feat: capture_work — braindump → decomposed issues → filed in gitea (P4)

The last big agent capability. In the Capture screen, a rough braindump runs real
big-model decomposition into a small, estimated issue set; you review/edit the
labels and approve, and the issues are opened in gitea. This is the one place the
big model earns its keep (docs/agent-tools.md).

core (@commitea/core):
- capture-work: PROPOSE_ISSUES_TOOL + CAPTURE_SYSTEM; captureWork(complete, dump)
  forces a single structured decomposition and returns validated issues; parseCaptureArgs
  drops blank titles + invalid est/p labels. ProposedIssue / CaptureProposal.
- gitea client: createIssue({title, body?, labelIds?}) → POST /issues, normalized.

app:
- model bridge model:capture runs captureWork on the (loaded) big model.
- gitea bridge gitea:createIssues opens each approved issue with its est/* + p/*
  labels (reusing the #41 label-id resolver — zero-pollution, no invented labels).
- Capture screen: when a model is configured, "Brew tickets" runs real capture and
  "Approve all" files the set; otherwise the scripted demo interview runs. Fixed a
  race — the brew handler re-checks model status at click time so a configured
  model never falls into the scripted path before status resolves.

Verified: 108 core tests green (7 capture + createIssue added), desktop typecheck
clean, 14 fixture e2e green. Gated live e2e against gemma-4-26b: the auth braindump
→ 3 real tickets ("Resolve token refresh + session staleness" est/3d p/1, "Fix
webhook double-firing" est/2d p/2, "Write auth setup docs" est/1d p/3), reviewable
and editable; Discard so the test files nothing (createIssue POST is unit-tested).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

packages/core/src/agent/capture-work.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+
+import type { CompletionResult } from './chat-client.js'
+import { captureWork, parseCaptureArgs } from './capture-work.js'
+
+describe('parseCaptureArgs', () => {
+  it('validates issues and keeps only real titles + valid labels', () => {
+    const p = parseCaptureArgs({
+      issues: [
+        { title: 'Fix token refresh', body: 'dies silently', estimate: 'est/2d', priority: 'p/1' },
+        { title: '  ', body: 'blank title dropped' },
+        { title: 'Docs', estimate: 'est/9d', priority: 'urgent' }, // invalid labels → dropped to undefined
+      ],
+      consequence: 'Beta slips a day',
+    })
+    expect(p.issues).toHaveLength(2)
+    expect(p.issues[0]).toEqual({ title: 'Fix token refresh', body: 'dies silently', estimate: 'est/2d', priority: 'p/1' })
+    expect(p.issues[1]).toEqual({ title: 'Docs', body: '', estimate: undefined, priority: undefined })
+    expect(p.consequence).toBe('Beta slips a day')
+  })
+
+  it('tolerates a missing/!array issues field', () => {
+    expect(parseCaptureArgs({}).issues).toEqual([])
+    expect(parseCaptureArgs({ issues: 'nope' }).issues).toEqual([])
+  })
+})
+
+describe('captureWork', () => {
+  it('forces propose_issues and returns the validated set', async () => {
+    const result: CompletionResult = {
+      content: '',
+      toolCalls: [
+        {
+          id: 'c1',
+          name: 'propose_issues',
+          arguments: JSON.stringify({
+            issues: [{ title: 'Retry token refresh with backoff', body: '', estimate: 'est/2d', priority: 'p/2' }],
+            consequence: 'no material shift',
+          }),
+        },
+      ],
+    }
+    let sawTool = ''
+    const proposal = await captureWork(async (_m, tools) => {
+      sawTool = tools?.[0]?.name ?? ''
+      return result
+    }, 'auth is flaky, token refresh dies')
+    expect(sawTool).toBe('propose_issues')
+    expect(proposal.issues[0].title).toBe('Retry token refresh with backoff')
+    expect(proposal.consequence).toBe('no material shift')
+  })
+
+  it('returns an empty set when the model answers without the tool', async () => {
+    const proposal = await captureWork(async () => ({ content: 'I need more detail.', toolCalls: [] }), 'vague')
+    expect(proposal.issues).toEqual([])
+  })
+
+  it('survives malformed tool arguments', async () => {
+    const proposal = await captureWork(
+      async () => ({ content: '', toolCalls: [{ id: 'c1', name: 'propose_issues', arguments: '{not json' }] }),
+      'x',
+    )
+    expect(proposal.issues).toEqual([])
+  })
+})

packages/core/src/agent/capture-work.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+/**
+ * capture_work — braindump → a small set of concrete issues. This is the one
+ * place the big model earns its keep (decomposition + estimate negotiation).
+ * It returns a *proposal*; nothing is filed until the human approves it in the
+ * Capture tray and it goes through the create-issue write path. Pure
+ * orchestration over an injected `complete` — stubbable, so it's testable offline.
+ */
+
+import {
+  type EstimateLabel,
+  ESTIMATE_LABELS,
+  type PriorityLabel,
+  PRIORITY_LABELS,
+} from '../labels/label-schema.js'
+import type { ChatMessage, CompletionResult, ToolDecl } from './chat-client.js'
+
+export interface ProposedIssue {
+  title: string
+  body: string
+  estimate?: EstimateLabel
+  priority?: PriorityLabel
+}
+
+export interface CaptureProposal {
+  issues: ProposedIssue[]
+  /** One-line schedule impact, if the model offered one. */
+  consequence?: string
+}
+
+export const PROPOSE_ISSUES_TOOL: ToolDecl = {
+  name: 'propose_issues',
+  description: 'Return the decomposed issue set for a braindump. Call this exactly once.',
+  parameters: {
+    type: 'object',
+    properties: {
+      issues: {
+        type: 'array',
+        items: {
+          type: 'object',
+          properties: {
+            title: { type: 'string', description: 'a clear imperative title' },
+            body: { type: 'string', description: 'one or two lines of detail' },
+            estimate: { type: 'string', enum: ['est/1d', 'est/2d', 'est/3d', 'est/5d', 'est/8d'] },
+            priority: { type: 'string', enum: ['p/1', 'p/2', 'p/3', 'p/4'] },
+          },
+          required: ['title'],
+        },
+      },
+      consequence: { type: 'string', description: 'one-line note on the schedule impact' },
+    },
+    required: ['issues'],
+  },
+}
+
+export const CAPTURE_SYSTEM = [
+  'You are Reginald, decomposing a rough braindump into a small set of concrete Gitea issues.',
+  'Call propose_issues exactly once. Split genuinely separate work; merge trivially-coupled work; invent no scope.',
+  'Each issue gets an imperative title, a one-line body, an estimate (est/1d…8d) and a priority (p/1…4).',
+  'Estimate honestly — a "quick" task is rarely one day. Keep the set tight; three good issues beat eight vague ones.',
+].join(' ')
+
+function isEstimate(v: unknown): v is EstimateLabel {
+  return typeof v === 'string' && (ESTIMATE_LABELS as readonly string[]).includes(v)
+}
+function isPriority(v: unknown): v is PriorityLabel {
+  return typeof v === 'string' && (PRIORITY_LABELS as readonly string[]).includes(v)
+}
+
+/** Coerce the model's raw propose_issues args into a validated proposal. */
+export function parseCaptureArgs(args: unknown): CaptureProposal {
+  const a = (args ?? {}) as { issues?: unknown[]; consequence?: unknown }
+  const issues: ProposedIssue[] = []
+  for (const raw of Array.isArray(a.issues) ? a.issues : []) {
+    const r = (raw ?? {}) as Record<string, unknown>
+    const title = typeof r.title === 'string' ? r.title.trim() : ''
+    if (!title) continue
+    issues.push({
+      title,
+      body: typeof r.body === 'string' ? r.body : '',
+      estimate: isEstimate(r.estimate) ? r.estimate : undefined,
+      priority: isPriority(r.priority) ? r.priority : undefined,
+    })
+  }
+  return { issues, consequence: typeof a.consequence === 'string' ? a.consequence : undefined }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Run one decomposition turn. Forces the model to answer via propose_issues and
+ * returns the validated set. An empty set means the model declined to structure it.
+ */
+export async function captureWork(
+  complete: (messages: ChatMessage[], tools?: ToolDecl[]) => Promise<CompletionResult>,
+  braindump: string,
+): Promise<CaptureProposal> {
+  const res = await complete(
+    [
+      { role: 'system', content: CAPTURE_SYSTEM },
+      { role: 'user', content: braindump },
+    ],
+    [PROPOSE_ISSUES_TOOL],
+  )
+  const call = res.toolCalls.find((t) => t.name === 'propose_issues')
+  if (!call) return { issues: [] }
+  try {
+    return parseCaptureArgs(JSON.parse(call.arguments || '{}'))
+  } catch {
+    return { issues: [] }
+  }
+}

packages/core/src/gitea/client.test.ts

@@ -146,6 +146,18 @@ describe('createGiteaClient.getIssue', () => {
     ])
   })
 
+  it('createIssue POSTs title/body/labels and returns a normalized issue', async () => {
+    const created = { ...RAW_ISSUE, number: 44, title: 'Retry token refresh', labels: [{ name: 'est/2d' }, { name: 'p/2' }] }
+    const { fetch, calls } = stubFetch(created, 201)
+    const issue = await createGiteaClient(CONFIG, fetch).createIssue({ title: 'Retry token refresh', body: 'backoff', labelIds: [3, 7] })
+
+    expect(calls[0].url).toBe('https://gitea.stephenmann.io/api/v1/repos/christian/commitea/issues')
+    expect(calls[0].init?.method).toBe('POST')
+    expect(JSON.parse(calls[0].init?.body ?? '{}')).toEqual({ title: 'Retry token refresh', body: 'backoff', labels: [3, 7] })
+    expect(issue.number).toBe(44)
+    expect(issue.labels).toEqual(['est/2d', 'p/2'])
+  })
+
   it('throws GiteaApiError carrying status + body on a non-2xx response', async () => {
     const { fetch } = stubFetch('not found', 404)
     const client = createGiteaClient(CONFIG, fetch)

packages/core/src/gitea/client.ts

@@ -103,6 +103,8 @@ export interface GiteaClient {
   listLabels(): Promise<GiteaLabel[]>
   /** Replace an issue's entire label set with the given label ids. Write. */
   setIssueLabels(index: number, labelIds: number[]): Promise<void>
+  /** Open a new issue with a title, optional body, and label ids. Write. */
+  createIssue(input: { title: string; body?: string; labelIds?: number[] }): Promise<GiteaIssue>
 }
 
 /** Map raw gitea issue JSON to the normalized domain shape. Pure. */
@@ -222,5 +224,13 @@ export function createGiteaClient(config: GiteaConfig, fetchImpl: FetchLike): Gi
     async setIssueLabels(index, labelIds) {
       await request(`/issues/${index}/labels`, { method: 'PUT', body: { labels: labelIds } })
     },
+
+    async createIssue(input) {
+      const raw = (await request('/issues', {
+        method: 'POST',
+        body: { title: input.title, body: input.body ?? '', labels: input.labelIds ?? [] },
+      })) as RawIssue
+      return normalizeIssue(raw)
+    },
   }
 }

packages/core/src/index.ts

@@ -88,3 +88,5 @@ export type { AgentStep, AgentTurn, ToolExecutor } from './agent/agent-loop.js'
 export { PROPOSE_CHANGE_TOOL, QUERY_PROJECT_TOOL, REGINALD_SYSTEM, REGINALD_TOOLS } from './agent/agent-tools.js'
 export { buildProjectView } from './agent/query-project.js'
 export type { ProjectSnapshot, ProjectView, QueryFilters } from './agent/query-project.js'
+export { CAPTURE_SYSTEM, captureWork, parseCaptureArgs, PROPOSE_ISSUES_TOOL } from './agent/capture-work.js'
+export type { CaptureProposal, ProposedIssue } from './agent/capture-work.js'