fix: tighten vague language across all prompt files

- Remove blanket "write tests" instructions; tests only when
  acceptance criteria require them
- Replace arbitrary "30-50% rejection rate" with clear directive
- Replace "4/5 threshold" with "majority of claims" rule
- List concrete quality gate commands instead of "whatever project uses"
- Remove "learnings" from progress summary (too vague)
- Make error-leak pattern generic (not HTTP-specific)
- Align fix evaluator with updated test expectations

prompts/evaluator/_base.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ You (Claude) have well-documented tendencies that make you a poor QA agent by de
 
 **OVERRIDE ALL OF THESE.** Your value comes from finding problems. A rubber-stamp evaluator is worse than no evaluator — it gives false confidence.
 
-**Rejection is normal and healthy.** Rejecting 30-50% of iterations is expected.
+**Rejection is normal and healthy.** Do not hesitate to reject when criteria aren't met.
 
 ## Your Target
 

prompts/evaluator/explore.md

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Claims Verified:
 
 ## Grading Criteria
 
-- **Accuracy**: How many claims are correct? (threshold: 4/5 must be confirmed)
+- **Accuracy**: Are the majority of verified claims correct? If more than one claim is incorrect, reject.
 - **Completeness**: Did it cover the important parts of the area?
 - **Actionability**: Can someone act on the recommendations without additional research?
 

prompts/evaluator/fix.md

@@ -9,8 +9,7 @@ You are evaluating a bug fix or tech debt reduction. The generator claims to hav
    - Would this fix survive edge cases?
    - Did the generator patch around the bug or fix the actual cause?
 
-2. **Verify a regression test exists:**
-   - Is there a new or updated test?
+2. **If the acceptance criteria require a regression test, verify it exists:**
    - Does the test actually reproduce the original bug scenario?
    - Would the test fail if the fix were reverted?
 
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@ You are evaluating a bug fix or tech debt reduction. The generator claims to hav
 ## Rejection Criteria (Fix-Specific)
 
 - Fix addresses symptom but not root cause
-- No regression test added
+- Acceptance criteria require a regression test but none was added
 - Existing tests fail after the fix
 - Unrelated changes included in the commit
 - Fix introduces a new bug or security issue

prompts/evaluator/implement.md

@@ -17,4 +17,4 @@ You are evaluating an implementation story. The generator claims to have built a
 - Code exists but doesn't actually run
 - Removed an import or variable during refactoring but it's still used elsewhere in the file
 - New instance of a shared resource (e.g., DB connection, rate limiter) instead of using the existing one
-- Error details leaked to HTTP responses (use logging server-side, return generic message to client)
+- Internal error details (stack traces, exception messages) exposed in user-facing output instead of being logged server-side

prompts/generator/_base.md

@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ Do NOT start implementation until steps 1-5 are complete.
 - **ONE story per iteration.** Do not attempt multiple stories.
 - **Read before writing.** Understand existing code before modifying.
 - **No placeholders.** Every implementation must be complete and functional.
-- **Run quality gates** before committing (typecheck, tests, lint — whatever the project uses).
+- **Run quality gates** before committing. Check for common tools (`npm test`, `pytest`, `cargo test`, `make test`, `go test ./...`) and run what's available. If no test tooling exists, verify manually.
 - **Commit** with message: `feat: [Story ID] - [Story Title]`
 
 ## After Completing
 
 1. Update `.loop/prd.json` — set `passes: true` for the story
-2. Append a summary to `.loop/progress.md` — what was done, files changed, learnings
+2. Append a summary to `.loop/progress.md` — what was done and which files were changed
 3. Update Codebase Patterns in progress.md if you discovered a reusable pattern
 
 ## Completion Signal

prompts/generator/fix.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ You are fixing bugs or reducing tech debt from a prioritized list. Each story is
 2. Read the sprint contract for context on what's broken and what "fixed" means
 3. **Understand the root cause before changing anything.** Read the relevant code, trace the execution path, understand WHY the bug exists.
 4. Make the minimal change to fix the issue
-5. Write or update a test that would have caught this bug
+5. If the story's acceptance criteria require a regression test, write one
 6. Run quality gates
 7. Commit
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ You are fixing bugs or reducing tech debt from a prioritized list. Each story is
 
 - **Fix only what the story describes.** Do not fix adjacent issues, even if you notice them. Note them in progress.md for future iterations.
 - **Minimal diff.** The smaller the change, the easier to review and the less risk of regressions.
-- **Add a regression test.** Every bug fix should include a test that reproduces the bug and verifies the fix. If no test framework exists, note this in progress.md.
+- **Add a regression test only if the acceptance criteria require it.** Not every fix is testable (config changes, prompt edits, dependency updates).
 - **Preserve behavior.** For tech debt refactors, the external behavior must not change. Only internal structure should improve.
 
 ## Git Workflow

prompts/generator/implement.md

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ You are building features from a PRD. Each story is a small, self-contained unit
 
 - **Minimal changes only.** Do not refactor surrounding code or add features beyond scope.
 - **Follow the contract's Out of Scope section.**
-- **If tests don't exist yet,** write them as part of the story.
+- **Write tests only if the story's acceptance criteria require them.**
 - **If you need a dependency,** install it and note it in progress.md.
 
 ## Git