fix(session): export the full running conversation, handle quoted paths

Two bugs in yesterday's /session export + import:

1. Quoted / tilde paths weren't normalised.
   Drag-drop paste in the tui auto-quotes dropped file paths so
   the shell-style `/session import 'foo bar.zotsession'` stays
   well-formed. But the /session handler's expandTilde checked
   for a leading '~' and the string's first char was a literal
   quote, so the tilde never expanded and stat failed with
   "no such file or directory".

   unquotePath helper now strips a matching pair of surrounding
   single or double quotes before expandTilde runs. Applies to
   both export (dst) and import (src).

2. Export was writing only the meta row when called mid-session.
   The tui's default persistence strategy writes agent messages
   to the session file lazily: WriteNewTranscript runs once
   when the tui exits, NOT after every turn. Meanwhile the
   running agent's messages live in a sync.Mutex-guarded slice
   in core.Agent.messages. /session export was reading the file
   bytes off disk, which at that point only contained the meta
   row plus whatever was there on startup.

   New FlushSession hook on InteractiveConfig: the cli wires it
   to WriteNewTranscript against the current agent, then
   advances sessBaselineMsgs so the tui's own exit-time flush
   doesn't double-write. /session export calls the hook right
   before ExportSession, so the file on disk reflects the full
   running transcript at the moment the user hit enter.

Tests:

- internal/core/session_portable_test.go was already exercising
  ExportSession/ImportSession against on-disk files; this fix
  lives in the cli/modes glue, not in core.

- internal/agent/modes ad-hoc TestUnquotePathThenExpandTilde
  (run locally, not committed) covered the 8 tilde+quote
  combinations.

Verified: create a fresh session, type "hello", reply, "foo",
reply, run /session export. Exported .zotsession now contains
the meta row + 2 user + 2 assistant + 1 usage row. Re-import
into a different cwd via /session import <path>, /sessions to
confirm it lands as a resumable entry.

commit: 9b063d871b494854541c1b013d1479a559a5b30e
author: patriceckhart · 6mo ago · 2026-04-20 08:19 UTC
parent: ef80f9c
signature: unsigned
refs: tag: v0.0.58

2 files · +55 -2

M internal/agent/cli.go +18 -0


@@ -570,6 +570,24 @@ func runInteractive(ctx context.Context, args Args, version string) error {
570	570		}
571	571		return sess.Path
572	572		},
	573	+	FlushSession: func() {
	574	+	// Append any not-yet-persisted agent messages to the
	575	+	// current session file, then advance the baseline so
	576	+	// the final WriteNewTranscript at exit doesn't write
	577	+	// duplicates. Called by /session export so the
	578	+	// exported bytes include everything the user has
	579	+	// said in the running TUI, not just whatever got
	580	+	// flushed at startup.
	581	+	if sess == nil {
	582	+	return
	583	+	}
	584	+	currentAg := iv.Agent()
	585	+	if currentAg == nil {
	586	+	return
	587	+	}
	588	+	WriteNewTranscript(currentAg, sess, sessBaselineMsgs)
	589	+	sessBaselineMsgs = len(currentAg.Messages())
	590	+	},
573	591		Extensions: extMgr,
574	592		ChangelogChan: changelogCh,
575	593		OnChangelogDismiss: func() {


@@ -570,6 +570,24 @@ func runInteractive(ctx context.Context, args Args, version string) error {
570	}	570		}
571	return sess.Path	571		return sess.Path
572	},	572		},
		573	+	FlushSession: func() {
		574	+	// Append any not-yet-persisted agent messages to the
		575	+	// current session file, then advance the baseline so
		576	+	// the final WriteNewTranscript at exit doesn't write
		577	+	// duplicates. Called by /session export so the
		578	+	// exported bytes include everything the user has
		579	+	// said in the running TUI, not just whatever got
		580	+	// flushed at startup.
		581	+	if sess == nil {
		582	+	return
		583	+	}
		584	+	currentAg := iv.Agent()
		585	+	if currentAg == nil {
		586	+	return
		587	+	}
		588	+	WriteNewTranscript(currentAg, sess, sessBaselineMsgs)
		589	+	sessBaselineMsgs = len(currentAg.Messages())
		590	+	},
573	Extensions: extMgr,	591		Extensions: extMgr,
574	ChangelogChan: changelogCh,	592		ChangelogChan: changelogCh,
575	OnChangelogDismiss: func() {	593		OnChangelogDismiss: func() {

M internal/agent/modes/interactive.go +37 -2


@@ -83,6 +83,17 @@ type InteractiveConfig struct {
83	83		// no session is open.
84	84		CurrentSessionPath func() string
85	85
	86	+	// FlushSession writes any in-memory agent messages to the
	87	+	// session file that haven't been persisted yet. Called by
	88	+	// /session export right before reading the file so the
	89	+	// exported bytes reflect the full current conversation, not
	90	+	// just the rows the agent happened to write synchronously.
	91	+	// The default WriteNewTranscript-at-exit strategy means most
	92	+	// of a running session lives only in memory until the tui
	93	+	// closes; without a flush hook, /session export writes a
	94	+	// file that only has the meta row.
	95	+	FlushSession func()
	96	+
86	97		// PersistModel is called whenever the user switches model or provider.
87	98		// It should update config.json and (if there's an active session)
88	99		// write a new meta row so resume picks up the same model.

@@ -2563,7 +2574,14 @@ func (i *Interactive) doSessionExport(dst string) {
2563	2574		i.invalidate()
2564	2575		return
2565	2576		}
2566		-	dst = strings.TrimSpace(dst)
	2577	+	// Persist any in-memory agent messages to the session file so
	2578	+	// the export carries the full conversation. Without this, the
	2579	+	// default lazy-flush-at-exit strategy leaves most of a running
	2580	+	// session unwritten and the export ends up with only the meta.
	2581	+	if i.cfg.FlushSession != nil {
	2582	+	i.cfg.FlushSession()
	2583	+	}
	2584	+	dst = unquotePath(dst)
2567	2585		if dst == "" {
2568	2586		dst = defaultExportDir()
2569	2587		} else {

@@ -2589,7 +2607,7 @@ func (i *Interactive) doSessionExport(dst string) {
2589	2607		// session, same as `/sessions` -> pick. When src is empty we ask
2590	2608		// the user to pass a path (no usable default here).
2591	2609		func (i *Interactive) doSessionImport(src string) {
2592		-	src = strings.TrimSpace(src)
	2610	+	src = unquotePath(src)
2593	2611		if src == "" {
2594	2612		i.mu.Lock()
2595	2613		i.statusErr = "import: pass a path — e.g. /session import ~/Downloads/work.zotsession"

@@ -2668,6 +2686,23 @@ func expandTilde(p string) string {
2668	2686		return p
2669	2687		}
2670	2688
	2689	+	// unquotePath strips a matching pair of surrounding single or
	2690	+	// double quotes. Drag-drop paste in the tui auto-quotes dropped
	2691	+	// file paths so the shell-like `/session import 'foo bar.zs'`
	2692	+	// stays well-formed; when the TUI's own slash handler consumes
	2693	+	// the arg, we want the raw path back.
	2694	+	func unquotePath(p string) string {
	2695	+	p = strings.TrimSpace(p)
	2696	+	if len(p) >= 2 {
	2697	+	first := p[0]
	2698	+	last := p[len(p)-1]
	2699	+	if (first == '\'' && last == '\'') \|\| (first == '"' && last == '"') {
	2700	+	p = p[1 : len(p)-1]
	2701	+	}
	2702	+	}
	2703	+	return p
	2704	+	}
	2705	+
2671	2706		// friendlyPath collapses the user's home directory to a leading ~
2672	2707		// so status messages read cleanly. Falls back to the raw path when
2673	2708		// the home dir is unknown.


@@ -83,6 +83,17 @@ type InteractiveConfig struct {
83		// no session is open.	83		// no session is open.
84		CurrentSessionPath func() string	84		CurrentSessionPath func() string
85			85
			86	+	// FlushSession writes any in-memory agent messages to the
			87	+	// session file that haven't been persisted yet. Called by
			88	+	// /session export right before reading the file so the
			89	+	// exported bytes reflect the full current conversation, not
			90	+	// just the rows the agent happened to write synchronously.
			91	+	// The default WriteNewTranscript-at-exit strategy means most
			92	+	// of a running session lives only in memory until the tui
			93	+	// closes; without a flush hook, /session export writes a
			94	+	// file that only has the meta row.
			95	+	FlushSession func()
			96	+
86		// PersistModel is called whenever the user switches model or provider.	97		// PersistModel is called whenever the user switches model or provider.
87		// It should update config.json and (if there's an active session)	98		// It should update config.json and (if there's an active session)
88		// write a new meta row so resume picks up the same model.	99		// write a new meta row so resume picks up the same model.

@@ -2563,7 +2574,14 @@ func (i *Interactive) doSessionExport(dst string) {
2563		i.invalidate()	2574		i.invalidate()
2564		return	2575		return
2565		}	2576		}
2566	-	dst = strings.TrimSpace(dst)	2577	+	// Persist any in-memory agent messages to the session file so
			2578	+	// the export carries the full conversation. Without this, the
			2579	+	// default lazy-flush-at-exit strategy leaves most of a running
			2580	+	// session unwritten and the export ends up with only the meta.
			2581	+	if i.cfg.FlushSession != nil {
			2582	+	i.cfg.FlushSession()
			2583	+	}
			2584	+	dst = unquotePath(dst)
2567		if dst == "" {	2585		if dst == "" {
2568		dst = defaultExportDir()	2586		dst = defaultExportDir()
2569		} else {	2587		} else {

@@ -2589,7 +2607,7 @@ func (i *Interactive) doSessionExport(dst string) {
2589		// session, same as `/sessions` -> pick. When src is empty we ask	2607		// session, same as `/sessions` -> pick. When src is empty we ask
2590		// the user to pass a path (no usable default here).	2608		// the user to pass a path (no usable default here).
2591		func (i *Interactive) doSessionImport(src string) {	2609		func (i *Interactive) doSessionImport(src string) {
2592	-	src = strings.TrimSpace(src)	2610	+	src = unquotePath(src)
2593		if src == "" {	2611		if src == "" {
2594		i.mu.Lock()	2612		i.mu.Lock()
2595		i.statusErr = "import: pass a path — e.g. /session import ~/Downloads/work.zotsession"	2613		i.statusErr = "import: pass a path — e.g. /session import ~/Downloads/work.zotsession"

@@ -2668,6 +2686,23 @@ func expandTilde(p string) string {
2668		return p	2686		return p
2669		}	2687		}
2670			2688
			2689	+	// unquotePath strips a matching pair of surrounding single or
			2690	+	// double quotes. Drag-drop paste in the tui auto-quotes dropped
			2691	+	// file paths so the shell-like `/session import 'foo bar.zs'`
			2692	+	// stays well-formed; when the TUI's own slash handler consumes
			2693	+	// the arg, we want the raw path back.
			2694	+	func unquotePath(p string) string {
			2695	+	p = strings.TrimSpace(p)
			2696	+	if len(p) >= 2 {
			2697	+	first := p[0]
			2698	+	last := p[len(p)-1]
			2699	+	if (first == '\'' && last == '\'') \|\| (first == '"' && last == '"') {
			2700	+	p = p[1 : len(p)-1]
			2701	+	}
			2702	+	}
			2703	+	return p
			2704	+	}
			2705	+
2671		// friendlyPath collapses the user's home directory to a leading ~	2706		// friendlyPath collapses the user's home directory to a leading ~
2672		// so status messages read cleanly. Falls back to the raw path when	2707		// so status messages read cleanly. Falls back to the raw path when
2673		// the home dir is unknown.	2708		// the home dir is unknown.