# 2026-07-14 — Tool timeline in sidebar + session analysis

**Status:** Planned

## Session analysis: `1d614a1f` (2026-07-14T09:21)

"Audit all homelab hosts and active LXCs for pending apt updates"

### What went well
- `list_lxcs(state="active")` worked — only returned live LXCs (our Phase 5 fix)
- Agent discovered that `apt-get update` on host targets gets classified as `config_mutation` (modifies apt cache) — all 9 needed approval, user bulk-approved
- 162 tool calls across 4 turns: 30 + 78 + 0 (auto-resume fail) + 54 = legitimate fleet audit
- Our Phase 1 fix worked: 3 auto-resume failures persisted "task is paused" notes instead of auto-failing

### What failed
- **Agent never called `complete_task`.** Session status stuck at `"planning"` despite:
  - `set_goal` called in first turn
  - 162 tool calls executed
  - Final message has full audit text
  - But `propose_plan` never cleared the gate — the agent entered planning and never left
- The 3 auto-resume failures filled the transcript with `[System: auto-resume failed…]` noise

### Root cause: `apt-get update` triggers `config_mutation` classification
- The command classifier correctly treats `apt-get update` as state-changing (it writes to the apt cache)
- But the agent just wanted to READ package lists. The audit batch of 9 `apt-get update` calls all needed approval
- Lesson: `apt-get update` should be in a separate audit/update pair where the audit phase uses a read-only inspection command (e.g. `apt list --upgradable` doesn't mutate cache)

### Tool usage pattern
- 30 tool calls in turn 1 (set_goal, propose_plan, list_lxcs, run × 9 for apt update on hosts, update_plan_step × 8, ask_operator)
- 78 tool calls in turn 3 (run × 25+ for apt audits, get_execution_status × 10+, update_plan_step × 10)
- 54 tool calls in turn 7 (final result synthesis)

These 162 tool calls are ALL rendered inline in chat today. The operator sees a massive wall of collapsed ToolCallGroup entries.

---

## Plan

### 1. Scroll fixes (DONE above)
- Activity bar moved to bottom of messages (before messagesEnd)
- Smart scroll: auto-scroll only during streaming OR when user is near bottom
- Scrolling up pauses auto-scroll until user sends a new message

### 2. Tool timeline in sidebar

**Goal:** Decouple tool execution noise from conversation. Chat shows agent's
thinking; sidebar shows what it's doing.

#### 2.1 — Chat: compact tool indicator
Replace the full ToolCallGroup in chat with a single compact line:
```
[N tools used — view in Activity]
```
- Clicking it opens/highlights the sidebar timeline
- Pending approvals still show inline in chat (InlineApproval stays)
- Inline tool renderers (entity cards, health summary, etc.) stay — they're
  informational, not noise

#### 2.2 — Sidebar: live tool timeline
The "This session" section (SessionDigest) becomes a live tool timeline:
- Each agent turn gets a timestamp header
- Within each turn: tool calls shown as a compact list with status icons
  (running spinner / done check / failed X)
- Tool names are the same compact format from ToolCallGroup
- Results stay collapsible (click to expand)
- Auto-scrolls to latest, but doesn't force-follow if user is reading history
- UPDATEs live (no reload needed) — same polling mechanism as SessionDigest

#### 2.3 — Sidebar: merge plan steps
PlanProgress and SessionDigest merge into one "Activity" panel:
- Top: plan steps with progress bar (from PlanProgress)
- Middle: live tool timeline (from SessionDigest)
- Bottom: knowledge created this session (from SessionDigest)

### 3. `complete_task` enforcement (session finding)

The agent called `set_goal` and then the task entered `planning` status.
But the flow is:
- `set_goal` → status changes to `planning`
- `propose_plan` → status changes to `executing`

The agent called `set_goal` but never `propose_plan` that clears `planning`.
Looking at the code: `setGoal` in store.go sets `status = 'planning'`, and 
`proposePlan` sets `status = 'executing'`. So the agent must have called 
`set_goal` but the subsequent `propose_plan` failed or the agent skipped it.

**Fix:** In `setGoal`, if the agent has enough information to propose a plan,
auto-transition to `executing` when the first tool call is made (not when
`set_goal` is called — that's too early). The status `planning` should only
stick if the agent explicitly calls `ask_operator` for more info. Otherwise,
status `planning` is indistinguishable from `active` — it just means the
agent never formalized the transition.