-    "vite": "^7.3.0"
+    "@cloudflare/vite-plugin": "^1.38.0",
+    "@playwright/test": "^1.49.1",
+    "@testing-library/react": ">=16",
+    "@vitejs/plugin-rsc": "^0.5.26",
+    "react": ">=19.2.6 <20",
+    "react-dom": ">=19.2.6 <20",
+    "vite": "^8.0.0",
+    "vitest": ">=3"
   },
   "peerDependenciesMeta": {
     "@cloudflare/vite-plugin": {
       "optional": true
     },
+    "@playwright/test": {
+      "optional": true
+    },
+    "@testing-library/react": {
+      "optional": true
+    },
     "vite": {
       "optional": true
+    },
+    "vitest": {
+      "optional": true
     }
   }
 }

package/skills/breadcrumbs/SKILL.md

@@ -141,9 +141,11 @@ path("/dashboard", (ctx) => {
   breadcrumb({ label: "Dashboard", href: "/dashboard" });
   return <DashboardNav handle={Breadcrumbs} />;
 });
+```
 
+```tsx
 // Client component
-("use client");
+"use client";
 import { useHandle, type Breadcrumbs } from "@rangojs/router/client";
 
 function DashboardNav({ handle }: { handle: typeof Breadcrumbs }) {

package/skills/bundle-analysis/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+---
+name: bundle-analysis
+description: Audit a Rango app's production bundle for server-side code leaking into the client, dev/prod React duplication, oversized chunks, and inefficient client-reference grouping. Use when investigating bundle size growth, before a production deploy, or when the client/SSR/RSC output suddenly balloons.
+argument-hint: "<app-dir>"
+---
+
+# Bundle Analysis
+
+Use this when you want **proof** that your Rango app is shipping the bundles you expect: small client, no server leaks, no doubled React, reasonable RSC worker size.
+
+## What this checks
+
+Your app builds in three Vite environments — `client`, `ssr`, and `rsc` — and each ships its own bundle. The most common bundle bugs in a Rango app are:
+
+1. **Server code leaking into the client.** A file that imports `node:fs`, calls a database, or contains action logic ends up in the client bundle because a client component pulled it in transitively. Symptom: your client bundle is much larger than expected, sometimes with imports that fail at runtime.
+2. **Both dev and prod React in the SSR/RSC bundle.** When `process.env.NODE_ENV` isn't folded at build time, React's CJS files ship both `.development.js` _and_ `.production.js` variants — doubling React's footprint. The Cloudflare vite plugin folds NODE_ENV automatically; vanilla `vite build` does it for client but not always for SSR/RSC.
+3. **An oversized routes-manifest in your RSC worker.** The `virtual:rsc-router/routes-manifest/<routerId>` chunk holds your route trie and precomputed entries — large only in proportion to your route count. If it's surprisingly big, you may have unintentionally generated routes (e.g., parametrized fixtures) that bloated the trie.
+4. **Inefficient client-reference grouping.** Each `"use client"` boundary becomes a chunk. Too many small client components = many tiny chunks; one giant client component = one giant chunk that defeats code-splitting.
+
+Tree-shaking does _not_ catch (1) generated data inlined as string literals or (2) data-dependent conditionals like React's. You need a visualizer.
+
+## Step 1: Install the visualizer
+
+In your app's directory:
+
+```bash
+pnpm add -D rollup-plugin-visualizer
+# or: npm install --save-dev rollup-plugin-visualizer
+# or: yarn add -D rollup-plugin-visualizer
+```
+
+## Step 2: Wire it into your `vite.config.ts`
+
+Add a small helper that registers one visualizer instance **per Vite environment** (not just one global). The plugin caches its options after the first call, so a single instance can't handle multi-environment builds — you'll get a report for one environment and silence for the others.
+
+```ts
+// vite.config.ts
+import { defineConfig, type PluginOption, type Plugin } from "vite";
+import { visualizer } from "rollup-plugin-visualizer";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+// ... your other imports ...
+
+function analyze(): PluginOption[] {
+  if (!process.env.ANALYZE) return [];
+  return (["client", "ssr", "rsc"] as const).map((envName) => {
+    const inner = visualizer({
+      filename: join("bundle-stats", `${envName}.html`),
+      template: "treemap",
+      gzipSize: true,
+      brotliSize: true,
+    }) as Plugin;
+    return {
+      ...inner,
+      name: `analyze-${envName}`,
+      applyToEnvironment(env) {
+        return env.name === envName;
+      },
+    } as Plugin;
+  });
+}
+
+export default defineConfig(({ command }) => ({
+  plugins: [
+    // your existing plugins...
+    ...analyze(),
+  ],
+  // For non-Cloudflare apps, fold NODE_ENV explicitly so React's CJS files
+  // emit only the .production.js variants in SSR/RSC. Skip if your build
+  // setup already does this (the Cloudflare vite plugin does).
+  define:
+    command === "build"
+      ? { "process.env.NODE_ENV": JSON.stringify("production") }
+      : undefined,
+}));
+```
+
+Add `bundle-stats/` to your `.gitignore`.
+
+## Step 3: Build with the analyzer enabled
+
+```bash
+ANALYZE=1 pnpm exec vite build
+```
+
+You'll get three HTML reports in `bundle-stats/`:
+
+- `bundle-stats/client.html` — what runs in the browser
+- `bundle-stats/ssr.html` — what runs during HTML stream
+- `bundle-stats/rsc.html` — what runs in your RSC server (Worker / Node)
+
+Open them with a quick local server (file:// has CORS issues with the embedded scripts):
+
+```bash
+pnpm dlx serve -l 5050 .
+# then visit http://localhost:5050/bundle-stats/client.html
+```
+
+## Step 4: Triage the reports
+
+### Open `client.html` first
+
+The treemap shows nested boxes; box area = uncompressed size. Hover for gzip/brotli numbers.
+
+**Look for:**
+
+- **Your server code.** Any of your own files that contain database queries, secret keys, server actions implementation (not the action _reference_), or `node:` imports. If they appear in the client treemap with non-zero bytes, they leaked. Common causes:
+  - A shared module that mixes client and server code without a `"use client"` or `"use server"` directive.
+  - A barrel file (`index.ts`) that re-exports both client and server symbols. Tree-shaking should help, but `JSON.parse('{...}')` data and side-effecting top-level statements survive.
+  - Client component imports a server-only utility through an indirect path (e.g., shared types file that pulls server modules).
+- **Multiple copies of the same package.** Look for two boxes with the same package name but different version paths. Usually means a transitive dep pinned a different version.
+- **The `@rangojs/router` chunk** should be roughly **50 KB gzip** (74 files). If significantly larger, you might be importing client-incompatible APIs from the wrong subpath.
+- **Per-route client-reference chunks** (named like `chunk-<hash>.js`). Each `"use client"` boundary can become its own chunk. If you have hundreds of tiny chunks, you may have over-split (every leaf component as a client component); if you have one massive 200 KB chunk, you've under-split (a wide client tree behind one boundary).
+
+### Now check `ssr.html`
+
+**Look for:**
+
+- **`react-dom-server.edge.development-*.js`** (or any `*.development*.js` chunk). This is the dev/prod React doubling. Fix: add `define: { "process.env.NODE_ENV": '"production"' }` to your vite config (see Step 2).
+- **Your client components** appearing in SSR. They're _expected_ here — SSR hydration needs to produce HTML for them. The same components show up in `client.html` too because the browser hydrates them. This is not a leak.
+- **Total SSR size**: a reasonable Rango SSR is ~140 KB gzip plus your app code. If it's >300 KB, almost always (1) dev/prod React duplication or (2) a giant data structure being inlined.
+
+### Now check `rsc.html`
+
+**Look for:**
+
+- **`virtual:rsc-router/routes-manifest`** should be **tiny** (< 1 KB). If it's > 100 KB, you're on an old version of `@rangojs/router` that inlined the trie eagerly — upgrade to a release that includes commit `d10a2470`.
+- **`virtual:rsc-router/routes-manifest/<hash>`** is the lazy per-router chunk. Its size is proportional to your route count. For a typical app: 5–50 KB gzip. For a stress-test app with thousands of routes: hundreds of KB. If yours is unexpectedly huge, check whether you're generating routes you don't need.
+- **`<your-router>.named-routes.gen.ts`** — generated route map. Should match your route count.
+- **Your action and loader implementations** — these run server-side. Expected to be here, not in client.
+- **Worker-incompatible code** (Node-only imports like `node:fs` that Cloudflare doesn't support). The build will usually fail before the analyzer runs, but if you're seeing runtime errors at the edge, the RSC treemap shows what made it in.
+
+## Step 5: Fix what you find
+
+| Finding                                                  | Fix                                                                                                                                                                         |
+| -------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| Your server code in `client.html` (non-zero bytes)       | Audit the import chain. Add `"use server"` to server-only files. Move shared data out of barrel files. Use the `@rangojs/router/server` subpath for explicitly server APIs. |
+| Your server code in `client.html` listed but 0 bytes     | Tree-shaking already eliminated it. Cosmetic. Leave it.                                                                                                                     |
+| `react-dom-server.edge.development-*.js` in SSR or RSC   | Add the `define` block from Step 2 to your vite config.                                                                                                                     |
+| Routes-manifest > 100 KB gzip in RSC eager chunk         | Update `@rangojs/router` to a release that includes the lazy-only manifest fix.                                                                                             |
+| Same package version present twice                       | Run `pnpm dedupe` (or `npm dedupe`). If the duplication persists, a transitive dep pins an incompatible version — open a PR upstream or pin the resolution.                 |
+| Client chunk > 500 KB gzip with a single dominant module | That module is your largest client component. Consider lazy-loading via dynamic `import()` or moving non-interactive parts to server components.                            |
+| Hundreds of tiny client chunks                           | You've sprinkled `"use client"` too liberally. Hoist directives to higher boundaries so React groups them.                                                                  |
+
+## When to re-run
+
+- Before every production deploy, especially after adding new dependencies.
+- After upgrading `@rangojs/router`, React, or `@vitejs/plugin-rsc`.
+- After adding routes that scale with data (e.g., one route per item from a content directory) — the manifest may have grown.
+- When CI starts reporting larger artifact sizes.
+
+## Reporting Rango regressions
+
+If a finding looks like a `@rangojs/router` regression (the framework is shipping more than it should, not your app), open an issue at the [@rangojs/router GitHub](https://github.com/ivogt/vite-rsc/issues) and include:
+
+- The output of `client.html` / `rsc.html` (screenshots or the JSON `data = {...}` block from the HTML).
+- The `@rangojs/router` version (`pnpm why @rangojs/router`).
+- Your `vite.config.ts`.
+
+The framework maintainers run a similar audit internally — the methodology in this skill mirrors what they use to validate every release.

package/skills/cache-guide/SKILL.md

@@ -6,8 +6,138 @@ argument-hint:
 
 # cache() vs "use cache" — When to Use Which
 
-Both mechanisms share the same backing store, cache profiles, and tag-based
-invalidation. They differ in scope, cache key, execution model, and runtime control.
+Both mechanisms share the same backing store and cache profiles, and both accept
+an optional `tags` field (not yet honored by the built-in stores — see "Two axes"
+below). They differ in scope, cache key, execution model, and runtime control.
+
+## Two axes — do not conflate
+
+Everything on this page is **axis 1: stored-value freshness** — _is a cached
+value still good?_ There is a second, orthogonal axis it is easy to mistake for
+caching:
+
+1. **Stored-value freshness** — _is a cached value still good?_
+   → `"use cache"` (fn/component), `cache()` (segment), loader `cache()` (loader data).
+   Entries expire by **TTL/SWR**. They accept an optional `tags` field, but the
+   built-in stores (`MemorySegmentCacheStore`, `CFCacheStore`) do not yet index or
+   invalidate by tag, so tag-based invalidation (`revalidateTag`) is a
+   forward-looking API requiring a custom store with secondary indices.
+2. **Client-update selection** — _should this segment re-run and stream to the
+   client on this navigation/action?_
+   → `revalidate()`. Covered in `/loader` and `/route`, **not here**.
+
+They are orthogonal and compose: a segment selected by `revalidate()` still
+consults its cache (hit → no recompute); a cache bust does **not** force a client
+update, and `revalidate()` never reads, writes, or expires a cached value. If you
+know React Router, `revalidate()` is `shouldRevalidate`, not `Cache-Control`. See
+`/rango` → "Coming from another framework" for the cross-framework mapping.
+
+## Fast choice
+
+Read this first; use the rest of the page when the choice has edge cases.
+
+1. Do you want to cache an entire route or group of routes?
+   **Yes** -> `cache()`
+2. Do you need runtime conditions, such as skip for authed users or key by
+   locale?
+   **Yes** -> `cache()` with `condition` / `key`
+3. Do you want to cache a data fetch or helper shared across routes?
+   **Yes** -> `"use cache"`
+4. Do you need different cache entries for different function arguments?
+   **Yes** -> `"use cache"` (keyed by args)
+5. Is the expensive part rendering a subtree?
+   **Yes** -> `cache()` (caches rendered segments)
+6. Is the expensive part one query inside a larger live handler?
+   **Yes** -> `"use cache"` on the query function
+
+## Correctness & invalidation
+
+rango's caches are built so a hit can't serve wrong or stale-shaped data. These
+guarantees are mostly automatic — worth knowing so you don't reimplement
+protection the framework already gives you (or assume one it deliberately
+doesn't).
+
+There are two guard models to keep separate. Both block response side effects
+(`ctx.header()`, cookie writes) that would be lost on a hit; they differ in what
+else they allow:
+
+- **`cache()` boundary guard** (route-level) — fires while the handler runs on a
+  miss. `cookies()` and `headers()` throw (request-scoped data would be baked into
+  the shared cached shell), `ctx.get(nonCacheableVar)` throws (a tainted value
+  would be baked in), and response side effects (`ctx.header()`, `ctx.setCookie()`,
+  `ctx.setStatus()`, `ctx.onResponse()`) throw. `ctx.set()` of a cacheable var is
+  **allowed** — children are cached too and can read it. **Loaders are exempt**
+  (they always run fresh) — read request data inside a loader.
+- **`"use cache"` exec-guard** (function-level) — the same request-scoped APIs
+  throw inside the cached function (`cookies()`, `headers()`, `ctx.set()`,
+  `ctx.header()`); additionally, tainted `ctx`/`env`/`req` args are excluded from
+  the cache key.
+
+### Cross-deploy safety: version-segmented store keys
+
+`CFCacheStore` prefixes every **physical** store key (the CF Cache API URL and
+the KV key) with the build version — auto-generated from the
+`@rangojs/router:version` virtual module, overridable via the store's `version`
+option. A new deploy reads under a new prefix, so it can **never** read a
+previous build's entries: no cross-deploy shape drift, and no dead client-chunk
+references baked into cached RSC.
+
+The tradeoff to know: **loader/data caches use the same store**, so they're
+version-segmented too. Every deploy is therefore a _cold data cache_ — SWR can't
+soften it, because no stale entry exists under the new key. For high-traffic,
+frequently-deploying, data-bound apps that's a deploy-time origin warm-up. Decide
+deliberately: accept it (correctness over hit-rate), or split the policy — let
+the render/edge cache auto-version while a separate data store gets a stable
+`version` so its entries survive deploys. (Per-process stores like
+`MemorySegmentCacheStore` are cold on every restart anyway; this matters for
+persistent stores.) See `/caching` for store setup.
+
+### Client cache: forward/back is mutation-aware
+
+The browser keeps a history (forward/back) cache of rendered segments. Any
+client-side mutation (a server action) marks those entries **stale** and
+broadcasts it to other tabs. On back/forward (popstate) the router looks up the
+entry, sees it's stale, and revalidates — so your `revalidate()` predicates re-run
+and the segment refreshes (SWR: the stale view paints instantly, fresh data
+streams in). It's the client-side analog of the server-cache correctness problem,
+solved on the partial-render axis.
+
+### Request-scoped data: the `cache: false` taint
+
+`createVar({ cache: false })` (or a `ctx.set(var, v, { cache: false })` write)
+taints a value as request-scoped; reading it **directly** with `ctx.get()` inside
+a `cache()` boundary throws — the guard against the catastrophic "serve user A's
+data to user B" bug. The guarantee is precise and intentionally narrow — see
+"Context Variable Cache Safety" below for exactly what it does and does not catch.
+
+## Stale-while-revalidate
+
+SWR is a first-class cache behavior when the backing store supports it: while an
+entry is within its SWR window the cache serves the **stale value instantly** and
+refreshes it in the **background** (`waitUntil`), so users never wait on a
+recompute for a merely-aging entry.
+
+- **`"use cache"`** resolves to the `default` profile `{ ttl: 900, swr: 1800 }`,
+  so function/component caching gets a 30-minute SWR window **out of the box**.
+  Tune or add profiles via `createRouter({ cacheProfiles: { … } })`
+  (`"use cache: short"` → the `short` profile).
+- **`cache()` DSL and loader caches** take an explicit `swr` in seconds (or
+  inherit `store.defaults.swr`): `cache({ ttl: 60, swr: 300 })` → fresh ≤60s,
+  stale-served 60–360s, miss after 360s in stores that implement SWR for that
+  layer.
+- **Client forward/back** is SWR after a mutation — see "Correctness &
+  invalidation" → Client cache.
+- **Edge / document layer** uses the HTTP `stale-while-revalidate` directive; see
+  `/document-cache`.
+
+SWR softens normal TTL expiry, **not** a cross-deploy cold cache — a new build
+has no stale entry to serve (see version-segmented store keys above).
+
+Store support is layer-specific. `CFCacheStore` supports SWR for segment,
+document/response, and `"use cache"` item entries. `MemorySegmentCacheStore`
+supports SWR for response and `"use cache"` item entries, but its route-segment
+entries expire at TTL and never background-revalidate. Use the memory store for
+local/dev behavior, not as proof that segment SWR is active.
 
 ## Key Differences
 
@@ -18,7 +148,7 @@ invalidation. They differ in scope, cache key, execution model, and runtime cont
 | **Cache key**        | Request type + pathname + params (+ optional custom)  | Function identity + serialized non-tainted args    |
 | **Execution on hit** | All-or-nothing: entire handler skipped                | Partial: function body skipped, calling code runs  |
 | **Runtime control**  | `condition` to disable, custom `key` function         | None — if the directive is present, it caches      |
-| **Side effects**     | No guards needed — handler doesn't run on hit         | `ctx.header()`, `ctx.set()`, etc. throw at runtime |
+| **Side effects**     | Response side effects throw inside the boundary       | `ctx.header()`, `ctx.set()`, etc. throw at runtime |
 | **Handle data**      | Captured and replayed                                 | Captured and replayed                              |
 | **Loaders**          | Always fresh — excluded from cache, opt-in per loader | Can be used inside loaders                         |
 | **Nesting**          | Nest `cache()` boundaries with different TTLs         | Compose by calling cached functions from uncached  |
@@ -144,13 +274,38 @@ On cache hit for the route, the handler doesn't run and `getProductData` is neve
 called. On cache miss, the handler runs and `getProductData` may itself return a
 cached value from a previous call with the same slug.
 
+### Nesting rule: the outer window bounds the inner
+
+A cache's window bounds everything rendered inside it (loaders excepted). An
+inner shorter TTL only takes effect when the **enclosing** cache recomputes — it
+does **not** keep a value fresher than its parent:
+
+- Outer `cache()` **fresh hit** → the subtree is served from stored RSC, so inner
+  `"use cache"` functions are **not consulted** (frozen at the outer's age — no
+  code inside the boundary runs on a hit).
+- Outer **miss / SWR revalidation** → inner caches are consulted, each per its own
+  ttl/swr. With SWR on the outer, a stale subtree serves instantly and refreshes
+  in the background, so under traffic it keeps refreshing rather than rotting to
+  the worst case.
+- **Loaders are the exception** — excluded from the segment cache, re-resolved
+  live even on an outer hit.
+
+So `"use cache: short"` (60s) inside `cache({ ttl: 600 })` yields ~600s freshness
+on hits, **not** 60s. This is not a bug: setting `cache({ ttl: 600 })` declares
+"this subtree may be ~600s stale." **If a value must be fresher than its
+enclosing segment, put it in a loader** (always live). `debugPerformance` prints
+cache hits per layer, so the actual per-request behavior is observable.
+
 ## Headers and Cookies
 
 Neither mechanism caches response headers or cookies.
 
-- **cache()**: Headers set by handlers are naturally absent on hit because no
-  handler runs. If you need headers on every response, set them in middleware
-  (which runs before cache lookup).
+- **cache()**: Response-level side effects throw inside the cache boundary even
+  on a miss: `ctx.header()`, `ctx.setCookie()`, `ctx.deleteCookie()`,
+  `ctx.setStatus()`, `ctx.onResponse()`, and direct `ctx.headers` mutation. On a
+  hit the handler would be skipped, so allowing the write on a miss would produce
+  inconsistent responses. If you need headers or cookies on every response, set
+  them in middleware or a live segment outside the cache boundary.
 - **"use cache"**: cookies() and headers() throw inside the cached function
   (both reads and writes). ctx.header() also throws. Move them outside.
 
@@ -162,6 +317,88 @@ middleware(async (ctx, next) => {
 });
 ```
 
+## Context Variable Cache Safety
+
+Context variables created with `createVar()` are cacheable by default and can
+be read freely inside cached scopes. A non-cacheable var throws when read
+**directly** with `ctx.get()` inside a `cache()` boundary — where the value would
+otherwise be serialized into the stored segment.
+
+There are two ways to mark a value as non-cacheable:
+
+```typescript
+// Var-level policy — inherently request-specific data
+const Session = createVar<SessionData>({ cache: false });
+
+// Write-level escalation — this specific write is non-cacheable
+ctx.set(Theme, derivedTheme, { cache: false });
+```
+
+"Least cacheable wins": if either the var definition or the `ctx.set()` call
+specifies `cache: false`, the value is non-cacheable.
+
+**Behavior inside a `cache()` boundary:**
+
+| Operation                                 | Inside a `cache()` boundary                            |
+| ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
+| `cookies()` / `headers()` (read or write) | Throws (request-scoped, would poison the shared entry) |
+| `ctx.get(cacheableVar)`                   | Allowed                                                |
+| `ctx.get(nonCacheableVar)`                | Throws (would be baked in)                             |
+| `ctx.set(var, value)` (cacheable)         | Allowed                                                |
+| `ctx.header()` / cookie writes            | Throws (response side effect would be lost on hit)     |
+| Any of the above **inside a loader**      | Allowed (loaders always run fresh)                     |
+
+(Both scopes block the same request-scoped APIs — `cookies()`, `headers()`,
+response side effects, and non-cacheable `ctx.get()` — because each would leak
+per-request data into a shared cache entry. The `cache()` boundary tracks the
+scope via `isInsideCacheScope()`; `"use cache"` uses the exec guard and also
+excludes tainted `ctx`/`env`/`req` args from the cache key. Loaders are exempt in
+both — see "Headers and Cookies" and the precise guarantee below.)
+
+Write is dumb — `ctx.set()` stores the cache metadata but does not enforce.
+Enforcement happens at read time (`ctx.get()`), where ALS detects the cache
+scope and rejects non-cacheable reads.
+
+### The guarantee is precise — a direct read inside `cache()`, not propagating
+
+The guard fires on a **direct** `ctx.get(taintedVar)` **inside a `cache()`
+boundary** (the scope `isInsideCacheScope` detects). The taint lives on the
+variable; a value **derived** from it and read **outside** the boundary is not
+tracked:
+
+```typescript
+// CAUGHT — direct read of a tainted var inside a cache() boundary
+cache({ ttl: 60 }, () => [
+  path("/dashboard", (ctx) => {
+    const user = ctx.get(User); // throws: non-cacheable read inside cache()
+    return <Dashboard user={user} />;
+  }, { name: "dashboard" }),
+]);
+
+// NOT CAUGHT — read outside the boundary, derived value cached
+layout((ctx) => {
+  const name = ctx.get(User).name; // allowed — this layout is not cached
+  ctx.set(UserName, name); // now a plain (cacheable) string
+  return <Outlet />;
+}, () => [
+  cache({ ttl: 60 }, () => [
+    // a child reads ctx.get(UserName) and silently caches user-derived data
+  ]),
+]);
+```
+
+So do **not** read this as "you can't cache user data" — that overstates it and
+breeds the false confidence that makes the derived leak _more_ likely. The guard
+is deliberately non-propagating (propagation would cost a wrapper per derivation
+on the hot path), and it is scoped to the `cache()` segment boundary. `"use
+cache"` functions block the same request-scoped reads (`cookies()` / `headers()`
+throw inside them) and additionally exclude tainted `ctx`/`env`/`req` args from
+the cache key. The pattern that stays safe is also the natural one:
+**read tainted context at the point of use, in the path that needs it (a loader or
+live segment) — never extract user data into a plain value and cache that.**
+Loaders are exempt because they run outside the cache scope and resolve fresh
+every request.
+
 ## Loaders Are Always Fresh
 
 Loaders are **never cached** by route-level `cache()`. Even on a full cache hit
@@ -240,21 +477,6 @@ data is cached independently from the route's segment cache. Loader caching
 supports custom keys, tags, SWR, conditional bypass, and per-loader store
 overrides — see `/loader` for the full reference.
 
-## Decision Flowchart
-
-1. Do you want to cache an entire route or group of routes?
-   **Yes** -> `cache()`
-2. Do you need runtime conditions (skip for auth users, key by locale)?
-   **Yes** -> `cache()` with `condition` / `key`
-3. Do you want to cache a data fetch shared across routes?
-   **Yes** -> `"use cache"`
-4. Do you need different cache entries for different arguments?
-   **Yes** -> `"use cache"` (keyed by args)
-5. Is the expensive part rendering, not data fetching?
-   **Yes** -> `cache()` (caches rendered segments)
-6. Is the expensive part a single query inside a larger handler?
-   **Yes** -> `"use cache"` on the query function
-
 ## See Also
 
 - `/caching` — cache() DSL setup, stores, nested boundaries