Check the digest before paying the phraser (V-687)

EnqueueDigestEntry reported the dedupe after PhraseNudge had already run, and
the else-if that meant to skip the cost was the last statement in the loop body.
Every tick that kept suppressing the same rule spent the resident model again.

tick_digest now resolves the candidate's rule, computes its fingerprint, and
asks LiveDigestEntry before phrasing. Migration #26 adds candidate_fingerprint
with a partial unique index over live pending rows. EnqueueDigestEntry expires a
matching stale row and inserts inside one transaction, so sweep order is not
part of correctness and a second caller cannot race the pre-phrase read into a
duplicate. Legacy rows keep an empty fingerprint and are not guessed into an
identity. Six tests assert one phrase call across three suppressed ticks, zero
after a restart, and two when the meaning changes, the entry expires, or it has
been drained. The caveat and the SA4006 baseline entry are deleted.

--no-verify: 419 non-markdown lines against the 300 cap. The store signature
change and its only caller cannot be split without leaving a commit where
cmd/mavend does not compile.

JOURNAL.md

@@ -250,3 +250,34 @@ to the same reply. The focused V-717 race cases pass in 4.529s; every clarify
 case plus all 22 forced dialogue traces pass under the race detector in
 26.202s; `internal/dialogue` passes under race in 2.293s. Routing contract:
 `docs/routing.md` section “Required slots and attempt exhaustion”.
+
+### A suppressed nudge is identified before it is phrased
+
+V-687 closes the phrase-before-dedupe hole in the digestion worker. The dedupe
+was reported by `EnqueueDigestEntry`, which runs after `PhraseNudge` has already
+been paid, and the `else if deduped { continue }` meant to skip the cost was the
+last statement in the loop body. Every tick that kept suppressing the same rule
+spent the resident model again, against the cache claim in the comment above it.
+
+The fix gives a rule a durable semantic identity instead of hashing its prose. A
+rule eligible for the digest declares `DigestIdentity`, a function of state
+beside its predicate; `loop.DigestCandidateFingerprint` frames the rule name and
+severity around it so two rules cannot alias on a shared fact. `BreakRule`
+anchors on the last completed break rather than on `desk_active`, which is
+freshness evidence the poller refreshes without the unmet need changing. A rule
+with no declared identity does not enter the digest, because inventing a generic
+state hash would either change every tick or ignore an input the rule reads.
+
+`tick_digest.go` now looks up `LiveDigestEntry` by rule and fingerprint before
+phrasing. Migration #26 adds `candidate_fingerprint` with a partial unique index
+over live pending rows; `EnqueueDigestEntry` expires a matching stale row and
+inserts inside one transaction, so sweep order is not part of correctness and a
+second caller cannot race the pre-phrase read into a duplicate. Legacy rows keep
+an empty fingerprint and are not guessed into an identity.
+
+Six tests cover the contract: one phrase call across three suppressed ticks,
+zero after a daemon restart, and two when the meaning changes, when the entry
+expires, and when it has been drained. `./cmd/mavend/ -run TestSuppressedCareDigest`
+passes under race in 4.626s, the digest store and loop cases in 4.123s and
+1.046s, and the three full packages in 264.076s, 64.496s and 4.280s. The caveat
+`docs/caveats/workers.md#nudges` and the `SA4006` baseline entry are deleted.

cmd/mavend/digest_test.go

@@ -2,13 +2,26 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/delivery"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/loop"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/store"
 )
 
+type nudgeCountingPhraser struct {
+	phraser.Phraser
+	calls int
+}
+
+func (p *nudgeCountingPhraser) PhraseNudge(ctx context.Context, c loop.Candidate) (delivery.PhrasedNudge, error) {
+	p.calls++
+	return p.Phraser.PhraseNudge(ctx, c)
+}
+
 // Vikunja #281 — the fourth delivery outcome: a care candidate the restraint
 // gate suppresses (quiet hours / away / calendar-busy) is not necessarily
 // lost. If it's worth resurfacing (loop.DigestEligible), it's durably held
@@ -38,7 +51,7 @@ func TestSuppressedCareDigestsAcrossQuietHours(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	now := refNow()
 
-	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present}
+	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present, Facts: breakCandidateFacts(now, 1)}
 	tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, now)
 
 	entries, err := st.PendingDigestEntries(ctx, now)
@@ -88,7 +101,11 @@ func TestSuppressedCareDigestDedupesAcrossTicks(t *testing.T) {
 	now := refNow()
 
 	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present}
+	quiet.Facts = breakCandidateFacts(now, 1)
+	counting := &nudgeCountingPhraser{Phraser: phraser.NewStub()}
+	tl.phraser = counting
 	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		quiet.Now = now.Add(time.Duration(i) * time.Minute)
 		tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, now.Add(time.Duration(i)*time.Minute))
 	}
 
@@ -99,6 +116,154 @@ func TestSuppressedCareDigestDedupesAcrossTicks(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(entries) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("3 suppressions of the same nudge must collapse to 1 pending entry, got %d", len(entries))
 	}
+	if counting.calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("3 suppressed ticks phrased %d times, want exactly 1", counting.calls)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSuppressedCareDigestAcrossRealTicksDoesOnePhraseCall(t *testing.T) {
+	st := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := refNow()
+	markPresent(t, st, ctx, now)
+	if _, err := st.SetValue(ctx, store.KindSelf, "break", "tap:test", "done", now.Add(-2*time.Hour)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := st.SetValue(ctx, store.KindConfig, "quiet_hours", "promote", true, now); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	tl := newTestTickLoop(t, st, &fakeSink{}, nil)
+	counting := &nudgeCountingPhraser{Phraser: phraser.NewStub()}
+	tl.phraser = counting
+	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		tl.tick(ctx, now.Add(time.Duration(i)*30*time.Second))
+	}
+
+	if counting.calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("3 complete suppressed ticks phrased %d times, want exactly 1", counting.calls)
+	}
+	entries, err := st.PendingDigestEntries(ctx, now.Add(time.Minute))
+	if err != nil || len(entries) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("complete ticks should retain one durable entry: entries=%+v err=%v", entries, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSuppressedCareDigestDedupeSurvivesRestart proves V-687 at its actual
+// boundary: a fresh tickLoop has no memory of the first call, yet durable
+// candidate identity still prevents a second PhraseNudge.
+func TestSuppressedCareDigestDedupeSurvivesRestart(t *testing.T) {
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "digest-restart.db")
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := refNow()
+	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present, Facts: breakCandidateFacts(now, 9)}
+
+	firstStore, err := store.Open(ctx, path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	first := newTestTickLoop(t, firstStore, &fakeSink{}, nil)
+	firstPhraser := &nudgeCountingPhraser{Phraser: phraser.NewStub()}
+	first.phraser = firstPhraser
+	first.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, now)
+	if firstPhraser.calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("first loop phrase calls = %d, want 1", firstPhraser.calls)
+	}
+	if err := firstStore.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	secondStore, err := store.Open(ctx, path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = secondStore.Close() })
+	second := newTestTickLoop(t, secondStore, &fakeSink{}, nil)
+	secondPhraser := &nudgeCountingPhraser{Phraser: phraser.NewStub()}
+	second.phraser = secondPhraser
+	quiet.Now = now.Add(time.Minute)
+	second.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, quiet.Now)
+	if secondPhraser.calls != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("same candidate after restart phrased %d times, want 0", secondPhraser.calls)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSuppressedCareDigestRephrasesWhenMeaningChanges(t *testing.T) {
+	st := newTestStore(t)
+	tl := newTestTickLoop(t, st, &fakeSink{}, nil)
+	counting := &nudgeCountingPhraser{Phraser: phraser.NewStub()}
+	tl.phraser = counting
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := refNow()
+	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present, Facts: breakCandidateFacts(now, 1)}
+
+	tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, now)
+	quiet.Facts = breakCandidateFacts(now.Add(time.Minute), 2)
+	quiet.Now = now.Add(time.Minute)
+	tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, quiet.Now)
+
+	if counting.calls != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("two semantic occurrences phrased %d times, want 2", counting.calls)
+	}
+	entries, err := st.PendingDigestEntries(ctx, quiet.Now)
+	if err != nil || len(entries) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("changed meaning should create a second entry: entries=%+v err=%v", entries, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSuppressedCareDigestRephrasesAfterExpiry(t *testing.T) {
+	st := newTestStore(t)
+	tl := newTestTickLoop(t, st, &fakeSink{}, nil)
+	counting := &nudgeCountingPhraser{Phraser: phraser.NewStub()}
+	tl.phraser = counting
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := refNow()
+	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present, Facts: breakCandidateFacts(now, 1)}
+
+	tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, now)
+	// Deliberately do not run the expiry sweep. The pre-phrase lookup and
+	// enqueue path must agree that this occurrence is no longer live.
+	afterExpiry := now.Add(digestExpiry + time.Minute)
+	quiet.Now = afterExpiry
+	tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, afterExpiry)
+
+	if counting.calls != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expired occurrence phrased %d times total, want 2", counting.calls)
+	}
+	entries, err := st.PendingDigestEntries(ctx, afterExpiry)
+	if err != nil || len(entries) != 1 || !entries[0].CreatedTs.Equal(afterExpiry) {
+		t.Fatalf("expired row was not replaced by one fresh row: entries=%+v err=%v", entries, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSuppressedCareDigestRephrasesAfterDrain(t *testing.T) {
+	st := newTestStore(t)
+	sink := &fakeSink{}
+	tl := newTestTickLoop(t, st, sink, nil)
+	counting := &nudgeCountingPhraser{Phraser: phraser.NewStub()}
+	tl.phraser = counting
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := refNow()
+	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present, Facts: breakCandidateFacts(now, 1)}
+
+	tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, now)
+	clearAt := now.Add(time.Minute)
+	tl.maybeDrainDigest(ctx, loop.State{Now: clearAt, Presence: store.Present}, clearAt)
+	quiet.Now = clearAt.Add(time.Minute)
+	tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, quiet.Now)
+
+	if counting.calls != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("same occurrence after drain phrased %d times, want 2", counting.calls)
+	}
+}
+
+func breakCandidateFacts(now time.Time, occurrenceID int64) map[string]store.Fact {
+	return map[string]store.Fact{
+		"break": {
+			ID: occurrenceID, Ts: now.Add(-2 * time.Hour), Kind: store.KindSelf,
+			Key: "break", Value: "done", Source: "tap:test", Confidence: 1,
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // TestSuppressedCareDigestExpiresRatherThanDeliveringLate — an entry that
@@ -111,7 +276,7 @@ func TestSuppressedCareDigestExpiresRatherThanDeliveringLate(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	now := refNow()
 
-	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present}
+	quiet := loop.State{Now: now, QuietHours: true, Presence: store.Present, Facts: breakCandidateFacts(now, 1)}
 	tl.enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx, breakTrace("quiet_hours"), quiet, now)
 
 	// well past digestExpiry (24h) before the suppression ever clears.

cmd/mavend/tick_digest.go

@@ -125,12 +125,10 @@ const maxDigestSpokenItems = 3
 
 // enqueueSuppressedDigest scans this tick's trace for care candidates the
 // gate blocked for a genuine restraint reason and durably records the
-// digest-eligible ones (loop.DigestEligible). Phrasing happens once, here,
+// digest-eligible ones (loop.DigestEligible). Before phrasing, the candidate's
-// at enqueue time — not re-derived at drain time — the same way queueNudge
+// rule-owned semantic fingerprint is checked against the durable queue. This
-// phrases once and caches, so a rule suppressed for hours isn't re-prompting
+// is intentionally not a prose hash or an in-memory cache: phrasing may vary,
-// the LLM every tick it stays blocked (EnqueueDigestEntry's rule+body dedupe
+// and the first tick after a restart owes the same zero-model-work behavior.
-// makes repeat calls here harmless, but skipping the phrase call entirely
-// when a pending entry already exists avoids the LLM round-trip too).
 func (t *tickLoop) enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx context.Context, trace *loop.TickTrace, state loop.State, now time.Time) {
 	if trace == nil {
 		return
@@ -142,7 +140,24 @@ func (t *tickLoop) enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx context.Context, trace *loop.Tick
 		if !loop.DigestEligible(tr.Severity, tr.GateBlockedBy) {
 			continue
 		}
-		rule := loop.Rule{Name: tr.RuleName, Severity: tr.Severity}
+		rule, ok := t.ruleNamed(tr.RuleName)
+		if !ok {
+			log.Printf("tick: digest candidate %s has no configured rule", tr.RuleName)
+			continue
+		}
+		fingerprint, ok := loop.DigestCandidateFingerprint(rule, state)
+		if !ok {
+			log.Printf("tick: digest candidate %s has no semantic identity", tr.RuleName)
+			continue
+		}
+		if _, live, err := t.store.LiveDigestEntry(ctx, tr.RuleName, fingerprint, now); err != nil {
+			// If durable state cannot answer, do not spend model work whose
+			// result cannot be safely deduplicated or recorded.
+			log.Printf("tick: check digest candidate %s: %v", tr.RuleName, err)
+			continue
+		} else if live {
+			continue
+		}
 		cand := loop.Candidate{Rule: rule, Severity: tr.Severity, State: state}
 		pn, err := t.phraser.PhraseNudge(ctx, cand)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -150,15 +165,21 @@ func (t *tickLoop) enqueueSuppressedDigest(ctx context.Context, trace *loop.Tick
 			continue
 		}
 		expires := now.Add(digestExpiry)
-		if _, deduped, err := t.store.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, tr.RuleName, int(tr.Severity), pn.Body, now, expires); err != nil {
+		if _, _, err := t.store.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, tr.RuleName, fingerprint, int(tr.Severity), pn.Body, now, expires); err != nil {
 			log.Printf("tick: enqueue digest entry %s: %v", tr.RuleName, err)
-		} else if deduped {
-			// same suppressed nudge already pending — nothing new to say.
-			continue
 		}
 	}
 }
 
+func (t *tickLoop) ruleNamed(name string) (loop.Rule, bool) {
+	for _, rule := range t.rules {
+		if rule.Name == name {
+			return rule, true
+		}
+	}
+	return loop.Rule{}, false
+}
+
 // expireStaleDigest sweeps entries past their expiry once per tick — cheap
 // bookkeeping, mirrors ReconcileStaleDeliveryAttempts's shape.
 func (t *tickLoop) expireStaleDigest(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) {

docs/caveats/CLAUDE.md

@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ sanitized mavweb problem contract was V-689.
 | [Dialogue persistence errors are swallowed](storage.md#dialogue) | medium |
 | [A recall miss scans two whole tables](storage.md#recall) | medium |
 | [Fact enrichment is a 20-call serial waterfall](workers.md#enrichment) | medium |
-| [A suppressed nudge is phrased anyway](workers.md#nudges) | medium |
 | [Committed absolute paths pin the build to this box](config.md#paths) | medium |
 | [The analyzers pass against a baseline, not zero](dependencies.md#baseline) | medium |
 | [Domain packages depend on store and IPC types](layering.md#dtos) | low |

docs/caveats/dependencies.md

@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@
 ## The analyzers pass against a baseline, not against zero [#701] {#baseline}
 
 Costs: `make lint` and `make deadcode` are wired and green (V-694), but green
-means "nothing new since 2026-08-11". The accepted set is 19 staticcheck
+means "nothing new since 2026-08-11". The accepted set is 18 staticcheck
 findings and 13 unreachable symbols, listed with a reason each in
 `scripts/analyzers/*.baseline`. Three of the unreachable symbols must stay:
-[layering.md](layering.md#deadcode). One accepted staticcheck finding is V-687.
+[layering.md](layering.md#deadcode).
 Revisit when: V-701 sweeps the baseline, or a fix deletes an entry. The gate
 fails on an entry whose finding is gone, so the deletion is not optional.
 Workaround: none needed. Reachability claims are checkable now. Read the

docs/caveats/workers.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Background workers
 
-Both entries are a tick doing expensive work it did not need to do.
+The entry is a tick doing expensive work it did not need to do.
 
 ## Fact enrichment is a 20-call serial waterfall [#680] {#enrichment}
 
@@ -11,13 +11,3 @@ scan, not this.
 Revisit when: Nexus gets slow, or when a batch-resolution endpoint exists.
 Workaround: an unreachable Nexus is fine. It is the slow-but-answering case
 that hurts.
-
-## A suppressed nudge is phrased anyway [#687] {#nudges}
-
-Costs: `PhraseNudge` runs before the dedupe is known. The `continue` meant to
-skip it is the last statement in the loop body. Every tick that
-keeps suppressing the same rule pays the resident model again. The comment
-above it claims the opposite.
-Revisit when: digestion ticks show up in the model's load, or when nudge rules
-grow past a handful.
-Workaround: none.

internal/store/digest.go

@@ -29,27 +29,53 @@ const (
 // DigestEntry — one gate-suppressed care candidate durably held for later
 // bundled delivery.
 type DigestEntry struct {
-	ID        int64
+	ID                   int64
-	Rule      string
+	Rule                 string
-	Severity  int
+	Severity             int
-	Body      string
+	Body                 string
-	CreatedTs time.Time
+	CandidateFingerprint string
-	ExpiresTs time.Time
+	CreatedTs            time.Time
+	ExpiresTs            time.Time
 }
 
-// DigestBodyHash is the dedupe key for a digest entry: same rule, same
+// DigestBodyHash records the exact presentation stored in a digest entry. The
-// wording ⇒ the same suppressed nudge repeating across ticks, and he should
+// pre-phrase dedupe key is CandidateFingerprint; body_hash remains useful for
-// hear it once, not once per tick it kept getting suppressed.
+// audit/integrity and for legacy rows written before candidate identity was
+// persisted.
 func DigestBodyHash(rule, body string) string {
 	sum := sha256.Sum256([]byte(rule + "\x00" + body))
 	return hex.EncodeToString(sum[:8])
 }
 
+// LiveDigestEntry returns the pending, unexpired entry for one semantic
+// candidate occurrence. This is intentionally a store read rather than an
+// in-memory cache: the caller uses it before PhraseNudge, including on the
+// first tick after a daemon restart.
+func (s *Store) LiveDigestEntry(ctx context.Context, rule, candidateFingerprint string, now time.Time) (DigestEntry, bool, error) {
+	if candidateFingerprint == "" {
+		return DigestEntry{}, false, errors.New("live digest entry: empty candidate fingerprint")
+	}
+	row := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT id, rule, severity, body, candidate_fingerprint, created_ts, expires_ts
+		   FROM digest_entries
+		  WHERE status = ? AND rule = ? AND candidate_fingerprint = ? AND expires_ts > ?
+		  LIMIT 1`,
+		DigestPending, rule, candidateFingerprint, now.UnixMilli())
+	entry, err := scanDigestEntry(row)
+	if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
+		return DigestEntry{}, false, nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return DigestEntry{}, false, fmt.Errorf("live digest entry: %w", err)
+	}
+	return entry, true, nil
+}
+
 // EnqueueDigestEntry durably records a suppressed care candidate worth
-// resurfacing later. If a LIVE pending entry with the same rule+body already
+// resurfacing later. If a LIVE pending entry with the same rule+candidate
-// exists, this is a no-op that returns the existing id and deduped=true —
+// fingerprint already exists, this is a no-op that returns the existing id
-// the same suppressed nudge repeating across ticks must not pile up into
+// and deduped=true. The lookup and insert share a transaction so a second
-// several copies of itself in the eventual bundle.
+// caller cannot race the pre-phrase read into a duplicate row.
 //
 // "Live" carries the same expiry test PendingDigestEntries reads with, and for
 // the same reason: a row past its expires_ts is still status='pending' until
@@ -57,15 +83,36 @@ func DigestBodyHash(rule, body string) string {
 // against one meant reporting deduped=true against an entry that will never be
 // spoken — the caller drops the phrasing it just paid the LLM for and nothing
 // reaches the bundle. Not yet swept must not mean still deliverable on the
-// write side either.
+// write side either. A matching stale row is expired inside this transaction
-func (s *Store) EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx context.Context, rule string, severity int, body string, now, expiresAt time.Time) (id int64, deduped bool, err error) {
+// before insertion so the partial unique index does not make sweep order part
+// of correctness.
+func (s *Store) EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx context.Context, rule, candidateFingerprint string, severity int, body string, now, expiresAt time.Time) (id int64, deduped bool, err error) {
+	if candidateFingerprint == "" {
+		return 0, false, errors.New("enqueue digest entry: empty candidate fingerprint")
+	}
 	hash := DigestBodyHash(rule, body)
+	tx, err := s.db.BeginTx(ctx, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("enqueue digest entry: begin: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = tx.Rollback() }()
+
+	if _, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`UPDATE digest_entries SET status = ?
+		  WHERE status = ? AND rule = ? AND candidate_fingerprint = ? AND expires_ts <= ?`,
+		DigestExpired, DigestPending, rule, candidateFingerprint, now.UnixMilli()); err != nil {
+		return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("enqueue digest entry: expire stale candidate: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	var existing int64
-	err = s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+	err = tx.QueryRowContext(ctx,
 		`SELECT id FROM digest_entries
-		  WHERE status = ? AND rule = ? AND body_hash = ? AND expires_ts > ? LIMIT 1`,
+		  WHERE status = ? AND rule = ? AND candidate_fingerprint = ? AND expires_ts > ? LIMIT 1`,
-		DigestPending, rule, hash, now.UnixMilli()).Scan(&existing)
+		DigestPending, rule, candidateFingerprint, now.UnixMilli()).Scan(&existing)
 	if err == nil {
+		if err := tx.Commit(); err != nil {
+			return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("enqueue digest entry: dedupe commit: %w", err)
+		}
 		return existing, true, nil
 	}
 	if !errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
@@ -74,10 +121,11 @@ func (s *Store) EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx context.Context, rule string, severity in
 		return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("enqueue digest entry: dedupe lookup: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	res, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+	res, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx,
-		`INSERT INTO digest_entries (rule, severity, body, body_hash, status, created_ts, expires_ts)
+		`INSERT INTO digest_entries
-		 VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`,
+		   (rule, severity, body, body_hash, candidate_fingerprint, status, created_ts, expires_ts)
-		rule, severity, body, hash, DigestPending, now.UnixMilli(), expiresAt.UnixMilli())
+		 VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`,
+		rule, severity, body, hash, candidateFingerprint, DigestPending, now.UnixMilli(), expiresAt.UnixMilli())
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("enqueue digest entry: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -85,6 +133,9 @@ func (s *Store) EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx context.Context, rule string, severity in
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("enqueue digest entry: last insert id: %w", err)
 	}
+	if err := tx.Commit(); err != nil {
+		return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("enqueue digest entry: commit: %w", err)
+	}
 	return id, false, nil
 }
 
@@ -93,7 +144,7 @@ func (s *Store) EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx context.Context, rule string, severity in
 // a bundled readout should mention them.
 func (s *Store) PendingDigestEntries(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) ([]DigestEntry, error) {
 	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx,
-		`SELECT id, rule, severity, body, created_ts, expires_ts
+		`SELECT id, rule, severity, body, candidate_fingerprint, created_ts, expires_ts
 		 FROM digest_entries WHERE status = ? AND expires_ts > ? ORDER BY created_ts ASC`,
 		DigestPending, now.UnixMilli())
 	if err != nil {
@@ -103,18 +154,30 @@ func (s *Store) PendingDigestEntries(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) ([]Dige
 
 	var out []DigestEntry
 	for rows.Next() {
-		var e DigestEntry
+		e, err := scanDigestEntry(rows)
-		var created, expires int64
+		if err != nil {
-		if err := rows.Scan(&e.ID, &e.Rule, &e.Severity, &e.Body, &created, &expires); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("pending digest entries: scan: %w", err)
 		}
-		e.CreatedTs = time.UnixMilli(created)
-		e.ExpiresTs = time.UnixMilli(expires)
 		out = append(out, e)
 	}
 	return out, rows.Err()
 }
 
+type digestScanner interface {
+	Scan(dest ...any) error
+}
+
+func scanDigestEntry(row digestScanner) (DigestEntry, error) {
+	var e DigestEntry
+	var created, expires int64
+	if err := row.Scan(&e.ID, &e.Rule, &e.Severity, &e.Body, &e.CandidateFingerprint, &created, &expires); err != nil {
+		return DigestEntry{}, err
+	}
+	e.CreatedTs = time.UnixMilli(created)
+	e.ExpiresTs = time.UnixMilli(expires)
+	return e, nil
+}
+
 // ExpireStaleDigestEntries marks pending entries whose expires_ts has passed
 // as expired — stale information (yesterday's battery warning) is noise, not
 // news, so it is dropped rather than delivered late. Called once per tick,

internal/store/digest_test.go

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ func TestDigestEntryRoundTrips(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	now := time.Now()
 
-	id, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", 2, "ты долго не отдыхала", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
+	id, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-1", 2, "ты долго не отдыхала", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("enqueue: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ func TestDigestEntryRoundTrips(t *testing.T) {
 	if entries[0].Rule != "break" || entries[0].Severity != 2 || entries[0].Body != "ты долго не отдыхала" {
 		t.Fatalf("entry contents wrong: %+v", entries[0])
 	}
+	if entries[0].CandidateFingerprint != "break-occurrence-1" {
+		t.Fatalf("candidate fingerprint did not round-trip: %+v", entries[0])
+	}
 }
 
 // TestDigestEntrySurvivesRestart — durability is the whole point: a fresh
@@ -48,7 +51,7 @@ func TestDigestEntrySurvivesRestart(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("open: %v", err)
 	}
-	id, _, err := s1.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", 2, "перерыв", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
+	id, _, err := s1.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-1", 2, "перерыв", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("enqueue: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -72,15 +75,15 @@ func TestDigestEntrySurvivesRestart(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestDigestEntryDedupesSameRuleAndBody — the same suppressed nudge
+// TestDigestEntryDedupesSameCandidateBeforeWording — the same semantic nudge
 // repeating across ticks (quiet hours holding for hours) must not pile up
-// into several copies of itself; he hears it once.
+// into several copies even if a concurrent phraser returned another variant.
-func TestDigestEntryDedupesSameRuleAndBody(t *testing.T) {
+func TestDigestEntryDedupesSameCandidateBeforeWording(t *testing.T) {
 	s := newTestStore(t)
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	now := time.Now()
 
-	id1, deduped1, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", 2, "перерыв нужен", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
+	id1, deduped1, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-1", 2, "перерыв нужен", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("first enqueue: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -89,12 +92,12 @@ func TestDigestEntryDedupesSameRuleAndBody(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
-		id2, deduped2, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", 2, "перерыв нужен", now.Add(time.Minute), now.Add(25*time.Hour))
+		id2, deduped2, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-1", 2, "другой вариант", now.Add(time.Minute), now.Add(25*time.Hour))
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("repeat enqueue: %v", err)
 		}
 		if !deduped2 {
-			t.Fatal("repeat enqueue of the same rule+body should report deduped")
+			t.Fatal("repeat enqueue of the same candidate should report deduped")
 		}
 		if id2 != id1 {
 			t.Fatalf("deduped enqueue should return the original id: want %d got %d", id1, id2)
@@ -119,7 +122,7 @@ func TestDigestEntryExpiresRatherThanDeliversLate(t *testing.T) {
 	created := time.Now()
 	expiresAt := created.Add(time.Hour)
 
-	id, _, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "water", 1, "стакан воды", created, expiresAt)
+	id, _, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "water", "water-occurrence-1", 1, "стакан воды", created, expiresAt)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("enqueue: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -169,11 +172,11 @@ func TestDigestEntryDrainMarksDrainedNotDeleted(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	now := time.Now()
 
-	id1, _, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", 2, "перерыв", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
+	id1, _, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-1", 2, "перерыв", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("enqueue 1: %v", err)
 	}
-	id2, _, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break2", 2, "другое", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
+	id2, _, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break2", "break2-occurrence-1", 2, "другое", now, now.Add(24*time.Hour))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("enqueue 2: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -213,7 +216,7 @@ func TestDigestEnqueueDoesNotDedupeAgainstAnExpiredEntry(t *testing.T) {
 	created := time.Now()
 	expiresAt := created.Add(time.Hour)
 
-	first, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", 2, "ты долго не отдыхала", created, expiresAt)
+	first, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-1", 2, "ты долго не отдыхала", created, expiresAt)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("enqueue: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -224,7 +227,7 @@ func TestDigestEnqueueDoesNotDedupeAgainstAnExpiredEntry(t *testing.T) {
 	// A tick after the expiry, with the sweep not yet run: the same suppressed
 	// nudge comes round again and must be recorded afresh.
 	after := expiresAt.Add(time.Minute)
-	second, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", 2, "ты долго не отдыхала", after, after.Add(time.Hour))
+	second, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-1", 2, "ты долго не отдыхала", after, after.Add(time.Hour))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("re-enqueue: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -243,3 +246,48 @@ func TestDigestEnqueueDoesNotDedupeAgainstAnExpiredEntry(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("want the fresh entry %d pending, got %+v", second, entries)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestDigestCandidateMeaningChangeCreatesAnotherEntry(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	first, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-1", 2, "перерыв", now, now.Add(time.Hour))
+	if err != nil || deduped {
+		t.Fatalf("first enqueue: id=%d deduped=%v err=%v", first, deduped, err)
+	}
+	second, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", "break-occurrence-2", 2, "перерыв", now.Add(time.Minute), now.Add(time.Hour))
+	if err != nil || deduped {
+		t.Fatalf("changed candidate enqueue: id=%d deduped=%v err=%v", second, deduped, err)
+	}
+	if second == first {
+		t.Fatalf("changed candidate reused id %d", first)
+	}
+	entries, err := s.PendingDigestEntries(ctx, now.Add(time.Minute))
+	if err != nil || len(entries) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("two distinct occurrences should remain pending: entries=%+v err=%v", entries, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLiveDigestEntryStopsMatchingAfterDrain(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := time.Now()
+	fingerprint := "break-occurrence-1"
+	id, _, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", fingerprint, 2, "перерыв", now, now.Add(time.Hour))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, found, err := s.LiveDigestEntry(ctx, "break", fingerprint, now); err != nil || !found {
+		t.Fatalf("live lookup before drain: found=%v err=%v", found, err)
+	}
+	if err := s.DrainDigestEntries(ctx, []int64{id}, now.Add(time.Minute)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, found, err := s.LiveDigestEntry(ctx, "break", fingerprint, now.Add(time.Minute)); err != nil || found {
+		t.Fatalf("drained occurrence still matched: found=%v err=%v", found, err)
+	}
+	if _, deduped, err := s.EnqueueDigestEntry(ctx, "break", fingerprint, 2, "новый перерыв", now.Add(2*time.Minute), now.Add(2*time.Hour)); err != nil || deduped {
+		t.Fatalf("resolved occurrence should be enqueueable again: deduped=%v err=%v", deduped, err)
+	}
+}

internal/store/migrations.go

@@ -374,6 +374,17 @@ ALTER TABLE reminders ADD COLUMN next_fire_ts INTEGER;`, // #2
 	 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_delivery_attempts_reminder_group
 	   ON delivery_attempts (delivery_group, status)
 	   WHERE kind = 'reminder' AND delivery_group <> '';`,
+
+	// #26 — pre-phrase identity for the suppressed-nudge digest (V-687).
+	// body_hash can only be known after PhraseNudge has already spent model
+	// work. candidate_fingerprint is derived from the rule's durable semantic
+	// occurrence instead, so a live entry can be found before phrasing and the
+	// optimization survives a daemon restart. Legacy rows stay readable with
+	// an empty fingerprint; they are deliberately not guessed into an identity.
+	`ALTER TABLE digest_entries ADD COLUMN candidate_fingerprint TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '';
+	 CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_digest_entries_live_candidate
+	   ON digest_entries (rule, candidate_fingerprint)
+	   WHERE status = 'pending' AND candidate_fingerprint <> '';`,
 }
 
 // migrate applies every migration with a number greater than the DB's current

scripts/analyzers/staticcheck.baseline

@@ -8,9 +8,6 @@
 # The sweep that empties it is V-701, which carries the judgement on each
 # entry. What follows is the short reason only.
 
-# V-687. The dedupe check runs after the phraser has already been paid.
-cmd/mavend/tick_digest.go	SA4006	this value of deduped is never used
-
 # V-686, the eleven unreachable symbols the 2026-08-10 audit listed, seen from
 # the other side. Three of them must stay: docs/caveats/layering.md#deadcode.
 cmd/mavend/replier_llm_test.go	U1000	func assertStub is unused