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feat: graceful sub-CA decommissioning — migration transparency + client renewal signal #164

Description

@Bugs5382

Idea (Shane, 2026-07-06): make retiring a sub-CA a visible, self-service migration instead of a scramble.

Two halves

1. Migration transparency (FM-side). When a sub-CA is flagged pending decommission, the Fleet Manager surfaces the non-secret list of certs it issued that are still valid — i.e. which systems must move to the successor CA before decommission. Built on the issued-cert inventory (ListIssued): a 'decommission plan' on that node showing remaining live certs, their subjects, and expiries, and migration progress as systems re-enroll elsewhere.

2. Proactive client signal (node-side). Mark issued certs (or advertise via the node API / OCSP / a well-known metadata endpoint) so a system holding a cert can self-discover: 'my issuing CA is being decommissioned / will expire — request a new cert from <successor node/endpoint>.' Candidate mechanisms: an X.509 extension or AIA-style 'renewal authority' pointer to the successor's enrollment endpoint; a decommission/renew-from hint the node advertises; enrollment clients (ACME/EST) checking it and auto-re-enrolling.

Ties to

Backlog — not scheduled; surfaced during FM fleet-visibility co-design.

Activity

  1. self-assigned this
    on Jul 6, 2026
  2. added theissue type on Jul 15, 2026
  3. added this to the vNext milestone on Sep 29, 2026
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enhancementNew feature (feat). Minor version bump.

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