diff --git a/apps/server/src/db.ts b/apps/server/src/db.ts
index 29075322..6fd23d2c 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/db.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/db.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,17 @@ export class Store {
     );
     return result.rows.map((row) => row.data as T);
   }
+  async listByStatus<T = Record<string, unknown>>(
+    owner: string,
+    kind: string,
+    status: string,
+  ): Promise<T[]> {
+    const result = await this.db.query(
+      "SELECT data FROM records WHERE owner=$1 AND kind=$2 AND data->>'status'=$3 ORDER BY updated_at DESC,id",
+      [owner, kind, status],
+    );
+    return result.rows.map((row) => row.data as T);
+  }
   async put<T extends { id: string }>(owner: string, kind: string, value: T): Promise<T> {
     await this.db.query(
       "INSERT INTO records(owner,kind,id,data) VALUES($1,$2,$3,$4::jsonb) ON CONFLICT(owner,kind,id) DO UPDATE SET data=excluded.data,updated_at=now()",
diff --git a/apps/server/src/engine/service.ts b/apps/server/src/engine/service.ts
index 3f2af061..8aeb276e 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/engine/service.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/engine/service.ts
@@ -524,8 +524,8 @@ export class AgentService {
       w.mail.filter((mail) => /^Sent\b/i.test(mail.label)).map((mail) => mail.id),
     );
     const completedSources = new Set(
-      (await this.db.list<AgentTask>(owner, "tasks"))
-        .filter((task) => task.status === "succeeded" && typeof task.input.messageId === "string")
+      (await this.db.listByStatus<AgentTask>(owner, "tasks", "succeeded"))
+        .filter((task) => typeof task.input.messageId === "string")
         .map((task) => `${task.kind}:${task.input.messageId}`),
     );
     const obsolete = (kind: AgentTask["kind"], messageId: unknown) =>
@@ -533,8 +533,8 @@ export class AgentService {
       (sentIds.has(messageId) || completedSources.has(`${kind}:${messageId}`));
     // Retire earlier suggestions as well as preventing new duplicates. A concurrent
     // acceptance wins its own compare-and-swap and is never overwritten here.
-    for (const idea of await this.db.list<Idea>(owner, "ideas"))
-      if (idea.status === "new" && obsolete(idea.kind, idea.input.messageId))
+    for (const idea of await this.db.listByStatus<Idea>(owner, "ideas", "new"))
+      if (obsolete(idea.kind, idea.input.messageId))
         await this.db.compareAndSwap(
           owner,
           "ideas",
@@ -583,8 +583,8 @@ export class AgentService {
         createdAt: date(),
       } satisfies Idea);
     }
-    for (const goal of await this.db.list<Goal>(owner, "goals"))
-      if (goal.status === "active" && !goal.milestones.length) {
+    for (const goal of await this.db.listByStatus<Goal>(owner, "goals", "active"))
+      if (!goal.milestones.length) {
         const id = hash(`goal:${goal.id}:${goal.description}`);
         await this.db.insertIfAbsent(owner, "ideas", {
           id,
diff --git a/tests/persistence.test.ts b/tests/persistence.test.ts
index e371655c..5535c3aa 100644
--- a/tests/persistence.test.ts
+++ b/tests/persistence.test.ts
@@ -31,3 +31,33 @@ test("idle Postgres client errors are logged instead of crashing the process", a
     await pool.end();
   }
 });
+test("listByStatus matches list plus status filtering", async () => {
+  const store = await createStore();
+  try {
+    for (const [id, status] of [
+      ["i0", "new"],
+      ["i1", "dismissed"],
+      ["i2", "new"],
+      ["i3", "accepted"],
+    ] as const)
+      await store.put("owner", "ideas", { id, status });
+    await store.put("owner", "ideas", { id: "i-none" });
+
+    const scoped = await store.listByStatus<{ id: string; status?: string }>(
+      "owner",
+      "ideas",
+      "new",
+    );
+    const expected = (await store.list<{ id: string; status?: string }>("owner", "ideas")).filter(
+      (item) => item.status === "new",
+    );
+    assert.deepEqual(scoped, expected);
+
+    await store.put("other", "ideas", { id: "x", status: "new" });
+    await store.put("owner", "goals", { id: "g", status: "new" });
+    assert.equal((await store.listByStatus("owner", "ideas", "new")).length, 2);
+    assert.equal((await store.listByStatus("nobody", "ideas", "new")).length, 0);
+  } finally {
+    await store.close();
+  }
+});