fix: allow sellers to remove public contact methods

docs/IMPLEMENTATION-STATUS.md

@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ docker context use orbstack
 | HTTP | Product and inventory creation, validation, authentication/recovery, CSRF, rate limiting, and session management |
 | Integration | PostgreSQL catalog/session/audit/password recovery persistence and Redis-shared login throttling |
 
-Verified locally: `npm test` passes 166 tests with no failures (23 domain, 79 application, and 64 HTTP); worker tests, web tests, web build, Storybook build, Storybook interaction/accessibility checks, integration tests, and authenticated E2E workflows also pass when their required local services and credentials are available.
+Verified locally: `npm test` passes 167 tests with no failures (23 domain, 79 application, and 65 HTTP); worker tests, web tests, web build, Storybook build, Storybook interaction/accessibility checks, integration tests, and authenticated E2E workflows also pass when their required local services and credentials are available.
 
 ### Public Seller Description
 
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ Verified locally: `npm test` passes 166 tests with no failures (23 domain, 79 ap
 - Added keyboard, 320px reflow, 200% text enlargement, and detail-state regression stories. Browser review and its native-zoom/screen-reader limitations are recorded in `docs/ACCESSIBILITY.md`.
 - Validation: 166 API tests, 10 web tests, production web build, Storybook build, and 32 Storybook suites / 93 tests. This frontend-only slice changes no persistence or API contracts.
 
-### Latest Vertical Slice: Public Navigation Accessibility
+### Public Navigation Accessibility
 
 - Catalog cards use router links; catalog and detail pages have descriptive titles and named, focused main landmarks on entry.
 - Async responses and query updates preserve user focus. Filtered catalog URLs survive the explicit return link and browser Back; return destinations are restricted to the catalog.
@@ -146,7 +146,15 @@ Verified locally: `npm test` passes 166 tests with no failures (23 domain, 79 ap
 - Validation: 166 API tests, 11 web tests, 3 public Playwright tests, production web build, Storybook build, and 32 Storybook suites / 93 tests. No API or persistence changes.
 - Screen-reader speech and native browser zoom remain manual review items; this slice verifies browser focus and title behavior.
 
-Next bounded slice: clearing configured seller contact methods. The Settings form currently converts blank email/phone values to omitted fields, so the server's partial-update merge retains old contacts. Support explicit removal through validation, settings UI/API, and public detail output, with edit/clear regression coverage.
+### Latest Vertical Slice: Clear Public Contact Methods
+
+- Settings now sends explicit empty strings when a seller clears email or phone; help text explains removal. Omitted API fields still retain existing values.
+- Validation accepts empty/whitespace-only email as removal while rejecting invalid non-empty addresses. Both public detail repositories expose absent/cleared contacts as null.
+- HTTP coverage exercises real settings-service merging, validation, persistence reads and unchanged fields; PostgreSQL integration coverage verifies clear-one/clear-both behavior for listing and product detail projections.
+- Storybook covers clearing contacts while retaining the description and rendering seller information without contact links.
+- Validation: 167 API tests, 23 isolated integration tests, 11 web tests, production web build, Storybook build, and 32 Storybook suites / 95 tests. No migration required.
+
+Next bounded slice: Settings loading/error recovery. A failed settings read currently leaves editable default values visible. Hide the form until settings load successfully, provide a retry action, and preserve entered values across failed saves, with loading/error/retry Storybook coverage.
 
 ## Next Milestone