Replace Claude Space wake seed with r undo sequence

Context

On 2026-05-08, the operator reported that the latest Claude Desktop UI update added focusable elements inside chat history. Space is no longer a stable prompt-focus seed: repeated wakeups expand or collapse tool-call summaries instead of focusing the prompt field.

The repository currently still defaults Claude bridge delivery to Space:

• ai/scripts/bridge-daemon.mjs sets the Claude default focusSeedKey to space.
• The emitted AppleScript uses key code 49 for that seed.
• test/playwright/unit/ai/scripts/bridge-daemon.spec.mjs has a Claude regression test that explicitly expects Space.

This supersedes the closed assumption in #10660. #10658 remains the open Claude bridge prompt-focus parent, and #10664 is the Codex precedent for treating Space as unsafe and using an explicit r -> Cmd+Z -> Cmd+A/Cmd+X -> paste sequence only after validation.

Problem

The current Claude wake path can target focusable chat-history controls. Once focus is in a tool-call summary, Space toggles expansion/collapse instead of moving focus to the prompt. The destructive clear-and-paste sequence that follows can then operate from an invalid focus state or fail to place the wake payload in the prompt reliably.

This is an MX substrate regression: wake routing is the bridge between Memory Core events and the desktop harness. A flaky seed causes missed or mutated A2A wakeups and erodes trust in the shared swarm loop.

Architectural Reality

meta.focusSeedKey was documented in #10664 as a single-key non-mutating primitive. The Codex workaround is not just the value r; it is the validated probe-and-undo sequence around that value. The Claude fix must preserve that distinction:

• Do not silently replace space with bare r and then run Cmd+A.
• Either promote a named probe-and-undo primitive shared by Codex and Claude, or extend the existing explicit Codex r cleanup branch to Claude with comments that make the sequence contract clear.
• Keep Antigravity and other harnesses unchanged unless separately validated.

Contract Ledger Matrix

Fix

1. Remove the Claude default Space seed.
2. Add a Claude-safe prompt-focus sequence using r -> Cmd+Z before Cmd+A / Cmd+X / paste.
3. Keep the sequence explicit enough that future agents do not confuse it with a bare focusSeedKey: r opt-in.
4. Update comments to cite the 2026-05-08 Claude Desktop UI regression: focusable chat-history tool-call summaries make Space unsafe.
5. Update and extend bridge-daemon unit coverage for Claude, while preserving Codex coverage.

Acceptance Criteria

• Claude bridge delivery no longer emits key code 49 for the default prompt-focus path.
• Claude bridge delivery emits r before prompt clear and emits Cmd+Z before Cmd+A / Cmd+X / paste.
• Existing Claude Space test is rewritten or replaced with a regression test for the new order.
• A regression assertion proves Claude default delivery does not contain Space as a seed.
• Codex fail-closed behavior without a validated focus seed remains unchanged.
• Codex validated r -> Cmd+Z -> Cmd+A/Cmd+X -> paste behavior remains unchanged.
• Antigravity default tab shortcut and wake path remain unchanged unless separately validated.
• Manual validation notes cover these Claude states: prompt focused empty, prompt focused with draft, prompt unfocused empty, prompt unfocused with draft, and chat-history/tool-call-summary focused. In every case, tool-call summaries must not expand or collapse and the wake payload must land in the prompt.

Five-Stage Challenge Chain

1. Roadmap fit: This is a direct reliability fix for A2A wake delivery and the desktop harness loop.
2. Negative ROI check: Leaving Space in place costs repeated missed wakeups and operator attention; the fix is narrow and testable.
3. Duplicate sweep: #10660 is the closed prior Space strategy, #10658 is the open Claude parent, and #10664 is the Codex precedent. No active duplicate found in KB ticket search.
4. Prescription layer: The ticket prescribes sequence semantics and test contracts, not broad UI automation redesign.
5. Avoided traps: The ticket rejects bare focusSeedKey: r, avoids app-server scope creep, and keeps non-Claude harnesses out unless evidence exists.

Out of Scope

• Full app-server wake adapter work such as #10517.
• Reworking wake subscription routing or Memory Core delivery semantics.
• Changing Codex behavior beyond preserving current tests.
• Changing Antigravity behavior without separate validation.
• Continuing or modifying #10951 team-private retrieval work.

Related

• Parent candidate: #10658
• Superseded premise: #10660
• Codex precedent and safety matrix: #10664

Origin Session ID

1ed5570e-a33b-4a48-b05b-cda820c16bbb

Retrieval Hint

Claude Desktop focusable chat history Space tool-call summary expand collapse bridge-daemon focusSeedKey r Cmd+Z #10658 #10660 #10664