refactor(tui): clarify active composer actions (#5538)

* fix(tui): queue busy submissions on Enter

* fix(tui): remove Tab queue shortcut

* refactor(tui): clarify active composer actions

* refactor(tui): simplify active composer hint

tui/src/app.test.ts

@@ -322,6 +322,7 @@ describe("NanobotTui layout", () => {
       composer: TextareaRenderable
       mentionCandidates: Array<Record<string, unknown>>
       queuePreview: { root: { visible: boolean } }
+      status: { plainText: string }
     }
     await waitUntil(() => ui.ready)
     ui.mentionCandidates = [{
@@ -334,10 +335,17 @@ describe("NanobotTui layout", () => {
     ui.composer.setText("first")
     ui.composer.submit()
     await waitUntil(() => sent.length === 1)
+    expect(ui.composer.placeholder).toBe("Enter send now · Tab send next")
+
+    ui.composer.setText("one more detail")
+    await setup.flush()
+    expect(ui.composer.placeholder).toBeNull()
 
     ui.composer.setText("ask @github next")
     ui.composer.submit()
     await waitUntil(() => sent.length === 2)
+    expect(ui.status.plainText).not.toContain("Steering")
+    expect(ui.composer.placeholder).toBe("Enter send now · Tab send next")
     expect(sentOptions[1]).toEqual({
       cliApps: [{ name: "github" }],
       mcpPresets: [],
@@ -1643,9 +1651,12 @@ describe("NanobotTui layout", () => {
       expect(setup.renderer.width).toBe(width)
       expect(setup.renderer.height).toBe(height)
       expect(frame).not.toContain("undefined")
-      expect(occurrences(frame, "Steer this turn…")).toBeLessThanOrEqual(1)
-      if (width >= 30 && height >= 9) {
-        expect(occurrences(frame, "Steer this turn…")).toBe(1)
+      expect(frame).not.toContain("Steer this turn…")
+      expect(frame).not.toContain("Ask a follow-up…")
+      if (width >= 40 && height >= 9) {
+        expect(occurrences(frame, "Enter send now · Tab send next")).toBe(1)
+      } else if (width >= 28 && height >= 9) {
+        expect(occurrences(frame, "Enter now · Tab next")).toBe(1)
       }
       expect(occurrences(frame, "nanobot  ·  test/model")).toBe(height >= 14 ? 1 : 0)
     }
@@ -2176,7 +2187,7 @@ describe("NanobotTui layout", () => {
     }
     const status = ui.status
     expect(status.plainText).toMatch(/^Thinking\s+0s/u)
-    expect(ui.composer.placeholder).toBe("Steer this turn…")
+    expect(ui.composer.placeholder).toBe("Enter send now · Tab send next")
     expect(ui.composerFrame.height).toBe(3)
     const shimmerColors = new Set(
       status.content.chunks
@@ -2703,7 +2714,7 @@ describe("NanobotTui in a Herdr pane", () => {
     const activeFrame = setup.captureCharFrame()
     expect(occurrences(activeFrame, "› Ship the Herdr integration")).toBe(1)
     expect(occurrences(activeFrame, "app.ts")).toBe(1)
-    expect(ui.composer.placeholder).toBe("Steer this turn…")
+    expect(ui.composer.placeholder).toBe("Enter send now · Tab send next")
     expect(ui.composerFrame.height).toBe(3)
     app.accept({
       event: "turn_end",

tui/src/app.ts

@@ -178,7 +178,8 @@ const LIGHT: Palette = {
 }
 
 const COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER = "Ask nanobot anything"
-const ACTIVE_COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER = "Steer this turn…"
+const ACTIVE_COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER = "Enter send now · Tab send next"
+const COMPACT_ACTIVE_COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER = "Enter now · Tab next"
 const SHIMMER_PAUSE = 16
 const SHIMMER_BAND = 4
 const SHIMMER_INTERVAL_MS = 80
@@ -959,7 +960,7 @@ export class NanobotTui {
     this.hostBlocked = false
     this.setCurrentTask(prompt.content)
     if (steering) {
-      this.status.content = `Steering current turn${this.promptQueue.length ? ` · ${this.promptQueue.length} queued` : ""}`
+      this.renderActiveStatus()
       this.updateMeta()
       return true
     }
@@ -1796,6 +1797,7 @@ export class NanobotTui {
 
   private handleResize = (): void => {
     this.resizeComposer()
+    this.syncComposerPlaceholder()
     this.contextPanel.resize(this.renderer.height)
     this.diffViewer.resize(this.renderer.width)
     if (!this.host.hosted) this.title.visible = this.renderer.height >= 14
@@ -1974,13 +1976,16 @@ export class NanobotTui {
     // OpenTUI normally suppresses placeholder glyphs while the editor is not
     // empty. Explicitly removing them also invalidates their old cells, which
     // prevents stale placeholder text in differential/embedded terminals.
+    const activePlaceholder = this.renderer.width >= 40
+      ? ACTIVE_COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER
+      : COMPACT_ACTIVE_COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER
     const placeholder = this.composer.plainText
       ? null
       : this.sessionMenu.visible
         ? "Search sessions"
         : this.branchMenu.visible
           ? "Search branch points"
-          : this.activeTurn ? ACTIVE_COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER : COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER
+          : this.activeTurn ? activePlaceholder : COMPOSER_PLACEHOLDER
     if (this.composer.placeholder !== placeholder) this.composer.placeholder = placeholder
   }