1 files changed, 24 insertions, 11 deletions

diff --git a/modules/core/module-orchestrator.js b/modules/core/module-orchestrator.js
index 9f23ceb..6b8ee18 100644
--- a/modules/core/module-orchestrator.js
+++ b/modules/core/module-orchestrator.js
@@ -1116,13 +1116,21 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
                     if (r.status === 'fulfilled') {
                         // Find the agent that handled this sub-task
                         const agent = Object.values(this._agents).find(a => a.currentTask === sub.goal || (a.lastTask === sub.goal));
-                        if (agent) {
-                            const outbox = this.terminal.fs.fsReadJSON(`/agents/${agent.id}/outbox.json`);
-                            const snippet = outbox?.result ? outbox.result.substring(0, 200) : 'completed (no outbox)';
-                            summaries.push({ task: sub.goal, agent: agent.id, status: 'ok', result: snippet });
-                        } else {
-                            summaries.push({ task: sub.goal, status: 'ok', result: 'completed (agent recycled)' });
+                        if (!agent) {
+                            // "ok / completed (agent recycled)" told the caller a task succeeded
+                            // when we could not even find its agent.
+                            summaries.push({ task: sub.goal, status: 'failed', error: 'agent not found — result unverifiable' });
+                            continue;
                         }
+                        const outbox = this.terminal.fs.fsReadJSON(`/agents/${agent.id}/outbox.json`);
+                        const body = outbox && typeof outbox.result === 'string' ? outbox.result : '';
+                        const snippet = body.substring(0, 200);
+                        summaries.push({
+                            task: sub.goal, agent: agent.id,
+                            status: body ? 'ok' : 'failed',
+                            result: body || null,
+                            error: body ? undefined : (outbox && outbox.error) || 'no result in outbox'
+                        });
                     } else {
                         summaries.push({ task: sub.goal, status: 'failed', error: r.reason?.message || 'unknown error' });
                     }
@@ -1228,26 +1236,31 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
                 const _agentTag = agent.id + '/' + (agent.role || 'worker');
                 const result = await aiModule.chat([`[DELEGATED] ${task}`], { agentTag: _agentTag });
                 try { aiModule._sessions.delete(_agentTag); } catch (_e) {}
-                agent.status = 'completed';
+                // chat() resolves {content, toolTurns}. Anything that is not a non-empty answer
+                // is a failure — the old code substituted the literal "completed", so a worker
+                // that returned nothing was indistinguishable from one that finished.
+                const _answer = typeof result === 'string' ? result : ((result && result.content) || '');
+                agent.status = _answer ? 'completed' : 'failed';
 
                 // Write result to outbox
                 this.terminal.fs.writeFile(`agents/${agent.id}/outbox.json`, JSON.stringify({
-                    result: typeof result === 'string' ? result : (result?.content || 'completed'),
-                    status: 'completed',
+                    result: _answer || null,
+                    status: _answer ? 'completed' : 'failed',
+                    error: _answer ? null : 'agent produced no answer',
                     timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
                 }));
 
                 // Record in memory graph
                 const memgraph = this.terminal.moduleManager.modules['MemoryGraphModule'];
                 if (memgraph) {
-                    memgraph.recordTask(task, typeof result === 'string' ? result : (result?.content || ''), agent.id);
+                    memgraph.recordTask(task, _answer, agent.id);
                     memgraph.recordFileAccess(`/agents/${agent.id}/outbox.json`);
                 }
 
                 this.terminal.print(`✅ ${agent.id} completed task`, 'success');
 
                 // Return result for callers that await delegateTask
-                outboxResult = typeof result === 'string' ? result : (result?.content || 'completed');
+                outboxResult = _answer;   // '' when the worker returned nothing; callers see that
 
                 // Check restart policy — if always, set back to idle for next task
                 if (agent.restartPolicy === 'always') {