paseo/plan.md

Host Management UX Overhaul

Completed Work (Summary)

The multi-daemon infrastructure is in place: session directory with daemon-scoped subscriptions, aggregated agent views, daemon-aware routing for agent/diff/file screens, React Query for connection state persistence, background reconnection with exponential backoff, useDaemonRequest for consistent async flows, structured logging, and architecture docs in docs/multi-daemon.md.

Guiding Principles

• Hosts are always connected when added—no manual "connect" action, no toggles.
• A stopped host is not an error—it's just a state. Errors only surface when the user tries to interact with an agent whose host is stopped.
• No "active" or "primary" concepts—actions that need a host require the user to choose explicitly.
• The home screen shows a flat list of agents with host name as metadata, not grouped by host.

Tasks

1. Rename "Daemon" to "Host" in UI

• Rename all user-facing labels, messages, and UI text from "daemon" to "host" throughout the app.
  • Settings screen, connection banners, error messages, modals, etc.
  • Internal code can keep "daemon" terminology; this is UI-only.
  • Updated every user-facing string (settings, modals, placeholders, defaults) to say "host" and spot-checked via targeted searches; no automated tests were run.
  • Context: Remaining "daemon" labels in git diff, file explorer, and agent detail screens now say "host" (updated packages/app/src/app/git-diff.tsx, file-explorer.tsx, agent/[id].tsx, and agent/[serverId]/[agentId].tsx).
  • Review: Confirmed the agent redirect, file explorer, and git diff screens reflect the updated host wording with no lingering user-facing "daemon" strings.

2. Remove Active/Primary/Auto-Connect Concepts

• Remove the concept of "active daemon" from the UI and simplify to just "hosts".
  • Summary: Home/footer actions, create/import flows, and agent navigation now route directly via explicit host IDs with analytics/docs/aggregated list updates, verified with npm run typecheck --workspace=@paseo/app.
  • Context: GlobalFooter, the create/import modals, the agent screen, and the agent list previously read/write activeDaemonId, forcing a global active host before routing; they now rely on explicit host IDs instead.
• Remove the concept of "primary daemon"—no default host for actions.
  • Eliminated the persisted activeDaemonId, flattened the session directory, and refactored _layout, realtime, settings, and agent UI to always resolve hosts explicitly so every host gets its own SessionProvider; verified via npm run typecheck --workspace=@paseo/app.
• Remove the "auto-connect" toggle from host settings—hosts always auto-connect when added.
• Clean up any related state/UI that exposes these concepts to users.

Review: No Silent Defaults

• Review the changes to ensure we didn't just replace "active daemon" with "first host" (e.g., hosts[0]}. The goal is explicit user choice, not a hidden default.

3. Simplify Settings Screen

• Remove the standalone "Test Connection" form/URL input at the top of settings.
• Keep the per-host "Test" button in each host row (already exists).

4. Transparent Connection Management

• When a host is added, the app auto-connects and keeps the connection alive.
• Users should never need to manually "connect" to a host—the app handles it.
• Remove any UI that asks users to "connect" before performing actions.

5. Fix Error Philosophy

• A stopped/disconnected host is NOT an error—don't show error states on home screen just because a host is offline.
• Only show errors when the user tries to interact with an agent whose host is stopped.
• Update connection banners/indicators to show neutral "offline" state instead of error styling.

6. Agent Creation Flow

• Remove reliance on "primary" or "active" daemon for agent creation.
• Require explicit host selection when creating an agent—user must choose where to deploy.
• Fix the contradictory error message "Daemon is online, connect to it before creating"—this should never appear.

7. Home Screen Agent List

• Remove grouping of agents by host—show a single flat list.
  • Each agent row displays its host name as metadata (badge, subtitle, etc.).
  • Sort agents by recent activity or alphabetically (not by host).