Story generator fixes again

docs/ideas.md

@@ -111,6 +111,24 @@ Candidate classes:
 
 Route `local_edit` to the editor, `redraft` to the drafter, and `escalate` to a clear user-facing failure. Keep original draft and edited draft artifacts side by side for comparison.
 
+## P1: Separate Expressive Drafting From Corrective Editing
+
+If writing quality feels lower after adding stricter correctness constraints, test a two-pass creative workflow:
+
+```text
+free_draft -> corrective_edit -> review
+```
+
+The drafter would receive fewer mechanical constraints and focus on voice, scene energy, imagery, and character presence. A later editor pass would enforce:
+
+- output format
+- canonical pronouns
+- continuity details
+- acceptance criteria
+- minor cleanup
+
+This may recover stronger prose while keeping correctness guarantees. Treat it as an experiment, not a default, because weaker local models may use the looser draft prompt as permission to ignore task boundaries.
+
 ## P1: Add A Writing-Mode Validator
 
 Add deterministic checks for prose workflows:

nightshift/agents.py

@@ -354,7 +354,9 @@ def build_prompt_bundle(
     task_context: str = "",
     retry_context: str | None = None,
 ) -> str:
-    acceptance = "\n".join(f"- {item}" for item in task.acceptance_criteria)
+    task_markdown = _task_markdown_for_stage(stage, task)
+    task_context = _task_context_for_stage(stage, task_context)
+    acceptance = "\n".join(f"- {item}" for item in _acceptance_for_stage(stage, task))
     prior = "\n\n".join(f"## {stage_id}\n\n{content}" for stage_id, content in previous_outputs.items())
     retries = "\n".join(f"- {note}" for note in retry_notes)
 
@@ -373,7 +375,7 @@ def build_prompt_bundle(
             "",
             "## Task",
             "",
-            task.raw_markdown.strip(),
+            task_markdown.strip(),
             "",
             "## Acceptance Criteria",
             "",
@@ -521,6 +523,94 @@ def output_contract_for(stage: StageConfig) -> str:
     return "Write the requested stage output in concise markdown."
 
 
+def _task_markdown_for_stage(stage: StageConfig, task: Task) -> str:
+    if not _is_scene_drafting_stage(stage):
+        return task.raw_markdown
+    return _remove_update_bullets(_remove_task_section(task.raw_markdown, "Updates"))
+
+
+def _acceptance_for_stage(stage: StageConfig, task: Task) -> tuple[str, ...]:
+    if not _is_scene_drafting_stage(stage):
+        return task.acceptance_criteria
+    filtered: list[str] = []
+    skipping_update_paths = False
+    for item in task.acceptance_criteria:
+        normalized = item.strip()
+        lower = normalized.lower()
+        if lower == "updates:":
+            skipping_update_paths = True
+            continue
+        pathish = normalized.strip("`")
+        if skipping_update_paths and pathish.startswith("story/") and "chapters/" not in pathish:
+            continue
+        skipping_update_paths = False
+        filtered.append(item)
+    return tuple(filtered)
+
+
+def _task_context_for_stage(stage: StageConfig, task_context: str) -> str:
+    if not _is_scene_drafting_stage(stage):
+        return task_context
+    return _remove_update_bullets_from_acceptance(task_context)
+
+
+def _is_scene_drafting_stage(stage: StageConfig) -> bool:
+    allowed = {path.replace("\\", "/").rstrip("/") for path in stage.allowed_paths}
+    return stage.type == "file_writer" and "story/chapters" in allowed
+
+
+def _remove_task_section(markdown: str, section_name: str) -> str:
+    lines = markdown.splitlines()
+    output: list[str] = []
+    index = 0
+    section_header = f"{section_name}:"
+    while index < len(lines):
+        line = lines[index]
+        if line.strip() == section_header:
+            index += 1
+            while index < len(lines):
+                candidate = lines[index]
+                if re.match(r"^[A-Za-z][A-Za-z ]+:\s*$", candidate.strip()):
+                    break
+                if re.match(r"^\s*---\s*$", candidate):
+                    break
+                index += 1
+            continue
+        output.append(line)
+        index += 1
+    return "\n".join(output).strip() + "\n"
+
+
+def _remove_update_bullets_from_acceptance(markdown: str) -> str:
+    return _remove_update_bullets(markdown, only_inside_acceptance=True)
+
+
+def _remove_update_bullets(markdown: str, *, only_inside_acceptance: bool = False) -> str:
+    lines = markdown.splitlines()
+    output: list[str] = []
+    in_acceptance = not only_inside_acceptance
+    skipping_update_paths = False
+    for line in lines:
+        stripped = line.strip()
+        if only_inside_acceptance and stripped in {"## Acceptance Criteria", "Acceptance Criteria:"}:
+            in_acceptance = True
+            output.append(line)
+            continue
+        if only_inside_acceptance and in_acceptance and line.startswith("## "):
+            in_acceptance = False
+            skipping_update_paths = False
+        if in_acceptance:
+            if stripped == "- Updates:":
+                skipping_update_paths = True
+                continue
+            pathish = stripped.removeprefix("- ").strip("`")
+            if skipping_update_paths and pathish.startswith("story/") and "chapters/" not in pathish:
+                continue
+            skipping_update_paths = False
+        output.append(line)
+    return "\n".join(output)
+
+
 def _file_writer_block_contract(stage: StageConfig) -> str:
     normalized = tuple(path.replace("\\", "/").rstrip("/") for path in stage.allowed_paths)
     if normalized == ("story/chapters",):

nightshift/pipeline.py

@@ -767,6 +767,7 @@ class PipelineRunner:
         invalid_rerun_done = False
         candidate_index_path: Path | None = None
         while True:
+            updates: tuple[FileUpdate, ...] = ()
             try:
                 updates = parse_file_updates(stdout)
                 candidate_index_path = self._write_file_writer_candidates(
@@ -787,6 +788,28 @@ class PipelineRunner:
                 break
             except PipelineError as exc:
                 reason = _file_writer_error_reason(stage, str(exc))
+                allowed_updates = _filter_allowed_file_updates(updates, stage)
+                if (
+                    allowed_updates
+                    and len(allowed_updates) < len(updates)
+                    and "not allowed for this stage" in str(exc)
+                ):
+                    patch = generate_patch_from_file_updates(
+                        allowed_updates,
+                        self.config.project.root,
+                        self.config.safety,
+                        allowed_paths=stage.allowed_paths,
+                        forbidden_paths=stage.forbidden_paths or DEFAULT_FORBIDDEN_PATHS,
+                    )
+                    patch_reason = "Deterministic patch written from allowed file blocks; disallowed file blocks were ignored."
+                    log_message = "Wrote deterministic patch from allowed file blocks"
+                    self.logger.event(
+                        "file_writer.disallowed_blocks_ignored",
+                        "Ignored disallowed file blocks from file writer output",
+                        stage_id=stage.id,
+                        task_id=task.id,
+                    )
+                    break
                 if (
                     "no file blocks found" in str(exc)
                     and "diff --git " not in stdout
@@ -1814,6 +1837,18 @@ def _file_writer_stage_guidance(stage: StageConfig) -> str:
     return ""
 
 
+def _filter_allowed_file_updates(updates: tuple[FileUpdate, ...], stage: StageConfig) -> tuple[FileUpdate, ...]:
+    if not updates or not stage.allowed_paths:
+        return ()
+    allowed = tuple(path.replace("\\", "/").strip().strip("/") for path in stage.allowed_paths)
+    kept: list[FileUpdate] = []
+    for update in updates:
+        path = update.path.replace("\\", "/").strip().strip("/")
+        if any(path == root or path.startswith(root.rstrip("/") + "/") for root in allowed):
+            kept.append(update)
+    return tuple(kept)
+
+
 def _file_writer_repair_format_note(stage: StageConfig) -> str:
     if _is_state_update_stage(stage):
         return (

tests/test_agents.py

@@ -98,6 +98,55 @@ class AgentExecutorTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn("---END---", prompt)
         self.assertIn("Do not use markdown code fences", prompt)
 
+    def test_scene_file_writer_prompt_filters_state_updates_from_task_view(self) -> None:
+        task = parse_tasks(
+            """# Tasks
+
+- [ ] SCENE-001: Draft scene
+
+Description:
+Write the opening scene.
+
+Acceptance Criteria:
+- Writes:
+- `story/chapters/chapter-001/scene-001.md`
+- Updates:
+- `story/plot-state.md`
+- `story/unresolved-threads.md`
+"""
+        )[0]
+
+        prompt = build_prompt_bundle(
+            system_prompt="System rules",
+            stage=StageConfig(
+                id="draft_scene",
+                type="file_writer",
+                agent="drafter",
+                allowed_paths=("story/chapters",),
+            ),
+            project_context="Project context",
+            task_context="\n".join(
+                [
+                    "# Task Context",
+                    "",
+                    "## Acceptance Criteria",
+                    "",
+                    "- Writes:",
+                    "- `story/chapters/chapter-001/scene-001.md`",
+                    "- Updates:",
+                    "- `story/plot-state.md`",
+                ]
+            ),
+            task=task,
+            previous_outputs={},
+            retry_notes=[],
+        )
+
+        self.assertIn("story/chapters/chapter-001/scene-001.md", prompt)
+        self.assertNotIn("Updates:", prompt)
+        self.assertNotIn("story/plot-state.md", prompt)
+        self.assertNotIn("story/unresolved-threads.md", prompt)
+
     def test_command_agent_writes_output_and_returns_pass(self) -> None:
         with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as directory:
             root = Path(directory)

tests/test_pipeline.py

@@ -772,7 +772,7 @@ Acceptance Criteria:
             self.assertTrue(candidate_index.exists())
             self.assertIn("app.py", candidate_index.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 
-    def test_file_writer_preserves_candidates_when_stage_paths_reject_extra_files(self) -> None:
+    def test_file_writer_ignores_disallowed_blocks_when_allowed_candidate_exists(self) -> None:
         with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as directory:
             root = Path(directory)
             _write_common_files(root)
@@ -811,9 +811,14 @@ Acceptance Criteria:
 
             task_dir = root / ".nightshift" / "runs" / "test-run" / "tasks" / "TASK-001"
             candidate = task_dir / "candidate-files" / "draft_scene" / "001-story_chapters_scene.md"
-            self.assertEqual(result.status, "failed")
-            self.assertIn("This is the drafting stage", result.reason)
+            rejected_candidate = task_dir / "candidate-files" / "draft_scene" / "002-story_plot-state.md"
+            patch = task_dir / "proposed.patch"
+            self.assertEqual(result.status, "complete")
+            self.assertTrue(patch.exists())
+            self.assertIn("story/chapters/scene.md", patch.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+            self.assertNotIn("story/plot-state.md", patch.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
             self.assertTrue(candidate.exists())
+            self.assertTrue(rejected_candidate.exists())
             self.assertEqual(candidate.read_text(encoding="utf-8"), "scene prose\n")
 
     def test_file_writer_accepts_unified_diff_fallback(self) -> None: