fix(sync): stop large-wallet balance polling from starving block connection

On a fully-shielded (ac_private=1) chain, z_gettotalbalance is O(mapWallet) and
holds the daemon's cs_main for its whole duration — ~20s on a ~5k-tx wallet. The
Overview refresh polled it every ~2s (twice: minconf 0 and 1), so cs_main was
held almost continuously, starving the single block-connection thread: the node
connected blocks only in the gaps between polls and could fall further behind
the tip than it caught up (observed live: gap growing 58→100 blocks while the
GUI was open, one core pegged on GetFilteredNotes, 22 idle, ~17 B/s download).

Two hardening changes on top of the existing "skip balance while syncing" guard:

- Hysteresis: keep the low-impact sync profile (and balance suppression) for a
  short settle window after catching up, so a large-wallet scan can't
  immediately re-starve connection and bounce the node back into syncing. Armed
  only on the syncing→caught-up edge, so a wallet synced from the start is never
  throttled at connect (effectivelySyncing()).

- Adaptive balance cadence: time each z_gettotalbalance scan and require the
  next poll to wait at least (cost / 10%), so balance scanning never occupies
  more than ~10% of wall-clock. Cheap wallets are unaffected (the tab's Core
  timer stays the cadence); a ~20s scan backs off to ~200s. Wallet mutations
  (send/shield) force the next poll through so the user's own action updates the
  balance immediately (balanceRefreshDue()).

getblockchaininfo keeps its normal cadence throughout, so sync progress stays
live. Build + test_phase4 green.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/app.cpp

@@ -919,7 +919,9 @@ void App::update()
 
     // Re-apply the refresh cadence when sync starts/finishes: while syncing we throttle polling to
     // a low-impact profile so RPC contention doesn't slow block download (see applyRefreshPolicy).
-    if (state_.sync.syncing != refresh_policy_syncing_) {
+    // effectivelySyncing() includes the post-sync settle window, so this also reverts to the normal
+    // per-tab cadence once that window elapses.
+    if (effectivelySyncing() != refresh_policy_syncing_) {
         applyRefreshPolicy(current_page_);
     }
 

src/app.h

@@ -1102,6 +1102,14 @@ private:
     bool daemon_start_error_shown_ = false;
     int daemon_last_seen_crashes_ = 0;  // surface each new embedded-daemon crash reason once
     bool refresh_policy_syncing_ = false;  // whether the sync-throttle refresh profile is active
+    // Sync-settle hysteresis + adaptive balance-poll throttle. Balance polling (z_gettotalbalance) is
+    // O(mapWallet) and holds the daemon's cs_main, which starves block connection on a large shielded
+    // wallet — so we keep the low-impact profile briefly after catching up, and back the balance poll
+    // off in proportion to its own measured cost. See effectivelySyncing() / balanceRefreshDue().
+    bool was_core_syncing_ = false;        // previous Core-refresh sync state, to detect the caught-up edge
+    std::time_t sync_settle_until_ = 0;    // hold the sync-throttle until this wall-clock time (0 = not settling)
+    double last_balance_scan_ms_ = 0.0;    // measured cost of the last z_gettotalbalance scan
+    bool force_balance_refresh_ = false;   // a wallet mutation forces the next balance poll through the throttle
     // Auto-clear for secrets copied to the clipboard. Only a hash of the copied secret is kept.
     std::uint64_t clipboard_secret_hash_ = 0;
     double clipboard_clear_deadline_ = 0.0;
@@ -1439,6 +1447,8 @@ private:
     void refreshPrice();
     void refreshWalletEncryptionState();
     void applyRefreshPolicy(ui::NavPage page);
+    bool effectivelySyncing() const;   // syncing, or within the post-sync settle window (hysteresis)
+    bool balanceRefreshDue() const;    // adaptive: enough time elapsed given the last balance-scan cost?
     bool currentPageNeedsWalletDataRefresh() const;
     bool shouldRunWalletTransactionRefresh() const;
     bool shouldRefreshTransactions() const;

src/app_network.cpp

@@ -837,13 +837,39 @@ void App::applyRefreshPolicy(ui::NavPage page)
     // While the daemon is syncing, override the per-tab cadence with the low-impact sync profile so
     // the wallet stops contending for the daemon's cs_main lock (frequent getpeerinfo / per-block
     // transaction scans / balance polls slow block connection). This makes every tab sync as fast
-    // as the Console tab does today. Reverts to the per-tab profile once sync finishes.
+    // as the Console tab does today. effectivelySyncing() keeps this profile on briefly after catching
-    refresh_policy_syncing_ = state_.sync.syncing;
+    // up (hysteresis) so a large-wallet scan can't immediately re-starve connection and bounce the
+    // node back into "syncing". Reverts to the per-tab profile once the settle window passes.
+    refresh_policy_syncing_ = effectivelySyncing();
     network_refresh_.setIntervals(refresh_policy_syncing_
         ? services::RefreshScheduler::kSyncProfile
         : getIntervalsForPage(page));
 }
 
+// True while the node is behind, and for a short settle window after it first catches up. The settle
+// window is armed only on the syncing→caught-up edge (see the Core refresh callback), so a wallet that
+// was synced from the start is never throttled at connect — only a node that just finished catching up.
+bool App::effectivelySyncing() const
+{
+    if (state_.sync.syncing) return true;
+    if (sync_settle_until_ == 0) return false;      // no pending settle → genuinely caught up
+    return std::time(nullptr) < sync_settle_until_;
+}
+
+// Adaptive throttle: the next balance poll must wait at least (lastScanCost / kBalanceDutyCycle) since
+// the last one, so balance scanning can never occupy more than ~kBalanceDutyCycle of wall-clock. A
+// cheap wallet (sub-cadence cost) is unaffected — the tab's Core timer stays the real cadence; a ~20s
+// scan on a large wallet backs off to roughly every ~200s instead of every 2s, freeing cs_main for
+// block connection. A wallet mutation bypasses this via force_balance_refresh_.
+bool App::balanceRefreshDue() const
+{
+    constexpr double kBalanceDutyCycle = 0.10;
+    if (state_.last_balance_update == 0) return true;   // never fetched
+    if (last_balance_scan_ms_ <= 0.0) return true;      // no cost measured yet
+    const double minInterval = (last_balance_scan_ms_ / 1000.0) / kBalanceDutyCycle;
+    return std::difftime(std::time(nullptr), state_.last_balance_update) >= minInterval;
+}
+
 bool App::currentPageNeedsWalletDataRefresh() const
 {
     using NP = ui::NavPage;
@@ -1666,9 +1692,15 @@ void App::refreshCoreData()
                 ? fast_rpc_.get() : rpc_.get();
     if (!w || !rpc) return;
     ui::NavPage tracePage = current_page_;
-    // Skip the balance call while syncing (it's incomplete anyway and takes the wallet lock +
+    // Decide whether to include the balance call (z_gettotalbalance — O(mapWallet), holds cs_main).
-    // cs_main). Captured on the main thread to avoid reading state_ off the worker thread.
+    // Suppress it (a) while syncing or within the post-sync settle window, so it can't starve block
-    const bool includeBalance = !state_.sync.syncing;
+    // connection, and (b) unless enough time has elapsed given the LAST scan's measured cost, so a
+    // large shielded wallet backs off automatically instead of re-scanning every couple of seconds.
+    // A wallet mutation (send/shield) forces the next poll through so the user's own action updates the
+    // balance immediately. Captured on the main thread to avoid reading state_ off the worker thread.
+    const bool includeBalance = !effectivelySyncing() &&
+                                (force_balance_refresh_ || balanceRefreshDue());
+    if (includeBalance) force_balance_refresh_ = false;
 
     auto enqueued = network_refresh_.enqueue(services::NetworkRefreshService::Job::Core, *w, [this, rpc, tracePage, includeBalance]() -> rpc::RPCWorker::MainCb {
         AppRefreshRpcGateway refreshRpc(*rpc, traceSource(tracePage, "Core refresh"));
@@ -1678,6 +1710,19 @@ void App::refreshCoreData()
                 NetworkRefreshService::applyCoreRefreshResult(state_, result, std::time(nullptr));
                 applyPendingSendBalanceDeltas(true);
 
+                // Feed the adaptive balance throttle + sync-settle hysteresis. Record the last scan's
+                // cost (0 when balance was skipped), and arm the settle window only on the
+                // syncing→caught-up edge so a wallet synced from the start is never throttled at connect.
+                if (result.balanceScanMs > 0.0) last_balance_scan_ms_ = result.balanceScanMs;
+                const bool nowSyncing = state_.sync.syncing;
+                if (nowSyncing) {
+                    sync_settle_until_ = 0;
+                } else if (was_core_syncing_) {
+                    constexpr double kSyncSettleSeconds = 8.0;
+                    sync_settle_until_ = std::time(nullptr) + static_cast<std::time_t>(kSyncSettleSeconds);
+                }
+                was_core_syncing_ = nowSyncing;
+
                 // Mid-session connection-loss detection. During normal operation, both core
                 // RPCs failing together means the daemon connection is dead (a busy daemon
                 // fails them individually, not both at once). Warmup is excluded — both fail
@@ -5300,6 +5345,7 @@ void App::submitZSendMany(const std::string& from, const std::string& to, double
                 // Force transaction list refresh so the sent tx appears immediately
                 transactions_dirty_ = true;
                 last_tx_block_height_ = -1;
+                force_balance_refresh_ = true;  // the user's own send must update the balance now, past the throttle
                 network_refresh_.markWalletMutationRefresh();
                 // z_sendmany only returned an opid: the transaction is built/signed/
                 // broadcast asynchronously by the daemon. Defer the user-facing

src/services/network_refresh_service.cpp

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <cctype>
+#include <chrono>
 #include <cmath>
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include <map>
@@ -294,8 +295,13 @@ NetworkRefreshService::CoreRefreshResult NetworkRefreshService::collectCoreRefre
     json blockInfo;
     bool balanceOk = false;
     bool blockOk = false;
+    double balanceScanMs = 0.0;
 
     if (includeBalance) {
+        // z_gettotalbalance is O(mapWallet) and holds the daemon's cs_main for its whole duration —
+        // seconds on a large shielded wallet. Time it so the caller can throttle how often it polls
+        // (balanceRefreshDue()), keeping balance scans from starving block connection.
+        const auto balanceStart = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
         try {   // DISPLAY total: minconf=0 — includes the user's own pending change so it doesn't crater
             totalBalance = rpc.call("z_gettotalbalance", json::array({0}));
             balanceOk = true;
@@ -305,6 +311,8 @@ NetworkRefreshService::CoreRefreshResult NetworkRefreshService::collectCoreRefre
         try {   // SPENDABLE total: minconf=1 (confirmed). If absent, spendable degrades to display in apply.
             spendableBalance = rpc.call("z_gettotalbalance", json::array({1}));
         } catch (...) {}
+        balanceScanMs = std::chrono::duration<double, std::milli>(
+            std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - balanceStart).count();
     }
 
     try {
@@ -314,7 +322,9 @@ NetworkRefreshService::CoreRefreshResult NetworkRefreshService::collectCoreRefre
         DEBUG_LOGF("BlockchainInfo error: %s\n", e.what());
     }
 
-    return parseCoreRefreshResult(totalBalance, spendableBalance, balanceOk, blockInfo, blockOk);
+    auto result = parseCoreRefreshResult(totalBalance, spendableBalance, balanceOk, blockInfo, blockOk);
+    result.balanceScanMs = balanceScanMs;
+    return result;
 }
 
 NetworkRefreshService::MiningRefreshResult NetworkRefreshService::parseMiningRefreshResult(

src/services/network_refresh_service.h

@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ public:
         std::optional<double> verificationProgress;
         std::optional<int> longestChain;
         std::optional<int> notarized;
+        double balanceScanMs = 0.0;   // wall-clock spent in z_gettotalbalance this refresh (0 if balance skipped)
     };
 
     struct MiningRefreshResult {