fix: break sync feedback loop, respect timestamps, surface errors

- Add migration v2: source column on change_log to distinguish local
  vs sync-originated entries, preventing the echo loop where synced
  tasks get re-pushed as local changes
- PushChanges handler now skips save when server version is newer
- Client PushChanges/pushQueuedChanges collect and report marshal errors
  instead of silently dropping them
- De-duplicate getLocalChanges/getLastSyncTime into exported sync
  package functions
- Fix logConflict winner detection via pointer identity instead of
  fragile UUID+timestamp comparison
- Fix sync down to actually parse, save, and tag-sync pulled changes

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

opal-task/cmd/sync.go

@@ -224,8 +224,8 @@ var syncUpCmd = &cobra.Command{
 		client := sync.NewClient(cfg.SyncURL, cfg.SyncAPIKey, cfg.SyncClientID)
 
 		// Get local changes
-		lastSync := getLastSyncTime(cfg.SyncClientID)
+		lastSync := sync.GetLastSyncTime(cfg.SyncClientID)
-		localChanges, err := getLocalChanges(lastSync)
+		localChanges, err := sync.GetLocalChanges(lastSync)
 		if err != nil {
 			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error getting local changes: %v\n", err)
 			os.Exit(1)
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ var syncDownCmd = &cobra.Command{
 		}
 
 		client := sync.NewClient(cfg.SyncURL, cfg.SyncAPIKey, cfg.SyncClientID)
-		lastSync := getLastSyncTime(cfg.SyncClientID)
+		lastSync := sync.GetLastSyncTime(cfg.SyncClientID)
 
 		changes, err := client.PullChanges(lastSync)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -277,7 +277,55 @@ var syncDownCmd = &cobra.Command{
 			return
 		}
 
-		fmt.Printf("✓ Pulled %d changes from server\n", len(changes))
+		// Parse changes into tasks
+		tasks, err := client.ParseChanges(changes)
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error parsing changes: %v\n", err)
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+
+		// Apply each task locally
+		var applied int
+		for _, task := range tasks {
+			if err := task.Save(); err != nil {
+				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: failed to save task %s: %v\n", task.UUID, err)
+				continue
+			}
+
+			// Mark as sync-originated to prevent feedback loop
+			_ = engine.MarkChangeLogAsSync(task.UUID.String())
+
+			// Sync tags
+			savedTask, err := engine.GetTask(task.UUID)
+			if err != nil {
+				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: failed to reload task %s: %v\n", task.UUID, err)
+				continue
+			}
+
+			currentTags, _ := savedTask.GetTags()
+			currentSet := make(map[string]bool)
+			for _, tag := range currentTags {
+				currentSet[tag] = true
+			}
+			desiredSet := make(map[string]bool)
+			for _, tag := range task.Tags {
+				desiredSet[tag] = true
+			}
+			for tag := range currentSet {
+				if !desiredSet[tag] {
+					savedTask.RemoveTag(tag)
+				}
+			}
+			for tag := range desiredSet {
+				if !currentSet[tag] {
+					savedTask.AddTag(tag)
+				}
+			}
+
+			applied++
+		}
+
+		fmt.Printf("✓ Pulled %d changes, applied %d tasks from server\n", len(changes), applied)
 	},
 }
 
@@ -414,63 +462,6 @@ func init() {
 	syncCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVarP(&quietFlag, "quiet", "q", false, "Suppress progress output")
 }
 
-// Helper functions
-
-func getLastSyncTime(clientID string) int64 {
-	db := engine.GetDB()
-	if db == nil {
-		return 0
-	}
-
-	var lastSync int64
-	err := db.QueryRow("SELECT last_sync FROM sync_state WHERE client_id = ?", clientID).Scan(&lastSync)
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0
-	}
-
-	return lastSync
-}
-
-func getLocalChanges(since int64) ([]*engine.Task, error) {
-	db := engine.GetDB()
-	if db == nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("database not initialized")
-	}
-
-	rows, err := db.Query(`
-		SELECT DISTINCT task_uuid
-		FROM change_log
-		WHERE changed_at > ?
-		ORDER BY changed_at ASC
-	`, since)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	defer rows.Close()
-
-	var tasks []*engine.Task
-	for rows.Next() {
-		var uuidStr string
-		if err := rows.Scan(&uuidStr); err != nil {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		taskUUID, err := uuid.Parse(uuidStr)
-		if err != nil {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		task, err := engine.GetTask(taskUUID)
-		if err != nil {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		tasks = append(tasks, task)
-	}
-
-	return tasks, nil
-}
-
 func formatTimestamp(ts int64) string {
 	t := time.Unix(ts, 0)
 	now := time.Now()

opal-task/internal/api/handlers/sync.go

@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ func PushChanges(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 			if err := task.Save(); err != nil {
 				continue
 			}
+			// Mark as sync-originated to prevent feedback loop
+			_ = engine.MarkChangeLogAsSync(task.UUID.String())
 			// Add tags
 			for _, tag := range task.Tags {
 				_ = task.AddTag(tag)
@@ -114,15 +116,18 @@ func PushChanges(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 
 		// Task exists - check timestamps for conflicts
 		if existing.Modified.Unix() > task.Modified.Unix() {
-			// Server version is newer - conflict (but we'll apply last-write-wins)
+			// Server version is newer - skip this push
 			conflicts++
+			continue
 		}
 
-		// Apply changes (last-write-wins)
+		// Apply changes (client is newer or equal)
 		task.ID = existing.ID // Preserve database ID
 		if err := task.Save(); err != nil {
 			continue
 		}
+		// Mark as sync-originated to prevent feedback loop
+		_ = engine.MarkChangeLogAsSync(task.UUID.String())
 
 		// Sync tags
 		existingTags := make(map[string]bool)

opal-task/internal/engine/database.go

@@ -307,6 +307,13 @@ func runMigrations() error {
 				END;
 			`,
 		},
+		{
+			version: 2,
+			sql: `
+				ALTER TABLE change_log ADD COLUMN source TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'local';
+				CREATE INDEX idx_change_log_source ON change_log(source);
+			`,
+		},
 	}
 
 	// Apply pending migrations
@@ -409,3 +416,24 @@ func SetChangeLogRetentionDays(days int) error {
 	_, err := db.Exec("INSERT OR REPLACE INTO sync_config (key, value) VALUES ('change_log_retention_days', ?)", days)
 	return err
 }
+
+// MarkChangeLogAsSync marks the most recent change_log entry for a task UUID
+// as originating from sync (not local), preventing the feedback loop where
+// synced changes get re-pushed as local changes.
+func MarkChangeLogAsSync(taskUUID string) error {
+	db := GetDB()
+	if db == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("database not initialized")
+	}
+
+	_, err := db.Exec(`
+		UPDATE change_log SET source = 'sync'
+		WHERE id = (
+			SELECT id FROM change_log
+			WHERE task_uuid = ?
+			ORDER BY id DESC
+			LIMIT 1
+		)
+	`, taskUUID)
+	return err
+}

opal-task/internal/sync/client.go

@@ -102,14 +102,20 @@ func (c *Client) PullChanges(since int64) ([]ChangeLogEntry, error) {
 func (c *Client) PushChanges(tasks []*engine.Task) error {
 	// Convert tasks to JSON
 	var taskData []json.RawMessage
+	var marshalErrors []string
 	for _, task := range tasks {
 		data, err := json.Marshal(task)
 		if err != nil {
+			marshalErrors = append(marshalErrors, fmt.Sprintf("task %s: %v", task.UUID, err))
 			continue
 		}
 		taskData = append(taskData, data)
 	}
 
+	if len(taskData) == 0 && len(marshalErrors) > 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("all tasks failed to marshal: %s", strings.Join(marshalErrors, "; "))
+	}
+
 	reqBody := map[string]interface{}{
 		"tasks":     taskData,
 		"client_id": c.clientID,
@@ -139,6 +145,11 @@ func (c *Client) PushChanges(tasks []*engine.Task) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("server returned %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, string(body))
 	}
 
+	if len(marshalErrors) > 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pushed %d tasks but %d failed to marshal: %s",
+			len(taskData), len(marshalErrors), strings.Join(marshalErrors, "; "))
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -219,7 +230,7 @@ func (c *Client) Sync(strategy ConflictResolution, reporter ProgressReporter) (*
 	}
 
 	// Convert changes to tasks
-	remoteTasks, err := c.parseChanges(changes)
+	remoteTasks, err := c.ParseChanges(changes)
 	if err != nil {
 		if len(changes) > 0 {
 			reporter.CompletePhase()
@@ -283,6 +294,11 @@ func (c *Client) Sync(strategy ConflictResolution, reporter ProgressReporter) (*
 			continue
 		}
 
+		// Mark change_log entry as sync-originated to prevent feedback loop
+		if err := engine.MarkChangeLogAsSync(task.UUID.String()); err != nil {
+			result.Errors = append(result.Errors, fmt.Sprintf("failed to mark change as sync for %s: %v", task.UUID, err))
+		}
+
 		// Reload task to ensure we have the database ID
 		savedTask, err := engine.GetTask(task.UUID)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -347,18 +363,7 @@ func (c *Client) Sync(strategy ConflictResolution, reporter ProgressReporter) (*
 
 // getLastSyncTime retrieves the last sync timestamp from database
 func (c *Client) getLastSyncTime() int64 {
-	db := engine.GetDB()
+	return GetLastSyncTime(c.clientID)
-	if db == nil {
-		return 0
-	}
-
-	var lastSync int64
-	err := db.QueryRow("SELECT last_sync FROM sync_state WHERE client_id = ?", c.clientID).Scan(&lastSync)
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0
-	}
-
-	return lastSync
 }
 
 // updateLastSyncTime updates the last sync timestamp
@@ -376,6 +381,27 @@ func (c *Client) updateLastSyncTime(timestamp int64) {
 
 // getLocalChanges retrieves local changes since a timestamp
 func (c *Client) getLocalChanges(since int64) ([]*engine.Task, error) {
+	return GetLocalChanges(since)
+}
+
+// GetLastSyncTime retrieves the last sync timestamp for a client ID from the database.
+func GetLastSyncTime(clientID string) int64 {
+	db := engine.GetDB()
+	if db == nil {
+		return 0
+	}
+
+	var lastSync int64
+	err := db.QueryRow("SELECT last_sync FROM sync_state WHERE client_id = ?", clientID).Scan(&lastSync)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0
+	}
+
+	return lastSync
+}
+
+// GetLocalChanges retrieves local (non-sync-originated) changes since a timestamp.
+func GetLocalChanges(since int64) ([]*engine.Task, error) {
 	db := engine.GetDB()
 	if db == nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("database not initialized")
@@ -384,7 +410,7 @@ func (c *Client) getLocalChanges(since int64) ([]*engine.Task, error) {
 	rows, err := db.Query(`
 		SELECT DISTINCT task_uuid
 		FROM change_log
-		WHERE changed_at > ?
+		WHERE changed_at > ? AND source = 'local'
 		ORDER BY changed_at ASC
 	`, since)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -415,8 +441,8 @@ func (c *Client) getLocalChanges(since int64) ([]*engine.Task, error) {
 	return tasks, nil
 }
 
-// parseChanges converts change log entries to tasks
+// ParseChanges converts change log entries to tasks
-func (c *Client) parseChanges(changes []ChangeLogEntry) ([]*engine.Task, error) {
+func (c *Client) ParseChanges(changes []ChangeLogEntry) ([]*engine.Task, error) {
 	// Sort changes by timestamp (primary) and ID (secondary) to ensure correct order
 	// This handles same-second updates (e.g., CREATE followed by UPDATE with tags)
 	sort.Slice(changes, func(i, j int) bool {
@@ -666,16 +692,31 @@ func parseTagsFromChangeLog(s string) []string {
 // pushQueuedChanges sends queued changes to server
 func (c *Client) pushQueuedChanges(changes []QueuedChange) error {
 	var tasks []*engine.Task
+	var unmarshalErrors []string
 
 	for _, change := range changes {
 		var task engine.Task
 		if err := json.Unmarshal(change.Data, &task); err != nil {
+			unmarshalErrors = append(unmarshalErrors, fmt.Sprintf("queued change: %v", err))
 			continue
 		}
 		tasks = append(tasks, &task)
 	}
 
-	return c.PushChanges(tasks)
+	if len(tasks) == 0 && len(unmarshalErrors) > 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("all queued changes failed to unmarshal: %s", strings.Join(unmarshalErrors, "; "))
+	}
+
+	if err := c.PushChanges(tasks); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if len(unmarshalErrors) > 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pushed %d tasks but %d queued changes failed to unmarshal: %s",
+			len(tasks), len(unmarshalErrors), strings.Join(unmarshalErrors, "; "))
+	}
+
+	return nil
 }
 
 // SyncResult represents the result of a sync operation

opal-task/internal/sync/strategy.go

@@ -57,7 +57,11 @@ func MergeTasks(local, remote []*engine.Task, strategy ConflictResolution) ([]*e
 		if DetectConflict(task, remoteTask) {
 			conflicts++
 			winner := resolveConflict(task, remoteTask, strategy)
-			logConflict(task, remoteTask, winner)
+			winnerLabel := "local"
+			if winner == remoteTask {
+				winnerLabel = "remote"
+			}
+			logConflict(task, remoteTask, winnerLabel)
 			result = append(result, winner)
 		} else {
 			// No conflict - use either (same content)
@@ -110,17 +114,12 @@ func resolveConflict(local, remote *engine.Task, strategy ConflictResolution) *e
 }
 
 // logConflict writes conflict information to log file
-func logConflict(local, remote *engine.Task, winner *engine.Task) {
+func logConflict(local, remote *engine.Task, winnerLabel string) {
 	logPath, err := engine.GetSyncConflictLogPath()
 	if err != nil {
 		return
 	}
 
-	winnerLabel := "local"
-	if winner.UUID == remote.UUID && winner.Modified.Equal(remote.Modified) {
-		winnerLabel = "remote"
-	}
-
 	entry := fmt.Sprintf(
 		"[%s] Conflict on task %s\n"+
 			"  Local:  modified %s - %s\n"+