src/scribe/services/plugin_context.py

@@ -1698,8 +1698,11 @@ def _prior_art_line(item: dict, marker: str, owner: str | None, foreign_lang: st
     """
     # The NAME, not the composed title (#4364) — a snippet's title carries its
     # whole trigger and ran to kilobytes on this line, again on every repeat.
+    # `snippet` is a snippet record's field dict — but on a search hit it is
+    # the matched excerpt, a string, under the same key.
+    fields = item.get("snippet")
     title = (
-        item.get("name") or (item.get("snippet") or {}).get("name")
+        item.get("name") or (fields.get("name") if isinstance(fields, dict) else None)
         or (item.get("title") or "(untitled)")
     ).replace("\n", " ").strip()
     mark = f"{marker} · {foreign_lang}" if foreign_lang else marker

tests/test_write_path_trigger.py

@@ -956,6 +956,17 @@ def test_prior_art_line_keeps_language_and_attribution_together():
     assert "· python" in both and "shared by alex" in both
 
 
+def test_prior_art_line_takes_a_search_hit_whose_snippet_is_its_excerpt():
+    """A search hit carries its matched passage as a STRING under `snippet` —
+    the key a snippet record uses for its field dict. Reading it as the dict
+    500'd the write-path route on any nameless hit."""
+    from scribe.services.plugin_context import _prior_art_line
+    hit = {"id": 7, "title": "Paging contract", "snippet": "…the cursor is opaque…"}
+    assert _prior_art_line(hit, "similar 0.61", None) == '> - #7 [similar 0.61] "Paging contract"'
+    record = {"id": 8, "title": "long composed title", "snippet": {"name": "paginate"}}
+    assert _prior_art_line(record, "similar 0.70", None) == '> - #8 [similar 0.70] "paginate"'
+
+
 # --- the route between them --------------------------------------------------
 
 def test_route_reads_every_arg_the_hook_sends():