diff --git a/src/features/agent/application/turn_service.test.ts b/src/features/agent/application/turn_service.test.ts
index 2aab64e..ac62714 100644
--- a/src/features/agent/application/turn_service.test.ts
+++ b/src/features/agent/application/turn_service.test.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,22 @@ import {
   conversationChars,
   ErrorTracker,
   truncateToolOutput,
+  bashExitCode,
+  isToolFailure,
+  deriveVerifyCommand,
+  AgentTurnServiceImpl,
 } from "./turn_service.ts";
-import { type ChatMessage, newConversation, systemMessage, userMessage, toolResultMessage } from "@zesdex/domain";
+import {
+  type ChatMessage,
+  newConversation,
+  systemMessage,
+  userMessage,
+  assistantMessage,
+  toolResultMessage,
+} from "@zesdex/domain";
+import type { AgentTurnParams } from "@zesdex/agent";
+import type { ToolExecutor } from "./index.ts";
+import type { ProviderService } from "./ports.ts";
 
 describe("truncateToolOutput", () => {
   it("short output is unchanged", () => {
@@ -56,4 +70,197 @@ describe("conversationChars", () => {
     conv.messages.push(systemMessage("sys"), userMessage("hello world"), toolResultMessage("id", "output"));
     expect(conversationChars(conv.messages)).toBe(3 + 11 + 6);
   });
-});
\ No newline at end of file
+});
+/* ── New flow helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+describe("bashExitCode / isToolFailure", () => {
+  it("extracts a non-zero exit code", () => {
+    expect(bashExitCode("boom\n\nExit code: 1 (1s)")).toBe(1);
+    expect(bashExitCode("done\n\nExit code: 0 (0.5s)")).toBe(0);
+  });
+  it("returns null when no exit-code line exists", () => {
+    expect(bashExitCode("plain output")).toBeNull();
+  });
+  it("isToolFailure flags bash non-zero exits as failures", () => {
+    expect(isToolFailure("bash", "nope\n\nExit code: 2 (1s)")).toBe(true);
+    expect(isToolFailure("bash", "ok\n\nExit code: 0 (1s)")).toBe(false);
+  });
+  it("isToolFailure still flags Error: prefixes for other tools", () => {
+    expect(isToolFailure("read", "Error: no such file")).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("deriveVerifyCommand", () => {
+  it("defaults to bun check+test for a Bun repo", () => {
+    // No real manifests in a control dir we guarantee to not exist.
+    expect(deriveVerifyCommand("/nonexistent-zesdex-dir")).toContain("bun");
+  });
+});
+
+/* ── runTurn flow tests (fakes, no network) ───────────────────────── */
+
+interface ScriptedStep {
+  content?: string | null;
+  tools?: Array<{ name: string; args?: string; id?: string }>;
+}
+
+/** A ProviderService that replays scripted chatStream responses. */
+function makeScriptedProvider(script: ScriptedStep[]): {
+  provider: ProviderService;
+  seen: Array<ChatMessage[]>;
+} {
+  const seen: Array<ChatMessage[]> = [];
+  let step = 0;
+  const chatResponses: string[] = [];
+  const provider: ProviderService = {
+    async chat(_messages, _tools, _maxTokens, _temperature) {
+      // Used by compaction and review. For review tests we script below.
+      const text = chatResponses.shift() ?? "";
+      return { message: { role: "assistant", content: text || null }, usage: [10, 5] };
+    },
+    async chatStream(messages, _tools, _max, _temp, onEvent) {
+      // Snapshot a copy: runTurn freely mutates the live array (splice/compact).
+      seen.push([...messages]);
+      const s = script[Math.min(step, script.length - 1)] ?? { content: "done" };
+      step += 1;
+      if (s.content !== undefined && s.content !== null) onEvent({ kind: "token", content: s.content });
+      if (s.tools && s.tools.length > 0) {
+        const msg = assistantMessage(null) as ChatMessage;
+        msg.tool_calls = s.tools.map((t, i) => ({
+          id: t.id ?? `call-${i}`,
+          type: "function",
+          function: { name: t.name, arguments: t.args ?? "{}" },
+        }));
+        return { message: msg, usage: [10, 2] };
+      }
+      return {
+        message: { role: "assistant", content: s.content ?? null },
+        usage: [10, 2],
+      };
+    },
+    // expose a way for tests to script chat replies
+  } as ProviderService;
+  (provider as unknown as { setChatReply: (s: string) => void }).setChatReply = (text: string) => {
+    chatResponses.push(text);
+  };
+  return { provider, seen };
+}
+
+/** A ToolExecutor that echoes fixed outputs per tool. */
+function fixedExecutor(outs: Record<string, string>): ToolExecutor {
+  return {
+    async execute(name) {
+      return outs[name] ?? "ok";
+    },
+    isParallelSafe() {
+      return false;
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+function buildParams(userText: string): {
+  params: AgentTurnParams;
+  events: Array<any>;
+} {
+  const events: Array<any> = [];
+  const params: AgentTurnParams = {
+    messages: [userMessage(userText)],
+    session_dir: "/tmp/zesdex-flow-test",
+    workspace_roots: ["/nonexistent-zesdex-dir"], // no AGENTS.md/package.json side effects
+    turn_events: { push: (e) => events.push(e), drain: () => [] },
+    in_flight: { value: false },
+    abort: new AbortController(),
+    api_key: "k",
+    model: "m",
+    api_base: "https://x",
+  };
+  return { params, events };
+}
+
+/** Extract the `[Flow]` steering system message from a captured batch. */
+function flowDirective(batch: ChatMessage[]): string {
+  const m = batch.find((x) => (x.content ?? "").includes("[Flow]"));
+  return m?.content ?? "";
+}
+
+describe("runTurn complexity steering", () => {
+  it("injects a complex-request directive for a complex prompt", async () => {
+    const { provider, seen } = makeScriptedProvider([
+      { content: "final answer" },
+    ]);
+    const svc = new AgentTurnServiceImpl(provider as never, fixedExecutor({}), [] as never);
+    const { params } = buildParams("Please refactor the architecture across multiple files");
+    await svc.runTurn(params);
+    // The complexity directive system message must be present before the LLM.
+    const flow = flowDirective(seen[0] ?? []);
+    expect(flow).toContain("flagged as complex");
+  });
+
+  it("injects a keep-it-simple directive instead", async () => {
+    const { provider, seen } = makeScriptedProvider([{ content: "hi" }]);
+    const svc = new AgentTurnServiceImpl(provider as never, fixedExecutor({}), [] as never);
+    const { params } = buildParams("what is 2+2");
+    await svc.runTurn(params);
+    const flow = flowDirective(seen[0] ?? []);
+    expect(flow).toContain("looks simple");
+    expect(flow).not.toContain("complex");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("runTurn verify-after-edit", () => {
+  it("injects a verify nudge after a write, cleared after a successful bash", async () => {
+    const { provider, seen } = makeScriptedProvider([
+      { tools: [{ name: "write" }] },
+      { tools: [{ name: "bash" }] },
+      { content: "done" },
+    ]);
+    const executor = fixedExecutor({ write: "wrote it", bash: "ok\n\nExit code: 0 (1s)" });
+    const svc = new AgentTurnServiceImpl(provider as never, executor, [] as never);
+    const { params } = buildParams("add a comment");
+    await svc.runTurn(params);
+    // The LLM call after the write should carry the verify nudge.
+    const second = seen[1] ?? [];
+    expect(second.some((m) => (m.content ?? "").includes("Run the verify command"))).toBe(true);
+    // The successful bash exits 0, which clears pendingVerify — so the nudge is
+    // injected exactly once, not repeated on every later call.
+    const finalBatch = seen[seen.length - 1] ?? [];
+    const nudgeCount = finalBatch.filter((m) => (m.content ?? "").includes("Run the verify command")).length;
+    expect(nudgeCount).toBe(1);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("runTurn convergence guard", () => {
+  it("stops after repeated identical read calls", async () => {
+    const script: ScriptedStep[] = [];
+    for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) script.push({ tools: [{ name: "read" }] });
+    const { provider, seen } = makeScriptedProvider(script);
+    const executor = fixedExecutor({ read: "same content" });
+    const svc = new AgentTurnServiceImpl(provider as never, executor, [] as never);
+    const { params, events } = buildParams("read something");
+    await svc.runTurn(params);
+    const warned = events.some((e) => e.kind === "system_note" && /without any progress|repeated/.test(e.message ?? ""));
+    expect(warned).toBe(true);
+    // Not every call got issued — the guard broke early.
+    expect(seen.length).toBeLessThan(script.length);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("runTurn self-review", () => {
+  it("feeds a reviewer critique back as a system message after a mutator", async () => {
+    const { provider, seen } = makeScriptedProvider([
+      { tools: [{ name: "edit" }] },
+      { content: "fixed" },
+    ]);
+    const withChat = provider as unknown as { setChatReply(s: string): void };
+    withChat.setChatReply("- [PRIORITY: high] handle empty input in parse()");
+    const executor = fixedExecutor({ edit: "edited" });
+    const svc = new AgentTurnServiceImpl(provider as never, executor, [] as never);
+    const { params, events } = buildParams("fix parse()");
+    await svc.runTurn(params);
+    // The reviewer critique must have reached the next LLM call's history.
+    const second = seen[1] ?? [];
+    expect(second.some((m) => (m.content ?? "").includes("[Reviewer]"))).toBe(true);
+    // review_usage emitted.
+    expect(events.some((e) => e.kind === "review_usage")).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/features/agent/application/turn_service.ts b/src/features/agent/application/turn_service.ts
index 2d625e1..822e5c7 100644
--- a/src/features/agent/application/turn_service.ts
+++ b/src/features/agent/application/turn_service.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ import {
   mainAgentPromptWithProjectContext,
   compactionPrompt,
   errorRecoveryNote,
+  reviewerPrompt,
 } from "@zesdex/agent";
+import { isComplexRequest } from "@zesdex/workflow";
 import type { ProviderService } from "./ports.ts";
 import type { ToolExecutor } from "./index.ts";
 
@@ -38,11 +40,80 @@ const PROJECT_CONTEXT_MAX_CHARS = 12_000;
 const RULE_FILENAMES = ["AGENTS.md", "agent.md", "CLAUDE.md", "claude.md", ".cursorrules", ".zesdexrules"];
 const COMPACT_KEEP_TAIL = 6;
 
+/** Tools that mutate the filesystem — after these, a verify run is expected. */
+const MUTATOR_TOOLS = new Set(["write", "edit", "delete"]);
+
+/** Consecutive identical, non-progressing tool iterations before the loop stops. */
+const MAX_NO_PROGRESS_STREAK = 4;
+
+/** Self-review is bounded to this many passes per turn. */
+const MAX_REVIEW_PASSES = 1;
+
 /** Whether the output string denotes a tool error. */
 function isErrorOutput(output: string): boolean {
   return output.startsWith("Error:");
 }
 
+/** Extract the numeric exit code from a `bash` tool result, or null if not a failure (0). */
+export function bashExitCode(output: string): number | null {
+  const match = output.match(/Exit code:\s*(\d+)/);
+  if (!match) return null;
+  const code = Number(match[1]);
+  return Number.isInteger(code) && code >= 0 ? code : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Whether a tool result is a real failure. `Error:` prefixes cover most tools;
+ * a `bash` command that exits non-zero returns an `Exit code: N` line instead.
+ */
+export function isToolFailure(toolName: string, output: string): boolean {
+  if (isErrorOutput(output)) return true;
+  if (toolName === "bash" || toolName === "bash_output") {
+    const code = bashExitCode(output);
+    if (code === null) return false; // no exit-code line → no signal
+    return code !== 0;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Best-effort derivation of the repository's verify command from convention
+ * manifests. Defaults to a safe lint+test invocation for Bun.
+ */
+export function deriveVerifyCommand(root: string): string {
+  const fs = require("node:fs");
+  // Bun project: prefer an explicit `check` (typecheck) script then test.
+  try {
+    const pkg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(`${root}/package.json`, "utf8")) as {
+      scripts?: Record<string, string>;
+    };
+    const s = pkg?.scripts ?? {};
+    const parts: string[] = [];
+    if (s["check"] && typeof s["check"] === "string") parts.push(`bun run check`);
+    else if (s["typecheck"] && typeof s["typecheck"] === "string") parts.push(`bun run typecheck`);
+    if (s["lint"] && typeof s["lint"] === "string") parts.push(`bun run lint`);
+    if (s["test"] && typeof s["test"] === "string") parts.push(`bun run test`);
+    if (parts.length > 0) return parts.join(" && ");
+  } catch {
+    /* no package.json — fall through */
+  }
+  // Rust project.
+  try {
+    if (fs.existsSync(`${root}/Cargo.toml`)) return "cargo check && cargo test";
+  } catch {
+    /* ignore */
+  }
+  // Java/Maven.
+  try {
+    if (fs.existsSync(`${root}/pom.xml`) || fs.existsSync(`${root}/build.gradle`)) {
+      return "mvn test";
+    }
+  } catch {
+    /* ignore */
+  }
+  return "bun run check && bun test";
+}
+
 /** Truncate a long tool output, preserving the head + truncation marker. */
 export function truncateToolOutput(output: string): string {
   if (output.length <= TOOL_OUTPUT_MAX_CHARS) return output;
@@ -136,7 +207,7 @@ async function executeToolCall(
     output = `Error: ${(e as Error).message}`;
   }
 
-  const isError = isErrorOutput(output);
+  const isError = isToolFailure(name, output);
   const truncated = truncateToolOutput(output);
 
   sink.push({
@@ -268,18 +339,43 @@ export class AgentTurnServiceImpl {
     const abort = params.abort;
     const { in_flight } = params;
 
-    // Insert system prompt at index 0 with repo conventions loaded.
-    const projectContext = buildProjectContext(params.workspace_roots[0] ?? ".");
-    const systemPrompt = mainAgentPromptWithProjectContext(projectContext);
+    // Insert system prompt at index 0 with repo conventions + verify command.
+    const root = params.workspace_roots[0] ?? ".";
+    const projectContext = buildProjectContext(root);
+    const verifyCommand = deriveVerifyCommand(root);
+    const systemPrompt = mainAgentPromptWithProjectContext(projectContext, verifyCommand);
     params.messages.unshift(systemMessage(systemPrompt));
     const originalCount = params.messages.length;
 
     // Estimate request complexity from the last user message.
     const last = params.messages[params.messages.length - 1];
     const requestLen = last?.content?.length ?? 0;
+    const userText = last?.content ?? "";
+
+    // Complexity steering: a one-shot directive so the model picks the right
+    // depth instead of relying on prose memory. Pure and cheap.
+    const complex = isComplexRequest(userText);
+    this.push(sink, {
+      kind: "system_note",
+      systemKind: "info",
+      message: complex ? "Complex request detected — plan before executing." : "Simple request — keep tool use minimal.",
+    });
+    params.messages.push(
+      systemMessage(
+        complex
+          ? "[Flow] This request is flagged as complex. Enter a short plan with `plan_enter` and track steps with `todowrite` before starting edits."
+          : "[Flow] This request looks simple. If you can answer directly without tools, do so — do not spawn agents or workflows for it.",
+      ),
+    );
 
     const errors = new ErrorTracker();
     let sawToolCalls = false;
+    let sawMutator = false;
+    let pendingVerify = false;
+    let verifyPrompted = false;
+    let noProgressStreak = 0;
+    let lastSignature: string | null = null;
+    let reviewPasses = 0;
 
     for (let iteration = 0; iteration < MAX_TURN_ITERATIONS; iteration++) {
       // Check abort flag.
@@ -293,6 +389,26 @@ export class AgentTurnServiceImpl {
         break;
       }
 
+      // Convergence guard: bail out of a loop stuck re-issuing the same call.
+      if (noProgressStreak >= MAX_NO_PROGRESS_STREAK) {
+        this.push(sink, {
+          kind: "system_note",
+          systemKind: "warn",
+          message: "Stopping: the same tool call is being repeated without any progress.",
+        });
+        break;
+      }
+
+      // Verify-after-edit: nudge the model to run the check before concluding.
+      if (pendingVerify && !verifyPrompted) {
+        params.messages.push(
+          systemMessage(
+            `[Flow] You just modified files. Run the verify command via \`bash\` now (${verifyCommand}) and resolve any failures before concluding your turn.`,
+          ),
+        );
+        verifyPrompted = true;
+      }
+
       // Auto-compact oversized history before the LLM call.
       await this.autoCompactIfNeeded(params.messages);
 
@@ -343,12 +459,44 @@ export class AgentTurnServiceImpl {
             return seq;
           })();
 
+      let mutated = false;
+      let verified = false;
+      let batchSignature = "";
       for (let i = 0; i < toolCalls.length; i++) {
         const tc = toolCalls[i]!;
         const output = outputs[i]!;
-        if (isErrorOutput(output)) errors.record(tc.function.name, output, params.messages);
+        if (isToolFailure(tc.function.name, output)) errors.record(tc.function.name, output, params.messages);
+        if (MUTATOR_TOOLS.has(tc.function.name)) {
+          mutated = true;
+          sawMutator = true;
+        }
+        if ((tc.function.name === "bash" || tc.function.name === "bash_output") && bashExitCode(output) === 0) {
+          verified = true;
+        }
+        // Batch signature: concat of tool+output for no-progress detection.
+        batchSignature += `${tc.function.name}${output.length}`;
         params.messages.push(toolResultMessage(tc.id, output));
       }
+
+      // No-progress: byte-identical batch (same tools, same output lengths) → streak.
+      if (toolCalls.length === 1 && batchSignature === lastSignature) noProgressStreak += 1;
+      else noProgressStreak = 0;
+      lastSignature = batchSignature;
+
+      if (mutated) {
+        pendingVerify = true;
+        verifyPrompted = false; // allow a fresh nudge after the next edit batch
+      }
+      if (verified) {
+        pendingVerify = false; // a successful bash run satisfies the verify nudge
+        verifyPrompted = false;
+      }
+
+      // Bounded self-review pass after file mutations (at most one per turn).
+      if (sawMutator && reviewPasses < MAX_REVIEW_PASSES && !abort.signal.aborted) {
+        reviewPasses += 1;
+        await this.reviewWork(params.messages, abort, sink);
+      }
     }
 
     // Remove the synthetic sys_msg before emitting to the transcript.
@@ -357,4 +505,30 @@ export class AgentTurnServiceImpl {
     this.push(sink, { kind: "done" });
     in_flight.value = false;
   }
+
+  /** Run one bounded self-review of the work so far and feed critique back. */
+  private async reviewWork(
+    messages: ChatMessage[],
+    abort: AbortController,
+    sink: TurnEventSink,
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    if (abort.signal.aborted) return;
+    try {
+      const result = await this.provider.chat(
+        [systemMessage(reviewerPrompt())],
+        undefined,
+        1024,
+        0.3,
+      );
+      const critique = result.message.content ?? "";
+      if (result.usage) {
+        this.push(sink, { kind: "review_usage", tokens_in: result.usage[0], tokens_out: result.usage[1] });
+      }
+      if (critique.trim() === "" || critique.trim().toUpperCase() === "NO ISSUES FOUND") return;
+      // Feed the critique back as a system message so the next iteration resolves it.
+      messages.push(systemMessage(`[Reviewer]\n${critique.trim()}`));
+    } catch {
+      /* review is best-effort — non-fatal */
+    }
+  }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/features/agent/domain/prompt.test.ts b/src/features/agent/domain/prompt.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4561d12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/features/agent/domain/prompt.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+/**
+ * Tests pinning the rewritten prompts to be consistent with the REAL tool
+ * inventory: they must never reference the phantom `explore_codebase`, must
+ * list real tool names, and must carry the concrete verify command.
+ */
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import {
+  mainAgentPrompt,
+  mainAgentPromptWithProjectContext,
+  subagentDirective,
+  compactionPrompt,
+  reviewerPrompt,
+  consensusSynthesizerPrompt,
+  errorRecoveryNote,
+} from "./prompt.ts";
+
+/** All real tool names (mirrors registry.allTools()). */
+const REAL_TOOLS = new Set([
+  "read", "write", "edit", "delete",
+  "grep", "glob", "semantic_search", "rebuild_index", "list_symbols",
+  "bash", "bash_output", "bash_kill", "git_operator", "git_worktree", "git_cred",
+  "cd", "dir_list", "dir_cache_update",
+  "plan_enter", "plan_ready", "sequential_think", "todowrite", "todofinish",
+  "workflow_run", "hive_mind", "note_finding", "read_findings",
+  "spawn_agents", "spawn_pipeline", "parallel_delegate",
+  "remember", "forget", "recall",
+  "web_search", "best_practice", "commit_convention", "pong",
+]);
+
+describe("prompt tool-consistency", () => {
+  test("main prompt never references non-existent explore_codebase", () => {
+    expect(mainAgentPrompt()).not.toContain("explore_codebase");
+  });
+
+  test("every backticked tool token in the main prompt is a real tool", () => {
+    const s = mainAgentPrompt();
+    const backticks = s.match(/`([a-z_]+)`/g) ?? [];
+    const tokens = backticks.map((t) => t.slice(1, -1));
+    // `plan` and `verify` appear in backticks as prose (a command/word), not tools.
+    const proseWords = new Set(["plan", "verify", "check"]);
+    const ghosts = tokens.filter((t) => !REAL_TOOLS.has(t) && !proseWords.has(t));
+    expect(ghosts).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  test("main prompt anchors the key real tools", () => {
+    const s = mainAgentPrompt();
+    for (const tool of ["plan_enter", "todowrite", "workflow_run", "spawn_agents", "hive_mind", "recall", "remember"]) {
+      expect(s).toContain(tool);
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("verify command is injected as a concrete line when provided", () => {
+    const s = mainAgentPrompt("bun run check && bun test");
+    expect(s).toContain("VERIFY COMMAND");
+    expect(s).toContain("bun run check && bun test");
+  });
+
+  test("without a verify command, no VERIFY COMMAND block is emitted", () => {
+    expect(mainAgentPrompt()).not.toContain("VERIFY COMMAND");
+  });
+
+  test("project-context variant appends the context block", () => {
+    const s = mainAgentPromptWithProjectContext("## Rules\nno threads", "bun test");
+    expect(s).toContain("## PROJECT CONTEXT");
+    expect(s).toContain("no threads");
+    expect(s).toContain("bun test");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("subagentDirective", () => {
+  test("includes the directive, cwd, root, and access tier", () => {
+    const s = subagentDirective("make the button green", "/p", "/p/src", "read");
+    expect(s).toContain("make the button green");
+    expect(s).toContain("/p");
+    expect(s).toContain("READ-ONLY");
+  });
+
+  test("no-tier call defaults to full access", () => {
+    const s = subagentDirective("do it", "/p", "/p");
+    expect(s).toContain("full tool set");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("other prompts", () => {
+  test("compaction asks for structured sections", () => {
+    expect(compactionPrompt()).toContain("## Requests");
+    expect(compactionPrompt()).toContain("## Work done");
+  });
+
+  test("reviewer emits NO ISSUES FOUND sentinel contract", () => {
+    expect(reviewerPrompt()).toContain("NO ISSUES FOUND");
+  });
+
+  test("consensus synthesizer covers the four sections", () => {
+    const s = consensusSynthesizerPrompt();
+    expect(s).toContain("AGREEMENTS");
+    expect(s).toContain("CONFLICTS");
+    expect(s).toContain("KEY FINDINGS");
+    expect(s).toContain("RECOMMENDATION");
+  });
+
+  test("error recovery note is present", () => {
+    expect(errorRecoveryNote("read", "nope")).toContain("[System note]");
+  });
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/features/agent/domain/prompt.ts b/src/features/agent/domain/prompt.ts
index 27b3914..8b18821 100644
--- a/src/features/agent/domain/prompt.ts
+++ b/src/features/agent/domain/prompt.ts
@@ -1,32 +1,54 @@
-/** System prompts and directive templates. Mirrors `agent/prompt.rs`. */
+/**
+ * System prompts and directive templates. Mirrors `agent/prompt.rs`.
+ *
+ * Every string here is written against the REAL built-in tool inventory
+ * (see `infrastructure/tools/registry.ts`). There is intentionally no
+ * reference to a hypothetical `explore_codebase`; orientation is done through
+ * the actual `read` / `grep` / `glob` / `semantic_search` tools.
+ */
+
+const MUTATOR_TOOLS = "`write`, `edit`, `delete`";
+
+/** Shared operating rules referenced by main and sub-agent prompts. */
+const SHARED_DISCIPLINE = `TOOL DISCIPLINE:
+- Tool failures arrive prefixed with \`Error:\`. A \`bash\` command that exits non-zero returns an \`Exit code: N\` line (NOT an \`Error:\` prefix) — treat a non-zero exit the same as a failure.
+- Read before you write: never edit a file you have not read first.
+- Make the smallest correct change. Do not rewrite large sections unless the task explicitly calls for it.
+- Do not re-read files whose contents are already in your context. Prefer targeted \`grep\`/\`read\` over broad scans (\`glob\`, \`semantic_search\`) once you know where the code lives.
+- Follow the repository conventions from the PROJECT CONTEXT block when present.`;
 
 /** Build the main-agent system prompt. */
-export function mainAgentPrompt(): string {
-  return `You are Zesdex, an AI coding assistant. You have access to various tools via native function calling to help the user.
+export function mainAgentPrompt(verifyCommand?: string): string {
+  return `You are Zesdex, an autonomous AI coding agent. You help by doing real work against the user's repository using native function-calling tools.
 
-TOKEN BUDGET — BE EFFICIENT:
-- For simple/factual questions, answer directly. Do NOT call tools.
-- For complex or unfamiliar code tasks, call \`explore_codebase\` ONCE at the start to locate relevant code, then work from that context.
-- Keep tool usage minimal: prefer \`grep\`/\`glob\`/\`read\` for targeted lookups; avoid re-reading files you already have in context.
-- Keep responses concise; do not repeat tool output verbatim.
+HOW TO WORK (choose the lightest sufficient path):
+1. Simple or factual: answer directly. Do NOT call tools.
+2. Needs code context: orient ONCE with \`read\`/\`grep\`/\`glob\` (or \`semantic_search\` for fuzzy questions), then work from that context.
+3. Multi-step or complex: enter a plan with \`plan_enter\`, track steps with \`todowrite\`, then execute.
+4. Genuinely parallel or multi-angle exploration: prefer \`workflow_run\`, \`spawn_agents\`, \`parallel_delegate\`, or \`hive_mind\`. Do NOT spawn agents for work you can do directly in a few steps.
 
-CRITICAL DIRECTIVES & PRIORITY HIERARCHY:
-1. WORKFLOW FIRST: For any multi-step, complex, or non-trivial task, you MUST prioritise using \`workflow_run\` (to construct and execute a multi-phase YAML workflow) or \`hive_mind\` (to orchestrate parallel autonomous agents). Workflows are your primary strategy.
-2. PLANNING & TODOs: Use \`plan_enter\` to establish high-level architectural plans and \`todowrite\` to maintain granular task checklists.
-3. REASONING: Use \`seq_think\` for deep step-by-step analysis.
-4. TOOL EXECUTION: Execute individual tools (file edits, terminal commands) within or guided by your workflows. If an error occurs, analyse and fix it.
+${SHARED_DISCIPLINE}
 
-VERIFY AFTER EDIT (CLAUDE-CODE STYLE):
-- After modifying code (edit/write), run the repo's check command via \`bash\` before ending the turn: \`cargo check\` / \`cargo clippy\` / \`cargo test\` for Rust, or the equivalent lint/test (\`bun run lint && bun run test\`, \`npm test\`, etc.) for other stacks. Pick the project's actual verify command (see PROJECT CONTEXT / AGENTS.md when present).
-- If the check fails, fix the errors you can see and re-run; only end the turn after the check passes or you cannot resolve a failure yourself (then report it explicitly).
-- Do NOT claim code compiles or works without running a real check.
+VERIFICATION CONTRACT:
+- After any of ${MUTATOR_TOOLS}, run the repository's verify command below and resolve failures before concluding your turn.
+- Only claim code compiles or tests pass after running a real check.
+${verifyCommand ? `\nVERIFY COMMAND (run via \`bash\`):\n${verifyCommand}` : ""}
 
-Respond conversationally, concisely, and helpfully.`;
+OUTPUT CONTRACT:
+- End with a concise summary of what you did and an explicit next step. Do not dump raw tool output into your reply.
+- If you cannot complete something, state exactly what is blocking you.
+- Reply in the same language the user writes in.
+
+MEMORY:
+- At the start of a task, \`recall\` memory that may be relevant; use \`remember\` to store any hard-won insight or lesson worth keeping.`;
 }
 
-/** Main-agent prompt with an injected `## PROJECT CONTEXT` block. Empty context → base prompt. */
-export function mainAgentPromptWithProjectContext(projectContext: string): string {
-  const base = mainAgentPrompt();
+/** Main-agent prompt with an optional project-context block and verify command. */
+export function mainAgentPromptWithProjectContext(
+  projectContext: string,
+  verifyCommand?: string,
+): string {
+  const base = mainAgentPrompt(verifyCommand);
   const context = projectContext.trim();
   if (context === "") return base;
   return `${base}
@@ -35,29 +57,51 @@ export function mainAgentPromptWithProjectContext(projectContext: string): strin
 ${context}`;
 }
 
-/** Build a subagent directive prompt. */
-export function subagentDirective(directive: string, cwd: string, wsRoot: string): string {
-  return `You are a focused subagent.
+/** Build a subagent directive prompt. Access tier tells the subagent its limits. */
+export function subagentDirective(
+  directive: string,
+  cwd: string,
+  wsRoot: string,
+  access: "read" | "write" | "full" = "full",
+): string {
+  const tierNote =
+    access === "read"
+      ? "You have READ-ONLY tools: you may inspect files and search, but must NOT modify anything."
+      : access === "write"
+        ? "You have WRITE tools (file edits) but NOT shell or network execution."
+        : "You have the full tool set.";
+  return `You are a focused subagent working autonomously on a single directive.
 
 Current directory (PWD): ${cwd}
 Workspace root: ${wsRoot}
+Access tier: ${access} — ${tierNote}
 
-Your directive:
+${SHARED_DISCIPLINE}
+
+Your directive (source of truth — follow it exactly):
 ${directive}
 
-Complete the directive autonomously using the tools available to you. Return your final answer when done.`;
+Complete the directive autonomously with the tools available to you. When done, return a concise final answer that reports what you changed (or found) and any open issues. Do not ask for permission; act within your access tier.`;
 }
 
 /** Build a conversation-compaction prompt. */
 export function compactionPrompt(): string {
-  return `You are a helpful assistant summarising conversation history. Provide a concise summary of the key user requests, decisions, tools executed, and modified files. Format as a clear bulleted list.`;
+  return `You are condensing a long conversation to preserve context continuity without losing important detail.
+
+Produce a concise markdown recap with these sections (skip any section that has no content):
+- ## Requests: what the user asked for.
+- ## Decisions: important choices made and why.
+- ## Work done: tools executed and files created or modified (with paths).
+- ## Open threads: unresolved items, pending questions, or what is still to do.
+
+Be precise about file paths and current state. Do not invent details not present in the conversation.`;
 }
 
 /** Directive for a lightweight context-scout subagent. */
 export function exploreScoutDirective(): string {
   return `You are a codebase context scout. Given the workspace root, quickly locate the code that is most relevant to the user's request:
-1. Run semantic_search once with the user's key terms.
-2. Read up to the 3 most relevant files (use grep for symbols if needed).
+1. Search for the relevant symbols/terms with \`grep\` or \`glob\`; use \`semantic_search\` only when the query is fuzzy.
+2. Read up to the 3 most relevant files.
 3. Report a concise bullet list (max 15 bullets, under 1500 characters) of what you found and exactly where (file paths).
 Do NOT rebuild the index. Do NOT enumerate unrelated files. Be brief.`;
 }
@@ -65,4 +109,31 @@ Do NOT rebuild the index. Do NOT enumerate unrelated files. Be brief.`;
 /** System note injected after repeated tool errors. */
 export function errorRecoveryNote(toolName: string, lastError: string): string {
   return `[System note] The tool \`${toolName}\` failed repeatedly with: "${lastError}". Try an alternative approach (verify paths, correct arguments, use a different tool, or finish without this tool). Do NOT retry the same call.`;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+/** System prompt for the optional single-pass self-review after edits. */
+export function reviewerPrompt(): string {
+  return `You are a code reviewer for an autonomous agent's work-in-progress. You are shown the conversation and the changes made so far.
+
+Critique the work for:
+- CORRECTNESS: would the changes work as intended? any obvious bugs, edge cases, or missing pieces?
+- SPEC COMPLIANCE: did the agent actually do what was asked, or did it drift?
+- QUALITY: are the changes minimal, conventional, and consistent with the repository's style?
+
+Return a tight list of the most important ACTIONABLE issues only, each as:
+- [PRIORITY: high|medium] <one concrete fix>, e.g. "high: handle empty input in parse()" or "medium: run the tests; they reference a removed export".
+
+Do NOT praise the work. Do NOT restate the plan. If the work is already correct and complete, return exactly the single line "NO ISSUES FOUND". Be concrete enough that a next iteration can act without re-deriving context.`;
+}
+
+/** System prompt for reconciling multi-node hive-mind outputs into one consensus. */
+export function consensusSynthesizerPrompt(): string {
+  return `You are a consensus synthesizer for a multi-agent hive mind. Several independent nodes analysed a problem and produced the outputs below. Distill them into ONE coherent consensus report with these sections:
+- AGREEMENTS: points multiple nodes converge on.
+- CONFLICTS: contradictory conclusions, with which node(s) support each side.
+- KEY FINDINGS: the most important, actionable takeaways.
+- RECOMMENDATION: a single recommended next action, or 'no clear consensus' if the outputs are too divergent.
+
+Be concise and factual. If a node errored, note it and ignore its content.
+Do not invent facts not present in the node outputs.`;
+}
diff --git a/src/features/workflow/infrastructure/synthesis.ts b/src/features/workflow/infrastructure/synthesis.ts
index ba2fa34..dd59be7 100644
--- a/src/features/workflow/infrastructure/synthesis.ts
+++ b/src/features/workflow/infrastructure/synthesis.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
  */
 import type { NodeOutput } from "@zesdex/workflow";
 import type { ToolCtx } from "../../agent/infrastructure/tools/mod.ts";
+import { consensusSynthesizerPrompt } from "@zesdex/agent";
 import { MAX_NODE_OUTPUT_CHARS } from "./engine.ts";
 
 /**
@@ -33,16 +34,7 @@ export async function synthesizeConsensus(
 
   const systemMsg = {
     role: "system" as const,
-    content: "You are a consensus synthesizer for a multi-agent hive mind. " +
-      "Several independent nodes analysed a problem and produced the outputs " +
-      "below. Distill them into ONE coherent consensus report with these sections:\n" +
-      "- AGREEMENTS: points multiple nodes converge on.\n" +
-      "- CONFLICTS: contradictory conclusions, with which node(s) support each side.\n" +
-      "- KEY FINDINGS: the most important, actionable takeaways.\n" +
-      "- RECOMMENDATION: a single recommended next action, or 'no clear consensus' " +
-      "if the outputs are too divergent.\n" +
-      "Be concise and factual. If a node errored, note it and ignore its content.\n" +
-      "Do not invent facts not present in the node outputs.",
+    content: consensusSynthesizerPrompt(),
   };
 
   const userMsg = {