fix(rectification): do not hold delivery on exhausted or closed-ceiling paths (BUG-688)

Style questions still precede a converging range card when a renderable
followup exists. Exhausted, closed-ceiling, and holdout-unavailable exits
deliver immediately. Hold at most once per Case. Restore the single-gate
exit assertion and stop treating the tie-break ack as an exit carrier.

frontend/src/lib/rectification-agentic/core/rectification-decision.ts

@@ -232,6 +232,10 @@ export type DecideRectificationInput = Readonly<{
   openingCandidateRange?: readonly [string, string] | null;
   /** Unasked D9/D10 style questions remain. */
   pendingTieBreak?: boolean;
+  /** A renderable style followup exists this turn (choice_frame present). */
+  tieBreakFollowupReady?: boolean;
+  /** This Case already entered a style-question hold (at most one round). */
+  tieBreakAlreadyHeld?: boolean;
 }>;
 
 function classifyStop(
@@ -372,9 +376,6 @@ export function decideRectification(input: DecideRectificationInput): Rectificat
       && engineOffers
       && !narrowingOpen
     ) {
-      if (shouldHoldForTieBreak(input, separation)) {
-        return holdForTieBreak(separation, holdout, range, rangeDeliveryCapability, stopReason);
-      }
       return offerRangeWithoutAdopt(separation, holdout, range, rangeDeliveryCapability);
     }
     return collect(
@@ -411,9 +412,6 @@ export function decideRectification(input: DecideRectificationInput): Rectificat
       return deliverRange(input, separation, holdout, range, "exhausted", rangeDeliveryCapability, stopClass.reason);
     }
     if (rangeDeliveryCapability.canAdopt && input.methodCoverageAll) {
-      if (shouldHoldForTieBreak(input, separation)) {
-        return holdForTieBreak(separation, holdout, range, rangeDeliveryCapability, stopReason);
-      }
       return finish("adopt_representative", {
         input,
         separation,
@@ -468,9 +466,6 @@ export function decideRectification(input: DecideRectificationInput): Rectificat
     return deliverRange(input, separation, holdout, range, "exhausted", rangeDeliveryCapability);
   }
   if (holdout === "unavailable") {
-    if (shouldHoldForTieBreak(input, separation)) {
-      return holdForTieBreak(separation, holdout, range, rangeDeliveryCapability, stopReason);
-    }
     return offerRangeWithoutAdopt(separation, holdout, range, rangeDeliveryCapability);
   }
   if (shouldHoldForTieBreak(input, separation)) {
@@ -589,12 +584,17 @@ function stillNeedNarrowing(input: DecideRectificationInput): boolean {
 }
 
 export function shouldHoldForTieBreak(
-  input: Pick<DecideRectificationInput, "pendingTieBreak" | "userStopped">,
+  input: Pick<
+    DecideRectificationInput,
+    "pendingTieBreak" | "tieBreakFollowupReady" | "tieBreakAlreadyHeld" | "userStopped"
+  >,
   separation: CandidateSeparation,
   kind?: "user_stopped" | "offer" | "exhausted",
 ): boolean {
-  if (kind === "user_stopped" || input.userStopped === true) return false;
-  if (input.pendingTieBreak !== true) return false;
+  if (kind === "user_stopped" || kind === "exhausted" || input.userStopped === true) return false;
+  if (input.tieBreakAlreadyHeld === true) return false;
+  const ready = input.tieBreakFollowupReady ?? input.pendingTieBreak;
+  if (ready !== true) return false;
   return separation.ranked.length >= 2;
 }
 

frontend/src/lib/rectification-agentic/v9/decision-from-dossier.ts

@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import {
   isRemainingEvidenceCollect,
   tieBreakGateInput,
   tieBreakPersonalityAvailable,
+  tieBreakPersonalityFollowup,
 } from "./method-followup";
 import { buildConfirmationGate } from "./confirmation-gate";
 import {
@@ -763,24 +764,53 @@ function windowWidenSuggestedFromDossier(dossier: DecisionDossier, evidenceFinge
   });
 }
 
+function isStyleProbeKey(value: unknown): boolean {
+  const key = String(value ?? "");
+  return key.startsWith("varga.d9") || key.startsWith("varga.d10");
+}
+
+function tieBreakHoldFlags(
+  dossier: DecisionDossier,
+  catalog: ReturnType<typeof rectificationFollowupCatalog>,
+  birthDate?: string | null,
+): {
+  pendingTieBreak: boolean;
+  tieBreakFollowupReady: boolean;
+  tieBreakAlreadyHeld: boolean;
+} {
+  const gate = tieBreakGateInput({
+    evidence: dossier.evidence,
+    declinedTopics: dossier.conversationSummary.declinedSkippedTopics,
+    closedCollectFocuses: dossier.conversationSummary.declinedSkippedTopics,
+    catalog,
+    birthDate,
+    accepted: Boolean(dossier.case.acceptedTime),
+    stage: dossier.case.stage,
+    blockScan: dossier.case.blockScan,
+    reportedBirthTime: dossier.case.reportedBirthTime,
+    candidateRange: dossier.case.candidateRange,
+  });
+  const followup = tieBreakPersonalityFollowup(gate);
+  const asked = catalog.askedProbeKeys ?? [];
+  const answered = catalog.answeredProbes ?? [];
+  const schema = dossier.conversationSummary.activeFocus?.expectedAnswerSchema;
+  const alreadyHeld = asked.some(isStyleProbeKey)
+    || answered.some((item) => isStyleProbeKey(item.semantic_key))
+    || Boolean(schema && typeof schema === "object" && schema.tie_break_round === true);
+  return {
+    pendingTieBreak: tieBreakPersonalityAvailable(gate),
+    tieBreakFollowupReady: Boolean(followup?.choice_frame),
+    tieBreakAlreadyHeld: alreadyHeld,
+  };
+}
+
 export function decideFromDossier(
   dossier: DecisionDossier,
   options?: DecideFromDossierOptions,
 ): RectificationDecision {
   const inference = previousInferenceFromReceipt(dossier.latestResult?.decisionReceipt ?? null);
   const catalog = rectificationFollowupCatalog(dossier.latestResult, dossier.evidence);
-  const pendingTieBreak = tieBreakPersonalityAvailable(tieBreakGateInput({
-    evidence: dossier.evidence,
-    declinedTopics: dossier.conversationSummary.declinedSkippedTopics,
-    closedCollectFocuses: dossier.conversationSummary.declinedSkippedTopics,
-    catalog,
-    birthDate: options?.birthDate,
-    accepted: Boolean(dossier.case.acceptedTime),
-    stage: dossier.case.stage,
-    blockScan: dossier.case.blockScan,
-    reportedBirthTime: dossier.case.reportedBirthTime,
-    candidateRange: dossier.case.candidateRange,
-  }));
+  const tieBreakHold = tieBreakHoldFlags(dossier, catalog, options?.birthDate);
   const oosBlindPrompts = refinementFromDecisionReceipt(
     dossier.latestResult?.decisionReceipt ?? null,
   ).oos_blind_prompts;
@@ -892,7 +922,7 @@ export function decideFromDossier(
       ),
       windowWidenSuggested,
       openingCandidateRange: openingRangeFromCandidateRange(dossier.case.candidateRange),
-      pendingTieBreak,
+      ...tieBreakHold,
       ...narrowingExhaustion(dossier, inference, options, catalog),
     }),
     droppedProbes: mergeDroppedProbes(gated.dropped, nakshatra.dropped),
@@ -907,18 +937,7 @@ export function decideAfterInferenceChange(input: {
   snapshotCurrent?: boolean;
 }): RectificationDecision {
   const catalog = rectificationFollowupCatalog(input.dossier.latestResult, input.dossier.evidence);
-  const pendingTieBreak = tieBreakPersonalityAvailable(tieBreakGateInput({
-    evidence: input.dossier.evidence,
-    declinedTopics: input.dossier.conversationSummary.declinedSkippedTopics,
-    closedCollectFocuses: input.dossier.conversationSummary.declinedSkippedTopics,
-    catalog,
-    birthDate: input.birthDate,
-    accepted: Boolean(input.dossier.case.acceptedTime),
-    stage: input.dossier.case.stage,
-    blockScan: input.dossier.case.blockScan,
-    reportedBirthTime: input.dossier.case.reportedBirthTime,
-    candidateRange: input.dossier.case.candidateRange,
-  }));
+  const tieBreakHold = tieBreakHoldFlags(input.dossier, catalog, input.birthDate);
   const collecting = buildMethodFollowupPlan({
     evidence: input.dossier.evidence,
     declinedTopics: input.dossier.conversationSummary.declinedSkippedTopics,
@@ -974,7 +993,7 @@ export function decideAfterInferenceChange(input: {
         evidenceLedgerFingerprint(input.dossier.evidence as never),
       ),
       openingCandidateRange: openingRangeFromCandidateRange(input.dossier.case.candidateRange),
-      pendingTieBreak,
+      ...tieBreakHold,
     });
   }
   const training = input.state.events.filter((item) => item.usage === "training");
@@ -1052,7 +1071,7 @@ export function decideAfterInferenceChange(input: {
         evidenceLedgerFingerprint(input.dossier.evidence as never),
       ),
       openingCandidateRange: openingRangeFromCandidateRange(input.dossier.case.candidateRange),
-      pendingTieBreak,
+      ...tieBreakHold,
       ...narrowingExhaustion(input.dossier, input.state, undefined, catalog),
     }),
     droppedProbes: mergeDroppedProbes(gated.dropped, nakshatra.dropped),