trace-id propagation through /v1/iterate (multi-call observability)

Closes J's 2026-05-02 multi-call observability gap: a single
/v1/iterate session with N retries used to surface in Langfuse as
N+1 disconnected traces (one per /v1/chat hop + one for the iterate
request itself), with no parent/child linkage. Operators couldn't
scroll the retry chain in one trace tree to spot where grounding
failed.

## Wire-level change

- New header constant `shared.TraceIDHeader = "X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id"`
- `langfuseMiddleware` honors the header on inbound requests: if
  set, reuses that trace id instead of minting a new one. Stashes
  the trace id on the request context so handlers can attach
  application-level child spans.
- `validatord.chatCaller` forwards the header to chatd. Every chat
  hop in an iterate session lands as a child of the parent trace.

## Application-level spans

- `validator.IterateConfig` gains `Tracer` (optional callback).
  When wired, each iteration attempt emits one Langfuse span
  via `validator.AttemptSpan`:
    Name: iterate.attempt[N]
    Input: { iteration, model, provider, prompt }
    Output: { verdict, raw, error }
    Level: WARNING when verdict != accepted
- `validatord.iterTracer` is the production hook — bridges
  `validator.Tracer` → `langfuse.Client.Span`.
- `IterateRequest`/`IterateResponse`/`IterateFailure` gain
  `TraceID`; each `IterateAttempt` gains `SpanID`. The /v1/iterate
  caller can pivot from the JSON response straight into the
  Langfuse trace tree.

## What an operator sees post-cutover

  GET /v1/iterate {kind=fill, prompt=...} → Trace TR-1
    ├─ http.request span (from middleware)
    ├─ iterate.attempt[0] span (validator.Iterate emit)
    │     input: prompt+model
    │     output: { verdict: validation_failed, error: ..., raw }
    ├─ chatd /v1/chat call (X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id: TR-1)
    │     ├─ http.request span (chatd middleware)
    │     └─ chatd-internal spans (existing)
    ├─ iterate.attempt[1] span
    └─ ...

All in one Langfuse trace tree, not N+1 separate traces.

## Hallucinated-worker safety net is unchanged

The /v1/iterate flow's hard correctness gate is still
FillValidator + WorkerLookup. Phantom candidate IDs raise
ValidationError::Consistency which 422s and forces the iteration
loop to retry. The trace-id propagation is the OBSERVABILITY layer
on top — it makes the existing safety net's outcomes visible per-call,
not a replacement for it.

## Verification

- internal/validator: 4 new tests
  - TestIterate_TracerEmitsSpanPerAttempt — span/attempt count + SpanID
  - TestIterate_NoTraceIDSkipsTracer — no orphan spans without trace_id
  - TestIterate_ChatCallerReceivesTraceID — propagation contract
  - (existing iterate tests updated for new ChatCaller signature)
- internal/shared: 1 new test
  - TestLangfuseMiddleware_HonorsTraceIDHeader — cross-service linkage
- cmd/validatord: existing HTTP tests still PASS via the dual-shape
  UnmarshalJSON contract.
- validatord_smoke.sh: 5/5 PASS through gateway :3110 (unchanged).
- Full go test ./... green across 33 packages.

## Architecture invariant added

STATE_OF_PLAY "DO NOT RELITIGATE" gains a paragraph documenting
the X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id header contract + the iterate.attempt[N]
span emission. Future-Claude won't re-propose "wire trace-id
propagation" — the header IS the wiring.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

STATE_OF_PLAY.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # STATE OF PLAY — Lakehouse-Go
 
-**Last verified:** 2026-05-02 ~06:30 CDT
+**Last verified:** 2026-05-02 ~07:30 CDT
 **Verified by:** **production-readiness gauntlet** — 21/21 smoke chain green, per-component scrum across 4 bundles, **3 cross-runtime parity probes all green post-fix** (validator: **6/6 match** after wire-format alignment shipped; materializer: 2/2 after omitempty fix; extract_json: 12/12). All findings surfaced by the parity probes have been actioned. Disposition: `reports/cutover/gauntlet_2026-05-02/disposition.md`.
 
 > **Read this FIRST.** When the user says "we're working on lakehouse," default to the Go rewrite (this repo); the Rust legacy at `/home/profit/lakehouse/` is maintenance-only. If memory contradicts this file, this file wins. Update it when something is verified working — not when a phase finishes.
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ Verbatim verdicts at `reports/scrum/_evidence/2026-04-30/verdicts/`. Disposition
 - **Langfuse Go-side client lives at `internal/langfuse/`** with best-effort fail-open posture. URL+creds from `/etc/lakehouse/langfuse.env`. Don't propose to "wire Langfuse on Go side" — it's wired; multi_coord_stress is the proof.
 - **vectord's source-of-truth is `i.vectors`, NOT the coder/hnsw graph.** The `Index` struct holds a parallel `vectors map[string][]float32` updated on every successful Add/Delete; the graph is a derived, replaceable view. `safeGraphAdd`/`safeGraphDelete` wrap the library's panic-prone ops; `rebuildGraphLocked` reads from `i.vectors` (graph-state-independent). Don't propose to "drop the side map for memory" — it's the load-bearing piece that makes Add panic-recoverable past the small-index threshold (closes the multitier_100k 277884b 96-98% fail). The prior `i.ids` set was folded into `i.vectors` keys.
 - **vectord saves are coalesced async, not synchronous.** `cmd/vectord/main.go` runs a per-index `saveTask` that single-flights through `Persistor.Save` — at most one in-flight + one pending. Add returns OK before the save completes; an Add-then-crash can lose ~1 save's worth of data, matching ADR-005's fail-open posture. Don't propose to "make saves synchronous for durability" — that re-introduces the lock-contention bottleneck (1-2.5s tail at conc=50, observed 2026-05-01) without fixing a real durability hole (in-memory state is the source of truth in flight).
+- **`X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id` header propagates Langfuse parent traces across daemon boundaries.** When validatord's `/v1/iterate` calls chatd's `/v1/chat`, it forwards the header so chatd's middleware reuses the parent trace id instead of minting a new one. Each iteration attempt also emits a child span (`iterate.attempt[N]`) carrying the prompt, raw model output, and validator verdict. Result: an iterate session with N retries shows in Langfuse as ONE trace tree, not N+1 disconnected traces. Don't propose to "wire trace-id propagation" — it's wired; the test at `internal/shared/langfuse_middleware_test.go::TestLangfuseMiddleware_HonorsTraceIDHeader` is the proof. Closes J's 2026-05-02 multi-call observability concern.
 
 ---
 

cmd/validatord/main.go

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5"
 
+	"git.agentview.dev/profit/golangLAKEHOUSE/internal/langfuse"
 	"git.agentview.dev/profit/golangLAKEHOUSE/internal/shared"
 	"git.agentview.dev/profit/golangLAKEHOUSE/internal/validator"
 )
@@ -73,6 +74,11 @@ func main() {
 			DefaultMaxIterations: cfg.Validatord.DefaultMaxIterations,
 			DefaultMaxTokens:     cfg.Validatord.DefaultMaxTokens,
 		},
+		// Same env loader the middleware uses — getting our own
+		// reference lets us emit child spans of the per-request trace.
+		// nil when Langfuse env isn't set; the iterate handler skips
+		// span emission gracefully in that case.
+		lf: shared.LoadLangfuseFromEnv(),
 	}
 
 	if err := shared.Run("validatord", cfg.Validatord.Bind, h.register, cfg.Auth); err != nil {
@@ -86,6 +92,12 @@ type handlers struct {
 	chatdURL   string
 	chatClient *http.Client
 	iterCfg    validator.IterateConfig
+	// lf is the Langfuse client (nil when unconfigured — best-effort
+	// posture matching the rest of the stack). Per-attempt iteration
+	// spans get emitted via lf when set. The HTTP middleware that
+	// creates the parent trace lives in shared.Run; this client lets
+	// validatord's handler emit application-level child spans.
+	lf *langfuse.Client
 }
 
 func (h *handlers) register(r chi.Router) {
@@ -224,6 +236,16 @@ func (h *handlers) handleIterate(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		return
 	}
 
+	// Pull the per-request trace id from the langfuse middleware. If
+	// the caller forwarded an upstream trace via X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id
+	// the middleware reuses that one; otherwise it minted a fresh trace
+	// at HTTP entry. Either way, we propagate it so chat hops nest
+	// under the same parent and operators can pivot from the iterate
+	// response's trace_id straight into the full Langfuse tree.
+	if req.TraceID == "" {
+		req.TraceID = shared.TraceIDFromCtx(r.Context())
+	}
+
 	chat := h.chatCaller()
 	validate := func(kind string, artifact map[string]any) (validator.Report, error) {
 		report, vErr, kindErr := h.runValidator(kind, artifact, req.Context)
@@ -239,7 +261,15 @@ func (h *handlers) handleIterate(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		return *report, nil
 	}
 
-	resp, fail, err := validator.Iterate(r.Context(), req, h.iterCfg, chat, validate)
+	// Wire per-attempt span emission when Langfuse is configured —
+	// each chat→validate cycle becomes a child span of the iterate
+	// trace, with prompt/raw/verdict captured for inspection.
+	cfg := h.iterCfg
+	if h.lf != nil {
+		cfg.Tracer = h.iterTracer(r.Context())
+	}
+
+	resp, fail, err := validator.Iterate(r.Context(), req, cfg, chat, validate)
 	if err != nil {
 		http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusBadGateway)
 		return
@@ -254,8 +284,14 @@ func (h *handlers) handleIterate(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 // chatCaller wires the iteration loop to chatd via HTTP. Builds the
 // chat.Request shape, posts to ${chatdURL}/chat, returns the content
 // string (no choices wrapper — chatd's response is already flat).
+//
+// When traceID is non-empty, forwards it as the `X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id`
+// header so chatd's middleware attaches its trace to the same
+// Langfuse parent. Closes the multi-call observability gap: a
+// /v1/iterate session shows in Langfuse as one trace with N child
+// chat spans, instead of N+1 disconnected traces.
 func (h *handlers) chatCaller() validator.ChatCaller {
-	return func(ctx context.Context, system, user, _, model string, temp *float64, maxTokens int) (string, error) {
+	return func(ctx context.Context, system, user, _, model string, temp *float64, maxTokens int, traceID string) (string, error) {
 		messages := make([]map[string]string, 0, 2)
 		if system != "" {
 			messages = append(messages, map[string]string{"role": "system", "content": system})
@@ -278,6 +314,9 @@ func (h *handlers) chatCaller() validator.ChatCaller {
 			return "", fmt.Errorf("build chat req: %w", err)
 		}
 		req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		if traceID != "" {
+			req.Header.Set(shared.TraceIDHeader, traceID)
+		}
 		resp, err := h.chatClient.Do(req)
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", fmt.Errorf("chat hop: %w", err)
@@ -297,6 +336,49 @@ func (h *handlers) chatCaller() validator.ChatCaller {
 	}
 }
 
+// iterTracer adapts validator.Tracer → langfuse.Client.Span. Each
+// iteration attempt becomes one Langfuse span on the parent trace
+// with input={prompt, model, provider}, output={raw, verdict}.
+// Operators reading Langfuse can scroll the iterate session and see
+// the full retry chain — which prompt produced which raw, which
+// validator verdict landed, which retry the model recovered on.
+//
+// Returns the span id so it lands in IterateAttempt.SpanID — the
+// /v1/iterate response carries that id back to the caller for log
+// correlation.
+//
+// Errors are silent (best-effort posture per package langfuse). A
+// dropped span never blocks the iterate loop.
+func (h *handlers) iterTracer(ctx context.Context) validator.Tracer {
+	return func(s validator.AttemptSpan) string {
+		level := "DEFAULT"
+		if s.Verdict.Kind != "accepted" {
+			level = "WARNING"
+		}
+		return h.lf.Span(ctx, langfuse.SpanInput{
+			TraceID: s.TraceID,
+			Name:    fmt.Sprintf("iterate.attempt[%d]", s.Iteration),
+			Input: map[string]any{
+				"iteration": s.Iteration,
+				"model":     s.Model,
+				"provider":  s.Provider,
+				"prompt":    trim(s.Prompt, 4000),
+			},
+			Output: map[string]any{
+				"verdict": s.Verdict.Kind,
+				"error":   s.Verdict.Error,
+				"raw":     trim(s.Raw, 4000),
+			},
+			Metadata: map[string]any{
+				"verdict_error": s.Verdict.Error,
+			},
+			StartTime: s.StartTime,
+			EndTime:   s.EndTime,
+			Level:     level,
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func writeJSON(w http.ResponseWriter, status int, body any) {
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 	w.WriteHeader(status)

internal/shared/langfuse_middleware.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package shared
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"time"
@@ -8,6 +9,30 @@ import (
 	"git.agentview.dev/profit/golangLAKEHOUSE/internal/langfuse"
 )
 
+// TraceIDHeader propagates a Langfuse trace id across services. When
+// validatord makes a /v1/iterate call that internally calls chatd's
+// /v1/chat, validatord sends this header so both daemons' middleware
+// emit spans under the SAME trace tree (rather than two unrelated
+// traces). Closes the multi-call observability gap J flagged
+// 2026-05-02 ("we need to make sure they have the corpus of
+// information to complete the process and we want to spot errors").
+const TraceIDHeader = "X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id"
+
+// traceIDCtxKey is the context value key for the per-request trace id.
+// Handlers downstream of langfuseMiddleware can pull it via TraceIDFromCtx
+// to attach child spans (e.g. iteration-attempt spans inside validatord).
+type traceIDCtxKey struct{}
+
+// TraceIDFromCtx returns the per-request Langfuse trace id, or "" if
+// the middleware didn't set one (Langfuse not configured / /health
+// bypass / no Client wired).
+func TraceIDFromCtx(ctx context.Context) string {
+	if v, ok := ctx.Value(traceIDCtxKey{}).(string); ok {
+		return v
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 // langfuseMiddleware emits one Langfuse trace per HTTP request, with
 // a single span carrying start/end timestamps + status code. Per
 // OPEN item #2 (closed by the wave that adds this file): production
@@ -36,15 +61,28 @@ func langfuseMiddleware(serviceName string, lf *langfuse.Client) func(http.Handl
 			start := time.Now()
 			sw := &statusWriter{ResponseWriter: w, status: http.StatusOK}
 
-			traceID := lf.Trace(r.Context(), langfuse.TraceInput{
+			// If the caller forwarded a trace id (cross-service parent
-				Name: serviceName + " " + r.Method + " " + r.URL.Path,
+			// linkage) reuse it instead of starting a new trace. Spans
-				Tags: []string{serviceName, r.Method},
+			// from this service then attach to the parent trace tree
-				Metadata: map[string]any{
+			// so an /v1/iterate session shows as one trace with
-					"path":        r.URL.Path,
+			// children for each /v1/chat hop.
-					"method":      r.Method,
+			traceID := r.Header.Get(TraceIDHeader)
-					"remote_addr": r.RemoteAddr,
+			if traceID == "" {
-				},
+				traceID = lf.Trace(r.Context(), langfuse.TraceInput{
-			})
+					Name: serviceName + " " + r.Method + " " + r.URL.Path,
+					Tags: []string{serviceName, r.Method},
+					Metadata: map[string]any{
+						"path":        r.URL.Path,
+						"method":      r.Method,
+						"remote_addr": r.RemoteAddr,
+					},
+				})
+			}
+
+			// Stash the trace id on the request context so downstream
+			// handlers can attach finer-grained spans (e.g. one per
+			// iteration attempt inside validator.Iterate).
+			r = r.WithContext(context.WithValue(r.Context(), traceIDCtxKey{}, traceID))
 
 			next.ServeHTTP(sw, r)
 
@@ -89,13 +127,18 @@ func (sw *statusWriter) WriteHeader(code int) {
 	sw.ResponseWriter.WriteHeader(code)
 }
 
-// loadLangfuseFromEnv builds a langfuse.Client from environment
+// LoadLangfuseFromEnv builds a langfuse.Client from environment
 // variables. Returns nil if any of LANGFUSE_URL / LANGFUSE_PUBLIC_KEY
 // / LANGFUSE_SECRET_KEY is unset (best-effort: missing config means
 // no tracing, never a startup error). Same env names as the bare
 // /etc/lakehouse/langfuse.env file used by the multi_coord_stress
 // driver — operators ship one env file across every daemon.
-func loadLangfuseFromEnv() *langfuse.Client {
+//
+// Exported 2026-05-02 so daemons that need to emit application-level
+// child spans (validatord's iterate-attempt spans) can hold their own
+// reference to the same client `shared.Run` is already wiring into
+// the middleware.
+func LoadLangfuseFromEnv() *langfuse.Client {
 	url := os.Getenv("LANGFUSE_URL")
 	pk := os.Getenv("LANGFUSE_PUBLIC_KEY")
 	sk := os.Getenv("LANGFUSE_SECRET_KEY")

internal/shared/langfuse_middleware_test.go

@@ -119,6 +119,50 @@ func TestLangfuseMiddleware_RealRequestEmitted(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestLangfuseMiddleware_HonorsTraceIDHeader locks the cross-service
+// trace-linkage contract: when validatord forwards a /v1/iterate's
+// trace id to chatd via X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id, chatd's middleware
+// MUST reuse that id rather than minting a new one. Without this,
+// every chat hop spawned its own orphan trace and an iterate session
+// with N retries showed in Langfuse as N+1 disconnected traces.
+//
+// We verify by inspecting the trace id stashed on the request
+// context — handlers downstream pull it via TraceIDFromCtx and
+// attach finer-grained spans to it.
+func TestLangfuseMiddleware_HonorsTraceIDHeader(t *testing.T) {
+	// nil client path is fine — TraceIDFromCtx still propagates the
+	// header value because the middleware sets the ctx value before
+	// minting any new id. But that's only true when the client is
+	// non-nil (the nil-client branch is a passthrough that never sets
+	// the ctx value). So we wire a real (mocked) Langfuse to exercise
+	// the header-honoring branch.
+	lfMock := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		_, _ = io.ReadAll(r.Body)
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+	}))
+	defer lfMock.Close()
+	lf := langfuse.New(lfMock.URL, "test-pk", "test-sk", nil)
+
+	mw := langfuseMiddleware("test-service", lf)
+	var observed string
+	h := mw(http.HandlerFunc(func(_ http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		observed = TraceIDFromCtx(r.Context())
+	}))
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(h)
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", srv.URL+"/api/echo", nil)
+	req.Header.Set(TraceIDHeader, "trace-from-parent")
+	resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("POST: %v", err)
+	}
+	resp.Body.Close()
+	if observed != "trace-from-parent" {
+		t.Errorf("expected forwarded trace id, got %q", observed)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestLangfuseMiddleware_StatusCaptured locks the status-writer
 // wrapping: when the handler returns 500, the middleware must see
 // 500 in the span output (otherwise error traces all show 200 and

internal/shared/server.go

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ func Run(serviceName, addr string, register RegisterRoutes, auth AuthConfig) err
 	// gets free production-traffic trace visibility when those env
 	// vars are set. Missing any of the three → nil client → middleware
 	// becomes a passthrough.
-	lf := loadLangfuseFromEnv()
+	lf := LoadLangfuseFromEnv()
 	if lf != nil {
 		// Make sure pending events flush on graceful shutdown so the
 		// last few requests' traces don't get lost.

internal/validator/iterate.go

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 )
 
 // IterateRequest is the input to Iterate. Mirrors Rust's
@@ -20,14 +21,24 @@ type IterateRequest struct {
 	MaxIterations int            `json:"max_iterations,omitempty"`
 	Temperature   *float64       `json:"temperature,omitempty"`
 	MaxTokens     int            `json:"max_tokens,omitempty"`
+	// TraceID lets external schedulers force a parent trace id (so the
+	// iterate session lands as a child of an upstream Langfuse trace).
+	// Empty = the caller didn't provide one; validatord may still
+	// generate one from request context.
+	TraceID string `json:"trace_id,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // IterateAttempt is one row in the history. raw is capped at 2000
-// chars on the wire to keep responses bounded.
+// chars on the wire to keep responses bounded. SpanID points at the
+// Langfuse span emitted for this attempt (if a Tracer was wired in
+// IterateConfig); empty when tracing was disabled. Operators reading
+// `data/_kb/replay_runs.jsonl` or staffing-co-pilot session logs can
+// jump from a row to its full trace tree via this id.
 type IterateAttempt struct {
-	Iteration int            `json:"iteration"`
+	Iteration int           `json:"iteration"`
-	Raw       string         `json:"raw"`
+	Raw       string        `json:"raw"`
-	Status    AttemptStatus  `json:"status"`
+	Status    AttemptStatus `json:"status"`
+	SpanID    string        `json:"span_id,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // AttemptStatus is the per-attempt verdict. Tagged JSON so consumers
@@ -38,11 +49,14 @@ type AttemptStatus struct {
 }
 
 // IterateResponse is the success payload (200 + Report + accepted artifact).
+// TraceID echoes back the parent trace id so callers can pivot to
+// Langfuse and see the full session (chat hops + validator verdicts).
 type IterateResponse struct {
 	Artifact   map[string]any   `json:"artifact"`
 	Validation Report           `json:"validation"`
 	Iterations int              `json:"iterations"`
 	History    []IterateAttempt `json:"history"`
+	TraceID    string           `json:"trace_id,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // IterateFailure is the max-iter-exhausted payload (422 + history).
@@ -50,19 +64,53 @@ type IterateFailure struct {
 	Error      string           `json:"error"`
 	Iterations int              `json:"iterations"`
 	History    []IterateAttempt `json:"history"`
+	TraceID    string           `json:"trace_id,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // ChatCaller is the seam Iterate uses to invoke an LLM. Tests inject
 // scripted callers; production wires this to the chatd /v1/chat HTTP
 // endpoint. Implementations must return the model's textual content
-// (no choices wrapper, no message envelope).
+// (no choices wrapper, no message envelope). traceID is the Langfuse
-type ChatCaller func(ctx context.Context, system, user, provider, model string, temperature *float64, maxTokens int) (string, error)
+// parent trace id — HTTP transports forward it as the
+// `X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id` header so chatd's middleware attaches its
+// spans to the same trace.
+type ChatCaller func(ctx context.Context, system, user, provider, model string, temperature *float64, maxTokens int, traceID string) (string, error)
+
+// AttemptSpan describes one iteration's chat-call + validator-verdict.
+// The Tracer (see IterateConfig) consumes these to emit Langfuse
+// spans — one span per attempt, plus inputs/outputs so an operator
+// scrolling Langfuse sees the full prompt → raw → verdict chain
+// without having to join multiple JSONL files.
+type AttemptSpan struct {
+	TraceID    string
+	ParentID   string // span id of the surrounding /v1/iterate http request, if any
+	Iteration  int
+	Model      string
+	Provider   string
+	Prompt     string
+	Raw        string
+	Verdict    AttemptStatus
+	StartTime  time.Time
+	EndTime    time.Time
+}
+
+// Tracer is the hook Iterate calls after each attempt. Returns the
+// span id so it lands in IterateAttempt.SpanID. nil = tracing
+// disabled (tests, or production with Langfuse unconfigured).
+//
+// Production wiring lives in cmd/validatord/main.go and routes to
+// internal/langfuse.Client — kept as an interface here so the
+// validator package doesn't depend on langfuse for unit tests.
+type Tracer func(span AttemptSpan) string
 
 // IterateConfig threads daemon-level settings into the orchestrator.
 type IterateConfig struct {
 	DefaultMaxIterations int
 	DefaultMaxTokens     int
 	DefaultTemperature   float64
+	// Tracer (optional) emits one span per iteration attempt for
+	// per-call visibility. nil = no tracing.
+	Tracer Tracer
 }
 
 const (
@@ -101,36 +149,59 @@ func Iterate(ctx context.Context, req IterateRequest, cfg IterateConfig, chat Ch
 
 	currentPrompt := req.Prompt
 	history := make([]IterateAttempt, 0, maxIter)
+	traceID := req.TraceID
+
+	// recordAttempt: append to history, emit a Langfuse span if a
+	// Tracer is wired, return the SpanID. Centralized so every code
+	// path (no_json, accepted, validation_failed) hits the same
+	// observability path — no easy way to forget tracing on a branch.
+	recordAttempt := func(iteration int, raw string, verdict AttemptStatus, started time.Time) string {
+		spanID := ""
+		if cfg.Tracer != nil && traceID != "" {
+			spanID = cfg.Tracer(AttemptSpan{
+				TraceID:   traceID,
+				Iteration: iteration,
+				Model:     req.Model,
+				Provider:  req.Provider,
+				Prompt:    currentPrompt,
+				Raw:       raw,
+				Verdict:   verdict,
+				StartTime: started,
+				EndTime:   time.Now(),
+			})
+		}
+		history = append(history, IterateAttempt{
+			Iteration: iteration,
+			Raw:       trim(raw, 2000),
+			Status:    verdict,
+			SpanID:    spanID,
+		})
+		return spanID
+	}
 
 	for i := 0; i < maxIter; i++ {
-		raw, err := chat(ctx, req.System, currentPrompt, req.Provider, req.Model, temp, maxTokens)
+		started := time.Now()
+		raw, err := chat(ctx, req.System, currentPrompt, req.Provider, req.Model, temp, maxTokens, traceID)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("/v1/chat hop failed at iter %d: %w", i, err)
 		}
 
 		artifact := ExtractJSON(raw)
 		if artifact == nil {
-			history = append(history, IterateAttempt{
+			recordAttempt(i, raw, AttemptStatus{Kind: "no_json"}, started)
-				Iteration: i,
-				Raw:       trim(raw, 2000),
-				Status:    AttemptStatus{Kind: "no_json"},
-			})
 			currentPrompt = req.Prompt + "\n\nYour previous attempt did not contain a JSON object. Reply with ONLY a valid JSON object matching the requested artifact shape."
 			continue
 		}
 
 		report, vErr := validate(req.Kind, artifact)
 		if vErr == nil {
-			history = append(history, IterateAttempt{
+			recordAttempt(i, raw, AttemptStatus{Kind: "accepted"}, started)
-				Iteration: i,
-				Raw:       trim(raw, 2000),
-				Status:    AttemptStatus{Kind: "accepted"},
-			})
 			return &IterateResponse{
 				Artifact:   artifact,
 				Validation: report,
 				Iterations: i + 1,
 				History:    history,
+				TraceID:    traceID,
 			}, nil, nil
 		}
 
@@ -138,11 +209,7 @@ func Iterate(ctx context.Context, req IterateRequest, cfg IterateConfig, chat Ch
 		// The model sees concrete failure mode + retries with corrective
 		// context. Same "validator IS the observer" shape as Phase 43.
 		errSummary := vErr.Error()
-		history = append(history, IterateAttempt{
+		recordAttempt(i, raw, AttemptStatus{Kind: "validation_failed", Error: errSummary}, started)
-			Iteration: i,
-			Raw:       trim(raw, 2000),
-			Status:    AttemptStatus{Kind: "validation_failed", Error: errSummary},
-		})
 		currentPrompt = req.Prompt + "\n\nPrior attempt failed validation:\n" + errSummary + "\n\nFix the specific issue above and respond with a corrected JSON object."
 	}
 
@@ -150,6 +217,7 @@ func Iterate(ctx context.Context, req IterateRequest, cfg IterateConfig, chat Ch
 		Error:      fmt.Sprintf("max iterations reached (%d) without passing validation", maxIter),
 		Iterations: maxIter,
 		History:    history,
+		TraceID:    traceID,
 	}, nil
 }
 

internal/validator/iterate_test.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package validator
 import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"testing"
 )
 
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ func TestExtractJSON_TopLevelArrayReturnsFirstInnerObject(t *testing.T) {
 
 func scriptedChat(responses ...string) (ChatCaller, *int) {
 	idx := 0
-	return func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _, _ string, _ *float64, _ int) (string, error) {
+	return func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _, _ string, _ *float64, _ int, _ string) (string, error) {
 		if idx >= len(responses) {
 			return "", errors.New("scripted chat exhausted")
 		}
@@ -175,8 +176,96 @@ func TestIterate_MaxIterationsExhaustedReturnsFailure(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestIterate_TracerEmitsSpanPerAttempt locks the per-attempt
+// observability contract: when a Tracer is wired AND a TraceID is
+// present, every retry produces exactly one span and the SpanID
+// lands on the IterateAttempt history row.
+func TestIterate_TracerEmitsSpanPerAttempt(t *testing.T) {
+	chat, _ := scriptedChat(
+		"no json",
+		`{"k":"v"}`,
+	)
+	validate := func(_ string, _ map[string]any) (Report, error) { return Report{}, nil }
+
+	var spans []AttemptSpan
+	tracer := func(s AttemptSpan) string {
+		spans = append(spans, s)
+		return fmt.Sprintf("span-%d", s.Iteration)
+	}
+
+	resp, _, err := Iterate(context.Background(),
+		IterateRequest{Kind: "playbook", Prompt: "X", Provider: "ollama", Model: "qwen", TraceID: "trace-abc"},
+		IterateConfig{Tracer: tracer}, chat, validate)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Iterate: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp.TraceID != "trace-abc" {
+		t.Errorf("TraceID echo: got %q, want trace-abc", resp.TraceID)
+	}
+	if len(spans) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 emitted spans, got %d", len(spans))
+	}
+	if spans[0].Verdict.Kind != "no_json" || spans[1].Verdict.Kind != "accepted" {
+		t.Errorf("verdict propagation: %+v", spans)
+	}
+	if resp.History[0].SpanID != "span-0" || resp.History[1].SpanID != "span-1" {
+		t.Errorf("SpanID stamping: %+v", resp.History)
+	}
+	if spans[0].TraceID != "trace-abc" {
+		t.Errorf("TraceID didn't reach the tracer: %q", spans[0].TraceID)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestIterate_NoTraceIDSkipsTracer guards the "Langfuse not configured"
+// path: tracer is non-nil but trace_id is empty → we MUST NOT emit
+// orphan spans.
+func TestIterate_NoTraceIDSkipsTracer(t *testing.T) {
+	chat, _ := scriptedChat(`{"k":"v"}`)
+	validate := func(_ string, _ map[string]any) (Report, error) { return Report{}, nil }
+	called := 0
+	tracer := func(_ AttemptSpan) string {
+		called++
+		return "should-not-be-used"
+	}
+	resp, _, err := Iterate(context.Background(),
+		IterateRequest{Kind: "playbook", Prompt: "X", Provider: "ollama", Model: "qwen"}, // no TraceID
+		IterateConfig{Tracer: tracer}, chat, validate)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Iterate: %v", err)
+	}
+	if called != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("tracer should not fire without a trace_id; called=%d", called)
+	}
+	if resp.History[0].SpanID != "" {
+		t.Errorf("SpanID should be empty when no trace_id: %q", resp.History[0].SpanID)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestIterate_ChatCallerReceivesTraceID confirms the trace_id is
+// forwarded into the ChatCaller signature so HTTP transports can set
+// the X-Lakehouse-Trace-Id header. Without this, chatd's Langfuse
+// emit would create an orphan trace per retry instead of nesting
+// under the iterate parent.
+func TestIterate_ChatCallerReceivesTraceID(t *testing.T) {
+	var observedTrace string
+	chat := func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _, _ string, _ *float64, _ int, traceID string) (string, error) {
+		observedTrace = traceID
+		return `{"k":"v"}`, nil
+	}
+	validate := func(_ string, _ map[string]any) (Report, error) { return Report{}, nil }
+	_, _, err := Iterate(context.Background(),
+		IterateRequest{Kind: "playbook", Prompt: "X", Provider: "ollama", Model: "x", TraceID: "trace-xyz"},
+		IterateConfig{}, chat, validate)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Iterate: %v", err)
+	}
+	if observedTrace != "trace-xyz" {
+		t.Errorf("ChatCaller should receive trace_id; got %q", observedTrace)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestIterate_PropagatesChatInfraError(t *testing.T) {
-	chat := func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _, _ string, _ *float64, _ int) (string, error) {
+	chat := func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _, _ string, _ *float64, _ int, _ string) (string, error) {
 		return "", errors.New("connection refused")
 	}
 	validate := func(_ string, _ map[string]any) (Report, error) { return Report{}, nil }