feat(signals): flag issues whose body only restates the title

src/signals/slop.ts

@@ -353,6 +353,7 @@ export type IssueSlopAssessmentInput = {
 export const ISSUE_SLOP_WEIGHTS = {
   unfilledTemplate: 50,
   emptyBody: 40,
+  titleRestatement: 35,
 } as const;
 
 export const ISSUE_SLOP_RUBRIC_MARKDOWN = [
@@ -366,6 +367,7 @@ export const ISSUE_SLOP_RUBRIC_MARKDOWN = [
   "Advisory-only (issues never block). Current deterministic signals:",
   "- empty issue body",
   "- issue template opened but left unfilled",
+  "- issue body only restates the title (no added detail)",
 ].join("\n");
 
 export function buildIssueSlopAssessment(input: IssueSlopAssessmentInput): SlopAssessment {
@@ -374,11 +376,17 @@ export function buildIssueSlopAssessment(input: IssueSlopAssessmentInput): SlopA
   // An empty body and an unfilled template are mutually exclusive (the latter needs a non-empty body), so
   // only probe for the template when there IS a body to inspect.
   const unfilledTemplateFinding = emptyBodyFinding ? null : buildUnfilledIssueTemplateFinding(input);
+  // The title-restatement signal needs a body with REAL prose (so it survives the unfilled-template strip),
+  // so it can only fire once the two emptier signals are ruled out — the three are mutually exclusive.
+  const titleRestatementFinding = emptyBodyFinding || unfilledTemplateFinding ? null : buildTitleRestatementIssueFinding(input);
   if (unfilledTemplateFinding) findings.push(unfilledTemplateFinding);
   if (emptyBodyFinding) findings.push(emptyBodyFinding);
+  if (titleRestatementFinding) findings.push(titleRestatementFinding);
 
   const slopRisk = clamp(
-    (emptyBodyFinding ? ISSUE_SLOP_WEIGHTS.emptyBody : 0) + (unfilledTemplateFinding ? ISSUE_SLOP_WEIGHTS.unfilledTemplate : 0),
+    (emptyBodyFinding ? ISSUE_SLOP_WEIGHTS.emptyBody : 0) +
+      (unfilledTemplateFinding ? ISSUE_SLOP_WEIGHTS.unfilledTemplate : 0) +
+      (titleRestatementFinding ? ISSUE_SLOP_WEIGHTS.titleRestatement : 0),
     0,
     100,
   );
@@ -425,6 +433,38 @@ export function buildUnfilledIssueTemplateFinding(input: IssueSlopAssessmentInpu
   };
 }
 
+// Normalize for restatement comparison: lowercase, then collapse every run of non-alphanumeric characters
+// (punctuation, markdown, whitespace, emoji) to a single space. This makes "Login is BROKEN!" and
+// "login is broken" compare equal, so reformatting/punctuation alone cannot dodge the signal.
+function normalizeIssueText(text: string): string {
+  return text
+    .toLowerCase()
+    .replace(/[^\p{L}\p{N}]+/gu, " ")
+    .trim();
+}
+
+// Fires when a non-empty body adds NOTHING beyond the title — it normalizes to exactly the title (a verbatim
+// restatement or the title pasted back as the "description"). High-precision and conservative: the body must
+// reduce to the title with zero extra words, so any genuine added detail (steps, location, expected vs actual)
+// clears it. Distinct from the unfilled-template signal, whose body has no real word at all. (#533)
+export function buildTitleRestatementIssueFinding(input: IssueSlopAssessmentInput): SignalFinding | null {
+  const title = normalizeIssueText(input.title ?? "");
+  const body = normalizeIssueText(input.body ?? "");
+  // Need both a real title and a real body to compare; an empty side is another signal's concern.
+  if (title.length === 0 || body.length === 0) return null;
+  if (body !== title) return null;
+  // Static, public-safe text (no interpolation) — no sanitizer guard needed.
+  const detail = "The issue body only restates the title and adds no further detail.";
+  return {
+    code: "title_only_restatement",
+    title: "Issue body only restates the title",
+    severity: "warning",
+    detail,
+    action: "Add detail beyond the title: what is wrong, where it happens, and why it matters.",
+    publicText: detail,
+  };
+}
+
 function stripHtmlComments(input: string): string {
   let output = "";
   let cursor = 0;

test/unit/slop.test.ts

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   buildNoLinkedIssueRationaleFinding,
   buildNonSubstantivePaddingFinding,
   buildSlopAssessment,
+  buildTitleRestatementIssueFinding,
   buildTrivialWhitespaceChurnFinding,
   buildUnfilledIssueTemplateFinding,
   type SlopAssessmentInput,
@@ -498,6 +499,39 @@ describe("buildIssueSlopAssessment (#533 issue-side triage)", () => {
     // A genuine (even terse) description survives — a real 3+ letter word is present.
     expect(buildUnfilledIssueTemplateFinding({ body: "### Description\nThe build fails on save.\n" })).toBeNull();
   });
+
+  it("flags a body that only restates the title, ignoring case and punctuation (#533)", () => {
+    const result = buildIssueSlopAssessment({ title: "Login is broken", body: "login is broken!!!" });
+    expect(result.findings.map((f) => f.code)).toEqual(["title_only_restatement"]);
+    expect(result.slopRisk).toBe(ISSUE_SLOP_WEIGHTS.titleRestatement);
+    expect(result.band).toBe("elevated");
+    expect(JSON.stringify(result)).not.toMatch(FORBIDDEN_PUBLIC_TERMS);
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT flag a body that adds any detail beyond the title", () => {
+    // The body repeats the title but adds real detail → not a bare restatement.
+    expect(buildIssueSlopAssessment({ title: "Login is broken", body: "Login is broken when the session token has expired." }).findings).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("title-restatement is mutually exclusive with the emptier signals", () => {
+    // Empty body → empty_issue_body only (never restatement, which needs a real body).
+    expect(buildIssueSlopAssessment({ title: "Login is broken", body: "" }).findings.map((f) => f.code)).toEqual(["empty_issue_body"]);
+    // Unfilled template → unfilled_issue_template only (no real word to match the title).
+    expect(buildIssueSlopAssessment({ title: "Login is broken", body: "<!-- nothing -->" }).findings.map((f) => f.code)).toEqual([
+      "unfilled_issue_template",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("title-restatement builder guards a missing title or body when called directly", () => {
+    // Both sides must normalize to real text; an empty/omitted title or body yields no finding.
+    expect(buildTitleRestatementIssueFinding({ title: "", body: "anything" })).toBeNull();
+    expect(buildTitleRestatementIssueFinding({ body: "no title here" })).toBeNull();
+    expect(buildTitleRestatementIssueFinding({ title: "Only a title" })).toBeNull();
+    // A title that is pure punctuation normalizes to empty → no finding even against a matching body.
+    expect(buildTitleRestatementIssueFinding({ title: "!!!", body: "???" })).toBeNull();
+    // A genuine restatement fires.
+    expect(buildTitleRestatementIssueFinding({ title: "Build fails", body: "Build fails." })).toMatchObject({ code: "title_only_restatement" });
+  });
 });
 
 describe("buildNonSubstantivePaddingFinding (#561 path-matcher signal)", () => {