Budget multi-line settings banner and keep diagnostics on unconfigured path

Author: TheGreatAxios

src/config.test.ts

@@ -94,6 +94,29 @@ describe("loadConfig", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  test("threads local settings diagnostics on unconfigured early return", async () => {
+    const cwd = await emptyCwd();
+    try {
+      await mkdir(join(cwd, ".corbits"), { recursive: true });
+      await writeFile(
+        join(cwd, ".corbits", "settings.json"),
+        JSON.stringify({ unknownKey: true, anotherJunk: 1 }),
+      );
+      const result = await loadConfig(["--cwd", cwd, "do it"], {
+        globalSettingsPath: NO_SETTINGS,
+        allowUnconfigured: true,
+      });
+      expect(result.configured).toBe(false);
+      if (result.configured === false) {
+        expect(result.settingsDiagnostics).toBeDefined();
+        expect(result.settingsDiagnostics!.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+        expect(result.settingsDiagnostics!.some((d) => /unknown/i.test(d.message))).toBe(true);
+      }
+    } finally {
+      await rm(cwd, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   test("UnconfiguredConfig.globalSettingsPath reflects --config path, not the global default", async () => {
     const cwd = await emptyCwd();
     try {

src/config/index.ts

@@ -269,6 +269,12 @@ export type UnconfiguredConfig = {
   globalSettingsPath: string;
   // The original error message, used for non-TUI (exec) error output.
   providerError: string;
+  /**
+   * Fail-open diagnostics from local settings load. Still threaded on the
+   * unconfigured path so junk local files surface via stderr/banner rather
+   * than disappearing when provider setup fails early.
+   */
+  settingsDiagnostics?: SettingsLoadDiagnostic[];
 };
 
 export type LoadConfigOptions = {
@@ -458,6 +464,9 @@ export async function loadConfig(
       command,
       globalSettingsPath: effectiveSettingsPath,
       providerError: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
+      // Keep diagnostics even when provider setup fails early so junk local
+      // files still reach stderr (exec) / banner (TUI after onboarding).
+      ...(settingsDiagnostics.length > 0 ? { settingsDiagnostics } : {}),
     };
   }
 

src/index.ts

@@ -20,9 +20,12 @@ export async function mainWithRunners(
   runners: Runners,
 ): Promise<number> {
   const config = await loadConfig(argv, { allowUnconfigured: true });
-  // Exec has no Ink surface for settings diagnostics — fail-open must still
-  // tell the operator what was ignored and how to fix it.
-  if (config.configured && config.command === "exec" && config.settingsDiagnostics !== undefined) {
+  // Exec has no Ink banner; unconfigured TUI goes to onboarding without the
+  // main-screen notice. Surface fail-open diagnostics on stderr for those
+  // paths so junk local files are never silent.
+  const surfaceDiagnosticsOnStderr =
+    config.command === "exec" || !config.configured;
+  if (surfaceDiagnosticsOnStderr && config.settingsDiagnostics !== undefined) {
     for (const d of config.settingsDiagnostics) {
       process.stderr.write(`settings: ${d.message}\n  fix: ${d.fix}\n`);
     }

src/tui/app.tsx

@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ import {
   taskChromeRowCount,
   pluginChromeRowCount,
   extraChromeRowCount,
+  settingsNoticeRowCount,
 } from "./chrome-geometry.js";
 import { progressChromeRowCount } from "./chrome-zones.js";
 import {
@@ -563,7 +564,11 @@ export function App({
   const extraChromeRows = extraChromeRowCount({
     mcpNeedsAuthCount: mcpStatus.needsAuth.length,
     commandMessagePresent: commandMessage !== null,
-    settingsNoticePresent: settingsNotice !== null,
+    // Multi-line banner: 2 rows per diagnostic + Esc hint; 0 when dismissed.
+    settingsNoticeRows:
+      settingsNotice === null
+        ? 0
+        : settingsNoticeRowCount(settingsDiagnostics?.length ?? 0),
     goalChromeRows,
     taskChromeRows,
     pluginChromeRows,

src/tui/chrome-geometry.ts

@@ -68,10 +68,21 @@ export function pluginChromeRowCount(args: {
   return 6 + list.length + widestCreds + 2;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Rows for the settings diagnostics banner: each diagnostic is two lines
+ * (`Settings warning: …` + `  Fix: …`) plus one Esc-dismiss hint. Pass 0 when
+ * the banner is absent or dismissed.
+ */
+export function settingsNoticeRowCount(diagnosticCount: number): number {
+  if (diagnosticCount <= 0) return 0;
+  return diagnosticCount * 2 + 1;
+}
+
 export function extraChromeRowCount(args: {
   mcpNeedsAuthCount: number;
   commandMessagePresent: boolean;
-  settingsNoticePresent?: boolean;
+  /** Multi-line settings banner rows (0 when dismissed). Prefer settingsNoticeRowCount. */
+  settingsNoticeRows?: number;
   goalChromeRows: number;
   taskChromeRows: number;
   pluginChromeRows: number;
@@ -87,8 +98,7 @@ export function extraChromeRowCount(args: {
   return (
     (args.mcpNeedsAuthCount > 0 ? 1 : 0) +
     (args.commandMessagePresent ? 1 : 0) +
-    // Settings diagnostics banner is multi-line; budget 2 rows (message + Esc hint).
-    (args.settingsNoticePresent === true ? 2 : 0) +
+    (args.settingsNoticeRows ?? 0) +
     args.goalChromeRows +
     args.taskChromeRows +
     args.pluginChromeRows +