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>

docs/architecture/KEY_FILES.md

@@ -457,7 +457,6 @@ unresolvable+true|false, pre-v80 NULL/NULL rows survive).
 - `src/core/think/prompt.ts` extension — anti-bias rewrite. `withCalibration` option on `buildThinkSystemPrompt` adds anti-bias rules. `buildCalibrationBlock()` emits the `<calibration>` XML. `buildThinkUserMessage` has TWO shapes: default (question first), and with-calibration (retrieval → calibration → question) when opt-in. Wired into `runThink` via `opts.withCalibration` + `opts.calibrationHolder`.
 - `src/commands/calibration.ts` — CLI: `gbrain calibration` (read + print), `--regenerate`, `--undo-wave <ver>`, `ab-report`. MCP op `get_calibration_profile` (scope: read) backs the same data path. Source-scoped via `sourceScopeOpts(ctx)`.
 - `src/commands/serve-http.ts` extension — three admin routes: `/admin/api/calibration/profile`, `/admin/api/calibration/charts/:type` (image/svg+xml; type in {brier-trend, domain-bars, pattern-statements, abandoned-threads}), `/admin/api/calibration/pattern/:id` (drill-down).
-- `src/core/owner-holder.ts` — single source of truth for "the brain owner" holder string. `DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER = 'self'` (matches the consolidate facts→takes writer + `docs/takes-vs-facts.md`); `resolveOwnerHolder({override, configValue})` returns override > `emotional_weight.user_holder` config > `'self'`. Consumed by the calibration_profile cycle phase, `gbrain calibration` CLI, the `get_calibration_profile` op, `think`'s calibration block, `emotional-weight`'s `DEFAULT_USER_HOLDER`, and doctor's `calibration_freshness`. Pure; unit-tested in `test/owner-holder.test.ts`. Does NOT unify owner-identity fragmentation (`self`/`brain`/`people-<owner>`) — tracked separately.
 - `src/commands/takes.ts` extension — `gbrain takes revisit <slug>` opens $EDITOR on the source page with a `<!-- gbrain:revisit -->` cursor marker.
 - `src/commands/doctor.ts` extension — 4 checks: `abandoned_threads`, `calibration_freshness`, `grade_confidence_drift` (mitigation surface; math ships later), `voice_gate_health`.
 - `admin/src/pages/Calibration.tsx` — Calibration tab. Single-column layout. `<TrustedSVG>` wrapper handles `dangerouslySetInnerHTML` for the server-rendered SVG.

docs/takes-vs-facts.md

@@ -91,18 +91,3 @@ First full takes extraction run on a ~100K-page brain:
 4. **Self-reported ≠ verified.** "Reports 7 figures" → holder=person, weight=0.75, NOT world/1.0
 5. **No false precision.** Use 0.05 increments (0.35, 0.55, 0.75), not 0.74 or 0.82
 6. **"So what" test.** Skip Twitter handles, follower counts, obvious metadata
-
-## Owner-holder canonicalization
-
-"The brain owner" is, by convention, the holder string **`self`** — the value the
-dream `consolidate` phase stamps when it promotes the owner's hot facts into cold
-takes. Calibration, `think`, and the `doctor` calibration check resolve the owner
-holder through `resolveOwnerHolder` (`src/core/owner-holder.ts`): explicit override
-> `emotional_weight.user_holder` config > `self`.
-
-Known limitation (tracked in garrytan/gbrain#2465): the owner can also
-appear under `brain` (a take the owner asserts, via `propose_takes`) and
-`people/<owner>` (extraction that names the owner). The resolver selects the
-*default* canonical owner string for reads; it does not merge those other
-strings. Per-take attribution for other people (e.g. `people/george`) is
-unaffected and correct.

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/calibration.ts

@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ import { runPhaseCalibrationProfile } from '../core/cycle/calibration-profile.ts
 import { sourceScopeOpts, type OperationContext } from '../core/operations.ts';
 import type { GBrainConfig } from '../core/config.ts';
 import { GBrainError } from '../core/types.ts';
-import { resolveOwnerHolder } from '../core/owner-holder.ts';
 
 export interface CalibrationProfileRow {
   /** BIGSERIAL → string (postgres.js int8 wire shape; never Number() — int8
@@ -168,10 +167,7 @@ export async function runCalibration(
   config: GBrainConfig,
 ): Promise<void> {
   const { opts } = parseArgs(args);
-  const holder = resolveOwnerHolder({
-    override: opts.holder,
-    configValue: await engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder'),
-  });
+  const holder = opts.holder ?? 'garry';
   // Resolve --source / GBRAIN_SOURCE / .gbrain-source so the (now reachable, #2035)
   // calibration command targets the right source in a multi-source brain instead
   // of always reading `default`. No signal → 'default' (prior behavior).
@@ -257,15 +253,12 @@ export async function getCalibrationProfileOp(
   ctx: OperationContext,
   params: { holder?: string },
 ): Promise<CalibrationProfileRow | null> {
-  const holder = resolveOwnerHolder({
-    override: params.holder,
-    configValue: await ctx.engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder'),
-  });
+  const holder = params.holder ?? 'garry';
   if (typeof holder !== 'string' || holder.length === 0) {
     throw new GBrainError(
       'INVALID_HOLDER',
       'get_calibration_profile.holder must be a non-empty string',
-      'pass holder="<slug>" or omit to default to the owner holder (config emotional_weight.user_holder, else "self")',
+      'pass holder="<slug>" or omit to default to "garry"',
     );
   }
   const scope = sourceScopeOpts(ctx);

src/commands/doctor.ts

@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import type { DbUrlSource } from '../core/config.ts';
 import { gbrainPath, loadConfig } from '../core/config.ts';
 import { reflexEnabled } from '../core/context/reflex.ts';
 import { resolveSocketPath } from '../core/context/resolve-ipc.ts';
-import { resolveOwnerHolder } from '../core/owner-holder.ts';
 import { homedir } from 'os';
 import { dirname, isAbsolute, join, resolve as resolvePath } from 'path';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
@@ -1288,19 +1287,14 @@ export async function checkAbandonedThreads(engine: BrainEngine): Promise<Check>
 
 /**
  * calibration_freshness: warns when the active calibration profile is
- * older than 7 days (configurable). Default holder resolves via resolveOwnerHolder
- * (config emotional_weight.user_holder, else 'self'). Multi-source
+ * older than 7 days (configurable). Default holder 'garry'. Multi-source
  * brains see one row per source; this check uses the most recent across
  * all sources.
  */
 export async function checkCalibrationFreshness(engine: BrainEngine): Promise<Check> {
   try {
-    const ownerHolder = resolveOwnerHolder({
-      configValue: await engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder'),
-    });
     const rows = await engine.executeRaw<{ generated_at: Date | null }>(
-      `SELECT MAX(generated_at) AS generated_at FROM calibration_profiles WHERE holder = $1`,
-      [ownerHolder],
+      `SELECT MAX(generated_at) AS generated_at FROM calibration_profiles WHERE holder = 'garry'`,
     );
     const generated = rows[0]?.generated_at;
     if (!generated) {

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/commands/serve-http.ts

@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ import {
   type IngestionContentType,
   type IngestionEvent,
 } from '../core/ingestion/types.ts';
-import { resolveOwnerHolder } from '../core/owner-holder.ts';
 
 /**
  * /health endpoint timeout. 3s rather than 5s: Fly.io's default
@@ -1191,7 +1190,7 @@ export async function runServeHttp(engine: BrainEngine, options: ServeHttpOption
   app.get('/admin/api/calibration/pattern/:id', requireAdmin, async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
     try {
       const { getLatestProfile } = await import('./calibration.ts');
-      const holder = resolveOwnerHolder({ override: (req.query.holder as string) || undefined, configValue: await engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder') });
+      const holder = (req.query.holder as string) || 'garry';
       const profile = await getLatestProfile(engine, { holder });
       if (!profile) {
         res.status(404).json({ error: 'no_profile' });
@@ -1241,7 +1240,7 @@ export async function runServeHttp(engine: BrainEngine, options: ServeHttpOption
   app.get('/admin/api/calibration/profile', requireAdmin, async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
     try {
       const { getLatestProfile } = await import('./calibration.ts');
-      const holder = resolveOwnerHolder({ override: (req.query.holder as string) || undefined, configValue: await engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder') });
+      const holder = (req.query.holder as string) || 'garry';
       const profile = await getLatestProfile(engine, { holder });
       res.json(profile);
     } catch (err) {
@@ -1258,7 +1257,7 @@ export async function runServeHttp(engine: BrainEngine, options: ServeHttpOption
         renderAbandonedThreadsCard,
         renderPatternStatementsCard,
       } = await import('../core/calibration/svg-renderer.ts');
-      const holder = resolveOwnerHolder({ override: (req.query.holder as string) || undefined, configValue: await engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder') });
+      const holder = (req.query.holder as string) || 'garry';
       const type = req.params.type;
       const profile = await getLatestProfile(engine, { holder });
 

src/commands/takes.ts

@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import {
 } from '../core/takes-fence.ts';
 import { withPageLock } from '../core/page-lock.ts';
 import { resolveSourceId } from '../core/source-resolver.ts';
-import { resolveOwnerHolder } from '../core/owner-holder.ts';
 
 // --- Helpers ---
 
@@ -365,7 +364,7 @@ async function cmdResolve(engine: BrainEngine, args: string[], sourceId?: string
   // --evidence is the v0.30.0 alias for --source on the resolve subcommand
   // (semantic clarity: "what evidence resolved this bet?").
   const source = flagValue(args, '--evidence') ?? flagValue(args, '--source');
-  const resolvedBy = flagValue(args, '--by') ?? resolveOwnerHolder({ configValue: await engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder') });
+  const resolvedBy = flagValue(args, '--by') ?? 'garry';
   const dirArg = flagValue(args, '--dir');
 
   const pageId = await getPageId(engine, slug, sourceId);

src/core/brainstorm/orchestrator.ts

@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@ import {
   type BrainstormCheckpoint,
   type CheckpointCross,
 } from './checkpoint.ts';
-import { resolveOwnerHolder } from '../owner-holder.ts';
 
 export { BudgetExhausted };
 
@@ -140,7 +139,7 @@ export interface BrainstormOptions {
   modelOverride?: string;
   /** Skip the cost-preview TTY grace window. Required for non-interactive callers. */
   skipCostPreview?: boolean;
-  /** When set, force the user holder for calibration profile lookup. Falls back to config (`emotional_weight.user_holder`) then `'self'`. */
+  /** When set, force the user holder for calibration profile lookup. Falls back to config (`emotional_weight.user_holder`) then `'garry'`. */
   holderOverride?: string;
   /** Source scope. */
   sourceId?: string;
@@ -624,7 +623,7 @@ async function _runBrainstormInner(
   }
 
   // ---- Phase 3: calibration context (cold-start fallback) ----
-  const holder = resolveOwnerHolder({ override: opts.holderOverride, configValue: config.emotional_weight?.user_holder });
+  const holder = opts.holderOverride ?? config.emotional_weight?.user_holder ?? 'garry';
   const calibContext = await loadCalibrationContext(engine, {
     holder,
     sourceId: opts.sourceId,

src/core/calibration/think-ab.ts

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import type { BrainEngine } from '../engine.ts';
 
 export interface ABRunInput {
   question: string;
-  /** Holder context for calibration. Resolves via resolveOwnerHolder (config emotional_weight.user_holder, else 'self'). */
+  /** Holder context for calibration. Default 'garry'. */
   holder?: string;
   /** Engine for DB write. */
   engine: BrainEngine;

src/core/cycle/calibration-profile.ts

@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
  */
 
 import { BaseCyclePhase, type ScopedReadOpts, type BasePhaseOpts } from './base-phase.ts';
-import { resolveOwnerHolder } from '../owner-holder.ts';
 import { chat as gatewayChat } from '../ai/gateway.ts';
 import { TIER_DEFAULTS } from '../model-config.ts';
 import { gateVoice, type VoiceGateGenerator, type VoiceGateJudge } from '../calibration/voice-gate.ts';
@@ -97,7 +96,7 @@ export type PatternStatementsGenerator = (input: {
 export type BiasTagsGenerator = (patterns: string[]) => Promise<string[]>;
 
 export interface CalibrationProfileOpts extends BasePhaseOpts {
-  /** Holder to generate the profile for. Default resolves via resolveOwnerHolder (config emotional_weight.user_holder, else 'self'). */
+  /** Holder to generate the profile for. Default 'garry'. */
   holder?: string;
   /** Inject the patterns generator (tests). */
   patternsGenerator?: PatternStatementsGenerator;
@@ -228,10 +227,7 @@ class CalibrationProfilePhase extends BaseCyclePhase {
     _ctx: OperationContext,
     opts: CalibrationProfileOpts,
   ): Promise<{ summary: string; details: Record<string, unknown>; status?: PhaseStatus }> {
-    const holder = resolveOwnerHolder({
-      override: opts.holder,
-      configValue: await engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder'),
-    });
+    const holder = opts.holder ?? 'garry';
     const promptVersion = opts.promptVersion ?? CALIBRATION_PROFILE_PROMPT_VERSION;
     const modelId = opts.model ?? TIER_DEFAULTS.reasoning;
     const gradeCompletion = opts.gradeCompletion ?? 1.0;

src/core/cycle/emotional-weight.ts

@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@
  * See `loadHighEmotionTags` for the resolution path.
  */
 
-import { DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER } from '../owner-holder.ts';
-
 /**
  * Default high-emotion tag seed list. Pages with any tag in this set get the
  * tag-emotion boost in the formula below. Override via config key
@@ -45,12 +43,11 @@ export const HIGH_EMOTION_TAGS: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set([
 ]);
 
 /**
- * Holder name treated as "the user" for the user-as-holder ratio. Configurable
- * via the `emotional_weight.user_holder` config key; defaults to the canonical
- * owner holder ('self', DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER) so it matches the consolidate
- * facts→takes writer instead of a hardcoded name.
+ * Holder name treated as "the user" for the Garry-as-holder ratio. Configurable
+ * via the `emotional_weight.user_holder` config key (defaults to 'garry' to
+ * match the v0.28 schema's takes table convention).
  */
-export const DEFAULT_USER_HOLDER = DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER;
+export const DEFAULT_USER_HOLDER = 'garry';
 
 export interface EmotionalWeightTake {
   holder: string;

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/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/operations.ts

@@ -3289,7 +3289,7 @@ const get_calibration_profile: Operation = {
     holder: {
       type: 'string',
       description:
-        "Holder slug, e.g. 'self' or 'people/charlie-example'. Defaults to config emotional_weight.user_holder, else 'self', when omitted.",
+        "Holder slug, e.g. 'garry' or 'people/charlie-example'. Defaults to 'garry' when omitted.",
     },
   },
   handler: async (ctx, p) => {

src/core/owner-holder.ts

@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Canonical holder string for "the brain owner," resolved in ONE place so the
- * calibration / think / doctor / emotional-weight defaults stop disagreeing.
- *
- * The default matches the consolidate facts→takes writer
- * (src/core/cycle/phases/consolidate.ts: holder:'self') and docs/takes-vs-facts.md.
- * Do NOT introduce a fourth literal — three already exist historically
- * ('garry', 'system', 'self'); this is the source of truth.
- *
- * NORMALIZATION NOTE: the brain owner may also appear under other holder
- * strings — 'brain' (propose_takes when the author asserts a claim) and
- * people/<owner> (extraction that names the owner). This resolver only selects
- * the *default* canonical owner string for reads; it does NOT merge those other
- * strings. Unifying them is owner-identity entity-resolution, tracked separately
- * (see garrytan/gbrain#2465). Until then, historical owner takes
- * under 'brain'/people-<owner> are not folded into the default profile.
- */
-export const DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER = 'self';
-
-export function resolveOwnerHolder(
-  opts: { override?: string | null; configValue?: string | null },
-): string {
-  return opts.override ?? opts.configValue ?? DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER;
-}

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;
     });

src/core/think/index.ts

@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ import { runGather, renderPagesBlock, takesHitToTakeForPrompt } from './gather.t
 import { renderTakesBlock } from './sanitize.ts';
 import { buildThinkSystemPrompt, buildThinkUserMessage } from './prompt.ts';
 import { resolveCitations, type ParsedCitation } from './cite-render.ts';
-import { resolveOwnerHolder } from '../owner-holder.ts';
 import { resolveModel } from '../model-config.ts';
 import { chat as gatewayChat, probeChatModel, type ChatResult } from '../ai/gateway.ts';
 import { AIConfigError } from '../ai/errors.ts';
@@ -77,8 +76,8 @@ export interface RunThinkOpts {
    */
   withCalibration?: boolean;
   /**
-   * Holder to retrieve the calibration profile for. Resolves via resolveOwnerHolder
-   * (config emotional_weight.user_holder, else 'self'). Only consulted when withCalibration=true.
+   * Holder to retrieve the calibration profile for. Default 'garry'. Only
+   * consulted when withCalibration=true.
    */
   calibrationHolder?: string;
   /**
@@ -309,10 +308,7 @@ export async function runThink(
     try {
       const { getLatestProfile } = await import('../../commands/calibration.ts');
       const profile = await getLatestProfile(engine, {
-        holder: resolveOwnerHolder({
-          override: opts.calibrationHolder,
-          configValue: await engine.getConfig('emotional_weight.user_holder'),
-        }),
+        holder: opts.calibrationHolder ?? 'garry',
       });
       if (profile) {
         calibrationBlockOpts = {

test/calibration-cli.test.ts

@@ -27,12 +27,6 @@ function buildMockEngine(opts: { rows: CalibrationProfileRow[] }): {
   const capturedParams: unknown[][] = [];
   const engine = {
     kind: 'pglite',
-    // #2464: getCalibrationProfileOp resolves the owner holder via
-    // resolveOwnerHolder(config emotional_weight.user_holder, else 'self'), so the
-    // mock must implement getConfig. null = key unset → resolver falls back to 'self'.
-    async getConfig(): Promise<string | null> {
-      return null;
-    },
     async executeRaw<T>(sql: string, params?: unknown[]): Promise<T[]> {
       capturedSql.push(sql);
       capturedParams.push(params ?? []);
@@ -217,17 +211,17 @@ describe('formatProfileText', () => {
 // ─── getCalibrationProfileOp ────────────────────────────────────────
 
 describe('getCalibrationProfileOp (MCP)', () => {
-  test('defaults holder to "self" when omitted (config emotional_weight.user_holder unset)', async () => {
-    const { engine } = buildMockEngine({ rows: [buildProfile({ holder: 'self' })] });
+  test('defaults holder to "garry" when omitted', async () => {
+    const { engine } = buildMockEngine({ rows: [buildProfile({ holder: 'garry' })] });
     const ctx = buildCtx(engine);
     const result = await getCalibrationProfileOp(ctx, {});
-    expect(result?.holder).toBe('self');
+    expect(result?.holder).toBe('garry');
   });
 
   test('routes through sourceScopeOpts: scalar source-bound client gets source-scoped result', async () => {
     const rows = [
-      buildProfile({ holder: 'self', source_id: 'default' }),
-      buildProfile({ holder: 'self', source_id: 'tenant-b' }),
+      buildProfile({ holder: 'garry', source_id: 'default' }),
+      buildProfile({ holder: 'garry', source_id: 'tenant-b' }),
     ];
     const { engine } = buildMockEngine({ rows });
     const ctx = buildCtx(engine, { sourceId: 'tenant-b' });
@@ -237,8 +231,8 @@ describe('getCalibrationProfileOp (MCP)', () => {
 
   test('federated read scope sees the union of allowed sources', async () => {
     const rows = [
-      buildProfile({ holder: 'self', source_id: 'tenant-a' }),
-      buildProfile({ holder: 'self', source_id: 'tenant-z' }),
+      buildProfile({ holder: 'garry', source_id: 'tenant-a' }),
+      buildProfile({ holder: 'garry', source_id: 'tenant-z' }),
     ];
     const { engine } = buildMockEngine({ rows });
     const ctx = buildCtx(engine, { allowedSources: ['tenant-a', 'tenant-b'] });

test/calibration-profile.test.ts

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ interface CapturedSql {
   params: unknown[];
 }
 
-function buildMockEngine(opts: { scorecard: TakesScorecard; userHolder?: string | null }): {
+function buildMockEngine(opts: { scorecard: TakesScorecard }): {
   engine: BrainEngine;
   captured: CapturedSql[];
 } {
@@ -42,10 +42,6 @@ function buildMockEngine(opts: { scorecard: TakesScorecard; userHolder?: string
     async getScorecard() {
       return opts.scorecard;
     },
-    async getConfig(key: string): Promise<string | null> {
-      if (key === 'emotional_weight.user_holder') return opts.userHolder ?? null;
-      return null;
-    },
     async executeRaw<T>(sql: string, params?: unknown[]): Promise<T[]> {
       captured.push({ sql, params: params ?? [] });
       return [];
@@ -238,7 +234,7 @@ describe('runPhaseCalibrationProfile — phase integration', () => {
     // grade_completion, domain_scorecards_json, patterns[], voice_passed, voice_attempts,
     // bias_tags[], model_id
     expect(insert!.params[0]).toBe('default'); // source_id
-    expect(insert!.params[1]).toBe('self'); // holder (resolved via resolveOwnerHolder, no override)
+    expect(insert!.params[1]).toBe('garry'); // holder
     expect(insert!.params[2]).toBe(12); // total_resolved
     expect(insert!.params[9]).toBe(true); // voice_gate_passed
     expect(insert!.params[10]).toBe(1); // voice_gate_attempts
@@ -334,24 +330,4 @@ describe('runPhaseCalibrationProfile — phase integration', () => {
     const insert = captured.find(c => c.sql.includes('INSERT INTO calibration_profiles'));
     expect(insert!.params[0]).toBe('tenant-b');
   });
-
-  test('cold-brain summary uses resolved owner holder self when user_holder unset', async () => {
-    const { engine } = buildMockEngine({
-      scorecard: { total_bets: 0, resolved: 0, correct: 0, incorrect: 0, partial: 0,
-        accuracy: null, brier: null, partial_rate: null, unresolvable_count: 0, unresolvable_rate: null },
-    });
-    const result = await runPhaseCalibrationProfile(buildCtx(engine), {});
-    expect(result.summary).toContain('holder=self');
-    expect(result.summary).not.toContain('holder=garry');
-  });
-
-  test('configured user_holder overrides the default in the cold-brain summary', async () => {
-    const { engine } = buildMockEngine({
-      scorecard: { total_bets: 0, resolved: 0, correct: 0, incorrect: 0, partial: 0,
-        accuracy: null, brier: null, partial_rate: null, unresolvable_count: 0, unresolvable_rate: null },
-      userHolder: 'people/charlie-example',
-    });
-    const result = await runPhaseCalibrationProfile(buildCtx(engine), {});
-    expect(result.summary).toContain('holder=people/charlie-example');
-  });
 });

test/doctor-calibration-checks.test.ts

@@ -32,12 +32,6 @@ function buildMockEngine(opts: {
 }): BrainEngine {
   return {
     kind: 'pglite',
-    // #2464: checkCalibrationFreshness resolves the owner holder via
-    // resolveOwnerHolder(config emotional_weight.user_holder, else 'self'), so the
-    // mock must implement getConfig. null = key unset → resolver falls back to 'self'.
-    async getConfig(): Promise<string | null> {
-      return null;
-    },
     async executeRaw<T>(sql: string): Promise<T[]> {
       if (opts.throwOn && opts.throwOn.test(sql)) {
         throw new Error('mock engine error: ' + sql.slice(0, 50));

test/emotional-weight.test.ts

@@ -112,7 +112,3 @@ describe('computeEmotionalWeight', () => {
     expect(HIGH_EMOTION_TAGS.has('mental-health')).toBe(true);
   });
 });
-
-test('DEFAULT_USER_HOLDER is the canonical owner holder self', () => {
-  expect(DEFAULT_USER_HOLDER).toBe('self');
-});

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/owner-holder.test.ts

@@ -1,27 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
-import { resolveOwnerHolder, DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER } from '../src/core/owner-holder.ts';
-
-describe('owner-holder', () => {
-  test('DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER is self', () => {
-    expect(DEFAULT_OWNER_HOLDER).toBe('self');
-  });
-
-  test('defaults to self when nothing provided', () => {
-    expect(resolveOwnerHolder({})).toBe('self');
-  });
-
-  test('null/undefined config falls back to self', () => {
-    expect(resolveOwnerHolder({ configValue: null })).toBe('self');
-    expect(resolveOwnerHolder({ configValue: undefined })).toBe('self');
-  });
-
-  test('uses config value when set and no override', () => {
-    expect(resolveOwnerHolder({ configValue: 'people/charlie-example' }))
-      .toBe('people/charlie-example');
-  });
-
-  test('override beats config and default', () => {
-    expect(resolveOwnerHolder({ override: 'world', configValue: 'people/charlie-example' }))
-      .toBe('world');
-  });
-});