perf: stop per-frame SQLite writes and console spam, make perf.log opt-in

- Explorer: the tip check runs every frame the Explorer tab is open,
  and it read both tip rows and rewrote them each time (two autocommit
  WAL writes per frame). A steady tip is now kept in memory and skips
  SQLite. A new tip writes both rows in one savepoint, so a crash
  between them can't pair a new height with the old hash. A test
  checks that 100 steady checks write nothing.
- Console: while the daemon was in the Error state the Console tab
  added its error line on every poll, i.e. every frame, re-laying out
  the whole buffer each time. It prints once per error now: on entering
  Error, when the message changes, or after another crash
  (EmbeddedDaemon::getUnexpectedExitCount(), never reset). setState
  writes the message before the state, so a reader that sees Error sees
  that error's message. The stray " ===" suffix is gone.
- perf.log: the profiler appended a block every 300 frames on every
  run and never rotated the file (tens of MB a day for a wallet left
  open). It is now off unless the app starts with DRAGONX_PERFLOG=1;
  otherwise its zone hooks are near no-ops.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/daemon/embedded_daemon.cpp

@@ -256,11 +256,13 @@ std::vector<std::string> EmbeddedDaemon::getChainParams()
 
 void EmbeddedDaemon::setState(State s, const std::string& message)
 {
-    state_ = s;
+    // Message first, state second: a reader that sees Error must also see that error's message, not the
+    // previous one (the console prints the message when it sees the state change).
     if (!message.empty() && s == State::Error) {
         std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(error_mutex_);   // dedicated mutex — never taken with output_mutex_ held
         last_error_ = message;
     }
+    state_ = s;
 
     if (state_callback_) {
         state_callback_(s, message);
@@ -1098,6 +1100,7 @@ void EmbeddedDaemon::monitorProcess()
         }
         
         crash_count_++;
+        unexpected_exits_++;   // before setState(Error): a reader that sees Error sees the new count
 
         // Build informative error message with full diagnostic details
         std::string error_msg = "dragonxd exited unexpectedly (" + translateWindowsExitCode(exit_code) + ")";
@@ -1671,6 +1674,7 @@ void EmbeddedDaemon::monitorProcess()
                     return;
                 }
                 crash_count_++;
+                unexpected_exits_++;   // before setState(Error): a reader that sees Error sees the new count
                 setState(State::Error, "dragonxd exited unexpectedly (" + exitInfo + ")");
                 return;
             }

src/daemon/embedded_daemon.h

@@ -446,6 +446,9 @@ public:
     int getCrashCount() const { return crash_count_.load(); }
     /** Reset crash counter (call on successful connection or manual restart) */
     void resetCrashCount() { crash_count_ = 0; }
+    /** Unexpected exits since this object was created; never reset (unlike the crash count), so a
+     *  reader can tell a new crash from an error it has already reported. */
+    std::uint64_t getUnexpectedExitCount() const { return unexpected_exits_.load(); }
 
 private:
     void setState(State s, const std::string& message = "");
@@ -494,6 +497,7 @@ private:
     std::string stratum_allowip_;    // -stratumallowip subnet (empty = daemon default: loopback only)
     std::string wallet_file_;  // -wallet=<name> for the active wallet; empty/"wallet.dat" = default
     std::atomic<int> crash_count_{0};  // consecutive crash counter
+    std::atomic<std::uint64_t> unexpected_exits_{0};  // all unexpected exits (see getUnexpectedExitCount)
     std::atomic<bool> rescan_on_next_start_{false};  // -rescan flag for next start
     std::atomic<bool> zap_on_next_start_{false};     // -zapwallettxes=2 flag for next start
     std::atomic<bool> salvage_on_next_start_{false}; // -salvagewallet flag for next start

src/main.cpp

@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ extern "C" HRESULT __stdcall SHGetPropertyStoreForWindow(HWND hwnd, REFIID riid,
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include <cmath>
 #include <cstdint>
+#include <cstring>
 #include <filesystem>
 #include <fstream>
 #include <string>
@@ -1447,8 +1448,10 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
         dragonx::ui::schema::UISchema::instance().reapplyColorsToImGui();
     }
 
-    // Initialize performance profiler — writes to <ObsidianDragonDir>/perf.log
+    // Performance profiler — writes to <ObsidianDragonDir>/perf.log. Opt-in (DRAGONX_PERFLOG=1): always
-    {
+    // on, it appended a block every 300 frames and was never rotated (tens of MB a day for any wallet
+    // left open).
+    if (const char* perfEnv = std::getenv("DRAGONX_PERFLOG"); perfEnv && *perfEnv && std::strcmp(perfEnv, "0") != 0) {
         std::string perfPath = (std::filesystem::path(
             dragonx::util::Platform::getObsidianDragonDir()) / "perf.log").string();
         dragonx::util::PerfLog::instance().init(perfPath);

src/ui/explorer/explorer_block_cache.cpp

@@ -229,7 +229,16 @@ ExplorerBlockCache::SavedTipValidation ExplorerBlockCache::prepareValidation(
     int currentHeight, const std::string& currentBestHash)
 {
     SavedTipValidation validation;
-    if (currentHeight <= 0 || !ensureOpen()) return validation;
+    if (currentHeight <= 0) return validation;
+
+    // Steady state: the tip hasn't moved since it was saved. This runs every frame the Explorer is
+    // open, and used to read both meta rows and rewrite them each time (two autocommit WAL writes per
+    // frame). Only an exact match takes the shortcut; anything else goes through the checks below.
+    if (tip_known_ && !currentBestHash.empty() &&
+        currentHeight == tip_height_ && currentBestHash == tip_hash_) {
+        return validation;
+    }
+    if (!ensureOpen()) return validation;
 
     int savedHeight = getMetaInt("tip_height", 0);
     std::string savedHash = getMetaValue("tip_hash");
@@ -248,8 +257,15 @@ ExplorerBlockCache::SavedTipValidation ExplorerBlockCache::prepareValidation(
 
     if (currentHeight == savedHeight) {
         if (currentBestHash.empty()) return validation;
-        if (currentBestHash != savedHash) clearBlocks();
+        if (currentBestHash != savedHash) {
-        updateTip(currentHeight, currentBestHash);
+            clearBlocks();   // same height, different block: a reorg
+            updateTip(currentHeight, currentBestHash);
+        } else {
+            // Already saved: remember it so later frames skip SQLite (nothing to write).
+            tip_known_ = true;
+            tip_height_ = savedHeight;
+            tip_hash_ = savedHash;
+        }
         return validation;
     }
 
@@ -280,9 +296,26 @@ void ExplorerBlockCache::applySavedTipValidation(const SavedTipValidation& valid
 
 void ExplorerBlockCache::updateTip(int height, const std::string& hash)
 {
+    tip_known_ = false;
     if (!ensureOpen()) return;
-    setMetaValue("tip_height", std::to_string(std::max(0, height)));
+    // Both rows in one transaction, so a crash between them can't save a new height with the old hash
-    setMetaValue("tip_hash", hash);
+    // (which would wipe the cache for nothing on the next run). A savepoint, not BEGIN, so it nests
+    // inside a caller's transaction instead of failing.
+    if (!exec("SAVEPOINT explorer_tip")) return;
+    const bool written = setMetaValue("tip_height", std::to_string(std::max(0, height))) &&
+                         setMetaValue("tip_hash", hash);
+    if (!written) exec("ROLLBACK TO explorer_tip");
+    const bool released = exec("RELEASE explorer_tip");
+    if (written && released && height > 0 && !hash.empty()) {
+        tip_known_ = true;
+        tip_height_ = height;
+        tip_hash_ = hash;
+    }
+}
+
+int ExplorerBlockCache::totalChanges() const
+{
+    return db_ ? sqlite3_total_changes(db_) : 0;
 }
 
 bool ExplorerBlockCache::exec(const char* sql)
@@ -322,16 +355,16 @@ int ExplorerBlockCache::getMetaInt(const std::string& key, int fallback)
     }
 }
 
-void ExplorerBlockCache::setMetaValue(const std::string& key, const std::string& value)
+bool ExplorerBlockCache::setMetaValue(const std::string& key, const std::string& value)
 {
-    if (!ensureOpen()) return;
+    if (!ensureOpen()) return false;
 
     Statement statement(db_,
         "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO explorer_cache_meta (key, value) VALUES (?, ?)");
-    if (!statement.handle) return;
+    if (!statement.handle) return false;
-    if (!bindText(statement.handle, 1, key)) return;
+    if (!bindText(statement.handle, 1, key)) return false;
-    if (!bindText(statement.handle, 2, value)) return;
+    if (!bindText(statement.handle, 2, value)) return false;
-    sqlite3_step(statement.handle);
+    return sqlite3_step(statement.handle) == SQLITE_DONE;
 }
 
 bool ExplorerBlockCache::createSchema()
@@ -392,6 +425,7 @@ void ExplorerBlockCache::migrateLegacyJsonIfNeeded()
 
 void ExplorerBlockCache::close()
 {
+    tip_known_ = false;
     if (!db_) return;
     sqlite3_close(db_);
     db_ = nullptr;

src/ui/explorer/explorer_block_cache.h

@@ -56,11 +56,15 @@ public:
                                  const std::string& currentBestHash);
     void updateTip(int height, const std::string& hash);
 
+    // Rows changed through this connection since it opened (sqlite3_total_changes); 0 when closed.
+    // Lets tests check that a steady tip writes nothing.
+    int totalChanges() const;
+
 private:
     bool exec(const char* sql);
     std::string getMetaValue(const std::string& key);
     int getMetaInt(const std::string& key, int fallback);
-    void setMetaValue(const std::string& key, const std::string& value);
+    bool setMetaValue(const std::string& key, const std::string& value);
     bool createSchema();
     void migrateLegacyJsonIfNeeded();
     void close();
@@ -68,6 +72,12 @@ private:
     sqlite3* db_ = nullptr;
     std::string database_path_;
     std::string legacy_json_path_;
+
+    // The saved tip as last written or read, so the per-frame check can skip SQLite while the chain
+    // tip hasn't moved. The database stays the source of truth; this is only a copy of it.
+    bool tip_known_ = false;
+    int tip_height_ = 0;
+    std::string tip_hash_;
 };
 
 } // namespace ui

src/ui/windows/console_command_executor.cpp

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include "console_channel.h"
 #include "console_command_reference.h"  // consoleCommandCategories / liteConsoleCommandCategories
 #include "console_input_model.h"  // BuildConsoleRpcCall
+#include "console_tab_helpers.h"  // ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine
 
 #include "../../app.h"
 #include "../../data/wallet_state.h"
@@ -126,7 +127,16 @@ void FullNodeConsoleExecutor::pollLogLines(const ConsoleAddLineFn& add)
             add("", ConsoleChannel::None);
             add(TR("console_daemon_stopped"), ConsoleChannel::Info);
         } else if (cur == DState::Error) {
-            add(std::string(TR("console_daemon_error")) + d->getLastError() + " ===", ConsoleChannel::Error);
+            // Once per error (see ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine): printing on every poll added a line per
+            // frame and made the console re-lay-out its whole buffer each time.
+            std::string err = d->getLastError();
+            const std::uint64_t exits = d->getUnexpectedExitCount();
+            if (ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(prev == static_cast<int>(DState::Error), true, err, last_daemon_error_,
+                                           exits != last_printed_exit_count_)) {
+                add(std::string(TR("console_daemon_error")) + " " + err, ConsoleChannel::Error);
+                last_daemon_error_ = std::move(err);
+                last_printed_exit_count_ = exits;
+            }
         }
         last_daemon_state_ = static_cast<int>(cur);
     }

src/ui/windows/console_command_executor.h

@@ -110,6 +110,8 @@ private:
     size_t last_daemon_output_size_ = 0;
     size_t last_xmrig_output_size_  = 0;
     int    last_daemon_state_       = -1;  // daemon::EmbeddedDaemon::State as int
+    std::string last_daemon_error_;         // error text last printed (main thread only)
+    std::uint64_t last_printed_exit_count_ = 0;   // daemon unexpected-exit count at that print
     bool   last_rpc_connected_      = false;
     std::deque<std::pair<std::string, bool>> results_;  // {text, isError}
     std::mutex results_mutex_;

src/ui/windows/console_tab_helpers.cpp

@@ -51,6 +51,13 @@ float ClampConsoleWrapWidth(float contentWidth, float paddingX)
     return std::max(50.0f, contentWidth - paddingX * 2.0f);
 }
 
+bool ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(bool wasError, bool isError,
+                                const std::string& error, const std::string& lastPrinted,
+                                bool newUnexpectedExit)
+{
+    return isError && (!wasError || error != lastPrinted || newUnexpectedExit);
+}
+
 bool ConsoleCommandCarriesSecret(const std::string& cmd)
 {
     size_t end = 0;

src/ui/windows/console_tab_helpers.h

@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ float ComputeConsoleOutputHeight(float availableHeight,
                                  float minHeightRatio);
 float ClampConsoleWrapWidth(float contentWidth, float paddingX);
 
+// The console's daemon-error line prints once per error: on entering the Error state, when the
+// reason changes while still in it, or when the daemon crashed again meanwhile (the console only polls
+// while its tab is shown, so it can miss the Running state between two identical crashes). It used to
+// print on every poll, i.e. every frame, while in Error.
+bool ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(bool wasError, bool isError,
+                                const std::string& error, const std::string& lastPrinted,
+                                bool newUnexpectedExit = false);
+
 // True if `cmd`'s first token names a console/RPC command that carries a SECRET on its command line
 // (passphrase, private/spending/viewing key, mnemonic). Output-secret commands (dumpprivkey,
 // z_exportkey, z_exportmnemonic) are NOT covered — their secret is in the result, a separate concern.

src/util/perf_log.h

@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ namespace util {
  *
  * Every N frames (default 300 ≈ 5s at 60fps) it appends a summary block
  * to  <ObsidianDragonDir>/perf.log  with min/avg/max/p95 for each zone.
+ * Off unless the app is started with DRAGONX_PERFLOG=1 (main.cpp calls init() only then); every
+ * call below is a near no-op until init() succeeds.
  */
 class PerfLog {
 public:
@@ -78,7 +80,7 @@ public:
 
     /// Begin a named zone. Returns an opaque time point.
     std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point beginZone() {
-        return Clock::now();
+        return ready_ ? Clock::now() : Clock::time_point{};
     }
 
     /// End a named zone. Pass the time point from beginZone().

tests/test_phase4.cpp

@@ -5468,6 +5468,15 @@ void testRendererHelpers()
     EXPECT_NEAR(dragonx::ui::ClampConsoleWrapWidth(40.0f, 8.0f), 50.0, 0.0001);
     EXPECT_NEAR(dragonx::ui::ClampConsoleWrapWidth(200.0f, 12.0f), 176.0, 0.0001);
 
+    // The daemon-error line prints once per error, not on every poll (it flooded one line per frame).
+    using dragonx::ui::ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine;
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(false, true, "bind failed", ""));             // entering Error
+    EXPECT_FALSE(ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(true, true, "bind failed", "bind failed"));  // still the same error
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(true, true, "binary missing", "bind failed")); // reason changed
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(false, true, "bind failed", "bind failed"));  // a new episode
+    EXPECT_FALSE(ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(true, false, "bind failed", ""));            // not in Error
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ShouldPrintDaemonErrorLine(true, true, "exit code 1", "exit code 1", true)); // crashed again
+
     EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::ui::ClampMiningThreads(0, 8), 1);
     EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::ui::ClampMiningThreads(12, 8), 8);
     EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::ui::ClampMiningThreads(4, 8), 4);
@@ -5783,6 +5792,12 @@ void testExplorerBlockCache()
     auto sameTipValidation = cache.prepareValidation(10, "hash-10");
     EXPECT_FALSE(sameTipValidation.needed);
 
+    // A steady tip writes nothing: this check runs every frame the Explorer is open (it used to
+    // rewrite both tip rows each time).
+    const int changesBeforeSteadyTip = cache.totalChanges();
+    for (int i = 0; i < 100; ++i) EXPECT_FALSE(cache.prepareValidation(10, "hash-10").needed);
+    EXPECT_EQ(cache.totalChanges(), changesBeforeSteadyTip);
+
     auto advancedValidation = cache.prepareValidation(12, "hash-12");
     EXPECT_TRUE(advancedValidation.needed);
     EXPECT_EQ(advancedValidation.height, 10);