fix(web): Started toggle survives the Executions card's 5s poll

The card's own htmx poll re-renders the whole table from the server every
5s, always starting fresh at "relative" -- so a toggled-to-absolute cell
snapped back on the next poll. Each button now has a stable id
(started-{run_id}-{attempt}, or started-vm-{vmx} on an unmatched-VM row);
app.js remembers which format was showing per id and re-applies it to the
fresh button after every swap, rather than freezing the node itself (which
would also freeze its relative-time text, badge, duration, everything else
in that row).

docs/WEB-UI.md

@@ -362,10 +362,14 @@ card's own `.table-wrap` rather than the page, same as the other wide tables
 **Started is click-to-toggle.** It renders relative ("2h ago") by default;
 clicking swaps to the absolute local timestamp, and clicking again swaps
 back. Both strings are pre-rendered server-side into the button's
-`data-relative`/`data-absolute` attributes, so the swap (`app.js`, delegated
+`data-relative`/`data-absolute` attributes, so the swap (`app.js`) is
-on `document.body`) is instant and needs no request — and keeps working
+instant and needs no request. The card's own 5s poll re-renders the whole
-after the card's own 5s poll replaces the row, since the listener isn't on
+table from the server, always starting back at relative — so which format
-the button itself.
+was showing is remembered client-side, keyed by the button's stable `id`
+(`started-{run_id}-{attempt}`, or `started-vm-{vmx}` for an unmatched VM
+row), and re-applied to the fresh button after every poll rather than
+frozen onto the old node (which would also freeze its relative-time text,
+badge, duration — everything else in that row).
 
 Runs come from Gitea's Actions API: `/api/v1/admin/actions/runs` (every repo
 on the instance, admin token) with `/api/v1/user/actions/runs` as the

src/ci_orchestrator/web/static/app.js

@@ -197,27 +197,56 @@
     }).observe(stack, { childList: true });
   }
 
-  document.body.addEventListener("htmx:afterSwap", function (evt) {
-    var target = evt.detail && evt.detail.target;
-    if (target && target.id === "action-slot") {
-      processSlot(target);
-    }
-  });
-
   // Executions "Started" cell: click swaps between the relative and
   // absolute time already rendered into the button's own data attributes --
   // no request. Delegated on body (not the button itself) so it keeps
   // working after the Executions card's own 5s htmx poll replaces the row.
+  //
+  // The poll re-renders the whole card from the server every 5s, always
+  // starting back at "relative" -- so the choice is remembered here, keyed
+  // by the button's own id (stable across polls: run id/attempt or vmx),
+  // and re-applied to the fresh button restoreTimeToggles() finds after each
+  // swap, rather than freezing the node itself (which would also freeze its
+  // relative-time text, badge, duration -- everything else in the row).
+  var timeToggleState = {};
+
+  function applyTimeToggle(btn, showing) {
+    var shown = showing === "relative" ? "absolute" : "relative";
+    btn.textContent = btn.dataset[showing];
+    btn.title = btn.dataset[shown];
+    btn.dataset.showing = showing;
+  }
+
+  function restoreTimeToggles(root) {
+    var buttons = root.querySelectorAll ? root.querySelectorAll(".time-toggle[id]") : [];
+    Array.prototype.forEach.call(buttons, function (btn) {
+      var saved = timeToggleState[btn.id];
+      if (saved && saved !== btn.dataset.showing) {
+        applyTimeToggle(btn, saved);
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
   document.body.addEventListener("click", function (evt) {
     var btn = evt.target.closest(".time-toggle");
     if (!btn) {
       return;
     }
     var next = btn.dataset.showing === "relative" ? "absolute" : "relative";
-    var shown = next === "relative" ? "absolute" : "relative";
+    applyTimeToggle(btn, next);
-    btn.textContent = btn.dataset[next];
+    if (btn.id) {
-    btn.title = btn.dataset[shown];
+      timeToggleState[btn.id] = next;
-    btn.dataset.showing = next;
+    }
+  });
+
+  document.body.addEventListener("htmx:afterSwap", function (evt) {
+    var target = evt.detail && evt.detail.target;
+    if (target && target.id === "action-slot") {
+      processSlot(target);
+    }
+    if (target) {
+      restoreTimeToggles(target);
+    }
   });
 
   document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () {

src/ci_orchestrator/web/templates/partials/executions.html

@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@
           <td>{{ run.duration_sec | duration }}</td>
           <td>
             {% if run.started %}
-            <button type="button" class="time-toggle text-dim" data-showing="relative"
+            <button type="button" id="started-{{ run.run_id }}-{{ run.attempt }}" class="time-toggle text-dim" data-showing="relative"
                     data-relative="{{ run.started | relative_time }}" data-absolute="{{ run.started | localtime }}"
                     title="{{ run.started | localtime }}">{{ run.started | relative_time }}</button>
             {% else %}
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@
           <td><span class="text-dim">—</span></td>
           <td>
             {% if parsed.started %}
-            <button type="button" class="time-toggle text-dim" data-showing="relative"
+            <button type="button" id="started-vm-{{ vm.vmx | vmx_id }}" class="time-toggle text-dim" data-showing="relative"
                     data-relative="{{ parsed.started | relative_time }}" data-absolute="{{ parsed.started | localtime }}"
                     title="{{ parsed.started | localtime }}">{{ parsed.started | relative_time }}</button>
             {% else %}

tests/python/test_web_executions.py

@@ -346,11 +346,17 @@ def test_started_cell_is_a_click_to_toggle_button(
     """Both the relative and absolute renderings are pre-rendered into the
     button's data attributes -- app.js swaps textContent/title on click, no
     round trip. Server-side, this test can only pin the markup the toggle
-    depends on, not the click itself."""
+    depends on, not the click itself.
+
+    The id must be stable across the card's own 5s poll (run_id/attempt, not
+    anything generated fresh per render) -- app.js keys its client-side
+    "which format is showing" memory off it to survive the next poll's
+    server-rendered reset back to relative.
+    """
     _stub_view(
         monkeypatch,
         ExecutionsView(
-            runs=[_execution(started="2026-07-25T11:50:00Z")],
+            runs=[_execution(run_id=412, attempt=1, started="2026-07-25T11:50:00Z")],
             unmatched_vms=[],
             source="admin",
             error=None,
@@ -362,7 +368,8 @@ def test_started_cell_is_a_click_to_toggle_button(
 
     resp = client.get("/executions")
 
-    assert '<button type="button" class="time-toggle text-dim"' in resp.text
+    assert 'id="started-412-1"' in resp.text
+    assert 'class="time-toggle text-dim"' in resp.text
     assert 'data-showing="relative"' in resp.text
     assert 'data-relative="' in resp.text
     assert 'data-absolute="' in resp.text