fix(continuous-learning): bump observer MAX_TURNS default to 50 (#2035)

[fxdv]

Summary

Fixes #2035. The observer's MAX_TURNS default of 20 was systematically too small for the MAX_ANALYSIS_LINES default of 500. First-cycle analysis on a fresh project consistently failed with Reached max turns (20), forcing users to either raise ECC_OBSERVER_MAX_TURNS or lower ECC_OBSERVER_MAX_ANALYSIS_LINES before the observer became useful.

This PR pairs the defaults so the out-of-the-box experience succeeds: MAX_TURNS is bumped to 50 — the value the reporter empirically settled on for the 500-line default.

Changes

• skills/continuous-learning-v2/agents/observer-loop.sh: change three default-site 20s to 50 (lines 208, 213, 218) and add a comment explaining why the defaults must stay paired.
• tests/hooks/hooks.test.js: update the assertion that pins the default constant so it tracks the new value.

The existing safety floor (turns < 4 falls back to default) is preserved.

Test plan

• node tests/hooks/hooks.test.js — 237/237 pass (including the updated observer-loop uses a configurable max-turn budget with safe default test)
• Confirmed both env-var override (ECC_OBSERVER_MAX_TURNS=10 still respected) and non-numeric / sub-4 fallback paths still resolve to the new 50 default
• No other call sites of ECC_OBSERVER_MAX_TURNS or max_turns=20 exist in the repo (rg confirmed)

Notes for reviewer

I considered an auto-scale approach (e.g. max_turns = ceil(max_lines / 10)) but chose the conservative constant change to minimize blast radius and match the reporter's suggested fix shape. Happy to fold an auto-scale variant in if preferred.

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Summary by cubic

Bumps the observer’s default MAX_TURNS from 20 to 50 to match the 500-line analysis default, preventing first-cycle “Reached max turns” failures (addresses #2035). ECC_OBSERVER_MAX_TURNS overrides still work, and the <4 safety fallback stays.

• Bug Fixes
  • Update skills/continuous-learning-v2/agents/observer-loop.sh to default max_turns to 50 and adjust fallbacks; add a comment linking the default to MAX_ANALYSIS_LINES=500.
  • Update tests/hooks/hooks.test.js to assert the new 50-turn default.

^{Written for commit 6a2645a. Summary will update on new commits. Review in cubic}

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Chores
  • Increased default observer loop max turns from 20 to 50.
  • Strengthened validation: non-numeric/empty values now default to 50; values below 4 are clamped to 50.
  • Updated tests to match the new default and validation behavior.

[coderabbitai]

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

This PR raises the observer analysis default ECC_OBSERVER_MAX_TURNS from 20 to 50, adds coercion for empty/non-numeric values and clamps values below 4 to 50, and updates the test to expect the new default.

Changes

Observer Max-Turns Default Increase

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Observer max-turns default increase with validation skills/continuous-learning-v2/agents/observer-loop.sh, tests/hooks/hooks.test.js	ECC_OBSERVER_MAX_TURNS now defaults to 50 (was 20); empty or non-numeric values are coerced to 50; values below 4 are clamped up to 50. Test assertion updated to expect max_turns="${ECC_OBSERVER_MAX_TURNS:-50}".

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~8 minutes

Poem

🐰 From twenty hops we now take flight,
Fifty turns to better sight.
Bad numbers caught, small ones made strong,
The observer hums its steady song.
🍃 Quiet, careful, code feels right.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 50.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title accurately describes the main change: bumping the observer MAX_TURNS default from 20 to 50, which is the primary fix in this PR.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The PR successfully addresses issue #2035 by implementing the conservative default pairing approach: increasing MAX_TURNS to 50, preserving safety floor validation, and updating corresponding tests.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes are directly scoped to the issue: updating observer-loop.sh default values and the corresponding test assertion. No unrelated modifications detected.
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.

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✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

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[cubic-dev-ai]

No issues found across 2 files

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