feat: add set_status MCP tool and status field to whoami/dashboard (closes #325)

hive-c0re/assets/app.js

@@ -727,6 +727,14 @@
       }
       body.append(head);
 
+      // ── agent status text ─────────────────────────────────────────
+      if (c.status_text) {
+        body.append(el('div', { class: 'agent-status', title: 'agent self-reported status' },
+          el('span', { class: 'status-icon' }, '◈ '),
+          c.status_text,
+        ));
+      }
+
       // ── action buttons ───────────────────────────────────────────
       const actions = el('div', { class: 'actions' });
       if (c.running) {

hive-c0re/assets/dashboard.css

@@ -207,6 +207,16 @@ a:hover {
   color: var(--red); border-color: var(--red);
   text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(243, 139, 168, 0.5);
 }
+.agent-status {
+  font-size: 0.82em;
+  color: var(--subtext0, #a6adc8);
+  padding: 0.1em 0.3em 0.25em;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+}
+.agent-status .status-icon { opacity: 0.65; }
+
 .container-row.tombstone {
   border-style: dashed;
   background: rgba(24, 24, 37, 0.35);

hive-c0re/src/agent_server.rs

@@ -220,11 +220,39 @@ async fn dispatch(req: &AgentRequest, agent: &str, coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) ->
                 },
             }
         }
-        AgentRequest::Whoami => AgentResponse::Whoami {
-            name: agent.to_owned(),
-            role: "agent".to_owned(),
-            hyperhive_rev: crate::auto_update::current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake),
-        },
+        AgentRequest::Whoami => {
+            let status_text = crate::container_view::read_agent_status_text(agent);
+            AgentResponse::Whoami {
+                name: agent.to_owned(),
+                role: "agent".to_owned(),
+                hyperhive_rev: crate::auto_update::current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake),
+                status_text,
+            }
+        }
+        AgentRequest::SetStatus { text } => {
+            let path = crate::coordinator::Coordinator::agent_notes_dir(agent)
+                .join("hyperhive-status");
+            let result = if text.trim().is_empty() {
+                // Empty = clear: remove the file (ignore missing).
+                std::fs::remove_file(&path)
+                    .or_else(|e| if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound {
+                        Ok(())
+                    } else {
+                        Err(e)
+                    })
+            } else {
+                std::fs::write(&path, format!("{}\n", text.trim()))
+            };
+            match result {
+                Ok(()) => {
+                    // Kick a container rescan so the dashboard updates live.
+                    let coord2 = Arc::clone(coord);
+                    tokio::spawn(async move { coord2.rescan_containers_and_emit().await });
+                    AgentResponse::Ok
+                }
+                Err(e) => AgentResponse::Err { message: format!("set_status write failed: {e}") },
+            }
+        }
         AgentRequest::CancelLooseEnd { kind, id } => crate::questions::handle_cancel_loose_end(
             coord, agent, *kind, *id,
         )

hive-c0re/src/container_view.rs

@@ -77,6 +77,11 @@ pub struct ContainerView {
     /// the file is absent or the agent declares no links.
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Vec::is_empty")]
     pub extra_links: Vec<DashboardLink>,
+    /// Free-text status set by the agent via `mcp__hyperhive__set_status`.
+    /// Persisted to `{state_dir}/hyperhive-status`. `None` when the file
+    /// is absent or empty — the agent hasn't set one yet.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub status_text: Option<String>,
 }
 
 /// Build the full container list. Wraps `lifecycle::list()` and
@@ -119,6 +124,7 @@ pub async fn build_all(coord: &Coordinator) -> Vec<ContainerView> {
             .and_then(|(_, model)| resolve_ctx_window(model, &coord.context_window_tokens));
         let rate_limited = is_rate_limited(&logical);
         let extra_links = read_dashboard_links(&logical);
+        let status_text = read_status_text(&logical);
         out.push(ContainerView {
             port: lifecycle::agent_web_port(&logical),
             running: lifecycle::is_running(&logical).await,
@@ -133,6 +139,7 @@ pub async fn build_all(coord: &Coordinator) -> Vec<ContainerView> {
             context_window_tokens,
             rate_limited,
             extra_links,
+            status_text,
         });
     }
     out
@@ -172,6 +179,20 @@ fn is_rate_limited(name: &str) -> bool {
         .exists()
 }
 
+/// Read the agent's free-text status set via `mcp__hyperhive__set_status`.
+/// Returns `None` when the file is absent or empty — best-effort, never panics.
+/// `pub` so `agent_server` and `manager_server` can include it in `Whoami` responses.
+pub fn read_agent_status_text(name: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    let path = Coordinator::agent_notes_dir(name).join("hyperhive-status");
+    let s = std::fs::read_to_string(path).ok()?;
+    let trimmed = s.trim();
+    if trimmed.is_empty() { None } else { Some(trimmed.to_owned()) }
+}
+
+fn read_status_text(name: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    read_agent_status_text(name)
+}
+
 /// Read the agent's most recent completed turn from its turn-stats
 /// `SQLite`: the context-window size (prompt tokens) and the model name.
 /// Returns `None` when the file is absent or has no rows. Best-effort

hive-c0re/src/manager_server.rs

@@ -480,11 +480,36 @@ async fn dispatch(req: &ManagerRequest, coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) -> ManagerResp
                 },
             }
         }
-        ManagerRequest::Whoami => ManagerResponse::Whoami {
-            name: MANAGER_AGENT.to_owned(),
-            role: "manager".to_owned(),
-            hyperhive_rev: crate::auto_update::current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake),
-        },
+        ManagerRequest::Whoami => {
+            let status_text = crate::container_view::read_agent_status_text(MANAGER_AGENT);
+            ManagerResponse::Whoami {
+                name: MANAGER_AGENT.to_owned(),
+                role: "manager".to_owned(),
+                hyperhive_rev: crate::auto_update::current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake),
+                status_text,
+            }
+        }
+        ManagerRequest::SetStatus { text } => {
+            let path = Coordinator::agent_notes_dir(MANAGER_AGENT).join("hyperhive-status");
+            let result = if text.trim().is_empty() {
+                std::fs::remove_file(&path)
+                    .or_else(|e| if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound {
+                        Ok(())
+                    } else {
+                        Err(e)
+                    })
+            } else {
+                std::fs::write(&path, format!("{}\n", text.trim()))
+            };
+            match result {
+                Ok(()) => {
+                    let coord2 = Arc::clone(coord);
+                    tokio::spawn(async move { coord2.rescan_containers_and_emit().await });
+                    ManagerResponse::Ok
+                }
+                Err(e) => ManagerResponse::Err { message: format!("set_status write failed: {e}") },
+            }
+        }
         ManagerRequest::CancelLooseEnd { kind, id } => crate::questions::handle_cancel_loose_end(
             coord,
             MANAGER_AGENT,