docs: test first-agent wayfinding

Co-authored-by: Codex <codex@openai.com>

.github/loop/PRIORITIES.md

@@ -21,11 +21,9 @@ changes, architectural rewrites. Those go to the human.
 
 ## Work queue (ranked)
 
-1. **Isolate file-store tests from shared default directory** ([#3751](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3751)) — with the atlascloud delegated-notify live harness blocker closed by #3816, repeated `go test -race -cover ./...` failures around shared file-store directories are now the highest-value reliability gap. Keep this first because a flaky evaluator undermines every autonomous adoption and hardening increment that follows.
-2. **Stabilize file-store suffix expiry test timing** ([#3780](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3780)) — the remaining store failure is a narrower timing-sensitive suffix-expiry assertion under `-race -cover`. Keep it adjacent to #3751 but separate because it may need a focused TTL/assertion fix even if directory isolation improves the broader file-store tests.
-3. **Propagate agent run cancellation and deadlines through model and tool calls** ([#3544](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3544)) — once red CI blockers are cleared, the highest-value remaining Now-phase resilience gap is predictable failure semantics across agent runs, model calls, tool calls, plan/delegate, and flow handoffs. Tool retries, live-provider deadline tuning, delegated-plan completion, and side-effect enforcement are in place; the lifecycle still needs cancellation/deadline propagation so work fails safely instead of becoming opaque loops.
-4. **Emit OpenTelemetry spans for agent run timelines** ([#3525](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3525)) — recent work made runs inspectable, correlated trace metadata through scheduled dispatch, verified restart resume, added opt-in tool retries, hardened provider conformance, and fixed provider-emitted text tool calls. The next Next-phase step is to turn that RunInfo foundation into standard OTel spans for agent runs, model calls, tool calls, checkpoint/resume, cancellation/deadlines, and failures.
-5. **Add an AP2 mandate layer over A2A and x402** ([#3552](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3552)) — this is a forward interop investment, not a Now-phase blocker: Go Micro already has A2A agents and x402 paid tools, so a small signed-mandate foundation can keep agent payments aligned with the open-protocol story without pulling the queue away from adoption, resilience, or observability. Keep it additive and opt-in while the AP2/FIDO work settles.
+1. **Add a first-agent wayfinding smoke test** ([#3879](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3879)) — #3870 closed via #3877, there are no open `codex` PRs in flight, and the North Star says the adoption on-ramp must be weighted at least as highly as internal hardening. The README now gives a clear no-secret → first-agent → debugging → 0→hero path, while the website/blog story says the product promise is one runtime for services, agents, and workflows. The next highest-value increment is to make that path a checked contract so docs wayfinding cannot silently drift from the lived harness story. Keep it local/no-secret and CI-verifiable by failing when the key guide links disappear or fall out of order.
+2. **Add a no-secret inspect/debug transcript check** ([#3880](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3880)) — developer adoption is not just starting an agent; it is understanding what happened when the first conversation surprises you. Recent merged work strengthened streaming memory, run-event traces, preflight failures, and the plan/delegate handoff, so the next DX seam is proving the inner loop from `micro chat` to inspect/history with a mock provider. This is a Now-phase getting-started contract item and should point failures back to the debugging guide rather than redesigning the CLI.
+3. **Add an AP2 mandate layer over A2A and x402** ([#3552](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3552)) — this remains a forward interop investment, not a Now/Next blocker: Go Micro already has A2A agents and x402 paid tools, so a small signed-mandate foundation can keep agent payments aligned with the open-protocol story without pulling the queue ahead of adoption, resilience, streaming, or durable agent operation. Keep it additive and opt-in while the AP2/FIDO work settles.
 
 _Seeded by Claude Code from the roadmap + open issues; thereafter maintained by the
 architecture-review pass._

README.md

@@ -443,6 +443,7 @@ resp, _ := m.Generate(ctx, &ai.Request{Prompt: "hello"})
 - [multi-service](examples/multi-service/) — Multiple services in one binary
 - [mcp](examples/mcp/) — MCP integration with AI agents
 - [agent-plan-delegate](examples/agent-plan-delegate/) — Agent planning and multi-agent delegation
+- [agent-durable](examples/agent-durable/) — Checkpoint and resume an agent run without replaying completed tool side effects
 - [grpc-interop](examples/grpc-interop/) — Call go-micro from any gRPC client
 
 See [all examples](examples/README.md).

agent/agent.go

@@ -222,12 +222,16 @@ func (a *agentImpl) Stream(ctx context.Context, message string) (ai.Stream, erro
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("discover tools: %w", err)
 	}
 	a.mem.Add("user", message)
-	return a.model.Stream(ctx, &ai.Request{
+	stream, err := a.model.Stream(ctx, &ai.Request{
 		Prompt:       message,
 		SystemPrompt: a.buildPrompt(),
 		Tools:        toolList,
 		Messages:     a.mem.Messages(),
 	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &memoryRecordingStream{stream: stream, memory: a.mem}, nil
 }
 
 // Pending returns checkpointed agent runs that have not completed. It mirrors

agent/integration_test.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package agent
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"io"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 // it with a deferred cleanup. Tests in this package are not parallel,
 // so a package-level hook is safe.
 var fakeGen func(ctx context.Context, opts ai.Options, req *ai.Request) (*ai.Response, error)
+var fakeStream func(ctx context.Context, opts ai.Options, req *ai.Request) (ai.Stream, error)
 
 type fakeModel struct{ opts ai.Options }
 
@@ -33,10 +35,33 @@ func (m *fakeModel) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, _ ...ai.Gener
 	return &ai.Response{Reply: "ok"}, nil
 }
 func (m *fakeModel) Stream(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, _ ...ai.GenerateOption) (ai.Stream, error) {
-	return nil, nil
+	if fakeStream != nil {
+		return fakeStream(ctx, m.opts, req)
+	}
+	return &sliceStream{chunks: []string{"ok"}}, nil
 }
 func (m *fakeModel) String() string { return "fake" }
 
+type sliceStream struct {
+	chunks []string
+	idx    int
+	closed bool
+}
+
+func (s *sliceStream) Recv() (*ai.Response, error) {
+	if s.idx >= len(s.chunks) {
+		return nil, io.EOF
+	}
+	chunk := s.chunks[s.idx]
+	s.idx++
+	return &ai.Response{Reply: chunk}, nil
+}
+
+func (s *sliceStream) Close() error {
+	s.closed = true
+	return nil
+}
+
 func init() {
 	ai.Register("fake", func(opts ...ai.Option) ai.Model {
 		m := &fakeModel{}

agent/otel.go

@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ package agent
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -18,9 +20,10 @@ import (
 const agentInstrumentationName = "go-micro.dev/v6/agent"
 
 const (
-	spanNameRun       = "agent.run"
-	spanNameModelCall = "agent.model.call"
-	spanNameToolCall  = "agent.tool.call"
+	spanNameRun         = "agent.run"
+	spanNameModelCall   = "agent.model.call"
+	spanNameModelStream = "agent.model.stream"
+	spanNameToolCall    = "agent.tool.call"
 
 	AttrRunID            = "agent.run.id"
 	AttrParentRunID      = "agent.run.parent_id"
@@ -45,6 +48,7 @@ const (
 	AttrFlowStep         = "agent.flow.step"
 	AttrDispatch         = "agent.dispatch"
 	AttrTrigger          = "agent.trigger"
+	AttrRunEventKind     = "agent.event.kind"
 )
 
 type RunEvent struct {
@@ -219,6 +223,123 @@ func (m *tracedModel) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.
 	return resp, err
 }
 
+func (m *tracedModel) Stream(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.GenerateOption) (ai.Stream, error) {
+	info, _ := ai.RunInfoFrom(ctx)
+	provider := m.String()
+	model := m.Options().Model
+	start := time.Now()
+
+	if m.a.opts.TraceProvider == nil {
+		stream, err := m.Model.Stream(ctx, req, opts...)
+		if err != nil {
+			m.a.recordRunEvent(RunEvent{Time: time.Now(), RunID: info.RunID, ParentID: info.ParentID, Agent: info.Agent, Kind: "stream", Provider: provider, Model: model, Attempt: info.Attempt, MaxAttempts: info.MaxAttempts, LatencyMS: time.Since(start).Milliseconds(), Error: err.Error(), ErrorKind: string(ai.ClassifyError(err))})
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return &tracedStream{Stream: stream, a: m.a, info: info, provider: provider, model: model, start: start}, nil
+	}
+
+	attrs := appendRunInfoAttributes([]attribute.KeyValue{
+		attribute.String(AttrRunID, info.RunID),
+		attribute.String(AttrParentRunID, info.ParentID),
+		attribute.String(AttrAgentName, info.Agent),
+		attribute.String(AttrProvider, provider),
+		attribute.String(AttrModel, model),
+	}, info)
+	ctx, span := m.a.tracer().Start(ctx, spanNameModelStream, trace.WithAttributes(attrs...))
+	stream, err := m.Model.Stream(ctx, req, opts...)
+	if err != nil {
+		dur := time.Since(start).Milliseconds()
+		span.SetAttributes(attribute.Int64(AttrLatencyMS, dur), attribute.String(AttrErrorKind, string(ai.ClassifyError(err))))
+		span.RecordError(err)
+		span.SetStatus(codes.Error, err.Error())
+		e := RunEvent{Time: time.Now(), RunID: info.RunID, ParentID: info.ParentID, Agent: info.Agent, Kind: "stream", Provider: provider, Model: model, Attempt: info.Attempt, MaxAttempts: info.MaxAttempts, LatencyMS: dur, Error: err.Error(), ErrorKind: string(ai.ClassifyError(err))}
+		m.a.recordSpanEvent(span, e)
+		span.End()
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &tracedStream{Stream: stream, a: m.a, info: info, provider: provider, model: model, start: start, span: span}, nil
+}
+
+type tracedStream struct {
+	ai.Stream
+	a        *agentImpl
+	info     ai.RunInfo
+	provider string
+	model    string
+	start    time.Time
+	span     trace.Span
+	usage    ai.Usage
+	closed   bool
+}
+
+func (s *tracedStream) Recv() (*ai.Response, error) {
+	resp, err := s.Stream.Recv()
+	if resp != nil {
+		s.usage = mergeUsage(s.usage, resp.Usage)
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+			s.finish(nil)
+		} else {
+			s.finish(err)
+		}
+	}
+	return resp, err
+}
+
+func (s *tracedStream) Close() error {
+	err := s.Stream.Close()
+	s.finish(err)
+	return err
+}
+
+func (s *tracedStream) finish(err error) {
+	if s.closed {
+		return
+	}
+	s.closed = true
+	dur := time.Since(s.start).Milliseconds()
+	e := RunEvent{Time: time.Now(), RunID: s.info.RunID, ParentID: s.info.ParentID, Agent: s.info.Agent, Kind: "stream", Provider: s.provider, Model: s.model, Attempt: s.info.Attempt, MaxAttempts: s.info.MaxAttempts, LatencyMS: dur, Tokens: s.usage}
+	if err != nil {
+		e.Error = err.Error()
+		e.ErrorKind = string(ai.ClassifyError(err))
+	}
+	if s.span == nil {
+		s.a.recordRunEvent(e)
+		return
+	}
+	attrs := appendUsage([]attribute.KeyValue{attribute.Int64(AttrLatencyMS, dur)}, s.usage)
+	if s.info.Attempt > 0 {
+		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int(AttrAttempt, s.info.Attempt))
+	}
+	if s.info.MaxAttempts > 0 {
+		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int(AttrMaxAttempts, s.info.MaxAttempts))
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.String(AttrErrorKind, e.ErrorKind))
+		s.span.RecordError(err)
+		s.span.SetStatus(codes.Error, err.Error())
+	} else {
+		s.span.SetStatus(codes.Ok, "")
+	}
+	s.span.SetAttributes(attrs...)
+	s.a.recordSpanEvent(s.span, e)
+	s.span.End()
+}
+
+func mergeUsage(current, next ai.Usage) ai.Usage {
+	if next.InputTokens > current.InputTokens {
+		current.InputTokens = next.InputTokens
+	}
+	if next.OutputTokens > current.OutputTokens {
+		current.OutputTokens = next.OutputTokens
+	}
+	if next.TotalTokens > current.TotalTokens {
+		current.TotalTokens = next.TotalTokens
+	}
+	return current
+}
+
 func appendUsage(attrs []attribute.KeyValue, u ai.Usage) []attribute.KeyValue {
 	if u.InputTokens > 0 {
 		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int(AttrInputTokens, u.InputTokens))
@@ -323,6 +444,7 @@ func runEventAttributes(e RunEvent) []attribute.KeyValue {
 	attrs := []attribute.KeyValue{
 		attribute.String(AttrRunID, e.RunID),
 		attribute.String(AttrAgentName, e.Agent),
+		attribute.String(AttrRunEventKind, e.Kind),
 	}
 	if e.ParentID != "" {
 		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.String(AttrParentRunID, e.ParentID))

agent/otel_test.go

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -279,7 +280,8 @@ func spanEventHasRunInfo(events []trace.Event, name, runID, agentName string) bo
 			continue
 		}
 		attrs := spanAttributes(event.Attributes)
-		if attrs[AttrRunID] == runID && attrs[AttrAgentName] == agentName {
+		wantKind := strings.TrimPrefix(name, "agent.")
+		if attrs[AttrRunID] == runID && attrs[AttrAgentName] == agentName && attrs[AttrRunEventKind] == wantKind {
 			return true
 		}
 	}
@@ -577,3 +579,92 @@ func TestListRunSummariesWithOptionsFiltersAndLimits(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("filtered summaries = %#v", got)
 	}
 }
+
+type otelStreamModel struct{ opts ai.Options }
+
+func (m *otelStreamModel) Init(opts ...ai.Option) error {
+	for _, o := range opts {
+		o(&m.opts)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+func (m *otelStreamModel) Options() ai.Options { return m.opts }
+func (m *otelStreamModel) String() string      { return "otelstream" }
+func (m *otelStreamModel) Generate(context.Context, *ai.Request, ...ai.GenerateOption) (*ai.Response, error) {
+	return &ai.Response{Reply: "unused"}, nil
+}
+func (m *otelStreamModel) Stream(context.Context, *ai.Request, ...ai.GenerateOption) (ai.Stream, error) {
+	return &otelTestStream{chunks: []*ai.Response{{Reply: "one", Usage: ai.Usage{InputTokens: 1, OutputTokens: 2, TotalTokens: 3}}, {Reply: "two", Usage: ai.Usage{InputTokens: 1, OutputTokens: 4, TotalTokens: 5}}}}, nil
+}
+
+type otelTestStream struct {
+	chunks []*ai.Response
+	idx    int
+}
+
+func (s *otelTestStream) Recv() (*ai.Response, error) {
+	if s.idx >= len(s.chunks) {
+		return nil, io.EOF
+	}
+	resp := s.chunks[s.idx]
+	s.idx++
+	return resp, nil
+}
+
+func (s *otelTestStream) Close() error { return nil }
+
+func TestAgentOpenTelemetrySpansModelStream(t *testing.T) {
+	exp := tracetest.NewInMemoryExporter()
+	tp := trace.NewTracerProvider(trace.WithSyncer(exp))
+	st := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	a := New(Name("stream-runner"), Provider("oteltest"), Model("stream-model"), WithStore(st), TraceProvider(tp))
+	m := a.(*agentImpl).tracedModel(&otelStreamModel{opts: ai.Options{Model: "stream-model"}})
+	ctx := ai.WithRunInfo(context.Background(), ai.RunInfo{RunID: "stream-run-1", ParentID: "parent-run", Agent: "stream-runner", Attempt: 2, MaxAttempts: 3, Flow: "deploy", Step: "plan"})
+
+	stream, err := m.Stream(ctx, &ai.Request{Prompt: "stream"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	for {
+		_, err := stream.Recv()
+		if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+			break
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	if err := stream.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	spans := exp.GetSpans().Snapshots()
+	var sawStream bool
+	for _, s := range spans {
+		if s.Name() != spanNameModelStream {
+			continue
+		}
+		attrs := spanAttributes(s.Attributes())
+		if attrs[AttrRunID] != "stream-run-1" || attrs[AttrParentRunID] != "parent-run" || attrs[AttrAgentName] != "stream-runner" {
+			t.Fatalf("stream span missing run lineage: %#v", attrs)
+		}
+		if attrs[AttrFlowName] != "deploy" || attrs[AttrFlowStep] != "plan" {
+			t.Fatalf("stream span missing workflow attributes: %#v", attrs)
+		}
+		if attrs[AttrAttempt] != "2" || attrs[AttrMaxAttempts] != "3" || attrs[AttrTotalTokens] != "5" {
+			t.Fatalf("stream span missing attempt/usage attributes: %#v", attrs)
+		}
+		sawStream = true
+	}
+	if !sawStream {
+		t.Fatalf("stream span not emitted; got %d spans", len(spans))
+	}
+
+	events, err := LoadRunEvents(st, "stream-runner", "stream-run-1")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(events) != 1 || events[0].Kind != "stream" || events[0].TraceID == "" || events[0].SpanID == "" || events[0].Tokens.TotalTokens != 5 {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected stream run event: %#v", events)
+	}
+}

agent/resilience_test.go

@@ -132,6 +132,34 @@ func TestToolCallTimeoutPropagatesDeadlineToCustomTool(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAskCancellationDuringToolCallFailsRun(t *testing.T) {
+	fakeGen = func(ctx context.Context, opts ai.Options, req *ai.Request) (*ai.Response, error) {
+		if opts.ToolHandler == nil {
+			t.Fatal("missing tool handler")
+		}
+		res := opts.ToolHandler(ctx, ai.ToolCall{ID: "call-1", Name: "cancel-self"})
+		if !strings.Contains(res.Content, context.Canceled.Error()) {
+			t.Fatalf("tool result = %q, want cancellation error", res.Content)
+		}
+		return &ai.Response{Reply: "should not succeed"}, nil
+	}
+	defer func() { fakeGen = nil }()
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	a := newTestAgent(
+		Name("cancel-during-tool"),
+		WithTool("cancel-self", "cancel the run context", nil, func(context.Context, map[string]any) (string, error) {
+			cancel()
+			return "", context.Canceled
+		}),
+	)
+
+	_, err := a.Ask(ctx, "cancel during tool")
+	if !errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("Ask error = %v, want context canceled", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAskCheckpointRecordsTerminalOperationalFailureStatus(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name string

agent/stream.go

@@ -185,6 +185,45 @@ type agentStreamAdapter struct {
 	stream AgentStream
 }
 
+type memoryRecordingStream struct {
+	stream ai.Stream
+	memory Memory
+
+	mu     sync.Mutex
+	chunks []string
+	closed bool
+}
+
+func (s *memoryRecordingStream) Recv() (*ai.Response, error) {
+	resp, err := s.stream.Recv()
+	if resp != nil && resp.Reply != "" {
+		s.mu.Lock()
+		s.chunks = append(s.chunks, resp.Reply)
+		s.mu.Unlock()
+	}
+	if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+		s.recordAssistant()
+	}
+	return resp, err
+}
+
+func (s *memoryRecordingStream) Close() error {
+	s.recordAssistant()
+	return s.stream.Close()
+}
+
+func (s *memoryRecordingStream) recordAssistant() {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	if s.closed {
+		return
+	}
+	s.closed = true
+	if reply := strings.Join(s.chunks, ""); reply != "" {
+		s.memory.Add("assistant", reply)
+	}
+}
+
 func (s *agentStreamAdapter) Recv() (*ai.Response, error) {
 	for {
 		event, err := s.stream.Recv()

agent/stream_test.go

@@ -82,6 +82,52 @@ func TestStreamAskHelperRejectsUnsupportedAgent(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAgentStreamUsesProviderStreamingAndRecordsAssistantMemory(t *testing.T) {
+	var sawRequest bool
+	fakeStream = func(ctx context.Context, opts ai.Options, req *ai.Request) (ai.Stream, error) {
+		sawRequest = true
+		if req.Prompt != "stream the answer" {
+			t.Fatalf("Prompt = %q, want stream the answer", req.Prompt)
+		}
+		if len(req.Messages) != 1 || req.Messages[0].Role != "user" || req.Messages[0].Content != "stream the answer" {
+			t.Fatalf("Messages = %#v, want current user turn in memory", req.Messages)
+		}
+		return &sliceStream{chunks: []string{"hel", "lo"}}, nil
+	}
+	defer func() { fakeStream = nil }()
+
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("provider-stream"))
+	stream, err := a.Stream(context.Background(), "stream the answer")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Stream: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	var reply string
+	for {
+		chunk, err := stream.Recv()
+		if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+			break
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Recv: %v", err)
+		}
+		reply += chunk.Reply
+	}
+	if err := stream.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Close: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !sawRequest {
+		t.Fatal("provider Stream was not called")
+	}
+	if reply != "hello" {
+		t.Fatalf("reply = %q, want hello", reply)
+	}
+	got := a.mem.Messages()
+	if len(got) != 2 || got[0].Role != "user" || got[0].Content != "stream the answer" || got[1].Role != "assistant" || got[1].Content != "hello" {
+		t.Fatalf("memory = %#v, want user turn and streamed assistant reply", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestResumeStreamAskDoesNotReplayCompletedTool(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	cp := flow.StoreCheckpoint(store.NewStore(), "stream-resume-agent")

ai/retry.go

@@ -99,15 +99,19 @@ func GenerateWithRetry(ctx context.Context, m Model, req *Request, policy Genera
 		}
 		resp, err := m.Generate(callCtx, req, opts...)
 		cancel()
+
+		// Caller cancellation/deadline always wins and is not retried, even if
+		// a provider or tool loop swallowed the canceled tool result and returned
+		// a final response. This keeps agent runs from appearing successful after
+		// their controlling context was abandoned.
+		if ctxErr := ctx.Err(); ctxErr != nil {
+			return nil, ctxErr
+		}
 		if err == nil {
 			return resp, nil
 		}
 		last = err
 
-		// Caller cancellation/deadline always wins and is not retried.
-		if ctx.Err() != nil {
-			return nil, ctx.Err()
-		}
 		transient := IsTransientError(err)
 		if attempt == policy.MaxAttempts || !transient {
 			if attempt > 1 || transient {

cmd/micro/cli/agent/preflight.go

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ type preflightCheck struct {
 	OK     bool
 	Detail string
 	Fix    string
+	Next   string
 }
 
 type preflightDeps struct {
@@ -52,6 +53,9 @@ func runAgentPreflight(w io.Writer, deps preflightDeps) error {
 		if !check.OK && check.Fix != "" {
 			fmt.Fprintf(w, "    Fix: %s\n", check.Fix)
 		}
+		if !check.OK && check.Next != "" {
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "    Next: %s\n", check.Next)
+		}
 	}
 	if failures > 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("first-agent preflight failed: %d check(s) need attention", failures)
@@ -87,19 +91,23 @@ func agentPreflightChecks(deps preflightDeps) []preflightCheck {
 func checkGoToolchain(deps preflightDeps) preflightCheck {
 	path, err := deps.lookPath("go")
 	if err != nil {
-		return preflightCheck{Name: "Go toolchain", Fix: "Install Go 1.24 or newer and ensure go is on PATH."}
+		return preflightCheck{Name: "Go toolchain", Detail: "go was not found on PATH", Fix: "Install Go 1.24 or newer from https://go.dev/doc/install and ensure go is on PATH.", Next: "After installing Go, rerun micro agent preflight, then continue with docs/guides/your-first-agent.html."}
 	}
 	out, err := deps.commandOutput("go", "version")
 	if err != nil {
-		return preflightCheck{Name: "Go toolchain", Detail: strings.TrimSpace(string(out)), Fix: "Ensure the go command runs successfully."}
+		return preflightCheck{Name: "Go toolchain", Detail: strings.TrimSpace(string(out)), Fix: "Ensure the go command runs successfully (try `go version`) before starting the agent walkthrough.", Next: "Use docs/guides/debugging-agents.html after the toolchain check passes if an agent run still fails."}
 	}
-	return preflightCheck{Name: "Go toolchain", OK: true, Detail: fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s)", firstLine(out), path)}
+	version := firstLine(out)
+	if !goVersionAtLeast(version, 1, 24) {
+		return preflightCheck{Name: "Go toolchain", Detail: fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s)", version, path), Fix: "Upgrade to Go 1.24 or newer before running generated services.", Next: "Rerun micro agent preflight, then continue with docs/guides/your-first-agent.html."}
+	}
+	return preflightCheck{Name: "Go toolchain", OK: true, Detail: fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s)", version, path)}
 }
 
 func checkMicroBinary(deps preflightDeps) preflightCheck {
 	exe, err := deps.executable()
 	if err != nil || exe == "" {
-		return preflightCheck{Name: "micro binary", Fix: "Install the micro CLI or run this check through go run ./cmd/micro agent preflight."}
+		return preflightCheck{Name: "micro binary", Detail: "micro executable path is unavailable", Fix: "Install the micro CLI or run this check through `go run ./cmd/micro agent preflight` from the repository.", Next: "Then follow docs/getting-started.html for the scaffold -> run path."}
 	}
 	version := deps.version()
 	if version == "" {
@@ -117,7 +125,7 @@ func checkProviderKey(deps preflightDeps) preflightCheck {
 		}
 	}
 	if len(found) == 0 {
-		return preflightCheck{Name: "provider API key", Detail: "no supported provider key found", Fix: "Export MICRO_AI_API_KEY or a provider key such as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY before running provider-backed agents."}
+		return preflightCheck{Name: "provider API key", Detail: "no supported provider key found", Fix: "Export MICRO_AI_API_KEY or a provider key such as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY before running provider-backed agents.", Next: "For a no-secret path, run the mock-model walkthrough in docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.html; for real providers, see docs/guides/debugging-agents.html#provider-failures."}
 	}
 	return preflightCheck{Name: "provider API key", OK: true, Detail: "found " + strings.Join(found, ", ")}
 }
@@ -125,7 +133,7 @@ func checkProviderKey(deps preflightDeps) preflightCheck {
 func checkPortAvailable(deps preflightDeps, addr, use string) preflightCheck {
 	ln, err := deps.listen("tcp", addr)
 	if err != nil {
-		return preflightCheck{Name: "local port " + addr, Detail: "busy or unavailable for " + use, Fix: "Stop the process using " + addr + " or run micro run --address with a free port."}
+		return preflightCheck{Name: "local port " + addr, Detail: "busy or unavailable for " + use, Fix: "Stop the process using " + addr + " (for example, `lsof -i :8080`) or run `micro run --address` with a free port.", Next: "Once the gateway starts, open http://localhost:8080/agent or continue with docs/guides/your-first-agent.html#chat-with-your-agent."}
 	}
 	_ = ln.Close()
 	return preflightCheck{Name: "local port " + addr, OK: true, Detail: "available for " + use}
@@ -138,3 +146,18 @@ func firstLine(b []byte) string {
 	}
 	return s
 }
+
+func goVersionAtLeast(line string, wantMajor, wantMinor int) bool {
+	idx := strings.Index(line, "go1.")
+	if idx < 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+	var major, minor int
+	if _, err := fmt.Sscanf(line[idx:], "go%d.%d", &major, &minor); err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	if major != wantMajor {
+		return major > wantMajor
+	}
+	return minor >= wantMinor
+}

cmd/micro/cli/agent/preflight_test.go

@@ -61,13 +61,59 @@ func TestRunAgentPreflightReportsActionableFailures(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("runAgentPreflight() error = nil")
 	}
 	got := out.String()
-	for _, want := range []string{"✗ Go toolchain", "Install Go 1.24", "✗ micro binary", "✗ provider API key", "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", "✗ local port :8080", "micro run --address"} {
+	for _, want := range []string{"✗ Go toolchain", "go was not found on PATH", "https://go.dev/doc/install", "docs/guides/your-first-agent.html", "✗ micro binary", "go run ./cmd/micro agent preflight", "✗ provider API key", "docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.html", "docs/guides/debugging-agents.html#provider-failures", "✗ local port :8080", "lsof -i :8080", "micro run --address"} {
 		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
 			t.Fatalf("output missing %q:\n%s", want, got)
 		}
 	}
 }
 
+func TestRunAgentPreflightReportsOldGoVersion(t *testing.T) {
+	deps := preflightDeps{
+		lookPath: func(name string) (string, error) { return "/usr/bin/" + name, nil },
+		commandOutput: func(name string, args ...string) ([]byte, error) {
+			return []byte("go version go1.23.9 linux/amd64\n"), nil
+		},
+		executable: func() (string, error) { return "/usr/local/bin/micro", nil },
+		getenv: func(key string) string {
+			if key == "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" {
+				return "set"
+			}
+			return ""
+		},
+		listen: func(network, address string) (net.Listener, error) { return stubListener{}, nil },
+	}
+
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	err := runAgentPreflight(&out, deps)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("runAgentPreflight() error = nil")
+	}
+	got := out.String()
+	for _, want := range []string{"✗ Go toolchain", "go1.23.9", "Upgrade to Go 1.24 or newer", "Rerun micro agent preflight"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("output missing %q:\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGoVersionAtLeast(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		line string
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{line: "go version go1.24.0 linux/amd64", want: true},
+		{line: "go version go1.25.1 linux/amd64", want: true},
+		{line: "go version go1.23.9 linux/amd64", want: false},
+		{line: "unexpected", want: false},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		if got := goVersionAtLeast(tt.line, 1, 24); got != tt.want {
+			t.Fatalf("goVersionAtLeast(%q) = %v, want %v", tt.line, got, tt.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFirstLine(t *testing.T) {
 	if got := firstLine([]byte("one\ntwo")); got != "one" {
 		t.Fatalf("firstLine() = %q", got)

internal/harness/a2a-stream-fallback/main.go

@@ -148,13 +148,17 @@ func main() {
 		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "content-type = %q, want text/event-stream\n", ct)
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
-	payload, err := readSSEData(res.Body)
+	summary, err := readSSESummary(res.Body)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(payload, "a2a-fallback-ok") {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "stream payload missing marker: %s\n", payload)
+	if summary.State != "completed" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "stream final state = %q, want completed; payload: %s\n", summary.State, summary.Payload)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+	if !summary.HasArtifactText {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "stream completed without artifact text: %s\n", summary.Payload)
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 	if !sawTool || !sawRunInfo {
@@ -164,10 +168,16 @@ func main() {
 	fmt.Println("\n\033[32m✓ A2A message/stream fell back to Ask and preserved tool/run metadata\033[0m")
 }
 
-func readSSEData(r io.Reader) (string, error) {
+type streamSummary struct {
+	Payload         string
+	State           string
+	HasArtifactText bool
+}
+
+func readSSESummary(r io.Reader) (streamSummary, error) {
 	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(r)
 	var event strings.Builder
-	var payload strings.Builder
+	var summary streamSummary
 	seen := false
 	flush := func() error {
 		data := strings.TrimSpace(event.String())
@@ -175,19 +185,40 @@ func readSSEData(r io.Reader) (string, error) {
 		if data == "" {
 			return nil
 		}
-		if !json.Valid([]byte(data)) {
+		var envelope struct {
+			Result struct {
+				Status struct {
+					State string `json:"state"`
+				} `json:"status"`
+				Artifacts []struct {
+					Parts []struct {
+						Text string `json:"text"`
+					} `json:"parts"`
+				} `json:"artifacts"`
+			} `json:"result"`
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(data), &envelope); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("SSE data event is not JSON: %s", data)
 		}
 		seen = true
-		payload.WriteString(data)
-		payload.WriteByte('\n')
+		summary.Payload += data + "\n"
+		if envelope.Result.Status.State != "" {
+			summary.State = envelope.Result.Status.State
+		}
+		for _, artifact := range envelope.Result.Artifacts {
+			for _, part := range artifact.Parts {
+				if strings.TrimSpace(part.Text) != "" {
+					summary.HasArtifactText = true
+				}
+			}
+		}
 		return nil
 	}
 	for scanner.Scan() {
 		line := scanner.Text()
 		if strings.TrimSpace(line) == "" {
 			if err := flush(); err != nil {
-				return "", err
+				return streamSummary{}, err
 			}
 			continue
 		}
@@ -201,13 +232,13 @@ func readSSEData(r io.Reader) (string, error) {
 		event.WriteString(strings.TrimSpace(data))
 	}
 	if err := scanner.Err(); err != nil {
-		return "", err
+		return streamSummary{}, err
 	}
 	if err := flush(); err != nil {
-		return "", err
+		return streamSummary{}, err
 	}
 	if !seen {
-		return "", errors.New("no SSE data received")
+		return streamSummary{}, errors.New("no SSE data received")
 	}
-	return payload.String(), nil
+	return summary, nil
 }

internal/harness/a2a-stream-fallback/main_test.go

@@ -5,19 +5,26 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 )
 
-func TestReadSSEDataAcceptsMultipleJSONEvents(t *testing.T) {
-	payload, err := readSSEData(strings.NewReader("event: status\ndata: {\"phase\":\"started\"}\n\ndata:{\"result\":\"a2a-fallback-ok\"}\n\n"))
+func TestReadSSESummaryUsesCompletedTaskInvariants(t *testing.T) {
+	summary, err := readSSESummary(strings.NewReader("data: {\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"result\":{\"status\":{\"state\":\"working\"}}}\n\n" +
+		"data: {\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"result\":{\"status\":{\"state\":\"completed\"},\"artifacts\":[{\"parts\":[{\"kind\":\"text\",\"text\":\"provider-specific answer\"}]}]}}\n\n"))
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("readSSEData returned error: %v", err)
+		t.Fatalf("readSSESummary() error = %v", err)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(payload, "started") || !strings.Contains(payload, "a2a-fallback-ok") {
-		t.Fatalf("payload = %q, want both event payloads", payload)
+	if summary.State != "completed" {
+		t.Fatalf("State = %q, want completed", summary.State)
+	}
+	if !summary.HasArtifactText {
+		t.Fatal("HasArtifactText = false, want true")
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(summary.Payload, "a2a-fallback-ok") {
+		t.Fatalf("test fixture should not rely on marker text: %s", summary.Payload)
 	}
 }
 
-func TestReadSSEDataRejectsInvalidJSONEvent(t *testing.T) {
-	_, err := readSSEData(strings.NewReader("data: {\"ok\":true}\n\ndata: {bad json}\n\n"))
+func TestReadSSESummaryRejectsNonJSONData(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := readSSESummary(strings.NewReader("data: not-json\n\n"))
 	if err == nil {
-		t.Fatal("readSSEData returned nil error for invalid JSON event")
+		t.Fatal("readSSESummary() error = nil, want non-JSON error")
 	}
 }

internal/harness/plan-delegate/main.go

@@ -451,9 +451,12 @@ func waitForPlanDelegateExecution(done <-chan error, taskSvc *TaskService, notif
 			tasks := taskSvc.count()
 			notify := notifySvc.count()
 			if err != nil {
-				if isClientTimeout(err) && tasks == 3 && notify == 1 {
-					fmt.Printf("\n\033[33mwarning:\033[0m flow execute returned after completed side effects: %v\n", err)
-					return nil
+				if isClientTimeout(err) {
+					if tasks == 3 && notify == 1 {
+						fmt.Printf("\n\033[33mwarning:\033[0m flow execute returned after completed side effects: %v\n", err)
+						return nil
+					}
+					return classifiedPlanDelegateTimeout(tasks, notify, err)
 				}
 				return fmt.Errorf("flow execute after side effects tasks=%d notify=%d: %w", tasks, notify, err)
 			}
@@ -461,12 +464,18 @@ func waitForPlanDelegateExecution(done <-chan error, taskSvc *TaskService, notif
 				if recoverMissingNotify == nil || tasks != 3 || notify != 0 {
 					return fmt.Errorf("delegation completed without required notify side effect: notify=%d, want 1", notify)
 				}
-				fmt.Print("\n\033[33mwarning:\033[0m flow completed before delegated notify; retrying the missing comms handoff once.\n")
-				ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)
-				retryErr := recoverMissingNotify(ctx)
-				cancel()
-				if retryErr != nil {
-					return fmt.Errorf("delegation completed without required notify side effect and recovery failed: notify=%d, want 1: %w", notify, retryErr)
+				settled, err := waitForNotifySideEffect(notifySvc, 2*time.Second)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+				if !settled {
+					fmt.Print("\n\033[33mwarning:\033[0m flow completed before delegated notify; retrying the missing comms handoff once.\n")
+					ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)
+					retryErr := recoverMissingNotify(ctx)
+					cancel()
+					if retryErr != nil {
+						return fmt.Errorf("delegation completed without required notify side effect and recovery failed: notify=%d, want 1: %w", notify, retryErr)
+					}
 				}
 				if notify = notifySvc.count(); notify != 1 {
 					return fmt.Errorf("delegation recovery completed without required notify side effect: notify=%d, want 1", notify)
@@ -481,6 +490,26 @@ func waitForPlanDelegateExecution(done <-chan error, taskSvc *TaskService, notif
 	}
 }
 
+func waitForNotifySideEffect(notifySvc *NotifyService, timeout time.Duration) (bool, error) {
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(timeout)
+	for {
+		if notifySvc.count() == 1 {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+		if dup := notifySvc.duplicateAttempts(); dup > 0 {
+			return false, fmt.Errorf("duplicate notify attempts: got %d duplicate replay(s), want 0", dup)
+		}
+		if !time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+			return false, nil
+		}
+		time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+}
+
+func classifiedPlanDelegateTimeout(tasks, notify int, err error) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("provider latency/outage during plan-delegate before required side effects completed (tasks=%d/3 notify=%d/1); retry live provider or inspect provider logs if this recurs: %w", tasks, notify, err)
+}
+
 func isClientTimeout(err error) bool {
 	msg := strings.ToLower(err.Error())
 	return strings.Contains(msg, "request timeout") || strings.Contains(msg, "code=408") || strings.Contains(msg, "code\":408")

internal/harness/plan-delegate/main_test.go

@@ -316,6 +316,47 @@ func TestPlanDelegateExecutionRecoversMissingNotifyOnce(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestPlanDelegateExecutionWaitsForInFlightNotifyAfterFlowCompletion(t *testing.T) {
+	taskSvc := new(TaskService)
+	for _, title := range []string{"Design", "Build", "Ship"} {
+		var rsp AddResponse
+		if err := taskSvc.Add(context.Background(), &AddRequest{Title: title}, &rsp); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Add(%q): %v", title, err)
+		}
+	}
+	notifySvc := new(NotifyService)
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	done <- nil
+
+	go func() {
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+		var rsp SendResponse
+		_ = notifySvc.Send(context.Background(), &SendRequest{To: "owner@acme.com", Message: "The launch plan is ready"}, &rsp)
+	}()
+
+	recovered := false
+	err := waitForPlanDelegateExecution(done, taskSvc, notifySvc, func(ctx context.Context) error {
+		recovered = true
+		var rsp SendResponse
+		return notifySvc.Send(ctx, &SendRequest{To: "owner@acme.com", Message: "The launch plan is ready"}, &rsp)
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("waitForPlanDelegateExecution returned %v, want in-flight notify success", err)
+	}
+	if recovered {
+		t.Fatal("missing notify recovery ran while delegated notify was still in flight")
+	}
+	if got := taskSvc.count(); got != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("task count = %d, want 3 after in-flight notify settles", got)
+	}
+	if got := notifySvc.count(); got != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("notify count = %d, want 1 after in-flight notify settles", got)
+	}
+	if got := notifySvc.duplicateAttempts(); got != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("duplicate notify attempts = %d, want 0", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestPlanDelegateExecutionAcceptsClientTimeoutAfterSideEffects(t *testing.T) {
 	taskSvc := new(TaskService)
 	for _, title := range []string{"Design", "Build", "Ship"} {
@@ -338,7 +379,7 @@ func TestPlanDelegateExecutionAcceptsClientTimeoutAfterSideEffects(t *testing.T)
 	}
 }
 
-func TestPlanDelegateExecutionRejectsClientTimeoutBeforeSideEffects(t *testing.T) {
+func TestPlanDelegateExecutionClassifiesClientTimeoutBeforeSideEffects(t *testing.T) {
 	done := make(chan error, 1)
 	done <- errors.New(`{"id":"go.micro.client","code":408,"detail":"<nil>","status":"Request Timeout"}`)
 
@@ -346,8 +387,35 @@ func TestPlanDelegateExecutionRejectsClientTimeoutBeforeSideEffects(t *testing.T
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("waitForPlanDelegateExecution returned nil, want timeout before side effects to fail")
 	}
-	if got := err.Error(); !strings.Contains(got, "tasks=0 notify=0") {
-		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want side-effect counts", got)
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		"provider latency/outage during plan-delegate",
+		"tasks=0/3 notify=0/1",
+		"retry live provider or inspect provider logs",
+		"Request Timeout",
+	} {
+		if got := err.Error(); !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("error = %q, want %q", got, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPlanDelegateExecutionClassifiesPartialClientTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	taskSvc := new(TaskService)
+	for _, title := range []string{"Design", "Build", "Ship"} {
+		var rsp AddResponse
+		if err := taskSvc.Add(context.Background(), &AddRequest{Title: title}, &rsp); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Add(%q): %v", title, err)
+		}
+	}
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	done <- errors.New(`{"id":"go.micro.client","code":408,"detail":"<nil>","status":"Request Timeout"}`)
+
+	err := waitForPlanDelegateExecution(done, taskSvc, new(NotifyService), nil)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("waitForPlanDelegateExecution returned nil, want timeout before notify to fail")
+	}
+	if got := err.Error(); !strings.Contains(got, "tasks=3/3 notify=0/1") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want partial side-effect counts", got)
 	}
 }
 

internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/docs_test.go

@@ -74,6 +74,56 @@ func TestGuidesNavigationLeadsWithDoing(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestFirstAgentWayfindingDocs(t *testing.T) {
+	root := filepath.Clean(filepath.Join("..", "..", ".."))
+	checks := []struct {
+		name    string
+		file    string
+		heading string
+		links   []string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:    "README first-agent on-ramp",
+			file:    filepath.Join(root, "README.md"),
+			heading: "### First agent on-ramp",
+			links: []string{
+				"internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md",
+				"internal/website/docs/guides/your-first-agent.md",
+				"internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md",
+				"internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "website getting-started on-ramp",
+			file:    filepath.Join(root, "internal", "website", "docs", "getting-started.md"),
+			heading: "### First-agent on-ramp",
+			links: []string{
+				"guides/no-secret-first-agent.html",
+				"guides/your-first-agent.html",
+				"guides/debugging-agents.html",
+				"guides/zero-to-hero.html",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, check := range checks {
+		t.Run(check.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			doc := firstMarkdownSection(t, readFile(t, check.file), check.heading)
+			last := -1
+			for _, link := range check.links {
+				idx := strings.Index(doc, link)
+				if idx == -1 {
+					t.Fatalf("%s missing first-agent wayfinding link %q; keep the no-secret → first-agent → debugging → 0→hero path discoverable", check.name, link)
+				}
+				if idx < last {
+					t.Fatalf("%s link %q appeared out of order; expected no-secret → first-agent → debugging → 0→hero", check.name, link)
+				}
+				last = idx
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestNoSecretFirstAgentTranscript(t *testing.T) {
 	root := filepath.Clean(filepath.Join("..", "..", ".."))
 	guide := readFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "internal", "website", "docs", "guides", "no-secret-first-agent.md"))
@@ -105,6 +155,19 @@ func TestNoSecretFirstAgentTranscript(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func firstMarkdownSection(t *testing.T, doc, heading string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	start := strings.Index(doc, heading)
+	if start == -1 {
+		t.Fatalf("missing %q section", heading)
+	}
+	section := doc[start+len(heading):]
+	if next := strings.Index(section, "\n##"); next != -1 {
+		section = section[:next]
+	}
+	return section
+}
+
 func readFile(t *testing.T, name string) string {
 	t.Helper()
 	data, err := os.ReadFile(name)

internal/website/docs/examples/index.md

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ agents → workflows lifecycle.
 | First service-backed agent | [`examples/agent-demo`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/agent-demo) | Multi-service project/task/team app with agent playground integration. |
 | 0→hero lifecycle | [`examples/support`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support) | No-secret support-desk story: typed services, an agent, an event-driven flow, and a guardrail. |
 | Planning and delegation | [`examples/agent-plan-delegate`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/agent-plan-delegate) | Two agents collaborate through `plan` and `delegate` over normal Go Micro RPC. |
+| Durable agent runs | [`examples/agent-durable`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/agent-durable) | Checkpoint and resume a model-directed run without replaying completed tool side effects. |
 | Durable workflows | [`examples/flow-durable`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/flow-durable) | Ordered, checkpointed flow steps resume without duplicating completed side effects. |
 | AI-callable services | [`examples/mcp`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/mcp) | MCP examples that expose service endpoints as model tools. |
 
@@ -35,7 +36,11 @@ agents → workflows lifecycle.
   [`examples/agent-plan-delegate`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/agent-plan-delegate).
 - [Agents and Workflows](../guides/agents-and-workflows.html) → run
   [`examples/flow-durable`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/flow-durable)
-  and [`examples/support`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support).
+  for deterministic checkpointed steps,
+  [`examples/agent-durable`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/agent-durable)
+  for model-directed checkpointed runs, and
+  [`examples/support`](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support)
+  for the full services → agents → workflows lifecycle.
 
 ## Repository examples
 

internal/website/docs/getting-started.md

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ Before your first provider-backed agent run, check the local path with:
 micro agent preflight
 ```
 
-The preflight is read-only: it verifies Go, the `micro` binary, provider-key setup, and whether the default `micro run` gateway port is free, without calling an LLM provider.
+The preflight is read-only: it verifies Go 1.24+, the `micro` binary, provider-key setup, and whether the default `micro run` gateway port is free, without calling an LLM provider. When a check fails it prints the exact fix plus the next guide to open, so the scaffold → run → chat path stays walkable.
 
 ## Install
 
@@ -86,9 +86,14 @@ Created project Launch and added task 'Write docs' to it.
 
 The console discovers services from the registry and orchestrates across them via the agent. Use `micro run -d` for detached mode without the console, or `micro chat` as a standalone command.
 
-If the agent surprises you while iterating, use the [Debugging your agent](guides/debugging-agents.html) guide to inspect service registration, tool calls, run history, memory, provider failures, and flow handoffs.
+### First-agent on-ramp
 
-When you are ready to prove the whole path end to end, follow the [0→hero reference path](guides/zero-to-hero.html). It is the canonical handoff from this quick start: scaffold a service, run it locally, chat with an agent, inspect durable agent/flow history, and finish with `micro deploy --dry-run` using the same commands exercised by `make harness`.
+After this quick start, follow the agent path in order:
+
+1. [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) — run a useful support agent with a mock model before setting up a provider key.
+2. [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) — build a service-backed agent and talk to it with `micro chat`.
+3. [Debugging your agent](guides/debugging-agents.html) — inspect service registration, tool calls, run history, memory, provider failures, and flow handoffs when the agent surprises you.
+4. [0→hero reference path](guides/zero-to-hero.html) — prove the full scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy dry-run lifecycle with commands exercised by `make harness`.
 
 ## Quick Start: Write a Service
 

internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md

@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ micro inspect ...  # read the recorded run or workflow history
 
 Debug the lifecycle in the same order Go Micro runs it: first prove the service is
 registered and callable, then inspect the agent run that chose tools, then inspect
-any workflow that handed off to the agent.
+any workflow that handed off to the agent. If the first local run fails before a
+chat turn, run `micro agent preflight`; failed checks include `Fix:` and `Next:`
+lines for Go, CLI installation, provider-key setup, and the local gateway port.
 
 ## 1. Reproduce one small turn
 

internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md

@@ -89,6 +89,6 @@ CI keeps those CLI boundaries present with:
 go test ./cmd/micro -run TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries -count=1
 ```
 
-If chat behaves unexpectedly, continue to
+If `micro agent preflight` reports a missing provider key, you can still use this no-secret path because it runs against the mock model; the command now prints this guide as the next step for that failure. If chat behaves unexpectedly, continue to
 [Debugging your agent](debugging-agents.html) for provider checks, run history,
 memory, and tool-call inspection.

internal/website/docs/guides/your-first-agent.md

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Run the read-only first-agent preflight before starting the walkthrough. The sam
 micro agent preflight
 ```
 
-It checks Go, the `micro` binary, provider-key setup, and the default local gateway port without contacting a provider.
+It checks Go 1.24+, the `micro` binary, provider-key setup, and the default local gateway port without contacting a provider. Failed checks include a `Fix:` line and a `Next:` line that points back to this guide, the no-secret walkthrough, or the debugging guide.
 
 ## 1. Create a workspace
 

internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ cloud credentials?"
 | Boundary | Contract | CI check |
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | Scaffold | `micro new` generates a runnable service with and without MCP support. | `go test ./cmd/micro/cli/new -run TestZeroToOne -count=1` |
+| First-agent wayfinding | README and the website getting-started docs keep the no-secret → first-agent → debugging → 0→hero links present and in order. | `go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestFirstAgentWayfindingDocs -count=1` |
 | First agent | `micro new`, `micro agent preflight`, `micro run`, `micro chat`, and `micro inspect agent` stay available for the documented first-agent walkthrough. | `go test ./cmd/micro -run TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries -count=1` |
 | Run | `micro run` remains the local development entry point. | `go test ./cmd/micro -run TestZeroToHeroCLIBoundaries -count=1` |
 | Chat | `micro chat` remains the interactive agent entry point. | `go test ./cmd/micro -run TestZeroToHeroCLIBoundaries -count=1` |

store/file_test.go

@@ -135,22 +135,22 @@ func fileTest(s Store, t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Write 3 records with various expiry and get with Suffix
+	// Write records with suffix matches and an already-expired record. Avoid
+	// wall-clock boundary sleeps here: under -race/-cover, sleeping exactly the
+	// TTL made this assertion flaky on slower CI runners.
 	records = []*Record{
 		{
 			Key:   "foo",
 			Value: []byte("foofoo"),
 		},
 		{
-			Key:   "barfoo",
-			Value: []byte("barfoobarfoo"),
-
-			Expiry: time.Millisecond * 100,
+			Key:    "barfoo",
+			Value:  []byte("barfoobarfoo"),
+			Expiry: -time.Second,
 		},
 		{
-			Key:    "bazbarfoo",
-			Value:  []byte("bazbarfoobazbarfoo"),
-			Expiry: 2 * time.Millisecond * 100,
+			Key:   "bazbarfoo",
+			Value: []byte("bazbarfoobazbarfoo"),
 		},
 	}
 	for _, r := range records {
@@ -160,39 +160,24 @@ func fileTest(s Store, t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	if results, err := s.Read("foo", ReadSuffix()); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Couldn't read all \"foo\" keys, got %# v (%s)", spew.Sdump(results), err)
-	} else {
-		if len(results) != 3 {
-			t.Errorf("Expected 3 items, got %d", len(results))
-			// t.Logf("Table test: %v\n", spew.Sdump(results))
-		}
+	} else if len(results) != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("Expected 2 unexpired suffix items, got %d (%# v)", len(results), spew.Sdump(results))
+	}
+	if err := s.Delete("bazbarfoo"); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Delete failed (%v)", err)
 	}
-	time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 100)
 	if results, err := s.Read("foo", ReadSuffix()); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Couldn't read all \"foo\" keys, got %# v (%s)", spew.Sdump(results), err)
-	} else {
-		if len(results) != 2 {
-			t.Errorf("Expected 2 items, got %d", len(results))
-			// t.Logf("Table test: %v\n", spew.Sdump(results))
-		}
-	}
-	time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 100)
-	if results, err := s.Read("foo", ReadSuffix()); err != nil {
-		t.Errorf("Couldn't read all \"foo\" keys, got %# v (%s)", spew.Sdump(results), err)
-	} else {
-		if len(results) != 1 {
-			t.Errorf("Expected 1 item, got %d", len(results))
-			//	t.Logf("Table test: %# v\n", spew.Sdump(results))
-		}
+	} else if len(results) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("Expected 1 unexpired suffix item, got %d (%# v)", len(results), spew.Sdump(results))
 	}
 	if err := s.Delete("foo"); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Delete failed (%v)", err)
 	}
 	if results, err := s.Read("foo", ReadSuffix()); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Couldn't read all \"foo\" keys, got %# v (%s)", spew.Sdump(results), err)
-	} else {
-		if len(results) != 0 {
-			t.Errorf("Expected 0 items, got %d (%# v)", len(results), spew.Sdump(results))
-		}
+	} else if len(results) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("Expected 0 items, got %d (%# v)", len(results), spew.Sdump(results))
 	}
 
 	// Test Table, Suffix and WriteOptions