D1305 — kb_status.connection.hint is optional, and status has a starting state

Decision. kb_status.connection.hint is present only when there is something to act on: a name in unbound, unknown or renamed, each adding its own sentence in that order (the operator and generic wordings of D1101 are unchanged); otherwise the key is absent. cartographer status reports a server whose /health says it is bootstrapping as reachable: true, ready: false with error.code: "starting" (state unavailable, exit 2), never as a network failure.

Why. The old hint was always sent, and when kbs equalled mounted it described a KB that was not there, so an agent either acted on nothing or learned to ignore the field. A bootstrapping server answers, so "could not reach … check the configured URL" sent the operator to fix a URL that was right.

Alternatives rejected. An empty-string hint: a consumer must still test two shapes. Keeping the always-present hint with softer wording: it still names no fact the lists show. Reusing request_failed with a different message: a script cannot tell a retry from a fault.

Consequences. A consumer must treat hint as optional and error.code: "starting" as retryable, not as a failure of the configuration. A new hint sentence needs its own fact in the same object and a place in the order above.