diff --git a/docs/discovery.md b/docs/discovery.md
index 61faeb3..2ca922d 100644
--- a/docs/discovery.md
+++ b/docs/discovery.md
@@ -43,17 +43,81 @@ A node may set multiple bits — a relay that also archives sets both `RELAY` an
 
 ### Behaviour
 
-- Nodes send announcements periodically (e.g. every 5 s) and immediately on startup via multicast
+- Nodes send announcements periodically (default every 5 s) and immediately on startup via multicast
 - No daemon — the node process itself sends and listens; no background service required
-- On receiving an announcement the control plane records the peer (address, port, name, function) and can initiate a transport connection if needed
-- A node going silent for a configured number of announcement intervals is considered offline
-- Announcements are informational only — the hub validates identity at connection time
+- On receiving an announcement the node records the peer (address, port, name, capabilities) and can initiate a transport connection if needed
+- A peer that goes silent for `timeout_intervals × interval_ms` is considered offline and removed from the peer table
+- Announcements are informational only — identity is validated at TCP connection time
 
-#### Targeted replies
+#### Startup — new node joins the network
 
-Multicast is only used for the periodic keep-alive broadcast. When a node receives an announcement from a peer it does not yet know, or detects that a known peer has restarted (its `site_id` changed for the same address and port), it sends an **immediate unicast reply** directly back to that peer's IP address. This ensures the new or restarted peer learns about this node quickly without waiting up to `interval_ms`, while avoiding a multicast blast that would unnecessarily wake every other node on the subnet.
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant N as New Node
+    participant MC as Multicast group
+    participant A as Node A
+    participant B as Node B
 
-Steady-state keepalive packets from already-known peers do not trigger any reply.
+    N->>MC: announce (multicast)
+    MC-->>A: receives announce
+    MC-->>B: receives announce
+    A->>N: announce (unicast reply)
+    B->>N: announce (unicast reply)
+    Note over N,B: All parties now know each other.<br/>Subsequent keepalives are multicast only.
+```
+
+Each node that hears a new peer sends a **unicast reply** directly to that peer. This allows the new node to populate its peer table within one round-trip rather than waiting up to `interval_ms` for other nodes' next scheduled broadcast.
+
+#### Steady-state keepalive
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant A as Node A
+    participant MC as Multicast group
+    participant B as Node B
+    participant C as Node C
+
+    loop every interval_ms
+        A->>MC: announce (multicast)
+        MC-->>B: receives — updates last_seen_ms, no reply
+        MC-->>C: receives — updates last_seen_ms, no reply
+    end
+```
+
+Known peers update their `last_seen_ms` timestamp and do nothing else. No reply is sent, so there is no amplification.
+
+#### Node loss — timeout
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant A as Node A
+    participant B as Node B (offline)
+
+    Note over B: Node B stops sending
+    loop timeout_intervals × interval_ms elapses
+        A->>A: check_timeouts() — not yet expired
+    end
+    A->>A: check_timeouts() — expired, remove B
+    A->>A: on_peer_lost(B) callback
+```
+
+#### Node restart — known limitation
+
+The current implementation attempts to detect a restart by checking whether `site_id` changed for a known `(addr, port)` entry. In practice this **does not work**: `site_id` is a static configuration value and will be the same before and after a restart. A restarted node will therefore simply be treated as a continuing keepalive and will not receive an immediate unicast reply — it will have to wait up to `interval_ms` for the next scheduled multicast broadcast from its peers.
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant R as Restarted Node
+    participant MC as Multicast group
+    participant A as Node A
+
+    Note over R: Node restarts — same addr, port, site_id
+    R->>MC: announce (multicast)
+    MC-->>A: receives — site_id unchanged, treated as keepalive
+    Note over A: No unicast reply sent. R waits up to interval_ms<br/>to learn about A via A's next scheduled multicast.
+```
+
+**What needs to change:** a **boot nonce** (random `u32` generated at startup, not configured) should be added to the announcement payload. A change in boot nonce for a known peer unambiguously signals a restart and triggers an immediate unicast reply. This requires a wire format version bump and updates to the peer table struct, announcement builder, and receive logic.
 
 ### No Avahi/Bonjour Dependency
 
diff --git a/planning.md b/planning.md
index 9f34fd2..70cacf7 100644
--- a/planning.md
+++ b/planning.md
@@ -136,4 +136,5 @@ These are open questions tracked in `architecture.md` that do not need to be res
 - controller_cli is a temporary dev tool; the long-term replacement is a dedicated `controller` binary outside `dev/cli/` that maintains simultaneous connections to all discovered nodes (not switching between them). Commands address a specific node by peer index. This mirrors the web UI's model of administering the whole network rather than one node at a time. The `connect` / active-connection model in the current controller_cli is an interim design choice that should not be carried forward.
 - start-ingest peer addressing: the `dest_host` + `dest_port` in START_INGEST is awkward to type manually and requires the caller to know the target's TCP port. Should accept a peer ID (index from the discovered peer table on the node) so the node can resolve the address itself. Requires the node to run discovery and expose its peer table.
 - Connection multiplexing: currently each ingest stream opens its own outbound TCP connection to the destination. Multiple streams between the same two peers should share one connection, with stream_id used to demultiplex frames. This is the priority/encapsulation scheme described in the architecture — high-priority and low-latency frames from different streams travel over the same socket rather than competing across separate sockets.
+- Discovery boot nonce: the announcement payload needs a `boot_nonce` field (random u32 generated at startup, not configured). The current restart detection uses `site_id` change as a proxy, but `site_id` is static config and does not change on restart, so restarts are not detected and the restarted node waits up to `interval_ms` for peers to reply. Adding a boot nonce gives a reliable restart signal: a nonce change for a known (addr, port) entry triggers an immediate unicast reply. Requires a wire format version bump, peer table struct update, and changes to the announcement builder and receive logic.
 - Control grouping: controls should be organizable into named groups for both display organisation (collapsible sections in a UI) and protocol semantics (enumerate controls within a group, set a group of related controls atomically). Relevant for display devices where scale_mode, anchor, position, and size are logically related, and for cameras where white balance, exposure, and gain belong together. The current flat list of (control_id, name, type, value) tuples does not capture this.