Herdr callbacks can target the wrong named session when `HERDR_SOCKET_PATH` conflicts with `HERDR_SESSION`

[adam-paterson]

Summary

When Herdr launches plannotator-tui in a named session, child Herdr CLI calls can target the wrong Herdr session if the process environment contains both of these values:

• HERDR_SESSION=<intended-session>
• HERDR_SOCKET_PATH=<another-session-socket>

Herdr resolves the target in this order:

1. explicit CLI --session <name>
2. HERDR_SOCKET_PATH
3. HERDR_SESSION
4. default session socket

plannotator-tui calls HERDR_BIN_PATH directly without passing --session, so HERDR_SOCKET_PATH wins over HERDR_SESSION. In a multi-session setup, plannotator-tui herdr last and herdr last --newest can open or query the wrong Herdr session.

User-visible symptom

With two Herdr sessions running, for example:

herdr session list
# default   running ...
# personal  running ...

Invoking Herdr Annotate actions from personal:

• annotate.last
• annotate.last-newest

can behave as if they are operating against default.

The original observation was that annotate.last in the personal session appeared to select data or panes from the default session.

Minimal behavior that exposes the cause

This Herdr CLI command shows the problem:

HERDR_SESSION=personal \
HERDR_SOCKET_PATH="$HOME/.config/herdr/herdr.sock" \
herdr pane list

It routes to the socket in HERDR_SOCKET_PATH, which is usually default, not personal.

Explicit --session wins:

HERDR_SESSION=personal \
HERDR_SOCKET_PATH="$HOME/.config/herdr/herdr.sock" \
herdr --session personal pane list

That command routes to personal.

Any Herdr integrated tool that needs to preserve the named session should pass explicit --session "$HERDR_SESSION" when HERDR_SESSION is present.

Investigation findings

Herdr

Herdr gives HERDR_SOCKET_PATH higher precedence than inherited HERDR_SESSION unless the command includes explicit CLI --session.

Relevant upstream areas inspected:

• src/session.rs
  • configure_from_args consumes explicit --session and calls apply_explicit_name.
  • If HERDR_SOCKET_PATH is present and no explicit --session was passed, Herdr clears the explicit-session flag instead of treating inherited HERDR_SESSION as explicit.
• src/session.rs

[backnotprop]

Thanks for digging in. We could not reproduce this on Herdr 0.9.1: in every named session we started, annotate actions got that session's own socket. The HERDR_SESSION=personal + default-socket mix seems to come from outside Herdr, like a shell rc or an exported variable. Could you share herdr --version, how you start personal, and env | grep HERDR from a pane in that session? We'll hold #91 until we can see it happen.

[adam-paterson]

Yeah, no problem. I'll switch out from my fork once I've finished work and test again. One thing to note which I think I've missed from the above, this happens while both sessions are active.

1. Terminal one = herdr
2. Terminal two = herdr session attach personal
3. Terminal two = plannotator-tui herdr last

[backnotprop]

Tried your exact steps on Herdr 0.9.1 (herdr in one terminal, herdr session attach personal in another, plannotator-tui herdr last in the personal pane): every call went to personal. The only way we could reproduce it was a shell rc (.zshrc, .profile, ...) that exports HERDR_SOCKET_PATH. That overrides the value Herdr sets per pane, so even herdr pane list in personal hits default. Could you check grep -r HERDR_SOCKET_PATH ~/.zshrc ~/.zprofile ~/.profile ~/.bashrc? If that's it, removing the export fixes it, and we'd close #91 since it would only mask that for plannotator-tui.

[adam-paterson]

I've closed it, bloody agent configuration was setting it manually!