fix(deploy): pivot tor service to password auth + wrapper entrypoint

Dockurr/tor's stock entrypoint binds the control port to localhost
(unreachable from a sibling container), refuses to run as a
non-default user (its setup chowns dirs and su-execs down to its
`tor` user, both requiring root), and skips its own
HashedControlPassword injection whenever the user's torrc declares
a ControlPort. The combination meant the original cookie-via-shared-
volume design couldn't work without fighting the image.

This commit:

- Adds tor/entrypoint.sh, a small wrapper that hashes $PASSWORD
  with `tor --hash-password`, appends the hash to a writable copy
  of /etc/tor/torrc, then execs tor. Container runs as root only
  for that bring-up; the torrc's `User tor` directive drops privs
  after port binding.
- Adds a healthcheck on the tor service that gates downstream
  containers on both 9050 + 9051 actually listening (was
  service_started, which fires before tor finishes bootstrap).
- Loosens MaxCircuitDirtiness 60 → 600. The 60s value would have
  rotated mid-chapter for any chapter with > ~50 images, which is
  exactly the kind of fingerprint we're trying to avoid.
- Wires TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD as a REQUIRED .env var on both sides
  (PASSWORD on tor, CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD on backend).
  docker-compose.yml fails fast if unset.
- Removes the tor-data shared volume on backend (cookie auth is no
  longer the default; operators wanting cookie can mount it back).
- Documents the pivot + the cookie-vs-password tradeoff in
  .env.example.

End-to-end validated: `docker compose up -d tor`, then
`printf 'AUTHENTICATE "test"\r\nSIGNAL NEWNYM\r\nQUIT\r\n' | nc tor 9051`
returns three `250 OK` lines.

Audit ref: #2, #3, #6.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

.env.example

@@ -83,6 +83,43 @@ CRAWLER_MAX_IMAGE_BYTES=33554432
 # the image actually contains the binary.
 CRAWLER_CHROMIUM_BINARY=
 
+# ----- Crawler TOR proxy + recircuit -----
+# The compose stack ships a `tor` service (dockurr/tor) and defaults
+# CRAWLER_PROXY to it, so by default all crawler traffic exits via the
+# TOR network. To opt out, set CRAWLER_PROXY= (empty) AND
+# CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_URL= (empty) below — the tor service can stay
+# running, it just won't be used.
+#
+# Going through TOR adds latency to every fetch; image downloads in
+# particular slow noticeably. The win is on sites that rate-limit or
+# fingerprint by exit IP — NEWNYM recirculation makes a fresh exit
+# cheap to reach for.
+#
+# CRAWLER_PROXY: SOCKS5(h) URL. Use `socks5h://` (not `socks5://`) so
+# DNS resolution also goes through TOR, avoiding leaks via the host's
+# resolver. Leave unset to talk to the upstream directly.
+CRAWLER_PROXY=socks5h://tor:9050
+# Control-port URL for SIGNAL NEWNYM ("get a fresh circuit"). Triggered
+# automatically on bad pages (broken-page body, missing #logo) and on
+# the Unauthenticated session probe outcome. Leave unset to disable
+# the recircuit feature (the SOCKS proxy still works).
+CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_URL=tcp://tor:9051
+# Max NEWNYM-and-retry cycles per recircuit-eligible failure. Default 3.
+CRAWLER_TOR_RECIRCUIT_MAX_ATTEMPTS=3
+
+# ----- TOR control-port password -----
+# Shared between the bundled dockurr/tor service (which hashes it into
+# its HashedControlPassword) and the backend's
+# CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD. REQUIRED — docker-compose.yml fails
+# fast if absent. Generate a strong random string; rotate by setting
+# a new value and restarting both `tor` and `backend`.
+#
+# Operators running their own non-dockurr tor daemon with cookie-file
+# auth can ignore this var and instead set
+# CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_COOKIE_PATH on the backend — the TorController
+# prefers cookie when both are present.
+TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD=change-me-to-a-strong-random-string
+
 # ----- Frontend -----
 # The frontend container runs SvelteKit's Node adapter on :3000 and
 # proxies /api/* to BACKEND_URL via src/hooks.server.ts. In compose the

.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml

@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@ on:
 jobs:
   test-backend:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    container:
-      image: rust:1-slim
     services:
       postgres:
         image: postgres:16-alpine
@@ -28,10 +26,18 @@ jobs:
       DATABASE_URL: postgres://mangalord:mangalord@postgres:5432/mangalord
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Install build deps
+      # ubuntu-latest has node (so JS actions like checkout/cache run) but no
+      # Rust. We intentionally avoid `container: rust:1-slim` because act_runner
+      # runs JS actions with node *inside* the job container, and the slim Rust
+      # image ships no node (checkout would fail with exit 127).
+      - name: Install Rust + build deps
         run: |
-          apt-get update
-          apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends pkg-config libssl-dev ca-certificates
+          set -eu
+          SUDO=""; [ "$(id -u)" = "0" ] || SUDO="sudo"
+          $SUDO apt-get update
+          $SUDO apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends pkg-config libssl-dev ca-certificates curl
+          curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --profile minimal --default-toolchain stable
+          echo "$HOME/.cargo/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
       - name: Cache cargo registry and target
         uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
@@ -66,9 +72,17 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: [test-backend, test-frontend]
     # PRs only run the test jobs; build + deploy are reserved for
-    # post-merge pushes to main. Without this gate every PR would push
-    # a tagged image to the registry and SSH-deploy to prod.
+    # post-merge pushes to main.
     if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
+    # Build on the host docker daemon directly (docker-outside-of-docker):
+    # the runner shares the deploy host's daemon, so a plain `docker build`
+    # reuses the host's layer cache and avoids buildx's docker-container
+    # driver + the gha cache exporter — neither works against this single-host
+    # act_runner, and there is no in-job daemon socket unless we mount it.
+    container:
+      image: docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-latest
+      volumes:
+        - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
     outputs:
       image_tag: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.image_tag }}
       version: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.version }}
@@ -87,48 +101,32 @@ jobs:
           echo "image_tag=${GITHUB_SHA}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           echo "version=${version}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
-      - uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
-
-      - name: docker login
-        uses: docker/login-action@v3
-        with:
-          registry: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}
-          username: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USERNAME }}
-          password: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
-
-      - name: Build & push backend
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
-        with:
-          context: ./backend
-          push: true
-          tags: |
-            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-backend:latest
-            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-backend:${{ steps.meta.outputs.image_tag }}
-            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-backend:${{ steps.meta.outputs.version }}
-          cache-from: type=gha,scope=backend
-          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=backend
-
-      - name: Build & push frontend
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
-        with:
-          context: ./frontend
-          push: true
-          tags: |
-            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-frontend:latest
-            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-frontend:${{ steps.meta.outputs.image_tag }}
-            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-frontend:${{ steps.meta.outputs.version }}
-          cache-from: type=gha,scope=frontend
-          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=frontend
+      - name: Build & push backend + frontend
+        env:
+          REGISTRY_URL: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}
+          REGISTRY_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USERNAME }}
+          REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+          IMAGE_TAG: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.image_tag }}
+          VERSION: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.version }}
+        run: |
+          set -eu
+          echo "$REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | docker login "$REGISTRY_URL" -u "$REGISTRY_USERNAME" --password-stdin
+          for svc in backend frontend; do
+            img="$REGISTRY_URL/mangalord-$svc"
+            docker build -t "$img:$IMAGE_TAG" -t "$img:latest" -t "$img:$VERSION" "./$svc"
+            for tag in "$IMAGE_TAG" latest "$VERSION"; do docker push "$img:$tag"; done
+          done
+          docker logout "$REGISTRY_URL"
 
   deploy:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: build-and-push
     if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
     # Single-host deploy: the runner lives on the same box as the stack, so we
-    # drive the host docker daemon directly (act_runner shares its socket via
-    # `docker_host: "-"`) instead of SSHing out. The compose dir is bind-mounted
-    # at its REAL host path so compose's relative bind-mounts (./mangalord/...,
-    # ./Caddyfile) resolve; this requires `/mnt/ssd/docker-data` in the runner's
+    # drive the host docker daemon directly (the job mounts the host docker
+    # socket) instead of SSHing out. The compose dir is bind-mounted at its
+    # REAL host path so compose's relative bind-mounts (./mangalord/...,
+    # ./Caddyfile) resolve; both paths must be in the runner's
     # container.valid_volumes. The central compose references the images as
     # registry.mc02.dev/mangalord-*:${MANGALORD_TAG:-latest}, so we only pull
     # and recreate the two mangalord services at the freshly built SHA.
@@ -136,6 +134,7 @@ jobs:
       image: docker:cli
       volumes:
         - /mnt/ssd/docker-data:/mnt/ssd/docker-data
+        - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
     steps:
       - name: Deploy to the local stack
         working-directory: /mnt/ssd/docker-data

backend/Cargo.lock

@@ -1470,7 +1470,7 @@ checksum = "c41e0c4fef86961ac6d6f8a82609f55f31b05e4fce149ac5710e439df7619ba4"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "mangalord"
-version = "0.45.1"
+version = "0.46.0"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "argon2",

backend/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "mangalord"
-version = "0.45.1"
+version = "0.46.0"
 edition = "2021"
 default-run = "mangalord"
 

backend/src/app.rs

@@ -123,6 +123,18 @@ async fn spawn_crawler_daemon(
     }
     let rate = Arc::new(rate);
 
+    let tor = crate::crawler::tor::TorController::from_parts(
+        cfg.tor_control_url.as_deref(),
+        cfg.tor_control_password.as_deref(),
+        cfg.tor_control_cookie_path.as_deref(),
+    )
+    .context("build TorController from CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_* env")?
+    .map(Arc::new);
+    if let Some(t) = &tor {
+        tracing::info!(?t, "TOR control configured; transient pages will trigger NEWNYM");
+    }
+    let tor_recircuit_max = cfg.tor_recircuit_max_attempts;
+
     // Browser manager. on_launch re-injects PHPSESSID on every fresh
     // chromium spawn so an idle teardown followed by re-launch stays
     // authenticated without operator action.
@@ -135,17 +147,24 @@ async fn spawn_crawler_daemon(
             let sid = sid.clone();
             let domain = domain.clone();
             let start_url = start_url.clone();
+            let tor_for_launch = tor.as_ref().map(Arc::clone);
             let on_launch: browser_manager::OnLaunch = Arc::new(move |browser| {
                 let sid = sid.clone();
                 let domain = domain.clone();
                 let start_url = start_url.clone();
+                let tor_for_launch = tor_for_launch.as_ref().map(Arc::clone);
                 Box::pin(async move {
                     session::inject_phpsessid(&browser, &sid, &domain)
                         .await
                         .context("on_launch: inject_phpsessid")?;
-                    session::verify_session(&browser, &start_url)
-                        .await
-                        .context("on_launch: verify_session")?;
+                    session::verify_session_with_recircuit(
+                        &browser,
+                        &start_url,
+                        tor_for_launch.as_deref(),
+                        tor_recircuit_max,
+                    )
+                    .await
+                    .context("on_launch: verify_session")?;
                     Ok(())
                 })
             });
@@ -167,6 +186,7 @@ async fn spawn_crawler_daemon(
             start_url: url.clone(),
             download_allowlist: cfg.download_allowlist.clone(),
             max_image_bytes: cfg.max_image_bytes,
+            tor: tor.as_ref().map(Arc::clone),
         });
         m
     });
@@ -179,6 +199,7 @@ async fn spawn_crawler_daemon(
         rate: Arc::clone(&rate),
         download_allowlist: cfg.download_allowlist.clone(),
         max_image_bytes: cfg.max_image_bytes,
+        tor: tor.as_ref().map(Arc::clone),
     });
 
     // Shared cancellation: daemon shutdown cancels the BrowserManager's
@@ -232,6 +253,7 @@ struct RealMetadataPass {
     start_url: String,
     download_allowlist: DownloadAllowlist,
     max_image_bytes: usize,
+    tor: Option<Arc<crate::crawler::tor::TorController>>,
 }
 
 #[async_trait]
@@ -248,6 +270,7 @@ impl MetadataPass for RealMetadataPass {
             false,
             &self.download_allowlist,
             self.max_image_bytes,
+            self.tor.as_deref(),
         )
         .await;
         if let Err(e) = &result {
@@ -267,6 +290,7 @@ struct RealChapterDispatcher {
     rate: Arc<HostRateLimiters>,
     download_allowlist: DownloadAllowlist,
     max_image_bytes: usize,
+    tor: Option<Arc<crate::crawler::tor::TorController>>,
 }
 
 #[async_trait]
@@ -298,6 +322,7 @@ impl ChapterDispatcher for RealChapterDispatcher {
                     false,
                     &self.download_allowlist,
                     self.max_image_bytes,
+                    self.tor.as_deref(),
                 )
                 .await;
                 drop(lease);

backend/src/bin/crawler.rs

@@ -78,6 +78,21 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let proxy_url = std::env::var("CRAWLER_PROXY")
         .ok()
         .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty());
+    let tor_control_url = std::env::var("CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_URL")
+        .ok()
+        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty());
+    let tor_control_password = std::env::var("CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD")
+        .ok()
+        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty());
+    let tor_control_cookie_path = std::env::var("CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_COOKIE_PATH")
+        .ok()
+        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty())
+        .map(std::path::PathBuf::from);
+    let tor_recircuit_max_attempts: u32 = std::env::var("CRAWLER_TOR_RECIRCUIT_MAX_ATTEMPTS")
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+        .unwrap_or(3)
+        .max(1);
     let keep_browser_open = env_bool("CRAWLER_KEEP_BROWSER_OPEN", false);
 
     let db = PgPoolOptions::new()
@@ -144,6 +159,17 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         "starting crawler"
     );
 
+    let tor = mangalord::crawler::tor::TorController::from_parts(
+        tor_control_url.as_deref(),
+        tor_control_password.as_deref(),
+        tor_control_cookie_path.as_deref(),
+    )
+    .context("build TorController from CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_* env")?
+    .map(Arc::new);
+    if let Some(t) = &tor {
+        tracing::info!(?t, "TOR control configured");
+    }
+
     // BrowserManager with idle_timeout = ZERO so the CLI keeps Chromium
     // alive for the entire run — same lifecycle as the old direct
     // `browser::launch()` flow. on_launch re-injects PHPSESSID + runs the
@@ -153,17 +179,24 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
             let sid = sid.clone();
             let domain = domain.clone();
             let start_url_clone = start_url.clone();
+            let tor_for_launch = tor.as_ref().map(Arc::clone);
             Arc::new(move |browser| {
                 let sid = sid.clone();
                 let domain = domain.clone();
                 let start_url = start_url_clone.clone();
+                let tor_for_launch = tor_for_launch.as_ref().map(Arc::clone);
                 Box::pin(async move {
                     session::inject_phpsessid(&browser, &sid, &domain)
                         .await
                         .context("inject_phpsessid")?;
-                    session::verify_session(&browser, &start_url)
-                        .await
-                        .context("verify_session")?;
+                    session::verify_session_with_recircuit(
+                        &browser,
+                        &start_url,
+                        tor_for_launch.as_deref(),
+                        tor_recircuit_max_attempts,
+                    )
+                    .await
+                    .context("verify_session")?;
                     Ok(())
                 })
             })
@@ -187,6 +220,7 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         skip_chapter_content || !session_ready,
         chapter_workers,
         force_refetch_chapters,
+        tor.clone(),
     )
     .await;
 
@@ -216,6 +250,7 @@ async fn run(
     skip_chapter_content: bool,
     chapter_workers: usize,
     force_refetch_chapters: bool,
+    tor: Option<Arc<mangalord::crawler::tor::TorController>>,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let mut rate = HostRateLimiters::new(Duration::from_millis(rate_ms));
     if let Some(host) = cdn_host {
@@ -267,6 +302,7 @@ async fn run(
         skip_chapters,
         allowlist.as_ref(),
         max_image_bytes,
+        tor.as_deref(),
     )
     .await?;
     tracing::info!(?stats, "metadata pass complete");
@@ -283,6 +319,7 @@ async fn run(
             force_refetch_chapters,
             Arc::clone(&allowlist),
             max_image_bytes,
+            tor.clone(),
         )
         .await?;
     }
@@ -308,6 +345,7 @@ async fn sync_bookmarked_chapter_content(
     force_refetch: bool,
     allowlist: Arc<mangalord::crawler::safety::DownloadAllowlist>,
     max_image_bytes: usize,
+    tor: Option<Arc<mangalord::crawler::tor::TorController>>,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let pending: Vec<(Uuid, Uuid, String)> = sqlx::query_as(
         r#"
@@ -345,6 +383,7 @@ async fn sync_bookmarked_chapter_content(
             let rate = Arc::clone(&rate);
             let manager = Arc::clone(&manager);
             let allowlist = Arc::clone(&allowlist);
+            let tor = tor.clone();
             let stats = &stats;
             async move {
                 if session_expired.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed) {
@@ -371,6 +410,7 @@ async fn sync_bookmarked_chapter_content(
                     force_refetch,
                     allowlist.as_ref(),
                     max_image_bytes,
+                    tor.as_deref(),
                 )
                 .await;
                 drop(lease);

backend/src/config.rs

@@ -97,6 +97,20 @@ pub struct CrawlerConfig {
     pub cookie_domain: Option<String>,
     pub user_agent: Option<String>,
     pub proxy: Option<String>,
+    /// `tcp://host:port`, `host:port`, or bare `host` (default port
+    /// 9051). When `None`, TOR-recircuit-on-transient is disabled and
+    /// the crawler behaves identically to pre-TOR releases.
+    pub tor_control_url: Option<String>,
+    /// HashedControlPassword auth. Used only when
+    /// `tor_control_cookie_path` is `None`.
+    pub tor_control_password: Option<String>,
+    /// Cookie-file auth path (e.g.
+    /// `/var/lib/tor/control_auth_cookie`). Takes precedence over
+    /// password when both are set.
+    pub tor_control_cookie_path: Option<PathBuf>,
+    /// Maximum NEWNYM-and-retry cycles per recircuit-eligible failure.
+    /// Defaults to 3.
+    pub tor_recircuit_max_attempts: u32,
     pub browser: LaunchOptions,
     /// Hosts the crawler is allowed to download images / covers from.
     /// Always seeded with the host of `start_url` and (when set) the
@@ -124,6 +138,10 @@ impl Default for CrawlerConfig {
             cookie_domain: None,
             user_agent: None,
             proxy: None,
+            tor_control_url: None,
+            tor_control_password: None,
+            tor_control_cookie_path: None,
+            tor_recircuit_max_attempts: 3,
             browser: LaunchOptions::headless(),
             download_allowlist: DownloadAllowlist::new(),
             max_image_bytes: DEFAULT_MAX_IMAGE_BYTES,
@@ -234,6 +252,18 @@ impl CrawlerConfig {
             proxy: std::env::var("CRAWLER_PROXY")
                 .ok()
                 .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            tor_control_url: std::env::var("CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_URL")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            tor_control_password: std::env::var("CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            tor_control_cookie_path: std::env::var("CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_COOKIE_PATH")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty())
+                .map(PathBuf::from),
+            tor_recircuit_max_attempts: env_u64("CRAWLER_TOR_RECIRCUIT_MAX_ATTEMPTS", 3)
+                .max(1) as u32,
             browser: LaunchOptions::from_env(),
             download_allowlist,
             max_image_bytes: env_usize("CRAWLER_MAX_IMAGE_BYTES", DEFAULT_MAX_IMAGE_BYTES),

backend/src/crawler/content.rs

@@ -73,39 +73,36 @@ pub enum SyncOutcome {
     SessionExpired,
 }
 
-/// Fetch all images for one chapter and persist them atomically. On
-/// any error after the first storage put, the DB transaction rolls
-/// back so the chapter stays at `page_count = 0` and is retried on the
-/// next run. Bytes already written to storage become orphans; a future
-/// reaper sweeps them.
-#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
-pub async fn sync_chapter_content(
-    browser: &chromiumoxide::Browser,
-    db: &PgPool,
-    storage: &dyn Storage,
-    http: &reqwest::Client,
-    rate: &HostRateLimiters,
-    chapter_id: Uuid,
-    manga_id: Uuid,
-    source_url: &str,
-    force_refetch: bool,
-    allowlist: &DownloadAllowlist,
-    max_image_bytes: usize,
-) -> anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome> {
-    // Skip if already fetched, unless caller explicitly forces.
-    if !force_refetch {
-        let (page_count,): (i32,) =
-            sqlx::query_as("SELECT page_count FROM chapters WHERE id = $1")
-                .bind(chapter_id)
-                .fetch_one(db)
-                .await
-                .context("read chapter page_count")?;
-        if page_count > 0 {
-            return Ok(SyncOutcome::Skipped);
-        }
-    }
+/// Per-chapter max fetch attempts when TOR is configured. `N = 3` means
+/// up to 3 total page fetches with 2 NEWNYM signals between them. When
+/// TOR is not configured the effective budget collapses to 1 (single
+/// attempt, no retry, no recircuit — bit-for-bit pre-TOR behavior).
+const CHAPTER_RECIRCUIT_MAX_ATTEMPTS: u32 = 3;
 
-    // Nav to chapter page (rate-limited per host).
+/// Outcome of [`fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit`]. `Ok` carries the
+/// final reader HTML; the other two map to `sync_chapter_content`'s
+/// existing failure modes.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+enum ChapterFetchOutcome {
+    Ok(String),
+    /// `ChapterProbe::Unauthenticated` after exhausting recircuit
+    /// budget (or with budget=0). Caller returns
+    /// `SyncOutcome::SessionExpired`.
+    SessionExpired,
+    /// `ChapterProbe::Transient` after exhausting recircuit budget
+    /// (or with budget=0). Caller bails so the dispatcher does
+    /// exponential backoff.
+    PersistentTransient,
+}
+
+/// Single rate-limited Chromium navigation to the chapter URL,
+/// returning the page HTML. Extracted from `sync_chapter_content` so
+/// the recircuit loop can call it once per attempt.
+async fn fetch_chapter_html_once(
+    browser: &chromiumoxide::Browser,
+    rate: &HostRateLimiters,
+    source_url: &str,
+) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
     rate.wait_for(source_url).await?;
     let page = browser
         .new_page(source_url)
@@ -124,28 +121,135 @@ pub async fn sync_chapter_content(
         crate::crawler::nav::SELECTOR_TIMEOUT,
     )
     .await;
-
     let html = page.content().await.context("read chapter html")?;
     page.close().await.ok();
+    Ok(html)
+}
 
-    // Three-way session classification: distinguishes a transient
-    // hiccup (broken-page body or logged-in-but-no-reader) from a
-    // genuine PHPSESSID expiry (no reader and no avatar widget). The
-    // earlier binary `#avatar_menu` check conflated both and froze
-    // every worker on a layout shift.
-    match session::classify_chapter_probe(&html) {
-        ChapterProbe::Unauthenticated => return Ok(SyncOutcome::SessionExpired),
-        ChapterProbe::Transient => {
+/// Pure-over-IO loop: fetch + classify, up to `max_attempts` total
+/// fetches. Between attempts, `recircuit` is invoked (a no-op when
+/// TOR isn't configured). `max_attempts = 1` collapses to the
+/// original single-shot behavior — `Unauthenticated` →
+/// `SessionExpired`, `Transient` → `PersistentTransient` on the first
+/// hit, no recircuit.
+///
+/// Semantics match [`crate::crawler::detect::retry_on_transient`] and
+/// [`run_session_probe_loop`]: `N` is **total attempts including the
+/// first**, so `N = 3` means 3 fetches and up to 2 NEWNYM calls.
+/// `Unauthenticated` and `Transient` share the budget — the loop
+/// doesn't distinguish, so a sequence like Transient → Unauth → Ok
+/// counts as 3 attempts.
+async fn fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit<F, Fut, R, RFut>(
+    mut fetch: F,
+    mut recircuit: R,
+    max_attempts: u32,
+    source_url_for_msg: &str,
+) -> anyhow::Result<ChapterFetchOutcome>
+where
+    F: FnMut() -> Fut,
+    Fut: std::future::Future<Output = anyhow::Result<String>>,
+    R: FnMut() -> RFut,
+    RFut: std::future::Future<Output = ()>,
+{
+    debug_assert!(max_attempts >= 1, "max_attempts must be at least 1");
+    let mut attempt = 0u32;
+    loop {
+        attempt += 1;
+        let html = fetch().await?;
+        match session::classify_chapter_probe(&html) {
+            ChapterProbe::Ok => return Ok(ChapterFetchOutcome::Ok(html)),
+            ChapterProbe::Unauthenticated => {
+                if attempt >= max_attempts {
+                    return Ok(ChapterFetchOutcome::SessionExpired);
+                }
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    attempt,
+                    max = max_attempts,
+                    url = source_url_for_msg,
+                    "chapter probe Unauthenticated; signaling TOR NEWNYM and retrying"
+                );
+                recircuit().await;
+            }
+            ChapterProbe::Transient => {
+                if attempt >= max_attempts {
+                    return Ok(ChapterFetchOutcome::PersistentTransient);
+                }
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    attempt,
+                    max = max_attempts,
+                    url = source_url_for_msg,
+                    "chapter probe Transient; signaling TOR NEWNYM and retrying"
+                );
+                recircuit().await;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Fetch all images for one chapter and persist them atomically. On
+/// any error after the first storage put, the DB transaction rolls
+/// back so the chapter stays at `page_count = 0` and is retried on the
+/// next run. Bytes already written to storage become orphans; a future
+/// reaper sweeps them.
+#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+pub async fn sync_chapter_content(
+    browser: &chromiumoxide::Browser,
+    db: &PgPool,
+    storage: &dyn Storage,
+    http: &reqwest::Client,
+    rate: &HostRateLimiters,
+    chapter_id: Uuid,
+    manga_id: Uuid,
+    source_url: &str,
+    force_refetch: bool,
+    allowlist: &DownloadAllowlist,
+    max_image_bytes: usize,
+    tor: Option<&crate::crawler::tor::TorController>,
+) -> anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome> {
+    // Skip if already fetched, unless caller explicitly forces.
+    if !force_refetch {
+        let (page_count,): (i32,) =
+            sqlx::query_as("SELECT page_count FROM chapters WHERE id = $1")
+                .bind(chapter_id)
+                .fetch_one(db)
+                .await
+                .context("read chapter page_count")?;
+        if page_count > 0 {
+            return Ok(SyncOutcome::Skipped);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Fetch + classify. With TOR configured, allow up to
+    // CHAPTER_RECIRCUIT_MAX_ATTEMPTS total page fetches with NEWNYM
+    // between each. Without TOR, collapse to 1 attempt (no retry, no
+    // recircuit) — matches the pre-TOR single-shot behavior bit-for-bit.
+    let max_attempts = if tor.is_some() { CHAPTER_RECIRCUIT_MAX_ATTEMPTS } else { 1 };
+    let html = match fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+        || fetch_chapter_html_once(browser, rate, source_url),
+        || async {
+            if let Some(t) = tor {
+                if let Err(e) = t.new_identity().await {
+                    tracing::warn!(error = %e, "TOR NEWNYM failed; continuing with same circuit");
+                }
+            }
+        },
+        max_attempts,
+        source_url,
+    )
+    .await?
+    {
+        ChapterFetchOutcome::Ok(html) => html,
+        ChapterFetchOutcome::SessionExpired => return Ok(SyncOutcome::SessionExpired),
+        ChapterFetchOutcome::PersistentTransient => {
             // Surface as a typed Err so the dispatcher path runs
             // ack_failed with exponential backoff (rather than the
             // session-expired sticky flag).
             anyhow::bail!(
-                "chapter page at {source_url} returned a transient response \
-                 (broken-page body or reader didn't render); will retry"
+                "chapter page at {source_url} returned a transient response after \
+                 {max_attempts} attempt(s); will retry"
             );
         }
-        ChapterProbe::Ok => {}
-    }
+    };
 
     let images = parse_chapter_pages(&html)
         .with_context(|| format!("parse chapter pages at {source_url}"))?;
@@ -304,4 +408,214 @@ mod tests {
         let err = parse_chapter_pages(html).expect_err("expected Transient");
         assert!(err.is_transient(), "got non-transient: {err}");
     }
+
+    // --- fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit -------------------------------
+
+    const OK_HTML: &str = r#"<html><body><a id="pic_container"><img id="page1" src="x"/></a></body></html>"#;
+    const UNAUTH_HTML: &str = r#"<html><body><header><div id="logo">x</div></header><main>please log in</main></body></html>"#;
+    const TRANSIENT_HTML: &str = "<html><body><p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p></body></html>";
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn recircuit_loop_ok_first_attempt() {
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut fetches = 0u32;
+        let outcome = fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+            || {
+                fetches += 1;
+                async { Ok(OK_HTML.to_string()) }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            "https://example/c",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok");
+        assert!(matches!(outcome, ChapterFetchOutcome::Ok(_)));
+        assert_eq!(fetches, 1);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 0);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn recircuit_loop_unauth_with_single_attempt_returns_session_expired() {
+        // max_attempts=1 = TOR disabled, fail-fast on first Unauthenticated.
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut fetches = 0u32;
+        let outcome = fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+            || {
+                fetches += 1;
+                async { Ok(UNAUTH_HTML.to_string()) }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            1,
+            "https://example/c",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok-result");
+        assert!(matches!(outcome, ChapterFetchOutcome::SessionExpired));
+        assert_eq!(fetches, 1);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 0, "no recircuit when budget is 1 (TOR disabled)");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn recircuit_loop_unauth_then_ok_within_budget() {
+        // max_attempts=3 = up to 3 fetches with 2 recircuits between.
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut fetch_n = 0u32;
+        let outcome = fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+            || {
+                fetch_n += 1;
+                let n = fetch_n;
+                async move {
+                    if n == 1 {
+                        Ok(UNAUTH_HTML.to_string())
+                    } else {
+                        Ok(OK_HTML.to_string())
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            "https://example/c",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok");
+        assert!(matches!(outcome, ChapterFetchOutcome::Ok(_)));
+        assert_eq!(fetch_n, 2);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 1);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn recircuit_loop_unauth_exhausts_budget_returns_session_expired() {
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut fetch_n = 0u32;
+        let outcome = fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+            || {
+                fetch_n += 1;
+                async { Ok(UNAUTH_HTML.to_string()) }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            "https://example/c",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok-result");
+        assert!(matches!(outcome, ChapterFetchOutcome::SessionExpired));
+        assert_eq!(fetch_n, 3, "max_attempts=3 → 3 fetches total");
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 2, "2 recircuits between 3 fetches");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn recircuit_loop_transient_then_ok_within_budget() {
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut fetch_n = 0u32;
+        let outcome = fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+            || {
+                fetch_n += 1;
+                let n = fetch_n;
+                async move {
+                    if n < 3 {
+                        Ok(TRANSIENT_HTML.to_string())
+                    } else {
+                        Ok(OK_HTML.to_string())
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            "https://example/c",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok");
+        assert!(matches!(outcome, ChapterFetchOutcome::Ok(_)));
+        assert_eq!(fetch_n, 3);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 2);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn recircuit_loop_transient_exhausts_budget_returns_persistent() {
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut fetch_n = 0u32;
+        let outcome = fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+            || {
+                fetch_n += 1;
+                async { Ok(TRANSIENT_HTML.to_string()) }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            "https://example/c",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok-result");
+        assert!(matches!(outcome, ChapterFetchOutcome::PersistentTransient));
+        assert_eq!(fetch_n, 3, "max_attempts=3 → 3 fetches total");
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 2, "2 recircuits between 3 fetches");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn recircuit_loop_mixed_transient_then_unauth_then_ok_shares_budget() {
+        // Audit-prompted regression: outcomes share the attempt counter.
+        // Sequence: Transient (attempt 1) → Unauth (attempt 2) → Ok (3).
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut fetch_n = 0u32;
+        let outcome = fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+            || {
+                fetch_n += 1;
+                let n = fetch_n;
+                async move {
+                    match n {
+                        1 => Ok(TRANSIENT_HTML.to_string()),
+                        2 => Ok(UNAUTH_HTML.to_string()),
+                        _ => Ok(OK_HTML.to_string()),
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            "https://example/c",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok");
+        assert!(matches!(outcome, ChapterFetchOutcome::Ok(_)));
+        assert_eq!(fetch_n, 3);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 2);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn recircuit_loop_propagates_fetch_errors() {
+        let mut fetch_n = 0u32;
+        let err = fetch_chapter_html_with_recircuit(
+            || {
+                fetch_n += 1;
+                async { Err(anyhow::anyhow!("nav timeout")) }
+            },
+            || async {},
+            3,
+            "https://example/c",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect_err("fetch error bubbles");
+        assert_eq!(fetch_n, 1);
+        assert!(format!("{err:#}").contains("nav timeout"));
+    }
 }

backend/src/crawler/detect.rs

@@ -80,13 +80,36 @@ pub fn has_logo_sentinel(doc: &scraper::Html) -> bool {
 /// caller can fall back on the job system's retry/backoff once the
 /// inline budget is exhausted.
 pub async fn retry_on_transient<F, Fut, T>(
-    mut op: F,
+    op: F,
     max_attempts: u32,
     delay: Duration,
 ) -> Result<T, PageError>
 where
     F: FnMut() -> Fut,
     Fut: Future<Output = Result<T, PageError>>,
+{
+    retry_on_transient_with_hook(op, max_attempts, delay, || async {}).await
+}
+
+/// Like [`retry_on_transient`] but invokes `on_retry` between a
+/// transient failure and the subsequent sleep+retry. The hook does
+/// **not** fire on the first attempt, after a non-transient error, or
+/// after the final attempt (no retry follows). Hook failures are not
+/// propagated — return `()` from the future and log inside if needed.
+///
+/// Wire the TOR controller's `new_identity` here to rotate circuits
+/// between page-fetch retries; see [`crate::crawler::tor`].
+pub async fn retry_on_transient_with_hook<F, Fut, T, H, HFut>(
+    mut op: F,
+    max_attempts: u32,
+    delay: Duration,
+    mut on_retry: H,
+) -> Result<T, PageError>
+where
+    F: FnMut() -> Fut,
+    Fut: Future<Output = Result<T, PageError>>,
+    H: FnMut() -> HFut,
+    HFut: Future<Output = ()>,
 {
     debug_assert!(max_attempts >= 1, "max_attempts must be at least 1");
     let mut attempt = 0u32;
@@ -101,8 +124,9 @@ where
                     attempt,
                     max_attempts,
                     error = %e,
-                    "transient error; sleeping before retry"
+                    "transient error; running on-retry hook and sleeping before retry"
                 );
+                on_retry().await;
                 tokio::time::sleep(delay).await;
             }
         }
@@ -247,4 +271,92 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(result.unwrap(), 7);
         assert_eq!(attempt, 1);
     }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn hook_fires_once_between_transient_and_success() {
+        let mut attempt = 0u32;
+        let mut hook_calls = 0u32;
+        let result: Result<i32, PageError> = retry_on_transient_with_hook(
+            || {
+                attempt += 1;
+                let n = attempt;
+                async move {
+                    if n < 2 {
+                        Err(PageError::transient("once"))
+                    } else {
+                        Ok(99)
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            5,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            || {
+                hook_calls += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert_eq!(result.unwrap(), 99);
+        assert_eq!(attempt, 2);
+        assert_eq!(hook_calls, 1, "hook fires exactly once between attempts");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn hook_does_not_fire_when_first_attempt_succeeds() {
+        let mut hook_calls = 0u32;
+        let result: Result<i32, PageError> = retry_on_transient_with_hook(
+            || async { Ok(1) },
+            5,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            || {
+                hook_calls += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert!(result.is_ok());
+        assert_eq!(hook_calls, 0);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn hook_does_not_fire_after_non_transient_error() {
+        let mut hook_calls = 0u32;
+        let result: Result<i32, PageError> = retry_on_transient_with_hook(
+            || async { Err(PageError::Other(anyhow::anyhow!("permanent"))) },
+            5,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            || {
+                hook_calls += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert!(result.is_err());
+        assert_eq!(hook_calls, 0, "non-transient must short-circuit before hook");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn hook_does_not_fire_after_final_failed_attempt() {
+        // With max_attempts=3 and three persistent transients, the hook
+        // should run twice (between 1→2 and 2→3) — never a third time,
+        // because no retry follows attempt 3.
+        let mut attempt = 0u32;
+        let mut hook_calls = 0u32;
+        let result: Result<i32, PageError> = retry_on_transient_with_hook(
+            || {
+                attempt += 1;
+                async { Err(PageError::transient("always")) }
+            },
+            3,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            || {
+                hook_calls += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert!(result.is_err());
+        assert_eq!(attempt, 3);
+        assert_eq!(hook_calls, 2, "hook fires N-1 times for N attempts that all fail transient");
+    }
 }

backend/src/crawler/mod.rs

@@ -26,4 +26,5 @@ pub mod rate_limit;
 pub mod safety;
 pub mod session;
 pub mod source;
+pub mod tor;
 pub mod url_utils;

backend/src/crawler/pipeline.rs

@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ pub async fn run_metadata_pass(
     skip_chapters: bool,
     allowlist: &DownloadAllowlist,
     max_image_bytes: usize,
+    tor: Option<&crate::crawler::tor::TorController>,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<MetadataStats> {
     let lease = browser_manager
         .acquire()
@@ -121,6 +122,7 @@ pub async fn run_metadata_pass(
     let ctx = FetchContext {
         browser: browser_ref,
         rate,
+        tor,
     };
 
     let source_id = source.id();

backend/src/crawler/session.rs

@@ -162,37 +162,123 @@ const PROBE_RETRY_DELAY: Duration = Duration::from_secs(2);
 /// limiter. The trade is worth it — failing here costs ~1s; failing 30
 /// minutes into a backfill costs 30 minutes.
 pub async fn verify_session(browser: &Browser, probe_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-    let mut attempt = 0u32;
+    verify_session_with_recircuit(browser, probe_url, None, 0).await
+}
+
+/// Like [`verify_session`] but, when `tor` is `Some`, signals
+/// `SIGNAL NEWNYM` between retries on transient pages AND treats
+/// `Unauthenticated` as recoverable (up to `tor_max_attempts` total
+/// probes, calling NEWNYM between each).
+///
+/// `verify_session` is `verify_session_with_recircuit(..., None, _)`,
+/// which collapses the `Unauthenticated` budget to 1 attempt — i.e.
+/// fail-fast, exactly the pre-TOR behavior.
+pub async fn verify_session_with_recircuit(
+    browser: &Browser,
+    probe_url: &str,
+    tor: Option<&crate::crawler::tor::TorController>,
+    tor_max_attempts: u32,
+) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let unauth_max_attempts = if tor.is_some() { tor_max_attempts.max(1) } else { 1 };
+    run_session_probe_loop(
+        || fetch_probe_html(browser, probe_url),
+        || async {
+            if let Some(t) = tor {
+                if let Err(e) = t.new_identity().await {
+                    tracing::warn!(error = %e, "TOR NEWNYM failed; continuing with same circuit");
+                }
+            }
+        },
+        PROBE_MAX_ATTEMPTS,
+        unauth_max_attempts,
+        PROBE_RETRY_DELAY,
+        probe_url,
+    )
+    .await
+}
+
+/// Pure-over-IO loop body for the session probe. Generic over the
+/// fetch and recircuit closures so it can be unit-tested without a
+/// real browser or TOR daemon.
+///
+/// Both budgets count **total attempts**, including the first — so
+/// `transient_max_attempts = 3` allows 3 fetches and 2 recircuits
+/// between them, and `unauth_max_attempts = 1` means "fail-fast, no
+/// retry". This matches [`crate::crawler::detect::retry_on_transient`]
+/// and the content-path recircuit loop.
+///
+/// Outcomes:
+/// - `SessionProbe::Ok` → return `Ok(())`.
+/// - `SessionProbe::Unauthenticated` → recircuit + retry while
+///   under the unauth budget. After the cap, bail with the
+///   "PHPSESSID expired" diagnostic, mentioning the attempt count so
+///   a TOR-misconfig diagnosis is easier.
+/// - `SessionProbe::Transient` → same shape against the transient
+///   budget; bails with "site down or rate-limiting" after the cap.
+async fn run_session_probe_loop<F, Fut, R, RFut>(
+    mut fetch_html: F,
+    mut recircuit: R,
+    transient_max_attempts: u32,
+    unauth_max_attempts: u32,
+    retry_delay: Duration,
+    probe_url_for_msg: &str,
+) -> anyhow::Result<()>
+where
+    F: FnMut() -> Fut,
+    Fut: std::future::Future<Output = anyhow::Result<String>>,
+    R: FnMut() -> RFut,
+    RFut: std::future::Future<Output = ()>,
+{
+    debug_assert!(transient_max_attempts >= 1);
+    debug_assert!(unauth_max_attempts >= 1);
+    let mut transient_attempts = 0u32;
+    let mut unauth_attempts = 0u32;
     loop {
-        attempt += 1;
-        let html = fetch_probe_html(browser, probe_url).await?;
+        let html = fetch_html().await?;
         match classify_probe(&html) {
             SessionProbe::Ok => {
-                tracing::info!(attempt, "session probe ok — #logo + #avatar_menu present");
+                tracing::info!(
+                    transient_attempts,
+                    unauth_attempts,
+                    "session probe ok — #logo + #avatar_menu present"
+                );
                 return Ok(());
             }
             SessionProbe::Unauthenticated => {
-                return Err(anyhow!(
-                    "session probe failed — #avatar_menu not present at {probe_url} \
-                     (page rendered the normal layout); PHPSESSID is missing, expired, \
-                     or revoked. Refresh CRAWLER_PHPSESSID and re-run."
-                ));
-            }
-            SessionProbe::Transient if attempt < PROBE_MAX_ATTEMPTS => {
+                unauth_attempts += 1;
+                if unauth_attempts >= unauth_max_attempts {
+                    return Err(anyhow!(
+                        "session probe failed — #avatar_menu not present at {probe_url_for_msg} \
+                         after {unauth_attempts} attempt(s); PHPSESSID is missing, \
+                         expired, or revoked. Refresh CRAWLER_PHPSESSID and re-run."
+                    ));
+                }
                 tracing::warn!(
-                    attempt,
-                    max_attempts = PROBE_MAX_ATTEMPTS,
-                    "session probe got a transient page; retrying"
+                    attempt = unauth_attempts,
+                    max_attempts = unauth_max_attempts,
+                    "session probe Unauthenticated despite PHPSESSID; signaling TOR \
+                     NEWNYM and retrying"
                 );
-                tokio::time::sleep(PROBE_RETRY_DELAY).await;
+                recircuit().await;
+                tokio::time::sleep(retry_delay).await;
             }
             SessionProbe::Transient => {
-                return Err(anyhow!(
-                    "session probe failed — probe page at {probe_url} returned a \
-                     broken-page response after {PROBE_MAX_ATTEMPTS} attempts. \
-                     The site appears to be down or rate-limiting us; try again \
-                     later before refreshing CRAWLER_PHPSESSID."
-                ));
+                transient_attempts += 1;
+                if transient_attempts >= transient_max_attempts {
+                    return Err(anyhow!(
+                        "session probe failed — probe page at {probe_url_for_msg} returned \
+                         a broken-page response after {transient_max_attempts} attempts. \
+                         The site appears to be down or rate-limiting us; try again \
+                         later before refreshing CRAWLER_PHPSESSID."
+                    ));
+                }
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    attempt = transient_attempts,
+                    max_attempts = transient_max_attempts,
+                    "session probe got a transient page; recircuit + retry"
+                );
+                recircuit().await;
+                tokio::time::sleep(retry_delay).await;
             }
         }
     }
@@ -336,6 +422,204 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(classify_chapter_probe(html), ChapterProbe::Ok);
     }
 
+    // --- run_session_probe_loop -----------------------------------------
+    //
+    // These tests exercise the recircuit-aware loop without a real
+    // browser. The fetch and recircuit closures are mocked over Vecs of
+    // canned outcomes / counters.
+
+    const OK_HTML: &str = r#"<html><body><div id="logo"></div><div id="avatar_menu"></div></body></html>"#;
+    const UNAUTH_HTML: &str = r#"<html><body><div id="logo"></div></body></html>"#;
+    const TRANSIENT_HTML: &str = "<html><body><p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p></body></html>";
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn probe_loop_ok_on_first_attempt_does_not_recircuit() {
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut fetched = 0u32;
+        run_session_probe_loop(
+            || {
+                fetched += 1;
+                async { Ok(OK_HTML.to_string()) }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            3,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            "https://example/probe",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok on first attempt");
+        assert_eq!(fetched, 1);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 0);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn probe_loop_unauth_then_ok_when_attempt_budget_available() {
+        // Budget = 3 total attempts. Unauth on call 1, ok on call 2.
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut call = 0u32;
+        run_session_probe_loop(
+            || {
+                call += 1;
+                let n = call;
+                async move {
+                    if n == 1 {
+                        Ok(UNAUTH_HTML.to_string())
+                    } else {
+                        Ok(OK_HTML.to_string())
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            3,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            "https://example/probe",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("recovers after one recircuit");
+        assert_eq!(call, 2);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 1);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn probe_loop_unauth_with_single_attempt_budget_fails_fast() {
+        // Budget = 1 total attempt = no retry (matches no-TOR behavior).
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut call = 0u32;
+        let err = run_session_probe_loop(
+            || {
+                call += 1;
+                async { Ok(UNAUTH_HTML.to_string()) }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            1,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            "https://example/probe",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect_err("budget=1 → fail-fast");
+        assert_eq!(call, 1, "no retry when budget is 1");
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 0);
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("Refresh CRAWLER_PHPSESSID"), "msg: {msg}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("after 1 attempt"), "expected attempt count in msg: {msg}");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn probe_loop_unauth_after_exhausting_budget_emits_attempt_count() {
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut call = 0u32;
+        let err = run_session_probe_loop(
+            || {
+                call += 1;
+                async { Ok(UNAUTH_HTML.to_string()) }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            10, // transient budget irrelevant here
+            3,  // 3 attempts total, 2 recircuits between
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            "https://example/probe",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect_err("exhausts unauth budget");
+        assert_eq!(call, 3);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 2);
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("after 3 attempt"), "expected attempt count in error, got: {msg}");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn probe_loop_transient_repeats_until_max_then_errors() {
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut call = 0u32;
+        let err = run_session_probe_loop(
+            || {
+                call += 1;
+                async { Ok(TRANSIENT_HTML.to_string()) }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            1,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            "https://example/probe",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect_err("transient until max → fail");
+        assert_eq!(call, 3);
+        // Recircuit fires between attempts: 3 attempts → 2 recircuits.
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 2);
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("broken-page response after 3 attempts"), "msg: {msg}");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn probe_loop_transient_then_ok_returns_ok_after_one_recircuit() {
+        let mut recircuits = 0u32;
+        let mut call = 0u32;
+        run_session_probe_loop(
+            || {
+                call += 1;
+                let n = call;
+                async move {
+                    if n == 1 {
+                        Ok(TRANSIENT_HTML.to_string())
+                    } else {
+                        Ok(OK_HTML.to_string())
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            || {
+                recircuits += 1;
+                async {}
+            },
+            3,
+            1,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            "https://example/probe",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("ok on second try");
+        assert_eq!(call, 2);
+        assert_eq!(recircuits, 1);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn probe_loop_propagates_fetch_errors_immediately() {
+        let mut call = 0u32;
+        let err = run_session_probe_loop(
+            || {
+                call += 1;
+                async { Err(anyhow!("nav timeout")) }
+            },
+            || async {},
+            5,
+            5,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+            "https://example/probe",
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect_err("fetch error bubbles");
+        assert_eq!(call, 1);
+        assert!(format!("{err:#}").contains("nav timeout"));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn classify_probe_trusts_broken_body_over_stray_avatar_match() {
         // Defensive: if a broken-page body somehow contains an

backend/src/crawler/source.rs

@@ -67,6 +67,10 @@ pub struct SourceChapter {
 pub struct FetchContext<'a> {
     pub browser: &'a Browser,
     pub rate: &'a crate::crawler::rate_limit::HostRateLimiters,
+    /// Optional TOR control-port client. When `Some`, retry helpers
+    /// signal `NEWNYM` between transient-page attempts so the next try
+    /// draws a fresh exit. `None` keeps pre-TOR behavior.
+    pub tor: Option<&'a crate::crawler::tor::TorController>,
 }
 
 /// Lazy iterator over discovered manga refs. The caller drives the

backend/src/crawler/source/target.rs

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ use super::{
     SourceMangaRef,
 };
 use crate::crawler::detect::{
-    has_logo_sentinel, is_broken_page_body, retry_on_transient, PageError,
+    has_logo_sentinel, is_broken_page_body, retry_on_transient_with_hook, PageError,
 };
 use crate::crawler::nav::{wait_for_nav, wait_for_selector, NavError, SELECTOR_TIMEOUT};
 
@@ -79,12 +79,13 @@ impl Source for TargetSource {
         // and the HTML is handed straight to the first `next_batch` call
         // so the walker doesn't re-fetch it. Page count is discovered
         // incrementally — see `TargetSourceWalker::next_batch`.
-        let first_html = retry_on_transient(
+        let first_html = retry_on_transient_with_hook(
             || async {
                 navigate(ctx, self.base_url.as_str(), LIST_PAGE_MARKER).await
             },
             PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_ATTEMPTS,
             PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_DELAY,
+            || async { recircuit_if_configured(ctx.tor).await },
         )
         .await?;
 
@@ -169,7 +170,7 @@ impl DiscoverWalk for TargetSourceWalker {
                     parse_manga_list_from(&doc)?
                 }
                 None => {
-                    retry_on_transient(
+                    retry_on_transient_with_hook(
                         || async {
                             let html = navigate(
                                 ctx,
@@ -182,12 +183,13 @@ impl DiscoverWalk for TargetSourceWalker {
                         },
                         PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_ATTEMPTS,
                         PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_DELAY,
+                        || async { recircuit_if_configured(ctx.tor).await },
                     )
                     .await?
                 }
             }
         } else {
-            retry_on_transient(
+            retry_on_transient_with_hook(
                 || async {
                     let url = page_url(&self.base_url, page_num);
                     let html = navigate(ctx, &url, LIST_PAGE_MARKER).await?;
@@ -196,6 +198,7 @@ impl DiscoverWalk for TargetSourceWalker {
                 },
                 PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_ATTEMPTS,
                 PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_DELAY,
+                || async { recircuit_if_configured(ctx.tor).await },
             )
             .await?
         };
@@ -274,6 +277,20 @@ fn classify_navigate_html(html: String) -> Result<String, PageError> {
     Ok(html)
 }
 
+/// Hook for [`retry_on_transient_with_hook`]: when TOR is configured,
+/// signal `NEWNYM` so the next navigation draws a fresh exit. Errors
+/// from the controller are logged and swallowed — failing to recircuit
+/// shouldn't take down the crawl, the next attempt just runs on the
+/// same circuit as before.
+async fn recircuit_if_configured(tor: Option<&crate::crawler::tor::TorController>) {
+    if let Some(t) = tor {
+        if let Err(e) = t.new_identity().await {
+            tracing::warn!(error = %e, "TOR NEWNYM failed; retrying on same circuit");
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+
 /// Substitutes the first `/N/` path segment with the target page
 /// number. Source impls that paginate via a different URL shape can
 /// override this — for the modeled site the segment is always present.

backend/src/crawler/tor.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,446 @@
+//! TOR control-port client for `SIGNAL NEWNYM` ("recircuit").
+//!
+//! The crawler can be proxied through TOR (`CRAWLER_PROXY=socks5h://tor:9050`)
+//! to randomize the exit IP seen by the target site. When the target
+//! returns a "bad page" (its broken-template body, missing layout
+//! sentinel, or unauthenticated probe despite a valid PHPSESSID), it
+//! is often the current exit being rate-limited or fingerprinted rather
+//! than a real failure. Asking the local TOR daemon for a new identity
+//! over its control port (port 9051 by default) makes subsequent
+//! connections draw a fresh circuit; combined with `IsolateDestAddr`
+//! in torrc this is usually enough to clear the failure.
+//!
+//! Scope is deliberately tiny — `AUTHENTICATE` + `SIGNAL NEWNYM` over
+//! a one-shot TCP connection. No `torut` dep, no hidden-service
+//! plumbing, no event streaming.
+//!
+//! **Caveat for in-flight connections:** Chromium reuses sockets, so a
+//! `NEWNYM` only affects *new* connections (in TOR terms, new circuits).
+//! That's fine for our retry path — the next navigation opens a fresh
+//! connection. We do not try to forcibly close existing streams.
+
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use anyhow::{anyhow, bail, Context};
+use tokio::io::{AsyncBufReadExt, AsyncWriteExt, BufReader};
+use tokio::net::TcpStream;
+use tokio::time::timeout;
+
+/// Default control-port (`tor --defaults-torrc` ships 9051).
+const DEFAULT_CONTROL_PORT: u16 = 9051;
+/// Connect timeout — generous enough for a slow compose start, short
+/// enough that a misconfigured controller doesn't stall a crawl.
+const CONNECT_TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_secs(5);
+/// Per-command read timeout. `SIGNAL NEWNYM` returns instantly on the
+/// happy path; bound it so a half-broken control port can't hang us.
+const READ_TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_secs(5);
+
+/// How the controller authenticates to the control port.
+///
+/// `Cookie` is preferred for compose deploys where the auth cookie file
+/// is shared between the `tor` and `backend` containers via a named
+/// volume. `Password` is the fallback when the cookie file isn't
+/// reachable (different gid, no shared volume, etc.). `None` matches a
+/// torrc with no `CookieAuthentication 1` and no `HashedControlPassword`
+/// — useful for local experimentation, not for production.
+///
+/// `Debug` is implemented manually to redact the password (and the
+/// cookie path, which is non-sensitive but uninteresting in logs).
+/// Don't add `#[derive(Debug)]` — the controller is `?`-logged at
+/// startup and a derive would expand the password into the trace.
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub enum TorAuth {
+    None,
+    Password(String),
+    Cookie(PathBuf),
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Debug for TorAuth {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        match self {
+            TorAuth::None => f.write_str("None"),
+            TorAuth::Password(_) => f.write_str("Password(<redacted>)"),
+            TorAuth::Cookie(_) => f.write_str("Cookie(<path>)"),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct TorController {
+    /// `host:port` string. Kept as a string (not a `SocketAddr`) so
+    /// docker-compose hostnames like `tor:9051` resolve at connect time.
+    addr: String,
+    auth: TorAuth,
+}
+
+impl TorController {
+    pub fn new(addr: impl Into<String>, auth: TorAuth) -> Self {
+        Self { addr: addr.into(), auth }
+    }
+
+    /// Build a controller from the env-config shape:
+    /// `url` (e.g. `tcp://tor:9051`, `127.0.0.1:9051`, or `tor`),
+    /// optional password, optional cookie path. Returns `Ok(None)` when
+    /// `url` is absent — that's the "TOR feature disabled" signal.
+    /// Cookie wins over password when both are set (rotates with TOR;
+    /// no secret to manage).
+    pub fn from_parts(
+        url: Option<&str>,
+        password: Option<&str>,
+        cookie_path: Option<&Path>,
+    ) -> anyhow::Result<Option<Self>> {
+        let Some(url) = url else { return Ok(None) };
+        let addr = parse_control_url(url)?;
+        let auth = match (cookie_path, password) {
+            (Some(p), _) => TorAuth::Cookie(p.to_path_buf()),
+            (None, Some(p)) => TorAuth::Password(p.to_string()),
+            (None, None) => TorAuth::None,
+        };
+        Ok(Some(Self { addr, auth }))
+    }
+
+    /// Open the control port, `AUTHENTICATE`, `SIGNAL NEWNYM`, `QUIT`.
+    /// Each invocation is a fresh connection; the controller is cheap
+    /// to clone and stateless across calls.
+    pub async fn new_identity(&self) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        let stream = timeout(CONNECT_TIMEOUT, TcpStream::connect(&self.addr))
+            .await
+            .with_context(|| {
+                format!("timed out connecting to TOR control port {}", self.addr)
+            })?
+            .with_context(|| format!("connect to TOR control port {}", self.addr))?;
+        let (read, mut write) = stream.into_split();
+        let mut read = BufReader::new(read);
+
+        let auth_line = self.build_auth_line().await?;
+        write_line(&mut write, &auth_line).await?;
+        timeout(READ_TIMEOUT, expect_250(&mut read))
+            .await
+            .map_err(|_| anyhow!("TOR control AUTHENTICATE timed out"))?
+            .context("AUTHENTICATE")?;
+
+        write_line(&mut write, "SIGNAL NEWNYM").await?;
+        timeout(READ_TIMEOUT, expect_250(&mut read))
+            .await
+            .map_err(|_| anyhow!("TOR control SIGNAL NEWNYM timed out"))?
+            .context("SIGNAL NEWNYM")?;
+
+        // QUIT is courtesy; ignore errors — the daemon may close the
+        // socket before our QUIT lands and that's perfectly fine.
+        let _ = write_line(&mut write, "QUIT").await;
+        // Debug-level: a busy crawl can rotate circuits many times per
+        // minute, INFO is too chatty. Failures still log at WARN.
+        tracing::debug!(addr = %self.addr, "TOR NEWNYM signaled");
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    async fn build_auth_line(&self) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
+        match &self.auth {
+            TorAuth::None => Ok("AUTHENTICATE".to_string()),
+            TorAuth::Password(p) => Ok(format!("AUTHENTICATE \"{}\"", escape_quoted(p))),
+            TorAuth::Cookie(path) => {
+                let bytes = tokio::fs::read(path)
+                    .await
+                    .with_context(|| format!("read TOR cookie file {}", path.display()))?;
+                Ok(format!("AUTHENTICATE {}", hex_encode(&bytes)))
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Parse `tcp://host:port`, `host:port`, or bare `host` into a
+/// connect-time string. Default port is [`DEFAULT_CONTROL_PORT`].
+fn parse_control_url(url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
+    let stripped = url.strip_prefix("tcp://").unwrap_or(url);
+    if stripped.is_empty() {
+        bail!("TOR control url is empty");
+    }
+    if stripped.contains(':') {
+        Ok(stripped.to_string())
+    } else {
+        Ok(format!("{stripped}:{DEFAULT_CONTROL_PORT}"))
+    }
+}
+
+fn escape_quoted(s: &str) -> String {
+    s.replace('\\', r"\\").replace('"', r#"\""#)
+}
+
+fn hex_encode(bytes: &[u8]) -> String {
+    let mut s = String::with_capacity(bytes.len() * 2);
+    for b in bytes {
+        s.push_str(&format!("{b:02x}"));
+    }
+    s
+}
+
+async fn write_line<W: tokio::io::AsyncWrite + Unpin>(
+    w: &mut W,
+    line: &str,
+) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    w.write_all(line.as_bytes()).await?;
+    w.write_all(b"\r\n").await?;
+    w.flush().await?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Drain a TOR control reply, accepting only status `250`. Handles
+/// the protocol's three line forms: `XYZ ...` (single/end), `XYZ-...`
+/// (continuation), `XYZ+...` (data block ended by a lone `.`). Our
+/// commands only ever produce single-line `250 OK`, but we honor the
+/// continuation forms so a future torrc that adds events / banners
+/// doesn't confuse the parser.
+async fn expect_250<R: AsyncBufReadExt + Unpin>(r: &mut R) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    loop {
+        let mut line = String::new();
+        let n = r.read_line(&mut line).await?;
+        if n == 0 {
+            bail!("TOR control port closed connection mid-reply");
+        }
+        let trimmed = line.trim_end_matches(['\r', '\n']);
+        if trimmed.len() < 4 {
+            bail!("malformed TOR control reply: {trimmed:?}");
+        }
+        let (code, rest) = trimmed.split_at(3);
+        if code != "250" {
+            bail!("TOR control replied {trimmed:?}");
+        }
+        let sep = rest.as_bytes()[0];
+        match sep {
+            b' ' => return Ok(()),
+            b'-' => continue,
+            b'+' => {
+                // Data block — read until a line consisting of only ".".
+                loop {
+                    let mut data = String::new();
+                    let n = r.read_line(&mut data).await?;
+                    if n == 0 {
+                        bail!("TOR control port closed mid-data-block");
+                    }
+                    if data.trim_end_matches(['\r', '\n']) == "." {
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            _ => bail!("malformed TOR control reply separator: {trimmed:?}"),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+    use tokio::io::AsyncWriteExt;
+    use tokio::net::TcpListener;
+
+    /// Spawn a mock control port that responds to each \r\n-terminated
+    /// inbound line with the next entry from `replies`. Each reply has
+    /// its own `\r\n` appended. Records received lines into `recorder`.
+    /// After `replies.len()` exchanges the task drops the socket — this
+    /// matches the real TOR behavior for QUIT (close after acking).
+    async fn spawn_mock(
+        replies: Vec<&'static str>,
+        recorder: Arc<Mutex<Vec<String>>>,
+    ) -> String {
+        let listener = TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:0").await.unwrap();
+        let addr = listener.local_addr().unwrap().to_string();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            let (sock, _) = listener.accept().await.unwrap();
+            let (r, mut w) = sock.into_split();
+            let mut r = BufReader::new(r);
+            for reply in replies {
+                let mut line = String::new();
+                let n = r.read_line(&mut line).await.unwrap_or(0);
+                if n == 0 {
+                    return;
+                }
+                recorder
+                    .lock()
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .push(line.trim_end_matches(['\r', '\n']).to_string());
+                w.write_all(reply.as_bytes()).await.unwrap();
+                w.write_all(b"\r\n").await.unwrap();
+                w.flush().await.unwrap();
+            }
+        });
+        addr
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn password_auth_then_newnym_writes_expected_sequence() {
+        let recorder = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new()));
+        // Two replies: AUTHENTICATE then SIGNAL NEWNYM. QUIT is
+        // fire-and-forget; the mock dropping the socket is the
+        // expected real-world behavior.
+        let addr =
+            spawn_mock(vec!["250 OK", "250 OK"], Arc::clone(&recorder)).await;
+        let controller = TorController::new(addr, TorAuth::Password("secret".into()));
+        controller.new_identity().await.expect("new_identity ok");
+        let recorded = recorder.lock().unwrap().clone();
+        assert_eq!(recorded.first().map(String::as_str), Some("AUTHENTICATE \"secret\""));
+        assert_eq!(recorded.get(1).map(String::as_str), Some("SIGNAL NEWNYM"));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn cookie_auth_hex_encodes_file_bytes() {
+        let tmp = tempfile::NamedTempFile::new().unwrap();
+        let cookie: Vec<u8> = (0u8..32).collect();
+        std::fs::write(tmp.path(), &cookie).unwrap();
+        let recorder = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new()));
+        let addr =
+            spawn_mock(vec!["250 OK", "250 OK"], Arc::clone(&recorder)).await;
+        let controller =
+            TorController::new(addr, TorAuth::Cookie(tmp.path().to_path_buf()));
+        controller.new_identity().await.expect("new_identity ok");
+        let recorded = recorder.lock().unwrap().clone();
+        let expected_hex: String = cookie.iter().map(|b| format!("{b:02x}")).collect();
+        assert_eq!(
+            recorded.first().map(String::as_str),
+            Some(format!("AUTHENTICATE {expected_hex}").as_str())
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn no_auth_sends_bare_authenticate() {
+        let recorder = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new()));
+        let addr =
+            spawn_mock(vec!["250 OK", "250 OK"], Arc::clone(&recorder)).await;
+        let controller = TorController::new(addr, TorAuth::None);
+        controller.new_identity().await.expect("new_identity ok");
+        let recorded = recorder.lock().unwrap().clone();
+        assert_eq!(recorded.first().map(String::as_str), Some("AUTHENTICATE"));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn non_250_reply_returns_err_with_reply_text() {
+        let recorder = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new()));
+        let addr = spawn_mock(
+            vec!["515 Bad authentication"],
+            Arc::clone(&recorder),
+        )
+        .await;
+        let controller =
+            TorController::new(addr, TorAuth::Password("wrong".into()));
+        let err = controller.new_identity().await.expect_err("should fail");
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("515"), "expected 515 in error, got: {msg}");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn closed_connection_mid_reply_is_an_error() {
+        // Listener accepts the AUTH line then drops without replying —
+        // this exercises the EOF-mid-reply path in expect_250 (rather
+        // than tor's own error replies which are covered elsewhere).
+        let listener = TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:0").await.unwrap();
+        let addr = listener.local_addr().unwrap().to_string();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            if let Ok((sock, _)) = listener.accept().await {
+                let (r, _w) = sock.into_split();
+                let mut r = BufReader::new(r);
+                let mut line = String::new();
+                let _ = r.read_line(&mut line).await; // read AUTH, ignore
+                // Drop _w (and the read half via scope exit) so the
+                // peer sees an immediate EOF on the next read.
+            }
+        });
+        let controller = TorController::new(addr, TorAuth::None);
+        let err = controller.new_identity().await.expect_err("should fail");
+        let msg = format!("{err:#}");
+        assert!(
+            msg.contains("closed connection"),
+            "expected EOF-mid-reply error, got: {msg}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn multi_line_250_continuation_is_accepted() {
+        let recorder = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new()));
+        // AUTHENTICATE reply uses the `250-...\r\n250 OK\r\n` form.
+        // Single reply string contains the whole multi-line response.
+        let addr = spawn_mock(
+            vec!["250-banner=foo\r\n250 OK", "250 OK"],
+            Arc::clone(&recorder),
+        )
+        .await;
+        let controller = TorController::new(addr, TorAuth::None);
+        controller.new_identity().await.expect("new_identity ok");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn from_parts_returns_none_when_url_unset() {
+        let c = TorController::from_parts(None, None, None).unwrap();
+        assert!(c.is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn from_parts_prefers_cookie_over_password() {
+        let c = TorController::from_parts(
+            Some("tor:9051"),
+            Some("pw"),
+            Some(Path::new("/var/lib/tor/control_auth_cookie")),
+        )
+        .unwrap()
+        .expect("controller built");
+        assert!(matches!(c.auth, TorAuth::Cookie(_)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn from_parts_falls_back_to_password_without_cookie() {
+        let c = TorController::from_parts(Some("tor:9051"), Some("pw"), None)
+            .unwrap()
+            .expect("controller built");
+        assert!(matches!(c.auth, TorAuth::Password(p) if p == "pw"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_control_url_accepts_tcp_scheme() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_control_url("tcp://127.0.0.1:9051").unwrap(), "127.0.0.1:9051");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_control_url_defaults_port_when_omitted() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_control_url("tor").unwrap(), "tor:9051");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_control_url_passes_through_host_port() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_control_url("tor:9999").unwrap(), "tor:9999");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_control_url_rejects_empty() {
+        assert!(parse_control_url("").is_err());
+        assert!(parse_control_url("tcp://").is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn escape_quoted_handles_quotes_and_backslashes() {
+        assert_eq!(escape_quoted(r#"a"b\c"#), r#"a\"b\\c"#);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn debug_format_redacts_password_and_cookie_path() {
+        // Regression: app.rs / bin/crawler.rs log the controller at
+        // startup via `tracing::info!(?t, ...)`. A derived Debug on
+        // TorAuth would expand TorAuth::Password(p) and leak the
+        // plaintext into logs.
+        let c = TorController::new("tor:9051", TorAuth::Password("super-secret".into()));
+        let dbg = format!("{c:?}");
+        assert!(!dbg.contains("super-secret"), "password leaked: {dbg}");
+        assert!(dbg.contains("<redacted>"), "expected <redacted>, got: {dbg}");
+
+        let c = TorController::new(
+            "tor:9051",
+            TorAuth::Cookie("/var/lib/tor/control_auth_cookie".into()),
+        );
+        let dbg = format!("{c:?}");
+        assert!(!dbg.contains("control_auth_cookie"), "cookie path leaked: {dbg}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn hex_encode_zero_pads_low_bytes() {
+        assert_eq!(hex_encode(&[0x00, 0x0f, 0xff]), "000fff");
+    }
+}

docker-compose.yml

@@ -19,11 +19,48 @@ services:
       timeout: 5s
       retries: 10
 
+  tor:
+    # SOCKS5 proxy for the crawler, plus a control port so the backend
+    # can signal NEWNYM on bad pages. See tor/torrc for the daemon
+    # config; both ports are only `expose`d (compose-internal), never
+    # bound on the host.
+    #
+    # We bypass dockurr/tor's stock entrypoint because it binds the
+    # control port to localhost (unreachable from the backend
+    # container) and skips its own HashedControlPassword injection
+    # when the user's torrc declares a ControlPort. Our wrapper
+    # (tor/entrypoint.sh) generates the hash from $PASSWORD and execs
+    # tor with our torrc. Backend authenticates with the same plain
+    # string via CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD.
+    image: dockurr/tor:latest
+    entrypoint: ["/bin/sh", "/usr/local/bin/mangalord-entrypoint.sh"]
+    environment:
+      PASSWORD: ${TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD:?TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD must be set in .env}
+    volumes:
+      - ./tor/torrc:/etc/tor/torrc:ro
+      - ./tor/entrypoint.sh:/usr/local/bin/mangalord-entrypoint.sh:ro
+    expose:
+      - "9050"
+      - "9051"
+    # Wait for both control + SOCKS ports to listen before downstream
+    # services start. dockurr/tor's main process spawns before tor
+    # itself is bound, so `service_started` alone races the first
+    # NEWNYM call.
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "nc -z 127.0.0.1 9050 && nc -z 127.0.0.1 9051"]
+      interval: 5s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 20
+      start_period: 30s
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
   backend:
     build: ./backend
     depends_on:
       postgres:
         condition: service_healthy
+      tor:
+        condition: service_healthy
     environment:
       DATABASE_URL: postgres://${POSTGRES_USER:-mangalord}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:?POSTGRES_PASSWORD must be set in .env}@postgres:5432/${POSTGRES_DB:-mangalord}
       BIND_ADDRESS: 0.0.0.0:8080
@@ -44,6 +81,16 @@ services:
       # arm64 deployments. Pair with `--build-arg INSTALL_CHROMIUM=true`
       # so the image actually contains the binary.
       CRAWLER_CHROMIUM_BINARY: ${CRAWLER_CHROMIUM_BINARY:-}
+      # TOR proxy + NEWNYM recircuit (see .env.example for details).
+      # Defaults assume the bundled `tor` service above; override
+      # CRAWLER_PROXY=  and CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_URL=  (both empty) in
+      # .env to disable. CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD MUST match the
+      # tor service's PASSWORD (both wired to the same TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD
+      # .env var below).
+      CRAWLER_PROXY: ${CRAWLER_PROXY-socks5h://tor:9050}
+      CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_URL: ${CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_URL-tcp://tor:9051}
+      CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD: ${TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD:?TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD must be set in .env}
+      CRAWLER_TOR_RECIRCUIT_MAX_ATTEMPTS: ${CRAWLER_TOR_RECIRCUIT_MAX_ATTEMPTS:-3}
     volumes:
       - storage-data:/var/lib/mangalord/storage
     # No host port mapping in the default setup — the frontend proxies

frontend/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "mangalord-frontend",
-  "version": "0.45.1",
+  "version": "0.46.0",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {

tor/entrypoint.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Mangalord wrapper around dockurr/tor's tor binary.
+#
+# We bypass the image's stock entrypoint for two reasons:
+#   1. It generates a `ControlPort 9051` line that binds to localhost
+#      only (tor's default), but our backend lives in a separate
+#      container and needs to reach 0.0.0.0:9051.
+#   2. It then *skips* writing HashedControlPassword whenever the
+#      user's torrc declares a ControlPort, so we can't both bind to
+#      0.0.0.0 and benefit from its auto-hashing — it's one or the
+#      other. Doing the hashing ourselves is simpler than threading
+#      around its logic.
+#
+# This wrapper hashes $PASSWORD with `tor --hash-password`, appends a
+# `HashedControlPassword` line to a writable copy of /etc/tor/torrc,
+# then execs tor. Container runs as root (image default); tor binds
+# 9050/9051 which don't require root and is fine inside a single-
+# purpose container.
+
+set -eu
+
+if [ -z "${PASSWORD:-}" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: PASSWORD env must be set (the plain string the backend will" >&2
+    echo "       send as CRAWLER_TOR_CONTROL_PASSWORD)" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# `tor --hash-password` prints the hash on the last line of stdout
+# (preceded by initialization noise).
+HASH=$(tor --hash-password "$PASSWORD" 2>/dev/null | tail -n1)
+if [ -z "$HASH" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: 'tor --hash-password' produced no output" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# /etc/tor/torrc is bind-mounted read-only, so copy + append.
+cp /etc/tor/torrc /tmp/torrc
+printf '\n# Injected by mangalord-entrypoint.sh from $PASSWORD env.\nHashedControlPassword %s\n' "$HASH" >> /tmp/torrc
+
+exec tor -f /tmp/torrc

tor/torrc

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+# torrc for the Mangalord crawler.
+#
+# Mounted into the dockurr/tor container at /etc/tor/torrc. The
+# crawler talks to this daemon over the internal compose network only:
+# `expose:` on the tor service surfaces 9050/9051 to sibling
+# containers, never to the host.
+
+# SOCKS5 proxy that reqwest and Chromium use. IsolateDestAddr +
+# IsolateDestPort means each new (destination IP, port) draws a fresh
+# circuit — so a SIGNAL NEWNYM picks up promptly on the next
+# navigation instead of having to wait for an existing dirty circuit
+# to age out.
+SOCKSPort 0.0.0.0:9050 IsolateDestAddr IsolateDestPort
+
+# Control port for SIGNAL NEWNYM. We rely on the dockurr/tor
+# entrypoint to inject `HashedControlPassword <hash>` from its
+# PASSWORD env var (see docker-compose.yml `tor.environment.PASSWORD`)
+# via a higher-priority --defaults-torrc. We just need to declare the
+# port itself here.
+ControlPort 0.0.0.0:9051
+
+# Keep circuits dirty for a while so a single chapter (which serial-
+# fetches all its images through the same SOCKS endpoint) finishes on
+# one circuit rather than mid-circuit-rotating in a way that looks like
+# anti-bot evasion to the target. NEWNYM still forces a fresh circuit
+# immediately when we want one — this is just the idle-rotation knob.
+MaxCircuitDirtiness 600
+
+# Drop privileges to the image's `tor` user after binding ports.
+# Required because /var/lib/tor (the image's DataDirectory volume)
+# is owned by tor:tor and tor refuses to use a data dir it doesn't
+# own. Our entrypoint runs as root only so it can call
+# `tor --hash-password` and write /tmp/torrc.
+User tor
+
+# Data + logs.
+DataDirectory /var/lib/tor
+Log notice stdout