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| author | Adam Malczewski <[email protected]> | 2026-06-02 15:09:58 +0900 |
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| committer | Adam Malczewski <[email protected]> | 2026-06-02 15:09:58 +0900 |
| commit | c0c08720cceb75b5e635e71190ae1f956f535133 (patch) | |
| tree | e251eba34a9b0200839c5ae2c7f6a2665776a01e /notes/plan-tab-comm.md | |
| parent | 045b1deb5e31d90f17128f8f6e1dc6e87ba5bc92 (diff) | |
| download | dispatch-c0c08720cceb75b5e635e71190ae1f956f535133.tar.gz dispatch-c0c08720cceb75b5e635e71190ae1f956f535133.zip | |
chore: remove notes/ plan & report docs; gitignore notes/ (keep wishlist local)
Diffstat (limited to 'notes/plan-tab-comm.md')
| -rw-r--r-- | notes/plan-tab-comm.md | 358 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 358 deletions
diff --git a/notes/plan-tab-comm.md b/notes/plan-tab-comm.md deleted file mode 100644 index 7acd804..0000000 --- a/notes/plan-tab-comm.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,358 +0,0 @@ -# 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`. |
