@link-assistant/hive-mind 1.73.2 → 1.73.4

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,17 @@
 # @link-assistant/hive-mind
 
+## 1.73.4
+
+### Patch Changes
+
+- bfdc3fe: Add support for Claude Opus 4.8 (issue #1832). The bare `opus` alias for the `claude` tool now resolves to `claude-opus-4-8`, and the explicit `opus-4-8` / `claude-opus-4-8` aliases (plus their `[1m]` variants for the 1M-token context window) are accepted everywhere existing Opus aliases are. All earlier aliases keep working unchanged — `opus-4-7` / `claude-opus-4-7`, `opus-4-6` / `claude-opus-4-6`, `opus-4-5`, `sonnet`, `haiku`, and `opusplan` continue to map to the same model IDs as before. The `--fallback-model` default chain for the `claude` tool extends to `opus`/`opus-4-8` → `opus-4-7` → `opus-4-6`; the `--think xhigh`/`max` levels remain supported (4.8 shares Opus 4.7's effort surface and adaptive-only thinking, so Claude Code never emits `MAX_THINKING_TOKENS` for it); `--show-thinking-content` still opts into thinking output on 4.8 the same way it does on 4.7. Adds the deep case study under `docs/case-studies/issue-1832/` (covering the requirements, solution plan, and verification matrix) and `tests/test-opus-48-model-support.mjs` (175 assertions) alongside the existing 4.7 regression test. The English `docs/CONFIGURATION.md` row text is left unchanged in this PR to keep all four language siblings in sync; the case study is the authoritative user-facing documentation for the 4.8 behavior.
+
+## 1.73.3
+
+### Patch Changes
+
+- a3eab04: Fix `solve` aborting with `GitHub compare API not ready - cannot create PR safely` when the compare/diff endpoint returns a transient HTTP 500 (`this diff is temporarily unavailable due to heavy server load`, code `not_available`). The auto-PR readiness gate polled `/repos/{owner}/{repo}/compare/{base}...{head}` to confirm the pushed commits were visible, but GitHub renders that diff lazily and returns 500 under load even though the branch and commits were already pushed and `gh pr create` (which does not render the full diff) would have succeeded. A new `isTransientCompareApiError` detector recognises the "heavy server load" / `not_available` 500 and the standard 5xx gateway codes (but NOT 404 fork mismatch or a literal `0`), and the gate now degrades gracefully — marking the compare ready and proceeding to PR creation, still guarded by branch verification and the local `git rev-list` commit check. The fork-404 mismatch and genuine 0-commits paths remain fatal.
+
 ## 1.73.2
 
 ### Patch Changes

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@link-assistant/hive-mind",
-  "version": "1.73.2",
+  "version": "1.73.4",
   "description": "AI-powered issue solver and hive mind for collaborative problem solving",
   "main": "src/hive.mjs",
   "type": "module",

package/src/config.lib.mjs

@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ export const DEFAULT_MAX_THINKING_BUDGET = 31999;
 export const DEFAULT_MAX_THINKING_BUDGET_OPUS_46 = parseIntWithDefault('HIVE_MIND_MAX_THINKING_BUDGET_OPUS_46', 31999);
 
 /**
- * Check if a model is Opus 4.6 or later (Issue #1221, updated in Issue #1238)
+ * Check if a model is Opus 4.6 or later (Issue #1221, updated in Issue #1238, Issue #1832)
  * @param {string} model - The model name or ID
  * @returns {boolean} True if the model is Opus 4.6 or later
  */
@@ -185,22 +185,22 @@ export const isOpus46OrLater = model => {
   if (!model) return false;
   const normalizedModel = model.toLowerCase();
   // Check for explicit opus-4-6 or later versions, or opusplan (Issue #1223)
-  // Note: The 'opus' alias now maps to Opus 4.7 (Issue #1620), so we also check for the alias directly
+  // Note: The 'opus' alias now maps to Opus 4.8 (Issue #1832), so we also check for the alias directly
   // opusplan uses Opus for planning, so it should get Opus-level settings
-  return normalizedModel === 'opus' || normalizedModel === 'opusplan' || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-6') || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-7') || normalizedModel.includes('opus-5');
+  return normalizedModel === 'opus' || normalizedModel === 'opusplan' || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-6') || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-7') || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-8') || normalizedModel.includes('opus-5');
 };
 
 const isOpus47 = model => {
   if (!model) return false;
   const normalizedModel = model.toLowerCase();
-  // 'opus' alias now maps to Opus 4.7 (Issue #1620)
+  // 'opus' alias now maps to Opus 4.8 (Issue #1832), which inherits 4.7 behaviour
   // opusplan uses Opus for planning, so it gets Opus-level settings
-  return normalizedModel === 'opus' || normalizedModel === 'opusplan' || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-7');
+  return normalizedModel === 'opus' || normalizedModel === 'opusplan' || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-7') || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-8');
 };
 
 /**
- * Check if a model is Opus 4.7 or later (Issue #1620)
- * These models use Opus 4.7+ adaptive thinking behavior.
+ * Check if a model is Opus 4.7 or later (Issue #1620, Issue #1832)
+ * These models use Opus 4.7+ adaptive thinking behavior (also applies to Opus 4.8).
  * @param {string} model - The model name or ID
  * @returns {boolean} True if the model is Opus 4.7 or later
  */
@@ -210,6 +210,22 @@ export const isOpus47OrLater = model => {
   return isOpus47(model) || normalizedModel.includes('opus-5');
 };
 
+/**
+ * Check if a model is Opus 4.8 or later (Issue #1832)
+ * Opus 4.8 inherits all Opus 4.7 API constraints (adaptive thinking only, no sampling
+ * params) and adds new features such as mid-conversation system messages, refusal stop
+ * details, and fast mode. These are not exposed through Claude Code today, but this
+ * helper enables finer-grained control for future wiring.
+ * @param {string} model - The model name or ID
+ * @returns {boolean} True if the model is Opus 4.8 or later
+ */
+export const isOpus48OrLater = model => {
+  if (!model) return false;
+  const normalizedModel = model.toLowerCase();
+  // 'opus' alias now maps to Opus 4.8 (Issue #1832)
+  return normalizedModel === 'opus' || normalizedModel === 'opusplan' || normalizedModel.includes('opus-4-8') || normalizedModel.includes('opus-5');
+};
+
 const isOpus45 = model => {
   if (!model) return false;
   const m = model.toLowerCase();
@@ -247,7 +263,7 @@ export const supportsEffortLevel = model => {
 
 /**
  * Check if a model supports the xhigh effort level.
- * Official docs list xhigh only for Claude Opus 4.7.
+ * Official docs list xhigh for Claude Opus 4.7 and Opus 4.8 (Issue #1832).
  * @param {string} model - The model name or ID
  * @returns {boolean} True if the model supports xhigh effort
  */
@@ -336,8 +352,10 @@ export const tokensToThinkingLevel = getTokensToThinkingLevel(DEFAULT_MAX_THINKI
 export const OPUS_46_EFFORT_LEVELS = ['low', 'medium', 'high', 'max'];
 
 /**
- * Valid effort levels for Opus 4.7 (Issue #1620)
- * Opus 4.7 supports the additional 'xhigh' level.
+ * Valid effort levels for Opus 4.7 and Opus 4.8 (Issue #1620, Issue #1832)
+ * Both models support the additional 'xhigh' level.
+ * Opus 4.8 keeps the same effort level set; the default effort level is 'high'
+ * (enforced by Claude Code itself, not by this module).
  * See: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/effort
  * @type {string[]}
  */
@@ -438,12 +456,13 @@ export const getClaudeEnv = (options = {}) => {
     MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT: String(claudeCode.mcpToolTimeout),
   });
 
-  // Opus 4.7+ always uses adaptive thinking — MAX_THINKING_TOKENS has no effect (Issue #1620)
+  // Opus 4.7+ always uses adaptive thinking — MAX_THINKING_TOKENS has no effect (Issue #1620, Issue #1832)
+  // Opus 4.8 inherits this constraint: adaptive thinking is the only thinking mode.
   // For Opus 4.6 and earlier, MAX_THINKING_TOKENS controls extended thinking (Claude Code >= 2.1.12)
   // Default is 0 (thinking disabled) per Issue #1238.
   const opus47 = options.model && isOpus47OrLater(options.model);
   if (opus47) {
-    // Remove any inherited MAX_THINKING_TOKENS from process.env — Opus 4.7 ignores it
+    // Remove any inherited MAX_THINKING_TOKENS from process.env — Opus 4.7+ ignores it
     delete env.MAX_THINKING_TOKENS;
   } else {
     env.MAX_THINKING_TOKENS = String(options.thinkingBudget ?? 0);
@@ -467,8 +486,9 @@ export const getClaudeEnv = (options = {}) => {
     }
   }
 
-  // Opus 4.7 omits thinking content by default; opt in with --show-thinking-content (Issue #1620)
+  // Opus 4.7+ omits thinking content by default; opt in with --show-thinking-content (Issue #1620, Issue #1832)
   // Sets CLAUDE_CODE_SHOW_THINKING=1 which Claude Code uses to request display: "summarized"
+  // Applies to Opus 4.8 as well, which inherits Opus 4.7 thinking display behaviour.
   if (options.showThinkingContent) {
     env.CLAUDE_CODE_SHOW_THINKING = '1';
   }

package/src/github-rate-limit.lib.mjs

@@ -305,6 +305,43 @@ const isTransientNetworkError = error => {
   return TRANSIENT_NETWORK_PATTERNS.some(pattern => text.includes(pattern));
 };
 
+/**
+ * Patterns that identify a *transient* failure of GitHub's compare/diff
+ * rendering endpoint (`/repos/{owner}/{repo}/compare/{base}...{head}`).
+ *
+ * Issue #1829: under heavy server load GitHub returns
+ *   `HTTP 500: {"message":"...","errors":[{"code":"not_available",...}]}`
+ * with the body "this diff is temporarily unavailable due to heavy server
+ * load". This is NOT a "commits not indexed yet" condition — the branch and
+ * commits are already pushed and `gh pr create` (which does not render the
+ * full diff) would succeed. The readiness gate in `solve.auto-pr.lib.mjs`
+ * used to treat this as fatal and abort the whole session. These patterns let
+ * callers recognise the transient case and degrade gracefully instead.
+ *
+ * Note: HTTP 500 is deliberately matched here (and NOT in
+ * `TRANSIENT_NETWORK_PATTERNS`) because a bare 500 from arbitrary endpoints is
+ * too broad to retry blindly; it is only safe to treat as transient for the
+ * compare endpoint, alongside the explicit "not_available" / "heavy server
+ * load" markers.
+ */
+const TRANSIENT_COMPARE_API_PATTERNS = ['this diff is temporarily unavailable', 'temporarily unavailable due to heavy server load', 'heavy server load', 'not_available', 'http 500', 'http 502', 'http 503', 'http 504'];
+
+/**
+ * Detect whether `error` represents a transient failure of GitHub's
+ * compare/diff endpoint (issue #1829). Returns true for the documented
+ * "heavy server load" / `not_available` HTTP 500 response as well as the
+ * standard transient gateway codes (502/503/504), so the auto-PR readiness
+ * gate can fall through to PR creation rather than aborting.
+ *
+ * @param {unknown} error
+ * @returns {boolean}
+ */
+const isTransientCompareApiError = error => {
+  const text = collectErrorText(error).toLowerCase();
+  if (!text) return false;
+  return TRANSIENT_COMPARE_API_PATTERNS.some(pattern => text.includes(pattern));
+};
+
 /**
  * Wrap `fn` so that GitHub rate-limit errors are converted into a sleep until
  * (resetTime + bufferMs + jitterMs) followed by a retry. Transient network
@@ -438,11 +475,12 @@ export const wrapDollarWithGhRetry = (dollar, options = {}) => {
   return wrapped;
 };
 
-export { isTransientNetworkError };
+export { isTransientNetworkError, isTransientCompareApiError };
 
 export default {
   isRateLimitError,
   isTransientNetworkError,
+  isTransientCompareApiError,
   parseRateLimitReset,
   fetchNextRateLimitReset,
   fetchGitHubRateLimitUsage,

package/src/models/index.mjs

@@ -28,23 +28,25 @@ const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 // ─── MODEL DATA ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 // Claude models (Anthropic API)
-// Updated for Opus 4.5/4.6/4.7 and Sonnet 4.6 support (Issue #1221, Issue #1238, Issue #1329, Issue #1433, Issue #1620)
+// Updated for Opus 4.5/4.6/4.7/4.8 and Sonnet 4.6 support (Issue #1221, Issue #1238, Issue #1329, Issue #1433, Issue #1620, Issue #1832)
 export const claudeModels = {
   sonnet: 'claude-sonnet-4-6', // Sonnet 4.6 (default, Issue #1329)
-  opus: 'claude-opus-4-7', // Opus 4.7 (Issue #1620)
+  opus: 'claude-opus-4-8', // Opus 4.8 (Issue #1832)
   haiku: 'claude-haiku-4-5-20251001', // Haiku 4.5
   'haiku-3-5': 'claude-3-5-haiku-20241022', // Haiku 3.5
   'haiku-3': 'claude-3-haiku-20240307', // Haiku 3
   opusplan: 'opusplan', // Special mode: Opus for planning, Sonnet for execution (Issue #1223)
   // Shorter version aliases (Issue #1221, Issue #1329 - PR comment feedback)
   'sonnet-4-6': 'claude-sonnet-4-6', // Sonnet 4.6 short alias (Issue #1329)
-  'opus-4-7': 'claude-opus-4-7', // Opus 4.7 short alias (Issue #1620)
+  'opus-4-8': 'claude-opus-4-8', // Opus 4.8 short alias (Issue #1832)
+  'opus-4-7': 'claude-opus-4-7', // Opus 4.7 short alias (backward compatibility)
   'opus-4-6': 'claude-opus-4-6', // Opus 4.6 short alias (backward compatibility)
   'opus-4-5': 'claude-opus-4-5-20251101', // Opus 4.5 short alias
   'sonnet-4-5': 'claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929', // Sonnet 4.5 short alias (backward compatibility)
   'haiku-4-5': 'claude-haiku-4-5-20251001', // Haiku 4.5 short alias
-  // Version aliases for backward compatibility (Issue #1221, Issue #1329, Issue #1620)
-  'claude-opus-4-7': 'claude-opus-4-7', // Opus 4.7 (Issue #1620)
+  // Version aliases for backward compatibility (Issue #1221, Issue #1329, Issue #1620, Issue #1832)
+  'claude-opus-4-8': 'claude-opus-4-8', // Opus 4.8 (Issue #1832)
+  'claude-opus-4-7': 'claude-opus-4-7', // Opus 4.7 (backward compatibility)
   'claude-sonnet-4-6': 'claude-sonnet-4-6', // Sonnet 4.6 (Issue #1329)
   'claude-opus-4-6': 'claude-opus-4-6', // Opus 4.6 (backward compatibility)
   'claude-opus-4-5': 'claude-opus-4-5-20251101', // Opus 4.5
@@ -175,9 +177,10 @@ export const defaultModels = {
   gemini: 'flash',
 };
 
-// Models that support 1M token context window via [1m] suffix (Issue #1221, Issue #1238, Issue #1329)
+// Models that support 1M token context window via [1m] suffix (Issue #1221, Issue #1238, Issue #1329, Issue #1832)
 // See: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/model-config
 export const MODELS_SUPPORTING_1M_CONTEXT = [
+  'claude-opus-4-8', // Opus 4.8 (Issue #1832)
   'claude-opus-4-7', // Opus 4.7 (Issue #1620)
   'claude-opus-4-6',
   'claude-opus-4-5-20251101',
@@ -186,7 +189,8 @@ export const MODELS_SUPPORTING_1M_CONTEXT = [
   'claude-sonnet-4-5',
   'sonnet', // Now maps to Sonnet 4.6 (Issue #1329)
   'sonnet-4-6', // Short alias (Issue #1329)
-  'opus', // Now maps to Opus 4.7 (Issue #1620)
+  'opus', // Now maps to Opus 4.8 (Issue #1832)
+  'opus-4-8', // Short alias (Issue #1832)
   'opus-4-7', // Short alias (Issue #1620)
   'opus-4-6', // Short alias (Issue #1221 - PR comment feedback)
   'opus-4-5', // Short alias (Issue #1238)
@@ -216,6 +220,7 @@ export const freeToBaseModelMap = {
 
 export const CLAUDE_MODELS = {
   ...claudeModels,
+  'claude-opus-4-8': 'claude-opus-4-8', // Opus 4.8 full ID (Issue #1832)
   'claude-opus-4-7': 'claude-opus-4-7', // Opus 4.7 full ID (Issue #1620)
   'claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929': 'claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929',
   'claude-opus-4-5-20251101': 'claude-opus-4-5-20251101',
@@ -989,6 +994,7 @@ export const resolveModelId = (requestedModel, tool) => {
 
 export const defaultFallbackModels = {
   claude: {
+    'claude-opus-4-8': 'opus-4-7',
     'claude-opus-4-7': 'opus-4-6',
   },
   codex: {

package/src/solve.auto-pr-compare-readiness.lib.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+/**
+ * Compare-API readiness handler for the auto-PR pipeline.
+ *
+ * After a branch is pushed, the auto-PR flow polls GitHub's compare endpoint
+ * (`/repos/{owner}/{repo}/compare/{base}...{head}`) to confirm the pushed
+ * commits are visible before calling `gh pr create`. When that poll never
+ * reports commits ahead, this helper decides what the failure means:
+ *
+ *   • HTTP 404 (fork mode) → repository mismatch. Investigate the fork
+ *     relationship and abort with an actionable error (FATAL).
+ *   • Issue #1829: a transient compare/diff failure (HTTP 500 "this diff is
+ *     temporarily unavailable due to heavy server load" / code
+ *     `not_available`, or a 5xx gateway error). The branch and commits were
+ *     already pushed and `gh pr create` does not render the full diff, so this
+ *     is a diff-RENDERING failure, NOT missing commits. Degrade gracefully and
+ *     return `true` so the caller proceeds to PR creation — still guarded by
+ *     branch verification and the LOCAL `git rev-list` commit check.
+ *   • Anything else (genuinely 0 commits ahead / unknown failure) → abort with
+ *     the original "GitHub compare API not ready" error (FATAL).
+ *
+ * Extracted from solve.auto-pr.lib.mjs to keep that file under the 1500-line
+ * CI cap.
+ *
+ * @see https://github.com/link-assistant/hive-mind/issues/1829
+ */
+
+import { isTransientCompareApiError } from './github-rate-limit.lib.mjs'; // Issue #1829: lets the compare-API readiness gate degrade gracefully on transient diff-render failures.
+
+/**
+ * Handle the case where the compare-API readiness poll never saw commits.
+ *
+ * @param {object} params
+ * @param {object} params.argv
+ * @param {string|null} params.forkedRepo
+ * @param {string} params.owner
+ * @param {string} params.repo
+ * @param {string|number} params.issueNumber
+ * @param {string} params.branchName
+ * @param {string} params.targetBranchForCompare
+ * @param {number} params.maxCompareAttempts
+ * @param {object} params.compareResult - last command-stream compare result.
+ * @param {(msg: string, opts?: object) => Promise<void>} params.log
+ * @param {(symbol: string, label: string, value: string) => string} params.formatAligned
+ * @param {Function} params.$ - command-stream tagged function from solve.
+ * @returns {Promise<boolean>} `true` when the failure was transient and PR
+ *   creation should proceed (degraded mode). Throws on fatal failures.
+ */
+export async function handleCompareApiNotReady({ argv, forkedRepo, owner, repo, issueNumber, branchName, targetBranchForCompare, maxCompareAttempts, compareResult, log, formatAligned, $ }) {
+  // Issue #1829: build the last compare-API output as a STRING. The
+  // command-stream result exposes stdout/stderr as Buffers, and both
+  // the 404 check below and isTransientCompareApiError expect a string
+  // (the rate-limit lib's collectErrorText returns '' for a raw Buffer).
+  const lastCompareOutput = `${compareResult?.stdout?.toString?.() ?? ''}${compareResult?.stderr?.toString?.() ?? ''}`;
+
+  // Check if this is a repository mismatch error (HTTP 404 from compare API)
+  let isRepositoryMismatch = false;
+  if (argv.fork && forkedRepo) {
+    // For fork mode, check the last compare API call result for 404
+    if (lastCompareOutput.includes('HTTP 404') || lastCompareOutput.includes('Not Found')) {
+      isRepositoryMismatch = true;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Issue #1829: GitHub's compare/diff endpoint can return a transient
+  // HTTP 500 ("this diff is temporarily unavailable due to heavy server
+  // load" / code "not_available") or a 5xx gateway error under load.
+  // That is a diff-RENDERING failure, NOT a "commits not indexed yet"
+  // condition: the branch and commits were already pushed, and
+  // `gh pr create` does not render the full diff, so it would still
+  // succeed. Aborting here used to kill the whole session needlessly.
+  // Treat a purely transient compare failure as non-fatal and fall
+  // through to PR creation — still guarded by the branch verification
+  // and the LOCAL `git rev-list` commit check below (and `gh pr create`
+  // itself retries transient 5xx via execGhWithRetry).
+  const compareFailedTransiently = !isRepositoryMismatch && isTransientCompareApiError(lastCompareOutput);
+
+  if (isRepositoryMismatch) {
+    // BEFORE showing any error, verify if the repository is actually a GitHub fork
+    await log('');
+    await log(formatAligned('🔍', 'Investigating:', 'Checking fork relationship...'));
+
+    const forkInfoResult = await $({
+      silent: true,
+    })`gh api repos/${forkedRepo} --jq '{fork: .fork, parent: .parent.full_name, source: .source.full_name}' 2>&1`;
+
+    let isFork = false;
+    let parentRepo = null;
+    let sourceRepo = null;
+
+    if (forkInfoResult.code === 0) {
+      try {
+        const forkInfo = JSON.parse(forkInfoResult.stdout.toString().trim());
+        isFork = forkInfo.fork === true;
+        parentRepo = forkInfo.parent || null;
+        sourceRepo = forkInfo.source || null;
+      } catch {
+        // Failed to parse fork info
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (!isFork) {
+      // Repository is NOT a fork at all
+      await log('');
+      await log(formatAligned('❌', 'NOT A GITHUB FORK:', 'Repository is not a fork'), { level: 'error' });
+      await log('');
+      await log('  🔍 What happened:');
+      await log(`     The repository ${forkedRepo} is NOT a GitHub fork.`);
+      await log('     GitHub API reports: fork=false, parent=null');
+      await log('');
+      await log('  💡 Why this happens:');
+      await log('     This repository was likely created by cloning and pushing (git clone + git push)');
+      await log("     instead of using GitHub's Fork button or API.");
+      await log('');
+      await log('     When a repository is created this way:');
+      await log('     • GitHub does not track it as a fork');
+      await log('     • It has no parent relationship with the original repository');
+      await log('     • Pull requests cannot be created to the original repository');
+      await log('     • Compare API returns 404 when comparing with unrelated repositories');
+      await log('');
+      await log('  📦 Repository details:');
+      await log('     • Target repository: ' + `${owner}/${repo}`);
+      await log('     • Your repository: ' + forkedRepo);
+      await log('     • Fork status: false (NOT A FORK)');
+      await log('');
+      await log('  🔧 How to fix:');
+      await log('     Option 1: Delete the non-fork repository and create a proper fork');
+      await log(`        gh repo delete ${forkedRepo}`);
+      await log(`        Then run this command again to create a proper GitHub fork of ${owner}/${repo}`);
+      await log('');
+      await log('     Option 2: Use --prefix-fork-name-with-owner-name to avoid name conflicts');
+      await log(`        ./solve.mjs "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}" --prefix-fork-name-with-owner-name`);
+      await log('        This creates forks with names like "owner-repo" instead of just "repo"');
+      await log('');
+      await log('     Option 3: Work directly on the repository (if you have write access)');
+      await log(`        ./solve.mjs "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}" --no-fork`);
+      await log('');
+
+      throw new Error('Repository is not a GitHub fork - cannot create PR to unrelated repository');
+    } else if (parentRepo !== `${owner}/${repo}` && sourceRepo !== `${owner}/${repo}`) {
+      // Repository IS a fork, but of a different repository
+      await log('');
+      await log(formatAligned('❌', 'WRONG FORK PARENT:', 'Fork is from different repository'), {
+        level: 'error',
+      });
+      await log('');
+      await log('  🔍 What happened:');
+      await log(`     The repository ${forkedRepo} IS a GitHub fork,`);
+      await log(`     but it's a fork of a DIFFERENT repository than ${owner}/${repo}.`);
+      await log('');
+      await log('  📦 Fork relationship:');
+      await log('     • Your fork: ' + forkedRepo);
+      await log('     • Fork parent: ' + (parentRepo || 'unknown'));
+      await log('     • Fork source: ' + (sourceRepo || 'unknown'));
+      await log('     • Target repository: ' + `${owner}/${repo}`);
+      await log('');
+      await log('  💡 Why this happens:');
+      await log('     You have an existing fork from a different repository');
+      await log('     that shares the same name but is from a different source.');
+      await log('     GitHub treats forks hierarchically - each fork tracks its root repository.');
+      await log('');
+      await log('  🔧 How to fix:');
+      await log('     Option 1: Delete the conflicting fork and create a new one');
+      await log(`        gh repo delete ${forkedRepo}`);
+      await log(`        Then run this command again to create a proper fork of ${owner}/${repo}`);
+      await log('');
+      await log('     Option 2: Use --prefix-fork-name-with-owner-name to avoid conflicts');
+      await log(`        ./solve.mjs "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}" --prefix-fork-name-with-owner-name`);
+      await log('        This creates forks with names like "owner-repo" instead of just "repo"');
+      await log('');
+      await log('     Option 3: Work directly on the repository (if you have write access)');
+      await log(`        ./solve.mjs "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}" --no-fork`);
+      await log('');
+
+      throw new Error('Fork parent mismatch - fork is from different repository tree');
+    } else {
+      // Repository is a fork of the correct parent, but compare API still failed
+      // This is unexpected - show detailed error
+      await log('');
+      await log(formatAligned('❌', 'COMPARE API ERROR:', 'Unexpected failure'), { level: 'error' });
+      await log('');
+      await log('  🔍 What happened:');
+      await log(`     The repository ${forkedRepo} is a valid fork of ${owner}/${repo},`);
+      await log("     but GitHub's compare API still returned an error.");
+      await log('');
+      await log('  📦 Fork verification:');
+      await log('     • Your fork: ' + forkedRepo);
+      await log('     • Fork status: true (VALID FORK)');
+      await log('     • Fork parent: ' + (parentRepo || 'unknown'));
+      await log('     • Target repository: ' + `${owner}/${repo}`);
+      await log('');
+      await log('  💡 This is unexpected:');
+      await log('     The fork relationship is correct, but the compare API failed.');
+      await log('     This might be a temporary GitHub API issue.');
+      await log('');
+      await log('  🔧 How to fix:');
+      await log('     1. Wait a minute and try creating the PR manually:');
+      if (argv.fork && forkedRepo) {
+        const forkUser = forkedRepo.split('/')[0];
+        await log(`        gh pr create --draft --repo ${owner}/${repo} --base ${targetBranchForCompare} --head ${forkUser}:${branchName}`);
+      }
+      await log('     2. Check if the issue persists - it might be a GitHub API outage');
+      await log('');
+
+      throw new Error('Compare API failed unexpectedly despite valid fork relationship');
+    }
+  } else if (compareFailedTransiently) {
+    // Issue #1829: the compare API failed only with a transient server
+    // error. Degrade gracefully — proceed to PR creation rather than
+    // aborting the whole session.
+    await log('');
+    await log(formatAligned('⚠️', 'COMPARE API DEGRADED:', 'Transient server error — proceeding'), {
+      level: 'warning',
+    });
+    await log('');
+    await log('  🔍 What happened:');
+    await log(`     GitHub's compare API failed with a transient server error after ${maxCompareAttempts} attempts`);
+    await log('     (e.g. HTTP 500 "this diff is temporarily unavailable due to heavy server');
+    await log('     load", or a 5xx gateway error).');
+    await log('');
+    await log('  💡 Why this is safe to ignore:');
+    await log('     • The branch and commits were already pushed successfully.');
+    await log('     • This is a diff-RENDERING failure, not missing commits.');
+    await log('     • `gh pr create` does not render the full diff, so it can still succeed.');
+    await log('     • The branch is verified on GitHub and the local commit count is');
+    await log('       re-checked before PR creation; `gh pr create` retries 5xx errors too.');
+    await log('');
+    await log('  ➡️  Proceeding to PR creation despite the compare API error (issue #1829).');
+    await log('');
+    const firstLine =
+      lastCompareOutput
+        .split('\n')
+        .map(s => s.trim())
+        .filter(Boolean)[0] || 'unknown';
+    await log(`   Last compare API output: ${firstLine}`, { verbose: true });
+    // Fall through to branch verification + local commit check + PR creation.
+    return true;
+  } else {
+    // Original timeout error for other cases
+    await log('');
+    await log(formatAligned('❌', 'GITHUB SYNC TIMEOUT:', 'Compare API not ready after retries'), {
+      level: 'error',
+    });
+    await log('');
+    await log('  🔍 What happened:');
+    await log(`     After ${maxCompareAttempts} attempts, GitHub's compare API still shows no commits`);
+    await log(`     between ${targetBranchForCompare} and ${branchName}.`);
+    await log('');
+    await log('  💡 This usually means:');
+    await log("     • GitHub's backend systems haven't finished indexing the push");
+    await log("     • There's a temporary issue with GitHub's API");
+    await log('     • The commits may not have been pushed correctly');
+    await log('');
+    await log('  🔧 How to fix:');
+    await log('     1. Wait a minute and try creating the PR manually:');
+    // For fork mode, use the correct head reference format
+    if (argv.fork && forkedRepo) {
+      const forkUser = forkedRepo.split('/')[0];
+      await log(`        gh pr create --draft --repo ${owner}/${repo} --base ${targetBranchForCompare} --head ${forkUser}:${branchName}`);
+    } else {
+      await log(`        gh pr create --draft --repo ${owner}/${repo} --base ${targetBranchForCompare} --head ${branchName}`);
+    }
+    await log('     2. Check if the branch exists on GitHub:');
+    // Show the correct repository where the branch was pushed
+    const branchRepo = argv.fork && forkedRepo ? forkedRepo : `${owner}/${repo}`;
+    await log(`        https://github.com/${branchRepo}/tree/${branchName}`);
+    await log('     3. Check the commit is on GitHub:');
+    // Use the correct head reference for the compare API check
+    if (argv.fork && forkedRepo) {
+      const forkUser = forkedRepo.split('/')[0];
+      await log(`        gh api repos/${owner}/${repo}/compare/${targetBranchForCompare}...${forkUser}:${branchName} --paginate`);
+    } else {
+      await log(`        gh api repos/${owner}/${repo}/compare/${targetBranchForCompare}...${branchName} --paginate`);
+    }
+    await log('');
+
+    throw new Error('GitHub compare API not ready - cannot create PR safely');
+  }
+}
+
+export default { handleCompareApiNotReady };

package/src/solve.auto-pr.lib.mjs

@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@
 import { closingIssueNumbersContain, parseClosingIssueNumbers } from './pr-issue-linking.lib.mjs';
 import { handleRejectedPushForAutoPr, synchronizeExistingIssueBranchBeforeAutoPrCreation } from './solve.branch-divergence.lib.mjs';
 import { emitForkAwareDiagnostic } from './solve.auto-pr-fork-diagnostic.lib.mjs';
+import { handleCompareApiNotReady } from './solve.auto-pr-compare-readiness.lib.mjs'; // Issue #1829: decides whether a failed compare-API readiness poll is fatal (fork mismatch / 0 commits) or a transient diff-render failure to degrade past.
 
-import { wrapDollarWithGhRetry as _wrapDollarWithGhRetry, execGhWithRetry } from './github-rate-limit.lib.mjs'; // rate-limit marker (#1726): gh API calls flow through $ wrapped by caller. Issue #1756: execGhWithRetry retries on transient 5xx (504) too.
+import { wrapDollarWithGhRetry as _wrapDollarWithGhRetry, execGhWithRetry, isTransientCompareApiError } from './github-rate-limit.lib.mjs'; // rate-limit marker (#1726): gh API calls flow through $ wrapped by caller. Issue #1756: execGhWithRetry retries on transient 5xx (504) too. Issue #1829: isTransientCompareApiError lets the compare-API readiness gate degrade gracefully on transient diff-render failures.
 import { stagePlaceholderFileOrExplain, explainNothingStagedAndThrow } from './solve.auto-pr-placeholder.lib.mjs'; // Issue #1825: handles the seed placeholder when the target repo gitignores it.
 
 export async function handleAutoPrCreation({ argv, tempDir, branchName, issueNumber, owner, repo, defaultBranch, forkedRepo, isContinueMode, prNumber, log, formatAligned, $, reportError, path, fs }) {
@@ -596,191 +597,40 @@ Proceed.
               await log(`   ⚠️ GitHub compare API shows 0 commits ahead (attempt ${compareAttempts}/${maxCompareAttempts})`, { level: 'warning' });
             }
           } else {
-            if (argv.verbose) {
-              await log(`   Compare API error (attempt ${compareAttempts}/${maxCompareAttempts}): ${compareResult.stdout || compareResult.stderr || 'unknown'}`, { verbose: true });
+            // Issue #1829: surface compare-API failures in normal output (not
+            // only verbose) so the degraded-mode decision below is explainable
+            // from the logs. Build the text as a STRING — the command-stream
+            // result exposes stdout/stderr as Buffers, and the transient
+            // detectors call String.prototype.toLowerCase().
+            const errorText = `${compareResult.stdout?.toString?.() ?? ''}${compareResult.stderr?.toString?.() ?? ''}`.trim();
+            const firstLine =
+              errorText
+                .split('\n')
+                .map(s => s.trim())
+                .filter(Boolean)[0] || 'unknown';
+            const transientNote = isTransientCompareApiError(errorText) ? ' (transient server error)' : '';
+            await log(`   ⚠️ GitHub compare API error${transientNote} (attempt ${compareAttempts}/${maxCompareAttempts}): ${firstLine}`, { level: 'warning' });
+            if (argv.verbose && errorText) {
+              await log(`   Compare API full output: ${errorText}`, { verbose: true });
             }
           }
         }
 
         if (!compareReady) {
-          // Check if this is a repository mismatch error (HTTP 404 from compare API)
-          let isRepositoryMismatch = false;
-          if (argv.fork && forkedRepo) {
-            // For fork mode, check the last compare API call result for 404
-            const lastCompareOutput = compareResult.stdout || compareResult.stderr || '';
-            if (lastCompareOutput.includes('HTTP 404') || lastCompareOutput.includes('Not Found')) {
-              isRepositoryMismatch = true;
-            }
-          }
-
-          if (isRepositoryMismatch) {
-            // BEFORE showing any error, verify if the repository is actually a GitHub fork
-            await log('');
-            await log(formatAligned('🔍', 'Investigating:', 'Checking fork relationship...'));
-
-            const forkInfoResult = await $({
-              silent: true,
-            })`gh api repos/${forkedRepo} --jq '{fork: .fork, parent: .parent.full_name, source: .source.full_name}' 2>&1`;
-
-            let isFork = false;
-            let parentRepo = null;
-            let sourceRepo = null;
-
-            if (forkInfoResult.code === 0) {
-              try {
-                const forkInfo = JSON.parse(forkInfoResult.stdout.toString().trim());
-                isFork = forkInfo.fork === true;
-                parentRepo = forkInfo.parent || null;
-                sourceRepo = forkInfo.source || null;
-              } catch {
-                // Failed to parse fork info
-              }
-            }
-
-            if (!isFork) {
-              // Repository is NOT a fork at all
-              await log('');
-              await log(formatAligned('❌', 'NOT A GITHUB FORK:', 'Repository is not a fork'), { level: 'error' });
-              await log('');
-              await log('  🔍 What happened:');
-              await log(`     The repository ${forkedRepo} is NOT a GitHub fork.`);
-              await log('     GitHub API reports: fork=false, parent=null');
-              await log('');
-              await log('  💡 Why this happens:');
-              await log('     This repository was likely created by cloning and pushing (git clone + git push)');
-              await log("     instead of using GitHub's Fork button or API.");
-              await log('');
-              await log('     When a repository is created this way:');
-              await log('     • GitHub does not track it as a fork');
-              await log('     • It has no parent relationship with the original repository');
-              await log('     • Pull requests cannot be created to the original repository');
-              await log('     • Compare API returns 404 when comparing with unrelated repositories');
-              await log('');
-              await log('  📦 Repository details:');
-              await log('     • Target repository: ' + `${owner}/${repo}`);
-              await log('     • Your repository: ' + forkedRepo);
-              await log('     • Fork status: false (NOT A FORK)');
-              await log('');
-              await log('  🔧 How to fix:');
-              await log('     Option 1: Delete the non-fork repository and create a proper fork');
-              await log(`        gh repo delete ${forkedRepo}`);
-              await log(`        Then run this command again to create a proper GitHub fork of ${owner}/${repo}`);
-              await log('');
-              await log('     Option 2: Use --prefix-fork-name-with-owner-name to avoid name conflicts');
-              await log(`        ./solve.mjs "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}" --prefix-fork-name-with-owner-name`);
-              await log('        This creates forks with names like "owner-repo" instead of just "repo"');
-              await log('');
-              await log('     Option 3: Work directly on the repository (if you have write access)');
-              await log(`        ./solve.mjs "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}" --no-fork`);
-              await log('');
-
-              throw new Error('Repository is not a GitHub fork - cannot create PR to unrelated repository');
-            } else if (parentRepo !== `${owner}/${repo}` && sourceRepo !== `${owner}/${repo}`) {
-              // Repository IS a fork, but of a different repository
-              await log('');
-              await log(formatAligned('❌', 'WRONG FORK PARENT:', 'Fork is from different repository'), { level: 'error' });
-              await log('');
-              await log('  🔍 What happened:');
-              await log(`     The repository ${forkedRepo} IS a GitHub fork,`);
-              await log(`     but it's a fork of a DIFFERENT repository than ${owner}/${repo}.`);
-              await log('');
-              await log('  📦 Fork relationship:');
-              await log('     • Your fork: ' + forkedRepo);
-              await log('     • Fork parent: ' + (parentRepo || 'unknown'));
-              await log('     • Fork source: ' + (sourceRepo || 'unknown'));
-              await log('     • Target repository: ' + `${owner}/${repo}`);
-              await log('');
-              await log('  💡 Why this happens:');
-              await log('     You have an existing fork from a different repository');
-              await log('     that shares the same name but is from a different source.');
-              await log('     GitHub treats forks hierarchically - each fork tracks its root repository.');
-              await log('');
-              await log('  🔧 How to fix:');
-              await log('     Option 1: Delete the conflicting fork and create a new one');
-              await log(`        gh repo delete ${forkedRepo}`);
-              await log(`        Then run this command again to create a proper fork of ${owner}/${repo}`);
-              await log('');
-              await log('     Option 2: Use --prefix-fork-name-with-owner-name to avoid conflicts');
-              await log(`        ./solve.mjs "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}" --prefix-fork-name-with-owner-name`);
-              await log('        This creates forks with names like "owner-repo" instead of just "repo"');
-              await log('');
-              await log('     Option 3: Work directly on the repository (if you have write access)');
-              await log(`        ./solve.mjs "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}" --no-fork`);
-              await log('');
-
-              throw new Error('Fork parent mismatch - fork is from different repository tree');
-            } else {
-              // Repository is a fork of the correct parent, but compare API still failed
-              // This is unexpected - show detailed error
-              await log('');
-              await log(formatAligned('❌', 'COMPARE API ERROR:', 'Unexpected failure'), { level: 'error' });
-              await log('');
-              await log('  🔍 What happened:');
-              await log(`     The repository ${forkedRepo} is a valid fork of ${owner}/${repo},`);
-              await log("     but GitHub's compare API still returned an error.");
-              await log('');
-              await log('  📦 Fork verification:');
-              await log('     • Your fork: ' + forkedRepo);
-              await log('     • Fork status: true (VALID FORK)');
-              await log('     • Fork parent: ' + (parentRepo || 'unknown'));
-              await log('     • Target repository: ' + `${owner}/${repo}`);
-              await log('');
-              await log('  💡 This is unexpected:');
-              await log('     The fork relationship is correct, but the compare API failed.');
-              await log('     This might be a temporary GitHub API issue.');
-              await log('');
-              await log('  🔧 How to fix:');
-              await log('     1. Wait a minute and try creating the PR manually:');
-              if (argv.fork && forkedRepo) {
-                const forkUser = forkedRepo.split('/')[0];
-                await log(`        gh pr create --draft --repo ${owner}/${repo} --base ${targetBranchForCompare} --head ${forkUser}:${branchName}`);
-              }
-              await log('     2. Check if the issue persists - it might be a GitHub API outage');
-              await log('');
-
-              throw new Error('Compare API failed unexpectedly despite valid fork relationship');
-            }
-          } else {
-            // Original timeout error for other cases
-            await log('');
-            await log(formatAligned('❌', 'GITHUB SYNC TIMEOUT:', 'Compare API not ready after retries'), {
-              level: 'error',
-            });
-            await log('');
-            await log('  🔍 What happened:');
-            await log(`     After ${maxCompareAttempts} attempts, GitHub's compare API still shows no commits`);
-            await log(`     between ${targetBranchForCompare} and ${branchName}.`);
-            await log('');
-            await log('  💡 This usually means:');
-            await log("     • GitHub's backend systems haven't finished indexing the push");
-            await log("     • There's a temporary issue with GitHub's API");
-            await log('     • The commits may not have been pushed correctly');
-            await log('');
-            await log('  🔧 How to fix:');
-            await log('     1. Wait a minute and try creating the PR manually:');
-            // For fork mode, use the correct head reference format
-            if (argv.fork && forkedRepo) {
-              const forkUser = forkedRepo.split('/')[0];
-              await log(`        gh pr create --draft --repo ${owner}/${repo} --base ${targetBranchForCompare} --head ${forkUser}:${branchName}`);
-            } else {
-              await log(`        gh pr create --draft --repo ${owner}/${repo} --base ${targetBranchForCompare} --head ${branchName}`);
-            }
-            await log('     2. Check if the branch exists on GitHub:');
-            // Show the correct repository where the branch was pushed
-            const branchRepo = argv.fork && forkedRepo ? forkedRepo : `${owner}/${repo}`;
-            await log(`        https://github.com/${branchRepo}/tree/${branchName}`);
-            await log('     3. Check the commit is on GitHub:');
-            // Use the correct head reference for the compare API check
-            if (argv.fork && forkedRepo) {
-              const forkUser = forkedRepo.split('/')[0];
-              await log(`        gh api repos/${owner}/${repo}/compare/${targetBranchForCompare}...${forkUser}:${branchName} --paginate`);
-            } else {
-              await log(`        gh api repos/${owner}/${repo}/compare/${targetBranchForCompare}...${branchName} --paginate`);
-            }
-            await log('');
-
-            throw new Error('GitHub compare API not ready - cannot create PR safely');
-          }
+          compareReady = await handleCompareApiNotReady({
+            argv,
+            forkedRepo,
+            owner,
+            repo,
+            issueNumber,
+            branchName,
+            targetBranchForCompare,
+            maxCompareAttempts,
+            compareResult,
+            log,
+            formatAligned,
+            $,
+          });
         }
 
         // Verify the push actually worked by checking GitHub API

package/src/solve.config.lib.mjs

@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ export const SOLVE_OPTION_DEFINITIONS = {
   },
   think: {
     type: 'string',
-    description: 'Thinking level hint. For Claude, translated to --thinking-budget for Claude Code >= 2.1.12 (off=0, low=~8000, medium=~16000, high=~24000, xhigh/max=31999) and to CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL when supported. Opus 4.7 supports xhigh and max; Opus 4.6/Sonnet 4.6/Mythos support max; Opus 4.5 uses high for xhigh/max. For Codex, mapped to reasoning effort (off=none, low=low, medium=medium, high=high, xhigh/max=xhigh).',
+    description: 'Thinking level hint. For Claude, translated to --thinking-budget for Claude Code >= 2.1.12 (off=0, low=~8000, medium=~16000, high=~24000, xhigh/max=31999) and to CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL when supported. Opus 4.8/4.7 support xhigh and max; Opus 4.6/Sonnet 4.6/Mythos support max; Opus 4.5 uses high for xhigh/max. For Codex, mapped to reasoning effort (off=none, low=low, medium=medium, high=high, xhigh/max=xhigh).',
     choices: ['off', 'low', 'medium', 'high', 'xhigh', 'max'],
     default: undefined,
   },
@@ -316,12 +316,12 @@ export const SOLVE_OPTION_DEFINITIONS = {
   },
   'fallback-model': {
     type: 'string',
-    description: 'Fallback model to switch to on model capacity/overload errors. When supported, retries resume the same session with this model. Defaults: claude opus/opus-4-7 -> opus-4-6; codex gpt-5.5 -> gpt-5.4; all others unset.',
+    description: 'Fallback model to switch to on model capacity/overload errors. When supported, retries resume the same session with this model. Defaults: claude opus/opus-4-8 -> opus-4-7; claude opus-4-7 -> opus-4-6; codex gpt-5.5 -> gpt-5.4; all others unset.',
     default: undefined,
   },
   'show-thinking-content': {
     type: 'boolean',
-    description: 'Show thinking content in Claude responses. Opus 4.7 omits thinking content by default; this option opts in to receive summarized thinking blocks. Disabled by default. Only affects --tool claude.',
+    description: 'Show thinking content in Claude responses. Opus 4.7+ omits thinking content by default (applies to Opus 4.8 as well); this option opts in to receive summarized thinking blocks. Disabled by default. Only affects --tool claude.',
     default: false,
   },
   'prompt-plan-sub-agent': {