Use chat metadata cwd for session working directory

Read cwd from YChat metadata (set by the frontend when a chat is
opened) and resolve it against root_dir. Falls back to root_dir
then get_chat_dir() when chat metadata has no cwd.

Session creation is deferred from __init__ to the first
process_message call so the Y.js metadata has time to sync from
the browser.

Author: Zsailer

jupyter_ai_acp_client/base_acp_persona.py

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class BaseAcpPersona(BasePersona):
     Developers should always use `self.get_client()`.
     """
 
-    _client_session_future: Task[NewSessionResponse | LoadSessionResponse]
+    _client_session_future: Task[NewSessionResponse | LoadSessionResponse] | None
     """
     The future that yields the ACP client session info. Each instance of an ACP
     persona has a unique session ID, i.e. each chat reserves a unique session.
@@ -93,9 +93,7 @@ def __init__(self, *args, executable: list[str], **kwargs):
                 self._init_client()
             )
 
-        self._client_session_future = self.event_loop.create_task(
-            self._init_client_session()
-        )
+        self._client_session_future = None
         self._acp_slash_commands = []
 
     async def before_agent_subprocess(self) -> None:
@@ -216,17 +214,24 @@ async def get_client(self) -> JaiAcpClient:
         """
         return await self.__class__._client_future
 
+    async def _ensure_client_session(self):
+        if self._client_session_future is None:
+            self._client_session_future = self.event_loop.create_task(
+                self._init_client_session()
+            )
+        return await self._client_session_future
+
     async def get_session_response(self) -> NewSessionResponse | LoadSessionResponse:
         """
         Safely returns the ACP session response for this chat.
         """
-        return await self._client_session_future
+        return await self._ensure_client_session()
 
     async def get_session_id(self) -> str:
         """
         Safely returns the ACP session ID assigned to this chat.
         """
-        await self._client_session_future
+        await self._ensure_client_session()
         # session ID should always be stored in chat metadata after client
         # session was created or loaded.
         session_ids = self._get_existing_sessions()

jupyter_ai_acp_client/default_acp_client.py

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import os
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Awaitable
 from time import time
@@ -163,6 +164,13 @@ async def _get_mcp_servers(self, persona: BasePersona) -> list[AcpMcpServerStdio
 
         return mcp_servers
 
+    def _resolve_cwd(self, persona: BasePersona) -> str:
+        root_dir = persona.parent.root_dir
+        chat_cwd = persona.ychat.get_metadata().get("cwd")
+        if root_dir and chat_cwd and chat_cwd != "/":
+            return os.path.join(root_dir, chat_cwd)
+        return root_dir or persona.get_chat_dir()
+
     async def create_session(self, persona: BasePersona) -> NewSessionResponse:
         """
         Create an ACP agent session through this client scoped to a
@@ -171,7 +179,7 @@ async def create_session(self, persona: BasePersona) -> NewSessionResponse:
         """
         conn = await self.get_connection()
         mcp_servers = await self._get_mcp_servers(persona)
-        cwd = persona.parent.root_dir or persona.get_chat_dir()
+        cwd = self._resolve_cwd(persona)
         session = await conn.new_session(cwd=cwd, mcp_servers=mcp_servers)
         self._personas_by_session[session.session_id] = persona
         return session
@@ -212,7 +220,7 @@ async def _load_session_rpc(self, persona: BasePersona, session_id: str) -> Load
         """
         conn = await self.get_connection()
         mcp_servers = await self._get_mcp_servers(persona)
-        cwd = persona.parent.root_dir or persona.get_chat_dir()
+        cwd = self._resolve_cwd(persona)
         response = await conn.load_session(cwd=cwd, session_id=session_id, mcp_servers=mcp_servers)
         self._personas_by_session[session_id] = persona
         return response

jupyter_ai_acp_client/tests/test_default_acp_client.py

@@ -244,13 +244,48 @@ async def _failing_rpc(*args, **kwargs):
 class TestSessionCwd:
     """Tests for session cwd resolution in create_session and _load_session_rpc."""
 
-    async def test_create_session_uses_root_dir(self):
-        """create_session uses persona.parent.root_dir as cwd."""
+    async def test_create_session_uses_chat_metadata_cwd(self):
+        """create_session joins chat metadata cwd with root_dir."""
         client, conn, _ = _make_client_and_persona()
         client._get_mcp_servers = AsyncMock(return_value=[])
 
         persona = MagicMock()
         persona.parent.root_dir = "/home/user/notebooks"
+        persona.ychat.get_metadata.return_value = {"cwd": "projects/my-repo"}
+        persona.get_chat_dir.return_value = "/home/user/notebooks/.jupyter/chats"
+
+        conn.new_session = AsyncMock(return_value=MagicMock(session_id="s1"))
+
+        await client.create_session(persona)
+
+        conn.new_session.assert_called_once()
+        assert conn.new_session.call_args.kwargs["cwd"] == "/home/user/notebooks/projects/my-repo"
+
+    async def test_create_session_uses_root_dir_when_no_chat_cwd(self):
+        """create_session falls back to root_dir when chat metadata has no cwd."""
+        client, conn, _ = _make_client_and_persona()
+        client._get_mcp_servers = AsyncMock(return_value=[])
+
+        persona = MagicMock()
+        persona.parent.root_dir = "/home/user/notebooks"
+        persona.ychat.get_metadata.return_value = {}
+        persona.get_chat_dir.return_value = "/home/user/notebooks/.jupyter/chats"
+
+        conn.new_session = AsyncMock(return_value=MagicMock(session_id="s1"))
+
+        await client.create_session(persona)
+
+        conn.new_session.assert_called_once()
+        assert conn.new_session.call_args.kwargs["cwd"] == "/home/user/notebooks"
+
+    async def test_create_session_uses_root_dir_when_chat_cwd_is_root(self):
+        """create_session uses root_dir when chat cwd is '/' (file browser root)."""
+        client, conn, _ = _make_client_and_persona()
+        client._get_mcp_servers = AsyncMock(return_value=[])
+
+        persona = MagicMock()
+        persona.parent.root_dir = "/home/user/notebooks"
+        persona.ychat.get_metadata.return_value = {"cwd": "/"}
         persona.get_chat_dir.return_value = "/home/user/notebooks/.jupyter/chats"
 
         conn.new_session = AsyncMock(return_value=MagicMock(session_id="s1"))
@@ -267,6 +302,7 @@ async def test_create_session_falls_back_to_chat_dir(self):
 
         persona = MagicMock()
         persona.parent.root_dir = None
+        persona.ychat.get_metadata.return_value = {}
         persona.get_chat_dir.return_value = "/home/user/.jupyter/chats"
 
         conn.new_session = AsyncMock(return_value=MagicMock(session_id="s1"))
@@ -276,18 +312,19 @@ async def test_create_session_falls_back_to_chat_dir(self):
         conn.new_session.assert_called_once()
         assert conn.new_session.call_args.kwargs["cwd"] == "/home/user/.jupyter/chats"
 
-    async def test_load_session_uses_root_dir(self):
-        """_load_session_rpc uses persona.parent.root_dir as cwd."""
+    async def test_load_session_uses_chat_metadata_cwd(self):
+        """_load_session_rpc joins chat metadata cwd with root_dir."""
         client, conn, _ = _make_client_and_persona()
         client._get_mcp_servers = AsyncMock(return_value=[])
 
         persona = MagicMock()
         persona.parent.root_dir = "/home/user/notebooks"
+        persona.ychat.get_metadata.return_value = {"cwd": "projects/my-repo"}
         persona.get_chat_dir.return_value = "/home/user/notebooks/.jupyter/chats"
 
         conn.load_session = AsyncMock(return_value=MagicMock(session_id="s1"))
 
         await client._load_session_rpc(persona, "s1")
 
         conn.load_session.assert_called_once()
-        assert conn.load_session.call_args.kwargs["cwd"] == "/home/user/notebooks"
+        assert conn.load_session.call_args.kwargs["cwd"] == "/home/user/notebooks/projects/my-repo"