From 6e096a850a2c82bdad4e4caa8e2d739ae34086f4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Brooklyn Nicholson <brooklyn.bb.nicholson@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:57:45 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] feat(desktop): add $backgroundResume store for parked
 delegate_task
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Track top-level delegate_task work that dispatches in the background and
re-enters as a fresh turn. $backgroundResume returns {count, activity} for
the active session while idle — count of parked tasks plus the primary
child's latest stream line (tool/progress/thinking) when readable.
---
 .../src/store/background-delegation.test.ts   | 65 +++++++++++++++++++
 .../src/store/background-delegation.ts        | 48 ++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 113 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 apps/desktop/src/store/background-delegation.test.ts
 create mode 100644 apps/desktop/src/store/background-delegation.ts

diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/background-delegation.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/background-delegation.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cd918c681da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/background-delegation.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+
+import { $backgroundResume } from './background-delegation'
+import { $activeSessionId, $busy } from './session'
+import { $subagentsBySession, type SubagentProgress, type SubagentStreamEntry } from './subagents'
+
+const sub = (over: Partial<SubagentProgress> = {}): SubagentProgress => ({
+  id: over.id ?? 'deleg:1',
+  parentId: null,
+  goal: 'do the thing',
+  status: 'running',
+  taskCount: 1,
+  taskIndex: 0,
+  startedAt: 0,
+  updatedAt: 0,
+  filesRead: [],
+  filesWritten: [],
+  stream: [],
+  ...over
+})
+
+const stream = (text: string): SubagentStreamEntry => ({ at: 0, kind: 'progress', text })
+
+describe('$backgroundResume', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    $busy.set(false)
+    $activeSessionId.set('s1')
+    $subagentsBySession.set({})
+  })
+
+  it('counts running/queued children for the active session while idle', () => {
+    $subagentsBySession.set({ s1: [sub({ id: 'a' }), sub({ id: 'b', status: 'queued' })] })
+    expect($backgroundResume.get()?.count).toBe(2)
+  })
+
+  it('surfaces the primary child latest stream line as live activity', () => {
+    $subagentsBySession.set({ s1: [sub({ id: 'a', stream: [stream('Searching the web…')] })] })
+    expect($backgroundResume.get()?.activity).toBe('Searching the web…')
+  })
+
+  it('activity is null when no stream line has arrived (UI uses generic copy)', () => {
+    $subagentsBySession.set({ s1: [sub({ id: 'a' })] })
+    expect($backgroundResume.get()?.activity).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('is null while a turn is busy (the turn owns the main loader)', () => {
+    $subagentsBySession.set({ s1: [sub({ id: 'a' })] })
+    $busy.set(true)
+    expect($backgroundResume.get()).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('is null when only terminal children or other sessions have work', () => {
+    $subagentsBySession.set({
+      s1: [sub({ id: 'a', status: 'completed' }), sub({ id: 'b', status: 'failed' })],
+      s2: [sub({ id: 'c' })]
+    })
+    expect($backgroundResume.get()).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('is null when there is no active session', () => {
+    $subagentsBySession.set({ s1: [sub({ id: 'a' })] })
+    $activeSessionId.set(null)
+    expect($backgroundResume.get()).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/background-delegation.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/background-delegation.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..72819cb74d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/background-delegation.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { computed } from 'nanostores'
+
+import { $activeSessionId, $busy } from './session'
+import { $subagentsBySession, type SubagentProgress } from './subagents'
+
+export interface BackgroundResume {
+  /** Latest live activity from the primary child (its newest stream line), or
+   *  null when nothing readable has arrived yet — the UI then falls back to the
+   *  generic "will resume" copy. */
+  activity: string | null
+  /** Running/queued background children for the active session. */
+  count: number
+}
+
+const RUNNING = (s: SubagentProgress) => s.status === 'running' || s.status === 'queued'
+
+/**
+ * "Parked" background-delegation signal for the active session.
+ *
+ * A top-level `delegate_task` always runs in the background: the parent turn
+ * ends (`$busy` -> false) while the subagent keeps running, and its result
+ * re-enters the conversation as a fresh turn when it finishes. During that
+ * window the app is genuinely idle but work is still happening elsewhere, so we
+ * surface a calm, shimmering status line (its latest activity, or a generic
+ * "will resume" fallback) instead of a spinner that reads as "stuck."
+ *
+ * Null while `$busy`: an active turn already owns the main loader, and subagents
+ * spawned inside a running turn (synchronous orchestrator children) are part of
+ * that turn, not parked background work the user is waiting on.
+ */
+export const $backgroundResume = computed(
+  [$subagentsBySession, $activeSessionId, $busy],
+  (bySession, sid, busy): BackgroundResume | null => {
+    if (busy || !sid) {
+      return null
+    }
+
+    const running = (bySession[sid] ?? []).filter(RUNNING)
+
+    if (running.length === 0) {
+      return null
+    }
+
+    const activity = (running[0]!.stream.at(-1)?.text ?? '').trim() || null
+
+    return { activity, count: running.length }
+  }
+)