docs/current-handoff.md

@@ -1574,6 +1574,63 @@ With Contribution persistence demonstrated working, the remaining unresolved bou
 
 **Selected next boundary: Focused → global Finding integration / Previous Learning presentation.**
 
+### PHASE 6 — UNCLEAR + INVESTIGATING CUE ON OPEN QUESTION CARDS
+
+#### What was done
+
+Added an amber **INVESTIGATING** cue to the `ThreadContributionsBadge` component (line ~583-590 of `reasoning-workspace.jsx`). The cue renders above the "📝 N learned contribution" detail element whenever the node has one or more matching contributions identified by `c.targetNodeId === nodeId`.
+
+The cue is also visible on Done-for-now cards (same ThreadContributionsBadge component).
+
+UNCLEAR (epistemic state tag) and INVESTIGATING (activity indicator) are **independent** — both render on the same card simultaneously. One does not suppress or replace the other.
+
+#### Deterministic tests added (11 new)
+
+File: `tests/open-questions-vs-assumptions.test.jsx` — describe block "Focused investigation history cue"
+
+| Test | What it verifies |
+|------|------------------|
+| investigated question matches contributions by targetNodeId | identity rule correctness |
+| uninvestigated question gets zero threadContribs | no false-positive cue |
+| unrelated contributions do not contaminate another node | isolation |
+| 1+ contributions → cue shows | visibility logic |
+| UNCLEAR and INVESTIGATING coexist on same node | epistemic vs activity independence |
+| Done-for-now retains cue when contributions exist | persistent indicator state |
+| identity rule distinguishes contributed from uninvestigated | discrimination test |
+| multiple contributions on same node still show single cue | idempotent cue, not count-dependent |
+| null/undefined contributions → no cue | guard against falsy |
+| empty array → no cue | boundary value |
+| mismatched targetNodeId → no match | selector correctness |
+
+All 57 tests pass.
+
+#### Live Playwright verification (2026-08-28)
+
+Canonical scenario: e-commerce checkout abandonment, `targetNode = n58lwnx`.
+State: 1 contribution targeting n58lwnx, 3 findings.
+
+**Observed on first Open Question card ("Relative contribution..."):**
+- `INVESTIGATING` (amber text) visible above the card content
+- `📝 1 learned contribution` badge visible below INVESTIGATING
+- Both UNCLEAR and INVESTIGATING present simultaneously — coexist, no suppression
+
+**Observed on other two Open Question cards:**
+- No INVESTIGATING cue — correct (zero matching contributions by targetNodeId)
+
+#### What is OUT OF SCOPE for this phase
+
+- The cue does NOT render in the initial reflection surface (plain buttons). It only renders inside `OpenQuestionsPanel` → `ThreadContributionsBadge`. This is by design; the panel appears during focused workspace operation, not the initial scenario entry.
+- No CSS animation, transition, or expansion behavior — just a static indicator.
+- Does NOT affect which cards are clickable/investigable (UNCLEAR handles that).
+
+#### Remaining open boundaries (unchanged)
+
+1. **Follow-up selected-question duplication** (OPEN UI ISSUE) — proposed follow-up appears simultaneously as ACTIVE QUESTION and STILL-AVAILABLE FOLLOW-UP; proposal state vs active-question state disconnect
+2. **Focused → global ownership/integration** (STILL OPEN) — how accumulated focused Findings map into the global SituationGraph reasoning layer
+3. **Current Understanding incorporating focused learning** (STILL OPEN) — narrative understanding should be reconstructed from globally eligible Findings + graph state, not directly from latest focused result
+
+**Selected next boundary: Focused → global Finding integration / Previous Learning presentation.**
+
 **Why this is now the strongest next boundary:**
 - The Contribution persistence blocker that prevented assessing previous-learning completeness has been removed. If Contributions persist correctly to canonical storage and survive reload, then the Previous Learning panel should be able to render them without a persistence defect obscuring the UI question.
 - This is a product-semantic/user-facing progression (not internal cleanup). It directly tests whether the findings domain model established in the handoff can be exercised end-to-end: accumulated focused evidence → visible to user as usable context.