fix(heartbeat): deliver a person's answer that waited behind a turn that closed the task

A person can answer an agent's question while the agent's turn is still
running. The answer then waits on its own deferred wake. If that turn
completed the task, release cancelled every deferred assignee wake on the
done task, including the answer, even though the person's own queued
messages reopen the task. The answer was dropped without any run receiving it.

Treat an undelivered person's answer that was saved before the task was
completed as owed input: reopen the done task straight to in_progress (an
answer continues the assignee's own execution) and promote the answer wake.
Answers saved after completion, tool-action outcomes, already-delivered
answers, agent-requested wakes and cancelled tasks keep the old behavior.

Eval steering.approval-delivery (oracle v7): also accept Acorn work that the
worker's settling turn saved after the answer was saved, while still
requiring exactly one later turn bound to the answer.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

server/src/__tests__/heartbeat-answer-behind-settling-run.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
+import { and, asc, eq, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import {
+  agents,
+  agentWakeupRequests,
+  authUsers,
+  companies,
+  companyMemberships,
+  createDb,
+  heartbeatRuns,
+  issueComments,
+  issueThreadInteractions,
+  issues,
+} from "@paperclipai/db";
+import { getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport, startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase } from "./helpers/embedded-postgres.js";
+import { heartbeatService } from "../services/heartbeat.ts";
+
+const gate = vi.hoisted(() => ({ release: () => {}, onTurn: async () => {}, turns: 0 }));
+const mockAdapterExecute = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn(async () => {
+  gate.turns += 1;
+  if (gate.turns === 1) await new Promise<void>(resolve => { gate.release = resolve; });
+  // Each turn finishes the task, as the worker in the eval did.
+  await gate.onTurn();
+  return { exitCode: 0, signal: null, timedOut: false, errorMessage: null, summary: "Turn finished.", provider: "test", model: "test-model" };
+}));
+
+vi.mock("../adapters/index.ts", async () => {
+  const actual = await vi.importActual<typeof import("../adapters/index.ts")>("../adapters/index.ts");
+  return { ...actual, getServerAdapter: vi.fn(() => ({ supportsLocalAgentJwt: false, execute: mockAdapterExecute })) };
+});
+
+const support = await getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport();
+const describeEmbeddedPostgres = support.supported ? describe : describe.skip;
+
+async function waitFor(check: () => Promise<boolean>, timeoutMs = 30_000) {
+  const deadline = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
+  while (Date.now() < deadline) { if (await check()) return; await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 100)); }
+  throw new Error("Timed out waiting for condition");
+}
+
+describeEmbeddedPostgres("an answer saved while the worker settles its turn", () => {
+  let db!: ReturnType<typeof createDb>;
+  let heartbeat!: ReturnType<typeof heartbeatService>;
+  let tempDb: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase>> | null = null;
+  const userId = "answer-behind-settling-user";
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    tempDb = await startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase("paperclip-answer-behind-settling-");
+    db = createDb(tempDb.connectionString);
+    await db.insert(authUsers).values({ id: userId, name: "Board", email: "board@example.test", createdAt: new Date(), updatedAt: new Date() });
+    heartbeat = heartbeatService(db);
+  }, 30_000);
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    await heartbeat?.drainActiveRunExecutions();
+    await db?.$client.end();
+    await tempDb?.cleanup();
+  });
+
+  /**
+   * Morgan's turn is running while the person answers its question and the chat lead relays the answer as a
+   * task comment; both wait behind the turn. The turn then completes the task without reading the answer.
+   */
+  async function settleWithQueuedAnswer(options: { answerAfterCompletion?: boolean } = {}) {
+    const companyId = randomUUID(), agentId = randomUUID(), leadId = randomUUID(), issueId = randomUUID();
+    await db.insert(companies).values({ id: companyId, name: "Answer fixture", issuePrefix: `A${companyId.replace(/-/g, "").slice(0, 6).toUpperCase()}`,
+      requireBoardApprovalForNewAgents: false, defaultResponsibleUserId: userId });
+    await db.insert(companyMemberships).values({ companyId, principalType: "user", principalId: userId, status: "active", membershipRole: "owner" });
+    for (const [id, name] of [[agentId, "Morgan"], [leadId, "CEO"]] as const) {
+      await db.insert(agents).values({ id, companyId, name, role: "engineer", status: "active", adapterType: "codex_local", adapterConfig: {}, permissions: {},
+        runtimeConfig: { heartbeat: { wakeOnDemand: true, maxConcurrentRuns: 1 } } });
+    }
+    await db.insert(issues).values({ id: issueId, companyId, title: "Website naming task", status: "todo", assigneeAgentId: agentId, responsibleUserId: userId });
+    const [question] = await db.insert(issueThreadInteractions).values({ companyId, issueId, createdByAgentId: agentId, kind: "ask_user_questions", status: "pending",
+      continuationPolicy: "wake_assignee", title: "Website product name",
+      payload: { version: 1, questions: [{ id: "name", prompt: "Which product name?", selectionMode: "single", options: [{ id: "acorn", label: "Acorn" }, { id: "birch", label: "Birch" }] }] } }).returning();
+
+    gate.turns = 0;
+    const answeredAt = new Date(), completedAt = new Date(answeredAt.getTime() + (options.answerAfterCompletion ? -60_000 : 60_000));
+    gate.onTurn = async () => { await db.update(issues).set({ status: "done", completedAt }).where(eq(issues.id, issueId)); };
+    const first = await heartbeat.wakeup(agentId, { source: "assignment", triggerDetail: "system", reason: "issue_assigned",
+      payload: { issueId }, contextSnapshot: { issueId, taskId: issueId, wakeReason: "issue_assigned" }, requestedByActorType: "system", requestedByActorId: null });
+    expect(first).not.toBeNull();
+    await waitFor(async () => gate.turns === 1);
+
+    // The person answers while the worker is still settling its turn.
+    await db.update(issueThreadInteractions).set({ status: "answered", resolvedByUserId: userId, resolvedAt: answeredAt,
+      result: { version: 1, answers: [{ questionId: "name", optionIds: ["acorn"] }] } }).where(eq(issueThreadInteractions.id, question!.id));
+    const answerContext = { issueId, taskId: issueId, mutation: "interaction", interactionId: question!.id, interactionKind: "ask_user_questions",
+      interactionStatus: "answered", wakeReason: "issue_commented", source: "issue.interaction.respond" };
+    await heartbeat.wakeup(agentId, { source: "automation", triggerDetail: "system", reason: "issue_commented", payload: answerContext,
+      contextSnapshot: answerContext, requestedByActorType: "user", requestedByActorId: userId });
+    // The chat lead relays the answer as its own comment on the task.
+    const [relay] = await db.insert(issueComments).values({ companyId, issueId, authorAgentId: leadId, body: "The product name is Acorn." }).returning();
+    await heartbeat.wakeup(agentId, { source: "automation", triggerDetail: "system", reason: "issue_commented",
+      payload: { issueId, commentId: relay!.id }, contextSnapshot: { issueId, taskId: issueId, commentId: relay!.id, wakeCommentId: relay!.id, wakeReason: "issue_commented" },
+      requestedByActorType: "agent", requestedByActorId: leadId });
+
+    gate.release();
+    const settled = async () => (await db.select().from(heartbeatRuns).where(eq(heartbeatRuns.agentId, agentId))).every(r => ["succeeded", "failed", "cancelled", "timed_out"].includes(r.status));
+    await waitFor(async () => (await settled()) && (await db.select().from(agentWakeupRequests).where(and(eq(agentWakeupRequests.agentId, agentId),
+      eq(agentWakeupRequests.status, "deferred_issue_execution")))).length === 0, 60_000);
+    await heartbeat.drainActiveRunExecutions();
+    await waitFor(settled, 60_000);
+    return { question: question!, issueId, agentId };
+  }
+
+  it("delivers a person's answer saved before the worker closed the task, without replaying it", async () => {
+    const { question, agentId } = await settleWithQueuedAnswer();
+    const runs = await db.select().from(heartbeatRuns).where(eq(heartbeatRuns.agentId, agentId)).orderBy(asc(heartbeatRuns.createdAt));
+    const bound = runs.filter(r => (r.contextSnapshot as Record<string, unknown> | null)?.interactionId === question.id);
+    expect(bound.map(r => ({ status: r.status, started: !!r.startedAt }))).toEqual([{ status: "succeeded", started: true }]);
+    const [answerWake] = await db.select().from(agentWakeupRequests).where(and(eq(agentWakeupRequests.agentId, agentId),
+      sql`${agentWakeupRequests.payload}->>'interactionId' = ${question.id}`));
+    expect(answerWake?.status).not.toBe("cancelled");
+    expect(answerWake?.runId).toBe(bound[0]!.id);
+  }, 120_000);
+
+  it("still drops an answer saved only after the task was completed", async () => {
+    const { question, agentId } = await settleWithQueuedAnswer({ answerAfterCompletion: true });
+    const runs = await db.select().from(heartbeatRuns).where(eq(heartbeatRuns.agentId, agentId));
+    expect(runs.filter(r => (r.contextSnapshot as Record<string, unknown> | null)?.interactionId === question.id)).toEqual([]);
+    const [answerWake] = await db.select().from(agentWakeupRequests).where(and(eq(agentWakeupRequests.agentId, agentId),
+      sql`${agentWakeupRequests.payload}->>'interactionId' = ${question.id}`));
+    expect(answerWake).toMatchObject({ status: "cancelled", error: "Deferred execution wake no longer applies to a terminal task" });
+  }, 120_000);
+});

server/src/modules/wake-queue/adapters/postgres.ts

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import {
   nativeRunFinalizations,
 } from "@paperclipai/db";
 import { hasConversationContinuationPolicy } from "../../../services/conversation-continuation.js";
+import { readQueuedInteractionResponse } from "../../../services/queued-interaction-response.js";
 import { legacyExecutionNeedsReconciliationWithEvidence } from "../../../services/legacy-execution-recovery.js";
 import {
   authorizeFailedChatRunRetryWake,
@@ -450,6 +451,15 @@ function buildTransaction(tx: Db, deps: WakeQueuePostgresAdapterDeps, db: Db, ru
       };
     },
 
+    async isOwedInteractionAnswer({ companyId, issueId, payload }) {
+      const response = await readQueuedInteractionResponse(tx as unknown as Db, companyId, issueId, payload);
+      if (!response || response.toolActionOutcome || !response.comment.authorUserId) return false;
+      const [task] = await tx.select({ completedAt: issues.completedAt }).from(issues)
+        .where(and(eq(issues.companyId, companyId), eq(issues.id, issueId)));
+      const answeredAt = new Date(response.comment.createdAt);
+      return !!task && (!task.completedAt || answeredAt.getTime() <= task.completedAt.getTime());
+    },
+
     async getCommentSelfAuthorship({ companyId, issueId, finishingRunId, commentIds }) {
       const rows = await tx
         .select({ createdByRunId: issueComments.createdByRunId })
@@ -500,8 +510,8 @@ function buildTransaction(tx: Db, deps: WakeQueuePostgresAdapterDeps, db: Db, ru
       return isCompletedOnboardingHandoffWake(tx, input);
     },
 
-    async reopenIssue({ companyId, issueId }) {
-      const updated = await issuesSvc.updateForCompany(issueId, companyId, { status: "todo", executionState: null }, tx);
+    async reopenIssue({ companyId, issueId, status = "todo" }) {
+      const updated = await issuesSvc.updateForCompany(issueId, companyId, { status, executionState: null }, tx);
       return updated ? toIssueSnapshot(updated as unknown as IssueRow) : null;
     },
 

server/src/modules/wake-queue/application/ports.ts

@@ -165,6 +165,11 @@ export interface WakeQueueTransaction {
     reason: string | null;
     releasePolicy: unknown;
   }>;
+  /**
+   * True when the wake carries a person's saved answer to an interaction on this task that no run has received yet
+   * and that was saved before the task was completed. Such an answer is owed input, like the person's own queued message.
+   */
+  isOwedInteractionAnswer(input: { companyId: string; issueId: string; payload: Record<string, unknown> }): Promise<boolean>;
   getCommentSelfAuthorship(input: {
     companyId: string;
     issueId: string;
@@ -179,7 +184,8 @@ export interface WakeQueueTransaction {
     wakeAgentId: string;
     commentIds: string[];
   }): Promise<boolean>;
-  reopenIssue(input: { companyId: string; issueId: string; runId: string }): Promise<IssueSnapshot | null>;
+  /** Reopens to todo, or straight to in_progress for an owed answer, which continues the assignee's own execution. */
+  reopenIssue(input: { companyId: string; issueId: string; runId: string; status?: "todo" | "in_progress" }): Promise<IssueSnapshot | null>;
   /** Verifies a Done onboarding parent's completion wake against its own completed children. */
   isCompletedOnboardingHandoffWake(input: { companyId: string; issueId: string; agentId: string;
     reason: string | null; contextSnapshot: Record<string, unknown> }): Promise<boolean>;

server/src/modules/wake-queue/application/use-cases.test.ts

@@ -115,6 +115,7 @@ function createFakeTransaction(overrides: Partial<WakeQueueTransaction> = {}): W
       releasePolicy: null,
     })),
     getCommentSelfAuthorship: vi.fn(async () => ({ allSelfAuthored: false })),
+    isOwedInteractionAnswer: vi.fn(async () => false),
     isCompletedDelegationMention: vi.fn(async () => false),
     reopenIssue: vi.fn(async () => null),
     claimDeferredWakeForPromotion: vi.fn(async () => true),
@@ -594,6 +595,34 @@ describe("releaseIssueExecution", () => {
     expect(result.outcome.kind).toBe("promoted");
   });
 
+  it.each([
+    ["owed answer on a done task", "done", "user", true, "promoted"],
+    ["answer already delivered or saved after completion", "done", "user", false, "released"],
+    ["answer on a cancelled task", "cancelled", "user", true, "released"],
+    ["agent-requested interaction wake", "done", "agent", true, "released"],
+  ] as const)("handles a person's answer queued behind a turn that closed the task: %s", async (_label, status, actor, owed, outcome) => {
+    const queue = [wakeCandidate({ agentId: ISSUE.assigneeAgentId!, requestedByActorType: actor,
+      payload: { issueId: ISSUE.id, mutation: "interaction", interactionId: "11111111-1111-4111-8111-111111111111", interactionStatus: "answered" } })];
+    const transaction = createFakeTransaction({
+      findNextDeferredWake: vi.fn(async () => queue.shift() ?? null),
+      isOwedInteractionAnswer: vi.fn(async () => owed),
+      reopenIssue: vi.fn(async () => ({ ...ISSUE, status: "in_progress" })),
+    });
+    const release = createReleaseIssueExecution({
+      issueLock: createFakeIssueLock(createFakeHost(), transaction, { ...ISSUE, status }),
+      recovery: createFakeRecovery(),
+    });
+    const result = await release({ companyId: RUN.companyId, runId: RUN.id, now: new Date() });
+    expect(result.outcome.kind).toBe(outcome);
+    if (outcome === "promoted") {
+      expect(transaction.reopenIssue).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ status: "in_progress" }));
+      expect(transaction.cancelDeferredWake).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    } else {
+      expect(transaction.reopenIssue).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(transaction.cancelDeferredWake).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ reason: "Deferred execution wake no longer applies to a terminal task" }));
+    }
+  });
+
   it.each(["done_live", "cancelled_live", "done_missing", "done_self", "done_no_resume", "done_untracked_comment"])("handles explicit agent feedback after completion: %s", async (scenario) => {
     const commentIds = ["accepted-agent-feedback"];
     const queue = [wakeCandidate({

server/src/modules/wake-queue/application/use-cases.ts

@@ -374,6 +374,19 @@ async function promoteDeferredWake(
           workingCandidate.queuedCommentIds.length > 0));
   }
 
+  // A person's answer saved while the task was still open is owed input. The
+  // worker may have finished its turn without reading it; closing the task
+  // must not silently drop it. It reopens the task straight to in_progress,
+  // because an answer continues the assignee's own execution.
+  let reopenForAnswer = false;
+  if (
+    !shouldReopen &&
+    currentIssue.status === "done" &&
+    workingCandidate.requestedByActorType === "user" &&
+    workingCandidate.agentId === currentIssue.assigneeAgentId &&
+    await ports.transaction.isOwedInteractionAnswer({ companyId: run.companyId, issueId: currentIssue.id, payload: workingCandidate.payload })
+  ) shouldReopen = reopenForAnswer = true;
+
   // Agent continuations can outlive the work they addressed. Live,
   // non-self feedback with an explicit resume intent must still be read
   // after completion; it cannot revive a cancelled task. Other stale
@@ -412,6 +425,7 @@ async function promoteDeferredWake(
       companyId: run.companyId,
       issueId: currentIssue.id,
       runId: run.id,
+      ...(reopenForAnswer ? { status: "in_progress" as const } : {}),
     });
     if (reopened) {
       postCommitEffects.push({