diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/bootstrap/db-tools.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/bootstrap/db-tools.ts
index ac67ba546..2926c1b29 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/bootstrap/db-tools.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/bootstrap/db-tools.ts
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ export function registerDbTools(pi: ExtensionAPI): void {
       // Coerce string items to objects for verificationEvidence (#3541).
       const coerced = { ...params };
       coerced.verificationEvidence = (params.verificationEvidence ?? []).map((v: any) =>
-        typeof v === "string" ? { command: v, exitCode: 0, verdict: "pass", durationMs: 0 } : v,
+        typeof v === "string" ? { command: v, exitCode: -1, verdict: "unknown (coerced from string)", durationMs: 0 } : v,
       );
 
       const { handleCompleteTask } = await import("../tools/complete-task.js");
@@ -798,22 +798,37 @@ export function registerDbTools(pi: ExtensionAPI): void {
     try {
       // Coerce string items to objects for fields where LLMs sometimes pass
       // plain strings instead of the expected { key, value } shape (#3541).
+      // Parses "key — value" or "key - value" format when possible.
+      const splitPair = (s: string): [string, string] => {
+        const m = s.match(/^(.+?)\s*(?:—|-)\s+(.+)$/);
+        return m ? [m[1].trim(), m[2].trim()] : [s.trim(), ""];
+      };
       const coerced = { ...params };
-      coerced.filesModified = (params.filesModified ?? []).map((f: any) =>
-        typeof f === "string" ? { path: f, description: "" } : f,
-      );
-      coerced.requires = (params.requires ?? []).map((r: any) =>
-        typeof r === "string" ? { slice: r, provides: "" } : r,
-      );
-      coerced.requirementsAdvanced = (params.requirementsAdvanced ?? []).map((r: any) =>
-        typeof r === "string" ? { id: r, how: "" } : r,
-      );
-      coerced.requirementsValidated = (params.requirementsValidated ?? []).map((r: any) =>
-        typeof r === "string" ? { id: r, proof: "" } : r,
-      );
-      coerced.requirementsInvalidated = (params.requirementsInvalidated ?? []).map((r: any) =>
-        typeof r === "string" ? { id: r, what: "" } : r,
-      );
+      coerced.filesModified = (params.filesModified ?? []).map((f: any) => {
+        if (typeof f !== "string") return f;
+        const [path, description] = splitPair(f);
+        return { path, description };
+      });
+      coerced.requires = (params.requires ?? []).map((r: any) => {
+        if (typeof r !== "string") return r;
+        const [slice, provides] = splitPair(r);
+        return { slice, provides };
+      });
+      coerced.requirementsAdvanced = (params.requirementsAdvanced ?? []).map((r: any) => {
+        if (typeof r !== "string") return r;
+        const [id, how] = splitPair(r);
+        return { id, how };
+      });
+      coerced.requirementsValidated = (params.requirementsValidated ?? []).map((r: any) => {
+        if (typeof r !== "string") return r;
+        const [id, proof] = splitPair(r);
+        return { id, proof };
+      });
+      coerced.requirementsInvalidated = (params.requirementsInvalidated ?? []).map((r: any) => {
+        if (typeof r !== "string") return r;
+        const [id, what] = splitPair(r);
+        return { id, what };
+      });
 
       const { handleCompleteSlice } = await import("../tools/complete-slice.js");
       const result = await handleCompleteSlice(coerced, process.cwd());
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/complete-slice.test.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/complete-slice.test.ts
index 72273fdc9..061d3e44f 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/complete-slice.test.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/complete-slice.test.ts
@@ -422,32 +422,81 @@ console.log('\n=== complete-slice: handler accepts string-coerced arrays (#3541)
   insertSlice({ id: 'S01', milestoneId: 'M001' });
   insertTask({ id: 'T01', sliceId: 'S01', milestoneId: 'M001', status: 'complete', title: 'Task 1' });
 
-  // Simulate LLM passing strings instead of objects — coerced before handler
+  // Simulate the coercion logic from sliceCompleteExecute: parse "key — value" format
+  const splitPair = (s: string): [string, string] => {
+    const m = s.match(/^(.+?)\s*(?:—|-)\s+(.+)$/);
+    return m ? [m[1].trim(), m[2].trim()] : [s.trim(), ""];
+  };
+
   const params = makeValidSliceParams();
   const coerced = { ...params };
-  coerced.filesModified = ['src/foo.ts', 'src/bar.ts'].map((f: string) =>
-    ({ path: f, description: '' }),
-  );
-  coerced.requires = ['S00'].map((r: string) =>
-    ({ slice: r, provides: '' }),
-  );
-  coerced.requirementsAdvanced = ['R001'].map((r: string) =>
-    ({ id: r, how: '' }),
-  );
+
+  // Plain strings without delimiter — second field should be empty
+  coerced.filesModified = ['src/foo.ts', 'src/bar.ts'].map((f: string) => {
+    const [p, d] = splitPair(f);
+    return { path: p, description: d };
+  });
+  assertEq(coerced.filesModified[0].path, 'src/foo.ts', 'plain string: path preserved');
+  assertEq(coerced.filesModified[0].description, '', 'plain string: description empty');
+
+  // Strings with "—" delimiter — should parse both parts
+  coerced.requirementsAdvanced = ['R001 — Handler validates task completion'].map((r: string) => {
+    const [id, how] = splitPair(r);
+    return { id, how };
+  });
+  assertEq(coerced.requirementsAdvanced[0].id, 'R001', 'delimited string: id parsed');
+  assertEq(coerced.requirementsAdvanced[0].how, 'Handler validates task completion', 'delimited string: how parsed');
+
+  // Strings with "- " delimiter — should also parse
+  coerced.requirementsValidated = ['R002 - Tests pass'].map((r: string) => {
+    const [id, proof] = splitPair(r);
+    return { id, proof };
+  });
+  assertEq(coerced.requirementsValidated[0].id, 'R002', 'hyphen delimiter: id parsed');
+  assertEq(coerced.requirementsValidated[0].proof, 'Tests pass', 'hyphen delimiter: proof parsed');
+
+  coerced.requires = ['S00'].map((r: string) => {
+    const [slice, provides] = splitPair(r);
+    return { slice, provides };
+  });
+  coerced.requirementsInvalidated = [];
 
   const result = await handleCompleteSlice(coerced, basePath);
   assertTrue(!('error' in result), 'handler should succeed with coerced string arrays');
   if (!('error' in result)) {
-    // Verify SUMMARY.md renders without crashing on coerced fields
     const summaryContent = fs.readFileSync(result.summaryPath, 'utf-8');
     assertMatch(summaryContent, /src\/foo\.ts/, 'summary should list coerced file path');
-    assertMatch(summaryContent, /R001/, 'summary should list coerced requirement');
+    assertMatch(summaryContent, /R001/, 'summary should list coerced requirement id');
+    assertMatch(summaryContent, /Handler validates task completion/, 'summary should list parsed requirement detail');
   }
 
   cleanupDir(basePath);
   cleanup(dbPath);
 }
 
+// ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+// complete-slice: verificationEvidence coercion uses sentinel values (#3541)
+// ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+console.log('\n=== complete-slice: verificationEvidence sentinel values (#3541) ===');
+{
+  // Verify the coercion logic produces non-passing sentinel values
+  const coerce = (v: any) =>
+    typeof v === "string" ? { command: v, exitCode: -1, verdict: "unknown (coerced from string)", durationMs: 0 } : v;
+
+  const coerced = coerce("npm test");
+  assertEq(coerced.command, 'npm test', 'sentinel: command preserved');
+  assertEq(coerced.exitCode, -1, 'sentinel: exitCode is -1, not 0');
+  assertEq(coerced.verdict, 'unknown (coerced from string)', 'sentinel: verdict is unknown, not pass');
+  assertEq(coerced.durationMs, 0, 'sentinel: durationMs is 0');
+
+  // Object inputs pass through unchanged
+  const obj = { command: "npm test", exitCode: 0, verdict: "pass", durationMs: 1234 };
+  const passthrough = coerce(obj);
+  assertEq(passthrough.exitCode, 0, 'object passthrough: exitCode unchanged');
+  assertEq(passthrough.verdict, 'pass', 'object passthrough: verdict unchanged');
+}
+
 // ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 // complete-slice: step 13 specifies write tool for PROJECT.md (#2946)
 // ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════