@tintinweb/pi-subagents 0.6.2 → 0.6.3

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [0.6.3] - 2026-04-28
+
+### Fixed
+- **`run_in_background: true` (and `inherit_context`, `isolated`) silently ignored on default agents** ([#37](https://github.com/tintinweb/pi-subagents/issues/37) — thanks [@kylesnowschwartz](https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz) for the diagnosis). The three built-in defaults (`general-purpose`, `Explore`, `Plan`) baked `runInBackground: false`, `inheritContext: false`, and `isolated: false` into their configs. `resolveAgentInvocationConfig` uses `agentConfig?.field ?? params.field ?? false`, and `??` only falls through on `null`/`undefined` — so an explicit `false` from the agent config silently won over the caller's `true`. Calling `Agent({ subagent_type: "general-purpose", run_in_background: true })` returned the result inline instead of backgrounding, blocking the parent UI for the agent's full runtime. Fix drops the three lines from each default (and from the unreachable defensive fallback in `agent-runner.ts`) — the type already declared each as `field?: boolean` with JSDoc *"undefined = caller decides"*, so the runtime now matches the documented contract. **Behavior:** custom agents that explicitly set these fields in frontmatter still lock as before (the v0.5.1 "frontmatter is authoritative" guarantee is preserved); the fix only stops *defaults* from spuriously claiming an opinion on callsite-strategy fields they don't actually have. The unreachable fallback now spreads `DEFAULT_AGENTS.get("general-purpose")` instead of duplicating the config inline, so future drift is impossible.
+
 ## [0.6.2] - 2026-04-28
 
 ### Fixed
@@ -374,6 +379,7 @@ Initial release.
 - **Thinking level** — per-agent extended thinking control
 - **`/agent` and `/agents` commands**
 
+[0.6.3]: https://github.com/tintinweb/pi-subagents/compare/v0.6.2...v0.6.3
 [0.6.2]: https://github.com/tintinweb/pi-subagents/compare/v0.6.1...v0.6.2
 [0.6.1]: https://github.com/tintinweb/pi-subagents/compare/v0.6.0...v0.6.1
 [0.6.0]: https://github.com/tintinweb/pi-subagents/compare/v0.5.2...v0.6.0

package/dist/agent-runner.js

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import { createAgentSession, DefaultResourceLoader, getAgentDir, SessionManager, SettingsManager, } from "@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent";
 import { getAgentConfig, getConfig, getMemoryToolNames, getReadOnlyMemoryToolNames, getToolNamesForType } from "./agent-types.js";
 import { buildParentContext, extractText } from "./context.js";
+import { DEFAULT_AGENTS } from "./default-agents.js";
 import { detectEnv } from "./env.js";
 import { buildMemoryBlock, buildReadOnlyMemoryBlock } from "./memory.js";
 import { buildAgentPrompt } from "./prompts.js";
@@ -139,19 +140,12 @@ export async function runAgent(ctx, type, prompt, options) {
         systemPrompt = buildAgentPrompt(agentConfig, effectiveCwd, env, parentSystemPrompt, extras);
     }
     else {
-        // Unknown type fallback: general-purpose (defensive — unreachable in practice
-        // since index.ts resolves unknown types to "general-purpose" before calling runAgent)
-        systemPrompt = buildAgentPrompt({
-            name: type,
-            description: "General-purpose agent",
-            systemPrompt: "",
-            promptMode: "append",
-            extensions: true,
-            skills: true,
-            inheritContext: false,
-            runInBackground: false,
-            isolated: false,
-        }, effectiveCwd, env, parentSystemPrompt, extras);
+        // Unknown type fallback: spread the canonical general-purpose config (defensive —
+        // unreachable in practice since index.ts resolves unknown types before calling runAgent).
+        const fallback = DEFAULT_AGENTS.get("general-purpose");
+        if (!fallback)
+            throw new Error(`No fallback config available for unknown type "${type}"`);
+        systemPrompt = buildAgentPrompt({ ...fallback, name: type }, effectiveCwd, env, parentSystemPrompt, extras);
     }
     // When skills is string[], we've already preloaded them into the prompt.
     // Still pass noSkills: true since we don't need the skill loader to load them again.

package/dist/default-agents.js

@@ -12,13 +12,12 @@ export const DEFAULT_AGENTS = new Map([
             displayName: "Agent",
             description: "General-purpose agent for complex, multi-step tasks",
             // builtinToolNames omitted — means "all available tools" (resolved at lookup time)
+            // inheritContext / runInBackground / isolated omitted — strategy fields, callers decide per-call.
+            // Setting them to false would lock callsite intent (see resolveAgentInvocationConfig in invocation-config.ts).
             extensions: true,
             skills: true,
             systemPrompt: "",
             promptMode: "append",
-            inheritContext: false,
-            runInBackground: false,
-            isolated: false,
             isDefault: true,
         },
     ],
@@ -61,9 +60,6 @@ Use Bash ONLY for read-only operations: ls, git status, git log, git diff, find,
 - Do not use emojis
 - Be thorough and precise`,
             promptMode: "replace",
-            inheritContext: false,
-            runInBackground: false,
-            isolated: false,
             isDefault: true,
         },
     ],
@@ -117,9 +113,6 @@ You are STRICTLY PROHIBITED from:
 List 3-5 files most critical for implementing this plan:
 - /absolute/path/to/file.ts - [Brief reason]`,
             promptMode: "replace",
-            inheritContext: false,
-            runInBackground: false,
-            isolated: false,
             isDefault: true,
         },
     ],

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@tintinweb/pi-subagents",
-  "version": "0.6.2",
+  "version": "0.6.3",
   "description": "A pi extension extension that brings smart Claude Code-style autonomous sub-agents to pi.",
   "author": "tintinweb",
   "license": "MIT",

package/src/agent-runner.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import {
 } from "@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent";
 import { getAgentConfig, getConfig, getMemoryToolNames, getReadOnlyMemoryToolNames, getToolNamesForType } from "./agent-types.js";
 import { buildParentContext, extractText } from "./context.js";
+import { DEFAULT_AGENTS } from "./default-agents.js";
 import { detectEnv } from "./env.js";
 import { buildMemoryBlock, buildReadOnlyMemoryBlock } from "./memory.js";
 import { buildAgentPrompt, type PromptExtras } from "./prompts.js";
@@ -212,19 +213,11 @@ export async function runAgent(
   if (agentConfig) {
     systemPrompt = buildAgentPrompt(agentConfig, effectiveCwd, env, parentSystemPrompt, extras);
   } else {
-    // Unknown type fallback: general-purpose (defensive — unreachable in practice
-    // since index.ts resolves unknown types to "general-purpose" before calling runAgent)
-    systemPrompt = buildAgentPrompt({
-      name: type,
-      description: "General-purpose agent",
-      systemPrompt: "",
-      promptMode: "append",
-      extensions: true,
-      skills: true,
-      inheritContext: false,
-      runInBackground: false,
-      isolated: false,
-    }, effectiveCwd, env, parentSystemPrompt, extras);
+    // Unknown type fallback: spread the canonical general-purpose config (defensive —
+    // unreachable in practice since index.ts resolves unknown types before calling runAgent).
+    const fallback = DEFAULT_AGENTS.get("general-purpose");
+    if (!fallback) throw new Error(`No fallback config available for unknown type "${type}"`);
+    systemPrompt = buildAgentPrompt({ ...fallback, name: type }, effectiveCwd, env, parentSystemPrompt, extras);
   }
 
   // When skills is string[], we've already preloaded them into the prompt.

package/src/default-agents.ts

@@ -16,13 +16,12 @@ export const DEFAULT_AGENTS: Map<string, AgentConfig> = new Map([
       displayName: "Agent",
       description: "General-purpose agent for complex, multi-step tasks",
       // builtinToolNames omitted — means "all available tools" (resolved at lookup time)
+      // inheritContext / runInBackground / isolated omitted — strategy fields, callers decide per-call.
+      // Setting them to false would lock callsite intent (see resolveAgentInvocationConfig in invocation-config.ts).
       extensions: true,
       skills: true,
       systemPrompt: "",
       promptMode: "append",
-      inheritContext: false,
-      runInBackground: false,
-      isolated: false,
       isDefault: true,
     },
   ],
@@ -65,9 +64,6 @@ Use Bash ONLY for read-only operations: ls, git status, git log, git diff, find,
 - Do not use emojis
 - Be thorough and precise`,
       promptMode: "replace",
-      inheritContext: false,
-      runInBackground: false,
-      isolated: false,
       isDefault: true,
     },
   ],
@@ -121,9 +117,6 @@ You are STRICTLY PROHIBITED from:
 List 3-5 files most critical for implementing this plan:
 - /absolute/path/to/file.ts - [Brief reason]`,
       promptMode: "replace",
-      inheritContext: false,
-      runInBackground: false,
-      isolated: false,
       isDefault: true,
     },
   ],