fix: address PR review feedback from CodeRabbit

- Move history file init before auto-recovery logic to prevent
  log_circuit_transition from writing to nonexistent history file
- Fix BSD date -j timezone handling: normalize tz (Z→+0000, ±HH:MM→±HHMM)
  and parse with %z format so UTC timestamps aren't misinterpreted as local
- Update stale test counts in CLAUDE.md (420→484) and README.md (465→484)
  across badge, header, and inline comments

CLAUDE.md

@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ tmux attach -t <session-name>
 
 ### Running Tests
 ```bash
-# Run all tests (420 tests)
+# Run all tests (484 tests)
 npm test
 
 # Run specific test suites

README.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 [![CI](https://github.com/frankbria/ralph-claude-code/actions/workflows/test.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/frankbria/ralph-claude-code/actions/workflows/test.yml)
 [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
 ![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.11.4-blue)
-![Tests](https://img.shields.io/badge/tests-465%20passing-green)
+![Tests](https://img.shields.io/badge/tests-484%20passing-green)
 [![GitHub Issues](https://img.shields.io/github/issues/frankbria/ralph-claude-code)](https://github.com/frankbria/ralph-claude-code/issues)
 [![Mentioned in Awesome Claude Code](https://awesome.re/mentioned-badge.svg)](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code)
 [![Follow on X](https://img.shields.io/twitter/follow/FrankBria18044?style=social)](https://x.com/FrankBria18044)
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Ralph is an implementation of the Geoffrey Huntley's technique for Claude Code t
 
 **Version**: v0.11.4 - Active Development
 **Core Features**: Working and tested
-**Test Coverage**: 465 tests, 100% pass rate
+**Test Coverage**: 484 tests, 100% pass rate
 
 ### What's Working Now
 - Autonomous development loops with intelligent exit detection
@@ -624,7 +624,7 @@ If you want to run the test suite:
 # Install BATS testing framework
 npm install -g bats bats-support bats-assert
 
-# Run all tests (465 tests)
+# Run all tests (484 tests)
 npm test
 
 # Run specific test suites
@@ -756,7 +756,7 @@ cd ralph-claude-code
 
 # Install dependencies and run tests
 npm install
-npm test  # All 465 tests must pass
+npm test  # All 484 tests must pass
 ```
 
 ### Priority Contribution Areas

lib/circuit_breaker.sh

@@ -57,6 +57,18 @@ init_circuit_breaker() {
 EOF
     fi
 
+    # Ensure history file exists before any transition logging
+    if [[ -f "$CB_HISTORY_FILE" ]]; then
+        if ! jq '.' "$CB_HISTORY_FILE" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            # Corrupted, recreate
+            rm -f "$CB_HISTORY_FILE"
+        fi
+    fi
+
+    if [[ ! -f "$CB_HISTORY_FILE" ]]; then
+        echo '[]' > "$CB_HISTORY_FILE"
+    fi
+
     # Auto-recovery: check if OPEN state should transition (Issue #160)
     local current_state
     current_state=$(jq -r '.state' "$CB_STATE_FILE" 2>/dev/null || echo "$CB_STATE_CLOSED")
@@ -111,18 +123,6 @@ EOF
             fi
         fi
     fi
-
-    # Check if history file exists and is valid JSON
-    if [[ -f "$CB_HISTORY_FILE" ]]; then
-        if ! jq '.' "$CB_HISTORY_FILE" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
-            # Corrupted, recreate
-            rm -f "$CB_HISTORY_FILE"
-        fi
-    fi
-
-    if [[ ! -f "$CB_HISTORY_FILE" ]]; then
-        echo '[]' > "$CB_HISTORY_FILE"
-    fi
 }
 
 # Get current circuit breaker state

lib/date_utils.sh

@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@ parse_iso_to_epoch() {
     fi
 
     # Try BSD date -j (native macOS)
-    # Strip timezone suffix for BSD compatibility
-    local stripped="${iso_timestamp%%+*}"
-    stripped="${stripped%%Z*}"
-    if result=$(date -j -f "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" "$stripped" +%s 2>/dev/null) && [[ "$result" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+    # Normalize timezone for BSD parsing (Z → +0000, ±HH:MM → ±HHMM)
+    local tz_fixed
+    tz_fixed=$(echo "$iso_timestamp" | sed -E 's/Z$/+0000/; s/([+-][0-9]{2}):([0-9]{2})$/\1\2/')
+    if result=$(date -j -f "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z" "$tz_fixed" +%s 2>/dev/null) && [[ "$result" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
         echo "$result"
         return
     fi