visual-companion

name	visual-companion
description	Browser-based visual companion for showing mockups, diagrams, comparisons, and interactive options. Use when the user would understand something better by seeing it than reading it.
license	Complete terms in LICENSE.txt

Visual Companion

Browser-based visual companion for rendering mockups, diagrams, and interactive options. The server watches a directory for HTML files and serves the newest one to the browser. You write HTML content, the user sees it in their browser and can click to select options.

When to Use

Decide per-question, not per-session. The test: would the user understand this better by seeing it than reading it?

Use the browser when the content itself is visual:

• UI mockups -- wireframes, layouts, navigation structures, component designs
• Architecture diagrams -- system components, data flow, relationship maps
• Side-by-side visual comparisons -- comparing two layouts, two color schemes, two design directions
• Design polish -- when the question is about look and feel, spacing, visual hierarchy
• Spatial relationships -- state machines, flowcharts, entity relationships rendered as diagrams

Use the terminal when the content is text or tabular:

• Requirements and scope questions -- "what does X mean?", "which features are in scope?"
• Conceptual A/B/C choices -- picking between approaches described in words
• Tradeoff lists -- pros/cons, comparison tables
• Technical decisions -- API design, data modeling, architectural approach selection
• Clarifying questions -- anything where the answer is words, not a visual preference

A question about a UI topic is not automatically a visual question. "What kind of wizard do you want?" is conceptual -- use the terminal. "Which of these wizard layouts feels right?" is visual -- use the browser.

How It Works

The server watches a directory for HTML files and serves the newest one to the browser. You write HTML content to screen_dir, the user sees it in their browser and can click to select options. Selections are recorded to state_dir/events as JSONL that you read on your next turn.

Content fragments vs full documents: If your HTML file starts with <!DOCTYPE or <html, the server serves it as-is (injecting the helper script). Otherwise, the server automatically wraps your content in the frame template -- adding the header, CSS theme, selection indicator, and all interactive infrastructure. Write content fragments by default. Only write full documents when you need complete control over the page.

Starting a Session

# Start server with persistence (content saved to project)
scripts/start-server.sh --project-dir /path/to/project

# Returns JSON:
# {"type":"server-started","port":52341,"url":"http://localhost:52341",
#  "screen_dir":"/path/to/project/.dork/visual-companion/12345-1706000000/content",
#  "state_dir":"/path/to/project/.dork/visual-companion/12345-1706000000/state"}

Save screen_dir and state_dir from the response. Tell the user to open the URL.

Finding connection info: The server writes its startup JSON to $STATE_DIR/server-info. If you launched the server in the background and did not capture stdout, read that file to get the URL and port. When using --project-dir, check <project>/.dork/visual-companion/ for the session directory.

Note: Pass the project root as --project-dir so content persists in .dork/visual-companion/ and survives server restarts. Without it, files go to /tmp and get cleaned up. Remind the user to add .dork/ to .gitignore if it is not already there.

Launching (all platforms)

The server must outlive the Bash tool call that starts it. Use --foreground combined with run_in_background: true on the Bash tool so the process persists across conversation turns.

# CORRECT — server survives across turns
scripts/start-server.sh --project-dir /path/to/project --foreground
# Set run_in_background: true on the Bash tool call

Then on the next turn, find the newest session directory and read $STATE_DIR/server-info to get the URL and port:

# Find newest session
ls <project>/.dork/visual-companion/ | sort -t'-' -k2 -n | tail -1
# Read connection info
cat <project>/.dork/visual-companion/<session>/state/server-info

Why not the default background mode? The default mode (start-server.sh without --foreground) backgrounds the server as a child of the Bash process. When the Bash tool call completes, the parent shell exits and the server self-terminates with "reason":"owner process exited". This happens on all platforms — macOS, Linux, and Windows.

If the URL is unreachable from your browser (common in remote/containerized setups), bind a non-loopback host:

scripts/start-server.sh \
  --project-dir /path/to/project \
  --host 0.0.0.0 \
  --url-host localhost

Use --url-host to control what hostname is printed in the returned URL JSON.

The Content Loop

1. Check server is alive, then write HTML to a new file in screen_dir:

   • Before each write, check that $STATE_DIR/server-info exists. If it does not (or $STATE_DIR/server-stopped exists), the server has shut down -- restart it with start-server.sh before continuing. The server auto-exits after 30 minutes of inactivity.
   • Use semantic filenames: platform.html, visual-style.html, layout.html
   • Never reuse filenames -- each screen gets a fresh file
   • Use the Write tool -- never use cat/heredoc (dumps noise into terminal)
   • Server automatically serves the newest file

2. Tell user what to expect and end your turn:

   • Remind them of the URL (every step, not just first)
   • Give a brief text summary of what is on screen (e.g., "Showing 3 layout options for the homepage")
   • Ask them to respond in the terminal: "Take a look and let me know what you think. Click to select an option if you'd like."

3. On your next turn -- after the user responds in the terminal:

   • Read $STATE_DIR/events if it exists -- this contains the user's browser interactions (clicks, selections) as JSONL
   • Merge with the user's terminal text to get the full picture
   • The terminal message is the primary feedback; state_dir/events provides structured interaction data

4. Iterate or advance -- if feedback changes the current screen, write a new file (e.g., layout-v2.html). Only move to the next question when the current step is validated.

5. Unload when returning to terminal -- when the next step does not need the browser (e.g., a clarifying question, a tradeoff discussion), push a waiting screen to clear stale content:

   <!-- filename: waiting.html (or waiting-2.html, etc.) -->
   <div style="display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;min-height:60vh">
     <p class="subtitle">Continuing in terminal...</p>
   </div>
   

   This prevents the user from staring at a resolved choice while the conversation has moved on. When the next visual question comes up, push a new content file as usual.

6. Repeat until done.

CSS Classes Available

The frame template provides these CSS classes for content fragments. No <html>, CSS, or <script> tags needed -- the server provides all of that.

Options (A/B/C choices)

<div class="options">
  <div class="option" data-choice="a" onclick="toggleSelect(this)">
    <div class="letter">A</div>
    <div class="content">
      <h3>Title</h3>
      <p>Description</p>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Multi-select: Add data-multiselect to the container to let users select multiple options. Each click toggles the item. The indicator bar shows the count.

<div class="options" data-multiselect>
  <!-- same option markup -- users can select/deselect multiple -->
</div>

Cards (visual designs)

<div class="cards">
  <div class="card" data-choice="design1" onclick="toggleSelect(this)">
    <div class="card-image"><!-- mockup content --></div>
    <div class="card-body">
      <h3>Name</h3>
      <p>Description</p>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Mockup container

<div class="mockup">
  <div class="mockup-header">Preview: Dashboard Layout</div>
  <div class="mockup-body"><!-- your mockup HTML --></div>
</div>

Split view (side-by-side)

<div class="split">
  <div class="mockup"><!-- left --></div>
  <div class="mockup"><!-- right --></div>
</div>

Pros/Cons

<div class="pros-cons">
  <div class="pros">
    <h4>Pros</h4>
    <ul>
      <li>Benefit</li>
    </ul>
  </div>
  <div class="cons">
    <h4>Cons</h4>
    <ul>
      <li>Drawback</li>
    </ul>
  </div>
</div>

Mock elements (wireframe building blocks)

<div class="mock-nav">Logo | Home | About | Contact</div>
<div style="display: flex;">
  <div class="mock-sidebar">Navigation</div>
  <div class="mock-content">Main content area</div>
</div>
<button class="mock-button">Action Button</button>
<input class="mock-input" placeholder="Input field" />
<div class="placeholder">Placeholder area</div>

Typography and sections

• h2 -- page title
• h3 -- section heading
• .subtitle -- secondary text below title
• .section -- content block with bottom margin
• .label -- small uppercase label text

Browser Events Format (JSONL)

When the user clicks options in the browser, their interactions are recorded to $STATE_DIR/events as one JSON object per line. The file is cleared automatically when you push a new screen.

{"type":"click","choice":"a","text":"Option A - Simple Layout","timestamp":1706000101}
{"type":"click","choice":"c","text":"Option C - Complex Grid","timestamp":1706000108}
{"type":"click","choice":"b","text":"Option B - Hybrid","timestamp":1706000115}

The full event stream shows the user's exploration path -- they may click multiple options before settling. The last choice event is typically the final selection, but the pattern of clicks can reveal hesitation or preferences worth asking about.

If $STATE_DIR/events does not exist, the user did not interact with the browser -- use only their terminal text.

Design Tips

• Scale fidelity to the question -- wireframes for layout, polish for polish questions
• Explain the question on each page -- "Which layout feels more professional?" not just "Pick one"
• Iterate before advancing -- if feedback changes current screen, write a new version
• 2-4 options max per screen
• Use real content when it matters -- for a photography portfolio, use actual images (Unsplash). Placeholder content obscures design issues.
• Keep mockups simple -- focus on layout and structure, not pixel-perfect design

File Naming

• Use semantic names: platform.html, visual-style.html, layout.html
• Never reuse filenames -- each screen must be a new file
• For iterations: append version suffix like layout-v2.html, layout-v3.html
• Server serves newest file by modification time

Capturing Design Decisions for Specs

When using the visual companion alongside a feature spec (specs/<slug>/), capture the design work so implementing agents can consume it without reading raw HTML mockups.

During the session

• Name screens to match the design question (e.g., agent-channels-tab.html, settings-layout.html)
• After each round of feedback, note the user's selections and verbal reasoning

At session end

Write a 04-design-decisions.md file into the spec directory that captures:

1. Each design question explored — what was asked, which screen file showed it
2. Options presented — brief description of each option (A, B, C)
3. What was chosen and why — the user's selection plus their reasoning
4. Final design direction — prose descriptions of the agreed-upon designs, detailed enough that an implementing agent can build from them without seeing the mockups

Example structure:

# Design Decisions

Visual companion session: `.dork/visual-companion/<session-id>/`

## 1. [Design Question]

**Screen:** `<filename>.html`
**Options:** A) ... B) ... C) ...
**Chosen:** B — [reasoning from user]

## 2. [Next Design Question]

...

## Final Design Summary

[Prose description of the complete agreed design, suitable for implementation]

Spec frontmatter

Add the session reference to the spec's ideation or specification frontmatter:

design-session: .dork/visual-companion/<session-id>

This lets implementing agents find the raw HTML mockups if they need visual reference.

When to skip

If the visual companion was used for a quick one-off question (not part of a spec), skip the design decisions file. This process only applies when the session is part of a spec workflow.

Shutting Down

scripts/stop-server.sh $SESSION_DIR

If the session used --project-dir, content files persist in .dork/visual-companion/ for later reference. Only /tmp sessions get deleted on stop.

Reference

• Frame template (CSS reference): scripts/frame-template.html
• Helper script (client-side): scripts/helper.js
• Server implementation: scripts/server.cjs
• Start script: scripts/start-server.sh
• Stop script: scripts/stop-server.sh