backend/app/api/endpoints/ai_sessions.py

@@ -452,6 +452,13 @@ async def resolve_session(
 
 
 # ── Escalate ──
+#
+# Thin shim over HandoffManager. The legacy `flowpilot_engine.escalate_session`
+# is no longer the source of truth — every escalation now creates a
+# SessionHandoff row, fans out via the SSE bus, dispatches AppNotification +
+# external channels via notify(), and emails per-user. EscalateModal and the
+# /handoff endpoint both funnel through here / through HandoffManager so the
+# senior-pickup magic-moment screen works regardless of entry point.
 
 @router.post("/{session_id}/escalate", response_model=SessionCloseResponse)
 @limiter.limit("15/minute")
@@ -463,21 +470,49 @@ async def escalate_session(
     db: Annotated[AsyncSession, Depends(get_db)],
     _: None = Depends(require_engineer_or_admin),
 ):
-    """Escalate a FlowPilot session to another engineer."""
+    """Escalate a FlowPilot session — unified through HandoffManager."""
+    from app.services.handoff_manager import HandoffManager
+
+    # Owner-only — matches the original constraint on flowpilot_engine.escalate_session.
+    session_result = await db.execute(
+        select(AISession).where(
+            AISession.id == session_id,
+            AISession.user_id == current_user.id,
+        )
+    )
+    session = session_result.scalar_one_or_none()
+    if not session:
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=status.HTTP_404_NOT_FOUND, detail="Session not found"
+        )
+
+    manager = HandoffManager(db)
     try:
-        result = await flowpilot_engine.escalate_session(
+        handoff = await manager.create_handoff(
             session_id=session_id,
-            request=data,
+            intent="escalate",
+            engineer_notes=data.escalation_reason,
             user_id=current_user.id,
-            db=db,
+            priority="normal",
+            target_user_id=data.escalated_to_id,
         )
     except ValueError as e:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST, detail=str(e))
-    except PermissionError as e:
+
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=status.HTTP_403_FORBIDDEN, detail=str(e))
+    documentation, psa_result = await manager.finalize_escalation(
+        handoff, session, current_user.id
+    )
 
     await db.commit()
-    return result
+
+    await manager.dispatch_escalation_notifications(handoff)
+
+    return SessionCloseResponse(
+        session_id=session.id,
+        status=session.status,
+        documentation=documentation,
+        **psa_result,
+    )
 
 
 # ── Pause ──
@@ -644,7 +679,7 @@ async def get_escalation_queue(
         select(AISession)
         .where(
             scope_filter,
-            AISession.status == "requesting_escalation",
+            AISession.status.in_(("requesting_escalation", "escalated")),
         )
         .order_by(AISession.created_at.desc())
     )

backend/app/api/endpoints/session_handoffs.py

@@ -63,10 +63,16 @@ async def create_handoff(
             engineer_notes=body.engineer_notes,
             user_id=current_user.id,
             priority=body.priority,
+            target_user_id=body.target_user_id,
         )
     except ValueError as e:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail=str(e))
 
+    # For escalate: generate documentation + push to PSA before commit so
+    # the handoff and the PSA-state changes land atomically.
+    if handoff.intent == "escalate":
+        await manager.finalize_escalation(handoff, session, current_user.id)
+
     await db.commit()
 
     # Best-effort notification dispatch AFTER commit so we never email about

backend/app/api/endpoints/sidebar.py

@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ async def get_sidebar_stats(
             select(func.count()).where(
                 and_(
                     esc_scope,
-                    AISession.status == "requesting_escalation",
+                    AISession.status.in_(("requesting_escalation", "escalated")),
                 )
             )
         )

backend/app/schemas/session_handoff.py

@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ class HandoffCreateRequest(BaseModel):
     intent: str = Field(..., pattern="^(park|escalate)$")
     engineer_notes: str | None = None
     priority: str = Field("normal", pattern="^(normal|elevated)$")
+    # Optional escalation target — if set, only this user is the named
+    # recipient. Notification dispatch fans out to all engineer/admin/owner
+    # users in the account either way; this just records the original
+    # engineer's preferred recipient on the session for audit/UX.
+    target_user_id: UUID | None = None
 
 
 class HandoffResponse(BaseModel):

backend/app/services/flowpilot_engine.py

@@ -632,8 +632,10 @@ async def pickup_session(
         allow_team_access=True, team_id=team_id,
     )
 
-    if session.status != "requesting_escalation":
+    if session.status not in ("requesting_escalation", "escalated"):
-        raise ValueError(f"Session is {session.status}, not requesting_escalation")
+        raise ValueError(
+            f"Session is {session.status}, not in an escalated state"
+        )
 
     # Can't pick up your own session
     if session.user_id == user_id:

backend/app/services/handoff_manager.py

@@ -3,6 +3,15 @@
 Creates handoff snapshots, AI assessments (for escalations), claim workflow,
 and queue queries. Dual-writes to ai_sessions.escalation_package for
 backward compatibility with the existing escalation queue.
+
+For intent='escalate', `create_handoff` also runs the legacy enrichment
+that the deprecated `/escalate` endpoint used to do directly: setting
+`escalated_to_id`, building the AI-enhanced escalation_package (Sonnet),
+and recording escalation_reason. `finalize_escalation` then generates the
+SessionDocumentation and pushes to PSA. `dispatch_escalation_notifications`
+fans out the bell-icon AppNotification + external channels (Slack/Teams)
+on top of per-user emails. The `/escalate` endpoint is now a thin shim
+calling these in sequence.
 """
 import asyncio
 import logging
@@ -12,6 +21,7 @@ from uuid import UUID
 
 from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
+from sqlalchemy.orm import selectinload
 
 from app.core.config import settings
 from app.core.email import EmailService
@@ -20,6 +30,8 @@ from app.models.ai_session import AISession
 from app.models.session_branch import SessionBranch
 from app.models.session_handoff import SessionHandoff
 from app.models.user import User
+from app.schemas.ai_session import SessionDocumentation
+from app.services.notification_service import notify
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -37,19 +49,46 @@ class HandoffManager:
         engineer_notes: str | None,
         user_id: UUID,
         priority: str = "normal",
+        target_user_id: UUID | None = None,
     ) -> SessionHandoff:
         """Create a handoff (park or escalate).
 
         Generates snapshot, updates session status, dual-writes to
         escalation_package for backward compat.
+
+        For intent='escalate' also: sets `session.escalation_reason` and
+        optionally `session.escalated_to_id`, builds the AI-enhanced
+        escalation package (the rich one the legacy `/escalate` path used
+        to produce), and merges the handoff metadata into it. Self-targeting
+        is rejected with ValueError, matching legacy behavior.
         """
+        # Eager-load steps + user — _build_escalation_package_enhanced and
+        # finalize_escalation iterate over session.steps to compose the
+        # legacy enriched package and the SessionDocumentation, and the
+        # notify() dispatcher reads session.user.name. Without selectinload
+        # the async session raises MissingGreenlet on attribute access.
         result = await self.db.execute(
-            select(AISession).where(AISession.id == session_id)
+            select(AISession)
+            .options(
+                selectinload(AISession.steps),
+                selectinload(AISession.user),
+            )
+            .where(AISession.id == session_id)
         )
         session = result.scalar_one_or_none()
         if not session:
             raise ValueError(f"Session {session_id} not found")
 
+        if intent == "escalate":
+            if target_user_id and target_user_id == user_id:
+                raise ValueError(
+                    "Cannot escalate a session to yourself. Use pause instead."
+                )
+            if session.status not in ("active", "paused"):
+                raise ValueError(
+                    f"Cannot escalate session in status: {session.status}"
+                )
+
         # Generate snapshot
         snapshot = await self._generate_snapshot(session)
 
@@ -80,20 +119,134 @@ class HandoffManager:
             session.status = "paused"
         elif intent == "escalate":
             session.status = "escalated"
+            session.escalation_reason = engineer_notes
+            if target_user_id:
+                session.escalated_to_id = target_user_id
 
         session.handoff_count = (session.handoff_count or 0) + 1
 
-        # Dual-write for backward compat
+        # Dual-write to escalation_package. For escalate, build the
-        session.escalation_package = {
+        # AI-enhanced package (preserves the legacy rich shape that
-            "snapshot": snapshot,
+        # SessionBriefing/PSA writeback consume), then layer in the new
-            "intent": intent,
+        # handoff metadata. For park, the lightweight shape is fine —
-            "engineer_notes": engineer_notes,
+        # there's no legacy enhanced package for parking.
-            "handoff_id": str(handoff.id),
+        if intent == "escalate":
-        }
+            enhanced_pkg = await self._build_enhanced_escalation_package(
+                session, user_id
+            )
+            enhanced_pkg["intent"] = intent
+            enhanced_pkg["engineer_notes"] = engineer_notes
+            enhanced_pkg["handoff_id"] = str(handoff.id)
+            enhanced_pkg["snapshot"] = snapshot
+            session.escalation_package = enhanced_pkg
+        else:
+            session.escalation_package = {
+                "snapshot": snapshot,
+                "intent": intent,
+                "engineer_notes": engineer_notes,
+                "handoff_id": str(handoff.id),
+            }
 
         await self.db.flush()
         return handoff
 
+    async def finalize_escalation(
+        self,
+        handoff: SessionHandoff,
+        session: AISession,
+        user_id: UUID,
+    ) -> tuple[SessionDocumentation | None, dict[str, Any]]:
+        """Post-create enrichment for intent='escalate' handoffs.
+
+        Generates the SessionDocumentation + pushes documentation to PSA if
+        a ticket is linked. Returns (documentation, psa_result) so the
+        legacy `/escalate` shim can map back to SessionCloseResponse. Safe
+        to call only when handoff.intent == 'escalate' — for park, returns
+        a no-op no-PSA dict.
+        """
+        if handoff.intent != "escalate":
+            return None, {
+                "psa_push_status": "no_psa",
+                "psa_push_error": None,
+                "member_mapping_warning": None,
+            }
+
+        # Lazy import to avoid circular dependency: flowpilot_engine imports
+        # plenty of services at module load time and we don't want
+        # handoff_manager pulled into that graph at import.
+        from app.services.flowpilot_engine import (
+            _generate_documentation,
+            _push_to_psa,
+        )
+
+        documentation = _generate_documentation(session)
+        psa_result = await _push_to_psa(session, user_id, self.db)
+
+        # Bell-icon AppNotification rows + external account-level channels
+        # (Slack/Teams webhooks, shared escalations inboxes). This is the
+        # `notify()` call the legacy /escalate path used to make directly,
+        # and it has to happen BEFORE the endpoint commits so the
+        # AppNotification rows land atomically with the handoff. Per-user
+        # emails come after commit in dispatch_escalation_notifications —
+        # those are pure IO with no persistent state.
+        try:
+            engineer_user = (
+                await self.db.execute(
+                    select(User).where(User.id == user_id)
+                )
+            ).scalar_one_or_none()
+            engineer_name = (
+                engineer_user.name
+                if engineer_user and engineer_user.name
+                else "Unknown"
+            )
+            target_user_ids = (
+                [session.escalated_to_id] if session.escalated_to_id else None
+            )
+            await notify(
+                "session.escalated",
+                handoff.account_id,
+                {
+                    "session_id": str(handoff.session_id),
+                    "engineer_name": engineer_name,
+                    "escalation_reason": handoff.engineer_notes or "",
+                    "problem_summary": session.problem_summary or "N/A",
+                },
+                self.db,
+                target_user_ids=target_user_ids,
+            )
+        except Exception:
+            logger.exception(
+                "notify() dispatch failed for handoff %s", handoff.id
+            )
+
+        return documentation, psa_result
+
+    async def _build_enhanced_escalation_package(
+        self,
+        session: AISession,
+        user_id: UUID,
+    ) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        """Lazy wrapper around the legacy enhanced-package builder.
+
+        The builder lives in flowpilot_engine; we only need it for the
+        escalate path. Failures are caught here so handoff creation never
+        depends on the optional Sonnet enrichment — return the minimal
+        shape on failure.
+        """
+        try:
+            from app.services.flowpilot_engine import (
+                _build_escalation_package_enhanced,
+            )
+            return await _build_escalation_package_enhanced(session, user_id)
+        except Exception:
+            logger.exception(
+                "Enhanced escalation package build failed for session %s; "
+                "falling back to minimal package",
+                session.id,
+            )
+            return {}
+
     async def dispatch_escalation_notifications(
         self, handoff: SessionHandoff
     ) -> int:

frontend/src/hooks/useFlowPilotSession.ts

@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ export function useFlowPilotSession(): UseFlowPilotSession {
     setIsProcessing(true)
     try {
       const result = await aiSessionsApi.escalateSession(session.id, data)
-      setSession(prev => prev ? { ...prev, status: 'requesting_escalation' } : null)
+      setSession(prev => prev ? { ...prev, status: 'escalated' } : null)
       setDocumentation(result.documentation)
       setPsaPushStatus(result.psa_push_status)
       setPsaPushError(result.psa_push_error)