bare-agent 0.29.0 → 0.30.0

package/README.md

@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ Every piece works alone — take what you need, ignore the rest. Two axes: **Act
 
 ### Recurse — break a hard task into a tree *(the RLM primitive)*
 
-`recurse(task, ctx, opts)` does **decompose → fan-out → verify → synthesize** in one call — Recursive Language Models as a single import, composed *around* the Loop (never a new engine). The default is **model-driven**: the worker is handed a `spawn_child` tool and decides whether to split, bounded by depth + bareguard (no second guard layer). Forced fan-out (`count` / `mode:'fanout'`) and data-driven width (`mode:'partition'`, measured from a corpus) are opt-in. Give workers a stance with `opts.persona` (prepended to every worker, carries down the tree, deliberately kept out of the isolated verifier), and tell them *where they are* with `opts.context` (a read-only paths/cwd blob threaded to every worker so a sliced child can locate its artifact — facts, not a stance). For a leaf that should self-correct, pass `opts.refineLeaf` (opt-in): a definite leaf becomes a bounded generate→sense→regenerate loop driven by *your* deterministic sensor (test/compile/lint), feeding the gap back (with escalating temperature on models that accept it; on a temperature-fixed model like `claude-sonnet-5` the gap critique carries recovery, and the receipt records the effective temps). The headline guarantee: **aggregation is code, never a model-stated number**, and a dead worker or exhausted guard returns an honest `{ incomplete, missingSlices }` — never a faked pass.
+`recurse(task, ctx, opts)` does **decompose → fan-out → verify → synthesize** in one call — Recursive Language Models as a single import, composed *around* the Loop (never a new engine). The default is **model-driven**: the worker is handed a `spawn_child` tool and decides whether to split, bounded by depth + bareguard (no second guard layer). Forced fan-out (`count` / `mode:'fanout'`) and data-driven width (`mode:'partition'`, measured from a corpus) are opt-in. Give workers a stance with `opts.persona` (prepended to every worker, carries down the tree, deliberately kept out of the isolated verifier), and tell them *where they are* with `opts.context` (a read-only paths/cwd blob threaded to every worker so a sliced child can locate its artifact — facts, not a stance). For a leaf that should self-correct, pass `opts.refineLeaf` (opt-in): a definite leaf becomes a bounded generate→sense→regenerate loop driven by *your* deterministic sensor (test/compile/lint — one that judges the *returned* result, never a worker side-effect it could game), feeding the gap back (with escalating temperature on models that accept it; on a temperature-fixed model like `claude-sonnet-5` the gap critique carries recovery, and the receipt records the effective temps). On a temperature-fixed model, `refineLeaf.rejectedBuffer` adds a second lever — it feeds the model's own prior *failed attempts* back verbatim ("write something structurally different"), the directed-diversity complement to temperature's random diversity (adaptive by default; the two are antagonistic, so it holds temperature flat when it engages). The headline guarantee: **aggregation is code, never a model-stated number**, and a dead worker or exhausted guard returns an honest `{ incomplete, missingSlices }` — never a faked pass.
 
 Over a corpus, context reaches a worker as a **handle routed by question shape** (`opts.retrieval`):
 

package/bareagent.context.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # bareagent — Integration Guide
 
 > For AI assistants and developers wiring bareagent into a project.
-> v0.29.0 | Node.js >= 18 | zero required deps (`bareguard >=0.9.0 <0.13.0` optional peer for governance) | Apache 2.0
+> v0.30.0 | Node.js >= 18 | zero required deps (`bareguard >=0.9.0 <0.13.0` optional peer for governance) | Apache 2.0
 >
 > Full human guide with composition examples, design philosophy, and recipes: [Usage Guide](docs/02-features/usage-guide.md)
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Eight entry points:
 | Count / answer "how many / all" over a corpus, honestly | recurse(task, ctx, `{ corpus, retrieval: 'scan' }`) — scans every slice, CODE-counts |
 | Give recurse workers a persona/role (senior-dev stance) | recurse(task, ctx, `{ persona }`) — prepended to every worker, carries down the tree; not applied to the verifier |
 | Tell recurse workers WHERE they are (paths/cwd) so a slice can find its file | recurse(task, ctx, `{ context }`) — read-only blob on every worker's task message + the Planner + verifier; carries down (facts, not a stance) |
-| Let a recurse LEAF retry its own failure with a deterministic check | recurse(task, ctx, `{ refineLeaf: { sensor } }`) — leaf becomes a bounded generate→sense→regenerate loop; your sensor (test/compile/lint), gap fed back, escalating temperature |
+| Let a recurse LEAF retry its own failure with a deterministic check | recurse(task, ctx, `{ refineLeaf: { sensor } }`) — leaf becomes a bounded generate→sense→regenerate loop; your sensor (test/compile/lint) judges the RETURNED result, gap fed back, escalating temperature; `rejectedBuffer` feeds prior failed attempts back on a temp-fixed model |
 | Track task state (pending/running/done/failed) | StateMachine |
 | Run agent turns on a schedule (cron, timers) | Scheduler |
 | Require human approval before dangerous actions | Checkpoint |
@@ -708,7 +708,11 @@ const out = await recurse('Audit auth.js, billing.js, gateway.js for authz bugs'
 
 **Worker context (`opts.context`, v0.23.0):** a read-only working-context string (paths/cwd) PREPENDED to every worker's TASK message as a `Working context:` block — so a sliced child can **locate its artifact** (the Planner paraphrases the goal into subtasks and drops absolute paths; without this, workers guess `.`/`~`/`/tmp` and get denied). Forwarded to the Planner as `info` (path-aware slices) and shown to the verifier too (neutral FACTS, not a stance — distinct from `persona`, which is a privileged SYSTEM-prompt stance). Carries down the tree. **Security:** it still becomes part of the prompt, so pass caller-trusted run-state only, never untrusted/end-user text (lower-privilege than `persona` — user message, not system — but still an injection surface). Absent ⇒ the task message is unchanged.
 
-**Leaf self-correction (`opts.refineLeaf`, v0.23.0, opt-in):** turn a **definite leaf** (a node offered no `spawn_child` — `simple` tier or at `maxDepth`) into a bounded generate→sense→regenerate loop instead of a single pass: `{ sensor, maxIterations?, temperatures? }`. `sensor(result, { task, context, contract }) → Verdict` is YOUR **deterministic** close (test/compile/lint — not a model judge); on a non-pass its `critique` (the gap, not the transcript) is fed FRESH into the next attempt and — **on models that accept `temperature`** — the **retry temperature ESCALATES** (default `[0.2, 0.7, 1.0]` — load-bearing there: a weak model at a flat temperature regenerates identical wrong code and ignores even crisp feedback). On a **temperature-fixed model** (e.g. `claude-sonnet-5`, which 400s any non-default temperature) the provider silently drops the param (see below), the escalation lever is inert, and the fed-back gap critique carries recovery alone; `receipts.refineLeaf.temperatures` then records the EFFECTIVE temps — a `null` marks an attempt that ran at the model's default (never the ignored requested value). Each attempt is gate-checked + metered; a HaltError mid-loop → clean `{ incomplete }`; honest non-recovery → `receipts.refineLeaf.passed === false` (never a faked pass); `receipts.tokens` sums all attempts. The error-keyed `recall` stays YOUR tool (`opts.tools`), keyed off the fed-back critique — bareagent stays litectx-agnostic. Carries down (engages at the leaves). Absent ⇒ a leaf is a single pass.
+**Leaf self-correction (`opts.refineLeaf`, v0.23.0, opt-in):** turn a **definite leaf** (a node offered no `spawn_child` — `simple` tier or at `maxDepth`) into a bounded generate→sense→regenerate loop instead of a single pass: `{ sensor, maxIterations?, temperatures?, rejectedBuffer? }`. `sensor(result, { task, context, contract }) → Verdict` is YOUR **deterministic** close (test/compile/lint — not a model judge); on a non-pass its `critique` (the gap, not the transcript) is fed FRESH into the next attempt and — **on models that accept `temperature`** — the **retry temperature ESCALATES** (default `[0.2, 0.7, 1.0]` — load-bearing there: a weak model at a flat temperature regenerates identical wrong code and ignores even crisp feedback). On a **temperature-fixed model** (e.g. `claude-sonnet-5`, which 400s any non-default temperature) the provider silently drops the param (see below), the escalation lever is inert, and the fed-back gap critique carries recovery alone; `receipts.refineLeaf.temperatures` then records the EFFECTIVE temps — a `null` marks an attempt that ran at the model's default (never the ignored requested value). Each attempt is gate-checked + metered; a HaltError mid-loop → clean `{ incomplete }`; honest non-recovery → `receipts.refineLeaf.passed === false` (never a faked pass); `receipts.tokens` sums all attempts. The error-keyed `recall` stays YOUR tool (`opts.tools`), keyed off the fed-back critique — bareagent stays litectx-agnostic. Carries down (engages at the leaves). Absent ⇒ a leaf is a single pass.
+
+> **Sensor integrity (`refineLeaf.sensor`):** the sensor must judge the **returned result** (tamper-proof — build/run the returned string in isolation), never a worker **side-effect** a worker with edit tools could game (writing a passing file then returning junk, or editing the failing test itself). The loop optimizes against whatever the sensor reads — keep the close outside what the worker can write. (RSI field lesson: reward-hacking appeared in every optimization loop with a gameable close.)
+
+> **`rejectedBuffer` (BA-14, v0.30.0):** a second lever for a **temperature-fixed** model, where escalation is inert. Instead of only the latest critique, it surfaces the model's OWN prior failed attempts VERBATIM — *"you wrote these, they failed X — write something STRUCTURALLY DIFFERENT."* This is **directed** diversity (attack the specific repeated mistake); escalation is **random** diversity, and the two are **antagonistic** — temperature monotonically degrades the buffer (`poc/ba14b`: flat-0.2 100% → 0.7 70% → 1.0 50%), so when the buffer engages the retry temperature is **held flat** at `temperatures[0]`, never escalated. Trigger: `true` = force on (also on temperature-accepting models); `false` = force off (pure BA-8 escalation); **unset = adaptive** — engage only once a prior attempt's temperature was dropped (i.e. a temp-fixed model where escalation is inert and the buffer is the sole lever). On a temperature-accepting model the default leaves behavior byte-identical. `receipts.refineLeaf.rejectedBuffer` reports whether it engaged. Efficacy is a **weak-model / fixation** phenomenon (live on `claude-sonnet-5` it engaged 6/6 but recovered no better than critique-only — cost-neutral, hence adaptive-not-always-on).
 
 ```javascript
 const out = await recurse('Fix the failing function in calc.js', ctx, {

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "bare-agent",
-  "version": "0.29.0",
+  "version": "0.30.0",
   "files": [
     "index.js",
     "index.d.ts",

package/src/loop.js

@@ -701,6 +701,11 @@ class Loop {
         const generate = () => this.provider.generate(toSend, activeTools, options);
         result = this.retry ? await this.retry.call(generate) : await generate();
       } catch (err) {
+        // A HaltError is a governance exit, not a provider failure — re-throw it (like every other seam) so it
+        // reaches the outer handler, which seals dangling tool_calls and returns error:`halt:<rule>`. Without
+        // this, throwOnError:false laundered a provider-surfaced HaltError into a generic `error:<message>`,
+        // indistinguishable from a real fault (the retry never retries it — DEFAULT_RETRY_ON is false for it).
+        if (err instanceof HaltError) throw err;
         this._reportError('provider', err, { round });
         if (this.throwOnError) throw err;
         // BA-5: a mid-run provider failure must not erase the work of the rounds that succeeded.

package/src/recurse.d.ts

@@ -94,13 +94,29 @@ export type RecurseOptions = {
      * (`temperatures`, default `[0.2,0.7,1.0]`) — the live-validated lever that lets a weak model escape a
      * repeat-the-same-mistake rut (`poc/ba8-leaf-refine.mjs`: 0/5 → 2-3/5; flat temp recovers 0/5). On a
      * temperature-fixed model (BA-10) the provider drops the param, `receipts.refineLeaf.temperatures` records
-     * `null`, and the fed-back gap critique carries recovery alone. `maxIterations` defaults to
+     * `null`, and the fed-back gap critique carries recovery alone — UNLESS the rejected-attempt buffer engages
+     * (below). `maxIterations` defaults to
      * `temperatures.length`; the REAL bound is bareguard (each attempt is gate-checked + metered). CARRIES DOWN the
      * tree (preserved by `forChild`), so it engages at the leaves of a Family-A decomposition. Recovery is PARTIAL
      * (a stubborn blind spot may persist) — `receipts.refineLeaf.passed` reports honestly. Does NOT apply to a node
      * that delegates (its children + the tree verify own quality), nor to the scan/fanout/partition dispatch paths.
      * Absent ⇒ a leaf is a single pass (byte-identical to pre-BA-8). An error-keyed `recall` is the CALLER's tool
      * (`opts.tools`) keyed off the fed-back critique — bareagent stays litectx-agnostic.
+     * **Sensor integrity (RSI-learnings #1/#5, "audit the close"):** the `sensor` MUST judge the RETURNED result
+     * (tamper-proof — e.g. build/run the returned string in an isolated context, as `poc/ba8-leaf-refine.mjs` does),
+     * NEVER a worker side-effect a worker with edit tools could GAME (writing a passing file then returning junk, or
+     * editing the failing test itself). A gameable close is the reward-hacking surface every RSI system in the field
+     * got bitten by; the loop optimizes against WHATEVER the sensor reads, so keep it outside what the worker can write.
+     * **`rejectedBuffer` (BA-14):** a SkillOpt-shaped rejected-attempt buffer — instead of only the LATEST critique,
+     * surface the model's OWN prior failed attempts verbatim ("you wrote these, they failed X — write something
+     * STRUCTURALLY DIFFERENT"). This is DIRECTED diversity (attack the specific repeated mistake), where escalation
+     * is RANDOM diversity; the two are ANTAGONISTIC (`poc/ba14b-temp-with-buffer.mjs`: temperature monotonically
+     * degrades the buffer, 100%→70%→50% across 0.2/0.7/1.0), so when the buffer engages the retry temperature is
+     * HELD at `temperatures[0]` (flat-low), never escalated. `true` = force on (also on temperature-accepting
+     * models); `false` = force off (pure BA-8 escalation); UNSET = ADAPTIVE — engage only once a prior attempt's
+     * temperature was dropped (a temperature-fixed model, BA-10, where escalation is inert and the buffer is the
+     * sole lever — `poc/ba14-rejected-buffer.mjs`: flat-temp 50%→100%). `receipts.refineLeaf.rejectedBuffer`
+     * reports whether any iteration injected it. Bounded by `maxIterations` (the buffer never outgrows it).
      */
     refineLeaf?: {
         sensor: (result: any, ctx: {
@@ -110,6 +126,7 @@ export type RecurseOptions = {
         }) => (Verdict | Promise<Verdict>);
         maxIterations?: number;
         temperatures?: number[];
+        rejectedBuffer?: boolean;
     } | undefined;
     /**
      * - Definition of done (A3). When present, the verifier grades against THIS,
@@ -225,15 +242,20 @@ export type RecurseNode = {
      */
     tokens: object | null;
     /**
-     * - (BA-8) when this
-     * leaf ran as a bounded refine loop: how many attempts it took and whether the deterministic sensor finally
+     * - (BA-8) when
+     * this leaf ran as a bounded refine loop: how many attempts it took and whether the deterministic sensor finally
      * passed (false = honest non-recovery, not a faked success). `temperatures` are the EFFECTIVE per-attempt temps
      * (BA-10): a `null` marks an attempt the model ran at its DEFAULT because it rejected the requested temperature.
+     * `rejectedBuffer` (BA-14): whether any iteration injected the rejected-attempt buffer (prior failed attempts
+     * surfaced verbatim); when it engages the REQUESTED retry temperature is held flat at `temperatures[0]`, never
+     * escalated (ba14b antagonism) — but a temperature-fixed model still drops it, so the EFFECTIVE temp recorded
+     * above is `null`, not `temperatures[0]`.
      */
     refineLeaf?: {
         iterations: number;
         passed: boolean;
         temperatures: (number | null)[];
+        rejectedBuffer: boolean;
     } | undefined;
     model: string | null;
     /**
@@ -362,7 +384,7 @@ export type Slice = {
  *   TRUSTED run-state (paths/cwd); do NOT pass untrusted / end-user-controlled text here.
  * @property {ToolDef[]} [tools] - Handle tools offered to EVERY worker (RC-5 pull-default: litectx
  *   `recall`/`get`, wired at build step 7). Workers query on demand; never the whole corpus.
- * @property {{sensor: (result: any, ctx: {task: string, context: string|undefined, contract: string|null}) => (Verdict|Promise<Verdict>), maxIterations?: number, temperatures?: number[]}} [refineLeaf]
+ * @property {{sensor: (result: any, ctx: {task: string, context: string|undefined, contract: string|null}) => (Verdict|Promise<Verdict>), maxIterations?: number, temperatures?: number[], rejectedBuffer?: boolean}} [refineLeaf]
  *   (Opt-in, BA-8 / relayfact F17) Turn a DEFINITE LEAF (a node that is offered no `spawn_child` — `simple`
  *   tier or at `maxDepth`) into a bounded generate→sense→regenerate loop instead of a single pass, so a failed
  *   slice can self-correct. `sensor` is a DETERMINISTIC close (test/compile/lint — NOT a model judge, R-S8) that
@@ -371,13 +393,29 @@ export type Slice = {
  *   (`temperatures`, default `[0.2,0.7,1.0]`) — the live-validated lever that lets a weak model escape a
  *   repeat-the-same-mistake rut (`poc/ba8-leaf-refine.mjs`: 0/5 → 2-3/5; flat temp recovers 0/5). On a
  *   temperature-fixed model (BA-10) the provider drops the param, `receipts.refineLeaf.temperatures` records
- *   `null`, and the fed-back gap critique carries recovery alone. `maxIterations` defaults to
+ *   `null`, and the fed-back gap critique carries recovery alone — UNLESS the rejected-attempt buffer engages
+ *   (below). `maxIterations` defaults to
  *   `temperatures.length`; the REAL bound is bareguard (each attempt is gate-checked + metered). CARRIES DOWN the
  *   tree (preserved by `forChild`), so it engages at the leaves of a Family-A decomposition. Recovery is PARTIAL
  *   (a stubborn blind spot may persist) — `receipts.refineLeaf.passed` reports honestly. Does NOT apply to a node
  *   that delegates (its children + the tree verify own quality), nor to the scan/fanout/partition dispatch paths.
  *   Absent ⇒ a leaf is a single pass (byte-identical to pre-BA-8). An error-keyed `recall` is the CALLER's tool
  *   (`opts.tools`) keyed off the fed-back critique — bareagent stays litectx-agnostic.
+ *   **Sensor integrity (RSI-learnings #1/#5, "audit the close"):** the `sensor` MUST judge the RETURNED result
+ *   (tamper-proof — e.g. build/run the returned string in an isolated context, as `poc/ba8-leaf-refine.mjs` does),
+ *   NEVER a worker side-effect a worker with edit tools could GAME (writing a passing file then returning junk, or
+ *   editing the failing test itself). A gameable close is the reward-hacking surface every RSI system in the field
+ *   got bitten by; the loop optimizes against WHATEVER the sensor reads, so keep it outside what the worker can write.
+ *   **`rejectedBuffer` (BA-14):** a SkillOpt-shaped rejected-attempt buffer — instead of only the LATEST critique,
+ *   surface the model's OWN prior failed attempts verbatim ("you wrote these, they failed X — write something
+ *   STRUCTURALLY DIFFERENT"). This is DIRECTED diversity (attack the specific repeated mistake), where escalation
+ *   is RANDOM diversity; the two are ANTAGONISTIC (`poc/ba14b-temp-with-buffer.mjs`: temperature monotonically
+ *   degrades the buffer, 100%→70%→50% across 0.2/0.7/1.0), so when the buffer engages the retry temperature is
+ *   HELD at `temperatures[0]` (flat-low), never escalated. `true` = force on (also on temperature-accepting
+ *   models); `false` = force off (pure BA-8 escalation); UNSET = ADAPTIVE — engage only once a prior attempt's
+ *   temperature was dropped (a temperature-fixed model, BA-10, where escalation is inert and the buffer is the
+ *   sole lever — `poc/ba14-rejected-buffer.mjs`: flat-temp 50%→100%). `receipts.refineLeaf.rejectedBuffer`
+ *   reports whether any iteration injected it. Bounded by `maxIterations` (the buffer never outgrows it).
  * @property {string} [contract] - Definition of done (A3). When present, the verifier grades against THIS,
  *   not the loose task, and verification always runs.
  * @property {(result: any, ctx: {contract: string|null, task: string}) => (Verdict|Promise<Verdict>)} [evaluate]
@@ -438,10 +476,14 @@ export type Slice = {
  * @property {string} [blocker] - (BA-11) set to `'governance-deny'` when this node stopped because its Loop
  *   short-circuited a consecutive-policy-deny spin (not a model failure). Mirrors `RecurseResult.blocker`.
  * @property {object|null} tokens - The worker Loop's `metrics.tokens`.
- * @property {{iterations: number, passed: boolean, temperatures: (number|null)[]}} [refineLeaf] - (BA-8) when this
- *   leaf ran as a bounded refine loop: how many attempts it took and whether the deterministic sensor finally
+ * @property {{iterations: number, passed: boolean, temperatures: (number|null)[], rejectedBuffer: boolean}} [refineLeaf] - (BA-8) when
+ *   this leaf ran as a bounded refine loop: how many attempts it took and whether the deterministic sensor finally
  *   passed (false = honest non-recovery, not a faked success). `temperatures` are the EFFECTIVE per-attempt temps
  *   (BA-10): a `null` marks an attempt the model ran at its DEFAULT because it rejected the requested temperature.
+ *   `rejectedBuffer` (BA-14): whether any iteration injected the rejected-attempt buffer (prior failed attempts
+ *   surfaced verbatim); when it engages the REQUESTED retry temperature is held flat at `temperatures[0]`, never
+ *   escalated (ba14b antagonism) — but a temperature-fixed model still drops it, so the EFFECTIVE temp recorded
+ *   above is `null`, not `temperatures[0]`.
  * @property {string|null} model
  * @property {string|null} [retrieval] - (§10 step 7) the retrieval mode this node ran (`scan`/`search`/`exact`),
  *   or null/absent for a plain reasoning node.

package/src/recurse.js

@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ function auditSafeCtx(ctx, overrides = {}) {
  *   TRUSTED run-state (paths/cwd); do NOT pass untrusted / end-user-controlled text here.
  * @property {ToolDef[]} [tools] - Handle tools offered to EVERY worker (RC-5 pull-default: litectx
  *   `recall`/`get`, wired at build step 7). Workers query on demand; never the whole corpus.
- * @property {{sensor: (result: any, ctx: {task: string, context: string|undefined, contract: string|null}) => (Verdict|Promise<Verdict>), maxIterations?: number, temperatures?: number[]}} [refineLeaf]
+ * @property {{sensor: (result: any, ctx: {task: string, context: string|undefined, contract: string|null}) => (Verdict|Promise<Verdict>), maxIterations?: number, temperatures?: number[], rejectedBuffer?: boolean}} [refineLeaf]
  *   (Opt-in, BA-8 / relayfact F17) Turn a DEFINITE LEAF (a node that is offered no `spawn_child` — `simple`
  *   tier or at `maxDepth`) into a bounded generate→sense→regenerate loop instead of a single pass, so a failed
  *   slice can self-correct. `sensor` is a DETERMINISTIC close (test/compile/lint — NOT a model judge, R-S8) that
@@ -225,13 +225,29 @@ function auditSafeCtx(ctx, overrides = {}) {
  *   (`temperatures`, default `[0.2,0.7,1.0]`) — the live-validated lever that lets a weak model escape a
  *   repeat-the-same-mistake rut (`poc/ba8-leaf-refine.mjs`: 0/5 → 2-3/5; flat temp recovers 0/5). On a
  *   temperature-fixed model (BA-10) the provider drops the param, `receipts.refineLeaf.temperatures` records
- *   `null`, and the fed-back gap critique carries recovery alone. `maxIterations` defaults to
+ *   `null`, and the fed-back gap critique carries recovery alone — UNLESS the rejected-attempt buffer engages
+ *   (below). `maxIterations` defaults to
  *   `temperatures.length`; the REAL bound is bareguard (each attempt is gate-checked + metered). CARRIES DOWN the
  *   tree (preserved by `forChild`), so it engages at the leaves of a Family-A decomposition. Recovery is PARTIAL
  *   (a stubborn blind spot may persist) — `receipts.refineLeaf.passed` reports honestly. Does NOT apply to a node
  *   that delegates (its children + the tree verify own quality), nor to the scan/fanout/partition dispatch paths.
  *   Absent ⇒ a leaf is a single pass (byte-identical to pre-BA-8). An error-keyed `recall` is the CALLER's tool
  *   (`opts.tools`) keyed off the fed-back critique — bareagent stays litectx-agnostic.
+ *   **Sensor integrity (RSI-learnings #1/#5, "audit the close"):** the `sensor` MUST judge the RETURNED result
+ *   (tamper-proof — e.g. build/run the returned string in an isolated context, as `poc/ba8-leaf-refine.mjs` does),
+ *   NEVER a worker side-effect a worker with edit tools could GAME (writing a passing file then returning junk, or
+ *   editing the failing test itself). A gameable close is the reward-hacking surface every RSI system in the field
+ *   got bitten by; the loop optimizes against WHATEVER the sensor reads, so keep it outside what the worker can write.
+ *   **`rejectedBuffer` (BA-14):** a SkillOpt-shaped rejected-attempt buffer — instead of only the LATEST critique,
+ *   surface the model's OWN prior failed attempts verbatim ("you wrote these, they failed X — write something
+ *   STRUCTURALLY DIFFERENT"). This is DIRECTED diversity (attack the specific repeated mistake), where escalation
+ *   is RANDOM diversity; the two are ANTAGONISTIC (`poc/ba14b-temp-with-buffer.mjs`: temperature monotonically
+ *   degrades the buffer, 100%→70%→50% across 0.2/0.7/1.0), so when the buffer engages the retry temperature is
+ *   HELD at `temperatures[0]` (flat-low), never escalated. `true` = force on (also on temperature-accepting
+ *   models); `false` = force off (pure BA-8 escalation); UNSET = ADAPTIVE — engage only once a prior attempt's
+ *   temperature was dropped (a temperature-fixed model, BA-10, where escalation is inert and the buffer is the
+ *   sole lever — `poc/ba14-rejected-buffer.mjs`: flat-temp 50%→100%). `receipts.refineLeaf.rejectedBuffer`
+ *   reports whether any iteration injected it. Bounded by `maxIterations` (the buffer never outgrows it).
  * @property {string} [contract] - Definition of done (A3). When present, the verifier grades against THIS,
  *   not the loose task, and verification always runs.
  * @property {(result: any, ctx: {contract: string|null, task: string}) => (Verdict|Promise<Verdict>)} [evaluate]
@@ -293,10 +309,14 @@ function auditSafeCtx(ctx, overrides = {}) {
  * @property {string} [blocker] - (BA-11) set to `'governance-deny'` when this node stopped because its Loop
  *   short-circuited a consecutive-policy-deny spin (not a model failure). Mirrors `RecurseResult.blocker`.
  * @property {object|null} tokens - The worker Loop's `metrics.tokens`.
- * @property {{iterations: number, passed: boolean, temperatures: (number|null)[]}} [refineLeaf] - (BA-8) when this
- *   leaf ran as a bounded refine loop: how many attempts it took and whether the deterministic sensor finally
+ * @property {{iterations: number, passed: boolean, temperatures: (number|null)[], rejectedBuffer: boolean}} [refineLeaf] - (BA-8) when
+ *   this leaf ran as a bounded refine loop: how many attempts it took and whether the deterministic sensor finally
  *   passed (false = honest non-recovery, not a faked success). `temperatures` are the EFFECTIVE per-attempt temps
  *   (BA-10): a `null` marks an attempt the model ran at its DEFAULT because it rejected the requested temperature.
+ *   `rejectedBuffer` (BA-14): whether any iteration injected the rejected-attempt buffer (prior failed attempts
+ *   surfaced verbatim); when it engages the REQUESTED retry temperature is held flat at `temperatures[0]`, never
+ *   escalated (ba14b antagonism) — but a temperature-fixed model still drops it, so the EFFECTIVE temp recorded
+ *   above is `null`, not `temperatures[0]`.
  * @property {string|null} model
  * @property {string|null} [retrieval] - (§10 step 7) the retrieval mode this node ran (`scan`/`search`/`exact`),
  *   or null/absent for a plain reasoning node.
@@ -608,10 +628,25 @@ async function recurse(task, ctx = {}, opts = {}) {
 async function recurseRefineLeaf(task, ctx, opts, state) {
   const { provider, system, handleTools, depth, critical, node, sensor } = state;
   node.model = provider.model || null;
-  const cfg = /** @type {{maxIterations?: number, temperatures?: number[]}} */ (opts.refineLeaf || {});
+  const cfg = /** @type {{maxIterations?: number, temperatures?: number[], rejectedBuffer?: boolean}} */ (opts.refineLeaf || {});
   const temps = Array.isArray(cfg.temperatures) && cfg.temperatures.length ? cfg.temperatures : DEFAULT_REFINE_TEMPS;
   const maxIterations = Number.isInteger(cfg.maxIterations) && /** @type {number} */ (cfg.maxIterations) > 0
     ? /** @type {number} */ (cfg.maxIterations) : temps.length;
+  // BA-14 rejected-attempt buffer: surface the model's OWN prior failed attempts verbatim ("you wrote these,
+  // they failed X — write something DIFFERENT") — a SkillOpt-shaped directed-diversity lever. `rejectedBuffer`:
+  // `true` = force on (also on temperature-accepting models); `false` = force off; unset = ADAPTIVE (engage only
+  // once a prior attempt's temperature was DROPPED, i.e. a temperature-fixed model where BA-8 escalation is inert
+  // and the buffer is the only lever — ba14 D>C). Escalation and the buffer are ANTAGONISTIC (ba14b: temp
+  // monotonically degrades the buffer 100→70→50% across 0.2/0.7/1.0), so when the buffer engages we HOLD temps[0].
+  const bufferForced = cfg.rejectedBuffer === true;
+  const bufferDisabled = cfg.rejectedBuffer === false;
+  let bufferUsed = false; // receipt: did any iteration actually inject the ledger?
+  const LEDGER_ENTRY_CAP = 600, LEDGER_WHY_CAP = 400;
+  const formatLedger = (/** @type {Array<{result: any, verdict: any}>} */ history) => history.map((h, i) => {
+    const code = String(h.result == null ? '' : h.result).replace(/```[a-zA-Z]*\n?/g, '').trim().slice(0, LEDGER_ENTRY_CAP);
+    const why = h.verdict && typeof h.verdict.critique === 'string' ? h.verdict.critique.slice(0, LEDGER_WHY_CAP) : '';
+    return `--- Rejected attempt ${i + 1} (already failed — do NOT reproduce) ---\n${code}${why ? `\nFailed: ${why}` : ''}`;
+  }).join('\n\n');
 
   // A refine leaf runs N Loops, so its receipts.tokens SUMS every attempt's spend (not just the last) — the
   // honest cost of the node. The 4-tier tokens object (`{input,output,cacheCreation,cacheRead}`, loop.js) is flat
@@ -632,8 +667,16 @@ async function recurseRefineLeaf(task, ctx, opts, state) {
   const effectiveTemps = [];
   // One attempt = a fresh leaf Loop (no spawn tool: a retry is a direct correction, not a re-decomposition) at the
   // iteration's temperature, with the GAP fed forward as fresh feedback. A governance halt → throw so refine stops.
-  const attempt = async ({ iteration, critique }) => {
-    const temperature = temps[Math.min(iteration, temps.length - 1)];
+  const attempt = async ({ iteration, critique, history }) => {
+    const hist = Array.isArray(history) ? history : [];
+    // ADAPTIVE trigger: a prior attempt whose temperature the model rejected (BA-10) records `null` in
+    // effectiveTemps → escalation is inert on this (temperature-fixed) model, so engage the buffer. Forced-on
+    // engages regardless (incl. temperature-accepting models). Needs ≥1 prior attempt to have something to buffer.
+    const tempDropped = effectiveTemps.some((t) => t === null);
+    const useBuffer = hist.length > 0 && !bufferDisabled && (bufferForced || tempDropped);
+    // ba14b: temperature is antagonistic to the buffer's directed diversity — HOLD temps[0] when it engages;
+    // otherwise escalate (BA-8, the no-memory lever). On a temperature-fixed model both collapse to the default.
+    const temperature = useBuffer ? temps[0] : temps[Math.min(iteration, temps.length - 1)];
     const loop = new Loop({
       provider, system,
       policy: ctx.policy || undefined,
@@ -642,9 +685,15 @@ async function recurseRefineLeaf(task, ctx, opts, state) {
       throwOnError: false,
     });
     const base = withContext(task, opts.context);
-    const userText = critique
-      ? `${base}\n\nYour previous attempt FAILED these checks:\n${critique}\n\nReturn a corrected result that passes ALL of them.`
-      : base;
+    let userText;
+    if (useBuffer) {
+      bufferUsed = true;
+      userText = `${base}\n\nYou have already tried the following and each FAILED. Do NOT reproduce them — write a STRUCTURALLY DIFFERENT result that passes ALL checks:\n\n${formatLedger(hist)}`;
+    } else if (critique) {
+      userText = `${base}\n\nYour previous attempt FAILED these checks:\n${critique}\n\nReturn a corrected result that passes ALL of them.`;
+    } else {
+      userText = base;
+    }
     const out = await loop.run([{ role: 'user', content: userText }], handleTools, { ctx: auditSafeCtx(ctx, { depth }), temperature });
     // `temperatureDropped` is set on the Loop result only when the model rejected the requested temperature
     // (BA-10); it's absent on the error/halt return shapes, so read it through a narrow cast.
@@ -667,7 +716,7 @@ async function recurseRefineLeaf(task, ctx, opts, state) {
     // `temperatures` = the EFFECTIVE temps (BA-10): a `null` marks an attempt whose requested temperature the
     // model rejected and ran at its default — so the receipt never claims a value the model ignored. On a
     // temperature-accepting model this equals the requested `temps.slice(0, iterations)` (byte-identical receipt).
-    node.refineLeaf = { iterations: outcome.iterations, passed: !!(outcome.verdict && outcome.verdict.pass), temperatures: effectiveTemps.slice(0, outcome.iterations) };
+    node.refineLeaf = { iterations: outcome.iterations, passed: !!(outcome.verdict && outcome.verdict.pass), temperatures: effectiveTemps.slice(0, outcome.iterations), rejectedBuffer: bufferUsed };
     const result = outcome.result;
 
     // Optional rubric layer on top of the deterministic sensor (RC-7): forced for critical, or a contract/override.
@@ -682,6 +731,11 @@ async function recurseRefineLeaf(task, ctx, opts, state) {
     return { result, verdict: outcome.verdict || null, receipts: node };
   } catch (err) {
     node.tokens = tokensSum; // record whatever attempts DID spend, on both the halt and fault paths
+    // The refineLeaf receipt must ride EVERY terminating path, not just the clean one (same invariant as BA-10's
+    // `temperatureDropped`): a leaf that ran attempts then halted/faulted still spent tokens and may have engaged
+    // the buffer. `effectiveTemps[iteration]` is set BEFORE each attempt's throw, so it reflects every attempt
+    // made; `passed:false` because the catch is only reached on a throw (a pass returns from the try above).
+    node.refineLeaf = { iterations: effectiveTemps.length, passed: false, temperatures: effectiveTemps.slice(), rejectedBuffer: bufferUsed };
     if (err instanceof HaltError) {
       node.halted = true;
       node.incomplete = true;

package/src/refine.d.ts

@@ -1,15 +1,25 @@
 export type Verdict = import("./evaluator").Verdict;
 export type RefineOptions = {
     /**
-     *   Build one generation. On iteration 0, `lastResult`/`critique` are null. Fresh-feedback (D6/A1) is the
-     *   consumer's to realize here: seed a NEW Loop with `{goal + critique}` rather than continuing the failed
-     *   transcript — anchoring on a wrong answer defeats the independent verifier.
+     *   Build one generation. On iteration 0, `lastResult`/`critique` are null and `history` is empty. Fresh-feedback
+     *   (D6/A1) is the consumer's to realize here: seed a NEW Loop with `{goal + critique}` rather than continuing the
+     *   failed transcript — anchoring on a wrong answer defeats the independent verifier. `history` is a fresh
+     *   shallow COPY of every prior `{result, verdict}` in order (a SkillOpt rejected-attempt buffer, BA-14): a
+     *   consumer MAY surface the failed attempts verbatim ("you already wrote these, they failed X — write something
+     *   different"), the lever that recovers a temperature-fixed model's fixation rut where escalation is inert
+     *   (`poc/ba14-rejected-buffer.mjs`: flat-temp 50%→100%). *Structurally* mutating the copy (push/splice/reorder)
+     *   is safe; the `{result, verdict}` entries are SHARED references into refine's internal history (and the returned
+     *   `outcome.history`), so treat them as READ-ONLY — deep-mutating an entry corrupts the outcome.
      */
     attempt: (args: {
         iteration: number;
         lastResult: any;
         critique: string | null;
         contract: string | null;
+        history: Array<{
+            result: any;
+            verdict: Verdict;
+        }>;
     }) => any;
     /**
      *   Judge a result — typically `evaluator.evaluate(goal, result, { rubric, contract })`.
@@ -56,10 +66,16 @@ export type RefineOutcome = {
 /** @typedef {import('./evaluator').Verdict} Verdict */
 /**
  * @typedef {object} RefineOptions
- * @property {(args: {iteration: number, lastResult: any, critique: string|null, contract: string|null}) => any} attempt
- *   Build one generation. On iteration 0, `lastResult`/`critique` are null. Fresh-feedback (D6/A1) is the
- *   consumer's to realize here: seed a NEW Loop with `{goal + critique}` rather than continuing the failed
- *   transcript — anchoring on a wrong answer defeats the independent verifier.
+ * @property {(args: {iteration: number, lastResult: any, critique: string|null, contract: string|null, history: Array<{result: any, verdict: Verdict}>}) => any} attempt
+ *   Build one generation. On iteration 0, `lastResult`/`critique` are null and `history` is empty. Fresh-feedback
+ *   (D6/A1) is the consumer's to realize here: seed a NEW Loop with `{goal + critique}` rather than continuing the
+ *   failed transcript — anchoring on a wrong answer defeats the independent verifier. `history` is a fresh
+ *   shallow COPY of every prior `{result, verdict}` in order (a SkillOpt rejected-attempt buffer, BA-14): a
+ *   consumer MAY surface the failed attempts verbatim ("you already wrote these, they failed X — write something
+ *   different"), the lever that recovers a temperature-fixed model's fixation rut where escalation is inert
+ *   (`poc/ba14-rejected-buffer.mjs`: flat-temp 50%→100%). *Structurally* mutating the copy (push/splice/reorder)
+ *   is safe; the `{result, verdict}` entries are SHARED references into refine's internal history (and the returned
+ *   `outcome.history`), so treat them as READ-ONLY — deep-mutating an entry corrupts the outcome.
  * @property {(result: any, ctx: {iteration: number, contract: string|null}) => (Verdict | Promise<Verdict>)} evaluate
  *   Judge a result — typically `evaluator.evaluate(goal, result, { rubric, contract })`.
  * @property {string} [contract] - The shared definition of done (A3/D10), forwarded to BOTH `attempt` and

package/src/refine.js

@@ -4,10 +4,16 @@
 
 /**
  * @typedef {object} RefineOptions
- * @property {(args: {iteration: number, lastResult: any, critique: string|null, contract: string|null}) => any} attempt
- *   Build one generation. On iteration 0, `lastResult`/`critique` are null. Fresh-feedback (D6/A1) is the
- *   consumer's to realize here: seed a NEW Loop with `{goal + critique}` rather than continuing the failed
- *   transcript — anchoring on a wrong answer defeats the independent verifier.
+ * @property {(args: {iteration: number, lastResult: any, critique: string|null, contract: string|null, history: Array<{result: any, verdict: Verdict}>}) => any} attempt
+ *   Build one generation. On iteration 0, `lastResult`/`critique` are null and `history` is empty. Fresh-feedback
+ *   (D6/A1) is the consumer's to realize here: seed a NEW Loop with `{goal + critique}` rather than continuing the
+ *   failed transcript — anchoring on a wrong answer defeats the independent verifier. `history` is a fresh
+ *   shallow COPY of every prior `{result, verdict}` in order (a SkillOpt rejected-attempt buffer, BA-14): a
+ *   consumer MAY surface the failed attempts verbatim ("you already wrote these, they failed X — write something
+ *   different"), the lever that recovers a temperature-fixed model's fixation rut where escalation is inert
+ *   (`poc/ba14-rejected-buffer.mjs`: flat-temp 50%→100%). *Structurally* mutating the copy (push/splice/reorder)
+ *   is safe; the `{result, verdict}` entries are SHARED references into refine's internal history (and the returned
+ *   `outcome.history`), so treat them as READ-ONLY — deep-mutating an entry corrupts the outcome.
  * @property {(result: any, ctx: {iteration: number, contract: string|null}) => (Verdict | Promise<Verdict>)} evaluate
  *   Judge a result — typically `evaluator.evaluate(goal, result, { rubric, contract })`.
  * @property {string} [contract] - The shared definition of done (A3/D10), forwarded to BOTH `attempt` and
@@ -49,7 +55,7 @@ async function refine(options) {
   let lastVerdict = null;
 
   for (let iteration = 0; iteration < maxIterations; iteration++) {
-    const result = await attempt({ iteration, lastResult, critique: lastVerdict ? lastVerdict.critique : null, contract });
+    const result = await attempt({ iteration, lastResult, critique: lastVerdict ? lastVerdict.critique : null, contract, history: history.slice() });
     const verdict = await evaluate(result, { iteration, contract });
     history.push({ result, verdict });
     lastResult = result;