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formax-expanded-transcript-workflow

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Use when implementing/debugging Ctrl+O Expanded Transcript (second view) and thinking persistence in the REPL.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/yusifeng/formax/blob/HEAD/.codex/skills/formax-expanded-transcript-workflow/SKILL.md

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formax-expanded-transcript-workflow

Goal

Use this skill when changing Ctrl+O expanded transcript behavior, thinking persistence, or compact / expanded projection boundaries in the REPL.

Read First

  • docs/contracts/transcript-surface-contract.md
  • docs/contracts/semantics-contract.md
  • docs/runbooks/repl-surface-debugging.md when the change can affect clear / remount behavior

These docs are canonical. If stable expanded-transcript behavior changes, update them before or with code.

If the change touches clear / remount ownership directly, also use formax-surface-reset-workflow.

Code Map

  • Key handling: packages/core/src/screens/repl/hotkeys.ts
  • View wiring + footer: packages/core/src/screens/REPL.tsx
  • Compact projection: packages/core/src/screens/repl/compactProjection.ts
  • Transcript rendering: packages/core/src/screens/repl/transcript.tsx
  • Thinking persistence: packages/core/src/features/repl/controller/streaming/streaming.ts
  • Expanded Transcript panels: packages/core/src/screens/repl/panels.tsx
  • Compact command lifecycle: packages/core/src/features/repl/controller/send/send.ts
  • Surface reset owner: packages/core/src/screens/repl/useSurfaceTransitionManager.ts

High-Signal Patterns

  • No fake thinking:
    • thinking_delta is the only source of truth
    • never synthesize thinking rows from timers or summaries
  • Avoid Static hacks for toggles:
    • Static is append-only; if content must disappear, use reset / remount ownership instead of trying to "unrender" it
  • One footer:
    • prefer a single global footer; avoid per-panel footer duplication
  • Compact ordering contract:
    • keep banner -> summary (expanded only) -> > /compact ... -> compact subline
  • UI vs LLM orthogonality:
    • transcript slicing and ui.kind remain independent from prompt-history packing and reminder injection

Minimal Workflow

  1. Lock the semantic source first: thinking_delta persistence and transcript projection rules before renderer polish.
  2. Keep default transcript low-noise and Expanded Transcript read-only.
  3. Preserve compact / expanded ordering before adjusting footer or panel layout.
  4. If clear / remount logic changes, route through the shared surface reset path instead of local Static workarounds.
  5. Run the regression set below before review.

Minimum Regression

  • bun run test -- packages/core/src/screens/repl/compactProjection.test.ts packages/core/src/screens/repl/expandedTranscript.test.tsx packages/core/src/screens/repl/hotkeys.test.tsx
  • bun run test -- packages/core/src/screens/repl/surfaceSmoke.test.tsx
  • bun run test:surface-screen-model
  • bun run type-check

Guardrails

  • Do not introduce synthetic thinking or show thinking when the model did not emit thinking_delta.
  • Do not let Ctrl+O steal input while prompt mode or overlays are active.
  • Do not move header / messages outside Static to “fix” duplication; solve ownership and remount boundaries instead.
  • Expanded Transcript stays read-only; do not quietly turn it into an interactive input surface.