diff --git a/cli/ROADMAP.md b/cli/ROADMAP.md
index 466cd8410..61c227102 100644
--- a/cli/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/cli/ROADMAP.md
@@ -94,7 +94,12 @@ move anything, re-audit — you're probably duplicating logic.
 7. **`amy zap send|verify`** (NIP-57).
 8. **Distribution** — Homebrew + Scoop + `.deb` in the same release
    pipeline as desktop. Plan: `cli/plans/2026-04-21-cli-distribution.md`.
-9. **Test suite** — end-to-end against a local relay.
+9. **Test suite** — end-to-end against a local relay. Marmot interop is
+   covered by `tools/marmot-interop/marmot-interop-headless.sh`; NIP-17
+   DM interop between two `amy` clients is covered by
+   `tools/marmot-interop/dm-interop-headless.sh` (text + file + strict
+   10050 + fallback + cursor-advance). Neither runs in CI yet (both
+   need Rust + ~3 min cold relay build).
 10. **Everything else in the matrix.**
 
 ---
diff --git a/tools/marmot-interop/README.md b/tools/marmot-interop/README.md
index f5fa97e0f..2fca06f1b 100644
--- a/tools/marmot-interop/README.md
+++ b/tools/marmot-interop/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-# Marmot Interop Test Harness
+# Interop Test Harnesses
 
-Two flavours, same scenarios:
+Two flavours of the Marmot harness, same scenarios:
 
 - **`marmot-interop.sh`** — interactive. Drives B/C via `wn` and **prompts the
   human** to perform each Amethyst-side step in the mobile UI (Identity A).
@@ -10,7 +10,15 @@ Two flavours, same scenarios:
   end-to-end and exits with a pass/fail summary. Use this for CI and for
   iterating on the Nostr/Marmot plumbing without needing to touch a phone.
 
-Both harnesses validate Amethyst against **whitenoise-rs**
+A third, slimmer harness covers the NIP-17 DM surface:
+
+- **`dm-interop-headless.sh`** — two `amy` processes (Identity A and
+  Identity D) exchange NIP-17 DMs through the loopback nostr-rs-relay.
+  No whitenoise-rs required — only `amy` and the relay binary (which
+  is shared with the Marmot harness's checkout at
+  `state-headless/nostr-rs-relay/`).
+
+Both Marmot harnesses validate Amethyst against **whitenoise-rs**
 (https://github.com/marmot-protocol/whitenoise-rs), the reference Rust
 implementation that powers the White Noise Flutter app. Every test records a
 pass/fail/skip result into a tab-separated log, and the summary is printed at
@@ -33,6 +41,23 @@ the end of the run.
 | 11 | Leave group | – |
 | 12 | Offline catch-up / replay | – |
 | 13 | KeyPackage rotation | – |
+
+### DM (amy ↔ amy, NIP-17) — `dm-interop-headless.sh`
+
+| # | Test |
+|---|---|
+| dm-01 | Text round-trip A↔D (kind:14) |
+| dm-02 | `dm list` returns prior exchange with `type:text` discriminator |
+| dm-03 | Strict kind:10050 refuses sends to an inboxless recipient |
+| dm-04 | `--allow-fallback` opts into the NIP-65 read / bootstrap chain |
+| dm-05 | File message reference mode round-trip (kind:15 with manual key/nonce) |
+| dm-06 | No-flag `dm list` advances the gift-wrap cursor (second call empty) |
+
+**Note:** dm-05 validates the kind:15 wire format via reference mode
+(caller supplies the URL + AES-GCM key/nonce). The upload-mode variant
+(`dm send-file --file PATH --server URL`) needs a local Blossom server
+and isn't scripted here — the upload classes are unit-tested on desktop
+at `desktopApp/src/jvmTest/kotlin/.../service/upload/`.
 | 14 | Push notifications (MIP-05) | opt-in via `--transponder` |
 
 ## Prerequisites
diff --git a/tools/marmot-interop/dm-interop-headless.sh b/tools/marmot-interop/dm-interop-headless.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..36414c256
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/marmot-interop/dm-interop-headless.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# dm-interop-headless.sh — zero-prompt NIP-17 DM interop harness.
+#
+# Two `amy` processes (Identity A and Identity D) talk to each other
+# through a local nostr-rs-relay on ws://127.0.0.1:$RELAY_PORT. No
+# whitenoise-rs, no Marmot, no public internet traffic.
+#
+# Usage: ./dm-interop-headless.sh [--port N] [--no-build]
+#
+set -uo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd -- "$SCRIPT_DIR/../.." && pwd)"
+STATE_DIR="$SCRIPT_DIR/state-dm-headless"
+LOG_DIR="$STATE_DIR/logs"
+A_DIR="$STATE_DIR/A"
+D_DIR="$STATE_DIR/D"
+
+RUN_TS="$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
+LOG_FILE="$LOG_DIR/run-$RUN_TS.log"
+RESULTS_FILE="$STATE_DIR/results-$RUN_TS.tsv"
+
+AMY_BIN="$REPO_ROOT/cli/build/install/amy/bin/amy"
+
+# Share the nostr-rs-relay checkout with the Marmot harness to avoid
+# rebuilding it twice. Override RELAY_REPO / RELAY_DATA if you want full
+# isolation between runs.
+RELAY_REPO="${RELAY_REPO:-$SCRIPT_DIR/state-headless/nostr-rs-relay}"
+RELAY_BIN="$RELAY_REPO/target/release/nostr-rs-relay"
+RELAY_DATA="$STATE_DIR/relay"
+RELAY_PORT="${RELAY_PORT:-8090}"
+RELAY_URL="ws://127.0.0.1:$RELAY_PORT"
+NO_BUILD=0
+
+A_NPUB=""
+A_HEX=""
+D_NPUB=""
+D_HEX=""
+
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+  case "$1" in
+    --port)     RELAY_PORT="$2"; RELAY_URL="ws://127.0.0.1:$RELAY_PORT"; shift ;;
+    --no-build) NO_BUILD=1 ;;
+    -h|--help)
+      sed -n '3,12p' "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" | sed 's/^# \?//'
+      exit 0 ;;
+    *) printf 'unknown flag: %s\n' "$1" >&2; exit 2 ;;
+  esac
+  shift
+done
+
+mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR" "$LOG_DIR" "$A_DIR" "$D_DIR"
+: >"$LOG_FILE"
+: >"$RESULTS_FILE"
+
+# Reuse the logging + result helpers from the Marmot harness. lib.sh
+# also declares wn-specific helpers; they're harmless when unused.
+# shellcheck source=lib.sh
+source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib.sh"
+
+# Reuse start_local_relay / stop_local_relay from setup.sh. preflight()
+# there also builds whitenoise-rs, which we don't need — setup-dm.sh
+# defines a slimmer preflight_dm().
+# shellcheck source=headless/setup.sh
+source "$SCRIPT_DIR/headless/setup.sh"
+# shellcheck source=headless/setup-dm.sh
+source "$SCRIPT_DIR/headless/setup-dm.sh"
+# shellcheck source=headless/helpers.sh
+source "$SCRIPT_DIR/headless/helpers.sh"
+# shellcheck source=headless/tests-dm.sh
+source "$SCRIPT_DIR/headless/tests-dm.sh"
+
+cleanup() {
+  local rc=$?
+  trap - EXIT INT TERM HUP
+  stop_local_relay
+  print_summary
+  exit "$rc"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+trap 'exit 130' INT
+trap 'exit 143' TERM
+trap 'exit 129' HUP
+
+banner "Amethyst NIP-17 DM headless interop ($RUN_TS)"
+preflight_dm
+start_local_relay
+ensure_identity_for A "$A_DIR"
+ensure_identity_for D "$D_DIR"
+configure_relays_dm
+
+test_01_dm_text_round_trip
+test_02_dm_list_surfaces_history
+test_03_dm_send_rejects_no_inbox
+test_04_dm_send_allow_fallback
+test_05_dm_file_reference_round_trip
+test_06_dm_list_cursor_advance
diff --git a/tools/marmot-interop/headless/setup-dm.sh b/tools/marmot-interop/headless/setup-dm.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6bb7e764a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/marmot-interop/headless/setup-dm.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+# shellcheck shell=bash
+#
+# headless/setup-dm.sh — amy-only preflight + identity bootstrap for the
+# NIP-17 DM interop harness. Much slimmer than the Marmot setup:
+#
+#   - Builds `amy` (same retry-on-503 logic as setup.sh).
+#   - Builds nostr-rs-relay if missing.
+#   - Bootstraps two fresh amy identities (A and D), each with its own
+#     `--data-dir`, both pointed at the loopback relay.
+#   - Publishes kind:10050 (plus NIP-65) for both so NIP-17's strict
+#     recipient-inbox routing has something to resolve to.
+#
+# The heavy `start_local_relay` / `stop_local_relay` helpers live in
+# headless/setup.sh and are sourced by the top-level harness.
+
+# --- preflight (amy + relay only, no wn / Marmot patches) -------------------
+preflight_dm() {
+  banner "Preflight (DM harness)"
+  for cmd in jq git cargo; do
+    if ! command -v "$cmd" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      fail_msg "missing required tool: $cmd"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    info "$cmd: $(command -v "$cmd")"
+  done
+
+  if [[ ! -x "$AMY_BIN" ]]; then
+    if [[ "$NO_BUILD" -eq 1 ]]; then
+      fail_msg "amy not found at $AMY_BIN and --no-build set"; exit 1
+    fi
+    # Gradle + jitpack/dl.google.com occasionally return transient 503s;
+    # retry so a single bad roll doesn't tank the whole harness.
+    local attempt max=4
+    for attempt in $(seq 1 $max); do
+      step "building :cli:installDist (attempt $attempt/$max)"
+      if ( cd "$REPO_ROOT" && ./gradlew :cli:installDist ) 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOG_FILE" \
+          && [[ -x "$AMY_BIN" ]]; then
+        break
+      fi
+      [[ "$attempt" -lt "$max" ]] && warn "gradle build failed — retrying"
+    done
+  fi
+  [[ -x "$AMY_BIN" ]] || { fail_msg "amy still missing after build"; exit 1; }
+  info "amy: $AMY_BIN"
+
+  # nostr-rs-relay (same build path as the Marmot harness).
+  if [[ ! -x "$RELAY_BIN" ]]; then
+    if [[ "$NO_BUILD" -eq 1 ]]; then
+      fail_msg "nostr-rs-relay not found at $RELAY_BIN and --no-build set"; exit 1
+    fi
+    if [[ ! -d "$RELAY_REPO/.git" ]]; then
+      step "cloning nostr-rs-relay into $RELAY_REPO"
+      git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/scsibug/nostr-rs-relay "$RELAY_REPO" \
+        2>&1 | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
+    fi
+    local attempt max=4
+    for attempt in $(seq 1 $max); do
+      step "building nostr-rs-relay (attempt $attempt/$max, ~3 min first run)"
+      ( cd "$RELAY_REPO" && cargo build --release --bin nostr-rs-relay ) \
+        2>&1 | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
+      [[ -x "$RELAY_BIN" ]] && break
+      [[ "$attempt" -lt "$max" ]] && warn "nostr-rs-relay build failed — retrying"
+    done
+    [[ -x "$RELAY_BIN" ]] || {
+      fail_msg "nostr-rs-relay still missing after $max attempts"; exit 1
+    }
+  fi
+  info "relay bin: $RELAY_BIN"
+}
+
+# --- amy identity wrappers ---------------------------------------------------
+# Two identities: A (sender) and D (recipient). We reuse A_DIR for parity
+# with the existing harness files; D_DIR is new.
+amy_a() { "$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$A_DIR" "$@"; }
+amy_d() { "$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$D_DIR" "$@"; }
+
+# --- identity bootstrap ------------------------------------------------------
+ensure_identity_for() {
+  local who="$1" dir="$2"
+  step "initialising Identity $who (amy at $dir)"
+  local out
+  out=$("$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$dir" init) || {
+    fail_msg "amy init failed for $who: $out"; exit 1
+  }
+  local npub hex
+  npub=$(printf '%s' "$out" | jq -r '.npub')
+  hex=$(printf '%s' "$out" | jq -r '.hex')
+  case "$who" in
+    A) A_NPUB="$npub"; A_HEX="$hex" ;;
+    D) D_NPUB="$npub"; D_HEX="$hex" ;;
+  esac
+  info "$who npub: $npub"
+  info "$who hex:  $hex"
+}
+
+# --- relay wiring ------------------------------------------------------------
+# Point both identities at the loopback relay (all three buckets:
+# nip65 / inbox / key_package), then publish each identity's kind:10050
+# so the DM strict-relay routing has something to resolve to.
+configure_relays_dm() {
+  banner "Configuring relays → $RELAY_URL"
+  "$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$A_DIR" relay add "$RELAY_URL" --type all >/dev/null
+  "$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$D_DIR" relay add "$RELAY_URL" --type all >/dev/null
+
+  step "publishing A's NIP-65 + kind:10050 lists"
+  amy_a relay publish-lists >>"$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 \
+    || warn "amy_a relay publish-lists failed"
+
+  step "publishing D's NIP-65 + kind:10050 lists"
+  amy_d relay publish-lists >>"$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 \
+    || warn "amy_d relay publish-lists failed"
+}
diff --git a/tools/marmot-interop/headless/tests-dm.sh b/tools/marmot-interop/headless/tests-dm.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a693ca675
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/marmot-interop/headless/tests-dm.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,220 @@
+# shellcheck shell=bash
+#
+# headless/tests-dm.sh — NIP-17 DM interop tests for two `amy` clients.
+#
+# Identity A (sender) and Identity D (recipient) each live in their own
+# --data-dir and share one loopback nostr-rs-relay. Tests cover:
+#
+#   dm-01   text round-trip (both directions)
+#   dm-02   dm list surfaces prior exchange with type:text discriminator
+#   dm-03   strict kind:10050 routing refuses sends to inboxless recipient
+#   dm-04   --allow-fallback opts into the NIP-65 read / bootstrap chain
+#   dm-05   file message reference mode round-trip (kind:15)
+#   dm-06   cursor advance (subsequent no-flag `dm list` is empty)
+
+# Wrap amy_json around either data-dir so the per-test code stays tight.
+amy_json_for() {
+  local dir="$1"; shift
+  local out
+  if ! out=$("$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$dir" "$@" 2>>"$LOG_FILE"); then
+    fail_msg "amy --data-dir $dir $*: exit $? (see $LOG_FILE)"
+    printf '%s\n' "$out" >>"$LOG_FILE"
+    return 1
+  fi
+  printf '%s' "$out"
+}
+
+amy_json_a() { amy_json_for "$A_DIR" "$@"; }
+amy_json_d() { amy_json_for "$D_DIR" "$@"; }
+
+test_01_dm_text_round_trip() {
+  banner "DM-01 — text round-trip A↔D (kind:14)"
+  local id="dm-01 text round-trip"
+
+  # A → D
+  local out_send
+  out_send=$(amy_json_a dm send "$D_NPUB" "hello from A") || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "A send failed"; return
+  }
+  local event_id recipients_ok
+  event_id=$(printf '%s' "$out_send" | jq -r '.event_id')
+  recipients_ok=$(printf '%s' "$out_send" \
+    | jq -r '[.recipients[] | select(.relay_source == "kind_10050")] | length')
+  info "A sent kind:14 event_id=$event_id (to ${recipients_ok} kind:10050 inboxes)"
+  if [[ -z "$event_id" || "$event_id" == "null" ]]; then
+    record_result "$id" fail "A send response missing event_id"; return
+  fi
+
+  # D awaits the text
+  if ! amy_json_d dm await --peer "$A_NPUB" --match "hello from A" --timeout 30 >/dev/null; then
+    record_result "$id" fail "D never received A's text"; return
+  fi
+  info "D received A's text"
+
+  # D → A
+  amy_json_d dm send "$A_NPUB" "reply from D" >/dev/null || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "D send failed"; return
+  }
+  if ! amy_json_a dm await --peer "$D_NPUB" --match "reply from D" --timeout 30 >/dev/null; then
+    record_result "$id" fail "A never received D's reply"; return
+  fi
+  info "A received D's reply"
+
+  record_result "$id" pass
+}
+
+test_02_dm_list_surfaces_history() {
+  banner "DM-02 — dm list returns text messages with type discriminator"
+  local id="dm-02 dm list text history"
+
+  local out
+  out=$(amy_json_a dm list --peer "$D_NPUB" --timeout 5) || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "amy dm list failed"; return
+  }
+  local text_count reply_present
+  text_count=$(printf '%s' "$out" \
+    | jq -r '[.messages[] | select(.type == "text")] | length')
+  reply_present=$(printf '%s' "$out" \
+    | jq -r '[.messages[] | select(.content == "reply from D")] | length')
+  info "A sees $text_count text message(s) with D; reply_present=$reply_present"
+  if [[ "$reply_present" == "1" ]]; then
+    record_result "$id" pass
+  else
+    record_result "$id" fail "D's reply missing from A's dm list"
+  fi
+}
+
+test_03_dm_send_rejects_no_inbox() {
+  banner "DM-03 — strict kind:10050 refuses sends to inboxless recipient"
+  local id="dm-03 strict no_dm_relays"
+
+  # Generate a throwaway identity but do NOT publish its kind:10050.
+  local tmpdir; tmpdir=$(mktemp -d "${STATE_DIR}/ghost.XXXXXX")
+  local ghost_out ghost_npub
+  ghost_out=$("$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$tmpdir" init) || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "ghost init failed"; rm -rf "$tmpdir"; return
+  }
+  ghost_npub=$(printf '%s' "$ghost_out" | jq -r '.npub')
+  info "ghost: $ghost_npub (no relays advertised)"
+
+  # A sends without --allow-fallback; amy should refuse.
+  local raw rc
+  raw=$("$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$A_DIR" dm send "$ghost_npub" "should be rejected" 2>&1)
+  rc=$?
+  rm -rf "$tmpdir"
+  if [[ "$rc" -ne 0 ]] && printf '%s' "$raw" | grep -q '"error":"no_dm_relays"'; then
+    info "amy refused with no_dm_relays as expected (exit $rc)"
+    record_result "$id" pass
+  else
+    fail_msg "expected no_dm_relays error; got rc=$rc raw=$raw"
+    record_result "$id" fail "send to inboxless recipient did not refuse"
+  fi
+}
+
+test_04_dm_send_allow_fallback() {
+  banner "DM-04 — --allow-fallback opts into NIP-65 read / bootstrap chain"
+  local id="dm-04 allow-fallback"
+
+  # Same ghost pattern as dm-03. With --allow-fallback, resolution should
+  # fall through kind:10050 → NIP-65 read → bootstrap. Our bootstrap set
+  # always includes the loopback relay via the shared RelayConfig, so the
+  # publish should succeed even though the ghost has no 10050.
+  local tmpdir; tmpdir=$(mktemp -d "${STATE_DIR}/ghost.XXXXXX")
+  local ghost_out ghost_npub
+  ghost_out=$("$AMY_BIN" --data-dir "$tmpdir" init) || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "ghost init failed"; rm -rf "$tmpdir"; return
+  }
+  ghost_npub=$(printf '%s' "$ghost_out" | jq -r '.npub')
+  rm -rf "$tmpdir"
+
+  local out source
+  out=$(amy_json_a dm send "$ghost_npub" "hi via fallback" --allow-fallback) || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "send with --allow-fallback failed"; return
+  }
+  # The ghost's own wrap will land in the recipients list; its source
+  # should be bootstrap (no 10050, no 10002) — which confirms the
+  # fallback actually fired.
+  source=$(printf '%s' "$out" \
+    | jq -r --arg pk "${ghost_npub}" \
+        '.recipients[] | select(.pubkey != $pk) | .relay_source' \
+    | head -1)
+  info "relay_source for ghost wrap: $source"
+  if printf '%s' "$out" | jq -e '[.recipients[] | .relay_source] | index("bootstrap")' >/dev/null \
+     || printf '%s' "$out" | jq -e '[.recipients[] | .relay_source] | index("nip65_read")' >/dev/null; then
+    record_result "$id" pass
+  else
+    record_result "$id" fail "no recipient reported a fallback relay_source"
+  fi
+}
+
+test_05_dm_file_reference_round_trip() {
+  banner "DM-05 — file message reference mode (kind:15) round-trip"
+  local id="dm-05 file reference round-trip"
+
+  # 64 hex chars = 32-byte AES-GCM key; 32 hex chars = 16-byte nonce.
+  local key="0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
+  local nonce="fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210"
+  local url="https://example.test/blob/test-dm-05.bin"
+  local mime="application/octet-stream"
+
+  amy_json_a dm send-file "$D_NPUB" "$url" \
+    --key "$key" --nonce "$nonce" --mime-type "$mime" --size 1024 >/dev/null || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "A send-file failed"; return
+  }
+  info "A published kind:15 for $url"
+
+  # D awaits — `dm await --match` searches URL for kind:15.
+  if ! amy_json_d dm await --peer "$A_NPUB" --match "$url" --timeout 30 >/dev/null; then
+    record_result "$id" fail "D never received the file message"; return
+  fi
+
+  # Verify the recovered JSON carries all crypto material.
+  local raw
+  raw=$(amy_json_d dm list --peer "$A_NPUB" --timeout 5) || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "D dm list failed"; return
+  }
+  local fields
+  fields=$(printf '%s' "$raw" | jq -r \
+    '[.messages[] | select(.type == "file" and .url == "'"$url"'")][0]')
+  if [[ -z "$fields" || "$fields" == "null" ]]; then
+    record_result "$id" fail "D did not decode a kind:15 matching the URL"; return
+  fi
+
+  local got_key got_nonce got_mime
+  got_key=$(printf '%s' "$fields" | jq -r '.decryption_key')
+  got_nonce=$(printf '%s' "$fields" | jq -r '.decryption_nonce')
+  got_mime=$(printf '%s' "$fields" | jq -r '.mime_type')
+  info "D decoded key=${got_key:0:16}… nonce=${got_nonce:0:16}… mime=$got_mime"
+  assert_eq "$got_key" "$key" "$id" "decryption_key mismatch" || return
+  assert_eq "$got_nonce" "$nonce" "$id" "decryption_nonce mismatch" || return
+  assert_eq "$got_mime" "$mime" "$id" "mime_type mismatch" || return
+
+  record_result "$id" pass
+}
+
+test_06_dm_list_cursor_advance() {
+  banner "DM-06 — no-flag dm list advances the giftWrapSince cursor"
+  local id="dm-06 cursor advance"
+
+  # First no-flag list: drains everything and advances the cursor to now.
+  local first_out first_count
+  first_out=$(amy_json_d dm list --timeout 5) || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "first dm list failed"; return
+  }
+  first_count=$(printf '%s' "$first_out" | jq -r '.messages | length')
+  info "first dm list returned $first_count message(s)"
+
+  # Second no-flag list: nothing new should land.
+  local second_out second_count
+  second_out=$(amy_json_d dm list --timeout 5) || {
+    record_result "$id" fail "second dm list failed"; return
+  }
+  second_count=$(printf '%s' "$second_out" | jq -r '.messages | length')
+  info "second dm list returned $second_count message(s)"
+
+  if [[ "$first_count" -ge 1 && "$second_count" -eq 0 ]]; then
+    record_result "$id" pass
+  else
+    record_result "$id" fail "expected first>=1, second==0; got first=$first_count second=$second_count"
+  fi
+}