fix: handle braces in strings in parseTodo, clarify hoursStuck parens

- parseTodo JSON scanner now tracks inString/escapeNext state so
  braces inside string values (e.g. "Fix {bug}") don't break parsing
- Added explicit parens to hoursStuck for clarity (same result, safer)
- Added 3 new tests for braces-in-strings and escaped quotes (53 total)

Author: Baudbot

pi/extensions/heartbeat.test.mjs

@@ -301,6 +301,28 @@ Some markdown body here.`;
     assert.equal(result.id, "ws");
   });
 
+  it("handles braces inside string values", () => {
+    const content = `{"id": "brace1", "title": "Fix {bug} in {module}", "status": "open"}`;
+    const result = parseTodo(content);
+    assert.equal(result.id, "brace1");
+    assert.equal(result.title, "Fix {bug} in {module}");
+    assert.equal(result.status, "open");
+  });
+
+  it("handles escaped quotes inside strings", () => {
+    const content = `{"id": "esc1", "title": "Fix \\"quoted\\" thing", "status": "done"}`;
+    const result = parseTodo(content);
+    assert.equal(result.id, "esc1");
+    assert.equal(result.status, "done");
+  });
+
+  it("handles braces and escapes together", () => {
+    const content = `{"id": "combo", "title": "Deploy {v2} with \\"zero-token\\" mode", "status": "in-progress", "created_at": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"}`;
+    const result = parseTodo(content);
+    assert.equal(result.id, "combo");
+    assert.equal(result.status, "in-progress");
+  });
+
   it("ignores content after closing brace", () => {
     const content = `{"id": "extra", "status": "open"}
 

pi/extensions/heartbeat.ts

@@ -206,16 +206,34 @@ function parseTodo(content: string): { status?: string; title?: string; created_
     const trimmed = content.trim();
     if (!trimmed.startsWith("{")) return null;
 
-    // Find the closing brace for the top-level JSON object
+    // Find the closing brace for the top-level JSON object,
+    // skipping braces inside string values (handles escaped quotes too)
     let depth = 0;
     let jsonEnd = -1;
+    let inString = false;
+    let escapeNext = false;
     for (let i = 0; i < trimmed.length; i++) {
-      if (trimmed[i] === "{") depth++;
-      else if (trimmed[i] === "}") {
-        depth--;
-        if (depth === 0) {
-          jsonEnd = i + 1;
-          break;
+      const char = trimmed[i];
+      if (escapeNext) {
+        escapeNext = false;
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (char === "\\") {
+        escapeNext = true;
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (char === '"') {
+        inString = !inString;
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (!inString) {
+        if (char === "{") depth++;
+        else if (char === "}") {
+          depth--;
+          if (depth === 0) {
+            jsonEnd = i + 1;
+            break;
+          }
         }
       }
     }
@@ -257,7 +275,7 @@ function checkStuckTodos(): CheckResult[] {
 
         if (!hasAgent) {
           const title = todo.title || todoId;
-          const hoursStuck = Math.round(age / (60 * 60 * 1000) * 10) / 10;
+          const hoursStuck = Math.round((age / (60 * 60 * 1000)) * 10) / 10;
 
           results.push({
             name: `stuck:TODO-${todoId}`,