Desktop-managed sessions were blocking the first visible token on slow or failing
regular MCP connections, which made the UI feel much slower than direct bin runs.
This keeps partial assistant streaming enabled for desktop sessions and moves
regular MCP connection work off the critical path only for sdk-url startup.
Constraint: Desktop sdk-url sessions must preserve chat responsiveness even when local MCP endpoints fail or hang
Rejected: Leave MCP startup fully blocking in sdk-url mode | first visible token stayed several seconds behind direct CLI runs
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Reversibility: clean
Directive: Keep blocking MCP startup for plain -p sessions unless you re-measure first-turn latency and tool availability tradeoffs
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/conversation-service.test.ts src/server/__tests__/conversations.test.ts; same-prompt timing comparison for direct bin vs sdk-url session path
Not-tested: Immediate first-turn availability of slow regular MCP tools in desktop sdk-url sessions
Desktop sessions were missing a visible request_access approval path and could
mis-detect their own app window as an unapproved frontmost target, which caused
Computer Use clicks to fail even after opening the intended app. On macOS, text
entry was also split across inconsistent clipboard and keystroke paths, making
Electron inputs unreliable for Chinese and short strings.
This change adds a desktop approval bridge over the existing session websocket,
renders a dedicated desktop approval modal, threads the real desktop bundle id
into the Computer Use executor, and switches macOS clipboard typing onto the
native pasteboard plus system paste shortcut path. It also makes tool error
results expandable in the desktop chat UI so frontmost-gate failures are fully
visible during debugging.
Constraint: Desktop sessions run the CLI over the SDK websocket path, so Ink tool JSX dialogs are not visible there
Constraint: macOS IME and Electron text inputs are unreliable with pyautogui.write and generic hotkey synthesis
Rejected: Reuse CLI setToolJSX dialogs in desktop mode | no transport for mid-call Ink UI over the SDK bridge
Rejected: Keep shell pbcopy/pbpaste for clipboard typing | inconsistent with NSPasteboard path and less reliable for Chinese text
Confidence: medium
Scope-risk: moderate
Reversibility: clean
Directive: Keep desktop Computer Use approvals and macOS text-entry behavior on a single bridge/path; avoid reintroducing separate CLI-only and desktop-only codepaths for the same action
Tested: python3 -m unittest runtime/test_helpers.py
Tested: bun test src/utils/computerUse/permissions.test.ts src/server/__tests__/conversation-service.test.ts
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test ComputerUsePermissionModal chatStore
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test chatBlocks
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Not-tested: End-to-end manual Computer Use interaction against a live Electron target app on macOS
Desktop auth was reporting stale local token files as logged in, could inherit a parent OAuth token after logout, and kept polling even when browser launch failed. This change validates stored tokens through the refresh path, clears inherited OAuth env before spawning the CLI, fetches subscription metadata on initial login, and moves polling start until after the browser opens. Regression tests cover the server and desktop store paths.
Constraint: Desktop CLI must bypass macOS Keychain by injecting env OAuth when available
Rejected: Keep status endpoint file-based only | reports expired sessions as logged in
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Directive: Official desktop auth state must be derived from ensureFreshTokens rather than oauth.json presence alone
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/conversation-service.test.ts src/server/__tests__/haha-oauth-service.test.ts src/server/__tests__/haha-oauth-api.test.ts
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test
Not-tested: Manual end-to-end desktop OAuth flow against the live provider
