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Ace: agents can't use Ace's own menus and dialogs when Ace embeds the host #531

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Ace: agents can't use Ace's own menus and dialogs when Ace embeds the host#531

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@iamnbutler
iamnbutler
opened on Oct 5, 2026

When Ace embeds the Desktop Tools host, Ace is the host process. The host refuses agent input aimed at itself: peekaboo-menu.patch refuses a desktop_menu on the host's own process, and githubnext/desktop-tools#120 refuses input to the host's own UI. So an agent in Ace can't use Ace's own menus or dialogs. In the Oct 15 study (#427, D5b), File › Open Folder… on Ace was refused.

The standalone Desktop Tools app isn't affected, because there the host is a separate process.

Decision needed: should Ace's own windows count as the host's UI, or should only a confirmation prompt from Ace count? If agents may drive Ace, the self-target check needs to tell those apart. Then check the Open Folder flow: Command-O, desktop_dialog, desktop_dialog_answer with path, then Open, which should add the project. Cancel should leave the projects unchanged.

Activity

  1. iamnbutler commented on Oct 5, 2026

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  2. iamnbutler commented on Oct 5, 2026

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  3. iamnbutler commented on Oct 5, 2026

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  4. iamnbutler commented on Oct 5, 2026

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  5. iamnbutler commented on Oct 5, 2026

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  6. iamnbutler commented on Oct 5, 2026

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  7. iamnbutler commented on Oct 5, 2026

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  8. iamnbutler commented on Oct 6, 2026

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  9. iamnbutler commented on Oct 6, 2026

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  10. iamnbutler commented on Oct 6, 2026

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  11. iamnbutler commented on Oct 6, 2026

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  12. iamnbutler commented on Oct 6, 2026

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  13. iamnbutler
    changed the title [-]Activate applications and focus or restore exact windows[/-] [+]Finish native window, menu, and dialog workflows[/+] on Oct 7, 2026

  14. iamnbutler commented on Oct 13, 2026

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  15. iamnbutler
    transferred this issue fromgithubnext/aceon Oct 13, 2026
  16. iamnbutler
    added a parent issue on Oct 15, 2026

  17. iamnbutler commented on Oct 15, 2026

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  18. iamnbutler commented on Oct 17, 2026

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  19. iamnbutler commented on Oct 17, 2026

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  20. iamnbutler
    changed the title [-]Finish native window, menu, and dialog workflows[/-] [+]Ace: agents can't use Ace's own menus and dialogs when Ace embeds the host[/+] on Oct 17, 2026

  21. iamnbutler commented on Oct 20, 2026

    @iamnbutler
    iamnbutler
    on Oct 20, 2026
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    Moving to ace2: the open decision (whether agents in Ace may drive Ace's own menus and dialogs, or only stay off its prompts) and the validation runs here are Ace's. If Ace decides agents may drive its own UI, desktop-tools will need an embedding option to let agent input reach the embedding app's own windows while still refusing its prompts. Open that in desktop-tools when the decision is made. The desktop_close Finder unknown noted in a comment here was fixed in desktop-tools 0.14.1 (#133).

  22. iamnbutler
    transferred this issue fromgithubnext/desktop-toolson Oct 20, 2026
  23. iamnbutler
    added a parent issue on Oct 20, 2026
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