fix(desktop): preserve early relay auth challenges

desktop/src/shared/api/relayClientSession.ts

@@ -536,7 +536,9 @@ export class RelayClient {
     );
 
     const generation = ++this.connectionGeneration;
+    let pendingInbound: unknown[] | null = [];
     this.onMessageChannel = new Channel<unknown>((message) => {
+      if (pendingInbound) return void pendingInbound.push(message);
       void this.handleWsMessage(message, generation).catch((error) => {
         if (generation !== this.connectionGeneration) return;
         this.resetConnection(
@@ -560,7 +562,7 @@ export class RelayClient {
       }
       this.wsId = wsId;
 
-      await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+      const authentication = new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
         const timeout = window.setTimeout(() => {
           const error = new Error("Relay authentication timed out.");
           this.authRequest = null;
@@ -576,6 +578,11 @@ export class RelayClient {
         };
       });
 
+      while (pendingInbound.length > 0) {
+        await this.handleWsMessage(pendingInbound.shift(), generation);
+      }
+      pendingInbound = null;
+      await authentication;
       this.stabilityTimer = window.setTimeout(() => {
         this.stabilityTimer = null;
         this.reconnectDelayMs = RECONNECT_BASE_DELAY_MS;

desktop/src/testing/e2eBridge.ts

@@ -286,6 +286,8 @@ type E2eConfig = {
     nostrBindSignDelayMs?: number;
     /** Reject successive mock WebSocket connect attempts, then resume. */
     websocketConnectErrors?: string[];
+    /** Deliver AUTH synchronously, before the mock connect command resolves. */
+    websocketAuthBeforeConnectResolves?: boolean;
     stallWebsocketSends?: boolean;
     userSearchDelayMs?: number;
     // NIP-IA gate inputs — see tests/helpers/bridge.ts:MockBridgeOptions for
@@ -8758,9 +8760,14 @@ async function connectMockSocket(args: { onMessage: unknown }) {
     subscriptions: new Map(),
   });
 
-  window.setTimeout(() => {
+  if (getConfig()?.mock?.websocketAuthBeforeConnectResolves) {
     sendWsText(handler, ["AUTH", `mock-challenge-${wsId}`]);
-  }, 0);
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve) => window.setTimeout(resolve, 50));
+  } else {
+    window.setTimeout(() => {
+      sendWsText(handler, ["AUTH", `mock-challenge-${wsId}`]);
+    }, 0);
+  }
 
   return wsId;
 }

desktop/tests/e2e/relay-reconnect.spec.ts

@@ -94,6 +94,30 @@ test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
   await installMockBridge(page);
 });
 
+test("AUTH arriving before connect resolves does not lose the first send", async ({
+  page,
+}) => {
+  await installMockBridge(page, {
+    websocketAuthBeforeConnectResolves: true,
+  });
+  await page.goto("/");
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      () =>
+        page.evaluate(() => window.__BUZZ_E2E_GET_RELAY_CONNECTION_STATE__?.()),
+      { timeout: 5_000 },
+    )
+    .toBe("connected");
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-general").click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("chat-title")).toHaveText("general");
+
+  const message = `first send after early auth ${Date.now()}`;
+  await page.getByTestId("message-input").fill(message);
+  await page.getByTestId("send-message").click();
+
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("message-timeline")).toContainText(message);
+});
+
 test("failed initial relay dial retries automatically", async ({ page }) => {
   await installMockBridge(page, {
     websocketConnectErrors: ["mock relay pod unavailable"],

desktop/tests/helpers/bridge.ts

@@ -276,6 +276,8 @@ type MockBridgeOptions = {
   nostrBindSignDelayMs?: number;
   /** Reject successive mock WebSocket connect attempts, then resume. */
   websocketConnectErrors?: string[];
+  /** Deliver AUTH synchronously, before the mock connect command resolves. */
+  websocketAuthBeforeConnectResolves?: boolean;
   stallWebsocketSends?: boolean;
   userSearchDelayMs?: number;
   /**