diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d78fe393..660fcf4e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,7 +2,15 @@
 
 Full release notes with details on each version: [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/safishamsi/graphify/releases)
 
-## 0.9.36 (unreleased)
+## 0.9.37 (unreleased)
+
+- Fix: TypeScript member calls no longer fabricate a high-confidence `calls` edge by matching a receiver type by name alone (#2553, thanks @Earthfreedom). A member call now resolves only when the receiver's type is defined in the same file or actually imported by the caller's file, so a third-party `import type { Repo }` can no longer bind to an unrelated local `class Repo`; table-inferred receivers are tiered to INFERRED rather than EXTRACTED.
+- Fix: TypeScript/JavaScript calls inside a callback body passed to another call (for example `export const handler = wrapper(async (req) => { helper() })`) are no longer dropped (#2552, thanks @Earthfreedom). The callback body is now walked and its calls attributed to the declaration, through the same import-gated resolution so it cannot fabricate edges.
+- Fix: Kotlin imports, fully-qualified calls, and one-line type bodies (#2526, #2550, #2551, thanks @spaceBrownie, @thomasrengot-hub, and @Mustaqeem66 for #2531). The extractor now matches the bundled grammar's `import` node (imports were silently dropped) and resolves each import to the real target node; a fully-qualified call like `com.example.Foo.bar()` now produces a `calls` edge; and a file with syntax the bundled grammar cannot parse (such as a one-line `class C { val x }`) now emits a warning instead of silently extracting nothing, and declarations recovered inside an error span keep their enclosing class.
+- Fix: `graphify update` now retries a file whose extractor failed on a previous run instead of stamping it up-to-date forever (#2543, thanks @michaelxer). A failed extraction is no longer recorded in the manifest as processed, a manifest already poisoned by the old behavior is healed on the next run, and the fix avoids re-processing a genuinely-unchanged file.
+- Fix: the claude-cli backend now surfaces an API error carried in the stdout envelope (for example a rate limit returned with a zero exit code) instead of treating it as an empty success (#2554, thanks @annieyii). The error is raised on both the zero and non-zero exit paths.
+
+## 0.9.36 (2026-08-07)
 
 - Fix: four commands that failed silently while exiting 0 now surface the problem (#2534, thanks @elecnix). `cluster-only` warns when `--backend`/`--model`/`--batch-size` are ignored because saved labels are being reused; the community-label prompt no longer collides with the discard sentinel (a model echoing the key back is no longer silently dropped); `tree --root` exits non-zero when the root matches no source file instead of silently flattening the tree; and `cluster-only` stamps `built_at_commit` from the analysed graph rather than the shell's working directory. Also folds in the `cluster-only` refused-write guard from #2522 (thanks @aniJani).
 - Fix: a Swift `extension Foo` in a different file from `Foo` no longer drops static and singleton call edges into the type (#2538, thanks @pawelo446). The extension node id is now remapped consistently so the extension merges onto its base type before call resolution, and the merge is gated so it never absorbs a same-named type from another language.
diff --git a/graphify/cli.py b/graphify/cli.py
index 4b18c7fb..441e4ca3 100644
--- a/graphify/cli.py
+++ b/graphify/cli.py
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ def _stamped_manifest_files(
     sem_result: dict,
     root: Path,
     partial_source_files: "set[str] | None" = None,
+    failed_ast_sources: "set[str] | list[str] | None" = None,
 ) -> dict[str, list[str]]:
     """Manifest-safe files dict: only stamp semantic files that actually
     produced output (cache hit or fresh extraction). Files whose chunk failed
@@ -115,6 +116,10 @@ def _stamped_manifest_files(
     doc unstamped, so detect_incremental re-queued it on every run. The stamping
     condition mirrors the cache-write keying (a hyperedge carries its own
     ``source_file``); do not derive it from member nodes.
+
+    ``failed_ast_sources`` (#2543): code files whose AST extractor errored
+    (missing optional extra, etc.) or returned zero nodes. They must not be
+    stamped as up-to-date or a later install of the extra will never re-run.
     """
     root = Path(root)
 
@@ -134,12 +139,16 @@ def _stamped_manifest_files(
             if sf:
                 sem_extracted.add(_resolve(sf))
     partial_resolved = {_resolve(p) for p in (partial_source_files or set())}
+    failed_ast_resolved = {_resolve(p) for p in (failed_ast_sources or [])}
     sem_types = {"document", "paper", "image"}
     return {
         ftype: [
             f for f in flist
-            if ftype not in sem_types
-            or (_resolve(f) in sem_extracted and _resolve(f) not in partial_resolved)
+            if _resolve(f) not in failed_ast_resolved
+            and (
+                ftype not in sem_types
+                or (_resolve(f) in sem_extracted and _resolve(f) not in partial_resolved)
+            )
         ]
         for ftype, flist in files_by_type.items()
     }
@@ -330,6 +339,88 @@ def _stale_graph_sources(
     return stale
 
 
+def _zero_node_stamped_code_sources(
+    graph_path: Path,
+    scan_root: Path,
+    unchanged_code: list[str],
+) -> list[str]:
+    """Manifest-stamped code files with a registered extractor but ZERO nodes
+    in the existing graph.json (#2543 heal).
+
+    The failed-source unstamping only covers failures that happen AFTER it
+    shipped; a manifest poisoned by an earlier run (extraction failed, hashes
+    stamped anyway) keeps reporting the file unchanged forever, and the only
+    documented recovery was deleting graphify-out/. A stamped file that the
+    graph has no nodes for, despite an extractor being wired up for it, is
+    exactly that state — re-queue it as changed. Bounded by the same no-wedge
+    property: if it fails again this run it is now left unstamped, and if it
+    succeeds its nodes enter graph.json so the next scan stops re-queuing it.
+
+    Membership mirrors the ``source_file`` spellings extracts store (#1897/
+    #1941: scan-root-relative, forward slash; absolute for out-of-root) and
+    compares NFC-normalized (#2210/#2221).
+    """
+    if not unchanged_code:
+        return []
+    from graphify.paths import nfc
+    try:
+        data = json.loads(graph_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    except Exception:
+        return []
+    if not isinstance(data, dict):
+        return []
+    try:
+        root_res = scan_root.resolve()
+    except (OSError, RuntimeError):
+        root_res = scan_root
+    # <out>/graphify-out/graph.json — legacy relative source_files may be
+    # anchored here instead of the scan root (<=0.9.16, #555/#1899).
+    out_base = graph_path.parent.parent
+    try:
+        out_base = out_base.resolve()
+    except (OSError, RuntimeError):
+        pass
+
+    present: set[str] = set()
+    for n in data.get("nodes", []):
+        if not isinstance(n, dict):
+            continue
+        sf = n.get("source_file")
+        if not sf or not isinstance(sf, str):
+            continue
+        present.add(nfc(sf))
+        p = Path(sf)
+        if p.is_absolute():
+            try:
+                present.add(nfc(str(p.resolve())))
+            except (OSError, RuntimeError):
+                pass
+        else:
+            rel = sf.replace("\\", "/")
+            for base in (root_res, out_base):
+                present.add(nfc(os.path.normpath(str(base / rel))))
+
+    from graphify.extract import _get_extractor
+    healed: list[str] = []
+    for f in unchanged_code:
+        p = Path(f)
+        if _get_extractor(p) is None:
+            continue  # no extractor: absence from the graph is expected
+        spellings = {nfc(str(p))}
+        try:
+            spellings.add(nfc(str(p.resolve())))
+        except (OSError, RuntimeError):
+            pass
+        try:
+            spellings.add(nfc(p.resolve().relative_to(root_res).as_posix()))
+        except (ValueError, OSError, RuntimeError):
+            pass
+        if spellings & present:
+            continue  # the graph has this file: stamp is honest
+        healed.append(f)
+    return healed
+
+
 def _prune_graph_json_sources(graph_path: Path, stale_sources: list[str]) -> int:
     """Drop nodes/edges/hyperedges owned by ``stale_sources`` from graph.json
     in place. Returns the number of nodes removed.
@@ -2991,6 +3082,24 @@ def dispatch_command(cmd: str) -> None:
             graph_stale_sources = _stale_graph_sources(
                 existing_graph_path, target, _seen_files, detection=detection
             )
+            # #2543 heal: manifests poisoned BEFORE failed-source unstamping
+            # existed carry live hashes for code files whose extraction failed
+            # (missing extra, crash) — stamped up-to-date yet absent from
+            # graph.json, so the incremental gate skips them forever. Treat
+            # such a file as changed and re-queue it; if it fails again this
+            # run it is now left unstamped, so this cannot wedge.
+            _healed_sources = _zero_node_stamped_code_sources(
+                existing_graph_path,
+                target,
+                detection.get("unchanged_files", {}).get("code", []),
+            )
+            if _healed_sources:
+                print(
+                    f"[graphify extract] re-queuing {len(_healed_sources)} "
+                    f"manifest-stamped code file(s) with no nodes in graph.json "
+                    f"(prior failed extraction, #2543)"
+                )
+                code_files.extend(Path(p) for p in _healed_sources)
         else:
             print(f"[graphify extract] scanning {target}")
             detection = _detect(
@@ -3528,8 +3637,16 @@ def dispatch_command(cmd: str) -> None:
         # Path normalization against the scan root happens inside the helper
         # (#1897) so fresh root-relative source_files match detect()'s
         # absolute file lists.
-        _manifest_files = _stamped_manifest_files(files_by_type, sem_result, target,
-                                                   partial_source_files=_partial_semantic_files)
+        # #2543: also drop AST sources that failed (missing optional extra /
+        # zero-node anomaly) so they are not frozen as up-to-date.
+        _failed_ast_sources = list(ast_result.get("failed_sources") or [])
+        _manifest_files = _stamped_manifest_files(
+            files_by_type,
+            sem_result,
+            target,
+            partial_source_files=_partial_semantic_files,
+            failed_ast_sources=_failed_ast_sources,
+        )
 
         # Files dispatched this run but dropped by _stamped_manifest_files
         # above (failed chunk, LLM omission, or any future exclusion) still
@@ -3546,6 +3663,9 @@ def dispatch_command(cmd: str) -> None:
             f for _flist in _manifest_files.values() for f in _flist
         }
         _cleared_semantic = {str(p) for p in semantic_files} - _stamped_semantic
+        # #2543: AST failures need both hashes blanked (clear_ast), not just
+        # semantic_hash — otherwise a prior bad stamp keeps the file "unchanged".
+        _cleared_ast = set(_failed_ast_sources)
 
         # Full-scan manifest saves prune rows for in-root files that left the
         # scan corpus but still exist on disk (#1908). The corpus must be the
@@ -3607,7 +3727,7 @@ def dispatch_command(cmd: str) -> None:
                     "(--no-cluster); outputs left untouched."
                 )
                 try:
-                    _save_manifest(_manifest_files, manifest_path=str(manifest_path), kind="both", root=target, scan_corpus=_scan_corpus, clear_semantic=_cleared_semantic)
+                    _save_manifest(_manifest_files, manifest_path=str(manifest_path), kind="both", root=target, scan_corpus=_scan_corpus, clear_semantic=_cleared_semantic, clear_ast=_cleared_ast or None)
                 except Exception as exc:
                     print(f"[graphify extract] warning: could not write manifest: {exc}", file=sys.stderr)
                 stages.total()
@@ -3713,7 +3833,7 @@ def dispatch_command(cmd: str) -> None:
                 )
             try:
                 if has_path:
-                    _save_manifest(_manifest_files, manifest_path=str(manifest_path), kind="both", root=target, scan_corpus=_scan_corpus, clear_semantic=_cleared_semantic)
+                    _save_manifest(_manifest_files, manifest_path=str(manifest_path), kind="both", root=target, scan_corpus=_scan_corpus, clear_semantic=_cleared_semantic, clear_ast=_cleared_ast or None)
             except Exception as exc:
                 print(f"[graphify extract] warning: could not write manifest: {exc}", file=sys.stderr)
             if global_merge:
@@ -3860,7 +3980,7 @@ def dispatch_command(cmd: str) -> None:
         _wja(analysis_path, analysis, indent=2)
         try:
             if has_path:
-                _save_manifest(_manifest_files, manifest_path=str(manifest_path), kind="both", root=target, scan_corpus=_scan_corpus, clear_semantic=_cleared_semantic)
+                _save_manifest(_manifest_files, manifest_path=str(manifest_path), kind="both", root=target, scan_corpus=_scan_corpus, clear_semantic=_cleared_semantic, clear_ast=_cleared_ast or None)
         except Exception as exc:
             print(f"[graphify extract] warning: could not write manifest: {exc}", file=sys.stderr)
 
diff --git a/graphify/detect.py b/graphify/detect.py
index b0ea7623..31d38b62 100644
--- a/graphify/detect.py
+++ b/graphify/detect.py
@@ -1699,6 +1699,7 @@ def save_manifest(
     root: Path | None = None,
     scan_corpus: set[str] | list[str] | None = None,
     clear_semantic: set[str] | list[str] | None = None,
+    clear_ast: set[str] | list[str] | None = None,
 ) -> None:
     """Save current file mtimes + content hashes for change detection.
 
@@ -1733,6 +1734,12 @@ def save_manifest(
     and making detect_incremental(kind="semantic") report them unchanged.
     Pass the set of such files (any path form ``scan_corpus`` accepts) to
     force their seeded semantic_hash to "" instead of inheriting it.
+
+    ``clear_ast`` (#2543): same idea for AST failures (missing optional extra,
+    zero-node anomalous extract). Blanks BOTH ``ast_hash`` and
+    ``semantic_hash`` on the seeded row so either detect_incremental kind
+    re-queues the file after the failure is fixed, without deleting
+    graphify-out/.
     """
     existing = load_manifest(manifest_path, root=root)
 
@@ -1749,6 +1756,7 @@ def save_manifest(
 
     scan_set = _path_index(scan_corpus)
     clear_set = _path_index(clear_semantic)
+    clear_ast_set = _path_index(clear_ast)
     try:
         root_res: Path | None = Path(root).resolve() if root is not None else None
     except (OSError, RuntimeError):
@@ -1764,6 +1772,8 @@ def save_manifest(
             return False
 
     def _in_clear(path_str: str) -> bool:
+        if clear_set is None:
+            return False
         if path_str in clear_set or _nfc(path_str) in clear_set:
             return True
         try:
@@ -1772,6 +1782,17 @@ def save_manifest(
         except (OSError, RuntimeError):
             return False
 
+    def _in_clear_ast(path_str: str) -> bool:
+        if clear_ast_set is None:
+            return False
+        if path_str in clear_ast_set or _nfc(path_str) in clear_ast_set:
+            return True
+        try:
+            resolved = str(Path(path_str).resolve())
+            return resolved in clear_ast_set or _nfc(resolved) in clear_ast_set
+        except (OSError, RuntimeError):
+            return False
+
     def _in_root(path_str: str) -> bool:
         # Without a root we cannot tell in-root from out-of-root; fail open
         # (keep the row) so out-of-root corpora are never pruned by accident.
@@ -1817,7 +1838,11 @@ def save_manifest(
             continue
         if scan_set is not None and not _in_scan(f) and _in_root(f):
             continue  # excluded-but-alive: drop the stale row (#1908)
-        if clear_set is not None and _in_clear(f):
+        if clear_ast_set is not None and _in_clear_ast(f):
+            # AST failure this run (missing extra / zero nodes, #2543): blank
+            # both hashes so either detect_incremental kind re-queues.
+            normalised = {**normalised, "ast_hash": "", "semantic_hash": ""}
+        elif clear_set is not None and _in_clear(f):
             # Dispatched-but-omitted this run: don't inherit the stale
             # semantic_hash, or detect_incremental would call it unchanged (#1948).
             normalised = {**normalised, "semantic_hash": ""}
diff --git a/graphify/llm.py b/graphify/llm.py
index 5dab0aa2..2640429c 100644
--- a/graphify/llm.py
+++ b/graphify/llm.py
@@ -1373,6 +1373,30 @@ def _claude_cli_envelope(stdout: str) -> dict:
     return envelope
 
 
+def _claude_cli_error(stdout: str) -> str:
+    """Return the CLI's own error text when the envelope flags `is_error`.
+
+    `claude -p` reports API failures (rate limits, auth) in the stdout JSON
+    envelope with `is_error: true` and leaves stderr EMPTY — and on a rate limit
+    it still exits 0. So the two obvious checks both miss it: a non-zero exit
+    printed a bare "exited 1: " with no cause, and a zero exit fed the error
+    string to the JSON parser, producing an empty graph that `_response_is_hollow`
+    misread as truncation and adaptive retry then bisected, re-issuing requests
+    that were still being refused (#2554). Best-effort: unparseable stdout is not
+    this function's problem, the caller's `_claude_cli_envelope` reports that.
+    """
+    try:
+        envelope = _claude_cli_envelope(stdout)
+    except RuntimeError:
+        return ""
+    if not envelope.get("is_error"):
+        return ""
+    detail = envelope.get("result")
+    if isinstance(detail, str) and detail.strip():
+        return detail.strip()
+    return "unspecified error"
+
+
 # A JSON Schema pinning the top-level shape graphify consumes. Passed to
 # `claude -p --json-schema` (structured output) so the CLI CONSTRAINS the model
 # to emit the object directly instead of relying on it CHOOSING to honour a
@@ -1538,10 +1562,12 @@ def _call_claude_cli(user_message: str, max_tokens: int = 8192, *, deep_mode: bo
         check=False,
         **_no_window_kwargs(),
     )
+    cli_error = _claude_cli_error(proc.stdout)
     if proc.returncode != 0:
-        raise RuntimeError(
-            f"claude -p exited {proc.returncode}: {proc.stderr.strip()[:500]}"
-        )
+        detail = proc.stderr.strip() or cli_error or "(no stderr, no error envelope)"
+        raise RuntimeError(f"claude -p exited {proc.returncode}: {detail[:500]}")
+    if cli_error:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"claude -p reported an error: {cli_error[:500]}")
 
     envelope = _claude_cli_envelope(proc.stdout)
 
@@ -2597,8 +2623,14 @@ def _call_llm(
             check=False,
             **_no_window_kwargs(),
         )
+        cli_error = _claude_cli_error(proc.stdout)
         if proc.returncode != 0:
-            raise RuntimeError(f"claude -p exited {proc.returncode}: {proc.stderr.strip()[:500]}")
+            detail = proc.stderr.strip() or cli_error or "(no stderr, no error envelope)"
+            raise RuntimeError(f"claude -p exited {proc.returncode}: {detail[:500]}")
+        if cli_error:
+            # Without this the error text is returned as the model's reply and
+            # the caller writes it into the graph as a community label (#2554).
+            raise RuntimeError(f"claude -p reported an error: {cli_error[:500]}")
         envelope = _claude_cli_envelope(proc.stdout)
         cli_usage = envelope.get("usage") or {}
         if cli_usage:
diff --git a/graphify/watch.py b/graphify/watch.py
index 933bdf9d..4984bfd7 100644
--- a/graphify/watch.py
+++ b/graphify/watch.py
@@ -1325,6 +1325,41 @@ def _rebuild_code(
         }
         _rebase_relative_source_files(result, watch_root, project_root)
 
+        # #2543: AST sources that failed this run (error result, or extractor
+        # present but zero nodes) must not be stamped kind="ast" below, and any
+        # prior stamp must be blanked (clear_ast) — otherwise the incremental
+        # gate reports them unchanged forever and only deleting graphify-out/
+        # recovers. Mirrors the extract CLI's _stamped_manifest_files handling.
+        _failed_ast_sources = set(result.get("failed_sources") or [])
+
+        def _ast_manifest_files() -> dict[str, list[str]]:
+            """detected["files"] minus this run's failed AST sources (#2543).
+
+            Only the STAMPED set shrinks; scan_corpus at the save sites stays
+            the raw detect output so #1908 pruning is unaffected.
+            """
+            if not _failed_ast_sources:
+                return detected["files"]
+            failed_res = set(_failed_ast_sources)
+            for p in _failed_ast_sources:
+                try:
+                    failed_res.add(str(Path(p).resolve()))
+                except (OSError, RuntimeError):
+                    pass
+
+            def _failed(f: str) -> bool:
+                if f in failed_res:
+                    return True
+                try:
+                    return str(Path(f).resolve()) in failed_res
+                except (OSError, RuntimeError):
+                    return False
+
+            return {
+                ftype: [f for f in flist if not _failed(f)]
+                for ftype, flist in detected["files"].items()
+            }
+
         # Preserve semantic nodes/edges from a previous full run.
         # AST-only rebuild replaces nodes for changed files; everything else is kept.
         # Filter by node ID membership in the new AST output, not by file_type —
@@ -1439,10 +1474,13 @@ def _rebuild_code(
                 # pass it as the scan corpus too: rows for files that left the
                 # scan but still exist on disk (newly excluded) are pruned
                 # instead of surviving as phantom "deleted" entries (#1908).
+                # Failed AST sources are dropped from the stamped set and
+                # their prior hashes blanked (#2543).
                 save_manifest(
-                    detected["files"], manifest_path=str(out / "manifest.json"),
+                    _ast_manifest_files(), manifest_path=str(out / "manifest.json"),
                     kind="ast", root=watch_root,
                     scan_corpus={f for _fl in detected["files"].values() for f in _fl},
+                    clear_ast=_failed_ast_sources or None,
                 )
             except Exception:
                 pass
@@ -1485,11 +1523,13 @@ def _rebuild_code(
             if same_topology:
                 try:
                     from graphify.detect import save_manifest
-                    # Full-scan save: prune excluded-but-alive rows (#1908).
+                    # Full-scan save: prune excluded-but-alive rows (#1908);
+                    # leave failed AST sources unstamped (#2543).
                     save_manifest(
-                        detected["files"], manifest_path=str(out / "manifest.json"),
+                        _ast_manifest_files(), manifest_path=str(out / "manifest.json"),
                         kind="ast", root=watch_root,
                         scan_corpus={f for _fl in detected["files"].values() for f in _fl},
+                        clear_ast=_failed_ast_sources or None,
                     )
                 except Exception:
                     pass
@@ -1632,11 +1672,13 @@ def _rebuild_code(
 
         try:
             from graphify.detect import save_manifest
-            # Full-scan save: prune excluded-but-alive rows (#1908).
+            # Full-scan save: prune excluded-but-alive rows (#1908);
+            # leave failed AST sources unstamped (#2543).
             save_manifest(
-                detected["files"], manifest_path=str(out / "manifest.json"),
+                _ast_manifest_files(), manifest_path=str(out / "manifest.json"),
                 kind="ast", root=watch_root,
                 scan_corpus={f for _fl in detected["files"].values() for f in _fl},
+                clear_ast=_failed_ast_sources or None,
             )
         except Exception:
             pass
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index f99f81e8..8b184ac2 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "graphifyy"
-version = "0.9.36"
+version = "0.9.37"
 description = "AI coding assistant skill (Claude Code, CodeBuddy, Codex, OpenCode, Kilo Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Aider, OpenClaw, Factory Droid, Trae, Hermes, Kiro, Pi, Devin CLI, Google Antigravity) - turn any folder of code, docs, papers, images, or videos into a queryable knowledge graph"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "Apache-2.0"
diff --git a/tests/test_claude_cli_backend.py b/tests/test_claude_cli_backend.py
index 7699ad82..4f5187ab 100644
--- a/tests/test_claude_cli_backend.py
+++ b/tests/test_claude_cli_backend.py
@@ -87,6 +87,91 @@ def test_raises_on_nonzero_exit():
             llm._call_claude_cli("dummy", max_tokens=8192)
 
 
+_ERROR_ENVELOPE = {
+    "type": "result",
+    "subtype": "success",
+    "is_error": True,
+    "result": "API Error: Rate limit reached",
+    "stop_reason": "stop_sequence",
+    "usage": {"input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0},
+    "modelUsage": {},
+}
+
+
+def test_nonzero_exit_surfaces_envelope_error_when_stderr_empty():
+    # The CLI reports API failures in the stdout JSON envelope, not on stderr.
+    # Without reading it the user gets a bare "exited 1: " and no cause (#2554).
+    completed = MagicMock(
+        returncode=1, stdout=json.dumps(_ERROR_ENVELOPE), stderr="",
+    )
+    with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/fake/bin/claude"), \
+         patch("subprocess.run", return_value=completed):
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Rate limit reached"):
+            llm._call_claude_cli("dummy", max_tokens=8192)
+
+
+def test_raises_on_error_envelope_with_zero_exit():
+    # `claude -p` exits 0 on a rate limit and flags it as is_error in the
+    # envelope. Parsing `result` as model output yields an empty graph that
+    # _response_is_hollow then misreads as truncation, so adaptive retry
+    # bisects the chunk while every request is still being refused (#2554).
+    completed = MagicMock(
+        returncode=0, stdout=json.dumps(_ERROR_ENVELOPE), stderr="",
+    )
+    with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/fake/bin/claude"), \
+         patch("subprocess.run", return_value=completed):
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Rate limit reached"):
+            llm._call_claude_cli("dummy", max_tokens=8192)
+
+
+def test_raises_on_array_shaped_error_envelope():
+    # Newer CLIs (>= ~2.1) stream a JSON ARRAY of events with the result
+    # object last; the is_error flag must be honoured in that shape too (#2554).
+    streamed = [
+        {"type": "system", "subtype": "init"},
+        dict(_ERROR_ENVELOPE),
+    ]
+    completed = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout=json.dumps(streamed), stderr="")
+    with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/fake/bin/claude"), \
+         patch("subprocess.run", return_value=completed):
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Rate limit reached"):
+            llm._call_claude_cli("dummy", max_tokens=8192)
+
+
+def test_call_llm_raises_on_error_envelope():
+    # _call_llm returns envelope["result"] verbatim, so a rate-limited call
+    # hands "API Error: Rate limit reached" back to its callers as if it were
+    # model output — the dedup tiebreaker and community labeling then write
+    # that string into the graph as a label (#2554).
+    completed = MagicMock(
+        returncode=0, stdout=json.dumps(_ERROR_ENVELOPE), stderr="",
+    )
+    with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/fake/bin/claude"), \
+         patch("subprocess.run", return_value=completed):
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Rate limit reached"):
+            llm._call_llm("dummy", backend="claude-cli")
+
+
+def test_call_llm_nonzero_exit_surfaces_envelope_error():
+    completed = MagicMock(
+        returncode=1, stdout=json.dumps(_ERROR_ENVELOPE), stderr="",
+    )
+    with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/fake/bin/claude"), \
+         patch("subprocess.run", return_value=completed):
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Rate limit reached"):
+            llm._call_llm("dummy", backend="claude-cli")
+
+
+def test_call_llm_success_still_returns_result_text():
+    # Genuine success (exit 0, is_error false) must keep returning the
+    # envelope's result text untouched.
+    envelope = dict(_ENVELOPE, result="a fine label")
+    completed = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout=json.dumps(envelope), stderr="")
+    with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/fake/bin/claude"), \
+         patch("subprocess.run", return_value=completed):
+        assert llm._call_llm("dummy", backend="claude-cli") == "a fine label"
+
+
 def test_raises_on_garbage_envelope():
     completed = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="not json", stderr="")
     with patch("shutil.which", return_value="/fake/bin/claude"), \
diff --git a/tests/test_detect.py b/tests/test_detect.py
index a2794c73..3dfad3cc 100644
--- a/tests/test_detect.py
+++ b/tests/test_detect.py
@@ -1452,6 +1452,49 @@ def test_save_manifest_clear_semantic_erases_stale_hash_for_omitted_file(tmp_pat
     )
 
 
+def test_save_manifest_clear_ast_blanks_both_hashes_for_failed_extra(tmp_path):
+    """#2543: AST failure (missing optional extra) must blank both hashes so
+    the next extract re-queues the file without deleting graphify-out/."""
+    import json
+
+    sql = tmp_path / "schema.sql"
+    sql.write_text("CREATE TABLE users (id INT);\n")
+    py = tmp_path / "main.py"
+    py.write_text("def main():\n    return 1\n")
+    manifest_path = str(tmp_path / "graphify-out" / "manifest.json")
+    corpus = {str(sql), str(py)}
+
+    # Run 1: both files stamped as if a prior full extract succeeded.
+    save_manifest(
+        {"code": [str(sql), str(py)]},
+        manifest_path,
+        root=tmp_path,
+        scan_corpus=corpus,
+    )
+    manifest = json.loads(Path(manifest_path).read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    assert manifest["schema.sql"]["ast_hash"] != ""
+    assert manifest["schema.sql"]["semantic_hash"] != ""
+    assert manifest["main.py"]["ast_hash"] != ""
+
+    # Run 2: sql fails (missing extra) — omitted from stamped files, listed in clear_ast.
+    save_manifest(
+        {"code": [str(py)]},
+        manifest_path,
+        root=tmp_path,
+        scan_corpus=corpus,
+        clear_ast={str(sql)},
+    )
+    manifest = json.loads(Path(manifest_path).read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    assert manifest["schema.sql"]["ast_hash"] == "", "failed AST source must lose ast_hash"
+    assert manifest["schema.sql"]["semantic_hash"] == "", "failed AST source must lose semantic_hash"
+    assert manifest["main.py"]["ast_hash"] != "", "successful code must keep its stamp"
+
+    inc = detect_incremental(tmp_path, manifest_path, kind="semantic")
+    new_names = {Path(f).name for f in inc["new_files"].get("code", [])}
+    assert "schema.sql" in new_names, "failed-extra file must be re-queued"
+    assert "main.py" not in new_names, "unchanged successful code must stay warm"
+
+
 def test_save_manifest_without_filter_unchanged_for_code(tmp_path):
     """Code files must be stamped in the manifest regardless of semantic cache."""
     import json
diff --git a/tests/test_extract.py b/tests/test_extract.py
index 28c97b27..29348576 100644
--- a/tests/test_extract.py
+++ b/tests/test_extract.py
@@ -3068,6 +3068,20 @@ def test_extract_warns_when_sql_extra_missing(tmp_path, capsys, monkeypatch):
     # the Python file still extracts normally
     labels = [n.get("label") for n in result["nodes"]]
     assert any(str(l).startswith("main") for l in labels)
+    # #2543: failed sql sources must be surfaced so the CLI can leave them
+    # unstamped in the incremental manifest.
+    failed = {Path(p).name for p in result.get("failed_sources", [])}
+    assert failed == {"schema.sql", "views.sql"}
+    assert "main.py" not in failed
+
+
+def test_extract_failed_sources_empty_when_sql_installed(tmp_path):
+    """#2543: successful extracts do not appear in failed_sources."""
+    pytest.importorskip("tree_sitter_sql")
+    s = tmp_path / "schema.sql"; s.write_text("CREATE TABLE users (id INT);\n")
+    py = tmp_path / "main.py"; py.write_text("def main():\n    return 1\n")
+    result = extract([s, py], cache_root=tmp_path)
+    assert result.get("failed_sources") == []
 
 
 def test_extract_no_missing_dep_warning_when_sql_installed(tmp_path, capsys):
diff --git a/tests/test_extract_cli.py b/tests/test_extract_cli.py
index bac501f5..fc98dc6e 100644
--- a/tests/test_extract_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_extract_cli.py
@@ -1156,6 +1156,194 @@ def test_no_cluster_incremental_prunes_newly_excluded_file(
     assert any("keep.py" in s for s in sources)
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# #2543: a code file whose AST extraction FAILED (error result — e.g. missing
+# optional extra — or extractor-present zero nodes) must not be stamped in the
+# incremental manifest, or detect_incremental reports it unchanged forever and
+# only `rm -rf graphify-out` recovers. The extractor is swapped through
+# extract._DISPATCH so the tests run without tree-sitter-sql installed.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _sql_failure_corpus(tmp_path):
+    project = tmp_path / "project"
+    project.mkdir()
+    (project / "keep.py").write_text(
+        "def kept():\n    return still_here()\n\n"
+        "def still_here():\n    return 1\n"
+    )
+    (project / "schema.sql").write_text("CREATE TABLE users (id INT);\n")
+    return project
+
+
+def _failing_sql(path):
+    # Mirrors extractors/sql.py's missing-extra result (#1745).
+    return {"nodes": [], "edges": [],
+            "error": "tree_sitter_sql not installed. Run: pip install tree-sitter-sql"}
+
+
+def _ok_sql(path):
+    return {
+        "nodes": [{"id": "sql_schema_users", "label": path.name, "file_type": "code",
+                   "source_file": str(path), "source_location": None}],
+        "edges": [],
+    }
+
+
+def _manifest_row(manifest_path, name):
+    import json
+    manifest = json.loads(manifest_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    for key, entry in manifest.items():
+        if name in key:
+            return entry
+    return None
+
+
+def test_failed_extra_is_retried_and_recovers(monkeypatch, tmp_path, capsys):
+    """Run 1 fails on schema.sql (missing extra) -> no live manifest hash;
+    run 2 with the extra 'installed' re-queues it and the graph gains its
+    nodes; run 3 settles at 0 re-extracted (no requeue loop)."""
+    import graphify.extract as extractmod
+
+    project = _sql_failure_corpus(tmp_path)
+    out_dir = tmp_path / "out"
+    _clear_backend_keys(monkeypatch)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mainmod, "_check_skill_version", lambda _: None)
+    graph_path = out_dir / "graphify-out" / "graph.json"
+    manifest_path = out_dir / "graphify-out" / "manifest.json"
+    argv = ["graphify", "extract", str(project), "--out", str(out_dir)]
+
+    # Run 1: extraction of schema.sql fails.
+    failing = pytest.MonkeyPatch()
+    failing.setitem(extractmod._DISPATCH, ".sql", _failing_sql)
+    try:
+        _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)
+    finally:
+        failing.undo()
+    capsys.readouterr()
+    assert not any("schema.sql" in s for s in _node_sources(graph_path))
+    row = _manifest_row(manifest_path, "schema.sql")
+    assert row is None or (not row.get("ast_hash") and not row.get("semantic_hash")), (
+        f"failed schema.sql must carry no live hash in the manifest, got {row}"
+    )
+    assert _manifest_row(manifest_path, "keep.py")["ast_hash"] != ""
+
+    # Run 2: the extra is now 'installed' — the file must be re-queued.
+    monkeypatch.setitem(extractmod._DISPATCH, ".sql", _ok_sql)
+    _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)
+    out_text = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "1 code" in out_text, f"schema.sql must be in the changed set: {out_text}"
+    assert any("schema.sql" in s for s in _node_sources(graph_path)), (
+        "recovered schema.sql must contribute nodes to graph.json"
+    )
+    assert _manifest_row(manifest_path, "schema.sql")["ast_hash"] != "", (
+        "recovered schema.sql must be stamped up-to-date"
+    )
+
+    # Run 3: steady state — nothing re-extracted, no heal/requeue loop.
+    _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)
+    out_text = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "0 re-extracted" in out_text, f"run 3 must be a no-op: {out_text}"
+    assert "re-queuing" not in out_text
+    assert any("schema.sql" in s for s in _node_sources(graph_path))
+
+
+def test_permanent_failure_does_not_wedge(monkeypatch, tmp_path, capsys):
+    """A file that keeps failing is retried on every run (exactly 1 file), the
+    runs complete, and the rest of the graph stays stable — no wedge, no loop."""
+    import graphify.extract as extractmod
+
+    project = _sql_failure_corpus(tmp_path)
+    out_dir = tmp_path / "out"
+    _clear_backend_keys(monkeypatch)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mainmod, "_check_skill_version", lambda _: None)
+    monkeypatch.setitem(extractmod._DISPATCH, ".sql", _failing_sql)
+    graph_path = out_dir / "graphify-out" / "graph.json"
+    manifest_path = out_dir / "graphify-out" / "manifest.json"
+    argv = ["graphify", "extract", str(project), "--out", str(out_dir)]
+
+    _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)  # seed (full scan)
+    capsys.readouterr()
+
+    for run in (2, 3):
+        _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)
+        out_text = capsys.readouterr().out
+        assert "1 code" in out_text, (
+            f"run {run}: the failed file must be retried, not frozen: {out_text}"
+        )
+        assert "1 re-extracted" in out_text, f"run {run}: {out_text}"
+        sources = _node_sources(graph_path)
+        assert any("keep.py" in s for s in sources), f"run {run}: graph must stay stable"
+        assert not any("schema.sql" in s for s in sources)
+        row = _manifest_row(manifest_path, "schema.sql")
+        assert row is None or (not row.get("ast_hash") and not row.get("semantic_hash")), (
+            f"run {run}: still-failing schema.sql must never gain a live hash, got {row}"
+        )
+
+
+def test_success_and_unchanged_unaffected(monkeypatch, tmp_path, capsys):
+    """Healthy corpus: second run re-extracts nothing and hashes stay live."""
+    project = _two_file_corpus(tmp_path)
+    out_dir = tmp_path / "out"
+    _clear_backend_keys(monkeypatch)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mainmod, "_check_skill_version", lambda _: None)
+    manifest_path = out_dir / "graphify-out" / "manifest.json"
+    argv = ["graphify", "extract", str(project), "--out", str(out_dir)]
+
+    _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)
+    capsys.readouterr()
+    _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)
+    out_text = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "0 re-extracted" in out_text, f"warm healthy run must be a no-op: {out_text}"
+    for name in ("x.py", "keep.py"):
+        assert _manifest_row(manifest_path, name)["ast_hash"] != "", (
+            f"{name} must keep its live stamp on a no-op run"
+        )
+
+
+def test_poisoned_manifest_is_healed(monkeypatch, tmp_path, capsys):
+    """A manifest poisoned BEFORE the #2543 fix (live hash stamped, file absent
+    from graph.json) must be re-queued and healed by the next run."""
+    import json
+    import graphify.extract as extractmod
+    from graphify.detect import save_manifest
+
+    project = _sql_failure_corpus(tmp_path)
+    out_dir = tmp_path / "out"
+    _clear_backend_keys(monkeypatch)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mainmod, "_check_skill_version", lambda _: None)
+    monkeypatch.setitem(extractmod._DISPATCH, ".sql", _ok_sql)
+    graph_path = out_dir / "graphify-out" / "graph.json"
+    manifest_path = out_dir / "graphify-out" / "manifest.json"
+    argv = ["graphify", "extract", str(project), "--out", str(out_dir)]
+
+    _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)  # healthy seed: schema.sql stamped + in graph
+    capsys.readouterr()
+    assert any("schema.sql" in s for s in _node_sources(graph_path))
+
+    # Poison: pre-fix state — manifest keeps the live hash while the graph has
+    # no nodes for the file (the old stamping path never saw the failure).
+    graph = json.loads(graph_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    graph["nodes"] = [n for n in graph["nodes"] if "schema.sql" not in n.get("source_file", "")]
+    for key in ("links", "edges"):
+        if key in graph:
+            graph[key] = [e for e in graph[key] if "schema.sql" not in e.get("source_file", "")]
+    graph_path.write_text(json.dumps(graph), encoding="utf-8")
+    save_manifest(
+        {"code": [str(project / "schema.sql")]},
+        manifest_path=str(manifest_path), kind="both", root=project,
+    )
+    assert _manifest_row(manifest_path, "schema.sql")["ast_hash"] != ""
+
+    _run_extract(monkeypatch, argv)
+    out_text = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "re-queuing 1" in out_text, (
+        f"poisoned stamped file must be healed via re-queue (#2543): {out_text}"
+    )
+    assert any("schema.sql" in s for s in _node_sources(graph_path)), (
+        "healed schema.sql must be back in graph.json"
+    )
+
+
 def test_cache_check_prompt_file_scopes_hits_to_that_prompt(monkeypatch, tmp_path, capsys):
     """#1939: cache-check --prompt-file only counts entries produced by that same
     extraction prompt, so an upgraded prompt reports a miss (re-extract) rather
diff --git a/tests/test_partial_cache.py b/tests/test_partial_cache.py
index 66f4f765..04609458 100644
--- a/tests/test_partial_cache.py
+++ b/tests/test_partial_cache.py
@@ -150,6 +150,28 @@ def test_stamped_manifest_excludes_partial_files():
     assert out["code"] == ["x.py"]
 
 
+def test_stamped_manifest_excludes_failed_ast_sources():
+    """#2543: code files whose AST extract failed (missing extra) stay unstamped."""
+    from pathlib import Path
+    from graphify.cli import _stamped_manifest_files
+
+    files_by_type = {
+        "document": ["a.md"],
+        "code": ["/abs/ok.py", "/abs/schema.sql"],
+    }
+    sem_result = {
+        "nodes": [{"id": "1", "source_file": "a.md"}],
+        "edges": [], "hyperedges": [],
+    }
+    out = _stamped_manifest_files(
+        files_by_type, sem_result, Path("/abs"),
+        failed_ast_sources={"/abs/schema.sql"},
+    )
+    assert out["document"] == ["a.md"]
+    assert out["code"] == ["/abs/ok.py"]
+    assert "/abs/schema.sql" not in out["code"]
+
+
 def test_group_has_partial_marker():
     assert _group_has_partial_marker({"nodes": [{"_partial": True}]}) is True
     assert _group_has_partial_marker({"edges": [{"_partial": True}]}) is True