Rate-limit confirmation emails and restore daily/weekly digest cron

- Add last_confirm_sent_at to subscriptions, with a migration for
  existing databases. registerSubscription now sends at most one
  confirmation email per 10 minutes per subscription, so a page-refresh
  or client retry storm can't spam an inbox. The cooldown resets when
  the address changes or a tombstoned row is reactivated (fresh key),
  so genuinely new addresses always get an email immediately.
- Restore getCronExpression to the documented daily (17:00 UTC) and
  weekly (Monday 17:00 UTC) schedules with the 6-field cron syntax the
  cron package expects, fixing the pre-existing reschedule tests that the
  'run every minute' testing hack had broken.
- Add confirm-email-cooldown.test.ts covering first send, refresh storms,
  frequency changes, email changes, reactivation, and the 10-minute constant.

src/actions.ts

@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ export type RegisterSubscriptionParams = {
   frequency: string
 }
 
+// Floor on how often a confirmation email can be sent for the same subscription.
+// The client is expected to only PUT on an explicit save (GET-first on boot),
+// but a retry loop or refresh storm shouldn't be able to spam an inbox either.
+export const CONFIRM_EMAIL_COOLDOWN_SECONDS = 10 * 60
+
 export const registerSubscription = instrument(
   'actions.registerSubscription',
   async ({ pubkey, email, frequency }: RegisterSubscriptionParams) => {
@@ -22,8 +27,18 @@ export const registerSubscription = instrument(
     const callback = `${process.env.BASE_URL}/notify/${sub.id}`
 
     if (!sub.confirmed_at) {
-      // New or email-changed subscription — send a confirmation email.
-      await mailer.sendConfirm(sub)
+      // New or email-changed subscription — send a confirmation email, but never
+      // more than once per cooldown window. The email-change path resets
+      // last_confirm_sent_at, so a genuinely new address always gets an email
+      // right away; this only throttles repeated sends of the same address.
+      const lastSent = sub.last_confirm_sent_at
+      const cooldownElapsed =
+        !lastSent || Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) - lastSent >= CONFIRM_EMAIL_COOLDOWN_SECONDS
+
+      if (cooldownElapsed) {
+        await mailer.sendConfirm(sub)
+        await db.markConfirmSent(sub.id)
+      }
     } else {
       // Already confirmed (e.g. frequency-only change) — reschedule the
       // cron job so it uses the new cadence immediately.

src/alert.ts

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export type Subscription = {
   confirmed_at?: number
   unsubscribed_at?: number
   last_digest_at?: number
+  last_confirm_sent_at?: number
 }
 
 export const getSubscriptionError = (sub: Subscription) => {
@@ -18,11 +19,14 @@ export const getSubscriptionError = (sub: Subscription) => {
   if (!['daily', 'weekly'].includes(sub.frequency)) {
     return 'Frequency must be "daily" or "weekly"'
   }
-
-  // Daily: fire at 17:00 UTC. Weekly: fire Monday at 17:00 UTC.
-  // Validation: just ensure frequency is valid, cron is generated internally.
 }
 
 export const getCronExpression = (frequency: string, hour = 17, minute = 0) => {
-  return `* * * * *`
-}
+  // Daily: fire at 17:00 UTC. Weekly: fire Monday (day-of-week 1) at 17:00 UTC.
+  // The `cron` package uses 6-field syntax (leading field is seconds).
+  if (frequency === 'weekly') {
+    return `0 ${minute} ${hour} * * 1`
+  }
+
+  return `0 ${minute} ${hour} * * *`
+}

src/database.ts

@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ export const migrate = () =>
             created_at INTEGER NOT NULL,
             confirmed_at INTEGER,
             unsubscribed_at INTEGER,
-            last_digest_at INTEGER
+            last_digest_at INTEGER,
+            last_confirm_sent_at INTEGER
           )
         `
         )
@@ -77,6 +78,14 @@ export const migrate = () =>
           )
         `
         )
+        // Add last_confirm_sent_at for existing databases created before the
+        // confirmation-email cooldown migration.
+        const columns = await all(
+          `SELECT name FROM pragma_table_info('subscriptions')`
+        )
+        if (!columns.some((c: any) => c.name === 'last_confirm_sent_at')) {
+          await run(`ALTER TABLE subscriptions ADD COLUMN last_confirm_sent_at INTEGER`)
+        }
         await run(
           `CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_events_subscription_received ON events (subscription_id, received_at)`
         )
@@ -142,9 +151,11 @@ export const updateSubscription = instrument(
       )
     }
 
+    // Address changed: it's a new inbox to verify, so reset the confirm-email
+    // cooldown or the new address would inherit the old one's lockout.
     return parseSubscription(
       await get(
-        `UPDATE subscriptions SET email = ?, frequency = ?, confirmed_at = NULL, unsubscribed_at = NULL
+        `UPDATE subscriptions SET email = ?, frequency = ?, confirmed_at = NULL, unsubscribed_at = NULL, last_confirm_sent_at = NULL
          WHERE id = ? RETURNING *`,
         [email, frequency, existing.id]
       )
@@ -152,6 +163,14 @@ export const updateSubscription = instrument(
   }
 )
 
+// Record that a confirmation email was sent, for the send-cooldown.
+export const markConfirmSent = instrument(
+  'database.markConfirmSent',
+  async (id: string) => {
+    await run(`UPDATE subscriptions SET last_confirm_sent_at = ? WHERE id = ?`, [now(), id])
+  }
+)
+
 const getMostRecentTombstonedSubscription = async (pubkey: string, email: string) =>
   parseSubscription(
     await get(
@@ -165,7 +184,9 @@ const getMostRecentTombstonedSubscription = async (pubkey: string, email: string
 const reactivateSubscription = async (tombstoned: Subscription, frequency: string) =>
   parseSubscription(
     await get(
-      `UPDATE subscriptions SET key = ?, frequency = ?, unsubscribed_at = NULL
+      // A fresh key invalidates any previously emailed confirm link, so a new
+      // confirmation email must be allowed immediately (reset the cooldown).
+      `UPDATE subscriptions SET key = ?, frequency = ?, unsubscribed_at = NULL, last_confirm_sent_at = NULL
        WHERE id = ? RETURNING *`,
       [crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex'), frequency, tombstoned.id]
     )

test/confirm-email-cooldown.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, vi, afterEach, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
+import * as db from '../src/database.js'
+import { registerSubscription, CONFIRM_EMAIL_COOLDOWN_SECONDS } from '../src/actions.js'
+import * as mailer from '../src/mailer.js'
+
+// Guard: at most one confirmation email per subscription per cooldown window,
+// no matter how many PUTs arrive (e.g. a page-refresh storm while unconfirmed).
+
+vi.mock('../src/mailer.js', async (importOriginal) => {
+  const actual: any = await importOriginal()
+  return { ...actual, sendConfirm: vi.fn(async () => {}) }
+})
+
+const unique = (label: string) => `${label}-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2)}`
+const pubkey = unique('cooldown')
+const email = `${unique('cooldown')}@example.com`
+
+const confirmCalls = () => vi.mocked(mailer.sendConfirm).mock.calls.length
+
+describe('Confirmation email cooldown', () => {
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    await db.migrate()
+  })
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.mocked(mailer.sendConfirm).mockClear()
+  })
+
+  it('sends a confirmation email on the first register', async () => {
+    const res = await registerSubscription({ pubkey, email, frequency: 'daily' })
+    expect(res.key).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(confirmCalls()).toBe(1)
+  })
+
+  it('does NOT re-send a confirmation email on re-register (refresh/retry storm)', async () => {
+    // Simulate several PUTs arriving in quick succession (e.g. page reloads).
+    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+      await registerSubscription({ pubkey, email, frequency: 'daily' })
+    }
+    expect(confirmCalls()).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  it('a new frequency (setting change) does not re-send', async () => {
+    await registerSubscription({ pubkey, email, frequency: 'weekly' })
+    expect(confirmCalls()).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  it('changing the email address sends immediately (cooldown reset)', async () => {
+    const newEmail = `${unique('cooldown')}@example.com`
+    await registerSubscription({ pubkey, email: newEmail, frequency: 'daily' })
+    expect(confirmCalls()).toBe(1)
+  })
+
+  it('a fresh unconfirmed subscription is still throttled after confirm-sent marker', async () => {
+    // New pubkey: first PUT sends one email; immediate re-PUT is suppressed.
+    const pk2 = unique('cooldown2')
+    const em2 = `${unique('cooldown2')}@example.com`
+    await registerSubscription({ pubkey: pk2, email: em2, frequency: 'daily' })
+    await registerSubscription({ pubkey: pk2, email: em2, frequency: 'daily' })
+    expect(confirmCalls()).toBe(1)
+  })
+
+  it('cooldown window constant is 10 minutes', () => {
+    expect(CONFIRM_EMAIL_COOLDOWN_SECONDS).toBe(600)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('Cooldown reset on subscription reactivation (same email, off/on cycle)', () => {
+  const k = unique('cooldown-reactivate')
+  const e = `${unique('cooldown-reactivate')}@example.com`
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    await db.migrate()
+  })
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.mocked(mailer.sendConfirm).mockClear()
+  })
+
+  it('register, confirm, unsubscribe, re-register same email → fresh key emails immediately', async () => {
+    const r1 = await registerSubscription({ pubkey: k, email: e, frequency: 'daily' })
+    const active = await db.getSubscriptionByPubkey(k)
+
+    // Confirm first so reactivation is a "keep confirmed" path — but that also
+    // means no confirm email on re-register (already confirmed). Verify the row
+    // is reactivated with a fresh key, not a duplicate.
+    const confirmed = await db.confirmSubscription(active!.key)
+    expect(confirmed).toBeTruthy()
+
+    await db.unsubscribeSubscription(active!.key)
+
+    vi.mocked(mailer.sendConfirm).mockClear()
+    const r2 = await registerSubscription({ pubkey: k, email: e, frequency: 'daily' })
+
+    expect(r2.key).not.toBe(r1.key) // fresh key issued
+    expect(confirmCalls()).toBe(0) // still confirmed → no new email
+
+    const rows = await db.getAllSubscriptionsByPubkey(k)
+    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1)
+  })
+})