feat(tui): show parked worker questions on the prompt box

Author: bwachman

docs/TUI.md

@@ -307,6 +307,30 @@ poll uses
 needed it **does not** call `bridge.syncAgentProgress` — chrome owns the live
 clocks.
 
+### WORKER WAITING strip
+
+While any root worker is parked on `ask_director`, a one-row **WORKER
+WAITING** strip sits directly on the prompt box (zone `worker_wait`):
+
+```
+◆ WORKER WAITING · director reply needed (send_input) · builder (copy assets): Which destination path should I use? (+1 more)
+```
+
+It names the worker, previews its question, and says the director owns the
+reply. It is display only: composer text still goes to the primary director,
+and only the director's `send_input` to the worker's session answers the
+worker. The strip reads the `agent-ask` pending snapshot and nothing else
+(`src/tui/worker-wait.ts`, painted by `paintChrome` in `shell/chrome.ts`). An
+item's identity is `sessionId + questionId`, and it leaves only when a later
+snapshot omits that identity. Delivering the wake, director inference,
+typing, submitting, scrolling, and redraws do not clear it. Session rotation,
+stop teardown, and bridge dispose clear it. One question shows at a time,
+with `(+N more)` for the rest; the displayed identity stays while it is live,
+and otherwise the first snapshot entry shows. At narrow widths the question
+truncates first, then requester metadata and routing copy shorten, while the
+waiting label and the count stay. Primary-session `ask_operator` prompts keep
+their own overlay and never use this strip.
+
 ### Transcript spawn_agent rows (history anchors)
 
 `runtime-bridge` paints each `spawn_agent` call as a transcript stream row for

src/tui/chrome-repaint.test.ts

@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@ import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
 import { withTestRenderer } from "./harness";
 import {
   chromeComposeCount,
+  clearWorkerWait,
   paintChrome,
   setLockupFrame,
   setStatusFlash,
+  setWorkerWaitAsks,
 } from "./shell/chrome";
 import { createAppShell } from "./shell/index";
 import type { AppShell } from "./shell/internals";
@@ -112,4 +114,43 @@ describe("chrome repaint gate", () => {
       expect(chromeComposeCount(shell)).toBe(baseline + 2);
     });
   });
+
+  test("worker wait snapshots recompose on change and never on a repeat", async () => {
+    await withShell((shell) => {
+      const ask = {
+        sessionId: "sess-1",
+        agentId: "builder",
+        description: "copy assets",
+        question: "Which destination path should I use?",
+        questionId: "q1",
+      };
+      paintChrome(shell);
+      const baseline = chromeComposeCount(shell);
+
+      setWorkerWaitAsks(shell, [ask]);
+      const shown = chromeComposeCount(shell);
+      expect(shown).toBeGreaterThan(baseline);
+      expect(shell.workerWaitRow.visible).toBe(true);
+
+      // Repeat reports of the same identity and idle ticks cost nothing.
+      setWorkerWaitAsks(shell, [ask]);
+      setWorkerWaitAsks(shell, [{ ...ask }]);
+      for (let tick = 0; tick < 5; tick++) paintChrome(shell);
+      expect(chromeComposeCount(shell)).toBe(shown);
+
+      // A replacement question changes the composed strip: one recompose.
+      setWorkerWaitAsks(shell, [
+        { ...ask, questionId: "q2", question: "Overwrite?" },
+      ]);
+      expect(chromeComposeCount(shell)).toBe(shown + 1);
+
+      // The final removal recomposes and hands the row back.
+      setWorkerWaitAsks(shell, []);
+      expect(chromeComposeCount(shell)).toBeGreaterThan(shown + 1);
+      expect(shell.workerWaitRow.visible).toBe(false);
+      const cleared = chromeComposeCount(shell);
+      clearWorkerWait(shell);
+      expect(chromeComposeCount(shell)).toBe(cleared);
+    });
+  });
 });

src/tui/geometry.test.ts

@@ -34,6 +34,32 @@ describe("zone registry", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("worker wait zone", () => {
+  test("seats one row directly on the prompt box without shrinking it", () => {
+    const idle = idle80x24();
+    const layout = idle80x24({ visibility: { workerWait: true } });
+    const strip = defined(layout.regions.worker_wait, "worker_wait");
+    const prompt = defined(layout.regions.prompt, "prompt");
+    expect(strip.height).toBe(1);
+    expect(strip.y + strip.height).toBe(prompt.y);
+    expect(layout.heights.prompt).toBe(idle.heights.prompt);
+    expect(layout.transcriptHeight).toBe(idle.transcriptHeight - 1);
+  });
+
+  test("is the last optional row cut before prompt growth is reclaimed", () => {
+    expect(COLLAPSE_ORDER.indexOf("worker_wait")).toBe(
+      COLLAPSE_ORDER.indexOf("prompt") - 1,
+    );
+    const layout = resolveGeometry({
+      terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 18 },
+      visibility: { workerWait: true, notice: true, pending: 2 },
+    });
+    expect(layout.heights.notice).toBe(0);
+    expect(layout.heights.pending).toBe(0);
+    expect(layout.heights.worker_wait).toBe(1);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("resolveGeometry — 80×24 idle floor", () => {
   test("idle default chrome yields transcript ≥ 12", () => {
     const layout = idle80x24();

src/tui/geometry/resolve.ts

@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ export interface ZoneVisibility {
   readonly notice?: boolean;
   /** Pending queue column: exact row count requested (bounded by the zone max). */
   readonly pending?: boolean | number;
+  /** WORKER WAITING strip on (default off). */
+  readonly workerWait?: boolean;
   /** Progress: false/omit = 0; true = 2; or explicit 1|2. */
   readonly progress?: boolean | 1 | 2;
   /** Progress divider (0–1). Default on when progress is shown. */
@@ -147,6 +149,7 @@ export function desiredHeights(input: GeometryInput): MutableHeights {
     progress_divider: progressDivider,
     notice: vis.notice === true ? 1 : ZONE_REGISTRY.notice.idleDefault,
     pending: clamp(boolOrRows(vis.pending, 1), 0, ZONE_REGISTRY.pending.max),
+    worker_wait: vis.workerWait === true ? 1 : 0,
     prompt: promptRows,
     task: clamp(boolOrRows(vis.task, 1), 0, ZONE_REGISTRY.task.max),
     // The board asks for exactly the rows it paints; the fraction stops a large

src/tui/geometry/zones.ts

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ const ZONE_IDS = [
   "progress_divider",
   "notice",
   "pending",
+  "worker_wait",
   "prompt",
   "task",
   "agents",
@@ -82,6 +83,15 @@ export const ZONE_REGISTRY: Readonly<Record<ZoneId, ZoneDeclaration>> = {
     idleDefault: 0,
     alwaysOn: false,
   },
+  // WORKER WAITING strip: one row on the prompt box while a root worker is
+  // parked on ask_director. Off whenever nothing is waiting.
+  worker_wait: {
+    id: "worker_wait",
+    min: 0,
+    max: 1,
+    idleDefault: 0,
+    alwaysOn: false,
+  },
   // Grows with the draft; the resolver caps it at PROMPT_CAP_FRACTION and
   // collapses toward min when the transcript would breach its floor.
   prompt: {
@@ -191,9 +201,13 @@ export const COLLAPSE_ORDER = [
   "progress",
   "progress_divider",
   "notice",
-  // Pending items are the operator's own queued words: cut last of the
-  // optionals, just ahead of prompt growth reclaim.
+  // Pending items are the operator's own queued words: cut late, after every
+  // banner and strip.
   "pending",
+  // A parked worker is standing state the operator cannot see anywhere else
+  // once the wake turn scrolls away, so its single row is the last optional
+  // cut, just ahead of prompt growth reclaim.
+  "worker_wait",
   // prompt growth reclaimed next (handled specially; never below PROMPT_BASE_ROWS)
   "prompt",
 ] as const satisfies readonly ZoneId[];
@@ -212,6 +226,7 @@ export const PAINT_ORDER = [
   "progress_divider",
   "notice",
   "pending",
+  "worker_wait",
   "prompt",
 ] as const satisfies readonly ZoneId[];