Files
tai/research/shell-multiplexer-auto-attach/android-adb-cfmakeraw-commit.md
T
retoorandClaude Sonnet 5 9dbd1fe667 Add plexer subsystem, container test infra, and last-resort opencode box backend
- Plexer: always-active terminal multiplexing. NativePlexerController/
  TmuxPlexerController share one interface, chosen by which env var is
  already set (TAI_PLEXER_SOCKET vs TMUX_PANE); NativePlexerBackend is
  the pty.fork()-based wrapper (raw mode, SIGWINCH resize forwarding,
  a Unix-socket control protocol, continuous session logging, a
  Ctrl+A prefix key distinct from tmux's own Ctrl+B). Auto-wraps new
  interactive shells via a .bashrc hook mirroring the existing
  command-not-found install pattern, gated on $TMUX/$TAI_PLEXER_ACTIVE/
  a $HOME/.tai-no-plexer bypass. New plexer_send/read/type/status
  tools, env-gated on a detected controller.
- tests/container.py + docker-compose.yml + tests/docker/Dockerfile:
  a disposable podman/docker image for the tests that must never touch
  a real machine (installing the plexer hook into a real ~/.bashrc, a
  live tmux session). Required suite (test_seal.py, test_tai.py,
  tests/plexer.py, tests/bashrc.py) gates the result; tests/rag.py
  runs as best-effort since its real-LLM dependency can't be satisfied
  inside a disposable container with no nested engine.
- tests/bashrc.py: real end-to-end hook install + bash -i auto-wrap,
  anti-recursion, tmux-active skip, non-interactive skip, a live
  TmuxPlexerController test, and an install/uninstall round-trip.
- tests/plexer.py: NativePlexerBackend under a real pty, plus a
  dedicated robustness pass (file permissions, >64KB payload framing,
  a malformed control request, a genuine self-deadlock fix in the
  write-to-child path).
- tai_test.py: the shared async process-driving framework (pipe/pty
  transport, group-wide kill-and-reap, a StdinBridge for --interactive)
  both test files build on.
- ChatClient last-resort backend: when there's no local opencode CLI
  but the sandbox box is already running, install opencode into it
  (official Node tarball, not apt -- apt's nodejs/npm pull in
  webpack/babel/jest as transitive deps) and route through it instead
  of giving up. Only reachable after the first retry round already
  failed everything else; never creates the box itself. TmuxPlexerController.status()
  fixed to use `list-panes` instead of `display-message -p`, which
  silently fell back to the default pane instead of erroring against
  a dead target.
- Fix 4 pre-existing test_tai.py bugs surfaced by running it in a
  clean environment for the first time: two stale mock signatures
  (subprocess.run's stdout= kwarg, Chat.complete's deadline= kwarg),
  one $TMUX-dependent catalog assertion, one tty-dependent color
  assertion.
- research/: a sourced research archive (Source Dossier/Citation
  Card/Conclusion tiers) backing the above design decisions, with its
  own audit.py consistency checker.
- .gitignore: fix a blanket *.md rule that was about to silently drop
  the entire research/ archive from version control; add __pycache__/
  and the one-off debug transcript this session started from.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-10-10 04:36:05 +02:00

2.2 KiB

Android adb — Raw Mode via cfmakeraw (commit a826579d)

Metadata

Field Value
Institute Molodetz Institute — Research & Retrieval Division
Subject shell-multiplexer-auto-attach
Document type Source Dossier
Tier 1
Source title adb: platform/packages/modules/adb commit a826579d
Source URL https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/modules/adb/+/a826579d%5E%21
Source publisher / author Android Open Source Project (Google)
Source type repository
Source date (published) Unknown — not stated
Date researched 2026-10-09
Researched by tai (agent), model: Claude Sonnet 5, on behalf of retoor
Research method web search synthesis
Confidence High
Status Active

Summary

A real, shipped commit in Android's adb tool showing the standard raw-mode pattern: save the current termios state for the local terminal, apply cfmakeraw to a copy of it, and restore the original state on exit — including on signal-driven exit paths, not just normal return.

Key findings

  • cfmakeraw is applied to a saved copy, never mutating the live state in place without a saved original to restore from.
  • Restoration must happen on every exit path, explicitly including signals — a program that puts the terminal in raw mode and then dies to an uncaught signal without restoring leaves the user's shell visibly broken (no echo, no line editing) until they run reset or stty sane.

Pros / strengths

  • Production code from a widely-used, heavily-tested tool (adb) rather than a toy example — this is the pattern battle-tested at scale.

Cons / limitations / caveats

  • A single commit view; doesn't show the surrounding signal-handler wiring in full, only confirms the save/apply/restore shape exists and is deliberate.

Relevance to tai

The exact pattern any raw-mode terminal handling inside a tai-managed session (if tai ever needs to read raw keystrokes itself, rather than delegating entirely to tmux) must follow: save-copy-restore, restoration guaranteed on every exit path including signals, or a bug can leave the user's real terminal broken after the fact.

Changelog

Date Change
2026-10-09 Initial dossier created.