Revamp new agent dialog

desktop/scripts/check-file-sizes.mjs

@@ -67,9 +67,11 @@ const overrides = new Map([
   // harness-persona-sync feature growth, queued to split in the resolver-unify
   // refactor followup. discovery.rs is dominated by the new test module
   // (the effective_agent_command / divergent / create-time override matrix);
+  // alias-preservation coverage extends that matrix so create-time persona
+  // agents keep an installed runtime alias when the primary command is absent.
   // types.rs adds the persona/instance harness fields. Load-bearing, not
   // generic debt.
-  ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery.rs", 1043],
+  ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery.rs", 1085],
   ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs", 1037],
   // migration_tests.rs carries the harness-sync migration coverage plus the
   // patch_json_records owner-only writeback regression test (SECURITY.md:90

desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/discovery.rs

@@ -315,9 +315,9 @@ pub fn divergent_agent_command_override(
 /// distinct cases that the backend MUST tell apart:
 ///
 /// - DELIBERATE OVERRIDE (`harness_override` true): the user explicitly picked a
-///   non-persona runtime in a deploy dialog that exposes a runtime selector (e.g.
-///   `AddChannelBotDialog`, "overriding persona preferences"). This is a real pin
-///   and is preserved via `divergent_agent_command_override`.
+///   runtime command in UI that exposes a runtime selector. This is a real pin
+///   and is preserved when it differs from the command inheritance would spawn,
+///   including installed aliases such as `claude-code-acp`.
 /// - MISSING-RUNTIME FALLBACK (`harness_override` false): the persona's runtime
 ///   isn't installed locally, so `resolvePersonaRuntime` substitutes a fallback
 ///   default. This is NOT a pin — baking it would freeze the agent on the fallback
@@ -341,6 +341,15 @@ pub fn create_time_agent_command_override(
     if persona_id.is_some() && !harness_override {
         return None;
     }
+
+    if persona_id.is_some() && harness_override {
+        let picked = picked_command
+            .map(str::trim)
+            .filter(|value| !value.is_empty())?;
+        let inherited_command = effective_agent_command(persona_id, personas, None);
+        return (picked != inherited_command).then(|| picked.to_string());
+    }
+
     divergent_agent_command_override(persona_id, personas, picked_command)
 }
 
@@ -1027,6 +1036,38 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn create_time_override_preserves_selected_runtime_alias() {
+        // A `claude` persona inherits the primary command `claude-agent-acp`,
+        // but discovery may select an installed alias such as `claude-code-acp`.
+        // When UI marks that create-time selection as explicit, preserve the
+        // alias so the first spawn uses a command known to be installed.
+        let personas = vec![persona_with_runtime("p1", Some("claude"))];
+        assert_eq!(
+            create_time_agent_command_override(
+                Some("p1"),
+                &personas,
+                Some("claude-code-acp"),
+                true
+            ),
+            Some("claude-code-acp".to_string())
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn create_time_override_inherits_exact_persona_command() {
+        let personas = vec![persona_with_runtime("p1", Some("claude"))];
+        assert_eq!(
+            create_time_agent_command_override(
+                Some("p1"),
+                &personas,
+                Some("claude-agent-acp"),
+                true
+            ),
+            None
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn create_time_override_preserves_pin_for_persona_less_create() {
         // The standalone CreateAgentDialog creates persona-LESS agents. With no

desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/persona_card.rs

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ pub struct ParsedPersonaPreview {
     pub display_name: String,
     pub system_prompt: String,
     pub avatar_data_url: Option<String>,
+    pub avatar_ref: Option<String>,
     pub runtime: Option<String>,
     pub model: Option<String>,
     pub provider: Option<String>,
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ pub fn parse_png_persona(png_bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<ParsedPersonaPreview, Strin
         display_name: fields.display_name,
         system_prompt: fields.system_prompt,
         avatar_data_url,
+        avatar_ref: None,
         runtime: fields.runtime,
         model: fields.model,
         provider: fields.provider,
@@ -224,6 +226,7 @@ pub fn parse_json_persona(json_bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<ParsedPersonaPreview, Str
         display_name: fields.display_name,
         system_prompt: fields.system_prompt,
         avatar_data_url: fields.avatar_url,
+        avatar_ref: None,
         runtime: fields.runtime,
         model: fields.model,
         provider: fields.provider,
@@ -284,6 +287,7 @@ pub fn parse_md_persona(md_bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<ParsedPersonaPreview, String>
         display_name: config.display_name,
         system_prompt: config.prompt,
         avatar_data_url: None, // .persona.md avatars are paths, not data URIs
+        avatar_ref: config.avatar,
         runtime: config.runtime,
         model,
         provider: None, // .persona.md format does not carry llmProvider
@@ -385,6 +389,7 @@ pub fn parse_zip_pack(zip_bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<ParsePersonaFilesResult, Strin
             display_name: p.display_name.clone(),
             system_prompt: p.system_prompt.clone(),
             avatar_data_url: None,
+            avatar_ref: p.avatar.clone(),
             runtime: p.runtime.clone(),
             model: p.model.clone(),
             provider: None, // persona packs do not carry llmProvider
@@ -806,6 +811,16 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(result.source_file.is_empty());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_md_carries_avatar_ref() {
+        let md = b"---\nname: goosey\ndisplay_name: Goosey\navatar: app-avatar:gloopies-19\ndescription: A goose persona.\n---\nYou are Goosey.\n";
+        let result = parse_md_persona(md).unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(result.display_name, "Goosey");
+        assert!(result.avatar_data_url.is_none());
+        assert_eq!(result.avatar_ref.as_deref(), Some("app-avatar:gloopies-19"));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn parse_json_round_trip_no_avatar() {
         let bytes =

desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs

@@ -310,11 +310,10 @@ pub struct CreateManagedAgentRequest {
     pub relay_url: Option<String>,
     pub acp_command: Option<String>,
     pub agent_command: Option<String>,
-    /// True when `agent_command` is a runtime the user deliberately picked to
-    /// override the linked persona (a deploy-dialog runtime selector). Distinguishes
-    /// a real pin from a missing-runtime fallback so a persona-backed create only
-    /// stores an `agent_command_override` for the former. Defaults `false`: callers
-    /// that don't set it (persona-less creates, fallback divergence) inherit.
+    /// True when `agent_command` is a runtime command the user deliberately
+    /// picked for a linked persona. Distinguishes a real selection, including an
+    /// installed alias, from a missing-runtime fallback so a persona-backed
+    /// create only stores an `agent_command_override` for the former.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub harness_override: bool,
     #[serde(default)]