reflection: catch-up cadence so a missed boundary cannot be lost

is_multiple_of fired only at the exact boundary turn; an interrupt, a
failed pass, or a restart rehydrating past it lost the cadence forever
and the N+25 pass never ran. The reflection tree now holds a marker of
the last successful and last attempted turns; a due-but-missed pass
stays due, and a failed one backs off five turns instead of burning a
call per turn. Outcomes are recorded from on_response.

src/core/reflection/mod.rs

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 //!   command both go through this seam).
 //!
 
+use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
@@ -87,6 +88,20 @@ pub struct ReflectionEngine {
     max_tokens: Option<u32>,
 }
 
+/// The cadence's state on disk: which turn a pass last succeeded at, and
+/// which turn one last failed at. Written to the reflection tree after every
+/// due check, so a boundary missed by an interrupt or a failed pass is caught
+/// up on later, and the fact of the pass survives restarts.
+#[derive(Clone, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ReflectionMarker {
+    pub last_succeeded_turn: u32,
+    pub last_attempted_turn: u32,
+}
+
+/// Turns to wait after a failed pass before trying again. A model error at
+/// the boundary must not burn a call on every turn until it clears.
+pub const REFLECTION_RETRY_BACKOFF_TURNS: u32 = 5;
+
 impl ReflectionEngine {
     pub fn new(
         agents: Arc<AgentInventory>,
@@ -104,6 +119,43 @@ impl ReflectionEngine {
         }
     }
 
+    /// The cadence's own tree is where a pass's state belongs: it exists
+    /// because the pass exists, and a marker there is legible in `git log`
+    /// alongside her conclusions.
+    fn marker_path(&self, primary_id: &str) -> PathBuf {
+        self.agents
+            .cadence_memory_root(primary_id, Cadence::Reflection)
+            .join("system/reflection-last.json")
+    }
+
+    /// Read the cadence state. A missing or unreadable marker reads as a
+    /// fresh cadence: the first pass is due at the configured interval.
+    pub fn marker(&self, primary_id: &str) -> ReflectionMarker {
+        std::fs::read_to_string(self.marker_path(primary_id))
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|raw| serde_json::from_str(&raw).ok())
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+    }
+
+    /// Record a due check's outcome. `succeeded` updates the last-successful
+    /// turn (resetting the cadence); a failure records the attempt so the
+    /// retry backs off rather than firing every turn.
+    pub fn record_marker(&self, primary_id: &str, turn: u32, succeeded: bool) {
+        let path = self.marker_path(primary_id);
+        let mut marker = self.marker(primary_id);
+        if succeeded {
+            marker.last_succeeded_turn = turn;
+        } else {
+            marker.last_attempted_turn = turn;
+        }
+        if let Some(parent) = path.parent() {
+            let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(parent);
+        }
+        if let Ok(raw) = serde_json::to_string_pretty(&marker) {
+            let _ = std::fs::write(&path, raw);
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Run a reflection pass over `messages` for `agent_id`. Returns a
     /// report; any ledger/memory writes have already been committed by
     /// the memory sensor.

src/server/consciousness_engine.rs

@@ -235,6 +235,7 @@ impl ConsciousnessEngine {
     /// to reflect on a different rhythm silently kept everyone else's.
     async fn reflection_due(&self, agent_id: &str, turn_count: u32) -> bool {
         use crate::core::config::ReflectionTrigger;
+        use crate::core::reflection::REFLECTION_RETRY_BACKOFF_TURNS;
 
         if turn_count == 0 {
             return false;
@@ -249,10 +250,20 @@ impl ConsciousnessEngine {
         }
         match trigger {
             ReflectionTrigger::Off => false,
-            ReflectionTrigger::StepCount => turn_count.is_multiple_of(interval as u32),
-            // Compaction-driven reflection has no signal wired to it yet; the
-            // step rhythm is the honest fallback rather than never firing.
-            ReflectionTrigger::CompactionEvent => turn_count.is_multiple_of(interval as u32),
+            // Catch-up, not one-shot. `is_multiple_of` fired only at the
+            // exact boundary: an interrupted turn, a failed pass, or a
+            // restart that rehydrated past it lost the cadence forever —
+            // the N+25 pass never ran while the surfaces counted dozens of
+            // turns. A due-but-missed pass stays due; a failed one retries
+            // after a short backoff so a sick model cannot burn a call on
+            // every turn.
+            ReflectionTrigger::StepCount | ReflectionTrigger::CompactionEvent => {
+                let marker = self.reflection.marker(agent_id);
+                turn_count >= interval as u32
+                    && turn_count >= marker.last_succeeded_turn + interval as u32
+                    && turn_count.saturating_sub(marker.last_attempted_turn)
+                        >= REFLECTION_RETRY_BACKOFF_TURNS
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -330,14 +341,17 @@ impl ConsciousnessEngine {
         let pressure = self.pressure_for(agent_id, messages).await;
 
         // ── N+25 reflection ──
-        // Fires at every Nth turn, and the N now comes from config. It was
-        // hardcoded `25` while `ReflectionConfig` carried `enabled`,
+        // Due at the configured interval, with catch-up semantics and the
+        // outcome recorded in the reflection tree (reflection-last.json).
+        // It was hardcoded `25` while `ReflectionConfig` carried `enabled`,
         // `message_interval`, `trigger` and `per_agent` — all four editable in
         // the settings UI, all four printed by the CLI, and only `.model` ever
         // read. Turning it off did not turn it off.
         if self.reflection_due(agent_id, turn_count).await {
             match self.reflection.reflect_now(agent_id, messages).await {
                 Ok(report) => {
+                    self.reflection
+                        .record_marker(agent_id, turn_count, true);
                     let header = if report.exited_cleanly {
                         format!("N+25 reflection ({} turns reviewed)", report.turns_reviewed)
                     } else {
@@ -351,6 +365,8 @@ impl ConsciousnessEngine {
                     });
                 }
                 Err(e) => {
+                    self.reflection
+                        .record_marker(agent_id, turn_count, false);
                     tracing::warn!("N+25 reflection failed: {}", e);
                     events.push(ConsciousnessEvent::Reflection {
                         content: format!(