diff --git a/src/vouch/jsonl_server.py b/src/vouch/jsonl_server.py
index bdd4fd9f..3a04d11b 100644
--- a/src/vouch/jsonl_server.py
+++ b/src/vouch/jsonl_server.py
@@ -1104,7 +1104,12 @@ def handle_request(envelope: dict) -> dict:
             "id": req_id, "ok": False,
             "error": {"code": "dead_claim_refs", "message": str(e)},
         }
-    except (ValueError, ProposalError, ArtifactNotFoundError) as e:
+    # lifecycle validation failures (unknown goal status, self-supersede /
+    # -contradict) are caller errors, not server faults — the sibling of
+    # ProposalError. map to invalid_request so jsonl/http match the mcp contract
+    # (kb_set_goal_status catches LifecycleError and re-raises it as ValueError);
+    # otherwise a bad request reads as a retryable internal_error.
+    except (ValueError, ProposalError, ArtifactNotFoundError, life.LifecycleError) as e:
         return {
             "id": req_id, "ok": False,
             "error": {"code": "invalid_request", "message": str(e)},
diff --git a/tests/test_jsonl_server.py b/tests/test_jsonl_server.py
index 2cd8d028..7554e93c 100644
--- a/tests/test_jsonl_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_jsonl_server.py
@@ -381,3 +381,22 @@ def test_import_check_bundle_path_fenced_on_remote(store: KBStore, monkeypatch)
                                "params": {"bundle_path": "/etc/passwd"}})
     assert not resp["ok"]
     assert "project root" in resp["error"]["message"]
+
+
+def test_jsonl_set_goal_status_bad_status_is_invalid_request(store: KBStore, monkeypatch) -> None:
+    # a typo'd goal status is a caller error, not a server fault. set_goal_status
+    # validates the status before the goal lookup and raises LifecycleError (a
+    # RuntimeError, not a ValueError); the dispatcher must map it to
+    # invalid_request like mcp does, or a client sees internal_error and wrongly
+    # treats a bad request as retryable. (status is checked before goal lookup,
+    # so no goal need exist.)
+    monkeypatch.chdir(store.root)
+    resp = handle_request(
+        {
+            "id": "1",
+            "method": "kb.set_goal_status",
+            "params": {"goal_id": "g-missing", "status": "bogus"},
+        }
+    )
+    assert not resp["ok"]
+    assert resp["error"]["code"] == "invalid_request"