Say a restart count runs from when the node-engine began watching it

The engine reports its own count, kept across recreates and starts by hand, not
systemd's NRestarts or the runtime's RestartCount (novox/hq issue 458).

cmd/mesh-controller/module_health.go

@@ -497,7 +497,8 @@ func moduleUnhealthyObservation(module, node string, rs []inventory.ResourceHeal
 			continue
 		}
 		words = append(words, fmt.Sprintf("its %s %s %s", r.Kind, r.Resource, reasonWords(r)))
-		// The restart count runs from the last start or creation, not from the state's since (novox/hq issue 458).
+		// The restart count runs from when the engine began watching it, not from the state's since (novox/hq
+		// issue 458).
 		said = append(said, fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s %s): %s, since %s, %d look(s) in a row, %s",
 			r.Resource, r.Kind, r.Target, orNotSaid(r.Reason), r.Since.UTC().Format("2006-01-02 15:04:05 MST"),
 			r.Streak, restartsWords(r.Restarts)))
@@ -514,12 +515,13 @@ func moduleUnhealthyObservation(module, node string, rs []inventory.ResourceHeal
 		Resolved: fmt.Sprintf("%s works again on %s", module, node)}
 }
 
-// restartsWords is a restart count as what it is (novox/hq issue 458): the engine reads systemd's NRestarts,
+// restartsWords is a restart count as what it is (novox/hq issue 458). The engine reports its own count
-// which counts only restarts its Restart= setting caused and resets when the unit is started by hand, or the
+// (mesh-host's liveness judge, kept.Counted): every rise of systemd's NRestarts or the runtime's RestartCount
-// runtime's RestartCount, which counts only restart-policy restarts and is lost when the container is
+// after a start's grace, so only restarts by the Restart= setting or the restart policy. It keeps the count
-// recreated. So it counts automatic restarts since the last start or creation, never since a state's "since".
+// across a recreate, a start by hand and its own restarts, and forgets it only when the resource is no longer
+// declared. So it counts automatic restarts since the engine began watching it, never since a state's "since".
 func restartsWords(n int) string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%d automatic restart(s) since it was last started or created", n)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%d automatic restart(s) since the node-engine began watching it", n)
 }
 
 // reasonWords is why a resource is unhealthy, as a person reads it.

cmd/mesh-controller/restarts_words_test.go

@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/novox/mesh-controller/internal/link"
 )
 
-// A restart count runs from the unit's last start or creation, so it is never said beside "since" as if it
+// A restart count runs from when the node-engine began watching the resource, so it is never said beside
-// counted from there (novox/hq issue 458): 3890 restarts beside "since 00:58" sent a reader after a crash loop that was not.
+// "since" as if it counted from there (novox/hq issue 458): 3890 restarts beside "since 00:58" sent a reader after a crash loop that was not.
-func TestARestartCountSaysItCountsFromTheLastStart(t *testing.T) {
+func TestARestartCountSaysItCountsFromWhenTheEngineBeganWatching(t *testing.T) {
 	since := time.Date(2026, 10, 11, 0, 58, 0, 0, time.UTC)
 	r := inventory.ResourceHealth{Module: "messenger", Resource: "messenger.own-runtime", Kind: "process",
 		Target: "messenger-runtime.service", State: link.StateUnhealthy, Reason: "restarting", Since: since,
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ func TestARestartCountSaysItCountsFromTheLastStart(t *testing.T) {
 	lines := strings.Join(healthLines(h, true, since.Add(time.Minute)), "\n")
 	o := moduleUnhealthyObservation("messenger", "anchor", []inventory.ResourceHealth{r})
 	for name, said := range map[string]string{"node show": lines, "evidence": o.Said, "summary": o.Summary} {
-		if !strings.Contains(said, "3890 automatic restart(s) since it was last started or created") || strings.Contains(said, "counted") {
+		if !strings.Contains(said, "3890 automatic restart(s) since the node-engine began watching it") || strings.Contains(said, "counted") {
 			t.Errorf("%s says the restart count as if it were since then:\n%s", name, said)
 		}
 	}