diff --git a/pkg/agentic/plan_test.go b/pkg/agentic/plan_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3e2603
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/agentic/plan_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,212 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: EUPL-1.2
+
+package agentic
+
+import (
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	coreio "forge.lthn.ai/core/go-io"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestPlanPath_Good(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.Equal(t, "/tmp/plans/my-plan-abc123.json", planPath("/tmp/plans", "my-plan-abc123"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "/data/test.json", planPath("/data", "test"))
+}
+
+func TestWritePlan_Good(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	plan := &Plan{
+		ID:        "test-plan-abc123",
+		Title:     "Test Plan",
+		Status:    "draft",
+		Objective: "Test the plan system",
+	}
+
+	path, err := writePlan(dir, plan)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(dir, "test-plan-abc123.json"), path)
+
+	// Verify file exists
+	assert.True(t, coreio.Local.IsFile(path))
+}
+
+func TestWritePlan_Good_CreatesDirectory(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	dir := filepath.Join(base, "nested", "plans")
+
+	plan := &Plan{
+		ID:        "nested-plan-abc123",
+		Title:     "Nested",
+		Status:    "draft",
+		Objective: "Test nested directory creation",
+	}
+
+	path, err := writePlan(dir, plan)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, path, "nested-plan-abc123.json")
+}
+
+func TestReadPlan_Good(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	original := &Plan{
+		ID:        "read-test-abc123",
+		Title:     "Read Test",
+		Status:    "ready",
+		Repo:      "go-io",
+		Org:       "core",
+		Objective: "Verify plan reading works",
+		Phases: []Phase{
+			{Number: 1, Name: "Setup", Status: "done"},
+			{Number: 2, Name: "Implement", Status: "pending"},
+		},
+		Notes: "Some notes",
+		Agent: "claude:opus",
+	}
+
+	_, err := writePlan(dir, original)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	read, err := readPlan(dir, "read-test-abc123")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, original.ID, read.ID)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Title, read.Title)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Status, read.Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Repo, read.Repo)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Org, read.Org)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Objective, read.Objective)
+	assert.Len(t, read.Phases, 2)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Setup", read.Phases[0].Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "done", read.Phases[0].Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Implement", read.Phases[1].Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "pending", read.Phases[1].Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Some notes", read.Notes)
+	assert.Equal(t, "claude:opus", read.Agent)
+}
+
+func TestReadPlan_Bad_NotFound(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	_, err := readPlan(dir, "nonexistent-plan")
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestReadPlan_Bad_InvalidJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "bad-json.json"), "{broken"))
+
+	_, err := readPlan(dir, "bad-json")
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestWriteReadPlan_Good_Roundtrip(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+
+	plan := &Plan{
+		ID:        "roundtrip-abc123",
+		Title:     "Roundtrip Test",
+		Status:    "in_progress",
+		Repo:      "agent",
+		Org:       "core",
+		Objective: "Ensure write-read roundtrip works",
+		Phases: []Phase{
+			{Number: 1, Name: "Phase One", Status: "done", Criteria: []string{"tests pass", "coverage > 80%"}, Tests: 5},
+			{Number: 2, Name: "Phase Two", Status: "in_progress", Notes: "Working on it"},
+			{Number: 3, Name: "Phase Three", Status: "pending"},
+		},
+		Notes: "Important plan",
+		Agent: "gemini",
+	}
+
+	_, err := writePlan(dir, plan)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	read, err := readPlan(dir, "roundtrip-abc123")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, plan.Title, read.Title)
+	assert.Equal(t, plan.Status, read.Status)
+	assert.Len(t, read.Phases, 3)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"tests pass", "coverage > 80%"}, read.Phases[0].Criteria)
+	assert.Equal(t, 5, read.Phases[0].Tests)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Working on it", read.Phases[1].Notes)
+}
+
+func TestGeneratePlanID_Good_Slugifies(t *testing.T) {
+	id := generatePlanID("Add Unit Tests for Agentic")
+	assert.True(t, strings.HasPrefix(id, "add-unit-tests-for-agentic"), "got: %s", id)
+	// Should have random suffix
+	parts := strings.Split(id, "-")
+	assert.True(t, len(parts) >= 5, "expected slug with random suffix, got: %s", id)
+}
+
+func TestGeneratePlanID_Good_TruncatesLong(t *testing.T) {
+	id := generatePlanID("This is a very long title that should be truncated to a reasonable length for file naming purposes")
+	// Slug part (before random suffix) should be <= 30 chars
+	lastDash := strings.LastIndex(id, "-")
+	slug := id[:lastDash]
+	assert.True(t, len(slug) <= 36, "slug too long: %s (%d chars)", slug, len(slug))
+}
+
+func TestGeneratePlanID_Good_HandlesSpecialChars(t *testing.T) {
+	id := generatePlanID("Fix bug #123: auth & session!")
+	assert.True(t, strings.Contains(id, "fix-bug"), "got: %s", id)
+	assert.NotContains(t, id, "#")
+	assert.NotContains(t, id, "!")
+	assert.NotContains(t, id, "&")
+}
+
+func TestGeneratePlanID_Good_Unique(t *testing.T) {
+	id1 := generatePlanID("Same Title")
+	id2 := generatePlanID("Same Title")
+	assert.NotEqual(t, id1, id2, "IDs should differ due to random suffix")
+}
+
+func TestValidPlanStatus_Good_AllValid(t *testing.T) {
+	validStatuses := []string{"draft", "ready", "in_progress", "needs_verification", "verified", "approved"}
+	for _, s := range validStatuses {
+		assert.True(t, validPlanStatus(s), "expected %q to be valid", s)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestValidPlanStatus_Bad_Invalid(t *testing.T) {
+	invalidStatuses := []string{"", "running", "completed", "cancelled", "archived", "DRAFT", "Draft"}
+	for _, s := range invalidStatuses {
+		assert.False(t, validPlanStatus(s), "expected %q to be invalid", s)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestWritePlan_Good_OverwriteExisting(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+
+	plan := &Plan{
+		ID:        "overwrite-abc123",
+		Title:     "Original",
+		Status:    "draft",
+		Objective: "Original objective",
+	}
+
+	_, err := writePlan(dir, plan)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	plan.Title = "Updated"
+	plan.Status = "ready"
+	_, err = writePlan(dir, plan)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	read, err := readPlan(dir, "overwrite-abc123")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Updated", read.Title)
+	assert.Equal(t, "ready", read.Status)
+}
+
+func TestReadPlan_Ugly_EmptyFile(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "empty.json"), ""))
+
+	_, err := readPlan(dir, "empty")
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/agentic/prep_test.go b/pkg/agentic/prep_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..658b608
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/agentic/prep_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,192 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: EUPL-1.2
+
+package agentic
+
+import (
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	coreio "forge.lthn.ai/core/go-io"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestEnvOr_Good_EnvSet(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("TEST_ENVVAR_CUSTOM", "custom-value")
+	assert.Equal(t, "custom-value", envOr("TEST_ENVVAR_CUSTOM", "default"))
+}
+
+func TestEnvOr_Good_Fallback(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("TEST_ENVVAR_MISSING", "")
+	assert.Equal(t, "default-value", envOr("TEST_ENVVAR_MISSING", "default-value"))
+}
+
+func TestEnvOr_Good_UnsetUsesFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("TEST_ENVVAR_TOTALLY_MISSING", "")
+	assert.Equal(t, "fallback", envOr("TEST_ENVVAR_TOTALLY_MISSING", "fallback"))
+}
+
+func TestDetectLanguage_Good_Go(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "go.mod"), "module test"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "go", detectLanguage(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectLanguage_Good_PHP(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "composer.json"), "{}"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "php", detectLanguage(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectLanguage_Good_TypeScript(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "package.json"), "{}"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "ts", detectLanguage(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectLanguage_Good_Rust(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "Cargo.toml"), "[package]"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "rust", detectLanguage(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectLanguage_Good_Python(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "requirements.txt"), "flask"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "py", detectLanguage(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectLanguage_Good_Cpp(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "CMakeLists.txt"), "cmake_minimum_required"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "cpp", detectLanguage(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectLanguage_Good_Docker(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "Dockerfile"), "FROM alpine"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "docker", detectLanguage(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectLanguage_Good_DefaultsToGo(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	assert.Equal(t, "go", detectLanguage(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectBuildCmd_Good(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		file     string
+		content  string
+		expected string
+	}{
+		{"go.mod", "module test", "go build ./..."},
+		{"composer.json", "{}", "composer install"},
+		{"package.json", "{}", "npm run build"},
+		{"requirements.txt", "flask", "pip install -e ."},
+		{"Cargo.toml", "[package]", "cargo build"},
+		{"CMakeLists.txt", "cmake", "cmake --build ."},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.file, func(t *testing.T) {
+			dir := t.TempDir()
+			require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, tt.file), tt.content))
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, detectBuildCmd(dir))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDetectBuildCmd_Good_DefaultsToGo(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	assert.Equal(t, "go build ./...", detectBuildCmd(dir))
+}
+
+func TestDetectTestCmd_Good(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		file     string
+		content  string
+		expected string
+	}{
+		{"go.mod", "module test", "go test ./..."},
+		{"composer.json", "{}", "composer test"},
+		{"package.json", "{}", "npm test"},
+		{"requirements.txt", "flask", "pytest"},
+		{"Cargo.toml", "[package]", "cargo test"},
+		{"CMakeLists.txt", "cmake", "ctest"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.file, func(t *testing.T) {
+			dir := t.TempDir()
+			require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, tt.file), tt.content))
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, detectTestCmd(dir))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDetectTestCmd_Good_DefaultsToGo(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	assert.Equal(t, "go test ./...", detectTestCmd(dir))
+}
+
+func TestNewPrep_Good_Defaults(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("FORGE_TOKEN", "")
+	t.Setenv("GITEA_TOKEN", "")
+	t.Setenv("CORE_BRAIN_KEY", "")
+	t.Setenv("FORGE_URL", "")
+	t.Setenv("CORE_BRAIN_URL", "")
+	t.Setenv("SPECS_PATH", "")
+	t.Setenv("CODE_PATH", "")
+
+	s := NewPrep()
+	assert.Equal(t, "https://forge.lthn.ai", s.forgeURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, "https://api.lthn.sh", s.brainURL)
+	assert.NotNil(t, s.client)
+}
+
+func TestNewPrep_Good_EnvOverrides(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("FORGE_URL", "https://custom-forge.example.com")
+	t.Setenv("FORGE_TOKEN", "test-token")
+	t.Setenv("CORE_BRAIN_URL", "https://custom-brain.example.com")
+	t.Setenv("CORE_BRAIN_KEY", "brain-key-123")
+	t.Setenv("SPECS_PATH", "/custom/specs")
+	t.Setenv("CODE_PATH", "/custom/code")
+
+	s := NewPrep()
+	assert.Equal(t, "https://custom-forge.example.com", s.forgeURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, "test-token", s.forgeToken)
+	assert.Equal(t, "https://custom-brain.example.com", s.brainURL)
+	assert.Equal(t, "brain-key-123", s.brainKey)
+	assert.Equal(t, "/custom/specs", s.specsPath)
+	assert.Equal(t, "/custom/code", s.codePath)
+}
+
+func TestNewPrep_Good_GiteaTokenFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("FORGE_TOKEN", "")
+	t.Setenv("GITEA_TOKEN", "gitea-fallback-token")
+
+	s := NewPrep()
+	assert.Equal(t, "gitea-fallback-token", s.forgeToken)
+}
+
+func TestPrepSubsystem_Good_Name(t *testing.T) {
+	s := &PrepSubsystem{}
+	assert.Equal(t, "agentic", s.Name())
+}
+
+func TestSetCompletionNotifier_Good(t *testing.T) {
+	s := &PrepSubsystem{}
+	assert.Nil(t, s.onComplete)
+
+	notifier := &mockNotifier{}
+	s.SetCompletionNotifier(notifier)
+	assert.NotNil(t, s.onComplete)
+}
+
+type mockNotifier struct {
+	poked bool
+}
+
+func (m *mockNotifier) Poke() {
+	m.poked = true
+}
diff --git a/pkg/agentic/queue_test.go b/pkg/agentic/queue_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..036801a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/agentic/queue_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: EUPL-1.2
+
+package agentic
+
+import (
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	coreio "forge.lthn.ai/core/go-io"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestBaseAgent_Ugly_Empty(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.Equal(t, "", baseAgent(""))
+}
+
+func TestBaseAgent_Ugly_MultipleColons(t *testing.T) {
+	// SplitN with N=2 should only split on first colon
+	assert.Equal(t, "claude", baseAgent("claude:opus:extra"))
+}
+
+func TestDispatchConfig_Good_Defaults(t *testing.T) {
+	// loadAgentsConfig falls back to defaults when no config file exists
+	s := &PrepSubsystem{codePath: t.TempDir()}
+	t.Setenv("CORE_WORKSPACE", t.TempDir())
+
+	cfg := s.loadAgentsConfig()
+	assert.Equal(t, "claude", cfg.Dispatch.DefaultAgent)
+	assert.Equal(t, "coding", cfg.Dispatch.DefaultTemplate)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, cfg.Concurrency["claude"])
+	assert.Equal(t, 3, cfg.Concurrency["gemini"])
+}
+
+func TestCanDispatchAgent_Good_NoConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	// With no running workspaces and default config, should be able to dispatch
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("CORE_WORKSPACE", root)
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.EnsureDir(filepath.Join(root, "workspace")))
+
+	s := &PrepSubsystem{codePath: t.TempDir()}
+	assert.True(t, s.canDispatchAgent("gemini"))
+}
+
+func TestCanDispatchAgent_Good_UnknownAgent(t *testing.T) {
+	// Unknown agent has no limit, so always allowed
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("CORE_WORKSPACE", root)
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.EnsureDir(filepath.Join(root, "workspace")))
+
+	s := &PrepSubsystem{codePath: t.TempDir()}
+	assert.True(t, s.canDispatchAgent("unknown-agent"))
+}
+
+func TestCountRunningByAgent_Good_EmptyWorkspace(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("CORE_WORKSPACE", root)
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.EnsureDir(filepath.Join(root, "workspace")))
+
+	s := &PrepSubsystem{}
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, s.countRunningByAgent("gemini"))
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, s.countRunningByAgent("claude"))
+}
+
+func TestCountRunningByAgent_Good_NoRunning(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("CORE_WORKSPACE", root)
+
+	// Create a workspace with completed status under workspace/
+	ws := filepath.Join(root, "workspace", "test-ws")
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.EnsureDir(ws))
+	require.NoError(t, writeStatus(ws, &WorkspaceStatus{
+		Status: "completed",
+		Agent:  "gemini",
+		PID:    0,
+	}))
+
+	s := &PrepSubsystem{}
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, s.countRunningByAgent("gemini"))
+}
+
+func TestDelayForAgent_Good_NoConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	// With no config, delay should be 0
+	t.Setenv("CORE_WORKSPACE", t.TempDir())
+	s := &PrepSubsystem{codePath: t.TempDir()}
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, int(s.delayForAgent("gemini").Seconds()))
+}
diff --git a/pkg/agentic/status_test.go b/pkg/agentic/status_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c49f9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/agentic/status_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: EUPL-1.2
+
+package agentic
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	coreio "forge.lthn.ai/core/go-io"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestWriteStatus_Good(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	status := &WorkspaceStatus{
+		Status:    "running",
+		Agent:     "gemini",
+		Repo:      "go-io",
+		Task:      "fix tests",
+		PID:       12345,
+		StartedAt: time.Now(),
+		Runs:      1,
+	}
+
+	err := writeStatus(dir, status)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Verify file was written via coreio
+	data, err := coreio.Local.Read(filepath.Join(dir, "status.json"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	var read WorkspaceStatus
+	err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(data), &read)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "running", read.Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, "gemini", read.Agent)
+	assert.Equal(t, "go-io", read.Repo)
+	assert.Equal(t, "fix tests", read.Task)
+	assert.Equal(t, 12345, read.PID)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, read.Runs)
+	assert.False(t, read.UpdatedAt.IsZero(), "UpdatedAt should be set by writeStatus")
+}
+
+func TestWriteStatus_Good_UpdatesTimestamp(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	before := time.Now().Add(-time.Second)
+
+	status := &WorkspaceStatus{
+		Status: "running",
+		Agent:  "claude",
+	}
+
+	err := writeStatus(dir, status)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.True(t, status.UpdatedAt.After(before), "UpdatedAt should be after the start time")
+}
+
+func TestReadStatus_Good(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+
+	status := &WorkspaceStatus{
+		Status:    "completed",
+		Agent:     "codex",
+		Repo:      "go-log",
+		Task:      "add logging",
+		Branch:    "agent/add-logging",
+		StartedAt: time.Now().Truncate(time.Second),
+		UpdatedAt: time.Now().Truncate(time.Second),
+		Runs:      2,
+		PRURL:     "https://forge.lthn.ai/core/go-log/pulls/5",
+	}
+
+	data, err := json.MarshalIndent(status, "", "  ")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "status.json"), string(data)))
+
+	read, err := readStatus(dir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "completed", read.Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, "codex", read.Agent)
+	assert.Equal(t, "go-log", read.Repo)
+	assert.Equal(t, "add logging", read.Task)
+	assert.Equal(t, "agent/add-logging", read.Branch)
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, read.Runs)
+	assert.Equal(t, "https://forge.lthn.ai/core/go-log/pulls/5", read.PRURL)
+}
+
+func TestReadStatus_Bad_NoFile(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	_, err := readStatus(dir)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestReadStatus_Bad_InvalidJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "status.json"), "not json{"))
+
+	_, err := readStatus(dir)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
+
+func TestReadStatus_Good_BlockedWithQuestion(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+
+	status := &WorkspaceStatus{
+		Status:   "blocked",
+		Agent:    "gemini",
+		Repo:     "go-io",
+		Question: "Which interface should I implement?",
+	}
+
+	data, err := json.MarshalIndent(status, "", "  ")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "status.json"), string(data)))
+
+	read, err := readStatus(dir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "blocked", read.Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, "Which interface should I implement?", read.Question)
+}
+
+func TestWriteReadStatus_Good_Roundtrip(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+
+	original := &WorkspaceStatus{
+		Status:    "running",
+		Agent:     "claude:opus",
+		Repo:      "agent",
+		Org:       "core",
+		Task:      "write tests for agentic package",
+		Branch:    "agent/write-tests",
+		Issue:     42,
+		PID:       99999,
+		StartedAt: time.Now().Truncate(time.Second),
+		Runs:      3,
+	}
+
+	err := writeStatus(dir, original)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	read, err := readStatus(dir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Status, read.Status)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Agent, read.Agent)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Repo, read.Repo)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Org, read.Org)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Task, read.Task)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Branch, read.Branch)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Issue, read.Issue)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.PID, read.PID)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.Runs, read.Runs)
+}
+
+func TestWriteStatus_Good_OverwriteExisting(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+
+	first := &WorkspaceStatus{Status: "running", Agent: "gemini"}
+	err := writeStatus(dir, first)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	second := &WorkspaceStatus{Status: "completed", Agent: "gemini"}
+	err = writeStatus(dir, second)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	read, err := readStatus(dir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "completed", read.Status)
+}
+
+func TestReadStatus_Ugly_EmptyFile(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	require.NoError(t, coreio.Local.Write(filepath.Join(dir, "status.json"), ""))
+
+	_, err := readStatus(dir)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}