README.md

@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ The check validates four things for every non-break-glass Agent PR:
    `Fixes bug-<id>` automation token and the matching navigable
    `https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-<id>` URL. Every PR has a separate
    `## Attribution` section containing the canonical `Authored-By`
-   product/model watermark.
+   product/model watermark. Agent-authored PR bodies cannot contain HTML
+   comment delimiters, so required provenance cannot be hidden from readers.
 
 4. **Commit attribution** — every commit in `base-sha..head-sha`, including
    commits on `chore/` branches, ends with

check.sh

@@ -11,90 +11,6 @@ BODY="${PR_BODY:-}"
 BASE="${BASE_SHA:-}"
 HEAD="${HEAD_SHA:-}"
 
-# Gitea renders HTML comments as hidden. Validate the visible body so required
-# tracking and attribution cannot exist only in comment source.
-VISIBLE_BODY=$(printf '%s\n' "${BODY}" | awk '
-  {
-    line=$0
-    fence_pos=1
-    while (fence_pos <= 3 && substr(line, fence_pos, 1) == " ") fence_pos++
-    fence_char=substr(line, fence_pos, 1)
-    fence_run=0
-    if (fence_char == "`" || fence_char == "~") {
-      while (substr(line, fence_pos + fence_run, 1) == fence_char) fence_run++
-    }
-    if (!in_comment && in_fence) {
-      print line
-      if (fence_char == active_fence_char && fence_run >= active_fence_run) in_fence=0
-      next
-    }
-    fence_info=substr(line, fence_pos + fence_run)
-    valid_fence_info=(fence_char == "~" || index(fence_info, "`") == 0)
-    if (!in_comment && fence_run >= 3 && valid_fence_info) {
-      in_fence=1
-      active_fence_char=fence_char
-      active_fence_run=fence_run
-      print line
-      next
-    }
-
-    visible=""
-    pos=1
-    backslash_run=0
-    while (pos <= length(line)) {
-      if (in_comment) {
-        rest=substr(line, pos)
-        comment_end=index(rest, "-->")
-        if (comment_end == 0) {
-          pos=length(line) + 1
-          break
-        }
-        visible=visible " "
-        pos += comment_end + 2
-        in_comment=0
-        backslash_run=0
-        continue
-      }
-
-      if (substr(line, pos, 1) == "`" && backslash_run % 2 == 0) {
-        ticks=1
-        while (substr(line, pos + ticks, 1) == "`") ticks++
-        close_pos=pos + ticks
-        found_close=0
-        while (close_pos <= length(line)) {
-          if (substr(line, close_pos - 1, 1) != "`" &&
-              substr(line, close_pos, ticks) == substr(line, pos, ticks) &&
-              substr(line, close_pos + ticks, 1) != "`") {
-            found_close=1
-            break
-          }
-          close_pos++
-        }
-        if (found_close) {
-          visible=visible substr(line, pos, close_pos + ticks - pos)
-          pos=close_pos + ticks
-          backslash_run=0
-          continue
-        }
-      }
-
-      if (substr(line, pos, 4) == "<!--") {
-        visible=visible " "
-        in_comment=1
-        pos += 4
-        backslash_run=0
-        continue
-      }
-      char=substr(line, pos, 1)
-      visible=visible char
-      if (char == "\\") backslash_run++
-      else backslash_run=0
-      pos++
-    }
-    print visible
-  }
-')
-
 # Break-glass: dfritz is exempt from all naming checks.
 if [ "${AUTHOR}" = "dfritz" ]; then
   echo "check-naming: dfritz break-glass — exempt"
@@ -105,6 +21,15 @@ FAILED=0
 BRANCH_KIND="invalid"
 BRANCH_BUG=""
 
+# Gitea hides HTML comments. Reject their delimiters so required provenance is
+# always visible, then parse the raw body without a second Markdown renderer.
+VISIBLE_BODY="${BODY}"
+if printf '%s\n' "${BODY}" | grep -Fq '<!--' ||
+   printf '%s\n' "${BODY}" | grep -Fq -- '-->'; then
+  echo "FAIL[check-naming]: PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
+  FAILED=1
+fi
+
 # ---- branch form ----
 # <role>/bug-<id>/<kebab>
 if echo "${BRANCH}" | grep -qE "^(dev|ux|ops|security|perf|architect|support)/bug-[a-z0-9]+/[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$"; then

tests/run

@@ -140,30 +140,30 @@ check_contract "attribution must be in its own section" \
   "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "## Attribution must contain"
 check_contract "hidden provenance does not satisfy the visible contract" \
   $'<!--\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>\n-->' \
-  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must contain a non-empty ## Tracking section"
+  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
 check_contract "comment removal cannot synthesize section headings" \
   $'<!-- hidden -->## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n<!-- hidden -->## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>' \
-  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must contain a non-empty ## Tracking section"
+  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
 check_contract "four-space indented backticks do not expose comments" \
   $'    ````\n<!--\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>\n-->' \
-  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must contain a non-empty ## Tracking section"
+  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
 check_contract "unequal backtick runs do not expose comments" \
   $'`<!--``\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>\n-->' \
-  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must contain a non-empty ## Tracking section"
+  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
 check_contract "invalid backtick fence info does not expose comments" \
   $'```html`oops\n<!--\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>\n-->' \
-  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must contain a non-empty ## Tracking section"
+  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
+check_contract "invalid fence closer does not expose comments" \
+  $'```html\n```oops\n```\n<!--\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>\n-->' \
+  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
 check_contract "fences inside comments do not expose provenance" \
   $'<!--\n```html\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>\n-->' \
-  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must contain a non-empty ## Tracking section"
+  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
 check_contract "escaped backticks do not hide a comment opener" \
   $'\\`<!--\\`\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>\n-->' \
-  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must contain a non-empty ## Tracking section"
+  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD" "PR body must not contain HTML comment delimiters"
-check_contract_pass "inline code containing comment opener stays visible" \
+check_contract_pass "fenced code without comments remains valid" \
-  $'Use `<!--` when documenting an HTML comment opener.\n\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>' \
+  $'```text\nvisible example\n```\n\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>' \
-  "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD"
-check_contract_pass "fenced code containing comments stays visible" \
-  $'```html\n<!-- example -->\n```\n\n## Tracking\n- Fixes bug-x7k2m9 — https://agenthub.fritzlab.net/bug-x7k2m9\n\n## Attribution\n- Authored-By: Codex (GPT-5) <noreply@openai.com>' \
   "$BASE" "$GOOD_HEAD"
 
 git -C "${FIXTURES}" commit --allow-empty -q -m "unwatermarked change"