halo-app

# Halo app and browser control Use `pnpm halo-dev` from the repository root for development app control. Use `pnpm halo`, or the installed `halo` command inside a workspace, for workspace operations and private browsers. These are separate CLIs; neither builds, launches, restarts, or quits the app. ## Inspect Halo ```sh pnpm halo status pnpm halo-dev app snapshot pnpm halo-dev app exec 'return await page.title()' pnpm halo-dev app exec 'await page.getByRole("button", { name: "New session", exact: true }).click()' pnpm halo-dev app screenshot ``` `pnpm halo-dev app` targets the Halo renderer, not DevTools. Electron main owns the app-control endpoint and exposes its debug port on `127.0.0.1:4445` in development. The workspace server does not host app control. Start the full stack with `pnpm dev` when the task calls for live testing. If only Electron is missing, start `pnpm --filter @get-halo/desktop dev` in a long-running terminal with the same `HALO_USER_DATA`. The root `pnpm halo-dev` and `pnpm halo` scripts set `HALO_USER_DATA` to `<repo>/tmp/workspace/.halo`, matching `pnpm dev`. App commands read `HALO_APP_CONTROL_FILE` when set, otherwise `HALO_USER_DATA`, otherwise the nearest `.halo/appControl.json` above the current directory. They do not use `HALO_RPC_FILE` or product credentials. Production does not expose app control. Set `HALO_USER_DATA` or `HALO_APP_CONTROL_FILE` when launching Electron yourself with a different data directory. ## Test an extension independently ```sh halo browser open http://127.0.0.1:3000/view/ halo browser exec <id> 'await page.getByRole("textbox", { name: "Your name" }).fill("Ada")' halo browser snapshot <id> halo browser screenshot <id> halo browser close <id> ``` Each `open` returns a browser ID, URL, title, accessibility tree, and runtime errors. It creates a private browser with isolated state; open the same extension twice to test collaboration. The page survives commands, while JavaScript variables do not. Each `exec` receives a live Playwright `page` and captures console output and accessibility changes. Use `return` to report a result. `halo browser list` finds existing sessions. Prefer accessible names, labels, and roles. Wait for the visible effect of an action before inspecting it. For longer scripts, pass `--file checks.js` or `--stdin` to either target's `exec` command. App screenshots return a local PNG path under Electron's `<dataDir>/app/screenshots`; workspace browser screenshots use `<workspace>/.halo/browser/screenshots`. Read the returned file to inspect the layout. Use private browser sessions for extension testing so the user's Halo navigation stays theirs. A hosted extension still shares its data through Tandem, so use a standalone preview with isolated data for test mutations. Close every browser opened for testing. The workspace server closes them when it stops; quitting Electron leaves them running. Use `halo browser --help` and `pnpm halo-dev app --help` for command discovery. Output uses TOON by default; add `--json` when another command must parse it. Halo provisions Chromium once on first browser use; extensions do not need their own browser tooling installation.