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authorAdam Malczewski <[email protected]>2026-06-01 01:46:13 +0900
committerAdam Malczewski <[email protected]>2026-06-01 01:46:13 +0900
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feat(tabs): tab-to-tab agent communication via short handles
Add send_to_tab / read_tab tools so an agent can message or read another tab by a git-style short handle (shortest unique prefix of the tab UUID, min 4 chars), shown in the tab bar. - core/db/tabs: resolveTabPrefix + shortestUniquePrefix (open tabs only, LIKE-sanitized prefix matching) - new tools read-tab.ts / send-to-tab.ts (+ tests) decoupled from the DB TabRow via a minimal ResolvedTabRef projection - agent-manager: unified deliverMessage routing (busy -> queue, idle -> new turn) shared by POST /chat and send_to_tab; agent->agent auto-wake budget (MAX_AGENT_AUTO_WAKES) to bound ping-pong loops - summon/loader: send_to_tab + read_tab as grantable tools - frontend: shortHandleFor + handle badge in TabBar; perm toggles - notes: tab-comm / user-agents / todo-redesign plans - chore: biome format fixes (debug-logger, summon.test) Refs notes/plan-tab-comm.md
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+# Implementation Plan: Tab-to-Tab Agent Communication
+
+## Summary
+
+Give every tab a **short, human-readable handle** visible in the UI, and give
+agents **two new tools** to talk to each other by that handle:
+
+1. **`send_to_tab`** — deliver a user message to another tab by its short ID.
+ - Target **mid-turn** → message is **queued** (identical path to a user message).
+ - Target **idle** → message **wakes** the tab and starts a new turn.
+ - Fire-and-forget: returns immediately, does not block on a response.
+2. **`read_tab`** — return the target tab's **last completed assistant turn** plus
+ its current status (`idle` / `running` / `error`). Non-blocking snapshot.
+
+The tools are gated behind two independent permissions (both default off):
+**`perm_send_to_tab`** (message other tabs) and **`perm_read_tab`** (read other
+tabs), mirroring how `perm_user_agent` gates user-agent spawning. Splitting them
+lets an operator grant read-only visibility without also granting the ability to
+wake/steer other tabs.
+
+This enables: handing an agent a tab handle and asking it to steer another AI,
+chaining agents, and one agent delegating subtasks to a peer tab.
+
+### The short ID is git-style: derived, not stored
+
+We do **not** add a `short_id` column. The handle is the **shortest unique
+prefix of the tab's existing UUID**, exactly like git short commit hashes:
+
+- A prefix is valid as long as it uniquely identifies one open tab.
+- Minimum display length is 4 hex chars; if two open tabs collide on those 4,
+ the displayed handle grows one char at a time until unambiguous.
+- Resolution accepts **any length** ≥ a small floor and matches by prefix.
+
+This means the short form is a **pure projection** of data we already store —
+no new column, no migration, no backfill, no unique-ID generation/retry, no
+collision bookkeeping at insert time. It also can't drift: a prefix is always
+computed against the current set of open tabs.
+
+### The good news: the wake/queue machinery already exists
+
+`POST /chat` (`packages/api/src/app.ts`) **already** implements exactly the
+routing the wishlist describes:
+
+```ts
+if (agentManager.getTabStatus(tabId) === "running") {
+ agentManager.queueMessage(tabId, message, queueId); // mid-turn → queue
+} else {
+ agentManager.processMessage(tabId, message, ...); // idle → new turn
+}
+```
+
+The new `send_to_tab` tool reuses this same decision via a small shared
+`AgentManager` method. We are **not** inventing a new delivery mechanism — we're
+exposing the existing one to agents and adding addressing by a derived handle.
+
+---
+
+## Current architecture (for context)
+
+- **Tab identity**: tabs are keyed by `crypto.randomUUID()` — a canonical
+ **lowercase** hex UUID (verified: both `crypto.randomUUID()` and the frontend's
+ non-secure fallback emit lowercase). Created via `createTab()` in
+ `packages/core/src/db/tabs.ts`, reached from:
+ - `POST /tabs` (frontend "+" button → `createNewTab`)
+ - `AgentManager.spawnChildAgent` (summon, sub/user agents)
+- **Message delivery**: `AgentManager` owns per-tab state in `tabAgents`
+ (`Map<tabId, TabAgent>`). Key methods:
+ - `processMessage(tabId, msg, keyId?, modelId?, ...)` — runs a full turn,
+ persists chunks, resolves completion promises.
+ - `queueMessage(tabId, msg, clientId?)` — pushes to `tabAgent.messageQueue`
+ and wakes blocking tools via `queueListeners`.
+ - `getTabStatus(tabId)` — `"idle" | "running" | "error"`.
+- **Tools**: built per-tab in `getOrCreateAgentForTab`. Two paths — a
+ permission-gated path (top-level tabs) and a `toolsOverride` whitelist path
+ (child agents). Each tool is a `ToolDefinition` whose `execute` closes over
+ **callbacks** supplied by `AgentManager` (see `createSummonTool`,
+ `createRetrieveTool`). This is the seam the new tools plug into.
+- **History**: a tab's conversation is a flat append-only `chunks` log. The last
+ assistant turn is recoverable via `getChunksForTab(tabId)` →
+ `groupRowsToMessages(...)` → last `role === "assistant"` message.
+- **Permissions**: read in `getOrCreateAgentForTab` via `getSetting("perm_*")`,
+ folded into `permKey` (cache-invalidation), surfaced as checkboxes in
+ `ToolPermissions.svelte` with defaults in `settings.svelte.ts`.
+- **SQLite `LIKE`**: case-insensitive for ASCII by default (no
+ `case_sensitive_like` PRAGMA set), so `6FE8` resolves `6fe8…` for free. `%`
+ and `_` are wildcards → incoming prefixes MUST be sanitized (see below).
+
+---
+
+## Part A — Git-style short tab handles
+
+### The two halves
+
+A derived-prefix scheme has a **display** side (compute the shortest unique
+prefix to show) and a **resolution** side (match an arbitrary-length prefix back
+to one tab). They live in different layers:
+
+| Concern | Where | Why |
+|---|---|---|
+| **Display** — each open tab's shortest unique prefix | Frontend (`tabs.svelte.ts`) | The frontend already holds every open tab's full UUID; computing prefixes client-side needs zero new wire data and updates reactively as tabs open/close |
+| **Resolution** — prefix string → real `tabId` | Backend DB (`db/tabs.ts`) | The tools run server-side and must resolve against the authoritative open-tab set |
+
+Because the handle is derived, **nothing new is stored or sent**. No change to
+the `tabs` schema, no `tab-created` payload change.
+
+### Display: shortest-unique-prefix (frontend)
+
+`packages/frontend/src/lib/tabs.svelte.ts`
+- Add a derived helper, e.g. `shortHandleFor(tabId)`, computed against the
+ current open `tabs`:
+ - Start at length 4. If any **other** open tab shares that prefix, increment
+ until unique (cap at full UUID as the degenerate fallback).
+ - Expose as a `$derived` map `{ tabId → handle }` so the tab bar and any
+ "Agents" view stay in sync as tabs open/close.
+- This naturally yields 4-char handles in the common case and only grows on a
+ genuine leading-hex collision among open tabs.
+
+`packages/frontend/src/lib/components/TabBar.svelte`
+- Render the handle as a small mono badge next to the title (both the user-tab
+ row and the subagent row). This is the human/LLM-visible addressing token.
+
+> Note: the existing debug `shortId` helper in `tabs.svelte.ts` (first-8-char
+> slice) is unrelated and stays as-is; the new handle is collision-aware.
+
+### Resolution: prefix → tab (backend)
+
+`packages/core/src/db/tabs.ts`
+- New `resolveTabPrefix(prefix: string): { status: "ok"; tab: TabRow } |
+ { status: "none" } | { status: "ambiguous"; matches: TabRow[] }`:
+ 1. **Sanitize**: lowercase; reject/strip anything outside `[0-9a-f-]` so the
+ SQLite `LIKE` wildcards `%`/`_` can't be injected. Enforce a min length
+ (e.g. 4) to avoid absurdly broad matches.
+ 2. Query open tabs: `SELECT * FROM tabs WHERE is_open = 1 AND id LIKE $p`
+ with `$p = prefix + '%'`.
+ 3. 0 rows → `none`; 1 row → `ok`; >1 → `ambiguous` (return the matches so the
+ caller can list them).
+- Scope to `is_open = 1`: closed tabs are not addressable and shouldn't cause
+ phantom ambiguity.
+- (Exact full-UUID still works — it's just a maximal prefix.)
+
+`packages/core/src/index.ts`
+- Re-export `resolveTabPrefix`.
+
+### Why derive instead of store
+
+- **No migration / backfill / column.** Zero schema churn.
+- **No insert-time unique-ID generation** (the race-prone part) — UUIDs are
+ already unique by construction.
+- **Self-correcting.** If two tabs share a 4-char prefix, both just display 5
+ chars; when one closes, the other can shrink back to 4. A stored handle would
+ go stale here.
+- **Resolution is one indexed-ish `LIKE` scan** over open tabs (a handful of
+ rows); negligible cost.
+
+---
+
+## Part B — The two tools
+
+Both live in core as `ToolDefinition` factories taking a callbacks object, and
+are wired in `AgentManager` exactly like `summon`/`retrieve`.
+
+### Tool shapes
+
+```
+send_to_tab({
+ tab_id: string, // required — the short handle (any unique-length prefix) of the target
+ message: string, // required — the user message to deliver
+})
+-> "Delivered to tab 6fe8 (status: running → queued)" // or "(idle → started new turn)"
+
+read_tab({
+ tab_id: string, // required — the short handle of the target tab
+})
+-> "<tab_response tab=6fe8 status=idle>...last assistant turn text...</tab_response>"
+```
+
+The `tab_id` parameter accepts any length prefix; the tool resolves it via
+`resolveTabPrefix`. On `ambiguous`, the tool returns the competing handles and
+asks the agent to add a character — same UX as `git checkout <ambiguous sha>`.
+
+### `send_to_tab` semantics (mirrors `POST /chat`)
+
+1. `resolveTabPrefix(tab_id)`:
+ - `none` → error listing currently-open handles (mirrors how `summon` lists
+ valid agent slugs on a bad slug).
+ - `ambiguous` → error listing the matching handles; ask for one more char.
+ - `ok` → proceed with `tab.id`.
+2. Reject sending to **self** (no-op footgun) with a clear message.
+3. Prefix the delivered text with provenance so the target (and the user) know
+ who sent it and can reply back:
+ `[message from tab <senderHandle>]\n\n<message>`
+4. Route via a new shared `AgentManager.deliverMessage(tabId, message)`:
+ - target `running` → `queueMessage(...)` → report `queued`.
+ - target `idle`/`error` → hydrate key/model from the live `TabAgent` (warm)
+ or the DB tab row (cold), then `processMessage(...)` → report `started`.
+5. Return immediately (fire-and-forget). The sender uses `read_tab` later.
+
+### `read_tab` semantics (non-blocking snapshot)
+
+1. `resolveTabPrefix(tab_id)` (same `none`/`ambiguous` handling).
+2. Read `getChunksForTab(tab.id)` → `groupRowsToMessages` → last
+ `role === "assistant"` message → flatten its text chunks.
+3. Return that text plus `status` from `getTabStatus(tab.id)`:
+ - `running` → note the turn is still in progress; returns the **previous**
+ completed turn (or "no completed turn yet").
+ - `idle` → the just-finished turn.
+ - empty history → "Tab has no assistant responses yet."
+
+**Why non-blocking:** two agents that block on each other's results would
+deadlock. `retrieve` can block because child agents can't summon their parent;
+peer tabs have no such guarantee. A snapshot read + explicit re-read is safe.
+(An optional `wait: boolean` flag is possible later but deliberately omitted v1.)
+
+### Why a shared `deliverMessage` method
+
+`POST /chat` and `send_to_tab` make the **same** running/idle decision. Factor it
+into one `AgentManager.deliverMessage(tabId, message, opts?)` returning
+`{ status: "queued" | "started" }`, and call it from both. Avoids drift between
+the HTTP path and the tool path. (Refactor `POST /chat` to use it.)
+
+The tools take a **resolver callback** (`resolveShortId`) wired to
+`resolveTabPrefix`, plus `deliver`, `getLastResponse`, `getStatus`,
+`listOpenHandles`, and `selfTabId` — all closed over by `AgentManager`, same
+pattern as `createSummonTool`.
+
+---
+
+## Changes by file
+
+### Core
+
+| File | Change |
+|---|---|
+| `packages/core/src/db/tabs.ts` | New `resolveTabPrefix(prefix)` (sanitize → `LIKE` over open tabs → ok/none/ambiguous). **No schema/column change.** |
+| `packages/core/src/tools/send-to-tab.ts` | **new** — `createSendToTabTool(callbacks)`; `SendToTabCallbacks { resolveShortId, deliver, listOpenHandles, selfTabId }` |
+| `packages/core/src/tools/read-tab.ts` | **new** — `createReadTabTool(callbacks)`; `ReadTabCallbacks { resolveShortId, getLastResponse, getStatus, listOpenHandles }` |
+| `packages/core/src/tools/summon.ts` | Add `send_to_tab`, `read_tab` to the `tools` enum + description list so agents can grant them to children |
+| `packages/core/src/index.ts` | Re-export `resolveTabPrefix` + the two new tool factories |
+
+> Removed from the earlier draft: `short_id` column, migration, backfill,
+> `generateShortId()`, `getTabByShortId()`, and the `shortId` field on
+> `TabRow`/`tab-created`. All obsolete under the derived-prefix design.
+
+### API
+
+| File | Change |
+|---|---|
+| `packages/api/src/agent-manager.ts` | Read `perm_send_to_tab` + `perm_read_tab` + add both to `permKey`; gate each tool independently; build `send_to_tab`/`read_tab` in **both** tool paths (permission path always; child path when `toolsOverride` includes them); add `deliverMessage()`; cold-tab key/model hydrate from DB on wake. Wire tool callbacks to `resolveTabPrefix`/`deliverMessage`/`getChunksForTab`/`getTabStatus`, passing `selfTabId = tabId` |
+| `packages/api/src/app.ts` | Refactor `POST /chat` to call `deliverMessage()` |
+
+> `tab-created` payload is **unchanged** (no `shortId`), and `routes/tabs.ts`
+> needs no change — the frontend derives handles from UUIDs it already receives.
+
+### Frontend
+
+| File | Change |
+|---|---|
+| `packages/frontend/src/lib/tabs.svelte.ts` | Add derived `shortHandleFor` / `{tabId→handle}` map (shortest-unique-prefix over open tabs). **No `Tab` field added** — it's derived, not stored |
+| `packages/frontend/src/lib/components/TabBar.svelte` | Render the derived handle badge on each tab |
+| `packages/frontend/src/lib/components/ToolPermissions.svelte` | Add two entries: `{ id: "send_to_tab", label: "Message other tabs" }` and `{ id: "read_tab", label: "Read other tabs" }` |
+| `packages/frontend/src/lib/settings.svelte.ts` | Add `send_to_tab: false` + `read_tab: false` to `toolPerms` + `savedToolPerms` defaults |
+| `packages/frontend/src/lib/components/AgentBuilder.svelte` *(if it lists tools)* | Include the two new tool names so agent definitions can grant them |
+
+---
+
+## Files NOT changing
+
+| File | Why |
+|---|---|
+| `packages/core/src/db/index.ts` | **No schema change** — handle is derived, not stored |
+| `packages/core/src/types/index.ts` | `tab-created` unchanged; no `shortId` on the wire |
+| `packages/core/src/tools/retrieve.ts` | Unchanged — peer reads use the new `read_tab`, not `retrieve` |
+| `packages/core/src/agent/agent.ts` | The agent loop already passes `queueCallbacks`/context to tools; no change needed |
+| DB `settings` table | Key-value; `perm_send_to_tab` / `perm_read_tab` need no migration |
+| Queue internals (`queueMessage`/`dequeueMessages`/`waitForQueuedMessage`) | Reused as-is |
+
+---
+
+## Testing
+
+- **`packages/core/tests/db/`** — `resolveTabPrefix`: exact UUID → ok; 4-char
+ unique → ok; colliding prefix → ambiguous with both matches; unknown → none;
+ case-insensitive (`6FE8` ↔ `6fe8`); wildcard injection (`%`, `_`) sanitized;
+ closed tabs excluded from matches.
+- **`packages/core/tests/tools/`** — `send_to_tab`: none → lists open handles;
+ ambiguous → asks for more chars; self-send rejected; provenance prefix applied;
+ calls `deliver`. `read_tab`: returns last assistant turn; empty history
+ message; status surfaced.
+- **Frontend** — shortest-unique-prefix: two tabs sharing 4 hex chars both render
+ 5; closing one lets the other shrink back to 4; single tab renders 4.
+- **`packages/api/tests/agent-manager.test.ts`** — `deliverMessage` routes
+ running→queue / idle→processMessage; cold-tab wake hydrates key/model from DB;
+ `perm_send_to_tab` / `perm_read_tab` each gate their tool independently + invalidate cache.
+- **`packages/api/tests/routes.test.ts`** — `POST /chat` still behaves after the
+ `deliverMessage` refactor.
+- Manual: tab A messages idle tab B (B wakes); A messages running tab B (queued,
+ consumed on B's next turn — see dependency below); A `read_tab` B; ambiguous
+ prefix prompts for one more char.
+
+---
+
+## Risks / edge cases / dependencies
+
+- **DEPENDENCY — "queue not consumed after turn" bug.** When the target is
+ **running**, `send_to_tab` queues the message. Per the separate wishlist item,
+ a queued message currently attaches at end-of-turn but does **not** kick off a
+ new turn (`agent.ts` end-of-loop pushes it to history then yields `done`). So
+ peer messages to a *busy* tab won't get a reply until that fix lands. The
+ **idle-wake** path is fully functional today. → Recommend fixing the queue-
+ consumption bug alongside, or shipping idle-wake first and calling out the
+ busy-tab limitation.
+- **Ambiguous prefix is a first-class outcome**, not an error to hide. Surface
+ the competing handles and ask for one more char (git's exact UX). Tests must
+ cover it.
+- **`LIKE` wildcard injection.** `%`/`_` in a raw prefix would broaden the match.
+ Sanitize to `[0-9a-f-]` + min length before querying. Covered by a test.
+- **Display vs resolution drift window.** The frontend computes a handle from its
+ known open tabs; the backend resolves against the DB. If they momentarily
+ disagree (a tab opened elsewhere a beat ago), the worst case is a `none`/
+ `ambiguous` the agent retries — self-correcting, no corruption.
+- **Cold-tab wake loses fallback chain.** An idle tab not in `tabAgents` (e.g.
+ after server restart) only has `key_id`/`model_id` in the DB — the agent
+ definition's multi-model `agentModels` fallback chain isn't persisted. Waking
+ it uses the single stored model (no fallback). Acceptable degradation; note it.
+ (Overlaps with the "key switching not migrating context" wishlist item.)
+- **Deadlock avoidance.** `read_tab` is intentionally non-blocking so two agents
+ can't wait on each other forever.
+- **Runaway agent ping-pong (livelock) — MITIGATED.** Two agents that each reply
+ to incoming messages (A wakes B wakes A ...) would spend tokens unbounded with
+ no human in the loop. Mitigation: an **origin-aware auto-wake budget** in
+ `AgentManager.deliverMessage`. Each tab carries `autoWakeBudget` (max
+ `MAX_AGENT_AUTO_WAKES = 6`). A `send_to_tab` call delivers with `origin:
+ "agent"`; waking an idle tab consumes one unit. At 0, further agent messages
+ are **queued but do NOT wake** the tab (`status: "suppressed"`) and a `notice`
+ system chunk is emitted; the `send_to_tab` tool returns a "HELD — do not keep
+ resending" message so the sender stops. Any human-originated delivery
+ (`POST /chat`, `origin: "human"`, the default) **refills the budget to full**,
+ so human-driven and bounded multi-hop delegation are unrestricted; only
+ unattended machine-to-machine cascades are capped. Messages are never dropped.
+- **Footguns behind a permission.** An agent could spam or wake the user's
+ personal tabs. Mitigations: `perm_send_to_tab` / `perm_read_tab` default **off**; self-send
+ blocked; provenance prefix makes the source visible to the user.
+- **Stale handle in tool description.** Unlike `summon`'s agent catalog, we do
+ NOT bake the live tab list into the tool description (it changes constantly).
+ Discovery is via the UI badge + the open-handle list returned on none/ambiguous.
+
+---
+
+## Suggested phasing
+
+1. **Phase 1 — Derived handles (Part A).** `resolveTabPrefix` (backend) +
+ shortest-unique-prefix display + TabBar badge. No schema change; shippable on
+ its own (useful even before the tools).
+2. **Phase 2 — Tools (Part B).** `send_to_tab` + `read_tab`, `deliverMessage`
+ refactor, `perm_send_to_tab` + `perm_read_tab`, permission UI + defaults, summon whitelist.
+3. **Phase 3 — Polish.** Optional "Agents" sidebar view; fix the
+ queue-consumption bug so busy-tab delivery replies without a nudge; optional
+ `wait` flag on `read_tab`.