feat(ai-chat): durable detached agent runs — phase 1 (#184/#234)

Squashed for a clean rebase onto develop (was 19 commits; the reviewer approved
the net diff at fb246080). Detaches an agent run from the HTTP request/browser
window: a run is a first-class lifecycle object (ai_chat_runs), a browser
disconnect no longer kills it, a concurrent-run insert-gate prevents double runs,
and a reopened chat live-follows a still-running run via a polled observer merge.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/components/ai-chat-window.tsx

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import {
   IconPlus,
   IconX,
 } from "@tabler/icons-react";
-import { useAtom, useSetAtom } from "jotai";
+import { useAtom, useAtomValue, useSetAtom } from "jotai";
 import { useLocation, useMatch } from "react-router-dom";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
@@ -41,13 +41,24 @@ import { extractPageSlugId } from "@/lib";
 import {
   AI_CHATS_RQ_KEY,
   AI_CHAT_MESSAGES_RQ_KEY,
+  AI_CHAT_RUN_RQ_KEY,
   useAiChatMessagesQuery,
+  useAiChatRunQuery,
   useAiChatsQuery,
   useAiRolesQuery,
 } from "@/features/ai-chat/queries/ai-chat-query.ts";
+import {
+  shouldClearLatchOnQueryError,
+  shouldClearStoppingLatch,
+  shouldObserveRun,
+} from "@/features/ai-chat/utils/run-polling.ts";
+import { workspaceAtom } from "@/features/user/atoms/current-user-atom";
 import ConversationList from "@/features/ai-chat/components/conversation-list.tsx";
 import ChatThread from "@/features/ai-chat/components/chat-thread.tsx";
-import { exportAiChat } from "@/features/ai-chat/services/ai-chat-service.ts";
+import {
+  exportAiChat,
+  stopRun,
+} from "@/features/ai-chat/services/ai-chat-service.ts";
 import { useChatSession } from "@/features/ai-chat/hooks/use-chat-session.ts";
 import {
   shouldCollapseOnOutsidePointer,
@@ -234,6 +245,147 @@ export default function AiChatWindow() {
   const { data: messageRows, isLoading: messagesLoading } =
     useAiChatMessagesQuery(activeChatId ?? undefined);
 
+  // #184 reconnect-and-live-follow. Whether detached agent runs are enabled for
+  // this workspace. The reconnect endpoint itself is NOT flag-gated server-side
+  // (it is only owner-gated and returns `{ run: null }` when the chat has no
+  // run); but when the feature is off no runs are ever created, so polling it
+  // would always come back empty — we gate it off here to avoid pointless polls.
+  const workspace = useAtomValue(workspaceAtom);
+  const autonomousRunsEnabled =
+    workspace?.settings?.ai?.autonomousRuns === true;
+
+  // Whether THIS tab is the one actively streaming the open chat's run locally
+  // (it started the run here and holds the SSE). Reported up from ChatThread. We
+  // are the STREAMER while true and a passive OBSERVER while false — the basis of
+  // the observer-vs-streamer detection. Reset to false by the fresh ChatThread's
+  // mount effect on every chat switch.
+  const [localStreaming, setLocalStreaming] = useState(false);
+  const onStreamingChange = useCallback((streaming: boolean) => {
+    setLocalStreaming(streaming);
+  }, []);
+
+  // #184 Stop wiring. While a detached run is being stopped we SUPPRESS the
+  // observer merge so the stopping run's still-persisting output does not
+  // re-stream back into view between the moment the user pressed Stop and the run
+  // actually settling as 'aborted' server-side. Polling itself keeps running (so
+  // the terminal transition is still detected) — only the visual merge is gated.
+  // Cleared when the run is observed terminal (below) or the chat is switched.
+  const [stoppingRun, setStoppingRun] = useState(false);
+  // Reset the stopping latch whenever the open chat changes: it is scoped to the
+  // run of the previously-open chat.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setStoppingRun(false);
+  }, [activeChatId]);
+
+  // Authoritative stop of the open chat's detached run (the Stop button in
+  // autonomous mode). Latch "stopping" first (suppresses the re-stream flash),
+  // then request the server stop — the ONLY thing that ends a detached run; a mere
+  // local SSE abort is a client disconnect the server ignores. On failure we
+  // release the latch so the observer resumes (better to show the live run than to
+  // freeze the view) and surface the error.
+  const handleServerStop = useCallback(
+    (chatId: string): void => {
+      setStoppingRun(true);
+      // #234 F4: drop the PREVIOUS turn's run from the cache so `run` becomes null
+      // until the CURRENT turn's run is fetched fresh. Without this, once the local
+      // stream aborts (localStreaming -> false) the run query re-enables and
+      // react-query SYNCHRONOUSLY returns the still-cached prior terminal run; the
+      // terminal effect would then clear the stopping latch against that STALE run
+      // before the current turn's (still-running, detached, growing) run is ever
+      // observed — re-opening the observer merge and flashing the growing output
+      // over the frozen row. With the cache cleared the terminal effect's
+      // `if (!run) return` holds the latch until the current run itself is observed
+      // terminal (see shouldClearStoppingLatch).
+      queryClient.removeQueries({ queryKey: AI_CHAT_RUN_RQ_KEY(chatId) });
+      void stopRun(chatId).catch(() => {
+        setStoppingRun(false);
+        notifications.show({
+          message: t("Failed to stop the run"),
+          color: "red",
+        });
+      });
+    },
+    [t, queryClient],
+  );
+
+  // Poll the latest run of the open chat ONLY when we are a passive observer:
+  // feature on, a chat is open, and we are NOT the local streamer (the streamer
+  // already has the live SSE — polling/merging too would double-render). The
+  // query's own status-keyed refetchInterval stops once the run is terminal.
+  const { data: runData, isError: runQueryFailed } = useAiChatRunQuery(
+    activeChatId ?? undefined,
+    autonomousRunsEnabled && !localStreaming,
+  );
+  const run = runData?.run ?? null;
+
+  // Safety net (#234 F4 review): after handleServerStop clears the run cache,
+  // `run` is null until the current turn's run is fetched fresh, and the terminal
+  // effect below holds the latch via `if (!run) return`. If that refetch instead
+  // ERRORS PERMANENTLY (the GET-run keeps failing) while we are no longer the
+  // streamer, the run stays null, its status-keyed refetchInterval is off, and
+  // nothing would ever observe a terminal run — freezing the view with the
+  // observer merge suppressed. Release the latch on that error so the live view
+  // resumes rather than stays stuck (the local stopRun may already have succeeded
+  // independently).
+  //
+  // #234 F7: this must NOT fire on a TRANSIENT error while `run` is still an
+  // ACTIVE held run. In TanStack Query v5 (retry:false) the query's `data` is
+  // RETAINED on error, so `runQueryFailed` can be true while `run` is still
+  // pending/running — releasing then would re-open the observer merge and flash
+  // the growing detached run over the frozen row (the very flash F4 prevents). The
+  // decision is the pure, unit-tested `shouldClearLatchOnQueryError`, which gates
+  // on the run NOT being active: it cures only the genuine permanent-null-freeze
+  // (`run === null`) and never releases against an active run.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun,
+        isLocalStreaming: localStreaming,
+        runQueryFailed,
+        run,
+      })
+    )
+      setStoppingRun(false);
+  }, [stoppingRun, localStreaming, runQueryFailed, run]);
+  // The run's incrementally-persisted assistant message to merge into the thread,
+  // but only while we are an observer (never when we are the streamer — guards
+  // against a stale poll fighting the live stream). Includes a terminal run so the
+  // final persisted output is shown on reopen.
+  const observedRow =
+    shouldObserveRun(run, localStreaming) && !stoppingRun
+      ? (runData?.message ?? null)
+      : null;
+
+  // When the observed run reaches a terminal status, do a final messages refetch
+  // so the persisted final state (token/context badge, export source) is shown,
+  // then the query's refetchInterval has already stopped polling. Deduped per run
+  // id so it fires exactly once per run, not on every subsequent poll-less render.
+  const finalizedRunIdRef = useRef<string | null>(null);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!run || !activeChatId) return;
+    if (run.status === "pending" || run.status === "running") {
+      // Active again (a new run) — re-arm so its terminal transition fires once.
+      finalizedRunIdRef.current = null;
+      return;
+    }
+    // Terminal: a stop we requested has landed (or the run finished on its own),
+    // so release the stopping latch — the observer merge can now show the final
+    // persisted (aborted/finished) output without any live re-stream. The decision
+    // is the pure, unit-tested `shouldClearStoppingLatch` (run-polling.ts): release
+    // ONLY when we requested a stop, this tab is no longer the streamer, AND the
+    // CURRENT run is terminal. The #234 F4 cache removal in handleServerStop makes
+    // `run` null (this branch's `if (!run) return` above holds) until the current
+    // turn's run is fetched fresh, so the latch can never clear against a stale
+    // cached run.
+    if (shouldClearStoppingLatch({ stoppingRun, run, isLocalStreaming: localStreaming }))
+      setStoppingRun(false);
+    if (finalizedRunIdRef.current === run.id) return;
+    finalizedRunIdRef.current = run.id;
+    queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+      queryKey: AI_CHAT_MESSAGES_RQ_KEY(activeChatId),
+    });
+  }, [run, activeChatId, queryClient, stoppingRun, localStreaming]);
+
   // The page the user is currently viewing. AiChatWindow lives in a pathless
   // parent layout route, so useParams() can't see :pageSlug. Match the full
   // pathname against the authenticated page route instead so "the current page"
@@ -882,6 +1034,18 @@ export default function AiChatWindow() {
               assistantName={currentRole?.name}
               onTurnFinished={onTurnFinished}
               onServerChatId={onServerChatId}
+              // #184: live-follow a still-running run when we reopened the chat as
+              // a passive observer; null when there is nothing to observe or this
+              // tab is the streamer. onStreamingChange lets the window stop polling
+              // while we are the streamer.
+              observedRow={observedRow}
+              onStreamingChange={onStreamingChange}
+              // #184: in autonomous mode the Stop button must hit the authoritative
+              // server stop (a local SSE abort is a client disconnect the server
+              // ignores). onServerStop also arms the "stopping" latch above so the
+              // stopped run's output does not re-stream via the observer merge.
+              autonomousRunsEnabled={autonomousRunsEnabled}
+              onServerStop={handleServerStop}
             />
           )}
         </div>

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/components/chat-thread.test.tsx

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const h = vi.hoisted(() => ({
     onFinish: null as null | ((arg: Record<string, unknown>) => void),
     sendMessage: vi.fn(),
     stop: vi.fn(),
+    setMessages: vi.fn(),
     transport: null as null | {
       prepareSendMessagesRequest: (arg: {
         messages: unknown[];
@@ -30,6 +31,8 @@ vi.mock("@ai-sdk/react", () => ({
       status: h.state.status,
       stop: h.state.stop,
       error: null,
+      // #184: ChatThread reads setMessages to merge a polled observer run.
+      setMessages: h.state.setMessages,
     };
   },
 }));
@@ -228,3 +231,56 @@ describe("ChatThread — turn-end decision (onFinish)", () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+// #184 passive-observer merge: when reconnecting to a still-running run, the
+// parent feeds the polled run message via `observedRow`; ChatThread merges it via
+// setMessages — but ONLY when this tab is NOT itself streaming (the streamer's
+// SSE owns the view, so a stale observedRow must never overwrite it).
+describe("ChatThread — observer run merge (#184)", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    h.state.onFinish = null;
+    h.state.setMessages.mockReset();
+  });
+
+  const observedRow = {
+    id: "a-run",
+    role: "assistant",
+    content: "step 1\nstep 2",
+    metadata: {
+      parts: [{ type: "text", text: "step 1\nstep 2" }],
+    },
+    createdAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+  } as const;
+
+  function renderObserver(status: string) {
+    h.state.status = status;
+    render(
+      <MantineProvider>
+        <ChatThread
+          chatId="c1"
+          initialRows={[]}
+          onTurnFinished={vi.fn()}
+          observedRow={observedRow as never}
+        />
+      </MantineProvider>,
+    );
+  }
+
+  it("merges the polled run message when this tab is a passive observer", () => {
+    renderObserver("ready");
+    expect(h.state.setMessages).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    // The updater replaces/append the observed assistant row by id.
+    const updater = h.state.setMessages.mock.calls[0][0] as (
+      prev: { id: string; parts: { text: string }[] }[],
+    ) => { id: string; parts: { text: string }[] }[];
+    const merged = updater([{ id: "u1", parts: [{ text: "hi" }] }]);
+    expect(merged).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(merged[1].id).toBe("a-run");
+    expect(merged[1].parts[0].text).toBe("step 1\nstep 2");
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT merge while THIS tab is the streamer (no double-render)", () => {
+    renderObserver("streaming");
+    expect(h.state.setMessages).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/components/chat-thread.tsx

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
 } from "@/features/ai-chat/utils/role-launch.ts";
 import { describeChatError } from "@/features/ai-chat/utils/error-message.ts";
 import { extractServerChatId } from "@/features/ai-chat/utils/adopt-chat-id.ts";
+import { mergeObservedMessage } from "@/features/ai-chat/utils/run-polling.ts";
 import {
   dequeue,
   enqueueMessage,
@@ -86,6 +87,29 @@ interface ChatThreadProps {
    *  Copy/export button available mid-stream). Distinct from onTurnFinished,
    *  which fires only at the terminal outcome. */
   onServerChatId?: (serverChatId?: string) => void;
+  /** #184 reconnect-and-live-follow. When THIS tab reopened a chat whose agent
+   *  run is still going (it is a PASSIVE OBSERVER — it did not start the run here),
+   *  the parent polls the reconnect endpoint and feeds the run's incrementally-
+   *  persisted assistant message here; we merge it into the live list so new
+   *  steps/tool-calls appear as they are persisted. Null when there is nothing to
+   *  observe (no run, feature off, or this tab IS the streamer). The merge is
+   *  ADDITIONALLY guarded by our own `isStreaming`, so a stale value can never
+   *  fight the local stream when we are the streamer. */
+  observedRow?: IAiChatMessageRow | null;
+  /** Report this tab's live streaming status up to the parent, so it can stop
+   *  polling the run while WE are the active streamer (the SSE owns the view) and
+   *  resume once we go idle. Called from an effect on every transition. */
+  onStreamingChange?: (streaming: boolean) => void;
+  /** #184: whether detached/autonomous agent runs are enabled for this workspace.
+   *  When true the Stop button must additionally hit the AUTHORITATIVE server stop
+   *  (via onServerStop) — aborting only the local SSE is just a client disconnect,
+   *  which the server deliberately ignores, so the detached run would keep going. */
+  autonomousRunsEnabled?: boolean;
+  /** #184: request the server-side stop of this chat's active run (the parent owns
+   *  the endpoint call + the "stopping" latch that keeps observer-polling from
+   *  immediately re-streaming the stopping run's output). Called with the resolved
+   *  chat id when the user presses Stop in autonomous mode. */
+  onServerStop?: (chatId: string) => void;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -131,6 +155,10 @@ export default function ChatThread({
   assistantName,
   onTurnFinished,
   onServerChatId,
+  observedRow,
+  onStreamingChange,
+  autonomousRunsEnabled,
+  onServerStop,
 }: ChatThreadProps) {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
 
@@ -216,6 +244,16 @@ export default function ChatThread({
   const flushOnAbortRef = useRef(false);
   const interruptNextSendRef = useRef(false);
 
+  // #234 F5: the user pressed Stop while streaming a BRAND-NEW chat whose server
+  // chat id has not been adopted yet (the `start` chunk carrying it hadn't landed
+  // when Stop was pressed). A local SSE abort alone does NOT stop the DETACHED
+  // autonomous run — it keeps burning tokens and WRITING TO PAGES — so we cannot
+  // just no-op. We latch the stop as PENDING and fire the authoritative server
+  // stop the moment onServerChatId adopts the id (below). Read-and-cleared there;
+  // also defused on every new turn start so it can never fire against a later,
+  // unrelated turn's run.
+  const stopPendingRef = useRef(false);
+
   // FIFO dequeue + send the next queued message (no-op when the queue is empty).
   // Returns whether a message was actually sent, so callers can tell an empty
   // dequeue (nothing to flush) from a real send.
@@ -274,7 +312,7 @@ export default function ChatThread({
     [],
   );
 
-  const { messages, sendMessage, status, stop, error } = useChat({
+  const { messages, sendMessage, status, stop, error, setMessages } = useChat({
     // Stable per-mount key. Existing chats use their real id; new chats use a
     // generated client id (never `undefined`) so the store is NOT re-created on
     // every render mid-stream (see `chatStoreId` above).
@@ -365,7 +403,14 @@ export default function ChatThread({
       return;
     lastForwardedChatIdRef.current = serverChatId;
     onServerChatId(serverChatId);
-  }, [messages, onServerChatId]);
+    // #234 F5: if Stop was pressed before the id was known, the authoritative
+    // server stop was deferred to this adoption point — fire it now with the
+    // just-adopted id. One-shot (read-and-clear) so it can't fire twice.
+    if (stopPendingRef.current) {
+      stopPendingRef.current = false;
+      onServerStop?.(serverChatId);
+    }
+  }, [messages, onServerChatId, onServerStop]);
 
   // Live "turn was interrupted" marker for the CURRENT session. The red error
   // banner (driven by `error`) covers the error case; this covers an aborted
@@ -378,6 +423,27 @@ export default function ChatThread({
 
   const isStreaming = status === "submitted" || status === "streaming";
 
+  // #184: report our live streaming status up so the parent stops polling the run
+  // while WE are the streamer (the SSE owns the view) and resumes once we go idle.
+  // Effect (not render) so it never updates parent state during our own render;
+  // fires on mount with `false`, which also re-syncs the parent after a chat
+  // switch remounts this thread (a fresh mount is idle until the user sends).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    onStreamingChange?.(isStreaming);
+  }, [isStreaming, onStreamingChange]);
+
+  // #184 passive-observer merge: when the parent feeds a polled run message (we
+  // reopened a chat whose run is still going and did NOT start it here), merge it
+  // into the live list so new steps/tool-calls appear as they are persisted. Hard-
+  // gated by `!isStreaming`: if THIS tab is actually the streamer, the local SSE
+  // owns the view and a stale observedRow must never overwrite it. `observedRow`
+  // is a stable per-poll object, so this runs once per poll, not per render.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (isStreaming || !observedRow) return;
+    const observed = rowToUiMessage(observedRow);
+    setMessages((prev) => mergeObservedMessage(prev, observed));
+  }, [observedRow, isStreaming, setMessages]);
+
   // "Send now" on a queued message: interrupt the current turn and immediately
   // send THIS message, keeping the agent's partial output. Other queued messages
   // stay queued and flush normally after the new turn. Reuses the existing
@@ -409,6 +475,40 @@ export default function ChatThread({
     [setQueue, stop],
   );
 
+  // Stop the current turn. ALWAYS abort the local SSE (`stop()`) so the composer
+  // returns to idle immediately. In AUTONOMOUS mode the turn is a DETACHED run:
+  // aborting the local SSE is only a client disconnect, which the server ignores,
+  // so the run would keep executing — we ADDITIONALLY request the authoritative
+  // server-side stop (the parent owns that call + the "stopping" latch that keeps
+  // observer-polling from re-streaming the stopping run's output). The chat id is
+  // read live from chatIdRef (adopted early at the stream's `start` chunk); if it
+  // is not known yet — a brand-new chat in the first moment of its first turn —
+  // only the local abort happens (there is no server-side run handle to stop yet).
+  const handleStop = useCallback(() => {
+    stop();
+    if (!autonomousRunsEnabled) return;
+    if (chatIdRef.current) {
+      onServerStop?.(chatIdRef.current);
+    } else {
+      // #234 F5: no chat id yet (brand-new chat in the first moment of its first
+      // turn, before the `start` chunk adopted the id). Latch the stop as pending;
+      // the onServerChatId adoption effect fires the deferred server stop as soon
+      // as the id appears, so the detached run is still authoritatively stopped
+      // instead of left running by a silent local-only abort.
+      //
+      // KNOWN LIMITATION (#234 F5 review): `stop()` above has already aborted the
+      // local SSE reader. In the rare sub-window where Stop is pressed while still
+      // `submitted` (request sent, not one chunk read yet), that abort can cancel
+      // the reader BEFORE the `start` chunk is applied to `messages`, so the
+      // adoption effect never runs and this pending stop never fires. The detached
+      // run then keeps going for that turn. This is not a regression (the pre-fix
+      // behavior sent no server stop at all); closing it fully would require
+      // deferring the local abort until adoption, which is riskier and out of scope
+      // for this fix. Documented so a future change can address the abort-ordering.
+      stopPendingRef.current = true;
+    }
+  }, [stop, autonomousRunsEnabled, onServerStop]);
+
   // Clear the stopped marker as soon as a new turn begins streaming, and drop any
   // stale "Send now" interrupt flags. On the legit interrupt path both refs are
   // already consumed synchronously (onFinish + prepareSendMessagesRequest) before
@@ -420,6 +520,11 @@ export default function ChatThread({
       setStopNotice(null);
       flushOnAbortRef.current = false;
       interruptNextSendRef.current = false;
+      // #234 F5: a new turn is starting — drop any pending deferred-stop from a
+      // previous turn that never adopted an id, so it can never fire against this
+      // (or a later) unrelated turn's run. A deferred stop for the CURRENT turn is
+      // set AFTER this effect (on the Stop click), so this does not clobber it.
+      stopPendingRef.current = false;
     }
   }, [isStreaming]);
 
@@ -539,7 +644,7 @@ export default function ChatThread({
         <ChatInput
           onSend={(text) => sendMessage({ text })}
           onQueue={enqueue}
-          onStop={stop}
+          onStop={handleStop}
           isStreaming={isStreaming}
         />
       </Stack>

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/queries/ai-chat-query.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   deleteAiChat,
   deleteAiRole,
   getAiChatMessages,
+  getAiChatRun,
   getAiChats,
   getAiRoleCatalog,
   getAiRoleCatalogBundle,
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ import {
 import {
   IAiChat,
   IAiChatMessageRow,
+  IAiChatRunResponse,
   IAiRole,
   IAiRoleCatalog,
   IAiRoleCatalogBundle,
@@ -34,6 +36,7 @@ import {
   IAiRoleUpdateFromCatalogResult,
 } from "@/features/ai-chat/types/ai-chat.types.ts";
 import { IPagination } from "@/lib/types.ts";
+import { runPollInterval } from "@/features/ai-chat/utils/run-polling.ts";
 
 export const AI_CHATS_RQ_KEY = ["ai-chats"];
 export const AI_ROLES_RQ_KEY = ["ai-roles"];
@@ -51,16 +54,18 @@ export const AI_CHAT_MESSAGES_RQ_KEY = (chatId: string) => [
   "ai-chat-messages",
   chatId,
 ];
+export const AI_CHAT_RUN_RQ_KEY = (chatId: string) => ["ai-chat-run", chatId];
 
 /** Paginated list of the current user's chats (auto-loads further pages). */
 export function useAiChatsQuery() {
   const query = useInfiniteQuery({
     queryKey: AI_CHATS_RQ_KEY,
-    queryFn: ({ pageParam }) =>
-      getAiChats({ cursor: pageParam, limit: 50 }),
+    queryFn: ({ pageParam }) => getAiChats({ cursor: pageParam, limit: 50 }),
     initialPageParam: undefined as string | undefined,
     getNextPageParam: (lastPage) =>
-      lastPage.meta.hasNextPage ? (lastPage.meta.nextCursor ?? undefined) : undefined,
+      lastPage.meta.hasNextPage
+        ? (lastPage.meta.nextCursor ?? undefined)
+        : undefined,
   });
 
   const data = useMemo<IPagination<IAiChat> | undefined>(() => {
@@ -90,7 +95,9 @@ export function useAiChatMessagesQuery(chatId: string | undefined) {
       getAiChatMessages({ chatId: chatId as string, cursor: pageParam }),
     initialPageParam: undefined as string | undefined,
     getNextPageParam: (lastPage) =>
-      lastPage.meta.hasNextPage ? (lastPage.meta.nextCursor ?? undefined) : undefined,
+      lastPage.meta.hasNextPage
+        ? (lastPage.meta.nextCursor ?? undefined)
+        : undefined,
     enabled: !!chatId,
   });
 
@@ -131,6 +138,34 @@ export function useAiChatMessagesQuery(chatId: string | undefined) {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Reconnect to a chat's latest agent run and LIVE-FOLLOW it (#184). While the run
+ * is active the query re-polls every {@link runPollInterval} ms (driven off the
+ * fetched `run.status`, the same status-keyed refetchInterval pattern as the
+ * embeddings reindex polling); once the run reaches a terminal status — or there
+ * is no run — the interval returns `false` and polling stops on its own. Polling
+ * is thus naturally bounded by the run terminating; no separate timeout cap.
+ *
+ * `enabled` gates the whole thing: callers pass `false` when the autonomous-runs
+ * feature is off (the endpoint is NOT flag-gated server-side, but with the feature
+ * off the chat has no runs, so polling would only ever return `{ run: null }`) OR
+ * when THIS tab is the one actively streaming the run (the live SSE owns the view,
+ * so we must not also poll/merge). The global `retry: false` means a failed fetch
+ * leaves `data` undefined, so refetchInterval(undefined run) returns false — a
+ * failed fetch can never spin a tight loop.
+ */
+export function useAiChatRunQuery(
+  chatId: string | undefined,
+  enabled: boolean,
+) {
+  return useQuery<IAiChatRunResponse, Error>({
+    queryKey: AI_CHAT_RUN_RQ_KEY(chatId ?? ""),
+    queryFn: () => getAiChatRun(chatId as string),
+    enabled: !!chatId && enabled,
+    refetchInterval: (query) => runPollInterval(query.state.data?.run),
+  });
+}
+
 export function useRenameAiChatMutation() {
   const queryClient = useQueryClient();
   const { t } = useTranslation();
@@ -280,11 +315,14 @@ export function useImportAiRolesFromCatalogMutation() {
     mutationFn: (payload) => importAiRolesFromCatalog(payload),
     onSuccess: (result) => {
       notifications.show({
-        message: t("Imported {{created}}, renamed {{renamed}}, skipped {{skipped}}", {
-          created: result.created,
-          renamed: result.renamed,
-          skipped: result.skipped,
-        }),
+        message: t(
+          "Imported {{created}}, renamed {{renamed}}, skipped {{skipped}}",
+          {
+            created: result.created,
+            renamed: result.renamed,
+            skipped: result.skipped,
+          },
+        ),
       });
       // Surface partial failures (e.g. unique-name races) as a red warning.
       if (result.errors.length > 0) {

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/queries/ai-chat-run-query.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
+import React from "react";
+import { renderHook, waitFor } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import type { IAiChatRunResponse } from "@/features/ai-chat/types/ai-chat.types.ts";
+
+// react-i18next is pulled in transitively by ai-chat-query.ts (the mutation hooks
+// use it); stub it so the module imports cleanly in this hook test.
+vi.mock("react-i18next", () => ({
+  useTranslation: () => ({ t: (key: string) => key }),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("@mantine/notifications", () => ({
+  notifications: { show: vi.fn() },
+}));
+
+// Mock the whole service module; only getAiChatRun is exercised here, but the
+// other named exports must exist so ai-chat-query.ts imports resolve.
+vi.mock("@/features/ai-chat/services/ai-chat-service.ts", () => ({
+  getAiChatRun: vi.fn(),
+  getAiChatMessages: vi.fn(),
+  getAiChats: vi.fn(),
+  getAiRoleCatalog: vi.fn(),
+  getAiRoleCatalogBundle: vi.fn(),
+  getAiRoles: vi.fn(),
+  importAiRolesFromCatalog: vi.fn(),
+  createAiRole: vi.fn(),
+  deleteAiChat: vi.fn(),
+  deleteAiRole: vi.fn(),
+  renameAiChat: vi.fn(),
+  updateAiRole: vi.fn(),
+  updateAiRoleFromCatalog: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+import { getAiChatRun } from "@/features/ai-chat/services/ai-chat-service.ts";
+import { useAiChatRunQuery } from "@/features/ai-chat/queries/ai-chat-query.ts";
+
+function createWrapper() {
+  const queryClient = new QueryClient({
+    defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } },
+  });
+  return function Wrapper({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
+    return (
+      <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>{children}</QueryClientProvider>
+    );
+  };
+}
+
+const runningResponse: IAiChatRunResponse = {
+  run: { id: "run-1", chatId: "c1", status: "running" },
+  message: {
+    id: "a1",
+    role: "assistant",
+    content: "working...",
+    createdAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+  },
+};
+
+describe("useAiChatRunQuery — enable gating", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it("fetches the run when enabled (passive observer, feature on)", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(getAiChatRun).mockResolvedValue(runningResponse);
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useAiChatRunQuery("c1", true), {
+      wrapper: createWrapper(),
+    });
+    await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.isSuccess).toBe(true));
+    expect(getAiChatRun).toHaveBeenCalledWith("c1");
+    expect(result.current.data?.run?.status).toBe("running");
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT fetch when disabled (this tab is the streamer / feature off)", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(getAiChatRun).mockResolvedValue(runningResponse);
+    renderHook(() => useAiChatRunQuery("c1", false), {
+      wrapper: createWrapper(),
+    });
+    // Give any errant fetch a chance to fire, then assert none did.
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 20));
+    expect(getAiChatRun).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT fetch when there is no chat id", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(getAiChatRun).mockResolvedValue(runningResponse);
+    renderHook(() => useAiChatRunQuery(undefined, true), {
+      wrapper: createWrapper(),
+    });
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 20));
+    expect(getAiChatRun).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/services/ai-chat-service.ts

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   IAiChatListParams,
   IAiChatMessageRow,
   IAiChatMessagesParams,
+  IAiChatRunResponse,
   IAiRole,
   IAiRoleCatalog,
   IAiRoleCatalogBundle,
@@ -42,6 +43,38 @@ export async function getAiChatMessages(
   return req.data;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Reconnect to the latest agent run of a chat (#184). Returns the run's
+ * persisted lifecycle state and the assistant message it materializes (the
+ * partial output while the run is in-flight, the final output once it finished).
+ * The DB is the source of truth, so this works for an in-flight run (the browser
+ * dropped, the run kept going) and a finished one alike; `{ run: null }` when the
+ * chat has never had a run. Owner-gated server-side (the requesting user must own
+ * the chat); it is NOT flag-gated — when the feature is off the chat simply has no
+ * runs, so the endpoint returns `{ run: null }`.
+ */
+export async function getAiChatRun(
+  chatId: string,
+): Promise<IAiChatRunResponse> {
+  const req = await api.post<IAiChatRunResponse>("/ai-chat/run", { chatId });
+  return req.data;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Explicitly STOP the active agent run of a chat (#184). This is the ONLY thing
+ * that ends a DETACHED run — a mere browser disconnect (aborting the local SSE)
+ * is deliberately ignored server-side, so the client must call this to actually
+ * stop an autonomous run. Targeted by `chatId` (the server resolves whatever run
+ * is active on it); owner-gated server-side. Returns `{ stopped }` — false when
+ * there was nothing active to stop.
+ */
+export async function stopRun(
+  chatId: string,
+): Promise<{ stopped: boolean }> {
+  const req = await api.post<{ stopped: boolean }>("/ai-chat/stop", { chatId });
+  return req.data;
+}
+
 /**
  * Resolve the chat bound to a document (the current user's most-recent chat
  * created on that page), or null when there is none. Drives auto-open-on-page.

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/types/ai-chat.types.ts

@@ -200,6 +200,38 @@ export interface IAiChatMessageRow {
   createdAt: string;
 }
 
+/**
+ * A persisted agent-run row (#184), mirroring the `ai_chat_runs` fields the
+ * client reads from `POST /ai-chat/run`. Only `status` is load-bearing for the
+ * reconnect-and-live-update UX (it drives the poll cadence); the rest are carried
+ * for display/diagnostics. The DB is the source of truth, so this resolves for an
+ * in-flight run (the browser dropped, the run kept going) and a finished one.
+ */
+export interface IAiChatRun {
+  id: string;
+  chatId: string;
+  // 'pending' | 'running' | 'succeeded' | 'failed' | 'aborted'. The first two are
+  // ACTIVE (keep polling); the rest are TERMINAL (stop polling).
+  status: "pending" | "running" | "succeeded" | "failed" | "aborted" | string;
+  error?: string | null;
+  stepCount?: number;
+  assistantMessageId?: string | null;
+  startedAt?: string | null;
+  finishedAt?: string | null;
+  createdAt?: string;
+  updatedAt?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Response of `POST /ai-chat/run` (#184): the latest run of a chat and the
+ * assistant message it materializes (the partial/final output, projected from the
+ * persisted rows). Both are `null` when the chat has never had a run.
+ */
+export interface IAiChatRunResponse {
+  run: IAiChatRun | null;
+  message: IAiChatMessageRow | null;
+}
+
 export interface IAiChatListParams extends QueryParams {}
 
 export interface IAiChatMessagesParams {

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/utils/run-polling.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,303 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import type { UIMessage } from "@ai-sdk/react";
+import type { IAiChatRun } from "@/features/ai-chat/types/ai-chat.types.ts";
+import {
+  RUN_POLL_INTERVAL_MS,
+  isRunActive,
+  runPollInterval,
+  shouldObserveRun,
+  shouldClearStoppingLatch,
+  shouldClearLatchOnQueryError,
+  mergeObservedMessage,
+} from "./run-polling.ts";
+
+function makeRun(status: string): IAiChatRun {
+  return { id: "run-1", chatId: "c1", status };
+}
+
+function makeMsg(id: string, text: string): UIMessage {
+  return {
+    id,
+    role: "assistant",
+    parts: [{ type: "text", text }],
+  } as UIMessage;
+}
+
+describe("isRunActive", () => {
+  it("treats pending and running as active", () => {
+    expect(isRunActive(makeRun("pending"))).toBe(true);
+    expect(isRunActive(makeRun("running"))).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("treats terminal / unknown / nullish as not active", () => {
+    expect(isRunActive(makeRun("succeeded"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(isRunActive(makeRun("failed"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(isRunActive(makeRun("aborted"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(isRunActive(makeRun("weird-future-status"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(isRunActive(null)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isRunActive(undefined)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("runPollInterval (the refetchInterval helper)", () => {
+  it("returns 2000ms while the run is pending/running", () => {
+    expect(runPollInterval(makeRun("pending"))).toBe(RUN_POLL_INTERVAL_MS);
+    expect(runPollInterval(makeRun("running"))).toBe(RUN_POLL_INTERVAL_MS);
+    expect(RUN_POLL_INTERVAL_MS).toBe(2000);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false (stop polling) once the run is terminal", () => {
+    expect(runPollInterval(makeRun("succeeded"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(runPollInterval(makeRun("failed"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(runPollInterval(makeRun("aborted"))).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false (no polling) when there is no run", () => {
+    expect(runPollInterval(null)).toBe(false);
+    expect(runPollInterval(undefined)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("shouldObserveRun (observer-vs-streamer decision)", () => {
+  it("observes an active run when this tab is NOT the local streamer", () => {
+    expect(shouldObserveRun(makeRun("running"), false)).toBe(true);
+    expect(shouldObserveRun(makeRun("pending"), false)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("observes a terminal run too (so the final output shows on reopen)", () => {
+    expect(shouldObserveRun(makeRun("succeeded"), false)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT observe when this tab IS the streamer (no double-render)", () => {
+    expect(shouldObserveRun(makeRun("running"), true)).toBe(false);
+    expect(shouldObserveRun(makeRun("succeeded"), true)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT observe when there is no run", () => {
+    expect(shouldObserveRun(null, false)).toBe(false);
+    expect(shouldObserveRun(undefined, false)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("shouldClearStoppingLatch (#234 latch-release decision)", () => {
+  // The one case the latch SHOULD clear: we requested a stop, we are the passive
+  // observer (not streaming), and the CURRENT run is terminal.
+  it("clears only when stopping, observing, and the run is terminal", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: makeRun("aborted"),
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: makeRun("succeeded"),
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: makeRun("failed"),
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  // Round-3 regression: clearing while THIS tab is still the local streamer would
+  // re-open the flash for the current turn the moment we switch to observer role.
+  // A predicate lacking the streaming gate would (wrongly) return true here.
+  it("does NOT clear while this tab is the local streamer", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: makeRun("aborted"),
+        isLocalStreaming: true,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: makeRun("succeeded"),
+        isLocalStreaming: true,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  // The detached run keeps growing after a local abort — while it is still
+  // active the latch MUST hold so the observer merge stays suppressed.
+  it("does NOT clear while the run is still active", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: makeRun("running"),
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: makeRun("pending"),
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  // #234 F4: on Stop the stale PREVIOUS-turn run is removed from the cache, so the
+  // observed `run` is null until the current turn's run is fetched fresh. A null
+  // run HOLDS the latch — it can never clear against the just-removed stale run,
+  // only against the current turn's own terminal run once observed.
+  it("does NOT clear against a removed/absent run (F4 stale-run guard)", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: null,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        run: undefined,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT clear when no stop was requested", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearStoppingLatch({
+        stoppingRun: false,
+        run: makeRun("aborted"),
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("shouldClearLatchOnQueryError (#234 F7 error-safety-net decision)", () => {
+  // This guards the REAL anti-flash decision the component's run-query-error
+  // safety-net effect uses (ai-chat-window.tsx wires the effect to THIS helper,
+  // not a copy — so the test is non-vacuous vs the live code).
+
+  // (b) The F7 hole: a TRANSIENT run-query error while `run` is STILL ACTIVE must
+  // NOT clear the latch. TanStack Query v5 retains `data` on error, so
+  // runQueryFailed can be true while the held run is still pending/running.
+  // Against the PRE-F7 condition (without `!isRunActive(run)`) this would return
+  // true — so this assertion fails on the buggy code (non-vacuous).
+  it("does NOT clear on a transient error while the run is still ACTIVE (F7)", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+        runQueryFailed: true,
+        run: makeRun("running"),
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+        runQueryFailed: true,
+        run: makeRun("pending"),
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  // (a) The genuine permanent-null-freeze: run cache cleared by removeQueries +
+  // the refetch keeps ERRORING, so `run === null`. This is the ONLY case the
+  // safety-net exists to cure — it MUST clear so the frozen view resumes.
+  it("clears on a permanent error when the run is null (permanent-null-freeze)", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+        runQueryFailed: true,
+        run: null,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+        runQueryFailed: true,
+        run: undefined,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  // A TERMINAL run also satisfies `!isRunActive`; clearing then is harmless — the
+  // terminal effect (shouldClearStoppingLatch) already clears for a terminal run,
+  // so this only ever agrees with it. Asserted so the (c) reasoning is pinned.
+  it("clears on an error when the run is terminal (harmless, agrees with terminal effect)", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+        runQueryFailed: true,
+        run: makeRun("aborted"),
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT clear without an actual query error", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+        runQueryFailed: false,
+        run: null,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT clear while this tab is the local streamer", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun: true,
+        isLocalStreaming: true,
+        runQueryFailed: true,
+        run: null,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does NOT clear when no stop was requested", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldClearLatchOnQueryError({
+        stoppingRun: false,
+        isLocalStreaming: false,
+        runQueryFailed: true,
+        run: null,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("mergeObservedMessage", () => {
+  it("replaces the message with the same id in place (per-step growth)", () => {
+    const prev = [makeMsg("u1", "hi"), makeMsg("a1", "step 1")];
+    const observed = makeMsg("a1", "step 1\nstep 2");
+    const next = mergeObservedMessage(prev, observed);
+    expect(next).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(next[1]).toBe(observed);
+    expect(next[0]).toBe(prev[0]); // untouched
+    expect(next).not.toBe(prev); // new array (never mutates input)
+  });
+
+  it("appends when the observed message is not yet present", () => {
+    const prev = [makeMsg("u1", "hi")];
+    const observed = makeMsg("a1", "first token");
+    const next = mergeObservedMessage(prev, observed);
+    expect(next).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(next[1]).toBe(observed);
+  });
+
+  it("returns the original list unchanged when there is nothing to merge", () => {
+    const prev = [makeMsg("u1", "hi")];
+    expect(mergeObservedMessage(prev, null)).toBe(prev);
+    expect(mergeObservedMessage(prev, undefined)).toBe(prev);
+  });
+});

apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/utils/run-polling.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+import type { UIMessage } from "@ai-sdk/react";
+import type { IAiChatRun } from "@/features/ai-chat/types/ai-chat.types.ts";
+
+/**
+ * Reconnect-and-live-follow helpers (#184). When a chat is reopened while its
+ * agent run is STILL going, this tab is a PASSIVE OBSERVER: it did not start the
+ * run here (no local SSE stream), so it catches up by POLLING the reconnect
+ * endpoint (`POST /ai-chat/run`) and merging the run's incrementally-persisted
+ * assistant message into the rendered thread. These are the small pure decisions
+ * that machinery hangs off, extracted so they can be unit-tested in isolation
+ * (mirrors how reindex polling / editor-sync-state are tested).
+ */
+
+/** How often to re-poll the reconnect endpoint while a run is ACTIVE. */
+export const RUN_POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 2000;
+
+// 'pending' and 'running' are the two ACTIVE statuses; 'succeeded' | 'failed' |
+// 'aborted' are TERMINAL (and any unknown future status is treated as terminal,
+// so a stale/odd value never polls forever).
+const ACTIVE_STATUSES = new Set(["pending", "running"]);
+
+/** Whether a run is still going (worth polling / merging live updates from). */
+export function isRunActive(run: IAiChatRun | null | undefined): boolean {
+  return !!run && ACTIVE_STATUSES.has(run.status);
+}
+
+/**
+ * The TanStack Query `refetchInterval` value for the run query: poll every
+ * {@link RUN_POLL_INTERVAL_MS} while the run is active, and `false` (stop) once
+ * it is terminal or there is no run. Polling is thus naturally bounded by the run
+ * reaching a terminal status — no separate timeout cap is needed.
+ */
+export function runPollInterval(
+  run: IAiChatRun | null | undefined,
+): number | false {
+  return isRunActive(run) ? RUN_POLL_INTERVAL_MS : false;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Observer-vs-streamer decision. We render the polled run message (catch up +
+ * keep advancing) ONLY when this tab is a passive observer: there IS a run AND
+ * this tab is NOT the one locally streaming it (we reconnected, we didn't start
+ * it here). When this tab is the streamer, the live SSE stream owns the view, so
+ * we neither poll nor merge — avoiding a double-render fight. Terminal runs still
+ * merge (so the final persisted output is shown on reopen); the poll itself is
+ * stopped separately by {@link runPollInterval}.
+ */
+export function shouldObserveRun(
+  run: IAiChatRun | null | undefined,
+  localStreaming: boolean,
+): boolean {
+  return !!run && !localStreaming;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Should the "stopping" latch — which suppresses the observer re-stream flash
+ * after the user pressed Stop — be RELEASED now? All three must hold:
+ *  - `stoppingRun`: we actually requested a stop (otherwise nothing to release);
+ *  - `!isLocalStreaming`: this tab is NOT the local streamer. While we are the
+ *    streamer the run query is disabled, so the observed `run` is not the run we
+ *    are following — releasing the latch then would re-open the flash for the
+ *    current turn the instant we switch to observer role;
+ *  - the observed `run` EXISTS and has reached a TERMINAL status.
+ *
+ * The null / still-active `run` case is the #234 F4 invariant. On Stop the stale
+ * PREVIOUS-turn run is removed from the query cache (`removeQueries`), so `run`
+ * is null until the CURRENT turn's run is re-fetched fresh; a null or active run
+ * therefore HOLDS the latch, so it can only ever clear against the current turn's
+ * OWN terminal run — never a stale cached one. (The cache removal itself is
+ * integration-level in AiChatWindow; this predicate encodes the decision given
+ * whatever run is currently observed, and a stale terminal run is
+ * indistinguishable from a current terminal run at the predicate level — hence
+ * the cache removal is what guarantees only the current run is ever passed here.)
+ */
+export function shouldClearStoppingLatch(args: {
+  stoppingRun: boolean;
+  run: IAiChatRun | null | undefined;
+  isLocalStreaming: boolean;
+}): boolean {
+  const { stoppingRun, run, isLocalStreaming } = args;
+  if (!stoppingRun || isLocalStreaming) return false;
+  return !!run && !isRunActive(run);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Should the "stopping" latch be RELEASED by the run-query ERROR safety-net?
+ * (#234 F7 — a NEW path of the same re-stream flash the F4 latch exists to
+ * prevent.) After Stop, `handleServerStop` clears the run cache; the terminal
+ * effect then holds the latch via `if (!run) return` until the CURRENT turn's run
+ * is fetched fresh. If that refetch instead ERRORS permanently, `run` stays null,
+ * its status-keyed refetchInterval is off, and nothing would ever observe a
+ * terminal run — freezing the view with the observer merge suppressed. This
+ * safety-net cures ONLY that genuine permanent-null-freeze.
+ *
+ * All four must hold:
+ *  - `stoppingRun`: we actually requested a stop (otherwise nothing to release);
+ *  - `!isLocalStreaming`: this tab is NOT the local streamer (same reason as
+ *    {@link shouldClearStoppingLatch});
+ *  - `runQueryFailed`: the run query is in its error state (TanStack Query v5 with
+ *    retry:false — isError);
+ *  - `!isRunActive(run)`: the observed `run` is NOT an active (pending/running)
+ *    held run. This is the F7 gate. In TanStack Query v5 the query's `data` is
+ *    RETAINED on error, so `runQueryFailed` can be true while `run` is STILL an
+ *    ACTIVE run (a single transient GET-run failure in the window between Stop and
+ *    settle). Without this gate a transient error would release the latch early —
+ *    re-opening the observer merge and flashing the growing detached run over the
+ *    frozen row (exactly the F4 flash). Gating on the run NOT being active means we
+ *    only ever cure the permanent-null-freeze (`run === null`, so
+ *    `isRunActive(null)` is false), never release against an active run.
+ *
+ * (A terminal `run` also satisfies `!isRunActive(run)`; clearing then is harmless
+ * — the terminal effect's {@link shouldClearStoppingLatch} already clears the
+ * latch for a terminal run, so this only ever agrees with it, never conflicts.)
+ *
+ * INVARIANT (do not break): clearing the latch on the `run === null` branch is safe
+ * ONLY because the run query's `refetchInterval` (see {@link runPollInterval}) stops
+ * polling when the data is empty — so after we clear on null+error there is no
+ * subsequent auto-poll that could return a still-active detached run and re-open the
+ * merge. If `refetchInterval` is ever changed to keep polling on `run === null`/on
+ * error, this null-branch clear would re-open the F7 flash through the null path.
+ * Do not change the run query's refetchInterval without re-checking this path.
+ */
+export function shouldClearLatchOnQueryError(args: {
+  stoppingRun: boolean;
+  isLocalStreaming: boolean;
+  runQueryFailed: boolean;
+  run: IAiChatRun | null | undefined;
+}): boolean {
+  const { stoppingRun, isLocalStreaming, runQueryFailed, run } = args;
+  return (
+    stoppingRun && !isLocalStreaming && runQueryFailed && !isRunActive(run)
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Merge an observed assistant message into the rendered list: replace the message
+ * with the same id in place (the in-progress assistant row is already seeded from
+ * history, so per-step growth replaces it), or append it when absent. Returns a
+ * new array; the input is never mutated.
+ */
+export function mergeObservedMessage(
+  messages: UIMessage[],
+  observed: UIMessage | null | undefined,
+): UIMessage[] {
+  if (!observed) return messages;
+  const idx = messages.findIndex((m) => m.id === observed.id);
+  if (idx === -1) return [...messages, observed];
+  const next = messages.slice();
+  next[idx] = observed;
+  return next;
+}

apps/client/src/features/workspace/components/settings/components/ai-provider-settings.tsx

@@ -394,6 +394,10 @@ export default function AiProviderSettings() {
     useState<boolean>(
       workspace?.settings?.ai?.publicShareAssistant ?? false,
     );
+  // #184: detached/autonomous agent runs (settings.ai.autonomousRuns).
+  const [autonomousRunsEnabled, setAutonomousRunsEnabled] = useState<boolean>(
+    workspace?.settings?.ai?.autonomousRuns ?? false,
+  );
   const [chatToggleLoading, setChatToggleLoading] = useState(false);
   const [searchToggleLoading, setSearchToggleLoading] = useState(false);
   const [dictationToggleLoading, setDictationToggleLoading] = useState(false);
@@ -403,6 +407,8 @@ export default function AiProviderSettings() {
     publicShareAssistantToggleLoading,
     setPublicShareAssistantToggleLoading,
   ] = useState(false);
+  const [autonomousRunsToggleLoading, setAutonomousRunsToggleLoading] =
+    useState(false);
 
   // Whether a key is currently stored server-side (drives the placeholder).
   const [hasApiKey, setHasApiKey] = useState(false);
@@ -730,6 +736,37 @@ export default function AiProviderSettings() {
     }
   }
 
+  // Optimistic toggle for detached/autonomous agent runs
+  // (settings.ai.autonomousRuns). When on, a chat turn becomes a server-side run
+  // that survives a browser disconnect and can be reconnected to / live-followed;
+  // only an explicit Stop ends it. Off by default; single-instance-only in phase 1.
+  async function handleToggleAutonomousRuns(value: boolean) {
+    setAutonomousRunsToggleLoading(true);
+    const previous = autonomousRunsEnabled;
+    setAutonomousRunsEnabled(value);
+    try {
+      const updated = await updateWorkspace({ autonomousRuns: value });
+      setWorkspace({
+        ...updated,
+        settings: {
+          ...updated.settings,
+          ai: { ...updated.settings?.ai, autonomousRuns: value },
+        },
+      });
+      notifications.show({ message: t("Updated successfully") });
+    } catch (err) {
+      setAutonomousRunsEnabled(previous);
+      const message = (err as { response?: { data?: { message?: string } } })
+        ?.response?.data?.message;
+      notifications.show({
+        message: message ?? t("Failed to update data"),
+        color: "red",
+      });
+    } finally {
+      setAutonomousRunsToggleLoading(false);
+    }
+  }
+
   // Admins only — match the previous behavior.
   if (!isAdmin) {
     return (
@@ -960,6 +997,31 @@ export default function AiProviderSettings() {
           {...form.getInputProps("publicShareAssistantRoleId")}
         />
 
+        {/* Detached/autonomous agent runs: a chat turn becomes a server-side run
+            that survives a browser disconnect; only an explicit Stop ends it.
+            Single-instance-only in phase 1. */}
+        <Group justify="space-between" align="center" wrap="nowrap" mt="md">
+          <Stack gap={0}>
+            <Text fw={600} size="sm">
+              {t("Autonomous agent runs")}
+            </Text>
+            <Text size="xs" c="dimmed">
+              {t(
+                "Keep an agent turn running server-side even if the browser disconnects; reconnect and follow it on reopen. Single-instance deployments only.",
+              )}
+            </Text>
+          </Stack>
+          <Switch
+            label={t("Enabled")}
+            labelPosition="left"
+            checked={autonomousRunsEnabled}
+            disabled={autonomousRunsToggleLoading}
+            onChange={(e) =>
+              handleToggleAutonomousRuns(e.currentTarget.checked)
+            }
+          />
+        </Group>
+
         <Group mt="md" align="center">
           <Button
             variant="default"

apps/client/src/features/workspace/types/workspace.types.ts

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ export interface IWorkspace {
   aiDictation?: boolean;
   aiDictationStreaming?: boolean;
   aiPublicShareAssistant?: boolean;
+  // Write-only field for updateWorkspace({ autonomousRuns }). Read state lives at
+  // settings.ai.autonomousRuns.
+  autonomousRuns?: boolean;
   trashRetentionDays?: number;
   // Default lifetime (HOURS) for new temporary notes; frozen per-note at creation.
   temporaryNoteHours?: number;
@@ -65,6 +68,9 @@ export interface IWorkspaceAiSettings {
   dictation?: boolean;
   dictationStreaming?: boolean;
   publicShareAssistant?: boolean;
+  // #184: detached agent runs (a run survives a browser disconnect and can be
+  // reconnected to / live-followed on reopen). Gates the run-reconnect polling.
+  autonomousRuns?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface IWorkspaceSharingSettings {