---
id: T-1619
name: "Filter DEFER'd inceptions from handover Work-in-Progress"
description: >
  Filter DEFER'd inceptions from handover Work-in-Progress

status: work-completed
workflow_type: build
owner: agent
horizon:
tags: []
components: []
related_tasks: []
created: 2026-04-30T16:47:48Z
last_update: '2026-06-11T22:23:53Z'
date_finished: 2026-04-30T16:54:45Z
bvp_scores_proposed:
  - ts: '2026-06-11T22:23:53Z'
    estimator: bvp-estimator-v1-heuristic
    scores:
      D1: 3
      D2: 0
      D3: 0
      D4: 0
      F-RECALL: 1
      F-ORCH: 0
      F3: 0
      F1: 0
      F2: 0
    rationale: D1=3 (body:test-or-audit-check); D2=0 (no-signal); D3=0 
      (no-signal); D4=0 (no-signal); F-RECALL=1 (body:episodic-only); F-ORCH=0 
      (no-signal); F3=0 (no-signal); F1=0 (no-signal); F2=0 (no-signal)
    rubric_sha: e4a00f38e801
---

# T-1619: Filter DEFER'd inceptions from handover Work-in-Progress

## Context

Build follow-up to T-1617 inception (GO 2026-04-30). The inception flagged
that DEFER'd inceptions sit in `.tasks/active/` indefinitely and surface in
"Work in Progress" — even though their decision is final ("park for later,
not done"). T-1617's GO recommendation was Option C: filter DEFER'd tasks
out of WIP queries (smallest reversible change).

Canonical witness: T-1611 — DEFER'd 2026-04-30T08:48Z, still appears in
LATEST.md "Work in Progress" under horizon: now.

Scope: `agents/handover/handover.sh` only. T-1617 named 3 consumers (handover
WIP, Watchtower /tasks, fw task list); the other two are out of T-1619 scope
per "one bug = one task" — file follow-ups if symptoms surface there.

## Acceptance Criteria

### Agent
- [x] `agents/handover/handover.sh` skips DEFER'd inceptions in the Work-in-Progress loop
- [x] Visibility preserved: T-1517's existing "Deferred Inceptions — Watching for Recurrence" section already surfaces them (no new block needed; verified the inception_deferred path still fires via the captured `dec` field, eliminating a redundant per-task file read)
- [x] Regression test added: `tests/unit/handover_filter_deferd_wip.bats` (7 cases — source-level invariant + behavioural pins for DEFER'd inception filtered, DEFER-recommended build NOT filtered, GO inception in-flight NOT filtered)
- [x] All new tests pass (7/7); existing handover tests unchanged (21/21 across handover.bats + handover_phantom + handover_t012)
- [x] `bash -n agents/handover/handover.sh` parses cleanly

## Verification

bash -n agents/handover/handover.sh
bats tests/unit/handover_filter_deferd_wip.bats
grep -Fq "T-1619" agents/handover/handover.sh

## RCA

**Symptom:** Handover "Work in Progress" sections listed DEFER'd inceptions
(canonical witness: T-1611, DEFER'd 2026-04-30T08:48Z) as if they were
actively-worked tasks under `horizon: now`. These tasks have a final
decision; nothing more to do; their presence in WIP misleads agents on
session resume into believing there is in-flight work.

**Root cause:** The WIP loop iterated all active tasks ordered by horizon
without consulting the recorded `**Decision**:` field. T-1517 had added a
"Deferred Inceptions — Watching for Recurrence" section in a separate pass,
but the WIP loop continued to enumerate the same tasks first. The two
representations were not mutually exclusive.

**Why structurally allowed:** No invariant pinned the contract that DEFER'd
inceptions should be excluded from WIP. T-1517 fixed visibility (added the
Deferred section) without fixing the WIP duplication.

**Prevention:**
1. `tests/unit/handover_filter_deferd_wip.bats` — 7 cases pin the filter
   shape: source-level invariant + behavioural cases for DEFER'd inception
   (filtered), DEFER recommendation on a build task (NOT filtered, since
   build has no Decision), GO inception in-flight (NOT filtered).
2. Live re-scan: T-1611 drops from "Work in Progress" on next handover.

**Follow-up:** T-1617's GO recommendation named 3 consumers (handover WIP,
Watchtower /tasks, fw task list). T-1619 covers handover. Whether the same
filter belongs in the Watchtower task list or `fw task list` depends on
whether DEFER'd inceptions visibly clutter those surfaces — file separately
if symptoms surface (per "one bug = one task").

## Decisions

<!-- Record decisions ONLY when choosing between alternatives.
     Skip for tasks with no meaningful choices.
     Format:
     ### [date] — [topic]
     - **Chose:** [what was decided]
     - **Why:** [rationale]
     - **Rejected:** [alternatives and why not]
-->

## Updates

### 2026-04-30T16:47:48Z — task-created [task-create-agent]
- **Action:** Created task via task-create agent
- **Output:** /opt/999-Agentic-Engineering-Framework/.tasks/active/T-1619-filter-deferd-inceptions-from-handover-w.md
- **Context:** Initial task creation

## Reviewer Verdict (v1.5)

- **Scan ID:** R-cb2c2057
- **Timestamp:** 2026-06-02T14:58:41Z
- **Catalogue:** v1.3-seed
- **Overall:** PASS
- **Needs Human:** no
- **Findings:** none
### 2026-04-30T16:54:45Z — status-update [task-update-agent]
- **Change:** status: started-work → work-completed
