version 5.1.10

- fix: matrix/sms_voipms notifications blocked the event loop on timeout;
  make send_notification async, dispatch all channel drivers as non-blocking
  tasks (asyncio.to_thread for sync drivers, asyncio.wait_for for async);
  update all call sites to fire-and-forget via create_task
- feat: add /about page with version, runtime, uptime counter, and repo link
- fix: hbc_mini plugin data format now matches full hbc client so Host
  Overview displays memory, disk, and network metrics correctly

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -441,6 +441,68 @@ plugins:
 
 All monitoring plugins default to 5-minute (300 second) intervals, but can be customized as needed.
 
+### hbc_mini — single-file client (no external dependencies)
+
+`scripts/hbc_mini.py` is a self-contained version of the heartbeat client that requires only Python 3.8+ and no external packages. Copy it to any host and run it directly — no virtualenv, no `pip install`.
+
+```bash
+# Basic usage
+python3 hbc_mini.py your-server.example.com
+
+# Run as daemon
+python3 hbc_mini.py -d your-server.example.com
+
+# Send a boot message
+python3 hbc_mini.py -b your-server.example.com
+
+# Send a one-off message
+python3 hbc_mini.py -m "maintenance starting" your-server.example.com
+```
+
+**Config:** `~/.hbc.json` (same keys as `~/.hbc.yaml`, JSON format). Example:
+
+```json
+{
+  "hb_port": 50003,
+  "interval": 30,
+  "plugins": {
+    "ping_monitor": {
+      "interval": 60,
+      "hosts": ["8.8.8.8", "192.168.1.1"]
+    },
+    "nagios_runner": {
+      "interval": 300,
+      "commands": [
+        {"name": "check_load", "command": "/usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_load -w 5,4,3 -c 10,8,6"}
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Plugin availability:**
+
+| Plugin | Platform | Data source |
+|---|---|---|
+| `os_info` | all | `platform` stdlib |
+| `ping_monitor` | all | `ping` subprocess |
+| `nagios_runner` | all (not Windows) | subprocess |
+| `cpu_monitor` | Linux | `/proc/stat` |
+| `memory_monitor` | Linux | `/proc/meminfo` |
+| `disk_monitor` | Linux, macOS, BSD | `df -P` subprocess |
+| `network_monitor` | Linux | `/proc/net/dev` |
+
+**What is not available compared to the full `hbc`:**
+
+- No YAML config (use JSON instead)
+- No `filesystem_info` plugin
+- `cpu_monitor` does not report per-core usage or CPU frequency (no psutil)
+- Plugins cannot be loaded from external `.py` files — all plugins are compiled in
+
+Everything else — heartbeat protocol, ACK/CMD/UPD handling, `hb_install.sh`-based self-update, daemonize, syslog — is identical to the full client.
+
+---
+
 ## 🐞 Debugging in VS Code
 
 This repository includes a ready-to-use `.vscode/launch.json` with configurations to run or attach the VS Code debugger to `hbd`.

hbd/__init__.py

@@ -14,4 +14,4 @@ Install options:
 """
 
 __all__ = ["__version__"]
-__version__ = "5.1.5"
+__version__ = "5.1.10"

hbd/client/main.py

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ class AsyncConnection:
         
         self.transport: Optional[asyncio.DatagramTransport] = None
         self.protocol: Optional[asyncio.DatagramProtocol] = None
+        self._dead = False
 
         self.logger = logging.getLogger(f"hbc.conn.{addr}")
     
@@ -92,6 +93,9 @@ class AsyncConnection:
             msg: Message dictionary
             msg_id: Message ID (HTB, PLG, etc.)
         """
+        if self._dead:
+            return
+
         if not self.transport:
             await self.open()
 
@@ -166,7 +170,9 @@ class HeartbeatProtocol(asyncio.DatagramProtocol):
     
     def error_received(self, exc):
         """Handle protocol errors."""
-        self.logger.error(f"Protocol error: {exc}")
+        self.logger.warning(f"Protocol error on {self.connection.addr}: {exc} — dropping connection")
+        self.connection._dead = True
+        self.connection.close()
 
 
 async def handle_command(conn: AsyncConnection, msg: dict):

hbd/client/plugins/os_info.py

@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ class OSInfoPlugin(InfoPlugin):
                 "python_version": platform.python_version(),
                 "python_implementation": platform.python_implementation(),
                 "hbc_version": hbc_version,
+                "hbc_type": "full",
             }
             
             # Add Linux-specific distribution info

hbd/server/cli.py

@@ -144,17 +144,16 @@ def cmd_notify(args):
         url=f"{base_url}/plugins" if base_url else "",
     )
 
-    # Bypass min_level for explicit test sends; run async channels directly
     import asyncio
+    from .notify import _send_matrix_async, _send_sms_voipms_async, _DRIVERS
     ch_type = channel_cfg.get("type", "")
     print(f"Sending via {args.channel} ({ch_type}): {title} — {args.message}")
 
-    if ch_type in ("matrix", "sms_voipms"):
+    if ch_type == "matrix":
-        from .notify import _send_matrix_async, _send_sms_voipms_async
+        ok = asyncio.run(_send_matrix_async(channel_cfg, notif))
-        driver_async = _send_matrix_async if ch_type == "matrix" else _send_sms_voipms_async
+    elif ch_type == "sms_voipms":
-        ok = asyncio.run(driver_async(channel_cfg, notif))
+        ok = asyncio.run(_send_sms_voipms_async(channel_cfg, notif))
     else:
-        from .notify import _DRIVERS
         driver = _DRIVERS.get(ch_type)
         if driver is None:
             print(f"Error: unknown channel type '{ch_type}'", file=sys.stderr)

hbd/server/http.py

@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 """HTTP server implementation using aiohttp and jinja2."""
 
 import asyncio
+import datetime
 import json
+import platform
+import socket
+import sys
 import time
 import urllib.parse
 import os
@@ -111,6 +115,7 @@ async def start(
     This function is intended to be awaited inside the main asyncio event loop.
     """
     get_now = get_now or (lambda: time.time())
+    _start_epoch = time.time()
 
     async def old_index(request):
         _require_auth_redirect(request)
@@ -806,6 +811,48 @@ async def start(
         )
         return web.Response(text=body, content_type="text/html")
 
+    # -------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # About page
+    # -------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    async def about_page(request):
+        """GET /about — version, runtime, and project information."""
+        current_user, _ = _require_auth_redirect(request)
+        pkg_dir = os.path.dirname(__file__)
+        templates_dir = config.get("templates_dir", os.path.join(pkg_dir, "templates"))
+        env = jinja2.Environment(loader=jinja2.FileSystemLoader(templates_dir))
+        from hbd import __version__ as hbd_version
+
+        uptime_secs = int(time.time() - _start_epoch)
+        days, rem = divmod(uptime_secs, 86400)
+        hours, rem = divmod(rem, 3600)
+        mins, secs = divmod(rem, 60)
+        if days:
+            uptime_str = f"{days}d {hours}h {mins}m"
+        elif hours:
+            uptime_str = f"{hours}h {mins}m {secs}s"
+        else:
+            uptime_str = f"{mins}m {secs}s"
+
+        start_dt = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(_start_epoch)
+        start_time_str = start_dt.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+
+        tmpl = env.get_template("about.html")
+        body = tmpl.render(
+            title="About - Heartbeat",
+            header="About",
+            hbd_version=hbd_version,
+            python_version=f"{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}.{sys.version_info.micro} ({platform.python_implementation()})",
+            server_hostname=socket.gethostname(),
+            start_epoch=int(_start_epoch),
+            start_time_str=start_time_str,
+            uptime_str=uptime_str,
+            host_count=len(hbdclass.Host.hosts),
+            current_user=current_user.to_dict() if current_user else None,
+            active_page="about",
+        )
+        return web.Response(text=body, content_type="text/html")
+
     # -------------------------------------------------------------------------
     # Settings page (admin only)
     # -------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -859,6 +906,7 @@ async def start(
             web.get("/live", live),
             web.get("/plugins", plugins_page),
             web.get("/alerts", alerts_page),
+            web.get("/about", about_page),
             web.get("/profile", profile_page),
             web.get("/settings", settings_page),
             web.get("/static/{path:.*}", static),

hbd/server/main.py

@@ -210,7 +210,6 @@ async def _run_async(config, config_path=None):
         ctx = dict(
             config=config,
             hbdclass=hbdclass,
-            log=eventlog,
             msg_to_websockets=msg_to_websockets,
             msg_journal=msg_journal,
             threshold_checker=threshold_checker,
@@ -237,7 +236,6 @@ async def _run_async(config, config_path=None):
     restore_ctx = dict(
         config=config,
         hbdclass=hbdclass,
-        log=eventlog,
         msg_to_websockets=msg_to_websockets,
         threshold_checker=threshold_checker,
     )

hbd/server/notify.py

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ their own ``notification_channels`` list.  When no users are configured the
 server runs silently (no notifications sent).
 """
 
-import asyncio
 import asyncio
 import logging
 import smtplib
@@ -30,13 +29,10 @@ from . import ws as ws_mod
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
-
 msg_to_websockets = ws_mod.broadcast
 
 # Module-level state set via setup()
 _config: dict = {}
-_loop: Optional[asyncio.AbstractEventLoop] = None
 
 # Tracks which channels fired a WARNING/CRITICAL per host.
 # {host_name: set of channel_names}  — used to route RECOVER to the same channels.
@@ -73,11 +69,9 @@ class Notification:
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 def setup(cfg: dict, loop: Optional[asyncio.AbstractEventLoop] = None):
-    """Initialize notifier from configuration dict and event loop."""
+    """Initialize notifier from configuration dict."""
-    global _config, _loop
+    global _config
     _config = dict(cfg)
-    if loop is not None:
-        _loop = loop
 
 
 def reload_config(cfg: dict):
@@ -299,17 +293,6 @@ async def _send_sms_voipms_async(channel_cfg: dict, notif: Notification) -> bool
         return False
 
 
-def _send_sms_voipms(channel_cfg: dict, notif: Notification) -> bool:
-    """Dispatch voip.ms SMS send onto the shared event loop."""
-    if _loop is None:
-        logger.warning("sms_voipms: event loop not available")
-        return False
-    future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(_send_sms_voipms_async(channel_cfg, notif), _loop)
-    try:
-        return future.result(timeout=15)
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.error("sms_voipms send timed out or failed: %s", e)
-        return False
 
 
 async def _send_matrix_async(channel_cfg: dict, notif: Notification) -> bool:
@@ -357,40 +340,23 @@ async def _send_matrix_async(channel_cfg: dict, notif: Notification) -> bool:
         await client.close()
 
 
-def _send_matrix(channel_cfg: dict, notif: Notification) -> bool:
-    """Dispatch matrix send onto the shared event loop."""
-    if _loop is None:
-        logger.warning("matrix: event loop not available")
-        return False
-    future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(_send_matrix_async(channel_cfg, notif), _loop)
-    try:
-        return future.result(timeout=15)
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.error("matrix send timed out or failed: %s", e)
-        return False
-
-
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Channel dispatcher
+# Channel dispatcher  (all async — sync drivers run in a thread executor)
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+# Sync drivers kept for `hbd notify` CLI usage (asyncio.run wraps them there).
 _DRIVERS = {
     "pushover": _send_pushover,
     "email": _send_email,
     "mattermost": _send_mattermost,
     "signal": _send_signal,
-    "sms_voipms": _send_sms_voipms,
-    "matrix": _send_matrix,
 }
 
+_TIMEOUT = 15  # seconds per channel send
 
-def _dispatch_to_channel(channel_name: str, channel_cfg: dict, notif: Notification) -> bool:
-    """Send *notif* to a single named channel, honouring min_level.
 
-    RECOVER always bypasses min_level — a recovery is always relevant if the
+async def _dispatch_to_channel(channel_name: str, channel_cfg: dict, notif: Notification) -> bool:
-    channel was configured for any alerting (handles the restart-then-recover case
+    """Send *notif* to a single named channel, honouring min_level."""
-    where _alerted_channels is empty and we fall through to the normal loop).
-    """
     level = notif.level.upper()
     if level != "RECOVER":
         min_level = channel_cfg.get("min_level", "WARNING").upper()
@@ -398,14 +364,24 @@ def _dispatch_to_channel(channel_name: str, channel_cfg: dict, notif: Notificati
             logger.debug(
                 "channel '%s': skipping level %s (min_level=%s)", channel_name, level, min_level
             )
-            return True  # not an error — filtered intentionally
+            return True  # filtered intentionally
 
     ch_type = channel_cfg.get("type", "")
-    driver = _DRIVERS.get(ch_type)
+    try:
-    if driver is None:
+        if ch_type == "matrix":
-        logger.warning("unknown channel type '%s' for channel '%s'", ch_type, channel_name)
+            return await asyncio.wait_for(_send_matrix_async(channel_cfg, notif), timeout=_TIMEOUT)
+        if ch_type == "sms_voipms":
+            return await asyncio.wait_for(_send_sms_voipms_async(channel_cfg, notif), timeout=_TIMEOUT)
+        sync_driver = _DRIVERS.get(ch_type)
+        if sync_driver is None:
+            logger.warning("unknown channel type '%s' for channel '%s'", ch_type, channel_name)
+            return False
+        return await asyncio.wait_for(
+            asyncio.to_thread(sync_driver, channel_cfg, notif), timeout=_TIMEOUT
+        )
+    except asyncio.TimeoutError:
+        logger.error("channel '%s' timed out after %ds", channel_name, _TIMEOUT)
         return False
-    return driver(channel_cfg, notif)
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -419,7 +395,7 @@ def _build_url(host_name: str) -> str:
     return f"{base_url}/plugins#{host_name}"
 
 
-def send_notification(host_name: str, notif: Notification) -> dict:
+async def send_notification(host_name: str, notif: Notification) -> dict:
     """Dispatch *notif* to all managers/owner of *host_name*.
 
     Looks up the host's owner + managers, resolves each user's
@@ -469,16 +445,12 @@ def send_notification(host_name: str, notif: Notification) -> dict:
             if not channel_cfg:
                 continue
             try:
-                ch_type = channel_cfg.get("type", "")
+                ok = await _dispatch_to_channel(channel_name, channel_cfg, notif)
-                driver = _DRIVERS.get(ch_type)
+                results[channel_name] = ok
-                if driver:
+                if ok:
-                    ok = driver(channel_cfg, notif)
+                    logger.info("recover sent to channel '%s': %s", channel_name, notif.title)
-                    results[channel_name] = ok
-                    if ok:
-                        logger.info("recover sent to channel '%s': %s", channel_name, notif.title)
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.error("error sending recover to channel '%s': %s", channel_name, e)
-        # Clear the alerted set once recovery is delivered
         del _alerted_channels[host_name]
         return results
 
@@ -489,14 +461,14 @@ def send_notification(host_name: str, notif: Notification) -> dict:
             continue
         for channel_name in user.notification_channels:
             if channel_name in results:
-                continue  # already dispatched to this channel this notification
+                continue
             channel_cfg = global_channels.get(channel_name)
             if not channel_cfg:
                 logger.warning("channel '%s' not defined in notification_channels", channel_name)
                 results[channel_name] = False
                 continue
             try:
-                ok = _dispatch_to_channel(channel_name, channel_cfg, notif)
+                ok = await _dispatch_to_channel(channel_name, channel_cfg, notif)
                 results[channel_name] = ok
                 if ok:
                     logger.info("notification sent to channel '%s': %s", channel_name, notif.title)

hbd/server/templates/about.html

@@ -0,0 +1,199 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html>
+  {% include 'head.html' %}
+
+  <style>
+    html, body { overflow: visible; }
+
+    .container {
+      max-width: 700px;
+      margin: 0 auto;
+    }
+
+    h1 {
+      color: #333;
+      margin-bottom: 4px;
+      font-size: 1.5em;
+    }
+
+    .subtitle {
+      color: #666;
+      margin-bottom: 24px;
+      font-size: 0.9em;
+    }
+
+    .section {
+      background: #fff;
+      border-radius: 8px;
+      box-shadow: 0 1px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
+      padding: 20px 24px;
+      margin-bottom: 20px;
+    }
+
+    .section h2 {
+      font-size: 1em;
+      font-weight: 700;
+      color: #333;
+      margin: 0 0 16px;
+      padding-bottom: 10px;
+      border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;
+      text-transform: uppercase;
+      letter-spacing: 0.5px;
+    }
+
+    .info-row {
+      display: flex;
+      align-items: baseline;
+      padding: 8px 0;
+      border-bottom: 1px solid #f5f5f5;
+      font-size: 0.9em;
+    }
+    .info-row:last-child { border-bottom: none; }
+
+    .info-label {
+      width: 160px;
+      flex-shrink: 0;
+      color: #666;
+      font-size: 0.88em;
+    }
+
+    .info-value {
+      color: #222;
+      word-break: break-all;
+    }
+
+    .info-value a {
+      color: #0066cc;
+      text-decoration: none;
+    }
+    .info-value a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
+
+    .version-badge {
+      display: inline-block;
+      padding: 3px 12px;
+      background: #e8f0fe;
+      color: #1a73e8;
+      border-radius: 12px;
+      font-size: 0.85em;
+      font-weight: 600;
+      font-family: monospace;
+    }
+
+    .hb-logo {
+      font-size: 2.5em;
+      font-weight: 700;
+      color: #0066cc;
+      letter-spacing: -1px;
+      margin-bottom: 6px;
+    }
+
+    .hb-tagline {
+      color: #555;
+      font-size: 0.95em;
+    }
+
+    .logo-section {
+      display: flex;
+      align-items: center;
+      gap: 20px;
+      padding: 8px 0 4px;
+    }
+
+    .logo-text { flex: 1; }
+  </style>
+
+  <body>
+    {% include 'nav.html' %}
+
+    <div class="container">
+      <h1>{{ header }}</h1>
+      <p class="subtitle">Heartbeat monitoring system</p>
+
+      <div class="section">
+        <div class="logo-section">
+          <div class="logo-text">
+            <div class="hb-logo">Heartbeat</div>
+            <div class="hb-tagline">Lightweight host monitoring over UDP</div>
+          </div>
+          <span class="version-badge">v{{ hbd_version }}</span>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="section">
+        <h2>Version</h2>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Server version</span>
+          <span class="info-value">{{ hbd_version }}</span>
+        </div>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Python</span>
+          <span class="info-value">{{ python_version }}</span>
+        </div>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">License</span>
+          <span class="info-value">MIT</span>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="section">
+        <h2>Runtime</h2>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Host</span>
+          <span class="info-value">{{ server_hostname }}</span>
+        </div>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Started</span>
+          <span class="info-value">{{ start_time_str }}</span>
+        </div>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Uptime</span>
+          <span class="info-value" id="uptime-value">{{ uptime_str }}</span>
+        </div>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Hosts monitored</span>
+          <span class="info-value">{{ host_count }}</span>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="section">
+        <h2>Contact &amp; Source</h2>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Author</span>
+          <span class="info-value">Andreas Wrede</span>
+        </div>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Email</span>
+          <span class="info-value"><a href="mailto:aew@wrede.ca">aew@wrede.ca</a></span>
+        </div>
+        <div class="info-row">
+          <span class="info-label">Repository</span>
+          <span class="info-value"><a href="https://git.wrede.ca/andreas/heartbeat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">git.wrede.ca/andreas/heartbeat</a></span>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+    </div>
+
+    <script>
+      (function() {
+        var startEpoch = {{ start_epoch }};
+        var el = document.getElementById('uptime-value');
+        if (!el) return;
+        function fmt(s) {
+          var d = Math.floor(s / 86400);
+          var h = Math.floor((s % 86400) / 3600);
+          var m = Math.floor((s % 3600) / 60);
+          var sec = s % 60;
+          if (d > 0) return d + 'd ' + h + 'h ' + m + 'm';
+          if (h > 0) return h + 'h ' + m + 'm ' + sec + 's';
+          return m + 'm ' + sec + 's';
+        }
+        function tick() {
+          var up = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000 - startEpoch);
+          el.textContent = fmt(up);
+        }
+        tick();
+        setInterval(tick, 1000);
+      })();
+    </script>
+  </body>
+</html>

hbd/server/templates/alerts.html

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
       margin: 0 auto;
     }
 
-    h1 { color: #333; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 1.5em; }
+    h1 { color: #333; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 15px; font-size: 1.5em; }
 
     .subtitle {
       color: #666;

hbd/server/templates/head.html

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
       body {
         margin: 0;
         padding: 10px;
+        padding-top: 60px;
         background: #f5f5f5;
       }
       h1 { font-size: 1.5em; color: #333; margin: 0 0 5px; }
@@ -23,11 +24,14 @@
 
       /* Navigation bar — shared across all pages */
       .nav {
+        position: fixed;
+        top: 0;
+        left: 0;
+        right: 0;
+        z-index: 200;
         background: #fff;
         padding: 6px 12px;
-        margin-bottom: 10px;
         box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.1);
-        border-radius: 4px;
         display: flex;
         align-items: center;
         justify-content: space-between;

hbd/server/templates/live.html

@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
     h1 {
       color: #333;
       margin-bottom: 5px;
+      margin-top: 15px; 
       font-size: 1.5em;
     }
 

hbd/server/templates/nav.html

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
     {% if current_user and current_user.admin %}
     <a href="/settings"{% if active_page == "settings" %} class="active"{% endif %}>Settings</a>
     {% endif %}
+    <a href="/about"{% if active_page == "about" %} class="active"{% endif %}>About</a>
   </div>
   <div class="nav-clock" title="Click for full-screen clock">
     <canvas id="swiss-clock" width="44" height="44"></canvas>

hbd/server/templates/plugins.html

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
     h1 {
       color: #333;
       margin-bottom: 5px;
+      margin-top: 15px; 
       font-size: 1.5em;
     }
 

hbd/server/templates/settings.html

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
       max-width: 960px;
     }
 
-    h1 { color: #333; margin-bottom: 4px; font-size: 1.5em; }
+    h1 { color: #333; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 15px; font-size: 1.5em; }
     .subtitle { color: #666; margin-bottom: 24px; font-size: 0.9em; }
 
     /* ---- Sidebar + content layout ---- */
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
       width: 180px;
       flex-shrink: 0;
       position: sticky;
-      top: 20px;
+      top: 60px;
     }
 
     .sidebar-nav a {

hbd/server/threshold.py

@@ -987,18 +987,14 @@ class ThresholdChecker:
         value: Any,
     ):
         """Send notification and log to journal/eventlog."""
-        try:
+        asyncio.get_event_loop().create_task(notify_mod.send_notification(
-            notify_mod.send_notification(
+            host_name,
-                host_name,
+            notify_mod.Notification(
-                notify_mod.Notification(
+                title=f"[{lvl}] {host_name}",
-                    title=f"[{lvl}] {host_name}",
+                body=message,
-                    body=message,
+                level=lvl,
-                    level=lvl,
+            ),
-                ),
+        ))
-            )
-            logger.info("Notification sent: %s", message)
-        except Exception as e:
-            logger.error("Failed to send notification: %s", e)
         
         # Log to journal
         if self.journal is not None:
@@ -1195,20 +1191,17 @@ class ThresholdChecker:
             else:
                 message = f"REMINDER ({alert_state.level.name}): {host_name} - {metric_path} = {value} (ongoing for {int(now - alert_state.since)}s)"
             
-            try:
+            asyncio.get_event_loop().create_task(notify_mod.send_notification(
-                notify_mod.send_notification(
+                host_name,
-                    host_name,
+                notify_mod.Notification(
-                    notify_mod.Notification(
+                    title=f"[REMINDER/{alert_state.level.name}] {host_name}",
-                        title=f"[REMINDER/{alert_state.level.name}] {host_name}",
+                    body=message,
-                        body=message,
+                    level=alert_state.level.name,
-                        level=alert_state.level.name,
+                ),
-                    ),
+            ))
-                )
+            alert_state.last_notification = now
-                alert_state.last_notification = now
+            alert_state.notification_count += 1
-                alert_state.notification_count += 1
+            logger.info("Re-notification sent: %s", message)
-                logger.info("Re-notification sent: %s", message)
-            except Exception as e:
-                logger.error("Failed to send re-notification: %s", e)
     
     def get_active_alerts(self, alert_states: Dict[str, AlertState]) -> list:
         """

hbd/server/udp.py

@@ -211,10 +211,10 @@ def _make_timer_callbacks(uname, host, ctx):
         connection.newstate(connection.__class__.OVERDUE, now, cfg.get("grace", 2))
         msg = f"{connection.afam} overdue"
         eventlog(uname, "CRITICAL", msg)
-        notify_mod.send_notification(
+        asyncio.create_task(notify_mod.send_notification(
             uname,
             notify_mod.Notification(title=f"[CRITICAL] {uname}", body=msg, level="CRITICAL"),
-        )
+        ))
         # Track in alert_states so the Alerts Dashboard shows this
         _set_connectivity_alert(host, connection.afam, "CRITICAL")
         if threshold_checker:
@@ -315,7 +315,6 @@ def handle_datagram(msg: dict, addr, transport, ctx: dict):
     
     cfg = ctx.get("config", {})
     hbdcls = ctx.get("hbdclass")
-    log = ctx.get("log")
     msg_to_websockets = ctx.get("msg_to_websockets")
     DEBUG = ctx.get("DEBUG", 0)
     verbose = ctx.get("verbose", False)
@@ -408,10 +407,10 @@ def handle_datagram(msg: dict, addr, transport, ctx: dict):
 
     if res:
         eventlog(uname, "WARNING", res)
-        notify_mod.send_notification(
+        asyncio.create_task(notify_mod.send_notification(
             uname,
             notify_mod.Notification(title=f"[WARNING] {uname}", body=res, level="WARNING"),
-        )
+        ))
 
     interval = int(msg.get("interval", 0) or 0)
     shutdown = msg.get("shutdown", 0)
@@ -421,10 +420,10 @@ def handle_datagram(msg: dict, addr, transport, ctx: dict):
 
     if boot:
         eventlog(uname, "INFO", "booted")
-        notify_mod.send_notification(
+        asyncio.create_task(notify_mod.send_notification(
             uname,
             notify_mod.Notification(title=f"[INFO] {uname}", body=f"{host.name} booted", level="INFO"),
-        )
+        ))
     if message:
         eventlog(uname, "INFO", "msg: %s" % message, service=service)
 
@@ -441,10 +440,10 @@ def handle_datagram(msg: dict, addr, transport, ctx: dict):
             else:
                 m = "%s back after being %s for %s" % (conn.afam, lasts, dur(d))
             eventlog(uname, "RECOVER", m)
-            notify_mod.send_notification(
+            asyncio.create_task(notify_mod.send_notification(
                 uname,
                 notify_mod.Notification(title=f"[RECOVER] {uname}", body=m, level="RECOVER"),
-            )
+            ))
 
     if boot or newh:
         host.upcount = host.doesack
@@ -454,10 +453,10 @@ def handle_datagram(msg: dict, addr, transport, ctx: dict):
     if shutdown:
         m = "%s shutdown" % conn.afam
         eventlog(uname, "INFO", m)
-        notify_mod.send_notification(
+        asyncio.create_task(notify_mod.send_notification(
             uname,
             notify_mod.Notification(title=f"[INFO] {uname}", body=m, level="INFO"),
-        )
+        ))
         conn.newstate(hbdcls.Connection.DOWN, now)
         _set_connectivity_alert(host, conn.afam, "CRITICAL")
 
@@ -491,12 +490,10 @@ def handle_datagram(msg: dict, addr, transport, ctx: dict):
         op, rmsg = host.cmds[0]
         if op == "CMD":
             del host.cmds[0]
-            if log:
+            eventlog(uname, "INFO", "command sent")
-                log(uname, "command sent")
         elif op == "UPD":
             del host.cmds[0]
-            if log:
+            eventlog(uname, "INFO", "update initiated")
-                log(uname, "update initiated")
         opkt = dicttos(op, rmsg)
         try:
             transport.sendto(opkt, addr)

pyproject.toml

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "hbd"
-version = "5.1.5"
+version = "5.1.10"
 description = "Heartbeat monitoring system — client (hbc) and server (hbd)"
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.11"
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ server = [
   "matrix-nio>=0.24",
 ]
 
+# Minimal client — hbc_mini only, no external dependencies
+mini = []
+
 # Install both client and server
 all = [
   "hbd[client,server]",
@@ -54,6 +57,9 @@ dev = [
 hbd = "hbd.server.cli:main"
 hbc = "hbd.client.main:main"
 
+[tool.setuptools]
+script-files = ["scripts/hb_install.sh", "scripts/hbc_mini.py"]
+
 [tool.setuptools.packages.find]
 where = ["."]
 include = ["hbd*"]

scripts/bumpminor.sh

@@ -4,12 +4,14 @@ set -e
 uv version --bump patch 
 VER=$(uv  version  --short)
 sed -i".bak"  "s/__version__ = \"[0-9.]*\"\(.*\)$/__version__ = \"$VER\"\1/" hbd/__init__.py
+sed -i".bak"  "s/__version__ = \"[0-9.]*\"\(.*\)$/__version__ = \"$VER\"\1/" scripts/hbc_mini.py
 
 # commit pyproject.toml
-git commit -m "version $VER" pyproject.toml hbd/__init__.py
+git commit -m "version $VER" pyproject.toml hbd/__init__.py scripts/hbc_mini.py
 git push 
 # tag version
 git tag -a v$VER -m "Version $VER"
 git push --tags
 
 rm hbd/__init__.py.bak
+rm scripts/hbc_mini.py.bak

scripts/hb_install.sh

@@ -12,11 +12,15 @@
 set -e
 what=$1
 on_ha=0
+where=""
+venv=""
+prog=$(realpath $0)
+[ "$2" = "HA" ] && on_ha=1
 [ -z "$what" ] && what="client"
 
 if [ -d /homeassistant ]; then
-    echo "cannot install in HA, running \"docker exec homeassistant $0 $@\""
+    echo "HA, running \"docker exec homeassistant $prog $@\""
-    docker exec homeassistant $0 $@
+    docker exec homeassistant $prog $@ HA
     rc=$?
     if [ $rc -ne 0 ]; then
         echo "Failed to install heartbeat in HA, please check the logs for more details"
@@ -24,11 +28,11 @@ if [ -d /homeassistant ]; then
     fi
     exit 0
 fi
-if [ -d /config ]; then
+
-    echo "Installing on HA"
+if [ $on_ha -eq 1 ]; then
+    echo "Installing under docker on Home Assistant OS, using /config/bin for executables and /config/venvs for virtual environments "
     where="/config/bin"
     venv="/config/venvs"
-    on_ha=1
 else
     if [ ! -d $HOME/.local/bin ] && [ ! -d $HOME/bin ]; then
         echo "No suitable bin directory found in PATH, please add either $HOME/.local/bin or $HOME/bin to your PATH"
@@ -43,18 +47,23 @@ else
         echo "No suitable bin directory found in PATH, please add either $HOME/.local/bin or $HOME/bin to your PATH"
         exit 1
     fi
-    venv="$HOME/venvs"
+    if [ "$what" = "mini" ]; then
+        venv=""
+    else
+        venv="$HOME/venvs"
+    fi
 fi
 
 echo "Installing heartbeat $what"
 
-if [ ! -d  $venv/hbd ]; then
+if [ "$venv" != "" ] && [ ! -d  $venv/hbd ]; then
     set +e
     python3 -m pip --version > /dev/null 2>&1 
     rc=$?
     set -e
+    arg=""
     if [ $rc -ne 0 ]; then
-        # truenas does not have pip installed by default, so we need to fetch get-pip.py and install pip
+        # some systems do not have pip installed by default, so we need to fetch get-pip.py and install pip
         echo "pip is not installed, fetching get-pip.py and installing pip"
         arg="--without-pip"
     fi
@@ -74,19 +83,39 @@ if [ ! -d  $venv/hbd ]; then
     deactivate
 fi
 
-. $venv/hbd/bin/activate
+if [ -z "$venv" ]; then
-python3 -mpip install --upgrade --index-url https://git.wrede.ca/api/packages/andreas/pypi/simple/ --extra-index-url https://pypi.org/simple hbd[$what]
+    echo "Installing heartbeat $what globally"
+else
+    echo "Installing heartbeat $what in virtual environment $venv/hbd"
+    . $venv/hbd/bin/activate
+fi
+if [ "$what" = "mini" ]; then
+    echo "Installing hbc mini, which has no external dependencies and is meant for quick setup and testing. For the full client with all features, please run this script with the 'client' argument."
+    curl -s -o $where/hbc_mini https://git.wrede.ca/andreas/heartbeat/raw/branch/master/scripts/hbc_mini.py
+    chmod +x $where/hbc_mini
+else
+    echo "Installing heartbeat $what, which includes the full client with all features. If you want to install the minimal client with no external dependencies, please run this script with the 'mini' argument."
+    python3 -mpip install --upgrade --index-url https://git.wrede.ca/api/packages/andreas/pypi/simple/ --extra-index-url https://pypi.org/simple hbd[$what]
+fi
 
 if [ "$what" = "server" ]; then
     rm -f $where/hbd
     ln -sf $(which hbd) $where/hbd
     echo "hbd installed, you can run it with \"$where/hbd\" or \"hbd\" if $where is in your PATH"
-else
+elif [ "$what" = "client" ]; then
-    rm -f $where/hbc
+    hbc_path=$(which hbc)
-    ln -sf $(which hbc) $where/hbc
+    if [ -z "$hbc_path" ]; then
-    rm -f $where/hb_install.sh
+        echo "hbc not found in PATH, installation failed"
-    cp "$0" $where/hb_install.sh
+        exit 1
-    chmod +x $where/hb_install.sh
+    fi
+    if [ "$hbc_path" != "$where/hbc" ]; then
+        rm -f $where/hbc
+        ln -sf $(which hbc) $where/hbc
+    fi
+    if [ "$prog" != "$where/hb_install.sh" ]; then
+        cp "$prog" $where/hb_install.sh
+        chmod +x $where/hb_install.sh
+    fi
     if [ $on_ha -eq 1 ]; then
         echo "restarting hbc "
         job=$(grep run_hbc configuration.yaml | sed 's/run_hbc://')
@@ -94,4 +123,10 @@ else
     else
         echo "hbc installed, you can run it with \"$where/hbc\" or \"hbc\" if $where is in your PATH"
     fi  
+elif [ "$what" = "mini" ]; then
+    hbc_path=$(which hbc_mini)
+    if [ "$hbc_path" != "$where/hbc_mini" ]; then
+       ln -sf $hbc_path $where/hbc_mini
+    fi
+    echo "hbc mini installed, you can run it with \"$where/hbc_mini\" or \"hbc_mini\" if $where is in your PATH"
 fi