feat: add custom execution command settings for CLI providers

[Devdha]

Issue #685

Summary

Add the ability to customize CLI execution commands for each provider in Settings > Connections. Users can now override:

• CLI command path
• Resume flag
• Default arguments
• Auto-approve flag (e.g., --yolo for Codex instead of --full-auto)
• Initial prompt flag

This addresses #659 and similar requests for custom CLI flags.

Changes

• src/main/settings.ts - Add ProviderCustomConfig type and CRUD functions with cache-safe getters
• src/main/ipc/connectionsIpc.ts - Add IPC handlers for get/update custom configs
• src/main/preload.ts - Expose APIs to renderer
• src/main/services/ptyManager.ts - Add parseShellArgs() for proper shell-style argument parsing (supports quoted strings)
• src/renderer/components/CustomCommandModal.tsx - New modal with granular flag configuration and live preview
• src/renderer/components/CliProvidersList.tsx - Add settings gear icon for detected providers
• src/renderer/types/electron-api.d.ts - TypeScript definitions

Screenshots

[Devdha]

cc @JKamsker - This addresses your request in #659 for using --yolo with Codex. With this PR, you can customize the auto-approve flag (and other CLI flags) per provider in Settings > Connections.

[vercel]

@Devdha is attempting to deploy a commit to the General Action Team on Vercel.

A member of the Team first needs to authorize it.

[JKamsker]

Imho thats not good UX. I mean, yes an "advanced mode" would be beneficial, but forcing the cli onto every user is a bad decision imho.

[Devdha]

@JKamsker

Thanks for the feedback! I think there may be a misunderstanding.

This PR doesn't force anything. the default behavior remains exactly the same. The customize icon only appears for users who want to customize. If you never click it, nothing changes.
(I just wanted to use a agent with customized flag command. like new flag '--enable collab' in codex)

It's essentially an optional "advanced settings" panel hidden unless explicitly opened.

[arnestrickmann]

Thank you! @Devdha

[arnestrickmann]

@greptile pls review

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Overview

Greptile Summary

This PR adds the ability to customize CLI execution commands for each provider in Settings > Connections, allowing users to override CLI paths, flags, and arguments.

Key Changes

• Settings persistence: Added ProviderCustomConfig type and CRUD functions in settings.ts with proper normalization and cache-safe shallow/deep copies to prevent external mutation
• Shell argument parsing: Implemented parseShellArgs() function in ptyManager.ts to handle shell-style argument parsing with quote support (single, double) and escape characters
• Command construction: Integrated custom config resolution into PTY command building, where custom configs override provider defaults; empty strings disable flags
• UI: New CustomCommandModal component with granular field configuration, live command preview, reset to defaults, and smart save (removes custom config if all fields match defaults)
• IPC layer: Added three new handlers (getProviderCustomConfig, getAllProviderCustomConfigs, updateProviderCustomConfig) with standard error handling pattern

Issues Found

• parseShellArgs() has two logical errors: (1) Trailing backslash at end of input is not handled correctly, (2) Unclosed quotes silently produce incomplete results without validation

Confidence Score: 4/5

• This PR is generally safe to merge with minor fixes needed
• The implementation follows established patterns in the codebase (IPC handlers, settings CRUD, shallow/deep copy for cache safety). However, the parseShellArgs() function has two logical issues with edge cases (trailing backslash, unclosed quotes) that should be fixed to prevent silent failures when users enter malformed input. The core feature is well-designed and the UI provides good guardrails.
• Pay close attention to src/main/services/ptyManager.ts - fix the parseShellArgs() edge cases before merging

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
src/main/settings.ts	Added ProviderCustomConfig type and CRUD functions with proper normalization and cache-safe getters
src/main/ipc/connectionsIpc.ts	Added IPC handlers for getting and updating provider custom configs with standard error handling
src/main/services/ptyManager.ts	Added parseShellArgs function and integrated custom config resolution into command construction; uses same escaping pattern as existing code
src/renderer/components/CustomCommandModal.tsx	New modal component with granular flag configuration, live preview, and reset functionality

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant CliAgentsList
    participant CustomCommandModal
    participant IPC
    participant Settings
    participant PtyManager

    User->>CliAgentsList: Click settings icon
    CliAgentsList->>CustomCommandModal: Open modal with providerId
    CustomCommandModal->>IPC: getProviderCustomConfig(providerId)
    IPC->>Settings: getProviderCustomConfig(providerId)
    Settings-->>IPC: config or undefined
    IPC-->>CustomCommandModal: { success, config }
    CustomCommandModal->>CustomCommandModal: Load form with config or defaults
    
    User->>CustomCommandModal: Edit fields
    CustomCommandModal->>CustomCommandModal: Update preview command
    
    User->>CustomCommandModal: Click Save
    CustomCommandModal->>IPC: updateProviderCustomConfig(providerId, config)
    IPC->>Settings: updateProviderCustomConfig(providerId, config)
    Settings->>Settings: Update settings.json
    Settings-->>IPC: success
    IPC-->>CustomCommandModal: { success }
    CustomCommandModal->>CliAgentsList: Close modal
    
    User->>CliAgentsList: Start agent task
    CliAgentsList->>PtyManager: startPty(options)
    PtyManager->>Settings: getProviderCustomConfig(providerId)
    Settings-->>PtyManager: custom config
    PtyManager->>PtyManager: parseShellArgs(customConfig.*)
    PtyManager->>PtyManager: Resolve flags (custom overrides defaults)
    PtyManager->>PtyManager: Build command with resolved flags
    PtyManager-->>CliAgentsList: PTY with custom command

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[greptile-apps]

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