feat: client-side portal hot-reload handler

- Listens for 'portals:reload' WS message
- Removes old portals from scene
- Re-fetches portals.json with cache-bust
- Recreates all portal objects
- Announces reload in chat

app.js

@@ -1534,6 +1534,27 @@ function createPortals(data) {
   });
 }
 
+async function reloadPortals() {
+  // Remove existing portals from scene
+  portals.forEach(portal => {
+    scene.remove(portal.group);
+  });
+  portals.length = 0;
+  activePortal = null;
+  
+  // Re-fetch and recreate
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch('./portals.json?' + Date.now()); // cache-bust
+    const portalData = await response.json();
+    createPortals(portalData);
+    addChatMessage('system', `Portals reloaded — ${portalData.length} worlds online.`);
+    console.log(`[portals] Reloaded ${portalData.length} portals`);
+  } catch (e) {
+    console.error('[portals] Reload failed:', e);
+    addChatMessage('error', 'Portal reload failed. Check portals.json.');
+  }
+}
+
 function createPortal(config) {
   const group = new THREE.Group();
   group.position.set(config.position.x, config.position.y, config.position.z);
@@ -2223,6 +2244,12 @@ function connectHermes() {
       const data = JSON.parse(evt.data);
       handleHermesMessage(data);
       
+      // Portal hot-reload: server detected portals.json change
+      if (data.type === 'portals:reload') {
+        console.log('[portals] Hot-reload triggered');
+        reloadPortals();
+      }
+      
       // Store in MemPalace
       if (data.type === 'chat') {
         // Store in MemPalace with AAAK compression

server.py

@@ -7,8 +7,10 @@ the body (Evennia/Morrowind), and the visualization surface.
 import asyncio
 import json
 import logging
+import os
 import signal
 import sys
+from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Set
 
 # Branch protected file - see POLICY.md
@@ -79,6 +81,42 @@ async def broadcast_handler(websocket: websockets.WebSocketServerProtocol):
         clients.discard(websocket)
         logger.info(f"Client disconnected {addr}. Total clients: {len(clients)}")
 
+
+# Portal hot-reload state
+_portals_mtime: float = 0.0
+_portals_path: Path = Path(__file__).parent / "portals.json"
+
+async def _watch_portals():
+    """Watch portals.json for changes and broadcast reload to all clients."""
+    global _portals_mtime
+    try:
+        if _portals_path.exists():
+            _portals_mtime = _portals_path.stat().st_mtime
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+    
+    while True:
+        await asyncio.sleep(2)  # Check every 2 seconds
+        try:
+            if not _portals_path.exists():
+                continue
+            current_mtime = _portals_path.stat().st_mtime
+            if current_mtime != _portals_mtime:
+                _portals_mtime = current_mtime
+                logger.info("portals.json changed — broadcasting reload")
+                msg = json.dumps({"type": "portals:reload", "ts": current_mtime})
+                disconnected = set()
+                for client in clients:
+                    if client.open:
+                        try:
+                            await client.send(msg)
+                        except Exception:
+                            disconnected.add(client)
+                if disconnected:
+                    clients.difference_update(disconnected)
+        except OSError as e:
+            logger.warning(f"Portal watch error: {e}")
+
 async def main():
     """Main server loop with graceful shutdown."""
     logger.info(f"Starting Nexus WS gateway on ws://{HOST}:{PORT}")
@@ -99,8 +137,13 @@ async def main():
             pass
 
     async with websockets.serve(broadcast_handler, HOST, PORT):
-        logger.info("Gateway is ready and listening.")
+        # Start portal file watcher
+    watcher_task = asyncio.create_task(_watch_portals())
+    logger.info("Portal hot-reload watcher started.")
+    
+    logger.info("Gateway is ready and listening.")
         await stop
+    watcher_task.cancel()
         
     logger.info("Shutting down Nexus WS gateway...")
     # Close any remaining client connections (handlers may have already cleaned up)