> Deep implementation detail lives in [`docs/architecture-invariants.md`](docs/architecture-invariants.md). This file holds the rules that prevent mistakes; that file holds the mechanisms, file inventories, and the history behind each rule. Pointers below are written as `→ architecture-invariants#anchor`.
>
> **This file is in `.prettierignore` on purpose.** Prettier's markdown printer escapes underscores inside the glob-heavy paths used throughout (`agent-*.jsonl` became `agent-\_.jsonl`, collapsing backtick spans and corrupting a whole paragraph). Do not remove the ignore entry, and do not run `prettier --write` on it.
| Single test | `npm test -- test/<file>.test.ts` (or `npx vitest run --config config/vitest.config.ts test/<file>.test.ts`) — ⚠ **never** run bare `npm test`, see Testing section |
**NEVER COM without verifying your changes actually work.** For every fix:
1.**Backend changes**: Hit the API endpoint with `curl` and verify the response
2.**Frontend changes**: Use Playwright to load the page and assert the UI renders correctly. Use `waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded'` (not `networkidle` — SSE keeps the connection open). Wait 3-4s for polling/async data to populate, then check element visibility, text content, and CSS values
3.**Only after verification passes**, proceed with COM
The production server caches static files for 1 year, `immutable` (`maxAge: '1y'` in `server.ts`). To avoid stale frontend after a deploy, `renderIndexHtml` runs `cacheBustAssets(html)` — it appends `?v=<mtime>` to **every same-origin `.js`/`.css`** reference (mtime memoized ~1s so a burst of renders is cheap; external/already-versioned/missing refs untouched). Because `index.html` is served `no-cache`, a **normal reload now picks up edited modules/styles — no hard refresh needed** (the gesture bundle is injected separately with its own `?v=`). If you add an asset referenced by an _absolute_ URL or from JS rather than a `<script>/<link>` tag, it won't be auto-busted.
Uses [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/) (`MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`) via `@changesets/cli`. What SemVer actually covers (the CLI + documented env vars are public; the HTTP/SSE API, on-disk state, and experimental features are internal/unstable) is defined in `docs/versioning-policy.md`. Security reporting + known limitations live in `.github/SECURITY.md`.
3. **Consume the changeset**: `npm run version-packages` (auto-bumps `package.json` files, updates `CHANGELOG.md`, runs `npm install --package-lock-only`, and verifies lockfile sync via `scripts/check-lockfile-sync.mjs` — all in one command; never hand-edit `CHANGELOG.md` or `package-lock.json` versions)
4. **Sync CLAUDE.md version**: Update the `**Version**` line below to match the new version from `package.json`
5. **Commit and deploy**: `git add -A && git commit -m "chore: version packages" && git push && npm run build && systemctl --user restart codeman-web`
6. **Wait for CI**: after `git push`, TWO workflows fire per master push — `CI` and `Release` (the npm publish + GitHub release). List both runs for the pushed commit with `gh run list --commit $(git rev-parse HEAD) --json databaseId,workflowName` and watch EACH with `gh run watch <id> --exit-status`. Confirm both pass before considering the release done (`gh run list -L 1` returns only one of the two).
Codeman is a Claude Code session manager with web interface and autonomous Ralph Loop. Spawns Claude CLI via PTY, streams via SSE, supports respawn cycling for 24+ hour autonomous runs.
`npm run dev` = dev server. Default port: `3000` (override with `--port` or the `CODEMAN_PORT` env var). To run this beta isolated alongside a prod Codeman, use `scripts/run-beta.sh` (sets `CODEMAN_INSTANCE=beta` + `CODEMAN_PORT=5000`). Commands not in Quick Reference:
| Dev with TLS | `npx tsx src/index.ts web --https` |
| Override window title hostname | `npx tsx src/index.ts web --title-hostname <name>` (default: `os.hostname()` — `codeman:<name>` is used for tab title, title-flash, and OS desktop notification prefix) |
| Bind a non-loopback host | `npx tsx src/index.ts web --host 0.0.0.0` (or `-H`; env `CODEMAN_HOST`; default `127.0.0.1`). Without `CODEMAN_PASSWORD` it **starts but warns loudly** — see Common Gotchas + `docs/security-architecture.md` |
| Continuous typecheck | `tsc --noEmit --watch` |
| Watch-mode test | `npm run test:watch -- test/<file>.test.ts` (always pass a file — bare watch includes the browser suites) |
| Test coverage | `npm run test:coverage` |
| Dead-code sweep | `npm run knip` (config in `knip.json`) |
| Rebuild gesture overlay | `npm run build:gesture` (esbuild `packages/gesture-control/src/codeman/entry.ts` → `src/web/public/gesture/gesture-codeman.js`; commit the result) |
| Build the docker agent image | `node scripts/build-agent-image.mjs` (builds `codeman/agent:base` from `docker/agent.Dockerfile`; prerequisite for Docker cases; `--engine`/`--image`/`--no-cache`) |
| Gesture playground | `npm run dev` **in** `packages/gesture-control/` (standalone vite demo, fake tabs) |
| Check public-asset formatting | `npm run check:public-assets` (prettier-checks `src/web/public/**` text assets; `scripts/check-public-assets.mjs`) |
| Frontend JS syntax check | `npm run check:frontend-syntax` (`scripts/check-frontend-syntax.mjs`; runs in CI) |
| CI-equivalent test sweep | `npm run test:ci` (full suite minus browser/perf — see Testing) |
| Production start | `npm run start` |
| Production logs | `journalctl --user -u codeman-web -f` |
**CI**: `.github/workflows/ci.yml` (push to master/main + PRs, Node 22) runs two jobs: **(1)** `check:lockfile`, `typecheck`, `lint`, `check:frontend-syntax`, `format:check`, then a **server boot smoke test** (`tsx src/index.ts web --port 3151` must answer `/api/status` within 30s); **(2)** the **unit/integration test suite** via `npm run test:ci` (`config/vitest.ci.config.ts` — excludes the browser-driven `test/mobile/**` suite, `perf-*` benchmarks, and 3 Playwright tests). Tests are tmux-safe in CI: `TmuxManager` no-ops all shell commands under `VITEST` (see Testing).
**Prettier scope is deliberately narrow.** `npm run format` globs only `src/**/*.ts` and `src/web/public/**`, and `.prettierignore` then exempts most of `src/web/public/*.js` (app.js, styles.css, index.html, and 14 hand-formatted modules) plus `CLAUDE.md`. Those files are hand-formatted by design; `npm run check:public-assets` and `check:frontend-syntax` are what guard them (NUL bytes + JS syntax), not Prettier. Do not "fix" a file by adding it back to Prettier's scope.
- **Global regex `lastIndex`** — Shared `g`-flag patterns in loops must reset `lastIndex = 0` first, or use the `execPattern()` helper in `utils/regex-patterns.ts` (resets automatically)
- **`envOverrides` flow `CLAUDE_CODE_*` / `OPENCODE_*` / `CODEX_*` / `GEMINI_*` / `GOOGLE_*` env vars** — Set via `POST /api/sessions { envOverrides }`, stored on `Session._envOverrides`, exported by `tmux-manager.buildEnvExports()` at spawn time, persisted in `SessionState.envOverrides`. **Do NOT** write these to `<case>/.claude/settings.local.json` — that's the old path and creates UI/disk drift. (`GOOGLE_*` is the deliberately-broad Vertex-AI namespace for Gemini — see Multi-CLI prefix discipline.)
- **Effort is NOT an env var** — never carry effort as `CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL`: the env var hard-locks effort and blocks in-session `/effort` switching (incl. ultracode). It flows as the dedicated `effort` payload field → `Session._effort` → `claude --effort <level>` for regular levels incl. `max` (the settings `effortLevel` key is `enum(["low","medium","high","xhigh"]).catch(undefined)` — `max` gets SILENTLY dropped there), or `claude --settings '{"ultracode":true}'` for ultracode (rejected by `--effort`). Both are soft defaults the user can override anytime. Legacy env-var entries are auto-migrated by the Session constructor and unset from tmux sessions in `applyEnvOverrides()`. See `buildEffortCliArgs()` in `session-cli-builder.ts`, tests in `test/effort-injection.test.ts`
- **Model choice flows via `settings.local.json`, NOT `--model` or env** — the App Settings **Claude Model** picker (`claudeModel` in `settings.json`) is read by `session-ui.js` at session create (wins over the legacy 1M-Opus toggles `opusContext1m`/`opusContext1mEnabled`), sent as the `modelOverride` payload field, and `updateCaseModel()` (`hooks-config.ts`) writes/deletes the `model` key in `<case>/.claude/settings.local.json`. This is the intended exception to the envOverrides rule above: model legitimately lives in `settings.local.json` (a soft default — in-session `/model` still works); env vars do not
- **Multi-CLI prefix discipline** — env-var prefix is CLI-specific (`CLAUDE_CODE_*` vs `OPENCODE_*` vs `CODEX_*` vs `GEMINI_*`) and the `ALLOWED_ENV_PREFIXES` allowlist in `schemas.ts` enforces this. Gemini additionally allowlists the **broad `GOOGLE_*`** namespace (intentional: Vertex AI auth needs `GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT`/`GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS`/`GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI`; it is the loosest allowlist entry, affecting only the user's own spawned CLI). When adding a setting, decide which CLI(s) it applies to and gate the env export accordingly. Never blanket-forward all prefixes. Resolver design pattern: `docs/opencode-integration.md`
- **Zod `.optional()` rejects `null`** — accepts `undefined` only. When the frontend builds a request body with `JSON.stringify`, an explicit `null` field is preserved on the wire and fails validation with `INVALID_INPUT`. Convert `null` → `undefined` before stringifying (e.g. `field: value ?? undefined`), or declare the schema `.nullish()`. This has caused real shipped bugs twice
- **`xterm-zerolag-input` is single-source** — the local-echo overlay source lives ONLY in `packages/xterm-zerolag-input/src/`, and is bundled into the **gitignored** `src/web/public/vendor/xterm-zerolag-input.js` (dev, by `scripts/postinstall.js`) and `dist/.../vendor/` (prod, by `scripts/build.mjs`). `app.js` only **consumes** it via `new LocalEchoOverlay(terminal)`; there is no inline copy. So: change the package source, then rerun the bundle step (`npm install` for dev, `npm run build` for prod). **Never hand-edit `app.js` for overlay behavior, and never commit the gitignored vendor bundle.** Always test on mobile after touching it. → [architecture-invariants#xterm-zerolag-input-is-single-source](docs/architecture-invariants.md#xterm-zerolag-input-is-single-source), `docs/local-echo-overlay-plan.md`
- **Default bind is loopback-only; non-loopback without a password starts but warns** — the server defaults to `--host 127.0.0.1`. Binding non-loopback (`--host`/`-H`/`CODEMAN_HOST`) without `CODEMAN_PASSWORD` starts anyway but prints a loud warning; `--allow-unauthenticated-network` / `CODEMAN_ALLOW_UNAUTHENTICATED_NETWORK=1` acknowledges it. ⚠️ The production systemd unit passes no `--host`, so prod binds **localhost only**: reach it via `tailscale serve`/tunnel to `127.0.0.1`. A loopback bind is reachable through a same-host tunnel but NOT by a browser hitting the box's LAN IP. `install.sh` is separate and prompts for the binding (defaulting to LAN + a password), and preserves the existing binding on re-runs. → [architecture-invariants#default-bind-and-the-non-loopback-warning-path](docs/architecture-invariants.md#default-bind-and-the-non-loopback-warning-path), `docs/security-architecture.md`
- **Instance isolation / multi-instance attach danger** — the data dir (`~/.codeman`) and tmux socket (`tmux -L codeman`) are PROCESS-WIDE and shared by every Codeman on the machine, derived from `CODEMAN_INSTANCE` via `src/config/instance.ts`. ⚠️ A 2nd instance on the SAME socket **discovers and attaches PTYs to the first instance's live sessions**, resizing and mutating them. `$HOME` isolation is NOT enough because tmux is system-global. To run two instances, give each a distinct `CODEMAN_INSTANCE` (scopes dir + socket together), or set `CODEMAN_TMUX_SOCKET` + `CODEMAN_DATA_DIR` individually; `scripts/run-beta.sh` does this for a beta alongside prod. **Any new `~/.codeman/...` path MUST go through `dataPath()`**, never `join(homedir(), '.codeman', …)`. → [architecture-invariants#instance-isolation-and-the-multi-instance-attach-danger](docs/architecture-invariants.md#instance-isolation-and-the-multi-instance-attach-danger)
- **Headless screenshots: `deviceScaleFactor` MUST be 1, and write unique filenames** — under DSF=2 xterm's WebGL renderer draws glyphs at ~2× nominal size while still *reporting* nominal cell dims, so only the pixels reveal it and only the terminal font looks wrong. And overwriting a fixed output path leaves OS image viewers showing the old render, which reads as "the fix didn't work"; `scripts/capture-real-overview.mjs` mints a timestamped filename per run. Seed the per-device `localStorage` keys (`codeman:skin`, `codeman-font-size`, `codeman-app-settings`) so the capture matches a real device. → [architecture-invariants#headless-screenshot-capture](docs/architecture-invariants.md#headless-screenshot-capture)
★ = Large, central file (>50KB) — read its `@fileoverview` first. All files have `@fileoverview` JSDoc — read that before diving in. Discovery aid: `grep -l '@fileoverview' src/web/routes/*.ts` lists all route modules; same grep works for `src/types/`, `src/web/public/*.js`.
**Local packages**: `packages/xterm-zerolag-input/` (local echo overlay, single-source, see Gotchas). `packages/gesture-control/` (`codeman-gesture-control`, hand-tracking overlay source, built via `npm run build:gesture`).
**Input**: `session.writeViaMux()` for programmatic/curl input via tmux `send-keys -l` + `send-keys Enter`, single-line only. Interactive **browser** input goes through a durable **exactly-once** layer: a stable `clientId` + monotonic per-session `seq` persisted to localStorage until the server ACKs, so a dropped link cannot lose or double-deliver a prompt. `ws-connection-registry.ts` supersedes only same-TAB reconnects, so two tabs on one session coexist. → [architecture-invariants#input-delivery-and-ws-resilience](docs/architecture-invariants.md#input-delivery-and-ws-resilience)
**Auto-resume on usage limit** (opt-in per session, top of the Respawn tab): when Claude halts on a subscription limit, `usage-limit-patterns.ts` (pure, unit-tested) parses the reset time and `SessionAutoOps` arms a timer for reset+2min, then sends Esc + `continue`. ⚠️ Respawn cycles are blocked while paused (`isLimitPaused` guard in `onIdleDetected`), which is what prevents `/clear` from wiping the paused conversation. Claude-mode only. → [architecture-invariants#auto-resume-on-usage-limit](docs/architecture-invariants.md#auto-resume-on-usage-limit)
**Plan-usage chip** (statusLine telemetry, opt-in `showPlanUsageLimits`, default OFF): Codeman injects its own `statusLine.command` exporter which POSTs Claude's `rate_limits` blob to `POST /api/status-telemetry`. The exporter is identified by a marker, so it only ever adds/updates/removes a statusLine that is **ours**, never a user's hand-authored one, and it prints the footer through so the in-terminal statusline is not blanked. Claude-mode only; distinct from auto-resume, which reacts to the limit *message* rather than showing live %. → [architecture-invariants#plan-usage-chip-statusline-telemetry](docs/architecture-invariants.md#plan-usage-chip-statusline-telemetry), `docs/usage-limits-display-plan.md`
**Orchestrator**: State machine that turns a user goal into a phased plan and drives it to completion: `idle → planning → approval → executing → verifying → (replanning) → completed/failed`. `OrchestratorLoop` (engine) delegates plan generation to `orchestrator-planner` and per-phase verification gates to `orchestrator-verifier`, executing phases via team agents/`task-queue`. State persists under the `orchestrator` key in `state.json`. Distinct from Ralph (single-session autonomous loop) — orchestrator coordinates multi-phase, multi-agent execution. See `docs/orchestrator-loop-architecture.md`.
**Cron (`CronJob`s)**: saved, named jobs on a recurring schedule (`once`/`interval`/`daily`/`weekly`) with per-job run history. ⚠️ **Distinct from the legacy `ScheduledRun`** (`/api/scheduled`, a run-now duration-bounded loop); the two never interact and keep separate `Scheduled*` / `Cron*` names. `CronService` **reuses the existing session layer** rather than rebuilding tmux logic. Next-run math is pure and unit-tested in `cron-time.ts` (server-local timezone). The schedule is advanced BEFORE launch so a slow launch cannot re-trigger. → [architecture-invariants#cron-jobs](docs/architecture-invariants.md#cron-jobs), `docs/cron-discovery.md`
**Remote sessions + remote SSH cases**: a case can point at a remote host. The agent runs inside a durable remote `tmux -L codeman-remote` (session name `codeman-ssh-<id>`, deliberately failing the remote Codeman's `SAFE_MUX_NAME_PATTERN` so an instance on the target host never adopts it), fronted by a LOCAL tmux pane running `ssh`. Attached (`owned:false`) sessions **detach, never kill** on tab close; owned ones propagate `kill-session`. A bounded-backoff watcher auto-reconnects dropped sessions (`remoteAutoReconnect`, default ON). ⚠️ **Command-injection surface: every ssh command line must flow through `buildSshConnectionArgs()`**, which `shellescape`s every user field. Never hand-build an ssh line elsewhere. ⚠️ Run flows must route remote cases through `POST /api/quick-start`, not `POST /api/sessions` (which stat-validates `workingDir` locally and has no `caseName`). → [architecture-invariants#remote-sessions-over-ssh](docs/architecture-invariants.md#remote-sessions-over-ssh), [#remote-ssh-cases](docs/architecture-invariants.md#remote-ssh-cases), `docs/remote-sessions.md`
**Docker cases**: a case can point at a **container**, with any of the five CLI backends running inside it. Like remote-SSH this is a **LOCATION OVERLAY on cases, never a sixth `SessionMode`**. Exactly one long-lived container **per case**, shared by all its sessions, so killing a session kills only that session's in-container tmux and **never** `docker stop` while siblings remain. The workspace is a real host dir bind-mounted at the **same absolute path**, which is what keeps file-routes/watchers on real host bytes and makes the in-container transcript projHash match the host. Credentials are **seeded** (RO mount, copied into the container once) rather than shared RW, so in-container CLIs never write refreshed tokens back to the host, and bind mounts are excluded from `docker commit` so exports stay secret-free. **NEVER a create-time `-e` for secrets, NEVER `--privileged`, NEVER the docker socket.** Config drift is detected via a label hash and a drifted launch is REFUSED rather than silently launched with stale config. ⚠️ On the loopback-only prod bind a container cannot reach 127.0.0.1, so in-container hooks need `CODEMAN_DOCKER_BRIDGE_HOOKS=1`; otherwise idle detection falls back to output-based. → [architecture-invariants#docker-cases](docs/architecture-invariants.md#docker-cases), `docs/docker-cases.md` (user guide), `docs/docker-cases-plan.md` (design)
**External CLI modes (OpenCode, Codex, Gemini)**: `isExternalCliMode()` in `session.ts` gates Claude-specific behavior off (Ralph tracker, BashToolParser, token/CLI-info parsing, ❯-prompt readiness); these CLIs render their own TUIs, so readiness is output stabilization instead. All three **require tmux with no direct PTY fallback**, because secrets are injected via socket-scoped `tmux setenv` and never on the spawn command line. ⚠️ `run*()` in `session-ui.js` MUST unwrap the `{success,data}` envelope; reading the raw shape silently breaks the run. → [architecture-invariants#external-cli-modes-opencode-codex-gemini](docs/architecture-invariants.md#external-cli-modes-opencode-codex-gemini)
**Run launch synchronization**: the Run entrypoint holds an in-flight lock and disables `#runBtn` for the whole launch (≥500ms), so a double click cannot create duplicate sessions with the same `w<n>-<case>` name. `_ensureCreatedSessionVisible()` runs before `selectSession()`, and `_onSessionCreated()` stays an idempotent upsert, so POST-first and SSE-first ordering both produce exactly one rendered tab. → [architecture-invariants#run-launch-synchronization](docs/architecture-invariants.md#run-launch-synchronization)
**Unified session list**: `GET /api/sessions/unified` merges live sessions, persisted state, lifecycle-log history, and Claude transcript files into one deduped list (pure core in `src/services/unified-session-service.ts`). Transcript rows fold into their owning session via a `claudeSessionId → Codeman id` alias map, so resumed and `/clear`-respawned sessions do not appear twice. No terminal buffers in the response, unlike `/api/sessions`. Backs the Cmd+K Session Manager, plus pinning and cross-device tab order (`PUT /api/session-order`; pure merge helpers in `src/session-order.ts`, pushing device wins and server-only ids are never dropped). → [architecture-invariants#unified-session-list-and-session-manager](docs/architecture-invariants.md#unified-session-list-and-session-manager)
**Agent Teams**: `TeamWatcher` polls `~/.claude/teams/`, matches to sessions via `leadSessionId`. Teammates are in-process threads appearing as subagents. Enable: `CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1`. See `docs/agent-teams/`.
**Circuit breakers**: the Ralph breaker prevents respawn thrashing (`CLOSED` → `HALF_OPEN` → `OPEN`; reset via `/api/sessions/:id/ralph-circuit-breaker/reset`). **Distinct: the PTY-exit breaker** (`session-pty-exit-breaker.ts`) trips after repeated rapid PTY exits and blocks auto-restarts. ⚠️ It resets ONLY via an explicit `{clearBreaker:true}` body on `POST /api/sessions/:id/interactive`; the frontend's auto-reattach in `selectSession()` sends no body and must never clear it. → [architecture-invariants#circuit-breakers-ralph--pty-exit](docs/architecture-invariants.md#circuit-breakers-ralph-and-pty-exit)
**Full-scrollback replay**: `GET /api/sessions/:id/terminal?full=1` returns the entire tmux scrollback, bounded by the configured history limit. On success the capture is returned ALONE (`source='mux-full-history'`), superseding the byte buffer so nothing duplicates. Only the FIRST buffer load after a page load requests `full=1`; tab switches keep the cheap `?tail=` path. → [architecture-invariants#full-scrollback-replay](docs/architecture-invariants.md#full-scrollback-replay)
**Self-update** (App Settings → Updates): in-app updater for git-clone installs supervised by systemd/launchd (`systemd`, `launchd`, `launchd-daemon`, else `none` → "restart manually"). The update restarts the very process running it, so the real work runs in a DETACHED `scripts/self-update.sh` that outlives the restart and writes progress to `update-status.json`, which the browser polls across the connection drop. `src/web/self-update.ts` splits pure helpers (unit-tested) from IO wrappers. npm installs report as non-updatable. → [architecture-invariants#self-update](docs/architecture-invariants.md#self-update)
**Attachments** (live external document references; all wiring in `file-routes.ts`): a **registry** maps a stable `attachmentId` to a realpath-resolved, extension-allowlisted absolute path, so browser requests never carry arbitrary absolute paths. ⚠️ The **magic-link scanner** (`codeman://attach?...` in terminal output) is **prompt-injectable**, so its scan path is force-confined to the session workspace; a hostile prompt could otherwise exfiltrate arbitrary host files over SSE. The security gate is an extension **allowlist**, not a blocklist. `document-conversion-limiter.ts` caps converter spawns globally: without it, N large docs detected at once fork N multi-minute processes, which is a resource-exhaustion vector. → [architecture-invariants#attachments](docs/architecture-invariants.md#attachments)
**Ultracode / workflow-run visualization** (opt-in, default OFF): the Workflow tool writes a completion artifact only at run *end*, so live in-flight runs exist solely as transcript dirs. `workflow-run-watcher.ts` therefore synthesizes ACTIVE runs from transcripts until the completion artifact appears and supersedes them. It is **STANDALONE** and deliberately never imports or touches `subagent-watcher.ts`, despite reading the same tree. Two independent toggles: `showUltracodeAgents` (docked panel) and `ultracodeFloatingWindows` (floating windows); the watcher starts if **either** is on. → [architecture-invariants#ultracode--workflow-run-visualization](docs/architecture-invariants.md#ultracode-and-workflow-run-visualization)
**Cross-session search**: `GET /api/search` federates an in-memory search over session metadata, run-summary events, and attachment-history entries. The pure core `searchSources()` does substring matching with hard per-type caps: **no regex (so no ReDoS) and no filesystem reads (so no traversal)**. The server-private `externalPath` is never read. → [architecture-invariants#cross-session-search](docs/architecture-invariants.md#cross-session-search)
**Multi-user mode** (opt-in `--multiuser` / `CODEMAN_MULTIUSER=1`, OFF by default): named users with scrypt-hashed passwords in `~/.codeman/users.json`. Gated everywhere by `isMultiUserMode()`; when OFF, behavior is byte-identical to single-user because every scoping helper short-circuits. ⚠️ **Not a security boundary at the agent layer**: every session still runs as the SAME OS account. This separates WORKSPACES; it does not sandbox users (Docker cases are the isolation story). Ownership threads through `Session.owner` and is enforced in `findSessionOrFail`, list endpoints, SSE routing (fail-closed), WS, search, and file-preview. → [architecture-invariants#multi-user-mode](docs/architecture-invariants.md#multi-user-mode), `docs/multi-user-plan.md`
**Away digest**: `GET /api/away-digest` aggregates what happened while you were away from the lifecycle log, run-summary events, live sessions, token stats, and recent subagents. Pure aggregator in `web/away-digest.ts`. ⚠️ Returns `{success:true,digest}`, a legacy raw-ish shape consistent with the other raw GET handlers in `system-routes.ts`; frontend and tests read `.digest`. → [architecture-invariants#away-digest](docs/architecture-invariants.md#away-digest)
**Ralph todo-config**: per-session `maxTodos` (FIFO-eviction cap, default 500 = `MAX_TODOS_PER_SESSION`) + `todoExpirationMinutes` (auto-expiry, default 60) set via `POST /api/sessions/:id/ralph-config` (`RalphConfigSchema`, both `.int().positive()`). Stored on the tracker (`setMaxTodos`/`setTodoExpirationMinutes`) and **persisted/read-back via `RalphTrackerState`** (surfaced in the `loopState` getter → `toState()` + SSE broadcast → modal `populateRalphForm`), mirroring how `maxIterations` round-trips. Claude-only (skipped by `isExternalCliMode`).
**Command palette + shortcut registry**: `Ctrl/Cmd/Alt+K` opens the session palette; shortcuts live in a rebindable registry (`DEFAULT_SHORTCUTS`/`getShortcutRegistry()`/`matchesShortcutEvent()` in app.js, overrides in `settings.shortcutOverrides`). ⚠️ Palette-chord keys must ALSO be swallowed in `attachCustomKeyEventHandler` (terminal-ui.js) or xterm writes the control byte (0x0B) into the PTY. ⚠️ `saveAppSettings()` rebuilds settings from the DOM, so keys edited elsewhere (`shortcutOverrides`, `showTokenCount`, `showCost`) need explicit `_prev` carry-over. → [architecture-invariants#command-palette-and-shortcut-registry](docs/architecture-invariants.md#command-palette-and-shortcut-registry)
**Per-device vs synced settings**: the `displayKeys` set in settings-ui.js is a **client-side merge policy**, not a wire filter. A display key seeds from the server only when localStorage has no value for it, which is what prevents one device overwriting another; `showPlanUsageLimits` is additionally `delete`d from the incoming payload outright. Separately, `SettingsUpdateSchema` is `.strict()` and simply **does not declare** `skin`, `showFileViewerButton`, `showCronButton`, `webglRendererEnabled`, `localEchoEnabled`, `cjkInputEnabled`, or `extendedKeyboardBar`, so sending one of those is a validation error. The rest (`showResponseViewer`, `showPlanUsageLimits`, `language`, and most `show*` keys) ARE in the schema and do persist server-side; they are per-device by client policy only. ⚠️ Adding a new per-device setting means deciding **both** questions: membership in `displayKeys`, and presence in the schema.
**Header button visibility**: most header controls are opt-in and hidden by a marker class (`btn-multimonitor--hidden`, `btn-response-viewer-header--hidden`, `btn-file-viewer--hidden`, `btn-cron--hidden`) that `applyHeaderVisibilitySettings()` (settings-ui.js) toggles after settings load; the multi-monitor button is instead stripped at render by `renderIndexHtml`. ⚠️ Hiding must go through the marker class: the base rules are `display:inline-flex !important`, so an inline style cannot override them. Current desktop default is WS/CPU/MEM + File Viewer + gear, with the token chip and lifecycle-log button OFF. ⚠️ New header controls must not leak onto phones; `test/mobile-header-buttons-policy.test.ts` is the static guard. → [architecture-invariants#header-button-visibility-multi-monitor-response-viewer-file-viewer-cron](docs/architecture-invariants.md#header-button-visibility-multi-monitor-response-viewer-file-viewer-cron)
**Gesture control** (camera hand-tracking overlay, opt-in, default OFF): `CODEMAN_GESTURE=1` makes the feature *available*; `gestureControlEnabled` turns it on. The bundle is injected by `renderIndexHtml` only when enabled, which is why that method is `async` and reads settings with `readSettings(true)` (a fresh read: a post-save reload lands inside the 2s cache TTL and would otherwise render the pre-toggle state). **Source lives in `packages/gesture-control/`; edit there, run `npm run build:gesture`, and commit the regenerated bundle** because dev serves the committed bundle with no runtime bundler. The MediaPipe wasm + model are fetched separately and gitignored. ⚠️ Keep `MP_VERSION` in `fetch-gesture-assets.mjs` in sync with `@mediapipe/tasks-vision`. → [architecture-invariants#gesture-control-the-source-package](docs/architecture-invariants.md#gesture-control-the-source-package)
**Theme skins / branding / i18n**: `skin` selects a palette via `data-skin` on `<html>`, applied by an **inline pre-paint script** in `index.html` reading `localStorage['codeman:skin']` to avoid a flash of wrong theme. `displayName` changes user-facing browser branding only and must NEVER rename npm package, CLI, API, storage, CSS, or protocol identifiers. `language` (`en`/`zh-CN`) keeps English as the canonical source so live switching stays reversible. User display names flow through `textContent`/attribute APIs and the server title's HTML escaper, never `innerHTML`. → [architecture-invariants#theme-skins](docs/architecture-invariants.md#theme-skins)
**Foldable settings identity**: responsive layout is width-driven via `MobileDetection.getDeviceType()`, but the localStorage namespace uses `MobileDetection.isHandheldDevice()` so an unfolded Android foldable keeps `codeman-app-settings-mobile`. ⚠️ Do not switch per-device settings namespaces from instantaneous viewport width: a posture-triggered WebView reload would lose opt-in UI. Regression profile: `OPPO Find N5 (unfolded)` in `test/mobile/devices.ts`. → [architecture-invariants#foldable-settings-identity](docs/architecture-invariants.md#foldable-settings-identity)
**WebGL renderer toggle** (`webglRendererEnabled`, per-device): the GPU-stall watchdog's sticky `codeman-webgl-disabled` marker survives page loads and is cleared only by an explicit OFF→ON save or `?webgl=force`. `?nowebgl` forces the DOM renderer per-load. → [architecture-invariants#webgl-renderer-toggle](docs/architecture-invariants.md#webgl-renderer-toggle)
**Z-index layers**: subagent windows (1000), plan agents (1100), mobile/tablet fixed header (1200, `mobile.css`), modals on ≤768px (1300 — must beat the fixed header or the modal close button is buried), log viewers (2000), image popups (3000), local echo overlay (7).
| **Auth** | Optional HTTP Basic via `CODEMAN_USERNAME` (default `admin`) / `CODEMAN_PASSWORD`. Active only when `CODEMAN_PASSWORD` is set (`middleware/auth.ts`) |
| **Network bind** | Defaults to loopback. Non-loopback without a password starts but warns loudly. Classifier: `network-auth-policy.ts` |
| **Host guard** | Always-on Host-header allowlist blocking DNS rebinding. ⚠️ **Custom reverse-proxy domains are rejected** unless added via `CODEMAN_ALLOWED_HOSTS=host,.suffix` |
| **CSRF / Origin** | Always-on cross-site Origin guard on state-changing requests. **A missing Origin is allowed** so curl/CLI and hooks keep working. ⚠️ The body parser keeps `text/plain` RAW; auto-JSON-parsing it enabled simple-request CSRF |
| **QR Auth** | Single-use 6-char tokens (60s TTL) for tunnel login. See `docs/qr-auth-plan.md` |
| **Rate limit** | 10 failed auth/IP → 429 (15min decay). QR and hook-secret have separate buckets, so neither can lock out login |
| **Hook bypass** | `/api/hook-event` + `/api/status-telemetry` skip Basic auth (localhost-only, schema-validated), but when auth is active the loopback bypass requires `X-Codeman-Hook-Secret` **unconditionally** (Codeman cannot detect a user's own loopback reverse proxy) |
| **Tunnel** | Enabling a tunnel **refuses** without `CODEMAN_PASSWORD` unless exposure is acknowledged via `CODEMAN_ALLOW_UNAUTHENTICATED_NETWORK=1` or the per-request `acknowledgeUnauthTunnel:true` action field (never persisted) |
148 event constants in `src/web/sse-events.ts` (backend) and `SSE_EVENTS` in `constants.js` (frontend). **Both must be kept in sync** — they are currently exactly in sync, and the backend file's `@fileoverview` carries the per-category breakdown.
**HTTP contract** (stable since 0.9.x, see `docs/versioning-policy.md`; full envelope/status/error-code/SSE spec in `docs/api-reference.md`): responses use the `ApiResponse<T>` envelope — `{ success: true, data? }` or `{ success: false, error, errorCode }` (`src/types/api.ts`). `/api/v1/*` is a versioned alias of `/api/*` (URL rewrite in `server.ts`).
- **API endpoint**: Types in `src/types/` domain file, route in `src/web/routes/*-routes.ts`. Return the `ApiResponse` envelope (`{ success: true, data }`; errors via `createErrorResponse()` with proper status code). Validate with Zod schemas in `schemas.ts`.
- **App setting**: decide per-device vs synced first. Per-device keys go in the `displayKeys` set in settings-ui.js and must NOT be added to `SettingsUpdateSchema` (it is `.strict()`).
- **Mobile feature**: Add to relevant singleton, guard with `MobileDetection.isMobile()`. New header buttons must stay off phones (`test/mobile-header-buttons-policy.test.ts`).
**Never run the bare full suite** (`npm test` with no file argument): the default config includes the browser-driven suites (`test/mobile/**` and 3 other Playwright tests), which need a live server + chromium + environment-specific PNG baselines and will fail/hang locally. Run individual files, or `test:ci` for a broad sweep:
**Config**: Vitest with `globals: true`, `fileParallelism: false`. Timeout 30s, teardown 60s. `config/vitest.ci.config.ts` = same minus the browser/perf excludes — keep the two configs in sync when changing shared options.
**Tmux safety**: under vitest (`VITEST` env var, set automatically), `TmuxManager` no-ops ALL shell commands and becomes a pure in-memory mock — tests physically cannot create/kill/attach real tmux sessions (`IS_TEST_MODE` in `src/tmux-manager.ts`). Every docker IO path is no-op'd the same way. `test/setup.ts` additionally strips `CODEMAN_PASSWORD`/`CODEMAN_USERNAME` (so auth state from the running instance can't leak into tests) and `CODEMAN_GESTURE` (a shell-exported gesture flag would flip render-injection assertions).
**Respawn tests**: Use `MockSession` from `test/mocks/index.ts` (defined in `test/mocks/mock-session.ts`). **Route tests**: `app.inject({ method, url, payload })` in `test/routes/` — no live port needed. **Mobile tests**: Playwright suite in `test/mobile/` (136 device profiles). Browser-testing infra and practices: `docs/browser-testing-guide.md`.
Target: 20 sessions, 50 agent windows at 60fps. Limits live in `src/config/` (terminal 32MB, text 1MB, messages 1000, max agents 500, max sessions 50, max SSE clients 100), most env-overridable.
Two constraints worth knowing before you touch them: the env-derived PTY buffer trim is **clamped to ≤75% of max**, because a trim ≥ max would disable `BufferAccumulator` trimming entirely and make memory unbounded; and browser xterm scrollback is a **separate hardcoded 50k** (`DEFAULT_SCROLLBACK` in constants.js), deliberately lower than tmux's 100k history because 100k per tab is a mobile-memory hazard. The settings keys `terminalScrollbackLines`/`terminalBufferMaxBytes`/`terminalBufferTrimBytes` are schema-validated but **inert**; only `tmuxHistoryLimit` is wired live. → [architecture-invariants#buffers-uploads-and-terminal-history](docs/architecture-invariants.md#buffers-uploads-and-terminal-history), `docs/terminal-anti-flicker.md`
**Memory leaks (24+ hour sessions)**: use `CleanupManager`, clear Maps in `stop()`, guard async with `if (this.cleanup.isStopped) return`. Frontend: store handler refs, clean in `close*()`. Use `LRUMap` for bounded caches, `StaleExpirationMap` for TTL cleanup. Verify: `npm test -- test/memory-leak-prevention.test.ts`.
**`install.sh`** (repo root, 69KB) is the public entry point: `curl -fsSL <raw url> | bash` installs Node/tmux if missing, clones to `~/.codeman/app`, builds, and offers a systemd/launchd service. It prompts for the network binding (LAN default + password prompt) and preserves the existing binding on re-runs via `read_existing_binding()`. `install.sh update` and `install.sh uninstall` also exist; `CODEMAN_NONINTERACTIVE=1` approves system changes for automation.
Other key scripts: `scripts/tmux-manager.sh` (safe tmux mgmt), `scripts/tunnel.sh [quick|named] start|stop|status|url` (quick = random trycloudflare URL, default; `named setup|enable` = fixed-hostname tunnel via `scripts/codeman-tunnel-named.service`; bare `start|stop|url` still means quick), `scripts/run-beta.sh` (isolated beta instance), `scripts/build-agent-image.mjs` (docker base image), `scripts/self-update.sh` (detached updater). Production services: `scripts/codeman-web.service`, `scripts/codeman-tunnel.service`. **Always set `CODEMAN_PASSWORD`** before exposing via tunnel.