Make the handoff say why it's blocked, and imports say what they are

apps/ade-cli/src/services/sync/syncRemoteCommandService.test.ts

@@ -1750,6 +1750,7 @@ describe("createSyncRemoteCommandService", () => {
       "chat.prepareCrossMachineHandoff",
       "chat.validateCrossMachineSource",
       "chat.preflightCrossMachineDestination",
+      "chat.fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane",
       "chat.acceptCrossMachineHandoff",
       "chat.markCrossMachineHandoff",
       "chat.getContextUsage",
@@ -1866,6 +1867,10 @@ describe("createSyncRemoteCommandService", () => {
       blockingErrors: [],
       warnings: [],
     });
+    const fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: true,
+      head: capsule.source.headSha,
+    });
     const acceptCrossMachineHandoff = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
       handoffId: capsule.handoffId,
       laneId: "lane-2",
@@ -1879,6 +1884,7 @@ describe("createSyncRemoteCommandService", () => {
         prepareCrossMachineHandoff,
         validateCrossMachineSource,
         preflightCrossMachineDestination,
+        fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane,
         acceptCrossMachineHandoff,
         markCrossMachineHandoff,
       },
@@ -1918,6 +1924,10 @@ describe("createSyncRemoteCommandService", () => {
       sourceBranchRef: capsule.source.branchRef,
       sourceHeadSha: capsule.source.headSha,
     }))).resolves.toMatchObject({ providerAuthorized: true, modelAvailable: true });
+    await expect(service.execute(makePayload("chat.fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane", {
+      laneId: " lane-2 ",
+      expectedHead: ` ${capsule.source.headSha} `,
+    }))).resolves.toEqual({ ok: true, head: capsule.source.headSha });
     await expect(service.execute(makePayload("chat.acceptCrossMachineHandoff", {
       capsule,
       capsuleFingerprint: "fingerprint-1",
@@ -1936,6 +1946,10 @@ describe("createSyncRemoteCommandService", () => {
       sourceBranchRef: capsule.source.branchRef,
       sourceHeadSha: capsule.source.headSha,
     });
+    expect(fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      laneId: "lane-2",
+      expectedHead: capsule.source.headSha,
+    });
     expect(acceptCrossMachineHandoff).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
       capsule,
       capsuleFingerprint: "fingerprint-1",

apps/ade-cli/src/services/sync/syncRemoteCommandService.ts

@@ -884,6 +884,21 @@ function parseCrossMachineDestinationPreflightArgs(
   };
 }
 
+function parseFastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLaneArgs(
+  value: Record<string, unknown>,
+): { laneId: string; expectedHead: string } {
+  return {
+    laneId: requireString(
+      value.laneId,
+      "chat.fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane requires laneId.",
+    ),
+    expectedHead: requireString(
+      value.expectedHead,
+      "chat.fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane requires expectedHead.",
+    ),
+  };
+}
+
 function parsePrepareCrossMachineHandoffArgs(
   value: Record<string, unknown>,
 ): AgentChatPrepareCrossMachineHandoffArgs {
@@ -4116,6 +4131,10 @@ function registerChatRemoteCommands({ args, register }: RemoteCommandRegistratio
     requireService(args.agentChatService, "Agent chat service not available.").preflightCrossMachineDestination(
       parseCrossMachineDestinationPreflightArgs(payload),
     ));
+  register("chat.fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane", { viewerAllowed: true, queueable: false }, async (payload) =>
+    requireService(args.agentChatService, "Agent chat service not available.").fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane(
+      parseFastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLaneArgs(payload),
+    ));
   register("chat.acceptCrossMachineHandoff", { viewerAllowed: true, queueable: false }, async (payload) =>
     requireService(args.agentChatService, "Agent chat service not available.").acceptCrossMachineHandoff(
       parseAcceptCrossMachineHandoffArgs(payload),

apps/ade-cli/src/tuiClient/__tests__/externalSessionBrowser.test.ts

@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import type { ExternalSessionSummary } from "../../../../desktop/src/shared/types/externalSessions";
 import {
   clampExternalSessionBrowserContent,
+  externalSessionAnchors,
   externalSessionBrowserActions,
+  externalSessionRowTitle,
   normalizeExternalSessionListResult,
   visibleExternalSessions,
 } from "../externalSessionBrowser";
@@ -51,6 +53,60 @@ describe("externalSessionBrowser helpers", () => {
       .toEqual(["cursor", "newest"]);
   });
 
+  it("searches the sampled conversation, not just the title", () => {
+    const rows = [
+      session({ id: "titled", title: "Release plan", updatedAt: 50 }),
+      session({
+        id: "sampled",
+        title: null,
+        preview: "look at the checkout flow",
+        updatedAt: 40,
+        messages: [
+          { role: "user", text: "look at the checkout flow", at: 1 },
+          { role: "assistant", text: "The regression is in the coupon validator.", at: 2 },
+        ],
+      }),
+    ];
+
+    expect(visibleExternalSessions(rows, "all", "coupon").map((row) => row.id)).toEqual(["sampled"]);
+    // Rows without a message sample still match on the legacy fields only.
+    expect(visibleExternalSessions(rows, "all", "release").map((row) => row.id)).toEqual(["titled"]);
+  });
+
+  it("names titleless rows by their opening prompt and never repeats it as an anchor", () => {
+    const titleless = session({
+      title: null,
+      preview: "look at\n  the checkout flow",
+      messages: [
+        { role: "user", text: "look at the checkout flow", at: 1 },
+        { role: "assistant", text: "Found it:\nthe coupon validator", at: 2 },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    expect(externalSessionRowTitle(titleless)).toBe("look at the checkout flow");
+    expect(externalSessionAnchors(titleless)).toEqual({
+      started: null,
+      latest: "Found it: the coupon validator",
+    });
+
+    const titled = session({ title: "Checkout", preview: "look at the checkout flow" });
+    // Older hosts send no `messages`; the opening prompt is then the only anchor.
+    expect(externalSessionAnchors(titled)).toEqual({
+      started: "look at the checkout flow",
+      latest: null,
+    });
+
+    const singleTurn = session({
+      title: "Checkout",
+      preview: "look at the checkout flow",
+      messages: [{ role: "user", text: "look at the checkout flow", at: 1 }],
+    });
+    expect(externalSessionAnchors(singleTurn)).toEqual({
+      started: "look at the checkout flow",
+      latest: null,
+    });
+  });
+
   it("clamps selection and action indexes after filter changes", () => {
     const content: Extract<RightPaneContent, { kind: "external-session-browser" }> = {
       kind: "external-session-browser",

apps/ade-cli/src/tuiClient/components/RightPane.tsx

@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@ import type { TuiChatSessionSummary } from "../adeApi";
 import { theme } from "../theme";
 import {
   externalSessionActionKey,
+  externalSessionAnchors,
   externalSessionBrowserActions,
   externalSessionProviderLabel,
+  externalSessionRowTitle,
   shortenCwd,
   visibleExternalSessions,
 } from "../externalSessionBrowser";
@@ -1608,7 +1610,8 @@ function ExternalSessionBrowserPane({
             const absoluteIndex = windowStart + offset;
             const selected = absoluteIndex === selectedIndex;
             const brand = theme.provider(session.provider);
-            const title = session.title?.trim() || session.preview?.trim() || session.id;
+            const title = externalSessionRowTitle(session);
+            const anchors = externalSessionAnchors(session);
             const cwd = shortenCwd(session.cwd, 4);
             const messageCount = typeof session.messageCount === "number" && Number.isFinite(session.messageCount)
               ? `${compactNumber(session.messageCount)} prompt${session.messageCount === 1 ? "" : "s"}`
@@ -1634,9 +1637,28 @@ function ExternalSessionBrowserPane({
                     {`  ${endTruncate(badges.join(" · "), Math.max(8, inner - 2))}`}
                   </Text>
                 ) : null}
-                {selected && session.preview?.trim() ? (
-                  <Text color={theme.color.t3} wrap="truncate-end">
-                    {`  ${endTruncate(session.preview.trim(), Math.max(8, inner - 2))}`}
+                {/*
+                  Two anchors beat one snippet when you are picking a session out of a
+                  list: the opening ask says which task this was, the last turn says how
+                  far it got. Selected row only, one truncated line each, and each is
+                  suppressed when the heading above already carries that text — so the
+                  common titleless row still costs exactly the one line the old preview
+                  did, spent on newer information.
+                */}
+                {selected && anchors.started ? (
+                  <Text wrap="truncate-end">
+                    <Text color={theme.color.t5} dimColor>{"  started "}</Text>
+                    <Text color={theme.color.t4}>
+                      {endTruncate(anchors.started, Math.max(8, inner - 12))}
+                    </Text>
+                  </Text>
+                ) : null}
+                {selected && anchors.latest ? (
+                  <Text wrap="truncate-end">
+                    <Text color={theme.color.t5} dimColor>{"  latest  "}</Text>
+                    <Text color={theme.color.t3}>
+                      {endTruncate(anchors.latest, Math.max(8, inner - 12))}
+                    </Text>
                   </Text>
                 ) : null}
                 {selected && session.alreadyImported && session.importedSessionRef ? (

apps/ade-cli/src/tuiClient/externalSessionBrowser.ts

@@ -75,6 +75,42 @@ export function externalSessionProviderLabel(provider: ExternalSessionProvider |
   return provider === "all" ? "All" : PROVIDER_LABELS[provider] ?? provider;
 }
 
+/** Collapses provider text to one line so a TUI row can print it without wrapping. */
+function collapseLine(value: string | null | undefined): string | null {
+  const collapsed = value?.replace(/\s+/gu, " ").trim();
+  return collapsed ? collapsed : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Row heading, mirroring the desktop browser's `sessionHeading`: a provider-persisted
+ * title when there is one, otherwise the opening prompt, otherwise the raw id. Most
+ * Claude CLI transcripts carry no title, so without the prompt fallback the row would
+ * name itself with a uuid.
+ */
+export function externalSessionRowTitle(session: ExternalSessionSummary): string {
+  return collapseLine(session.title) ?? collapseLine(session.preview) ?? session.id;
+}
+
+/**
+ * The two anchors the selected row prints: what the thread started as, and where it left
+ * off. Either can be absent — an older host sends no `messages` at all, and neither
+ * anchor may repeat text the row is already showing. The TUI gives each anchor a single
+ * truncated line, so a duplicate reads as a rendering bug rather than as emphasis.
+ */
+export function externalSessionAnchors(session: ExternalSessionSummary): {
+  started: string | null;
+  latest: string | null;
+} {
+  const heading = externalSessionRowTitle(session);
+  const started = collapseLine(session.preview);
+  const messages = session.messages ?? [];
+  const latest = collapseLine(messages[messages.length - 1]?.text);
+  return {
+    started: started && started !== heading ? started : null,
+    latest: latest && latest !== heading && latest !== started ? latest : null,
+  };
+}
+
 export function normalizeExternalSessionListResult(result: unknown): ExternalSessionSummary[] {
   if (Array.isArray(result)) return result as ExternalSessionSummary[];
   if (!result || typeof result !== "object") return [];
@@ -97,6 +133,10 @@ export function visibleExternalSessions(
         session.preview,
         session.cwd,
         session.id,
+        // Search the whole thread sample, not just the title: the words you remember
+        // from a conversation are usually in the conversation, and provider titles are
+        // frequently absent entirely. Matches the desktop browser's corpus.
+        ...(session.messages ?? []).map((message) => message.text),
       ]
         .filter((value): value is string => typeof value === "string" && value.length > 0)
         .some((value) => value.toLowerCase().includes(needle));

apps/desktop/src/main/services/adeActions/registry.ts

@@ -555,6 +555,7 @@ export const ADE_ACTION_ALLOWLIST: Partial<Record<AdeActionDomain, readonly stri
     "prepareCrossMachineHandoff",
     "validateCrossMachineSource",
     "preflightCrossMachineDestination",
+    "fastForwardCrossMachineHandoffLane",
     "acceptCrossMachineHandoff",
     "markCrossMachineHandoff",
     "respondToInput",