drb-edge-node/app/internal/health.py

@@ -154,6 +154,22 @@ def build_checks(f: Dict[str, Any]) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
             f"Not connected to {broker} — expected until the node is approved (the broker only admits approved nodes).",
             "Fixes itself once the node is approved and has its API key (see above).",
         ))
+    elif (f.get("mqtt_last_error") or {}).get("kind") == "refused":
+        err = f["mqtt_last_error"]
+        checks.append(_check(
+            "mqtt", "Live link (MQTT)", ERROR,
+            f"{broker} refused this node's login ({err.get('detail')}).",
+            "The API key on file is not the one the broker expects — every re-approval issues a new one. "
+            "Re-run install.sh to fetch the current key, or ask a DRB admin to re-approve the node.",
+        ))
+    elif (f.get("mqtt_last_error") or {}).get("kind") == "unreachable":
+        err = f["mqtt_last_error"]
+        checks.append(_check(
+            "mqtt", "Live link (MQTT)", ERROR,
+            f"Can't reach {broker} ({err.get('detail')}).",
+            f"Check this site's internet connection, DNS, and that outbound port {f['mqtt_port']} isn't "
+            "blocked by a firewall. The key is not the problem.",
+        ))
     else:
         checks.append(_check(
             "mqtt", "Live link (MQTT)", ERROR,
@@ -333,6 +349,7 @@ async def gather_facts() -> Dict[str, Any]:
         "c2_url": settings.c2_url,
         "has_api_key": bool(credentials.get_api_key()),
         "mqtt_connected": mqtt_manager.is_connected,
+        "mqtt_last_error": mqtt_manager.last_error,
         "mqtt_broker": settings.mqtt_broker,
         "mqtt_port": settings.mqtt_port,
         "sdr_count": sdr_count,

drb-edge-node/app/internal/mqtt_manager.py

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import asyncio
 import json
 import shutil
+import time
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from collections import deque
 from typing import Optional, Callable, Awaitable, Dict, Any
@@ -60,6 +61,12 @@ class MQTTManager:
         # install.sh writing the file). Recovery compares against this.
         self._client_key: Optional[str] = None
         self._recovery_task: Optional[asyncio.Task] = None
+        # Why the link is down, for the dashboard (node-26#21): "refused" (the
+        # broker answered and said no), "unreachable" (TCP/TLS never got that
+        # far) or "disconnected" (an established session dropped). Cleared on
+        # every successful connect. Set from paho's thread as well as the event
+        # loop — a single attribute rebind, so no lock.
+        self._last_error: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None
 
         self.on_command: Optional[CommandCallback] = None
         self.on_config_push: Optional[ConfigCallback] = None
@@ -146,12 +153,21 @@ class MQTTManager:
         client.reconnect_delay_set(min_delay=2, max_delay=60)
         client.on_connect = self._on_connect
         client.on_disconnect = self._on_disconnect
+        client.on_connect_fail = self._on_connect_fail
         client.on_message = self._on_message
         return client
 
+    def _set_error(self, kind: str, detail: str) -> None:
+        self._last_error = {"kind": kind, "detail": detail, "epoch": time.time()}
+
+    def _on_connect_fail(self, client, userdata):
+        # paho's own reconnect (after loop_start) could not open the socket.
+        self._set_error("unreachable", f"cannot reach {settings.mqtt_broker}:{settings.mqtt_port}")
+
     def _on_connect(self, client, userdata, flags, reason_code, properties):
         if reason_code == 0:
             self._connected = True
+            self._last_error = None
             client.subscribe(self._t_commands, qos=1)
             client.subscribe(self._t_config, qos=1)
             client.subscribe(self._t_discord_desired, qos=1)
@@ -164,6 +180,7 @@ class MQTTManager:
             asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(self._flush_offline_buffer(), self._loop)
         else:
             logger.error(f"MQTT connect refused: {reason_code}")
+            self._set_error("refused", str(reason_code))
             if _is_auth_failure(reason_code) and self._loop is not None:
                 # paho thread -> event loop. A refused login never fixes itself
                 # by retrying the same password, so go get the right one.
@@ -172,6 +189,9 @@ class MQTTManager:
     def _on_disconnect(self, client, userdata, disconnect_flags, reason_code, properties):
         self._connected = False
         logger.warning(f"MQTT disconnected: {reason_code}")
+        # A refusal is followed by a disconnect; keep the more specific reason.
+        if self._last_error is None:
+            self._set_error("disconnected", str(reason_code))
 
     def _on_message(self, client, userdata, msg):
         try:
@@ -273,6 +293,7 @@ class MQTTManager:
                 return
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.warning(f"MQTT connect failed ({e}) — retrying in {delay}s")
+                self._set_error("unreachable", f"cannot reach {settings.mqtt_broker}:{settings.mqtt_port}: {e}")
                 await asyncio.sleep(delay)
                 delay = min(delay * 2, 60)
 
@@ -408,5 +429,10 @@ class MQTTManager:
     def is_connected(self) -> bool:
         return self._connected
 
+    @property
+    def last_error(self) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
+        """{kind, detail, epoch} for the most recent failure, None while connected."""
+        return None if self._connected else self._last_error
+
 
 mqtt_manager = MQTTManager()

drb-edge-node/tests/test_local_dashboard.py

@@ -100,6 +100,17 @@ def test_key_on_disk_but_mqtt_down_says_restart():
     assert "restart the edge-node container" in c["mqtt"]["action"]
 
 
+def test_mqtt_refused_vs_unreachable_are_told_apart():
+    """node-26#21: 'not authorised' and 'can't reach the broker' need different fixes."""
+    refused = _by_id(health.build_checks(_facts(
+        mqtt_connected=False, mqtt_last_error={"kind": "refused", "detail": "Not authorized", "epoch": 1.0})))
+    assert refused["mqtt"]["state"] == "error"
+    assert "refused" in refused["mqtt"]["summary"] and "install.sh" in refused["mqtt"]["action"]
+    unreachable = _by_id(health.build_checks(_facts(
+        mqtt_connected=False, mqtt_last_error={"kind": "unreachable", "detail": "timed out", "epoch": 1.0})))
+    assert "Can't reach" in unreachable["mqtt"]["summary"] and "firewall" in unreachable["mqtt"]["action"]
+
+
 def test_standalone_node_is_not_an_error():
     c = _by_id(health.build_checks(_facts(c2_url=None, has_api_key=False, mqtt_connected=False)))
     assert c["c2"]["state"] == "off"

drb-edge-node/tests/test_mqtt_manager.py

@@ -153,3 +153,28 @@ def test_disk_report_nulls_when_path_unreadable(tmp_path):
     # node-26#41: nulls (not omitted keys) so C2 never keeps a stale reading.
     from app.internal.mqtt_manager import disk_report
     assert disk_report(str(tmp_path / "missing")) == {"disk_free_bytes": None, "disk_total_bytes": None}
+
+
+def test_last_error_records_refusal_and_clears_on_connect(monkeypatch):
+    """node-26#21: the refusal reason survives the disconnect that follows it."""
+    from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+    mqtt_manager._last_error = None
+    mqtt_manager._loop = None
+    mqtt_manager._on_connect(MagicMock(), None, None, 135, None)
+    mqtt_manager._on_disconnect(MagicMock(), None, None, 135, None)
+    assert mqtt_manager.last_error["kind"] == "refused"
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mqtt_manager, "_flush_offline_buffer", MagicMock())
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mqtt_manager, "_publish_checkin", MagicMock())
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mqtt_manager, "_maybe_request_key", MagicMock())
+    monkeypatch.setattr("asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe", lambda *a, **k: None)
+    mqtt_manager._on_connect(MagicMock(), None, None, 0, None)
+    assert mqtt_manager.last_error is None
+    mqtt_manager._connected = False
+
+
+def test_last_error_unreachable_from_connect_fail():
+    mqtt_manager._last_error = None
+    mqtt_manager._connected = False
+    mqtt_manager._on_connect_fail(None, None)
+    assert mqtt_manager.last_error["kind"] == "unreachable"
+    mqtt_manager._last_error = None