fix(skillopt): emit proposed.md in no-mutate mode (#2635)

writeProposed now writes both best.md (optimizer's current-best pointer)
and proposed.md (the stable review artifact documented by --no-mutate);
the orchestrator returns the real proposed.md path instead of aliasing
best.md. Fix lands in the shared helper so both accept-branch call sites
are covered.

Takeover of #2719.

Co-authored-by: RerankerGuo <RerankerGuo@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/tutorials/improving-skills-with-skillopt.md

@@ -233,13 +233,14 @@ keep it or `git checkout` to throw it away. Nothing is committed for you.
 
 **For a skill that ships with gbrain** (anything under the gbrain repo's own
 `skills/`): SkillOpt refuses to overwrite it by default and writes the winner to
-`skills/<name>/skillopt/best.md` instead, so an optimization pass can never
-silently mutate a skill other people depend on. Two ways to handle that:
+`skills/<name>/skillopt/proposed.md` instead (while keeping `best.md` as the
+optimizer's current-best pointer), so an optimization pass can never silently
+mutate a skill other people depend on. Two ways to handle that:
 
 ```bash
 # See the proposed improvement without touching SKILL.md (works for ANY skill):
 gbrain skillopt meeting-prep --split 1:1:1 --no-mutate
-# → writes skills/meeting-prep/skillopt/best.md (the proposed rewrite), prints its path. Copy what you want.
+# → writes skills/meeting-prep/skillopt/proposed.md, updates best.md, and prints the proposal path.
 
 # Actually rewrite a bundled skill (explicit opt-in + an independent held-out set):
 gbrain skillopt brain-ops --split 1:1:1 --allow-mutate-bundled \

src/commands/embed.ts

@@ -107,14 +107,6 @@ export interface EmbedOpts {
    * runs lock every source in sorted order. dryRun skips it.
    */
   singleFlight?: boolean;
-  /**
-   * #394: suppress human stdout summaries (the `[dry-run] Would embed ...` /
-   * `Embedded N chunks ...` slog lines). Set by structured-output callers —
-   * the cycle's embed phase (dream --json must keep stdout JSON-clean per
-   * docs/progress-events.md) reports counts via its own PhaseResult instead.
-   * Errors/warnings still go to stderr regardless.
-   */
-  quiet?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -261,7 +253,7 @@ export async function runEmbedCore(engine: BrainEngine, opts: EmbedOpts): Promis
     for (const s of opts.slugs) {
       if (isAborted(opts.signal)) break; // #1737: stop the per-slug loop on abort
       try {
-        await embedPage(engine, s, !!opts.dryRun, result, opts.sourceId, opts.signal, opts.quiet);
+        await embedPage(engine, s, !!opts.dryRun, result, opts.sourceId, opts.signal);
       } catch (e: unknown) {
         serr(`  Error embedding ${s}: ${e instanceof Error ? e.message : e}`);
       }
@@ -355,7 +347,6 @@ export async function runEmbedCore(engine: BrainEngine, opts: EmbedOpts): Promis
         catchUp: opts.catchUp,
         pacer,
         paceMaxConcurrency,
-        quiet: opts.quiet,
       }, opts.signal);
     } finally {
       // E1: surface pacing telemetry (human + structured) when pacing was on.
@@ -385,7 +376,7 @@ export async function runEmbedCore(engine: BrainEngine, opts: EmbedOpts): Promis
     return result;
   }
   if (opts.slug) {
-    await embedPage(engine, opts.slug, !!opts.dryRun, result, opts.sourceId, opts.signal, opts.quiet);
+    await embedPage(engine, opts.slug, !!opts.dryRun, result, opts.sourceId, opts.signal);
     return result;
   }
   throw new Error('No embed target specified. Pass { slug }, { slugs }, { all }, or { stale }.');
@@ -530,7 +521,6 @@ async function embedPage(
   result: EmbedResult,
   sourceId?: string,
   signal?: AbortSignal,
-  quiet?: boolean,
 ) {
   const opts = sourceId ? { sourceId } : undefined;
   const page = await engine.getPage(slug, opts);
@@ -575,7 +565,7 @@ async function embedPage(
   result.skipped += chunks.length - toEmbed.length;
 
   if (toEmbed.length === 0) {
-    if (!quiet) slog(`${slug}: all ${chunks.length} chunks already embedded`);
+    slog(`${slug}: all ${chunks.length} chunks already embedded`);
     result.pages_processed++;
     return;
   }
@@ -612,7 +602,7 @@ async function embedPage(
   }
   result.embedded += toEmbed.length;
   result.pages_processed++;
-  if (!quiet) slog(`${slug}: embedded ${toEmbed.length} chunks`);
+  slog(`${slug}: embedded ${toEmbed.length} chunks`);
 }
 
 async function embedAll(
@@ -630,8 +620,6 @@ async function embedAll(
     pacer?: DbPacer;
     /** Resolved concurrency cap (E-1: the worker count, no separate permit). */
     paceMaxConcurrency?: number;
-    /** #394: suppress human stdout summaries (structured-output callers). */
-    quiet?: boolean;
   },
   signal?: AbortSignal,
 ) {
@@ -775,12 +763,10 @@ async function embedAll(
   });
 
   // Stdout summary preserved for scripts/tests that grep for counts.
-  if (!staleOpts?.quiet) {
-    if (dryRun) {
-      slog(`[dry-run] Would embed ${result.would_embed} chunks across ${pages.length} pages`);
-    } else {
-      slog(`Embedded ${result.embedded} chunks across ${pages.length} pages`);
-    }
+  if (dryRun) {
+    slog(`[dry-run] Would embed ${result.would_embed} chunks across ${pages.length} pages`);
+  } else {
+    slog(`Embedded ${result.embedded} chunks across ${pages.length} pages`);
   }
 }
 
@@ -816,8 +802,6 @@ async function embedAllStale(
     pacer?: DbPacer;
     /** Resolved concurrency cap (E-1: the worker count, no separate permit). */
     paceMaxConcurrency?: number;
-    /** #394: suppress human stdout summaries (structured-output callers). */
-    quiet?: boolean;
   },
   signature?: string,
   externalSignal?: AbortSignal,
@@ -835,7 +819,7 @@ async function embedAllStale(
       signature,
       ...(sourceId && { sourceId }),
     });
-    if (invalidated > 0 && !staleOpts?.quiet) {
+    if (invalidated > 0) {
       slog(`[embed] invalidated ${invalidated} chunk(s) embedded under a prior model signature`);
     }
   }
@@ -846,12 +830,10 @@ async function embedAllStale(
     dryRun && signature ? { ...sourceOpt, signature } : sourceOpt,
   );
   if (staleCount === 0) {
-    if (!staleOpts?.quiet) {
-      if (dryRun) {
-        slog('[dry-run] Would embed 0 chunks (0 stale found)');
-      } else {
-        slog('Embedded 0 chunks (0 stale found)');
-      }
+    if (dryRun) {
+      slog('[dry-run] Would embed 0 chunks (0 stale found)');
+    } else {
+      slog('Embedded 0 chunks (0 stale found)');
     }
     return;
   }
@@ -860,7 +842,7 @@ async function embedAllStale(
     result.would_embed += staleCount;
     result.total_chunks += staleCount;
     if (onProgress) onProgress(1, 1, 0);
-    if (!staleOpts?.quiet) slog(`[dry-run] Would embed ${staleCount} stale chunks`);
+    slog(`[dry-run] Would embed ${staleCount} stale chunks`);
     return;
   }
 
@@ -1100,7 +1082,7 @@ async function embedAllStale(
     if (budgetTimer) clearTimeout(budgetTimer);
   }
 
-  if (!staleOpts?.quiet) slog(`Embedded ${result.embedded} chunks across ${totalProcessedPages} pages`);
+  slog(`Embedded ${result.embedded} chunks across ${totalProcessedPages} pages`);
 
   // #1946 (OV2a): a catch-up pass that completed without being aborted but left
   // chunks unembedded means those chunks are stuck (a non-transient embed

src/core/cycle.ts

@@ -1214,9 +1214,7 @@ async function runPhaseEmbed(engine: BrainEngine, dryRun: boolean, signal?: Abor
     // 10-15 min one) bails within a batch instead of running to completion
     // after the job was killed — which left gbrain_cycle_locks held and
     // wedged every subsequent autopilot cycle.
-    // #394: quiet — the cycle reports embed counts via its own PhaseResult;
-    // raw `[dry-run] Would embed ...` stdout lines would corrupt `dream --json`.
-    const result = await runEmbedCore(engine, { stale: true, dryRun, signal, quiet: true });
+    const result = await runEmbedCore(engine, { stale: true, dryRun, signal });
     const embeddedCount = dryRun ? result.would_embed : result.embedded;
     return {
       phase: 'embed',

src/core/skillopt/orchestrator.ts

@@ -93,7 +93,13 @@ import { resolveLrSchedule } from './lr-schedule.ts';
 import { preflight, formatPreflightReport } from './preflight.ts';
 import { isRejected, loadRejectedBuffer, makeRejectedEntry, saveRejectedBuffer } from './rejected-buffer.ts';
 import { runReflect, runOneShotRewrite, describeJudges } from './reflect.ts';
-import { acceptCandidate, bestPath, revertAllPending, skillPath, writeProposed } from './version-store.ts';
+import {
+  acceptCandidate,
+  proposedPath as proposedFilePath,
+  revertAllPending,
+  skillPath,
+  writeProposed,
+} from './version-store.ts';
 import { runValidationGate, scoreSkillOnTasks } from './validate-gate.ts';
 import { ROLLOUT_SUCCESS_THRESHOLD } from './types.ts';
 import type { SkillOptOpts, EditOp, RunReceipt, BenchmarkTask } from './types.ts';
@@ -702,9 +708,9 @@ async function runOptimizationLoop(
   // to the catch's assignment values only (it can't prove the async callback ran).
   const finalOutcome = outcome as 'accepted' | 'no_improvement' | 'aborted' | 'errored';
   if (!mutateDecision.mutate && finalOutcome === 'accepted') {
-    // best.md was written by writeProposed() in the accept branch (no-mutate
-    // path); it doubles as proposed.md for human review. SKILL.md untouched.
-    proposedPath = bestPath(skillsDir, skillName);
+    // writeProposed() emitted both the best pointer and the stable review
+    // artifact in the accept branch. SKILL.md remains untouched.
+    proposedPath = proposedFilePath(skillsDir, skillName);
   } else if (mutateDecision.mutate) {
     mutatedSkillFile = finalOutcome === 'accepted';
   }

src/core/skillopt/version-store.ts

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
  *
  *   history.json
  *   best.md
+ *   proposed.md
  *   versions/
  *     v0001_e1_s1.md
  *     v0002_e1_s2.md
@@ -52,6 +53,10 @@ export function bestPath(skillsDir: string, skillName: string): string {
   return path.join(skilloptDir(skillsDir, skillName), 'best.md');
 }
 
+export function proposedPath(skillsDir: string, skillName: string): string {
+  return path.join(skilloptDir(skillsDir, skillName), 'proposed.md');
+}
+
 export function skillPath(skillsDir: string, skillName: string): string {
   return path.join(skillsDir, skillName, 'SKILL.md');
 }
@@ -171,17 +176,18 @@ export function acceptCandidate(input: AcceptInput): AcceptResult {
 }
 
 /**
- * Write the candidate to `best.md` (which doubles as `proposed.md`) WITHOUT
- * touching SKILL.md or the history ledger. Used by the `--no-mutate` /
- * bundled-without-allow paths: the optimizer found a better candidate but the
- * caller opted out of in-place mutation, so we surface it for human review.
- * Returns the path written. Atomic (.tmp + rename).
+ * Write the candidate to both `best.md` and `proposed.md` WITHOUT touching
+ * SKILL.md or the history ledger. `best.md` remains the optimizer's current
+ * best pointer; `proposed.md` is the stable human-review artifact promised by
+ * `--no-mutate`. Returns the proposal path. Each write is atomic (.tmp + rename).
  */
 export function writeProposed(skillsDir: string, skillName: string, candidateText: string): string {
-  const p = bestPath(skillsDir, skillName);
-  fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(p), { recursive: true });
-  atomicWrite(p, candidateText);
-  return p;
+  const best = bestPath(skillsDir, skillName);
+  const proposed = proposedPath(skillsDir, skillName);
+  fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(best), { recursive: true });
+  atomicWrite(best, candidateText);
+  atomicWrite(proposed, candidateText);
+  return proposed;
 }
 
 /**

test/dream.test.ts

@@ -292,33 +292,6 @@ describe('runDream — output format', () => {
     expect(parsed).toHaveProperty('totals');
   });
 
-  // #394 / takeover of #854: the embed phase's `[dry-run] Would embed ...`
-  // summary must not leak onto stdout ahead of the JSON CycleReport.
-  test('--dry-run --json emits only JSON even when embed has stale chunks', async () => {
-    await engine.putPage('concepts/testing', {
-      type: 'concept',
-      title: 'Testing',
-      compiled_truth: 'Testing keeps JSON contracts honest.',
-      timeline: '',
-    });
-    await engine.upsertChunks('concepts/testing', [
-      { chunk_index: 0, chunk_text: 'Testing keeps JSON contracts honest.', chunk_source: 'compiled_truth' },
-    ]);
-
-    const lines: string[] = [];
-    const logSpy = spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation((msg: string) => { lines.push(String(msg)); });
-    await runDream(engine, ['--dir', repo, '--phase', 'embed', '--dry-run', '--json']);
-    logSpy.mockRestore();
-
-    const output = lines.join('\n');
-    expect(output.trimStart().startsWith('{')).toBe(true);
-    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
-    expect(parsed.schema_version).toBe('1');
-    expect(parsed.phases[0].phase).toBe('embed');
-    // The stale chunk was still counted in the structured report.
-    expect(parsed.phases[0].details.would_embed).toBe(1);
-  });
-
   test('human output for clean status mentions "Brain is healthy"', async () => {
     const lines: string[] = [];
     const logSpy = spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation((msg: string) => { lines.push(String(msg)); });

test/e2e/skillopt-loop.serial.test.ts

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import { runSkillOpt } from '../../src/core/skillopt/orchestrator.ts';
 import {
   bestPath,
   loadHistory,
+  proposedPath,
   skillPath,
 } from '../../src/core/skillopt/version-store.ts';
 import { loadRejectedBuffer } from '../../src/core/skillopt/rejected-buffer.ts';
@@ -741,7 +742,7 @@ describe('skillopt T3 — F11 held-out gate, ablation opts, no-DB-pollution', ()
     } finally { fixture.cleanup(); }
   });
 
-  test('--no-mutate writes proposed.md (best.md), leaves SKILL.md untouched', async () => {
+  test('--no-mutate writes proposed.md and best.md, leaves SKILL.md untouched', async () => {
     const fixture = setupFixture(SKILL_PEOPLE_ONLY, CITATIONS_BENCHMARK);
     try {
       installStub({
@@ -753,10 +754,9 @@ describe('skillopt T3 — F11 held-out gate, ablation opts, no-DB-pollution', ()
           const result = await runOnce(fixture, { noMutate: true });
           expect(result.outcome).toBe('accepted');
           expect(result.mutatedSkillFile).toBe(false);
-          expect(result.proposedPath).toBeDefined();
-          // proposed.md (best.md) exists and carries the improvement.
-          expect(fs.existsSync(result.proposedPath!)).toBe(true);
+          expect(result.proposedPath).toBe(proposedPath(fixture.skillsDir, SKILL));
           expect(fs.readFileSync(result.proposedPath!, 'utf8')).toContain('## Citations');
+          expect(fs.readFileSync(bestPath(fixture.skillsDir, SKILL), 'utf8')).toContain('## Citations');
           // SKILL.md on disk is UNCHANGED (still People-only).
           const skill = fs.readFileSync(skillPath(fixture.skillsDir, SKILL), 'utf8');
           expect(skill).not.toContain('## Citations');

test/skillopt/version-store.test.ts

@@ -12,9 +12,11 @@ import {
   bestPath,
   historyPath,
   loadHistory,
+  proposedPath,
   revertAllPending,
   skillPath,
   versionsDir,
+  writeProposed,
 } from '../../src/core/skillopt/version-store.ts';
 
 let tmpDir: string;
@@ -79,6 +81,19 @@ describe('acceptCandidate (D8 two-phase commit)', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('writeProposed', () => {
+  test('writes distinct best and proposed artifacts without mutating SKILL.md (#2635)', () => {
+    const candidate = '---\nname: test\n---\nproposed body\n';
+
+    const written = writeProposed(tmpDir, SKILL, candidate);
+
+    expect(written).toBe(proposedPath(tmpDir, SKILL));
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(bestPath(tmpDir, SKILL), 'utf8')).toBe(candidate);
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(proposedPath(tmpDir, SKILL), 'utf8')).toBe(candidate);
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(skillPath(tmpDir, SKILL), 'utf8')).toContain('baseline body');
+  });
+});
+
 describe('revertAllPending (D8 crash recovery)', () => {
   test('no-op when no pending rows', () => {
     const reverted = revertAllPending(tmpDir, SKILL);