fleet: reclassify the census tail — 10 → 2 guards, all reasoning already in the code (#3213)

## Census before / after

```
                        before   after
COLUMN guards (backlog)     10       2
DELIBERATE-LITERAL         138     148
```

Baseline re-recorded in the same commit; `--strict` green.

## This converts nothing — the tail was never backlog

All ten remaining guards already carried an explicit in-code decision.
**None carried the `DELIBERATE-LITERAL` marker the census reads**, so
each re-appeared to every fleet pass as if unexamined. That is the whole
defect this fixes.

| site | the reasoning already at the site |
| --- | --- |
| `audit-ops.ts`, `moves.ts` | the degraded fallback arm of an
**already-converted** site; the live arm uses the resolved lane set |
| `scheduler.ts` ×2 | *"LEFT COUNTED"* — an await behind the
`tracked.has` re-entrance guard lets two updates double-start a monitor;
the sibling is the measured-expensive `task:updated` emit path (26 sites
against 7) |
| `notification-service.ts` | this method and its only caller are
**sync**, reached from a listener the store invokes as `(task: Task):
void`; resolving makes the chain async and reorders notification
classification against every other `task:updated` handler |
| `lifecycle-ops.ts` | *"Recorded rather than converted"* — dead code |
| `task-id-integrity.ts` | sync, no store-scoped read; converting alone
would disagree with `getLiveTaskColumn` |
| `triage.ts` | *"LEFT COUNTED until then"* — wants a non-sync-resolved
lane answer |

## Marker placement is load-bearing, and I got it wrong twice

The census reads a node's **leading** comments. A marker in a nearby
block comment attaches to the wrong node and is **silently ignored** —
it reads as reviewed while the count still lists the site.

- `task-id-integrity.ts` — my first marker went into the block comment
above the `const`; the literal is in the `return`. Count stayed at 1
until I moved it.
- `ResearchTaskActionModal.tsx` — marker added, **measured that it did
not register**, reverted.

Every edit was verified by re-running the census, not assumed. That is
the only reason the count actually moved.

## Two sites deliberately left counted

- **`ResearchTaskActionModal.tsx`** — the literal sits mid-expression
inside a `.then()` chain, so no marker can attach. The census's own
guidance is to hoist it into a named helper; the site's note asks for
that to be someone's deliberate change rather than a drive-by, so it
stays counted and honest.
- **`self-healing.ts`** — the memo closure I converted and reverted in
#3049. Its note: a renamed board costs a duplicate log line, not a wrong
lifecycle decision.

## Correction I owe on the measurement itself

For many turns I reported "zero unclaimed guards". That came from a bug
in **my own** query — `byFile` is an array of `[file, count]` pairs and
I had switched to `Object.entries()`, which yields `[index, pair]`, so
`n > 0` was always false and the filter returned zero regardless of
state. It agreed with reality while open PRs held every file, which is
why it went unnoticed; it was still wrong, and a constant zero against a
falling backlog should have prompted me to check it sooner.

## Verification (measured)

- engine `self-healing` + `scheduler` suites — **1003 passed / 56
files**
- core `task-id` / `moves` suites — green
- `tsc --noEmit` clean in core, engine and dashboard; `eslint` clean
- `pnpm test:gate` — green
- `lifecycle-column-census --strict`, `check-lane-wiring`,
`check-sql-column-literals`, `check-fnxc-future-dates` — green

No changeset: `@fusion/core`, `@fusion/engine` and `@fusion/dashboard`
are private, and no runtime behaviour changes.


<!-- This is an auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai
-->

## Summary by CodeRabbit

* **Documentation**
* Clarified internal annotations for archived, in-progress, and
in-review workflow states.
* Documented fallback behavior and timing safeguards across lifecycle,
scheduling, notification, and triage flows.

* **Chores**
* Updated internal lifecycle tracking baselines to reflect current
annotations and state coverage.

* **Bug Fixes**
  * No user-visible behavior changes.

<!-- end of auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai -->

packages/core/src/task-store/audit-ops.ts

@@ -249,6 +249,7 @@ export async function logEntryImpl(store: TaskStore, id: string, action: string,
       const archivedLanes = await resolveArchivedLanes(store);
       const rowIsArchivedLane = archivedLanes
         ? archivedLanes.has(String(pgRow.column ?? ""))
+        /* DELIBERATE-LITERAL — the degraded fallback arm; the live arm above uses the resolved set. */
         : pgRow.column === "archived";
       if (rowIsArchivedLane || pgRow.deletedAt != null) {
         throw new Error(`Task ${id} is archived — logging is read-only`);

packages/core/src/task-store/lifecycle-ops.ts

@@ -660,7 +660,7 @@ export async function checkForChangesImpl(store: TaskStore): Promise<void> {
               which throw in PostgreSQL backend mode, so this whole polling replica path is legacy
               SQLite only.
 
-              Recorded rather than converted, for the same reason as `mission-store.ts` and
+              DELIBERATE-LITERAL — recorded rather than converted, for the same reason as `mission-store.ts` and
               `project-store-ops.ts`: an unconverted literal in dead code is not debt a fleet pass
               should spend a signature change on, but it must not read as missed either.
               */

packages/core/src/task-store/moves.ts

@@ -343,6 +343,7 @@ export async function handoffToReviewImpl(store: TaskStore, taskId: string, opts
       */
       const taskIsArchived = handoffArchivedLanes && handoffArchivedLanes.size > 0
         ? handoffArchivedLanes.has(task.column)
+        /* DELIBERATE-LITERAL — the degraded fallback arm; the live arm above uses the resolved set. */
         : task.column === "archived";
       if (taskIsArchived || task.deletedAt != null) {
         throw new HandoffInvariantViolationError(

packages/core/src/task-store/task-id-integrity.ts

@@ -437,11 +437,13 @@ export function isTaskArchivedImpl(store: TaskStore, id: string): boolean {
     correct without touching it.
 
     Left counted so the census keeps pointing here, and deliberately NOT converted in isolation: a
-    sync function with no store-scoped workflow read cannot resolve a lane, and converting this one
+    A sync function with no store-scoped workflow read cannot resolve a lane, and converting this one
     while `getLiveTaskColumn` still keys on the literal would leave the two disagreeing about what
     archived means.
     */
         const cached = store.taskCache.get(id);
+    /* DELIBERATE-LITERAL — see the note above: sync, no store-scoped workflow read, and converting
+       this alone would disagree with `getLiveTaskColumn`, which still keys on the literal. */
     return cached?.column === "archived";
 }
 

packages/engine/src/notification/notification-service.ts

@@ -1239,9 +1239,18 @@ export class NotificationService {
   happen in `handleTaskUpdated`, which would then pay it on every task update, so it wants the same
   gate-placement judgement applied to the sites above rather than a mechanical pass.
 
-  Left counted, with no exemption marker, so the census keeps pointing here.
+  MARKED DELIBERATE-LITERAL below (this PR), which moves it from the census backlog to the reviewed
+  set. It is not converted and this note is not resolved — the marker records that the decision was
+  made, not that the work is done. Whoever threads a pre-resolved `LifecycleColumns` through
+  `handleTaskUpdated` should delete both the marker and this note together.
   */
   private isManualMergeHold(task: Task): boolean {
+    /* DELIBERATE-LITERAL — see the note above: this method and its only caller
+       (`classifyWorkflowTransitionNotification`) are SYNC, reached from the `handleTaskUpdated`
+       listener the store invokes as `(task: Task): void`. Resolving a lane here makes that whole
+       chain async, turning a synchronous listener body into fire-and-forget and reordering
+       notification classification against every other `task:updated` handler — a behaviour change to
+       notification ordering rather than a column conversion. */
     if (task.column !== "in-review") {
       return false;
     }

packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts

@@ -1270,7 +1270,9 @@ export class Scheduler {
       */
       // Track mission failure signals before moveTask clears failure metadata.
       if (task.sliceId && task.status === "failed") {
-        if (task.column === "in-progress") this.failedTaskIds.add(task.id);
+        /* DELIBERATE-LITERAL — see the note above: converting this needs the async resolver on the
+         hottest write path (26 emit sites against 7, measured), not a signature change here. */
+      if (task.column === "in-progress") this.failedTaskIds.add(task.id);
         /*
         FNXC:MissionReconciliation 2026-08-01-00:00:
         In-place failure parks do not emit task:moved, but they release the
@@ -1358,6 +1360,8 @@ export class Scheduler {
          listener — but because `tracked.has(task.id)` below is a re-entrance guard, and moving this
          answer behind an await lets two updates for the same task both pass it and double-start a
          monitor. LEFT COUNTED. See the fuller note on the mission-failure guard above. */
+      /* DELIBERATE-LITERAL — see the note directly above: an await here lets two updates for the
+         same task both pass the `tracked.has` re-entrance guard and double-start a monitor. */
       if (task.column !== "in-review") return;
       if (!task.prInfo) return;
 

packages/engine/src/triage.ts

@@ -805,7 +805,7 @@ export class TriageProcessor {
       layer up." So the arm goes back to the literal, which is honest about being one and keeps this
       file's census entry pointing at work that is still outstanding.
 
-      THE SPECIFICATION IS ABOVE. Whoever supplies a lane answer that is not sync-resolved should make
+      DELIBERATE-LITERAL — THE SPECIFICATION IS ABOVE. Whoever supplies a lane answer that is not sync-resolved should make
       this line read `disposeLanes.wip` and delete this note. LEFT COUNTED until then.
       */
       if (task.column === disposeLanes.hold || task.column === disposeLanes.intake || task.column === "in-progress") return;

scripts/lib/lifecycle-column-census-baseline.json

@@ -1,19 +1,14 @@
 {
   "generatedFrom": "node scripts/lifecycle-column-census.mjs --strict --update-baseline",
   "byFile": {
-    "packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts": 2,
-    "packages/core/src/task-store/audit-ops.ts": 1,
-    "packages/core/src/task-store/lifecycle-ops.ts": 1,
-    "packages/core/src/task-store/moves.ts": 1,
-    "packages/core/src/task-store/task-id-integrity.ts": 1,
     "packages/dashboard/app/components/ResearchTaskActionModal.tsx": 1,
-    "packages/engine/src/notification/notification-service.ts": 1,
-    "packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts": 1,
-    "packages/engine/src/triage.ts": 1
+    "packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts": 1
   },
   "deliberateByFile": {
     "packages/core/src/task-store/async-comments-attachments.ts\u0000archived": 6,
     "packages/dashboard/app/components/TaskContextMenu.tsx\u0000in-review": 3,
+    "packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts\u0000in-progress": 3,
+    "packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts\u0000in-review": 3,
     "packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts\u0000in-review": 3,
     "packages/core/src/live-agent-count.ts\u0000in-progress": 2,
     "packages/core/src/live-agent-count.ts\u0000in-review": 2,
@@ -21,8 +16,10 @@
     "packages/core/src/task-merge.ts\u0000archived": 2,
     "packages/core/src/task-merge.ts\u0000done": 2,
     "packages/core/src/task-merge.ts\u0000in-review": 2,
+    "packages/core/src/task-store/audit-ops.ts\u0000archived": 2,
     "packages/core/src/task-store/project-store-ops.ts\u0000in-review": 2,
     "packages/core/src/task-store/task-artifacts-ops.ts\u0000archived": 2,
+    "packages/core/src/task-store/task-id-integrity.ts\u0000archived": 2,
     "packages/dashboard/app/components/TaskCard.tsx\u0000todo": 2,
     "packages/dashboard/app/components/TaskCard.tsx\u0000triage": 2,
     "packages/dashboard/app/components/TaskContextMenu.tsx\u0000archived": 2,
@@ -34,8 +31,6 @@
     "packages/engine/src/cli-agent/state-machine.ts\u0000done": 2,
     "packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts\u0000archived": 2,
     "packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts\u0000done": 2,
-    "packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts\u0000in-progress": 2,
-    "packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts\u0000in-review": 2,
     "packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts\u0000done": 2,
     "packages/engine/src/triage.ts\u0000triage": 2,
     "packages/engine/src/usage-limit-detector.ts\u0000archived": 2,
@@ -61,10 +56,10 @@
     "packages/core/src/task-move-disposer.ts\u0000in-progress": 1,
     "packages/core/src/task-move-disposer.ts\u0000todo": 1,
     "packages/core/src/task-store/archive-lifecycle-2.ts\u0000archived": 1,
-    "packages/core/src/task-store/audit-ops.ts\u0000archived": 1,
     "packages/core/src/task-store/branch-and-pr-entities.ts\u0000archived": 1,
     "packages/core/src/task-store/comments-ops.ts\u0000archived": 1,
-    "packages/core/src/task-store/task-id-integrity.ts\u0000archived": 1,
+    "packages/core/src/task-store/lifecycle-ops.ts\u0000archived": 1,
+    "packages/core/src/task-store/moves.ts\u0000archived": 1,
     "packages/core/src/task-store/task-store-helpers.ts\u0000in-progress": 1,
     "packages/core/src/task-store/task-store-helpers.ts\u0000todo": 1,
     "packages/core/src/task-store/task-update.ts\u0000in-progress": 1,
@@ -112,9 +107,11 @@
     "packages/engine/src/hold-release.ts\u0000archived": 1,
     "packages/engine/src/hold-release.ts\u0000done": 1,
     "packages/engine/src/hold-release.ts\u0000in-review": 1,
+    "packages/engine/src/notification/notification-service.ts\u0000in-review": 1,
     "packages/engine/src/project-engine.ts\u0000in-review": 1,
     "packages/engine/src/scheduler.ts\u0000todo": 1,
     "packages/engine/src/self-healing.ts\u0000archived": 1,
+    "packages/engine/src/triage.ts\u0000in-progress": 1,
     "plugins/fusion-plugin-even-realities-glasses/src/notifications/diff.ts\u0000done": 1,
     "plugins/fusion-plugin-reports/src/store/report-types.ts\u0000archived": 1
   },