fix(bootstrap): isolate objective prose from generated state grammar

loopx/bootstrap.py

@@ -465,6 +465,22 @@ def apply_onboarding_todos_to_state(
     return "\n".join(lines) + "\n"
 
 
+def render_objective_markdown(objective: str) -> str:
+    """Render objective prose as an isolated Markdown blockquote.
+
+    Generated state grammar owns fences, comments, and headings. Raw
+    objective text is quoted line by line so a start-goal-collapsed or
+    unclosed fence, comment, or heading example inside the objective can
+    never open machine grammar and hide the generated Todo sections below.
+    The frontmatter ``objective`` field keeps the raw text; readers of the
+    body section strip the quote prefix to recover it.
+    """
+    lines = str(objective or "").splitlines()
+    if not lines:
+        return ""
+    return "\n".join(f"> {line}" if line.strip() else ">" for line in lines)
+
+
 def render_state_markdown(
     *,
     project: Path,
@@ -516,7 +532,7 @@ def render_state_markdown(
 
 ## Objective
 
-{objective}
+{render_objective_markdown(objective)}
 
 ## Authority Sources
 

loopx/chat_server.py

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 from .chat_ssh_source_api import SshSourceRequestMixin
 from .chat_store import ChatSessionStore
 from .capabilities.manager_runtime import manager_runtime_capability_projection
+from .control_plane.goals.active_state_sections import active_state_section_text
 from .control_plane.status.ssh_host_catalog import (
     SSH_HOST_CATALOG_PATH,
     ssh_host_catalog_payload,
@@ -125,19 +126,7 @@ def _compact_text(value: Any, *, limit: int = 600) -> str:
 
 
 def _active_state_section(state_text: str, heading: str) -> str:
-    marker = f"## {heading}"
-    start = state_text.find(marker)
-    if start < 0:
-        return ""
-    content_start = start + len(marker)
-    end = state_text.find("\n## ", content_start)
-    section = state_text[content_start : end if end >= 0 else None]
-    lines = [
-        line.strip().removeprefix("- ").strip()
-        for line in section.splitlines()
-        if line.strip() and not line.lstrip().startswith("<!--")
-    ]
-    return _compact_text(" ".join(lines))
+    return active_state_section_text(state_text, heading, normalize_text=_compact_text)
 
 
 def _goal_public_context(registry: dict[str, Any], goal: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:

loopx/control_plane/goals/active_state_sections.py

@@ -27,6 +27,39 @@ def active_state_sections(
     return sections
 
 
+def active_state_section_text(
+    state_text: str,
+    heading: str,
+    *,
+    normalize_text: NormalizeText,
+) -> str:
+    """Read back one ``## <heading>`` section as flattened prose.
+
+    Counterpart of the quote-isolated objective writers: lines starting
+    with ``>`` lose their quote prefix so quote-isolated prose round-trips
+    verbatim, legacy lines keep the bullet-prefix flattening, and comment
+    markers, blank lines, and later ``## `` sections never become content.
+    """
+    marker = f"## {heading}"
+    start = state_text.find(marker)
+    if start < 0:
+        return ""
+    content_start = start + len(marker)
+    end = state_text.find("\n## ", content_start)
+    section = state_text[content_start : end if end >= 0 else None]
+    lines = []
+    for line in section.splitlines():
+        stripped = line.strip()
+        if not stripped or stripped.startswith("<!--"):
+            continue
+        if stripped.startswith(">"):
+            stripped = stripped[1:].strip()
+        else:
+            stripped = stripped.removeprefix("- ").strip()
+        lines.append(stripped)
+    return normalize_text(" ".join(lines))
+
+
 def active_state_section_entries(
     lines: list[str],
     *,

loopx/control_plane/projects/registry.py

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any
 
-from ...bootstrap import build_goal_entry
+from ...bootstrap import build_goal_entry, render_objective_markdown
 from ...control_plane.runtime.time import now_local_iso
 from ...file_lock import exclusive_cross_runtime_file_lock as exclusive_file_lock
 from ...paths import resolve_runtime_root
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def bullets(items: list[str], *, empty: str) -> str:
 
 ## Objective
 
-{objective}
+{render_objective_markdown(objective)}
 
 ## Acceptance
 

tests/control_plane/test_objective_isolation.py

@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+from loopx.bootstrap import render_objective_markdown, render_state_markdown
+from loopx.chat_server import _active_state_section
+from loopx.control_plane.projects.registry import _state_markdown
+from loopx.control_plane.todos.active_state_todo_parser import parse_todo_source
+
+
+BOUNDARY_OBJECTIVES = [
+    # A start-goal-collapsed closed fence becomes one opening-fence line.
+    "```text Implement and validate the task. ```",
+    "~~~text Implement and validate the task. ~~~",
+    # An unclosed comment example would hide every following section.
+    "<!-- unclosed objective example comment",
+    # An unfenced heading example must not become a Todo source region.
+    "## Agent Todo example",
+    # A task-shaped example must not be adopted as a Todo.
+    "- [ ] fake objective todo",
+]
+
+PLAIN_OBJECTIVE = "Implement and validate the task."
+CLOSED_MULTILINE_FENCE_OBJECTIVE = "```text\nImplement and validate the task.\n```"
+
+
+def _bootstrap_state(tmp_path: Path, objective: str) -> str:
+    return render_state_markdown(
+        project=tmp_path,
+        goal_id="objective-example",
+        adapter_kind="read_only_project_map_v0",
+        objective=objective,
+        updated_at="2026-09-15T00:00:00+00:00",
+        goal_doc=None,
+        execution_profile=None,
+    )
+
+
+def test_render_objective_markdown_quotes_every_line() -> None:
+    assert render_objective_markdown("") == ""
+    assert render_objective_markdown(PLAIN_OBJECTIVE) == f"> {PLAIN_OBJECTIVE}"
+    assert (
+        render_objective_markdown("first\n\nsecond")
+        == "> first\n>\n> second"
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("objective", BOUNDARY_OBJECTIVES)
+def test_bootstrap_state_keeps_generated_todos_readable_beyond_objective_examples(
+    tmp_path: Path, objective: str
+) -> None:
+    state = _bootstrap_state(tmp_path, objective)
+    items, _archive, sources = parse_todo_source(state)
+
+    assert sources["user"] == "User Todo / Owner Review Reading Queue"
+    assert sources["agent"] == "Agent Todo"
+    # The generated onboarding connection-validation Todo stays readable.
+    assert len(items["agent"]) == 1
+    assert "fake objective todo" not in str(items["agent"][0].get("text") or "")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "objective",
+    [PLAIN_OBJECTIVE, CLOSED_MULTILINE_FENCE_OBJECTIVE],
+)
+def test_bootstrap_state_keeps_plain_objective_controls_readable(
+    tmp_path: Path, objective: str
+) -> None:
+    state = _bootstrap_state(tmp_path, objective)
+    items, _archive, sources = parse_todo_source(state)
+
+    assert sources["user"] is not None
+    assert sources["agent"] is not None
+    assert len(items["agent"]) == 1
+
+
+def test_bootstrap_state_preserves_objective_text_in_frontmatter_and_body(
+    tmp_path: Path,
+) -> None:
+    objective = BOUNDARY_OBJECTIVES[0]
+    state = _bootstrap_state(tmp_path, objective)
+
+    # The frontmatter keeps the raw objective for exact readback.
+    assert f'objective: "{objective}"' in state
+    # The body is quote-isolated: no unquoted machine-grammar line remains.
+    objective_lines = [f"> {line}" for line in objective.splitlines()]
+    assert "\n".join(objective_lines) in state
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("objective", BOUNDARY_OBJECTIVES)
+def test_chat_context_readback_strips_objective_quote_isolation(
+    tmp_path: Path, objective: str
+) -> None:
+    state = _bootstrap_state(tmp_path, objective)
+
+    assert _active_state_section(state, "Objective") == objective
+
+
+def test_registry_state_markdown_keeps_todo_sections_readable_beyond_fenced_objective() -> None:
+    state = _state_markdown(
+        project_id="project-example",
+        goal_id="goal-example",
+        objective="```text Implement the pipeline. ```",
+        non_goals=[],
+        acceptance=["Pipeline works."],
+        unknowns=[],
+        next_effect="Register the project.",
+        stop_condition="Pipeline accepted.",
+        updated_at="2026-09-15T00:00:00+00:00",
+    )
+    items, _archive, sources = parse_todo_source(state)
+
+    assert sources["user"] == "User Todo / Owner Review Reading Queue"
+    assert sources["agent"] == "Agent Todo"
+    assert items["user"] == []
+    assert items["agent"] == []
+    assert 'objective: "```text Implement the pipeline. ```"' in state