feat(webhook): pull reject reason from latest comment

handle_verdict(rejected): the reason is now pulled from the issue latest Plane
comment (_latest_comment_reason: GET comments, newest by created_at, HTML
stripped) instead of a fixed stub. Slava writes the reason in a comment before
flipping the status to Rejected. Falls back to a fixed note when there is no
comment / the API call fails.

tests: add test_status_only_verdict.py (test_inreview_comment_does_not_revert
[bug 3 root], test_any_comment_no_pipeline_action,
test_approved_status_advances_without_inprogress_reset,
test_rejected_status_pulls_reason_from_comment) and
test_inprogress_from_needs_input_relaunches_analyst in test_status_trigger.py.
Rewrote the comment-based tests (test_verdict_status, test_plane_approved/
rejected in test_webhooks) under the status-only model: comments are no-ops,
verdicts come from status changes.

src/db.py

@@ -159,6 +159,44 @@ def get_next_work_item_id(repo: str, prefix: str = "ET") -> str:
     return f"{prefix}-{next_num:03d}"
 
 
+def ensure_unique_work_item_id(work_item_id: str, repo: str) -> str:
+    """BUG 2a: guarantee work_item_id uniqueness within (repo) over M-6 derive.
+
+    M-6 derives the work_item_id from the Plane sequence_id. That number can
+    collide (e.g. an issue was deleted and the sequence reused, or two issues
+    map to the same number) -> the SAME ET-NNN gets handed to two different
+    tasks, which then physically share a branch/worktree slug prefix and step on
+    each other (see ET-006: task 8 and task 25).
+
+    This is a guard LAYERED ON TOP of the M-6 derive (it does NOT replace it):
+    given the derived id, if that exact <PREFIX>-NNN already exists in the tasks
+    table for this repo, walk forward (ET-007, ET-008, ...) until a free number
+    is found and return that instead. If the derived id is free, it is returned
+    unchanged.
+    """
+    if not work_item_id or "-" not in work_item_id:
+        return work_item_id
+    prefix, num_str = work_item_id.rsplit("-", 1)
+    try:
+        num = int(num_str)
+    except ValueError:
+        return work_item_id
+    width = len(num_str)
+
+    conn = get_db()
+    try:
+        candidate = work_item_id
+        while conn.execute(
+            "SELECT 1 FROM tasks WHERE repo = ? AND work_item_id = ? LIMIT 1",
+            (repo, candidate),
+        ).fetchone() is not None:
+            num += 1
+            candidate = f"{prefix}-{num:0{width}d}"
+        return candidate
+    finally:
+        conn.close()
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # ORCH-5 (M-7): idempotent webhook event logging
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -313,6 +351,23 @@ def mark_job(
     conn.close()
 
 
+def has_active_job_for_task(task_id: int) -> bool:
+    """True if the task already has a queued or running job.
+
+    Used by the status-only verdict model (handle_status_start) to guard against
+    double-launching an agent when a duplicate In Progress webhook arrives or a
+    job is still in flight. The events de-dup absorbs identical webhook bodies;
+    this guards against distinct webhooks while a job is pending/running.
+    """
+    conn = get_db()
+    row = conn.execute(
+        "SELECT 1 FROM jobs WHERE task_id = ? AND status IN ('queued','running') LIMIT 1",
+        (task_id,),
+    ).fetchone()
+    conn.close()
+    return row is not None
+
+
 def count_running_jobs() -> int:
     """Number of jobs currently in 'running' status (for max_concurrency)."""
     conn = get_db()

src/plane_sync.py

@@ -155,6 +155,48 @@ def fetch_issue_sequence_id(issue_id: str, project_id: str) -> int | None:
         return None
 
 
+import re as _re
+
+
+def _strip_html(html: str) -> str:
+    """Crude HTML -> text: drop tags and collapse whitespace. Good enough to
+    feed QG-0's length check when Plane only gives us description_html."""
+    if not html:
+        return ""
+    text = _re.sub(r"<[^>]+>", " ", html)
+    return _re.sub(r"\s+", " ", text).strip()
+
+
+def fetch_issue_description(issue_id: str, project_id: str) -> str:
+    """BUG 1: GET the Plane issue by UUID and return its description text.
+
+    Plane's ``issue.updated`` webhook (e.g. a status change) only carries the
+    CHANGED fields, so ``description``/``description_stripped`` are usually
+    absent there. start_pipeline calls this to pull the full description from the
+    issue detail endpoint so QG-0 does not blow up on an empty payload field.
+
+    Reuses the exact GET issue detail endpoint / shared token already used by
+    ``fetch_issue_sequence_id`` (same URL, same PLANE_HEADERS). Prefers
+    ``description_stripped``; falls back to stripping ``description_html``.
+
+    Returns "" on network error, non-2xx, or a missing field - never raises, so
+    a Plane outage degrades to the honest "empty description" QG-0 path instead
+    of crashing the webhook.
+    """
+    url = f"{PLANE_BASE}/workspaces/{WORKSPACE}/projects/{project_id}/issues/{issue_id}/"
+    try:
+        resp = httpx.get(url, headers=PLANE_HEADERS, timeout=10)
+        resp.raise_for_status()
+        body = resp.json()
+        desc = body.get("description_stripped")
+        if desc and desc.strip():
+            return desc
+        return _strip_html(body.get("description_html") or "")
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.warning(f"fetch_issue_description failed for {issue_id}: {e}")
+        return ""
+
+
 def find_issue_id(work_item_id: str, project_id: str = None) -> str | None:
     """Find Plane issue UUID by work_item_id (e.g. 'ET-002')."""
     project_id = _resolve_project_id(work_item_id, project_id)

src/webhooks/plane.py

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from ..db import (
     get_db,
     get_task_by_plane_id,
     get_next_work_item_id,
+    ensure_unique_work_item_id,
     update_task_stage,
     enqueue_job,
     insert_event_dedup,
@@ -97,10 +98,12 @@ async def plane_webhook(request: Request):
         # QG-0 sanity log here (no branch, no analyst, no task row).
         await handle_work_item_created(data, project_id)
     elif (event == "work_item.updated") or (event == "issue" and action == "updated"):
-        # Feature 1 & 2: status changes drive the pipeline.
-        #   Backlog/Todo/Triage -> In Progress  : START the pipeline (idempotent)
-        #   -> Approved                          : advance (== :approved: comment)
-        #   -> Rejected                          : rollback (== :rejected: comment)
+        # Status-only verdict model: status changes drive the pipeline.
+        #   Backlog/Todo/Triage -> In Progress : START pipeline, or relaunch the
+        #                                        stage agent if returned from
+        #                                        Needs Input.
+        #   -> Approved                         : advance to the next stage.
+        #   -> Rejected                         : rollback (reason from latest comment).
         await handle_issue_updated(data, project_id)
     elif (event == "comment.created") or (event == "issue_comment" and action == "created"):
         await handle_comment(data, project_id)
@@ -126,11 +129,11 @@ async def handle_issue_updated(data: dict, project_id: str = ""):
     """Feature 1 & 2: react to a Plane issue status change.
 
     Routes the NEW state UUID (data.state.id) to:
-      - in_progress  : start the pipeline if this issue has no task yet
-        (idempotent — an existing task is NOT restarted; protects handle_comment
-        which also flips issues to In Progress during approve/answer flows).
-      - approved     : same as a :approved: comment (advance current stage).
-      - rejected     : same as a :rejected: comment (rollback + relaunch).
+      - in_progress  : start the pipeline if this issue has no task yet; if a
+        task already exists and the stage agent is idle (returned from Needs
+        Input), relaunch the stage agent so it reads Slava's fresh comments.
+      - approved     : advance to the next stage.
+      - rejected     : rollback to the previous stage (reason from latest comment).
     Any other status (Needs Input, In Review, Blocked, Done, board stages, etc.)
     is ignored here — those are statuses the orchestrator itself sets.
     """
@@ -153,31 +156,105 @@ async def handle_issue_updated(data: dict, project_id: str = ""):
 
 
 async def handle_status_start(data: dict, project_id: str = ""):
-    """Feature 1: an issue moved into In Progress -> start the pipeline.
+    """An issue moved into In Progress.
 
-    Idempotent: if a task already exists for this plane_id, do nothing (no dup,
-    no analyst restart). This is what makes handle_comment's set_issue_in_progress
-    safe — by then the task already exists, so the start is skipped.
+    Two cases under the status-only verdict model:
+
+      1. No task yet for this plane_id  -> START the pipeline (start_pipeline).
+
+      2. A task already exists          -> this is Slava returning the issue from
+         Needs Input to In Progress after answering the analyst's questions. We
+         must RELAUNCH the current stage's agent so it reads the fresh comments
+         from Plane (the answer-to-questions flow used to live in handle_comment;
+         it is now status-driven).
+
+    KEY FORK — telling "answer to questions" apart from a plain duplicate In
+    Progress webhook (the dedup-protection case):
+
+      The tasks table stores no Plane status, and the issue.updated payload only
+      carries the NEW state (In Progress), so we cannot read the previous status
+      from here. Instead we use the only reliable local signal: whether the
+      stage's agent is currently in flight.
+
+      - The orchestrator sets In Progress itself while an agent runs. When the
+        agent FINISHES it leaves the issue in Needs Input or In Review and has
+        NO queued/running job. So: an existing task with NO active job means the
+        agent is idle / waiting -> a return to In Progress is a genuine relaunch
+        request -> enqueue the stage agent.
+      - If a queued/running job already exists for the task, the agent is busy
+        (or a duplicate webhook arrived) -> SKIP (no double launch). The events
+        de-dup at the top of plane_webhook already absorbs identical webhook
+        bodies; this job guard additionally covers distinct webhooks fired while
+        a job is still pending/running.
     """
+    from ..db import has_active_job_for_task
+
     plane_id = str(data.get("id") or "")
     existing = get_task_by_plane_id(plane_id)
-    if existing:
+
+    if not existing:
+        logger.info(f"Status->In Progress for {plane_id}: starting pipeline")
+        await start_pipeline(data, project_id)
+        return
+
+    task_id = existing["id"]
+    current_stage = existing["stage"]
+    repo = existing["repo"]
+    work_item_id = existing.get("work_item_id", "")
+    branch = existing.get("branch", "")
+
+    # Duplicate / busy guard: a job is already pending or running for this task.
+    if has_active_job_for_task(task_id):
         logger.info(
-            f"Status->In Progress for {plane_id}: task already exists "
-            f"(stage={existing.get('stage')}), not restarting"
+            f"Status->In Progress for {plane_id}: task {task_id} already has an "
+            f"active job (stage={current_stage}), not relaunching"
         )
         return
-    logger.info(f"Status->In Progress for {plane_id}: starting pipeline")
-    await start_pipeline(data, project_id)
+
+    # Agent is idle -> Slava answered questions and returned the issue to In
+    # Progress. Relaunch the current stage's agent to read the fresh comments.
+    from ..plane_sync import STAGE_AUTHORS, add_comment as _add_comment
+    stage_agent = STAGE_AUTHORS.get(current_stage)
+    if not stage_agent:
+        logger.info(
+            f"Status->In Progress for {plane_id}: no agent for stage "
+            f"'{current_stage}', not relaunching"
+        )
+        return
+
+    task_desc = (
+        f"Work item: {work_item_id}\nRepo: {repo}\nBranch: {branch}\n"
+        f"Stage: {current_stage}\nNote: Stakeholder returned the issue to In "
+        f"Progress (answered your questions). Read the latest comments in Plane "
+        f"and revise your artifacts."
+    )
+    job_id = enqueue_job(stage_agent, repo, task_desc, task_id=task_id)
+    logger.info(
+        f"Task {task_id}: returned to In Progress (Needs Input answered), "
+        f"relaunched {stage_agent} for stage {current_stage} (job_id={job_id})"
+    )
+    try:
+        _add_comment(
+            work_item_id,
+            "\U0001f504 \u0410\u0433\u0435\u043d\u0442 \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0437\u0430\u043f\u0443\u0449\u0435\u043d \u0441 \u043e\u0442\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0430\u043c\u0438 \u0441\u0442\u0435\u0439\u043a\u0445\u043e\u043b\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0430.",
+            author=stage_agent,
+        )
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"Failed to post relaunch comment for {work_item_id}: {e}")
 
 
 async def handle_verdict(data: dict, project_id: str, approved: bool):
-    """Feature 2 (variant B): a status verdict mirrors the comment verdicts.
+    """Status-only verdict: a Plane status change drives advance / rollback.
 
-    Approved status == :approved: comment -> _try_advance_stage.
-    Rejected status == :rejected: comment -> rollback to previous stage + relaunch
-    (reason is unknown from a status change; Slava writes it in a separate
-    comment, so we pass a fixed note).
+    Approved status -> _try_advance_stage. We do NOT touch the issue status here:
+    _try_advance_stage -> advance_stage -> plane_notify_stage already PATCHes the
+    issue to the NEXT stage's status. The old set_issue_in_progress call reset
+    the status to In Progress first, which made the board flicker In Progress
+    before the next stage (part of bug 3); it is removed.
+
+    Rejected status -> rollback to the previous stage. The reason is pulled from
+    the issue's latest comment (Slava writes the reason in a comment before/with
+    flipping the status to Rejected).
     """
     plane_id = str(data.get("id") or "")
     task = get_task_by_plane_id(plane_id)
@@ -192,19 +269,68 @@ async def handle_verdict(data: dict, project_id: str, approved: bool):
     branch = task.get("branch", "")
 
     if approved:
-        from ..plane_sync import set_issue_in_progress
-        set_issue_in_progress(work_item_id)
+        # NOTE: no set_issue_in_progress here — _try_advance_stage sets the next
+        # stage's status itself (advance_stage -> plane_notify_stage).
         logger.info(f"Task {task_id}: Approved status -> advance from {current_stage}")
         await _try_advance_stage(task_id, current_stage, repo, work_item_id, branch)
         return
 
-    # Rejected: mirror the :rejected: comment rollback branch.
-    reason = "(rejected via status, see latest comment)"
+    # Rejected: pull the rejection reason from the issue's latest comment.
+    issue_id = task.get("plane_issue_id") or task.get("plane_id") or plane_id
+    reason = _latest_comment_reason(issue_id, repo, project_id)
     await _rollback_stage(
         task_id, current_stage, repo, work_item_id, branch, reason
     )
 
 
+def _latest_comment_reason(issue_id: str, repo: str, project_id: str = "") -> str:
+    """Fetch the issue's most recent comment text (HTML stripped) as the reject
+    reason. Slava writes the reason in a comment before/with flipping the status
+    to Rejected.
+
+    Returns a fixed fallback when there is no comment / the API call fails.
+    """
+    from ..plane_sync import (
+        PLANE_BASE,
+        PLANE_HEADERS,
+        WORKSPACE,
+        PROJECT_ID as _DEFAULT_PROJECT_ID,
+    )
+    fallback = "Rejected via status, no reason comment"
+    if not issue_id:
+        return fallback
+    _proj = get_project_by_repo(repo)
+    pid = _proj.plane_project_id if _proj else (project_id or _DEFAULT_PROJECT_ID)
+    url = (
+        f"{PLANE_BASE}/workspaces/{WORKSPACE}/projects/{pid}/issues/"
+        f"{issue_id}/comments/"
+    )
+    try:
+        resp = httpx.get(url, headers=PLANE_HEADERS, timeout=10)
+        if resp.status_code != 200:
+            logger.warning(
+                f"reject-reason: GET comments for {issue_id} returned "
+                f"{resp.status_code}"
+            )
+            return fallback
+        payload = resp.json()
+        comments = payload.get("results", payload) if isinstance(payload, dict) else payload
+        if not comments:
+            return fallback
+        latest = max(comments, key=lambda c: c.get("created_at", "") or "")
+        raw = (
+            latest.get("comment_stripped")
+            or latest.get("comment_html")
+            or latest.get("comment")
+            or ""
+        )
+        text = re.sub(r"<[^>]+>", "", raw).strip()
+        return text[:300] if text else fallback
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"reject-reason: failed to fetch comments for {issue_id}: {e}")
+        return fallback
+
+
 async def handle_work_item_created(data: dict, project_id: str = ""):
     """Feature 1: creation does NOT start the pipeline anymore.
 
@@ -261,6 +387,23 @@ async def start_pipeline(data: dict, project_id: str = ""):
     repo = proj.repo
     plane_project_id = proj.plane_project_id
 
+    # BUG 1: Plane's issue.updated webhook (status change -> In Progress) sends
+    # only the CHANGED fields, so description / description_stripped are usually
+    # empty here even though the issue HAS a description. If the payload's
+    # description is missing/too short, pull the full one from the Plane issue
+    # detail API (same GET endpoint + shared token already used by
+    # fetch_issue_sequence_id) before QG-0 runs. If the API is also empty, QG-0
+    # legitimately fails (truly empty ticket).
+    if not description or len(description.strip()) < 20:
+        from ..plane_sync import fetch_issue_description
+        fetched = fetch_issue_description(plane_id, plane_project_id)
+        if fetched and len(fetched.strip()) >= len(description.strip()):
+            description = fetched
+            logger.info(
+                f"start_pipeline: pulled description from Plane API for {plane_id} "
+                f"({len(description.strip())} chars)"
+            )
+
     # QG-0 validation (hard gate on pipeline start)
     errors = _qg0_errors(name, description)
     if errors:
@@ -300,10 +443,41 @@ async def start_pipeline(data: dict, project_id: str = ""):
             f"fell back to DB increment: {work_item_id}"
         )
 
+    # BUG 2a: uniqueness-guard LAYERED ON TOP of the M-6 derive above (the derive
+    # itself is untouched). If the derived ET-NNN is already taken by another
+    # task in this repo (collision -> two tasks would share branch/worktree, see
+    # ET-006), bump to the next free number.
+    _derived = work_item_id
+    work_item_id = ensure_unique_work_item_id(work_item_id, repo)
+    if work_item_id != _derived:
+        logger.warning(
+            f"work_item_id collision: derived {_derived} already in use for "
+            f"{repo}; reassigned {plane_id} -> {work_item_id}"
+        )
+
     # Create slug from name
     slug = re.sub(r"[^a-z0-9]+", "-", name.lower()).strip("-")[:30]
     branch = f"feature/{work_item_id}-{slug}"
 
+    # BUG 2b (defense-in-depth): the worktree/path is keyed by BRANCH
+    # (git_worktree.get_worktree_path) and tasks are reverse-resolved by
+    # (repo, branch). With 2a the work_item_id is unique, so the branch prefix is
+    # too; but the slug could still collide (e.g. two issues with the same title
+    # under different ids -> fine) or, worse, an identical branch already exist.
+    # Guard physically: if this exact branch is already owned by another task in
+    # this repo, disambiguate with the (now unique) work_item_id so two tasks can
+    # never share a worktree.
+    _conn_b = get_db()
+    _branch_taken = _conn_b.execute(
+        "SELECT 1 FROM tasks WHERE repo = ? AND branch = ? LIMIT 1", (repo, branch)
+    ).fetchone()
+    _conn_b.close()
+    if _branch_taken is not None:
+        branch = f"feature/{work_item_id}-{plane_id[:8]}"
+        logger.warning(
+            f"branch collision for {repo}; disambiguated to unique branch {branch}"
+        )
+
     # Insert task into DB
     conn = get_db()
     conn.execute(
@@ -346,108 +520,34 @@ async def start_pipeline(data: dict, project_id: str = ""):
 
 
 async def handle_comment(data: dict, project_id: str = ""):
+    """Status-only verdict model: comments NEVER drive the pipeline.
+
+    The whole comment-based control mechanism (``:approved:`` / ``:rejected:``
+    and the analysis answer-to-questions flow) was removed. It caused bug 3
+    (echo self-hit): the analyst posts its own "waiting for approval" comment,
+    handle_comment catches its own comment and reverts In Review -> In Progress.
+
+    Comments are now logged only — no status change, no enqueue, no side effect.
+    The pipeline is driven solely by status changes (handle_issue_updated):
+      - Approved  -> advance
+      - Rejected  -> rollback (reason pulled from the latest comment)
+      - In Progress (returned from Needs Input) -> relaunch the stage agent
     """
-    Handle comment event — check for :approved: or :rejected:.
-    Advance or rollback stage accordingly.
-    """
-    comment_body = data.get("comment_stripped", data.get("comment", data.get("body", data.get("comment_html", ""))))
-    plane_id = str(data.get("work_item_id") or data.get("issue_id") or data.get("issue") or "")
-
-    if not plane_id:
-        logger.warning("Comment event without work_item_id, skipping")
-        return
-
-    task = get_task_by_plane_id(plane_id)
-    if not task:
-        logger.warning(f"No task found for plane_id={plane_id}")
-        return
-
-    task_id = task["id"]
-    current_stage = task["stage"]
-    repo = task["repo"]
-    work_item_id = task.get("work_item_id", "")
-    branch = task.get("branch", "")
-
-    if ":rejected:" in comment_body:
-        # Extract reason (text after :rejected:)
-        reason = comment_body.split(":rejected:", 1)[-1].strip()[:300]
-        await _rollback_stage(task_id, current_stage, repo, work_item_id, branch, reason)
-        return
-
-    if ":approved:" in comment_body:
-        from ..plane_sync import set_issue_in_progress
-        set_issue_in_progress(work_item_id)
-        # Try to advance stage
-        await _try_advance_stage(task_id, current_stage, repo, work_item_id, branch)
-        return
-
-    # Task 3: If neither :approved: nor :rejected: — check if this is an answer to questions
-    if current_stage == "analysis":
-        from ..plane_sync import PLANE_STATES, set_issue_in_progress
-        issue_id = task.get("plane_issue_id") or task.get("plane_id")
-        if not issue_id:
-            issue_id = plane_id
-        if issue_id:
-            from ..plane_sync import PLANE_BASE, PLANE_HEADERS, WORKSPACE
-            from ..plane_sync import PROJECT_ID as _DEFAULT_PROJECT_ID
-            # ORCH-6: route to this task's own Plane project (resolved from repo).
-            _proj = get_project_by_repo(repo)
-            _pid = _proj.plane_project_id if _proj else (project_id or _DEFAULT_PROJECT_ID)
-            import httpx as _httpx
-            try:
-                _resp = _httpx.get(
-                    f"{PLANE_BASE}/workspaces/{WORKSPACE}/projects/{_pid}/issues/{issue_id}/",
-                    headers=PLANE_HEADERS, timeout=10
-                )
-                if _resp.status_code == 200:
-                    issue_data = _resp.json()
-                    if issue_data.get("state") == PLANE_STATES["needs_input"]:
-                        # Task 11: Check analyst retry count (max 3 question rounds)
-                        conn3 = get_db()
-                        analyst_runs = conn3.execute(
-                            "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM agent_runs WHERE task_id=? AND agent='analyst'",
-                            (task_id,)
-                        ).fetchone()[0]
-                        conn3.close()
-
-                        if analyst_runs >= 4:  # initial + 3 retries
-                            from ..plane_sync import set_issue_blocked, add_comment as _pc
-                            set_issue_blocked(work_item_id)
-                            _pc(
-                                work_item_id,
-                                "\U0001f6a8 3 \u0440\u0430\u0443\u043d\u0434\u0430 \u0443\u0442\u043e\u0447\u043d\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u0438\u0441\u0447\u0435\u0440\u043f\u0430\u043d\u044b. Analyst \u043d\u0435 \u043c\u043e\u0436\u0435\u0442 \u0441\u0444\u043e\u0440\u043c\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0422\u0417. "
-                                "\u0422\u0440\u0435\u0431\u0443\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u0431\u043e\u043b\u0435\u0435 \u0434\u0435\u0442\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u043e\u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u0432\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0447\u0430.",
-                                author="analyst",
-                            )
-                            from ..notifications import send_telegram
-                            send_telegram(f"\U0001f6a8 {work_item_id}: 3 \u0440\u0430\u0443\u043d\u0434\u0430 \u0432\u043e\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u043e\u0432 analyst'\u0430 \u0438\u0441\u0447\u0435\u0440\u043f\u0430\u043d\u044b. \u041d\u0443\u0436\u043d\u0430 \u043f\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0449\u044c.")
-                            return
-
-                        # This is an answer to analyst's questions — relaunch
-                        set_issue_in_progress(work_item_id)
-                        task_desc = (
-                            f"Work item: {work_item_id}\nRepo: {repo}\nBranch: {branch}\n"
-                            f"Stage: analysis\nNote: Stakeholder answered your questions. "
-                            f"Read the latest comment in Plane and revise your artifacts.\n"
-                            f"Answer: {comment_body[:500]}"
-                        )
-                        new_job = enqueue_job("analyst", repo, task_desc, task_id=task_id)
-                        from ..plane_sync import add_comment as _pc2
-                        _pc2(work_item_id, "\U0001f504 Analyst \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0437\u0430\u043f\u0443\u0449\u0435\u043d \u0441 \u043e\u0442\u0432\u0435\u0442\u0430\u043c\u0438 \u0441\u0442\u0435\u0439\u043a\u0445\u043e\u043b\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0430.", author="analyst")
-                        logger.info(f"Task {task_id}: stakeholder answered questions, enqueued analyst (job_id={new_job})")
-                        return
-            except Exception as e:
-                logger.error(f"Failed to check issue state: {e}")
+    plane_id = str(
+        data.get("work_item_id") or data.get("issue_id") or data.get("issue") or ""
+    )
+    logger.info(
+        f"comment.created for {plane_id}: logged only, no pipeline action "
+        f"(status-only verdict model)"
+    )
 
 
 async def _rollback_stage(
     task_id: int, current_stage: str, repo: str, work_item_id: str, branch: str,
     reason: str,
 ):
-    """Shared :rejected: / Rejected-status rollback (Feature 2 variant B).
+    """Rollback triggered by a status change to Rejected.
 
-    Both the :rejected: comment and a status change to Rejected funnel here so
-    the two mechanisms behave identically:
       - at analysis: relaunch the analyst with the rejection reason;
       - otherwise: roll back to the previous stage and relaunch its agent
         (via the existing rollback notify + an enqueue of the prev-stage agent).
@@ -516,10 +616,10 @@ async def _try_advance_stage(
     is synchronous. We run it off the event loop via asyncio.to_thread so there
     is exactly one implementation shared with the launcher.
 
-    finished_agent is None on this webhook path (a human :approved: comment, not
-    a finished agent), so the agent-specific rollback branches inside the engine
-    intentionally do not trigger — identical to the old plane behavior, which
-    only ran the QG and either advanced or reported the failure.
+    finished_agent is None on this webhook path (a human Approved status change,
+    not a finished agent), so the agent-specific rollback branches inside the
+    engine intentionally do not trigger — the webhook path only runs the QG and
+    either advances or reports the failure.
     """
     import asyncio
     from ..stage_engine import advance_stage

tests/test_pipeline_start_bugs.py

@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+"""Tests for the two pipeline-start bugs surfaced by the ET-006 live run.
+
+BUG 1: issue.updated (status -> In Progress) ships a payload WITHOUT the
+       description, so start_pipeline must pull it from the Plane issue API
+       before QG-0 runs (otherwise QG-0 wrongly blocks the issue).
+
+BUG 2a: M-6 derives work_item_id from the Plane sequence_id, which can collide.
+        ensure_unique_work_item_id() must hand out the next FREE id instead of
+        reusing one that is already in the tasks table.
+
+BUG 2b: two tasks with an (artificially) identical work_item_id must not share a
+        branch/worktree.
+
+launcher / Gitea / Plane network are mocked. Real FastAPI endpoint via
+TestClient for the BUG 1 end-to-end path.
+"""
+
+import os
+import tempfile
+
+_test_db = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), "test_orchestrator_pipeline_bugs.db")
+os.environ["ORCH_DB_PATH"] = _test_db
+os.environ.setdefault("ORCH_PLANE_WEBHOOK_SECRET", "")
+os.environ.setdefault("ORCH_GITEA_TOKEN", "test-token")
+os.environ.setdefault("ORCH_PLANE_API_TOKEN", "test-token")
+
+import pytest  # noqa: E402
+from unittest.mock import patch, AsyncMock  # noqa: E402
+from fastapi.testclient import TestClient  # noqa: E402
+
+from src.main import app  # noqa: E402
+from src.db import init_db, get_db, ensure_unique_work_item_id  # noqa: E402
+from src import projects as P  # noqa: E402
+from src.projects import reload_projects  # noqa: E402
+from src.git_worktree import get_worktree_path  # noqa: E402
+
+ENDURO_PLANE_ID = "7a79f0a9-5278-49cd-9007-9a338f238f9c"
+IN_PROGRESS = "b873d9eb-993c-48cd-97ac-99a9b1623967"
+BACKLOG = "113b24f6-cce8-4be9-9a22-a359b9cf0122"
+
+client = TestClient(app)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def setup(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(P.settings, "db_path", _test_db)
+    import src.db as _db
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_db.settings, "db_path", _test_db)
+    if os.path.exists(_test_db):
+        os.unlink(_test_db)
+    init_db()
+    monkeypatch.setattr("src.webhooks.plane.verify_plane_signature", lambda body, sig: True)
+    registry_json = (
+        f'[{{"plane_project_id": "{ENDURO_PLANE_ID}", "repo": "enduro-trails",'
+        f' "work_item_prefix": "ET", "name": "enduro-trails"}}]'
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(P.settings, "projects_json", registry_json)
+    reload_projects()
+    yield
+    reload_projects()
+    if os.path.exists(_test_db):
+        os.unlink(_test_db)
+
+
+def _insert_task(work_item_id, branch, plane_id="x"):
+    conn = get_db()
+    conn.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO tasks (plane_id, work_item_id, repo, branch, stage, plane_issue_id) "
+        "VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+        (plane_id, work_item_id, "enduro-trails", branch, "analysis", plane_id),
+    )
+    conn.commit()
+    conn.close()
+
+
+def _count(plane_id):
+    conn = get_db()
+    n = conn.execute("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM tasks WHERE plane_id=?", (plane_id,)).fetchone()[0]
+    conn.close()
+    return n
+
+
+def _task(plane_id):
+    conn = get_db()
+    row = conn.execute("SELECT * FROM tasks WHERE plane_id=?", (plane_id,)).fetchone()
+    conn.close()
+    return row
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# BUG 1
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+def _to_in_progress_no_desc(plane_id="bug1"):
+    """issue.updated payload WITHOUT description (only changed fields)."""
+    return client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
+        "event": "issue", "action": "updated",
+        "data": {
+            "id": plane_id, "name": "A valid backlog item title",
+            # NO description / description_stripped here, exactly like Plane sends
+            # on a status change.
+            "project": ENDURO_PLANE_ID,
+            "state": {"id": IN_PROGRESS, "name": "In Progress", "group": "started"},
+        },
+        "activity": {"field": "state", "new_value": IN_PROGRESS, "old_value": BACKLOG},
+    })
+
+
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.enqueue_job", return_value=1)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_initial_docs", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_gitea_branch", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.plane_sync.fetch_issue_sequence_id", return_value=42)
+@patch("src.plane_sync.fetch_issue_description",
+       return_value="This is a sufficiently long description fetched from Plane API.")
+def test_status_start_fetches_description(
+    mock_desc, mock_seq, mock_branch, mock_docs, mock_enqueue
+):
+    """BUG 1: empty description in payload -> start_pipeline pulls it from the
+    Plane API -> QG-0 passes -> task created + analyst enqueued (NOT blocked)."""
+    resp = _to_in_progress_no_desc("bug1")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    # description was pulled from the API
+    mock_desc.assert_called_once()
+    # QG-0 passed -> task created and analyst launched (NOT set_issue_blocked)
+    assert _count("bug1") == 1
+    assert _task("bug1")["stage"] == "analysis"
+    mock_enqueue.assert_called_once()
+    assert mock_enqueue.call_args.args[0] == "analyst"
+
+
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.enqueue_job", return_value=1)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_initial_docs", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_gitea_branch", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.plane_sync.fetch_issue_sequence_id", return_value=42)
+@patch("src.plane_sync.fetch_issue_description", return_value="")
+def test_status_start_empty_api_still_blocks(
+    mock_desc, mock_seq, mock_branch, mock_docs, mock_enqueue
+):
+    """BUG 1 negative path: if the API also returns empty, QG-0 legitimately
+    fails -> NO task is created (truly empty ticket)."""
+    resp = _to_in_progress_no_desc("bug1-empty")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    mock_desc.assert_called_once()
+    assert _count("bug1-empty") == 0
+    mock_enqueue.assert_not_called()
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# BUG 2a
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+def test_work_item_id_uniqueness():
+    """BUG 2a: if ET-006 is already in tasks, the guard returns the next free
+    id (ET-007), not ET-006 again."""
+    _insert_task("ET-006", "feature/ET-006-gpx-upload", plane_id="old")
+    assert ensure_unique_work_item_id("ET-006", "enduro-trails") == "ET-007"
+
+    # ET-006 AND ET-007 taken -> next free is ET-008.
+    _insert_task("ET-007", "feature/ET-007-something", plane_id="old2")
+    assert ensure_unique_work_item_id("ET-006", "enduro-trails") == "ET-008"
+
+    # A free id is returned unchanged.
+    assert ensure_unique_work_item_id("ET-099", "enduro-trails") == "ET-099"
+
+    # Per-repo isolation: a different repo with the same id is not a collision.
+    assert ensure_unique_work_item_id("ET-006", "other-repo") == "ET-006"
+
+
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.enqueue_job", return_value=1)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_initial_docs", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_gitea_branch", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.plane_sync.fetch_issue_sequence_id", return_value=6)
+@patch("src.plane_sync.fetch_issue_description",
+       return_value="A sufficiently long description for QG-0 to pass cleanly.")
+def test_collision_reassigns_in_start_pipeline(
+    mock_desc, mock_seq, mock_branch, mock_docs, mock_enqueue
+):
+    """BUG 2a end-to-end: ET-006 already exists -> a new In Progress issue whose
+    Plane sequence_id is also 6 must NOT reuse ET-006."""
+    _insert_task("ET-006", "feature/ET-006-gpx-upload", plane_id="task8")
+    resp = client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
+        "event": "issue", "action": "updated",
+        "data": {
+            "id": "task25", "name": "Popup enduro trails feature",
+            "description_stripped": "A sufficiently long description for QG-0.",
+            "project": ENDURO_PLANE_ID,
+            "state": {"id": IN_PROGRESS, "name": "In Progress", "group": "started"},
+        },
+        "activity": {"field": "state", "new_value": IN_PROGRESS, "old_value": BACKLOG},
+    })
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    new_id = _task("task25")["work_item_id"]
+    assert new_id != "ET-006"
+    assert new_id == "ET-007"
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# BUG 2b
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+def test_worktree_per_task():
+    """BUG 2b: two tasks must not resolve to the same worktree path. With the
+    uniqueness guard the branches differ, so the worktree paths differ too."""
+    _insert_task("ET-006", "feature/ET-006-gpx-upload", plane_id="task8")
+    # The second task gets a unique id via the guard...
+    new_id = ensure_unique_work_item_id("ET-006", "enduro-trails")
+    assert new_id == "ET-007"
+    branch_a = "feature/ET-006-gpx-upload"
+    branch_b = f"feature/{new_id}-popup-enduro-trails"
+
+    wt_a = get_worktree_path("enduro-trails", branch_a)
+    wt_b = get_worktree_path("enduro-trails", branch_b)
+    assert wt_a != wt_b, "two tasks must not share a worktree path"

tests/test_status_only_verdict.py

@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+"""Status-only verdict model (bug 3 fix).
+
+The comment-based control mechanism (:approved: / :rejected: / answer-to-questions)
+was removed. The pipeline is driven SOLELY by Plane status changes. These tests
+lock in the new behaviour:
+
+  * test_inreview_comment_does_not_revert       — bug 3 root: an In Review task,
+    any comment arrives -> status NOT reverted, no agent launched.
+  * test_any_comment_no_pipeline_action         — :approved: / :rejected: / plain
+    text comment -> no status change, no enqueue.
+  * test_approved_status_advances_without_inprogress_reset — Approved status
+    advances WITHOUT an intermediate set_issue_in_progress reset.
+  * test_rejected_status_pulls_reason_from_comment — Rejected status pulls the
+    reason from the issue's latest comment (mocked GET comments).
+"""
+
+import os
+import tempfile
+
+_test_db = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), "test_orchestrator_status_only.db")
+os.environ["ORCH_DB_PATH"] = _test_db
+os.environ.setdefault("ORCH_PLANE_WEBHOOK_SECRET", "")
+os.environ.setdefault("ORCH_GITEA_TOKEN", "test-token")
+os.environ.setdefault("ORCH_PLANE_API_TOKEN", "test-token")
+
+import pytest  # noqa: E402
+from unittest.mock import patch, AsyncMock  # noqa: E402
+from fastapi.testclient import TestClient  # noqa: E402
+
+from src.main import app  # noqa: E402
+from src.db import init_db, get_db  # noqa: E402
+from src import projects as P  # noqa: E402
+from src.projects import reload_projects  # noqa: E402
+
+ENDURO_PLANE_ID = "7a79f0a9-5278-49cd-9007-9a338f238f9c"
+APPROVED = "a519a341-dada-4a91-8910-7604f82b79c5"
+REJECTED = "ba958f3c-5db5-461d-8f82-89425e413b97"
+IN_REVIEW = "38fb1f64-aa1e-48a3-92e0-0b109679046b"
+
+client = TestClient(app)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def setup(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(P.settings, "db_path", _test_db)
+    import src.db as _db
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_db.settings, "db_path", _test_db)
+    if os.path.exists(_test_db):
+        os.unlink(_test_db)
+    init_db()
+    monkeypatch.setattr("src.webhooks.plane.verify_plane_signature", lambda body, sig: True)
+    registry_json = (
+        f'[{{"plane_project_id": "{ENDURO_PLANE_ID}", "repo": "enduro-trails",'
+        f' "work_item_prefix": "ET", "name": "enduro-trails"}}]'
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(P.settings, "projects_json", registry_json)
+    reload_projects()
+    # Seed a task at the 'review' stage for plane_id 'r-1'.
+    conn = get_db()
+    conn.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO tasks (plane_id, work_item_id, repo, branch, stage, plane_issue_id) "
+        "VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+        ("r-1", "ET-700", "enduro-trails", "feature/ET-700-x", "review", "r-1"),
+    )
+    conn.commit()
+    conn.close()
+    yield
+    reload_projects()
+    if os.path.exists(_test_db):
+        os.unlink(_test_db)
+
+
+class _FakeResp:
+    def __init__(self, status_code, payload):
+        self.status_code = status_code
+        self._payload = payload
+
+    def json(self):
+        return self._payload
+
+
+def _comment(text, plane_id="r-1"):
+    return client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
+        "event": "issue_comment", "action": "created",
+        "data": {"work_item_id": plane_id, "comment_stripped": text,
+                 "project": ENDURO_PLANE_ID},
+    })
+
+
+def _status(state_id, plane_id="r-1", old="prev"):
+    return client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
+        "event": "issue", "action": "updated",
+        "data": {
+            "id": plane_id, "name": "Status task", "project": ENDURO_PLANE_ID,
+            "state": {"id": state_id, "name": "X", "group": "started"},
+        },
+        "activity": {"field": "state", "new_value": state_id, "old_value": old},
+    })
+
+
+def _stage(plane_id="r-1"):
+    conn = get_db()
+    row = conn.execute("SELECT stage FROM tasks WHERE plane_id=?", (plane_id,)).fetchone()
+    conn.close()
+    return row[0] if row else None
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Bug 3 root: In Review must not revert on a comment.
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.enqueue_job")
+@patch("src.plane_sync.set_issue_in_progress")
+@patch("src.plane_sync._set_issue_state_direct")
+@patch("src.plane_sync.update_issue_state")
+def test_inreview_comment_does_not_revert(
+    mock_update_state, mock_set_direct, mock_sip, mock_enqueue
+):
+    """Bug 3: task in In Review, ANY comment arrives -> status NOT reverted to
+    In Progress, NO agent launched. The analyst's own 'waiting for approval'
+    comment used to echo back and self-hit -> reverted In Review -> In Progress.
+    """
+    # analyst's own echo comment
+    resp = _comment("Готово, жду approved")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    # no status changes whatsoever
+    mock_sip.assert_not_called()
+    mock_set_direct.assert_not_called()
+    mock_update_state.assert_not_called()
+    # no agent launched
+    mock_enqueue.assert_not_called()
+    # stage untouched
+    assert _stage() == "review"
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Any comment -> zero pipeline side-effects.
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("text", [":approved:", ":rejected: bad", "plain text", ""])
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.enqueue_job")
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._try_advance_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._rollback_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.plane_sync.set_issue_in_progress")
+@patch("src.plane_sync._set_issue_state_direct")
+def test_any_comment_no_pipeline_action(
+    mock_set_direct, mock_sip, mock_rollback, mock_advance, mock_enqueue, text
+):
+    resp = _comment(text)
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    mock_advance.assert_not_called()
+    mock_rollback.assert_not_called()
+    mock_sip.assert_not_called()
+    mock_set_direct.assert_not_called()
+    mock_enqueue.assert_not_called()
+    assert _stage() == "review"
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Approved status advances WITHOUT in_progress reset.
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+@patch("src.plane_sync.set_issue_in_progress")
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._try_advance_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+def test_approved_status_advances_without_inprogress_reset(mock_advance, mock_sip):
+    resp = _status(APPROVED)
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    mock_advance.assert_awaited_once()
+    # work_item_id passed positionally
+    assert "ET-700" in mock_advance.call_args.args
+    # bug 3 (cause B): NO intermediate set_issue_in_progress before advance.
+    mock_sip.assert_not_called()
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Rejected status pulls reason from latest comment.
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.httpx.get")
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._rollback_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+def test_rejected_status_pulls_reason_from_comment(mock_rollback, mock_get):
+    mock_get.return_value = _FakeResp(200, {"results": [
+        {"comment_stripped": "old comment", "created_at": "2026-06-03T09:00:00Z"},
+        {"comment_html": "<p>Needs more test coverage</p>",
+         "created_at": "2026-06-03T11:30:00Z"},
+    ]})
+    resp = _status(REJECTED)
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    mock_rollback.assert_awaited_once()
+    reason = mock_rollback.call_args.args[-1]
+    # latest by created_at, HTML stripped
+    assert "Needs more test coverage" in reason
+    assert "<p>" not in reason
+
+
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.httpx.get")
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._rollback_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+def test_rejected_status_no_comment_uses_fallback(mock_rollback, mock_get):
+    mock_get.return_value = _FakeResp(200, {"results": []})
+    resp = _status(REJECTED)
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    mock_rollback.assert_awaited_once()
+    reason = mock_rollback.call_args.args[-1]
+    assert "no reason comment" in reason

tests/test_status_trigger.py

@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@
 
   * work_item.created / issue created -> NO task, NO branch, NO analyst.
   * issue updated -> In Progress (from backlog) -> task created + analyst enqueued.
-  * a second In Progress update for the same issue -> NO duplicate, NO restart
-    (protects handle_comment, which also flips issues to In Progress).
+  * a second In Progress update while the agent is busy -> NO duplicate, NO
+    restart (busy-guard).
+  * In Progress returned from Needs Input (agent idle) -> agent RELAUNCHED.
 
 launcher / Gitea network are mocked. Real FastAPI endpoint via TestClient.
 """
@@ -125,15 +126,34 @@ def test_in_progress_starts_pipeline(mock_seq, mock_branch, mock_docs, mock_enqu
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_initial_docs", new_callable=AsyncMock)
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_gitea_branch", new_callable=AsyncMock)
 @patch("src.plane_sync.fetch_issue_sequence_id", return_value=5)
-def test_repeat_in_progress_is_idempotent(mock_seq, mock_branch, mock_docs, mock_enqueue):
+def test_repeat_in_progress_while_job_active_does_not_relaunch(
+    mock_seq, mock_branch, mock_docs, mock_enqueue
+):
+    """Status-only model busy-guard: a duplicate In Progress webhook that arrives
+    while the stage agent still has a queued/running job must NOT relaunch the
+    agent (no double launch).
+    """
     mock_enqueue.return_value = 1
     _to_in_progress("st-2")
     assert _count("st-2") == 1
     assert mock_enqueue.call_count == 1
 
-    # Second In Progress update (e.g. handle_comment re-set the status). Use a
-    # DISTINCT body (different activity old_value) so webhook dedup does NOT
-    # short-circuit it — this exercises the existing-task idempotency guard in
+    # enqueue_job is mocked above, so no real job row exists. Seed an ACTIVE
+    # (queued) job for the task so has_active_job_for_task() reports the agent as
+    # busy -> the busy-guard fires.
+    conn = get_db()
+    task_id = conn.execute(
+        "SELECT id FROM tasks WHERE plane_id='st-2'"
+    ).fetchone()[0]
+    conn.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO jobs (agent, repo, task_id, status) VALUES (?, ?, ?, 'queued')",
+        ("analyst", "enduro-trails", task_id),
+    )
+    conn.commit()
+    conn.close()
+
+    # Second In Progress update. DISTINCT body (different activity old_value) so
+    # webhook dedup does NOT short-circuit it — this exercises the busy-guard in
     # handle_status_start, not the delivery-dedup layer.
     resp = client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
         "event": "issue", "action": "updated",
@@ -147,4 +167,77 @@ def test_repeat_in_progress_is_idempotent(mock_seq, mock_branch, mock_docs, mock
     })
     assert resp.status_code == 200
     assert _count("st-2") == 1          # still exactly one task
-    assert mock_enqueue.call_count == 1  # analyst NOT re-enqueued
+    assert mock_enqueue.call_count == 1  # analyst NOT re-enqueued (busy-guard)
+
+
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.add_comment", create=True)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.enqueue_job")
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_initial_docs", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_gitea_branch", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+@patch("src.plane_sync.fetch_issue_sequence_id", return_value=5)
+def test_inprogress_from_needs_input_relaunches_analyst(
+    mock_seq, mock_branch, mock_docs, mock_enqueue, mock_comment
+):
+    """Status-only answer-to-questions flow: an existing analysis task whose agent
+    is IDLE (no active job — it went to Needs Input) is returned to In Progress
+    -> the analyst is relaunched to read Slava's fresh comments.
+
+    + double-webhook protection: a second In Progress while the relaunch job is
+    active does NOT relaunch again.
+    """
+    mock_enqueue.return_value = 1
+    # First In Progress: starts the pipeline (creates task + enqueues analyst).
+    _to_in_progress("st-ni")
+    assert _count("st-ni") == 1
+    assert mock_enqueue.call_count == 1
+
+    # The analyst finished and asked questions -> Needs Input. In our model that
+    # means NO active job for the task (enqueue_job is mocked, so no job row).
+    conn = get_db()
+    task_id = conn.execute(
+        "SELECT id FROM tasks WHERE plane_id='st-ni'"
+    ).fetchone()[0]
+    has_job = conn.execute(
+        "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM jobs WHERE task_id=? AND status IN ('queued','running')",
+        (task_id,),
+    ).fetchone()[0]
+    conn.close()
+    assert has_job == 0  # agent idle
+
+    # Slava answers + returns the issue to In Progress (distinct body).
+    resp = client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
+        "event": "issue", "action": "updated",
+        "data": {
+            "id": "st-ni", "name": "A valid backlog item title",
+            "description_stripped": "A sufficiently long description for QG-0.",
+            "project": ENDURO_PLANE_ID,
+            "state": {"id": IN_PROGRESS, "name": "In Progress", "group": "started"},
+        },
+        "activity": {"field": "state", "new_value": IN_PROGRESS, "old_value": "needs-input"},
+    })
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    assert _count("st-ni") == 1               # no duplicate task
+    assert mock_enqueue.call_count == 2        # analyst RELAUNCHED
+    assert mock_enqueue.call_args.args[0] == "analyst"
+
+    # Seed an active job for the relaunch, then a SECOND In Progress webhook must
+    # NOT relaunch again (busy-guard against double webhooks).
+    conn = get_db()
+    conn.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO jobs (agent, repo, task_id, status) VALUES (?, ?, ?, 'running')",
+        ("analyst", "enduro-trails", task_id),
+    )
+    conn.commit()
+    conn.close()
+    resp2 = client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
+        "event": "issue", "action": "updated",
+        "data": {
+            "id": "st-ni", "name": "A valid backlog item title",
+            "description_stripped": "A sufficiently long description for QG-0.",
+            "project": ENDURO_PLANE_ID,
+            "state": {"id": IN_PROGRESS, "name": "In Progress", "group": "started"},
+        },
+        "activity": {"field": "state", "new_value": IN_PROGRESS, "old_value": "x-y-z"},
+    })
+    assert resp2.status_code == 200
+    assert mock_enqueue.call_count == 2        # still 2 — busy-guard held

tests/test_verdict_status.py

@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
-"""Feature 2 (variant B): verdict statuses Approved / Rejected.
+"""Status-only verdict model: verdict statuses Approved / Rejected.
 
-  * issue updated -> Approved  : calls _try_advance_stage (== :approved: comment).
-  * issue updated -> Rejected  : calls _rollback_stage  (== :rejected: comment).
-  * the :approved: / :rejected: COMMENT mechanisms still work (both paths live).
+  * issue updated -> Approved  : calls _try_advance_stage, with NO intermediate
+    set_issue_in_progress reset (bug 3 fix).
+  * issue updated -> Rejected  : calls _rollback_stage, with the reason pulled
+    from the issue's latest comment.
+  * COMMENTS NEVER trigger the pipeline: a :approved: / :rejected: comment is a
+    pure no-op (the comment-based control mechanism was removed).
 
 We mock the shared engine entry points (_try_advance_stage / _rollback_stage)
-and assert they fire for both the status and the comment trigger, so the two
-mechanisms are proven to funnel into the same logic.
+and assert they fire ONLY for the status trigger, never for a comment.
 """
 
 import os
@@ -83,8 +85,21 @@ def _comment(text, plane_id="v-1"):
     })
 
 
+class _FakeResp:
+    def __init__(self, status_code, payload):
+        self.status_code = status_code
+        self._payload = payload
+
+    def json(self):
+        return self._payload
+
+
+def _comments_response(comments):
+    return _FakeResp(200, {"results": comments})
+
+
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
-# Approved status -> advance
+# Approved status -> advance (no in_progress reset)
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
 @patch("src.plane_sync.set_issue_in_progress")
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._try_advance_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
@@ -95,36 +110,52 @@ def test_approved_status_advances(mock_advance, mock_sip):
     # advanced the right task (ET-500 at review)
     args = mock_advance.call_args.args
     assert "ET-500" in args  # work_item_id is passed positionally
+    # bug 3 fix: handle_verdict no longer resets the status to In Progress.
+    mock_sip.assert_not_called()
 
 
 @patch("src.plane_sync.set_issue_in_progress")
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._rollback_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._try_advance_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
-def test_approved_comment_still_advances(mock_advance, mock_sip):
+def test_approved_comment_is_noop(mock_advance, mock_rollback, mock_sip):
+    """Status-only model: a :approved: comment NEVER advances the pipeline."""
     resp = _comment(":approved:")
     assert resp.status_code == 200
-    mock_advance.assert_awaited_once()
+    mock_advance.assert_not_called()
+    mock_rollback.assert_not_called()
+    mock_sip.assert_not_called()
 
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
-# Rejected status -> rollback
+# Rejected status -> rollback (reason from latest comment)
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.httpx.get")
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._rollback_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
-def test_rejected_status_rolls_back(mock_rollback):
+def test_rejected_status_rolls_back(mock_rollback, mock_get):
+    mock_get.return_value = _comments_response(
+        [{"comment_stripped": "ADR missing tradeoffs",
+          "created_at": "2026-06-03T10:00:00Z"}]
+    )
     resp = _status(REJECTED)
     assert resp.status_code == 200
     mock_rollback.assert_awaited_once()
-    # reason note for a status reject (no inline reason available)
-    kwargs_reason = mock_rollback.call_args.args[-1]
-    assert "rejected via status" in kwargs_reason
+    # reason pulled from the latest comment
+    reason = mock_rollback.call_args.args[-1]
+    assert "ADR missing tradeoffs" in reason
 
 
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.httpx.get")
+@patch("src.plane_sync.set_issue_in_progress")
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._rollback_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
-def test_rejected_comment_still_rolls_back(mock_rollback):
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane._try_advance_stage", new_callable=AsyncMock)
+def test_rejected_comment_is_noop(mock_advance, mock_rollback, mock_sip, mock_get):
+    """Status-only model: a :rejected: comment NEVER rolls back the pipeline."""
     resp = _comment(":rejected: bad ADR")
     assert resp.status_code == 200
-    mock_rollback.assert_awaited_once()
-    reason = mock_rollback.call_args.args[-1]
-    assert "bad ADR" in reason
+    mock_advance.assert_not_called()
+    mock_rollback.assert_not_called()
+    mock_sip.assert_not_called()
+    mock_get.assert_not_called()
 
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #

tests/test_webhooks.py

@@ -95,27 +95,32 @@ def test_plane_webhook_generates_sequential_ids(mock_docs, mock_branch):
     assert ids[1] == "ET-002"
 
 
+APPROVED_STATE = "a519a341-dada-4a91-8910-7604f82b79c5"
+REJECTED_STATE = "ba958f3c-5db5-461d-8f82-89425e413b97"
+
+
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_gitea_branch", new_callable=AsyncMock)
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_initial_docs", new_callable=AsyncMock)
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane.launcher")
 def test_plane_approved_advances_stage(mock_launcher, mock_docs, mock_branch, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
-    """Comment :approved: at stage=analysis → advance to architecture."""
+    """Status-only model: Approved STATUS at stage=analysis -> advance to
+    architecture. A comment never triggers this.
+    """
     # Patch repos_dir for QG check
     monkeypatch.setattr("src.qg.checks.settings.repos_dir", str(tmp_path))
 
-    # Create task first
-    client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
-        "event": "work_item.created",
-        "data": {"id": "adv-001", "name": "Advance test", "project": "proj-1"}
-    })
-
-    # Get the task to find work_item_id
+    # Seed an analysis task directly (creation no longer makes a task post-PR#11).
     conn = get_db()
-    task = conn.execute("SELECT * FROM tasks WHERE plane_id = 'adv-001'").fetchone()
+    conn.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO tasks (plane_id, work_item_id, repo, branch, stage, plane_issue_id) "
+        "VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+        ("adv-001", "ET-001", "enduro-trails", "feature/ET-001-x", "analysis", "adv-001"),
+    )
+    conn.commit()
     conn.close()
-    work_item_id = task["work_item_id"]
+    work_item_id = "ET-001"
 
-    # Create required analysis files
+    # Create required analysis files so the analysis QG passes.
     wi_dir = tmp_path / "enduro-trails" / "docs" / "work-items" / work_item_id
     wi_dir.mkdir(parents=True)
     (wi_dir / "01-brd.md").write_text("# BRD")
@@ -123,16 +128,15 @@ def test_plane_approved_advances_stage(mock_launcher, mock_docs, mock_branch, tm
     (wi_dir / "03-acceptance-criteria.md").write_text("# AC")
     (wi_dir / "04-test-plan.yaml").write_text("tests: []")
 
-    # Mock launcher
     mock_launcher.launch.return_value = 1
 
-    # Send approved comment
+    # Send Approved STATUS change.
     resp = client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
-        "event": "comment.created",
+        "event": "issue", "action": "updated",
         "data": {
-            "work_item_id": "adv-001",
-            "comment": "Looks good :approved:"
-        }
+            "id": "adv-001", "name": "Advance test", "project": "proj-1",
+            "state": {"id": APPROVED_STATE, "name": "Approved", "group": "completed"},
+        },
     })
     assert resp.status_code == 200
 
@@ -143,29 +147,39 @@ def test_plane_approved_advances_stage(mock_launcher, mock_docs, mock_branch, tm
     assert task["stage"] == "architecture"
 
 
+@patch("src.webhooks.plane.httpx.get")
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_gitea_branch", new_callable=AsyncMock)
 @patch("src.webhooks.plane._create_initial_docs", new_callable=AsyncMock)
-def test_plane_rejected_rolls_back(mock_docs, mock_branch):
-    """Comment :rejected: rolls back stage."""
-    # Create task
-    client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
-        "event": "work_item.created",
-        "data": {"id": "rej-001", "name": "Reject test", "project": "proj-1"}
-    })
+def test_plane_rejected_rolls_back(mock_docs, mock_branch, mock_get):
+    """Status-only model: Rejected STATUS rolls back stage. A comment never
+    triggers this; the reason is pulled from the latest comment.
+    """
+    class _R:
+        status_code = 200
+        @staticmethod
+        def json():
+            return {"results": [
+                {"comment_stripped": "missing ADR", "created_at": "2026-06-03T10:00:00Z"}
+            ]}
+    mock_get.return_value = _R()
 
-    # Manually set stage to architecture
+    # Seed an architecture task directly.
     conn = get_db()
-    conn.execute("UPDATE tasks SET stage = 'architecture' WHERE plane_id = 'rej-001'")
+    conn.execute(
+        "INSERT INTO tasks (plane_id, work_item_id, repo, branch, stage, plane_issue_id) "
+        "VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+        ("rej-001", "ET-002", "enduro-trails", "feature/ET-002-x", "architecture", "rej-001"),
+    )
     conn.commit()
     conn.close()
 
-    # Send rejected comment
+    # Send Rejected STATUS change.
     resp = client.post("/webhook/plane", json={
-        "event": "comment.created",
+        "event": "issue", "action": "updated",
         "data": {
-            "work_item_id": "rej-001",
-            "comment": "Not ready :rejected:"
-        }
+            "id": "rej-001", "name": "Reject test", "project": "proj-1",
+            "state": {"id": REJECTED_STATE, "name": "Rejected", "group": "cancelled"},
+        },
     })
     assert resp.status_code == 200