diff --git a/.changeset/mission-triage-branch-strategy-and-parked-validation.md b/.changeset/mission-triage-branch-strategy-and-parked-validation.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0966318fa7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/mission-triage-branch-strategy-and-parked-validation.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+"@runfusion/fusion": patch
+---
+
+summary: Honor mission branchStrategy when triage omits branchAssignment; skip validation for inactive missions.
+category: fix
+dev: resolveBranchAssignmentContext returns undefined for absent mode so triage falls back to mission.branchStrategy; processTaskOutcome gates on mission.status === "active" like recoverActiveMissions.
diff --git a/packages/dashboard/src/__tests__/branch-selection.test.ts b/packages/dashboard/src/__tests__/branch-selection.test.ts
index ab8b548927..8b083baca0 100644
--- a/packages/dashboard/src/__tests__/branch-selection.test.ts
+++ b/packages/dashboard/src/__tests__/branch-selection.test.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,12 @@ describe("branch-selection", () => {
   });
 
   it("resolves assignment context", () => {
-    expect(resolveBranchAssignmentContext(undefined)).toEqual({ mode: "shared" });
+    // Absent input resolves to undefined so callers fall back to their own
+    // default (e.g. mission triage uses mission.branchStrategy).
+    expect(resolveBranchAssignmentContext(undefined)).toEqual({ mode: undefined });
+    expect(resolveBranchAssignmentContext(null)).toEqual({ mode: undefined });
+    expect(resolveBranchAssignmentContext({})).toEqual({ mode: undefined });
+    expect(resolveBranchAssignmentContext({ mode: "shared" })).toEqual({ mode: "shared" });
     expect(resolveBranchAssignmentContext({ mode: "per-task-derived" })).toEqual({ mode: "per-task-derived" });
     expect(() => resolveBranchAssignmentContext({ mode: "bad" })).toThrow("branchAssignment.mode must be one of");
   });
diff --git a/packages/dashboard/src/routes/branch-selection.ts b/packages/dashboard/src/routes/branch-selection.ts
index 67d29d5dbf..fe0a7f7c5c 100644
--- a/packages/dashboard/src/routes/branch-selection.ts
+++ b/packages/dashboard/src/routes/branch-selection.ts
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@ export interface BranchAssignmentContext {
 }
 
 export interface ResolvedBranchAssignmentContext {
-  mode: PlanningBranchMode;
+  /** undefined when the request did not specify a mode; callers pick their own default. */
+  mode: PlanningBranchMode | undefined;
 }
 
 function normalizeOptionalBranch(value: unknown, fieldName: string): string | undefined {
@@ -133,7 +134,10 @@ export function resolveBranchSelection(
 
 export function resolveBranchAssignmentContext(input: unknown): ResolvedBranchAssignmentContext {
   if (input === undefined || input === null) {
-    return { mode: "shared" };
+    // No explicit assignment requested: leave mode undefined so callers can
+    // apply their own default (e.g. mission triage falls back to the
+    // mission's branchStrategy instead of being forced into a shared group).
+    return { mode: undefined };
   }
   if (typeof input !== "object" || Array.isArray(input)) {
     throw badRequest("branchAssignment must be an object");
@@ -143,9 +147,7 @@ export function resolveBranchAssignmentContext(input: unknown): ResolvedBranchAs
   if (mode !== undefined && mode !== "shared" && mode !== "per-task-derived") {
     throw badRequest("branchAssignment.mode must be one of: shared, per-task-derived");
   }
-  return {
-    mode: mode === "per-task-derived" ? "per-task-derived" : "shared",
-  };
+  return { mode };
 }
 
 export function sanitizeSegment(input: string): string {
diff --git a/packages/dashboard/src/routes/register-planning-subtask-routes.ts b/packages/dashboard/src/routes/register-planning-subtask-routes.ts
index fba7d7fe1f..7f7c86d114 100644
--- a/packages/dashboard/src/routes/register-planning-subtask-routes.ts
+++ b/packages/dashboard/src/routes/register-planning-subtask-routes.ts
@@ -238,7 +238,8 @@ export function registerPlanningSubtaskRoutes(ctx: ApiRoutesContext, deps: Plann
 
       const { branch: resolvedBranch, baseBranch: resolvedBaseBranch } =
         resolveBranchSelection(branchSelection, branch, baseBranch);
-      const { mode: branchMode } = resolveBranchAssignmentContext(branchAssignment);
+      // Planning subtasks have no strategy fallback; keep the historical shared default.
+      const { mode: branchMode = "shared" } = resolveBranchAssignmentContext(branchAssignment);
       // Stamp the real BranchGroup id (BG-…) so listTasksByBranchGroup(group.id)
       // resolves members. The group is only ensured (and the id set) in shared
       // mode below. Non-shared members get NO groupId — stamping a synthetic
@@ -1323,7 +1324,8 @@ export function registerPlanningSubtaskRoutes(ctx: ApiRoutesContext, deps: Plann
 
       const { branch: resolvedBranch, baseBranch: resolvedBaseBranch } =
         resolveBranchSelection(branchSelection, branch, baseBranch);
-      const { mode: branchMode } = resolveBranchAssignmentContext(branchAssignment);
+      // Planning subtasks have no strategy fallback; keep the historical shared default.
+      const { mode: branchMode = "shared" } = resolveBranchAssignmentContext(branchAssignment);
       // Stamp the real BranchGroup id (BG-…) so listTasksByBranchGroup(group.id)
       // resolves members. The group is only ensured (and the id set) in shared
       // mode below. Non-shared members get NO groupId — stamping a synthetic
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/mission-execution-loop.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/mission-execution-loop.test.ts
index 3108d554c9..427e7f576c 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/mission-execution-loop.test.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/mission-execution-loop.test.ts
@@ -823,6 +823,56 @@ describe("MissionExecutionLoop", () => {
       );
     });
 
+    it("skips validation when the feature's mission is not active", async () => {
+      missionStore._setMission(createMockMission({ id: "M-TEST1", status: "planning" }));
+      const feature = createMockFeature({ loopState: "implementing", taskId: "FN-001" });
+      missionStore._setFeature(feature);
+      missionStore.getFeatureByTaskId = vi.fn().mockReturnValue(feature);
+
+      loop = new MissionExecutionLoop({
+        taskStore: taskStore as any,
+        missionStore: missionStore as any,
+        rootDir: "/tmp",
+      });
+      loop.start();
+
+      await loop.processTaskOutcome("FN-001");
+
+      expect(missionStore.startValidatorRun).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(missionStore.logMissionEvent).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.any(String),
+        "warning",
+        expect.stringContaining("Validation skipped"),
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          code: "validation_skipped_mission_inactive",
+          featureId: "F-001",
+          taskId: "FN-001",
+          missionId: "M-TEST1",
+          missionStatus: "planning",
+        }),
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("validates when the feature's mission is active", async () => {
+      missionStore._setMission(createMockMission({ id: "M-TEST1", status: "active" }));
+      const feature = createMockFeature({ loopState: "implementing", taskId: "FN-001" });
+      missionStore._setFeature(feature);
+      missionStore.getFeatureByTaskId = vi.fn().mockReturnValue(feature);
+      taskStore._setTask({ id: "FN-001", title: "Test", description: "Test task", log: [] });
+
+      loop = new MissionExecutionLoop({
+        taskStore: taskStore as any,
+        missionStore: missionStore as any,
+        rootDir: "/tmp",
+      });
+      vi.spyOn(loop as any, "runValidation").mockResolvedValue({ status: "pass", summary: "ok" });
+      loop.start();
+
+      await loop.processTaskOutcome("FN-001");
+
+      expect(missionStore.startValidatorRun).toHaveBeenCalledWith("F-001", "task_completion");
+    });
+
     it("requeues needs_fix features back through validation", async () => {
       const assertions = makeAssertions(1);
       const response = JSON.stringify({
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/mission-execution-loop.ts b/packages/engine/src/mission-execution-loop.ts
index 49c39bc5cd..763781e2d4 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/mission-execution-loop.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/mission-execution-loop.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import type {
   AgentStore,
   Settings,
   Milestone,
+  Mission,
 } from "@fusion/core";
 import { normalizeMissionAssertionType } from "@fusion/core";
 import type { VerificationOutcome } from "./mission-verification.js";
@@ -417,6 +418,21 @@ export class MissionExecutionLoop extends EventEmitter {
         return;
       }
 
+      // Only validate features of active missions — mirrors the
+      // recoverActiveMissions guard. A parked/blocked/completed mission must
+      // not keep minting validations (and Fix features) for completed tasks.
+      // Features that don't resolve to a mission keep the current behavior.
+      const mission = this.resolveFeatureMission(feature);
+      if (mission && mission.status !== "active") {
+        loopLog.log(`Feature ${feature.id} belongs to mission ${mission.id} with status "${mission.status}"; skipping validation`);
+        this.logFeatureWarningEvent(feature.id, "validation_skipped_mission_inactive", `Validation skipped: mission ${mission.id} status is "${mission.status}" (expected "active").`, {
+          taskId,
+          missionId: mission.id,
+          missionStatus: mission.status,
+        });
+        return;
+      }
+
       if (feature.loopState === "needs_fix") {
         this.missionStore.transitionLoopState(feature.id, "implementing");
         feature.loopState = "implementing";
@@ -1189,6 +1205,15 @@ ${taskContext ? `\n\nImplementation context:\n${taskContext}` : ""}`;
     return this.missionStore.getMilestone(slice.milestoneId);
   }
 
+  private resolveFeatureMission(feature: MissionFeature): Mission | undefined {
+    const milestone = this.resolveFeatureMilestone(feature);
+    if (!milestone) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    return this.missionStore.getMission(milestone.missionId);
+  }
+
   private completeValidatorRunIfStillRunning(
     runId: string | undefined,
     status: "passed" | "failed" | "blocked" | "error",