Auto-bootstrap Kitty host when gx cockpit runs from a non-Kitty TTY (#523)

gx cockpit on the kitty backend now defaults to --host when stdout is a
TTY and KITTY_LISTEN_ON is unset, so plain `gx cockpit` opens a fresh
Kitty window with tiled agent lanes. Disabled by --no-host, by being
inside a Kitty session, when stdout is not a TTY (CI/scripted tests),
or when GUARDEX_AUTO_HOST=0.

Co-authored-by: NagyVikt <nagy.viktordp@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: 3 people

docs/agents-cockpit.md

@@ -82,6 +82,25 @@ inside Kitty" mode.
 set). It does not require `allow_remote_control` to be enabled in
 `kitty.conf`, because the spawned host is configured inline via `-o`.
 
+### Auto-host default
+
+When you run `gx cockpit` from an interactive terminal that is **not**
+already a Kitty session (e.g. from gnome-terminal, alacritty, or any
+shell where `KITTY_LISTEN_ON` is unset) and the kitty backend is
+selected, `gx cockpit` auto-bootstraps a Kitty host as if you had
+passed `--host`.
+
+Auto-host is disabled when any of the following hold:
+- The cockpit is invoked with `--no-host`.
+- `KITTY_LISTEN_ON` is already exported (you are inside a Kitty
+  session — remote control is reachable through the parent socket).
+- `stdout` is not a TTY (CI, piped output, scripted tests).
+- `GUARDEX_AUTO_HOST=0` (or `false`/`no`/`off`) is exported.
+
+This makes the dmux-style "type one command, get a guarded multi-agent
+window" UX work out of the box while keeping the legacy "I am already
+inside Kitty with RC enabled" path untouched.
+
 ## Start agent lanes
 
 Start Codex:

src/cockpit/index.js

@@ -193,11 +193,22 @@ function writeOpenedCockpitMessage({ backend, action, options, repoRoot, control
   stdout.write(`[${toolName}] Control pane: ${controlCommand}\n`);
 }
 
+function shouldAutoHost(options = {}, context = {}) {
+  if (options.host === true || options.host === false) return false;
+  const env = context.env || process.env;
+  const optOut = String(env.GUARDEX_AUTO_HOST || '').trim().toLowerCase();
+  if (optOut === '0' || optOut === 'false' || optOut === 'no' || optOut === 'off') return false;
+  if (env.KITTY_LISTEN_ON) return false;
+  const stdout = context.stdout || process.stdout;
+  return Boolean(stdout && stdout.isTTY);
+}
+
 function openWithBackend(backend, options, repoRoot, controlCommand, deps = {}) {
   const stdout = deps.stdout || process.stdout;
   const toolName = deps.toolName || 'gitguardex';
   const env = deps.env || process.env;
   if (backend.name === 'kitty') {
+    const autoHost = shouldAutoHost(options, { env, stdout });
     const result = openKittyCockpit({
       repoRoot,
       sessionName: options.sessionName,
@@ -213,7 +224,9 @@ function openWithBackend(backend, options, repoRoot, controlCommand, deps = {})
       kittyBin: deps.kittyBin || env.GUARDEX_KITTY_BIN,
       env,
       backend,
-      bootstrap: options.host === true ? true : options.host === false ? false : undefined,
+      bootstrap: options.host === true || (options.host === undefined && autoHost)
+        ? true
+        : options.host === false ? false : undefined,
       bootstrapWhenHostless: false,
       socket: options.socket,
       hostRunner: deps.kittyHostRunner,

test/cockpit-kitty-bootstrap.test.js

@@ -139,6 +139,88 @@ test('openKittyCockpit without bootstrap leaves args untouched', () => {
   }
 });
 
+test('auto-host bootstraps when stdout is a TTY and KITTY_LISTEN_ON is unset', () => {
+  const result = cockpit.openCockpit(['--target', '/repo/gitguardex'], {
+    resolveRepoRoot: (target) => target,
+    toolName: 'gx',
+    stdout: { isTTY: true, write() {} },
+    env: {},
+    dryRun: true,
+    readState: () => fakeState([fakeSession('alpha')]),
+    readSettings: () => ({}),
+    terminalBackends: { kitty: fakeBackendStub({ socket: '/tmp/auto-host.sock' }) },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.backend, 'kitty');
+  assert.ok(result.plan.host, 'plan.host should be populated');
+  assert.equal(result.plan.host.socket, '/tmp/auto-host.sock');
+  for (const cmd of result.plan.commands) {
+    assert.equal(cmd.args[1], '--to=/tmp/auto-host.sock');
+  }
+});
+
+test('auto-host stays off when stdout is not a TTY', () => {
+  const result = cockpit.openCockpit(['--target', '/repo/gitguardex'], {
+    resolveRepoRoot: (target) => target,
+    toolName: 'gx',
+    stdout: { isTTY: false, write() {} },
+    env: {},
+    dryRun: true,
+    readState: () => fakeState([fakeSession('alpha')]),
+    readSettings: () => ({}),
+    terminalBackends: { kitty: fakeBackendStub() },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.backend, 'kitty');
+  assert.equal(result.plan.host || null, null);
+});
+
+test('auto-host stays off when KITTY_LISTEN_ON is set', () => {
+  const result = cockpit.openCockpit(['--target', '/repo/gitguardex'], {
+    resolveRepoRoot: (target) => target,
+    toolName: 'gx',
+    stdout: { isTTY: true, write() {} },
+    env: { KITTY_LISTEN_ON: 'unix:/tmp/parent.sock' },
+    dryRun: true,
+    readState: () => fakeState([fakeSession('alpha')]),
+    readSettings: () => ({}),
+    terminalBackends: { kitty: fakeBackendStub() },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.backend, 'kitty');
+  assert.equal(result.plan.host || null, null);
+});
+
+test('--no-host overrides the auto-host default', () => {
+  const result = cockpit.openCockpit(['--no-host', '--target', '/repo/gitguardex'], {
+    resolveRepoRoot: (target) => target,
+    toolName: 'gx',
+    stdout: { isTTY: true, write() {} },
+    env: {},
+    dryRun: true,
+    readState: () => fakeState([fakeSession('alpha')]),
+    readSettings: () => ({}),
+    terminalBackends: { kitty: fakeBackendStub() },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.plan.host || null, null);
+});
+
+test('GUARDEX_AUTO_HOST=0 disables the auto-host default', () => {
+  const result = cockpit.openCockpit(['--target', '/repo/gitguardex'], {
+    resolveRepoRoot: (target) => target,
+    toolName: 'gx',
+    stdout: { isTTY: true, write() {} },
+    env: { GUARDEX_AUTO_HOST: '0' },
+    dryRun: true,
+    readState: () => fakeState([fakeSession('alpha')]),
+    readSettings: () => ({}),
+    terminalBackends: { kitty: fakeBackendStub() },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.plan.host || null, null);
+});
+
 test('parseCockpitArgs accepts --host and --socket', () => {
   const opts1 = cockpit.parseCockpitArgs(['--host']);
   assert.equal(opts1.host, true);