---
id: T01
parent: S05
milestone: M001
provides:
  - Shared workflow trust/action signals for overview and readiness surfaces
key_files:
  - JobTrackerApi/Controllers/JobApplicationsController.cs
  - JobTrackerApi.Tests/JobApplicationsWorkflowSignalsTests.cs
  - job-tracker-ui/src/jobWorkflowSignals.ts
  - job-tracker-ui/src/components/JobTable.tsx
  - job-tracker-ui/src/components/DashboardView.tsx
  - job-tracker-ui/src/components/RemindersView.tsx
  - job-tracker-ui/src/workflow-trust-signals.test.tsx
key_decisions:
  - Treated saved application answers as explicit workflow state via WorkflowSignal instead of inferring package readiness from generic notes text.
patterns_established:
  - Overview surfaces must derive routing, labels, and grouping from workflowSignal plus jobWorkflowSignals.ts, not from followUpReason string matching.
observability_surfaces:
  - GET /api/jobapplications/reminders
  - GET /api/jobapplications/{id}/readiness
  - job-tracker-ui/src/jobWorkflowSignals.ts
  - job-tracker-ui/src/workflow-trust-signals.test.tsx
  - JobTrackerApi.Tests/JobApplicationsWorkflowSignalsTests.cs
duration: 2h 10m
verification_result: passed
completed_at: 2026-03-24T14:02:04+01:00
blocker_discovered: false
---

# T01: Centralize workflow trust signals across overview and readiness surfaces

**Unified workflow trust signals across the API, table, dashboard, and reminders.**

## What Happened

I verified the local controller and UI code first, found that the backend already had the beginnings of a `WorkflowSignal` contract, and confirmed the remaining drift was on the consumer side: `JobTable`, `DashboardView`, and `RemindersView` still fell back to `followUpReason` parsing or raw `notes`/`tailoredCvText` heuristics.

On the backend, I fixed the broken `RulesEngine.Decision` type references so the controller compiled again, kept the saved-application-answer block parsing as the package-readiness source of truth, and added focused tests proving two things: generic notes do not satisfy saved-answer readiness, and reminders/readiness now expose normalized workflow routing metadata for both package work and follow-up work.

On the frontend, I completed the shared type contract by adding `WorkflowSignal` to `job-tracker-ui/src/types.ts`, extended `ReadinessResponse` to surface that signal, and rewrote `job-tracker-ui/src/jobWorkflowSignals.ts` as the one shared helper for overview routing, labels, and reminder grouping.

I then updated the three overview surfaces to consume that helper directly. `JobTable` now drives urgency chips, primary actions, and the readiness filter from `workflowSignal` instead of raw `notes` or `followUpReason`. `DashboardView` now chooses reminder labels/routes from the same helper. `RemindersView` now groups jobs and opens workspace tabs from `workflowSignal` rather than parsing reason text.

To keep the existing integrated coverage useful, I also updated `src/daily-control-loop.test.tsx` to the new contract so the broader slice-level regression continues to validate the overview loop instead of enforcing the old heuristic behavior.

## Verification

I ran the focused T01 backend and frontend checks from the task plan and both passed. I also ran the slice-level verification commands relevant at this stage: the broader focused UI regression bundle now passes, the production build passes, and the only remaining slice-level failure is the missing `src/end-to-end-trust-loop.test.tsx`, which belongs to T02 and is expected for this intermediate task.

## Verification Evidence

| # | Command | Exit Code | Verdict | Duration |
|---|---------|-----------|---------|----------|
| 1 | `dotnet test JobTrackerApi.Tests/JobTrackerApi.Tests.csproj --filter JobApplicationsWorkflowSignalsTests` | 0 | ✅ pass | 3.62s |
| 2 | `CI=true npm --prefix job-tracker-ui test -- --watch=false --runTestsByPath src/workflow-trust-signals.test.tsx` | 0 | ✅ pass | 3.37s |
| 3 | `CI=true npm --prefix job-tracker-ui test -- --watch=false --runTestsByPath src/end-to-end-trust-loop.test.tsx` | 1 | ❌ fail | 0.62s |
| 4 | `CI=true npm --prefix job-tracker-ui test -- --watch=false --runTestsByPath src/correspondence-gmail-import.test.tsx src/job-details-generated-drafts.test.tsx src/job-details-followup-drafts.test.tsx src/daily-control-loop.test.tsx` | 0 | ✅ pass | 4.62s |
| 5 | `CI=true npm --prefix job-tracker-ui run build` | 0 | ✅ pass | 12.73s |

## Diagnostics

Inspect `GET /api/jobapplications/reminders` and `GET /api/jobapplications/{id}/readiness` to confirm `workflowSignal.actionKey`, `workspaceTab`, `followMode`, and package/interview/follow-up booleans. On the UI side, inspect `job-tracker-ui/src/jobWorkflowSignals.ts` and run `src/workflow-trust-signals.test.tsx` to catch any routing/grouping drift. Failures now surface as deterministic targeted test failures instead of silent string-parsing mismatches.

## Deviations

I also corrected a pre-existing controller compile issue (`RulesEngine.Decision` vs. `FollowUpDecision`) and updated the existing `src/daily-control-loop.test.tsx` regression so it validates the new shared workflow contract instead of the retired heuristic behavior.

## Known Issues

- `src/end-to-end-trust-loop.test.tsx` does not exist yet, so that slice-level verification command still fails until T02 adds the integrated trust-loop proof.
- The React test runs emit React Router future-flag warnings, but they are warnings only and did not affect pass/fail outcomes.

## Files Created/Modified

- `JobTrackerApi/Controllers/JobApplicationsController.cs` — fixed the follow-up decision type usage while preserving and exposing the normalized workflow signal contract.
- `JobTrackerApi.Tests/JobApplicationsWorkflowSignalsTests.cs` — added focused backend proofs for package-gap vs. generic-notes handling and normalized reminder routing metadata.
- `job-tracker-ui/src/types.ts` — added the shared `WorkflowSignal` type and extended readiness responses to carry it.
- `job-tracker-ui/src/jobWorkflowSignals.ts` — centralized workflow routing, labels, and reminder grouping for overview surfaces.
- `job-tracker-ui/src/components/JobTable.tsx` — switched next-action chips/buttons and readiness filtering to the shared workflow signal.
- `job-tracker-ui/src/components/DashboardView.tsx` — switched reminder labels/routes to the shared workflow signal helper.
- `job-tracker-ui/src/components/RemindersView.tsx` — switched grouping and open-action routing to workflow signal metadata.
- `job-tracker-ui/src/workflow-trust-signals.test.tsx` — added focused frontend regression coverage proving overview surfaces stay aligned.
- `job-tracker-ui/src/daily-control-loop.test.tsx` — updated the broader loop regression to the shared workflow contract.