Restore the toggleable task-list panel above the prompt box

docs/TUI.md

@@ -98,6 +98,58 @@ uses the bronze/sand/ember chrome ramp and green (`UI.done`) for completion.
 The one deliberate exception is diff removals, where orange is content (the
 removed line), not a decision marker, and no decision-marker shares that row.
 
+## The live task list panel
+
+The `task` chrome zone renders a standing panel above the transcript, one row
+per task the task tool has written (`manage_tasks`) — distinct from the
+`agents` panel below it. A task is a unit of work with a status; an agent is
+an executor with its own context and transcript. The two are never merged
+into one panel: `formatTasksPanel` (`src/tui-opentui/chrome-state.ts`) and
+`formatAgentsPanel` are separate formatters feeding separate zones with
+separate row types (`TaskPanelRow` vs. `AgentPanelRow`).
+
+Each row shows a bracket status marker (`[ ]` todo, `[~]` doing, `[x]` done,
+`[-]` cancelled) ahead of the title. Terminal tasks still render — the panel
+is a live list of work, not just what remains — so an operator watching it
+sees a task move to `[x]` rather than have it silently vanish. The panel is
+bounded to `TASKS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE` rows, same shape as the agents panel: a
+longer list degrades to a trailing `+N more` row rather than growing the zone
+without limit, and it shrinks one row at a time under space pressure
+(`COLLAPSE_ORDER` in `geometry/zones.ts`) rather than vanishing in one step.
+
+Two independent mechanisms keep the task panel from ever costing the prompt
+box a row on a short terminal, and they guarantee different things.
+`COLLAPSE_ORDER` places `task` ahead of `prompt`, so `collapseOnce`
+(`geometry/resolve.ts`) always drains `task` to zero before it ever reduces
+`prompt` — that loop only runs when the transcript floor is not yet met, and
+it never touches a zone later in the order while an earlier one still has
+rows to give up. Separately, `PROMPT_CAP_FRACTION` in `desiredHeights` caps
+how tall a *requested* prompt is allowed to start at (`PROMPT_CAP_FRACTION *
+terminal.rows`), independent of collapse and before it ever runs. Neither
+mechanism substitutes for the other: the cap bounds the prompt's own growth
+on any terminal, tall or short; the collapse order bounds what other zones
+are allowed to take from it once the transcript floor is at risk.
+
+The panel is toggleable independent of its live data: `toggleTasksPanel`
+(bound to the `toggle_task` palette action) flips a hidden flag held on the
+shell for its lifetime — in memory only, nothing written to storage — while
+the live task list keeps updating underneath it. Un-hiding shows the current
+list, not a stale snapshot from before the hide. Hidden or empty, the zone
+costs zero rows.
+
+The task tool writes state through `ChatDirectorImpl` (`src/agent/director.ts`),
+which calls `onTasksChange` on every `manage_tasks` tool call and on session
+resume (`restoreTasks`). The runner forwards that into the OpenTUI host via
+`RunnerHostDeps.chrome`/`subscribeChrome` (`src/tui-opentui/runner-host.ts`):
+`subscribeChrome` is a required dependency, not optional. The production
+caller has always passed a real subscription, so this did not fix an
+observed break; it closes a shape that could have been omitted and would
+still have type-checked — the same "callback that types fine when absent"
+hazard this feature's own callback (`onTasksChange`) is named after in the
+tracking issue. `runner-host.test.ts` drives a live `subscribeChrome` notify
+end to end and asserts the panel actually repaints, so an omission would now
+fail a test as well as the type checker.
+
 ## The live agents panel
 
 The `agents` chrome zone renders a standing panel above the transcript, one

src/tui-opentui/chrome-state.test.ts

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import {
   chromeFromSession,
   formatAgentsPanel,
   formatChromeZones,
-  formatTaskLine,
+  formatTasksPanel,
   type ChromeLiveState,
 } from "./chrome-state"
 
@@ -28,19 +28,21 @@ describe("formatChromeZones", () => {
     })
   })
 
-  test("partial: task string only", () => {
-    const out = formatChromeZones({ task: "cutover readiness" })
-    expect(out.task).toBe("task: cutover readiness")
+  test("partial: task rows only", () => {
+    const out = formatChromeZones({
+      task: [{ title: "cutover readiness", status: "doing" }],
+    })
+    expect(out.task).toEqual([{ label: "cutover readiness", status: "doing" }])
     expect(out.agents).toBeNull()
   })
 
   test("full state formats both zones", () => {
     const state: ChromeLiveState = {
-      task: {
-        title: "chrome live helper",
-        status: "doing",
-        remaining: 2,
-      },
+      task: [
+        { title: "chrome live helper", status: "doing" },
+        { title: "wire chrome zone", status: "todo" },
+        { title: "wire agents zone", status: "todo" },
+      ],
       agents: [
         {
           agentId: "explore",
@@ -58,7 +60,11 @@ describe("formatChromeZones", () => {
       ],
     }
     const out = formatChromeZones(state, NOW)
-    expect(out.task).toBe("task: chrome live helper (+2)")
+    expect(out.task).toEqual([
+      { label: "chrome live helper", status: "doing" },
+      { label: "wire chrome zone", status: "todo" },
+      { label: "wire agents zone", status: "todo" },
+    ])
     expect(out.agents).toEqual([
       {
         label: "explore: map setChromeZones callers",
@@ -95,53 +101,50 @@ describe("formatChromeZones", () => {
   })
 })
 
-describe("formatTaskLine", () => {
-  test("string / empty", () => {
-    expect(formatTaskLine(null)).toBeNull()
-    expect(formatTaskLine("")).toBeNull()
-    expect(formatTaskLine("  ")).toBeNull()
-    expect(formatTaskLine("wire host")).toBe("task: wire host")
+describe("formatTasksPanel", () => {
+  test("null / undefined hide the zone", () => {
+    expect(formatTasksPanel(null)).toBeNull()
+    expect(formatTasksPanel(undefined)).toBeNull()
   })
 
-  test("structured with remaining", () => {
+  test("each row carries its own status", () => {
     expect(
-      formatTaskLine({
-        title: "format chrome",
-        status: "doing",
-        remaining: 1,
-      }),
-    ).toBe("task: format chrome (+1)")
-  })
-
-  test("terminal structured hides", () => {
-    expect(
-      formatTaskLine({ title: "done item", status: "done" }),
-    ).toBeNull()
-  })
-
-  test("rows pick doing and remaining", () => {
-    expect(
-      formatTaskLine([
+      formatTasksPanel([
         { title: "first", status: "done" },
         { title: "second", status: "doing" },
         { title: "third", status: "todo" },
       ]),
-    ).toBe("task: second (+1)")
+    ).toEqual([
+      { label: "first", status: "done" },
+      { label: "second", status: "doing" },
+      { label: "third", status: "todo" },
+    ])
   })
 
-  test("rows all terminal hide", () => {
+  test("terminal (done/cancelled) rows still render — the panel is a live list, not just what remains", () => {
     expect(
-      formatTaskLine([
+      formatTasksPanel([
         { title: "a", status: "done" },
         { title: "b", status: "cancelled" },
       ]),
-    ).toBeNull()
+    ).toEqual([
+      { label: "a", status: "done" },
+      { label: "b", status: "cancelled" },
+    ])
   })
 
-  test("does not double-prefix", () => {
-    expect(formatTaskLine("task: already prefixed")).toBe(
-      "task: already prefixed",
-    )
+  test("empty array hides", () => {
+    expect(formatTasksPanel([])).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  test("bounds fan-out to maxVisible plus a +N more row", () => {
+    const rows = Array.from({ length: 8 }, (_, i) => ({
+      title: `task ${i}`,
+      status: "todo" as const,
+    }))
+    const out = formatTasksPanel(rows, 5)
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(6)
+    expect(out?.[5]).toEqual({ label: "+3 more", status: null })
   })
 })
 
@@ -300,7 +303,10 @@ describe("chromeFromSession", () => {
     ])
 
     const zones = formatChromeZones(state, NOW)
-    expect(zones.task).toBe("task: wire catalogs (+1)")
+    expect(zones.task).toEqual([
+      { label: "wire catalogs", status: "doing" },
+      { label: "export index", status: "todo" },
+    ])
     expect(zones.agents).toEqual([
       { label: "explore: map callers", tail: " · grep", stalled: false },
     ])

src/tui-opentui/chrome-state.ts

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
  */
 
 import { agentProgress, DEFAULT_STALL_MS } from "./agent-progress.js"
-import { AGENTS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE } from "./geometry/zones.js"
+import { AGENTS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE, TASKS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE } from "./geometry/zones.js"
 import type { ChromeZoneContent } from "./shell.js"
 
 /** Subagent row shape for the agents chrome panel (store-agnostic). */
@@ -39,34 +39,32 @@ export type ChromeAgentSession = {
   readonly lastActivityAt?: number
 }
 
-/**
- * Task / Work chrome input.
- * Empty title or all-terminal lists → zone hidden when formatting from tasks[].
- */
-export type ChromeTaskState = {
-  /** Current doing (or next todo) title. */
-  readonly title: string
-  readonly status?: "todo" | "doing" | "done" | "cancelled"
-  /** Other active tasks beyond the current one. */
-  readonly remaining?: number
-}
-
-/** Lightweight task row for list → compact line. */
+/** Lightweight task row: title + status, as written by the task tool. */
 export type ChromeTaskRow = {
   readonly title: string
   readonly status: "todo" | "doing" | "done" | "cancelled"
 }
 
+/**
+ * One rendered task-panel row. `status` is null for a non-task row (the
+ * "+N more" trailer, or a bare-string task input with no structured status)
+ * so the renderer knows not to paint a status marker for it.
+ */
+export type TaskPanelRow = {
+  readonly label: string
+  readonly status: "todo" | "doing" | "done" | "cancelled" | null
+}
+
 /**
  * Full live chrome snapshot. Missing / null fields hide that zone.
  * Prefer pushing a complete snapshot on every update.
  */
 export type ChromeLiveState = {
   /**
-   * Compact task line: string shorthand, structured current task, or a list
-   * of work rows (formatter picks the active item like Ink TaskView compact).
+   * Task list: the structured rows the task tool writes. Distinct from
+   * `agents` — a task is a unit of work with a status, not an executor.
    */
-  readonly task?: ChromeTaskState | ChromeTaskRow[] | string | null
+  readonly task?: readonly ChromeTaskRow[] | null
   /** Subagent sessions for the strip summary (running preferred). */
   readonly agents?: readonly ChromeAgentSession[] | null
   /**
@@ -94,13 +92,14 @@ export type AgentPanelRow = {
 
 /** Always-populated result for setChromeZones (null = hide zone). */
 export type FormattedChromeZones = {
-  readonly task: string | null
+  /** One row per rendered task-panel line (null = hide zone, zero rows). */
+  readonly task: readonly TaskPanelRow[] | null
   /** One row per rendered agents-panel line (null = hide zone, zero rows). */
   readonly agents: readonly AgentPanelRow[] | null
 }
 
 /**
- * Format structured live state into chrome zone lines for setChromeZones.
+ * Format structured live state into chrome zone rows for setChromeZones.
  *
  * Empty / partial / inactive inputs yield null for the corresponding zone
  * so geometry collapses that strip (idleDefault 0).
@@ -110,7 +109,7 @@ export function formatChromeZones(
   nowMs: number = Date.now(),
 ): FormattedChromeZones {
   return {
-    task: formatTaskLine(state.task),
+    task: formatTasksPanel(state.task),
     agents: formatAgentsPanel(state.agents, state.observe, nowMs),
   }
 }
@@ -124,43 +123,30 @@ export function chromeZonesContent(state: ChromeLiveState): ChromeZoneContent {
   return formatChromeZones(state)
 }
 
-export function formatTaskLine(
-  task: ChromeTaskState | ChromeTaskRow[] | string | null | undefined,
-): string | null {
+/**
+ * Format the live task-list panel: one row per task, bounded to `maxVisible`
+ * with a trailing "+N more" row, mirroring `formatAgentsPanel`'s shape but
+ * keyed on status (not liveness) since a task has no clock of its own.
+ *
+ * Terminal tasks (done/cancelled) still render — the panel is a live list of
+ * work, not just what remains — so an operator watching it sees a task move
+ * to "done" rather than silently vanish.
+ */
+export function formatTasksPanel(
+  task: readonly ChromeTaskRow[] | null | undefined,
+  maxVisible: number = TASKS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE,
+): readonly TaskPanelRow[] | null {
   if (task === null || task === undefined) return null
 
-  if (typeof task === "string") {
-    const t = task.trim()
-    return t.length === 0 ? null : compactLine("task", t)
-  }
-
-  if (Array.isArray(task)) {
-    return formatTaskLineFromRows(task)
-  }
-
-  const title = task.title.trim()
-  if (title.length === 0) return null
-  if (task.status === "done" || task.status === "cancelled") return null
+  const rows: TaskPanelRow[] = task
+    .map((t) => ({ label: t.title.trim(), status: t.status }))
+    .filter((r) => r.label.length > 0)
+  if (rows.length === 0) return null
 
-  const remaining =
-    task.remaining !== undefined && task.remaining > 0
-      ? ` (+${task.remaining})`
-      : ""
-  return compactLine("task", `${title}${remaining}`)
-}
-
-function formatTaskLineFromRows(rows: readonly ChromeTaskRow[]): string | null {
-  const active = rows.filter(
-    (t) => t.status !== "done" && t.status !== "cancelled",
-  )
-  if (active.length === 0) return null
-  const doing = active.find((t) => t.status === "doing")
-  const current = doing ?? active[0]!
-  const title = current.title.trim()
-  if (title.length === 0) return null
-  const remaining = active.length - 1
-  const suffix = remaining > 0 ? ` (+${remaining})` : ""
-  return compactLine("task", `${title}${suffix}`)
+  const visible = rows.slice(0, maxVisible)
+  const hidden = rows.length - visible.length
+  if (hidden > 0) visible.push({ label: `+${hidden} more`, status: null })
+  return visible
 }
 
 /**
@@ -274,14 +260,6 @@ export function annotateAgentTools(
   }
 }
 
-function compactLine(prefix: string, body: string): string {
-  const b = body.trim()
-  if (b.length === 0) return `${prefix}:`
-  // Avoid double-prefix if host already included it.
-  if (b.toLowerCase().startsWith(`${prefix}:`)) return b
-  return `${prefix}: ${b}`
-}
-
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Session-shaped → ChromeLiveState (loose mapping for product host push)
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

src/tui-opentui/demo.ts

@@ -277,7 +277,9 @@ renderer.keyInput.on("keypress", (key: KeyEvent) => {
     setChromeZones(shell, {
       task: on
         ? null
-        : formatChromeZones({ task: "cutover readiness" }).task,
+        : formatChromeZones({
+            task: [{ title: "cutover readiness", status: "doing" }],
+          }).task,
     })
     return
   }