fix: restore assistant execution and strengthen release gates

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -95,6 +95,9 @@ jobs:
           NSHELL_TEST_PTY: "1"
         run: |
           nix develop -c bash scripts/test-dependencies.sh
+          nix develop -c perl t/scripts/test-dependencies.pl
+          nix develop -c perl t/scripts/test-native-spawn.pl
+          nix develop -c sbcl --script t/scripts/test-dependency-assertions.lisp
           nix develop -c sbcl --script scripts/test-history-storage.lisp
 
   coverage:

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ jobs:
           NSHELL_TEST_PTY: "1"
         run: |
           nix develop -c bash scripts/test-dependencies.sh
+          nix develop -c perl t/scripts/test-dependencies.pl
+          nix develop -c perl t/scripts/test-native-spawn.pl
+          nix develop -c sbcl --script t/scripts/test-dependency-assertions.lisp
           nix develop -c sbcl --script scripts/test-history-storage.lisp
 
   release:

README.md

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ The release and Nix flake support `x86_64-linux` only. With
 [Nix](https://nixos.org/download) and flakes enabled:
 
 ```sh
-nix run github:nerima-lisp/nshell/v0.6.4
+nix run github:nerima-lisp/nshell/v0.6.5
 ```
 
 At the prompt, enter `string upper hello`. Commands and paths colorize live, and a
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ and session settings.
 ## Install
 
 ```sh
-nix profile install github:nerima-lisp/nshell/v0.6.4
+nix profile install github:nerima-lisp/nshell/v0.6.5
 ```
 
 Pin a release tag rather than following the default branch.

docs/src/guide/concepts.md

@@ -2,30 +2,24 @@
 
 ## The input state is a value
 
-Every keystroke runs a pure reducer over an immutable `input-state` value, and
-what appears on screen is derived from that value. Nothing about the current
-line lives in a terminal buffer or a mutable global.
+The reducer returns a new `input-state` value. The REPL stores the current
+value in `*input-state*` and derives rendering from it.
 
-This is the single decision most of nshell's interactive behaviour follows
-from. Because a keystroke is a function from state to state, the line editor
-can be tested exhaustively without a terminal: a test feeds a key sequence and
-asserts on the resulting buffer, cursor, kill ring, or undo stack. Multi-level
-undo is a stack of prior values rather than a replay log, and rendering can be
-recomputed from scratch whenever it is cheaper than diffing.
+Reducer tests feed key sequences and assert on the resulting buffer, cursor,
+kill ring, or undo stack without a terminal. PTY tests check terminal
+integration separately. Multi-level undo stores prior values rather than a
+replay log, and rendering can be recomputed from the current state.
 
-The REPL that drives the reducer is a continuation-passing trampoline loop,
-which keeps the interactive core deterministic and unit-testable.
+The REPL drives the reducer through a continuation-passing trampoline loop.
 
 ## Color is a theme, not a pile of escape codes
 
-Every colored thing nshell draws (the prompt, the command line as you type, the
-completion menu) reads its style from one theme: a mapping from a named role to
-a fish-style style spec such as `5fafff --bold` or `gray --italics`. Nothing in
-the rendering code carries a hardcoded escape sequence, so switching the whole
-shell to another palette is one `theme use` away, and a role you dislike is one
-`theme set` away. Colors are written once in truecolor and downsampled at the
-terminal boundary, so the same theme renders on a 256-color or 16-color
-terminal and disappears entirely under `NO_COLOR`. See
+The prompt, command line, and completion menu read styles from a shared theme:
+a mapping from a named role to a fish-style spec such as `5fafff --bold` or
+`gray --italics`. `theme use` selects a palette; `theme set` changes a role.
+Theme roles control colors and text styles. Cursor movement and other terminal
+controls use separate escape sequences. Colors are downsampled for 256-color
+or 16-color terminals; a nonempty `NO_COLOR` disables color output. See
 [Customization](customization.md).
 
 ## Highlighting answers a question before you press Enter
@@ -72,10 +66,9 @@ remain literal.
 
 ## Abbreviations expand in place
 
-An abbreviation registered with `abbr` expands inline as you type, so what ends
-up in history is the expanded command. This differs from an alias, which stays
-unexpanded and hides what actually ran. Abbreviations keep muscle memory short
-while leaving history honest and greppable.
+An abbreviation registered with `abbr` expands inline as you type, so history
+records the expanded command. An alias is resolved during execution; history
+retains the entered alias name.
 
 ## External editing preserves the prompt state
 
@@ -124,6 +117,4 @@ instead. `set -l` forces a new local variable even when an outer one of the
 same name exists; `set -g` always reaches past every local scope to the
 outermost one. Reading a name walks the scope chain from innermost outward,
 so a local variable shadows a global of the same name for the rest of that
-call. This is fish's scoping model, and nshell's environment stores it as an
-ordered list of scopes rather than a single table, so shadowing and cleanup
-fall out of list structure instead of a bookkeeping pass.
+call. The environment stores scopes as an ordered list.

docs/src/guide/customization.md

@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@
 nshell colors the prompt, syntax highlighting, and completion menu from a
 single **theme**: a mapping from named roles (`command`, `prompt-path`,
 `completion-file`, and so on) to a style. The `theme` builtin lets you switch
-between built-in presets or override individual roles, and `~/.nshellrc` runs
-plain nshell commands at startup, so a `theme` line there applies on every
-launch.
+between built-in presets or override individual roles. `~/.nshellrc` runs
+plain nshell commands at interactive startup. `--no-config` skips the file,
+and `--config PATH` selects another file. Batch and script runs do not load it.
 
 ## East Asian ambiguous character width
 
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ run of spaces is dropped too, so `{path} {git} {status}` never leaves a
 double space outside a repository.
 
 nshell has two prompts: the left one, and a right prompt that floats at the
-far edge of the terminal. They default to exactly today's layout:
+far edge of the terminal. The default formats are:
 
 ```
 {path} {git} {status} 
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ An unknown key name or action name exits with status 2 and lists the valid
 names; `bind` with anything else prints a usage line and exits 1. A key name
 is spelled the way it is typed, in lowercase and hyphen-separated (`ctrl-r`,
 `alt-e`, `right`, `shift-tab`). Put `bind` lines in `~/.nshellrc` to apply
-custom bindings on every launch, the same way `theme` lines do.
+custom bindings at interactive startup, the same way `theme` lines do.
 
 ### Capturing the previous command's output
 
@@ -239,8 +239,9 @@ when vi mode is off or the terminal is not interactive.
 ## In `~/.nshellrc`
 
 `.nshellrc` is not a separate configuration format: it is a file of plain
-nshell commands, sourced once at startup before the first prompt. Put a
-`theme` command there to start every session with your preset:
+nshell commands, sourced once at interactive startup before the first prompt
+unless `--no-config` or `--config PATH` changes this behavior. Put a `theme`
+command there to select your preset:
 
 ```sh
 theme use tokyo-night

docs/src/index.md

@@ -1,64 +1,60 @@
 # nshell
 
-A modern, fish-inspired interactive shell written in Common Lisp.
+A fish-inspired interactive shell written in Common Lisp.
 
-nshell is an interactive shell that puts the *interactive* experience first:
-real-time syntax highlighting, history-aware autosuggestions, fish-style
-abbreviations, and a fast, context-aware completion engine — all built on a
-clean, test-driven Common Lisp core and a reproducible Nix build.
+nshell provides real-time syntax highlighting, history-aware autosuggestions,
+fish-style abbreviations, and context-aware completion. It is built with Nix.
 
 !!! note "Status: development preview (0.6.x)"
 
-    The interactive editor and core pipeline execution are solid and heavily
-    tested. The shell *language* is a growing subset of POSIX/fish semantics —
-    see the [roadmap](project/roadmap.md) for what is and isn't supported yet.
-    nshell is usable as a daily interactive shell for common workflows; it is
-    not a script-compatible `/bin/sh` replacement.
+    The shell implements a tested subset of shell syntax, not full POSIX/fish
+    compatibility. For supported features and known limits,
+    see the [roadmap](project/roadmap.md).
+    It is not a script-compatible `/bin/sh` replacement.
 
 ## Highlights
 
-- **Syntax highlighting** as you type — a command that would fail with
+- **Syntax highlighting** as you type: a command that would fail with
   `command not found` is red before you run it, existing paths are underlined,
   and strings, variables, keywords, and operators each get their own color.
 - **Autosuggestions** from your history, fish-style, accepted with `→` /
   `Ctrl-F`.
-- **Abbreviations** (`abbr`) that expand inline as you type — keep your muscle
-  memory, type less.
-- **Context-aware completion** — a knowledge base of commands and flags plus
+- **Abbreviations** (`abbr`) expand inline as you type.
+- **Context-aware completion**: a knowledge base of commands and flags plus
   filesystem completion, git branches, environment variables, and
   directory-only completion for `cd`, in a colored candidate menu with
   common-prefix `Tab` extension.
-- **Rich line editing** — Emacs keybindings, kill-ring and yank, multi-level
+- **Line editing**: Emacs keybindings, kill-ring and yank, multi-level
   undo/redo, multiline editing, and a `Ctrl-R` history picker that lists
   matches under the prompt.
-- **Vi key bindings** (optional, `NSHELL_VI_MODE=1`) — normal-mode motions,
+- **Vi key bindings** (optional, `NSHELL_VI_MODE=1`): normal-mode motions,
   counts, operators (`dd`, `cw`, …), visual selection, and insert/append.
-- **Themes** — one named palette drives the prompt, the highlighter, and the
+- **Themes**: one named palette drives the prompt, the highlighter, and the
   completion menu; ten presets ship with the shell, `theme use` switches live,
   and colors downsample to 256- or 16-color terminals.
-- **A prompt that reports** — working directory, git branch and dirty marker,
+- **Prompt status**: working directory, git branch and dirty marker,
   a prompt character that turns red after a failure, and, on the right, the
   failing exit code plus the duration of anything slower than a second.
-- **Job control** — background jobs (`&`), `jobs`, `fg`, `bg`, `disown`.
-- **Pipelines and redirection** — `|`, `>`, `>>`, `<`, `<<`, `<<<`, logical
+- **Job control**: background jobs (`&`), `jobs`, `fg`, `bg`, `disown`.
+- **Pipelines and redirection**: `|`, `>`, `>>`, `<`, `<<`, `<<<`, logical
   `&&` / `||`, and command sequencing.
-- **Control flow and functions** — `if`, `for`, `while`, `switch`,
+- **Control flow and functions**: `if`, `for`, `while`, `switch`,
   `begin`/`end`, and user-defined `function`s.
-- **History expansion** — `!!`, `!$`, `!-N`, `!?text?`, and `!prefix`, with
-  quoted and backslash-escaped exclamation marks kept literal.
-- **External editing** — `Alt-E` opens the current line with the configured
+- **History expansion**: `!!`, `!$`, `!-N`, `!?text?`, and `!prefix`, with
+  single-quoted and backslash-escaped exclamation marks kept literal.
+- **External editing**: `Alt-E` opens the current line with the configured
   editor and returns the edited buffer to the prompt.
-- **Reproducible build** — a dumped SBCL image and its process-launch helper via Nix;
-  `nix run` and you're in.
+- **Nix build**: a dumped SBCL image and its process-launch helper;
+  start the shell with `nix run`.
 
 ## Where to go next
 
-- [Getting started](getting-started.md) — install nshell and run your first
+- [Getting started](getting-started.md): install nshell and run your first
   command.
-- [Core concepts](guide/concepts.md) — how the interactive layer is put
+- [Core concepts](guide/concepts.md): how the interactive layer is put
   together.
-- [Recipes](guide/recipes.md) — scripting, pipeline diagrams, and the test
+- [Recipes](guide/recipes.md): scripting, pipeline diagrams, and the test
   workflow.
-- [Built-in commands](reference/builtins.md) — the shell's own command set.
-- [Architecture](reference/architecture.md) — the layered design and the
+- [Built-in commands](reference/builtins.md): the shell's own command set.
+- [Architecture](reference/architecture.md): the layered design and the
   toolkit family it builds on.

docs/src/project/contributing.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Contributing to nshell
 
-The process — branching, pull requests, commit conventions, and the org-wide
-rules a review checks — lives in the
+Branching, pull requests, commit conventions, and org-wide review rules are
+documented in the
 [nerima-lisp contributing guide](https://github.com/nerima-lisp/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md).
 This page covers only what is specific to nshell.
 
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ review will actually push back on:
 - **`domain/` performs no I/O.** Whether it lives under `src/` or a feature
   package, new parsing, expansion, completion, or history logic belongs here and
   must be unit-testable without a terminal.
-- **`infrastructure/` isolates all OS- and SBCL-specific code** — syscalls, PTY,
-  signals, terminal handling, persistence. Guard implementation-specific code
-  with `#+sbcl` where relevant.
-- **`application/` holds use cases** — builtins, pipeline execution, job
+- **`infrastructure/` holds OS adapters**: syscalls, PTYs, signals, terminal
+  handling, and persistence. The runtime targets SBCL; application and
+  presentation code also use SBCL facilities. Guard implementation-specific
+  code with `#+sbcl` where relevant.
+- **`application/` holds use cases**: builtins, pipeline execution, job
   management.
 - **`presentation/` is the REPL, line editor, and rendering.**
 
@@ -43,21 +44,31 @@ Iterate with the smallest relevant suite, then run the full gate before review.
 
 | Change | Run |
 |---|---|
-| Anything | `perl -e '$SIG{ALRM}=sub { exit 124 }; alarm 1800; exec @ARGV' nix flake check --print-build-logs` before review; the full gate runs on `x86_64-linux` CI |
+| Anything | `perl -e '$SIG{ALRM}=sub { exit 124 }; alarm 1800; exec @ARGV' nix flake check --print-build-logs` before review; CI runs on `x86_64-linux` |
 | Domain logic, builtins, parser, expansion | `perl -e '$SIG{ALRM}=sub { exit 124 }; alarm 300; exec @ARGV' nix run .#test` |
 | Completion engine or cl-prolog-kit knowledge base | `perl -e '$SIG{ALRM}=sub { exit 124 }; alarm 300; exec @ARGV' sbcl --script scripts/weave.lisp` |
 | PTY, subprocess, terminal, signal, job control | the non-sandboxed run below |
 | Coverage-oriented validation | `perl -e '$SIG{ALRM}=sub { exit 124 }; alarm 900; exec @ARGV' nix develop -c sbcl --script scripts/coverage.lisp` |
 
+The full CI gate also runs these checks separately from `nix flake check`:
+
+```sh
+nix develop -c bash scripts/test-dependencies.sh
+nix develop -c perl t/scripts/test-dependencies.pl
+nix develop -c perl t/scripts/test-native-spawn.pl
+nix develop -c sbcl --script t/scripts/test-dependency-assertions.lisp
+nix develop -c sbcl --script scripts/test-history-storage.lisp
+```
+
 The non-sandboxed integration run, for changes the Nix sandbox cannot exercise:
 
 ```sh
 perl -e '$SIG{ALRM}=sub { exit 124 }; alarm 300; exec @ARGV' nix develop -c sbcl --script run-tests.lisp
 ```
 
 Tests live in `t/` and must be hermetic: no dependence on the ambient working
-directory, terminal size, or environment. Use the provided fixtures — for
-example `with-stable-repl-prompt` and `with-fixed-terminal-size` — for
+directory, terminal size, or environment. Use the provided fixtures, such as
+`with-stable-repl-prompt` and `with-fixed-terminal-size`, for
 rendering tests.
 
 For parser, expansion, execution, or builtin changes, include focused unit