story-kit: done 251_bug_archive_sweep_not_moving_stories_from_done_to_archived

.story_kit/work/5_done/251_bug_archive_sweep_not_moving_stories_from_done_to_archived.md

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+---
+name: "Archive sweep not moving stories from done to archived"
+---
+
+# Bug 251: Archive sweep not moving stories from done to archived
+
+## Description
+
+Stories that have been in `5_done/` for well over the configured retention period (default 4 hours) are not being automatically swept to `6_archived/`. Items from March 14 are still sitting in `5_done/` as of March 16 — over 2 days past the threshold. The last items that successfully reached `6_archived/` date from Feb 23-24.
+
+Additionally, story file moves (e.g. from one pipeline stage to another) are sometimes not being auto-committed, which used to work.
+
+## How to Reproduce
+
+1. Start the Story Kit server
+2. Move a story to `5_done/`
+3. Wait longer than `done_retention_secs` (default 14400 seconds / 4 hours)
+4. Observe that the story is never moved to `6_archived/`
+
+## Actual Result
+
+Stories remain in `5_done/` indefinitely. No sweep log messages appear in the server output.
+
+## Expected Result
+
+Stories older than `done_retention_secs` are automatically moved to `6_archived/` and the move is auto-committed.
+
+## Investigation Notes
+
+The sweep logic lives in `server/src/io/watcher.rs` around line 208 (`sweep_done_to_archived()`). The watcher runs on a dedicated OS thread (line 310) with a timer-based sweep interval (line 441, default 60s).
+
+**Do NOT layer new code on top of this.** Use `git bisect` or `git log` to find when the sweep stopped working. The code looks structurally correct — the watcher thread may be dying silently with no restart mechanism, or something changed in how/when the sweep is triggered. Find the root cause and fix it there.