fix(desktop): resolve local media linked from remote threads

[maria-rcks]

remote threads try to load desktop images and recordings from the remote server, where the files may not exist. desktop now retries eligible missing absolute media paths against its local server. remote files retain priority; relative paths and authorization failures do not fall back. previews refresh when the local server reconnects.

validation: 74 focused signing/rpc/asset/query tests passed before simplification; 46 focused asset/query tests, client-runtime/web typechecks, and scoped lint passed on this head. github checks pass.

e2e: real linux electron client, two independently authenticated servers, and a seeded remote conversation. filesystem permissions made the media inaccessible to the remote server and readable by the desktop server. image rendering and full-size preview, eight-second video playback, seeking to four seconds, and retry after restoring a missing video passed. checked light/dark appearance and 1100×780 / 1200×1100 viewports. the mac-specific setup remains untested.

before: base client asset wiring, same thread and files.

after: current head, image loaded and video seeked to 0:04.

model: gpt-6. harness: codex.

Note

Fix local media resolution for remote threads via local environment fallback

• Adds direct asset URL issuance for absolute media-file paths in the assetsCreateUrl websocket RPC handler in ws.ts, so absolute media can be served without resolving a workspace for the referenced thread.
• Updates createAssetEnvironmentAtoms in assets.ts to retry eligible absolute media-file requests against a distinct configured local environment after asset-not-found, asset-inspection, or workspace-context errors, rewriting the result against the local HTTP base URL.
• Supplies the connected primary Electron environment as the local media fallback in assets.ts, and refreshes media queries when that fallback context changes.
• Adds integration tests in server.test.ts and parameterized fallback tests in assets.test.ts.
• Behavioral Change: media URL queries now perform an additional local-environment retry for absolute paths with recognized media extensions when the target environment returns specific workspace-resolution failures; non-media and relative paths are unaffected.

^{Macroscope summarized 20bd171.}

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Bug Fixes
  • Media assets using absolute paths now generate valid URLs even when no local thread workspace is available.
  • Improved media URL resolution across local, remote, reconnecting, and foreign-thread environments.
  • PNG and MP4 assets now return the expected content types and file data.
  • Relative media paths continue to report clear workspace-context errors when required context is unavailable.
  • Added support for Windows-style absolute media paths and filenames containing literal special characters.

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Approved at 20bd171

Macroscope's review found this PR approvable — This is a narrowly scoped asset-resolution bug fix: remote-thread media failures can retry against the connected local Electron server, while relative paths, authorization failures, and existing successful paths remain unchanged. The production changes reuse the existing signed asset endpoint and are backed by focused fallback, reconnect, and server integration tests.

^{You can add or adjust custom eligibility rules. Learn more.}

Dismissing prior approval to re-evaluate 20bd171

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Team

Run ID: 7120bb80-5c06-446c-aa67-d7b90cf2ef32

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 8616cef and 20bd171.

📒 Files selected for processing (4)

• apps/web/src/state/assets.ts
• packages/client-runtime/src/state/assets.test.ts
• packages/client-runtime/src/state/assets.ts
• packages/client-runtime/src/state/runtime.ts

Included review availability: Your plan provides up to 10 included reviews per hour; 8 remain after this review.

---

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The change adds direct server handling for absolute media paths and client fallback through a local media environment. It wires the web state to the primary Electron connection and adds integration and parameterized coverage.

Changes

Media asset URL resolution

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Server absolute-path handling apps/server/src/ws.ts, apps/server/src/server.test.ts	assetsCreateUrl issues URLs directly for absolute media-file paths. Tests cover PNG and MP4 responses, file contents, and relative-path errors.
Client media fallback packages/client-runtime/src/state/runtime.ts, packages/client-runtime/src/state/assets.ts, packages/client-runtime/src/state/assets.test.ts	Asset URL queries inspect request results, retry eligible media requests through a local environment, and re-evaluate after reconnects. Tests cover environment selection, fallback, and error cases.
Web local environment wiring apps/web/src/state/assets.ts	The web state derives a local media environment from the primary Electron connection and passes it to asset environment atoms.

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~25 minutes

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 20bd1

Desktop media previews now retry eligible missing absolute paths through the local server while preserving remote success, relative-path behavior, and authorization failures. No concrete merge-blocking risk remains.

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  participant Client
  participant RemoteEnvironment
  participant EnvironmentRegistry
  participant LocalEnvironment
  Client->>RemoteEnvironment: Request assetsCreateUrl
  RemoteEnvironment-->>Client: Return URL or workspace error
  Client->>EnvironmentRegistry: Select fallback environment
  EnvironmentRegistry->>LocalEnvironment: Request assetsCreateUrl
  LocalEnvironment-->>Client: Return local-origin URL

Loading

Suggested reviewers: juliusmarminge, stienswout, t3dotgg

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 3 functions across 6 files.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely describes the primary change: resolving local media for remote threads in the desktop client.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description clearly explains what changed, why it changed, fallback behavior, validation results, UI evidence, and known test limitations. It does not use the template headings or include the chec…

• Fix all pre-merge checks with AI

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands.}