web-ui: remove dead ask->operator inline-answer binding from the per-agent terminal

hyperhive#2922: the inline-answer slot (pendingAskBinds/reconcileAskBinds/
buildAnswerForm) depended on a since-removed /api/loose-ends endpoint
and had been silently non-functional the whole time — nothing ever
reassigned lastLooseEnds, so the reconciler always no-op'd.

Per mara's call on the issue (ask/answer is deprecated per #2850, only
the main dashboard UI needs to work, remove the broken per-agent inline
view): ripped out the dead JS (binding + form + CSS) rather than
restoring the endpoint. An ask tool call now renders like any other
tool call, no inline answer affordance; the operator answers via the
dashboard's own question surfacing.

Also fixed adjacent doc staleness this same removal made newly
contradictory (docs/web-ui/agent.md, docs/terminal-rendering.md):
the doc already described the loose-ends/bash-tasks flyouts and the
ask-binding as recently dead, but the endpoint reference table and a
header-pills bullet list still described them as live.

docs/terminal-rendering.md

@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ parent's negative pull.
 | `.tool-use` (flat) | `<icon> Name args…` | cyan | tool_use w/o rich renderer; `<icon>` from `toolIcon(name)`: 📤 send · 📥 recv · ❓ ask · ⏰ remind · 🏷️ set_status · 🪢 loose-ends · ✂️ cancel_loose_end · ℹ️ get_agent_meta · ✅ ack_until · 📜 get_logs/get_host_journal · ↻ restart · ⏹️ kill · ▶️ start · 🔄 update · 📋 list_containers/list_rooms/list_room_members/list_invites · 📖 read_room/Read · 👁️ mark_read · 🛑 bash kill · 🖥️ bash other · 💬 matrix send/reply/dm · 📦 request_* · ⏱️ schedule · 🔧 default | stream-json |
 | `.tool-use` `<details>` | `💾/✏️ Write/Edit <path> · +N` (no `→`) | cyan, body is +/- diff | `renderRichToolUse` Write/Edit | stream-json |
 | `.tool-use` `<details open>` | `📤 send → to · NL`, `❓ ask → to`, `✍️ answer #id` | cyan, body is markdown | rich renderer for send / ask / answer | stream-json |
-| `.tool-use .ask-answer-inline-slot` | (sub-block under `ask → operator`) | inherits row | inline answer form bound by `reconcileAskBinds` to the loose-end | rich renderer |
 | `.tool-result` (flat) | `←  <txt>` | muted | short `tool_result` (≤120c, non-recv) | stream-json |
 | `.tool-result-block` `<details>` | `Nl · headline` | muted, body is text | long generic `tool_result` | stream-json |
 | `.tool-result-block` `<details open>` | `recv ← <txt>` | muted, body is markdown | `tool_result` correlated to a prior `recv` tool_use via id | stream-json |
@@ -211,28 +210,17 @@ This keeps less-frequent tools that don't have a specific
 `fmtToolUse` case from dumping raw JSON. Common matrix and
 hyperhive tools have their own cases and skip this path.
 
-## Inline ask-operator answer
+## Inline ask-operator answer (removed)
 
-When an agent calls `mcp__hyperhive__ask` with `to == "operator"`
-(default), the rich tool-use renderer mounts an empty
-`<div class="ask-answer-inline-slot">` inside the row's expanded
-body, then enqueues a loose-ends refresh. `reconcileAskBinds()`
-runs on every loose-ends refresh, matches each waiting slot
-against pending operator-bound questions by question text, and
-injects an inline `.answer-form` (textarea + send button bound to
-`/answer-question/<id>` on the host dashboard) into the matching
-slot. When a question subsequently leaves the pending list (answered,
-cancelled by asker, or TTL-expired), the same reconciler
-replaces the form with a struck-through `[resolved]` tag so the
-scrollback reflects the closed state. The label is neutral
-because `/api/loose-ends` only carries pending state — full
-resolution detail is visible via the question's history in the
-side panel.
-
-Lets the operator answer mid-flow without context-switching to the
-loose-ends side panel or the dashboard tab. Side panel + dashboard
-forms remain — they're the same `buildAnswerForm` factory, three
-mount points for the same POST.
+An `mcp__hyperhive__ask(to: "operator", ...)` row used to mount an
+inline answer form (`.ask-answer-inline-slot`, `reconcileAskBinds()`)
+directly in the terminal scrollback. It depended on a since-removed
+`/api/loose-ends` endpoint and had been silently dead since that
+removal (hyperhive#2922) — ripped out rather than rebuilt (mara: only
+the main dashboard's own question surfacing needs to work). An `ask`
+tool call now renders like any other tool call, with no inline answer
+affordance; the operator answers via the dashboard
+(`dashboard/src/swarm.js` + `call.js`).
 
 ## Dashboard side (not covered here)
 

docs/web-ui/agent.md

@@ -62,15 +62,9 @@ through. Three flex columns:
 - **Right cluster** (`.agent-header-pills`): flyout pills + overflow.
   - **Inbox pill** (`📬 inbox · N`): hidden when empty; click opens
     the inbox flyout in the side panel.
-  - **Loose-ends pill** (`🪢 loose ends · N`): hidden when empty;
-    click opens the loose-ends flyout.
-  - **Tasks pill** (`⚙ tasks · N`): hidden when empty; click opens the
-    running-bash-tasks flyout (`GET /api/bash-tasks` — the in-flight
-    Pending/Running tasks from the in-container `bash-tasks/` dir). Unlike
-    loose-ends (refreshed on turn_end), tasks start + finish asynchronously
-    between turns and `/api/state` isn't polled while online, so the pill
-    polls the endpoint on a light interval (≈4s). Snapshot only (no SSE push
-    yet).
+  - **Todos pill** (`📋 todos · N`): hidden when empty; click opens
+    the todos flyout — see the todos-flyout paragraph below
+    (`GET /api/todos`, refreshed on cold load + every `turn_end`).
   - **Overflow button** (`⋯`): always visible. Opens a frosted popover
     (`#overflow-menu`, positioned outside the header to escape any
     stacking context) with four management rows followed by a model
@@ -176,39 +170,17 @@ Older per-agent flyouts this doc used to describe (a "loose-ends"
 list of questions/approvals/reminders backed by a since-removed
 `GET /api/loose-ends`, and a read-only "tasks" list of in-flight bash
 tasks backed by a since-removed `GET /api/bash-tasks`) no longer
-exist — todos superseded both. One open gap from that migration:
-the "Ask → operator inline-answer binding" described below relies on
-that removed `/api/loose-ends` endpoint and is currently non-functional
-(hyperhive#2922) — the operator can still answer a pending question via
-the main dashboard's own question surfacing, just not inline in this
-agent's terminal.
-
-**Ask → operator inline-answer binding** (currently non-functional,
-see the todos-flyout paragraph above + hyperhive#2922 — described here
-for the intended design, which is what a fix would restore). When the
-agent emits `mcp__hyperhive__ask(to: "operator", ...)`, the tool_use
-renderer mounts an empty slot (`<div class="ask-answer-inline-slot">`)
-right under the `↳ ask → operator` row in the terminal scrollback
-and pushes a reference into `pendingAskBinds`. The broker assigns
-the question id asynchronously, so the slot waits — and the next
-`/api/loose-ends` refresh runs `reconcileAskBinds()`, which walks
-the slot list and pairs each unbound slot with the first unclaimed
-pending operator-bound question whose `question` text matches the
-slot's stashed `_askQuestion`. On match the slot mounts the
-`buildAnswerForm` (same form shape as the loose-ends flyout —
-POSTs to the core's `POST /api/answer-question/{id}` cross-origin). Slots
-stay in the array after binding so the reconciler can flip them
-to a neutral `[resolved]` tag when the question later disappears
-from the pending list. Disappearance can mean answered, cancelled
-by the asker, or TTL-expired — the neutral label avoids
-mis-asserting "✓" on the cancel / expire paths; full resolution
-state is visible via the side-panel history. A defensive prune
-walks the slot list each tick and drops any whose DOM node has
-been removed (e.g. via a future "clear single row" affordance),
-so stale references don't accumulate. Slots whose question never
-arrives (e.g. the agent cancelled the ask, or the question is
-older than the loose-ends retention window) stay empty — the
-operator can still answer via the side panel, no regression.
+exist — todos superseded both. A third casualty of that migration —
+an "ask → operator" inline-answer form that used to mount under an
+`mcp__hyperhive__ask(to: "operator", ...)` row in the terminal
+scrollback — depended on the same removed `/api/loose-ends` endpoint
+and was found dead (hyperhive#2922: the binding never fired, so the
+slot never mounted a form). Per mara's call on that issue, it was
+removed rather than rebuilt — the main dashboard's own question
+surfacing (`dashboard/src/swarm.js` + `call.js`) is the one supported
+path for answering a pending question as the operator; this agent's
+own terminal just shows the `ask` tool call like any other tool call,
+with no inline answer affordance.
 
 ## Live view
 
@@ -302,8 +274,8 @@ Successful POSTs return 200 (no 303 redirects). Error responses
 use semantic status codes: **400** for missing/invalid input
 (`body` required, unknown model name, invalid effort level),
 **409** for retryable state conflicts (turn in flight when
-`/compact` is called, hive-c0re busy on `GET /api/loose-ends`),
-**500** only for genuine server/transport failures. The matching
+`/compact` is called), **500** only for genuine server/transport
+failures. The matching
 mutations fire `LiveEvent` variants on the per-agent bus, so the
 client doesn't refetch `/api/state` on submit — the SSE stream
 delivers the new state faster anyway. Only the login flow still
@@ -371,13 +343,10 @@ shaped).
   rate_limited, links }`. Only called when the container is running;
   skipped (muted badges) when stopped. Also accessible via the gateway
   at `/agent/<name>/api/dashboard-state`.
-- `GET /api/loose-ends` — loose-ends snapshot consumed by the inbox
-  flyout (`renderLooseEnds`). Returns pending questions the agent asked
-  or owes, plus pending reminders. Also calls `reconcileAskBinds()` to
-  wire inline answer forms to open `question_asked` events.
-- `GET /api/bash-tasks` — in-flight bash-task snapshot; returns only
-  `Pending` and `Running` tasks (completed/killed tasks are excluded).
-  Consumed by the running-bash-tasks flyout.
+- `GET /api/todos` — harness-local todos snapshot (loose-ends v2)
+  consumed by the todos flyout (`refreshTodos` / `buildTodosList`).
+  See the todos-flyout paragraph above for the producer/subsystem
+  model and the bulk mark-done row.
 - `GET /api/stats?window=24h|7d|30d|all` — time-bucketed turn analytics
   `Snapshot` consumed by the `/stats` page. `all` ranges from the
   earliest recorded turn with an adaptive bucket width.

frontend/packages/agent/src/agent.css

@@ -560,112 +560,11 @@ pre.diff {
 }
 .agent-inbox .inbox-reply-tag { color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.85em; }
 
-.agent-inbox .answer-form {
-  /* Block-level under the new layout — `grid-column: 1 / -1` was
-     for the legacy grid; under block layout the form naturally
-     starts on its own row. */
-  display: flex;
-  gap: 0.4em;
-  align-items: flex-start;
-  margin-top: 0.5em;
-  padding-left: 0.8em;
-}
-.agent-inbox .answer-form textarea {
-  flex: 1;
-  font-family: inherit;
-  font-size: inherit;
-  background: var(--bg);
-  color: var(--fg);
-  border: 1px solid var(--border);
-  border-radius: 3px;
-  padding: 0.3em;
-  resize: vertical;
-}
-.agent-inbox .answer-form button {
-  font-family: inherit;
-  font-size: inherit;
-  background: var(--bg-elev);
-  color: var(--fg);
-  border: 1px solid var(--border);
-  border-radius: 3px;
-  padding: 0.3em 0.7em;
-  cursor: pointer;
-  white-space: nowrap;
-}
-.agent-inbox .answer-form button:hover:not(:disabled) {
-  border-color: var(--purple);
-  color: var(--purple);
-}
-.agent-inbox .answer-form button:disabled { opacity: 0.5; cursor: default; }
-.agent-inbox .answer-status { color: var(--muted); align-self: center; }
-
-/* Inline answer slot mounted under each `ask → operator` row in
-   the live terminal stream. Mirrors the side-panel `.answer-form`
-   look-and-feel — same textarea, same send button — so the operator
-   doesn't have to context-switch between "answering in the panel"
-   and "answering inline". Empty slot collapses to nothing (no
-   margin) so pre-bind rows stay tidy; populated slot gets a thin
-   top divider to separate the question body from the form. A
-   `[resolved]` tag (neutral, covers answered / cancelled /
-   TTL-expired uniformly) replaces the form once the question
-   leaves the pending list. */
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot:empty { display: none; }
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot {
-  margin-top: 0.5em;
-  padding-top: 0.5em;
-  border-top: 1px dashed var(--border);
-}
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot .answer-form {
-  display: flex;
-  gap: 0.4em;
-  align-items: flex-start;
-}
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot .answer-form textarea {
-  flex: 1;
-  font-family: inherit;
-  font-size: inherit;
-  background: var(--bg);
-  color: var(--fg);
-  border: 1px solid var(--border);
-  border-radius: 3px;
-  padding: 0.3em;
-  resize: vertical;
-}
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot .answer-form button {
-  font-family: inherit;
-  font-size: inherit;
-  background: var(--bg-elev);
-  color: var(--fg);
-  border: 1px solid var(--border);
-  border-radius: 3px;
-  padding: 0.3em 0.7em;
-  cursor: pointer;
-  white-space: nowrap;
-}
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot .answer-form button:hover:not(:disabled) {
-  border-color: var(--purple);
-  color: var(--purple);
-}
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot .answer-form button:disabled {
-  opacity: 0.5;
-  cursor: default;
-}
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot .answer-status {
-  color: var(--muted);
-  align-self: center;
-}
-.live .ask-answer-inline-slot .ask-resolved-tag {
-  color: var(--muted);
-  font-style: italic;
-  text-decoration: line-through;
-  text-decoration-color: var(--muted);
-}
-
 /* Bulk-action header row: "mark all read" above the recent-messages
    list in the inbox flyout, and "select all / select none / mark
    done" above the list in the todos flyout — same classes, shared
    look (mauve hover, bg-elev background) so both read as part of
-   the same affordance family as the answer-form button. */
+   the same affordance family. */
 .agent-inbox .inbox-mark-all-row {
   display: flex;
   gap: 0.6em;

frontend/packages/agent/src/app.js

@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ window.marked = marked;
     });
   })();
 
-  // ─── side panel (singleton drawer for inbox + loose-ends flyouts) ──────
+  // ─── side panel (singleton drawer for inbox + todos flyouts) ───────────
   // The shared `<hive-side-panel>` element (see @hive/shared/side-panel.js
   // for the chrome/behavior it owns), created once, eagerly, when this
   // module's IIFE runs (ES modules execute after the document is
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ window.marked = marked;
 
   // Wire the header pills to open the side panel. Pre-built (vs
   // re-building per-click) so the freshest snapshot already lives
-  // in `lastInbox` / `lastLooseEnds` when the pill is clicked — even
+  // in `lastInbox` / `lastTodos` when the pill is clicked — even
   // if it fires during a turn the render is the same.
   (function bindHeaderPills() {
     const inboxPill = $('inbox-pill');
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ window.marked = marked;
     // ↑ dashboard — host dashboard back-link. The dashboard SPA lives at
     // `dashboard.html` (the `/` root now serves the H0M3 menu hub), so the
     // link targets that file; `dashUrl` itself stays the API origin used
-    // for the rebuild / answer-question / mark-all-read POSTs below.
+    // for the rebuild / mark-all-read POSTs below.
     menu.append(el('a', {
       class: 'overflow-item overflow-item-dashboard',
       href: dashUrl + 'dashboard.html',
@@ -582,10 +582,6 @@ window.marked = marked;
         return true;
       case '/clear':
         termAPI.clear();
-        // Detached `ask → operator` rows no longer have a live
-        // mount-point in the DOM — drop their slots so subsequent
-        // loose-ends reconciliation doesn't walk dead references.
-        pendingAskBinds.length = 0;
         termAPI.row('note', '· terminal cleared (local view only — server history kept)');
         return true;
       case '/cancel':
@@ -805,17 +801,8 @@ window.marked = marked;
   /** Latest snapshot kept in module state so the pill click handler
    *  has fresh data to render into the panel without re-fetching. */
   let lastTodos = [];
-  let lastLooseEnds = [];
   let lastInbox = [];
 
-  /** ask → operator inline-answer slot registry. See
-   *  docs/web-ui.md::Per-agent page (Ask → operator inline-answer
-   *  binding) for the matching algorithm + resolution semantics —
-   *  currently non-functional (its data source was the old loose-ends
-   *  endpoint, since removed — tracked on the forge), kept for when
-   *  that's resolved rather than ripped out speculatively. */
-  const pendingAskBinds = [];
-
   /** Bulk "mark done" row for the todos flyout: select all / select none
    *  + a mark-done button, disabled until at least one row is checked.
    *  POSTs the checked ids (comma-joined into one field, same shape as
@@ -922,83 +909,8 @@ window.marked = marked;
       buildTodosList(todos));
   }
 
-  /** Walk `pendingAskBinds` against the latest `lastLooseEnds`
-   *  snapshot, pair unbound slots with the first unclaimed pending
-   *  operator-bound question whose text matches, and flip already-
-   *  bound slots to `[resolved]` when their question disappears.
-   *  See docs/web-ui.md::Per-agent page (Ask → operator inline-answer
-   *  binding) for the full design + edge cases. */
-  function reconcileAskBinds() {
-    if (!pendingAskBinds.length) return;
-    const pending = lastLooseEnds.filter(
-      (t) => t.kind === 'question' && (!t.target || t.target === 'operator'),
-    );
-    // Defensive prune: drop slots whose DOM node has been removed.
-    for (let i = pendingAskBinds.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-      if (!pendingAskBinds[i].isConnected) pendingAskBinds.splice(i, 1);
-    }
-    const claimed = new Set();
-    for (const slot of pendingAskBinds) {
-      if (slot._boundId) claimed.add(slot._boundId);
-    }
-    for (const slot of pendingAskBinds) {
-      if (slot._boundId) {
-        const stillPending = pending.some((q) => q.id === slot._boundId);
-        if (!stillPending && !slot._resolvedShown) {
-          slot.replaceChildren();
-          slot.appendChild(el('span', { class: 'ask-resolved-tag' }, '[resolved]'));
-          slot._resolvedShown = true;
-        }
-        continue;
-      }
-      const q = pending.find((p) => p.question === slot._askQuestion && !claimed.has(p.id));
-      if (!q) continue;
-      claimed.add(q.id);
-      slot._boundId = q.id;
-      slot.replaceChildren();
-      slot.appendChild(buildAnswerForm(q.id));
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Inline "answer as operator" form for a question loose-end. POSTs to
-  // the host dashboard (core backend), never this agent's socket — the
-  // core is the only place that can stamp `operator` as the answerer.
-  // Only live call site today is the in-stream ask-row binder
-  // (`reconcileAskBinds`) — see its doc comment above for why that path
-  // is currently non-functional.
-  function buildAnswerForm(id) {
-    const wrap = el('div', { class: 'answer-form' });
-    const ta = el('textarea', { rows: '2', placeholder: 'answer as operator…' });
-    const btn = el('button', { type: 'button' }, 'send answer');
-    const status = el('span', { class: 'answer-status' });
-    btn.addEventListener('click', () => {
-      const answer = ta.value.trim();
-      if (!answer) { status.textContent = 'answer required'; return; }
-      if (!dashboardBase) { status.textContent = 'dashboard url unknown'; return; }
-      status.textContent = 'sending…';
-      asyncBtn(btn, async () => {
-        try {
-          const resp = await fetch(dashboardBase + 'api/answer-question/' + id, {
-            method: 'POST',
-            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' },
-            body: 'answer=' + encodeURIComponent(answer),
-          });
-          if (resp.ok) {
-            status.textContent = 'answered ✓';
-          } else {
-            status.textContent = 'failed: ' + (await resp.text());
-          }
-        } catch (err) {
-          status.textContent = 'failed: ' + err;
-        }
-      });
-    });
-    wrap.append(ta, btn, status);
-    return wrap;
-  }
-
   /** "mark all read" affordance for the agent's inbox flyout —
-   *  see docs/web-ui.md::Per-agent page (Loose-ends flyout) for the
+   *  see docs/web-ui.md::Per-agent page for the inbox flyout's
    *  cross-origin POST + count rendering. Returns a DOM row
    *  containing a button + an inline status pill; re-runs
    *  `onCleared` on success so the caller can refresh its own state. */
@@ -1388,7 +1300,6 @@ window.marked = marked;
     //   mcp__hyperhive__send: collapsed <details>, full body text inside.
     function renderRichToolUse(c, api) {
       const name = c.name || '';
-      const input = c.input || {};
       const icon = c._icon || '🔧';
       // Message-bearing tools render default-open with a markdown body so
       // the operator sees the content without an extra click. send / ask
@@ -1402,25 +1313,7 @@ window.marked = marked;
           return api.detailsDiff('tool-use', summary, c._body, icon);
         }
         if (c._body_type === 'markdown') {
-          const d = detailsOpenMd(api, 'tool-use', summary, c._body, icon);
-          // For ask → operator: mount an inline answer slot in the live terminal
-          // — see docs/web-ui.md::Per-agent page (Ask → operator inline-answer
-          // binding) for the slot registry + reconciler + [resolved] semantics.
-          // Body text and recipient are both available from backend fields.
-          if (name === 'mcp__hyperhive__ask') {
-            const to = (input.to || 'operator');
-            if (to === 'operator') {
-              const slot = el('div', { class: 'ask-answer-inline-slot' });
-              // Stash the question text on the slot so the reconciler
-              // can match against `lastLooseEnds` entries without
-              // walking the row's text content.
-              slot._askQuestion = c._body;
-              d.appendChild(slot);
-              pendingAskBinds.push(slot);
-              if (api.fromHistory) reconcileAskBinds();
-            }
-          }
-          return d;
+          return detailsOpenMd(api, 'tool-use', summary, c._body, icon);
         }
         return api.details('tool-use', summary, c._body, icon);
       }