HMAC signature mismatch: payload_hex.encode() vs bytes.fromhex() in token verify

Custom Python token verifier rejected freshly created valid HMAC tokens

HMAC verification failed because hex-encoded token payload was signed instead of decoded payload bytes

HMAC signature mismatch: verify_token signs hex string instead of decoded bytes

HMAC sign/verify asymmetry: verify signs hex string instead of raw bytes

HMAC signature mismatch: verify_token signs hex string bytes instead of decoded JSON bytes