diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c3167b6..ed7a35d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ All model-facing text lives in [`src/prompts.ts`](src/prompts.ts), in flow order
 
 ```bash
 pi -e ./src/index.ts        # load locally
-npm test                    # vitest: judge argv invariants, appendLog, decideSignOff fail-forward
+npm test                    # vitest: unit checks plus Pi RPC review flow with a local offline model
 npm run typecheck
 npm run lint
 ```
diff --git a/docs/slop/audit/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md b/docs/slop/audit/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md
index 821ada4..bf3d313 100644
--- a/docs/slop/audit/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md
+++ b/docs/slop/audit/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 
 ```text
 $ npm test
-Test Files  7 passed (7)
-Tests  28 passed (28)
+Test Files  8 passed (8)
+Tests  29 passed (29)
 
 $ npm run typecheck
 > tsc --noEmit
@@ -21,3 +21,5 @@ $ git diff --check
 [test/goals-flow.test.ts](../../../test/goals-flow.test.ts) covers the visible plan before Refine, an editor prompt before a Refine revision turn, exact multiline Refine notes in `## Interview`, Ready as the only work handoff, Pi editor then Cancel, phase restoration, planning snapshot, writable plan path, allowed `pwd && ls && git log` and `cd . && ls -la`, blocked pipe, and blocked `CompleteGoal`.
 
 [test/prompts.test.ts](../../../test/prompts.test.ts) locks the prompt instruction to inspect discoverable facts or ask one focused question, and forbids placeholder goals.
+
+[test/rpc-review.test.ts](../../../test/rpc-review.test.ts) starts the installed Pi RPC executable with [offline-model.ts](../../../test/fixtures/offline-model.ts), selects Refine through Pi's real dialog protocol, receives the editor request before the revision call, then submits notes and observes the revision call. The test uses a local HTTP model, so it spends no API credits.
diff --git a/docs/slop/plans/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md b/docs/slop/plans/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md
index f335bcf..831fd69 100644
--- a/docs/slop/plans/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md
+++ b/docs/slop/plans/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md
@@ -34,7 +34,13 @@ Pi-goals will use pi-plan's small phase model. The UI, tool gate, and agent cont
   - [x] Ban placeholder goals such as "work out the thing" before the plan review menu.
   - subtle failure mode: the plan has a formal discriminator but its goal still has no object or observable result.
   - discriminator: [prompts.test.ts](../../../test/prompts.test.ts) locks the inspect-or-ask rule and the concrete-goal rule in the model prompt.
-  - evidence: [prompts.ts](../../../src/prompts.ts) requires a goal object plus observable result, and [prompts.test.ts](../../../test/prompts.test.ts) asserts that wording. [verification](../audit/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md) records `28 passed`.
+  - evidence: [prompts.ts](../../../src/prompts.ts) requires a goal object plus observable result, and [prompts.test.ts](../../../test/prompts.test.ts) asserts that wording. [verification](../audit/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md) records `29 passed`.
+- [x] goal: Refine waits for text in Pi's real dialog protocol
+  - [x] Run Pi in RPC mode against a local no-cost model.
+  - [x] Select Refine, observe the editor request, then submit text and observe the revision turn.
+  - subtle failure mode: a mocked editor hides a Pi RPC ordering defect, so Refine starts a turn before the human can type.
+  - discriminator: [rpc-review.test.ts](../../../test/rpc-review.test.ts) uses Pi's `extension_ui_request` and `extension_ui_response` protocol and observes two model requests before editor input, then the third revision request after it.
+  - evidence: [rpc-review.test.ts](../../../test/rpc-review.test.ts) starts the installed Pi executable plus [offline-model.ts](../../../test/fixtures/offline-model.ts), with no credential or network dependency. [verification](../audit/20260826_pi-plan-aligned-planning.md) records its pass.
 
 ## UAT / Verification
 
diff --git a/test/fixtures/offline-model.ts b/test/fixtures/offline-model.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bfa2751
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/offline-model.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import type { ExtensionAPI } from "@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent";
+
+export default function offlineModel(pi: ExtensionAPI): void {
+	pi.registerProvider("offline", {
+		baseUrl: process.env.PI_GOALS_OFFLINE_MODEL_URL!,
+		apiKey: "test",
+		api: "openai-completions",
+		models: [{
+			id: "test",
+			name: "Offline test model",
+			reasoning: false,
+			input: ["text"],
+			contextWindow: 16_000,
+			maxTokens: 1_000,
+			cost: { input: 0, output: 0, cacheRead: 0, cacheWrite: 0 },
+		}],
+	});
+}
diff --git a/test/rpc-review.test.ts b/test/rpc-review.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c6a710
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/rpc-review.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+import { type ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams, spawn } from "node:child_process";
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { createServer } from "node:http";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { StringDecoder } from "node:string_decoder";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+type RpcMessage = { type: string; id?: string; method?: string; [key: string]: unknown };
+
+class RpcClient {
+	readonly messages: RpcMessage[] = [];
+	private readonly waiters: Array<{ predicate: (message: RpcMessage) => boolean; resolve: (message: RpcMessage) => void }> = [];
+
+	constructor(readonly process: ChildProcessWithoutNullStreams) {
+		const decoder = new StringDecoder("utf8");
+		let buffer = "";
+		process.stdout.on("data", (chunk) => {
+			buffer += decoder.write(chunk);
+			while (buffer.includes("\n")) {
+				const newline = buffer.indexOf("\n");
+				const line = buffer.slice(0, newline).replace(/\r$/, "");
+				buffer = buffer.slice(newline + 1);
+				if (!line) continue;
+				const message = JSON.parse(line) as RpcMessage;
+				this.messages.push(message);
+				const index = this.waiters.findIndex(({ predicate }) => predicate(message));
+				if (index !== -1) this.waiters.splice(index, 1)[0].resolve(message);
+			}
+		});
+	}
+
+	send(message: RpcMessage): void {
+		this.process.stdin.write(`${JSON.stringify(message)}\n`);
+	}
+
+	waitFor(predicate: (message: RpcMessage) => boolean, after = 0): Promise<RpcMessage> {
+		const existing = this.messages.slice(after).find(predicate);
+		if (existing) return Promise.resolve(existing);
+		return new Promise((resolvePromise) => this.waiters.push({ predicate, resolve: resolvePromise }));
+	}
+}
+
+function streamResponse(response: import("node:http").ServerResponse, delta: object, finishReason: "stop" | "tool_calls"): void {
+	response.writeHead(200, { "content-type": "text/event-stream" });
+	response.write(`data: ${JSON.stringify({ choices: [{ index: 0, delta, finish_reason: null }] })}\n\n`);
+	response.write(`data: ${JSON.stringify({ choices: [{ index: 0, delta: {}, finish_reason: finishReason }] })}\n\n`);
+	response.end("data: [DONE]\n\n");
+}
+
+describe("RPC review flow", () => {
+	it("opens Refine's editor before it starts the revision turn", async () => {
+		const cwd = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "pi-goals-rpc-"));
+		let requestCount = 0;
+		let planPath = "";
+		const server = createServer((_request, response) => {
+			requestCount++;
+			if (requestCount === 1) {
+				streamResponse(response, {
+					tool_calls: [{
+						index: 0,
+						id: "write-plan",
+						type: "function",
+						function: {
+							name: "write",
+							arguments: JSON.stringify({
+								path: planPath,
+								content: "# Plan\n\n## Goals\n\n1. [ ] goal: name the output\n  - subtle failure mode: the output has no name\n  - discriminator: the plan names the output\n\n## Log\n\n## Interview\n",
+							}),
+						},
+					}],
+				}, "tool_calls");
+				return;
+			}
+			streamResponse(response, { content: "Plan drafted." }, "stop");
+		});
+		await new Promise<void>((resolvePromise) => server.listen(0, "127.0.0.1", resolvePromise));
+		const address = server.address();
+		if (!address || typeof address === "string") throw new Error("Offline model did not bind a TCP port.");
+
+		const pi = spawn(resolve("node_modules/.bin/pi"), [
+			"--mode", "rpc", "--no-session", "--model", "offline/test",
+			"-e", resolve("test/fixtures/offline-model.ts"),
+			"-e", resolve("src/index.ts"),
+		], {
+			cwd,
+			env: {
+				...process.env,
+				PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR: join(cwd, ".agent"),
+				PI_GOALS_OFFLINE_MODEL_URL: `http://127.0.0.1:${address.port}`,
+			},
+		});
+		const client = new RpcClient(pi);
+		try {
+			client.send({ type: "get_state", id: "state" });
+			const state = await client.waitFor((message) => message.type === "response" && message.id === "state");
+			const sessionId = (state.data as { sessionId: string }).sessionId;
+			planPath = join(cwd, ".pi", "plan", `${sessionId}-v1.md`);
+
+			client.send({ type: "prompt", id: "goals", message: "/goals work out the thing" });
+			const review = await client.waitFor((message) => message.type === "extension_ui_request" && message.method === "select");
+			client.send({ type: "extension_ui_response", id: review.id, value: "Refine" });
+			const editor = await client.waitFor((message) => message.type === "extension_ui_request" && message.method === "editor");
+			expect(requestCount).toBe(2);
+
+			const revisionStart = client.messages.length;
+			client.send({ type: "extension_ui_response", id: editor.id, value: "Name the produced file." });
+			await client.waitFor((message) => message.type === "agent_end", revisionStart);
+			expect(requestCount).toBe(3);
+		} finally {
+			pi.kill();
+			server.close();
+			rmSync(cwd, { recursive: true, force: true });
+		}
+	}, 15_000);
+});