diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ed92d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+.git
+.env
+.venv
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+.pytest_cache/
+
+logs/
+docs/
+migration/
+README.md
+read.md
+AGENTS.md
+AGENTS.md.bak-*
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 44d4d55..ecf95cb 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -9,16 +9,11 @@ __pycache__/
 *.log
 
 # Local docs and agent instructions
-/docs/*
-!/docs/ai_integration.md
-!/docs/mysql_integration.md
+/docs/
+/README.md
 /read.md
 /AGENTS.md
 /AGENTS.md.bak-*
 
 # Local migration workspace
 /migration/
-
-# Local generated docs
-/docs/
-/README.md
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 0982cf4..968103e 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ RUN pip install --no-cache-dir \
     python-dotenv==1.0.1 \
     alembic==1.14.0 \
     httpx==0.28.1 \
+    lark-oapi==1.6.8 \
     apscheduler==3.10.4 \
     redis==5.2.1 \
     celery==5.4.0 \
diff --git a/app/core/config.py b/app/core/config.py
index 93d6460..1dd7e6f 100644
--- a/app/core/config.py
+++ b/app/core/config.py
@@ -64,10 +64,18 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
 
     @field_validator("cors_origins", mode="before")
     @classmethod
-    def parse_cors_origins(cls, value: str | list[str]) -> list[str]:
+    def parse_cors_origins(cls, value: Any) -> list[str]:
         if isinstance(value, list):
-            return value
-        return [item.strip() for item in value.split(",") if item.strip()]
+            return [str(item).strip() for item in value if str(item).strip()]
+        if value is None:
+            return []
+        text = str(value).strip()
+        if text.startswith("["):
+            data = json.loads(text)
+            if not isinstance(data, list):
+                raise ValueError("CORS_ORIGINS must be a CSV string or JSON list")
+            return [str(item).strip() for item in data if str(item).strip()]
+        return [item.strip() for item in text.split(",") if item.strip()]
 
     @field_validator("openclaw_allowed_tools", "openclaw_allowed_actions", mode="before")
     @classmethod
diff --git a/app/core/pagination.py b/app/core/pagination.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..135b731
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/core/pagination.py
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+DEFAULT_MAX_LIMIT = 500
+DEFAULT_MIN_LIMIT = 1
+
+
+def bounded_limit(limit: int, max_limit: int = DEFAULT_MAX_LIMIT) -> int:
+    """Clamp database query limits to a safe positive range."""
+
+    return max(DEFAULT_MIN_LIMIT, min(int(limit), max_limit))
+
+
+def bounded_offset(offset: int) -> int:
+    """Clamp pagination offsets to zero or above."""
+
+    return max(0, int(offset))
diff --git a/app/main.py b/app/main.py
index e433e30..58c3975 100644
--- a/app/main.py
+++ b/app/main.py
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ from app.core.config import get_settings
 from app.core.scheduler import attach_scheduler
 
 
+def _allow_cors_credentials(cors_origins: list[str]) -> bool:
+    return "*" not in cors_origins
+
+
 def create_app() -> FastAPI:
     """Create and configure the FastAPI application."""
 
@@ -23,7 +27,7 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
     app.add_middleware(
         CORSMiddleware,
         allow_origins=settings.cors_origins,
-        allow_credentials=True,
+        allow_credentials=_allow_cors_credentials(settings.cors_origins),
         allow_methods=["*"],
         allow_headers=["*"],
     )
diff --git a/app/modules/ai_agent/adapters.py b/app/modules/ai_agent/adapters.py
index 438f00e..92d9e7f 100644
--- a/app/modules/ai_agent/adapters.py
+++ b/app/modules/ai_agent/adapters.py
@@ -350,9 +350,18 @@ class DirectLLMAdapter(AIAdapter):
         if response.status_code >= 400:
             raise HTTPException(status_code=502, detail={AIErrorKey.DIRECT_LLM: response.text})
         data = response.json()
-        answer = data[AIHttpPayloadKey.CHOICES][0][AIHttpPayloadKey.MESSAGE][
-            AIHttpPayloadKey.CONTENT
-        ]
+        try:
+            answer = data[AIHttpPayloadKey.CHOICES][0][AIHttpPayloadKey.MESSAGE][
+                AIHttpPayloadKey.CONTENT
+            ]
+        except (KeyError, IndexError, TypeError) as exc:
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=502,
+                detail={
+                    AIErrorKey.DIRECT_LLM: UNEXPECTED_HERMES_RESPONSE,
+                    AIResponseKey.RAW: data,
+                },
+            ) from exc
         return {AIResponseKey.ANSWER: answer, AIResponseKey.RAW: data}
 
 
diff --git a/app/modules/approvals/routes.py b/app/modules/approvals/routes.py
index 99c9104..1b1fa44 100644
--- a/app/modules/approvals/routes.py
+++ b/app/modules/approvals/routes.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, Query
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.core.database import get_db
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ def create_approval(
 @router.get("", response_model=list[ApprovalRead])
 def list_approvals(
     status: str | None = None,
-    limit: int = 100,
+    limit: int = Query(default=100, ge=1, le=500),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ):
     return ApprovalService(db).list(status_filter=status, limit=limit)
diff --git a/app/modules/approvals/service.py b/app/modules/approvals/service.py
index f52f48e..0ff406b 100644
--- a/app/modules/approvals/service.py
+++ b/app/modules/approvals/service.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ from fastapi import HTTPException, status
 from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
+from app.core.pagination import bounded_limit
 from app.core.time import utc_now
 from app.modules.approvals.constants import (
     ApprovalActionValue,
@@ -56,7 +57,11 @@ class ApprovalService:
         return ticket
 
     def list(self, status_filter: str | None = None, limit: int = 100) -> list[ApprovalRequest]:
-        stmt = select(ApprovalRequest).order_by(ApprovalRequest.id.desc()).limit(min(limit, 500))
+        stmt = (
+            select(ApprovalRequest)
+            .order_by(ApprovalRequest.id.desc())
+            .limit(bounded_limit(limit))
+        )
         if status_filter:
             stmt = stmt.where(ApprovalRequest.status == status_filter)
         return list(self.db.execute(stmt).scalars())
diff --git a/app/modules/audit/routes.py b/app/modules/audit/routes.py
index 13478cd..86fb0e9 100644
--- a/app/modules/audit/routes.py
+++ b/app/modules/audit/routes.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, Query
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.core.database import get_db
@@ -10,5 +10,8 @@ router = APIRouter(dependencies=[Depends(require_api_key)])
 
 
 @router.get("/logs", response_model=list[AuditLogRead])
-def list_audit_logs(limit: int = 100, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> list:
+def list_audit_logs(
+    limit: int = Query(default=100, ge=1, le=500),
+    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+) -> list:
     return AuditService(db).list_logs(limit=limit)
diff --git a/app/modules/audit/service.py b/app/modules/audit/service.py
index 6fce6e3..81a5383 100644
--- a/app/modules/audit/service.py
+++ b/app/modules/audit/service.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ from typing import Any
 from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
+from app.core.pagination import bounded_limit
 from app.modules.audit.models import AuditLog
 from app.modules.audit.schemas import AuditLogCreate
 
@@ -42,5 +43,5 @@ class AuditService:
         return record
 
     def list_logs(self, limit: int = 100) -> list[AuditLog]:
-        stmt = select(AuditLog).order_by(AuditLog.id.desc()).limit(min(limit, 500))
+        stmt = select(AuditLog).order_by(AuditLog.id.desc()).limit(bounded_limit(limit))
         return list(self.db.execute(stmt).scalars())
diff --git a/app/modules/business/routes.py b/app/modules/business/routes.py
index 76683b6..8a78b81 100644
--- a/app/modules/business/routes.py
+++ b/app/modules/business/routes.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException, Query
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.core.database import get_db
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ def list_domains() -> dict[str, list[str]]:
 @router.get("/{domain}", response_model=DomainListRead)
 def list_records(
     domain: str,
-    limit: int = 50,
-    offset: int = 0,
+    limit: int = Query(default=50, ge=1, le=500),
+    offset: int = Query(default=0, ge=0),
     status: str | None = None,
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
diff --git a/app/modules/business/service.py b/app/modules/business/service.py
index ed3ada9..244fe71 100644
--- a/app/modules/business/service.py
+++ b/app/modules/business/service.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.sql.schema import Column
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.core.constants import ActorValue
+from app.core.pagination import bounded_limit, bounded_offset
 from app.modules.audit.constants import AuditRiskLevel, AuditSource
 from app.modules.audit.schemas import AuditLogCreate
 from app.modules.audit.service import AuditService
@@ -89,7 +90,9 @@ class BusinessService:
         if status_filter and hasattr(model, "status"):
             stmt = stmt.where(model.status == status_filter)
             count_stmt = count_stmt.where(model.status == status_filter)
-        stmt = stmt.order_by(model.id.desc()).limit(min(limit, 500)).offset(max(offset, 0))
+        stmt = stmt.order_by(model.id.desc()).limit(bounded_limit(limit)).offset(
+            bounded_offset(offset)
+        )
         total = int(self.db.execute(count_stmt).scalar() or 0)
         return total, [serialize_model(item) for item in self.db.execute(stmt).scalars()]
 
diff --git a/app/modules/feishu/service.py b/app/modules/feishu/service.py
index eeedfee..bd443ed 100644
--- a/app/modules/feishu/service.py
+++ b/app/modules/feishu/service.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from secrets import compare_digest
 from typing import Any
 
 from fastapi import HTTPException, status
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ class FeishuService:
                 status_code=status.HTTP_503_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE,
                 detail="FEISHU_VERIFICATION_TOKEN is required",
             )
-        if not token or token != expected:
+        if not token or not compare_digest(str(token), expected):
             raise HTTPException(
                 status_code=status.HTTP_401_UNAUTHORIZED,
                 detail="Invalid Feishu token",
diff --git a/app/modules/legacy_mysql/routes.py b/app/modules/legacy_mysql/routes.py
index 5575b18..b128359 100644
--- a/app/modules/legacy_mysql/routes.py
+++ b/app/modules/legacy_mysql/routes.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, Query
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.core.database import get_db
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ def readonly_query(payload: ReadonlyQueryRequest, db: Session = Depends(get_db))
 
 
 @router.get("/projects", response_model=QueryResult)
-def default_project_query(limit: int = 100, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
+def default_project_query(
+    limit: int = Query(default=100, ge=1, le=500),
+    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+) -> dict:
     return LegacyMySQLService(db).fetch_default_projects(limit=limit)
 
 
diff --git a/app/modules/legacy_mysql/service.py b/app/modules/legacy_mysql/service.py
index 597d90a..0f9e0fe 100644
--- a/app/modules/legacy_mysql/service.py
+++ b/app/modules/legacy_mysql/service.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 from app.core.constants import ActorValue
 from app.core.config import get_settings
 from app.core.database import legacy_engine
+from app.core.pagination import bounded_limit
 from app.core.time import utc_now
 from app.modules.audit.constants import AuditAction, AuditRiskLevel, AuditSource, AuditStatus
 from app.modules.audit.schemas import AuditLogCreate
@@ -174,7 +175,7 @@ class LegacyMySQLService:
         self._ensure_readonly(sql)
         engine = self._ensure_engine()
         params = dict(params or {})
-        params.setdefault("limit", min(limit, 500))
+        params.setdefault("limit", bounded_limit(limit))
         limited_sql = sql
         if " limit " not in sql.lower():
             limited_sql = f"{sql.rstrip(';')} LIMIT :limit"
diff --git a/app/modules/reports/service.py b/app/modules/reports/service.py
index 22e915f..75be158 100644
--- a/app/modules/reports/service.py
+++ b/app/modules/reports/service.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import func, or_, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.core.constants import ActorValue
+from app.core.pagination import bounded_limit
 from app.core.time import utc_now
 from app.modules.audit.constants import AuditSource, AuditTargetType
 from app.modules.audit.schemas import AuditLogCreate
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ class ReportService:
             stmt = stmt.order_by(order_by)
         else:
             stmt = stmt.order_by(model.id.desc())
-        return list(self.db.execute(stmt.limit(limit)).scalars())
+        return list(self.db.execute(stmt.limit(bounded_limit(limit))).scalars())
 
     def daily_brief(self) -> dict:
         project_count = self._count(Project)
diff --git a/app/modules/risk/routes.py b/app/modules/risk/routes.py
index ed45c4f..7f68c29 100644
--- a/app/modules/risk/routes.py
+++ b/app/modules/risk/routes.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, Query
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.core.database import get_db
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ def supplier_risks(db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
 
 @router.get("/events")
 def risk_events(
-    limit: int = 100,
+    limit: int = Query(default=100, ge=1, le=500),
     status: str | None = None,
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
diff --git a/app/modules/risk/service.py b/app/modules/risk/service.py
index db96ab9..42f4c84 100644
--- a/app/modules/risk/service.py
+++ b/app/modules/risk/service.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.core.constants import ActorValue
+from app.core.pagination import bounded_limit
 from app.core.time import utc_now
 from app.modules.audit.constants import (
     AuditAction,
@@ -75,13 +76,14 @@ class RiskService:
         limit: int = 100,
         status_filter: str | None = None,
     ) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
-        stmt = select(RiskEvent).order_by(RiskEvent.id.desc()).limit(min(limit, 500))
+        limit_value = bounded_limit(limit)
+        stmt = select(RiskEvent).order_by(RiskEvent.id.desc()).limit(limit_value)
         if status_filter:
             stmt = (
                 select(RiskEvent)
                 .where(RiskEvent.status == status_filter)
                 .order_by(RiskEvent.id.desc())
-                .limit(min(limit, 500))
+                .limit(limit_value)
             )
         return [serialize_model(item) for item in self.db.execute(stmt).scalars()]
 
diff --git a/scripts/verify_smoke.py b/scripts/verify_smoke.py
index bd42e41..91ac3e2 100644
--- a/scripts/verify_smoke.py
+++ b/scripts/verify_smoke.py
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ db.close()
 
 os.environ["DATABASE_URL"] = "sqlite:///" + db.name.replace("\\", "/")
 os.environ["API_KEY"] = "test-key"
+os.environ["LEGACY_ALLOWED_QUERIES"] = "{}"
+os.environ["LEGACY_DATABASE_URL"] = ""
+os.environ["LEGACY_PROJECT_QUERY"] = ""
 os.environ["MODEL_PROVIDER"] = "noop"
 os.environ["SCHEDULER_ENABLED"] = "false"
 
diff --git a/tests/test_ai_adapters.py b/tests/test_ai_adapters.py
index ea180e4..b3698b0 100644
--- a/tests/test_ai_adapters.py
+++ b/tests/test_ai_adapters.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ from app.modules.ai_agent.constants import (
     OPENCLAW_HERMES_PIPELINE,
     AIChatRole,
     AIContextKey,
+    AIErrorKey,
     AIHttpHeader,
     AIHttpPath,
     AIHttpPayloadKey,
@@ -237,3 +238,30 @@ def test_openclaw_hermes_adapter_fails_when_requested_tool_is_blocked(monkeypatc
         "http://openclaw.local/healthz",
         "http://openclaw.local/readyz",
     ]
+
+
+def test_direct_llm_adapter_wraps_unexpected_chat_response(monkeypatch) -> None:
+    class BadChatClient(DummyClient):
+        def post(
+            self,
+            url: str,
+            json: dict[str, Any],
+            headers: dict[str, str],
+        ) -> DummyResponse:
+            self.calls.append({"method": "POST", "url": url, "json": json, "headers": headers})
+            return DummyResponse({AIHttpPayloadKey.CHOICES: []})
+
+    DummyClient.calls = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(adapters.httpx, "Client", BadChatClient)
+    settings = Settings(
+        direct_llm_base_url="http://llm.local/v1",
+        direct_llm_api_key="direct-key",
+        direct_llm_model="company-model",
+    )
+
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException) as exc_info:
+        adapters.DirectLLMAdapter(settings).ask("summarize")
+
+    assert exc_info.value.status_code == 502
+    assert exc_info.value.detail[AIErrorKey.DIRECT_LLM] == "Unexpected chat completion response"
+    assert exc_info.value.detail[AIResponseKey.RAW] == {AIHttpPayloadKey.CHOICES: []}
diff --git a/tests/test_smoke.py b/tests/test_smoke.py
index 22c655d..c0efac5 100644
--- a/tests/test_smoke.py
+++ b/tests/test_smoke.py
@@ -20,15 +20,19 @@ os.environ["APPROVAL_API_ACTOR"] = "approval-manager"
 os.environ["FEISHU_APP_ID"] = ""
 os.environ["FEISHU_APP_SECRET"] = ""
 os.environ["FEISHU_VERIFICATION_TOKEN"] = "test-feishu-token"
+os.environ["LEGACY_ALLOWED_QUERIES"] = "{}"
+os.environ["LEGACY_DATABASE_URL"] = ""
+os.environ["LEGACY_PROJECT_QUERY"] = ""
 os.environ["MODEL_PROVIDER"] = AIProviderName.NOOP
 os.environ["SCHEDULER_ENABLED"] = "false"
 
 from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
 
-from app.core.config import get_settings
+from app.core.config import Settings, get_settings
 from app.core.database import Base, engine
+from app.core.pagination import bounded_limit, bounded_offset
 from app.core.security import require_api_key, require_approval_api_key
-from app.main import app
+from app.main import _allow_cors_credentials, app
 from app.modules.legacy_mysql.service import LegacyMySQLService
 from app.modules.reports.constants import (
     LifecycleAttentionKey,
@@ -133,6 +137,26 @@ def test_api_key_and_feishu_webhook_fail_closed(monkeypatch) -> None:
         get_settings.cache_clear()
 
 
+def test_config_and_pagination_guardrails() -> None:
+    settings = Settings(cors_origins='["https://app.example.com", "https://admin.example.com"]')
+
+    assert settings.cors_origins == ["https://app.example.com", "https://admin.example.com"]
+    assert _allow_cors_credentials(["*"]) is False
+    assert _allow_cors_credentials(["https://app.example.com"]) is True
+    assert bounded_limit(-1) == 1
+    assert bounded_limit(1000) == 500
+    assert bounded_offset(-10) == 0
+
+    negative_limit_response = client.get("/api/v1/business/projects?limit=-1", headers=headers)
+    assert negative_limit_response.status_code == 422
+
+    oversized_limit_response = client.get("/api/v1/risks/events?limit=501", headers=headers)
+    assert oversized_limit_response.status_code == 422
+
+    negative_offset_response = client.get("/api/v1/business/projects?offset=-1", headers=headers)
+    assert negative_offset_response.status_code == 422
+
+
 def test_approval_gate_for_high_risk_update() -> None:
     create_payload = {
         "code": "FUND-SMOKE-001",