feat(notifications): coalesce identical notifications with a repeat count

Fold a burst of identical notifications (same level+title+message within a
short window) into one entry with a ×N count instead of stacking copies — tames
a crash-retry loop or a repeatedly-failing poll. Shown in the toast and centre.

frontend/src/components/NotificationsPanel.tsx

@@ -320,7 +320,14 @@ function ClientActivityRow({
       <Icon className={`w-4 h-4 shrink-0 mt-0.5 ${color}`} />
       <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
         {n.title && <div className="text-sm font-semibold">{n.title}</div>}
-        <div className="text-sm break-words">{n.message}</div>
+        <div className="text-sm break-words">
+          {n.message}
+          {n.repeat > 1 && (
+            <span className="ml-1.5 align-middle text-[11px] font-semibold text-muted tabular-nums">
+              ×{n.repeat}
+            </span>
+          )}
+        </div>
         <div className="flex items-center gap-2 mt-0.5">
           <span className="text-[11px] text-muted">{relativeFromMs(n.ts)}</span>
           {needsAction && (

frontend/src/components/Toaster.tsx

@@ -42,7 +42,14 @@ export default function Toaster() {
             <Icon className={`w-5 h-5 shrink-0 mt-0.5 ${color}`} />
             <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
               {toast.title && <div className="text-sm font-semibold">{toast.title}</div>}
-              <div className="text-sm break-words">{toast.message}</div>
+              <div className="text-sm break-words">
+                {toast.message}
+                {toast.repeat > 1 && (
+                  <span className="ml-1.5 align-middle text-[11px] font-semibold text-muted tabular-nums">
+                    ×{toast.repeat}
+                  </span>
+                )}
+              </div>
               {toast.action && (
                 <button
                   onClick={() => {

frontend/src/lib/notifications.ts

@@ -59,6 +59,11 @@ export interface Notification {
   // timer) that the producer removes itself when the condition resolves. Never persisted
   // to history, so a reload can't orphan it with no live handle to clear it.
   transient: boolean;
+  // How many times an identical notification (same level+title+message) fired in quick
+  // succession and was coalesced into this one entry (see notify). 1 = fired once; shown as
+  // "×N" in the toast/center when >1. Guards against a burst (e.g. an ErrorBoundary catching
+  // the same crash on every retry) spamming the center with dozens of copies.
+  repeat: number;
 }
 
 export interface NotifyInput {
@@ -136,7 +141,10 @@ function load(): Notification[] {
     // resurrect as active toasts on reload — their auto-dismiss timers aren't
     // re-armed across a reload, so otherwise they'd stick forever. Also drop the
     // live `action` callback, which can't survive serialization.
-    return raw.map((n) => ({ ...n, action: undefined, dismissed: true, transient: false }) as Notification);
+    return raw.map(
+      (n) =>
+        ({ repeat: 1, ...(n as object), action: undefined, dismissed: true, transient: false }) as Notification
+    );
   } catch {
     return [];
   }
@@ -184,10 +192,13 @@ export function removeByMetaKind(kind: NotifMeta["kind"]): void {
   if (items.length !== before) emit();
 }
 
+// Window within which an identical notification is coalesced into the prior one (see below).
+const COALESCE_WINDOW_MS = 5000;
+
 export function notify(input: NotifyInput): number {
-  const id = counter++;
   const requiresInteraction = input.requiresInteraction ?? false;
   const level = input.level ?? "info";
+  const now = Date.now();
   // config.durationMs === 0 means "don't auto-dismiss" (toast stays until dismissed).
   // A transient status stays put until its producer clears it (no auto-dismiss timer),
   // same as an interaction-awaiting notice.
@@ -198,6 +209,38 @@ export function notify(input: NotifyInput): number {
       : config.durationMs > 0
         ? config.durationMs
         : undefined;
+
+  // Coalesce a rapid burst of identical notifications (same level+title+message within the
+  // window) into one entry with a bumped repeat count, instead of appending a fresh copy each
+  // time. This tames spam like an ErrorBoundary catching the same crash on every render retry,
+  // or a poll that keeps failing the same way. Skipped when the input carries a live `action`
+  // (its callback identity matters) or is a transient status (those are singleton-guarded by
+  // their producer). Distinct events — any difference in level/title/message — are never merged.
+  if (!input.action && !input.transient) {
+    const prior = items.find(
+      (n) =>
+        !n.transient &&
+        !n.action &&
+        now - n.ts <= COALESCE_WINDOW_MS &&
+        n.level === level &&
+        (n.title ?? "") === (input.title ?? "") &&
+        n.message === input.message
+    );
+    if (prior) {
+      // Re-surface the existing toast (undismiss + unread) and re-arm its auto-dismiss timer.
+      items = items.map((n) =>
+        n.id === prior.id
+          ? { ...n, ts: now, repeat: n.repeat + 1, dismissed: false, read: false, duration }
+          : n
+      );
+      emit();
+      if (duration) setTimeout(() => dismiss(prior.id), duration);
+      // Deliberately no re-beep: the first occurrence already sounded; a loop must stay quiet.
+      return prior.id;
+    }
+  }
+
+  const id = counter++;
   items = [
     ...items,
     {
@@ -209,10 +252,11 @@ export function notify(input: NotifyInput): number {
       meta: input.meta,
       requiresInteraction,
       duration,
-      ts: Date.now(),
+      ts: now,
       read: false,
       dismissed: false,
       transient: input.transient ?? false,
+      repeat: 1,
     },
   ];
   emit();