# Worker startup: working directory & the folder-trust prompt

When `fleetd` spawns a worker, the worker CLI may show an **interactive startup prompt** before it
is ready to accept a task — most importantly a *"Do you trust the files in this folder?"* dialog. An
unattended worker parked on that prompt never becomes injectable: the status-gated injector waits for
`idle`/`blocked`, the task is never delivered, and (worst case) a stray Enter answers the dialog
wrong. How this is handled depends on two things:

1. **The worker's working directory** — which folder the CLI is asked to trust.
2. **Which CLI launches the worker** — each has its own first-run/trust behaviour.

This doc pins the current assumption (**`ccs`** is the launcher), how its trust prompt works, the
rule that **a worker inherits the primary's directory** (never `$HOME`), and how other CLIs differ.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A["fleet_spawn / POST /workers"] --> B{"explicit cwd?<br/>(profile cwd or spawn arg)"}
    B -->|"yes — told otherwise"| C["use that cwd"]
    B -->|"no"| D{"caller PID resolvable?<br/>(MCP peer PID)"}
    D -->|"yes"| E["cwd = the primary's cwd<br/>lsof -a -p PID -d cwd"]
    D -->|"no (REST / off-host)"| F["cwd = fleetd daemon cwd<br/>(never $HOME by assumption)"]
    C --> G["ensureWorkspace → tab.create → agent.start {cwd}"]
    E --> G
    F --> G
    G --> H{"does the CLI trust this folder?"}
    H -->|"yes"| I["worker reaches its prompt → injectable"]
    H -->|"no"| J["worker BLOCKS on the trust dialog<br/>never injectable"]
    classDef good fill:#2f855a,stroke:#22543d,color:#ffffff;
    classDef bad fill:#9b2c2c,stroke:#63171b,color:#ffffff;
    class I good
    class J bad
```

*Figure 1 — spawn resolves a working directory, then the CLI's trust check gates readiness.*

## Working directory: inherit the primary's path

**Rule: a worker opens the same directory the primary (main) session is working in, unless told
otherwise. Never assume `$HOME`.** If the primary is in `/Users/you/LTMS/claude-bridge`, its workers
open there too — so delegated tasks share the same relative paths and the same (already-trusted)
project folder.

**The herdr seam.** An `agent.start` pane does **not** inherit its tab's or workspace's cwd — it
starts in `$HOME` unless told otherwise. herdr's `agent.start` honours an (undocumented) **`cwd`**
param, verified live: setting it roots the worker process at that directory. So the worker's cwd is
threaded onto `agent.start {…, cwd}`, not the placement step (`workspace.create`/`tab.create` cwd
only affect the seed shell, which the bridge closes).

**Resolution order** (first match wins):

| # | Source | When |
|---|--------|------|
| 1 | Explicit `cwd` — a per-profile `cwd:` in config, or a spawn argument | "told otherwise" — pin a fixed workdir |
| 2 | The **primary's cwd**, auto-detected from the `fleet_spawn` caller | normal MCP spawn from the primary |
| 3 | The `fleetd` daemon's own cwd | REST spawn / off-host caller — **never `$HOME`** |

The primary's cwd (source 2) is discoverable with no new plumbing: `fleetd` already resolves the MCP
caller's loopback **peer PID** for connection identity (`ConnectionIdentity` → `LsofPeerPidLookup`);
the same PID yields its cwd via `lsof -a -p <pid> -d cwd -Fn` (the `n…` line). The primary maps to no
worker pane (it is not a worker), but its PID and cwd are still readable.

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant P as "Primary (main)"
    participant B as "fleetd"
    participant O as "OS (lsof)"
    participant H as "herdr"
    P->>B: "fleet_spawn {profile} (no cwd)"
    B->>O: "peer PID for this connection's port"
    O-->>B: "pid"
    B->>O: "cwd of pid (lsof -d cwd)"
    O-->>B: "/Users/you/LTMS/claude-bridge"
    B->>H: "tab.create (placement)"
    B->>H: "agent.start {argv, env, tab_id, cwd}"
    H-->>B: "worker in the primary's directory"
```

*Figure 2 — a no-cwd spawn inherits the primary's directory from the caller's PID.*

> **Status:** implemented (CB-112). `fleetd` threads the resolved `cwd` onto **`agent.start {cwd}`**
> (verified: the worker process is rooted there), keeping the single shared worker space. On an MCP
> `fleet_spawn` the primary's cwd is auto-detected from the caller's PID; over REST (no MCP caller)
> it is the explicit `cwd` param else the daemon's cwd. Both placements (`tab` and legacy `pane`)
> carry it, since it rides `agent.start`.

## Assumed launcher: `ccs` (Claude Code)

For now the fleet assumes **`ccs`** (Claude Code under the hood) as the worker CLI — `argv: ["ccs",
"<profile>"]`. Its startup gate is the **folder-trust dialog**.

### How `ccs`/Claude Code decides whether to prompt

Trust is recorded **per-directory, per config dir**. Each `ccs` profile is an isolated instance with
its own config dir (`~/.ccs/instances/<profile>/`) and its own `.claude.json`:

```jsonc
// ~/.ccs/instances/<profile>/.claude.json
"projects": {
  "/Users/you/LTMS/claude-bridge": { "hasTrustDialogAccepted": true },   // trusted → no prompt
  "/Users/you":                     { "hasTrustDialogAccepted": false }  // untrusted → prompts
}
```

The worker prompts **iff** its cwd is not marked `hasTrustDialogAccepted: true` for *that instance*.
This is why the directory rule above matters: land workers in the primary's project folder and you
grant trust **once per profile**, instead of scattering trust across `$HOME` and ad-hoc dirs.

### Clearing the prompt (ranked)

1. **Inherit the primary's project dir** (the rule above) and trust that folder once per profile.
2. **Pre-trust interactively:** run `ccs <profile>` in the target folder and accept — persists
   `hasTrustDialogAccepted: true` for that path in the instance's `.claude.json`.
3. **Set the flag directly** (scriptable, no interaction): set
   `projects["<cwd>"].hasTrustDialogAccepted = true` in `~/.ccs/instances/<profile>/.claude.json`.
4. **Do not** reach for `--dangerously-skip-permissions` — it disables *all* permission gating, not
   just this dialog, which defeats running off-subscription workers autonomously.

## Other CLIs: different launchers, different prompts

`ccs` is the current assumption, not a hard dependency — a worker profile's `argv` can be any CLI.
Each launcher has its **own** first-run/trust gate, so the "clear the prompt" step is CLI-specific
and belongs with the profile, not hard-coded:

| Launcher (`argv`) | Startup gate | How to clear it |
|---|---|---|
| `ccs <profile>` (Claude Code) | Folder-trust dialog | `hasTrustDialogAccepted` per project in the instance's `.claude.json` (above) |
| Other Claude-compatible runtimes via `ccs` (codex, gemini, cursor, …) | Each has its own first-run / trust / login prompt | Per-runtime; document per launcher as it is adopted |
| A bare command (`bash -c …`, mechanics probe) | None | n/a — used for non-interactive smoke tests |

When adding a new launcher, capture its startup-prompt behaviour here (what blocks, and the
non-interactive way to satisfy it) so a spawned worker of that kind reaches an injectable prompt
unattended.

## See also

- `docs/MCP-Contract.md` — the tool surface (`fleet_spawn`, `fleet_profiles`, …).
- `wiki/2-Message-Server.md` — the herdr `agent.*` / `workspace.*` schema (`workspace.create {cwd}`).