diff --git a/.changeset/fn-7511-planner-overseer-monitoring.md b/.changeset/fn-7511-planner-overseer-monitoring.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7037d140bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fn-7511-planner-overseer-monitoring.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+"@runfusion/fusion": minor
+---
+
+summary: Planner oversight now monitors tasks across executor, reviewer, merger, pull-request, and workflow-gate stages.
+category: feature
+dev: Adds records-only PlannerOverseerMonitor + resolveWatchedStage + OverseerStageObservation in @fusion/engine, gated by resolveEffectivePlannerOversightLevel (off = no observation) and wired into ProjectEngine via a bounded poll. Steering/recovery and UI land in FN-7512/FN-7515+.
diff --git a/docs/architecture.md b/docs/architecture.md
index 7487e0e3ad..058667e914 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/docs/architecture.md
@@ -1352,6 +1352,32 @@ Limits are controlled by project settings (`maxSpawnedAgentsPerParent`, `maxSpaw
 ### Custom instructions
 `packages/engine/src/agent-instructions.ts` resolves per-agent instruction text/path with path-traversal and extension validation.
 
+### Planner overseer monitoring (records-only)
+
+/*
+FNXC:PlannerOversight 2026-07-04-00:00:
+FN-7511 delivers the monitoring foundation for a planner-oversight layer that watches an in-flight task's
+lifecycle without steering it. `packages/engine/src/planner-overseer.ts` declares the five watched stages
+(`OVERSEER_WATCHED_STAGES`: executor, reviewer, merger, pull-request, workflow-gate), a normalized
+`OverseerStageObservation` model, and a `resolveWatchedStage(task)` resolver with deterministic precedence
+(workflow-gate > pull-request > merger > reviewer > executor) so a task in a compound state resolves to
+exactly one stage. `PlannerOverseerMonitor#observeTask(task, level)` is the gating seam: when the task's
+effective planner oversight level (`resolveEffectivePlannerOversightLevel`, FN-7508/FN-7509/FN-7510) is
+`"off"`, nothing is recorded; otherwise exactly one observation is recorded into a bounded per-task ring
+buffer (default cap 20) and the optional `onObservation` callback is invoked best-effort.
+*/
+
+`ProjectEngine` constructs a `PlannerOverseerMonitor` alongside `PrMonitor` and exposes it via
+`getPlannerOverseer()`. A bounded `setInterval` poll (45s cadence, cleared on `stop()`) walks the
+current `in-progress`/`in-review` tasks, resolves each task's effective planner oversight level, and
+calls `observeTask` — skipping tasks that resolve to `"off"` or to no watched stage. Observations for
+tasks that leave the in-flight set are dropped from the ring buffer on the next poll.
+
+This layer is **records-only**: no lifecycle mutation, retry, merge, notification, or external-service
+call happens here, and it emits no run-audit events or dashboard UI. Steering/recovery, confirmation
+gates, human-control safeguards, and dashboard/UI/run-audit surfaces are deferred to FN-7512 through
+FN-7520; this module is the seam those subtasks read observations from.
+
 ---
 
 ## 11) Multi-Project Architecture
diff --git a/docs/workflow-steps.md b/docs/workflow-steps.md
index d0ade45c00..e3f7e652bd 100644
--- a/docs/workflow-steps.md
+++ b/docs/workflow-steps.md
@@ -461,6 +461,8 @@ A gate node also has a `gateMode`:
 Defaults:
 - gates are `advisory` by default (advisory-by-default per FN-4368); opt in to `gate` by setting the node's `gateMode` in the [Workflow Editor](./workflow-editor.md).
 
+A task paused awaiting a prompt/script gate's cli-approval or ask-input response (`pausedReason` prefixed `workflow-cli-approval:` or `workflow-input:`) is one of the five stages the records-only planner-overseer monitor watches (`workflow-gate`, `packages/engine/src/planner-overseer.ts`, FN-7511) — see **`docs/architecture.md` § "Planner overseer monitoring (records-only)"**.
+
 ## Built-In Quality Gates
 
 <!--
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/planner-overseer.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/planner-overseer.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4855077af0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/planner-overseer.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,294 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import {
+  OVERSEER_WATCHED_STAGES,
+  PlannerOverseerMonitor,
+  resolveWatchedStage,
+  type OverseerTaskRef,
+} from "../planner-overseer.js";
+
+function taskFixture(overrides: Partial<OverseerTaskRef> = {}): OverseerTaskRef {
+  return {
+    id: "FN-1000",
+    column: "in-progress",
+    prInfo: undefined,
+    reviewState: undefined,
+    paused: false,
+    pausedReason: undefined,
+    workflowTransitionNotification: undefined,
+    ...overrides,
+  } as OverseerTaskRef;
+}
+
+describe("resolveWatchedStage", () => {
+  it("resolves an active in-progress task to executor", () => {
+    expect(resolveWatchedStage(taskFixture({ column: "in-progress" }))).toBe("executor");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves in-review with a pending reviewState to reviewer", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveWatchedStage(
+        taskFixture({
+          column: "in-review",
+          reviewState: {
+            source: "reviewer-agent",
+            items: [],
+            addressing: [],
+          } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["reviewState"],
+        }),
+      ),
+    ).toBe("reviewer");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves in-review with no reviewState/PR/gate marker to merger (awaiting integration)", () => {
+    expect(resolveWatchedStage(taskFixture({ column: "in-review" }))).toBe("merger");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves in-review with an explicit manual-merge-hold marker to merger", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveWatchedStage(
+        taskFixture({
+          column: "in-review",
+          reviewState: {
+            source: "reviewer-agent",
+            items: [],
+            addressing: [],
+          } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["reviewState"],
+          workflowTransitionNotification: {
+            kind: "manual-merge-hold",
+            column: "in-review",
+            transitionId: "t-1",
+          } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["workflowTransitionNotification"],
+        }),
+      ),
+    ).toBe("merger");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves in-review with an active (open) PR to pull-request", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveWatchedStage(
+        taskFixture({
+          column: "in-review",
+          prInfo: {
+            url: "https://github.com/o/r/pull/1",
+            number: 1,
+            status: "open",
+            title: "t",
+            headBranch: "h",
+            baseBranch: "b",
+            commentCount: 0,
+          } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["prInfo"],
+        }),
+      ),
+    ).toBe("pull-request");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves a paused workflow-cli-approval gate to workflow-gate regardless of column", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveWatchedStage(
+        taskFixture({
+          column: "in-progress",
+          paused: true,
+          pausedReason: "workflow-cli-approval:build: npm run build",
+        }),
+      ),
+    ).toBe("workflow-gate");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves a paused workflow-input gate to workflow-gate", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveWatchedStage(
+        taskFixture({
+          column: "in-review",
+          paused: true,
+          pausedReason: "workflow-input:ask: What environment?",
+        }),
+      ),
+    ).toBe("workflow-gate");
+  });
+
+  it("returns null for non-monitorable columns (todo/done/archived/triage)", () => {
+    for (const column of ["todo", "done", "archived", "triage"] as const) {
+      expect(resolveWatchedStage(taskFixture({ column }))).toBeNull();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("deterministic precedence: workflow-gate wins over an active PR and reviewState in a compound state", () => {
+    const compound = taskFixture({
+      column: "in-review",
+      paused: true,
+      pausedReason: "workflow-cli-approval:deploy: run deploy",
+      prInfo: {
+        url: "https://github.com/o/r/pull/2",
+        number: 2,
+        status: "open",
+        title: "t",
+        headBranch: "h",
+        baseBranch: "b",
+        commentCount: 0,
+      } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["prInfo"],
+      reviewState: {
+        source: "reviewer-agent",
+        items: [],
+        addressing: [],
+      } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["reviewState"],
+    });
+    expect(resolveWatchedStage(compound)).toBe("workflow-gate");
+  });
+
+  it("deterministic precedence: an active PR wins over reviewState when no gate is paused", () => {
+    const compound = taskFixture({
+      column: "in-review",
+      prInfo: {
+        url: "https://github.com/o/r/pull/3",
+        number: 3,
+        status: "open",
+        title: "t",
+        headBranch: "h",
+        baseBranch: "b",
+        commentCount: 0,
+      } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["prInfo"],
+      reviewState: {
+        source: "reviewer-agent",
+        items: [],
+        addressing: [],
+      } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["reviewState"],
+    });
+    expect(resolveWatchedStage(compound)).toBe("pull-request");
+  });
+
+  it("never throws on a malformed/partial task (missing column/optional fields)", () => {
+    expect(resolveWatchedStage({} as OverseerTaskRef)).toBeNull();
+    expect(resolveWatchedStage(null)).toBeNull();
+    expect(resolveWatchedStage(undefined)).toBeNull();
+    expect(resolveWatchedStage({ id: "FN-1" } as OverseerTaskRef)).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("PlannerOverseerMonitor.observeTask", () => {
+  const stageFixtures: Array<{ stage: (typeof OVERSEER_WATCHED_STAGES)[number]; task: OverseerTaskRef }> = [
+    { stage: "executor", task: taskFixture({ column: "in-progress" }) },
+    {
+      stage: "reviewer",
+      task: taskFixture({
+        column: "in-review",
+        reviewState: { source: "reviewer-agent", items: [], addressing: [] } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["reviewState"],
+      }),
+    },
+    { stage: "merger", task: taskFixture({ column: "in-review" }) },
+    {
+      stage: "pull-request",
+      task: taskFixture({
+        column: "in-review",
+        prInfo: {
+          url: "https://github.com/o/r/pull/9",
+          number: 9,
+          status: "open",
+          title: "t",
+          headBranch: "h",
+          baseBranch: "b",
+          commentCount: 0,
+        } as unknown as OverseerTaskRef["prInfo"],
+      }),
+    },
+    {
+      stage: "workflow-gate",
+      task: taskFixture({ column: "in-progress", paused: true, pausedReason: "workflow-input:ask: env?" }),
+    },
+  ];
+
+  it.each(stageFixtures)(
+    "records exactly one observation for the $stage stage when level is not off",
+    async ({ stage, task }) => {
+      for (const level of ["observe", "steer", "autonomous"] as const) {
+        const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor();
+        const observation = await monitor.observeTask(task, level);
+        expect(observation).not.toBeNull();
+        expect(observation?.stage).toBe(stage);
+        expect(observation?.oversightLevel).toBe(level);
+        expect(observation?.taskId).toBe(task.id);
+        expect(observation?.sources.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+        expect(monitor.getObservations(task.id)).toHaveLength(1);
+      }
+    },
+  );
+
+  it.each(stageFixtures)("records nothing and returns null for the $stage stage when level is off", async ({ task }) => {
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor();
+    const observation = await monitor.observeTask(task, "off");
+    expect(observation).toBeNull();
+    expect(monitor.getObservations(task.id)).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it("returns null and records nothing when no stage is monitorable", async () => {
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor();
+    const observation = await monitor.observeTask(taskFixture({ column: "todo" }), "autonomous");
+    expect(observation).toBeNull();
+    expect(monitor.getObservations("FN-1000")).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it("invokes the onObservation callback when provided", async () => {
+    const onObservation = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor({ onObservation });
+    const task = taskFixture({ column: "in-progress" });
+    const observation = await monitor.observeTask(task, "observe");
+    expect(onObservation).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(onObservation).toHaveBeenCalledWith(observation);
+  });
+
+  it("still resolves when the onObservation callback throws (best-effort)", async () => {
+    const onObservation = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("callback exploded"));
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor({ onObservation });
+    const task = taskFixture({ column: "in-progress" });
+    await expect(monitor.observeTask(task, "observe")).resolves.not.toBeNull();
+    expect(monitor.getObservations(task.id)).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it("records into the store best-effort and swallows logEntry failures", async () => {
+    const store = { logEntry: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("log failed")) };
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor({ store });
+    const task = taskFixture({ column: "in-progress" });
+    await expect(monitor.observeTask(task, "observe")).resolves.not.toBeNull();
+    expect(store.logEntry).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it("bounds the per-task ring buffer to the configured cap, keeping the most recent N", async () => {
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor({ maxObservationsPerTask: 3 });
+    const task = taskFixture({ column: "in-progress" });
+    const observations = [];
+    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+      const obs = await monitor.observeTask(task, "observe");
+      observations.push(obs);
+    }
+    const retained = monitor.getObservations(task.id);
+    expect(retained).toHaveLength(3);
+    // The three retained entries should be the last three recorded (index 2,3,4).
+    expect(retained.map((o) => o.observedAt)).toEqual(
+      [observations[2], observations[3], observations[4]].map((o) => o!.observedAt),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("defaults the ring buffer cap to 20 entries per task", async () => {
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor();
+    const task = taskFixture({ column: "in-progress" });
+    for (let i = 0; i < 25; i++) {
+      await monitor.observeTask(task, "observe");
+    }
+    expect(monitor.getObservations(task.id)).toHaveLength(20);
+  });
+
+  it("clear() removes retained observations for a task", async () => {
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor();
+    const task = taskFixture({ column: "in-progress" });
+    await monitor.observeTask(task, "observe");
+    expect(monitor.getObservations(task.id)).toHaveLength(1);
+    monitor.clear(task.id);
+    expect(monitor.getObservations(task.id)).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(monitor.getObservedTaskIds()).not.toContain(task.id);
+  });
+
+  it("never throws on a malformed/partial task passed to observeTask (degrades to no-op)", async () => {
+    const monitor = new PlannerOverseerMonitor();
+    await expect(monitor.observeTask({} as OverseerTaskRef, "autonomous")).resolves.toBeNull();
+    await expect(monitor.observeTask(undefined as unknown as OverseerTaskRef, "autonomous")).resolves.toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/index.ts b/packages/engine/src/index.ts
index a21488096a..2ed20e1c55 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/index.ts
@@ -635,6 +635,18 @@ export {
   type LLMSynthesisProviderOptions,
 } from "./research/providers/index.js";
 export { PrMonitor, type PrComment, type TrackedPr, type OnNewCommentsCallback } from "./pr-monitor.js";
+export {
+  PlannerOverseerMonitor,
+  OVERSEER_WATCHED_STAGES,
+  resolveWatchedStage,
+  type OverseerWatchedStage,
+  type OverseerObservationSignal,
+  type OverseerStageObservation,
+  type OverseerSourceLink,
+  type OverseerTaskRef,
+  type OverseerLogStore,
+  type PlannerOverseerMonitorOptions,
+} from "./planner-overseer.js";
 export {
   SECRET_MUTATION_TYPES,
   SECRET_AUDIT_PLAINTEXT_FORBIDDEN_KEYS,
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/planner-overseer.ts b/packages/engine/src/planner-overseer.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6c1a688f0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/engine/src/planner-overseer.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,338 @@
+/**
+ * FNXC:PlannerOversight 2026-07-04-00:00:
+ * FN-7511 delivers the monitoring foundation for the planner overseer: an
+ * engine module that watches an in-flight task's progression across five
+ * lifecycle stages — executor, reviewer, merger, pull-request, and
+ * workflow-gate — and records normalized `OverseerStageObservation`s gated by
+ * the task's effective planner oversight level (`resolveEffectivePlannerOversightLevel`,
+ * FN-7508/FN-7509/FN-7510). When the effective level is `"off"`, nothing is
+ * recorded. This layer is records-only: it does not steer, retry, fix, gate,
+ * or notify — those land in FN-7512 (steering/recovery), FN-7513
+ * (confirmation gates), FN-7514 (human-control safeguards), and
+ * FN-7515–FN-7520 (dashboard UI / run-audit events / intervention timeline).
+ * The observation model + `PlannerOverseerMonitor` registry declared here is
+ * the seam every later planner-oversight subtask reads from.
+ */
+
+import type { PlannerOversightLevel, PrInfo, Task } from "@fusion/core";
+
+/** Alias for the `Task.reviewState` shape without requiring a separate core export. */
+type OverseerTaskReviewState = NonNullable<Task["reviewState"]>;
+
+/**
+ * The five lifecycle stages the planner overseer watches. Precedence when a
+ * task is in a compound state (see {@link resolveWatchedStage}):
+ * workflow-gate > pull-request > merger > reviewer > executor.
+ */
+export const OVERSEER_WATCHED_STAGES = ["executor", "reviewer", "merger", "pull-request", "workflow-gate"] as const;
+export type OverseerWatchedStage = (typeof OVERSEER_WATCHED_STAGES)[number];
+
+/** Normalized signal describing how a watched stage is currently progressing. */
+export type OverseerObservationSignal = "progressing" | "stuck" | "failed" | "blocked" | "awaiting-human" | "complete";
+
+/** A link back to the concrete evidence an observation was derived from. */
+export interface OverseerSourceLink {
+  kind: "agent-log" | "review-comment" | "failed-check" | "merge-error" | "pr-state";
+  ref: string;
+  url?: string;
+}
+
+/** One normalized, oversight-gated observation of a task's current watched stage. */
+export interface OverseerStageObservation {
+  taskId: string;
+  stage: OverseerWatchedStage;
+  signal: OverseerObservationSignal;
+  oversightLevel: PlannerOversightLevel;
+  observedAt: number;
+  reason: string;
+  sources: OverseerSourceLink[];
+}
+
+/** The minimal task shape the stage resolver reads. Kept a `Pick` so callers
+ *  (and tests) can pass partial/malformed fixtures without satisfying the
+ *  full `Task` interface. */
+export type OverseerTaskRef = Pick<
+  Task,
+  "id" | "column" | "prInfo" | "reviewState" | "paused" | "pausedReason" | "workflowTransitionNotification"
+>;
+
+/**
+ * FNXC:PlannerOversight 2026-07-04-00:00:
+ * Maps a task's delivered lifecycle state to exactly one watched stage, or
+ * `null` when the task is not currently monitorable (e.g. `todo`, `done`,
+ * `archived`, `triage`).
+ *
+ * Precedence (deterministic, so a compound state resolves to a single stable
+ * stage): **workflow-gate > pull-request > merger > reviewer > executor**.
+ * A task paused on a workflow prompt/script gate node is reported as
+ * workflow-gate even if it also carries an open PR or pending review, because
+ * the gate is the current blocking reason. Below that, an active PR takes
+ * precedence over a bare merge/review classification since PR lifecycle is
+ * the more specific state. Below that, an explicit merge-hold/merge-error
+ * marker takes precedence over a generic pending-review read of `in-review`.
+ *
+ * Never throws — missing/partial fields degrade to `null`.
+ */
+export function resolveWatchedStage(task: Partial<OverseerTaskRef> | null | undefined): OverseerWatchedStage | null {
+  try {
+    if (!task) return null;
+
+    // workflow-gate: paused awaiting an explicit workflow prompt/script gate
+    // input (cli-approval or ask-input gate), regardless of column.
+    if (task.paused === true && typeof task.pausedReason === "string") {
+      if (task.pausedReason.startsWith("workflow-cli-approval:") || task.pausedReason.startsWith("workflow-input:")) {
+        return "workflow-gate";
+      }
+    }
+
+    const column = task.column;
+    if (column !== "in-progress" && column !== "in-review") {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    if (column === "in-progress") {
+      return "executor";
+    }
+
+    // column === "in-review" beyond this point.
+
+    // pull-request: an active (non-terminal) PR lifecycle takes precedence
+    // over a plain merge/review read of in-review.
+    const prInfo = task.prInfo;
+    if (prInfo && typeof prInfo === "object" && prInfo.status !== "merged" && prInfo.status !== "closed") {
+      return "pull-request";
+    }
+
+    // merger: an explicit merge-hold notification marker or a recorded merge
+    // error means the task is in the merge/integration phase.
+    const marker = task.workflowTransitionNotification;
+    if (marker && marker.kind === "manual-merge-hold") {
+      return "merger";
+    }
+    if (prInfo && typeof prInfo === "object" && typeof prInfo.lastMergeError === "string" && prInfo.lastMergeError.length > 0) {
+      return "merger";
+    }
+
+    // reviewer: review is in progress / pending items.
+    const reviewState = task.reviewState;
+    if (reviewState && typeof reviewState === "object") {
+      return "reviewer";
+    }
+
+    // Plain in-review with no review state and no merge marker yet — treat as
+    // the merge/integration phase (awaiting auto-merge).
+    return "merger";
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+function deriveSignalAndSources(
+  taskId: string,
+  stage: OverseerWatchedStage,
+  task: Partial<OverseerTaskRef>,
+): { signal: OverseerObservationSignal; reason: string; sources: OverseerSourceLink[] } {
+  switch (stage) {
+    case "executor": {
+      if (task.paused === true) {
+        return {
+          signal: "blocked",
+          reason: task.pausedReason ? `Executor stage paused: ${task.pausedReason}` : "Executor stage paused",
+          sources: [{ kind: "agent-log", ref: taskId }],
+        };
+      }
+      return {
+        signal: "progressing",
+        reason: "Task is actively executing in-progress work",
+        sources: [{ kind: "agent-log", ref: taskId }],
+      };
+    }
+    case "reviewer": {
+      const reviewState = task.reviewState as OverseerTaskReviewState | undefined;
+      const summary = reviewState?.summary;
+      const decision = summary && "reviewDecision" in summary ? summary.reviewDecision : undefined;
+      if (decision === "CHANGES_REQUESTED") {
+        return {
+          signal: "blocked",
+          reason: "Review requested changes",
+          sources: [{ kind: "review-comment", ref: reviewState?.items?.[0]?.id ?? taskId }],
+        };
+      }
+      return {
+        signal: "progressing",
+        reason: "Review in progress",
+        sources: [{ kind: "review-comment", ref: reviewState?.items?.[0]?.id ?? taskId }],
+      };
+    }
+    case "merger": {
+      const prInfo = task.prInfo;
+      if (prInfo?.lastMergeError) {
+        return {
+          signal: "failed",
+          reason: `Merge failed: ${prInfo.lastMergeError}`,
+          sources: [{ kind: "merge-error", ref: prInfo.lastMergeError }],
+        };
+      }
+      if (task.workflowTransitionNotification?.kind === "manual-merge-hold") {
+        return {
+          signal: "awaiting-human",
+          reason: "Held awaiting manual merge decision",
+          sources: [{ kind: "merge-error", ref: task.workflowTransitionNotification.transitionId ?? taskId }],
+        };
+      }
+      return {
+        signal: "progressing",
+        reason: "Task is in the merge/integration phase",
+        sources: [{ kind: "merge-error", ref: taskId }],
+      };
+    }
+    case "pull-request": {
+      const prInfo = task.prInfo as PrInfo | undefined;
+      if (prInfo?.checkRollup === "failure") {
+        return {
+          signal: "failed",
+          reason: "PR checks failing",
+          sources: [{ kind: "failed-check", ref: prInfo.url, url: prInfo.url }],
+        };
+      }
+      return {
+        signal: "progressing",
+        reason: "PR lifecycle in progress",
+        sources: [{ kind: "pr-state", ref: prInfo?.url ?? taskId, url: prInfo?.url }],
+      };
+    }
+    case "workflow-gate": {
+      return {
+        signal: "awaiting-human",
+        reason: task.pausedReason ? `Paused on workflow gate: ${task.pausedReason}` : "Paused on workflow gate",
+        sources: [{ kind: "agent-log", ref: task.pausedReason ?? taskId }],
+      };
+    }
+    default: {
+      return {
+        signal: "progressing",
+        reason: "",
+        sources: [],
+      };
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/** Minimal store seam the monitor records best-effort observations through —
+ *  mirrors `fallback-model-observer.ts`'s `FallbackLogStore` seam. */
+export interface OverseerLogStore {
+  logEntry?(taskId: string, action: string): Promise<unknown>;
+  appendAgentLog?(
+    taskId: string,
+    text: string,
+    type: "text" | "thinking" | "tool" | "tool_result" | "tool_error",
+    detail?: string,
+    agent?: string,
+  ): Promise<unknown>;
+}
+
+export interface PlannerOverseerMonitorOptions {
+  store?: OverseerLogStore;
+  onObservation?: (observation: OverseerStageObservation) => void | Promise<void>;
+  /** Max observations retained per task in the in-memory ring buffer. Default: 20. */
+  maxObservationsPerTask?: number;
+}
+
+const DEFAULT_MAX_OBSERVATIONS_PER_TASK = 20;
+
+/**
+ * FNXC:PlannerOversight 2026-07-04-00:00:
+ * Records-only monitor: watches a task's current lifecycle stage and, when
+ * the effective oversight level is not `"off"`, records one normalized
+ * `OverseerStageObservation` per call into a bounded per-task ring buffer and
+ * invokes the optional `onObservation` callback best-effort. Never mutates
+ * task lifecycle, never retries/fixes/merges/notifies — steering and
+ * recovery are FN-7512+.
+ */
+export class PlannerOverseerMonitor {
+  private readonly store?: OverseerLogStore;
+  private readonly onObservation?: (observation: OverseerStageObservation) => void | Promise<void>;
+  private readonly maxObservationsPerTask: number;
+  private readonly observations = new Map<string, OverseerStageObservation[]>();
+
+  constructor(options: PlannerOverseerMonitorOptions = {}) {
+    this.store = options.store;
+    this.onObservation = options.onObservation;
+    this.maxObservationsPerTask = options.maxObservationsPerTask ?? DEFAULT_MAX_OBSERVATIONS_PER_TASK;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Observe a task's current watched stage and record a gated observation.
+   * Returns `null` when the level is `"off"` or when no stage is currently
+   * monitorable. Never throws.
+   */
+  async observeTask(task: OverseerTaskRef, level: PlannerOversightLevel): Promise<OverseerStageObservation | null> {
+    try {
+      if (level === "off") {
+        return null;
+      }
+
+      const stage = resolveWatchedStage(task);
+      if (!stage) {
+        return null;
+      }
+
+      const { signal, reason, sources } = deriveSignalAndSources(task.id, stage, task);
+      const observation: OverseerStageObservation = {
+        taskId: task.id,
+        stage,
+        signal,
+        oversightLevel: level,
+        observedAt: Date.now(),
+        reason,
+        sources,
+      };
+
+      this.record(observation);
+
+      if (this.onObservation) {
+        try {
+          await this.onObservation(observation);
+        } catch {
+          // Best-effort — never let a consumer callback fail the monitor.
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (this.store?.logEntry) {
+        await this.store
+          .logEntry(task.id, `[planner-overseer] stage=${stage} signal=${signal}: ${reason}`)
+          .catch(() => undefined);
+      }
+
+      return observation;
+    } catch {
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+
+  private record(observation: OverseerStageObservation): void {
+    const existing = this.observations.get(observation.taskId) ?? [];
+    existing.push(observation);
+    if (existing.length > this.maxObservationsPerTask) {
+      existing.splice(0, existing.length - this.maxObservationsPerTask);
+    }
+    this.observations.set(observation.taskId, existing);
+  }
+
+  /** Return the recorded observations for a task, oldest first. */
+  getObservations(taskId: string): OverseerStageObservation[] {
+    return [...(this.observations.get(taskId) ?? [])];
+  }
+
+  /** Clear recorded observations for a task (e.g. on task completion). */
+  clear(taskId: string): void {
+    this.observations.delete(taskId);
+  }
+
+  /** Task IDs that currently retain at least one recorded observation. Used
+   *  by the engine poll to release ring buffers for tasks that have left the
+   *  in-flight set. */
+  getObservedTaskIds(): string[] {
+    return [...this.observations.keys()];
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/project-engine.ts b/packages/engine/src/project-engine.ts
index 71d206db1e..6967c4ae87 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/project-engine.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/project-engine.ts
@@ -13,13 +13,14 @@ import type {
   ResearchSynthesisRequest,
   ResearchSynthesisResult,
 } from "@fusion/core";
-import { allowsAutoMergeProcessing, compareTasksByPriorityThenAgeAndId, getTaskHardMergeBlocker, isSharedBranchGroupMemberIntegration, isWorkspaceTask, normalizeMergerMode, resolveMaxAutoMergeRetries, sortTasksByPriorityThenAgeAndId } from "@fusion/core";
+import { allowsAutoMergeProcessing, compareTasksByPriorityThenAgeAndId, getTaskHardMergeBlocker, isSharedBranchGroupMemberIntegration, isWorkspaceTask, normalizeMergerMode, resolveEffectivePlannerOversightLevel, resolveEffectiveSettings, resolveMaxAutoMergeRetries, sortTasksByPriorityThenAgeAndId } from "@fusion/core";
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { InProcessRuntime } from "./runtimes/in-process-runtime.js";
 import type { WorktreePool } from "./worktree-pool.js";
 import type { ProjectRuntimeConfig } from "./project-runtime.js";
 import { PrMonitor } from "./pr-monitor.js";
+import { PlannerOverseerMonitor } from "./planner-overseer.js";
 import type { PrNodeGithubOps } from "./pr-nodes.js";
 import { PrReconciler, type PrReconcileGithubOps } from "./pr-reconcile.js";
 import { PrCommentHandler } from "./pr-comment-handler.js";
@@ -322,6 +323,18 @@ export class ProjectEngine {
   private runtime: InProcessRuntime;
   private started = false;
   private prMonitor?: PrMonitor;
+  /**
+   * FNXC:PlannerOversight 2026-07-04-00:00:
+   * FN-7511 records-only planner-overseer monitor. Watches in-flight tasks
+   * (in-progress/in-review) across the executor/reviewer/merger/pull-request/
+   * workflow-gate stages, gated by the task's effective planner oversight
+   * level (`resolveEffectivePlannerOversightLevel`). No lifecycle mutation —
+   * steering/recovery land in FN-7512+.
+   */
+  private plannerOverseer?: PlannerOverseerMonitor;
+  private plannerOverseerPollTimer: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null;
+  /** Conservative poll cadence for the records-only planner-overseer monitor (45s). */
+  private static readonly PLANNER_OVERSEER_POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 45 * 1000;
   private prReconciler?: PrReconciler;
   private prCommentHandler?: PrCommentHandler;
   private notifier?: NtfyNotifier;
@@ -577,6 +590,11 @@ export class ProjectEngine {
       runtimeLog.warn(`Remote tunnel restore evaluation failed (continuing startup): ${message}`);
     }
 
+    // FN-7511: Initialize the records-only planner-overseer monitor and start
+    // its bounded, gated poll over in-flight tasks.
+    this.plannerOverseer = new PlannerOverseerMonitor({ store });
+    this.startPlannerOverseerPoll(store);
+
     // 2. Initialize PrMonitor + PrCommentHandler
     this.prMonitor = new PrMonitor();
     this.prCommentHandler = new PrCommentHandler(store);
@@ -809,6 +827,7 @@ export class ProjectEngine {
       clearInterval(this.mergeActiveReconcileTimer);
       this.mergeActiveReconcileTimer = null;
     }
+    this.stopPlannerOverseerPoll();
 
     // Abort active/pending merge work before tearing down sessions.
     this.mergeAbortController?.abort();
@@ -976,6 +995,11 @@ export class ProjectEngine {
     return this.prMonitor;
   }
 
+  /** Get the records-only PlannerOverseerMonitor (if initialized). See FN-7511. */
+  getPlannerOverseer(): PlannerOverseerMonitor | undefined {
+    return this.plannerOverseer;
+  }
+
   /** Get the CronRunner (if initialized). */
   getCronRunner(): CronRunner | undefined {
     return this.cronRunner;
@@ -1780,6 +1804,73 @@ export class ProjectEngine {
     return cleared;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * FNXC:PlannerOversight 2026-07-04-00:00:
+   * Bounded, gated poll over in-flight tasks (in-progress/in-review). For
+   * each task, resolves the effective planner oversight level and, unless it
+   * is "off" or the task resolves to no watched stage, records one
+   * `OverseerStageObservation` via `PlannerOverseerMonitor#observeTask`.
+   * Records-only: no lifecycle mutation, retry, or notification here.
+   * Cleared on `stop()`. Never an unbounded loop — a single bounded
+   * `setInterval` at a conservative cadence.
+   */
+  private startPlannerOverseerPoll(store: TaskStore): void {
+    if (this.plannerOverseerPollTimer) {
+      return;
+    }
+    this.plannerOverseerPollTimer = setInterval(() => {
+      void this.pollPlannerOverseer(store);
+    }, ProjectEngine.PLANNER_OVERSEER_POLL_INTERVAL_MS);
+  }
+
+  private async pollPlannerOverseer(store: TaskStore): Promise<void> {
+    if (!this.plannerOverseer || this.shuttingDown) {
+      return;
+    }
+    const overseer = this.plannerOverseer;
+    try {
+      const [inProgress, inReview] = await Promise.all([
+        store.listTasks({ column: "in-progress" }).catch(() => [] as Task[]),
+        store.listTasks({ column: "in-review" }).catch(() => [] as Task[]),
+      ]);
+      const inFlight = [...inProgress, ...inReview];
+      const inFlightIds = new Set(inFlight.map((t) => t.id));
+
+      for (const task of inFlight) {
+        try {
+          const workflowEffective = await resolveEffectiveSettings(store, { id: task.id }).catch(() => ({}) as Record<string, unknown>);
+          const level = resolveEffectivePlannerOversightLevel(
+            task.plannerOversightLevel,
+            workflowEffective.plannerOversightLevel as string | undefined,
+          );
+          if (level === "off") {
+            continue;
+          }
+          await overseer.observeTask(task, level);
+        } catch {
+          // Best-effort per-task — never let one task's failure block the poll.
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Drop retained observations for tasks that have left the in-flight set
+      // (moved to done/archived/failed/etc.) so the ring buffers don't leak.
+      for (const taskId of overseer.getObservedTaskIds()) {
+        if (!inFlightIds.has(taskId)) {
+          overseer.clear(taskId);
+        }
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // Best-effort poll — degrade silently, never throw out of the interval.
+    }
+  }
+
+  private stopPlannerOverseerPoll(): void {
+    if (this.plannerOverseerPollTimer) {
+      clearInterval(this.plannerOverseerPollTimer);
+      this.plannerOverseerPollTimer = null;
+    }
+  }
+
   private scheduleMergeActiveReconciliation(intervalMs: number): void {
     if (!Number.isFinite(intervalMs) || intervalMs <= 0) {
       return;