fix(bootstrap): isolate generated objective text from Todo parsing

loopx/bootstrap.py

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 from .control_plane.runtime.time import now_local_iso
 from .control_plane.runtime.public_safety import public_safe_compact_text
+from .control_plane.goals.active_state_metadata import render_objective_block
 from .control_plane.todos.active_state_editing import (
     TODO_SECTION_HEADINGS,
     atomic_write_state_text,
@@ -504,6 +505,9 @@ def render_state_markdown(
     handoff_mode_line = (
         f"handoff_mode: {handoff_mode}\n" if handoff_mode != HANDOFF_MODE_LEGACY else ""
     )
+    # The objective is user prose. Isolate it so a fenced or commented example
+    # inside it cannot hide the generated Todo sections below.
+    objective_block = render_objective_block(objective)
     state_text = f"""---
 status: active
 owner_mode: goal
@@ -516,7 +520,7 @@ def render_state_markdown(
 
 ## Objective
 
-{objective}
+{objective_block}
 
 ## 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_metadata import read_objective_text
 from .control_plane.status.ssh_host_catalog import (
     SSH_HOST_CATALOG_PATH,
     ssh_host_catalog_payload,
@@ -149,7 +150,10 @@ def _goal_public_context(registry: dict[str, Any], goal: dict[str, Any]) -> dict
     if state_path is not None and state_path.exists():
         try:
             state_text = state_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-            objective = _active_state_section(state_text, "Objective")
+            objective = (
+                _compact_text(read_objective_text(state_text))
+                or _active_state_section(state_text, "Objective")
+            )
             title_line = next(
                 (line[2:].strip() for line in state_text.splitlines() if line.startswith("# ")),
                 "",

loopx/control_plane/goals/active_state_metadata.py

@@ -20,6 +20,48 @@
     "待办归档",
 )
 
+# Generated objective text is presentation data, never machine-owned Markdown.
+# Objectives are arbitrary user prose, so they may contain fenced blocks, tilde
+# fences, HTML comments, or text that merely looks like a Todo row. Writing one
+# straight into the document body lets it open a construct that swallows the
+# generated Todo sections below it. The markers below isolate that prose so
+# readers keep treating it as text.
+OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN = "<!-- loopx:objective-v0 begin -->"
+OBJECTIVE_REGION_END = "<!-- loopx:objective-v0 end -->"
+
+
+def render_objective_block(objective: str) -> str:
+    """Render generated objective text as an isolated, non-authoritative block.
+
+    The returned text preserves the objective verbatim between two marker
+    comments, so a direct objective readback still sees the prose while
+    Markdown readers never let it open a fence, open an HTML comment, or
+    contribute rows to the Todo sections that follow.
+    """
+    text = str(objective or "").strip("\n")
+    if not text.strip():
+        return ""
+    return f"{OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN}\n{text}\n{OBJECTIVE_REGION_END}"
+
+
+def read_objective_text(state_text: str) -> str:
+    """Read back the generated objective text from an isolated region.
+
+    Returns an empty string for legacy state documents written before the
+    objective region existed, so callers keep their previous fallback.
+    """
+    lines = str(state_text or "").splitlines()
+    start = next(
+        (i for i, line in enumerate(lines) if line.strip() == OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN), None
+    )
+    if start is None:
+        return ""
+    end = next(
+        (i for i in range(start + 1, len(lines)) if lines[i].strip() == OBJECTIVE_REGION_END),
+        len(lines),
+    )
+    return "\n".join(lines[start + 1 : end]).strip()
+
 
 def parse_state_frontmatter(state_text: str) -> dict[str, str]:
     if not state_text.startswith("---"):

loopx/control_plane/projects/registry.py

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 from ...paths import DEFAULT_RUNTIME_ROOT
 from ...registry import atomic_write_json
 from ...repository_identity import normalize_repository_identity
+from ..goals.active_state_metadata import render_objective_block
 from .contract import validate_project_record_bindings
 
 PROJECT_KINDS = ("work", "personal")
@@ -129,6 +130,9 @@ def _state_markdown(
     def bullets(items: list[str], *, empty: str) -> str:
         return "\n".join(f"- {item}" for item in items) if items else f"- {empty}"
 
+    # The objective is user prose. Isolate it so a fenced or commented example
+    # inside it cannot hide the generated Todo sections below.
+    objective_block = render_objective_block(objective)
     return f"""---
 status: active
 owner_mode: goal
@@ -142,7 +146,7 @@ def bullets(items: list[str], *, empty: str) -> str:
 
 ## Objective
 
-{objective}
+{objective_block}
 
 ## Acceptance
 

loopx/control_plane/todos/machine_region.py

@@ -11,7 +11,12 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 
 from .contract import TODO_TASK_PATTERN, parse_todo_metadata_line
-from ..goals.active_state_metadata import TODO_ARCHIVE_HEADER_MARKERS, todo_role_for_heading
+from ..goals.active_state_metadata import (
+    OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN,
+    OBJECTIVE_REGION_END,
+    TODO_ARCHIVE_HEADER_MARKERS,
+    todo_role_for_heading,
+)
 
 
 TODO_REGION_PREFIX = "<!-- loopx:todo-region-v0 "
@@ -49,6 +54,7 @@ def visible_markdown_lines(lines: list[str]) -> frozenset[int]:
     visible: set[int] = set()
     fence: str | None = None
     in_comment = False
+    in_objective = False
     index = 0
     if lines and lines[0].strip() == "---":
         end = next((i for i in range(1, len(lines)) if lines[i].strip() in {"---", "..."}), None)
@@ -57,6 +63,17 @@ def visible_markdown_lines(lines: list[str]) -> frozenset[int]:
         index = end + 1
     while index < len(lines):
         line = lines[index].rstrip("\r\n")
+        if in_objective:
+            # Generated objective prose is isolated: its fences and comments are
+            # text, not document structure. Real fences below still parse.
+            if line.strip() == OBJECTIVE_REGION_END:
+                in_objective = False
+            index += 1
+            continue
+        if line.strip() == OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN:
+            in_objective = True
+            index += 1
+            continue
         if fence is not None:
             if re.fullmatch(r" {0,3}" + re.escape(fence[0]) + "{" + str(len(fence)) + r",}[ \t]*", line):
                 fence = None

tests/control_plane/test_objective_todo_visibility.py

@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+"""Generated Todo sections stay readable when the objective is arbitrary prose.
+
+Issue #4401: a goal objective is user-authored text, but it was written straight
+into the generated state document. An objective that collapsed into a single
+fence line, opened a tilde fence, opened an HTML comment, or merely looked like
+a Todo row then hid or polluted the generated Todo sections below it.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+from loopx.bootstrap import render_state_markdown
+from loopx.chat_server import _active_state_section, _compact_text
+from loopx.control_plane.goals.active_state_metadata import (
+    OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN,
+    OBJECTIVE_REGION_END,
+    read_objective_text,
+)
+from loopx.control_plane.projects.registry import _state_markdown
+from loopx.control_plane.todos.active_state_todo_parser import parse_todo_source
+
+
+USER_SECTION = "## User Todo / Owner Review Reading Queue"
+AGENT_SECTION = "## Agent Todo"
+
+OBJECTIVE_SECTION_LEGACY = "## Objective\n\nImplement and validate the task.\n\n## Agent Todo\n\n"
+
+# Objectives that previously swallowed or polluted the generated Todo sections.
+HOSTILE_OBJECTIVES = [
+    # start-goal collapses whitespace, so this becomes one unclosed fence line.
+    "```text Implement and validate the task. ```",
+    "~~~text Implement and validate the task. ~~~",
+    "<!-- Implement and validate the task.",
+    "- [ ] agent: example-only - implement and validate the task.",
+]
+
+# Objectives that must keep working exactly as before.
+CONTROL_OBJECTIVES = [
+    "Implement and validate the task.",
+    "```text\nImplement and validate the task.\n```",
+]
+
+
+def _bootstrap_state(objective: str) -> str:
+    return render_state_markdown(
+        project=Path("/tmp/loopx-objective-visibility"),
+        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 _registry_state(objective: str) -> str:
+    return _state_markdown(
+        project_id="project-example",
+        goal_id="objective-example",
+        objective=objective,
+        non_goals=[],
+        acceptance=[],
+        unknowns=[],
+        next_effect="Record the first project-specific adapter signal.",
+        stop_condition="The adapter signal is recorded.",
+        updated_at="2026-09-15T00:00:00+00:00",
+    )
+
+
+STATE_BUILDERS = [_bootstrap_state, _registry_state]
+BUILDER_IDS = ["bootstrap", "project-registration"]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("objective", HOSTILE_OBJECTIVES + CONTROL_OBJECTIVES)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("build", STATE_BUILDERS, ids=BUILDER_IDS)
+def test_generated_todo_sections_stay_readable(build, objective: str) -> None:
+    items, _archive, sources = parse_todo_source(build(objective))
+    assert sources["user"] == USER_SECTION[3:]
+    assert sources["agent"] == AGENT_SECTION[3:]
+    # No objective prose may be adopted as authoritative Todo content.
+    assert all("example-only" not in str(item) for item in items["agent"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("objective", HOSTILE_OBJECTIVES + CONTROL_OBJECTIVES)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("build", STATE_BUILDERS, ids=BUILDER_IDS)
+def test_objective_text_is_preserved_verbatim(build, objective: str) -> None:
+    state = build(objective)
+    assert objective in state
+    assert OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN in state
+    assert OBJECTIVE_REGION_END in state
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("objective", HOSTILE_OBJECTIVES + CONTROL_OBJECTIVES)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("build", STATE_BUILDERS, ids=BUILDER_IDS)
+def test_direct_objective_readback_recovers_the_goal_text(build, objective: str) -> None:
+    # The dashboard goal context reads the objective back from the isolated
+    # region, so fenced or commented prose is still recoverable as text.
+    assert read_objective_text(build(objective)) == objective
+    assert _compact_text(read_objective_text(build(objective))) == " ".join(objective.split())
+
+
+def test_legacy_state_without_objective_region_falls_back() -> None:
+    legacy = f"---\nstatus: active\n---\n\n# Active Goal State\n\n{OBJECTIVE_SECTION_LEGACY}\n"
+    assert read_objective_text(legacy) == ""
+    # The pre-existing section scan still serves unmarked state documents.
+    assert _active_state_section(legacy, "Objective") == "Implement and validate the task."
+
+
+def test_objective_markers_are_invisible_to_the_todo_reader() -> None:
+    state = _bootstrap_state(HOSTILE_OBJECTIVES[0])
+    body_start = state.index(OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN)
+    body_end = state.index(OBJECTIVE_REGION_END)
+    assert body_start < body_end
+    # A real fence below an isolated objective still hides what it encloses.
+    fenced = (
+        state[: state.index(AGENT_SECTION)]
+        + "```\n## Agent Todo\n- [ ] agent: hidden - should not be adopted.\n```\n\n"
+        + state[state.index(AGENT_SECTION) :]
+    )
+    _items, _archive, sources = parse_todo_source(fenced)
+    assert sources["agent"] == AGENT_SECTION[3:]
+
+
+def test_empty_objective_renders_without_markers() -> None:
+    state = _bootstrap_state("")
+    assert OBJECTIVE_REGION_BEGIN not in state
+    _items, _archive, sources = parse_todo_source(state)
+    assert sources["agent"] == AGENT_SECTION[3:]