fix: surface approval prompt in UI instead of getting stuck in Thinking (#187)

* fix: surface approval prompt in UI instead of getting stuck in Thinking

When a dangerous command was detected during streaming, the approval system
would call submit_pending() but no SSE 'approval' event would be emitted to
the frontend. The agent thread either blocked indefinitely (gateway path) or
returned an approval_required status the UI never saw (EXEC_ASK path). Either
way the chat UI stayed stuck in 'Thinking...' with no prompt shown.

Root cause: streaming.py used HERMES_EXEC_ASK=1 but never registered a
register_gateway_notify() callback. Without it, check_all_command_guards()
fell back to the legacy polling path (submit_pending only), which relies on
on_tool() polling -- but on_tool() fires *before* the tool runs, so by the
time the terminal tool detected the dangerous command and called submit_pending,
the approval event had already missed its window.

Fix (streaming.py):
- Register a gateway-style notify_cb via register_gateway_notify() before the
  agent runs. The callback calls put('approval', ...) to emit the SSE event
  the moment a dangerous command is detected, regardless of on_tool() timing.
- Unregister via unregister_gateway_notify() in the finally block to unblock
  any threads still waiting if the stream ends or is cancelled mid-approval.
- Keep the on_tool() fallback poll for older approval module versions.

Fix (routes.py):
- Import and call resolve_gateway_approval() in _handle_approval_respond().
  This unblocks the agent thread parked in entry.event.wait() when the user
  clicks Allow or Deny in the UI. Without this call the thread would block
  until the 5-minute gateway timeout.

Tests (tests/test_approval_unblock.py):
- 16 new tests covering: resolve_gateway_approval() event signalling, deny/
  session/once choices, resolve_all, notify_cb registration/firing/cleanup,
  unregister signals blocked entries, full end-to-end streaming simulation,
  module symbol exports, and HTTP endpoint regressions.

515 tests pass (499 existing + 16 new).

* feat: full approval UI — i18n buttons, keyboard shortcut, loading state, scoping fix

---------

Co-authored-by: Nathan Esquenazi <nesquena@gmail.com>

tests/test_approval_unblock.py

@@ -0,0 +1,286 @@
+"""
+Tests for fix/approval-stuck-thinking:
+Verify that /api/approval/respond correctly unblocks gateway approval queues
+and that the approval module exports the symbols streaming.py and routes.py
+need to prevent the UI getting stuck in "Thinking…" during dangerous commands.
+"""
+
+import json
+import threading
+import uuid
+import urllib.request
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.parse
+
+import pytest
+
+# Import approval internals — shared module-level state within this process.
+# The HTTP tests use the test server (port 8788, separate process).
+# The unit tests operate directly on the module.
+try:
+    from tools.approval import (
+        register_gateway_notify,
+        unregister_gateway_notify,
+        resolve_gateway_approval,
+        _gateway_queues,
+        _gateway_notify_cbs,
+        _lock,
+        _ApprovalEntry,
+        submit_pending,
+        has_pending,
+        pop_pending,
+    )
+    APPROVAL_AVAILABLE = True
+except ImportError:
+    APPROVAL_AVAILABLE = False
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(
+    not APPROVAL_AVAILABLE,
+    reason="tools.approval not available in this environment"
+)
+
+BASE = "http://127.0.0.1:8788"
+
+
+def get(path):
+    url = BASE + path
+    with urllib.request.urlopen(url, timeout=10) as r:
+        return json.loads(r.read())
+
+
+def post(path, body=None):
+    url = BASE + path
+    data = json.dumps(body or {}).encode()
+    req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=data,
+          headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"})
+    try:
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as r:
+            return json.loads(r.read()), r.status
+    except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+        return json.loads(e.read()), e.code
+
+
+# ── Unit tests (in-process, no HTTP server needed) ──────────────────────────
+
+class TestGatewayApprovalUnblocking:
+    """Unit tests for the gateway queue unblocking mechanism."""
+
+    def test_resolve_gateway_approval_sets_event(self):
+        """resolve_gateway_approval() must set the entry's event and store the result."""
+        sid = f"unit-resolve-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        data = {"command": "rm -rf /tmp/x", "description": "recursive delete"}
+        entry = _ApprovalEntry(data)
+        with _lock:
+            _gateway_queues.setdefault(sid, []).append(entry)
+
+        resolved = resolve_gateway_approval(sid, "once", resolve_all=False)
+        assert resolved == 1
+        assert entry.event.is_set()
+        assert entry.result == "once"
+
+        # Queue should be cleaned up
+        with _lock:
+            assert sid not in _gateway_queues
+
+    def test_resolve_gateway_approval_deny(self):
+        """Deny choice is propagated correctly."""
+        sid = f"unit-deny-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        entry = _ApprovalEntry({"command": "pkill -9 x", "description": "force kill"})
+        with _lock:
+            _gateway_queues.setdefault(sid, []).append(entry)
+
+        resolve_gateway_approval(sid, "deny")
+        assert entry.result == "deny"
+
+    def test_resolve_gateway_approval_no_queue_is_harmless(self):
+        """resolve_gateway_approval with no queue entry returns 0, no crash."""
+        sid = f"unit-no-queue-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        result = resolve_gateway_approval(sid, "once")
+        assert result == 0
+
+    def test_resolve_all_unblocks_multiple_entries(self):
+        """resolve_all=True unblocks every pending entry in the queue."""
+        sid = f"unit-resolve-all-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        entries = [_ApprovalEntry({"command": f"cmd{i}"}) for i in range(3)]
+        with _lock:
+            _gateway_queues[sid] = list(entries)
+
+        resolved = resolve_gateway_approval(sid, "session", resolve_all=True)
+        assert resolved == 3
+        for e in entries:
+            assert e.event.is_set()
+            assert e.result == "session"
+
+    def test_register_and_fire_notify_cb(self):
+        """register_gateway_notify stores the cb; calling it delivers approval data."""
+        sid = f"unit-notify-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        fired = []
+        register_gateway_notify(sid, lambda d: fired.append(d))
+
+        with _lock:
+            cb = _gateway_notify_cbs.get(sid)
+        assert cb is not None
+
+        data = {"command": "test", "description": "test"}
+        cb(data)
+        assert fired == [data]
+
+        unregister_gateway_notify(sid)
+
+    def test_unregister_clears_cb_and_signals_entries(self):
+        """unregister_gateway_notify removes cb and unblocks any queued entries."""
+        sid = f"unit-unreg-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        register_gateway_notify(sid, lambda d: None)
+
+        entry = _ApprovalEntry({"command": "x"})
+        with _lock:
+            _gateway_queues.setdefault(sid, []).append(entry)
+
+        unregister_gateway_notify(sid)
+
+        assert entry.event.is_set(), "unregister should signal blocked entries"
+        with _lock:
+            assert sid not in _gateway_notify_cbs
+            assert sid not in _gateway_queues
+
+    def test_streaming_approval_integration(self):
+        """
+        End-to-end unit simulation of the streaming.py fix:
+        1. streaming.py registers notify_cb
+        2. check_all_command_guards fires notify_cb (pushing approval SSE)
+        3. User responds — resolve_gateway_approval unblocks agent thread
+        4. Agent thread sees choice and continues
+        """
+        sid = f"unit-e2e-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        approval_events_sent = []
+
+        # Step 1: streaming.py registers the notify callback
+        def _approval_notify_cb(approval_data):
+            approval_events_sent.append(approval_data)  # would be put('approval', ...)
+        register_gateway_notify(sid, _approval_notify_cb)
+
+        # Step 2: check_all_command_guards fires the callback and queues an entry
+        approval_data = {
+            "command": "rm -rf /tmp/test",
+            "pattern_key": "recursive delete",
+            "pattern_keys": ["recursive delete"],
+            "description": "recursive delete",
+        }
+        entry = _ApprovalEntry(approval_data)
+        with _lock:
+            _gateway_queues.setdefault(sid, []).append(entry)
+        # notify_cb fires synchronously (gateway notifies user)
+        with _lock:
+            cb = _gateway_notify_cbs.get(sid)
+        cb(approval_data)
+
+        assert len(approval_events_sent) == 1, "approval SSE event should have been queued"
+
+        # Step 3: user responds via /api/approval/respond → resolve_gateway_approval
+        resolved = resolve_gateway_approval(sid, "once")
+        assert resolved == 1
+
+        # Step 4: agent thread is unblocked with the correct choice
+        assert entry.event.is_set()
+        assert entry.result == "once"
+
+        # Cleanup
+        unregister_gateway_notify(sid)
+
+
+# ── Symbol existence tests ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestApprovalModuleExports:
+    """Verify the module exports all symbols that streaming.py and routes.py need."""
+
+    def test_register_gateway_notify_exported(self):
+        import tools.approval as ap
+        assert hasattr(ap, "register_gateway_notify"), \
+            "tools.approval must export register_gateway_notify"
+
+    def test_unregister_gateway_notify_exported(self):
+        import tools.approval as ap
+        assert hasattr(ap, "unregister_gateway_notify"), \
+            "tools.approval must export unregister_gateway_notify"
+
+    def test_resolve_gateway_approval_exported(self):
+        import tools.approval as ap
+        assert hasattr(ap, "resolve_gateway_approval"), \
+            "tools.approval must export resolve_gateway_approval"
+
+    def test_approval_entry_exported(self):
+        import tools.approval as ap
+        assert hasattr(ap, "_ApprovalEntry"), \
+            "tools.approval must export _ApprovalEntry"
+
+
+# ── HTTP regression tests (test server, port 8788) ───────────────────────────
+
+class TestApprovalHTTPEndpoints:
+    """
+    Regression tests for /api/approval/respond against the live test server.
+    These verify that the HTTP layer behaves correctly — they don't rely on
+    in-process module state shared with the server subprocess.
+    """
+
+    def test_respond_returns_ok_no_pending(self):
+        """respond with no pending entry returns ok (no crash, no 500)."""
+        sid = f"http-no-pending-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        result, status = post("/api/approval/respond", {
+            "session_id": sid,
+            "choice": "deny",
+        })
+        assert status == 200
+        assert result["ok"] is True
+
+    def test_respond_clears_injected_pending(self):
+        """Inject a pending entry, respond, verify it's cleared."""
+        sid = f"http-clear-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        cmd = "rm -rf /tmp/testdir"
+
+        inject = get(f"/api/approval/inject_test?session_id={urllib.parse.quote(sid)}"
+                     f"&pattern_key=recursive+delete&command={urllib.parse.quote(cmd)}")
+        assert inject["ok"] is True
+
+        data = get(f"/api/approval/pending?session_id={urllib.parse.quote(sid)}")
+        assert data["pending"] is not None
+
+        result, status = post("/api/approval/respond", {
+            "session_id": sid,
+            "choice": "deny",
+        })
+        assert status == 200
+        assert result["ok"] is True
+
+        data2 = get(f"/api/approval/pending?session_id={urllib.parse.quote(sid)}")
+        assert data2["pending"] is None, "pending should be cleared after respond"
+
+    def test_respond_rejects_invalid_choice(self):
+        """respond with an unknown choice returns 400."""
+        result, status = post("/api/approval/respond", {
+            "session_id": "some-session",
+            "choice": "INVALID",
+        })
+        assert status == 400
+
+    def test_respond_requires_session_id(self):
+        """respond without session_id returns 400."""
+        result, status = post("/api/approval/respond", {"choice": "deny"})
+        assert status == 400
+
+    def test_respond_session_choice_clears_pending(self):
+        """Inject pending, respond with 'session', verify cleared."""
+        sid = f"http-session-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        inject = get(f"/api/approval/inject_test?session_id={urllib.parse.quote(sid)}"
+                     f"&pattern_key=force+kill+processes&command=pkill+-9+something")
+        assert inject["ok"] is True
+
+        result, status = post("/api/approval/respond", {
+            "session_id": sid,
+            "choice": "session",
+        })
+        assert status == 200
+        assert result["choice"] == "session"
+
+        data = get(f"/api/approval/pending?session_id={urllib.parse.quote(sid)}")
+        assert data["pending"] is None

tests/test_sprint30.py

@@ -0,0 +1,282 @@
+"""
+Sprint 30: Approval card UI, i18n coverage, and approval flow polish.
+
+Tests for:
+- Approval card HTML structure (all 4 buttons, IDs, data-i18n attrs)
+- Keyboard shortcut handler presence in boot.js
+- i18n keys for approval card in both locales
+- CSS for approval-btn states (loading, disabled, kbd badge)
+- respondApproval loading/disable pattern in messages.js
+- streaming.py scoping fix (_unreg_notify=None initialisation)
+- Approval respond HTTP endpoint (existing + new behaviour)
+"""
+
+import json
+import re
+import urllib.request
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.parse
+
+import pytest
+
+BASE = "http://127.0.0.1:8788"
+
+
+def get(path):
+    url = BASE + path
+    with urllib.request.urlopen(url, timeout=10) as r:
+        return json.loads(r.read())
+
+
+def post(path, body=None):
+    url = BASE + path
+    data = json.dumps(body or {}).encode()
+    req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=data,
+          headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"})
+    try:
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as r:
+            return json.loads(r.read()), r.status
+    except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+        return json.loads(e.read()), e.code
+
+
+def read(path):
+    with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
+        return f.read()
+
+
+import pathlib
+REPO = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.parent
+
+
+# ── HTML structure ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestApprovalCardHTML:
+
+    def test_approval_card_has_four_buttons(self):
+        html = read(REPO / "static/index.html")
+        for choice in ("once", "session", "always", "deny"):
+            assert f"respondApproval('{choice}')" in html, \
+                f"approval button for '{choice}' missing from index.html"
+
+    def test_approval_buttons_have_ids(self):
+        html = read(REPO / "static/index.html")
+        for btn_id in ("approvalBtnOnce", "approvalBtnSession",
+                       "approvalBtnAlways", "approvalBtnDeny"):
+            assert f'id="{btn_id}"' in html, \
+                f"button id '{btn_id}' missing from approval card"
+
+    def test_approval_heading_has_data_i18n(self):
+        html = read(REPO / "static/index.html")
+        assert 'data-i18n="approval_heading"' in html, \
+            "approval heading missing data-i18n attribute"
+
+    def test_approval_buttons_have_data_i18n_labels(self):
+        html = read(REPO / "static/index.html")
+        for key in ("approval_btn_once", "approval_btn_session",
+                    "approval_btn_always", "approval_btn_deny"):
+            assert f'data-i18n="{key}"' in html, \
+                f"button label data-i18n='{key}' missing"
+
+    def test_approval_once_button_has_kbd_badge(self):
+        html = read(REPO / "static/index.html")
+        assert '<kbd class="approval-kbd">' in html, \
+            "kbd badge missing from Allow once button"
+
+    def test_approval_card_has_aria_roles(self):
+        html = read(REPO / "static/index.html")
+        assert 'role="alertdialog"' in html, \
+            "approval card missing role=alertdialog for accessibility"
+        assert 'aria-labelledby="approvalHeading"' in html, \
+            "approval card missing aria-labelledby"
+
+
+# ── CSS ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestApprovalCardCSS:
+
+    def test_btn_disabled_style_present(self):
+        css = read(REPO / "static/style.css")
+        assert ".approval-btn:disabled" in css, \
+            "disabled state style missing for approval buttons"
+
+    def test_btn_loading_class_present(self):
+        css = read(REPO / "static/style.css")
+        assert ".approval-btn.loading" in css, \
+            "loading class style missing for approval buttons"
+
+    def test_approval_kbd_style_present(self):
+        css = read(REPO / "static/style.css")
+        assert ".approval-kbd" in css, \
+            ".approval-kbd style missing from style.css"
+
+    def test_approval_kbd_hidden_on_mobile(self):
+        css = read(REPO / "static/style.css")
+        # Should be display:none inside the mobile media query
+        assert ".approval-kbd{display:none;}" in css or \
+               ".approval-kbd { display: none; }" in css or \
+               re.search(r'\.approval-kbd\s*\{[^}]*display\s*:\s*none', css), \
+            ".approval-kbd should be hidden on mobile"
+
+    def test_btn_transform_on_hover(self):
+        css = read(REPO / "static/style.css")
+        assert "translateY(-1px)" in css, \
+            "hover lift effect missing from approval buttons"
+
+    def test_four_choice_styles_present(self):
+        css = read(REPO / "static/style.css")
+        for cls in (".approval-btn.once", ".approval-btn.session",
+                    ".approval-btn.always", ".approval-btn.deny"):
+            assert cls in css, f"CSS class '{cls}' missing"
+
+
+# ── i18n keys ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestApprovalI18nKeys:
+
+    REQUIRED_KEYS = [
+        "approval_heading",
+        "approval_btn_once",
+        "approval_btn_session",
+        "approval_btn_always",
+        "approval_btn_deny",
+        "approval_responding",
+    ]
+
+    def test_english_locale_has_all_approval_keys(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/i18n.js")
+        # Find en locale block (before the first closing };)
+        en_block_end = src.find("\n};")
+        en_block = src[:en_block_end]
+        for key in self.REQUIRED_KEYS:
+            assert f"{key}:" in en_block, \
+                f"English locale missing i18n key: {key}"
+
+    def test_chinese_locale_has_all_approval_keys(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/i18n.js")
+        # Find zh locale block (from `  zh: {` to the closing `  },` before `};`)
+        zh_start = src.find("\n  zh: {")
+        assert zh_start != -1, "zh locale block not found in i18n.js"
+        zh_block = src[zh_start:]
+        for key in self.REQUIRED_KEYS:
+            assert f"{key}:" in zh_block, \
+                f"Chinese locale missing i18n key: {key}"
+
+    def test_approval_heading_english_value(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/i18n.js")
+        assert "approval_heading: 'Approval required'" in src, \
+            "English approval_heading value incorrect"
+
+    def test_approval_btn_once_english_value(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/i18n.js")
+        assert "approval_btn_once: 'Allow once'" in src, \
+            "English approval_btn_once value incorrect"
+
+    def test_approval_btn_deny_english_value(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/i18n.js")
+        assert "approval_btn_deny: 'Deny'" in src, \
+            "English approval_btn_deny value incorrect"
+
+
+# ── messages.js behaviour ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestApprovalMessagesJS:
+
+    def test_show_approval_card_re_enables_buttons(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/messages.js")
+        assert "b.disabled = false" in src and "loading" in src, \
+            "showApprovalCard should re-enable buttons on each show"
+
+    def test_respond_disables_buttons_immediately(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/messages.js")
+        assert "b.disabled = true" in src, \
+            "respondApproval should disable buttons immediately to prevent double-submit"
+
+    def test_respond_uses_i18n_for_error(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/messages.js")
+        # Should use t('approval_responding') not a hardcoded string
+        assert "t(\"approval_responding\")" in src or "t('approval_responding')" in src, \
+            "respondApproval error message should use t('approval_responding')"
+
+    def test_show_card_applies_locale_to_dom(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/messages.js")
+        assert "applyLocaleToDOM" in src, \
+            "showApprovalCard should call applyLocaleToDOM to translate data-i18n labels"
+
+    def test_show_card_focuses_once_button(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/messages.js")
+        assert "approvalBtnOnce" in src and "focus()" in src, \
+            "showApprovalCard should focus the Allow once button"
+
+
+# ── boot.js keyboard shortcut ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestApprovalKeyboardShortcut:
+
+    def test_enter_shortcut_present_in_boot_js(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/boot.js")
+        assert "respondApproval('once')" in src or 'respondApproval("once")' in src, \
+            "Enter shortcut calling respondApproval('once') missing from boot.js"
+
+    def test_enter_shortcut_checks_card_visible(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/boot.js")
+        assert "approvalCard" in src and "visible" in src, \
+            "Enter shortcut should check if approval card is visible"
+
+    def test_enter_shortcut_guards_input_elements(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "static/boot.js")
+        assert "TEXTAREA" in src and "INPUT" in src, \
+            "Enter shortcut should not fire when focus is on TEXTAREA or INPUT"
+
+
+# ── streaming.py scoping fix ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestStreamingApprovalScoping:
+
+    def test_unreg_notify_initialised_to_none(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "api/streaming.py")
+        assert "_unreg_notify = None" in src, \
+            "_unreg_notify must be initialised to None before the try block"
+
+    def test_finally_checks_unreg_notify_not_none(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "api/streaming.py")
+        assert "_unreg_notify is not None" in src, \
+            "finally block must check '_unreg_notify is not None' before calling it"
+
+    def test_approval_registered_flag_present(self):
+        src = read(REPO / "api/streaming.py")
+        assert "_approval_registered = False" in src, \
+            "_approval_registered flag must be initialised to False"
+
+
+# ── HTTP regression: approval respond ────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestApprovalRespondHTTP:
+
+    def test_respond_ok_with_all_choices(self):
+        for choice in ("once", "session", "always", "deny"):
+            import uuid
+            sid = f"sprint30-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+            result, status = post("/api/approval/respond",
+                                  {"session_id": sid, "choice": choice})
+            assert status == 200, f"choice={choice} should return 200"
+            assert result["ok"] is True
+            assert result["choice"] == choice
+
+    def test_respond_rejects_bad_choice(self):
+        result, status = post("/api/approval/respond",
+                              {"session_id": "x", "choice": "HACKED"})
+        assert status == 400
+
+    def test_respond_requires_session_id(self):
+        result, status = post("/api/approval/respond", {"choice": "deny"})
+        assert status == 400
+
+    def test_respond_returns_choice_field(self):
+        import uuid
+        sid = f"sprint30-choice-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+        result, status = post("/api/approval/respond",
+                              {"session_id": sid, "choice": "always"})
+        assert status == 200
+        assert "choice" in result
+        assert result["choice"] == "always"