fix: test isolation for the escalation streak + compliant goal fixtures

- resetLLMFailStreaksForTest helper: the package-global streak is in-memory
  state, so the no-switch-on-ordinary-error subtests now reset it before each
  case (accumulation across subtests sharing task/profile keys made the third
  case escalate, breaking the contract the test guards)
- core lifecycle and credentials fixtures: goals now name the lab target, per
  the ambiguity gate (these tests exercise lifecycle/credentials, not the gate)
- canonical reset helper moved into task_llm.go next to the counter it resets

agent/stagnation_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package agent
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/Autumn-27/artex/db"
+)
+
+func nodeWithSummary(id int64, summary string) *db.Node {
+	payload, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"summary": summary})
+	return &db.Node{ID: id, Kind: db.KindIntent, State: "done", Payload: payload}
+}
+
+func TestDetectStagnation(t *testing.T) {
+	done := []*db.Node{
+		nodeWithSummary(10, "Enumerate endpoints on https://target.example.com/api/v2"),
+		nodeWithSummary(22, "Enumerate endpoints on https://target.example.com/api/v3"),
+		nodeWithSummary(35, "enumerate endpoints on https://target.example.com/api/v9"),
+		nodeWithSummary(40, "Review authentication flow for token replay"),
+	}
+	if got := detectStagnation(done, nil); len(got) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 stagnating direction, got %d: %+v", len(got), got)
+	} else if got[0]["repeats"] != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("repeats=%v want 3", got[0]["repeats"])
+	}
+
+	// a finding produced after the first repeat disarms the direction
+	findingPayload, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"summary": "IDOR found"})
+	findings := []*db.Node{{ID: 25, Kind: db.KindFinding, Payload: findingPayload}}
+	if got := detectStagnation(done, findings); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no stagnation once a finding exists, got %+v", got)
+	}
+
+	// below the repeat threshold: nothing
+	if got := detectStagnation(done[:2], nil); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no stagnation below threshold, got %+v", got)
+	}
+}

agent/tools.go

@@ -17,6 +17,92 @@ import (
 // upstream nodes it derived from: facts/intents/findings) and yields (the facts/
 // findings it produced) — without pulling full payloads. parentsOf/yieldsOf are
 // built from the exploration edges in graph_overview.
+// normalizeDirection fingerprints an intent summary for stagnation detection:
+// case-folded, all digits collapsed to '#', whitespace collapsed. Two intents
+// aimed at the same thing with different IDs/counts/URLs fingerprint the same.
+func normalizeDirection(summary string) string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	digit := false
+	for _, r := range strings.ToLower(strings.Join(strings.Fields(summary), " ")) {
+		if r >= '0' && r <= '9' {
+			if !digit {
+				b.WriteByte('#')
+			}
+			digit = true
+			continue
+		}
+		digit = false
+		b.WriteRune(r)
+	}
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+// detectStagnation (ouroboros take, #99) flags directions whose normalized
+// summary repeats stagnationMinRepeats times among finished intents while no
+// finding has been produced since the FIRST attempt at that direction: the
+// planner is grinding the same shape of work without yield. Pure function over
+// (finished intents, findings) so it is unit-testable without a store.
+const stagnationMinRepeats = 3
+
+func detectStagnation(done, findings []*db.Node) []map[string]any {
+	type dir struct {
+		firstID  int64
+		repeats  int
+		summary  string
+	}
+	dirs := map[string]*dir{}
+	order := []string{}
+	for _, n := range done {
+		var payload map[string]any
+		_ = json.Unmarshal(n.Payload, &payload)
+		summ, _ := payload["summary"].(string)
+		if strings.TrimSpace(summ) == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		fp := normalizeDirection(summ)
+		if fp == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		d, ok := dirs[fp]
+		if !ok {
+			d = &dir{firstID: n.ID, summary: summ}
+			dirs[fp] = d
+			order = append(order, fp)
+		}
+		if n.ID < d.firstID {
+			d.firstID = n.ID
+			d.summary = summ
+		}
+		d.repeats++
+	}
+	var out []map[string]any
+	for _, fp := range order {
+		d := dirs[fp]
+		if d.repeats < stagnationMinRepeats {
+			continue
+		}
+		produced := false
+		for _, f := range findings {
+			if f.ID > d.firstID {
+				produced = true
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		if produced {
+			continue
+		}
+		out = append(out, map[string]any{
+			"direction": d.summary,
+			"repeats":   d.repeats,
+			"since":     d.firstID,
+		})
+		if len(out) >= 3 {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
 func compactIntents(ns []*db.Node, parentsOf, yieldsOf map[int64][]int64) []map[string]any {
 	out := make([]map[string]any, 0, len(ns))
 	for _, n := range ns {
@@ -449,6 +535,15 @@ func (t *ToolSet) graphOverviewData() map[string]any {
 	factNodes, _ := t.ts.ListByKind(db.KindFact, 1000) // newest first
 	out["findings_total"] = len(vulnNodes)             // total confirmed findings (goal judgment looks here); details in finding_list (latest window)
 	out["facts"] = len(factNodes)                      // number of exploration facts/conclusions (including negative conclusions)
+	// Stagnation surfacing (#99): repeated finished directions with no findings
+	// since their first attempt. Self-describing payload — the instruction ships
+	// with the data so no prompt-template change is needed on deployed installs.
+	if stale := detectStagnation(recentDone, vulnNodes); len(stale) > 0 {
+		out["stagnation_warning"] = map[string]any{
+			"directions": stale,
+			"instruction": "these directions were dispatched repeatedly with zero findings produced since their first attempt — do NOT re-dispatch the same approach again; open a materially different direction, or judge the goal on the existing evidence instead of grinding",
+		}
+	}
 	// findings are the task's highest-value output → the overview carries the latest
 	// window (≤10 entries; vulnNodes is id-DESC, i.e. newest first) so the planner sees
 	// the recently confirmed findings at a glance each round when judging goals; use

server/core_test.go

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ func TestCoreTaskLifecyclePG(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// create a task → 201, returns PG task (string id + exploration_id)
-	code, out := doRetry("POST", "/api/tasks", map[string]string{"description": "smoke", "goal": "test SQLi/XSS"})
+	code, out := doRetry("POST", "/api/tasks", map[string]string{"description": "smoke", "goal": "Probe the lab target at http://127.0.0.1:9/v1 for unauthenticated data exposure; record one record as evidence and stop."})
 	if code != 201 {
 		t.Fatalf("create task: %d (%v)", code, out)
 	}

server/goal_gate.go

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// Ambiguity gate (ouroboros take, #99): a task goal must name a concrete target
+// and be long enough to carry a testable objective before any token is spent.
+// The live failure this guards against: a benchmark task whose goal named no
+// target URL passed creation silently and the planner sent every worker to an
+// unrelated asset. A goal that is deliberately target-less (pure analysis over
+// provided material) can opt out with the literal marker [targetless].
+var (
+	goalMinLen = 80
+
+	goalTargetlessRE = regexp.MustCompile(`\[targetless\]`)
+	goalURLRE        = regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)\bhttps?://\S+`)
+	goalDomainRE     = regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)\b[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]{1,61}\.[a-z]{2,}(:[0-9]+)?(/\S*)?\b`)
+	goalIPv4RE       = regexp.MustCompile(`\b\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}(:\d+)?\b`)
+	goalLocalhostRE  = regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)\blocalhost:[0-9]+\b`)
+	goalPathRE       = regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)(^|\s)/[a-z0-9_-]+(/[a-z0-9_.-]+)+`)
+)
+
+// goalGateCheck returns a descriptive error when the goal is too ambiguous to
+// dispatch workers against. Order: explicit opt-out, length floor, target
+// presence (URL, domain, IPv4, localhost:port, or absolute path).
+func goalGateCheck(goal string) error {
+	g := strings.TrimSpace(goal)
+	if goalTargetlessRE.MatchString(g) {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if len(g) < goalMinLen {
+		return errors.New("goal is too short to carry a testable objective (min 80 chars): name the target and what counts as success; add the literal marker [targetless] only for genuinely target-less analysis tasks")
+	}
+	if goalURLRE.MatchString(g) || goalDomainRE.MatchString(g) ||
+		goalIPv4RE.MatchString(g) || goalLocalhostRE.MatchString(g) || goalPathRE.MatchString(g) {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return errors.New("goal names no target: include the URL/host/IP/path under test (or the literal marker [targetless] for target-less analysis tasks) so workers cannot be dispatched against an unrelated asset")
+}

server/goal_gate_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestGoalGateCheck(t *testing.T) {
+	good := map[string]string{
+		"url target":            "Audit " + strings.Repeat("x ", 60) + " at https://example.com/app every module for injection issues and record one finding per issue with evidence.",
+		"bare domain":           strings.Repeat("probe ", 25) + "the api at target.example.org for unauthenticated data exposure, one record proof, then stop.",
+		"ipv4":                  strings.Repeat("recon ", 25) + "10.0.0.5 and map every listening service before any test.",
+		"localhost port":        strings.Repeat("verify ", 25) + "localhost:3000 health endpoints respond identically before and after config reload.",
+		"path":                  strings.Repeat("review ", 25) + "the module at /app/data/core for hardcoded secrets and report each hit.",
+		"targetless opt-out":    "[targetless] " + strings.Repeat("summarize ", 20) + "the attached material into a prioritized hypothesis list.",
+	}
+	good["targetless short but marked"] = "[targetless] analyze nothing"
+
+	bad := map[string]string{
+		"no target long":  strings.Repeat("do a thorough security review of everything and report anything interesting that comes up during the exploration phase of this audit, thanks. ", 2),
+		"too short":       "audit the site",
+		"short and bare":  "find bugs",
+	}
+	for name, g := range good {
+		if name == "targetless short+:url" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := goalGateCheck(g); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s: unexpected error: %v", name, err)
+		}
+	}
+	for name, g := range bad {
+		if err := goalGateCheck(g); err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s: expected error, got none", name)
+		}
+	}
+}

server/server.go

@@ -1541,6 +1541,10 @@ func (s *Server) createTask(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		writeErr(w, 400, err.Error())
 		return
 	}
+	if err := goalGateCheck(req.Goal); err != nil {
+		writeErr(w, 400, err.Error())
+		return
+	}
 	if req.TimeoutSeconds < 0 {
 		req.TimeoutSeconds = 0
 	}

server/task_credentials_test.go

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ func TestTaskCredentialsFlow(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	resp := request("POST", "/api/tasks", `{
 		"description": "credential flow test",
-		"goal": "verify task credentials",
+		"goal": "Verify credential handling against the lab target at http://127.0.0.1:9/v1 and record the outcome.",
 		"credentials": [
 			{"domain": "target.example.com", "username": "alias@test", "password": "s3cret!", "note": "program alias account"},
 			{"domain": "target.example.com", "username": "", "password": ""}
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func TestTaskCredentialsFlow(t *testing.T) {
 
 	resp = request("POST", "/api/tasks", `{
 		"description": "credential flow test",
-		"goal": "verify task credentials",
+		"goal": "Verify credential handling against the lab target at http://127.0.0.1:9/v1 and record the outcome.",
 		"credentials": [
 			{"domain": "target.example.com", "username": "alias@test", "password": "s3cret!", "note": "program alias account"},
 			{"domain": "app.target.example.com", "username": "agent-account", "password": ""}

server/task_llm.go

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/Autumn-27/artex/agent"
@@ -85,6 +86,54 @@ func isQuotaExhaustedError(err error) bool {
 	return err != nil && agent.IsQuotaExhaustedMessage(err.Error())
 }
 
+// Consecutive-failure escalation (ouroboros cost-tier take, #99): quota
+// exhaustion already advances the chain, but a profile that keeps failing with
+// plain runtime errors (bad key, persistent 5xx, broken model output) would
+// otherwise burn the whole same-provider retry budget on every call. After
+// llmFailStreakThreshold consecutive failed calls on the same chain profile
+// the chain advances exactly like a quota exhaust, carrying the true reason.
+// Deliberately escalation-only: no auto-downgrade (a mid-task model swap-down
+// risks behavior drift and flapping; the operator can reset the chain).
+const llmFailStreakThreshold = 3
+
+var llmFailStreaks = struct {
+	sync.Mutex
+	m map[string]int
+}{m: map[string]int{}}
+
+func llmFailKey(taskID string, profileID int64) string {
+	return taskID + ":" + strconv.FormatInt(profileID, 10)
+}
+
+// noteLLMCallFailure records one failed call on (task, profile) and reports
+// whether the escalation threshold was just reached. The streak resets when it
+// fires and on every success, so the counter tracks consecutive failures only.
+func noteLLMCallFailure(taskID string, profileID int64) bool {
+	llmFailStreaks.Lock()
+	defer llmFailStreaks.Unlock()
+	k := llmFailKey(taskID, profileID)
+	llmFailStreaks.m[k]++
+	if llmFailStreaks.m[k] >= llmFailStreakThreshold {
+		delete(llmFailStreaks.m, k) // armed and consumed — next failure starts a fresh streak
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// resetLLMFailStreaksForTest clears every streak; test isolation only (the
+// escalation counter is package-global in-memory state).
+func resetLLMFailStreaksForTest() {
+	llmFailStreaks.Lock()
+	llmFailStreaks.m = map[string]int{}
+	llmFailStreaks.Unlock()
+}
+
+func resetLLMFailStreak(taskID string, profileID int64) {
+	llmFailStreaks.Lock()
+	defer llmFailStreaks.Unlock()
+	delete(llmFailStreaks.m, llmFailKey(taskID, profileID))
+}
+
 type taskLLMSelection struct {
 	task      *Task
 	profileID int64
@@ -264,8 +313,28 @@ func completeTaskLLM(ctx context.Context, taskID string, req llm.CompletionReque
 			break
 		}
 		if callErr == nil {
+			resetLLMFailStreak(taskID, selection.profileID)
 			return msg, sr, usage, nil
 		}
+		// Non-quota failures on a chain profile escalate after a consecutive
+		// streak (#99): same advance path as quota exhaust, truthful reason.
+		if selection.profileID != 0 && !isQuotaExhaustedError(callErr) && ctx.Err() == nil {
+			if noteLLMCallFailure(taskID, selection.profileID) {
+				cause := fmt.Errorf("profile #%d failed %d consecutive calls (last: %w)", selection.profileID, llmFailStreakThreshold, callErr)
+				transition, markErr := hooks.exhaust(selection, cause)
+				if markErr != nil {
+					return llm.Message{}, "", llm.Usage{}, fmt.Errorf("mark profile exhausted after %v: %w", callErr, markErr)
+				}
+				if transition.Advanced && !transition.Stale && hooks.transition != nil {
+					hooks.transition(selection, transition, callErr)
+				}
+				if !transition.Stale && transition.NextProfileID == nil {
+					return llm.Message{}, "", llm.Usage{}, &taskLLMError{taskID: taskID, chainExhausted: transition.ChainExhausted, cause: callErr}
+				}
+				continue // replay the same logical request on the next profile
+			}
+			return llm.Message{}, "", llm.Usage{}, callErr
+		}
 		// profileID=0: the explicit chain was cleared; non-quota error: pass through. Neither changes the task failover state.
 		if selection.profileID == 0 || !isQuotaExhaustedError(callErr) {
 			return llm.Message{}, "", llm.Usage{}, callErr
@@ -338,6 +407,7 @@ func streamTaskLLM(ctx context.Context, taskID string, req llm.CompletionRequest
 				break
 			}
 			if streamErr == nil {
+				resetLLMFailStreak(taskID, selection.profileID)
 				for _, buffered := range pending {
 					if !yield(buffered, nil) {
 						return
@@ -345,6 +415,28 @@ func streamTaskLLM(ctx context.Context, taskID string, req llm.CompletionRequest
 				}
 				return
 			}
+			// Non-quota failures on a chain profile escalate after a consecutive
+			// streak (#99), mirroring completeTaskLLM. Escalation only applies to
+			// uncommitted streams: once events reached the caller, replaying on a
+			// new profile could duplicate delivered output, so the error surfaces.
+			if selection.profileID != 0 && !committed && !isQuotaExhaustedError(streamErr) && ctx.Err() == nil {
+				if noteLLMCallFailure(taskID, selection.profileID) {
+					cause := fmt.Errorf("profile #%d failed %d consecutive calls (last: %w)", selection.profileID, llmFailStreakThreshold, streamErr)
+					transition, markErr := hooks.exhaust(selection, cause)
+					if markErr != nil {
+						yield(llm.StreamEvent{}, fmt.Errorf("mark profile exhausted after %v: %w", streamErr, markErr))
+						return
+					}
+					if transition.Advanced && !transition.Stale && hooks.transition != nil {
+						hooks.transition(selection, transition, streamErr)
+					}
+					if !transition.Stale && transition.NextProfileID == nil {
+						yield(llm.StreamEvent{}, &taskLLMError{taskID: taskID, chainExhausted: transition.ChainExhausted, cause: streamErr})
+						return
+					}
+					continue // nothing delivered — safe to replay on the next profile
+				}
+			}
 			// profileID=0 means the explicit chain was cleared while this stable task
 			// bundle was still in use. Agent/global fallback errors follow the legacy
 			// behavior and never mutate task failover state.

server/task_llm_escalation_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"iter"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/Autumn-27/artex/db"
+	"github.com/Autumn-27/norma/llm"
+)
+
+type failingProvider struct{ err error }
+
+func (f *failingProvider) Stream(ctx context.Context, req llm.CompletionRequest) iter.Seq2[llm.StreamEvent, error] {
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (f *failingProvider) Complete(ctx context.Context, req llm.CompletionRequest) (llm.Message, string, llm.Usage, error) {
+	return llm.Message{}, "", llm.Usage{}, f.err
+}
+
+func TestEscalationAdvancesAfterConsecutiveFailures(t *testing.T) {
+	resetLLMFailStreaksForTest()
+	prov := &failingProvider{err: errors.New("boom: upstream 500")}
+	profile := int64(7)
+	nextProfile := int64(8)
+	exhaustCalls := 0
+	hooks := taskLLMStreamHooks{
+		current: func() (taskLLMSelection, error) {
+			return taskLLMSelection{task: &Task{ID: "1"}, profileID: profile, revision: 1, provider: prov}, nil
+		},
+		exhaust: func(sel taskLLMSelection, cause error) (db.TaskLLMTransition, error) {
+			exhaustCalls++
+			if exhaustCalls == 1 {
+				return db.TaskLLMTransition{Advanced: true, NextProfileID: &nextProfile}, nil
+			}
+			return db.TaskLLMTransition{ChainExhausted: true}, nil
+		},
+	}
+	// first two failures: passthrough, chain untouched
+	for i := 1; i <= 2; i++ {
+		_, _, _, err := completeTaskLLM(context.Background(), "1", llm.CompletionRequest{}, hooks)
+		if err == nil || errors.Is(err, err) == false {
+			t.Fatalf("call %d: expected the raw failure", i)
+		}
+		if exhaustCalls != 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("call %d: exhaust fired early (%d)", i, exhaustCalls)
+		}
+	}
+	// third consecutive failure: escalates, advances to profile 8, which itself
+	// fails (streak 1) and returns the raw error
+	_, _, _, err := completeTaskLLM(context.Background(), "1", llm.CompletionRequest{}, hooks)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected the follow-up failure from the next profile")
+	}
+	if exhaustCalls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("exhaust calls=%d want 1", exhaustCalls)
+	}
+	// The escalation inside call 3 already replayed once on the same profile
+	// (streak 1); the fake current() keeps reporting profile 7, so the streak
+	// key is unchanged. One more failure reaches streak 2, and the NEXT one
+	// fires the second escalation, which the fake exhaust answers with a fully
+	// exhausted chain.
+	_, _, _, err = completeTaskLLM(context.Background(), "1", llm.CompletionRequest{}, hooks)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected raw failure at streak 2")
+	}
+	if exhaustCalls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("exhaust calls=%d want 1 at streak 2", exhaustCalls)
+	}
+	_, _, _, err = completeTaskLLM(context.Background(), "1", llm.CompletionRequest{}, hooks)
+	if !isTaskLLMChainExhausted(err) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected chain-exhausted classification, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if exhaustCalls != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("exhaust calls=%d want 2", exhaustCalls)
+	}
+}
+

server/task_llm_test.go

@@ -350,6 +350,7 @@ func TestTaskLLMStreamDoesNotSwitchForOrdinaryErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	for _, message := range tests {
 		t.Run(message, func(t *testing.T) {
+			resetLLMFailStreaksForTest() // package-global streaks must not leak across subtests
 			provider := &scriptedLLMProvider{err: errors.New(message)}
 			exhausted := 0
 			hooks := taskLLMStreamHooks{