feat(stats): add cumulative total_connections and total_flows counters

active_connections and active_flows are real-time gauges that return to 0
after sessions close. Every UAT agent reports "stats broken" because they
check after traffic completes. Add monotonically increasing total_*
counters alongside the existing gauges.

Also adds packets_dropped to the REST API and OpenAPI spec — it was
already present in proto, CLI, and MCP but missing from REST (interface
parity violation).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: maxholman

crates/api/src/handlers.rs

@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ pub struct StatsResponse {
     pub packets_out: u64,
     pub active_connections: u64,
     pub active_flows: u64,
+    /// Total packets dropped since daemon start.
+    pub packets_dropped: u64,
+    /// Total connections opened since daemon start (monotonically increasing).
+    pub total_connections: u64,
+    /// Total flows opened since daemon start (monotonically increasing).
+    pub total_flows: u64,
 }
 
 /// Node info response.
@@ -251,6 +257,9 @@ pub async fn stats(State(state): State<ApiState>) -> Result<Json<StatsResponse>,
             packets_out: s.packets_out,
             active_connections: s.active_connections,
             active_flows: s.active_flows,
+            packets_dropped: s.packets_dropped,
+            total_connections: s.total_connections,
+            total_flows: s.total_flows,
         })),
         _ => Err(StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR),
     }

crates/cli/src/output.rs

@@ -128,6 +128,8 @@ pub fn print_response(resp: &ManagementResponse) -> Result<(), CtlError> {
             let _ = writeln!(tw, "connections:\t{}", s.active_connections);
             let _ = writeln!(tw, "flows:\t{}", s.active_flows);
             let _ = writeln!(tw, "dropped:\t{}", s.packets_dropped);
+            let _ = writeln!(tw, "total connections:\t{}", s.total_connections);
+            let _ = writeln!(tw, "total flows:\t{}", s.total_flows);
             let _ = tw.flush();
         }
         Some(management_response::Response::Peers(p)) => {

crates/core/src/control/metrics.rs

@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ pub struct Metrics {
     active_connections: AtomicU64,
     active_flows: AtomicU64,
     packets_dropped: AtomicU64,
+    /// Monotonically increasing count of all connections ever opened.
+    total_connections: AtomicU64,
+    /// Monotonically increasing count of all flows ever opened.
+    total_flows: AtomicU64,
 }
 
 impl Metrics {
@@ -31,6 +35,8 @@ impl Metrics {
             active_connections: self.active_connections.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
             active_flows: self.active_flows.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
             packets_dropped: self.packets_dropped.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
+            total_connections: self.total_connections.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
+            total_flows: self.total_flows.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
         }
     }
 
@@ -52,6 +58,7 @@ impl Metrics {
 
     pub fn inc_active_connections(&self) {
         self.active_connections.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.total_connections.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
     }
 
     pub fn dec_active_connections(&self) {
@@ -64,6 +71,7 @@ impl Metrics {
 
     pub fn inc_active_flows(&self) {
         self.active_flows.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.total_flows.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
     }
 
     pub fn dec_active_flows(&self) {
@@ -72,3 +80,59 @@ impl Metrics {
 }
 
 pub type SharedMetrics = Arc<Metrics>;
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::Metrics;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn total_connections_increments_and_does_not_decrement() {
+        let metrics = Metrics::new();
+
+        metrics.inc_active_connections();
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().total_connections, 1);
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().active_connections, 1);
+
+        metrics.dec_active_connections();
+        // active_connections decrements, total_connections must not
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().total_connections, 1);
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().active_connections, 0);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn total_flows_increments_and_does_not_decrement() {
+        let metrics = Metrics::new();
+
+        metrics.inc_active_flows();
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().total_flows, 1);
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().active_flows, 1);
+
+        metrics.dec_active_flows();
+        // active_flows decrements, total_flows must not
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().total_flows, 1);
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().active_flows, 0);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cumulative_counters_survive_connection_churn() {
+        let metrics = Metrics::new();
+
+        // Simulate 5 connection open/close cycles
+        for _ in 0..5 {
+            metrics.inc_active_connections();
+            metrics.dec_active_connections();
+        }
+
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().total_connections, 5);
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().active_connections, 0);
+
+        // Simulate 3 flow open/close cycles
+        for _ in 0..3 {
+            metrics.inc_active_flows();
+            metrics.dec_active_flows();
+        }
+
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().total_flows, 3);
+        assert_eq!(metrics.snapshot().active_flows, 0);
+    }
+}

crates/core/src/ipc.rs

@@ -313,6 +313,8 @@ fn dispatch_request(request: &ManagementRequest, api: &dyn NodeApi) -> Managemen
                 active_connections: m.active_connections,
                 active_flows: m.active_flows,
                 packets_dropped: m.packets_dropped,
+                total_connections: m.total_connections,
+                total_flows: m.total_flows,
             })
         }
 

crates/core/src/node_api.rs

@@ -78,6 +78,10 @@ pub struct Metrics {
     pub active_connections: u64,
     pub active_flows: u64,
     pub packets_dropped: u64,
+    /// Total connections opened since daemon start (monotonically increasing).
+    pub total_connections: u64,
+    /// Total flows opened since daemon start (monotonically increasing).
+    pub total_flows: u64,
 }
 
 /// Overall node info.

crates/mcp/src/convert.rs

@@ -25,14 +25,16 @@ pub fn format_response(resp: &ManagementResponse) -> Result<String, String> {
         }
         Some(management_response::Response::Stats(s)) => Ok(format!(
             "bytes in: {}\nbytes out: {}\npackets in: {}\npackets out: {}\n\
-             connections: {}\nflows: {}\ndropped: {}",
+             connections: {}\nflows: {}\ndropped: {}\ntotal connections: {}\ntotal flows: {}",
             s.bytes_in,
             s.bytes_out,
             s.packets_in,
             s.packets_out,
             s.active_connections,
             s.active_flows,
             s.packets_dropped,
+            s.total_connections,
+            s.total_flows,
         )),
         Some(management_response::Response::Peers(p)) => {
             if p.peers.is_empty() {

crates/wire/proto/management.proto

@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@ message StatsResponse {
   uint64 active_connections = 5;
   uint64 active_flows = 6;
   uint64 packets_dropped = 7;
+  uint64 total_connections = 8; // monotonically increasing; survives session close
+  uint64 total_flows = 9;       // monotonically increasing; survives session close
 }
 
 message PeerInfo {

website/src/data/openapi.json

@@ -77,7 +77,10 @@
 					"packets_in",
 					"packets_out",
 					"active_connections",
-					"active_flows"
+					"active_flows",
+					"packets_dropped",
+					"total_connections",
+					"total_flows"
 				],
 				"properties": {
 					"bytes_in": {
@@ -103,6 +106,18 @@
 					"active_flows": {
 						"type": "integer",
 						"description": "Number of active L4 network flows being tracked."
+					},
+					"packets_dropped": {
+						"type": "integer",
+						"description": "Total packets dropped since daemon start."
+					},
+					"total_connections": {
+						"type": "integer",
+						"description": "Total peer connections opened since daemon start (monotonically increasing)."
+					},
+					"total_flows": {
+						"type": "integer",
+						"description": "Total L4 flows opened since daemon start (monotonically increasing)."
 					}
 				}
 			},