feat(maestro): add maestro send for typing into a session

Adds POST /api/sessions/:id/input and a CLI command on top of it, so a
script (or another agent) can hand an instruction to a running session
without attaching to it.

The text goes in as one write and the Enter follows 150ms later: agents
that run a full-screen prompt coalesce a burst of input into a paste, and
a newline inside that burst becomes a line break instead of sending the
message. `--no-enter` skips the Enter and leaves the text in the prompt.

The session argument takes an ID, a unique ID prefix, or a session name;
names win over prefixes. A session whose pane has exited is refused (409)
rather than silently accepted — unlike a stray keystroke on an attach
socket, a send that goes nowhere is worth hearing about.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ persistence, WebSocket for transport.
 maestro daemon            tmux wrapper + session API on 127.0.0.1:7070
   ├── GET/POST /api/sessions        list / spawn
   ├── DELETE   /api/sessions/:id    kill
+  ├── POST     /api/sessions/:id/input  type text into a session
   ├── GET      /api/info            hostname, version, home dir, spawn presets
   ├── GET      /api/dirs            directory listing (spawn autocomplete)
   ├── GET      /api/recent-dirs     spawn history
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ maestro daemon            tmux wrapper + session API on 127.0.0.1:7070
   ├── WS       /api/events          Snapshot + session deltas
   └── WS       /api/attach/:id      raw PTY bytes
 
-maestro list/spawn/attach/kill      CLI client
+maestro list/spawn/attach/kill/send  CLI client
 maestro tui                         ratatui client
 maestro-web                         serves the SPA, reverse-proxies /api/* to the daemon
 ```

crates/maestro-cli/src/cli.rs

@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ pub enum Command {
     Attach(AttachArgs),
     /// Kill a session by ID.
     Kill(KillArgs),
+    /// Type text into a running session, as if it had been typed on an
+    /// attached terminal.
+    Send(SendArgs),
     /// Install or update the agent activity hook (#106).
     Hooks(HooksArgs),
 }
@@ -103,6 +106,20 @@ pub struct AttachArgs {
     pub detach_key: String,
 }
 
+/// `maestro send <session> <text...>`
+#[derive(Debug, clap::Args)]
+pub struct SendArgs {
+    /// Session to type into: its ID, a unique ID prefix, or its name.
+    pub session: String,
+    /// Text to send. Omit it to read the text from stdin.
+    #[arg(trailing_var_arg = true, allow_hyphen_values = true)]
+    pub text: Vec<String>,
+    /// Leave the text sitting in the session's prompt instead of pressing
+    /// Enter after it.
+    #[arg(long)]
+    pub no_enter: bool,
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, clap::Args)]
 pub struct KillArgs {
     /// Session ID to kill.
@@ -245,6 +262,40 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn parses_send_joining_the_message_words() {
+        let cli =
+            Cli::try_parse_from(["maestro", "send", "planner", "run", "the", "tests"]).unwrap();
+        let Command::Send(a) = cli.command else {
+            panic!("expected send")
+        };
+        assert_eq!(a.session, "planner");
+        assert_eq!(a.text, vec!["run", "the", "tests"]);
+        assert!(!a.no_enter);
+    }
+
+    /// The message is trailing_var_arg, so a word starting with `-` inside it
+    /// is text, not a flag clap should reject.
+    #[test]
+    fn send_message_may_start_with_a_dash() {
+        let cli =
+            Cli::try_parse_from(["maestro", "send", "--no-enter", "planner", "--force"]).unwrap();
+        let Command::Send(a) = cli.command else {
+            panic!("expected send")
+        };
+        assert!(a.no_enter);
+        assert_eq!(a.text, vec!["--force"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn send_text_may_be_omitted_for_stdin() {
+        let cli = Cli::try_parse_from(["maestro", "send", "planner"]).unwrap();
+        let Command::Send(a) = cli.command else {
+            panic!("expected send")
+        };
+        assert!(a.text.is_empty());
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn rejects_env_without_equals() {
         let err = Cli::try_parse_from([

crates/maestro-cli/src/dispatch.rs

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ use maestro_protocol::DaemonClient;
 
 use crate::attach::{parse_detach_key, run_attach_url};
 use crate::cli::Command;
-use crate::sessions::{run_kill, run_list, run_spawn};
+use crate::sessions::{run_kill, run_list, run_send, run_spawn};
 use maestro_config::{default_config_path, MaestroConfigFile};
 
 #[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ pub enum CliError {
     Attach(#[from] crate::attach::AttachError),
     #[error("{0}")]
     Hooks(#[from] maestro_hooks::HooksError),
+    #[error("{0}")]
+    Resolve(#[from] crate::sessions::ResolveError),
+    #[error("nothing to send: pass the text as arguments or pipe it on stdin")]
+    NothingToSend,
     #[error("could not determine the home directory ($HOME unset?)")]
     NoHome,
     #[error("{0}")]
@@ -82,6 +86,10 @@ pub async fn dispatch(
             run_kill(&daemon, &args).await?;
             println!("killed {}", args.session_id);
         }
+        Command::Send(args) => {
+            let id = run_send(&daemon, &args, &mut std::io::stdin()).await?;
+            println!("sent to {id}");
+        }
         Command::Hooks(_) => unreachable!("hooks handled before the daemon client exists"),
     }
     Ok(())

crates/maestro-cli/src/sessions.rs

@@ -5,12 +5,13 @@ use std::io::Write;
 
 use maestro_protocol::display::abbreviate_dir;
 use maestro_protocol::{
-    ActivityState, ClientError, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonClient, DaemonInfo, Session,
-    SessionStatus, WorktreeSpec,
+    ActivityState, ClientError, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonClient, DaemonInfo, SendInputRequest,
+    Session, SessionStatus, WorktreeSpec,
 };
 use serde_json::Value;
 
-use crate::cli::{KillArgs, ListArgs, SpawnArgs};
+use crate::cli::{KillArgs, ListArgs, SendArgs, SpawnArgs};
+use crate::dispatch::CliError;
 
 /// `maestro list`
 pub async fn run_list(
@@ -66,6 +67,92 @@ pub async fn run_kill(client: &DaemonClient, args: &KillArgs) -> Result<(), Clie
     client.kill_session(args.session_id, args.force).await
 }
 
+/// Nothing on the daemon answers to what the operator named.
+#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+pub enum ResolveError {
+    #[error("no session matches {0:?} — run `maestro list` to see what is running")]
+    NoMatch(String),
+    #[error("{0:?} matches {1} sessions; use a session id instead")]
+    Ambiguous(String, usize),
+}
+
+/// Turn what the operator typed into a session id: a full ID, a unique ID
+/// prefix, or a session's name (#125), matched case-insensitively. Names come
+/// first — an operator who named a session after a hex string meant the name.
+pub fn resolve_session(sessions: &[Session], needle: &str) -> Result<uuid::Uuid, ResolveError> {
+    let needle = needle.trim();
+    let by_name: Vec<&Session> = sessions
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|s| {
+            maestro_protocol::display::custom_name(s)
+                .is_some_and(|n| n.eq_ignore_ascii_case(needle))
+        })
+        .collect();
+    match by_name.len() {
+        1 => return Ok(by_name[0].id),
+        0 => {}
+        n => return Err(ResolveError::Ambiguous(needle.to_string(), n)),
+    }
+
+    let by_id: Vec<&Session> = sessions
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|s| {
+            s.id.to_string()
+                .to_ascii_lowercase()
+                .starts_with(&needle.to_ascii_lowercase())
+        })
+        .collect();
+    match by_id.len() {
+        1 => Ok(by_id[0].id),
+        0 => Err(ResolveError::NoMatch(needle.to_string())),
+        n => Err(ResolveError::Ambiguous(needle.to_string(), n)),
+    }
+}
+
+/// `maestro send`. Answers with the session that was typed into, so the
+/// caller can name it once the daemon has accepted the text.
+///
+/// A bare ID skips the catalog fetch; anything else needs the list to match
+/// against. Text comes from the arguments, or from stdin when there is none —
+/// the shape a heredoc or a pipe wants.
+#[allow(clippy::result_large_err)]
+pub async fn run_send(
+    client: &DaemonClient,
+    args: &SendArgs,
+    stdin: &mut impl std::io::Read,
+) -> Result<uuid::Uuid, CliError> {
+    let text = if args.text.is_empty() {
+        let mut buf = String::new();
+        stdin.read_to_string(&mut buf)?;
+        // One trailing newline is how a pipe ends, not part of the message —
+        // keeping it would submit the text twice.
+        buf.strip_suffix('\n')
+            .map(|t| t.strip_suffix('\r').unwrap_or(t))
+            .unwrap_or(&buf)
+            .to_string()
+    } else {
+        args.text.join(" ")
+    };
+    if text.is_empty() {
+        return Err(CliError::NothingToSend);
+    }
+
+    let id = match uuid::Uuid::parse_str(args.session.trim()) {
+        Ok(id) => id,
+        Err(_) => {
+            let sessions = client.list_sessions().await?;
+            resolve_session(&sessions, &args.session)?
+        }
+    };
+
+    let req = SendInputRequest {
+        text,
+        submit: !args.no_enter,
+    };
+    client.send_input(id, &req).await?;
+    Ok(id)
+}
+
 #[allow(clippy::write_literal)]
 fn print_session_table(out: &mut impl Write, sessions: &[Session], info: &DaemonInfo) {
     if sessions.is_empty() {
@@ -218,6 +305,63 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(out.contains("bash [claude]"), "{out}");
     }
 
+    fn named(id: u128, name: &str) -> Session {
+        let mut s = session("/tmp", "claude", id);
+        s.metadata
+            .insert("name".into(), serde_json::Value::String(name.into()));
+        s
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn resolves_by_name_id_prefix_and_reports_what_it_cannot() {
+        use super::{resolve_session, ResolveError};
+
+        // Ids that differ in their first characters, so a short prefix is
+        // enough to pick one — the ergonomics the prefix match exists for.
+        let (a, b) = (1u128 << 124, 2u128 << 124);
+        let sessions = vec![named(a, "planner"), named(b, "builder")];
+        let one = Uuid::from_u128(a);
+
+        assert_eq!(resolve_session(&sessions, "planner").unwrap(), one);
+        // Names match case-insensitively and ignore surrounding space.
+        assert_eq!(resolve_session(&sessions, " Planner ").unwrap(), one);
+        // An id prefix works when it picks exactly one session.
+        let prefix = &one.to_string()[..8];
+        assert_eq!(resolve_session(&sessions, prefix).unwrap(), one);
+        assert!(matches!(
+            resolve_session(&sessions, "nope"),
+            Err(ResolveError::NoMatch(_))
+        ));
+    }
+
+    /// Two sessions sharing a name is legal — the daemon never enforced
+    /// uniqueness — so `send` must refuse rather than pick one.
+    #[test]
+    fn an_ambiguous_name_is_refused() {
+        use super::{resolve_session, ResolveError};
+
+        let sessions = vec![named(1 << 124, "worker"), named(2 << 124, "worker")];
+        assert!(matches!(
+            resolve_session(&sessions, "worker"),
+            Err(ResolveError::Ambiguous(_, 2))
+        ));
+    }
+
+    /// A session named after its own id prefix means the name: an operator
+    /// who typed a name they chose should not be routed by hex coincidence.
+    #[test]
+    fn names_win_over_id_prefixes() {
+        use super::resolve_session;
+
+        let two = Uuid::from_u128(2 << 124);
+        let prefix = two.to_string()[..8].to_string();
+        let sessions = vec![named(1 << 124, &prefix), session("/tmp", "bash", 2 << 124)];
+        assert_eq!(
+            resolve_session(&sessions, &prefix).unwrap(),
+            Uuid::from_u128(1 << 124)
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn empty_sessions() {
         let mut buf = Vec::new();

crates/maestro-cli/tests/against_mock_daemon.rs

@@ -108,3 +108,110 @@ async fn spawn_round_trips_through_the_daemon() {
         .expect("kill");
     assert_eq!(mock.session_count(), 0);
 }
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn send_types_text_and_submits_by_default() {
+    let mock = MockDaemon::start().await;
+    let id = Uuid::from_u128(7);
+    mock.add_session(session(id, "/home/mock/work", "claude"));
+
+    let args = maestro_cli::cli::SendArgs {
+        session: id.to_string(),
+        text: vec!["run".into(), "the".into(), "tests".into()],
+        no_enter: false,
+    };
+    let sent = maestro_cli::sessions::run_send(&mock.client(), &args, &mut std::io::empty())
+        .await
+        .expect("send");
+
+    assert_eq!(sent, id);
+    let inputs = mock.inputs();
+    assert_eq!(inputs.len(), 1);
+    assert_eq!(inputs[0].0, id);
+    assert_eq!(inputs[0].1.text, "run the tests");
+    assert!(inputs[0].1.submit, "Enter is the default");
+}
+
+/// `--no-enter` leaves the text in the prompt; the flag has to survive the
+/// whole way to the daemon or the message is sent anyway.
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn send_without_enter_leaves_the_text_unsubmitted() {
+    let mock = MockDaemon::start().await;
+    let id = Uuid::from_u128(8);
+    mock.add_session(session(id, "/tmp", "bash"));
+
+    let args = maestro_cli::cli::SendArgs {
+        session: id.to_string(),
+        text: vec!["ls".into()],
+        no_enter: true,
+    };
+    maestro_cli::sessions::run_send(&mock.client(), &args, &mut std::io::empty())
+        .await
+        .expect("send");
+
+    assert!(!mock.inputs()[0].1.submit);
+}
+
+/// No text arguments → the message comes from stdin, minus the trailing
+/// newline a pipe or heredoc adds.
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn send_reads_stdin_and_drops_its_trailing_newline() {
+    let mock = MockDaemon::start().await;
+    let id = Uuid::from_u128(9);
+    mock.add_session(session(id, "/tmp", "bash"));
+
+    let args = maestro_cli::cli::SendArgs {
+        session: id.to_string(),
+        text: Vec::new(),
+        no_enter: false,
+    };
+    let mut stdin = std::io::Cursor::new(b"multi\nline\n".to_vec());
+    maestro_cli::sessions::run_send(&mock.client(), &args, &mut stdin)
+        .await
+        .expect("send");
+
+    assert_eq!(mock.inputs()[0].1.text, "multi\nline");
+}
+
+/// A session named through `PATCH /api/sessions/:id` is addressable by that
+/// name, so scripts don't have to carry a UUID around.
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn send_resolves_a_session_by_name() {
+    let mock = MockDaemon::start().await;
+    let id = Uuid::from_u128(10);
+    let mut named = session(id, "/tmp", "claude");
+    named
+        .metadata
+        .insert("name".into(), serde_json::Value::String("planner".into()));
+    mock.add_session(named);
+    mock.add_session(session(Uuid::from_u128(11), "/tmp", "bash"));
+
+    let args = maestro_cli::cli::SendArgs {
+        session: "Planner".into(),
+        text: vec!["go".into()],
+        no_enter: false,
+    };
+    let sent = maestro_cli::sessions::run_send(&mock.client(), &args, &mut std::io::empty())
+        .await
+        .expect("send");
+
+    assert_eq!(sent, id);
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn send_to_an_unknown_session_fails_without_typing_anything() {
+    let mock = MockDaemon::start().await;
+    mock.add_session(session(Uuid::from_u128(12), "/tmp", "bash"));
+
+    let args = maestro_cli::cli::SendArgs {
+        session: "nope".into(),
+        text: vec!["hi".into()],
+        no_enter: false,
+    };
+    let err = maestro_cli::sessions::run_send(&mock.client(), &args, &mut std::io::empty())
+        .await
+        .expect_err("should not resolve");
+
+    assert!(err.to_string().contains("no session matches"), "{err}");
+    assert!(mock.inputs().is_empty());
+}

crates/maestro-daemon/src/local_api.rs

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ use axum::{Json, Router};
 use maestro_config::SpawnPreset;
 use maestro_protocol::{
     routes, ApiError, CatalogEvent, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonInfo, GitRoot, NameBatch,
-    RenameSessionRequest, ReportActivityRequest, Session, PROTOCOL_VERSION,
+    RenameSessionRequest, ReportActivityRequest, SendInputRequest, Session, PROTOCOL_VERSION,
 };
 use serde::Deserialize;
 use uuid::Uuid;
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ pub fn router(state: LocalApiState) -> Router {
     Router::new()
         .route(routes::SESSIONS, get(list_sessions).post(create_session))
         .route(routes::patterns::SESSION_ACTIVITY, post(report_activity))
+        .route(routes::patterns::SESSION_INPUT, post(send_input))
         .route(
             routes::patterns::SESSION,
             delete(kill_session).patch(rename_session),
@@ -100,6 +101,9 @@ fn session_error_status(code: &str) -> StatusCode {
         "invalid_env" => StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST,
         // A guard refusal is the daemon doing its job, not a failure (#79).
         "kill_guarded" => StatusCode::CONFLICT,
+        // The session outlived its pane: nothing to type into, and nothing
+        // the daemon can do about it.
+        "not_running" => StatusCode::CONFLICT,
         _ => StatusCode::BAD_GATEWAY,
     }
 }
@@ -247,6 +251,28 @@ async fn report_activity(
     }
 }
 
+/// `POST /api/sessions/:id/input`: type text into a session's pane, then
+/// press Enter unless the request turns `submit` off. Answers `204 No
+/// Content`. A session that has exited is refused (409) rather than accepted
+/// into nowhere.
+async fn send_input(
+    State(s): State<LocalApiState>,
+    Path(id): Path<Uuid>,
+    Json(body): Json<SendInputRequest>,
+) -> Response {
+    match s.manager.send_input(id, &body.text, body.submit).await {
+        Ok(()) => StatusCode::NO_CONTENT.into_response(),
+        Err(e) => {
+            let info = e.to_error_info();
+            error_response(
+                session_error_status(&info.code),
+                info.code.as_str(),
+                info.message.as_str(),
+            )
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 fn error_response(status: StatusCode, code: &str, message: &str) -> Response {
     (status, Json(ApiError::new(code, message))).into_response()
 }

crates/maestro-daemon/src/session.rs

@@ -40,6 +40,15 @@ pub const DEFAULT_LIVENESS_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(2);
 /// attempt, which is all #83 needs.
 pub const DEFAULT_BLOCKED_WORK_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(15);
 
+/// Gap between the text of a `send` and the Enter that submits it.
+///
+/// Agents that run a full-screen prompt (Claude Code, opencode) coalesce a
+/// burst of input into one paste; a newline inside that burst becomes a line
+/// break in the message instead of sending it. Landing the Enter as its own
+/// write, after the reader has drained the text, is what makes the message
+/// actually go.
+const SUBMIT_DELAY: Duration = Duration::from_millis(150);
+
 /// Per-session daemon-local bookkeeping that complements the public `Session`.
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct SessionRecord {
@@ -78,6 +87,11 @@ pub enum SessionError {
     NotFound(Uuid),
     #[error("invalid environment variable name: {0:?}")]
     InvalidEnv(String),
+    /// The session exists but its pane is gone, so there is nothing to type
+    /// into. Writing to a dead session is a client bug worth reporting, unlike
+    /// a stray keystroke on an attach socket, which is dropped.
+    #[error("session is no longer running: {0}")]
+    NotRunning(Uuid),
     /// The kill was refused (#79): the session's worktree holds unsaved work.
     /// Nothing happened — the session keeps running and the tree is untouched,
     /// so it stays the operator's handle on their own unfinished work.
@@ -94,6 +108,7 @@ impl SessionError {
             SessionError::Io(_) => "io_failed",
             SessionError::NotFound(_) => "not_found",
             SessionError::InvalidEnv(_) => "invalid_env",
+            SessionError::NotRunning(_) => "not_running",
             SessionError::KillGuarded(_) => "kill_guarded",
         };
         let unsaved_work = match self {
@@ -671,6 +686,33 @@ impl SessionManager {
             .map_err(SessionError::Tmux)
     }
 
+    /// Type `text` into a session's pane, with an Enter after it when
+    /// `submit` is set.
+    ///
+    /// Unlike [`Self::send_keys`], a dead session is an error: the caller
+    /// asked for text to land somewhere, and a silent success would let a
+    /// script believe an agent had been told something it never heard.
+    pub async fn send_input(&self, id: Uuid, text: &str, submit: bool) -> Result<(), SessionError> {
+        match self.status(id).await {
+            None => return Err(SessionError::NotFound(id)),
+            Some(SessionStatus::Dead) => return Err(SessionError::NotRunning(id)),
+            Some(SessionStatus::Running) => {}
+        }
+        let tmux = self.inner.tmux.clone();
+        let bytes = text.as_bytes().to_vec();
+        tmux_blocking(move || tmux.send_keys(id, &bytes))
+            .await
+            .map_err(SessionError::Tmux)?;
+        if submit {
+            tokio::time::sleep(SUBMIT_DELAY).await;
+            let tmux = self.inner.tmux.clone();
+            tmux_blocking(move || tmux.send_keys(id, b"\r"))
+                .await
+                .map_err(SessionError::Tmux)?;
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// Resize a session's window. No-op for a dead session, as with
     /// [`Self::send_keys`].
     pub async fn resize(&self, id: Uuid, cols: u16, rows: u16) -> Result<(), SessionError> {

crates/maestro-e2e/tests/e2e.rs

@@ -1250,6 +1250,143 @@ async fn cli_list_reads_from_daemon() {
     );
 }
 
+/// `maestro send` end to end: the shipped binary, a real daemon, a real tmux
+/// pane. The shell only runs the command if the Enter arrived as its own
+/// write after the text, so the file appearing is the whole path working.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn cli_send_types_a_command_into_a_live_shell() {
+    let (daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
+    let cwd = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let sess = client
+        .spawn_session(&create_req(cwd.path(), "bash --norc --noprofile"))
+        .await
+        .expect("spawn bash");
+
+    let home = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let cfg_path = home.path().join("config.toml");
+    let out = run_cli(
+        &["send", &sess.id.to_string(), "touch", "marker.txt"],
+        &[
+            ("HOME", home.path().to_str().unwrap()),
+            ("MAESTRO_CONFIG", cfg_path.to_str().unwrap()),
+            ("MAESTRO_DAEMON_URL", &daemon.http_base()),
+        ],
+    );
+    assert!(
+        out.status.success(),
+        "send failed: {}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr)
+    );
+
+    let marker = cwd.path().join("marker.txt");
+    wait_for_async(
+        "the shell runs the sent command",
+        Duration::from_secs(10),
+        || {
+            let marker = marker.clone();
+            async move { marker.exists() }
+        },
+    )
+    .await;
+
+    client.kill_session(sess.id).await.expect("kill");
+}
+
+/// `--no-enter` fills the prompt without submitting: the command must sit
+/// there unrun. Same setup as the test above, so the only difference is the
+/// flag.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn send_without_enter_does_not_run_the_command() {
+    let (daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
+    let cwd = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let sess = client
+        .spawn_session(&create_req(cwd.path(), "bash --norc --noprofile"))
+        .await
+        .expect("spawn bash");
+
+    let home = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let out = run_cli(
+        &[
+            "send",
+            "--no-enter",
+            &sess.id.to_string(),
+            "touch",
+            "unsubmitted.txt",
+        ],
+        &[
+            ("HOME", home.path().to_str().unwrap()),
+            (
+                "MAESTRO_CONFIG",
+                home.path().join("c.toml").to_str().unwrap(),
+            ),
+            ("MAESTRO_DAEMON_URL", &daemon.http_base()),
+        ],
+    );
+    assert!(
+        out.status.success(),
+        "send failed: {}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr)
+    );
+
+    tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(2)).await;
+    assert!(
+        !cwd.path().join("unsubmitted.txt").exists(),
+        "the command ran despite --no-enter"
+    );
+
+    client.kill_session(sess.id).await.expect("kill");
+}
+
+/// A session whose command exited still exists in the catalog, but its pane
+/// is gone. Typing into it is refused instead of being swallowed — a script
+/// that sends an instruction to a dead agent has to hear about it.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn send_to_a_dead_session_is_refused() {
+    use maestro_protocol::{SendInputRequest, SessionStatus};
+    let (_daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
+    let cwd = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let sess = client
+        .spawn_session(&create_req(cwd.path(), "true"))
+        .await
+        .expect("spawn true");
+
+    wait_for_async(
+        "the session to be seen dead",
+        Duration::from_secs(15),
+        || {
+            let client = client.clone();
+            let id = sess.id;
+            async move {
+                client
+                    .list_sessions()
+                    .await
+                    .map(|ss| {
+                        ss.iter()
+                            .any(|s| s.id == id && s.status == SessionStatus::Dead)
+                    })
+                    .unwrap_or(false)
+            }
+        },
+    )
+    .await;
+
+    let err = client
+        .daemon()
+        .send_input(
+            sess.id,
+            &SendInputRequest {
+                text: "hello".into(),
+                submit: true,
+            },
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect_err("a dead session cannot be typed into");
+    assert!(
+        err.to_string().contains("no longer running"),
+        "unexpected error: {err}"
+    );
+}
+
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
 async fn cli_list_fails_when_daemon_is_down() {
     let dead_daemon = format!("http://127.0.0.1:{}", maestro_e2e::util::free_port());

crates/maestro-protocol/src/client.rs

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ use uuid::Uuid;
 use crate::routes::{self, UrlError};
 use crate::{
     ApiError, BranchInfo, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonInfo, DirListing, ErrorInfo, GitRoot,
-    Project, RecentDirs, RenameSessionRequest, ReportActivityRequest, Session,
+    Project, RecentDirs, RenameSessionRequest, ReportActivityRequest, SendInputRequest, Session,
 };
 
 /// Time budget for establishing a TCP connection to the daemon.
@@ -155,6 +155,17 @@ impl DaemonClient {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    /// `POST /api/sessions/:id/input`: type text into a session's pane, with
+    /// an Enter after it unless `submit` is off. Answers `204 No Content`; a
+    /// session that has exited is refused rather than silently accepted.
+    pub async fn send_input(&self, id: Uuid, req: &SendInputRequest) -> Result<(), ClientError> {
+        let resp = self
+            .send(Method::POST, &routes::session_input(id), &[], Some(req))
+            .await?;
+        check(resp).await?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     pub async fn daemon_info(&self) -> Result<DaemonInfo, ClientError> {
         self.get(routes::INFO, &[]).await
     }

crates/maestro-protocol/src/display.rs

@@ -7,6 +7,15 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 use crate::Session;
 
+/// The name a session was given (#125), if any. `None` for one that was never
+/// renamed — clients fall back to the command.
+pub fn custom_name(s: &Session) -> Option<&str> {
+    match s.metadata.get("name") {
+        Some(serde_json::Value::String(name)) => Some(name.as_str()),
+        _ => None,
+    }
+}
+
 /// Collapse a daemon's home dir to `~`. `home` empty leaves the path
 /// untouched. Mirrors the web's `abbreviateCwd`.
 pub fn abbreviate_dir(path: &Path, home: &str) -> String {
@@ -140,6 +149,63 @@ pub fn merge_linear<T>(folder: TreeFolder<T>) -> TreeFolder<T> {
     cur
 }
 
+/// Command wrappers that run another program: the program is what follows.
+const WRAPPERS: [&str; 8] = [
+    "sudo", "env", "npx", "bunx", "uvx", "pnpm", "yarn", "command",
+];
+
+/// The program a command line runs, basenamed and stripped of its arguments —
+/// what a session card shows per `docs/SIDEBAR.md`, which names the program
+/// and never its flags. Leading `FOO=bar` assignments and wrappers (`sudo`,
+/// `npx`, `pnpm dlx`, …) are looked through. Mirrors the web's `splitCommand`.
+pub fn command_program(command: &str) -> String {
+    let words: Vec<&str> = command.split_whitespace().collect();
+    let mut i = 0;
+    while i < words.len() {
+        let word = words[i];
+        if is_env_assignment(word) {
+            i += 1;
+            continue;
+        }
+        let wrapper = basename(word).to_lowercase();
+        if WRAPPERS.contains(&wrapper.as_str()) {
+            i += 1;
+            if (wrapper == "pnpm" || wrapper == "yarn") && words.get(i) == Some(&"dlx") {
+                i += 1;
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
+        break;
+    }
+    match words.get(i) {
+        Some(word) => basename(word).to_string(),
+        // Nothing but wrappers and assignments: say what was there rather than
+        // rendering an empty fragment.
+        None => command.trim().to_string(),
+    }
+}
+
+/// `FOO=bar`, the shell's own prefix for one command's environment.
+fn is_env_assignment(word: &str) -> bool {
+    let mut chars = word.chars();
+    match chars.next() {
+        Some(c) if c.is_ascii_alphabetic() || c == '_' => {}
+        _ => return false,
+    }
+    let rest: String = chars.collect();
+    match rest.split_once('=') {
+        Some((name, _)) => name.chars().all(|c| c.is_ascii_alphanumeric() || c == '_'),
+        None => false,
+    }
+}
+
+fn basename(word: &str) -> &str {
+    match word.rsplit_once('/') {
+        Some((_, tail)) => tail,
+        None => word,
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
@@ -318,4 +384,28 @@ mod tests {
         };
         assert_eq!(nested.name, "a/b");
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn command_program_drops_arguments() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            command_program("claude --dangerously-skip-permissions"),
+            "claude"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(command_program("  zsh   -l  "), "zsh");
+        assert_eq!(command_program("hx src/main.rs"), "hx");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn command_program_looks_through_paths_env_and_wrappers() {
+        assert_eq!(command_program("/usr/local/bin/claude -p hi"), "claude");
+        assert_eq!(command_program("FOO=1 BAR=2 claude"), "claude");
+        assert_eq!(command_program("npx opencode"), "opencode");
+        assert_eq!(command_program("pnpm dlx opencode run"), "opencode");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn command_program_keeps_a_line_that_is_only_wrappers() {
+        assert_eq!(command_program("sudo"), "sudo");
+        assert_eq!(command_program(""), "");
+    }
 }

crates/maestro-protocol/src/lib.rs

@@ -512,6 +512,24 @@ pub struct NameBatch {
     pub names: Vec<String>,
 }
 
+/// HTTP `POST /api/sessions/:id/input` body: text typed into a session's
+/// pane, as if the operator had typed it on an attached terminal.
+///
+/// `submit` presses Enter after the text — what makes `maestro send` a way to
+/// give an agent an instruction rather than only to fill its prompt. It goes
+/// out as its own write a beat later, because a TUI agent that reads the text
+/// as one paste would otherwise swallow the newline into the message.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct SendInputRequest {
+    pub text: String,
+    #[serde(default = "submit_default")]
+    pub submit: bool,
+}
+
+fn submit_default() -> bool {
+    true
+}
+
 /// Longest session name the daemon stores (#125), in characters. A name is a
 /// sidebar card's line 1; past this it only truncates on every client anyway.
 pub const MAX_SESSION_NAME_LEN: usize = 64;

crates/maestro-protocol/src/routes.rs

@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ pub fn session_activity(id: Uuid) -> String {
     format!("{SESSIONS}/{id}/activity")
 }
 
+/// `POST /api/sessions/:id/input`: type text into a session's pane.
+pub fn session_input(id: Uuid) -> String {
+    format!("{SESSIONS}/{id}/input")
+}
+
 /// `WS /api/attach/:id` — raw PTY bytes.
 pub fn attach(id: Uuid) -> String {
     format!("{API_PREFIX}/attach/{id}")
@@ -59,6 +64,7 @@ pub fn attach(id: Uuid) -> String {
 pub mod patterns {
     pub const SESSION: &str = "/api/sessions/:id";
     pub const SESSION_ACTIVITY: &str = "/api/sessions/:id/activity";
+    pub const SESSION_INPUT: &str = "/api/sessions/:id/input";
     pub const ATTACH: &str = "/api/attach/:id";
 }
 
@@ -170,6 +176,10 @@ mod tests {
             session_activity(id()),
             "/api/sessions/6f1a7c0e-0f5e-4a2b-9a3d-6b1c2d3e4f50/activity"
         );
+        assert_eq!(
+            session_input(id()),
+            "/api/sessions/6f1a7c0e-0f5e-4a2b-9a3d-6b1c2d3e4f50/input"
+        );
         assert_eq!(
             attach(id()),
             "/api/attach/6f1a7c0e-0f5e-4a2b-9a3d-6b1c2d3e4f50"
@@ -192,6 +202,10 @@ mod tests {
             patterns::SESSION_ACTIVITY.trim_end_matches(":id/activity"),
             session(id()).trim_end_matches(&id().to_string())
         );
+        assert_eq!(
+            patterns::SESSION_INPUT.trim_end_matches(":id/input"),
+            session(id()).trim_end_matches(&id().to_string())
+        );
         assert_eq!(
             patterns::ATTACH.trim_end_matches(":id"),
             attach(id()).trim_end_matches(&id().to_string())

crates/maestro-testing/src/lib.rs

@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ use axum::extract::ws::{Message, WebSocket, WebSocketUpgrade};
 use axum::extract::{Path, Query, State};
 use axum::http::StatusCode;
 use axum::response::{IntoResponse, Response};
-use axum::routing::{any, delete, get};
+use axum::routing::{any, delete, get, post};
 use axum::{Json, Router};
 use chrono::Utc;
 use futures_util::{SinkExt, StreamExt};
 use maestro_protocol::{
     routes, ApiError, CatalogEvent, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonClient, DaemonInfo, DirListing,
-    GitRoot, RecentDirs, Session, SessionStatus, PROTOCOL_VERSION,
+    GitRoot, RecentDirs, SendInputRequest, Session, SessionStatus, PROTOCOL_VERSION,
 };
 use tokio::net::TcpListener;
 use tokio::sync::{broadcast, oneshot};
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ struct Inner {
     info: Option<DaemonInfo>,
     /// When set, every route answers with this instead of its normal response.
     forced_error: Option<(u16, ApiError)>,
+    /// Everything `POST /api/sessions/:id/input` was asked to type, in order.
+    inputs: Vec<(Uuid, SendInputRequest)>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone)]
@@ -86,6 +88,7 @@ impl MockDaemon {
         let app = Router::new()
             .route(routes::SESSIONS, get(list_sessions).post(create_session))
             .route(routes::patterns::SESSION, delete(kill_session))
+            .route(routes::patterns::SESSION_INPUT, post(send_input))
             .route(routes::INFO, get(daemon_info))
             .route(routes::DIRS, get(list_dir))
             .route(routes::RECENT_DIRS, get(recent_dirs))
@@ -167,6 +170,11 @@ impl MockDaemon {
         self.state.inner.lock().expect("poisoned").forced_error = None;
     }
 
+    /// Every `send` this daemon received, oldest first.
+    pub fn inputs(&self) -> Vec<(Uuid, SendInputRequest)> {
+        self.state.inner.lock().expect("poisoned").inputs.clone()
+    }
+
     pub fn session_count(&self) -> usize {
         self.state.inner.lock().expect("poisoned").sessions.len()
     }
@@ -233,6 +241,28 @@ async fn kill_session(State(s): State<AppState>, Path(id): Path<Uuid>) -> Respon
     StatusCode::NO_CONTENT.into_response()
 }
 
+/// Records the text instead of typing it — the subject under test is the
+/// client's request, not tmux.
+async fn send_input(
+    State(s): State<AppState>,
+    Path(id): Path<Uuid>,
+    Json(req): Json<SendInputRequest>,
+) -> Response {
+    if let Some(r) = forced(&s) {
+        return r;
+    }
+    let mut guard = s.inner.lock().expect("poisoned");
+    if !guard.sessions.iter().any(|x| x.id == id) {
+        return (
+            StatusCode::NOT_FOUND,
+            Json(ApiError::new("not_found", "no such session on this daemon")),
+        )
+            .into_response();
+    }
+    guard.inputs.push((id, req));
+    StatusCode::NO_CONTENT.into_response()
+}
+
 async fn daemon_info(State(s): State<AppState>) -> Response {
     if let Some(r) = forced(&s) {
         return r;

crates/maestro-tui/src/sidebar.rs

@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ use std::collections::{BTreeMap, HashSet};
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
 use chrono::Utc;
-use maestro_protocol::display::{abbreviate_dir, abbreviate_folder_name, session_tree_path};
+use maestro_protocol::display::{
+    abbreviate_dir, abbreviate_folder_name, command_program, session_tree_path,
+};
 use maestro_protocol::{ActivityState, Session, SessionStatus, StatKind};
 use ratatui::layout::Rect;
 use ratatui::style::{Color, Modifier, Style};
@@ -297,7 +299,8 @@ impl Sidebar {
         if dead {
             tail.push(Span::styled(" exited", muted));
         }
-        let command = Span::styled(format!(" {}", s.command), muted);
+        // docs/SIDEBAR.md: the card names the program, never its arguments.
+        let command = Span::styled(format!(" {}", command_program(&s.command)), muted);
 
         // Reserve the triggered status fragments before detail and command.
         // If the row is exceptionally narrow, keep one column for the
@@ -874,12 +877,34 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    /// docs/SIDEBAR.md: line 2 names the program, never its arguments.
+    #[test]
+    fn meta_line_drops_the_commands_arguments() {
+        let mut s = session_named(1, "handle");
+        s.command = "claude --dangerously-skip-permissions".into();
+        let sb = Sidebar {
+            sessions: vec![s],
+            highlight: None,
+            attached: Default::default(),
+        };
+        let all = rows(&draw(&sb, 60, 6));
+        let meta = content(&all[3]);
+        assert!(
+            meta.contains("claude"),
+            "line 2 must name the program: {meta:?}"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            !meta.contains("dangerously"),
+            "line 2 must not carry arguments: {meta:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
     /// The sidebar is narrow: the command truncates with `…` and never wraps
     /// onto a third row (docs/SIDEBAR.md).
     #[test]
     fn meta_line_command_truncates_instead_of_wrapping() {
         let mut s = session_named(1, "claude");
-        s.command = "a command that cannot fit".into();
+        s.command = "a-program-name-that-cannot-fit".into();
         s.activity_since = Utc::now() - Duration::seconds(5);
         s.blocked_work = Some(InTheWay {
             uncommitted_files: 120,
@@ -1099,7 +1124,7 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn blocked_warning_survives_before_a_truncated_command() {
         let mut s = session_named(1, "name");
-        s.command = "a command that cannot fit".into();
+        s.command = "a-program-name-that-cannot-fit".into();
         s.blocked_work = Some(InTheWay {
             uncommitted_files: 1,
             ..Default::default()

crates/maestro/src/main.rs

@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ enum Command {
     /// Kill a session by ID.
     #[cfg(feature = "cli")]
     Kill(maestro_cli::cli::KillArgs),
+    /// Type text into a running session, as if it had been typed on an
+    /// attached terminal.
+    #[cfg(feature = "cli")]
+    Send(maestro_cli::cli::SendArgs),
     /// Install or update the agent activity hook (#106).
     #[cfg(feature = "cli")]
     Hooks(maestro_cli::cli::HooksArgs),
@@ -144,6 +148,15 @@ async fn dispatch(cli: Cli) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
             .await?
         }
         #[cfg(feature = "cli")]
+        Command::Send(args) => {
+            maestro_cli::dispatch(
+                maestro_cli::cli::Command::Send(args),
+                cli.config,
+                cli.daemon_url,
+            )
+            .await?
+        }
+        #[cfg(feature = "cli")]
         Command::Hooks(args) => {
             maestro_cli::dispatch(
                 maestro_cli::cli::Command::Hooks(args),
@@ -190,6 +203,7 @@ fn is_cli_subcommand(command: &Option<Command>) -> bool {
             | Some(Command::Spawn(_))
             | Some(Command::Attach(_))
             | Some(Command::Kill(_))
+            | Some(Command::Send(_))
             | Some(Command::Hooks(_))
     )
 }

docs/SIDEBAR.md

@@ -88,21 +88,26 @@ of `maestro_protocol::InTheWay`'s `Display` does not disappear: it is the web
 card's tooltip and the wording of the kill refusal, so no two clients describe
 the same tree differently.
 
-`<command>` is unconditional and muted: the session's command line, shown on
-every card in both clients — no omission in the TUI, no name-vs-command
-comparison gating it. A session named by its command line then shows the same
-string on both lines; that is accepted, the price of a row that never changes
-height.
+`<command>` is unconditional and muted: it names the **program** the session
+runs — never its arguments. `claude --dangerously-skip-permissions` renders as
+`claude`. Flags say how a session was invoked, which is not what a card is for,
+and a long one crowds out every other fragment on the line. It shows on every
+card in both clients — no omission in the TUI, no name-vs-command comparison
+gating it. A session named by its program then shows the same string on both
+lines; that is accepted, the price of a row that never changes height.
 
-In the **web client** the command's leading program is replaced by that tool's
-icon when it is one we have a mark for — Claude Code, Codex, opencode, Gemini
-CLI, Aider, Cursor, pi, and any shell — and only the remaining words of the
-command line follow as text. Recognition looks through a path, leading
-`FOO=bar` assignments and wrappers (`sudo`, `env`, `npx`, `pnpm dlx`, …); an
-unrecognised program keeps its full text, so the card never shows a mark
-standing for the wrong tool. The full command line stays in the card's tooltip
-either way. The **TUI** keeps the command as text: a terminal cannot be assumed
-to have a font carrying tool glyphs.
+The program is found by looking through a path, leading `FOO=bar` assignments
+and wrappers (`sudo`, `env`, `npx`, `pnpm dlx`, …), then taking the basename:
+`/usr/local/bin/claude -p hi` is `claude`. A line that is nothing but wrappers
+is shown as written rather than as an empty fragment.
+
+In the **web client** the program is replaced by that tool's icon when it is
+one we have a mark for — Claude Code, Codex, opencode, Gemini CLI, Aider,
+Cursor, pi, and any shell — and nothing follows it as text. An unrecognised
+program keeps its name as text, so the card never shows a mark standing for the
+wrong tool. The full command line, arguments and all, stays in the card's
+tooltip either way. The **TUI** keeps the program as text: a terminal cannot be
+assumed to have a font carrying tool glyphs.
 
 ## Colour per activity state
 

docs/WORKTREES.md

@@ -79,6 +79,11 @@ would have blocked. A tree whose guard is clear never needed the override, so a
 forced kill removes it as usual — force changes what happens to blocked work,
 not ordinary cleanup.
 
+In the web client the kill button sends the unforced `DELETE` straight away —
+there is no pre-confirmation, because the daemon is the one that decides. Only
+the refusal raises a prompt, and that prompt names what is in the way and offers
+"Force kill", which repeats the request with `force=true`.
+
 Ending a session and destroying its work are two separate acts. Maestro only
 performs the first one. Removing a tree it left behind is the operator's own
 `git worktree remove`, chosen while looking at exactly what would be lost.

web/src/api.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import * as routes from "./routes.js";
 import type {
   ApiError,
+  InTheWay,
   Branches,
   CreateSessionRequest,
   DaemonInfo,
@@ -13,19 +14,38 @@ import type {
   Uuid,
 } from "./types.js";
 
+/** A `/api/*` failure with the daemon's own error envelope kept intact, so a
+ * caller can branch on `code` — the kill guard's `kill_guarded` (#79) — and
+ * render `unsavedWork` rather than re-parsing the message. */
+export class ApiRequestError extends Error {
+  readonly status: number;
+  readonly code: string;
+  readonly detail: string;
+  readonly unsavedWork: InTheWay | null;
+
+  constructor(res: Response, info?: ApiError["error"], text?: string) {
+    const detail = info ? `${info.code}: ${info.message}` : (text ?? "");
+    super(`${res.status} ${res.statusText}${detail ? ` — ${detail}` : ""}`);
+    this.name = "ApiRequestError";
+    this.status = res.status;
+    this.code = info?.code ?? "";
+    this.detail = info?.message ?? text ?? "";
+    this.unsavedWork = info?.unsaved_work ?? null;
+  }
+}
+
 async function jsonOrError<T>(res: Response): Promise<T> {
   if (res.ok) {
     if (res.status === 204) return undefined as unknown as T;
     return (await res.json()) as T;
   }
-  let detail = "";
   try {
     const body = (await res.json()) as ApiError;
-    detail = `${body.error.code}: ${body.error.message}`;
-  } catch {
-    detail = await res.text();
+    throw new ApiRequestError(res, body.error);
+  } catch (e) {
+    if (e instanceof ApiRequestError) throw e;
+    throw new ApiRequestError(res, undefined, await res.text().catch(() => ""));
   }
-  throw new Error(`${res.status} ${res.statusText}${detail ? ` — ${detail}` : ""}`);
 }
 
 export async function listSessions(): Promise<Session[]> {
@@ -57,9 +77,14 @@ export async function renameSession(id: Uuid, name: string): Promise<Session> {
   );
 }
 
-export async function killSession(id: Uuid): Promise<void> {
+/** Kill a session. With `force` (#81) the daemon overrides its refusal over a
+ * worktree holding unsaved work and leaves that worktree on disk. */
+export async function killSession(id: Uuid, force = false): Promise<void> {
+  const url = force
+    ? `${routes.session(id)}?${routes.FORCE_QUERY}=true`
+    : routes.session(id);
   await jsonOrError(
-    await fetch(routes.session(id), {
+    await fetch(url, {
       method: "DELETE",
       credentials: "same-origin",
     }),

web/src/attach.ts

@@ -56,12 +56,13 @@ export interface AttachInfo {
   command: string;
 }
 
-/** Header echoes the sidebar: the command's leading program becomes its tool
- * icon when we have a mark for it, remaining words stay as text. */
+/** Header echoes the sidebar: the program becomes its tool icon when we have a
+ * mark for it and stays as its bare name when we do not. Arguments are
+ * dropped, as on the card. */
 function commandFragment(command: string): string {
-  const { tool, rest } = splitCommand(command);
+  const { tool, program } = splitCommand(command);
   const icon = tool ? toolIconSvg(tool) : null;
-  const text = icon ? rest : command;
+  const text = icon ? "" : program;
   return `<span class="at-cmd">${icon ?? ""}${text ? escapeHtml(text) : ""}</span>`;
 }
 
@@ -142,8 +143,10 @@ export function createAttachConnection(
   //   • alt screen with no mouse tracking → nothing to do; the app owns input.
   // `touch-action: none` (CSS) keeps the browser from cancelling the custom
   // gesture stream; only the terminal surface opts out of native page panning.
+  // Listeners MUST sit on `.xterm`, not `.xterm-viewport`: `.xterm-screen` is a
+  // later sibling of the viewport, so it paints over it and takes every touch.
   {
-    const vp = el.querySelector(".xterm-viewport") as HTMLElement | null;
+    const root = term.element as HTMLElement | undefined;
     const screen = el.querySelector(".xterm-screen") as HTMLElement | null;
     const cellH = () => {
       const core = (term as unknown as {
@@ -151,11 +154,11 @@ export function createAttachConnection(
       })._core;
       return core?._renderService?.dimensions?.css?.cell?.height || 16;
     };
-    if (vp) {
+    if (root) {
       let lastY = 0;
       let lastX = 0;
       let remainder = 0;
-      vp.addEventListener(
+      root.addEventListener(
         "touchstart",
         (e) => {
           if (e.touches.length !== 1) return;
@@ -165,7 +168,7 @@ export function createAttachConnection(
         },
         { passive: true },
       );
-      vp.addEventListener(
+      root.addEventListener(
         "touchmove",
         (e) => {
           if (e.touches.length !== 1) return;

web/src/catalog.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // @vitest-environment happy-dom
-import { beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { renderSidebar } from "./catalog.js";
 import type { CatalogListener, CatalogStore } from "./events.js";
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ beforeAll(() => {
   window.fetch = () => Promise.reject(new Error("offline"));
 });
 
+afterEach(() => {
+  document.querySelector(".kill-dialog")?.remove();
+});
+
 function session(overrides: Partial<Session>): Session {
   return {
     id: "11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555",
@@ -46,6 +50,11 @@ function rowFor(el: HTMLElement, id: string): HTMLElement | null {
   return el.querySelector<HTMLElement>(`[data-session-id="${id}"]`);
 }
 
+/** Let the kill chain's awaits (fetch, its json body) settle. */
+async function flush(): Promise<void> {
+  for (let i = 0; i < 8; i++) await Promise.resolve();
+}
+
 describe("blocked-work indicator (#83)", () => {
   it("marks the row of a blocked session in diff notation", () => {
     const blocked = session({
@@ -89,37 +98,77 @@ describe("blocked-work indicator (#83)", () => {
     expect(rowFor(el, unprobed.id)?.querySelector(".leaf-blocked")).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("restates the warning at the kill confirm", async () => {
-    const confirmations: string[] = [];
-    window.confirm = (msg?: string) => {
-      confirmations.push(msg ?? "");
-      return false;
-    };
+  it("kills straight away, without a first confirmation", async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    window.fetch = ((url: string, init?: RequestInit) => {
+      calls.push(`${init?.method ?? "GET"} ${url}`);
+      return Promise.resolve(new Response(null, { status: 204 }));
+    }) as typeof fetch;
+    const plain = session({ id: "aaaaaaaa-0000-0000-0000-000000000005" });
+    const el = renderSidebar(storeWith([plain])).el;
+    rowFor(el, plain.id)?.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".leaf-kill")?.click();
+    await flush();
+    expect(calls).toContain(`DELETE /api/sessions/${plain.id}`);
+    expect(document.querySelector(".kill-dialog")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("offers the override when the daemon refuses a guarded kill", async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    window.fetch = ((url: string, init?: RequestInit) => {
+      calls.push(`${init?.method ?? "GET"} ${url}`);
+      if (url.includes("force=true")) return Promise.resolve(new Response(null, { status: 204 }));
+      return Promise.resolve(
+        new Response(
+          JSON.stringify({
+            error: {
+              code: "kill_guarded",
+              message: "worktree has unsaved work",
+              unsaved_work: { untracked_files: 1 },
+            },
+          }),
+          { status: 409, headers: { "content-type": "application/json" } },
+        ),
+      );
+    }) as typeof fetch;
     const blocked = session({
       id: "aaaaaaaa-0000-0000-0000-000000000004",
       command: "bash",
       blocked_work: { untracked_files: 1 },
     });
     const el = renderSidebar(storeWith([blocked])).el;
-    const kill = rowFor(el, blocked.id)?.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".leaf-kill");
-    kill?.click();
-    await Promise.resolve();
-    expect(confirmations).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(confirmations[0]).toContain("1 untracked file");
-    expect(confirmations[0]).toContain("refused unless forced");
+    rowFor(el, blocked.id)?.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".leaf-kill")?.click();
+    await flush();
+    const dialog = document.querySelector(".kill-dialog");
+    expect(dialog?.textContent).toContain("1 untracked file");
+    dialog?.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".kill-dialog-force")?.click();
+    await flush();
+    expect(calls).toContain(`DELETE /api/sessions/${blocked.id}?force=true`);
+    expect(document.querySelector(".kill-dialog")).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("confirms plainly when nothing blocks", async () => {
-    const confirmations: string[] = [];
-    window.confirm = (msg?: string) => {
-      confirmations.push(msg ?? "");
-      return false;
-    };
-    const plain = session({ id: "aaaaaaaa-0000-0000-0000-000000000005" });
-    const el = renderSidebar(storeWith([plain])).el;
-    rowFor(el, plain.id)?.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".leaf-kill")?.click();
-    await Promise.resolve();
-    expect(confirmations).toEqual(['Kill session "claude"?']);
+  it("closes the override prompt without killing on cancel", async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    window.fetch = ((url: string, init?: RequestInit) => {
+      calls.push(`${init?.method ?? "GET"} ${url}`);
+      return Promise.resolve(
+        new Response(
+          JSON.stringify({
+            error: { code: "kill_guarded", message: "worktree has unsaved work" },
+          }),
+          { status: 409, headers: { "content-type": "application/json" } },
+        ),
+      );
+    }) as typeof fetch;
+    const blocked = session({
+      id: "aaaaaaaa-0000-0000-0000-000000000006",
+      blocked_work: { unpushed_commits: 2 },
+    });
+    const el = renderSidebar(storeWith([blocked])).el;
+    rowFor(el, blocked.id)?.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".leaf-kill")?.click();
+    await flush();
+    document.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".kill-dialog-cancel")?.click();
+    expect(document.querySelector(".kill-dialog")).toBeNull();
+    expect(calls.filter((c) => c.includes("force=true"))).toHaveLength(0);
   });
 });
 
@@ -209,15 +258,16 @@ describe("session cards (#107)", () => {
     expect(cmd?.querySelector(".leaf-cmd-rest")).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("keeps the command's arguments as text beside the icon", () => {
+  it("drops the command's arguments, keeping them in the tooltip", () => {
     const s = session({
       id: "aaaaaaaa-0000-0000-0000-00000000001c",
-      command: "claude --resume",
+      command: "claude --dangerously-skip-permissions",
     });
     const el = renderSidebar(storeWith([s])).el;
     const cmd = rowFor(el, s.id)?.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".card-line2 .leaf-cmd");
     expect(cmd?.querySelector(".tool-icon")?.getAttribute("data-tool")).toBe("claude");
-    expect(cmd?.querySelector(".leaf-cmd-rest")?.textContent).toBe("--resume");
+    expect(cmd?.querySelector(".leaf-cmd-rest")).toBeNull();
+    expect(cmd?.getAttribute("title")).toBe("claude --dangerously-skip-permissions");
   });
 
   it("keeps an unknown command as plain text", () => {
@@ -228,7 +278,8 @@ describe("session cards (#107)", () => {
     const el = renderSidebar(storeWith([s])).el;
     const cmd = rowFor(el, s.id)?.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".card-line2 .leaf-cmd");
     expect(cmd?.querySelector(".tool-icon")).toBeNull();
-    expect(cmd?.querySelector(".leaf-cmd-rest")?.textContent).toBe("hx src/main.rs");
+    expect(cmd?.querySelector(".leaf-cmd-rest")?.textContent).toBe("hx");
+    expect(cmd?.getAttribute("title")).toBe("hx src/main.rs");
   });
 
   it("maps each activity state to its contract slug", () => {

web/src/catalog.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { escapeHtml } from "./html.js";
-import { getDaemonInfo, killSession, renameSession } from "./api.js";
+import { ApiRequestError, getDaemonInfo, killSession, renameSession } from "./api.js";
+import { openForceKillDialog } from "./killDialog.js";
 import { openContextMenu } from "./contextMenu.js";
 import { isTypingTarget, toggleHelp } from "./help.js";
 import { CatalogStore } from "./events.js";
@@ -96,13 +97,14 @@ function blockedFragment(blockers: InTheWay): string {
   return `<span class="card-flag leaf-blocked" title="${escapeHtml(title)}">${stats}</span>`;
 }
 
-/** docs/SIDEBAR.md: the command's leading program becomes its tool icon when
- * we have a mark for it, and only the remaining words stay as text. The full
- * command line stays in the tooltip either way. */
+/** docs/SIDEBAR.md: the card names the program only — arguments never reach
+ * the card. The program becomes its tool icon when we have a mark for it, and
+ * stays as its bare name when we do not. The full command line, arguments and
+ * all, stays in the tooltip either way. */
 function commandFragment(command: string): string {
-  const { tool, rest } = splitCommand(command);
+  const { tool, program } = splitCommand(command);
   const icon = tool ? toolIconSvg(tool) : null;
-  const text = icon ? rest : command;
+  const text = icon ? "" : program;
   return `<span class="card-flag leaf-cmd" title="${escapeHtml(command)}">${icon ?? ""}${text ? `<span class="leaf-cmd-rest">${escapeHtml(text)}</span>` : ""}</span>`;
 }
 
@@ -179,7 +181,7 @@ function renderNode(node: TreeNode, depth: number): HTMLElement {
   killBtn.addEventListener("click", (ev) => {
     ev.preventDefault();
     ev.stopPropagation();
-    void confirmAndKill(s, name);
+    void requestKill(s, name);
   });
   row.addEventListener("contextmenu", (ev) => {
     ev.preventDefault();
@@ -191,22 +193,31 @@ function renderNode(node: TreeNode, depth: number): HTMLElement {
         onSelect: () =>
           document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(SPAWN_SIMILAR_EVENT, { detail: s })),
       },
-      { label: "Kill session", danger: true, onSelect: () => void confirmAndKill(s, name) },
+      { label: "Kill session", danger: true, onSelect: () => void requestKill(s, name) },
     ]);
   });
   return row;
 }
 
-/** #83: the confirm restates the warning at the moment of decision. */
-async function confirmAndKill(s: Session, name: string): Promise<void> {
-  const blockers = sessionBlockers(s);
-  const question = blockers
-    ? `Kill session "${name}"? Its worktree still has ${formatInTheWay(blockers)} — the kill will be refused unless forced.`
-    : `Kill session "${name}"?`;
-  if (!confirm(question)) return;
+/**
+ * Kill on the first click (#81): the daemon is the one that decides whether a
+ * session may go, and it refuses over a worktree holding unsaved work. Only
+ * that refusal is worth a prompt, and it needs one `confirm()` cannot give —
+ * a forced kill. Anything else surfaces as an alert.
+ */
+async function requestKill(s: Session, name: string): Promise<void> {
   try {
     await killSession(s.id);
   } catch (e) {
+    if (e instanceof ApiRequestError && e.code === "kill_guarded") {
+      openForceKillDialog({
+        name,
+        blockers: e.unsavedWork ?? sessionBlockers(s),
+        reason: e.detail,
+        onForce: () => killSession(s.id, true),
+      });
+      return;
+    }
     alert(`Failed to kill: ${(e as Error).message}`);
   }
 }

web/src/killDialog.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/**
+ * Forced-kill prompt (#81).
+ *
+ * The daemon refuses to kill a session whose worktree still holds uncommitted
+ * or unpushed work. `confirm()` can only ask the same question twice, so the
+ * refusal gets its own dialog: it names what is in the way and offers the
+ * override the daemon's `force=true` already implements. A kill the daemon
+ * accepts never reaches here — there is nothing to warn about.
+ */
+import { formatInTheWay, type InTheWay } from "./types.js";
+
+export interface ForceKillPrompt {
+  /** Session name, as the sidebar shows it. */
+  name: string;
+  /** What the daemon reported in the way, when it reported anything. */
+  blockers: InTheWay | null;
+  /** Message from the daemon's refusal, shown when there is no breakdown. */
+  reason: string;
+  /** Run the forced kill. A rejection is rendered in the dialog, which stays
+   *  open so the override can be retried. */
+  onForce: () => Promise<void>;
+}
+
+let open: { el: HTMLElement; onKeydown: (ev: KeyboardEvent) => void } | null = null;
+
+export function closeForceKillDialog(): void {
+  if (!open) return;
+  window.removeEventListener("keydown", open.onKeydown, true);
+  open.el.remove();
+  open = null;
+}
+
+/** Mount the prompt. Opening while one is up replaces it, so a second refusal
+ *  can never stack two dialogs. */
+export function openForceKillDialog(p: ForceKillPrompt): HTMLElement {
+  closeForceKillDialog();
+
+  const el = document.createElement("div");
+  el.className = "kill-dialog";
+  el.setAttribute("role", "dialog");
+  el.setAttribute("aria-modal", "true");
+  el.setAttribute("aria-label", `Kill ${p.name}`);
+
+  const panel = document.createElement("div");
+  panel.className = "kill-dialog-panel";
+
+  const title = document.createElement("h2");
+  title.className = "kill-dialog-title";
+  title.textContent = `Kill "${p.name}"?`;
+
+  const body = document.createElement("p");
+  body.className = "kill-dialog-body";
+  body.textContent = p.blockers
+    ? `Its worktree still has ${formatInTheWay(p.blockers)}. Forcing the kill removes the session and leaves the worktree on disk.`
+    : `${p.reason} Forcing the kill removes the session and leaves the worktree on disk.`;
+
+  const error = document.createElement("p");
+  error.className = "kill-dialog-error";
+  error.hidden = true;
+
+  const actions = document.createElement("div");
+  actions.className = "kill-dialog-actions";
+  const cancel = document.createElement("button");
+  cancel.type = "button";
+  cancel.className = "btn btn-ghost kill-dialog-cancel";
+  cancel.textContent = "Cancel";
+  cancel.addEventListener("click", closeForceKillDialog);
+  const force = document.createElement("button");
+  force.type = "button";
+  force.className = "btn btn-danger kill-dialog-force";
+  force.textContent = "Force kill";
+  force.addEventListener("click", () => {
+    force.disabled = true;
+    void p
+      .onForce()
+      .then(closeForceKillDialog)
+      .catch((e: unknown) => {
+        force.disabled = false;
+        error.hidden = false;
+        error.textContent = `Failed to kill: ${(e as Error).message}`;
+      });
+  });
+  actions.append(cancel, force);
+
+  panel.append(title, body, error, actions);
+
+  // A press on the scrim cancels; one inside the panel is left alone.
+  el.addEventListener("click", (ev) => {
+    if (!panel.contains(ev.target as Node)) closeForceKillDialog();
+  });
+  el.appendChild(panel);
+  document.body.appendChild(el);
+
+  const onKeydown = (ev: KeyboardEvent): void => {
+    if (ev.key !== "Escape") return;
+    ev.preventDefault();
+    ev.stopPropagation();
+    closeForceKillDialog();
+  };
+  window.addEventListener("keydown", onKeydown, true);
+  open = { el, onKeydown };
+  cancel.focus();
+  return el;
+}

web/src/routes.ts

@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ export const EVENTS = "/api/events";
 /** Name of the query parameter `DIRS` and `GITROOT` both take. */
 export const PATH_QUERY = "path";
 
+/** Name of the query parameter `DELETE /api/sessions/:id` takes (#81):
+ * `force=true` overrides the kill refusal over a guarded worktree. */
+export const FORCE_QUERY = "force";
+
 /** Name of the query parameter `NAMES` takes. */
 export const COUNT_QUERY = "count";
 

web/src/styles.css

@@ -1058,6 +1058,64 @@ input.leaf-rename:focus {
   border-color: color-mix(in oklab, var(--danger) 40%, transparent);
 }
 
+/* ---------- forced-kill prompt (#81) ---------- */
+.kill-dialog {
+  position: fixed;
+  inset: 0;
+  z-index: var(--z-modal);
+  display: grid;
+  place-items: center;
+  padding: var(--sp-4);
+  background: oklch(0 0 0 / 0.5);
+  backdrop-filter: blur(4px);
+}
+
+.kill-dialog-panel {
+  width: min(400px, 100%);
+  padding: var(--sp-4);
+  background: var(--surface);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border-strong);
+  border-radius: var(--r-3);
+  box-shadow: var(--shadow-2);
+}
+
+.kill-dialog-title {
+  margin: 0 0 var(--sp-2);
+  font-family: var(--font-mono);
+  font-size: var(--fs-15);
+  color: var(--ink);
+}
+
+.kill-dialog-body {
+  margin: 0;
+  color: var(--muted);
+  font-size: var(--fs-13);
+  line-height: 1.5;
+}
+
+.kill-dialog-error {
+  margin: var(--sp-2) 0 0;
+  color: var(--danger);
+  font-size: var(--fs-13);
+}
+
+.kill-dialog-actions {
+  display: flex;
+  justify-content: flex-end;
+  gap: var(--sp-2);
+  margin-top: var(--sp-4);
+}
+
+.btn-danger {
+  color: var(--danger);
+  border-color: color-mix(in oklab, var(--danger) 40%, transparent);
+}
+
+.btn-danger:hover {
+  background: var(--danger-tint);
+  border-color: var(--danger);
+}
+
 /* ---------- empty / loading ---------- */
 
 .empty {
@@ -1274,10 +1332,12 @@ input.leaf-rename:focus {
 .attach-body .xterm .xterm-viewport {
   overflow-y: auto;
   scrollbar-width: none;
-  /* Maestro drives scrollback from touchmove (see attach.ts). `pan-y` hands
-     the gesture to the browser, which may cancel the event stream before the
-     terminal sees it; `none` keeps a drag inside the terminal under our
-     control while the rest of the page retains native scrolling. */
+}
+
+/* Maestro drives scrollback from touchmove (see attach.ts), so the browser must
+   not claim the gesture. On `.xterm`, not the viewport: `.xterm-screen` paints
+   over the viewport and is what a finger lands on. */
+.attach-body .xterm {
   touch-action: none;
 }
 

web/src/toolIcon.test.ts

@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@ describe("tool icons on the command fragment (docs/SIDEBAR.md)", () => {
     }
   });
 
-  it("keeps everything after the program as text", () => {
-    expect(splitCommand("claude --resume -p hi")).toEqual({
+  it("drops everything after the program", () => {
+    expect(splitCommand("claude --dangerously-skip-permissions")).toEqual({
       tool: "claude",
-      rest: "--resume -p hi",
+      program: "claude",
     });
-    expect(splitCommand("  zsh   -l  ")).toEqual({ tool: "shell", rest: "-l" });
+    expect(splitCommand("  zsh   -l  ")).toEqual({ tool: "shell", program: "zsh" });
   });
 
   it("looks through paths, env assignments and wrappers", () => {
@@ -33,13 +33,13 @@ describe("tool icons on the command fragment (docs/SIDEBAR.md)", () => {
     expect(splitCommand("FOO=1 BAR=2 claude").tool).toBe("claude");
     expect(splitCommand("npx opencode").tool).toBe("opencode");
     expect(splitCommand("pnpm dlx opencode run").tool).toBe("opencode");
-    expect(splitCommand("pnpm dlx opencode run").rest).toBe("run");
+    expect(splitCommand("pnpm dlx opencode run").program).toBe("opencode");
   });
 
-  it("leaves an unrecognised program as text, mark-less", () => {
+  it("leaves an unrecognised program as its bare name, mark-less", () => {
     expect(splitCommand("hx src/main.rs")).toEqual({
       tool: null,
-      rest: "hx src/main.rs",
+      program: "hx",
     });
     // A wrapper with nothing after it is not a tool either.
     expect(splitCommand("sudo").tool).toBeNull();

web/src/toolIcon.ts

@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
  *
  * A session's command line starts with the program that runs it, and that
  * program is nearly always one of a handful of agents or a shell. Rendering it
- * as its own mark buys back most of the fragment's width, which the sidebar
- * spends on the rest of the command line instead.
+ * as its own mark buys back the whole fragment's width — the arguments are
+ * dropped, so a card says which tool runs, not how it was invoked.
  *
- * Recognition is deliberately narrow: an unrecognised program keeps its text,
- * so the fragment never renders a mark that stands for the wrong tool.
+ * Recognition is deliberately narrow: an unrecognised program keeps its name
+ * as text, so the fragment never renders a mark that stands for the wrong tool.
  */
 
 /** Command wrappers that run another program: the tool is what follows. */
@@ -48,15 +48,15 @@ export const TOOL_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
 export interface CommandParts {
   /** Icon id, or `null` when the program is not one we have a mark for. */
   tool: string | null;
-  /** What is left of the command line once the icon stands for the program.
-   * Empty when the icon says everything the command line said. */
-  rest: string;
+  /** The program the command runs, basenamed and stripped of its arguments —
+   * what a card shows when there is no icon to show instead. */
+  program: string;
 }
 
-/** Split a command line into the tool its icon stands for and the remainder.
+/** Split a command line into the tool its icon stands for and the program name.
  *
- * `claude --resume` → `{tool: "claude", rest: "--resume"}`; an unrecognised
- * `hx src/` keeps the whole line as `rest` with no tool. */
+ * `claude --resume` → `{tool: "claude", program: "claude"}`; an unrecognised
+ * `hx src/` keeps `hx` as the program with no tool. */
 export function splitCommand(command: string): CommandParts {
   const words = command.trim().split(/\s+/).filter(Boolean);
   let i = 0;
@@ -68,23 +68,22 @@ export function splitCommand(command: string): CommandParts {
       i += 1;
       continue;
     }
-    const program = basename(word);
-    if (WRAPPERS.has(program)) {
+    const wrapper = basename(word).toLowerCase();
+    if (WRAPPERS.has(wrapper)) {
       i += 1;
-      if ((program === "pnpm" || program === "yarn") && words[i] === "dlx") i += 1;
+      if ((wrapper === "pnpm" || wrapper === "yarn") && words[i] === "dlx") i += 1;
       continue;
     }
     break;
   }
-  if (i >= words.length) return { tool: null, rest: command.trim() };
-  const tool = BY_PROGRAM[basename(words[i])] ?? null;
-  if (!tool) return { tool: null, rest: command.trim() };
-  return { tool, rest: words.slice(i + 1).join(" ") };
+  if (i >= words.length) return { tool: null, program: command.trim() };
+  const program = basename(words[i]);
+  return { tool: BY_PROGRAM[program.toLowerCase()] ?? null, program };
 }
 
 function basename(word: string): string {
   const cut = word.lastIndexOf("/");
-  return (cut >= 0 ? word.slice(cut + 1) : word).toLowerCase();
+  return cut >= 0 ? word.slice(cut + 1) : word;
 }
 
 /** Anthropic's burst: tapered rays around a centre, long ones on the axes. */

web/src/types.ts

@@ -253,7 +253,12 @@ export type ClientControl =
   | { type: "Error"; code: string; message: string };
 
 export interface ApiError {
-  error: { code: string; message: string };
+  error: {
+    code: string;
+    message: string;
+    /** Set only by the kill guard (#79): what blocked the unforced kill. */
+    unsaved_work?: InTheWay;
+  };
 }
 
 export function sessionName(s: Session): string {