feat(workflow-util): add frontmatter markdown parser and validator

Phase 1 of RFC #351 — define AgentFrontmatter type, parseFrontmatterMarkdown()
and validateFrontmatter() with 45 tests.

- Built-in minimal YAML parser (no new deps)
- Never throws on malformed input — degrades gracefully
- All fields use T | null (no optional properties)

Refs #351

packages/workflow-util/__tests__/frontmatter-markdown.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,343 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import type { AgentFrontmatter } from "../src/index.js";
+import { parseFrontmatterMarkdown, validateFrontmatter } from "../src/index.js";
+
+// ── parseFrontmatterMarkdown ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe("parseFrontmatterMarkdown", () => {
+  describe("no frontmatter", () => {
+    it("returns null frontmatter and full text as body when no fence", () => {
+      const raw = "Just some markdown text.\n\n## Section\n\nContent.";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter).toBeNull();
+      expect(result.body).toBe(raw);
+    });
+
+    it("returns null frontmatter when --- appears mid-document", () => {
+      const raw = "# Heading\n\n---\n\nContent.";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter).toBeNull();
+      expect(result.body).toBe(raw);
+    });
+
+    it("returns null frontmatter when opening fence is not followed by newline", () => {
+      const raw = "--- inline content ---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter).toBeNull();
+      expect(result.body).toBe(raw);
+    });
+
+    it("returns null frontmatter when no closing fence", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: done\nbody without close";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter).toBeNull();
+      expect(result.body).toBe(raw);
+    });
+
+    it("handles empty string", () => {
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown("");
+      expect(result.frontmatter).toBeNull();
+      expect(result.body).toBe("");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("full frontmatter document", () => {
+    it("parses all fields from a well-formed document", () => {
+      const raw = `---
+status: done
+next: reviewer
+confidence: 0.9
+artifacts:
+  - src/foo.ts
+  - src/bar.ts
+scope: thread
+---
+
+## Summary
+
+Everything looks good.`;
+
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter).not.toBeNull();
+      const fm = result.frontmatter!;
+      expect(fm.status).toBe("done");
+      expect(fm.next).toBe("reviewer");
+      expect(fm.confidence).toBe(0.9);
+      expect(fm.artifacts).toEqual(["src/foo.ts", "src/bar.ts"]);
+      expect(fm.scope).toBe("thread");
+      expect(result.body).toBe("## Summary\n\nEverything looks good.");
+    });
+
+    it("strips leading newline from body", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: done\n---\n\nbody here";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.body).toBe("body here");
+    });
+
+    it("body is empty string when nothing after closing fence", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: done\n---\n";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.body).toBe("");
+    });
+
+    it("body is empty string when document ends exactly at closing fence", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: done\n---";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.body).toBe("");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("status field", () => {
+    it.each([
+      "done",
+      "needs_input",
+      "in_progress",
+      "failed",
+    ] as const)('parses status "%s"', (status) => {
+      const raw = `---\nstatus: ${status}\n---\nbody`;
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.status).toBe(status);
+    });
+
+    it("returns null status for unknown value", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: unknown_value\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.status).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it("returns null status when omitted", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nconfidence: 0.5\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.status).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("confidence field", () => {
+    it("parses integer as number", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nconfidence: 1\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.confidence).toBe(1);
+    });
+
+    it("parses decimal", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nconfidence: 0.75\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.confidence).toBe(0.75);
+    });
+
+    it("returns null when omitted", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: done\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.confidence).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it("returns null for non-numeric value", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nconfidence: high\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.confidence).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("artifacts field", () => {
+    it("parses block sequence", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nartifacts:\n  - a.ts\n  - b.ts\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.artifacts).toEqual(["a.ts", "b.ts"]);
+    });
+
+    it("parses inline sequence", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nartifacts: [a.ts, b.ts]\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.artifacts).toEqual(["a.ts", "b.ts"]);
+    });
+
+    it("returns empty array when omitted", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: done\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.artifacts).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it("wraps single scalar in array", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nartifacts: only-one.ts\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.artifacts).toEqual(["only-one.ts"]);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("scope field", () => {
+    it('parses scope "role"', () => {
+      const raw = "---\nscope: role\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.scope).toBe("role");
+    });
+
+    it('parses scope "thread"', () => {
+      const raw = "---\nscope: thread\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.scope).toBe("thread");
+    });
+
+    it('defaults to "role" when omitted', () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: done\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.scope).toBe("role");
+    });
+
+    it('defaults to "role" for unknown scope value', () => {
+      const raw = "---\nscope: global\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.scope).toBe("role");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("next field", () => {
+    it("parses a role name", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nnext: planner\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.next).toBe("planner");
+    });
+
+    it("returns null when omitted", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nstatus: done\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.next).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("unknown fields", () => {
+    it("ignores unknown keys silently", () => {
+      const raw = "---\nunknown_field: some_value\nstatus: done\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.status).toBe("done");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("YAML comments", () => {
+    it("ignores YAML comment lines", () => {
+      const raw = "---\n# this is a comment\nstatus: done\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter?.status).toBe("done");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("empty frontmatter block", () => {
+    it("parses empty frontmatter and uses all defaults", () => {
+      const raw = "---\n---\nbody";
+      const result = parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw);
+      expect(result.frontmatter).not.toBeNull();
+      const fm = result.frontmatter!;
+      expect(fm.status).toBeNull();
+      expect(fm.next).toBeNull();
+      expect(fm.confidence).toBeNull();
+      expect(fm.artifacts).toEqual([]);
+      expect(fm.scope).toBe("role");
+      expect(result.body).toBe("body");
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+// ── validateFrontmatter ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+function validFm(overrides: Partial<AgentFrontmatter> = {}): AgentFrontmatter {
+  return {
+    status: "done",
+    next: null,
+    confidence: null,
+    artifacts: [],
+    scope: "role",
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+describe("validateFrontmatter", () => {
+  it("returns no errors for a fully valid frontmatter", () => {
+    const errors = validateFrontmatter(validFm());
+    expect(errors).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it("returns no errors when all nullable fields are null", () => {
+    const fm: AgentFrontmatter = {
+      status: null,
+      next: null,
+      confidence: null,
+      artifacts: [],
+      scope: "role",
+    };
+    expect(validateFrontmatter(fm)).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  describe("confidence validation", () => {
+    it("accepts 0.0", () => {
+      expect(validateFrontmatter(validFm({ confidence: 0 }))).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("accepts 1.0", () => {
+      expect(validateFrontmatter(validFm({ confidence: 1 }))).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("rejects value below 0", () => {
+      const errors = validateFrontmatter(validFm({ confidence: -0.1 }));
+      expect(errors).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(errors[0]?.field).toBe("confidence");
+    });
+
+    it("rejects value above 1", () => {
+      const errors = validateFrontmatter(validFm({ confidence: 1.01 }));
+      expect(errors).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(errors[0]?.field).toBe("confidence");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("next validation", () => {
+    it("accepts a simple role name", () => {
+      expect(validateFrontmatter(validFm({ next: "reviewer" }))).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("accepts kebab-case role name", () => {
+      expect(validateFrontmatter(validFm({ next: "code-reviewer" }))).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("rejects role name with whitespace", () => {
+      const errors = validateFrontmatter(validFm({ next: "role name" }));
+      expect(errors).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(errors[0]?.field).toBe("next");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("artifacts validation", () => {
+    it("accepts non-empty path strings", () => {
+      expect(
+        validateFrontmatter(validFm({ artifacts: ["src/foo.ts", "src/bar.ts"] })),
+      ).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("rejects empty string artifact entries", () => {
+      const errors = validateFrontmatter(validFm({ artifacts: [""] }));
+      expect(errors).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(errors[0]?.field).toBe("artifacts");
+    });
+
+    it("rejects whitespace-only artifact entries", () => {
+      const errors = validateFrontmatter(validFm({ artifacts: ["   "] }));
+      expect(errors).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(errors[0]?.field).toBe("artifacts");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("multiple errors", () => {
+    it("reports multiple violations at once", () => {
+      const fm: AgentFrontmatter = {
+        status: "done",
+        next: "bad role",
+        confidence: 2,
+        artifacts: [""],
+        scope: "role",
+      };
+      const errors = validateFrontmatter(fm);
+      const fields = errors.map((e) => e.field);
+      expect(fields).toContain("next");
+      expect(fields).toContain("confidence");
+      expect(fields).toContain("artifacts");
+    });
+  });
+});

packages/workflow-util/src/frontmatter-markdown/frontmatter-markdown.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,291 @@
+import type {
+  AgentFrontmatter,
+  FrontmatterScope,
+  FrontmatterStatus,
+  FrontmatterValidationError,
+  ParsedFrontmatterMarkdown,
+} from "./types.js";
+
+// ── YAML frontmatter extractor ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+const FENCE = "---";
+
+/**
+ * Split a raw agent response into a YAML string (or null) and a markdown body.
+ *
+ * A frontmatter block MUST:
+ *   1. Start at character position 0 with `---` (no leading whitespace / BOM).
+ *   2. Be closed by a second `---` on its own line.
+ *
+ * Anything that doesn't match this shape is returned verbatim as the body.
+ */
+function splitFrontmatter(raw: string): { yaml: string | null; body: string } {
+  if (!raw.startsWith(FENCE)) {
+    return { yaml: null, body: raw };
+  }
+
+  const rest = raw.slice(FENCE.length);
+  // The opening `---` must be followed immediately by a newline (or end-of-string).
+  if (rest.length > 0 && rest[0] !== "\n" && rest[0] !== "\r") {
+    return { yaml: null, body: raw };
+  }
+  // Consume the newline after the opening fence so that `afterOpen` starts at the
+  // first line of YAML content (not a leading empty line).
+  const afterOpen = rest.startsWith("\n") ? rest.slice(1) : rest;
+
+  const closeIndex = afterOpen.indexOf(`\n${FENCE}`);
+  if (closeIndex === -1) {
+    // Also handle the edge case where frontmatter is empty: `---\n---`
+    if (afterOpen.startsWith(FENCE)) {
+      const afterClose = afterOpen.slice(FENCE.length);
+      const body = afterClose.replace(/^\n+/, "");
+      return { yaml: "", body };
+    }
+    return { yaml: null, body: raw };
+  }
+
+  const yaml = afterOpen.slice(0, closeIndex);
+  // Skip past `\n---` and strip any leading blank separator lines from the body.
+  const afterClose = afterOpen.slice(closeIndex + 1 + FENCE.length);
+  const body = afterClose.replace(/^\n+/, "");
+
+  return { yaml, body };
+}
+
+// ── Minimal YAML scalar parser ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// We intentionally avoid a full YAML library dependency inside workflow-util.
+// The frontmatter schema is flat and uses only scalars + simple string lists.
+// This parser handles exactly what the spec needs and nothing more.
+
+type YamlValue = string | number | boolean | null | string[];
+
+function parseYamlScalar(raw: string): YamlValue {
+  const trimmed = raw.trim();
+
+  // Quoted string
+  if (
+    (trimmed.startsWith('"') && trimmed.endsWith('"')) ||
+    (trimmed.startsWith("'") && trimmed.endsWith("'"))
+  ) {
+    return trimmed.slice(1, -1);
+  }
+
+  const lower = trimmed.toLowerCase();
+  if (lower === "true") return true;
+  if (lower === "false") return false;
+  if (lower === "null" || lower === "~" || lower === "") return null;
+
+  const num = Number(trimmed);
+  if (!Number.isNaN(num) && trimmed !== "") return num;
+
+  return trimmed;
+}
+
+function collectBlockSequence(
+  lines: string[],
+  startIdx: number,
+): { items: string[]; nextIdx: number } {
+  const items: string[] = [];
+  let i = startIdx;
+  while (i < lines.length) {
+    const itemTrimmed = (lines[i] ?? "").trimStart();
+    if (!itemTrimmed.startsWith("- ")) break;
+    items.push(itemTrimmed.slice(2).trim());
+    i++;
+  }
+  return { items, nextIdx: i };
+}
+
+function parseInlineSequence(restTrimmed: string): string[] {
+  const inner = restTrimmed.slice(1, -1);
+  return inner
+    .split(",")
+    .map((s) => s.trim())
+    .filter((s) => s !== "");
+}
+
+function parseKeyValue(
+  lines: string[],
+  i: number,
+): { key: string; value: YamlValue; nextIdx: number } | null {
+  const line = lines[i] ?? "";
+  if (line.trim() === "" || line.trimStart().startsWith("#")) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  const colonIdx = line.indexOf(":");
+  if (colonIdx === -1) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  const key = line.slice(0, colonIdx).trim();
+  const restTrimmed = line.slice(colonIdx + 1).trim();
+
+  if (restTrimmed === "") {
+    const { items, nextIdx } = collectBlockSequence(lines, i + 1);
+    return { key, value: items, nextIdx };
+  }
+  if (restTrimmed.startsWith("[") && restTrimmed.endsWith("]")) {
+    return { key, value: parseInlineSequence(restTrimmed), nextIdx: i + 1 };
+  }
+  return { key, value: parseYamlScalar(restTrimmed), nextIdx: i + 1 };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Parse a minimal flat YAML document.  Only supports:
+ * - Scalar key: value pairs
+ * - Block sequences under a key (items prefixed with `  - `)
+ *
+ * Returns a plain object.  Throws on structural errors.
+ */
+function parseMinimalYaml(yaml: string): Record<string, YamlValue> {
+  const result: Record<string, YamlValue> = {};
+  const lines = yaml.split("\n");
+
+  let i = 0;
+  while (i < lines.length) {
+    const entry = parseKeyValue(lines, i);
+    if (entry === null) {
+      i++;
+      continue;
+    }
+    result[entry.key] = entry.value;
+    i = entry.nextIdx;
+  }
+
+  return result;
+}
+
+// ── Field coercers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+const VALID_STATUS: readonly FrontmatterStatus[] = ["done", "needs_input", "in_progress", "failed"];
+
+const VALID_SCOPE: readonly FrontmatterScope[] = ["role", "thread"];
+
+function coerceStatus(raw: YamlValue): FrontmatterStatus | null {
+  if (raw === null || raw === undefined) return null;
+  const s = String(raw).trim().toLowerCase();
+  return VALID_STATUS.includes(s as FrontmatterStatus) ? (s as FrontmatterStatus) : null;
+}
+
+function coerceNext(raw: YamlValue): string | null {
+  if (raw === null || raw === undefined) return null;
+  const s = String(raw).trim();
+  return s === "" ? null : s;
+}
+
+function coerceConfidence(raw: YamlValue): number | null {
+  if (raw === null || raw === undefined) return null;
+  const n = typeof raw === "number" ? raw : Number(String(raw).trim());
+  if (Number.isNaN(n)) return null;
+  return n;
+}
+
+function coerceArtifacts(raw: YamlValue): readonly string[] {
+  if (raw === null || raw === undefined) return [];
+  if (Array.isArray(raw)) return raw.map(String).filter((s) => s !== "");
+  const s = String(raw).trim();
+  return s === "" ? [] : [s];
+}
+
+function coerceScope(raw: YamlValue): FrontmatterScope {
+  if (raw === null || raw === undefined) return "role";
+  const s = String(raw).trim().toLowerCase();
+  return VALID_SCOPE.includes(s as FrontmatterScope) ? (s as FrontmatterScope) : "role";
+}
+
+// ── Public API ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * Parse a raw agent response string into structured frontmatter + body.
+ *
+ * - Never throws: malformed YAML is silently treated as "no frontmatter".
+ * - The returned `frontmatter` is `null` when no valid `---…---` block was found.
+ * - Unknown YAML keys are silently ignored.
+ * - Invalid scalar values for known keys are coerced to their null/default.
+ */
+export function parseFrontmatterMarkdown(raw: string): ParsedFrontmatterMarkdown {
+  const { yaml, body } = splitFrontmatter(raw);
+
+  if (yaml === null) {
+    return { frontmatter: null, body };
+  }
+
+  let fields: Record<string, YamlValue>;
+  try {
+    fields = parseMinimalYaml(yaml);
+  } catch {
+    // Unparseable YAML → treat as no frontmatter; keep full raw as body.
+    return { frontmatter: null, body: raw };
+  }
+
+  const frontmatter: AgentFrontmatter = {
+    status: coerceStatus(fields.status ?? null),
+    next: coerceNext(fields.next ?? null),
+    confidence: coerceConfidence(fields.confidence ?? null),
+    artifacts: coerceArtifacts(fields.artifacts ?? null),
+    scope: coerceScope(fields.scope ?? null),
+  };
+
+  return { frontmatter, body };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Validate a parsed `AgentFrontmatter` and return a list of violations.
+ *
+ * An empty array means the frontmatter is valid.
+ *
+ * Validated constraints:
+ * - `status`     — must be one of the FrontmatterStatus literals (if non-null)
+ * - `confidence` — must be in [0.0, 1.0] (if non-null)
+ * - `next`       — must be a non-empty string with no whitespace (if non-null)
+ * - `artifacts`  — each entry must be a non-empty string
+ * - `scope`      — must be one of the FrontmatterScope literals
+ */
+export function validateFrontmatter(
+  frontmatter: AgentFrontmatter,
+): readonly FrontmatterValidationError[] {
+  const errors: FrontmatterValidationError[] = [];
+
+  if (frontmatter.status !== null && !VALID_STATUS.includes(frontmatter.status)) {
+    errors.push({
+      field: "status",
+      message: `invalid status "${frontmatter.status}"; must be one of: ${VALID_STATUS.join(", ")}`,
+    });
+  }
+
+  if (frontmatter.confidence !== null) {
+    if (frontmatter.confidence < 0 || frontmatter.confidence > 1) {
+      errors.push({
+        field: "confidence",
+        message: `confidence ${frontmatter.confidence} is out of range; must be between 0.0 and 1.0 inclusive`,
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (frontmatter.next !== null) {
+    if (frontmatter.next.trim() === "") {
+      errors.push({ field: "next", message: "next must be a non-empty string when present" });
+    } else if (/\s/.test(frontmatter.next)) {
+      errors.push({
+        field: "next",
+        message: `next "${frontmatter.next}" must not contain whitespace`,
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
+  for (const artifact of frontmatter.artifacts) {
+    if (artifact.trim() === "") {
+      errors.push({ field: "artifacts", message: "artifact entries must be non-empty strings" });
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (!VALID_SCOPE.includes(frontmatter.scope)) {
+    errors.push({
+      field: "scope",
+      message: `invalid scope "${frontmatter.scope}"; must be one of: ${VALID_SCOPE.join(", ")}`,
+    });
+  }
+
+  return errors;
+}

packages/workflow-util/src/frontmatter-markdown/index.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+export { parseFrontmatterMarkdown, validateFrontmatter } from "./frontmatter-markdown.js";
+export type {
+  AgentFrontmatter,
+  FrontmatterScope,
+  FrontmatterStatus,
+  FrontmatterValidationError,
+  ParsedFrontmatterMarkdown,
+} from "./types.js";

packages/workflow-util/src/frontmatter-markdown/types.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+/**
+ * Frontmatter Markdown — agent output format (RFC #351 Phase 1).
+ *
+ * An agent response is a Markdown document with an optional YAML frontmatter
+ * block at the top.  The frontmatter carries structured signals that the
+ * moderator and engine can consume without running a full LLM extract pass.
+ *
+ * Wire format:
+ *
+ *   ---
+ *   status: done
+ *   next: reviewer
+ *   confidence: 0.9
+ *   artifacts:
+ *     - src/foo.ts
+ *   scope: role
+ *   ---
+ *
+ *   ... free-form markdown body ...
+ *
+ * All frontmatter fields are optional at the parse level.  `validateFrontmatter`
+ * enforces the constraints documented on each field below.
+ */
+
+// ── Vocabulary types ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * High-level signal from the agent about where work stands.
+ *
+ * - `done`        — role completed its objective; moderator may advance
+ * - `needs_input` — agent is blocked and requires human or peer clarification
+ * - `in_progress` — work is underway but the agent chose to yield early
+ * - `failed`      — agent cannot complete the task and explains why in the body
+ */
+export type FrontmatterStatus = "done" | "needs_input" | "in_progress" | "failed";
+
+/**
+ * Scope of frontmatter signals.
+ *
+ * - `role`   — signals apply to the current role execution only (default)
+ * - `thread` — signals are suggestions for the entire thread moderator
+ */
+export type FrontmatterScope = "role" | "thread";
+
+// ── Core frontmatter schema ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * Parsed and validated frontmatter from an agent response.
+ *
+ * All fields use explicit `T | null` (no optional `?:` per convention).
+ */
+export type AgentFrontmatter = {
+  /**
+   * Completion status signal from the agent.
+   * Null when omitted — engine treats it as "done" for backward compatibility.
+   */
+  status: FrontmatterStatus | null;
+
+  /**
+   * Suggested next role name for the moderator.
+   * The moderator is NOT obligated to follow this — it is advisory only.
+   * Null when the agent has no preference.
+   */
+  next: string | null;
+
+  /**
+   * Agent's self-assessed confidence in its output (0.0 – 1.0 inclusive).
+   * Null when omitted.
+   */
+  confidence: number | null;
+
+  /**
+   * Relative file paths or CAS hashes the agent considers its primary outputs.
+   * Used for GC ref-tracing and human-readable summaries.
+   * Empty array when omitted (never null — an absent list is an empty list).
+   */
+  artifacts: readonly string[];
+
+  /**
+   * Scope of the frontmatter signals.
+   * Defaults to "role" when omitted.
+   */
+  scope: FrontmatterScope;
+};
+
+// ── Parse output ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * Result of `parseFrontmatterMarkdown`: the structured frontmatter (if present)
+ * and the body (everything after the closing `---` fence, or the whole input
+ * if no frontmatter was found).
+ */
+export type ParsedFrontmatterMarkdown = {
+  /**
+   * Parsed frontmatter fields.  Null when no frontmatter block was detected
+   * (i.e. the document does not start with `---`).
+   */
+  frontmatter: AgentFrontmatter | null;
+
+  /** Markdown body with frontmatter block stripped. Leading newline removed. */
+  body: string;
+};
+
+// ── Validation error ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export type FrontmatterValidationError =
+  | { field: "status"; message: string }
+  | { field: "next"; message: string }
+  | { field: "confidence"; message: string }
+  | { field: "artifacts"; message: string }
+  | { field: "scope"; message: string };

packages/workflow-util/src/index.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,17 @@
 export { err, ok } from "@uncaged/workflow-protocol";
 export { encodeUint64AsCrockford } from "./base32.js";
 export { env } from "./env.js";
+export {
+  parseFrontmatterMarkdown,
+  validateFrontmatter,
+} from "./frontmatter-markdown/index.js";
+export type {
+  AgentFrontmatter,
+  FrontmatterScope,
+  FrontmatterStatus,
+  FrontmatterValidationError,
+  ParsedFrontmatterMarkdown,
+} from "./frontmatter-markdown/index.js";
 export { createLogger } from "./logger.js";
 export { normalizeRefsField } from "./refs-field.js";
 export { getDefaultWorkflowStorageRoot, getGlobalCasDir } from "./storage-root.js";