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

ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -724,7 +724,7 @@ Stored on every PRAutoBlogger-generated post:
 | `_prautoblogger_analysis_id`          | FK to ab_analysis_results.id                  |
 | `_prautoblogger_source_ids`           | JSON array of source data IDs used            |
 | `_prautoblogger_model_used`           | Model that generated the content              |
-| `_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode`        | 'single_pass' or 'multi_step'                 |
+| `_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode`        | 'single_pass', 'multi_step', or 'authority'   |
 | `_prautoblogger_total_cost`           | Total USD cost for this post                  |
 | `_prautoblogger_total_tokens`         | Total tokens consumed for this post           |
 | `_prautoblogger_editor_verdict`       | 'approved', 'revised', 'rejected'             |

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,6 +5,38 @@ All notable changes to PRAutoBlogger will be documented in this file.
 Format follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project uses [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).
 
+## [0.32.2] - 2026-06-24
+
+### Fixed
+- **P1 (canary) — quorum-miss HOLD no longer crashes as `failed`** (`class-authority-pipeline-stages.php`).
+  `hold_as_draft()` now branches on whether draft content is present:
+  - **No content** (quorum miss, pre-draft failure): records the hold decision to `run_decisions`
+    only — Publisher is never called. Eliminates the `RuntimeException("Refusing to create draft
+    post")` thrown by the v0.18.1 empty-content guard, which was causing the run to land as
+    `failed` instead of `held`. No post is created; HOLD decision row is written; operator sees
+    the run in the Review Queue (status `held-quorum`).
+  - **With content** (editorial escalation, citation gate, cost ceiling after draft): saves draft
+    post + suppresses imagery — behaviour unchanged from pre-fix.
+- **P2 — Authority posts now carry `_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode = 'authority'`** (`class-publisher.php`,
+  `class-authority-pipeline.php`, `class-authority-pipeline-stages.php`). `Publisher::save_as_draft()`
+  and `publish()` accept an optional `string $pipeline_mode = ''` parameter. When '' the value falls
+  back to `get_option('prautoblogger_writing_pipeline', ...)` (Economy/single-pass unchanged). The
+  Authority pipeline passes `'authority'` explicitly on every post creation call. Economy path is
+  unaffected — callers that omit the param still read the option.
+
+### Tests (PHPUnit — 556 tests, 0 failures)
+- `AuthorityPipelineTest::test_quorum_miss_hold_records_decision_no_post_created` — no post, HOLD
+  decision row written, status=held-quorum.
+- `AuthorityPipelineTest::test_quorum_miss_does_not_throw` — run() must not throw on quorum miss.
+- `AuthorityPipelineTest::test_editorial_escalation_hold_saves_draft_with_content` — content-present
+  path unchanged: draft post created, imagery suppressed.
+- `AuthorityPipelineTest::test_authority_published_post_gets_authority_pipeline_mode` — meta value is
+  `authority`, not `single_pass`.
+- `PublisherTest::test_publish_pipeline_mode_defaults_to_option_value` — Economy omits param; option
+  value (`single_pass`) written to meta.
+- `PublisherTest::test_publish_explicit_pipeline_mode_overrides_option` — Authority passes `'authority'`;
+  meta = `authority` regardless of option.
+
 ## [0.32.1] - 2026-06-24
 
 ### Fixed

CONTEXT.md

@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ into the live Economy path until P2b.4).
 | **Research_Fanout** | `PRAutoBlogger_Research_Fanout` — the orchestrator class that implements the fan-out pattern. Reserves the SUMMED worst-case cost of all N agents from the cost governor before dispatch, applies quorum enforcement after, and returns per-agent result arrays to the caller. Not live until P2b.4 wires it into the tier router. |
 | **curate stage** | The pipeline stage (`stage = 'curate'`) that follows fan-out. Implemented by `PRAutoBlogger_Research_Judge`. Deduplicates sources from all agents, scores each by `quality_score`, and writes the top-12 results to `run_sources`. Already present in `Stage_Display_Map` since v0.18.0. |
 | **Research_Judge** | `PRAutoBlogger_Research_Judge` — the class that executes the curate stage. Dedup chain: URL-canonical → semantic cosine (OpenRouter embeddings) → keyword-overlap fallback. Scores via `Research_Source_Scorer`. Writes `kept=1` / `kept=0` rows to `run_sources` with `quality_score` and `reason`. |
-| **quorum** | Minimum number of research agents that must return usable results for the fan-out to proceed. Formula: ⌈N/2⌉+1 (one strict majority). Example: N=3 → quorum=3; N=5 → quorum=4. If fewer than quorum agents return valid results, `Research_Fanout::dispatch()` returns an empty array and the caller **must hold the run** rather than proceeding on thin research. |
+| **quorum** | Minimum number of research agents that must return usable results for the fan-out to proceed. Formula: ⌈N/2⌉+1 (one strict majority). Example: N=3 → quorum=3; N=5 → quorum=4. If fewer than quorum agents return valid results, `Research_Fanout::dispatch()` returns an empty array and the pipeline holds the run (status `held-quorum`). v0.32.2: quorum-miss hold no longer calls Publisher — only a `run_decisions` row is written (no draft post created; Publisher would throw on empty content). |
 | **specialist role** | One of `{mechanisms, clinical, safety, comparison, practical}`. Each agent in the fan-out is assigned a distinct role and receives a role-specific user prompt. The first N roles in priority order are used (N = `prautoblogger_research_agent_count`). Written to `run_stages` as `agent_role = 'researcher:<role>'`. |
 | **quality_score** | A composite score for a source: `relevance × authority_weight`. `relevance` comes from the agent's self-reported score (0.0–1.0). `authority_weight` is the source-type multiplier from `Research_Source_Scorer`. Higher scores sort the source closer to the top-12 kept set. Stored in `run_sources.quality_score`. |
 | **authority weight** | A source-type multiplier applied by `PRAutoBlogger_Research_Source_Scorer` to produce `quality_score`. Values: DOI/PubMed/NCBI peer-reviewed → 1.0; .gov/.edu/WHO/FDA institutional → 0.85; preprint → 0.70; HTTPS → 0.60; HTTP → 0.40. Reflects the editorial preference for peer-reviewed sources in Authority-tier articles. |

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

includes/core/class-authority-pipeline-stages.php

@@ -12,21 +12,21 @@ declare(strict_types=1);
  *       beyond what the individual stage classes already require.
  *
  * Who triggers it: PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline (P2b.4).
- * Dependencies: All P2b.1–P2b.3 stage classes + Content_Generator,
+ * Dependencies: All P2b.1-P2b.3 stage classes + Content_Generator,
  *       Publisher, Image_Pipeline, Run_Stage_State, Audit_Writer.
  *
- * @see core/class-authority-pipeline.php — Orchestrator that calls these helpers.
+ * @see core/class-authority-pipeline.php -- Orchestrator that calls these helpers.
- * @see ARCHITECTURE.md                   — Phase 2b data flow.
+ * @see ARCHITECTURE.md                   -- Phase 2b data flow.
  */
 class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 
 	/**
 	 * Run the research fan-out stage.
 	 *
-	 * @param string                       $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
+	 * @param string                        $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
-	 * @param string                       $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
+	 * @param string                        $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea   $idea         The idea being researched.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea    $idea         The idea being researched.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker   $cost_tracker Pipeline cost tracker.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker    $cost_tracker Pipeline cost tracker.
 	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Research_Fanout $fanout       Fan-out instance.
 	 * @return array<int, array{sources: array, agent_role: string}> Per-agent results, or empty on quorum miss.
 	 */
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 		PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker,
 		PRAutoBlogger_Research_Fanout $fanout
 	): array {
-		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: running specialist research fan-out…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
+		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: running specialist research fan-out...', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 		PRAutoBlogger_Run_Stage_State::start( $run_id, 'research', 'researcher', $item_key );
 		$results = $fanout->dispatch( $run_id, $item_key, $idea, $cost_tracker );
 		if ( ! empty( $results ) ) {
@@ -51,10 +51,10 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 	/**
 	 * Run the curate (Research_Judge) stage.
 	 *
-	 * @param string                      $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
+	 * @param string                       $run_id         Pipeline run UUID.
-	 * @param string                      $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
+	 * @param string                       $item_key       Article-scoped item key.
-	 * @param array                       $fanout_results Results from research stage.
+	 * @param array                        $fanout_results Results from research stage.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Research_Judge $judge        Judge instance.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Research_Judge $judge          Judge instance.
 	 * @return array<int, array{url: string, title: string, quality_score?: float}> Kept sources.
 	 */
 	public static function run_curate(
@@ -63,18 +63,18 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 		array $fanout_results,
 		PRAutoBlogger_Research_Judge $judge
 	): array {
-		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: curating research sources…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
+		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: curating research sources...', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 		return $judge->curate( $run_id, $item_key, $fanout_results );
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Run the draft (Content_Generator) stage.
 	 *
-	 * @param string                                   $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
+	 * @param string                               $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
-	 * @param string                                   $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
+	 * @param string                               $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea               $idea         The idea to draft.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea           $idea         The idea to draft.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker               $cost_tracker Pipeline cost tracker.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker           $cost_tracker Pipeline cost tracker.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Content_Generator|null     $generator    Optional override (tests).
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Content_Generator|null $generator    Optional override (tests).
 	 * @return string Draft HTML content.
 	 */
 	public static function run_draft(
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 		PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker,
 		?PRAutoBlogger_Content_Generator $generator = null
 	): string {
-		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: generating article draft…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
+		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: generating article draft...', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 		if ( null === $generator ) {
 			$llm       = new PRAutoBlogger_OpenRouter_Provider();
 			$generator = new PRAutoBlogger_Content_Generator( $llm, $cost_tracker );
@@ -96,12 +96,12 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 	/**
 	 * Run the editorial loop stage.
 	 *
-	 * @param string                          $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
+	 * @param string                       $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
-	 * @param string                          $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
+	 * @param string                       $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
-	 * @param string                          $content      Draft HTML.
+	 * @param string                       $content      Draft HTML.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea      $idea         The idea under review.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea   $idea         The idea under review.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker      $cost_tracker Pipeline cost tracker.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker   $cost_tracker Pipeline cost tracker.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Loop    $editorial    Editorial loop instance.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Loop $editorial    Editorial loop instance.
 	 * @return array{content: string, escalated: bool} Result: content and escalation flag.
 	 */
 	public static function run_editorial(
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 		PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker,
 		PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Loop $editorial
 	): array {
-		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: running editorial loop…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
+		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: running editorial loop...', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 		$reviewed = $editorial->run( $run_id, $item_key, $content, $idea, $cost_tracker );
 		return array(
 			'content'   => '' === $reviewed ? $content : $reviewed,
@@ -123,9 +123,9 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 	/**
 	 * Run the SEO stage.
 	 *
-	 * @param string $run_id      Pipeline run UUID.
+	 * @param string $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
-	 * @param string $item_key    Article-scoped item key.
+	 * @param string $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
-	 * @param int    $post_id     Published/draft post ID.
+	 * @param int    $post_id      Published/draft post ID.
 	 * @param array  $kept_sources Kept research sources from curate stage.
 	 * @param array  $peptide_ids  Related peptide post IDs.
 	 * @return float The computed citation_score.
@@ -137,25 +137,36 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 		array $kept_sources,
 		array $peptide_ids
 	): float {
-		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: writing SEO meta…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
+		PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Status::broadcast( __( 'Authority: writing SEO meta...', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 		$seo_stage = new PRAutoBlogger_Seo_Stage();
 		return $seo_stage->run( $run_id, $item_key, $post_id, $kept_sources, $peptide_ids );
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Hold an article as draft (citation gate, escalation, or cost ceiling).
+	 * Hold an article (citation gate, escalation, or cost ceiling).
 	 *
-	 * Creates the draft post and suppresses image generation on it. Writes
+	 * Behaviour depends on whether draft content is available:
-	 * a run_decisions row for the hold reason. Returns the decision verdict
-	 * string suitable for the result 'status' key.
 	 *
-	 * @param string                     $run_id       Pipeline run UUID.
+	 * - NO content (empty after tag-strip): quorum miss or other pre-draft
-	 * @param string                     $item_key     Article-scoped item key.
+	 *   failure. No post is created. The hold is recorded as a run_decisions
-	 * @param string                     $content      Draft HTML content.
+	 *   row and logged. This path never calls Publisher (avoids the
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea $idea         The article idea.
+	 *   empty-content RuntimeException introduced in v0.18.1).
-	 * @param string                     $hold_reason  Short human-readable hold reason.
+	 *
-	 * @param string                     $verdict      Decision verdict for audit row.
+	 * - WITH content (editorial escalation, citation gate, or cost ceiling
-	 * @param string                     $run_id_for_publisher Run ID passed to Publisher.
+	 *   after draft stage): saves a draft post, suppresses imagery, and
+	 *   records the decision row. Behaviour unchanged from pre-v0.32.2.
+	 *
+	 * Side effects (no-content path): Logger info + Audit_Writer decision row.
+	 * Side effects (content path):    Logger info + Publisher draft + post-meta
+	 *   (_prautoblogger_imagery_suppressed) + Audit_Writer decision row.
+	 *
+	 * @param string                     $run_id              Pipeline run UUID.
+	 * @param string                     $item_key            Article-scoped item key.
+	 * @param string                     $content             Draft HTML ('' = pre-draft hold).
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea $idea                The article idea.
+	 * @param string                     $hold_reason         Short human-readable hold reason.
+	 * @param string                     $verdict             Decision verdict for audit row.
+	 * @param string                     $run_id_for_publisher Run ID passed to Publisher (content path).
 	 * @return void
 	 */
 	public static function hold_as_draft(
@@ -172,7 +183,17 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 			'authority-pipeline'
 		);
 
-		// Save as draft with a neutral editorial review stub.
+		// v0.32.2: when there is no draft content yet (quorum miss or other
+		// pre-draft failure), skip Publisher entirely -- Publisher::save_as_draft()
+		// throws RuntimeException on empty content (v0.18.1 guard). Record the
+		// hold decision only; the run state is returned as 'held' by the caller.
+		if ( '' === trim( wp_strip_all_tags( $content ) ) ) {
+			PRAutoBlogger_Audit_Writer::record_decision( $run_id, 'publish-gate', $verdict, $hold_reason );
+			return;
+		}
+
+		// Content is present: save as draft and suppress imagery (editorial
+		// escalation, citation gate, or cost ceiling after the draft stage).
 		$publisher = new PRAutoBlogger_Publisher();
 		$review    = new PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review(
 			array(
@@ -184,7 +205,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline_Stages {
 				'issues'          => array(),
 			)
 		);
-		$post_id = $publisher->save_as_draft( $content, $idea, $review, $run_id_for_publisher, null );
+		$post_id = $publisher->save_as_draft( $content, $idea, $review, $run_id_for_publisher, null, 'authority' );
 
 		// Imagery gate: suppress image generation on held articles.
 		if ( $post_id > 0 ) {

includes/core/class-authority-pipeline.php

@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline implements PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeli
 			)
 		);
 		$auto_publish = in_array( get_option( 'prautoblogger_auto_publish', '0' ), array( '1', 'yes' ), true );
-		$post_id = $publisher->save_as_draft( $final_content, $idea, $stub_review, $run_id, null );
+		$post_id = $publisher->save_as_draft( $final_content, $idea, $stub_review, $run_id, null, 'authority' );
 		PRAutoBlogger_Run_Stage_State::start( $run_id, 'publish', (string) PRAutoBlogger_Stage_Display_Map::default_agent_role( 'publish' ), $item_key );
 
 		// Stage 5: SEO.

includes/core/class-publisher.php

@@ -13,22 +13,23 @@ declare(strict_types=1);
  * Dependencies: PRAutoBlogger_Post_Assembler (taxonomy, images, sanitization),
  *               WordPress wp_insert_post(), post meta API.
  *
- * @see core/class-post-assembler.php   — Post-creation helpers (taxonomy, images, logs).
+ * @see core/class-post-assembler.php   -- Post-creation helpers (taxonomy, images, logs).
- * @see core/class-peptide-linker.php   — Injects peptide database hyperlinks into content.
+ * @see core/class-peptide-linker.php   -- Injects peptide database hyperlinks into content.
- * @see core/class-chief-editor.php     — Produces the editorial review we consume.
+ * @see core/class-chief-editor.php     -- Produces the editorial review we consume.
- * @see core/class-content-generator.php — Produces the content we publish.
+ * @see core/class-content-generator.php -- Produces the content we publish.
- * @see ARCHITECTURE.md                  — Data flow step 6.
+ * @see ARCHITECTURE.md                  -- Data flow step 6.
  */
 class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 
 	/**
 	 * Publish an editor-approved article.
 	 *
-	 * @param string                        $content The final HTML content.
+	 * @param string                          $content       The final HTML content.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea      $idea    The original article idea.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea      $idea          The original article idea.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review  $review  The editor's review.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review  $review        The editor's review.
-	 * @param string|null                   $run_id  Pipeline run ID for log linking.
+	 * @param string|null                     $run_id        Pipeline run ID for log linking.
-	 * @param ?PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker Optional cost tracker for image generation cost logging.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker|null $cost_tracker  Optional cost tracker for imagery.
+	 * @param string                          $pipeline_mode Override pipeline_mode meta ('' = option).
 	 * @return int The created post ID.
 	 * @throws \RuntimeException If post creation fails.
 	 */
@@ -37,19 +38,21 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 		PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea $idea,
 		PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review $review,
 		?string $run_id = null,
-		?PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker = null
+		?PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker = null,
+		string $pipeline_mode = ''
 	): int {
-		return $this->create_post( $content, $idea, $review, 'publish', $run_id, $cost_tracker );
+		return $this->create_post( $content, $idea, $review, 'publish', $run_id, $cost_tracker, $pipeline_mode );
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Save an editor-rejected article as a draft for human review.
 	 *
-	 * @param string                        $content The generated HTML content (pre-revision).
+	 * @param string                          $content       The generated HTML content (pre-revision).
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea      $idea    The original article idea.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea      $idea          The original article idea.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review  $review  The editor's review with rejection notes.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review  $review        The editor's review with rejection notes.
-	 * @param string|null                   $run_id  Pipeline run ID for log linking.
+	 * @param string|null                     $run_id        Pipeline run ID for log linking.
-	 * @param ?PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker Optional cost tracker for image generation cost logging.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker|null $cost_tracker  Optional cost tracker for imagery.
+	 * @param string                          $pipeline_mode Override pipeline_mode meta ('' = option).
 	 * @return int The created post ID.
 	 * @throws \RuntimeException If post creation fails.
 	 */
@@ -58,21 +61,24 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 		PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea $idea,
 		PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review $review,
 		?string $run_id = null,
-		?PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker = null
+		?PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker = null,
+		string $pipeline_mode = ''
 	): int {
-		return $this->create_post( $content, $idea, $review, 'draft', $run_id, $cost_tracker );
+		return $this->create_post( $content, $idea, $review, 'draft', $run_id, $cost_tracker, $pipeline_mode );
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Create a WordPress post with generation metadata.
 	 *
-	 * @param string                        $content     HTML content.
+	 * @param string                          $content       HTML content.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea      $idea        Article idea.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea      $idea          Article idea.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review  $review      Editorial review.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review  $review        Editorial review.
-	 * @param string                        $post_status 'publish' or 'draft'.
+	 * @param string                          $post_status   'publish' or 'draft'.
-	 * @param string|null                   $run_id      Pipeline run ID for log linking.
+	 * @param string|null                     $run_id        Pipeline run ID.
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker|null $cost_tracker  Cost tracker for imagery.
+	 * @param string                          $pipeline_mode Override pipeline_mode meta ('' = option).
 	 * @return int Post ID.
-	 * @throws \RuntimeException If wp_insert_post fails.
+	 * @throws \RuntimeException On wp_insert_post failure or empty content (v0.18.1 guard).
 	 */
 	private function create_post(
 		string $content,
@@ -80,10 +86,11 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 		PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review $review,
 		string $post_status,
 		?string $run_id = null,
-		?PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker = null
+		?PRAutoBlogger_Cost_Tracker $cost_tracker = null,
+		string $pipeline_mode = ''
 	): int {
 		// v0.18.1 belt-and-braces: never create a post whose content is
-		// empty once tags and whitespace are stripped — an empty "draft
+		// empty once tags and whitespace are stripped -- an empty "draft
 		// for human review" (2026-06-11 incident, post 921) reviews
 		// nothing and hides the underlying generation failure. The
 		// provider/writer guards make this unreachable on OpenRouter
@@ -110,7 +117,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 				// v0.20.0: a re-run's regenerated content must land on the
 				// existing UNPUBLISHED post (otherwise re-runs silently
 				// discard their output). Published posts stay frozen
-				// (CPO guardrail 5) — refresh skips them untouched.
+				// (CPO guardrail 5) -- refresh skips them untouched.
 				return $this->refresh_unpublished_post( $existing_id, $content, $idea, $review );
 			}
 		}
@@ -127,10 +134,10 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 			'post_status'  => $post_status,
 			'post_type'    => 'post',
 			'post_author'  => PRAutoBlogger_Post_Assembler::get_default_author_id(),
-			'meta_input'   => $this->build_meta( $idea, $review, $run_id, $idea_hash ),
+			'meta_input'   => $this->build_meta( $idea, $review, $run_id, $idea_hash, $pipeline_mode ),
 		);
 
-		/** @see class-prautoblogger.php — listeners registered in main loader. */
+		/** @see class-prautoblogger.php -- listeners registered in main loader. */
 		$post_data = apply_filters( 'prautoblogger_filter_post_data', $post_data, $idea, $review );
 
 		$post_id = wp_insert_post( $post_data, true );
@@ -158,15 +165,11 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Refresh an existing post from re-run output — unpublished only.
+	 * Refresh an existing post from re-run output -- unpublished only.
-	 *
-	 * Idempotent-resume calls land here too (same content in = same
-	 * content out, so behavior is unchanged for plain resumes). The post
-	 * keeps its CURRENT status: a re-run never publishes an unpublished
-	 * post — publication stays an explicit Review Queue / WP editor
-	 * action. Published (and scheduled/private) posts are returned
-	 * untouched: the run is frozen (CPO guardrail 5).
 	 *
+	 * Idempotent-resume: same content in = same content out. The post keeps
+	 * its CURRENT status -- a re-run never publishes an unpublished post.
+	 * Published/scheduled/private posts are returned untouched (CPO guardrail 5).
 	 * Side effects: wp_update_post + post meta updates (unpublished only).
 	 *
 	 * @param int                            $post_id Existing post ID.
@@ -179,7 +182,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 		$post = get_post( $post_id );
 		if ( PRAutoBlogger_Rerun_Eligibility::post_frozen( $post ) ) {
 			PRAutoBlogger_Logger::instance()->info(
-				sprintf( 'Post %d already exists and is published — frozen, skipping content refresh.', $post_id ),
+				sprintf( 'Post %d already exists and is published -- frozen, skipping content refresh.', $post_id ),
 				'publisher'
 			);
 			return $post_id;
@@ -214,28 +217,35 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 	/**
 	 * Build post_meta array for generation metadata.
 	 *
-	 * The `_prautoblogger_run_id` key (added v0.8.1) lets the orphan-research
+	 * `_prautoblogger_run_id` lets the orphan-research reaper attribute an orphan
-	 * reaper attribute an orphan `llm_research` row back to its sibling
+	 * `llm_research` row back to its article without re-walking gen_log.
-	 * articles without re-walking the gen_log table. See
+	 * `_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode`: Authority passes 'authority'; Economy passes
-	 * core/class-research-reaper.php.
+	 * '' (falls back to the option). See core/class-research-reaper.php.
 	 *
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea     $idea
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea     $idea          Article idea.
-	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review $review
+	 * @param PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review $review        Editorial review.
-	 * @param string|null                    $run_id Pipeline run UUID, or null in legacy paths.
+	 * @param string|null                    $run_id        Pipeline run UUID, or null in legacy paths.
+	 * @param string                         $idea_hash     Idea hash ('' when not yet computed).
+	 * @param string                         $pipeline_mode Explicit pipeline mode ('' = read option).
 	 * @return array<string, mixed>
 	 */
 	private function build_meta(
 		PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea $idea,
 		PRAutoBlogger_Editorial_Review $review,
 		?string $run_id = null,
-		string $idea_hash = ''
+		string $idea_hash = '',
+		string $pipeline_mode = ''
 	): array {
+		$mode = '' !== $pipeline_mode
+			? $pipeline_mode
+			: get_option( 'prautoblogger_writing_pipeline', 'multi_step' );
+
 		$meta = array(
 			'_prautoblogger_generated'       => '1',
 			'_prautoblogger_analysis_id'     => $idea->get_analysis_id(),
 			'_prautoblogger_source_ids'      => wp_json_encode( $idea->get_source_ids() ),
 			'_prautoblogger_model_used'      => get_option( 'prautoblogger_writing_model', PRAUTOBLOGGER_DEFAULT_WRITING_MODEL ),
-			'_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode'   => get_option( 'prautoblogger_writing_pipeline', 'multi_step' ),
+			'_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode'   => $mode,
 			'_prautoblogger_editor_verdict'  => $review->get_verdict(),
 			'_prautoblogger_editor_notes'    => $review->get_notes(),
 			'_prautoblogger_quality_score'   => $review->get_quality_score(),
@@ -257,7 +267,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Publisher {
 	/**
 	 * Find a post already created for this (run, idea) pair.
 	 *
-	 * Direct postmeta self-join (any post_status, including trash) — the
+	 * Direct postmeta self-join (any post_status, including trash) -- the
 	 * idempotency check must see drafts and pending posts too.
 	 *
 	 * @param string $run_id    Pipeline run UUID.

prautoblogger.php

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  * Plugin Name:       PRAutoBlogger
  * Plugin URI:        https://peptiderepo.com/prautoblogger
  * Description:       Monitors social media for trending topics, generates SEO-friendly blog posts using AI, and publishes them on a daily schedule with full cost tracking and self-improvement metrics.
- * Version:           0.32.1
+ * Version:           0.32.2
  * Requires at least: 6.0
  * Requires PHP:      7.4
  * Author:            PeptideRepo
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
 | Defined here so every file in the plugin can reference paths, versions,
 | and limits without magic strings.
 */
-define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_VERSION', '0.32.1' );
+define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_VERSION', '0.32.2' );
 define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_DB_VERSION', '1.4.0' );  // No schema change in v0.32.0 (P2b.5 admin controls are additive only).
 define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_DEFAULT_RUN_CEILING_USD', 0.50 );
 define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_DEFAULT_REQUEST_JSON_RETENTION_DAYS', 14 );

tests/unit/Core/AuthorityPipelineTest.php

@@ -323,6 +323,138 @@ class AuthorityPipelineTest extends BaseTestCase {
 		$this->assertArrayHasKey( "status", $result );
 	}
 
+
+	// -- P1: Quorum-miss hold (no content) --------------------------------
+
+	/**
+	 * When fanout returns empty (quorum miss), the pipeline must record a
+	 * HOLD decision row and return status='held-quorum'. No post must be
+	 * created (wp_insert_post must NOT be called), and no exception must
+	 * be thrown.
+	 *
+	 * Regression: before v0.32.2, hold_as_draft('') called Publisher which
+	 * threw RuntimeException, causing the run to land as 'failed' instead.
+	 */
+	public function test_quorum_miss_hold_records_decision_no_post_created(): void {
+		// Fanout returns empty -- quorum miss.
+		$fanout   = $this->make_fanout_stub( array() );
+		$tracker  = $this->make_cost_tracker_stub();
+		$pipeline = new \PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline( $tracker, $fanout );
+
+		// wp_insert_post must never be called on a quorum-miss hold.
+		Functions\expect( "wp_insert_post" )->never();
+
+		$result = $pipeline->run( "run-quorum", $this->make_idea(), $tracker );
+
+		$this->assertSame( "held-quorum", $result["status"] );
+		$this->assertSame( 0, $result["published"] );
+		$this->assertEmpty( $this->published_posts );
+
+		// A run_decisions row must be written for the hold.
+		$hold_decisions = array_filter(
+			$this->decision_rows,
+			static fn( $row ) => "quorum-miss" === $row["verdict"]
+		);
+		$this->assertNotEmpty( $hold_decisions, "Expected a quorum-miss decision row in run_decisions" );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * When fanout returns empty (quorum miss), the run state must be
+	 * 'held-quorum', not 'failed'. The P1 bug caused an uncaught
+	 * RuntimeException which Article_Worker caught and marked 'failed'.
+	 */
+	public function test_quorum_miss_does_not_throw(): void {
+		$fanout   = $this->make_fanout_stub( array() );
+		$tracker  = $this->make_cost_tracker_stub();
+		$pipeline = new \PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline( $tracker, $fanout );
+
+		// No exception must propagate out of run().
+		$exception_thrown = false;
+		try {
+			$result = $pipeline->run( "run-nothrow", $this->make_idea(), $tracker );
+		} catch ( \Throwable $e ) {
+			$exception_thrown = true;
+		}
+
+		$this->assertFalse( $exception_thrown, "run() must not throw on quorum miss (was RuntimeException before v0.32.2)" );
+	}
+
+	// -- P1: Hold WITH content (editorial escalation) ---------------------
+
+	/**
+	 * When the editorial loop escalates with content present, hold_as_draft
+	 * must save a draft post (wp_insert_post called once) and suppress
+	 * imagery. Verifies the content-present path is unchanged by the fix.
+	 */
+	public function test_editorial_escalation_hold_saves_draft_with_content(): void {
+		$sources   = array( array( "url" => "https://a.com", "title" => "A", "quality_score" => 0.9 ) );
+		$fanout    = $this->make_fanout_stub( $this->make_fanout_results( $sources ) );
+		$judge     = $this->make_judge_stub( $sources );
+		$loop      = $this->make_editorial_loop_stub( "<p>escalated draft content</p>", true );
+		$generator = $this->make_generator_stub( "<p>draft content</p>" );
+		$tracker   = $this->make_cost_tracker_stub();
+		$pipeline  = new \PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline( $tracker, $fanout, $judge, $loop, $generator );
+
+		$posts_inserted = 0;
+		$original_when  = null;
+		Functions\when( "wp_insert_post" )->alias(
+			function ( $args ) use ( &$posts_inserted ) {
+				++$posts_inserted;
+				return 55;
+			}
+		);
+
+		$result = $pipeline->run( "run-escalated", $this->make_idea(), $tracker );
+
+		$this->assertSame( "held-escalated", $result["status"] );
+		$this->assertGreaterThanOrEqual( 1, $posts_inserted, "wp_insert_post must be called for escalated hold with content" );
+		$this->assertArrayHasKey( "_prautoblogger_imagery_suppressed", $this->meta_written );
+		$this->assertSame( "1", $this->meta_written["_prautoblogger_imagery_suppressed"] );
+	}
+
+	// -- P2: pipeline_mode label ------------------------------------------
+
+	/**
+	 * Authority published posts must carry _prautoblogger_pipeline_mode='authority'.
+	 * The Economy single-pass label is validated separately in PublisherTest.
+	 */
+	public function test_authority_published_post_gets_authority_pipeline_mode(): void {
+		$this->stub_get_option( array(
+			"prautoblogger_log_level"                => "error",
+			"prautoblogger_auto_publish"             => "0",
+			"prautoblogger_citation_score_threshold" => 0.0,
+			"prautoblogger_writing_pipeline"         => "single_pass",
+			"prautoblogger_writing_model"            => "openai/gpt-4o-mini",
+			"prautoblogger_default_author"           => 1,
+		) );
+
+		$sources   = array( array( "url" => "https://a.com", "title" => "A", "quality_score" => 0.8 ) );
+		$fanout    = $this->make_fanout_stub( $this->make_fanout_results( $sources ) );
+		$judge     = $this->make_judge_stub( $sources );
+		$loop      = $this->make_editorial_loop_stub( "<p>approved content</p>", false );
+		$generator = $this->make_generator_stub( "<p>draft content</p>" );
+		$tracker   = $this->make_cost_tracker_stub();
+		$pipeline  = new \PRAutoBlogger_Authority_Pipeline( $tracker, $fanout, $judge, $loop, $generator );
+
+		$captured_meta = null;
+		Functions\when( "wp_insert_post" )->alias(
+			function ( $args ) use ( &$captured_meta ) {
+				$captured_meta = $args["meta_input"] ?? array();
+				return 66;
+			}
+		);
+
+		$result = $pipeline->run( "run-pmode", $this->make_idea(), $tracker );
+
+		$this->assertNotNull( $captured_meta, "wp_insert_post must have been called" );
+		$this->assertArrayHasKey( "_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode", $captured_meta );
+		$this->assertSame(
+			"authority",
+			$captured_meta["_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode"],
+			"Authority pipeline posts must carry pipeline_mode=authority, not single_pass"
+		);
+	}
+
 	// -- Helpers ----------------------------------------------------------
 
 	private function make_idea(): \PRAutoBlogger_Article_Idea {

tests/unit/Core/PublisherTest.php

@@ -203,4 +203,65 @@ class PublisherTest extends BaseTestCase {
 
         $publisher->publish( "<p> \n\t </p>", $this->idea, $this->review );
     }
-}
+    /**
+     * P2 fix (v0.32.2): Publisher::publish() called without an explicit
+     * pipeline_mode must record the option value (Economy / single-pass
+     * path). Verifies the fallback behaviour is unchanged.
+     */
+    public function test_publish_pipeline_mode_defaults_to_option_value(): void {
+        $this->stub_get_option( [
+            'prautoblogger_writing_pipeline' => 'single_pass',
+            'prautoblogger_writing_model'    => 'openai/gpt-4o-mini',
+            'prautoblogger_default_author'   => 1,
+        ] );
+
+        $captured_meta = null;
+        Functions\when( 'wp_insert_post' )->alias( function ( $args ) use ( &$captured_meta ) {
+            $captured_meta = $args['meta_input'] ?? [];
+            return 99;
+        } );
+
+        $wpdb = $this->create_mock_wpdb();
+        $wpdb->method( 'query' )->willReturn( 0 );
+        $wpdb->method( 'prepare' )->willReturn( '' );
+        $GLOBALS['wpdb'] = $wpdb;
+
+        $publisher = new \PRAutoBlogger_Publisher();
+        $publisher->publish( '<p>Content</p>', $this->idea, $this->review, 'run-economy' );
+
+        $this->assertArrayHasKey( '_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode', $captured_meta );
+        $this->assertSame( 'single_pass', $captured_meta['_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode'],
+            'Economy path (no explicit pipeline_mode) must use the option value' );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * P2 fix (v0.32.2): when an explicit pipeline_mode is passed (Authority
+     * path), it overrides the option value and is stored as post meta.
+     */
+    public function test_publish_explicit_pipeline_mode_overrides_option(): void {
+        $this->stub_get_option( [
+            'prautoblogger_writing_pipeline' => 'single_pass',
+            'prautoblogger_writing_model'    => 'openai/gpt-4o-mini',
+            'prautoblogger_default_author'   => 1,
+        ] );
+
+        $captured_meta = null;
+        Functions\when( 'wp_insert_post' )->alias( function ( $args ) use ( &$captured_meta ) {
+            $captured_meta = $args['meta_input'] ?? [];
+            return 100;
+        } );
+
+        $wpdb = $this->create_mock_wpdb();
+        $wpdb->method( 'query' )->willReturn( 0 );
+        $wpdb->method( 'prepare' )->willReturn( '' );
+        $GLOBALS['wpdb'] = $wpdb;
+
+        $publisher = new \PRAutoBlogger_Publisher();
+        $publisher->publish( '<p>Content</p>', $this->idea, $this->review, 'run-authority', null, 'authority' );
+
+        $this->assertArrayHasKey( '_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode', $captured_meta );
+        $this->assertSame( 'authority', $captured_meta['_prautoblogger_pipeline_mode'],
+            'Explicit pipeline_mode must override the option (Authority path)' );
+    }
+
+}