diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-api-client/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-api-client/action.yml
index 3343ebfb5..109cc33a7 100644
--- a/.github/actions/setup-api-client/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-api-client/action.yml
@@ -102,6 +102,22 @@ runs:
         if [ -d "node_modules/@octokit/rest" ]; then
           echo "✅ @octokit/rest already installed"
         else
+          # Snapshot vendored package metadata before npm install.
+          # npm may overwrite transitive deps (e.g. minimatch) that are
+          # committed as vendored packages with intentional version pins.
+          VENDORED_SNAPSHOT=""
+          if [ -f "node_modules/minimatch/package.json" ]; then
+            VENDORED_SNAPSHOT=$(mktemp -d)
+            for pkg_dir in node_modules/*/; do
+              if [ -f "${pkg_dir}package.json" ]; then
+                pkg_name=$(basename "$pkg_dir")
+                mkdir -p "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}/${pkg_name}"
+                cp "${pkg_dir}package.json" "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}/${pkg_name}/package.json"
+              fi
+            done
+            echo "📸 Snapshotted vendored package metadata"
+          fi
+
           # Install with pinned versions for consistency
           # Capture stderr for debugging if the command fails
           npm_output=$(mktemp)
@@ -122,6 +138,20 @@ runs:
               @octokit/plugin-paginate-rest@9.1.5 \
               @octokit/auth-app@6.0.3
           fi
+
+          # Restore vendored package metadata that npm may have overwritten
+          if [ -n "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT:-}" ] && [ -d "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}" ]; then
+            for pkg_backup in "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}"/*/; do
+              pkg_name=$(basename "$pkg_backup")
+              if [ -f "node_modules/${pkg_name}/package.json" ] && \
+                 [ -f "${pkg_backup}package.json" ]; then
+                cp "${pkg_backup}package.json" "node_modules/${pkg_name}/package.json"
+              fi
+            done
+            rm -rf "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}"
+            echo "📸 Restored vendored package metadata"
+          fi
+
           echo "✅ @octokit dependencies installed"
         fi
 
diff --git a/.github/scripts/__tests__/detect-changes.test.js b/.github/scripts/__tests__/detect-changes.test.js
index bd7b8c119..09fe2604c 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/__tests__/detect-changes.test.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/__tests__/detect-changes.test.js
@@ -82,3 +82,65 @@ test('detectChanges fetches files via callback', async () => {
   assert.equal(result.outputs.run_core, 'true');
   assert.equal(result.outputs.workflow_changed, 'false');
 });
+
+test('detectChanges falls back to conservative defaults when listFiles is inaccessible', async () => {
+  const warnings = [];
+  const result = await detectChanges({
+    core: {
+      warning(message) {
+        warnings.push(String(message));
+      },
+      setOutput() {},
+    },
+    context: {
+      eventName: 'pull_request',
+      repo: { owner: 'octo', repo: 'demo' },
+      payload: { pull_request: { number: 42 } },
+    },
+    github: {
+      rest: {
+        pulls: {
+          listFiles: async () => ({ data: [] }),
+        },
+      },
+      paginate: {
+        iterator: () => {
+          const error = new Error('Resource not accessible by integration');
+          error.status = 403;
+          throw error;
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.doc_only, 'false');
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.run_core, 'true');
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.reason, 'rate_limited');
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.docker_changed, 'false');
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.workflow_changed, 'true');
+  assert.equal(warnings.length, 1);
+  assert.match(warnings[0], /Unable to determine changed files via API/);
+});
+
+test('detectChanges supports clients without paginate.iterator', async () => {
+  const result = await detectChanges({
+    context: {
+      eventName: 'pull_request',
+      repo: { owner: 'octo', repo: 'demo' },
+      payload: { pull_request: { number: 1 } },
+    },
+    github: {
+      rest: {
+        pulls: {
+          listFiles: async () => ({ data: [] }),
+        },
+      },
+      paginate: async () => [{ filename: 'docs/README.md' }],
+    },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.doc_only, 'true');
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.run_core, 'false');
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.reason, 'docs_only');
+  assert.equal(result.outputs.workflow_changed, 'false');
+});
diff --git a/.github/scripts/detect-changes.js b/.github/scripts/detect-changes.js
index 45c31c4f5..64d34cb68 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/detect-changes.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/detect-changes.js
@@ -168,6 +168,28 @@ function isRateLimitError(error) {
   return message.includes('rate limit') || message.includes('ratelimit');
 }
 
+function isNonFatalListFilesError(error) {
+  if (!error) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (isRateLimitError(error)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  const status = error.status || error?.response?.status;
+  if ([401, 403, 404, 422].includes(status)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  const message = String(error.message || error?.response?.data?.message || '').toLowerCase();
+  return (
+    message.includes('resource not accessible by integration') ||
+    message.includes('insufficient permission') ||
+    message.includes('requires higher permissions') ||
+    message.includes('not found') ||
+    message.includes('unprocessable') ||
+    message.includes('validation failed')
+  );
+}
+
 async function listChangedFiles({ github, context }) {
   const pull = context?.payload?.pull_request;
   const number = pull?.number;
@@ -175,25 +197,42 @@ async function listChangedFiles({ github, context }) {
     return [];
   }
   try {
-    const iterator = github.paginate.iterator(github.rest.pulls.listFiles, {
+    const files = [];
+    const params = {
       owner: context.repo.owner,
       repo: context.repo.repo,
       pull_number: number,
       per_page: 100,
-    });
-    const files = [];
-    for await (const page of iterator) {
-      if (Array.isArray(page.data)) {
-        for (const item of page.data) {
+    };
+    if (typeof github?.paginate?.iterator === 'function') {
+      const iterator = github.paginate.iterator(github.rest.pulls.listFiles, params);
+      for await (const page of iterator) {
+        if (Array.isArray(page.data)) {
+          for (const item of page.data) {
+            if (item && typeof item.filename === 'string') {
+              files.push(item.filename);
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      return files;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof github?.paginate === 'function') {
+      const items = await github.paginate(github.rest.pulls.listFiles, params);
+      if (Array.isArray(items)) {
+        for (const item of items) {
           if (item && typeof item.filename === 'string') {
             files.push(item.filename);
           }
         }
       }
+      return files;
     }
-    return files;
+
+    throw new Error('GitHub paginate API is unavailable');
   } catch (error) {
-    if (isRateLimitError(error)) {
+    if (isNonFatalListFilesError(error)) {
       return null;
     }
     throw error;
@@ -261,7 +300,7 @@ async function detectChanges({ github, context, core, files, fetchFiles } = {})
       workflow_changed: 'true',
     };
     const warn = core?.warning ? core.warning.bind(core) : console.warn.bind(console);
-    warn('Rate limit reached while determining changed files; assuming code changes (but not docker).');
+    warn('Unable to determine changed files via API; assuming code changes (but not docker).');
     if (core) {
       for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(outputs)) {
         core.setOutput(key, value);
diff --git a/.github/workflows/agents-72-codex-belt-worker.yml b/.github/workflows/agents-72-codex-belt-worker.yml
index ec87d6d2f..15f8271f4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/agents-72-codex-belt-worker.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/agents-72-codex-belt-worker.yml
@@ -903,9 +903,12 @@ jobs:
 
           gh_output = os.environ.get('GITHUB_OUTPUT')
           if gh_output:
+              task = start_info['task'] or {}
+              task_title = (task.get('title') or '').replace('\r', ' ').replace('\n', ' ')
               with open(gh_output, 'a', encoding='utf-8') as handle:
-                  handle.write(f"task_id={start_info['task']['id'] if start_info['task'] else ''}\n")
-                  handle.write(f"task_status={start_info['task']['current_status'] if start_info['task'] else ''}\n")
+                  handle.write(f"task_id={task.get('id', '')}\n")
+                  handle.write(f"task_title={task_title}\n")
+                  handle.write(f"task_status={task.get('current_status', '')}\n")
                   handle.write(f"ledger_changed={'true' if changed else 'false'}\n")
                   handle.write(f"ledger_created={'true' if start_info['created'] else 'false'}\n")
                   handle.write(f"ledger_base_aligned={'true' if base_aligned else 'false'}\n")
@@ -1187,12 +1190,28 @@ jobs:
             const prNumber = Number('${{ steps.pr.outputs.number }}');
             const branch = ('${{ steps.ctx.outputs.branch }}' || '').trim() || '(unknown branch)';
             const dryRun = '${{ steps.mode.outputs.dry_run }}' === 'true';
+            const taskId = ('${{ steps.ledger_start.outputs.task_id }}' || '').trim();
+            const taskTitle = ('${{ steps.ledger_start.outputs.task_title }}' || '').trim();
             const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
             const marker = '<!-- codex-activation-marker -->';
             const summary = dryRun
               ? `Codex Worker activated for branch \`${branch}\` (dry run preview).`
               : `Codex Worker activated for branch \`${branch}\`.`;
-            const body = `${marker}\n${summary}\n\n@codex start\n\nAutomated belt worker prepared this PR. Please continue implementing the requested changes.`;
+            // Direct Codex to focus on the single next ledger task for higher
+            // first-commit success probability.  Full issue context is in the
+            // PR body; this comment narrows the immediate scope.
+            let taskDirective = '';
+            if (taskId && taskTitle) {
+              taskDirective = [
+                '',
+                `**Focus on this task first:** \`${taskId}\` — ${taskTitle}`,
+                '',
+                'Implement **only** this task in your first commit.',
+                'Ensure the code compiles and existing tests pass before moving on.',
+                'The keepalive loop will assign subsequent tasks after this one is complete.',
+              ].join('\n');
+            }
+            const body = `${marker}\n${summary}\n\n@codex start${taskDirective}`;
 
             try {
               const comments = await paginateWithRetry(
diff --git a/.github/workflows/agents-autofix-loop.yml b/.github/workflows/agents-autofix-loop.yml
index f88518eb5..a989768c3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/agents-autofix-loop.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/agents-autofix-loop.yml
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ jobs:
               appendix: '',
               stop_reason: '',
               attempts: '0',
-              max_attempts: '3',
+              max_attempts: '2',
               trigger_reason: 'unknown',
               trigger_job: '',
               trigger_step: '',
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ jobs:
             // Reduce attempts for auto-escalated PRs (they weren't agent-initiated)
             const isEscalated = labels.includes('autofix:escalated');
             const maxAttempts = isEscalated
-              ? Math.min(2, Number(outputs.max_attempts))
+              ? 1
               : Number(outputs.max_attempts);
             const previousRuns = await paginateWithRetry(
               github,
diff --git a/.github/workflows/agents-pr-meta-v4.yml b/.github/workflows/agents-pr-meta-v4.yml
index 117b658f2..a7b4a7390 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/agents-pr-meta-v4.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/agents-pr-meta-v4.yml
@@ -37,9 +37,11 @@ concurrency:
       && github.event.comment
       && github.event.comment.id
       && format('agents-pr-meta-comment-{0}', github.event.comment.id)
+      || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+      && format('agents-pr-meta-pr-{0}', github.event.pull_request.number)
       || format('agents-pr-meta-run-{0}', github.run_id)
     }}
-  cancel-in-progress: false
+  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
 
 jobs:
   comment_event_context:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-18-autofix.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-18-autofix.yml
index 564e38157..b83a1f0f8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-18-autofix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-18-autofix.yml
@@ -794,6 +794,8 @@ jobs:
           git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
           git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
           git add -A
+          # Unstage vendored node_modules that may have been modified by npm install
+          git reset HEAD -- .github/scripts/node_modules node_modules .workflows-lib/.github/scripts/node_modules 2>/dev/null || true
           git commit -m "${AUTOFIX_COMMIT_PREFIX} formatting/lint"
           echo "AUTOFIX_COMMIT_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
 
@@ -865,6 +867,8 @@ jobs:
           git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
           git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
           git add -A
+          # Unstage vendored node_modules that may have been modified by npm install
+          git reset HEAD -- .github/scripts/node_modules node_modules .workflows-lib/.github/scripts/node_modules 2>/dev/null || true
           git commit -m "${AUTOFIX_COMMIT_PREFIX} formatting/lint (patch)" || true
           git format-patch -1 --stdout > autofix.patch
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-agents-issue-bridge.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-agents-issue-bridge.yml
index d193a16ce..16dea6053 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-agents-issue-bridge.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-agents-issue-bridge.yml
@@ -580,7 +580,9 @@ jobs:
           git checkout -B "$HEAD_BRANCH" "origin/${BASE_BRANCH}"
           mkdir -p agents
           printf "<!-- bootstrap for %s on issue #%s -->\n" "$AGENT" "$ISSUE_NUM" > "agents/${AGENT}-${ISSUE_NUM}.md"
-          git add -A || true
+          # Stage only the intended bootstrap file — 'git add -A' would capture
+          # vendored node_modules changes made by setup-api-client npm install.
+          git add "agents/${AGENT}-${ISSUE_NUM}.md" || true
           if ! git diff --cached --quiet; then
             git commit -m "chore(${AGENT}): bootstrap PR for issue #${ISSUE_NUM}"
           else
diff --git a/scripts/langchain/capability_check.py b/scripts/langchain/capability_check.py
index 0ff398491..8ef5db729 100755
--- a/scripts/langchain/capability_check.py
+++ b/scripts/langchain/capability_check.py
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ def _is_multi_action_task(task: str) -> bool:
 def _requires_admin_access(task: str) -> bool:
     patterns = [
         r"\bgithub\s+secrets?\b",
-        r"\b(?:manage|configure|set|create|update|delete|add|modify|rotate)\s+secrets?\b",
-        r"\bsecrets?\s+(?:management|configuration|rotation)\b",
+        r"\b(?:manage|configure|set|create|update|delete|add|modify|rotate)\b.{0,30}\bsecrets?\b",
+        r"\bsecrets?\b.{0,30}\b(?:management|configuration|rotation)\b",
         r"\brepository\s+settings\b",
         r"\brepo\s+settings\b",
         r"\bbranch\s+protection\b",
diff --git a/scripts/langchain/verdict_policy.py b/scripts/langchain/verdict_policy.py
index 809bdcadb..86d422350 100644
--- a/scripts/langchain/verdict_policy.py
+++ b/scripts/langchain/verdict_policy.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     "fail": 3,
 }
 
-CONCERNS_NEEDS_HUMAN_THRESHOLD = 0.50
+CONCERNS_NEEDS_HUMAN_THRESHOLD = 0.85
 
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
@@ -193,11 +193,11 @@ def evaluate_verdict_policy(
     needs_human_reason = ""
     if split_verdict:
         confidence_value = concerns_confidence or 0.0
-        if confidence_value < CONCERNS_NEEDS_HUMAN_THRESHOLD:
+        if confidence_value >= CONCERNS_NEEDS_HUMAN_THRESHOLD:
             needs_human = True
             needs_human_reason = (
-                "Provider verdicts split with low-confidence concerns; "
-                f"dissenting confidence {confidence_value:.2f} < "
+                "Provider verdicts split with high-confidence concerns; "
+                f"dissenting confidence {confidence_value:.2f} >= "
                 f"{CONCERNS_NEEDS_HUMAN_THRESHOLD:.2f}. "
                 "Requires human review before starting another automated follow-up."
             )
diff --git a/scripts/ledger_migrate_base.py b/scripts/ledger_migrate_base.py
index 2a551ecac..9f87285b0 100644
--- a/scripts/ledger_migrate_base.py
+++ b/scripts/ledger_migrate_base.py
@@ -174,14 +174,27 @@ def main(argv: Iterable[str] | None = None) -> int:
 
     mismatches: list[LedgerResult] = []
     updated: list[LedgerResult] = []
+    skipped: list[tuple[Path, str]] = []
     for ledger_path in ledgers:
-        result = migrate_ledger(ledger_path, default_branch, check=args.check)
+        try:
+            result = migrate_ledger(ledger_path, default_branch, check=args.check)
+        except (MigrationError, yaml.YAMLError) as exc:
+            # One corrupt ledger must not block processing of the remaining files.
+            reason = str(exc).replace("\n", " ").replace("\r", " ")
+            print(f"::warning::Skipping {ledger_path.name}: {reason}")
+            skipped.append((ledger_path, reason))
+            continue
         if args.check:
             if result.previous != default_branch:
                 mismatches.append(result)
         elif result.changed:
             updated.append(result)
 
+    if skipped:
+        print(f"Skipped {len(skipped)} corrupt ledger(s):")
+        for path, reason in skipped:
+            print(f"  - {path.name}: {reason}")
+
     if args.check:
         if mismatches:
             print("Found ledgers with stale base values:")
diff --git a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/actions/setup-api-client/action.yml b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/actions/setup-api-client/action.yml
index 3343ebfb5..109cc33a7 100644
--- a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/actions/setup-api-client/action.yml
+++ b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/actions/setup-api-client/action.yml
@@ -102,6 +102,22 @@ runs:
         if [ -d "node_modules/@octokit/rest" ]; then
           echo "✅ @octokit/rest already installed"
         else
+          # Snapshot vendored package metadata before npm install.
+          # npm may overwrite transitive deps (e.g. minimatch) that are
+          # committed as vendored packages with intentional version pins.
+          VENDORED_SNAPSHOT=""
+          if [ -f "node_modules/minimatch/package.json" ]; then
+            VENDORED_SNAPSHOT=$(mktemp -d)
+            for pkg_dir in node_modules/*/; do
+              if [ -f "${pkg_dir}package.json" ]; then
+                pkg_name=$(basename "$pkg_dir")
+                mkdir -p "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}/${pkg_name}"
+                cp "${pkg_dir}package.json" "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}/${pkg_name}/package.json"
+              fi
+            done
+            echo "📸 Snapshotted vendored package metadata"
+          fi
+
           # Install with pinned versions for consistency
           # Capture stderr for debugging if the command fails
           npm_output=$(mktemp)
@@ -122,6 +138,20 @@ runs:
               @octokit/plugin-paginate-rest@9.1.5 \
               @octokit/auth-app@6.0.3
           fi
+
+          # Restore vendored package metadata that npm may have overwritten
+          if [ -n "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT:-}" ] && [ -d "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}" ]; then
+            for pkg_backup in "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}"/*/; do
+              pkg_name=$(basename "$pkg_backup")
+              if [ -f "node_modules/${pkg_name}/package.json" ] && \
+                 [ -f "${pkg_backup}package.json" ]; then
+                cp "${pkg_backup}package.json" "node_modules/${pkg_name}/package.json"
+              fi
+            done
+            rm -rf "${VENDORED_SNAPSHOT}"
+            echo "📸 Restored vendored package metadata"
+          fi
+
           echo "✅ @octokit dependencies installed"
         fi
 
diff --git a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/scripts/detect-changes.js b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/scripts/detect-changes.js
index 45c31c4f5..64d34cb68 100644
--- a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/scripts/detect-changes.js
+++ b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/scripts/detect-changes.js
@@ -168,6 +168,28 @@ function isRateLimitError(error) {
   return message.includes('rate limit') || message.includes('ratelimit');
 }
 
+function isNonFatalListFilesError(error) {
+  if (!error) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (isRateLimitError(error)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  const status = error.status || error?.response?.status;
+  if ([401, 403, 404, 422].includes(status)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  const message = String(error.message || error?.response?.data?.message || '').toLowerCase();
+  return (
+    message.includes('resource not accessible by integration') ||
+    message.includes('insufficient permission') ||
+    message.includes('requires higher permissions') ||
+    message.includes('not found') ||
+    message.includes('unprocessable') ||
+    message.includes('validation failed')
+  );
+}
+
 async function listChangedFiles({ github, context }) {
   const pull = context?.payload?.pull_request;
   const number = pull?.number;
@@ -175,25 +197,42 @@ async function listChangedFiles({ github, context }) {
     return [];
   }
   try {
-    const iterator = github.paginate.iterator(github.rest.pulls.listFiles, {
+    const files = [];
+    const params = {
       owner: context.repo.owner,
       repo: context.repo.repo,
       pull_number: number,
       per_page: 100,
-    });
-    const files = [];
-    for await (const page of iterator) {
-      if (Array.isArray(page.data)) {
-        for (const item of page.data) {
+    };
+    if (typeof github?.paginate?.iterator === 'function') {
+      const iterator = github.paginate.iterator(github.rest.pulls.listFiles, params);
+      for await (const page of iterator) {
+        if (Array.isArray(page.data)) {
+          for (const item of page.data) {
+            if (item && typeof item.filename === 'string') {
+              files.push(item.filename);
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      return files;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof github?.paginate === 'function') {
+      const items = await github.paginate(github.rest.pulls.listFiles, params);
+      if (Array.isArray(items)) {
+        for (const item of items) {
           if (item && typeof item.filename === 'string') {
             files.push(item.filename);
           }
         }
       }
+      return files;
     }
-    return files;
+
+    throw new Error('GitHub paginate API is unavailable');
   } catch (error) {
-    if (isRateLimitError(error)) {
+    if (isNonFatalListFilesError(error)) {
       return null;
     }
     throw error;
@@ -261,7 +300,7 @@ async function detectChanges({ github, context, core, files, fetchFiles } = {})
       workflow_changed: 'true',
     };
     const warn = core?.warning ? core.warning.bind(core) : console.warn.bind(console);
-    warn('Rate limit reached while determining changed files; assuming code changes (but not docker).');
+    warn('Unable to determine changed files via API; assuming code changes (but not docker).');
     if (core) {
       for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(outputs)) {
         core.setOutput(key, value);
diff --git a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-72-codex-belt-worker.yml b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-72-codex-belt-worker.yml
index 14e6f2bfb..ab0801413 100644
--- a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-72-codex-belt-worker.yml
+++ b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-72-codex-belt-worker.yml
@@ -903,9 +903,12 @@ jobs:
 
           gh_output = os.environ.get('GITHUB_OUTPUT')
           if gh_output:
+              task = start_info['task'] or {}
+              task_title = (task.get('title') or '').replace('\r', ' ').replace('\n', ' ')
               with open(gh_output, 'a', encoding='utf-8') as handle:
-                  handle.write(f"task_id={start_info['task']['id'] if start_info['task'] else ''}\n")
-                  handle.write(f"task_status={start_info['task']['current_status'] if start_info['task'] else ''}\n")
+                  handle.write(f"task_id={task.get('id', '')}\n")
+                  handle.write(f"task_title={task_title}\n")
+                  handle.write(f"task_status={task.get('current_status', '')}\n")
                   handle.write(f"ledger_changed={'true' if changed else 'false'}\n")
                   handle.write(f"ledger_created={'true' if start_info['created'] else 'false'}\n")
                   handle.write(f"ledger_base_aligned={'true' if base_aligned else 'false'}\n")
@@ -1187,12 +1190,28 @@ jobs:
             const prNumber = Number('${{ steps.pr.outputs.number }}');
             const branch = ('${{ steps.ctx.outputs.branch }}' || '').trim() || '(unknown branch)';
             const dryRun = '${{ steps.mode.outputs.dry_run }}' === 'true';
+            const taskId = ('${{ steps.ledger_start.outputs.task_id }}' || '').trim();
+            const taskTitle = ('${{ steps.ledger_start.outputs.task_title }}' || '').trim();
             const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
             const marker = '<!-- codex-activation-marker -->';
             const summary = dryRun
               ? `Codex Worker activated for branch \`${branch}\` (dry run preview).`
               : `Codex Worker activated for branch \`${branch}\`.`;
-            const body = `${marker}\n${summary}\n\n@codex start\n\nAutomated belt worker prepared this PR. Please continue implementing the requested changes.`;
+            // Direct Codex to focus on the single next ledger task for higher
+            // first-commit success probability.  Full issue context is in the
+            // PR body; this comment narrows the immediate scope.
+            let taskDirective = '';
+            if (taskId && taskTitle) {
+              taskDirective = [
+                '',
+                `**Focus on this task first:** \`${taskId}\` — ${taskTitle}`,
+                '',
+                'Implement **only** this task in your first commit.',
+                'Ensure the code compiles and existing tests pass before moving on.',
+                'The keepalive loop will assign subsequent tasks after this one is complete.',
+              ].join('\n');
+            }
+            const body = `${marker}\n${summary}\n\n@codex start${taskDirective}`;
 
             try {
               const comments = await paginateWithRetry(
diff --git a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-autofix-loop.yml b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-autofix-loop.yml
index 677da056a..902cdf831 100644
--- a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-autofix-loop.yml
+++ b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-autofix-loop.yml
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ jobs:
               appendix: '',
               stop_reason: '',
               attempts: '0',
-              max_attempts: '3',
+              max_attempts: '2',
               trigger_reason: 'unknown',
               trigger_job: '',
               trigger_step: '',
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ jobs:
             // Reduce attempts for auto-escalated PRs (they weren't agent-initiated)
             const isEscalated = labels.includes('autofix:escalated');
               const maxAttempts = isEscalated
-                ? Math.min(2, Number(outputs.max_attempts))
+                ? 1
                 : Number(outputs.max_attempts);
             const previousRuns = await paginateWithRetry(
               github,
diff --git a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-pr-meta.yml b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-pr-meta.yml
index f07a33ee7..24a480544 100644
--- a/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-pr-meta.yml
+++ b/templates/consumer-repo/.github/workflows/agents-pr-meta.yml
@@ -47,8 +47,10 @@ concurrency:
   group: >-
     ${{ github.event_name == 'issue_comment' &&
         format('agents-pr-meta-comment-{0}', github.event.comment.id) ||
+        github.event_name == 'pull_request' &&
+        format('agents-pr-meta-pr-{0}', github.event.pull_request.number) ||
         format('agents-pr-meta-run-{0}', github.run_id) }}
-  cancel-in-progress: false
+  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
 
 jobs:
   # Resolve PR context for issue_comment events
diff --git a/templates/consumer-repo/scripts/langchain/capability_check.py b/templates/consumer-repo/scripts/langchain/capability_check.py
index b53886821..0bd8ab361 100755
--- a/templates/consumer-repo/scripts/langchain/capability_check.py
+++ b/templates/consumer-repo/scripts/langchain/capability_check.py
@@ -160,8 +160,8 @@ def _is_multi_action_task(task: str) -> bool:
 def _requires_admin_access(task: str) -> bool:
     patterns = [
         r"\bgithub\s+secrets?\b",
-        r"\b(?:manage|configure|set|create|update|delete|add|modify|rotate)\s+secrets?\b",
-        r"\bsecrets?\s+(?:management|configuration|rotation)\b",
+        r"\b(?:manage|configure|set|create|update|delete|add|modify|rotate)\b.{0,30}\bsecrets?\b",
+        r"\bsecrets?\b.{0,30}\b(?:management|configuration|rotation)\b",
         r"\brepository\s+settings\b",
         r"\brepo\s+settings\b",
         r"\bbranch\s+protection\b",
diff --git a/tests/scripts/test_capability_check.py b/tests/scripts/test_capability_check.py
index e35788188..d462e057e 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/test_capability_check.py
+++ b/tests/scripts/test_capability_check.py
@@ -434,6 +434,21 @@ def test_fallback_flags_manage_secrets(self) -> None:
             assert result.recommendation == "BLOCKED"
             assert "admin" in result.blocked_tasks[0]["reason"].lower()
 
+    def test_fallback_flags_set_repository_secret(self) -> None:
+        """Regression: 'Set repository secret TOKEN' must be blocked even with
+        intervening words between the verb and 'secret'."""
+        with mock.patch("scripts.langchain.capability_check._get_llm_client", return_value=None):
+            result = classify_capabilities(["Set repository secret TOKEN"], "")
+            assert result.recommendation == "BLOCKED"
+            assert "admin" in result.blocked_tasks[0]["reason"].lower()
+
+    def test_fallback_flags_update_actions_secret(self) -> None:
+        """Regression: 'Update GitHub Actions secret FOO' must be blocked."""
+        with mock.patch("scripts.langchain.capability_check._get_llm_client", return_value=None):
+            result = classify_capabilities(["Update GitHub Actions secret FOO"], "")
+            assert result.recommendation == "BLOCKED"
+            assert "admin" in result.blocked_tasks[0]["reason"].lower()
+
     def test_fallback_suggests_decomposition(self) -> None:
         with mock.patch("scripts.langchain.capability_check._get_llm_client", return_value=None):
             result = classify_capabilities(["Refactor auth + add tests + update docs"], "")
diff --git a/tests/scripts/test_ledger_migrate_base.py b/tests/scripts/test_ledger_migrate_base.py
index 0fe7bac40..180eaac5a 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/test_ledger_migrate_base.py
+++ b/tests/scripts/test_ledger_migrate_base.py
@@ -318,3 +318,48 @@ def test_main_reports_no_updates(monkeypatch, capsys, tmp_path) -> None:
     assert exit_code == 0
     out = capsys.readouterr().out
     assert "Ledgers already matched the default branch; no updates written." in out
+
+
+def test_main_skips_corrupt_ledger_and_continues(monkeypatch, capsys, tmp_path) -> None:
+    """A corrupt YAML ledger must not block processing of other ledgers."""
+    agents_dir = tmp_path / ".agents"
+    agents_dir.mkdir()
+    # Write a corrupt ledger with invalid YAML
+    corrupt = agents_dir / "issue-10-ledger.yml"
+    corrupt.write_text("base: main\ntasks:\n  - title: `backtick breaks yaml`\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    # Write a valid ledger that should still be processed
+    valid = agents_dir / "issue-20-ledger.yml"
+    _write_ledger(valid, {"base": "develop", "items": []})
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(ledger_migrate_base, "find_repo_root", lambda: tmp_path)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(ledger_migrate_base, "detect_default_branch", lambda _=None: "main")
+
+    exit_code = ledger_migrate_base.main([])
+
+    assert exit_code == 0
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+    # The corrupt ledger was skipped with a warning
+    assert "Skipping issue-10-ledger.yml" in out
+    assert "Skipped 1 corrupt ledger(s):" in out
+    # The valid ledger was still updated
+    assert yaml.safe_load(valid.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))["base"] == "main"
+
+
+def test_main_check_skips_corrupt_ledger(monkeypatch, capsys, tmp_path) -> None:
+    """--check mode also skips corrupt ledgers without failing."""
+    agents_dir = tmp_path / ".agents"
+    agents_dir.mkdir()
+    corrupt = agents_dir / "issue-5-ledger.yml"
+    corrupt.write_text("not: valid: yaml: `oops`\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    valid = agents_dir / "issue-6-ledger.yml"
+    valid.write_text("base: main\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(ledger_migrate_base, "find_repo_root", lambda: tmp_path)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(ledger_migrate_base, "detect_default_branch", lambda _=None: "main")
+
+    exit_code = ledger_migrate_base.main(["--check"])
+
+    assert exit_code == 0
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "Skipping issue-5-ledger.yml" in out
+    assert "All ledgers already track the default branch." in out
diff --git a/tests/test_followup_issue_generator.py b/tests/test_followup_issue_generator.py
index 7570cd103..c3f613be6 100755
--- a/tests/test_followup_issue_generator.py
+++ b/tests/test_followup_issue_generator.py
@@ -528,12 +528,12 @@ def test_advisory_concerns_are_notes(self):
         assert "- [ ] Address: Could add a clarifying comment" not in followup.body
         assert "## Notes" in followup.body
 
-    def test_split_low_confidence_requires_needs_human(self):
-        """Low-confidence split verdicts should trigger needs-human labeling."""
+    def test_split_high_confidence_requires_needs_human(self):
+        """High-confidence CONCERNS in a split verdict should trigger needs-human labeling."""
         verification_data = VerificationData(
             provider_verdicts={
                 "openai": {"verdict": "PASS", "confidence": 90},
-                "anthropic": {"verdict": "CONCERNS", "confidence": 49},
+                "anthropic": {"verdict": "CONCERNS", "confidence": 92},
             },
             concerns=["Missing test coverage"],
         )
diff --git a/tests/test_verdict_extract.py b/tests/test_verdict_extract.py
index 4e7c70c7f..38d43456a 100644
--- a/tests/test_verdict_extract.py
+++ b/tests/test_verdict_extract.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def _parse_github_output(raw: str) -> dict[str, str]:
 def test_verdict_extract_emits_structured_github_outputs(tmp_path):
     summary = _build_summary(
         "| openai | gpt-5.2 | PASS | 0.92 | Looks good. |",
-        "| anthropic | claude-sonnet-4-5 | CONCERNS | 0.49 | Missing edge case. |",
+        "| anthropic | claude-sonnet-4-5 | CONCERNS | 0.90 | Missing edge case. |",
     )
     result = verdict_extract.build_verdict_result(summary, policy="worst")
     output_path = tmp_path / "github_output.txt"
diff --git a/tests/test_verdict_policy.py b/tests/test_verdict_policy.py
index 7e134a5d5..bfe631e05 100755
--- a/tests/test_verdict_policy.py
+++ b/tests/test_verdict_policy.py
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ def test_select_verdict_majority_policy():
 
 
 def test_needs_human_threshold_boundary():
+    """At exactly the threshold, needs_human should fire (>= comparison)."""
     verdicts = [
         ProviderVerdict("openai", "gpt-5.2", "PASS", 0.92),
         ProviderVerdict(
@@ -60,30 +61,30 @@ def test_needs_human_threshold_boundary():
 
     result = evaluate_verdict_policy(verdicts, policy="worst")
 
-    assert result.needs_human is False
+    assert result.needs_human is True
 
 
-def test_needs_human_true_below_threshold():
-    """Concerns below the threshold should trigger needs_human."""
+def test_needs_human_true_above_threshold():
+    """Concerns above the threshold should trigger needs_human."""
     verdicts = [
         ProviderVerdict("openai", "gpt-5.2", "PASS", 0.92),
-        ProviderVerdict("anthropic", "claude-sonnet-4-5", "CONCERNS", 0.40),
+        ProviderVerdict("anthropic", "claude-sonnet-4-5", "CONCERNS", 0.90),
     ]
 
     result = evaluate_verdict_policy(verdicts, policy="worst")
 
     assert result.needs_human is True
     assert result.split_verdict is True
-    assert "low-confidence" in result.needs_human_reason
+    assert "high-confidence" in result.needs_human_reason
 
 
 def test_moderate_confidence_concerns_do_not_block():
-    """Regression: 72% concerns in a split verdict should not trigger needs_human.
+    """Moderate-confidence concerns in a split verdict should not trigger needs_human.
 
-    Previously CONCERNS_NEEDS_HUMAN_THRESHOLD was 0.85, which caused any
-    split verdict with <85% concerns to be flagged.  The lowered threshold
-    (0.50) allows moderate-confidence concerns to proceed with automatic
-    follow-up creation.
+    needs_human only fires when the CONCERNS provider is highly confident
+    (>= 0.85), indicating the LLM is quite sure there are real problems.
+    Moderate confidence means the LLM is uncertain — that's a weaker signal
+    and shouldn't block follow-up automation.
     """
     verdicts = [
         ProviderVerdict("openai", "gpt-5.2", "CONCERNS", 72),
diff --git a/tests/test_verdict_policy_integration.py b/tests/test_verdict_policy_integration.py
index c5b29fde3..40562e48f 100755
--- a/tests/test_verdict_policy_integration.py
+++ b/tests/test_verdict_policy_integration.py
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ def _build_summary(*rows: str) -> str:
     return f"## Provider Summary\n\n{header}{body}\n"
 
 
-def test_split_verdict_confidence_boundary_needs_human_false():
+def test_split_verdict_confidence_boundary_needs_human_true():
+    """At exactly the threshold (0.85), needs_human should be True."""
     summary = _build_summary(
         "| openai | gpt-5.2 | PASS | 0.92 | Looks good. |",
         "| anthropic | claude-sonnet-4-5 | CONCERNS | 0.85 | Missing edge case. |",
@@ -33,22 +34,23 @@ def test_split_verdict_confidence_boundary_needs_human_false():
     followup_result = _followup_result(summary)
 
     assert workflow_result.verdict == followup_result.verdict == "CONCERNS"
-    assert workflow_result.needs_human is False
-    assert followup_result.needs_human is False
+    assert workflow_result.needs_human is True
+    assert followup_result.needs_human is True
 
 
-def test_split_verdict_low_confidence_needs_human_true():
+def test_split_verdict_low_confidence_needs_human_false():
+    """Below threshold, low-confidence concerns should NOT trigger needs_human."""
     summary = _build_summary(
         "| openai | gpt-5.2 | PASS | 0.92 | Looks good. |",
-        "| anthropic | claude-sonnet-4-5 | CONCERNS | 0.49 | Missing edge case. |",
+        "| anthropic | claude-sonnet-4-5 | CONCERNS | 0.40 | Missing edge case. |",
     )
 
     workflow_result = _workflow_result(summary)
     followup_result = _followup_result(summary)
 
     assert workflow_result.verdict == followup_result.verdict == "CONCERNS"
-    assert workflow_result.needs_human is True
-    assert followup_result.needs_human is True
+    assert workflow_result.needs_human is False
+    assert followup_result.needs_human is False
 
 
 def test_split_verdict_row_order_invariance():