# 2026-07-14 — Unified agent activity indicator

**Status:** Planned

## Current state — three separate indicators

| Component | Location | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Loading dots (Chat.svelte:146) | Inline in assistant bubble | 3 bouncing dots when no text/tools yet |
| ToolCallGroup trigger row | Inline in assistant bubble | "12 tools" with spinner |
| Activity bar | Bottom of message list | "Agent is responding…" / "Working" / Continue button |

All three overlap. The operator sees dots → then a tool count → then the activity bar — three different visual styles for the same thing: "the agent is working."

## Target: single indicator appended to conversation

One row, always the last item in the message list, that replaces the loading dots, ToolCallGroup summary, and activity bar. Think of it like a system message appended at the end of the conversation.

### Behavior

```
User: "audit fleet"
Assistant: "I'll check all hosts. Here's the plan..."  ← full message bubble

┌─ Agent is auditing… ───────────────────┐
│ ◉ apt update on lxc:jellyfin          │  ← spinner + current action
└────────────────────────────────────────┘

... agent finishes ...

Assistant: "Done. 19 LXCs have pending updates."  ← next message bubble
```

The indicator:
- **Appears** when the agent starts working (first `tool_use` event or `streaming=true`)
- **Updates** its description with the current tool name in flight
- **Collapses/disappears** when the turn ends (`done` event or `streaming=false`)
- If there were tools, shows a brief completion summary for 3 seconds then fades
- During auto-continuation (polling picks up new messages), reappears if the agent did tool calls

### States

| State | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Thinking | ◉ pulse | "Agent is thinking…" |
| Planning | ◉ pulse | "Building plan…" |
| Researching | ◉ pulse | "Researching <entity>…" |
| Executing | ◉ spinner | "<tool_name> <target>…" |
| Done | ✓ | Fades out after 3s |

### Data source

The description comes from the most recent `tool_use` event's name + args. If no tools yet, show generic "thinking" message. The derived `toolTimeline` store already has this data.

## Implementation

### 1. New component: `AgentIndicator.svelte`

**Props:** `active: boolean`, `lastTool: ToolCallResult | null`, `toolCount: number`

Renders a single compact row:
```html
<div class="activity-indicator">
  <LoaderCircle class="animate-spin" /> <!-- or CheckIcon when done -->
  <span>{label}</span>
</div>
```

`label` is derived:
```ts
const label = $derived.by(() => {
  if (!active) return ''
  if (!lastTool) return 'Agent is thinking…'
  const args = lastTool.args ?? {}
  switch (lastTool.name) {
    case 'set_goal': return 'Setting goal…'
    case 'propose_plan': return 'Building plan…'
    case 'search_knowledge': return `Researching: ${args.query ?? ''}`
    case 'get_entity': return `Looking up ${args.slug_or_id ?? ''}`
    case 'run': return `${args.purpose ?? 'Running command…'}`
    case 'list_lxcs': return 'Listing containers…'
    case 'update_plan_step': return 'Updating progress…'
    case 'upsert_knowledge': return 'Recording knowledge…'
    case 'complete_task': return 'Wrapping up…'
    default: return `${lastTool.name}…`
  }
})
```

### 2. Chat.svelte changes

- **Remove** activity bar from bottom of messages
- **Replace** the 3 bouncing dots `{#if msg.tools.length === 0}` with nothing (the indicator covers this)
- **Add** `<AgentIndicator>` after the `{#each}` loop, before `messagesEnd`
- The indicator shows when `$streaming || liveStatus === 'executing'`
- Pass `lastTool` from `$toolTimeline` — the last tool_use entry

### 3. Remove activity bar code

Delete the `{#if $currentSession && $messages.length > 0}` block at the bottom (already moved once, now deleted entirely — replaced by AgentIndicator).

### 4. Remove loading dots

In Chat.svelte, remove the 3 bouncing dots block:
```svelte
{:else if msg.tools.length === 0}
  <div class="flex items-center gap-1.5 py-1 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
    <span class="size-1.5 animate-bounce rounded-full bg-current ...">...</span>
  </div>
```

## Verification

- Send "status" → indicator appears "Agent is thinking…" → agent responds → indicator fades
- Send "check updates on jellyfin" → indicator shows "Researching…" → "Listing containers…" → "Running apt list…" → fades
- Auto-continuation fires → indicator reappears with current tool → fades when done
- Scroll up during agent work → indicator stays at bottom of message list (it's just a message)
- Error during agent work → indicator shows "Error: …" with X icon