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(ux): no silent failures — every refusal or error says what happened and what to do #566
Description
Failures and refusals are often invisible:
- Delete on a merged row with a live member is refused by a "Failed" flash that shows only on hover.
- Delete errors otherwise go to the console only.
- There are 12
alert()and 17confirm()call sites, each with its own wording. - Some refusal texts name verbs the UI does not have: "close it first", "stop it first" for an External session.
Concept: Feedback. See docs/product/UI-PATTERNS.md "Feedback" and docs/product/CONCEPT-MAP.md m2 (#561).
Converge:
- Every failed or refused action says what happened and what the user can do, in a notice that stays visible.
- A refusal names only verbs that exist on that surface.
alert()andconfirm()move to the app's dialog and notice bricks (docs/product/BUILDING-BLOCKS.md).
Activity
devsuitup commentedon Oct 13, 2026
Decision (maintainer, 13/10): adopt the rule as written.
alert()/confirm()calls move to the app's dialog and notice bricks.It will be implemented surface by surface, in small PRs.
(ui): one notice brick: failures stay until dismissed, reversible act…
(notices): pause Undo while in use, announce through a live region an…
(notices): fold the notice timer change into the #566 changelog entry…
(ui): one notice brick: failures stay until dismissed, reversible act…
devsuitup commentedon Oct 16, 2026
Decided by Jean-Baptiste in person, 2026-10-15: first of the #563–#567 residuals (dependency order #566 → #564 → #567 → #565 → #563).
(errors): keep row Stop, Delete, Archive and background handoff failu…
(errors): finish no-silent-failures: remote Delete, Agents refusals, …
(errors): report a cancelled or failed restore retry and a skipped Ru…
(changelog): describe the restore retry notice in user terms (#566)
(errors): finish no-silent-failures — remote Delete, Agents refusals,…
devsuitup commentedon Oct 18, 2026
Done through #614, #662 and #706. Decided by Jean-Baptiste in person, 2026-10-18: the remaining appAlert error dialogs (file, viewer and activity-trace panels; sidebar remap and worktree delete) are a separate issue: #709. Run now failures after the shell has started: #707.