diff --git a/workspace-server/internal/scheduler/scheduler.go b/workspace-server/internal/scheduler/scheduler.go
index 10e67208e..186a60be3 100644
--- a/workspace-server/internal/scheduler/scheduler.go
+++ b/workspace-server/internal/scheduler/scheduler.go
@@ -425,6 +425,7 @@ func (s *Scheduler) fireSchedule(ctx context.Context, sched scheduleRow) {
 
 	lastStatus := "ok"
 	lastError := ""
+	resultKind := ""
 	if proxyErr != nil {
 		lastStatus = "error"
 		lastError = fmt.Sprintf("%v", proxyErr)
@@ -438,7 +439,21 @@ func (s *Scheduler) fireSchedule(ctx context.Context, sched scheduleRow) {
 		lastError = fmt.Sprintf("A2A adapter error: %s", a2aErr)
 		log.Printf("Scheduler: '%s' A2A adapter error (HTTP %d): %s", sched.Name, statusCode, a2aErr)
 	} else {
-		log.Printf("Scheduler: '%s' completed (HTTP %d)", sched.Name, statusCode)
+		// HTTP 200 — inspect response body for SDK-layer errors.
+		// The claude-code-sdk adapter returns HTTP 200 even when the inner
+		// LLM call throws (e.g. Max-plan rate-limit, quota exhaustion, SDK
+		// internal errors). Without this check those failures surface as
+		// "completed (HTTP 200)" in last_status while the agent chat shows
+		// errors — a silent failure that hides schedule outages.
+		// See: #1696.
+		resultKind = detectResultKind(respBody)
+		if resultKind != "" && resultKind != "ok" {
+			lastStatus = resultKind
+			lastError = fmt.Sprintf("SDK error: result_kind=%s", resultKind)
+			log.Printf("Scheduler: '%s' SDK error detected — result_kind=%s", sched.Name, resultKind)
+		} else {
+			log.Printf("Scheduler: '%s' completed (HTTP %d)", sched.Name, statusCode)
+		}
 	}
 
 	// #795: detect phantom-producing schedules — cron fires successfully
@@ -483,6 +498,54 @@ func (s *Scheduler) fireSchedule(ctx context.Context, sched scheduleRow) {
 		resetCancel()
 	}
 
+	// #1696: track consecutive SDK errors. When the adapter returns HTTP 200
+	// but the response body signals a non-ok result_kind (rate_limited,
+	// sdk_error, quota_exhausted), we increment a counter. After 3 consecutive
+	// SDK errors we auto-disable the schedule and log it — the schedule is
+	// suffering a persistent LLM-layer failure and firing it again will keep
+	// producing the same errors while burning tokens.
+	//
+	// Only apply when the current lastStatus is a non-ok resultKind (not when
+	// we already have 'error' from proxyErr or non-2xx HTTP status — those have
+	// their own failure semantics). Also skip when lastStatus is 'stale' (the
+	// empty-response escalation path takes priority).
+	var consecSDK int
+	if resultKind != "" && resultKind != "ok" {
+		sdkCtx, sdkCancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), dbQueryTimeout)
+		if err := db.DB.QueryRowContext(sdkCtx, `
+			UPDATE workspace_schedules
+			SET consecutive_sdk_errors = consecutive_sdk_errors + 1,
+			    updated_at = now()
+			WHERE id = $1
+			RETURNING consecutive_sdk_errors`, sched.ID).Scan(&consecSDK); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("Scheduler: '%s' SDK-error bump failed: %v", sched.Name, err)
+		}
+		sdkCancel()
+		if consecSDK >= 3 {
+			log.Printf("Scheduler: '%s' AUTO-DISABLING after %d consecutive SDK errors (workspace %s)",
+				sched.Name, consecSDK, short(sched.WorkspaceID, 12))
+			autoDisableCtx, autoDisableCancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), dbQueryTimeout)
+			_, _ = db.DB.ExecContext(autoDisableCtx, `
+				UPDATE workspace_schedules SET enabled = false, updated_at = now() WHERE id = $1 AND enabled = true`,
+				sched.ID)
+			autoDisableCancel()
+		}
+	} else {
+		// Non-SDK-error run — reset the counter.
+		// Guard: only reset when lastStatus is a clean ok (not 'stale', not
+		// 'error', not resultKind). An 'ok' resultKind means the SDK is fine
+		// and we should clear the streak.
+		if lastStatus == "ok" {
+			resetCtx, resetCancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), dbQueryTimeout)
+			_, _ = db.DB.ExecContext(resetCtx, `
+				UPDATE workspace_schedules
+				SET consecutive_sdk_errors = 0,
+				    updated_at = now()
+				WHERE id = $1`, sched.ID)
+			resetCancel()
+		}
+	}
+
 	nextRun, nextErr := ComputeNextRun(sched.CronExpr, sched.Timezone, time.Now())
 	var nextRunPtr *time.Time
 	if nextErr == nil {
@@ -763,6 +826,73 @@ func (s *Scheduler) sweepPhantomBusy(ctx context.Context) {
 	}
 }
 
+// detectResultKind inspects an A2A response body for SDK-layer error signals
+// that are invisible at the HTTP level. The claude-code-sdk adapter returns
+// HTTP 200 even when the inner LLM call throws (Max-plan rate-limit, quota
+// exhaustion, SDK internal errors) — the error surfaces only in the response
+// body under result.kind or result.result_kind.
+//
+// Returns an empty string when the response is clean (result_kind is "ok" or
+// absent). Returns the result_kind value when it is a non-ok signal, so callers
+// can propagate it as the schedule's last_status.
+//
+// Known non-ok kinds:
+//   - "rate_limited" — LLM API rate-limit hit (Max-plan, etc.)
+//   - "quota_exhausted" — quota / budget exhausted
+//   - "sdk_error" — SDK threw an internal error
+//
+// See #1696.
+func detectResultKind(body []byte) string {
+	if len(body) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	var top map[string]json.RawMessage
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &top); err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	// Check result.kind first (canonical JSON-RPC shape).
+	if rawResult, ok := top["result"]; ok {
+		var result map[string]json.RawMessage
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(rawResult, &result); err == nil {
+			// result.kind (canonical JSON-RPC error envelope field).
+			if rawKind, ok := result["kind"]; ok {
+				var k string
+				if json.Unmarshal(rawKind, &k) == nil && k != "" && k != "ok" {
+					return k
+				}
+			}
+			// result.result_kind (legacy / alternative field name).
+			if rawKind, ok := result["result_kind"]; ok {
+				var k string
+				if json.Unmarshal(rawKind, &k) == nil && k != "" && k != "ok" {
+					return k
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	// Top-level error: non-ok HTTP 200 with a structured error in the body.
+	if rawErr, ok := top["error"]; ok {
+		var errMsg string
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(rawErr, &errMsg); err == nil && errMsg != "" {
+			// Distinguish SDK errors from other errors. SDK-layer errors from the
+			// Claude Code runtime include specific markers.
+			lower := strings.ToLower(errMsg)
+			// Check more specific patterns first (max-plan quota > general rate).
+			if strings.Contains(lower, "max-plan") || strings.Contains(lower, "quota") || strings.Contains(lower, "budget") {
+				return "quota_exhausted"
+			}
+			if strings.Contains(lower, "rate limit") || strings.Contains(lower, "rate_limit") {
+				return "rate_limited"
+			}
+			if strings.Contains(lower, "claude code returned an error") || strings.Contains(lower, "sdk error") ||
+				strings.Contains(lower, "api key") || strings.Contains(lower, "authentication") {
+				return "sdk_error"
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 // isEmptyResponse checks if an A2A response body indicates the agent
 // produced no meaningful output. Catches "(no response generated)" from
 // the workspace runtime + genuinely empty/null responses. Used by the
diff --git a/workspace-server/internal/scheduler/scheduler_test.go b/workspace-server/internal/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
index 28272967c..9f16e9b30 100644
--- a/workspace-server/internal/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
+++ b/workspace-server/internal/scheduler/scheduler_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package scheduler
 import (
 	"context"
 	"database/sql"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 	"unicode/utf8"
@@ -337,6 +338,12 @@ func TestFireSchedule_ComputeNextRunError(t *testing.T) {
 		WithArgs(sched.ID).
 		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
 
+	// #1696 consecutive_sdk_errors reset — successProxy has no result_kind,
+	// so detectResultKind returns "" and lastStatus="ok" → reset.
+	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID).
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
 	// UPDATE must fire — COALESCE($2, next_run_at) keeps existing value when $2 is nil.
 	// AnyArg for $2 because it will be nil (ComputeNextRun failed).
 	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
@@ -592,7 +599,14 @@ func TestFireSchedule_NormalSuccess_AdvancesNextRunAt(t *testing.T) {
 		WithArgs(sched.ID).
 		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
 
-	// 3. Normal UPDATE after successful proxy call.
+	// 3. #1696 consecutive_sdk_errors reset — successProxy response has no
+	//    result_kind in the body, so detectResultKind returns "" and lastStatus
+	//    is "ok" → we hit the SDK-error counter reset branch.
+	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID).
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	// 4. Normal UPDATE after successful proxy call.
 	//    Args: $1=sched.ID, $2=nextRunPtr (computed time), $3=lastStatus, $4=lastError
 	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
 		WithArgs(sched.ID, sqlmock.AnyArg(), "ok", "").
@@ -655,6 +669,281 @@ func TestRecordSkipped_AdvancesNextRunAt(t *testing.T) {
 }
 // trigger CI
 
+// ── TestDetectResultKind ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// TestDetectResultKind covers the SDK error detection path: HTTP 200 responses
+// with non-ok result_kind in the body must be recognised and returned as the
+// kind string, not silently treated as ok.
+func TestDetectResultKind(t *testing.T) {
+	// The test exercises detectResultKind directly so we don't need a full
+	// fireSchedule mock for this unit-test level.
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		body     string
+		wantKind string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "clean ok response — empty body",
+			body:     `{}`,
+			wantKind: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "clean ok response — result.kind absent",
+			body:     `{"result":{"parts":[{"text":"hello"}]}}`,
+			wantKind: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "clean ok response — result.kind=ok",
+			body:     `{"result":{"kind":"ok","parts":[{"text":"hello"}]}}`,
+			wantKind: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "clean ok response — result.result_kind=ok",
+			body:     `{"result":{"result_kind":"ok","parts":[{"text":"hello"}]}}`,
+			wantKind: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — result.kind=rate_limited",
+			body:     `{"result":{"kind":"rate_limited","parts":[{"text":"error"}]}}`,
+			wantKind: "rate_limited",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — result.kind=quota_exhausted",
+			body:     `{"result":{"kind":"quota_exhausted"}}`,
+			wantKind: "quota_exhausted",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — result.kind=sdk_error",
+			body:     `{"result":{"kind":"sdk_error"}}`,
+			wantKind: "sdk_error",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — result.result_kind=rate_limited",
+			body:     `{"result":{"result_kind":"rate_limited"}}`,
+			wantKind: "rate_limited",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — error string with rate limit",
+			body:     `{"result":{"parts":[]},"error":"An error occurred: rate limit exceeded"}`,
+			wantKind: "rate_limited",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — error string with max-plan",
+			body:     `{"error":"Max-plan rate limit reached"}`,
+			wantKind: "quota_exhausted",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — error string with quota",
+			body:     `{"error":"quota exhausted for model"}`,
+			wantKind: "quota_exhausted",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — error string with sdk error",
+			body:     `{"error":"Claude Code returned an error result: success"}`,
+			wantKind: "sdk_error",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SDK error — error string with api key",
+			body:     `{"error":"invalid API key"}`,
+			wantKind: "sdk_error",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "unknown error string — not an SDK error",
+			body:     `{"error":"something went wrong"}`,
+			wantKind: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "empty response body",
+			body:     ``,
+			wantKind: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "malformed JSON",
+			body:     `not valid json`,
+			wantKind: "",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := detectResultKind([]byte(tc.body))
+			if got != tc.wantKind {
+				t.Errorf("detectResultKind(%q) = %q, want %q", tc.body, got, tc.wantKind)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// ── TestFireSchedule_SDKError_RateLimited (#1696) ───────────────────────────────
+//
+// When ProxyA2ARequest returns HTTP 200 but the response body contains a
+// non-ok result_kind, fireSchedule must:
+//   1. Set last_status to the result_kind (not 'ok').
+//   2. Set last_error to describe the SDK error.
+//   3. Increment consecutive_sdk_errors.
+//   4. NOT auto-disable on first occurrence (threshold is 3).
+//
+// This test uses an sdkErrorProxy that returns a rate-limited body and asserts
+// the first run is recorded as 'rate_limited' with consecutive_sdk_errors=1
+// and enabled=true.
+func TestFireSchedule_SDKError_RateLimited(t *testing.T) {
+	mock := setupTestDB(t)
+
+	sched := scheduleRow{
+		ID:          "sdk1-test-sched-0001",
+		WorkspaceID: "sdk1-test-workspace1",
+		Name:        "rate-limited-job",
+		CronExpr:    "0 * * * *",
+		Timezone:    "UTC",
+		Prompt:      "do work",
+	}
+
+	// 1. active_tasks check → workspace idle
+	mock.ExpectQuery(`SELECT COALESCE`).
+		WillReturnRows(sqlmock.NewRows([]string{"coalesce"}).AddRow(0))
+
+	// 2. #1696 consecutive_sdk_errors bump — RETURNING gives us count=1.
+	//    Use ExpectQuery (not Exec) because QueryRowContext + RETURNING
+	//    produces a result set consumed via .Scan().
+	mock.ExpectQuery(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID).
+		WillReturnRows(sqlmock.NewRows([]string{"consecutive_sdk_errors"}).AddRow(1))
+
+	// 3. Post-fire UPDATE — last_status='rate_limited', last_error='SDK error: result_kind=rate_limited'
+	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID, sqlmock.AnyArg(), "rate_limited", sqlmock.AnyArg()).
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	// 4. activity_logs INSERT
+	mock.ExpectExec(`INSERT INTO activity_logs`).
+		WithArgs(sched.WorkspaceID, sqlmock.AnyArg(), sqlmock.AnyArg(), "rate_limited", sqlmock.AnyArg()).
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	s := New(&sdkErrorProxy{kind: "rate_limited"}, nil)
+	s.fireSchedule(context.Background(), sched)
+
+	if err := mock.ExpectationsWereMet(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("unmet DB expectations for SDK-error first run: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// ── TestFireSchedule_SDKError_AutoDisableOnThirdConsecutive (#1696) ───────────
+//
+// On the 3rd consecutive SDK error, fireSchedule must auto-disable the
+// schedule (enabled=false) in addition to recording the error status.
+// Threshold is 3 per #1696 requirement.
+func TestFireSchedule_SDKError_AutoDisableOnThirdConsecutive(t *testing.T) {
+	mock := setupTestDB(t)
+
+	sched := scheduleRow{
+		ID:          "sdk2-test-sched-0002",
+		WorkspaceID: "sdk2-test-workspace2",
+		Name:        "auto-disable-job",
+		CronExpr:    "0 * * * *",
+		Timezone:    "UTC",
+		Prompt:      "do work",
+	}
+
+	// 1. active_tasks check → workspace idle
+	mock.ExpectQuery(`SELECT COALESCE`).
+		WillReturnRows(sqlmock.NewRows([]string{"coalesce"}).AddRow(0))
+
+	// 2. #1696 consecutive_sdk_errors bump — RETURNING gives count=3 (threshold met).
+	//    Use ExpectQuery (not Exec) because QueryRowContext + RETURNING
+	//    produces a result set consumed via .Scan().
+	mock.ExpectQuery(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID).
+		WillReturnRows(sqlmock.NewRows([]string{"consecutive_sdk_errors"}).AddRow(3))
+
+	// 3. Auto-disable UPDATE — sets enabled=false (schedule has hit 3rd SDK error)
+	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules SET enabled`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID).
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	// 4. Post-fire UPDATE
+	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID, sqlmock.AnyArg(), "rate_limited", sqlmock.AnyArg()).
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	// 5. activity_logs INSERT
+	mock.ExpectExec(`INSERT INTO activity_logs`).
+		WithArgs(sched.WorkspaceID, sqlmock.AnyArg(), sqlmock.AnyArg(), "rate_limited", sqlmock.AnyArg()).
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	s := New(&sdkErrorProxy{kind: "rate_limited"}, nil)
+	s.fireSchedule(context.Background(), sched)
+
+	if err := mock.ExpectationsWereMet(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("unmet DB expectations for SDK-error auto-disable: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// ── TestFireSchedule_SDKError_CounterResetOnCleanRun (#1696) ──────────────────
+//
+// A clean HTTP-200 run (no SDK error) must reset consecutive_sdk_errors to 0.
+// This prevents false auto-disable after intermittent SDK blips.
+func TestFireSchedule_SDKError_CounterResetOnCleanRun(t *testing.T) {
+	mock := setupTestDB(t)
+
+	sched := scheduleRow{
+		ID:          "sdk3-test-sched-0003",
+		WorkspaceID: "sdk3-test-workspace3",
+		Name:        "clean-reset-job",
+		CronExpr:    "30 * * * *",
+		Timezone:    "UTC",
+		Prompt:      "do work",
+	}
+
+	// 1. active_tasks check → workspace idle
+	mock.ExpectQuery(`SELECT COALESCE`).
+		WillReturnRows(sqlmock.NewRows([]string{"coalesce"}).AddRow(0))
+
+	// 2. No SDK error — #1696 counter is reset to 0
+	//    (lastStatus is 'ok', resultKind is empty, so we go to the reset branch)
+	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID).
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	// 3. Post-fire UPDATE
+	mock.ExpectExec(`UPDATE workspace_schedules`).
+		WithArgs(sched.ID, sqlmock.AnyArg(), "ok", "").
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	// 4. activity_logs INSERT
+	mock.ExpectExec(`INSERT INTO activity_logs`).
+		WithArgs(sched.WorkspaceID, sqlmock.AnyArg(), sqlmock.AnyArg(), "ok", "").
+		WillReturnResult(sqlmock.NewResult(0, 1))
+
+	s := New(&successProxy{}, nil)
+	s.fireSchedule(context.Background(), sched)
+
+	if err := mock.ExpectationsWereMet(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("unmet DB expectations for SDK-error counter reset: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// ── sdkErrorProxy ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// sdkErrorProxy is a test double whose ProxyA2ARequest returns HTTP 200 but
+// embeds a non-ok result_kind in the response body, simulating a Claude Code
+// SDK that returned 200 but the inner LLM call threw a rate-limit / quota error.
+// Used by TestFireSchedule_SDKError_* to cover #1696 SDK error detection.
+type sdkErrorProxy struct {
+	kind string // result_kind value to embed in the response body
+}
+
+func (p *sdkErrorProxy) ProxyA2ARequest(
+	_ context.Context, _ string, _ []byte, _ string, _ bool,
+) (int, []byte, error) {
+	body, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]interface{}{
+		"result": map[string]interface{}{
+			"kind":  p.kind,
+			"parts": []map[string]interface{}{{"kind": "text", "text": "(no response generated)"}},
+		},
+	})
+	return 200, body, nil
+}
+
 // ── TestTruncate_utf8Safe_regression2026 ──────────────────────────────────────
 
 // TestTruncate_utf8Safe_regression2026 locks in the #2026 fix: truncate must
diff --git a/workspace-server/migrations/20260523000000_schedule_consecutive_sdk_errors.down.sql b/workspace-server/migrations/20260523000000_schedule_consecutive_sdk_errors.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cb0923cf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workspace-server/migrations/20260523000000_schedule_consecutive_sdk_errors.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+-- migration: 20260523000000_schedule_consecutive_sdk_errors.down.sql
+-- Reverts #1696 fix for #1696 (consecutive_sdk_errors column)
+
+ALTER TABLE workspace_schedules DROP COLUMN IF EXISTS consecutive_sdk_errors;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/workspace-server/migrations/20260523000000_schedule_consecutive_sdk_errors.up.sql b/workspace-server/migrations/20260523000000_schedule_consecutive_sdk_errors.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..62fac77ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workspace-server/migrations/20260523000000_schedule_consecutive_sdk_errors.up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+-- migration: 20260523000000_schedule_consecutive_sdk_errors.up.sql
+-- Fixes #1696: Add consecutive_sdk_errors counter to track SDK errors (HTTP 200
+-- responses where the Claude Code runtime returned a non-ok result_kind).
+-- When this counter reaches 3, the scheduler sets last_status='rate_limited'
+-- and auto-disables the schedule.
+--
+-- The core issue: the claude-code-sdk adapter returns HTTP 200 even when the
+-- inner LLM call throws (e.g. Max-plan rate-limit). All 3 observed runs logged
+-- "completed (HTTP 200)" yet surfaced agent errors in the workspace chat.
+-- This counter lets us detect that pattern and escalate appropriately.
+
+ALTER TABLE workspace_schedules
+    ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS consecutive_sdk_errors INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
+
+COMMENT ON COLUMN workspace_schedules.consecutive_sdk_errors IS
+    'Count of consecutive scheduler fires where ProxyA2ARequest returned HTTP 200
+     but the response body contained a non-ok result_kind (e.g. rate_limited,
+     sdk_error, quota_exhausted). Reset to 0 on any non-SDK-error status.
+     After 3 consecutive SDK errors the schedule is auto-disabled with
+     status rate_limited. Fixes #1696.';
\ No newline at end of file