prizmkit 1.1.114 → 1.1.115

package/bundled/dev-pipeline/scripts/generate-bugfix-prompt.py

@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import sys
 from continuation import add_continuation_args, append_continuation_handoff, is_continuation
 from prompt_framework import (
     browser_enabled_from_item,
+    checkpoint_group,
+    checkpoint_step,
     detect_dev_server_port,
     generate_checkpoint_from_sections,
     load_section,
@@ -34,26 +36,23 @@ LOGGER = setup_logging("generate-bugfix-prompt")
 
 # Section name -> checkpoint contract.
 BUGFIX_SECTION_TO_SKILL = {
-    "bugfix-phase-init": ("prizmkit-init", "Initialize", [".prizmkit/bugfix/{slug}"]),
-    "bugfix-phase-diagnose-plan": (
+    "bugfix-phase-init": checkpoint_step("prizmkit-init", "Initialize", [".prizmkit/bugfix/{slug}"]),
+    "bugfix-phase-diagnose-plan": checkpoint_step(
         "bug-diagnosis-and-plan", "Diagnose & Plan",
         [".prizmkit/bugfix/{slug}/spec.md", ".prizmkit/bugfix/{slug}/plan.md"],
     ),
-    "bugfix-phase-critic": ("critic-plan-review", "Critic: Root Cause & Fix Plan Review", []),
-    "bugfix-phase-implement": ("prizmkit-implement", "Implement Fix", []),
-    "bugfix-phase-review": ("prizmkit-code-review", "Code Review", []),
-    "phase-browser": ("browser-verification", "Browser Verification", []),
-    "bugfix-phase-commit-report": None,
-}
-
-BUGFIX_SPLIT_STEPS = {
-    "bugfix-phase-commit-report": [
+    "bugfix-phase-implement": checkpoint_step("prizmkit-implement", "Implement Fix", []),
+    "bugfix-phase-review": checkpoint_step("prizmkit-code-review", "Code Review", []),
+    "phase-browser": checkpoint_step("browser-verification", "Browser Verification", []),
+    "bugfix-phase-commit-report": checkpoint_group([
         ("prizmkit-retrospective", "Retrospective", []),
         ("prizmkit-committer", "Commit", []),
         ("bug-report", "Generate Fix Report", [".prizmkit/bugfix/{slug}/fix-report.md"]),
-    ],
+    ]),
 }
 
+BUGFIX_SPLIT_STEPS = {}
+
 
 def parse_args():
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
@@ -73,7 +72,6 @@ def parse_args():
     parser.add_argument("--project-root", default=None, help="AI-visible project root used for rendered prompt paths")
     parser.add_argument("--template", default=None, help="Custom legacy template path. Defaults to section assembly.")
     parser.add_argument("--mode", choices=["lite", "standard", "full"], default=None, help="Pipeline execution mode override")
-    parser.add_argument("--critic", choices=["true", "false"], default=None, help="Enable critic agent: true/false")
     add_continuation_args(parser, "bugfix")
     return parser.parse_args()
 
@@ -264,7 +262,6 @@ def build_replacements(args, bug, global_context, script_dir):
     agent_ext = ".toml" if platform == "codex" else ".md"
     dev_subagent = os.path.join(agents_dir, "prizm-dev-team-dev{}".format(agent_ext))
     reviewer_subagent = os.path.join(agents_dir, "prizm-dev-team-reviewer{}".format(agent_ext))
-    critic_subagent = os.path.join(agents_dir, "prizm-dev-team-critic{}".format(agent_ext))
 
     state_dir = (
         os.path.abspath(args.state_dir)
@@ -284,14 +281,6 @@ def build_replacements(args, bug, global_context, script_dir):
     dev_url = "http://localhost:{}".format(dev_port) if dev_port.isdigit() else "<UNKNOWN_DETECT_FROM_PROJECT_CONFIG>"
 
     pipeline_mode = determine_bugfix_mode(args, bug)
-    critic_requested = args.critic == "true" if args.critic is not None else bool(bug.get("critic", False))
-    critic_enabled = critic_requested and pipeline_mode != "lite"
-    if critic_requested and pipeline_mode == "lite":
-        LOGGER.warning("Critic requested for bug %s but lite mode skips critic phases", args.bug_id)
-    if critic_enabled and not os.path.isfile(critic_subagent):
-        LOGGER.warning("Critic enabled but agent file not found: %s. Critic phase will be skipped.", critic_subagent)
-        critic_enabled = False
-
     recovery_like = is_recovery_like(args)
     manual_or_hybrid = verification_type in ("manual", "hybrid")
     manual_policy = (
@@ -312,8 +301,6 @@ def build_replacements(args, bug, global_context, script_dir):
         "{{BUG_TITLE}}": bug.get("title", ""),
         "{{SEVERITY}}": bug.get("severity", "medium"),
         "{{PIPELINE_MODE}}": pipeline_mode,
-        "{{CRITIC_ENABLED}}": "true" if critic_enabled else "false",
-        "{{CRITIC_COUNT}}": str(bug.get("critic_count", 1)),
         "{{VERIFICATION_TYPE}}": verification_type,
         "{{MANUAL_VERIFICATION_POLICY}}": manual_policy,
         "{{BUG_DESCRIPTION}}": bug.get("description", ""),
@@ -327,7 +314,6 @@ def build_replacements(args, bug, global_context, script_dir):
         "{{TEAM_CONFIG_PATH}}": team_config_path,
         "{{DEV_SUBAGENT_PATH}}": dev_subagent,
         "{{REVIEWER_SUBAGENT_PATH}}": reviewer_subagent,
-        "{{CRITIC_SUBAGENT_PATH}}": critic_subagent,
         "{{SESSION_STATUS_PATH}}": session_status_path,
         "{{PROJECT_ROOT}}": project_root,
         "{{ARTIFACT_DIR}}": ".prizmkit/bugfix/{}".format(args.bug_id),
@@ -388,13 +374,13 @@ def _bugfix_header(pipeline_mode):
     title = "# Dev-Pipeline Bug Fix Session Bootstrap — {}\n".format(pipeline_mode.title())
     desc = {
         "lite": "**Tier 1 — Single Agent**: direct root-cause fix by the main orchestrator.",
-        "standard": "**Tier 2 — Orchestrator + optional Critic**: direct implementation with review gates.",
-        "full": "**Tier 3 — Full Bugfix Guardrails**: direct implementation with stronger diagnosis and critic checks.",
+        "standard": "**Tier 2 — Orchestrator + Reviewer**: direct implementation with review gates.",
+        "full": "**Tier 3 — Full Bugfix Guardrails**: direct implementation with stronger diagnosis and review gates.",
     }.get(pipeline_mode, "**Bugfix pipeline**")
     return title + "\n" + desc + "\n"
 
 
-def assemble_bugfix_sections(pipeline_mode, sections_dir, critic_enabled, browser_enabled, manual_gate):
+def assemble_bugfix_sections(pipeline_mode, sections_dir, browser_enabled, manual_gate):
     sections = [
         ("header", _bugfix_header(pipeline_mode)),
         ("bugfix-session-context", load_section(sections_dir, "bugfix-session-context.md")),
@@ -407,8 +393,6 @@ def assemble_bugfix_sections(pipeline_mode, sections_dir, critic_enabled, browse
         ("bugfix-phase-init", load_section(sections_dir, "bugfix-phase-init.md")),
         ("bugfix-phase-diagnose-plan", load_section(sections_dir, "bugfix-phase-diagnose-plan.md")),
     ]
-    if critic_enabled:
-        sections.append(("bugfix-phase-critic", load_section(sections_dir, "bugfix-phase-critic.md")))
     sections.extend([
         ("bugfix-phase-implement", load_section(sections_dir, "bugfix-phase-implement.md")),
         ("bugfix-phase-review", load_section(sections_dir, "bugfix-phase-review.md")),
@@ -488,7 +472,6 @@ def main():
 
     replacements = build_replacements(args, bug, global_context, script_dir)
     pipeline_mode = replacements["{{PIPELINE_MODE}}"]
-    critic_enabled = replacements["{{CRITIC_ENABLED}}"] == "true"
     browser_enabled = replacements["{{BROWSER_ENABLED}}"] == "true"
     manual_gate = bug.get("verification_type", "automated") in ("manual", "hybrid") and not is_recovery_like(args)
 
@@ -497,7 +480,7 @@ def main():
     if use_sections:
         try:
             sections = assemble_bugfix_sections(
-                pipeline_mode, sections_dir, critic_enabled, browser_enabled, manual_gate,
+                pipeline_mode, sections_dir, browser_enabled, manual_gate,
             )
             rendered = render_from_sections(sections, replacements)
         except FileNotFoundError as exc:
@@ -555,15 +538,13 @@ def main():
         if err:
             emit_failure(err)
 
-    critic_count = int(replacements.get("{{CRITIC_COUNT}}", "1"))
     output = {
         "success": True,
         "output_path": os.path.abspath(args.output),
         "checkpoint_path": checkpoint_path,
         "model": bug.get("model", ""),
         "pipeline_mode": pipeline_mode,
-        "agent_count": mode_agent_count(pipeline_mode, critic_enabled, critic_count),
-        "critic_enabled": critic_enabled,
+        "agent_count": mode_agent_count(pipeline_mode),
         "render_mode": "sections" if use_sections else "legacy",
         "validation_warnings": len(warnings),
         "validation_errors": len(errors),

package/bundled/dev-pipeline/scripts/generate-refactor-prompt.py

@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import sys
 from continuation import add_continuation_args, append_continuation_handoff, is_continuation
 from prompt_framework import (
     browser_enabled_from_item,
+    checkpoint_group,
+    checkpoint_step,
     detect_dev_server_port,
     generate_checkpoint_from_sections,
     load_section,
@@ -33,33 +35,30 @@ LOGGER = setup_logging("generate-refactor-prompt")
 
 
 REFACTOR_SECTION_TO_SKILL = {
-    "refactor-phase-init": ("prizmkit-init", "Initialize", [".prizmkit/refactor/{slug}"]),
-    "refactor-phase-plan": (
+    "refactor-phase-init": checkpoint_step("prizmkit-init", "Initialize", [".prizmkit/refactor/{slug}"]),
+    "refactor-phase-plan": checkpoint_step(
         "prizmkit-plan", "Plan — Specification & Plan Generation",
         [".prizmkit/refactor/{slug}/spec.md", ".prizmkit/refactor/{slug}/plan.md"],
     ),
-    "refactor-phase-critic": ("critic-plan-review", "Critic: Behavior Preservation Review", []),
-    "refactor-phase-implement": (
+    "refactor-phase-implement": checkpoint_step(
         "prizmkit-implement", "Implement — Behavior-Preserving Refactoring",
         [".prizmkit/refactor/{slug}/plan.md"],
     ),
-    "refactor-phase-review": (
+    "refactor-phase-review": checkpoint_step(
         "prizmkit-code-review", "Review — Code Review & Behavior Verification",
         [".prizmkit/refactor/{slug}/review-report.md"],
     ),
-    "phase-browser": ("browser-verification", "Browser Verification", []),
-    "refactor-phase-commit-report": None,
-}
-
-REFACTOR_SPLIT_STEPS = {
-    "refactor-phase-commit-report": [
+    "phase-browser": checkpoint_step("browser-verification", "Browser Verification", []),
+    "refactor-phase-commit-report": checkpoint_group([
         ("prizmkit-retrospective", "Retrospective", []),
         ("prizmkit-committer", "Commit", []),
         ("refactor-report", "Generate Refactor Report", [".prizmkit/refactor/{slug}/refactor-report.md"]),
         ("completion-summary", "Completion Summary", [".prizmkit/refactor/{slug}/completion-summary.json"]),
-    ],
+    ]),
 }
 
+REFACTOR_SPLIT_STEPS = {}
+
 
 def parse_args():
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
@@ -79,7 +78,6 @@ def parse_args():
     parser.add_argument("--project-root", default=None, help="AI-visible project root used for rendered prompt paths")
     parser.add_argument("--template", default=None, help="Custom legacy template path. Defaults to section assembly.")
     parser.add_argument("--mode", choices=["lite", "standard", "full"], default=None, help="Pipeline execution mode override")
-    parser.add_argument("--critic", choices=["true", "false"], default=None, help="Enable critic agent: true/false")
     add_continuation_args(parser, "refactor")
     return parser.parse_args()
 
@@ -290,7 +288,6 @@ def build_replacements(args, refactor, refactors, global_context, script_dir):
     agent_ext = ".toml" if platform == "codex" else ".md"
     dev_subagent = os.path.join(agents_dir, "prizm-dev-team-dev{}".format(agent_ext))
     reviewer_subagent = os.path.join(agents_dir, "prizm-dev-team-reviewer{}".format(agent_ext))
-    critic_subagent = os.path.join(agents_dir, "prizm-dev-team-critic{}".format(agent_ext))
 
     state_dir = (
         os.path.abspath(args.state_dir)
@@ -316,14 +313,6 @@ def build_replacements(args, refactor, refactors, global_context, script_dir):
     dev_url = "http://localhost:{}".format(dev_port) if dev_port.isdigit() else "<UNKNOWN_DETECT_FROM_PROJECT_CONFIG>"
 
     pipeline_mode = determine_refactor_mode(args, refactor)
-    critic_requested = args.critic == "true" if args.critic is not None else bool(refactor.get("critic", False))
-    critic_enabled = critic_requested and pipeline_mode != "lite"
-    if critic_requested and pipeline_mode == "lite":
-        LOGGER.warning("Critic requested for refactor %s but lite mode skips critic phases", args.refactor_id)
-    if critic_enabled and not os.path.isfile(critic_subagent):
-        LOGGER.warning("Critic enabled but agent file not found: %s. Critic phase will be skipped.", critic_subagent)
-        critic_enabled = False
-
     replacements = {
         "{{SESSION_LOG_PATH}}": os.path.join(".prizmkit", "state", "refactor", args.refactor_id, "sessions", args.session_id, "logs", "session.log"),
         "{{RUN_ID}}": args.run_id,
@@ -342,8 +331,6 @@ def build_replacements(args, refactor, refactors, global_context, script_dir):
         "{{PRIORITY}}": refactor.get("priority", "medium"),
         "{{COMPLEXITY}}": refactor.get("complexity", "medium"),
         "{{PIPELINE_MODE}}": pipeline_mode,
-        "{{CRITIC_ENABLED}}": "true" if critic_enabled else "false",
-        "{{CRITIC_COUNT}}": str(refactor.get("critic_count", 1)),
         "{{REFACTOR_DESCRIPTION}}": refactor.get("description", ""),
         "{{USER_CONTEXT}}": format_user_context(refactor.get("user_context", [])),
         "{{ACCEPTANCE_CRITERIA}}": format_acceptance_criteria(refactor.get("acceptance_criteria", [])),
@@ -353,7 +340,6 @@ def build_replacements(args, refactor, refactors, global_context, script_dir):
         "{{TEAM_CONFIG_PATH}}": team_config_path,
         "{{DEV_SUBAGENT_PATH}}": dev_subagent,
         "{{REVIEWER_SUBAGENT_PATH}}": reviewer_subagent,
-        "{{CRITIC_SUBAGENT_PATH}}": critic_subagent,
         "{{SESSION_STATUS_PATH}}": session_status_path,
         "{{PROJECT_ROOT}}": project_root,
         "{{ARTIFACT_DIR}}": ".prizmkit/refactor/{}".format(args.refactor_id),
@@ -409,13 +395,13 @@ def _refactor_header(pipeline_mode):
     title = "# Dev-Pipeline Refactor Session Bootstrap — {}\n".format(pipeline_mode.title())
     desc = {
         "lite": "**Tier 1 — Single Agent**: direct behavior-preserving refactor by the main orchestrator.",
-        "standard": "**Tier 2 — Orchestrator + optional Critic**: direct refactor with review gates.",
+        "standard": "**Tier 2 — Orchestrator + Reviewer**: direct refactor with review gates.",
         "full": "**Tier 3 — Full Refactor Guardrails**: direct refactor with stronger behavior-preservation evidence.",
     }.get(pipeline_mode, "**Refactor pipeline**")
     return title + "\n" + desc + "\n"
 
 
-def assemble_refactor_sections(pipeline_mode, sections_dir, critic_enabled, browser_enabled):
+def assemble_refactor_sections(pipeline_mode, sections_dir, browser_enabled):
     sections = [
         ("header", _refactor_header(pipeline_mode)),
         ("refactor-session-context", load_section(sections_dir, "refactor-session-context.md")),
@@ -428,8 +414,6 @@ def assemble_refactor_sections(pipeline_mode, sections_dir, critic_enabled, brow
         ("refactor-phase-init", load_section(sections_dir, "refactor-phase-init.md")),
         ("refactor-phase-plan", load_section(sections_dir, "refactor-phase-plan.md")),
     ]
-    if critic_enabled:
-        sections.append(("refactor-phase-critic", load_section(sections_dir, "refactor-phase-critic.md")))
     sections.extend([
         ("refactor-phase-implement", load_section(sections_dir, "refactor-phase-implement.md")),
         ("refactor-phase-review", load_section(sections_dir, "refactor-phase-review.md")),
@@ -497,14 +481,13 @@ def main():
 
     replacements = build_replacements(args, refactor, refactors, global_context, script_dir)
     pipeline_mode = replacements["{{PIPELINE_MODE}}"]
-    critic_enabled = replacements["{{CRITIC_ENABLED}}"] == "true"
     browser_enabled = replacements["{{BROWSER_ENABLED}}"] == "true"
 
     use_sections = os.path.isdir(sections_dir) and not args.template
     sections = []
     if use_sections:
         try:
-            sections = assemble_refactor_sections(pipeline_mode, sections_dir, critic_enabled, browser_enabled)
+            sections = assemble_refactor_sections(pipeline_mode, sections_dir, browser_enabled)
             rendered = render_from_sections(sections, replacements)
         except FileNotFoundError as exc:
             LOGGER.warning("Refactor section assembly failed (%s), falling back to legacy template", exc)
@@ -561,15 +544,13 @@ def main():
         if err:
             emit_failure(err)
 
-    critic_count = int(replacements.get("{{CRITIC_COUNT}}", "1"))
     output = {
         "success": True,
         "output_path": os.path.abspath(args.output),
         "checkpoint_path": checkpoint_path,
         "model": refactor.get("model", ""),
         "pipeline_mode": pipeline_mode,
-        "agent_count": mode_agent_count(pipeline_mode, critic_enabled, critic_count),
-        "critic_enabled": critic_enabled,
+        "agent_count": mode_agent_count(pipeline_mode),
         "render_mode": "sections" if use_sections else "legacy",
         "validation_warnings": len(warnings),
         "validation_errors": len(errors),

package/bundled/dev-pipeline/scripts/init-bugfix-pipeline.py

@@ -114,6 +114,12 @@ def validate_bugs(bugs):
             errors.append("Bug at index {} is not an object".format(i))
             continue
 
+        for retired_field in ("critic", "critic_count"):
+            if retired_field in bug:
+                errors.append(
+                    "Bug at index {} uses retired field '{}'".format(i, retired_field)
+                )
+
         # Check required fields
         for field in REQUIRED_BUG_FIELDS:
             if field not in bug:

package/bundled/dev-pipeline/scripts/init-pipeline.py

@@ -106,6 +106,12 @@ def validate_features(features):
             errors.append("Feature at index {} is not an object".format(i))
             continue
 
+        for retired_field in ("critic", "critic_count"):
+            if retired_field in feature:
+                errors.append(
+                    "Feature at index {} uses retired field '{}'".format(i, retired_field)
+                )
+
         # Check required fields
         for field in REQUIRED_FEATURE_FIELDS:
             if field not in feature:

package/bundled/dev-pipeline/scripts/init-refactor-pipeline.py

@@ -109,6 +109,12 @@ def validate_refactors(refactors):
             errors.append("Refactor at index {} is not an object".format(i))
             continue
 
+        for retired_field in ("critic", "critic_count"):
+            if retired_field in refactor:
+                errors.append(
+                    "Refactor at index {} uses retired field '{}'".format(i, retired_field)
+                )
+
         # Check required fields
         for field in REQUIRED_REFACTOR_FIELDS:
             if field not in refactor:

package/bundled/dev-pipeline/scripts/parse-stream-progress.py

@@ -959,7 +959,7 @@ class ProgressTracker:
         summary = str(state.get("summary") or "")
         return bool(
             not task_type
-            and summary.lower().startswith(("dev:", "critic:", "reviewer:", "agent:"))
+            and summary.lower().startswith(("dev:", "reviewer:", "agent:"))
         )
 
     def _has_tracked_claude_subagent_task(self):

package/bundled/dev-pipeline/scripts/prompt_framework.py

@@ -113,6 +113,55 @@ def completed_step_artifacts_valid(project_root, artifacts):
     return all(artifact_exists(project_root, artifact) for artifact in artifacts)
 
 
+def checkpoint_skip():
+    """Return an explicit no-checkpoint-step contract for a prompt section."""
+    return {"kind": "skip"}
+
+
+def checkpoint_step(skill, name, artifacts=None):
+    """Return an explicit one-step checkpoint contract."""
+    return {
+        "kind": "step",
+        "skill": skill,
+        "name": name,
+        "required_artifacts": list(artifacts or []),
+    }
+
+
+def checkpoint_group(steps):
+    """Return an explicit multi-step checkpoint contract."""
+    normalized = []
+    for step in steps:
+        if isinstance(step, dict):
+            normalized.append(step)
+        else:
+            skill, name, artifacts = step
+            normalized.append(checkpoint_step(skill, name, artifacts))
+    return {"kind": "group", "steps": normalized}
+
+
+def _normalize_checkpoint_contract(mapping):
+    """Normalize explicit checkpoint contracts and legacy step tuples."""
+    if mapping is None:
+        return checkpoint_skip()
+    if isinstance(mapping, dict):
+        return mapping
+    skill, name, artifacts = mapping
+    return checkpoint_step(skill, name, artifacts)
+
+
+def _contract_steps(contract):
+    """Return normalized step specs for a step/group contract."""
+    kind = contract.get("kind")
+    if kind == "skip":
+        return []
+    if kind == "step":
+        return [contract]
+    if kind == "group":
+        return [_normalize_checkpoint_contract(step) for step in contract.get("steps", [])]
+    raise ValueError("Unknown checkpoint contract kind: {}".format(kind))
+
+
 def generate_checkpoint_from_sections(
     sections,
     step_mapping,
@@ -136,37 +185,32 @@ def generate_checkpoint_from_sections(
             continue
 
         mapping = step_mapping[section_name]
-        if mapping is None:
-            for skill, name, artifacts in split_steps.get(section_name, []):
-                step_id = "S{:02d}".format(step_counter)
-                steps.append({
-                    "id": step_id,
-                    "skill": skill,
-                    "name": name,
-                    "status": "pending",
-                    "required_artifacts": resolve_artifacts(artifacts, item_slug),
-                    "depends_on": prev_step_id,
-                })
-                prev_step_id = step_id
-                step_counter += 1
-            continue
-
-        skill, name, artifacts = mapping
-        step_id = "S{:02d}".format(step_counter)
-        status = "pending"
-        if init_done and section_name in ("phase0-init", "phase0-test-baseline"):
-            status = "skipped"
-
-        steps.append({
-            "id": step_id,
-            "skill": skill,
-            "name": name,
-            "status": status,
-            "required_artifacts": resolve_artifacts(artifacts, item_slug),
-            "depends_on": prev_step_id,
-        })
-        prev_step_id = step_id
-        step_counter += 1
+        if mapping is None and section_name in split_steps:
+            # Backward-compatible explicit group conversion for callers that
+            # have not yet moved split steps into their mapping. Plain None is
+            # always a skip, so no-op sections cannot expand accidentally.
+            mapping = checkpoint_group(split_steps[section_name])
+        contract = _normalize_checkpoint_contract(mapping)
+
+        for step_spec in _contract_steps(contract):
+            skill = step_spec["skill"]
+            name = step_spec["name"]
+            artifacts = step_spec.get("required_artifacts", [])
+            step_id = "S{:02d}".format(step_counter)
+            status = "pending"
+            if init_done and section_name in ("phase0-init", "phase0-test-baseline"):
+                status = "skipped"
+
+            steps.append({
+                "id": step_id,
+                "skill": skill,
+                "name": name,
+                "status": status,
+                "required_artifacts": resolve_artifacts(artifacts, item_slug),
+                "depends_on": prev_step_id,
+            })
+            prev_step_id = step_id
+            step_counter += 1
 
     return {
         "version": 1,
@@ -182,42 +226,50 @@ def generate_checkpoint_from_sections(
 def merge_checkpoint_state(existing, fresh, project_root, validator=None, logger=None):
     """Merge existing checkpoint state into a freshly generated definition."""
     validator = validator or (lambda _skill, artifacts: completed_step_artifacts_valid(project_root, artifacts))
-    existing_status = {}
-    existing_artifacts = {}
-    fresh_artifacts = {
-        step["skill"]: step.get("required_artifacts", [])
-        for step in fresh.get("steps", [])
-    }
-
+    existing_by_id = {}
+    existing_by_skill = {}
     for step in existing.get("steps", []):
-        existing_status[step["skill"]] = step.get("status", "pending")
-        existing_artifacts[step["skill"]] = step.get("required_artifacts", [])
-
-    valid_completed = set()
-    for skill_key, status in existing_status.items():
-        if status == "completed":
-            artifacts = fresh_artifacts.get(skill_key, existing_artifacts.get(skill_key, []))
-            if validator(skill_key, artifacts):
-                valid_completed.add(skill_key)
-            elif logger is not None:
-                logger.warning(
-                    "Step '%s' was completed but artifacts missing — resetting to pending",
-                    skill_key,
-                )
-        elif status == "skipped":
-            valid_completed.add(skill_key)
+        if not isinstance(step, dict):
+            continue
+        sid = step.get("id")
+        skill = step.get("skill")
+        if sid:
+            existing_by_id[sid] = step
+        if skill:
+            existing_by_skill.setdefault(skill, []).append(step)
+
+    def matching_existing(fresh_step):
+        sid = fresh_step.get("id")
+        skill = fresh_step.get("skill")
+        if sid in existing_by_id and existing_by_id[sid].get("skill") == skill:
+            return existing_by_id[sid]
+        skill_matches = existing_by_skill.get(skill, [])
+        if len(skill_matches) == 1:
+            return skill_matches[0]
+        return None
 
     chain_broken = False
     for step in fresh.get("steps", []):
         if chain_broken:
             step["status"] = "pending"
             continue
-        previous = existing_status.get(step["skill"])
-        if step["skill"] in valid_completed:
-            step["status"] = previous
-        else:
-            chain_broken = True
-            step["status"] = "pending"
+        previous = matching_existing(step)
+        previous_status = previous.get("status", "pending") if isinstance(previous, dict) else "pending"
+        if previous_status == "completed":
+            artifacts = step.get("required_artifacts", [])
+            if validator(step.get("skill", ""), artifacts):
+                step["status"] = "completed"
+                continue
+            if logger is not None:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "Step '%s' was completed but artifacts missing — resetting to pending",
+                    step.get("id") or step.get("skill"),
+                )
+        elif previous_status == "skipped":
+            step["status"] = "skipped"
+            continue
+        chain_broken = True
+        step["status"] = "pending"
 
     return fresh
 
@@ -241,10 +293,9 @@ def normalize_mode(value, default="lite"):
     return value if value in {"lite", "standard", "full"} else default
 
 
-def mode_agent_count(pipeline_mode, critic_enabled=False, critic_count=1):
+def mode_agent_count(pipeline_mode):
     """Return the prompt metadata agent count for a mode."""
-    base = {"lite": 1, "standard": 3, "full": 3}.get(pipeline_mode, 1)
-    return base + (int(critic_count or 1) if critic_enabled else 0)
+    return {"lite": 1, "standard": 3, "full": 3}.get(pipeline_mode, 1)
 
 
 def detect_dev_server_port(project_root):

package/bundled/dev-pipeline/scripts/update-bug-status.py

@@ -232,11 +232,8 @@ def _read_bugfix_checkpoint_phase(project_root, bug_id):
 
 
 def _checkpoint_phase_or_cached(project_root, bug_id, status_data):
-    """Return live checkpoint phase, falling back to cached status data."""
-    checkpoint_phase = _read_bugfix_checkpoint_phase(project_root, bug_id)
-    if checkpoint_phase is not None:
-        return checkpoint_phase
-    return status_data.get("resume_from_phase")
+    """Return live checkpoint phase from the authoritative checkpoint only."""
+    return _read_bugfix_checkpoint_phase(project_root, bug_id)
 
 
 def _sync_checkpoint_phase(project_root, bug_id, status_data):
@@ -758,8 +755,7 @@ def action_status(bug_list_data, state_dir, project_root=None):
         bs = load_bug_status(state_dir, bid)
         retry_count = bs.get("retry_count", 0)
         max_retries_val = bs.get("max_retries", 3)
-        # Read phase cursor from checkpoint (single source of truth). The
-        # status.json field is only a cache/fallback for missing checkpoints.
+        # Read phase cursor from checkpoint (authoritative when valid).
         resume_phase = _checkpoint_phase_or_cached(project_root, bid, bs)
         if resume_phase != bs.get("resume_from_phase"):
             bs["resume_from_phase"] = resume_phase