fix(terminal): let Claude use truecolor so its themed backgrounds render

.changeset/fix-claude-truecolor-in-panes.md

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+---
+"aicodeman": patch
+---
+
+fix(terminal): let Claude use truecolor so its themed backgrounds render
+
+Claude draws the user's own messages as a block of background color, and inside a Codeman
+pane that block was invisible. tmux hands each pane `TERM=screen`, which supports-color reads
+as 16 colors, and the registry entry for Claude deleted `COLORTERM` on top of that. Claude
+therefore quantized every RGB color its theme asked for down to the basic palette, where
+`rgb(55, 55, 55)` and every other dark background becomes `ESC[40m` — the terminal's own
+black. A custom Claude theme could change the color and nothing on screen moved.
+
+Claude now exports `COLORTERM=truecolor`, which is what codex, gemini, antigravity, pi, grok,
+deepseek and omp already do. Those seven also unset `NO_COLOR`; Claude does not, so a user who
+exports `NO_COLOR` globally keeps the monochrome panes they asked for. `CLAUDECODE` stays
+unset, because Claude reads it as a signal that it is running nested inside itself.
+
+`buildClaudeEnv()`, the direct-PTY fallback used when tmux is unavailable, now reads the same
+registry entry as the tmux pane and its attach client instead of deleting `COLORTERM` from a
+hand-maintained list of its own. A remote pane still exports nothing — `buildRemoteLaunchCommand()`
+never carried these declarations — so an SSH-remote Claude session keeps the old rendering.
+
+PR #3 introduced the `unset COLORTERM` in February, citing xterm.js#484 for the claim that
+xterm.js mishandles truecolor. xterm.js closed that issue in April 2019, Codeman now depends
+on `@xterm/xterm` 6, and `TmuxManager` sets `terminal-overrides ",*:Tc"` on its own tmux
+server, so 24-bit color already reaches the browser for the CLIs that ask for it.

docs/architecture-invariants.md

@@ -18,9 +18,11 @@ Implementation detail extracted from `CLAUDE.md` so that file stays small enough
 
 ## Session launch modes
 
+**Terminal colour env** — the stock registry decides each CLI's colour vars. Claude, Codex, Gemini, Antigravity, Pi, Grok, DeepSeek and OMP export `COLORTERM=truecolor`; `shell` and `opencode` unset it. All of those except Claude also unset `NO_COLOR`, so a user who exports `NO_COLOR` globally keeps monochrome Claude panes. The variable matters because tmux gives each pane `TERM=screen`, which supports-color reads as 16 colors: a CLI inheriting no `COLORTERM` quantizes every RGB color it draws down to the basic palette, and each dark background lands on `ESC[40m`, the terminal's own black. ⚠️ These declarations reach the local tmux pane via `buildEnvExports()`, its attach client via `cliExportsTruecolor()`, and the direct-PTY fallback via `buildClaudeEnv()` — they do NOT reach a remote pane, which `buildRemoteLaunchCommand()` builds with no env exports at all. A Docker pane takes `COLORTERM=truecolor` from the hardcoded `envCreate`/`execEnv` in `tmux-manager.ts`, which apply to every mode including the two the registry says must unset it. A `~/.codeman/clis.json` override replaces these arrays wholesale (`deepMerge`), so a custom entry can drop either list.
+
 ### External CLI modes (OpenCode, Codex, Gemini, Antigravity, Pi, Grok, DeepSeek, OMP)
 
-**External CLI modes (OpenCode, Codex, Gemini, Antigravity, Pi, Grok, DeepSeek, OMP)**: `isExternalCliMode()` in `session.ts` (`mode === 'opencode' || 'codex' || 'gemini' || 'antigravity' || 'pi' || 'grok' || 'deepseek'`) gates Claude-specific behavior — Ralph tracker, BashToolParser, token/CLI-info parsing, and ❯-prompt readiness detection are all skipped (these CLIs render their own TUIs; readiness = output stabilization instead). ⚠️ **Work detection left this gate in #385** and is now per-CLI `capabilities.workDetect` data (`promptGlyph` + `workingLine`), because gating it on the mode left every Codex session reporting `idle` for its entire life; a CLI declaring neither falls back to Claude's pair, which is logic-identical to the pre-registry behaviour. All seven modes **require tmux — no direct PTY fallback** — because secrets are injected via `tmux setenv` (socket-scoped `${this.tmux()} setenv`, never on the spawn command line): OpenCode gets `OPENCODE_CONFIG_CONTENT` etc., Codex gets `OPENAI_API_KEY`/`CODEX_API_KEY`/`CODEX_HOME` (`setCodexEnvVars`), Gemini gets `GEMINI_API_KEY`/`GOOGLE_API_KEY`/`GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT`/`GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS`/`GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI` etc. (`setGeminiEnvVars`, all in `tmux-manager.ts`). Codex specifics: command built by `buildCodexCommand()` (`--model`, `resume <id>`, `--dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox` from the `codexConfig` payload / `codexDangerouslyBypassApprovals` app setting; `renderMode` is schema-coerced to `'hybrid'`, the only supported mode). Gemini specifics: command built by `buildGeminiCommand()` (`--skip-trust` always, `--approval-mode <default|auto_edit|yolo|plan>` defaulting to `yolo` for parity with Claude's `--dangerously-skip-permissions`, `--model`, `--resume` from the `geminiConfig` payload); availability via `GET /api/gemini/status` — session/quick-start routes fail with `OPERATION_FAILED` + install hint (`npm install -g @google/gemini-cli`) when missing. Codex AND Gemini export `COLORTERM=truecolor` + unset `NO_COLOR` (other modes unset `COLORTERM`); Gemini joins `isAltScreenStripMode()` (Codex/Claude/Gemini are Ink TUIs that repaint inline → strip alt-screen/`3J` so scrollback survives). Codex availability via `GET /api/codex/status`. Antigravity specifics: command built by `buildAntigravityCommand()` (`--model`, `--conversation <id>` resume, `--dangerously-skip-permissions` from the `antigravityConfig` payload); availability via `GET /api/antigravity/status` — routes fail with `OPERATION_FAILED` + install hint (`curl -fsSL https://antigravity.google/cli/install.sh | bash`) when missing. Unlike the other three it is NOT an npm package (standalone binary, `~/.local/bin/agy`), which is why `docker/agent.Dockerfile` installs it with its own `--dir /usr/local/bin` step rather than in the `npm install -g` line, and why it does NOT join `isAltScreenStripMode()`. Frontend: run-mode dropdown → `runCodex()`/`runGemini()` in `session-ui.js` ("Run CX"/"Run GM" labels), App Settings → Agents & CLIs → Codex; Respawn/Ralph options are Claude-only, so session options open on the Session tab for external CLI sessions. ⚠️ `run*()` MUST unwrap the `{success,data}` envelope (`(await res.json()).data.available` / `data.data.sessionId`) — reading the raw shape silently breaks the run. Tests: `test/run-mode-ui.test.ts` + `test/gemini-mode.test.ts` (vm-sandbox harness, no real DOM). Grok specifics: command built by `buildGrokCommand()` (`--always-approve` from `grokConfig.alwaysApprove` — grok's `bypassPermissions` permission mode, deny rules still apply; `--model`; `--resume <id>` / `--continue`, id-regexed so grok's resume-by-TITLE feature can never put an arbitrary string on the spawn line); availability via `GET /api/grok/status`, which carries `version` because the resolver version-probes candidates (`grok` has npm squatters, e.g. @vibe-kit/grok-cli — `GROK_VERSION_REGEX` is shared with the dependency registry so doctor and run mode agree). Like antigravity it is a standalone binary (xAI installer → `~/.grok/bin`, symlinked into `~/.local/bin`), so `docker/agent.Dockerfile` installs it in its own step (copy to `/usr/local/bin`, drop root's `~/.grok` in the same layer) and it stays OUT of `isAltScreenStripMode()` (fullscreen alt-screen TUI with mouse support — the opencode case, not the Ink case). Env allowlist: `GROK_*` plus the vendor namespace `XAI_*` (`XAI_API_KEY` is grok's documented headless auth var — the same narrow-vendor-namespace reasoning as `GOOGLE_*` for gemini). Docker cred seeding is per-file (`auth.json`, `config.toml`, `pager.toml` from `~/.grok` — the dir also holds `sessions/`, `memory/`, and the ~160MB binary under `downloads/`). Grok tests: `test/grok-mode.test.ts`, `test/grok-cli-resolver.test.ts`.
+**External CLI modes (OpenCode, Codex, Gemini, Antigravity, Pi, Grok, DeepSeek, OMP)**: `isExternalCliMode()` in `session.ts` (`mode === 'opencode' || 'codex' || 'gemini' || 'antigravity' || 'pi' || 'grok' || 'deepseek'`) gates Claude-specific behavior — Ralph tracker, BashToolParser, token/CLI-info parsing, and ❯-prompt readiness detection are all skipped (these CLIs render their own TUIs; readiness = output stabilization instead). ⚠️ **Work detection left this gate in #385** and is now per-CLI `capabilities.workDetect` data (`promptGlyph` + `workingLine`), because gating it on the mode left every Codex session reporting `idle` for its entire life; a CLI declaring neither falls back to Claude's pair, which is logic-identical to the pre-registry behaviour. All seven modes **require tmux — no direct PTY fallback** — because secrets are injected via `tmux setenv` (socket-scoped `${this.tmux()} setenv`, never on the spawn command line): OpenCode gets `OPENCODE_CONFIG_CONTENT` etc., Codex gets `OPENAI_API_KEY`/`CODEX_API_KEY`/`CODEX_HOME` (`setCodexEnvVars`), Gemini gets `GEMINI_API_KEY`/`GOOGLE_API_KEY`/`GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT`/`GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS`/`GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI` etc. (`setGeminiEnvVars`, all in `tmux-manager.ts`). Codex specifics: command built by `buildCodexCommand()` (`--model`, `resume <id>`, `--dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox` from the `codexConfig` payload / `codexDangerouslyBypassApprovals` app setting; `renderMode` is schema-coerced to `'hybrid'`, the only supported mode). Gemini specifics: command built by `buildGeminiCommand()` (`--skip-trust` always, `--approval-mode <default|auto_edit|yolo|plan>` defaulting to `yolo` for parity with Claude's `--dangerously-skip-permissions`, `--model`, `--resume` from the `geminiConfig` payload); availability via `GET /api/gemini/status` — session/quick-start routes fail with `OPERATION_FAILED` + install hint (`npm install -g @google/gemini-cli`) when missing. Codex, Gemini, Antigravity, Pi, Grok, DeepSeek and OMP export `COLORTERM=truecolor` and unset `NO_COLOR`; `opencode` unsets `COLORTERM`. **Terminal colour env** under Session launch modes covers Claude and says which panes those declarations actually reach. Gemini joins `isAltScreenStripMode()` (Codex/Claude/Gemini are Ink TUIs that repaint inline → strip alt-screen/`3J` so scrollback survives). Codex availability via `GET /api/codex/status`. Antigravity specifics: command built by `buildAntigravityCommand()` (`--model`, `--conversation <id>` resume, `--dangerously-skip-permissions` from the `antigravityConfig` payload); availability via `GET /api/antigravity/status` — routes fail with `OPERATION_FAILED` + install hint (`curl -fsSL https://antigravity.google/cli/install.sh | bash`) when missing. Unlike the other three it is NOT an npm package (standalone binary, `~/.local/bin/agy`), which is why `docker/agent.Dockerfile` installs it with its own `--dir /usr/local/bin` step rather than in the `npm install -g` line, and why it does NOT join `isAltScreenStripMode()`. Frontend: run-mode dropdown → `runCodex()`/`runGemini()` in `session-ui.js` ("Run CX"/"Run GM" labels), App Settings → Agents & CLIs → Codex; Respawn/Ralph options are Claude-only, so session options open on the Session tab for external CLI sessions. ⚠️ `run*()` MUST unwrap the `{success,data}` envelope (`(await res.json()).data.available` / `data.data.sessionId`) — reading the raw shape silently breaks the run. Tests: `test/run-mode-ui.test.ts` + `test/gemini-mode.test.ts` (vm-sandbox harness, no real DOM). Grok specifics: command built by `buildGrokCommand()` (`--always-approve` from `grokConfig.alwaysApprove` — grok's `bypassPermissions` permission mode, deny rules still apply; `--model`; `--resume <id>` / `--continue`, id-regexed so grok's resume-by-TITLE feature can never put an arbitrary string on the spawn line); availability via `GET /api/grok/status`, which carries `version` because the resolver version-probes candidates (`grok` has npm squatters, e.g. @vibe-kit/grok-cli — `GROK_VERSION_REGEX` is shared with the dependency registry so doctor and run mode agree). Like antigravity it is a standalone binary (xAI installer → `~/.grok/bin`, symlinked into `~/.local/bin`), so `docker/agent.Dockerfile` installs it in its own step (copy to `/usr/local/bin`, drop root's `~/.grok` in the same layer) and it stays OUT of `isAltScreenStripMode()` (fullscreen alt-screen TUI with mouse support — the opencode case, not the Ink case). Env allowlist: `GROK_*` plus the vendor namespace `XAI_*` (`XAI_API_KEY` is grok's documented headless auth var — the same narrow-vendor-namespace reasoning as `GOOGLE_*` for gemini). Docker cred seeding is per-file (`auth.json`, `config.toml`, `pager.toml` from `~/.grok` — the dir also holds `sessions/`, `memory/`, and the ~160MB binary under `downloads/`). Grok tests: `test/grok-mode.test.ts`, `test/grok-cli-resolver.test.ts`.
 
 **DeepSeek Harness (`dsh`) specifics** — the mode that breaks three of the assumptions the six above share, so read this before changing anything about it.
 

src/config/cli-registry/stock.ts

@@ -174,8 +174,19 @@ const CLAUDE: CliEntry = {
     legacyConfigAliases: { resumeId: 'resumeSessionId' },
   },
   env: {
-    exports: [],
-    unset: ['CLAUDECODE', 'COLORTERM'],
+    // Claude asks for truecolor, like every CLI here except `shell` and `opencode`.
+    // tmux hands the pane TERM=screen, which supports-color reads as 16 colors, and
+    // Claude then quantizes every RGB color its theme asks for down to that palette.
+    // Each dark background lands on ESC[40m, the terminal's own black, so the block
+    // Claude draws behind the user's own messages renders invisible. PR #3 unset
+    // COLORTERM here against xterm.js#484, which xterm.js had already closed in 2019,
+    // and Codeman now ships @xterm/xterm 6 and sets `terminal-overrides *:Tc` itself.
+    // The other truecolor CLIs also unset NO_COLOR. Claude does not, so a user who
+    // exports NO_COLOR globally keeps the monochrome panes they asked for.
+    // CLAUDECODE stays unset, because Claude reads it as a signal that it is running
+    // nested inside itself.
+    exports: [{ name: 'COLORTERM', value: 'truecolor' }],
+    unset: ['CLAUDECODE'],
     tmuxSetenvKeys: [],
     dockerExecEnvNames: [],
     allowedPrefixes: ['CLAUDE_CODE_'],

src/session-cli-builder.ts

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { isEffortLevel } from './types.js';
 import { getAugmentedPath } from './utils/index.js';
 import { compareVersions } from './utils/dependency-checker.js';
 import { dataPath } from './config/instance.js';
+import { getCli } from './config/cli-registry/registry.js';
 
 /**
  * Build Claude CLI permission flags based on the configured mode.
@@ -181,10 +182,26 @@ export function buildClaudeEnv(sessionId: string): Record<string, string | undef
     // Path only (not the secret value) — hook curls cat it at execution time (COD-54)
     CODEMAN_HOOK_SECRET_FILE: dataPath('hook-secret'),
   };
+  // The colour and identity vars come from the registry entry, the same source
+  // buildEnvExports() and buildMuxAttachEnv() read, so this fallback cannot drift from
+  // the tmux pane the way a hand-maintained list here did.
   // COD-115: `delete`, not `= undefined` — node-pty serializes a present-with-undefined
   // key as the literal string "KEY=undefined" (see buildMuxAttachEnv below).
-  delete env.COLORTERM;
-  delete env.CLAUDECODE;
+  const cliEnv = getCli('claude')?.env;
+  for (const name of cliEnv?.unset ?? []) delete env[name];
+  for (const item of cliEnv?.exports ?? []) {
+    // A direct PTY has no mux, so `muxName` has no value to resolve against. Claude
+    // declares literals only; an unresolvable engine value is skipped, never guessed.
+    const value =
+      typeof item.value === 'string'
+        ? item.value
+        : item.value.engine === 'sessionId'
+          ? sessionId
+          : item.value.engine === 'codemanPrefixedSessionId'
+            ? `codeman_${sessionId}`
+            : undefined;
+    if (value !== undefined) env[item.name] = value;
+  }
   return env;
 }
 

test/tmux-manager.test.ts

@@ -295,6 +295,13 @@ describe('TmuxManager (unit)', () => {
       expect(callBuildEnvExports('opencode')).toContain('unset COLORTERM');
     });
 
+    // Claude renders its themed backgrounds as RGB. Without this the pane inherits
+    // tmux's TERM=screen, supports-color reads 16 colors, and every dark background
+    // quantizes to ESC[40m — the terminal's own black — so the block goes invisible.
+    it('exports truecolor for Claude sessions', () => {
+      expect(callBuildEnvExports('claude')).toContain('export COLORTERM=truecolor');
+    });
+
     it('exports the server-stamped CODEMAN_API_URL verbatim', () => {
       const original = process.env.CODEMAN_API_URL;
       process.env.CODEMAN_API_URL = 'https://127.0.0.1:3199';