diff --git a/backend/auth/jwt.go b/backend/auth/jwt.go
index 13f56c3..eb95f20 100644
--- a/backend/auth/jwt.go
+++ b/backend/auth/jwt.go
@@ -145,6 +145,18 @@ func IsJTIRevoked(ctx context.Context, jti string) bool {
 // bound access tokens die immediately when theft is detected (HIGH 1).
 const familyAliveCacheTTL = 30 * time.Second
 
+// familyAliveRecheckGrace is how close a cached family-alive verdict must be to
+// its TTL before verifyFamilyAlive re-validates it against the DB instead of
+// trusting the cache (Loop B finding 3). The daily refresh-token cleanup
+// captures the affected families, DELETEs them, commits, and then invalidates
+// the in-memory cache — a crash between the DELETE commit and the
+// invalidation leaves the cache warm for up to familyAliveCacheTTL, accepting a
+// bound access token after its family was killed. Re-validating an ALIVE
+// verdict within this grace of its expiry bounds that residual window to the
+// grace itself; a small grace (5s of a 30s TTL) preserves the MEDIUM-1
+// query-amplification win — only near-expiry lookups re-query.
+const familyAliveRecheckGrace = 5 * time.Second
+
 // familyAliveCacheMaxEntries bounds the in-memory map so a flood of distinct
 // family ids cannot grow it without bound.
 const familyAliveCacheMaxEntries = 10_000
@@ -172,17 +184,32 @@ func init() {
 // familyAliveLookup returns a cached verdict for a family key and whether it is
 // still fresh, evicting expired entries opportunistically.
 func familyAliveLookup(key string) (alive bool, ok bool) {
+	e, ok := familyAliveLookupEntry(key)
+	if !ok {
+		return false, false
+	}
+	return e.alive, true
+}
+
+// familyAliveLookupEntry returns the cached verdict entry (with its expiry) for
+// a family key and whether it is still fresh, evicting expired entries
+// opportunistically. Unlike familyAliveLookup it hands the caller the entry so
+// verifyFamilyAlive can re-validate a near-expiry ALIVE verdict against the DB
+// (Loop B finding 3 — the residual crash window of the refresh-token cleanup's
+// post-commit cache invalidation); familyAliveLookup stays as the simple
+// (alive, ok) accessor used by the tests.
+func familyAliveLookupEntry(key string) (familyAliveCacheEntry, bool) {
 	familyAliveCache.mu.Lock()
 	defer familyAliveCache.mu.Unlock()
 	e, ok := familyAliveCache.m[key]
 	if !ok {
-		return false, false
+		return familyAliveCacheEntry{}, false
 	}
 	if clock.Now().After(e.expires) {
 		delete(familyAliveCache.m, key)
-		return false, false
+		return familyAliveCacheEntry{}, false
 	}
-	return e.alive, true
+	return e, true
 }
 
 // familyAliveStore records a DB-confirmed verdict, evicting expired entries
@@ -398,6 +425,15 @@ func VerifyToken(tokenString string, ctx context.Context) (userID string, role s
 // IsJTIRevoked — because genuine theft is already handled by the family kill in
 // VerifyRefreshToken's reuse branch, and a transient DB error must not turn
 // into a total 401 outage for every authenticated request.
+//
+// Loop B finding 3 (crash-safety residual window): an ALIVE verdict within
+// familyAliveRecheckGrace of its TTL is re-validated against the DB. The daily
+// refresh-token cleanup (handlers/scheduling/scheduled-cleanup.go
+// CleanupExpiredRefreshTokens) invalidates the family-alive cache AFTER its
+// DELETE commits, so a crash between the commit and the invalidation leaves the
+// cache warm for the rest of the TTL — a family killed by that missed
+// invalidation would otherwise keep admitting its bound access tokens. The
+// near-expiry re-check closes the gap to the grace window.
 func verifyFamilyAlive(ctx context.Context, token jwtClaimGetter, userID string) error {
 	var familyVal any
 	if err := token.Get(accessTokenFamilyClaim, &familyVal); err != nil {
@@ -411,11 +447,15 @@ func verifyFamilyAlive(ctx context.Context, token jwtClaimGetter, userID string)
 		return nil
 	}
 	key := familyID + "|" + userID
-	if alive, cached := familyAliveLookup(key); cached {
-		if !alive {
+	if e, cached := familyAliveLookupEntry(key); cached {
+		if !e.alive {
 			return fmt.Errorf("token revoked")
 		}
-		return nil
+		// A fresh verdict is trusted (the query-amplification win); only a
+		// near-expiry ALIVE verdict falls through to the DB re-check below.
+		if clock.Now().Before(e.expires.Add(-familyAliveRecheckGrace)) {
+			return nil
+		}
 	}
 	var exists bool
 	err := db.Conn.QueryRow(ctx,
diff --git a/backend/handlers/payments/charge_helpers.go b/backend/handlers/payments/charge_helpers.go
index 75eb00a..65c9b76 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/payments/charge_helpers.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/payments/charge_helpers.go
@@ -203,6 +203,39 @@ func writeChargeSnapshot(ctx context.Context, q db.Querier, table, rowID string,
 	}
 }
 
+// writeChargeSnapshotUnconditional stores the verbatim request JSON on a
+// payments/till_sales row WITHOUT the first-attempt immutability guard that
+// writeChargeSnapshot applies. It is used ONLY by the gift-card (BuyGiftCard)
+// and till-sale (CreateTillSale) charge sites — the two sites that were
+// UNCONDITIONAL before the writeChargeSnapshot consolidation (Loop A, finding 1
+// regression check 4a). Their pending-reuse branches deliberately refresh
+// square_request_snapshot in the SAME transaction as the square_source_id
+// refresh (the Go-reencrypt refresh in giftcards.go / refreshTillSnapshotSource
+// in till.go, B6), and this post-commit write stores the FRESH full body for
+// the CURRENT attempt. The guard would wrongly skip this write on the reuse
+// path when the in-transaction refresh failed best-effort — the row would then
+// keep the stale first-attempt body while the live square_source_id column
+// already points at the new source (the pre-consolidation code explicitly
+// warned against "fixing" these sites into the guarded form). The booking/tip/
+// terminal saved-card paths keep the guarded writeChargeSnapshot: their reuse
+// paths do NOT refresh the snapshot, so the guard correctly records the
+// immutable first-attempt body.
+func writeChargeSnapshotUnconditional(ctx context.Context, q db.Querier, table, rowID string, body any, label string) {
+	snap, mErr := json.Marshal(body)
+	if mErr != nil {
+		log.Printf("Failed to marshal square_request_snapshot for %s %s: %v", label, rowID, mErr)
+		return
+	}
+	stored, eErr := encryptSnapshot(snap)
+	if eErr != nil {
+		log.Printf("Failed to encrypt square_request_snapshot for %s %s: %v", label, rowID, eErr)
+		return
+	}
+	if _, sErr := q.Exec(ctx, `UPDATE `+table+` SET square_request_snapshot = $1 WHERE id = $2`, string(stored), rowID); sErr != nil {
+		log.Printf("Failed to store square_request_snapshot for %s %s: %v", label, rowID, sErr)
+	}
+}
+
 // recheckBookingPayable re-reads the booking status after a Square charge
 // succeeded (R9): a concurrent cancellation/eviction can move the booking out
 // of a payable state between the pre-charge status check and the charge
diff --git a/backend/handlers/payments/errors.go b/backend/handlers/payments/errors.go
index e47c1dc..2e1f9eb 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/payments/errors.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/payments/errors.go
@@ -74,18 +74,33 @@ func writeVerificationRequiredResponse(w http.ResponseWriter) {
 // HTTP status a payment handler should return:
 //
 //   - 503 (Service Unavailable) for AMBIGUOUS failures: transport/network
-//     errors, Square 5xx responses, context cancellation/deadline, and the
+//     errors, Square 5xx responses, context cancellation/deadline, the
 //     retryable 4xx statuses 429 (rate limited), 408 (request timeout), and
-//     425 (too early) — the money state at Square is unknown, so the frontend
-//     should treat it as a retry (the pending record is resumed on a same-key
-//     retry). Square's own docs treat 429 as "retry later"; mapping it (or a
-//     timeout/early request) to 402 would mislabel a retryable condition as a
-//     permanent decline.
+//     425 (too early), and the structured error code IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED —
+//     the money state at Square is unknown, so the frontend should treat it as
+//     a retry (the pending record is resumed on a same-key retry). Square's own
+//     docs treat 429 as "retry later"; mapping it (or a timeout/early request)
+//     to 402 would mislabel a retryable condition as a permanent decline.
 //   - 402 (Payment Required) for DEFINITIVE declines: a structured Square
 //     error (squareAPIError) carrying any OTHER 4xx status (400/402/422 etc.)
 //     means Square positively rejected the charge (card declined/expired,
 //     AVS/CVV failure) — retrying with the same inputs cannot succeed.
 //
+// IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED (Loop B CRITICAL-ish, finding 1) is AMBIGUOUS, never
+// a definitive decline: Square retains the key against the ORIGINAL request
+// body, so the error means a PREVIOUS attempt under this key used a different
+// body — the original charge may have LANDED at Square. Classifying it 402
+// would make the frontend regenerate the idempotency key (the 402 branch
+// clears the cached key) and issue a NEW charge under a fresh key — a double
+// charge when the original landed. Classifying it 503 keeps the key: a
+// same-key retry with the ORIGINAL body makes Square dedup to the original
+// payment (no new charge), and a retry with a different body keeps getting
+// IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED while the pending row stays rescuable by the sweep —
+// which already treats IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED as ambiguous (sweep.go:1088,
+// replayErrorProvesNoCharge in square_http_client.go:681). The check keys on
+// the structured ErrorCode, not the HTTP status, because Square may surface it
+// as 400 or 409 depending on the request shape.
+//
 // A nil error is never expected (callers only invoke this on the error path);
 // it maps to 402 defensively. The dev mock returns plain errors for simulated
 // failures, which classify as 503 (ambiguous) — correct for a mock standing in
@@ -97,6 +112,9 @@ func chargeFailureStatus(err error) int {
 	if errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) || errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
 		return http.StatusServiceUnavailable
 	}
+	if square.ErrorCode(err) == "IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED" {
+		return http.StatusServiceUnavailable
+	}
 	status := square.ErrorStatusCode(err)
 	if status == 0 || status >= 500 {
 		return http.StatusServiceUnavailable
diff --git a/backend/handlers/payments/errors_test.go b/backend/handlers/payments/errors_test.go
index db1eafa..ebaef81 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/payments/errors_test.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/payments/errors_test.go
@@ -130,9 +130,12 @@ func TestChargeFailureStatus_RetryableCarveOuts(t *testing.T) {
 // classification, including the ambiguous DEFAULT branch (1xx/2xx/3xx): the
 // default MUST be 503 (ambiguous → retryable) — never 402, which labels a
 // definitive decline and suppresses the same-key retry that resumes the pending
-// record. 409 (Square IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED — a key reused with a different
-// request body) is a definitive client error and must stay 402, not fall into
-// the ambiguous bucket.
+// record. A generic 409 (a structured conflict that is NOT the
+// IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED code) is a definitive client error and must stay 402;
+// the IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED code is classified as 503 in the dedicated test
+// below (Loop B finding 1 — the original charge may have landed under the
+// retained key, so 402 would make the frontend regenerate the key and
+// double-charge).
 func TestChargeFailureStatus_DefaultAndEdgeStatuses(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name   string
@@ -146,7 +149,7 @@ func TestChargeFailureStatus_DefaultAndEdgeStatuses(t *testing.T) {
 		{"401 → 402 (definitive)", http.StatusUnauthorized, http.StatusPaymentRequired},
 		{"403 → 402 (definitive)", http.StatusForbidden, http.StatusPaymentRequired},
 		{"408 → 503 (retryable)", http.StatusRequestTimeout, http.StatusServiceUnavailable},
-		{"409 → 402 (idempotency-key conflict, definitive)", http.StatusConflict, http.StatusPaymentRequired},
+		{"409 → 402 (generic conflict, definitive)", http.StatusConflict, http.StatusPaymentRequired},
 		{"425 → 503 (retryable)", http.StatusTooEarly, http.StatusServiceUnavailable},
 		{"429 → 503 (retryable)", http.StatusTooManyRequests, http.StatusServiceUnavailable},
 		{"500 → 503", http.StatusInternalServerError, http.StatusServiceUnavailable},
@@ -167,6 +170,33 @@ func TestChargeFailureStatus_DefaultAndEdgeStatuses(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestChargeFailureStatus_IdempotencyKeyReused_Ambiguous pins the Loop B
+// CRITICAL-ish finding 1 classification: a structured IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED
+// error (Square retained the key against a DIFFERENT request body — the
+// original charge may have landed) is AMBIGUOUS and must classify as 503,
+// never 402. A 402 would make the frontend regenerate the idempotency key and
+// issue a NEW charge under a fresh key — double-charging the customer when the
+// original landed. The check keys on the structured ErrorCode, so BOTH the 400
+// (dev mock / real Square) and 409 (real Square) surfaces classify as 503,
+// while a generic 409 without the code stays a definitive 402 (covered above).
+func TestChargeFailureStatus_IdempotencyKeyReused_Ambiguous(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		err    error
+		want   int
+	}{
+		{"IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED 400 → 503", structuredSquareErrorFull(t, http.StatusBadRequest, "IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED", "INVALID_REQUEST_ERROR"), http.StatusServiceUnavailable},
+		{"IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED 409 → 503", structuredSquareErrorFull(t, http.StatusConflict, "IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED", "INVALID_REQUEST_ERROR"), http.StatusServiceUnavailable},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := chargeFailureStatus(tt.err); got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("chargeFailureStatus(%v) = %d, want %d", tt.err, got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 // TestCreateBookingPayment_AmbiguousSquareFailure_Returns503 verifies the
 // charge-failure classification end to end: the dev mock's simulated failure
 // is a PLAIN error (no structured Square status), so the handler now returns
diff --git a/backend/handlers/payments/giftcards.go b/backend/handlers/payments/giftcards.go
index cbb4dc1..265c1d7 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/payments/giftcards.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/payments/giftcards.go
@@ -1699,12 +1699,13 @@ func BuyGiftCard(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	// with an IDENTICAL body under the same key — Square compares the whole
 	// request on key reuse, and a reconstructed body returns
 	// IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED, leaving the row pending forever. The write is
-	// immutability-guarded (same rule as the booking/tip/terminal flows): it
-	// records the FIRST attempt's body only — the reuse branch above (B6)
-	// refreshes square_request_snapshot in the SAME transaction as the
-	// square_source_id refresh via the Go-reencrypt path, so a reuse never
-	// needs this post-commit write to overwrite the guard.
-	writeChargeSnapshot(ctx, db.Conn, "payments", buyPaymentID, paymentReq, "gift-card payment")
+	// INTENTIONALLY unconditional (writeChargeSnapshotUnconditional — Loop A
+	// regression check 4a restored it): the reuse branch above (B6) already
+	// refreshed square_request_snapshot in the SAME transaction as the
+	// square_source_id refresh, and this post-commit write stores the FRESH
+	// full body for THIS attempt. The immutability guard would wrongly skip
+	// this write on the reuse path when the in-tx refresh failed best-effort.
+	writeChargeSnapshotUnconditional(ctx, db.Conn, "payments", buyPaymentID, paymentReq, "gift-card payment")
 
 	paymentResult, err := SquareClient.CreatePayment(ctx, paymentReq)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/backend/handlers/payments/till.go b/backend/handlers/payments/till.go
index e0e6359..b9d18f6 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/payments/till.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/payments/till.go
@@ -1228,13 +1228,15 @@ func CreateTillSale(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 			// The snapshot holds PII (buyer email + ccof token), so it is
 			// encrypted at rest via encryptSnapshot (plaintext in dev/mock).
 			//
-			// The write is INTENTIONALLY unconditional (WHERE id = $2, no
-			// snapshot-is-null guard like the booking/tip/terminal flows): the
-			// pending-reuse branch above already refreshed square_request_snapshot
-			// in the SAME transaction as the square_source_id refresh
-			// (refreshTillSnapshotSource, B6), so a reuse never needs this
-			// post-commit write to overwrite the guard.
-			writeChargeSnapshot(ctx, db.Conn, "till_sales", tillSaleID, paymentReq, "till sale")
+			// The write is INTENTIONALLY unconditional
+			// (writeChargeSnapshotUnconditional — Loop A regression check 4a
+			// restored it): the pending-reuse branch above already refreshed
+			// square_request_snapshot in the SAME transaction as the
+			// square_source_id refresh (refreshTillSnapshotSource, B6), and this
+			// post-commit write stores the fresh full body for THIS attempt.
+			// The immutability guard would wrongly skip this write on the reuse
+			// path when the in-tx refresh failed best-effort.
+			writeChargeSnapshotUnconditional(ctx, db.Conn, "till_sales", tillSaleID, paymentReq, "till sale")
 
 			paymentResult, squareErr = SquareClient.CreatePayment(ctx, paymentReq)
 		} else if req.PaymentMethod == "online_square" {
@@ -1265,13 +1267,15 @@ func CreateTillSale(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 			// charge with an IDENTICAL body under the same key — Square
 			// compares the whole request on key reuse, and a reconstructed body
 			// returns IDEMPOTENCY_KEY_REUSED, leaving the row pending forever.
-			// The write is immutability-guarded (same rule as the
-			// booking/tip/terminal flows): it records the FIRST attempt's body
-			// only — the pending-reuse branch above refreshes
+			// The write is INTENTIONALLY unconditional
+			// (writeChargeSnapshotUnconditional — Loop A regression check 4a
+			// restored it): the pending-reuse branch above refreshes
 			// square_request_snapshot in the SAME transaction as the
-			// square_source_id refresh (refreshTillSnapshotSource, B6), so a
-			// reuse never needs this post-commit write to overwrite the guard.
-			writeChargeSnapshot(ctx, db.Conn, "till_sales", tillSaleID, paymentReq, "till sale")
+			// square_source_id refresh (refreshTillSnapshotSource, B6), and this
+			// post-commit write stores the FRESH full body for THIS attempt. The
+			// immutability guard would wrongly skip this write on the reuse path
+			// when the in-tx refresh failed best-effort.
+			writeChargeSnapshotUnconditional(ctx, db.Conn, "till_sales", tillSaleID, paymentReq, "till sale")
 
 			paymentResult, squareErr = SquareClient.CreatePayment(ctx, paymentReq)
 		}
diff --git a/backend/handlers/payments/twofa.go b/backend/handlers/payments/twofa.go
index 8bd0d50..31ce3c0 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/payments/twofa.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/payments/twofa.go
@@ -276,14 +276,39 @@ func requireTwoFactorForCardAccess(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, servi
 // configured. It also respects the same per-user mint cooldown
 // (twoFAMintCooldown via the shared twofa.AttemptState.LastMintAt), so a
 // charge-failure loop cannot mint codes faster than the mint endpoints allow.
-// Best-effort: a failure logs and the customer requests a fresh code through
-// the normal 2FA flow.
+// Best-effort: a failure logs a CRITICAL line + raises a critical-payment
+// admin notification (the operator must mint a code manually or fix the
+// config) and the customer requests a fresh code through the normal 2FA flow.
+//
+// PEPPER-CHANGE NOTE (Loop B finding 2): TWO_FACTOR_PEPPER is the ONLY hard
+// gate on issuance here (twoFAReissueIssueAllowed) AND on the interactive mint
+// paths (twoFAEnsureIssueAllowed in handlers/user). The pepper keys the
+// HMAC-SHA256 of every stored pending-code hash, so CHANGING it invalidates
+// ALL pending codes — every stored hash was computed with the old pepper and
+// can never match a code minted under the new one. A fresh saved-card charge
+// that consumed a pre-change code then fails will re-issue a code hashed with
+// the NEW pepper, which still cannot match anything the customer holds (their
+// code was minted under the old pepper, or was consumed). Operators MUST NOT
+// change the pepper without re-minting every user's code (or having the
+// customer re-run 2FA setup); main.go's startup check should treat a changed
+// pepper as a config incident.
 func reissueTwoFACodeAfterFailedCharge(ctx context.Context, q db.Querier, userID string, usedSavedCard, fallbackUsed bool, r *http.Request) {
 	if userID == "" || !twoFactorEnforced() || !usedSavedCard || !fallbackUsed {
 		return
 	}
 	if err := twoFAReissueIssueAllowed(); err != nil {
-		log.Printf("2FA: refused to re-issue a code for user %s after a failed charge: %v", userID, err)
+		// Loop B HIGH (finding 2): a REFUSED re-issue strands the customer. The
+		// gate consumed their code for the fresh charge (single-use) and the
+		// charge failed — with no re-issued code the same-key retry fails
+		// forever with 400 ErrMissingOrExpired and the customer is locked out.
+		// This is an OPERATOR-FACING incident, not a silent best-effort miss:
+		// log a CRITICAL line AND raise the deduped critical-payment admin
+		// notification (sweep.go's insertCriticalPaymentNotification — the
+		// DB-backed stand-in for the un-watched CRITICAL logs) so the operator
+		// knows the customer is blocked and can mint a code manually or fix the
+		// config (TWO_FACTOR_PEPPER / delivery channel).
+		log.Printf("CRITICAL: failed to re-issue a 2FA code for user %s after a failed saved-card charge (%v) — the customer's code was consumed by the fresh charge and NO live code remains, so the same-key retry cannot succeed; the operator must mint a code manually or configure TWO_FACTOR_PEPPER and a 2FA delivery channel", userID, err)
+		insertCriticalPaymentNotification(ctx, nil, &userID)
 		return
 	}
 	// Mint cooldown (B11a): the shared per-user mutex serializes the stamp
diff --git a/backend/handlers/payments/twofa_delivery_prod.go b/backend/handlers/payments/twofa_delivery_prod.go
index 5548a07..f9a2c09 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/payments/twofa_delivery_prod.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/payments/twofa_delivery_prod.go
@@ -33,6 +33,15 @@ var errTwoFAPepperRequired = errors.New("TWO_FACTOR_PEPPER is not set; refusing
 // pepper every stored code would be an offline-brute-forceable unsalted digest
 // — either way the re-issue refuses (fail-closed), exactly like the interactive
 // mint paths. Dev/test builds always allow issuance (twofa_delivery_dev.go).
+//
+// The pepper check is the ONLY hard gate on the re-issue (plus the delivery
+// channel). PEPPER-CHANGE HAZARD (Loop B finding 2): the pepper keys the
+// HMAC-SHA256 of every stored pending-code hash, so CHANGING TWO_FACTOR_PEPPER
+// invalidates ALL pending codes — a re-issued code under the new pepper can
+// never match a customer's code minted under the old one. An operator who
+// changes the pepper must re-mint every user's code (or the customer must
+// re-run 2FA setup), or a fresh saved-card charge whose code was consumed at
+// the gate will strand the customer with 400 ErrMissingOrExpired on retry.
 func twoFAReissueIssueAllowed() error {
 	if os.Getenv("TWO_FACTOR_PEPPER") == "" {
 		return errTwoFAPepperRequired
diff --git a/backend/handlers/scheduling/scheduled-cleanup.go b/backend/handlers/scheduling/scheduled-cleanup.go
index e034ad2..274cb94 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/scheduling/scheduled-cleanup.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/scheduling/scheduled-cleanup.go
@@ -250,6 +250,17 @@ func CleanupExpiredRefreshTokens(ctx context.Context) (int, error) {
 	// ids are captured before the delete and invalidated after the commit: a
 	// pre-commit invalidation could race a concurrent VerifyToken that
 	// re-caches the still-present row as alive.
+	//
+	// RESIDUAL WINDOW (documented, Loop B finding 3): the invalidation is an
+	// in-memory cache operation that CANNOT be in the same transaction as the
+	// DELETE. A crash between the DELETE commit and the
+	// auth.InvalidateFamilyAliveBatch call leaves the cache warm for up to
+	// familyAliveCacheTTL, admitting a bound access token after its family was
+	// killed. The verify path closes this gap itself: verifyFamilyAlive
+	// (auth/jwt.go) re-validates an ALIVE cache verdict against the DB when it
+	// is within familyAliveRecheckGrace of its TTL, bounding the residual
+	// window to the grace (5s of 30s). The remaining window is a process crash
+	// exactly between the two statements — accepted and documented here.
 	rows, err := tx.Query(ctx, `
 		SELECT DISTINCT family_id FROM refresh_tokens
 		WHERE expires_at < NOW()
diff --git a/backend/handlers/user/twofa_prod.go b/backend/handlers/user/twofa_prod.go
index 94484b0..7da1788 100644
--- a/backend/handlers/user/twofa_prod.go
+++ b/backend/handlers/user/twofa_prod.go
@@ -75,6 +75,16 @@ func twoFADeliveryAvailable() bool {
 // stored code would be an offline-brute-forceable unsalted digest. Either way
 // issuance is refused (fail-closed). Dev/test builds always allow issuance
 // (twofa_dev.go).
+//
+// The pepper check is the ONLY hard gate here (plus the delivery channel), and
+// it is also the ONLY hard gate on the payments re-issue path
+// (payments.twoFAReissueIssueAllowed). PEPPER-CHANGE HAZARD (Loop B finding 2):
+// the pepper keys the HMAC-SHA256 of every stored pending-code hash, so
+// CHANGING TWO_FACTOR_PEPPER invalidates ALL pending codes — every stored hash
+// was computed with the old pepper and can never match a code minted under the
+// new one. An operator who changes the pepper must re-mint every user's code
+// (or have each user re-run 2FA setup), or enforced saved-card charges will
+// strand customers with 400 ErrMissingOrExpired forever.
 func twoFAEnsureIssueAllowed() error {
 	if os.Getenv(twoFAPepperEnv) == "" {
 		return errTwoFAPepperRequired