docs/hive-c0re: fix ask/answer removal doc gaps argus caught on #3741

CLAUDE.md

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ hand-maintained per-file tree drifts out of sync with the code.
   user). `src/main.rs` is the `hive-c0re` binary — **daemon-only**
   (`serve` + the periodic vacuum/sweep loops); the operator CLI lives in
   the separate `hivectl` crate, which talks to the daemon over the host
-  admin socket. Owns the sqlite broker, approval + question + reminder +
+  admin socket. Owns the sqlite broker, approval + reminder +
   schedule queues, the meta flake, lifecycle (`nixos-container`
   shellouts), gateway / forge / matrix provisioning, per-container stats,
   and the axum operator dashboard (`dashboard.rs`). Largest crate.
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ hand-maintained per-file tree drifts out of sync with the code.
   `forge_notify` are the built-in ones, but any user-configured MCP server
   can push todos here too, nothing restricts the `subsystem` set. Carries
   the loose-ends-v2 **todo** ops plus
-  harness-local reminders + questions. ⚠️ Distinct from
+  harness-local reminders. ⚠️ Distinct from
   `hive-core-agent-sock` above: **this socket never leaves the container**
   and `hive-c0re` is not in the path at all — no broker round-trip, no
   long-poll, no marker files.

README.md

@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@ durable identity, and stop them from eating production. hyperhive is
 the substrate.
 
 - identity = unix socket
-- communication = sqlite-backed broker (`send` / `recv` / `ask` /
-  `answer` / `remind`)
+- communication = sqlite-backed broker (`send` / `recv` / `remind`)
 - config = git (manager proposes, operator approves, deploys land as
   tagged commits)
 - blast radius = container

docs/approvals.md

@@ -629,6 +629,7 @@ root agent. Variants (`hive_sh4re::manager::HelperEvent`):
 - `NeedsUpdate { agent }` — sub-agent's recorded flake rev is
   stale. The root agent calls `update(name)` to rebuild — idempotent,
   no approval required.
+
 The remaining lower-urgency lifecycle notices — `Rebuilt`, `Killed`,
 `Destroyed`, `NeedsLogin`, `LoggedIn`, `ConfigReady` — are "FYI, check
 when convenient" events with no reason to drive an immediate turn, so

docs/turn-loop/mcp.md

@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@ preset (`AGENT_DEFAULT`) includes `messaging`, `meta`, `inbox`, and
 ## Core tools (always available)
 
 **Messaging** (`messaging` group): `send(to, body, in_reply_to?)`,
-`recv(max?)`, `ask(question, options?, multi?,
-ttl_seconds?, to?)`, `answer(id, answer)`, `ack_until(up_to)`.
+`recv(max?)`, `ack_until(up_to)`.
 
 - `send` — message a peer (logical name) or the operator
   (`to: "operator"`). Use `to: "<parent>"` to address the topology
@@ -48,13 +47,6 @@ ttl_seconds?, to?)`, `answer(id, answer)`, `ack_until(up_to)`.
   other turn: if the context crossed the watermark the harness runs a
   notes-checkpoint turn and then `/compact`. Compacting before shutdown
   keeps a later cold start cheap instead of re-uploading a huge transcript.
-- `ask` — surface a structured question to the operator (default) or
-  a peer agent (`to: "<agent>"`). Non-blocking — returns a question
-  id; the answer arrives as a `question_answered` system event in the
-  asker's inbox. `options` is advisory; `multi=true` renders as
-  checkboxes; `ttl_seconds` auto-cancels with answer `[expired]`.
-- `answer` — respond to a `question_asked` event routed to this
-  agent. Strict authorisation: only the declared target can answer.
 - `ack_until(up_to)` — bulk-mark inbox rows handled: every row with
   broker id `<= up_to` is stamped as acked in a single UPDATE.
   Recipient-scoped (agents can only ack their own rows). Use when a
@@ -64,14 +56,12 @@ ttl_seconds?, to?)`, `answer(id, answer)`, `ack_until(up_to)`.
   Transient pings (sentinel id 0) have nothing to ack and show no marker.
 
 **System messages** (from sender `system`): the higher-urgency
-lifecycle + Q&A events (`hive_sh4re::manager::HelperEvent`) are
+lifecycle events (`hive_sh4re::manager::HelperEvent`) are
 delivered as regular inbox messages (same `recv` path; body is a JSON
 object with an `event` discriminant field). The **submitting agent**
 (the root agent for top-level containers; an agent with the `approvals`
 tool group for its own subtree) receives `container_crash`,
-`needs_update`, and `approval_resolved` this way. Any agent receives
-Q&A events when it is the declared target (`question_asked`) or the
-asker (`question_answered`). The remaining, lower-urgency lifecycle
+`needs_update`, and `approval_resolved` this way. The remaining, lower-urgency lifecycle
 notices — `spawned`, `rebuilt`, `killed`, `destroyed`, `needs_login`,
 `logged_in`, `config_ready` — skip the inbox entirely: they land as
 todos on the submitting agent's in-container todo socket instead
@@ -86,18 +76,19 @@ payload shapes and routing logic in
 `cancel_loose_end(kind, id)`, `remind(message, delay_seconds? |
 at_unix_timestamp?)`.
 
-- `get_loose_ends(agent?)` — list pending questions (asked/owed),
-  scheduled reminders, and active local tasks published by external MCP
-  daemons (e.g. running bash tasks from `hive-bash-daemon`). Each row
-  carries an id + kind for `cancel_loose_end`. Omit `agent` to list
-  your own threads. Pass `agent: "<name>"` to inspect a direct child
-  agent (always accessible per topology enforcement); non-children
-  require the `query_agent_state` capability. The `"*"` hive-wide
-  query is not available on the agent socket.
-- `cancel_loose_end` — withdraw a `question` (posts `[cancelled by
-  <self>]`), hard-delete a `reminder`, or cancel a pending `approval`
-  row. Agents may only cancel rows they own; the `approval` kind is
-  further restricted to the root agent (`ruth`) server-side.
+- `get_loose_ends(agent?)` — list scheduled reminders, pending
+  approvals you submitted, and active local tasks published by
+  external MCP daemons (e.g. running bash tasks from
+  `hive-bash-daemon`). Each row carries an id + kind for
+  `cancel_loose_end`. Omit `agent` to list your own threads. Pass
+  `agent: "<name>"` to inspect a direct child agent (always accessible
+  per topology enforcement); non-children require the
+  `query_agent_state` capability. The `"*"` hive-wide query is not
+  available on the agent socket.
+- `cancel_loose_end` — hard-delete a `reminder`, cancel a pending
+  `approval` row, or clear a `todo` row (loose-ends-v2). Agents may
+  only cancel rows they own; the `approval` kind is further restricted
+  to the root agent (`ruth`) server-side.
 - `remind` — schedule a reminder in this agent's own inbox. Large
   payloads spill to `/agents/<self>/state/reminders/`. Pending count
   capped at 50 per agent (`HIVE_REMIND_MAX_PENDING_PER_AGENT`).

hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/render.rs

@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ fn msg_id_tag(id: i64) -> String {
 }
 
 /// Hard cap on how many individual `Todo` lines `render_loose_ends` will
-/// emit. Approvals/questions/reminders stay naturally bounded (they're
+/// emit. Approvals/reminders stay naturally bounded (they're
 /// triaged interactively and don't self-multiply), but todos are pushed by
 /// unattended producers — matrix/bash/forge are the built-in ones, but any
 /// user-configured MCP server can push its own too — an agent that goes a long

hive-agent/src/reminder_timer.rs

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ const REMINDER_BATCH_LIMIT: u64 = 100;
 /// Poll interval — matches the old c0re `POLL_INTERVAL`.
 const POLL_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(5);
 
-/// Same cap the broker used to enforce on `send`/`ask`/`remind` bodies
+/// Same cap the broker enforces on `send`/`remind` bodies
 /// (`hive-c0re`'s `agent_config::limits::MESSAGE_MAX_BYTES`, not
 /// reachable from here — hive-agent doesn't depend on hive-c0re).
 /// Duplicated rather than shared: this is the last remaining reminder

hive-c0re/README.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # hive-c0re
 
 The unprivileged host daemon (runs as `hive-core`). Owns the sqlite
-broker, the approval/question/schedule queues, the generic job-DAG
+broker, the approval/reminder/schedule queues, the generic job-DAG
 queue, container lifecycle, gateway/forge/matrix provisioning,
 per-container stats, and the axum operator dashboard. Largest crate in
 the workspace — bin-only, no separate lib.
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ module's own `//!` doc-comment for real detail, don't expect this file
 to track it:
 
 - **`dashboard/`** — the operator dashboard (containers, approvals,
-  schedules, questions, logs, topology).
+  schedules, logs, topology).
 - **`job_queue/`** — the job-DAG queue + desired-state reconciliation
   (`docs/coordinator.md`).
 - **`lifecycle/`** — `nixos-container` lifecycle + per-agent config

hive-c0re/src/agent_config/limits.rs

@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
 //! about it — oversized reminder bodies get persisted to disk
 //! transparently and the inbox sees a pointer.
 
-/// Per-message body cap. Applies to `send`, `ask` question text,
-/// `answer` body, and the stored inline form of a reminder. 4 KiB
+/// Per-message body cap. Applies to `send` bodies and the stored
+/// inline form of a reminder. 4 KiB
 /// catches the bulk of conversational overflow (status reports,
 /// bullet-list summaries, short proposals) while staying small
 /// enough that a backed-up inbox of ~10 unread messages only adds
@@ -112,8 +112,8 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn label_threads_through() {
-        let err = check_size("question", &"x".repeat(MESSAGE_MAX_BYTES + 1)).unwrap_err();
-        assert!(err.starts_with("question body too long"));
+        let err = check_size("broadcast", &"x".repeat(MESSAGE_MAX_BYTES + 1)).unwrap_err();
+        assert!(err.starts_with("broadcast body too long"));
     }
 
     #[test]

hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs

@@ -2,17 +2,14 @@
 //! assembles a `Vec<LooseEnd>` for either a single agent (`for_agent`) or
 //! the whole hive (`hive_wide`). `Request::GetLooseEnds` from either the
 //! agent or manager socket lands here so the routing logic + age-seconds
-//! derivation stay in one place. Reminders AND questions are agent-local
-//! (in-container stores, `hive-agent::reminders` / `hive-agent::questions`)
-//! and no longer sourced from here (loose-ends-v2's questions phase) —
-//! c0re remains the `Ask`/`Answer` routing + delivery rendezvous
-//! (`coord.questions`), it just isn't asked for the *pending-view*
-//! rendering anymore. ⚠️ The operator dashboard no longer has any
-//! question-pending view either — its whole questions pane, the
-//! `pending_all()`/`recent_answered_all()` reads that fed it, and the
-//! `/api/answer-question`/`/api/cancel-question` endpoints are gone
-//! (removed along with the rest of the dashboard's ask/answer surface).
-//! An operator-targeted `ask()` now has no reader anywhere.
+//! derivation stay in one place. Reminders are agent-local (in-container
+//! `hive-agent::reminders` store) and never sourced from here. The
+//! `ask`/`answer` MCP tools, their wire protocol (`hive-c0re::questions`,
+//! `stores::operator_questions`), and the operator dashboard's questions
+//! pane have all been removed entirely — this file never had a
+//! `Question` loose-end path to begin with (it only ever emitted
+//! `PendingMessages`/`Approval`), so nothing here changed shape when
+//! that removal landed.
 //!
 //! Call frequency is low (an agent doing self-introspection between
 //! turns), so the sweep happens fresh every time — no caching, no

hive-core-agent-sock/README.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ for this socket.
 ## Not to be confused with `hive-agent-sock`
 
 This is the **host-served** protocol: the harness talks *out* to `hive-c0re`
-over `/run/hive/mcp.sock` (broker sends, approvals, questions, lifecycle).
+over `/run/hive/mcp.sock` (broker sends, approvals, lifecycle).
 `hive-agent-sock` is the separate *in-container* socket the harness serves to
 its own local producers — that one never leaves the container. See
 `docs/boundary.md` for the socket topology.