checker: report transient mid-chain and final rcodes as Unknown, not Crit/Warn

SERVFAIL/REFUSED from every auth server means the record could not be
observed, not that the zone published a negative answer. Mark such rcodes
transient on TermRcode terminations and final A/AAAA lookups so chainRcodeRule
reports Unknown instead of flapping the check into Crit/Warn; definitive
NXDOMAIN answers still drive Crit (mid-chain) and Warn (final).

checker/collect.go

@@ -137,11 +137,15 @@ func (c *chainCtx) walk(ctx context.Context, name string) {
 
 		if r.Rcode != dns.RcodeSuccess {
 			rcode := rcodeText(r.Rcode)
+			// A SERVFAIL/REFUSED from every auth server means we could not observe
+			// the record, not that the zone published a negative answer; mark it
+			// transient so the rule reports Unknown instead of Crit.
 			c.data.ChainTerminated = ChainTermination{
 				Reason:    TermRcode,
 				Subject:   current,
 				Rcode:     rcode,
 				Detail:    fmt.Sprintf("server answered %s for %s", rcode, current),
+				Transient: isTransientRcode(r.Rcode),
 			}
 			c.data.FinalTarget = current
 			return
@@ -282,6 +286,7 @@ func (c *chainCtx) resolveFinal(ctx context.Context, name string, servers []stri
 	type result struct {
 		addrs     []string
 		rcode     string
+		transient bool
 	}
 
 	query := func(qtype uint16) result {
@@ -301,6 +306,7 @@ func (c *chainCtx) resolveFinal(ctx context.Context, name string, servers []stri
 		var res result
 		if r.Rcode != dns.RcodeSuccess {
 			res.rcode = rcodeText(r.Rcode)
+			res.transient = isTransientRcode(r.Rcode)
 		}
 		for _, rr := range r.Answer {
 			switch v := rr.(type) {
@@ -332,8 +338,10 @@ func (c *chainCtx) resolveFinal(ctx context.Context, name string, servers []stri
 	switch {
 	case aRes.rcode != "":
 		c.data.FinalRcode = aRes.rcode
+		c.data.FinalRcodeTransient = aRes.transient
 	case aaaaRes.rcode != "":
 		c.data.FinalRcode = aaaaRes.rcode
+		c.data.FinalRcodeTransient = aaaaRes.transient
 	}
 }
 

checker/rules_chain.go

@@ -125,18 +125,36 @@ func (chainRcodeRule) Evaluate(ctx context.Context, obs sdk.ObservationGetter, _
 	}
 	var out []sdk.CheckState
 	if data.ChainTerminated.Reason == TermRcode {
+		// A transient rcode (SERVFAIL/REFUSED from every auth server) means we could
+		// not observe the record, not that the zone published a negative answer:
+		// report it as Unknown so a flaky server does not flap the check into Crit.
+		// A definitive NXDOMAIN mid-chain is a real break and stays Crit.
+		status := sdk.StatusCrit
+		hint := "Ensure the zone publishes the expected record; NXDOMAIN mid-chain breaks the alias."
+		if data.ChainTerminated.Transient {
+			status = sdk.StatusUnknown
+			hint = "Check authoritative-server reachability; SERVFAIL/REFUSED from every server leaves the alias state undetermined."
+		}
 		out = append(out, withHint(sdk.CheckState{
-			Status:  sdk.StatusCrit,
+			Status:  status,
 			Subject: data.ChainTerminated.Subject,
 			Message: fmt.Sprintf("server answered %s mid-chain", data.ChainTerminated.Rcode),
-		}, "Ensure the zone publishes the expected record; NXDOMAIN/SERVFAIL mid-chain breaks the alias."))
+		}, hint))
 	}
 	if data.FinalRcode != "" && data.FinalRcode != "NOERROR" {
+		// Same distinction for the final A/AAAA lookup: a SERVFAIL/REFUSED could not
+		// be observed (Unknown), a definitive rcode is a real publication gap (Warn).
+		status := sdk.StatusWarn
+		hint := "Check the upstream zone's A/AAAA publication."
+		if data.FinalRcodeTransient {
+			status = sdk.StatusUnknown
+			hint = "Check the upstream auth servers' reachability; the final A/AAAA state could not be determined."
+		}
 		out = append(out, withHint(sdk.CheckState{
-			Status:  sdk.StatusWarn,
+			Status:  status,
 			Subject: data.FinalTarget,
 			Message: fmt.Sprintf("final A lookup for %s returned %s", data.FinalTarget, data.FinalRcode),
-		}, "Check the upstream zone's A/AAAA publication."))
+		}, hint))
 	}
 	if len(out) == 0 {
 		return okState(data.Owner, "all chain and final lookups returned NOERROR")

checker/rules_test.go

@@ -162,14 +162,32 @@ func TestChainRcodeRule(t *testing.T) {
 		d.ChainTerminated = ChainTermination{Reason: TermRcode, Subject: "gone.example.com.", Rcode: "NXDOMAIN"}
 		assertSingle(t, run(chainRcodeRule{}, d, nil), sdk.StatusCrit)
 	})
-	t.Run("final rcode", func(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("mid-chain transient SERVFAIL", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// SERVFAIL from every auth server could not be observed: Unknown, not Crit.
+		d := apexKnownData()
+		d.ChainTerminated = ChainTermination{Reason: TermRcode, Subject: "flaky.example.com.", Rcode: "SERVFAIL", Transient: true}
+		assertSingle(t, run(chainRcodeRule{}, d, nil), sdk.StatusUnknown)
+	})
+	t.Run("final definitive rcode", func(t *testing.T) {
+		d := apexKnownData()
+		d.ChainTerminated.Reason = TermOK
+		d.FinalTarget = "target.example."
+		d.FinalRcode = "NXDOMAIN"
+		states := run(chainRcodeRule{}, d, nil)
+		if len(states) != 1 || states[0].Status != sdk.StatusWarn {
+			t.Fatalf("want single WARN, got %+v", states)
+		}
+	})
+	t.Run("final transient rcode", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// SERVFAIL on the final lookup could not be observed: Unknown, not Warn.
 		d := apexKnownData()
 		d.ChainTerminated.Reason = TermOK
 		d.FinalTarget = "target.example."
 		d.FinalRcode = "SERVFAIL"
+		d.FinalRcodeTransient = true
 		states := run(chainRcodeRule{}, d, nil)
-		if len(states) != 1 || states[0].Status != sdk.StatusWarn {
+		if len(states) != 1 || states[0].Status != sdk.StatusUnknown {
-			t.Fatalf("want single WARN, got %+v", states)
+			t.Fatalf("want single UNKNOWN, got %+v", states)
 		}
 	})
 }

checker/types.go

@@ -47,9 +47,10 @@ type ChainTermination struct {
 	Subject string            `json:"subject,omitempty"`
 	Detail  string            `json:"detail,omitempty"`
 	Rcode   string            `json:"rcode,omitempty"` // only with TermRcode
-	// Transient is meaningful with TermQueryErr: true when the query could not be
+	// Transient is meaningful with TermQueryErr and TermRcode: true when the failure
-	// completed because of a transport/resolver fault (could not observe), false
+	// could not be observed as a definitive answer (a transport/resolver fault, or a
-	// when it stems from definitive evidence such as a target with no locatable apex.
+	// SERVFAIL/REFUSED from every auth server), false when it stems from definitive
+	// evidence such as a target with no locatable apex or an authoritative NXDOMAIN.
 	Transient bool `json:"transient,omitempty"`
 }
 
@@ -73,7 +74,11 @@ type AliasData struct {
 	FinalTarget string   `json:"final_target,omitempty"`
 	FinalA      []string `json:"final_a,omitempty"`
 	FinalAAAA   []string `json:"final_aaaa,omitempty"`
+	// FinalRcode is the non-NOERROR rcode of the final A/AAAA lookup, if any;
+	// FinalRcodeTransient is true when it was a SERVFAIL/REFUSED (could not observe)
+	// rather than a definitive negative answer.
 	FinalRcode          string `json:"final_rcode,omitempty"`
+	FinalRcodeTransient bool   `json:"final_rcode_transient,omitempty"`
 
 	// Coexisting is populated only when Owner has a CNAME.
 	Coexisting []CoexistingRRset `json:"coexisting,omitempty"`