Document app-first Terminal.Gui agent design loop, snapshot contract, and self-improvement pipeline

[Copilot]

Fixes

Issue linkage is handled automatically by the system.

Proposed Changes/Todos

• This issue asks for a gui-cs equivalent of the WinUI agent-plugin model, grounded in existing tuirec workflow patterns and the winprint design-loop proposal.
• Added a focused proposal doc at docfx/docs/agent-design-loop.md defining:
  • Plugin shape: new gui-cs/tui-dev-skills style repo structure (plugins/tui, agents/tui-dev, skills, src/tools)
  • Skill model: setup/design/dev-workflow/snapshot/record/review/session-report
  • Cross-repo contract: Terminal.Gui + tuirec + gui-cs/cli responsibilities for a shared human+agent design loop
• Broadened scope from view-centric to full Terminal.Gui app workflows:
  • problem statement now targets Terminal.Gui apps (not just views)
  • design loop step now covers app code (views, state, commands, workflows)
  • tui-design scope updated to iterative app UX/layout refinement
• Added phased rollout guidance to the proposal:
  • Phase 1: optimize for Terminal.Gui app authoring/review
  • Phase 2: expand to other .NET TUI frameworks
  • Phase 3: expand to broader non-.NET TUI frameworks
• Wired proposal into docs navigation:
  • docfx/docs/toc.yml
  • docfx/docs/index.md
• Clarified core rendering contract in Terminal.Gui/Drivers/IDriver.cs XML docs:
  • ToString () is the canonical full-grid capture for deterministic snapshots
  • ToAnsi () is terminal replay/output oriented and not the golden snapshot source
• Expanded the proposal with a built-in self-improvement feedback pipeline:
  • tui-session-report includes structured lessons learned
  • deduplication via stable fingerprinting
  • high-signal-only automated issue filing in the plugin repository
  • rate limiting and agent-feedback labeling to avoid spam
  • evidence links (session/logs/snapshots/repro) in filed issues

/// This returns the complete current screen grid and is suitable for deterministic snapshot/golden comparisons.
public string ToString ();

/// ...Prefer <see cref="ToString"/> as the canonical source for snapshot/golden assertions.
public string ToAnsi ();

Pull Request checklist:

• I've named my PR in the form of "Fixes #issue. Terse description."
• My code follows the style guidelines of Terminal.Gui - if you use Visual Studio, hit CTRL-K-D to automatically reformat your files before committing.
• My code follows the Terminal.Gui library design guidelines
• I ran dotnet test before commit
• I have made corresponding changes to the API documentation (using /// style comments)
• My changes generate no new warnings
• I have checked my code and corrected any poor grammar or misspellings
• I conducted basic QA to assure all features are working

[tig]

@copilot needs to be inherently self improving.

In developing tuirec, as agents used it, I would regularly have them what they leaned and how tuirec and its guidance could be improved.

We need this concept built in here. Some sort of automated pipeline back to the agent plugin repository. Eg file gh issues (without spamming).

[Copilot]

@copilot needs to be inherently self improving.

In developing tuirec, as agents used it, I would regularly have them what they leaned and how tuirec and its guidance could be improved. ...

Addressed in b3725a1. I updated the proposal with a built-in self-improvement feedback loop: structured lessons in tui-session-report, deduplication by fingerprint, high-signal-only issue filing, rate limiting to avoid spam, and evidence-backed agent-feedback issues in the plugin repo.

[tig]

@copilot this is too narrowly focused on views. It should encapsulate full TG TUI apps. The initial focus should be on TG. Later we may expand to any dotnet TUI framework and later to any tui framework.

[Copilot]

@copilot this is too narrowly focused on views. It should encapsulate full TG TUI apps. The initial focus should be on TG. Later we may expand to any dotnet TUI framework and later to any tui framewo...

Addressed in 5138375. I broadened the proposal to target full Terminal.Gui app development (not just views), updated the design-loop step to cover app workflows/state/commands, and added phased rollout scope: Terminal.Gui first, then other .NET TUI frameworks, then broader TUI frameworks.

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

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[chatgpt-codex-connector]

Keep ANSI snapshots as the visual golden source

For visual snapshot/design-review assertions, this guidance would make tests miss any regression that only changes attributes, styles, or OSC8 links: DriverImpl.ToString() appends only each cell's Grapheme, while the current snapshot helper records IDriver.ToAnsi() specifically because it preserves the byte-exact rendered look. If a view changes from red to blue, the proposed ToString() golden stays identical, so please qualify this as text-only snapshots or keep ToAnsi() as the canonical source for visual goldens.

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