Stabilize multi-peer UI and fix container start API body

Keep the containers table scoped to the active peer with a merge store,
restore the last active server on boot with a restoring screen, start
containers without a Docker API body (v1.24+), and stop ⋮ menus from
sticking to the viewport bottom after refreshes.

server/services/docker.js

@@ -41,6 +41,71 @@ export const docker = new Docker({
 
 export { socketPath as dockerSocketPath }
 
+/**
+ * Promise wrapper around docker-modem dial.
+ * @param {object} optsf
+ * @returns {Promise<any>}
+ */
+function modemDial(optsf) {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    docker.modem.dial(optsf, (err, data) => {
+      if (err) reject(err)
+      else resolve(data)
+    })
+  })
+}
+
+/**
+ * Start a container with an empty POST body.
+ *
+ * dockerode always passes `options: {}` into modem.dial for `.start()`.
+ * Some Engine/API combinations (and proxies) still treat that as a non-empty
+ * JSON body, which Docker rejects since API v1.24:
+ *   "starting container with non-empty request body was deprecated..."
+ *
+ * Dial without an `options` field so no body is serialized.
+ *
+ * @param {string} id container id or name
+ * @returns {Promise<void>}
+ */
+export async function startContainerNoBody(id) {
+  const cid = String(id || '').replace(/^\//, '')
+  if (!cid) throw new Error('Container id required')
+  await modemDial({
+    // No trailing '?' — avoids query/body serialization of empty opts
+    path: `/containers/${encodeURIComponent(cid)}/start`,
+    method: 'POST',
+    statusCodes: {
+      204: true,
+      304: true, // already started
+      404: 'no such container',
+      500: 'server error',
+    },
+  })
+}
+
+/**
+ * Body-less container lifecycle POSTs (pause / unpause).
+ * @param {string} id
+ * @param {'pause'|'unpause'} action
+ */
+export async function containerLifecycleNoBody(id, action) {
+  const cid = String(id || '').replace(/^\//, '')
+  if (!cid) throw new Error('Container id required')
+  if (action !== 'pause' && action !== 'unpause') {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid lifecycle action: ${action}`)
+  }
+  await modemDial({
+    path: `/containers/${encodeURIComponent(cid)}/${action}`,
+    method: 'POST',
+    statusCodes: {
+      204: true,
+      404: 'no such container',
+      500: 'server error',
+    },
+  })
+}
+
 /**
  * Normalize docker.listVolumes() response shapes across API versions.
  * @param {object|Array} volumesResult

server/services/events.js

@@ -5,15 +5,44 @@
 import { docker, extractVolumesList } from './docker.js'
 import { peers } from '../core/peer-registry.js'
 import { Pushes } from '../../shared/protocol.js'
+import { broadcastContainers } from '../handlers/containers.js'
 import logger from '../utils/logger.js'
 
 let dockerEventStream = null
 let reconnectTimer = null
 let stopped = false
 let reconnectAttempt = 0
+/** Coalesce noisy container events into one list broadcast */
+let containerListBroadcastTimer = null
 
 const BASE_DELAY_MS = 2000
 const MAX_DELAY_MS = 30_000
+/** Only these container actions should refresh the fleet list (not exec/health spam) */
+const CONTAINER_LIST_ACTIONS = new Set([
+  'create',
+  'start',
+  'stop',
+  'die',
+  'kill',
+  'destroy',
+  'remove',
+  'pause',
+  'unpause',
+  'restart',
+  'rename',
+  'update',
+  'oom',
+])
+
+function scheduleContainerListBroadcast() {
+  if (containerListBroadcastTimer) return
+  containerListBroadcastTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+    containerListBroadcastTimer = null
+    broadcastContainers().catch((err) => {
+      logger.debug('container list broadcast failed', { error: err.message })
+    })
+  }, 400)
+}
 
 export async function startDockerEventStream() {
   stopped = false
@@ -64,9 +93,13 @@ async function openEventStream() {
             data: event,
           })
 
+          // Do not rebroadcast the full list on every exec_*/health_status event —
+          // that thrashed clients (rows flicker / disappear on each refresh).
           if (event.Type === 'container') {
-            const containers = await docker.listContainers({ all: true })
-            peers.broadcast(Pushes.containers, { type: 'containers', data: containers })
+            const action = String(event.Action || event.status || '').split(':')[0]
+            if (CONTAINER_LIST_ACTIONS.has(action)) {
+              scheduleContainerListBroadcast()
+            }
           }
 
           if (event.Type === 'image') {