Loop daemon: bake resolved node/claude PATH into pr-loop.service unit

.claude/scripts/arm-loop.sh

@@ -111,6 +111,26 @@ fi
 rc_name="${rc_name:-$repo_slug-planner}"
 claude_dir="$(dirname "$claude_bin")"
 
+# Same rationale as claude_bin above, plus issue #107: the installed
+# pr-loop.service unit (the loop daemon itself, NOT claude-rc) previously got
+# NO baked PATH at all and ran under systemd's minimal PATH — which has `gh`
+# but neither `node` nor `claude`, silently stalling node-dependent tick steps
+# (loop-census.sh, merge-ready.sh, write_tick_record) until the daemon's own
+# runtime ensure_claude_on_path fallback (loop-daemon.sh) kicked in. Bake the
+# resolved node/claude dirs in here too so the unit starts with a working PATH
+# from the first tick, with the nvm-sourcing fallback staying as a safety net
+# for installs that predate this change or use fnm/volta/system node.
+node_bin="$(command -v node || true)"
+if [ -z "$node_bin" ]; then
+  echo "arm-loop.sh: 'node' not found on PATH — run this from a real terminal where \`node\` works." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+node_dir="$(dirname "$node_bin")"
+
+# Compose the baked PATH: node_dir, claude_dir, then the standard system dirs
+# — deduped, since under nvm node_dir and claude_dir are frequently identical.
+baked_path="$(printf '%s\n' "$node_dir" "$claude_dir" "/usr/local/sbin" "/usr/local/bin" "/usr/sbin" "/usr/bin" "/sbin" "/bin" | awk '!seen[$0]++' | paste -sd: -)"
+
 units_dir="$HOME/.config/systemd/user"
 mkdir -p "$units_dir"
 
@@ -129,6 +149,7 @@ claude_rc_dst="$units_dir/claude-rc-$repo_slug.service"
 sed -e "s#__WORKDIR__#$repo_root#g" \
     -e "s#__REPO_SLUG__#$repo_slug#g" \
     -e "s#__GATES_ENV__#$gates_env#g" \
+    -e "s#__PATH__#$baked_path#g" \
     "$pr_loop_src" > "$pr_loop_dst"
 
 sed -e "s#__WORKDIR__#$repo_root#g" \

.claude/scripts/loop-daemon.sh

@@ -206,8 +206,12 @@ main() {
   # under the service silently skip merges and tick records while polling
   # still works — a deadlock, since the only path that DID source nvm
   # (run_driver) is unreachable while an unmergeable PR keeps advance away.
-  ensure_claude_on_path \
-    || log "warning: 'claude' not resolvable at startup (nor via nvm) — node-dependent tick steps and driver spawns will fail until PATH provides it"
+  if ! ensure_claude_on_path; then
+    log "warning: 'claude' not resolvable at startup (nor via nvm) — node-dependent tick steps and driver spawns will fail until PATH provides it"
+    # append_ledger is pure bash (no node needed) — record the env-error even
+    # though write_tick_record itself can't run without node (issue #107).
+    append_ledger "unknown" "" "startup" "$(date -u +%FT%TZ)" "result=env-error"
+  fi
   log "starting (LOOP_MODEL=${LOOP_MODEL:-sonnet} GATES_FILE=${GATES_FILE:-<default>} LOOP_DRIVER_TIMEOUT=${LOOP_DRIVER_TIMEOUT:-90m})"
   local iterations=0
   local max_iterations="${LOOP_DAEMON_MAX_ITERATIONS:-0}"

.claude/scripts/loop-daemon.test.sh

@@ -98,35 +98,54 @@ fake_bin() {
 }
 
 run_daemon_once() {
-  # $1=fixture root; runs loop-daemon.sh for exactly one iteration.
-  ( cd "$1" && PATH="$1/bin:/usr/bin:/bin" LOOP_DAEMON_MAX_ITERATIONS=1 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_FAST=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_WATCH=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_IDLE=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_FALLBACK=0 bash .claude/scripts/loop-daemon.sh )
+  # $1=fixture root; runs loop-daemon.sh for exactly one iteration. NVM_DIR
+  # points inside the fixture (nothing there) so ensure_claude_on_path's nvm
+  # fallback can never resolve the HOST's ~/.nvm — otherwise scenarios without
+  # a claude stub pass on a dev box with nvm but fail on CI runners without it.
+  ( cd "$1" && PATH="$1/bin:/usr/bin:/bin" NVM_DIR="$1/no-such-nvm" LOOP_DAEMON_MAX_ITERATIONS=1 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_FAST=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_WATCH=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_IDLE=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_FALLBACK=0 bash .claude/scripts/loop-daemon.sh )
+}
+
+run_daemon_once_stripped_path() {
+  # $1=fixture root $2=NVM_DIR to expose; like run_daemon_once but with a PATH
+  # that has NEITHER node NOR claude (mirroring pr-loop.service's minimal
+  # systemd PATH before issue #107's baked-PATH fix), to exercise main()'s
+  # startup ensure_claude_on_path nvm fallback instead of the fixture's own
+  # bin/ dir.
+  ( cd "$1" && PATH="/usr/bin:/bin" NVM_DIR="$2" LOOP_DAEMON_MAX_ITERATIONS=1 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_FAST=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_WATCH=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_IDLE=0 LOOP_DAEMON_SLEEP_FALLBACK=0 bash .claude/scripts/loop-daemon.sh )
 }
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# 1. action=none: fake loop-event.sh reports nothing actionable. Assert the
-#    ledger file is never created/written and no marker any stub would leave
-#    behind exists — i.e. ZERO drivers spawned. Note there is deliberately NO
-#    'claude' stub installed for this scenario either: if loop-daemon.sh ever
-#    tried to spawn one on action=none, the whole run would blow up with
-#    "command not found" instead of quietly passing.
+# 1. action=none: fake loop-event.sh reports nothing actionable. Assert no
+#    DRIVER ledger line is written — i.e. ZERO drivers spawned. Note there is
+#    deliberately NO 'claude' stub installed for this scenario: if
+#    loop-daemon.sh ever tried to spawn one on action=none, the whole run
+#    would blow up with "command not found" instead of quietly passing. With
+#    claude unresolvable, main()'s startup check (issue #107) writes exactly
+#    one 'verdict=startup result=env-error' line — the ONLY line allowed here.
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 dir1="$(new_fixture scenario1 '#!/usr/bin/env bash
 echo "cadence=IDLE cron=*/15 * * * *"
 echo "loop-event: action=none"
 exit 0')"
 run_daemon_once "$dir1" >/dev/null 2>&1
-check "scenario 1 (action=none): no ledger file was created" [ ! -f "$dir1/.claude/state/loop-runs.log" ]
+ledger1="$dir1/.claude/state/loop-runs.log"
+check "scenario 1 (action=none): startup env-error is the ONLY ledger line" bash -c '
+  [ "$(wc -l < "$1" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)" -eq 1 ] && grep -q "verdict=startup .*result=env-error" "$1"' _ "$ledger1"
+check "scenario 1: no driver ledger line was written" bash -c '! grep -q "verdict=advance" "$1"' _ "$ledger1"
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # 2. Broken tick (loop-event.sh exits non-zero): must not spawn a driver
-#    either, same as action=none.
+#    either, same as action=none (same startup env-error caveat as scenario 1).
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 dir2="$(new_fixture scenario2 '#!/usr/bin/env bash
 echo "cadence=WATCH cron=*/5 * * * *"
 echo "some diagnostic on a broken tick" >&2
 exit 1')"
 run_daemon_once "$dir2" >/dev/null 2>&1
-check "scenario 2 (broken tick): no ledger file was created" [ ! -f "$dir2/.claude/state/loop-runs.log" ]
+ledger2="$dir2/.claude/state/loop-runs.log"
+check "scenario 2 (broken tick): startup env-error is the ONLY ledger line" bash -c '
+  [ "$(wc -l < "$1" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)" -eq 1 ] && grep -q "verdict=startup .*result=env-error" "$1"' _ "$ledger2"
+check "scenario 2: no driver ledger line was written" bash -c '! grep -q "verdict=advance" "$1"' _ "$ledger2"
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # 3. action=advance issue=N: fake claude/setsid/timeout stubs record they ran
@@ -224,6 +243,44 @@ check "scenario 5 (timeout): ledger records result=timeout rc=124" bash -c '
   grep -Eq "^pid=[0-9]+ session=unknown verdict=advance issue=3 ts=[0-9T:Z-]+ result=timeout rc=124$" "$1"
 ' _ "$ledger5"
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 6. Startup PATH resolution regression guard (issue #107): the daemon's own
+#    PATH lacks BOTH node and claude (mirroring pr-loop.service's minimal
+#    systemd PATH before this issue's baked-PATH fix), but a FAKE nvm install
+#    is reachable via NVM_DIR. Assert main()'s startup ensure_claude_on_path
+#    call (the 4bf7dbb hotfix) resolves node/claude onto PATH BEFORE run_once
+#    spawns loop-event.sh, so a node-dependent tick step (stood in here by the
+#    fake loop-event.sh itself checking `command -v node`/`command -v claude`)
+#    sees them already resolved in the child.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+dir6="$work/scenario6"
+fake_nvm_dir="$work/scenario6-nvm"
+mkdir -p "$fake_nvm_dir/bin"
+cat > "$fake_nvm_dir/nvm.sh" <<EOF
+# fake nvm.sh (test fixture only): mimics a real nvm install's auto
+# "use default" behavior by prepending a bin dir with fake node/claude onto
+# PATH when sourced.
+PATH="$fake_nvm_dir/bin:\$PATH"
+export PATH
+EOF
+printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\nexit 0\n' > "$fake_nvm_dir/bin/node"
+chmod +x "$fake_nvm_dir/bin/node"
+printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\nexit 0\n' > "$fake_nvm_dir/bin/claude"
+chmod +x "$fake_nvm_dir/bin/claude"
+
+new_fixture scenario6 "#!/usr/bin/env bash
+if command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1 && command -v claude >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  : > '$dir6/node-resolved.marker'
+else
+  : > '$dir6/node-missing.marker'
+fi
+echo 'cadence=IDLE cron=*/15 * * * *'
+echo 'loop-event: action=none'
+exit 0" >/dev/null
+run_daemon_once_stripped_path "$dir6" "$fake_nvm_dir" >/dev/null 2>&1
+check "scenario 6 (startup PATH resolution): node+claude resolved in child before run_once" [ -f "$dir6/node-resolved.marker" ]
+check "scenario 6: no node-missing marker was left (node/claude never resolved)" [ ! -f "$dir6/node-missing.marker" ]
+
 echo ""
 if [ "$fail" -eq 0 ]; then
   echo "loop-daemon.test.sh: PASS ($ok checks)"

.claude/skills/setup/templates/pr-loop.service

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # ~/.config/systemd/user/pr-loop-<repo-slug>.service by
 # `.claude/scripts/arm-loop.sh`, which substitutes the __PLACEHOLDER__ tokens
 # below for this checkout (WorkingDirectory, repo slug, optional GATES_FILE
-# env line) and runs `systemctl --user enable --now`.
+# env line, baked runtime PATH) and runs `systemctl --user enable --now`.
 #
 # DO NOT hand-edit the INSTALLED copy under ~/.config/systemd/user/ — it will
 # be silently overwritten the next time arm-loop.sh runs. Edit THIS checked-in
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Wants=network-online.target
 Type=simple
 WorkingDirectory=__WORKDIR__
 __GATES_ENV__
+Environment=PATH=__PATH__
 ExecStart=/usr/bin/env bash __WORKDIR__/.claude/scripts/loop-daemon.sh
 Restart=always
 RestartSec=15

.claude/systemd/pr-loop.service

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # ~/.config/systemd/user/pr-loop-<repo-slug>.service by
 # `.claude/scripts/arm-loop.sh`, which substitutes the __PLACEHOLDER__ tokens
 # below for this checkout (WorkingDirectory, repo slug, optional GATES_FILE
-# env line) and runs `systemctl --user enable --now`.
+# env line, baked runtime PATH) and runs `systemctl --user enable --now`.
 #
 # DO NOT hand-edit the INSTALLED copy under ~/.config/systemd/user/ — it will
 # be silently overwritten the next time arm-loop.sh runs. Edit THIS checked-in
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Wants=network-online.target
 Type=simple
 WorkingDirectory=__WORKDIR__
 __GATES_ENV__
+Environment=PATH=__PATH__
 ExecStart=/usr/bin/env bash __WORKDIR__/.claude/scripts/loop-daemon.sh
 Restart=always
 RestartSec=15