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PaperClipAI/maps/feature-map/tasks.md
T
DottaandPaperclip a67a18c171 fix(tasks): hide empty message history disclosure (#17751)
## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip helps people manage AI agents and their work.
> - Each task page shows the instruction and saved conversation.
> - Cold opens show recent content before older history.
> - The page used any linked run as evidence of older messages.
> - A task's first run therefore showed an empty More messages control.
> - This PR shows the control only when the preview omits comments or
runs.
> - Fresh tasks stay clear, and older task history remains available.

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

Refs: #17593.

**What happened?**

A fresh task with only its first run displayed More messages, even
though there was no earlier history to load.

**Expected behavior**

Show More messages only when older comments or runs are omitted. Runs
observed while the page stays open must not create a false disclosure.
The output control also uses actual skipped bytes, so a growing run does
not gain an empty output control.

**Steps to reproduce**

1. Create a task and let its first run start or finish.
2. Open that task with a fresh application cache.
3. Observe the empty More messages control below its instruction.

## What Changed

- Keep omitted-run evidence with the cached recent run window.
- Use omitted comments or runs to decide whether to show More messages.
- Preserve run retention, reconnect reconciliation, and expansion of
real history.
- Offer More run output when a single legacy log exceeds the compact
byte window.
- Keep first-run native diagnostics accessible through More task actions
→ Show task activity.
- Add regression coverage and update the task feature map.

## Verification

- Passed the existing 9,168-test UI suite across 794 files, then all 504
focused task-detail, history-window, real thread, and log-transport
tests after adding the activity-menu regression.
- Passed workspace build, workspace typechecks, token gates, and map
checks.
- Reproduced the bug in the earlier UI using a disposable local task.
The corrected UI hides the control with zero runs or only the first run.
- In the local browser, expanded a long task to all 80 comments. The
latest answer appeared once and the disclosure disappeared. No console
warnings or errors occurred in that journey.
- Expanded a saved 111 KB legacy log through More run output and opened
its earlier activity in the local browser.
- On a single saved native run, verified no More messages control. Used
Show task activity to reveal its earlier tool output; the latest answer
remained visible exactly once, with no console warnings or errors.
- The first broad local run stopped because the fresh dependency install
lacked PostgreSQL library symlinks. The normal package setup repaired
that environment issue.
- The next broad run hit one workspace-runtime timeout. Its focused
rerun passed with unchanged server source; the original failure remains
recorded. Stopped the already-failed broad runner after the previous
revision passed full PR CI. All final-head build, typecheck, test, and
policy CI jobs passed. Both automated reviewers scored the final head
5/5, with no unresolved threads. The separate Entire Gates check is
pending because the PR has no active assessed Change for its current
comparison. The installed Entire CLI reports no linked project trail and
exposes no Change-assessment command; no gate or repository settings
were altered. Browser verification used this branch's UI with the
existing disposable test-drive API. No agent execution was started.

## Risks

Low risk. This changes the recent run cache shape and the disclosure
condition. The full run cache remains an array. Tests cover first-run
states, observed new runs, omitted older runs, expansion, and reconnect
reconciliation. No schema or API changes. A separate run-output control
preserves access to a single truncated legacy log. The task menu
preserves first-run native activity access without implying older
messages exist.

## Model Used

OpenAI GPT-6 through Codex, with code execution and browser tools. A
more specific 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
- [ ] 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>
2026-10-26 11:58:30 -05:00

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navigation
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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)

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 and recent exchange first. 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.

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. 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.