diff --git a/src/headless-feedback.ts b/src/headless-feedback.ts
index ea479706e..f89e71932 100644
--- a/src/headless-feedback.ts
+++ b/src/headless-feedback.ts
@@ -151,14 +151,35 @@ async function handleAdd(
 
 	const id = newId();
 	const ts = new Date().toISOString();
+	// Detect forge-vs-external repo via the canonical helper used by
+	// recordSelfFeedback; this affects which channel the entry is read from.
+	// Previously hardcoded "external", which incorrectly tagged forge-repo
+	// entries — combined with sfVersion="" below, this fed the
+	// auto-version-bump resolver false positives that swallowed legitimate
+	// operator-direction within seconds of filing (R124 incident 2026-05-17).
+	const sfHelpers = (await jiti.import(sfExtensionPath("self-feedback"), {})) as {
+		isForgeRepo?: (basePath: string) => boolean;
+		getCurrentSfVersion?: () => string;
+	};
+	const repoIdentity: "forge" | "external" = sfHelpers.isForgeRepo?.(basePath)
+		? "forge"
+		: "external";
+	// sfVersion must reflect the SF version that filed the entry. An empty
+	// string sorts BELOW any real semver — so triageBlockedEntries would
+	// retry-close every empty-version entry as "version-bumped" (R124
+	// incident 2026-05-17). Use the canonical helper + env fallback.
+	const sfVersion =
+		sfHelpers.getCurrentSfVersion?.() ??
+		process.env.SF_VERSION ??
+		"unknown";
 	const entry = {
 		id,
 		ts,
 		kind,
 		severity,
 		blocking,
-		repoIdentity: "external" as const,
-		sfVersion: "",
+		repoIdentity,
+		sfVersion,
 		basePath,
 		occurredIn: {
 			unitType: unitType ?? null,
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/sf/self-feedback.js b/src/resources/extensions/sf/self-feedback.js
index 56f545b5c..e828d147b 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/sf/self-feedback.js
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/sf/self-feedback.js
@@ -970,12 +970,50 @@ function compareSemver(a, b) {
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
+/**
+ * Self-feedback kinds that represent operator intent rather than mechanical
+ * symptoms. Auto-version-bump close MUST NOT fire on these — operator-filed
+ * design / capability / spec direction does NOT expire when SF's version
+ * bumps. Mechanical symptoms (runaway-loop:idle-halt, prompt-quality-issue,
+ * silent-worker-failure) ARE retry-eligible because the underlying bug may
+ * have been fixed in the bumped version.
+ *
+ * Observed 2026-05-17: operator filed `improvement-idea` (R124 proposal) via
+ * `sf headless feedback add`; entry written with empty sfVersion; resolver
+ * compareSemver'd "" against "2.75.4" → close as "version-bumped" within 54
+ * seconds. Two defects, both fixed here:
+ *   1) empty/null/undefined sfVersion treated as comparable (now treated as
+ *      unknown).
+ *   2) operator-direction kinds NOT exempt from the close path (now skipped).
+ */
+const OPERATOR_DIRECTION_KINDS = new Set([
+	"improvement-idea",
+	"architecture-defect",
+	"missing-feature",
+	"gap",
+]);
+
+function isMissingVersion(v) {
+	return (
+		v === undefined ||
+		v === null ||
+		v === "" ||
+		v === "unknown" ||
+		v === "null" ||
+		v === "undefined"
+	);
+}
+
 export function triageBlockedEntries(basePath = process.cwd()) {
 	const current = getCurrentSfVersion();
 	const retry = [];
 	const stillBlocked = [];
 	for (const e of getBlockedEntries(basePath)) {
-		if (current === "unknown" || e.sfVersion === "unknown") {
+		if (OPERATOR_DIRECTION_KINDS.has(e.kind)) {
+			stillBlocked.push(e);
+			continue;
+		}
+		if (isMissingVersion(current) || isMissingVersion(e.sfVersion)) {
 			stillBlocked.push(e);
 			continue;
 		}