---
id: "bug-605"
status: "fixed"
status_updated: "2026-09-24"
status_note: ""
component: "controller"
severity: "unknown"
timestamp: "2026-06-16T16:30:00Z"
last_seen: "2026-09-19T09:00:00Z"
occurrences: 1
files: ["src/controller/ha.c (ha_dispatch_gate); test: src/controller/testsuite/test_ha_role.c"]
tags: ["ha", "prevote", "ha-dispatch-gate", "opcode-38", "cold-start", "bootstrap-deadlock", "FIXED", "XCE_ERR_STANDBY"]
related: ["bug-339"]
legacy: true
---

# bug-605: 3-node fresh HA deploy never elects a primary: all nodes stay CTRL_STANDBY, config-holder (ctrl-1)…

## Description
3-node fresh HA deploy never elects a primary: all nodes stay CTRL_STANDBY, config-holder (ctrl-1) loops PreVote LOST every ~11s forever; config-less peers idle as voter-only. REPRODUCED via /xce-deploy-ha + clean restart 2026-06-16.

## Environment
_Not recorded (migrated from buglog.json)._

## Reproduction
_Not recorded (migrated from buglog.json)._

## Root cause
ha_dispatch_gate() admitted OPCode_requestVote in CTRL_INIT/CTRL_ELECTING/CTRL_STANDBY but NEVER OPCode_preVoteRequest (opcode 38). ha-prevote added the new opcode + handler (cluster.c:440) but missed wiring it into the role-admission gate. So a STANDBY voter rejected an incoming PreVote with -XCE_ERR_STANDBY (-10014) BEFORE the handler ran -> no preVoteReply sent -> candidate's failed/empty exchange tallied as a denial (pre_vote_reply_decode_and_dispatch counts ok=0 as non-grant; vote_ep_err_handler synthesizes a denied vote). In a cold cluster (config-holder + config-less voter-only peers) every PreVote 'lost' with NO voter ever making a liveness decision (zero 'PreVote DENIED' logs), so no primary was ever elected and the config-holder looped PreVote forever. Confirmed via gdb: myreq_handler ha_dispatch_gate rc=-10014 on opcode 38. Design invariant: a PreVote (strictly non-mutating) must be at least as admissible as a real requestVote in every role.

## Fix
Added OPCode_preVoteRequest alongside OPCode_requestVote in ha_dispatch_gate() for CTRL_INIT, CTRL_ELECTING, and the CTRL_STANDBY switch (src/controller/ha.c). PreVote now reaches the cluster.c handler and a proper preVoteReply is sent. Added TDD test test_dispatch_gate_allows_prevote_in_voter_roles (test_ha_role.c) asserting gate(preVoteRequest)==gate(requestVote)==0 across voter roles. VERIFIED: controller unit suite OK (new test PASS); fresh /xce-deploy-ha 3-node cold start now elects ctrl-1 PRIMARY (term=2), standbys establish primary channel + config committed, prevote-LOST=0, connections 96->8.

## Verification
_Not recorded (migrated from buglog.json)._

## References
- Related: bug-339