Show task, active project and workspace per control board row (#1503)

Gate A fix asked by the professor session on Jason's behalf. Each row
now carries three derived fields, shown as "unknown" when the log and
tmux do not hold them:

- task: the session's first user message (pi logs have no task envelope)
- workspace: the live pane path of the pane running pi, else session cwd
- activeProject: basename of the nearest git checkout above the workspace

tmuxInspect replaces the bare liveness call in the CLI and returns
{ alive, workspace }; tmuxIsAlive stays as a wrapper. The grouping column
and seen.json keys are unchanged. Fixture test per field, tmux parse
tests, page test; missing launcher signals are recorded in the plan page.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5.1 <[email protected]>

packages/control-board/src/cli.mjs

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 // Exit 0 on success, 2 on a config refusal or bad usage.
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
-import { loadConfig, defaultConfigPath, discoverRepoAgents, discoverFleetAgents, scan, tmuxIsAlive, ConfigError } from "./scan.mjs";
+import { loadConfig, defaultConfigPath, discoverRepoAgents, discoverFleetAgents, scan, tmuxInspect, ConfigError } from "./scan.mjs";
 import { startServer } from "./serve.mjs";
 
 const USAGE = "usage: mosaic-board scan|serve [--config PATH] [--repo PATH] [--fleet PATH|none] [--liveness tmux|assume-alive] [--print] [--port N] [--host 127.0.0.1]";
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ async function main() {
   const opts = parseArgs(process.argv.slice(2));
   const { dataRoot } = loadConfig(opts.config);
   const specs = [...discoverRepoAgents(opts.repo), ...(opts.fleet === "none" ? [] : discoverFleetAgents(opts.fleet))];
-  const isAlive = opts.liveness === "tmux" ? tmuxIsAlive : () => true;
+  const isAlive = opts.liveness === "tmux" ? tmuxInspect : () => true;
   const boardDir = join(dataRoot, "board");
   if (opts.command === "serve") {
     const server = await startServer({ host: opts.host, port: opts.port, specs, boardDir, isAlive });

packages/control-board/src/page.html

@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@
   .seen-tag{font-size:.72rem;color:var(--muted);margin-left:6px;vertical-align:middle}
   .msg-error{color:var(--danger)}
   .msg-text,.msg-error{display:block;max-width:36ch;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap}
+  .task-text{display:block;max-width:28ch;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap}
+  .unknown{color:var(--muted);font-style:italic}
   .detail-row td{background:var(--raised)}
   .detail-list{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto 1fr;gap:4px 14px;margin:0;font-size:.85rem;font-family:var(--mono)}
   .detail-list dt{color:var(--muted);font-family:var(--font)}
@@ -191,15 +193,24 @@
       ? '<span class="msg-error" title="' + esc(rec.lastError) + '">' + esc(rec.lastError) + "</span>"
       : '<span class="msg-text" title="' + esc(rec.lastAssistantText || "") + '">' + esc(rec.lastAssistantText || "—") + "</span>";
     var projectCell = showProject ? "<td>" + esc(rec.project) + "</td>" : "";
+    // Gate A fields: derived from the log and tmux, or "unknown". Never guessed.
+    var task = rec.task
+      ? '<span class="task-text" title="' + esc(rec.task) + '">' + esc(rec.task) + "</span>"
+      : '<span class="unknown">unknown</span>';
+    var activeProject = rec.activeProject
+      ? '<span title="' + esc(rec.workspace || "") + '">' + esc(rec.activeProject) + "</span>"
+      : '<span class="unknown" title="' + esc(rec.workspace || "") + '">unknown</span>';
     var main =
       '<tr class="' + cls + '">' +
       projectCell +
       '<td><button type="button" class="row-toggle" data-idx="' + idx + '" data-key="' + esc(key) + '" aria-expanded="' + (open ? "true" : "false") + '" aria-controls="detail-' + idx + '">' + esc(rec.agent) + "</button></td>" +
       "<td>" + badge(rec.state) + seenControl(rec) + "</td>" +
       "<td>" + esc(humanAge(rec.ageSeconds)) + "</td>" +
+      "<td>" + task + "</td>" +
+      "<td>" + activeProject + "</td>" +
       "<td>" + msg + "</td>" +
       "</tr>";
-    var span = showProject ? 5 : 4;
+    var span = showProject ? 7 : 6;
     var tmux = rec.tmux && rec.tmux.session
       ? esc(rec.tmux.session) + (rec.tmux.socket ? " (socket " + esc(rec.tmux.socket) + ")" : "")
       : "—";
@@ -208,7 +219,10 @@
       '<dl class="detail-list">' +
       "<dt>Session ID</dt><dd>" + esc(rec.sessionId || "—") + "</dd>" +
       "<dt>Session file</dt><dd>" + esc(rec.sessionFile || "—") + "</dd>" +
-      "<dt>Working directory</dt><dd>" + esc(rec.cwd || "—") + "</dd>" +
+      "<dt>Task</dt><dd>" + (rec.task ? esc(rec.task) : "unknown") + "</dd>" +
+      "<dt>Active project</dt><dd>" + (rec.activeProject ? esc(rec.activeProject) : "unknown") + "</dd>" +
+      "<dt>Workspace</dt><dd>" + (rec.workspace ? esc(rec.workspace) : "unknown") + (rec.workspaceSource ? " (from " + esc(rec.workspaceSource) + ")" : "") + "</dd>" +
+      "<dt>Session cwd</dt><dd>" + esc(rec.cwd || "—") + "</dd>" +
       "<dt>Tmux session</dt><dd>" + tmux + "</dd>" +
       "<dt>Last activity</dt><dd>" + esc(rec.lastActivity || "—") + "</dd>" +
       "<dt>Scanned at</dt><dd>" + esc(rec.scannedAt || "—") + "</dd>" +
@@ -236,7 +250,7 @@
     var rows = list.map(function (r) { return buildRowPair(r, true); }).join("");
     seenBody.innerHTML =
       '<div class="table-wrap"><table><thead><tr>' +
-      "<th scope=\"col\">Project</th><th scope=\"col\">Agent</th><th scope=\"col\">State</th><th scope=\"col\">Age</th><th scope=\"col\">Last message</th>" +
+      "<th scope=\"col\">Project</th><th scope=\"col\">Agent</th><th scope=\"col\">State</th><th scope=\"col\">Age</th><th scope=\"col\">Task</th><th scope=\"col\">Active project</th><th scope=\"col\">Last message</th>" +
       "</tr></thead><tbody>" + rows + "</tbody></table></div>";
   }
 
@@ -256,7 +270,7 @@
     var rows = list.map(function (r) { return buildRowPair(r, true); }).join("");
     waitingBody.innerHTML =
       '<div class="table-wrap"><table><thead><tr>' +
-      "<th scope=\"col\">Project</th><th scope=\"col\">Agent</th><th scope=\"col\">State</th><th scope=\"col\">Age</th><th scope=\"col\">Last message</th>" +
+      "<th scope=\"col\">Project</th><th scope=\"col\">Agent</th><th scope=\"col\">State</th><th scope=\"col\">Age</th><th scope=\"col\">Task</th><th scope=\"col\">Active project</th><th scope=\"col\">Last message</th>" +
       "</tr></thead><tbody>" + rows + "</tbody></table></div>";
   }
 
@@ -304,8 +318,8 @@
         '<label><input type="checkbox" class="hide-seen-toggle" data-project="' + esc(project) + '" ' + (hideSeen ? "checked" : "") + "> Hide seen</label>" +
         "</div></div>" +
         '<div class="table-wrap"><table><thead><tr>' +
-        "<th scope=\"col\">Agent</th><th scope=\"col\">State</th><th scope=\"col\">Age</th><th scope=\"col\">Last message</th>" +
-        "</tr></thead><tbody>" + (rows || '<tr><td colspan="4" class="empty">No agents.</td></tr>') + "</tbody></table></div>" +
+        "<th scope=\"col\">Agent</th><th scope=\"col\">State</th><th scope=\"col\">Age</th><th scope=\"col\">Task</th><th scope=\"col\">Active project</th><th scope=\"col\">Last message</th>" +
+        "</tr></thead><tbody>" + (rows || '<tr><td colspan="6" class="empty">No agents.</td></tr>') + "</tbody></table></div>" +
         note + "</div>"
       );
     }).join("");

packages/control-board/src/scan.mjs

@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ function collapse(text) {
 export function readSession(file) {
   const lines = readFileSync(file, "utf8").split("\n");
   let sessionId = null, cwd = null, lastTimestamp = null, lastMessage = null, lastAssistantText = null, lastError = null;
+  let firstUserText = null;
   let skippedLines = 0;
   for (const line of lines) {
     if (!line.trim()) continue;
@@ -85,6 +86,10 @@ export function readSession(file) {
       cwd = entry.cwd ?? cwd;
     } else if (entry.type === "message" && entry.message) {
       lastMessage = entry.message;
+      if (entry.message.role === "user" && firstUserText === null) {
+        const text = userText(entry.message.content);
+        if (text.trim()) firstUserText = collapse(text);
+      }
       if (entry.message.role === "assistant" && Array.isArray(entry.message.content)) {
         const text = entry.message.content.filter((c) => c && c.type === "text" && typeof c.text === "string").map((c) => c.text).join("\n");
         if (text.trim()) lastAssistantText = collapse(text);
@@ -92,7 +97,27 @@ export function readSession(file) {
       }
     }
   }
-  return { file, sessionId, cwd, lastTimestamp, lastMessage, lastAssistantText, lastError, skippedLines };
+  return { file, sessionId, cwd, lastTimestamp, lastMessage, lastAssistantText, lastError, firstUserText, skippedLines };
+}
+
+// A user message's text: pi writes either a plain string or a list of blocks.
+function userText(content) {
+  if (typeof content === "string") return content;
+  if (!Array.isArray(content)) return "";
+  return content.filter((c) => c && c.type === "text" && typeof c.text === "string").map((c) => c.text).join("\n");
+}
+
+// Nearest ancestor (including dir itself) that holds a .git entry. A .git
+// file counts too, because git worktrees use one. Null when there is none.
+export function findRepoRoot(dir) {
+  if (typeof dir !== "string" || !isAbsolute(dir)) return null;
+  let cur = resolve(dir);
+  for (;;) {
+    if (existsSync(join(cur, ".git"))) return cur;
+    const parent = resolve(cur, "..");
+    if (parent === cur) return null;
+    cur = parent;
+  }
 }
 
 // True when an assistant message carries a tool call in its content.
@@ -126,23 +151,40 @@ export function deriveState({ alive, session }) {
 export const PI_COMMANDS = Object.freeze(["pi"]);
 
 export function panesRunPi(listPanesOutput) {
-  return String(listPanesOutput)
-    .split("\n")
-    .map((l) => l.trim())
-    .some((cmd) => PI_COMMANDS.includes(cmd));
+  return parsePanes(listPanesOutput).some((p) => PI_COMMANDS.includes(p.command));
 }
 
-// true: a pane in the tmux session runs pi. false: no such session, or no pane
-// runs pi. null: tmux could not be run at all (reported as "unknown", never
-// assumed alive). `exec` is injectable for tests.
-export function tmuxIsAlive({ socket, session }, { exec = spawnSync } = {}) {
+// One line per pane: "<command>\t<path>" (the path column is optional).
+export function parsePanes(listPanesOutput) {
+  return String(listPanesOutput)
+    .split("\n")
+    .filter((l) => l.trim())
+    .map((l) => {
+      const [command = "", path = ""] = l.split("\t");
+      return { command: command.trim(), path: path.trim() || null };
+    });
+}
+
+// Ask tmux about one session. Returns { alive, workspace }:
+//   alive     true when a pane runs pi; false when no such session or no pane
+//             runs pi; null when tmux could not be run at all (reported as
+//             "unknown", never assumed alive).
+//   workspace the current path of the first pane running pi, else null.
+// `exec` is injectable for tests.
+export function tmuxInspect({ socket, session }, { exec = spawnSync } = {}) {
   const args = [];
   if (socket) args.push("-L", socket);
-  args.push("list-panes", "-s", "-t", `=${session}`, "-F", "#{pane_current_command}");
+  args.push("list-panes", "-s", "-t", `=${session}`, "-F", "#{pane_current_command}\t#{pane_current_path}");
   const r = exec("tmux", args, { encoding: "utf8", timeout: 5000 });
-  if (r.error) return null;
-  if (r.status !== 0) return false;
-  return panesRunPi(r.stdout ?? "");
+  if (r.error) return { alive: null, workspace: null };
+  if (r.status !== 0) return { alive: false, workspace: null };
+  const pane = parsePanes(r.stdout ?? "").find((p) => PI_COMMANDS.includes(p.command));
+  return { alive: Boolean(pane), workspace: pane?.path ?? null };
+}
+
+// Liveness only, for callers that do not need the pane path.
+export function tmuxIsAlive(tmux, opts) {
+  return tmuxInspect(tmux, opts).alive;
 }
 
 // "Seen" marks: { "<project>/<agent>": "<lastActivity ISO>" }. A mark only
@@ -194,9 +236,24 @@ export function markSeen(boardDir, { project, agent, lastActivity, seen = true }
   return marks;
 }
 
+// `isAlive` may return a bare liveness value (true/false/null) or the richer
+// { alive, workspace } shape from tmuxInspect. Both are accepted.
+function liveness(result) {
+  if (result && typeof result === "object") return { alive: result.alive ?? null, workspace: result.workspace ?? null };
+  return { alive: result ?? null, workspace: null };
+}
+
 // One agent -> one status record.
-export function scanAgent(spec, { isAlive = tmuxIsAlive, now = () => new Date(), seen = {} } = {}) {
-  const alive = isAlive(spec.tmux);
+//
+// Three fields answer "what is this seat doing, and where" (Gate A ask,
+// 2026-09-12). Each is derived, never guessed; null means "unknown".
+//   task          the session's first user message. The log has no task
+//                 envelope entry, so this is the only assignment signal it holds.
+//   workspace     the live pane path from tmux, else the session log's cwd.
+//   activeProject basename of the nearest git repo root above the workspace.
+export function scanAgent(spec, { isAlive = tmuxInspect, now = () => new Date(), seen = {} } = {}) {
+  const live = liveness(isAlive(spec.tmux));
+  const alive = live.alive;
   const file = findNewestSession(spec.sessionsDir);
   const session = file ? readSession(file) : null;
   const state = deriveState({ alive, session });
@@ -205,6 +262,9 @@ export function scanAgent(spec, { isAlive = tmuxIsAlive, now = () => new Date(),
   const ageSeconds = lastActivity ? Math.max(0, Math.round((scannedAt.getTime() - Date.parse(lastActivity)) / 1000)) : null;
   const needsYou = state === "waiting" || state === "error";
   const isSeen = needsYou && lastActivity !== null && seen[seenKey(spec)] === lastActivity;
+  const cwd = session?.cwd ?? null;
+  const workspace = live.workspace ?? cwd;
+  const repoRoot = workspace ? findRepoRoot(workspace) : null;
   return {
     agent: spec.agent,
     project: spec.project,
@@ -215,7 +275,12 @@ export function scanAgent(spec, { isAlive = tmuxIsAlive, now = () => new Date(),
     tmux: spec.tmux,
     sessionFile: file,
     sessionId: session?.sessionId ?? null,
-    cwd: session?.cwd ?? null,
+    cwd,
+    task: session?.firstUserText ?? null,
+    taskSource: session?.firstUserText ? "first-user-message" : null,
+    workspace,
+    workspaceSource: live.workspace ? "tmux-pane" : cwd ? "session-cwd" : null,
+    activeProject: repoRoot ? basename(repoRoot) : null,
     lastActivity,
     ageSeconds,
     lastAssistantText: session?.lastAssistantText ?? null,