klypix-mcp 1.99.0 → 1.100.0

package/bin/klypix-install.mjs

@@ -347,7 +347,9 @@ const flatten = (code) => code
     // tools import the lease reader. app-bridge-protocol / app-bridge-client
     // (P1 agent parity): the app tools lazily import the client of the KLYPIX
     // app bridge, which imports the protocol.
-    .replace(/\.\.\/src\/(bench|brain-doctor|agent-presence|agent-rules|capture-gap|enrichment|finding-routing|mcp-presence|mcp-supervisor|mcp-auto-update|presence-relay|repo-state|semantic-memory|runtime-inspector|project-graph|git-capture-install|app-lease|app-tools|app-bridge-protocol|app-bridge-client)\.mjs/g, './$1.mjs')
+    // session-handoff (1.99.1): the worker's brain_sync imports CONTINUE_RE and
+    // formatHandoffCards from it directly (1.99.0 only reached it via core).
+    .replace(/\.\.\/src\/(bench|brain-doctor|agent-presence|agent-rules|capture-gap|enrichment|finding-routing|mcp-presence|mcp-supervisor|mcp-auto-update|presence-relay|repo-state|semantic-memory|runtime-inspector|project-graph|git-capture-install|app-lease|app-tools|app-bridge-protocol|app-bridge-client|session-handoff)\.mjs/g, './$1.mjs')
     .replace(/klypix-worker\.mjs/g, 'klypix-mcp-worker.mjs')
     .replace(/const PKG_VERSION = \(\(\) => \{[\s\S]*?\}\)\(\);/, `const PKG_VERSION = '${VERSION}'; // baked at install (flat layout has no package.json)`);
 

package/bin/klypix-worker.mjs

@@ -44,8 +44,10 @@ import {
   reopenCandidate,
   reopenQuestion,
   REOPEN_NUDGE,
+  formatUnfinishedWork,
 } from '../src/agent-presence.mjs';
 import { collectRepoState, commitsInRange, makeContainmentProbe } from '../src/repo-state.mjs';
+import { CONTINUE_RE as HANDOFF_CONTINUE_RE, formatHandoffCards } from '../src/session-handoff.mjs';
 import {
   reconcileRegisteredProjects,
   registerProjectBrain,
@@ -1408,10 +1410,28 @@ server.registerTool('brain_sync', {
     try {
       const h = await opBrainHandoff({ vault: mcpPresence.vault, canvas: report.structured.brain, action: 'list', from: { sessionId: extra?.klypixRequestIdentity?.sessionId || mcpPresence.id } });
       const cards = h?.structured?.handoffs || [];
-      const lane = h?.structured?.unfinished || [];
+      // 1.99.1: the AUTOMATIC lane records are history, not a lock (bench S5:
+      // an ended session's intent on a file made Claude and Codex defer, 0/5).
+      // They ride the start response only when this task asks to continue
+      // something, or touches a file one of them touched — and then as
+      // "stopped, holds no files". Deliberate 🤝 cards always ride.
+      const wantsContinue = HANDOFF_CONTINUE_RE.test(String(intent || ''));
+      const normPath = (p) => String(p || '').replace(/\\/g, '/').toLowerCase();
+      const mine = new Set((Array.isArray(files) ? files : []).map(normPath));
+      const lane = (h?.structured?.unfinished || []).filter((r) => wantsContinue
+        || (Array.isArray(r.files) && r.files.some((p) => mine.has(normPath(p)))));
       if (!h?.isError && (cards.length || lane.length)) {
-        handoffText = String(h.blocks?.[0]?.text || '').replace(/^_brain:[^\n]*_\n\n/, '');
-        handoffData = { cards: cards.length, unfinished: lane.length, handoffs: cards.map((c) => ({ id: c.id, title: c.title, from: c.from, at: c.at, reason: c.reason, state: c.state, next: c.next, files: c.files })), sessions: lane.map((r) => ({ id: r.id, client: r.client, intent: r.intent, status: r.status, lastSeen: r.lastSeen, files: r.files, commits: r.commits, handoffCardId: r.handoffCardId, takenBy: r.takenBy })) };
+        const now = Date.now();
+        handoffText = [
+          formatHandoffCards(cards, { now, max: 5 }),
+          formatUnfinishedWork(lane, { now, max: 4 }),
+        ].filter(Boolean).join('\n\n');
+        handoffData = {
+          cards: cards.length,
+          unfinished: lane.length,
+          handoffs: cards.map((c) => ({ id: c.id, title: c.title, from: c.from, at: c.at, reason: c.reason, state: c.state, next: c.next, files: c.files })),
+          sessions: lane.slice(0, 4).map((r) => ({ id: r.id, client: r.client, intent: r.intent, state: r.state, working: false, holdsFiles: false, note: r.note, status: r.status, lastSeen: r.lastSeen, files: r.files, commits: r.commits, handoffCardId: r.handoffCardId, takenBy: r.takenBy })),
+        };
       }
     } catch { /* never fails a sync */ }
   }

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "klypix-mcp",
-  "version": "1.99.0",
+  "version": "1.100.0",
   "mcpName": "io.github.dahshanlabs/klypix-mcp",
   "description": "Active state management for multi-agent coding: a shared, versioned project brain over MCP.",
   "type": "module",
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
     "bench": "node bin/klypix-mcp.mjs bench",
     "test:bench": "node test/bench.mjs",
     "pretest": "node test/publish-workflow.mjs",
-    "test": "node test/publish-verdict.mjs && node test/npx-owned-names.mjs && node test/project-graph.mjs && node test/project-map-cli.mjs && node test/mcp-auto-update.mjs && node test/mcp-supervisor.mjs && node test/runtime-inspector.mjs && node test/codex-hooks.mjs && node test/request-identity.mjs && node test/session-identity-core.mjs && node test/agent-presence.mjs && node test/message-delivery-v3.mjs && node test/claude-message-delivery-v3.mjs && node test/session-mailbox.mjs && node test/session-reopen.mjs && node test/session-handoff.mjs && node test/lane-write-retry.mjs && node test/result-reconcile.mjs && node test/evidence-publication-gate.mjs && node test/release-evidence-cli.mjs && node test/intent-guard.mjs && node test/git-capture-install.mjs && node test/brain-history.mjs && node test/brain-graveyard.mjs && node test/archived-visibility.mjs && node test/finding-routing.mjs && node test/finding-routing-hook.mjs && node test/presence-relay.mjs && node test/install-version.mjs && node test/install-rename-backoff.mjs && node test/project-binding-rebind.mjs && node test/context-gateway.mjs && node test/repo-state.mjs && node test/released-tag-guard.mjs && node test/conformance.mjs && node test/brain-doctor.mjs && node test/version-currency.mjs && node test/ship-capture.mjs && node test/capture-gap.mjs && node test/lane-message.mjs && node test/brain-quality.mjs && node test/brain-connect-orphans.mjs && node test/orphan-gardener.mjs && node test/brief-and-recall.mjs && node test/guard-cards.mjs && node test/layout-cluster.mjs && node test/brain-ask.mjs && node test/brain-ask-words.mjs && node test/retrieval-fusion.mjs && node test/eval-retrieval.mjs && node test/field-report-2026-07-04.mjs && node test/autoprop.mjs && node test/overlay-recency-2026-07-12.mjs && node test/brain-challenge.mjs && node test/brain-lens.mjs && node test/brain-kind.mjs && node test/rule-drafts.mjs && node test/claim-engine.mjs && node test/partial-notes.mjs && node test/lifecycle-prefix.mjs && node test/close-link-safety.mjs && node test/resolve-ledger.mjs && node test/plan-fulfillment.mjs && node test/arrange-receipts.mjs && node test/skill-staleness.mjs && node test/canvas-view.mjs && node test/status-completeness.mjs && node test/semantic-security.mjs && node test/semantic-gate.mjs && node test/memory-runtime.mjs && node test/semantic-cache.mjs && node test/semantic-preparation.mjs && node test/semantic-hash-parity.mjs && node test/enrichment.mjs && node test/provenance.mjs && node test/confirm-trail.mjs && node test/hook-fallback.mjs && node test/eval-hook-lane.mjs && node test/hook-unified-lane.mjs && node test/decay-status.mjs && node test/decay-hook.mjs && node test/marker-suffix-grammar.mjs && node test/evidence-anchors.mjs && node test/brain-evidence.mjs && node test/presence-visibility.mjs && node test/undeclared-active.mjs && node test/presence-liveness.mjs && node test/observed-scope.mjs && node test/overlap-tiers.mjs && node test/coordination-bench.mjs && node test/release-lease.mjs && node test/release-reconcile.mjs && node test/release-ancestry.mjs && node test/release-claim-join.mjs && node test/release-claims.mjs && node test/release-handshake.mjs && node test/completion-guard.mjs && node test/results-not-manifests.mjs && node test/merge-brains.mjs && node test/merge-readings.mjs && node test/revival-map.mjs && node test/merge-scale.mjs && node test/concurrent-writes.mjs && node test/lock-interop.mjs && node test/capture-write-failure.mjs && node test/a2a-smoke.mjs && node test/one-command-setup.mjs && node test/cli-args.mjs && node test/format-guard.mjs && node test/canvas-groups.mjs && node test/git-tools.mjs && node test/link-compat.mjs && node test/uninstall.mjs && node test/current-guidance.mjs && node test/current-first.mjs && node test/status-shape.mjs && node test/status-hook.mjs && node test/read-canvas-saved-readings.mjs && node test/document-readings.mjs && node test/open-lease.mjs && node test/agent-card-style.mjs && node test/tool-schema-freeze.mjs && node test/app-lease-vectors.mjs && node test/app-tools-stdio.mjs && node test/card-contents-files.mjs && node test/codex-app-table.mjs && node test/plugin-mode.mjs && node test/app-bridge-vectors.mjs && node test/app-bridge-client.mjs && node test/app-tools-static.mjs && node test/app-tools-stdio-live.mjs",
+    "test": "node test/publish-verdict.mjs && node test/npx-owned-names.mjs && node test/project-graph.mjs && node test/project-map-cli.mjs && node test/mcp-auto-update.mjs && node test/mcp-supervisor.mjs && node test/runtime-inspector.mjs && node test/codex-hooks.mjs && node test/request-identity.mjs && node test/session-identity-core.mjs && node test/agent-presence.mjs && node test/message-delivery-v3.mjs && node test/claude-message-delivery-v3.mjs && node test/session-mailbox.mjs && node test/session-reopen.mjs && node test/session-handoff.mjs && node test/lane-write-retry.mjs && node test/result-reconcile.mjs && node test/evidence-publication-gate.mjs && node test/release-evidence-cli.mjs && node test/intent-guard.mjs && node test/git-capture-install.mjs && node test/brain-history.mjs && node test/brain-graveyard.mjs && node test/archived-visibility.mjs && node test/finding-routing.mjs && node test/finding-routing-hook.mjs && node test/presence-relay.mjs && node test/install-version.mjs && node test/install-rename-backoff.mjs && node test/project-binding-rebind.mjs && node test/context-gateway.mjs && node test/repo-state.mjs && node test/released-tag-guard.mjs && node test/conformance.mjs && node test/brain-doctor.mjs && node test/version-currency.mjs && node test/ship-capture.mjs && node test/capture-gap.mjs && node test/lane-message.mjs && node test/brain-quality.mjs && node test/brain-connect-orphans.mjs && node test/orphan-gardener.mjs && node test/brief-and-recall.mjs && node test/guard-cards.mjs && node test/layout-cluster.mjs && node test/brain-ask.mjs && node test/brain-ask-words.mjs && node test/retrieval-fusion.mjs && node test/eval-retrieval.mjs && node test/field-report-2026-07-04.mjs && node test/autoprop.mjs && node test/overlay-recency-2026-07-12.mjs && node test/brain-challenge.mjs && node test/brain-lens.mjs && node test/brain-kind.mjs && node test/rule-drafts.mjs && node test/claim-engine.mjs && node test/partial-notes.mjs && node test/lifecycle-prefix.mjs && node test/close-link-safety.mjs && node test/resolve-ledger.mjs && node test/plan-fulfillment.mjs && node test/arrange-receipts.mjs && node test/skill-staleness.mjs && node test/canvas-view.mjs && node test/status-completeness.mjs && node test/semantic-security.mjs && node test/semantic-gate.mjs && node test/memory-runtime.mjs && node test/semantic-cache.mjs && node test/semantic-preparation.mjs && node test/semantic-hash-parity.mjs && node test/enrichment.mjs && node test/provenance.mjs && node test/confirm-trail.mjs && node test/hook-fallback.mjs && node test/eval-hook-lane.mjs && node test/hook-unified-lane.mjs && node test/decay-status.mjs && node test/decay-hook.mjs && node test/marker-suffix-grammar.mjs && node test/marker-after-colon.mjs && node test/evidence-anchors.mjs && node test/brain-evidence.mjs && node test/presence-visibility.mjs && node test/undeclared-active.mjs && node test/presence-liveness.mjs && node test/observed-scope.mjs && node test/overlap-tiers.mjs && node test/coordination-bench.mjs && node test/release-lease.mjs && node test/release-reconcile.mjs && node test/release-ancestry.mjs && node test/release-claim-join.mjs && node test/release-claims.mjs && node test/release-handshake.mjs && node test/completion-guard.mjs && node test/results-not-manifests.mjs && node test/merge-brains.mjs && node test/merge-readings.mjs && node test/revival-map.mjs && node test/merge-scale.mjs && node test/concurrent-writes.mjs && node test/lock-interop.mjs && node test/capture-write-failure.mjs && node test/a2a-smoke.mjs && node test/one-command-setup.mjs && node test/cli-args.mjs && node test/format-guard.mjs && node test/canvas-groups.mjs && node test/git-tools.mjs && node test/link-compat.mjs && node test/uninstall.mjs && node test/current-guidance.mjs && node test/current-first.mjs && node test/status-shape.mjs && node test/status-hook.mjs && node test/read-canvas-saved-readings.mjs && node test/document-readings.mjs && node test/open-lease.mjs && node test/agent-card-style.mjs && node test/tool-schema-freeze.mjs && node test/app-lease-vectors.mjs && node test/app-tools-stdio.mjs && node test/card-contents-files.mjs && node test/codex-app-table.mjs && node test/plugin-mode.mjs && node test/app-bridge-vectors.mjs && node test/app-bridge-client.mjs && node test/app-tools-static.mjs && node test/app-tools-stdio-live.mjs",
     "test:memory": "node test/memory-runtime.mjs",
     "test:memory:soak": "node --expose-gc test/memory-soak.mjs",
     "runtime": "node bin/klypix-runtime.mjs",

package/src/agent-presence.mjs

@@ -2903,6 +2903,18 @@ export function listKnownSessions({ brainPath, home, now = Date.now() } = {}) {
 // first, with its last words, commits and files, and whether another session
 // already took it over. Nothing here starts, wakes or routes a session.
 export const UNFINISHED_QUIET_MS = 10 * 60 * 1000;
+// 1.99.1 — signal, not history (field + bench, 2026-10-12). 1.99.0 listed every
+// remembered session with an uncompleted intent: 34 on the founder's PC, most
+// of them finished chats whose last prompt was "i can close?" (a hook-only
+// Claude session never records completion), and the coordination bench (S5)
+// showed an ended session's intent on a file read to Claude AND Codex as a live
+// claim (0/5). So a record is listed only when (a) the session stopped within
+// UNFINISHED_WINDOW_MS, and (b) it carries a 1.99+ work record — a reply tail,
+// own commits or a handoff card — so legacy and empty sessions never appear;
+// and every record says, in text and JSON, that it is not running and holds
+// no claim on any file.
+export const UNFINISHED_WINDOW_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+export const hasWorkEvidence = (work) => Boolean(work && (work.lastWords || (Array.isArray(work.commits) && work.commits.length) || work.handoffCardId));
 export function clientWord(client) {
   const key = String(client || '').toLowerCase();
   if (key === 'claude-code' || key === 'claude') return 'Claude Code';
@@ -2937,7 +2949,9 @@ export function listUnfinishedWork({ brainPath, home, now = Date.now(), selfId =
       const quietMs = quietFor(row, now);
       return { entry, row, work, completed, done, taker, quietMs };
     })
-    .filter(({ completed, done, quietMs }) => !completed && !done && (includeWorking || quietMs >= UNFINISHED_QUIET_MS))
+    .filter(({ entry, work, completed, done, quietMs }) => !completed && !done
+      && (includeWorking || quietMs >= UNFINISHED_QUIET_MS)
+      && (includeWorking || (hasWorkEvidence(work) && now - Number(entry.lastSeen || 0) < UNFINISHED_WINDOW_MS)))
     .map(({ entry, row, work, taker, quietMs }) => ({
       id: entry.id,
       client: entry.client,
@@ -2955,6 +2969,13 @@ export function listUnfinishedWork({ brainPath, home, now = Date.now(), selfId =
         ? (sessionStatusLabel(row, now) || 'live')
         : (entry.endedAt ? 'closed' : `not seen for ${agoLabel(now - entry.lastSeen).replace(/ ago$/, '')}`),
       resumeCommand: row ? '' : resumeCommandFor(entry.client, entry.id),
+      // Machine-readable state — hosts that hand the model the JSON (Claude
+      // Code reads structuredContent) must see what the text says: stopped,
+      // not working, no file reserved.
+      state: row ? 'stopped' : 'ended',
+      working: false,
+      holdsFiles: false,
+      note: 'This session is not running. It holds no claim on these files; a "do not touch" note it left no longer applies. Continue its work only if the human asks.',
       lastPrompt: work.lastPrompt || '',
       lastWords: work.lastWords || '',
       lastWordsAt: work.lastWordsAt || null,
@@ -3009,14 +3030,14 @@ export function formatUnfinishedWork(records, { now = Date.now(), max = 5, cardT
   const list = Array.isArray(records) ? records : [];
   if (!list.length) return '';
   const flat = (value) => String(value || '').replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim();
-  const lines = [`⏸️ Unfinished work left by other sessions on this project (${list.length}, newest first) — each stopped before its task was done and nobody is working on it now:`];
+  const lines = [`⏸️ Work other sessions may have left unfinished (${list.length}, stopped in the last 24h, newest first). None of them is running: they hold NO claim on any file, and a "do not touch" or WIP note one of them left no longer applies. Use this only if the human asks you to continue their work:`];
   for (const r of list.slice(0, max)) {
     const who = `${clientWord(r.client)} ${String(r.id).slice(0, 8)}`;
-    const bits = [r.status, `last active ${agoLabel(r.ageMs)}`];
+    const bits = [r.state === 'ended' ? 'ended' : `stopped (${r.status})`, `last active ${agoLabel(r.ageMs)}`];
     if (r.branch) bits.push(`branch ${r.branch}`);
     lines.push(`- ${who} · “${flat(r.intent).slice(0, 120)}” · ${bits.join(' · ')}`);
     if (r.commits.length) lines.push(`  commits: ${r.commits.map((c) => `${c.sha} ${c.subject}`).join('; ').slice(0, 320)}`);
-    if (r.files.length) lines.push(`  files: ${r.files.slice(-8).join(', ')}`);
+    if (r.files.length) lines.push(`  files it touched (free — not reserved): ${r.files.slice(-8).join(', ')}`);
     if (r.lastWords) lines.push(`  its last words: “${flat(r.lastWords).slice(0, 420)}”`);
     if (r.handoffCardId) {
       const title = cardTitles && cardTitles.get ? cardTitles.get(r.handoffCardId) : null;
@@ -3026,7 +3047,7 @@ export function formatUnfinishedWork(records, { now = Date.now(), max = 5, cardT
     if (r.resumeCommand) lines.push(`  its own transcript, should the human want it: ${r.resumeCommand}`);
   }
   if (list.length > max) lines.push(`- …and ${list.length - max} more — brain_handoff {action:"list"} shows all.`);
-  lines.push('To continue one: brain_handoff {action:"take", session:"<its id>"} (peers then see it is taken), then brain_sync with that intent and files; when it is finished, brain_handoff {action:"done", session:"<its id>"}. If it is not what the human asked for, leave it.');
+  lines.push('If the human asks you to continue one: brain_handoff {action:"take", session:"<its id>"} (peers then see it is taken), then brain_sync with that intent and files; when finished, brain_handoff {action:"done", session:"<its id>"}. Otherwise ignore this list — it is history, not a lock.');
   return lines.join('\n');
 }
 
@@ -3443,10 +3464,11 @@ export function reopenQuestion(candidate, { senderLabel = 'another session', sta
   const entry = candidate?.entry || {};
   const who = `${candidate?.hostLabel || 'The'} session ${String(entry.id || '').slice(0, 8)}${entry.intent ? ` ("${neutralizeMarkers(String(entry.intent).slice(0, 70))}")` : ''}`;
   const notes = candidate?.waitingNotes?.length || 0;
-  const state = candidate?.endedAt ? `closed ${agoLabel(now - candidate.endedAt)}` : `not running (last seen ${agoLabel(now - Number(candidate?.lastSeen || now))})`;
+  // "was closed 2m ago" / "is not running (last seen 2m ago)": the verb belongs to each state (1.91.0 read "is closed 2m ago")
+  const state = candidate?.endedAt ? `was closed ${agoLabel(now - candidate.endedAt)}` : `is not running (last seen ${agoLabel(now - Number(candidate?.lastSeen || now))})`;
   const days = candidate?.expiresAt ? Math.max(1, Math.round((candidate.expiresAt - now) / 86_400_000)) : 7;
   return [
-    `${who} is ${state}, and ${notes === 1 ? 'a note' : `${notes} notes`} from ${senderLabel} ${notes === 1 ? 'is' : 'are'} waiting for it.`,
+    `${who} ${state}, and ${notes === 1 ? 'a note' : `${notes} notes`} from ${senderLabel} ${notes === 1 ? 'is' : 'are'} waiting for it.`,
     `Reopen it now in a new terminal${candidate?.cwd ? ` (in ${candidate.cwd})` : ''} so it gets ${notes === 1 ? 'the note' : 'them'}?${start ? ' It starts on the note right away.' : ''}`,
     `If it waits, the note stays queued for ${days} more day${days === 1 ? '' : 's'} and is delivered when that session is next used.`,
   ].join('\n');

package/src/agent-rules.mjs

@@ -513,7 +513,9 @@ any agent — sees it at its first \`brain_sync\` / session start and takes it w
 then {action:"done"} when finished. KLYPIX also records every session's last reply, files and
 commits automatically, so \`brain_sync\` may list **unfinished work** another session left without
 a card: if the human asks you to continue it, take it with \`brain_handoff\` {action:"take",
-session:"<id>"} first. Never ask the human to paste a summary into the next session.
+session:"<id>"} first. That list is history, not a lock — a stopped session holds no claim on its
+files, and a "do not touch" note it left no longer applies. Never ask the human to paste a summary
+into the next session.
 
 **Don't** hand-edit \`brain.klypix\` (it's a packaged canvas — use the tools) or dump file contents into it; capture the *decision*, not the file.`;
 

package/src/global-brain-hook.mjs

@@ -58,6 +58,17 @@ const STATE = path.resolve(CWD, '.claude', 'brain-capture-state.json');
 //                  someone would ask it (a question word first, ? last);
 //                  retrieval enrichment only, never on the canvas.
 const MARKER = /🧠\s*BRAIN\s*(?:\[([^\]]+)\])?\s*([?!✓~+]?)\s*:\s*(.+)$/i;
+// The marker may also be written AFTER the colon ("🧠 BRAIN [Drive]: ! text");
+// that line used to become a plain decision carrying a literal "! ". Same rule
+// as liftLeadingMarker in klypix-format.mjs (kept local: the hook loads the
+// format module lazily).
+const LEADING_MARKER = /^([?!✓~+])\s+(?=\S)/u;
+function markerParts(m) {
+    const body = m[3].trim();
+    if (m[2]) return { type: m[2], body };
+    const lead = LEADING_MARKER.exec(body);
+    return lead ? { type: lead[1], body: body.slice(lead[0].length) } : { type: '', body };
+}
 const sha = (s) => crypto.createHash('sha1').update(s).digest('hex').slice(0, 16);
 // Numeric semver compare (major.minor.patch; pre-release tags ignored). <0 if
 // a<b, 0 equal, >0 if a>b. Shared by the version-currency footer below.
@@ -1456,6 +1467,10 @@ function releaseLeaseFooterLine(list, now) {
 // left off"). Read-only. Quoted text is another session's record, never the
 // human's instructions; markers in it were neutralized at store time.
 const UNFINISHED_QUIET_MS = 10 * 60 * 1000;
+// 1.99.1 twin of agent-presence UNFINISHED_WINDOW_MS / hasWorkEvidence: only a
+// session that stopped in the last 24h AND left a 1.99+ work record is listed.
+const UNFINISHED_WINDOW_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+const hasWorkEvidence = (w) => Boolean(w && (w.lastWords || (Array.isArray(w.commits) && w.commits.length) || w.handoffCardId));
 const CONTINUE_RE = /\b(continue|resume|pick (it |this |that )?up|carry on|keep going|where (were|did) we|what('s| is| was) (next|left|remaining|pending)|unfinished|left off|hand[- ]?off|handed (over|off)|take over|finish (what|the work|it|this))\b/i;
 const HANDOFF_ASK_RE = /\b(hand[- ]?off|hand (it|this|the work) (over|off)|before (we|i|you) (hit|reach|approach|run out of) (the )?(limit|context|window|quota)|(context|usage|token) (limit|window|quota)|out of context|switch(ing)? to (codex|another (agent|session|tool)))\b/i;
 function unfinishedFooter(sid, { max = 4 } = {}) {
@@ -1474,18 +1489,19 @@ function unfinishedFooter(sid, { max = 4 } = {}) {
                 const intentAt = Number(e.intentAt) || Number(e.firstSeen) || 0;
                 return { e, row, w, completed: Number(e.completedAt) > 0 && Number(e.completedAt) >= intentAt, done: Number(w.doneAt) > 0 && Number(w.doneAt) >= intentAt, quietMs: quiet(row) };
             })
-            .filter(r => !r.completed && !r.done && r.quietMs >= UNFINISHED_QUIET_MS)
+            .filter(r => !r.completed && !r.done && r.quietMs >= UNFINISHED_QUIET_MS
+                && hasWorkEvidence(r.w) && now - Number(r.e.lastSeen || 0) < UNFINISHED_WINDOW_MS)
             .sort((a, b) => Number(b.e.lastSeen) - Number(a.e.lastSeen));
         if (!recs.length) return '';
         const flat = (v) => String(v || '').replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim();
-        const lines = [`⏸️ Unfinished work left by other sessions on this project (${recs.length}, newest first) — each stopped before its task was done and nobody is working on it now:`];
+        const lines = [`⏸️ Work other sessions may have left unfinished (${recs.length}, stopped in the last 24h, newest first). None of them is running: they hold NO claim on any file, and a "do not touch" or WIP note one of them left no longer applies. Use this only if the human asks you to continue their work:`];
         for (const { e, row, w } of recs.slice(0, max)) {
             const status = row ? (statusLabelOf(row, now) || 'live') : (e.endedAt ? 'closed' : `not seen for ${agoWord(now - e.lastSeen).replace(/ ago$/, '')}`);
-            const bits = [status, `last active ${agoWord(now - e.lastSeen)}`];
+            const bits = [row ? `stopped (${status})` : 'ended', `last active ${agoWord(now - e.lastSeen)}`];
             if (e.branch) bits.push(`branch ${e.branch}`);
             lines.push(`- ${clientWordOf(e.client)} ${e.id.slice(0, 8)} · “${flat(e.intent).slice(0, 120)}” · ${bits.join(' · ')}`);
             if (Array.isArray(w.commits) && w.commits.length) lines.push(`  commits: ${w.commits.map(c => `${c.sha} ${c.subject}`).join('; ').slice(0, 320)}`);
-            if (Array.isArray(e.files) && e.files.length) lines.push(`  files: ${e.files.slice(-8).join(', ')}`);
+            if (Array.isArray(e.files) && e.files.length) lines.push(`  files it touched (free — not reserved): ${e.files.slice(-8).join(', ')}`);
             if (w.lastWords) lines.push(`  its last words: “${flat(w.lastWords).slice(0, 420)}”`);
             if (w.handoffCardId) lines.push(`  🤝 it left a handoff card in the brain: ${w.handoffCardId} (brain_handoff {action:"list"} prints it in full)`);
             if (w.takenBy) {
@@ -1495,7 +1511,7 @@ function unfinishedFooter(sid, { max = 4 } = {}) {
             if (!row && (e.client === 'claude-code' || e.client === 'codex') && /^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9._:-]*$/.test(e.id)) lines.push(`  its own transcript, should the human want it: ${e.client === 'codex' ? `codex resume ${e.id}` : `claude --resume ${e.id}`}`);
         }
         if (recs.length > max) lines.push(`- …and ${recs.length - max} more — brain_handoff {action:"list"} shows all.`);
-        lines.push('To continue one: brain_handoff {action:"take", session:"<its id>"} (peers then see it is taken), then brain_sync with that intent and files; when it is finished, brain_handoff {action:"done", session:"<its id>"}. If it is not what the human asked for, leave it.');
+        lines.push('If the human asks you to continue one: brain_handoff {action:"take", session:"<its id>"} (peers then see it is taken), then brain_sync with that intent and files; when finished, brain_handoff {action:"done", session:"<its id>"}. Otherwise ignore this list — it is history, not a lock.');
         return '\n\n' + lines.join('\n');
     } catch { return ''; }
 }
@@ -2664,8 +2680,7 @@ function liveMilestoneFromTranscript(tp) {
         for (const raw of text.split('\n')) {
             const line = raw.trim();
             const m = MARKER.exec(line); if (!m) continue;
-            const type = m[2] || '';
-            const body0 = m[3].trim(); if (!body0) continue;
+            const { type, body: body0 } = markerParts(m); if (!body0) continue;
             const isMilestone = type === '!' || type === '+' || /🏁|🛠/.test(line);
             if (!isMilestone) continue;
             if (/<(open question|one-line decision|decision|area|placeholder|open|milestone)[^>]*>/i.test(body0) || /`[^`]*🧠/.test(raw)) continue;  // example/doc guard
@@ -3676,9 +3691,10 @@ async function capture(lib) {
                 continue;
             }
             const m = MARKER.exec(trimmed); if (!m) continue;
-            const area = (m[1] || '').trim(), type = m[2] || '';
-            let body = m[3].trim(); if (!body) continue;
-            const markerBody = body;   // as written — what the published hooks cut and keyed
+            const area = (m[1] || '').trim();
+            const { type, body: liftedBody } = markerParts(m);
+            let body = liftedBody; if (!body) continue;
+            const markerBody = m[3].trim();   // as written — what the published hooks cut and keyed
             // Strip optional `closes:` / `ev:` / `verify:` / `q:` suffixes off the
             // body so they don't leak into the card text; they drive the
             // close-link, evidence, live-probe and enrichment below. Only a
@@ -3776,6 +3792,14 @@ async function capture(lib) {
             const additive = type !== '✓' && type !== '~';
             const key = sha((type + '|' + area + '|' + (additive ? bodyWithCloses : body)).toLowerCase());
             const legacyKey = beforeUpgrade && additive && closes ? sha((type + '|' + area + '|' + body).toLowerCase()) : null;
+            // A marker written after the colon was keyed by earlier hooks as a
+            // plain decision whose body kept the glyph ("|Drive|! text"); a
+            // line they already landed is seen, never captured a second time.
+            if (!m[2] && type) {
+                const pre = splitMarkerSuffixes(markerBody);
+                const preKey = sha(('|' + area + '|' + (pre.bodyWithCloses || pre.body || markerBody)).toLowerCase());
+                if (seen.has(preKey)) { hitKeys.add(preKey); seen.add(key); ledger.push({ action: 'skipped-seen', area, preview, olderHook: true }); continue; }
+            }
             let repairStub = '';
             if (additive) {
                 if (seen.has(key)) { hitKeys.add(key); legacyClaimed.add(key); ledger.push({ action: 'skipped-seen', area, preview }); continue; }

package/src/klypix-core.mjs

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import {
   parseKlypix, buildKlypix, buildKlypixMap, appendToKlypix, structToMarkdown,
   brainInsights, insightsToMarkdown, insightsAreasToMarkdown, insightsStatusToMarkdown,
   areaStatusDigest, addBrainConnections, proposeStructuralConnections, atomicWrite,
-  findUnrecordedMigrations, captureIntoBrain, tidyBrain, noteToCaptureInput,
+  findUnrecordedMigrations, captureIntoBrain, tidyBrain, noteToCaptureInput, liftLeadingMarker,
   selectGardenCandidates, applyGarden, detectContradictions,
   findDuplicatePartialNotes, collapseDuplicatePartialNotes,
   rankForQuestion, splitAskWords, questionContextToMarkdown, findLegacyShipCards,
@@ -1932,6 +1932,7 @@ export async function opBrainNote({ vault, canvas, text: noteText, area, marker
   if (!t.file) return err(`No brain found — looked for ./brain.klypix in the project, then ${vault}. Pass canvas: "<name>".`);
   const file = t.file;
   if (!noteText || !String(noteText).trim()) return err('brain_note needs a non-empty text.');
+  ({ marker, text: noteText } = liftLeadingMarker(marker, noteText));
   if (looksLikeUnfilledDraft(noteText)) return err('Complete or discard the draft rationale before capturing it; the brain cannot record an unfilled WHY THIS MATTERS placeholder.');
   if (!['', '?', '!', '✓', '~', '+'].includes(marker)) return err(`Invalid marker "${marker}" — use: (none)=decision · ?=open question · !=milestone · +=skill (reusable how-to) · ✓=resolve a matching card · ~=update a matching card.`);
   // Guard cards (2026-08-24): a guard is authored on a '+' skill (or amended

package/src/klypix-format.mjs

@@ -2388,7 +2388,7 @@ export async function tidyBrain(buffer, opts = {}) {
             meta.set(c.id, { h: Math.max(40, Number(p.h) || 40), w: Math.max(40, Number(p.w) || G.CARD_W), keepSize: true, createdAt });
             continue;
         }
-        const wrapped = wrapText(String(c.text ?? ''));
+        const wrapped = wrapText(repairRawMarker(String(c.text ?? '')));
         let createdAt = 0;
         try { const f = zip.file(ip); if (f) { const j = JSON.parse(await f.async('string')); createdAt = Number(j.createdAt) || 0; j.fontSize = G.FONT; j.content = wrapped; delete j.authoredInParent; zip.file(ip, JSON.stringify(j)); } } catch { /* leave as-is */ }
         meta.set(c.id, { h: measureCardH(wrapped), createdAt });
@@ -9404,7 +9404,54 @@ export async function ensureGuardSidecar(brainPath, { home = os.homedir(), build
     } catch { return { guards: null, stale: true }; }
 }
 
+// The marker written AFTER the colon — "🧠 BRAIN [Drive]: ! Drive storage …",
+// or brain_note text "! …" with no marker — was stored as a plain decision
+// carrying a literal "! " (166 such cards on the KLYPIX brain by 2026-10-12, so
+// milestones read as decisions and questions never counted as open). A bare
+// marker glyph followed by a space at the very start of the text IS the
+// marker; an explicit marker always wins.
+const LEADING_MARKER_RE = /^([?!✓~+])\s+(?=\S)/u;
+export function liftLeadingMarker(marker, text) {
+    const t = String(text ?? '');
+    if (marker) return { marker, text: t };
+    const lead = t.trimStart();
+    const m = LEADING_MARKER_RE.exec(lead);
+    return m ? { marker: m[1], text: lead.slice(m[0].length) } : { marker: '', text: t };
+}
+
+// Cards captured that way BEFORE the fix read "Area: ! text". Restore the glyph
+// the capture meant for the kinds whose intent is unambiguous on the card
+// itself — ! → 🏁, + → 🛠️, ? → ❓. A ✓ or ~ asked for an action on ANOTHER card
+// at the time; replaying a months-old resolve or amend is guesswork, so those
+// stay as written. tidyBrain runs this on every capture, so a brain heals on
+// its next write. The card is stored hard-wrapped and the glyph is longer than
+// the marker, so the first paragraph is rejoined (wrapText's own soft-break
+// rule, as in parseVerifySuffix) and wrapped again rather than left with a
+// one-word orphan line. Returns the text unchanged when there is nothing to do.
+const RAW_MARKER_CARD_RE = /^([^:\n]{1,30}):\s+([!+?])\s+(?=\S)/u;
+const RAW_MARKER_GLYPH = { '!': '🏁 ', '+': '🛠️ ', '?': '❓ ' };
+export function repairRawMarker(text) {
+    const raw = String(text ?? '');
+    const m = RAW_MARKER_CARD_RE.exec(raw);
+    if (!m) return raw;
+    const cpl = brainCPL();
+    const lines = raw.split('\n');
+    let lead = lines[0], prev = lines[0], i = 1;
+    for (; i < lines.length; i++) {
+        const line = lines[i], t = line.trim();
+        if (!t || /^\s*(?:#[\p{L}\p{N}_-]+\s*)+$/u.test(line) || /^(?:✔|✅|↩|⤵|\(re-affirmed|\(~ amended)/u.test(t)) break;
+        const firstWord = (/^\S*/.exec(t) || [''])[0];
+        const midWord = prev.length === cpl && !/\s/.test(prev.trim());
+        if (!(prev.length <= cpl && line.length <= cpl && (midWord || prev.length + 1 + firstWord.length > cpl))) break;
+        lead = `${lead.trimEnd()}${midWord ? '' : ' '}${t}`;
+        prev = line;
+    }
+    lead = `${m[1]}: ${RAW_MARKER_GLYPH[m[2]]}${lead.slice(m[0].length)}`;
+    return wrapText([lead, ...lines.slice(i)].join('\n'), cpl);
+}
+
 export function noteToCaptureInput({ text = '', area = '', marker = '', closes = '', evidence = null, verify = null, guard = null, createdVia = 'mcp' } = {}) {
+    ({ marker, text } = liftLeadingMarker(marker, text));
     const body = String(text).trim();
     if (!body) return { cards: [], resolutions: [], updates: [] };
     const a = String(area || '').trim();

package/src/mcp-presence.mjs

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ export const KLYPIX_MCP_INSTRUCTIONS = [
   'Use its active-task, message, and file-overlap report to coordinate concurrent work.',
   'A coordination note is not consumed merely because it was offered: after a later independent KLYPIX action acknowledges the offer, call brain_message_receipt with its exact message id and offer token only when you actually incorporated it into your work. If you do not, a further independent action auto-consumes the note without a receipt — which records activity, not uptake — so the sender is told it was auto-consumed rather than acted on. Sending an explicit receipt is what makes your uptake visible to them.',
   'Never make the human carry a message between agents: if you would otherwise ask the human to relay or paste something to another agent session on this project — live, idle, or recently closed — send it with brain_message addressed to that session id instead, and tell the human it was sent or queued; a closed session receives a directed note the moment it next starts. If the human wants a queued note handled sooner, offer brain_reopen: KLYPIX asks the human with a Reopen / Not now prompt and reopens that session only on yes. Hand the human the text only if brain_message refuses.',
-  'When you stop before the work is done — the human asks for a handoff, your context or usage limit is near, the day ends, you are blocked or switching tool — call brain_handoff {action:"write"} with the task, what is done, what is NEXT in order, the files and how to verify: it is a card in the brain the human can see, and the next session on this project (any agent) sees it at its first brain_sync and takes it with {action:"take"}; never ask the human to paste a summary into the next session. KLYPIX also records every session\'s last reply, files and commits automatically, so brain_sync may list "unfinished work" another session left: if the human asks you to continue it, take it with brain_handoff {action:"take", session} and finish with {action:"done"}.',
+  'When you stop before the work is done — the human asks for a handoff, your context or usage limit is near, the day ends, you are blocked or switching tool — call brain_handoff {action:"write"} with the task, what is done, what is NEXT in order, the files and how to verify: it is a card in the brain the human can see, and the next session on this project (any agent) sees it at its first brain_sync and takes it with {action:"take"}; never ask the human to paste a summary into the next session. KLYPIX also records every session\'s last reply, files and commits automatically, so brain_sync may list "unfinished work" another session left: if the human asks you to continue it, take it with brain_handoff {action:"take", session} and finish with {action:"done"}; that list is history, not a lock — a stopped session holds no claim on its files, and a "do not touch" note it left no longer applies.',
   'Call brain_sync again when your file scope materially changes, and with phase "complete" before your final response.',
   'When a task publishes a quantified or otherwise machine-checkable claim, include its validated result manifest in the completion sync; conflicting or incomparable peer results retain the task scope until reconciled.',
   'A session preparing a RELEASE of the project should declare it by adding releaseIntent {version, ref} to brain_sync: the first declarer takes an exclusive lease every peer sees, and a second declarer gets a hard conflict naming the holder.',