Fix Story Intelligence character review context

PlotLine.Tests/Program.cs

@@ -112,9 +112,13 @@ var tests = new (string Name, Action Test)[]
     ("Name Intelligence repository uses stored procedures", NameIntelligenceRepositoryUsesStoredProcedures),
     ("Name Intelligence review warning is wired", NameIntelligenceReviewWarningIsWired),
     ("Name Intelligence library defaults to all locales", NameIntelligenceLibraryDefaultsToAllLocales),
+    ("Story Intelligence new-format context uses canonical characters", StoryIntelligenceNewFormatContextUsesCanonicalCharacters),
     ("Story Intelligence character defaults link proposed existing matches", StoryIntelligenceCharacterDefaultsLinkProposedExistingMatches),
     ("Story Intelligence character defaults ignore generic references", StoryIntelligenceCharacterDefaultsIgnoreGenericReferences),
     ("Story Intelligence character defaults keep descriptive identities", StoryIntelligenceCharacterDefaultsKeepDescriptiveIdentities),
+    ("Story Intelligence alias dropdown uses canonical characters", StoryIntelligenceAliasDropdownUsesCanonicalCharacters),
+    ("Story Intelligence review omits character metrics dashboard", StoryIntelligenceReviewOmitsCharacterMetricsDashboard),
+    ("Story Intelligence resumed chapters use canonical labels", StoryIntelligenceResumedChaptersUseCanonicalLabels),
     ("Story Intelligence character review posts selected existing match", StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewPostsSelectedExistingMatch),
     ("Story Intelligence character default changes preserve persisted results", StoryIntelligenceCharacterDefaultChangesPreservePersistedResults),
     ("Story Intelligence character review reuses structured appearance aliases", StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewReusesStructuredAppearanceAliases),
@@ -3018,6 +3022,23 @@ static void NameIntelligenceLibraryDefaultsToAllLocales()
     Assert(!migration.Contains("COALESCE(@LocaleCode, N'en-US')", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Name search procedure must not convert null locale back to en-US.");
 }
 
+static void StoryIntelligenceNewFormatContextUsesCanonicalCharacters()
+{
+    var root = Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "../../../../PlotLine");
+    var service = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "Services/OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService.cs"));
+    var model = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "Models/StoryIntelligencePersistenceModels.cs"));
+    var prompt = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "Docs/AI/Scene-Prompt-V2.md"));
+
+    Assert(service.Contains("BuildCanonicalKnownCharacterContextJsonAsync(preview, review, build)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "New-format Story Intelligence should build canonical known-character context.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("characters.ListCharactersAsync(preview.ProjectID)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Canonical context should include persisted project characters.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("characters.ListAliasesAsync(character.CharacterID)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Canonical context should include persisted character aliases.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("characters.ListSceneCharactersAsync(sceneId)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Canonical context should include deterministic scene-character mappings.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("Source = \"CanonicalCoreImport\"", StringComparison.Ordinal), "New-format known-character context should be marked as canonical Core Import context.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("return BuildKnownCharacterContextJson(preview, review);", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Legacy scan-derived known-character context should remain fallback-only.");
+    Assert(model.Contains("public IReadOnlyList<int> SceneIDs", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Known-character context should carry mapped canonical scene IDs.");
+    Assert(prompt.Contains("do not create a character solely because it appears in `knownCharacters`", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Scene prompt should continue preventing known-character-only creation.");
+}
+
 static void StoryIntelligenceCharacterDefaultsLinkProposedExistingMatches()
 {
     Assert(StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults.DetermineAction("Beth", 42) == StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.LinkExisting,
@@ -3032,6 +3053,10 @@ static void StoryIntelligenceCharacterDefaultsIgnoreGenericReferences()
         "Family-role references should default to Ignore.");
     Assert(StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults.DetermineAction("One of his mates", null) == StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Ignore,
         "Contextual indefinite references should default to Ignore.");
+    Assert(StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults.DetermineAction("creepy guy", null, StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.GenericReference) == StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Ignore,
+        "Generic classifications should default to Ignore even when the label is descriptive.");
+    Assert(StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults.DetermineAction("toddler/boy", null, StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.NonCharacter) == StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Ignore,
+        "Non-character classifications should default to Ignore.");
 }
 
 static void StoryIntelligenceCharacterDefaultsKeepDescriptiveIdentities()
@@ -3044,6 +3069,48 @@ static void StoryIntelligenceCharacterDefaultsKeepDescriptiveIdentities()
         "Named new characters without an existing match should default to Create New.");
 }
 
+static void StoryIntelligenceAliasDropdownUsesCanonicalCharacters()
+{
+    var root = Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "../../../../PlotLine");
+    var service = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "Services/StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService.cs"));
+    var model = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "ViewModels/OnboardingViewModels.cs"));
+    var view = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "Views/Onboarding/StoryIntelligenceCharacters.cshtml"));
+
+    Assert(model.Contains("AliasTargetOptions", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Character review should expose canonical alias targets.");
+    Assert(model.Contains("public int? AliasTargetCharacterID", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Alias submissions should post canonical CharacterID targets.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("AliasTargetOptions = existingOptions", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Alias target options should come from canonical existing characters.");
+    Assert(service.Contains(".OrderBy(character => character.CharacterName, StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Canonical alias targets should be alphabetically ordered.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("existingIndex.Find(choice.AliasTargetCharacterID)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Import should resolve alias targets by canonical CharacterID.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("coreImportCharacterMapping.MapBookAsync(batch.ProjectID, batch.BookID)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Character import should rerun deterministic scene-character mapping after accepted aliases or new characters.");
+    Assert(view.Contains("name=\"Characters[@i].AliasTargetCharacterID\"", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Alias dropdown should post canonical CharacterID values.");
+    Assert(view.Contains("Model.CharacterReview.AliasTargetOptions", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Alias dropdown should render canonical targets, not unresolved candidates.");
+    Assert(!view.Contains("Model.CharacterReview.Candidates.Where(target => !string.Equals(target.Key, candidate.Key", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Alias dropdown must not be populated from unresolved candidates.");
+}
+
+static void StoryIntelligenceReviewOmitsCharacterMetricsDashboard()
+{
+    var root = Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "../../../../PlotLine");
+    var view = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "Views/Onboarding/StoryIntelligenceCharacters.cshtml"));
+    var model = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "ViewModels/OnboardingViewModels.cs"));
+
+    Assert(!view.Contains("_StoryIntelligencePipelineSummary", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Character Review should not render the large cross-stage metrics dashboard.");
+    Assert(view.Contains("onboarding-compact-status", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Character Review should keep a compact decision summary.");
+    Assert(model.Contains("GenericReferenceCount", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Compact summary should include useful candidate classification counts.");
+    Assert(view.IndexOf("story-character-card-grid", StringComparison.Ordinal) > view.IndexOf("onboarding-compact-status", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Candidate cards should appear directly after compact context.");
+}
+
+static void StoryIntelligenceResumedChaptersUseCanonicalLabels()
+{
+    var root = Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "../../../../PlotLine");
+    var service = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(root, "Services/OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService.cs"));
+
+    Assert(service.Contains("chapters.ListByBookAsync(bookId)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Resume should load canonical chapters for the book.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("CanonicalChapterTitle(chapterLookup.GetValueOrDefault(run.ChapterID)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Committed runs should display canonical chapter titles.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("CanonicalChapterTitle(run.ChapterID.HasValue ? chapterLookup.GetValueOrDefault(run.ChapterID.Value) : null, run.ChapterNumber)", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Active runs should display canonical chapter titles.");
+    Assert(!service.Contains("FirstConfigured(run.SourceFileName, run.CurrentMessage", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Resume should never prefer Word document filenames as chapter titles.");
+    Assert(service.Contains("return title.StartsWith(\"Chapter \", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ? title : $\"{fallback} - {title}\"", StringComparison.Ordinal), "Blank titles should fall back to Chapter N and nonblank titles should include chapter number.");
+}
+
 static void StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewPostsSelectedExistingMatch()
 {
     var root = Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "../../../../PlotLine");

PlotLine/Models/StoryIntelligencePersistenceModels.cs

@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceKnownCharacterContext
     public string SexHint { get; init; } = "Unknown";
     public int? ExistingCharacterID { get; init; }
     public IReadOnlyList<string> CandidateKeys { get; init; } = [];
+    public IReadOnlyList<int> SceneIDs { get; init; } = [];
     public int MentionCount { get; init; }
     public decimal Confidence { get; init; }
     public string Source { get; init; } = "InitialManuscriptScan";

PlotLine/Services/OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService.cs

@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
     IStoryIntelligencePipelineStateService pipelineState,
     IStoryMemoryRepository storyMemory,
     IBookRepository books,
+    IChapterRepository chapters,
+    ICharacterRepository characters,
     IStoryIntelligenceClient client,
     IOnboardingStoryIntelligenceBatchStore batchStore,
     IStoryIntelligenceProgressNotifier notifier,
@@ -131,7 +133,7 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
             clientStatus.ChapterStructureModel,
             clientStatus.SceneIntelligenceModel);
         var batchItems = new List<OnboardingStoryIntelligenceBatchItem>();
-        var knownCharactersJson = BuildKnownCharacterContextJson(preview, review);
+        var knownCharactersJson = await BuildCanonicalKnownCharacterContextJsonAsync(preview, review, build);
 
         foreach (var chapter in included)
         {
@@ -158,6 +160,7 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
             }
 
             var paragraphs = StoryIntelligenceParagraphs.Split(text);
+            var canonicalChapterTitle = CanonicalChapterTitle(await chapters.GetAsync(chapterId), chapter.Decision.ChapterNumber);
             var runId = await runs.QueueAdminTextAsync(new StoryIntelligenceRunQueueRequest
             {
                 UserID = userId,
@@ -166,7 +169,7 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
                 ChapterID = chapterId,
                 ChapterNumber = chapter.Decision.ChapterNumber,
                 SourceType = SourceType,
-                SourceLabel = $"{wizard.SelectedBookTitle}: {chapter.Decision.Title}",
+                SourceLabel = $"{wizard.SelectedBookTitle}: {canonicalChapterTitle}",
                 ChapterText = text,
                 SourceFileName = preview.DocumentTitle,
                 SourceWordCount = durableSource?.SourceWordCount ?? CountWords(text),
@@ -182,7 +185,7 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
             {
                 TemporaryChapterKey = chapter.Preview.TemporaryChapterKey,
                 ChapterNumber = chapter.Decision.ChapterNumber,
-                ChapterTitle = chapter.Decision.Title,
+                ChapterTitle = canonicalChapterTitle,
                 ChapterID = chapterId,
                 RunID = runId
             });
@@ -266,6 +269,68 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
         return string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(clean) ? string.Empty : clean[..Math.Min(clean.Length, 160)];
     }
 
+    private async Task<string?> BuildCanonicalKnownCharacterContextJsonAsync(
+        ManuscriptScanPreview preview,
+        ManuscriptScanReviewDecision review,
+        OnboardingManuscriptBuildResult build)
+    {
+        if (build.SceneMappings.Count == 0)
+        {
+            return BuildKnownCharacterContextJson(preview, review);
+        }
+
+        var allCharacters = (await characters.ListCharactersAsync(preview.ProjectID))
+            .Where(character => !character.IsArchived)
+            .OrderBy(character => character.CharacterName, StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            .ToList();
+        if (allCharacters.Count == 0)
+        {
+            return BuildKnownCharacterContextJson(preview, review);
+        }
+
+        var sceneIds = build.SceneMappings.Select(mapping => mapping.SceneID).Distinct().ToList();
+        var sceneIdsByCharacter = new Dictionary<int, HashSet<int>>();
+        foreach (var sceneId in sceneIds)
+        {
+            foreach (var sceneCharacter in await characters.ListSceneCharactersAsync(sceneId))
+            {
+                if (!sceneIdsByCharacter.TryGetValue(sceneCharacter.CharacterID, out var mappedScenes))
+                {
+                    mappedScenes = [];
+                    sceneIdsByCharacter[sceneCharacter.CharacterID] = mappedScenes;
+                }
+
+                mappedScenes.Add(sceneId);
+            }
+        }
+
+        var context = new List<StoryIntelligenceKnownCharacterContext>();
+        foreach (var character in allCharacters)
+        {
+            var aliases = (await characters.ListAliasesAsync(character.CharacterID))
+                .Select(alias => alias.Alias)
+                .Where(alias => !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(alias))
+                .Distinct(StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+                .OrderBy(alias => alias, StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+                .ToList();
+            var mappedScenes = sceneIdsByCharacter.GetValueOrDefault(character.CharacterID)?.OrderBy(id => id).ToList() ?? [];
+            context.Add(new StoryIntelligenceKnownCharacterContext
+            {
+                CanonicalName = character.CharacterName,
+                Aliases = aliases,
+                SexHint = CharacterSexHintService.Normalise(character.Sex, character.CharacterName),
+                ExistingCharacterID = character.CharacterID,
+                CandidateKeys = [],
+                SceneIDs = mappedScenes,
+                MentionCount = mappedScenes.Count,
+                Confidence = mappedScenes.Count > 0 ? 1m : 0.8m,
+                Source = "CanonicalCoreImport"
+            });
+        }
+
+        return JsonSerializer.Serialize(context, new JsonSerializerOptions { PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase });
+    }
+
     public static string? BuildKnownCharacterContextJson(ManuscriptScanPreview preview, ManuscriptScanReviewDecision review)
     {
         var candidates = preview.CharacterCandidates.ToDictionary(candidate => candidate.TemporaryCharacterKey, StringComparer.Ordinal);
@@ -755,6 +820,7 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
             return null;
         }
 
+        var chapterLookup = (await chapters.ListByBookAsync(bookId)).ToDictionary(chapter => chapter.ChapterID);
         var committedRuns = (await pipelineState.ListCommittedRunsByBookAsync(bookId, userId))
             .OrderBy(run => run.ChapterNumber)
             .ThenBy(run => run.StoryIntelligenceRunID)
@@ -762,7 +828,7 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
             {
                 TemporaryChapterKey = $"book-{state.BookID}-chapter-{run.ChapterID}",
                 ChapterNumber = Convert.ToInt32(run.ChapterNumber),
-                ChapterTitle = run.ChapterTitle,
+                ChapterTitle = CanonicalChapterTitle(chapterLookup.GetValueOrDefault(run.ChapterID), run.ChapterNumber),
                 ChapterID = run.ChapterID,
                 RunID = run.StoryIntelligenceRunID
             })
@@ -777,7 +843,7 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
                 {
                     TemporaryChapterKey = $"book-{state.BookID}-chapter-{run.ChapterID ?? run.StoryIntelligenceRunID}",
                     ChapterNumber = Convert.ToInt32(run.ChapterNumber ?? 0),
-                    ChapterTitle = FirstConfigured(run.SourceFileName, run.CurrentMessage, run.ChapterNumber.HasValue ? $"Chapter {run.ChapterNumber:0.##}" : $"Run {run.StoryIntelligenceRunID:N0}")!,
+                    ChapterTitle = CanonicalChapterTitle(run.ChapterID.HasValue ? chapterLookup.GetValueOrDefault(run.ChapterID.Value) : null, run.ChapterNumber),
                     ChapterID = run.ChapterID ?? 0,
                     RunID = run.StoryIntelligenceRunID
                 })
@@ -909,6 +975,19 @@ public sealed class OnboardingStoryIntelligenceService(
     private int RequireUserId()
         => currentUser.UserId ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Sign in before using Story Intelligence.");
 
+    private static string CanonicalChapterTitle(Chapter? chapter, decimal? chapterNumber)
+    {
+        var number = chapterNumber ?? chapter?.ChapterNumber;
+        var fallback = number.HasValue && number.Value > 0 ? $"Chapter {number.Value:0.##}" : "Chapter";
+        var title = CleanContext(chapter?.ChapterTitle).TrimStart('-', ' ', '\t');
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(title))
+        {
+            return fallback;
+        }
+
+        return title.StartsWith("Chapter ", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ? title : $"{fallback} - {title}";
+    }
+
     private static IReadOnlyList<IncludedChapter> IncludedChapters(ManuscriptScanPreview preview, ManuscriptScanReviewDecision review)
     {
         var chapters = preview.Chapters.ToDictionary(chapter => chapter.TemporaryChapterKey, StringComparer.Ordinal);

PlotLine/Services/StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService.cs

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService(
     ISceneRepository scenes,
     IStoryIntelligencePipelineStateService pipelineState,
     INameIntelligenceService nameIntelligence,
+    ICoreImportCharacterMappingService coreImportCharacterMapping,
     ILogger<StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService> logger) : IStoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService
 {
     private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions JsonOptions = new()
@@ -79,7 +80,10 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService(
                 CharacterID = character.CharacterID,
                 CharacterName = character.CharacterName
             })
-            .OrderBy(character => character.CharacterName)
+            .OrderBy(character => character.CharacterName, StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            .ToList();
+        var classified = visibleCandidates
+            .Select(candidate => new { Candidate = candidate, Classification = ClassifyCandidate(candidate) })
             .ToList();
         return new StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewViewModel
         {
@@ -87,21 +91,27 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService(
             CanImport = visibleCandidates.Count > 0,
             AlreadyLinkedCount = data.AlreadyLinkedCount,
             IsComplete = data.HasCommittedScenes && visibleCandidates.Count == 0,
-            Candidates = visibleCandidates.Select(candidate => new StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewCandidateViewModel
+            GenericReferenceCount = classified.Count(item => item.Classification == StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.GenericReference),
+            ExistingMatchCount = classified.Count(item => item.Classification == StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.ExistingCharacter),
+            NewCandidateCount = classified.Count(item => item.Classification == StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.NewCharacter || item.Classification == StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.NewAlias),
+            AmbiguousCount = classified.Count(item => item.Classification == StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.Ambiguous),
+            AliasTargetOptions = existingOptions,
+            Candidates = classified.Select(item => new StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewCandidateViewModel
             {
-                DefaultAction = StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults.DetermineAction(candidate.DisplayName, candidate.ExistingCharacterID),
+                DefaultAction = StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults.DetermineAction(item.Candidate.DisplayName, item.Candidate.ExistingCharacterID, item.Classification),
-                Key = candidate.Key,
+                Classification = item.Classification,
-                CharacterName = candidate.DisplayName,
+                Key = item.Candidate.Key,
-                ImportName = candidate.DisplayName,
+                CharacterName = item.Candidate.DisplayName,
-                AppearsInScenes = candidate.PresentAppearances.Concat(candidate.MentionedOnlyAppearances).Select(appearance => appearance.SceneID).Distinct().Count(),
+                ImportName = item.Candidate.DisplayName,
-                Confidence = ConfidenceBand(candidate.Confidence),
+                AppearsInScenes = item.Candidate.PresentAppearances.Concat(item.Candidate.MentionedOnlyAppearances).Select(appearance => appearance.SceneID).Distinct().Count(),
-                PossibleAliases = candidate.Aliases.OrderBy(value => value).ToList(),
+                Confidence = ConfidenceBand(item.Candidate.Confidence),
-                ExampleFirstAppearance = candidate.FirstAppearanceNote,
+                PossibleAliases = item.Candidate.Aliases.OrderBy(value => value).ToList(),
-                ExistingCharacterID = candidate.ExistingCharacterID,
+                ExampleFirstAppearance = item.Candidate.FirstAppearanceNote,
-                ExistingCharacterName = candidate.ExistingCharacterName,
+                ExistingCharacterID = item.Candidate.ExistingCharacterID,
-                SelectedExistingCharacterID = candidate.ExistingCharacterID,
+                ExistingCharacterName = item.Candidate.ExistingCharacterName,
+                SelectedExistingCharacterID = item.Candidate.ExistingCharacterID,
                 ExistingCharacterOptions = existingOptions,
-                NameIntelligenceWarning = nameWarnings.GetValueOrDefault(candidate.Key)
+                NameIntelligenceWarning = nameWarnings.GetValueOrDefault(item.Candidate.Key)
             }).ToList()
         };
     }
@@ -277,29 +287,42 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService(
                 continue;
             }
 
-            var targetKey = Clean(choice.AliasTargetKey);
+            var target = existingIndex.Find(choice.AliasTargetCharacterID);
-            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(targetKey)
+            CharacterCandidate? targetCandidate = null;
-                || string.Equals(targetKey, candidate.Key, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            var targetCharacterId = target?.CharacterID;
-                || !choices.TryGetValue(targetKey, out var targetChoice)
+            var targetName = target?.CharacterName;
-                || string.Equals(targetChoice.Action, StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Ignore, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            if (!targetCharacterId.HasValue)
-                || string.Equals(targetChoice.Action, StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Alias, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            {
-                || !candidateByKey.TryGetValue(targetKey, out var targetCandidate)
+                var targetKey = Clean(choice.AliasTargetKey);
-                || !resolvedCandidateIds.TryGetValue(targetKey, out var targetCharacterId))
+                if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(targetKey)
+                    && !string.Equals(targetKey, candidate.Key, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+                    && choices.TryGetValue(targetKey, out var targetChoice)
+                    && !string.Equals(targetChoice.Action, StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Ignore, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+                    && !string.Equals(targetChoice.Action, StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Alias, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+                    && candidateByKey.TryGetValue(targetKey, out targetCandidate)
+                    && resolvedCandidateIds.TryGetValue(targetKey, out var resolvedTargetCharacterId))
+                {
+                    targetCharacterId = resolvedTargetCharacterId;
+                    targetName = targetCandidate.ExistingCharacterName ?? targetChoice.ImportName ?? targetCandidate.DisplayName;
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (!targetCharacterId.HasValue)
             {
                 logger.LogWarning(
-                    "Story Intelligence character alias candidate {CandidateKey} could not be imported because target {TargetKey} was not a resolved create/link target.",
+                    "Story Intelligence character alias candidate {CandidateKey} could not be imported because no canonical target was selected. AliasTargetCharacterID={AliasTargetCharacterID}",
                     candidate.Key,
-                    targetKey);
+                    choice.AliasTargetCharacterID);
                 continue;
             }
 
-            var targetName = targetCandidate.ExistingCharacterName ?? targetChoice.ImportName ?? targetCandidate.DisplayName;
+            targetName ??= $"Character {targetCharacterId.Value:N0}";
-            await TryAddAliasAsync(targetCharacterId, candidate.DisplayName, targetName);
+            await TryAddAliasAsync(targetCharacterId.Value, candidate.DisplayName, targetName);
-            AddResolvedName(resolvedCharacters, candidate.DisplayName, targetCharacterId);
+            AddResolvedName(resolvedCharacters, candidate.DisplayName, targetCharacterId.Value);
             foreach (var alias in candidate.Aliases)
             {
-                await TryAddAliasAsync(targetCharacterId, alias, targetName);
+                await TryAddAliasAsync(targetCharacterId.Value, alias, targetName);
-                AddResolvedName(resolvedCharacters, alias, targetCharacterId);
+                AddResolvedName(resolvedCharacters, alias, targetCharacterId.Value);
             }
 
             foreach (var appearance in candidate.PresentAppearances.Concat(candidate.MentionedOnlyAppearances).Where(appearance => !appearance.AlreadyLinked))
@@ -307,16 +330,16 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService(
                 await characters.SaveSceneCharacterAsync(new SceneCharacter
                 {
                     SceneID = appearance.SceneID,
-                    CharacterID = targetCharacterId,
+                    CharacterID = targetCharacterId.Value,
                     RoleInSceneTypeID = MatchRole(roleTypes, appearance.RoleInScene),
                     PresenceTypeID = MatchPresence(presenceTypes, appearance.MentionedOnly),
-                    AppearanceNotes = BuildAliasAppearanceNote(candidate.DisplayName, targetCandidate.DisplayName, appearance.Notes)
+                    AppearanceNotes = BuildAliasAppearanceNote(candidate.DisplayName, targetName, appearance.Notes)
                 });
                 linkedAppearances++;
             }
 
             aliased++;
-            AddDecision(batch, candidate.Key, StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Alias, candidate.DisplayName, targetCharacterId, true);
+            AddDecision(batch, candidate.Key, StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Alias, candidate.DisplayName, targetCharacterId.Value, true);
         }
 
         foreach (var scene in data.SceneAnalyses)
@@ -341,23 +364,26 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService(
             PovLinksResolved = povLinks,
             ScenePeoplePanelsUpdated = linkedAppearances
         };
+        var remap = await coreImportCharacterMapping.MapBookAsync(batch.ProjectID, batch.BookID);
         await pipelineState.RecordCharacterImportAsync(batch.ProjectID, batch.BookID);
 
         logger.LogInformation(
-            "Imported Story Intelligence characters for batch {BatchID}. Created={Created} LinkedExisting={LinkedExisting} Aliased={Aliased} Ignored={Ignored} LinkedAppearances={LinkedAppearances} PovLinks={PovLinks}",
+            "Imported Story Intelligence characters for batch {BatchID}. Created={Created} LinkedExisting={LinkedExisting} Aliased={Aliased} Ignored={Ignored} LinkedAppearances={LinkedAppearances} PovLinks={PovLinks} RemappedScenes={RemappedScenes} RemappedLinks={RemappedLinks}",
             batch.BatchID,
             created,
             linkedExisting,
             aliased,
             ignored,
             linkedAppearances,
-            povLinks);
+            povLinks,
+            remap.ScenesScanned,
+            remap.LinksSaved);
 
         return new StoryIntelligenceImportCommitResult
         {
             Success = true,
             ScenesCreated = linkedAppearances,
-            Message = $"Characters imported. {created:N0} created, {linkedExisting:N0} linked, {aliased:N0} alias decision(s) applied, {ignored:N0} ignored, {linkedAppearances:N0} scene appearance(s) updated, {povLinks:N0} POV link(s) resolved."
+            Message = $"Characters imported. {created:N0} created, {linkedExisting:N0} linked, {aliased:N0} alias decision(s) applied, {ignored:N0} ignored, {linkedAppearances:N0} scene appearance(s) updated, {povLinks:N0} POV link(s) resolved. Deterministic remapping updated {remap.LinksSaved:N0} link(s)."
         };
     }
 
@@ -793,6 +819,39 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportService(
         return !IsGenericGroupReference(name);
     }
 
+    private static string ClassifyCandidate(CharacterCandidate candidate)
+    {
+        var name = CleanCharacterName(candidate.DisplayName);
+        if (!IsCharacterNameCandidate(name))
+        {
+            return StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.NonCharacter;
+        }
+
+        if (candidate.ExistingCharacterID.HasValue)
+        {
+            return StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.ExistingCharacter;
+        }
+
+        if (StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults.IsGenericContextualReference(name)
+            || IsFamilyRoleOnly(name)
+            || IsGenericGroupReference(name))
+        {
+            return StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.GenericReference;
+        }
+
+        if (candidate.Aliases.Count > 0)
+        {
+            return StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.NewAlias;
+        }
+
+        if (candidate.Confidence is null or < 0.65m)
+        {
+            return StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.Ambiguous;
+        }
+
+        return StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.NewCharacter;
+    }
+
     private static bool IsCharacterNameCandidate(string? name)
     {
         var clean = CleanCharacterName(name);

PlotLine/Services/StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults.cs

@@ -13,14 +13,16 @@ public static class StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewDefaults
         @"^(one of (them|his mates|her mates|their mates|the men|the women|the boys|the girls)|his mate|her mate|their mate|his friend|her friend|their friend)$",
         RegexOptions.IgnoreCase | RegexOptions.Compiled);
 
-    public static string DetermineAction(string? candidateName, int? proposedExistingCharacterId)
+    public static string DetermineAction(string? candidateName, int? proposedExistingCharacterId, string? classification = null)
     {
         if (proposedExistingCharacterId.HasValue)
         {
             return StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.LinkExisting;
         }
 
-        if (IsGenericContextualReference(candidateName))
+        if (string.Equals(classification, StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.GenericReference, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            || string.Equals(classification, StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.NonCharacter, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            || IsGenericContextualReference(candidateName))
         {
             return StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.Ignore;
         }

PlotLine/ViewModels/OnboardingViewModels.cs

@@ -273,7 +273,12 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewViewModel
     public bool HasCommittedScenes { get; init; }
     public int AlreadyLinkedCount { get; init; }
     public bool IsComplete { get; init; }
+    public int GenericReferenceCount { get; init; }
+    public int ExistingMatchCount { get; init; }
+    public int NewCandidateCount { get; init; }
+    public int AmbiguousCount { get; init; }
     public IReadOnlyList<StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewCandidateViewModel> Candidates { get; init; } = [];
+    public IReadOnlyList<StoryIntelligenceCharacterExistingOptionViewModel> AliasTargetOptions { get; init; } = [];
 }
 
 public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewCandidateViewModel
@@ -282,6 +287,7 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterReviewCandidateViewModel
     public string CharacterName { get; init; } = string.Empty;
     public string ImportName { get; init; } = string.Empty;
     public string DefaultAction { get; init; } = StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.CreateNew;
+    public string Classification { get; init; } = StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications.NewCharacter;
     public int AppearsInScenes { get; init; }
     public string Confidence { get; init; } = "Unknown";
     public IReadOnlyList<string> PossibleAliases { get; init; } = [];
@@ -314,9 +320,20 @@ public sealed class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportChoiceForm
     public string Action { get; set; } = StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions.CreateNew;
     public string? ImportName { get; set; }
     public int? ExistingCharacterID { get; set; }
+    public int? AliasTargetCharacterID { get; set; }
     public string? AliasTargetKey { get; set; }
 }
 
+public static class StoryIntelligenceCharacterClassifications
+{
+    public const string ExistingCharacter = "ExistingCharacter";
+    public const string NewAlias = "NewAlias";
+    public const string NewCharacter = "NewCharacter";
+    public const string GenericReference = "GenericReference";
+    public const string Ambiguous = "Ambiguous";
+    public const string NonCharacter = "NonCharacter";
+}
+
 public static class StoryIntelligenceCharacterImportActions
 {
     public const string CreateNew = "CreateNew";

PlotLine/Views/Onboarding/StoryIntelligenceCharacters.cshtml

@@ -23,7 +23,13 @@
             <div class="alert alert-success">@message</div>
         }
 
-        <partial name="_StoryIntelligencePipelineSummary" model="Model.PipelineDashboard" />
+        <p class="onboarding-compact-status">
+            @Model.CharacterReview.Candidates.Count.ToString("N0") candidate@(Model.CharacterReview.Candidates.Count == 1 ? string.Empty : "s")
+            &middot; @Model.CharacterReview.ExistingMatchCount.ToString("N0") existing match@(Model.CharacterReview.ExistingMatchCount == 1 ? string.Empty : "es")
+            &middot; @Model.CharacterReview.NewCandidateCount.ToString("N0") new or alias
+            &middot; @Model.CharacterReview.AmbiguousCount.ToString("N0") ambiguous
+            &middot; @Model.CharacterReview.GenericReferenceCount.ToString("N0") generic
+        </p>
 
         <section class="story-review-chapter-list" aria-label="Character review">
             @if (Model.CharacterReview.Candidates.Count == 0)
@@ -63,7 +69,7 @@
                                 <summary>
                                     <span>
                                         <strong>@candidate.CharacterName</strong>
-                                        <small>@candidate.AppearsInScenes.ToString("N0") scene@(candidate.AppearsInScenes == 1 ? string.Empty : "s")</small>
+                                        <small>@candidate.Classification &middot; @candidate.AppearsInScenes.ToString("N0") scene@(candidate.AppearsInScenes == 1 ? string.Empty : "s")</small>
                                     </span>
                                     <em>@candidate.Confidence</em>
                                 </summary>
@@ -134,11 +140,11 @@
 
                                     <div data-character-alias-panel hidden>
                                         <label class="form-label" for="character-alias-target-@i">Alias target</label>
-                                        <select id="character-alias-target-@i" class="form-select" name="Characters[@i].AliasTargetKey" data-character-alias-target>
+                                        <select id="character-alias-target-@i" class="form-select" name="Characters[@i].AliasTargetCharacterID" data-character-alias-target>
                                             <option value="">Choose character...</option>
-                                            @foreach (var target in Model.CharacterReview.Candidates.Where(target => !string.Equals(target.Key, candidate.Key, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)))
+                                            @foreach (var target in Model.CharacterReview.AliasTargetOptions)
                                             {
-                                                <option value="@target.Key">@target.CharacterName@(target.IsExistingMatch ? $" -> {target.ExistingCharacterName}" : string.Empty)</option>
+                                                <option value="@target.CharacterID" data-canonical="true">@target.CharacterName</option>
                                             }
                                         </select>
                                     </div>
@@ -187,6 +193,10 @@
                     const previous = select.value;
                     for (const option of Array.from(select.options)) {
                         if (!option.value) continue;
+                        if (option.dataset.canonical === "true") {
+                            option.disabled = false;
+                            continue;
+                        }
                         const targetCard = allCards.find(item => item.querySelector("[data-character-key]")?.getAttribute("data-character-key") === option.value);
                         option.disabled = option.value === ownKey || !targetCard || !isCanonicalTarget(targetCard);
                     }