Restore the toggleable task-list panel above the prompt box

The task tool's writes and the director's onTasksChange callback survived
the OpenTUI cutover, but the chrome zone reading them only ever rendered a
single compact summary line, and the only toggle was a demo action that
overwrote the live data with hardcoded content. Give tasks their own
multi-row panel (chrome-state.ts's formatTasksPanel, mirroring the agents
panel's formatAgentsPanel but keyed on status rather than liveness) so each
task renders with a bracket status marker, distinct from the agents panel
below it. The task zone now takes boolean|number visibility and a real
row budget (TASKS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE, bounded and shrunk one row at a time
under space pressure) the same way agents already did, so it degrades
before the prompt box on a short terminal instead of growing unbounded or
disappearing in one step.

toggleTasksPanel hides/shows the panel independent of its live data — a
hidden flag on the shell that persists for the session while the raw task
list keeps updating underneath it, so un-hiding shows the current list
rather than a stale snapshot. The palette's toggle_task action now drives
this for real instead of stuffing fake content into the zone.

Also make RunnerHostDeps.subscribeChrome required rather than optional: an
omitted subscription used to type-check cleanly while silently freezing the
task/agents panels at their mount-time snapshot — the same
built-and-never-wired shape as the callback itself. runner-host.test.ts now
drives a live subscribeChrome notify through mountRunnerHost end to end and
asserts the panel actually repaints from it.

Author: TheGreatAxios

docs/TUI.md

@@ -98,6 +98,45 @@ 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.
+`task` sits ahead of `agents` in `COLLAPSE_ORDER`, so on a short terminal the
+task panel is always fully collapsed before the prompt box is ever touched —
+the prompt is never pushed off screen by a competing chrome zone.
+
+The panel is toggleable independent of its live data: `toggleTasksPanel`
+(bound to the `toggle_task` palette action) flips a hidden flag that persists
+on the shell for the life of the session, 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, because an omitted
+subscription used to type-check cleanly while silently leaving the panel
+frozen at its mount-time snapshot — a mechanism built and never wired, hidden
+behind an optional callback. `runner-host.test.ts` drives a live
+`subscribeChrome` notify end to end and asserts the panel actually repaints,
+so that class of regression fails a test again if it recurs.
+
 ## The live agents panel
 
 The `agents` chrome zone renders a standing panel above the transcript, one

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 +39,33 @@ 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: string shorthand (rendered as a single unstyled row) or 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[] | string | null
   /** Subagent sessions for the strip summary (running preferred). */
   readonly agents?: readonly ChromeAgentSession[] | null
   /**
@@ -94,13 +93,14 @@ 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 +110,7 @@ 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 +124,36 @@ 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. A bare string input renders as one
+ * row with no status marker: it is free-form summary text, not a task record.
+ */
+export function formatTasksPanel(
+  task: readonly ChromeTaskRow[] | string | 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)
+    return t.length === 0 ? null : [{ label: t, status: null }]
   }
 
-  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 +267,6 @@ 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/geometry/index.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export {
   PROMPT_CAP_FRACTION,
   PROMPT_IDLE_INPUT_ROWS,
   PROMPT_IDLE_ROWS,
+  TASKS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE,
   ZONE_IDS,
   ZONE_REGISTRY,
   zoneDeclaration,

src/tui-opentui/geometry/resolve.ts

@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ export type ZoneVisibility = {
   readonly progress?: boolean | 1 | 2;
   /** Progress divider (0–1). Default on when progress is shown. */
   readonly progressDivider?: boolean;
-  readonly task?: boolean;
+  /** Task panel: false/omit = 0 rows; true = 1 row; or an exact row count (bounded by the zone max). */
+  readonly task?: boolean | number;
   /** Agents panel: false/omit = 0 rows; true = 1 row; or an exact row count (bounded by the zone max). */
   readonly agents?: boolean | number;
   readonly pluginBanner?: boolean;
@@ -139,7 +140,7 @@ export function desiredHeights(input: GeometryInput): MutableHeights {
     progress_divider: progressDivider,
     notice: vis.notice === true ? 1 : ZONE_REGISTRY.notice.idleDefault,
     prompt: promptRows,
-    task: vis.task ? 1 : 0,
+    task: clamp(boolOrRows(vis.task, 1), 0, ZONE_REGISTRY.task.max),
     agents: clamp(boolOrRows(vis.agents, 1), 0, ZONE_REGISTRY.agents.max),
     plugin_banner: vis.pluginBanner ? 1 : 0,
     command_banner: clamp(
@@ -236,6 +237,24 @@ function collapseOnce(heights: MutableHeights, collapsed: ZoneId[]): ZoneId | nu
       return "progress";
     }
 
+    if (id === "task") {
+      // Shrink one row at a time rather than zeroing in one step, same
+      // rationale as "agents" below: a 1-row panel still carries the first
+      // task plus a "+N more" trailer, so it stays meaningful all the way
+      // down instead of vanishing under exactly the pressure an operator
+      // most needs to see it. This is also what keeps the task panel
+      // degrading before the prompt box: it sits ahead of "agents" and
+      // every other optional zone in COLLAPSE_ORDER.
+      if (h > 1) {
+        heights.task = h - 1;
+        if (!collapsed.includes("task")) collapsed.push("task");
+        return "task";
+      }
+      heights.task = 0;
+      if (!collapsed.includes("task")) collapsed.push("task");
+      return "task";
+    }
+
     if (id === "agents") {
       // Shrink one row at a time rather than zeroing in one step: a 1-row
       // panel still carries the stalest agent plus a "+N more" trailer

src/tui-opentui/geometry/zones.ts

@@ -41,6 +41,13 @@ export type ZoneDeclaration = {
  */
 export const AGENTS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE = 5;
 
+/**
+ * Bound on rendered task rows in the live task-list panel. Mirrors
+ * AGENTS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE: a large task list degrades to a trailing
+ * "+N more" row instead of growing the zone without limit.
+ */
+export const TASKS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE = 5;
+
 /**
  * Fixed-with-test budgets from the constitution table.
  * Residual zones (transcript, overlay_host) use min/max as floor/cap hints;
@@ -67,7 +74,16 @@ export const ZONE_REGISTRY: { readonly [K in ZoneId]: ZoneDeclaration } = {
     idleDefault: 5,
     alwaysOn: true,
   },
-  task: { id: "task", min: 0, max: 1, idleDefault: 0, alwaysOn: false },
+  // One row per task (bounded by TASKS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE) plus an optional
+  // trailing "+N more" row. Distinct panel from `agents`: a task is a unit
+  // of work with a status, not an executor.
+  task: {
+    id: "task",
+    min: 0,
+    max: TASKS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE + 1,
+    idleDefault: 0,
+    alwaysOn: false,
+  },
   // One row per running agent (bounded by AGENTS_PANEL_MAX_VISIBLE) plus an
   // optional trailing "+N more" row.
   agents: {

src/tui-opentui/keybindings.test.ts

@@ -656,6 +656,7 @@ describe("the runner host does not shadow the prompt bindings the catalog claims
       commands: [],
       onCommand: () => {},
       chrome: () => ({ agents: [] }),
+      subscribeChrome: () => () => {},
       subAgentSessions: () => [],
       createRenderer: async () => harness.renderer,
     })

src/tui-opentui/palette.ts

@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@ export const DEFAULT_PALETTE_COMMANDS: readonly PaletteCommand[] = [
   },
   {
     id: "toggle_task",
-    label: "Toggle task chrome",
-    keywords: ["task", "work", "chrome"],
+    label: "Toggle task list panel",
+    keywords: ["task", "work", "chrome", "list", "panel"],
     dispatch: "residual",
   },
   {

src/tui-opentui/runner-host.ts

@@ -106,8 +106,14 @@ export type RunnerHostDeps = {
   readonly onCommand: (name: string) => void
   /** Live chrome snapshot source, read on mount and on every notify. */
   readonly chrome: () => ChromeSessionInput
-  /** Registers a chrome-change notifier; returns an unsubscribe. */
-  readonly subscribeChrome?: (notify: () => void) => () => void
+  /**
+   * Registers a chrome-change notifier; returns an unsubscribe. Required, not
+   * optional: an omitted subscription used to type-check cleanly while
+   * silently leaving the task/agents panels frozen at their mount-time
+   * snapshot — the exact "mechanism built, never wired" shape this signature
+   * now makes impossible to omit by accident.
+   */
+  readonly subscribeChrome: (notify: () => void) => () => void
   /** Live subagent sessions for the palette observe action. */
   readonly subAgentSessions: () => readonly SubAgentSession[]
   /**
@@ -278,7 +284,7 @@ export async function mountRunnerHost(deps: RunnerHostDeps): Promise<RunnerHost>
   const pushChrome = (): void => {
     host.setChrome(chromeFromSession(deps.chrome()))
   }
-  const unsubscribeChrome = deps.subscribeChrome?.(pushChrome)
+  const unsubscribeChrome = deps.subscribeChrome(pushChrome)
 
   if (readModelLabel) setPromptModelLabel(host.shell, readModelLabel())