feat(tui,coding-agent): show working/idle agent status in terminal tabs

packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 ### Added
 
 - Added the GLM 5.2 prompt preset with automatic model detection.
+- Added a working/idle agent status to the terminal title so a busy session is visible without focusing it. The title is prefixed with `[working]` while the agent runs (and while compacting) and returns to the plain title when idle. Terminals that take their tab/window title from the OSC title show this directly; Zed shows it in the terminal breadcrumbs, since Zed builds its tab label from the foreground process instead.
 
 ### Fixed
 

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/agent-activity-status.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/**
+ * Working/idle activity status surfaced to the host terminal via the OSC title.
+ *
+ * The status is a fixed, event-driven token rather than an animated spinner:
+ * spinners either spam the title stream or render as bells under screen/tmux
+ * (openai/codex#17198).
+ *
+ * Reach, measured rather than assumed:
+ * - Terminals that take their tab/window title from the OSC title show the
+ *   token directly.
+ * - Zed routes the OSC title to the terminal *breadcrumbs*; its tab label is
+ *   built from the foreground process instead, so the token reaches Zed's
+ *   breadcrumbs but not its tab. See the Zed note in the PR/QA evidence.
+ */
+
+export type AgentActivityStatus = "working" | "idle";
+
+const WORKING_TOKEN = "[working]";
+
+/**
+ * Prefix a terminal title with the activity status token.
+ *
+ * Idle is the resting state and renders the plain title, so only actively
+ * working sessions stand out. The token leads the string so it survives the
+ * truncation tab bars apply.
+ */
+export function formatAgentActivityTitle(status: AgentActivityStatus, title: string): string {
+	if (status !== "working") {
+		return title;
+	}
+	if (!title) {
+		return WORKING_TOKEN;
+	}
+	return `${WORKING_TOKEN} ${title}`;
+}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/interactive-mode.ts

@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ import { getPiUserAgent } from "../../utils/pi-user-agent.ts";
 import { killTrackedDetachedChildren } from "../../utils/shell.ts";
 import { checkForNewPiVersion } from "../../utils/version-check.ts";
 import { abortedErrorLabel } from "./aborted-error-label.ts";
+import { type AgentActivityStatus, formatAgentActivityTitle } from "./agent-activity-status.ts";
 import { ArminComponent } from "./components/armin.ts";
 import { AssistantMessageComponent } from "./components/assistant-message.ts";
 import { BashExecutionComponent } from "./components/bash-execution.ts";
@@ -378,6 +379,7 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 	private hookStatusIntervalId: NodeJS.Timeout | undefined = undefined;
 	private activeToolTerminalTitle: string | undefined = undefined;
 	private extensionTerminalTitle: string | undefined = undefined;
+	private agentActivityStatus: AgentActivityStatus = "idle";
 
 	private lastSigintTime = 0;
 	private lastEscapeTime = 0;
@@ -856,12 +858,20 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 	}
 
 	private applyTerminalTitle(): void {
-		this.ui.terminal.setTitle(
+		const title =
 			this.activeToolTerminalTitle ??
-				this.activeToolExecutionTerminalTitle ??
-				this.extensionTerminalTitle ??
-				this.getNormalTerminalTitle(),
-		);
+			this.activeToolExecutionTerminalTitle ??
+			this.extensionTerminalTitle ??
+			this.getNormalTerminalTitle();
+		this.ui.terminal.setTitle(formatAgentActivityTitle(this.agentActivityStatus, title));
+	}
+
+	private setAgentActivityStatus(status: AgentActivityStatus): void {
+		if (this.agentActivityStatus === status) {
+			return;
+		}
+		this.agentActivityStatus = status;
+		this.applyTerminalTitle();
 	}
 
 	private updateTerminalTitle(): void {
@@ -3071,6 +3081,7 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 				this.clearPendingTools();
 				this.clearActiveToolExecutionStatus();
 				this.clearToolHookStatuses();
+				this.setAgentActivityStatus("working");
 				if (this.settingsManager.getShowTerminalProgress()) {
 					this.ui.terminal.setProgress(true);
 				}
@@ -3262,6 +3273,7 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 			}
 
 			case "agent_end":
+				this.setAgentActivityStatus("idle");
 				if (this.settingsManager.getShowTerminalProgress()) {
 					this.ui.terminal.setProgress(false);
 				}
@@ -3281,6 +3293,7 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 				break;
 
 			case "compaction_start": {
+				this.setAgentActivityStatus("working");
 				if (this.settingsManager.getShowTerminalProgress()) {
 					this.ui.terminal.setProgress(true);
 				}
@@ -3327,6 +3340,9 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 			}
 
 			case "compaction_end": {
+				if (!this.session.isStreaming) {
+					this.setAgentActivityStatus("idle");
+				}
 				if (this.settingsManager.getShowTerminalProgress()) {
 					this.ui.terminal.setProgress(false);
 				}
@@ -6119,6 +6135,7 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 	}
 
 	stop(): void {
+		this.setAgentActivityStatus("idle");
 		if (this.settingsManager.getShowTerminalProgress()) {
 			this.ui.terminal.setProgress(false);
 		}

packages/coding-agent/test/interactive-mode-compaction.test.ts

@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ describe("InteractiveMode compaction events", () => {
 			autoCompactionEscapeHandler: undefined as (() => void) | undefined,
 			autoCompactionLoader: undefined as { stop(): void } | undefined,
 			defaultEditor: {} as { onEscape?: () => void },
-			session: { abortCompaction: vi.fn() },
+			session: { abortCompaction: vi.fn(), isStreaming: false },
+			setAgentActivityStatus: vi.fn(),
 			statusContainer,
 			settingsManager: { getShowTerminalProgress: () => false },
 			ui: { requestRender: vi.fn(), terminal: { setProgress: vi.fn() } },
@@ -56,7 +57,8 @@ describe("InteractiveMode compaction events", () => {
 			autoCompactionLoader: undefined as { stop(): void } | undefined,
 			autoCompactionProgressText: "",
 			defaultEditor: {} as { onEscape?: () => void },
-			session: { abortCompaction: vi.fn() },
+			session: { abortCompaction: vi.fn(), isStreaming: false },
+			setAgentActivityStatus: vi.fn(),
 			statusContainer,
 			settingsManager: { getShowTerminalProgress: () => false },
 			ui: { requestRender: vi.fn(), terminal: { setProgress: vi.fn() } },
@@ -107,6 +109,8 @@ describe("InteractiveMode compaction events", () => {
 			showError: vi.fn(),
 			showStatus: vi.fn(),
 			flushCompactionQueue: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+			session: { isStreaming: false },
+			setAgentActivityStatus: vi.fn(),
 			settingsManager: { getShowTerminalProgress: () => false },
 			ui: { requestRender: vi.fn(), terminal: { setProgress: vi.fn() } },
 		};