diff --git a/inc/Workspace/Workspace.php b/inc/Workspace/Workspace.php
index 3ce213f..64d2275 100644
--- a/inc/Workspace/Workspace.php
+++ b/inc/Workspace/Workspace.php
@@ -70,22 +70,12 @@ class Workspace {
 	 */
 	private const CLEANUP_SUMMARY_TOP_LIMIT = 10;
 
-	/**
-	 * Default number of workspace entries to size in hygiene reports.
-	 */
-	private const HYGIENE_DEFAULT_SIZE_LIMIT = 1000;
-
 	/**
 	 * Default cap on worktrees scanned for an artifact cleanup dry-run when no
 	 * `limit` is provided. Keeps dry-run bounded and fast on huge workspaces.
 	 */
 	public const ARTIFACT_CLEANUP_DEFAULT_LIMIT = 100;
 
-	/**
-	 * Default metadata reconciliation dry-run page size when pagination is used.
-	 */
-	private const METADATA_RECONCILE_DEFAULT_LIMIT = 100;
-
 	/**
 	 * @var string Resolved workspace path.
 	 */
@@ -366,6 +356,7 @@ private function recover_worktree_identity_from_metadata( array $wt ): array {
 			'repo'        => '',
 			'branch_slug' => null,
 			'is_worktree' => false,
+			'dir_name'    => '',
 		);
 
 		$stored    = array(
@@ -377,13 +368,13 @@ private function recover_worktree_identity_from_metadata( array $wt ): array {
 		$hydrated  = array();
 
 		if ( '' === $repo && '' !== $stored['repo'] ) {
-			if ( (string) ( $parsed['repo'] ?? '' ) === $stored['repo'] ) {
+			if ( $parsed['repo'] === $stored['repo'] ) {
 				$repo       = $stored['repo'];
 				$hydrated[] = 'repo';
 			} else {
 				$conflicts['repo'] = array(
 					'reason'      => 'metadata_repo_does_not_match_handle',
-					'handle_repo' => (string) ( $parsed['repo'] ?? '' ),
+					'handle_repo' => $parsed['repo'],
 					'metadata'    => $stored['repo'],
 				);
 			}
@@ -562,13 +553,7 @@ public function ensure_exists(): array|\WP_Error {
 	 * @type   bool $skip_github If true, only use upstream-gone signal (no API calls).
 	 * @type   string $older_than Optional duration such as 7d, 24h, or 30m. Candidates newer than this are skipped.
 	 * }
-	 * @return array{
-	 *     success: bool,
-	 *     dry_run: bool,
-	 *     candidates: array<int,array>,
-	 *     removed: array<int,array>,
-	 *     skipped: array<int,array>,
-	 * }|\WP_Error
+	 * @return array<string,mixed>|\WP_Error
 	 */
 	public function worktree_cleanup_merged( array $opts = array() ): array|\WP_Error {
 		$dry_run                   = ! empty($opts['dry_run']);
@@ -663,19 +648,25 @@ public function worktree_cleanup_merged( array $opts = array() ): array|\WP_Erro
 		$protected_branches = array( 'main', 'master', 'trunk', 'develop', 'HEAD' );
 		$candidates         = array();
 		$skipped            = array();
-		$github_cache       = array();
-		$all_worktrees      = array_values(array_filter( (array) $listing['worktrees'], fn( $wt ) => empty($wt['is_primary'])));
-		$total_worktrees    = count($all_worktrees);
-		$worktrees          = array_slice($all_worktrees, $offset, $limit);
-		$checked            = 0;
-		$processed          = 0;
-		$removed_count      = 0;
+
+		/** @var array<string,mixed> $github_cache */
+		$github_cache = array();
+
+		$all_worktrees   = array_values(array_filter( (array) $listing['worktrees'], fn( $wt ) => empty($wt['is_primary'])));
+		$total_worktrees = count($all_worktrees);
+		$worktrees       = array_slice($all_worktrees, $offset, $limit);
+		$checked         = 0;
+		$processed       = 0;
+		$removed_count   = 0;
 
 		$this->emit_worktree_cleanup_progress($progress, 'start', '', $checked, $total_worktrees, $candidates, $skipped, $removed_count, $started_at);
 
 		// Fetch + prune each primary once per repo, but keep status/disk probes inside
 		// the row loop so budgeted dry-runs can return partial evidence promptly.
-		$fetched        = array();
+		/** @var array<string,bool> $fetched */
+		$fetched = array();
+
+		/** @var array<string,\WP_Error> $fetch_timeouts */
 		$fetch_timeouts = array();
 
 		foreach ( $worktrees as $wt ) {
@@ -857,7 +848,7 @@ public function worktree_cleanup_merged( array $opts = array() ): array|\WP_Erro
 							'dirty_obsolete_paths' => $obsolete_dirty['paths'],
 							'merge_signal'         => $obsolete_dirty['merge_signal'],
 							'pr_url'               => $obsolete_dirty['pr_url'] ?? null,
-							'default_ref'          => $obsolete_dirty['default_ref'] ?? null,
+							'default_ref'          => $obsolete_dirty['default_ref'],
 							'hint'                 => 'Dirty edits only touch paths the default branch no longer has. After review, rerun cleanup with force=true to remove this worktree.',
 							'created_at'           => $created_at,
 							'metadata'             => $metadata,
@@ -934,7 +925,7 @@ public function worktree_cleanup_merged( array $opts = array() ): array|\WP_Erro
 
 			if ( empty($fetched[ $repo ]) ) {
 				$fetch = $this->run_git($primary_path, 'fetch --prune --quiet origin', self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-				if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($fetch) ) {
+				if ( is_wp_error($fetch) && $this->is_git_timeout_error($fetch) ) {
 					$fetch_timeouts[ $repo ] = $fetch;
 					$skipped[]               = $this->build_worktree_probe_failure_skip($handle, $repo, $branch, $wt_path, $created_at, $metadata, $disk_fields, $fetch);
 					continue;
@@ -978,7 +969,7 @@ public function worktree_cleanup_merged( array $opts = array() ): array|\WP_Erro
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			if ( 'probe-timeout' === ( $signal['signal'] ?? '' ) ) {
+			if ( 'probe-timeout' === $signal['signal'] ) {
 				$skipped[] = array_merge(
 					array(
 						'handle'      => $handle,
@@ -994,7 +985,7 @@ public function worktree_cleanup_merged( array $opts = array() ): array|\WP_Erro
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			if ( 'github-unknown' === ( $signal['signal'] ?? '' ) ) {
+			if ( 'github-unknown' === $signal['signal'] ) {
 				$skipped[] = array_merge(
 					array(
 						'handle'                 => $handle,
@@ -1211,7 +1202,7 @@ private function build_worktree_cleanup_pagination( int $offset, ?int $limit, in
 				null === $budget_context ? null : '--until-budget=' . (string) ( $budget_context['label'] ?? '' ),
 				'--format=json',
 			);
-			$command = implode(' ', array_values(array_filter($parts, fn( $part ) => null !== $part && '' !== $part)));
+			$command = implode(' ', array_values(array_filter($parts, fn( $part ) => null !== $part)));
 		}
 
 		return array(
@@ -1318,12 +1309,12 @@ private function classify_worktree_git_probe_failure( string $handle, string $re
 		}
 
 		$parsed = $this->parse_handle($handle);
-		if ( ! empty($parsed['is_worktree']) && '' !== $repo && (string) ( $parsed['repo'] ?? '' ) !== $repo ) {
+		if ( ! empty($parsed['is_worktree']) && '' !== $repo && $parsed['repo'] !== $repo ) {
 			return array(
 				'reason_code'    => 'owner_repo_mismatch',
-				'reason'         => sprintf('worktree handle repo (%s) does not match inventory repo (%s) - %s: %s', (string) ( $parsed['repo'] ?? '' ), $repo, $safety_outcome, $message),
+				'reason'         => sprintf('worktree handle repo (%s) does not match inventory repo (%s) - %s: %s', $parsed['repo'], $repo, $safety_outcome, $message),
 				'hint'           => 'Run workspace worktree reconcile-metadata --dry-run to review stale registry ownership, then prune or repair the mismatched row.',
-				'handle_repo'    => (string) ( $parsed['repo'] ?? '' ),
+				'handle_repo'    => $parsed['repo'],
 				'inventory_repo' => $repo,
 				'git_error_code' => $error_code,
 			);
@@ -1368,11 +1359,7 @@ private function classify_worktree_git_probe_failure( string $handle, string $re
 	 * @return string
 	 */
 	private function get_wp_error_code( \WP_Error $error ): string {
-		if ( method_exists($error, 'get_error_code') ) {
-			return (string) $error->get_error_code();
-		}
-
-		return isset($error->code) ? (string) $error->code : '';
+		return (string) $error->get_error_code();
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -1382,11 +1369,7 @@ private function get_wp_error_code( \WP_Error $error ): string {
 	 * @return mixed
 	 */
 	private function get_wp_error_data( \WP_Error $error ): mixed {
-		if ( method_exists($error, 'get_error_data') ) {
-			return $error->get_error_data();
-		}
-
-		return $error->data ?? null;
+		return $error->get_error_data();
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -1475,7 +1458,7 @@ public function worktree_bounded_cleanup_eligible_apply( array $opts = array() )
 				'generated_at'   => gmdate('c'),
 				'candidates'     => $batch,
 				'removed'        => array(),
-				'skipped'        => array_values($inventory_skipped),
+				'skipped'        => $inventory_skipped,
 				'summary'        => array(
 					'processed'       => count($batch),
 					'removed'         => 0,
@@ -1499,27 +1482,16 @@ public function worktree_bounded_cleanup_eligible_apply( array $opts = array() )
 
 		$processed       = 0;
 		$removed         = array();
-		$skipped         = array_values($inventory_skipped);
+		$skipped         = $inventory_skipped;
 		$bytes_reclaimed = 0;
 
 		foreach ( $batch as $candidate ) {
 			++$processed;
 			$revalidated = $this->revalidate_bounded_cleanup_eligible_candidate($candidate, $force);
-			if ( is_array($revalidated) && isset($revalidated['skipped']) ) {
+			if ( isset($revalidated['skipped']) ) {
 				$skipped[] = $revalidated['skipped'];
 				continue;
 			}
-			if ( $revalidated instanceof \WP_Error ) {
-				$skipped[] = array(
-					'handle'      => (string) ( $candidate['handle'] ?? '' ),
-					'repo'        => (string) ( $candidate['repo'] ?? '' ),
-					'branch'      => (string) ( $candidate['branch'] ?? '' ),
-					'path'        => (string) ( $candidate['path'] ?? '' ),
-					'reason_code' => $revalidated->get_error_code(),
-					'reason'      => $revalidated->get_error_message(),
-				);
-				continue;
-			}
 
 			$validated = $revalidated;
 			$repo      = (string) ( $validated['repo'] ?? '' );
@@ -1605,8 +1577,8 @@ function () use ( $repo, $branch, $wt_path, $force ) {
 			'evidence'       => array(
 				'elapsed_ms'      => (int) round(( microtime(true) - $started_at ) * 1000),
 				'inventory_total' => count($all_candidates),
-				'removed_handles' => array_values(array_filter(array_map(fn( $row ) => is_array($row) ? (string) ( $row['handle'] ?? '' ) : '', $removed))),
-				'skipped_handles' => array_values(array_filter(array_map(fn( $row ) => is_array($row) ? (string) ( $row['handle'] ?? '' ) : '', $skipped))),
+				'removed_handles' => array_values(array_filter(array_map(fn( $row ) => (string) $row['handle'], $removed))),
+				'skipped_handles' => array_values(array_filter(array_map(fn( $row ) => (string) ( $row['handle'] ?? '' ), $skipped))),
 				'source'          => $source,
 			),
 		);
@@ -1654,6 +1626,7 @@ public function worktree_active_no_signal_report( array $opts = array() ): array
 		$total  = count($active);
 		$page   = array_slice($active, $offset, $limit);
 
+		/** @var array<string,mixed> $github_cache */
 		$github_cache = array();
 		$probe_cache  = array(
 			'default_ref'             => array(),
@@ -1780,7 +1753,7 @@ public function worktree_active_no_signal_finalized_apply( array $opts = array()
 
 			$metadata = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_metadata($row);
 			if ( is_wp_error($metadata) ) {
-				$skipped[] = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_apply_skip($row, $metadata->get_error_code(), $metadata->get_error_message());
+				$skipped[] = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_apply_skip($row, (string) $metadata->get_error_code(), $metadata->get_error_message());
 				continue;
 			}
 
@@ -1873,7 +1846,7 @@ public function worktree_active_no_signal_equivalent_clean_apply( array $opts =
 
 			$metadata = $this->build_active_no_signal_equivalent_clean_metadata($row);
 			if ( is_wp_error($metadata) ) {
-				$skipped[] = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_apply_skip($row, $metadata->get_error_code(), $metadata->get_error_message());
+				$skipped[] = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_apply_skip($row, (string) $metadata->get_error_code(), $metadata->get_error_message());
 				continue;
 			}
 
@@ -1965,7 +1938,7 @@ public function worktree_active_no_signal_merged_apply( array $opts = array() ):
 
 			$metadata = $this->build_active_no_signal_merged_to_default_metadata($row);
 			if ( is_wp_error($metadata) ) {
-				$skipped[] = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_apply_skip($row, $metadata->get_error_code(), $metadata->get_error_message());
+				$skipped[] = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_apply_skip($row, (string) $metadata->get_error_code(), $metadata->get_error_message());
 				continue;
 			}
 
@@ -2057,7 +2030,7 @@ public function worktree_active_no_signal_remote_clean_apply( array $opts = arra
 
 			$metadata = $this->build_active_no_signal_remote_clean_metadata($row);
 			if ( is_wp_error($metadata) ) {
-				$skipped[] = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_apply_skip($row, $metadata->get_error_code(), $metadata->get_error_message());
+				$skipped[] = $this->build_active_no_signal_finalized_apply_skip($row, (string) $metadata->get_error_code(), $metadata->get_error_message());
 				continue;
 			}
 
@@ -2246,7 +2219,7 @@ private function build_active_no_signal_finalized_metadata( array $row ): array|
 				'pr_url'          => $pr_url,
 				'pr_number'       => (int) ( $current_pr['number'] ?? 0 ),
 			),
-			fn( $value ) => null !== $value && '' !== $value
+			fn( $value ) => '' !== $value
 		);
 
 		return $metadata;
@@ -2468,7 +2441,7 @@ private function build_current_remote_tracking_clean_cleanup_evidence( string $h
 
 		$remote_ref = 'refs/remotes/origin/' . $branch;
 		$remote     = $this->run_git($primary_path, sprintf('rev-parse --verify --quiet %s', escapeshellarg($remote_ref)), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-		if ( is_wp_error($remote) || $this->is_git_timeout_error($remote) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($remote) ) {
 			return new \WP_Error('remote_tracking_missing', 'remote tracking branch no longer exists');
 		}
 
@@ -2715,7 +2688,7 @@ private function build_active_no_signal_evidence_row( array $row, array &$github
 				$branch = $head_branch;
 			} else {
 				$branch_probe = $this->run_git($path, 'branch --show-current', self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-				if ( ! is_wp_error($branch_probe) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($branch_probe) ) {
+				if ( ! is_wp_error($branch_probe) ) {
 					$actual_branch = trim( (string) ( $branch_probe['output'] ?? '' ) );
 					if ( '' !== $actual_branch ) {
 						$branch = $actual_branch;
@@ -2787,7 +2760,7 @@ function () use ( $primary_path, $remote_ref, &$probe_cache ) {
 				return $this->cached_active_no_signal_remote_tracking_probe($primary_path, $remote_ref, $probe_cache);
 			}
 		);
-		$out['remote_tracking'] = ! is_wp_error($remote) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($remote);
+		$out['remote_tracking'] = ! is_wp_error($remote);
 
 		$default_ref = $this->time_worktree_probe(
 			$out['probe_timings_ms'],
@@ -2805,7 +2778,7 @@ function () use ( $primary_path, $default_ref, $branch, &$probe_cache ) {
 					return $this->cached_active_no_signal_commits_outside_default_probe($primary_path, $default_ref, $branch, $probe_cache);
 				}
 			);
-			if ( ! is_wp_error($outside) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($outside) ) {
+			if ( ! is_wp_error($outside) ) {
 				$out['commits_outside_default'] = (int) trim( (string) ( $outside['output'] ?? '' ));
 			}
 
@@ -2964,7 +2937,7 @@ private function build_clean_upstream_equivalence_evidence( string $primary_path
 		);
 
 		$cherry = $this->run_git($wt_path, sprintf('cherry %s HEAD', escapeshellarg($default_ref)), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-		if ( ! is_wp_error($cherry) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($cherry) ) {
+		if ( ! is_wp_error($cherry) ) {
 			$lines = array_values(array_filter(array_map('trim', explode("\n", (string) ( $cherry['output'] ?? '' )))));
 			foreach ( $lines as $line ) {
 				if ( str_starts_with($line, '-') ) {
@@ -2983,7 +2956,7 @@ private function build_clean_upstream_equivalence_evidence( string $primary_path
 		}
 
 		$head = $this->run_git($wt_path, 'rev-parse --verify HEAD', self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-		if ( is_wp_error($head) || $this->is_git_timeout_error($head) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($head) ) {
 			return $evidence;
 		}
 
@@ -2993,14 +2966,14 @@ private function build_clean_upstream_equivalence_evidence( string $primary_path
 		}
 
 		$contains = $this->run_git($primary_path, sprintf('branch -r --contains %s', escapeshellarg(trim( (string) ( $head['output'] ?? '' )))), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-		if ( is_wp_error($contains) || $this->is_git_timeout_error($contains) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($contains) ) {
 			return $evidence;
 		}
 
 		$remote_branches = array_values(array_filter(array_map('trim', explode("\n", (string) ( $contains['output'] ?? '' )))));
 		foreach ( $remote_branches as $remote_branch ) {
 			$normalized_remote_branch = preg_replace('/^origin\//', '', $remote_branch);
-			$remote_branch            = '' === $normalized_remote_branch || null === $normalized_remote_branch ? $remote_branch : $normalized_remote_branch;
+			$remote_branch            = null === $normalized_remote_branch ? $remote_branch : $normalized_remote_branch;
 			if ( '' === $remote_branch || str_starts_with($remote_branch, 'HEAD -> ') || $remote_branch === $default_short || $remote_branch === $branch ) {
 				continue;
 			}
@@ -3071,7 +3044,7 @@ private function build_dirty_unpushed_upstream_equivalence_evidence( string $pri
 		);
 
 		$cherry = $this->time_worktree_probe($evidence['probe_timings_ms'], 'git_cherry', fn() => $this->run_git($wt_path, sprintf('cherry %s HEAD', escapeshellarg($default_ref)), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT));
-		if ( ! is_wp_error($cherry) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($cherry) ) {
+		if ( ! is_wp_error($cherry) ) {
 			$lines = array_values(array_filter(array_map('trim', explode("\n", (string) ( $cherry['output'] ?? '' )))));
 			foreach ( $lines as $line ) {
 				if ( str_starts_with($line, '-') ) {
@@ -3087,19 +3060,19 @@ private function build_dirty_unpushed_upstream_equivalence_evidence( string $pri
 
 		$tracked = $this->time_worktree_probe($evidence['probe_timings_ms'], 'tracked_dirty_paths', fn() => $this->run_git($wt_path, 'diff --name-only HEAD', self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT));
 		$paths   = array();
-		if ( ! is_wp_error($tracked) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($tracked) ) {
+		if ( ! is_wp_error($tracked) ) {
 			$paths = array_merge($paths, array_values(array_filter(array_map('trim', explode("\n", (string) ( $tracked['output'] ?? '' ))))));
 		}
 
 		$untracked = $this->time_worktree_probe($evidence['probe_timings_ms'], 'untracked_paths', fn() => $this->run_git($wt_path, 'ls-files --others --exclude-standard', self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT));
-		if ( ! is_wp_error($untracked) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($untracked) ) {
+		if ( ! is_wp_error($untracked) ) {
 			foreach ( array_values(array_filter(array_map('trim', explode("\n", (string) ( $untracked['output'] ?? '' ))))) as $path ) {
 				$paths[] = $path;
 				++$evidence['dirty_paths']['untracked'];
 			}
 		}
 
-		$paths                                 = array_values(array_unique(array_filter($paths, fn( $path ) => '' !== (string) $path)));
+		$paths                                 = array_values(array_unique($paths));
 		$evidence['dirty_paths']['total']      = count($paths);
 		$inspect_paths                         = array_slice($paths, 0, $path_inspection_limit);
 		$evidence['dirty_paths']['inspected']  = count($inspect_paths);
@@ -3150,7 +3123,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_paths_against_default( string $primary_path, str
 		$path_args = implode(' ', array_map('escapeshellarg', $paths));
 		$existing  = $this->run_git($primary_path, sprintf('ls-tree -r --name-only %s -- %s', escapeshellarg($default_ref), $path_args), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
 		$changed   = $this->run_git($wt_path, sprintf('diff --name-only %s -- %s', escapeshellarg($default_ref), $path_args), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-		if ( is_wp_error($existing) || is_wp_error($changed) || $this->is_git_timeout_error($existing) || $this->is_git_timeout_error($changed) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($existing) || is_wp_error($changed) ) {
 			return array();
 		}
 
@@ -3219,7 +3192,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_unpushed_effective_status( array $evidence ): st
 	private function classify_dirty_path_against_default( string $primary_path, string $wt_path, string $default_ref, string $path ): array {
 		$kind   = $this->is_generated_or_artifact_path($path) ? 'generated_or_artifact' : 'source_like';
 		$exists = $this->run_git($primary_path, sprintf('cat-file -e %s', escapeshellarg($default_ref . ':' . $path)), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-		if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($exists) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($exists) && $this->is_git_timeout_error($exists) ) {
 			return array(
 				'path'   => $path,
 				'bucket' => 'unknown',
@@ -3236,7 +3209,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_path_against_default( string $primary_path, stri
 		}
 
 		$diff = $this->run_git($wt_path, sprintf('diff --name-only %s -- %s', escapeshellarg($default_ref), escapeshellarg($path)), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-		if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($diff) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($diff) && $this->is_git_timeout_error($diff) ) {
 			return array(
 				'path'   => $path,
 				'bucket' => 'unknown',
@@ -3374,9 +3347,9 @@ private function describe_active_no_signal_action( array $row ): string {
 	 *
 	 * @param  array $candidate Inventory candidate row.
 	 * @param  bool  $force     Allow dirty worktrees.
-	 * @return array<string,mixed>|\WP_Error
-	 */
-	private function revalidate_bounded_cleanup_eligible_candidate( array $candidate, bool $force ): array|\WP_Error {
+		 * @return array<string,mixed>
+		 */
+	private function revalidate_bounded_cleanup_eligible_candidate( array $candidate, bool $force ): array {
 		$handle  = (string) ( $candidate['handle'] ?? '' );
 		$repo    = (string) ( $candidate['repo'] ?? '' );
 		$branch  = (string) ( $candidate['branch'] ?? '' );
@@ -3425,7 +3398,7 @@ private function revalidate_bounded_cleanup_eligible_candidate( array $candidate
 			);
 		}
 
-		$real_path = (string) $validation['real_path'];
+		$real_path = (string) ( $validation['real_path'] ?? '' );
 		if ( '' === $real_path || ! is_dir($real_path) ) {
 			return array(
 				'skipped' => array(
@@ -3667,7 +3640,7 @@ private function schedule_bounded_cleanup_eligible_chunks( array $batch, array $
 			'continuation'   => $continuation,
 			'evidence'       => array(
 				'elapsed_ms'      => (int) round(( microtime(true) - $started_at ) * 1000),
-				'planned_handles' => array_values(array_filter(array_map(fn( $row ) => is_array($row) ? (string) ( $row['handle'] ?? '' ) : '', $batch))),
+				'planned_handles' => array_values(array_filter(array_map(fn( $row ) => (string) ( $row['handle'] ?? '' ), $batch))),
 				'batch_job_id'    => (int) ( $batch_result['batch_job_id'] ?? 0 ),
 				'direct_job_ids'  => $batch_result['job_ids'] ?? array(),
 				'source'          => $source,
@@ -3857,7 +3830,7 @@ private function build_no_merge_signal_evidence( string $primary_path, string $b
 
 		$remote_ref = 'refs/remotes/origin/' . $branch;
 		$remote     = $this->run_git($primary_path, sprintf('rev-parse --verify --quiet %s', escapeshellarg($remote_ref)), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-		if ( ! is_wp_error($remote) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($remote) ) {
+		if ( ! is_wp_error($remote) ) {
 			$evidence['remote_branch']  = 'still_exists';
 			$evidence['classification'] = 'remote_branch_still_exists';
 		} elseif ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($remote) ) {
@@ -3875,7 +3848,7 @@ private function build_no_merge_signal_evidence( string $primary_path, string $b
 				sprintf('rev-list --count %s..%s', escapeshellarg($default_ref), escapeshellarg('refs/heads/' . $branch)),
 				self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT
 			);
-			if ( ! is_wp_error($outside) && ! $this->is_git_timeout_error($outside) ) {
+			if ( ! is_wp_error($outside) ) {
 				$outside_count                       = (int) trim( (string) ( $outside['output'] ?? '' ));
 				$evidence['commits_outside_default'] = $outside_count;
 				$evidence['local_default_relation']  = 0 === $outside_count ? 'default_contained' : 'has_unique_commits';
@@ -4026,7 +3999,7 @@ private function worktree_cleanup_skipped_next_commands( array $skipped_by_reaso
 	 * @param  string|null $created_at  Lifecycle timestamp.
 	 * @return string|null Stale reason code.
 	 */
-	private function detect_worktree_stale_reason( bool $is_worktree, int $dirty_files, ?int $age_days, ?string $created_at, array $probes = array() ): ?string {
+	protected function detect_worktree_stale_reason( bool $is_worktree, int $dirty_files, ?int $age_days, ?string $created_at, array $probes = array() ): ?string {
 		if ( ! $is_worktree ) {
 			return null;
 		}
@@ -4059,7 +4032,7 @@ private function detect_worktree_stale_reason( bool $is_worktree, int $dirty_fil
 	 * @param  array|null  $metadata    Stored lifecycle/context metadata.
 	 * @return array<string,mixed>
 	 */
-	private function build_worktree_disk_report( string $repo, string $path, bool $is_worktree, ?string $created_at, ?array $metadata ): array {
+	protected function build_worktree_disk_report( string $repo, string $path, bool $is_worktree, ?string $created_at, ?array $metadata ): array {
 		$size_bytes      = $this->estimate_path_size_bytes($path);
 		$last_touched_at = $this->detect_worktree_last_touched_at($path, $metadata, $created_at);
 		$age_days        = $this->calculate_age_days($created_at);
@@ -4183,7 +4156,8 @@ private function classify_artifact_only_dirty_worktree( string $repo, string $pa
 
 			$path_part = trim(substr($line, 3));
 			if ( str_contains($path_part, ' -> ') ) {
-				$path_part = trim( (string) substr(strrchr($path_part, '>'), 1));
+				$rename_target = strrchr($path_part, '>');
+				$path_part     = false === $rename_target ? '' : trim(substr($rename_target, 1));
 			}
 			$path_part = trim($path_part, ' /');
 			if ( '' === $path_part ) {
@@ -4253,8 +4227,7 @@ private function get_worktree_artifact_profile( string $repo, string $path ): ar
 		 * @param string               $repo    Repo name.
 		 * @param string               $path    Worktree path.
 		 */
-		$filtered = apply_filters('datamachine_code_worktree_artifact_profile', $profile, $repo, $path);
-		return is_array($filtered) ? $filtered : $profile;
+		return apply_filters('datamachine_code_worktree_artifact_profile', $profile, $repo, $path);
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -4329,7 +4302,7 @@ private function sort_worktree_cleanup_rows( array $rows, string $sort ): array
 	 * @return array<int,array<string,mixed>>
 	 */
 	private function summarize_top_worktree_rows( array $rows, string $field ): array {
-		$rows = array_values(array_filter($rows, fn( $row ) => isset($row[ $field ]) && null !== $row[ $field ] && (int) $row[ $field ] > 0));
+		$rows = array_values(array_filter($rows, fn( $row ) => isset($row[ $field ]) && (int) $row[ $field ] > 0));
 		usort($rows, fn( $a, $b ) => (int) ( $b[ $field ] ?? 0 ) <=> (int) ( $a[ $field ] ?? 0 ));
 
 		return array_map(
@@ -4542,7 +4515,15 @@ private function remove_worktree_by_path( string $repo, string $branch, string $
 		// A worktree's .git is a FILE pointing at the primary's .git dir.
 		// A directory .git means we're looking at a primary checkout — never
 		// touch those.
-		$git_marker = rtrim($validation['real_path'], '/') . '/.git';
+		$real_path  = (string) ( $validation['real_path'] ?? '' );
+		$git_marker = rtrim($real_path, '/') . '/.git';
+		if ( '' === $real_path ) {
+			return new \WP_Error(
+				'path_outside_workspace',
+				sprintf('Refusing to remove "%s": path did not resolve inside workspace.', $wt_path),
+				array( 'status' => 403 )
+			);
+		}
 		if ( ! is_file($git_marker) ) {
 			return new \WP_Error(
 				'not_a_worktree',
@@ -4551,7 +4532,7 @@ private function remove_worktree_by_path( string $repo, string $branch, string $
 			);
 		}
 
-		$cmd    = sprintf('worktree remove %s%s', $force ? '--force ' : '', escapeshellarg($validation['real_path']));
+		$cmd    = sprintf('worktree remove %s%s', $force ? '--force ' : '', escapeshellarg($real_path));
 		$result = $this->run_git($primary_path, $cmd);
 
 		if ( is_wp_error($result) ) {
@@ -4561,8 +4542,8 @@ private function remove_worktree_by_path( string $repo, string $branch, string $
 		// If the directory survived `git worktree remove` (can happen for
 		// locked worktrees, or when the worktree was already detached), prune
 		// the directory manually so cleanup is effective.
-		if ( is_dir($validation['real_path']) ) {
-			$escaped = escapeshellarg($validation['real_path']);
+		if ( is_dir($real_path) ) {
+			$escaped = escapeshellarg($real_path);
             // phpcs:ignore WordPress.PHP.DiscouragedPHPFunctions.system_calls_exec
 			exec(sprintf('rm -rf %s 2>&1', $escaped));
 		}
@@ -4642,7 +4623,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_obsolete_on_default_branch(
 		// the caller's `$fetched` tracker so this never double-fetches.
 		if ( empty($fetched[ $repo ]) ) {
 			$fetch = $this->run_git($primary_path, 'fetch --prune --quiet origin', self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
-			if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($fetch) ) {
+			if ( is_wp_error($fetch) && $this->is_git_timeout_error($fetch) ) {
 				$fetch_timeouts[ $repo ] = $fetch;
 				return null;
 			}
@@ -4662,7 +4643,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_obsolete_on_default_branch(
 			sprintf('rev-parse --verify --quiet %s', escapeshellarg($default_ref . '^{commit}')),
 			self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT
 		);
-		if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($default_resolve) || is_wp_error($default_resolve) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($default_resolve) ) {
 			return null;
 		}
 
@@ -4687,7 +4668,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_obsolete_on_default_branch(
 		if ( ! is_array($signal) ) {
 			return null;
 		}
-		$signal_kind    = (string) ( $signal['signal'] ?? '' );
+		$signal_kind    = (string) $signal['signal'];
 		$merged_signals = array( 'upstream-gone', 'local-merged', 'pr-merged', 'cleanup_eligible', 'repaired_metadata' );
 		if ( ! in_array($signal_kind, $merged_signals, true) ) {
 			return null;
@@ -4717,7 +4698,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_obsolete_on_default_branch(
 			'diff --name-only HEAD',
 			self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT
 		);
-		if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($tracked) || is_wp_error($tracked) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($tracked) ) {
 			return null;
 		}
 
@@ -4742,7 +4723,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_obsolete_on_default_branch(
 				sprintf('cat-file -e %s', escapeshellarg($default_ref . ':' . $path)),
 				self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT
 			);
-			if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($probe) ) {
+			if ( is_wp_error($probe) && $this->is_git_timeout_error($probe) ) {
 				return null;
 			}
 			if ( is_wp_error($probe) ) {
@@ -4782,7 +4763,7 @@ private function classify_dirty_obsolete_on_default_branch(
 	 * @param  string $repo         Primary repo directory name.
 	 * @param  string $branch       Branch name.
 	 * @param  bool   $skip_github  If true, skip GitHub API lookup.
-	 * @param  array  $github_cache Run-local cache for GitHub repo lookups.
+	 * @param  array<string,mixed> $github_cache Run-local cache for GitHub repo lookups.
 	 * @return array{signal: string, reason: string, pr_url?: string}|null
 	 */
 	private function detect_merge_signal( string $primary_path, string $repo, string $branch, bool $skip_github, array &$github_cache = array() ): ?array {
@@ -4790,7 +4771,7 @@ private function detect_merge_signal( string $primary_path, string $repo, string
 		$format = '%(upstream:track)';
 		$result = $this->run_git($primary_path, sprintf('for-each-ref --format=%s %s', escapeshellarg($format), escapeshellarg($ref)), self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT);
 
-		if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($result) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($result) && $this->is_git_timeout_error($result) ) {
 			return array(
 				'signal' => 'probe-timeout',
 				'reason' => $result->get_error_message(),
@@ -4878,7 +4859,7 @@ private function detect_local_merged_signal( string $primary_path, string $branc
 			sprintf('rev-list --count %s..%s', escapeshellarg($default_ref), escapeshellarg($branch_ref)),
 			self::CLEANUP_GIT_PROBE_TIMEOUT
 		);
-		if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($result) ) {
+		if ( is_wp_error($result) && $this->is_git_timeout_error($result) ) {
 			return array(
 				'signal' => 'probe-timeout',
 				'reason' => $result->get_error_message(),
@@ -4907,11 +4888,8 @@ private function detect_local_merged_signal( string $primary_path, string $branc
 	 */
 	private function resolve_remote_default_ref( string $primary_path, int $timeout_seconds = 0 ): string|\WP_Error|null {
 		$result = $this->run_git($primary_path, 'symbolic-ref --quiet refs/remotes/origin/HEAD', $timeout_seconds);
-		if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($result) ) {
-			return $result;
-		}
 		if ( is_wp_error($result) ) {
-			return null;
+			return $this->is_git_timeout_error($result) ? $result : null;
 		}
 
 		$ref = trim( (string) ( $result['output'] ?? '' ));
@@ -4941,7 +4919,7 @@ private function resolve_github_slug( string $primary_path ): ?string {
 	 *
 	 * @param  string $slug         owner/repo.
 	 * @param  string $branch       Branch name.
-	 * @param  array  $github_cache Run-local cache keyed by owner/repo.
+	 * @param  array<string,mixed> $github_cache Run-local cache keyed by owner/repo.
 	 * @return array|null|\WP_Error PR data, null when no PR matched, or lookup failure.
 	 */
 	private function find_closed_pr_for_branch( string $slug, string $branch, array &$github_cache = array() ): array|\WP_Error|null {
@@ -4966,7 +4944,7 @@ private function find_closed_pr_for_branch( string $slug, string $branch, array
 	 *
 	 * @param  string $slug           owner/repo.
 	 * @param  string $branch         Branch name.
-	 * @param  array  $github_cache   Run-local cache keyed by owner/repo and branch.
+	 * @param  array<string,mixed> $github_cache   Run-local cache keyed by owner/repo and branch.
 	 * @param  bool   $finalized_only If true, ignore open PRs.
 	 * @return array|null|\WP_Error PR data, null when no matching PR exists, or lookup failure.
 	 */
@@ -4982,7 +4960,7 @@ private function find_pr_for_branch_direct( string $slug, string $branch, array
 		}
 
 		$parts = explode('/', $slug, 2);
-		$owner = $parts[0] ?? '';
+		$owner = $parts[0];
 		if ( '' === $owner || empty($parts[1]) ) {
 			$github_cache[ $cache_key ] = null;
 			return null;
@@ -5051,7 +5029,7 @@ private function find_pr_for_branch_direct( string $slug, string $branch, array
 	 * Load and cache closed same-repo PRs for a GitHub repo.
 	 *
 	 * @param  string $slug         owner/repo.
-	 * @param  array  $github_cache Run-local cache keyed by owner/repo.
+	 * @param  array<string,mixed> $github_cache Run-local cache keyed by owner/repo.
 	 * @return array<string,array>|null|\WP_Error Branch-name map, null when GitHub is unavailable, or lookup failure.
 	 */
 	private function get_cleanup_github_lookup( string $slug, array &$github_cache ): array|\WP_Error|null {
@@ -5073,7 +5051,7 @@ private function get_cleanup_github_lookup( string $slug, array &$github_cache )
 		}
 
 		$parts = explode('/', $slug, 2);
-		$owner = $parts[0] ?? '';
+		$owner = $parts[0];
 		if ( '' === $owner || empty($parts[1]) ) {
 			$github_cache[ $slug ] = null;
 			return null;
@@ -5161,7 +5139,7 @@ public function validate_containment( string $target, string $container ): array
 	 * @param  string $url Git URL.
 	 * @return string|null Derived name or null.
 	 */
-	private function derive_repo_name( string $url ): ?string {
+	protected function derive_repo_name( string $url ): ?string {
 		// Handle https://github.com/org/repo.git and git@github.com:org/repo.git
 		$name = basename($url);
 		$name = preg_replace('/\.git$/', '', $name);
@@ -5186,7 +5164,7 @@ private function sanitize_name( string $name ): string {
 	 * @param  string $repo_path       Resolved repository path.
 	 * @param  string $git_args        Git arguments (without leading "git").
 	 * @param  int    $timeout_seconds Optional timeout in seconds.
-	 * @return array
+	 * @return array<string,mixed>|\WP_Error
 	 */
 	private function run_git( string $repo_path, string $git_args, int $timeout_seconds = 0 ): array|\WP_Error {
 		return GitRunner::run($repo_path, $git_args, $timeout_seconds);
@@ -5196,18 +5174,14 @@ private function run_git( string $repo_path, string $git_args, int $timeout_seco
 	 * Determine whether a git result is a timeout error.
 	 *
 	 * @param  mixed $result Git result.
-	 * @return bool
-	 */
+		 * @return bool
+		 */
 	private function is_git_timeout_error( mixed $result ): bool {
 		if ( ! is_wp_error($result) ) {
 			return false;
 		}
 
-		if ( method_exists($result, 'get_error_code') ) {
-			return 'git_command_timeout' === $result->get_error_code();
-		}
-
-		return isset($result->code) && 'git_command_timeout' === $result->code;
+		return 'git_command_timeout' === $result->get_error_code();
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -5252,14 +5226,16 @@ private function count_unpushed_commits( string $wt_path, int $timeout_seconds =
 
 		foreach ( $commands as $command ) {
 			$result = $this->run_git($wt_path, $command, $timeout_seconds);
-			if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($result) ) {
-				return $result;
-			}
-			if ( ! is_wp_error($result) ) {
-				$output = trim( (string) ( $result['output'] ?? '' ));
-				if ( '' !== $output && ctype_digit($output) ) {
-					return (int) $output;
+			if ( is_wp_error($result) ) {
+				if ( $this->is_git_timeout_error($result) ) {
+					return $result;
 				}
+				continue;
+			}
+
+			$output = trim( (string) ( $result['output'] ?? '' ));
+			if ( '' !== $output && ctype_digit($output) ) {
+				return (int) $output;
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -5283,6 +5259,7 @@ private function ensure_group_permissions( string $path ): void {
 		foreach ( $groups as $group ) {
             // phpcs:ignore WordPress.PHP.DiscouragedPHPFunctions.system_calls_exec
 			$exists = exec(sprintf('getent group %s >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo 1 || echo 0', escapeshellarg($group)));
+			$exists = false === $exists ? '' : $exists;
 			if ( '1' === trim($exists) ) {
 				$web_group = $group;
 				break;
@@ -5349,7 +5326,7 @@ private function protect_directory( string $path ): void {
 	 * @param  string $path Absolute path of the entry that changed.
 	 * @return void
 	 */
-	private function emit_workspace_changed( string $op, string $repo, string $name, string $path ): void {
+	protected function emit_workspace_changed( string $op, string $repo, string $name, string $path ): void {
 		/**
 		 * Fires after a successful Workspace mutation lands on disk.
 		 *