fix(6252): a prompt that names nothing gets no notes menu

"keep going", "yes please do", "is it deployed?": with no word of its own the
auto-inject query was the previous reply's tail alone, and the menu handed
back the records that reply was built from. In a sample of 59 logged calls,
28 came from short prompts; those with a subject of their own ("continue into
DRY 14", "fix the Windows gate") led with the record meant, while the ones
without were finished tasks already in context, with an open on 2 of about 15.

_has_subject checks the operator's words against a list of words that name
nothing; without one, the ranked menu is skipped and records named by number
are still shown. The prompt rule arm is unchanged and still searches with the
tail.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/grimoire/services/plugin_context.py

@@ -402,11 +402,13 @@ _CONCEPT_MIN_CHARS = 16
 _AUTOINJECT_MAX_TOP_K = MAX_BUDGET
 
 # THE CONVERSATION BESIDE THE PROMPT. The operator's message alone is a weak
-# query mid-session: it is mostly a follow-up — "yes do that", "now fix the
-# filter" — that names nothing a record could match. The hook sends the tail of the last assistant reply as `context`, and it is
-# appended to a SHORT prompt only: a prompt that already says what it is about
-# is the better query on its own, and diluting it is the one way this can make
-# retrieval worse.
+# query mid-session: it is mostly a follow-up — "now fix the filter" — that
+# names too little for a record to match. The hook sends the tail of the last
+# assistant reply as `context`, and it is appended to a SHORT prompt only: a
+# prompt that already says what it is about is the better query on its own,
+# and diluting it is the one way this can make retrieval worse. A prompt that
+# names nothing at all ("yes do that") gets no notes menu (`_has_subject`);
+# the prompt rule arm still searches it with the tail.
 #
 # Neither number costs a model token. The query is embedding input; what the
 # session pays for is the menu, and the budget bounds that unchanged.
@@ -418,6 +420,42 @@ _AUTOINJECT_CONTEXT_PROMPT_MAX = 280
 _AUTOINJECT_CONTEXT_MAX = 600
 
 
+# WORDS THAT NAME NO SUBJECT. A prompt made only of these ("keep going", "yes
+# please do", "1. yes 2. yes", "is it deployed?", "what is next?") is a turn of
+# the conversation, not a question about anything. Its query would be the
+# previous reply's tail alone, and the menu would hand back the records that
+# reply was built from, which the session already has in context. One word
+# outside this list ("now fix the filter") is a subject, and the prompt is
+# searched as usual.
+_NO_SUBJECT_WORDS = frozenset("""
+    a about above after again agreed ahead all already also am an and any
+    anything approved are as asked at awesome back be been before both build
+    but by can carry ci commit continue continuing could cool correct
+    deploy deployed described did do does done each else every everything
+    fine finish first fix for from get go going good got great green had has
+    have he here hold how i if im in instead into is it its just keep know
+    last left let lets like looks loose lgtm make may maybe me mentioned merge
+    milestone more move my next nice no not now of off ok okay on one open or
+    order other our out over pass passes passing perfect please previous
+    proceed project proposed push ready really recommended redeploy rest right
+    said same see she ship should so some sounds stack stacking start step
+    steps still stop suggested sure task tasks thank thanks that the them then
+    there these they thing things this those through to try up us waiting
+    want was we well were what whats when where which while who why will with
+    work would yeah yep yes yet you your
+""".split())
+
+
+def _has_subject(prompt: str) -> bool:
+    """Does the operator's message name anything a record could be about?
+
+    Numbers are left out: a record named by number is looked up by id, not
+    matched, so it never needs the ranked menu to be found.
+    """
+    words = re.findall(r"[a-z]+", prompt.lower().replace("'", ""))
+    return any(w not in _NO_SUBJECT_WORDS for w in words)
+
+
 def _autoinject_query(prompt: str, context: str) -> str:
     """The prompt, with recent conversation appended when the prompt is thin.
 
@@ -612,10 +650,6 @@ async def build_autoinject_hint(
     # left to a ranking that can only match the words around them.
     named = await _named_records(user_id, record_refs_svc.named_record_ids(q))
     named_ids = [int(n.id) for n in named]
-    # Everything below searches, logs and fills its slots on the ENRICHED
-    # query, so the telemetry row records what was actually asked.
-    q = _autoinject_query(q, context)
-
     # THE LEDGER IS A RENDERING FACT, NOT A RETRIEVAL ONE. Excluding seen ids
     # from the search would make the second time a note is the best answer
     # SILENCE, indistinguishable from "nothing matched", and would measure
@@ -629,15 +663,23 @@ async def build_autoinject_hint(
     # lesson slots in that order, and the surfacing rows are written there.
     # What is decided HERE is what makes this moment this moment — the query
     # the operator's words became, and the records they named by number.
-    result = await rp.run_note_arm(
-        rp.AUTO_INJECT,
-        rp.NoteMoment(
-            user_id=user_id, query=q, project_id=project_id,
-            seen=frozenset(already), named=frozenset(named_ids),
-        ),
-        floor=cfg["threshold"], budget=cfg["top_k"], io=_note_io(),
-    )
-    kept = result.menu
+    if not _has_subject(q):
+        # Nothing to search for: the menu would answer the previous reply,
+        # not the operator. Records named by number are still shown.
+        kept, chunks = [], {}
+    else:
+        # Everything below searches, logs and fills its slots on the ENRICHED
+        # query, so the telemetry row records what was actually asked.
+        q = _autoinject_query(q, context)
+        result = await rp.run_note_arm(
+            rp.AUTO_INJECT,
+            rp.NoteMoment(
+                user_id=user_id, query=q, project_id=project_id,
+                seen=frozenset(already), named=frozenset(named_ids),
+            ),
+            floor=cfg["threshold"], budget=cfg["top_k"], io=_note_io(),
+        )
+        kept, chunks = result.menu, result.chunks
     if not kept and not named:
         return empty
 
@@ -739,7 +781,7 @@ async def build_autoinject_hint(
         # a reason, and a reader cannot tell the two apart once indented alike.
         passage = "" if nid in already else _menu_passage(
             document_title(note.title, note.note_type, note.data, note.body),
-            (result.chunks.get(nid) or {}).get("text"), name,
+            (chunks.get(nid) or {}).get("text"), name,
         )
         who = _shared_by(note)
         lines.extend(menu_entry(

tests/test_autoinject_context.py

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ from grimoire.services.plugin_context import (
     _AUTOINJECT_CONTEXT_MAX,
     _AUTOINJECT_CONTEXT_PROMPT_MAX,
     _autoinject_query,
+    _has_subject,
     _menu_name,
     _menu_passage,
 )
@@ -56,6 +57,50 @@ def test_context_is_cut_from_the_end_of_the_reply():
     assert tail.endswith("TAIL") and "HEAD" not in tail
 
 
+# --- a prompt that names nothing ----------------------------------------------
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("prompt", [
+    "keep going", "yes please do", "1. yes 2. yes 3. yes", "start step 6",
+    "is it deployed?", "awesome, what's next?", "go ahead",
+    "is there anything else open in this project?",
+    "please commit and let me know when it passes CI",
+])
+def test_a_turn_of_the_conversation_names_no_subject(prompt):
+    assert not _has_subject(prompt)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("prompt", [
+    "now fix the filter", "keep steward, it's our own app",
+    "continue into DRY 14", "I've added a maintenance plan",
+    "fix the Windows gate first, then step 2",
+])
+def test_one_word_of_its_own_is_a_subject(prompt):
+    assert _has_subject(prompt)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_a_prompt_with_no_subject_gets_no_menu_and_no_search():
+    """Its query would be the previous reply's tail alone, and the menu would
+    hand back what that reply was built from."""
+    from grimoire.services import plugin_context as pc
+
+    search = AsyncMock(return_value=[(0.9, fake_note(id=11, title="the reply's own record", user_id=1))])
+    retrieval = MagicMock()
+    with patch.object(pc, "get_autoinject_config",
+                      AsyncMock(return_value={"enabled": True, "threshold": 0.55, "top_k": 3})), \
+         patch.object(pc, "semantic_search_notes", search), \
+         patch.object(pc, "record_retrieval", retrieval), \
+         patch.object(pc, "record_surfaced", MagicMock()):
+        out = await pc.build_autoinject_hint(
+            1, "yes please do", project_id=2,
+            context="I'll move the library filters into the side column.",
+        )
+
+    assert out["context"] == "" and out["note_ids"] == []
+    search.assert_not_called()
+    retrieval.assert_not_called()
+
+
 # --- what the hook extracts --------------------------------------------------
 
 def _rec(role: str, blocks: list[dict], sidechain: bool = False) -> str:

tests/test_named_records.py

@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ async def test_a_named_record_comes_first_and_is_not_repeated_as_a_match():
     other = fake_note(id=11, title="something that matched the words", user_id=1)
     hits = [(0.80, named), (0.78, other)]
     out, surfaced, retrieval = await _hint(
-        "go ahead with 4448", hits=hits, records={4448: named},
+        "go ahead with the filing fix in 4448", hits=hits, records={4448: named},
     )
 
     ctx = out["context"]
@@ -156,6 +156,23 @@ async def test_a_named_record_comes_first_and_is_not_repeated_as_a_match():
     assert row["suppressed"] == 1
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_a_prompt_with_no_subject_still_shows_what_it_names():
+    """"go ahead with 4448" names a record and nothing else: the record is
+    looked up and shown, and no ranked menu is searched for."""
+    rec = _task(4448, "the named one")
+    other = fake_note(id=11, title="what the reply was about", user_id=1)
+    out, surfaced, retrieval = await _hint(
+        "go ahead with 4448", hits=[(0.8, other)], records={4448: rec},
+        context="I'll start on the importer next.",
+    )
+
+    assert out["note_ids"] == [4448]
+    assert "Possibly relevant" not in out["context"]
+    assert "auto_inject" not in surfaced
+    retrieval.assert_not_called()
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_a_named_record_already_shown_is_a_pointer():
     rec = _task(4448, "the named one", "a long body that is already in context")

tests/test_retrieval_scopes.py

@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ async def test_injected_menu_attributes_another_users_note():
          patch.object(plugin_context, "record_retrieval", MagicMock()), \
          patch.object(plugin_context, "owner_names_for",
                       AsyncMock(return_value={9: "alex"})):
-        out = await plugin_context.build_autoinject_hint(7, "anything")
+        out = await plugin_context.build_autoinject_hint(7, "debounce helper")
 
     lines = out["context"].splitlines()
     theirs_line = next(ln for ln in lines if "#2" in ln)
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ async def test_injected_menu_labels_the_record_kind():
                       AsyncMock(return_value={"enabled": True, "threshold": 0.5,
                                               "top_k": 5})), \
          patch.object(plugin_context, "record_retrieval", MagicMock()):
-        out = await plugin_context.build_autoinject_hint(7, "anything")
+        out = await plugin_context.build_autoinject_hint(7, "debounce helper")
 
     lines = out["context"].splitlines()
     by_id = {n: next(ln for ln in lines if f"#{n} " in ln) for n in (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)}