From 610d92931d95e7d4fbc74ae550e3c41f5c5db4c1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sawyer Cutler <sawyer@dirtroad.dev>
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2026 21:17:48 -0800
Subject: [PATCH] fix(web): label a refused hand-off as not started

A hand-off the hub refused read "Worked on the app" and "Started the app
builder" although nothing started. It now reads "Not started" and "Could
not start the app builder", with the hub's reason kept below.
---
 apps/web/src/config.ts                          | 17 +++++++++++++++++
 apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit-view.tsx |  1 +
 apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit.ts       |  6 +++++-
 3 files changed, 23 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/apps/web/src/config.ts b/apps/web/src/config.ts
index d9a2d8ae..b22dafba 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/config.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/config.ts
@@ -510,6 +510,21 @@ export const wording = {
       review_artifact: (document?: string) =>
         document ? `Asked for a review · ${document}` : "Asked for a review",
     } as Record<string, (subject?: string) => string>,
+    /** A hand-off the hub refused, by tool name: who it did not start. */
+    handoffRefused: {
+      deploy_writer: (document?: string) =>
+        document
+          ? `Could not start the writer · ${document}`
+          : "Could not start the writer",
+      design_app: () => "Could not start the designer",
+      deploy_coder: () => "Could not start the app builder",
+      deploy_presenter: () => "Could not start the presenter",
+      instruct_coder: () => "Could not send the app builder a change",
+      review_artifact: (document?: string) =>
+        document
+          ? `Could not ask for a review · ${document}`
+          : "Could not ask for a review",
+    } as Record<string, (subject?: string) => string>,
     /** What a tool call is doing, by tool name, given its one identifying argument. */
     tool: {
       read_file: (subject?: string) =>
@@ -708,6 +723,8 @@ export const wording = {
       timeout: "Not started — the go-ahead ran out of time",
       expired: "Not started — the go-ahead expired",
     },
+    /** The hub refused the hand-off, so nothing started. */
+    refused: "Not started",
     starting: "Starting…",
     /** At work before its run reports a step of its own. */
     working: (subject: string) => `Working on ${subject}`,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit-view.tsx b/apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit-view.tsx
index 19e92a16..c3b6a746 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit-view.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit-view.tsx
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ function WorkLine({
       return text.steps(text.done[dispatch.role](subject), steps);
     case "finished":
     case "failed":
+      if (dispatch.refused !== undefined) return text.refused;
       return text.steps(text.ended(subject), steps);
   }
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit.ts b/apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit.ts
index d82195ea..e131973b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/pages/workspace/work-unit.ts
@@ -200,7 +200,11 @@ export function workUnitMessage(
     !dispatch.pending &&
     status.state !== "waiting" &&
     status.state !== "declined";
-  const handoff = wording.activity.handoff[dispatch.tool];
+  const handoff = (
+    dispatch.refused === undefined
+      ? wording.activity.handoff
+      : wording.activity.handoffRefused
+  )[dispatch.tool];
   const parts: ConversationPart[] = [
     {
       kind: "tool-trace",