diff --git a/evals/suites/generation-quality/cases.jsonl b/evals/suites/generation-quality/cases.jsonl
index c619d622..1ffe689c 100644
--- a/evals/suites/generation-quality/cases.jsonl
+++ b/evals/suites/generation-quality/cases.jsonl
@@ -10,3 +10,6 @@
 {"id":"generation-quality.unanswered-spec-questions-ask-user","suite":"generation-quality","executor":"ricky-cli","kind":"regression","input":{"message":"Ricky receives a workflow generation spec with an explicit open question and no `--best-judgement` flag."},"expected":{"ok":false,"contentIncludes":["Generation: failed (status: needs_clarification).","Next: Clarify: Who owns final rollout signoff?"],"forbidPhrases":["Best-judgement clarifications","TypeError","ReferenceError"],"maxToolCalls":1,"must":["Stop before generating a workflow artifact when the spec carries an unanswered question.","Ask the user the unresolved question directly.","Avoid writing an implementation assumption unless the caller explicitly opts into best judgement."],"mustNot":["Generate a workflow by silently guessing the answer.","Hide the clarification question behind a generic failure."],"humanReviewRequired":false},"tags":["generation","clarification","local"],"mock":{"cwd":"temp","specFileContent":"Generate a workflow for package validation.\\nOpen questions:\\n- Who owns final rollout signoff?","argv":"--mode local --spec-file {{specFile}} --no-workforce-persona"}}
 {"id":"generation-quality.best-judgement-answers-spec-questions","suite":"generation-quality","executor":"ricky-cli","kind":"regression","input":{"message":"Ricky receives the same open-question spec with `--best-judgement`."},"expected":{"ok":true,"contentIncludes":["generated; run when ready","Warning: --best-judgement Who owns final rollout signoff?","Answered by implementing agent impl-primary-codex using --best-judgement","Workflow: workflows/generated/"],"forbidPhrases":["Generation: failed","needs_clarification","TypeError","ReferenceError"],"maxToolCalls":1,"must":["Continue to workflow generation after explicitly answering the unresolved question.","Call out each best-judgement question and answer in user-visible output or generated context.","Identify the implementing agent that made the assumption."],"mustNot":["Pretend the user supplied the answer.","Drop the original question from the assumption record."],"humanReviewRequired":false},"tags":["generation","clarification","local","best-judgement"],"mock":{"cwd":"temp","specFileContent":"Generate a workflow for package validation.\\nOpen questions:\\n- Who owns final rollout signoff?","argv":"local --spec-file {{specFile}} --best-judgement --no-workforce-persona"}}
 {"id":"generation-quality.mode-local-overrides-runtime-wording","suite":"generation-quality","executor":"ricky-cli","kind":"regression","input":{"message":"Ricky receives a spec that legitimately discusses both local and Cloud execution while the CLI selected local mode."},"expected":{"ok":true,"contentIncludes":["Generation: ok","Run: ricky run workflows/generated/"],"forbidPhrases":["execution-mode-conflict","needs_clarification","Should this workflow run locally/BYOH","TypeError","ReferenceError"],"maxToolCalls":1,"must":["Treat the explicit local CLI mode as the execution preference.","Generate a workflow even when the design spec mentions both local and Cloud runtime support.","Avoid re-asking the local-vs-Cloud clarification after mode has already been chosen."],"mustNot":["Infer `auto` solely from runtime keywords when an explicit CLI mode is present.","Force the user to rewrite a design spec to remove one runtime keyword."],"humanReviewRequired":false},"tags":["generation","clarification","local","issue-76"],"mock":{"cwd":"temp","specFileContent":"Generate a workflow for a primitive whose API supports local BYOH execution and Cloud hosted execution. The generated workflow should implement the primitive docs and validation gates.","argv":"--mode local --spec-file {{specFile}} --no-workforce-persona"}}
+{"id":"generation-quality.target-files-from-backticked-prose","suite":"generation-quality","executor":"ricky-cli","kind":"regression","input":{"message":"Ricky receives a markdown spec that names target file paths inside backticks in prose. The parser must recognize them so the workflow targets real source files instead of falling back to the manifest-driven single-artifact path."},"expected":{"ok":true,"contentIncludes":["\"target_files\":","packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts","packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts"],"forbidPhrases":["TypeError","ReferenceError"],"maxToolCalls":1,"must":["Extract paths wrapped in markdown backticks into `target_files`.","Surface `target_files` in the generation JSON so callers can verify scope."],"mustNot":["Fall back to the manifest-driven single-artifact path when the spec names concrete files.","Capture prose noise like `base/head` as a target file."],"humanReviewRequired":false},"tags":["generation","target-files","parser","local"],"mock":{"cwd":"temp","specFileContent":"# Spec\\n\\nImplementation plan:\\n\\n- Update `packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts` to accept the new mode.\\n- Update `packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts` to provision a sandbox.\\n","argv":"--mode local --spec-file {{specFile}} --no-run --json --no-workforce-persona"}}
+{"id":"generation-quality.target-files-from-structured-block","suite":"generation-quality","executor":"ricky-cli","kind":"regression","input":{"message":"A spec with an explicit `## Target Files` block must take precedence over any prose paths so authors can be unambiguous about scope."},"expected":{"ok":true,"contentIncludes":["\"target_files\":","packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts","packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts"],"forbidPhrases":["tests/scratch/example.ts","TypeError","ReferenceError"],"maxToolCalls":1,"must":["Honor the structured `## Target Files` block as the source of truth when present.","Strip leading bullets and surrounding backticks from each line in the block."],"mustNot":["Mix prose-extracted candidates into `target_files` when a structured block is declared."],"humanReviewRequired":false},"tags":["generation","target-files","parser","local"],"mock":{"cwd":"temp","specFileContent":"# Spec\\n\\nProse mentions `tests/scratch/example.ts` casually.\\n\\n## Target Files\\n\\n- `packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts`\\n- packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts\\n\\n## Acceptance\\n\\nIt works.\\n","argv":"--mode local --spec-file {{specFile}} --no-run --json --no-workforce-persona"}}
+{"id":"generation-quality.target-files-suppresses-prose-noise","suite":"generation-quality","executor":"ricky-cli","kind":"regression","input":{"message":"The parser must suppress two-segment prose tokens that have no extension and no recognized leading directory (e.g. `base/head`, `my-org/my-repo`) so they are not captured as target files."},"expected":{"ok":true,"contentIncludes":["\"target_files\":","packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts"],"forbidPhrases":["\"\\\"base/head\\\"\"","\"\\\"user/account\\\"\"","TypeError","ReferenceError"],"maxToolCalls":1,"must":["Keep real backticked paths in `target_files`.","Drop two-segment prose tokens that look like noise."],"mustNot":["Capture human-readable phrases as file paths."],"humanReviewRequired":false},"tags":["generation","target-files","parser","local"],"mock":{"cwd":"temp","specFileContent":"# Spec\\n\\nSend the PR number, base/head SHA, and the user/account pair to MSD. Then update `packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts`.\\n","argv":"--mode local --spec-file {{specFile}} --no-run --json --no-workforce-persona"}}
diff --git a/evals/suites/generation-quality/cases.md b/evals/suites/generation-quality/cases.md
index c4688101..fd0d66f0 100644
--- a/evals/suites/generation-quality/cases.md
+++ b/evals/suites/generation-quality/cases.md
@@ -263,3 +263,102 @@ maxToolCalls: 1
 ### Must Not
 - Infer `auto` solely from runtime keywords when an explicit CLI mode is present.
 - Force the user to rewrite a design spec to remove one runtime keyword.
+## generation-quality.target-files-from-backticked-prose
+Executor: ricky-cli
+Kind: regression
+Tags: generation, target-files, parser, local
+Human Review: false
+
+### Message
+Ricky receives a markdown spec that names target file paths inside backticks in prose. The parser must recognize them so the workflow targets real source files instead of falling back to the manifest-driven single-artifact path.
+
+### Mock
+cwd: temp
+specFileContent: # Spec\n\nImplementation plan:\n\n- Update `packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts` to accept the new mode.\n- Update `packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts` to provision a sandbox.\n
+argv: --mode local --spec-file {{specFile}} --no-run --json --no-workforce-persona
+
+### Deterministic Checks
+ok: true
+contentIncludes:
+- "target_files":
+- packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts
+- packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts
+forbidPhrases:
+- TypeError
+- ReferenceError
+maxToolCalls: 1
+
+### Must
+- Extract paths wrapped in markdown backticks into `target_files`.
+- Surface `target_files` in the generation JSON so callers can verify scope.
+
+### Must Not
+- Fall back to the manifest-driven single-artifact path when the spec names concrete files.
+- Capture prose noise like `base/head` as a target file.
+
+## generation-quality.target-files-from-structured-block
+Executor: ricky-cli
+Kind: regression
+Tags: generation, target-files, parser, local
+Human Review: false
+
+### Message
+A spec with an explicit `## Target Files` block must take precedence over any prose paths so authors can be unambiguous about scope.
+
+### Mock
+cwd: temp
+specFileContent: # Spec\n\nProse mentions `tests/scratch/example.ts` casually.\n\n## Target Files\n\n- `packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts`\n- packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts\n\n## Acceptance\n\nIt works.\n
+argv: --mode local --spec-file {{specFile}} --no-run --json --no-workforce-persona
+
+### Deterministic Checks
+ok: true
+contentIncludes:
+- "target_files":
+- packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts
+- packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts
+forbidPhrases:
+- tests/scratch/example.ts
+- TypeError
+- ReferenceError
+maxToolCalls: 1
+
+### Must
+- Honor the structured `## Target Files` block as the source of truth when present.
+- Strip leading bullets and surrounding backticks from each line in the block.
+
+### Must Not
+- Mix prose-extracted candidates into `target_files` when a structured block is declared.
+
+## generation-quality.target-files-suppresses-prose-noise
+Executor: ricky-cli
+Kind: regression
+Tags: generation, target-files, parser, local
+Human Review: false
+
+### Message
+The parser must suppress two-segment prose tokens that have no extension and no recognized leading directory (e.g. `base/head`, `my-org/my-repo`) so they are not captured as target files.
+
+### Mock
+cwd: temp
+specFileContent: # Spec\n\nSend the PR number, base/head SHA, and the user/account pair to MSD. Then update `packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts`.\n
+argv: --mode local --spec-file {{specFile}} --no-run --json --no-workforce-persona
+
+### Deterministic Checks
+ok: true
+contentIncludes:
+- "target_files":
+- packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts
+forbidPhrases:
+- "\"base/head\""
+- "\"user/account\""
+- TypeError
+- ReferenceError
+maxToolCalls: 1
+
+### Must
+- Keep real backticked paths in `target_files`.
+- Drop two-segment prose tokens that look like noise.
+
+### Must Not
+- Capture human-readable phrases as file paths.
+
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 4764615e..6f3725f7 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
         "@agentworkforce/harness-kit": "^0.19.0",
         "@agentworkforce/workload-router": "^0.19.0",
         "@inquirer/prompts": "^8.4.2",
+        "mdast-util-from-markdown": "^2.0.3",
         "ora": "^8.2.0",
         "ssh2": "^1.17.0"
       },
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@
       },
       "devDependencies": {
         "@agent-assistant/telemetry": "^0.4.31",
+        "@types/mdast": "^4.0.4",
         "@types/node": "^24.5.2",
         "esbuild": "^0.28.0",
         "tsx": "^4.21.0",
@@ -3931,6 +3933,15 @@
         "assertion-error": "^2.0.1"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/@types/debug": {
+      "version": "4.1.13",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/debug/-/debug-4.1.13.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-KSVgmQmzMwPlmtljOomayoR89W4FynCAi3E8PPs7vmDVPe84hT+vGPKkJfThkmXs0x0jAaa9U8uW8bbfyS2fWw==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@types/ms": "*"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/@types/deep-eql": {
       "version": "4.0.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/deep-eql/-/deep-eql-4.0.2.tgz",
@@ -3945,6 +3956,21 @@
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT"
     },
+    "node_modules/@types/mdast": {
+      "version": "4.0.4",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/mdast/-/mdast-4.0.4.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-kGaNbPh1k7AFzgpud/gMdvIm5xuECykRR+JnWKQno9TAXVa6WIVCGTPvYGekIDL4uwCZQSYbUxNBSb1aUo79oA==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@types/unist": "*"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/@types/ms": {
+      "version": "2.1.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/ms/-/ms-2.1.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-GsCCIZDE/p3i96vtEqx+7dBUGXrc7zeSK3wwPHIaRThS+9OhWIXRqzs4d6k1SVU8g91DrNRWxWUGhp5KXQb2VA==",
+      "license": "MIT"
+    },
     "node_modules/@types/node": {
       "version": "24.12.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/node/-/node-24.12.2.tgz",
@@ -3960,6 +3986,12 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-wWKOClTTiizcZhXnPY4wikVAwmdYHp8q6DmC+EJUzAMsycb7HB32Kh9RN4+0gExjmPmZSAQjgURXIGATPegAvA==",
       "license": "MIT"
     },
+    "node_modules/@types/unist": {
+      "version": "3.0.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/unist/-/unist-3.0.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-ko/gIFJRv177XgZsZcBwnqJN5x/Gien8qNOn0D5bQU/zAzVf9Zt3BlcUiLqhV9y4ARk0GbT3tnUiPNgnTXzc/Q==",
+      "license": "MIT"
+    },
     "node_modules/@vitest/expect": {
       "version": "3.2.4",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@vitest/expect/-/expect-3.2.4.tgz",
@@ -4250,6 +4282,16 @@
         "url": "https://github.com/chalk/chalk?sponsor=1"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/character-entities": {
+      "version": "2.0.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/character-entities/-/character-entities-2.0.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-shx7oQ0Awen/BRIdkjkvz54PnEEI/EjwXDSIZp86/KKdbafHh1Df/RYGBhn4hbe2+uKC9FnT5UCEdyPz3ai9hQ==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "funding": {
+        "type": "github",
+        "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/wooorm"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/chardet": {
       "version": "2.1.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/chardet/-/chardet-2.1.1.tgz",
@@ -4384,7 +4426,6 @@
       "version": "4.4.3",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/debug/-/debug-4.4.3.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-RGwwWnwQvkVfavKVt22FGLw+xYSdzARwm0ru6DhTVA3umU5hZc28V3kO4stgYryrTlLpuvgI9GiijltAjNbcqA==",
-      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "ms": "^2.1.3"
@@ -4398,6 +4439,19 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/decode-named-character-reference": {
+      "version": "1.3.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/decode-named-character-reference/-/decode-named-character-reference-1.3.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-GtpQYB283KrPp6nRw50q3U9/VfOutZOe103qlN7BPP6Ad27xYnOIWv4lPzo8HCAL+mMZofJ9KEy30fq6MfaK6Q==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "character-entities": "^2.0.0"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "type": "github",
+        "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/wooorm"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/deep-eql": {
       "version": "5.0.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/deep-eql/-/deep-eql-5.0.2.tgz",
@@ -4417,6 +4471,28 @@
         "node": ">=0.4.0"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/dequal": {
+      "version": "2.0.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/dequal/-/dequal-2.0.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-0je+qPKHEMohvfRTCEo3CrPG6cAzAYgmzKyxRiYSSDkS6eGJdyVJm7WaYA5ECaAD9wLB2T4EEeymA5aFVcYXCA==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=6"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/devlop": {
+      "version": "1.1.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/devlop/-/devlop-1.1.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-RWmIqhcFf1lRYBvNmr7qTNuyCt/7/ns2jbpp1+PalgE/rDQcBT0fioSMUpJ93irlUhC5hrg4cYqe6U+0ImW0rA==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "dequal": "^2.0.0"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "type": "github",
+        "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/wooorm"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/dunder-proto": {
       "version": "1.0.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/dunder-proto/-/dunder-proto-1.0.1.tgz",
@@ -5081,6 +5157,485 @@
         "node": ">= 0.4"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/mdast-util-from-markdown": {
+      "version": "2.0.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/mdast-util-from-markdown/-/mdast-util-from-markdown-2.0.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-W4mAWTvSlKvf8L6J+VN9yLSqQ9AOAAvHuoDAmPkz4dHf553m5gVj2ejadHJhoJmcmxEnOv6Pa8XJhpxE93kb8Q==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@types/mdast": "^4.0.0",
+        "@types/unist": "^3.0.0",
+        "decode-named-character-reference": "^1.0.0",
+        "devlop": "^1.0.0",
+        "mdast-util-to-string": "^4.0.0",
+        "micromark": "^4.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-decode-numeric-character-reference": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-decode-string": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-normalize-identifier": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0",
+        "unist-util-stringify-position": "^4.0.0"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "type": "opencollective",
+        "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/mdast-util-to-string": {
+      "version": "4.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/mdast-util-to-string/-/mdast-util-to-string-4.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-0H44vDimn51F0YwvxSJSm0eCDOJTRlmN0R1yBh4HLj9wiV1Dn0QoXGbvFAWj2hSItVTlCmBF1hqKlIyUBVFLPg==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@types/mdast": "^4.0.0"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "type": "opencollective",
+        "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark": {
+      "version": "4.0.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark/-/micromark-4.0.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-zpe98Q6kvavpCr1NPVSCMebCKfD7CA2NqZ+rykeNhONIJBpc1tFKt9hucLGwha3jNTNI8lHpctWJWoimVF4PfA==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@types/debug": "^4.0.0",
+        "debug": "^4.0.0",
+        "decode-named-character-reference": "^1.0.0",
+        "devlop": "^1.0.0",
+        "micromark-core-commonmark": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-factory-space": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-chunked": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-combine-extensions": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-decode-numeric-character-reference": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-encode": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-normalize-identifier": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-resolve-all": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-sanitize-uri": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-subtokenize": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-core-commonmark": {
+      "version": "2.0.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-core-commonmark/-/micromark-core-commonmark-2.0.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-RDBrHEMSxVFLg6xvnXmb1Ayr2WzLAWjeSATAoxwKYJV94TeNavgoIdA0a9ytzDSVzBy2YKFK+emCPOEibLeCrg==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "decode-named-character-reference": "^1.0.0",
+        "devlop": "^1.0.0",
+        "micromark-factory-destination": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-factory-label": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-factory-space": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-factory-title": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-factory-whitespace": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-chunked": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-classify-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-html-tag-name": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-normalize-identifier": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-resolve-all": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-subtokenize": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-factory-destination": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-factory-destination/-/micromark-factory-destination-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Xe6rDdJlkmbFRExpTOmRj9N3MaWmbAgdpSrBQvCFqhezUn4AHqJHbaEnfbVYYiexVSs//tqOdY/DxhjdCiJnIA==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-factory-label": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-factory-label/-/micromark-factory-label-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-VFMekyQExqIW7xIChcXn4ok29YE3rnuyveW3wZQWWqF4Nv9Wk5rgJ99KzPvHjkmPXF93FXIbBp6YdW3t71/7Vg==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "devlop": "^1.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-factory-space": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-factory-space/-/micromark-factory-space-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-zRkxjtBxxLd2Sc0d+fbnEunsTj46SWXgXciZmHq0kDYGnck/ZSGj9/wULTV95uoeYiK5hRXP2mJ98Uo4cq/LQg==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-factory-title": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-factory-title/-/micromark-factory-title-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-5bZ+3CjhAd9eChYTHsjy6TGxpOFSKgKKJPJxr293jTbfry2KDoWkhBb6TcPVB4NmzaPhMs1Frm9AZH7OD4Cjzw==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-factory-space": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-factory-whitespace": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-factory-whitespace/-/micromark-factory-whitespace-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Ob0nuZ3PKt/n0hORHyvoD9uZhr+Za8sFoP+OnMcnWK5lngSzALgQYKMr9RJVOWLqQYuyn6ulqGWSXdwf6F80lQ==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-factory-space": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-character": {
+      "version": "2.1.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-character/-/micromark-util-character-2.1.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-wv8tdUTJ3thSFFFJKtpYKOYiGP2+v96Hvk4Tu8KpCAsTMs6yi+nVmGh1syvSCsaxz45J6Jbw+9DD6g97+NV67Q==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-chunked": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-chunked/-/micromark-util-chunked-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-QUNFEOPELfmvv+4xiNg2sRYeS/P84pTW0TCgP5zc9FpXetHY0ab7SxKyAQCNCc1eK0459uoLI1y5oO5Vc1dbhA==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-classify-character": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-classify-character/-/micromark-util-classify-character-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-K0kHzM6afW/MbeWYWLjoHQv1sgg2Q9EccHEDzSkxiP/EaagNzCm7T/WMKZ3rjMbvIpvBiZgwR3dKMygtA4mG1Q==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-combine-extensions": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-combine-extensions/-/micromark-util-combine-extensions-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-OnAnH8Ujmy59JcyZw8JSbK9cGpdVY44NKgSM7E9Eh7DiLS2E9RNQf0dONaGDzEG9yjEl5hcqeIsj4hfRkLH/Bg==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-chunked": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-decode-numeric-character-reference": {
+      "version": "2.0.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-decode-numeric-character-reference/-/micromark-util-decode-numeric-character-reference-2.0.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-ccUbYk6CwVdkmCQMyr64dXz42EfHGkPQlBj5p7YVGzq8I7CtjXZJrubAYezf7Rp+bjPseiROqe7G6foFd+lEuw==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-decode-string": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-decode-string/-/micromark-util-decode-string-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-nDV/77Fj6eH1ynwscYTOsbK7rR//Uj0bZXBwJZRfaLEJ1iGBR6kIfNmlNqaqJf649EP0F3NWNdeJi03elllNUQ==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "decode-named-character-reference": "^1.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-decode-numeric-character-reference": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-encode": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-encode/-/micromark-util-encode-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-c3cVx2y4KqUnwopcO9b/SCdo2O67LwJJ/UyqGfbigahfegL9myoEFoDYZgkT7f36T0bLrM9hZTAaAyH+PCAXjw==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT"
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-html-tag-name": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-html-tag-name/-/micromark-util-html-tag-name-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-2cNEiYDhCWKI+Gs9T0Tiysk136SnR13hhO8yW6BGNyhOC4qYFnwF1nKfD3HFAIXA5c45RrIG1ub11GiXeYd1xA==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT"
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-normalize-identifier": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-normalize-identifier/-/micromark-util-normalize-identifier-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-sxPqmo70LyARJs0w2UclACPUUEqltCkJ6PhKdMIDuJ3gSf/Q+/GIe3WKl0Ijb/GyH9lOpUkRAO2wp0GVkLvS9Q==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-resolve-all": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-resolve-all/-/micromark-util-resolve-all-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-VdQyxFWFT2/FGJgwQnJYbe1jjQoNTS4RjglmSjTUlpUMa95Htx9NHeYW4rGDJzbjvCsl9eLjMQwGeElsqmzcHg==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-sanitize-uri": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-sanitize-uri/-/micromark-util-sanitize-uri-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-9N9IomZ/YuGGZZmQec1MbgxtlgougxTodVwDzzEouPKo3qFWvymFHWcnDi2vzV1ff6kas9ucW+o3yzJK9YB1AQ==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "micromark-util-character": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-encode": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-subtokenize": {
+      "version": "2.1.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-subtokenize/-/micromark-util-subtokenize-2.1.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-XQLu552iSctvnEcgXw6+Sx75GflAPNED1qx7eBJ+wydBb2KCbRZe+NwvIEEMM83uml1+2WSXpBAcp9IUCgCYWA==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "devlop": "^1.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-chunked": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-symbol": "^2.0.0",
+        "micromark-util-types": "^2.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-symbol": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-symbol/-/micromark-util-symbol-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-vs5t8Apaud9N28kgCrRUdEed4UJ+wWNvicHLPxCa9ENlYuAY31M0ETy5y1vA33YoNPDFTghEbnh6efaE8h4x0Q==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT"
+    },
+    "node_modules/micromark-util-types": {
+      "version": "2.0.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/micromark-util-types/-/micromark-util-types-2.0.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Yw0ECSpJoViF1qTU4DC6NwtC4aWGt1EkzaQB8KPPyCRR8z9TWeV0HbEFGTO+ZY1wB22zmxnJqhPyTpOVCpeHTA==",
+      "funding": [
+        {
+          "type": "GitHub Sponsors",
+          "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/unifiedjs"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "OpenCollective",
+          "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+        }
+      ],
+      "license": "MIT"
+    },
     "node_modules/mime-db": {
       "version": "1.52.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/mime-db/-/mime-db-1.52.0.tgz",
@@ -5139,7 +5694,6 @@
       "version": "2.1.3",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ms/-/ms-2.1.3.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-6FlzubTLZG3J2a/NVCAleEhjzq5oxgHyaCU9yYXvcLsvoVaHJq/s5xXI6/XXP6tz7R9xAOtHnSO/tXtF3WRTlA==",
-      "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT"
     },
     "node_modules/mute-stream": {
@@ -6278,6 +6832,19 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-Zz+aZWSj8LE6zoxD+xrjh4VfkIG8Ya6LvYkZqtUQGJPZjYl53ypCaUwWqo7eI0x66KBGeRo+mlBEkMSeSZ38Nw==",
       "license": "MIT"
     },
+    "node_modules/unist-util-stringify-position": {
+      "version": "4.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/unist-util-stringify-position/-/unist-util-stringify-position-4.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-0ASV06AAoKCDkS2+xw5RXJywruurpbC4JZSm7nr7MOt1ojAzvyyaO+UxZf18j8FCF6kmzCZKcAgN/yu2gm2XgQ==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@types/unist": "^3.0.0"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "type": "opencollective",
+        "url": "https://opencollective.com/unified"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/vite": {
       "version": "7.3.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/vite/-/vite-7.3.2.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 37f53923..d84de385 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -62,11 +62,13 @@
     "@agentworkforce/harness-kit": "^0.19.0",
     "@agentworkforce/workload-router": "^0.19.0",
     "@inquirer/prompts": "^8.4.2",
+    "mdast-util-from-markdown": "^2.0.3",
     "ora": "^8.2.0",
     "ssh2": "^1.17.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@agent-assistant/telemetry": "^0.4.31",
+    "@types/mdast": "^4.0.4",
     "@types/node": "^24.5.2",
     "esbuild": "^0.28.0",
     "tsx": "^4.21.0",
diff --git a/src/local/entrypoint.ts b/src/local/entrypoint.ts
index 97b5dc05..1e154b80 100644
--- a/src/local/entrypoint.ts
+++ b/src/local/entrypoint.ts
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ export interface LocalGenerationStageResult {
     path: string;
     workflow_id: string;
     spec_digest: string;
+    target_files?: string[];
   };
   next?: {
     run_command: string;
@@ -1092,6 +1093,7 @@ export function createLocalExecutor(options: LocalExecutorOptions = {}): LocalEx
             generationResult,
             assistantTurnContext,
             bestJudgementClarifications,
+            normalizedSpec.targetFiles,
           );
           return {
             ok: false,
@@ -1112,7 +1114,7 @@ export function createLocalExecutor(options: LocalExecutorOptions = {}): LocalEx
           await writeGenerationMetadataArtifacts(generationResult, artifactWriter, cwd);
         }
         logs.push(`[local] wrote workflow artifact: ${artifact.artifactPath}`);
-        generationStage = createGenerationStage('ok', artifact, specDigest, undefined, generationResult, assistantTurnContext, bestJudgementClarifications);
+        generationStage = createGenerationStage('ok', artifact, specDigest, undefined, generationResult, assistantTurnContext, bestJudgementClarifications, normalizedSpec.targetFiles);
       }
 
       const runTarget = artifact?.artifactPath ?? workflowFile;
@@ -1653,6 +1655,7 @@ function createGenerationStage(
   generationResult?: GenerationResult,
   assistantTurnContext?: LocalAssistantTurnContextDecision,
   bestJudgementClarifications?: BestJudgementClarificationDecision[],
+  targetFiles?: string[],
 ): LocalGenerationStageResult {
   return {
     stage: 'generate',
@@ -1663,6 +1666,7 @@ function createGenerationStage(
             path: artifact.artifactPath,
             workflow_id: artifact.workflowId,
             spec_digest: specDigest,
+            ...(targetFiles && targetFiles.length > 0 ? { target_files: targetFiles } : {}),
           },
         }
       : {}),
diff --git a/src/product/spec-intake/markdown-target-files.test.ts b/src/product/spec-intake/markdown-target-files.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..65e0c32e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/product/spec-intake/markdown-target-files.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+
+import { extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown, looksLikeRealPath } from './markdown-target-files.js';
+
+describe('extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown', () => {
+  it('returns inline-code paths from prose', () => {
+    expect(
+      extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(
+        'Edit `packages/web/foo.ts` and `src/lib/bar.ts` to fix the bug.',
+      ),
+    ).toEqual(['packages/web/foo.ts', 'src/lib/bar.ts']);
+  });
+
+  it('skips inline-code tokens that fail the path filter', () => {
+    expect(
+      extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(
+        'Run `npm install` then rebase onto `git/main`. Edit `packages/web/foo.ts`.',
+      ),
+    ).toEqual(['packages/web/foo.ts']);
+  });
+
+  it('does not capture paths inside fenced code blocks', () => {
+    const text = [
+      'Edit `packages/web/foo.ts`.',
+      '',
+      '```ts',
+      'const x = "packages/legacy/old.ts";',
+      '```',
+    ].join('\n');
+    expect(extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(text)).toEqual(['packages/web/foo.ts']);
+  });
+
+  it('honors a `## Target Files` block over inline code', () => {
+    const text = [
+      'Some prose with `tests/scratch.ts`.',
+      '',
+      '## Target Files',
+      '',
+      '- `packages/web/route.ts`',
+      '- packages/core/launcher.ts',
+      '',
+      '## Acceptance',
+    ].join('\n');
+    expect(extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(text)).toEqual([
+      'packages/web/route.ts',
+      'packages/core/launcher.ts',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('matches the Target Files heading at any depth', () => {
+    const text = [
+      '## Plan',
+      '',
+      '### Target Files',
+      '',
+      '- `packages/web/route.ts`',
+    ].join('\n');
+    expect(extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(text)).toEqual(['packages/web/route.ts']);
+  });
+
+  it('returns an empty array when given non-markdown plain text with no inline code', () => {
+    expect(extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown('Plain text. No paths anywhere.')).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('deduplicates repeated mentions of the same path', () => {
+    expect(
+      extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(
+        'Edit `packages/web/foo.ts` and again `packages/web/foo.ts` for emphasis.',
+      ),
+    ).toEqual(['packages/web/foo.ts']);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects http(s) URLs that happen to live in inline code', () => {
+    expect(
+      extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown('See `https://example.com/api/v1/foo` for context.'),
+    ).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects URLs and prose noise inside a `## Target Files` block', () => {
+    const text = [
+      '## Target Files',
+      '',
+      '- `packages/web/route.ts`',
+      '- https://example.com/api/v1/foo',
+      '- base/head',
+      '- `packages/core/launcher.ts`,',
+      '',
+      '## Acceptance',
+    ].join('\n');
+    expect(extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(text)).toEqual([
+      'packages/web/route.ts',
+      'packages/core/launcher.ts',
+    ]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('looksLikeRealPath', () => {
+  it('accepts paths with extensions', () => {
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('packages/web/foo.ts')).toBe(true);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('src/index.tsx')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('accepts deeply-nested paths without extensions', () => {
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('packages/web/lib/nango-bridge')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('accepts two-segment paths only when they have a recognized prefix', () => {
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('workflows/wave2-product')).toBe(true);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('packages/web')).toBe(true);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('base/head')).toBe(false);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('git/main')).toBe(false);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('my-org/my-repo')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects empty, whitespace-bearing, or http(s) tokens', () => {
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('')).toBe(false);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('foo bar/baz.ts')).toBe(false);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('http://example.com/foo.ts')).toBe(false);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('https://example.com/foo.ts')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects single-segment tokens (no slash)', () => {
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('foo.ts')).toBe(false);
+    expect(looksLikeRealPath('parseSpec')).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/product/spec-intake/markdown-target-files.ts b/src/product/spec-intake/markdown-target-files.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..579b7373
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/product/spec-intake/markdown-target-files.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+// Extract target file paths from a markdown spec via mdast.
+//
+// Why an AST instead of regex: backticks are markdown's native syntax for
+// "this token is code/path-like". Walking the parsed tree and collecting
+// `inlineCode` nodes is exact — no boundary char-class to keep growing, no
+// false matches from prose fragments like `base/head`. Fenced code blocks
+// (```...```) are excluded by construction since they're `code` nodes, not
+// `inlineCode`, so example paths in code blocks aren't mistaken for edits.
+
+import { fromMarkdown } from 'mdast-util-from-markdown';
+import type {
+  Heading,
+  InlineCode,
+  List,
+  ListItem,
+  Node,
+  Paragraph,
+  Parent,
+  Root,
+} from 'mdast';
+
+const RECOGNIZED_PATH_PREFIXES = [
+  'packages/',
+  'src/',
+  'tests/',
+  'test/',
+  'lib/',
+  'app/',
+  'apps/',
+  'bin/',
+  'scripts/',
+  'infra/',
+  'docs/',
+  'workflows/',
+  'migrations/',
+  'examples/',
+  'e2e/',
+  'public/',
+  'static/',
+  'assets/',
+  'config/',
+  'cmd/',
+  'internal/',
+  'pkg/',
+  '.github/',
+  '.claude/',
+  '.agents/',
+];
+
+export function extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(text: string): string[] {
+  let tree: Root;
+  try {
+    tree = fromMarkdown(text);
+  } catch {
+    return [];
+  }
+  const fromBlock = extractFromTargetFilesSection(tree);
+  if (fromBlock.length > 0) return fromBlock;
+  return extractFromInlineCode(tree);
+}
+
+export function looksLikeRealPath(candidate: string): boolean {
+  if (!candidate || candidate.includes(' ')) return false;
+  if (candidate.startsWith('http')) return false;
+  if (!candidate.includes('/')) return false;
+  if (/\.[A-Za-z0-9]+$/.test(candidate)) return true;
+  const slashes = (candidate.match(/\//g) ?? []).length;
+  if (slashes >= 2) return true;
+  return RECOGNIZED_PATH_PREFIXES.some((prefix) => candidate.startsWith(prefix));
+}
+
+function extractFromTargetFilesSection(tree: Root): string[] {
+  const out: string[] = [];
+  let inSection = false;
+  let sectionDepth = 0;
+  for (const child of tree.children) {
+    if (child.type === 'heading') {
+      const heading = child as Heading;
+      const headingText = collectText(heading).trim();
+      if (inSection && heading.depth <= sectionDepth) {
+        break;
+      }
+      if (/^target\s+files\s*$/i.test(headingText)) {
+        inSection = true;
+        sectionDepth = heading.depth;
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (!inSection) continue;
+    if (child.type === 'list') {
+      for (const item of (child as List).children) {
+        const path = pathFromListItem(item);
+        if (!path) continue;
+        const cleaned = path.replace(/[`'")\],.;:]+$/, '').trim();
+        if (looksLikeRealPath(cleaned)) out.push(cleaned);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return dedupe(out);
+}
+
+function pathFromListItem(item: ListItem): string | null {
+  for (const child of item.children) {
+    if (child.type === 'paragraph') {
+      const para = child as Paragraph;
+      const inline = para.children.find(
+        (c): c is InlineCode => c.type === 'inlineCode',
+      );
+      if (inline) return inline.value.trim();
+      const txt = collectText(para).trim();
+      if (txt) return stripWrappers(txt);
+    }
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+function extractFromInlineCode(tree: Root): string[] {
+  const out: string[] = [];
+  walk(tree, (node) => {
+    if (node.type !== 'inlineCode') return;
+    const value = (node as InlineCode).value.trim();
+    if (looksLikeRealPath(value)) out.push(value);
+  });
+  return dedupe(out);
+}
+
+function walk(node: Node, visit: (node: Node) => void): void {
+  visit(node);
+  if (isParent(node)) {
+    for (const child of node.children) walk(child, visit);
+  }
+}
+
+function isParent(node: Node): node is Parent {
+  return Array.isArray((node as Parent).children);
+}
+
+function collectText(node: Node): string {
+  if (node.type === 'code') return '';
+  const candidate = (node as unknown as { value?: unknown }).value;
+  if (typeof candidate === 'string') return candidate;
+  if (isParent(node)) {
+    return node.children.map(collectText).join('');
+  }
+  return '';
+}
+
+function stripWrappers(value: string): string {
+  return value.replace(/^[`'"]|[`'"]$/g, '').trim();
+}
+
+function dedupe(values: string[]): string[] {
+  return Array.from(new Set(values));
+}
diff --git a/src/product/spec-intake/parser.test.ts b/src/product/spec-intake/parser.test.ts
index 3b10d3dc..adb79bab 100644
--- a/src/product/spec-intake/parser.test.ts
+++ b/src/product/spec-intake/parser.test.ts
@@ -669,4 +669,142 @@ describe('spec intake parser, normalizer, and router', () => {
       }),
     ]);
   });
+
+  describe('targetFiles extraction (AST-driven)', () => {
+    it('captures backticked paths from markdown prose via inlineCode nodes', () => {
+      const result = intake(
+        natural(
+          [
+            'Implementation plan:',
+            '- Update `packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts` to accept the new mode.',
+            '- Update `packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts` to provision a sandbox.',
+          ].join('\n'),
+        ),
+      );
+      const targets = result.routing?.normalizedSpec.targetFiles ?? [];
+      expect(targets).toEqual(
+        expect.arrayContaining([
+          'packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts',
+          'packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts',
+        ]),
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('does not capture paths inside fenced code blocks', () => {
+      const result = intake(
+        natural(
+          [
+            'Edit `packages/web/route.ts` to fix the bug.',
+            '',
+            'The current code looks like:',
+            '',
+            '```ts',
+            'import { foo } from "packages/legacy/old-helper.ts";',
+            'export const bar = "examples/sample/path.json";',
+            '```',
+            '',
+            'Replace it.',
+          ].join('\n'),
+        ),
+      );
+      const targets = result.routing?.normalizedSpec.targetFiles ?? [];
+      expect(targets).toContain('packages/web/route.ts');
+      expect(targets).not.toContain('packages/legacy/old-helper.ts');
+      expect(targets).not.toContain('examples/sample/path.json');
+    });
+
+    it('suppresses backticked tokens that are not paths (git refs, type names)', () => {
+      const result = intake(
+        natural(
+          [
+            'Touch `packages/web/route.ts` and rebase onto `git/main`.',
+            'The new type `MsdRelayReviewArtifact` lives in `packages/core/types.ts`.',
+          ].join('\n'),
+        ),
+      );
+      const targets = result.routing?.normalizedSpec.targetFiles ?? [];
+      expect(targets).toContain('packages/web/route.ts');
+      expect(targets).toContain('packages/core/types.ts');
+      // `git/main` has 2 segments, no extension, no recognized prefix → filtered.
+      expect(targets).not.toContain('git/main');
+      // `MsdRelayReviewArtifact` has no slash → never considered.
+      expect(targets).not.toContain('MsdRelayReviewArtifact');
+    });
+
+    it('extracts paths from a structured `## Target Files` block in priority over inline code', () => {
+      const result = intake(
+        natural(
+          [
+            '# Spec',
+            'Some prose mentioning `tests/scratch/example.ts` casually.',
+            '',
+            '## Target Files',
+            '',
+            '- `packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts`',
+            '- packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts',
+            '',
+            '## Acceptance',
+            'It works.',
+          ].join('\n'),
+        ),
+      );
+      const targets = result.routing?.normalizedSpec.targetFiles ?? [];
+      expect(targets).toEqual([
+        'packages/web/app/api/v1/workflows/run/route.ts',
+        'packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts',
+      ]);
+      expect(targets).not.toContain('tests/scratch/example.ts');
+    });
+
+    it('honors a `### Target Files` block at any heading depth', () => {
+      const result = intake(
+        natural(
+          [
+            '## Implementation',
+            '',
+            '### Target Files',
+            '',
+            '- `packages/web/route.ts`',
+            '',
+            '### Tests',
+            '',
+            'Run vitest.',
+          ].join('\n'),
+        ),
+      );
+      const targets = result.routing?.normalizedSpec.targetFiles ?? [];
+      expect(targets).toEqual(['packages/web/route.ts']);
+    });
+
+    it('falls back to inline code extraction when there is no Target Files block', () => {
+      const result = intake(
+        natural('Edit `packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts` to provision a sandbox.'),
+      );
+      const targets = result.routing?.normalizedSpec.targetFiles ?? [];
+      expect(targets).toContain('packages/core/src/bootstrap/launcher.ts');
+    });
+
+    it('suppresses prose noise in non-markdown inputs via the regex fallback', () => {
+      // No backticks anywhere — the AST extractor returns []. The plain-text
+      // fallback then applies looksLikeRealPath to drop noise.
+      const result = intake(
+        natural(
+          'Send the PR number, base/head SHA, and the user/account pair to MSD. ' +
+            'Update packages/web/route.ts.',
+        ),
+      );
+      const targets = result.routing?.normalizedSpec.targetFiles ?? [];
+      expect(targets).toContain('packages/web/route.ts');
+      expect(targets).not.toContain('base/head');
+      expect(targets).not.toContain('user/account');
+    });
+
+    it('keeps deeply-nested paths without an extension (3+ segments)', () => {
+      const result = intake(
+        natural('Touch `packages/web/lib/nango-bridge` for the new adapter.'),
+      );
+      const targets = result.routing?.normalizedSpec.targetFiles ?? [];
+      expect(targets).toContain('packages/web/lib/nango-bridge');
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/product/spec-intake/parser.ts b/src/product/spec-intake/parser.ts
index 87146216..9b7e9f12 100644
--- a/src/product/spec-intake/parser.ts
+++ b/src/product/spec-intake/parser.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import type {
 } from './types.js';
 
 import type { Confidence } from '../../runtime/failure/types.js';
+import { extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown, looksLikeRealPath } from './markdown-target-files.js';
 
 interface ExtractedFields {
   description: string;
@@ -114,7 +115,10 @@ const MCP_TOOL_INTENTS: Record<string, IntentKind> = {
   'ricky.workflow.execute': 'execute',
 };
 
-const PATH_PATTERN = /(?:^|\s)([./~]?[\w@.-]+(?:\/[\w@.-]+)+(?:\.[A-Za-z0-9]+)?)/g;
+// Plain-text path scan, used as a defensive fallback for non-markdown-shaped
+// inputs (Slack messages, raw JSON description blobs). For markdown specs the
+// AST-based extractor in `./markdown-target-files.ts` is the source of truth.
+const PATH_PATTERN = /(?:^|[\s`'"(\[<])([./~]?[\w@.-]+(?:\/[\w@.-]+)+(?:\.[A-Za-z0-9]+)?)/g;
 const DESCRIPTION_KEYS = [
   'description',
   'prompt',
@@ -849,12 +853,20 @@ function extractTargetContext(text: string): string | undefined {
 }
 
 function extractTargetFiles(text: string): string[] {
+  const fromAst = extractTargetFilesFromMarkdown(text);
+  if (fromAst.length > 0) return fromAst;
+  // Fallback for non-markdown inputs (Slack one-liners, MCP description blobs).
+  // The AST extractor returns [] when the input has no inline-code spans and no
+  // Target Files section, so we fall through to a plain-text scan that still
+  // applies `looksLikeRealPath` to suppress prose noise like `base/head`.
   const paths: string[] = [];
   for (const match of text.matchAll(PATH_PATTERN)) {
     const candidate = match[1];
-    if (candidate && !candidate.startsWith('http')) {
-      paths.push(candidate.replace(/[),.;:]$/, ''));
-    }
+    if (!candidate) continue;
+    const cleaned = candidate.replace(/[`'")\],.;:]+$/, '');
+    if (!cleaned || cleaned.startsWith('http')) continue;
+    if (!looksLikeRealPath(cleaned)) continue;
+    paths.push(cleaned);
   }
   return dedupe(paths);
 }