Release agents while awaiting human clarification

src/config/schema.test.ts

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ describe('FactoryConfigSchema', () => {
       channel: 'C123',
       style: 'threaded-summarized',
       botUserId: 'U0B2596R7EZ',
+      stakeholderUserIds: [],
       staleAfterMs: 10 * 60_000,
     })
     expect(parsed.mergePolicy).toBe('never')

src/config/schema.ts

@@ -91,6 +91,10 @@ const slackSchema = z.object({
   channel: z.string(),
   style: z.literal('threaded-summarized').default('threaded-summarized'),
   botUserId: z.string().default('U0B2596R7EZ'),
+  // Slack user IDs to mention when an agent needs a human decision. Keeping
+  // this explicit avoids guessing that a Linear assignee name is also a Slack
+  // identity, while still making parked questions immediately actionable.
+  stakeholderUserIds: z.array(z.string().min(1)).default([]),
   staleAfterMs: z.number().int().min(1_000).default(10 * 60_000),
 }).optional()
 

src/dispatch/templates.test.ts

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ describe('renderAgentTask', () => {
     expect(task).toContain('Factory will open the PR targeting the repository default branch through the connected GitHub workspace.')
     expect(task).toContain('Do not run `gh pr create` or require local GitHub CLI authentication.')
     expect(task).toContain('Factory will hand the opened PR to reviewer `ar-123-review`.')
-    expect(task).toContain('write to the .integrations mount path so the factory can relay it to the issue thread.')
+    expect(task).toContain('DM `factory` with `[factory-needs-input]`')
     expect(task).toContain('DM `broker` when fully done.')
     expect(task).toContain('Do NOT auto-merge.')
     expect(task).toContain('Merge policy: never')
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ describe('renderAgentTask', () => {
     expect(task).not.toMatch(/\n\n(.integrations|Connected integrations)/m)
   })
 
-  it('directs agent questions to .integrations writeback instead of relay DM', () => {
+  it('makes the needs-input marker an explicit release boundary', () => {
     const task = renderAgentTask({
       issue,
       route: { repo: 'pear', clonePath: '/tmp/pear' },
@@ -248,14 +248,11 @@ describe('renderAgentTask', () => {
       slackDispatchThread: { channel: 'C123', threadId: '169.000', mountRoot: '/work/.integrations' },
     })
 
-    // The Slack-thread writeback replaces the old relay DM pattern.
-    expect(task).toContain('write your question to this issue\'s Slack dispatch thread via the .integrations mount')
-    expect(task).toContain('Write path: /work/.integrations/slack/channels/C123/messages/169_000/replies/question.json')
-    expect(task).toContain('Write a JSON object with a "text" field')
-    expect(task).toContain('Continue with safe reversible work while waiting for a reply.')
-    // No relay DM or legacy patterns.
+    expect(task).toContain('DM `factory` with `[factory-needs-input]`')
+    expect(task).toContain('/work/.integrations/slack/channels/C123/messages/169_000/replies/question.json')
+    expect(task).toContain('Do not wait or poll')
+    expect(task).toContain('release the whole team and resume it from session memory only after the first human reply')
+    expect(task).toContain('cold-start the team with the issue, question, reply, branch, and PR context')
     expect(task).not.toContain('FACTORY_NEEDS_INPUT')
-    expect(task).not.toContain('DM `broker` with')
-    expect(task).not.toContain('[factory-needs-input]')
   })
 })

src/dispatch/templates.ts

@@ -90,21 +90,20 @@ export function renderAgentTask(input: RenderAgentTaskInput): string {
     'When implementation is complete, finish your session normally; Factory will open the PR targeting the repository default branch through the connected GitHub workspace.',
     'Do not run `gh pr create` or require local GitHub CLI authentication.',
     `Factory will hand the opened PR to reviewer \`${input.reviewerName}\`.`,
-    'If blocked and you need human input, write to the .integrations mount path so the factory can relay it to the issue thread.',
+    'If blocked and you need human input, DM `factory` with `[factory-needs-input]`, the issue key, and one concrete question. Factory will relay it to the issue conversation.',
     'DM `broker` when fully done.',
     'Do NOT auto-merge.',
     mergePolicyLine(input.config.mergePolicy),
   ]
   const questionInstructions = input.slackDispatchThread
     ? [
         '',
-        'If you are blocked or need a human answer mid-task, write your question to this issue\'s Slack dispatch thread via the .integrations mount.',
+        'If you are blocked or need a human answer mid-task, finish any safe reversible work first, then DM `factory` with `[factory-needs-input]`, the issue key, and one concrete question.',
         // Absolute path: the agent runs in its repo clone, not the daemon cwd
         // where .integrations lives, so a relative path would be unreachable.
-        `Write path: ${input.slackDispatchThread.mountRoot}/slack/channels/${input.slackDispatchThread.channel}/messages/${input.slackDispatchThread.threadId.replaceAll('.', '_')}/replies/question.json`,
-        'Write a JSON object with a "text" field containing your question.',
-        'The human\'s reply will be delivered to you as an `<integration-event>` system message injected into your session — wait for it, do not poll.',
-        'Continue with safe reversible work while waiting for a reply.',
+        `Factory will durably post and, if necessary, retry the question to the Slack thread represented at ${input.slackDispatchThread.mountRoot}/slack/channels/${input.slackDispatchThread.channel}/messages/${input.slackDispatchThread.threadId.replaceAll('.', '_')}/replies/question.json.`,
+        'After sending the marker, stop work and finish your session normally. Do not wait or poll: Factory will release the whole team and resume it from session memory only after the first human reply.',
+        'If session resume is unavailable, Factory will cold-start the team with the issue, question, reply, branch, and PR context so work can be re-hydrated explicitly.',
       ]
     : []