@adhdev/daemon-core 0.9.82-rc.376 → 0.9.82-rc.378

package/src/mesh/mesh-queue-assignment.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,1457 @@
+import { existsSync } from 'fs';
+import type { DaemonComponents } from '../boot/daemon-lifecycle.js';
+import { MESH_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS } from '../runtime-defaults.js';
+import { loadConfig } from '../config/config.js';
+import { getMesh } from '../config/mesh-config.js';
+import { detectCLI } from '../detection/cli-detector.js';
+import { LOG } from '../logging/logger.js';
+import { appendLedgerEntry } from './mesh-ledger.js';
+import { buildMeshNodeCapabilityTags, nodeSatisfiesRequiredTags, claimNextTask, updateTaskStatus, getQueue, recordTaskAutoLaunch, getActiveDirectDispatches } from './mesh-work-queue.js';
+import type { MeshWorkQueueEntry } from './mesh-work-queue.js';
+import { fastForwardMeshNode } from './mesh-fast-forward.js';
+import { createSessionDelivery, updateSessionDeliveryStatus } from './mesh-delivery-policy.js';
+import { MeshRuntimeStore } from './mesh-runtime-store.js';
+import { traceMeshEventDrop } from './mesh-event-trace.js';
+import { awaitWithWarmupDeadline, resolveWarmupDeadlineOpts } from './mesh-warmup-deadline.js';
+import { resolveDelegatedWorkerAutoApprove, resolveProviderMaxParallel, resolveNodeSchedulingPriority, normalizeMeshSchedulingStrategy } from '../repo-mesh-types.js';
+import type { RepoMeshSchedulingStrategy } from '../repo-mesh-types.js';
+import { normalizeMeshNodeId, meshNodeIdMatches, daemonIdsEquivalent, normalizeMeshWorkspaceForCompare, meshWorkspacesEquivalent, type MeshNodeIdentified } from '@adhdev/mesh-shared';
+import { findTerminalLedgerEvidenceForTask, hasUnterminalDirectDispatchLedgerEntry } from './mesh-events-stale.js';
+import { readNonEmptyString } from './mesh-events-utils.js';
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Idle auto fast-forward throttle state
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+const IDLE_AUTO_FAST_FORWARD_THROTTLE_MS = 30 * 60 * 1000;
+const idleAutoFastForwardLastAttempt = new Map<string, number>();
+
+export function __resetIdleAutoFastForwardForTests(): void {
+    idleAutoFastForwardLastAttempt.clear();
+}
+
+export function getMeshWithCache(components: DaemonComponents, meshId: string): any | undefined {
+    const localMesh = getMesh(meshId);
+    const cachedMesh = components.router?.getCachedInlineMesh(meshId);
+    if (!localMesh) return cachedMesh;
+    if (!cachedMesh) return localMesh;
+    return mergeInlineCacheOnlyNodes(localMesh, cachedMesh);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Claim-time membership view unification (CLAIMSTALL fix).
+ *
+ * The coordinator's claim path — triggerMeshQueue → autoLaunch candidate filter
+ * and the local/remote idle-session drain — reads mesh membership through
+ * getMeshWithCache, which historically returned the local-config mesh verbatim
+ * whenever one existed. A freshly cloned worktree node is registered ONLY into the
+ * router's inline mesh cache: clone_mesh_node's `meshRecord.inline` branch calls
+ * updateInlineMeshNode, NOT addNode, so the worktree node never reaches local
+ * config (meshes.json). The config-first view therefore omits the worktree node,
+ * while send_task — which resolves membership through getMeshForCommand(preferInline)
+ * over the same inline cache — sees it. That view asymmetry is the stall: a queue
+ * task pinned to the worktree node reports `target_node_id_unmatched` (autoLaunch
+ * candidate filter / targetPinUnmatched check) and the node's idle session is
+ * dropped from the drain pool (mesh.nodes.find miss), so claim never fires and the
+ * task is stranded pending — even though nodeId matching itself is correct.
+ *
+ * Fix: union the local-config nodes with any inline-cache-ONLY nodes, so the claim
+ * view matches the command (send_task) view. Base (non-worktree) nodes present in
+ * local config stay config-authoritative — their entry is taken verbatim from
+ * localMesh, so base node claim/matching is byte-for-byte unchanged. Only nodes
+ * that exist solely in the inline cache (the cloned worktree nodes) are appended.
+ * Identity comparison uses the shared 3-form normalizer (id / nodeId / node_id),
+ * identical to every other claim-path consumer — the matching logic is untouched,
+ * only which nodes are visible.
+ */
+function mergeInlineCacheOnlyNodes(localMesh: any, cachedMesh: any): any {
+    const localNodes = Array.isArray(localMesh?.nodes) ? localMesh.nodes : [];
+    const cachedNodes = Array.isArray(cachedMesh?.nodes) ? cachedMesh.nodes : [];
+    if (!cachedNodes.length) return localMesh;
+    const cacheOnly = cachedNodes.filter((cachedNode: any) => {
+        const cachedId = readMeshNodeId(cachedNode);
+        // Unidentifiable cache entries can never be a claim/route target — skip them
+        // rather than appending junk that no consumer can address.
+        if (!cachedId) return false;
+        return !localNodes.some((localNode: any) => meshNodeIdMatches(localNode, cachedId));
+    });
+    if (!cacheOnly.length) return localMesh;
+    return { ...localMesh, nodes: [...localNodes, ...cacheOnly] };
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Queue assignment
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+// Per-dispatch confirmation timeout (Bug B). A dispatch promise that never settles —
+// a saturated remote P2P relay that hangs, or a transport that resolves only after
+// the worker acks — would otherwise leave the just-claimed queue row 'assigned' with
+// its delivery stuck 'delivering' forever: the .catch that requeues never fires, and
+// PHASE 3 reconcile skips the row (it counts 0 pending). Racing the dispatch against
+// this timeout guarantees a hung dispatch deterministically returns the task to
+// 'pending' for re-dispatch. Generous so a merely-slow-but-live dispatch (a cold
+// remote relay) is never reclaimed early; the reconcile assigned-stranded watchdog is
+// the durable cross-restart backstop for a timer lost to a daemon restart.
+const DISPATCH_CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_MS = 120_000;
+
+// Cold-open connect budget for the warmup-aware REMOTE task dispatch deadline. A
+// remote `agent_command` to a peer whose mesh DataChannel is not open yet first has
+// to drive the cross-machine (often TURN-relayed) handshake; charging that warmup
+// against the response budget is the same cold-open false-timeout the git_status
+// probe path already guards against. This budget bounds ONLY the "channel not open
+// yet" phase; once the channel is warm the DISPATCH_CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_MS response
+// budget governs (identical to the legacy flat guard for an already-open peer, so
+// no latency is added to a normal dispatch). Matches the daemon-cloud
+// DaemonMeshManager CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS (45s) so the caller-side deadline tracks the
+// transport's own cold-open window rather than guessing.
+//
+// Sourced from the unified, env-overridable MESH_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS (runtime-defaults)
+// — the SAME budget the router's direct-peer git_status probe uses. Previously this
+// was a hard-coded 45_000 while the probe path was env-overridable, so setting the
+// env tuned the probe but silently left this dispatch path at 45s (a silent
+// asymmetry). They now move together.
+const DISPATCH_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS = MESH_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS;
+
+// Fail-loud (throttled) trace for a remote dispatch that ran with NO live mesh
+// connection getter wired — the same degraded-warmup misconfiguration the git probe
+// path warns about. Warn once per peer; resolveWarmupDeadlineOpts then falls back to
+// the conservative combined budget instead of silently assuming "always warm".
+const dispatchWarmupGetterMissingWarned = new Set<string>();
+function warnDispatchWarmupGetterMissingOnce(daemonId: string): void {
+    if (dispatchWarmupGetterMissingWarned.has(daemonId)) return;
+    dispatchWarmupGetterMissingWarned.add(daemonId);
+    LOG.warn('MeshQueue', `Mesh peer connection getter unavailable for ${String(daemonId).slice(0, 12)}; remote task-dispatch warmup deadline degraded to the combined connect+response window. Avoids a cold-open false-timeout but loses warm/cold precision — wire getMeshPeerConnectionStatus on this daemon.`);
+}
+
+interface DeliverTaskContext {
+    meshId: string;
+    nodeId: string;
+    sessionId: string;
+    providerType: string;
+    task: MeshWorkQueueEntry;
+    transport: 'remote' | 'local';
+    sourceCoordinatorSessionId?: string;
+    sourceCoordinatorDaemonId?: string;
+}
+
+// CONS scope 3: the SINGLE source of truth for dispatching a claimed task to its
+// session. The remote (P2P dispatchMeshCommand) and local (cliManager.handleCliCommand)
+// branches differ ONLY in the transport call — the delivery record, the delivered/failed
+// transitions, the pending-requeue-on-failure, the dispatch_failed ledger entry, AND the
+// Bug B hang timeout are identical and live here once so a future change to the dispatch
+// lifecycle cannot drift between the two paths. The caller passes a `dispatchThunk` that
+// performs only the transport-specific send and returns its promise.
+//
+// Cold-open warmup (remote only): the REMOTE transport speaks over a P2P
+// DataChannel that may still be opening when the first task is dispatched to a peer.
+// When `warmup` is supplied the dispatch is awaited under the warmup-aware deadline
+// (mesh-warmup-deadline) — the cold-open handshake is charged to the connect budget
+// and only the warm round trip to the DISPATCH_CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_MS response budget —
+// so the very first dispatch to a not-yet-open peer is no longer false-timed at the
+// combined window. An already-open peer behaves identically to the legacy flat guard
+// (response budget governs from t0), so a normal dispatch sees no added latency. The
+// LOCAL transport (in-process cliManager) has no channel to warm up and keeps the
+// flat Bug B hang guard.
+function deliverTaskToSession(
+    dispatchThunk: () => Promise<unknown>,
+    ctx: DeliverTaskContext,
+    warmup?: { daemonId: string; getConnection?: (daemonId: string) => Record<string, unknown> | null },
+): void {
+    const delivery = createSessionDelivery({
+        meshId: ctx.meshId,
+        nodeId: ctx.nodeId,
+        sessionId: ctx.sessionId,
+        providerType: ctx.providerType,
+        taskId: ctx.task.id,
+        kind: 'task',
+        message: ctx.task.message,
+        status: 'delivering',
+        ...(ctx.sourceCoordinatorSessionId ? { sourceCoordinatorSessionId: ctx.sourceCoordinatorSessionId } : {}),
+        ...(ctx.sourceCoordinatorDaemonId ? { sourceCoordinatorDaemonId: ctx.sourceCoordinatorDaemonId } : {}),
+    });
+
+    // Invoke the transport synchronously (preserves the prior fire-and-forget timing,
+    // and lets a synchronous throw fall into the same failure path as a rejection).
+    let dispatchPromise: Promise<unknown>;
+    try {
+        dispatchPromise = Promise.resolve(dispatchThunk());
+    } catch (e) {
+        dispatchPromise = Promise.reject(e);
+    }
+
+    let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+    let guarded: Promise<unknown>;
+    if (warmup) {
+        // Remote P2P: cold-open-aware deadline. awaitWithWarmupDeadline owns its own
+        // timers (so `timer` stays undefined and the clearTimeout below is a no-op),
+        // and rejects with Error('timeout') when either budget lapses — the same
+        // retryable failure shape the catch below already handles (requeue + ledger).
+        guarded = awaitWithWarmupDeadline(dispatchPromise, resolveWarmupDeadlineOpts({
+            getConnection: warmup.getConnection,
+            daemonId: warmup.daemonId,
+            connectTimeoutMs: DISPATCH_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS,
+            responseTimeoutMs: DISPATCH_CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_MS,
+            onMissingGetter: warnDispatchWarmupGetterMissingOnce,
+        }));
+    } else {
+        guarded = Promise.race([
+            dispatchPromise,
+            new Promise<never>((_, reject) => {
+                timer = setTimeout(
+                    () => reject(new Error(`dispatch_confirm_timeout after ${DISPATCH_CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_MS}ms`)),
+                    DISPATCH_CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_MS,
+                );
+                // Never keep the process alive solely for this confirm-timeout timer.
+                if (typeof (timer as { unref?: () => void })?.unref === 'function') (timer as { unref: () => void }).unref();
+            }),
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    guarded.then(() => {
+        if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+        updateSessionDeliveryStatus(delivery.id, 'delivered');
+    }).catch((e: any) => {
+        if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+        // A dispatch failure (transport reject OR hang timeout) is most often transient —
+        // a busy/refusing adapter, or a relay that never acked — not a permanent task
+        // failure. Marking the task terminal here would permanently kill tasks a later
+        // tick delivers fine. Return it to 'pending' and record a retryable dispatch_failed
+        // ledger entry so the reconcile loop re-dispatches it. Identical for both transports.
+        LOG.error('MeshQueue', `Failed to dispatch task via ${ctx.transport} to node ${ctx.nodeId}: ${e?.message}`);
+        updateSessionDeliveryStatus(delivery.id, 'failed', { lastError: e?.message, incrementAttempt: true });
+        updateTaskStatus(ctx.meshId, ctx.task.id, 'pending');
+        try {
+            appendLedgerEntry(ctx.meshId, {
+                kind: 'dispatch_failed' as any,
+                nodeId: ctx.nodeId,
+                sessionId: ctx.sessionId,
+                payload: { taskId: ctx.task.id, deliveryId: delivery.id, error: e?.message, retryable: true, transport: ctx.transport },
+            });
+        } catch { /* ledger write is best-effort */ }
+    });
+}
+
+// WTCLAIM: workspace normalization for base-vs-worktree comparison now lives in
+// @adhdev/mesh-shared (normalizeMeshWorkspaceForCompare) so the enqueue→claim path,
+// the mesh_status per-node session filter, and the read_chat node scope guard all
+// share one comparison rule instead of drifting module-private copies.
+
+export function tryAssignQueueTask(
+    components: DaemonComponents,
+    meshId: string,
+    nodeId: string,
+    sessionId: string,
+    providerType: string
+): boolean {
+    const mesh = getMeshWithCache(components, meshId);
+    const node = mesh?.nodes.find((n: any) => readMeshNodeId(n) === nodeId);
+
+    // WTCLAIM (fix-B extended to the enqueue→claim path): a base-targeted task must never be
+    // claimed by — and dispatched into — a co-located worktree-clone session, nor vice versa.
+    // The drain candidate's nodeId is derived from settings.meshNodeId || settings.nodeId
+    // (triggerMeshQueue), so a worktree session whose meshNodeId is empty/stale falls back to
+    // settings.nodeId = the BASE node id and impersonates the base node here. fix-B's worker-side
+    // workspace scope only ran for sessionless dispatch (meshScopeNodeId && !targetSessionId); the
+    // claim path ALWAYS carries a targetSessionId, so it never engaged. Apply the same scope here:
+    // for a LOCAL claiming session (adapter resolvable on this daemon), require its actual
+    // workingDir to match the target node's declared workspace. On a confirmed mismatch, refuse the
+    // claim so the task returns to pending for the correctly-scoped session/node to pull. Scoped to
+    // local sessions where the workspace is verifiable — a remote session lives on another daemon
+    // whose paths we cannot compare here (and remote candidates are already nodeId-matched from
+    // getRemoteIdleSessions). Conservative by design: when either workspace is unknown we do NOT
+    // skip, so a node with no declared workspace keeps its prior behavior and no legitimate claim
+    // is starved.
+    // WTDISPATCH (residual of WTCLAIM): the cross-node claim guard must reach EVERY claiming
+    // session this daemon can observe — not only those whose adapter happens to be in
+    // cliManager.adapters. An auto-launched worker session can carry its node binding on the
+    // CLI-instance settings while its session-host record shows no_node_binding, and the
+    // event-driven / remote-idle drain (agent:ready → setRemoteIdleSession → tryAssignQueueTask)
+    // can pass a nodeId that does NOT belong to the claiming session — a sibling worktree node
+    // on the SAME daemon. The adapter-only WTCLAIM check (rc.361/4c5b30b1) never engaged for a
+    // session observed solely via instanceManager, so session A could pull node B's task and
+    // node A's task was left with no session to claim it (no task_dispatched — it never dispatches).
+    //
+    // Resolve the claiming session's REAL identity from the adapter workingDir, then fall back to
+    // the live CLI instance's workspace + its stamped meshNodeId, and refuse a claim that
+    // contradicts EITHER (fail-closed). Reuses the shared meshWorkspacesEquivalent / meshNodeIdMatches
+    // comparators — no new comparison logic. Conservative: when neither the workspace NOR the stamp
+    // is resolvable we do NOT refuse, so a node with no declared workspace keeps prior behavior and
+    // a genuinely remote (cross-daemon) candidate stays nodeId-matched from getRemoteIdleSessions.
+    const localClaimAdapter = components.cliManager?.adapters?.get(sessionId) as { workingDir?: string } | undefined;
+    let claimInstanceWorkspace = '';
+    let claimStampedNodeId = '';
+    try {
+        const claimState = components.instanceManager?.getInstance?.(sessionId)?.getState?.();
+        claimInstanceWorkspace = readNonEmptyString(claimState?.workspace);
+        const claimSettings = (claimState?.settings as Record<string, unknown>) || {};
+        claimStampedNodeId = readNonEmptyString(claimSettings.meshNodeId);
+    } catch { /* best-effort — fall through to the conservative (no refuse) path */ }
+
+    const nodeWorkspaceRaw = readNonEmptyString(node?.workspace);
+    const sessionWorkspaceRaw = readNonEmptyString(localClaimAdapter?.workingDir) || claimInstanceWorkspace;
+
+    if (claimStampedNodeId && nodeId) {
+        // The session carries its OWN meshNodeId stamp — its authoritative node identity, set when
+        // the coordinator launched/dispatched it (mesh-routing trusts this stamp FIRST). When it
+        // matches the claim target the session genuinely belongs to this node, so the stamp settles
+        // it and the workspace heuristic is skipped (a base/worktree pair can legitimately share a
+        // workspace). When it does NOT match, the claim is a cross-node leak — refuse, fail-closed.
+        if (!meshNodeIdMatches({ id: claimStampedNodeId } as MeshNodeIdentified, nodeId)) {
+            LOG.info('MeshQueue', `WTDISPATCH: refusing claim for node ${nodeId} (${sessionId}) — session is bound to node "${claimStampedNodeId}" (cross-node claim blocked)`);
+            return false;
+        }
+    } else if (sessionWorkspaceRaw && nodeWorkspaceRaw && !meshWorkspacesEquivalent(sessionWorkspaceRaw, nodeWorkspaceRaw)) {
+        // No stamp (the no_node_binding worker) — fall back to the workspace to tell two co-located
+        // sibling worktree sessions apart. WTCLAIM, now reaching instanceManager-observable sessions
+        // too. Conservative: unknown workspace on either side → do NOT refuse (no legitimate claim
+        // starved; a genuinely remote cross-daemon candidate stays nodeId-matched as before).
+        LOG.info('MeshQueue', `WTCLAIM: refusing claim for node ${nodeId} (${sessionId}) — session workspace "${normalizeMeshWorkspaceForCompare(sessionWorkspaceRaw)}" ≠ node workspace "${normalizeMeshWorkspaceForCompare(nodeWorkspaceRaw)}" (cross-workspace dispatch blocked)`);
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    const capabilityTags = buildMeshNodeCapabilityTags(node, providerType);
+    // Per-(node, provider) maxParallel cap (RepoMeshNodePolicy.providerRoles) layers
+    // on top of the global/taskMode caps — stricter wins. Resolved here where the
+    // claiming session's providerType + node policy are both known, then enforced
+    // inside the atomic claim transaction so concurrent claims can't overshoot it.
+    const providerMaxParallel = resolveProviderMaxParallel(node?.policy, providerType);
+    // WTDISPATCH-FANOUT: tell the atomic claim whether the claiming node is a worktree
+    // clone so a `convergence` task (base-only: merge → push → cleanup) is refused for
+    // worktree sessions. Without it, every sibling worktree session on this daemon could
+    // claim the same convergence intent and race push/production-deploy (the 4-way fan-out).
+    const nodeIsWorktree = node?.isLocalWorktree === true;
+    const task = claimNextTask(meshId, nodeId, sessionId, capabilityTags, {
+        providerType,
+        ...(providerMaxParallel !== undefined ? { providerMaxParallel } : {}),
+        nodeIsWorktree,
+    });
+    if (!task) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    const terminal = findTerminalLedgerEvidenceForTask({
+        meshId,
+        taskId: task.id,
+    });
+    if (terminal) {
+        const status = terminal.kind === 'task_completed' ? 'completed' : 'failed';
+        updateTaskStatus(meshId, task.id, status);
+        LOG.info('MeshQueue', `Skipped dispatch for terminal task ${task.id} on mesh ${meshId}; ${terminal.kind} ledger evidence already exists`);
+        traceMeshEventDrop('dispatch_terminal_ledger', {
+            taskId: task.id,
+            sessionId,
+            nodeId,
+            meshId,
+            event: 'agent_command',
+        }, terminal.kind);
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    LOG.info('MeshQueue', `Node ${nodeId} (${sessionId}) pulled task ${task.id}`);
+
+    if (node?.daemonId && components.dispatchMeshCommand) {
+        const isLocalNode = components.cliManager.adapters.has(sessionId);
+        if (!isLocalNode) {
+            const localDaemonIdForDispatch = readNonEmptyString(loadConfig().machineId) || undefined;
+            // (3) Originating coordinator session that enqueued this task — route its
+            // completion back to that exact session (multi-coordinator). Carried over P2P
+            // to the remote worker, which echoes it on its completion event.
+            const sourceCoordinatorSessionId = readNonEmptyString(task.sourceCoordinatorSessionId) || undefined;
+            const dispatchMeshCommand = components.dispatchMeshCommand;
+            const remoteDaemonId = node.daemonId;
+            // CONS3: only the transport call differs — everything else (delivery record,
+            // status transitions, requeue-on-failure, ledger, Bug B hang timeout) is in
+            // the shared deliverTaskToSession helper.
+            deliverTaskToSession(
+                () => dispatchMeshCommand(remoteDaemonId, 'agent_command', {
+                    targetSessionId: sessionId,
+                    cliType: providerType,
+                    action: 'send_chat',
+                    message: task.message,
+                    meshContext: {
+                        meshId,
+                        nodeId,
+                        taskId: task.id,
+                        ...(localDaemonIdForDispatch ? { coordinatorDaemonId: localDaemonIdForDispatch } : {}),
+                        ...(sourceCoordinatorSessionId ? { coordinatorSessionId: sourceCoordinatorSessionId } : {}),
+                    },
+                }),
+                {
+                    meshId,
+                    nodeId,
+                    sessionId,
+                    providerType,
+                    task,
+                    transport: 'remote',
+                    ...(sourceCoordinatorSessionId ? { sourceCoordinatorSessionId } : {}),
+                    ...(localDaemonIdForDispatch ? { sourceCoordinatorDaemonId: localDaemonIdForDispatch } : {}),
+                },
+                // Warmup-aware deadline: this dispatch can be the FIRST command to a
+                // peer whose mesh DataChannel is still opening — charge the cold-open
+                // handshake to the connect budget, not the response budget.
+                { daemonId: remoteDaemonId, getConnection: components.getMeshPeerConnectionStatus },
+            );
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Stamp mesh context onto the session so completion events route correctly
+    // via setupMeshEventForwarding. Without this, manually-opened idle sessions
+    // (mesh_launch_session without auto-launch) lack meshNodeFor/meshNodeId and
+    // agent:generating_completed is silently dropped as isMeshDelegate=false.
+    try {
+        const inst = components.instanceManager.getInstance(sessionId);
+        if (inst && typeof inst.updateSettings === 'function') {
+            // Adopting a (possibly manually-opened) local session as a worker: apply the
+            // delegated-worker auto-approve policy here too, so a session that was launched
+            // without autoApprove still auto-approves once the coordinator dispatches a task
+            // to it (the "approval notification fires only for certain delegated sessions"
+            // case). updateSettings preserves runtime mesh keys; passing autoApprove keeps it.
+            //
+            // This local-dispatch branch also runs on the coordinator daemon for a co-located
+            // session, so the coordinator daemon id IS this daemon's id. Stamp it alongside
+            // the node identity so the session is fully relay-safe (meshCoordinatorDaemonId is
+            // the anchor the forwarder keys on), matching what mesh_launch_session stamps.
+            const localDaemonId = readNonEmptyString(loadConfig().machineId);
+            const localSourceCoordinatorSessionId = readNonEmptyString(task.sourceCoordinatorSessionId);
+            inst.updateSettings({
+                meshNodeFor: meshId,
+                meshNodeId: nodeId,
+                launchedByCoordinator: true,
+                autoApprove: resolveDelegatedWorkerAutoApprove(mesh?.policy, node?.policy),
+                ...(localDaemonId ? { meshCoordinatorDaemonId: localDaemonId } : {}),
+                // (3) Stamp the originating coordinator session for session-anchored routing
+                // of this co-located worker's completion. Absent → daemon-level fallback.
+                ...(localSourceCoordinatorSessionId ? { meshCoordinatorSessionId: localSourceCoordinatorSessionId } : {}),
+            });
+        }
+    } catch { /* best-effort — dispatch still proceeds */ }
+
+    // CONS3: same shared dispatch lifecycle as the remote branch — only the transport
+    // (cliManager.handleCliCommand) differs.
+    deliverTaskToSession(
+        () => components.cliManager.handleCliCommand('agent_command', {
+            targetSessionId: sessionId,
+            cliType: providerType,
+            action: 'send_chat',
+            message: task.message,
+        }),
+        {
+            meshId,
+            nodeId,
+            sessionId,
+            providerType,
+            task,
+            transport: 'local',
+            ...(readNonEmptyString(task.sourceCoordinatorSessionId) ? { sourceCoordinatorSessionId: readNonEmptyString(task.sourceCoordinatorSessionId) } : {}),
+            ...(readNonEmptyString(loadConfig().machineId) ? { sourceCoordinatorDaemonId: readNonEmptyString(loadConfig().machineId) } : {}),
+        },
+    );
+
+    return true;
+}
+
+const autoLaunchInProgress = new Set<string>();
+const autoLaunchCooldownUntil = new Map<string, number>();
+const AUTO_LAUNCH_COOLDOWN_MS = 5_000;
+// A remote auto-launch (launch_cli forward) is fire-and-async: the worker session
+// spawns, reaches idle, emits agent:ready, that ready is queued on the worker, pulled
+// by this coordinator (reconcile PHASE 1), and only THEN claims the task. That round
+// trip routinely exceeds the 5s per-(mesh,node) cooldown, so cooldown alone lets the
+// reconcile loop fire a SECOND launch for the same still-pending task before the first
+// session's claim lands — every tick spawns yet another orphan session (observed live:
+// 26 sessions for one task). This is a per-TASK await-claim window: once a task has a
+// successfully-launched session whose claim we are still waiting on, do not launch it
+// again until the window lapses. It is generous (a slow remote spawn can take tens of
+// seconds) but bounded so a launch that silently never reaches idle is eventually retried.
+const AUTO_LAUNCH_AWAIT_CLAIM_MS = 90_000;
+
+// De-dup for repeated `skipped` ledger noise: the reconcile loop re-runs the queue
+// trigger every 4s, so a task that can't be claimed (e.g. a remote node with no
+// transport, or a node under cooldown) would otherwise append an identical
+// session_auto_launch{phase:'skipped'} entry on every tick — flooding the ledger.
+// We suppress a `skipped` ledger append when the immediately-prior recorded event
+// for that task was the SAME (phase, reason). Any non-skip phase (started/failed/
+// completed) or a changed reason resets the de-dup so real transitions still record.
+const lastAutoLaunchLedgerKey = new Map<string, string>();
+const AUTO_LAUNCH_LEDGER_DEDUP_MAX = 2000;
+
+function sweepExpiredCooldowns(): void {
+    const now = Date.now();
+    for (const [key, until] of autoLaunchCooldownUntil) {
+        if (now >= until) autoLaunchCooldownUntil.delete(key);
+    }
+}
+
+function normalizeProviderPriority(policy: unknown): string[] {
+    const raw = policy && typeof policy === 'object' && !Array.isArray(policy)
+        ? (policy as Record<string, unknown>).providerPriority
+        : undefined;
+    if (!Array.isArray(raw)) return [];
+    const seen = new Set<string>();
+    return raw
+        .map(type => typeof type === 'string' ? type.trim() : '')
+        .filter(Boolean)
+        .filter(type => {
+            if (seen.has(type)) return false;
+            seen.add(type);
+            return true;
+        });
+}
+
+function isTerminalSessionStatus(status: string): boolean {
+    return ['stopped', 'failed', 'terminated', 'exited', 'closed'].includes(status);
+}
+
+function isIdleSessionState(state: any): boolean {
+    const status = readNonEmptyString(state?.status).toLowerCase();
+    if (isTerminalSessionStatus(status)) return false;
+    return status === 'idle' || state?.activeChat?.status === 'waiting_input';
+}
+
+function isDirtyNode(node: any): boolean {
+    return node?.health === 'dirty' || node?.git?.dirty === true;
+}
+
+function resolveAutoFastForwardPolicy(mesh: any): { enabled: boolean; maxBehind?: number; requireCleanSubmodules: boolean } {
+    const record = mesh?.policy?.autoFastForward && typeof mesh.policy.autoFastForward === 'object' && !Array.isArray(mesh.policy.autoFastForward)
+        ? mesh.policy.autoFastForward as Record<string, unknown>
+        : {};
+    const maxBehind = Number(record.maxBehind);
+    return {
+        enabled: record.enabled !== false,
+        ...(Number.isFinite(maxBehind) && maxBehind >= 0 ? { maxBehind: Math.floor(maxBehind) } : {}),
+        requireCleanSubmodules: record.requireCleanSubmodules !== false,
+    };
+}
+
+function sessionStateLooksActive(state: any): boolean {
+    const status = readNonEmptyString(state?.status).toLowerCase();
+    const chatStatus = readNonEmptyString(state?.activeChat?.status).toLowerCase();
+    // 'long_generating' is retained as a legacy alias for the renamed 'no_progress' busy status.
+    const active = new Set(['generating', 'streaming', 'no_progress', 'long_generating', 'working', 'starting', 'waiting_approval']);
+    return active.has(status) || active.has(chatStatus);
+}
+
+function nodeHasActiveMeshWork(components: DaemonComponents, meshId: string, nodeId: string, currentSessionId?: string): boolean {
+    if (nodeHasActiveAssignment(meshId, nodeId)) return true;
+    return components.instanceManager.getByCategory('cli').some((inst: any) => {
+        const state = inst.getState();
+        const settings = state.settings as Record<string, unknown> || {};
+        if (readNonEmptyString(settings.meshNodeFor) !== meshId) return false;
+        const instNodeId = readNonEmptyString(settings.meshNodeId) || readNonEmptyString(settings.nodeId);
+        if (instNodeId !== nodeId) return false;
+        const sessionId = readNonEmptyString(state.instanceId);
+        if (currentSessionId && sessionId === currentSessionId && isIdleSessionState(state)) return false;
+        return sessionStateLooksActive(state);
+    });
+}
+
+function isLaunchableNode(node: any): boolean {
+    if (!node || node.status === 'disabled' || node.status === 'removed') return false;
+    const health = readNonEmptyString(node.health).toLowerCase();
+    if (!health) return true;
+    return health === 'online' || health === 'unknown';
+}
+
+/** Whether a mesh node's daemon/machine identity resolves to THIS coordinator daemon
+ *  (i.e. the queue session can be spawned by a direct local `launch_cli`). */
+function isLocalAutoLaunchNode(node: any): boolean {
+    const daemonId = readNonEmptyString(node?.daemonId);
+    const machineId = readNonEmptyString(node?.machineId);
+    const appConfig = loadConfig();
+    const localMachineId = readNonEmptyString(appConfig.machineId) || readNonEmptyString(appConfig.registeredMachineId);
+
+    // Route BOTH the daemonId and the machineId through the canonical machine-core
+    // equivalence helper so a node carrying any interchangeable id form (bare `mach_<hex>`
+    // or a `daemon_`/`standalone_` prefixed form) resolves to THIS coordinator instead of
+    // being misjudged as remote. machineId used to use a raw `===`, which — AND-combined
+    // with the daemonId match — would misjudge a local node as remote whenever a
+    // form-mismatched machineId arrived, dispatching a local task to a remote node (B-2).
+    const daemonMatchesLocal = !daemonId || daemonIdsEquivalent(daemonId, localMachineId);
+    const machineMatchesLocal = !machineId || daemonIdsEquivalent(machineId, localMachineId);
+
+    if (node?.isLocalWorktree === true) {
+        return daemonMatchesLocal && machineMatchesLocal;
+    }
+    if (daemonId || machineId) {
+        return daemonMatchesLocal && machineMatchesLocal;
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve how a pending queue task should be auto-launched onto a node.
+ *
+ * - `local`: spawn directly on this daemon via cliManager.handleCliCommand('launch_cli').
+ * - `remote`: forward `launch_cli` to the node's daemon via dispatchMeshCommand
+ *   (mirrors what mesh_launch_session does). Requires dispatchMeshCommand AND a
+ *   resolvable coordinator daemonId for relay-safe completion routing.
+ * - `skip`: not launchable from here — carries the reason (e.g. a remote node with
+ *   no dispatch transport, or no coordinator daemonId to stamp).
+ */
+function resolveAutoLaunchTarget(components: DaemonComponents, node: any): {
+    mode: 'local' | 'remote' | 'skip';
+    reason?: string;
+    daemonId?: string;
+    coordinatorDaemonId?: string;
+} {
+    if (isLocalAutoLaunchNode(node)) return { mode: 'local' };
+
+    // Remote node. Forwarding the launch is possible only with a dispatch transport
+    // (cloud mode) plus a coordinator daemonId to stamp into the worker so completion
+    // events route back here. Without either, fall back to a graceful skip.
+    const daemonId = readNonEmptyString(node?.daemonId);
+    if (!daemonId) return { mode: 'skip', reason: 'remote_auto_launch_unsupported' };
+    if (!components.dispatchMeshCommand) return { mode: 'skip', reason: 'remote_auto_launch_unsupported' };
+    const coordinatorDaemonId = readNonEmptyString(loadConfig().machineId);
+    if (!coordinatorDaemonId) return { mode: 'skip', reason: 'remote_auto_launch_no_coordinator_daemon_id' };
+    return { mode: 'remote', daemonId, coordinatorDaemonId };
+}
+
+function activeAssignedCount(meshId: string): number {
+    return getQueue(meshId, { status: ['assigned'] as any }).length;
+}
+
+/** Active assignments that hold the one-active-per-node / global-parallel invariant
+ *  (everything except read-only diagnoses, which run unbounded by the write cap). */
+export function activeWriteAssignedCount(meshId: string): number {
+    return getQueue(meshId, { status: ['assigned'] as any })
+        .filter(task => task.taskMode !== 'live_debug_readonly').length;
+}
+
+/** Active read-only (live_debug_readonly) assignments, for the read-only safety cap. */
+export function activeReadonlyAssignedCount(meshId: string): number {
+    return getQueue(meshId, { status: ['assigned'] as any })
+        .filter(task => task.taskMode === 'live_debug_readonly').length;
+}
+
+function nodeHasActiveAssignment(meshId: string, nodeId: string): boolean {
+    return getQueue(meshId, { status: ['assigned'] as any }).some(task => task.assignedNodeId === nodeId);
+}
+
+/** Active (status='assigned') task count for a node — the load metric for
+ *  least-loaded / round-robin ranking. Lower = preferred. */
+function nodeActiveLoad(meshId: string, nodeId: string): number {
+    return MeshRuntimeStore.getInstance().nodeActiveAssignmentCount(meshId, nodeId);
+}
+
+/**
+ * The mesh-wide scheduling strategy. Defaults to 'first_eligible' (strict
+ * no-change) for any mesh that does not set it. Only governs the final tie-break;
+ * eligibility, capacity, and priority gates apply identically to every strategy.
+ */
+function resolveSchedulingStrategy(mesh: any): RepoMeshSchedulingStrategy {
+    return normalizeMeshSchedulingStrategy(mesh?.policy?.schedulingStrategy);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Order eligible nodes for assignment per the mesh scheduling pipeline:
+ *   PRIORITY (schedulingPriority desc) → TIE-BREAK (strategy).
+ *
+ * The caller has already applied the TAG hard-filter and is responsible for the
+ * MAX-ALLOC capacity gate (the per-node launch/claim checks). This function only
+ * decides the *preference order* among nodes that are otherwise eligible.
+ *
+ * - 'first_eligible' (default): returns the input order verbatim and does NOT touch
+ *   the round-robin cursor — byte-for-byte the pre-feature behavior.
+ * - 'priority_only': schedulingPriority desc, then input order (load ignored).
+ * - 'least_loaded': schedulingPriority desc, then active load asc, then input order.
+ * - 'round_robin': same as least_loaded, but among nodes tied at (priority, load)
+ *   the input order is rotated by a per-mesh cursor that advances once per pass.
+ *
+ * `nodes` carries the original config/array index so the tie-break can fall back to
+ * deterministic input order. `bumpCursor` advances the round-robin cursor exactly
+ * once per scheduling pass (only consulted for 'round_robin').
+ */
+interface RankableNode { nodeId: string; node: any; index: number }
+
+/** Test-only: the pure node-ordering stage (PRIORITY → TIE-BREAK). Exposed so the
+ *  scheduling pipeline can be unit-tested without standing up live CLI sessions. */
+export function __orderEligibleNodesForTests(
+    meshId: string,
+    strategy: RepoMeshSchedulingStrategy,
+    nodes: RankableNode[],
+    opts?: { bumpCursor?: boolean },
+): RankableNode[] {
+    return orderEligibleNodes(meshId, strategy, nodes, opts);
+}
+
+function orderEligibleNodes(
+    meshId: string,
+    strategy: RepoMeshSchedulingStrategy,
+    nodes: RankableNode[],
+    opts?: { bumpCursor?: boolean },
+): RankableNode[] {
+    if (strategy === 'first_eligible' || nodes.length <= 1) {
+        return nodes;
+    }
+
+    const priorityOf = (n: { node: any }) => resolveNodeSchedulingPriority(n.node?.policy);
+
+    // Round-robin rotation offset: rotate the deterministic input order by a
+    // per-mesh cursor so the tie-break winner among equal (priority, load) nodes
+    // cycles across passes. The cursor advances once per scheduling pass.
+    let rotation = 0;
+    if (strategy === 'round_robin') {
+        const cursor = opts?.bumpCursor
+            ? MeshRuntimeStore.getInstance().bumpSchedulerCursor(meshId)
+            : MeshRuntimeStore.getInstance().getSchedulerCursor(meshId);
+        rotation = ((cursor % nodes.length) + nodes.length) % nodes.length;
+    }
+
+    // Rotation rank: position of each node after rotating input order by `rotation`.
+    // For non-round-robin strategies rotation is 0, so this is just the input index.
+    const rotationRank = (index: number) => (index - rotation + nodes.length) % nodes.length;
+
+    return [...nodes].sort((a, b) => {
+        const prioDelta = priorityOf(b) - priorityOf(a); // higher priority first
+        if (prioDelta !== 0) return prioDelta;
+        if (strategy === 'least_loaded' || strategy === 'round_robin') {
+            const loadDelta = nodeActiveLoad(meshId, a.nodeId) - nodeActiveLoad(meshId, b.nodeId);
+            if (loadDelta !== 0) return loadDelta;
+        }
+        return rotationRank(a.index) - rotationRank(b.index);
+    });
+}
+
+/** Active assignments on a (node, provider) — pre-launch guard for the per-(node,
+ *  provider) maxParallel cap. The authoritative enforcement is in the claim
+ *  transaction; this only avoids spawning a session that would fail the claim. */
+function activeProviderAssignedCount(meshId: string, nodeId: string, providerType: string): number {
+    return getQueue(meshId, { status: ['assigned'] as any })
+        .filter(task => task.assignedNodeId === nodeId && task.assignedProviderType === providerType).length;
+}
+
+export function sessionHasActiveAssignment(meshId: string, sessionId: string): boolean {
+    if (getQueue(meshId, { status: ['assigned'] as any }).some(task => task.assignedSessionId === sessionId)) {
+        return true;
+    }
+    // Direct dispatches (mesh_send_task) are tracked in mesh_direct_dispatches, not the
+    // work queue. A session completing a still-active direct dispatch IS an active
+    // assignment — without this, findRecentTerminalLedgerEvidence dedup wrongly suppresses
+    // the canonical agent:generating_completed for direct-dispatch tasks (validation/general),
+    // so the coordinator polling get_pending_mesh_events never observes task_completed and the
+    // session goes silently idle. This check runs before markSessionTerminal marks the
+    // dispatch terminal, so the in-flight dispatch is still observable here.
+    try {
+        if (getActiveDirectDispatches(meshId).some(d => d.sessionId === sessionId)) return true;
+        if (hasUnterminalDirectDispatchLedgerEntry(meshId, sessionId)) return true;
+    } catch { /* best-effort — fall through to false */ }
+    return false;
+}
+
+function liveSessionCountForNode(components: DaemonComponents, meshId: string, nodeId: string): number {
+    return components.instanceManager.getByCategory('cli').filter((inst: any) => {
+        const state = inst.getState();
+        const settings = state.settings as Record<string, unknown> || {};
+        if (readNonEmptyString(settings.meshNodeFor) !== meshId) return false;
+        const instNodeId = readNonEmptyString(settings.meshNodeId) || readNonEmptyString(settings.nodeId);
+        if (instNodeId !== nodeId) return false;
+        const status = readNonEmptyString(state.status).toLowerCase();
+        return !isTerminalSessionStatus(status);
+    }).length;
+}
+
+function recordAutoLaunchEvent(meshId: string, args: {
+    phase: 'skipped' | 'started' | 'failed' | 'completed';
+    taskId: string;
+    nodeId?: string;
+    providerType?: string;
+    sessionId?: string;
+    reason?: string;
+    error?: string;
+}) {
+    // Suppress consecutive identical `skipped` entries for the same task (4s reconcile
+    // re-trigger noise). Non-skip phases and changed reasons always record and reset
+    // the de-dup so genuine state transitions remain visible in the ledger.
+    const dedupKey = `${meshId}:${args.taskId}`;
+    const currentSig = `${args.phase}|${args.reason || ''}`;
+    if (args.phase === 'skipped' && lastAutoLaunchLedgerKey.get(dedupKey) === currentSig) {
+        return;
+    }
+    lastAutoLaunchLedgerKey.set(dedupKey, currentSig);
+    if (lastAutoLaunchLedgerKey.size > AUTO_LAUNCH_LEDGER_DEDUP_MAX) {
+        // Bound memory: drop the oldest insertion (Map preserves insertion order).
+        const oldest = lastAutoLaunchLedgerKey.keys().next().value;
+        if (oldest !== undefined) lastAutoLaunchLedgerKey.delete(oldest);
+    }
+    try {
+        appendLedgerEntry(meshId, {
+            kind: 'session_auto_launch',
+            nodeId: args.nodeId,
+            sessionId: args.sessionId,
+            providerType: args.providerType,
+            payload: {
+                phase: args.phase,
+                taskId: args.taskId,
+                reason: args.reason,
+                error: args.error,
+            },
+        });
+    } catch (e: any) {
+        LOG.warn('MeshQueue', `Failed to record auto-launch ledger event: ${e?.message || e}`);
+    }
+}
+
+function markAutoLaunch(meshId: string, taskId: string, args: {
+    status: 'skipped' | 'started' | 'failed' | 'completed';
+    reason?: string;
+    nodeId?: string;
+    providerType?: string;
+    sessionId?: string;
+    error?: string;
+}) {
+    recordTaskAutoLaunch(meshId, taskId, {
+        status: args.status,
+        reason: args.reason || args.error,
+        nodeId: args.nodeId,
+        providerType: args.providerType,
+        sessionId: args.sessionId,
+    });
+    recordAutoLaunchEvent(meshId, {
+        phase: args.status,
+        taskId,
+        nodeId: args.nodeId,
+        providerType: args.providerType,
+        sessionId: args.sessionId,
+        reason: args.reason,
+        error: args.error,
+    });
+}
+
+async function resolveUsableProvider(
+    components: DaemonComponents,
+    nodeId: string,
+    node: any,
+    requiredTags?: string[],
+): Promise<{ providerType?: string; reason?: string }> {
+    const providerPriority = normalizeProviderPriority(node?.policy);
+    if (!providerPriority.length) return { reason: 'missing_provider_priority' };
+    const providerLoader = components.providerLoader;
+    if (!providerLoader) return { reason: 'provider_loader_unavailable' };
+
+    const failed: string[] = [];
+    for (const requestedType of providerPriority) {
+        const normalizedType = typeof providerLoader.resolveAlias === 'function'
+            ? providerLoader.resolveAlias(requestedType)
+            : requestedType;
+        // Skip providers that can't satisfy the task's requiredTags (e.g. provider=hermes-cli
+        // means only hermes-cli qualifies, not any other type in providerPriority).
+        if (requiredTags?.length && !nodeSatisfiesRequiredTags(requiredTags, buildMeshNodeCapabilityTags(node, normalizedType))) {
+            failed.push(`${requestedType}: required_tags_mismatch`);
+            continue;
+        }
+        if (typeof providerLoader.isMachineProviderEnabled === 'function' && !providerLoader.isMachineProviderEnabled(normalizedType)) {
+            failed.push(`${requestedType}: disabled`);
+            continue;
+        }
+        let detected: any;
+        try {
+            detected = await detectCLI(normalizedType, providerLoader, { includeVersion: false });
+        } catch (e: any) {
+            failed.push(`${requestedType}: detect failed: ${e?.message || e}`);
+            continue;
+        }
+        if (typeof providerLoader.setCliDetectionResults === 'function') {
+            providerLoader.setCliDetectionResults([{
+                id: normalizedType,
+                installed: !!detected,
+                path: detected?.path,
+            }], false);
+        }
+        (components as any).onStatusChange?.();
+        if (detected) return { providerType: normalizedType };
+        failed.push(`${requestedType}: not detected`);
+    }
+    return { reason: `provider_priority_unusable: ${failed.join('; ') || nodeId}` };
+}
+
+// Canonical mesh node-id normalization. A node may arrive from the local config
+// form (`id`) or the inline-cache form (`nodeId`/`node_id`) — see
+// readInlineMeshNodeId in commands/router.ts. Comparing only `node.id` against a
+// task.targetNodeId silently drops inline-cached worktree nodes, leaving a
+// target-routed task permanently pending with a misleading
+// `no_node_satisfies_required_tags` skip.
+function readMeshNodeId(node: any): string {
+    // Delegate to the shared 3-way (id / nodeId / node_id) normalizer so this
+    // and every other mesh node-id read agree on identity. Coalesce to '' to
+    // preserve the existing string return contract for callers that do
+    // `=== task.targetNodeId` / `if (!nodeId)`.
+    return normalizeMeshNodeId(node) ?? '';
+}
+
+async function maybeAutoLaunchOneQueueSession(components: DaemonComponents, meshId: string, mesh: any): Promise<boolean> {
+    const queue = getQueue(meshId);
+    const pending = queue.filter(task => task.status === 'pending');
+    if (!pending.length) return false;
+
+    const maxParallelTasks = Math.max(1, Math.floor(Number(mesh?.policy?.maxParallelTasks) || 2));
+    // Read-only diagnoses carry no isolation/merge cost, so they are exempt from the
+    // write-task parallel cap. To prevent runaway auto-launch they get their own,
+    // higher safety cap (2x the write cap).
+    const maxReadonlyParallelTasks = Math.max(2, maxParallelTasks * 2);
+    for (const task of pending) {
+        const isReadonly = task.taskMode === 'live_debug_readonly';
+        if (isReadonly) {
+            if (activeReadonlyAssignedCount(meshId) >= maxReadonlyParallelTasks) {
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'max_readonly_parallel_tasks_reached' });
+                continue;
+            }
+        } else if (activeWriteAssignedCount(meshId) >= maxParallelTasks) {
+            // Write tasks are capped; skip this one but keep scanning so a later
+            // read-only task in the queue can still launch under its own cap.
+            markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'max_parallel_tasks_reached' });
+            continue;
+        }
+        if (task.targetSessionId) {
+            markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'target_session_constraint' });
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        // Per-task await-claim guard. A prior auto-launch already spawned a session for
+        // this task and we are waiting for that session's idle→claim to land (remote
+        // claims arrive via the worker→coordinator agent:ready pull, which can lag well
+        // past the per-node cooldown). Re-launching now would spawn a duplicate orphan
+        // session that never gets work. The task leaves `pending` the instant the claim
+        // succeeds, so this guard only suppresses the in-flight window; if the launched
+        // session never reaches idle within the window, a later tick retries.
+        if (task.autoLaunch?.status === 'completed' && task.autoLaunch.sessionId) {
+            const launchedAtMs = Date.parse(task.autoLaunch.updatedAt);
+            if (Number.isFinite(launchedAtMs) && Date.now() - launchedAtMs < AUTO_LAUNCH_AWAIT_CLAIM_MS) {
+                // Record the skip in the ledger ONLY (dedup'd). Do NOT call markAutoLaunch
+                // here: recordTaskAutoLaunch overwrites task.autoLaunch wholesale, which would
+                // erase the very `completed` record (status + sessionId + updatedAt) this guard
+                // reads on the next tick, reopening the duplicate-launch hole it closes.
+                recordAutoLaunchEvent(meshId, { phase: 'skipped', taskId: task.id, reason: 'awaiting_launched_session_claim', nodeId: task.autoLaunch.nodeId, sessionId: task.autoLaunch.sessionId });
+                continue;
+            }
+        }
+
+        const candidateNodes = Array.isArray(mesh?.nodes)
+            ? mesh.nodes.filter((node: any) => {
+                // Bug A: match the target pin with the shared 3-form (id / nodeId / node_id)
+                // normalizer, mirroring the remote-idle drain (meshNodeIdMatches at the
+                // getRemoteIdleSessions filter). A strict `readMeshNodeId(node) !== targetNodeId`
+                // dropped a target node whose identity arrived under a different form (a freshly
+                // mesh_clone_node'd worktree), emptying candidateNodes and mislabelling the skip.
+                if (task.targetNodeId && !meshNodeIdMatches(node, task.targetNodeId)) return false;
+                // WTDISPATCH-FANOUT: a convergence task is base-only (it merges/pushes onto
+                // base). Never auto-launch a worktree-clone session for it — that is the very
+                // fan-out the claim guard refuses, so spinning the session up would only waste
+                // a launch that can never claim. Mirrors claimNextQueueTask's convergence gate.
+                if (task.taskMode === 'convergence' && node?.isLocalWorktree === true) return false;
+                // Skip nodes that can never satisfy requiredTags regardless of which provider
+                // from providerPriority is selected. A node satisfies tags if at least one
+                // provider in its priority list would produce matching capability tags.
+                if (task.requiredTags?.length) {
+                    const priorities = normalizeProviderPriority(node?.policy);
+                    const providerCandidates = priorities.length ? priorities : [undefined as unknown as string];
+                    return providerCandidates.some(p =>
+                        nodeSatisfiesRequiredTags(task.requiredTags, buildMeshNodeCapabilityTags(node, p))
+                    );
+                }
+                return true;
+            })
+            : [];
+        if (!candidateNodes.length) {
+            // Bug A: distinguish the two ways the candidate set empties. A task pinned to a
+            // targetNodeId whose node is absent from the mesh (or whose id arrived under a
+            // different form) is a ROUTING miss — report it as `target_node_id_unmatched`, not
+            // the hard-coded `no_node_satisfies_required_tags`, which mislabelled a 3-form
+            // node-id mismatch as a capability failure and sent diagnosis down the wrong path.
+            // Only fall back to the tag reason when no target pin is in play, or the pin DID
+            // match a node but its tags excluded it (a genuine capability miss).
+            const targetPinUnmatched = !!task.targetNodeId
+                && !(Array.isArray(mesh?.nodes) && mesh.nodes.some((n: any) => meshNodeIdMatches(n, task.targetNodeId)));
+            markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, {
+                status: 'skipped',
+                reason: targetPinUnmatched ? 'target_node_id_unmatched' : 'no_node_satisfies_required_tags',
+                nodeId: task.targetNodeId,
+            });
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        // PRIORITY → TIE-BREAK: order the eligible (TAG-filtered) candidate nodes by
+        // the mesh scheduling strategy. 'first_eligible' (default) returns them in
+        // config/array order unchanged, so distribution is strictly opt-in. The
+        // per-node MAX-ALLOC capacity gate (nodeHasActiveAssignment, provider cap,
+        // maxConcurrentSessions) is still applied inside the loop below; this only
+        // chooses which eligible node is *tried first*.
+        const strategy = resolveSchedulingStrategy(mesh);
+        const orderedCandidateNodes = strategy === 'first_eligible'
+            ? candidateNodes
+            : orderEligibleNodes(
+                meshId,
+                strategy,
+                candidateNodes
+                    .map((node: any, index: number) => ({ nodeId: readMeshNodeId(node), node, index }))
+                    .filter((c: RankableNode) => c.nodeId),
+                { bumpCursor: true },
+            ).map((c: RankableNode) => c.node);
+
+        for (const node of orderedCandidateNodes) {
+            const nodeId = readMeshNodeId(node);
+            if (!nodeId) continue;
+            const launchKey = `${meshId}:${nodeId}`;
+            const now = Date.now();
+            const cooldownUntil = autoLaunchCooldownUntil.get(launchKey) || 0;
+            if (cooldownUntil > 0 && now >= cooldownUntil) autoLaunchCooldownUntil.delete(launchKey);
+            if (autoLaunchInProgress.has(launchKey)) {
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'auto_launch_in_progress', nodeId });
+                continue;
+            }
+            if (now < cooldownUntil) {
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'auto_launch_cooldown', nodeId });
+                continue;
+            }
+            if (isDirtyNode(node)) {
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'dirty_workspace', nodeId });
+                continue;
+            }
+            if (!isLaunchableNode(node)) {
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'node_not_launch_ready', nodeId });
+                continue;
+            }
+            const launchTarget = resolveAutoLaunchTarget(components, node);
+            if (launchTarget.mode === 'skip') {
+                // Remote node we can't reach (no transport / no coordinator daemonId).
+                // Set a cooldown so the 4s reconcile loop doesn't re-attempt this node
+                // every tick; the de-dup'd skip ledger keeps it diagnosable without flood.
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: launchTarget.reason || 'auto_launch_unavailable', nodeId });
+                autoLaunchCooldownUntil.set(launchKey, Date.now() + AUTO_LAUNCH_COOLDOWN_MS); sweepExpiredCooldowns();
+                continue;
+            }
+            // Write tasks keep the one-active-per-node invariant (worktree isolation);
+            // read-only (live_debug_readonly) diagnoses may auto-launch onto a node
+            // that already has an active assignment.
+            if (task.taskMode !== 'live_debug_readonly' && nodeHasActiveAssignment(meshId, nodeId)) {
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'node_has_active_assignment', nodeId });
+                continue;
+            }
+            const maxConcurrentSessions = Number(node?.policy?.maxConcurrentSessions);
+            if (Number.isFinite(maxConcurrentSessions) && maxConcurrentSessions >= 0 && liveSessionCountForNode(components, meshId, nodeId) >= maxConcurrentSessions) {
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'max_concurrent_sessions_reached', nodeId });
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            autoLaunchInProgress.add(launchKey);
+            try {
+                const resolved = await resolveUsableProvider(components, nodeId, node, task.requiredTags);
+                if (!resolved.providerType) {
+                    markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: resolved.reason || 'provider_unusable', nodeId });
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Don't spawn a session for a (node, provider) already at its declared
+                // maxParallel cap — it would launch only to fail the claim. The claim
+                // transaction enforces the cap regardless; this just avoids a doomed launch.
+                const providerCap = resolveProviderMaxParallel(node?.policy, resolved.providerType);
+                if (
+                    providerCap !== undefined
+                    && activeProviderAssignedCount(meshId, nodeId, resolved.providerType) >= providerCap
+                ) {
+                    markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'skipped', reason: 'max_provider_parallel_reached', nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType });
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Shared worker-launch envelope. For a local node it spawns directly on this
+                // daemon; for a remote node the identical command is forwarded to the node's
+                // daemon (mirrors mesh_launch_session), with the coordinator daemonId stamped
+                // so the worker's completion events route back to this coordinator.
+                const launchSettings: Record<string, unknown> = {
+                    // Worker launch envelope: role + mesh context so worker can route completion events.
+                    role: 'worker',
+                    meshNodeFor: meshId,
+                    meshNodeId: nodeId,
+                    spawnedSessionVisibility: mesh?.policy?.spawnedSessionVisibility || 'hidden',
+                    // Coordinator-dispatched worker: auto-approve unless mesh/node policy
+                    // opts out (default true). Lands in settingsOverride and beats the
+                    // global per-provider-type autoApprove config (see shouldAutoApprove).
+                    autoApprove: resolveDelegatedWorkerAutoApprove(mesh?.policy, node?.policy),
+                    launchedByCoordinator: true,
+                    autoLaunchedForQueueTaskId: task.id,
+                };
+
+                if (launchTarget.mode === 'remote') {
+                    // Relay-safe completion routing: stamp the coordinator anchor the same way
+                    // mesh_launch_session does so the worker forwards events back to this daemon.
+                    const remoteSettings: Record<string, unknown> = {
+                        ...launchSettings,
+                        meshCoordinatorDaemonId: launchTarget.coordinatorDaemonId,
+                        meshCoordinatorNodeId: nodeId,
+                    };
+                    markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'started', nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType });
+                    let launchResult: any;
+                    try {
+                        launchResult = await components.dispatchMeshCommand!(launchTarget.daemonId!, 'launch_cli', {
+                            cliType: resolved.providerType,
+                            dir: node.workspace,
+                            settings: remoteSettings,
+                        });
+                    } catch (e: any) {
+                        markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'failed', reason: `remote_launch_dispatch_failed: ${e?.message || String(e)}`, nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType });
+                        autoLaunchCooldownUntil.set(launchKey, Date.now() + AUTO_LAUNCH_COOLDOWN_MS); sweepExpiredCooldowns();
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                    const payload = (launchResult && typeof launchResult === 'object' && 'payload' in launchResult && launchResult.payload && typeof launchResult.payload === 'object')
+                        ? launchResult.payload
+                        : launchResult;
+                    if (!payload?.success) {
+                        const reason = readNonEmptyString(payload?.error) || 'remote_launch_cli_failed';
+                        markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'failed', reason, nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType });
+                        autoLaunchCooldownUntil.set(launchKey, Date.now() + AUTO_LAUNCH_COOLDOWN_MS); sweepExpiredCooldowns();
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                    // Remote launch is async: the worker session will register and emit agent:ready,
+                    // which (forwarded back here) drives the claim via the normal event path / PHASE 1
+                    // reconcile. Set a cooldown so the 4s loop doesn't re-launch before that lands.
+                    const remoteSessionId = readNonEmptyString(payload.sessionId) || readNonEmptyString(payload.id) || readNonEmptyString(payload.runtimeSessionId);
+                    markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'completed', nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType, sessionId: remoteSessionId || undefined });
+                    autoLaunchCooldownUntil.set(launchKey, Date.now() + AUTO_LAUNCH_COOLDOWN_MS); sweepExpiredCooldowns();
+                    return true;
+                }
+
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'started', nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType });
+                const launchResult: any = await components.cliManager.handleCliCommand('launch_cli', {
+                    cliType: resolved.providerType,
+                    dir: node.workspace,
+                    settings: launchSettings,
+                });
+                if (!launchResult?.success) {
+                    const reason = launchResult?.error || 'launch_cli_failed';
+                    markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'failed', reason, nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType });
+                    autoLaunchCooldownUntil.set(launchKey, Date.now() + AUTO_LAUNCH_COOLDOWN_MS); sweepExpiredCooldowns();
+                    return false;
+                }
+                const sessionId = readNonEmptyString(launchResult.sessionId) || readNonEmptyString(launchResult.id) || readNonEmptyString(launchResult.runtimeSessionId);
+                if (!sessionId) {
+                    markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'failed', reason: 'launch_missing_session_id', nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType });
+                    autoLaunchCooldownUntil.set(launchKey, Date.now() + AUTO_LAUNCH_COOLDOWN_MS); sweepExpiredCooldowns();
+                    return false;
+                }
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'completed', nodeId, providerType: resolved.providerType, sessionId });
+                tryAssignQueueTask(components, meshId, nodeId, sessionId, resolved.providerType);
+                return true;
+            } catch (e: any) {
+                markAutoLaunch(meshId, task.id, { status: 'failed', error: e?.message || String(e), nodeId });
+                autoLaunchCooldownUntil.set(launchKey, Date.now() + AUTO_LAUNCH_COOLDOWN_MS);
+                return false;
+            } finally {
+                autoLaunchInProgress.delete(launchKey);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+export interface MeshQueueTriggerResult {
+    success: true;
+    meshId: string;
+    pendingBefore: number;
+    assignedBefore: number;
+    pendingAfter: number;
+    assignedAfter: number;
+    claimed: boolean;
+    newlyAssignedTasks: Array<{
+        id: string;
+        nodeId?: string;
+        sessionId?: string;
+    }>;
+    localIdleSessionsChecked: number;
+    remoteIdleSessionsChecked: number;
+    skippedSessions: Array<{
+        nodeId?: string;
+        sessionId?: string;
+        reason: string;
+        status?: string;
+    }>;
+    autoLaunchStarted: boolean;
+    /**
+     * True when a worker session is already on its way to claim a still-pending task —
+     * either launched this tick (autoLaunchStarted) or launched on a prior tick and still
+     * booting/awaiting-claim. Callers MUST treat this as "wait, do not launch another
+     * session": a second launch double-edits the worktree. Mutually informative with
+     * `noIdleMeshSessionAvailable`, which is suppressed whenever this is true.
+     */
+    autoLaunchPending?: boolean;
+    noIdleMeshSessionAvailable?: boolean;
+}
+
+function countQueueStatus(meshId: string, status: 'pending' | 'assigned'): number {
+    return getQueue(meshId, { status: [status] as any }).length;
+}
+
+function getQueueStatusById(meshId: string): Map<string, string> {
+    return new Map(getQueue(meshId).map(task => [task.id, task.status]));
+}
+
+export async function triggerMeshQueue(components: DaemonComponents, meshId: string): Promise<MeshQueueTriggerResult> {
+    const mesh = getMeshWithCache(components, meshId);
+    const pendingBefore = countQueueStatus(meshId, 'pending');
+    const assignedBefore = countQueueStatus(meshId, 'assigned');
+    const beforeStatus = getQueueStatusById(meshId);
+    const skippedSessions: MeshQueueTriggerResult['skippedSessions'] = [];
+    let localIdleSessionsChecked = 0;
+    let remoteIdleSessionsChecked = 0;
+    let autoLaunchStarted = false;
+    if (!mesh) {
+        return {
+            success: true,
+            meshId,
+            pendingBefore,
+            assignedBefore,
+            pendingAfter: pendingBefore,
+            assignedAfter: assignedBefore,
+            claimed: false,
+            newlyAssignedTasks: [],
+            localIdleSessionsChecked,
+            remoteIdleSessionsChecked,
+            skippedSessions: [{ reason: 'mesh_not_found' }],
+            autoLaunchStarted,
+            noIdleMeshSessionAvailable: true,
+        };
+    }
+
+    // Collect every idle mesh session (local CLI instances + remote idle records)
+    // as drain candidates. The drain ORDER depends on the scheduling strategy:
+    //   - 'first_eligible' (default): local-first, then remote, exactly as before.
+    //   - otherwise: local + remote merged into one pool and drained in scheduling
+    //     order (priority → load → tie-break). This local-first debias is required
+    //     because without it the coordinator's own local node is always visited
+    //     first and greedily absorbs all untargeted work before any remote idle
+    //     session is even considered — the comparator alone can't spread work if
+    //     local is always tried first.
+    type IdleCandidate = { nodeId: string; sessionId: string; providerType: string; origin: 'local' | 'remote'; node: any };
+    const strategy = resolveSchedulingStrategy(mesh);
+    const localCandidates: IdleCandidate[] = [];
+
+    const cliInstances = components.instanceManager.getByCategory('cli');
+    for (const inst of cliInstances) {
+        const state = inst.getState();
+        const settings = state.settings as Record<string, unknown> || {};
+
+        const instMeshId = readNonEmptyString(settings.meshNodeFor);
+        if (instMeshId !== meshId) continue;
+
+        const nodeId = readNonEmptyString(settings.meshNodeId) || readNonEmptyString(settings.nodeId);
+        if (!nodeId) continue;
+
+        if (!isIdleSessionState(state)) {
+            const status = readNonEmptyString(state.status).toLowerCase();
+            skippedSessions.push({
+                nodeId,
+                sessionId: readNonEmptyString(state.instanceId),
+                reason: isTerminalSessionStatus(status) ? 'terminal_session' : 'session_not_idle',
+                status: status || undefined,
+            });
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        const sessionId = state.instanceId;
+        const providerType = state.type || readNonEmptyString(settings.providerType);
+
+        if (providerType) {
+            localIdleSessionsChecked += 1;
+            localCandidates.push({ nodeId, sessionId, providerType, origin: 'local', node: mesh.nodes.find((n: any) => readMeshNodeId(n) === nodeId) });
+        } else {
+            skippedSessions.push({
+                nodeId,
+                sessionId,
+                reason: 'provider_type_missing',
+            });
+        }
+    }
+
+    let remoteSessions: Array<{ nodeId: string; sessionId: string; providerType: string }> = [];
+    try {
+        remoteSessions = MeshRuntimeStore.getInstance().getRemoteIdleSessions();
+    } catch { /* best-effort */ }
+
+    const remoteCandidates: IdleCandidate[] = [];
+    for (const idle of remoteSessions) {
+        // Match with the shared 3-form normalizer (id / nodeId / node_id), not raw
+        // `n.id`, so an inline-cached worktree node whose identity arrived under a
+        // different form is not silently dropped — leaving a remote idle session
+        // unable to claim its pending queue task.
+        const node = mesh.nodes.find((n: any) => meshNodeIdMatches(n, idle.nodeId));
+        if (node) {
+            remoteIdleSessionsChecked += 1;
+            remoteCandidates.push({ nodeId: idle.nodeId, sessionId: idle.sessionId, providerType: idle.providerType, origin: 'remote', node });
+        }
+    }
+
+    const assignIdleCandidate = (candidate: IdleCandidate): void => {
+        const assigned = tryAssignQueueTask(components, meshId, candidate.nodeId, candidate.sessionId, candidate.providerType);
+        if (assigned && candidate.origin === 'remote') {
+            try {
+                MeshRuntimeStore.getInstance().deleteRemoteIdleSession(candidate.nodeId, candidate.sessionId);
+            } catch { /* best-effort */ }
+        }
+    };
+
+    if (strategy === 'first_eligible') {
+        // Strict no-change: drain local idle sessions first (original order), then
+        // remote idle sessions. tryAssignQueueTask is a no-op when nothing matches.
+        for (const candidate of localCandidates) assignIdleCandidate(candidate);
+        for (const candidate of remoteCandidates) assignIdleCandidate(candidate);
+    } else {
+        // Merge local + remote into one pool and drain in scheduling order. Each
+        // assignment mutates a node's active load, and the next pick re-reads it,
+        // so re-ranking after every assignment keeps the spread fair as load shifts.
+        const pool = [...localCandidates, ...remoteCandidates];
+        const baseIndex = new Map<string, number>();
+        pool.forEach((c, i) => { if (!baseIndex.has(c.nodeId)) baseIndex.set(c.nodeId, i); });
+        // Bump the round-robin cursor once for this whole drain pass.
+        const uniqueNodes = [...new Set(pool.map(c => c.nodeId))]
+            .map((nodeId, index) => ({ nodeId, node: pool.find(c => c.nodeId === nodeId)?.node, index }));
+        const ranked = orderEligibleNodes(meshId, strategy, uniqueNodes, { bumpCursor: true });
+        const rankIndex = new Map<string, number>(ranked.map((r, i) => [r.nodeId, i]));
+        const remaining = [...pool];
+        while (remaining.length > 0) {
+            // Re-rank each pass so a node that just took work defers its next session.
+            remaining.sort((a, b) => {
+                const aPrio = resolveNodeSchedulingPriority(a.node?.policy);
+                const bPrio = resolveNodeSchedulingPriority(b.node?.policy);
+                if (aPrio !== bPrio) return bPrio - aPrio;
+                if (strategy === 'least_loaded' || strategy === 'round_robin') {
+                    const loadDelta = nodeActiveLoad(meshId, a.nodeId) - nodeActiveLoad(meshId, b.nodeId);
+                    if (loadDelta !== 0) return loadDelta;
+                }
+                return (rankIndex.get(a.nodeId) ?? 0) - (rankIndex.get(b.nodeId) ?? 0);
+            });
+            assignIdleCandidate(remaining.shift()!);
+        }
+    }
+
+    autoLaunchStarted = await maybeAutoLaunchOneQueueSession(components, meshId, mesh);
+    const afterQueue = getQueue(meshId);
+    const pendingAfter = afterQueue.filter(task => task.status === 'pending').length;
+    const assignedAfter = afterQueue.filter(task => task.status === 'assigned').length;
+    const newlyAssignedTasks = afterQueue
+        .filter(task => task.status === 'assigned' && beforeStatus.get(task.id) !== 'assigned')
+        .map(task => ({
+            id: task.id,
+            nodeId: task.assignedNodeId,
+            sessionId: task.assignedSessionId,
+        }));
+
+    // An auto-launch is "pending" when the coordinator has already spun a session up
+    // for a still-pending task and is waiting on that session's idle→claim. This covers
+    // two ticks:
+    //   - THIS tick fired the launch (autoLaunchStarted), or
+    //   - a PRIOR tick launched a session that is still booting/awaiting-claim — the
+    //     per-task await-claim guard (maybeAutoLaunchOneQueueSession) deliberately
+    //     declines to launch again, so autoLaunchStarted is false even though a session
+    //     is on its way to claim this task.
+    // Without this signal, the second tick reports `noIdleMeshSessionAvailable` and the
+    // MCP guidance tells the coordinator to launch ANOTHER worker — producing a duplicate
+    // session that double-edits the worktree. The claim itself is fine; only the wording
+    // was wrong, so we surface `autoLaunchPending` to suppress the bad "launch one more"
+    // advice while the just-launched session converges.
+    const autoLaunchPending = autoLaunchStarted || afterQueue.some(task => {
+        if (task.status !== 'pending') return false;
+        const al = task.autoLaunch;
+        if (!al || (al.status !== 'started' && al.status !== 'completed')) return false;
+        const launchedAtMs = Date.parse(al.updatedAt);
+        return Number.isFinite(launchedAtMs) && Date.now() - launchedAtMs < AUTO_LAUNCH_AWAIT_CLAIM_MS;
+    });
+
+    return {
+        success: true,
+        meshId,
+        pendingBefore,
+        assignedBefore,
+        pendingAfter,
+        assignedAfter,
+        claimed: newlyAssignedTasks.length > 0,
+        newlyAssignedTasks,
+        localIdleSessionsChecked,
+        remoteIdleSessionsChecked,
+        skippedSessions,
+        autoLaunchStarted,
+        ...(autoLaunchPending ? { autoLaunchPending: true } : {}),
+        // Only report "no idle session, go launch one" when nothing is already on its way.
+        // A pending auto-launch (this tick or a prior still-converging one) means a session
+        // WILL claim shortly, so it is not a no-session-available situation.
+        ...(pendingAfter > 0 && newlyAssignedTasks.length === 0 && localIdleSessionsChecked === 0 && remoteIdleSessionsChecked === 0 && !autoLaunchPending
+            ? { noIdleMeshSessionAvailable: true }
+            : {}),
+    };
+}
+
+export async function maybeAutoFastForwardIdleNode(components: DaemonComponents, args: {
+    meshId: string;
+    nodeId: string;
+    sessionId?: string;
+    providerType?: string;
+}): Promise<void> {
+    const mesh = getMeshWithCache(components, args.meshId);
+    const node = mesh?.nodes?.find((candidate: any) => meshNodeIdMatches(candidate, args.nodeId));
+    const workspace = readNonEmptyString(node?.workspace);
+    if (!workspace) return;
+    if (!existsSync(workspace)) return;
+
+    const policy = resolveAutoFastForwardPolicy(mesh);
+    if (!policy.enabled) return;
+    if (nodeHasActiveMeshWork(components, args.meshId, args.nodeId, args.sessionId)) return;
+
+    const throttleKey = `${args.meshId}:${args.nodeId}`;
+    const now = Date.now();
+    const lastAttempt = idleAutoFastForwardLastAttempt.get(throttleKey) || 0;
+    if (now - lastAttempt < IDLE_AUTO_FAST_FORWARD_THROTTLE_MS) return;
+    idleAutoFastForwardLastAttempt.set(throttleKey, now);
+
+    const submoduleIgnorePaths = Array.isArray(node?.policy?.submoduleIgnorePaths)
+        ? node.policy.submoduleIgnorePaths.filter((value: unknown): value is string => typeof value === 'string')
+        : undefined;
+    try {
+        const dryRun = await fastForwardMeshNode({
+            meshId: args.meshId,
+            nodeId: args.nodeId,
+            workspace,
+            execute: false,
+            dryRun: true,
+            updateSubmodules: false,
+            submoduleIgnorePaths,
+            trigger: 'idle_auto',
+        });
+        if (!dryRun || dryRun.code !== 'fast_forward_available' || dryRun.allowed !== true) return;
+        const behind = Number(dryRun.current?.behind);
+        if (policy.maxBehind !== undefined && Number.isFinite(behind) && behind > policy.maxBehind) return;
+        if (policy.requireCleanSubmodules) {
+            const submodules = Array.isArray(dryRun.current?.submodules) ? dryRun.current.submodules : [];
+            if (submodules.some((submodule: any) => submodule?.dirty || submodule?.outOfSync || submodule?.error)) return;
+        }
+        await fastForwardMeshNode({
+            meshId: args.meshId,
+            nodeId: args.nodeId,
+            workspace,
+            execute: true,
+            dryRun: false,
+            updateSubmodules: false,
+            submoduleIgnorePaths,
+            trigger: 'idle_auto',
+        });
+    } catch (e: any) {
+        LOG.warn('MeshFastForward', `Idle auto fast-forward check failed for ${args.nodeId}: ${e?.message || e}`);
+    }
+}
+
+export function runIdleMaintenanceThenAssignQueue(components: DaemonComponents, args: {
+    meshId: string;
+    nodeId: string;
+    sessionId: string;
+    providerType: string;
+}): void {
+    setImmediate(() => {
+        maybeAutoFastForwardIdleNode(components, args)
+            .finally(() => {
+                try {
+                    tryAssignQueueTask(components, args.meshId, args.nodeId, args.sessionId, args.providerType);
+                } catch (e: any) {
+                    LOG.warn('MeshQueue', `Failed to assign idle queue task after maintenance for ${args.nodeId}: ${e?.message || e}`);
+                }
+            });
+    });
+}
+