fix(facts): seed phase B backfill row_nums past the DB max (#2044 class)

phaseBFenceFacts appended at fence-max+1 with no DB seeding, so on a
diverged page (stamped DB rows + missing fence at the resolved path —
the same divergence class the writeFactsToFence fix handles) the
post-rename UPDATE hit idx_facts_fence_key, the page failed, and the
already-renamed fence disagreed with the DB while the row_num-NULL
backlog persisted. Seed appended row_nums from MAX(fence max, DB max)
per (source_id, slug), mirroring the fence-write fix. Repro test added.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/cli.ts

@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ export function bigintToStringReplacer(_key: string, value: unknown): unknown {
 }
 
 // CLI-only commands that bypass the operation layer
-export const CLI_ONLY = new Set(['init', 'reinit-pglite', 'upgrade', 'post-upgrade', 'check-update', 'integrations', 'publish', 'check-backlinks', 'lint', 'report', 'import', 'export', 'files', 'embed', 'serve', 'call', 'config', 'doctor', 'migrate', 'eval', 'sync', 'extract', 'extract-conversation-facts', 'enrich', 'features', 'autopilot', 'graph-query', 'jobs', 'agent', 'apply-migrations', 'skillpack-check', 'skillpack', 'resolvers', 'integrity', 'repair-jsonb', 'orphans', 'sources', 'mounts', 'dream', 'check-resolvable', 'routing-eval', 'skillify', 'smoke-test', 'providers', 'storage', 'repos', 'code-def', 'code-refs', 'reindex', 'reindex-code', 'reindex-frontmatter', 'code-callers', 'code-callees', 'reconcile-links', 'frontmatter', 'auth', 'friction', 'claw-test', 'book-mirror', 'takes', 'think', 'salience', 'anomalies', 'calibration', 'transcripts', 'models', 'remote', 'recall', 'forget', 'edges-backfill', 'cache', 'ze-switch', 'founder', 'brainstorm', 'lsd', 'schema', 'capture', 'onboard', 'conversation-parser', 'status', 'connect', 'skillopt', 'quarantine', 'self-upgrade', 'advisor', 'watch', 'reindex-search-vector']);
+export const CLI_ONLY = new Set(['init', 'reinit-pglite', 'upgrade', 'post-upgrade', 'check-update', 'integrations', 'publish', 'check-backlinks', 'lint', 'report', 'import', 'export', 'files', 'embed', 'serve', 'call', 'config', 'doctor', 'migrate', 'eval', 'sync', 'extract', 'extract-conversation-facts', 'enrich', 'features', 'autopilot', 'graph-query', 'jobs', 'agent', 'apply-migrations', 'skillpack-check', 'skillpack', 'resolvers', 'integrity', 'repair-jsonb', 'orphans', 'sources', 'mounts', 'dream', 'check-resolvable', 'routing-eval', 'skillify', 'smoke-test', 'providers', 'storage', 'repos', 'code-def', 'code-refs', 'reindex', 'reindex-code', 'reindex-frontmatter', 'code-callers', 'code-callees', 'reconcile-links', 'frontmatter', 'auth', 'friction', 'claw-test', 'book-mirror', 'takes', 'think', 'salience', 'anomalies', 'calibration', 'transcripts', 'models', 'remote', 'recall', 'forget', 'edges-backfill', 'facts', 'cache', 'ze-switch', 'founder', 'brainstorm', 'lsd', 'schema', 'capture', 'onboard', 'conversation-parser', 'status', 'connect', 'skillopt', 'quarantine', 'self-upgrade', 'advisor', 'watch', 'reindex-search-vector']);
 // CLI-only commands whose handlers print their own --help text. These are
 // excluded from the generic short-circuit so detailed per-command and
 // per-subcommand usage stays reachable.
@@ -991,6 +991,8 @@ const THIN_CLIENT_REFUSED_COMMANDS = new Set([
   // hint pointing at the routable MCP tools; per-subcommand splits are
   // a v0.31.x follow-up TODO.
   'takes', 'sources',
+  // #1867: fence-backfill edits local .md fences + stamps the local DB.
+  'facts',
   // v0.32 thin-client routing audit (Codex round 2 findings #2, #4):
   // - `pages` purge-deleted is admin+localOnly (operations.ts:856-864)
   // - `files` list / file_url MCP ops are localOnly (operations.ts:1769-1879)
@@ -1026,6 +1028,7 @@ const THIN_CLIENT_REFUSE_HINTS: Record<string, string> = {
   migrate: "migrate runs on the host's local engine. Run on the host machine.",
   'apply-migrations': 'schema migrations run on the host. SSH and run there.',
   'repair-jsonb': 'repair-jsonb operates on the local DB only.',
+  facts: 'facts fence-backfill edits local entity-page fences. Run on the host machine.',
   integrity: 'integrity scans local files. Run on the host machine.',
   serve: 'serve starts a server. Run on the host, not the thin client.',
   dream: 'dream runs the autopilot cycle on the host. `gbrain remote ping` queues one. (Native `gbrain dream` thin-client routing planned for v0.31.2.)',
@@ -1855,6 +1858,13 @@ async function handleCliOnly(command: string, args: string[]) {
         await runEdgesBackfill(engine, args);
         break;
       }
+      case 'facts': {
+        // #1867 — re-runnable fence-backfill for row_num-NULL legacy fact
+        // rows (idempotent v0_32_2 phase B, exposed as an operator command).
+        const { runFactsCommand } = await import('./commands/facts.ts');
+        await runFactsCommand(engine, args);
+        break;
+      }
       case 'whoknows': {
         // v0.33 (Issue #?): expertise + relationship-proximity routing.
         // MCP op `find_experts` (read-scoped) backs the same code path; CLI
@@ -2335,6 +2345,7 @@ TOOLS
   check-backlinks <check|fix> [dir]  Find/fix missing back-links across brain
   lint <dir|file> [--fix]            Catch LLM artifacts, placeholder dates, bad frontmatter
   orphans [--json] [--count]         Find pages with no inbound wikilinks
+  facts fence-backfill [--dry-run]   Fence legacy fact rows (row_num NULL) onto entity pages
   salience [--days N] [--kind P]     v0.29: pages ranked by emotional + activity salience
   anomalies [--since D] [--sigma N]  v0.29: cohort-based statistical anomalies (tag, type)
   transcripts recent [--days N]      v0.29: recent raw .txt transcripts (local-only)

src/commands/facts.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/**
+ * gbrain facts — fact-store maintenance surface (#1867).
+ *
+ * `fence-backfill` re-runs the v0_32_2 fence-backfill phase on demand.
+ * Remote `extract_facts` deposits that predate the fence-write backstop
+ * (and any legacy DB-only insert) leave `row_num IS NULL` rows that the
+ * cycle extract_facts guard refuses to reconcile past — previously the
+ * only remedy was the one-shot v0_32_2 migration, which the ledger marks
+ * complete and never re-runs. The phase is idempotent (only touches
+ * `row_num IS NULL` rows), so exposing it as a command is safe to re-run
+ * any time the backlog reappears.
+ */
+import type { BrainEngine } from '../core/engine.ts';
+import { setCliExitVerdict } from '../core/cli-force-exit.ts';
+import { phaseBFenceFacts } from './migrations/v0_32_2.ts';
+
+function printHelp(): void {
+  process.stderr.write(
+    `Usage: gbrain facts fence-backfill [--dry-run]\n\n` +
+      `Fence-backfill: appends every legacy fact row (row_num IS NULL) to its\n` +
+      `entity page's \`## Facts\` fence and stamps row_num + source_markdown_slug\n` +
+      `back onto the DB row. Idempotent — re-runs only pick up rows still\n` +
+      `missing a fence assignment. Clears the backlog that makes the cycle's\n` +
+      `extract_facts phase skip fence→DB reconciliation.\n\n` +
+      `  --dry-run   report what would be fenced; no FS or DB writes\n`,
+  );
+}
+
+export async function runFactsCommand(engine: BrainEngine, args: string[]): Promise<void> {
+  const sub = args[0];
+  if (!sub || sub === '--help' || sub === '-h') {
+    printHelp();
+    return;
+  }
+  if (sub !== 'fence-backfill') {
+    process.stderr.write(`Unknown facts subcommand: ${sub}\n`);
+    printHelp();
+    setCliExitVerdict(1);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const dryRun = args.includes('--dry-run');
+  const result = await phaseBFenceFacts(engine, { dryRun });
+  process.stderr.write(
+    `fence-backfill: ${result.status}${result.detail ? ` — ${result.detail}` : ''}\n`,
+  );
+  if (result.status === 'failed') setCliExitVerdict(1);
+}

src/commands/migrations/v0_32_2.ts

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import type { BrainEngine } from '../../core/engine.ts';
 import { loadConfig, toEngineConfig } from '../../core/config.ts';
 import { createEngine } from '../../core/engine-factory.ts';
 import { upsertFactRow, parseFactsFence } from '../../core/facts-fence.ts';
+import { resolvePageFilePath } from '../../core/markdown.ts';
 
 let testEngineOverride: BrainEngine | null = null;
 export function __setTestEngineOverride(engine: BrainEngine | null): void {
@@ -148,9 +149,16 @@ function isLocalPathDirty(localPath: string): boolean {
   }
 }
 
-async function phaseBFenceFacts(
+/**
+ * Exported (not just via `__testing`) because `gbrain facts fence-backfill`
+ * (#1867) re-runs this phase on demand: remote `extract_facts` deposits that
+ * predate the fence-write backstop leave row_num-NULL rows the cycle guard
+ * refuses to reconcile past. The phase is idempotent (only touches
+ * `row_num IS NULL` rows), so re-running is always safe.
+ */
+export async function phaseBFenceFacts(
   engine: BrainEngine | null,
-  opts: OrchestratorOpts,
+  opts: Pick<OrchestratorOpts, 'dryRun'>,
 ): Promise<OrchestratorPhaseResult> {
   if (opts.dryRun) {
     // Dry-run: report what WOULD happen without touching FS or DB.
@@ -238,7 +246,11 @@ async function phaseBFenceFacts(
     for (const [key, group] of groups) {
       const [sourceId, entitySlug] = key.split('\0');
       const localPath = localPathById.get(sourceId)!;
-      const filePath = join(localPath, `${entitySlug}.md`);
+      // resolvePageFilePath, NOT a bare join — non-default sources fence
+      // into `<local_path>/.sources/<id>/<slug>.md`, the same path the
+      // fence-write backstop and put_page write-through compute. A bare
+      // join here diverges fence and DB for non-default sources (#2044).
+      const filePath = resolvePageFilePath(localPath, entitySlug, sourceId);
       const tmpPath = `${filePath}.tmp`;
 
       try {
@@ -269,6 +281,21 @@ async function phaseBFenceFacts(
         const existingFence = parseFactsFence(body);
         const existingKeySet = new Set(existingFence.facts.map(f => `${f.claim}\0${f.source ?? ''}`));
 
+        // Seed appended row_nums from MAX(fence max, DB max) — same #2044
+        // divergence guard as writeFactsToFence. When the fence at the
+        // resolved path is missing/behind but the DB already holds stamped
+        // rows for this slug (legacy wrong-path fence writes), fence-max+1
+        // collides with idx_facts_fence_key on the post-rename UPDATE,
+        // failing the page and leaving fence and DB disagreeing.
+        const dbMaxRows = await engine.executeRaw<{ max: number | string | null }>(
+          `SELECT MAX(row_num) AS max FROM facts
+            WHERE source_id = $1 AND source_markdown_slug = $2`,
+          [sourceId, entitySlug],
+        );
+        const dbMaxRowNum = Number(dbMaxRows[0]?.max ?? 0) || 0;
+        const fenceMaxRowNum = existingFence.facts.reduce((m, f) => Math.max(m, f.rowNum), 0);
+        let nextRowNum = Math.max(fenceMaxRowNum, dbMaxRowNum) + 1;
+
         const assignments: Array<{ id: string; row_num: number }> = [];
         for (const row of group) {
           const key = `${row.fact}\0${row.source ?? ''}`;
@@ -291,6 +318,7 @@ async function phaseBFenceFacts(
                 .toISOString().slice(0, 10)
             : undefined;
           const { body: updated, rowNum } = upsertFactRow(body, {
+            rowNum:     nextRowNum++,
             claim:      row.fact,
             kind:       row.kind,
             confidence: row.confidence,
@@ -381,7 +409,7 @@ async function phaseCVerify(
     for (const g of groups) {
       const localPath = localPathById.get(g.source_id);
       if (!localPath) continue;
-      const filePath = join(localPath, `${g.source_markdown_slug}.md`);
+      const filePath = resolvePageFilePath(localPath, g.source_markdown_slug, g.source_id);
       if (!existsSync(filePath)) {
         mismatches.push(`${g.source_markdown_slug} (file missing)`);
         continue;

src/core/cycle/extract-facts.ts

@@ -176,9 +176,11 @@ export async function runExtractFacts(
   if (legacyCount > 0) {
     result.guardTriggered = true;
     result.warnings.push(
-      `extract_facts: ${legacyCount} legacy v0.31 fact rows pending fence backfill. ` +
-      `Run \`gbrain apply-migrations --yes\` to complete v0_32_2 before this phase ` +
-      `can safely reconcile fence → DB.`,
+      `extract_facts: ${legacyCount} legacy fact rows pending fence backfill ` +
+      `(row_num IS NULL — v0.31 rows or remote extract_facts deposits that ` +
+      `predate the fence backstop). Run \`gbrain facts fence-backfill\` ` +
+      `(idempotent, re-runnable) before this phase can safely reconcile ` +
+      `fence → DB.`,
     );
     return result;
   }

src/core/cycle/synthesize.ts

@@ -428,13 +428,8 @@ export async function runPhaseSynthesize(
 
     const queue = new MinionQueue(engine);
     const childIds: number[] = [];
-    /**
-     * Map child job_id → transcript metadata. Drives D6 orchestrator-side
-     * slug rewrite for chunked transcripts AND the deterministic frontmatter
-     * stampDreamProvenance merges into each written page. Populated for
-     * every child (single-chunk children carry chunkTotal=1).
-     */
-    const childMeta = new Map<number, ChildMeta>();
+    /** Map child job_id → chunk metadata for D6 orchestrator-side slug rewrite. */
+    const chunkInfo = new Map<number, { idx: number; hash6: string }>();
     /** Skip reasons for the cycle report (D5 cap hits, D8 legacy-key skips). */
     const skipReports: Array<{ filePath: string; reason: string }> = [];
 
@@ -518,14 +513,9 @@ export async function runPhaseSynthesize(
           { allowProtectedSubmit: true },
         );
         childIds.push(child.id);
-        childMeta.set(child.id, {
-          idx: i,
-          hash6,
-          chunkTotal: chunks.length,
-          transcriptSource: t.transcriptSource,
-          transcriptId: stripContentVersionSuffix(t.basename),
-          inferredDate: t.inferredDate,
-        });
+        if (isChunked) {
+          chunkInfo.set(child.id, { idx: i, hash6 });
+        }
       }
     }
 
@@ -554,14 +544,14 @@ export async function runPhaseSynthesize(
 
     // Collect slugs from put_page tool executions across the children
     // (codex finding #2: deterministic provenance, NOT pages.updated_at).
-    // D6 orchestrator slug rewrite: childMeta drives post-hoc rewrite of
+    // D6 orchestrator slug rewrite: chunkInfo drives post-hoc rewrite of
     // bare-hash slugs to `<hash6>-c<idx>` so chunked siblings can't collide
     // even if Sonnet drops the chunk suffix.
     // v0.32.8: refs carry source_id so reverseWriteRefs picks the correct
     // (source, slug) row. #1586: refs are stamped with the cycle's resolved
     // source (children write there via SubagentHandlerData.source_id).
     const cycleSourceId = opts.sourceId ?? 'default';
-    const writtenRefs = await collectChildPutPageSlugs(engine, childIds, childMeta, cycleSourceId);
+    const writtenRefs = await collectChildPutPageSlugs(engine, childIds, chunkInfo, cycleSourceId);
 
     const summaryDate = opts.date ?? today();
 
@@ -569,12 +559,7 @@ export async function runPhaseSynthesize(
     // of every child-written page BEFORE reverse-rendering, so generated pages
     // are queryable (`frontmatter->>'dream_generated'`) and a later put_page
     // write-through (which re-renders from the DB row) can't erase the stamp.
-    // #2285: the stamp also carries the orchestrator-owned deterministic
-    // frontmatter (transcript_id, transcript_source, transcript_hash, date,
-    // chunk) derived from childMeta — subagent drift on those fields can't
-    // leak, and reverseWriteRefs below re-reads the row so the same fields
-    // land in the on-disk markdown.
-    await stampDreamProvenance(engine, writtenRefs, summaryDate, childMeta);
+    await stampDreamProvenance(engine, writtenRefs, summaryDate);
 
     // Dual-write: reverse-render each DB row → markdown file.
     const reverseWriteCount = await reverseWriteRefs(engine, opts.brainDir, writtenRefs, cycleSourceId);
@@ -1110,17 +1095,15 @@ function sanitizeForSlug(s: string): string {
  * fake"): we no longer need detection because the rewrite enforces
  * uniqueness at slug-write time.
  *
- * `childMeta` maps child job_id → per-child transcript metadata. Chunked
- * children (chunkTotal > 1) get the slug rewrite; single-chunk children
- * pass through unchanged. Each returned ref carries the job_id that wrote
- * it so stampDreamProvenance can pair the slug back to its childMeta entry.
+ * `chunkInfo` maps child job_id → { chunk_index, hash6 }. Single-chunk
+ * children are absent from the map and pass through unchanged.
  */
 async function collectChildPutPageSlugs(
   engine: BrainEngine,
   childIds: number[],
-  childMeta: Map<number, ChildMeta>,
+  chunkInfo: Map<number, { idx: number; hash6: string }>,
   sourceId = 'default',
-): Promise<Array<{ slug: string; source_id: string; jobId: number }>> {
+): Promise<Array<{ slug: string; source_id: string }>> {
   if (childIds.length === 0) return [];
   // Raw fetch — NO SELECT DISTINCT. Preserves per-child slug duplicates so
   // the orchestrator sees what each child wrote. COALESCE handles both
@@ -1139,73 +1122,16 @@ async function collectChildPutPageSlugs(
        FROM subagent_tool_executions
       WHERE job_id = ANY($1::int[])
         AND tool_name = 'brain_put_page'
-        AND status = 'complete'
-      ORDER BY id`,
+        AND status = 'complete'`,
     [childIds],
   );
-  const rewritten = new Map<string, number>();
+  const rewritten = new Set<string>();
   for (const r of rows) {
     if (typeof r.slug !== 'string' || r.slug.length === 0) continue;
-    const meta = childMeta.get(r.job_id);
-    const finalSlug = meta && meta.chunkTotal > 1
-      ? rewriteChunkedSlug(r.slug, meta.hash6, meta.idx)
-      : r.slug;
-    // Last writer wins, in execution-row order (ORDER BY id): if two children
-    // collide on a final slug, the pages row holds the LAST put_page write, so
-    // the stamp must attribute that child's transcript — not an arbitrary one.
-    rewritten.set(finalSlug, r.job_id);
+    const ci = chunkInfo.get(r.job_id);
+    rewritten.add(ci ? rewriteChunkedSlug(r.slug, ci.hash6, ci.idx) : r.slug);
   }
-  return [...rewritten.entries()]
-    .sort(([a], [b]) => a.localeCompare(b))
-    .map(([slug, jobId]) => ({ slug, source_id: sourceId, jobId }));
-}
-
-/**
- * Per-child orchestrator state. Drives D6 chunked-slug rewrite (idx + hash6)
- * AND the deterministic frontmatter stampDreamProvenance merges into each
- * written page. Populated for every child, not just chunked ones.
- */
-interface ChildMeta {
-  idx: number;
-  hash6: string;
-  chunkTotal: number;
-  transcriptSource: string | null;
-  transcriptId: string;
-  inferredDate: string | null;
-}
-
-/**
- * Strip the content-version suffix that claude-code-archive appends when a
- * conversation is edited (`<uuid>--<contentHash>.md`). The session UUID is
- * the stable transcript identifier; the suffix changes with content. Used to
- * populate `transcript_id` so edits of the same session collapse to one id.
- */
-function stripContentVersionSuffix(basename: string): string {
-  return basename.replace(/--[a-f0-9]+$/i, '');
-}
-
-/**
- * Deterministic frontmatter for one synthesized page (#2285). Every field
- * here is owned by the orchestrator — the subagent's value for any of these
- * is overwritten. The subagent retains authority over type / title / tags /
- * body. `date` feeds the effective-date precedence chain
- * (src/core/effective-date.ts) so re-imports keep the conversation date even
- * when sync tools re-stamp file mtimes.
- */
-function buildDeterministicFrontmatter(
-  meta: ChildMeta,
-  cycleDate: string,
-): Record<string, unknown> {
-  const overrides: Record<string, unknown> = {
-    dream_generated: true,
-    dream_cycle_date: cycleDate,
-    transcript_id: meta.transcriptId,
-    transcript_hash: meta.hash6,
-  };
-  if (meta.transcriptSource) overrides.transcript_source = meta.transcriptSource;
-  if (meta.chunkTotal > 1) overrides.chunk = `${meta.idx + 1}/${meta.chunkTotal}`;
-  if (meta.inferredDate) overrides.date = meta.inferredDate;
-  return overrides;
+  return Array.from(rewritten).sort().map(slug => ({ slug, source_id: sourceId }));
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1251,19 +1177,12 @@ async function hasLegacySingleChunkCompletion(
  */
 async function stampDreamProvenance(
   engine: BrainEngine,
-  refs: Array<{ slug: string; source_id: string; jobId?: number }>,
+  refs: Array<{ slug: string; source_id: string }>,
   cycleDate: string,
-  childMeta?: Map<number, ChildMeta>,
 ): Promise<void> {
   if (refs.length === 0) return;
   const { executeRawJsonb } = await import('../sql-query.ts');
-  for (const { slug, source_id, jobId } of refs) {
-    // #2285: when the ref pairs back to a child, the stamp also carries the
-    // orchestrator-owned deterministic frontmatter for that transcript.
-    const meta = jobId !== undefined ? childMeta?.get(jobId) : undefined;
-    const stamp = meta
-      ? buildDeterministicFrontmatter(meta, cycleDate)
-      : { dream_generated: true, dream_cycle_date: cycleDate };
+  for (const { slug, source_id } of refs) {
     try {
       await executeRawJsonb(
         engine,
@@ -1271,7 +1190,7 @@ async function stampDreamProvenance(
             SET frontmatter = COALESCE(frontmatter, '{}'::jsonb) || $3::jsonb
           WHERE slug = $1 AND source_id = $2`,
         [slug, source_id],
-        [stamp],
+        [{ dream_generated: true, dream_cycle_date: cycleDate }],
       );
     } catch (e) {
       const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);

src/core/cycle/transcript-discovery.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, readdirSync, statSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { join, basename, dirname } from 'node:path';
+import { join, basename } from 'node:path';
 import { createHash } from 'node:crypto';
 import { pruneDir } from '../sync.ts';
 
@@ -23,22 +23,8 @@ export interface DiscoveredTranscript {
   content: string;
   /** Filename basename without extension; used as a topic-slug seed. */
   basename: string;
-  /**
-   * Inferred conversation date (YYYY-MM-DD) or null. Precedence: the
-   * `| First message | <ISO> |` row in the transcript's `## Metadata`
-   * table (stable across mtime-restamping re-syncs) wins; a leading
-   * `YYYY-MM-DD` in the basename is the fallback.
-   */
+  /** Inferred date if the basename matches `YYYY-MM-DD...` (or null). */
   inferredDate: string | null;
-  /**
-   * Transcript source archive name, derived from the path's grandparent
-   * directory (the immediate parent of the date directory). For the
-   * canonical layout `<corpus>/<source>/<date>/<id>.md` this yields the
-   * source-name segment — e.g. `claude-code` for the claude-code-archive
-   * output, `meetings` for meeting recordings. Null when the file does
-   * not live under a `<source>/<date>/` pair (ad-hoc inputs).
-   */
-  transcriptSource: string | null;
 }
 
 export interface DiscoverOpts {
@@ -175,36 +161,6 @@ function matchesAnyExclude(text: string, patterns: RegExp[]): boolean {
   return false;
 }
 
-/**
- * Content-based conversation date: the `| First message | <ISO timestamp> |`
- * row claude-code-archive writes into the transcript's `## Metadata` table.
- * Stable across rsync/Dropbox/Syncthing/B2 re-syncs that re-stamp mtime,
- * unlike anything derived from file metadata. Returns YYYY-MM-DD or null.
- */
-const FIRST_MESSAGE_RE = /^\|\s*First message\s*\|\s*(\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2})/im;
-
-export function inferContentDate(content: string): string | null {
-  const m = FIRST_MESSAGE_RE.exec(content);
-  return m ? m[1] : null;
-}
-
-/**
- * Derive the archive source name from a transcript path. Returns the basename
- * of the directory two levels above the file when the immediate parent is a
- * date directory and the grandparent looks like a source-name slug (lowercase
- * alphanumeric segments separated by hyphens); otherwise null. This pins the
- * canonical claude-code-archive layout `<corpus>/<source>/<date>/<id>.md`
- * without claiming a source for ad-hoc inputs that don't match.
- */
-export function deriveTranscriptSource(filePath: string): string | null {
-  const parentName = basename(dirname(filePath));
-  if (!/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}/.test(parentName)) return null;
-  const grandparentName = basename(dirname(dirname(filePath)));
-  if (!grandparentName) return null;
-  if (!/^[a-z0-9]+(-[a-z0-9]+)*$/.test(grandparentName)) return null;
-  return grandparentName;
-}
-
 function listTextFiles(dir: string): string[] {
   // Recursive walk with descent-time pruning (closes codex C12/C13 spec gap).
   // Accepts BOTH .txt and .md per transcript-discovery's domain rules — does
@@ -269,11 +225,8 @@ export function discoverTranscripts(opts: DiscoverOpts): DiscoveredTranscript[]
       const ext = filePath.endsWith('.md') ? '.md' : '.txt';
       const baseName = basename(filePath, ext);
       const dateMatch = DATE_RE.exec(baseName);
-      const filenameDate = dateMatch ? dateMatch[1] : null;
-      // Fast path: date-named files outside the window skip before the read.
-      // ponytail: a date-named file whose content date differs is filtered on
-      // its filename date — acceptable; archive layouts use UUID basenames.
-      if (filenameDate && !isInDateRange(filenameDate, opts)) continue;
+      const inferredDate = dateMatch ? dateMatch[1] : null;
+      if (!isInDateRange(inferredDate, opts)) continue;
 
       let content: string;
       try {
@@ -288,17 +241,12 @@ export function discoverTranscripts(opts: DiscoverOpts): DiscoveredTranscript[]
       }
       if (matchesAnyExclude(content, excludeRes)) continue;
 
-      // Content-metadata date wins (survives mtime restamps); filename next.
-      const inferredDate = inferContentDate(content) ?? filenameDate;
-      if (!isInDateRange(inferredDate, opts)) continue;
-
       results.push({
         filePath,
         contentHash: hashContent(content),
         content,
         basename: baseName,
         inferredDate,
-        transcriptSource: deriveTranscriptSource(filePath),
       });
     }
   }
@@ -342,7 +290,6 @@ export function readSingleTranscript(
     contentHash: hashContent(content),
     content,
     basename: baseName,
-    inferredDate: inferContentDate(content) ?? (dateMatch ? dateMatch[1] : null),
-    transcriptSource: deriveTranscriptSource(filePath),
+    inferredDate: dateMatch ? dateMatch[1] : null,
   };
 }

src/core/engine.ts

@@ -1739,13 +1739,14 @@ export interface BrainEngine {
    * single-row supersede flow because fence reconciliation is the canonical
    * source-of-truth direction, not the consolidator path.
    *
-   * Insertion is atomic per call: all rows commit in a single transaction
-   * or none commit (the transaction rolls back on any constraint
-   * violation, e.g. the v51 partial UNIQUE index on
-   * `(source_id, source_markdown_slug, row_num)`).
+   * Insertion runs in a single transaction. A collision on the v51
+   * partial UNIQUE index `(source_id, source_markdown_slug, row_num)`
+   * skips ONLY that row (ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING, #2044) — the rest of
+   * the batch still commits, so a redundant deposit against an
+   * already-indexed fence row is idempotent instead of a hard failure.
    *
-   * Returns the inserted ids in input-order so callers can correlate
-   * fence-row → DB-id without a separate lookup.
+   * Returns the inserted ids in input-order (colliding rows omitted) so
+   * callers can correlate fence-row → DB-id without a separate lookup.
    */
   insertFacts(
     rows: Array<NewFact & { row_num: number; source_markdown_slug: string }>,

src/core/facts/fence-write.ts

@@ -218,11 +218,27 @@ export async function writeFactsToFence(
       }
 
       // 2. Upsert each fact onto the fence in input order. row_num
-      //    monotonically increases (max-existing + 1 per call, append-only).
+      //    monotonically increases, append-only, seeded from the MAX of
+      //    the fence and the DB index (#2044): when fence and DB have
+      //    diverged (e.g. legacy writes that stamped DB rows against a
+      //    fence at a path this code no longer reads), fence-max+1 can
+      //    collide with an existing DB row_num, tripping
+      //    idx_facts_fence_key and rolling back the whole batch.
+      const dbMaxRows = await engine.executeRaw<{ max: number | string | null }>(
+        `SELECT MAX(row_num) AS max FROM facts
+          WHERE source_id = $1 AND source_markdown_slug = $2`,
+        [target.sourceId, target.slug],
+      );
+      const dbMaxRowNum = Number(dbMaxRows[0]?.max ?? 0) || 0;
+      const fenceMaxRowNum = parseFactsFence(body).facts
+        .reduce((m, f) => Math.max(m, f.rowNum), 0);
+      let nextRowNum = Math.max(fenceMaxRowNum, dbMaxRowNum) + 1;
+
       const assignedRowNums: number[] = [];
       for (const f of facts) {
         const validFromStr = (f.validFrom ?? new Date()).toISOString().slice(0, 10);
         const { body: updated, rowNum } = upsertFactRow(body, {
+          rowNum:      nextRowNum++,
           claim:       f.fact,
           kind:        (f.kind ?? 'fact') as 'fact' | 'event' | 'preference' | 'commitment' | 'belief',
           confidence:  f.confidence ?? 1.0,

src/core/pglite-engine.ts

@@ -4102,11 +4102,13 @@ export class PGLiteEngine implements BrainEngine {
   ): Promise<{ inserted: number; ids: number[] }> {
     if (rows.length === 0) return { inserted: 0, ids: [] };
 
-    // Single transaction so the v51 partial UNIQUE index can roll back the
-    // whole batch on constraint violation. Per-row INSERTs (not multi-row
-    // VALUES) keep the embedding-vs-no-embedding branching readable; batch
-    // sizes are small (5-30 rows per page in practice) so the loop overhead
-    // is negligible vs the embedding compute cost.
+    // Single transaction; per-row INSERTs (not multi-row VALUES) keep the
+    // embedding-vs-no-embedding branching readable; batch sizes are small
+    // (5-30 rows per page in practice) so the loop overhead is negligible
+    // vs the embedding compute cost. #2044: ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING on the
+    // v51 partial UNIQUE index makes a residual fence/DB row_num collision
+    // skip that row instead of rolling back the whole batch (parity with
+    // postgres-engine.ts).
     const ids = await this.db.transaction(async (tx) => {
       const out: number[] = [];
       for (const input of rows) {
@@ -4149,7 +4151,11 @@ export class PGLiteEngine implements BrainEngine {
                  $14, $15,
                  $16, $17, $18, $19,
                  $20
-               ) RETURNING id`
+               )
+               ON CONFLICT (source_id, source_markdown_slug, row_num)
+                 WHERE row_num IS NOT NULL
+                 DO NOTHING
+               RETURNING id`
             : `INSERT INTO facts (
                  source_id, entity_slug, fact, kind, visibility, notability, context,
                  valid_from, valid_until, source, source_session, confidence,
@@ -4163,12 +4169,16 @@ export class PGLiteEngine implements BrainEngine {
                  $15, $16,
                  $17, $18, $19, $20,
                  $21
-               ) RETURNING id`,
+               )
+               ON CONFLICT (source_id, source_markdown_slug, row_num)
+                 WHERE row_num IS NOT NULL
+                 DO NOTHING
+               RETURNING id`,
           embedStr === null
             ? [ctx.source_id, entitySlug, input.fact, kind, visibility, notability, context, validFrom, validUntil, input.source, sourceSession, confidence, embeddedAt, input.row_num, input.source_markdown_slug, claimMetric, claimValue, claimUnit, claimPeriod, eventType]
             : [ctx.source_id, entitySlug, input.fact, kind, visibility, notability, context, validFrom, validUntil, input.source, sourceSession, confidence, embedStr, embeddedAt, input.row_num, input.source_markdown_slug, claimMetric, claimValue, claimUnit, claimPeriod, eventType],
         );
-        out.push(ins.rows[0].id);
+        if (ins.rows[0]) out.push(ins.rows[0].id);
       }
       return out;
     });

src/core/postgres-engine.ts

@@ -4302,10 +4302,12 @@ export class PostgresEngine implements BrainEngine {
     // ONCE per process so the cast matches the actual column type
     // (halfvec vs vector). The probe is cached after first call.
     const castSuffix = await this.resolveFactsEmbeddingCast();
-    // Single transaction so the v51 partial UNIQUE index can roll back
-    // the whole batch on constraint violation. Per-row INSERTs (not
-    // multi-row VALUES) keep the embedding-vs-no-embedding branching
-    // readable; batch sizes are small (5-30 rows per page in practice).
+    // Single transaction; per-row INSERTs (not multi-row VALUES) keep the
+    // embedding-vs-no-embedding branching readable; batch sizes are small
+    // (5-30 rows per page in practice). #2044: ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING on
+    // the v51 partial UNIQUE index makes a residual fence/DB row_num
+    // collision skip that row instead of rolling back the whole batch —
+    // the fence stays system-of-record and reconciliation catches up.
     // No supersede flow in this path — fence reconciliation is the
     // canonical source-of-truth direction, not the consolidator path.
     const ids = await sql.begin(async (tx) => {
@@ -4346,9 +4348,13 @@ export class PostgresEngine implements BrainEngine {
             ${input.row_num}, ${input.source_markdown_slug},
             ${claimMetric}, ${claimValue}, ${claimUnit}, ${claimPeriod},
             ${eventType}
-          ) RETURNING id
+          )
+          ON CONFLICT (source_id, source_markdown_slug, row_num)
+            WHERE row_num IS NOT NULL
+            DO NOTHING
+          RETURNING id
         `;
-        out.push(Number(ins[0].id));
+        if (ins[0]) out.push(Number(ins[0].id));
       }
       return out;
     });

test/cycle-dream-output-root.test.ts

@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ const transcript: DiscoveredTranscript = {
   content: 'User: hello world',
   contentHash: 'abcdef0123456789',
   inferredDate: '2026-07-17',
-  transcriptSource: null,
 } as DiscoveredTranscript;
 
 describe('#2415: buildSynthesisPrompt output root', () => {

test/cycle-synthesize-slug-collection.test.ts

@@ -152,94 +152,3 @@ describe('#2569: stampDreamProvenance persists the marker into DB frontmatter',
     await stampDreamProvenance(engine as any, refs, '2026-07-17'); // idempotent
   });
 });
-
-describe('#2285: orchestrator-owned deterministic transcript frontmatter', () => {
-  const meta = {
-    idx: 1,
-    hash6: 'abc123',
-    chunkTotal: 3,
-    transcriptSource: 'claude-code',
-    transcriptId: 'session-uuid',
-    inferredDate: '2026-05-15',
-  };
-
-  test('collectChildPutPageSlugs pairs each ref back to the writing job', async () => {
-    const refs = await collectChildPutPageSlugs(
-      engine as any, [1001], new Map([[1001, { ...meta, chunkTotal: 1 }]]), 'mybrain',
-    );
-    expect(refs.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
-    for (const r of refs) {
-      expect(r.jobId).toBe(1001);
-      expect(r.source_id).toBe('mybrain'); // #1586: cycle source, never hardcoded 'default'
-    }
-  });
-
-  test('slug collision across children attributes the LAST writer (matches surviving putPage)', async () => {
-    const db = (engine as any).db;
-    // Jobs 1001 then 1002 write the same slug; the pages row would hold
-    // 1002's content (last put_page wins), so the ref must carry jobId 1002.
-    await db.query(
-      `INSERT INTO subagent_tool_executions (job_id, message_idx, tool_use_id, tool_name, status, input)
-       VALUES (1001, 9, 'tool_dup_a', 'brain_put_page', 'complete', $1::jsonb)`,
-      [JSON.stringify({ slug: 'wiki/agents/test/collision', body: 'first' })],
-    );
-    await db.query(
-      `INSERT INTO subagent_tool_executions (job_id, message_idx, tool_use_id, tool_name, status, input)
-       VALUES (1002, 9, 'tool_dup_b', 'brain_put_page', 'complete', $1::jsonb)`,
-      [JSON.stringify({ slug: 'wiki/agents/test/collision', body: 'second' })],
-    );
-    const refs = await collectChildPutPageSlugs(engine as any, [1001, 1002], new Map());
-    const hit = refs.find((r: { slug: string }) => r.slug === 'wiki/agents/test/collision');
-    expect(hit?.jobId).toBe(1002);
-  });
-
-  test('stampDreamProvenance merges the transcript metadata into DB frontmatter', async () => {
-    const slug = 'wiki/originals/ideas/2026-07-17-transcript-meta-abc123';
-    await engine.putPage(slug, {
-      type: 'note',
-      title: 'Meta stamp',
-      compiled_truth: 'body',
-      timeline: '',
-      frontmatter: { keep_me: 'yes', transcript_id: 'subagent-drift' },
-    });
-    await stampDreamProvenance(
-      engine as any,
-      [{ slug, source_id: 'default', jobId: 42 }],
-      '2026-07-17',
-      new Map([[42, meta]]),
-    );
-    const rows = await engine.executeRaw<{ fm: Record<string, unknown> }>(
-      `SELECT frontmatter AS fm FROM pages WHERE slug = $1`, [slug],
-    );
-    const fm = rows[0].fm as Record<string, unknown>;
-    expect(fm.dream_generated).toBe(true);
-    expect(fm.dream_cycle_date).toBe('2026-07-17');
-    expect(fm.transcript_id).toBe('session-uuid'); // orchestrator wins over subagent drift
-    expect(fm.transcript_hash).toBe('abc123');
-    expect(fm.transcript_source).toBe('claude-code');
-    expect(fm.chunk).toBe('2/3');
-    expect(fm.date).toBe('2026-05-15');
-    expect(fm.keep_me).toBe('yes'); // subagent-owned keys survive
-  });
-
-  test('single-chunk children with no inferredDate stamp only the applicable fields', async () => {
-    const slug = 'wiki/originals/ideas/2026-07-17-minimal-meta-abc123';
-    await engine.putPage(slug, {
-      type: 'note', title: 'Minimal', compiled_truth: 'b', timeline: '', frontmatter: {},
-    });
-    await stampDreamProvenance(
-      engine as any,
-      [{ slug, source_id: 'default', jobId: 43 }],
-      '2026-07-17',
-      new Map([[43, { ...meta, chunkTotal: 1, transcriptSource: null, inferredDate: null }]]),
-    );
-    const rows = await engine.executeRaw<{ fm: Record<string, unknown> }>(
-      `SELECT frontmatter AS fm FROM pages WHERE slug = $1`, [slug],
-    );
-    const fm = rows[0].fm as Record<string, unknown>;
-    expect(fm.transcript_id).toBe('session-uuid');
-    expect(fm.chunk).toBeUndefined();
-    expect(fm.transcript_source).toBeUndefined();
-    expect(fm.date).toBeUndefined();
-  });
-});

test/cycle-synthesize.test.ts

@@ -302,7 +302,6 @@ describe('judgeSignificance', () => {
       content: 'A short conversation about something interesting.',
       basename: 'x',
       inferredDate: null,
-      transcriptSource: null,
     };
   }
 
@@ -416,7 +415,6 @@ describe('judgeSignificance — UTF-16 safety (v0.41.13)', () => {
       content,
       basename: 'long',
       inferredDate: null,
-      transcriptSource: null,
     };
   }
 

test/cycle/synthesize-gateway-adapter.test.ts

@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ const FIXTURE_TRANSCRIPT: DiscoveredTranscript = {
   content: 'Synthetic transcript content for gateway-adapter parity tests.',
   contentHash: 'sha-fixture-1',
   inferredDate: '2026-05-24',
-  transcriptSource: null,
 };
 
 describe('makeJudgeClient — construction-time provider probe', () => {

test/cycle/transcript-discovery-metadata.test.ts

@@ -1,109 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * #2285 — transcript metadata discovery.
- *
- * Pins the two discovery-side additions:
- *   1. `transcriptSource` — derived from the `<source>/<date>/<file>` path
- *      layout; null for ad-hoc inputs that don't match.
- *   2. Content-based date inference — the `| First message | <ISO> |` row in
- *      the transcript's `## Metadata` table wins over the filename-regex
- *      date (stable across mtime-restamping re-syncs); filename is the
- *      fallback.
- *
- * Pure filesystem; no engine, no LLM.
- */
-
-import { describe, test, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'bun:test';
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
-import { join, dirname } from 'node:path';
-import {
-  discoverTranscripts,
-  readSingleTranscript,
-  deriveTranscriptSource,
-  inferContentDate,
-} from '../../src/core/cycle/transcript-discovery.ts';
-
-let tmpDir: string;
-
-beforeEach(() => {
-  tmpDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-transcript-meta-'));
-});
-
-afterEach(() => {
-  rmSync(tmpDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
-});
-
-function write(relPath: string, body: string): string {
-  const full = join(tmpDir, relPath);
-  mkdirSync(dirname(full), { recursive: true });
-  writeFileSync(full, body);
-  return full;
-}
-
-const FILLER = 'User: hello world. '.repeat(200);
-const METADATA_BLOCK =
-  '## Metadata\n\n| Key | Value |\n| --- | --- |\n| First message | 2026-05-15T03:51:11.584Z |\n\n';
-
-describe('deriveTranscriptSource', () => {
-  test('extracts the source slug from <source>/<date>/<file> layout', () => {
-    expect(deriveTranscriptSource('/corpus/claude-code/2026-06-12/abc.md')).toBe('claude-code');
-    expect(deriveTranscriptSource('/corpus/voice-notes/2026-06-12/xyz.md')).toBe('voice-notes');
-  });
-
-  test('null when the parent dir is not a date dir or grandparent is not a slug', () => {
-    expect(deriveTranscriptSource('/corpus/flat-file.md')).toBeNull();
-    expect(deriveTranscriptSource('/corpus/claude-code/not-a-date/abc.md')).toBeNull();
-    expect(deriveTranscriptSource('/corpus/Not A Slug/2026-06-12/abc.md')).toBeNull();
-  });
-});
-
-describe('inferContentDate', () => {
-  test('parses the | First message | row', () => {
-    expect(inferContentDate(METADATA_BLOCK)).toBe('2026-05-15');
-  });
-  test('null when absent', () => {
-    expect(inferContentDate(FILLER)).toBeNull();
-  });
-});
-
-describe('discoverTranscripts — transcriptSource + date cascade', () => {
-  test('populates transcriptSource per file; null for flat files', () => {
-    write('claude-code/2026-06-12/aaaa.md', FILLER);
-    write('2026-06-12-flat.md', FILLER);
-    const out = discoverTranscripts({ corpusDir: tmpDir, minChars: 100 });
-    const byBase = new Map(out.map(t => [t.basename, t.transcriptSource]));
-    expect(byBase.get('aaaa')).toBe('claude-code');
-    expect(byBase.get('2026-06-12-flat')).toBeNull();
-  });
-
-  test('content First-message date wins over the filename date', () => {
-    write('2026-01-01-named.md', METADATA_BLOCK + FILLER);
-    const out = discoverTranscripts({ corpusDir: tmpDir, minChars: 100 });
-    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(out[0].inferredDate).toBe('2026-05-15');
-  });
-
-  test('filename date remains the fallback when content has no metadata row', () => {
-    write('2026-01-01-named.md', FILLER);
-    const out = discoverTranscripts({ corpusDir: tmpDir, minChars: 100 });
-    expect(out[0].inferredDate).toBe('2026-01-01');
-  });
-
-  test('date filter matches on the content date for UUID-named transcripts', () => {
-    write('claude-code/2026-05-15/uuid-basename.md', METADATA_BLOCK + FILLER);
-    const hit = discoverTranscripts({ corpusDir: tmpDir, minChars: 100, date: '2026-05-15' });
-    expect(hit).toHaveLength(1);
-    const miss = discoverTranscripts({ corpusDir: tmpDir, minChars: 100, date: '2026-05-16' });
-    expect(miss).toHaveLength(0);
-  });
-});
-
-describe('readSingleTranscript — same metadata surface', () => {
-  test('carries transcriptSource and prefers the content date', () => {
-    const p = write('claude-code/2026-05-15/2026-01-01-single.md', METADATA_BLOCK + FILLER);
-    const t = readSingleTranscript(p, { minChars: 100 });
-    expect(t).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(t!.transcriptSource).toBe('claude-code');
-    expect(t!.inferredDate).toBe('2026-05-15');
-  });
-});

test/extract-facts-phase.test.ts

@@ -304,7 +304,9 @@ describe('runExtractFacts — empty-fence guard (Codex R2-#7)', () => {
     expect(r.legacyRowsPending).toBe(1);
     expect(r.factsInserted).toBe(0);
     expect(r.factsDeleted).toBe(0);
-    expect(r.warnings.some(w => w.includes('apply-migrations'))).toBe(true);
+    // #1867: the remedy hint points at the re-runnable backfill command,
+    // not the one-shot v0_32_2 migration (which the ledger never re-runs).
+    expect(r.warnings.some(w => w.includes('gbrain facts fence-backfill'))).toBe(true);
 
     // Legacy row was NOT touched.
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any

test/facts-fence-backfill-command.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+/**
+ * #1867 — `gbrain facts fence-backfill` command tests.
+ *
+ * The command re-runs the (idempotent) v0_32_2 phase B on demand so
+ * row_num-NULL backlogs — remote extract_facts deposits that predate
+ * the fence-write backstop — can be cleared without re-running the
+ * one-shot migration. Real PGLite + real tempdir filesystem.
+ */
+
+import { describe, test, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, beforeEach } from 'bun:test';
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, existsSync, readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+
+import { PGLiteEngine } from '../src/core/pglite-engine.ts';
+import { runFactsCommand } from '../src/commands/facts.ts';
+import { phaseBFenceFacts } from '../src/commands/migrations/v0_32_2.ts';
+
+let engine: PGLiteEngine;
+let brainDir: string;
+
+beforeAll(async () => {
+  engine = new PGLiteEngine();
+  await engine.connect({});
+  await engine.initSchema();
+});
+
+afterAll(async () => {
+  await engine.disconnect();
+  try {
+    if (brainDir) rmSync(brainDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  } catch { /* best-effort */ }
+});
+
+beforeEach(async () => {
+  brainDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'facts-backfill-cmd-test-'));
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  await (engine as any).db.query('DELETE FROM facts');
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  await (engine as any).db.query(
+    `UPDATE sources SET local_path = $1 WHERE id = 'default'`,
+    [brainDir],
+  );
+});
+
+async function seedLegacyFact(fact: string): Promise<void> {
+  // The row_num-NULL shape a remote extract_facts deposit leaves behind
+  // when it lands via the legacy DB-only path.
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  await (engine as any).db.query(
+    `INSERT INTO facts (source_id, entity_slug, fact, kind, visibility, notability,
+                        valid_from, source, confidence)
+     VALUES ('default', 'people/alice', $1, 'fact', 'private', 'medium',
+             now(), 'mcp:extract_facts', 1.0)`,
+    [fact],
+  );
+}
+
+describe('gbrain facts fence-backfill', () => {
+  test('fences row_num-NULL rows and stamps the DB', async () => {
+    await seedLegacyFact('Deposited remotely');
+
+    await runFactsCommand(engine, ['fence-backfill']);
+
+    // The fence exists on disk with the claim.
+    const filePath = join(brainDir, 'people/alice.md');
+    expect(existsSync(filePath)).toBe(true);
+    expect(readFileSync(filePath, 'utf-8')).toContain('Deposited remotely');
+
+    // The backlog is cleared: no row_num-NULL rows remain.
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    const rows = await (engine as any).db.query(
+      'SELECT row_num, source_markdown_slug FROM facts',
+    );
+    expect(rows.rows).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(rows.rows[0].row_num).toBe(1);
+    expect(rows.rows[0].source_markdown_slug).toBe('people/alice');
+  });
+
+  test('re-run is a no-op (idempotent)', async () => {
+    await seedLegacyFact('Deposited remotely');
+    await runFactsCommand(engine, ['fence-backfill']);
+    await runFactsCommand(engine, ['fence-backfill']);
+
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    const rows = await (engine as any).db.query('SELECT id FROM facts');
+    expect(rows.rows).toHaveLength(1);
+    const body = readFileSync(join(brainDir, 'people/alice.md'), 'utf-8');
+    expect(body.match(/Deposited remotely/g)).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  test('--dry-run reports without writing', async () => {
+    await seedLegacyFact('Deposited remotely');
+    await runFactsCommand(engine, ['fence-backfill', '--dry-run']);
+
+    expect(existsSync(join(brainDir, 'people/alice.md'))).toBe(false);
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    const rows = await (engine as any).db.query(
+      'SELECT row_num FROM facts',
+    );
+    expect(rows.rows[0].row_num).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  test('diverged page: appends past the DB row_num max instead of colliding (#2044 class)', async () => {
+    // The #2044 divergence shape the backfill must survive: the DB already
+    // holds stamped rows 1..3 for the slug (legacy wrong-path fence write),
+    // but the fence at the resolved path is missing. Fence-max+1 (= 1) would
+    // collide with the stamped rows on the post-rename UPDATE, failing the
+    // page and leaving the renamed fence disagreeing with the DB.
+    for (let n = 1; n <= 3; n++) {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+      await (engine as any).db.query(
+        `INSERT INTO facts (source_id, entity_slug, fact, kind, visibility, notability,
+                            valid_from, source, confidence, row_num, source_markdown_slug)
+         VALUES ('default', 'people/alice', $1, 'fact', 'private', 'medium',
+                 now(), 'mcp:extract_facts', 1.0, $2, 'people/alice')`,
+        [`stamped ${n}`, n],
+      );
+    }
+    await seedLegacyFact('Deposited remotely');
+
+    const result = await phaseBFenceFacts(engine, { dryRun: false });
+    expect(result.status).toBe('complete');
+
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    const rows = await (engine as any).db.query(
+      `SELECT row_num FROM facts WHERE fact = 'Deposited remotely'`,
+    );
+    expect(rows.rows[0].row_num).toBe(4);
+    const body = readFileSync(join(brainDir, 'people/alice.md'), 'utf-8');
+    expect(body).toContain('| 4 | Deposited remotely |');
+  });
+});

test/fence-write.test.ts

@@ -292,6 +292,49 @@ describe('lookupSourceLocalPath', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('writeFactsToFence — fence/DB divergence (#2044)', () => {
+  test('seeds row_num past the DB max when the fence lags the DB', async () => {
+    // Simulate the divergence class from #2044: DB rows were stamped with
+    // row_nums against a fence written at a path this code no longer reads
+    // (e.g. the pre-"Local patch 2026-06-11" wrong-path writes). The page
+    // on disk has NO fence, but the DB already holds row_num 1..3 for the
+    // slug. Pre-fix, the next deposit re-assigned row_num=1 from fence
+    // text alone and the whole insertFacts batch failed on
+    // idx_facts_fence_key.
+    for (let n = 1; n <= 3; n++) {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+      await (engine as any).db.query(
+        `INSERT INTO facts (source_id, entity_slug, fact, kind, visibility, notability,
+                            valid_from, source, confidence, row_num, source_markdown_slug)
+         VALUES ('default', 'people/dana', $1, 'fact', 'private', 'medium',
+                 now(), 'mcp:extract_facts', 1.0, $2, 'people/dana')`,
+        [`old claim ${n}`, n],
+      );
+    }
+
+    const result = await writeFactsToFence(
+      engine,
+      { sourceId: 'default', localPath: brainDir, slug: 'people/dana' },
+      [baseInput({ fact: 'second deposit' })],
+    );
+
+    expect(result.fenceWriteFailed).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(result.inserted).toBe(1);
+
+    // The new row landed PAST the DB max, not at fence-max+1 (= 1).
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    const rows = await (engine as any).db.query(
+      'SELECT row_num FROM facts WHERE id = $1',
+      [result.ids[0]],
+    );
+    expect(rows.rows[0].row_num).toBe(4);
+
+    // And the on-disk fence carries the same row_num — fence and DB agree.
+    const body = readFileSync(join(brainDir, 'people/dana.md'), 'utf-8');
+    expect(body).toContain('| 4 | second deposit |');
+  });
+});
+
 // Cleanup any leftover tempdirs after the whole suite.
 afterAll(() => {
   // No-op: each test cleaned up via the beforeEach; this is a safety net.

test/insert-facts-batch.test.ts

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  *   - Batch insert N rows persists row_num + source_markdown_slug
  *   - Empty batch is a no-op
  *   - Returns ids in input-order
- *   - v51 partial UNIQUE index rolls back the whole batch on a collision
+ *   - v51 partial UNIQUE collision skips only the colliding row (#2044)
  *   - deleteFactsForPage scopes by (source_id, source_markdown_slug);
  *     never touches other pages or pre-v51 NULL-source_markdown_slug rows
  *   - deleteFactsForPage on an empty page returns deleted:0 (idempotent)
@@ -135,30 +135,29 @@ describe('engine.insertFacts — batch insert', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  test('v51 partial UNIQUE index rolls back the whole batch on collision', async () => {
+  test('v51 partial UNIQUE collision skips ONLY the colliding row (#2044)', async () => {
     // Seed row #1 first.
     await engine.insertFacts([fixtureFact(1, { fact: 'seeded' })], { source_id: 'default' });
 
-    // Now try to batch-insert rows that include a colliding row_num=1.
-    let threw = false;
-    try {
-      await engine.insertFacts(
-        [
-          fixtureFact(2, { fact: 'second' }),
-          fixtureFact(1, { fact: 'collides' }),  // row_num=1 on same (source_id, source_markdown_slug)
-          fixtureFact(3, { fact: 'third' }),
-        ],
-        { source_id: 'default' },
-      );
-    } catch {
-      threw = true;
-    }
-    expect(threw).toBe(true);
+    // Batch-insert rows that include a colliding row_num=1. Pre-#2044 this
+    // threw and rolled back the whole batch, making a second remote
+    // extract_facts deposit to an already-fenced page a hard failure. Now
+    // ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING skips the colliding row and keeps the rest.
+    const result = await engine.insertFacts(
+      [
+        fixtureFact(2, { fact: 'second' }),
+        fixtureFact(1, { fact: 'collides' }),  // row_num=1 on same (source_id, source_markdown_slug)
+        fixtureFact(3, { fact: 'third' }),
+      ],
+      { source_id: 'default' },
+    );
+    expect(result.inserted).toBe(2);
+    expect(result.ids).toHaveLength(2);
 
-    // Verify the transaction rolled back — only the seeded row should remain.
+    // The seeded row survives untouched; the colliding claim is skipped.
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     const rows = await (engine as any).db.query('SELECT fact FROM facts ORDER BY id');
-    expect(rows.rows.map((r: { fact: string }) => r.fact)).toEqual(['seeded']);
+    expect(rows.rows.map((r: { fact: string }) => r.fact)).toEqual(['seeded', 'second', 'third']);
   });
 
   test('different source_markdown_slug values DO NOT collide on the same row_num', async () => {

test/progress.test.ts

@@ -216,21 +216,17 @@ describe('progress reporter', () => {
   });
 
   test('only one process-level signal handler installed across many reporters', () => {
-    // Baseline: one handler already installed by prior tests in this file, and
-    // possibly live reporters from OTHER test files sharing this bun process
-    // (shard composition is not this test's invariant — assert the delta, not
-    // an absolute zero, or shard reshuffles make this fail spuriously).
+    // Baseline: one handler already installed by prior tests in this file.
     const installedBefore = __signalHandlerInstalledForTest();
-    const liveBefore = __liveReporterCountForTest();
     const { stream } = sink(false);
     for (let i = 0; i < 50; i++) {
       const p = createProgress({ mode: 'json', stream, minIntervalMs: 0, minItems: 1 });
       p.start(`phase_${i}`, 1);
       p.finish();
     }
-    // After 50 reporter lifecycles, still exactly one handler and zero NET leaked live entries.
+    // After 50 reporter lifecycles, still exactly one handler and zero leaked live entries.
     expect(__signalHandlerInstalledForTest()).toBe(installedBefore || true);
-    expect(__liveReporterCountForTest()).toBe(liveBefore);
+    expect(__liveReporterCountForTest()).toBe(0);
   });
 
   test('startHeartbeat() fires heartbeats and stop() clears', async () => {