diff --git a/packages/workflow-role-committer/__tests__/committer.test.ts b/packages/workflow-role-committer/__tests__/committer.test.ts
index b4eb305..d62f7fd 100644
--- a/packages/workflow-role-committer/__tests__/committer.test.ts
+++ b/packages/workflow-role-committer/__tests__/committer.test.ts
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ describe("createCommitterRole", () => {
 
   test("returns failed meta when extraction reports failure", async () => {
     const failed = {
-      status: "failed" as const,
+      status: "recoverable" as const,
       error: "working tree clean; nothing to commit",
       logRef: null as string | null,
     };
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ describe("createCommitterRole", () => {
 
   test("returns failed meta with logRef when extraction includes it", async () => {
     const failed = {
-      status: "failed" as const,
+      status: "recoverable" as const,
       error: "push rejected",
       logRef: "LOGREF01",
     };
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ describe("createCommitterRole", () => {
 
     const out = await role(makeCtx());
     expect(out.meta).toEqual({
-      status: "failed",
+      status: "unrecoverable",
       error: "committer role threw before structured result",
       logRef: null,
     });
diff --git a/packages/workflow-role-committer/src/committer.ts b/packages/workflow-role-committer/src/committer.ts
index 1829f1f..15f9486 100644
--- a/packages/workflow-role-committer/src/committer.ts
+++ b/packages/workflow-role-committer/src/committer.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,12 @@ export const committerMetaSchema = z.discriminatedUnion("status", [
     commitSha: z.string(),
   }),
   z.object({
-    status: z.literal("failed"),
+    status: z.literal("recoverable"),
+    error: z.string(),
+    logRef: z.string().nullable(),
+  }),
+  z.object({
+    status: z.literal("unrecoverable"),
     error: z.string(),
     logRef: z.string().nullable(),
   }),
@@ -54,7 +59,10 @@ Create a branch, commit the changes, and push. Report whether the push succeeded
 
 ## On failure
 
-If any git operation fails (hook rejection, push denied, merge conflict, etc.), **do not attempt to fix it yourself**. Your job is to capture the key error output and report it back clearly so other roles in the workflow can address it.`;
+If any git operation fails, **do not attempt to fix it yourself**. Capture the key error output and classify it:
+
+- **Recoverable**: failures that a coder can fix (lint/test hook rejection, merge conflict, commit validation errors)
+- **Unrecoverable**: failures beyond code changes (no push permission, remote not found, authentication denied, disk full)`;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -83,7 +91,7 @@ export function createCommitterRole(
     onFail<CommitterMeta>({
       label: "committer",
       meta: {
-        status: "failed",
+        status: "unrecoverable",
         error: "committer role threw before structured result",
         logRef: null,
       },
diff --git a/packages/workflow-template-solve-issue/src/moderator.ts b/packages/workflow-template-solve-issue/src/moderator.ts
index 2ebdf4c..fac7646 100644
--- a/packages/workflow-template-solve-issue/src/moderator.ts
+++ b/packages/workflow-template-solve-issue/src/moderator.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ export const solveIssueModerator: Moderator<SolveIssueMeta> = (ctx) => {
   }
 
   if (last.role === "committer") {
+    if (last.meta.status === "recoverable" && ctx.steps.length < maxRounds - 1) {
+      return "coder";
+    }
     return END;
   }