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ce5ab8adb8
* refactor(gateway): remove dead sessions.observer.ask rpc * docs: record btw and companion contract split * fix(gateway): unexport observer model sanitizer after ask removal
114 lines
5.7 KiB
Markdown
114 lines
5.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "Ephemeral side questions with /btw"
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read_when:
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- You want to ask a quick side question about the current session
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- You are implementing or debugging BTW behavior across clients
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title: "BTW side questions"
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---
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`/btw` (alias `/side`) asks a quick side question about the **current
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session** without adding it to conversation history. It is modeled after
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Claude Code's `/btw`, adapted to OpenClaw's Gateway and multi-channel
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architecture.
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The two side-question contracts are deliberately separate. BTW is a one-shot question on the session's actual model, preserving harness behavior and Codex thread-fork continuity for channel ingress (WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord), the TUI, and embedded `tui --local`; the TUI stays on BTW by design. The companion is a persistent, read-only RPC thread for Control UI-class clients. Channels cannot use the companion because they do not have an RPC connection.
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```text
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/btw what changed?
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/side what does this error mean?
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```
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## What it does
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1. Snapshots the current session as background context (including any
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in-flight main-run prompt).
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2. Runs a separate, one-shot side query telling the model to answer only the
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side question and not resume or steer the main task.
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3. Delivers the answer as a live side result, not a normal assistant message.
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4. Never writes the question or answer to session history or `chat.history`.
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The main run, if one is active, is left untouched.
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For Codex harness sessions, BTW forks the active Codex app-server thread into
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an ephemeral child thread instead of running a separate provider call. This
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keeps Codex OAuth and native tool/thread behavior intact, and the forked
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thread keeps the parent thread's current approval policy, sandbox, and native
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tool surface. The forked thread gets a boundary prompt telling the model that
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everything before it is inherited reference context, not active instructions,
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and that only messages after the boundary are live. `/btw` requires an
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existing Codex thread; send a normal message first.
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For CLI runtime aliases, BTW invokes the owning CLI backend in one-shot
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side-question mode: it seeds sanitized conversation context into a fresh CLI
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invocation with tool bundling and reusable session state disabled, and adds
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any no-resume/no-tools flags the backend supports. Direct (non-CLI) runtimes
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use a direct one-shot provider call instead.
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## What it does not do
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`/btw` does not create a durable session, continue the unfinished main task,
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or persist question/answer data to transcript history. Detached BTW results do
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not survive a reload. The Control UI companion can rehydrate its in-memory
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thread after a reload, but the thread is cleared by a session reset, Gateway
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restart, idle expiry, or the rail's clear button.
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## Delivery model
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Normal assistant chat uses the Gateway `chat` event. Detached BTW uses a
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separate `chat.side_result` event so clients cannot mistake it for regular
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conversation history. The Control UI does not consume that event; it calls the
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session companion RPCs and renders their bounded exchange state in the rail.
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## Surface behavior
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| Surface | Behavior |
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| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| TUI | Rendered inline in the chat log, visibly distinct from a normal reply, dismissible with `Enter` or `Esc`. |
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| External channels | Delivered as a clearly labeled one-off reply (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord have no local ephemeral overlay). |
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| Control UI / web | Routes `/btw` and `/side` to the expanded session rail companion. The read-only thread is keyed by session, rehydrates from Gateway memory, and can be cleared with the trash button. `Esc` collapses the rail. |
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## Selection popup (Control UI)
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Highlighting text inside a chat message in the Control UI opens a small
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selection popup with two actions:
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- **More details** immediately asks the session rail companion to explain the
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highlighted text in the context of the current session.
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- **Ask in side chat** opens the rail and pre-fills its composer with a quoted
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draft so you can type your own question about the selection.
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Both actions follow normal `/btw` semantics: the question and answer stay out
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of session history and the main run is left untouched.
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## When to use it
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Use `/btw` for a quick clarification, a factual side answer while a long run
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is still in progress, or a temporary answer that should not enter future
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session context.
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```text
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/btw what file are we editing?
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/btw summarize the current task in one sentence
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/btw what is 17 * 19?
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```
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For anything you want to become part of the session's future working
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context, ask normally in the main session instead.
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## Related
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<CardGroup cols={2}>
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<Card title="Slash commands" href="/tools/slash-commands" icon="terminal">
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Native command catalog and chat directives.
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</Card>
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<Card title="Thinking levels" href="/tools/thinking" icon="brain">
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Reasoning effort levels for the side-question model call.
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</Card>
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<Card title="Session" href="/concepts/session" icon="comments">
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Session keys, history, and persistence semantics.
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</Card>
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<Card title="Steer command" href="/tools/steer" icon="arrow-right">
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Inject a steering message into the active run without ending it.
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</Card>
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</CardGroup>
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