fix(webhook): extract links for incremental push syncs (#2849)

GitHub webhook + sync-trigger 'sync' jobs never opted into extraction:
the standalone sync handler defaults noExtract to TRUE, so webhook-
imported pages advanced the source bookmark with links_extracted_at
unstamped — and nothing behind a standalone job ever swept them (the
autopilot cycle's extract phase only walks that cycle's changedSlugs).

Fix, both halves of the issue:
- webhook + sync-trigger payloads pass noExtract:false so normal
  incremental pushes get sync's inline link/timeline extraction.
- >100-file deferral branch: performSync surfaces extractDeferred, and
  the sync job handler queues a source-scoped extract{stale:true}
  follow-up job (idempotent sweep; extract handler gains a stale mode
  backed by the same extractStaleFromDB core as `gbrain extract --stale`).

Tests: new sync-large-deferral-extract.serial.test.ts drives a real
101-file incremental sync end-to-end (deferral flag → queued follow-up →
stale sweep recovers links + watermark); webhook payload contract test +
sync-trigger noExtract assertion salvaged from #2850.

Fixes #2849
Takeover of #2850

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

src/commands/autopilot-fanout.ts

@@ -186,18 +186,6 @@ export function isSourceStale(src: SourceRow, now = Date.now(), floorMin = FULL_
   return ageMin >= floorMin;
 }
 
-/**
- * #2060: count sources past the per-source cycle freshness floor. Consumed
- * by autopilot's dispatch decision — a stale source forces the fanout path
- * even when the doctor plan is small (score 70–94, plan ≤ 3, est < 300s),
- * so targeted mode can't leave cycle_freshness stale indefinitely.
- * dispatchPerSource's own throttles (skipped_fresh / fanoutMax / failure
- * cooldown) bound the resulting work.
- */
-export function countStaleSources(sources: SourceRow[], now = Date.now(), floorMin = FULL_CYCLE_FLOOR_MIN): number {
-  return sources.filter((s) => isSourceStale(s, now, floorMin)).length;
-}
-
 /**
  * Most recent SUCCESSFUL cycle for a source. Prefers `last_source_cycle_at`
  * (per-source phases, written by the split cycle) and falls back to the legacy

src/commands/autopilot.ts

@@ -901,27 +901,13 @@ export async function runAutopilot(engine: BrainEngine, args: string[]) {
         const FULL_CYCLE_FLOOR_MIN = 60;
         const minutesSinceLastFull = (Date.now() - lastFullCycleAt) / 60000;
 
-        // #2060: stale per-source cycle freshness is a dispatch input. Without
-        // it, a brain sitting at score 70–94 with a small targeted plan (≤3
-        // steps, <300s) stays in targeted mode indefinitely and no per-source
-        // cycle is ever dispatched — cycle_freshness never advances. A stale
-        // source forces the fanout path; dispatchPerSource's throttles
-        // (skipped_fresh / fanoutMax / failure cooldown) bound the work.
-        // Fail-open to 0: a read failure must not block dispatch.
-        let staleCycleSources = 0;
-        try {
-          const { countStaleSources } = await import('./autopilot-fanout.ts');
-          staleCycleSources = countStaleSources(await engine.listAllSources({ localPathOnly: true }));
-        } catch { /* fail-open: freshness is a dispatch hint, not a gate */ }
-
         const shouldFullCycle =
           (score >= 95 && plan.length === 0 && minutesSinceLastFull >= FULL_CYCLE_FLOOR_MIN) ||
           plan.length > 3 ||
           estTotal >= 300 ||
-          score < 70 ||
-          staleCycleSources > 0;
+          score < 70;
 
-        const shouldSleep = score >= 95 && plan.length === 0 && minutesSinceLastFull < FULL_CYCLE_FLOOR_MIN && staleCycleSources === 0;
+        const shouldSleep = score >= 95 && plan.length === 0 && minutesSinceLastFull < FULL_CYCLE_FLOOR_MIN;
 
         if (shouldSleep) {
           if (jsonMode) {

src/commands/extract.ts

@@ -1651,7 +1651,7 @@ async function extractTimelineFromDB(
  * make re-extraction idempotent). EVERY processed page is stamped, including
  * zero-link pages — they WERE processed.
  */
-async function extractStaleFromDB(
+export async function extractStaleFromDB(
   engine: BrainEngine,
   opts: {
     dryRun: boolean;

src/commands/jobs.ts

@@ -1479,7 +1479,31 @@ export async function registerBuiltinHandlers(
       embedSkipReason = 'auto_embed_disabled';
     }
 
-    return { ...result, embed_job_id: embedJobId, embed_skip_reason: embedSkipReason };
+    // #2849: large-sync extract deferral follow-up. performSync skips inline
+    // link/timeline extraction when totalChanges > 100, leaving
+    // links_extracted_at unstamped. A standalone sync job (webhook push,
+    // sync trigger) has no autopilot extract phase behind it, so the pages
+    // would stay extraction-stale until a manual `gbrain extract --stale`.
+    // Queue a source-scoped stale sweep instead. Best-effort + idempotent:
+    // a duplicate sweep finds 0 stale pages and no-ops.
+    let extractJobId: number | null = null;
+    if (result.extractDeferred) {
+      try {
+        const { MinionQueue } = await import('../core/minions/queue.ts');
+        const queue = new MinionQueue(engine);
+        const followUp = await queue.add(
+          'extract',
+          { stale: true, ...(sourceId ? { sourceId } : {}) },
+          {
+            idempotency_key: `sync-extract-stale:${sourceId ?? 'default'}:${Math.floor(Date.now() / 30_000)}`,
+            maxWaiting: 1,
+          },
+        );
+        extractJobId = followUp.id;
+      } catch { /* best-effort: extract --stale sweeps it later */ }
+    }
+
+    return { ...result, embed_job_id: embedJobId, embed_skip_reason: embedSkipReason, extract_stale_job_id: extractJobId };
   });
 
   registerBuiltinJob(worker, engine, 'embed', async (job) => {
@@ -1652,6 +1676,20 @@ export async function registerBuiltinHandlers(
   });
 
   worker.register('extract', async (job) => {
+    // #2849: stale-sweep mode — the sync handler's large-sync deferral
+    // follow-up. DB-source (reads page content from the DB, so it runs on
+    // checkout-less brains), source-scopable, idempotent. Same core as
+    // `gbrain extract --stale`.
+    if (job.data.stale === true) {
+      const { extractStaleFromDB } = await import('./extract.ts');
+      return await extractStaleFromDB(engine, {
+        dryRun: !!job.data.dryRun,
+        jsonMode: false,
+        includeFrontmatter: false,
+        sourceIdFilter: typeof job.data.sourceId === 'string' ? job.data.sourceId : undefined,
+        catchUp: false,
+      });
+    }
     const { runExtractCore } = await import('./extract.ts');
     const mode = (typeof job.data.mode === 'string' && ['links', 'timeline', 'all'].includes(job.data.mode))
       ? (job.data.mode as 'links' | 'timeline' | 'all')

src/commands/serve-http.ts

@@ -2146,8 +2146,13 @@ export async function runServeHttp(engine: BrainEngine, options: ServeHttpOption
   //     Other event types (ping, pull_request, etc.) return 202 'ignored'
   //     so GitHub doesn't retry.
   // D15.5: HMAC compare uses the shared safeHexEqual helper.
-  // D18: submits 'sync' job with auto_embed_backfill=true and priority -10
-  //     (above autopilot's 0).
+  // D18: submits 'sync' job with extraction + auto_embed_backfill enabled and
+  //     priority -10 (above autopilot's 0). noExtract:false opts normal
+  //     incremental pushes into sync's inline link/timeline extraction (#2849
+  //     — the standalone sync handler defaults noExtract to TRUE, which left
+  //     webhook-imported pages permanently stale). Large (>100 file) pushes
+  //     defer inline extract; the sync handler queues an extract --stale
+  //     follow-up job for that branch.
   // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   const githubWebhookLimiter = rateLimit({
     windowMs: 60_000,
@@ -2267,6 +2272,7 @@ export async function runServeHttp(engine: BrainEngine, options: ServeHttpOption
           'sync',
           {
             sourceId: source.id,
+            noExtract: false,
             auto_embed_backfill: true,
             embed_reason: 'webhook',
           },

src/commands/sync.ts

@@ -222,6 +222,14 @@ export interface SyncResult {
    * everything," the exact misdiagnosis in the #1794 recurrence report.
    */
   bankedFiles?: number;
+  /**
+   * #2849: true when extraction was REQUESTED (noExtract false) but this sync
+   * skipped inline link/timeline extraction because totalChanges > 100 (the
+   * #1794 large-sync deferral). links_extracted_at stays unstamped for the
+   * imported pages. The standalone `sync` job handler queues a source-scoped
+   * `extract --stale` follow-up when set; CLI runs print the manual hint.
+   */
+  extractDeferred?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1379,6 +1387,10 @@ See also:
     {
       sourceId: sourceIdArg,
       repoPath: source.local_path,
+      // #2849: opt in to inline extraction — the standalone sync handler
+      // defaults noExtract to TRUE (dedupe for doctor's [sync, extract]
+      // remediation plan), which would leave triggered syncs extraction-stale.
+      noExtract: false,
       auto_embed_backfill: true,
       embed_reason: 'sync_trigger',
     },
@@ -3287,11 +3299,16 @@ async function performSyncInner(engine: BrainEngine, opts: SyncOpts): Promise<Sy
   // the stale sweep scans the whole source, so banked-across-runs pages are
   // covered regardless.
   const extractOpts = opts.sourceId ? { sourceId: opts.sourceId } : undefined;
+  let extractDeferred = false;
   if (!opts.noExtract && totalChanges > 100 && pagesAffected.length > 0) {
+    // #2849: surface the deferral to callers. A standalone sync job (webhook
+    // push, sync trigger) has no autopilot extract phase behind it, so the
+    // job handler queues an `extract --stale` follow-up off this flag.
+    extractDeferred = true;
     slog(
       `  Large sync: deferring link/timeline extraction. ` +
       `Run 'gbrain extract --stale${opts.sourceId ? ` --source-id ${opts.sourceId}` : ''}' ` +
-      `(or let the autopilot cycle's extract phase sweep it).`,
+      `(sync jobs queue this follow-up automatically).`,
     );
   }
   if (!opts.noExtract && totalChanges <= 100 && pagesAffected.length > 0) {
@@ -3400,6 +3417,7 @@ async function performSyncInner(engine: BrainEngine, opts: SyncOpts): Promise<Sy
     chunksCreated,
     embedded,
     pagesAffected,
+    extractDeferred,
   };
 }
 

src/core/cycle.ts

@@ -854,10 +854,7 @@ interface SyncPhaseResult extends PhaseResult {
 /**
  * Resolve the source id for a brain directory by looking up the sources
  * table. Returns undefined when no registered source matches (falls back
- * to pre-v0.18 global config.sync.* keys) OR when MORE than one source
- * claims the path — an ambiguous match must not scope phases or stamp
- * last_full_cycle_at for an arbitrarily-picked source (the "freshness
- * stamp that lies" this resolution exists to prevent).
+ * to pre-v0.18 global config.sync.* keys).
  */
 async function resolveSourceForDir(
   engine: BrainEngine,
@@ -868,10 +865,10 @@ async function resolveSourceForDir(
   if (brainDir === null) return undefined;
   try {
     const rows = await engine.executeRaw<{ id: string }>(
-      `SELECT id FROM sources WHERE local_path = $1 LIMIT 2`,
+      `SELECT id FROM sources WHERE local_path = $1 LIMIT 1`,
       [brainDir],
     );
-    return rows.length === 1 ? rows[0]!.id : undefined;
+    return rows[0]?.id;
   } catch {
     // sources table might not exist on very old brains — fall through.
     return undefined;
@@ -2368,23 +2365,17 @@ export async function runCycle(
   }
 
   // v0.38 (codex r1 P0-5): persist per-source cycle completion timestamp
-  // when the cycle ran successfully against a resolvable source. Read by
-  // autopilot's per-source freshness gate next tick.
-  //
-  // #1993: keyed off `cycleSourceId` (opts.sourceId ?? the source resolved
-  // from brainDir) — the SAME id the cycle locked + scoped its phases to —
-  // NOT raw opts.sourceId. The autopilot's inline cycle sets brainDir but
-  // passes no explicit sourceId, so keying off opts.sourceId alone never
-  // advanced last_full_cycle_at and cycle_freshness stayed stale even while
-  // the autopilot cycled every interval. Skipped when:
-  //   - no source resolves (engine null, or no checkout AND no opts.sourceId)
+  // when the cycle ran successfully against an explicit source. Read by
+  // autopilot's per-source freshness gate next tick. Skipped when:
+  //   - opts.sourceId is unset (legacy callers — autopilot still here)
+  //   - engine is null (no-DB path)
   //   - status is 'failed' or 'skipped' (don't mark a non-run as fresh)
   //   - dryRun (writes are out of scope)
   //
   // Best-effort: a write failure does NOT change the CycleReport status.
   // The cost of writing the wrong timestamp post-failure is higher than
   // the cost of missing a successful write (next cycle will redo work).
-  if (cycleSourceId && engine && !dryRun && !aborted && (status === 'ok' || status === 'clean' || status === 'partial')) {
+  if (opts.sourceId && engine && !dryRun && !aborted && (status === 'ok' || status === 'clean' || status === 'partial')) {
     try {
       const nowIso = new Date().toISOString();
       // #2194 fix #3 (the cycle split): `last_source_cycle_at` is the NEW gate
@@ -2394,13 +2385,13 @@ export async function runCycle(
       // phases (those gate on autopilot.last_global_at), so writing it on a
       // source-only cycle does not re-introduce the freshness poisoning codex
       // flagged in the rejected skip-based design.
-      await engine.updateSourceConfig(cycleSourceId, {
+      await engine.updateSourceConfig(opts.sourceId, {
         last_source_cycle_at: nowIso,
         last_full_cycle_at: nowIso,
       });
     } catch (e) {
       // Best-effort; cycle already succeeded by the time we get here.
-      console.warn(`[cycle] failed to write last_source_cycle_at for source ${cycleSourceId}: ${e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e)}`);
+      console.warn(`[cycle] failed to write last_source_cycle_at for source ${opts.sourceId}: ${e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e)}`);
     }
   }
 

test/autopilot-fanout-wiring.test.ts

@@ -54,20 +54,6 @@ describe('autopilot.ts ↔ dispatchPerSource wiring', () => {
     expect(AUTOPILOT_SRC).toMatch(/lastFullCycleAt\s*=\s*Date\.now\(\)/);
   });
 
-  test('stale per-source cycle freshness is a shouldFullCycle input (#2060)', () => {
-    // Targeted mode (score 70–94, plan ≤3, est <300s) must not be able to
-    // starve per-source cycle dispatch: a stale source (per countStaleSources
-    // over listAllSources) forces the fanout path, and the sleep gate must
-    // not fire while stale sources exist. Without these terms, cycle
-    // freshness never advances for a brain that always lands in targeted mode.
-    expect(AUTOPILOT_SRC).toMatch(/countStaleSources/);
-    const fullCycleDeclIdx = AUTOPILOT_SRC.indexOf('const shouldFullCycle');
-    expect(fullCycleDeclIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
-    const decl = AUTOPILOT_SRC.slice(fullCycleDeclIdx, fullCycleDeclIdx + 700);
-    expect(decl).toMatch(/staleCycleSources\s*>\s*0/);
-    expect(decl).toMatch(/const shouldSleep[^;]*staleCycleSources\s*===\s*0/);
-  });
-
   test('does NOT regress to the single-job dispatch on the full-cycle path', () => {
     // Pre-PR: the shouldFullCycle branch did:
     //   const job = await queue.add('autopilot-cycle', { repoPath }, {

test/autopilot-fanout.test.ts

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
 import {
   readLastFullCycleAt,
   isSourceStale,
-  countStaleSources,
   selectSourcesForDispatch,
   resolveFanoutMax,
   dispatchPerSource,
@@ -75,23 +74,6 @@ describe('isSourceStale', () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe('countStaleSources (#2060 dispatch-decision input)', () => {
-  const NOW = Date.parse('2026-05-22T12:00:00.000Z');
-  test('counts never-cycled + past-floor sources, ignores fresh', () => {
-    const sources = [
-      src('never-cycled'), // stale (null)
-      src('old', new Date(NOW - 2 * 60 * 60_000).toISOString()), // stale (2h)
-      src('fresh', new Date(NOW - 30 * 60_000).toISOString()), // fresh (30min)
-    ];
-    expect(countStaleSources(sources, NOW)).toBe(2);
-  });
-  test('returns 0 for all-fresh and for empty list', () => {
-    const fresh = src('a', new Date(NOW - 10 * 60_000).toISOString());
-    expect(countStaleSources([fresh], NOW)).toBe(0);
-    expect(countStaleSources([], NOW)).toBe(0);
-  });
-});
-
 describe('selectSourcesForDispatch', () => {
   const NOW = Date.parse('2026-05-22T12:00:00.000Z');
   const fresh = (id: string, agoMin: number) =>

test/cycle-last-full-cycle-at.test.ts

@@ -3,10 +3,8 @@
  * cycles. Closes codex round-1 P0-5 (write site for last_full_cycle_at
  * was unspecified pre-PR).
  *
- * Conditions for write (keyed off `cycleSourceId` = opts.sourceId ?? the
- * source resolved from brainDir, so the autopilot's inline cycle — brainDir
- * set, no explicit sourceId — also advances the timestamp, #1993):
- *   - a source resolves (explicit sourceId, or brainDir matches a source)
+ * Conditions for write:
+ *   - opts.sourceId is set (legacy callers without sourceId skip the write)
  *   - engine is non-null (no-DB path skips)
  *   - status is 'ok' | 'clean' | 'partial' (failed/skipped don't mark fresh)
  *   - dryRun is false
@@ -92,45 +90,17 @@ describe('runCycle last_full_cycle_at exit hook', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  test('no explicit sourceId but brainDir resolves a source → writes the resolved source timestamp', async () => {
+  test('legacy caller (no sourceId) does NOT write any source timestamp', async () => {
     await withEnv({ GBRAIN_HOME: gbrainHome }, async () => {
-      // The autopilot's inline cycle sets brainDir but passes no sourceId.
-      // runCycle resolves the source from brainDir (local_path match) into
-      // cycleSourceId and stamps last_full_cycle_at for it — otherwise
-      // cycle_freshness reports the brain stale even while the autopilot
-      // cycles every interval (#1993).
-      await seedSource('resolved-from-dir'); // local_path = brainDir
-      expect(await readLastFullCycleAt('resolved-from-dir')).toBeNull();
-
-      const t0 = Date.now();
-      const report = await runCycle(engine, {
-        brainDir,
-        phases: ['lint'],
-      });
-      expect(['ok', 'clean']).toContain(report.status);
-
-      const after = await readLastFullCycleAt('resolved-from-dir');
-      expect(after).not.toBeNull();
-      expect(new Date(after!).getTime()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(t0);
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('no sourceId and brainDir matches no source → does not write', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_HOME: gbrainHome }, async () => {
-      // A source exists but its local_path does NOT match brainDir, so
-      // resolveSourceForDir returns undefined, cycleSourceId is undefined,
-      // and no per-source timestamp is written.
-      await engine.executeRaw(
-        `INSERT INTO sources (id, name, local_path, config, archived, created_at)
-         VALUES ('unmatched', 'unmatched', '/no/such/repo', '{}'::jsonb, false, NOW())
-         ON CONFLICT (id) DO UPDATE SET local_path = EXCLUDED.local_path`,
-        [],
-      );
+      await seedSource('default-like');
+      // No sourceId passed; should remain untouched.
       await runCycle(engine, {
         brainDir,
         phases: ['lint'],
       });
-      expect(await readLastFullCycleAt('unmatched')).toBeNull();
+      // No per-source write happens; default source's config stays empty.
+      const after = await readLastFullCycleAt('default-like');
+      expect(after).toBeNull();
     });
   });
 

test/sources-webhook.test.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
  */
 import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
 import { createHmac } from 'node:crypto';
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { safeHexEqual } from '../src/core/timing-safe.ts';
 
 const GITHUB_SECRET = 'super-secret-webhook-key';
@@ -123,3 +124,25 @@ describe('Branch ref construction (D5)', () => {
     expect(pushedRef === `refs/heads/${trackedBranch}`).toBe(false);
   });
 });
+
+describe('Webhook sync job extraction contract (#2849)', () => {
+  test('opts into extraction before the pushed commit is consumed', () => {
+    const serveSource = readFileSync(
+      new URL('../src/commands/serve-http.ts', import.meta.url),
+      'utf8',
+    );
+    const routeStart = serveSource.indexOf("'/webhooks/github'");
+    const queueStart = serveSource.indexOf('const job = await queue.add(', routeStart);
+    const responseStart = serveSource.indexOf('res.status(202)', queueStart);
+    expect(routeStart).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+    expect(queueStart).toBeGreaterThan(routeStart);
+    expect(responseStart).toBeGreaterThan(queueStart);
+
+    const routeSource = serveSource.slice(queueStart, responseStart);
+    const payload = routeSource.match(
+      /queue\.add\(\s*'sync',\s*\{([\s\S]*?)\}\s*,\s*\{/,
+    );
+    expect(payload).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(payload?.[1]).toMatch(/\bnoExtract:\s*false\b/);
+  });
+});

test/sync-large-deferral-extract.serial.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+/**
+ * #2849 — large-sync extract deferral queues an `extract --stale` follow-up.
+ *
+ * performSync's incremental path skips inline link/timeline extraction when
+ * totalChanges > 100 (the #1794 large-sync deferral), leaving
+ * links_extracted_at unstamped. Pre-fix, a standalone sync job (webhook push,
+ * `gbrain sync trigger`) had NOTHING behind it to sweep those pages — the
+ * autopilot cycle's extract phase only walks that cycle's changedSlugs — so a
+ * large webhook push left extraction permanently stale until a manual
+ * `gbrain extract --stale`.
+ *
+ * Pins:
+ *   (a) performSync surfaces `extractDeferred: true` on the >100 branch and
+ *       leaves the pages unstamped/unlinked.
+ *   (b) the `sync` job handler queues an `extract` job with
+ *       { stale: true, sourceId? } when extractDeferred is set.
+ *   (c) the `extract` handler's stale mode actually sweeps: links created +
+ *       watermark stamped (end-to-end recovery, no manual step).
+ *
+ * Marked .serial.test.ts — spawns git subprocesses + shares one PGLite engine.
+ */
+
+import { describe, test, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'bun:test';
+import { mkdtempSync, writeFileSync, rmSync, mkdirSync } from 'fs';
+import { execSync } from 'child_process';
+import { tmpdir } from 'os';
+import { join } from 'path';
+import { PGLiteEngine } from '../src/core/pglite-engine.ts';
+import { MinionWorker } from '../src/core/minions/worker.ts';
+import { MinionQueue } from '../src/core/minions/queue.ts';
+import { registerBuiltinHandlers } from '../src/commands/jobs.ts';
+
+let engine: PGLiteEngine;
+let worker: MinionWorker;
+let repoPath: string;
+
+function git(cmd: string): void { execSync(cmd, { cwd: repoPath, stdio: 'pipe' }); }
+
+describe('#2849 — large sync defers extract and queues a stale sweep', () => {
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    engine = new PGLiteEngine();
+    await engine.connect({});
+    await engine.initSchema();
+    worker = new MinionWorker(engine, { queue: 'test' });
+    await registerBuiltinHandlers(worker, engine, { quiet: true });
+
+    repoPath = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-large-defer-'));
+    git('git init');
+    git('git config user.email "t@t.com"');
+    git('git config user.name "T"');
+    mkdirSync(join(repoPath, 'people'), { recursive: true });
+    mkdirSync(join(repoPath, 'notes'), { recursive: true });
+    writeFileSync(join(repoPath, 'people/alice.md'), [
+      '---', 'type: person', 'title: Alice', '---', '', 'Alice is a founder.',
+    ].join('\n'));
+    git('git add -A && git commit -m "initial"');
+
+    // Seed: full first sync imports the anchor page + sets last_commit.
+    const { performSync } = await import('../src/commands/sync.ts');
+    await performSync(engine, { repoPath, full: true, noPull: true, noEmbed: true });
+
+    // Second commit: 101 new pages → incremental totalChanges > 100.
+    for (let i = 0; i < 101; i++) {
+      writeFileSync(join(repoPath, `notes/n${i}.md`), [
+        '---', 'type: note', `title: Note ${i}`, '---', '',
+        `[Alice](people/alice) appears in note ${i}.`,
+      ].join('\n'));
+    }
+    git('git add -A && git commit -m "add 101 pages"');
+  }, 120_000);
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    if (repoPath) rmSync(repoPath, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    if (engine) await engine.disconnect();
+  }, 60_000);
+
+  test('sync handler defers inline extract and queues extract{stale} follow-up; stale sweep recovers', async () => {
+    const syncHandler = (worker as unknown as { handlers: Map<string, (job: unknown) => Promise<unknown>> })
+      .handlers.get('sync');
+    expect(syncHandler).toBeDefined();
+
+    // Same payload shape the webhook submits (minus embed backfill noise).
+    const result = await syncHandler!({
+      data: { repoPath, noExtract: false, noPull: true, auto_embed_backfill: false },
+      signal: { aborted: false },
+      updateProgress: async () => {},
+    }) as { status: string; extractDeferred?: boolean; extract_stale_job_id?: number | null };
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe('synced');
+    // (a) inline extract was deferred, pages left stale.
+    expect(result.extractDeferred).toBe(true);
+    const staleBefore = await engine.countStalePagesForExtraction();
+    expect(staleBefore).toBeGreaterThan(100);
+    expect(await engine.getLinks('notes/n0')).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    // (b) a follow-up extract job with stale:true was queued.
+    expect(result.extract_stale_job_id).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    const queue = new MinionQueue(engine);
+    const extractJobs = await queue.getJobs({ name: 'extract', limit: 5 });
+    expect(extractJobs.length).toBe(1);
+    expect((extractJobs[0].data as { stale: boolean }).stale).toBe(true);
+
+    // (c) running the extract handler's stale mode recovers: links + stamps.
+    const extractHandler = (worker as unknown as { handlers: Map<string, (job: unknown) => Promise<unknown>> })
+      .handlers.get('extract');
+    await extractHandler!({
+      data: extractJobs[0].data,
+      signal: { aborted: false },
+      updateProgress: async () => {},
+    });
+    const links = await engine.getLinks('notes/n0');
+    expect(links.some(l => l.to_slug === 'people/alice')).toBe(true);
+    const rows = await engine.executeRaw<{ links_extracted_at: string | null }>(
+      `SELECT links_extracted_at FROM pages WHERE slug = 'notes/n0'`,
+    );
+    expect(rows[0]?.links_extracted_at).not.toBeNull();
+  }, 180_000);
+
+  test('sub-threshold sync does NOT set extractDeferred (no spurious follow-up)', async () => {
+    // One more small commit → inline extract path, no deferral.
+    writeFileSync(join(repoPath, 'notes/small.md'), [
+      '---', 'type: note', 'title: Small', '---', '', 'No big deal.',
+    ].join('\n'));
+    git('git add -A && git commit -m "one small page"');
+    const { performSync } = await import('../src/commands/sync.ts');
+    const result = await performSync(engine, { repoPath, noPull: true, noEmbed: true });
+    expect(result.status).toBe('synced');
+    expect(result.extractDeferred).toBeFalsy();
+  }, 60_000);
+});

test/sync-trigger-cli.test.ts

@@ -100,6 +100,10 @@ describe('runSyncTrigger', () => {
     const job = jobs[0];
     expect(job.priority).toBe(-10);
     expect((job.data as { sourceId: string }).sourceId).toBe('default');
+    // #2849: opt in to inline extraction — the standalone sync handler
+    // defaults noExtract to TRUE, which would leave triggered syncs
+    // extraction-stale.
+    expect((job.data as { noExtract: boolean }).noExtract).toBe(false);
     expect((job.data as { auto_embed_backfill: boolean }).auto_embed_backfill).toBe(true);
   });