fix(paired): cap consecutive reviewer silent-failure retries

src/db/base-schema.ts

@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ export function applyBaseSchema(database: Database): void {
       review_requested_at TEXT,
       round_trip_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
       owner_failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+      reviewer_failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
       owner_step_done_streak INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
       finalize_step_done_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
       task_done_then_user_reopen_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,

src/db/bootstrap.test.ts

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ function getExpectedSchemaMigrations(): Array<{
     { version: 16, name: 'room_skill_overrides' },
     { version: 17, name: 'scheduled_task_room_role' },
     { version: 18, name: 'paired_turn_output_attachments' },
+    { version: 19, name: 'reviewer_failure_count' },
   ];
 }
 

src/db/migrations/019_reviewer-failure-count.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import type { Database } from 'bun:sqlite';
+
+import { tableHasColumn } from './helpers.js';
+import type { SchemaMigrationDefinition } from './types.js';
+
+export const REVIEWER_FAILURE_COUNT_MIGRATION: SchemaMigrationDefinition = {
+  version: 19,
+  name: 'reviewer_failure_count',
+  apply(database: Database) {
+    if (!tableHasColumn(database, 'paired_tasks', 'reviewer_failure_count')) {
+      database.exec(`
+        ALTER TABLE paired_tasks
+        ADD COLUMN reviewer_failure_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0
+      `);
+    }
+
+    database.exec(`
+      UPDATE paired_tasks
+         SET reviewer_failure_count = 0
+       WHERE reviewer_failure_count IS NULL
+    `);
+  },
+};

src/db/migrations/index.ts

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { TURN_PROGRESS_TEXT_MIGRATION } from './015_turn-progress-text.js';
 import { ROOM_SKILL_OVERRIDES_MIGRATION } from './016_room-skill-overrides.js';
 import { SCHEDULED_TASK_ROOM_ROLE_MIGRATION } from './017_scheduled-task-room-role.js';
 import { PAIRED_TURN_OUTPUT_ATTACHMENTS_MIGRATION } from './018_paired-turn-output-attachments.js';
+import { REVIEWER_FAILURE_COUNT_MIGRATION } from './019_reviewer-failure-count.js';
 import type {
   SchemaMigrationArgs,
   SchemaMigrationDefinition,
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ const ORDERED_SCHEMA_MIGRATIONS: readonly SchemaMigrationDefinition[] = [
   ROOM_SKILL_OVERRIDES_MIGRATION,
   SCHEDULED_TASK_ROOM_ROLE_MIGRATION,
   PAIRED_TURN_OUTPUT_ATTACHMENTS_MIGRATION,
+  REVIEWER_FAILURE_COUNT_MIGRATION,
 ];
 
 function ensureSchemaMigrationsTable(database: Database): void {

src/db/paired-state.ts

@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ export type PairedTaskUpdates = Partial<
     | 'review_requested_at'
     | 'round_trip_count'
     | 'owner_failure_count'
+    | 'reviewer_failure_count'
     | 'owner_step_done_streak'
     | 'finalize_step_done_count'
     | 'task_done_then_user_reopen_count'
@@ -176,6 +177,7 @@ export function createPairedTaskInDatabase(
           review_requested_at,
           round_trip_count,
           owner_failure_count,
+          reviewer_failure_count,
           owner_step_done_streak,
           finalize_step_done_count,
           task_done_then_user_reopen_count,
@@ -187,7 +189,7 @@ export function createPairedTaskInDatabase(
           created_at,
           updated_at
         )
-        VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
+        VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
       `,
     )
     .run(
@@ -205,6 +207,7 @@ export function createPairedTaskInDatabase(
       task.review_requested_at,
       task.round_trip_count,
       task.owner_failure_count ?? 0,
+      task.reviewer_failure_count ?? 0,
       task.owner_step_done_streak ?? 0,
       task.finalize_step_done_count ?? 0,
       task.task_done_then_user_reopen_count ?? 0,
@@ -339,6 +342,10 @@ export function updatePairedTaskInDatabase(
     fields.push('owner_failure_count = ?');
     values.push(updates.owner_failure_count);
   }
+  if (updates.reviewer_failure_count !== undefined) {
+    fields.push('reviewer_failure_count = ?');
+    values.push(updates.reviewer_failure_count);
+  }
   if (updates.owner_step_done_streak !== undefined) {
     fields.push('owner_step_done_streak = ?');
     values.push(updates.owner_step_done_streak);
@@ -418,6 +425,10 @@ export function updatePairedTaskIfUnchangedInDatabase(
     fields.push('owner_failure_count = ?');
     values.push(updates.owner_failure_count);
   }
+  if (updates.reviewer_failure_count !== undefined) {
+    fields.push('reviewer_failure_count = ?');
+    values.push(updates.reviewer_failure_count);
+  }
   if (updates.owner_step_done_streak !== undefined) {
     fields.push('owner_step_done_streak = ?');
     values.push(updates.owner_step_done_streak);

src/paired-arbiter-request.ts

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export function requestArbiterOrEscalate(args: {
     review_requested_at?: string | null;
     round_trip_count?: number;
     owner_failure_count?: number;
+    reviewer_failure_count?: number;
     owner_step_done_streak?: number;
     finalize_step_done_count?: number;
     task_done_then_user_reopen_count?: number;

src/paired-execution-context-owner.ts

@@ -293,6 +293,7 @@ function maybeAutoTriggerReviewerAfterOwnerCompletion(args: {
       patch: {
         round_trip_count: task.round_trip_count + 1,
         owner_failure_count: 0,
+        reviewer_failure_count: 0,
         owner_step_done_streak: 0,
         empty_step_done_streak: 0,
         ...args.patch,

src/paired-execution-context-reviewer.ts

@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@ import { ARBITER_DEADLOCK_THRESHOLD } from './config.js';
 import { getPairedWorkspace } from './db.js';
 import { logger } from './logger.js';
 import { requestArbiterOrEscalate } from './paired-arbiter-request.js';
-import { transitionPairedTaskStatus } from './paired-task-status.js';
+import {
+  applyPairedTaskPatch,
+  transitionPairedTaskStatus,
+} from './paired-task-status.js';
 import {
   resolveReviewerCompletionSignal,
   resolveReviewerFailureSignal,
@@ -11,6 +14,17 @@ import { resolveCanonicalSourceRef } from './paired-source-ref.js';
 import { parseVisibleVerdict } from './paired-verdict.js';
 import type { PairedTask } from './types.js';
 
+/**
+ * Maximum consecutive reviewer executions that may produce no verdict
+ * before we stop the ping-pong loop. Mirrors the owner-side failure cap and
+ * closes the "reviewer silently fails forever" hole: codex sometimes emits a
+ * final result with no visible text, the runtime marks it failed, the
+ * next-turn scheduler re-queues another reviewer-turn, and the original
+ * round_trip_count never increments — so the existing round-trip / arbiter
+ * caps never fire.
+ */
+const REVIEWER_FAILURE_ESCALATION_THRESHOLD = 2;
+
 export function handleFailedReviewerExecution(args: {
   task: PairedTask;
   taskId: string;
@@ -75,6 +89,35 @@ export function handleFailedReviewerExecution(args: {
     }
   }
 
+  // Reviewer produced no usable verdict and no recognised infrastructure
+  // failure. Track consecutive flakes — after the threshold, stop the
+  // ping-pong loop instead of preserving review_ready forever.
+  const nextFailureCount = (task.reviewer_failure_count ?? 0) + 1;
+
+  if (nextFailureCount >= REVIEWER_FAILURE_ESCALATION_THRESHOLD) {
+    requestArbiterOrEscalate({
+      taskId,
+      currentStatus: task.status,
+      expectedUpdatedAt: task.updated_at,
+      now,
+      arbiterLogMessage:
+        'Reviewer failed repeatedly without a visible verdict — requesting arbiter',
+      escalateLogMessage:
+        'Reviewer failed repeatedly without a visible verdict — escalating to user',
+      logContext: {
+        taskId,
+        role: 'reviewer',
+        previousStatus: task.status,
+        reviewerFailureCount: nextFailureCount,
+        summary: summary?.slice(0, 160),
+      },
+      patch: {
+        reviewer_failure_count: nextFailureCount,
+      },
+    });
+    return;
+  }
+
   const fallbackStatus =
     task.status === 'in_review' || task.status === 'review_ready'
       ? 'review_ready'
@@ -86,17 +129,30 @@ export function handleFailedReviewerExecution(args: {
       nextStatus: fallbackStatus,
       expectedUpdatedAt: task.updated_at,
       updatedAt: now,
-    });
+      patch: {
-    logger.warn(
+        reviewer_failure_count: nextFailureCount,
-      {
-        taskId,
-        role: 'reviewer',
-        previousStatus: task.status,
-        nextStatus: fallbackStatus,
       },
-      'Preserved reviewer task in review-ready state after failed execution',
+    });
-    );
+  } else {
+    applyPairedTaskPatch({
+      taskId,
+      expectedUpdatedAt: task.updated_at,
+      updatedAt: now,
+      patch: {
+        reviewer_failure_count: nextFailureCount,
+      },
+    });
   }
+  logger.warn(
+    {
+      taskId,
+      role: 'reviewer',
+      previousStatus: task.status,
+      reviewerFailureCount: nextFailureCount,
+      summary: summary?.slice(0, 160),
+    },
+    'Preserved reviewer task in review-ready state after failed execution',
+  );
 }
 
 export function handleReviewerCompletion(args: {
@@ -128,6 +184,7 @@ export function handleReviewerCompletion(args: {
         patch: {
           source_ref: approvedSourceRef,
           owner_failure_count: 0,
+          reviewer_failure_count: 0,
           owner_step_done_streak: 0,
           finalize_step_done_count: 0,
           empty_step_done_streak: 0,
@@ -164,6 +221,7 @@ export function handleReviewerCompletion(args: {
         arbiterLogMessage,
         escalateLogMessage,
         logContext: { taskId, verdict, summary: summary?.slice(0, 100) },
+        patch: { reviewer_failure_count: 0 },
       });
       return;
     }
@@ -175,6 +233,7 @@ export function handleReviewerCompletion(args: {
         nextStatus: 'active',
         expectedUpdatedAt: task.updated_at,
         updatedAt: now,
+        patch: { reviewer_failure_count: 0 },
       });
       logger.info(
         { taskId, verdict },

src/paired-execution-context.ts

@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ function createActiveTaskForRoom(args: {
     review_requested_at: null,
     round_trip_count: 0,
     owner_failure_count: 0,
+    reviewer_failure_count: 0,
     owner_step_done_streak: 0,
     finalize_step_done_count: 0,
     task_done_then_user_reopen_count: 0,
@@ -474,6 +475,7 @@ export function preparePairedExecutionContext(args: {
               ? {
                   round_trip_count: 0,
                   owner_failure_count: 0,
+                  reviewer_failure_count: 0,
                   owner_step_done_streak: 0,
                   empty_step_done_streak: 0,
                 }
@@ -490,6 +492,7 @@ export function preparePairedExecutionContext(args: {
               ? {
                   round_trip_count: 0,
                   owner_failure_count: 0,
+                  reviewer_failure_count: 0,
                   owner_step_done_streak: 0,
                   empty_step_done_streak: 0,
                 }

src/paired-task-status.ts

@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ export function transitionPairedTaskStatus(args: {
     review_requested_at?: string | null;
     round_trip_count?: number;
     owner_failure_count?: number;
+    reviewer_failure_count?: number;
     owner_step_done_streak?: number;
     finalize_step_done_count?: number;
     task_done_then_user_reopen_count?: number;
@@ -110,6 +111,7 @@ export function applyPairedTaskPatch(args: {
     review_requested_at?: string | null;
     round_trip_count?: number;
     owner_failure_count?: number;
+    reviewer_failure_count?: number;
     owner_step_done_streak?: number;
     finalize_step_done_count?: number;
     task_done_then_user_reopen_count?: number;

src/types.ts

@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ export interface PairedTask {
   review_requested_at: string | null;
   round_trip_count: number;
   owner_failure_count?: number | null;
+  reviewer_failure_count?: number | null;
   owner_step_done_streak?: number | null;
   finalize_step_done_count?: number | null;
   task_done_then_user_reopen_count?: number | null;