v1.14.0-outer-loop: explicit while loop replaces inference recursion

Converts the ad-hoc executeToolPhase → runAssistantTurn recursion into an
explicit while (stepNumber < effectiveCap) loop. A step is one stream-and-
tool-execute iteration; the loop terminates on non-tool finish, step-cap hit,
doom-loop, budget exhaustion, abort, or synthesis success.

MAX_STEPS = 200 hard ceiling (4x old effective limit from budget). Per-agent
steps: field in AGENTS.md frontmatter sets tighter caps (Refactorer: 5,
Architect: 20, others: unset = bounded only by MAX_STEPS). Resolution:
effectiveCap = Math.min(agent.steps ?? Infinity, MAX_STEPS).

executeToolPhase no longer recurses — returns ToolPhaseResult struct
(action: 'continue' | 'paused' | 'synthesis_done') so the caller decides
whether to continue or break. steps: 0 handled as "no tool calls allowed"
via runTextOnlyTurn (one text-only stream phase, tool calls ignored with
warn log).

Step-cap hits produce a sentinel summary (reuses cap_hit kind so
CapHitSentinel.tsx renders without frontend changes; text distinguishes
"Step limit reached" from "Tool budget exhausted"). Doom-loop check migrated
to top of loop body — same predicate, same threshold (3), break instead of
return.

step_start parts are in the schema CHECK but not emitted as message_parts —
writing before the stream phase creates a sequence-0 collision with
partsFromAssistantMessage. Structured log line emitted instead. Adversarial
review caught the collision pre-deploy.

332/332 server tests passing. No frontend changes. No schema changes.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

apps/server/src/services/inference/tool-phase.ts

@@ -19,11 +19,6 @@ import type {
   StreamResult,
   TurnArgs,
 } from './turn.js';
-// v1.12.4: ESM value-import cycle. executeToolPhase recurses into
-// runAssistantTurn which lives in inference.ts. The cycle is safe because
-// the reference is read at call time (inside an async function body), not
-// at module top-level. Node + tsc resolve this cleanly.
-import { runAssistantTurn } from './turn.js';
 // v1.13.13: synthesis pipeline — replaces the immediate recursive turn when
 // any of this batch's tool calls is in SYNTHESIS_TOOLS. Falls through to
 // recursion on synthesis failure (timeout / model error). See module header
@@ -86,6 +81,16 @@ async function executeToolCall(
   }
 }
 
+// v1.14.0: return struct from executeToolPhase so the caller (the outer
+// while loop in turn.ts) can decide whether to continue, break, or handle
+// synthesis. Replaces the recursive call into runAssistantTurn.
+export interface ToolPhaseResult {
+  action: 'continue' | 'paused' | 'synthesis_done';
+  toolCallCount: number;
+  toolCalls: ToolCall[];
+  nextAssistantId: string | null;
+}
+
 export async function executeToolPhase(
   ctx: InferenceContext,
   args: TurnArgs,
@@ -93,8 +98,8 @@ export async function executeToolPhase(
   startedAt: string | null,
   session: Session,
   projectRoot: string
-): Promise<void> {
-  const { sessionId, chatId, assistantMessageId, toolsUsed, signal } = args;
+): Promise<ToolPhaseResult> {
+  const { sessionId, chatId, assistantMessageId } = args;
   const { content, toolCalls, promptTokens, completionTokens } = result;
 
   // v1.11.3: ctx_max comes from llama-swap /upstream/<model>/props, not the
@@ -296,7 +301,12 @@ export async function executeToolPhase(
       { sessionId, chatId, assistantMessageId },
       'inference paused awaiting user input',
     );
-    return;
+    return {
+      action: 'paused' as const,
+      toolCallCount: toolCalls.length,
+      toolCalls,
+      nextAssistantId: null,
+    };
   }
 
   // v1.13.13: synthesis-pipeline branch. When any of this batch's tool calls
@@ -328,30 +338,30 @@ export async function executeToolPhase(
       ...(typeof out?.truncated === 'boolean' ? { truncated: out.truncated } : {}),
       ...(typeof out?.outputPath === 'string' ? { outputPath: out.outputPath } : {}),
     });
-    if (ran) return;
+    if (ran) {
+      return {
+        action: 'synthesis_done' as const,
+        toolCallCount: toolCalls.length,
+        toolCalls,
+        nextAssistantId: null,
+      };
+    }
     // ran === false → synthesis failed (timeout / model error) → fall through
-    // to the standard recursive turn below. The synth message (if created)
+    // to the standard continue path below. The synth message (if created)
     // was already marked status='failed' inside runSynthesisPass.
   }
 
+  // v1.14.0: create the next assistant row and return a continue result.
+  // The caller (outer while loop in turn.ts) handles the iteration.
   const [nextAssistant] = await ctx.sql<{ id: string }[]>`
     INSERT INTO messages (session_id, chat_id, role, content, status, created_at)
     VALUES (${sessionId}, ${chatId}, 'assistant', '', 'streaming', clock_timestamp())
     RETURNING id
   `;
-  await runAssistantTurn(ctx, {
-    sessionId,
-    chatId,
-    assistantMessageId: nextAssistant!.id,
-    // v1.8.2: charge this turn's actual tool invocations against the budget.
-    // One assistant message can emit multiple tool_calls, so we add the run
-    // count, not 1. The next turn's budget check sees the cumulative total.
-    toolsUsed: toolsUsed + result.toolCalls.length,
-    // v1.11.6: append the just-executed tool calls to the per-turn history
-    // so the next runAssistantTurn's doom-loop check can see them. We don't
-    // cap the array length here — per-turn budgets keep it bounded
-    // (typically <30 entries), and slicing happens inside detectDoomLoop.
-    recentToolCalls: [...args.recentToolCalls, ...result.toolCalls],
-    signal,
-  });
+  return {
+    action: 'continue' as const,
+    toolCallCount: toolCalls.length,
+    toolCalls,
+    nextAssistantId: nextAssistant!.id,
+  };
 }