[devswha]

Change

Fixes #1559. It picks up #1560, which was closed only to wait for the terminal refactor, and follows the design the maintainer set on the issue.

The desktop terminal ignored herdr's [ui] copy_on_select, and with it off a selection could not be kept:

• Letting go of a drag always copied.
• herdr's attach stream turns on any-motion mouse reporting. xterm.js clears its selection on every report, so the first hover after the release dropped the highlight and the Quote in message offer. The next Ctrl+C then sent ^C to the pane.

Behaviour, as herdr's TUI does (mouse.rs and input.rs, quoted on the issue):

• Copy on (herdr's default): unchanged. Letting go copies, and the first pointer move clears the copied highlight, so Ctrl+C interrupts again and the next click reaches the program.
• Copy off: letting go only selects, and the clipboard is not touched. While a selection exists, buttonless moves over the grid stop before xterm, so the highlight and the quote offer stay until a press, a scroll or a key. Ctrl+C or Copy then copies herdr's full range, including rows scrolled out of view, as before.
• An explicit copy made before herdr has sent the drag's text (Ctrl+C, Cmd+C or context-menu Copy) reserves a clipboard write for that text in the same gesture. Before, the copy's own clearing of the selection dropped herdr's answer and left only the visible rows. Native copy still writes the visible rows at once as the fallback. This also covers Ctrl+C right after a release in copy-on mode, where the release's reserved write was cancelled the same way. The gate review found this with copy off. As the design on the issue says, leaving the pane before herdr answers cancels that explicit copy, and the clipboard keeps the visible rows. Leaving counts any change of the terminal's pane, or of whether it is active, presented, shown or the chat view, even when the user comes back. The hook counts these on each commit, so PaneTerminal.tsx is unchanged. The copy made on release still finishes as on main.
• Until the preference is known, letting go copies nothing. A failed read is tried again when the terminal next mounts, when the browser comes back online, and on the first frame after a reconnect. Only an older server, which answers 404 not_found for the route, means herdr's default (on).

Server (the small contract additions this PR owns):

• GET /api/herdr-ui returns only { copy_on_select: boolean } (HerdrUiConfig in shared/protocol.ts), with no-store. It is read again on each request, behind the token gate. A watching device may read it, because read-only devices select too. Remote PCs need nothing: the preference is the web UI host's, for every pane, like the sidebar config.

• server/herdr-ui.ts reads it through readHerdrConfig(), which is now exported from server/herdr-sidebar.ts and shared with the sidebar rows. It is the sidebar's existing safe read:

  • regular file only, opened non-blocking (a FIFO can't block the event loop);
  • 1 MiB cap;
  • herdr's line-start BOM stripping.

  Anything missing, unreadable, not TOML, or not a boolean gives herdr's default.

• The demo transport answers the route.

Not handled (from the second review on the issue):

• When another setting is invalid, herdr ignores the whole config, so herdr copies (all defaults) while this reads false. herdr shows its own parse error then.
• A HERDR_CONFIG_PATH set only in the user's shell is not seen by the service, the same as for the sidebar rows.

Design precedent: herdr's own TUI, as traced on the issue: copy on release only with copy_on_select on, no hover moves to a pane that holds a selection, and Ctrl+C copies a kept selection. #1560 cited Zed's configurable terminal copy-on-select. This also corrects #1560's regression the maintainer found: in copy-on mode the selection is no longer kept through hover. DESIGN.md is changed by four open PRs (#1427, #1650, #1714, #1795), so the behaviour is written in docs/guide.md and the changelog fragment instead.

Validation

• New scripts/terminal-copy-off-regression.ts, run by ui-contexts-checks.ts. It runs its own server with a temp config set to copy_on_select = false, and the pane runs on the isolated test herdr.
  • Checks: the route answers false; a drag shows Quote in message but leaves the clipboard unchanged with no "copied" note; four hover moves keep the selection; Ctrl+C copies it.
  • Second case (event-controlled): it holds herdr's /api/pane/selection answer until Ctrl+C has been pressed, then answers and waits until no clipboard write is pending. The clipboard must hold herdr's text. Without the explicit-copy fix it held only the visible rows.
  • Third case: the same, but Ctrl+C is followed by a click on another pane's sidebar row, and herdr answers only once that pane's text shows. The clipboard must keep the visible rows. Without the cancellation it held herdr's text.
  • Failed before the fix in both pre-fix states:
    • main's terminal: there is no preference read;
    • a variant that reads the preference but keeps main's copy behaviour: with copy_on_select off, letting go of a drag copies nothing, because the clipboard held the dragged text.
• scripts/terminal-copy-regression.ts (copy on) now waits for the preference answer (true with no config) and still passes every case: plain drag copy, Ctrl+C, scrolled drag over herdr's range, denied clipboard, and stale or empty responses.
• Under one bun run check run --build:
  • ui-contexts-regression.ts passes (100 PASS, both copy checks included);
  • terminal-arrows-clicks-regression.ts passes;
  • the route's contract test passes: 401 without a token, 200 with no-store, re-read after a config edit, 400 for POST;
  • the watch-device contract passes, and a watch device reads the route.
• Unit tests:
  • server/herdr-ui.test.ts covers values, CRLF, line-start BOMs, invalid values, other tables, missing and directory paths, an oversize file and a FIFO;
  • src/lib/herdrUi.test.ts covers copying off until known, the 404 fallback, failed reads staying unknown, kept values and one read in flight;
  • server/herdr-sidebar.test.ts still passes after the shared read was extracted.
• bun run check fast: 6331 pass, 0 fail.

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📝 Summary

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features
  • Terminal text selection now follows the serving PC’s herdr copy_on_select setting in local and remote panes. When enabled, releasing a selection copies it; when disabled, the selection remains without copying, and Ctrl+C or Copy copies it.
  • Explicit copy actions can include the full selected text, even when some rows are not currently visible.
• Documentation
  • Updated the terminal guide to explain selection and copying behavior when copy-on-select is disabled.

Adds a server endpoint that reports herdr’s copy_on_select setting. The terminal applies that setting to automatic copying, selection persistence, and explicit copy actions. Browser regression checks and documentation cover the enabled and disabled behaviors.

Changes: Terminal copy-on-select

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Read and expose herdr UI preference shared/protocol.ts, server/herdr-ui.ts, server/herdr-sidebar.ts, server/index.ts, server/api.contract.test.ts, server/device-access.contract.test.ts, server/herdr-ui.test.ts, site/demo/transport.ts	Adds the HerdrUiConfig response contract and GET /api/herdr-ui. The server reads copy_on_select from herdr’s configuration, defaults to true when the value is missing or invalid, and returns the setting without caching. Server contract tests and the demo transport cover the endpoint.
Load preference and apply terminal behavior src/lib/herdrUi.ts, src/lib/herdrUi.test.ts, src/lib/useTerminalMount.ts	The client loads and tracks the preference. When copy-on-select is disabled, selection release does not copy automatically, and pointer movement over a selection does not clear it. Explicit copy actions can use herdr’s full selection text; pending copy work is cancelled if the terminal view changes.
Verify and document terminal behavior scripts/terminal-copy-off-regression.ts, scripts/terminal-copy-regression.ts, scripts/ui-contexts-checks.ts, docs/guide.md, changelog.d/terminal-copy-on-select.md	Adds browser checks for disabled and enabled copy-on-select behavior, including delayed herdr selection responses and view changes. Updates the guide and changelog to describe the setting-dependent behavior.

Priority: Normal

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~25 minutes

Change: Bug fix · Severity of issue fixed: Medium

Suggested reviewers: rabbitson87

Merge Risk: Low · up to 7c401

The terminal behavior has no established blocking defect, but a developer’s herdr configuration can make the browser check fail. Isolate that check’s config path before merging, or accept the bounded test risk.

Pre-merge checks: 3 · 2

Failed checks: 2 warnings

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Linked Issues check		#1559 requires hover protection while a selection exists, including the issue patch proposal's explicit “whatever the setting” behavior. The implementation in src/lib/useTerminalMount.ts stops butto…	Protect buttonless pointer moves over a selected terminal regardless of copyOnSelect(), until the next press, scroll, or key as required by #1559. Add or update a regression case for copy-on-select enabled hover behavior.
Docstring Coverage		Docstring coverage is 53.33% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 15 functions across 14 files. (2 skipped:…	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

Passed checks: 3 passed

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check		The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: terminal behavior now follows herdr's copy_on_select setting.
Description check		The description includes the required Change and Validation sections. It explains the behavior, server endpoint, limitations, regression coverage, contract tests, unit tests, and reported results.
Out of Scope Changes check		The server endpoint, shared protocol type, safe config reader, client preference state, demo transport, documentation, unit tests, contract tests, and terminal regression checks directly support #1559…

Full details: Out of Scope Changes check

Explanation

The server endpoint, shared protocol type, safe config reader, client preference state, demo transport, documentation, unit tests, contract tests, and terminal regression checks directly support #1559. No unrelated change is demonstrated by the reviewed summary or focused diff.

Full details: Linked Issues check

Explanation

#1559 requires hover protection while a selection exists, including the issue patch proposal's explicit “whatever the setting” behavior. The implementation in src/lib/useTerminalMount.ts stops buttonless mousemove only when !copyOnSelect(). With copy-on-select enabled, a hover still reaches xterm and can clear the selection and the quote offer. The implementation otherwise covers the setting endpoint, default, copy-off release behavior, explicit copy, retry state, and cancellation paths.

Resolution

Protect buttonless pointer moves over a selected terminal regardless of copyOnSelect(), until the next press, scroll, or key as required by #1559. Add or update a regression case for copy-on-select enabled hover behavior.

Full details: Docstring Coverage

Explanation

Docstring coverage is 53.33% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 15 functions across 14 files. (2 skipped: 2 unsupported.)

Resolution

Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

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Actionable comments posted: 1

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• 🪄 Fix comments: Fix CodeRabbit comments on this PR

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Inline comments:
Review comments at @scripts/terminal-copy-regression.ts:
- Around line 79-83: Update the createServer call in runUiContextChecks to pass
a herdrConfigPath under the test’s isolated root, ensuring the default
copy_on_select assertion is unaffected by a preserved HERDR_CONFIG_PATH.

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• Source mode: Auto
• Repository: devswha/ovis
• Branch: fix/terminal-copy-on-select
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Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between da04bda and 7c401e3.

Files selected for processing: 16

• changelog.d/terminal-copy-on-select.md
• docs/guide.md
• scripts/terminal-copy-off-regression.ts
• scripts/terminal-copy-regression.ts
• scripts/ui-contexts-checks.ts
• server/api.contract.test.ts
• server/device-access.contract.test.ts
• server/herdr-sidebar.ts
• server/herdr-ui.test.ts
• server/herdr-ui.ts
• server/index.ts
• shared/protocol.ts
• site/demo/transport.ts
• src/lib/herdrUi.test.ts
• src/lib/herdrUi.ts
• src/lib/useTerminalMount.ts

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[devswha]

Merge pass: review-work report for 7c401e3. Overall: FAILED. Two blockers, both in the test scripts. The production behaviour held up in review.

Lane	Verdict	Confidence
Manual QA (8 rows, artifacts kept)	PASS	-
Gate review (model other than the author's)	REJECT	HIGH

Blocking issues

1. scripts/chat-history-browser-qa.ts fails. Its own Bun.serve fixture (lines 39-48) doesn't answer the new /api/herdr-ui, so the request falls through to the static-file handler. It then throws ENOENT: ... /api/herdr-ui, and the script exits 1 twice. CI shows the same failure: Browser regression (other scripts). Fix: answer the route in the fixture, for example if (path === "/api/herdr-ui") return Response.json({ copy_on_select: true });, as /api/voice does. My QA matrix ran ui-contexts and the new copy-off script but not this script, so it didn't cover this.
2. The copy-on regression isn't isolated from the developer's herdr config. ui-contexts-checks.ts:82 builds its server without herdrConfigPath. scripts/check.ts's isolate() drops only the live-herdr variables, so an inherited HERDR_CONFIG_PATH, or the user's ~/.config/herdr/config.toml via XDG_CONFIG_HOME, reaches readHerdrUi. With copy_on_select = false there, terminal-copy-regression.ts:83's "no herdr config: herdr's default copies on release" fails, or tests the wrong thing. Fix: pass herdrConfigPath pointing at a path under the test root that doesn't exist, as the copy-off script does with its temp config.

What passed

• Unit and contract tests: 53 unit tests, the typecheck, and the isolated contract case for the route (token gate, watch device).
• Real HTTP probe:
  • Off answers false.
  • On, missing, broken TOML and non-boolean all answer true.
  • A BOM on line 2 is stripped (false).
  • A FIFO doesn't block (true).
  • Every answer is no-store, and POST gets 400.
• Browser runs: the copy-off browser script passes 3 checks, and ui-contexts-regression passes 101.
• No new conflicts: none for the 8 outside PRs that share files.
• Gate review:
  • The hover filter doesn't intercept clicks, wheel, keys or button-held moves.
  • The token gate, bridge-token exclusion, watch access, minimal response, FIFO guard and size cap are in place.
  • The behaviour follows the maintainer's design on Terminal: a drag copies even with herdr's copy_on_select off, and a hover after the release clears the selection #1559.

After both fixes, please re-run scripts/chat-history-browser-qa.ts and the CI browser lane. That's a test-only commit, so no new CodeRabbit review is needed. Once it's green, the merge pass will re-check the delta.

[devswha]

Merge pass, re-check of f53accc:

Blocker 1 is fixed. The history fixture now answers /api/herdr-ui.

Blocker 2 is still open, but it's narrower than I wrote. Correction: isolate() sets XDG_CONFIG_HOME to the run's own directory (scripts/check.ts:167), so the user's ~/.config/herdr/config.toml is not reached. Only an inherited HERDR_CONFIG_PATH gets through, because LIVE_HERDR (check.ts:122) doesn't list it. Then ui-contexts-checks.ts:82's server, built without herdrConfigPath, reads that file, and terminal-copy-regression.ts:83 asserts copy_on_select: true against the user's real config.

Either fix is fine:

• pass herdrConfigPath: join(root, "no-herdr-config.toml") to that createServer; or
• add HERDR_CONFIG_PATH to what isolate() drops. That also keeps the isolated test herdr off the user's config.

Push it with the next commit and the merge pass will re-run the affected rows.

[devswha]

Blocker 2 is fixed in 08c1d58, a test-only commit, so no CodeRabbit review is needed. ui-contexts-checks.ts now passes herdrConfigPath: join(root, "no-herdr-config.toml") to its createServer, so an inherited HERDR_CONFIG_PATH can no longer reach checkTerminalCopy. isolate() is unchanged.

I checked it with HERDR_CONFIG_PATH exported to a file containing copy_on_select = false and ran bun run check run --build bun scripts/ui-contexts-regression.ts twice:

• Before (f53accc): exit 1 at terminal-copy-regression.ts's "no herdr config: herdr's default copies on release", with actual { copy_on_select: false }.
• After: exit 0 with 101 PASS, including the copy-on checks and all three copy-off checks.

bun run check fast passes: 6331 pass, 0 fail.

[devswha]

Merge pass: review-work report. This PR adds an HTTP contract (GET /api/herdr-ui), so the review is recorded here. Overall: PASSED.

Lane	Verdict	Confidence
Manual QA (10 rows, artifacts kept)	PASS	-
Gate review, round 1 (7c401e3)	REJECT, two test-script blockers	HIGH
Gate review, round 2 (08c1d58, fresh reviewer)	APPROVE	HIGH

Round 1 findings, now fixed:

1. chat-history-browser-qa.ts: its fixture didn't answer /api/herdr-ui, which gave ENOENT and failed the CI browser lane. Fixed in f53accc.
2. The copy-on regression's server read an inherited HERDR_CONFIG_PATH. Fixed in 08c1d58 with an explicit absent herdrConfigPath under the test root.

Manual QA:

• Tests: 53 unit tests pass, and so does the typecheck. The isolated contract case for the route covers the token gate and the watch device. One unrelated workspace-search contract case fails, and it fails on main on the same machine too.
• Real HTTP: off answers false. On, missing, broken TOML and non-boolean answer true. A BOM on line 2 is stripped and answers false. A FIFO doesn't block and answers true. Every response is no-store, and POST gets 400.
• Outside PRs: none of the 8 that share files gets a new conflict.
• Browser runs:
  • The copy-off browser script: 3 PASS.
  • ui-contexts-regression: 101 PASS.
  • chat-history-browser-qa at 08c1d58: 9 PASS.
  • ui-contexts-regression again, with a hostile HERDR_CONFIG_PATH (copy_on_select = false): 101 PASS. That shows the copy-on assertion is isolated.

What the gate review confirmed:

• The hover filter doesn't intercept clicks, wheel events, keys or button-held moves.
• The token gate and the bridge-token exclusion hold, and so does watch access.
• The response is minimal, with only copy_on_select.
• The FIFO guard and the size cap are in place.
• The behaviour follows the maintainer's design on Terminal: a drag copies even with herdr's copy_on_select off, and a hover after the release clears the selection #1559.

Notes:

• Some unchanged server fixtures in scripts/ still inherit HERDR_CONFIG_PATH, but no other copy assertion depends on it. Adding HERDR_CONFIG_PATH to what isolate() drops would close that for good.
• Not checked: native Cmd+C, the context-menu Copy, and the retry-event wiring were traced in the code, not driven in a browser.

All required checks are green and no review thread is open.