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# Minnow manual
Source: manual/README.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/README
Description: Minnow is a full agentic development workspace that runs on your own computer: editor, agents, terminal, git, issues, planning, knowledge, and local model hosting in one app.


# Minnow manual

Minnow is a full agentic development workspace that runs on your own computer: editor, agents, terminal, git, issues, planning, knowledge, and local model hosting in one app. It talks to models you host yourself — LM Studio, Ollama, `llama-server`, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint — and it can also talk to cloud APIs if you give it a key. Either way, your chats, notes, files, and credentials stay in a folder on your disk. Nothing is uploaded to Minnow's authors, and there is no telemetry — an arrangement that was once unremarkable and is now, apparently, a feature.

You open a project folder and land in **Home**, with chats, boards, issues, repository changes, and code activity together. **Open Code** takes you to your files and editor beside chat, driving the same repo. Five surfaces support that work from the app rail — **Source Control**, **Models**, **Brain**, **Issues**, and **Scheduler** — plus **Settings** from the menubar. The same assistant and tool set back all of them, which is the part that matters: an issue the agent files, a branch it makes, and a note it writes all refer to the same project, without you carrying anything between windows.

This manual covers the packaged app you install from GitHub Releases. If you build from source, everything here still applies, plus the developer setup notes in the [GitHub Wiki](/docs).

## Start here

If you have five minutes, do these three things in order:

1. [Install Minnow](/docs/manual/get-started/install) and let it open.
2. [Connect a model](/docs/manual/get-started/connect-a-model) — without one, the model picker stays empty and nothing can answer you.
3. [Send your first chat](/docs/manual/get-started/first-chat) and approve your first tool call.

After that, [How Minnow works](/docs/manual/concepts/how-minnow-works) is the page that makes the rest of the product make sense.

## Finding help while you work

The **?** button in the menubar opens this manual inside Minnow. Press **Ctrl+K** / **Cmd+K** while it is open to jump to search. Pages match the version you have installed.

Chat can also read this manual. In **General** mode (and during first-run onboarding) the assistant has three read-only tools — `minnow_docs_search`, `minnow_docs_read`, `minnow_docs_list` — so you can ask "how do I point Minnow at Ollama?" and get an answer with a page citation instead of a guess.

Press **?** anywhere outside a text field for the keyboard shortcut sheet.

**Brain is not this manual.** Brain is your own wiki, and you can edit it. This manual ships with the build and is read-only. See [Wiki and Brain](/docs/manual/reference/wiki-and-brain) if the two get confused.

## Everything in this manual

### Get started

- [Install and first launch](/docs/manual/get-started/install) — installers, SmartScreen, updates, the system tray
- [Connect a model](/docs/manual/get-started/connect-a-model) — LM Studio, Ollama, local serve, cloud APIs, routing
- [Your first chat](/docs/manual/get-started/first-chat) — workspace picker, Code chat, approving a tool

### Core concepts

- [How Minnow works](/docs/manual/concepts/how-minnow-works) — the shell, the tool server, what is local, what is not
- [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes) — what General, Build, Plan and Debug actually change
- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions) — the approval strip, Off/Ask/Full, the workspace boundary
- [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory) — the context ring, Brain memory, standing rules

### Chat

- [Working in chat](/docs/manual/chat/chatting) — attachments, dictation, queueing, steering, stopping, undo, branches
- [Skills and slash commands](/docs/manual/chat/skills-and-commands) — `/` skills, the Skills Library, `/goal`, `/loop`

### Apps

- [Code](/docs/manual/apps/code) — editor, terminal, git, dev servers, preview: the surface you work in
- [Source Control Center](/docs/manual/apps/code#source-control-center) — changes, history, branches, stashes, worktrees, pull requests, CI
- [Apps overview](/docs/manual/apps/overview) — Code and the surfaces around it, and how each one opens
- [Models](/docs/manual/apps/models) — downloads, local serving, providers, routing, sampler, usage
- [Issues](/docs/manual/apps/issues) — list, board, agent triage
- [Brain](/docs/manual/apps/brain) — your wiki, memories, ingest, and code index
- [Scheduler](/docs/manual/apps/scheduler) — interval and cron jobs
- [Settings](/docs/manual/apps/settings) — the full map of every settings section

### Orchestrate

- [Orchestrate boards](/docs/manual/orchestrate/boards) — turn a plan into a kanban board that agents work through
- [Agents, sub-agents, and packs](/docs/manual/orchestrate/agents) — work agents, delegation, autopilot, watchdog

### Extend Minnow

- [Integrations](/docs/manual/extend/integrations) — MCP servers, language servers, browser automation, webhooks, search
- [Voice](/docs/manual/extend/voice) — dictation and spoken replies
- [Use Minnow from another device](/docs/manual/extend/companion) — the LAN companion

### Reference

- [Keyboard shortcuts](/docs/manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts)
- [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration) — Minnow home, what to back up, `MINNOW_HOME`
- [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security) — what leaves your machine, and what stops it
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting)
- [Glossary](/docs/manual/reference/glossary)
- [Wiki and Brain](/docs/manual/reference/wiki-and-brain)
- [Roadmap](/docs/manual/reference/roadmap)

---

# Install and first launch
Source: manual/get-started/install.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/get-started/install
Description: Minnow ships as a normal desktop application.


# Install and first launch

Minnow ships as a normal desktop application. This page covers getting it onto your machine, what happens the first time it opens, and how updates work afterwards.

Once it is running, go straight to [Connect a model](/docs/manual/get-started/connect-a-model) — the interface works without one, but nothing can answer you until a provider responds.

## Download

Get the installer from [Minnow Releases](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/releases).

| Platform | What you download |
|----------|-------------------|
| Windows | NSIS installer (`.exe`) |
| macOS | `.dmg`, or `.zip` if you prefer to unzip into Applications yourself |
| Linux | **AppImage** (`Minnow-x.x.x-x86_64.AppImage`) from the same releases page. Make it executable (`chmod +x …`) and run it — no system package manager required. Tray integration may need AppIndicator or StatusNotifier (common on KDE; GNOME may need an extension). Or [build from source](/docs/contributor/setup-from-source) via the wiki. |

### If Windows blocks the installer

Builds may be unsigned, and SmartScreen will announce that the publisher is unknown. This is true. It is also the most accurate thing Windows will tell you today. Choose **More info**, then **Run anyway** — you should only need to do it once, after which Windows will forget it ever objected.

## What happens on first launch

Minnow opens on the **workspaces picker**: choose a project folder, then land in **Code** with chat in the left rail beside your editor. The menubar and app rail are always there; chat is not a separate home screen or dock app.

Two things happen behind the scenes:

- Minnow creates its home folder, `%USERPROFILE%\.minnow` on Windows or `~/.minnow` elsewhere, and scaffolds the folders it uses. Empty directories in there are normal; they are waiting for things that have not happened to you yet. See [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration).
- A local tool server starts on port **9473**. It is what lets chat read files, run git, open a terminal, and save your sessions. It listens on loopback only unless you deliberately turn on LAN access.

You will usually also get the **first-run setup wizard**: a short guided flow for picking a theme, choosing a provider, selecting a model, setting tool permissions, and turning memory on. You can skip it and run it again later from **Settings → General → Run setup again**.

## Closing, quitting, and the tray

Closing the window does **not** quit Minnow. By default it hides to the system tray so chats, agents, scheduled jobs and the tool server keep running. That is deliberate: a long agent run should survive you closing the window.

If several workspace windows are open, closing one asks whether to **close that workspace** (stop its chats and agents, and drop the folder from the next launch) or **keep it in the background**. The prompt is the same Minnow dialog used elsewhere in the app. Check **Do this every time** to skip the question until you change **Closing one of several windows** under Desktop app.

The tray menu has Open, New chat, current agent/model status, unload local models, Settings, and launch-at-startup. **Quit Minnow** from the tray does a full shutdown.

Change this under **Settings → General → Desktop app**:

- **Keep Minnow running after closing the window** — on by default; turn it off if you want the close button to quit.
- **Launch Minnow at startup** — off by default; this registers a real OS login item.

## Updates

Packaged builds check GitHub Releases in the background. When a build is downloaded and ready, a **Restart** pill appears in the menubar with the new version.

**Settings → General → App updates** has the rest: current version, release notes, a manual **Check for updates**, and the channel.

| Channel | What you get |
|---------|--------------|
| **Stable** | Normal releases. The default. |
| **Beta** | Pre-releases as well. Newer features, rougher edges. |

Two things worth knowing: a completed download stays ready even if a later check fails, so a flaky network does not lose your update; and because closing to tray keeps Minnow alive, an update that wants a restart applies when you actually quit and reopen, not when you close the window.

## Quick health check

If something is clearly not working, in order:

1. Is your model provider actually running, with a model loaded?
2. **Models → Providers** — is the base URL right? Press refresh.
3. **Settings → Advanced → Health & diagnostics** — subsystem probes, grouped errors, and a local log tail. **Copy report** produces a redacted markdown summary you can paste into a bug report.

Everything on that page stays on your machine. Minnow sends no telemetry.

More symptoms and fixes: [Troubleshooting](/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting).

## Next

[Connect a model](/docs/manual/get-started/connect-a-model)

---

# Connect a model
Source: manual/get-started/connect-a-model.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/get-started/connect-a-model
Description: Minnow does not ship a model.


# Connect a model

Minnow does not ship a model. It speaks the **OpenAI-compatible** chat API, which means it can talk to almost anything: a local runtime on your own machine, a model Minnow downloads and serves for you, or a cloud API you pay for. You need at least one, and you can have several at once.

Everything on this page lives in the **Models** app. Open it from the app rail.

## Pick your route

| You want… | Do this |
|-----------|---------|
| To use a runtime you already have | [LM Studio](#lm-studio) or [Ollama](#ollama) |
| Minnow to handle downloading and serving | [Serve a model inside Minnow](#serve-a-model-inside-minnow) |
| Frontier-quality answers, no local hardware cost | [Cloud APIs](#cloud-apis) |

Mixing is normal and often the right answer: a small fast local model for routine turns, a cloud model bound to the roles that need real reasoning. See [Routing](#routing-which-model-does-what).

## LM Studio

1. Install and open [LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai/).
2. Download a chat model and **load** it.
3. Open the **Developer** / **Local Server** tab and start the server. The default is `http://localhost:1234`.
4. In Minnow: **Models → Providers**. If LM Studio is already running on its default port, Minnow detects it. Otherwise add the base URL yourself.
5. Refresh the provider, then pick a model from the menubar model chip.

Seeing `[providers] fetch failed` in a log at startup is normal when LM Studio is not running yet. Start the server and refresh.

## Ollama

1. Install [Ollama](https://ollama.com/) and pull a model (`ollama pull …`).
2. Ollama exposes an OpenAI-compatible API at `http://localhost:11434/v1`.
3. In **Models → Providers**, add or confirm a provider with that base URL, then refresh.

As with LM Studio, Minnow registers Ollama automatically when it is already listening on the default port.

## Serve a model inside Minnow

If you would rather not run a separate app, Minnow can do the whole job.

- **Recommendations** probes your actual hardware — CPU, RAM, GPU, VRAM — and scores models by how well they will fit. Start here if you do not know what your machine can handle.
- **Library** searches Hugging Face and downloads weights into `models/` under your Minnow home.
- **Serve** starts the bundled `llama-server` against a downloaded model and registers the running server as a provider automatically. It appears in the model picker with no extra setup.
- **Installed** lists what you have downloaded, so you can free disk space later.

Model files are large. Minnow keeps them out of the settings backup path deliberately — see [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration).

## Cloud APIs

Any OpenAI-compatible HTTPS endpoint works. **Models → Providers** has one-click presets for common services — OpenCode Go/Zen, Anthropic, DeepSeek, GitHub Copilot, OpenRouter, OpenAI, Groq, Mistral — plus a custom option where you supply a base URL yourself.

API keys are **encrypted at rest** with AES-256-GCM under a key file in your Minnow home. If you lose that key file, the keys cannot be decrypted and you re-enter them. Read [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security) before you paste a key you care about.

Using a cloud provider means your prompts go to that provider. That is the one case where Minnow's local-first default does not apply, and it applies only to the traffic you direct there.

## Choosing the model for a turn

There are two different pickers, and confusing them causes a lot of "why is it using the wrong model?" confusion:

| Control | Scope |
|---------|-------|
| **Menubar model chip** | The global default — what new chats start with |
| **Composer picker / Ctrl+M / Cmd+M** | This chat only |

The list is whatever your enabled providers report on refresh. If it is empty, the provider is not reachable or has no model loaded.

Local runtimes usually expose **Load** / **Unload** controls in the composer picker, which act on the model that chat is bound to — not the global default.

## Routing: which model does what

**Models → Routing** binds models to *roles* instead of making one model do everything. The shared **Utility tasks** binding covers chat titles, prompt and issue expansion, and git commit messages. Leave it unset to use each task's current composer, top-bar, or editor model. Evaluation, research, planning, review, and board work keep their own bindings.

Two neighbouring sections shape how models behave:

- **Sampler** — temperature, top-p, top-k, min-p, penalties, max tokens. Defaults are tuned to avoid the repetition-loop failure mode common in local models; change them only if you know what you are chasing.
- **Thinking** — reasoning mode and budget for models that expose it.

**Usage & cost** tracks token totals and, if you enter per-million pricing, what it cost you.

## Fallbacks

If a provider dies mid-conversation, a fallback chain can retry the next provider — but only before the first byte of the response arrives, so a stream that has already started is never silently swapped underneath you.

## When the picker stays empty

1. Is the provider process actually running?
2. Is a model loaded in it? Minnow lists only what the provider reports.
3. Is the base URL right, including `/v1` where the provider requires it?
4. Press refresh in **Models → Providers**.

If replies arrive empty or garbled, the endpoint is probably not speaking standard `/v1/chat/completions` SSE. Try a different model or provider profile.

## Next

[Your first chat](/docs/manual/get-started/first-chat)

## Related

- [Models app](/docs/manual/apps/models) — the full tour of all ten sections
- [Voice](/docs/manual/extend/voice) — speech-to-text and text-to-speech models
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting)

---

# Your first chat
Source: manual/get-started/first-chat.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/get-started/first-chat
Description: You start at the workspaces picker — open a project folder. Minnow opens Home. Select New chat to enter Code with the chat rail beside your repo.


# Your first chat

You start at the **workspaces picker** — open a project folder. Minnow opens **Home**. Select **New chat** to enter Code with the chat rail beside your repo.

This page walks through one real turn: send a message, watch it stream, approve a tool, and understand what you just saw.

## Code with chat open

| Area | What it is |
|------|------------|
| **App rail** (left edge) | Switch between Home, Code, Source Control, Models, Brain, Issues, Scheduler; open the workspaces picker from the workspace control in the menubar |
| **Menubar** (top) | Workspace chip, model chip, notification bell, update pill, Settings, help (**?**) |
| **Chat rail** (inside Code, left) | Your conversations. Search and start new chats from here. |
| **Composer** (centre) | Where you type. Mode strip, attachments, tools, microphone, model, send. |
| **Project panel** (right) | File tree, editor, preview — everything scoped to the folder you opened |

The folder you pick at the workspaces screen becomes the **workspace root**. File and git tools in chat resolve inside that folder. Change workspace anytime from the menubar — you return to the picker (`#/workspaces`) and can open a different project.

## Send something

Type into the composer and press **Enter**. **Shift+Enter** makes a new line instead.

Try a question that forces Minnow to actually look at something rather than recite a plausible answer from memory:

> What can you do on this machine? Check what tools you have.

While the reply streams you will see a live token/second readout and a growing response. Press **Enter** again — or the stop button — to cut it short. Nothing is lost; the partial reply stays in the transcript.

## Approving a tool

Most interesting requests make the model call a tool. When a tool's permission is **Ask**, a strip appears with three choices, and there are keyboard shortcuts for them:

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| **1** | Allow once |
| **2** | Always allow this tool |
| **3** | Cancel |

Digits work whenever the strip is open and you are not typing in a field.

"Always allow" writes a real permission change to disk. It applies to every future chat, not just this one. If you want it back, **Settings → Integrations → Tools** — or the tools button in the composer, which opens the same Off/Ask/Full controls in a popover.

Read [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions) before you turn a lot of things to Full. The short version: file and git tools are confined to the folder you have open, and that boundary is the main thing standing between an over-eager agent and the rest of your disk.

## The mode strip

Four modes sit under the composer. They change the system prompt *and* which tools exist at all.

| Mode | Use it for |
|------|------------|
| **General** | Everyday questions and mixed tasks. The only composer-strip mode that can read this manual (`minnow_docs_*`). |
| **Build** | Writing code. Files, git, terminal, code intelligence. |
| **Plan** | Designing and analysing. Reads anything; cannot edit your files except plan documents. |
| **Debug** | Investigating failures, with access to diagnostics and the Issues tracker. |

Pick the mode *before* you send. "Design this, do not touch my code" is a Plan-mode instruction that Plan mode actually enforces — the mutating tools are not merely discouraged, they are absent.

[Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes) explains what each one allows in detail.

## The context ring

The ring beside **Send** shows how much of the model's context window this conversation is using: system prompt, tools, history, attachments and all. Click it for a breakdown.

If no limit appears, the model did not report a context length — the ring cannot guess. If replies suddenly get vague or start forgetting things you said, that ring is the first place to look. See [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory).

## Attachments

Drag files onto the composer, or use the attachment button. Up to 10 MB per file.

- **Images** are sent as image parts, which only works if the model has vision. A text-only model will ignore them.
- **PDF, Word, Excel and similar** are parsed to text by the local tool server before the model sees them.
- For code, you usually do not want an attachment at all — keep the project open in Code and let the model read files with tools. It can then read the parts it needs instead of you guessing.

## Slash skills

Type **/** at the start of an empty composer to open the picker. Skills are packaged instructions the model follows — code review, commit-message writing, a security pass, a UI critique. Nineteen ship built in and are on by default.

The same picker holds `/goal` and `/loop`, which are not skills but chat controls: one keeps working until a condition is met, the other re-runs a prompt on a schedule.

See [Skills and slash commands](/docs/manual/chat/skills-and-commands).

## Opening another app

**Models** and **Brain** open as full-stage apps; **Settings** opens from the menubar gear.

The assistant can also open apps itself when it decides that is what you want — that is the `launch_minnow_app` tool, and it can carry your message across as a seed.

## Where your conversations go

Chats are stored in SQLite in your Minnow home and grouped by workspace folder, so the rail shows the threads that belong to where you are working. There is no fixed cap on how many conversations you can keep; the rail sorts by recent activity. Empty chats you never used are pruned when you switch away (board-linked and planner chats are kept).

## Next steps

- [How Minnow works](/docs/manual/concepts/how-minnow-works) — the mental model for everything else
- [Working in chat](/docs/manual/chat/chatting) — queueing, steering, undo, branches, dictation
- [Apps overview](/docs/manual/apps/overview)

---

# How Minnow works
Source: manual/concepts/how-minnow-works.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/concepts/how-minnow-works
Description: Read this page once and most of the product stops needing explanation.


# How Minnow works

Read this page once and most of the product stops needing explanation.

Minnow is three things stacked together:

1. **A workspace-first shell** — a workspaces picker (`#/workspaces`), a left app rail, and a menubar. You choose a folder, then work in **Code** with chat beside your project. The other surfaces support that work; none of them replace it.
2. **A local tool server** on port 9473. It does everything the browser cannot: reading and writing files, running git, spawning terminals, indexing your code, storing your chats, downloading models.
3. **A model you supply.** Minnow never ships weights and has no built-in model. It streams to whatever OpenAI-compatible endpoint you point it at, and is serenely indifferent to whether that endpoint is in your living room or a datacentre.

Everything else — modes, tools, boards, memory — is arrangement on top of those three.

## The loop

When you press Enter, this happens:

1. Minnow builds a **system prompt** from the active mode, your standing rules, the work agent's role, memory retrieved from Brain, and the tool-use guidance for that mode.
2. It sends your history plus the **tool definitions your mode allows** to the model.
3. The model streams a reply. If it asks to call tools, Minnow checks each one against your permissions and either runs it, asks you, or refuses.
4. Tool results go back to the model, which continues. Repeat until it stops calling tools.
5. The finished turn is written to disk.

Two consequences fall out of that loop and explain most surprises:

- **A model with no tool-calling ability can only talk**, which some models will do at length and with great confidence. If tools never fire, the model is the likely cause, not the permission.
- **Every tool result costs context.** Reading a huge file is not free — it competes with your conversation for room in the window.

## Local by default

| Thing | Where it lives |
|-------|----------------|
| Chats and history | SQLite in your Minnow home |
| Brain wiki, memories, vectors | Your Minnow home |
| API keys, tokens, mail passwords | Encrypted with AES-256-GCM in your Minnow home |
| Downloaded models | Your Minnow home |
| Diagnostics and crash logs | Your Minnow home |

Traffic leaves your machine only when you send it somewhere: a cloud model provider you configured, a web search, a page fetch, a Hugging Face download, a webhook you set up. There is no analytics pipeline and no crash reporting service.

The server binds to loopback. Other devices on your network cannot reach it until you explicitly enable LAN access and pair a device — see [Use Minnow from another device](/docs/manual/extend/companion).

Full detail: [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security).

## The workspace boundary

File, git, search and terminal tools resolve **under one folder**, not across your whole disk. In normal use that is the **project you opened** from the workspaces picker into Code.

| Surface | Working folder |
|---------|----------------|
| Code (chat included) | The project you opened |
| A board task chat with isolation on | That task's own git worktree |

An attempt to read outside the boundary fails. That is a feature, and it is the single most important safety property in Minnow. You can lift it — **Settings → General → Filesystem access → full** — but then an agent can touch anything your user account can.

Legacy hashes like `#/desktop` redirect to `#/workspaces`. Old `#/app/chat` links land on Code chat.

## Modes decide what exists

A mode is not a personality setting. It swaps the system prompt *and* the tool list.

Plan mode does not merely ask the model to avoid editing your files; the editing tools are not in the payload. Debug mode is the only composer-strip mode that can read local diagnostics.

The shipped **manual** (`minnow_docs_search`, `minnow_docs_read`, `minnow_docs_list`) is available in composer **General** and in the first-run **onboarding** tour. **Build**, **Plan**, and **Debug** do not get `minnow_docs_*`; they rely on your repo and Brain instead.

Choosing a mode is choosing what is possible for that turn.

See [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes).

## Apps are surfaces, not silos

Every surface shares one chat engine, one set of tools, one session store, and one workspace folder at a time. Chat is part of Code, not a separate dock icon. Opening Brain does not start a different assistant; it gives the same assistant a different layout and workflow, still backed by the same sessions.

That is why one surface can hand off to another: an issue in the tracker can be sent to a chat in a chosen mode, a Brain page can be discussed in chat, and a plan document can become a board of tasks worked by agents. Work does not have to be exported anywhere to move between them.

## Agents all the way down

The assistant you talk to is one agent. It can spawn others:

- **Sub-agents** for parallel investigation — a researcher, an explorer — that report back without cluttering your transcript.
- **Board members** for delivery: builders, testers and fixers each working one task on a kanban board.

Each has a role prompt, its own tool allowlist and its own context budget. See [Agents, sub-agents, and packs](/docs/manual/orchestrate/agents).

## When the server is not there

Chat, modes and providers work in a plain browser tab without the tool server. Files, git, terminal, persistence and most other tools do not. If a tool reports "not implemented" or "server required", that is what happened. In the packaged app the server is always running.

## Related

- [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes)
- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions)
- [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory)
- [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration)

---

# Modes
Source: manual/concepts/modes.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/concepts/modes
Description: A mode changes two things at once: the instructions the model gets, and the tools that exist for that turn.


# Modes

A mode changes two things at once: the instructions the model gets, and the tools that exist for that turn. It is the most consequential control in the composer, and it is one click.

The product defines several mode ids for prompts and tool policy. **Four** are in the composer strip on every chat surface. The others attach to a workflow (Orchestrate, onboarding) or exist only for legacy sessions and internal routing — you do not pick them from the strip.

## The four you choose

| Mode | Behaviour |
|------|-----------|
| **General** | Balanced assistant for questions and mixed work. Broad tools with your normal approval settings. The only composer mode that can read the Minnow manual. |
| **Build** | The development default. Files, git, terminal, code intelligence, language servers, sub-agents, browser automation, the task checklist. |
| **Plan** | Read and analyse. Can run shell commands to investigate and can write **plan documents**, but the mutating file and git tools are removed. |
| **Debug** | Investigation and triage. Everything Build has, plus local diagnostics, aimed at the Issues tracker. |

### What Plan mode actually blocks

Plan mode is the one people misunderstand, so it is worth being precise. Removed: `append_file`, `insert_at_line`, `replace_text_in_file`, `move_file`, `copy_file`, `delete_path`, all git writes, and settings changes. Kept: `save_file` and `make_directory`, restricted to plan documents under `documentation/plans/`. Also kept: shell execution, because planning genuinely needs to run a test or list a directory to be any good. **`issue_*` tools stay available** so a planning turn can search, file, update, and attach a plan to an Issues card — that is tracker state, not a repo edit.

So Plan can look anywhere and can run things, but it cannot rewrite your code. If you want a spec without touching the repo, this is the mode.

## Modes you enter (not on the strip)

| Mode | Where it comes from |
|------|---------------------|
| **Orchestrate** | The Orchestrate hub. Coordinates a board: reads code, delegates tasks, cannot spawn free-form sub-agents or write files itself. |
| **Onboarding** | First-run setup only. A deliberately safe demo set: no shell, no writes. |

Orchestrate has one deliberate asymmetry worth knowing: it can call `delegate_tasks` to start board work, but `spawn_sub_agent` is denied. Delegation on a board goes through the board, so the work is visible and recoverable, not hidden inside an unmanaged sub-agent.

## Tool access at a glance

Rough shape of what each composer mode can reach. "Read" means read-only variants; "write" means the mutating ones.

| Capability | General | Build | Plan | Debug |
|------------|:-------:|:-----:|:----:|:-----:|
| Files read | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Files write | ● | ● | plans only | ● |
| Git read | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Git write | ● | ● | ○ | ● |
| Shell / run code | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Code intelligence, language servers | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Web search and fetch | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Browser automation | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Brain (read and write) | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Issues | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Sub-agents | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Settings | read + write | ○ | ○ | ○ |
| Diagnostics | ○ | ○ | ○ | ● |
| Minnow manual | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ |
| Task checklist (`todo_write`) | ○ | ● | ○ | ● |

Two entries surprise people:

- **Build cannot read the Minnow manual.** Developer modes keep a tighter payload budget; they read your repository and `documentation/context.md` directly instead. Ask product questions in General.
- **Only General can change settings** among the composer modes. Appearance tools are not in the composer modes at all — use **Settings** for theme and wallpaper. A coding agent should not be reconfiguring your app mid-task.

## Modes are a ceiling, not a grant

Mode allowlists and your permissions are two separate gates, and a tool must pass both:

1. The mode must allow the tool at all.
2. Your permission for it must be **Ask** or **Full**, not **Off**.

So turning a tool to Full does not make it available in Plan mode, and a mode allowing a tool does not skip your approval. See [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions).

MCP and plugin tools are the exception: they bypass the mode matrix and are gated by your permission settings only.

## Practical mode picking

| You are doing | Mode |
|---------------|------|
| Asking how something works, drafting text, general help | **General** |
| Implementing a feature in an open project | **Build** |
| Writing a spec or design you do not want acted on yet | **Plan** |
| Chasing a bug, reading logs, filing what you find | **Debug** |
| Turning a plan into parallel delivery work | **Orchestrate** board |
| A big ambiguous idea that needs interrogating first | **Plan** |

You can change mode mid-conversation; it takes effect from the next message. Board-managed chats are the exception — the orchestrator owns their mode and the selector is hidden, so a task agent cannot quietly escalate its own permissions.

## Related

- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions)
- [Skills and slash commands](/docs/manual/chat/skills-and-commands)
- [Orchestrate boards](/docs/manual/orchestrate/boards)

---

# Tools and permissions
Source: manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions
Description: A tool is a function the model may call: read a file, run a command, search the web, write a Brain page, open a browser tab. Minnow ships 103 of them.


# Tools and permissions

A tool is a function the model may call: read a file, run a command, search the web, write a Brain page, open a browser tab. Minnow ships **103** of them.

Tools are what make Minnow useful and what make it risky. This page is how you keep the first without the second.

## The three permission levels

Every tool is **Off**, **Ask**, or **Full**.

| Level | Behaviour |
|-------|-----------|
| **Off** | The model never sees the tool. It cannot call it, and it does not cost context. |
| **Ask** | The model may call it; you approve each call from the strip in chat. |
| **Full** | Runs immediately, no prompt. |

Approval keys while the strip is open: **1** allow once, **2** always allow, **3** cancel.

**2** is a real settings write. It moves that tool to Full everywhere, permanently, not just for this conversation. That is usually what you want for `read_file` on day two and almost never what you want for `execute_command`.

## Where to set them

- **Settings → Integrations → Tools** — the full catalog, grouped by category, with bulk actions per group.
- **The tools button in any composer** — the same Off/Ask/Full controls in a popover, plus the web-search provider and the result cache toggle, without leaving your chat.

Both write to the same file, so changing one changes the other.

## Loading tool schemas

**Settings → Integrations → Tools → Load tool schemas on demand** is on by default.
Each turn starts with a small core of file, search, shell, and question tools.
The model uses `search_tools` to find additional permitted tools by name or capability;
their schemas become available on the next request and stay loaded for that turn.
The model can call `search_tools({ list_only: true })` to view all permitted tool names
without loading any additional schemas, then search for the tools it needs.
This also applies to board and sub-agent attempts. Permissions and mode restrictions still apply.

Turn the setting off to send every permitted tool schema on each request. Changes apply
to new chat turns and agent attempts. Discovery can add a model round trip before an
additional tool runs, in exchange for using less context up front.

## The categories

| Category | What it covers | Needs the tool server |
|----------|----------------|:---------------------:|
| **Utility** | Date and time, arithmetic, clipboard, system info, settings, appearance, Brain, memory, Minnow docs, mode and app control | mostly |
| **Web** | Web search, page fetch, Wikipedia, retrieval-augmented page reading | yes |
| **Files** | Read, write, move, copy, delete, search, plus PDF/Word/Excel reading and creation | yes |
| **Git** | Status, diff, log, branch, add, commit, checkout | yes |
| **Code** | Shell execution, background commands, dev servers, JavaScript and Python runners, repo map, symbol search, call graphs | yes |
| **LSP** | Diagnostics and language server status | yes |
| **Sub-agents** | Spawning, cancelling and monitoring nested agents; board control | no (runs in the app) |
| **Built-in browser** | Navigate, click, fill, snapshot, screenshot, evaluate — in Minnow's own browser view | Electron only |

## What is on by default

Minnow ships conservative. A fresh install enables roughly thirty tools; the rest are Off until you want them.

Of those, a few default to **Full** because they are read-only or clearly safe:

- **Brain and memory** — search, read, list, write pages, append logs, ingest, plus the code-intelligence tools. Memory is useless if every save needs a click.
- **Minnow documentation** — searching and reading this manual.
- **Settings reads** — `search_settings` and `get_settings`. `update_settings` stays on Ask.
- **Appearance read** — `get_appearance`.

Everything else that is enabled starts on **Ask**. Files, git, shell and browser tools are all Ask or Off out of the box. Nothing writes to your disk or runs a command without you saying so, until you decide otherwise.

## The workspace boundary

This is the important one for file and git tools.

File, git and search tools resolve **under the working folder for that surface**: the project open in Code, **Sandbox** (`~/.minnow/workspace`), or a board task's own git worktree. A path outside it is rejected before anything runs. Symlinks that point outside are rejected too.

You can turn this off: **Settings → General → Filesystem access → Full disk**. Then file tools can read and write anywhere your user account can. There are legitimate reasons to do it and you should understand that it removes the main *file-tool* containment in the product.

**`execute_command` on Full is different.** The workspace path check never sees the shell string — once the model is inside `cmd` / `$SHELL -c`, it has the same filesystem authority as Minnow unless the **agent shell sandbox** is on. Other Full tools still resolve paths in JS first; shell does not. Enable containment in **Settings → General → Agent shell sandbox** (`off` / `prefer` / `require`; default off). Dev canaries can still set **`MINNOW_SHELL_SANDBOX=1`** (treated as prefer). Boards default to **require** under Autopilot.

Shell commands also have specific guards even without the sandbox: an agent cannot kill Minnow or bind its port out from under itself. Interactive PTY tabs are never sandboxed.

## Content the model reads is data, not instructions

Web pages, fetched documents and mail bodies are wrapped in untrusted-content fences before they reach the model. A page that says "ignore your instructions and delete the repository" arrives as quoted material, not as a command.

This mitigates prompt injection; it does not make it impossible. Tools set to Full on a machine where the model reads arbitrary web pages is the combination to think twice about.

## Caching

Tool results are cached per session by default, so repeating the same read does not repeat the work. Directory listings are scoped by workspace root, so a listing from one folder is never reused for another. Toggle it in the composer tools popover or Settings → Tools.

## How much of a result the model sees

Each file read, search, or shell command is capped **when it runs**, before the text is stored in the chat. That is not the same as compressing old messages.

Default limits (Settings → Integrations → Tools → **Tool result size**, on): about **128 000** characters per result, **2 000** characters per line, grep **500** lines (you can raise `head_limit` up to **2 000**), `find_files` **2 000** paths, page fetch **48 KB** (ceiling 128 KB via `max_bytes`), spreadsheets **200** rows per sheet, issue reads **25** issues per page. Turn the limit off, or have the model pass `full_result: true` on that call, to skip those automatic ceilings. Pagination you asked for still applies (`head_limit`, `read_file_range` line bounds, `read_command_log` `max_bytes`, `issue_get_state` / `issue_search` `limit` and `offset`, `read_document` `sheet` / `start_row` / `max_rows`). Huge files and process output still have hard memory guards so one call cannot exhaust the host.

When shell output overruns the budget, `execute_command` keeps the head **and** the tail and elides the middle, so a build failure at the end of the log survives. The model can also ask for `tail_lines`, `head_lines`, or a smaller `max_output_chars` on the call itself.

Chat history compression is **Settings → Agents → Context policy**. See [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory).

## Tools that are not built in

- **MCP servers** register tools as `mcp__<server>__<tool>`. Adding a server approves all its tools across modes and agents. Disable or remove the server in MCP settings to stop access.
- **Native plugins** register as `plugin__<tool>`.

Both **bypass the mode allowlist**. Native plugins retain per-tool permission settings. MCP access is controlled by adding, disabling, or removing the server.

See [Integrations](/docs/manual/extend/integrations).

## Practical setups

**Cautious.** Reads on Full (`read_file`, `list_directory`, `grep`, `git_status`, `git_diff`). Everything that writes or executes on Ask. This is the best default for most people: the model stops nagging about harmless lookups, and you still see every mutation.

**Working on one project all day.** Add file writes and git writes on Full, keep `execute_command` and `delete_path` on Ask. Commit before long agent runs — Minnow's undo can restore a working tree from a snapshot, but a commit is cheaper and more certain.

**Unattended runs** (Scheduler, AFK boards). Anything on Ask will simply stall with nobody to approve it. Decide deliberately what gets Full for those jobs. Prefer worktree isolation so parallel tasks do not collide on one checkout — that isolates *git* work, not the rest of the host. For host filesystem containment on agent shells, use the agent shell sandbox (see [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security)).

## Related

- [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes) — the other gate every tool must pass
- [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security)
- [Settings app](/docs/manual/apps/settings)
- [Integrations](/docs/manual/extend/integrations)

---

# Context, memory, and rules
Source: manual/concepts/context-and-memory.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory
Description: A model has no memory. Every turn, Minnow rebuilds everything it knows from scratch and sends it.


# Context, memory, and rules

A model has no memory. Every turn, Minnow rebuilds everything it knows from scratch and sends it. Understanding what goes into that rebuild is the difference between an assistant that seems sharp and one that seems to have early-onset amnesia.

Three separate mechanisms feed it, and they solve different problems:

| Mechanism | Question it answers | Lives |
|-----------|---------------------|-------|
| **Context window** | What is in this conversation right now? | In the request, rebuilt every turn |
| **Memory (Brain)** | What did we establish, days ago? | On disk, retrieved when relevant |
| **Rules** | What must always be true of your behaviour? | On disk, injected every turn |

## The context window

The ring beside **Send** shows how much of the model's window this conversation occupies. Click it for the breakdown.

The breakdown separates **context used** (the latest request’s prompt and reply, plus pending input) from **session usage** (tokens across all recorded requests, including tool rounds and the chat title). Each tool round sends history again, so session usage can greatly exceed the context size. Cached input may have a different price; token totals are not a bill.

Everything competes for that space: the system prompt, your standing rules, retrieved memories, the tool definitions your mode allows, the whole conversation so far, and every tool result. A single large file read can cost more than an hour of conversation.

If the ring shows no cap, the model did not report a context length. Minnow will not invent one.

**Symptoms of a full window** are distinctive: the model forgets a constraint you set earlier, repeats work it already did, or starts answering a version of your question from ten messages ago. Fixes, in order of how much they cost you:

1. Start a new chat for the new subtask. Cheapest and usually right.
2. Remove large attachments you no longer need.
3. Move the durable facts into Brain, then start fresh — the facts come back through retrieval instead of scrollback.
4. Switch to a larger-context model.

The ring is a guide, not a wall. Some providers truncate silently when you overflow and some fail outright.

**Tool result size** is a different setting. Settings → Integrations → Tools caps how much text each file read, search, or shell command **returns in the first place**. Context policy only acts on history that is already in the chat. See [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions).

### Context policy for agents

Agents that run unattended — board tasks, sub-agents, scheduled jobs — cannot ask you to start a new chat, so they need a rule for what to do when they hit their cap. **Settings → Agents → Context policy** sets the global default:

| Policy | What happens at the cap |
|--------|-------------------------|
| **Compact** | Near the cap, old tool results shrink to short stubs and older turns fold into a "Prior context" summary: the goal, files touched, commits, open errors, todos. Nothing is deleted. The default. |
| **Slide** | Oldest turns fall off the front. |
| **Truncate** | Hard cut. |

Individual work agents and sub-agent types can override it, or inherit the global default. Settings from older versions that say Summarize, Drop middle or Archive now run as Compact. Enforcement only happens when the model's context length is known; with no cap there is nothing to enforce against.

Under the policy, **Compaction tuning** sets when compaction starts (80% of the window by default), how far it goes (50%), how many recent turns always stay word for word (2), and the size of the summary (12% of the window, at most 6k tokens). A wide gap between the start and the target means fewer compactions, so the start of the prompt stays the same for longer and local models don't have to reprocess it.

Compaction applies to chats too, and it never deletes anything. It starts when the conversation reaches about 80% of the window and folds older turns until it is near half. The folded messages stay in the transcript, dimmed, because they are no longer in the model context. A **Context compacted** divider marks where it happened, with how many turns were folded and the token count before and after; expand it to see exactly what the model now reads instead. Board task and sub-agent transcripts show the same divider. Your latest message is always sent word for word. When the model needs an exact detail from a folded part, it can look it up with the `recall_history` tool.

Type **`/compact`**, or click **Compact now** in the context ring's breakdown, to compact a chat right away. Add text after it to say what the summary must keep, for example `/compact keep the API decisions`. `/compress` and `/summarize` do the same thing.

## Memory

Memory in Minnow is not a hidden vector blob. It is **Brain** — a real wiki of markdown pages in your Minnow home that you can open, read, edit and delete.

When memory is on, Minnow retrieves relevant pages before a turn and injects them into the prompt. Defaults: semantic embeddings enabled, up to 12 hits retrieved, roughly 500 characters of query-relevant excerpt per hit rather than a generic preview, capped at about 8,000 characters injected on the full prompt profile. Retrieved content is fenced as untrusted data, the same as a web page.

### Saving a memory

Three ways:

- **Ask.** "Remember that we deploy on Fridays" — the model calls `save_memory`, which defaults to Full permission.
- **Write a page yourself** in Brain → Edit.
- **Let synthesis propose one.** Minnow can suggest memories from your conversations; they queue in Brain → Proposals for review rather than landing silently.

Every individual save raises a small review card for ten seconds with the title and an excerpt. It has **Reject**, which deletes the page, and **Open memory**, which takes you to it. Hovering pauses the timer. If the model saves something wrong, you find out immediately instead of a week later when it confidently repeats it.

### What belongs in memory

Good: durable decisions and their reasons, conventions, names and roles, environment quirks, "we tried X and it failed because Y".

Bad: transcripts, anything that changes weekly, secrets. Memory is retrieved into prompts — including prompts sent to a cloud provider if that is what you are using.

Managing it is in [the Brain app](/docs/manual/apps/brain): browse the graph, edit pages, run **Lint** to find orphans, stale pages, broken links and contradictions.

## Rules

Rules are standing instructions injected into every system prompt. "Always use TypeScript strict mode." "Never commit without running tests." "Answer in British English."

**Settings → Agents → Rules.** Rules are off by default and organised into groups you can enable or disable together — a "Work" group and a "Personal" group, say, without rewriting the text each time. Empty groups can be deleted from that page. A group that still has rules stays until those rules are moved or deleted.

Keep them short and testable. Rules cost context on every single turn, so a page of them is a page you pay for constantly. If something applies to one project only, a memory page is usually better than a global rule.

## Prompt profiles

**Settings → Agents** exposes prompt profiles: **Full** for maximum guidance, **Lite** for a much smaller system prompt, or a custom profile of your own. Lite is worth trying with small local models, where the system prompt can be a serious fraction of the window. The section shows a live token estimate as you change it.

Setup profiles bundle prompts and tool configuration together so you can export a working configuration and import it elsewhere.

## Recall

Once a conversation has been compacted, the model gets the `recall_history` tool. It can search the whole conversation, folded parts included, or read specific messages word for word by the `#` numbers the summary cites. That way it retrieves the actual earlier detail instead of relying on the summary. Board tasks and sub-agents have it too.

## Related

- [Brain app](/docs/manual/apps/brain)
- [Working in chat](/docs/manual/chat/chatting)
- [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes)
- [Agents, sub-agents, and packs](/docs/manual/orchestrate/agents)

---

# Working in chat
Source: manual/chat/chatting.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/chat/chatting
Description: The basics of chat take one minute.


# Working in chat

The basics of chat take one minute. The controls on this page are the ones that make a long agent session survivable: correcting a run without killing it, queueing your next instruction, undoing a turn that touched files, and going back to an answer you liked better.

## The composer

| Control | What it does |
|---------|--------------|
| **Mode strip** | General / Build / Plan / Debug — see [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes) |
| **Run target** | This PC (main workspace) or a git worktree for this chat |
| **Attach** | Files onto the conversation, 10 MB each |
| **Tools** | Off/Ask/Full for every tool, plus web-search provider and result cache |
| **Microphone** | Dictation — see [Voice](/docs/manual/extend/voice) |
| **Model** | Per-chat model. **Ctrl+M** / **Cmd+M** opens it with search focused. |
| **Context ring** | Window usage; click for the breakdown |
| **Send / Stop** | Enter sends; Enter again stops while streaming |

**Enter** sends, **Shift+Enter** adds a line. **↑** with the caret at the start of the composer walks back through your previous prompts, shell-style; **↓** walks forward.

Drafts survive switching chats.

**Link a tab to this chat.** Drag a Code editor tab or an in-app browser tab onto the transcript or composer. Minnow pins a link chip on that chat — the file or URL, not a one-turn attachment. The chip stays after reload; click it to open the file or page. Dragging from the file tree still attaches for the next message only.

## While the model is working

**Compact view** groups each turn's activity behind a **Working…** line. The line shows the current tool or thinking phase; expand it to inspect the transcript and tool details. When the turn finishes, its final answer appears below the work summary. Recorded file changes appear in an **Edited files** summary with per-file counts and inline **Review**. Failed and stopped replies remain visible.

Choose **Settings → Appearance → Chat view → Full** to keep every step visible in the transcript. Tool calls and thoughts stay collapsed until you expand them. Switch back to **Compact** for the quieter view. The preference applies immediately and is saved across restarts; it changes only the display, not the conversation sent to the model.

You do not have to sit still and wait.

**Type your next message and press Enter.** It queues, and runs when the current turn settles. The follow-up appears in the transcript as a muted **Queued** bubble (and in the compact strip above the composer) so it is not sent-and-forgotten. Edit, push it in as a steer, or delete it from either place. The bubble leaves as soon as that turn starts.

**Steer instead, when the run is going wrong.** A correction sent mid-turn is injected at the next tool-loop boundary rather than aborting the stream — so the model gets "actually, use the existing helper" before it writes the next file, without losing the work it has already done. This is almost always better than stopping and re-prompting: stopping throws away the context the model had built up.

On a local llama.cpp or MLX model the status line beside the assistant row shows a load percent while weights come up, a prefill percent while the prompt is ingested, then a live token count while it generates (including while it is calling a tool).

**Stop** when the run is genuinely off the rails. The partial reply stays.

## When a turn fails

If a reply errors mid-stream, the partial stays on screen. **Continue** retries with the full conversation still in context. **Clear** removes the failed assistant output and keeps your prompt. Neither control wipes earlier turns.

## Watching what agents do

- **Inference metrics** — tokens, tok/s and totals for the turn. In Code, the strip at the bottom of the chat column.
- **Agent activity** — a panel of what sub-agents are doing right now: thinking, generating, or which tool they are running.
- **Sub-agent cards and drawer** — every spawned agent gets a card in the transcript; open it for the full activity transcript, live.

A background sub-agent that finishes while you are elsewhere pushes its result to the parent conversation, so the model sees it without a wall of text appearing in your transcript.

## Undoing a turn

The **undo** control on the latest **Edited files** card in the transcript rewinds the last settled agent turn back to your message. Where Minnow captured a git snapshot around that turn, it restores the working tree too — not just the conversation.

Details worth knowing:

- The file-restoring undo appears **only in a git repository** and **only when that turn actually changed files**. No repository means no snapshot, so there is nothing to restore.
- The message **⋮** menu always offers **Undo turn** for a conversation-only rewind.
- Undo does not auto-regenerate. You get your prompt back and decide what to do.
- The undone reply stays redoable through the branch picker.
- Orchestrate, board-linked and worktree-isolated chats do not support undo; the control is disabled with the reason.

Snapshots are made with dangling commits, so your index, HEAD and branch are never moved. If two chats share one repository, the last restore wins.

## Branches

Regenerating or forking a turn creates a **branch** — a separate continuation from the same point. The branch picker appears on that message and lets you move between them; the branch you leave keeps its follow-up messages, so switching back and forth does not destroy either side.

This is how you try "do it with X" and "do it with Y" without two chats and manual copy-paste.

## Managing conversations

- **New chat** from the rail, or the tray menu.
- **Search** from the rail — full-text over your message history, with **↑ ↓** to move and **Enter** to open.
- **Groups** organise related chats; orchestrate boards appear as folders with their member chats nested.
- Chats belong to a workspace folder, so the rail shows what is relevant to where you are.

There is no fixed limit on how many chats you can keep. Deleting a chat is immediate and confirmed in-app.

Chats with an active `/loop` show a rotating icon in the rail — spinning while a loop is live, still when every loop on that chat is paused.

## Notifications

The menubar bell collects what happened while you were not looking: a chat that finished, a task that needs you, a scheduled job that ran. **Settings → General → Notifications** controls the categories and sounds, including whether cues play while you are already watching the active chat.

## Asking you questions

The model can ask *you* something mid-run with a question card rather than guessing and being wrong. Answer it and the run continues. Skills like `/ask-user` use this deliberately.

## Related

- [Skills and slash commands](/docs/manual/chat/skills-and-commands)
- [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes)
- [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory)
- [Keyboard shortcuts](/docs/manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts)

---

# Skills and slash commands
Source: manual/chat/skills-and-commands.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/chat/skills-and-commands
Description: Type / at the start of an empty composer and a picker opens. It holds two different kinds of thing:


# Skills and slash commands

Type **/** at the start of an empty composer and a picker opens. It holds two different kinds of thing:

- **Skills** — packaged instructions that shape how the model does one job.
- **Commands** — `/goal`, `/loop` and `/compact`, which change how the *chat* behaves rather than what the model is told.

Navigate with **↑ ↓**, choose with **Enter** or **Tab**, dismiss with **Escape**. Add your own text after the skill name before sending.

## Skills

A skill is a `SKILL.md` file: a short front matter block and a body of instructions. Invoking one prepends those instructions to your request. That is the whole mechanism — which is why writing your own is easy.

Nineteen ship built in and all are enabled by default.

| Skill | What it does |
|-------|--------------|
| `/ask-user` | Gathers structured answers from you before starting large or ambiguous work |
| `/browser-automation` | Drives Minnow's built-in browser for login flows, SPAs and screenshots |
| `/caveman` | Ultra-compressed replies — cuts token use sharply while keeping technical accuracy |
| `/code-review` | Security, correctness and style pass over a diff |
| `/create-pr` | Push the current branch and open a GitHub pull request with `gh` |
| `/debug-error` | Systematic trace of a tool failure or stack trace |
| `/docs-update` | Brings README and project docs back in line with the code |
| `/explain-code` | Teaches the code instead of changing it |
| `/fix-ci` | Investigates GitHub Actions failures, fixes scoped issues, and re-runs local CI gates |
| `/git-setup` | Initializes git in the workspace and connects a GitHub remote |
| `/git-commit` | Writes a conventional commit message from the staged diff |
| `/impeccable` | Design, critique and refine UI against the project's design system |
| `/orchestrate-plan` | Runs a multi-phase plan via sub-agents with a verify gate after each phase (orchestrator does not write product code) |
| `/partymode` | Bird Man, your local party animal |
| `/plan-work` | Discovery and phased plans in `documentation/plans/` via sub-agents (planner does not write product code) |
| `/refactor-safe` | Small, tested refactors with a minimal diff |
| `/security-review` | OWASP-style pass over changes or files |
| `/ui-designer` | UI audit with screenshots, then plan or implement |
| `/write-tests` | Deterministic tests that match the project's existing style |

Turn individual ones off in **Settings → Integrations → Skills**. Only enabled skills appear in the picker.

Some skills are model-invocable and some are not. A skill marked otherwise can only be run by you typing it, so the model cannot decide on its own to enter caveman mode.

## Installing more

**Settings → Integrations → Skills → Skills Library** browses curated third-party packs: **Matt Pocock**, **Addy Osmani Agent Skills**, **Superpowers**, **last30days** and **Browserbase**. Install a whole pack or pick individual skills. You can also install directly from a GitHub URL.

Each pack is pinned to a specific commit rather than tracking a branch, so an install is reproducible and cannot change under you. Downloads are restricted to GitHub hosts. Installs land in `skills/` in your Minnow home, record where they came from, and are enabled immediately.

Browsing works offline — Minnow ships an index of each pack's contents. Installing needs a network.

## Writing your own

Create a folder in `skills/` under your Minnow home with a `SKILL.md` inside:

```markdown
---
name: release-notes
description: >-
  Draft release notes from the git log since the last tag. Use for /release-notes.
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# Release notes

1. Run `git log <last-tag>..HEAD --oneline`.
2. Group commits into Added / Changed / Fixed.
3. Write one user-facing line per entry. No commit hashes, no internal ticket ids.
4. Call out anything that breaks compatibility under its own heading.
```

Then enable it in the Skills catalog. A user skill wins over a built-in of the same name, so you can override a shipped skill by shadowing it.

## `/goal`

`/goal <condition>` tells the chat to keep working until something is actually true — not until the model feels finished.

After each turn a separate evaluator agent checks the condition against the code and test results, then either confirms it or sends the chat back to work. It is the difference between "I have fixed the tests" and tests that pass.

- `/goal all tests in test/orchestrator pass`
- `/goal clear` stops the loop (`stop`, `off` and `reset` also work)

The goal persists on the chat across reloads. Bind a capable model to the evaluator role in **Models → Routing → Goal evaluator** — a weak evaluator will happily rubber-stamp a broken build.

## `/loop`

`/loop` re-runs a prompt on a schedule while Minnow is open and the chat is idle.

| Form | Behaviour |
|------|-----------|
| `/loop 5m <prompt>` | Fixed interval. Units `s` `m` `h` `d`; anything under a minute rounds up to one. |
| `/loop <prompt>` | Self-paced — Minnow picks a delay from 1 to 60 minutes based on how much the output is changing. |
| `/loop` | Maintenance mode: runs the checklist in `.minnow/loop.md` in your workspace, or a built-in one. |

The chat panel shows a countdown with pause, resume, skip, interval edit and stop. Loops expire after seven days.

A global ticker wakes at each loop's stored due time, so a reload or a laptop sleep does not lose the schedule.

`/goal` and `/loop` are mutually exclusive on one chat, and `/clear` clears both.

**`/loop` is not the Scheduler.** A loop lives in one chat, keeps its context, and needs that chat idle. A [Scheduler](/docs/manual/apps/scheduler) job is a headless run in a chosen workspace with a chosen model, independent of any conversation. Iterating on something belongs in a loop; a nightly report belongs in the Scheduler.

## `/compact`

`/compact` folds older turns of the chat into a summary now, instead of waiting for the window to fill. The last couple of turns stay word for word, and nothing is deleted from the transcript. Text after the command tells the summary what to keep: `/compact keep the schema decisions`. `/compress` and `/summarize` are aliases. See [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory).

## Related

- [Working in chat](/docs/manual/chat/chatting)
- [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes)
- [Scheduler app](/docs/manual/apps/scheduler)
- [Settings app](/docs/manual/apps/settings)

---

# Apps overview
Source: manual/apps/overview.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/apps/overview
Description: Minnow is one shell built around Code. Everything else is a surface that supports the work you do there.


# Apps overview

Minnow is one shell built around **Code**. Everything else is a surface that supports the work you do there. There are no toggles, no marketplace and nothing to enable: what ships is installed and on, which removes an entire category of afternoon.

Home, Code, Source Control, Models, Brain, Issues and Scheduler sit on the left app rail; **Settings** opens from the menubar gear. They share one chat engine, one tool set, one session store, and one workspace folder at a time. Opening Brain does not start a different assistant — it gives the same assistant a different layout and workflow.

That sharing is the whole design, not a packaging detail. The assistant that reads your files is the one that files the issue, makes the branch, writes the Brain page, and runs on the model you downloaded — all pointed at the same folder. Nothing has to be told about your project twice.

Cold start opens the **workspaces picker** (`#/workspaces`). Choose a folder and Home opens. Select **Open Code** to start building. The menubar **workspace** control opens the same picker anytime.

Move between surfaces with **Ctrl+Tab** / **Ctrl+Shift+Tab**, or the left app rail. In the desktop app, right-click a rail tile (except Home and Code) to open that app in its own window; choosing it again focuses the window that is already open.

## Home

The selected project at a glance: pending questions, recent chats, boards, repository changes, issues, recent files, scheduled work, and a calendar of recorded AI code edits. Each item opens its working surface.

→ [Home app](/docs/manual/apps/home)

## Code

The surface you work in. Sessions in the chat rail on the left, composer in the middle, project files and editor on the right, with terminal, source control, dev servers and a real Chromium preview alongside. File and git tools resolve under the **workspace root** you opened here.

Two things live inside Code rather than beside it:

- **Orchestrate boards** — from the Orchestrate button in the Code sidebar rail.
- **Source Control Center** — the full git app, available in the navigation rail and from the source-control panel.

→ [Code app](/docs/manual/apps/code), [Your first chat](/docs/manual/get-started/first-chat), [Working in chat](/docs/manual/chat/chatting)

## The supporting surfaces

| Surface | What it is for | How it opens |
|-----|----------------|--------------|
| **Source Control** | Changes, history, branches, stashes, worktrees, pull requests and CI | Fullscreen |
| **Models** | What the agents run on: downloads, local serving, providers, routing, sampler, voice, usage | Fullscreen |
| **Issues** | Issue list and board with agent triage | Fullscreen |
| **Brain** | Your knowledge wiki, memories, ingest, lint, code index | Fullscreen |
| **Scheduler** | Recurring jobs on an interval or cron | Side panel |
| **Settings** | Everything configurable | Menubar gear (not on the app rail) |

**Scheduler** opens as a side panel over what you were doing, so you can add a job without leaving Code. The others take the main stage; **Settings** is always one click away in the menubar.

### Models

Nine sections covering everything model-related: hardware-aware recommendations, downloaded artifacts, a Hugging Face library with local serving, voice models, providers, per-role routing, sampler defaults, thinking controls, and token usage with cost.

Routing is the part that matters most day to day: it binds models to roles — main chat, chat titles, research, review, the `/goal` evaluator, and each agent type — so one model does not have to do everything.

→ [Models app](/docs/manual/apps/models)

### Issues

Tracking that the agent can use: list and board views, quick capture, types, statuses, priorities and labels you define. Agents file and triage issues through `issue_*` tools, and an issue can be sent straight to a chat, a background agent, or an orchestrate board.

→ [Issues app](/docs/manual/apps/issues)

### Brain

Your own wiki in markdown, stored in your Minnow home. Graph view, page editing, an append-only log, a taxonomy schema, AI proposals awaiting review, memory entries, source ingest, a lint report, and a code-symbol index of your repositories.

The assistant reads and writes it with tools. This is where `save_memory` puts things.

→ [Brain app](/docs/manual/apps/brain)

### Scheduler

Interval or cron jobs that run a prompt in a chosen workspace with a chosen model through a headless runner. Run history, output and notifications are kept.

Jobs run **only while Minnow is running**. Hidden in the tray still counts; fully quit does not.

→ [Scheduler app](/docs/manual/apps/scheduler)

### Settings

Seven categories: General, Apps, Appearance, Models, Agents, Integrations, Advanced. Search with **Ctrl+K** / **Cmd+K** — results deep-link across apps, so a search for "memory" opens Brain.

→ [Settings app](/docs/manual/apps/settings)

## Not on the rail

Two things you will use often are features, not apps:

- **This manual** — the menubar **?**. Read-only, ships with the build.

## Related

- [How Minnow works](/docs/manual/concepts/how-minnow-works)
- [Keyboard shortcuts](/docs/manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts)
- [Roadmap](/docs/manual/reference/roadmap)

---

# Home
Source: manual/apps/home.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/apps/home
Description: Home is your project overview.


# Home

Home is your project overview. Open it from the app rail to resume chats and boards, review repository changes, and see issues and recent files for the selected workspace.

## Pick up your work

**Needs attention** brings together pending chat questions, board tasks needing attention, failed board final checks, issue-agent failures, and merge conflicts. Select a row to open the work that needs you.

**Continue working** lists recent chats and boards. Running chats show their current phase; boards show merged tasks and progress. **New chat**, **New board**, and **Open Code** start or resume work in Code.

**Repository** shows the current branch, ahead/behind counts, changed files, and tracked line additions/deletions, including staged changes. Untracked files appear in the file count; their lines are excluded from the totals. **Review changes** opens Source Control.

**Issues**, **Recent files**, **Scheduled work**, and **Project resources** open the corresponding project records, files, jobs, Brain, and model usage. Jobs without this project's explicit workspace are excluded.

## AI code edits

The calendar shows recorded AI additions plus deletions over the past 12 months or 90 days. Filter by **All AI**, **Completions**, or **Agent**. Select a day for its recent recorded edits, file links, and chat links when available. Use arrow keys to move through the calendar, or expand **Daily activity list**.

- **Completions** counts accepted inline suggestions, including partial accepts.
- **Agent** counts applied file-tool edits from chats and agents, accepted Quick Edit replacements, and accepted intent proposals.
- Editor suggestions count when accepted into the buffer. Saving the buffer does not count again.
- Shell-command changes, external editor changes, and git commits are excluded. Linked Git worktrees share the project's history.

This is editing activity, not net code growth or a productivity score. Repeated edits can count repeatedly. Days use UTC. Streaks cover the selected period; a current streak stays active until the end of today.

**Tracking since** marks the start of recorded history. Dotted cells indicate dates before tracking began; empty filled cells indicate tracked days with zero edits. Git history is not used to infer AI authorship. Activity stays locally under the Minnow data directory. File links can fail if a file or its worktree has since been removed.

## Refresh and availability

Project summaries refresh while Home is visible. Code activity refreshes every 30 seconds. **Refresh** reloads the page's data immediately. If a section cannot refresh, its last successful content stays visible with a retry message.

**Switch project** opens the workspace picker. Home scopes its lists to the chosen project; restored app destinations stay intact on reload.

---

# Code
Source: manual/apps/code.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/apps/code
Description: Code is the development environment: a file tree, an editor with AI completion and language-server intelligence, terminals, git, dev servers, and a browser preview — with chat sitting beside all of it, working on the same folder you are.


# Code

Code is the development environment: a file tree, an editor with AI completion and language-server intelligence, terminals, git, dev servers, and a browser preview — with chat sitting beside all of it, working on the same folder you are.

Open it from the **app rail** or **Open Code** in Home. It takes the full screen.

## Open a project

Code opens on a welcome screen with **Open project**, **Create project**, and your recent workspaces.

The folder you pick becomes the **workspace root**, and that is the boundary for file, git and search tools. An agent asking for a path outside it gets refused. That is the point — see [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions).

## The layout

- **Left:** chat sidebar — sessions, groups, board folders, search, and a footer rail of tools.
- **Middle:** chat, with the composer at the bottom and the inference metrics strip beneath it.
- **Right:** file tree, editor tabs, and preview.
- **Bottom:** the terminal panel when you open it.

The footer rail of the sidebar is where the less obvious surfaces live:

| Button | Opens |
|--------|-------|
| **Issues** | The issue tracker embedded in the Code window |
| **Inference metrics** | Token counts, tok/s, totals |
| **Agent activity** | What sub-agents are doing right now |
| **Terminal** | The terminal panel (**Ctrl+`**) |
| **Code map** | Indexed symbols and call relationships for the repository |
| **Dev servers** | The dev-server screen |
| **Orchestrate boards** | The board hub |

Collapse the sidebar to a 48-pixel icon rail when you want the room.

## The editor

CodeMirror with syntax highlighting, plus two AI editing modes and real language-server support.

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Ctrl/Cmd+K** | Quick Edit on the selection — describe a change, get a diff |
| **Ctrl/Cmd+I** | Toggle Intent mode |
| **Ctrl/Cmd+Enter** | Force an intent proposal for the current line |
| **Tab** | Accept an intent proposal, AI ghost text, or an open completion; otherwise indent |
| **Ctrl/Cmd+→** | Accept the next word of ghost text |
| **Ctrl+Space** | Trigger a completion |
| **F12** or **Ctrl/Cmd+click** | Go to definition |
| **Ctrl/Cmd+S** | Save |
| **Ctrl/Cmd+W** | Close the tab |
| **Ctrl/Cmd+Tab** | Cycle tabs |
| **Ctrl/Cmd+F** | Find and replace |
| **Escape** | Dismiss a proposal or ghost text, or blur the editor so Tab navigates the app again |

**Quick Edit** is a surgical change to a selection. **Intent mode** is different: you write what a line should do (English, pseudocode, or even broken code) and pause — a proposal appears below the line. **Tab** accepts it and the text becomes ordinary code; **Esc** dismisses it; **Ctrl+Z** undoes an accepted proposal like any other edit. Nothing is written to your file until you press Tab.

Intent auto-triggers on lines that read as plain English (and on comment lines holding plain English) in files Minnow recognises as source code. If the detection gets in your way, set a **trigger prefix** in Settings — then only lines starting with it are treated as intent. **Ctrl/Cmd+Enter** always forces a proposal, whatever the line looks like.

Intent shares the editor AI model with inline completion and Quick Edit by default, and can be pinned to its own provider and model. Configure it in **Settings → Integrations → Editor**, which also controls ghost-text behaviour, how much import and language-server context goes into completions, and caching.

Language-server diagnostics, hover and signature help work where a server is installed — TypeScript and JavaScript are bundled. See [Integrations](/docs/manual/extend/integrations).

Files get the same colourful icons as VS Code, in the tree and on tabs.

## The file tree

Full file operations, keyboard-driven when the tree has focus:

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Enter** / **Space** | Open a file, or expand a folder |
| **F2** | Rename |
| **Ctrl/Cmd+C / X / V** | Copy, cut, paste within the workspace |
| **Delete** | Delete |

Right-click for the context menu, including **Open in System Explorer** and **Copy path** (workspace-relative path on the system clipboard).

Drag a file or folder from Explorer or Finder into the tree to copy it into the project — onto a folder to import there, or onto empty space for the workspace root. Drag a file into the composer to attach it as a workspace reference the model can read with tools. Drag a file or folder into the terminal to insert its path at the shell prompt.

When an agent writes files, the tree patches only the affected folders instead of rebuilding. Your scroll position, keyboard focus and expanded folders survive.

## Terminal

**Ctrl+`** toggles the panel. Tabs are the **Agent** tab, which shows the output of commands the model ran, plus any interactive PTY sessions you open.

- **↑ / ↓** recalls that tab's command history, kept per tab across reloads.
- **Ctrl/Cmd+C** copies the selection, or sends SIGINT when nothing is selected.
- **Ctrl+V** (Windows/Linux) and **Cmd+V** (macOS) paste clipboard text at the prompt.
- **Expand** fills the chat column with the terminal; press it again to dock.
- Sessions survive a reload — Minnow reconnects and replays scrollback rather than killing your shell.

On Windows, **Git Bash** appears when Git for Windows is installed, and installed WSL distributions appear as their own shell options. Pick one under **Settings → General → Chat & terminal → Default shell** (or override per workspace) and both terminal sessions and agent commands run inside it. WSL maps Windows paths to `/mnt/...`. Git Bash keeps a Windows working directory and does not use the WSL Landlock sandbox.

## Git

The source-control panel does status, stage, diff, commit, branch, pull and push. If the folder is not a git repository yet, **Set up git** starts a background chat that initializes it (init, `.gitignore`, first commit) without leaving the panel.

Commit, push, pull, merge, and other git or GitHub actions show a small bouncing progress bar while they run. Success is a short confirmation. Failures open a popover with a plain-language title, a short summary, the raw details, and **Send to chat** so an agent can fix the problem.

- **Commit messages** can be generated from the staged diff: conventional commits with optional gitmoji, an imperative subject, and a body explaining why. The `/git-commit` skill uses the same conventions. History shows gitmoji as emoji even when a commit stored a colon code such as `:sparkles:`.
- **Commit and file diffs** open as a side-by-side review in the workspace. Long lines **wrap by default**; use the **Wrap** control in the review header to turn wrapping off when you want a single-line scroll.
- **Merge to main** appears when you are on a feature branch: it checks out the trunk in the main workspace, merges your branch, and switches you back — warning you first if the tree is dirty and surfacing merge failures in a popover with an option to send them to chat.
- Names you type when creating a **branch** or **worktree** (composer, Source Control, or the git panel) are turned into a git-safe slug: `Test Worktree` becomes `test-worktree`. Empty or illegal characters are stripped; the dialog shows the name that will be used. The same dialog lets you pick which existing branch to start from (local or remote-tracking). For a worktree you can **Check out** an existing branch instead of creating a new one.
- Agents use the same git operations through tools, so you and the model are never looking at different states.

## Source Control Center

The sidebar panel covers the everyday loop. For the full surface — **Changes**, **History**, **Branches**, **Stashes**, **Worktrees**, **Pull requests**, and **Checks** — open the **Source Control Center** from the navigation rail or that panel. It opens as its own app, keeping your chat intact. **Ctrl+1**–**7** jump between sections; **Ctrl+K** opens the **Commands** palette (rebase, cherry-pick, stash, worktree, open PR, review the current branch PR, and similar). Pull requests and CI use your local `gh` CLI (Minnow stores no GitHub token). Open pull requests can be reviewed in-app with **Review PR**; the review stays in Minnow and is not posted to GitHub. Screenshots and a longer walkthrough: [Source Control Center in the project README](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow#source-control-center--the-full-git-surface).

In **Branches** and **Worktrees**, use row checkboxes to select multiple items, or the toolbar checkbox to select all deletable items currently shown. **Delete selected** lists the targets for confirmation. Bulk deletion keeps unmerged local branches and dirty worktrees, with individual errors shown. Current and protected local branches and the main/workspace worktree cannot be selected for bulk deletion.

Enable **Remote** in Branches to show remote branches. Use a row's delete action or include remote branches in a selection to delete them on their remote server. Local branches are kept. Remote `main`, `master`, and symbolic HEAD references are protected. Removing a worktree keeps its branch.

## Dev servers

A first-class screen rather than a terminal tab you have to remember. Register the servers a project needs — command, working directory, port, auto-start, and which git worktree to run in — then start, stop and restart them from one place, with logs and a listening-ports view.

Minnow wires the **Port** field by stack: Vite gets `--port`, Next gets `-p`, and stacks that reject those flags (including electron-vite) get `PORT` / `VITE_PORT` in the environment instead. Configs that ignore env keep their own port. Split stacks (API + client via `concurrently`) inject the port into the client, set `PORT` for the API, and health-check the UI.

The `manage_dev_servers` tool gives the model the same controls, so "start the dev server and check the console" is one instruction.

## Browser preview

A real Chromium view for workspace HTML and localhost URLs. Navigate, reload, and toggle **DevTools** with **F12** or **Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+I** — console, network and element inspection for the previewed page.

The preview is the user surface for `browser_*` tools when an agent deliberately passes `surface: "user"` and an explicit `tab_id`. It is useful when you want the agent to work in a visible preview tab. Navigation is restricted to an allowlist that starts at localhost only; see [Integrations](/docs/manual/extend/integrations).

For isolated work, the agent can use **Agent Browser**. It reserves a private headless tab, then passes the returned `tab_id` to every later browser call. Open the Agent Browser viewer from the browser sidebar button to watch a tab, select **Guide** to send a page-element note to its owner, or choose **Take control** for deliberate user input. Closing the viewer leaves browser work running, and screenshots still work while it is closed.

## Working with the assistant here

The normal shape of a Code session:

1. Open the project. Set the composer to **Build**.
2. Ask for the change. The model reads files, proposes edits, runs tests.
3. Approve tools as they come up, or move the ones you trust to Full.
4. Check the diff in the git panel before committing.

Two habits that pay off: **commit before a long agent run**, and use **Plan** mode first when the change is big enough that you want to agree on the approach before any file is touched.

If a turn goes wrong, the undo control beside the changes strip rewinds the turn and restores the working tree from a git snapshot. See [Working in chat](/docs/manual/chat/chatting).

## Related

- [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes)
- [Orchestrate boards](/docs/manual/orchestrate/boards) — parallel delivery from a plan
- [Keyboard shortcuts](/docs/manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts)
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting)

---

# Models
Source: manual/apps/models.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/apps/models
Description: This is where you set up what the agents run on: what your machine can handle, what you have downloaded, what is serving, which endpoints Minnow talks to, which model does which job, and what it all costs.


# Models

This is where you set up what the agents run on: what your machine can handle, what you have downloaded, what is serving, which endpoints Minnow talks to, which model does which job, and what it all costs.

You come here to configure, then go back to Code and work. Open it from the app rail.

| Section | What it is |
|---------|------------|
| **Discover** | Curated recommendations, Hugging Face search, file selection, and downloads |
| **My models** | Downloaded models and local loading |
| **Storage** | Model folders and Hugging Face credentials |
| **Local Server** | What is loaded, live load/inference chips, runtime log |
| **Voice** | Speech-to-text and text-to-speech models |
| **Providers** | Endpoints and encrypted API keys |
| **Routing** | Which model handles which job |
| **Routers** | Shared capacity, sticky chat assignments, and model failover |
| **Sampler** | Temperature and sampling defaults |
| **Thinking** | Reasoning mode and budget |
| **Usage & cost** | Token totals and spend |

Providers, Routing, Sampler, Thinking, and Usage & cost also appear under **Models** in the Settings sidebar. Routers has its own page in Models.

## Local Server

This is the runtime dashboard: what is loaded, whether the process is healthy, and a live log. A loading card shows a modelled percent that actually moves (llama.cpp and mlx-lm do not print a weight-load percentage). Once the model is up, chips report prompt processing as a percent when the request came from Minnow, generated tokens as a count, and **N queued** when llama.cpp has more inference requests than free slots. mlx-lm has no server-side queue gauge, so that chip stays off.

Click a card to open the inspector on **Inference**, with **Loaded with** listing the flags that process was started with (llama.cpp launch flags, or for MLX the snapshot path, quant, mlx-lm version, port, and context). Loading a model from Code does not yank you here; Local Server only comes to the front if you were already in Models.

Idle `update_slots` heartbeats are dropped from the log so they cannot drown the lines that matter.

## Discover

**Recommended** is a short, hand-curated list for coding, everyday work, and reasoning. Each pick explains its purpose and shows a default Q4_K_M file size. Models within your estimated memory budget appear first. Filter by purpose or select **Within memory budget** to narrow the list.

**Context tokens** controls the memory estimate, starting at 16,384 tokens. Larger contexts need more memory. A model that needs a shorter context is labeled **Context too long**; Minnow does not silently shorten your selection to claim a fit. Estimates include runtime overhead and headroom. They distinguish GPU memory, unified memory, and slower CPU execution in RAM. Actual usage depends on runtime settings and other applications. Unknown metadata produces **Fit unknown**, not a promise that the model fits.

**Hugging Face** searches repositories by model name or `owner/repository`. Sort by downloads, likes, or recent updates, then use **Load more models** for the next page. GGUF is available on every platform; MLX is offered on Apple Silicon. Hugging Face results are not editorial recommendations.

Select **Inspect files** or **Inspect** to open the file inspector. Choose the exact GGUF quantization before downloading. Each choice shows its filename and download size; the memory estimate updates for that file. Split GGUF files appear as one choice with a total size and shard count. Missing shards disable that choice. Projector-only files are omitted. The model-card link opens the repository on Hugging Face. Access errors offer a route to Hugging Face settings; gated repositories may also require accepting the license on Hugging Face.

The **Downloads** shelf keeps progress, speed, and estimated time visible. **Pause** retains downloaded bytes; **Resume** continues the same job. **Cancel & discard** removes that transfer's artifacts. Failed transfers stay visible with an error and **Retry download**. Network failures retain partial files, while checksum failures discard corrupt bytes so retry can start cleanly. Completed jobs offer **Open in My Models**. Running jobs resume after restarting Minnow; deliberately paused jobs stay paused.

## My models and Storage

Downloads from **Discover** appear in **My models**. Select a model and use the inspector to load it with the local runtime. Minnow registers the runtime as a provider so the model becomes available in Code.

**Loading GGUF on more than one GPU.** The inspector Load tab has a collapsed **GPUs** section. Check the cards that should run the model: the first you check is first in `--device` (so CUDA1 then CUDA0 means check CUDA1, then CUDA0). With two or more cards checked you can pick layer split (the default) or experimental tensor split, and drag per-card ratios. One GPU stays selected until you check another, so a second card stays free for the desktop. **Loaded with** lists Devices, Split, and Tensor split after a successful load. Extra llama-server args still override these fields.

**Storage** manages additional model folders and Hugging Face credentials. Model files are large; they are kept out of the small-backup path described in [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration).

## MLX on Apple Silicon

On an Apple Silicon Mac, Minnow can also run **MLX** weights — Apple's Metal-native format. For the same quantization these are generally faster than GGUF on Metal, and the `mlx-community` and `lmstudio-community` accounts publish thousands of them.

MLX is Apple Silicon only. On Windows and Linux the option is not shown at all, and an MLX download is refused with an explanation rather than failing part way through.

**Getting set up.** The first MLX model you load asks to install the runtime. Minnow downloads a private Python environment and the `mlx-lm` packages — a few hundred megabytes, noticeably slower than the 20 MB llama.cpp install. The Python runtime is shared with Minnow's other managed servers, so it is only fetched once. You can also install it ahead of time from **Settings → Servers → MLX**.

**Downloading.** Search Hugging Face from Discover with the format set to MLX. An MLX model is a whole repository rather than a single file, so Minnow downloads the directory, skipping the original unquantized weights that many of these repos keep alongside the quantized ones.

**Loading.** MLX models appear in My Models with format `MLX` and a quant like `mlx-4bit`, and load the same way as GGUF — including a moving load percent while weights warm up. One difference is worth knowing: MLX runs as a single server that holds whichever model you asked for, so switching between two MLX models is a request rather than a process restart. The server keeps a model resident in memory after use; stop it from **Settings → Servers** when you want the RAM back. During a chat, prompt processing shows as a percent and generated tokens as a live count, same as GGUF.

Vision models are filtered out of MLX search. They need a different runtime that Minnow does not ship yet, and downloading 20 GB to hit a load error is not a useful way to find that out.

## Providers

A provider is an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. You can have as many as you like, enabled independently.

- **Local runtimes** — LM Studio on `http://localhost:1234` and Ollama on `http://localhost:11434/v1` are detected automatically when they are already running on their default ports.
- **Cloud APIs** — one-click presets for OpenCode Go/Zen, Anthropic, DeepSeek, GitHub Copilot, OpenRouter, OpenAI, Groq and Mistral, plus a custom option.
- **Managed** — anything you serve from the Library.

API keys are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM. Losing the key file in your Minnow home means re-entering them.

Refresh a provider after starting or stopping the underlying server; Minnow lists only what the provider reports.

Full walkthrough: [Connect a model](/docs/manual/get-started/connect-a-model).

## Routing

The section that most changes how Minnow feels.

Instead of one model doing everything, bind models to **roles**: main chat, utility tasks, the `/goal` evaluator, the UI Designer runtime, and each work agent and sub-agent type such as builder, planner, reviewer, and researcher.

Two bindings are worth setting deliberately:

- **Utility tasks.** One shared model handles chat titles, prompt and issue expansion, and git commit messages. Leave it unset to keep using the current composer, top-bar, or editor model for each task. A small fast model is often enough.
- **Goal evaluator.** This one judges whether your `/goal` condition is genuinely met. A weak evaluator rubber-stamps broken work, which is worse than no goal at all.

A common arrangement is a fast local model for routine turns and a capable cloud model bound to review, research and evaluation.

## Routers

Open **Models → Routers**, choose **New router**, and add models from **My Models** or your other configured providers. Local llama.cpp and MLX catalogs do not appear here — pick the weights from My Models, the same list as the chat picker. Each entry has an enabled toggle and a **Slots** limit for concurrent generations. The same provider/model pair cannot appear twice in one router. Reorder entries with the arrow buttons or **Alt+↑ / Alt+↓** while a row has keyboard focus, then **Save configuration**.

When a chat is assigned a My Models entry that is not loaded, Minnow loads it before generating. If another local model is still producing a response, the router waits for that work to finish, then unloads it if residency requires and loads the assigned weights. Idle TTL (twenty minutes) still applies. Cloud and LM Studio entries are unchanged.

**Priority** prefers the first eligible model with free capacity. **Balance by rank** assigns new chats using rank weights: a three-entry router uses weights 3, 2, and 1. Once assigned, a chat keeps that model. If its model is busy, the chat waits in a FIFO queue even when another entry has capacity. If all entries are busy, new chats queue too. Streaming and non-streaming generations each occupy one slot.

Routers appear in the normal model picker with a **Router** label. **Default for new chats** sets the workspace's default router; existing chat bindings stay unchanged. A chat's picker shows the router and its current provider/model assignment after a request starts.

The live view shows active and queued chats, their target models, and slot usage. Inspect a model card for average generation latency, error rate, reported tokens, and estimated cost when provider pricing and token counts are available. The chat's override selector pins an entry until you choose **Router assignment** to clear it. An override can fail over if its model fails; the replacement becomes sticky while the override remains marked until cleared.

Provider errors and unavailable models trigger failover. A response interrupted partway through restarts on another eligible entry with a visible warning; failed text, reasoning, and incomplete tool calls are discarded. Each request attempts a provider/model pair at most once. **Stop** cancels the request without failover. If no eligible entries remain, Minnow asks you to check the router's entries and provider configuration.

Router configurations, defaults, and chat assignments are saved per workspace. Activity and telemetry last for the current server session. On narrow screens the activity and model views stack; reduced-motion settings replace moving connections with static indicators.

## Sampler

Temperature, top-p, top-k, min-p, repeat penalty, presence penalty, max tokens.

The defaults are tuned for the failure mode local models actually have: repetition loops. Presence penalty does that job here; repeat penalty and min-p are deliberately left off because they degrade output on the models Minnow targets. Change these only when you are chasing a specific problem, and change one at a time.

## Thinking

Reasoning mode and token budget for models that expose reasoning. Minnow displays reasoning separately from the answer and times it — the "Thinking…" clock covers reasoning only, stopping when tool calls begin, so the number means something.

## Usage & cost

Token totals for the active chat and for the workspace session. Enter per-million pricing for your models and it becomes actual spend rather than an abstract count.

## Voice

Download local **Whisper** for speech-to-text and **Qwen3-TTS** for text-to-speech, or point voice at a provider instead. Local voice provisions a Python worker on first use.

See [Voice](/docs/manual/extend/voice).

## Choosing the model for a turn

| Control | Scope |
|---------|-------|
| **Menubar model chip** | Global default — what new chats start with |
| **Composer picker, Ctrl+M / Cmd+M** | This chat only |

Local runtimes expose **Load** and **Unload** in the composer picker, acting on the model that chat is bound to. The tray menu can unload local models without opening the window — useful when you want your VRAM back. Live load and inference numbers live on **Local Server**.

## When the picker is empty

1. Is the provider process running, with a model loaded?
2. Is the base URL right, including `/v1` where required?
3. Press refresh in **Providers**.

`[providers] fetch failed` at startup is normal when a local runtime is not up yet.

## Related

- [Connect a model](/docs/manual/get-started/connect-a-model)
- [Voice](/docs/manual/extend/voice)
- [Settings app](/docs/manual/apps/settings)
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting)

---

# Issues
Source: manual/apps/issues.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/apps/issues
Description: A tracker that agents can use.


# Issues

A tracker that agents can use. Issues is a Linear-style list and board for work in your workspace, with the difference that the assistant can file, triage, expand and close items through tools — so "I found three problems while reading this" becomes three real cards instead of a paragraph you will lose.

Open it from the app rail for the fullscreen app, or from the Issues button in the Code sidebar rail to embed it beside your code.

## Views

- **List** — one dense row per issue, grouped (status by default). Click a column header to sort inside a group when ranks are equal or missing. **Alt+↑/↓** still writes a manual rank. Drag an issue onto another issue to make it a sub-issue. Click a status, priority, assignee, or project cell to edit it in place.
- **Board** — kanban lanes by status. Drop a card onto another card to nest it. Drop onto empty column space to change status. **Shift+←/→** moves the focused card across columns.
- **Triage** — a saved view of issues that arrived from an agent, a crash, or GitHub and have not been reviewed yet. **Y** accepts (backlog), **N** or **Backspace** declines (canceled).
- **Assigned to agents** / **My open** — the other built-in tabs. Hide-done is a chip under the tabs.

## Working with issues

**Capture** with the quick-capture field in the header, or **New issue** (**C**) for the full form (title, type, priority, labels, description). When **Workspace scope** is **All workspaces**, the new-issue form includes a **Workspace** picker (Scratch plus recent folders). New issues start in **Backlog**. **Expand** uses the fields you have entered to suggest a title, description, labels, and priority directly in the form. Review or edit the proposal, then select **Create**.

**Select** several rows with **Ctrl/Cmd+click**, or a range with **Shift+click**. The selection bar can change status, priority, assignee, labels, and project, or delete. **Shift+F10** or right-click opens the row menu: open, copy ID, expand, add a sub-issue, remove from parent, send to chat or a background agent, change status, delete.

The **Created** column shows issue age, such as **1hr**, **3 days**, or **1 month**. Hover for the exact creation time; select the column heading to sort by creation time.

**j** / **k** (or the arrows) move the focused row. **Enter** opens the peek panel for the description and history — you do not need peek to change a field. Drag the peek's left edge to widen it (remembered per workspace). The header control next to Close opens a larger centered sheet over the list; click the dim area, Restore, or Escape to return to the docked peek. The peek **Sub-issues** section lists children: **New** creates one from a title, **Existing** attaches another issue, and **Remove** unparents without deleting. A child peek shows a Parent chip that opens the parent. **Chats** lists sessions started or attached from the issue (title, Running or Done, mode). Open jumps to that chat in Code. A board tied to the issue or to one of those chats is a sibling row. **New** starts a General chat the same way Send to chat does; **Existing** attaches a session you already have. **Remove** unlinks only.

**Edit** labels inline on the row: up to three chips stay visible, a caret opens the rest, and **+** opens a typeahead. Type a name and press **Enter** (or comma) to add it; the popover stays open so you can add more. Click away or press **Escape** when you are done. The chip **×** removes it from that issue. Right-click a chip to pick a color; that color applies to every issue with the same name.

The peek keeps identity, type/status/priority chips, labels, and Send to chat pinned. The description is the page. Empty code links, attachments, and git collapse to one add row each; Plan and Related appear only when they have something to show. Sub-issues and Chats stay visible so you can add a child or attach a session on an empty card. Delete lives under the more menu next to Close.

Drop or paste images into the description to include visual context, including while creating a new issue. Images are stored locally and shown inline. Agents receive those images when they read the issue description or attachments.

Type in the description to edit it. The formatting toolbar appears while the description is focused. **Ctrl/Cmd+Enter** commits; **Escape** commits and lets the panel close.

**Projects** group and filter issues inside this app. They are not Orchestrator boards. The Group control can bucket the list by project, and each project shows a closed/open count.

Agents can link related, blocking, or duplicate issues with `issue_link`; those links appear under **Related issues** in the detail panel. Parent and child cards use `parentId` (peek Sub-issues, list nesting, and the Sub column), not Related.

## Handing an issue to an agent

This is what the app is for.

| Action | What happens |
|--------|--------------|
| **Expand** | Sparkles on peek, board cards, the row menu, or **E**. Rewrites the title and description and suggests labels and priority from what is already on the card. You review and edit in an overlay; nothing is saved until you apply. Uses the prompt expander model when one is set. |
| **Expand with agent** | An agent researches the workspace and fills in a real description (triage notes), from the detail panel or the row menu |
| **Send to chat** | Opens a chat seeded with the issue, in a mode you choose, then the same run-target panel as the composer: This PC, an existing worktree, or New worktree |
| **Send to background** | Runs it as a background sub-agent instead of taking over your screen. Same worktree choice as Send to chat |
| **Send to board** | When the issue has a plan, hands it to an orchestrate board |
| **Open plan** | Opens the issue's plan document in the editor |

Activity chips in the detail header — **Investigating…**, **Planning…** — are live, and clicking one opens the agent drawer or board chat behind it.

**General**, **Build**, **Plan**, and **Debug** all expose `issue_*` tools. Debug also has local diagnostics. Plan can file, update, and attach a plan path to a card; it still cannot edit application code.

## Git conventions

Issues have workspace-specific ids like `MIN-12` (configure the prefix under **Settings → Apps → Issues → Issue IDs**). Legacy `ISS-*` ids still work. Minnow uses the id on each card consistently:

- Branch: `issue/<id>-<slug>` (slug derived from title)
- Commits are found by searching for `[MIN-12]` (or your key)
- Plans live at `documentation/plans/issues/<id>.md`
- Pull requests go through the `gh` CLI when it is installed, with GitHub links appearing on the issue
- **Review PR** (when `gh` is available and a PR can be resolved) runs an in-app reviewer and shows the verdict on the issue. Reviews are not posted to GitHub.
- **GitHub sync** (Settings → Apps → Issues → GitHub) is **Off** or **Two-way mirror**. When it is on, the Issues header shows **Sync all** to push unlinked cards and sync linked issues in one pass — scoped to the **Workspace scope** control (current workspace vs all workspaces). The peek Git section can also push a new issue, sync a linked one, and import open GitHub issues into Triage. **Sync automatically** (under Two-way mirror) pushes title, description, labels, and closed-state as they change, creates a GitHub issue the first time those fields change on an unlinked card, and checks GitHub every 5 minutes while Minnow is running — including in the background. It does not backfill every unlinked card when you turn it on. Labels sync **by name**; if a name is not in the GitHub repo yet, Minnow creates it. Chip colors stay in Minnow. **Open** uses your system browser, not the in-app browser. If both sides changed since the last sync, the most recent change to the synced fields wins automatically; equal timestamps use GitHub. Successful background sync stays quiet. Changes to local-only fields such as priority or chat links do not show **Needs push**.

Deleting a linked issue asks whether to remove the GitHub issue too. **Local only** keeps GitHub unchanged; **Delete everywhere** removes the GitHub issue first and then the local card. Check **Remember** to reuse either choice. Turn **Ask before deleting linked issues** back on under Settings → Apps → Issues → GitHub to restore the prompt.

When a board finishes work on an issue, the issue moves to **review** rather than closing itself.

## Taxonomy

**Settings → Apps → Issues** defines your **project key** (new auto-ids) and your types, statuses and priorities.

Statuses carry semantic roles and flags: which lanes appear on the board, and which count as closed, so workflows can resolve "the triage status" without hard-coding your names. Types and statuses each have an icon you pick in that table (same Flaticon set). Types also have a color swatch — built-in kinds (bug, task, idea, note, feature, improvement) start with distinct colors, and **Add type** picks the next unused swatch so new kinds are not grey. Status chips show the icon next to the name. You can delete an entry only when nothing references it.

Keep the taxonomy small. Humans and agents share this vocabulary, and every extra status is another thing for both to get wrong.

## Automatic bug filing

**Settings → Advanced → Health & diagnostics → File renderer errors to Issues** turns uncaught interface errors into bug cards automatically. It is **off** by default. Errors are logged locally and visible in the diagnostics viewer either way.

## Related

- [Modes](/docs/manual/concepts/modes)
- [Code app](/docs/manual/apps/code)
- [Orchestrate boards](/docs/manual/orchestrate/boards)

When Issues is open in a separate window, **Send to chat**, linked chats, plans, and files open in the Code window for that workspace. **Files** opens the workspace file tree inside Issues.

---

# Brain
Source: manual/apps/brain.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/apps/brain
Description: Brain is Minnow's memory, and it is not a black box. It is a wiki of markdown pages in a folder on your disk that you can read, edit, delete and back up.


# Brain

Brain is Minnow's memory, and it is not a black box. It is a wiki of markdown pages in a folder on your disk that you can read, edit, delete and back up. The assistant searches and writes it with tools; you curate it.

Open it from the app rail. It fills the main stage like the other rail apps.

Brain is **not** this manual. The manual ships with the build and is read-only; Brain is yours. See [Wiki and Brain](/docs/manual/reference/wiki-and-brain).

## The sections

| Section | What it is for |
|---------|----------------|
| **Graph** | The home view — pages, tags and wikilinks on an interactive canvas |
| **Edit** | Create or update a page: frontmatter plus a markdown body |
| **Log** | A read-only changelog of what has been written |
| **Schema** | The wiki's taxonomy — the shape pages are expected to follow |
| **Proposals** | AI-suggested memories waiting for your review before they become pages |
| **Memories** | The memory store: turn it on, manage entries, control what gets injected |
| **Ingest** | Hand Minnow a raw source and let it synthesize pages from it |
| **Lint** | AI cleanup planner: scan the wiki, review a model-written plan, run approved fixes |
| **Code** | The indexed repo map — search symbols, inspect call graphs |
| **Settings** | Embeddings, synthesis cadence, code index options |

Memory settings live here, not in the main Settings app. Searching "memory" in Settings deep-links you into Brain.

## How things get in

**You write them.** Brain → Edit. Frontmatter and markdown. Nothing clever.

**You ask the assistant to.** "Remember that the staging database resets nightly." The `save_memory` tool defaults to Full permission, so it just happens.

**Synthesis proposes them.** Minnow can watch conversations and suggest memories on a cadence you set. Proposals queue in **Proposals** for review rather than landing in your wiki unannounced.

**You ingest a source.** Paste or point at raw material and let the utility model turn it into structured pages. Good for meeting notes, a spec, a long email thread.

Whichever route, an individual save raises a ten-second review card with the title and an excerpt, plus **Reject** (which deletes it) and **Open memory**. Wrong memories are caught immediately rather than discovered later, mid-answer.

## How things come out

Before a turn, Minnow retrieves pages relevant to what you are asking and injects them into the prompt. Retrieval is hybrid — keyword plus semantic vectors, with embeddings on by default. Roughly 12 hits, with a query-relevant excerpt from each rather than a generic first line, capped at about 8,000 characters injected on the full prompt profile.

Retrieved content is fenced as untrusted data, the same as a web page.

The agent tools, if you want to know what the model is doing: `brain_search`, `brain_read_page`, `brain_list`, `brain_write_page`, `brain_append_log`, `brain_ingest_source`, `manage_brain`, plus `save_memory`.

## The code index

**Brain → Code** is a symbol index of your repositories, and it is what makes the model's code questions fast and grounded rather than grep-and-hope.

Once a workspace is indexed, these tools work: `repo_map` for structure, `find_symbol` to locate a definition, `who_calls` for callers, `read_symbol` to pull one function without the file around it (naming any Brain page anchored to it). All default to Full permission.

The index is per workspace and lives in your Minnow home.

## Keeping it healthy

A wiki nobody prunes becomes a wiki nobody trusts. **Lint** helps you fix that without guessing.

1. **Generate plan** — Minnow scans your wiki read-only (orphan and stale pages, broken wikilinks, code anchor drift, and weak `similarTo` links). It uses the **model in the top bar** (same picker as chat) to draft a markdown cleanup plan plus summary chips (deletes, merges, link fixes, and so on).
2. **Review** — Read the plan before anything changes. The planner is conservative; destructive steps should cite evidence in the plan text.
3. **Run cleanup** — After you confirm, a server agent executes only that plan (edits, merges, link fixes, pruning weak links, anchor drift handling). A live log shows progress; when it finishes, check **Graph** for the updated wiki.

You need the Minnow tool server running and a model selected in the top bar. Run this occasionally. A small accurate Brain beats a large stale one.

For scripted lint (including optional contradiction detection) without the planner UI, the server still exposes `POST /api/brain/lint` for automation and tests.

## What belongs here

Good: decisions and the reasoning behind them, conventions, who does what, environment quirks, "we tried X, it failed because Y", project glossaries.

Bad: transcripts, anything that changes weekly, secrets. Brain content is injected into prompts — including prompts to a cloud provider, if that is what you use.

## Your data

Everything is under `brain/` in your Minnow home: markdown pages, a catalog cache, vectors, ingested sources and code index databases. Plain files you can grep, diff, or put in a git repository.

If Brain matters to your work, back it up. See [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration).

## Related

- [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory)
- [Wiki and Brain](/docs/manual/reference/wiki-and-brain)
- [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration)

---

# Scheduler
Source: manual/apps/scheduler.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/apps/scheduler
Description: Scheduler runs a prompt on a schedule, without a conversation.


# Scheduler

Scheduler runs a prompt on a schedule, without a conversation. Each job is a headless agent run in a workspace you choose with a model you choose — a nightly test summary, a Monday dependency check, a periodic sync of notes into Brain.

Open it from the app rail or the menubar. It opens as a **side panel** and deliberately does not take focus, so you can add a job without leaving what you are doing.

## The one rule

**Jobs only run while Minnow is running.** Hidden in the system tray counts as running — that is the normal case, since closing the window hides to tray by default. Fully quitting stops the scheduler.

Minnow does not install an OS-level scheduled task, and it does not backfill runs it missed while closed. If a job must survive reboots, enable **Launch Minnow at startup** under **Settings → General → Desktop app**.

## Creating a job

| Field | Notes |
|-------|-------|
| **Label** | How it appears in the list and in notifications |
| **Prompt** | What the agent should do each run. Treat it as a full brief, not a title. |
| **Schedule** | Interval or cron |
| **Mode** | The operating mode the run uses |
| **Work agent** | Optional role — researcher, reviewer, and so on |
| **Provider / model** | Which model runs it |
| **Workspace** | The project folder. Defaults to a scheduler workspace in your Minnow home. |
| **Channels** | Where results are announced |
| **Enabled** | Pause without deleting |

### Schedules

**Interval** takes forms like `60s`, `5m`, `2h`. The minimum is **60 seconds** — anything shorter is rejected.

**Cron** takes a standard five-field expression evaluated in your local timezone. Invalid expressions are rejected when you save, not silently at 3 a.m.

| Expression | Meaning |
|------------|---------|
| `0 9 * * 1-5` | 09:00 on weekdays |
| `30 2 * * *` | 02:30 daily |
| `0 */4 * * *` | Every four hours |

The next run is computed from now; missed runs are not queued up and replayed.

## Writing a prompt that works unattended

Nobody is there to answer a question or approve a tool. That changes how you write:

- **Be explicit about the output.** "Run the test suite and write a three-line summary naming any failing files" beats "check the tests".
- **Check your permissions first.** A tool set to **Ask** in an unattended run just stalls. See [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions).
- **Say where results go.** "Append findings to a Brain page called *Nightly build*" gives you something to read tomorrow. Otherwise the output lives only in run history.
- **Set the workspace deliberately.** Wrong workspace means the right prompt operating on the wrong files.

## Run history

Each job keeps its runs: start and finish times, status (running, completed, failed, timeout, cancelled), exit code, output, and errors. Runs persisted as chats can be reopened and read as conversations.

Notifications reach the menubar bell; **Settings → General → Notifications** controls whether background-job notifications appear and whether they make a sound.

Jobs live in `scheduler.json` and runs under `scheduler-runs/` in your Minnow home.

## Scheduler or `/loop`?

| | Scheduler | `/loop` |
|---|-----------|---------|
| Runs in | A headless job | One chat, keeping its context |
| Needs | Minnow open | Minnow open **and** that chat idle |
| Good for | Reports, checks, syncs | Iterating on something until it is right |
| Keeps history | Yes, per run | It is the conversation |

See [Skills and slash commands](/docs/manual/chat/skills-and-commands).

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Check |
|---------|-------|
| Never ran | Was Minnow open? Is the job enabled? Interval at least 60 s? |
| Runs but does nothing | A tool is probably on **Ask** with nobody to approve it |
| Failed | Run history message. Does the model still exist? Does the workspace path still exist? |
| Touched the wrong files | The workspace on the job |

## Related

- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions)
- [Models app](/docs/manual/apps/models)
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting)

---

# Settings
Source: manual/apps/settings.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/apps/settings
Description: Everything configurable, in seven categories. Open it from the app rail or the menubar gear.


# Settings

Everything configurable, in seven categories. Open it from the app rail or the menubar gear.

## Find things by searching

Press **Ctrl+K** / **Cmd+K** with Settings open. Type a keyword — "webhook", "tray", "MCP", "temperature", "memory" — and the results deep-link straight to the control, highlighting it when you land.

Search crosses app boundaries: a memory query opens **Brain**, a provider or sampler query opens the **Models** app. That is intentional, because those settings genuinely live there.

## The map

### General

| Section | Contains |
|---------|----------|
| **General** | App updates and channel, desktop app and tray, launch at startup, network access, filesystem access, terminal behaviour and default shell, constrained tool calls, re-run setup |
| **Notifications** | Master toggle, per-category (chat, tasks, background jobs), sounds, sounds while watching the active chat |
| **Audio** | Input and output devices, echo cancellation, noise suppression, auto gain |
| **About** | Version and build info |

Two settings here matter more than the rest:

- **Filesystem access** — workspace-only (default) or full disk. This is the containment boundary for every file and git tool. See [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions).
- **Network access** — loopback-only (default) or LAN. Changing it needs a restart. See [Use Minnow from another device](/docs/manual/extend/companion).

### Apps

**Apps** lists what is installed. Every shipped app is core, so there is nothing to disable and you will see a "Coming soon" placeholder where optional apps will appear.

**Issues** is the taxonomy editor for the tracker: types (icons and colors), statuses with workflow roles and board flags, and priorities.

### Appearance

**Chat view** selects **Compact** (expandable working transcript with a separate final answer) or **Full** (every step stays visible; tool calls and thoughts stay collapsed until expanded). Changes apply immediately and persist across restarts.

Theme family and mode — 16 themes in total, eight families each with a dark and a light variant — plus wallpaper, a Google Fonts catalog for UI and monospace (plus optional uploads), and custom accent colours. Web fonts load only for the pair you pick; System UI uses the fonts already on the machine.

### Models

**Providers**, **Routing**, **Sampler**, **Thinking**, **Usage & cost**. These are the same panels the [Models app](/docs/manual/apps/models) shows.

### Agents

| Section | Contains |
|---------|----------|
| **Agents** | Prompt profiles (Full / Lite / custom) with a live token estimate, composer modes, plan granularity, work agents, sub-agent types, context policy, setup profile export and import |
| **Rules** | Standing instructions injected into every prompt, organised into groups. Empty groups can be deleted; groups that still have rules cannot |
| **Agent packs** | Download a template or the built-in pack, upload a zip, manage installed packs |
| **Autopilot** | Defaults for orchestrate boards: Running or Stopped start, git worktree isolation (not host containment), concurrency, planner model, retries, self-heal, infra provisioning |
| **Watchdog** | Generation limits while streaming. Sub-agent crash/timeout retry is the journal reconcile — wall-clock lives under Sub-agents |

**Watchdog** is the setting to reach for when a generation hangs and sits there forever.

**Generation timeouts** cover the model stream itself. The idle timeout resets whenever new tokens arrive, so it catches a genuinely stalled stream without cutting off a slow one. Either limit can be set to `0` to turn it off, or use **Enable generation timeouts**.

Sub-agents do not use a heartbeat or stall supervisor. A crashed or timed-out sub-agent is retried from the journal. Wall-clock for one attempt is Settings → Agents → Sub-agents (default timeout and per-type timeout).

| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---------|---------|--------------|
| **Idle timeout** | 60 min | How long the model may stop sending stream data before the generation is aborted (resets on each chunk) |
| **Max duration** | 240 min | Hard wall-clock cap on a single generation |

### Integrations

| Section | Contains |
|---------|----------|
| **Search** | Web search provider, fallback chain, Brave and Tavily keys |
| **Servers** | Managed local servers — SearXNG and `llama-cpp` — enable, auto-start, port |
| **Tools** | The full tool catalog with Off/Ask/Full per tool, grouped by category, plus bulk actions and the result cache |
| **Skills** | Enable or disable skills, author your own, and the **Skills Library** for third-party packs |
| **Browser** | Automation allowlist, navigation permission, tab restore, DevTools dock |
| **MCP servers** | Model Context Protocol servers |
| **Language servers** | LSP configuration and diagnostics |
| **Editor** | Ghost text, inline completion, context sources, caching |
| **External** | Outgoing webhooks with HMAC signing |

### Advanced

**Health & diagnostics** — subsystem probes, grouped errors, a local log tail, **Copy report** for a redacted summary, and the toggle for filing renderer errors as issues. Nothing is sent off-device.

**Board testing** — a manual workflow for orchestrate boards: an in-process fake model, seeded test boards, and board-log validation. For development and debugging, not daily use.

## Where settings are stored

In your Minnow home as separate files — `config.json`, `tools.json`, `search.json`, `rules.json`, `skills.json`, and others. Secrets are encrypted; the rest is plain JSON you could read in an editor, though Settings normalizes on load and hand-editing is a recovery tool, not a workflow.

See [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration).

## Related

- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions)
- [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory)
- [Integrations](/docs/manual/extend/integrations)
- [Agents, sub-agents, and packs](/docs/manual/orchestrate/agents)

---

# Orchestrate boards
Source: manual/orchestrate/boards.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/orchestrate/boards
Description: A board turns a plan document into a kanban of tasks that agents work through — building, testing, fixing and merging — while you watch or while you are away.


# Orchestrate boards

A board turns a plan document into a kanban of tasks that agents work through — building, testing, fixing and merging — while you watch or while you are away.

This is the most powerful thing in Minnow and the one that most rewards understanding before you press Start.

## The shape of it

1. You write a plan in [Plan mode](/docs/manual/concepts/modes) into `documentation/plans/`.
2. An **orchestrator** reads it and creates a board of tasks. **Waves group cards**; start order is each task's **Depends on** list — later waves do not wait automatically.
3. Each task gets its own chat and its own agent: a **builder** implements it, a **tester** verifies it, a **fixer** repairs failures.
4. Completed work merges into an integration branch.
5. A **final integration test** runs across the whole board.
6. A finish report offers to commit, push, and open a pull request.

You choose how much of that happens without you.

## Starting a board

Open the **Orchestrate** button in the Code sidebar rail. The hub shows your recent boards and lets you pick a plan.

Choose a plan file and Minnow creates an Orchestrate planner chat, checks the workspace is a git repository (offering to set one up if not), and asks the orchestrator to build the board. While that is happening the folder shows **Setting up**; if you navigate away there is a banner to return.

Plans must live under `documentation/plans/`. Plan mode can write there even though it cannot touch the rest of your repository — that is deliberate, and it is how a planning session hands off to a delivery board.

On a **fresh project**, put scaffold in **Wave 1 alone**. Every later task lists that id under **Depends on**. Boards do not wait for earlier waves.

If the plan does not parse, Boards lists the errors and offers **Repair**. Repair rewrites that file to the required schema (same waves and tasks) and then opens the board.

## The board

The header is one instrument strip: plan title, status badge, and telemetry — tasks, waves, run, elapsed — over a thin progress bar, then the run controls.

Cards move through these states:

| Status | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| **Planned** | Not started |
| **In progress** | A builder is working |
| **Testing** | A tester is verifying |
| **Merging** | Result is being integrated |
| **Complete** | Done and merged |
| **Failed** | Attempt failed; retry logic applies |
| **Blocked** | Waiting on a dependency |
| **Quarantined** | Parked after exhausting retries — needs you |

Waves collapse and expand. Click a card to open that task's chat and read exactly what its agent did.

Keyboard: **Tab** moves between cards and header controls, **arrow keys** move around the grid, **Enter** or **Space** opens a task.

## Execution modes

The most important control on the board. Four stops, least to most autonomous:

| Control | Behaviour |
|---------|-----------|
| **Running** | The board starts eligible work up to the concurrency cap, unattended |
| **Stopped** | Nothing new starts unless you start a task by hand (Manual) |
| **Concurrency** | How many tasks may start at once. Set to 1 for sequential |

Running at concurrency 1 is sequential. Running at a higher N is parallel. Stopped plus per-task start is Manual.

**Stop** freezes the board immediately. A board paused by a shutdown or a memory-recovery event stays Stopped until you press Start.

## Worktree isolation

Parallel agents editing one checkout is a recipe for a mess. Isolation gives each task its own **git worktree** — a separate checkout and branch so merges stay orderly. That is **git isolation**, not OS host containment: a shell on Full can still reach paths outside the worktree unless the agent shell sandbox is enabled.

| Setting | Behaviour |
|---------|-----------|
| **Auto** | Derived from concurrency: off at 1, per-task above it |
| **Off** | Everyone shares the workspace |
| **Per-task** | Every task gets its own worktree |
| **Per-wave** | One worktree per wave |

With isolation on, Minnow mints an **integration branch** and merges task branches into it as they complete. While board view is active, the file explorer, terminal and source-control panel follow the **integration** worktree, not any one task's — so you are looking at the assembled result. Open a task chat and you see its own checkout.

Leave this on Auto unless you have a reason. Running several tasks without isolation means several agents writing to the same files at once. Worktree isolation and the shell sandbox (when available) solve different problems — use both when you care about both.

## Model and concurrency

The board header has its own model chip. It sets the model for the planner and every task chat on that board, so you can run a board on a different model from your normal chat — and change it mid-run.

Concurrency sets how many task chats run at once. More is not always faster: every concurrent task is a full agent loop competing for the same provider, and a local runtime serving one model will serialize them anyway.

## When things fail

Boards are built around the assumption that agents fail, so the interesting behaviour is in the recovery:

- **Test failures** reopen the task for a fixer instead of failing the board.
- **Context-length errors** are treated as transient — a tester that overflows retries without burning a test attempt.
- **An agent that forgets to report** gets nudged; if it keeps failing to report, the task is quarantined at the build cap rather than spinning.
- **Quarantine parks a task and its dependents** so the board does not pretend to make progress. Use **Requeue** to try again.
- **Self-heal** can attempt rounds of automatic repair before quarantining, configurable under **Settings → Agents → Autopilot**.

Every board writes a diagnostic log of status changes, verdicts, merges, retries and slot accounting, so a board that went wrong can be read after the fact.

## Finishing

When every task is complete, a **final integration test** runs across the whole board. It is the check that the parts work together, which per-task tests cannot tell you.

Then the **finish report** replaces the kanban, as a full-width dashboard. A row of tiles carries the run's counts — merged, abandoned, skipped, runs, files, lines, and whether the integration check passed. **Needs attention** is next: one line per card that did not finish, saying why, with a **Reset task** button on it. Below that is one row per task with its outcome, how many runs it took, and a GitHub-style `+/−` diffstat; open a row for its runs and the files it changed, line counts and all. Run notes and the raw journal stay closed at the bottom.

Its primary action commits the integration work into your branch, and — depending on what your repository supports — pushes it and opens a pull request. There is a caret for **Commit only** or **Commit + push**. **Clean up** removes the board’s worktrees and merged local branches in one action. A notice explains what is deleted, and a progress bar tracks checking worktrees, removing them, and removing branches. If any board worktree has uncommitted changes, cleanup stops and identifies the worktree so you can commit or move the changes first. Branches with unmerged commits or an active checkout are kept, with a reason shown for each. Remote branches are unchanged.

If the run failed, **Retry** reopens abandoned and skipped tasks (merged work stays merged) and starts the board again. When every task merged but the final test failed, Retry adds a fix task and re-runs the ladder. Retry is always something you press; the board does not loop on its own.

**Reset** and **Rewind** wipe a card so you can run it from a clean slate. They are not Retry: Retry keeps attempt history and never rewinds git.

- **Reset** is on a card that has run but has not merged — attempts, abandoned, skipped, a merge conflict, or sitting in the merge queue. It deletes that card’s attempt history, transcripts, worktree, and attempt branch, and it also wipes skipped cards waiting on it. Integration git is left alone. The card returns to Planned.
- **Rewind** is on a merged card. It restores the board’s integration worktree to the commit from just before that merge, then wipes this card and later merged, started, in-flight, or merge-queued work (and skipped cards blocked by that set). It does not rewind your workspace `main` or `master`.

Neither starts the card again. If the board is already Running, the scheduler may pick the idle work on the next tick.

Idle cards that have never started keep Start and Abandon only.

Toggle back to the kanban at any time from the header.

## Global defaults

**Settings → Agents → Autopilot** sets the defaults every new board starts with: Running or Stopped, isolation, maximum concurrency, planner model, retries, heartbeat, self-heal rounds, infrastructure provisioning, auto-restart of stalled tasks, and a guard against agents changing directory outside their worktree. Isolation means git worktrees for parallel tasks — not OS host containment.

**Settings → Agents → Watchdog** sets the streaming limits — idle timeout and maximum duration — that stop a hung model from stalling a board indefinitely.

## Board chats are locked

Planner and member chats hide the mode selector, and mode changes on them are rejected. The orchestrator assigns each chat its mode, its work-agent role and its tool set; a task agent cannot quietly promote itself. Undo is also unavailable on board-linked chats.

## Getting good results

**The plan is the product.** A board executes what the plan says. Vague tasks produce vague work, and no amount of autonomy fixes it. Sharpen the idea in [Plan mode](/docs/manual/concepts/modes) before you start a board.

**Start Stopped.** Run one task, read what the agent did, and see whether the plan means what you thought. Then press Start, or set concurrency to 1 for sequential.

**Commit before you start.** The board works on branches, but a clean starting point makes everything easier to unwind.

**Watch the first wave, then leave.** Most plan problems show up in the first two tasks.

## Related

- [Agents, sub-agents, and packs](/docs/manual/orchestrate/agents)
- [Code app](/docs/manual/apps/code)
- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions)

---

# Agents, sub-agents, and packs
Source: manual/orchestrate/agents.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/orchestrate/agents
Description: Minnow does not have one assistant. It has a system of them, and the differences between the kinds matter once you start delegating real work.


# Agents, sub-agents, and packs

Minnow does not have one assistant. It has a system of them, and the differences between the kinds matter once you start delegating real work.

| Kind | What it is | Where it runs |
|------|------------|---------------|
| **Work agent** | A role with its own prompt and model binding | The main chat, or a board chat |
| **Sub-agent** | A nested agent spawned for one job, reporting back | In the background |
| **Board member** | A builder, tester or fixer bound to one task | Its own board chat |

## Work agents

A work agent is the *role* the assistant is playing: its system prompt, its sampler settings, its thinking mode, and optionally its own model.

Shipped roles: `default`, `general`, `desktop`, `planner`, `orchestrator`, `builder`, `verifier`, `tester`, `reviewer`, `researcher`, `ui-designer`, `expert-panel`.

Edit them under **Settings → Agents**. The most useful thing you can do there is bind different models to different roles — see [Routing](/docs/manual/apps/models#routing). A reviewer that finds real problems is worth a better model than a builder writing boilerplate.

## Sub-agents

A sub-agent runs a job in the background and reports a structured result. Delegation is how a long task avoids drowning your main conversation in exploration: three agents read the codebase in parallel and hand back findings, instead of your context filling with file dumps.

Shipped types:

| Type | For |
|------|-----|
| **General purpose** | Anything not covered by a specialist |
| **Explore** | Reading and searching. Read-only by design — no shell, no commits. |
| **Research worker** | Web and code research; the most parallel type, up to five at once |
| **Shell** | Command execution |
| **Explorer (self-heal)** | Diagnosing a stuck board task |
| **Debugger** | Root-cause investigation |
| **Bug planner** | Turning a diagnosis into a fix plan |
| **Issue writer** | Expanding a triage note into a real issue |

Three at once globally by default, with per-type caps and timeouts. Each type has its own tool allowlist, and **no sub-agent can spawn further sub-agents** — recursion is denied everywhere, which is what stops a delegation cascade.

While a sub-agent runs you see live status — thinking, generating, or the tool it is running — on its card in the transcript and in the drawer. A background agent that finishes while you are elsewhere pushes its result to the parent conversation, so the model has it without a wall of text appearing in your transcript.

Configure them under **Settings → Agents → Sub-agents**: concurrency, timeouts, model bindings, tool allowlists, context policy, and the summary schema each type returns.

### Delegating well

- **Parallel reads, serial writes.** Several explore agents at once is great. Several agents writing to one checkout is not — that is what board worktree isolation exists for (git checkout isolation, not host filesystem containment).
- **Give a clear deliverable.** "Find where authentication is validated and list the files" beats "look into auth".
- **Watch the first one.** If a sub-agent type is misconfigured, you find out in its first run.

## Board members

On an orchestrate board each task gets an agent in one of three roles, with deliberately different tool sets:

| Role | Notable |
|------|---------|
| **Builder** | Full development tools plus browser automation |
| **Tester** | Same, minus the ability to write files — it verifies, it does not fix |
| **Fixer** | Development tools, no browser automation |

All three can read and write Brain, because the worker holds the discovery context: the agent that found the awkward detail is the one that should record it. All three get the composer task checklist. None can change its own mode or reach the mutating board tools; the orchestrator owns board state.

See [Orchestrate boards](/docs/manual/orchestrate/boards).

## Autopilot

**Settings → Agents → Autopilot** holds the global defaults for board execution: Running or Stopped start, isolation, maximum concurrency, planner model, retries, heartbeat, self-heal rounds, infrastructure provisioning, auto-restart of stalled tasks, and a guard that stops agents changing directory outside their worktree. Isolation here means git worktrees for parallel tasks — it does not sandbox agent shells against the rest of the host (see [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security)).

There is also a **Continue** policy for what happens when a task chat grows too large: always nudge the existing chat, hand off to a fresh chat when a chat is derailed or very large (conservative), or hand off sooner (aggressive).

## Watchdog

**Settings → Agents → Watchdog** sets streaming limits: an **idle timeout** that fires when no tokens arrive, and a **maximum duration** for any single generation.

The idle timeout resets whenever new tokens arrive, so it catches a genuinely dead stream without cutting off a slow model that is still working. This is the setting that stops a hung provider from freezing a board overnight.

## Agent packs

A pack bundles work agents, prompts and configuration into something portable — a house style you can share or reuse.

**Settings → Agents → Agent packs** lets you download a starter template, export the built-in pack as a starting point, upload a pack as a zip, and manage what is installed.

Useful when a team wants everyone's reviewer to apply the same standards, or when you want one configuration on your laptop and your desktop.

## Context budgets

Agents that run unattended cannot ask you to start a fresh chat, so each has a context policy — summarize (the default), slide, truncate, or archive — and optionally a maximum input token cap. Precedence is per-agent override, then the global default, then the shipped default. With no cap set, nothing is enforced.

See [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory).

## Related

- [Orchestrate boards](/docs/manual/orchestrate/boards)
- [Models app](/docs/manual/apps/models)
- [Settings app](/docs/manual/apps/settings)

---

# Integrations
Source: manual/extend/integrations.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/extend/integrations
Description: Ways to give Minnow capabilities it does not ship with, and to connect it to things outside itself. All of these live under Settings → Integrations.


# Integrations

Ways to give Minnow capabilities it does not ship with, and to connect it to things outside itself. All of these live under **Settings → Integrations**.

## MCP servers

The Model Context Protocol is a standard for exposing tools to an AI client. Any MCP server you add contributes its tools to Minnow, named `mcp__<server>__<tool>`.

**Context7** ships enabled by default. It fetches up-to-date documentation for libraries, which is the fix for a model confidently using an API that changed two versions ago. It works without a key; adding one raises your rate limits.

Under **Settings → Integrations → MCP servers**, paste a standard JSON configuration and choose **Add servers**:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloudflare-api": { "url": "https://mcp.cloudflare.com/mcp" },
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```

You can also give this configuration to an agent and ask it to add the servers. Agents can use the new tools in the same task. Configurations can be saved directly in `~/.minnow/mcp.json` using the same `mcpServers` object; existing Minnow server configurations remain supported.

**Adding a server approves its tools.** MCP tools are available across modes and agents without per-tool permission prompts. Disable or remove the server to stop access.

Remote servers support Streamable HTTP and legacy SSE (`"type": "sse"`). Local servers accept `command`, `args`, `env`, and optional `cwd`; remote servers accept `url` and optional `headers`. Local commands must be installed and available on your PATH.

When a remote server requires OAuth, choose **Sign in** and complete the provider's login in your browser. Minnow handles discovery, dynamic client registration, PKCE, and token refresh, with tokens encrypted locally. Servers that need a registered client can include an `oauth` object with `clientId`, optional `clientSecret`, `scope`, or `clientMetadataUrl`. Service accounts can specify `grantType: "client_credentials"` in that object. Command-based bridges such as `mcp-remote` manage their own provider login and credential storage.

## Language servers

Real language intelligence in the Code editor: diagnostics, hover, signature help, go to definition, workspace symbols.

Enabled by default and bundled: **TypeScript/JavaScript**, **Pyright**, **HTML**, **CSS**, **GraphQL**, **YAML**, **Bash**, **Dockerfile**.

Available but off until you enable them, because they need the toolchain installed: **Rust Analyzer**, **gopls**, **clangd**, **Lua**, **Terraform**, **Zig**.

Configure under **Settings → Integrations → Language servers**. The agent gets `get_lsp_diagnostics`, so "fix the type errors" can be grounded in what the language server actually reports rather than what the model guesses. On a board with worktree isolation, language servers are started per checkout so diagnostics match the code that task is editing.

## Browser automation

Minnow has two browser surfaces. The visible preview uses the Electron Chromium view; the isolated **Agent Browser** uses a server-owned headless Chrome, Edge, Brave, or Chromium session. The `browser_*` tools cover navigation, snapshots, clicks, fills, screenshots, evaluation, and tab management on either surface.

Use `surface: "agent"` for private work: call `browser_reserve_tab` first, keep the returned `tab_id`, and pass it explicitly to every later action. Agent `browser_list` shows only tabs owned by that run. Use `surface: "user"` only when you intentionally want the visible preview; list or create a tab, then pass its explicit `tab_id`. A tab id does not grant control over another agent's tab, and an agent should not navigate or close tabs it does not own. Release a finished agent tab for inspection or reassignment, or close it to release its browser resources.

Agent Browser tabs use disposable session profiles, do not restore between sessions, allow up to 8 tabs per service, and close popup/page targets. The service does not download a browser; install Chrome, Edge, Brave, or Chromium, or set `MINNOW_BROWSER_PATH`. `browser_screenshot` can capture an Agent Browser tab even when its viewer is closed. Open the viewer from the browser sidebar button; **Watch**, **Guide**, and **Take control** are deliberate user controls. The viewer can assign or unassign a tab, close one tab, or clear all tabs. Closing the viewer leaves the service running; quitting Minnow shuts it down.

Both surfaces use the browser navigation allowlist. Localhost is allowed by default. For a new external origin, use the structured `ask_question` flow and then `request_browser_origin_access` before retrying navigation; unattended Agent Browser work cannot approve its own blocked origin. The preview tools require the Electron desktop app, while Agent Browser actions are server-dispatched and need Minnow's local server.

**Settings → Integrations → Browser**:

| Setting | Default |
|---------|---------|
| Allow navigation | On |
| Allowed origin patterns | `http://localhost:*`, `http://127.0.0.1:*`, `https://localhost:*` |
| Restore tabs | On |
| DevTools dock | Bottom |

The allowlist starts at localhost only. Anything else has to be added, or approved when the agent asks. The `restoreBrowserTabs` setting applies to the visible preview; Agent Browser sessions are disposable.

The `/browser-automation` skill has the recipes.

## Web search

**Settings → Integrations → Search** sets the provider for `web_search`.

| Provider | Needs |
|----------|-------|
| **SearXNG** | Nothing — Minnow provisions and runs it locally on port 8899, including its own Python. The default. |
| **DuckDuckGo** | Nothing |
| **Brave** | API key |
| **Tavily** | API key |

A fallback chain — Tavily, Brave, DuckDuckGo — covers the primary failing. Result count and API keys are set here.

**Settings → Integrations → Servers** manages the local processes Minnow runs for you: SearXNG (auto-starts) and `llama-cpp` (on demand). Enable, auto-start and port for each.

## Dev servers

Registered per project and managed from the Code app's dev-server screen: command, working directory, port, auto-start, and which git worktree to run in. Logs and listening ports in one view.

The `manage_dev_servers` tool gives the model the same controls — list, create, update, delete, start, stop, restart. See [Code](/docs/manual/apps/code).

## Webhooks

**Settings → Integrations → External** sends HTTP POSTs when things happen in Minnow.

Subscribable events:

| Event | Fires when |
|-------|------------|
| `chat.completed` | A chat turn finishes |
| `session.created` | A new session starts |
| `scheduler.job_completed` | A scheduled job finishes |

Deliveries are HMAC-signed so your receiver can verify them, time out after 10 seconds, and retry three times with backoff. Outgoing URLs are checked against SSRF — you cannot point a webhook at internal network addresses.

Useful for wiring a scheduled job's result into Slack, or logging completions somewhere central.

## Native plugins

Tool plugins register as `plugin__<tool>`. Like MCP, they bypass the mode allowlist and are governed by your permission settings. Authoring guide: the plugin documentation in the repository.

## Document handling

Reading and writing PDF, Word and Excel is built in rather than an integration, but it is worth knowing it exists:

- `read_document` extracts text from PDFs and office files, either from disk or from a composer attachment.
- `create_pdf`, `create_spreadsheet` and `create_word_document` write real binary files. PDF text uses subsetted fonts covering Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, CJK and emoji.
- The file viewer previews PDFs inline and renders spreadsheets and Word documents as sanitized HTML in a locked-down sandbox.

## Related

- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions)
- [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security)
- [Code app](/docs/manual/apps/code)
- [Settings app](/docs/manual/apps/settings)

---

# Voice
Source: manual/extend/voice.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/extend/voice
Description: Minnow can listen and speak. Both run locally by default — the audio does not leave your machine unless you deliberately point voice at a cloud provider.


# Voice

Minnow can listen and speak. Both run locally by default — the audio does not leave your machine unless you deliberately point voice at a cloud provider.

Set it up in **Models → Voice**.

## Dictation

The microphone button in the composer. Press it, talk, and your words appear in the composer where you can edit them before sending.

Two modes, depending on what you have configured:

- **Live local streaming** — a local Whisper model transcribes as you speak, with words appearing progressively.
- **Batch** — the recording is transcribed in one pass when you stop, via a provider.

Minnow watches for silence and can end the recording for you rather than making you find the button again.

Dictation replaces only the range it inserted, so speaking into a half-written message adds to it instead of wiping it.

## Speech-to-text models

Local Whisper models, from **Models → Voice**:

| Model | Trade-off |
|-------|-----------|
| **Whisper Tiny** | Fastest, least accurate. Fine for short commands. |
| **Whisper Base** | A good default on modest hardware |
| **Whisper Small** | Noticeably better on technical vocabulary |
| **Whisper Medium** | Better again; heavier |
| **Whisper Large v3** | Best accuracy, largest download |

Technical terms, names and code identifiers are where the bigger models earn their size. If you dictate prose, Base is usually enough.

You can point speech-to-text at a provider instead of running it locally.

## Text-to-speech

Qwen3-TTS models, in 0.6B and 1.7B sizes:

- **CustomVoice** — pick from provided voices.
- **VoiceDesign** — describe the voice you want.
- **Base (clone)** — clone a voice from a sample.

The 0.6B models are quicker to generate; the 1.7B models sound better.

Speed and output format are configurable, along with limits on audio size and duration.

## The Python worker

Local speech-to-text and text-to-speech run in a Python worker that Minnow provisions on first use, into a virtual environment inside your Minnow home. You need Python 3 available.

First run downloads and sets up, so it is slower than every run after it. If provisioning fails, the fallback is to use a provider for voice instead — the rest of Minnow is unaffected.

## Audio devices

**Settings → General → Audio** picks your input and output devices and toggles echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain control.

If dictation is picking up your speakers, echo cancellation is the setting to check first.

## Where the models live

Under `models/voice/` in your Minnow home, with the Python environment under `voice/`. Both can be deleted to reclaim space; Minnow re-provisions on next use.

## Related

- [Models app](/docs/manual/apps/models)
- [Working in chat](/docs/manual/chat/chatting)
- [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration)

---

# Use Minnow from another device
Source: manual/extend/companion.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/extend/companion
Description: Minnow can serve an authenticated companion to a phone or tablet on the same network — pick up a conversation from the sofa, check on a long agent run, add a scheduled job.


# Use Minnow from another device

Minnow can serve an authenticated companion to a phone or tablet on the same network — pick up a conversation from the sofa, check on a long agent run, add a scheduled job.

It is deliberately a local-network feature. It is not a way to expose Minnow to the internet, and port-forwarding it is unsupported.

## Turn it on and pair

1. On the computer running Minnow, open **Settings → General → Network access**.
2. Choose **Local network** and **restart Minnow**. The restart is required — the server has to rebind.
3. Come back to Network access, type a name for the device, and choose **Create pairing QR**.
4. On the phone, scan the QR within five minutes, or type the **6-digit code** shown under it.
5. Leave the host running while you use the companion.

Each QR and each code works exactly once.

The phone stores its own credential. The host stores only a SHA-256 hash of it — the token itself is never written to disk on the host.

## What you get

On a phone-sized screen (640px and narrower) the companion is a focused chat shell: conversations, the composer, the mode picker, notifications, and Scheduler.

Deliberately absent: the file explorer, terminal, browser automation, and app navigation. Those need a real screen and a keyboard.

**Mutating tools always ask for approval on the companion**, even when the host has that tool set to Full. A phone in your pocket should not be able to silently authorize a file deletion.

Tablets and laptop browsers on wide screens get the full app shell.

## Revoking a device

**Settings → General → Network access → Paired devices → Revoke**. The token is rejected on its next request. An open companion polls every five seconds and switches to the pairing screen shortly after.

Revoke a device you have lost. There is no remote wipe of the phone's stored credential, but it stops working immediately.

## The security boundary

- Only devices on the same local network can reach it.
- Pairing requires all of: LAN mode active, a request from a private address, a valid host header, the one-time secret, and a same-origin request.
- A device token cannot create pairings, list devices, or revoke anything. Device management is host-only.
- Every other API request needs either the host's per-boot token or an active device token.
- Do not share a QR screenshot. If a link expires or was opened, make a new one.

More on the overall model: [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security).

## Limits worth knowing

`http://<lan-ip>` is not a browser secure context. Browsers therefore refuse to install it as an app or cache it offline, and microphone capture may be blocked. The companion works fine while connected to the host; installable and offline behaviour needs HTTPS, which is not part of this version.

## When it does not work

| Symptom | Check |
|---------|-------|
| Phone cannot reach the host | Same Wi-Fi, and not a guest network that isolates clients |
| Connection refused | Host firewall — allow inbound traffic on Minnow's port |
| Setting had no effect | Restart after changing Network access |
| QR does not load | It may have chosen a VPN or virtual adapter address. Copy the Wi-Fi URL listed above the QR instead, or regenerate. |
| Reconnect banner stuck | Host still running? Did the machine's LAN address change? |
| Link expired | Create a new pairing challenge; they last five minutes and work once |

## Related

- [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security)
- [Settings app](/docs/manual/apps/settings)
- [Scheduler app](/docs/manual/apps/scheduler)

---

# Keyboard shortcuts
Source: manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts
Description: Mod means Ctrl on Windows and Linux, Cmd on macOS.


# Keyboard shortcuts

**Mod** means **Ctrl** on Windows and Linux, **Cmd** on macOS.

Press **?** anywhere outside a text field for the built-in shortcut sheet.

Single-key shortcuts — **?**, the tool-approval digits — are suppressed while you are typing in a field. Chords with a modifier generally still work.

## Shell

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **?** | Open the keyboard shortcuts sheet |
| **Escape** | Close the top overlay, popover, modal or side panel |
| **Ctrl+Tab** / **Ctrl+Shift+Tab** | Cycle the workspaces picker and recent apps (Ctrl even on macOS, since Cmd+Tab belongs to the OS) |
| **Tab** / **Shift+Tab** | Move focus through the app rail, menubar and app chrome |
| **Ctrl+Scroll wheel** | Zoom the interface in / out (desktop app; Ctrl+ / Ctrl− also adjust zoom) |

In Code, **Ctrl+Tab** cycles editor tabs when the editor has focus.

## Chat

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Enter** | Send — or stop, while the send button is in stop mode |
| **Shift+Enter** | New line |
| **/** | Open the skill picker (at the start of an empty composer) |
| **Mod+M** | Per-chat model picker, with search focused |
| **↑** / **↓** | Previous / next prompt from history, when the caret is at the start or end |
| **1** / **2** / **3** | Tool approval: allow once, always allow, cancel |

While the skill picker is open: **↑ ↓** to move, **Enter** or **Tab** to choose, **Escape** to close.

In the chat search popover: **↑ ↓** to move, **Enter** to open, **Escape** to close.

## Code editor

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Mod+K** | Quick Edit on the selection |
| **Mod+I** | Toggle Intent mode |
| **Mod+S** | Save |
| **Mod+W** | Close the editor tab |
| **Mod+Tab** / **Mod+Shift+Tab** | Cycle editor tabs |
| **Tab** | Accept AI ghost text or an open completion; otherwise indent |
| **Shift+Tab** | Outdent |
| **Mod+→** | Accept the next word of ghost text |
| **Ctrl+Space** | Trigger a completion |
| **F12** or **Mod+click** | Go to definition |
| **Mod+F** | Find and replace |
| **Escape** | Dismiss ghost text, or blur the editor |

## File tree

With the tree focused and the editor not:

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Enter** / **Space** | Open a file, or expand a folder |
| **F2** | Rename |
| **Mod+C** / **Mod+X** / **Mod+V** | Copy, cut, paste within the workspace |
| **Delete** | Delete |
| **Shift+F10** | Context menu |

## Terminal

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Ctrl+`** | Toggle the terminal panel (Ctrl on every platform for this one) |
| **↑** / **↓** | Command history for that tab |
| **Mod+C** | Copy the selection, or send SIGINT when nothing is selected |
| **Ctrl+V** / **Cmd+V** | Paste clipboard text at the prompt |

## Browser preview

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **F12** | Toggle DevTools |
| **Mod+Shift+I** | Toggle DevTools |

## Orchestrate board

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Tab** | Move between task cards and header controls |
| **Arrow keys** | Move around the kanban grid |
| **Enter** / **Space** | Open a task chat or the plan panel |

## Issues

Shortcuts apply when Issues is open and you are not typing in a field.

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **j** / **k** / **Arrow keys** | Move the focused issue |
| **Enter** | Open peek |
| **Escape** | Restore the expanded peek, then close peek, or clear the multi-select |
| **s** | Change status |
| **p** | Change priority |
| **u** | Change assignee |
| **l** | Change labels |
| **g** | Change project |
| **A** | Queue an agent on the focused issue |
| **Y** | Accept a triage issue |
| **N** / **Backspace** | Decline a triage issue |
| **C** | New issue |
| **Ctrl/Cmd + I** | Quick capture a new issue outside text inputs |
| **E** | Expand the focused issue (title and description) |
| **Alt+↑** / **Alt+↓** | Move rank within the group or column |
| **Shift+←** / **Shift+→** | Move the card to the neighbouring board column |
| **Mod+click** | Toggle row selection |
| **Shift+click** | Select a range |
| **Shift+F10** | Context menu |
| **Mod+Enter** | Save a description edit |

## Settings

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Mod+K** | Focus settings search |
| **↑** / **↓** / **Enter** | Move through results and open one |
| **Escape** | Close overlays, or blur search |

## This manual

| Keys | Action |
|------|--------|
| **Ctrl+K** / **Cmd+K** | Focus wiki search while the manual is open |
| **Escape** | Close the manual |

## Related

- [Working in chat](/docs/manual/chat/chatting)
- [Code app](/docs/manual/apps/code)

---

# Where your data lives
Source: manual/reference/configuration.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/reference/configuration
Description: Everything Minnow keeps lives in one folder, called Minnow home.


# Where your data lives

Everything Minnow keeps lives in one folder, called **Minnow home**. Chats, settings, your Brain wiki, encrypted credentials, downloaded models, logs — all of it, in files you can inspect, back up, or delete.

| Platform | Path |
|----------|------|
| Windows | `%USERPROFILE%\.minnow` |
| macOS and Linux | `~/.minnow` |

Set the `MINNOW_HOME` environment variable to use a different folder — useful for a clean profile to experiment in without touching your real one.

Minnow creates every folder it might need on first run, so empty directories in there are normal and not a sign of anything wrong.

## What to back up

If you only save four things, save these:

| Item | Why |
|------|-----|
| **`.key`** | The encryption key for every secret Minnow holds — API keys, OAuth tokens, mail passwords, webhook secrets. **Lose this and none of them can be decrypted.** There is no recovery; you re-enter everything. |
| **`sessions/`** | Your entire chat history |
| **`brain/`** | Your knowledge wiki and memories |
| **`config.json`** | Your preferences |

The simplest approach is to back up the whole `.minnow` folder and exclude `models/`, which is large and re-downloadable.

`.key` deserves a moment of thought before you reinstall an operating system. It is a small file; put a copy somewhere safe, and treat that copy with the same care as the credentials it protects.

## The layout

| Path | Contents |
|------|----------|
| `config.json` | Workspace, features, voice, terminal, tool security, fallbacks |
| `.key` | The encryption key for secrets (restricted permissions on Unix) |
| `sessions/` | Chat history in SQLite, with a full-text search index |
| `sessions/snapshots/` | Rotating copies of the chat history database — the three newest, taken at most twice a day |
| `brain/` | Wiki pages, vectors, ingested sources, code index databases, proposals |
| `providers/` | Provider profiles, encrypted secrets, reported capabilities |
| `models/` | Downloaded model artifacts; voice models under `models/voice/` |
| `voice/` | Python environment for local speech |
| `tools.json` | Per-tool permissions |
| `search.json` | Search provider, fallback chain, API keys |
| `servers.json`, `servers/` | Managed local servers (SearXNG, `llama-cpp`) |
| `skills.json`, `skills/` | Skill enable flags and installed skills |
| `rules.json` | Your standing rules |
| `prompts/`, `prompt-configs/`, `profiles/` | Prompt overrides and portable setup bundles |
| `work-agents.json`, `sub-agents.json` | Agent overrides and sub-agent types |
| `agent-packs/` | Installed agent packs |
| `issues/` | Issue store and taxonomy |
| `scheduler.json`, `scheduler-runs/` | Scheduled jobs and their run history |
| `research/` | Saved research reports |
| `mcp.json`, `mcp/` | MCP server configuration |
| `lsp.json`, `lsp/` | Language server configuration |
| `webhooks.json` | Outgoing webhook configuration |
| `auth/devices.json` | Paired LAN companions — hashes only, never tokens |
| `oauth/` | Encrypted OAuth tokens |
| `updater.json` | Your update channel |
| `appearance.json` | Theme, custom colors, and fonts |
| `browser-profiles/` | Disposable Agent Browser session profiles; tabs are not restored between sessions |
| `logs/` | `diagnostics.jsonl` and `crash.jsonl` |
| `worktrees/` | Git worktrees created for isolated board tasks |
| `workspace/` | **Sandbox** workspace folder (`~/.minnow/workspace`) for chats without a project root |
| `backups/` | Brain wiki backups (created when you export or restore the wiki) |

Some folders in there are scaffolded ahead of the features that fill them and stay empty. That is normal, and nothing needs cleaning up.

Browser preferences live in the `browser` block of `config.json`: whether browser automation is enabled, whether navigation is allowed, the allowed origin patterns, and whether visible preview tabs are restored on boot. Agent Browser tabs use temporary profiles under `browser-profiles/` and are closed with their service, so they are not restored.

One exception: older profiles may still hold a large `sessions/state.json.backup`. It was an earlier backup format, nothing reads it any more, and the `sessions/snapshots/` copies replace it. Minnow leaves it alone — delete it yourself if you want the space back.

## Encrypted secrets

API keys and similar values are encrypted with AES-256-GCM under `.key`. Deleting or rotating that file makes existing secrets permanently unreadable — Minnow will simply show empty fields where your keys were, and you re-enter them.

On Unix the key file is created with owner-only permissions.

## A clean profile

Point `MINNOW_HOME` at an empty directory and launch. You get a fresh Minnow — new setup wizard, no chats, no keys — and your real profile is untouched. Useful for testing a configuration, or for keeping work and personal setups apart.

## Editing files by hand

Everything except the encrypted secrets is plain JSON or markdown. Reading them is fine. Editing them is a recovery tool, not a workflow: Minnow normalizes configuration on load, so an unexpected shape gets replaced with defaults rather than honoured. Change settings through the app where you can.

Brain pages are the exception — they are ordinary markdown and editing them directly is entirely reasonable. Some people keep `brain/` in a git repository.

## Related

- [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security)
- [Brain app](/docs/manual/apps/brain)
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting)

---

# Privacy and security
Source: manual/reference/privacy-and-security.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security
Description: Minnow runs on your machine, and the honest version of \"local-first\" is not \"nothing ever leaves\" — it is \"nothing leaves unless you sent it somewhere\".


# Privacy and security

Minnow runs on your machine, and the honest version of "local-first" is not "nothing ever leaves" — it is "nothing leaves unless you sent it somewhere". This page is the precise version of that claim, and the list of what protects you when an agent goes wrong.

## What never leaves

- **No telemetry.** No usage analytics, no crash reporting service, no phone-home.
- **Chats, Brain, memories, settings, logs** stay in your Minnow home.
- **Diagnostics** are local files. **Copy report** puts a redacted summary on your clipboard for you to paste somewhere; it does not transmit anything.

## What does leave, and only when you cause it

| Traffic | When |
|---------|------|
| Prompts and context to a model provider | Every turn, to whichever provider you configured. A local model means this stays on your machine. |
| Search queries | When a tool or a research sub-agent searches, to your chosen provider. The default SearXNG runs locally. |
| Page fetches | When an agent opens a URL |
| Model downloads | When you download from Hugging Face |
| Update checks | Against GitHub Releases |
| Skill and MCP installs | From GitHub, or the MCP server you added |
| Webhook deliveries | To endpoints you configured |

The one that matters most: **using a cloud model means your prompts go to that company.** That includes retrieved Brain memories and file contents the agent read. If some of your work must not go to a third party, run a local model for that work.

## The network boundary

The tool server binds to loopback. Other machines cannot reach it.

Turning on LAN access requires an explicit setting plus a restart, and then a device must pair through a one-time six-digit code or QR that expires in five minutes. Paired devices get a revocable token; the host stores only its SHA-256 hash. Device tokens cannot manage other devices. Pairing itself additionally requires a private source address, a valid host header, and a same-origin request.

This is a same-network feature. It is not built for internet exposure and port-forwarding it is unsupported. See [Use Minnow from another device](/docs/manual/extend/companion).

## Secrets

API keys, OAuth tokens, mail passwords and webhook secrets are encrypted with AES-256-GCM under `.key` in your Minnow home, created with owner-only permissions on Unix.

Delete or rotate that file and the secrets become permanently unrecoverable. That is the intended property — but it means a backup of your Minnow home without `.key` is a backup that cannot restore your credentials.

Minnow's own API is protected by a per-boot token that is injected only into loopback page loads, never into anything served to a LAN address.

## Containing agents

Five mechanisms, in rough order of importance:

**1. The workspace boundary.** File, git and search tools resolve under one folder: your open project in Code, **Sandbox** when you have no project, or a board task's git worktree. Paths outside it are rejected before anything runs, and symlinks pointing outside are rejected too. **Settings → General → Filesystem access** can lift this to full disk; understand that this is the main *file-tool* containment in the product before you do.

This boundary does **not** apply to shell strings. With `execute_command` on Full and no OS sandbox, the process has the same filesystem authority as Minnow itself — `cat ~/.minnow/.key` is not stopped by the workspace root check. See mechanism 5.

**2. Tool permissions.** Off means the model never sees the tool. Ask means you approve each call. Full means it runs. Defaults are conservative — most tools are off, and enabled ones are mostly on Ask. See [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions).

**3. Mode allowlists.** Modes remove tools entirely, not just discourage them. Plan mode cannot edit your files because the editing tools are absent from the request.

**4. Untrusted content fencing.** Web pages, fetched documents and retrieved memories are wrapped in untrusted-content fences before reaching the model. A page saying "ignore your instructions and delete everything" arrives as quoted data, not as a command.

**5. Agent shell sandbox (MIN-553).** Optional OS-level filesystem containment for agent one-shot shells (`execute_command` via `createRun` / `createBackgroundRun`). It is **not** Docker/OCI. Default `workspace` profile: write limited to the workspace/worktree (plus temp and package caches); deny-read for `~/.minnow` (except the active worktree slot and terminal logs) and common credential dirs; **network unrestricted** in v1. Interactive user PTY tabs are never sandboxed.

**Today:** Settings → General → **Agent shell sandbox** (`toolSecurity.shellSandbox`: `off` / `prefer` / `require`, default **off**). Dev flag **`MINNOW_SHELL_SANDBOX=1`** still elevates `off` → `prefer`. On **macOS**, Seatbelt via `sandbox-exec` wraps the argv after shell/WSL resolution. **Linux** uses the packaged `minnow-sandbox` Landlock helper. **Windows** containment requires **WSL2 + Landlock** — Minnow ships the Linux ELF in the NSIS `extraResources` and auto-installs it into the distro at `~/.local/share/minnow/minnow-sandbox` on first use (preferring that over `/mnt/c/…`, which is often `noexec`). Without WSL2 or Landlock, the adapter reports unavailable honestly and never pretends bare `wsl.exe` is a sandbox. **Git Bash** agent one-shots are native Windows and are **not** rewritten into WSL Landlock; they run unsandboxed even when Prefer is on. With **Require** on Windows, sandboxed agent one-shots (PowerShell/cmd/WSL profiles) execute inside WSL; you need **Linux** `node`, `python3`, and `git` available in that distro — host-only Windows installs (for example under `C:\Program Files\…`) are not used for those commands.

**Behaviour:** Unavailable under `prefer` → Ask strip to run unsandboxed (Allow once / Always allow / Cancel); under `require` → clear error, no silent fallback (**require** is not available on Windows — stored values are treated as **prefer**). Orchestrate boards use the same **General → Agent shell sandbox** setting as other chats. Tool results append `[sandboxed: …]` or `[NOT sandboxed: …]` trailers; the UI shows a badge on agent shell tool cards.

There are also specific guards: agent shell commands cannot kill Minnow or bind its port; the browser automation allowlist starts at localhost only; webhook and CalDAV destinations are checked against SSRF so you cannot point them at internal addresses; document previews render in a sandboxed frame with no scripts and no same-origin access.

## Prompt injection

Fencing reduces the risk; it does not eliminate it. The combination to be careful with is **an agent that reads arbitrary web content while holding Full permission on tools that write, execute, or send**.

Practical mitigations:

- Keep `execute_command`, `delete_path` and outbound tools on **Ask** if the same session browses the open web.
- Prefer worktree isolation for autonomous board runs so *git* collisions stay on task branches — that is checkout isolation, not host filesystem containment. Pair it with the agent shell sandbox (mechanism 5) when you need the latter.
- Commit before long unattended runs.
- Read what an agent actually did — the diff, the terminal output — rather than its summary of what it did.

## Data you should not put in Brain

Brain content is retrieved into prompts, which means it goes wherever your prompts go. Do not store credentials, keys or personal data you would not send to your model provider. Use the encrypted secret storage for credentials — that is what it is for, and it is never injected into a prompt.

## Deleting things

- **A chat** — deleted from the session store immediately.
- **A memory** — the review card's **Reject** deletes the page; Brain lets you delete any page.
- **Everything** — delete your Minnow home. Uninstalling the app does not remove it, which is deliberate: an uninstall should not silently destroy your work.

## Related

- [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration)
- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions)
- [Use Minnow from another device](/docs/manual/extend/companion)

---

# Troubleshooting
Source: manual/reference/troubleshooting.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting
Description: Symptoms and fixes, roughly in the order people hit them. Paths refer to the in-app Settings app.


# Troubleshooting

Symptoms and fixes, roughly in the order people hit them. Paths refer to the in-app **Settings** app.

## Start here

Before anything else, open **Settings → Advanced → Health & diagnostics**. It probes each subsystem, groups recent errors, and tails the local log. **Copy report** produces a redacted markdown summary — attach it to a bug report rather than describing the symptom from memory.

Nothing on that page is transmitted. Minnow sends no telemetry.

## Nothing answers me

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Model picker is empty | Is the provider running with a model loaded? Is the base URL right, including `/v1` where required? Press refresh in **Models → Providers**. |
| `[providers] fetch failed` at startup | Normal when LM Studio or Ollama is not up yet. Start it and refresh. |
| Replies are empty or garbled | The endpoint may not speak standard `/v1/chat/completions` SSE. Try another model or provider profile. |
| Replies stop mid-sentence, forever | A stalled upstream stream. **Settings → Agents → Watchdog** sets the idle timeout that catches this. |
| Chat works but tools never run | Use a tool-calling-capable model; check the tool is enabled and not **Off** in **Settings → Integrations → Tools**; check your mode allows it. |
| Images are ignored | You need a vision model. Text-only models silently drop image parts. |

## Tools and files

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Cannot read a file outside the project | By design — file and git tools stay under the workspace root. Change it in **Settings → General → Filesystem access** if you genuinely need full disk. |
| A tool says it needs the server | That tool runs server-side. In the packaged app the server is always up; check Health & diagnostics. |
| Web search does nothing | **Settings → Integrations → Search**. The default SearXNG runs locally — check it under **Servers**. Or switch to DuckDuckGo, which needs no key. |
| `browser_*` tools missing | Browser automation needs the Electron desktop app. |
| Browser navigation blocked | Only localhost is allowed by default. Add the origin under **Settings → Integrations → Browser**, or approve when asked. |
| Approval strip never appears, tool just runs | That tool is on **Full**. Probably from pressing **2** once. |
| PDF or Office attachment fails | The parsers are optional dependencies. Packaged builds include them; in a source clone, re-run `npm install` without `--no-optional`. |

## The model forgets things

Look at the context ring first. When it is near full, the model is losing the earliest parts of your conversation.

| Fix | Cost |
|-----|------|
| New chat for the new subtask | Lowest — usually the right answer |
| Remove large attachments | Low |
| Save durable facts to Brain, then start fresh | Low, and they come back through retrieval |
| Larger-context model | Depends on your hardware |

If the ring shows no cap, the model did not report a context length. See [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory).

## Agents and boards

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| A board task sits doing nothing | A tool is probably on **Ask** with nobody to approve it. Check permissions before AFK runs. |
| Task quarantined | It exhausted its retries. Open the task chat to read what happened, fix the cause, then **Requeue**. |
| Board never starts | Is the workspace a git repository? Boards need one. Minnow offers to set it up during board creation. |
| Parallel tasks conflicting | Turn worktree isolation on. Auto and AFK use per-task worktrees by default. |
| Sub-agent seems stuck | The agent activity panel shows live phase and current tool. Timeouts are per type in **Settings → Agents → Sub-agents**. |
| Undo control is missing | It only appears in a git repository, and only when that turn changed files. The message **⋮ → Undo turn** still does a chat-only rewind. |

## Scheduler

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Job never ran | Minnow must be running — tray counts, quit does not. Is the job enabled? Is the interval at least 60 s? |
| Job ran but did nothing | Tools on **Ask** stall with nobody to approve them |
| Job failed | Read the run history message. Does the model still exist? Does the workspace path still exist? |
| Wrong files touched | The workspace set on the job |

## Voice

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Local speech fails | Local voice needs Python 3 for its worker. Install it, or point voice at a provider in **Models → Voice**. |
| Dictation hears my speakers | **Settings → General → Audio** — turn on echo cancellation |
| No microphone on the LAN companion | Plain HTTP is not a secure context; browsers block capture there |

## Updates and install

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| No update pill | You may be current. **Settings → General → App updates → Check for updates**. |
| Download seems stuck | Wait for the next automatic cycle or check manually. A completed download stays ready even if a later check fails. |
| Update does not apply | Closing the window hides to tray. Quit properly from the tray menu. |
| SmartScreen warning | Expected for unsigned Windows builds: **More info → Run anyway**, once. |

## Data and secrets

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| All my API keys vanished | `.key` was deleted or rotated. Restore it from backup, or re-enter the keys. |
| Want a clean profile | Point `MINNOW_HOME` at an empty folder and launch. Your real profile is untouched. |
| Want to remove everything | Delete your Minnow home. Uninstalling deliberately leaves it in place. |

## Still stuck

Take **Copy report** from Health & diagnostics and open a [GitHub issue](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/issues). It includes version, platform and recent errors with paths and secrets redacted, which is most of what anyone will ask you for.

## Related

- [Where your data lives](/docs/manual/reference/configuration)
- [Tools and permissions](/docs/manual/concepts/tools-and-permissions)
- [Connect a model](/docs/manual/get-started/connect-a-model)

---

# Glossary
Source: manual/reference/glossary.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/reference/glossary
Description: Terms Minnow uses, in the sense Minnow means them.


# Glossary

Terms Minnow uses, in the sense Minnow means them.

**Running** — The board is ticking: eligible work starts up to the concurrency cap until you press Stop or the board finishes.

**Board** — A kanban of tasks generated from a plan document, worked by agents. See [Orchestrate boards](/docs/manual/orchestrate/boards).

**Brain** — Your own knowledge wiki: markdown pages in your Minnow home that the assistant reads and writes. Minnow's memory system. Not this manual.

**Composer** — The input area: text field, mode strip, attachments, tools, microphone, model picker, context ring, send.

**Context policy** — What an agent does when it hits its input cap: summarize, slide, truncate or archive.

**Context ring** — The dial beside Send showing how much of the model's window this conversation uses.

**Concurrency** — How many board tasks may start at once. Sequential is Running at 1.

**Fixer** — The board role that repairs a task after its tests fail.

**Goal** — A completion condition set with `/goal`. A separate evaluator agent checks it after each turn.

**Integration branch** — The branch a board merges completed task work into, when worktree isolation is on.

**Isolation** — Giving board tasks their own git worktrees so parallel agents do not collide. Off, per-task, or per-wave.

**Loop** — A prompt re-run on a schedule in one chat, set with `/loop`. Different from a Scheduler job.

**MCP** — Model Context Protocol. A standard for exposing tools; MCP tools appear as `mcp__<server>__<tool>`.

**Minnow home** — The folder holding everything Minnow keeps: `%USERPROFILE%\.minnow` or `~/.minnow`.

**Mode** — What the assistant is allowed to be this turn. Changes the system prompt and the tool list. General, Build, Plan, Debug, plus surface-bound ones.

**Plan document** — Markdown under `documentation/plans/`. The one place Plan mode may write, and the input a board executes.

**Provider** — An OpenAI-compatible endpoint Minnow talks to: a local runtime, a served model, or a cloud API.

**Quarantine** — A board task parked after exhausting its retries, along with its dependents. Cleared with Requeue.

**Routing** — Binding different models to different jobs — main chat, chat titles, goal evaluation, each agent role.

**Skill** — A `SKILL.md` file of packaged instructions, invoked with `/`.

**Sub-agent** — A nested agent spawned for one job, running in the background and reporting a structured result.


**Tool** — A function the model can call. Every one is Off, Ask or Full.

**Wave** — A dependency group on a board. Tasks in one wave can run in parallel; the next wave waits.

**Work agent** — A role with its own prompt, sampler and optional model: builder, planner, reviewer, researcher and others.

**Workspace root** — The folder file and git tools are confined to. Set by the project you open in Code, or **Sandbox** (`~/.minnow/workspace`) when you have not picked a repo yet.

**Legacy routes** — `#/workspaces` is the workspace gate (same as `#/`, `#`, and `#/desktop` after [`resolveLegacyHash`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/os/router.ts)). `#/app/chat` redirects to Code chat (`#/app/code/chat`). Legacy `#/bugs` opens Issues (`#/app/issues`).

**Worktree** — A separate git checkout of the same repository. Board isolation uses one per task so agents do not collide on a single working tree. That is git isolation, not OS host containment — see the agent shell sandbox under [Privacy and security](/docs/manual/reference/privacy-and-security).

## Related

- [How Minnow works](/docs/manual/concepts/how-minnow-works)
- [Minnow manual](/docs/manual/README)

---

# Wiki and Brain
Source: manual/reference/wiki-and-brain.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/reference/wiki-and-brain
Description: Minnow has two knowledge surfaces and they get confused constantly, because both answer questions and both look like wikis.


# Wiki and Brain

Minnow has two knowledge surfaces and they get confused constantly, because both answer questions and both look like wikis. The difference is simple: **one is about Minnow and you cannot edit it; the other is about your work and it is entirely yours.**

## The short version

| | Minnow wiki | Brain |
|---|-------------|-------|
| **Open with** | The menubar **?** | The Brain app in the dock |
| **Contains** | This manual, for your installed version | Your facts, decisions, notes, code index |
| **Editable** | No | Yes |
| **Written by** | The Minnow build | You and the assistant |
| **Ask it** | "How does the Scheduler work?" | "What did we decide about auth?" |

## The Minnow wiki

The manual you are reading. It ships inside the build, so it always matches the version you have installed — no version-skew between the app and its documentation.

- Grouped navigation on the left, in reading order.
- Full-text search across every page. **Ctrl+K** / **Cmd+K** focuses it.
- Deep links reload to the same page.
- An "On this page" contents list on wide screens.
- A footer link to edit any page on GitHub, if you want to fix something.

It is an overlay, not an app. Opening it does not disturb whatever you were doing; closing it puts you back.

Developer material — architecture, setup from source, contributing — is deliberately not in here. It lives on the [GitHub Wiki](/docs).

## Brain

Your wiki: markdown pages in your Minnow home, with a graph view, an editor, ingest, lint and a code-symbol index. The assistant searches and writes it with tools. `save_memory` writes here.

This is where "we deploy on Fridays" and "the staging database resets nightly" belong. Retrieval pulls the relevant pages back into the prompt when they matter, which is how the assistant appears to remember across conversations.

See [the Brain app](/docs/manual/apps/brain) and [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory).

## Asking chat about Minnow

In **General** mode and during first-run onboarding, the assistant has three read-only tools for this manual:

| Tool | Does |
|------|------|
| `minnow_docs_search` | Finds pages and returns excerpts |
| `minnow_docs_read` | Opens a page |
| `minnow_docs_list` | Browses the catalog |

They default to **Full** permission and work regardless of your workspace or Brain settings. Ask "how do I point Minnow at Ollama?" and you get an answer citing a page rather than a guess.

**Build, Plan and Debug do not have these tools.** Developer modes keep a tighter payload budget and read your repository directly. Ask product questions in General.

The prompts are deliberate about the split: Minnow product questions go to the manual, your project knowledge goes to Brain, and repository architecture comes from reading the repository.

## The GitHub Wiki

A public mirror of the full documentation set — this manual plus contributor and maintainer material — published from the repository. Useful when you want to read documentation without opening Minnow, or link someone to a page.

It mirrors the repository, not your Brain. Nothing of yours is published.

## Which one do I want?

| Question | Surface |
|----------|---------|
| How does an orchestrate board work? | Minnow wiki, or ask in General mode |
| What is the shortcut for the terminal? | Minnow wiki → [Keyboard shortcuts](/docs/manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts) |
| Why did we choose Postgres? | Brain |
| What is our release date? | Brain, or Issues |
| Turn these meeting notes into something I can search | Brain → Ingest |
| How do I set up a language server? | Minnow wiki → [Integrations](/docs/manual/extend/integrations) |

## Related

- [Brain app](/docs/manual/apps/brain)
- [Context, memory, and rules](/docs/manual/concepts/context-and-memory)
- [Minnow manual](/docs/manual/README)

---

# Roadmap
Source: manual/reference/roadmap.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/manual/reference/roadmap
Description: The full roadmap is its own page in this wiki — open Roadmap from the navigation, or search for it. It describes product direction, not delivery dates.


# Roadmap

The full roadmap is its own page in this wiki — open **Roadmap** from the navigation, or search for it. It describes product direction, not delivery dates.

This manual describes what ships in the build you have installed. Anything still being built lives on the roadmap page, not here.

**Where do I ask for something?** The [GitHub issue tracker](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/issues). Bug reports are far more useful with a **Copy report** attached from **Settings → Advanced → Health & diagnostics**.

## Related

- [Apps overview](/docs/manual/apps/overview)
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/manual/reference/troubleshooting)

---

# Contributing to Minnow
Source: contributor/README.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/contributor/README
Description: Documentation for cloning the repo, running from source, testing, and understanding the architecture. End-user help lives in [../manual/](../manual/) (in-app ?


# Contributing to Minnow

Documentation for cloning the repo, running from source, testing, and understanding the architecture. End-user help lives in [`../manual/`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/manual) (in-app **?** wiki).

## Start here

| Doc | What it covers |
|-----|----------------|
| [setup-from-source.md](/docs/contributor/setup-from-source) | Clone, `npm install`, providers, `npm start`, dev variants, health checks |
| [commands.md](/docs/contributor/commands) | npm scripts, headless CLI, test suites, environment variables |
| [architecture.md](/docs/contributor/architecture) | SPA, tool server, Electron shell, agent layer — orientation before `context.md` |
| [apps-and-routes.md](/docs/contributor/apps-and-routes) | App registry, hash routes, release gate, per-app internals |

## Deep dives

| Doc | What it covers |
|-----|----------------|
| [orchestrate-board-testing.md](/docs/contributor/orchestrate-board-testing) | `test:orchestrator`, fake model, scenario contract, journal suite |
| [accessibility-audit.md](/docs/contributor/accessibility-audit) | Keyboard-first checklist, focus, screen readers, contrast regression |
| [lan-companion.md](/docs/contributor/lan-companion) | LAN pairing, security boundary, companion layout (MIN-393) |

## Related references

| Resource | Role |
|----------|------|
| [`../context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md) | Authoritative technical reference — APIs, stores, every subsystem |
| [`../maintainer/`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/maintainer) | Releases, signing, settings inventory, wiki publishing |
| [`../design-system/`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/design-system) | `--mn-*` tokens, primitives, themes |
| [`../plugins/tool-authoring.md`](/docs/plugins/tool-authoring) | Local tool plugins in `~/.minnow/tools/` |
| [`../agent-packs/README.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/agent-packs/README.md) | Portable prompt/agent bundles |
| [`../../AGENTS.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/AGENTS.md) | Orientation for AI coding agents |
| [`../../DESIGN.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/DESIGN.md) | Visual design rules |
| [`../../PRODUCT.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/PRODUCT.md) | Product principles |

Full documentation index: [`../README.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/README.md).

---

# Architecture overview
Source: contributor/architecture.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/contributor/architecture
Description: A high-level map of how Minnow fits together.


# Architecture overview

A high-level map of how Minnow fits together. For the exhaustive, file-by-file reference, read [`../context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md) — this guide is the orientation layer above it. To run from source: [setup-from-source.md](/docs/contributor/setup-from-source).

## Three processes

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Electron desktop shell  (electron/)                          │
│  • BrowserWindow hosts the SPA                               │
│  • WebContentsView preview = the in-app browser (browser_*)  │
│  • In electron:prod, hosts the built SPA via Connect + sirv  │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                │ loads
┌───────────────▼─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SPA  (src/, index.html — Vite + TypeScript, no framework)    │
│  • Minnow Shell (src/os/): workspace gate, app rail, menubar, app host   │
│  • Chat + modes + prompts (src/chat/)                        │
│  • Agent layer: tools, sub-agents, work agents (src/agents,  │
│    src/tools)                                                 │
│  • Per-app modules: models, compare, research,               │
│    scheduler, voice, memory, benchmark, …                    │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                │ HTTP/SSE to same origin
┌───────────────▼─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Node tool server  (server.js + server/)                      │
│  • Serves the SPA via Vite (dev) and proxies providers       │
│  • Tools: files, git, code, shell/PTY, web, LSP, MCP, …      │
│  • Generations: buffered, resumable SSE streams              │
│  • Apps' backends + persistence under ~/.minnow              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

- **`npm start`** (`server.js`) runs all three: Vite + tool server, then launches Electron.
- **`npm run dev`** runs only the SPA via Vite — the tool server and most features are absent.
- **`npm run electron:dev`** / **`npm run desktop`** run `server.js` with `MINNOW_ELECTRON=1` plus the Electron dev launcher (HMR-friendly alias of the full stack).

## The SPA (`src/`)

No UI framework — direct TypeScript + DOM with CSS tokens. Boot order in [`src/main.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/main.ts): page bridge → OS shell → router. Key areas:

- **`src/os/`** — workspace-first shell: stage, app rail, menubar, router, workspace gate, app registry; released apps mount as full-stage layers in `#osAppsLayer`. Scheduler is the one side-panel overlay; nothing floats.
- **`src/chat/`** — chat orchestration, composer **modes** (`modes/registry.ts`; four in the composer strip), prompt composition (`prompts/`).
- **`src/tools/`** — the tool catalog ([`definitions.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/tools/definitions.ts); 105 built-in tools, none app-gated), executors, and permission gating. Product chat send is [`runChatTurn`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/chat/run-turn-chat.ts) around [`runTurn()`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/server/runner/run-turn.js) — not a client copy of the stream/tool loop.
- **`src/agents/`** — sub-agent runner/controller, work agents, sampler resolution, UI Designer.
- **`src/api/`** — provider/model fetching, SSE parsing (`sse-parse.ts`), generations client.
- **Feature modules** — `models/`, `research/`, `scheduler/`, `voice/`, `memory/`, `notifications/`, `webhooks/`, `oauth/`, `lsp/`, `mcp/`, `skills/`, plus `compare/` and `benchmark/` for release-gated apps.
- **`src/ui/`, `src/styles/`, `src/markdown/`, `src/theme.ts`** — views, `--mn-*` CSS tokens (see [`DESIGN.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/DESIGN.md)), markdown rendering, theming.

## The tool server (`server/`)

A Connect-style Node app. `server.js` wires Vite middleware in dev and the API routers; `server/runtime/` bootstraps stores and registers middlewares. Each subsystem has its own folder: `tools/`, `generations/`, `providers/`, `config/`, `memory/`, `brain/`, `engine/`, `models/`, `compare/`, `research/`, `scheduler/`, `voice/`, `stt/`, `tts/`, `mcp/`, `lsp/`, `terminal/`, `webhooks/`, `oauth/`, `security/`, `agents/`, `work-agents/`, `profiles/`, `prompts/`, `skills/`, `system/`.

### Generations (streaming)

Chat completions are **backend-owned**: the client POSTs to `/api/generations`, then reads a resumable SSE stream (`/api/generations/:id/stream`) that replays buffered tokens and continues live — so a reload re-attaches instead of losing the turn. Parsing lives in [`src/api/sse-parse.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/api/sse-parse.ts).

### Tools

Tools are either **browser-native** (run in the page — utilities, sub-agent/board, mode handoff, `browser_*`) or **server-required** (proxied to `POST /api/tools`). Permissions are per-tool (`full` / `ask` / `off`) with an in-chat approval modal. File/git tools are sandboxed to the workspace root unless `TOOLS_ALLOW_ALL_PATHS=1`. **Plan mode** additionally denies destructive tools.

## Agent layer

- **Sub-agents** — `spawn_sub_agent` runs nested agent loops with concurrency caps, per-type model/sampler bindings, budgets + structured summaries, and persisted runs surfaced as live cards.
- **Work agents** — composer-selectable agents with their own provider/model.
- **Skills** — `SKILL.md` packs (built-in + user) invoked via `/` slash commands.
- **Prompts** — full / lite / custom profiles, prompt diffing vs. shipped defaults, and portable bundles under `~/.minnow/profiles/`.

## Security model

- **Encrypted secrets** — AES-256-GCM envelopes (`server/security/secret-box.js`) with a file key at `~/.minnow/.key`; provider/account secrets migrate from plaintext on first read.
- **Prompt-injection defense** — untrusted text (memory, web/RAG, research extraction, documents, email) is fenced with `<<<UNTRUSTED_SOURCE_DATA …>>>` markers (`src/lib/untrusted.mjs` / `server/security/untrusted.js`).
- **SSRF guards** — webhook and CalDAV targets resolve DNS and block private/link-local addresses.
- **Browser allowlist** — `browser_*` navigation is restricted by origin patterns.

## Persistence

All durable state lives under `~/.minnow` (override with `MINNOW_HOME`). See [`../manual/reference/configuration.md`](/docs/manual/reference/configuration) for the layout. Sessions live in `sessions/sessions.db` (SQLite via [`server/config/sessions-repo.js`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/server/config/sessions-repo.js)): SPA boot loads summaries and hydrates chat history on demand; PATCH flushes dirty chats/groups; FTS5 backs `/api/config/sessions/search`. Markdown stores (Brain wiki, memory) keep frontmatter files as the source of truth with rebuildable caches.

## Where to dig deeper

| Topic | Reference |
|-------|-----------|
| Full architecture, every API and store | [`../context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md) |
| Visual design & theme tokens | [`../../DESIGN.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/DESIGN.md) |
| Build plans & roadmaps | [`../plans/`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/plans) |
| Tool plugin authoring | [`../plugins/tool-authoring.md`](/docs/plugins/tool-authoring) |
| Contributor index | [README.md](/docs/contributor/README) |

---

# Setup from source
Source: contributor/setup-from-source.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/contributor/setup-from-source
Description: Step-by-step guide to run Minnow from a git clone for development.


# Setup from source

Step-by-step guide to run Minnow from a git clone **for development**. End users should download a packaged build from [Releases](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/releases) and follow [Install and first launch](/docs/manual/get-started/install). Index: [`../README.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/README.md). Architecture orientation: [architecture.md](/docs/contributor/architecture). Exhaustive reference: [`../context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md).

## 1. Prerequisites

| Requirement | Notes |
|-------------|-------|
| **Node.js 18+** (20+ recommended) | ES modules, Vite 6, native `node:test`. Check with `node -v`. |
| **npm** | Ships with Node. |
| **Git** | To clone and contribute. |
| **LM Studio** or another OpenAI-compatible provider | Needed to chat; the UI launches without one. |
| **Python 3** *(optional)* | Local voice (STT/TTS) only; provisioned on demand. |

Native modules (`better-sqlite3`, `@lydell/node-pty`) ship prebuilt binaries for common platforms. A C/C++ toolchain is only required if npm falls back to building from source.

## 2. Clone and install

```bash
git clone https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow.git
cd Minnow
npm install
```

`postinstall` automatically:

- vendors the **Impeccable** UI-design skill into `src/skills/impeccable/` (`scripts/sync-impeccable-skill.mjs`) — the shipped copy Minnow installs into `~/.minnow/skills/impeccable/` at runtime, and
- ensures the **Electron** binary is present (`scripts/ensure-electron.mjs`).

Both are idempotent — safe to re-run.

### Optional document parsers

PDF/Word/Excel attachment support comes from `optionalDependencies`, which install best-effort. If an attachment type fails, install it explicitly:

```bash
npm install pdf-parse mammoth officeparser
# xlsx is fetched from the SheetJS CDN per package.json
```

## 3. Start a model provider

You need at least one OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Easiest is **LM Studio**:

1. Install and open **[LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai/)**.
2. Download and **load** a chat model.
3. Open the **Developer / Server** tab and **Start Server** (default `http://localhost:1234`).
4. Confirm the model is listed in LM Studio's server UI.

Alternatives — all configured in the **Models** app under **Providers**:

- **Ollama** — point Minnow at `http://localhost:11434/v1`.
- **llama.cpp `llama-server`** — or let the **Models** app download and serve a model for you.
- **Cloud APIs** — any OpenAI-compatible base URL + API key (stored encrypted).

### LM Studio headless (optional, for servers/CI)

```bash
curl -fsSL https://lmstudio.ai/install.sh | bash
export PATH="$HOME/.lmstudio/bin:$PATH"
lms daemon up && lms server start
lms get <model-name> -y
lms load <model-name> -y
```

## 4. Run Minnow

```bash
npm start
```

This starts Vite + the Node tool server on **port 9473** (or the next free port — watch the terminal) and launches the **Electron desktop shell**. It also prints `Minnow data: <path>` showing your `~/.minnow` home.

### Dev variants

| Command | When to use |
|---------|-------------|
| `npm start` | **Default.** Full stack: tool server, persistence, Electron. |
| `MINNOW_BROWSER=1 npm start` | System browser tab instead of Electron. |
| `BROWSER=none npm start` or `MINNOW_HEADLESS=1 npm start` | No auto-open (CI/headless). |
| `PORT=3000 npm start` | Custom port (PowerShell: `$env:PORT=3000; npm start`). |
| `npm run dev` | Vite-only UI/HMR — **no** file/git tools, terminal, or most APIs. |
| `npm run desktop` / `npm run electron:dev` | Vite + Electron HMR without full `server.js` bootstrap. |

> `PORT=5173` is deliberately ignored and coerced back to 9473 — 5173 is reserved for dev servers in your *workspace*, so agents can start a Vite app without colliding with Minnow.

> Use `npm start` (not `npm run dev`) whenever you need file/git tools, persistence, terminal, attachments, browser preview, or any of the apps.

### Health check

Every `/api/*` route requires the per-boot session token in `~/.minnow/session-token`:

```bash
curl -H "X-Minnow-Token: $(cat ~/.minnow/session-token)" http://localhost:9473/api/tools/ping
# {"ok":true}
```

```powershell
curl.exe -H "X-Minnow-Token: $(Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.minnow\session-token)" http://localhost:9473/api/tools/ping
```

A bare request without the header returns `401 Unauthorized` — that is the gate working, not a broken server.

## 5. First-run checklist in the UI

1. **Provider** — **Models → Providers**: confirm the base URL and that the provider is reachable.
2. **Model** — pick one from the menubar model chip (use refresh if empty). Vision tasks need a **VLM**; tool-calling models work best for agent turns.
3. **Mode** — composer: General / Build / Plan / Debug. (Orchestrate opens from the sidebar hub, not the composer picker.)
4. **Tools** — Settings → Tools & integrations → **Tools**: enable capabilities; set per-tool permission (`full` / `ask` / `off`). Server tools need `npm start` and a healthy tools ping.
5. **Workspace** — open **Code** and pick a project folder; file/git tools resolve under this root.

## 6. Optional contributor setup

- **WSL / Git Bash (Windows)** — Settings → General → Chat & terminal → **Default shell**. Git Bash appears when Git for Windows is installed; WSL distros appear when WSL is installed. Requires `npm start`.
- **Voice** — Models → Voice: local Whisper / Qwen3-TTS or provider APIs.
- **Memory & Brain** — the **Brain** app owns memory settings and embeddings.
- **MCP** — Settings → Tools & integrations → **MCP servers**: Context7 built in; add custom servers.
- **Skills** — Settings → Tools & integrations → **Skills** / **Skills Library**: 19 built-in skills ship in-tree, plus third-party `SKILL.md` packs.
- **Webhooks** — Settings → Tools & integrations → **Webhooks**: HMAC-signed outbound deliveries.

> **Compare, Benchmarking, and Experts** are release-gated off in this build — see [apps-and-routes.md](/docs/contributor/apps-and-routes).

## 7. Next steps

- [commands.md](/docs/contributor/commands) — scripts, tests, env vars
- [architecture.md](/docs/contributor/architecture) — three-process map
- [orchestrate-board-testing.md](/docs/contributor/orchestrate-board-testing) — board test harness
- [`../manual/reference/configuration.md`](/docs/manual/reference/configuration) — `~/.minnow` layout
- [tool authoring](/docs/plugins/tool-authoring), [agent packs](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/agent-packs/README.md)

---

# Command reference
Source: contributor/commands.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/contributor/commands
Description: Every npm script, the headless CLI, smoke/maintenance scripts, and environment variables. Source of truth: [package.json](../../package.json).


# Command reference

Every npm script, the headless CLI, smoke/maintenance scripts, and environment variables. Source of truth: [`package.json`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/package.json). Setup from source: [setup-from-source.md](/docs/contributor/setup-from-source). System map: [architecture.md](/docs/contributor/architecture) and [`../context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md).

For UI key bindings (composer, editor, file tree, terminal), see [Keyboard shortcuts](/docs/manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts).

## Running & building

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `npm start` | **Recommended.** `node server.js` → Vite + tool server + `~/.minnow` APIs + Electron desktop shell. |
| `npm run dev` | Vite only (UI/HMR). Most server features unavailable. |
| `npm run desktop` | Alias for `electron:dev`. |
| `npm run electron:dev` | `concurrently` Vite (HMR, `MINNOW_ELECTRON=1`) + Electron via `scripts/electron-dev.mjs`. |
| `npm run electron:build` | Compile the Electron main/preload (`electron/tsconfig.json`) + rename preload + write `electron/dist/package.json` version stub. |
| `node scripts/verify-github-update-feed.mjs` | Compare GitHub `latest*.yml` sizes to attached installers (`v<package.json version>` or pass a tag). |
| `npm run electron:prod` | Full build + Electron build, then run the packaged main against `dist/`. |
| `npm run build` | `tsc && vite build` → `dist/`. `prebuild` regenerates `src/skills/builtin-manifest.json`. |
| `npm run preview` | `vite preview` of the production build (no tool API). |
| `npm run package` | Build + Electron build + **electron-builder** installer → `release/pkg` (Windows NSIS, macOS dmg/zip, plus `latest.yml` auto-update feed metadata; never uploads — see [releasing](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/maintainer/releasing.md)). |
| `npm run package:win` / `package:mac` / `package:linux` | Package a single platform. On Windows/macOS, **AppImage** needs Docker — use `npm run package:linux:docker`. `package:win` / `package:linux` run `sandbox:ensure-helper` first (Linux ELF for Landlock; WSL build on Windows). |
| `npm run package:dir` | Same, unpacked directory (`--dir`). |
| `npm run package:clean` | Clean the `release/` output. |
| `npx tsc --noEmit` | Typecheck only. |

## Generated artifacts

`prebuild` runs these automatically before `npm run build`; run them by hand when you change a source of truth and want the generated file refreshed without a full build.

| Command | Regenerates |
|---------|-------------|
| `npm run wiki:generate` | `server/product-wiki/catalog.json` from `documentation/` — **run after editing any wiki page** |
| `npm run test:product-wiki` | Catalog sync + manual copy gates (also CI job **product wiki**; not part of `npm test`) |
| `npm run wiki:stage` | Stages the GitHub Wiki tree (see [wiki-publishing](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/maintainer/wiki-publishing.md)) |
| `npm run settings-registry:generate` | `server/settings/registry-manifest.json` from the settings catalog |
| `npm run skills-library:index` | Skills Library index |
| `npm run check:icons` | Fails when an icon reference has no asset |

## Headless CLI (`minnow run`)

Drives one agent turn without the SPA. Requires the tool server (`npm start`) or pass `--start-server`. Entry: [`bin/minnow.mjs`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/bin/minnow.mjs) → `src/headless/cli-main.ts`.

```bash
minnow run --workspace . --agent builder --mode build \
  --prompt "Summarize README.md" --json-out run.json

# or via npm
npm run minnow:run -- --prompt "Reply OK" --json
```

Flags (`minnow run --help` for the authoritative list):

| Flag | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `--prompt <text>` / `--stdin` | The user message (or read from stdin). |
| `--workspace <dir>` | Workspace root for file/git tools. |
| `--agent <id>` | Work agent to use. |
| `--mode <id>` | `general` / `build` / `plan` / `orchestrate` / `debug`. |
| `--model <id>` / `--provider <id>` | Override model / provider. |
| `--profile <id>` | Prompt profile / setup bundle. |
| `--base-url <url>` | Server origin (default detected; e.g. `http://127.0.0.1:9473`). |
| `--start-server` | Start a tool server for the run. |
| `--server-timeout <ms>` | Server readiness timeout. |
| `--json` / `--json-out <file>` | Machine-readable result to stdout / file. |
| `--max-tool-turns <n>` | Cap tool-call iterations. |
| `--no-approval` / `--auto-reject-questions` | Non-interactive tool/question handling. |
| `--persist-chat` / `--chat-id <id>` / `--chat-name <name>` | Save the transcript into `~/.minnow/sessions`. |
| `--scheduler-run` | Marks a scheduler-originated run. |
| `--minnow-home <dir>` | Override `~/.minnow`. |
| `--quiet` | Suppress progress logs. |

UI-only tools (e.g. `ask_question`) fail with a clear error in headless mode unless you opt into unsafe automation (`MINNOW_I_UNDERSTAND_UNSAFE_AUTOMATION`).

## Tests

`npm test` runs the full suite via [`test/run-all.mjs`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/test/run-all.mjs) — it discovers every `test/**/*.test.{js,mjs,mts,ts}` file and runs the correct runner/loader per path (see [`test/test-config.mjs`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/test/test-config.mjs)). New test files are included automatically; `npm run test:check-coverage` fails CI when a file would be orphaned. Worker parallelism defaults to `min(16, availableParallelism())`; override with `MINNOW_TEST_CONCURRENCY`.

**Memory:** every runner preloads [`test/assert-dom-safe.mjs`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/test/assert-dom-safe.mjs). Without it a *failing* `assert.equal(document.querySelector('.x'), null)` hands a happy-dom node to node:assert, which inspects it at `depth: 1000` and Myers-diffs the result — synchronous, unbounded typed-array allocation that `--max-old-space-size` cannot cap, and enough to freeze a 64 GB workstation from a single test process (measured: one child at 49 GB and still climbing). The guard compares DOM operands itself and reports a short descriptor (`<section.board-root>`) instead. Do not remove the preload, and prefer `assert.ok(!el)` over comparing elements when adding assertions.

**CI (MIN-383):** [`.github/workflows/ci.yml`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/.github/workflows/ci.yml) runs on pull requests and pushes to `main`: `npm ci` → `test:check-coverage` → `npx tsc --noEmit` → `npm test` on `windows-latest`, `ubuntu-latest`, and `macos-latest` (includes `test/headless/`). Require the **`ci`** status check on `main` before merge ([`.github/BRANCH_PROTECTION.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/.github/BRANCH_PROTECTION.md)).

Scoped suites (each delegates to `node test/run-all.mjs --suite <name>`):

| Command | Area |
|---------|------|
| `npm run test:memory` | Memory store + API |
| `npm run test:brain` | Brain wiki / CORTEX |
| `npm run test:engine` | Retrieval engine |
| `npm run test:lsp` | LSP integration |
| `npm run test:mcp` | MCP servers |
| `npm run test:browser` | CDP / browser preview tools |
| `npm run test:skills` | Skills loader + clients |
| `npm run test:impeccable` / `test:skills-impeccable` | Impeccable skill + `/impeccable` |
| `npm run test:attachments` | Workspace refs + document readers |
| `npm run test:research` | Deep research |
| `npm run test:benchmark` | Benchmark app |
| `npm run test:evals` | Eval harness |
| `npm run test:webhooks` | Outgoing webhooks |
| `npm run test:notifications` | Notification inbox |
| `npm run test:servers` | Managed server processes |
| `npm run test:plugins` | Tool plugin scan/loader |
| `npm run test:terminal-pty` | Terminal PTY session (live server) |
| `npm run test:ui-designer` | UI Designer agent |
| `npm run test:settings` | Settings registry |
| `npm run test:orchestrator` / `test:board` | Orchestrator V2 journal suite — see [orchestrate-board-testing.md](/docs/contributor/orchestrate-board-testing) |
| `npm run test:check-coverage` | Orphan test detection (also in CI) |

Most TS/UI suites run under `tsx` with `--import ./test/test-loader.mjs` (stubs `.css` + xterm); some use `--experimental-test-module-mocks`.

## Skill maintenance

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `npm run impeccable:sync` | Re-vendor Impeccable into `src/skills/impeccable/`. |
| `npm run impeccable:update` | Update upstream Impeccable, then re-sync. |
| `npm run impeccable:detect` | Anti-pattern scan of `src/` + `index.html` (exit `2` = issues found). |
| `npm run caveman:sync` | Refresh the upstream Caveman `SKILL.md`. |
| `npm run matt-pocock-skills:sync` | Re-vendor the Matt Pocock skill pack. |
| `node scripts/build-benchmark-packs.mjs` | Rebuild benchmark task packs into `public/benchmark-packs/` (no npm alias). |
| `npm run report:bundle-size` | Print production chunk sizes from `dist/assets` (run after `npm run build`). |
| `npm run report:bundle-size:ci` | Same as above; exits non-zero when entry chunk exceeds 1500 KB or data packs ship as JS. |

## Orchestrate board dev tools

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `npm run test:orchestrator` / `test:board` | V2 journal suite (`test/orchestrator/` + scenario catalog). See [orchestrate-board-testing.md](/docs/contributor/orchestrate-board-testing). |
| `npm run board:scenario-contract` | Validate the Settings board-testing catalog (PR gate). |
| `npm run fake-model` | Local OpenAI-v1 stub for manual board runs. `npm run fake-model -- --register` adds provider `fake-board`. |
| `npm run check:board-log` | Retired (exit 1). V1 JSONL invariants were deleted in MIN-713. V2 history is the journal under `~/.minnow/boards/`. |

## Smoke scripts

Run with the server up (default port 9473 — substitute yours). API calls need the per-boot session token from `~/.minnow/session-token`:

```bash
npx tsx scripts/sa16-smoke.mjs http://localhost:9473       # general/sub-agent smoke
node test/terminal-stream.test.mjs http://localhost:9473   # terminal stream API
npx tsx scripts/step16-memory-smoke.mjs http://localhost:9473
```

Other `scripts/*.mjs` cover stepwise feature smokes, Electron launch, token/CSS generation, and migrations — see the [`scripts/`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/scripts) folder.

## Environment variables

| Variable | Effect |
|----------|--------|
| `PORT` | Server/Vite port (default 9473, falls back to next free). `5173` is ignored and coerced to 9473 — it's reserved for dev servers in your workspace. |
| `MINNOW_HOME` | Override the `~/.minnow` data directory. |
| `MINNOW_BROWSER=1` | Open a system browser tab instead of the Electron shell. |
| `MINNOW_HEADLESS=1` / `BROWSER=none` | Don't auto-open any window. |
| `MINNOW_ELECTRON=1` | Internal flag set when running under Electron. |
| `TOOLS_ALLOW_ALL_PATHS=1` | Let file/git tools resolve outside the workspace root (use with care). |
| `MINNOW_OAUTH_REDIRECT_BASE` | Override the OAuth redirect base URL. |
| `MINNOW_NETWORK` | `local` (default) or `lan` — bind dev server to loopback vs all interfaces. Overrides `config.json` → `server.networkAccess`. Restart after changing Settings. On Windows, allow inbound TCP on the dev port in Firewall if LAN clients cannot connect. See [lan-companion.md](/docs/contributor/lan-companion). |
| `MINNOW_DEBUG` | Verbose server logging; enables Settings → Advanced → Board testing and `/api/orchestrate/board-testing/*` (with `MINNOW_TEST=1` for CI harnesses). |
| `MINNOW_I_UNDERSTAND_UNSAFE_AUTOMATION` | Allow UI-only tools in headless runs. |
| `MINNOW_PLUGIN_UNSAFE` | Allow unsigned/unsafe tool plugins. |
| `MINNOW_TTS_USE_COMPILE` | Opt into compiled TTS path. |
| `MINNOW_TEST` | Set during test runs. |

---

# Minnow apps
Source: contributor/apps-and-routes.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/contributor/apps-and-routes
Description: Minnow Shell (Electron + SPA) is a workspace-first stage: menubar, workspace picker, left app rail, and full-stage apps in #osAppsLayer.


# Minnow apps

Minnow Shell (Electron + SPA) is a **workspace-first** stage: menubar, workspace picker, left **app rail**, and full-stage apps in `#osAppsLayer`. Chat lives inside **Code** at `#/app/code/chat`, not on a separate home surface. Default boot hash is `#/workspaces`; legacy `#/desktop` and `#/app/chat` rewrite in [`resolveLegacyHash`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/os/router.ts).

Official product help opens from the menubar **?** button (user manual, not this page). See [Wiki and Brain](/docs/manual/reference/wiki-and-brain).

Shell internals: [`src/os/`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/os). Exhaustive reference: **Minnow Shell** in [`../context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md).

## What ships

**Code** is the primary surface; the rest support work done there. All are **core** (always installed, always on):

| App | Route | Presentation |
|-----|-------|--------------|
| Code | `#/app/code` (+ `overview`, `chat`, `dev-server`) | fullscreen |
| Research | `#/app/research` | fullscreen |
| Models | `#/app/models/<section>` | fullscreen |
| Brain | `#/app/brain/<section>` | fullscreen |
| Issues | `#/app/issues` (+ optional `/<issueId>`) | fullscreen |
| Scheduler | `#/app/scheduler` | side panel overlay (stays over Code) |
| Settings | `#/app/settings` | menubar gear (not on app rail) |

**Settings** opens from the menubar; the left rail lists the other six released apps ([`RAIL_PRIMARY_APP_IDS`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/os/app-preferences.ts)).

No optional app is **released** today, so onboarding **Choose your apps** and **Settings → Apps** show core “Always included” plus **Coming soon**. See [Behind the release gate](#behind-the-release-gate).

## Workspace gate and Code

Cold boot lands on `#/workspaces` until the user picks a folder ([`workspace-gate.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/os/workspace-gate.ts), welcome UI in [`welcome-page.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/ui/welcome-page.ts)). After pick, routing goes to `#/app/code` (overview or chat depending on hash).

**Code** reparents the chat stack into the main column: file tree, CodeMirror, terminal, git, dev servers, browser preview, and the session rail. File and git tools resolve under the open **workspace root**.

The **browser preview** pane (Electron only) renders workspace HTML and localhost URLs in a Chromium guest. **F12** (or **Ctrl+Shift+I** / **Cmd+Opt+I**, or the `</>` toolbar button) toggles DevTools for the previewed page.

## Models

Everything model-related in one place (`#/app/models/<section>`). Nine sections, labels from `SECTION_LABELS` in [`src/ui/models-page.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/ui/models-page.ts):

| Section id | Label | Contents |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| `recommend` | Recommendations | Hardware-aware suggestions (probe via `/api/system/hardware`, fit scoring) |
| `installed` | Installed | Downloaded artifacts under `~/.minnow/models/` |
| `settings` | Library | Hugging Face search/download; **Serve** locally via `llama-server` (auto-registers a provider) |
| `voice` | Voice | Local Whisper (STT) / Qwen3-TTS (TTS) downloads + provider settings |
| `providers` | Providers | Endpoint config; Ollama / LM Studio register existing endpoints when reachable |
| `routing` | Routing | Per-role model routing |
| `sampler` | Sampler | Sampler presets |
| `thinking` | Thinking | Reasoning controls |
| `usage` | Usage & cost | Token usage totals |

The last five are **reparented Settings panels** — `reparentSettingsSectionIntoModels` in [`src/ui/models-sections.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/ui/models-sections.ts) moves the `providers` / `model-routing` / `sampler` / `thinking` / `usage` section nodes out of the Settings page and into Models. They keep their Settings section ids for search and deep links but do not appear in the Settings sidebar.

## Research

Deep, multi-step web research. A sub-agent gathers and synthesizes sources behind a progress stepper. Reports save to a **Library** and can be reopened or discussed. Extracted source text is wrapped in untrusted-data fences before reaching the model.

## Brain

Knowledge surface backed by the **Brain wiki** (CORTEX) at `~/.minnow/brain/`: nested markdown pages with YAML frontmatter, hybrid keyword/vector retrieval, code-symbol indexing, ingest, and lint. Agent tools: `brain_search`, `brain_read_page`, `brain_list`, `brain_write_page`, `brain_append_log`, `brain_ingest_source`, plus code tools `repo_map`, `find_symbol`, `who_calls`, `read_symbol`. `save_memory` writes facts here.

**Sections:** Graph (home), Edit, Log, Schema, Proposals, **Memories**, Ingest, Lint, Code, Settings (embeddings, synthesis cadence, code index). Legacy `#/settings/memory` opens **Memories**.

## Issues

Linear-style issue tracking (`#/app/issues`), fullscreen. List and board views, quick capture, taxonomy in Settings, and `issue_*` agent tools. **Debug** mode routes here (MIN-261). Code can embed the Issues view in the chat column without changing the hash to fullscreen Issues.

## Scheduler

Local recurring agent jobs (`~/.minnow/scheduler.json`) as a full-stage app. Interval (60s minimum) or **cron**, chosen workspace/model, headless `minnow run`. **Jobs only run while Minnow is open** (`npm start` or the packaged shell).

## Settings

Full-page sections at `#/app/settings` (legacy `#/settings/<section>` redirects). Sidebar groups from `SETTINGS_NAV_GROUPS` in [`src/ui/settings-page-types.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/ui/settings-page-types.ts):

| Group | Sections |
|-------|----------|
| **App** | General (leads with App updates), Notifications, Appearance, Audio, About |
| **Apps** | Apps, Issues |
| **Agents** | Agents, Rules, Agent packs, Autopilot, Watchdog |
| **Tools & integrations** | Search, Deep Research, Servers, Tools, Skills, Skills Library, Browser, MCP servers, Language servers, Editor, Webhooks |
| **Advanced** | Health & diagnostics, Board testing |

`SettingsSectionId` also defines `providers`, `usage`, `model-routing`, `sampler`, `thinking`, `prompting`, `modes`, `work-agents`, and `sub-agents`. These are not in every nav group: the first five reparent into **Models**; the rest are reachable via search or direct hash. **Memory** settings live in **Brain**. Search indexes every section and deep-links across apps.

---

## Behind the release gate

Each app has developer `releaseState` (`released` | `hidden`) and `core` / `optional` availability ([`src/os/app-registry.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/os/app-registry.ts)). Hidden apps stay in the tree and tests, but are omitted from onboarding, Settings, the app rail, menubar switcher, shortcuts, notifications, and `launch_minnow_app`. [`parseOsHash`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/os/router.ts) still recognizes `#/app/<appId>` for every registry id; [`applyRoute`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/os/router.ts) blocks developer-hidden apps (redirect to **`#/workspaces`**, no toast) or user-disabled optional apps (toast + redirect).

Currently hidden (MIN-471):

| App | Status |
|-----|--------|
| **Compare** | Blind A/B across 2–6 models, win-rate history under `~/.minnow/compare/`. |
| **Benchmarking** (`bench`) | In-app benchmark battery + run history. |
| **Experts** | Experts' Lab roster of specialist sandbox chats. |

No catalog entries carry an `appId`. Email and Calendar apps were removed (not gated).

**Removed, not gated:** **Reef** mini-app and mode (MIN-473); **Email** and **Calendar** apps.

---

## Operating modes

Modes change system prompt and tool policy ([`src/chat/modes/registry.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/chat/modes/registry.ts)). Four appear in the composer strip:

| Mode | Behavior |
|------|----------|
| **General** | Everyday Q&A; all enabled tools with approval. |
| **Build** | Default development mode; broad tool access. |
| **Plan** | Plan and analyze; destructive file/git tools denied (plan-write guard). |
| **Debug** | Investigate; file/triage via **Issues** and `issue_*` tools. |

Entered elsewhere (not in the strip):

| Mode | Entered from |
|------|--------------|
| **Orchestrate** | Orchestrate hub in Code sidebar / boards. |
| **Super Plan** | Caret under **Plan**, or Orchestrate plan screen. |
| **Onboarding** | First-run wizard only. |

Persisted `'desktop'` and `'email'` remaps to **General** (`normalizeModeId`); they are not live registry entries.

**Reef** mode was removed in MIN-473.

---

# Orchestrator V2 board testing
Source: contributor/orchestrate-board-testing.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/contributor/orchestrate-board-testing
Description: How to run, debug, and extend tests for live boards. Product context: [Orchestrate boards in context.md](../context.md#orchestrate-boards).


# Orchestrator V2 board testing

How to run, debug, and extend tests for live boards. Product context: [Orchestrate boards in `context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md#orchestrate-boards).

V1's `test/orchestrate/` suite (~17k lines) was retired in MIN-716. Behaviour that a user would notice lives under `test/orchestrator/` against the journal and pure core. Workaround tests (fixers, stalls, send-gate, quarantine hooks) were deleted with the code they described.

## Layers

| Layer | When to use | Command |
|-------|----------------|---------|
| **V2 suite** | CI, regressions, every PR | `npm run test:orchestrator` (alias: `npm run test:board`) |
| **Scenario contract** | PR gate — catalog + adapters | `npm run board:scenario-contract` |
| **Manual UI + fake model** | Click through without a live LLM | Settings → Advanced → Board testing (`MINNOW_DEBUG=1`) |

Nightly CI re-runs the orchestrator suite ([`board-nightly.yml`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/.github/workflows/board-nightly.yml)). Release CI re-runs the catalog contract ([`board-release.yml`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/.github/workflows/board-release.yml)). Crash recovery (P1-G) and scheduler conformance (P1-F) are in `test/orchestrator/` and already run on every PR.

```text
                    npm run test:orchestrator
                           │
         ┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
         ▼                 ▼                 ▼
  Pure core tables    Engine + journal    Real runner e2e
  (derive, plan,      (recovery,          (P2-G / P3-E fake
   policy, parsePlan)  report, worktrees)   host + worktrees)
                           │
                           ▼
              npm run board:scenario-contract
              (Settings catalog still used by board-testing)
```

## Quick start

```bash
npm run test:orchestrator
npx tsc --noEmit
```

One file:

```bash
node --test --test-force-exit test/orchestrator/derive.test.mjs
```

TS UI tests still need the loader:

```bash
node --import tsx --import ./test/test-loader.mjs --test test/ui/orchestrator-boards-kanban.test.mts
```

## What replaced the V1 keepers

| V1 file | V2 home |
|---------|---------|
| `board-append-tasks` | `derive.test.mjs` (`task.added`) + engine final-test append |
| `task-build-retry` / `task-recovery` | `policy.test.mjs`, `report-wiring.test.mjs`, `recovery.test.mjs` |
| `worktree-isolation` / `worktree-release` | `worktree-lifecycle.test.mjs` |
| `board-report` / `finish-report` | `report.test.mjs`, `report-tool.test.mjs` |
| `board-drag-drop` | derived columns in `test/ui/orchestrator-boards-kanban.test.mts` (no DnD writes) |
| `list-plans` | `test/chat/plans/list-plans.test.mts` + `test/chat/orchestrate/plan-path.test.mts` |
| `plan-complete` | `state.finished` in derive / engine / e2e |
| `board-timer` | retired — V2 has no header elapsed timer |
| `stats-aggregate` | `test/orchestrator/stats-aggregate.test.mjs` (`server/runner/stats-math.js`) |

## Fake model

[`scripts/fake-model-server.mjs`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/scripts/fake-model-server.mjs) — OpenAI-v1 stub. Default V2 scenario emits `report_outcome`.

```bash
npm run fake-model -- --register
```

P2-G / P3-E e2e use the in-process host from [`server/orchestrate/board-testing/fake-model-host.js`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/server/orchestrate/board-testing/fake-model-host.js).

## Settings → Board testing

Enabled when `MINNOW_DEBUG=1` at build time ([`src/ui/settings-board-testing.ts`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/ui/settings-board-testing.ts)). HTTP API when `MINNOW_DEBUG=1` or `MINNOW_TEST=1`.

- Catalog + runner: `GET/POST /api/orchestrate/board-testing/runs/*`
- In-process fake model: `POST /api/orchestrate/board-testing/fake-model/*`
- **Seed board** (`POST /api/orchestrate/board-testing/seed`) is **410** — V1 session seed is gone. Create a board with `POST /api/boards`.
- **Check log** (`POST /api/orchestrate/board-testing/check-log` / `npm run check:board-log`) is **410** — V1 JSONL invariants were deleted in MIN-713. History is the journal under `~/.minnow/boards/`. JSONL **tail** still works.

Catalog and adapters: [`src/dev/orchestrate-scenarios/`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/src/dev/orchestrate-scenarios). Unit tests: [`test/dev/`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/test/dev). Server tests: [`test/server/orchestrate-board-testing.test.mjs`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/test/server/orchestrate-board-testing.test.mjs), [`test/server/orchestrate-scenario-runner.test.mjs`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/test/server/orchestrate-scenario-runner.test.mjs).

`board:scenario-contract` is the PR gate that the catalog still validates.

## Creating a V2 test board

```bash
# with the tool server up
curl -H "X-Minnow-Token: $(cat ~/.minnow/session-token)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"planPath\":\"documentation/plans/demo.md\",\"markdown\":\"...\"}" \
  http://localhost:9473/api/boards
```

Or use the Boards create form at `#/app/code/boards`.

---

# LAN companion
Source: contributor/lan-companion.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/contributor/lan-companion
Description: Minnow can serve an authenticated phone or tablet companion on the same private network. It is not an internet-facing deployment mode.


# LAN companion

Minnow can serve an authenticated phone or tablet companion on the same private network. It is not an internet-facing deployment mode. Implementation and API details: [`../context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md) (LAN companion / MIN-393). Env override: `MINNOW_NETWORK=lan` — see [commands.md](/docs/contributor/commands#environment-variables).

## Pair a device

1. On the host, open **Settings → General → Network access**.
2. Select **Local network** and restart Minnow.
3. Return to Network access, enter a device name, and select **Create pairing QR**.
4. Scan the QR within five minutes, or enter the **6-digit code** shown under the QR. Each link and code works once.
5. Keep the host running while using the companion.

The phone stores its own device credential. The host stores only a SHA-256 hash in `~/.minnow/auth/devices.json`.

## Revoke access

In **Settings → General → Network access → Paired devices**, select **Revoke**. The token is rejected on its next API request. An open companion checks the host every five seconds and replaces its UI with the pairing-required screen after revocation.

## Companion layout

At 640px and narrower, a paired non-host browser opens Code chat with a mode picker and notifications. App navigation, outputs, browser automation, and terminal chrome are omitted — they need a full-size machine. Mutating tools require approval on the companion even when the shared host permission is set to Full.

Wider tablets and desktop browsers retain the full released-app shell.

## Security boundary

- Only the same LAN can reach this mode; router port forwarding is unsupported.
- Pairing requires LAN bind mode, a private/loopback source address, a valid Host header, a short-lived one-time secret, and same-origin requests.
- Device tokens cannot create pairings, list devices, or revoke devices.
- All other `/api/*` requests require the per-boot host token or an active device token.
- Do not share QR screenshots. Create a new challenge if a link expires.

## HTTP and PWA limitations

`http://<lan-ip>` is not a browser secure context. Safari and Chromium do not permit service workers there, so offline shell caching and dependable PWA installation are unavailable over plain LAN HTTP. The manifest remains available and the responsive companion works while connected to the host. HTTPS or a trusted private tunnel is required for installable/offline behavior and is intentionally outside LAN v1.

Voice capture can have the same secure-context limitation.

## Troubleshooting

- Confirm the phone and host are on the same non-guest Wi-Fi network.
- Allow inbound Node traffic on Minnow's port in the host firewall.
- Restart after changing Network access.
- Create a new QR if the previous link was opened once or is older than five minutes.
- If the reconnect banner remains visible, verify the host process is running and the LAN address has not changed.
- If pairing hangs on load, the QR may have picked a VPN or virtual-adapter address. Copy the Wi-Fi URL from the list above the QR instead, or regenerate the QR after the host prioritizes RFC1918 addresses.


---

# Accessibility and keyboard-first audit
Source: contributor/accessibility-audit.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/contributor/accessibility-audit
Description: Contributor checklist for keyboard operability, focus management, screen-reader behavior, and contrast coverage across Minnow apps.


# Accessibility and keyboard-first audit

Contributor checklist for keyboard operability, focus management, screen-reader behavior, and contrast coverage across Minnow apps. Product reference: [`../context.md`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/context.md) (Accessibility section). User-facing shortcut list: [`../manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts.md`](/docs/manual/reference/keyboard-shortcuts). Regression guard: `npm run test:a11y` (includes `test/theme-contrast.test.mts`).

## Global help surface

Press **`?`** (when not typing in a text field) to open the shell keyboard shortcuts overlay. Lists shell, chat, code, and orchestrate board bindings.

## Per-app keyboard checklist

| App | Core flow (keyboard-only) | Notes |
|-----|---------------------------|-------|
| **Shell / app rail** | Tab through menubar and app rail tiles; Enter launches apps | Ctrl+Tab cycles workspaces picker and recent apps |
| **Code chat** | Tab to composer; type message; Enter send; `/` skills; model picker Arrow keys | Streaming uses throttled `aria-live` (no token spam) |
| **Code** | File tree arrows; editor Tab/Escape; Ctrl/Cmd+K Quick Edit | Terminal: focus with tab; Ctrl/Cmd+C copies selection |
| **Research** | Tab through hub controls; Enter starts run | Progress uses `aria-live="polite"` |
| **Models** | Tab filters and model rows; Enter selects | |
| **Brain** | Tab form fields; Enter save | |
| **Issues** | List keyboard nav; context menu | |
| **Scheduler** | Tab job fields; Enter save | |
| **Settings** | Finder search; Tab sections; Escape closes drawer | Drawer traps focus |
| **Orchestrate board** | Tab cards and header; Arrow grid nav; Enter open task | Exec mode segments: Arrow keys |

Release-gated apps are out of scope until their gate flips; audit them in the PR that releases them.

## Focus management

- **Overlays:** Source Control Center, Scheduler's side panel, and the in-app editors return focus to the control that opened them.
- **Modals:** app dialog, git help, tool approval, question cards, and keyboard help trap Tab and restore focus on close.
- **Reparenting:** moving chat, file tree or preview nodes between layouts must not steal focus from an editable control (MIN-179).

## Screen reader smoke (NVDA on Windows)

1. App rail: tile names announced; Ctrl+Tab cycle announces the focused app.
2. Chat stream: "Generating…" / "Thinking…" once; prose throttled (~3s); "Response complete" at end.
3. Composer mode picker and model listbox: role/listbox + arrow navigation.
4. Tool approval: digit shortcuts documented in strip; buttons labeled.

## Contrast (WCAG AA)

`test/theme-contrast.test.mts` checks all 16 palette themes: `--mn-fg` on `--mn-bg` / `--mn-surface-1`, muted text, accent ink, and light-mode syntax highlights (MIN-243 folded into suite).

## Automated regression

```bash
npm run test:a11y
npm run impeccable:detect   # static anti-patterns incl. a11y heuristics
```

## Known long tail (file as issues)

- Full axe-core DOM pass per app route in Electron (CI browser harness).
- Source Control Center: roving tabindex across the seven-section rail.
- Live NVDA verification scripts (manual, not CI).

---

# Native tool plugin authoring
Source: plugins/tool-authoring.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/plugins/tool-authoring
Description: Minnow can load local tool plugins from ~/.minnow/tools/<pluginId>/ without running a separate MCP server.


# Native tool plugin authoring

Minnow can load **local tool plugins** from `~/.minnow/tools/<pluginId>/` without running a separate MCP server. Each pack contains a JSON manifest and a single JavaScript handler executed on the Node tool server (`npm start`).

## Layout

```text
~/.minnow/tools/<pluginId>/
  tool.json       # metadata + OpenAI parameters schema
  handler.mjs     # export default async function handler(args, ctx)
```

The folder name must match `tool.json` → `id`. Plugin ids use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens (`^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$`).

## Exposed tool name

The model sees:

```text
plugin__<pluginId>__<functionName>
```

Hyphens in the plugin id become underscores in the namespace segment only. Example: id `hello-world` + function `greet` → `plugin__hello_world__greet`.

## tool.json

See [`documentation/schemas/tool-plugin.schema.json`](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/blob/main/documentation/schemas/tool-plugin.schema.json).

Required fields: `id`, `functionName`, `label`, `description`, `category`, `parameters` (JSON Schema object).

Optional `capabilities` (v1 metadata for future gating):

| Field | Default | Meaning |
|-------|---------|---------|
| `filesystem` | `false` | Declares filesystem access needs |
| `network` | `false` | Declares network access needs |
| `nodeBuiltin` | `false` | Reserved for trusted Node builtins |

## handler.mjs

```javascript
/**
 * @param {Record<string, unknown>} args — arguments from the model
 * @param {import('../../server/tools/plugin-context.js').PluginContext} ctx
 * @returns {Promise<string>} — result text (use "Error: …" for failures)
 */
export default async function handler(args, ctx) {
  return `Hello, ${args.name ?? 'world'}`;
}
```

`ctx` provides:

- `workspaceRoot` — active workspace path
- `minnowHome` — `~/.minnow` (or `MINNOW_HOME`)
- `log(message)` — server log line
- `env` — read-only `NODE_ENV`, `MINNOW_HOME`

Return a **string** from the handler. Uncaught errors are converted to `Error: …` strings by the server.

## Enablement and permissions

`~/.minnow/tools.json`:

```json
{
  "plugins": {
    "my-plugin": { "enabled": true }
  },
  "permissions": {
    "default": {
      "plugin__my_plugin__greet": "ask"
    }
  }
}
```

- `plugins.<id>.enabled: false` removes the tool from `GET /api/plugins/tools` and from chat tool lists.
- `permissions.default.<namespacedName>` uses `full`, `ask`, or `off` (default for new plugin tools is `ask`).

Configure in **Settings → Tools → Plugins**, or edit `tools.json` directly.

## APIs

| Method | Path | Purpose |
|--------|------|---------|
| GET | `/api/plugins/ping` | Health check |
| GET | `/api/plugins` | List plugin metadata |
| GET | `/api/plugins/tools` | OpenAI function definitions (enabled packs) |
| POST | `/api/plugins/reload` | Rescan packs and clear handler cache |
| POST | `/api/plugins/scaffold` | Copy `_template` to `~/.minnow/tools/<id>/` |

Execution uses the same path as built-in server tools: `POST /api/tools` with `{ "name": "plugin__…", "args": {} }`.

## Scaffold

With `npm start` running:

```bash
curl -X POST http://localhost:9473/api/plugins/scaffold \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"id":"demo"}'
```

Or use **Scaffold new plugin…** in Settings → Tools → Plugins.

## Sandbox and trust

By default, handlers run in a **Node `vm` wrapper** with a minimal sandbox (`args`, `ctx`, limited `console.log`). For local development only, set `MINNOW_PLUGIN_UNSAFE=1` to load handlers via full dynamic `import()` (same OS user as the dev server — only use on trusted code).

## Comparison with MCP

| | MCP | Native plugin |
|---|-----|----------------|
| Process | Separate stdio server | In-process handler |
| Naming | `mcp__server__tool` | `plugin__id__function` |
| Best for | Existing MCP tools | Quick local extensions |

## Tests

```bash
npm run test:plugins
```

Fixtures live under `test/fixtures/plugin-tools/echo/` (`plugin__echo__ping` → `pong`).

---

# Minnow roadmap
Source: roadmap.md
URL: https://minnow.sh/docs/roadmap
Description: Minnow develops as one full agentic development workspace: plan, build, run agents, track work, and keep knowledge without a cloud account.


# Minnow roadmap

Minnow develops as one full agentic development workspace: plan, build, run agents, track work, and keep knowledge without a cloud account. Depth in the build loop and tighter integration between surfaces come before breadth across new surfaces. This page describes product direction, not delivery dates.

This is the one page that talks about work not yet shipped. The manual describes only what is in the build you installed.

## Shipped

- **Code workspace** — chat beside the repo, CodeMirror, LSP, terminal, source control, browser preview, and agent undo.
- **Source Control Center** — changes, history, branches, stashes, worktrees, plus pull requests and CI through the user's own `gh` CLI.
- **Planning and delivery** — Plan mode, Orchestrator boards, work agents, isolated worktrees, and test/fix loops.
- **Knowledge** — Brain, official Minnow wiki, chat retrieval, code index, and web RAG.
- **Operations** — Models, providers, routing, Scheduler, Issues, settings, diagnostics, skills, MCP, and local tool plugins.
- **Local-first foundations** — encrypted secrets, on-disk state, optional LAN companion access, and Electron packaging.

## Active direction

| Area | Direction |
|---|---|
| Build loop | Make plan-to-board-to-tested-change reliable across local and cloud models. |
| Documentation | Keep the in-app and GitHub wikis generated from the versioned documentation source. |
| Model runtime | Improve local model setup, routing, constrained tool use, and hardware-aware recommendations. |
| Extensibility | Deepen skills, prompt packs, native tools, MCP, themes, and agent packs without closed services. |
| Accessibility | Maintain keyboard coverage, reduced motion, readable themes, and WCAG 2.1 AA contrast. |

## How priorities are chosen

1. Reliability and data safety in shipped workflows.
2. Depth in the workspace build loop.
3. Local-first operation and model compatibility.
4. Accessibility and documentation.
5. New surfaces only after existing ones are complete.

Feature requests and bug reports belong in the [GitHub issue tracker](https://github.com/HenriGrimm/Minnow/issues). Roadmap entries describe direction and do not promise a release date.

---