The keep-alive was broken. Fixed, proven, and the last 20 chats recovered.

01The bug, in one line of code

# Claude Code re-fires the Stop hook with stop_hook_active=True right after
# the gate blocks once. This line then ALLOWED that second stop:
if payload.get("stop_hook_active"):
    return 0          # <-- surrender. one extra turn, then quit.

The 2026-06-05 rewrite also cut the queue out of the gate entirely (its own comment said "The queue file is no longer consulted"). So a chat would stop with items still queued, and a single magic phrase like "session complete" anywhere on the last line let it out. That is the "lazy, quits without doing all I asked" pattern, baked straight into the gate.

02The fix, proven side by side

[PASS] exit=2 (want 2)  queue=1, first stop -> keep alive
[PASS] exit=2 (want 2)  queue=1, stop_hook_active repeat -> STILL keep alive (old code surrendered here)
[PASS] exit=0 (want 0)  queue=1 but counter at cap=40 -> allow stop (anti-trap backstop)
[PASS] exit=2 (want 2)  queue=0, first stop -> one completion nudge
[PASS] exit=0 (want 0)  queue=0, last line 'session truly complete' -> clean stop
[PASS] exit=0 (want 0)  queue=0, already nudged -> allow stop
[PASS] exit=0 (want 0)  override file present + queue=1 -> human kill switch wins
[PASS] override consumed (unlinked)? True
--- OLD gate (backup), same repeat payload ---
[PASS] exit=0 (want 0)  OLD: queue=1, stop_hook_active repeat -> SURRENDERS (this is the bug)

How it works now: the gate refuses the stop while any queue item is queued ready work, and no escape phrase dodges that. A per-session counter resets on every new message and caps at 40 so you are never stuck in a loop. Your manual kill switch stays unconditional: touch ~/.claude/shift_queue.allow_stop.

03The prompt upgrade, so chats stop being lazy at the source

The keep-alive forces the process to keep going. This stops the model from declaring "done" on a fraction of the request in the first place. Five steps, the completion contract:

04Your last 20 chats, audited and recovered

05Every file I changed