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PaperClipAI/maps/feature-map/tasks.md
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DottaandPaperclip 7e27bc5007 fix(tasks): keep anchored opens compact and stabilize saved cards (#18092)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work.
> - Task pages must make the current instruction and recent conversation
readable quickly.
> - Compact startup avoids reading all earlier messages and run
activity.
> - Every URL fragment previously selected the full-history path, even
for documents.
> - Saved document cards also arrived after the conversation was
visible. PR statistics could add another row later.
> - This pull request keeps anchors compact and reveals the saved
conversation structure together.
> - The benefit is stable reading position without loading unrelated
history.

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

Related: #17593 introduced compact startup. #14667 covers earlier reveal
and scroll work. This fix retains the bounded history contract.

**What happened?**

Opening a task document link loaded all task history. Ordinary cold
opens could reveal messages before saved document cards and plans
arrived. Later PR metadata added a statistics row and changed card
height.

**Expected behavior**

Every URL fragment keeps compact startup. Document links open their
pane. Older-comment links fetch only the target comment. Saved cards
keep their geometry after first reveal.

**Steps to reproduce**

1. Create a task with many comments, a saved plan, documents and saved
PR work products.
2. Delay the enriched task response and open the task. Observe cards
inserted after messages appear.
3. Open a document fragment. Observe full comment, activity and run
reads.
4. Delay PR metadata refresh. Observe each card grow when diff counts
arrive.

## What Changed

- Remove fragment and tab checks from automatic history expansion.
Resolve validated comment UUIDs through the authorized single-comment
endpoint, encode their path components, retain fetched targets across
document navigation, and preserve cancellation/deletion cache updates.
- Include the saved plan, document metadata and local work-product
projection in the core task read. Skip recovery, workspace and
related-task enrichment. Do not refresh providers. Summary queries no
longer select other document bodies.
- Seed saved work-product and plan queries from core, including already
pending or errored reads, without replacing known lists or an
authoritative empty result. Coordinate the bounded recent reads, saved
cards, latest transcript and settled initial pane width before first
reveal. Keep the thread and composer mounted during refresh and explicit
expansion.
- Open continuation summaries in the document pane. Reserve PR
statistics geometry while provider metadata loads.
- Add a reusable synthetic local task, nine browser checks, frame
measurements and video. Extend the PostgreSQL core-route fixture with a
saved PR row and assert its identity, URL, state and stored metadata
survive the response. Update design guidance and capability maps.

## Verification

- Red: visible document/plan cards changed from 0 to 1 to 4; thread
height grew from 690 to 1,432 pixels. Green: all seven saved cards
appear before reveal, with constant thread height and zero per-card
movement in the final reviewed browser run. The final 1,492-pixel layout
includes the reserved PR statistics lines.
- Red: delayed PR diff counts changed all three cards from 62 to 82
pixels. Green: their heights stay at 82 pixels before and after metadata
refresh.
- Nine browser journeys pass: delayed enrichment,
document/comment/unknown/continuation anchors, document clicks and
explicit history expansion with a retained draft, missing-comment retry,
delayed PR statistics, and retained older-comment position after
document navigation.
- 583 focused UI tests passed on `c91fa107ba`. After the plan-cache
follow-up, all 212 affected page/cache/plan-hook tests and UI typecheck
pass, including 14 plan-hook cases. The original 16 focused PostgreSQL
tests passed for the server changes.
- Merge-review red: holding the duplicate stored work-products read
blocked the first reveal past 10 seconds despite core already containing
the saved cards. Both empty and populated core projections now reveal
while that request remains pending. Malformed-comment tests prove no
target request is made; API tests prove path encoding and abort-signal
forwarding.
- The populated core-route test now inserts a real saved PR work product
alongside the plan and documents, then checks the complete saved
projection through HTTP. All ten task cold-open PostgreSQL tests pass.
- Plan-cache review red: an existing pending or errored plan query
prevented the saved core plan from reaching the consumer. Four real-hook
cases failed before the data-presence fix and pass afterward, for both
present and absent plans. A separately fetched newer plan or known
absent plan remains authoritative.
- Further layout red: the initial properties pane reduced visible thread
width from 775 to 742 pixels after reveal. The reveal now waits for two
stable width frames; the browser check includes width, height, card
counts and per-card geometry.
- `pnpm -r typecheck` and `pnpm build` passed for the original change;
UI typecheck and build pass after review fixes. Token, module-boundary
and map checks pass. `pnpm test:run` was stopped after about 15 minutes
in the serialized server lane. No full local test-suite pass is claimed.
On the earlier head, hosted build/typecheck and all Vitest lanes passed;
one E2E shard failed because the agent-configuration clipboard helper
copied page text into its YAML parser. On `c91fa107ba`, Greptile was 5/5
and every E2E shard passed, including the earlier clipboard case. One
unchanged Discord chat-binding test in server shard 8 returned false
after 185 ms; its 16-test integration file passes locally without
changes. The CI cause remains unestablished. On `be436ce492`, both
server shard 8 and E2E shard 7 passed without changing those tests or
their product code. On final head `e357b3bced`, all CI jobs pass,
including full general and serialized tests, all eight E2E shards,
typecheck, build and the aggregate verification gate. Exact-head
Greptile is 5/5 with no findings. The overall status rollup contains 55
successes, two intentionally skipped Storybook checks and a neutral
Paperclip Review. That advisory review ended without a complete
assessment; all previously posted findings are resolved and it added no
current findings.
- Test startup exceeded an initial 5-second deadline once while
development assets and other checks were active. The final browser
checks allow 10 seconds. These runs establish geometry and bounded
requests; they do not establish a reliable latency improvement. An
initial 503 error fixture exercised global reconnect/backoff. The
target-comment failure test uses a terminal 404.
- Browser data is synthetic. Provider metadata is simulated for the
delayed-response check. No staging deployment or live provider execution
is claimed.

## Risks

- Core task reads now include local saved-card queries and the saved
plan body. Other document bodies and all historical run activity remain
outside that path.
- First reveal waits for the bounded current structure. The existing
15-second incomplete-history fallback and inline retry remain available.
- Continuation-summary links open in the document pane in the current
task interface. Classic tasks keep their existing surface.
- No migration or mutation permission change.

## Model Used

OpenAI Codex, GPT-6 family, with reasoning, code editing, shell tools
and browser testing. The exact serving model ID and context-window size
are not exposed in this session.

## Checklist

- [x] I have included a thinking path that traces from project context
to this change
- [x] I have specified the model used (with version and capability
details)
- [x] I have checked ROADMAP.md and confirmed this PR does not duplicate
planned core work
- [x] I have searched GitHub for duplicate or related PRs and linked
them above
- [x] I have either (a) linked existing issues with `Fixes: #` / `Closes
#` / `Refs #` OR (b) described the issue in-PR following the relevant
issue template
- [x] I have not referenced internal/instance-local Paperclip issues or
links (only public GitHub `#NNN` / `github.com/paperclipai/paperclip`
URLs)
- [x] My branch name describes the change (e.g. `docs/...`, `fix/...`)
and contains no internal Paperclip ticket id or instance-derived details
- [x] I have run tests locally and they pass
- [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable
- [x] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes
- [x] I have considered and documented any risks above
- [x] All Paperclip CI gates are green
- [x] Greptile is 5/5 with no open P2s, recommendations, or follow-ups
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge

---------

Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
2026-10-29 09:13:01 -05:00

17 KiB
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section sectionOrder order
Tasks and conversations 20 10

Task creation and lifecycle

People create, assign, organize, discuss, and finish tasks. A task retains its owner, project, priority, history, and outputs as it moves through the work lifecycle.

Feature ID: tasks.

Implementation: new task, task list, task detail.

Agent access: companion.

Sub-features

  • create: tasks/create — capture a title/request with the intended agent, project, and attachments.

  • organize: tasks/organize — filter, sort, group, and navigate tasks without losing the selected context.

  • properties: tasks/properties — change status, priority, assignee, project, and relationships where authorized.

  • discussion: tasks/discussion — persist comments, references, and files on the task.

  • completion: tasks/completion — distinguish backlog, active work, review, blocked, done, and cancelled outcomes.

  • privacy: tasks/privacy — create private tasks, share or revoke access, and inspect parent/project inheritance before changing visibility.

The Product task-properties journey checks only assignment to the signed-in user and persistence after reload. Its source is reusable across self-hosted and Cloud; Cloud live qualification is separate. It does not cover other property operations or agent authorization.

How to get to it (user POV)

Cold collection loads use a lightweight index and batched hierarchy context, then fetch diagnostic details for visible rows. Delay the index, hierarchy, and visible-row details independently when verifying tasks/organize: row heights, title bounds, and the first-row origin should remain stable. Test nested expansion, scrolling to more rows, and detail/back navigation; a collection projection must never suppress the full task instruction fetch.

new-task

Use New task from the global launcher, task list, or project task view.

task-list

Open /issues or a project’s Issues view; legacy /tasks links redirect.

task-detail

Open /issues/:issueId from a row, mention, or direct link. Cold opens show the instruction, recent exchange and saved cards together. No URL fragment expands history; older-comment anchors fetch only their target, and document anchors open the pane. More messages appears only when earlier comments or runs are omitted and loads that history. Fresh tasks with no omitted history have no disclosure. A single legacy run with a truncated log offers More run output instead. More task actions → Show task activity loads full activity even for a single native run; incoming messages remain visible while the task stays open.

task-sharing

Use the privacy control in New task, or open an existing task’s menu and choose Make private, Share…, or Make public where allowed. The share sheet lists direct grants and inherited access from private ancestors or project membership. Inherited rows have no local revoke action; manage that access at its source.

Driving it with Playwright and the Paperclip CLI

Preconditions: follow the baseline. Use a disposable project. Persistence checks can assign work to Me or leave it unassigned; execution checks additionally need an invokable test agent. Record whether a real or simulated harness handles execution.

Operation checkpoints

Use these checks alongside the entry-point recipes below and the operation records in the access companion. Record the actual actor, surface, saved result and denial separately. Source review and linked tests do not establish a live pass.

Capability ID Action and persisted result Denial, race and retry checks
tasks/create Create an unassigned task or assign it to Me; save its description and context, then reopen and reload the exact task. Exercise required fields, inaccessible parents/projects, and the same API creation key with identical and changed input. Compare task IDs and run counts; saving a draft is not creation.
tasks/organize Find the saved task through list, project, filter, and direct-link surfaces; change supported labels separately. Compare another actor’s private results and another company. Distinguish browser sorting/grouping preferences from saved task data.
tasks/properties Change title, metadata, assignee, dependencies, work mode, execution settings, and monitor/watchdog configuration as separate operations. Reload each saved change. Use an occupied checkout, stale status version, invalid dependency, stopped run, and disallowed mode. Check the specific rejection and unchanged fields; a successful title edit does not establish assignment authority.
tasks/discussion Post a unique comment, reload, and inspect attribution. Read history, inspect a queued message, and delete only an owned disposable comment where allowed. Separate an ordinary comment from steering or a wake. Check inaccessible task history, author-only deletion, queued cancellation, and duplicate delivery. Feedback votes have their own human authority.
tasks/completion Complete, block, request review, reopen, and cancel separate disposable tasks through offered controls. Inspect the saved outcome, review gates, and execution state. Test pending dependencies/reviews, a stale or active checkout, and late writes after handoff. Terminal status does not prove provider stop or saved files. Verify checkout/release and destructive deletion separately from completion.
tasks/privacy Create private work with a responsible person; share a child, inspect direct/inherited rows, revoke a direct grant, and check publication constraints. Use separate ordinary people and an actual agent. Shared readers cannot manage grants; ancestor/project access changes at its source. Reload and retry discovery/direct reads after revocation; keep unrelated direct grants.

new-task

Automated: board dialogs checks that the task form appears on the first synchronous open and retains its draft across reopen. Creation dialog covers typing while agent/project requests are pending and retaining that text when defaults arrive. These are component checks with mocked requests.

Manual: Create a uniquely named task with an agent and project. Open its resulting link and reload. Confirm text, attachment, assignment, and project persisted, and verify execution started only when the task and agent are eligible.

On the first New task open after a page load, confirm the form appears without a loading dialog. Delay agent and project responses, type a request, then release the responses. Confirm the choices populate without replacing the form or its text.

Creation is request-first: enter Describe a task…, choose the assignee and project, and submit Create task. A standalone title field is not always shown. Use a human/unassigned task to verify persistence without invoking a model.

task-list

Automated: task-list helpers cover search URLs, pagination, deduplication, and presentation constants. The suite does not render the page or exercise filtering, grouping, opening a task, and returning; those interactions still need a running-browser check.

Task and inbox rows omit the system interruption labels Thinking, Trying again soon, and Retry available. Shared row tests cover working, scheduled-retry, and failed interruptions in both row presentations, including suppression of replacement recovery chips. Task status and other relevant badges remain visible; retry controls remain inside the task conversation.

Manual: Seed human-created, agent-created, scheduled routine, human-initiated chat-channel, and creator-less tasks. Confirm automation is hidden by default, show agent-created tasks reveals it, reload preserves the choice, and Clear filters hides it again. Verify list and board search with automation newer than the human results, and expand contextual ancestors/subtasks without promoting unrelated automated roots. Repeat in project task lists. Agent profiles and task-detail subtasks retain complete history.

Manual: Filter by status and assignee, change grouping/sort, open a task, and return. Verify the correct records and selected view survive navigation and reload. Include an empty result and a failed request.

task-detail

Manual: Open a long task with slow historical requests. Read the instruction and recent reply before those requests finish. Edit the title/status while enrichment is pending and verify saves and rollbacks. Expand More messages, verify scroll position and no duplicate replies, return to the task, and follow an older comment link. Leave a task open across new messages and runs and confirm none disappear. Reconnect after several turns and verify watched runs settle. Reopen after steering with more than 50 newer activity rows; the delivered message must not reappear in the queue.

Automated: cold-open reads cover bounded reads, event filtering and company denial. Task detail covers component behavior, while issue service covers server contracts.

Failure markers have no dashed divider rules. An adjacent run error and no-live-execution-path notice show only the last error, with its details and retry action, including a permitted legacy run retry carried onto a later recovery notice. Intervening messages, unrelated system notices that quote error text, and credential-access denials stay visible. Explicit non-recovery titles stop grouping. Saved stranded-recovery action metadata plus a known recovery statement also identify recovery notices with a default or source-run title. Only known recovery statements use the legacy text fallback. Grouping tests and marker tests cover the presentation. The Failure notices stories mount the production thread view with fixture data. The focused browser suite checks play assertions, disclosure, retry callbacks, themes and phone width. These checks do not dispatch a real retry or change stored run history.

Automated: paused assignee relevance uses a real disposable server and paused process agent, with no inference, to check both task interfaces. Done and cancelled tasks hide the paused-agent warning; reopening restores it. The agent stays paused and no run starts.

Manual: For a disposable task owned by a legacy agent, have its current run assign the task to a human with status In review. Verify that assignment and status persist, that the current run finishes without issue_reassigned, and that slow workspace restoration does not turn the task Blocked. Try a later edit from the outgoing run and verify rejection. Repeat a board reassignment and confirm that the outgoing run still stops.

Manual: Add a comment and edit authorized properties. Reload and verify history, actor, and values. Complete a disposable task and inspect its deliverable; reopen through an available action and confirm the next execution follows current policy.

Manual: Ask a standard native agent to schedule a future check on its current task. Reload and confirm the persisted monitor. After the agent yields, verify one later wake and a consumed schedule. For malformed-call recovery, use the agent access recipe and verify that schema feedback supports a corrected call before a wait is claimed. For a due monitor held by execution recovery, confirm that the schedule remains and task activity explains the deferral. Repeated checks must not replay the held work. Resolve the hold through its existing recovery action, then verify one wake. On a blocked task with a retained monitor, verify that automatic checks show as paused. Check now requests one check through normal admission without changing the task status. Confirm that an unresolved dependency or recovery hold prevents dispatch and does not produce a success message. Backlog and todo tasks must not offer Check now. Blocked provider-quota recovery must offer no manual check and retain its schedule until the task resumes. Agents and automatic ticks cannot check a blocked task. Hold native finalization after the provider has stopped, and verify that both scheduled and manual checks retain the due monitor. After settlement, verify one wake. If its timeout passes during workspace recovery, verify settlement followed by the configured expiry recovery, with no ordinary monitor wake or duplicate escalation. For a timer already dispatched before recovery, verify that the saved result settles without changing the task, removing a successor's checkout, or creating another wake. The monitor regression and scheduler regression cover these boundaries with PostgreSQL.

Manual: Add an ordinary Board comment while a task retry is queued or running. Confirm that the same execution keeps working and receives the saved message, without a second executor or an implicit move to Todo. Repeat with a parked retry and verify that fresh instructions can supersede it. Explicit Stop must still cancel active work. The comment route regressions and HTTP/process and interrupted-cancellation tests cover these boundaries locally; deployed runner acceptance remains separate.

task-sharing

Automated: Share sheet, privacy controls, grant routes, and privacy production review cover component actions, persisted grants, inheritance, and actor/resource denials. They do not establish a live two-person browser journey.

Manual: Use authenticated mode with two ordinary operators, an eligible agent, and disposable parent/child/sibling tasks. Create private work as the first person; confirm the second person cannot discover or cold-open it. Share only the child, reload both sessions, and verify child/descendant access without exposing the private parent, sibling, or unreadable project metadata. Inspect direct and inherited rows in Share; inherited rows must identify access managed at its source and offer no local revoke action. Confirm a shared reader cannot manage the task’s grants. Revoke the direct grant as its manager, reload, and retry list and direct reads; change inherited access at its ancestor or project source separately. Inspect blocked Make public actions under a private parent or nonpersonal private project; separately confirm the offered personal-project publish action removes that project binding while private descendants remain private. With an actual granted agent, test the responsible user’s access intersection and the allowed restriction to private; agent access must not permit sharing or publishing.

Sources: Privacy actions, share sheet, issue routes, and authorization.

Gotchas

  • Private task sharing and private project membership are distinct read sources. Revoking a direct task grant does not revoke an independent ancestor/project grant; inspect the actual access source.

  • Priority remains an API field, but ordinary priority UI editing is hidden.

  • A status label alone does not prove that the requested work exists.

  • Single-assignee and atomic checkout rules still apply when tasks are created from different hosts.

  • Use coordination, steering, and documents for their distinct workflows.

Documentation scope: Tasks, conversations, and attention

Recipes cover the main task/conversation/attention workflows. Full shell, permission, attachment, long-thread, and concurrency permutations remain to be enumerated.