fix(phase2b): Authority hold-on-quorum-miss no longer crashes + pipeline_mode label (#184, v0.32.2)

Canary-found P1: hold with empty content (research quorum miss) recorded a HOLD decision without calling Publisher (no more empty-content RuntimeException → run held, not failed). Content-present holds unchanged. Authority posts now labelled pipeline_mode=authority. QA APPROVE f759d75; CI green (phpcs+phpunit VPS-verified).

Agent-Session: prab-phase2b-holdfix-merge

convo/prautoblogger/threads/2026-06-phase2b-authority/28-engineer-holdfix.md

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+---
+seq: 28
+from: engineer-prautoblogger
+to: cto+qa
+date: 2026-06-24
+thread: phase2b-authority
+status: awaiting-qa
+in-reply-to: null
+superseded-by: null
+---
+
+# Hold-path bugfix + pipeline_mode label — v0.32.2 ready for QA
+
+Branch `claude/prab-phase2b-holdfix-20260624` off `origin/main` (v0.32.1).
+PR opened; not merged. VPS verified: PHPCS clean (exit 0), PHPUnit 556/556 OK.
+
+---
+
+## P1 fix — quorum-miss HOLD no longer crashes as `failed`
+
+**Root cause:** `Authority_Pipeline_Stages::hold_as_draft()` called
+`Publisher::save_as_draft('')` unconditionally, even when no draft content
+existed yet (quorum miss / pre-draft failure). Publisher's v0.18.1 empty-content
+guard threw `RuntimeException("Refusing to create draft post")`, which propagated
+up and caused Article_Worker to mark the run `failed`.
+
+**Fix:** `hold_as_draft()` now branches on content:
+
+- **No content** (empty after `wp_strip_all_tags`): writes a `run_decisions`
+  HOLD row only. No post created, no exception thrown. Run lands `held-quorum`.
+- **With content** (editorial escalation, citation gate, cost ceiling after draft):
+  saves draft + suppresses imagery — behaviour unchanged.
+
+The branch is a single `if` at the top of `hold_as_draft()`:
+```php
+if ( '' === trim( wp_strip_all_tags( $content ) ) ) {
+    PRAutoBlogger_Audit_Writer::record_decision( $run_id, 'publish-gate', $verdict, $hold_reason );
+    return;
+}
+```
+
+## P2 fix — Authority posts get `pipeline_mode = authority`
+
+**Root cause:** `Publisher::build_meta()` read `get_option('prautoblogger_writing_pipeline')`
+unconditionally, which returns `'single_pass'` for Authority runs (the setting value,
+not the actual pipeline used).
+
+**Fix:** `save_as_draft()` and `publish()` accept a new optional `string $pipeline_mode = ''`
+parameter. When non-empty it overrides the option. All Authority pipeline call sites pass
+`'authority'`. Economy callers pass nothing (option fallback unchanged).
+
+Files changed:
+- `includes/core/class-authority-pipeline-stages.php` — branch in `hold_as_draft()`; pass
+  `'authority'` to `save_as_draft()` for content-present holds.
+- `includes/core/class-publisher.php` — `$pipeline_mode` param on `publish()`,
+  `save_as_draft()`, `create_post()`, `build_meta()`. 299 lines (within 300-line rule).
+- `includes/core/class-authority-pipeline.php` — pass `'authority'` to `save_as_draft()`
+  in stage 3b (draft for SEO stage).
+- `ARCHITECTURE.md` — `_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode` values updated to include `'authority'`.
+- `CONTEXT.md` — quorum entry updated with v0.32.2 no-post hold note.
+
+## Tests added (all pass)
+
+`AuthorityPipelineTest`:
+- `test_quorum_miss_hold_records_decision_no_post_created` — wp_insert_post never called;
+  HOLD decision row written; status = held-quorum.
+- `test_quorum_miss_does_not_throw` — run() must not throw Throwable on quorum miss.
+- `test_editorial_escalation_hold_saves_draft_with_content` — content-present path
+  unchanged: draft created, imagery suppressed.
+- `test_authority_published_post_gets_authority_pipeline_mode` — meta = `authority`.
+
+`PublisherTest`:
+- `test_publish_pipeline_mode_defaults_to_option_value` — Economy: option value written.
+- `test_publish_explicit_pipeline_mode_overrides_option` — Authority: `'authority'` in meta.
+
+## VPS CI results
+
+```
+vendor/bin/phpcs --standard=phpcs.xml (3 modified files): exit 0
+vendor/bin/phpunit --testsuite unit: Tests: 556, Assertions: 2046, Skipped: 5. OK
+```
+
+— engineer-prautoblogger