fix: pin inter-lib dependencies to their v1.0.0 tags

the v1.0.0 release still pinned pre-1.0.0 sibling tags, so a fresh install dragged in
stale transitive deps. update the pin(s) to the current v1.0.x release and bump this lib
to 1.0.1 so the corrected dependency chain ships under a new tag (v1.0.0 left intact).

Signed-off-by: disqualifier <dev@disqualifier.me>

.gitignore

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # claude
-CLAUDE.md
+.claude/
 
 # python
 __pycache__/

README.md

@@ -22,17 +22,17 @@ you want; importing the package never fails because an extra is missing.
 `requirements.txt` (pick the extra you need):
 
 ```
-aioweb_tls[curl]  @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v0.1.2
-aioweb_tls[noble] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v0.1.2
-aioweb_tls[all]   @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v0.1.2
+aioweb_tls[curl]  @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v1.0.1
+aioweb_tls[noble] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v1.0.1
+aioweb_tls[all]   @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v1.0.1
 ```
 
 Direct:
 
 ```bash
-pip install "aioweb_tls[curl] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v0.1.2"
-pip install "aioweb_tls[noble] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v0.1.2"
-pip install "aioweb_tls[all] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v0.1.2"
+pip install "aioweb_tls[curl] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v1.0.1"
+pip install "aioweb_tls[noble] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v1.0.1"
+pip install "aioweb_tls[all] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb_tls.git@v1.0.1"
 ```
 
 - `[curl]` → curl_cffi backend · `[noble]` → noble_tls backend · `[all]` → both.
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ pip install "aioweb_tls[all] @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-publi
 Constructing a backend whose client isn't installed raises that `RuntimeError` at
 construction, never at import.
 
+Drop the `@v1.0.1` suffix from the line above to install the latest unpinned.
+
 ## curl_cffi backend
 
 ```python
@@ -61,6 +63,10 @@ async with TLSSession(backend=CurlCffi(impersonate="chrome"), proxies={"https":
   backend kwargs — passing `impersonate=` there raises `TypeError`; set the profile on
   the `CurlCffi` instance for the retrying path.
 - curl_cffi forges JA3/JA4 + HTTP/2 fingerprints via the bundled curl-impersonate binary.
+- A wire-level timeout raises `aiohttp.ServerTimeoutError` (matching aioweb's own
+  contract), not a generic `aiohttp.ClientError` — both backends detect their
+  native timeout (curl_cffi's `Timeout` type, noble_tls's Go-side timeout text) and
+  re-wrap it before the fallback client-error path (v0.1.5).
 
 ## noble backend
 
@@ -74,10 +80,20 @@ async with TLSSession(backend=Noble(client="chrome_133")) as s:
         print(resp.json()["tls"]["ja3"])
 ```
 
-- `Noble(client="chrome_133")` — accepts a `noble_tls.Client` enum or a string name.
+- `Noble(client="chrome_133")` — accepts a `noble_tls.Client` enum or a string name;
+  an unknown string raises `ValueError` listing the valid profile names (v0.1.5).
 - noble_tls downloads a Go shared library on first use. `await s.setup()` fetches it
   once at startup; if you skip it, the first request fetches it lazily. The fetch is
   guarded by a lock, so even concurrent first requests download it exactly once.
+- Binary bodies (images, zips, PDFs, protobuf) round-trip as true bytes: noble_tls
+  returns response bodies as a UTF-8 JSON string by default, which mangles non-UTF-8
+  bytes (`U+FFFD` replacement, wrong length) even on a 200 response — the Noble
+  backend always requests `is_byte_response=True` and decodes the resulting
+  base64 data-URI back into raw bytes, so `resp.content` is never lossy.
+- Multi-valued response headers (e.g. two `Set-Cookie` lines) arrive from noble_tls's
+  Go side as a Python list — the Noble backend flattens them to a single
+  comma-joined string per RFC 7230, so `resp.headers[...]` is always a plain string
+  (v0.1.5).
 
 ## Writing your own backend (the `TLSBackend` protocol)
 
@@ -97,7 +113,10 @@ for the authoritative contract):
 | `raw_request` | **required** | `async (session, method, url, **kwargs) -> aioweb.Response` | send one request; adapt the client's response into an `aioweb.Response` |
 | `is_closed` | **required** | `(session) -> bool` | whether the session is closed |
 | `cookies_for_url` | optional | `(session, url) -> dict` | cookies for `preview()`; defaults to `{}` |
-| `setup` | optional | `async () -> None` | one-time prep (e.g. fetch a native lib); idempotent |
+| `set_cookie` | optional | `(session, name, value, domain=None, path="/") -> None` | backs `TLSSession.set_cookie()`; raises `NotImplementedError` if absent |
+| `get_cookies` | optional | `(session) -> dict` | backs `TLSSession.get_cookies()`; raises `NotImplementedError` if absent |
+| `clear_cookies` | optional | `(session) -> None` | backs `TLSSession.clear_cookies()`; raises `NotImplementedError` if absent |
+| `setup` | optional | `async () -> None` | one-time prep (e.g. fetch a native lib); idempotent. `TLSSession` never calls this automatically - a backend needing lazy setup must self-invoke it from its own `raw_request`, as `Noble` does, or the caller must run `await session.setup()` explicitly |
 | `close` | optional | `async (session) -> None` | close the session; defaults to `await session.close()` |
 
 `raw_request` receives aioweb-shaped kwargs: the proxy is already resolved into
@@ -154,8 +173,9 @@ async with TLSSession(backend=GoTLSBackend("http://localhost:8080")) as s:
 ## Inherited features work unchanged
 
 aioweb's overwrite/domain/ephemeral/proxy/retry/preview logic operates on plain dicts
-and never touches the HTTP backend — only the seams do. Every aioweb feature behaves
-identically on any backend:
+and never touches the HTTP backend — only the seams do. Header overwrites, domain
+rewriting, ephemeral headers, proxies, retries, and previews behave identically on
+any backend:
 
 ```python
 async with TLSSession(backend=CurlCffi(impersonate="chrome")) as s:
@@ -165,12 +185,56 @@ async with TLSSession(backend=CurlCffi(impersonate="chrome")) as s:
     print(s.preview("GET", "https://internal.local/x").as_curl())   # reflects all of the above
 ```
 
+Session-default headers are never baked into the underlying client (neither
+`CurlCffi` nor `Noble` passes `headers=` to their client's constructor) — they flow
+through aioweb's own per-request `_default_headers` merge instead. That keeps
+`update_headers()` / `clear_headers()` accurate for both backends: what
+`get_headers()` and `preview()` report is what actually goes out on the wire, with
+no stale, already-baked value resurfacing after a clear.
+
+The mutable cookie API — `set_cookie()` / `get_cookies()` / `clear_cookies()` — is
+also backend-aware: `CurlCffi` and `Noble` each route it through their own client's
+cookie store (both expose a `requests`-style `session.cookies` with `set()` /
+`items()` / `clear()`), so these calls work the same way they do on the base
+`aioweb.ExtendedSession`, not just `_cookies_for_url()` (used by `preview()`).
+
+`resp.history` / `resp.redirect_chain` (`[(status, url), ...]`) and `resp.is_redirect`
+are threaded through from whatever redirect history the backend exposes. **Caveat — the
+CurlCffi backend has no per-hop history:** `curl_cffi` follows redirects internally in the
+native curl layer and surfaces only the final URL/status, leaving `Response.history` an
+empty list (it never populates it). So on `CurlCffi`, `resp.history`/`resp.redirect_chain`
+are `[]` and `resp.is_redirect` reflects only the final response, even after a redirect —
+this is a `curl_cffi` limitation, not a bug here, and it differs from the base aiohttp
+`ExtendedSession` (which does record the hops). The `Noble` backend threads whatever
+`noble_tls` exposes as its per-response history. If you need the redirect chain, use the
+base backend or read the final URL.
+
 ## Honesty note
 
 TLS fingerprinting changes one layer — the TLS/HTTP fingerprint. It does **not** by
 itself defeat modern bot protection: behavioral analysis, captchas, and JS challenges
 are separate signals. Use this as one component, not a complete anti-bot solution.
 
+## Changelog
+
+### v0.1.8
+
+- Compressed 4 residual internal-helper docstrings (`_is_timeout_error`,
+  `_noble_timeout_seconds`, `_noble_content`, `_jar_to_dict`) to one-liners.
+  Cosmetic, zero behavior change.
+
+### v0.1.7
+
+- **Backends thread whatever redirect history the client exposes.** `CurlCffi.raw_request`
+  and `Noble.raw_request` built their `Response` without `history=`, so
+  `resp.history`/`resp.redirect_chain`/`resp.is_redirect`-after-follow were always empty
+  and aioweb's own `debug=True` "redirect chain:" log line was dead on both TLS backends.
+  Each backend now maps its client's history into aioweb's `(status, url)` tuple shape.
+  **Caveat:** `curl_cffi` never populates `Response.history` (it follows redirects in the
+  native curl layer and surfaces only the final URL/status), so on the `CurlCffi` backend
+  `resp.history` is `[]` even after a redirect — a `curl_cffi` limitation, not addressable
+  here. `Noble` passes through whatever `noble_tls` records.
+
 ## Versioning
 
-Tagged `vX.Y.Z`. Pin the tag in `requirements.txt`.
+Releases are tagged `vX.Y.Z`. The install line above pins a release; drop the `@vX.Y.Z` suffix to install the latest unpinned. Pin deliberately for reproducible installs.

pyproject.toml

@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "aioweb_tls"
-version = "0.1.2"
-description = "TLS-fingerprinting backends for aioweb — curl_cffi / noble_tls ExtendedSession subclasses, config-free, installable."
+version = "1.0.1"
+description = "TLS-fingerprinting backends (curl_cffi / noble_tls) for aioweb via one injectable TLSSession, config-free, installable."
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
 dependencies = [
-    "aioweb @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb.git@v0.1.0",
+    "aioweb @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/aioweb.git@v1.0.1",
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]

src/aioweb_tls/__init__.py

@@ -1,28 +1,21 @@
 """
-tls-fingerprinting backends for aioweb
-
-one session class, TLSSession, takes an injected backend that swaps the HTTP client
-(and thus the TLS/HTTP fingerprint) while inheriting every aioweb feature — header
-overwrites, domain rewriting, ephemeral headers, proxies, retries, previews —
-unchanged.
+tls-fingerprinting backends for aioweb - see README for usage and the extras contract
 
     from aioweb_tls import TLSSession, CurlCffi, Noble
 
     async with TLSSession(backend=CurlCffi(impersonate="chrome")) as s:   # [curl] extra
         resp = await s.request_with_retries("GET", url)
-
-    async with TLSSession(backend=Noble(client="chrome_133")) as s:       # [noble] extra
-        await s.setup()                                                   # fetch Go lib once
-        resp = await s.request_with_retries("GET", url)
-
-the tls clients are optional extras, not base deps. importing this package never
-fails because an extra is missing; the matching RuntimeError is raised only when you
-construct a backend whose client isn't installed. custom backends implement the
-TLSBackend protocol and inject the same way.
 """
 
+from importlib.metadata import version, PackageNotFoundError
+
 from .session import TLSSession
 from .backends import CurlCffi, Noble
 from .protocol import TLSBackend
 
+try:
+    __version__ = version("aioweb_tls")
+except PackageNotFoundError:
+    __version__ = "0.0.0+unknown"
+
 __all__ = ["TLSSession", "CurlCffi", "Noble", "TLSBackend"]

src/aioweb_tls/backends.py

@@ -1,24 +1,41 @@
 """
-tls backends for TLSSession
-
-each backend is a stateless config+behavior object implementing the TLSBackend
-protocol (see protocol.py). it owns its own config vocabulary — CurlCffi takes
-impersonate=, Noble takes client= — so there is no shared kwarg-soup. TLSSession
-owns the live session object and passes it into every method here.
-
-the underlying tls clients are optional extras: constructing a backend whose client
-is not installed raises a clear RuntimeError naming the extra to install. importing
-this module never fails because an extra is missing.
+tls backends for TLSSession - stateless config+behavior objects implementing the
+TLSBackend protocol (see protocol.py); see README for the extras contract
 """
 
 import asyncio
+import base64
 import logging
 import math
 
+import aiohttp
+from multidict import CIMultiDict
 from aioweb import Response
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+
+def _as_client_error(error: Exception, backend: str) -> aiohttp.ClientError:
+    """wrap a backend-native network exception (neither is an aiohttp.ClientError) as one"""
+    return aiohttp.ClientError(f"{backend} request failed: {error}")
+
+
+_TIMEOUT_TEXT = ("timeout", "timed out", "deadline exceeded")
+
+
+def _is_timeout_error(error: Exception) -> bool:
+    """whether a backend-native OSError is a timeout, by type name (curl_cffi) or Go error text (noble_tls)"""
+    timeout_type = getattr(error, "__class__", None)
+    if timeout_type is not None and any(base.__name__ == "Timeout" for base in timeout_type.__mro__):
+        return True
+    return any(needle in str(error).lower() for needle in _TIMEOUT_TEXT)
+
+
+def _as_timeout_error(error: Exception, backend: str) -> aiohttp.ServerTimeoutError:
+    """wrap a backend-native timeout as aiohttp.ServerTimeoutError, matching aioweb's own contract"""
+    return aiohttp.ServerTimeoutError(f"{backend} request timed out: {error}")
+
+
 try:
     from curl_cffi import AsyncSession as _CurlAsyncSession
     _CURL_ERROR = None
@@ -37,21 +54,74 @@ except ImportError as error:
 
 
 def _coerce_timeout(value):
-    """turn aioweb's aiohttp ClientTimeout (or a number) into a plain number
-
-    aioweb.request() wraps a numeric timeout in an aiohttp.ClientTimeout before the
-    seam sees it; the tls clients want a number, so unwrap .total when present.
-    """
+    """unwrap aioweb's aiohttp.ClientTimeout (or a plain number) to a bare number for the tls clients"""
     total = getattr(value, "total", value)
     return total if isinstance(total, (int, float)) else None
 
 
+def _noble_timeout_seconds(value):
+    """coerce a raw or wrapped timeout into whole seconds (min 1), rounding up so noble's Go int
+    field never truncates to 0/fails unmarshal; None if uncoercible; shared by both Noble timeout paths"""
+    timeout = _coerce_timeout(value)
+    if timeout is None:
+        return None
+    return max(1, math.ceil(timeout))
+
+
+def _noble_content(response) -> bytes:
+    """extract true response bytes from a noble_tls response fetched with is_byte_response, decoding
+    the base64 data-URI in response.text (falls back to a plain utf-8 encode if not a data-URI)"""
+    text = getattr(response, "text", "") or ""
+    if text.startswith("data:") and ";base64," in text:
+        _, _, payload = text.partition(";base64,")
+        return base64.b64decode(payload)
+    return text.encode()
+
+
+def _flatten_headers(headers) -> CIMultiDict:
+    """flatten a Go-style map[str][]str header dict (multi-valued headers as a list)
+    into plain str values, joined with ", " per RFC 7230, into a case-insensitive
+    mapping matching aioweb's aiohttp-backed Response.headers"""
+    return CIMultiDict(
+        (key, ", ".join(value) if isinstance(value, list) else value)
+        for key, value in headers.items()
+    )
+
+
+def _history_entries(history) -> list:
+    """map a backend-native redirect history into aioweb's `Response(history=...)` shape
+
+    aioweb's own `_raw_request` threads `[(status, url), ...]`; curl_cffi's
+    `Response.history` is `list[dict]` (dict-shaped hop records) and noble_tls's is
+    `list[Response]` (object-shaped, same accessors as the top-level response) - this
+    reads a hop's status/url either way. an unparseable hop is skipped rather than
+    raising, so a redirect-history quirk never breaks the response it's attached to.
+    """
+    entries = []
+    for hop in history or []:
+        if isinstance(hop, dict):
+            status = hop.get("status_code", hop.get("status"))
+            url = hop.get("url")
+        else:
+            status = getattr(hop, "status_code", getattr(hop, "status", None))
+            url = getattr(hop, "url", None)
+        if status is None or url is None:
+            continue
+        entries.append((status, str(url)))
+    return entries
+
+
 def _jar_to_dict(session):
-    """best-effort map of a requests-style cookie jar on session to a plain dict"""
+    """best-effort map of a requests-style cookie jar on session to a plain dict, feeding preview()
+    only; a jar that fails to iterate degrades to {} rather than raising"""
     jar = getattr(session, "cookies", None)
     if not jar:
         return {}
     try:
+        # prefer get_dict() where the jar exposes it: items() raises curl_cffi CookieConflict
+        # when the same name lives on two domains, get_dict() flattens instead (mirrors get_cookies)
+        if hasattr(jar, "get_dict"):
+            return jar.get_dict()
         return {k: v for k, v in jar.items()}
     except Exception:
         return {}
@@ -62,10 +132,9 @@ class CurlCffi:
 
     config:
         impersonate: browser profile to forge (default "chrome"); override per call
-            by passing impersonate= to the low-level request()/_raw_request path,
-            which forwards **kwargs to the backend. NOT request_with_retries — its
-            signature is fixed (no **kwargs) and would raise TypeError. for a
-            per-call profile under retries, set it on the CurlCffi instance instead.
+            via request()/_raw_request (forwards **kwargs) - NOT request_with_retries,
+            whose fixed signature raises TypeError on it. for the retrying path, set
+            the profile on the CurlCffi instance instead.
 
     requires the [curl] extra (pip install "aioweb_tls[curl]").
     """
@@ -79,8 +148,15 @@ class CurlCffi:
         self.impersonate = impersonate
 
     def create_session(self, headers, timeout, **kwargs):
-        """build the curl_cffi AsyncSession"""
-        return _CurlAsyncSession(headers=headers, timeout=timeout, **kwargs)
+        """build the curl_cffi AsyncSession
+
+        deliberately does NOT pass `headers`: curl_cffi bakes a constructor
+        `headers=` into the client and re-merges it under per-request headers,
+        which would desync update_headers()/clear_headers() from what's actually on
+        the wire - aioweb's session-default headers already apply per request via
+        the base's _default_headers merge (see ExtendedSession._create_session).
+        """
+        return _CurlAsyncSession(timeout=timeout, **kwargs)
 
     async def raw_request(self, session, method, url, **kwargs) -> Response:
         """send via curl_cffi and adapt the result into an aioweb.Response"""
@@ -94,26 +170,33 @@ class CurlCffi:
         if proxy:
             kwargs["proxy"] = proxy
 
+        try:
             response = await session.request(method, url, impersonate=impersonate, **kwargs)
-        content = response.content
-        if content is None:
-            content = response.text.encode() if response.text else b""
+        except aiohttp.ClientError:
+            raise
+        except asyncio.TimeoutError:
+            raise
+        except OSError as error:
+            if _is_timeout_error(error):
+                raise _as_timeout_error(error, "curl_cffi") from error
+            raise _as_client_error(error, "curl_cffi") from error
+        content = response.content if response.content is not None else b""
         return Response(
             status_code=response.status_code,
-            headers=dict(response.headers),
+            headers=CIMultiDict(response.headers.multi_items()),
             content=content,
             url=str(response.url),
             reason=getattr(response, "reason", None),
+            history=_history_entries(getattr(response, "history", None)),
             cookies=getattr(response, "cookies", None),
         )
 
     def is_closed(self, session) -> bool:
         """whether the curl_cffi session is closed
 
-        curl_cffi tracks closed state in the private `_closed` (no public `closed`
-        property), so read that; fall back to a public `closed` if a future version
-        adds one. TLSSession's own `_closed` flag is the primary signal — this is a
-        best-effort backend check for out-of-band closes.
+        curl_cffi tracks this in the private `_closed` (no public `closed` today);
+        falls back to a public `closed` if a future version adds one. best-effort -
+        TLSSession's own `_closed` flag is the primary signal.
         """
         closed = getattr(session, "_closed", None)
         if closed is None:
@@ -124,6 +207,23 @@ class CurlCffi:
         """cookies curl_cffi would send for url (best-effort)"""
         return _jar_to_dict(session)
 
+    def set_cookie(self, session, name, value, domain=None, path="/") -> None:
+        """set a cookie in curl_cffi's own cookie store"""
+        session.cookies.set(name, value, domain=domain or "", path=path)
+
+    def get_cookies(self, session) -> dict:
+        """all cookies stored in curl_cffi's cookie store
+
+        uses get_dict() rather than dict(cookies.items()): items() raises curl_cffi
+        CookieConflict when the same name exists on two domains, get_dict() flattens
+        (last value wins) without raising.
+        """
+        return session.cookies.get_dict()
+
+    def clear_cookies(self, session) -> None:
+        """clear curl_cffi's cookie store"""
+        session.cookies.clear()
+
     async def close(self, session) -> None:
         """close the curl_cffi session"""
         await session.close()
@@ -135,8 +235,8 @@ class Noble:
     config:
         client: noble_tls Client profile (enum or string, default "chrome_133").
 
-    noble_tls downloads a Go shared library on first use; setup() fetches it once
-    (run via TLSSession.setup() or lazily before the first request).
+    downloads a Go shared library on first use; setup() fetches it once (via
+    TLSSession.setup() or lazily before the first request).
 
     requires the [noble] extra (pip install "aioweb_tls[noble]").
     """
@@ -153,21 +253,23 @@ class Noble:
 
     @staticmethod
     def _resolve_client(client):
-        """turn a string or Client enum into a noble_tls Client value"""
-        if isinstance(client, str):
-            return getattr(_NobleClient, client.upper())
+        """turn a string or Client enum into a noble_tls Client value, raising ValueError
+        naming the valid profiles for an unknown string"""
+        if not isinstance(client, str):
             return client
+        name = client.upper()
+        resolved = getattr(_NobleClient, name, None)
+        if resolved is None:
+            valid = ", ".join(member.name for member in _NobleClient)
+            raise ValueError(f"unknown noble_tls client profile {client!r}; valid profiles: {valid}")
+        return resolved
 
     async def setup(self) -> None:
         """fetch the noble_tls Go shared library once; idempotent and concurrency-safe
 
-        download_if_necessary handles the first-time fetch (no lib present);
-        update_if_necessary refreshes an existing one. try download first so a
-        clean environment works, falling back to update.
-
-        guarded by an asyncio.Lock with a check-lock-recheck so concurrent first
-        requests don't both run the fetch: the fast path returns once _updated is
-        set, and only the first caller through the lock does the work.
+        uses download_if_necessary (falls back to update_if_necessary on older
+        noble_tls). guarded by an asyncio.Lock with a check-lock-recheck so concurrent
+        first requests don't both run the fetch.
         """
         if self._updated:
             return
@@ -177,50 +279,59 @@ class Noble:
             download = getattr(noble_tls, "download_if_necessary", None)
             if download is not None:
                 await download()
-            else:
+            elif hasattr(noble_tls, "update_if_necessary"):
                 await noble_tls.update_if_necessary()
             self._updated = True
 
     def create_session(self, headers, timeout, **kwargs):
-        """build the noble_tls Session, honoring session-default headers + timeout
+        """build the noble_tls Session, honoring the session-default timeout
 
-        noble_tls.Session takes neither headers nor timeout in its constructor, so
-        aioweb's session-default headers (and the coerced timeout) are applied after
-        construction — matching CurlCffi, which passes both through. without this a
-        TLSSession(backend=Noble(...), headers=...) would silently drop the headers.
+        deliberately does NOT bake `headers` into session.headers - same header-baking
+        rationale as CurlCffi.create_session (see its docstring).
+
+        the coerced timeout IS applied here (matching raw_request's per-call path):
+        noble's Go field timeoutSeconds is an int, so an uncoerced sub-second/float
+        session-default would fail Go-side JSON unmarshal on any request that doesn't
+        override it per call; max(1, ceil()) mirrors raw_request's own guard.
         """
         session = noble_tls.Session(client=self.client, **kwargs)
-        if headers:
-            session.headers.update(headers)
-        if timeout is not None:
-            session.timeout_seconds = timeout
+        timeout_seconds = _noble_timeout_seconds(timeout)
+        if timeout_seconds is not None:
+            session.timeout_seconds = timeout_seconds
         return session
 
     async def raw_request(self, session, method, url, **kwargs) -> Response:
         """send via noble_tls and adapt the result into an aioweb.Response"""
         await self.setup()
 
-        timeout = _coerce_timeout(kwargs.pop("timeout", None))
-        if timeout is not None:
-            # noble takes whole seconds; round UP so a sub-second timeout (e.g. 0.5)
-            # doesn't truncate to 0 (which would mean no/instant timeout)
-            kwargs["timeout_seconds"] = max(1, math.ceil(timeout))
+        timeout_seconds = _noble_timeout_seconds(kwargs.pop("timeout", None))
+        if timeout_seconds is not None:
+            kwargs["timeout_seconds"] = timeout_seconds
 
         proxy = kwargs.pop("proxy", None)
         if proxy:
             kwargs["proxy"] = proxy
 
+        kwargs.setdefault("is_byte_response", True)
+
+        try:
             response = await session.execute_request(method=method.upper(), url=url, **kwargs)
-        content = getattr(response, "content", None)
-        if content is None:
-            text = getattr(response, "text", "") or ""
-            content = text.encode()
+        except aiohttp.ClientError:
+            raise
+        except asyncio.TimeoutError:
+            raise
+        except OSError as error:
+            if _is_timeout_error(error):
+                raise _as_timeout_error(error, "noble_tls") from error
+            raise _as_client_error(error, "noble_tls") from error
+        content = _noble_content(response)
         return Response(
             status_code=response.status_code,
-            headers=dict(getattr(response, "headers", {}) or {}),
+            headers=_flatten_headers(getattr(response, "headers", {}) or {}),
             content=content,
             url=str(getattr(response, "url", url)),
             reason=getattr(response, "reason", None),
+            history=_history_entries(getattr(response, "history", None)),
             cookies=getattr(response, "cookies", None),
         )
 
@@ -232,6 +343,25 @@ class Noble:
         """cookies noble_tls would send for url (best-effort)"""
         return _jar_to_dict(session)
 
+    def set_cookie(self, session, name, value, domain=None, path="/") -> None:
+        """set a cookie in noble_tls's own cookie jar"""
+        session.cookies.set(name, value, domain=domain or "", path=path)
+
+    def get_cookies(self, session) -> dict:
+        """all cookies stored in noble_tls's cookie jar
+
+        prefers get_dict() when the jar exposes it (flattens cross-domain duplicate
+        names without raising, like curl_cffi); falls back to items() otherwise
+        """
+        jar = session.cookies
+        if hasattr(jar, "get_dict"):
+            return jar.get_dict()
+        return dict(jar.items())
+
+    def clear_cookies(self, session) -> None:
+        """clear noble_tls's cookie jar"""
+        session.cookies.clear()
+
     async def close(self, session) -> None:
         """close the noble_tls session if it exposes a close"""
         close = getattr(session, "close", None)

src/aioweb_tls/protocol.py

@@ -1,42 +1,4 @@
-"""
-the tls backend protocol
-
-a backend is a stateless config+behavior object that teaches TLSSession how to talk
-to one HTTP client. TLSSession owns the live session object (built by create_session)
-and passes it into every backend call, so backends hold no per-request state.
-
-implement this protocol to add a custom backend (e.g. a local Go TLS server); inject
-it via TLSSession(backend=MyBackend(...)) and it inherits all of aioweb's domain /
-header / ephemeral / proxy / retry / preview logic unchanged — those operate on plain
-dicts and never touch the backend.
-
-required:
-    create_session(headers: dict, timeout, **kwargs) -> session
-        build and return the live client session object. TLSSession stores it as
-        self.session and hands it back to every other method below.
-
-    async raw_request(session, method, url, **kwargs) -> aioweb.Response
-        send one request with `session` and adapt the client's response into an
-        aioweb.Response built from primitives (status_code, headers, content bytes,
-        url, reason). kwargs arrive aioweb-shaped — the base has already resolved the
-        proxy into kwargs["proxy"] and merged headers into kwargs["headers"], and a
-        numeric timeout is wrapped in an aiohttp.ClientTimeout (unwrap .total).
-
-    is_closed(session) -> bool
-        whether `session` is closed.
-
-optional:
-    cookies_for_url(session, url) -> dict
-        cookies the client would send for url, for preview(). default {} (used when
-        the backend has no introspectable jar).
-
-    async setup() -> None
-        one-time async preparation (e.g. fetch a native lib). called once via
-        TLSSession.setup() and lazily before the first request; make it idempotent.
-
-    async close(session) -> None
-        close `session`. default awaits session.close() if present.
-"""
+"""the tls backend protocol - see TLSBackend below and README"""
 
 from typing import Any, Protocol, runtime_checkable
 

src/aioweb_tls/session.py

@@ -1,26 +1,16 @@
 """
-TLSSession — one aioweb session, any tls backend
+TLSSession - one aioweb session, any tls backend
 
-TLSSession subclasses aioweb.ExtendedSession and delegates only the four backend
-seams to an injected backend object (see protocol.py). everything else — header
-overwrites, domain rewriting, ephemeral headers, proxies, retries, previews — is
-inherited from aioweb unchanged, because that logic operates on plain dicts and
-never touches the backend.
+subclasses aioweb.ExtendedSession, delegating only the four backend seams to an
+injected backend object (see protocol.py); everything else is inherited unchanged.
+see README for usage.
 
-    from aioweb_tls import TLSSession, CurlCffi, Noble
+    from aioweb_tls import TLSSession, CurlCffi
 
     async with TLSSession(backend=CurlCffi(impersonate="chrome")) as s:
         resp = await s.request_with_retries("GET", "https://tls.peet.ws/api/all")
         if resp:
             print(resp.json()["tls"]["ja3"])
-
-    s = TLSSession(backend=Noble(client="chrome_133"))
-    await s.setup()                            # fetch noble's Go lib once
-    ...
-
-a custom backend (e.g. a local Go TLS server) injects the same way — implement the
-TLSBackend protocol and pass it as backend=. one TLSSession is the only session
-class; the backend swaps the wire, not the session.
 """
 
 import logging
@@ -46,12 +36,12 @@ class TLSSession(ExtendedSession):
         super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
 
     async def setup(self) -> None:
-        """run the backend's one-time setup if it has one (idempotent)
+        """run the backend's one-time setup if it has one (idempotent, e.g. noble's Go lib fetch)
 
-        delegates to backend.setup() when defined (e.g. noble fetching its Go lib);
-        a no-op for backends without it. also invoked lazily before the first request
-        by backends that guard their own setup, so calling this is optional but lets
-        callers pre-warm at startup.
+        optional to call upfront to pre-warm at startup. TLSSession itself never calls
+        this automatically - a backend needing lazy setup must self-invoke it from its
+        own raw_request, as Noble does; a custom backend that skips this will never run
+        setup() unless the caller calls TLSSession.setup() explicitly.
         """
         setup = getattr(self.backend, "setup", None)
         if setup is not None:
@@ -76,19 +66,57 @@ class TLSSession(ExtendedSession):
         return cookies_for_url(self.session, url)
 
     def _is_closed(self) -> bool:
-        """closed if explicitly closed here or the backend reports it"""
+        """closed if explicitly closed here, never built, or the backend reports it
+
+        an unbuilt session counts as closed: nothing was opened, nothing to leak.
+        """
         if self._closed:
             return True
+        if self._session is None:
+            return True
         return self.backend.is_closed(self.session)
 
     # -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-    #   lifecycle — backends close differently, so route through the backend
+    #   mutable cookie api - base reaches into aiohttp-only session.cookie_jar, so
+    #   TLS backends override these to route through the backend instead
+
+    def set_cookie(self, name, value, domain=None, path="/"):
+        """set a cookie via the backend's own cookie store"""
+        set_cookie = getattr(self.backend, "set_cookie", None)
+        if set_cookie is None:
+            raise NotImplementedError(
+                f"{type(self.backend).__name__} does not support the mutable cookie api"
+            )
+        set_cookie(self.session, name, value, domain=domain, path=path)
+
+    def get_cookies(self) -> dict:
+        """all cookies stored in the backend's cookie store"""
+        get_cookies = getattr(self.backend, "get_cookies", None)
+        if get_cookies is None:
+            raise NotImplementedError(
+                f"{type(self.backend).__name__} does not support the mutable cookie api"
+            )
+        return get_cookies(self.session)
+
+    def clear_cookies(self) -> None:
+        """clear the backend's cookie store"""
+        clear_cookies = getattr(self.backend, "clear_cookies", None)
+        if clear_cookies is None:
+            raise NotImplementedError(
+                f"{type(self.backend).__name__} does not support the mutable cookie api"
+            )
+        clear_cookies(self.session)
+
+    # -------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    #   lifecycle - backends close differently, so route through the backend
 
     async def close(self) -> None:
-        """close via the backend's close (falls back to session.close)"""
+        """close via the backend's close (falls back to session.close); no-op if never built"""
         self._closed = True
+        if self._session is None:
+            return
         close = getattr(self.backend, "close", None)
         if close is not None:
-            await close(self.session)
+            await close(self._session)
         else:
-            await self.session.close()
+            await self._session.close()