Merge the eval label and kill script fixes

"Nothing on the host" meant two different things and the script treated
them the same. If docker answers and names no running containers, Maven
really is down and the script should say so and exit 0. Only when docker
cannot be asked is the answer unknown, and that is the case that must
fail loudly.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01CGeSZxh1DCtRxmFVSYVGvJ

MODEL-BAKEOFF-31-07-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+# Resident model bake-off — 31-07-2026
+
+**Recommendation: keep Qwen3.5-0.8B.** LFM2.5-1.2B is worse at routing (52.6% vs 60.5%
+intent accuracy), and the loss is almost entirely Russian (18/61 vs 22/61 RU, while EN is a
+wash). It is also 2.4× slower. The Thinking variant is far worse again.
+
+Settles Vikunja **#278 / #250**.
+
+- Same fixture and scorer as `ROUTING-EVAL-31-07-2026.md`: `internal/router/eval/`
+  (`ru_routing_v1.json`, 76 held-out cases).
+- Reproduce: `MAVEN_LLM_URL=http://127.0.0.1:<port> make eval-router`
+  (`TestLLMRouterBaseline`). Note: there is no `make eval-models` target.
+- All three models served by the same `llama-server` flags — `-c 2048 -ngl 99 -t 6`, only
+  `-m` and `--port` differ. One server at a time on an otherwise idle box, so latencies are
+  real and not contention.
+- Measured on top of the router prompt fix (`origin/overnight/router-prompt` merged in), so
+  the Qwen column is directly comparable to the numbers already recorded.
+
+## Results
+
+`llm-only` — the model alone. This is the column that measures the model.
+
+| | Qwen3.5-0.8B | LFM2.5-1.2B Instruct | LFM2.5-1.2B Thinking |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **intent-only accuracy** | **60.5%** | 52.6% | 36.8% |
+| full accuracy (intent+slots+gate) | **36.8%** | 32.9% | 21.1% |
+| **RU** | **22/61** | 18/61 | 10/61 |
+| EN | 6/15 | **7/15** | 6/15 |
+| route errors | 0 | 0 | 0 |
+| **p50 / p95 latency** | **1.05s / 1.71s** | 2.47s / 3.62s | 2.42s / 3.24s |
+| missed clarify | 6 / 6 | 6 / 6 | 6 / 6 |
+
+`cascade+llm` — stage-0 → model → classifier floor, what #320 would actually ship. Same
+ordering.
+
+| | Qwen3.5-0.8B | LFM2.5-1.2B Instruct | LFM2.5-1.2B Thinking |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| intent-only accuracy | **61.8%** | 55.3% | 38.2% |
+| full accuracy | **46.1%** | 42.1% | 30.3% |
+| RU / EN | **27/61** / 8/15 | 23/61 / **9/15** | 15/61 / 8/15 |
+| route errors | 0 | 0 | 0 |
+| p50 / p95 latency | **1.28s / 1.94s** | 2.18s / 2.72s | 2.27s / 3.19s |
+
+Full logs: the three runs are archived in the session scratchpad
+(`qwen08.txt`, `lfm-instruct.txt`, `lfm-thinking.txt`).
+
+## Russian-specific failures — the owner's worry is confirmed
+
+LFM2.5's Russian loss is not spread out. It has one large, specific failure: **it hears
+almost any Russian imperative or short phrase as `reminder`.**
+
+- `перезапусти докер` → reminder (want act)
+- `включи вытяжку` → reminder (want act)
+- `закрой жалюзи` → reminder (want act)
+- `заметка: продлить домен в августе` → reminder (want note)
+- `запиши что кран на кухне снова капает` → reminder (want note)
+- `доброе утро` → reminder (want chat)
+- `спасибо тебе` → reminder (want note/chat)
+- `переходи в тихий режим` → reminder (want system)
+
+That is `note→reminder ×4`, `act→reminder ×4`, `chat→reminder ×2` in one run. Qwen's
+equivalent failure axis is `query→fact ×8`, which is a narrower and already-understood bug.
+
+Two more Russian-side problems worth naming:
+
+1. **Fact keys come back empty or wrong in Russian.** `воды попил наконец`, `поужинал`,
+   `поспал часов пять` and `отметь что я позавтракал овсянкой` all returned an empty key.
+   `сходил в душ` and `отдохнул минут двадцать` both returned `water`. Qwen does not do this.
+2. **It leaked German.** `slept about seven hours` produced the fact key
+   `"7 Stunden geschlafen"`. Grammar-valid, semantically garbage — a sign the multilingual
+   mix is not anchored where Maven needs it.
+
+The claimed tool-calling advantage did not show up here. `act` is the closest thing this
+fixture has to a tool call, and LFM2.5 got it wrong more often than Qwen, mostly by calling
+it a reminder. It also produced no `fn` slot on any act, same as Qwen.
+
+## The Thinking variant
+
+Not viable. 36.8% intent accuracy, 10/61 Russian, and no latency saving over Instruct — the
+thinking trace costs time without buying accuracy on a short enum classification. With the
+`enable_thinking=false` diagnostic it collapsed further to 28.9% with 2 route errors
+(`query→reminder ×12`). Do not pursue.
+
+## Notes
+
+- Nothing crashed, nothing ignored the GBNF grammar, and no model produced unparseable JSON
+  in the shippable configurations. Zero route errors for both Instruct and Thinking in
+  `llm-only` and `cascade+llm`. The problem with LFM2.5 is what it decides, not whether it
+  can emit the contract.
+- The `6 / 6` missed clarify is unchanged across all three models. No model fixes the missing
+  refusal lane — that is `Confidence: 1.0` hardcoded in `llmrouter.go` (Vikunja #359), not a
+  model property.
+- The report labels every configuration `(0.8B)`; that string is hardcoded in the test, not a
+  reflection of which gguf was loaded. Model identity was confirmed per run via `/v1/models`.
+- No Go code was changed for this measurement, and no bug was found that needed one.
+
+## What this does not settle
+
+Routing only. LFM2.5 might still phrase better, and phrasing is the resident model's other
+job — that needs its own fixture. But routing is the load-bearing path and Maven is
+Russian-first, so on the evidence here the switch is not worth making.

PHRASING-EVAL-31-07-2026.md

@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+# Phrasing evaluation — 31-07-2026
+
+How Maven words a nudge, measured instead of argued. Counterpart to
+`ROUTING-EVAL-31-07-2026.md`.
+
+- Fixture + scorer: `internal/phraser/eval/` (`nudges_v1.json`, 15 cases; `eval.go`, `checks.go`)
+- Reproduce: `MAVEN_LLM_URL=http://127.0.0.1:18099 make eval-phrasing`
+- Model: Qwen3.5-0.8B Q4_K_M, the resident model. Not swapped.
+- Commit: `a40bc55` (prompt fix)
+
+Every check is a string or length test a human can read and disagree with. No model
+grades another model here.
+
+## Result
+
+| | before | after |
+|---|---|---|
+| **cases passing every check** | **0/15** | **13/15** |
+| mood in enum | 6/15 | 15/15 |
+| Russian | 2/15 | 14/15 |
+| length (≤120 chars, ≤16 words) | 13/15 | 15/15 |
+| feminine self-reference | 15/15 | 15/15 |
+| no cringe | 13/15 | 15/15 |
+| on topic | 6/15 | 13/15 |
+| p50 latency | 11.4s | 11.4s |
+
+Latency did not move and is not good. 11s to word one nudge on this box.
+
+## The bug reproduced
+
+Yes, exactly as reported. 7 of 15 messages were the literal string `"..."`, and one was
+`"full voice message"`. Both are text copied straight out of the prompt.
+
+The system prompt said:
+
+```
+Respond ONLY with valid JSON: {"response": "full voice message", "mood": "neutral"}
+```
+
+and the user prompt said:
+
+```
+Respond as JSON: {"response": "...", "mood": "..."}
+```
+
+A 0.8B does not read `"..."` as "put your answer here". It reads it as the answer. The
+prompt was a worked example whose worked part was blank, so the model filled the slot by
+copying. This is the whole of finding 1.
+
+## What else was wrong
+
+Four separate faults, all prompt-side:
+
+1. **Placeholder echo** (7 cases) — above.
+2. **Wrong language** (13/15 failed the language check). The prompt was entirely English
+   and said "in the user's language (Russian or English)". The model picked English. It is
+   never English: the nudge is spoken by a Russian piper voice.
+3. **Rule names are English identifiers.** `netdata_critical`, `service_down`, `break` went
+   into the prompt raw. The model cannot nudge about a topic it has not been told in words,
+   so 9/15 were off topic. The daemon knows what its own rules mean; now it says so.
+4. **Mood invented** (`"warm"`, twice). The enum was listed in a parenthesis at the end of
+   an English sentence. Now it is its own line: "ровно одно из: neutral, happy, thinking,
+   tired, confused."
+
+Plus two non-prompt faults the run exposed:
+
+- **The no-parse fallback was English.** When the model returned nothing usable, the body
+  became `fmt.Sprintf("%s — %s", rule, sev)` — `"water — care"` — and that string went to
+  a Russian TTS. Now it falls back to plain Russian.
+- **Durations were English.** `humanDur` returns "3 hours"; it was landing verbatim inside
+  Russian sentences. Nudges now use a Russian formatter.
+
+## Three iterations, and what each taught
+
+| | score | change |
+|---|---|---|
+| baseline | 0/15 | — |
+| iter 1 | 2/15 | Russian prompt, filled-in examples, Russian durations |
+| iter 2 | 11/15 | required keyword per rule, one example instead of five, Russian fallback |
+| iter 3 | **13/15** | examples moved to topics that are not rules |
+
+The interesting step is 1 → 2. Fixing the placeholder did not fix the disease, it moved it:
+the model stopped copying `"..."` and started copying my first example instead. Five nudges
+in a row came back as `"Ты не пил воду три часа. Налей стакан."` regardless of the rule.
+
+**A small model copies the nearest concrete text in its prompt.** That is one failure mode
+with two symptoms. The fix that stuck was making the examples about laundry and a laptop
+battery — topics no rule ever produces, so copying them is visible in the score rather than
+invisibly passing the water cases.
+
+## Do not oversell 13/15
+
+Seven of the thirteen passes are the **deterministic fallback**, not the model:
+`"Напоминаю: таблетки."`, `"Сервис не отвечает."`, `"Критический алярм: проверь диск."`,
+`"Ты давно не пил воду."`. Those are strings this commit added to Go. The model returned
+nothing parseable and the fallback scored.
+
+So the honest reading is roughly **6/15 from the model, 7/15 from a fallback, 2/15 failing**.
+The prompt fix is real — `"..."` is nearly gone and the language and mood checks are clean —
+but a large part of the jump is that failure now degrades into Russian instead of into
+`"water — care"`. That is a genuine improvement for the operator and a weak one for the model.
+
+The two remaining failures: one `"..."` recurrence (`routine-stretch`) and one meal nudge
+that never says food.
+
+## Broken, found, not fixed
+
+1. ~~**`checkFeminine` only catches half the constraint.**~~ **Fixed** (#381). It scanned for
+   masculine self-reference only, so three messages that addressed the *owner* in the feminine
+   ("ты давно не отдыхал**а**") scored clean. There is now a second check, `hisgender`: a
+   feminine past-tense verb (-ла/-лась) in a sentence addressed to him ("ты", "тебе", "твой")
+   fails, unless the verb is hers ("я заметила", "напомнила тебе"). It is a suffix rule, not a
+   parser — see the comment in `checks.go` for what it misses. A fresh 15-case run after adding
+   it scored **12/15** with `hisgender` 15/15; the model did not repeat the feminine address in
+   that sample, and the check is pinned by unit tests on the recorded bad strings instead.
+2. **Grammar is not checked at all, and it is bad.** `"Он не ел 11 дней"` (it was 11 hours),
+   `"Сонуждились 7 дней"` (not a word), `"Они забыли воду"` (wrong person entirely). Every
+   one of these passes all six checks. The fixture measures properties, not fluency, and at
+   0.8B fluency is the binding constraint.
+3. **Unit confusion.** The model turns hours into days about a third of the time. The
+   prompt now says "11 ч"; it reads it as days.
+4. **11s p50.** Unchanged and untouched here. A nudge the model takes eleven seconds to
+   word has missed its moment. Worth its own task.
+5. **The keyword hint is close to teaching to the test.** `ruleKeywords` names the word the
+   on-topic check looks for. It is defensible — the daemon genuinely knows its rule topics
+   and the model genuinely cannot infer them from `netdata_critical` — but the on-topic
+   number is softer than the others because of it.
+
+## Next steps
+
+1. ~~**Add a second-person gender check**~~ — done, `hisgender` in `checks.go` (#381).
+2. **Decide whether the fallback should count as a pass.** Right now `Score` cannot tell a
+   model answer from a fallback. Either mark fallback bodies in `PhrasedNudge` or count them
+   in their own column. Without that, any future prompt change can score well by failing
+   more.
+3. **Attack the 11s.** Nudge phrasing is short and non-interactive; thinking off is the first
+   thing to try, as it was for routing (#376).
+4. **Re-measure when #122 lands.** The CPT'd Qwen3-1.7B is the target. 13/15 with seven
+   fallbacks is the floor it has to beat, and the fluency problems above are the ones a
+   bigger, Russian-trained checkpoint should actually fix.

RECALL-EVAL-31-07-2026.md

@@ -75,6 +75,14 @@ same vector. A note is indexed in both places with the same embedding, so if it
 `QueryNotes` it fails again here — the branch can only ever return a **fact**. Its comment calls it
 "additive"; for notes it is not.
 
+**Fixed (Vikunja #373).** The memory pass now runs *first*, as one search over notes and facts with
+one gate, so whichever memory is clearly the best match answers — note or fact. The notes-only pass
+stays behind it for notes the vector index does not hold. No threshold changed, so the set of
+questions Maven answers is the same; only which memory answers them. The fixture gained two mixed
+note+fact cases (`ru-mixed-031`, `ru-mixed-032`), which is why the counts below are out of 27
+answerable cases and not 25: hash recall@1 36.0% (9/25) → 37.0% (10/27), e5 recall@1 72.0% (18/25) →
+70.4% (19/27) with answered-after-gate 68.0% → 66.7% and false recall unchanged at 1/5.
+
 ### 5. Ranking has no recency or type signal, and the store is not the bottleneck
 
 `internal/store/notes.go:67` sorts by cosine and uses `ts` only to break an exact float tie, which

ROUTING-EVAL-31-07-2026.md

@@ -66,15 +66,113 @@ Three things this run settles:
    `запиши что…` phrasings toward fact, and that suspicion stands — all five `ru-note-*`
    cases now land on fact. Tracked as Vikunja #375.
 
-**Thinking off is the best configuration measured so far**, on both accuracy and latency
-(Vikunja #376). That is worth understanding before flipping: routing is a short
-classification into a fixed enum with grammar-constrained output, so there is little to
-reason about, and the thinking trace mostly gives a small model room to talk itself out of
-the right answer. Phrasing is a different job and needs measuring separately.
+The `thinking off` column above read as the best configuration measured so far (Vikunja #376).
+**It was wrong** — see the controlled re-run below. Ignore that column.
 
 Still `6 / 6` missed clarify — the router has no way to say "I don't know" (Vikunja #359).
 That is unchanged by anything here.
 
+## Thinking off — 31-07-2026, controlled re-run (Vikunja #376)
+
+The "thinking off wins by 6 points" observation above **does not hold**. It was a measurement
+artefact, and the earlier table's `thinking off` column should be ignored.
+
+The thinking-off variant was scored by a hand-rolled HTTP client living in the test file
+instead of `llm.Client`. That copy did not send `repeat_penalty`, which the real router does
+send (`routeRepeatPenalty = 1.15`). So the two columns differed on two axes at once, and the
+one that mattered was the penalty, not the thinking mode.
+
+Re-measured with everything else held equal — same fixture, same prompt, same grammar, same
+sampling, same idle box, the three configurations run back to back and never concurrently:
+
+| | llm-only, thinking on | llm-only, thinking off | cascade+llm |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| intent-only accuracy | 59.2% (45/76) | 59.2% (45/76) | 61.8% (47/76) |
+| full accuracy (intent+slots+gate) | 38.2% (29/76) | 38.2% (29/76) | 57.9% (44/76) |
+| route errors | 3 | 3 | 0 |
+| grammar violations | 3 (all 3 route errors) | 3 (same 3 cases) | 0 |
+| missed clarify | 5 / 6 | 5 / 6 | 5 / 6 |
+| p50 latency | 836ms | 920ms | 810ms |
+| p95 latency | 1.41s | 2.00s | 1.31s |
+
+Thinking off is not just a tie on the headline numbers — it is identical case for case, with
+the same confusion matrix and the same three unparseable replies. The latency difference is
+run-to-run noise on one box, and it points the wrong way here.
+
+The reason is simpler than any accuracy argument: **this llama-server build ignores the
+request-level thinking switch for this model.** Probed directly against the running server
+with `chat_template_kwargs.enable_thinking = false`, `chat_template_kwargs.thinking = false`
+and top-level `reasoning_budget = 0` — all three return a byte-identical answer with the
+thinking trace still in `reasoning_content`, and the server reports the prompt prefix as
+cached, meaning the rendered template did not change. There was never anything being turned
+off, which is also why the numbers match exactly.
+
+Nothing was defaulted. `internal/llm` still has no `chat_template_kwargs` field, `VoiceConfig`
+has no thinking flag, and `deploy/mavend.json` is unchanged. The misleading third
+configuration is removed from `internal/router/eval` so the table it produced cannot be quoted
+again.
+
+Two caveats worth saying out loud:
+
+- **The fixture is 76 cases.** A 6-point difference on 76 cases is roughly 4-5 cases and would
+  not have been worth trusting even if it had reproduced. This one was exactly 0 cases, which
+  is a much easier call.
+- **This is one server build and one checkpoint** (`b9351`, Qwen3.5-0.8B Q4_K_M). If the
+  #122 checkpoint or a newer llama.cpp does honour the switch, the question reopens — but it
+  reopens as an unmeasured question, not as a 6-point win.
+
+Phrasing was **not** measured. Whether thinking helps there is still open, and now also blocked
+on the same "can we even turn it off" question.
+
+## Clock and calendar rule — 31-07-2026 (Vikunja #374)
+
+`routeSystem` never said whether "который час" or "какое число завтра" are `system` or
+`query`, and `system→query ×4` showed up in every run. The rule added says: the clock and the
+calendar date themselves are `system`; what is *written in* the calendar or in memory
+("что у меня завтра", "какие есть напоминания") stays `query`; and a time named inside a
+request ("напомни завтра…") is just a detail of the request, not a reason for `system`.
+
+That split is not a preference. In `cmd/mavend/voice.go` only `replySystem` owns the clock and
+the date formatter, so a clock question routed to `query` falls into the embedder + note RAG
+and answers "не знаю". The agenda, on the other hand, is answered by `ParseCalendarDate` +
+`CalendarEvents` *inside* the `query` branch, so that side has to stay `query`. The rule sits
+above the question test because every one of these utterances carries a question word and a
+later rule would never be reached.
+
+The fixture is now 77 cases: one calendar-agenda case was added
+(`ru-query-019` "что у меня стоит в календаре на послезавтра", intent `query`) specifically so
+an over-broad system rule cannot pass unnoticed. The clock/date cases (`ru-sys-001/002/005`,
+`en-sys-001`) already existed.
+
+Three runs, same box, back to back, never concurrently:
+
+| | baseline | first rule (too broad) | rule as committed |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| llm-only intent-only | 59.2% (45/76) | 54.5% (42/77) | 59.7% (46/77) |
+| llm-only full | 38.2% | 35.1% | 39.0% |
+| llm-only route errors | 3 | 4 | 5 |
+| llm-only p50 | 1.09s | 0.91s | 0.93s |
+| cascade+llm intent-only | 61.8% (47/76) | 58.4% | 62.3% (48/77) |
+| cascade+llm full | 57.9% | 54.5% | 59.7% |
+| cascade+llm route errors | 0 | 0 | 0 |
+| cascade+llm p50 | 0.91s | 0.80s | 1.04s |
+
+**The targeted bug is fixed and the headline number did not move.** `system→query ×4` is gone
+in both LLM configurations — the `time` and `date` tags go from 0/2 and 0/2 to 2/2 and 2/2 —
+but the model then over-applies the rule, and `query→system ×5` plus `reminder→system ×2`
+appear where they did not exist before. Net accuracy is a wash, inside the noise of a 77-case
+fixture.
+
+The first attempt is shown because it is the honest history: it said "спрашивает время, дату
+или день недели → system" with no scope, which swept up reminders, and it cost 3-5 points. It
+was tightened once, on the reasoning that a rule capturing "напомни завтра в 7" is simply
+wrong, and not tuned further. The remaining `query/reminder → system` over-trigger is a new,
+separate weakness of the sub-1B model and deserves its own task rather than more prompt
+kneading against a held-out fixture.
+
+The rule is kept. It is correct about what the daemon can answer, and the failure it replaces
+was silent ("не знаю" to "который час") while the one it introduces is loud.
+
 ## Findings
 
 ### 1. The resident model does route better — 50.0% vs 36.8%
@@ -145,11 +243,11 @@ Note the grammar's `string ::= "\"" ([^"\\] | "\\" .)* "\""` is unbounded, so no
 
 ### 7. Two hypotheses tested and closed
 
-- **Thinking mode is a non-issue.** Qwen3.5's template defaults `thinking = 1`, so
-  grammar-constrained JSON lands in `reasoning_content` with `content` empty —
-  `llm.Client`'s fallback handles it. A `thinking off` run scored *identically* (18/76,
-  48.7%, same p50). `internal/llm` deliberately does **not** grow a `chat_template_kwargs`
-  field.
+- **Thinking mode is a non-issue.** Confirmed twice now, the second time properly — see the
+  controlled re-run section. Grammar-constrained JSON lands in `reasoning_content` with
+  `content` empty and `llm.Client`'s fallback handles it; the request-level switch does
+  nothing on this build. `internal/llm` deliberately does **not** grow a
+  `chat_template_kwargs` field.
 - **Runaway array repetition does not reproduce.** An isolated smoke test with a stripped
   grammar emitted `{"intent":"reminder"}` until `MaxTokens`; under the real `routeSystem`
   prompt the few-shot examples anchor it to one object. 2 errors in 76, not 76.

cmd/mavend/clarify.go

@@ -40,9 +40,44 @@ var clarifyQuestions = map[dialogue.Slot]string{
 	dialogue.SlotFn:   "Что сделать?",
 }
 
-// clarifyDropped — she asked once, the answer still did not fill the gap, so
-// the request is gone. Said plainly, once, with no second question.
-const clarifyDropped = "Не разобрала — скажи целиком, пожалуйста."
+// clarifyGaveUp — she is out of questions and still does not have the slot. She
+// says so out loud: dropping the request in silence would leave him thinking it
+// landed. Feminine self-reference ("поняла"), as everywhere.
+const clarifyGaveUp = "Прости, я не поняла. Скажи, пожалуйста, по-другому."
+
+// clarifyExpired — his answer came after the TTL, so the parked request is
+// already gone. Same tone as clarifyGaveUp, different reason: too much time
+// passed, not "I did not understand". Feminine self-reference ("ждала",
+// "отпустила"); he is addressed with a plain imperative.
+const clarifyExpired = "Прости, я слишком долго ждала ответа и отпустила прошлую просьбу. Если она ещё нужна, скажи заново."
+
+// clarifyExpiredNotice returns that line when a parked question had just timed
+// out, and "" when nothing was parked. Call it right after
+// resolveClarifyAnswer: a live question is answered there, an expired one is
+// only reported here — the words themselves still go on to be routed fresh.
+func (h *reactiveHandler) clarifyExpiredNotice() string {
+	if h.clarifyStore == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	if !h.clarifyStore.TakeExpired(voiceDialogueID, h.now()) {
+		return ""
+	}
+	log.Printf("voice: clarify — parked question expired, telling him and routing the words fresh")
+	return clarifyExpired
+}
+
+// withNotice glues the expiry notice in front of this turn's reply. One turn
+// carries one reply on the wire, so the notice cannot be a message of its own —
+// but neither the notice nor the fresh answer may be dropped.
+func withNotice(notice, reply string) string {
+	if notice == "" {
+		return reply
+	}
+	if reply == "" {
+		return notice
+	}
+	return notice + " " + reply
+}
 
 // missingFor returns the slots a decision still needs, most important first.
 // Empty ⇒ there is nothing identifiable to ask about.
@@ -79,13 +114,14 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) askClarify(dec router.Decision) (string, bool) {
 		return "", false
 	}
 	h.clarifyStore.Put(voiceDialogueID, &dialogue.PendingQuestion{
-		Intent:    dialogue.Intent(dec.Intent),
-		Slots:     toDialogueSlots(dec.Slots),
-		Missing:   []dialogue.Slot{slot},
-		Utterance: dec.Utterance,
-		Asked:     h.now(),
-		TTL:       clarifyTTL,
-		Attempts:  1, // asked once; MaxAttempts is 1, so there is no second ask
+		Intent:      dialogue.Intent(dec.Intent),
+		Slots:       toDialogueSlots(dec.Slots),
+		Missing:     []dialogue.Slot{slot},
+		Utterance:   dec.Utterance,
+		Asked:       h.now(),
+		TTL:         clarifyTTL,
+		Attempts:    1, // this ask
+		MaxAttempts: h.clarifyMaxAttempts,
 	})
 	log.Printf("voice: clarify — asked about %s for intent=%s", slot, dec.Intent)
 	return question, true
@@ -97,8 +133,9 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) askClarify(dec router.Decision) (string, bool) {
 // resolveConfirm and checked in the same place.
 //
 // The answer is parsed with the same extractor the router uses, for the intent
-// she parked — no second parser. If it still does not fill the gap the request
-// is dropped: she does not ask again.
+// she parked — no second parser. If it still does not fill the gap she asks
+// again, up to MaxAttempts; after that she says out loud that she did not
+// understand. She never drops the request in silence.
 func (h *reactiveHandler) resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx context.Context, text string) (string, bool) {
 	if h.clarifyStore == nil {
 		return "", false
@@ -107,17 +144,14 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx context.Context, text string)
 	if q == nil {
 		return "", false
 	}
-	// One shot either way: the question is consumed whether or not the answer
-	// works, so a failed answer can't leave the question armed.
-	h.clarifyStore.Delete(voiceDialogueID)
 
 	intent := router.Intent(q.Intent)
 	answer := h.extractor.Extract(ctx, intent, text, h.now())
 	merged := q.Answer(text, toDialogueSlots(answer))
 	if len(dialogue.StillMissing(q.Missing, merged)) > 0 {
-		log.Printf("voice: clarify — answer %q did not fill %v, dropping", text, q.Missing)
-		return clarifyDropped, true
+		return h.reaskOrGiveUp(q, merged, text), true
 	}
+	h.clarifyStore.Delete(voiceDialogueID)
 
 	// Rebuild the decision as if it had routed cleanly, then run it down the
 	// normal path. Clarify is deliberately false and the intent is unchanged:
@@ -133,6 +167,29 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx context.Context, text string)
 	return h.finishClarified(ctx, dec), true
 }
 
+// reaskOrGiveUp handles an answer that left the gap open: ask the same question
+// again while she has attempts left, otherwise say she did not understand and
+// let the request go. Never returns "" — a mute give-up reads as "done".
+func (h *reactiveHandler) reaskOrGiveUp(q *dialogue.PendingQuestion, merged dialogue.Slots, text string) string {
+	question := ""
+	if len(q.Missing) > 0 {
+		question = clarifyQuestions[q.Missing[0]]
+	}
+	if question == "" || !q.CanAsk() {
+		h.clarifyStore.Delete(voiceDialogueID)
+		log.Printf("voice: clarify — gave up on %v after %d question(s), answer was %q", q.Missing, q.Attempts, text)
+		return clarifyGaveUp
+	}
+	// Re-park with whatever the answer DID give, the clock restarted and one
+	// more question spent.
+	q.Slots = merged
+	q.Attempts++
+	q.Asked = h.now()
+	h.clarifyStore.Put(voiceDialogueID, q)
+	log.Printf("voice: clarify — answer %q did not fill %v, asking again (attempt %d)", text, q.Missing, q.Attempts)
+	return question
+}
+
 // finishClarified runs a completed decision through the same steps a freshly
 // routed one takes: remember the turn, act, then phrase.
 func (h *reactiveHandler) finishClarified(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decision) string {
@@ -146,6 +203,10 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) finishClarified(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decisi
 	if reply == "" {
 		reply = h.replier.Reply(dec)
 	}
+	if reply == "" {
+		// Belt: an empty reply here would be a silent drop.
+		reply = clarifyGaveUp
+	}
 	return reply
 }
 

cmd/mavend/clarify_test.go

@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ func TestClarifyReminderCompletesOnAnswer(t *testing.T) {
 	if !handled {
 		t.Fatal("the answer to an open question must be consumed as an answer")
 	}
-	if reply == clarifyDropped {
+	if reply == clarifyGaveUp {
 		t.Fatalf("a good answer must not drop the request: %q", reply)
 	}
 
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func TestClarifyFactCompletesOnAnswer(t *testing.T) {
 	if _, asked := h.askClarify(clarifyDec(router.IntentFact, router.Slots{Text: "запиши"}, "запиши")); !asked {
 		t.Fatal("a fact with no key should be asked about")
 	}
-	if reply, handled := h.resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx, "пил воду"); !handled || reply == clarifyDropped {
+	if reply, handled := h.resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx, "пил воду"); !handled || reply == clarifyGaveUp {
 		t.Fatalf("answer should complete the fact, handled=%v reply=%q", handled, reply)
 	}
 	if fact, err := st.LatestFact(ctx, "water"); err != nil || fact.Key != "water" {
@@ -137,26 +137,87 @@ func TestClarifyAnswerAfterTTLIsANewRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestClarifyUnclearAnswerDropsWithoutAskingAgain — MaxAttempts is 1.
-func TestClarifyUnclearAnswerDropsWithoutAskingAgain(t *testing.T) {
+// TestClarifyAsksThreeTimesThenSaysSo — three questions are allowed, the fourth
+// is not, and running out is SPOKEN. Silence would read as "handled".
+func TestClarifyAsksThreeTimesThenSaysSo(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	h, st, _ := newClarifyHandler(t)
 
 	if _, asked := h.askClarify(clarifyDec(router.IntentReminder, router.Slots{Text: "напомни"}, "напомни")); !asked {
-		t.Fatal("expected a question")
+		t.Fatal("expected a first question")
 	}
+	// Two more unclear answers ⇒ two more questions (3 asks in total).
+	for i := 2; i <= 3; i++ {
+		reply, handled := h.resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx, "ну не знаю")
+		if !handled {
+			t.Fatalf("answer %d must be consumed as an answer", i)
+		}
+		if reply != "На когда напомнить?" {
+			t.Fatalf("attempt %d should ask again, got %q", i, reply)
+		}
+		if h.clarifyStore.Get(voiceDialogueID, h.now()) == nil {
+			t.Fatalf("attempt %d must leave the question armed", i)
+		}
+	}
+
 	reply, handled := h.resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx, "ну не знаю")
-	if !handled || reply != clarifyDropped {
-		t.Fatalf("an unclear answer should drop the request, handled=%v reply=%q", handled, reply)
+	if !handled || reply != clarifyGaveUp {
+		t.Fatalf("the fourth try must give up out loud, handled=%v reply=%q", handled, reply)
 	}
-	if strings.Contains(reply, "?") {
-		t.Fatalf("she must not ask a second question: %q", reply)
+	if reply == "" || strings.Contains(reply, "?") {
+		t.Fatalf("giving up must be spoken and must not be another question: %q", reply)
 	}
 	if h.clarifyStore.Get(voiceDialogueID, h.now()) != nil {
-		t.Fatal("a dropped request must leave no armed question")
+		t.Fatal("a given-up request must leave no armed question")
 	}
 	if reminders, err := st.DueReminders(ctx, h.now().Add(48*time.Hour)); err != nil || len(reminders) != 0 {
-		t.Fatalf("a dropped request must not create anything: reminders=%v err=%v", reminders, err)
+		t.Fatalf("a given-up request must not create anything: reminders=%v err=%v", reminders, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestClarifyMaxAttemptsIsConfigurable — one question when the config says one.
+func TestClarifyMaxAttemptsIsConfigurable(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	h, _, _ := newClarifyHandler(t)
+	h.clarifyMaxAttempts = 1
+
+	if _, asked := h.askClarify(clarifyDec(router.IntentReminder, router.Slots{Text: "напомни"}, "напомни")); !asked {
+		t.Fatal("expected a question")
+	}
+	if reply, handled := h.resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx, "ну не знаю"); !handled || reply != clarifyGaveUp {
+		t.Fatalf("with max 1 she must give up at once, handled=%v reply=%q", handled, reply)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestClarifyRestatedAnswerWins — «в 11:00», then «нет, в 15:00». The second
+// value is the one that lands.
+func TestClarifyRestatedAnswerWins(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	h, st, _ := newClarifyHandler(t)
+
+	if _, asked := h.askClarify(clarifyDec(router.IntentReminder, router.Slots{Text: "напомни позвонить маме"}, "напомни позвонить маме")); !asked {
+		t.Fatal("expected a question")
+	}
+	// First answer parses, but re-park it by hand as if she had asked again:
+	// what matters here is that Answer prefers the newer value over the parked
+	// one, which is the case the daemon hits on a re-ask.
+	q := h.clarifyStore.Get(voiceDialogueID, h.now())
+	if q == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected an armed question")
+	}
+	first := h.extractor.Extract(ctx, router.IntentReminder, "в 11:00", h.now())
+	q.Slots = q.Answer("в 11:00", toDialogueSlots(first))
+
+	if reply, handled := h.resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx, "нет, в 15:00"); !handled || reply == clarifyGaveUp {
+		t.Fatalf("the restated answer should complete the request, handled=%v reply=%q", handled, reply)
+	}
+	reminders, err := st.DueReminders(ctx, h.now().Add(48*time.Hour))
+	if err != nil || len(reminders) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected one reminder: %v err=%v", reminders, err)
+	}
+	want := h.extractor.Extract(ctx, router.IntentReminder, "в 15:00", h.now())
+	if !reminders[0].FireTs.Equal(want.Time) {
+		t.Fatalf("reminder at %v, want the restated %v", reminders[0].FireTs, want.Time)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -228,6 +289,36 @@ func TestNoQuestionWhenNothingIsMissing(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestClarifyExpiryIsAnnouncedAndWordsStillRoute — his answer lands after the
+// TTL: she must say the old request is gone AND still answer the new words.
+func TestClarifyExpiryIsAnnouncedAndWordsStillRoute(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	h, _, now := newClarifyHandler(t)
+	emb := router.NewHashEmbedder(1024)
+	h.embedder = emb
+	h.router = buildRouter(emb, h.matcher, 0.55, nil)
+
+	if _, asked := h.askClarify(clarifyDec(router.IntentReminder, router.Slots{Text: "напомни"}, "напомни")); !asked {
+		t.Fatal("expected a question")
+	}
+	*now = now.Add(clarifyTTL + time.Second)
+
+	reply := h.handleText(ctx, "как дела")
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(reply, clarifyExpired) {
+		t.Fatalf("expired question must be announced first, got %q", reply)
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(reply, clarifyExpired)) == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("the new words must still be answered, got only the notice: %q", reply)
+	}
+	if h.clarifyStore.Get(voiceDialogueID, h.now()) != nil {
+		t.Fatal("the expired question must be gone")
+	}
+	// The notice is said once, not on every later utterance.
+	if reply := h.handleText(ctx, "как дела"); strings.Contains(reply, clarifyExpired) {
+		t.Fatalf("notice repeated on a later turn: %q", reply)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestNoPendingQuestionFallsThrough — with nothing parked, an utterance routes
 // normally.
 func TestNoPendingQuestionFallsThrough(t *testing.T) {

cmd/mavend/main.go

@@ -189,7 +189,9 @@ func (l *lockedAPI) MorningStatus(ctx context.Context) ([]ipc.MorningRoutineStat
 func run(args []string) error {
 	cfgPath := flag.String("config", defaultConfigPath(), "path to mavend JSON config")
 	wrappedKeyPath := flag.String("wrapped-key-file", "", "path to wrapped encryption key blob (enables cold-start unlock)")
+	reembed := flag.Bool("reembed", false, "re-embed every stored note and fact with the configured embedder, then serve normally (run once after an embedder swap)")
 	flag.CommandLine.Parse(args)
+	reembedOnStart = *reembed
 	cfg, err := config.Load(*cfgPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err

cmd/mavend/query_recall_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"math"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/ipc"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/memory"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/voice"
+)
+
+// fixedEmbedder hands back a vector chosen per text, so a test can say exactly
+// how close each stored memory is to the question. The real embedders make
+// scores that are realistic but not controllable, and this test is about the
+// gate, not about the embedder.
+type fixedEmbedder struct{ vecs map[string][]float32 }
+
+func (f *fixedEmbedder) Dim() int     { return 4 }
+func (f *fixedEmbedder) Close() error { return nil }
+
+func (f *fixedEmbedder) Embed(_ context.Context, text string) ([]float32, error) {
+	v, ok := f.vecs[text]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("fixedEmbedder: no vector for %q", text)
+	}
+	return v, nil
+}
+
+// scoreVec builds a unit vector whose cosine against the query vector
+// (1,0,0,0) is exactly score.
+func scoreVec(score float64) []float32 {
+	rest := math.Sqrt(1 - score*score)
+	return []float32{float32(score), float32(rest), 0, 0}
+}
+
+// recordingPhraser remembers what the query path handed it to phrase, which is
+// how the test can tell which pass produced the answer.
+type recordingPhraser struct {
+	*phraser.Stub
+	notes []string
+}
+
+func (r *recordingPhraser) PhraseQuery(ctx context.Context, utterance string, notes []string) (string, error) {
+	r.notes = notes
+	return r.Stub.PhraseQuery(ctx, utterance, notes)
+}
+
+// recallCase — one stored memory: its text, how close it is to the question,
+// whether it is a note or a fact, and whether the notes table holds it too.
+type recallCase struct {
+	text  string
+	score float64
+	kind  string
+}
+
+// buildRecallHandler stores the given memories and returns a handler whose
+// query path can be run directly. Notes go into BOTH the notes table and the
+// vector index, which is what the daemon does (voice.go's IntentNote).
+func buildRecallHandler(t *testing.T, question string, mems []recallCase) (*reactiveHandler, *recordingPhraser) {
+	t.Helper()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	st := newTestStore(t)
+	emb := &fixedEmbedder{vecs: map[string][]float32{question: {1, 0, 0, 0}}}
+	mem := memory.NewInMemoryStore()
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	for i, m := range mems {
+		vec := scoreVec(m.score)
+		emb.vecs[m.text] = vec
+		id := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", m.kind, i)
+		if m.kind == "note" {
+			if _, err := st.WriteNote(ctx, now, m.text, vec, "tap:voice"); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("WriteNote: %v", err)
+			}
+		}
+		if err := mem.Insert(ctx, id, vec, map[string]string{"text": m.text, "type": m.kind}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("memory insert: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	phr := &recordingPhraser{Stub: phraser.NewStub()}
+	h := &reactiveHandler{
+		api:             ipc.NewStoreAPI(st),
+		embedder:        emb,
+		replier:         voice.NewStubReplier(),
+		phraser:         phr,
+		now:             func() time.Time { return now },
+		memStore:        mem,
+		dataStore:       st,
+		queryMinScore:   0.55,
+		queryMinMargin:  0.008,
+		weatherProvider: nil,
+	}
+	return h, phr
+}
+
+func askQuery(t *testing.T, h *reactiveHandler, question string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	return h.applyAction(context.Background(), router.Decision{
+		Intent:    router.IntentQuery,
+		Utterance: question,
+	})
+}
+
+// TestQueryRecallNoteCanWin — the note-recall regression (Vikunja #373). Notes
+// and facts share one vector index, and a note that clearly beats everything
+// else must be the answer. Before the fix the memory pass only ran after the
+// notes-only gate had already rejected the same note at the same score, so only
+// a fact could ever come back from it.
+func TestQueryRecallNoteCanWin(t *testing.T) {
+	const q = "где молоко"
+
+	t.Run("a clearly best note answers", func(t *testing.T) {
+		h, phr := buildRecallHandler(t, q, []recallCase{
+			{text: "молоко стоит в холодильнике", score: 0.90, kind: "note"},
+			{text: "выучил пару аккордов", score: 0.50, kind: "note"},
+		})
+		reply := askQuery(t, h, q)
+		if want := "вот что я нашла: молоко стоит в холодильнике"; reply != want {
+			t.Errorf("reply %q, want %q", reply, want)
+		}
+		// One text, the winning memory's — the answer came from the memory
+		// pass, not from handing the phraser every note in the table.
+		if len(phr.notes) != 1 || phr.notes[0] != "молоко стоит в холодильнике" {
+			t.Errorf("phraser got %q, want just the recalled note", phr.notes)
+		}
+	})
+
+	// The other half of "one gate over everything": a fact that matches better
+	// than the best note now answers, instead of losing to a note that only had
+	// to beat other notes.
+	t.Run("the better-matching fact answers", func(t *testing.T) {
+		h, _ := buildRecallHandler(t, q, []recallCase{
+			{text: "молоко стоит в холодильнике", score: 0.80, kind: "note"},
+			{text: "купил молоко в среду", score: 0.95, kind: "fact"},
+		})
+		if reply := askQuery(t, h, q); reply != "купил молоко в среду" {
+			t.Errorf("reply %q, want the fact read back", reply)
+		}
+	})
+
+	// The gate is untouched: two memories this close mean the embedder cannot
+	// tell them apart, and silence still beats a coin flip.
+	t.Run("no clear best stays silent", func(t *testing.T) {
+		h, _ := buildRecallHandler(t, q, []recallCase{
+			{text: "молоко стоит в холодильнике", score: 0.860, kind: "note"},
+			{text: "молоко закончилось", score: 0.858, kind: "note"},
+		})
+		if reply := askQuery(t, h, q); reply != "не знаю." {
+			t.Errorf("reply %q, want silence", reply)
+		}
+	})
+}

cmd/mavend/recall.go

@@ -2,21 +2,24 @@ package main
 
 import "github.com/kami/maven/internal/memory"
 
-// bestRecall is the read side of the long-term memory store: the top hit's
-// stored text when it clears the confidence gate. This recalls across BOTH
-// notes and facts (facts aren't in the notes table, so this is the only path
-// that can answer "when did I last …?" from a captured fact). A note hit here
-// is redundant with the notes-RAG path — by design; the two indexes can diverge
-// once the backend is swapped for a persistent/external store. ok=false when
-// the hit fails the confidence gate (see memory.Confident: an absolute floor
-// plus a margin over the runner-up) or carries no text.
-func bestRecall(results []memory.Result, minScore, minMargin float64) (string, bool) {
+// bestRecall is the read side of the long-term memory store: the top hit when
+// it clears the confidence gate. The index holds BOTH notes and facts, and
+// either can win — the caller looks at the returned hit's meta["type"] to see
+// which. Facts aren't in the notes table, so this is the only path that can
+// answer "when did I last …?" from a captured fact.
+//
+// The whole hit is returned, not just its text, because "which memory answered"
+// decides how the answer is said: a note gets phrased in Maven's voice, a fact
+// is read back as stored.
+//
+// ok=false when the hit fails the confidence gate (see memory.Confident: an
+// absolute floor plus a margin over the runner-up) or carries no text.
+func bestRecall(results []memory.Result, minScore, minMargin float64) (memory.Result, bool) {
 	if !memory.Confident(results, minScore, minMargin) {
-		return "", false
+		return memory.Result{}, false
 	}
-	text := results[0].Meta["text"]
-	if text == "" {
-		return "", false
+	if results[0].Meta["text"] == "" {
+		return memory.Result{}, false
 	}
-	return text, true
+	return results[0], true
 }

cmd/mavend/recall_test.go

@@ -39,8 +39,27 @@ func TestBestRecall(t *testing.T) {
 		if !ok {
 			t.Fatal("clearing hit not returned")
 		}
-		if got != "выпил воды в три часа" {
-			t.Errorf("wrong text: %q", got)
+		if got.Meta["text"] != "выпил воды в три часа" {
+			t.Errorf("wrong text: %q", got.Meta["text"])
+		}
+		if got.Meta["type"] != "fact" {
+			t.Errorf("kind lost: %q", got.Meta["type"])
+		}
+	})
+
+	// The index holds notes and facts together, so a note has to be able to win
+	// it — for a long time it could not (Vikunja #373).
+	t.Run("a note can win", func(t *testing.T) {
+		res := []memory.Result{
+			{Score: 0.86, Meta: map[string]string{"text": "молоко в холодильнике", "type": "note"}},
+			{Score: 0.61, Meta: map[string]string{"text": "выпил воды", "type": "fact"}},
+		}
+		got, ok := bestRecall(res, min, margin)
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatal("clearly-best note not returned")
+		}
+		if got.Meta["type"] != "note" || got.Meta["text"] != "молоко в холодильнике" {
+			t.Errorf("got %v, want the note", got.Meta)
 		}
 	})
 

cmd/mavend/replier_llm.go

@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@ func newLLMReplier(c completer) *llmReplier {
 	return &llmReplier{c: c, stub: voice.NewStubReplier()}
 }
 
-const replySystem = `Ты — Maven, домашняя ассистентка (о себе — в женском роде). Подтверди действие РОВНО ОДНИМ коротким предложением (≤120 символов), тепло и по-русски. Не задавай вопросов, не повторяй слова, не добавляй ничего после точки. Respond ONLY with valid JSON: {"response": "...", "mood": "neutral"}.`
+const replySystem = `Ты — Maven, домашняя ассистентка (о себе — в женском роде). Подтверди действие РОВНО ОДНИМ коротким предложением (≤120 символов), тепло и по-русски. Не задавай вопросов, не повторяй слова, не добавляй ничего после точки. Отвечай ТОЛЬКО одним объектом JSON с полями "response" (текст) и "mood" (ровно одно из: neutral, happy, thinking, tired, confused).
+Пример: {"response": "Записала, что ты выпил стакан воды.", "mood": "neutral"}
+Никогда не пиши "..." в поле response.`
 
 func (r *llmReplier) Reply(d router.Decision) string {
 	if d.Clarify {

cmd/mavend/system_reply_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
+)
+
+// systemHandler — a handler with nothing but a fixed clock, which is all
+// replySystem needs.
+func systemHandler(now time.Time) *reactiveHandler {
+	return &reactiveHandler{now: func() time.Time { return now }}
+}
+
+// TestReplySystemDateOffset — "какое число завтра" must answer tomorrow's
+// date, not today's (Vikunja #388).
+func TestReplySystemDateOffset(t *testing.T) {
+	// Thursday, 30 July 2026.
+	now := time.Date(2026, 7, 30, 14, 5, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	h := systemHandler(now)
+	cases := []struct{ utterance, want string }{
+		{"какое сегодня число", "сегодня четверг, 30 июля 2026 года"},
+		{"какое число", "сегодня четверг, 30 июля 2026 года"},
+		{"какое число завтра", "завтра пятница, 31 июля 2026 года"},
+		{"какое число послезавтра", "послезавтра суббота, 1 августа 2026 года"},
+		{"какое было число вчера", "вчера среда, 29 июля 2026 года"},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		got := h.replySystem(context.Background(), router.Decision{Utterance: c.utterance})
+		if got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("replySystem(%q) = %q, want %q", c.utterance, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// A day she cannot work out must not come back as today's date — that is the
+// same silent wrong answer #388 was about, one step further out.
+func TestReplySystemUnknownDayIsHonest(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Date(2026, 7, 30, 14, 5, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	h := systemHandler(now)
+	for _, u := range []string{
+		"какое число в пятницу",
+		"какое число через неделю",
+		"какое число в понедельник",
+	} {
+		got := h.replySystem(context.Background(), router.Decision{Utterance: u})
+		if got != onlyNearDaysReply {
+			t.Errorf("replySystem(%q) = %q, want the honest reply", u, got)
+		}
+	}
+	// The days she does know must not be caught by the same guard.
+	if got := h.replySystem(context.Background(), router.Decision{Utterance: "какое число завтра"}); got == onlyNearDaysReply {
+		t.Error("завтра was treated as an unknown day")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestReplySystemClockCity — the clock arm must not answer local time for a
+// question about another city (Vikunja #388). She keeps one clock, so every
+// named place gets the honest "local time only" answer.
+func TestReplySystemClockCity(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Date(2026, 7, 30, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	h := systemHandler(now)
+	cases := []struct{ utterance, want string }{
+		{"который час", "сейчас 12 часов ровно"},
+		{"который час в киеве", onlyLocalTimeReply},
+		{"сколько времени в москве", onlyLocalTimeReply},
+		{"который час в лондоне", onlyLocalTimeReply},
+		{"который час в бишкеке", onlyLocalTimeReply},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		got := h.replySystem(context.Background(), router.Decision{Utterance: c.utterance})
+		if got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("replySystem(%q) = %q, want %q", c.utterance, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}

cmd/mavend/voice.go

@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@ func wireVoice(cfg *config.Config, coreAPI ipc.CoreAPI, phr phraser.Phraser, mem
 		emb = router.NewHashEmbedder(1024)
 	}
 	w.embedder = emb
+	checkStoredEmbedder(dataStore, emb)
 
 	// ----- tool executor (the enabled act allowlist, store-backed) -----
 	// Config tools are the declarative bootstrap: seed them into the store as
@@ -227,7 +228,18 @@ func wireVoice(cfg *config.Config, coreAPI ipc.CoreAPI, phr phraser.Phraser, mem
 	}
 
 	// ----- dialogue (multi-turn slot carry-over; 2-min follow-up window) -----
-	dialogueSessions := dialogue.NewSessionStore(2 * time.Minute)
+	// Store-backed when the daemon passes a store, so a restart mid-conversation
+	// keeps the thread (Vikunja #363). Sessions past their TTL are dropped on
+	// load, never revived. Clarify's parked question stays in memory only.
+	var dialogueSessions *dialogue.SessionStore
+	if dataStore != nil {
+		dialogueSessions = dialogue.NewPersistentSessionStore(2*time.Minute, dataStore)
+		if err := dialogueSessions.Load(context.Background(), time.Now()); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("dialogue: load saved sessions: %v", err)
+		}
+	} else {
+		dialogueSessions = dialogue.NewSessionStore(2 * time.Minute)
+	}
 	clarifyStore := dialogue.NewClarifyStore(clarifyTTL)
 	timeParser := router.NewPythonDateParser()
 
@@ -255,11 +267,13 @@ func wireVoice(cfg *config.Config, coreAPI ipc.CoreAPI, phr phraser.Phraser, mem
 		dataStore:        dataStore,
 		dialogueSessions: dialogueSessions,
 		clarifyStore:     clarifyStore,
-		extractor:        router.Extractor{Time: timeParser, Acts: matcher, Facts: router.DefaultFactParser{}},
-		queryMinScore:    cfg.Voice.QueryMinScore,
-		queryMinMargin:   cfg.Voice.QueryMinMargin,
-		timeParser:       timeParser,
-		ecosystem:        eco,
+		// 0 here (unset config) ⇒ the dialogue default.
+		clarifyMaxAttempts: cfg.Voice.ClarifyMaxAttempts,
+		extractor:          router.Extractor{Time: timeParser, Acts: matcher, Facts: router.DefaultFactParser{}},
+		queryMinScore:      cfg.Voice.QueryMinScore,
+		queryMinMargin:     cfg.Voice.QueryMinMargin,
+		timeParser:         timeParser,
+		ecosystem:          eco,
 	}
 
 	// ----- the server (TCP listener) -----
@@ -318,6 +332,10 @@ type reactiveHandler struct {
 	// clarify.go). nil ⇒ she falls back to the canned "не поняла" reply.
 	clarifyStore *dialogue.ClarifyStore
 
+	// clarifyMaxAttempts — questions per request before she gives up out loud.
+	// 0 ⇒ dialogue.DefaultMaxAttempts (3). Set from VoiceConfig.
+	clarifyMaxAttempts int
+
 	// extractor parses the answer to an open question, with the same parsers
 	// the router's own stage-2 uses.
 	extractor router.Extractor
@@ -396,9 +414,17 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) HandlePushToTalk(ctx context.Context, req voice.PushTo
 		return h.reply(ctx, reply, nil)
 	}
 
-	// 1b2. clarify answer — if she asked a question last turn, this utterance is
-	// its answer, not a fresh command. After the confirm check: a y/n gate is
-	// armed by her own prompt and is the narrower claim on the utterance.
+	// 1b2. expired clarify — a question was parked but its TTL ran out, so the
+	// request behind it is gone. Say that out loud (see clarify.go) and carry
+	// on: these words are still routed as a fresh utterance below, with the
+	// notice glued in front of whatever the fresh routing answers. Checked
+	// BEFORE the answer path: reading a parked question drops an expired one.
+	expiredNotice := h.clarifyExpiredNotice()
+
+	// 1b3. clarify answer — if she asked a live question last turn, this
+	// utterance is its answer, not a fresh command. After the confirm check: a
+	// y/n gate is armed by her own prompt and is the narrower claim on the
+	// utterance.
 	if reply, handled := h.resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx, text); handled {
 		return h.reply(ctx, reply, nil)
 	}
@@ -408,7 +434,7 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) HandlePushToTalk(ctx context.Context, req voice.PushTo
 	// unreliably (it's a command, not a free-form query), so we match it
 	// before routing. Same pattern as the confirm turn above.
 	if reply, handled := h.resolveQuietToggle(ctx, text); handled {
-		return h.reply(ctx, reply, nil)
+		return h.reply(ctx, withNotice(expiredNotice, reply), nil)
 	}
 
 	// 2. router — classify the utterance.
@@ -417,10 +443,10 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) HandlePushToTalk(ctx context.Context, req voice.PushTo
 		// ErrNoIntents ⇒ classifier unseeded (cold boot). reply with a
 		// "still warming up" rather than a wire error.
 		if errors.Is(err, router.ErrNoIntents) {
-			return h.reply(ctx, "я ещё не понимаю свободную речь — скоро научусь.", nil)
+			return h.reply(ctx, withNotice(expiredNotice, "я ещё не понимаю свободную речь — скоро научусь."), nil)
 		}
 		log.Printf("voice: router error: %v", err)
-		return h.reply(ctx, "не получилось разобрать команду.", nil)
+		return h.reply(ctx, withNotice(expiredNotice, "не получилось разобрать команду."), nil)
 	}
 
 	// 2b. dialogue — fill this turn's missing slots from a prior same-intent
@@ -441,7 +467,7 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) HandlePushToTalk(ctx context.Context, req voice.PushTo
 	// stands.
 	if dec.Clarify {
 		if question, asked := h.askClarify(dec); asked {
-			return h.reply(ctx, question, nil)
+			return h.reply(ctx, withNotice(expiredNotice, question), nil)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -457,7 +483,7 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) HandlePushToTalk(ctx context.Context, req voice.PushTo
 
 	// 5. tts — synthesise the reply text; return to the voice server which
 	// ships it back on the conn.
-	return h.reply(ctx, replyText, nil)
+	return h.reply(ctx, withNotice(expiredNotice, replyText), nil)
 }
 
 // handleText — the core reactive path without stt/tts: confirm check →
@@ -472,7 +498,9 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) handleText(ctx context.Context, text string) string {
 		return reply
 	}
 
-	// 1b2. clarify answer — same check as HandlePushToTalk.
+	// 1b2/1b3. expired clarify then clarify answer — same order and reasons as
+	// HandlePushToTalk.
+	expiredNotice := h.clarifyExpiredNotice()
 	if reply, handled := h.resolveClarifyAnswer(ctx, text); handled {
 		return reply
 	}
@@ -481,10 +509,10 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) handleText(ctx context.Context, text string) string {
 	dec, err := h.router.Route(ctx, text, h.now())
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, router.ErrNoIntents) {
-			return "я ещё не понимаю свободную речь — скоро научусь."
+			return withNotice(expiredNotice, "я ещё не понимаю свободную речь — скоро научусь.")
 		}
 		log.Printf("voice: handleText router error: %v", err)
-		return "не получилось разобрать команду."
+		return withNotice(expiredNotice, "не получилось разобрать команду.")
 	}
 	log.Printf("voice: route result: intent=%s slots=%+v", dec.Intent, dec.Slots)
 
@@ -501,7 +529,7 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) handleText(ctx context.Context, text string) string {
 	// 2c. clarify — same as HandlePushToTalk: ask about the one missing thing.
 	if dec.Clarify {
 		if question, asked := h.askClarify(dec); asked {
-			return question
+			return withNotice(expiredNotice, question)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -513,7 +541,7 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) handleText(ctx context.Context, text string) string {
 	if replyText == "" {
 		replyText = h.replier.Reply(dec)
 	}
-	return replyText
+	return withNotice(expiredNotice, replyText)
 }
 
 // applyAction — executes the router's Decision. Intent-by-intent:
@@ -724,7 +752,9 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) applyAction(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decision)
 		}
 
 		// Calendar questions: "что у меня сегодня?", "планы на завтра?"
-		if date, ok := router.ParseCalendarDate(dec.Utterance, time.Now()); ok {
+		// h.now(), not time.Now(): the handler's clock is the injected one, so
+		// this arm can be tested at a fixed time like the rest.
+		if date, ok := router.ParseCalendarDate(dec.Utterance, h.now()); ok {
 			events, err := h.api.CalendarEvents(ctx, date, date.Add(24*time.Hour))
 			if err != nil {
 				log.Printf("voice: calendar events: %v", err)
@@ -759,11 +789,43 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) applyAction(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decision)
 			log.Printf("voice: embed query: %v", err)
 			return "не получилось найти ответ."
 		}
+		// Long-term memory first: ONE search over everything Maven remembers
+		// (notes and facts share this index) and ONE confidence gate, so the
+		// memory that is clearly the best match answers — a note just as much
+		// as a fact.
+		//
+		// This used to run only after the notes-only gate below had already
+		// rejected the same note at the same score, which no note could ever
+		// survive a second time: the branch could only return a fact (#373).
+		// Order, not the gate, was the bug — the set of questions Maven answers
+		// is unchanged, only which memory gets to answer them.
+		if h.memStore != nil {
+			if hits, herr := h.memStore.Search(ctx, vec, 3); herr == nil {
+				if hit, ok := bestRecall(hits, h.queryMinScore, h.queryMinMargin); ok {
+					text := hit.Meta["text"]
+					// A note is phrased in Maven's voice; a fact is read back
+					// as it was stored.
+					if hit.Meta["type"] == "note" {
+						if reply, perr := h.phraser.PhraseQuery(ctx, dec.Utterance, []string{text}); perr == nil && reply != "" {
+							return reply
+						}
+					}
+					return text
+				}
+			} else {
+				log.Printf("voice: memory search: %v", herr)
+			}
+		}
+
 		notes, err := h.api.QueryNotes(ctx, vec, 5)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Printf("voice: query notes: %v", err)
 			return "не получилось найти ответ."
 		}
+		// Notes-only pass, for notes the vector index above does not hold (an
+		// older note written before it existed). Same gate, notes-only
+		// candidates.
+		//
 		// Confidence gate: below it, say "I don't know" rather than read back
 		// the least-unrelated note — a confident wrong recall is worse than a
 		// gap (spec's "not a guesser-of-truth"). Same instinct as the loop's
@@ -775,16 +837,6 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) applyAction(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decision)
 			noteScores[i] = n.Score
 		}
 		if !memory.ConfidentScores(noteScores, h.queryMinScore, h.queryMinMargin) {
-			// Long-term memory recall (notes + facts) before general knowledge:
-			// the notes table can't answer fact questions, but the memory store
-			// indexes both. Only runs when notes-RAG already gave up → additive.
-			if h.memStore != nil {
-				if hits, herr := h.memStore.Search(ctx, vec, 3); herr == nil {
-					if text, ok := bestRecall(hits, h.queryMinScore, h.queryMinMargin); ok {
-						return text
-					}
-				}
-			}
 			// Try general knowledge from the phraser before giving up
 			reply, err := h.phraser.PhraseQuery(ctx, dec.Utterance, nil)
 			if err != nil || reply == "" {
@@ -886,6 +938,101 @@ var ruMonths = []string{
 	"июля", "августа", "сентября", "октября", "ноября", "декабря",
 }
 
+// onlyLocalTimeReply — the honest answer when the user asks the time somewhere
+// other than here. She only keeps one clock, and saying so is better than
+// naming the wrong city's time.
+//
+// There used to be a city→time-zone table here. It was removed on purpose: the
+// user only ever asks for local time, so the table was a second list of cities
+// to keep in step with the weather one for no gain.
+const onlyLocalTimeReply = "я знаю только местное время, про другие города пока не скажу."
+
+// notPlaceAfterV — words that follow "в" without naming a place, so
+// mentionsUnknownPlace does not mistake them for a city.
+var notPlaceAfterV = map[string]bool{
+	"данный": true, "данную": true, "этот": true, "эту": true,
+	"котором": true, "какое": true, "какой": true, "который": true,
+	"общем": true, "точности": true, "курсе": true, "сутках": true,
+	"часах": true, "минутах": true, "секундах": true, "неделе": true,
+}
+
+// mentionsUnknownPlace reports whether the question has a "в <слово>" phrase
+// that looks like a place we do not know ("который час в киеве"). Used only to
+// pick the honest "local time only" reply instead of answering local time as
+// if it were the city's.
+func mentionsUnknownPlace(u string) bool {
+	toks := strings.Fields(u)
+	for i := 0; i+1 < len(toks); i++ {
+		if toks[i] != "в" && toks[i] != "во" {
+			continue
+		}
+		next := strings.Trim(toks[i+1], ".,?!")
+		if next == "" || notPlaceAfterV[next] {
+			continue
+		}
+		// A number after "в" is a clock ("в 5 часов"), not a place.
+		if _, err := strconv.Atoi(strings.SplitN(next, ":", 2)[0]); err == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// onlyNearDaysReply — she can work out today, tomorrow, the day after and
+// yesterday, and nothing further. Said out loud instead of answering today's
+// date for a day she did not understand.
+const onlyNearDaysReply = "я считаю только сегодня, завтра, послезавтра и вчера — про другие дни пока не скажу."
+
+// dayWords — day references the calendar parser cannot resolve. A weekday name
+// or a "через …" phrase means he asked about a specific other day.
+var dayWords = []string{
+	"понедельник", "вторник", "сред", "четверг", "пятниц", "суббот", "воскресен",
+	"через", "monday", "tuesday", "wednesday", "thursday", "friday", "saturday", "sunday",
+}
+
+// mentionsUnknownDay reports whether the question names a day the calendar
+// parser could not resolve. Mirror of mentionsUnknownPlace: it exists only to
+// pick an honest reply over a confidently wrong one.
+//
+// Only called after ParseCalendarDate has already failed, so "завтра" and the
+// other words it does know never reach here.
+func mentionsUnknownDay(u string) bool {
+	for _, w := range dayWords {
+		if strings.Contains(u, w) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// ruClock renders the clock part of the time reply: "15 часов 4 минуты".
+func ruClock(t time.Time) string {
+	h, m := t.Hour(), t.Minute()
+	hourWord := ruPlural(h, "час", "часа", "часов")
+	if m == 0 {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%d %s ровно", h, hourWord)
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%d %s %d %s", h, hourWord, m, ruPlural(m, "минута", "минуты", "минут"))
+}
+
+// dayPrefix names the day relative to now ("завтра", "вчера", …) so the date
+// reply opens the way a person would say it.
+func dayPrefix(now, day time.Time) string {
+	base := time.Date(now.Year(), now.Month(), now.Day(), 0, 0, 0, 0, now.Location())
+	switch int(day.Sub(base).Hours() / 24) {
+	case -1:
+		return "вчера"
+	case 0:
+		return "сегодня"
+	case 1:
+		return "завтра"
+	case 2:
+		return "послезавтра"
+	}
+	return "это"
+}
+
 func ruPlural(n int, one, two, many string) string {
 	n = n % 100
 	if n > 10 && n < 20 {
@@ -964,18 +1111,29 @@ func (h *reactiveHandler) replySystem(ctx context.Context, dec router.Decision)
 
 	switch {
 	case strings.Contains(u, "час") || strings.Contains(u, "врем"):
-		h := now.Hour()
-		m := now.Minute()
-		hourWord := ruPlural(h, "час", "часа", "часов")
-		if m == 0 {
-			return fmt.Sprintf("сейчас %d %s ровно", h, hourWord)
+		// "который час в киеве" — she keeps one clock, so any named place gets
+		// the honest answer. Never local time dressed up as the city's.
+		if mentionsUnknownPlace(u) {
+			return onlyLocalTimeReply
 		}
-		minWord := ruPlural(m, "минута", "минуты", "минут")
-		return fmt.Sprintf("сейчас %d %s %d %s", h, hourWord, m, minWord)
+		return "сейчас " + ruClock(now)
 	case strings.Contains(u, "день") || strings.Contains(u, "числ"):
-		dow := ruWeekdays[now.Weekday()]
-		month := ruMonths[now.Month()-1]
-		return fmt.Sprintf("сегодня %s, %d %s %d года", dow, now.Day(), month, now.Year())
+		// "какое число завтра" — answer for the day the user asked about,
+		// not today. Reuses the router's calendar day-word parser.
+		day := now
+		prefix := "сегодня"
+		if d, ok := router.ParseCalendarDate(u, now); ok {
+			day = d
+			prefix = dayPrefix(now, d)
+		} else if mentionsUnknownDay(u) {
+			// He named a day she cannot work out ("в пятницу", "через неделю").
+			// Answering today's date here would be the same silent wrong answer
+			// this arm was fixed for, so say what she can do instead.
+			return onlyNearDaysReply
+		}
+		dow := ruWeekdays[day.Weekday()]
+		month := ruMonths[day.Month()-1]
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s %s, %d %s %d года", prefix, dow, day.Day(), month, day.Year())
 	case strings.Contains(u, "кто дома") || strings.Contains(u, "человек дома"):
 		return "присутствие пока не подключено к голосовому запросу."
 	case strings.Contains(u, "памят") || strings.Contains(u, "процессор") || strings.Contains(u, "загрузк") || strings.Contains(u, "статус") || strings.Contains(u, "работа") || strings.Contains(u, "сервис") || strings.Contains(u, "диск") || strings.Contains(u, "ip") || strings.Contains(u, "аптайм") || strings.Contains(u, "трафик") || strings.Contains(u, "интернет"):
@@ -1718,3 +1876,71 @@ func jsonStringImpl(s string) string {
 	b = append(b, '"')
 	return string(b)
 }
+
+// reembedOnStart is the -reembed flag (set in run()). Opt-in on purpose: see
+// runReembed.
+var reembedOnStart bool
+
+// checkStoredEmbedder compares the embedder we just loaded with the one that
+// wrote the vectors already in the DB (Vikunja #378).
+//
+// The two models we have both make 384-dim vectors, so a size check catches
+// nothing: after a swap, recall silently compares vectors from different
+// spaces and the scores are noise. So we say it out loud. Recall itself is not
+// changed here — the fix is `mavend -reembed`.
+func checkStoredEmbedder(dataStore *store.Store, emb router.Embedder) {
+	if dataStore == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	current := router.EmbedderID(emb)
+	if reembedOnStart {
+		runReembed(dataStore, emb, current)
+		return
+	}
+	stored, mismatch, err := dataStore.CheckEmbedder(context.Background(), current)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("voice: embedder marker check failed: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	if mismatch {
+		log.Printf("voice: WARNING embedder MISMATCH — stored vectors were written by %q but the configured embedder is %q; recall scores are noise until the notes and facts are re-embedded — run `mavend -reembed` once (Vikunja #378)", stored, current)
+		return
+	}
+	log.Printf("voice: embedder marker ok (%s)", current)
+}
+
+// runReembed is the one-shot backfill behind -reembed.
+//
+// Why a flag and not automatic on mismatch: the embedder is ONNX on the
+// laptop's CPU, so a few thousand notes is minutes of work. Doing that silently
+// inside a normal start would look like the daemon hanging on boot. So the user
+// runs it once, deliberately, after an embedder swap; the mismatch warning
+// above tells them to. It re-embeds, logs what it did, and then the daemon
+// carries on serving as usual — no separate binary, no second start needed.
+func runReembed(dataStore *store.Store, emb router.Embedder, current string) {
+	log.Printf("voice: re-embedding stored notes and facts with %s — this can take a few minutes, do not interrupt", current)
+	res, err := dataStore.ReembedAll(context.Background(), current,
+		// EmbedPassage, not EmbedQuery: these are stored texts being searched
+		// FOR, which is the side they were written with.
+		func(ctx context.Context, text string) ([]float32, error) {
+			return router.EmbedPassage(ctx, emb, text)
+		})
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("voice: re-embed FAILED, nothing was changed and no marker was written — safe to run again: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	if res.Skipped {
+		log.Printf("voice: re-embed skipped — the stored vectors were already written by %s", current)
+		return
+	}
+	log.Printf("voice: re-embed done — %d notes in the notes table, %d notes and %d facts in the memory index, took %s; stored vectors now belong to %s",
+		res.Notes, res.MemNotes, res.Facts, res.Took.Round(time.Second), current)
+
+	// A row with no text cannot be re-embedded, so its vector is still the old
+	// model's noise while the marker now says everything is current. Both write
+	// paths always store the text, so this should be zero — say it loudly
+	// rather than bury it in the line above if it ever isn't.
+	if res.NoText > 0 {
+		log.Printf("voice: WARNING %d stored rows had no text, so their vectors could not be re-embedded and are still noise; they will never match anything useful (Vikunja #378)", res.NoText)
+	}
+}

deploy/mavend.json

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
     "llm_router": true,
     "query_min_score": 0.55,
     "query_min_margin": 0.008,
+    "clarify_max_attempts": 3,
     "tool_timeout": "30s",
     "tools": [
       { "name": "status",     "cmd": ["systemctl", "status"],         "scope": "homelab", "destructive": false },

internal/config/config.go

@@ -292,6 +292,10 @@ type VoiceConfig struct {
 	// Negative ⇒ off. 0 ⇒ the default below.
 	QueryMinMargin float64 `json:"query_min_margin,omitempty"`
 
+	// ClarifyMaxAttempts — how many clarifying questions she may ask about one
+	// request before she gives up and says she did not understand. Default 3.
+	ClarifyMaxAttempts int `json:"clarify_max_attempts,omitempty"`
+
 	// Persona — optional prompt prefix that tunes maven's character. Prepended
 	// to every LLM system prompt (nudge phrasing, note queries, general
 	// knowledge). Empty string ⇒ current hardcoded persona (feminine-gendered
@@ -424,7 +428,9 @@ const (
 	// false recall from 5/5 to 1/5. Every larger delta costs real recall
 	// without removing that last one until 0.020, which drops recall to 44%.
 	DefaultQueryMinMargin = 0.008
-	DefaultToolTimeout    = 30 * time.Second
+	// DefaultClarifyMaxAttempts — see dialogue.DefaultMaxAttempts.
+	DefaultClarifyMaxAttempts = 3
+	DefaultToolTimeout        = 30 * time.Second
 	// DefaultLLMRouter — route with the resident model unless told otherwise.
 	DefaultLLMRouter = true
 
@@ -516,6 +522,9 @@ func (c *Config) applyDefaults() {
 		case c.Voice.QueryMinMargin < 0:
 			c.Voice.QueryMinMargin = 0
 		}
+		if c.Voice.ClarifyMaxAttempts <= 0 {
+			c.Voice.ClarifyMaxAttempts = DefaultClarifyMaxAttempts
+		}
 		if c.Voice.ToolTimeout <= 0 {
 			c.Voice.ToolTimeout = Duration(DefaultToolTimeout)
 		}

internal/delivery/dispatcher.go

@@ -137,9 +137,10 @@ func NewDispatcher(cfg Config) *Dispatcher {
 // picks for (severity, presence), sends via the matching sink, and records
 // one nudge row per successful send. returns the dispatches (one per channel).
 //
-// a Drop channel = no send, no record (the nudge was suppressed by routing,
-// not by a failure — "a missed water nudge is noise"). a nil sink = channel
-// not wired, skip silently. a send error stops the dispatch and returns what
+// a Drop channel = no send (the nudge was suppressed by routing, not by a
+// failure — "a missed water nudge is noise"), but it does leave a 'dropped'
+// outbox row so the suppression is visible. a nil sink = channel not wired,
+// skip silently. a send error stops the dispatch and returns what
 // got through — the daemon decides whether to retry.
 func (d *Dispatcher) DispatchNudge(ctx context.Context, pn PhrasedNudge, now time.Time) ([]Dispatch, error) {
 	c := pn.Candidate
@@ -148,6 +149,16 @@ func (d *Dispatcher) DispatchNudge(ctx context.Context, pn PhrasedNudge, now tim
 	for i := 0; i < len(channels); i++ {
 		ch := channels[i]
 		if ch == ChannelDrop {
+			// the routing table suppressed this nudge on purpose (a care nudge
+			// while you're away is noise). that stays — but it must not be
+			// invisible, or "she dropped it" and "the rule never fired" look
+			// the same afterwards. no nudges row: that table feeds the
+			// ignored_rate signal, and a nudge nobody could see must not
+			// count as ignored.
+			id := d.beginOutbox(ctx, "nudge", c.Rule.Name, 0, ch, pn.Summary, now)
+			d.completeOutbox(ctx, id, store.DeliveryDropped, now)
+			log.Printf("dispatcher: dropped %s (sev%d, presence=%s) — routing table suppressed it",
+				c.Rule.Name, c.Severity, c.State.Presence)
 			continue
 		}
 		s := Sendable{
@@ -396,6 +407,13 @@ func messageForChannel(s Sendable) string {
 	if !isAway(s.Channel) {
 		return s.Body
 	}
+	return AwayMessage(s)
+}
+
+// AwayMessage — the only text an off-box channel may ever carry. Exported so
+// the away sinks share this one rule instead of each inventing a fallback: the
+// summary if we have one, otherwise a fixed generic line. Never the body.
+func AwayMessage(s Sendable) string {
 	if s.Summary != "" {
 		return s.Summary
 	}

internal/delivery/durability_test.go

@@ -37,10 +37,12 @@ func TestVoiceNoSessionFallthroughLeavesOutboxTrail(t *testing.T) {
 			[]string{"voice", "ntfy"}, []string{store.DeliveryFailed, store.DeliverySent}},
 		{"sev4 falls through to telegram", loop.Sev4,
 			[]string{"voice", "telegram"}, []string{store.DeliveryFailed, store.DeliverySent}},
-		{"sev1 does not fall through", loop.Sev1,
-			[]string{"voice"}, []string{store.DeliveryFailed}},
-		{"sev2 does not fall through", loop.Sev2,
-			[]string{"voice"}, []string{store.DeliveryFailed}},
+		// care severities still don't reach an away channel; since #370 the
+		// drop itself is a visible row instead of nothing.
+		{"sev1 drops instead of falling through", loop.Sev1,
+			[]string{"voice", "drop"}, []string{store.DeliveryFailed, store.DeliveryDropped}},
+		{"sev2 drops instead of falling through", loop.Sev2,
+			[]string{"voice", "drop"}, []string{store.DeliveryFailed, store.DeliveryDropped}},
 	}
 	for _, c := range cases {
 		t.Run(c.name, func(t *testing.T) {

internal/delivery/ntfysink/ntfysink.go

@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
 //
 // ntfy is the away-channel for sev3 (ops soft) nudges, sev4 (ops hard)
 // nudges when present (alongside voice), and reminders when away. the
-// message body is the Sendable's Summary — the minimal-body rule from the
+// message body is delivery.AwayMessage — the minimal-body rule from the
 // spec ("disk low on homesrv," not detail; no shoulder-surf exfil through
-// the relay). voice gets Body; away channels get Summary, enforced at the
-// sink so a phraser bug can't exfil.
+// the relay). the dispatcher already strips detail off away sendables; the
+// sink uses the same helper so it can't leak the body on its own either.
 //
 // ntfy runs locally (docker, 127.0.0.1:8085, deny-all auth). maven publishes
 // with a dedicated user (write-only to maven-* topics) — the credential is a
@@ -69,18 +69,14 @@ func New(cfg Config) (*Sink, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
-// Send publishes one notification to ntfy. the body is the Sendable's Summary
-// (minimal body); Title is "maven" (consistent sender identity on the lock
-// screen — the content is in the body). Priority maps from severity/kind so
+// Send publishes one notification to ntfy. the body is the minimal away
+// message (never the full body); Title is "maven" (consistent sender identity
+// on the lock screen — the content is in the body). Priority maps from severity/kind so
 // the phone client can ring differently for an alarm vs a soft ops nudge.
 func (s *Sink) Send(ctx context.Context, d delivery.Sendable) error {
-	body := d.Summary
-	if body == "" {
-		body = d.Body // terse full message beats no message
-	}
-	if body == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("ntfysink: empty message for %s", d.Channel)
-	}
+	// never fall back to d.Body: ntfy leaves the box, so an empty summary gets
+	// a generic line instead of the full detail.
+	body := delivery.AwayMessage(d)
 
 	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodPost, s.topicURL(), strings.NewReader(body))
 	if err != nil {

internal/delivery/ntfysink/ntfysink_test.go

@@ -147,9 +147,9 @@ func TestSendBodyIsSummaryNotFullBody(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestSendFallsBackToBodyWhenSummaryEmpty(t *testing.T) {
-	// a terse full message is better than no message; the phraser should
-	// produce a summary for away-bound severities, but don't silently drop.
+func TestSendNeverSendsTheBodyWhenSummaryEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	// #368: this used to fall back to the full body. ntfy leaves the box, so
+	// an empty summary gets a fixed generic line plus the rule name instead.
 	rs := newRecordingServer(t, 200, "")
 	srv := httptest.NewServer(rs.handler())
 	defer srv.Close()
@@ -160,12 +160,15 @@ func TestSendFallsBackToBodyWhenSummaryEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Send: %v", err)
 	}
 	_, _, body, _, _, _ := rs.snapshot()
-	if body != s.Body {
-		t.Fatalf("fallback body: want %q, got %q", s.Body, body)
+	want := delivery.GenericAwayMessage + ": service_down"
+	if body != want {
+		t.Fatalf("body: want %q, got %q", want, body)
 	}
 }
 
-func TestSendRejectsEmptyMessage(t *testing.T) {
+func TestSendNeverSendsAnEmptyMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	// with nothing at all to say we still send the generic line — an away
+	// channel can never carry detail, but it also never goes out blank.
 	rs := newRecordingServer(t, 200, "")
 	srv := httptest.NewServer(rs.handler())
 	defer srv.Close()
@@ -173,9 +176,13 @@ func TestSendRejectsEmptyMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	sink, _ := New(Config{BaseURL: srv.URL, Topic: "maven"})
 	s := nudgeSendable(loop.Sev3, "")
 	s.Body = ""
-	err := sink.Send(context.Background(), s)
-	if err == nil {
-		t.Fatal("want error for empty message")
+	s.RuleName = ""
+	if err := sink.Send(context.Background(), s); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Send: %v", err)
+	}
+	_, _, body, _, _, _ := rs.snapshot()
+	if body != delivery.GenericAwayMessage {
+		t.Fatalf("body: want %q, got %q", delivery.GenericAwayMessage, body)
 	}
 }
 

internal/delivery/routing_table_test.go

@@ -208,10 +208,9 @@ func TestAwayChannelsGetMinimalBody(t *testing.T) {
 // TestCareAwayDropIsRecorded — DESIGN.md's drop is a decision ("a missed water
 // nudge is noise, a missed backup failure isn't"), so it should be visible
 // rather than vanish. Today drop is a bare `continue`: no nudge row, no outbox
-// attempt, no log — nothing an operator can see afterwards.
+// attempt, no log — nothing an operator can see afterwards. now it leaves a
+// 'dropped' outbox row.
 func TestCareAwayDropIsRecorded(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Skip("not implemented: dispatcher.go:149-151 skips a Drop channel with no record; there is no 'dropped' outcome in store/delivery.go:16-21")
-
 	ob := &fakeOutbox{}
 	d := NewDispatcher(Config{Voice: &fakeSink{}, Nudges: &fakeNudgeRecorder{}, Outbox: ob})
 

internal/delivery/telegramsink/telegramsink.go

@@ -2,11 +2,12 @@
 //
 // telegram is the away-channel for sev4 (ops hard) nudges — "disk-fire alarm
 // at 2am routes to telegram, repeat til ack." the message body is the
-// Sendable's Summary — the minimal-body rule from the spec ("disk low on
-// homesrv," not detail; no shoulder-surf exfil through the relay). voice gets
-// Body; away channels get Summary, enforced at the sink so a phraser bug can't
-// exfil. additionally, protect_content=true is passed on every send so the
-// message can't be forwarded out of the chat — locks the minimal body further.
+// delivery.AwayMessage — the minimal-body rule from the spec ("disk low on
+// homesrv," not detail; no shoulder-surf exfil through the relay). the
+// dispatcher already strips detail off away sendables; the sink uses the same
+// helper so it can't leak the body on its own either. additionally,
+// protect_content=true is passed on every send so the message can't be
+// forwarded out of the chat — locks the minimal body further.
 //
 // telegram's bot API is region-restricted for this homesrv — direct egress to
 // api.telegram.org is unreliable. the spec's "away channels leave the box —
@@ -140,18 +141,13 @@ type telegramResp struct {
 }
 
 // Send publishes one message to the configured telegram chat. the body is the
-// Sendable's Summary (minimal body); empty Summary falls back to Body (terse
-// full message beats no message). protect_content=true so a phraser bug (Body
-// leaking detail through Summary) can't be forwarded onward by the user or a
-// chat observer — locks the minimal-body rule at the channel's own last mile.
+// minimal away message (never the full body). protect_content=true so even
+// that can't be forwarded onward by the user or a chat observer — locks the
+// minimal-body rule at the channel's own last mile.
 func (s *Sink) Send(ctx context.Context, d delivery.Sendable) error {
-	body := d.Summary
-	if body == "" {
-		body = d.Body
-	}
-	if body == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("telegramsink: empty message for %s", d.Channel)
-	}
+	// never fall back to d.Body: telegram leaves the box, so an empty summary
+	// gets a generic line instead of the full detail.
+	body := delivery.AwayMessage(d)
 
 	payload := sendMessageReq{
 		ChatID:              s.cfg.ChatID,

internal/delivery/telegramsink/telegramsink_test.go

@@ -173,9 +173,9 @@ func TestSendBodyIsSummaryNotFullBody(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestSendFallsBackToBodyWhenSummaryEmpty(t *testing.T) {
-	// terse full message beats none; the phraser should produce a summary for
-	// away-bound severities, but don't silently drop.
+func TestSendNeverSendsTheBodyWhenSummaryEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	// #368: this used to fall back to the full body. telegram leaves the box,
+	// so an empty summary gets a fixed generic line plus the rule name.
 	rs := newRecordingServer(t, 200, "")
 	srv := httptest.NewServer(rs.handler())
 	defer srv.Close()
@@ -188,12 +188,14 @@ func TestSendFallsBackToBodyWhenSummaryEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	_, _, body, _, _ := rs.snapshot()
 	var req sendMessageReq
 	_ = json.Unmarshal([]byte(body), &req)
-	if req.Text != s.Body {
-		t.Fatalf("fallback text: want %q, got %q", s.Body, req.Text)
+	want := delivery.GenericAwayMessage + ": service_down"
+	if req.Text != want {
+		t.Fatalf("text: want %q, got %q", want, req.Text)
 	}
 }
 
-func TestSendRejectsEmptyMessage(t *testing.T) {
+func TestSendNeverSendsAnEmptyMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	// with nothing at all to say we still send the generic line.
 	rs := newRecordingServer(t, 200, "")
 	srv := httptest.NewServer(rs.handler())
 	defer srv.Close()
@@ -201,9 +203,15 @@ func TestSendRejectsEmptyMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	sink, _ := New(sinkCfg(srv.URL))
 	s := nudgeSendable(loop.Sev4, "")
 	s.Body = ""
-	err := sink.Send(context.Background(), s)
-	if err == nil {
-		t.Fatal("want error for empty message")
+	s.RuleName = ""
+	if err := sink.Send(context.Background(), s); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Send: %v", err)
+	}
+	_, _, body, _, _ := rs.snapshot()
+	var req sendMessageReq
+	_ = json.Unmarshal([]byte(body), &req)
+	if req.Text != delivery.GenericAwayMessage {
+		t.Fatalf("text: want %q, got %q", delivery.GenericAwayMessage, req.Text)
 	}
 }
 

internal/dialogue/clarify.go

@@ -17,10 +17,11 @@ const (
 	SlotText  Slot = "text"  // Slots.Text
 )
 
-// MaxAttempts is 1 because Maven is not a nag (DESIGN.md § Non-goals). She asks
-// one clarifying question. If the answer still leaves the slot empty she drops
-// the request instead of asking again.
-const MaxAttempts = 1
+// DefaultMaxAttempts — how many questions she may ask about one request.
+// Three, because after three tries the likely problem is that she misheard the
+// whole request, not one slot — so another question about that slot won't help.
+// Configurable: voice.clarify_max_attempts.
+const DefaultMaxAttempts = 3
 
 // PendingQuestion is what Maven holds while she waits for an answer to an open
 // question. Unlike the yes/no confirms in cmd/mavend/voice.go, the answer here
@@ -32,7 +33,17 @@ type PendingQuestion struct {
 	Utterance string // the user's original raw words
 	Asked     time.Time
 	TTL       time.Duration
-	Attempts  int // questions already asked; capped by MaxAttempts
+	Attempts  int // questions already asked
+	// MaxAttempts caps Attempts. 0 ⇒ DefaultMaxAttempts.
+	MaxAttempts int
+}
+
+// maxAttempts is MaxAttempts with the default filled in.
+func (q *PendingQuestion) maxAttempts() int {
+	if q.MaxAttempts <= 0 {
+		return DefaultMaxAttempts
+	}
+	return q.MaxAttempts
 }
 
 func (q *PendingQuestion) IsExpired(now time.Time) bool {
@@ -41,12 +52,9 @@ func (q *PendingQuestion) IsExpired(now time.Time) bool {
 
 // CanAsk reports whether Maven may ask another question about this request.
 func (q *PendingQuestion) CanAsk() bool {
-	return q.Attempts < MaxAttempts
+	return q.Attempts < q.maxAttempts()
 }
 
-// TODO: the daemon will phrase the question text from Missing (one short ru
-// question per Slot, feminine self-reference) and speak it here.
-
 // ClarifyStore holds the parked questions. Same shape and locking as
 // SessionStore: keyed by dialogue id, expired entries dropped on read.
 type ClarifyStore struct {
@@ -67,8 +75,7 @@ func NewClarifyStore(defaultTTL time.Duration) *ClarifyStore {
 	}
 }
 
-// TODO: the daemon will Put a question here when Decision.Clarify fires, in
-// place of the flat "не разобрала" reply (cmd/mavend/voice.go).
+// Put parks a question. Called on a clarify decision (cmd/mavend/clarify.go).
 func (s *ClarifyStore) Put(id string, q *PendingQuestion) {
 	if q.TTL <= 0 {
 		q.TTL = s.defaultTTL
@@ -78,8 +85,7 @@ func (s *ClarifyStore) Put(id string, q *PendingQuestion) {
 	s.mu.Unlock()
 }
 
-// TODO: the daemon will Get on the next turn, parse that turn into Slots, call
-// Answer, and Delete — the open-question twin of resolveConfirm.
+// Get returns the live parked question, or nil when there is none.
 func (s *ClarifyStore) Get(id string, now time.Time) *PendingQuestion {
 	s.mu.RLock()
 	q, ok := s.questions[id]
@@ -94,6 +100,21 @@ func (s *ClarifyStore) Get(id string, now time.Time) *PendingQuestion {
 	return q
 }
 
+// TakeExpired reports whether a question was parked here but its TTL ran out,
+// and drops it. Get drops such a question silently, which leaves the user
+// thinking his request is still alive — the caller uses this to tell him it is
+// gone before treating his words as a fresh utterance.
+func (s *ClarifyStore) TakeExpired(id string, now time.Time) bool {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	q, ok := s.questions[id]
+	if !ok || !q.IsExpired(now) {
+		return false
+	}
+	delete(s.questions, id)
+	return true
+}
+
 func (s *ClarifyStore) Delete(id string) {
 	s.mu.Lock()
 	delete(s.questions, id)
@@ -101,44 +122,45 @@ func (s *ClarifyStore) Delete(id string) {
 }
 
 // Answer merges the slots parsed from the user's answer into the parked ones.
-// Only the slots listed in Missing are filled, and an already filled slot is
-// never overwritten — the answer completes the original request, it does not
-// restate it. Parsing the answer text into `answer` is the caller's job; this
-// package must stay free of internal/router.
+// Only the slots listed in Missing are touched. Within those, a value the answer
+// carries WINS over what was parked: she asked about this slot, so «нет, в пять»
+// after «в три» must replace the time, not be thrown away.
+//
+// This is the clarify answer only. A correction in a fresh turn ("вообще-то
+// перенеси на пять") is a different code path (followUpMerge) — not here.
+//
+// Parsing the answer text into `answer` is the caller's job; this package must
+// stay free of internal/router.
 func (q *PendingQuestion) Answer(text string, answer Slots) Slots {
 	out := q.Slots
 	for _, slot := range q.Missing {
 		switch slot {
 		case SlotTime:
-			if !out.HasTime && answer.HasTime {
+			if answer.HasTime {
 				out.Time = answer.Time
 				out.HasTime = true
 			}
 		case SlotKey:
-			if !out.HasKey && answer.HasKey {
+			if answer.HasKey {
 				out.Key = answer.Key
 				out.HasKey = true
 			}
 		case SlotValue:
-			if out.Value == "" && answer.Value != "" {
+			if answer.Value != "" {
 				out.Value = answer.Value
 			}
 		case SlotFn:
-			if !out.HasFn && answer.HasFn {
+			if answer.HasFn {
 				out.Fn = answer.Fn
 				out.HasFn = true
-				if len(out.Args) == 0 {
-					out.Args = append([]string(nil), answer.Args...)
-				}
+				out.Args = append([]string(nil), answer.Args...)
 			}
 		case SlotText:
-			if out.Text == "" {
-				if answer.Text != "" {
-					out.Text = answer.Text
-				} else {
-					// No parse for a text slot — the raw answer IS the text.
-					out.Text = text
-				}
+			if answer.Text != "" {
+				out.Text = answer.Text
+			} else if out.Text == "" {
+				// No parse for a text slot — the raw answer IS the text.
+				out.Text = text
 			}
 		}
 	}

internal/dialogue/clarify_test.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package dialogue
 
 import (
+	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -59,6 +60,28 @@ func TestClarifyStoreGetPutDelete(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestClarifyStoreTakeExpired — TakeExpired reports (and drops) only a question
+// whose TTL ran out.
+func TestClarifyStoreTakeExpired(t *testing.T) {
+	s := NewClarifyStore(time.Minute)
+	if s.TakeExpired("voice", base) {
+		t.Fatal("nothing parked ⇒ nothing expired")
+	}
+	s.Put("voice", &PendingQuestion{Missing: []Slot{SlotTime}, Asked: base, TTL: time.Minute})
+	if s.TakeExpired("voice", base.Add(30*time.Second)) {
+		t.Fatal("a live question must not report as expired")
+	}
+	if s.Get("voice", base.Add(30*time.Second)) == nil {
+		t.Fatal("a live question must survive TakeExpired")
+	}
+	if !s.TakeExpired("voice", base.Add(2*time.Minute)) {
+		t.Fatal("a stale question must report as expired")
+	}
+	if s.TakeExpired("voice", base.Add(2*time.Minute)) {
+		t.Fatal("TakeExpired must drop the question, so the second call is false")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestNewClarifyStoreDefaultTTL(t *testing.T) {
 	s := NewClarifyStore(0)
 	q := &PendingQuestion{Asked: base}
@@ -89,12 +112,13 @@ func TestAnswerFillsOnlyMissingSlots(t *testing.T) {
 			want:    Slots{Text: "напомни позвонить", Time: answerTime, HasTime: true},
 		},
 		{
-			name:    "does not overwrite a filled time",
+			// He restated it: «нет, в пять». The new value wins.
+			name:    "a restated time overwrites the parked one",
 			parked:  Slots{Time: other, HasTime: true},
 			missing: []Slot{SlotTime},
-			text:    "в три",
+			text:    "нет, в три",
 			answer:  Slots{Time: answerTime, HasTime: true},
-			want:    Slots{Time: other, HasTime: true},
+			want:    Slots{Time: answerTime, HasTime: true},
 		},
 		{
 			name:    "ignores slots that were not missing",
@@ -121,12 +145,12 @@ func TestAnswerFillsOnlyMissingSlots(t *testing.T) {
 			want:    Slots{Fn: "restart", Args: []string{"nginx"}, HasFn: true},
 		},
 		{
-			name:    "keeps existing args when fn was already known",
+			name:    "a restated fn replaces the fn and its args",
 			parked:  Slots{Fn: "restart", Args: []string{"nginx"}, HasFn: true},
 			missing: []Slot{SlotFn},
 			text:    "останови postgres",
 			answer:  Slots{Fn: "stop", Args: []string{"postgres"}, HasFn: true},
-			want:    Slots{Fn: "restart", Args: []string{"nginx"}, HasFn: true},
+			want:    Slots{Fn: "stop", Args: []string{"postgres"}, HasFn: true},
 		},
 		{
 			name:    "raw answer becomes the text when nothing was parsed",
@@ -157,36 +181,34 @@ func TestAnswerFillsOnlyMissingSlots(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tc := range cases {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			q := &PendingQuestion{Slots: tc.parked, Missing: tc.missing, Asked: base}
-			got := q.Answer(tc.text, tc.answer)
-			if got.Time != tc.want.Time || got.HasTime != tc.want.HasTime ||
-				got.Key != tc.want.Key || got.HasKey != tc.want.HasKey ||
-				got.Value != tc.want.Value || got.Text != tc.want.Text ||
-				got.Fn != tc.want.Fn || got.HasFn != tc.want.HasFn {
+			// Whole-struct compare: a new field in Slots is covered for free.
+			if got := q.Answer(tc.text, tc.answer); !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tc.want) {
 				t.Fatalf("Answer = %+v, want %+v", got, tc.want)
 			}
-			if len(got.Args) != len(tc.want.Args) {
-				t.Fatalf("Args = %v, want %v", got.Args, tc.want.Args)
-			}
-			for i := range got.Args {
-				if got.Args[i] != tc.want.Args[i] {
-					t.Fatalf("Args = %v, want %v", got.Args, tc.want.Args)
-				}
-			}
 		})
 	}
 }
 
-func TestCanAskCapsAtOneQuestion(t *testing.T) {
-	if MaxAttempts != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("MaxAttempts = %d, want 1 (Maven asks once, she is not a nag)", MaxAttempts)
+func TestCanAskAllowsThreeQuestionsByDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	if DefaultMaxAttempts != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("DefaultMaxAttempts = %d, want 3", DefaultMaxAttempts)
 	}
-	q := &PendingQuestion{Asked: base}
-	if !q.CanAsk() {
-		t.Fatal("a fresh question should be askable")
+	q := &PendingQuestion{Asked: base} // MaxAttempts unset ⇒ the default
+	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		if !q.CanAsk() {
+			t.Fatalf("question %d should be allowed", i+1)
+		}
+		q.Attempts++
 	}
-	q.Attempts = MaxAttempts
 	if q.CanAsk() {
-		t.Fatal("the question should not be asked twice")
+		t.Fatal("a fourth question must not be allowed")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCanAskHonoursConfiguredMax(t *testing.T) {
+	q := &PendingQuestion{Asked: base, MaxAttempts: 1, Attempts: 1}
+	if q.CanAsk() {
+		t.Fatal("MaxAttempts 1 means one question only")
 	}
 }
 

internal/dialogue/session.go

@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
 package dialogue
 
 import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
+
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/store"
 )
 
 type Intent string
@@ -50,10 +54,22 @@ func (s *Session) IsExpired(now time.Time) bool {
 	return now.After(s.Timestamp.Add(s.TTL))
 }
 
+// SessionPersister — the bit of the store the session needs, as an interface
+// so tests can swap it out. Data is an opaque blob: the store never looks
+// inside, we encode the session as JSON here.
+type SessionPersister interface {
+	SaveDialogueSession(ctx context.Context, id string, data []byte, ts time.Time, ttl time.Duration) error
+	DeleteDialogueSession(ctx context.Context, id string) error
+	LoadDialogueSessions(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) ([]store.DialogueSessionRow, error)
+}
+
+// SessionStore keeps the live sessions in a map (the fast path) and mirrors
+// every write to the persister, so a daemon restart can load them back.
 type SessionStore struct {
 	mu         sync.RWMutex
 	sessions   map[string]*Session
 	defaultTTL time.Duration
+	persist    SessionPersister // may be nil: memory only (tests, no-store paths)
 }
 
 func NewSessionStore(defaultTTL time.Duration) *SessionStore {
@@ -66,6 +82,43 @@ func NewSessionStore(defaultTTL time.Duration) *SessionStore {
 	}
 }
 
+// NewPersistentSessionStore — same store, but writes also go to the DB.
+// Call Load once after this to bring back sessions from a previous run.
+func NewPersistentSessionStore(defaultTTL time.Duration, p SessionPersister) *SessionStore {
+	s := NewSessionStore(defaultTTL)
+	s.persist = p
+	return s
+}
+
+// Load — read the saved sessions back into memory. Anything past its TTL is
+// dropped (and deleted from the DB by the store), never revived.
+func (s *SessionStore) Load(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) error {
+	if s.persist == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	rows, err := s.persist.LoadDialogueSessions(ctx, now)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		var sess Session
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(r.Data, &sess); err != nil {
+			// A blob we can't read is not worth failing a startup over.
+			continue
+		}
+		if sess.TTL <= 0 {
+			sess.TTL = r.TTL
+		}
+		if sess.IsExpired(now) {
+			continue
+		}
+		s.sessions[r.ID] = &sess
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (s *SessionStore) Get(id string, now time.Time) *Session {
 	s.mu.RLock()
 	sess, ok := s.sessions[id]
@@ -87,12 +140,33 @@ func (s *SessionStore) Put(id string, sess *Session) {
 	s.mu.Lock()
 	s.sessions[id] = sess
 	s.mu.Unlock()
+	s.save(id, sess)
 }
 
 func (s *SessionStore) Delete(id string) {
 	s.mu.Lock()
 	delete(s.sessions, id)
 	s.mu.Unlock()
+	if s.persist != nil {
+		_ = s.persist.DeleteDialogueSession(context.Background(), id)
+	}
+}
+
+// save — mirror one session to the DB. Best effort: memory already has it, so
+// a write error costs us the restart safety net, not the current turn.
+func (s *SessionStore) save(id string, sess *Session) {
+	if s.persist == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	data, err := json.Marshal(sess)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	ts := sess.Timestamp
+	if ts.IsZero() {
+		ts = time.Now()
+	}
+	_ = s.persist.SaveDialogueSession(context.Background(), id, data, ts, sess.TTL)
 }
 
 func InheritSlots(prev, cur Slots) Slots {

internal/dialogue/session_persist_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+package dialogue
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/store"
+)
+
+// openStore — a store on disk, so a second handle can reopen the same file.
+func openStore(t *testing.T, path string) *store.Store {
+	t.Helper()
+	s, err := store.Open(context.Background(), path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("open store: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = s.Close() })
+	return s
+}
+
+// A session written before a restart comes back and still merges a follow-up.
+func TestSessionSurvivesRestart(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "maven_test.db")
+	now := time.Now().UTC().Truncate(time.Millisecond)
+
+	first := openStore(t, path)
+	before := NewPersistentSessionStore(2*time.Minute, first)
+	before.Put("voice", &Session{
+		Intent:    IntentReminder,
+		Slots:     Slots{Text: "полить цветы", Time: now.Add(time.Hour), HasTime: true},
+		Timestamp: now,
+		TTL:       2 * time.Minute,
+	})
+	if err := first.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("close: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// fresh handle, fresh in-memory map — as after a daemon restart
+	after := openStore(t, path)
+	reloaded := NewPersistentSessionStore(2*time.Minute, after)
+	if err := reloaded.Load(ctx, now.Add(10*time.Second)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
+	}
+	sess := reloaded.Get("voice", now.Add(10*time.Second))
+	if sess == nil {
+		t.Fatal("session did not survive the restart")
+	}
+	if sess.Intent != IntentReminder {
+		t.Fatalf("intent = %q, want reminder", sess.Intent)
+	}
+	// the follow-up carries no text of its own; it must inherit the old one
+	merged := InheritSlots(sess.Slots, Slots{Time: now.Add(2 * time.Hour), HasTime: true})
+	if merged.Text != "полить цветы" {
+		t.Fatalf("merged text = %q, want the earlier turn's text", merged.Text)
+	}
+	if !merged.Time.Equal(now.Add(2 * time.Hour)) {
+		t.Fatalf("merged time = %v, want the follow-up's time", merged.Time)
+	}
+}
+
+// A session past its TTL is dead: a restart must not bring it back.
+func TestExpiredSessionNotResurrected(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "maven_test.db")
+	now := time.Now().UTC().Truncate(time.Millisecond)
+
+	first := openStore(t, path)
+	before := NewPersistentSessionStore(2*time.Minute, first)
+	before.Put("voice", &Session{
+		Intent:    IntentReminder,
+		Slots:     Slots{Text: "полить цветы"},
+		Timestamp: now,
+		TTL:       time.Minute,
+	})
+	if err := first.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("close: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	after := openStore(t, path)
+	reloaded := NewPersistentSessionStore(2*time.Minute, after)
+	later := now.Add(5 * time.Minute) // well past the 1-min TTL
+	if err := reloaded.Load(ctx, later); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
+	}
+	if sess := reloaded.Get("voice", later); sess != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expired session came back: %+v", sess)
+	}
+	// and it is gone from the DB too, not just from memory
+	rows, err := after.LoadDialogueSessions(ctx, later)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadDialogueSessions: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(rows) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expired row still in the DB: %+v", rows)
+	}
+}
+
+// Delete removes the row as well, so an ended conversation stays ended.
+func TestDeleteRemovesPersistedSession(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "maven_test.db")
+	now := time.Now().UTC().Truncate(time.Millisecond)
+
+	s := openStore(t, path)
+	ss := NewPersistentSessionStore(2*time.Minute, s)
+	ss.Put("voice", &Session{Intent: IntentChat, Timestamp: now, TTL: time.Minute})
+	ss.Delete("voice")
+	rows, err := s.LoadDialogueSessions(ctx, now)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadDialogueSessions: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(rows) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("row survived Delete: %+v", rows)
+	}
+}

internal/llm/modelid.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package eval
+package llm
 
 import (
 	"context"
@@ -6,8 +6,20 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 )
 
+// UnknownModel is the label to print when the server would not say what it has
+// loaded. Deliberately ugly: an honest "unknown" is fine, a plausible-looking
+// but wrong model name is the bug this whole file exists to prevent.
+const UnknownModel = "unknown-model"
+
+// llama-server is local, so never send this through a proxy: this box's
+// http_proxy answers 503 for loopback, which would look like "server won't say
+// which model it has" when the server is right there and fine.
+// A Transport with no Proxy set bypasses http_proxy entirely.
+var modelHTTP = &http.Client{Timeout: 10 * time.Second, Transport: &http.Transport{}}
+
 // ModelID asks llama-server which model it has loaded, so a scoring run can
 // label itself. Without this a bake-off between two models produces two tables
 // that look identical, and the operator has to remember which server was up.
@@ -19,7 +31,7 @@ func ModelID(ctx context.Context, base string) (string, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
-	resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	resp, err := modelHTTP.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
@@ -38,14 +50,21 @@ func ModelID(ctx context.Context, base string) (string, error) {
 	if len(out.Data) == 0 {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("models: empty list")
 	}
-	return shortModelID(out.Data[0].ID), nil
+	short := shortModelID(out.Data[0].ID)
+	if short == "" {
+		// Server answered but the id field was missing or blank. Say so
+		// instead of handing back an empty label that reads as a real name.
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("models: no id in response")
+	}
+	return short, nil
 }
 
 // shortModelID trims the path and the .gguf suffix — llama-server reports the
 // file name it was started with, which is too long for a table header.
 func shortModelID(id string) string {
+	id = strings.TrimSpace(id)
 	if i := strings.LastIndexAny(id, "/\\"); i >= 0 {
 		id = id[i+1:]
 	}
-	return strings.TrimSuffix(id, ".gguf")
+	return strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimSuffix(id, ".gguf"))
 }

internal/llm/modelid_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package llm
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// The point of these tests: a wrong-but-plausible model label is the bug, so
+// every path that cannot learn the real name must return an error instead of a
+// guess. No llama-server needed — a stub server stands in.
+func TestModelID(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name string
+		body string
+		code int
+		want string // "" ⇒ expect an error
+	}{
+		{"full path", `{"data":[{"id":"/mnt/hdd1/llms/qwen3.5/Qwen3.5-0.8B.Q4_K_M.gguf"}]}`, 200, "Qwen3.5-0.8B.Q4_K_M"},
+		{"bare name", `{"data":[{"id":"LFM2.5-1.2B"}]}`, 200, "LFM2.5-1.2B"},
+		{"empty list", `{"data":[]}`, 200, ""},
+		{"id missing", `{"data":[{}]}`, 200, ""},
+		{"id blank", `{"data":[{"id":"  "}]}`, 200, ""},
+		{"server error", `nope`, 500, ""},
+		{"not json", `<html>`, 200, ""},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		t.Run(c.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+				if r.URL.Path != "/v1/models" {
+					t.Errorf("asked for %s, want /v1/models", r.URL.Path)
+				}
+				w.WriteHeader(c.code)
+				_, _ = w.Write([]byte(c.body))
+			}))
+			defer srv.Close()
+
+			got, err := ModelID(context.Background(), srv.URL+"/")
+			if c.want == "" {
+				if err == nil {
+					t.Fatalf("want an error, got label %q", got)
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("ModelID: %v", err)
+			}
+			if got != c.want {
+				t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", got, c.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestModelIDUnreachable(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(http.ResponseWriter, *http.Request) {}))
+	url := srv.URL
+	srv.Close() // nothing listening now
+
+	if got, err := ModelID(context.Background(), url); err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("want an error from a dead server, got label %q", got)
+	}
+}

internal/memory/recalleval/recalleval.go

@@ -422,6 +422,8 @@ func rankNote(inTop3 bool) string {
 // bestRecall mirrors cmd/mavend/recall.go — the gate the daemon actually
 // applies to a memory hit. Duplicated rather than imported because package main
 // is not importable; recalleval_test.go asserts the two agree in behaviour.
+// The daemon returns the whole hit (a note and a fact are said differently);
+// the harness only scores what came back, so it keeps returning the text.
 func bestRecall(results []memory.Result, minScore, minMargin float64) string {
 	if !memory.Confident(results, minScore, minMargin) {
 		return ""

internal/memory/recalleval/recalleval_test.go

@@ -197,7 +197,8 @@ func TestHashRecallBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Log("\n" + rep.String() + rep.Failures())
 	t.Log("\ngate sweep:\n" + sweep(t, router.NewHashEmbedder(hashDim), f))
 
-	// 0.32 sits under the observed 0.360 recall@1.
+	// 0.32 sits under the observed 0.370 recall@1 (was 0.360 over 25 answerable
+	// cases; the two mixed note+fact cases added with #373 make it 27).
 	const floorRecall1 = 0.32
 	if rep.Recall1() < floorRecall1 {
 		t.Errorf("recall@1 %.3f below ratchet %.2f — note recall regressed", rep.Recall1(), floorRecall1)

internal/memory/recalleval/ru_recall_v1.json

@@ -387,6 +387,32 @@
         {"id": "n2", "text": "wifi channel is 6", "kind": "note"},
         {"id": "n3", "text": "the guest network is off", "kind": "note"}
       ]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "ru-mixed-031",
+      "lang": "ru",
+      "tags": ["mixed", "paraphrase", "hard"],
+      "note": "notes and facts in one store and the note is the answer — the daemon indexes both (Vikunja #373)",
+      "query": "куда я спрятал второй ключ от квартиры",
+      "want": "n1",
+      "notes": [
+        {"id": "n1", "text": "запасной ключ от квартиры лежит в синей коробке на полке", "kind": "note"},
+        {"id": "x1", "text": "поменял замок в двери двадцатого июня", "kind": "fact"},
+        {"id": "x2", "text": "отдал ключ соседке в мае", "kind": "fact"}
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "ru-mixed-032",
+      "lang": "ru",
+      "tags": ["mixed", "distractor"],
+      "note": "the mirror of ru-mixed-031: the fact answers and the notes are the distractors",
+      "query": "когда я в последний раз заливал бензин",
+      "want": "x1",
+      "notes": [
+        {"id": "x1", "text": "залил полный бак в четверг вечером", "kind": "fact"},
+        {"id": "n1", "text": "на заправке у моста дешевле бензин", "kind": "note"},
+        {"id": "n2", "text": "надо поменять зимние шины", "kind": "note"}
+      ]
     }
   ]
 }

internal/phraser/eval/address_time_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+package eval
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestAddressTimeWordDoesNotBlind(t *testing.T) {
+	// A nudge that opens with a time word must still be caught. Without the
+	// time words in the stoplist, "сегодня" was read as the third party.
+	for _, s := range []string{
+		"сегодня он не ел 11 дней",
+		"вчера он не пил воду",
+		"опять он забыл про таблетки",
+	} {
+		if r := checkAddress(s); r.Pass {
+			t.Errorf("checkAddress(%q) passed, want a third-person failure", s)
+		}
+	}
+	// Still must not fire when a third party really is named.
+	for _, s := range []string{
+		"сегодня сервис упал, он не отвечает",
+		"ты не пил воду четыре часа",
+	} {
+		if r := checkAddress(s); !r.Pass {
+			t.Errorf("checkAddress(%q) failed: %s", s, r.Detail)
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/phraser/eval/checks.go

@@ -17,10 +17,18 @@ const (
 	CheckFeminine = "feminine" // her self-reference is feminine (hard constraint)
 	CheckCringe   = "cringe"   // DESIGN.md § Non-goals, "not a relationship"
 	CheckOnTopic  = "ontopic"  // says the thing the rule is about
+
+	// CheckHisGender — the other half of the persona rule: SHE is feminine, HE
+	// is male. "ты давно не отдыхала" addresses the operator as a woman.
+	CheckHisGender = "hisgender"
+
+	// CheckAddress — she talks TO him, informally, one to one. Not "вы", not
+	// "он". See the comment block above checkAddress.
+	CheckAddress = "address"
 )
 
 // CheckNames — report order.
-var CheckNames = []string{CheckMood, CheckLang, CheckLength, CheckFeminine, CheckCringe, CheckOnTopic}
+var CheckNames = []string{CheckMood, CheckLang, CheckLength, CheckFeminine, CheckHisGender, CheckAddress, CheckCringe, CheckOnTopic}
 
 // Result — one check on one message.
 type Result struct {
@@ -52,6 +60,8 @@ func RunChecks(c Case, body, mood string) []Result {
 		checkLang(body),
 		checkLength(body),
 		checkFeminine(body),
+		checkHisGender(body),
+		checkAddress(body),
 		checkCringe(body),
 		checkOnTopic(c, body),
 	}
@@ -176,6 +186,280 @@ func checkFeminine(body string) Result {
 	return Result{CheckFeminine, true, ""}
 }
 
+// --- he is male ----------------------------------------------------------
+//
+// The mirror of checkFeminine, and the failure it was written for: the model
+// wrote "ты давно не отдыхала", which addresses the operator as a woman. That
+// scored clean, because checkFeminine only ever looks at how SHE speaks about
+// herself.
+//
+// How it works: Russian past tense is gendered by suffix, -л (m) / -ла (f). So
+// this looks for feminine past-tense words in a sentence that also talks TO him
+// ("ты", "тебя", "тебе", "твой", …). A feminine verb that belongs to her ("я
+// заметила", "напомнила тебе") is skipped — that one is correct.
+//
+// Honest about the limits: this is a suffix rule, not a parser.
+//   - False positives: a feminine noun can be the subject in the same sentence
+//     ("зарядка была утром, ты её пропустил"). The guard below skips a verb whose
+//     previous word looks like a feminine noun, which helps but will not always
+//     be right.
+//   - False negatives: gender also shows up outside the past tense (short
+//     adjectives, "сама"), and none of that is checked here.
+//
+// That is acceptable for an eval check. It is a signal to read the message, not
+// a grammar verdict, and every hit prints the word it tripped on so a human can
+// disagree.
+
+// hisMarkers — words that mean the sentence is addressed to him.
+var hisMarkers = map[string]bool{
+	"ты": true, "тебя": true, "тебе": true, "тобой": true, "тобою": true,
+	"твой": true, "твоя": true, "твоё": true, "твое": true, "твои": true, "твою": true,
+}
+
+// notFeminineVerb — ordinary words ending in "-ла" that are not verbs. Small on
+// purpose: it only has to cover words a nudge might actually use.
+//
+// Words that are both a noun and a verb are deliberately NOT here. "села",
+// "мыла" and "стекла" are nouns on paper, but in a nudge they are almost always
+// verbs ("ты села", "ты мыла"), and listing them would make the check miss the
+// exact thing it is for. Missing a real hit is worse than one false alarm.
+var notFeminineVerb = map[string]bool{
+	"школа": true, "скала": true, "игла": true, "метла": true, "смола": true,
+	"дела": true, "тела": true, "масла": true, "весла": true,
+	"зола": true, "пчела": true, "числа": true,
+}
+
+// femininePast reports whether a word looks like a feminine past-tense verb:
+// "отдыхала", "поела", "выспалась".
+func femininePast(w string) bool {
+	if len([]rune(w)) < 3 || notFeminineVerb[w] {
+		return false
+	}
+	return strings.HasSuffix(w, "ла") || strings.HasSuffix(w, "лась")
+}
+
+// looksFeminineNoun — a crude guard against "зарядка была": a word right before
+// the verb that ends in "а"/"я" and is not itself a verb is probably the subject.
+func looksFeminineNoun(w string) bool {
+	if femininePast(w) || len([]rune(w)) < 3 {
+		return false
+	}
+	return strings.HasSuffix(w, "а") || strings.HasSuffix(w, "я")
+}
+
+// sentenceRE splits on sentence-ending punctuation, so a feminine verb in one
+// sentence is not blamed on a "ты" in the next.
+var sentenceRE = regexp.MustCompile(`[.!?;…]+`)
+
+func checkHisGender(body string) Result {
+	for _, sentence := range sentenceRE.Split(strings.ToLower(body), -1) {
+		words := wordRE.FindAllString(sentence, -1)
+		addressed := false
+		for _, w := range words {
+			if hisMarkers[w] {
+				addressed = true
+			}
+		}
+		if !addressed {
+			continue
+		}
+		for i, w := range words {
+			if !femininePast(w) || hersNotHis(words, i) {
+				continue
+			}
+			if i > 0 && looksFeminineNoun(prevWord(words, i)) {
+				continue
+			}
+			return Result{CheckHisGender, false,
+				fmt.Sprintf("feminine %q addressed to him — he is male", w)}
+		}
+	}
+	return Result{CheckHisGender, true, ""}
+}
+
+// hersNotHis — the verb is Maven's own if "я" comes shortly before it, or if the
+// thing she did was done to him ("напомнила тебе", "проверила за тебя").
+func hersNotHis(words []string, i int) bool {
+	for j := i - 1; j >= 0 && j >= i-3; j-- {
+		if words[j] == "я" {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	if i+1 < len(words) {
+		switch words[i+1] {
+		case "тебе", "тебя", "за", "тобой":
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// prevWord — the word before i, skipping "не" and punctuation, so "не отдыхала"
+// still sees the subject.
+func prevWord(words []string, i int) string {
+	for j := i - 1; j >= 0; j-- {
+		w := words[j]
+		if w == "не" || w == "ни" || !unicode.Is(unicode.Cyrillic, []rune(w)[0]) {
+			continue
+		}
+		return w
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// --- how she addresses him ------------------------------------------------
+//
+// Persona hard constraint: Maven speaks TO him, informally, one to one. The
+// phrasing eval produced two breaks of it, and both scored clean:
+//
+//   - "Приходите… Жду вас" — the formal plural. Correct is ты/тебя/тебе and a
+//     singular imperative ("приходи", "жду тебя").
+//   - "Он не ел 11 дней" — she talks ABOUT him, in the third person, as if
+//     reporting to somebody else. Correct is "ты не ел 11 дней".
+//
+// Like checkHisGender this is a keyword + suffix heuristic, NOT a parser. Every
+// hit prints the word it tripped on, so a false alarm is obvious at a glance and
+// can be dismissed.
+//
+// Part 1, formal address. Two signals:
+//   - the "вы" pronoun family, matched as whole words, so there is nothing to
+//     exclude — "вы" and "вас" are never anything else.
+//   - a plural verb ending: -ите/-ете/-йте/-ьте ("приходите", "выпейте",
+//     "не забудьте", "хотите"). Nouns in the prepositional case share those
+//     endings ("в интернете", "в свете"), so a word right after a preposition is
+//     skipped. That is the whole exclusion list, on purpose: a bigger one would
+//     start swallowing real imperatives.
+//
+// Part 2, third person. "он" is perfectly fine when the message really is about
+// somebody or something else ("сервис упал, он не отвечает"). The way to tell
+// them apart: a legitimate third person has an ANTECEDENT — the thing it refers
+// to was named earlier in the message. So "он" is only flagged when nothing
+// before it in the message could be that thing.
+//
+// Where this gives up, plainly:
+//   - it only looks BACKWARD. "Он не отвечает, сервис упал" names the subject
+//     after the pronoun and is flagged wrongly.
+//   - any noun earlier in the message counts as an antecedent, even when it is
+//     not one ("после обеда он не ел" reads as legitimate and is missed). The
+//     common time words are stoplisted so the usual nudge opening does not
+//     blind it, but a message with any other noun in front still slips through.
+//     This is the check's real hole; widening it further would start flagging
+//     legitimate third-party messages, so it stops here.
+//   - a message that opens with "ты" and only later slips into "он" is missed,
+//     because "ты" itself is skipped but the words around it are not.
+//   - formal address outside these endings (short adjectives, "вашими" style
+//     forms not listed) is missed.
+
+// addressWordRE also takes Latin words, because "him"/"he" is the same break in
+// English.
+var addressWordRE = regexp.MustCompile(`[\p{Cyrillic}]+|[a-zA-Z]+|[,.;:!?…—-]`)
+
+// formalPronouns — the "вы" family. Whole-word match, so no false hits.
+var formalPronouns = map[string]bool{
+	"вы": true, "вас": true, "вам": true, "вами": true,
+	"ваш": true, "ваша": true, "ваше": true, "ваши": true,
+	"вашего": true, "вашей": true, "вашему": true, "вашим": true,
+	"вашими": true, "вашу": true,
+}
+
+// prepositions — used twice: to skip prepositional-case nouns that look like
+// plural verbs, and as words that cannot be what "он" refers to.
+var prepositions = map[string]bool{
+	"в": true, "во": true, "на": true, "о": true, "об": true, "обо": true,
+	"при": true, "по": true, "за": true, "из": true, "с": true, "со": true,
+	"к": true, "ко": true, "до": true, "от": true, "у": true, "над": true,
+	"под": true, "про": true, "без": true, "для": true, "через": true,
+}
+
+// pluralVerb reports whether a word looks like a plural/formal verb form:
+// "приходите", "выпейте", "забудьте", "хотите".
+func pluralVerb(w string) bool {
+	if len([]rune(w)) < 5 {
+		return false
+	}
+	return strings.HasSuffix(w, "ите") || strings.HasSuffix(w, "ете") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(w, "йте") || strings.HasSuffix(w, "ьте")
+}
+
+// thirdPersonHim — pronouns that would be talking about him instead of to him.
+var thirdPersonHim = map[string]bool{
+	"он": true, "его": true, "ему": true, "него": true, "нему": true, "ним": true,
+	"he": true, "him": true, "his": true,
+}
+
+// notAnAntecedent — words that cannot be the thing "он" refers to: pronouns,
+// particles, conjunctions, adverbs of time. If only these come before "он", the
+// message never named a third party and "он" is him.
+var notAnAntecedent = map[string]bool{
+	"не": true, "ни": true, "и": true, "а": true, "но": true, "да": true,
+	"же": true, "бы": true, "ли": true, "вот": true, "уже": true,
+	"ещё": true, "еще": true, "тоже": true, "там": true, "тут": true,
+	"здесь": true, "это": true, "что": true, "как": true, "когда": true,
+	"чтобы": true, "потому": true, "сейчас": true, "потом": true,
+	// Time words. A nudge almost always opens with one ("сегодня он не ел"),
+	// and without them the very next word is read as the person being talked
+	// about, so the check misses the exact break it was written for.
+	"сегодня": true, "вчера": true, "завтра": true, "послезавтра": true,
+	"утром": true, "днём": true, "днем": true, "вечером": true, "ночью": true,
+	"опять": true, "снова": true, "весь": true, "всю": true, "целый": true,
+	"я": true, "мне": true, "меня": true, "мной": true, "мы": true, "нас": true,
+	"ты": true, "тебя": true, "тебе": true, "тобой": true,
+	"твой": true, "твоя": true, "твоё": true, "твое": true, "твои": true, "твою": true,
+}
+
+// looksPastVerb — a past-tense verb needs a subject of its own, so it is not an
+// antecedent either. Keeps "сервис упал, он не отвечает" working off "сервис".
+func looksPastVerb(w string) bool {
+	if len([]rune(w)) < 3 {
+		return false
+	}
+	return strings.HasSuffix(w, "л") || strings.HasSuffix(w, "ла") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(w, "ло") || strings.HasSuffix(w, "ли")
+}
+
+func checkAddress(body string) Result {
+	words := addressWordRE.FindAllString(strings.ToLower(body), -1)
+
+	for i, w := range words {
+		if formalPronouns[w] {
+			return Result{CheckAddress, false,
+				fmt.Sprintf("formal %q — she says ты/тебя/тебе", w)}
+		}
+		if pluralVerb(w) && !(i > 0 && prepositions[words[i-1]]) {
+			return Result{CheckAddress, false,
+				fmt.Sprintf("plural imperative %q — she uses the singular", w)}
+		}
+	}
+
+	for i, w := range words {
+		if !thirdPersonHim[w] {
+			continue
+		}
+		named := false
+		for j := 0; j < i; j++ {
+			p := words[j]
+			if !unicode.Is(unicode.Cyrillic, []rune(p)[0]) && !isLatinWord(p) {
+				continue // punctuation
+			}
+			if notAnAntecedent[p] || prepositions[p] || thirdPersonHim[p] || looksPastVerb(p) {
+				continue
+			}
+			named = true
+			break
+		}
+		if !named {
+			return Result{CheckAddress, false,
+				fmt.Sprintf("third person %q with nobody else named — she talks to him, not about him", w)}
+		}
+	}
+	return Result{CheckAddress, true, ""}
+}
+
+func isLatinWord(w string) bool {
+	r := []rune(w)[0]
+	return (r >= 'a' && r <= 'z') || (r >= 'A' && r <= 'Z')
+}
+
 // --- the cringe checks ---------------------------------------------------
 //
 // "Think Jarvis without the cringe part". DESIGN.md § Non-goals: "Not a

internal/phraser/eval/eval.go

@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ func (r Report) String() string {
 	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s: %d/%d cases pass every check (%.1f%%), %d errors\n",
 		r.Name, r.Passed, r.Total, 100*r.Accuracy(), r.Errors)
 	for _, name := range CheckNames {
-		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  %-9s %d/%d\n", name, r.ByCheck[name], r.Total)
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  %-10s %d/%d\n", name, r.ByCheck[name], r.Total)
 	}
 	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  latency: p50 %s  p95 %s  max %s\n", r.P50, r.P95, r.Max)
 	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  by rule: %s\n", renderStats(r.ByRule))

internal/phraser/eval/eval_test.go

@@ -72,10 +72,12 @@ func TestStubBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 		// ceiling ("you've been at your desk for 4 hours without a break — step
 		// away for a bit." is 76 chars but 16 words). Left failing rather than
 		// raising the ceiling to hide it.
-		CheckLength:   12,
-		CheckFeminine: 15,
-		CheckCringe:   15,
-		CheckOnTopic:  12,
+		CheckLength:    12,
+		CheckFeminine:  15,
+		CheckHisGender: 15,
+		CheckAddress:   15,
+		CheckCringe:    15,
+		CheckOnTopic:   12,
 	}
 	for name, floor := range floors {
 		if rep.ByCheck[name] < floor {
@@ -104,6 +106,14 @@ func TestChecksCatchWhatTheyClaim(t *testing.T) {
 		{"masculine predicative", "я должен сказать: попей воды.", CheckFeminine},
 		// The other direction: HE is male, so second-person masculine is right.
 		{"second person masculine ok", "ты не пил воду четыре часа.", ""},
+		// The real observed failure: she addressed him as a woman.
+		{"feminine second person", "ты давно не отдыхала — попей воды.", CheckHisGender},
+		{"feminine second person no dash", "ты пила воду четыре часа назад.", CheckHisGender},
+		// Her own feminine verb next to "ты" is correct and must not be flagged.
+		{"her feminine verb near ты", "я заметила, что ты не пил воду.", ""},
+		{"her feminine verb about him", "напомнила тебе про воду.", ""},
+		// A feminine noun subject in the same sentence is not him.
+		{"feminine noun subject ok", "зарядка была утром, ты её пропустил, попей воды.", ""},
 		{"feminine self ok", "я заметила: воды не было четыре часа.", ""},
 		{"pet name", "милый, попей воды.", CheckCringe},
 		{"emoji", "попей воды 💧", CheckCringe},
@@ -114,6 +124,10 @@ func TestChecksCatchWhatTheyClaim(t *testing.T) {
 		{"asks how he feels", "как ты себя чувствуешь? попей воды.", CheckCringe},
 		{"praise", "молодец! теперь попей воды.", CheckCringe},
 		{"off topic", "пора бы уже что-то сделать.", CheckOnTopic},
+		// The two recorded persona breaks from the phrasing eval run. Pinned as
+		// unit tests because an eval run is sampled and may not reproduce them.
+		{"formal plural", "Приходите… Жду вас", CheckAddress},
+		{"third person about him", "Он не ел 11 дней", CheckAddress},
 	}
 
 	for _, tc := range cases {
@@ -135,6 +149,36 @@ func TestChecksCatchWhatTheyClaim(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestAddressCheck — the address check on its own, so the messages that must NOT
+// trip it can be written without also having to satisfy the on-topic check.
+func TestAddressCheck(t *testing.T) {
+	bad := []string{
+		"Приходите… Жду вас",        // the recorded formal-plural break
+		"Он не ел 11 дней",          // the recorded third-person break
+		"Выпейте воды, пожалуйста.", // plural imperative on its own
+		"Ваш обед был давно.",       // formal possessive
+	}
+	for _, body := range bad {
+		if r := checkAddress(body); r.Pass {
+			t.Errorf("persona break not caught: %q", body)
+		} else {
+			t.Logf("%q -> %s", body, r.Detail)
+		}
+	}
+
+	good := []string{
+		"ты не пил воду четыре часа — попей.",   // correct informal address
+		"сервис netdata упал, он не отвечает.",  // legitimately about a third party
+		"я заметила, что зарядка была утром.",   // no address at all
+		"в интернете опять тихо, всё работает.", // "интернете" is a noun, not an imperative
+	}
+	for _, body := range good {
+		if r := checkAddress(body); !r.Pass {
+			t.Errorf("clean message flagged: %q -> %s", body, r.Detail)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestMoodCheckUsesTheEnum(t *testing.T) {
 	if r := checkMood("cheerful"); r.Pass {
 		t.Error("mood outside the enum passed")

internal/phraser/eval/llmphraser_test.go

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/llm"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 )
 
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ func TestLLMPhrasingBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	// case as a phrasing error and read as "the model cannot phrase".
 	noProxyLoopback(t)
 
+	ctx := context.Background()
 	f, err := Load()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
@@ -44,7 +46,19 @@ func TestLLMPhrasingBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	p := phraser.NewLLMPhraserAt(base, cfg)
 	defer p.Close()
 
-	rep, err := Score(context.Background(), "llm (0.8B, built-in persona)", p, f)
+	// Label the run with whatever gguf the server actually has loaded. It used
+	// to say "0.8B" no matter what, so two runs of two different models came
+	// out named the same and were easy to mix up when comparing.
+	model, err := llm.ModelID(ctx, base)
+	if err != nil {
+		// An unlabelled score is still a score, but say so loudly — a made-up
+		// name in a bake-off table is worse than no name.
+		t.Logf("could not read model id from %s: %v — report will say %q", base, err, llm.UnknownModel)
+		model = llm.UnknownModel
+	}
+	t.Logf("scoring model %s at %s", model, base)
+
+	rep, err := Score(ctx, "llm ("+model+", built-in persona)", p, f)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Score: %v", err)
 	}

internal/phraser/llmphraser.go

@@ -184,7 +184,10 @@ func (p *LLMPhraser) PhraseNudge(ctx context.Context, c loop.Candidate) (deliver
 		body, _ = parsePhrase(resp)
 	}
 	if body == "" {
-		body = fmt.Sprintf("%s — %s", c.Rule.Name, sevLabel(c.Severity))
+		// The model said nothing usable. Say it in Russian anyway — this text
+		// goes straight to a Russian piper voice, so the old "water — care"
+		// fallback was unspeakable.
+		body = fallbackNudge(c)
 	}
 	if mood == "" {
 		mood = "neutral"
@@ -428,8 +431,33 @@ func (p *LLMPhraser) chatWithSystem(ctx context.Context, system, user string, ma
 	return stripThink(content), nil
 }
 
+// nudgeSystem — the phrasing contract for nudges.
+//
+// Written as filled-in examples, not as a schema with "..." in it. A 0.8B
+// copies whatever sits in the response slot, so a literal placeholder there
+// teaches it to answer with the placeholder. Measured: 7/15 nudges came back
+// as "..." before this. See PHRASING-EVAL-31-07-2026.md.
+//
+// Russian only, feminine self-reference, second person masculine (the owner is
+// a man). One short sentence — the nudge is spoken aloud.
+const nudgeSystem = `Ты — Maven, домашняя ассистентка. О себе говоришь в женском роде ("я проверила", "я записала"). Владелец — мужчина, обращайся к нему в мужском роде ("ты пил", "ты забыл").
+
+Пиши ОДНО короткое напоминание по-русски: не больше 120 символов и не больше 16 слов. Только по делу.
+
+Запрещено: обращения ("дорогой", "милый"), эмодзи, извинения ("прости", "извини"), вопросы о самочувствии, похвала, больше одного восклицательного знака, английские слова кроме имён сервисов.
+
+Отвечай ТОЛЬКО одним объектом JSON с полями "response" и "mood".
+"response" — сам текст напоминания.
+"mood" — ровно одно из: neutral, happy, thinking, tired, confused.
+
+Так выглядит правильный ответ по форме. Темы здесь посторонние — их в запросе не будет:
+{"response": "Стиральная машина закончила. Развесь бельё.", "mood": "neutral"}
+{"response": "Ноутбук на трёх процентах. Я поставила его на зарядку.", "mood": "confused"}
+
+Это примеры ФОРМЫ, а не темы. Пиши только про ту ситуацию, которую тебе дали в запросе. Не копируй примеры и никогда не пиши "..." в поле response.`
+
 func (p *LLMPhraser) systemPrompt() string {
-	base := `You are maven, a self-hosted personal assistant. Generate brief, natural nudge messages in the user's language (Russian or English). Respond ONLY with valid JSON: {"response": "full voice message", "mood": "neutral"}. "response" is what the user hears; "mood" reflects maven's tone (neutral/happy/thinking/tired/confused).`
+	base := nudgeSystem
 	if p.cfg.Persona != "" {
 		base = p.cfg.Persona + "\n\n" + base
 	}
@@ -446,22 +474,117 @@ func (p *LLMPhraser) querySystemPrompt() string {
 	return base
 }
 
+// ruleTopics — Russian gloss for each built-in rule name. The rule names are
+// English identifiers; a 0.8B asked to nudge about "netdata_critical" writes
+// about nothing. The daemon knows what its own rules mean, so it says so.
+var ruleTopics = map[string]string{
+	"water":            "он давно не пил воду",
+	"meal":             "он давно не ел",
+	"break":            "он давно без перерыва, пора встать и размяться",
+	"service_down":     "сервис не отвечает, лежит",
+	"netdata_critical": "критический алярм в netdata, проблема с диском или местом",
+}
+
+// ruleKeywords — the word the message must contain. The 0.8B drifts to
+// whatever topic it saw last unless the required word is named outright.
+var ruleKeywords = map[string]string{
+	"water":            "воду",
+	"meal":             "поешь",
+	"break":            "перерыв",
+	"service_down":     "сервис",
+	"netdata_critical": "диск",
+}
+
+// ruleTopic turns a rule name into a Russian description of the situation.
+// "routine:зарядка" and "morning:утро" carry their own Russian suffix.
+func ruleTopic(rule string) string {
+	if t, ok := ruleTopics[rule]; ok {
+		return t
+	}
+	if i := strings.IndexByte(rule, ':'); i > 0 && i+1 < len(rule) {
+		switch rule[:i] {
+		case "morning":
+			return "утро, пора начать день: " + rule[i+1:]
+		default:
+			return "пора сделать по распорядку: " + rule[i+1:]
+		}
+	}
+	return rule
+}
+
+// ruleKeyword — the word the nudge must contain, or "" when the rule name's
+// own Russian suffix already is that word.
+func ruleKeyword(rule string) string {
+	if k, ok := ruleKeywords[rule]; ok {
+		return k
+	}
+	if i := strings.IndexByte(rule, ':'); i > 0 && i+1 < len(rule) {
+		return rule[i+1:]
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// ruDur — duration in Russian. humanDur is English and its output was landing
+// verbatim in the message.
+func ruDur(d time.Duration) string {
+	if d < 0 {
+		d = 0
+	}
+	h, m := int(d.Hours()), int(d.Minutes())%60
+	switch {
+	case h >= 2:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%d ч", h)
+	case h == 1 && m >= 30:
+		return "полтора часа"
+	case h == 1:
+		return "час"
+	default:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%d мин", m)
+	}
+}
+
+// fallbackNudge — plain Russian for when the model returns nothing parseable.
+var fallbackNudges = map[string]string{
+	"water":            "Ты давно не пил воду.",
+	"meal":             "Ты давно не ел, поешь.",
+	"break":            "Пора сделать перерыв.",
+	"service_down":     "Сервис не отвечает.",
+	"netdata_critical": "Критический алярм: проверь диск.",
+}
+
+func fallbackNudge(c loop.Candidate) string {
+	if s, ok := fallbackNudges[c.Rule.Name]; ok {
+		return s
+	}
+	if kw := ruleKeyword(c.Rule.Name); kw != "" {
+		return "Напоминаю: " + kw + "."
+	}
+	return "Напоминаю о деле."
+}
+
 func buildNudgePrompt(c loop.Candidate) string {
 	var ctxParts []string
-	ctxParts = append(ctxParts, fmt.Sprintf("Rule: %s", c.Rule.Name))
-	ctxParts = append(ctxParts, fmt.Sprintf("Severity: %s", sevLabel(c.Severity)))
-
+	ctxParts = append(ctxParts, "Ситуация: "+ruleTopic(c.Rule.Name))
+	if f, ok := c.State.Facts[c.Rule.Name]; ok && f.Key != "" && f.Key != c.Rule.Name {
+		ctxParts = append(ctxParts, "Что именно: "+f.Key)
+	}
 	if d, ok := c.State.Since(c.Rule.Name); ok {
-		ctxParts = append(ctxParts, fmt.Sprintf("Duration since last event: %s", humanDur(d)))
+		ctxParts = append(ctxParts, "Прошло: "+ruDur(d))
+	}
+	switch sevLabel(c.Severity) {
+	case "alarm":
+		ctxParts = append(ctxParts, "Срочно, скажи прямо.")
+	case "ops":
+		ctxParts = append(ctxParts, "Это про сервер, не про здоровье.")
+	}
+	tail := "Напиши напоминание про эту ситуацию. Одно предложение, по-русски, в JSON."
+	if kw := ruleKeyword(c.Rule.Name); kw != "" {
+		// Last line on purpose: a 0.8B weights the end of the prompt hardest,
+		// and without the required word it drifts back to the examples.
+		tail += " Ответ ДОЛЖЕН содержать слово «" + kw + "»."
 	}
 
-	return fmt.Sprintf(
-		`Generate a nudge message. Context:
-%s
-
-Respond as JSON: {"response": "...", "mood": "..."}`,
-		strings.Join(ctxParts, "\n"),
-	)
+	return strings.Join(ctxParts, "\n") + "\n\n" + tail
 }
 
 type responseMood struct {

internal/router/embedder.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package router
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"fmt"
 	"math"
 	"unicode"
 )
@@ -19,6 +20,24 @@ type Embedder interface {
 	Close() error
 }
 
+// IdentifiedEmbedder — an embedder that can name itself. The name goes into
+// the DB next to the vectors it wrote, so a later model swap is caught instead
+// of silently returning nonsense scores (Vikunja #378).
+type IdentifiedEmbedder interface {
+	Embedder
+	ID() string
+}
+
+// EmbedderID is the stable string stored alongside the vectors. It comes from
+// the embedder itself — nobody hand-types a model name twice — and changes
+// whenever the model or its dimension changes.
+func EmbedderID(e Embedder) string {
+	if i, ok := e.(IdentifiedEmbedder); ok {
+		return i.ID()
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("unknown@%d", e.Dim())
+}
+
 // AsymmetricEmbedder — an embedder that wants to know whether a text is a
 // search query or a stored passage. Recall is asymmetric: a short question
 // goes in, a longer note comes out. The e5 family is trained for exactly that
@@ -70,6 +89,10 @@ func NewHashEmbedder(dim int) *HashEmbedder {
 
 func (h *HashEmbedder) Dim() int { return h.dim }
 
+// ID names this embedder for the DB marker. The dimension is part of it
+// because a HashEmbedder of another width is a different vector space.
+func (h *HashEmbedder) ID() string { return fmt.Sprintf("hash@%d", h.dim) }
+
 func (h *HashEmbedder) Close() error { return nil }
 
 func (h *HashEmbedder) Embed(_ context.Context, text string) ([]float32, error) {

internal/router/embedderid_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+package router
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestEmbedderIDFromModelPath(t *testing.T) {
+	got := modelIDFromPath("/opt/maven/models/embedder/multilingual-e5-small.onnx")
+	if got != "multilingual-e5-small@384" {
+		t.Fatalf("modelIDFromPath = %q", got)
+	}
+	// A different model file must produce a different id, even at 384 dim.
+	old := modelIDFromPath("/opt/maven/models/embedder/paraphrase-multilingual-MiniLM-L12-v2.onnx")
+	if old == got {
+		t.Fatal("two different models share one id")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEmbedderIDIncludesDim(t *testing.T) {
+	if id := EmbedderID(NewHashEmbedder(1024)); id != "hash@1024" {
+		t.Fatalf("EmbedderID = %q", id)
+	}
+	if EmbedderID(NewHashEmbedder(1024)) == EmbedderID(NewHashEmbedder(384)) {
+		t.Fatal("dimension not part of the id")
+	}
+}

internal/router/eval/llmrouter_test.go

@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 package eval
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"context"
-	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
-	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
@@ -29,13 +26,20 @@ import (
 // a bake-off across checkpoints (#278, #250) produces tables you can tell
 // apart. Point the variable at one server at a time.
 //
-// Three configurations, because "the LLM router" is ambiguous and the three
-// numbers answer different questions:
+// Two configurations, because "the LLM router" is ambiguous and the two numbers
+// answer different questions:
 //
-//	llm-only        — the model alone. Measures the prompt + grammar contract.
-//	cascade+llm     — what #320 would actually ship: stage-0 grammar, then the
-//	                  model, then the classifier as the failure floor.
-//	llm-no-thinking — diagnostic only, not a shippable path (see below).
+//	llm-only    — the model alone. Measures the prompt + grammar contract.
+//	cascade+llm — what #320 would actually ship: stage-0 grammar, then the
+//	              model, then the classifier as the failure floor.
+//
+// There used to be a third, "thinking off", which looked 6 points better. It is
+// gone: it was measured with a hand-rolled HTTP client that quietly dropped
+// repeat_penalty, so the gap was the missing penalty and not the thinking mode.
+// Re-measured with everything else held equal, thinking off scores exactly the
+// same, case for case — and a direct probe shows this llama-server build ignores
+// enable_thinking / reasoning_budget for this model anyway, so there was nothing
+// to turn off. Full write-up in ROUTING-EVAL-31-07-2026.md (Vikunja #376).
 func TestLLMRouterBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	base := os.Getenv("MAVEN_LLM_URL")
 	if base == "" {
@@ -57,12 +61,12 @@ func TestLLMRouterBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	ctx := context.Background()
-	model, err := ModelID(ctx, base)
+	model, err := llm.ModelID(ctx, base)
 	if err != nil {
 		// Not fatal: an unlabelled score is still a score. But say so loudly,
 		// because an unlabelled row in a bake-off table is worthless.
-		t.Logf("could not read model id from %s: %v — reports will say %q", base, err, "unknown-model")
-		model = "unknown-model"
+		t.Logf("could not read model id from %s: %v — reports will say %q", base, err, llm.UnknownModel)
+		model = llm.UnknownModel
 	}
 	t.Logf("scoring model %s at %s", model, base)
 	lr := router.NewLLMRouter(client)
@@ -96,104 +100,18 @@ func TestLLMRouterBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	t.Log("\n" + repCascade.String() + repCascade.Failures())
 
-	// llm-no-thinking: same prompt and grammar with the chat template's
-	// thinking mode off. Qwen3.5's template defaults thinking=1, so under a
-	// grammar the constrained JSON lands in reasoning_content with content
-	// empty — llm.Client's ReasoningContent fallback is what makes the router
-	// work at all today, by accident rather than design.
-	//
-	// MEASURED 2026-07-31: this variant scores identically to as-deployed
-	// (18/76, 48.7% intent-only, 2 errors, same p50). Thinking mode is a
-	// non-issue under a grammar — llama.cpp constrains the same token stream
-	// either way. Kept so the question stays answered instead of being
-	// re-asked, and so internal/llm does NOT grow a chat_template_kwargs field
-	// for a problem that does not exist.
-	repNoThink, err := Score(ctx, "llm-only ("+model+", thinking off) [diagnostic]",
-		RouterFunc(func(ctx context.Context, u string, now time.Time) (router.Decision, error) {
-			d, ok, err := router.NewLLMRouter(&noThinkCompleter{base: base, http: &http.Client{Timeout: 60 * time.Second}}).Route(ctx, u, now)
-			if err != nil {
-				return d, err
-			}
-			if !ok {
-				return d, fmt.Errorf("llm router declined without an error")
-			}
-			return d, nil
-		}), f)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Score no-thinking: %v", err)
-	}
-	t.Log("\n" + repNoThink.String() + repNoThink.Failures())
-
 	// Reports rather than asserts — the numbers are inputs to the #320
 	// decision, and an assertion here would be this test inventing the bar.
 	// The one thing worth failing on is a harness fault: if every single case
 	// errors, the run measured infrastructure, not routing, and the report
 	// must not be mistaken for a score.
-	for _, rep := range []Report{repLLM, repCascade, repNoThink} {
+	for _, rep := range []Report{repLLM, repCascade} {
 		if rep.Errors == rep.Total {
 			t.Errorf("%s: all %d cases errored — harness fault, not a measurement", rep.Name, rep.Total)
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-// noThinkCompleter — llm.Client with chat_template_kwargs.enable_thinking
-// false. A test-local copy rather than a change to internal/llm: whether the
-// daemon should send it is the open question, and answering it here by adding
-// the field would prejudge #320.
-type noThinkCompleter struct {
-	base string
-	http *http.Client
-}
-
-func (c *noThinkCompleter) Complete(ctx context.Context, r llm.Req) (string, error) {
-	payload := map[string]any{
-		"messages": []map[string]string{
-			{"role": "system", "content": r.System},
-			{"role": "user", "content": r.User},
-		},
-		"max_tokens":           r.MaxTokens,
-		"temperature":          0,
-		"grammar":              r.Grammar,
-		"chat_template_kwargs": map[string]any{"enable_thinking": false},
-	}
-	b, err := json.Marshal(payload)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, "POST", c.base+"/v1/chat/completions", bytes.NewReader(b))
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
-	resp, err := c.http.Do(req)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-	defer resp.Body.Close()
-	if resp.StatusCode != 200 {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("status %d", resp.StatusCode)
-	}
-	var out struct {
-		Choices []struct {
-			Message struct {
-				Content          string `json:"content"`
-				ReasoningContent string `json:"reasoning_content"`
-			} `json:"message"`
-		} `json:"choices"`
-	}
-	if err := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&out); err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-	if len(out.Choices) == 0 {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("no choices")
-	}
-	m := out.Choices[0].Message
-	if m.Content != "" {
-		return m.Content, nil
-	}
-	return m.ReasoningContent, nil
-}
-
 func ping(ctx context.Context, c *llm.Client) error {
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 90*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()

internal/router/eval/ru_routing_v1.json

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     { "id": "ru-query-011", "utterance": "почему сервер тормозит", "lang": "ru", "intent": "query", "tags": ["homelab", "hard"], "note": "diagnostic question, not a chat opener" },
     { "id": "ru-query-012", "utterance": "какие заметки я оставил про полив", "lang": "ru", "intent": "query", "tags": ["recall"] },
     { "id": "ru-query-013", "utterance": "во сколько у меня встреча", "lang": "ru", "intent": "query", "tags": ["calendar"] },
+    { "id": "ru-query-019", "utterance": "что у меня стоит в календаре на послезавтра", "lang": "ru", "intent": "query", "tags": ["calendar", "hard"], "note": "agenda, not the clock: the daemon answers this from CalendarEvents inside the query branch, so the clock/date system rule must not swallow it" },
     { "id": "ru-query-014", "utterance": "я успеваю до дедлайна", "lang": "ru", "intent": "query", "tags": ["hard", "no-question-word"] },
     { "id": "ru-query-015", "utterance": "сколько я прошёл шагов", "lang": "ru", "intent": "query", "tags": ["aggregate"] },
     { "id": "ru-query-016", "utterance": "покажи давление за неделю", "lang": "ru", "intent": "query", "tags": ["hard", "imperative"], "note": "imperative form but a read — must not route to act" },

internal/router/llmrouter.go

@@ -44,10 +44,21 @@ ws     ::= [ \t\n]*
 // Changed again 31-07-2026: added the "unknown" escape hatch so the model can
 // admit it cannot route (Vikunja #359).
 //
+// Changed again 31-07-2026: added the clock/calendar rule (Vikunja #374). The
+// prompt never said which side "который час" or "какое число завтра" belong on,
+// so the model guessed — `system→query ×4` in every eval run. The rule sits
+// above the question test on purpose: these utterances all carry a question
+// word, so a later rule would never be reached. The boundary is what the
+// daemon can actually answer: only replySystem in cmd/mavend/voice.go owns the
+// clock and the calendar formatter, while the agenda ("что у меня завтра") is
+// answered inside the query branch, so that side stays query.
+//
 // The training workspace keeps its own copy of this prompt for relabelling, and
 // `llm/check_prompt_parity.py` there compares the two. That copy is in another
 // repo and was not touched, so parity will fail until it gets the same edits —
-// both the rule reorder and the "unknown" wording (Vikunja #362).
+// both the rule reorder and the "unknown" wording (Vikunja #362) — and now the
+// clock/calendar rule too. The training workspace is not checked out on this
+// box at all, so it could not be updated here; #362 still covers the catch-up.
 const routeSystem = `Классифицируй ровно одно сообщение пользователя. Верни ОДИН JSON-массив действий.
 
 Ровно одно намерение: fact, reminder, note, query, act, chat, system.
@@ -56,19 +67,21 @@ const routeSystem = `Классифицируй ровно одно сообще
 Классифицируй по цели пользователя. Порядок решения:
 1. Хочет напоминание в будущем → reminder
 2. Явно просит сохранить информацию → note
-3. Задаёт вопрос: есть вопросительное слово (сколько, что, какой, когда, где, кто, почему, как) или знак «?» → query
-4. Хочет получить информацию, в том числе о своих же данных → query
-5. Утверждает: сообщает или обновляет текущее состояние/событие → fact
-6. Просит выполнить работу → act
-7. Про ассистента, настройки или память → system
-8. Реплика — обрывок или указание на неназванное («это», «то», «потом»), и без него непонятно, что именно нужно сделать → unknown
-9. Иначе → chat
+3. Спрашивает только «который час» / «какое число» / «какой день недели» — сами часы или календарная дата, без своих данных → system
+4. Задаёт вопрос: есть вопросительное слово (сколько, что, какой, когда, где, кто, почему, как) или знак «?» → query
+5. Хочет получить информацию, в том числе о своих же данных → query
+6. Утверждает: сообщает или обновляет текущее состояние/событие → fact
+7. Просит выполнить работу → act
+8. Про ассистента, настройки или память → system
+9. Реплика — обрывок или указание на неназванное («это», «то», «потом»), и без него непонятно, что именно нужно сделать → unknown
+10. Иначе → chat
 
 Различия:
 - note — сохранить информацию, без напоминания. text = суть.
 - reminder — уведомить позже. text = что напомнить.
 - fact — неявное обновление: пользователь сообщает, что что-то в мире изменилось (текущее/изменённое состояние, случившееся событие). key/value.
 - unknown — редкий случай. Ставь его, только если в самой реплике нет ни предмета, ни действия. Короткая, простая или незнакомая тема — это не причина для unknown: приветствие и болтовня — это chat, вопрос на любую тему — это query, просьба сделать что-то названное — это act.
+- system против query — часы и календарная дата сами по себе (сколько времени, какое число, какой день недели — можно и про завтра, и про другой город) — это system. А что записано в календаре или в памяти («что у меня завтра», «какие есть напоминания») — это query. Если в реплике есть просьба (напомни, запиши, сделай), то названное время — просто деталь просьбы, и это не system.
 - query против fact — решает форма реплики, а не тема. Вопрос о состоянии — это query, даже если названо то же самое, что бывает в fact. Только утверждение — это fact.
 
 Примеры:
@@ -82,6 +95,8 @@ const routeSystem = `Классифицируй ровно одно сообще
 "что такое docker?" → {"intent":"query","text":"что такое docker"}
 "напиши письмо" → {"intent":"act","verb":"написать письмо"}
 "очисти память" → {"intent":"system"}
+"который час?" → {"intent":"system"}
+"какое число завтра?" → {"intent":"system"}
 "привет" → {"intent":"chat","text":"привет"}
 "сделай это" → {"intent":"unknown"}
 "ну это" → {"intent":"unknown"}

internal/router/onnxembedder.go

@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ const (
 type onnxEmbedder struct {
 	tokenizer *unigramTokenizer
 	session   *ort.DynamicSession[int64, float32]
+	id        string
 }
 
 func NewONNXEmbedder(modelPath, tokenizerPath, libPath string) (*onnxEmbedder, error) {
@@ -58,11 +59,31 @@ func NewONNXEmbedder(modelPath, tokenizerPath, libPath string) (*onnxEmbedder, e
 	return &onnxEmbedder{
 		tokenizer: tok,
 		session:   session,
+		id:        modelIDFromPath(modelPath),
 	}, nil
 }
 
 func (e *onnxEmbedder) Dim() int { return embedDim }
 
+// ID names the loaded model for the DB marker (Vikunja #378): the model file's
+// own name plus the dimension, so pointing the config at another model changes
+// the string on its own.
+func (e *onnxEmbedder) ID() string { return e.id }
+
+// modelIDFromPath turns /opt/.../multilingual-e5-small.onnx into
+// "multilingual-e5-small@384".
+func modelIDFromPath(modelPath string) string {
+	name := modelPath
+	if i := strings.LastIndexAny(name, "/\\"); i >= 0 {
+		name = name[i+1:]
+	}
+	name = strings.TrimSuffix(name, ".onnx")
+	if name == "" {
+		name = "onnx"
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s@%d", name, embedDim)
+}
+
 // Embed treats the text as a query. The classifier compares one short
 // utterance to another short seed phrase, so both sides get the same prefix
 // and the comparison stays fair. The recall path must call EmbedQuery and

internal/router/slots.go

@@ -449,16 +449,30 @@ func (AnaphoraResolver) Resolve(text string) (ref string, ok bool) {
 	return "", false
 }
 
-// ParseCalendarDate detects RU calendar date words in text and returns the
-// resolved time (midnight UTC+0 for "сегодня"/"today", next day for "завтра"/"tomorrow").
-// Returns zero time + false if no match.
+// ParseCalendarDate detects RU/EN calendar day words in text and returns
+// midnight of that day in now's own time zone. Handles "сегодня", "завтра",
+// "послезавтра", "вчера" (and the English words). Returns zero time + false
+// if no match.
+//
+// "послезавтра" is checked before "завтра" because it contains it.
 func ParseCalendarDate(text string, now time.Time) (time.Time, bool) {
 	lower := strings.ToLower(text)
-	if strings.Contains(lower, "сегодня") || strings.Contains(lower, "today") {
-		return now.Truncate(24 * time.Hour), true
-	}
-	if strings.Contains(lower, "завтра") || strings.Contains(lower, "tomorrow") {
-		return now.Truncate(24 * time.Hour).Add(24 * time.Hour), true
+	switch {
+	case strings.Contains(lower, "сегодня") || strings.Contains(lower, "today"):
+		return midnight(now, 0), true
+	case strings.Contains(lower, "послезавтра") || strings.Contains(lower, "day after tomorrow"):
+		return midnight(now, 2), true
+	case strings.Contains(lower, "завтра") || strings.Contains(lower, "tomorrow"):
+		return midnight(now, 1), true
+	case strings.Contains(lower, "вчера") || strings.Contains(lower, "yesterday"):
+		return midnight(now, -1), true
 	}
 	return time.Time{}, false
 }
+
+// midnight returns the start of the day that is `days` away from now, in
+// now's time zone (now.Truncate(24h) would cut on a UTC boundary instead).
+func midnight(now time.Time, days int) time.Time {
+	y, m, d := now.AddDate(0, 0, days).Date()
+	return time.Date(y, m, d, 0, 0, 0, 0, now.Location())
+}

internal/router/slots_ru_test.go

@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ func TestParseCalendarDate(t *testing.T) {
 		{"расписание на завтра", time.Date(2026, 7, 7, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC), true},
 		{"what's today", time.Date(2026, 7, 6, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC), true},
 		{"tomorrow plans", time.Date(2026, 7, 7, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC), true},
+		{"какое число послезавтра", time.Date(2026, 7, 8, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC), true},
+		{"что было вчера", time.Date(2026, 7, 5, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC), true},
+		{"yesterday plans", time.Date(2026, 7, 5, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC), true},
 		{"какая погода", time.Time{}, false},
 		{"сколько времени", time.Time{}, false},
 		{"", time.Time{}, false},

internal/store/backfill.go

@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// EmbedFunc embeds one piece of stored text. The caller passes
+// router.EmbedPassage — the STORE side of the query/passage asymmetry, which is
+// the side every vector in the DB was written with. (Passing the query side
+// would put the stored vectors in the wrong half of the space and quietly halve
+// recall.) A func instead of an interface keeps this package free of any
+// dependency on internal/router.
+type EmbedFunc func(ctx context.Context, text string) ([]float32, error)
+
+// BackfillResult is what the re-embed run did, for logging.
+type BackfillResult struct {
+	Skipped  bool // marker already matched — nothing to do
+	Notes    int  // rows rewritten in the notes table
+	Facts    int  // fact rows rewritten in memory_vectors
+	MemNotes int  // note rows rewritten in memory_vectors
+	NoText   int  // memory_vectors rows with no text in their meta, left alone
+	Took     time.Duration
+}
+
+// ReembedAll rewrites every stored vector with the currently configured
+// embedder and then records that embedder as the one that owns the DB.
+//
+// Both places a vector lives are rewritten in the same pass: the `notes` table
+// `embedding` column and the `memory_vectors` rows (notes AND facts). Doing
+// only one would leave the two indexes disagreeing, which is worse than leaving
+// both stale.
+//
+// Safe to re-run: if the marker already names the current embedder there is
+// nothing to fix, so it returns immediately with Skipped set.
+//
+// Crash safety: everything — every vector and the marker — happens inside one
+// transaction. If anything fails or the process dies partway, the transaction
+// rolls back: no vectors changed and no marker written, so the next run does
+// the whole job again. The marker is never set unless the full rewrite
+// committed.
+func (s *Store) ReembedAll(ctx context.Context, currentID string, embed EmbedFunc) (BackfillResult, error) {
+	start := time.Now()
+	var res BackfillResult
+
+	stored, err := s.Meta(ctx, metaKeyEmbedderID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return res, err
+	}
+	if stored == currentID {
+		res.Skipped = true
+		res.Took = time.Since(start)
+		return res, nil
+	}
+
+	tx, err := s.db.BeginTx(ctx, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: begin: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer tx.Rollback() // no-op once committed
+
+	// ----- notes table -----
+	type noteRow struct {
+		id   int64
+		text string
+	}
+	var notes []noteRow
+	rows, err := tx.QueryContext(ctx, `SELECT id, text FROM notes WHERE text != ''`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: read notes: %w", err)
+	}
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var n noteRow
+		if err := rows.Scan(&n.id, &n.text); err != nil {
+			rows.Close()
+			return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: note row: %w", err)
+		}
+		notes = append(notes, n)
+	}
+	rows.Close()
+	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
+		return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: notes: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, n := range notes {
+		vec, err := embed(ctx, n.text)
+		if err != nil {
+			return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: embed note %d: %w", n.id, err)
+		}
+		if _, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx,
+			`UPDATE notes SET embedding = ? WHERE id = ?`, floatsToBlob(vec), n.id); err != nil {
+			return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: write note %d: %w", n.id, err)
+		}
+		res.Notes++
+	}
+
+	// ----- memory_vectors (the unified index: notes AND facts) -----
+	// The text to re-embed is the one carried in the row's meta blob, which is
+	// exactly the text that was embedded when the row was written.
+	type vecRow struct {
+		id, text, kind string
+	}
+	var vecs []vecRow
+	rows, err = tx.QueryContext(ctx, `SELECT id, meta FROM memory_vectors`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: read memory vectors: %w", err)
+	}
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var id, metaJSON string
+		if err := rows.Scan(&id, &metaJSON); err != nil {
+			rows.Close()
+			return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: memory row: %w", err)
+		}
+		meta := map[string]string{}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(metaJSON), &meta); err != nil {
+			rows.Close()
+			return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: meta for %q: %w", id, err)
+		}
+		if meta["text"] == "" {
+			res.NoText++
+			continue
+		}
+		vecs = append(vecs, vecRow{id: id, text: meta["text"], kind: meta["type"]})
+	}
+	rows.Close()
+	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
+		return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: memory vectors: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, v := range vecs {
+		vec, err := embed(ctx, v.text)
+		if err != nil {
+			return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: embed %q: %w", v.id, err)
+		}
+		if _, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx,
+			`UPDATE memory_vectors SET vec = ? WHERE id = ?`, encodeVec(vec), v.id); err != nil {
+			return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: write %q: %w", v.id, err)
+		}
+		if v.kind == "fact" {
+			res.Facts++
+		} else {
+			res.MemNotes++
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Same transaction as the rewrite, on purpose: the marker can only exist if
+	// every vector above was written.
+	if _, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`INSERT INTO meta (key, value) VALUES (?,?)
+		 ON CONFLICT(key) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value`,
+		metaKeyEmbedderID, currentID); err != nil {
+		return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: write marker: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := tx.Commit(); err != nil {
+		return res, fmt.Errorf("reembed: commit: %w", err)
+	}
+	res.Took = time.Since(start)
+	return res, nil
+}

internal/store/backfill_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// markerVec is a recognisable vector: nothing in these tests writes it except
+// the backfill, so finding it proves the row really was rewritten.
+var markerVec = []float32{9, 9, 9}
+
+func newEmbedder(calls *int) EmbedFunc {
+	return func(_ context.Context, _ string) ([]float32, error) {
+		*calls++
+		return markerVec, nil
+	}
+}
+
+// seedOldVectors puts one note (notes table + unified index) and one fact
+// (unified index only) in the DB, both carrying obviously-old vectors.
+func seedOldVectors(t *testing.T, s *Store) {
+	t.Helper()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	old := []float32{0.1, 0.2, 0.3}
+	id, err := s.WriteNote(ctx, time.Now(), "молоко в холодильнике", old, "voice")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("WriteNote: %v", err)
+	}
+	mem := s.VectorMemory()
+	if err := mem.Insert(ctx, "note:1", old, map[string]string{
+		"type": "note", "text": "молоко в холодильнике",
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Insert note vector: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := mem.Insert(ctx, "fact:water:1", old, map[string]string{
+		"type": "fact", "text": "я пил воду",
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Insert fact vector: %v", err)
+	}
+	_ = id
+}
+
+func noteVec(t *testing.T, s *Store) []float32 {
+	t.Helper()
+	var blob []byte
+	if err := s.db.QueryRow(`SELECT embedding FROM notes LIMIT 1`).Scan(&blob); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read note embedding: %v", err)
+	}
+	return blobToFloats(blob)
+}
+
+func memVec(t *testing.T, s *Store, id string) []float32 {
+	t.Helper()
+	var blob []byte
+	if err := s.db.QueryRow(`SELECT vec FROM memory_vectors WHERE id = ?`, id).Scan(&blob); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read memory vector %s: %v", id, err)
+	}
+	return decodeVec(blob)
+}
+
+func sameVec(a, b []float32) bool {
+	if len(a) != len(b) {
+		return false
+	}
+	for i := range a {
+		if a[i] != b[i] {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+// The deployed case: old vectors everywhere, no marker. Every vector in both
+// places must be rewritten and the marker recorded.
+func TestReembedAllRewritesEveryVector(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	seedOldVectors(t, s)
+
+	calls := 0
+	res, err := s.ReembedAll(ctx, "multilingual-e5-small@384", newEmbedder(&calls))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ReembedAll: %v", err)
+	}
+	if res.Skipped {
+		t.Fatal("first run should not skip")
+	}
+	if res.Notes != 1 || res.MemNotes != 1 || res.Facts != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("counts: notes=%d memNotes=%d facts=%d", res.Notes, res.MemNotes, res.Facts)
+	}
+	if calls != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("embedder called %d times, want 3", calls)
+	}
+	if !sameVec(noteVec(t, s), markerVec) {
+		t.Fatalf("notes table not rewritten: %v", noteVec(t, s))
+	}
+	if !sameVec(memVec(t, s, "note:1"), markerVec) {
+		t.Fatal("unified index note row not rewritten")
+	}
+	if !sameVec(memVec(t, s, "fact:water:1"), markerVec) {
+		t.Fatal("unified index fact row not rewritten")
+	}
+	got, err := s.Meta(ctx, metaKeyEmbedderID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Meta: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got != "multilingual-e5-small@384" {
+		t.Fatalf("marker = %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// Re-running must do nothing at all — not a second pass over the same rows.
+func TestReembedAllSecondRunIsNoop(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	seedOldVectors(t, s)
+
+	calls := 0
+	if _, err := s.ReembedAll(ctx, "e5@384", newEmbedder(&calls)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("first run: %v", err)
+	}
+	first := calls
+
+	res, err := s.ReembedAll(ctx, "e5@384", newEmbedder(&calls))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("second run: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !res.Skipped {
+		t.Fatal("second run should report Skipped")
+	}
+	if calls != first {
+		t.Fatalf("second run embedded %d more rows, want 0", calls-first)
+	}
+}
+
+// A failure partway must leave the DB exactly as it was: no marker, and the old
+// vectors still in place (one transaction, rolled back).
+func TestReembedAllPartialFailureLeavesMarkerUnset(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	seedOldVectors(t, s)
+	before := noteVec(t, s)
+
+	calls := 0
+	boom := func(_ context.Context, _ string) ([]float32, error) {
+		calls++
+		if calls == 2 {
+			return nil, errors.New("onnx blew up")
+		}
+		return markerVec, nil
+	}
+	if _, err := s.ReembedAll(ctx, "e5@384", boom); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected an error")
+	}
+	got, err := s.Meta(ctx, metaKeyEmbedderID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Meta: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("marker was set to %q after a failed run", got)
+	}
+	if !sameVec(noteVec(t, s), before) {
+		t.Fatal("a failed run left a partially rewritten notes table")
+	}
+	// And the mismatch warning must still fire, so the user knows to re-run.
+	if _, mismatch, err := s.CheckEmbedder(ctx, "e5@384"); err != nil || !mismatch {
+		t.Fatalf("CheckEmbedder after failed backfill: mismatch=%v err=%v", mismatch, err)
+	}
+}

internal/store/delivery.go

@@ -13,11 +13,15 @@ import (
 // unknown = a pending row found stale at startup: the process that started it
 // is gone, and the send may or may not have reached the external channel.
 // Never auto-resolved into sent or failed — that would be guessing.
+// dropped = the routing table deliberately suppressed this one (a care nudge
+// while you're away). Nothing was sent and nothing went wrong; the row exists
+// so "she dropped it" and "the rule never fired" don't look the same later.
 const (
 	DeliveryPending = "pending"
 	DeliverySent    = "sent"
 	DeliveryFailed  = "failed"
 	DeliveryUnknown = "unknown"
+	DeliveryDropped = "dropped"
 )
 
 // BeginDeliveryAttempt durably records intent to send BEFORE the external
@@ -43,10 +47,11 @@ func (s *Store) BeginDeliveryAttempt(ctx context.Context, kind, rule string, rem
 }
 
 // CompleteDeliveryAttempt records the sink's outcome for a prior
-// BeginDeliveryAttempt. status is "sent" or "failed" — never "pending" or
-// "unknown" (those are set only by Begin and reconciliation respectively).
+// BeginDeliveryAttempt. status is "sent", "failed" or "dropped" — never
+// "pending" or "unknown" (those are set only by Begin and reconciliation
+// respectively).
 func (s *Store) CompleteDeliveryAttempt(ctx context.Context, id int64, status string, now time.Time) error {
-	if status != DeliverySent && status != DeliveryFailed {
+	if status != DeliverySent && status != DeliveryFailed && status != DeliveryDropped {
 		return fmt.Errorf("store: invalid delivery completion status %q", status)
 	}
 	_, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,

internal/store/delivery_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// TestDroppedDeliveryAttemptRoundTrips — Vikunja #370. A suppressed nudge is
+// recorded as 'dropped'. The status column has a CHECK constraint, so this
+// only works if migration #12 widened it; a fake outbox in a unit test would
+// not catch that.
+func TestDroppedDeliveryAttemptRoundTrips(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	id, err := s.BeginDeliveryAttempt(ctx, "nudge", "water", 0, "drop", "abc123", now)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("BeginDeliveryAttempt: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := s.CompleteDeliveryAttempt(ctx, id, DeliveryDropped, now); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CompleteDeliveryAttempt: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	var status string
+	err = s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx, `SELECT status FROM delivery_attempts WHERE id = ?`, id).Scan(&status)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read back: %v", err)
+	}
+	if status != DeliveryDropped {
+		t.Fatalf("status: want %q, got %q", DeliveryDropped, status)
+	}
+}

internal/store/dialogue.go

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// DialogueSessionRow — one saved follow-up session. Data is the session
+// encoded by the dialogue package; the store does not look inside it.
+type DialogueSessionRow struct {
+	ID      string
+	Data    []byte
+	Ts      time.Time
+	TTL     time.Duration
+	Expires time.Time
+}
+
+// SaveDialogueSession — write (or replace) the session for one dialogue id.
+// One row per id: a newer turn overwrites the older state.
+func (s *Store) SaveDialogueSession(ctx context.Context, id string, data []byte, ts time.Time, ttl time.Duration) error {
+	expires := ts.Add(ttl)
+	_, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx, `
+		INSERT INTO dialogue_sessions (id, data, ts, ttl_ms, expires_ts) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
+		ON CONFLICT(id) DO UPDATE SET data       = excluded.data,
+		                              ts         = excluded.ts,
+		                              ttl_ms     = excluded.ttl_ms,
+		                              expires_ts = excluded.expires_ts`,
+		id, data, ts.UnixMilli(), ttl.Milliseconds(), expires.UnixMilli())
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("save dialogue session: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// DeleteDialogueSession — drop one session (ended, or expired).
+func (s *Store) DeleteDialogueSession(ctx context.Context, id string) error {
+	if _, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx, `DELETE FROM dialogue_sessions WHERE id = ?`, id); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("delete dialogue session: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// LoadDialogueSessions — return the sessions still alive at `now` and delete
+// the ones that already ran out. An expired session is dead: it never comes
+// back after a restart.
+func (s *Store) LoadDialogueSessions(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) ([]DialogueSessionRow, error) {
+	if _, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`DELETE FROM dialogue_sessions WHERE expires_ts <= ?`, now.UnixMilli()); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("prune dialogue sessions: %w", err)
+	}
+	rows, err := s.db.QueryContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT id, data, ts, ttl_ms, expires_ts FROM dialogue_sessions ORDER BY id`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("load dialogue sessions: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []DialogueSessionRow
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var r DialogueSessionRow
+		var tsMilli, ttlMilli, expMilli int64
+		if err := rows.Scan(&r.ID, &r.Data, &tsMilli, &ttlMilli, &expMilli); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("scan dialogue session: %w", err)
+		}
+		r.Ts = time.UnixMilli(tsMilli).UTC()
+		r.TTL = time.Duration(ttlMilli) * time.Millisecond
+		r.Expires = time.UnixMilli(expMilli).UTC()
+		out = append(out, r)
+	}
+	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("load dialogue sessions: %w", err)
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}

internal/store/meta.go

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"database/sql"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+)
+
+// metaKeyEmbedderID names the embedder that wrote the stored vectors.
+//
+// Why one value for the whole DB and not a column on every vector row: the
+// vectors are only ever rewritten all at once (one backfill re-embeds every
+// note and fact together), so a per-row marker would hold the same string in
+// every row and cost a column on two tables for nothing.
+const metaKeyEmbedderID = "embedder_id"
+
+// Meta reads a single value from the meta table. Missing key ⇒ empty string.
+func (s *Store) Meta(ctx context.Context, key string) (string, error) {
+	var v string
+	err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx, `SELECT value FROM meta WHERE key = ?`, key).Scan(&v)
+	if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
+		return "", nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("read meta %s: %w", key, err)
+	}
+	return v, nil
+}
+
+// SetMeta writes (or overwrites) a single meta value.
+func (s *Store) SetMeta(ctx context.Context, key, value string) error {
+	_, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`INSERT INTO meta (key, value) VALUES (?,?)
+		 ON CONFLICT(key) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value`, key, value)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("write meta %s: %w", key, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// EmbedderUnknown is the stored id reported for a DB that already holds
+// vectors but never recorded who wrote them.
+const EmbedderUnknown = "unknown (written before this marker existed)"
+
+// CheckEmbedder compares the embedder now configured against the one that
+// wrote the stored vectors. Returns the stored id and whether it differs.
+//
+// Vectors from two different models live in different spaces, so cosine
+// between them is noise rather than a low score — and both of our models are
+// 384-dimensional, so nothing else catches it.
+//
+// Three cases, and the middle one is the one that actually matters:
+//
+//   - marker present ⇒ compare the two ids.
+//   - marker absent but vectors already stored ⇒ this is a DB from before the
+//     marker, so we cannot know who wrote them. Report a mismatch. This is the
+//     real case on the deployed box: those vectors came from the old embedder,
+//     and claiming them for the current one would hide the exact problem the
+//     marker was added to catch.
+//   - marker absent and no vectors ⇒ fresh DB, claim it, nothing to fix.
+//
+// On a mismatch the fix is ReembedAll (backfill.go), run explicitly with
+// `mavend -reembed`. Nothing is re-embedded here: that work is minutes of CPU
+// on the laptop and must not stall a normal start.
+func (s *Store) CheckEmbedder(ctx context.Context, currentID string) (stored string, mismatch bool, err error) {
+	stored, err = s.Meta(ctx, metaKeyEmbedderID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", false, err
+	}
+	if stored != "" {
+		return stored, stored != currentID, nil
+	}
+	n, err := s.countVectors(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", false, err
+	}
+	if n > 0 {
+		return EmbedderUnknown, true, nil
+	}
+	return currentID, false, s.SetMeta(ctx, metaKeyEmbedderID, currentID)
+}
+
+// countVectors — how many stored rows carry an embedding. Used only to tell a
+// fresh DB apart from one that predates the marker.
+func (s *Store) countVectors(ctx context.Context) (int, error) {
+	var notes, vecs int
+	if err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT count(*) FROM notes WHERE embedding IS NOT NULL`).Scan(&notes); err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("count note vectors: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT count(*) FROM memory_vectors`).Scan(&vecs); err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("count memory vectors: %w", err)
+	}
+	return notes + vecs, nil
+}

internal/store/meta_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// A fresh DB has no marker yet, so the current embedder is recorded and
+// nothing is flagged.
+func TestCheckEmbedderFreshDBRecords(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	stored, mismatch, err := s.CheckEmbedder(ctx, "multilingual-e5-small@384")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CheckEmbedder: %v", err)
+	}
+	if mismatch {
+		t.Fatal("fresh DB reported a mismatch")
+	}
+	if stored != "multilingual-e5-small@384" {
+		t.Fatalf("stored = %q", stored)
+	}
+	got, err := s.Meta(ctx, metaKeyEmbedderID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Meta: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got != "multilingual-e5-small@384" {
+		t.Fatalf("marker not persisted, got %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// The deployed box: notes were written by the old embedder, before the marker
+// existed. Claiming them for the current one would hide exactly the problem
+// the marker is for, so an unmarked DB that already holds vectors is a
+// mismatch.
+func TestCheckEmbedderUnmarkedDBWithVectorsIsMismatch(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	if _, err := s.WriteNote(ctx, time.Now(), "молоко в холодильнике", []float32{0.1, 0.2}, "voice"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("WriteNote: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	stored, mismatch, err := s.CheckEmbedder(ctx, "multilingual-e5-small@384")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CheckEmbedder: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !mismatch {
+		t.Fatal("an unmarked DB with stored vectors should report a mismatch")
+	}
+	if stored != EmbedderUnknown {
+		t.Fatalf("stored = %q, want %q", stored, EmbedderUnknown)
+	}
+	// It must NOT claim the DB — that would silence the warning on restart.
+	got, err := s.Meta(ctx, metaKeyEmbedderID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Meta: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("marker written despite unknown provenance: %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// Both models are 384-dim, so this is the only thing that catches the swap.
+func TestCheckEmbedderDifferentModelMismatch(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	if err := s.SetMeta(ctx, metaKeyEmbedderID, "paraphrase-multilingual-MiniLM-L12-v2@384"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetMeta: %v", err)
+	}
+	stored, mismatch, err := s.CheckEmbedder(ctx, "multilingual-e5-small@384")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CheckEmbedder: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !mismatch {
+		t.Fatal("different embedder not detected")
+	}
+	if stored != "paraphrase-multilingual-MiniLM-L12-v2@384" {
+		t.Fatalf("stored = %q", stored)
+	}
+}
+
+// The same embedder must never raise a false alarm, including on re-check.
+func TestCheckEmbedderSameModelNoAlarm(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
+		_, mismatch, err := s.CheckEmbedder(ctx, "multilingual-e5-small@384")
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("CheckEmbedder: %v", err)
+		}
+		if mismatch {
+			t.Fatalf("false alarm on pass %d", i)
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/store/migrations.go

@@ -74,6 +74,44 @@ ALTER TABLE reminders ADD COLUMN next_fire_ts INTEGER;`, // #2
 	`CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_nudges_snoozed ON nudges (outcome_ts) WHERE outcome = 'snoozed';`, // #8 — SnoozedUntil runs every tick; keep it off a full scan (Vikunja #364)
 	`ALTER TABLE proposed_routines ADD COLUMN accepted_ts INTEGER;
 	ALTER TABLE proposed_routines ADD COLUMN last_fired_ts INTEGER;`, // #9 — accepted routines keep firing (Vikunja #366): the tick loop needs to know when a routine was accepted and when it last nudged
+
+	`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS dialogue_sessions (
+		id         TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+		data       BLOB NOT NULL,
+		ts         INTEGER NOT NULL,
+		ttl_ms     INTEGER NOT NULL,
+		expires_ts INTEGER NOT NULL
+	);
+	CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_dialogue_sessions_expires ON dialogue_sessions (expires_ts);`, // #10 — the follow-up session survives a restart (Vikunja #363); small, TTL-pruned table, not a history log
+
+	`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS meta (
+		key   TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+		value TEXT NOT NULL
+	);`, // #11 — small key/value table for facts about the DB itself; first key is embedder_id (Vikunja #378)
+
+	// #12 — a suppressed nudge gets a 'dropped' row (Vikunja #370). sqlite
+	// can't widen a CHECK constraint in place, so the table is rebuilt; the
+	// index goes with the old table and is recreated. The columns are listed
+	// out rather than `SELECT *` — copying by position would silently shuffle
+	// every row if the old table's column order ever differed from this one.
+	`CREATE TABLE delivery_attempts_v12 (
+		id           INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+		kind         TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (kind IN ('nudge','reminder')),
+		rule         TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
+		reminder_id  INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+		channel      TEXT NOT NULL,
+		body_hash    TEXT NOT NULL,
+		status       TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending' CHECK (status IN ('pending','sent','failed','unknown','dropped')),
+		created_ts   INTEGER NOT NULL,
+		completed_ts INTEGER
+	);
+	INSERT INTO delivery_attempts_v12
+		(id, kind, rule, reminder_id, channel, body_hash, status, created_ts, completed_ts)
+		SELECT id, kind, rule, reminder_id, channel, body_hash, status, created_ts, completed_ts
+		FROM delivery_attempts;
+	DROP TABLE delivery_attempts;
+	ALTER TABLE delivery_attempts_v12 RENAME TO delivery_attempts;
+	CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_delivery_attempts_status ON delivery_attempts (status);`,
 }
 
 // migrate applies every migration with a number greater than the DB's current

kill-maven.sh

@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Unified script to stop all Maven services.
 # Usage: ./kill-maven.sh
-#   - Graceful SIGTERM is attempted first.
-#   - If any process lingers, force with SIGKILL.
+#   - Docker deploy: `docker compose stop` (see why below).
+#   - Bare-metal / dev run: graceful SIGTERM first, SIGKILL if anything lingers.
+# Exits non-zero if it cannot confirm everything is stopped. It must never say
+# "stopped" unless it checked.
 
 set -euo pipefail
 
@@ -24,6 +26,73 @@ else
     LLM='llama-server.*\.gguf'
 fi
 
+COMPOSE_FILE="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)/docker-compose.yml"
+
+# --- containerised deploy ------------------------------------------------
+# docker-compose.yml does not set `pid: host`, so each container has its own
+# PID namespace: pkill on the host sees nothing inside them. This script used
+# to print "all stopped" while every daemon was still happily running. Stop the
+# containers through compose instead — that actually reaches them.
+#
+# running_containers prints the ids of the project's running containers, or
+# nothing. Empty output plus a non-zero return means "could not ask docker",
+# which is different from "nothing is running" and is handled below.
+running_containers() {
+    docker compose -f "$COMPOSE_FILE" ps -q --status running 2>/dev/null
+}
+
+DOCKER_OK=0
+CONTAINERS=""
+if command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1 && [ -f "$COMPOSE_FILE" ]; then
+    if CONTAINERS="$(running_containers)"; then
+        DOCKER_OK=1
+    fi
+fi
+
+if [ "$DOCKER_OK" = 1 ] && [ -n "$CONTAINERS" ]; then
+    echo "--- Maven is running in containers: stopping via docker compose ---"
+    if ! docker compose -f "$COMPOSE_FILE" stop; then
+        echo "ERROR: 'docker compose stop' failed. Containers may still be running." >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "--- Verifying containers are gone ---"
+    LEFT="$(running_containers || true)"
+    if [ -n "$LEFT" ]; then
+        echo "ERROR: containers still running after stop:" >&2
+        docker compose -f "$COMPOSE_FILE" ps >&2 || true
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "All containers stopped."
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+# --- bare-metal / dev run -----------------------------------------------
+# pgrep -f matches whole command lines, so a shell that merely mentions
+# "mavend" (this script's own parent, for one) shows up. Drop ourselves and our
+# parent, otherwise the SIGKILL sweep can take out the terminal you ran this in.
+host_pids() {
+    pgrep -f "$PAT|$LLM" | grep -v -e "^$$\$" -e "^$PPID\$" | paste -sd, - || true
+}
+HOST_PIDS=$(host_pids)
+
+if [ -z "$HOST_PIDS" ]; then
+    # Nothing on the host. Whether that means "already down" depends on whether
+    # we managed to ask docker, and the two must not read the same.
+    if [ "$DOCKER_OK" = 1 ]; then
+        # Docker answered and named no running containers, and there is nothing
+        # on the host either. That is a real answer: Maven is already stopped.
+        echo "Nothing to stop: no Maven processes and no running containers."
+        exit 0
+    fi
+    # We could not ask docker, so Maven may be alive in a container we cannot
+    # see. Saying "stopped" here is the exact false success this script had.
+    echo "ERROR: no Maven processes on this host, and docker could not be asked." >&2
+    echo "       If this is the container deploy it may still be running:" >&2
+    echo "       docker compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE stop" >&2
+    echo "       Nothing was stopped. Check by hand before assuming Maven is down." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
 echo "--- Sending graceful SIGTERM to Maven services ---"
 pkill -TERM -f "$PAT" || true
 # mavend's Pdeathsig SIGKILLs its llama-server on exit, but sweep strays too
@@ -32,12 +101,18 @@ pkill -TERM -f "$LLM" || true
 
 echo "--- Verifying processes are gone ---"
 sleep 1
-PIDS=$(pgrep -d ',' -f "$PAT|$LLM") || PIDS=""
+PIDS=$(host_pids)
 if [ -n "$PIDS" ]; then
     echo "Warning: some processes still alive. PIDs: $PIDS"
     echo "--- Force killing with SIGKILL ---"
     echo "$PIDS" | tr ',' '\n' | xargs -r kill -9
+    sleep 1
+    LEFT=$(host_pids)
+    if [ -n "$LEFT" ]; then
+        echo "ERROR: still alive after SIGKILL. PIDs: $LEFT" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
     echo "Done (SIGKILL)."
 else
     echo "All services gracefully stopped."
-fi
+fi