diff --git a/server/src/agents/lifecycle.rs b/server/src/agents/lifecycle.rs
index 46b2fff3..f0501568 100644
--- a/server/src/agents/lifecycle.rs
+++ b/server/src/agents/lifecycle.rs
@@ -2,14 +2,21 @@
 //!
 //! All pipeline state lives in the CRDT.  These functions never consult the
 //! filesystem for work-item data — CRDT lookup failures propagate as errors.
+//!
+//! Every lifecycle function routes through the typed state machine
+//! ([`crate::pipeline_state::apply_transition`]) so that illegal transitions
+//! are rejected and every stage change emits a [`TransitionFired`] event.
+use std::num::NonZeroU32;
 use std::path::Path;
 use std::process::Command;
 
 use crate::io::story_metadata::clear_front_matter_field_in_content;
+use crate::pipeline_state::{
+    ApplyError, ArchiveReason, BranchName, GitSha, PipelineEvent, Stage, apply_transition,
+    stage_label,
+};
 use crate::slog;
 
-type ContentTransform = Option<Box<dyn Fn(&str) -> String>>;
-
 /// Determine the item type ("story", "bug", "spike", or "refactor") from the item ID.
 ///
 /// For slug-format IDs (e.g. `"4_bug_login_crash"`), the type is embedded in the ID.
@@ -40,78 +47,21 @@ pub(crate) fn item_type_from_id(item_id: &str) -> &'static str {
     "story"
 }
 
-/// Move a work item to a new pipeline stage via the database.
-///
-/// Looks up the item in the CRDT to verify it exists in one of the expected
-/// `sources` stages, then updates the stage.  Optionally clears front-matter
-/// fields from the stored content.  Returns the source stage on success.
-fn move_item<'a>(
-    story_id: &str,
-    sources: &'a [&'a str],
-    target_dir: &str,
-    extra_done_dirs: &[&str],
-    missing_ok: bool,
-    fields_to_clear: &[&str],
-) -> Result<Option<&'a str>, String> {
-    // Check if the item is already in the target stage or a done stage.
-    // Use the typed projection for compile-safe stage comparison.
-    if let Ok(Some(typed_item)) = crate::pipeline_state::read_typed(story_id) {
-        let current_dir = typed_item.stage.dir_name();
-        if current_dir == target_dir || extra_done_dirs.contains(&current_dir) {
-            return Ok(None); // Idempotent: already there.
+type ContentTransform = Box<dyn Fn(&str) -> String>;
+
+/// Build a content-transform closure that clears the given front-matter fields.
+fn fields_to_clear_transform(fields: &[&str]) -> Option<ContentTransform> {
+    if fields.is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let fields: Vec<String> = fields.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()).collect();
+    Some(Box::new(move |content: &str| {
+        let mut result = content.to_string();
+        for field in &fields {
+            result = clear_front_matter_field_in_content(&result, field);
         }
-
-        // Verify it's in one of the expected source stages.
-        let src_dir = sources.iter().find(|&&s| current_dir == s).copied();
-        let src_dir = match src_dir {
-            Some(s) => s,
-            None if missing_ok => {
-                // Item is in CRDT but not in an expected source stage — do not
-                // overwrite its current stage.  This prevents promote_ready_backlog_stories
-                // from demoting a story that has already advanced to merge/done (bug 524).
-                return Ok(None);
-            }
-            None => {
-                let locs = sources
-                    .iter()
-                    .map(|s| format!("work/{s}/"))
-                    .collect::<Vec<_>>()
-                    .join(" or ");
-                return Err(format!("Work item '{story_id}' not found in {locs}."));
-            }
-        };
-
-        // Optionally clear front-matter fields from the stored content.
-        let transform: ContentTransform = if fields_to_clear.is_empty() {
-            None
-        } else {
-            let fields: Vec<String> = fields_to_clear.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()).collect();
-            Some(Box::new(move |content: &str| {
-                let mut result = content.to_string();
-                for field in &fields {
-                    result = clear_front_matter_field_in_content(&result, field);
-                }
-                result
-            }))
-        };
-
-        crate::db::move_item_stage(story_id, target_dir, transform.as_ref().map(|f| f.as_ref()));
-
-        slog!("[lifecycle] Moved '{story_id}' from work/{src_dir}/ to work/{target_dir}/");
-        return Ok(Some(src_dir));
-    }
-
-    if missing_ok {
-        slog!("[lifecycle] Work item '{story_id}' not found; skipping move to work/{target_dir}/");
-        return Ok(None);
-    }
-
-    let locs = sources
-        .iter()
-        .map(|s| format!("work/{s}/"))
-        .collect::<Vec<_>>()
-        .join(" or ");
-    Err(format!("Work item '{story_id}' not found in {locs}."))
+        result
+    }))
 }
 
 /// Move a work item (story, bug, or spike) from `1_backlog` to `work/2_current/`.
@@ -121,7 +71,18 @@ fn move_item<'a>(
 /// that has already advanced past the coding stage.
 /// Idempotent: if already in `2_current/`, returns Ok. If not found, logs and returns Ok.
 pub fn move_story_to_current(story_id: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
-    move_item(story_id, &["1_backlog"], "2_current", &[], true, &[]).map(|_| ())
+    match apply_transition(story_id, PipelineEvent::DepsMet, None) {
+        Ok(_) => Ok(()),
+        Err(ApplyError::NotFound(_)) => {
+            slog!("[lifecycle] Work item '{story_id}' not found; skipping move to work/2_current/");
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Err(ApplyError::InvalidTransition(_)) => {
+            // Already promoted or in a later stage — idempotent no-op.
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Err(ApplyError::Projection(_)) => Ok(()),
+    }
 }
 
 /// Check whether a feature branch `feature/story-{story_id}` exists and has
@@ -160,68 +121,165 @@ pub fn feature_branch_has_unmerged_changes(project_root: &Path, story_id: &str)
 /// Idempotent if already in `5_done/` or `6_archived/`. Errors if not found in any earlier stage.
 /// Spikes may transition directly from `3_qa/` to `5_done/`, skipping the merge stage.
 pub fn move_story_to_done(story_id: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
-    move_item(
-        story_id,
-        &["2_current", "3_qa", "4_merge"],
-        "5_done",
-        &["6_archived"],
-        false,
-        &["merge_failure", "blocked"],
-    )
-    .map(|_| ())
+    let item = read_typed_or_err(story_id)?;
+    let dir = item.stage.dir_name();
+
+    // Idempotent: already at or past done.
+    if dir >= "5_done" {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+
+    let event = match &item.stage {
+        Stage::Merge { .. } => PipelineEvent::MergeSucceeded {
+            merge_commit: GitSha("accepted".to_string()),
+        },
+        Stage::Coding | Stage::Qa | Stage::Backlog => PipelineEvent::Close,
+        _ => {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "Work item '{story_id}' is in {} — cannot move to done.",
+                stage_label(&item.stage)
+            ));
+        }
+    };
+
+    let transform = fields_to_clear_transform(&["merge_failure", "blocked"]);
+    apply_transition(story_id, event, transform.as_ref().map(|f| f.as_ref()))
+        .map(|_| ())
+        .map_err(|e| e.to_string())
 }
 
 /// Move a story/bug from `work/2_current/` or `work/3_qa/` to `work/4_merge/`.
 ///
 /// Idempotent if already in `4_merge/`. Errors if not found in `2_current/` or `3_qa/`.
 pub fn move_story_to_merge(story_id: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
-    move_item(
-        story_id,
-        &["2_current", "3_qa"],
-        "4_merge",
-        &["5_done", "6_archived"],
-        false,
-        &["blocked"],
-    )
-    .map(|_| ())
+    let item = read_typed_or_err(story_id)?;
+    let dir = item.stage.dir_name();
+
+    // Idempotent: already at or past merge.
+    if dir >= "4_merge" {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+
+    let branch = BranchName(format!("feature/story-{story_id}"));
+    let commits = NonZeroU32::new(1).expect("1 is non-zero");
+
+    let event = match &item.stage {
+        Stage::Coding => PipelineEvent::QaSkipped {
+            feature_branch: branch,
+            commits_ahead: commits,
+        },
+        Stage::Qa => PipelineEvent::GatesPassed {
+            feature_branch: branch,
+            commits_ahead: commits,
+        },
+        _ => {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "Work item '{story_id}' not found in work/2_current/ or work/3_qa/."
+            ));
+        }
+    };
+
+    let transform = fields_to_clear_transform(&["blocked"]);
+    apply_transition(story_id, event, transform.as_ref().map(|f| f.as_ref()))
+        .map(|_| ())
+        .map_err(|e| e.to_string())
 }
 
 /// Move a story/bug from `work/2_current/` to `work/3_qa/`.
 ///
 /// Idempotent if already in `3_qa/`. Errors if not found in `2_current/`.
 pub fn move_story_to_qa(story_id: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
-    move_item(
+    let item = read_typed_or_err(story_id)?;
+    let dir = item.stage.dir_name();
+
+    // Idempotent: already at or past qa.
+    if dir >= "3_qa" {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+
+    let transform = fields_to_clear_transform(&["blocked"]);
+    apply_transition(
         story_id,
-        &["2_current"],
-        "3_qa",
-        &["5_done", "6_archived"],
-        false,
-        &["blocked"],
+        PipelineEvent::GatesStarted,
+        transform.as_ref().map(|f| f.as_ref()),
     )
     .map(|_| ())
+    .map_err(|e| e.to_string())
 }
 
 /// Move a story from `work/3_qa/` back to `work/2_current/`, clearing `review_hold` and writing notes.
 pub fn reject_story_from_qa(story_id: &str, notes: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
-    let moved = move_item(
-        story_id,
-        &["3_qa"],
-        "2_current",
-        &[],
-        false,
-        &["review_hold"],
-    )?;
-    if moved.is_some() && !notes.is_empty() {
-        // Append rejection notes to the stored content.
-        if let Some(content) = crate::db::read_content(story_id) {
-            let updated =
-                crate::io::story_metadata::write_rejection_notes_to_content(&content, notes);
-            crate::db::write_content(story_id, &updated);
-            // Re-sync to DB.
-            crate::db::write_item_with_content(story_id, "2_current", &updated);
+    let notes_owned = notes.to_string();
+    let transform: Box<dyn Fn(&str) -> String> = Box::new(move |content: &str| {
+        let mut result = clear_front_matter_field_in_content(content, "review_hold");
+        if !notes_owned.is_empty() {
+            result =
+                crate::io::story_metadata::write_rejection_notes_to_content(&result, &notes_owned);
         }
+        result
+    });
+
+    apply_transition(
+        story_id,
+        PipelineEvent::GatesFailed {
+            reason: notes.to_string(),
+        },
+        Some(&*transform),
+    )
+    .map(|_| ())
+    .map_err(|e| e.to_string())
+}
+
+/// Map a (current stage, target stage name) pair to the appropriate PipelineEvent.
+fn map_stage_move_to_event(
+    from: &Stage,
+    target: &str,
+    story_id: &str,
+) -> Result<PipelineEvent, String> {
+    let branch = || BranchName(format!("feature/story-{story_id}"));
+    let nz1 = || NonZeroU32::new(1).expect("1 is non-zero");
+
+    match (from, target) {
+        (Stage::Upcoming, "backlog") => Ok(PipelineEvent::Triage),
+        (Stage::Backlog, "current") => Ok(PipelineEvent::DepsMet),
+        (Stage::Coding, "qa") => Ok(PipelineEvent::GatesStarted),
+        (Stage::Coding, "merge") => Ok(PipelineEvent::QaSkipped {
+            feature_branch: branch(),
+            commits_ahead: nz1(),
+        }),
+        (Stage::Qa, "merge") => Ok(PipelineEvent::GatesPassed {
+            feature_branch: branch(),
+            commits_ahead: nz1(),
+        }),
+        (Stage::Coding, "backlog") | (Stage::Qa, "backlog") | (Stage::Merge { .. }, "backlog") => {
+            Ok(PipelineEvent::Demote)
+        }
+        (Stage::Qa, "current") => Ok(PipelineEvent::GatesFailed {
+            reason: "manual move".to_string(),
+        }),
+        (Stage::Merge { .. }, "done") => Ok(PipelineEvent::MergeSucceeded {
+            merge_commit: GitSha("manual".to_string()),
+        }),
+        (Stage::Coding | Stage::Qa | Stage::Backlog, "done") => Ok(PipelineEvent::Close),
+        (
+            Stage::Archived {
+                reason: ArchiveReason::Blocked { .. },
+                ..
+            },
+            "backlog",
+        )
+        | (
+            Stage::Archived {
+                reason: ArchiveReason::MergeFailed { .. },
+                ..
+            },
+            "backlog",
+        ) => Ok(PipelineEvent::Unblock),
+        _ => Err(format!(
+            "Invalid target_stage '{target}'. Cannot transition from {} to {target}.",
+            stage_label(from),
+        )),
     }
-    Ok(())
 }
 
 /// Move any work item to an arbitrary pipeline stage by searching all stages.
@@ -230,56 +288,68 @@ pub fn reject_story_from_qa(story_id: &str, notes: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
 /// Idempotent: if the item is already in the target stage, returns Ok.
 /// Returns `(from_stage, to_stage)` on success.
 pub fn move_story_to_stage(story_id: &str, target_stage: &str) -> Result<(String, String), String> {
-    const STAGES: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
-        ("backlog", "1_backlog"),
-        ("current", "2_current"),
-        ("qa", "3_qa"),
-        ("merge", "4_merge"),
-        ("done", "5_done"),
-        ("archived", "6_archived"),
-    ];
-
-    let target_dir = STAGES
-        .iter()
-        .filter(|(name, _)| *name != "archived")
-        .find(|(name, _)| *name == target_stage)
-        .map(|(_, dir)| *dir)
-        .ok_or_else(|| {
-            format!(
+    // Validate target.
+    let target_dir = match target_stage {
+        "backlog" => "1_backlog",
+        "current" => "2_current",
+        "qa" => "3_qa",
+        "merge" => "4_merge",
+        "done" => "5_done",
+        _ => {
+            return Err(format!(
                 "Invalid target_stage '{target_stage}'. Must be one of: backlog, current, qa, merge, done"
-            )
-        })?;
-
-    let all_dirs: Vec<&str> = STAGES.iter().map(|(_, dir)| *dir).collect();
-
-    match move_item(story_id, &all_dirs, target_dir, &[], false, &[])
-        .map_err(|_| format!("Work item '{story_id}' not found in any pipeline stage."))?
-    {
-        Some(src_dir) => {
-            let from_stage = STAGES
-                .iter()
-                .find(|(_, dir)| *dir == src_dir)
-                .map(|(name, _)| *name)
-                .unwrap_or(src_dir);
-            Ok((from_stage.to_string(), target_stage.to_string()))
+            ));
         }
-        None => Ok((target_stage.to_string(), target_stage.to_string())),
+    };
+
+    let item = read_typed_or_err(story_id)?;
+    let from_name = stage_to_name(&item.stage);
+
+    // Idempotent: already in the target stage.
+    if item.stage.dir_name() == target_dir {
+        return Ok((target_stage.to_string(), target_stage.to_string()));
     }
+
+    let event = map_stage_move_to_event(&item.stage, target_stage, story_id)?;
+
+    apply_transition(story_id, event, None).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+
+    Ok((from_name.to_string(), target_stage.to_string()))
 }
 
 /// Move a bug from `work/2_current/` or `work/1_backlog/` to `work/5_done/`.
 ///
 /// Idempotent if already in `5_done/`. Errors if not found in `2_current/` or `1_backlog/`.
 pub fn close_bug_to_archive(bug_id: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
-    move_item(
-        bug_id,
-        &["2_current", "1_backlog"],
-        "5_done",
-        &[],
-        false,
-        &[],
-    )
-    .map(|_| ())
+    let item = read_typed_or_err(bug_id)?;
+
+    if item.stage.dir_name() >= "5_done" {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+
+    apply_transition(bug_id, PipelineEvent::Close, None)
+        .map(|_| ())
+        .map_err(|e| e.to_string())
+}
+
+/// Read a typed pipeline item or return a user-facing error.
+fn read_typed_or_err(story_id: &str) -> Result<crate::pipeline_state::PipelineItem, String> {
+    crate::pipeline_state::read_typed(story_id)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Work item '{story_id}': {e}"))?
+        .ok_or_else(|| format!("Work item '{story_id}' not found in any pipeline stage."))
+}
+
+/// Map a Stage variant to the short name used by `move_story_to_stage` return values.
+fn stage_to_name(s: &Stage) -> &'static str {
+    match s {
+        Stage::Upcoming => "upcoming",
+        Stage::Backlog => "backlog",
+        Stage::Coding => "current",
+        Stage::Qa => "qa",
+        Stage::Merge { .. } => "merge",
+        Stage::Done { .. } => "done",
+        Stage::Archived { .. } => "archived",
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/server/src/chat/transport/matrix/delete.rs b/server/src/chat/transport/matrix/delete.rs
index 4e2e2b38..a3322178 100644
--- a/server/src/chat/transport/matrix/delete.rs
+++ b/server/src/chat/transport/matrix/delete.rs
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ pub async fn handle_delete(
 fn stage_display_name(stage: &str) -> &str {
     use crate::pipeline_state::Stage;
     match Stage::from_dir(stage) {
+        Some(Stage::Upcoming) => "upcoming",
         Some(Stage::Backlog) => "backlog",
         Some(Stage::Coding) => "in-progress",
         Some(Stage::Qa) => "QA",
diff --git a/server/src/http/workflow/pipeline.rs b/server/src/http/workflow/pipeline.rs
index 44f1b22d..cd9d807e 100644
--- a/server/src/http/workflow/pipeline.rs
+++ b/server/src/http/workflow/pipeline.rs
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ pub fn load_pipeline_state(ctx: &AppContext) -> Result<PipelineState, String> {
             },
         };
         match &item.stage {
+            Stage::Upcoming => state.backlog.push(story), // upcoming shown with backlog
             Stage::Backlog => state.backlog.push(story),
             Stage::Coding => state.current.push(story),
             Stage::Qa => state.qa.push(story),
diff --git a/server/src/io/watcher/mod.rs b/server/src/io/watcher/mod.rs
index d364d1b3..8e4df853 100644
--- a/server/src/io/watcher/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/io/watcher/mod.rs
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ pub fn is_config_file(path: &Path, git_root: &Path) -> bool {
 pub fn stage_metadata(stage: &str, item_id: &str) -> Option<(&'static str, String)> {
     use crate::pipeline_state::Stage;
     let (action, msg) = match Stage::from_dir(stage)? {
+        Stage::Upcoming => ("create", format!("huskies: triage {item_id}")),
         Stage::Backlog => ("create", format!("huskies: create {item_id}")),
         Stage::Coding => ("start", format!("huskies: start {item_id}")),
         Stage::Qa => ("qa", format!("huskies: queue {item_id} for QA")),
diff --git a/server/src/pipeline_state/apply.rs b/server/src/pipeline_state/apply.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..49b0558b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/pipeline_state/apply.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+//! Single entry point for pipeline state transitions.
+//!
+//! [`apply_transition`] is the **only** function that should mutate a story's
+//! pipeline stage.  It reads the current typed stage from the CRDT, validates
+//! the transition via the pure [`super::transition()`] function, writes the new
+//! stage back to the CRDT, and returns a [`TransitionFired`] event for
+//! downstream subscribers.
+
+use super::{
+    PipelineEvent, StoryId, TransitionFired, event_label, read_typed, stage_label, transition,
+};
+use chrono::Utc;
+
+/// Error type for [`apply_transition`].
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum ApplyError {
+    /// The story was not found in the CRDT.
+    NotFound(String),
+    /// The CRDT projection failed.
+    Projection(super::ProjectionError),
+    /// The transition was invalid for the current stage.
+    InvalidTransition(super::TransitionError),
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for ApplyError {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        match self {
+            Self::NotFound(id) => write!(f, "story '{id}' not found in CRDT"),
+            Self::Projection(e) => write!(f, "projection error: {e}"),
+            Self::InvalidTransition(e) => write!(f, "{e}"),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::error::Error for ApplyError {}
+
+impl From<super::ProjectionError> for ApplyError {
+    fn from(e: super::ProjectionError) -> Self {
+        Self::Projection(e)
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<super::TransitionError> for ApplyError {
+    fn from(e: super::TransitionError) -> Self {
+        Self::InvalidTransition(e)
+    }
+}
+
+/// Apply a pipeline event to a story, validating the transition and writing
+/// the new stage to the CRDT.
+///
+/// This is the single canonical entry point for all pipeline stage mutations.
+/// Returns a [`TransitionFired`] describing what happened, suitable for
+/// broadcasting to event-bus subscribers and CRDT log consumers.
+///
+/// An optional `content_transform` allows callers to modify the stored content
+/// (e.g. clearing front-matter fields) atomically with the stage change.
+pub fn apply_transition(
+    story_id: &str,
+    event: PipelineEvent,
+    content_transform: Option<&dyn Fn(&str) -> String>,
+) -> Result<TransitionFired, ApplyError> {
+    let item = read_typed(story_id)?.ok_or_else(|| ApplyError::NotFound(story_id.to_string()))?;
+
+    let before = item.stage.clone();
+    let after = transition(before.clone(), event.clone())?;
+    let new_dir = after.dir_name();
+
+    // Write the new stage to the CRDT (with optional content transform).
+    crate::db::move_item_stage(story_id, new_dir, content_transform);
+
+    let fired = TransitionFired {
+        story_id: StoryId(story_id.to_string()),
+        before,
+        after,
+        event,
+        at: Utc::now(),
+    };
+
+    crate::slog!(
+        "[pipeline/transition] #{}: {} + {} → {}",
+        story_id,
+        stage_label(&fired.before),
+        event_label(&fired.event),
+        stage_label(&fired.after),
+    );
+
+    Ok(fired)
+}
+
+/// Convenience: apply a transition, returning an `Err(String)` on failure
+/// (matches the existing lifecycle function signatures).
+pub fn apply_transition_str(
+    story_id: &str,
+    event: PipelineEvent,
+    content_transform: Option<&dyn Fn(&str) -> String>,
+) -> Result<TransitionFired, String> {
+    apply_transition(story_id, event, content_transform).map_err(|e| e.to_string())
+}
diff --git a/server/src/pipeline_state/mod.rs b/server/src/pipeline_state/mod.rs
index f56e6c7a..b1abfa1e 100644
--- a/server/src/pipeline_state/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/pipeline_state/mod.rs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 // the dead_code lint is suppressed for the module.
 #![allow(dead_code)]
 
+mod apply;
 mod events;
 mod projection;
 mod subscribers;
@@ -52,6 +53,9 @@ pub use events::{EventBus, TransitionFired, TransitionSubscriber};
 pub use projection::{ProjectionError, project_stage};
 pub use projection::{read_all_typed, read_typed};
 
+#[allow(unused_imports)]
+pub use apply::{ApplyError, apply_transition, apply_transition_str};
+
 #[allow(unused_imports)]
 pub use subscribers::{
     AutoAssignSubscriber, FileRendererSubscriber, MatrixBotSubscriber, PipelineItemsSubscriber,
diff --git a/server/src/pipeline_state/projection.rs b/server/src/pipeline_state/projection.rs
index 33a810cc..2e1e2b1e 100644
--- a/server/src/pipeline_state/projection.rs
+++ b/server/src/pipeline_state/projection.rs
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ impl TryFrom<&PipelineItemView> for PipelineItem {
 /// loose CRDT data becomes typed.
 pub fn project_stage(view: &PipelineItemView) -> Result<Stage, ProjectionError> {
     match view.stage.as_str() {
+        "0_upcoming" => Ok(Stage::Upcoming),
         "1_backlog" => Ok(Stage::Backlog),
         "2_current" => Ok(Stage::Coding),
         "3_qa" => Ok(Stage::Qa),
@@ -192,6 +193,26 @@ mod tests {
         StoryId(s.to_string())
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn project_upcoming_item() {
+        let view = PipelineItemView {
+            story_id: "42_story_test".to_string(),
+            stage: "0_upcoming".to_string(),
+            name: Some("Test Story".to_string()),
+            agent: None,
+            retry_count: None,
+            blocked: None,
+            depends_on: None,
+            claimed_by: None,
+            claimed_at: None,
+            merged_at: None,
+            qa_mode: None,
+            mergemaster_attempted: None,
+        };
+        let item = PipelineItem::try_from(&view).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(item.stage, Stage::Upcoming));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn project_backlog_item() {
         let view = PipelineItemView {
@@ -345,6 +366,7 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn reverse_projection_stage_dirs() {
         let cases: Vec<(Stage, &str, bool)> = vec![
+            (Stage::Upcoming, "0_upcoming", false),
             (Stage::Backlog, "1_backlog", false),
             (Stage::Coding, "2_current", false),
             (Stage::Qa, "3_qa", false),
diff --git a/server/src/pipeline_state/tests.rs b/server/src/pipeline_state/tests.rs
index aa2456f5..358c6861 100644
--- a/server/src/pipeline_state/tests.rs
+++ b/server/src/pipeline_state/tests.rs
@@ -406,4 +406,136 @@ fn transition_error_display() {
     assert_eq!(err.to_string(), "invalid transition: Backlog + Accepted");
 }
 
+// ── Upcoming / Triage ──────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+#[test]
+fn triage_upcoming_to_backlog() {
+    let s = Stage::Upcoming;
+    let s = transition(s, PipelineEvent::Triage).unwrap();
+    assert!(matches!(s, Stage::Backlog));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn cannot_triage_from_backlog() {
+    let result = transition(Stage::Backlog, PipelineEvent::Triage);
+    assert!(matches!(
+        result,
+        Err(TransitionError::InvalidTransition { .. })
+    ));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn abandon_from_upcoming() {
+    let result = transition(Stage::Upcoming, PipelineEvent::Abandon).unwrap();
+    assert!(matches!(
+        result,
+        Stage::Archived {
+            reason: ArchiveReason::Abandoned,
+            ..
+        }
+    ));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn supersede_from_upcoming() {
+    let result = transition(
+        Stage::Upcoming,
+        PipelineEvent::Supersede {
+            by: sid("999_story_new"),
+        },
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+    assert!(matches!(
+        result,
+        Stage::Archived {
+            reason: ArchiveReason::Superseded { .. },
+            ..
+        }
+    ));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn cannot_deps_met_from_upcoming() {
+    let result = transition(Stage::Upcoming, PipelineEvent::DepsMet);
+    assert!(matches!(
+        result,
+        Err(TransitionError::InvalidTransition { .. })
+    ));
+}
+
+// ── Reject ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+#[test]
+fn reject_from_active_stages() {
+    for s in [Stage::Backlog, Stage::Coding, Stage::Qa] {
+        let result = transition(
+            s.clone(),
+            PipelineEvent::Reject {
+                reason: "not needed".into(),
+            },
+        );
+        assert!(matches!(
+            result,
+            Ok(Stage::Archived {
+                reason: ArchiveReason::Rejected { .. },
+                ..
+            })
+        ));
+    }
+
+    let m = Stage::Merge {
+        feature_branch: fb("f"),
+        commits_ahead: nz(1),
+    };
+    let result = transition(
+        m,
+        PipelineEvent::Reject {
+            reason: "not needed".into(),
+        },
+    );
+    assert!(matches!(
+        result,
+        Ok(Stage::Archived {
+            reason: ArchiveReason::Rejected { .. },
+            ..
+        })
+    ));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn cannot_reject_from_done() {
+    let s = Stage::Done {
+        merged_at: chrono::Utc::now(),
+        merge_commit: sha("abc"),
+    };
+    let result = transition(
+        s,
+        PipelineEvent::Reject {
+            reason: "too late".into(),
+        },
+    );
+    assert!(matches!(
+        result,
+        Err(TransitionError::InvalidTransition { .. })
+    ));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn cannot_reject_from_archived() {
+    let s = Stage::Archived {
+        archived_at: chrono::Utc::now(),
+        reason: ArchiveReason::Completed,
+    };
+    let result = transition(
+        s,
+        PipelineEvent::Reject {
+            reason: "already done".into(),
+        },
+    );
+    assert!(matches!(
+        result,
+        Err(TransitionError::InvalidTransition { .. })
+    ));
+}
+
 // ── ProjectionError Display ─────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/server/src/pipeline_state/transition.rs b/server/src/pipeline_state/transition.rs
index e86492d6..ceb244da 100644
--- a/server/src/pipeline_state/transition.rs
+++ b/server/src/pipeline_state/transition.rs
@@ -47,6 +47,15 @@ pub enum PipelineEvent {
     Supersede { by: StoryId },
     /// Story put on review hold.
     ReviewHold { reason: String },
+    /// Story rejected by QA or reviewer.
+    Reject { reason: String },
+    /// Story triaged from upcoming to backlog.
+    Triage,
+    /// Direct completion — item closed without going through the full pipeline
+    /// (e.g. spike auto-merge, bug closure, manual acceptance).
+    Close,
+    /// Manual demotion back to backlog from an active stage.
+    Demote,
 }
 
 // ── Per-node execution events ───────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -81,6 +90,10 @@ pub fn event_label(e: &PipelineEvent) -> &'static str {
         PipelineEvent::Abandon => "Abandon",
         PipelineEvent::Supersede { .. } => "Supersede",
         PipelineEvent::ReviewHold { .. } => "ReviewHold",
+        PipelineEvent::Reject { .. } => "Reject",
+        PipelineEvent::Triage => "Triage",
+        PipelineEvent::Close => "Close",
+        PipelineEvent::Demote => "Demote",
     }
 }
 
@@ -103,6 +116,9 @@ pub fn transition(state: Stage, event: PipelineEvent) -> Result<Stage, Transitio
     let now = Utc::now();
 
     match (state, event) {
+        // ── Triage: upcoming → backlog ──────────────────────────────────
+        (Upcoming, Triage) => Ok(Backlog),
+
         // ── Forward path ────────────────────────────────────────────────
         (Backlog, DepsMet) => Ok(Coding),
         (Coding, GatesStarted) => Ok(Qa),
@@ -161,7 +177,8 @@ pub fn transition(state: Stage, event: PipelineEvent) -> Result<Stage, Transitio
         }),
 
         // ── Abandon / supersede from any active or done stage ───────────
-        (Backlog, Abandon)
+        (Upcoming, Abandon)
+        | (Backlog, Abandon)
         | (Coding, Abandon)
         | (Qa, Abandon)
         | (Merge { .. }, Abandon)
@@ -170,7 +187,8 @@ pub fn transition(state: Stage, event: PipelineEvent) -> Result<Stage, Transitio
             reason: ArchiveReason::Abandoned,
         }),
 
-        (Backlog, Supersede { by })
+        (Upcoming, Supersede { by })
+        | (Backlog, Supersede { by })
         | (Coding, Supersede { by })
         | (Qa, Supersede { by })
         | (Merge { .. }, Supersede { by })
@@ -179,13 +197,38 @@ pub fn transition(state: Stage, event: PipelineEvent) -> Result<Stage, Transitio
             reason: ArchiveReason::Superseded { by },
         }),
 
-        // ── Unblock: only from Archived(Blocked) → Backlog ─────────────
+        // ── Reject from any active stage or QA ──────────────────────────
+        (Backlog, Reject { reason })
+        | (Coding, Reject { reason })
+        | (Qa, Reject { reason })
+        | (Merge { .. }, Reject { reason }) => Ok(Archived {
+            archived_at: now,
+            reason: ArchiveReason::Rejected { reason },
+        }),
+
+        // ── Demote: send an active item back to backlog ────────────────
+        (Coding, Demote) | (Qa, Demote) | (Merge { .. }, Demote) => Ok(Backlog),
+
+        // ── Close: direct completion from any active stage ─────────────
+        (Backlog, Close) | (Coding, Close) | (Qa, Close) | (Merge { .. }, Close) => Ok(Done {
+            merged_at: now,
+            merge_commit: GitSha("closed".to_string()),
+        }),
+
+        // ── Unblock: from Archived(Blocked) or Archived(MergeFailed) → Backlog
         (
             Archived {
                 reason: ArchiveReason::Blocked { .. },
                 ..
             },
             Unblock,
+        )
+        | (
+            Archived {
+                reason: ArchiveReason::MergeFailed { .. },
+                ..
+            },
+            Unblock,
         ) => Ok(Backlog),
 
         // ── Everything else is invalid ──────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/server/src/pipeline_state/types.rs b/server/src/pipeline_state/types.rs
index 59e4f937..36e92278 100644
--- a/server/src/pipeline_state/types.rs
+++ b/server/src/pipeline_state/types.rs
@@ -48,8 +48,30 @@ impl fmt::Display for AgentName {
 ///   - `agent` — local execution state, not pipeline state
 ///   - `retry_count` — also local
 ///   - `blocked` — folded into `Archived { reason: Blocked { .. } }`
+///
+/// ## Canonical state machine (story 857)
+///
+/// The following named lifecycle states map to `Stage` variants:
+///
+/// | Lifecycle state | Stage variant                     |
+/// |-----------------|-----------------------------------|
+/// | upcoming        | `Upcoming`                        |
+/// | backlog         | `Backlog`                         |
+/// | current         | `Coding`                          |
+/// | qa_pending      | `Qa`                              |
+/// | merge_pending   | `Merge { .. }`                    |
+/// | done            | `Done { .. }`                     |
+/// | blocked         | `Archived { Blocked { .. } }`     |
+/// | merge_failure   | `Archived { MergeFailed { .. } }` |
+/// | archived        | `Archived { Completed }`          |
+/// | superseded      | `Archived { Superseded { .. } }`  |
+/// | rejected        | `Archived { Rejected { .. } }`    |
+/// | abandoned       | `Archived { Abandoned }`          |
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub enum Stage {
+    /// Story has been created but not yet triaged into the backlog.
+    Upcoming,
+
     /// Story exists, waiting for dependencies or auto-assign promotion.
     Backlog,
 
@@ -96,6 +118,8 @@ pub enum ArchiveReason {
     MergeFailed { reason: String },
     /// Held in review at human request.
     ReviewHeld { reason: String },
+    /// Story rejected by QA or reviewer with an explanation.
+    Rejected { reason: String },
 }
 
 // ── Stage convenience methods ──────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -106,6 +130,11 @@ impl Stage {
         matches!(self, Stage::Coding | Stage::Qa | Stage::Merge { .. })
     }
 
+    /// Returns true if this is the Upcoming variant.
+    pub fn is_upcoming(&self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, Stage::Upcoming)
+    }
+
     /// Returns the filesystem directory name for this stage.
     pub fn dir_name(&self) -> &'static str {
         stage_dir_name(self)
@@ -132,6 +161,7 @@ impl Stage {
     /// accessing the rich metadata fields.
     pub fn from_dir(s: &str) -> Option<Self> {
         match s {
+            "0_upcoming" => Some(Stage::Upcoming),
             "1_backlog" => Some(Stage::Backlog),
             "2_current" => Some(Stage::Coding),
             "3_qa" => Some(Stage::Qa),
@@ -219,6 +249,7 @@ impl std::error::Error for TransitionError {}
 /// Human-readable label for a `Stage` variant.
 pub fn stage_label(s: &Stage) -> &'static str {
     match s {
+        Stage::Upcoming => "Upcoming",
         Stage::Backlog => "Backlog",
         Stage::Coding => "Coding",
         Stage::Qa => "Qa",
@@ -231,6 +262,7 @@ pub fn stage_label(s: &Stage) -> &'static str {
 /// Map a Stage to the filesystem directory name used by the work pipeline.
 pub fn stage_dir_name(s: &Stage) -> &'static str {
     match s {
+        Stage::Upcoming => "0_upcoming",
         Stage::Backlog => "1_backlog",
         Stage::Coding => "2_current",
         Stage::Qa => "3_qa",
diff --git a/server/src/service/agents/mod.rs b/server/src/service/agents/mod.rs
index f4fda78b..61939521 100644
--- a/server/src/service/agents/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/service/agents/mod.rs
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ pub fn get_work_item_content(
         let stage = item
             .as_ref()
             .map(|i| match &i.stage {
+                crate::pipeline_state::Stage::Upcoming => "upcoming",
                 crate::pipeline_state::Stage::Backlog => "backlog",
                 crate::pipeline_state::Stage::Coding => "current",
                 crate::pipeline_state::Stage::Qa => "qa",
diff --git a/server/src/service/notifications/format.rs b/server/src/service/notifications/format.rs
index d8cb3182..8beeb7fa 100644
--- a/server/src/service/notifications/format.rs
+++ b/server/src/service/notifications/format.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use crate::service::common::item_id::extract_item_number;
 pub fn stage_display_name(stage: &str) -> &'static str {
     use crate::pipeline_state::Stage;
     match Stage::from_dir(stage) {
+        Some(Stage::Upcoming) => "Upcoming",
         Some(Stage::Backlog) => "Backlog",
         Some(Stage::Coding) => "Current",
         Some(Stage::Qa) => "QA",