feat(cmdline): C&C with separate topics and rich output

.gitignore

@@ -9,3 +9,4 @@ htmlcov/
 .coverage
 .pytest_cache/
 *.egg-info/
+coverage.xml

AGENTS.md

@@ -22,13 +22,37 @@ uv sync
 ### Available Commands
 
 ```bash
+# Development
 mise run test       # Run tests
 mise run test-v     # Run tests verbose
 mise run test-cov   # Run tests with coverage report
 mise run lint       # Run ruff linter
 mise run lint-fix   # Run ruff with auto-fix
 mise run format     # Run ruff formatter
-mise run ci         # Full CI pipeline (sync + test + coverage)
+mise run ci         # Full CI pipeline
+
+# Runtime
+mise run run        # Interactive terminal mode (news)
+mise run run-poetry # Interactive terminal mode (poetry)
+mise run run-firehose # Dense headline mode
+
+# Daemon mode (recommended for long-running)
+mise run daemon         # Start mainline in background
+mise run daemon-stop    # Stop daemon
+mise run daemon-restart # Restart daemon
+
+# Command & Control
+mise run cmd           # Interactive CLI
+mise run cmd "/cmd"    # Send single command
+mise run cmd-stats     # Watch performance stats
+mise run topics-init   # Initialize ntfy topics
+
+# Environment
+mise run install       # Install dependencies
+mise run sync          # Sync dependencies
+mise run sync-all      # Sync with all extras
+mise run clean         # Clean cache files
+mise run clobber       # Aggressive cleanup (git clean -fdx + caches)
 ```
 
 ## Git Hooks
@@ -108,3 +132,136 @@ The project uses pytest with strict marker enforcement. Test configuration is in
 - **eventbus.py** provides thread-safe event publishing for decoupled communication
 - **controller.py** coordinates ntfy/mic monitoring
 - The render pipeline: fetch → render → effects → scroll → terminal output
+- **display.py** provides swappable display backends (TerminalDisplay, NullDisplay)
+
+## Operating Modes
+
+Mainline can run in two modes:
+
+### 1. Standalone Mode (Original)
+Run directly as a terminal application with interactive pickers:
+```bash
+mise run run              # news stream
+mise run run-poetry       # poetry mode
+mise run run-firehose     # dense headline mode
+```
+This runs the full interactive experience with font picker and effects picker at startup.
+
+### 2. Daemon + Command Mode (Recommended for Long-Running)
+
+The recommended approach for persistent displays:
+
+```bash
+# Start the daemon (headless rendering)
+mise run daemon
+
+# Send commands via ntfy
+mise run cmd "/effects list"
+mise run cmd "/effects noise off"
+mise run cmd "/effects stats"
+
+# Watch mode (continuous stats polling)
+mise run cmd-stats
+
+# Stop the daemon
+mise run daemon-stop
+```
+
+#### How It Works
+
+- **Daemon**: Runs `mainline.py` in the background, renders to terminal
+- **C&C Topics**: Uses separate ntfy topics (like UART serial):
+  - `klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_cmd` - commands TO mainline
+  - `klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_resp` - responses FROM mainline
+- **Topics are auto-warmed** on first daemon start
+
+#### Available Commands
+
+```
+/effects list                    - List all effects and status
+/effects <name> on             - Enable an effect
+/effects <name> off            - Disable an effect
+/effects <name> intensity 0.5  - Set effect intensity (0.0-1.0)
+/effects reorder noise,fade,glitch,firehose - Reorder pipeline
+/effects stats                  - Show performance statistics
+```
+
+## Effects Plugin System
+
+The effects system is implemented as a plugin architecture in `engine/effects/`.
+
+### Core Components
+
+| Module | Purpose |
+|--------|---------|
+| `effects/types.py` | `EffectConfig`, `EffectContext` dataclasses and `EffectPlugin` protocol |
+| `effects/registry.py` | Plugin discovery and management (`EffectRegistry`) |
+| `effects/chain.py` | Ordered pipeline execution (`EffectChain`) |
+| `effects_plugins/*.py` | Externalized effect plugins |
+
+### Creating a New Effect
+
+Create a file in `effects_plugins/` with a class ending in `Effect`:
+
+```python
+from engine.effects.types import EffectConfig, EffectContext
+
+class MyEffect:
+    name = "myeffect"
+    config = EffectConfig(enabled=True, intensity=1.0)
+    
+    def process(self, buf: list[str], ctx: EffectContext) -> list[str]:
+        # Process buffer and return modified buffer
+        return buf
+    
+    def configure(self, config: EffectConfig) -> None:
+        self.config = config
+```
+
+### NTFY Commands
+
+Send commands via `cmdline.py` or directly to the C&C topic:
+
+```bash
+# Using cmdline tool (recommended)
+mise run cmd "/effects list"
+mise run cmd "/effects noise on"
+mise run cmd "/effects noise intensity 0.5"
+mise run cmd "/effects reorder noise,glitch,fade,firehose"
+
+# Or directly via curl
+curl -d "/effects list" https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_cmd
+```
+
+The cmdline tool polls the response topic for the daemon's reply.
+
+## Conventional Commits
+
+Commit messages follow the [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) specification:
+
+```
+<type>(<scope>): <description>
+
+[optional body]
+
+[optional footer(s)]
+```
+
+### Types
+
+- `feat`: A new feature
+- `fix`: A bug fix
+- `docs`: Documentation only changes
+- `style`: Changes that don't affect code meaning (formatting)
+- `refactor`: Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
+- `test`: Adding or updating tests
+- `chore`: Changes to build process, dependencies, etc.
+
+### Examples
+
+```
+feat(effects): add plugin architecture for visual effects
+fix(layers): resolve glitch effect not applying on empty buffer
+docs(AGENTS.md): add effects plugin system documentation
+test(effects): add tests for EffectChain pipeline ordering
+```

README.md

@@ -24,6 +24,46 @@ First run bootstraps a local `.mainline_venv/` and installs deps (`feedparser`,
 
 ---
 
+## Daemon Mode (Recommended for Long-Running)
+
+For persistent displays (e.g., always-on terminal), use daemon mode with command-and-control over ntfy:
+
+```bash
+# Start the daemon (runs in background, auto-warms ntfy topics)
+mise run daemon
+
+# Send commands via cmdline
+mise run cmd "/effects list"
+mise run cmd "/effects noise off"
+mise run cmd "/effects noise intensity 0.5"
+
+# Watch performance stats continuously
+mise run cmd-stats
+
+# Stop the daemon
+mise run daemon-stop
+```
+
+### How It Works
+
+- **Topics**: Uses separate ntfy topics for serial-like communication:
+  - `klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_cmd` - commands TO mainline
+  - `klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_resp` - responses FROM mainline
+- Topics are automatically created on first daemon start
+
+### Available Commands
+
+```
+/effects list                    - List all effects and status
+/effects <name> on             - Enable an effect
+/effects <name> off            - Disable an effect
+/effects <name> intensity 0.5  - Set effect intensity (0.0-1.0)
+/effects reorder noise,fade,glitch,firehose - Reorder pipeline
+/effects stats                  - Show performance statistics
+```
+
+---
+
 ## Config
 
 All constants live in `engine/config.py`:
@@ -87,7 +127,15 @@ engine/
   filter.py         HTML stripping, content filter
   translate.py      Google Translate wrapper + region detection
   render.py         OTF → half-block pipeline (SSAA, gradient)
-  effects.py        noise, glitch_bar, fade, firehose
+  effects/          plugin-based effects system
+    types.py        EffectConfig, EffectContext, EffectPlugin protocol
+    registry.py     Plugin discovery and management
+    chain.py        Ordered pipeline execution
+    performance.py  Performance monitoring
+    controller.py   NTFY command handler
+    legacy.py       Original effects (noise, glitch, fade, firehose)
+  effects_plugins/  External effect plugins (noise, glitch, fade, firehose)
+  display.py        Swappable display backends (TerminalDisplay, NullDisplay)
   fetch.py          RSS/Gutenberg fetching + cache load/save
   ntfy.py           NtfyPoller — standalone, zero internal deps
   mic.py            MicMonitor — standalone, graceful fallback

engine/app.py

@@ -11,10 +11,8 @@ import time
 import tty
 
 from engine import config, render
+from engine.controller import StreamController
 from engine.fetch import fetch_all, fetch_poetry, load_cache, save_cache
-from engine.mic import MicMonitor
-from engine.ntfy import NtfyPoller
-from engine.scroll import stream
 from engine.terminal import (
     CLR,
     CURSOR_OFF,
@@ -249,6 +247,110 @@ def pick_font_face():
     print()
 
 
+def pick_effects_config():
+    """Interactive picker for configuring effects pipeline."""
+    import effects_plugins
+    from engine.effects import get_effect_chain, get_registry
+
+    effects_plugins.discover_plugins()
+
+    registry = get_registry()
+    chain = get_effect_chain()
+    chain.set_order(["noise", "fade", "glitch", "firehose"])
+
+    effects = list(registry.list_all().values())
+    if not effects:
+        return
+
+    selected = 0
+    editing_intensity = False
+    intensity_value = 1.0
+
+    def _draw_effects_picker():
+        w = tw()
+        print(CLR, end="")
+        print("\033[1;1H", end="")
+        print("  \033[1;38;5;231mEFFECTS CONFIG\033[0m")
+        print(f"  \033[2;38;5;37m{'─' * (w - 4)}\033[0m")
+        print()
+
+        for i, effect in enumerate(effects):
+            prefix = " > " if i == selected else "   "
+            marker = "[*]" if effect.config.enabled else "[ ]"
+            if editing_intensity and i == selected:
+                print(
+                    f"{prefix}{marker} \033[1;38;5;82m{effect.name}\033[0m: intensity={intensity_value:.2f} (use +/- to adjust, Enter to confirm)"
+                )
+            else:
+                print(
+                    f"{prefix}{marker} {effect.name}: intensity={effect.config.intensity:.2f}"
+                )
+
+        print()
+        print(f"  \033[2;38;5;37m{'─' * (w - 4)}\033[0m")
+        print(
+            "  \033[38;5;245mControls: space=toggle on/off | +/-=adjust intensity | arrows=move | Enter=next effect | q=done\033[0m"
+        )
+
+    def _read_effects_key():
+        ch = sys.stdin.read(1)
+        if ch == "\x03":
+            return "interrupt"
+        if ch in ("\r", "\n"):
+            return "enter"
+        if ch == " ":
+            return "toggle"
+        if ch == "q":
+            return "quit"
+        if ch == "+" or ch == "=":
+            return "up"
+        if ch == "-" or ch == "_":
+            return "down"
+        if ch == "\x1b":
+            c1 = sys.stdin.read(1)
+            if c1 != "[":
+                return None
+            c2 = sys.stdin.read(1)
+            if c2 == "A":
+                return "up"
+            if c2 == "B":
+                return "down"
+            return None
+        return None
+
+    if not sys.stdin.isatty():
+        return
+
+    fd = sys.stdin.fileno()
+    old_settings = termios.tcgetattr(fd)
+    try:
+        tty.setcbreak(fd)
+        while True:
+            _draw_effects_picker()
+            key = _read_effects_key()
+
+            if key == "quit" or key == "enter":
+                break
+            elif key == "up" and editing_intensity:
+                intensity_value = min(1.0, intensity_value + 0.1)
+                effects[selected].config.intensity = intensity_value
+            elif key == "down" and editing_intensity:
+                intensity_value = max(0.0, intensity_value - 0.1)
+                effects[selected].config.intensity = intensity_value
+            elif key == "up":
+                selected = max(0, selected - 1)
+                intensity_value = effects[selected].config.intensity
+            elif key == "down":
+                selected = min(len(effects) - 1, selected + 1)
+                intensity_value = effects[selected].config.intensity
+            elif key == "toggle":
+                effects[selected].config.enabled = not effects[selected].config.enabled
+            elif key == "interrupt":
+                raise KeyboardInterrupt
+    finally:
+        termios.tcsetattr(fd, termios.TCSADRAIN, old_settings)
+
+
 def main():
     atexit.register(lambda: print(CURSOR_ON, end="", flush=True))
 
@@ -259,10 +361,13 @@ def main():
 
     signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, handle_sigint)
 
+    StreamController.warmup_topics()
+
     w = tw()
     print(CLR, end="")
     print(CURSOR_OFF, end="")
     pick_font_face()
+    pick_effects_config()
     w = tw()
     print()
     time.sleep(0.4)
@@ -314,9 +419,10 @@ def main():
         sys.exit(1)
 
     print()
-    mic = MicMonitor(threshold_db=config.MIC_THRESHOLD_DB)
+    controller = StreamController()
-    mic_ok = mic.start()
+    mic_ok, ntfy_ok = controller.initialize_sources()
-    if mic.available:
+
+    if controller.mic and controller.mic.available:
         boot_ln(
             "Microphone",
             "ACTIVE"
@@ -325,12 +431,6 @@ def main():
             bool(mic_ok),
         )
 
-    ntfy = NtfyPoller(
-        config.NTFY_TOPIC,
-        reconnect_delay=config.NTFY_RECONNECT_DELAY,
-        display_secs=config.MESSAGE_DISPLAY_SECS,
-    )
-    ntfy_ok = ntfy.start()
     boot_ln("ntfy", "LISTENING" if ntfy_ok else "OFFLINE", ntfy_ok)
 
     if config.FIREHOSE:
@@ -343,7 +443,7 @@ def main():
     print()
     time.sleep(0.4)
 
-    stream(items, ntfy, mic)
+    controller.run(items)
 
     print()
     print(f"  {W_GHOST}{'─' * (tw() - 4)}{RST}")

engine/config.py

@@ -105,6 +105,8 @@ class Config:
     firehose: bool = False
 
     ntfy_topic: str = "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline/json"
+    ntfy_cc_cmd_topic: str = "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_cmd/json"
+    ntfy_cc_resp_topic: str = "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_resp/json"
     ntfy_reconnect_delay: int = 5
     message_display_secs: int = 30
 
@@ -148,6 +150,8 @@ class Config:
             mode="poetry" if "--poetry" in argv or "-p" in argv else "news",
             firehose="--firehose" in argv,
             ntfy_topic="https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline/json",
+            ntfy_cc_cmd_topic="https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_cmd/json",
+            ntfy_cc_resp_topic="https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_resp/json",
             ntfy_reconnect_delay=5,
             message_display_secs=30,
             font_dir=font_dir,
@@ -193,6 +197,8 @@ FIREHOSE = "--firehose" in sys.argv
 
 # ─── NTFY MESSAGE QUEUE ──────────────────────────────────
 NTFY_TOPIC = "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline/json"
+NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC = "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_cmd/json"
+NTFY_CC_RESP_TOPIC = "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_resp/json"
 NTFY_RECONNECT_DELAY = 5  # seconds before reconnecting after a dropped stream
 MESSAGE_DISPLAY_SECS = 30  # how long a message holds the screen
 

engine/controller.py

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ Stream controller - manages input sources and orchestrates the render stream.
 """
 
 from engine.config import Config, get_config
+from engine.effects.controller import handle_effects_command
 from engine.eventbus import EventBus
 from engine.events import EventType, StreamEvent
 from engine.mic import MicMonitor
@@ -13,11 +14,45 @@ from engine.scroll import stream
 class StreamController:
     """Controls the stream lifecycle - initializes sources and runs the stream."""
 
+    _topics_warmed = False
+
     def __init__(self, config: Config | None = None, event_bus: EventBus | None = None):
         self.config = config or get_config()
         self.event_bus = event_bus
         self.mic: MicMonitor | None = None
         self.ntfy: NtfyPoller | None = None
+        self.ntfy_cc: NtfyPoller | None = None
+
+    @classmethod
+    def warmup_topics(cls) -> None:
+        """Warm up ntfy topics lazily (creates them if they don't exist)."""
+        if cls._topics_warmed:
+            return
+
+        import urllib.request
+
+        topics = [
+            "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_cmd",
+            "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_resp",
+            "https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline",
+        ]
+
+        for topic in topics:
+            try:
+                req = urllib.request.Request(
+                    topic,
+                    data=b"init",
+                    headers={
+                        "User-Agent": "mainline/0.1",
+                        "Content-Type": "text/plain",
+                    },
+                    method="POST",
+                )
+                urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=5)
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+
+        cls._topics_warmed = True
 
     def initialize_sources(self) -> tuple[bool, bool]:
         """Initialize microphone and ntfy sources.
@@ -35,7 +70,38 @@ class StreamController:
         )
         ntfy_ok = self.ntfy.start()
 
-        return bool(mic_ok), ntfy_ok
+        self.ntfy_cc = NtfyPoller(
+            self.config.ntfy_cc_cmd_topic,
+            reconnect_delay=self.config.ntfy_reconnect_delay,
+            display_secs=5,
+        )
+        self.ntfy_cc.subscribe(self._handle_cc_message)
+        ntfy_cc_ok = self.ntfy_cc.start()
+
+        return bool(mic_ok), ntfy_ok and ntfy_cc_ok
+
+    def _handle_cc_message(self, event) -> None:
+        """Handle incoming C&C message - like a serial port control interface."""
+        import urllib.request
+
+        cmd = event.body.strip() if hasattr(event, "body") else str(event).strip()
+        if not cmd.startswith("/"):
+            return
+
+        response = handle_effects_command(cmd)
+
+        topic_url = self.config.ntfy_cc_resp_topic.replace("/json", "")
+        data = response.encode("utf-8")
+        req = urllib.request.Request(
+            topic_url,
+            data=data,
+            headers={"User-Agent": "mainline/0.1", "Content-Type": "text/plain"},
+            method="POST",
+        )
+        try:
+            urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=5)
+        except Exception:
+            pass
 
     def run(self, items: list) -> None:
         """Run the stream with initialized sources."""

mise.toml

@@ -25,24 +25,41 @@ run = "uv run mainline.py"
 run-poetry = "uv run mainline.py --poetry"
 run-firehose = "uv run mainline.py --firehose"
 
+daemon = "nohup uv run mainline.py > /dev/null 2>&1 &"
+daemon-stop = "pkill -f 'uv run mainline.py' 2>/dev/null || true"
+daemon-restart = "mise run daemon-stop && sleep 2 && mise run daemon"
+
+# =====================
+# Command & Control
+# =====================
+
+cmd = "uv run cmdline.py"
+cmd-stats = "bash -c 'uv run cmdline.py -w \"/effects stats\"';:"
+
+# Initialize ntfy topics (warm up before first use - also done automatically by mainline)
+topics-init = "curl -s -d 'init' https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_cmd > /dev/null && curl -s -d 'init' https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline_cc_resp > /dev/null && curl -s -d 'init' https://ntfy.sh/klubhaus_terminal_mainline > /dev/null"
+
 # =====================
 # Environment
 # =====================
 
 sync = "uv sync"
 sync-all = "uv sync --all-extras"
-install = "uv sync"
+install = "mise run sync"
-install-dev = "uv sync --group dev"
+install-dev = "mise run sync && uv sync --group dev"
 
 bootstrap = "uv sync && uv run mainline.py --help"
 
-clean = "rm -rf .venv htmlcov .coverage tests/.pytest_cache"
+clean = "rm -rf .venv htmlcov .coverage tests/.pytest_cache .mainline_cache_*.json nohup.out"
+
+# Aggressive cleanup - removes all generated files, caches, and venv
+clobber = "git clean -fdx && rm -rf .venv htmlcov .coverage tests/.pytest_cache .mainline_cache_*.json nohup.out"
 
 # =====================
 # CI/CD
 # =====================
 
-ci = "uv sync --group dev && uv run pytest --cov=engine --cov-report=term-missing --cov-report=xml"
+ci = "mise run topics-init && uv sync --group dev && uv run pytest --cov=engine --cov-report=term-missing --cov-report=xml"
 ci-lint = "uv run ruff check engine/ mainline.py"
 
 # =====================

tests/test_ntfy_integration.py

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+"""
+Integration tests for ntfy topics.
+"""
+
+import json
+import time
+import urllib.request
+
+
+class TestNtfyTopics:
+    def test_cc_cmd_topic_exists_and_writable(self):
+        """Verify C&C CMD topic exists and accepts messages."""
+        from engine.config import NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC
+
+        topic_url = NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC.replace("/json", "")
+        test_message = f"test_{int(time.time())}"
+
+        req = urllib.request.Request(
+            topic_url,
+            data=test_message.encode("utf-8"),
+            headers={
+                "User-Agent": "mainline-test/0.1",
+                "Content-Type": "text/plain",
+            },
+            method="POST",
+        )
+
+        try:
+            with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as resp:
+                assert resp.status == 200
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise AssertionError(f"Failed to write to C&C CMD topic: {e}") from e
+
+    def test_cc_resp_topic_exists_and_writable(self):
+        """Verify C&C RESP topic exists and accepts messages."""
+        from engine.config import NTFY_CC_RESP_TOPIC
+
+        topic_url = NTFY_CC_RESP_TOPIC.replace("/json", "")
+        test_message = f"test_{int(time.time())}"
+
+        req = urllib.request.Request(
+            topic_url,
+            data=test_message.encode("utf-8"),
+            headers={
+                "User-Agent": "mainline-test/0.1",
+                "Content-Type": "text/plain",
+            },
+            method="POST",
+        )
+
+        try:
+            with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as resp:
+                assert resp.status == 200
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise AssertionError(f"Failed to write to C&C RESP topic: {e}") from e
+
+    def test_message_topic_exists_and_writable(self):
+        """Verify message topic exists and accepts messages."""
+        from engine.config import NTFY_TOPIC
+
+        topic_url = NTFY_TOPIC.replace("/json", "")
+        test_message = f"test_{int(time.time())}"
+
+        req = urllib.request.Request(
+            topic_url,
+            data=test_message.encode("utf-8"),
+            headers={
+                "User-Agent": "mainline-test/0.1",
+                "Content-Type": "text/plain",
+            },
+            method="POST",
+        )
+
+        try:
+            with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as resp:
+                assert resp.status == 200
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise AssertionError(f"Failed to write to message topic: {e}") from e
+
+    def test_cc_cmd_topic_readable(self):
+        """Verify we can read messages from C&C CMD topic."""
+        from engine.config import NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC
+
+        test_message = f"integration_test_{int(time.time())}"
+        topic_url = NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC.replace("/json", "")
+
+        req = urllib.request.Request(
+            topic_url,
+            data=test_message.encode("utf-8"),
+            headers={
+                "User-Agent": "mainline-test/0.1",
+                "Content-Type": "text/plain",
+            },
+            method="POST",
+        )
+
+        try:
+            urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10)
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise AssertionError(f"Failed to write to C&C CMD topic: {e}") from e
+
+        time.sleep(1)
+
+        poll_url = f"{NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC}?poll=1&limit=1"
+        req = urllib.request.Request(
+            poll_url,
+            headers={"User-Agent": "mainline-test/0.1"},
+        )
+
+        try:
+            with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as resp:
+                body = resp.read().decode("utf-8")
+                if body.strip():
+                    data = json.loads(body.split("\n")[0])
+                    assert isinstance(data, dict)
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise AssertionError(f"Failed to read from C&C CMD topic: {e}") from e
+
+    def test_topics_are_different(self):
+        """Verify C&C CMD/RESP and message topics are different."""
+        from engine.config import NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC, NTFY_CC_RESP_TOPIC, NTFY_TOPIC
+
+        assert NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC != NTFY_TOPIC
+        assert NTFY_CC_RESP_TOPIC != NTFY_TOPIC
+        assert NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC != NTFY_CC_RESP_TOPIC
+        assert "_cc_cmd" in NTFY_CC_CMD_TOPIC
+        assert "_cc_resp" in NTFY_CC_RESP_TOPIC