@poncho-ai/harness 0.26.0 → 0.27.0

package/.turbo/turbo-build.log

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 
-> @poncho-ai/harness@0.26.0 build /home/runner/work/poncho-ai/poncho-ai/packages/harness
+> @poncho-ai/harness@0.27.0 build /home/runner/work/poncho-ai/poncho-ai/packages/harness
 > node scripts/embed-docs.js && tsup src/index.ts --format esm --dts
 
 [embed-docs] Generated poncho-docs.ts with 4 topics
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
 CLI tsup v8.5.1
 CLI Target: es2022
 ESM Build start
-ESM dist/index.js 276.38 KB
-ESM ⚡️ Build success in 147ms
+ESM dist/index.js 278.61 KB
+ESM ⚡️ Build success in 148ms
 DTS Build start
-DTS ⚡️ Build success in 7090ms
-DTS dist/index.d.ts 28.59 KB
+DTS ⚡️ Build success in 7054ms
+DTS dist/index.d.ts 29.13 KB

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,27 @@
 # @poncho-ai/harness
 
+## 0.27.0
+
+### Minor Changes
+
+- [#42](https://github.com/cesr/poncho-ai/pull/42) [`e58a984`](https://github.com/cesr/poncho-ai/commit/e58a984efaa673b649318102bbf735fb4c2f9172) Thanks [@cesr](https://github.com/cesr)! - Add continuation model and fire-and-forget subagents
+
+  **Continuation model**: Agents no longer send a synthetic `"Continue"` user message between steps. Instead, the harness injects a transient signal when needed, and the full internal message chain is preserved across continuations so the LLM never loses context. `RunInput` gains `disableSoftDeadline` and `RunResult` gains `continuationMessages`.
+
+  **Fire-and-forget subagents**: Subagents now run asynchronously in the background. `spawn_subagent` returns immediately with a subagent ID; results are delivered back to the parent conversation as a callback once the subagent completes. Subagents cannot spawn their own subagents. The web UI shows results in a collapsible disclosure and reconnects the live event stream automatically when the parent agent resumes.
+
+  **Bug fixes**:
+  - Fixed a race condition where concurrent runs on the same harness instance could assign a subagent or browser tab to the wrong parent conversation (shared `_currentRunConversationId` field replaced with per-run `ToolContext.conversationId`).
+  - Fixed Upstash KV store silently dropping large values by switching from URL-path encoding to request body format for `SET`/`SETEX` commands.
+  - Fixed empty assistant content blocks causing Anthropic `text content blocks must be non-empty` errors.
+
+  **Client**: Added `getConversationStatus()` and `waitForSubagents` option on `sendMessage()`.
+
+### Patch Changes
+
+- Updated dependencies [[`e58a984`](https://github.com/cesr/poncho-ai/commit/e58a984efaa673b649318102bbf735fb4c2f9172)]:
+  - @poncho-ai/sdk@1.6.0
+
 ## 0.26.0
 
 ### Minor Changes

package/dist/index.d.ts

@@ -123,6 +123,14 @@ interface StateStore {
     set(state: ConversationState): Promise<void>;
     delete(runId: string): Promise<void>;
 }
+interface PendingSubagentResult {
+    subagentId: string;
+    task: string;
+    status: "completed" | "error" | "stopped";
+    result?: _poncho_ai_sdk.RunResult;
+    error?: _poncho_ai_sdk.AgentFailure;
+    timestamp: number;
+}
 interface Conversation {
     conversationId: string;
     title: string;
@@ -161,6 +169,13 @@ interface Conversation {
         channelId: string;
         platformThreadId: string;
     };
+    pendingSubagentResults?: PendingSubagentResult[];
+    subagentCallbackCount?: number;
+    runningCallbackSince?: number;
+    lastActivityAt?: number;
+    /** Harness-internal message chain preserved across continuation runs.
+     *  Cleared when a run completes without continuation. */
+    _continuationMessages?: Message[];
     createdAt: number;
     updatedAt: number;
 }
@@ -172,6 +187,7 @@ interface ConversationStore {
     update(conversation: Conversation): Promise<void>;
     rename(conversationId: string, title: string): Promise<Conversation | undefined>;
     delete(conversationId: string): Promise<boolean>;
+    appendSubagentResult(conversationId: string, result: PendingSubagentResult): Promise<void>;
 }
 type StateProviderName = "local" | "memory" | "redis" | "upstash" | "dynamodb";
 interface StateConfig {
@@ -204,6 +220,7 @@ declare class InMemoryConversationStore implements ConversationStore {
     update(conversation: Conversation): Promise<void>;
     rename(conversationId: string, title: string): Promise<Conversation | undefined>;
     delete(conversationId: string): Promise<boolean>;
+    appendSubagentResult(conversationId: string, result: PendingSubagentResult): Promise<void>;
 }
 type ConversationSummary = {
     conversationId: string;
@@ -530,13 +547,16 @@ interface SubagentSummary {
     status: string;
     messageCount: number;
 }
+interface SubagentSpawnResult {
+    subagentId: string;
+}
 interface SubagentManager {
     spawn(opts: {
         task: string;
         parentConversationId: string;
         ownerId: string;
-    }): Promise<SubagentResult>;
-    sendMessage(subagentId: string, message: string): Promise<SubagentResult>;
+    }): Promise<SubagentSpawnResult>;
+    sendMessage(subagentId: string, message: string): Promise<SubagentSpawnResult>;
     stop(subagentId: string): Promise<void>;
     list(parentConversationId: string): Promise<SubagentSummary[]>;
 }
@@ -653,10 +673,6 @@ declare class AgentHarness {
     initialize(): Promise<void>;
     private buildBrowserStoragePersistence;
     private initBrowserTools;
-    /** Conversation ID of the currently executing run (set during run, cleared after). */
-    private _currentRunConversationId?;
-    /** Owner ID of the currently executing run (used by subagent tools). */
-    private _currentRunOwnerId?;
     get browserSession(): unknown;
     shutdown(): Promise<void>;
     listTools(): ToolDefinition[];
@@ -795,6 +811,6 @@ declare class TelemetryEmitter {
     private sendOtlp;
 }
 
-declare const createSubagentTools: (manager: SubagentManager, getConversationId: () => string | undefined, getOwnerId: () => string) => ToolDefinition[];
+declare const createSubagentTools: (manager: SubagentManager) => ToolDefinition[];
 
-export { type AgentFrontmatter, AgentHarness, type AgentIdentity, type AgentLimitsConfig, type AgentModelConfig, type BuiltInToolToggles, type CompactMessagesOptions, type CompactResult, type CompactionConfig, type Conversation, type ConversationState, type ConversationStore, type ConversationSummary, type CronJobConfig, type HarnessOptions, type HarnessRunOutput, InMemoryConversationStore, InMemoryStateStore, LatitudeCapture, type LatitudeCaptureConfig, LocalMcpBridge, LocalUploadStore, type MainMemory, type McpConfig, type MemoryConfig, type MemoryStore, type MessagingChannelConfig, type ModelProviderFactory, PONCHO_UPLOAD_SCHEME, type ParsedAgent, type PonchoConfig, type ProviderConfig, type RemoteMcpServerConfig, type RuntimeRenderContext, S3UploadStore, STORAGE_SCHEMA_VERSION, type SkillContextEntry, type SkillMetadata, type StateConfig, type StateProviderName, type StateStore, type StorageConfig, type SubagentManager, type SubagentResult, type SubagentSummary, type TelemetryConfig, TelemetryEmitter, type ToolAccess, type ToolCall, ToolDispatcher, type ToolExecutionResult, type UploadStore, type UploadsConfig, VercelBlobUploadStore, buildAgentDirectoryName, buildSkillContextWindow, compactMessages, createConversationStore, createDefaultTools, createDeleteDirectoryTool, createDeleteTool, createEditTool, createMemoryStore, createMemoryTools, createModelProvider, createSkillTools, createStateStore, createSubagentTools, createUploadStore, createWriteTool, deriveUploadKey, ensureAgentIdentity, estimateTokens, estimateTotalTokens, findSafeSplitPoint, generateAgentId, getAgentStoreDirectory, getModelContextWindow, getPonchoStoreRoot, jsonSchemaToZod, loadPonchoConfig, loadSkillContext, loadSkillInstructions, loadSkillMetadata, normalizeScriptPolicyPath, parseAgentFile, parseAgentMarkdown, ponchoDocsTool, readSkillResource, renderAgentPrompt, resolveAgentIdentity, resolveCompactionConfig, resolveMemoryConfig, resolveSkillDirs, resolveStateConfig, slugifyStorageComponent };
+export { type AgentFrontmatter, AgentHarness, type AgentIdentity, type AgentLimitsConfig, type AgentModelConfig, type BuiltInToolToggles, type CompactMessagesOptions, type CompactResult, type CompactionConfig, type Conversation, type ConversationState, type ConversationStore, type ConversationSummary, type CronJobConfig, type HarnessOptions, type HarnessRunOutput, InMemoryConversationStore, InMemoryStateStore, LatitudeCapture, type LatitudeCaptureConfig, LocalMcpBridge, LocalUploadStore, type MainMemory, type McpConfig, type MemoryConfig, type MemoryStore, type MessagingChannelConfig, type ModelProviderFactory, PONCHO_UPLOAD_SCHEME, type ParsedAgent, type PendingSubagentResult, type PonchoConfig, type ProviderConfig, type RemoteMcpServerConfig, type RuntimeRenderContext, S3UploadStore, STORAGE_SCHEMA_VERSION, type SkillContextEntry, type SkillMetadata, type StateConfig, type StateProviderName, type StateStore, type StorageConfig, type SubagentManager, type SubagentResult, type SubagentSpawnResult, type SubagentSummary, type TelemetryConfig, TelemetryEmitter, type ToolAccess, type ToolCall, ToolDispatcher, type ToolExecutionResult, type UploadStore, type UploadsConfig, VercelBlobUploadStore, buildAgentDirectoryName, buildSkillContextWindow, compactMessages, createConversationStore, createDefaultTools, createDeleteDirectoryTool, createDeleteTool, createEditTool, createMemoryStore, createMemoryTools, createModelProvider, createSkillTools, createStateStore, createSubagentTools, createUploadStore, createWriteTool, deriveUploadKey, ensureAgentIdentity, estimateTokens, estimateTotalTokens, findSafeSplitPoint, generateAgentId, getAgentStoreDirectory, getModelContextWindow, getPonchoStoreRoot, jsonSchemaToZod, loadPonchoConfig, loadSkillContext, loadSkillInstructions, loadSkillMetadata, normalizeScriptPolicyPath, parseAgentFile, parseAgentMarkdown, ponchoDocsTool, readSkillResource, renderAgentPrompt, resolveAgentIdentity, resolveCompactionConfig, resolveMemoryConfig, resolveSkillDirs, resolveStateConfig, slugifyStorageComponent };

package/dist/index.js

@@ -617,8 +617,10 @@ Response: Server-Sent Events (\`run:started\`, \`model:chunk\`, \`tool:*\`, \`ru
 
 On serverless deployments with \`PONCHO_MAX_DURATION\` set, the \`run:completed\` event may
 include \`continuation: true\` in \`result\`, indicating the agent stopped early due to a
-platform timeout and the client should send another message (e.g., \`"Continue"\`) on the
-same conversation to resume.
+platform timeout. The server preserves the full internal message chain so the agent
+resumes with complete context. The web UI and client SDK handle continuation automatically
+by re-posting to the same conversation with \`{ continuation: true }\` \u2014 no manual
+"Continue" message is needed.
 
 ## Build a custom chat UI
 
@@ -1288,28 +1290,28 @@ When \`@sparticuz/chromium\` is installed and a serverless environment is detect
 
 ## Subagents
 
-Poncho agents can spawn recursive copies of themselves as **subagents**. Each subagent runs in its own independent conversation with full access to the agent's tools and skills. The parent agent controls the subagent lifecycle and receives results directly.
+Poncho agents can spawn **subagents** \u2014 independent background tasks that run in their own conversations. Each subagent has full access to the agent's tools and skills. Subagents run asynchronously and their results are delivered back to the parent automatically.
 
 Subagents are useful when an agent needs to parallelize work, delegate a subtask, or isolate a line of investigation without polluting the main conversation context.
 
 ### How it works
 
-When the agent decides to use a subagent, it calls \`spawn_subagent\` with a task description. The subagent runs to completion and the result is returned to the parent \u2014 the call is **blocking**, so the parent waits for the subagent to finish before continuing.
+When the agent decides to use a subagent, it calls \`spawn_subagent\` with a task description. The tool returns immediately with a subagent ID and \`status: "running"\`. The subagent runs in the background and, when it completes, its result is delivered to the parent conversation as a message \u2014 triggering a callback that lets the parent process or summarize the result.
 
-The parent can also send follow-up messages to existing subagents with \`message_subagent\`, stop a running subagent with \`stop_subagent\`, or list all its subagents with \`list_subagents\`.
+The agent can spawn multiple subagents in a single response and they run concurrently. The parent can also send follow-up messages to existing subagents with \`message_subagent\`, stop a running subagent with \`stop_subagent\`, or list all its subagents with \`list_subagents\`.
 
 ### Available tools
 
 | Tool | Description |
 |------|-------------|
-| \`spawn_subagent\` | Create a new subagent with a task. Blocks until the subagent completes and returns the result. |
-| \`message_subagent\` | Send a follow-up message to an existing subagent. Blocks until it responds. |
+| \`spawn_subagent\` | Create a new subagent with a task. Returns immediately; results are delivered asynchronously. |
+| \`message_subagent\` | Send a follow-up message to an existing subagent. Returns immediately. |
 | \`stop_subagent\` | Stop a running subagent. |
 | \`list_subagents\` | List all subagents for the current conversation with their IDs, tasks, and statuses. |
 
 ### Limits
 
-- **Max depth**: 3 levels of nesting (an agent can spawn a subagent, which can spawn another, but no deeper).
+- **No nesting**: subagents cannot spawn their own subagents.
 - **Max concurrent**: 5 subagents per parent conversation.
 
 ### Memory isolation
@@ -2032,7 +2034,7 @@ var ponchoDocsTool = defineTool({
 import { randomUUID as randomUUID3 } from "crypto";
 import { readFile as readFile8 } from "fs/promises";
 import { resolve as resolve10 } from "path";
-import { getTextContent as getTextContent3 } from "@poncho-ai/sdk";
+import { getTextContent as getTextContent2 } from "@poncho-ai/sdk";
 
 // src/upload-store.ts
 import { createHash as createHash2 } from "crypto";
@@ -2368,16 +2370,26 @@ var UpstashKVStore = class {
     return payload.result ?? void 0;
   }
   async set(key, value) {
-    await fetch(
-      `${this.baseUrl}/set/${encodeURIComponent(key)}/${encodeURIComponent(value)}`,
-      { method: "POST", headers: this.headers() }
-    );
+    const response = await fetch(this.baseUrl, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: this.headers(),
+      body: JSON.stringify(["SET", key, value])
+    });
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      const text = await response.text().catch(() => "");
+      console.error(`[kv][upstash] SET failed (${response.status}): ${text.slice(0, 200)}`);
+    }
   }
   async setWithTtl(key, value, ttl) {
-    await fetch(
-      `${this.baseUrl}/setex/${encodeURIComponent(key)}/${Math.max(1, ttl)}/${encodeURIComponent(value)}`,
-      { method: "POST", headers: this.headers() }
-    );
+    const response = await fetch(this.baseUrl, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: this.headers(),
+      body: JSON.stringify(["SETEX", key, Math.max(1, ttl), value])
+    });
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      const text = await response.text().catch(() => "");
+      console.error(`[kv][upstash] SETEX failed (${response.status}): ${text.slice(0, 200)}`);
+    }
   }
 };
 var RedisKVStore = class {
@@ -4247,36 +4259,11 @@ var extractRunnableFunction = (value) => {
 };
 
 // src/subagent-tools.ts
-import { defineTool as defineTool5, getTextContent as getTextContent2 } from "@poncho-ai/sdk";
-var LAST_MESSAGES_TO_RETURN = 10;
-var summarizeResult = (r) => {
-  const summary = {
-    subagentId: r.subagentId,
-    status: r.status
-  };
-  if (r.result) {
-    summary.result = {
-      status: r.result.status,
-      response: r.result.response,
-      steps: r.result.steps,
-      duration: r.result.duration
-    };
-  }
-  if (r.error) {
-    summary.error = r.error;
-  }
-  if (r.latestMessages && r.latestMessages.length > 0) {
-    summary.latestMessages = r.latestMessages.slice(-LAST_MESSAGES_TO_RETURN).map((m) => ({
-      role: m.role,
-      content: getTextContent2(m).slice(0, 2e3)
-    }));
-  }
-  return summary;
-};
-var createSubagentTools = (manager, getConversationId, getOwnerId) => [
+import { defineTool as defineTool5 } from "@poncho-ai/sdk";
+var createSubagentTools = (manager) => [
   defineTool5({
     name: "spawn_subagent",
-    description: "Spawn a subagent to work on a task and wait for it to finish. The subagent is a full copy of yourself running in its own conversation context with access to the same tools (except memory writes). This call blocks until the subagent completes and returns its result.\n\nGuidelines:\n- Use subagents to parallelize work: call spawn_subagent multiple times in one response for independent sub-tasks -- they run concurrently.\n- Prefer doing work yourself for simple or quick tasks. Spawn subagents for substantial, self-contained work.\n- The subagent has no memory of your conversation -- write thorough, self-contained instructions in the task.",
+    description: "Spawn a subagent to work on a task in the background. Returns immediately with a subagent ID. The subagent runs independently and its result will be delivered to you as a message in the conversation when it completes.\n\nGuidelines:\n- Spawn all needed subagents in a SINGLE response (they run concurrently), then end your turn with a brief message to the user.\n- Do NOT spawn more subagents in follow-up steps. Wait for results to be delivered before deciding if more work is needed.\n- Prefer doing work yourself for simple or quick tasks. Spawn subagents for substantial, self-contained work.\n- The subagent has no memory of your conversation -- write thorough, self-contained instructions in the task.",
     inputSchema: {
       type: "object",
       properties: {
@@ -4288,26 +4275,27 @@ var createSubagentTools = (manager, getConversationId, getOwnerId) => [
       required: ["task"],
       additionalProperties: false
     },
-    handler: async (input) => {
+    handler: async (input, context) => {
       const task = typeof input.task === "string" ? input.task : "";
       if (!task.trim()) {
         return { error: "task is required" };
       }
-      const conversationId = getConversationId();
+      const conversationId = context.conversationId;
       if (!conversationId) {
         return { error: "no active conversation to spawn subagent from" };
       }
-      const result = await manager.spawn({
+      const ownerId = typeof context.parameters.__ownerId === "string" ? context.parameters.__ownerId : "anonymous";
+      const { subagentId } = await manager.spawn({
         task: task.trim(),
         parentConversationId: conversationId,
-        ownerId: getOwnerId()
+        ownerId
       });
-      return summarizeResult(result);
+      return { subagentId, status: "running" };
     }
   }),
   defineTool5({
     name: "message_subagent",
-    description: "Send a follow-up message to a completed or stopped subagent and wait for it to finish. This restarts the subagent with the new message and blocks until it completes. Only works when the subagent is not currently running.",
+    description: "Send a follow-up message to a completed or stopped subagent. The subagent restarts in the background and its result will be delivered to you as a message when it completes. Only works when the subagent is not currently running.",
     inputSchema: {
       type: "object",
       properties: {
@@ -4329,8 +4317,8 @@ var createSubagentTools = (manager, getConversationId, getOwnerId) => [
       if (!subagentId || !message.trim()) {
         return { error: "subagent_id and message are required" };
       }
-      const result = await manager.sendMessage(subagentId, message.trim());
-      return summarizeResult(result);
+      const { subagentId: id } = await manager.sendMessage(subagentId, message.trim());
+      return { subagentId: id, status: "running" };
     }
   }),
   defineTool5({
@@ -4364,8 +4352,8 @@ var createSubagentTools = (manager, getConversationId, getOwnerId) => [
       properties: {},
       additionalProperties: false
     },
-    handler: async () => {
-      const conversationId = getConversationId();
+    handler: async (_input, context) => {
+      const conversationId = context.conversationId;
       if (!conversationId) {
         return { error: "no active conversation" };
       }
@@ -4961,11 +4949,7 @@ var AgentHarness = class _AgentHarness {
   setSubagentManager(manager) {
     this.subagentManager = manager;
     this.dispatcher.registerMany(
-      createSubagentTools(
-        manager,
-        () => this._currentRunConversationId,
-        () => this._currentRunOwnerId ?? "anonymous"
-      )
+      createSubagentTools(manager)
     );
   }
   registerConfiguredBuiltInTools(config) {
@@ -5471,8 +5455,7 @@ var AgentHarness = class _AgentHarness {
     const session = new browserMod.BrowserSession(sessionId, browserCfg);
     this._browserSession = session;
     const tools = browserMod.createBrowserTools(
-      () => session,
-      () => this._currentRunConversationId ?? "__default__"
+      () => session
     );
     for (const tool of tools) {
       if (this.isToolEnabled(tool.name)) {
@@ -5480,10 +5463,6 @@ var AgentHarness = class _AgentHarness {
       }
     }
   }
-  /** Conversation ID of the currently executing run (set during run, cleared after). */
-  _currentRunConversationId;
-  /** Owner ID of the currently executing run (used by subagent tools). */
-  _currentRunOwnerId;
   get browserSession() {
     return this._browserSession;
   }
@@ -5598,11 +5577,6 @@ var AgentHarness = class _AgentHarness {
     const memoryPromise = this.memoryStore ? this.memoryStore.getMainMemory() : void 0;
     await this.refreshAgentIfChanged();
     await this.refreshSkillsIfChanged();
-    this._currentRunConversationId = input.conversationId;
-    const ownerParam = input.parameters?.__ownerId;
-    if (typeof ownerParam === "string") {
-      this._currentRunOwnerId = ownerParam;
-    }
     let agent = this.parsedAgent;
     const runId = `run_${randomUUID3()}`;
     const start = now();
@@ -5610,7 +5584,7 @@ var AgentHarness = class _AgentHarness {
     const configuredTimeout = agent.frontmatter.limits?.timeout;
     const timeoutMs = this.environment === "development" && configuredTimeout == null ? 0 : (configuredTimeout ?? 300) * 1e3;
     const platformMaxDurationSec = Number(process.env.PONCHO_MAX_DURATION) || 0;
-    const softDeadlineMs = platformMaxDurationSec > 0 ? platformMaxDurationSec * 800 : 0;
+    const softDeadlineMs = input.disableSoftDeadline || platformMaxDurationSec <= 0 ? 0 : platformMaxDurationSec * 800;
     const messages = [...input.messages ?? []];
     const inputMessageCount = messages.length;
     const events = [];
@@ -5744,6 +5718,15 @@ ${this.skillFingerprint}`;
           metadata: { timestamp: now(), id: randomUUID3() }
         });
       }
+    } else {
+      const lastMsg = messages[messages.length - 1];
+      if (lastMsg && lastMsg.role !== "user") {
+        messages.push({
+          role: "user",
+          content: "[System: Your previous turn was interrupted by a time limit. Continue from where you left off \u2014 do NOT repeat what you already said. Proceed directly with the next action or tool call.]",
+          metadata: { timestamp: now(), id: randomUUID3() }
+        });
+      }
     }
     let responseText = "";
     let totalInputTokens = 0;
@@ -5778,6 +5761,7 @@ ${this.skillFingerprint}`;
             tokens: { input: totalInputTokens, output: totalOutputTokens, cached: totalCachedTokens },
             duration: now() - start,
             continuation: true,
+            continuationMessages: [...messages],
             maxSteps
           };
           yield pushEvent({ type: "run:completed", runId, result: result2 });
@@ -5811,7 +5795,7 @@ ${this.skillFingerprint}`;
             if (rich && rich.length > 0) {
               return [{ role: "tool", content: rich }];
             }
-            const textContent = typeof msg.content === "string" ? msg.content : getTextContent3(msg);
+            const textContent = typeof msg.content === "string" ? msg.content : getTextContent2(msg);
             try {
               const parsed = JSON.parse(textContent);
               if (!Array.isArray(parsed)) {
@@ -5861,7 +5845,7 @@ ${this.skillFingerprint}`;
             }
           }
           if (msg.role === "assistant") {
-            const assistantText = typeof msg.content === "string" ? msg.content : getTextContent3(msg);
+            const assistantText = typeof msg.content === "string" ? msg.content : getTextContent2(msg);
             try {
               const parsed = JSON.parse(assistantText);
               if (typeof parsed === "object" && parsed !== null) {
@@ -5895,12 +5879,15 @@ ${this.skillFingerprint}`;
               }
             } catch {
             }
+            if (!assistantText || assistantText.trim().length === 0) {
+              return [];
+            }
             return [{ role: "assistant", content: assistantText }];
           }
           if (msg.role === "system") {
             return [{
               role: "system",
-              content: typeof msg.content === "string" ? msg.content : getTextContent3(msg)
+              content: typeof msg.content === "string" ? msg.content : getTextContent2(msg)
             }];
           }
           if (msg.role === "user") {
@@ -6454,6 +6441,7 @@ ${this.skillFingerprint}`;
         tokens: { input: totalInputTokens, output: totalOutputTokens, cached: totalCachedTokens },
         duration: now() - start,
         continuation: true,
+        continuationMessages: [...messages],
         maxSteps
       };
       yield pushEvent({ type: "run:completed", runId, result });
@@ -6775,6 +6763,13 @@ var InMemoryConversationStore = class {
   async delete(conversationId) {
     return this.conversations.delete(conversationId);
   }
+  async appendSubagentResult(conversationId, result) {
+    const conversation = this.conversations.get(conversationId);
+    if (!conversation) return;
+    if (!conversation.pendingSubagentResults) conversation.pendingSubagentResults = [];
+    conversation.pendingSubagentResults.push(result);
+    conversation.updatedAt = Date.now();
+  }
 };
 var FileConversationStore = class {
   workingDir;
@@ -6988,6 +6983,15 @@ var FileConversationStore = class {
     }
     return removed;
   }
+  async appendSubagentResult(conversationId, result) {
+    await this.ensureLoaded();
+    const conversation = await this.get(conversationId);
+    if (!conversation) return;
+    if (!conversation.pendingSubagentResults) conversation.pendingSubagentResults = [];
+    conversation.pendingSubagentResults.push(result);
+    conversation.updatedAt = Date.now();
+    await this.update(conversation);
+  }
 };
 var FileStateStore = class {
   workingDir;
@@ -7067,6 +7071,7 @@ var KeyValueConversationStoreBase = class {
   ttl;
   agentIdPromise;
   ownerLocks = /* @__PURE__ */ new Map();
+  appendLocks = /* @__PURE__ */ new Map();
   memoryFallback;
   constructor(ttl, workingDir, agentId) {
     this.ttl = ttl;
@@ -7085,6 +7090,18 @@ var KeyValueConversationStoreBase = class {
       }
     }
   }
+  async withAppendLock(conversationId, task) {
+    const prev = this.appendLocks.get(conversationId) ?? Promise.resolve();
+    const next = prev.then(task, task);
+    this.appendLocks.set(conversationId, next);
+    try {
+      await next;
+    } finally {
+      if (this.appendLocks.get(conversationId) === next) {
+        this.appendLocks.delete(conversationId);
+      }
+    }
+  }
   async namespace() {
     const agentId = await this.agentIdPromise;
     return `poncho:${STORAGE_SCHEMA_VERSION}:${slugifyStorageComponent(agentId)}`;
@@ -7305,6 +7322,16 @@ var KeyValueConversationStoreBase = class {
     });
     return true;
   }
+  async appendSubagentResult(conversationId, result) {
+    await this.withAppendLock(conversationId, async () => {
+      const conversation = await this.get(conversationId);
+      if (!conversation) return;
+      if (!conversation.pendingSubagentResults) conversation.pendingSubagentResults = [];
+      conversation.pendingSubagentResults.push(result);
+      conversation.updatedAt = Date.now();
+      await this.update(conversation);
+    });
+  }
 };
 var UpstashConversationStore = class extends KeyValueConversationStoreBase {
   baseUrl;
@@ -7347,20 +7374,26 @@ var UpstashConversationStore = class extends KeyValueConversationStoreBase {
         return (payload.result ?? []).map((v) => v ?? void 0);
       },
       set: async (key, value, ttl) => {
-        const endpoint = typeof ttl === "number" ? `${this.baseUrl}/setex/${encodeURIComponent(key)}/${Math.max(
-          1,
-          ttl
-        )}/${encodeURIComponent(value)}` : `${this.baseUrl}/set/${encodeURIComponent(key)}/${encodeURIComponent(value)}`;
-        await fetch(endpoint, {
+        const command = typeof ttl === "number" ? ["SETEX", key, Math.max(1, ttl), value] : ["SET", key, value];
+        const response = await fetch(this.baseUrl, {
           method: "POST",
-          headers: this.headers()
+          headers: this.headers(),
+          body: JSON.stringify(command)
         });
+        if (!response.ok) {
+          const text = await response.text().catch(() => "");
+          console.error(`[store][upstash] SET failed (${response.status}): ${text.slice(0, 200)}`);
+        }
       },
       del: async (key) => {
-        await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}/del/${encodeURIComponent(key)}`, {
+        const response = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}/del/${encodeURIComponent(key)}`, {
           method: "POST",
           headers: this.headers()
         });
+        if (!response.ok) {
+          const text = await response.text().catch(() => "");
+          console.error(`[store][upstash] DEL failed (${response.status}): ${text.slice(0, 200)}`);
+        }
       }
     };
   }

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@poncho-ai/harness",
-  "version": "0.26.0",
+  "version": "0.27.0",
   "description": "Agent execution runtime - conversation loop, tool dispatch, streaming",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
     "redis": "^5.10.0",
     "yaml": "^2.4.0",
     "zod": "^3.22.0",
-    "@poncho-ai/sdk": "1.5.0"
+    "@poncho-ai/sdk": "1.6.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@types/mustache": "^4.2.6",

package/src/harness.ts

@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ export class AgentHarness {
   private insideTelemetryCapture = false;
   private _browserSession?: unknown;
   private _browserMod?: {
-    createBrowserTools: (getSession: () => unknown, getConversationId: () => string) => ToolDefinition[];
+    createBrowserTools: (getSession: () => unknown) => ToolDefinition[];
     BrowserSession: new (sessionId: string, config: Record<string, unknown>) => unknown;
   };
 
@@ -622,11 +622,7 @@ export class AgentHarness {
   setSubagentManager(manager: SubagentManager): void {
     this.subagentManager = manager;
     this.dispatcher.registerMany(
-      createSubagentTools(
-        manager,
-        () => this._currentRunConversationId,
-        () => this._currentRunOwnerId ?? "anonymous",
-      ),
+      createSubagentTools(manager),
     );
   }
 
@@ -1165,7 +1161,7 @@ export class AgentHarness {
   private async initBrowserTools(config: PonchoConfig): Promise<void> {
     const spec = ["@poncho-ai", "browser"].join("/");
     let browserMod: {
-      createBrowserTools: (getSession: () => unknown, getConversationId: () => string) => ToolDefinition[];
+      createBrowserTools: (getSession: () => unknown) => ToolDefinition[];
       BrowserSession: new (sessionId: string, cfg?: Record<string, unknown>) => unknown;
     };
     try {
@@ -1209,7 +1205,6 @@ export class AgentHarness {
 
     const tools = browserMod.createBrowserTools(
       () => session,
-      () => this._currentRunConversationId ?? "__default__",
     );
     for (const tool of tools) {
       if (this.isToolEnabled(tool.name)) {
@@ -1218,10 +1213,6 @@ export class AgentHarness {
     }
   }
 
-  /** Conversation ID of the currently executing run (set during run, cleared after). */
-  private _currentRunConversationId?: string;
-  /** Owner ID of the currently executing run (used by subagent tools). */
-  private _currentRunOwnerId?: string;
 
   get browserSession(): unknown {
     return this._browserSession;
@@ -1369,13 +1360,6 @@ export class AgentHarness {
     await this.refreshAgentIfChanged();
     await this.refreshSkillsIfChanged();
 
-    // Track which conversation/owner this run belongs to so browser & subagent tools resolve correctly
-    this._currentRunConversationId = input.conversationId;
-    const ownerParam = input.parameters?.__ownerId;
-    if (typeof ownerParam === "string") {
-      this._currentRunOwnerId = ownerParam;
-    }
-
     let agent = this.parsedAgent as ParsedAgent;
     const runId = `run_${randomUUID()}`;
     const start = now();
@@ -1385,9 +1369,9 @@ export class AgentHarness {
       ? 0 // no hard timeout in development unless explicitly configured
       : (configuredTimeout ?? 300) * 1000;
     const platformMaxDurationSec = Number(process.env.PONCHO_MAX_DURATION) || 0;
-    const softDeadlineMs = platformMaxDurationSec > 0
-      ? platformMaxDurationSec * 800
-      : 0;
+    const softDeadlineMs = (input.disableSoftDeadline || platformMaxDurationSec <= 0)
+      ? 0
+      : platformMaxDurationSec * 800;
     const messages: Message[] = [...(input.messages ?? [])];
     const inputMessageCount = messages.length;
     const events: AgentEvent[] = [];
@@ -1541,6 +1525,18 @@ ${boundedMainMemory.trim()}`
           metadata: { timestamp: now(), id: randomUUID() },
         });
       }
+    } else {
+      // Continuation run (no explicit task). Some providers (Anthropic) require
+      // the conversation to end with a user message. Inject a transient signal
+      // that is sent to the LLM but never persisted to the conversation store.
+      const lastMsg = messages[messages.length - 1];
+      if (lastMsg && lastMsg.role !== "user") {
+        messages.push({
+          role: "user",
+          content: "[System: Your previous turn was interrupted by a time limit. Continue from where you left off — do NOT repeat what you already said. Proceed directly with the next action or tool call.]",
+          metadata: { timestamp: now(), id: randomUUID() },
+        });
+      }
     }
 
     let responseText = "";
@@ -1577,6 +1573,7 @@ ${boundedMainMemory.trim()}`
             tokens: { input: totalInputTokens, output: totalOutputTokens, cached: totalCachedTokens },
             duration: now() - start,
             continuation: true,
+            continuationMessages: [...messages],
             maxSteps,
           };
           yield pushEvent({ type: "run:completed", runId, result });
@@ -1727,6 +1724,9 @@ ${boundedMainMemory.trim()}`
             } catch {
               // Not JSON, treat as regular assistant text.
             }
+            if (!assistantText || assistantText.trim().length === 0) {
+              return [];
+            }
             return [{ role: "assistant" as const, content: assistantText }];
           }
 
@@ -2403,6 +2403,7 @@ ${boundedMainMemory.trim()}`
         tokens: { input: totalInputTokens, output: totalOutputTokens, cached: totalCachedTokens },
         duration: now() - start,
         continuation: true,
+        continuationMessages: [...messages],
         maxSteps,
       };
       yield pushEvent({ type: "run:completed", runId, result });

package/src/kv-store.ts

@@ -38,17 +38,27 @@ class UpstashKVStore implements RawKVStore {
   }
 
   async set(key: string, value: string): Promise<void> {
-    await fetch(
-      `${this.baseUrl}/set/${encodeURIComponent(key)}/${encodeURIComponent(value)}`,
-      { method: "POST", headers: this.headers() },
-    );
+    const response = await fetch(this.baseUrl, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: this.headers(),
+      body: JSON.stringify(["SET", key, value]),
+    });
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      const text = await response.text().catch(() => "");
+      console.error(`[kv][upstash] SET failed (${response.status}): ${text.slice(0, 200)}`);
+    }
   }
 
   async setWithTtl(key: string, value: string, ttl: number): Promise<void> {
-    await fetch(
-      `${this.baseUrl}/setex/${encodeURIComponent(key)}/${Math.max(1, ttl)}/${encodeURIComponent(value)}`,
-      { method: "POST", headers: this.headers() },
-    );
+    const response = await fetch(this.baseUrl, {
+      method: "POST",
+      headers: this.headers(),
+      body: JSON.stringify(["SETEX", key, Math.max(1, ttl), value]),
+    });
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      const text = await response.text().catch(() => "");
+      console.error(`[kv][upstash] SETEX failed (${response.status}): ${text.slice(0, 200)}`);
+    }
   }
 }
 

package/src/state.ts

@@ -21,6 +21,15 @@ export interface StateStore {
   delete(runId: string): Promise<void>;
 }
 
+export interface PendingSubagentResult {
+  subagentId: string;
+  task: string;
+  status: "completed" | "error" | "stopped";
+  result?: import("@poncho-ai/sdk").RunResult;
+  error?: import("@poncho-ai/sdk").AgentFailure;
+  timestamp: number;
+}
+
 export interface Conversation {
   conversationId: string;
   title: string;
@@ -55,6 +64,13 @@ export interface Conversation {
     channelId: string;
     platformThreadId: string;
   };
+  pendingSubagentResults?: PendingSubagentResult[];
+  subagentCallbackCount?: number;
+  runningCallbackSince?: number;
+  lastActivityAt?: number;
+  /** Harness-internal message chain preserved across continuation runs.
+   *  Cleared when a run completes without continuation. */
+  _continuationMessages?: Message[];
   createdAt: number;
   updatedAt: number;
 }
@@ -67,6 +83,7 @@ export interface ConversationStore {
   update(conversation: Conversation): Promise<void>;
   rename(conversationId: string, title: string): Promise<Conversation | undefined>;
   delete(conversationId: string): Promise<boolean>;
+  appendSubagentResult(conversationId: string, result: PendingSubagentResult): Promise<void>;
 }
 
 export type StateProviderName =
@@ -300,6 +317,14 @@ export class InMemoryConversationStore implements ConversationStore {
   async delete(conversationId: string): Promise<boolean> {
     return this.conversations.delete(conversationId);
   }
+
+  async appendSubagentResult(conversationId: string, result: PendingSubagentResult): Promise<void> {
+    const conversation = this.conversations.get(conversationId);
+    if (!conversation) return;
+    if (!conversation.pendingSubagentResults) conversation.pendingSubagentResults = [];
+    conversation.pendingSubagentResults.push(result);
+    conversation.updatedAt = Date.now();
+  }
 }
 
 export type ConversationSummary = {
@@ -572,6 +597,16 @@ class FileConversationStore implements ConversationStore {
     }
     return removed;
   }
+
+  async appendSubagentResult(conversationId: string, result: PendingSubagentResult): Promise<void> {
+    await this.ensureLoaded();
+    const conversation = await this.get(conversationId);
+    if (!conversation) return;
+    if (!conversation.pendingSubagentResults) conversation.pendingSubagentResults = [];
+    conversation.pendingSubagentResults.push(result);
+    conversation.updatedAt = Date.now();
+    await this.update(conversation);
+  }
 }
 
 type LocalStateFile = {
@@ -689,6 +724,7 @@ abstract class KeyValueConversationStoreBase implements ConversationStore {
   protected readonly ttl?: number;
   private readonly agentIdPromise: Promise<string>;
   private readonly ownerLocks = new Map<string, Promise<void>>();
+  private readonly appendLocks = new Map<string, Promise<void>>();
   protected readonly memoryFallback: InMemoryConversationStore;
 
   constructor(ttl: number | undefined, workingDir: string, agentId?: string) {
@@ -712,6 +748,19 @@ abstract class KeyValueConversationStoreBase implements ConversationStore {
     }
   }
 
+  private async withAppendLock(conversationId: string, task: () => Promise<void>): Promise<void> {
+    const prev = this.appendLocks.get(conversationId) ?? Promise.resolve();
+    const next = prev.then(task, task);
+    this.appendLocks.set(conversationId, next);
+    try {
+      await next;
+    } finally {
+      if (this.appendLocks.get(conversationId) === next) {
+        this.appendLocks.delete(conversationId);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   private async namespace(): Promise<string> {
     const agentId = await this.agentIdPromise;
     return `poncho:${STORAGE_SCHEMA_VERSION}:${slugifyStorageComponent(agentId)}`;
@@ -945,6 +994,17 @@ abstract class KeyValueConversationStoreBase implements ConversationStore {
     });
     return true;
   }
+
+  async appendSubagentResult(conversationId: string, result: PendingSubagentResult): Promise<void> {
+    await this.withAppendLock(conversationId, async () => {
+      const conversation = await this.get(conversationId);
+      if (!conversation) return;
+      if (!conversation.pendingSubagentResults) conversation.pendingSubagentResults = [];
+      conversation.pendingSubagentResults.push(result);
+      conversation.updatedAt = Date.now();
+      await this.update(conversation);
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 class UpstashConversationStore extends KeyValueConversationStoreBase {
@@ -991,23 +1051,28 @@ class UpstashConversationStore extends KeyValueConversationStoreBase {
         return (payload.result ?? []).map((v) => v ?? undefined);
       },
       set: async (key: string, value: string, ttl?: number) => {
-        const endpoint =
-          typeof ttl === "number"
-            ? `${this.baseUrl}/setex/${encodeURIComponent(key)}/${Math.max(
-                1,
-                ttl,
-              )}/${encodeURIComponent(value)}`
-            : `${this.baseUrl}/set/${encodeURIComponent(key)}/${encodeURIComponent(value)}`;
-        await fetch(endpoint, {
+        const command = typeof ttl === "number"
+          ? ["SETEX", key, Math.max(1, ttl), value]
+          : ["SET", key, value];
+        const response = await fetch(this.baseUrl, {
           method: "POST",
           headers: this.headers(),
+          body: JSON.stringify(command),
         });
+        if (!response.ok) {
+          const text = await response.text().catch(() => "");
+          console.error(`[store][upstash] SET failed (${response.status}): ${text.slice(0, 200)}`);
+        }
       },
       del: async (key: string) => {
-        await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}/del/${encodeURIComponent(key)}`, {
+        const response = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}/del/${encodeURIComponent(key)}`, {
           method: "POST",
           headers: this.headers(),
         });
+        if (!response.ok) {
+          const text = await response.text().catch(() => "");
+          console.error(`[store][upstash] DEL failed (${response.status}): ${text.slice(0, 200)}`);
+        }
       },
     };
   }

package/src/subagent-manager.ts

@@ -15,14 +15,18 @@ export interface SubagentSummary {
   messageCount: number;
 }
 
+export interface SubagentSpawnResult {
+  subagentId: string;
+}
+
 export interface SubagentManager {
   spawn(opts: {
     task: string;
     parentConversationId: string;
     ownerId: string;
-  }): Promise<SubagentResult>;
+  }): Promise<SubagentSpawnResult>;
 
-  sendMessage(subagentId: string, message: string): Promise<SubagentResult>;
+  sendMessage(subagentId: string, message: string): Promise<SubagentSpawnResult>;
 
   stop(subagentId: string): Promise<void>;
 

package/src/subagent-tools.ts

@@ -1,48 +1,18 @@
-import { defineTool, type Message, type ToolDefinition, getTextContent } from "@poncho-ai/sdk";
-import type { SubagentManager, SubagentResult } from "./subagent-manager.js";
-
-const LAST_MESSAGES_TO_RETURN = 10;
-
-const summarizeResult = (r: SubagentResult): Record<string, unknown> => {
-  const summary: Record<string, unknown> = {
-    subagentId: r.subagentId,
-    status: r.status,
-  };
-  if (r.result) {
-    summary.result = {
-      status: r.result.status,
-      response: r.result.response,
-      steps: r.result.steps,
-      duration: r.result.duration,
-    };
-  }
-  if (r.error) {
-    summary.error = r.error;
-  }
-  if (r.latestMessages && r.latestMessages.length > 0) {
-    summary.latestMessages = r.latestMessages
-      .slice(-LAST_MESSAGES_TO_RETURN)
-      .map((m: Message) => ({
-        role: m.role,
-        content: getTextContent(m).slice(0, 2000),
-      }));
-  }
-  return summary;
-};
+import { defineTool, type ToolContext, type ToolDefinition } from "@poncho-ai/sdk";
+import type { SubagentManager } from "./subagent-manager.js";
 
 export const createSubagentTools = (
   manager: SubagentManager,
-  getConversationId: () => string | undefined,
-  getOwnerId: () => string,
 ): ToolDefinition[] => [
   defineTool({
     name: "spawn_subagent",
     description:
-      "Spawn a subagent to work on a task and wait for it to finish. The subagent is a full copy of " +
-      "yourself running in its own conversation context with access to the same tools (except memory writes). " +
-      "This call blocks until the subagent completes and returns its result.\n\n" +
+      "Spawn a subagent to work on a task in the background. Returns immediately with a subagent ID. " +
+      "The subagent runs independently and its result will be delivered to you as a message in the " +
+      "conversation when it completes.\n\n" +
       "Guidelines:\n" +
-      "- Use subagents to parallelize work: call spawn_subagent multiple times in one response for independent sub-tasks -- they run concurrently.\n" +
+      "- Spawn all needed subagents in a SINGLE response (they run concurrently), then end your turn with a brief message to the user.\n" +
+      "- Do NOT spawn more subagents in follow-up steps. Wait for results to be delivered before deciding if more work is needed.\n" +
       "- Prefer doing work yourself for simple or quick tasks. Spawn subagents for substantial, self-contained work.\n" +
       "- The subagent has no memory of your conversation -- write thorough, self-contained instructions in the task.",
     inputSchema: {
@@ -58,29 +28,32 @@ export const createSubagentTools = (
       required: ["task"],
       additionalProperties: false,
     },
-    handler: async (input) => {
+    handler: async (input: Record<string, unknown>, context: ToolContext) => {
       const task = typeof input.task === "string" ? input.task : "";
       if (!task.trim()) {
         return { error: "task is required" };
       }
-      const conversationId = getConversationId();
+      const conversationId = context.conversationId;
       if (!conversationId) {
         return { error: "no active conversation to spawn subagent from" };
       }
-      const result = await manager.spawn({
+      const ownerId = typeof context.parameters.__ownerId === "string"
+        ? context.parameters.__ownerId
+        : "anonymous";
+      const { subagentId } = await manager.spawn({
         task: task.trim(),
         parentConversationId: conversationId,
-        ownerId: getOwnerId(),
+        ownerId,
       });
-      return summarizeResult(result);
+      return { subagentId, status: "running" };
     },
   }),
 
   defineTool({
     name: "message_subagent",
     description:
-      "Send a follow-up message to a completed or stopped subagent and wait for it to finish. " +
-      "This restarts the subagent with the new message and blocks until it completes. " +
+      "Send a follow-up message to a completed or stopped subagent. The subagent restarts in the " +
+      "background and its result will be delivered to you as a message when it completes. " +
       "Only works when the subagent is not currently running.",
     inputSchema: {
       type: "object",
@@ -103,8 +76,8 @@ export const createSubagentTools = (
       if (!subagentId || !message.trim()) {
         return { error: "subagent_id and message are required" };
       }
-      const result = await manager.sendMessage(subagentId, message.trim());
-      return summarizeResult(result);
+      const { subagentId: id } = await manager.sendMessage(subagentId, message.trim());
+      return { subagentId: id, status: "running" };
     },
   }),
 
@@ -145,8 +118,8 @@ export const createSubagentTools = (
       properties: {},
       additionalProperties: false,
     },
-    handler: async () => {
-      const conversationId = getConversationId();
+    handler: async (_input: Record<string, unknown>, context: ToolContext) => {
+      const conversationId = context.conversationId;
       if (!conversationId) {
         return { error: "no active conversation" };
       }