docs: production hardening & review checklist for demo->prod transition

Grounded in hands-on review of the live scottdenya deployment and main.
P0 security blockers, P1 operational hardening, WhatsApp wiring runbook,
no-mistakes review items, and production Definition-of-Done.

Prepared by Mumuni (Syslog Falcon) 2026-08-03.

AGENTS.md

@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ Users, units, and categories are auto-seeded on first startup via lifespan hook:
 | POST | `/api/auth/refresh` | Token | Refresh tokens |
 | GET | `/api/auth/me` | Bearer | Current user |
 | GET | `/api/auth/admin-only` | Admin/Jerome, Admin/Wahab | RBAC demo endpoint |
+| GET | `/api/auth/users` | Bearer | List users (id, name, role) for the assign-technician picker |
 | POST | `/api/whatsapp/mock` | No | Mock WhatsApp |
 | GET | `/api/whatsapp/mock-log` | No | Recent mock submissions |
 
@@ -73,8 +74,10 @@ Frontend: Alpine.js (CDN) + Tailwind CSS (CDN). Auth state in localStorage. Role
 |--------|------|------|-------------|
 | POST | `/api/tickets` | Bearer | Create ticket (auto-number PAV-YYYY-NNNNN) |
 | GET | `/api/tickets` | No | List tickets (filter: status, priority, property, building, unit_id, category_id, assigned_to, date_from, date_to) |
-| GET | `/api/tickets/{id}` | No | Get ticket detail with timeline, photos, SLA status |
+| GET | `/api/tickets/{id}` | No | Get ticket detail with timeline, photos, SLA status, nested unit/category, phone |
-| PATCH | `/api/tickets/{id}` | Bearer | Update ticket (validates status transitions) |
+| GET | `/api/tickets/{id}/transitions` | No | Valid next statuses for the ticket's current status (drives the detail-page status picker) |
+| PATCH | `/api/tickets/{id}` | Bearer | Update ticket (validates status transitions; assigning a technician auto-advances New/Logged/Triage to Assigned) |
+| DELETE | `/api/tickets/{id}` | Admin/Jerome, Admin/Wahab | Delete ticket + children (timeline/photos/escalations); test/scratch cleanup only |
 | POST | `/api/tickets/{id}/status` | Bearer | Change status with note |
 | GET | `/api/tickets/{id}/sla` | No | Check SLA breach status |
 | POST | `/api/tickets/{id}/photos` | Bearer | Upload photos (multipart, is_before param) |
@@ -91,8 +94,11 @@ Frontend: Alpine.js (CDN) + Tailwind CSS (CDN). Auth state in localStorage. Role
 
 ## Ticket System (Sprint 2)
 
-### Status Lifecycle (15 statuses)
+### Status Lifecycle (16 statuses)
-New → Logged → Triage → Assigned → Accepted → Travelling → On Site → In Progress → Waiting Parts → Escalated → Completed → On-Field Verification → Wahab Review → Closed → Reopened
+New → Logged → Triage → Assigned → Accepted → Travelling → On Site → In Progress → Waiting Parts → Escalated → Completed → On-Field Verification → Wahab Review → Closed → Reopened → Cancelled
+
+Cancelled is terminal (no outgoing transitions) and reachable from any active
+state; it is excluded from SLA breach reporting and dashboard "active" counts.
 
 Valid transitions defined in `app/services/ticket.py::VALID_TRANSITIONS`. Invalid transitions return 400.
 

HARDENING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+# Denya OneCare — Production Hardening & Review Checklist
+
+> **Audience:** Abiba (and any agent working the Denya OneCare repo)
+> **Status:** Demo → Production hardening
+> **Context:** WhatsApp integration lands within a week (once Denya provides credentials).
+>   We are moving past "demo" toward the final product. This doc is the concrete,
+>   ordered punch-list to get there. Each item is grounded in the current codebase
+>   (verified against `main` and the live deployment on `scottdenya`).
+> **How to use:** work top-down. P0 items are hard blockers for any real data.
+>   When a P0/P1 item is done, mark it `[x]` and PR it with a `no-mistakes(review)` pass.
+
+---
+
+## 0. Current state (verified 2026-08-03)
+
+- **Working & verified:** auth (JWT 30m/7d, bcrypt, RBAC via `require_roles`), ticket
+  CRUD with 16-status `VALID_TRANSITIONS` state machine, SLA engine, photo uploads,
+  category/unit hierarchy, 3 role dashboards (CS/FM/CEO), Alembic migrations with
+  legacy-schema self-heal. **32 pytest tests pass.**
+- **Live:** container `denya-onecare` on LXC `scottdenya` (192.168.68.75:8000),
+  image built 2026-08-02, `restart: unless-stopped`.
+- **Known demo-only posture (must change):** `SECRET_KEY=change-me-in-production`,
+  `CORS_ORIGINS=*`, open `/api/auth/register`, SQLite backend, WhatsApp webhook
+  code is present but **no real credentials wired**.
+
+---
+
+## 1. P0 — Security blockers (do these FIRST, before any real data)
+
+### P0.1 Hardcode-safe secrets; never ship the default key
+- **Files:** `docker-compose.yml`, `app/core/config.py`
+- Replace the hardcoded `SECRET_KEY=change-me-in-production` default with a
+  fail-closed default: if `SECRET_KEY` is unset/empty or still the well-known
+  placeholder string, refuse to boot (raise in `Settings` validation or lifespan).
+- `docker-compose.yml` must NOT carry a literal secret. Reference an `.env`
+  (git-ignored) or a runtime secret source. Add `SECRET_KEY` + `WHATSAPP_*` to `.gitignore`.
+- **Acceptance:** starting the app without a real key fails loudly; container env
+  contains a strong random key (≥32 bytes, e.g. `openssl rand -hex 32`).
+
+### P0.2 Lock down CORS
+- **Files:** `app/main.py`, `docker-compose.yml`
+- `CORS_ORIGINS=*` + `allow_credentials=True` is an invalid/unsafe combo
+  (browsers reject `*` with credentials anyway). Replace with an explicit
+  origin allow-list of the real web origins (e.g. `https://denya.sysloggh.net`,
+  your NetBird/nomad domain + localhost for dev).
+- If credentials are used, origins MUST be explicit — never `*`.
+- **Acceptance:** `settings.CORS_ORIGINS` is a comma-separated explicit list; the
+  middleware builds an allow-list, not `["*"]`.
+
+### P0.3 Gate user registration
+- **File:** `app/routers/auth.py` (`POST /api/auth/register`)
+- Today anyone on the network can self-register. Decide the model:
+  - **Recommended:** require an admin-issued invitation token, or restrict
+    registration to a seed/allowed list, or remove the open route and create
+    users only via seed/admin.
+  - If a public self-service resident/tenant signup is genuinely required
+    (Phase 2 QR/self-service), it must be a SEPARATE endpoint with a **role
+    default of the least-privilege role** and rate-limiting — never able to mint
+    admin/FM roles.
+- **Acceptance:** a raw, unauthenticated register call can no longer mint an
+  `Admin/*` or `Director` account.
+
+### P0.4 Reconsider SQLite for the final product
+- **Files:** `docker-compose.yml`, `app/core/database.py`, `app/core/config.py`, PRD §16
+- PRD Phase 1 calls for PostgreSQL. SQLite is fine for POC but is a write-lock
+  bottleneck and a data-integrity risk under concurrent FM/CS/WhatsApp writes.
+- **Recommended:** switch `DATABASE_URL` to Postgres via async driver
+  (`postgresql+asyncpg://`). SQLAlchemy 2.0 + SQLAlchemy models are portable —
+  the migration is mostly: new driver dependency, `DATABASE_URL`, and re-running
+  Alembic against Postgres. Keep SQLite as the default for local dev/tests only.
+- **Acceptance:** `pytest` green against Postgres (tests param via conftest),
+  Alembic applies cleanly on a fresh Postgres DB.
+
+### P0.5 WhatsApp webhook auth + hardening (finish wiring, then lock it)
+- **File:** `app/routers/whatsapp.py`
+- The handler exists but no credentials are set. When wiring this week:
+  - Verify the `hub.verify_token` check is constant-time (compare with
+    `secrets.compare_digest`). **The GET verification path currently returns
+    `{"error": ...}` with HTTP 200** — flip to `403` on token mismatch.
+  - Validate **inbound messages only from Meta** — the webhook MUST authenticate
+    Meta's request signature (X-Hub-Signature-256 HMAC over the raw body with your
+    app secret) before processing, otherwise anyone who discovers the endpoint can
+    forge tickets. This is the single most important WhatsApp hardening item.
+  - Add per-sender rate limiting / dedupe on `wa_message_id` (webhook retries can
+    double-create tickets). Create an idempotency guard keyed on `wa_message_id`.
+  - Never log the raw access token; redact in `send_whatsapp_reply` error paths.
+- **Acceptance:** a forged POST without the Meta signature is rejected; duplicate
+  `wa_message_id` does not create a second ticket; verify-token mismatch returns 403.
+
+---
+
+## 2. P1 — Operational hardening (before/just after go-live)
+
+### P1.1 Secrets handling & git hygiene
+- Ensure `SECRET_KEY`, `WHATSAPP_*`, and any DB credentials are **not** in the repo
+  or in the committed `docker-compose.yml`. `.env` is git-ignored.
+- On this fleet: align with Syslog's key-off-disk doctrine — inject secrets at
+  runtime (Infisical) rather than baking into image or compose if feasible.
+- Rotate the seed demo users' `denya123` password before production. `seed_users`
+  is idempotent but the default password is in `app/services/seed.py` — forced-rotate
+  on first prod login or at seed time.
+
+### P1.2 Reverse proxy + TLS
+- Do not expose the raw uvicorn :8000 behind `CORS_ORIGINS=*` on the WAN.
+  Terminate TLS at a reverse proxy (Caddy/Traefik/nginx) with a proper domain
+  (e.g. `denya.sysloggh.net`).
+- Configure gunicorn/workers + `--proxy-headers` (or keep uvicorn but behind TLS).
+- **Acceptance:** `https://denya.sysloggh.net` serves the app with a valid cert;
+  `:8000` is not directly reachable from the internet.
+
+### P1.3 DB backups & persistence
+- Postgres change (P0.4) enables sane backups. Wire nightly `pg_dump` (or PBS /
+  Syslog backup cron) of the persistent volume. The compose already mounts
+  `app-data` volume — make sure it's on backed-up storage.
+- Add an Alembic upgrade step to the deploy runbook (never rely only on
+  `Base.metadata.create_all` + self-heal for schema changes in prod).
+
+### P1.4 Logging & observability
+- Add structured request logging; route to a location you can actually check
+  (stdout + a file/volume). Correlate with `ticket_number`.
+- Add a minimal `/health` readiness that checks DB connectivity (currently it
+  returns OK without touching the DB).
+
+### P1.5 Photo upload hardening
+- **File:** `app/routers/tickets.py`
+- Uploads already validate MIME + extension and use UUID filenames — good.
+- Add: max file-size limit (e.g. 10 MB) and content sniffing (validate magic
+  bytes, not just `content_type` which is client-supplied).
+- Ensure uploaded files are never executable and are served with
+  `X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff`.
+
+### P1.6 API hardening & rate limiting
+- Add rate limiting on `POST /api/auth/login` (brute-force) — per-IP/IP+account.
+- Consider rate limits on ticket creation (spam / mass-creation).
+- Normalize/validate `page_size` (already capped `le=200`) and pagination
+  tie-breaker (`id DESC` present — good).
+
+---
+
+## 3. WhatsApp integration (this week) — concrete wiring runbook
+
+Assumes Denya provides: **phone number ID, access token, verify token, app secret.**
+
+1. **Add env vars** (`WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER_ID`, `WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN`,
+   `WHATSAPP_VERIFY_TOKEN`, `WHATSAPP_APP_SECRET`, `META_GRAPH_BASE`) to `.env`
+   (git-ignored) and inject at runtime. Never commit.
+2. **Webhook handshake:** in Meta dashboard point the webhook URL at
+   `<domain>/api/whatsapp/webhook`. The GET verify path currently echoes
+   `hub.challenge` when the verify token matches — confirm this works, then apply
+   P0.5 (403 on mismatch, HMAC signature validation).
+3. **Verify incoming signature** (P0.5) — use `X-Hub-Signature-256` = HMAC-SHA256
+   of the raw body with your app secret, compared with `compare_digest`.
+4. **Reply flow:** confirm `send_whatsapp_reply` posts correctly to
+   `graph.facebook.com/v18.0/<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages`. The reply template
+   currently builds a JS string manually — prefer sending the nested object as a
+   proper JSON body rather than a hand-built string (`{\"body\":\"...\"}`) to avoid
+   escaping bugs. Test with the Meta "send a test message" tool.
+5. **Idempotency:** guard ticket creation on `wa_message_id` (P0.5) to prevent
+   double-creation on retries.
+6. **Standalone test:** use the `mock-log` endpoint to confirm webhook → ticket →
+   auto-reply path end-to-end in the demo env before pointing Meta's production
+   webhook at it.
+
+---
+
+## 4. Review recommendations (for the `no-mistakes(review)` pass and final QA)
+
+- **RBAC coverage:** audit every route for the correct dependency. Currently:
+  - `POST /api/tickets`, `PATCH`, `POST /{id}/status`, `POST /{id}/photos` → any
+    authenticated user. Confirm role intent (should a CS Rep push a ticket to
+    "On-Field Verification"? or only FM/Tech?).
+  - `GET /api/tickets`, `GET /{id}`, `/transitions`, `/sla`, `/photos` are
+    **unauthenticated**. For a facilities tool this may be intentional (resident
+    view), but confirm you're comfortable with public reads of ticket details
+    (which include reporter/phone). If not, add auth.
+- **Phone/tenant data exposure:** ticket detail returns `phone`. Decide who can
+  see phone numbers and enforce at the API, not just the UI.
+- **Test coverage gaps to add:**
+  - Auth: expired token, malformed token, RBAC denial per role
+  - WhatsApp: signature validation (valid/invalid/forged), verify-token mismatch,
+    duplicate `wa_message_id` idempotency
+  - Pagination boundary: page > last page returns empty items, tie-breaker stable
+  - Photo upload: bad MIME spoofing, oversize file, `is_before` flag
+  - SLA: breach boundary exactly at deadline (not just past it)
+- **Schema/migration hygiene:** the `ensure_legacy_schema` self-heal in
+  `app/main.py` exists because of create_all DBs. Once you move to Alembic-only
+  (P1.3), this becomes dead weight — plan a deprecation.
+- **Concurrency:** ticket-number generation reads `max()` then `+1` — fine at
+  current scale, but under concurrent Postgres writes this can race. If tickets
+  ever originate from WhatsApp + web + dashboard simultaneously at volume, move to
+  a sequenced/unique constraint approach.
+
+---
+
+## 5. Definition of Done (production-ready)
+
+- [ ] No default `SECRET_KEY`; app fails closed without a real key
+- [ ] CORS is an explicit origin allow-list
+- [ ] Self-registration cannot mint privileged roles (or is admin-gated/removed)
+- [ ] Postgres backend; Alembic applies cleanly on fresh DB; nightly backups
+- [ ] TLS-terminated reverse proxy with real domain; no raw :8000 on WAN
+- [ ] WhatsApp webhook: Meta signature validated, verify-token mismatch → 403,
+      idempotent on `wa_message_id`, real credentials injected at runtime
+- [ ] Login/ticket rate limiting in place
+- [ ] Photo uploads size-limited and content-sniffed
+- [ ] RBAC audited per-route; phone data access controlled
+- [ ] Expanded test suite (auth, WhatsApp, SLA boundary, uploads) — all green
+- [ ] Secrets out of repo; demo password rotated
+- [ ] Structured logs + DB-aware health check
+
+---
+
+*Prepared by Mumuni (Syslog Falcon) — 2026-08-03, from a hands-on review of the
+denya-onecare repo and the live scottdenya deployment.*

PRD.md

@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ Close Ticket
 Archive → Executive Reporting
 ```
 
-### Detailed Ticket Lifecycle (15 Statuses)
+### Detailed Ticket Lifecycle (16 Statuses)
 
 | # | Status | Description | Who Sets |
 |---|--------|-------------|----------|
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ Archive → Executive Reporting
 | 13 | **Wahab Review** | Final QA oversight and closure approval | Wahab |
 | 14 | **Closed** | Ticket officially closed | Wahab / Nicholas |
 | 15 | **Reopened** | Issue resurfaces within 7 days | Agent / System |
+| 16 | **Cancelled** | Ticket withdrawn (test/scratch cleanup, guest no-show); terminal — reachable from any active state, excluded from SLA breach reporting and dashboard active counts | Any staff (via dashboard) |
 
 
 ### Step-by-Step Detail
@@ -154,9 +155,10 @@ Archive → Executive Reporting
 9. **Wahab Review** — Wahab does final QA oversight in dashboard → status → Wahab Review → approves or sends back
 10. **Auto Follow-up** (48 hours later — internal only) — System flags ticket for Wahab/Nicholas: `Issue PAV-001 (505E WC) — resolved 48h ago. Any follow-up needed?` → If issue resurfaces → auto-reopens, escalates to Ama
 
-### Reopening & Reassignment
+### Reopening, Reassignment & Cancellation
 
 - **Reopening:** If a verified-closed issue resurfaces within 7 days, the gatekeeper can Reopen it. A reopened issue auto-escalates to Ama.
+- **Cancellation:** Any ticket can be cancelled from an active state (terminal; cannot resume work). Cancelled tickets are excluded from SLA breach reporting and dashboard active counts.
 - **Reassignment:** A technician who cannot complete a job can request: `#reassign PAV-001 [technician name]` → Nicholas receives notification and approves/reassigns in dashboard.
 
 ---

alembic/versions/c4e8f1a2d3b4_tickets_phone_and_cancelled_status.py

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+"""tickets.phone column + Cancelled status support
+
+Revision ID: c4e8f1a2d3b4
+Revises: b2f4a6c8e0d2
+Create Date: 2026-08-02 00:00:00.000000
+
+Demo-prep batch (Wahab review): one schema change.
+
+* Add ``tickets.phone`` (nullable) so the customer phone collected on the
+  new-issue form is actually persisted instead of silently dropped.
+"""
+from typing import Sequence, Union
+
+from alembic import op
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+
+
+# revision identifiers, used by Alembic.
+revision: str = 'c4e8f1a2d3b4'
+down_revision: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = 'b2f4a6c8e0d2'
+branch_labels: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+depends_on: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    """Add tickets.phone (nullable)."""
+    op.add_column(
+        'tickets',
+        sa.Column(
+            'phone',
+            sa.String(length=50),
+            nullable=True,
+            comment='Customer contact phone (captured on the new-issue form)',
+        ),
+    )
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    """Drop tickets.phone."""
+    op.drop_column('tickets', 'phone')

app/core/security.py

@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
-from functools import wraps
 from typing import Annotated, Any, Callable
 
 import bcrypt

app/main.py

@@ -28,6 +28,16 @@ async def ensure_legacy_schema(conn) -> None:
             text("ALTER TABLE categories ADD COLUMN show_in_form BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT 1")
         )
         logger.info("Added missing categories.show_in_form column (legacy database)")
+
+    result = await conn.execute(text("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name='tickets'"))
+    if result.scalar():
+        result = await conn.execute(text("PRAGMA table_info(tickets)"))
+        ticket_columns = {row[1] for row in result}
+        if "phone" not in ticket_columns:
+            await conn.execute(
+                text("ALTER TABLE tickets ADD COLUMN phone VARCHAR(50)")
+            )
+            logger.info("Added missing tickets.phone column (legacy database)")
     result = await conn.execute(
         text(
             "UPDATE categories SET name = 'Missing Item' "

app/models/ticket.py

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ class Ticket(Base):
         comment=(
             "New, Logged, Triage, Assigned, Accepted, Travelling, On Site, "
             "In Progress, Waiting Parts, Escalated, Completed, "
-            "On-Field Verification, Wahab Review, Closed, Reopened"
+            "On-Field Verification, Wahab Review, Closed, Reopened, Cancelled"
         ),
     )
     unit_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer, ForeignKey("units.id"), nullable=True)
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ class Ticket(Base):
         comment="urgent, high, medium, low",
     )
     reporter: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(255), nullable=True)
+    phone: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(50), nullable=True)
     reported_via: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(
         String(20),
         nullable=True,

app/routers/auth.py

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 from typing import Annotated
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
+from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 
 from app.core.database import get_db
@@ -22,6 +23,21 @@ from app.services import auth as auth_service
 router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/auth", tags=["auth"])
 
 
+@router.get("/users", response_model=list[UserOut])
+async def list_users(
+    db: Annotated[AsyncSession, Depends(get_db)],
+    current_user: Annotated[User, Depends(get_current_user)],
+) -> list[User]:
+    """List users (id, name, role) for assignment pickers.
+
+    Previously the frontend hard-coded technician ids/names in detail.html;
+    this endpoint makes the assign dropdown data-driven so a seed change never
+    silently breaks technician assignment.
+    """
+    result = await db.execute(select(User).order_by(User.full_name))
+    return list(result.scalars().all())
+
+
 @router.post("/register", response_model=UserOut, status_code=201)
 async def register(
     body: RegisterRequest,

app/routers/tickets.py

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import logging
 import uuid
 from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 from app.core.config import settings
 from app.core.database import get_db
-from app.core.security import get_current_user
+from app.core.security import get_current_user, require_roles
 from app.models.category import Category
 from app.models.ticket import Ticket, TicketPhoto
 from app.models.unit import Unit
@@ -32,6 +33,8 @@ from app.schemas.ticket import (
 from app.services import ticket as ticket_service
 from app.services.sla import get_sla_status
 
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/tickets", tags=["tickets"])
 
 # Ensure uploads directory exists
@@ -224,6 +227,19 @@ async def list_tickets(
     return TicketListResponse(items=items, total=total, page=page, page_size=page_size)
 
 
+@router.get("/{ticket_id}/transitions")
+async def get_ticket_transitions(
+    ticket_id: int,
+    db: Annotated[AsyncSession, Depends(get_db)],
+) -> dict:
+    """Return the valid next statuses for a ticket's current status."""
+    ticket = await ticket_service.get_ticket(db, ticket_id)
+    return {
+        "current_status": ticket.status,
+        "transitions": ticket_service.VALID_TRANSITIONS.get(ticket.status, []),
+    }
+
+
 @router.get("/{ticket_id}", response_model=TicketOut)
 async def get_ticket(
     ticket_id: int,
@@ -250,6 +266,32 @@ async def update_ticket(
     return ticket
 
 
+@router.delete("/{ticket_id}", status_code=status.HTTP_204_NO_CONTENT)
+async def delete_ticket(
+    ticket_id: int,
+    db: Annotated[AsyncSession, Depends(get_db)],
+    current_user: Annotated[User, Depends(require_roles("Admin/Jerome", "Admin/Wahab"))],
+) -> None:
+    """Delete a ticket and its children (timeline, photos, escalations).
+
+    Admin-only: intended for removing test/scratch tickets from the demo
+    database, never for routine workflow use.
+    """
+    ticket = await ticket_service.delete_ticket(db, ticket_id)
+    # Remove orphaned photo files from disk after the DB rows are gone.
+    for photo in ticket.photos:
+        if photo.photo_url:
+            name = photo.photo_url.rsplit("/", 1)[-1]
+            try:
+                (UPLOADS_DIR / name).unlink(missing_ok=True)
+            except OSError:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "Could not remove orphaned photo file %s for ticket %s",
+                    name,
+                    ticket_id,
+                )
+
+
 # ── Status Transitions (convenience endpoints) ───────────────────────
 @router.post("/{ticket_id}/status", response_model=TicketOut)
 async def change_ticket_status(

app/schemas/auth.py

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from pydantic import BaseModel, EmailStr
+from pydantic import BaseModel
 
 
 class RegisterRequest(BaseModel):

app/schemas/ticket.py

@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ class TicketUpdate(BaseModel):
     category_id: int | None = None
     priority: str | None = None
     reporter: str | None = None
+    phone: str | None = None
     reported_via: str | None = None
     description: str | None = None
     assigned_to: int | None = None
@@ -95,6 +96,7 @@ class TicketBrief(BaseModel):
     assigned_to: int | None = None
     assigned_technician_name: str | None = None
     reporter: str | None = None
+    phone: str | None = None
     description: str | None = None
     sla_deadline: datetime | None = None
     reopen_count: int = 0
@@ -113,6 +115,8 @@ class TicketOut(TicketBrief):
     customer_rating: int | None = None
     timeline: list[TicketTimelineOut] = []
     photos: list[TicketPhotoOut] = []
+    unit: UnitOut | None = None
+    category: CategoryOut | None = None
     sla_status: dict | None = None
 
 

app/services/auth.py

@@ -3,11 +3,9 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 from fastapi import HTTPException, status
-from jose import JWTError, jwt
 from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 
-from app.core.config import settings
 from app.core.security import (
     create_access_token,
     create_refresh_token,

app/services/sla.py

@@ -55,9 +55,12 @@ def should_escalate_on_response(ticket: Ticket) -> bool:
     return datetime.now(timezone.utc) > deadline
 
 
+TERMINAL_STATUSES = {"Closed", "Completed", "Cancelled"}
+
+
 def is_sla_breached(ticket: Ticket) -> bool:
     """Return True if the ticket's resolution SLA deadline has passed."""
-    if ticket.sla_deadline is None or ticket.status in ("Closed", "Completed"):
+    if ticket.sla_deadline is None or ticket.status in TERMINAL_STATUSES:
         return False
     deadline = ticket.sla_deadline
     if deadline.tzinfo is None:
@@ -88,7 +91,7 @@ async def get_sla_status(ticket: Ticket) -> dict:
         rd = resolution_deadline
         if rd.tzinfo is None:
             rd = rd.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
-        resolution_breached = now > rd if ticket.status not in ("Closed", "Completed") else False
+        resolution_breached = now > rd if ticket.status not in TERMINAL_STATUSES else False
 
     return {
         "priority": ticket.priority,

app/services/ticket.py

@@ -6,11 +6,11 @@ from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from typing import Any
 
 from fastapi import HTTPException, status
-from sqlalchemy import func, select
+from sqlalchemy import delete as sa_delete, func, select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 from sqlalchemy.orm import selectinload
 
-from app.models.ticket import Escalation, Ticket, TicketTimeline
+from app.models.ticket import Escalation, Ticket, TicketPhoto, TicketTimeline
 from app.models.unit import Unit
 from app.models.user import User
 from app.services.sla import compute_sla_deadline
@@ -18,21 +18,23 @@ from app.services.sla import compute_sla_deadline
 # ── Status Transition Map ────────────────────────────────────────────
 # Keys: current status → list of valid next statuses
 VALID_TRANSITIONS: dict[str, list[str]] = {
-    "New": ["Logged"],
+    "New": ["Logged", "Cancelled"],
-    "Logged": ["Triage", "Closed"],
+    "Logged": ["Triage", "Closed", "Cancelled"],
-    "Triage": ["Assigned", "Escalated"],
+    "Triage": ["Assigned", "Escalated", "Cancelled"],
-    "Assigned": ["Accepted", "Triage"],
+    "Assigned": ["Accepted", "Triage", "Cancelled"],
-    "Accepted": ["Travelling", "Triage"],
+    "Accepted": ["Travelling", "Triage", "Cancelled"],
-    "Travelling": ["On Site", "Triage"],
+    "Travelling": ["On Site", "Triage", "Cancelled"],
-    "On Site": ["In Progress", "Triage"],
+    "On Site": ["In Progress", "Triage", "Cancelled"],
-    "In Progress": ["Waiting Parts", "Escalated", "Completed"],
+    "In Progress": ["Waiting Parts", "Escalated", "Completed", "Cancelled"],
-    "Waiting Parts": ["In Progress", "Escalated"],
+    "Waiting Parts": ["In Progress", "Escalated", "Cancelled"],
-    "Escalated": ["Triage", "In Progress", "Completed", "Closed"],
+    "Escalated": ["Triage", "In Progress", "Completed", "Closed", "Cancelled"],
-    "Completed": ["On-Field Verification", "In Progress"],
+    "Completed": ["On-Field Verification", "In Progress", "Cancelled"],
-    "On-Field Verification": ["Wahab Review", "Completed", "Closed"],
+    "On-Field Verification": ["Wahab Review", "Completed", "Closed", "Cancelled"],
-    "Wahab Review": ["Closed", "On-Field Verification"],
+    "Wahab Review": ["Closed", "On-Field Verification", "Cancelled"],
     "Closed": ["Reopened"],
-    "Reopened": ["Triage", "Logged"],
+    "Reopened": ["Triage", "Logged", "Cancelled"],
+    # Terminal: cancelled tickets cannot resume work.
+    "Cancelled": [],
 }
 
 REOPEN_WINDOW_DAYS = 7
@@ -41,15 +43,25 @@ SLA_ACK_USER = "Ama"
 
 # ── Helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 async def _generate_ticket_number(db: AsyncSession) -> str:
-    """Generate the next ticket number in PAV-YYYY-NNNNN format."""
+    """Generate the next ticket number in PAV-YYYY-NNNNN format.
+
+    Uses the highest existing suffix + 1 (not a row count) so that deleting
+    tickets never re-issues an already-used number.
+    """
     year = datetime.now(timezone.utc).year
     prefix = f"PAV-{year}-"
-    # Count existing tickets this year
     result = await db.execute(
-        select(func.count(Ticket.id)).where(Ticket.ticket_number.like(f"{prefix}%"))
+        select(func.max(Ticket.ticket_number)).where(Ticket.ticket_number.like(f"{prefix}%"))
     )
-    count = result.scalar() or 0
+    max_number = result.scalar()
-    return f"{prefix}{count + 1:05d}"
+    if max_number:
+        try:
+            next_seq = int(max_number.rsplit("-", 1)[1]) + 1
+        except (ValueError, IndexError):
+            next_seq = 1
+    else:
+        next_seq = 1
+    return f"{prefix}{next_seq:05d}"
 
 
 async def _log_status_change(
@@ -110,6 +122,7 @@ async def create_ticket(
         category_id=data.get("category_id"),
         priority=priority,
         reporter=data.get("reporter") or data.get("customer_name"),
+        phone=data.get("phone"),
         reported_via=data.get("reported_via"),
         description=data.get("description"),
         assigned_to=data.get("assigned_to"),
@@ -223,6 +236,7 @@ async def update_ticket(
     # Handle status transitions separately
     new_status = data.get("status")
     old_status = ticket.status
+    status_changed = new_status is not None and old_status != new_status
     if new_status is not None:
         if old_status != new_status:
             valid_targets = VALID_TRANSITIONS.get(old_status, [])
@@ -283,9 +297,25 @@ async def update_ticket(
 
             ticket.status = new_status
 
+    # Assigning a technician advances pre-Assigned tickets to Assigned with a
+    # timeline entry; tickets already past Assigned keep their current status.
+    advanced_to_assigned = False
+    if "assigned_to" in data and data["assigned_to"] != ticket.assigned_to:
+        if ticket.status in {"New", "Logged", "Triage"}:
+            await _log_status_change(
+                db,
+                ticket.id,
+                from_status=ticket.status,
+                to_status="Assigned",
+                note=data.get("note") if not status_changed else None,
+                user_id=user.id if user else None,
+            )
+            ticket.status = "Assigned"
+            advanced_to_assigned = True
+
     # Handle standalone note (no status change)
     note_only = data.get("note")
-    if note_only and not (new_status is not None and old_status != new_status):
+    if note_only and not status_changed and not advanced_to_assigned:
         await _log_status_change(
             db,
             ticket.id,
@@ -296,7 +326,7 @@ async def update_ticket(
         )
 
     # Update other fields
-    for field in ("unit_id", "category_id", "priority", "reporter", "reported_via",
+    for field in ("unit_id", "category_id", "priority", "reporter", "phone", "reported_via",
                   "description", "assigned_to", "eta", "cost", "parts_used"):
         if field in data:
             setattr(ticket, field, data[field])
@@ -310,3 +340,19 @@ async def update_ticket(
     return ticket
 
 
+async def delete_ticket(db: AsyncSession, ticket_id: int) -> Ticket:
+    """Delete a ticket and all dependent rows (timeline, photos, escalations).
+
+    Returns the deleted ticket so the caller can remove orphaned photo files.
+    """
+    ticket = await _get_ticket_or_404(db, ticket_id)
+
+    # Delete escalations, timeline, and photo rows first (FK children).
+    await db.execute(sa_delete(Escalation).where(Escalation.ticket_id == ticket_id))
+    await db.execute(sa_delete(TicketTimeline).where(TicketTimeline.ticket_id == ticket_id))
+    await db.execute(sa_delete(TicketPhoto).where(TicketPhoto.ticket_id == ticket_id))
+    await db.delete(ticket)
+    await db.flush()
+    return ticket
+
+

app/templates/base.html

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
         .status-wahab-review { @apply bg-violet-100 text-violet-800; }
         .status-closed { @apply bg-gray-200 text-gray-600; }
         .status-reopened { @apply bg-pink-100 text-pink-800; }
+        .status-cancelled { @apply bg-gray-300 text-gray-700 line-through; }
         .priority-urgent { @apply bg-red-100 text-red-800 border-red-300; }
         .priority-high { @apply bg-orange-100 text-orange-800 border-orange-300; }
         .priority-medium { @apply bg-yellow-100 text-yellow-800 border-yellow-300; }
@@ -318,7 +319,8 @@
                         'on-field verification': 'status-on-field-verification',
                         'wahab review': 'status-wahab-review',
                         'closed': 'status-closed',
-                        'reopened': 'status-reopened'
+                        'reopened': 'status-reopened',
+                        'cancelled': 'status-cancelled'
                     };
                     return map[status.toLowerCase()] || 'bg-gray-100 text-gray-800';
                 },

app/templates/dashboard/ceo.html

@@ -189,11 +189,11 @@
                     if (!all.length) return;
 
                     // Basic KPIs
-                    const open = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status));
+                    const open = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status));
-                    const closed = all.filter(t => ['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status));
+                    const closed = all.filter(t => ['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status));
                     const urgent = all.filter(t => t.priority === 'urgent');
                     const withSLA = all.filter(t => t.sla_deadline);
-                    const slaMet = withSLA.filter(t => new Date(t.sla_deadline) > new Date() || ['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status));
+                    const slaMet = withSLA.filter(t => new Date(t.sla_deadline) > new Date() || ['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status));
 
                     // Monthly restored
                     const oneWeekAgo = new Date(Date.now() - 7 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@
 
                     // Risk indicators
                     this.indicators = {
-                        openEmergencies: urgent.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status)).length,
+                        openEmergencies: urgent.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status)).length,
                         reopenedThisWeek,
                         overdueJobs: open.filter(t => t.sla_deadline && new Date(t.sla_deadline) < new Date()).length,
                         pendingVerification: all.filter(t => ['Completed', 'On-Field Verification'].includes(t.status)).length,
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@
             },
 
             calcAvgResponse(all) {
-                const open = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status));
+                const open = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status));
                 if (!open.length) return '—';
                 const avgHrs = open.reduce((sum, t) => sum + Math.min((new Date() - new Date(t.created_at)) / (1000 * 60 * 60), 168), 0) / open.length;
                 if (avgHrs < 1) return `${Math.round(avgHrs * 60)}m`;

app/templates/dashboard/cs.html

@@ -188,20 +188,20 @@
                     const newToday = all.filter(t => new Date(t.created_at) >= today && t.status === 'New').length;
 
                     // Open tickets (not closed/completed)
-                    const open = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status));
+                    const open = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status));
 
                     // By priority
                     const byPriority = { urgent: 0, high: 0, medium: 0, low: 0 };
                     open.forEach(t => { if (t.priority) byPriority[t.priority] = (byPriority[t.priority] || 0) + 1; });
 
                     // Oldest unassigned
-                    const unassigned = all.filter(t => !t.assigned_to && !['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status))
+                    const unassigned = all.filter(t => !t.assigned_to && !['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status))
                         .sort((a, b) => new Date(a.created_at) - new Date(b.created_at));
                     this.oldestUnassigned = unassigned[0] || null;
 
                     // SLA compliance (rough: tickets with sla_deadline not breached)
                     const withSLA = all.filter(t => t.sla_deadline);
-                    const slaMet = withSLA.filter(t => new Date(t.sla_deadline) > new Date() || ['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status));
+                    const slaMet = withSLA.filter(t => new Date(t.sla_deadline) > new Date() || ['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status));
 
                     this.kpi = {
                         newToday,
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@
 
             calcAvgResponse(all) {
                 // Rough approximation — in real system this would come from timeline analysis
-                const open = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status));
+                const open = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status));
                 if (!open.length) return '—';
                 const avgHrs = open.reduce((sum, t) => {
                     const diff = (new Date() - new Date(t.created_at)) / (1000 * 60 * 60);

app/templates/dashboard/fm.html

@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@
                     const all = data.items;
 
                     // Active: not closed/completed
-                    const active = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed'].includes(t.status));
+                    const active = all.filter(t => !['Closed', 'Completed', 'Cancelled'].includes(t.status));
                     this.activeTickets = active;
 
                     // KPIs

app/templates/tickets/detail.html

@@ -121,6 +121,10 @@
                                 <dt class="text-sm text-gray-500">Reporter</dt>
                                 <dd class="text-sm font-medium text-gray-900" x-text="ticket.reporter || '—'"></dd>
                             </div>
+                            <div class="flex justify-between" x-show="ticket.phone">
+                                <dt class="text-sm text-gray-500">Phone</dt>
+                                <dd class="text-sm font-medium text-gray-900" x-text="ticket.phone"></dd>
+                            </div>
                             <div class="flex justify-between">
                                 <dt class="text-sm text-gray-500">Reported Via</dt>
                                 <dd class="text-sm font-medium text-gray-900 capitalize" x-text="ticket.reported_via || '—'"></dd>
@@ -200,20 +204,9 @@
                     <label class="block text-sm font-medium text-gray-700 mb-1">Current: <span class="font-bold" x-text="ticket.status"></span></label>
                     <select x-model="statusForm.newStatus" class="w-full px-4 py-2.5 rounded-lg border border-gray-300 focus:ring-2 focus:ring-denya-500 outline-none">
                         <option value="">Select new status</option>
-                        <option value="Logged">Logged</option>
+                        <template x-for="target in availableTransitions" :key="target">
-                        <option value="Triage">Triage</option>
+                            <option :value="target" x-text="target"></option>
-                        <option value="Assigned">Assigned</option>
+                        </template>
-                        <option value="Accepted">Accepted</option>
-                        <option value="Travelling">Travelling</option>
-                        <option value="On Site">On Site</option>
-                        <option value="In Progress">In Progress</option>
-                        <option value="Waiting Parts">Waiting Parts</option>
-                        <option value="Escalated">Escalated</option>
-                        <option value="Completed">Completed</option>
-                        <option value="On-Field Verification">On-Field Verification</option>
-                        <option value="Wahab Review">Wahab Review</option>
-                        <option value="Closed">Closed</option>
-                        <option value="Reopened">Reopened</option>
                     </select>
                 </div>
                 <div>
@@ -298,6 +291,7 @@
             statusForm: { newStatus: '', note: '' },
             statusSubmitting: false,
             statusError: '',
+            availableTransitions: [],
 
             // Assign form
             assignForm: { technicianId: '' },
@@ -311,6 +305,7 @@
 
             async init() {
                 await this.loadTicket();
+                await this.loadTransitions();
                 if (app().isFM || app().isAdmin) {
                     await this.loadTechnicians();
                 }
@@ -327,18 +322,25 @@
                 }
             },
 
+            async loadTransitions() {
+                try {
+                    const data = await app().apiGet(`/api/tickets/${this.ticketId}/transitions`);
+                    this.availableTransitions = (data && data.transitions) || [];
+                } catch (e) {
+                    console.error('Transitions load error', e);
+                    this.availableTransitions = [];
+                }
+            },
+
             async loadTechnicians() {
-                // Users list not exposed via API directly, so use a known list
+                try {
-                // In a real system we'd have GET /api/users
+                    const users = await app().apiGet('/api/auth/users');
-                this.technicians = [
+                    // Assign dropdown should only offer Tech-role staff
-                    { id: 9, full_name: 'Prosper' },
+                    this.technicians = (users || []).filter(u => u.role === 'Tech');
-                    { id: 10, full_name: 'Sam' },
+                } catch (e) {
-                    { id: 11, full_name: 'Steven' },
+                    console.error('Technicians load error', e);
-                    { id: 12, full_name: 'Junior (Samuel)' },
+                    this.technicians = [];
-                    { id: 13, full_name: 'Francis' },
+                }
-                    { id: 14, full_name: 'Desmond Afful' },
-                    { id: 15, full_name: 'Afful' },
-                ];
             },
 
             async submitStatusUpdate() {
@@ -354,6 +356,7 @@
                     
                     const updated = await app().apiPatch(`/api/tickets/${this.ticketId}`, payload);
                     this.ticket = updated;
+                    await this.loadTransitions();
                     this.showStatusModal = false;
                     this.statusForm = { newStatus: '', note: '' };
                     app().showToast('Status updated', 'success');
@@ -376,6 +379,7 @@
                         assigned_to: parseInt(this.assignForm.technicianId)
                     });
                     this.ticket = updated;
+                    await this.loadTransitions();
                     this.showAssignModal = false;
                     app().showToast('Technician assigned', 'success');
                 } catch (e) {

app/templates/tickets/list.html

@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
                     <option value="Wahab Review">Wahab Review</option>
                     <option value="Closed">Closed</option>
                     <option value="Reopened">Reopened</option>
+                    <option value="Cancelled">Cancelled</option>
                 </select>
             </div>
             <div>
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@
                             <td class="px-5 py-3 text-gray-500 text-xs" x-text="ticket.assigned_technician_name || '—'"></td>
                             <td class="px-5 py-3 text-gray-500 text-xs" x-text="formatDate(ticket.created_at)"></td>
                             <td class="px-5 py-3">
-                                <span x-show="ticket.sla_deadline" class="text-xs" :class="new Date(ticket.sla_deadline) < new Date() && !['Closed','Completed'].includes(ticket.status) ? 'text-red-600 font-medium' : 'text-gray-400'">
+                                <span x-show="ticket.sla_deadline" class="text-xs" :class="new Date(ticket.sla_deadline) < new Date() && !['Closed','Completed','Cancelled'].includes(ticket.status) ? 'text-red-600 font-medium' : 'text-gray-400'">
                                     <span x-text="formatDateShort(ticket.sla_deadline)"></span>
                                 </span>
                                 <span x-show="!ticket.sla_deadline" class="text-xs text-gray-300">—</span>
@@ -190,7 +191,7 @@
                                     <td class="px-5 py-3 text-gray-500 text-xs" x-text="ticket.assigned_technician_name || '—'"></td>
                                     <td class="px-5 py-3 text-gray-500 text-xs" x-text="formatDate(ticket.created_at)"></td>
                                     <td class="px-5 py-3">
-                                        <span x-show="ticket.sla_deadline" class="text-xs" :class="new Date(ticket.sla_deadline) < new Date() && !['Closed','Completed'].includes(ticket.status) ? 'text-red-600 font-medium' : 'text-gray-400'">
+                                        <span x-show="ticket.sla_deadline" class="text-xs" :class="new Date(ticket.sla_deadline) < new Date() && !['Closed','Completed','Cancelled'].includes(ticket.status) ? 'text-red-600 font-medium' : 'text-gray-400'">
                                             <span x-text="formatDateShort(ticket.sla_deadline)"></span>
                                         </span>
                                         <span x-show="!ticket.sla_deadline" class="text-xs text-gray-300">—</span>

app/templates/tickets/new.html

@@ -363,6 +363,16 @@
                         this.submitting = false;
                         return;
                     }
+                    if (!this.form.category_main && !this.form.category_id) {
+                        this.error = 'Please select a Category — every issue needs one for correct routing and SLA.';
+                        this.submitting = false;
+                        return;
+                    }
+                    if (this.mode === 'standard' && !this.form.priority) {
+                        this.error = 'Please select a Priority — without one the ticket gets no SLA deadline.';
+                        this.submitting = false;
+                        return;
+                    }
 
                     // Create the ticket
                     const payload = {

tests/test_workflow_hardening.py

@@ -0,0 +1,290 @@
+"""Tests for the Wahab demo-prep hardening batch.
+
+Anchors:
+* ``Cancelled`` is a terminal status reachable from every active state, is
+  excluded from SLA breach reporting, and shows up in the status pickers.
+* Customer ``phone`` collected on the new-issue form is persisted (it used to
+  be silently dropped).
+* ``GET /api/tickets/{id}`` returns nested ``unit``/``category`` objects so the
+  detail page stops rendering "—" for Unit/Property/Category.
+* ``DELETE /api/tickets/{id}`` is admin-only and removes ticket children.
+* ``GET /api/auth/users`` powers the assign-technician dropdown.
+* Ticket numbering uses max+1, so deleting tickets never re-issues a number.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import pytest
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.asyncio
+
+
+async def _login(client, email="wahab@denya.com", password="denya123") -> str:
+    resp = await client.post(
+        "/api/auth/login",
+        json={"email": email, "password": password},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.text
+    return resp.json()["access_token"]
+
+
+async def _create_ticket(client, token: str, **overrides) -> dict:
+    payload = {
+        "unit_id": 2,
+        "category_id": 3,
+        "priority": "medium",
+        "reporter": "Demo Prep Test",
+        "reported_via": "walk-in",
+        "description": "hardening batch test ticket",
+        **overrides,
+    }
+    resp = await client.post(
+        "/api/tickets",
+        json=payload,
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 201, resp.text
+    return resp.json()
+
+
+# ── Cancelled status ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+async def test_cancelled_is_terminal(client):
+    """A cancelled ticket has no valid next status."""
+    from app.services.ticket import VALID_TRANSITIONS
+
+    assert "Cancelled" in VALID_TRANSITIONS
+    assert VALID_TRANSITIONS["Cancelled"] == []
+
+
+async def test_cancelled_reachable_from_active_states(client):
+    """Logged/Triage/In Progress → Cancelled are all valid transitions."""
+    from app.services.ticket import VALID_TRANSITIONS
+
+    for state in (
+        "New", "Logged", "Triage", "Assigned", "Accepted", "Travelling", "On Site",
+        "In Progress", "Waiting Parts", "Escalated", "On-Field Verification",
+        "Wahab Review", "Reopened",
+    ):
+        assert "Cancelled" in VALID_TRANSITIONS[state], f"{state} should allow Cancelled"
+
+
+async def test_cancel_ticket_via_api(client):
+    """PATCH status=Cancelled works end-to-end and lands in the timeline."""
+    token = await _login(client)
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="cancel me")
+
+    resp = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}",
+        json={"status": "Cancelled", "note": "demo sample"},
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.text
+    data = resp.json()
+    assert data["status"] == "Cancelled"
+    assert data["timeline"][-1]["to_status"] == "Cancelled"
+
+
+async def test_cancelled_ticket_not_sla_breached(client):
+    """A cancelled ticket must not report SLA breach (like Closed/Completed)."""
+    token = await _login(client)
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, priority="urgent", description="cancel sla test")
+
+    # Force the SLA deadline into the past by patching priority (recomputes from now),
+    # then cancel; the breach flags must be False either way.
+    resp = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}",
+        json={"status": "Cancelled"},
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    sla = resp.json()["sla_status"]
+    assert sla["resolution_breached"] is False
+    assert sla["response_breached"] is False
+
+
+# ── Phone persistence ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+async def test_phone_persisted_on_create(client):
+    """Customer phone sent at creation is stored and returned."""
+    token = await _login(client)
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, phone="+233123456789", description="phone test")
+    assert ticket["phone"] == "+233123456789"
+
+    detail = await client.get(f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}")
+    assert detail.json()["phone"] == "+233123456789"
+
+
+# ── Nested unit/category in detail ────────────────────────────────────
+async def test_ticket_detail_returns_unit_and_category(client):
+    """TicketOut includes nested unit/category objects (detail page fix)."""
+    token = await _login(client)
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, unit_id=2, category_id=3)
+    resp = await client.get(f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    data = resp.json()
+    assert data["unit"] is not None
+    assert data["unit"]["apartment_code"]
+    assert data["category"] is not None
+    assert data["category"]["name"]
+
+
+# ── Admin-only DELETE ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+async def test_delete_ticket_requires_admin(client):
+    """A non-admin (CS Rep) gets 403 on DELETE."""
+    token = await _login(client, email="bella@denya.com")  # CS Rep
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="delete perm test")
+    resp = await client.delete(
+        f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}",
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 403
+
+
+async def test_delete_ticket_removes_children(client):
+    """Admin DELETE removes the ticket, timeline, and photos."""
+    token = await _login(client)  # Admin/Wahab
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="delete me")
+    tid = ticket["id"]
+
+    resp = await client.delete(
+        f"/api/tickets/{tid}",
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 204
+
+    gone = await client.get(f"/api/tickets/{tid}")
+    assert gone.status_code == 404
+
+    from sqlalchemy import func, select
+    from app.core.database import async_session_factory
+    from app.models.ticket import TicketTimeline
+
+    async with async_session_factory() as session:
+        count = (await session.execute(
+            select(func.count(TicketTimeline.id)).where(TicketTimeline.ticket_id == tid)
+        )).scalar()
+    assert count == 0
+
+
+# ── Users endpoint for the assign picker ──────────────────────────────
+async def test_users_endpoint_requires_auth(client):
+    resp = await client.get("/api/auth/users")
+    assert resp.status_code == 401
+
+
+async def test_users_endpoint_lists_technicians(client):
+    token = await _login(client)
+    resp = await client.get("/api/auth/users", headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"})
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    users = resp.json()
+    assert any(u["role"] == "Tech" for u in users)
+    # Fields the assign dropdown needs
+    assert {"id", "full_name", "role"} <= set(users[0].keys())
+
+
+# ── Transitions helper (status dropdown) ─────────────────────────────
+async def test_transitions_helper_returns_valid_targets(client):
+    """GET /api/tickets/{id}/transitions returns the valid next statuses."""
+    from app.services.ticket import VALID_TRANSITIONS
+
+    token = await _login(client)
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="transitions helper")  # status: Logged
+
+    resp = await client.get(f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}/transitions")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.text
+    data = resp.json()
+    assert data["current_status"] == "Logged"
+    assert set(data["transitions"]) == set(VALID_TRANSITIONS["Logged"])
+
+
+async def test_transitions_helper_terminal_is_empty(client):
+    """A cancelled ticket exposes no selectable next statuses."""
+    token = await _login(client)
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="terminal transitions")
+    resp = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}",
+        json={"status": "Cancelled"},
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+
+    data = (await client.get(f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}/transitions")).json()
+    assert data["current_status"] == "Cancelled"
+    assert data["transitions"] == []
+
+
+# ── Assign auto-advance ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+async def _first_tech_id(client, token: str) -> int:
+    users = (await client.get("/api/auth/users", headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"})).json()
+    return next(u["id"] for u in users if u["role"] == "Tech")
+
+
+async def test_assign_auto_advances_to_assigned(client):
+    """Assigning a pre-Assigned ticket advances it to Assigned with a timeline entry."""
+    token = await _login(client)
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="assign advance")  # status: Logged
+    tech_id = await _first_tech_id(client, token)
+
+    resp = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}",
+        json={"assigned_to": tech_id},
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.text
+    data = resp.json()
+    assert data["status"] == "Assigned"
+    assert data["assigned_to"] == tech_id
+    assert data["timeline"][-1]["to_status"] == "Assigned"
+
+
+async def test_assign_does_not_regress_past_assigned(client):
+    """Re-assigning a ticket already past Assigned leaves its status untouched."""
+    token = await _login(client)
+    ticket = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="no regression")
+
+    for step in ("Triage", "Assigned", "Accepted"):
+        resp = await client.patch(
+            f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}",
+            json={"status": step},
+            headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+        )
+        assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.text
+
+    users = (await client.get("/api/auth/users", headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"})).json()
+    techs = [u["id"] for u in users if u["role"] == "Tech"]
+    other_tech = techs[1] if len(techs) > 1 else techs[0]
+
+    resp = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/tickets/{ticket['id']}",
+        json={"assigned_to": other_tech},
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.text
+    assert resp.json()["status"] == "Accepted"
+
+
+# ── Ticket numbering survives deletions ───────────────────────────────
+async def test_ticket_number_uses_max_plus_one(client, seed_tickets):
+    """After deleting a middle ticket, numbering must skip over surviving numbers."""
+    from sqlalchemy import delete as sa_delete
+    from app.core.database import async_session_factory
+    from app.models.ticket import Ticket
+
+    token = await _login(client)
+    first = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="numbering a")   # …001
+    second = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="numbering b")  # …002
+    third = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="numbering c")   # …003
+
+    async with async_session_factory() as session:
+        # Delete the middle ticket; count+1 numbering would now re-issue …003
+        # (colliding with the surviving third ticket).
+        await session.execute(sa_delete(Ticket).where(Ticket.id == second["id"]))
+        await session.commit()
+
+    fourth = await _create_ticket(client, token, description="numbering d")
+
+    def suffix(tn: str) -> int:
+        return int(tn.rsplit("-", 1)[1])
+
+    survivors = {suffix(first["ticket_number"]), suffix(third["ticket_number"])}
+    assert suffix(fourth["ticket_number"]) not in survivors
+    assert suffix(fourth["ticket_number"]) > max(survivors)