diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 34b1658..9571c9f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ EJClaw는 Discord 위에서 동작하는 Tribunal 멀티에이전트 개발 보
 
 원본은 [qwibitai/nanoclaw](https://github.com/qwibitai/nanoclaw)에서 출발했지만, 현재는 EJClaw의 Discord/paired-runtime 구조에 맞게 독립적으로 유지되고 있습니다.
 
+이 Gitea 저장소는 GitHub `main`을 베이스로 삼고, 운영 환경에서 검증된 로컬 변경(아래 "운영 적용 사항")을 현재 코드 구조에 맞게 재구현해 얹은 배포본입니다.
+
 ## 개요
 
 - 단일 `ejclaw` 서비스가 owner / reviewer / arbiter 세 역할과 세 Discord 봇을 함께 관리합니다.
@@ -32,6 +34,16 @@ EJClaw는 Discord 위에서 동작하는 Tribunal 멀티에이전트 개발 보
 - `assign_room` 기반 명시적 room assignment
 - Bun + SQLite 기반 빠른 런타임
 
+## 운영 적용 사항
+
+GitHub `main` 베이스 위에 운영 중 검증된 변경을 현재 코드 구조에 맞춰 재구현해 반영했습니다.
+
+- Discord 출력 마크다운 보존: 일반 문장의 `**bold**`, `~~strike~~`, 백틱 등 emphasis 마커를 렌더링 대신 원문 그대로 표시(백슬래시 이스케이프). 코드블록과 구조화 출력(EJClaw JSON, 링크→인라인 코드)은 의도대로 보존하고, 이스케이프는 Discord 전송 직전 한 번만 적용됩니다.
+- 2000자 분할 시 코드블록 보존: 코드 펜스(triple backtick)를 인식해 청크 경계에서 코드블록이 깨지지 않도록 분할(서러게이트 페어 안전 처리 포함).
+- 사용량 윈도우 정렬 프라이머: Codex/Claude 초기화 시점을 맞추기 위한 정렬 신호를 조건 없이 발사.
+- 리뷰어 무응답 방지: 리뷰어가 verdict 없이 연속 실패할 때 재시도 상한(기본 2회)으로 핑퐁 루프를 끊고 arbiter/사용자로 에스컬레이션.
+- 대시보드: 등록된 방 별칭을 Discord 채널명과 분리해 보존.
+
 ## Tribunal 시스템
 
 | 역할 | 현재 기본값 | 설명 |
@@ -123,7 +135,7 @@ Discord ──► SQLite (WAL) ──► GroupQueue ──┬──► Owner (ho
 ### 설치
 
 ```bash
-git clone https://github.com/phj1081/EJClaw.git
+git clone https://git.tkrmagid.kr/claude-bot/EJClaw.git
 cd EJClaw
 bun install
 bun run build:all
diff --git a/prompts/owner-common-paired-room.md b/prompts/owner-common-paired-room.md
index f30c830..027b628 100644
--- a/prompts/owner-common-paired-room.md
+++ b/prompts/owner-common-paired-room.md
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@ Every finalize message must contain, in this order:
 5. **(Optional) Follow-up suggestions** — only if genuinely useful, kept short.
 
 Do **not** include:
-
 - "리뷰어가 지적해서 정정했습니다", "PROCEED 확정", "리뷰어 피드백 반영" 같은 메타 문구. The user doesn't know there was a reviewer.
 - A blow-by-blow of each round.
 - Apologies for earlier owner mistakes that the user never saw.
diff --git a/src/channels/discord-outbound.ts b/src/channels/discord-outbound.ts
index cd6ae03..4752ba4 100644
--- a/src/channels/discord-outbound.ts
+++ b/src/channels/discord-outbound.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import path from 'path';
 
 import { normalizeAgentOutput } from '../agent-protocol.js';
+import { neutralizeStrayMarkdown, sanitizeForOutbound } from '../router.js';
 import type { OutboundAttachment } from '../types.js';
 
 const LOCAL_MARKDOWN_LINK_RE = /\[[^\]\n]*\]\((\/[^)\n]+)\)/g;
@@ -46,7 +47,17 @@ export function prepareDiscordOutbound(
   const structuredOutput =
     normalized.output?.visibility === 'public' ? normalized.output : null;
   const outboundText = structuredOutput?.text ?? normalized.result ?? text;
-  const cleanText = sanitizeLocalMarkdownLinks(outboundText);
+  // Redact/strip before escaping so secret patterns (which contain `_`) still
+  // match, then escape stray Discord markdown in free-form agent prose so
+  // emphasis markers (**bold**, ~~strike~~, …) render literally. Author-
+  // controlled structured envelopes are intentional, so their text is left
+  // untouched. Escaping runs before sanitizeLocalMarkdownLinks so the inline
+  // code it deliberately produces is preserved.
+  const safeText = sanitizeForOutbound(outboundText);
+  const renderedText = structuredOutput
+    ? safeText
+    : neutralizeStrayMarkdown(safeText);
+  const cleanText = sanitizeLocalMarkdownLinks(renderedText);
   const attachments =
     optionAttachments && optionAttachments.length > 0
       ? optionAttachments
diff --git a/src/channels/discord.test.ts b/src/channels/discord.test.ts
index cdf4fc6..a52377d 100644
--- a/src/channels/discord.test.ts
+++ b/src/channels/discord.test.ts
@@ -129,7 +129,11 @@ vi.mock('discord.js', () => {
   };
 });
 
-import { DiscordChannel, DiscordChannelOpts } from './discord.js';
+import {
+  DiscordChannel,
+  DiscordChannelOpts,
+  chunkForDiscord,
+} from './discord.js';
 import { logger } from '../logger.js';
 
 // --- Test helpers ---
@@ -1160,3 +1164,127 @@ describe('channel properties', () => {
     expect(channel.name).toBe('discord');
   });
 });
+
+// --- chunkForDiscord ---
+
+describe('chunkForDiscord', () => {
+  it('returns the input unchanged when within the limit', () => {
+    const text = 'short message';
+    expect(chunkForDiscord(text, 2000)).toEqual([text]);
+  });
+
+  it('returns empty array for empty input', () => {
+    expect(chunkForDiscord('', 2000)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('splits on newline boundaries when possible', () => {
+    const text = 'aaa\nbbb\nccc\nddd';
+    const chunks = chunkForDiscord(text, 8);
+    // Every chunk must be ≤ 8 chars and joining them must rebuild the text
+    for (const c of chunks) expect(c.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(8);
+    expect(chunks.join('')).toBe(text);
+  });
+
+  it('reopens a fenced code block across chunks (with language)', () => {
+    const code = Array.from({ length: 200 }, (_, i) => `line ${i}`).join('\n');
+    const text = 'intro paragraph.\n\n```ts\n' + code + '\n```\nafter';
+    const chunks = chunkForDiscord(text, 500);
+    expect(chunks.length).toBeGreaterThan(1);
+    for (const c of chunks) expect(c.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(500);
+    // Every chunk must have a balanced number of ``` fences (so it renders
+    // as valid markdown on its own).
+    for (const c of chunks) {
+      const fenceMatches = c.match(/^```/gm) ?? [];
+      expect(fenceMatches.length % 2).toBe(0);
+    }
+    // The middle chunks must reopen the same language.
+    for (let i = 1; i < chunks.length; i++) {
+      // It should either start with the reopened fence, or never have been
+      // inside the fence at this point.
+      if (chunks[i].startsWith('```')) {
+        expect(chunks[i].startsWith('```ts\n')).toBe(true);
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('reopens a language-less fenced code block', () => {
+    const code = Array.from({ length: 200 }, (_, i) => `payload-${i}`).join(
+      '\n',
+    );
+    const text = '```\n' + code + '\n```';
+    const chunks = chunkForDiscord(text, 400);
+    expect(chunks.length).toBeGreaterThan(1);
+    for (const c of chunks) {
+      const fenceMatches = c.match(/^```/gm) ?? [];
+      expect(fenceMatches.length % 2).toBe(0);
+    }
+    // Joining back should rebuild a string whose un-fenced content equals
+    // the original code (allowing for extra fence pairs in the middle).
+    const reconstructed = chunks
+      .join('\n')
+      .replace(/```\n```\n/g, '') // drop reopen-close pairs at chunk seams
+      .replace(/```\n```$/g, '');
+    expect(reconstructed.includes('payload-0')).toBe(true);
+    expect(reconstructed.includes('payload-199')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('handles multiple fenced blocks in the same document', () => {
+    const blockA = Array.from({ length: 50 }, () => 'AAAA').join('\n');
+    const blockB = Array.from({ length: 50 }, () => 'BBBB').join('\n');
+    const text =
+      'intro\n```js\n' + blockA + '\n```\nbetween\n```py\n' + blockB + '\n```';
+    const chunks = chunkForDiscord(text, 200);
+    for (const c of chunks) expect(c.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(200);
+    for (const c of chunks) {
+      const fenceMatches = c.match(/^```/gm) ?? [];
+      expect(fenceMatches.length % 2).toBe(0);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('does not split a surrogate pair', () => {
+    // Emoji 🦄 is a surrogate pair (length 2 in JS).
+    const emoji = '🦄';
+    const text = emoji.repeat(50);
+    const chunks = chunkForDiscord(text, 9);
+    for (const c of chunks) {
+      // No chunk should start or end mid surrogate pair.
+      expect(c.charCodeAt(0) >= 0xdc00 && c.charCodeAt(0) <= 0xdfff).toBe(
+        false,
+      );
+      const last = c.charCodeAt(c.length - 1);
+      expect(last >= 0xd800 && last <= 0xdbff).toBe(false);
+    }
+    expect(chunks.join('')).toBe(text);
+  });
+
+  it('falls back gracefully when a single line exceeds maxLength', () => {
+    const longLine = 'x'.repeat(5000);
+    const chunks = chunkForDiscord(longLine, 2000);
+    for (const c of chunks) expect(c.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(2000);
+    expect(chunks.join('')).toBe(longLine);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps a closing fence with its block when there is room', () => {
+    const text = '```ts\nshort code\n```';
+    const chunks = chunkForDiscord(text, 2000);
+    expect(chunks).toEqual([text]);
+  });
+
+  it('preserves total content across chunk seams (modulo reopen overhead)', () => {
+    const code = Array.from(
+      { length: 80 },
+      (_, i) => `console.log(${i});`,
+    ).join('\n');
+    const text = '```js\n' + code + '\n```';
+    const chunks = chunkForDiscord(text, 300);
+    // After removing the reopen-close fence pairs that the chunker inserts
+    // between chunks, the result should match the original text.
+    const stripped = chunks.join('\n').replace(/```\n```js\n/g, '');
+    // The first chunk still has the original opener and the last still has
+    // the original closer.
+    expect(stripped.startsWith('```js\n')).toBe(true);
+    expect(stripped.endsWith('```')).toBe(true);
+    expect(stripped.includes('console.log(0);')).toBe(true);
+    expect(stripped.includes('console.log(79);')).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/db/bootstrap.test.ts b/src/db/bootstrap.test.ts
index 6b9e7f9..37b62f7 100644
--- a/src/db/bootstrap.test.ts
+++ b/src/db/bootstrap.test.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,17 @@ import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 
 import { applyBaseSchema } from './base-schema.js';
 import { initializeDatabaseSchema } from './bootstrap.js';
+import { applyVersionedSchemaMigrations } from './migrations/index.js';
 import { applyLegacySchemaMigrations } from './schema.js';
 
+function tableColumns(database: Database, table: string): string[] {
+  return (
+    database.prepare(`PRAGMA table_info(${table})`).all() as Array<{
+      name: string;
+    }>
+  ).map((column) => column.name);
+}
+
 function getAppliedSchemaMigrations(
   database: Database,
 ): Array<{ version: number; name: string }> {
@@ -45,6 +54,8 @@ function getExpectedSchemaMigrations(): Array<{
     { version: 18, name: 'paired_turn_output_attachments' },
     { version: 19, name: 'turn_progress_text_recovery' },
     { version: 20, name: 'arbiter_intervention_count' },
+    { version: 21, name: 'reviewer_failure_count' },
+    { version: 22, name: 'turn_progress_text_compat' },
   ];
 }
 
@@ -115,4 +126,55 @@ describe('initializeDatabaseSchema', () => {
       reopened.close();
     }
   });
+
+  it('backfills turn_progress_text columns when version 15 was recorded under a different name', () => {
+    const database = new Database(':memory:');
+
+    try {
+      applyBaseSchema(database);
+
+      // Reproduce a deployment that first shipped reviewer_failure_count as a
+      // local migration numbered 15, before turn_progress_text claimed that
+      // version upstream. The runner skips by version number, so migration 015
+      // (turn_progress_text) would otherwise never run on this database.
+      database.exec(`
+        CREATE TABLE schema_migrations (
+          version INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
+          name TEXT NOT NULL,
+          applied_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT (datetime('now'))
+        )
+      `);
+      const collidedNames: Record<number, string> = {
+        15: 'reviewer_failure_count',
+      };
+      for (let version = 1; version <= 15; version += 1) {
+        database
+          .prepare('INSERT INTO schema_migrations (version, name) VALUES (?, ?)')
+          .run(version, collidedNames[version] ?? `legacy_${version}`);
+      }
+      // Precondition: the collided database is missing the progress columns.
+      expect(tableColumns(database, 'paired_turns')).not.toContain(
+        'progress_text',
+      );
+
+      applyVersionedSchemaMigrations(database, { assistantName: 'Andy' });
+
+      const columns = tableColumns(database, 'paired_turns');
+      expect(columns).toContain('progress_text');
+      expect(columns).toContain('progress_updated_at');
+
+      // The pre-existing version-15 row is left untouched; the compat migration
+      // (version 20) is what reconciles the schema.
+      const version15 = database
+        .prepare('SELECT name FROM schema_migrations WHERE version = 15')
+        .get() as { name: string };
+      expect(version15.name).toBe('reviewer_failure_count');
+      const version20 = database
+        .prepare('SELECT name FROM schema_migrations WHERE version = 20')
+        .get() as { name: string } | null;
+      expect(version20?.name).toBe('turn_progress_text_compat');
+    } finally {
+      database.close();
+    }
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/db/migrations/021_reviewer-failure-count.ts b/src/db/migrations/021_reviewer-failure-count.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ed36a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/db/migrations/021_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: 21,
+  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
+    `);
+  },
+};
diff --git a/src/db/migrations/022_turn-progress-text-compat.ts b/src/db/migrations/022_turn-progress-text-compat.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..616a034
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/db/migrations/022_turn-progress-text-compat.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import type { Database } from 'bun:sqlite';
+
+import { tableHasColumn } from './helpers.js';
+import type { SchemaMigrationDefinition } from './types.js';
+
+/**
+ * Compatibility backfill for `turn_progress_text` (migration 015).
+ *
+ * Some deployments first shipped `reviewer_failure_count` as a local migration
+ * numbered 15, so their `schema_migrations` table records version 15 under a
+ * different name than the canonical `turn_progress_text` migration. The runner
+ * skips migrations purely by version number, so on those databases the real
+ * version-15 migration never runs and `paired_turns.progress_text` /
+ * `progress_updated_at` are missing — yet the runtime reads them. This migration
+ * re-adds the columns idempotently so collided databases converge with fresh
+ * ones. On a fresh database migration 015 already created the columns, so the
+ * `tableHasColumn` guards make this a no-op.
+ */
+export const TURN_PROGRESS_TEXT_COMPAT_MIGRATION: SchemaMigrationDefinition = {
+  version: 22,
+  name: 'turn_progress_text_compat',
+  apply(database: Database) {
+    if (!tableHasColumn(database, 'paired_turns', 'progress_text')) {
+      database.exec(`ALTER TABLE paired_turns ADD COLUMN progress_text TEXT`);
+    }
+    if (!tableHasColumn(database, 'paired_turns', 'progress_updated_at')) {
+      database.exec(
+        `ALTER TABLE paired_turns ADD COLUMN progress_updated_at TEXT`,
+      );
+    }
+  },
+};
diff --git a/src/db/migrations/index.ts b/src/db/migrations/index.ts
index 533fcec..d3b134e 100644
--- a/src/db/migrations/index.ts
+++ b/src/db/migrations/index.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ import { SCHEDULED_TASK_ROOM_ROLE_MIGRATION } from './017_scheduled-task-room-ro
 import { PAIRED_TURN_OUTPUT_ATTACHMENTS_MIGRATION } from './018_paired-turn-output-attachments.js';
 import { TURN_PROGRESS_TEXT_RECOVERY_MIGRATION } from './019_turn-progress-text-recovery.js';
 import { ARBITER_INTERVENTION_COUNT_MIGRATION } from './020_arbiter-intervention-count.js';
+import { REVIEWER_FAILURE_COUNT_MIGRATION } from './021_reviewer-failure-count.js';
+import { TURN_PROGRESS_TEXT_COMPAT_MIGRATION } from './022_turn-progress-text-compat.js';
 import type {
   SchemaMigrationArgs,
   SchemaMigrationDefinition,
@@ -48,6 +50,8 @@ const ORDERED_SCHEMA_MIGRATIONS: readonly SchemaMigrationDefinition[] = [
   PAIRED_TURN_OUTPUT_ATTACHMENTS_MIGRATION,
   TURN_PROGRESS_TEXT_RECOVERY_MIGRATION,
   ARBITER_INTERVENTION_COUNT_MIGRATION,
+  REVIEWER_FAILURE_COUNT_MIGRATION,
+  TURN_PROGRESS_TEXT_COMPAT_MIGRATION,
 ];
 
 function ensureSchemaMigrationsTable(database: Database): void {
diff --git a/src/db/paired-state.ts b/src/db/paired-state.ts
index d873ede..12197b1 100644
--- a/src/db/paired-state.ts
+++ b/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'
@@ -177,6 +178,7 @@ 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,
@@ -207,6 +209,7 @@ 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,
@@ -342,6 +345,10 @@ 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);
@@ -425,6 +432,10 @@ 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);
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 1aaabf5..7a0dd62 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import {
   deliverCanonicalOutboundMessage,
   deliverIpcOutboundMessage,
 } from './ipc-outbound-delivery.js';
-import { findChannel, formatOutbound } from './router.js';
+import { findChannel, sanitizeForOutbound } from './router.js';
 import {
   buildRestartAnnouncement,
   buildInterruptedRestartAnnouncement,
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ import { nudgeSchedulerLoop, startSchedulerLoop } from './task-scheduler.js';
 import { startUnifiedDashboard } from './unified-dashboard.js';
 import { startUsagePrimer } from './usage-primer.js';
 import { startWebDashboardServer } from './web-dashboard-server.js';
+import { startUsagePrimer } from './usage-primer.js';
 import { Channel, NewMessage, RegisteredGroup } from './types.js';
 import { logger } from './logger.js';
 import { initCodexTokenRotation } from './codex-token-rotation.js';
@@ -99,7 +100,7 @@ export async function sendFormattedTrackedChannelMessage(
     logger.warn({ jid }, 'No channel owns JID, cannot send tracked message');
     return null;
   }
-  const text = formatOutbound(rawText);
+  const text = sanitizeForOutbound(rawText);
   if (!text || !channel.sendAndTrack) return null;
   return channel.sendAndTrack(jid, text);
 }
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ export async function editFormattedTrackedChannelMessage(
     logger.warn({ jid }, 'No channel owns JID, cannot edit tracked message');
     return;
   }
-  const text = formatOutbound(rawText);
+  const text = sanitizeForOutbound(rawText);
   if (!text || !channel.editMessage) return;
   await channel.editMessage(jid, messageId, text);
 }
@@ -146,7 +147,7 @@ async function deliverFormattedCanonicalMessage(
   rawText: string,
   deliveryRole?: 'owner' | 'reviewer' | 'arbiter',
 ): Promise<void> {
-  const text = formatOutbound(rawText);
+  const text = sanitizeForOutbound(rawText);
   if (!text) return;
   await deliverCanonicalOutboundMessage(
     { jid, text, deliveryRole },
diff --git a/src/message-turn-controller.ts b/src/message-turn-controller.ts
index 6232d59..d0a2a23 100644
--- a/src/message-turn-controller.ts
+++ b/src/message-turn-controller.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import {
   getAgentOutputText,
 } from './agent-output.js';
 import { createScopedLogger, logger } from './logger.js';
-import { formatOutbound } from './router.js';
+import { sanitizeForOutbound } from './router.js';
 import { shouldResetSessionOnAgentFailure } from './session-recovery.js';
 import { TASK_STATUS_MESSAGE_PREFIX } from './task-watch-status.js';
 import { formatElapsedKorean } from './utils.js';
@@ -169,7 +169,10 @@ export class MessageTurnController {
     }
 
     const raw = getAgentOutputText(result);
-    const text = raw ? formatOutbound(raw) : null;
+    // Use sanitize (no markdown escape) — the Discord channel boundary
+    // applies the final escape pass, and double-escaping would produce
+    // visible backslash garbage.
+    const text = raw ? sanitizeForOutbound(raw) : null;
     const attachments = getAgentOutputAttachments(result);
 
     if (raw) {
diff --git a/src/paired-arbiter-request.ts b/src/paired-arbiter-request.ts
index 83dfab0..9f573a0 100644
--- a/src/paired-arbiter-request.ts
+++ b/src/paired-arbiter-request.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ 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;
diff --git a/src/paired-execution-context-owner.ts b/src/paired-execution-context-owner.ts
index 3dcf641..441ec73 100644
--- a/src/paired-execution-context-owner.ts
+++ b/src/paired-execution-context-owner.ts
@@ -399,6 +399,7 @@ 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,
diff --git a/src/paired-execution-context-reviewer.ts b/src/paired-execution-context-reviewer.ts
index aaca85c..de93e5f 100644
--- a/src/paired-execution-context-reviewer.ts
+++ b/src/paired-execution-context-reviewer.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@ import { getPairedWorkspace } from './db.js';
 import { isTerminalCodexAccountFailure } from './agent-error-detection.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,
@@ -12,6 +15,17 @@ 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;
@@ -104,6 +118,35 @@ 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'
@@ -115,17 +158,30 @@ export function handleFailedReviewerExecution(args: {
       nextStatus: fallbackStatus,
       expectedUpdatedAt: task.updated_at,
       updatedAt: now,
-    });
-    logger.warn(
-      {
-        taskId,
-        role: 'reviewer',
-        previousStatus: task.status,
-        nextStatus: fallbackStatus,
+      patch: {
+        reviewer_failure_count: nextFailureCount,
       },
-      '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: {
@@ -157,6 +213,7 @@ 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,
@@ -194,6 +251,7 @@ export function handleReviewerCompletion(args: {
         escalateLogMessage,
         logContext: { taskId, verdict, summary: summary?.slice(0, 100) },
         arbiterInterventionCount: task.arbiter_intervention_count ?? 0,
+        patch: { reviewer_failure_count: 0 },
       });
       return;
     }
@@ -205,6 +263,7 @@ export function handleReviewerCompletion(args: {
         nextStatus: 'active',
         expectedUpdatedAt: task.updated_at,
         updatedAt: now,
+        patch: { reviewer_failure_count: 0 },
       });
       logger.info(
         { taskId, verdict },
diff --git a/src/paired-execution-context.test.ts b/src/paired-execution-context.test.ts
index 45e5843..b3c0f49 100644
--- a/src/paired-execution-context.test.ts
+++ b/src/paired-execution-context.test.ts
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ function buildPairedTask(overrides: Partial<PairedTask> = {}): PairedTask {
     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,
@@ -1398,7 +1399,7 @@ describe('paired execution context', () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it('keeps reviewer tasks review_ready when reviewer execution fails without a terminal verdict', () => {
+  it('keeps reviewer tasks review_ready and increments reviewer_failure_count after the first silent failure', () => {
     vi.mocked(db.getPairedTaskById).mockReturnValue(
       buildPairedTask({
         status: 'in_review',
@@ -1416,11 +1417,38 @@ describe('paired execution context', () => {
       'task-1',
       expect.objectContaining({
         status: 'review_ready',
+        reviewer_failure_count: 1,
         updated_at: expect.any(String),
       }),
     );
   });
 
+  it('requests arbiter after repeated reviewer execution failures without a visible verdict', () => {
+    vi.spyOn(config, 'isArbiterEnabled').mockReturnValue(true);
+    vi.mocked(db.getPairedTaskById).mockReturnValue(
+      buildPairedTask({
+        status: 'review_ready',
+        reviewer_failure_count: 1,
+      }),
+    );
+
+    completePairedExecutionContext({
+      taskId: 'task-1',
+      role: 'reviewer',
+      status: 'failed',
+      summary: 'runtime exploded before verdict',
+    });
+
+    expect(db.updatePairedTask).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'task-1',
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        status: 'arbiter_requested',
+        reviewer_failure_count: 2,
+        arbiter_requested_at: expect.any(String),
+      }),
+    );
+  });
+
   it('keeps arbiter tasks arbiter_requested when arbiter execution fails without a terminal verdict', () => {
     vi.mocked(db.getPairedTaskById).mockReturnValue(
       buildPairedTask({
diff --git a/src/paired-execution-context.ts b/src/paired-execution-context.ts
index f509aa6..543e501 100644
--- a/src/paired-execution-context.ts
+++ b/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,
@@ -493,6 +494,7 @@ 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,
                   arbiter_intervention_count: 0,
@@ -510,6 +512,7 @@ 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,
                   arbiter_intervention_count: 0,
diff --git a/src/paired-task-status.ts b/src/paired-task-status.ts
index 848c799..c0e2ea2 100644
--- a/src/paired-task-status.ts
+++ b/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;
@@ -111,6 +112,7 @@ 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;
diff --git a/src/router.test.ts b/src/router.test.ts
index f97b6ca..4127490 100644
--- a/src/router.test.ts
+++ b/src/router.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 
 import {
   findChannelForDeliveryRole,
+  neutralizeStrayBackticks,
+  neutralizeStrayMarkdown,
   resolveChannelForDeliveryRole,
 } from './router.js';
 import { type Channel } from './types.js';
@@ -92,3 +94,134 @@ describe('findChannelForDeliveryRole', () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe('neutralizeStrayMarkdown', () => {
+  it('escapes inline backticks so they render literally', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('use `foo` and `bar` here')).toBe(
+      'use \\`foo\\` and \\`bar\\` here',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('preserves well-formed fenced code blocks and escapes outside prose', () => {
+    const input = 'before\n```ts\nconst x = `tpl`;\n```\nafter `inline`';
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown(input)).toBe(
+      'before\n```ts\nconst x = `tpl`;\n```\nafter \\`inline\\`',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes emphasis in an unterminated fence (treated as prose)', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('oops ```code without close')).toBe(
+      'oops \\`\\`\\`code without close',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('passes through plain text unchanged', () => {
+    const s = 'plain text with no markup';
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown(s)).toBe(s);
+  });
+
+  it('escapes italic asterisks', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('이건 *기울임* 처리')).toBe(
+      '이건 \\*기울임\\* 처리',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes bold asterisks', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('이건 **강조** 처리')).toBe(
+      '이건 \\*\\*강조\\*\\* 처리',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes bold-italic triple asterisks', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('***hybrid***')).toBe(
+      '\\*\\*\\*hybrid\\*\\*\\*',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes italic underscores at word boundaries', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('이건 _italic_ 처리')).toBe(
+      '이건 \\_italic\\_ 처리',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes every underscore including snake_case identifiers', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('use foo_bar_baz here')).toBe(
+      'use foo\\_bar\\_baz here',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes underscores in absolute paths', () => {
+    expect(
+      neutralizeStrayMarkdown(
+        '경로: /home/claude/EJClaw/groups/mc_the_scene_plugin/src/main_file.ts',
+      ),
+    ).toBe(
+      '경로: /home/claude/EJClaw/groups/mc\\_the\\_scene\\_plugin/src/main\\_file.ts',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes underscores and backslashes in Windows paths', () => {
+    expect(
+      neutralizeStrayMarkdown(
+        '경로: C:\\Custom_vscode\\minecraft_launcher\\src\\main_file.ts',
+      ),
+    ).toBe(
+      '경로: C:\\\\Custom\\_vscode\\\\minecraft\\_launcher\\\\src\\\\main\\_file.ts',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes double-underscore underline markers', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('__bold__ text')).toBe(
+      '\\_\\_bold\\_\\_ text',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes heading hashes at line start', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('## 빌드 타임 메타\n본문')).toBe(
+      '\\## 빌드 타임 메타\n본문',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes block-quote markers at line start', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('> quoted line\n> another')).toBe(
+      '\\> quoted line\n\\> another',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('leaves mid-line hash and gt unchanged (not heading/quote markers)', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('a #tag here and a > b')).toBe(
+      'a #tag here and a > b',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes strikethrough tildes', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('이건 ~~취소선~~ 입니다')).toBe(
+      '이건 \\~\\~취소선\\~\\~ 입니다',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes spoiler pipes', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('||비밀||')).toBe('\\|\\|비밀\\|\\|');
+  });
+
+  it('preserves Discord mention syntax (no markdown delimiters inside)', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('<@123> hi <#456>')).toBe(
+      '<@123> hi <#456>',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('preserves code fence content while escaping prose emphasis', () => {
+    const input = '**bold** outside\n```py\nx = *2\n```\nand *more*';
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown(input)).toBe(
+      '\\*\\*bold\\*\\* outside\n```py\nx = *2\n```\nand \\*more\\*',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('escapes literal backslashes first so new escapes are not doubled', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayMarkdown('a\\b *c*')).toBe('a\\\\b \\*c\\*');
+  });
+
+  it('back-compat alias still exported', () => {
+    expect(neutralizeStrayBackticks('*x*')).toBe('\\*x\\*');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/router.ts b/src/router.ts
index 5cbc161..fcf5d65 100644
--- a/src/router.ts
+++ b/src/router.ts
@@ -78,7 +78,85 @@ export function stripToolCallLeaks(text: string): string {
   return stripped.replace(/\n{3,}/g, '\n\n').trim();
 }
 
-export function formatOutbound(rawText: string): string {
+/**
+ * Escape Discord markdown delimiters in a prose segment so the source
+ * characters render literally instead of triggering formatting. Used on
+ * non-code segments only — callers must preserve fenced code blocks
+ * separately.
+ *
+ * Discord rendering reference:
+ *   *italic*, _italic_, **bold**, ***bold-italic***
+ *   __underline__  ~~strike~~  ||spoiler||
+ *   `inline`  # H1  ## H2  ### H3 (at line start)
+ *   > quote, >>> multi-line quote (at line start)
+ *
+ * `<@id>`/`<#id>`/`<:emoji:id>` mentions and `[text](url)` links contain no
+ * markdown delimiters and pass through unchanged.
+ */
+function escapeMarkdownInProse(segment: string): string {
+  return (
+    segment
+      // Escape backslashes first so we don't double-escape the backslashes
+      // we are about to introduce for the other markers.
+      .replace(/\\/g, '\\\\')
+      // Inline markdown delimiters — escape positionally so Discord prints
+      // them as literal characters.
+      .replace(/`/g, '\\`')
+      .replace(/\*/g, '\\*')
+      .replace(/_/g, '\\_')
+      .replace(/~/g, '\\~')
+      .replace(/\|/g, '\\|')
+      // Heading hashes — only meaningful at the start of a line (after
+      // optional indent) and followed by a space. Escape only the first
+      // hash; the rest are now harmless literal characters.
+      .replace(/^([ \t]*)(#)(?=#{0,2}[ \t])/gm, '$1\\$2')
+      // Block-quote markers — same line-start constraint.
+      .replace(/^([ \t]*)(>)(?=>{0,2}([ \t]|$))/gm, '$1\\$2')
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Escape stray Discord markdown delimiters in prose while preserving
+ * well-formed triple-backtick fenced code blocks (legit code snippets).
+ */
+export function neutralizeStrayMarkdown(text: string): string {
+  if (!text) return text;
+  const parts: string[] = [];
+  let i = 0;
+  while (i < text.length) {
+    const fenceStart = text.indexOf('```', i);
+    if (fenceStart === -1) {
+      parts.push(escapeMarkdownInProse(text.slice(i)));
+      break;
+    }
+    parts.push(escapeMarkdownInProse(text.slice(i, fenceStart)));
+    const fenceEnd = text.indexOf('```', fenceStart + 3);
+    if (fenceEnd === -1) {
+      // Unterminated fence — not a real code block; treat as prose.
+      parts.push(escapeMarkdownInProse(text.slice(fenceStart)));
+      break;
+    }
+    // Preserve the entire fenced block including delimiters.
+    parts.push(text.slice(fenceStart, fenceEnd + 3));
+    i = fenceEnd + 3;
+  }
+  return parts.join('');
+}
+
+/** @deprecated Kept for back-compat; use neutralizeStrayMarkdown. */
+export const neutralizeStrayBackticks = neutralizeStrayMarkdown;
+
+/**
+ * Sanitize raw agent output for internal use (storage, IPC, intermediate
+ * channel buffers). Strips internal tags + tool-call leaks and redacts
+ * secrets, but does NOT touch markdown delimiters.
+ *
+ * Use this when the text will pass through another `formatOutbound` call
+ * downstream (e.g., the Discord channel boundary). Applying the markdown
+ * escape twice would double-escape backslashes and produce visible garbage
+ * in Discord.
+ */
+export function sanitizeForOutbound(rawText: string): string {
   let text = stripInternalTags(rawText);
   if (!text) return '';
   text = stripToolCallLeaks(text);
@@ -86,6 +164,17 @@ export function formatOutbound(rawText: string): string {
   return redactSecrets(text);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Full outbound formatting for the final Discord-send boundary: sanitize
+ * + escape Discord markdown delimiters. Call this exactly once per
+ * outbound message, at the channel boundary.
+ */
+export function formatOutbound(rawText: string): string {
+  const sanitized = sanitizeForOutbound(rawText);
+  if (!sanitized) return '';
+  return neutralizeStrayMarkdown(sanitized);
+}
+
 export function findChannel(
   channels: Channel[],
   jid: string,
diff --git a/src/session-commands.ts b/src/session-commands.ts
index 1a2fd5f..3bbd0b9 100644
--- a/src/session-commands.ts
+++ b/src/session-commands.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { getAgentOutputText } from './agent-output.js';
 import type { NewMessage } from './types.js';
 import { logger } from './logger.js';
-import { formatOutbound } from './router.js';
+import { sanitizeForOutbound } from './router.js';
 import type { StructuredAgentOutput } from './types.js';
 
 const SESSION_COMMAND_CONTROL_PATTERNS = [
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ function agentResultToText(result: AgentResult): string {
     result: result.result ?? null,
     output: result.output,
   });
-  return raw ? formatOutbound(raw) : '';
+  return raw ? sanitizeForOutbound(raw) : '';
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index 9ef922c..c9bc531 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/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;
diff --git a/src/unified-dashboard.ts b/src/unified-dashboard.ts
index e9c0280..17c56b2 100644
--- a/src/unified-dashboard.ts
+++ b/src/unified-dashboard.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ import {
   mergeClaudeDashboardAccounts,
   type UsageRow,
 } from './dashboard-usage-rows.js';
-import { getAllChats, getAllTasks, updateRegisteredGroupName } from './db.js';
+import { getAllChats, getAllTasks } from './db.js';
 import type { GroupQueue } from './group-queue.js';
 import { logger } from './logger.js';
 import { isWatchCiTask } from './task-watch-status.js';
@@ -208,12 +208,10 @@ async function refreshChannelMeta(
       if (!meta.name) continue;
       const group = opts.roomBindings()[jid];
       if (!group || group.name === meta.name) continue;
-      logger.info(
+      logger.debug(
         { jid, oldName: group.name, newName: meta.name },
-        'Syncing group name to Discord channel name',
+        'Keeping registered group name distinct from Discord channel name',
       );
-      updateRegisteredGroupName(jid, meta.name);
-      opts.onGroupNameSynced?.(jid, meta.name);
     }
   } catch (err) {
     logger.debug({ err }, 'Failed to refresh channel metadata');