feat(goal): remember the prompt template and hand unmet criteria back

Send with Goal and Generate Prompt keep the last Prompt template. The
default judge prompt now classifies instead of writing the follow-up.
Complete reasons that start with "need human-in-the-loop" or "max
iterations reached" stop the loop with the criterion still unmet.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: nullmastermind

README.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ You shouldn't have to leave your editor to talk to an AI, run git, or open a she
 
 NotepadAI speaks the Agent Client Protocol (ACP) over stdio. Claude Code and Codex are built in. From Settings you can add any other ACP-compatible agent, including Gemini, Auggie, or your own command. Agents read and write files, run terminal commands, and see your workspace context, so they work on the same code you do. Start a session from the AI menu or by right-clicking a folder in the file tree.
 
-There is also a Goal Agent: pick an ACP judge (Claude Code, Codex, Opencode) or a Custom API endpoint that speaks Anthropic's Messages API. You set success criteria and it drives the working agent until those criteria hold, or attach a goal to an existing conversation. Send with Goal defaults to the agent's own `/goal` command instead: each criterion goes out on its own, with no separate judge, and a `/goal` typed in the composer can be sent while a turn is still running. When a goal is achieved, the session can compact automatically. AI chats group by project, with a session strip to switch conversations in the same dock. The composer can ask the agent to work in a new git worktree. When you commit, AI can write the commit message from your staged diff. That generator (and other LLM calls) can talk to an OpenAI-compatible endpoint or Anthropic's Messages API. Leave the commit box empty (when not amending) and Commit lets you pick an ACP agent to do the commit. Protocol details and how to wire up a custom ACP agent are in [doc/AcpAgents.md](doc/AcpAgents.md).
+There is also a Goal Agent: pick an ACP judge (Claude Code, Codex, Opencode) or a Custom API endpoint that speaks Anthropic's Messages API. You set success criteria and it drives the working agent until those criteria hold, or attach a goal to an existing conversation. A judge that needs a human action, or that hits the iteration cap with the criterion still unmet, stops and hands the criterion back instead of marking the goal done. Send with Goal defaults to the agent's own `/goal` command instead: each criterion goes out on its own, with no separate judge, and a `/goal` typed in the composer can be sent while a turn is still running. When a goal is achieved, the session can compact automatically. AI chats group by project, with a session strip to switch conversations in the same dock. The composer can ask the agent to work in a new git worktree. When you commit, AI can write the commit message from your staged diff. That generator (and other LLM calls) can talk to an OpenAI-compatible endpoint or Anthropic's Messages API. Leave the commit box empty (when not amending) and Commit lets you pick an ACP agent to do the commit. Protocol details and how to wire up a custom ACP agent are in [doc/AcpAgents.md](doc/AcpAgents.md).
 
 ### Git
 

src/GoalActionParser.cpp

@@ -40,6 +40,13 @@ bool GoalActionParser::parse(const QString &response, GoalAction *out, ParseErro
     return true;
 }
 
+bool GoalActionParser::isUnmetComplete(const QString &text)
+{
+    const QString trimmed = text.trimmed();
+    return trimmed.startsWith(QLatin1String("need human-in-the-loop"), Qt::CaseInsensitive)
+        || trimmed.startsWith(QLatin1String("max iterations reached"), Qt::CaseInsensitive);
+}
+
 QString GoalActionParser::correctionPrompt()
 {
     return QStringLiteral(

src/GoalActionParser.h

@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ class GoalActionParser
 
     static bool parse(const QString &response, GoalAction *out, ParseError *error = nullptr);
 
+    // Complete reasons that stop the loop with the criterion still unmet.
+    // Case-insensitive prefix match after trim, so a capitalized handback
+    // is not treated as success.
+    static bool isUnmetComplete(const QString &text);
+
     static QString correctionPrompt();
 };
 

src/GoalAgent.cpp

@@ -440,6 +440,12 @@ void GoalAgent::applyJudgeAction(const GoalAction &action)
     emit actionEmitted(typeName, action.text);
 
     if (action.type == GoalAction::Complete) {
+        if (GoalActionParser::isUnmetComplete(action.text)) {
+            logDebug(QStringLiteral("applyJudgeAction: unmet complete, handing back"));
+            destroyJudgeConnection();
+            markTerminal(Cancelled, action.text.left(200));
+            return;
+        }
         advanceToNextCriterion(action.text);
         return;
     }

src/GoalAgentSettings.cpp

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 #include "GoalAgentSettings.h"
 
+#include "ApplicationSettings.h"
+
 #include <QJsonDocument>
+#include <QJsonParseError>
 #include <QUuid>
 
 // --- GoalPromptTemplate ---
@@ -54,35 +57,48 @@ const QString &GoalAgentSettings::builtinPromptContent()
 {
     static const QString s = QStringLiteral(
         "You are an automated goal evaluator. A developer has started a goal-driven session "
-        "with a coding agent. Your job is to observe the conversation and decide whether "
-        "the success criterion has been met.\n\n"
+        "with a coding agent. Classify whether the success criterion has been met. "
+        "Leave the fix to the agent.\n\n"
         "You are evaluating criterion {{criterionIndex}} of {{totalCriteria}}.\n\n"
         "The developer's original message (the request that started this session):\n"
         "{{originalUserMessage}}\n\n"
-        "Success criterion:\n{{goal}}\n\n"
-        "Iteration: {{iteration}} of {{maxIterations}}\n\n"
+        "Success criterion:\n"
+        "{{goal}}\n\n"
+        "Iteration: {{iteration}} of {{maxIterations}}\n"
+        "When {{iteration}} equals {{maxIterations}}, emit complete. Do not continue.\n\n"
         "Conversation since last evaluation:\n"
         "{{conversation}}\n\n"
         "Respond with EXACTLY ONE of the following XML actions and nothing else. "
-        "Do not narrate. Do not use markdown. Do not include anything outside the action tag.\n\n"
-        "  <action type=\"continue\">Write a follow-up message AS IF you are the developer "
-        "talking to the agent. Use first person. Be specific and conversational — like a "
-        "developer giving follow-up instructions in a chat. Match the language and tone of "
-        "the developer's original message above.</action>\n\n"
+        "No narration, and nothing outside the action tag.\n\n"
+        "  <action type=\"continue\">Use one of the two lists below, and nothing else. "
+        "Keep the heading as written. Each bullet is one real item from the success criterion, "
+        "in the language of the developer's original message. Do not pick an option.\n\n"
+        "If the agent is waiting on a choice, a question, or a confirmation:\n\n"
+        "Make the choice for this task based on these criteria:\n"
+        "- ...\n\n"
+        "If the criterion is not yet met, list only the unmet parts:\n\n"
+        "The following criteria are not met:\n"
+        "- ...</action>\n\n"
         "OR\n\n"
-        "  <action type=\"complete\">Brief reason why the success criterion has been met "
-        "based on the conversation above.</action>\n\n"
+        "  <action type=\"complete\">Brief reason the criterion is met, based on the conversation. "
+        "If the unmet part is an action the agent is unable to perform, start the reason with exactly "
+        "`need human-in-the-loop:` and say what the developer has to do. If the iteration cap is "
+        "reached and neither of those applies, start the reason with exactly `max iterations reached:`. "
+        "Those two completes stop the loop and hand back with the criterion still unmet.</action>\n\n"
         "OR\n\n"
-        "  <action type=\"restart\">Write a first-person prompt for a FRESH coding-agent "
-        "session. Use this when the current session hit a context-length error, stopped "
-        "suddenly, or is otherwise unusable. The coding agent will be restarted and this "
-        "text will be sent as the first message. Include enough context for it to resume "
-        "the criterion. Match the language and tone of the developer's original message "
-        "above.</action>\n\n"
-        "If you are not sure, emit a continue action nudging the agent toward verification "
-        "(e.g. ask it to run the tests or read the relevant file). "
-        "Do NOT emit complete unless the conversation contains clear evidence the criterion "
-        "is satisfied.\n");
+        "  <action type=\"restart\">Write a first-person prompt for a fresh coding-agent session. "
+        "Use this when the current session hit a context-length error, stopped suddenly, or is "
+        "otherwise unusable. The coding agent will be restarted and this text will be sent as the "
+        "first message. Include enough context for it to resume the criterion. Match the language "
+        "and tone of the developer's original message above.</action>\n\n"
+        "Use `need human-in-the-loop:` only when the unmet part is an action the agent is unable to "
+        "perform. A question, a preference, or waiting for confirmation stays with the agent: "
+        "continue with the choice list, drawn from the success criterion. The agent saying it did "
+        "an action it cannot perform is not evidence.\n\n"
+        "If you are not sure, the remaining work is still the agent's, and {{iteration}} is below "
+        "{{maxIterations}}, emit continue with the unmet list. Do not emit a success complete unless "
+        "the conversation shows the criterion is satisfied. A success reason must not start with "
+        "`need human-in-the-loop` or `max iterations reached`.\n");
     return s;
 }
 
@@ -152,6 +168,77 @@ const GoalPromptTemplate &GoalAgentSettings::defaultTemplate() const
     return promptTemplates.first();
 }
 
+QString GoalAgentSettings::resolvedPromptTemplateId() const
+{
+    QString id = promptTemplateId.trimmed();
+    if (!id.isEmpty() && findTemplate(id))
+        return id;
+    return QString::fromLatin1(kDefaultTemplateId);
+}
+
+namespace {
+
+constexpr const char *kGoalSettingsKey = "Ai/GoalAgentSettings";
+
+bool readGoalSettingsObject(ApplicationSettings *settings, QJsonObject *out, bool *readable)
+{
+    *readable = false;
+    if (!settings)
+        return false;
+    const QString raw = settings->get(kGoalSettingsKey, QString());
+    if (raw.isEmpty()) {
+        *readable = true;
+        *out = QJsonObject();
+        return true;
+    }
+    QJsonParseError err;
+    const QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(raw.toUtf8(), &err);
+    if (err.error != QJsonParseError::NoError || !doc.isObject())
+        return false;
+    *readable = true;
+    *out = doc.object();
+    return true;
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+QString GoalAgentSettings::promptTemplateIdForUi(ApplicationSettings *settings)
+{
+    QJsonObject obj;
+    bool readable = false;
+    GoalAgentSettings loaded;
+    if (readGoalSettingsObject(settings, &obj, &readable) && readable)
+        loaded = GoalAgentSettings::fromJson(obj);
+
+    const QString resolved = loaded.resolvedPromptTemplateId();
+    if (readable) {
+        const QString stored = loaded.promptTemplateId.trimmed();
+        if (!stored.isEmpty() && stored != resolved)
+            rememberPromptTemplateId(settings, resolved);
+    }
+    return resolved;
+}
+
+bool GoalAgentSettings::rememberPromptTemplateId(ApplicationSettings *settings, const QString &id)
+{
+    const QString trimmed = id.trimmed();
+    if (trimmed.isEmpty())
+        return false;
+
+    QJsonObject obj;
+    bool readable = false;
+    if (!readGoalSettingsObject(settings, &obj, &readable) || !readable)
+        return false;
+    if (obj.value(QStringLiteral("promptTemplateId")).toString() == trimmed)
+        return false;
+
+    obj.insert(QStringLiteral("promptTemplateId"), trimmed);
+    settings->setValue(
+        QString::fromLatin1(kGoalSettingsKey),
+        QString::fromUtf8(QJsonDocument(obj).toJson(QJsonDocument::Compact)));
+    return true;
+}
+
 QJsonObject GoalAgentSettings::toJson() const
 {
     QJsonArray tplArr;
@@ -165,6 +252,7 @@ QJsonObject GoalAgentSettings::toJson() const
         presetArr.append(p.toJson());
     return {
         {QStringLiteral("agentId"), agentId},
+        {QStringLiteral("promptTemplateId"), promptTemplateId},
         {QStringLiteral("defaultMaxIterations"), defaultMaxIterations},
         {QStringLiteral("autoCompact"), autoCompact},
         {QStringLiteral("useNativeGoal"), useNativeGoal},
@@ -179,6 +267,7 @@ GoalAgentSettings GoalAgentSettings::fromJson(const QJsonObject &obj)
 {
     GoalAgentSettings s;
     s.agentId = obj.value(QStringLiteral("agentId")).toString();
+    s.promptTemplateId = obj.value(QStringLiteral("promptTemplateId")).toString();
     s.defaultMaxIterations = obj.value(QStringLiteral("defaultMaxIterations")).toInt(kDefaultMaxIterations);
     s.autoCompact = obj.value(QStringLiteral("autoCompact")).toBool(false);
     s.useNativeGoal = obj.value(QStringLiteral("useNativeGoal")).toBool(true);

src/GoalAgentSettings.h

@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 #include <QString>
 #include <QStringList>
 
+class ApplicationSettings;
+
 struct GoalPromptTemplate
 {
     QString id;
@@ -40,6 +42,7 @@ class GoalAgentSettings
     GoalAgentSettings();
 
     QString agentId;
+    QString promptTemplateId;
     int defaultMaxIterations = kDefaultMaxIterations;
     bool autoCompact = false;
     bool useNativeGoal = true;
@@ -52,10 +55,17 @@ class GoalAgentSettings
 
     const GoalPromptTemplate *findTemplate(const QString &id) const;
     const GoalPromptTemplate &defaultTemplate() const;
+    QString resolvedPromptTemplateId() const;
 
     QJsonObject toJson() const;
     static GoalAgentSettings fromJson(const QJsonObject &obj);
 
+    // Id the picker should show. Repairs a dangling stored id to default.
+    // Does not write when the key is missing, the blob is corrupt, or settings is null.
+    static QString promptTemplateIdForUi(ApplicationSettings *settings);
+    // Patches only promptTemplateId. No write if unchanged, empty, null, or the blob is not a JSON object.
+    static bool rememberPromptTemplateId(ApplicationSettings *settings, const QString &id);
+
     static const QString &builtinPromptContent();
     static const QString &builtinHandoffContent();
     static const QString &builtinHandoffAuthoringContent();

src/dialogs/GoalAgentConfigDialog.cpp

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ GoalAgentConfigDialog::GoalAgentConfigDialog(const ScheduledTaskGoalConfig &conf
     layout->setSpacing(8);
 
     m_goalConfig = new GoalConfigWidget(registry, settings, this);
+    m_goalConfig->setRememberPromptTemplate(false);
     layout->addWidget(m_goalConfig);
 
     if (!config.criteriaList.isEmpty())
@@ -44,8 +45,7 @@ GoalAgentConfigDialog::GoalAgentConfigDialog(const ScheduledTaskGoalConfig &conf
         m_goalConfig->setAgentId(config.agentId);
     if (config.maxIterations > 0)
         m_goalConfig->setMaxIterations(config.maxIterations);
-    if (!config.promptTemplateId.isEmpty())
-        m_goalConfig->setPromptTemplateId(config.promptTemplateId);
+    m_goalConfig->setPromptTemplateId(config.promptTemplateId);
 
     auto *buttons = new QDialogButtonBox(QDialogButtonBox::Ok | QDialogButtonBox::Cancel, this);
     connect(buttons, &QDialogButtonBox::accepted, this, [this]() {

src/dialogs/GoalDraftDialog.cpp

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 #include <QMenu>
 #include <QPlainTextEdit>
 #include <QPushButton>
+#include <QSignalBlocker>
 #include <QVBoxLayout>
 #include <QWidget>
 #include <QtGlobal>
@@ -136,7 +137,12 @@ GoalDraftDialog::GoalDraftDialog(AcpAgentManager *manager,
                 updateGenerateButton();
             });
     connect(m_templateCombo, qOverload<int>(&QComboBox::currentIndexChanged),
-            this, &GoalDraftDialog::updateGenerateButton);
+            this, [this](int) {
+                updateGenerateButton();
+                if (m_templateCombo)
+                    GoalAgentSettings::rememberPromptTemplateId(
+                        m_settings, m_templateCombo->currentData().toString());
+            });
     updateGenerateButton();
 }
 
@@ -166,6 +172,11 @@ void GoalDraftDialog::onGenerateClicked()
     if (!validate())
         return;
 
+    if (m_templateCombo) {
+        GoalAgentSettings::rememberPromptTemplateId(
+            m_settings, m_templateCombo->currentData().toString());
+    }
+
     m_statusLabel->setText(tr("Generating prompt..."));
     m_statusLabel->show();
     setGenerating(true);
@@ -275,23 +286,32 @@ void GoalDraftDialog::populateTemplates()
     if (!m_templateCombo)
         return;
 
-    m_templateCombo->clear();
+    const QString selectedId = GoalAgentSettings::promptTemplateIdForUi(m_settings);
 
     GoalAgentSettings goalSettings;
     if (m_settings) {
         const QString settingsJson = m_settings->get("Ai/GoalAgentSettings", QString());
         if (!settingsJson.isEmpty()) {
-            goalSettings = GoalAgentSettings::fromJson(
-                QJsonDocument::fromJson(settingsJson.toUtf8()).object());
+            const QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(settingsJson.toUtf8());
+            if (doc.isObject())
+                goalSettings = GoalAgentSettings::fromJson(doc.object());
         }
     }
 
-    for (const auto &tpl : goalSettings.promptTemplates) {
+    const QSignalBlocker blocker(m_templateCombo);
+    m_templateCombo->clear();
+    int selectedIdx = 0;
+    for (int i = 0; i < goalSettings.promptTemplates.size(); ++i) {
+        const auto &tpl = goalSettings.promptTemplates.at(i);
         QString label = tpl.name;
         if (tpl.id == QLatin1String(GoalAgentSettings::kDefaultTemplateId))
             label += tr(" (default)");
         m_templateCombo->addItem(label, tpl.id);
+        if (tpl.id == selectedId)
+            selectedIdx = i;
     }
+    if (m_templateCombo->count() > 0)
+        m_templateCombo->setCurrentIndex(selectedIdx);
 }
 
 bool GoalDraftDialog::validate()

src/dialogs/SendWithGoalDialog.cpp

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ SendWithGoalDialog::SendWithGoalDialog(AcpAgentRegistry *registry,
     mainLayout->setSpacing(12);
 
     m_goalConfig = new GoalConfigWidget(registry, settings, this);
+    m_goalConfig->setRememberPromptTemplate(true);
     mainLayout->addWidget(m_goalConfig);
 
     m_errorLabel = new QLabel(this);
@@ -138,15 +139,21 @@ void SendWithGoalDialog::onStart()
 
     if (m_settings) {
         const QString settingsJson = m_settings->get("Ai/GoalAgentSettings", QString());
-        QJsonObject settingsObject = QJsonDocument::fromJson(settingsJson.toUtf8()).object();
-        if (settingsObject.value(QStringLiteral("agentId")).toString() != result.agentId) {
-            settingsObject.insert(QStringLiteral("agentId"), result.agentId);
-            m_settings->setValue(
-                QStringLiteral("Ai/GoalAgentSettings"),
-                QString::fromUtf8(QJsonDocument(settingsObject).toJson(QJsonDocument::Compact)));
+        const QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(settingsJson.toUtf8());
+        const bool readable = settingsJson.isEmpty() || doc.isObject();
+        if (readable) {
+            QJsonObject settingsObject = doc.object();
+            if (settingsObject.value(QStringLiteral("agentId")).toString() != result.agentId) {
+                settingsObject.insert(QStringLiteral("agentId"), result.agentId);
+                m_settings->setValue(
+                    QStringLiteral("Ai/GoalAgentSettings"),
+                    QString::fromUtf8(QJsonDocument(settingsObject).toJson(QJsonDocument::Compact)));
+            }
         }
     }
 
+    GoalAgentSettings::rememberPromptTemplateId(m_settings, result.promptTemplateId);
+
     accept();
 }