fix(repo-finder): notes-only preferences fall back to defaults; overrides read '## filters'

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 ### Removed
 - **`repo-finder`'s Category Preference Order and its `3e` category bonus (10%).** With filtering server-side, every candidate matches the user's filters by construction, so a bonus for matching is a constant added to every row and ranks nothing. Its weight went to signals that discriminate: responsiveness 30 → **35%**, outside-contributor track 20 → **25%**.
 
+### Fixed
+- **A `preferences.md` with no `## Filters` block no longer dead-ends the scan.** A file carrying only `## Notes` (or an empty `## Filters` block) compiled to a catch-all and aborted `repo-finder` with `exit 10` and a misleading "`topics: any` with no languages" error the user never wrote — leaving `/contribute` with an empty shortlist. Such a file now means "default filters, plus advisory notes" and falls back to `DEFAULT_PROFILE`. A `## Filters` block with a real typo (`langauges: go`) still fails loud, so the fallback never swallows a malformed filter. New `prefs_has_filters` helper in `scripts/lib/preferences.sh`; covered by `test_build_queries.sh`.
+- **`/repo-finder` overrides now inherit saved axes from a non-canonical `## filters` header.** The override path (`--lang`/`--topic`/`--min-stars`) read the saved profile with an exact, case-sensitive `## Filters` matcher while `preferences.sh` accepts `## filters` and spacing variants — so `/repo-finder --topic cli` on a hand-edited lowercase-header profile silently dropped the saved `languages`/`stars` and searched with defaults. Both readers now use the same detector. Covered by the new `test_repo_finder_override_inherit.sh`.
+
 ## [0.6.4] — 2026-07-13
 
 ## [0.6.3] — 2026-07-12

commands/repo-finder.md

@@ -116,7 +116,14 @@ if [ -n "$LANGS$TOPICS$MIN_STARS" ]; then
   # a `## Notes` line that happens to begin `languages:`/`topics:`/`stars:` (copied
   # prose) must never be mistaken for a hard filter.
   FILTERS=""
-  [ -f "$SAVED" ] && FILTERS=$(awk '/^## Filters/{f=1;next} /^## /{f=0} f' "$SAVED")
+  # Detect the block with the SAME matcher scripts/lib/preferences.sh uses
+  # (case-insensitive, spacing-tolerant). A divergent 'exact ## Filters' reader
+  # silently fails to inherit saved axes on a '## filters' file and searches with
+  # defaults instead — the silent-wrong-result this whole feature guards against.
+  [ -f "$SAVED" ] && FILTERS=$(awk '
+    /^##[ \t]+/ { f = ($0 ~ /^##[ \t]*[Ff]ilters[ \t]*$/); next }
+    f
+  ' "$SAVED")
   if [ -z "$LANGS" ]; then
     LANGS=$(printf '%s\n' "$FILTERS" | sed -n 's/^[[:space:]]*languages:[[:space:]]*//p' | head -1)
   fi

scripts/lib/preferences.sh

@@ -48,6 +48,17 @@ _prefs_filter_lines() {
   ' "$1"
 }
 
+# True when the file declares a `## Filters` block with at least one content line
+# — i.e. `_prefs_filter_lines` would emit something. A file with only `## Notes`,
+# or an empty `## Filters` block, emits nothing: that is "use the default
+# filters", not a catch-all to reject, so callers fall back to DEFAULT_PROFILE
+# rather than aborting. A malformed line is still content (it emits an `ERR` or a
+# bad-key row), so `langauges: go` stays a loud parse error — the fallback can
+# never silently swallow a typo'd filter.
+prefs_has_filters() {
+  [ -n "$(_prefs_filter_lines "${1:-$(prefs_path)}")" ]
+}
+
 # Comma-separated list -> one trimmed entry per line. Whitespace inside an entry
 # is preserved on purpose; the charset guards below reject it.
 _prefs_split() {

scripts/repo-finder/build_queries.sh

@@ -121,7 +121,12 @@ nudge_once() {
   fi
 }
 
-if [ ! -f "$PREFS" ]; then
+# A file that exists but declares no ## Filters content (only ## Notes, or an
+# empty block) means "default filters, plus advisory notes" — not a catch-all to
+# reject. Fall back to DEFAULT_PROFILE. A block WITH content still goes to the
+# parser below, which fails loud on a typo, so this never swallows a malformed
+# filter (see the notes-only + malformed-abort cases in test_build_queries.sh).
+if [ ! -f "$PREFS" ] || ! prefs_has_filters "$PREFS"; then
   nudge_once
   while IFS= read -r q; do
     [ -n "$q" ] && emit "$q"

tests/scripts/test_build_queries.sh

@@ -227,6 +227,37 @@ bash "$BUILD" --file "$tmpdir/bad.md" --no-nudge >/dev/null 2>&1
 rc=$?
 [ "$rc" = "10" ] || fail "malformed preferences must exit 10, got $rc (never fall back to defaults)"
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# A file with no ## Filters CONTENT is "default filters + advisory notes", NOT a
+# catch-all to reject. It must fall back to DEFAULT_PROFILE, never abort with the
+# misleading 'topics: any with no languages' error the user never wrote. The
+# malformed-abort test above guards the other direction: a Filters block WITH a
+# bad line still exits 10, so the fallback can never swallow a real typo.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# 12. Notes-only file (no ## Filters block at all) => DEFAULT_PROFILE, exit 0.
+write notes_only <<'EOF'
+## Notes
+Prefer small, focused libraries. I'd rather fix bugs than add features.
+EOF
+run notes_only > "$tmpdir/notes_only.txt" \
+  || fail "notes-only preferences.md aborted the scan instead of using defaults"
+diff -u "$GOLDEN" "$tmpdir/notes_only.txt" \
+  || fail "notes-only file did not fall back to the default profile"
+
+# 12a. An empty ## Filters block (header, no filter lines) is also 'nothing
+# specified' => DEFAULT_PROFILE, not a catch-all abort.
+write empty_filters <<'EOF'
+## Filters
+
+## Notes
+just some guidance
+EOF
+run empty_filters > "$tmpdir/empty_filters.txt" \
+  || fail "empty ## Filters block aborted the scan instead of using defaults"
+diff -u "$GOLDEN" "$tmpdir/empty_filters.txt" \
+  || fail "empty ## Filters block did not fall back to the default profile"
+
 # 11. Determinism: same profile, two runs, byte-identical output.
 [ "$(run cross3)" = "$(run cross3)" ] || fail "build is not deterministic"
 

tests/scripts/test_repo_finder_override_inherit.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# The /repo-finder override path (`--lang`/`--topic`/`--min-stars`) inherits the
+# axes it does NOT name from the saved profile. It must read the saved
+# `## Filters` block with the SAME detector scripts/lib/preferences.sh uses —
+# case-insensitive, spacing-tolerant. A divergent 'exact ## Filters' matcher
+# silently fails to inherit on a '## filters' (lowercase, hand-edited) file and
+# searches with default axes instead: the silent-wrong-result this whole feature
+# exists to prevent. Network-free, bash 3.2-clean.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-$(CDPATH= cd -- "$(dirname -- "$0")/../.." && pwd)}"
+export CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT="$ROOT"
+CMD="$ROOT/commands/repo-finder.md"
+TMP=$(mktemp -d); trap 'rm -rf "$TMP"' EXIT
+HOME="$TMP/home"; export HOME
+mkdir -p "$HOME/.superhuman"
+
+fail() { echo "FAIL: $*"; exit 1; }
+
+# A saved profile with a NON-canonical header. /preferences writes '## Filters',
+# but preferences.sh accepts '## filters' too, so a hand-edited file can look
+# like this — and the override path must read it the same way.
+cat > "$HOME/.superhuman/preferences.md" <<'EOF'
+## filters
+languages: go
+topics: backend
+stars: 3000
+EOF
+
+# The override block is the 2nd ```bash fence. Drive it with a --topic override
+# (TOPICS set, LANGS/MIN_STARS empty) so languages + stars MUST be inherited from
+# the saved profile. Then print the throwaway file the block compiled.
+extract_block2() {
+  awk '/^```bash$/{n++; if(n==2){inb=1; next}} /^```$/{inb=0} inb' "$CMD"
+}
+{
+  printf 'LANGS=""\nTOPICS="cli"\nMIN_STARS=""\n'
+  extract_block2
+  printf 'echo "---OVERRIDE-FILE---"; cat "$OVERRIDE"\n'
+} > "$TMP/block.sh"
+
+OUT=$(bash "$TMP/block.sh" 2>&1) || fail "override block errored: $OUT"
+
+case "$OUT" in
+  *"languages: go"*) ;;
+  *) fail "saved 'languages: go' not inherited from a '## filters' file:
+$OUT" ;;
+esac
+case "$OUT" in
+  *"stars: 3000"*) ;;
+  *) fail "saved 'stars: 3000' not inherited (fell back to the 2000 default):
+$OUT" ;;
+esac
+case "$OUT" in
+  *"topics: cli"*) ;;
+  *) fail "--topic override not applied:
+$OUT" ;;
+esac
+
+echo "OK test_repo_finder_override_inherit.sh"