dispatch: allow empty route kinds (match all) + add routing tests

- config: permit routes[].kinds to be omitted/empty; treat as "all kinds"
- dispatch: compile empty kinds to Route{Kinds:nil} (match all kinds)
- tests: add coverage for route compilation + config validation edge cases

Files:
- config/load.go
- config/config.go
- dispatch/routes.go
- config/validate_test.go
- dispatch/routes_test.go

config/config.go

@@ -54,7 +54,10 @@ type RouteConfig struct {
 	Sink string `yaml:"sink"` // sink name
 
 	// Kinds is domain-defined. feedkit only enforces that each entry is non-empty.
-	// Whether a given daemon "recognizes" a kind is domain-specific validation.
+	//
+	// If Kinds is omitted or empty, the route matches ALL kinds.
+	// This is useful when you want explicit per-sink routing rules even when a
+	// particular sink should receive everything.
 	Kinds []string `yaml:"kinds"`
 }
 

config/load.go

@@ -133,11 +133,8 @@ func (c *Config) Validate() error {
 			m.Add(fieldErr(path+".sink", fmt.Sprintf("references unknown sink %q (define it under sinks:)", r.Sink)))
 		}
 
-		if len(r.Kinds) == 0 {
+		// Kinds is optional. If omitted or empty, the route matches ALL kinds.
-			// You could relax this later (e.g. empty == "all kinds"), but for now
+		// If provided, each entry must be non-empty.
-			// keeping it strict prevents accidental "route does nothing".
-			m.Add(fieldErr(path+".kinds", "must contain at least one kind"))
-		} else {
 		for j, k := range r.Kinds {
 			kpath := fmt.Sprintf("%s.kinds[%d]", path, j)
 			if strings.TrimSpace(k) == "" {
@@ -145,7 +142,6 @@ func (c *Config) Validate() error {
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	}
 
 	return m.Err()
 }

config/validate_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package config
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestValidate_RouteKindsEmptyIsAllowed(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &Config{
+		Sources: []SourceConfig{
+			{Name: "src1", Driver: "driver1", Every: Duration{Duration: time.Minute}},
+		},
+		Sinks: []SinkConfig{
+			{Name: "sink1", Driver: "stdout"},
+		},
+		Routes: []RouteConfig{
+			{Sink: "sink1", Kinds: nil},        // omitted
+			{Sink: "sink1", Kinds: []string{}}, // explicit empty
+		},
+	}
+
+	if err := cfg.Validate(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no error, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestValidate_RouteKindsRejectsBlankEntries(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &Config{
+		Sources: []SourceConfig{
+			{Name: "src1", Driver: "driver1", Every: Duration{Duration: time.Minute}},
+		},
+		Sinks: []SinkConfig{
+			{Name: "sink1", Driver: "stdout"},
+		},
+		Routes: []RouteConfig{
+			{Sink: "sink1", Kinds: []string{"observation", "   ", "alert"}},
+		},
+	}
+
+	err := cfg.Validate()
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "routes[0].kinds[1]") {
+		t.Fatalf("expected error to mention blank kind entry, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}

dispatch/routes.go

@@ -13,11 +13,13 @@ import (
 // Behavior:
 //   - If cfg.Routes is empty, we default to "all sinks receive all kinds".
 //     (Implemented as one Route per sink with Kinds == nil.)
+//   - If a specific route's kinds: is omitted or empty, that route matches ALL kinds.
+//     (Also compiled as Kinds == nil.)
 //   - Kind strings are normalized via event.ParseKind (lowercase + trim).
 //
-// Note: config.Validate() already ensures route.sink references a known sink and
+// Note: config.Validate() ensures route.sink references a known sink and rejects
-// route.kinds are non-empty strings. We re-check a few invariants here anyway so
+// blank kind entries. We re-check a few invariants here anyway so CompileRoutes
-// CompileRoutes is safe to call even if a daemon chooses not to call Validate().
+// is safe to call even if a daemon chooses not to call Validate().
 func CompileRoutes(cfg *config.Config) ([]Route, error) {
 	if cfg == nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("dispatch.CompileRoutes: cfg is nil")
@@ -27,14 +29,13 @@ func CompileRoutes(cfg *config.Config) ([]Route, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("dispatch.CompileRoutes: cfg has no sinks")
 	}
 
-	// Build a quick lookup of sink names.
+	// Build a quick lookup of sink names (exact match; no normalization).
 	sinkNames := make(map[string]bool, len(cfg.Sinks))
 	for i, s := range cfg.Sinks {
-		name := strings.TrimSpace(s.Name)
+		if strings.TrimSpace(s.Name) == "" {
-		if name == "" {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("dispatch.CompileRoutes: sinks[%d].name is empty", i)
 		}
-		sinkNames[name] = true
+		sinkNames[s.Name] = true
 	}
 
 	// Default routing: everything to every sink.
@@ -52,16 +53,21 @@ func CompileRoutes(cfg *config.Config) ([]Route, error) {
 	out := make([]Route, 0, len(cfg.Routes))
 
 	for i, r := range cfg.Routes {
-		sink := strings.TrimSpace(r.Sink)
+		sink := r.Sink
-		if sink == "" {
+		if strings.TrimSpace(sink) == "" {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("dispatch.CompileRoutes: routes[%d].sink is required", i)
 		}
 		if !sinkNames[sink] {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("dispatch.CompileRoutes: routes[%d].sink references unknown sink %q", i, sink)
 		}
 
+		// If kinds is omitted/empty, this route matches all kinds.
 		if len(r.Kinds) == 0 {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("dispatch.CompileRoutes: routes[%d].kinds must contain at least one kind", i)
+			out = append(out, Route{
+				SinkName: sink,
+				Kinds:    nil,
+			})
+			continue
 		}
 
 		kinds := make(map[event.Kind]bool, len(r.Kinds))

dispatch/routes_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+package dispatch
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/ejr/feedkit/config"
+)
+
+func TestCompileRoutes_DefaultIsAllSinksAllKinds(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &config.Config{
+		Sinks: []config.SinkConfig{
+			{Name: "a", Driver: "stdout"},
+			{Name: "b", Driver: "stdout"},
+		},
+		// Routes omitted => default
+	}
+
+	routes, err := CompileRoutes(cfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CompileRoutes error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(routes) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 routes, got %d", len(routes))
+	}
+
+	// Order should match cfg.Sinks order (deterministic).
+	if routes[0].SinkName != "a" || routes[1].SinkName != "b" {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected route order: %+v", routes)
+	}
+
+	for _, r := range routes {
+		if len(r.Kinds) != 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("expected nil/empty kinds for default routes, got: %+v", r.Kinds)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCompileRoutes_EmptyKindsMeansAllKinds(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := &config.Config{
+		Sinks: []config.SinkConfig{
+			{Name: "sink1", Driver: "stdout"},
+		},
+		Routes: []config.RouteConfig{
+			{Sink: "sink1"},                    // omitted kinds
+			{Sink: "sink1", Kinds: nil},        // explicit nil
+			{Sink: "sink1", Kinds: []string{}}, // explicit empty
+		},
+	}
+
+	routes, err := CompileRoutes(cfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CompileRoutes error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(routes) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 3 routes, got %d", len(routes))
+	}
+
+	for i, r := range routes {
+		if r.SinkName != "sink1" {
+			t.Fatalf("route[%d] unexpected sink: %q", i, r.SinkName)
+		}
+		if len(r.Kinds) != 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("route[%d] expected nil/empty kinds (match all), got: %+v", i, r.Kinds)
+		}
+	}
+}

doc.go

@@ -234,7 +234,8 @@
 //   - dispatch.Fanout: one buffered queue + worker goroutine per sink
 //
 //   - dispatch.CompileRoutes(*config.Config) compiles cfg.Routes into []dispatch.Route.
-//     If routes: is omitted, it defaults to "all sinks receive all kinds".
+//     If routes: is omitted, it defaults to "all sinks receive all kinds". If a route
+//     omits kinds: (or sets it empty), that route matches all kinds.
 //
 //   - logging
 //     Shared logger type used across feedkit packages.