gatekeeper invite ports to #id_bud_btn slide-out: drop the inline #id_invite_email form, add bud-invite panel for room owner during gate phase, async POST to invite_gamer w. autocomplete + symmetric buds auto-add + slide-down Brief banner — TDD

- Brief schema (billboard/0007): post FK becomes nullable + new room FK to epic.Room + KIND_GAME_INVITE enum value. to_banner_dict resolves post_url to reverse('epic:gatekeeper', room.id) when post is null and room is set.
  - epic.invite_gamer view refactor:
    • Accepts `recipient` (matches bud-panel field; legacy `invitee_email` still works for full backwards compat).
    • Resolves via apps.billboard.views._resolve_recipient (email if "@" present, else username).
    • RoomInvite stores the resolved User's email (or raw input if unregistered).
    • Auto-adds inviter ↔ recipient to each others' buds (symmetric per Phase 2 spec) when recipient is a registered User.
    • Spawns a Brief w. owner=request.user, kind=GAME_INVITE, room=room, post=null.
    • Accept: application/json → {brief, recipient_display}; otherwise redirects to gatekeeper as before.
    • Self-invite + blank recipient: 200 w. brief=null, no RoomInvite, no buds touch.
  - _gatekeeper.html: gate-invite-panel block (lines 62-71) removed.
  - new templates/apps/billboard/_partials/_bud_invite_panel.html: clone of _bud_panel.html w. data-invite-url + autocomplete from request.user.buds. JS posts to invite_gamer + Brief.showBanner. room.html includes it owner-only when not table_status and gate_status != RENEWAL_DUE.
  - room.html scripts block now loads apps/dashboard/note.js so window.Brief is defined for the slide-down banner.
  - Tests: new test_invite_gamer.py (14 ITs) covering ajax + legacy form-submit paths, recipient resolution, RoomInvite creation, Brief w. room FK + GAME_INVITE kind, symmetric buds auto-add, unregistered/self/blank silent no-op cases. New test_gatekeeper_bud_btn.py FT (9 tests) covers presence (owner-only), absence of legacy #id_invite_email, async invite flow end-to-end (RoomInvite, Brief, banner, panel close, username resolve, buds auto-add).
  - test_brief.test_brief_owner_post_required relaxed to test_brief_owner_required (post is now nullable).
  - test_room_gatekeeper.test_second_gamer_drops_token_into_open_slot updated to drive the bud-btn flow (drops the #id_invite_email/#id_invite_btn references).
  - 866 ITs (+14) + 9 gatekeeper FTs + 28 existing room-gatekeeper FTs green.

Code architected by Disco DeDisco <discodedisco@outlook.com>
Git commit message Co-Authored-By:
Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/apps/billboard/migrations/0007_brief_room_alter_brief_kind_alter_brief_post.py

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# Generated by Django 6.0 on 2026-05-09 04:45
+
+import django.db.models.deletion
+from django.db import migrations, models
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ('billboard', '0006_alter_line_options'),
+        ('epic', '0008_blades_reversal_fickle'),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AddField(
+            model_name='brief',
+            name='room',
+            field=models.ForeignKey(blank=True, null=True, on_delete=django.db.models.deletion.CASCADE, related_name='briefs', to='epic.room'),
+        ),
+        migrations.AlterField(
+            model_name='brief',
+            name='kind',
+            field=models.CharField(choices=[('note_unlock', 'Note unlock'), ('user_post', 'User post'), ('share_invite', 'Share invite'), ('game_invite', 'Game invite')], default='user_post', max_length=32),
+        ),
+        migrations.AlterField(
+            model_name='brief',
+            name='post',
+            field=models.ForeignKey(blank=True, null=True, on_delete=django.db.models.deletion.CASCADE, related_name='briefs', to='billboard.post'),
+        ),
+    ]

src/apps/billboard/models.py

@@ -94,10 +94,12 @@ class Brief(models.Model):
     KIND_NOTE_UNLOCK   = "note_unlock"
     KIND_USER_POST     = "user_post"
     KIND_SHARE_INVITE  = "share_invite"
+    KIND_GAME_INVITE   = "game_invite"
     KIND_CHOICES = [
         (KIND_NOTE_UNLOCK,  "Note unlock"),
         (KIND_USER_POST,    "User post"),
         (KIND_SHARE_INVITE, "Share invite"),
+        (KIND_GAME_INVITE,  "Game invite"),
     ]
 
     id = models.UUIDField(primary_key=True, default=uuid.uuid4, editable=False)
@@ -106,10 +108,25 @@ class Brief(models.Model):
         related_name="briefs",
         on_delete=models.CASCADE,
     )
+    # Post is nullable now: KIND_GAME_INVITE briefs ride on a Room FK
+    # instead of a Post (the gatekeeper invite confirmation has no post
+    # to navigate to). Post FKs only set for note_unlock / user_post /
+    # share_invite kinds.
     post = models.ForeignKey(
         Post,
         related_name="briefs",
         on_delete=models.CASCADE,
+        null=True,
+        blank=True,
+    )
+    # Room FK — set only on KIND_GAME_INVITE briefs; FYI navigates to
+    # the gatekeeper page for that room.
+    room = models.ForeignKey(
+        "epic.Room",
+        related_name="briefs",
+        on_delete=models.CASCADE,
+        null=True,
+        blank=True,
     )
     # Line is nullable because a share_invite-style Brief can race ahead of its
     # async-appended Line write; the post FK alone is enough to navigate.
@@ -142,16 +159,23 @@ class Brief(models.Model):
         """Shape this Brief for the slide-down banner JS. NOTE_UNLOCK kind
         carries a square_url pointing at /billboard/my-notes/ so the
         thumbnail-square inside the banner jumps direct to the user's Note
-        collection — other kinds get an empty square_url."""
+        collection. GAME_INVITE kind has no Post — the FYI link navigates
+        to the gatekeeper page for the brief's Room instead."""
         square_url = ""
         if self.kind == self.KIND_NOTE_UNLOCK:
             square_url = reverse("billboard:my_notes")
+        if self.post_id:
+            post_url = self.post.get_absolute_url()
+        elif self.room_id:
+            post_url = reverse("epic:gatekeeper", args=[self.room_id])
+        else:
+            post_url = ""
         return {
             "id":         str(self.id),
             "kind":       self.kind,
             "title":      self.title,
             "line_text":  self.line.text if self.line else "",
-            "post_url":   self.post.get_absolute_url(),
+            "post_url":   post_url,
             "square_url": square_url,
             "created_at": self.created_at.isoformat(),
         }

src/apps/billboard/tests/integrated/test_brief.py

@@ -40,14 +40,14 @@ class BriefModelTest(TestCase):
         b = Brief.objects.create(owner=self.user, post=self.post)
         self.assertIsNone(b.line)
 
-    def test_brief_owner_post_required(self):
-        """Brief without owner OR post is invalid; both are the load-bearing
-        FKs (owner = whose attention; post = where FYI navigates)."""
+    def test_brief_owner_required(self):
+        """Brief without owner is invalid (load-bearing for "whose
+        attention"). Post used to be required too, but became nullable
+        when GAME_INVITE briefs landed (those use Brief.room instead of
+        Brief.post). The view layer enforces "post XOR room" per kind."""
         from django.db import IntegrityError, transaction
         with transaction.atomic(), self.assertRaises(IntegrityError):
             Brief.objects.create(post=self.post, line=self.line)
-        with transaction.atomic(), self.assertRaises(IntegrityError):
-            Brief.objects.create(owner=self.user, line=self.line)
 
     def test_brief_carries_title(self):
         b = Brief.objects.create(

src/apps/epic/tests/integrated/test_invite_gamer.py

@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+"""ITs for the gatekeeper invite_gamer view post-bud-btn refactor.
+
+The legacy form-submit path (POST `invitee_email` + 302 redirect) still
+works for any pre-existing caller; the new bud-btn slide-out POSTs
+`recipient` (email OR username) w. Accept: application/json and gets
+back {brief, recipient_display}. On registered recipients we auto-add
+both directions of the buds graph (mirrors share_post per the Phase 2
+spec) and spawn a Brief w. kind=GAME_INVITE pointing at the room.
+"""
+from django.test import TestCase
+from django.urls import reverse
+
+from apps.billboard.models import Brief
+from apps.epic.models import Room, RoomInvite
+from apps.lyric.models import User
+
+
+class InviteGamerAjaxTest(TestCase):
+    """Bud-btn flow: POST /room/<id>/gate/invite w. Accept: application/json."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.owner = User.objects.create(email="owner@test.io", username="owner")
+        self.client.force_login(self.owner)
+        self.alice = User.objects.create(email="alice@test.io", username="alice")
+        self.room = Room.objects.create(name="Bingobango", owner=self.owner)
+
+    def _invite(self, recipient):
+        return self.client.post(
+            reverse("epic:invite_gamer", args=[self.room.id]),
+            data={"recipient": recipient},
+            HTTP_ACCEPT="application/json",
+        )
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_returns_brief_payload(self):
+        response = self._invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        body = response.json()
+        self.assertIn("brief", body)
+        self.assertIn("recipient_display", body)
+        self.assertIsNotNone(body["brief"])
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_creates_room_invite(self):
+        self._invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.assertTrue(RoomInvite.objects.filter(
+            room=self.room, inviter=self.owner, invitee_email="alice@test.io",
+        ).exists())
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_resolves_username_to_email(self):
+        """Username-typed recipient stores the resolved User's email."""
+        self._invite("alice")
+        self.assertTrue(RoomInvite.objects.filter(
+            room=self.room, invitee_email="alice@test.io",
+        ).exists())
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_creates_brief_with_game_invite_kind_and_room_fk(self):
+        self._invite("alice@test.io")
+        brief = Brief.objects.get(owner=self.owner)
+        self.assertEqual(brief.kind, Brief.KIND_GAME_INVITE)
+        self.assertEqual(brief.room, self.room)
+        self.assertIsNone(brief.post)
+        self.assertTrue(brief.is_unread)
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_brief_banner_dict_links_to_room_gatekeeper(self):
+        body = self._invite("alice@test.io").json()
+        self.assertEqual(
+            body["brief"]["post_url"],
+            reverse("epic:gatekeeper", args=[self.room.id]),
+        )
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_auto_adds_recipient_to_inviter_buds(self):
+        self._invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.assertIn(self.alice, self.owner.buds.all())
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_auto_adds_inviter_to_recipient_buds_symmetric(self):
+        """Per Phase 2 spec: shared events imply mutual buds graph link."""
+        self._invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.assertIn(self.owner, self.alice.buds.all())
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_unregistered_email_creates_invite_no_buds_add(self):
+        """Privacy + correctness: unregistered recipient still gets a
+        RoomInvite (so they can accept after registration), but the
+        inviter's buds list isn't touched (we don't auto-add a non-User)."""
+        response = self._invite("ghost@test.io")
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.assertTrue(RoomInvite.objects.filter(
+            room=self.room, invitee_email="ghost@test.io",
+        ).exists())
+        self.assertEqual(self.owner.buds.count(), 0)
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_self_is_silent_noop(self):
+        """Inviting yourself: brief=null, no RoomInvite, no buds touch."""
+        response = self._invite("owner@test.io")
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.assertIsNone(response.json()["brief"])
+        self.assertFalse(RoomInvite.objects.filter(room=self.room).exists())
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_blank_recipient_is_silent_noop(self):
+        response = self._invite("")
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.assertIsNone(response.json()["brief"])
+        self.assertFalse(RoomInvite.objects.filter(room=self.room).exists())
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_recipient_display_is_username_when_registered(self):
+        body = self._invite("alice@test.io").json()
+        self.assertEqual(body["recipient_display"], "alice")
+
+    def test_ajax_invite_recipient_display_is_null_when_unregistered(self):
+        body = self._invite("ghost@test.io").json()
+        self.assertIsNone(body["recipient_display"])
+
+
+class InviteGamerLegacyFormTest(TestCase):
+    """Form-submit path (no Accept: application/json) preserved — older
+    callers still get a 302 redirect to the gatekeeper. The legacy
+    `invitee_email` field name is also still accepted for full backwards
+    compat, even though the new bud-btn uses `recipient`."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.owner = User.objects.create(email="owner@test.io")
+        self.client.force_login(self.owner)
+        self.room = Room.objects.create(name="Test", owner=self.owner)
+
+    def test_form_submit_with_invitee_email_redirects(self):
+        response = self.client.post(
+            reverse("epic:invite_gamer", args=[self.room.id]),
+            data={"invitee_email": "alice@test.io"},
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 302)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            response["Location"],
+            reverse("epic:gatekeeper", args=[self.room.id]),
+        )
+
+    def test_form_submit_with_recipient_field_also_works(self):
+        """The bud-btn field name (recipient) also works on form submit."""
+        response = self.client.post(
+            reverse("epic:invite_gamer", args=[self.room.id]),
+            data={"recipient": "alice@test.io"},
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 302)
+        self.assertTrue(RoomInvite.objects.filter(
+            room=self.room, invitee_email="alice@test.io",
+        ).exists())

src/apps/epic/views.py

@@ -656,16 +656,81 @@ def pick_roles(request, room_id):
 
 @login_required
 def invite_gamer(request, room_id):
-    if request.method == "POST":
+    """Gatekeeper invite flow. Backwards-compatible w. the legacy
+    `invitee_email` form-submit (still POSTs from any old caller); also
+    serves the new bud-btn slide-out which sends `recipient` (email OR
+    username) + Accept: application/json. Bud-btn flow:
+      • Resolves recipient via _resolve_recipient (registered → User; else None).
+      • Stores RoomInvite using the resolved email (or raw input if unregistered).
+      • Auto-adds inviter ↔ recipient to each others' buds (symmetric, per
+        share_post precedent — registered recipients only).
+      • Spawns a Brief w. kind=GAME_INVITE + room=room (post=null).
+      • Returns JSON {brief, recipient_display} when Accept matches; else
+        redirects to gatekeeper as before."""
+    if request.method != "POST":
+        return redirect("epic:gatekeeper", room_id=room_id)
+
+    from apps.billboard.models import Brief
+    from apps.billboard.views import _resolve_recipient
+
     room = Room.objects.get(id=room_id)
-        email = request.POST.get("invitee_email", "").strip()
-        if email:
+    is_ajax = "application/json" in request.headers.get("Accept", "")
+
+    # New bud-btn field name is `recipient`; legacy form uses `invitee_email`.
+    raw = (
+        request.POST.get("recipient")
+        or request.POST.get("invitee_email")
+        or ""
+    ).strip()
+
+    if not raw:
+        if is_ajax:
+            return JsonResponse({"brief": None, "recipient_display": None})
+        return redirect("epic:gatekeeper", room_id=room_id)
+
+    candidate = _resolve_recipient(raw)
+    is_self = candidate is not None and candidate == request.user
+    if is_self:
+        if is_ajax:
+            return JsonResponse({"brief": None, "recipient_display": None})
+        return redirect("epic:gatekeeper", room_id=room_id)
+
+    # RoomInvite uses the resolved User's email when available (so a
+    # username-typed invite doesn't store the raw username as if it were
+    # an email); falls back to the raw input for unregistered addresses.
+    invitee_email = candidate.email if candidate else raw
     RoomInvite.objects.get_or_create(
         room=room,
         inviter=request.user,
-                invitee_email=email,
-                defaults={"status": RoomInvite.PENDING}
+        invitee_email=invitee_email,
+        defaults={"status": RoomInvite.PENDING},
     )
+
+    # Buds graph: symmetric auto-add on registered recipients (mirrors
+    # share_post). Idempotent on M2M; no-op on unregistered recipients.
+    if candidate is not None:
+        request.user.buds.add(candidate)
+        candidate.buds.add(request.user)
+
+    # Brief: confirmation banner for the inviter. Brief.post stays null;
+    # banner FYI navigates to the room's gatekeeper page via Brief.room.
+    brief = Brief.objects.create(
+        owner=request.user,
+        post=None,
+        room=room,
+        kind=Brief.KIND_GAME_INVITE,
+        title="Invite sent",
+    )
+
+    if is_ajax:
+        recipient_display = None
+        if candidate is not None:
+            recipient_display = candidate.username or candidate.email
+        return JsonResponse({
+            "brief":             brief.to_banner_dict(),
+            "recipient_display": recipient_display,
+        })
+
     return redirect("epic:gatekeeper", room_id=room_id)
 
 

src/functional_tests/test_gatekeeper_bud_btn.py

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+"""FT for the gatekeeper invite via #id_bud_btn slide-out.
+
+Replaces the legacy inline `<form action="invite_gamer">` panel inside
+the gatekeeper modal. The bud-btn lives at the upper-right corner of
+the right sidebar (footer in landscape); slide-out hosts the email/
+username field + OK btn. Submit fires async POST to
+epic:invite_gamer w. Accept: application/json — server returns
+{brief, recipient_display}, JS shows the slide-down Brief banner.
+"""
+from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
+
+from apps.billboard.models import Brief
+from apps.epic.models import Room, RoomInvite
+from apps.lyric.models import User
+
+from .base import FunctionalTest
+
+
+class GatekeeperBudBtnPresenceTest(FunctionalTest):
+    """The bud-btn renders for the room owner during gate phase, and is
+    absent for non-owners (friend invites are owner-only)."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super().setUp()
+        self.owner = User.objects.create(email="owner@test.io", username="owner")
+        self.gamer = User.objects.create(email="gamer@test.io", username="gamer")
+        self.room = Room.objects.create(name="Bingobango", owner=self.owner)
+        self.room_url = f"{self.live_server_url}/gameboard/room/{self.room.id}/gate/"
+
+    def test_bud_btn_renders_for_owner(self):
+        self.create_pre_authenticated_session("owner@test.io")
+        self.browser.get(self.room_url)
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.ID, "id_bud_btn"))
+
+    def test_bud_btn_absent_for_non_owner(self):
+        # A registered non-owner viewer doesn't see the invite affordance.
+        self.create_pre_authenticated_session("gamer@test.io")
+        self.browser.get(self.room_url)
+        # Gatekeeper-specific element confirms page rendered
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, ".gate-modal"))
+        self.assertFalse(self.browser.find_elements(By.ID, "id_bud_btn"))
+
+    def test_legacy_invite_email_input_is_gone(self):
+        """Sanity: the old inline form has been removed."""
+        self.create_pre_authenticated_session("owner@test.io")
+        self.browser.get(self.room_url)
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, ".gate-modal"))
+        self.assertFalse(self.browser.find_elements(By.ID, "id_invite_email"))
+
+
+class GatekeeperBudBtnAsyncInviteTest(FunctionalTest):
+    """OK on the bud-btn slide-out fires the async invite — RoomInvite
+    persisted, Brief w/ kind=GAME_INVITE created, slide-down banner shown."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super().setUp()
+        self.owner = User.objects.create(email="owner@test.io", username="owner")
+        self.alice = User.objects.create(email="alice@test.io", username="alice")
+        self.room = Room.objects.create(name="Bingobango", owner=self.owner)
+        self.room_url = f"{self.live_server_url}/gameboard/room/{self.room.id}/gate/"
+        self.create_pre_authenticated_session("owner@test.io")
+        self.browser.get(self.room_url)
+
+    def _open_panel_and_invite(self, recipient):
+        bud_btn = self.wait_for(lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.ID, "id_bud_btn"))
+        bud_btn.click()
+        recipient_input = self.wait_for(
+            lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.ID, "id_recipient")
+        )
+        recipient_input.send_keys(recipient)
+        self.browser.find_element(
+            By.CSS_SELECTOR, "#id_bud_panel .btn.btn-confirm"
+        ).click()
+        return bud_btn
+
+    def test_invite_creates_room_invite(self):
+        self._open_panel_and_invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.assertEqual(
+            RoomInvite.objects.filter(
+                room=self.room, invitee_email="alice@test.io"
+            ).count(),
+            1,
+        ))
+
+    def test_invite_spawns_game_invite_brief(self):
+        self._open_panel_and_invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.assertEqual(
+            Brief.objects.filter(
+                owner=self.owner, kind=Brief.KIND_GAME_INVITE,
+            ).count(),
+            1,
+        ))
+
+    def test_invite_renders_slide_down_banner(self):
+        self._open_panel_and_invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, ".note-banner"))
+
+    def test_invite_closes_panel_after_success(self):
+        bud_btn = self._open_panel_and_invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.assertNotIn("active", bud_btn.get_attribute("class")))
+
+    def test_invite_username_resolves_to_user_email(self):
+        """Username-typed invite stores the resolved User's email."""
+        self._open_panel_and_invite("alice")
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.assertEqual(
+            RoomInvite.objects.filter(
+                room=self.room, invitee_email="alice@test.io"
+            ).count(),
+            1,
+        ))
+
+    def test_invite_auto_adds_recipient_to_owner_buds(self):
+        self._open_panel_and_invite("alice@test.io")
+        self.wait_for(lambda: self.assertIn(
+            self.alice, list(self.owner.buds.all())
+        ))

src/functional_tests/test_room_gatekeeper.py

@@ -127,12 +127,19 @@ class GatekeeperTest(FunctionalTest):
         self.wait_for(
             lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, ".gate-slot.filled")
         )
-        # 2. Founder invites friend
-        invite_input = self.wait_for(
-            lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.ID, "id_invite_email")
+        # 2. Founder invites friend via the bud-btn slide-out (replaces
+        # the legacy inline #id_invite_email form post-bud-btn refactor).
+        bud_btn = self.wait_for(
+            lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.ID, "id_bud_btn")
         )
-        invite_input.send_keys("friend@test.io")
-        self.browser.find_element(By.ID, "id_invite_btn").click()
+        bud_btn.click()
+        recipient = self.wait_for(
+            lambda: self.browser.find_element(By.ID, "id_recipient")
+        )
+        recipient.send_keys("friend@test.io")
+        self.browser.find_element(
+            By.CSS_SELECTOR, "#id_bud_panel .btn.btn-confirm"
+        ).click()
         # 3. Friend logs in, sees invitation in My Games
         self.create_pre_authenticated_session("friend@test.io")
         self.browser.get(self.live_server_url + "/gameboard/")

src/templates/apps/billboard/_partials/_bud_invite_panel.html

@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+{% load static %}
+{% load lyric_extras %}
+{# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── #}
+{# _bud_invite_panel.html — bud btn + slide-out for the gatekeeper game- #}
+{# invite flow. Replaces the legacy `<form action="invite_gamer">`        #}
+{# inline panel inside _gatekeeper.html.                                  #}
+{#                                                                         #}
+{# Differences from the post-share variant (_bud_panel.html):              #}
+{#   • POSTs to epic:invite_gamer instead of billboard:share_post.         #}
+{#   • Server returns {brief, recipient_display} — no line_text (no Post     #}
+{#     to append a Line to). JS just shows the Brief banner.               #}
+{#                                                                         #}
+{# Caller must pass `room` in context.                                    #}
+{# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── #}
+
+<button id="id_bud_btn" type="button" aria-label="Invite a friend">
+    <i class="fa-solid fa-handshake"></i>
+</button>
+
+<div id="id_bud_panel"
+     data-invite-url="{% url 'epic:invite_gamer' room.id %}"
+     data-sharer-name="{% if request.user.is_authenticated %}{{ request.user|display_name }}{% endif %}">
+    <input id="id_recipient"
+           name="recipient"
+           type="text"
+           placeholder="friend@example.com or username"
+           autocomplete="off">
+    <button id="id_bud_ok" type="button" class="btn btn-confirm">OK</button>
+</div>
+
+{# Autocomplete suggestions — sibling because the panel has overflow:hidden #}
+{# for the slide-in scaleX animation. Pulls from request.user.buds.        #}
+<div id="id_bud_suggestions" class="bud-suggestions" hidden></div>
+
+<script src="{% static 'apps/billboard/bud-autocomplete.js' %}"></script>
+<script>
+    bindBudAutocomplete(
+        document.getElementById('id_recipient'),
+        document.getElementById('id_bud_suggestions'),
+        { searchUrl: '{% url "billboard:search_buds" %}' }
+    );
+</script>
+
+<script>
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    var btn   = document.getElementById('id_bud_btn');
+    var panel = document.getElementById('id_bud_panel');
+    var input = document.getElementById('id_recipient');
+    var ok    = document.getElementById('id_bud_ok');
+    var html  = document.documentElement;
+    if (!btn || !panel || !input || !ok) return;
+
+    function _csrf() {
+        var m = document.cookie.match(/csrftoken=([^;]+)/);
+        return m ? m[1] : '';
+    }
+
+    function _open() {
+        html.classList.add('bud-open');
+        btn.classList.add('active');
+        setTimeout(function () { input.focus(); }, 60);
+    }
+
+    function _close(opts) {
+        opts = opts || {};
+        html.classList.remove('bud-open');
+        btn.classList.remove('active');
+        if (opts.clear !== false) input.value = '';
+    }
+
+    btn.addEventListener('click', function () {
+        if (html.classList.contains('bud-open')) {
+            _close();
+        } else {
+            _open();
+        }
+    });
+
+    document.addEventListener('keydown', function (e) {
+        if (e.key === 'Escape' && html.classList.contains('bud-open')) _close();
+    });
+
+    document.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
+        if (!html.classList.contains('bud-open')) return;
+        if (panel.contains(e.target)) return;
+        if (e.target === btn || btn.contains(e.target)) return;
+        // Suggestions live outside the panel; clicking inside them must
+        // NOT close+clear the panel.
+        var sg = document.getElementById('id_bud_suggestions');
+        if (sg && sg.contains(e.target)) return;
+        _close();
+    });
+
+    ok.addEventListener('click', function () {
+        var recipient = input.value.trim();
+        if (!recipient) return;
+
+        var fd = new FormData();
+        fd.set('recipient', recipient);
+
+        fetch(panel.dataset.inviteUrl, {
+            method: 'POST',
+            credentials: 'same-origin',
+            headers: {
+                'Accept':       'application/json',
+                'X-CSRFToken':  _csrf(),
+            },
+            body: fd,
+        })
+            .then(function (r) { return r.ok ? r.json() : Promise.reject(r.status); })
+            .then(function (data) {
+                if (window.Brief && data.brief) Brief.showBanner(data.brief);
+                _close({ clear: true });
+            })
+            .catch(function () {
+                // Privacy-safe: even unregistered/self resolves to 200
+                // {brief: null}; only network/5xx land here. Just close.
+            });
+    });
+
+    input.addEventListener('keydown', function (e) {
+        if (e.key === 'Enter') {
+            e.preventDefault();
+            ok.click();
+        }
+    });
+}());
+</script>

src/templates/apps/gameboard/_partials/_gatekeeper.html

@@ -59,16 +59,9 @@
                 </div>
             </div>
 
-            {% if request.user == room.owner %}
-                <div class="gate-invite-panel">
-                    <h3>Invite Friend</h3>
-                    <form method="POST" action="{% url 'epic:invite_gamer' room.id %}" style="display:flex; gap:0.5rem; align-items:center;">
-                        {% csrf_token %}
-                        <input type="email" name="invitee_email" id="id_invite_email" class="form-control form-control-lg" placeholder="friend@example.com" style="flex:1; min-width:0;" hx-preserve>
-                        <button type="submit" id="id_invite_btn" class="btn btn-confirm">OK</button>
-                    </form>
-                </div>
-            {% endif %}
+            {# Legacy gate-invite-panel retired in favour of #id_bud_btn at  #}
+            {# the upper-right of the footer (room.html includes the bud    #}
+            {# invite panel partial when the viewer owns the room).         #}
 
         </div>
     </div>

src/templates/apps/gameboard/room.html

@@ -92,6 +92,12 @@
         {% endif %}
         {% if not room.table_status and room.gate_status != "RENEWAL_DUE" %}
             {% include "apps/gameboard/_partials/_gatekeeper.html" %}
+            {# Owner-only invite affordance: handshake btn at the upper-right #}
+            {# of the right sidebar w. slide-out + autocomplete. Replaces the #}
+            {# legacy inline `<form action="invite_gamer">` panel.            #}
+            {% if request.user == room.owner %}
+                {% include "apps/billboard/_partials/_bud_invite_panel.html" %}
+            {% endif %}
         {% endif %}
         {% if room.table_status %}
         <div id="id_tray_wrap"{% if room.table_status == "ROLE_SELECT" and starter_roles|length < 6 %} class="role-select-phase"{% endif %}>
@@ -117,6 +123,9 @@
 {% endblock content %}
 
 {% block scripts %}
+    {# Brief module — needed by _bud_invite_panel's OK handler so the     #}
+    {# slide-down banner shows up on a successful gatekeeper invite.      #}
+    <script src="{% static 'apps/dashboard/note.js' %}"></script>
     <script src="{% static 'apps/epic/room.js' %}"></script>
     <script src="{% static 'apps/epic/gatekeeper.js' %}"></script>
     <script src="{% static 'apps/epic/role-select.js' %}"></script>