Address fourteenth review: prompt fails without CLI, resolved step data, fan-out normalization

- PromptStep returns FAILED when CLI not installed (was silent COMPLETED)
- Engine step_data prefers resolved values from step output
- Fan-out normalizes output.results=[] for empty item lists
- subprocess.run inherits stdout/stderr (no explicit sys.stdout)
- Registry tests use issubset for extensibility

Author: mnriem

src/specify_cli/integrations/base.py

@@ -156,7 +156,6 @@ def dispatch_command(
         support CLI dispatch.
         """
         import subprocess
-        import sys
 
         prompt = self.build_command_invocation(command_name, args)
         # When streaming to the terminal, request text output so the
@@ -181,8 +180,6 @@ def dispatch_command(
             try:
                 result = subprocess.run(
                     exec_args,
-                    stdout=sys.stdout,
-                    stderr=sys.stderr,
                     text=True,
                     cwd=cwd,
                 )

src/specify_cli/integrations/copilot/__init__.py

@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ def dispatch_command(
         the user's arguments.
         """
         import subprocess
-        import sys
 
         stem = command_name
         if "." in stem:
@@ -104,8 +103,6 @@ def dispatch_command(
             try:
                 result = subprocess.run(
                     cli_args,
-                    stdout=sys.stdout,
-                    stderr=sys.stderr,
                     text=True,
                     cwd=cwd,
                 )

src/specify_cli/workflows/engine.py

@@ -530,13 +530,18 @@ def _execute_steps(
 
             result: StepResult = step_impl.execute(step_config, context)
 
-            # Record step results in context
+            # Record step results — prefer resolved values from step output
             step_data = {
-                "integration": step_config.get("integration")
+                "integration": result.output.get("integration")
+                or step_config.get("integration")
                 or context.default_integration,
-                "model": step_config.get("model") or context.default_model,
-                "options": step_config.get("options", {}),
-                "input": step_config.get("input", {}),
+                "model": result.output.get("model")
+                or step_config.get("model")
+                or context.default_model,
+                "options": result.output.get("options")
+                or step_config.get("options", {}),
+                "input": result.output.get("input")
+                or step_config.get("input", {}),
                 "output": result.output,
                 "status": result.status.value,
             }
@@ -609,9 +614,10 @@ def _execute_steps(
                             return
 
             # Fan-out: execute nested step template per item with unique IDs
-            if step_type == "fan-out" and result.output.get("items"):
+            if step_type == "fan-out":
+                items = result.output.get("items", [])
                 template = result.output.get("step_template", {})
-                if template:
+                if template and items:
                     fan_out_results = []
                     for item_idx, item_val in enumerate(result.output["items"]):
                         context.item = item_val
@@ -646,6 +652,11 @@ def _execute_steps(
                         RunStatus.ABORTED,
                     ):
                         return
+                else:
+                    # Empty items or no template — normalize output
+                    result.output["results"] = []
+                    context.steps[step_id]["output"] = result.output
+                    state.step_results[step_id]["output"] = result.output
 
     def _resolve_inputs(
         self,

src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/prompt/__init__.py

@@ -77,14 +77,22 @@ def execute(self, config: dict[str, Any], context: StepContext) -> StepResult:
                         or f"Prompt exited with code {dispatch_result['exit_code']}"
                     ),
                 )
+            return StepResult(
+                status=StepStatus.COMPLETED,
+                output=output,
+            )
         else:
-            output["exit_code"] = 0
+            output["exit_code"] = 1
             output["dispatched"] = False
-
-        return StepResult(
-            status=StepStatus.COMPLETED,
-            output=output,
-        )
+            return StepResult(
+                status=StepStatus.FAILED,
+                output=output,
+                error=(
+                    f"Cannot dispatch prompt: "
+                    f"integration {config.get('integration') or context.default_integration!r} "
+                    f"CLI not found or not installed."
+                ),
+            )
 
     @staticmethod
     def _try_dispatch(
@@ -114,7 +122,6 @@ def _try_dispatch(
             return None
 
         import subprocess
-        import sys
 
         project_root = (
             Path(context.project_root) if context.project_root else Path.cwd()
@@ -123,8 +130,6 @@ def _try_dispatch(
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
                 exec_args,
-                stdout=sys.stdout,
-                stderr=sys.stderr,
                 text=True,
                 cwd=str(project_root),
             )

tests/test_workflows.py

@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ class TestStepRegistry:
     def test_registry_populated(self):
         from specify_cli.workflows import STEP_REGISTRY
 
-        assert len(STEP_REGISTRY) == 10
+        assert len(STEP_REGISTRY) >= 10
 
     def test_all_step_types_registered(self):
         from specify_cli.workflows import STEP_REGISTRY
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ def test_all_step_types_registered(self):
             "command", "shell", "prompt", "gate", "if", "switch",
             "while", "do-while", "fan-out", "fan-in",
         }
-        assert set(STEP_REGISTRY.keys()) == expected
+        assert expected.issubset(set(STEP_REGISTRY.keys()))
 
     def test_get_step_type(self):
         from specify_cli.workflows import get_step_type
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ def test_execute_basic(self):
             "prompt": "Review {{ inputs.file }} for security issues",
         }
         result = step.execute(config, ctx)
-        assert result.status == StepStatus.COMPLETED
+        assert result.status == StepStatus.FAILED
         assert result.output["prompt"] == "Review auth.py for security issues"
         assert result.output["integration"] == "claude"
         assert result.output["dispatched"] is False