fix: preserve reviewer verdict on salvage

src/adapters/agenticLoop.test.ts

@@ -465,6 +465,28 @@ describe('runAgenticLoop final-answer recovery (INT-2879)', () => {
     expect(logs).toContain('↻ Final answer was empty — retrying once (no tools)');
   });
 
+  it('requires an explicit review verdict from a tool-exhausted reviewer (AGT-4484)', async () => {
+    let salvagePrompt = '';
+    const result = await runAgenticLoop({
+      prompt: 'Review this change and return a verdict.',
+      cwd: process.cwd(),
+      model: 'test',
+      webTools: false,
+      maxTurns: 1,
+      callApi: async (messages, tools) => {
+        if (tools.length > 0) return toolCallResp('read', 'read_file', { path: 'package.json' });
+        salvagePrompt = String(messages.at(-1)?.content ?? '');
+        // This is the conclusion the historical reviewer omitted after using
+        // its full tool budget: a verdict, not a worker-style status report.
+        return finalResp('Decision: approve\nNo actionable issues found.');
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(salvagePrompt).toContain('Decision: approve');
+    expect(salvagePrompt).toContain('worker-status summary');
+    expect(result.text).toContain('Decision: approve');
+  });
+
   it('fails explicitly when the retry is also reasoning-only/empty', async () => {
     let calls = 0;
     let finalAnswerCalls = 0;

src/adapters/agenticLoop.ts

@@ -983,7 +983,10 @@ async function runAgenticLoopInner(
     const stepLimitPrompt =
       "You've reached this turn's step limit, so stop calling tools now. Using everything " +
       'above, write a non-empty final answer now. Follow the output format requested in the ' +
-      'original task exactly. Do not mention step/tool limits or "budget" to the user.';
+      'original task exactly. If the original task requests a review or verdict, begin with ' +
+      '`Decision: approve`, `Decision: revise`, or `Decision: reject` and give concrete ' +
+      'reasoning; do not return a worker-status summary. Do not mention step/tool limits or ' +
+      '"budget" to the user.';
     messages.push({ role: 'user', content: stepLimitPrompt });
     // Salvage is where a cut-short run gets the answer that becomes its verdict,
     // and it used to leave no trace at all: the transcript ended on a tool