parking_solution/wiki/entities/subscription.md

---
type: entity
tags: [parking, domain, business, subscriptions, identity, pricing]
sources: []
updated: 2026-06-20
status: open
---

# Subscription

A **subscriber**: a known holder who parks on a **recurring plan** (e.g. **10,000 ALL / month**)
instead of paying per stay. The second of the "two populations" ([[entry-exit-readers]]); a valid
subscription **short-circuits the payment step** of a [[parking-session]] ([[session-model]]).
Transient is built first; subscriptions layer on top.

> **Renamed 2026-06-18 (was "Permit").** The operator term is **subscription / abonim**, not
> "permit / lejet". The master-data **tables/routes/UI/types were renamed** permit→subscription
> (migration `0004`). The **signed ledger keeps its `permitId` payload field** — that is immutable,
> hash-chained history, so renaming it would break verification of past events. So: *code & data =
> "subscription"; the on-chain field name stays `permitId`.* See the schema note in `schema.ts`.

## Pricing — recurring monthly plan (built 2026-06-18)

Each subscription records its **own price**, so an individual and a company fleet can differ:

- `priceMinor` — the recurring price in **minor units** (integer; e.g. `1000000` = 10,000.00).
  `null` = no price set (a comp / legacy subscription).
- `period` — the billing period. **`"monthly"` only** today (the enum is widened later if a site
  ever needs weekly/annual).
- `currency` — ISO-4217 of `priceMinor` (e.g. `"ALL"`); required when a price is set.

A **site default monthly price** lives in `site_config.subscription_monthly_price_minor` — it
merely **pre-fills** the new-subscription form; each subscription still stores its own value and may
override.

### Multi-month: pay N months → extend `validTo` (built 2026-06-18)

A customer paying for **more than one month** is handled by the **coverage window**, not by separate
records. The form takes a **`months`** count; with `validFrom` set, the server computes **`validTo =
validFrom + N months`** (whole-month add, with day-overflow clamp — e.g. Jan 31 + 3mo → Apr 30). One
subscription row, one window. The amount the operator should collect is **N × the monthly price**
(the form previews `end date · total`), and that **full N-month amount is now collected as one signed
`payment` at sale time** (see "Collecting the fee" below — built 2026-06-20).

- `months` is **input-only** — it's not stored; the stored truth is `validFrom`/`validTo`. Renewing
  for more months is just editing the window (set a new `months` or an explicit `validTo`).
- The validity check is unchanged: a session is allowed while the subscription is **active and
  `now` ∈ [validFrom, validTo]** — so a 3-month window simply stays valid for three months.
- An explicit **`validTo` override** is still accepted (manual end date) when `months` isn't used.

### Collecting the fee is a SHIFT transaction — BUILT 2026-06-20

Selling/renewing a subscription is a **financial transaction a common operator makes during their
[[shift]]** — the subscriber pays the monthly fee at the booth like any other customer. So it is
**not** an admin-only master-data edit; the money lands in **that operator's shift**: their drawer
(if cash) and their [[shift|Z-report]].

> ⚠ **Why this got built — an off-book accountability hole ([[threat-model]] core path).** Until
> 2026-06-20, creating a priced subscription wrote **only** the mutable `subscriptions` master row
> and **appended nothing to the signed ledger**. The operator collected real cash (e.g. 10,000 ALL),
> and it appeared in the live feed: **no**; the drawer: **no**; the Z-report: **no**; left any signed
> trace: **no**. The `subscriptions` row records the *plan price*, not that *money changed hands* —
> and it's a table the operator could even edit. So a booth operator could sell subscriptions and
> pocket the money untraceably — exactly the **operator-as-adversary** path the
> [[append-only-event-chain|signed append-only ledger]] exists to close. Found live: three priced
> subscriptions on the appliance (27,000 ALL sold) had **zero** payment events. This is the canonical
> reason "store the price" is not the same as "account for the sale."

**As built** (chosen of the two options below): a subscription **sold with a price** appends a signed
**`payment`** ledger event — the same shape the transient pay-station uses — at create time:

- **Amount = the full sale.** `priceMinor × months` (a 3-month prepay records all 30,000 today, not
  one month), so the ledger matches what's actually in the drawer.
- **Tender is operator-chosen** (cash/card) on the create form, defaulting to cash. Cash enters the
  drawer; card settles to the bank — identical to the parking pay path.
- **Folds into the shift automatically** — no new summing logic. The Z-report sums `payment` events in
  `[start, end]` by payment time; the drawer fold adds **cash** tenders. The fee lands in **whichever
  shift was open when taken**, attributed to that operator (recorded `operator` on the payload).
- **Identifiable as subscription revenue.** The payload carries **`subscriptionSale: true`** + the
  subscription id (as both `identity` and `permitId`, so [[booth-console|the feed]] resolves the
  holder name and badges it **"subscription sale"**) + `months` for audit.
- **Free/comp = no event.** A subscription with no price appends nothing (nothing was collected).
- A subscription's own [[parking-session|entry/exit]] events stay **free** (no per-stay `payment`) —
  only the *plan fee* is a payment, decoupled from any individual stay.
- **Admin** still edits subscription master data; the act of **selling** writes the money event.

**Decision on event type (resolved):** modelled as a **plain `payment` + `subscriptionSale` flag**,
not a distinct `subscription_payment` type. Reusing `payment` means the existing shift/drawer/Z-report
folds count it with **zero** new summing surface; the flag is enough for the feed/reports to label it.

**Not hard-gated on an open shift** (deliberate — differs from the booth pay path). A subscription can
be sold outside the booth money flow, so `recordSale` does **not** refuse when no shift is open; it
still appends the signed payment (operator recorded) and the UI **warns** "no shift was open — open
one so the takings land in a Z-report." The payment folds into any shift whose window later covers its
timestamp. *(If a site wants subscription sales to be impossible without an open shift, add the
`requireOpenShift` gate the `/api/pay` path uses — flagged, not done.)*

> **Historical gap is not back-fillable.** The append-only ledger means the three pre-2026-06-20
> off-book sales can't be retroactively turned into dated payment events (forging back-dated signed
> events is exactly what the chain forbids). Reconcile them via an operator `cash_movement` (drawer
> adjustment with a reason) or a note on the next Z-report — not by inserting fake history.

Verified 2026-06-20 against a copy of the live DB with the real signing modules: the sale appends a
signed `payment` (30,000 ALL, 3-month, `subscriptionSale`), the **hash-chain still verifies**, and a
shift window covering it picks the amount up in cash takings.

## Credentials (how a subscription is presented) — confirmed 2026-06-15

Recognized by a credential read at the barrier. The operator **chooses the credential type** per
subscription. Two kinds, mapping to the two identity paths, and **either can be combined with
LPR/ANPR plate identity** (the plate binding below):

- **QR code — the only type live today (2026-06-18).** Read by the optical reader — inherently
  **host-side** ([[entry-exit-readers]]). Host decodes the QR → looks up the subscription → decides.
  A subscription's QR can be **printed**. The new-subscription form **defaults to QR**.
  - **The code is AUTO-GENERATED server-side** (`SUB-<15× base32>`, crypto-random, checked
    globally-unique). The operator never types it and the customer can't pick it — anti-fraud
    (a chosen value could be guessable or collide). The UI sends a blank QR credential; the server
    mints the value and returns it (so the UI can print it). **An RF credential, by contrast, carries
    the physical card id, so it is operator-entered.**
  - **Reader output = TCP/IP full string** (decided 2026-06-18, the [[gee-qr-er80|host-in-the-loop
    QR reader]] path): the reader delivers the whole decoded string, so the code length is free
    (unguessable token). *If a site ever wires the reader as **Wiegand 26/34** instead, a scanned
    QR truncates to a 24-/32-bit number — the generated code would then have to be a numeric id in
    that range. Not our path today.* (Manufacturer reader: ID/IC/NFC + QR/barcode; Wiegand 26/34 /
    TCP/IP / USB / RS485; 125 kHz + 13.56 MHz — one device covers QR **and** future RFID.)
  - **The card is PRINTED so the operator can hand it over.** On creation the server **auto-prints**
    a subscription card on the booth printer ([[rongta-printer]], role `booth-receipt`, failing over
    to the dispenser): park header → a **real scannable QR** of the code → the code as text (hand-key
    fallback) → holder + validity window. Printing is **best-effort** — a print failure never fails
    the create (the subscription + code are saved); the response returns `{ printed, printError }` and
    the UI warns + offers **"Print code"** (reprint via `POST /api/subscriptions/:id/print`) for a
    failed print / lost card / re-hand. The QR is rendered by the printer firmware via ESC/POS
    **`GS ( k`** (model-2, error-correction M) — added to the Rongta driver
    (`printSubscriptionCard`), no image/bitmap dependency (same approach as the Code128 ticket).
- **RF tag / chip / card — selectable later, NOT live yet.** An RFID/proximity credential, read
  **host-side** (reader → host → `pulseOpen`). **LIVE since 2026-06-18** — the operator selects RFID
  and **reads the card off a physical reader** (see "Enrolling a card" below) rather than typing the
  number. The GEE readers are combo QR + RFID (ID/IC/NFC), so the same device captures both. A
  Wiegand-out reader keeps a future autonomous path open ([[entry-exit-readers]]); the
  [[dingtian-relay]] has no onboard card list.
- **Plate (LPR/ANPR) — NOT YET IMPLEMENTED.** When plate-bound (below), a matching plate read is an
  accepted identity too. The vision/ANPR service that produces plate reads is future work
  ([[opencv-anpr-service]] / [[lpr-camera]]); until it exists, plate binding has no live source.

Both feed the host as a reader event whose `source` is `wiegand` / `qr` (the `IdentitySource`
already in the model) and whose value is the credential id.

### Enrolling a card — "Read card" capture (built 2026-06-18)

RFID values are awkward to type, so the operator **presents the physical card to a chosen reader**
and the system captures it into the credential. The catch is that the readers are also serving live
traffic, so capture must **borrow one reader briefly without blocking the other**:

- **`CredentialCapture`** (in-memory, single-site): the operator picks a reader and **arms** it
  (`POST /api/subscriptions/capture/arm {deviceId}`). It is **single-shot + a ~30 s TTL**.
- In the reader route (`qr-reader.ts`), each read first checks `tryConsume(deviceId, value)`: if
  **this** reader is the armed one, the value is captured and the read is **NOT dispatched to the
  access flow** (no barrier opens for a card being enrolled), then capture auto-disarms. A read on
  **any other reader dispatches normally** — the live entry/exit flow on the other barrier is never
  blocked. (Accepted trade: while armed, a real customer at the *armed* reader is captured instead of
  admitted — kept tiny by single-shot + TTL.)
- The booth form **polls** `GET /api/subscriptions/capture` (idle | armed | captured | expired);
  on `captured` it drops the value into the RFID field. `POST …/capture/cancel` disarms.
- Verified end-to-end (12/12): captured-not-dispatched (no ledger write), single-shot, the other
  reader still drives a live `vehicle_exit` while armed, value retrievable, cancel/expiry.

> The same mechanism would work to capture a **QR** too, but QR codes are server-generated + printed,
> so capture is RFID-only in practice (QR has nothing to read off a card).

### Multiple credentials, and entry decoupled from exit (2026-06-18)

A subscription is a one-to-many aggregate: it may hold **several credentials at once** — e.g. a QR
**and** an RFID card (and later NFC). Each is its own `subscription_credentials` row; any of them
resolves the same subscription at the barrier. (NFC works today as an `rf` credential on the combo
GEE reader; a distinct `nfc` `kind` is a small future labelling-only addition.)

Crucially, **entry and exit are NOT bound to the same credential.** Originally the session was keyed
by the exact credential value read, so you had to leave with whatever you arrived with — an
*accidental* coupling. Now sessions are keyed by a **subscription occurrence** (`SUBSESS-<subId>-<uuid>`),
so you can **enter with the QR and exit with the card**. The mechanics (barrier-decides-direction,
FIFO close, fleet support) are in "As-built" below.

## Two optional, independent bindings — confirmed 2026-06-15

A subscription has **two constraints the admin may or may not apply**, orthogonally. Either, both, or
neither.

### 1. Car-count binding (default: 1)

- **Optional.** By default bound to **1 car at a time**. The admin may raise the limit (a household, a
  company fleet) or **unbind it entirely** (no cap).
- The limit is on **cars inside at once** (`maxConcurrent`), enforced over the [[parking-session]]
  projection: at entry, count the subscription's currently-open sessions; if `< maxConcurrent` (or
  unbound) allow, else reject. A fold over the signed ledger, **not a counter someone can edit**.

### 2. Plate binding (default: off)

- **Optional.** By default not plate-bound — any car may use it (identity is the card/QR). The admin
  may bind it to a set of specific plates; a matching plate then **is an accepted identity**
  (card/QR **OR** plate, not a second factor).
- **Accepted tradeoff:** card-OR-plate doesn't prevent card-sharing; the signed
  [[append-only-event-chain]] records exactly which credential/plate entered, so abuse is visible to
  [[reconciliation]]. Plate-spoofing (a printed plate on a different car) is caught by the
  [[opencv-anpr-service]]'s vehicle-attribute verification, not here.

## Time-of-day access windows — DESIGN NOTE, NOT YET IMPLEMENTED (2026-06-18)

A subscription may be valid **only during certain hours of the day**, behaving as a normal transient
customer outside them. The motivating case: an **overnight subscriber** allowed in on their
subscription **19:00 → 07:00**, but charged the normal [[tariff]] if they park during the day.

Intended behaviour (to design + build later):

- The subscription carries one or more **recurring daily time windows** (e.g. `[{ from: "19:00",
  to: "07:00", days: [...] }]`). Windows may **wrap past midnight** (19:00→07:00 spans two calendar
  days) — the check must handle the wrap.
- **At ENTRY**, evaluate the window against the host clock ([[clock-integrity]]):
  - **inside the window** → subscription entry (no ticket, no fee), exactly as today;
  - **outside the window** → the car is treated as a **normal transient**: it takes a ticket and
    pays the [[tariff]] on the way out. The subscription is simply *not used* for this stay.
- **The boundary cases need a decision** (flagged, not resolved):
  - *Enters inside the window, exits outside it* (parks past 07:00): is the whole stay free
    (entry-time decides), or is the over-window time charged transient (like
    [[tariff|lapsed-mid-stay]])? Leaning **entry-time decides** for simplicity, but confirm.
  - *Day-of-week scope* (weekdays vs. weekends), holidays.
  - Interaction with `maxConcurrent` and plate binding (orthogonal — should still apply).
- **Data:** a child table (e.g. `subscription_windows`) or a JSON column on `subscriptions`; TBD with
  the implementation. Legacy precedent exists — the ParkSQL2017 schema had
  `MembershipPlansTime` / `ActiveDays` ([[parksql2017-legacy-schema]] §"time-/day-restricted
  memberships"), confirming this is a real market need.

> **Explicitly postponed.** For now this is documentation only — no schema, no enforcement. A
> subscription is valid whenever it is active and within `validFrom`/`validTo`, all day.

## Data model (as-built 2026-06-18)

Tables (mutable master data; every *use* still produces a signed `vehicle_entry`/`vehicle_exit`):

| Table / field | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| `subscriptions.id`, `holderName`, `contact` | the subscriber |
| `subscriptions.priceMinor` / `period` / `currency` | recurring plan (monthly); null price = unset |
| `subscriptions.maxConcurrent` | car-count binding; **default 1**, raise for fleets, `null` = unbound |
| `subscriptions.validFrom` / `validTo` / `status` | coverage window; active / suspended / revoked |
| `subscription_credentials[]` | `{ kind: 'rf' \| 'qr', value }` |
| `subscription_plates[]` | bound plates (accepted identities when set) |

## Interaction with the session model

- **Entry:** credential read → subscription lookup → valid (active, in window, plate allowed **if
  plate-bound**, concurrent cars `< maxConcurrent` **if car-bound**) → signed `vehicle_entry`
  (`source = wiegand/qr/lpr`), open barrier. No ticket, no fee.
- **Exit:** credential/plate read → matching open subscription session → signed `vehicle_exit`, open.
- **Lapsed mid-stay:** subscription expires while parked → uncovered time falls back to the transient
  [[tariff]] (edge case to design — and the same question the time-window boundary raises above).
- **Revoked:** a revoked subscription fails the entry check → treated as transient or refused (OPEN).

## As-built (2026-06-15, renamed + priced 2026-06-18)

`apps/server/src/subscription-flow.ts` (was `permit-flow.ts`), reached via the **read dispatcher**
(`read-dispatch.ts`): a credential read routes to the subscription flow if it **matches a
subscription** (card/QR credential, or a bound plate) — otherwise to the transient exit flow.

- **Any credential opens/closes — sessions keyed by SUBSCRIPTION, not credential** (changed
  2026-06-18). A subscriber can **enter with their QR and exit with their RFID card** (or any mix).
  Entry mints a fresh **per-occurrence** session id (`SUBSESS-<subId>-<uuid>`, the ledger `identity`)
  with `payload.permitId = subId`; the credential read is decoupled from the session key. See "Entry
  decoupled from exit" below.
- **Direction = the BARRIER the reader sits at.** An entry-lane read is an ENTRY, an exit-lane read
  is an EXIT; a `"both"` barrier infers from open state (open occurrence → exit, else entry). This is
  what lets a **fleet** (`maxConcurrent > 1`) admit several cars (each entry-lane read is an entry)
  *and* exit any of them with any credential.
- **Exit closes the OLDEST open occurrence (FIFO).** Per-car identity within a fleet isn't tracked
  (it never was, once credentials are shared) — a read closes one occurrence, oldest first. An exit
  read with nothing open is a no-op anti-passback signal (signed `anomaly`).
- **`maxConcurrent`** enforced as a fold over the signed ledger by occurrence (`payload.permitId`
  match). Refusals (revoked / out-of-window / at-capacity / exit-with-nothing-open) are signed
  `anomaly` events.
- **Admin CRUD** (`apps/server/src/routes/subscriptions.ts` + `apps/web/src/SubscriptionManager.tsx`):
  a subscription is an **aggregate** (row + credentials + bound plates + price). `GET
  /api/subscriptions` (any signed-in role — for lookup), `POST/PUT/DELETE /api/subscriptions[/:id]` +
  `POST /api/subscriptions/:id/revoke` (**admin only**). Validation: `maxConcurrent` positive int or
  `null`; `priceMinor` non-negative int (currency required when set); at least one credential or one
  bound plate.
- **Pricing** stored on each subscription (`priceMinor`/`period`/`currency`), pre-filled from
  `site_config.subscription_monthly_price_minor`. **Selling a priced subscription now appends a signed
  `payment`** (`subscriptionSale: true`, amount = `priceMinor × months`, operator-chosen tender) so it
  flows into the drawer/Z-report — built 2026-06-20 (see "Collecting the fee" above). The create
  response returns the recorded `{ sale }`; `subscriptionRoutes(...)` now takes the `EventLog` +
  `ShiftService`.

## Open questions

1. **Reader hardware** — confirm the RF reader and QR/optical reader models (procurement; [[bom]],
   [[open-questions]]).
2. **Lapsed-mid-stay & revoked** policy (fall back to transient [[tariff]] vs. refuse) — confirm.
3. ~~**Subscription-fee collection**~~ — **RESOLVED + BUILT 2026-06-20.** Selling a priced
   subscription appends a signed `payment` (`subscriptionSale` flag, `priceMinor × months`,
   operator-chosen tender) that folds into the drawer/Z-report. Remaining sub-question: should a sale
   be **hard-blocked without an open shift** (it isn't today — it warns instead)? See "Collecting the
   fee".
4. **Time-of-day access windows** (overnight subscribers) — design + build; boundary-case policy
   above (see the design note).