Release v0.2.2

Instead of plain text, a finding that points at unchanged code the PR merely
references (not in the diff) now links to that line in the source at the PR base
commit (`/blob/<baseSha>/<path>#L<line>`) — the code is unchanged, so it's
identical on the base, and this is still a working, line-accurate link (just to
the file view, not the diff). In-diff findings still link to the diff anchor.

The reporter fetches the base SHA (gh pr view --json baseRefOid) alongside the
diff; both fail soft to plain text.

README.md

@@ -68,6 +68,26 @@ ecr review --pr 4057
 ecr review --pr 4057 --post
 ```
 
+Options (most to least common):
+
+| Flag | What it does |
+| --- | --- |
+| `--pr <n>` | Review GitHub PR #n by number (diff fetched via `gh`, no checkout); not combinable with `--base`/`--head`/`--staged`. |
+| `--post` | With `--pr`, also post the result as the PR comment (needs `gh` auth). Omit to preview only; re-run with `--post` to publish. |
+| `--staged` | Review only staged changes. |
+| `--base <ref>` | Base ref to diff against (default: merge-base with the default branch). |
+| `--head <ref>` | Head ref to diff (default: working tree, incl. uncommitted changes). |
+| `--agents <a,b>` | Run only these agents (comma-separated ids); default: all. |
+| `--route` | Let an LLM router pick the relevant agents from the diff. |
+| `--repo <owner/repo>` | Repo for `--pr` (default: inferred from the current checkout). |
+| `--json` | Emit machine-readable JSON on stdout. |
+| `--no-fail` | Always exit 0 (otherwise a `request_changes` decision exits non-zero). |
+| `-h`, `--help` | Show help. |
+
+`--pr` uses the PR's diff (authoritative) but reads your checked-out files for
+surrounding context; for full fidelity, `gh pr checkout <n>` first and run a plain
+`ecr review`.
+
 In CI it runs automatically from the scaffolded workflows — by label or a `/review`
 comment (see **CI usage**). From Claude Code (or another agent), add a slash command
 that runs it; eas-cli's
@@ -113,31 +133,6 @@ and applies Anthropic prompt caching automatically.
 
 </details>
 
-<details>
-<summary><b><code>ecr review</code> options</b></summary>
-
-```
---base <ref>       Base ref to diff against (default: merge-base with default branch)
---head <ref>       Head ref to diff (default: working tree, incl. uncommitted changes)
---staged           Review only staged changes
---pr <n>           Review GitHub PR #n by number (diff fetched via gh, no checkout);
-                   not combinable with --base/--head/--staged
---repo <owner/repo>  Repo for --pr (default: inferred from the current checkout)
---post             With --pr: also post the result as the PR comment (needs gh auth).
-                   Omit to preview only; re-run with --post to publish.
---agents <a,b>     Run only these agents (comma-separated ids); default: all
---route            Let an LLM router pick the relevant agents from the diff
---json             Emit machine-readable JSON on stdout
---no-fail          Always exit 0 (otherwise a request_changes decision exits non-zero)
--h, --help         Show help
-```
-
-`--pr` uses the PR's diff (authoritative) but reads your checked-out files for
-surrounding context; for full fidelity, `gh pr checkout <n>` first and run a plain
-`ecr review`.
-
-</details>
-
 <details>
 <summary><b>Configuration — <code>.expo-code-review/</code></b></summary>
 

ROADMAP.md

@@ -496,17 +496,31 @@ is dependable.
 Root cause: the reviewer runs one pass per agent with no verification, so an LLM's
 plausible-but-wrong claim ships as-is. Fixes, cheapest/highest-leverage first:
 
-1. ✅ **Quote-grounding (deterministic) — shipped.** Findings now carry an
-   `evidence` field (the flagged code, copied verbatim); `verifyFindings` checks it
-   against the real file and drops any finding whose evidence isn't there. Verified:
-   a hallucinated critical quoting `const item = next++` is dropped because that
-   text isn't in the file. Fails safe — `unknown` (too little evidence / file not on
-   disk) never drops.
-2. ✅ **Adversarial verify pass for criticals — shipped.** A restricted `verifier`
-   agent (read+grep) re-reads the cited file and must confirm each surviving critical
-   is genuine (biased to reject; refuted criticals dropped). Runs in parallel, 3-min
-   cap, fails open (keeps a critical if verification itself errors). Decision is
-   re-derived after drops (no criticals left → soften `request_changes`).
+1. ✅ **Quote-grounding (deterministic) — shipped, then softened.** Findings carry an
+   `evidence` field (the flagged code, verbatim); `verifyFindings` grades it against
+   the real file. Originally, evidence absent from the file was a **hard drop**.
+   Measured on ~13 real PRs that proved too aggressive: it dropped 3 findings vs. 1
+   surfaced, and ≥1 dropped finding was a **confirmed real bug** (#4057's "--account
+   silently ignored"). Root cause: exact-substring is a good POSITIVE signal but a
+   poor NEGATIVE one — it misfires on structural/"missing" bugs (no single line *is*
+   the bug), cross-line quotes, ellipsis, copied comment/diff markers, and slightly
+   wrong locations. **Fix (shipped 2026-07-23):**
+   - **Fuzzy match** (`matchEvidence`/`evidenceFragments`): exact substring OR any
+     substantive line/fragment present verbatim, after stripping comment/diff markers
+     and splitting on newlines + ellipsis. Rescues the mechanical misquotes.
+   - **Escalate, don't drop:** absent evidence (any severity) now routes to the LLM
+     verifier (which re-reads the real file + nearby files) instead of being dropped;
+     a finding is dropped ONLY on refutation. `present`/`unknown` non-criticals keep
+     the cheap no-LLM fast path.
+   - **Verifier judges substance, not wording:** the verifier prompt now treats the
+     quote as an imperfect hint and rejects only if the underlying problem isn't real;
+     the reviewer prompt asks for one contiguous verbatim line (no ellipsis/paraphrase).
+2. ✅ **Adversarial verify pass — shipped (now all-severity on demand).** A restricted
+   `verifier` agent (read+grep) re-reads the cited file and must confirm the finding is
+   genuine (biased to reject). Runs for every critical, and for any finding whose
+   evidence didn't ground (see #1). Parallel, 3-min cap, fails open (keeps the finding
+   if verification itself errors). Decision is re-derived after drops (no criticals
+   left → soften `request_changes`).
 3. **Oracle checks.** A finding that asserts "won't compile / type error" can be
    validated against `tsc`; "crashes"/"breaks tests" against the test suite. At
    minimum, never surface a compile-error claim when the package compiles.

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@expo/code-review-cli",
-  "version": "0.2.0",
+  "version": "0.2.2",
   "description": "Generic, config-driven AI code reviewer engine. Repos supply their agents via .expo-code-review/.",
   "license": "MIT",
   "repository": {

src/__tests__/render.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 import { test, expect } from 'bun:test';
 
-import { renderMarkdown, parseEmbeddedFingerprints, parseReviewState } from '../core/render.js';
+import {
+  renderMarkdown,
+  parseEmbeddedFingerprints,
+  parseReviewState,
+  buildDiffLineIndex,
+} from '../core/render.js';
 import { fingerprintFinding } from '../core/schema.js';
 import type { CoordinatorOutput, Finding } from '../core/schema.js';
 
@@ -44,22 +49,70 @@ test('review state (review + dismissals) round-trips via parseReviewState', () =
   expect(state!.review.findings.length).toBe(1);
 });
 
-test('links a finding location to the PR diff line when link context is given', () => {
+test('links a finding location to the PR diff line when the line is in the diff', () => {
   const out = renderMarkdown({ ...base, findings: [finding({ file: 'src/a.ts', line: 12 })] }, 'tag', [], {
     repo: 'expo/eas-cli',
     prNumber: 42,
+    diffLines: new Map([['src/a.ts', new Set([12])]]),
   });
   // Markdown link wrapping the `file:line`, pointing at the Files-changed diff anchor.
   expect(out).toContain('[`src/a.ts:12`](https://github.com/expo/eas-cli/pull/42/files#diff-');
   expect(out).toMatch(/R12\)/); // right-hand line anchor for line 12
 });
 
+test('a finding NOT in the diff links to the source blob on the base (not a dead diff anchor)', () => {
+  // Line 99 is not a changed line → link to the base blob, not the diff anchor.
+  const out = renderMarkdown({ ...base, findings: [finding({ file: 'src/a.ts', line: 99 })] }, 'tag', [], {
+    repo: 'expo/eas-cli',
+    prNumber: 42,
+    diffLines: new Map([['src/a.ts', new Set([12])]]),
+    baseSha: 'abc123',
+  });
+  expect(out).toContain('[`src/a.ts:99`](https://github.com/expo/eas-cli/blob/abc123/src/a.ts#L99)');
+  expect(out).not.toContain('/pull/42/files#diff-'); // not the diff anchor
+});
+
+test('a finding on a file absent from the diff links to the base blob', () => {
+  const out = renderMarkdown({ ...base, findings: [finding({ file: 'other.ts', line: 3 })] }, 'tag', [], {
+    repo: 'expo/eas-cli',
+    prNumber: 42,
+    diffLines: new Map([['src/a.ts', new Set([12])]]),
+    baseSha: 'abc123',
+  });
+  expect(out).toContain('[`other.ts:3`](https://github.com/expo/eas-cli/blob/abc123/other.ts#L3)');
+});
+
+test('out-of-diff finding is plain text when no base SHA is available', () => {
+  const out = renderMarkdown({ ...base, findings: [finding({ file: 'other.ts', line: 3 })] }, 'tag', [], {
+    repo: 'expo/eas-cli',
+    prNumber: 42,
+    diffLines: new Map([['src/a.ts', new Set([12])]]),
+  });
+  expect(out).toContain('`other.ts:3`');
+  expect(out).not.toContain('https://github.com');
+});
+
 test('location is plain (unlinked) code when no link context is given', () => {
   const out = renderMarkdown({ ...base, findings: [finding({ file: 'src/a.ts', line: 12 })] }, 'tag');
   expect(out).toContain('`src/a.ts:12`');
   expect(out).not.toContain('https://github.com');
 });
 
+test('buildDiffLineIndex: collects right-side added + context lines, skips deletions', () => {
+  const patch = [
+    '--- a/src/a.ts',
+    '+++ b/src/a.ts',
+    '@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@',
+    ' context10', // right line 10 (context)
+    '-removed', // left only, no right line
+    '+added11', // right line 11
+    '+added12', // right line 12
+    ' context13', // right line 13
+  ].join('\n');
+  const index = buildDiffLineIndex([{ path: 'src/a.ts', patch }]);
+  expect([...index.get('src/a.ts')!].sort((a, b) => a - b)).toEqual([10, 11, 12, 13]);
+});
+
 test('comment footer no longer says "Phase 1"', () => {
   expect(renderMarkdown(base, 'tag')).not.toContain('Phase 1');
 });

src/__tests__/verify.test.ts

@@ -3,17 +3,66 @@ import { mkdtempSync, writeFileSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import path from 'node:path';
 
-import { verifyFindings } from '../core/verify.js';
+import { verifyFindings, matchEvidence, evidenceFragments } from '../core/verify.js';
 import type { Finding } from '../core/schema.js';
 import type { OpencodeHandle } from '../core/opencode.js';
 
+const FILE_CONTENT = [
+  'export const answer = 42;',
+  'function realThing() {',
+  '  return items[next++]!;',
+  '}',
+].join('\n');
+
+// ---- pure matching (matchEvidence / evidenceFragments) ----
+
+test('matchEvidence: exact (whitespace-normalized) substring is present', () => {
+  expect(matchEvidence('return items[next++]!;', FILE_CONTENT)).toBe('present');
+  expect(matchEvidence('  return   items[next++]!;  ', FILE_CONTENT)).toBe('present');
+});
+
+test('matchEvidence: fuzzy — a cross-line quote still matches on a contiguous line', () => {
+  // Evidence joins two non-adjacent lines; the exact join is not a substring, but
+  // one substantive line is → present (rescues cross-line quotes).
+  const evidence = 'function realThing() {\n  return items[next++]!;';
+  expect(matchEvidence(evidence, FILE_CONTENT)).toBe('present');
+});
+
+test('matchEvidence: fuzzy — ellipsis elision matches on a fragment', () => {
+  expect(matchEvidence('function realThing() { … return items[next++]!; }', FILE_CONTENT)).toBe(
+    'present'
+  );
+});
+
+test('matchEvidence: fuzzy — copied comment/diff markers are stripped before matching', () => {
+  expect(matchEvidence('+  return items[next++]!;', FILE_CONTENT)).toBe('present');
+  expect(matchEvidence('// return items[next++]!;', FILE_CONTENT)).toBe('present');
+});
+
+test('matchEvidence: a genuinely invented quote is absent', () => {
+  expect(matchEvidence('const item = next++; // nowhere in the file', FILE_CONTENT)).toBe('absent');
+});
+
+test('matchEvidence: too-short evidence is unknown (never conclude absent)', () => {
+  expect(matchEvidence('x}', FILE_CONTENT)).toBe('unknown');
+  expect(matchEvidence('', FILE_CONTENT)).toBe('unknown');
+});
+
+test('evidenceFragments: splits on newlines + ellipsis, strips markers, drops short bits', () => {
+  const frags = evidenceFragments('+  return items[next++]!;\n// x\nconst somethingLongEnough = 1;');
+  expect(frags).toContain('return items[next++]!;');
+  expect(frags).toContain('const somethinglongenough = 1;'); // normalized (lowercased)
+  expect(frags.some(f => f === 'x')).toBe(false); // too short, dropped
+});
+
+// ---- verifyFindings integration ----
+
 let dir: string;
 let file: string;
-
 beforeAll(() => {
   dir = mkdtempSync(path.join(tmpdir(), 'ecr-verify-test-'));
   file = path.join(dir, 'sample.ts');
-  writeFileSync(file, 'export const answer = 42;\nfunction realThing() { return items[next++]!; }\n');
+  writeFileSync(file, FILE_CONTENT);
 });
 afterAll(() => rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true }));
 
@@ -27,27 +76,44 @@ const finding = (over: Partial<Finding>): Finding => ({
   ...over,
 });
 
-// A dummy handle is safe here: only NON-critical findings are used, so the LLM
-// verify path (which would need a real server) is never reached.
+// A dummy handle: any LLM verify call throws, which exercises the fail-OPEN path
+// (keep the finding). Grounded non-criticals never reach the LLM at all.
 const handle = {} as OpencodeHandle;
 
-test('quote-grounding keeps findings whose evidence is present, drops absent ones', async () => {
-  const findings = [
-    finding({ title: 'present', evidence: 'return items[next++]!;' }),
-    finding({ title: 'hallucinated', evidence: 'const item = next++; // not in the file' }),
-  ];
-  const res = await verifyFindings(handle, findings, '/', undefined);
+test('grounded non-critical is kept without an LLM call', async () => {
+  const res = await verifyFindings(
+    handle,
+    [finding({ title: 'present', evidence: 'return items[next++]!;' })],
+    '/'
+  );
   expect(res.kept.map(f => f.title)).toEqual(['present']);
-  expect(res.dropped.map(d => d.finding.title)).toEqual(['hallucinated']);
+  expect(res.dropped).toEqual([]);
 });
 
-test('too-short evidence is unknown, never dropped', async () => {
-  const res = await verifyFindings(handle, [finding({ title: 'short', evidence: 'x}' })], '/', undefined);
+test('absent evidence is ESCALATED, not hard-dropped (fail-open keeps it here)', async () => {
+  // The key regression guard: an imperfect/absent quote must not be a silent drop.
+  // With the dummy handle the escalated LLM call throws → fail-open → kept.
+  const res = await verifyFindings(
+    handle,
+    [finding({ title: 'absent-but-maybe-real', evidence: 'const item = next++; // not in file' })],
+    '/'
+  );
+  expect(res.kept.map(f => f.title)).toEqual(['absent-but-maybe-real']);
+  expect(res.dropped).toEqual([]);
+});
+
+test('too-short evidence is unknown, kept without an LLM call', async () => {
+  const res = await verifyFindings(handle, [finding({ title: 'short', evidence: 'x}' })], '/');
   expect(res.kept.map(f => f.title)).toEqual(['short']);
+  expect(res.dropped).toEqual([]);
 });
 
 test('unreadable file is unknown, never dropped', async () => {
-  const f = finding({ title: 'missing-file', file: '/no/such/file.ts', evidence: 'const somethingLongEnough = 1;' });
-  const res = await verifyFindings(handle, [f], '/', undefined);
+  const f = finding({
+    title: 'missing-file',
+    file: '/no/such/file.ts',
+    evidence: 'const somethingLongEnough = 1;',
+  });
+  const res = await verifyFindings(handle, [f], '/');
   expect(res.kept.map(x => x.title)).toEqual(['missing-file']);
 });

src/core/prompts.ts

@@ -207,26 +207,38 @@ export function buildCrossCuttingTask(
 export function buildVerifierSystem(): string {
   return [
     'You are a skeptical verifier of a single code-review finding. Your default is',
-    'DISTRUST. Using your read/grep tools, open the cited file, locate the code, and',
-    'confirm the finding against what the source ACTUALLY says.',
+    'DISTRUST. Using your read/grep tools, open the cited file (search nearby files',
+    'if the code is not exactly there), locate the relevant code, and judge whether',
+    'the described PROBLEM is actually present in the source.',
+    '',
+    'Judge the SUBSTANCE, not the wording. The finding\'s quoted "evidence" may be',
+    'paraphrased, abbreviated, quoted across non-adjacent lines, or slightly',
+    'misquoted, and its file/line may be approximate. None of that alone makes the',
+    'finding false — verify against what the code actually does. Do NOT reject merely',
+    'because the quoted snippet is not a verbatim match; reject only if the',
+    'underlying problem is not real.',
     '',
     'Mark verified=false (reject) if any of these hold:',
-    '- the code the finding describes or quotes is not actually present as claimed',
-    '  (it misread or invented the code),',
-    '- the described failure/exploit cannot actually occur,',
+    '- the described problem does not actually occur in the code (it misread or',
+    '  invented the behavior),',
+    '- the described failure/exploit cannot actually happen,',
     "- the claim is internally contradictory (e.g. asserts a type error in code that",
     '  compiles), or',
-    '- you cannot substantiate it after reading the file.',
+    '- you cannot substantiate the underlying issue after reading the file.',
     '',
-    'Only mark verified=true when you have CONFIRMED, from the real source, that the',
-    'flagged code exists as described and the problem is genuine. When unsure, reject.',
+    'Mark verified=true when you have CONFIRMED, from the real source, that the',
+    'described problem genuinely exists. When genuinely unsure whether it is real,',
+    'reject.',
     '',
     'Return ONLY this JSON object and nothing else:',
     '{"verified": true|false, "reason": "one concise sentence grounded in the file"}',
   ].join('\n');
 }
 
-export function buildVerifierTask(finding: Finding): string {
+export function buildVerifierTask(
+  finding: Finding,
+  opts: { evidenceUngrounded?: boolean } = {}
+): string {
   const lines = [
     'Verify this finding by reading the real source (do not trust its wording):',
     '',
@@ -245,6 +257,15 @@ export function buildVerifierTask(finding: Finding): string {
       'EVIDENCE'
     );
   }
+  if (opts.evidenceUngrounded) {
+    lines.push(
+      '',
+      'NOTE: the quoted evidence could NOT be located verbatim in the file. It may be',
+      'a paraphrase, an elision, or a slightly wrong location — do not reject on that',
+      'basis alone. Read the file (and nearby files) and judge whether the described',
+      'problem is genuinely present.'
+    );
+  }
   lines.push(
     '',
     'Open the file, find the relevant code, and return the single verdict JSON object.'

src/core/render.ts

@@ -6,10 +6,66 @@ import type { CoordinatorOutput, Decision, DismissalRecord, Finding, Severity }
 /**
  * Enough PR context to turn a finding's `file:line` into a link to that line in
  * the PR's "Files changed" diff. Omitted for terminal output (plain text).
+ *
+ * `diffLines` maps each changed file to the set of right-side (new-version) line
+ * numbers present in the PR's diff. A `#diff-…R<line>` anchor only exists for lines
+ * actually shown in the diff, so we link ONLY when the finding's file+line is in
+ * here — otherwise the finding points at unchanged code (a caller, a helper the PR
+ * merely uses) and a diff link would be dead, so we render plain text instead.
  */
 export interface LinkContext {
   repo: string; // owner/repo
   prNumber: number;
+  diffLines?: Map<string, Set<number>>;
+  /**
+   * The PR base commit SHA (the branch the PR targets, e.g. `main`). When a finding
+   * points at code NOT in the diff — a caller or helper the PR merely references,
+   * which is by definition unchanged and therefore identical on the base — we link
+   * to the source blob at this commit (`/blob/<sha>/<path>#L<line>`) instead of a
+   * diff anchor: still a working, line-accurate link, just to the file on the base
+   * branch rather than the diff. A commit SHA (not a branch name) so it's a stable
+   * permalink that won't drift as the base advances.
+   */
+  baseSha?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Build the file → right-side-line-numbers index from changed files' patch text,
+ * by walking each unified-diff hunk (`@@ -a,b +c,d @@`) and collecting the new-tree
+ * line number of every added (`+`) and context (` `) line. Deleted (`-`) lines have
+ * no right-side line and are skipped.
+ */
+export function buildDiffLineIndex(
+  files: Array<{ path: string; patch: string }>
+): Map<string, Set<number>> {
+  const index = new Map<string, Set<number>>();
+  const hunkRe = /^@@ -\d+(?:,\d+)? \+(\d+)(?:,\d+)? @@/;
+  for (const file of files) {
+    const lines = new Set<number>();
+    let right = 0;
+    let inHunk = false;
+    for (const raw of file.patch.split('\n')) {
+      const hunk = hunkRe.exec(raw);
+      if (hunk) {
+        right = parseInt(hunk[1]!, 10);
+        inHunk = true;
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (!inHunk || raw.startsWith('+++') || raw.startsWith('---') || raw.startsWith('\\')) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      const marker = raw[0];
+      if (marker === '+' || marker === ' ') {
+        lines.add(right);
+        right++;
+      }
+      // '-' is left-side only (no new-tree line); anything else is ignored.
+    }
+    if (lines.size > 0) {
+      index.set(file.path, lines);
+    }
+  }
+  return index;
 }
 
 const DECISION_LABEL: Record<Decision, string> = {
@@ -49,19 +105,36 @@ function locationText(finding: Finding): string {
 }
 
 /**
- * Render a finding's location as inline code, linked to the exact diff line in the
- * PR's "Files changed" tab when PR context is available. GitHub anchors each file's
- * diff as `diff-<sha256(path)>` and each right-hand (added/context) line as `…R<n>`.
+ * Render a finding's location as inline code, linked to the code it points at:
+ *  - in the diff (file+line shown in a hunk) → the PR's "Files changed" tab at that
+ *    line (`#diff-<sha256(path)>R<n>`), so the reader lands in the review diff;
+ *  - not in the diff (unchanged code the PR references, e.g. a caller/helper) → the
+ *    source blob on the PR base at that line (`/blob/<baseSha>/<path>#L<n>`);
+ *  - if neither is possible (no link context / no base SHA) → plain inline code.
+ * Never emits a dead diff anchor for a line that isn't in the diff.
  */
 function location(finding: Finding, link?: LinkContext): string {
   const text = locationText(finding);
   if (!link) {
     return `\`${text}\``;
   }
-  const fileHash = createHash('sha256').update(finding.file).digest('hex');
-  const anchor = finding.line != null ? `diff-${fileHash}R${finding.line}` : `diff-${fileHash}`;
-  const url = `https://github.com/${link.repo}/pull/${link.prNumber}/files#${anchor}`;
-  return `[\`${text}\`](${url})`;
+  const fileLines = link.diffLines?.get(finding.file);
+  // In the diff when the file is present and (if the finding names a line) that line
+  // is one of the diff's right-side lines. A file-level finding (no line) counts as
+  // in-diff as long as the file appears in the diff.
+  const inDiff = fileLines != null && (finding.line == null || fileLines.has(finding.line));
+  if (inDiff) {
+    const fileHash = createHash('sha256').update(finding.file).digest('hex');
+    const anchor = finding.line != null ? `diff-${fileHash}R${finding.line}` : `diff-${fileHash}`;
+    const url = `https://github.com/${link.repo}/pull/${link.prNumber}/files#${anchor}`;
+    return `[\`${text}\`](${url})`;
+  }
+  if (link.baseSha) {
+    const lineAnchor = finding.line != null ? `#L${finding.line}` : '';
+    const url = `https://github.com/${link.repo}/blob/${link.baseSha}/${finding.file}${lineAnchor}`;
+    return `[\`${text}\`](${url})`;
+  }
+  return `\`${text}\``;
 }
 
 /**

src/core/verify.ts

@@ -22,36 +22,81 @@ export interface VerificationResult {
 }
 
 /**
- * Deterministic quote-grounding: does the finding's `evidence` snippet actually
- * appear in the file? Returns `unknown` (don't judge) when there's too little
- * evidence or the file can't be read (e.g. a base-ref checkout that lacks a
- * PR-added file), so we never drop a finding we couldn't actually check.
+ * Break `evidence` into normalized, substantive fragments for fuzzy matching:
+ * split on newlines AND ellipses (the model often elides with `…`/`...`), strip
+ * leading diff markers (`+`/`-`) and comment markers (`//`, `#`, `*`) it may have
+ * copied along, normalize, and keep only fragments long enough to be meaningful.
  */
+export function evidenceFragments(evidence: string): string[] {
+  return evidence
+    .split(/\r?\n|…|\.\.\./)
+    .map(line => line.replace(/^[+\-\s]*/, '').replace(/^(\/\/+|#+|\*+|\/\*)\s?/, ''))
+    .map(normalizeCode)
+    .filter(fragment => fragment.length >= MIN_EVIDENCE_LEN);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Does the finding's `evidence` correspond to code in the file?
+ *  - exact (whitespace-normalized) substring → 'present'
+ *  - else any substantive line/fragment present verbatim → 'present' (fuzzy: this
+ *    rescues cross-line quotes, ellipsis elisions, and copied comment/diff markers)
+ *  - a real quote that matches nothing → 'absent'
+ * Returns 'unknown' (don't judge) when evidence is too short to conclude anything
+ * or the file can't be read, so we never drop a finding we couldn't actually check.
+ * NOTE: 'absent' is NOT terminal — the caller escalates it to the LLM verifier
+ * rather than dropping, because an imperfect quote does not mean a false finding.
+ */
+export function matchEvidence(
+  evidence: string,
+  content: string
+): 'present' | 'absent' | 'unknown' {
+  const normEvidence = normalizeCode(evidence);
+  if (normEvidence.length < MIN_EVIDENCE_LEN) {
+    return 'unknown';
+  }
+  const normContent = normalizeCode(content);
+  if (normContent.includes(normEvidence)) {
+    return 'present';
+  }
+  const fragments = evidenceFragments(evidence);
+  if (fragments.length === 0) {
+    return 'unknown';
+  }
+  return fragments.some(fragment => normContent.includes(fragment)) ? 'present' : 'absent';
+}
+
+/** Read the cited file and grade the evidence against it (see matchEvidence). */
 async function evidencePresence(
   finding: Finding,
   cwd: string
 ): Promise<'present' | 'absent' | 'unknown'> {
-  const evidence = normalizeCode(finding.evidence ?? '');
-  if (evidence.length < MIN_EVIDENCE_LEN) {
-    return 'unknown';
-  }
   let content: string;
   try {
     content = await readFile(path.resolve(cwd, finding.file), 'utf8');
   } catch {
     return 'unknown';
   }
-  return normalizeCode(content).includes(evidence) ? 'present' : 'absent';
+  return matchEvidence(finding.evidence ?? '', content);
 }
 
 /**
- * Guard against hallucinated findings before they're surfaced:
- *  1. Quote-grounding (deterministic, all findings): drop any whose quoted
- *     `evidence` is definitively not in the file.
- *  2. Adversarial verify (LLM, criticals only): a skeptical pass re-reads the real
- *     file and must confirm the critical is genuine; refuted criticals are dropped.
- * Fails OPEN — if a verify call itself errors, the critical is kept (better a
- * possible false positive than hiding a real critical on an infra hiccup).
+ * Guard against hallucinated findings before they're surfaced, WITHOUT silently
+ * dropping real ones on an imperfect quote:
+ *  1. Quote-grounding (deterministic, all findings): grade each finding's `evidence`
+ *     against the file (exact + fuzzy — see matchEvidence).
+ *  2. LLM verify (adversarial, in parallel) runs for a finding when EITHER:
+ *       - its evidence is `absent` (any severity) — the quote isn't grounded, but
+ *         that alone doesn't make the finding false, so the verifier re-reads the
+ *         real file (and nearby files) and judges the underlying problem; or
+ *       - it's a `critical` (even if grounded) — a skeptical double-check.
+ *     A finding is dropped ONLY when the verifier refutes it. `present`/`unknown`
+ *     non-criticals are kept without an LLM call (the fast, cheap path).
+ * Fails OPEN — if a verify call itself errors, the finding is kept (better a
+ * possible false positive than hiding a real finding on an infra hiccup).
+ *
+ * This replaces the old "absent evidence → hard drop" rule, which was suppressing
+ * real findings whose natural evidence (a structural/absence bug, a cross-line
+ * quote, a slightly-wrong location) wasn't a verbatim substring.
  */
 export async function verifyFindings(
   handle: OpencodeHandle,
@@ -63,66 +108,60 @@ export async function verifyFindings(
   let cost = 0;
   const tokens: TokenUsage = {};
 
-  // Phase 1 — quote-grounding for every finding.
+  // Phase 1 — deterministic quote-grounding for every finding.
   const checked = await Promise.all(
     findings.map(async finding => ({ finding, presence: await evidencePresence(finding, cwd) }))
   );
-  const survivors: Finding[] = [];
+
+  // Decide which findings need an LLM check vs. can be kept directly.
+  const verdicts = new Map<Finding, 'keep' | 'drop'>();
+  const toVerify: Array<{ finding: Finding; presence: 'present' | 'absent' | 'unknown' }> = [];
   for (const { finding, presence } of checked) {
-    if (presence === 'absent') {
-      dropped.push({ finding, reason: 'quoted code not found in file (likely hallucinated)' });
-      onProgress?.(
-        `  verify: dropped ${finding.severity} "${finding.title}" — quoted code not in ${finding.file}`
-      );
+    if (presence === 'absent' || finding.severity === 'critical') {
+      toVerify.push({ finding, presence });
     } else {
-      survivors.push(finding);
+      verdicts.set(finding, 'keep'); // grounded (or uncheckable) non-critical
     }
   }
 
-  // Phase 2 — adversarial verify for surviving criticals, in parallel.
-  const refuted = new Set<Finding>();
+  // Phase 2 — LLM verify (parallel). Refuted → drop; verified or errored → keep.
   await Promise.all(
-    survivors
-      .filter(finding => finding.severity === 'critical')
-      .map(async (finding, index) => {
-        try {
-          const { value, cost: verifyCost, tokens: verifyTokens } = await promptAndParse(
-            handle,
-            {
-              agent: VERIFIER_AGENT,
-              system: buildVerifierSystem(),
-              text: buildVerifierTask(finding),
-              title: `verify-${index}`,
-              maxWaitMs: VERIFY_TIMEOUT_MS,
-              finalizeOnTimeout: true,
-            },
-            parseVerdict
-          );
-          cost += verifyCost;
-          addTokenUsage(tokens, verifyTokens);
-          if (!value.verified) {
-            refuted.add(finding);
-            onProgress?.(
-              `  verify: dropped critical "${finding.title}" — ${value.reason || 'refuted by verifier'}`
-            );
-          }
-        } catch (error) {
-          // Fail open: keep the critical if verification itself failed.
+    toVerify.map(async ({ finding, presence }, index) => {
+      try {
+        const { value, cost: verifyCost, tokens: verifyTokens } = await promptAndParse(
+          handle,
+          {
+            agent: VERIFIER_AGENT,
+            system: buildVerifierSystem(),
+            text: buildVerifierTask(finding, { evidenceUngrounded: presence === 'absent' }),
+            title: `verify-${index}`,
+            maxWaitMs: VERIFY_TIMEOUT_MS,
+            finalizeOnTimeout: true,
+          },
+          parseVerdict
+        );
+        cost += verifyCost;
+        addTokenUsage(tokens, verifyTokens);
+        if (value.verified) {
+          verdicts.set(finding, 'keep');
+        } else {
+          verdicts.set(finding, 'drop');
+          dropped.push({ finding, reason: value.reason || 'refuted by verifier' });
           onProgress?.(
-            `  verify: could not verify critical "${finding.title}" (${errorMessage(error)}); keeping it`
+            `  verify: dropped ${finding.severity} "${finding.title}" — ${value.reason || 'refuted by verifier'}`
           );
         }
-      })
+      } catch (error) {
+        // Fail open: keep the finding if verification itself failed.
+        verdicts.set(finding, 'keep');
+        onProgress?.(
+          `  verify: could not verify "${finding.title}" (${errorMessage(error)}); keeping it`
+        );
+      }
+    })
   );
 
-  const kept: Finding[] = [];
-  for (const finding of survivors) {
-    if (refuted.has(finding)) {
-      dropped.push({ finding, reason: 'refuted by verifier' });
-    } else {
-      kept.push(finding);
-    }
-  }
-
+  // Preserve original order.
+  const kept = findings.filter(finding => verdicts.get(finding) === 'keep');
   return { kept, dropped, cost, tokens };
 }

src/reporters/github.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import path from 'node:path';
 
 import { run } from '../core/exec.js';
-import { commentMarker, parseReviewState, renderMarkdown } from '../core/render.js';
+import { parseUnifiedDiff } from '../core/diff.js';
+import { buildDiffLineIndex, commentMarker, parseReviewState, renderMarkdown } from '../core/render.js';
+import type { LinkContext } from '../core/render.js';
 import { fingerprintFinding } from '../core/schema.js';
 import type { CoordinatorOutput, DismissalRecord } from '../core/schema.js';
 import type { Reporter } from './reporter.js';
@@ -65,12 +67,42 @@ export class GitHubReporter implements Reporter {
     const dismissed = existing
       ? (parseReviewState(existing.body, this.options.commentTag)?.dismissed ?? [])
       : [];
-    await this.upsertComment(renderMarkdown(review, this.options.commentTag, dismissed, this.linkContext()));
+    const link = await this.linkContextAsync();
+    await this.upsertComment(renderMarkdown(review, this.options.commentTag, dismissed, link));
   }
 
-  /** PR context for turning finding locations into diff-line links. */
-  private linkContext(): { repo: string; prNumber: number } {
-    return { repo: this.options.repo, prNumber: this.options.prNumber };
+  /**
+   * PR context for turning finding locations into links: the set of lines actually
+   * in the diff (for in-diff findings → diff-anchor links) and the base commit SHA
+   * (for out-of-diff findings → source-blob links on the base). Both fetches fail
+   * soft — a missing piece just degrades to a plain-text location, never a dead link.
+   */
+  private async linkContextAsync(): Promise<LinkContext> {
+    const link: LinkContext = { repo: this.options.repo, prNumber: this.options.prNumber };
+    const prArgs = [String(this.options.prNumber), '--repo', this.options.repo];
+    const cwd = this.options.cwd;
+    await Promise.all([
+      (async () => {
+        try {
+          const { stdout } = await run('gh', ['pr', 'diff', ...prArgs], { cwd });
+          link.diffLines = buildDiffLineIndex(parseUnifiedDiff(stdout));
+        } catch {
+          // leave diffLines unset → in-diff findings degrade to plain text
+        }
+      })(),
+      (async () => {
+        try {
+          const { stdout } = await run('gh', ['pr', 'view', ...prArgs, '--json', 'baseRefOid'], { cwd });
+          const oid = (JSON.parse(stdout) as { baseRefOid?: string }).baseRefOid;
+          if (oid) {
+            link.baseSha = oid;
+          }
+        } catch {
+          // leave baseSha unset → out-of-diff findings degrade to plain text
+        }
+      })(),
+    ]);
+    return link;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -104,9 +136,10 @@ export class GitHubReporter implements Reporter {
       }
     }
 
+    const link = await this.linkContextAsync();
     await this.patchComment(
       existing.id,
-      renderMarkdown(state.review, this.options.commentTag, dismissed, this.linkContext())
+      renderMarkdown(state.review, this.options.commentTag, dismissed, link)
     );
     return { dismissedCount: dismissed.length, matched, unmatched };
   }

templates/shared.md

@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ Return **only** a single fenced ```json code block, an object of this shape:
       "line": 142,
       "title": "short one-line summary",
       "rationale": "why this is a problem, with the concrete failure/exploit path",
-      "evidence": "the exact line(s) of code you are flagging, copied VERBATIM",
+      "evidence": "one contiguous line of the flagged code, copied VERBATIM",
       "suggestion": "optional concrete fix, or omit"
     }
   ]
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ Return **only** a single fenced ```json code block, an object of this shape:
 ```
 
 `line` is the start line in the new version of the file, or `null` if not
-line-specific. `evidence` MUST be the flagged code copied **verbatim** from the
-file — it is used to verify the finding, and a finding whose evidence isn't found
-in the file is discarded (don't paraphrase or invent it). If you have nothing to
-report, return `{ "findings": [] }`. Emit no prose outside the JSON block.
+line-specific. `evidence` is used to help verify the finding, so make it easy to
+locate: copy **one contiguous line** of the flagged code **verbatim** (not spanning
+multiple lines, no `…` elisions, no paraphrasing). For a structural/"missing" issue,
+quote the single most relevant real line (e.g. the early `return` that skips the
+handling). If you have nothing to report, return `{ "findings": [] }`. Emit no prose
+outside the JSON block.