Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into nc-cli

container/agent-runner/src/compact-instructions.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/**
+ * PreCompact hook script — outputs custom compaction instructions to stdout.
+ *
+ * Claude Code captures the stdout of PreCompact shell hooks and passes it
+ * as `customInstructions` to the compaction prompt. This ensures the
+ * compaction summary preserves message routing context that the agent needs
+ * to correctly address responses.
+ *
+ * Invoked by the PreCompact hook in .claude-shared/settings.json:
+ *   "command": "bun /app/src/compact-instructions.ts"
+ */
+import { getAllDestinations } from './destinations.js';
+
+const destinations = getAllDestinations();
+const names = destinations.map((d) => d.name);
+
+const instructions = [
+  'Preserve the following in the compaction summary:',
+  '',
+  '1. For recent messages, keep the full XML structure including all attributes:',
+  '   - <message from="..." sender="..." time="..."> for chat messages',
+  '   - <task from="..." time="..."> for scheduled tasks',
+  '   - <webhook from="..." source="..." event="..."> for webhooks',
+  '   The message content can be summarized if long, but the XML tags and attributes must remain.',
+  '',
+  '2. Preserve the chronological message/reply sequence of recent exchanges.',
+  '   The agent needs to see: who said what, in what order, and from which destination.',
+  '',
+  '3. The `from` attribute identifies which destination sent the message.',
+  '   The agent MUST wrap all responses in <message to="name">...</message> blocks.',
+  `   Available destinations: ${names.length > 0 ? names.map((n) => `\`${n}\``).join(', ') : '(none)'}`,
+];
+
+console.log(instructions.join('\n'));

container/agent-runner/src/current-batch.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/**
+ * Per-batch context the poll loop publishes for downstream consumers
+ * (MCP tools, etc.) that don't sit on the poll-loop's call stack.
+ *
+ * Today the only field is `inReplyTo` — the id of the first inbound
+ * message in the batch the agent is currently processing. MCP tools like
+ * `send_message` and `send_file` read this and stamp it onto the outbound
+ * row so the host's a2a return-path routing can correlate replies back to
+ * the originating session.
+ *
+ * This is module-level state on purpose: the agent-runner is single-process
+ * and processes one batch at a time. Poll-loop calls `setCurrentInReplyTo`
+ * before invoking the provider and `clearCurrentInReplyTo` after the batch
+ * completes (or errors out).
+ */
+let currentInReplyTo: string | null = null;
+
+export function setCurrentInReplyTo(id: string | null): void {
+  currentInReplyTo = id;
+}
+
+export function clearCurrentInReplyTo(): void {
+  currentInReplyTo = null;
+}
+
+export function getCurrentInReplyTo(): string | null {
+  return currentInReplyTo;
+}
+

container/agent-runner/src/destinations.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'bun:test';
+
+import { closeSessionDb, getInboundDb, initTestSessionDb } from './db/connection.js';
+import { buildSystemPromptAddendum } from './destinations.js';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  initTestSessionDb();
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  closeSessionDb();
+});
+
+function seedDestination(name: string, displayName: string, channelType: string, platformId: string): void {
+  getInboundDb()
+    .prepare(
+      `INSERT INTO destinations (name, display_name, type, channel_type, platform_id, agent_group_id)
+       VALUES (?, ?, 'channel', ?, ?, NULL)`,
+    )
+    .run(name, displayName, channelType, platformId);
+}
+
+describe('buildSystemPromptAddendum — multi-destination routing guidance', () => {
+  it('includes default-routing nudge when there are >1 destinations', () => {
+    seedDestination('casa', 'Casa', 'whatsapp', 'group-1@g.us');
+    seedDestination('whatsapp-mg-17780', 'whatsapp-mg-17780', 'whatsapp', 'phone-2@s.whatsapp.net');
+
+    const prompt = buildSystemPromptAddendum('Casa');
+
+    expect(prompt).toContain('Default routing');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('from="name"');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('`casa`');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('`whatsapp-mg-17780`');
+  });
+
+  it('requires explicit wrapping even for a single destination', () => {
+    seedDestination('casa', 'Casa', 'whatsapp', 'group-1@g.us');
+
+    const prompt = buildSystemPromptAddendum('Casa');
+
+    expect(prompt).toContain('Every response must be wrapped');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<message to="name">');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('`casa`');
+  });
+
+  it('handles the no-destination case without crashing', () => {
+    const prompt = buildSystemPromptAddendum('Casa');
+
+    expect(prompt).toContain('no configured destinations');
+    expect(prompt).not.toContain('Default routing');
+  });
+
+  it('includes default-routing and wrapping instructions for single destination', () => {
+    seedDestination('casa', 'Casa', 'whatsapp', 'group-1@g.us');
+
+    const prompt = buildSystemPromptAddendum('Casa');
+
+    expect(prompt).toContain('Every response must be wrapped');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<message to="name">');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('Default routing');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('`casa`');
+  });
+});

container/agent-runner/src/destinations.ts

@@ -102,32 +102,28 @@ function buildDestinationsSection(): string {
     ].join('\n');
   }
 
-  // Single-destination shortcut: the agent just writes its response normally.
+  const lines = ['## Sending messages', ''];
   if (all.length === 1) {
     const d = all[0];
     const label = d.displayName && d.displayName !== d.name ? ` (${d.displayName})` : '';
-    return [
-      '## Sending messages',
-      '',
-      `Your messages are delivered to \`${d.name}\`${label}. Just write your response directly — no special wrapping needed.`,
-      '',
-      'To mark something as scratchpad (logged but not sent), wrap it in `<internal>...</internal>`.',
-      '',
-      'To send a message mid-response (e.g., an acknowledgment before a long task), call the `send_message` MCP tool.',
-    ].join('\n');
-  }
-
-  const lines = ['## Sending messages', '', 'You can send messages to the following destinations:', ''];
-  for (const d of all) {
-    const label = d.displayName && d.displayName !== d.name ? ` (${d.displayName})` : '';
-    lines.push(`- \`${d.name}\`${label}`);
+    lines.push(`Your destination is \`${d.name}\`${label}.`);
+  } else {
+    lines.push('You can send messages to the following destinations:', '');
+    for (const d of all) {
+      const label = d.displayName && d.displayName !== d.name ? ` (${d.displayName})` : '';
+      lines.push(`- \`${d.name}\`${label}`);
+    }
   }
   lines.push('');
-  lines.push('To send a message, wrap it in a `<message to="name">...</message>` block.');
+  lines.push('**Every response must be wrapped** in a `<message to="name">...</message>` block.');
   lines.push('You can include multiple `<message>` blocks in one response to send to multiple destinations.');
   lines.push('Text outside of `<message>` blocks is scratchpad — logged but not sent anywhere.');
   lines.push('Use `<internal>...</internal>` to make scratchpad intent explicit.');
   lines.push('');
+  lines.push(
+    '**Default routing**: when replying to an incoming message, address the same destination the message came `from` — every inbound `<message>` tag carries a `from="name"` attribute that names the origin destination. Only address a different destination when the request itself asks you to (e.g., "tell Laura that…").',
+  );
+  lines.push('');
   lines.push(
     'To send a message mid-response (e.g., an acknowledgment before a long task), call the `send_message` MCP tool with the `to` parameter set to a destination name.',
   );

container/agent-runner/src/formatter.ts

@@ -177,40 +177,49 @@ function formatSingleChat(msg: MessageInRow): string {
   const replyPrefix = formatReplyContext(content.replyTo);
   const attachmentsSuffix = formatAttachments(content.attachments);
 
-  // Look up the destination name for the origin (reverse map lookup).
-  // If not found, fall back to a raw channel:platform_id marker so nothing
-  // gets silently dropped — this should only happen if the destination was
-  // removed between when the message was received and when it's being processed.
-  const fromDest = findByRouting(msg.channel_type, msg.platform_id);
-  const fromAttr = fromDest
-    ? ` from="${escapeXml(fromDest.name)}"`
-    : msg.channel_type || msg.platform_id
-      ? ` from="unknown:${escapeXml(msg.channel_type || '')}:${escapeXml(msg.platform_id || '')}"`
-      : '';
+  const fromAttr = originAttr(msg);
 
   return `<message${idAttr}${fromAttr} sender="${escapeXml(sender)}" time="${escapeXml(time)}"${replyAttr}>${replyPrefix}${escapeXml(text)}${attachmentsSuffix}</message>`;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Build a ` from="destination_name"` attribute string from a message's routing
+ * fields. Shared by all formatters so the agent always knows where a message
+ * originated — critical for explicit addressing.
+ */
+function originAttr(msg: MessageInRow): string {
+  const fromDest = findByRouting(msg.channel_type, msg.platform_id);
+  if (fromDest) return ` from="${escapeXml(fromDest.name)}"`;
+  if (msg.channel_type || msg.platform_id) {
+    return ` from="unknown:${escapeXml(msg.channel_type || '')}:${escapeXml(msg.platform_id || '')}"`;
+  }
+  return '';
+}
+
 function formatTaskMessage(msg: MessageInRow): string {
   const content = parseContent(msg.content);
-  const parts = ['[SCHEDULED TASK]'];
+  const from = originAttr(msg);
+  const time = formatLocalTime(msg.timestamp, TIMEZONE);
+  const parts: string[] = [];
   if (content.scriptOutput) {
-    parts.push('', 'Script output:', JSON.stringify(content.scriptOutput, null, 2));
+    parts.push('Script output:', JSON.stringify(content.scriptOutput, null, 2), '');
   }
-  parts.push('', 'Instructions:', content.prompt || '');
-  return parts.join('\n');
+  parts.push('Instructions:', content.prompt || '');
+  return `<task${from} time="${escapeXml(time)}">${parts.join('\n')}</task>`;
 }
 
 function formatWebhookMessage(msg: MessageInRow): string {
   const content = parseContent(msg.content);
   const source = content.source || 'unknown';
   const event = content.event || 'unknown';
-  return `[WEBHOOK: ${source}/${event}]\n\n${JSON.stringify(content.payload || content, null, 2)}`;
+  const from = originAttr(msg);
+  return `<webhook${from} source="${escapeXml(source)}" event="${escapeXml(event)}">${JSON.stringify(content.payload || content, null, 2)}</webhook>`;
 }
 
 function formatSystemMessage(msg: MessageInRow): string {
   const content = parseContent(msg.content);
-  return `[SYSTEM RESPONSE]\n\nAction: ${content.action || 'unknown'}\nStatus: ${content.status || 'unknown'}\nResult: ${JSON.stringify(content.result || null)}`;
+  const from = originAttr(msg);
+  return `<system_response${from} action="${escapeXml(content.action || 'unknown')}" status="${escapeXml(content.status || 'unknown')}">${JSON.stringify(content.result || null)}</system_response>`;
 }
 
 /**

container/agent-runner/src/integration.test.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'bun:test';
 import { initTestSessionDb, closeSessionDb, getInboundDb, getOutboundDb } from './db/connection.js';
 import { getUndeliveredMessages } from './db/messages-out.js';
 import { getPendingMessages } from './db/messages-in.js';
+import { getContinuation, setContinuation } from './db/session-state.js';
 import { MockProvider } from './providers/mock.js';
 import { runPollLoop } from './poll-loop.js';
 
@@ -74,6 +75,163 @@ describe('poll loop integration', () => {
     await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
   });
 
+  it('should resolve thread_id per-destination, not from global routing', async () => {
+    // Seed a second destination
+    getInboundDb()
+      .prepare(
+        `INSERT INTO destinations (name, display_name, type, channel_type, platform_id, agent_group_id)
+         VALUES ('slack-test', 'Slack Test', 'channel', 'slack', 'chan-2', NULL)`,
+      )
+      .run();
+
+    // Insert messages from each destination with distinct thread IDs
+    insertMessage('m-discord', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'from discord' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord', threadId: 'discord-thread-1' });
+    insertMessage('m-slack', { sender: 'Bob', text: 'from slack' }, { platformId: 'chan-2', channelType: 'slack', threadId: 'slack-thread-99' });
+
+    // Agent replies to both destinations
+    const provider = new MockProvider({}, () =>
+      '<message to="discord-test">reply-d</message><message to="slack-test">reply-s</message>',
+    );
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length >= 2, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    const discordOut = out.find((m) => m.platform_id === 'chan-1');
+    const slackOut = out.find((m) => m.platform_id === 'chan-2');
+
+    expect(discordOut).toBeDefined();
+    expect(discordOut!.thread_id).toBe('discord-thread-1');
+    expect(discordOut!.in_reply_to).toBe('m-discord');
+
+    expect(slackOut).toBeDefined();
+    expect(slackOut!.thread_id).toBe('slack-thread-99');
+    expect(slackOut!.in_reply_to).toBe('m-slack');
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
+  it('bare text produces no outbound messages (scratchpad only)', async () => {
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'hello' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+
+    // Agent responds with bare text — no <message to="..."> wrapping
+    const provider = new MockProvider({}, () => 'I am thinking about this...');
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    // Wait long enough for the poll loop to process
+    await sleep(1000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
+  it('unknown destination is dropped, valid destination is sent', async () => {
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'hi' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+
+    const provider = new MockProvider(
+      {},
+      () => '<message to="nonexistent">dropped</message><message to="discord-test">delivered</message>',
+    );
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    // Only the valid destination should produce output
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(JSON.parse(out[0].content).text).toBe('delivered');
+    expect(out[0].platform_id).toBe('chan-1');
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
+  it('multiple <message> blocks each produce an outbound message', async () => {
+    getInboundDb()
+      .prepare(
+        `INSERT INTO destinations (name, display_name, type, channel_type, platform_id, agent_group_id)
+         VALUES ('slack-test', 'Slack Test', 'channel', 'slack', 'chan-2', NULL)`,
+      )
+      .run();
+
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'broadcast' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+
+    const provider = new MockProvider(
+      {},
+      () => '<message to="discord-test">for discord</message><message to="slack-test">for slack</message>',
+    );
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length >= 2, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(2);
+    const discord = out.find((m) => m.platform_id === 'chan-1');
+    const slack = out.find((m) => m.platform_id === 'chan-2');
+    expect(discord).toBeDefined();
+    expect(JSON.parse(discord!.content).text).toBe('for discord');
+    expect(slack).toBeDefined();
+    expect(JSON.parse(slack!.content).text).toBe('for slack');
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
+  it('sends null thread_id when no prior inbound from destination', async () => {
+    // Seed a second destination that has NO inbound messages
+    getInboundDb()
+      .prepare(
+        `INSERT INTO destinations (name, display_name, type, channel_type, platform_id, agent_group_id)
+         VALUES ('slack-new', 'Slack New', 'channel', 'slack', 'chan-new', NULL)`,
+      )
+      .run();
+
+    // Only insert a message from discord — slack-new has never sent anything
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'tell slack' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord', threadId: 'discord-thread' });
+
+    const provider = new MockProvider({}, () => '<message to="slack-new">hello slack</message>');
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(out[0].platform_id).toBe('chan-new');
+    expect(out[0].thread_id).toBeNull();
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
+  it('resolves most recent thread_id when destination has multiple inbound messages', async () => {
+    // Two messages from same destination, different threads
+    insertMessage('m-old', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'old' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord', threadId: 'thread-old' });
+    insertMessage('m-new', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'new' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord', threadId: 'thread-new' });
+
+    const provider = new MockProvider({}, () => '<message to="discord-test">reply</message>');
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(out[0].thread_id).toBe('thread-new');
+    expect(out[0].in_reply_to).toBe('m-new');
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
   it('should process messages arriving after loop starts', async () => {
     const provider = new MockProvider({}, () => '<message to="discord-test">Processed</message>');
     const controller = new AbortController();
@@ -91,8 +249,161 @@ describe('poll loop integration', () => {
 
     await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
   });
+
+  it('internal tags between message blocks are stripped from scratchpad', async () => {
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'hi' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+
+    const provider = new MockProvider(
+      {},
+      () => '<internal>thinking about this...</internal><message to="discord-test">answer</message><internal>done thinking</internal>',
+    );
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(JSON.parse(out[0].content).text).toBe('answer');
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
+  it('handles mixed task + chat batch with correct origin metadata', async () => {
+    // Seed destination for routing lookup
+    insertMessage('m-chat', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'check this' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+    // Task with same routing — simulates a scheduled task in a channel session
+    getInboundDb()
+      .prepare(
+        `INSERT INTO messages_in (id, kind, timestamp, status, platform_id, channel_type, content)
+         VALUES ('t-task', 'task', datetime('now'), 'pending', 'chan-1', 'discord', ?)`,
+      )
+      .run(JSON.stringify({ prompt: 'daily check' }));
+
+    const provider = new MockProvider({}, () => '<message to="discord-test">done</message>');
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(out[0].platform_id).toBe('chan-1');
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
+  it('should inject destination reminder after a compacted event', async () => {
+    // Two destinations — required for the reminder to fire (single-destination
+    // groups have a fallback path that works without <message to="…"> wrapping).
+    getInboundDb()
+      .prepare(
+        `INSERT INTO destinations (name, display_name, type, channel_type, platform_id, agent_group_id)
+         VALUES ('discord-second', 'Discord Second', 'channel', 'discord', 'chan-2', NULL)`,
+      )
+      .run();
+
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'First message' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+
+    const provider = new CompactingProvider();
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider as unknown as MockProvider, controller.signal, 2500);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2500);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    expect(provider.pushes.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
+    const reminder = provider.pushes.find((p) => p.includes('Context was just compacted'));
+    expect(reminder).toBeDefined();
+    expect(reminder).toContain('2 destinations');
+    expect(reminder).toContain('discord-test');
+    expect(reminder).toContain('discord-second');
+    expect(reminder).toContain('<message to="name">');
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+
+  it('should NOT inject destination reminder with a single destination', async () => {
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'First message' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+
+    const provider = new CompactingProvider();
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider as unknown as MockProvider, controller.signal, 2500);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2500);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    // Only the original prompt push (if any) — no reminder, since beforeEach
+    // seeds exactly one destination.
+    const reminders = provider.pushes.filter((p) => p.includes('Context was just compacted'));
+    expect(reminders).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
 });
 
+/**
+ * Provider that emits a single compacted event mid-stream, then returns a
+ * result. Captures every push() call so tests can assert on the injected
+ * reminder content.
+ */
+class CompactingProvider {
+  readonly supportsNativeSlashCommands = false;
+  readonly pushes: string[] = [];
+
+  isSessionInvalid(): boolean {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  query(_input: { prompt: string; cwd: string }) {
+    const pushes = this.pushes;
+    let ended = false;
+    let aborted = false;
+    let resolveWaiter: (() => void) | null = null;
+
+    async function* events() {
+      yield { type: 'activity' as const };
+      yield { type: 'init' as const, continuation: 'compaction-test-session' };
+      yield { type: 'activity' as const };
+      yield { type: 'compacted' as const, text: 'Context compacted (50,000 tokens compacted).' };
+
+      // Wait for poll-loop to push the reminder (or end / abort)
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+        resolveWaiter = resolve;
+        // Belt-and-braces: don't hang forever if the reminder never arrives
+        setTimeout(resolve, 200);
+      });
+
+      yield { type: 'activity' as const };
+      yield { type: 'result' as const, text: '<message to="discord-test">ack</message>' };
+      while (!ended && !aborted) {
+        await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+          resolveWaiter = resolve;
+          setTimeout(resolve, 50);
+        });
+      }
+    }
+
+    return {
+      push(message: string) {
+        pushes.push(message);
+        resolveWaiter?.();
+      },
+      end() {
+        ended = true;
+        resolveWaiter?.();
+      },
+      abort() {
+        aborted = true;
+        resolveWaiter?.();
+      },
+      events: events(),
+    };
+  }
+}
+
 // Helper: run poll loop until aborted or timeout
 async function runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider: MockProvider, signal: AbortSignal, timeoutMs: number): Promise<void> {
   return Promise.race([
@@ -119,3 +430,142 @@ async function waitFor(condition: () => boolean, timeoutMs: number): Promise<voi
 function sleep(ms: number): Promise<void> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
 }
+
+describe('poll loop — provider error recovery', () => {
+  it('writes error to outbound and continues loop on provider throw', async () => {
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'trigger error' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+
+    const provider = new ThrowingProvider('API rate limit exceeded');
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider as unknown as MockProvider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(JSON.parse(out[0].content).text).toContain('Error:');
+    expect(JSON.parse(out[0].content).text).toContain('API rate limit exceeded');
+
+    // Input message should be marked completed despite the error
+    const pending = getPendingMessages();
+    expect(pending).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+});
+
+describe('poll loop — stale session recovery', () => {
+  it('clears continuation when provider reports session invalid', async () => {
+    // Pre-seed a continuation so the local variable in runPollLoop is set.
+    // Without this, the `if (continuation && isSessionInvalid)` check skips.
+    setContinuation('mock', 'pre-existing-session');
+
+    insertMessage('m1', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'stale session' }, { platformId: 'chan-1', channelType: 'discord' });
+
+    const provider = new InvalidSessionProvider();
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider as unknown as MockProvider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    // Error was written to outbound
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(JSON.parse(out[0].content).text).toContain('Error:');
+
+    // Continuation was cleared (isSessionInvalid returned true)
+    expect(getContinuation('mock')).toBeUndefined();
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+});
+
+describe('poll loop — /clear command', () => {
+  it('clears session, writes confirmation, skips query', async () => {
+    // Seed a continuation so we can verify it gets cleared
+    setContinuation('mock', 'existing-session-id');
+    expect(getContinuation('mock')).toBe('existing-session-id');
+
+    // Insert a /clear command
+    getInboundDb()
+      .prepare(
+        `INSERT INTO messages_in (id, kind, timestamp, status, platform_id, channel_type, content)
+         VALUES ('m-clear', 'chat', datetime('now'), 'pending', 'chan-1', 'discord', ?)`,
+      )
+      .run(JSON.stringify({ text: '/clear' }));
+
+    const provider = new MockProvider({}, () => '<message to="discord-test">should not run</message>');
+    const controller = new AbortController();
+    const loopPromise = runPollLoopWithTimeout(provider, controller.signal, 2000);
+
+    await waitFor(() => getUndeliveredMessages().length > 0, 2000);
+    controller.abort();
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(JSON.parse(out[0].content).text).toBe('Session cleared.');
+
+    // Continuation was cleared
+    expect(getContinuation('mock')).toBeUndefined();
+
+    // Command message was completed
+    const pending = getPendingMessages();
+    expect(pending).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    await loopPromise.catch(() => {});
+  });
+});
+
+/**
+ * Provider that throws on every query, simulating API failures.
+ */
+class ThrowingProvider {
+  readonly supportsNativeSlashCommands = false;
+  private errorMessage: string;
+
+  constructor(errorMessage: string) {
+    this.errorMessage = errorMessage;
+  }
+
+  isSessionInvalid(): boolean {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  query(_input: { prompt: string; cwd: string }) {
+    const errorMessage = this.errorMessage;
+    return {
+      push() {},
+      end() {},
+      abort() {},
+      events: (async function* () {
+        throw new Error(errorMessage);
+      })(),
+    };
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Provider that throws with an error that triggers isSessionInvalid.
+ * First emits an init event (setting continuation), then throws.
+ */
+class InvalidSessionProvider {
+  readonly supportsNativeSlashCommands = false;
+
+  isSessionInvalid(): boolean {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  query(_input: { prompt: string; cwd: string }) {
+    return {
+      push() {},
+      end() {},
+      abort() {},
+      events: (async function* () {
+        yield { type: 'init' as const, continuation: 'doomed-session' };
+        throw new Error('session not found');
+      })(),
+    };
+  }
+}

container/agent-runner/src/mcp-tools/core.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for the core MCP tools' interaction with the per-batch routing
+ * context. The agent-runner sets a current `inReplyTo` at the top of each
+ * batch in poll-loop, and outbound writes from MCP tools (send_message,
+ * send_file) must pick it up so a2a return-path routing on the host can
+ * correlate replies back to the originating session.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'bun:test';
+
+import { initTestSessionDb, closeSessionDb, getInboundDb } from '../db/connection.js';
+import { getUndeliveredMessages } from '../db/messages-out.js';
+import { setCurrentInReplyTo, clearCurrentInReplyTo } from '../current-batch.js';
+import { sendMessage } from './core.js';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  initTestSessionDb();
+  // Seed a peer agent destination
+  getInboundDb()
+    .prepare(
+      `INSERT INTO destinations (name, display_name, type, channel_type, platform_id, agent_group_id)
+       VALUES ('peer', 'Peer', 'agent', NULL, NULL, 'ag-peer')`,
+    )
+    .run();
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  clearCurrentInReplyTo();
+  closeSessionDb();
+});
+
+describe('send_message MCP tool — in_reply_to plumbing', () => {
+  it('stamps current batch in_reply_to on outbound rows', async () => {
+    setCurrentInReplyTo('inbound-msg-1');
+
+    await sendMessage.handler({ to: 'peer', text: 'hello' });
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(out[0].in_reply_to).toBe('inbound-msg-1');
+  });
+
+  it('writes null when no batch is active', async () => {
+    // No setCurrentInReplyTo before this call — simulates ad-hoc / out-of-batch invocation.
+    await sendMessage.handler({ to: 'peer', text: 'hello' });
+
+    const out = getUndeliveredMessages();
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(out[0].in_reply_to).toBeNull();
+  });
+});

container/agent-runner/src/mcp-tools/core.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
 
+import { getCurrentInReplyTo } from '../current-batch.js';
 import { findByName, getAllDestinations } from '../destinations.js';
 import { getMessageIdBySeq, getRoutingBySeq, writeMessageOut } from '../db/messages-out.js';
 import { getSessionRouting } from '../db/session-routing.js';
@@ -50,9 +51,7 @@ function destinationList(): string {
  */
 function resolveRouting(
   to: string | undefined,
-):
-  | { channel_type: string; platform_id: string; thread_id: string | null; resolvedName: string }
-  | { error: string } {
+): { channel_type: string; platform_id: string; thread_id: string | null; resolvedName: string } | { error: string } {
   if (!to) {
     // Default: reply to whatever thread/channel this session is bound to.
     const session = getSessionRouting();
@@ -82,9 +81,7 @@ function resolveRouting(
     // preserve the thread_id so replies land in the correct thread.
     const session = getSessionRouting();
     const threadId =
-      session.channel_type === dest.channelType && session.platform_id === dest.platformId
-        ? session.thread_id
-        : null;
+      session.channel_type === dest.channelType && session.platform_id === dest.platformId ? session.thread_id : null;
     return {
       channel_type: dest.channelType!,
       platform_id: dest.platformId!,
@@ -98,12 +95,14 @@ function resolveRouting(
 export const sendMessage: McpToolDefinition = {
   tool: {
     name: 'send_message',
-    description:
-      'Send a message to a named destination. If you have only one destination, you can omit `to`.',
+    description: 'Send a message to a named destination. If you have only one destination, you can omit `to`.',
     inputSchema: {
       type: 'object' as const,
       properties: {
-        to: { type: 'string', description: 'Destination name (e.g., "family", "worker-1"). Optional if you have only one destination.' },
+        to: {
+          type: 'string',
+          description: 'Destination name (e.g., "family", "worker-1"). Optional if you have only one destination.',
+        },
         text: { type: 'string', description: 'Message content' },
       },
       required: ['text'],
@@ -119,6 +118,7 @@ export const sendMessage: McpToolDefinition = {
     const id = generateId();
     const seq = writeMessageOut({
       id,
+      in_reply_to: getCurrentInReplyTo(),
       kind: 'chat',
       platform_id: routing.platform_id,
       channel_type: routing.channel_type,
@@ -165,6 +165,7 @@ export const sendFile: McpToolDefinition = {
 
     writeMessageOut({
       id,
+      in_reply_to: getCurrentInReplyTo(),
       kind: 'chat',
       platform_id: routing.platform_id,
       channel_type: routing.channel_type,

container/agent-runner/src/poll-loop.test.ts

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
     insertMessage('m1', 'task', { prompt: 'Review open PRs' });
     const messages = getPendingMessages();
     const prompt = formatMessages(messages);
-    expect(prompt).toContain('[SCHEDULED TASK]');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<task');
     expect(prompt).toContain('Review open PRs');
   });
 
@@ -55,15 +55,17 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
     insertMessage('m1', 'webhook', { source: 'github', event: 'push', payload: { ref: 'main' } });
     const messages = getPendingMessages();
     const prompt = formatMessages(messages);
-    expect(prompt).toContain('[WEBHOOK: github/push]');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<webhook');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('source="github"');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('event="push"');
   });
 
   it('should format system messages', () => {
     insertMessage('m1', 'system', { action: 'register_group', status: 'success', result: { id: 'ag-1' } });
     const messages = getPendingMessages();
     const prompt = formatMessages(messages);
-    expect(prompt).toContain('[SYSTEM RESPONSE]');
-    expect(prompt).toContain('register_group');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<system_response');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('action="register_group"');
   });
 
   it('should handle mixed kinds', () => {
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ describe('formatter', () => {
     const messages = getPendingMessages();
     const prompt = formatMessages(messages);
     expect(prompt).toContain('sender="John"');
-    expect(prompt).toContain('[SYSTEM RESPONSE]');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<system_response');
   });
 
   it('should escape XML in content', () => {
@@ -147,6 +149,76 @@ describe('routing', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('origin metadata (from= attribute)', () => {
+  function seedDestination(name: string, channelType: string, platformId: string): void {
+    getInboundDb()
+      .prepare(
+        `INSERT INTO destinations (name, display_name, type, channel_type, platform_id, agent_group_id)
+         VALUES (?, ?, 'channel', ?, ?, NULL)`,
+      )
+      .run(name, name, channelType, platformId);
+  }
+
+  function insertWithRouting(id: string, kind: string, content: object, channelType: string | null, platformId: string | null): void {
+    getInboundDb()
+      .prepare(
+        `INSERT INTO messages_in (id, kind, timestamp, status, platform_id, channel_type, content)
+         VALUES (?, ?, datetime('now'), 'pending', ?, ?, ?)`,
+      )
+      .run(id, kind, platformId, channelType, JSON.stringify(content));
+  }
+
+  it('chat message includes from= when destination matches', () => {
+    seedDestination('discord-main', 'discord', 'chan-1');
+    insertWithRouting('m1', 'chat', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'hi' }, 'discord', 'chan-1');
+    const prompt = formatMessages(getPendingMessages());
+    expect(prompt).toContain('from="discord-main"');
+  });
+
+  it('chat message falls back to raw routing when no destination matches', () => {
+    insertWithRouting('m1', 'chat', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'hi' }, 'telegram', 'chat-999');
+    const prompt = formatMessages(getPendingMessages());
+    expect(prompt).toContain('from="unknown:telegram:chat-999"');
+  });
+
+  it('chat message omits from= when routing is null', () => {
+    insertMessage('m1', 'chat', { sender: 'Alice', text: 'hi' });
+    const prompt = formatMessages(getPendingMessages());
+    expect(prompt).not.toContain('from=');
+  });
+
+  it('task message includes from= when destination matches', () => {
+    seedDestination('slack-ops', 'slack', 'C-OPS');
+    insertWithRouting('t1', 'task', { prompt: 'check status' }, 'slack', 'C-OPS');
+    const prompt = formatMessages(getPendingMessages());
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<task');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('from="slack-ops"');
+  });
+
+  it('task message omits from= when routing is null', () => {
+    insertMessage('t1', 'task', { prompt: 'check status' });
+    const prompt = formatMessages(getPendingMessages());
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<task');
+    expect(prompt).not.toContain('from=');
+  });
+
+  it('webhook message includes from= when destination matches', () => {
+    seedDestination('github-ch', 'github', 'repo-1');
+    insertWithRouting('w1', 'webhook', { source: 'github', event: 'push', payload: {} }, 'github', 'repo-1');
+    const prompt = formatMessages(getPendingMessages());
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<webhook');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('from="github-ch"');
+  });
+
+  it('system message includes from= when destination matches', () => {
+    seedDestination('discord-main', 'discord', 'chan-1');
+    insertWithRouting('s1', 'system', { action: 'test', status: 'ok', result: null }, 'discord', 'chan-1');
+    const prompt = formatMessages(getPendingMessages());
+    expect(prompt).toContain('<system_response');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('from="discord-main"');
+  });
+});
+
 describe('mock provider', () => {
   it('should produce init + result events', async () => {
     const provider = new MockProvider({}, (prompt) => `Echo: ${prompt}`);

container/agent-runner/src/poll-loop.ts

@@ -1,13 +1,18 @@
 import { findByName, getAllDestinations, type DestinationEntry } from './destinations.js';
 import { getPendingMessages, markProcessing, markCompleted, type MessageInRow } from './db/messages-in.js';
 import { writeMessageOut } from './db/messages-out.js';
-import { touchHeartbeat, clearStaleProcessingAcks } from './db/connection.js';
+import { getInboundDb, touchHeartbeat, clearStaleProcessingAcks } from './db/connection.js';
+import { clearContinuation, migrateLegacyContinuation, setContinuation } from './db/session-state.js';
+import { clearCurrentInReplyTo, setCurrentInReplyTo } from './current-batch.js';
 import {
-  clearContinuation,
-  migrateLegacyContinuation,
-  setContinuation,
-} from './db/session-state.js';
-import { formatMessages, extractRouting, categorizeMessage, isClearCommand, isRunnerCommand, stripInternalTags, type RoutingContext } from './formatter.js';
+  formatMessages,
+  extractRouting,
+  categorizeMessage,
+  isClearCommand,
+  isRunnerCommand,
+  stripInternalTags,
+  type RoutingContext,
+} from './formatter.js';
 import type { AgentProvider, AgentQuery, ProviderEvent } from './providers/types.js';
 
 const POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 1000;
@@ -170,6 +175,9 @@ export async function runPollLoop(config: PollLoopConfig): Promise<void> {
     // Process the query while concurrently polling for new messages
     const skippedSet = new Set(skipped);
     const processingIds = ids.filter((id) => !commandIds.includes(id) && !skippedSet.has(id));
+    // Publish the batch's in_reply_to so MCP tools (send_message, send_file)
+    // can stamp it on outbound rows — needed for a2a return-path routing.
+    setCurrentInReplyTo(routing.inReplyTo);
     try {
       const result = await processQuery(query, routing, processingIds, config.providerName);
       if (result.continuation && result.continuation !== continuation) {
@@ -198,6 +206,8 @@ export async function runPollLoop(config: PollLoopConfig): Promise<void> {
         thread_id: routing.threadId,
         content: JSON.stringify({ text: `Error: ${errMsg}` }),
       });
+    } finally {
+      clearCurrentInReplyTo();
     }
 
     // Ensure completed even if processQuery ended without a result event
@@ -366,6 +376,23 @@ async function processQuery(
         if (event.text) {
           dispatchResultText(event.text, routing);
         }
+      } else if (event.type === 'compacted') {
+        // The SDK auto-compacted the conversation. After compaction the
+        // model often drops the learned `<message to="…">` wrapping
+        // discipline (the destinations are still in the system prompt,
+        // but the behavioral pattern is summarized away). Inject a
+        // reminder back into the live query so the next turn re-anchors
+        // on the destination model. Only do this when there's >1
+        // destination — single-destination groups have a fallback that
+        // works without wrapping. See qwibitai/nanoclaw#2325.
+        const destinations = getAllDestinations();
+        if (destinations.length > 1) {
+          const names = destinations.map((d) => d.name).join(', ');
+          query.push(
+            `[system] Context was just compacted. Reminder: you have ${destinations.length} destinations (${names}). ` +
+              `Use <message to="name"> blocks to address them. Bare text goes to the scratchpad fallback only.`,
+          );
+        }
       }
     }
   } finally {
@@ -385,25 +412,26 @@ function handleEvent(event: ProviderEvent, _routing: RoutingContext): void {
       log(`Result: ${event.text ? event.text.slice(0, 200) : '(empty)'}`);
       break;
     case 'error':
-      log(`Error: ${event.message} (retryable: ${event.retryable}${event.classification ? `, ${event.classification}` : ''})`);
+      log(
+        `Error: ${event.message} (retryable: ${event.retryable}${event.classification ? `, ${event.classification}` : ''})`,
+      );
       break;
     case 'progress':
       log(`Progress: ${event.message}`);
       break;
+    case 'compacted':
+      log(`Compacted: ${event.text}`);
+      break;
   }
 }
 
 /**
  * Parse the agent's final text for <message to="name">...</message> blocks
  * and dispatch each one to its resolved destination. Text outside of blocks
- * (including <internal>...</internal>) is normally scratchpad — logged but
- * not sent.
+ * (including <internal>...</internal>) is scratchpad — logged but not sent.
  *
- * Single-destination shortcut: if the agent has exactly one configured
- * destination AND the output contains zero <message> blocks, the entire
- * cleaned text (with <internal> tags stripped) is sent to that destination.
- * This preserves the simple case of one user on one channel — the agent
- * doesn't need to know about wrapping syntax at all.
+ * The agent must always wrap output in <message to="name">...</message>
+ * blocks, even with a single destination. Bare text is scratchpad only.
  */
 function dispatchResultText(text: string, routing: RoutingContext): void {
   const MESSAGE_RE = /<message\s+to="([^"]+)"\s*>([\s\S]*?)<\/message>/g;
@@ -436,30 +464,6 @@ function dispatchResultText(text: string, routing: RoutingContext): void {
 
   const scratchpad = stripInternalTags(scratchpadParts.join(''));
 
-  // Single-destination shortcut: the agent wrote plain text — send to
-  // the session's originating channel (from session_routing) if available,
-  // otherwise fall back to the single destination.
-  if (sent === 0 && scratchpad) {
-    if (routing.channelType && routing.platformId) {
-      // Reply to the channel/thread the message came from
-      writeMessageOut({
-        id: generateId(),
-        in_reply_to: routing.inReplyTo,
-        kind: 'chat',
-        platform_id: routing.platformId,
-        channel_type: routing.channelType,
-        thread_id: routing.threadId,
-        content: JSON.stringify({ text: scratchpad }),
-      });
-      return;
-    }
-    const all = getAllDestinations();
-    if (all.length === 1) {
-      sendToDestination(all[0], scratchpad, routing);
-      return;
-    }
-  }
-
   if (scratchpad) {
     log(`[scratchpad] ${scratchpad.slice(0, 500)}${scratchpad.length > 500 ? '…' : ''}`);
   }
@@ -472,20 +476,46 @@ function dispatchResultText(text: string, routing: RoutingContext): void {
 function sendToDestination(dest: DestinationEntry, body: string, routing: RoutingContext): void {
   const platformId = dest.type === 'channel' ? dest.platformId! : dest.agentGroupId!;
   const channelType = dest.type === 'channel' ? dest.channelType! : 'agent';
-  // Inherit thread_id from the inbound routing context so replies land in the
-  // same thread the conversation is in. For non-threaded adapters the router
-  // strips thread_id at ingest, so this will already be null.
+  // Resolve thread_id per-destination from the most recent inbound message
+  // that came from this same channel+platform. In agent-shared sessions,
+  // different destinations have different thread contexts — using a single
+  // routing.threadId would stamp one channel's thread onto another.
+  const destRouting = resolveDestinationThread(channelType, platformId);
   writeMessageOut({
     id: generateId(),
-    in_reply_to: routing.inReplyTo,
+    in_reply_to: destRouting?.inReplyTo ?? routing.inReplyTo,
     kind: 'chat',
     platform_id: platformId,
     channel_type: channelType,
-    thread_id: routing.threadId,
+    thread_id: destRouting?.threadId ?? null,
     content: JSON.stringify({ text: body }),
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Find the thread_id and message id from the most recent inbound message
+ * matching the given channel+platform. Returns null if no match found.
+ */
+function resolveDestinationThread(
+  channelType: string,
+  platformId: string,
+): { threadId: string | null; inReplyTo: string | null } | null {
+  try {
+    const db = getInboundDb();
+    const row = db
+      .prepare(
+        `SELECT thread_id, id FROM messages_in
+         WHERE channel_type = ? AND platform_id = ?
+         ORDER BY seq DESC LIMIT 1`,
+      )
+      .get(channelType, platformId) as { thread_id: string | null; id: string } | undefined;
+    if (row) return { threadId: row.thread_id, inReplyTo: row.id };
+  } catch (err) {
+    log(`resolveDestinationThread error: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`);
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
 function sleep(ms: number): Promise<void> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
 }

container/agent-runner/src/providers/claude.ts

@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ export class ClaudeProvider implements AgentProvider {
         } else if (message.type === 'system' && (message as { subtype?: string }).subtype === 'compact_boundary') {
           const meta = (message as { compact_metadata?: { pre_tokens?: number } }).compact_metadata;
           const detail = meta?.pre_tokens ? ` (${meta.pre_tokens.toLocaleString()} tokens compacted)` : '';
-          yield { type: 'result', text: `Context compacted${detail}.` };
+          yield { type: 'compacted', text: `Context compacted${detail}.` };
         } else if (message.type === 'system' && (message as { subtype?: string }).subtype === 'task_notification') {
           const tn = message as { summary?: string };
           yield { type: 'progress', message: tn.summary || 'Task notification' };

container/agent-runner/src/providers/types.ts

@@ -79,4 +79,12 @@ export type ProviderEvent =
    * event (tool call, thinking, partial message, anything) so the
    * poll-loop's idle timer stays honest during long tool runs.
    */
-  | { type: 'activity' };
+  | { type: 'activity' }
+  /**
+   * The provider's underlying SDK auto-compacted the conversation context.
+   * The poll-loop reacts by injecting a destination reminder back into
+   * the live query so the agent doesn't drop `<message to="…">` wrapping
+   * after compaction. Distinct from `result` so it doesn't mark the turn
+   * completed or get dispatched as a chat message. See qwibitai/nanoclaw#2325.
+   */
+  | { type: 'compacted'; text: string };