kayg/hermternal-apple

Watch

Fork 0

Add a ChatGPT-style conversation workspace with steps, artifacts, and tool calls #53

New issue

Open

opened 2026-08-24 09:55:15 +00:00 by kayg · 0 comments

kayg commented

2026-08-24 09:55:15 +00:00

Owner

Problem

The current transcript renders user text, assistant Markdown with fenced code blocks, and system notes.
It has no conversation-step rail, artifacts panel, or structured tool-call presentation.
Users cannot scan work steps, inspect produced artifacts, or understand tool activity at a glance.

Reference

Use this reference for the interaction model:
https://img.kayg.org/u/mgxC7I.png

Scope

Left conversation-step rail

Show an ordered rail of conversation steps on the left side of the transcript.
Slide the rail into view and retract it without losing the current conversation or transcript position.
Highlight the step that contains the current transcript position.
Let the user select a step and move the transcript to that step.
Keep the rail understandable with keyboard navigation and VoiceOver.

Right artifacts panel

Show an artifacts panel on the right side of the transcript when the conversation has artifacts.
List each artifact with a clear name, type, and relationship to its conversation content.
Let the user select an artifact and inspect its content without leaving the conversation.
Let the user open and close the panel without losing transcript position or step selection.
Keep the transcript readable when no artifacts exist.

Structured tool-call rendering

Render each tool call as a distinct structured item, not as ordinary assistant Markdown.
Show the tool name, request details, running state, result, and failure state in a clear order.
Make long request and result details expandable and collapsible.
Distinguish an active call, a completed call, and a failed call without relying on color alone.
Keep tool-call content associated with the assistant step that produced it.

Native-first constraints

Use standard SwiftUI and AppKit components for the rail, panel, and tool-call items.
Use system materials and system controls for surfaces, selection, disclosure, and transitions.
Do not add a hand-rolled surface without explicit approval and measured need.
Match existing native surfaces instead of introducing custom geometry or duplicate system controls.

Performance constraints

Keep transcript rendering within the existing bounded render window.
Keep chat activation cache-first and perform no network request during activation.
Let background sync update stored data without mutating the visible transcript.
Do not rebuild the full transcript when the rail, artifacts panel, or tool-call state changes.
Keep panel updates scoped to the affected step, artifact, or tool call.

Open questions

How should steps map to existing message identities?
Do artifacts need persistence across activation, restart, and synchronization?
How do tool calls stream while a response is in progress?
How should the rail and artifacts panel behave at narrow window widths?
Which artifact types require native preview support at launch?
What is the default panel visibility for a conversation with steps or artifacts?

Acceptance criteria

A conversation with multiple steps shows an ordered left rail, and the active step is visible.
Selecting a rail step moves the transcript to the related content and preserves the conversation selection.
The rail slides into view and retracts through native motion without rebuilding the full transcript.
A conversation with artifacts shows a right panel with each artifact name and type.
Selecting an artifact displays its content while the transcript remains available.
Opening or closing the artifacts panel preserves transcript position and step selection.
A tool call shows its name, request, status, result, or failure as structured content.
A user can expand and collapse long tool-call details.
Active, completed, and failed tool calls remain distinguishable without color alone.
Activation reads the cached conversation without a network request.
Background synchronization does not change the visible transcript while the user reads it.
Step, artifact, and tool-call updates do not trigger a full-transcript rebuild.
VoiceOver and keyboard users can identify and operate the rail, artifacts panel, and tool-call disclosure controls.

## Problem The current transcript renders user text, assistant Markdown with fenced code blocks, and system notes. It has no conversation-step rail, artifacts panel, or structured tool-call presentation. Users cannot scan work steps, inspect produced artifacts, or understand tool activity at a glance. ## Reference Use this reference for the interaction model: https://img.kayg.org/u/mgxC7I.png ## Scope ### Left conversation-step rail - Show an ordered rail of conversation steps on the left side of the transcript. - Slide the rail into view and retract it without losing the current conversation or transcript position. - Highlight the step that contains the current transcript position. - Let the user select a step and move the transcript to that step. - Keep the rail understandable with keyboard navigation and VoiceOver. ### Right artifacts panel - Show an artifacts panel on the right side of the transcript when the conversation has artifacts. - List each artifact with a clear name, type, and relationship to its conversation content. - Let the user select an artifact and inspect its content without leaving the conversation. - Let the user open and close the panel without losing transcript position or step selection. - Keep the transcript readable when no artifacts exist. ### Structured tool-call rendering - Render each tool call as a distinct structured item, not as ordinary assistant Markdown. - Show the tool name, request details, running state, result, and failure state in a clear order. - Make long request and result details expandable and collapsible. - Distinguish an active call, a completed call, and a failed call without relying on color alone. - Keep tool-call content associated with the assistant step that produced it. ## Native-first constraints - Use standard SwiftUI and AppKit components for the rail, panel, and tool-call items. - Use system materials and system controls for surfaces, selection, disclosure, and transitions. - Do not add a hand-rolled surface without explicit approval and measured need. - Match existing native surfaces instead of introducing custom geometry or duplicate system controls. ## Performance constraints - Keep transcript rendering within the existing bounded render window. - Keep chat activation cache-first and perform no network request during activation. - Let background sync update stored data without mutating the visible transcript. - Do not rebuild the full transcript when the rail, artifacts panel, or tool-call state changes. - Keep panel updates scoped to the affected step, artifact, or tool call. ## Open questions - How should steps map to existing message identities? - Do artifacts need persistence across activation, restart, and synchronization? - How do tool calls stream while a response is in progress? - How should the rail and artifacts panel behave at narrow window widths? - Which artifact types require native preview support at launch? - What is the default panel visibility for a conversation with steps or artifacts? ## Acceptance criteria - A conversation with multiple steps shows an ordered left rail, and the active step is visible. - Selecting a rail step moves the transcript to the related content and preserves the conversation selection. - The rail slides into view and retracts through native motion without rebuilding the full transcript. - A conversation with artifacts shows a right panel with each artifact name and type. - Selecting an artifact displays its content while the transcript remains available. - Opening or closing the artifacts panel preserves transcript position and step selection. - A tool call shows its name, request, status, result, or failure as structured content. - A user can expand and collapse long tool-call details. - Active, completed, and failed tool calls remain distinguishable without color alone. - Activation reads the cached conversation without a network request. - Background synchronization does not change the visible transcript while the user reads it. - Step, artifact, and tool-call updates do not trigger a full-transcript rebuild. - VoiceOver and keyboard users can identify and operate the rail, artifacts panel, and tool-call disclosure controls.

kayg added the

outstanding

label

2026-08-24 09:55:20 +00:00

No labels

delivered

outstanding

No milestone

No project

No assignees

1 participant

Notifications

Due date

The due date is invalid or out of range. Please use the format "yyyy-mm-dd".

No due date set.

Dependencies

No dependencies set

Reference

kayg/hermternal-apple#53

No description provided.

Rows
Columns