perf(consensus): overlap arbiter adjudication and revision on dissent rounds

CLAUDE.md

@@ -70,6 +70,10 @@ shared by two drivers so there is ONE rules layer, not a Claude copy and a non-C
   `synthesizeAlways:true` runs a SINGLE arbiter synthesis pass instead of the loop (free-text
   `synthesis`, for open questions) - one unified tool, one return envelope (split `verdict`/`synthesis`,
   loop-only fields nullable). For non-Claude hosts that want the loop without driving it.
+  Per round, the arbiter's adjudication and revision calls run CONCURRENTLY when a peer
+  dissents (which guarantees the round cannot converge, so the revision is always used);
+  on an all-approve round only adjudication runs. Same external-call count as a serial loop
+  in every outcome, one serial arbiter leg saved per dissent round.
 - **`consensus-step`** (MCP tool) - the host model (Claude) is the arbiter and drives ONE action per
   call (`init / record_blind / dispatch_peers / submit_adjudication / submit_revision`); `LoopState`
   is held server-side in the ephemeral `loop-store` by `sessionId`. The live `/consensus` slash command

core/orchestrate.js

@@ -335,13 +335,47 @@ async function runToConvergence(providers, req, opts = {}) {
       );
       state = loop.addOpinions(state, lastResults);
 
+      // Peer dissent => this round CANNOT converge (checkConvergence requires every
+      // responding peer to APPROVE), so the revision is GUARANTEED needed: overlap it
+      // with adjudication for free. All-approve => the round may converge, so do NOT
+      // speculate a revision we might discard. Net: same arbiter-call COUNT as the
+      // serial loop in every outcome, one serial leg saved per dissent (non-final) round.
+      //
+      // CONTRACT this parallelization relies on (revert to serial if either breaks):
+      //   1. buildRevisionPrompt depends only on state.currentPlan + the peer results,
+      //      NOT on the arbiter's adjudicated verdict.
+      //   2. loop.submitAdjudication does not mutate state.currentPlan, so the revision
+      //      prompt is identical whether built before or after adjudication.
+      const peerDissent = lastResults.some((r) => !r.isError && r.verdict !== "APPROVE");
+      // Isolate a whole arbiter branch (ask + parse) so neither a synchronous throw, a
+      // rejected ask, nor a parse fault can reject Promise.all - matching the per-call
+      // try/catch scope of the serial version and the blind-pass wrapper above. The
+      // adjudication/revision passes are intentionally NOT oriented (unlike the blind
+      // pass): the arbiter reasons over inlined peer text, not the cold repo.
+      const askIsolated = (/** @type {string} */ prompt) =>
+        Promise.resolve().then(() => arbiter.ask({ ...req, prompt })).then((r) => r, () => null);
+      /** @param {(DelegationResult|null)} res @returns {"APPROVE"|"REQUEST_CHANGES"|"REJECT"} */
+      const verdictFrom = (res) => {
+        const t = okText(res);
+        if (!t) return "REQUEST_CHANGES"; // null/empty -> hold (the serial default)
+        try { return parseReview(t).verdict || "REQUEST_CHANGES"; } catch { return "REQUEST_CHANGES"; }
+      };
+
       /** @type {"APPROVE"|"REQUEST_CHANGES"|"REJECT"} */
       let verdict = "REQUEST_CHANGES";
-      try {
-        const adj = await arbiter.ask({ ...req, prompt: buildAdjudicationPrompt(state, lastResults) });
-        const t = okText(adj);
-        if (t) { const p = parseReview(t); if (p.verdict) verdict = p.verdict; }
-      } catch { /* arbiter adjudication failed -> hold at REQUEST_CHANGES */ }
+      let revised = state.currentPlan;
+      if (peerDissent) {
+        // Guaranteed non-final: adjudication || revision, both used (no waste).
+        const [adjRes, revRes] = await Promise.all([
+          askIsolated(buildAdjudicationPrompt(state, lastResults)),
+          askIsolated(buildRevisionPrompt(state, lastResults)),
+        ]);
+        verdict = verdictFrom(adjRes);
+        revised = okText(revRes) || state.currentPlan;
+      } else {
+        // May converge: adjudication only - do not burn a revision call we might discard.
+        verdict = verdictFrom(await askIsolated(buildAdjudicationPrompt(state, lastResults)));
+      }
       state = loop.submitAdjudication(state, { verdict, decisions: [] });
       try {
         logger.logEvent({
@@ -353,11 +387,11 @@ async function runToConvergence(providers, req, opts = {}) {
       } catch { /* logging must never break the loop */ }
       if (state.status === "converged") break;
 
-      let revised = state.currentPlan;
-      try {
-        const rev = await arbiter.ask({ ...req, prompt: buildRevisionPrompt(state, lastResults) });
-        revised = okText(rev) || state.currentPlan;
-      } catch { /* keep the current plan */ }
+      if (!peerDissent) {
+        // Rare: all peers APPROVED but the arbiter blocked -> revise now (serial; there
+        // was nothing to overlap, since convergence was still possible at fan-out time).
+        revised = okText(await askIsolated(buildRevisionPrompt(state, lastResults))) || state.currentPlan;
+      }
       state = loop.submitRevision(state, revised, "arbiter revision");
     }
   } catch (e) {

test/core-run-to-convergence.test.js

@@ -131,3 +131,58 @@ test("RC8: omitted maxRounds still terminates (defaults to 5) -> unresolved on p
   assert.equal(out.confidence, "none");
   assert.equal(out.rounds.length, 5); // defaulted to 5 and terminated
 });
+
+test("RC9: dissent in round 1 -> the round-1 revision propagates into round 2's plan-under-review", async () => {
+  /** @type {string[]} */
+  const seen = [];
+  const peers = [stub("gpt", (p) => { seen.push(p); return p.includes("REVISED") ? "**Verdict**: APPROVE" : "**Verdict**: REQUEST_CHANGES\n- [scope] needs detail"; })];
+  const out = await runToConvergence(peers, REQ, { arbiter: smartArbiter(), maxRounds: 5 });
+  assert.equal(out.converged, true); // round 2, after the revision lands
+  // The dissent round's revision ("REVISED plan...") must appear in a later peer prompt.
+  assert.ok(seen.some((p) => p.includes("Round 2 of 5") && p.includes("REVISED")), "round-2 plan-under-review should contain the round-1 revision");
+});
+
+test("RC10: round-1 all-APPROVE dispatches NO revision call (dissent gate avoids waste)", async () => {
+  /** @type {string[]} */
+  const arbPrompts = [];
+  const arbiter = stub("arb", (p) => { arbPrompts.push(p); if (p.includes("ADJUDICATE")) return "**Verdict**: APPROVE"; if (p.includes("REVISE")) return "REVISED"; return "**Verdict**: APPROVE"; });
+  const peers = [stub("gpt", () => "**Verdict**: APPROVE"), stub("gemini", () => "**Verdict**: APPROVE")];
+  const out = await runToConvergence(peers, REQ, { arbiter });
+  assert.equal(out.converged, true);
+  assert.equal(out.rounds.length, 0); // converged round 1, no revision recorded
+  assert.ok(!arbPrompts.some((p) => p.includes("REVISE")), "no REVISE prompt should be dispatched on an all-approve converging round");
+});
+
+test("RC11: a revision leg that throws SYNCHRONOUSLY on a dissent round is isolated (no reject)", async () => {
+  // Dissent => parallel branch fires adjudication ∥ revision; the arbiter throws
+  // synchronously on the REVISE prompt, before returning a promise.
+  const arbiter = {
+    name: "arb",
+    capabilities: { canImplement: false, fileUpload: false, multiTurn: false },
+    health: async () => ({ ok: true }),
+    /** @param {{prompt:string}} req @returns {any} */
+    ask: (req) => {
+      if (req.prompt.includes("REVISE")) throw new Error("sync revise throw");
+      return Promise.resolve({ provider: "arb", model: "s", isError: false, text: "**Verdict**: REQUEST_CHANGES", ms: 1 });
+    },
+  };
+  const peers = [stub("gpt", () => "**Verdict**: REQUEST_CHANGES\n- [ops] x")];
+  /** @type {any} */
+  let out;
+  await assert.doesNotReject(async () => { out = await runToConvergence(peers, REQ, { arbiter, maxRounds: 2 }); });
+  assert.equal(out.converged, false); // revision threw -> plan never changes -> peer keeps dissenting
+  assert.equal(out.rounds.length, 2); // both rounds still ran despite the throwing revision leg
+});
+
+test("RC12: all peers APPROVE but arbiter blocks -> serial revision runs (the !peerDissent post-break path)", async () => {
+  /** @type {string[]} */
+  const arbPrompts = [];
+  // No peer dissent, but the arbiter REQUEST_CHANGES on adjudication, so the round
+  // cannot converge and the SERIAL revision branch must fire.
+  const arbiter = stub("arb", (p) => { arbPrompts.push(p); if (p.includes("ADJUDICATE")) return "**Verdict**: REQUEST_CHANGES"; if (p.includes("REVISE")) return "REVISED"; return "**Verdict**: APPROVE"; });
+  const peers = [stub("gpt", () => "**Verdict**: APPROVE")];
+  const out = await runToConvergence(peers, REQ, { arbiter, maxRounds: 2 });
+  assert.equal(out.converged, false); // arbiter never approves
+  assert.equal(out.rounds.length, 2);
+  assert.ok(arbPrompts.some((p) => p.includes("REVISE")), "serial revision should run when all peers approve but the arbiter blocks");
+});