fix: restore controls after task completion

agent/task_worker.py

@@ -102,11 +102,11 @@ class TaskWorker:
                 if not text:
                     reg.fail(self.task_id, "LLM returned empty response")
                     return
-                if self._is_deferred_answer(text):
+                if self._is_deferred_answer(text) or self._is_underfilled_news_answer(text):
                     reg.add_step(
                         self.task_id,
                         "thinking",
-                        "Draft deferred the work; continuing automatically.",
+                        "Draft was incomplete; continuing automatically.",
                     )
                     if iteration == max_iterations - 1:
                         reg.fail(self.task_id, "Could not produce a complete answer")
@@ -117,8 +117,9 @@ class TaskWorker:
                             {
                                 "role": "user",
                                 "content": (
-                                    "Do not ask me a follow-up or offer to continue later. "
-                                    "Continue the task now, run any more targeted tool calls "
+                                    "The previous draft did not fully answer the original request. "
+                                    "Do not ask a follow-up or offer to continue later. Continue "
+                                    "the task now, run any more targeted tool calls "
                                     "you need, make reasonable assumptions, and only finish "
                                     "when you have directly answered the original request."
                                 ),
@@ -153,6 +154,23 @@ class TaskWorker:
         )
         return "?" in text or any(phrase in lowered for phrase in deferral_phrases)
 
+    def _is_underfilled_news_answer(self, text: str) -> bool:
+        """Reject generic news summaries that do not name actual events."""
+        description = self.description.lower()
+        if "news" not in description and "headline" not in description:
+            return False
+        lowered = text.lower()
+        generic_phrases = (
+            "reports also cover global developments",
+            "other sources indicate",
+            "various international perspectives",
+            "ongoing coverage of world events",
+            "recommend checking major",
+            "unable to retrieve",
+            "could not retrieve",
+        )
+        return any(phrase in lowered for phrase in generic_phrases)
+
     def _system_prompt(self) -> str:
         today = datetime.now(timezone.utc).strftime("%B %d, %Y")
         return (
@@ -162,8 +180,10 @@ class TaskWorker:
             "to finish later; make reasonable assumptions and continue autonomously. If a web "
             "search is broad or inconclusive, immediately run a more targeted query and scrape "
             "the most promising result pages, including today's date and specific reputable "
-            "sources when freshness matters. For headline "
-            "requests, return concrete named events rather than links to news homepages, and "
+            "sources when freshness matters. For plural news or headline requests, provide three "
+            "distinct concrete events unless the user requests a different count. For three "
+            "headlines, write exactly three sentences with one event per sentence and no extras. Never pad the "
+            "answer with generic phrases about broad coverage or international perspectives, and "
             "respect any requested item count exactly. Only "
             "produce a final answer once it fulfills the original request. The final answer must "
             "be 1-3 concise sentences suitable for speaking aloud, with plain text only and no "