diff --git a/docs/implementer-log.md b/docs/implementer-log.md
index 16658ac..12b81fd 100644
--- a/docs/implementer-log.md
+++ b/docs/implementer-log.md
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ One row per task session that ends in a commit. Newest last.
 | p5b/03-api | 2026-09-26 | done | 1 | gate: ok | none | The digest now answers long documents itself (task 02), so the API's refusal limit is only a safety cap: `DefaultPDFMaxQuestionChunks` 200→5000 in `internal/api/pdf.go` (the 422 message text unchanged, still "document too long for question (N chunks); use grep or pages"). In `v1fetch` (`internal/api/api.go`) the digest-meta map gains `"retrieval": dr.Retrieval` and `"embedded": dr.Embedded` next to `chunks_used`/`chunks_total`, only when the digest ran without a fallback. Copied the two given tests byte-identical from the plan — the replacement `pdf_test.go` is now the protected one and asserts `DefaultPDFMaxQuestionChunks == 5000`; `pdf_retrieval_test.go` asserts the first long-doc question returns `retrieval=bm25`, `embedded=0`. README PDF section: a long-doc question is answered first from BM25 (`retrieval: "bm25"`) while its chunks embed in the background and hybrid on later questions, plus the 5000-chunk cap. One sentence added to `skill/SKILL.md`. All api tests pass under `-race -count=3`; make gate ok; given files byte-identical. |
 | p5c/01-extract-api | 2026-09-26 | done | 1 | gate: ok | none | `POST /v1/extract` answers a PDF posted in the body like `/v1/fetch` answers the same PDF by URL, nothing fetched. `internal/api/extract.go`: auth via `caller`; `io.ReadAll` of the body (a `*http.MaxBytesError`→413 "too large (>N MB)", empty→400); `clean.Kind` must be "pdf" else 415; query `pages`/`grep`/`question`/`mode` (digest when a question is set, else clean; other→400). Content-addressed cache: `hash="sha256:"+HashBody(body)`, `key=PDFKey("upload:"+hash, callerClass)`; a `GetPDF` hit rebuilds the doc via `pdfFromEntry` with `cached:true` + `PDFCacheHit` and no child (bypasses the TTL/revalidation that `pdfFromCache` does, so identical content is extracted once); a miss builds a synthetic `fetch.Resource{URL:"upload",...}` and runs `extractPDF`+`storePDF`. Bad pages/grep→400 via `writeFetchErr`, the chunk limit→the same 422 as `v1fetch`, extraction errors→`pdfError` via `writeFetchErr`. Envelope mirrors the PDF fetch path (`content`/`mode`/`untrusted`/`warnings`/`sizes`/`timings`/`pdf`/`digest`); `source` is `{"kind":"upload","hash","bytes","cached","fetched_at"}` with no `url` key; no Honcho context for uploads; one log line "extract" with caller/bytes/pdf_pages/mode/cached. `internal/api/api.go` scoped to the rule-1 changes: `DefaultPDFMaxUpload` const (100 MiB), `PDFMaxUpload int64` Server field, the `POST /v1/extract` route in `New`, and `ServeHTTP` (per-path upload cap instead of the 64 KiB JSON limit, and `/v1/extract` added to the `requestDeadline` switch). The `pdfMaxUpload()` field-or-default resolver lives in extract.go. Given test byte-identical; all api tests pass under `-race -count=3`; make gate ok. |
 | p5c/02-extract-cli | 2026-09-26 | done | 1 | gate: ok | none | `sift extract <file.pdf>` uploads a local PDF to `/v1/extract` and prints the answer exactly as `sift fetch` does. `cmd/sift/extractcmd.go`: `extractOpts` + `parseExtractOpts` (reuses `splitAroundPositional` with `extractValueFlags` mode/pages/grep/question, one positional file, `--json`), `extractURL` builds `base+"/v1/extract"` with `url.Values` set only for the options that are set and `mode=digest` when a question is given and no mode — values are URL-encoded so a grep like `a b&c` survives round-trip; `extractMain` reuses `loadClient`, `stat`s the file and refuses >100 MiB before uploading (exit 3, matching the server's 413→exitFor), then `http.NewRequest` with the `*os.File` as the streaming body and `ContentLength` set (no second in-memory copy), `Content-Type: application/pdf` + bearer, and the same error/exitFor path as fetch; success prints `content` (or the `--json` envelope). `main.go`: `case "extract"` and one help line. README: extract line in the CLI block plus a sentence; SKILL.md: a PDF-on-disk bullet in the PDFs section. Given test byte-identical; all cmd/sift tests pass under `-race -count=3`; make gate ok; `bin/sift extract` prints the usage line. |
-| p6/01-batchstore | 2026-09-26 | done | 1 | gate: ok | none | Storage-only batch store in `internal/dcache` (new `batch.go`; schema added to `Open`; `BatchH`/`BatchM` counters added to `DB`). `CreateBatchJob` stores as given. Reads never write the lease: `BatchJob`, `BatchTargets` and the counts are pure, so exact lease values hold after a read. `BatchJobByIDem` returns the newest `(caller,idemKey)` job with `lease+ttl>now` and status queued/running/done/partial; failed/cancelled never reused. `PutBatchTargets` inserts in order; `BatchTargets` returns idx order with NULLs as nil pointers. `UpdateBatchTarget` bumps lease to `now`, increments `targets_done` exactly once per target entering done/failed (previous-status check prevents re-write double-count), and adds `len(result)` to `nbytes` when a result is written — all in one tx. `SetBatchJobStatus`/`TouchBatchJob` set lease; `SweepBatch` deletes by `lease+ttl<=now` with its targets and returns the job count; `EvictBatchOldest` evicts whole non-live jobs oldest-lease-first (never a queued/running one) until `BatchNbytes()<=maxBytes`; `MarkInFlightFailed` fails queued/running on restart; `BatchNbytes` sums job nbytes, kept out of `Size()`. Accessors return `(v,bool)`/`error`, count misses in `BatchM`, reuse `ClassFleet`/`ClassRestricted`. A first pass failed `TestBatchIDemLookup` because I forgot `.Scan(&id)` on the `QueryRow` (the un-scanned `*sql.Row` was always non-nil, so the method always missed); fixed and verified. All dcache tests pass under `-race -count=3`; make gate ok; given file byte-identical. |
+| p6/01-batchstore | 2026-09-26 | done | 1 | gate: ok | none | Storage-only batch store in `internal/dcache` (new `batch.go`; schema added to `Open`; `BatchH`/`BatchM` counters added to `DB`). `CreateBatchJob` stores as given. Reads never write the lease: `BatchJob`, `BatchTargets` and the counts are pure, so exact lease values hold after a read. `BatchJobByIDem` returns the newest `(caller,idemKey)` job with `lease+ttl>now` and status queued/running/done/partial; failed/cancelled never reused. `PutBatchTargets` inserts in order; `BatchTargets` returns idx order with NULLs as nil pointers. `UpdateBatchTarget` bumps lease to `now`, increments `targets_done` exactly once per target entering done/failed (previous-status check prevents re-write double-count), and adds `len(result)` to `nbytes` when a result is written — all in one tx. `SetBatchJobStatus`/`TouchBatchJob` set lease; `SweepBatch` deletes by `lease+ttl<=now` with its targets and returns the job count; `EvictBatchOldest` evicts whole non-live jobs oldest-lease-first (never a queued/running one) until `BatchNbytes()<=maxBytes`; `MarkInFlightFailed` fails queued/running on restart; `BatchNbytes` sums job nbytes, kept out of `Size()`. Accessors return `(v,bool)`/`error`, count misses in `BatchM`, reuse `ClassFleet`/`ClassRestricted`. A first pass failed `TestBatchIDemLookup` because I forgot `.Scan(&id)` on the `QueryRow` (the un-scanned `*sql.Row` was always non-nil, so the method always missed); fixed and verified. All dcache tests pass under `-race -count=3`; make gate ok; given file byte-identical.
+| p6/02-runner-core | 2026-09-26 | done | 1 | gate: ok | caller-cleanup hand-off to task 03 | Runner core in new internal/batch with no workers (task 03 adds them; jobs stay queued, so a queued job counts as live for the caps). Public surface in batch.go: Options/Target/Result/TargetError, FetchFunc, Job/TargetStatus, Hooks and Config with defaults (TTL 24h, 32 targets/job, 1 job/caller, 8 total, worker clamped to 2, 64 MiB, 2 s/10 m retry). Submit runs the given order — empty→ErrNoTargets, idempotency via hex SHA-256 of `name+NUL+json.Marshal(targets)` (a live hit returns the id reused, touching no caps), then TargetsPerJob/JobsPerCaller/JobsTotal caps, then stores the job queued (random 16-byte hex id, CreatedAt=Lease=now) and its targets (pending, Options=json of t.Options) before returning so a queued job is live; the submitting caller is held in memory by job id, never persisted. Status maps rows and decodes Result without writing; Touch moves the lease; Cancel sets a queued job cancelled at once and leaves its targets pending; Close is idempotent. Store errors are Warn-logged with the job id, never a URL/host. | |
 
 ## P5a review (owner, 2026-09-26)
 
diff --git a/internal/batch/batch.go b/internal/batch/batch.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..51ed5d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/batch/batch.go
@@ -0,0 +1,330 @@
+// Package batch is the batch runner core: it owns job lifecycle, idempotency and
+// the per-caller / global caps. It knows nothing about HTTP, the guard or the real
+// fetch pipeline — per-target work is an injected FetchFunc, and persistence is the
+// dcache store. Jobs never resume after a restart, so the caller is held in memory,
+// never written to the store.
+package batch
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"git.wntrmute.dev/kyle/sift/internal/auth"
+	"git.wntrmute.dev/kyle/sift/internal/dcache"
+)
+
+type Options struct {
+	Mode     string `json:"mode,omitempty"`
+	Question string `json:"question,omitempty"`
+	Pages    string `json:"pages,omitempty"`
+	Grep     string `json:"grep,omitempty"`
+	JQ       string `json:"jq,omitempty"`
+	Context  *bool  `json:"context,omitempty"` // nil = /v1/fetch's default (on when there is a question)
+	Recover  bool   `json:"recover,omitempty"`
+}
+
+type Target struct {
+	URL     string  `json:"url"`
+	Options Options `json:"options"`
+}
+
+// Result is a finished target: the /v1/fetch envelope's content, and every other envelope field
+// in Meta. It is stored JSON-encoded in the target's result column.
+type Result struct {
+	Content string         `json:"content"`
+	Meta    map[string]any `json:"meta,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// TargetError is a failure with an agent-facing hint. Status is the HTTP status the same
+// failure gets from /v1/fetch; the runner ignores it (the metrics hook reads it). Any other
+// error is stored with its Error() text and no hint.
+type TargetError struct {
+	Status    int
+	Msg, Hint string
+}
+
+func (e *TargetError) Error() string { return e.Msg }
+
+// FetchFunc does one target for the caller that submitted the job.
+type FetchFunc func(ctx context.Context, c *auth.Caller, t Target) (Result, error)
+
+type Job struct {
+	ID           string
+	Caller       string
+	Status       string // queued | running | done | partial | failed | cancelled
+	Error        string
+	TargetsTotal int
+	TargetsDone  int
+	CreatedAt    int64 // unix seconds
+}
+
+type TargetStatus struct {
+	Idx    int
+	URL    string
+	Status string // pending | running | done | failed
+	Result *Result
+	Error  string
+	Hint   string
+}
+
+// Hooks observe the runner for metrics. Any nil field is skipped.
+type Hooks struct {
+	Job        func(outcome string)                              // created, reused, done, partial, failed, cancelled
+	Target     func(err error, d time.Duration, resultBytes int) // once per stored target; err nil on success
+	JobSeconds func(d time.Duration)                             // submit → terminal, once per job
+	Depth      func(live int)                                    // live jobs, after every change
+	Inflight   func(n int)                                       // targets being fetched, after every change
+}
+
+type Config struct {
+	TTL           time.Duration // 0 → 24h
+	TargetsPerJob int           // 0 → 32
+	JobsPerCaller int           // 0 → 1
+	JobsTotal     int           // 0 → 8
+	Workers       int           // 0 → 1; values above 2 are clamped to 2
+	MaxBytes      int64         // 0 → 64 MiB
+	RetryWait     time.Duration // 0 → 2s: the pause before a busy target is tried again
+	RetryFor      time.Duration // 0 → 10m: how long one target may keep coming back busy
+	Hooks         Hooks
+}
+
+var (
+	ErrNoTargets      = errors.New("no targets")
+	ErrTooManyTargets = errors.New("too many targets")
+	ErrCallerBusy     = errors.New("busy")
+	ErrBusy           = errors.New("jobs busy")
+	ErrRetryLater     = errors.New("retry later") // a FetchFunc wraps this when the target was only busy
+)
+
+// terminal statuses mark a job as finished; only a queued job can be cancelled.
+func isJobTerminal(status string) bool {
+	switch status {
+	case "done", "partial", "failed", "cancelled":
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+type Runner struct {
+	db        *dcache.DB
+	fetch     FetchFunc
+	log       *slog.Logger
+	cfg       Config
+	callers   map[string]*auth.Caller // job id → submitting caller, held in memory only
+	callMu    sync.Mutex
+	closeOnce sync.Once
+}
+
+func New(db *dcache.DB, fetch FetchFunc, cfg Config, log *slog.Logger) *Runner {
+	if cfg.TTL == 0 {
+		cfg.TTL = 24 * time.Hour
+	}
+	if cfg.TargetsPerJob == 0 {
+		cfg.TargetsPerJob = 32
+	}
+	if cfg.JobsPerCaller == 0 {
+		cfg.JobsPerCaller = 1
+	}
+	if cfg.JobsTotal == 0 {
+		cfg.JobsTotal = 8
+	}
+	if cfg.Workers == 0 {
+		cfg.Workers = 1
+	}
+	if cfg.Workers > 2 {
+		cfg.Workers = 2
+	}
+	if cfg.MaxBytes == 0 {
+		cfg.MaxBytes = 64 << 20
+	}
+	if cfg.RetryWait == 0 {
+		cfg.RetryWait = 2 * time.Second
+	}
+	if cfg.RetryFor == 0 {
+		cfg.RetryFor = 10 * time.Minute
+	}
+	return &Runner{
+		db:      db,
+		fetch:   fetch,
+		log:     log,
+		cfg:     cfg,
+		callers: make(map[string]*auth.Caller),
+	}
+}
+
+// Submit stores the job and its targets before it returns. The order matters: an empty
+// request, then idempotency (which never touches the caps), then the caps, then the write.
+func (r *Runner) Submit(ctx context.Context, c *auth.Caller, callerClass string, targets []Target) (id string, reused bool, err error) {
+	if len(targets) == 0 {
+		return "", false, ErrNoTargets
+	}
+
+	raw, err := json.Marshal(targets)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", false, fmt.Errorf("batch: marshal targets: %w", err)
+	}
+	sum := sha256.Sum256([]byte(c.Name + "\x00" + string(raw)))
+	idemKey := hex.EncodeToString(sum[:])
+
+	now := time.Now().Unix()
+	if existing, ok := r.db.BatchJobByIDem(c.Name, idemKey, now, r.cfg.TTL); ok {
+		r.callJob("reused")
+		return existing, true, nil
+	}
+
+	if len(targets) > r.cfg.TargetsPerJob {
+		return "", false, ErrTooManyTargets
+	}
+	if r.db.LiveBatchJobs(c.Name) >= r.cfg.JobsPerCaller {
+		return "", false, ErrCallerBusy
+	}
+	if r.db.LiveBatchJobsTotal() >= r.cfg.JobsTotal {
+		return "", false, ErrBusy
+	}
+
+	id, err = randomID()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", false, fmt.Errorf("batch: job id: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := r.db.CreateBatchJob(dcache.BatchJob{
+		ID:           id,
+		Caller:       c.Name,
+		CallerClass:  callerClass,
+		IDemKey:      idemKey,
+		Status:       "queued",
+		TargetsTotal: len(targets),
+		CreatedAt:    now,
+		Lease:        now,
+	}); err != nil {
+		r.log.Warn("batch: create job", "job", id, "err", err)
+		return "", false, fmt.Errorf("batch: create job: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	btargets := make([]dcache.BatchTarget, len(targets))
+	for i := range targets {
+		opts, _ := json.Marshal(targets[i].Options)
+		btargets[i] = dcache.BatchTarget{
+			JobID:   id,
+			Idx:     i,
+			URL:     targets[i].URL,
+			Options: string(opts),
+			Status:  "pending",
+		}
+	}
+	if err := r.db.PutBatchTargets(id, btargets); err != nil {
+		r.log.Warn("batch: store targets", "job", id, "err", err)
+		return "", false, fmt.Errorf("batch: store targets: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	r.callMu.Lock()
+	r.callers[id] = c
+	r.callMu.Unlock()
+
+	r.callJob("created")
+	r.db.SweepBatch(now, r.cfg.TTL)
+	return id, false, nil
+}
+
+// Cancel sets a queued job cancelled at once; its pending targets stay pending. It is
+// false for an unknown id or a job already terminal.
+func (r *Runner) Cancel(id string) bool {
+	jb, ok := r.db.BatchJob(id)
+	if !ok || isJobTerminal(jb.Status) {
+		return false
+	}
+	if err := r.db.SetBatchJobStatus(id, "cancelled", "", time.Now().Unix()); err != nil {
+		r.log.Warn("batch: cancel job", "job", id, "err", err)
+		return false
+	}
+	r.callMu.Lock()
+	delete(r.callers, id)
+	r.callMu.Unlock()
+	r.callJob("cancelled")
+	return true
+}
+
+// Status maps the store rows for a job and its targets; Result is decoded from the result
+// column. It writes nothing.
+func (r *Runner) Status(id string) (Job, []TargetStatus, bool) {
+	jb, ok := r.db.BatchJob(id)
+	if !ok {
+		return Job{}, nil, false
+	}
+	j := Job{
+		ID:           jb.ID,
+		Caller:       jb.Caller,
+		Status:       jb.Status,
+		Error:        jb.Error,
+		TargetsTotal: jb.TargetsTotal,
+		TargetsDone:  jb.TargetsDone,
+		CreatedAt:    jb.CreatedAt,
+	}
+	tbs, _ := r.db.BatchTargets(id)
+	ts := make([]TargetStatus, 0, len(tbs))
+	for _, bt := range tbs {
+		var res *Result
+		if bt.Result != nil {
+			res = new(Result)
+			if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(*bt.Result), res); err != nil {
+				r.log.Warn("batch: decode result", "job", id, "err", err)
+			}
+		}
+		ts = append(ts, TargetStatus{
+			Idx:    bt.Idx,
+			URL:    bt.URL,
+			Status: bt.Status,
+			Result: res,
+			Error:  strOrEmpty(bt.Error),
+			Hint:   strOrEmpty(bt.Hint),
+		})
+	}
+	return j, ts, true
+}
+
+// Touch bumps the job's lease to now so a slow owner does not lose it.
+func (r *Runner) Touch(id string) {
+	now := time.Now().Unix()
+	if err := r.db.TouchBatchJob(id, now); err != nil {
+		r.log.Warn("batch: touch job", "job", id, "err", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// Close stops the workers and waits for an in-flight fetch to return. Safe to call more than
+// once. With no workers (task 02) there is nothing to stop; the in-memory callers are dropped.
+func (r *Runner) Close() {
+	r.closeOnce.Do(func() {
+		r.callMu.Lock()
+		r.callers = nil
+		r.callMu.Unlock()
+	})
+}
+
+func (r *Runner) callJob(outcome string) {
+	if r.cfg.Hooks.Job != nil {
+		r.cfg.Hooks.Job(outcome)
+	}
+}
+
+func randomID() (string, error) {
+	var b [16]byte
+	if _, err := rand.Read(b[:]); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return hex.EncodeToString(b[:]), nil
+}
+
+func strOrEmpty(s *string) string {
+	if s == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return *s
+}
diff --git a/internal/batch/runner_core_test.go b/internal/batch/runner_core_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6576aae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/batch/runner_core_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,182 @@
+package batch
+
+// P6 task 02: the runner's core — types, Submit (idempotency, caps, storage), Status, Touch and
+// Cancel — with no workers yet: every job stays queued. The helpers here are shared with task
+// 03's runner_test.go.
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+	"log/slog"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"git.wntrmute.dev/kyle/sift/internal/auth"
+	"git.wntrmute.dev/kyle/sift/internal/dcache"
+)
+
+var (
+	alice = &auth.Caller{Name: "alice", Workspace: "hermes-fleet"}
+	bob   = &auth.Caller{Name: "bob", Workspace: "hermes-fleet"}
+	carol = &auth.Caller{Name: "carol", Workspace: "hermes-fleet"}
+)
+
+func newRunner(t *testing.T, fetch FetchFunc, cfg Config) *Runner {
+	t.Helper()
+	db, err := dcache.Open("", 1<<20, slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(io.Discard, nil)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
+	r := New(db, fetch, cfg, slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(io.Discard, nil)))
+	t.Cleanup(r.Close) // runs before db.Close (cleanups are LIFO)
+	return r
+}
+
+func waitStatus(t *testing.T, r *Runner, id, want string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		j, _, ok := r.Status(id)
+		if ok && j.Status == want {
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(2 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	j, _, _ := r.Status(id)
+	t.Fatalf("job %s never reached %q (now %q)", id, want, j.Status)
+}
+
+func urls(ss ...string) []Target {
+	var out []Target
+	for _, s := range ss {
+		out = append(out, Target{URL: "https://" + s + ".example/"})
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// Submit stores the job queued with its targets pending, before it returns.
+func TestSubmitStoresQueued(t *testing.T) {
+	r := newRunner(t, func(context.Context, *auth.Caller, Target) (Result, error) {
+		return Result{Content: "ok"}, nil
+	}, Config{Workers: 1})
+	id, reused, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), alice, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("a", "b"))
+	if err != nil || reused || len(id) != 32 {
+		t.Fatalf("submit id=%q reused=%v err=%v, want a 32-hex-char id", id, reused, err)
+	}
+	j, ts, ok := r.Status(id)
+	if !ok || j.ID != id || j.Caller != "alice" || j.TargetsTotal != 2 || j.CreatedAt == 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("job %+v ok=%v", j, ok)
+	}
+	if j.Status != "queued" && j.Status != "running" && j.Status != "done" {
+		t.Fatalf("status %q", j.Status)
+	}
+	if len(ts) != 2 || ts[0].Idx != 0 || ts[0].URL != "https://a.example/" || ts[1].URL != "https://b.example/" {
+		t.Fatalf("targets %+v", ts)
+	}
+}
+
+// Cancelling a job no worker has reached: it is cancelled at once, its targets stay pending,
+// and the same list then starts a new job.
+func TestCancelQueued(t *testing.T) {
+	release := make(chan struct{})
+	defer close(release)
+	fetch := func(context.Context, *auth.Caller, Target) (Result, error) {
+		<-release
+		return Result{Content: "ok"}, nil
+	}
+	r := newRunner(t, fetch, Config{Workers: 1})
+	busy, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), bob, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("x")) // occupies the only worker once there is one
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	_ = busy
+	id, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), alice, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("a", "b"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !r.Cancel(id) {
+		t.Fatal("cancel returned false")
+	}
+	j, ts, _ := r.Status(id)
+	if j.Status != "cancelled" || ts[0].Status != "pending" || ts[1].Status != "pending" {
+		t.Fatalf("after cancel: %+v %+v", j, ts)
+	}
+	if r.Cancel(id) || r.Cancel("no-such-job") {
+		t.Fatal("cancel of a finished or unknown job must return false")
+	}
+	id2, reused, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), alice, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("a", "b"))
+	if err != nil || reused || id2 == id {
+		t.Fatalf("resubmit after cancel id=%q reused=%v err=%v", id2, reused, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// Touch keeps a job alive; Status never does.
+func TestTouchAndStatusLease(t *testing.T) {
+	db, err := dcache.Open("", 1<<20, slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(io.Discard, nil)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
+	release := make(chan struct{})
+	fetch := func(context.Context, *auth.Caller, Target) (Result, error) {
+		<-release
+		return Result{Content: "ok"}, nil
+	}
+	r := New(db, fetch, Config{Workers: 1}, slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(io.Discard, nil)))
+	t.Cleanup(r.Close)
+	defer close(release) // runs before the cleanups
+	id, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), alice, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("a"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond) // let a worker (task 03) take the target; it then blocks
+	before, _ := db.BatchJob(id)
+	time.Sleep(1100 * time.Millisecond) // the lease is in whole seconds
+	r.Status(id)
+	if j, _ := db.BatchJob(id); j.Lease != before.Lease {
+		t.Fatalf("Status moved the lease %d → %d; a read must not write", before.Lease, j.Lease)
+	}
+	r.Touch(id)
+	if j, _ := db.BatchJob(id); j.Lease <= before.Lease {
+		t.Fatalf("Touch did not move the lease: %d → %d", before.Lease, j.Lease)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCaps(t *testing.T) {
+	release := make(chan struct{})
+	fetch := func(context.Context, *auth.Caller, Target) (Result, error) {
+		<-release
+		return Result{Content: "ok"}, nil
+	}
+	r := newRunner(t, fetch, Config{TargetsPerJob: 2, JobsTotal: 2})
+	defer close(release)
+	if _, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), alice, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("a", "b", "c")); !errors.Is(err, ErrTooManyTargets) {
+		t.Fatalf("3 targets over a cap of 2: want ErrTooManyTargets, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), alice, dcache.ClassFleet, nil); !errors.Is(err, ErrNoTargets) {
+		t.Fatalf("no targets: want ErrNoTargets, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), alice, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("a")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// alice's job is live (queued or running): a second, different list is refused.
+	if _, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), alice, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("z")); !errors.Is(err, ErrCallerBusy) {
+		t.Fatalf("want ErrCallerBusy, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), bob, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("b")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// Two live jobs in total: a third caller is refused.
+	if _, _, err := r.Submit(context.Background(), carol, dcache.ClassFleet, urls("c")); !errors.Is(err, ErrBusy) {
+		t.Fatalf("want ErrBusy, got %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestStatusUnknown(t *testing.T) {
+	r := newRunner(t, func(context.Context, *auth.Caller, Target) (Result, error) { return Result{}, nil }, Config{})
+	if _, _, ok := r.Status("no-such-job"); ok {
+		t.Fatal("unknown id must be ok=false")
+	}
+}