BREAKING CHANGE: Convert repository to IronClaw-only package with strict
external dependency on globally installed `openclaw` runtime.
### Changes
- Remove entire OpenClaw core source from repository (src/agents/*, src/acp/*,
src/commands/*, and related modules)
- Implement CLI delegation: non-bootstrap commands now delegate to global
`openclaw` binary via external contract
- Remove local OpenClaw path resolution from web app; always spawn global
`openclaw` binary instead of local scripts
- Rename package.json scripts: `pnpm openclaw` → `pnpm ironclaw`,
`openclaw:rpc` → `ironclaw:rpc`
- Update bootstrap flow to verify and install global OpenClaw when missing
- Migrate web workspace/profile logic to align with OpenClaw state paths
- Add migration contract tests for stream-json, session subscribe, and profile
resolution behaviors
- Update build/release pipeline for IronClaw-only artifacts
- Update documentation for new peer + global installation model
### Architecture
IronClaw is now strictly a frontend/UI/bootstrap layer:
- `npx ironclaw` bootstraps OpenClaw (if missing), runs guided onboarding
- IronClaw UI serves on localhost:3100
- OpenClaw Gateway runs on standard port 18789
- Communication via stable CLI contracts and Gateway WebSocket protocol only
### Migration
Users must have `openclaw` installed globally:
npm install -g openclaw
Existing IronClaw profiles and sessions remain compatible through gateway
protocol stability.
Refs: bootstrap_dev_testing, ironclaw_frontend_split, strict-external-openclaw
Bug 1: Subagent events from gateway broadcasts were processed as parent
events because the sessionKey filter was accidentally removed during the
subagent decoupling refactor. Re-add the filter in wireChildProcess.
Bug 2: Creating workspaces at custom paths failed because:
- mkdir API rejected absolute paths outside workspace root
- Directory picker started at workspace root, not home
- Error responses from mkdir were silently swallowed
Add absolute path support to mkdir, handle errors in picker UI,
start picker at home dir, and normalize init route paths.
Restore backend/logic features that were incorrectly auto-merged from the
design branch:
- Spreadsheet viewer (xlsx, csv, ods, etc.) and xlsx dependency
- HTML iframe viewer with source toggle
- Directory picker modal for workspace creation
- Workspace registry for custom-path workspaces
- Session auto-discovery for orphaned sessions
- Workspace init seeding (CRM objects, DuckDB, templates, bootstrap files)
- Symlink resolution and showHidden in tree/browse routes
- Upload to workspace assets/ instead of hidden ~/.ironclaw/uploads/
- Webpack dev watcher config (next.config.ts)
- router.push for back-button navigation history
- Cards are draggable between columns via @dnd-kit with optimistic updates
- Clicking a card opens the EntryDetailModal (parity with table view)
- Double-click column headers to rename enum values inline
- New API endpoint for renaming enum values with cascading entry updates
Syntax highlighting & code viewer:
- Add shiki for syntax-highlighted fenced code blocks in chat messages
- New SyntaxBlock component (lazy shiki, dual light/dark theme)
- New CodeViewer for workspace file panel (routes code files via isCodeFile())
- API routes (browse-file, virtual-file) now return "code" type for known extensions
Diff rendering:
- New DiffCard component for rendering unified diffs with add/remove colors
- diff-blocks.ts parser to extract fenced blocks from markdown
- Chain-of-thought tool steps show inline diffs for edit/write tools
(synthetic from old_string/new_string or direct from tool output)
- Agent runner passes through diff/firstChangedLine from edit tool results
- Document view handles diff blocks alongside report blocks
Rich chat editor (Tiptap):
- Replace plain textarea with Tiptap-based ChatEditor
- File mention extension (@-mention files with autocomplete dropdown)
- File mention list with keyboard navigation and search via suggest-files API
- New suggest-files API endpoint for fuzzy file search
File search & navigation:
- FileSearch component in workspace sidebar (debounced search, keyboard nav)
- Search results navigate sidebar to file location and open in panel
- File picker modal for browsing/selecting workspace files
Drag & drop:
- File tree nodes support native HTML5 drag (application/x-file-mention)
for cross-component drops (e.g. dragging files into chat editor)
Chat attachments reworked:
- Switch from browser File objects to path-based references (name + path)
- Simplified attachment strip (no media previews, shows shortened paths)
Also adds software-engineering skill and related CSS for code blocks/shiki.
- Introduced a new RelationSelect component for managing relations in forms.
- Updated EntryDetailModal and ObjectTable components to utilize RelationSelect for relation fields, allowing for inline editing and improved user experience.
- Enhanced API route for fetching relation options based on user input.
- Refactored EditableCell to support relation editing with dropdowns, improving data entry efficiency.
- Added new API endpoint for fetching lightweight options for relation dropdowns.
This update streamlines the handling of relational data within the workspace, enhancing the overall functionality and user interface.
Overhaul the Dench web app with a comprehensive visual redesign and several
major feature additions across the chat interface, workspace, and agent
runtime layer.
Theme & Design System
- Replace the dark-only palette with a full light/dark theme system that
respects system preference via localStorage + inline script (no FOUC).
- Introduce new design tokens: glassmorphism surfaces, semantic colors
(success/warning/error/info), object-type chip palettes, and a tiered
shadow scale (sm/md/lg/xl).
- Add Instrument Serif + Inter via Google Fonts for a refined typographic
hierarchy; headings use the serif face, body uses Inter.
- Rebrand UI from "Ironclaw" to "Dench" across the landing page and
metadata.
Chat & Chain-of-Thought
- Rewrite the chain-of-thought component with inline media detection and
rendering — images, video, audio, and PDFs referenced in agent output
are now displayed directly in the conversation thread.
- Add status indicator parts (e.g. "Preparing response...",
"Optimizing session context...") that render as subtle activity badges
instead of verbose reasoning blocks.
- Integrate react-markdown with remark-gfm for proper markdown rendering
in assistant messages (tables, strikethrough, autolinks, etc.).
- Improve report-block splitting and lazy-loaded ReportCard rendering.
Workspace
- Introduce @tanstack/react-table for the object table, replacing the
hand-rolled table with full column sorting, fuzzy filtering via
match-sorter-utils, row selection, and bulk actions.
- Add a new media viewer component for in-workspace image/video/PDF
preview.
- New API routes: bulk-delete entries, field management (CRUD + reorder),
raw-file serving endpoint for media assets.
- Redesign workspace sidebar, empty state, and entry detail modal with
the new theme tokens and improved layout.
Agent Runtime
- Switch web agent execution from --local to gateway-routed mode so
concurrent chat threads share the gateway's lane-based concurrency
system, eliminating cross-process file-lock contention.
- Advertise "tool-events" capability during WebSocket handshake so the
gateway streams tool start/update/result events to the UI.
- Add new agent callback hooks: onLifecycleStart, onCompactionStart/End,
and onToolUpdate for richer real-time feedback.
- Forward media URLs emitted by agent events into the chat stream.
Dependencies
- Add @tanstack/match-sorter-utils and @tanstack/react-table to the web
app.
Published as ironclaw@2026.2.10-1.
Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
Add virtual folder system that surfaces Skills, Memories, and Chat sessions
in the workspace sidebar alongside real dench files. Rearchitect the home
page into a landing hub and move the ChatPanel into the workspace as the
default view.
New API route — virtual-file:
- apps/web/app/api/workspace/virtual-file/route.ts: new GET/POST API that
resolves virtual paths (~skills/*, ~memories/*) to absolute filesystem
paths in ~/.openclaw/skills/ d ~/.openclaw/workspace/. Includes path
traversal protection and directory allowlisting.
Tree API — virtual folder builders:
- apps/web/app/api/workspace/tree/route.ts: add `virtual` field to TreeNode
type. Add ildSkillsVirtualFolder() scanning ~/.openclaw/skills/ and
~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/ with SKILL.md frontmatter parsing (name +
emoji). Add buildMemoriesVirtualFolder() scanning MEMORY.md and daily
logs from ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/. Virtual folders are appended
after real workspace entries and are also returned when no dench root
exists.
File manager tree — virtual node awareness:
- apps/web/app/components/workspace/file-manager-tree.tsx: add isVirtualNode()
helper and RESERVED_FOLDER_NAMES set (Chats, Skills, Memories). Virtual
nodes show a lock badge, disable drag-and-drop, block rename/delete, and
reject reserved names during create/rename. Add ChatBubbleIcon for ~chats/
paths.
Markdown editor — virtual path routing:
- apps/web/app/components/workspace/markdown-editor.tsx: save to
/api/workspace/virtual-file for paths starting with ~ instead of the
regular /api/workspace/file endpoint.
Home page redesign:
- apps/web/app/page.tsx: replace the chat-first layout (SidebarhatPanel)
with a branded landing page showing the OpenClaw Dench heading, tagline,
and a single "Open Workspace" CTA linking to /workspace.
Workspace page — unified layout with integrated chat:
- apps/web/app/workspace/page.tsx: ChatPanel is now the default main view
when no file is selected. Add session fetching from /api/web-sessions and
build an enhanced tree with a virtual "Chats" folder listing all sessions.
Clicking ~chats/<id> loads the session; clicking ~chats starts a new one.
Add isVirtualPath()/fileApiUrl() helpers for virtual file reads. Add a
"Back to chat" button in the top bar alongside the chat sidebar toggle.
Sidebar + empty-state cosmetic updates:
- apps/web/app/components/workspace/workspace-sidebar.tsx: rename BackIcon
to HomeIcon (house SVG), change label from "Back to Chat" to "Home".
- apps/web/app/components/workspace/empty-state.tsx: update link text from
"Back to Chat" to "Back to Home".
New libraries:
- workspace-links.ts: builders, parsers, and type guards for workspace URLs
(/workspace?path=... for files/objects, /workspace?entry=objName:id for entries).
Replaces ad-hoc relative-path links with real navigable URLs.
- search-index.ts: useSearchIndex hook that fetches a unified search index from
the API and provides Fuse.js-powered fuzzy search across files, objects, and
database entries. Exposes a stable ref-based search function safe for capture
in tiptap extensions.
New API routes:
- GET /api/workspace/search-index: builds a flat search index from the filesystem
tree (knowledge/, reports/, top-level files) and all DuckDB object entries with
display-field labels and preview fields.
- GET /api/workspace/objects/[name]/entries/[id]: fetches a single entry with
all field values, resolved relation labels, reverse relations (incoming links
from other objects), and the effective display field.
New component:
- EntryDetailModal: slide-over modal for viewing an individual entry's fields,
enum badges, user avatars, clickable relation chips (navigate to related
entries), reverse relation sections, and timestamps. Supports Escape to close
and backdrop click dismiss.
Slash command refactor (slash-command.tsx):
- New createWorkspaceMention(searchFn) replaces the old file-only @ mention with
unified search across files, objects, and entries.
- searchItemToSlashItem() converts search index items into tiptap suggestion
items with proper icons, badges (object name pill for entries), and link
insertion commands using real workspace URLs.
- Legacy createFileMention(tree) now delegates to createWorkspaceMention with a
simple substring-match fallback for when no search index is available.
Editor integration (markdown-editor.tsx, document-view.tsx):
- MarkdownEditor accepts optional searchFn prop; when provided, uses
createWorkspaceMention instead of the legacy createFileMention.
- Link click interception now uses the shared isWorkspaceLink() helper and
registers handlers in capture phase for reliable interception.
- DocumentView forwards searchFn to editor and adds a delegated click handler
in read mode to intercept workspace links and navigate via onNavigate.
Object table (object-table.tsx):
- Added onEntryClick prop; table rows are now clickable with cursor-pointer
styling, firing the callback with the entry ID.
Workspace page (page.tsx):
- Integrates useSearchIndex hook and passes search function down to editor.
- Entry detail modal state with URL synchronization (?entry=objName:id param).
- New resolveNode() with fallback strategies: exact match, knowledge/ prefix
toggle, and last-segment object name matching.
- Unified handleEditorNavigate() dispatches /workspace?entry=... to the modal
and /workspace?path=... to file/object navigation.
- URL bar syncs with activePath via router.replace (no full page reloads).
- Top-level container click safety net catches any workspace link clicks that
bubble up unhandled.
Styles (globals.css):
- Added .slash-cmd-item-badge for object-name pills in the @ mention popup.
── Tiptap Markdown Editor ──
- Add full Tiptap-based WYSIWYG markdown editor (markdown-editor.tsx, 709 LOC)
with bubble menu, auto-save (debounced), image drag-and-drop/paste upload,
table editing, task list checkboxes, and frontmatter preservation on save.
- Add slash command system (slash-command.tsx, 607 LOC) with "/" trigger for
block insertion (headings, lists, tables, code blocks, images, reports) and
"@" trigger for file/document mention with fuzzy search across the workspace
tree.
- Add ReportBlockNode (report-block-node.tsx) — custom Tiptap node that renders
embedded report-json blocks as interactive ReportCard widgets inline in the
editor, with expand/collapse and edit-JSON support.
- Add workspace asset serving API (api/workspace/assets/[...path]/route.ts) to
serve images from the workspace with proper MIME types.
- Add workspace file upload orkspace/upload/route.ts) for multipart
image uploads (10 MB limit, image types only), saving to assets/ directory.
- Add ~500 lines of Tiptap editor CSS to globals.css (editor layout, task lists,
images, tables, slash command dropdown, bubble menu toolbar, code blocks, etc.).
- Add 14 @tiptap/* dependencies to apps/web/package.json (react, starter-kit,
markdown, image, link, table, task-list, suggestion, placeholder, etc.).
── Document View: Edit/Read Mode Toggle ──
- document-view.tsx: Add edit/read mode toggle; defaults to edit mode when a
filePath is available. Lazy-loads MarkdownEditor to keep initial bundle light.
- workspace/page.tsx: Pass activePath, tree, onSave, onNavigate, and
onRefreshTree through to DocumentView for full editor integration with
workspace navigation and tree refresh after saves.
── Subagent Session Isolation ──
- agent-runner.ts: Add RunAgentOptions with optional sessionId; when set, spawns
the agent with --session-key agent:main:subagent:<id> ant so
file-scoped sidebar chats run in isolated sessions independent of the main
agent.
- route.ts (chat API): Accept sessionId from request body and forward it to
runAgent. Resolve workspace file path prefixes (resolveAgentWorkspacePrefix)
so tree-relative paths become agent-cwd-relative.
- chat-panel.tsx: Create per-instance DefaultChatTransport that injects sessionId
via body function and a ref (avoids stale closures). On file change, auto-load
the most recent session and its messages. Refresh session tab list after
streaming ends. Stop ongoing stream when switching sessions.
- register.agent.ts: Add --session-key <key> and --lane <lane> CLI flags.
- agent-via-gateway.ts: Wire sessionKey into session resolution and validation
for both interactive and --stream-json code paths.
- workspace.ts: Add resolveAgentWorkspacePrefix() to map workspace-root-relative
paths to repo-root-relative paths for the agent process.
── Error Surfacing ──
- agent-runner.ts: Add onAgentError callback extraction helpers
(parseAgentErrorMessage, parseErrorBody, parseErrorFromStderr) to surface
API-level errors (402 payment, rate limits, etc.) to the UI. Captures stderr
for fallback error detection on non-zero exit.
- route.ts: Wire onAgentError into the SSE stream as [error]-prefixed text
parts. Improve onError and onClose handlers with clearer error messages and
exit code reporting.
- chat-message.tsx: Detect [error]-prefixed text segments and render them as
styled error banners with alert icon instead of plain text.
- chat-panel.tsx: Restyle the transport-level error bar with themed colors and
an alert icon consistent with in-message error styling.
