fix(dashboard): Prioritize user messages after work finishes

packages/junior/src/api/conversations/list.ts

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { readRootConversationMetricsFromSql } from "./usage";
 import { readConversationAuxiliaryCostsFromSql } from "./auxiliary-costs";
 import { listConversationWork } from "@/chat/plugins/unfinished-work";
 import { isConversationPriority } from "./priority";
+import { readLastUserMessageAtByConversation } from "./user-message-activity";
 
 const CONVERSATION_FEED_LIMIT = 50;
 
@@ -245,6 +246,7 @@ export async function readConversationFeedFromSql(
     metricsByRoot,
     teamDomainByTeamId,
     conversationWork,
+    lastUserMessageAtByConversation,
   ] = await Promise.all([
     readConversationAccessFromSql(db, conversationIds, options.viewer),
     readConversationAuxiliaryCostsFromSql(db, conversationIds, {
@@ -259,6 +261,7 @@ export async function readConversationFeedFromSql(
       ),
     ),
     listConversationWork(conversationIds),
+    readLastUserMessageAtByConversation(db, conversationIds),
   ]);
   const assignedWork = new Set(conversationWork.assignedIds);
   const unfinishedWork = new Set(conversationWork.unfinishedIds);
@@ -297,6 +300,9 @@ export async function readConversationFeedFromSql(
         isPriority: isConversationPriority(
           {
             lastSeenAt: summary.lastSeenAt,
+            lastUserMessageAt: lastUserMessageAtByConversation.get(
+              conversation.conversationId,
+            ),
             ...work,
           },
           nowMs,

packages/junior/src/api/conversations/priority.ts

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ export type ConversationPriorityInput = {
   assignedWork?: boolean;
   finishedWorkAt?: string;
   lastSeenAt: string;
+  lastUserMessageAt?: string;
   unfinishedWork?: boolean;
 };
 
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ export type ConversationPriorityInput = {
  *
  * Priority includes only:
  * - unfinished work last seen within 48 hours
- * - finished assigned work with conversation activity after the finish time
+ * - finished assigned work with a user message after the finish time
  * - no known work last seen within 3 hours
  *
  * Finished assigned work with no later activity stays out of Priority.
@@ -33,7 +34,12 @@ export function isConversationPriority(
 
   if (conversation.assignedWork) {
     const finishedAt = Date.parse(conversation.finishedWorkAt ?? "");
-    return Number.isFinite(finishedAt) && lastSeenAt > finishedAt;
+    const lastUserMessageAt = Date.parse(conversation.lastUserMessageAt ?? "");
+    return (
+      Number.isFinite(finishedAt) &&
+      Number.isFinite(lastUserMessageAt) &&
+      lastUserMessageAt > finishedAt
+    );
   }
 
   return nowMs - lastSeenAt <= UNASSIGNED_PRIORITY_WINDOW_MS;

packages/junior/src/api/conversations/user-message-activity.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import { and, eq, inArray, isNotNull, or, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+import type { JuniorDatabase } from "@/db/db";
+import { juniorConversationEvents } from "@/db/schema";
+
+/** Read the latest true user message time for each selected conversation. */
+export async function readLastUserMessageAtByConversation(
+  db: JuniorDatabase,
+  conversationIds: string[],
+): Promise<Map<string, string>> {
+  if (conversationIds.length === 0) return new Map();
+
+  const authority = sql<string>`${juniorConversationEvents.payload}->'provenance'->>'authority'`;
+  const actorPlatform = sql<string>`${juniorConversationEvents.payload}->'provenance'->'actor'->>'platform'`;
+  const role = sql<string>`${juniorConversationEvents.payload}->>'role'`;
+  const rows = await db
+    .select({
+      conversationId: juniorConversationEvents.conversationId,
+      lastUserMessageAt: sql<Date>`max(${juniorConversationEvents.createdAt})`,
+    })
+    .from(juniorConversationEvents)
+    .where(
+      and(
+        inArray(juniorConversationEvents.conversationId, conversationIds),
+        or(
+          and(
+            eq(juniorConversationEvents.type, "user_message"),
+            eq(authority, "instruction"),
+            sql`${actorPlatform} in ('slack', 'local', 'web')`,
+          ),
+          and(
+            eq(juniorConversationEvents.type, "message"),
+            eq(role, "user"),
+            isNotNull(juniorConversationEvents.actorIdentityId),
+          ),
+        ),
+      ),
+    )
+    .groupBy(juniorConversationEvents.conversationId);
+
+  return new Map(
+    rows.map((row) => [
+      row.conversationId,
+      new Date(row.lastUserMessageAt).toISOString(),
+    ]),
+  );
+}

packages/junior/tests/integration/api/conversations/list.test.ts

@@ -73,6 +73,44 @@ describe("conversation list API", () => {
         conversationId: finishedId,
         nowMs: nowMs - 120_000,
       });
+      await fixture.sql.db().insert(juniorConversationEvents).values([
+        {
+          conversationId: finishedUpdatedId,
+          createdAt: new Date(nowMs - 30_000),
+          historyVersion: 0,
+          payload: {
+            content: "Please follow up.",
+            provenance: {
+              authority: "instruction",
+              actor: {
+                platform: "slack",
+                teamId: "T123",
+                userId: "U123456",
+              },
+            },
+            timestamp: nowMs - 30_000,
+          },
+          schemaVersion: 1,
+          seq: 0,
+          type: "user_message",
+        },
+        {
+          conversationId: finishedId,
+          createdAt: new Date(nowMs - 30_000),
+          historyVersion: 0,
+          payload: {
+            content: "Pull request merged.",
+            provenance: {
+              authority: "instruction",
+              actor: { name: "resource-event", platform: "system" },
+            },
+            timestamp: nowMs - 30_000,
+          },
+          schemaVersion: 1,
+          seq: 0,
+          type: "user_message",
+        },
+      ]);
       setPlugins([
         defineJuniorPlugin({
           manifest: {

packages/junior/tests/unit/api/conversations/priority.test.ts

@@ -26,13 +26,14 @@ describe("isConversationPriority", () => {
     ).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it("keeps finished assigned work only when activity is after the finish time", () => {
+  it("keeps finished assigned work only when a user message is after the finish time", () => {
     expect(
       isConversationPriority(
         {
           assignedWork: true,
           finishedWorkAt: "2026-08-03T17:00:00.000Z",
           lastSeenAt: "2026-08-03T18:00:00.000Z",
+          lastUserMessageAt: "2026-08-03T17:30:00.000Z",
         },
         NOW_MS,
       ),
@@ -41,7 +42,18 @@ describe("isConversationPriority", () => {
       isConversationPriority(
         {
           assignedWork: true,
-          finishedWorkAt: "2026-08-03T18:00:00.000Z",
+          finishedWorkAt: "2026-08-03T17:00:00.000Z",
+          lastSeenAt: "2026-08-03T18:00:00.000Z",
+          lastUserMessageAt: "2026-08-03T16:30:00.000Z",
+        },
+        NOW_MS,
+      ),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      isConversationPriority(
+        {
+          assignedWork: true,
+          finishedWorkAt: "2026-08-03T17:00:00.000Z",
           lastSeenAt: "2026-08-03T18:00:00.000Z",
         },
         NOW_MS,