diff --git a/core/pkg/deployments/port_allocator_test.go b/core/pkg/deployments/port_allocator_test.go
index 674130e..d69b0c9 100644
--- a/core/pkg/deployments/port_allocator_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/deployments/port_allocator_test.go
@@ -158,6 +158,14 @@ func (m *mockRQLiteClient) BatchWithSeq(ctx context.Context, namespace string, o
 	return res, 1, err
 }
 
+func (m *mockRQLiteClient) BatchQuery(ctx context.Context, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error) {
+	out := make([]rqlite.OpResult, len(ops))
+	for i := range ops {
+		out[i] = rqlite.OpResult{Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 func TestPortAllocator_AllocatePort(t *testing.T) {
 	logger := zap.NewNop()
 	mockDB := newMockRQLiteClient()
diff --git a/core/pkg/gateway/dependencies.go b/core/pkg/gateway/dependencies.go
index b0f4081..6820aa2 100644
--- a/core/pkg/gateway/dependencies.go
+++ b/core/pkg/gateway/dependencies.go
@@ -558,10 +558,15 @@ func initializeServerless(logger *logging.ColoredLogger, cfg *Config, deps *Depe
 	if deps.OlricClient != nil {
 		olricUnderlying = deps.OlricClient.UnderlyingClient()
 	}
+	// Pass the pubsub adapter so the dispatcher can subscribe to libp2p
+	// for every literal trigger pattern (bugboard #282 fix). nil-safe:
+	// dispatcher's Start/Refresh become no-ops when adapter is unavailable,
+	// preserving the legacy HTTP-only Dispatch hook.
 	deps.PubSubDispatcher = triggers.NewPubSubDispatcher(
 		triggerStore,
 		deps.ServerlessInvoker,
 		olricUnderlying,
+		pubsubAdapter,
 		logger.Logger,
 	)
 
diff --git a/core/pkg/gateway/gateway.go b/core/pkg/gateway/gateway.go
index 29650e4..0d38d4f 100644
--- a/core/pkg/gateway/gateway.go
+++ b/core/pkg/gateway/gateway.go
@@ -360,6 +360,17 @@ func New(logger *logging.ColoredLogger, cfg *Config) (*Gateway, error) {
 		gw.pubsubHandlers.SetOnPublish(func(ctx context.Context, namespace, topic string, data []byte) {
 			deps.PubSubDispatcher.Dispatch(ctx, namespace, topic, data, 0)
 		})
+		// Subscribe the dispatcher to libp2p pubsub for every literal
+		// trigger pattern so WASM `oh.PubSubPublish` calls reach trigger
+		// handlers (bugboard #282 — pre-fix, the dispatcher only fired
+		// from the HTTP publish hook above, so internal WASM publishes
+		// silently dropped every subscriber). Stop is called from
+		// lifecycle.Close.
+		if err := deps.PubSubDispatcher.Start(context.Background()); err != nil {
+			logger.ComponentWarn(logging.ComponentGeneral,
+				"PubSubDispatcher Start failed (libp2p subscribe path disabled — HTTP-publish triggers still work)",
+				zap.Error(err))
+		}
 	}
 	if deps.PersistentWSManager != nil {
 		gw.persistentWSManager = deps.PersistentWSManager
diff --git a/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/deployments/mocks_test.go b/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/deployments/mocks_test.go
index eb81040..a3e0d47 100644
--- a/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/deployments/mocks_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/deployments/mocks_test.go
@@ -171,6 +171,14 @@ func (m *mockRQLiteClient) BatchWithSeq(ctx context.Context, namespace string, o
 	return res, 1, err
 }
 
+func (m *mockRQLiteClient) BatchQuery(ctx context.Context, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error) {
+	out := make([]rqlite.OpResult, len(ops))
+	for i := range ops {
+		out[i] = rqlite.OpResult{Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 // mockProcessManager implements a mock process manager for testing
 type mockProcessManager struct {
 	StartFunc   func(ctx context.Context, deployment *deployments.Deployment, workDir string) error
diff --git a/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/serverless/deploy_handler.go b/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/serverless/deploy_handler.go
index 505e832..6048eb4 100644
--- a/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/serverless/deploy_handler.go
+++ b/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/serverless/deploy_handler.go
@@ -171,6 +171,16 @@ func (h *ServerlessHandlers) DeployFunction(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Reque
 				h.dispatcher.InvalidateCache(ctx, def.Namespace, topic)
 			}
 		}
+		// One Refresh after the batch — subscribes the dispatcher to libp2p
+		// for every newly-added literal topic so WASM publishes from other
+		// functions trigger this handler (bugboard #282). The periodic
+		// refresh loop catches the rare add we miss here.
+		if h.dispatcher != nil {
+			if rerr := h.dispatcher.Refresh(ctx); rerr != nil {
+				h.logger.Warn("PubSubDispatcher Refresh after deploy auto-register failed (periodic loop will retry)",
+					zap.Error(rerr))
+			}
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Register Cron triggers from definition. Mirrors the PubSub branch above:
diff --git a/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/serverless/trigger_handler.go b/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/serverless/trigger_handler.go
index 7e6094f..823b1d6 100644
--- a/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/serverless/trigger_handler.go
+++ b/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/serverless/trigger_handler.go
@@ -98,6 +98,16 @@ func (h *ServerlessHandlers) HandleAddTrigger(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Req
 		return
 	}
 	if h.dispatcher != nil {
+		// Refresh subscribes the dispatcher to libp2p for this newly-added
+		// trigger's topic so future WASM publishes reach the handler
+		// (bugboard #282). Best-effort — Refresh failures are logged
+		// inside; the periodic refresh loop will retry within 60s.
+		if rerr := h.dispatcher.Refresh(ctx); rerr != nil {
+			h.logger.Warn("PubSubDispatcher Refresh after trigger add failed (periodic loop will retry)",
+				zap.Error(rerr))
+		}
+		// Legacy no-op — kept for back-compat with anything still
+		// calling it; can be removed in a future cleanup.
 		h.dispatcher.InvalidateCache(ctx, namespace, req.Topic)
 	}
 	h.logger.Info("PubSub trigger added via API",
@@ -230,6 +240,12 @@ func (h *ServerlessHandlers) HandleDeleteTrigger(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.
 			return
 		}
 		if h.dispatcher != nil {
+			// Refresh prunes the dispatcher's libp2p subscription if this
+			// was the last trigger on that topic (bugboard #282).
+			if rerr := h.dispatcher.Refresh(ctx); rerr != nil {
+				h.logger.Warn("PubSubDispatcher Refresh after trigger remove failed (periodic loop will retry)",
+					zap.Error(rerr))
+			}
 			h.dispatcher.InvalidateCache(ctx, namespace, triggerTopic)
 		}
 		h.logger.Info("PubSub trigger removed via API",
diff --git a/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/sqlite/handlers_test.go b/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/sqlite/handlers_test.go
index 0c96341..06fe7bd 100644
--- a/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/sqlite/handlers_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/gateway/handlers/sqlite/handlers_test.go
@@ -107,6 +107,14 @@ func (m *mockRQLiteClient) BatchWithSeq(ctx context.Context, namespace string, o
 	return res, 1, err
 }
 
+func (m *mockRQLiteClient) BatchQuery(ctx context.Context, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error) {
+	out := make([]rqlite.OpResult, len(ops))
+	for i := range ops {
+		out[i] = rqlite.OpResult{Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 type mockIPFSClient struct {
 	AddFunc          func(ctx context.Context, r io.Reader, filename string) (*ipfs.AddResponse, error)
 	AddDirectoryFunc func(ctx context.Context, dirPath string) (*ipfs.AddResponse, error)
diff --git a/core/pkg/gateway/lifecycle.go b/core/pkg/gateway/lifecycle.go
index 9380a16..356e738 100644
--- a/core/pkg/gateway/lifecycle.go
+++ b/core/pkg/gateway/lifecycle.go
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ func (g *Gateway) Close() {
 		g.cronScheduler.Stop()
 	}
 
+	// Stop the pubsub dispatcher's periodic refresh goroutine. libp2p
+	// subscriptions die naturally with the client teardown below.
+	if g.pubsubDispatcher != nil {
+		g.pubsubDispatcher.Stop()
+	}
+
 	// Drain persistent WebSocket instances. Each instance gets a slice of
 	// the 30s budget; ws_close on each is best-effort.
 	if g.persistentWSManager != nil {
diff --git a/core/pkg/namespace/cluster_recovery_test.go b/core/pkg/namespace/cluster_recovery_test.go
index e67b33a..5c685d8 100644
--- a/core/pkg/namespace/cluster_recovery_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/namespace/cluster_recovery_test.go
@@ -79,6 +79,13 @@ func (m *recoveryMockDB) BatchWithSeq(_ context.Context, _ string, ops []rqlite.
 	res, _ := m.Batch(context.Background(), ops)
 	return res, 1, nil
 }
+func (m *recoveryMockDB) BatchQuery(_ context.Context, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error) {
+	out := make([]rqlite.OpResult, len(ops))
+	for i := range ops {
+		out[i] = rqlite.OpResult{Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
 
 var _ rqlite.Client = (*recoveryMockDB)(nil)
 
diff --git a/core/pkg/namespace/port_allocator_test.go b/core/pkg/namespace/port_allocator_test.go
index 27d4763..0b1074b 100644
--- a/core/pkg/namespace/port_allocator_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/namespace/port_allocator_test.go
@@ -106,6 +106,14 @@ func (m *mockRQLiteClient) BatchWithSeq(ctx context.Context, namespace string, o
 	return res, 1, err
 }
 
+func (m *mockRQLiteClient) BatchQuery(ctx context.Context, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error) {
+	out := make([]rqlite.OpResult, len(ops))
+	for i := range ops {
+		out[i] = rqlite.OpResult{Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 // Ensure mockRQLiteClient implements rqlite.Client
 var _ rqlite.Client = (*mockRQLiteClient)(nil)
 
diff --git a/core/pkg/rqlite/batch.go b/core/pkg/rqlite/batch.go
index d968d0a..67f8d4f 100644
--- a/core/pkg/rqlite/batch.go
+++ b/core/pkg/rqlite/batch.go
@@ -59,6 +59,21 @@ type BatchResult struct {
 // 100 is plenty for any realistic transactional unit of work.
 const MaxBatchOps = 100
 
+// MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp caps the row count returned per query in a
+// BatchQuery result. Without this, a malicious or buggy WASM function
+// could OOM the gateway by submitting `SELECT * FROM <large_table>` and
+// having every row materialized into a Go map. 10000 rows fits comfortably
+// in memory even when multiplied by MaxBatchOps; functions that legitimately
+// need more should paginate.
+const MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp = 10000
+
+// MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes caps the aggregate JSON-encoded size of all
+// BatchQuery results across all ops. Defense in depth against the same
+// OOM vector as MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp — a single op could have 5000
+// rows × 20KB each = 100MB and still be under the per-op count cap.
+// 32 MiB matches the WASM module memory ceiling order-of-magnitude.
+const MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes = 32 * 1024 * 1024
+
 // BatchWithSeq executes the user's ops atomically AND, in the same atomic
 // batch, increments the per-namespace publish sequence counter so the caller
 // can attach the assigned seq to a follow-up wake-up message.
@@ -200,6 +215,164 @@ func coerceInt64(v interface{}) (int64, error) {
 	}
 }
 
+// BatchQuery runs N SELECT statements in a single HTTP request to RQLite's
+// /db/query endpoint via the native gorqlite Connection, returning one
+// OpResult per input op in the original order.
+//
+// Why this exists: c.Query (sql.DB path) sends ONE statement per HTTP call,
+// paying a full leader round-trip each time. For functions that gather state
+// from many tables before doing work (e.g. anchat's message-create gathers
+// auth + participants + devices = 7-10 reads), the per-call RTT dominates —
+// 10 sequential reads on devnet's cross-region cluster take ~3.5s vs ~330ms
+// for the batched form. See bugboard #270 for the workload measurement.
+//
+// Semantics:
+//   - All ops MUST be Kind=BatchOpQuery. Exec ops error out at validation.
+//   - All N statements are sent in one POST to /db/query with level=weak,
+//     so they all run on the leader and see the same committed snapshot.
+//   - Per-op errors are reported in OpResult.Error (one entry per input,
+//     same order). The whole call only returns a Go error on transport
+//     failures (network, leader unreachable, JSON malformed) or validation.
+//   - Rows arrive as []map[string]interface{} just like c.Query — columns
+//     are populated via the rqlite "associative" response shape.
+func (c *client) BatchQuery(ctx context.Context, ops []BatchOp) ([]OpResult, error) {
+	if len(ops) == 0 {
+		return []OpResult{}, nil
+	}
+	if len(ops) > MaxBatchOps {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("rqlite.BatchQuery: too many ops (%d > max %d)", len(ops), MaxBatchOps)
+	}
+	if c.conn == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("rqlite.BatchQuery: native gorqlite connection not configured (use NewClientWithDSN or NewClientWithConn)")
+	}
+
+	// Validate up-front: callers must use BatchOpQuery for every entry.
+	// Mixing in an Exec would be a footgun (it'd silently be skipped or
+	// trigger an unrelated error from the query endpoint), so reject loud.
+	stmts := make([]gorqlite.ParameterizedStatement, len(ops))
+	for i, op := range ops {
+		if op.Kind != BatchOpQuery {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("rqlite.BatchQuery: op %d has kind %q (only %q allowed; use Batch for mixed exec/query)",
+				i, op.Kind, BatchOpQuery)
+		}
+		stmts[i] = gorqlite.ParameterizedStatement{
+			Query:     op.SQL,
+			Arguments: op.Args,
+		}
+	}
+
+	qrs, err := c.conn.QueryParameterizedContext(ctx, stmts)
+	if err != nil {
+		// gorqlite returns a slice of QueryResult even on partial failure;
+		// extract per-op errors if available, else surface the joined err.
+		if len(qrs) == 0 {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("rqlite.BatchQuery: %w", err)
+		}
+		// Fall through to map qrs → OpResults; per-op errors are in qr.Err.
+	}
+
+	// Track aggregate result size across all ops as a defense-in-depth
+	// OOM guard. If a single op stays under MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp but
+	// the SUM across ops still grows pathologically large, this cap
+	// trips and the remaining ops surface an error rather than blowing
+	// the gateway's heap.
+	var totalBytes int
+	out := make([]OpResult, len(ops))
+	for i, qr := range qrs {
+		if totalBytes >= MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes {
+			out[i] = OpResult{
+				Kind:  BatchOpQuery,
+				Error: fmt.Sprintf("rqlite.BatchQuery: aggregate result bytes exceeded cap (%d) — earlier ops consumed the budget; this op result truncated",
+					MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes),
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+		opRes := queryResultToOpResult(qr)
+		totalBytes += estimateOpResultBytes(opRes)
+		out[i] = opRes
+	}
+	// If fewer results returned than ops requested (shouldn't happen per
+	// gorqlite contract), pad with errors so caller indexing matches input.
+	for i := len(qrs); i < len(ops); i++ {
+		out[i] = OpResult{
+			Kind:  BatchOpQuery,
+			Error: "rqlite.BatchQuery: no result returned for op " + fmt.Sprint(i),
+		}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// estimateOpResultBytes is a cheap approximation of the JSON-encoded
+// size of an OpResult, used only for the aggregate-bytes cap in
+// BatchQuery. Doesn't have to be exact — overestimating is safer than
+// underestimating, since the cap is a DoS guard, not a billing meter.
+func estimateOpResultBytes(r OpResult) int {
+	// Per-row overhead: ~32 bytes for JSON braces + commas + key wrappers.
+	// Per-cell: key length (assume 16) + value bytes.
+	const perRowOverhead = 32
+	const perCellOverhead = 16
+	total := len(r.Error) + perRowOverhead
+	for _, row := range r.Rows {
+		total += perRowOverhead
+		for k, v := range row {
+			total += len(k) + perCellOverhead
+			switch x := v.(type) {
+			case string:
+				total += len(x)
+			case []byte:
+				total += len(x)
+			default:
+				// numerics, bools, nil — bounded constants, count as 16.
+				total += 16
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return total
+}
+
+// queryResultToOpResult converts a single gorqlite.QueryResult into our
+// OpResult wire shape, including row materialization via the associative
+// API. Per-op errors are surfaced via OpResult.Error.
+//
+// Enforces MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp as a DoS guard — a single op returning
+// more rows is truncated and Error is set so the WASM caller can decide
+// whether to paginate or treat it as fatal. Without this guard a malicious
+// `SELECT * FROM <large_table>` could OOM the gateway.
+func queryResultToOpResult(qr gorqlite.QueryResult) OpResult {
+	if qr.Err != nil {
+		return OpResult{
+			Kind:  BatchOpQuery,
+			Error: qr.Err.Error(),
+		}
+	}
+	// Materialize all rows as map[string]interface{} via the associative
+	// iterator — matches how c.Query consumers expect rows to look.
+	var rows []map[string]interface{}
+	for qr.Next() {
+		if len(rows) >= MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp {
+			return OpResult{
+				Kind:  BatchOpQuery,
+				Rows:  rows,
+				Error: fmt.Sprintf("rqlite.BatchQuery: row cap exceeded (%d) — paginate via LIMIT/OFFSET",
+					MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp),
+			}
+		}
+		row, mapErr := qr.Map()
+		if mapErr != nil {
+			return OpResult{
+				Kind:  BatchOpQuery,
+				Rows:  rows,
+				Error: "rqlite.BatchQuery: row map: " + mapErr.Error(),
+			}
+		}
+		rows = append(rows, row)
+	}
+	return OpResult{
+		Kind: BatchOpQuery,
+		Rows: rows,
+	}
+}
+
 // Batch executes ops as a single atomic transaction.
 //
 // Semantics:
diff --git a/core/pkg/rqlite/batch_caps_test.go b/core/pkg/rqlite/batch_caps_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d19a328
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/pkg/rqlite/batch_caps_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+package rqlite
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestEstimateOpResultBytes_growsWithRowCount is a sanity check that the
+// estimator is monotonic in row count — required for the aggregate-bytes
+// cap in BatchQuery to actually stop the OOM vector (HIGH-severity
+// security finding on bugboard #270 follow-up audit).
+func TestEstimateOpResultBytes_growsWithRowCount(t *testing.T) {
+	row := map[string]interface{}{"id": int64(1), "name": "alice"}
+
+	small := OpResult{Kind: BatchOpQuery, Rows: []map[string]interface{}{row}}
+	big := OpResult{Kind: BatchOpQuery, Rows: make([]map[string]interface{}, 100)}
+	for i := range big.Rows {
+		big.Rows[i] = row
+	}
+
+	smallBytes := estimateOpResultBytes(small)
+	bigBytes := estimateOpResultBytes(big)
+	if bigBytes <= smallBytes {
+		t.Errorf("estimator should grow with row count: 1-row=%d, 100-row=%d", smallBytes, bigBytes)
+	}
+	if bigBytes < smallBytes*50 {
+		t.Errorf("estimator should grow ~linearly: 100×1-row=%d, 100-row=%d (expected ~100x)",
+			smallBytes*100, bigBytes)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestEstimateOpResultBytes_accountsForStringContent ensures the
+// estimator includes the string-value bytes — otherwise large TEXT
+// columns wouldn't count toward the cap and the OOM vector reopens.
+func TestEstimateOpResultBytes_accountsForStringContent(t *testing.T) {
+	bigString := strings.Repeat("x", 10_000)
+	row := map[string]interface{}{"body": bigString}
+
+	result := OpResult{Kind: BatchOpQuery, Rows: []map[string]interface{}{row}}
+	bytes := estimateOpResultBytes(result)
+
+	if bytes < 10_000 {
+		t.Errorf("estimator must include string content bytes; got %d for a 10KB string", bytes)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestEstimateOpResultBytes_emptyAndError covers edge cases that the
+// aggregate-bytes loop in BatchQuery iterates over.
+func TestEstimateOpResultBytes_emptyAndError(t *testing.T) {
+	empty := OpResult{Kind: BatchOpQuery}
+	if got := estimateOpResultBytes(empty); got <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("empty result should have non-negative estimate (got %d)", got)
+	}
+
+	withErr := OpResult{Kind: BatchOpQuery, Error: "no such table: foo"}
+	if got := estimateOpResultBytes(withErr); got < len(withErr.Error) {
+		t.Errorf("estimator should account for error message bytes; got %d for %d-byte error",
+			got, len(withErr.Error))
+	}
+}
+
+// TestMaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp_isReasonable is a sanity check — if a future
+// contributor tightens the cap below typical workload sizes, this catches
+// it. AnChat's read-batch case is ~10 reads × <100 rows each; we want
+// plenty of headroom but not unbounded.
+func TestMaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp_isReasonable(t *testing.T) {
+	if MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp < 1000 {
+		t.Errorf("MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp=%d is too low — typical reads need at least 1000 rows headroom",
+			MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp)
+	}
+	if MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp > 1_000_000 {
+		t.Errorf("MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp=%d is too high — OOM vector unbounded",
+			MaxBatchQueryRowsPerOp)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestMaxBatchQueryTotalBytes_isReasonable mirrors above for the
+// aggregate cap.
+func TestMaxBatchQueryTotalBytes_isReasonable(t *testing.T) {
+	if MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes < 1024*1024 {
+		t.Errorf("MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes=%d is too low (< 1MB)", MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes)
+	}
+	if MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes > 1024*1024*1024 {
+		t.Errorf("MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes=%d is too high (>1GB) — OOM vector unbounded",
+			MaxBatchQueryTotalBytes)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/core/pkg/rqlite/orm_types.go b/core/pkg/rqlite/orm_types.go
index e54b560..02e9747 100644
--- a/core/pkg/rqlite/orm_types.go
+++ b/core/pkg/rqlite/orm_types.go
@@ -56,6 +56,26 @@ type Client interface {
 	// the assigned sequence number. Used by exec_and_publish to attach a seq
 	// to wake-up messages so subscribers can detect replication-lag gaps.
 	BatchWithSeq(ctx context.Context, namespace string, userOps []BatchOp) (*BatchResult, int64, error)
+
+	// BatchQuery runs N SELECT statements in ONE HTTP request to RQLite's
+	// /db/query endpoint, returning one OpResult per input op in the same
+	// order. All queries execute on the leader (level=weak — same as our
+	// default reads) in a single network round-trip — N queries cost ~one
+	// query's worth of latency instead of N times.
+	//
+	// Use this for read-heavy functions that need to gather state from
+	// multiple tables before doing work. Empirically on devnet (167ms RTT to
+	// leader): 10 sequential c.Query calls = 3562ms; 1 BatchQuery with 10
+	// statements = 338ms. 10× speedup.
+	//
+	// Per-query errors are surfaced in OpResult.Error and do NOT fail the
+	// whole batch — each query's result is independent. A transport-level
+	// failure (network, leader unreachable) returns a non-nil Go error and
+	// the OpResults may be empty.
+	//
+	// Requires the client to have been constructed with a *gorqlite.Connection
+	// (NewClientWithDSN or NewClientWithConn). Returns an error otherwise.
+	BatchQuery(ctx context.Context, ops []BatchOp) ([]OpResult, error)
 }
 
 // Tx mirrors Client but executes within a transaction.
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/engine.go b/core/pkg/serverless/engine.go
index 18dacac..2daff94 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/engine.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/engine.go
@@ -604,6 +604,7 @@ func (e *Engine) registerHostModule(ctx context.Context) error {
 			NewFunctionBuilder().WithFunc(e.hDBExecute).Export("db_execute").
 			NewFunctionBuilder().WithFunc(e.hDBExecuteV2).Export("db_execute_v2").
 			NewFunctionBuilder().WithFunc(e.hDBTransaction).Export("db_transaction").
+			NewFunctionBuilder().WithFunc(e.hDBQueryBatch).Export("db_query_batch").
 			NewFunctionBuilder().WithFunc(e.hExecAndPublish).Export("exec_and_publish").
 			NewFunctionBuilder().WithFunc(e.hCacheGet).Export("cache_get").
 			NewFunctionBuilder().WithFunc(e.hCacheSet).Export("cache_set").
@@ -912,6 +913,27 @@ func (e *Engine) hDBTransaction(ctx context.Context, mod api.Module, opsPtr, ops
 	return e.executor.WriteToGuest(ctx, mod, out)
 }
 
+// hDBQueryBatch is the WASM-callable wrapper for DBQueryBatch.
+// Input: pointer/length of opsJSON ({"ops":[{"sql":"...","args":[...]}, ...]}).
+// Returns a packed uint64 (ptr<<32 | len) pointing to JSON result in guest
+// memory, or 0 on setup/transport error.
+//
+// Per-query errors are surfaced inside the JSON result (one entry per op
+// has its own `error` field). A return of 0 means the whole call failed
+// before per-op results could be built.
+func (e *Engine) hDBQueryBatch(ctx context.Context, mod api.Module, opsPtr, opsLen uint32) uint64 {
+	opsJSON, ok := e.executor.ReadFromGuest(mod, opsPtr, opsLen)
+	if !ok {
+		return 0
+	}
+	out, err := e.hostServices.DBQueryBatch(ctx, opsJSON)
+	if err != nil {
+		e.logger.Warn("host function db_query_batch failed", zap.Error(err))
+		return 0
+	}
+	return e.executor.WriteToGuest(ctx, mod, out)
+}
+
 // hExecAndPublish is the WASM-callable wrapper for ExecAndPublish.
 // Inputs:
 //
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/hostfuncs_test.go b/core/pkg/serverless/hostfuncs_test.go
index 08faf74..7b3ad30 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/hostfuncs_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/hostfuncs_test.go
@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ func (m *mockHostServices) DBQueryV2(ctx context.Context, query string, args []i
 	return []byte(`{"rows":[]}`), nil
 }
 
+func (m *mockHostServices) DBQueryBatch(ctx context.Context, opsJSON []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	return []byte(`{"results":[]}`), nil
+}
+
 func (m *mockHostServices) CacheGet(ctx context.Context, key string) ([]byte, error) {
 	return nil, nil
 }
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database.go b/core/pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database.go
index 9b750ce..80e0fd1 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database.go
@@ -6,11 +6,21 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"strconv"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/DeBrosOfficial/network/pkg/rqlite"
 	"github.com/DeBrosOfficial/network/pkg/serverless"
 )
 
+// dbQueryBatchTimeout caps the rqlite round-trip for a single
+// `oh.DBQueryBatch` host call. Tighter than the function's invocation
+// timeout (typically 15-30s) so a stalled leader doesn't burn the entire
+// budget on one batched read; the WASM function still has headroom to
+// do downstream work after the read returns. 10s is generous for the
+// 167ms-RTT cross-region devnet cluster (one round-trip ~340ms) while
+// catching genuine leader stalls quickly.
+const dbQueryBatchTimeout = 10 * time.Second
+
 // DBQuery executes a SELECT query and returns JSON-encoded results.
 func (h *HostFunctions) DBQuery(ctx context.Context, query string, args []interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
 	if h.db == nil {
@@ -176,6 +186,93 @@ func (h *HostFunctions) DBTransaction(ctx context.Context, opsJSON []byte) ([]by
 	return out, nil
 }
 
+// dbQueryBatchRequest is the WASM-side shape for db_query_batch input.
+// Each op MUST be Kind=BatchOpQuery; mixing exec is rejected at the
+// rqlite layer.
+type dbQueryBatchRequest struct {
+	Ops []rqlite.BatchOp `json:"ops"`
+}
+
+// dbQueryBatchResult is the JSON wire shape returned to WASM callers.
+// `Results` is one entry per input op, in the same order. Per-op errors
+// are surfaced in `error`; transport/validation errors come back as a
+// Go error from the host fn.
+type dbQueryBatchResult struct {
+	Results []rqlite.OpResult `json:"results"`
+}
+
+// DBQueryBatch runs N SELECTs in one round-trip via RQLite's /db/query
+// bulk endpoint. Designed for read-heavy functions that gather state
+// from multiple tables before doing work (e.g. anchat's message-create
+// reads auth + participants + devices = 7-10 SELECTs).
+//
+// Wire shapes:
+//
+//	in:  {"ops": [{"sql":"...","args":[...]}, ...]}
+//	out: {"results": [{"kind":"query","rows":[...],"error":""}, ...]}
+//
+// Per-query errors are reported in the per-op `error` field; the host
+// fn only returns a Go error on setup/validation/transport failures.
+// Kind is auto-set to "query" on input — exec ops are rejected, since
+// mixing kinds in a query batch is meaningless and would silently
+// drop the writes (see bugboard #270).
+//
+// Empirical baseline on devnet's cross-region cluster (167ms RTT to
+// leader): 10 sequential DBQuery host calls = ~3.5s; one DBQueryBatch
+// with 10 statements = ~340ms. 10× speedup.
+func (h *HostFunctions) DBQueryBatch(ctx context.Context, opsJSON []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	if h.db == nil {
+		return nil, &serverless.HostFunctionError{Function: "db_query_batch", Cause: serverless.ErrDatabaseUnavailable}
+	}
+	var req dbQueryBatchRequest
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(opsJSON, &req); err != nil {
+		return nil, &serverless.HostFunctionError{
+			Function: "db_query_batch",
+			Cause:    fmt.Errorf("invalid json: %w", err),
+		}
+	}
+	if len(req.Ops) == 0 {
+		return nil, &serverless.HostFunctionError{
+			Function: "db_query_batch",
+			Cause:    fmt.Errorf("ops required"),
+		}
+	}
+	if len(req.Ops) > rqlite.MaxBatchOps {
+		return nil, &serverless.HostFunctionError{
+			Function: "db_query_batch",
+			Cause:    fmt.Errorf("too many ops: max %d", rqlite.MaxBatchOps),
+		}
+	}
+	// Force kind=query for every op. Callers can omit the field; this
+	// makes the wire format more ergonomic AND prevents accidental exec
+	// ops from being silently dropped by the rqlite-side validator.
+	for i := range req.Ops {
+		req.Ops[i].Kind = rqlite.BatchOpQuery
+	}
+
+	// Explicit batch-level deadline. The caller's ctx already carries the
+	// function's invocation timeout (typically 15-30s), but we want a
+	// tighter cap on the rqlite round-trip itself so a stalled leader
+	// doesn't burn the entire invocation budget on one batched query.
+	// Leaves headroom for downstream WASM work after the read returns.
+	batchCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, dbQueryBatchTimeout)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	results, err := h.db.BatchQuery(batchCtx, req.Ops)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, &serverless.HostFunctionError{Function: "db_query_batch", Cause: err}
+	}
+
+	out, mErr := json.Marshal(dbQueryBatchResult{Results: results})
+	if mErr != nil {
+		return nil, &serverless.HostFunctionError{
+			Function: "db_query_batch",
+			Cause:    fmt.Errorf("marshal result: %w", mErr),
+		}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 // execAndPublishResult is the JSON wire shape returned to WASM callers.
 type execAndPublishResult struct {
 	Results      []rqlite.OpResult `json:"results"`
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database_test.go b/core/pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database_test.go
index 3f91eda..6f367fa 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database_test.go
@@ -11,18 +11,21 @@ import (
 	"github.com/DeBrosOfficial/network/pkg/rqlite"
 )
 
-// fakeBatchClient is a tiny rqlite.Client stub that only implements Batch
-// and BatchWithSeq. Other methods rely on the embedded Client which is nil —
-// any test that calls them will panic, which is intentional.
+// fakeBatchClient is a tiny rqlite.Client stub that only implements Batch,
+// BatchWithSeq, and BatchQuery. Other methods rely on the embedded Client
+// which is nil — any test that calls them will panic, which is intentional.
 type fakeBatchClient struct {
 	rqlite.Client
-	calls       int
-	lastOps     []rqlite.BatchOp
-	seqCalls    int
-	lastSeqNS   string
-	respond     func(ops []rqlite.BatchOp) (*rqlite.BatchResult, error)
-	respondSeq  func(ns string, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) (*rqlite.BatchResult, int64, error)
-	nextSeq     int64
+	calls           int
+	lastOps         []rqlite.BatchOp
+	seqCalls        int
+	lastSeqNS       string
+	queryCalls      int
+	lastQueryOps    []rqlite.BatchOp
+	respond         func(ops []rqlite.BatchOp) (*rqlite.BatchResult, error)
+	respondSeq      func(ns string, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) (*rqlite.BatchResult, int64, error)
+	respondQuery    func(ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error)
+	nextSeq         int64
 }
 
 func (f *fakeBatchClient) Batch(ctx context.Context, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) (*rqlite.BatchResult, error) {
@@ -50,6 +53,23 @@ func (f *fakeBatchClient) BatchWithSeq(ctx context.Context, namespace string, op
 	return res, atomic.LoadInt64(&f.nextSeq), err
 }
 
+func (f *fakeBatchClient) BatchQuery(ctx context.Context, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error) {
+	f.queryCalls++
+	f.lastQueryOps = ops
+	if f.respondQuery != nil {
+		return f.respondQuery(ops)
+	}
+	// Default: echo one OpResult per input with a single row {ok:1}.
+	results := make([]rqlite.OpResult, len(ops))
+	for i := range ops {
+		results[i] = rqlite.OpResult{
+			Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery,
+			Rows: []map[string]interface{}{{"ok": int64(1)}},
+		}
+	}
+	return results, nil
+}
+
 func newHFWithDB(db rqlite.Client) *HostFunctions {
 	return &HostFunctions{db: db}
 }
@@ -349,3 +369,158 @@ func TestDBTransaction_rollback_returns_committed_false_no_go_error(t *testing.T
 		t.Errorf("expected UNIQUE error in result, got: %q", res.Results[1].Error)
 	}
 }
+
+// =============================================================================
+// DBQueryBatch tests (bugboard #270 — batched-reads host fn)
+// =============================================================================
+
+// TestDBQueryBatch_happy_path verifies the wire shape and that ops flow
+// through to rqlite.Client.BatchQuery in order.
+func TestDBQueryBatch_happy_path(t *testing.T) {
+	fake := &fakeBatchClient{}
+	h := newHFWithDB(fake)
+
+	in := `{"ops":[
+		{"sql":"SELECT 1"},
+		{"sql":"SELECT 2 WHERE x = ?","args":[42]},
+		{"sql":"SELECT 3"}
+	]}`
+	out, err := h.DBQueryBatch(context.Background(), []byte(in))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if fake.queryCalls != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 BatchQuery call, got %d", fake.queryCalls)
+	}
+	if len(fake.lastQueryOps) != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 3 ops forwarded, got %d", len(fake.lastQueryOps))
+	}
+	// Each op MUST have kind force-set to "query" by the host fn,
+	// regardless of what the caller sent. This prevents accidental exec
+	// from being dropped silently (see bugboard #270).
+	for i, op := range fake.lastQueryOps {
+		if op.Kind != rqlite.BatchOpQuery {
+			t.Errorf("op[%d] kind = %q; want %q", i, op.Kind, rqlite.BatchOpQuery)
+		}
+	}
+	var res dbQueryBatchResult
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(out, &res); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode result: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(res.Results) != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 3 results, got %d", len(res.Results))
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDBQueryBatch_forces_kind_query is the regression guard against the
+// "silent exec drop" failure mode. The bugboard #270 fix explicitly sets
+// every input op's kind to BatchOpQuery so callers can't accidentally
+// pass `{"kind":"exec"}` into a query batch and have it disappear.
+func TestDBQueryBatch_forces_kind_query(t *testing.T) {
+	fake := &fakeBatchClient{}
+	h := newHFWithDB(fake)
+
+	// Caller maliciously/accidentally sends kind=exec — host fn must coerce.
+	in := `{"ops":[{"kind":"exec","sql":"DELETE FROM users"}]}`
+	if _, err := h.DBQueryBatch(context.Background(), []byte(in)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(fake.lastQueryOps) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 op forwarded, got %d", len(fake.lastQueryOps))
+	}
+	if fake.lastQueryOps[0].Kind != rqlite.BatchOpQuery {
+		t.Errorf("kind = %q; want %q (must coerce, NOT silently let exec through)",
+			fake.lastQueryOps[0].Kind, rqlite.BatchOpQuery)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDBQueryBatch_invalid_json_rejected(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newHFWithDB(&fakeBatchClient{})
+	_, err := h.DBQueryBatch(context.Background(), []byte(`not json`))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for invalid json, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "invalid json") {
+		t.Errorf("expected 'invalid json' in error, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDBQueryBatch_no_ops_rejected(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newHFWithDB(&fakeBatchClient{})
+	_, err := h.DBQueryBatch(context.Background(), []byte(`{"ops":[]}`))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for empty ops, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "ops required") {
+		t.Errorf("expected 'ops required' in error, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDBQueryBatch_oversize_batch_rejected(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newHFWithDB(&fakeBatchClient{})
+
+	var sb strings.Builder
+	sb.WriteString(`{"ops":[`)
+	for i := 0; i <= rqlite.MaxBatchOps; i++ {
+		if i > 0 {
+			sb.WriteString(",")
+		}
+		sb.WriteString(`{"sql":"SELECT 1"}`)
+	}
+	sb.WriteString(`]}`)
+
+	_, err := h.DBQueryBatch(context.Background(), []byte(sb.String()))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for oversize batch, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "too many ops") {
+		t.Errorf("expected 'too many ops' in error, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDBQueryBatch_no_db_returns_error(t *testing.T) {
+	h := &HostFunctions{db: nil}
+	_, err := h.DBQueryBatch(context.Background(), []byte(`{"ops":[{"sql":"SELECT 1"}]}`))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error when db is nil")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDBQueryBatch_per_op_errors_surface_in_json verifies that a per-op
+// SQL error (e.g. table doesn't exist) appears in the per-op `error`
+// field instead of failing the whole call. This matches DBTransaction's
+// "structured error" contract.
+func TestDBQueryBatch_per_op_errors_surface_in_json(t *testing.T) {
+	fake := &fakeBatchClient{
+		respondQuery: func(ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error) {
+			return []rqlite.OpResult{
+				{Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery, Rows: []map[string]interface{}{{"x": int64(1)}}},
+				{Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery, Error: "no such table: missing"},
+			}, nil
+		},
+	}
+	h := newHFWithDB(fake)
+
+	in := `{"ops":[{"sql":"SELECT 1"},{"sql":"SELECT * FROM missing"}]}`
+	out, err := h.DBQueryBatch(context.Background(), []byte(in))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("per-op errors must NOT surface as Go errors: %v", err)
+	}
+	var res dbQueryBatchResult
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(out, &res); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode result: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(res.Results) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 results, got %d", len(res.Results))
+	}
+	if res.Results[0].Error != "" {
+		t.Errorf("op 0 should have no error, got: %q", res.Results[0].Error)
+	}
+	if res.Results[1].Error == "" {
+		t.Errorf("op 1 should carry SQL error in JSON, got empty")
+	}
+}
+
+// Silence the "imported and not used" warning if sql isn't needed elsewhere
+// in test additions — kept here as a guard in case future tests need it.
+var _ = sql.ErrNoRows
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/mocks_test.go b/core/pkg/serverless/mocks_test.go
index 21fb9ee..db41ae7 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/mocks_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/mocks_test.go
@@ -128,6 +128,13 @@ func (m *MockHostServices) DBQueryV2(ctx context.Context, query string, args []i
 	return []byte(`{"rows":[]}`), nil
 }
 
+func (m *MockHostServices) DBQueryBatch(ctx context.Context, opsJSON []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	// Bare stub — returns the empty results shape. Tests that need per-op
+	// behavior should mock at the HostFunctions level (see fakeBatchClient
+	// in pkg/serverless/hostfunctions/database_test.go).
+	return []byte(`{"results":[]}`), nil
+}
+
 func (m *MockHostServices) CacheGet(ctx context.Context, key string) ([]byte, error) {
 	m.mu.RLock()
 	defer m.mu.RUnlock()
@@ -408,6 +415,15 @@ func (m *MockRQLite) BatchWithSeq(ctx context.Context, namespace string, ops []r
 	return res, 1, err
 }
 
+func (m *MockRQLite) BatchQuery(ctx context.Context, ops []rqlite.BatchOp) ([]rqlite.OpResult, error) {
+	// Bare stub mirroring Batch: one empty-row result per op.
+	results := make([]rqlite.OpResult, len(ops))
+	for i := range ops {
+		results[i] = rqlite.OpResult{Kind: rqlite.BatchOpQuery, Rows: nil}
+	}
+	return results, nil
+}
+
 type mockResult struct{}
 
 func (m *mockResult) LastInsertId() (int64, error) { return 1, nil }
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/dispatcher.go b/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/dispatcher.go
index d004003..9d3d634 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/dispatcher.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/dispatcher.go
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@ package triggers
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/DeBrosOfficial/network/pkg/pubsub"
 	"github.com/DeBrosOfficial/network/pkg/serverless"
 	"github.com/DeBrosOfficial/network/pkg/serverless/aggregator"
 	olriclib "github.com/olric-data/olric"
@@ -18,6 +20,13 @@ const (
 
 	// dispatchTimeout is the timeout for each triggered function invocation.
 	dispatchTimeout = 60 * time.Second
+
+	// dispatcherRefreshInterval is the safety-net cadence for re-syncing
+	// libp2p subscriptions against the trigger store. Trigger add/remove
+	// calls Refresh synchronously; this catches anything missed (e.g. an
+	// add that happened on a different gateway node, or a deploy-time
+	// auto-register where the Refresh hook wasn't wired).
+	dispatcherRefreshInterval = 60 * time.Second
 )
 
 // PubSubEvent is the JSON payload sent to functions triggered by PubSub messages.
@@ -29,32 +38,270 @@ type PubSubEvent struct {
 	Timestamp    int64           `json:"timestamp"`
 }
 
+// dispatcherPubSub is the subset of *pubsub.ClientAdapter the dispatcher
+// needs for libp2p subscribe/unsubscribe. Defined as an interface so the
+// dispatcher's Start/Refresh logic is unit-testable without standing up
+// a real libp2p host.
+type dispatcherPubSub interface {
+	Subscribe(ctx context.Context, topic string, handler pubsub.MessageHandler) error
+	Unsubscribe(ctx context.Context, topic string) error
+}
+
+// topicLister is the subset of *PubSubTriggerStore the dispatcher's
+// Refresh path needs. Defined as an interface so tests can inject a
+// canned trigger set and exercise the real Refresh code path (rather
+// than re-simulating it inline, which would let regressions slip).
+type topicLister interface {
+	ListDistinctTopicPatterns(ctx context.Context) ([]DistinctTopicSubscription, error)
+}
+
 // PubSubDispatcher looks up triggers for a topic+namespace and asynchronously
-// invokes matching serverless functions.
+// invokes matching serverless functions. Subscribes to libp2p pubsub for
+// every literal trigger pattern so WASM `oh.PubSubPublish` calls reach
+// trigger handlers (bugboard #282 — before this, the dispatcher only fired
+// when the HTTP `/v1/pubsub/publish` endpoint was hit, so every internal
+// WASM publish silently dropped every subscriber).
+//
+// KNOWN LIMITATIONS (tracked as follow-ups, NOT in scope for #282):
+//
+//  1. Cross-namespace publish surface: any peer in the cluster's libp2p
+//     mesh can publish to a tenant's namespaced topic (`<ns>.<topic>`)
+//     and drive a trigger invocation. The libp2p mesh has no per-topic
+//     ACL, so a compromised namespace gateway gains the ability to fire
+//     other tenants' handlers. Pre-fix this attack failed because the
+//     dispatcher never subscribed at all. Mitigation requires either
+//     signed-envelope verification at dispatch time or a per-namespace
+//     swarm key (PSK) separating each tenant's pubsub mesh. Documented
+//     in the security audit on bugboard #282; track as a separate ticket.
+//
+//  2. Trigger-depth loops via libp2p round-trip: maxTriggerDepth=5 is
+//     embedded in the PubSubEvent payload, but a triggered function that
+//     publishes back through `oh.PubSubPublish` re-enters this dispatcher
+//     via libp2p Subscribe with depth=0 (the depth field lives in the
+//     OUR envelope, not in the libp2p wire format). Loops are bounded
+//     only by the per-invocation timeout. WASM functions MUST self-limit
+//     by reading `event.trigger_depth` from their input. A future fix
+//     would encode depth in a libp2p header the dispatcher reads back.
+//
+//  3. Wildcard patterns are not subscribed via libp2p (libp2p has no
+//     wildcard subscribe). Wildcard triggers only fire from HTTP-publish
+//     events via the legacy Dispatch hook, NOT from WASM publishes.
+//     Documented in Refresh below.
 type PubSubDispatcher struct {
 	store       *PubSubTriggerStore
 	invoker     *serverless.Invoker
 	olricClient olriclib.Client // may be nil (cache disabled)
 	aggregator  *aggregator.Aggregator
 	logger      *zap.Logger
+
+	// topicLister is the interface Refresh uses to enumerate desired
+	// subscriptions. Defaults to the concrete store but is overridable
+	// in tests so the real Refresh code path can be exercised against
+	// a canned trigger set. Set in NewPubSubDispatcher; only swapped
+	// by tests via the helper in dispatcher_refresh_test.go.
+	topicLister topicLister
+
+	// pubsub is the libp2p-pubsub layer the dispatcher subscribes to so
+	// it can react to events published from WASM `oh.PubSubPublish` calls
+	// (which bypass the HTTP publish handler). nil disables the
+	// auto-subscribe behavior — kept nullable for tests that exercise
+	// only the Dispatch path.
+	pubsub dispatcherPubSub
+
+	// subMu guards subscribedKeys against concurrent Refresh + Stop calls.
+	subMu sync.Mutex
+	// subscribedKeys is the set of (namespace, topic) tuples currently
+	// libp2p-subscribed by this dispatcher. Used by Refresh to compute the
+	// add/remove diff against the live trigger store.
+	subscribedKeys map[string]bool
+
+	// stopCh signals the periodic Refresh goroutine to exit.
+	stopCh   chan struct{}
+	stopOnce sync.Once
 }
 
 // NewPubSubDispatcher creates a new PubSub trigger dispatcher.
+//
+// The `ps` argument may be nil (e.g. in tests, or namespaces with pubsub
+// disabled) — in that case Start/Refresh are no-ops and the dispatcher
+// only fires for explicit Dispatch calls (the legacy HTTP-publish hook).
 func NewPubSubDispatcher(
 	store *PubSubTriggerStore,
 	invoker *serverless.Invoker,
 	olricClient olriclib.Client,
+	ps dispatcherPubSub,
 	logger *zap.Logger,
 ) *PubSubDispatcher {
 	return &PubSubDispatcher{
-		store:       store,
-		invoker:     invoker,
-		olricClient: olricClient,
-		aggregator:  aggregator.New(logger, dispatchTimeout),
-		logger:      logger,
+		store:          store,
+		topicLister:    store, // defaults to the real store; tests override
+		invoker:        invoker,
+		olricClient:    olricClient,
+		pubsub:         ps,
+		aggregator:     aggregator.New(logger, dispatchTimeout),
+		logger:         logger,
+		subscribedKeys: make(map[string]bool),
+		stopCh:         make(chan struct{}),
 	}
 }
 
+// subKey produces the map key used to track libp2p subscriptions per
+// (namespace, topic) tuple. Keeping it in one place avoids drift.
+func subKey(namespace, topic string) string {
+	return namespace + "|" + topic
+}
+
+// Start subscribes to libp2p pubsub for every literal trigger pattern in
+// the store and spawns the periodic refresh goroutine. Returns the first
+// Subscribe error if any — but a partial-failure scenario (some topics
+// subscribed, others failed) is logged and continues, since one bad topic
+// shouldn't break dispatch for every other handler.
+//
+// Wildcard patterns (e.g. "messages:*") are skipped with a warning. libp2p
+// has no native wildcard subscribe, so handling those cross-node properly
+// needs a separate mechanism (per-namespace fan-out topic, or hooking
+// HostFunctions.PubSubPublish to call Dispatch directly). For now, wildcard
+// triggers only fire when the publish originates from the HTTP endpoint
+// (which goes through the legacy Dispatch hook).
+func (d *PubSubDispatcher) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
+	if d.pubsub == nil {
+		d.logger.Info("PubSubDispatcher.Start: pubsub disabled, skipping libp2p subscribe")
+		return nil
+	}
+	if err := d.Refresh(ctx); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	go d.refreshLoop()
+	d.logger.Info("PubSubDispatcher started",
+		zap.Duration("refresh_interval", dispatcherRefreshInterval),
+	)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Stop signals the periodic refresh goroutine to exit. Safe to call
+// multiple times. Does NOT unsubscribe — the dispatcher's libp2p
+// subscriptions die with the pubsub manager during gateway shutdown.
+func (d *PubSubDispatcher) Stop() {
+	d.stopOnce.Do(func() {
+		close(d.stopCh)
+	})
+}
+
+// refreshLoop is the periodic-Refresh goroutine spawned by Start. Catches
+// trigger add/remove events that didn't go through the Refresh hook (e.g.
+// a different gateway node ran the trigger add, or the deploy-time
+// auto-register path).
+func (d *PubSubDispatcher) refreshLoop() {
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(dispatcherRefreshInterval)
+	defer ticker.Stop()
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-d.stopCh:
+			return
+		case <-ticker.C:
+			ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 10*time.Second)
+			if err := d.Refresh(ctx); err != nil {
+				d.logger.Warn("PubSubDispatcher periodic refresh failed",
+					zap.Error(err))
+			}
+			cancel()
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Refresh re-syncs libp2p subscriptions against the live trigger store:
+// subscribes to any new literal patterns, unsubscribes from patterns
+// whose triggers were all removed. Idempotent — safe to call from
+// multiple paths (Start, trigger-add hook, periodic loop).
+//
+// Wildcards are skipped (see Start). Errors on individual Subscribe calls
+// are logged but do not abort the refresh — one bad topic shouldn't take
+// down every other handler.
+func (d *PubSubDispatcher) Refresh(ctx context.Context) error {
+	if d.pubsub == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	subs, err := d.topicLister.ListDistinctTopicPatterns(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Compute the desired set, skipping wildcards.
+	desired := make(map[string]DistinctTopicSubscription, len(subs))
+	for _, s := range subs {
+		if s.Wildcard {
+			// Log once-per-refresh would be cleaner but the volume is
+			// bounded by the trigger count and this is a known limitation.
+			d.logger.Debug("PubSubDispatcher.Refresh: skipping wildcard pattern (libp2p has no wildcard subscribe)",
+				zap.String("namespace", s.Namespace),
+				zap.String("topic_pattern", s.TopicPattern),
+			)
+			continue
+		}
+		desired[subKey(s.Namespace, s.TopicPattern)] = s
+	}
+
+	d.subMu.Lock()
+	defer d.subMu.Unlock()
+
+	// Subscribe to newly-added topics.
+	for key, s := range desired {
+		if d.subscribedKeys[key] {
+			continue
+		}
+		ns, topic := s.Namespace, s.TopicPattern
+		handler := func(msgTopic string, data []byte) error {
+			// PEER_DISCOVERY_PING is filtered upstream in the Manager.
+			// data already excludes those.
+			d.Dispatch(context.Background(), ns, topic, data, 0)
+			return nil
+		}
+		if err := d.pubsub.Subscribe(ctx, topic, handler); err != nil {
+			d.logger.Warn("PubSubDispatcher.Refresh: libp2p Subscribe failed",
+				zap.String("namespace", ns),
+				zap.String("topic", topic),
+				zap.Error(err))
+			continue
+		}
+		d.subscribedKeys[key] = true
+		d.logger.Info("PubSubDispatcher subscribed to trigger topic",
+			zap.String("namespace", ns),
+			zap.String("topic", topic))
+	}
+
+	// Unsubscribe from topics whose triggers were all removed.
+	for key := range d.subscribedKeys {
+		if _, stillDesired := desired[key]; stillDesired {
+			continue
+		}
+		// key format is "namespace|topic"; split safely.
+		topic := key
+		if i := indexByteFromStart(key, '|'); i >= 0 {
+			topic = key[i+1:]
+		}
+		if err := d.pubsub.Unsubscribe(ctx, topic); err != nil {
+			d.logger.Debug("PubSubDispatcher.Refresh: libp2p Unsubscribe ignored",
+				zap.String("key", key),
+				zap.Error(err))
+		}
+		delete(d.subscribedKeys, key)
+		d.logger.Info("PubSubDispatcher unsubscribed from trigger topic (no live triggers)",
+			zap.String("key", key))
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// indexByteFromStart is a tiny local helper to avoid importing `strings`
+// for one call. Returns the index of the first occurrence of c in s, or -1.
+func indexByteFromStart(s string, c byte) int {
+	for i := 0; i < len(s); i++ {
+		if s[i] == c {
+			return i
+		}
+	}
+	return -1
+}
+
 // Aggregator exposes the underlying aggregator so callers (gateway lifecycle)
 // can flush pending buffers on shutdown.
 func (d *PubSubDispatcher) Aggregator() *aggregator.Aggregator {
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/dispatcher_refresh_test.go b/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/dispatcher_refresh_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75452e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/dispatcher_refresh_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,286 @@
+package triggers
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"sort"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/DeBrosOfficial/network/pkg/pubsub"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+)
+
+// fakePubSubManager implements dispatcherPubSub for unit tests. Tracks
+// Subscribe/Unsubscribe calls in order so tests can assert exact behavior
+// without standing up a real libp2p host.
+type fakePubSubManager struct {
+	mu               sync.Mutex
+	subscribed       map[string]pubsub.MessageHandler // topic → handler
+	subscribeErr     func(topic string) error
+	subscribeCalls   []string
+	unsubscribeCalls []string
+}
+
+func newFakePubSubManager() *fakePubSubManager {
+	return &fakePubSubManager{subscribed: map[string]pubsub.MessageHandler{}}
+}
+
+func (f *fakePubSubManager) Subscribe(ctx context.Context, topic string, handler pubsub.MessageHandler) error {
+	f.mu.Lock()
+	defer f.mu.Unlock()
+	if f.subscribeErr != nil {
+		if err := f.subscribeErr(topic); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	f.subscribed[topic] = handler
+	f.subscribeCalls = append(f.subscribeCalls, topic)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (f *fakePubSubManager) Unsubscribe(ctx context.Context, topic string) error {
+	f.mu.Lock()
+	defer f.mu.Unlock()
+	delete(f.subscribed, topic)
+	f.unsubscribeCalls = append(f.unsubscribeCalls, topic)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (f *fakePubSubManager) subscribedTopics() []string {
+	f.mu.Lock()
+	defer f.mu.Unlock()
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(f.subscribed))
+	for t := range f.subscribed {
+		out = append(out, t)
+	}
+	sort.Strings(out)
+	return out
+}
+
+// fakeTopicLister implements the topicLister interface so Refresh's real
+// code path can be exercised without standing up an rqlite client. The
+// `subs` field is what ListDistinctTopicPatterns returns; tests mutate it
+// between Refresh calls to drive add/remove diffs.
+type fakeTopicLister struct {
+	subs    []DistinctTopicSubscription
+	listErr error
+	calls   int
+}
+
+func (l *fakeTopicLister) ListDistinctTopicPatterns(ctx context.Context) ([]DistinctTopicSubscription, error) {
+	l.calls++
+	if l.listErr != nil {
+		return nil, l.listErr
+	}
+	return append([]DistinctTopicSubscription(nil), l.subs...), nil
+}
+
+// newDispatcherForRefreshTest builds a PubSubDispatcher with the fake
+// topic lister and fake pubsub manager swapped in. Returns the dispatcher
+// plus both fakes so tests can mutate the trigger set and assert behavior.
+func newDispatcherForRefreshTest(initialSubs []DistinctTopicSubscription) (*PubSubDispatcher, *fakeTopicLister, *fakePubSubManager) {
+	ps := newFakePubSubManager()
+	lister := &fakeTopicLister{subs: initialSubs}
+	d := NewPubSubDispatcher(nil, nil, nil, ps, zap.NewNop())
+	// Swap the topicLister with our fake — the constructor defaulted it to
+	// the (nil) store. This is the seam that makes Refresh exercisable in
+	// unit tests without an rqlite dependency.
+	d.topicLister = lister
+	return d, lister, ps
+}
+
+// TestRefresh_subscribesNewLiteralTopics — happy path. Triggers added to
+// the store result in libp2p subscribes for their literal topics on the
+// next Refresh. Regression guard for bugboard #282 — without the fix,
+// dispatcher.Start never subscribed and every WASM publish silently
+// dropped every trigger handler.
+func TestRefresh_subscribesNewLiteralTopics(t *testing.T) {
+	d, _, ps := newDispatcherForRefreshTest([]DistinctTopicSubscription{
+		{Namespace: "anchat", TopicPattern: "messages:new", Wildcard: false},
+		{Namespace: "anchat", TopicPattern: "conversations:updated", Wildcard: false},
+		{Namespace: "anchat", TopicPattern: "messages:*", Wildcard: true},
+	})
+
+	if err := d.Refresh(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Refresh: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	got := ps.subscribedTopics()
+	want := []string{"conversations:updated", "messages:new"}
+	if !equalStrings(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("subscribed topics = %v, want %v (wildcard 'messages:*' must be skipped)", got, want)
+	}
+
+	// subscribedKeys should track both namespaced keys.
+	d.subMu.Lock()
+	defer d.subMu.Unlock()
+	if !d.subscribedKeys[subKey("anchat", "messages:new")] {
+		t.Error("subscribedKeys missing messages:new")
+	}
+	if !d.subscribedKeys[subKey("anchat", "conversations:updated")] {
+		t.Error("subscribedKeys missing conversations:updated")
+	}
+	if d.subscribedKeys[subKey("anchat", "messages:*")] {
+		t.Error("subscribedKeys should NOT contain wildcard 'messages:*'")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRefresh_unsubscribesRemovedTopics — diff path. Triggers removed
+// from the store (so their topic disappears from ListDistinct...) are
+// unsubscribed on the next Refresh.
+func TestRefresh_unsubscribesRemovedTopics(t *testing.T) {
+	d, lister, ps := newDispatcherForRefreshTest([]DistinctTopicSubscription{
+		{Namespace: "ns", TopicPattern: "old-topic"},
+		{Namespace: "ns", TopicPattern: "still-here"},
+	})
+
+	// First Refresh — both subscribed.
+	if err := d.Refresh(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("first Refresh: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got, want := ps.subscribedTopics(), []string{"old-topic", "still-here"}; !equalStrings(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("after first refresh: subscribed = %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+
+	// Simulate trigger removal — only one remains.
+	lister.subs = []DistinctTopicSubscription{
+		{Namespace: "ns", TopicPattern: "still-here"},
+	}
+
+	// Second Refresh — old-topic should be unsubscribed.
+	if err := d.Refresh(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("second Refresh: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(ps.unsubscribeCalls) != 1 || ps.unsubscribeCalls[0] != "old-topic" {
+		t.Errorf("unsubscribe calls = %v, want [old-topic]", ps.unsubscribeCalls)
+	}
+	if got, want := ps.subscribedTopics(), []string{"still-here"}; !equalStrings(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("after prune: subscribed = %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRefresh_skipsAlreadySubscribed — idempotency. Calling Refresh
+// twice with the same trigger set must NOT re-subscribe.
+func TestRefresh_skipsAlreadySubscribed(t *testing.T) {
+	d, _, ps := newDispatcherForRefreshTest([]DistinctTopicSubscription{
+		{Namespace: "ns", TopicPattern: "topic-a"},
+	})
+
+	if err := d.Refresh(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("first Refresh: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := d.Refresh(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("second Refresh: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(ps.subscribeCalls) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 subscribe call total (idempotent), got %d: %v",
+			len(ps.subscribeCalls), ps.subscribeCalls)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRefresh_subscribeErrorDoesNotBlockOtherTopics — a single Subscribe
+// failure must not abort the refresh for other topics. One bad topic
+// shouldn't take down every other handler.
+func TestRefresh_subscribeErrorDoesNotBlockOtherTopics(t *testing.T) {
+	d, _, ps := newDispatcherForRefreshTest([]DistinctTopicSubscription{
+		{Namespace: "ns", TopicPattern: "ok-1"},
+		{Namespace: "ns", TopicPattern: "broken-topic"},
+		{Namespace: "ns", TopicPattern: "ok-2"},
+	})
+	ps.subscribeErr = func(topic string) error {
+		if topic == "broken-topic" {
+			return errors.New("simulated libp2p failure")
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if err := d.Refresh(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Refresh: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if got, want := ps.subscribedTopics(), []string{"ok-1", "ok-2"}; !equalStrings(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("subscribed = %v, want %v (broken-topic should fail-soft)", got, want)
+	}
+
+	// subscribedKeys must NOT contain the failed topic so the next Refresh
+	// retries it. Verifies the rollback-on-error path.
+	d.subMu.Lock()
+	defer d.subMu.Unlock()
+	if d.subscribedKeys[subKey("ns", "broken-topic")] {
+		t.Error("subscribedKeys must NOT include broken-topic (so next Refresh retries)")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRefresh_listError_propagates verifies that a transport error from
+// the trigger store (e.g. rqlite unreachable) returns an error from
+// Refresh rather than silently doing nothing.
+func TestRefresh_listError_propagates(t *testing.T) {
+	d, lister, _ := newDispatcherForRefreshTest(nil)
+	lister.listErr = errors.New("rqlite unavailable")
+
+	err := d.Refresh(context.Background())
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error from Refresh when store fails, got nil")
+	}
+	if !errors.Is(err, lister.listErr) && err.Error() != lister.listErr.Error() {
+		t.Errorf("expected wrapped store error, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestNewPubSubDispatcher_nilPubsubIsAllowed — constructs cleanly when
+// pubsub manager is nil. Subsequent Start/Refresh must be no-ops, and
+// the store must NOT be queried (since there's no point subscribing).
+func TestNewPubSubDispatcher_nilPubsubIsAllowed(t *testing.T) {
+	d := NewPubSubDispatcher(nil, nil, nil, nil, zap.NewNop())
+	if d == nil {
+		t.Fatal("constructor returned nil")
+	}
+	// Swap in a fake lister so we can assert it isn't called.
+	fakeLister := &fakeTopicLister{}
+	d.topicLister = fakeLister
+
+	if err := d.Start(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Start with nil pubsub returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := d.Refresh(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Refresh with nil pubsub returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if fakeLister.calls != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("topic lister should NOT be called when pubsub is nil, got %d calls", fakeLister.calls)
+	}
+	// Stop is idempotent (two close on stopCh would panic; stopOnce guards it).
+	d.Stop()
+	d.Stop()
+}
+
+// TestSubKey verifies the (namespace, topic) tuple key format is stable —
+// the Refresh diff logic depends on consistent key construction.
+func TestSubKey(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		ns, topic, want string
+	}{
+		{"anchat", "messages:new", "anchat|messages:new"},
+		{"", "topic-only", "|topic-only"},
+		{"ns", "", "ns|"},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		if got := subKey(c.ns, c.topic); got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("subKey(%q, %q) = %q, want %q", c.ns, c.topic, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// equalStrings is a tiny helper for slice-equality assertions (order-sensitive).
+func equalStrings(a, b []string) bool {
+	if len(a) != len(b) {
+		return false
+	}
+	for i := range a {
+		if a[i] != b[i] {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/pubsub_store.go b/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/pubsub_store.go
index 6125339..d11b41d 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/pubsub_store.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/pubsub_store.go
@@ -197,6 +197,54 @@ func (s *PubSubTriggerStore) ListByFunction(ctx context.Context, functionID stri
 	return triggers, nil
 }
 
+// DistinctTopicSubscription is a (namespace, topic_pattern) pair used by
+// the dispatcher to know which libp2p pubsub topics to subscribe to.
+// Wildcard patterns are flagged so the caller can skip subscribing (libp2p
+// has no native wildcard support — see bugboard #282 implementation notes).
+type DistinctTopicSubscription struct {
+	Namespace    string
+	TopicPattern string
+	Wildcard     bool
+}
+
+// ListDistinctTopicPatterns returns the unique (namespace, topic_pattern)
+// pairs across all enabled triggers attached to active functions. Used by
+// PubSubDispatcher.Start to decide which libp2p pubsub topics to subscribe
+// to so WASM-published events actually reach trigger handlers (bugboard
+// #282 — dispatcher previously only fired from HTTP publishes, so WASM
+// publishes from message-create silently dropped every handler invocation).
+//
+// The dispatcher subscribes to each NON-wildcard pattern at startup and on
+// trigger add/remove. Wildcard patterns are returned with Wildcard=true so
+// callers can log/skip them — handling those cross-node properly requires
+// a different mechanism (per-namespace fan-out topic or publish-side hook)
+// that's not in scope for this fix.
+func (s *PubSubTriggerStore) ListDistinctTopicPatterns(ctx context.Context) ([]DistinctTopicSubscription, error) {
+	query := `
+		SELECT DISTINCT f.namespace AS namespace, t.topic_pattern AS topic_pattern
+		FROM function_pubsub_triggers t
+		JOIN functions f ON t.function_id = f.id
+		WHERE t.enabled = TRUE AND f.status = 'active'
+		ORDER BY f.namespace, t.topic_pattern
+	`
+	var rows []struct {
+		Namespace    string
+		TopicPattern string
+	}
+	if err := s.db.Query(ctx, &rows, query); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("ListDistinctTopicPatterns: %w", err)
+	}
+	out := make([]DistinctTopicSubscription, 0, len(rows))
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		out = append(out, DistinctTopicSubscription{
+			Namespace:    r.Namespace,
+			TopicPattern: r.TopicPattern,
+			Wildcard:     IsWildcard(r.TopicPattern),
+		})
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 // GetByTopicAndNamespace returns all enabled triggers whose topic_pattern
 // matches `topic` within the namespace. Patterns are SQLite GLOB; the
 // post-filter enforces stricter segment-aware semantics.
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/triggers_test.go b/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/triggers_test.go
index e2662f4..125c566 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/triggers_test.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/triggers/triggers_test.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ type mockInvokeCall struct {
 func TestDispatcher_DepthLimit(t *testing.T) {
 	logger, _ := zap.NewDevelopment()
 	store := NewPubSubTriggerStore(nil, logger) // store won't be called
-	d := NewPubSubDispatcher(store, nil, nil, logger)
+	d := NewPubSubDispatcher(store, nil, nil, nil, logger)
 
 	// Dispatch at max depth should be a no-op (no panic, no store call)
 	d.Dispatch(context.Background(), "ns", "topic", []byte("data"), maxTriggerDepth)
diff --git a/core/pkg/serverless/types.go b/core/pkg/serverless/types.go
index 9f59faa..6a5bdf9 100644
--- a/core/pkg/serverless/types.go
+++ b/core/pkg/serverless/types.go
@@ -444,6 +444,21 @@ type HostServices interface {
 	// returned JSON, NOT as a Go error.
 	DBTransaction(ctx context.Context, opsJSON []byte) ([]byte, error)
 
+	// DBQueryBatch runs N SELECT statements in ONE round-trip to the leader
+	// (via RQLite's /db/query bulk endpoint). All queries see the same
+	// committed snapshot. opsJSON shape: {"ops":[{"sql":"...","args":[...]}, ...]}.
+	// Returns JSON {"results":[{"rows":[...], "error":""}, ...]} with one
+	// entry per input op, in the same order. Per-query errors are surfaced
+	// in the per-op `error` field; the call only returns a Go error on
+	// transport/validation failures.
+	//
+	// Use this for read-heavy functions that gather state from many tables
+	// before doing work — e.g. anchat's message-create reads auth +
+	// participants + devices (7-10 SELECTs) before writing. Empirically on
+	// devnet's cross-region cluster: 10 sequential DBQuery = ~3.5s; one
+	// DBQueryBatch with 10 statements = ~340ms. See bugboard #270.
+	DBQueryBatch(ctx context.Context, opsJSON []byte) ([]byte, error)
+
 	// ExecAndPublish runs ops atomically (like DBTransaction) and, ONLY
 	// if the batch commits, publishes data to the named topic with any
 	// occurrence of the literal string "{{seq}}" replaced by the assigned