automaker/.automaker/memory.md

# Agent Memory - Lessons Learned

This file documents issues encountered by previous agents and their solutions. Read this before starting work to avoid repeating mistakes.

## Testing Issues

### Issue: Mock project setup not navigating to board view
**Problem:** Setting `currentProject` in localStorage didn't automatically show the board view - app stayed on welcome view.
**Fix:** The `currentView` state is not persisted in localStorage. Instead of trying to set it, have tests click on the recent project from the welcome view to trigger `setCurrentProject()` which handles the view transition properly.

```typescript
// Don't do this:
await setupMockProject(page); // Sets localStorage
await page.goto("/");
await waitForElement(page, "board-view"); // ❌ Fails - still on welcome view

// Do this instead:
await setupMockProject(page);
await page.goto("/");
await waitForElement(page, "welcome-view");
const recentProject = page.locator('[data-testid="recent-project-test-project-1"]');
await recentProject.click(); // ✅ Triggers proper view transition
await waitForElement(page, "board-view");
```

### Issue: View output button test IDs are conditional
**Problem:** Tests failed looking for `view-output-inprogress-${featureId}` when the actual button had `view-output-${featureId}`.
**Fix:** The button test ID depends on whether the feature is actively running:
- `view-output-${featureId}` - shown when feature is in `runningAutoTasks` (actively running)
- `view-output-inprogress-${featureId}` - shown when status is "in_progress" but NOT actively running

After dragging a feature to in_progress, wait for the `auto_mode_feature_start` event to fire before looking for the button:

```typescript
// Wait for feature to start running
const viewOutputButton = page.locator(
  `[data-testid="view-output-${featureId}"], [data-testid="view-output-inprogress-${featureId}"]`
).first();
await expect(viewOutputButton).toBeVisible({ timeout: 8000 });
```

### Issue: Elements not appearing due to async event timing
**Problem:** Tests checked for UI elements before async events (like `auto_mode_feature_start`) had fired and updated the UI.
**Fix:** Add appropriate timeouts when waiting for elements that depend on async events. The mock auto mode takes ~2.4 seconds to complete, so allow sufficient time:

```typescript
// Mock auto mode timing: ~2.4s + 1.5s delay = ~4s total
await waitForAgentOutputModalHidden(page, { timeout: 10000 });
```

### Issue: Slider interaction testing
**Problem:** Clicking on slider track didn't reliably set specific values.
**Fix:** Use the slider's keyboard interaction or calculate the exact click position on the track. For max value, click on the rightmost edge of the track.

### Issue: Port binding blocked in sandbox mode
**Problem:** Playwright tests couldn't bind to port in sandbox mode.
**Fix:** Tests don't need sandbox disabled - the issue was TEST_REUSE_SERVER environment variable. Make sure to start the dev server separately or let Playwright's webServer config handle it.

## Code Architecture

### Issue: Understanding store state persistence
**Problem:** Not all store state is persisted to localStorage.
**Fix:** Check the `partialize` function in `app-store.ts` to see which state is persisted:
```typescript
partialize: (state) => ({
  projects: state.projects,
  currentProject: state.currentProject,
  theme: state.theme,
  sidebarOpen: state.sidebarOpen,
  apiKeys: state.apiKeys,
  chatSessions: state.chatSessions,
  chatHistoryOpen: state.chatHistoryOpen,
  maxConcurrency: state.maxConcurrency, // Added for concurrency feature
})
```
Note: `currentView` is NOT persisted - it's managed through actions.

### Issue: Auto mode task lifecycle
**Problem:** Confusion about when features are considered "running" vs "in_progress".
**Fix:** Understand the task lifecycle:
1. Feature dragged to "in_progress" column → status becomes "in_progress"
2. `auto_mode_feature_start` event fires → feature added to `runningAutoTasks`
3. Agent works on feature → periodic events sent
4. `auto_mode_feature_complete` event fires → feature removed from `runningAutoTasks`
5. If `passes: true` → status becomes "verified", if `passes: false` → stays "in_progress"

## Best Practices Discovered

### Testing utilities are critical
Create comprehensive testing utilities in `tests/utils.ts` to avoid repeating selector logic:
- `waitForElement` - waits for elements to appear
- `waitForElementHidden` - waits for elements to disappear
- `setupMockProject` - sets up mock localStorage state
- `navigateToBoard` - handles navigation from welcome to board view

### Always add data-testid attributes
When implementing features, immediately add `data-testid` attributes to key UI elements. This makes tests more reliable and easier to write.

### Test timeouts should be generous but not excessive
- Default timeout: 30s (set in playwright.config.ts)
- Element waits: 5-15s for critical elements
- Auto mode completion: 10s (accounts for ~4s mock duration)
- Don't increase timeouts past 10s for individual operations

### Mock auto mode timing
The mock auto mode in `electron.ts` has predictable timing:
- Total duration: ~2.4 seconds (300+500+300+300+500+500ms)
- Plus 1.5s delay before auto-closing modals
- Total: ~4 seconds from start to completion