From c920ed0af6ca7878c4482459c7d62f4c20fef47d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Nickk'z <contact.nikhil2002@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2026 02:12:19 +0530
Subject: [PATCH] Use plain words in the labels around a thread

Screen reader names and tooltips around a conversation used internal words:
"Jump to turn 3", "Peek run", "Loading run", "Open spawned session", "Stops
the current turn" and "The runtime does not report which model answered".
They only make sense if you built the product. Each now says what the control
does in everyday words.

- Scroller rail: "Jump to a message" and "Jump to message N: ...".
- Thread side pane: the stub header and loading state say Task, the error
  says task, and the preview button in All threads is "Preview task".
- Spawned gateway children are "helper agent" everywhere, through the shared
  kind label in child-labels.ts; the inline fold now derives its link name
  from that label instead of a second hardcoded string, so it cannot drift
  from the Agents rail.
- Send now (queue list and pill): "Stops what the agent is doing now and
  sends this message right away"; the pill reads "sends after the current
  reply".
- Details rail: the row is "Model" and its tooltip says the model the task
  asked for, and that we are not told which model actually answered.

Tests that matched the old strings are updated, and two guard the shared
label and the Model row.

Closes #339
---
 frontend/app/lab/session-ui-showcase.test.tsx         |  2 +-
 frontend/components/chat/child-labels.test.ts         |  4 ++--
 frontend/components/chat/child-labels.ts              |  2 +-
 .../components/chat/conversation-grammar.test.tsx     |  2 +-
 .../components/chat/session-details-rail.test.tsx     |  7 +++++--
 frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.tsx     |  4 ++--
 frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.test.tsx  |  2 +-
 frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.tsx       |  4 ++--
 frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane.tsx            |  8 ++++----
 frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.test.tsx      | 11 +++++++++--
 frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.tsx           |  2 +-
 frontend/components/pro/queued-messages.tsx           |  2 +-
 .../components/session-ui/agent-panel-row.test.tsx    |  6 +++---
 .../session-ui/message-scroller-rail.test.tsx         |  2 +-
 .../components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.tsx   |  4 ++--
 .../session-ui/queued-message-pill.test.tsx           |  4 ++--
 .../components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.tsx     |  4 ++--
 17 files changed, 40 insertions(+), 30 deletions(-)

diff --git a/frontend/app/lab/session-ui-showcase.test.tsx b/frontend/app/lab/session-ui-showcase.test.tsx
index f6ef5fea0..6c8db8251 100644
--- a/frontend/app/lab/session-ui-showcase.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/app/lab/session-ui-showcase.test.tsx
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ test("renders every ported session-ui piece from mock canonical nodes", () => {
 
   // Queued pill: honest FIFO copy, Send now only on the head message.
   expect(html).toContain('data-session-ui="queued-message-pill"');
-  expect(html).toContain("Queued - sends after the current run");
+  expect(html).toContain("Queued - sends after the current reply");
   expect(html).toContain("Send now");
   expect(html).toContain("Queued #2 - 1 reply ahead");
 
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/child-labels.test.ts b/frontend/components/chat/child-labels.test.ts
index c558a7967..0efb283d5 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/child-labels.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/child-labels.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ describe("childKindLabel", () => {
     expect(childKindLabel("bot_thread")).toBe("bot thread");
     expect(childKindLabel("subagent")).toBe("subagent");
     expect(childKindLabel("child_thread")).toBe("child thread");
-    expect(childKindLabel("spawned_session")).toBe("spawned session");
+    expect(childKindLabel("spawned_session")).toBe("helper agent");
   });
 });
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ describe("childGroupLabel", () => {
     expect(childGroupLabel({ subagent: 2, bot_thread: 1 })).toBe("2 subagents, 1 bot thread");
     expect(childGroupLabel({ subagent: 1 })).toBe("1 subagent");
     expect(childGroupLabel({ bot_thread: 2, spawned_session: 1, child_thread: 0 })).toBe(
-      "2 bot threads, 1 spawned session",
+      "2 bot threads, 1 helper agent",
     );
     expect(childGroupLabel({})).toBe("");
   });
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/child-labels.ts b/frontend/components/chat/child-labels.ts
index fe12b0442..729fdd003 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/child-labels.ts
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/child-labels.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ const SINGULAR: Record<ChildKind, string> = {
   subagent: "subagent",
   bot_thread: "bot thread",
   child_thread: "child thread",
-  spawned_session: "spawned session",
+  spawned_session: "helper agent",
 };
 
 const ORDER: readonly ChildKind[] = ["subagent", "bot_thread", "child_thread", "spawned_session"];
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/conversation-grammar.test.tsx b/frontend/components/chat/conversation-grammar.test.tsx
index 1c74939d3..af1aaf870 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/conversation-grammar.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/conversation-grammar.test.tsx
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ test("a gateway child-session turn folds under its parent, never a second turn b
   // Its truth lives in the parent's subagent fold: honest serial Queued state
   // plus the open-as-own-session affordance.
   expect(html).toContain('data-testid="subagents-fold"');
-  expect(html).toContain("1 spawned session");
+  expect(html).toContain("1 helper agent");
   expect(html).toContain("Delegated: audit the docs");
   expect(html).toContain("Queued");
   expect(html).toContain('href="/session/run-child"');
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.test.tsx b/frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.test.tsx
index 7addf7e31..e888f38db 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.test.tsx
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ describe("SessionDetailsRail", () => {
     expect(html).not.toContain("not reported");
   });
 
-  test("the runtime line presents the model as the one requested, not as the one that answered", () => {
+  test("the model line presents the model as the one requested, not as the one that answered", () => {
     // runs.model is what the plane asked the runtime for; no runtime reports
     // the model that answered, so the rail must not read as a fact.
     const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
@@ -115,7 +115,10 @@ describe("SessionDetailsRail", () => {
     expect(html).toContain("Codex");
     expect(html).toContain('data-testid="runtime-model-requested"');
     expect(html).toContain(">requested<");
-    expect(html).toContain("does not report which model answered");
+    expect(html).toContain("We are not told which model actually answered");
+    // Plain words for people (#339): no run, turn, session or runtime in the row or its tooltip.
+    expect(html).toContain("<dt class=\"shrink-0 text-text-tertiary\">Model</dt>");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("Runtime</dt>");
   });
 
   test("a thread with unloaded outline turns says its plan and totals are partial", () => {
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.tsx b/frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.tsx
index a3c268be4..7c534049d 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/session-details-rail.tsx
@@ -88,14 +88,14 @@ export function SessionDetailsRail({
       <Section title="Environment">
         <dl className="flex flex-col gap-1.5 rounded-2xl bg-background-secondary-default px-3 py-2.5">
           <Row label="Project">{project || "No repository"}</Row>
-          <Row label="Runtime">
+          <Row label="Model">
             <span className="flex min-w-0 items-center justify-end gap-2">
               {/* The model is the one the plane asked the runtime for (the run
                   row); no runtime reports back which model answered, so the
                   rail says so instead of presenting the request as a fact. */}
               <span
                 className="truncate"
-                title="The model this run asked for. The runtime does not report which model answered."
+                title="The model this task asked for. We are not told which model actually answered."
               >
                 {engineDisplayLabel(newest.engine)} · {modelLabel(newest.model, newest.engine)}{" "}
                 <span data-testid="runtime-model-requested" className="text-text-tertiary">
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.test.tsx b/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.test.tsx
index f755f32bd..3f9124370 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.test.tsx
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ describe("run peek body", () => {
 
   test("loading and error shells are neutral unless the caller knows it is a child", () => {
     expect(renderToStaticMarkup(<PaneStub>Loading</PaneStub>)).toContain(">Thread<");
-    expect(renderToStaticMarkup(<PaneStub label="Run">Loading</PaneStub>)).toContain(">Run<");
+    expect(renderToStaticMarkup(<PaneStub label="Task">Loading</PaneStub>)).toContain(">Task<");
     expect(renderToStaticMarkup(<PaneStub childSession>Loading</PaneStub>)).toContain(
       ">Subagent<",
     );
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.tsx b/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.tsx
index 6ace0ead3..686b0abe0 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane-body.tsx
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export default function SubagentPaneBody({
     return (
       <PaneStub childSession={childSession}>
         <p className="text-body-2-regular text-text-secondary text-center">
-          Couldn&apos;t load this run.
+          Couldn&apos;t load this task.
         </p>
       </PaneStub>
     );
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ export default function SubagentPaneBody({
   if (!run) {
     return (
       <PaneStub childSession={childSession}>
-        <LoadingState label="Loading run" />
+        <LoadingState label="Loading task" />
       </PaneStub>
     );
   }
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane.tsx b/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane.tsx
index bbe22b627..3ce0aa782 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/subagent-pane.tsx
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ export function PaneStub({
 }: {
   children: React.ReactNode;
   childSession?: boolean;
-  label?: "Run";
+  label?: "Task";
 }) {
   return (
     <>
@@ -122,8 +122,8 @@ export function PaneStub({
 const SubagentPaneBody = dynamic(() => import("@/components/chat/subagent-pane-body"), {
   ssr: false,
   loading: () => (
-    <PaneStub label="Run">
-      <LoadingState label="Loading run" />
+    <PaneStub label="Task">
+      <LoadingState label="Loading task" />
     </PaneStub>
   ),
 });
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ export function SubagentPeekButton({
   return (
     <button
       type="button"
-      aria-label="Peek run"
+      aria-label="Preview task"
       onClick={(e) => {
         e.preventDefault();
         e.stopPropagation();
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.test.tsx b/frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.test.tsx
index 8c3ff1de5..045411f30 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.test.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
 import { createCanonicalThreadStore, type CanonicalThreadEvent } from "@useagent/agent-client";
 import type { ThreadRelationship } from "@useagent/agent-client";
 import type { CanonicalChildEventLike } from "./canonical-children";
+import { childKindLabel } from "./child-labels";
 import { EXECUTION_SUMMARY_ROLLOUT_MODE } from "./execution-summary-rollout";
 import { type GatewayChildSession, SubagentsFold } from "./subagents-fold";
 
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ describe("subagents fold (inline conversation group)", () => {
       />,
     );
     expect(html).toContain('data-testid="subagents-fold"');
-    expect(html).toContain("1 subagent, 1 spawned session");
+    expect(html).toContain("1 subagent, 1 helper agent");
     // Native child row: title, agent-type, model, tokens, live state.
     expect(html).toContain("Verify checkout");
     expect(html).toContain("verifier");
@@ -117,6 +118,12 @@ describe("subagents fold (inline conversation group)", () => {
     expect(html).toContain("Summarize the wiki for onboarding");
     expect(html).toContain("Queued");
     expect(html).toContain('href="/session/child-run-1"');
+    // The link's name comes from the shared kind label, so this row and the Agents
+    // rail never call the same child two different things (#339).
+    expect(html).toContain(
+      `aria-label="Open ${childKindLabel("spawned_session")}: Summarize the wiki for onboarding"`,
+    );
+    expect(html).not.toContain("spawned");
     expect(html).not.toContain("parallel");
   });
 
@@ -139,7 +146,7 @@ describe("subagents fold (inline conversation group)", () => {
         childSessions={[gatewayChild({ status: "completed", summary: "Wiki summarized." })]}
       />,
     );
-    expect(html).toContain("1 subagent, 1 spawned session");
+    expect(html).toContain("1 subagent, 1 helper agent");
     expect(html).toContain('aria-expanded="false"');
     expect(html).not.toContain("Suite green.");
   });
diff --git a/frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.tsx b/frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.tsx
index de2d692d4..db0df00b1 100644
--- a/frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/chat/subagents-fold.tsx
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ function GatewayChildRow({ child }: { child: GatewayChildSession }) {
       </div>
       <Link
         href={`/session/${child.id}`}
-        aria-label={`Open spawned session: ${firstLine(child.prompt)}`}
+        aria-label={`Open ${childKindLabel("spawned_session")}: ${firstLine(child.prompt)}`}
         title="Open as its own thread"
         className={ROW_LINK_CLASS}
       >
diff --git a/frontend/components/pro/queued-messages.tsx b/frontend/components/pro/queued-messages.tsx
index 19d5fe8e9..4e73538ab 100644
--- a/frontend/components/pro/queued-messages.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/pro/queued-messages.tsx
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ function Row({
         <button
           type="button"
           onClick={onSendNow}
-          title="Stops the current turn; this message starts immediately"
+          title="Stops what the agent is doing now and sends this message right away"
           className="shrink-0 cursor-pointer text-caption-1-medium text-accent-500 underline-offset-2 outline-none hover:underline focus-visible:underline"
         >
           Send now
diff --git a/frontend/components/session-ui/agent-panel-row.test.tsx b/frontend/components/session-ui/agent-panel-row.test.tsx
index baf03fa4b..7f044b149 100644
--- a/frontend/components/session-ui/agent-panel-row.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/session-ui/agent-panel-row.test.tsx
@@ -212,14 +212,14 @@ describe("AgentPanelRow kind caption", () => {
     expect(html).not.toContain("text-[.65rem]");
   });
 
-  test("gateway rows read as spawned sessions", () => {
+  test("gateway rows read as helper agents, in the shared plain words", () => {
     const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
       <AgentPanelRow
         agent={{ ...base, lane: "gateway", kind: "spawned_session", engine: "claude" }}
         href="/session/child-1"
       />,
     );
-    expect(html).toContain("spawned session · Running");
-    expect(html).toContain('aria-label="Open spawned session: Research checkout"');
+    expect(html).toContain("helper agent · Running");
+    expect(html).toContain('aria-label="Open helper agent: Research checkout"');
   });
 });
diff --git a/frontend/components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.test.tsx b/frontend/components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.test.tsx
index 5cda17ead..cb5f361ee 100644
--- a/frontend/components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.test.tsx
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ describe("render gating", () => {
     // Four ticks, each a titled button.
     expect(html.match(/<button/g)?.length).toBe(4);
     expect(html).toContain('title="first turn"');
-    expect(html).toContain('aria-label="Jump to turn 4: fourth turn"');
+    expect(html).toContain('aria-label="Jump to message 4: fourth turn"');
     // First tick is active on first paint (activeIndex defaults to 0).
     expect(html).toContain('aria-current="true"');
   });
diff --git a/frontend/components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.tsx b/frontend/components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.tsx
index 5c2fbbec1..194d1d64c 100644
--- a/frontend/components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/session-ui/message-scroller-rail.tsx
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export function MessageScrollerRail({
   return (
     <nav
       data-session-ui="message-scroller-rail"
-      aria-label="Jump to a turn"
+      aria-label="Jump to a message"
       className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-y-4 right-2 z-20 hidden flex-col items-end justify-center gap-1 overflow-hidden lg:flex"
     >
       {ticks.map((tick, index) => {
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ export function MessageScrollerRail({
             key={tick.id}
             type="button"
             title={tick.snippet}
-            aria-label={`Jump to turn ${index + 1}: ${tick.snippet}`}
+            aria-label={`Jump to message ${index + 1}: ${tick.snippet}`}
             aria-current={active ? "true" : undefined}
             onClick={() => jumpTo(index)}
             className="group pointer-events-auto flex h-3.5 w-3 items-center justify-end rounded-sm outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-border-focus-ring"
diff --git a/frontend/components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.test.tsx b/frontend/components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.test.tsx
index 8681b694e..0f4daa5bf 100644
--- a/frontend/components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.test.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
 import { queuedPillLabel, QueuedMessagePill } from "./queued-message-pill";
 
 test("labels state the honest FIFO position, never a countdown", () => {
-  expect(queuedPillLabel(1)).toBe("Queued - sends after the current run");
+  expect(queuedPillLabel(1)).toBe("Queued - sends after the current reply");
   expect(queuedPillLabel(1, false)).toBe("Queued - waiting to start");
   expect(queuedPillLabel(2)).toBe("Queued #2 - 1 reply ahead");
   expect(queuedPillLabel(3)).toBe("Queued #3 - 2 replies ahead");
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ test("head queued pill is right-aligned and carries the Send now steering", () =
   expect(html).toContain('data-session-ui="queued-message-pill"');
   expect(html).toContain("justify-end");
   expect(html).toContain('role="status"');
-  expect(html).toContain("Queued - sends after the current run");
+  expect(html).toContain("Queued - sends after the current reply");
   expect(html).toContain("Send now");
 });
 
diff --git a/frontend/components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.tsx b/frontend/components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.tsx
index 46440734b..e001222ba 100644
--- a/frontend/components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/session-ui/queued-message-pill.tsx
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { RiTimeLine } from "@remixicon/react";
  *  positions also wait on the replies ahead of them. */
 export function queuedPillLabel(position: number, waitingOnCurrentRun = true): string {
   if (!waitingOnCurrentRun) return "Queued - waiting to start";
-  if (position <= 1) return "Queued - sends after the current run";
+  if (position <= 1) return "Queued - sends after the current reply";
   const ahead = position - 1;
   return `Queued #${position} - ${ahead} ${ahead === 1 ? "reply" : "replies"} ahead`;
 }
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export function QueuedMessagePill({
           <button
             type="button"
             onClick={onSendNow}
-            title="Stops the current turn; this message starts immediately"
+            title="Stops what the agent is doing now and sends this message right away"
             className="shrink-0 cursor-pointer text-accent-500 underline-offset-2 outline-none hover:underline focus-visible:underline"
           >
             Send now