feat(config): User-defined working messages list (#466)

## Summary
🤖 Generated with [Nori](https://noriagentic.com/)

- Adds `[tui].custom_working_message_list` to home Nori config so users
can supply their own array of working messages, overriding the builtin
whimsical pool while keeping the existing `custom_working_messages`
on/off toggle from #464.
- Consolidates status-header selection through a single
`pick_status_message(bool, &[String])` helper, fixing a regression where
`on_task_started` ignored the toggle for any task after the first.
- `/config` menu still only edits the boolean; the user list is
TOML-only. The menu entry's description now advertises when a custom
list is active so toggling does not surprise the user.

## Behavior
- `custom_working_messages = false` → plain `Working` (existing).
- `custom_working_messages = true` (default), no list → builtin
whimsical rotation (existing).
- `custom_working_messages = true`, `custom_working_message_list =
["foo", "bar"]` → samples from user list (new).
- `custom_working_messages = false`, list set → still plain `Working`
(bool wins).

## Test Plan
- [x] `cargo test -p codex-core --lib custom_working_message` (5 passed)
- [x] `cargo test -p nori-acp --lib test_nori_config` (7 passed)
- [x] All 1219 nori-tui lib tests pass; new tests for widget,
on_task_started bug fix, and picker description verified GREEN.
- [x] `just fix -p codex-core -p nori-acp -p nori-tui` clean.
- [x] `cargo fmt`.
- [ ] Reviewer: confirm `cargo build --bin nori` and `cargo test -p
tui-pty-e2e` pass in CI.

Share Nori with your team: https://www.npmjs.com/package/nori-skillsets

Co-authored-by: Cliff <clifford@tilework.tech>
Co-authored-by: Nori <contact@tilework.tech>

Author: 3 people

nori-rs/acp/docs.md

@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ The `AcpBackendConfig` struct carries both `os_notifications` and `notify_after_
 
 **TUI Display Configuration** (`config/types/mod.rs`):
 
-The `[tui]` section also owns display-only preferences consumed by `@/nori-rs/tui/`. `custom_working_messages` defaults to `true`; setting it to `false` disables the rotating whimsical status header list and lets the TUI use a plain "Working" label while a task starts. This value is resolved onto `NoriConfig` in `loader.rs`, mirrored through `codex-core`'s config, and can be changed from the `/config` menu.
+The `[tui]` section also owns display-only preferences consumed by `@/nori-rs/tui/`. `custom_working_messages` defaults to `true`; setting it to `false` disables the rotating whimsical status header list and lets the TUI use a plain "Working" label while a task starts. The companion `custom_working_message_list` accepts an array of strings; when non-empty and `custom_working_messages` is `true`, the TUI samples from the user's list instead of the builtin whimsical messages. Both values are resolved onto `NoriConfig` in `loader.rs` and mirrored through `codex-core`'s config. The `/config` menu only toggles the boolean; the user list is TOML-only and the menu's "Custom Working Messages" entry advertises when a custom list is active.
 
 
 **Hotkey Configuration** (`config/types/mod.rs`):

nori-rs/acp/src/config/loader.rs

@@ -169,6 +169,11 @@ impl NoriConfig {
             file_manager: toml.tui.file_manager,
             pinned_plan_drawer: toml.tui.pinned_plan_drawer.unwrap_or(false),
             custom_working_messages: toml.tui.custom_working_messages.unwrap_or(true),
+            custom_working_message_list: toml
+                .tui
+                .custom_working_message_list
+                .clone()
+                .unwrap_or_default(),
             auto_worktree,
             footer_segment_config: super::types::FooterSegmentConfig::from_toml(
                 &toml.tui.footer_segments,

nori-rs/acp/src/config/mod.rs

@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ terminal_notifications = "disabled"
 os_notifications = "disabled"
 vertical_footer = true
 custom_working_messages = false
+custom_working_message_list = ["alpha", "beta"]
 "#;
         let config: NoriConfigToml = toml::from_str(toml_str).unwrap();
 
@@ -143,6 +144,10 @@ custom_working_messages = false
         assert_eq!(config.tui.os_notifications, Some(OsNotifications::Disabled));
         assert_eq!(config.tui.vertical_footer, Some(true));
         assert_eq!(config.tui.custom_working_messages, Some(false));
+        assert_eq!(
+            config.tui.custom_working_message_list,
+            Some(vec!["alpha".to_string(), "beta".to_string()])
+        );
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -159,6 +164,7 @@ model = "gemini"
 animations = false
 vertical_footer = true
 custom_working_messages = false
+custom_working_message_list = ["alpha", "beta"]
 "#,
         )
         .unwrap();
@@ -174,6 +180,10 @@ custom_working_messages = false
         assert_eq!(config.os_notifications, OsNotifications::Enabled); // default
         assert!(config.vertical_footer);
         assert!(!config.custom_working_messages);
+        assert_eq!(
+            config.custom_working_message_list,
+            vec!["alpha".to_string(), "beta".to_string()]
+        );
     }
 
     #[test]

nori-rs/acp/src/config/types/mod.rs

@@ -1388,6 +1388,11 @@ pub struct TuiConfigToml {
 
     /// Show rotating custom messages while the agent is working.
     pub custom_working_messages: Option<bool>,
+
+    /// User-supplied list of working messages. When non-empty and
+    /// `custom_working_messages` is enabled, the TUI samples from this list
+    /// instead of the builtin whimsical messages.
+    pub custom_working_message_list: Option<Vec<String>>,
 }
 
 /// Resolved TUI configuration
@@ -1567,6 +1572,11 @@ pub struct NoriConfig {
     /// Show rotating custom messages while the agent is working.
     pub custom_working_messages: bool,
 
+    /// Optional user-supplied list of working messages. When non-empty and
+    /// `custom_working_messages` is `true`, the TUI samples from this list
+    /// instead of the builtin whimsical messages.
+    pub custom_working_message_list: Vec<String>,
+
     /// Footer segment visibility configuration.
     pub footer_segment_config: FooterSegmentConfig,
 
@@ -1660,6 +1670,7 @@ impl Default for NoriConfig {
             file_manager: None,
             pinned_plan_drawer: false,
             custom_working_messages: true,
+            custom_working_message_list: Vec::new(),
             footer_segment_config: FooterSegmentConfig::default(),
             nori_home: PathBuf::from(".nori/cli"),
             cwd: std::env::current_dir().unwrap_or_default(),

nori-rs/core/docs.md

@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ Notification modes:
 1. **Native notifications** (`use_native: true`): Uses `notify-rust` for desktop notifications. All calls to `send_native()` are non-blocking -- they spawn a background thread to call `notif.show()`, because some platforms (notably macOS) block synchronously on that call. On X11 Linux, the spawned thread also handles click-to-focus via `wmctrl` or `xdotool`. The `use_native` flag is controlled by `OsNotifications` in the ACP config layer (`@/nori-rs/acp/src/config/types.rs`).
 2. **External script** (`notify_command` configured): Invokes user-specified command with JSON payload.
 
-Core's `Config::tui_notifications` is a simple `bool` that controls whether the TUI sends OSC 9 terminal escape sequence notifications. It derives its value from the ACP config's `TerminalNotifications` enum during config loading. Core also carries TUI display booleans such as `animations` and `custom_working_messages`; the latter mirrors `[tui].custom_working_messages` from Nori config so the TUI can choose between rotating custom working headers and the plain `Working` label without re-reading config.
+Core's `Config::tui_notifications` is a simple `bool` that controls whether the TUI sends OSC 9 terminal escape sequence notifications. It derives its value from the ACP config's `TerminalNotifications` enum during config loading. Core also carries TUI display booleans such as `animations` and `custom_working_messages`; the latter mirrors `[tui].custom_working_messages` from Nori config so the TUI can choose between rotating custom working headers and the plain `Working` label without re-reading config. Core additionally carries `Config::custom_working_message_list: Vec<String>`, mirroring `[tui].custom_working_message_list`; when non-empty and `custom_working_messages` is `true`, the TUI samples this user list instead of the builtin whimsical messages.
 
 ### Things to Know
 

nori-rs/core/src/config/mod.rs

@@ -157,6 +157,10 @@ pub struct Config {
     /// Show rotating custom messages while the agent is working.
     pub custom_working_messages: bool,
 
+    /// Optional user-supplied working messages that override the builtin list
+    /// when `custom_working_messages` is enabled. Empty means "use builtin".
+    pub custom_working_message_list: Vec<String>,
+
     /// The directory that should be treated as the current working directory
     /// for the session. All relative paths inside the business-logic layer are
     /// resolved against this path.
@@ -1269,6 +1273,11 @@ impl Config {
                 .as_ref()
                 .map(|t| t.custom_working_messages)
                 .unwrap_or(true),
+            custom_working_message_list: cfg
+                .tui
+                .as_ref()
+                .map(|t| t.custom_working_message_list.clone())
+                .unwrap_or_default(),
             otel: {
                 let t: OtelConfigToml = cfg.otel.unwrap_or_default();
                 let log_user_prompt = t.log_user_prompt.unwrap_or(false);

nori-rs/core/src/config/tests/part1.rs

@@ -73,6 +73,49 @@ custom_working_messages = false
     assert!(!tui.custom_working_messages);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn tui_config_custom_working_message_list_defaults_to_empty() {
+    let cfg = r#"
+[tui]
+"#;
+
+    let parsed = toml::from_str::<ConfigToml>(cfg)
+        .expect("TUI config without custom_working_message_list should succeed");
+    let tui = parsed.tui.expect("config should include tui section");
+
+    assert!(tui.custom_working_message_list.is_empty());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn tui_config_custom_working_message_list_accepts_strings() {
+    let cfg = r#"
+[tui]
+custom_working_message_list = ["Compiling thoughts", "Reticulating splines"]
+"#;
+
+    let parsed = toml::from_str::<ConfigToml>(cfg)
+        .expect("TUI config with custom_working_message_list should succeed");
+    let tui = parsed.tui.expect("config should include tui section");
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        tui.custom_working_message_list,
+        vec![
+            "Compiling thoughts".to_string(),
+            "Reticulating splines".to_string(),
+        ]
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn tui_config_custom_working_message_list_rejects_non_strings() {
+    let cfg = r#"
+[tui]
+custom_working_message_list = [42]
+"#;
+
+    assert!(toml::from_str::<ConfigToml>(cfg).is_err());
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_sandbox_config_parsing() {
     let sandbox_full_access = r#"

nori-rs/core/src/config/tests/part3.rs

@@ -548,6 +548,7 @@ fn test_precedence_fixture_with_o3_profile() -> std::io::Result<()> {
             tui_notifications: true,
             animations: true,
             custom_working_messages: true,
+            custom_working_message_list: Vec::new(),
             otel: OtelConfig::default(),
             acp_allow_http_fallback: false,
         },
@@ -622,6 +623,7 @@ fn test_precedence_fixture_with_gpt3_profile() -> std::io::Result<()> {
         tui_notifications: true,
         animations: true,
         custom_working_messages: true,
+        custom_working_message_list: Vec::new(),
         otel: OtelConfig::default(),
         acp_allow_http_fallback: false,
     };

nori-rs/core/src/config/tests/part4.rs

@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ fn test_precedence_fixture_with_zdr_profile() -> std::io::Result<()> {
         tui_notifications: true,
         animations: true,
         custom_working_messages: true,
+        custom_working_message_list: Vec::new(),
         otel: OtelConfig::default(),
         acp_allow_http_fallback: false,
     };
@@ -142,6 +143,7 @@ fn test_precedence_fixture_with_gpt5_profile() -> std::io::Result<()> {
         tui_notifications: true,
         animations: true,
         custom_working_messages: true,
+        custom_working_message_list: Vec::new(),
         otel: OtelConfig::default(),
         acp_allow_http_fallback: false,
     };

nori-rs/core/src/config/types.rs

@@ -375,6 +375,12 @@ pub struct Tui {
     /// Defaults to `true`.
     #[serde(default = "default_true")]
     pub custom_working_messages: bool,
+
+    /// User-supplied list of working messages. When non-empty and
+    /// `custom_working_messages` is `true`, the TUI samples from this list
+    /// instead of the builtin whimsical messages. Defaults to empty.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub custom_working_message_list: Vec<String>,
 }
 
 const fn default_true() -> bool {