Photo routes: call the vision model off the event loop

docs/known-issues.md

@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ approved skills to `~/.codec/skills/` (or set `skills_dir` there) and say so on
 the page. Found in the Mac merge pass (P3.12 check). Revisit: before anyone
 approves a skill from the Learning page.
 
-## Three photo routes block the dashboard while the vision model answers (2026-10-07)
+## Three photo routes block the dashboard while the vision model answers (2026-10-07) — FIXED 2026-10-08 (asyncio.to_thread; tests/test_no_blocking_requests_in_async.py guards every async handler)
 
 `routes/media.py:webcam_capture`, `routes/upload.py:upload_image` and
 `routes/vision.py:vision_analyze` are `async` but call the vision model with

routes/media.py

@@ -66,8 +66,9 @@ async def webcam_capture(request: Request):
                     ]}],
                     "max_tokens": 4000, "temperature": 0.7
                 }
-                r = rq.post(f"{vision_url}/chat/completions", json=payload,
-                            headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"}, timeout=120)
+                # In a thread: on the event loop this froze the whole dashboard while the model answered.
+                r = await asyncio.to_thread(rq.post, f"{vision_url}/chat/completions", json=payload,
+                                            headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"}, timeout=120)
                 result["analysis"] = r.json()["choices"][0]["message"]["content"].strip()
                 result["model"] = vision_model
             except Exception as e:

routes/upload.py

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import asyncio
 import base64
 import json
 import logging
@@ -277,7 +278,9 @@ async def upload_image(request: Request):
             "chat_template_kwargs": {"enable_thinking": False},
         }
         t0 = time.time()
-        r = rq.post(f"{vision_url}/chat/completions", json=payload, headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"}, timeout=90)
+        # In a thread: on the event loop this froze the whole dashboard while the model answered.
+        r = await asyncio.to_thread(rq.post, f"{vision_url}/chat/completions", json=payload,
+                                    headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"}, timeout=90)
         answer = ""
         try:
             data = r.json()

routes/vision.py

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import asyncio
 import json
 import logging
 import re as _re_b64
@@ -63,7 +64,8 @@ async def vision_analyze(request: Request):
             "temperature": 0.7
         }
         headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
-        r = rq.post(f"{vision_url}/chat/completions", json=payload, headers=headers, timeout=120)
+        # In a thread: on the event loop this froze the whole dashboard while the model answered.
+        r = await asyncio.to_thread(rq.post, f"{vision_url}/chat/completions", json=payload, headers=headers, timeout=120)
         data = r.json()
         answer = data["choices"][0]["message"]["content"].strip()
         _audit_event("vision_request", prompt_len=len(prompt), prompt_preview=prompt[:100])

tests/test_no_blocking_requests_in_async.py

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+"""No blocking `requests` call inside an `async def` of the dashboard.
+
+A blocking call there stops the event loop: every page, poll and the voice socket
+wait until it returns. The vision warmup did this at startup (fixed 2026-10-07,
+#446), and three photo routes did it while a picture was analysed (webcam
+capture, image upload, vision). Put the call in `asyncio.to_thread(...)`.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import ast
+from pathlib import Path
+
+REPO = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+FILES = [REPO / "codec_dashboard.py", *sorted((REPO / "routes").glob("*.py"))]
+REQUEST_NAMES = {"requests", "rq", "_requests"}
+BLOCKING = {"get", "post", "put", "delete", "patch", "head", "request"}
+
+
+def _blocking_calls(path: Path) -> list:
+    tree = ast.parse(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    hits = []
+    for fn in ast.walk(tree):
+        if not isinstance(fn, ast.AsyncFunctionDef):
+            continue
+        for node in ast.walk(fn):
+            if (isinstance(node, ast.Call) and isinstance(node.func, ast.Attribute)
+                    and node.func.attr in BLOCKING and isinstance(node.func.value, ast.Name)
+                    and node.func.value.id in REQUEST_NAMES):
+                hits.append(f"{path.relative_to(REPO)}:{node.lineno} in {fn.name}()")
+    return hits
+
+
+def test_no_async_handler_calls_requests_on_the_event_loop():
+    hits = [h for f in FILES for h in _blocking_calls(f)]
+    assert not hits, "blocking requests call on the event loop: " + ", ".join(hits)
+
+
+def test_the_scan_catches_a_blocking_call(tmp_path):
+    bad = tmp_path / "bad.py"
+    bad.write_text("import requests as rq\nasync def h():\n    return rq.post('http://x')\n")
+    ok = tmp_path / "ok.py"
+    ok.write_text("import asyncio, requests as rq\nasync def h():\n    return await asyncio.to_thread(rq.post, 'http://x')\n")
+    global REPO
+    saved, REPO = REPO, tmp_path
+    try:
+        assert _blocking_calls(bad) == ["bad.py:3 in h()"] and _blocking_calls(ok) == []
+    finally:
+        REPO = saved