Update README with overview and community sections

Added an overview section and restructured community information in the README.

.github/loop/PRIORITIES.md

@@ -1,30 +1,41 @@
 # Priorities
 
-The ranked work queue for the autonomous improvement loop. The
-**architecture-review** pass (the *architect*) owns this file: each run it turns
-the [roadmap](../../ROADMAP.md) plus an internal scan (gaps in the
-services → agents → workflows lifecycle, API coherence, drift, tech debt, test and
-DX friction) into a single ordered list — highest-value first — and links each
-item to a tracking issue. The hourly **continuous-improvement** pass works the
-**top item whose issue is still open**. So the architect decides *what*, and the
-increment loop *builds* it.
+The ranked work queue for the autonomous improvement loop. The **planner** owns
+this file: each run it turns the [roadmap](../../ROADMAP.md) plus an internal scan
+into a single ordered list — highest-value first — each item linked to a tracking
+issue. The **builder** works the top item whose issue is still open. So the
+planner decides *what*, the builder *builds* it.
 
-**Reading / editing.** An item is done when its linked issue closes (the increment
-that builds it adds `Closes #<issue>`). Roadmap phase (Now → Next → Later) is the
-primary ordering; internal findings are interleaved by value, not kept in a
-separate list. The human can reorder this list — or the issues — at any time to
-redirect the loop; direction always wins.
+**Bias to capability, not busy-work.** The top of this queue is net-new capability
+from the roadmap's *Now/Next* items. Hardening/conformance/DX polish is background
+work (roadmap *Ongoing*) — kept low here and capped, never allowed to crowd out
+capability. If an area has had several increments with no user-visible gain, it is done
+for now; rank real-headroom capability instead.
 
-**Off-limits to the loop** (the architect proposes these as notes, never as queue
-items the loop can auto-merge): brand/positioning copy, breaking public-API
-changes, architectural rewrites. Those go to the human.
+**Reading / editing.** An item is done when its linked issue closes (the PR that
+builds it adds `Closes #<issue>`). The human can reorder this list or the issues at
+any time — direction always wins.
+
+**Off-limits to the loop** (planner proposes as notes, never auto-merged queue
+items): brand/positioning copy, breaking public-API changes, architectural
+rewrites.
 
 ## Work queue (ranked)
 
-1. **Handle AtlasCloud plan-delegate partial tool calls** ([#4431](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4431)) — A current live conformance failure can let AtlasCloud/minimax stop at a partial XML-style tool call, so delegation never produces the required task/notify side effects. This is the highest Now-phase risk because plan/delegate is the core services → agents → workflows seam and must fail or recover deterministically across providers.
-2. **Verify first-agent docs wayfinding stays in lockstep** ([#4441](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4441)) — Developer adoption remains the current goal after the 0→1/0→hero harness landed. Keep README, website guides, examples, and CLI breadcrumbs aligned so the no-secret first-agent path stays discoverable instead of becoming a stale documentation promise.
-3. **Fix AtlasCloud tool streaming capability mismatch** ([#4438](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4438)) — The provider matrix currently advertises AtlasCloud streaming capability beyond its tool-streaming implementation, causing the live agent streaming conformance path to run an unsupported assertion. Fixing the capability/implementation seam keeps streaming honest without blocking no-secret adoption work.
-4. **Broaden provider streaming conformance** ([#4386](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4386)) — Once the provider-specific AtlasCloud mismatch is resolved, expand the broader streaming matrix so chat, agent RPC, and A2A streaming regressions are caught across keyed providers while local CI continues to skip cleanly without secrets.
+### Capability — the headline (roadmap: Now / Next)
 
-_Seeded by Claude Code from the roadmap + open issues; thereafter maintained by the
-architecture-review pass._
+1. **A2A external-client conformance** ([#4815](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4815)) — make the gateway easier for non-go-micro agents to discover and stream from by serving the well-known agent card path and spec SSE events.
+2. **AP2 mandate foundation for agent payments** ([#4841](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4841)) — add opt-in checkout/payment mandate signing and verification so A2A-carried payment authority can settle over x402 without changing defaults.
+3. **Kubernetes CRD reconciler foundation** ([#4842](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4842)) — turn the shipped alpha `Agent`, `Service`, and `Flow` CRDs into a minimally runnable native deployment path with workload reconciliation and status conditions.
+
+### In flight — do not re-queue
+
+_None right now._
+
+### Background — hardening & DX (roadmap: Ongoing; capped)
+
+_Background hardening is intentionally empty right now. Recent work covered first-agent
+wayfinding, plan/delegate recovery, provider fallback repair, streaming, memory
+compaction, retry controls, provider-failure inspection, x402 buyer safety, gRPC-reflection MCP,
+MCP result conformance, and the alpha Kubernetes CRD surface. Further churn in those
+areas should be marked `needs-human` unless it unlocks a clear user-visible capability._

.github/loop/prompts/planner.md

@@ -7,10 +7,14 @@ Act as the architect — the founder lens — for go-micro, running continuously
 
 (1) TRACK STATE — scan recently merged PRs and open `codex` PRs/issues to see what shipped and what is being built right now, so the queue reflects reality (drop done items, don't re-queue in-flight work).
 
-(2) ASSESS against the North Star in `.github/loop/NORTH_STAR.md` — lead with its Mission (*make building an agent as easy as building a service, on one runtime*) and re-derive alignment from the CANON: the blog under `internal/website/blog`, the `README`, and the website (read these, don't rely on the North Star alone), then `ROADMAP.md` (Now → Next → Later). Judge every priority against the mission: does it make the services → agents → workflows lifecycle simpler, more cohesive, and more operable? CURRENT GOAL — developer adoption: weight the on-ramp (walkable first-agent tutorial, discoverable examples, docs wayfinding, install friction, debugging, 0→1 and 0→hero) at least as highly as internal hardening; do not let the queue fill entirely with internal depth work. Look at coherence and seams across the core packages (agent, ai, flow, gateway/mcp, gateway/a2a, model, server, store, registry) and the dev inner loop (scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy). Flag drift in either direction: work drifting from the mission, or the North Star/website drifting from the lived story in the blog.
+(2) ASSESS against the North Star in `.github/loop/NORTH_STAR.md` — lead with its Mission (*make building an agent as easy as building a service, on one runtime*) and re-derive alignment from the CANON: the blog under `internal/website/blog`, the `README`, and the website (read these, don't rely on the North Star alone), then `ROADMAP.md` (Now → Next → Later). Judge every priority against the mission: does it make the services → agents → workflows lifecycle simpler, more cohesive, and more operable? Weight real user-facing capability and the developer on-ramp; do not let the queue fill with internal depth work. Look at coherence and seams across the core packages (agent, ai, flow, gateway/mcp, gateway/a2a, model, server, store, registry) and the dev inner loop (scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy).
 
-(3) MAINTAIN THE QUEUE in `.github/loop/PRIORITIES.md` — a SINGLE ordered list, highest-value first, each item linking a scoped, CI-verifiable issue (#N); roadmap phase is the primary ordering, internal findings (cohesion gaps, DX friction, missing pieces) interleaved by value. For any prioritized gap with no issue, file one: `gh issue create --label codex --label enhancement --title "<scoped task>" --body "<goal, scope, acceptance criteria>"`.
+AVOID DIMINISHING-RETURNS CHURN — this is the most important judgment you make. Before ranking anything, ask: *would a real user notice this, or is it the loop grooming itself?* Do NOT queue: another regression-guard/breadcrumb/"verify the docs stay linked" test around docs the loop already wrote; the Nth robustness workaround for a weak provider's malformed output (e.g. AtlasCloud text-tool-call repair) once the agent already tolerates that class; another variation of a subsystem that has been hardened several times recently (e.g. plan/delegate notify/side-effect edge cases). If an area has had several increments with no user-visible gain, it is DONE for now — mark further work there `needs-human` and rank something with real headroom instead (new capability in gateway/flow/model/store, interop depth, observability). A full queue is not the goal; a queue of things that matter is.
 
-OUTPUT: post a concise assessment as a comment on this issue (#__ISSUE__) — what shipped, what's in flight, the top risks/gaps, and the reasoning behind the ranking. If the ranking actually changed, open ONE PR for `.github/loop/PRIORITIES.md`: `git switch -c codex/planner-__ISSUE__`, `git push -u origin codex/planner-__ISSUE__`, `gh pr create --base master --label codex --title "<title>" --body "<summary, Closes #__ISSUE__>"`, then `gh pr merge --squash --auto --delete-branch`. If the queue is already accurate, just close this issue (`gh issue close __ISSUE__`).
+(3) MAINTAIN THE QUEUE in `.github/loop/PRIORITIES.md` — a SINGLE ordered list, highest-value first, each item linking a scoped, CI-verifiable issue (#N). For any prioritized gap with no issue, file one: `gh issue create --label codex --label enhancement --title "<scoped task>" --body "<goal, scope, acceptance criteria>"`.
 
-Do NOT make breaking public-API or architectural changes yourself — surface those in the assessment as notes for the human, never as auto-merged changes. Open the PR yourself from the shell with `gh`; do not use the make_pr tool (it is a no-op stub).
+OUTPUT — default to NOT committing. Post a concise assessment as a comment on this issue (#__ISSUE__): what shipped, what's in flight, the top real gaps, and — honestly — whether the recent increments have been high-value or busy-work. Then, in almost all cases, just close this issue (`gh issue close __ISSUE__`) with NO PR.
+
+Open a PR for `.github/loop/PRIORITIES.md` ONLY when the change is MATERIAL — meaning it changes what the builder builds next: (a) the top open item changes, (b) an item is added or removed, or (c) a top item's issue closed and must be dropped. Do NOT open a PR to reorder items below the top, reword descriptions, refresh notes, or "keep it current" — a re-rank that doesn't change the next build is not worth a commit, and this churn is the loop's single biggest waste. When a PR IS warranted: `git switch -c codex/planner-__ISSUE__`, `git push -u origin codex/planner-__ISSUE__`, `gh pr create --base master --label codex --title "<title>" --body "<summary, Closes #__ISSUE__>"`, then `gh pr merge --squash --auto --delete-branch`.
+
+Do NOT make breaking public-API or architectural changes yourself — surface those in the assessment as notes for the human. Open the PR yourself from the shell with `gh`; do not use the make_pr tool (it is a no-op stub).

.github/loop/prompts/triage.md

@@ -3,12 +3,17 @@ The TRIAGE prompt — go-micro's CI-failure feedback path. Editable policy; the
 workflow prepends the agent @mention and substitutes __ISSUE__ (this tracking
 issue) and __RUNURL__ (the failed run) before posting. Keep both literal.
 -->
-Triage the failed CI run at __RUNURL__. It may be the linter (Lint), the unit/integration tests (Run Tests), or the provider-conformance harness (Harness (E2E)).
+Triage the failed CI run at __RUNURL__. It may be the linter (Lint), the unit/integration tests (Run Tests), the vulnerability gate (govulncheck), or the provider-conformance harness (Harness (E2E)).
 
-Read the logs and root-cause each distinct failure. DEDUPE against open issues — if a failure matches an existing issue, comment "recurred" there instead of filing a duplicate.
+Read the logs and root-cause each distinct failure. DEDUPE hard against open AND recently-closed issues — if a failure matches an existing or recurring one, comment "recurred" on that issue rather than filing a new one.
 
-For each genuine, self-contained defect, file a scoped issue (`gh issue create --label codex --label enhancement --title "<scoped fix>" --body "<root cause, where, acceptance criteria>"`) so the increment loop builds it and the next CI/harness run verifies it. A lint or test failure on master is a real regression — file it so it is fixed promptly; do NOT ignore it.
+WHAT TO FILE:
+- **Lint, Run Tests, or govulncheck failing on master** — a real regression. File a scoped issue (`gh issue create --label codex --label enhancement --title "<scoped fix>" --body "<root cause, where, acceptance>"`) so it is fixed promptly.
+- **A genuinely NEW, distinct provider-conformance defect** — file it.
 
-IGNORE only genuine transient flakes — live-model latency, provider outages, rate limits, network timeouts with no code cause (mostly relevant to the harness). Anything needing a breaking or architectural change: file it as `needs-human` and describe it, rather than auto-queuing it as a routine fix.
+WHAT NOT TO FILE (this cap matters):
+- **Another instance of a class the agent already tolerates** — a weak provider (e.g. AtlasCloud) emitting malformed / text-rendered / partial tool calls, or another plan/delegate notify/side-effect edge case. These have been hardened repeatedly with diminishing returns. Do NOT auto-file yet another routine robustness patch. Comment "recurred — repeated class, capped" on the nearest existing issue and, if it seems genuinely worth more investment, label it `needs-human` for a human to decide. The loop should not keep chasing one weak provider's output shape.
+- **Transient flakes** — live-model latency, provider outages, rate limits, network timeouts with no code cause. Ignore.
+- **Anything needing a breaking or architectural change** — label `needs-human` and describe it.
 
 Close this issue (`gh issue close __ISSUE__`) when triage is done. Open any PR yourself from the shell with `gh`; do not use the make_pr tool.

.github/workflows/govulncheck.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+name: govulncheck
+
+# Deterministic vulnerability gate: runs govulncheck (reachability-aware CVE
+# scanner) on every push/PR. Fails on any reachable vulnerability EXCEPT the
+# explicit ALLOWLIST of known-unfixable ones, so a new vuln breaks the build
+# while tracked, no-upstream-fix ones don't. This is the gate the loop's
+# `security` role sits on top of — the role audits; this blocks known CVEs.
+#
+# Make this a required status check on the default branch to enforce it.
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: ["**"]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: ["**"]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  govulncheck:
+    name: govulncheck
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version: "1.25"
+          check-latest: true
+      - name: Install govulncheck
+        run: go install golang.org/x/vuln/cmd/govulncheck@latest
+      - name: Scan
+        env:
+          # Reachable vulnerabilities with NO upstream fix, accepted for now and
+          # tracked for remediation. Remove an ID the moment its fix lands.
+          #   GO-2026-5004  github.com/jackc/pgx/v4        -> pgx v5 migration (#4556)
+          #   GO-2026-4518  github.com/jackc/pgproto3/v2   -> pgx v5 migration (#4556)
+          ALLOWLIST: "GO-2026-5004 GO-2026-4518"
+        run: |
+          out=$(mktemp)
+          govulncheck ./... >"$out" 2>&1 && code=0 || code=$?
+          cat "$out"
+          if [ "$code" -eq 0 ]; then
+            echo "govulncheck: no reachable vulnerabilities."
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          if [ "$code" -ne 3 ]; then
+            echo "::error::govulncheck failed to run (exit $code)."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          found=$(grep -oE 'Vulnerability #[0-9]+: GO-[0-9]{4}-[0-9]+' "$out" | grep -oE 'GO-[0-9]{4}-[0-9]+' | sort -u)
+          unexpected=""
+          for id in $found; do
+            case " $ALLOWLIST " in
+              *" $id "*) ;;
+              *) unexpected="$unexpected $id" ;;
+            esac
+          done
+          if [ -n "$unexpected" ]; then
+            echo "::error::Unexpected reachable vulnerabilities:$unexpected"
+            echo "If a fix exists, bump the dependency/toolchain. If genuinely unfixable, add the ID to ALLOWLIST with a tracking issue."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "govulncheck: only allow-listed (known-unfixable) vulnerabilities present:$found"
+          echo "OK."

.github/workflows/lint.yaml

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up Go
         uses: actions/setup-go@v5
         with:
-          go-version: 1.24
+          go-version: "1.25"
           check-latest: true
           cache: true
       - name: golangci-lint

.github/workflows/loop-builder.yml

@@ -14,8 +14,11 @@ name: "Loop: Builder"
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch: {}
-  schedule:
-    - cron: "29 * * * *"
+  # PAUSED 2026-07-12: automatic schedule disabled while the team does focused
+  # 1:1 fixes. Still runnable on demand via workflow_dispatch. Re-enable by
+  # uncommenting the schedule below.
+  # schedule:
+  #   - cron: "29 * * * *"
 
 permissions:
   issues: write

.github/workflows/loop-coherence.yml

@@ -14,8 +14,11 @@ name: "Loop: Coherence"
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch: {}
-  schedule:
-    - cron: "0 7 * * *"
+  # PAUSED 2026-07-12: automatic schedule disabled while the team does focused
+  # 1:1 fixes. Still runnable on demand via workflow_dispatch. Re-enable by
+  # uncommenting the schedule below.
+  # schedule:
+  #   - cron: "0 7 * * *"
 
 permissions:
   issues: write

.github/workflows/loop-planner.yml

@@ -14,8 +14,11 @@ name: "Loop: Planner"
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch: {}
-  schedule:
-    - cron: "59 * * * *"
+  # PAUSED 2026-07-12: automatic schedule disabled while the team does focused
+  # 1:1 fixes. Still runnable on demand via workflow_dispatch. Re-enable by
+  # uncommenting the schedule below.
+  # schedule:
+  #   - cron: "59 * * * *"
 
 permissions:
   issues: write

.github/workflows/loop-release.yml

@@ -12,8 +12,11 @@ name: "Loop: Release"
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch: {}
-  schedule:
-    - cron: "0 23 * * *"
+  # PAUSED 2026-07-12: automatic nightly release disabled while the team does
+  # focused 1:1 fixes. Cut a release on demand via workflow_dispatch. Re-enable
+  # by uncommenting the schedule below.
+  # schedule:
+  #   - cron: "0 23 * * *"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/loop-security.yml

@@ -14,8 +14,11 @@ name: "Loop: Security"
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch: {}
-  schedule:
-    - cron: "0 6 * * 1"
+  # PAUSED 2026-07-12: automatic schedule disabled while the team does focused
+  # 1:1 fixes. Still runnable on demand via workflow_dispatch. Re-enable by
+  # uncommenting the schedule below.
+  # schedule:
+  #   - cron: "0 6 * * 1"
 
 permissions:
   issues: write

.github/workflows/loop-triage.yml

@@ -7,9 +7,13 @@ name: "Loop: Triage"
 # failures become fixes with no human in the middle. Gated on CODEX_TRIGGER_TOKEN.
 
 on:
-  workflow_run:
-    workflows: ["Harness (E2E)", "Lint", "Run Tests"]
-    types: [completed]
+  workflow_dispatch: {}
+  # PAUSED 2026-07-12: automatic CI-failure dispatch disabled while the team
+  # does focused 1:1 fixes, so failures don't auto-spawn agent tasks. Re-enable
+  # by uncommenting the workflow_run trigger below.
+  # workflow_run:
+  #   workflows: ["Harness (E2E)", "Lint", "Run Tests", "govulncheck"]
+  #   types: [completed]
 
 permissions:
   issues: write

.github/workflows/tests.yaml

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up Go
         uses: actions/setup-go@v3
         with:
-          go-version: 1.24
+          go-version: "1.25"
           check-latest: true
           cache: true
       - name: Get dependencies
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up Go
         uses: actions/setup-go@v3
         with:
-          go-version: 1.24
+          go-version: "1.25"
           check-latest: true
           cache: true
       - name: Get dependencies

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -17,13 +17,148 @@ below is kept current between tags and rolled into the next version when it ship
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+- **Gemini streaming support** — the Gemini provider now supports streaming model responses. (`ai/gemini/`)
+- **Model retry jitter controls** — model retry behavior can now use jitter controls to reduce synchronized retry bursts. (`ai/`, `agent/`)
+- **Compacted memory summaries** — agent memory now exposes compacted run summaries for easier inspection and recovery. (`agent/`)
+- **CLI input resume for agent runs** — the CLI can resume agent runs that require additional user input. (`cmd/micro/`, `agent/`)
+- **A2A inbound AP2 mandate verification (opt-in)** — set `Options.AP2PublicKey` (or `a2a.WithPushURLPolicy`'s sibling `a2a.WithAP2PublicKey` for embedded handlers) and the gateway verifies AP2 payment/checkout mandates carried on incoming messages — signature and task/context binding — recording the outcome in each task's `ap2Verifications`, with the x402 settlement rail carried through for the paid path. Off by default; mandates are otherwise carried unverified. (`gateway/a2a/`)
+- **Flow human-in-the-loop pause/resume** — a flow step can suspend a run for external input with `flow.Await(key, prompt)` (or `flow.AwaitStep`): the run checkpoints with status `waiting` and `Execute` returns cleanly. `Flow.Waiting` lists suspended runs with what they await, and `Flow.ResumeWith(ctx, runID, input)` injects the input and continues from the next step. Recovery (`ResumePending`) skips waiting runs since they need input, not a restart. (`flow/`)
+- **Kubernetes reconcile core (alpha)** — `kubernetes.Reconcile(desired, observed)` decides the single action needed to converge an `Agent`/`Service`/`Flow` resource toward its Deployment (create / update / noop) and returns `Ready`/`Error` status conditions. Dependency-free (no controller-runtime / client-go) and fully unit-testable; a future operator binary supplies observed state and applies the action. (`deploy/kubernetes/`)
+- **In-process "local network" fast-path (opt-in)** — `client.Local()` lets a unary `Call` to a service running in the same process skip the network transport and dispatch straight to that server's handlers (for raw `codec/bytes.Frame` bodies — the shape agent/MCP/flow tool calls use), running the same router, wrappers, and codecs. In a benchmark this cut an in-process call from ~545µs to ~28µs (≈20×) with ~3.6× fewer allocations. Off by default; falls back to the network path for anything it doesn't cover. (`client/`, `server/`, `internal/network/`)
+- **`micro.Local()` service option** — turn on the in-process fast-path for a whole service in one place: every co-located unary call its client makes (agent tool calls, flow dispatch, gateway → service) takes the fast-path, with no per-call wiring. Off by default; a no-op for distributed deployments. (`service/`, root `options.go`)
+
+### Changed
+- **Remote agent chat streaming** — `micro chat` now streams replies from remote agents instead of waiting for the full response. (`cmd/micro/`, `agent/`)
+- **A2A external-client conformance** — the A2A gateway now serves the Agent Card at the spec 0.3.0 `/.well-known/agent-card.json` (keeping `/.well-known/agent.json` as a legacy alias), and `message/stream` emits spec-shaped `status-update`/`artifact-update` events ending in a `final:true` status-update instead of repeated full `Task` snapshots — and never sends `result` and `error` together. Standard A2A clients (ADK, LangGraph, a2a-SDK) can now discover and stream from go-micro agents. (`gateway/a2a/`)
+
+### Fixed
+- **Provider failure inspection metadata** — provider failures recorded during agent runs now retain classification metadata for inspection. (`agent/`, `ai/`)
+
+### Security
+- **x402 spend-cap hardening** — the paying `Client` now refuses a 402 whose `maxAmountRequired` is not a positive integer (a swallowed parse error or negative amount previously bypassed the budget cap), and a new `Config.RequireSettlement` fails closed when a paid request is served by a verify-only facilitator that never captures funds. (`wrapper/x402/`)
+- **A2A push-notification SSRF guard** — the A2A gateway no longer delivers task push notifications to caller-supplied URLs that resolve to loopback, private, link-local (incl. cloud metadata), or unspecified addresses. Callbacks are validated when set and re-checked at dial time on the resolved IP (DNS-rebinding safe); non-http(s) schemes are rejected. `Options.AllowPushURL` (and `a2a.WithPushURLPolicy` for embedded handlers) lets operators authorize trusted in-cluster receivers. (`gateway/a2a/`)
+
+---
+
+## [6.7.0] - July 2026
+
+### Added
+- **A2A streaming conformance harness** — A2A streaming behavior is now covered by focused conformance checks. (`gateway/a2a/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **Agent x402 spend budget guardrail** — agents now have spend budget guardrails for x402-paid tool calls. (`agent/`, `gateway/`)
+- **First-agent chat/inspect fixture** — the maintained first-agent CLI fixture now covers chat and inspect boundaries together. (`internal/harness/`, `cmd/micro/`)
+- **Zero-to-hero inspect transcript check** — the 0→hero harness now verifies the inspect transcript path stays visible in the lifecycle walkthrough. (`internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/`, `internal/website/docs/`)
+
+### Changed
+- **Agent stream run context propagation** — agent streams now preserve run context through streaming paths for more complete tracing and inspection. (`agent/`)
+- **Postgres store pgx v5 migration** — the Postgres store now uses pgx v5. (`store/postgres/`, `go.mod`)
+- **Plan-delegate plan persistence** — plan/delegate runs now persist plan state more defensively across harness scenarios. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+
+### Fixed
+- **Nested tool-call markup rejection** — agent argument parsing now rejects nested tool-call markup instead of accepting ambiguous tool input. (`agent/`)
+- **Retry cancellation during backoff** — retry backoff now respects cancellation more reliably. (`agent/`, `ai/`)
+- **Plan-delegate mock recovery regression gate** — the harness now catches plan/delegate mock recovery regressions before they ship. (`internal/harness/`, `agent/`)
+- **First-agent fixture registration wait** — first-agent fixture registration is less race-prone during harness runs. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **Memory stream Nack ordering** — memory stream Nack handling now preserves ordering more reliably. (`broker/memory/`)
+- **Zero-to-hero fixture output race** — 0→hero fixture output is less race-prone during harness runs. (`internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/`)
+
+### Documentation
+- **First-agent quickcheck wayfinding** — public docs now keep the quickcheck path discoverable from the first-agent route. (`README.md`, `internal/website/docs/`)
+- **Ordered 0→hero transcript** — docs and harness checks now keep the 0→hero transcript order explicit. (`internal/website/docs/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **First-agent debug breadcrumbs** — docs now surface the first-agent debug smoke path more clearly. (`internal/website/docs/`)
+- **README badge cleanup** — the README no longer shows the Go Report Card badge. (`README.md`)
+
+---
+
+## [6.6.0] - July 2026
+
+### Added
+- **First-agent guide chain contract** — the harness now verifies the install → demo → examples → 0→hero guide chain stays connected for new agent builders. (`internal/harness/`, `internal/website/docs/`)
+- **First-agent docs wayfinding guard** — the local harness now includes a focused no-network check for first-agent and 0→hero docs links. (`Makefile`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **First-agent quickcheck breadcrumbs** — first-agent docs now surface quickcheck wayfinding for install, scaffold, chat, inspect, and recovery paths. (`internal/website/docs/`, `README.md`)
+- **First-agent chat wayfinding verification** — the harness now verifies first-agent chat wayfinding remains discoverable from the public docs route. (`internal/harness/`, `internal/website/docs/`)
+
+### Changed
+- **Universe A2A reachability probe** — the universe harness now exercises A2A reachability more defensively. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **AtlasCloud workspace repair fallback** — AtlasCloud fallback handling now recovers workspace-repair tool calls more reliably. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
+- **AtlasCloud empty-argument tool repair** — AtlasCloud text tool-call repair now handles empty-argument calls more consistently. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
+
+### Removed
+- **`go-micro.dev/v6/ai/flow`** — the alias-only backward-compatibility shim is removed; import the canonical [`go-micro.dev/v6/flow`](flow) instead (same types and functions). It had no internal callers. (`ai/flow/`)
+
+### Fixed
+- **A2A fallback artifact text** — A2A fallback responses now avoid leaking provider artifact text into agent-visible output. (`gateway/a2a/`, `agent/`)
+- **Launch readiness notification replays** — launch-readiness notification replay paths now deduplicate repeated side effects. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **Plan-delegate harness cleanup** — plan/delegate harness cleanup is more reliable after conformance runs. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **AtlasCloud spoken notify replays** — AtlasCloud fallback handling now collapses spoken notification replays more consistently. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
+- **Agent-flow onboarding side effects** — onboarding side-effect checks are more stable across the agent-flow harness. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **Plan-delegate plan-only side effects** — plan/delegate recovery now preserves plan-only side effects more reliably. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **Checkpointed tool result recording** — checkpoint resume paths now guard tool-result recording against duplicate or stale writes. (`agent/`)
+- **Agent timeout notification completion** — universe runs now finalize observed notifications more reliably after agent timeouts. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **Completed plan-delegate side effects** — completed plan/delegate side effects are accepted more consistently in recovery paths. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **Agent-flow onboarding notifications** — agent-flow onboarding notification recovery is more reliable across replay scenarios. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+
+### Documentation
+- **Agent-agnostic mention model** — loop docs now describe the mention-driven agent model without binding it to one coding agent. (`internal/docs/`, `.github/loop/`)
+- **First-agent quickcheck docs** — public docs now surface the first-agent quickcheck path for faster troubleshooting. (`internal/website/docs/`)
+- **Agent resume breadcrumbs** — docs now add clearer resume breadcrumbs for checkpointed agent runs. (`internal/website/docs/`)
+
+### Security
+- **Govulncheck vulnerability gate** — CI now includes a govulncheck gate and wires vulnerability failures into loop triage. (`.github/workflows/`, `cmd/micro/loop/`)
+- **Dependency vulnerability patches** — toolchain and dependency updates patch reachable CVEs across the project. (`go.mod`, `go.sum`)
+
+---
+
+## [6.5.0] - July 2026
+
+### Added
+- **Agent stream provider conformance** — provider conformance now covers agent streaming behavior so streaming-capable providers stay aligned with the harness contract. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **First-agent docs CLI parity check** — the harness now verifies first-agent docs commands match the CLI wayfinding surface. (`internal/harness/`, `internal/website/docs/`)
+- **Focused CLI inner-loop contract** — the local harness now covers scaffold, run/chat/inspect, and deploy dry-run boundaries in one first-run contract. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **First-agent wayfinding breadcrumbs** — first-agent docs and examples now have locked breadcrumb coverage from the README through the runnable examples. (`README.md`, `internal/website/docs/`, `examples/`)
+- **Offline `micro new` contract** — project scaffolding now has an offline contract so the first service path stays runnable without network access. (`cmd/micro/`, `internal/harness/`)
+
+### Changed
+- **Provider model call timeouts** — model call timeout enforcement now wraps provider calls more defensively, reducing hangs in agent and harness paths. (`agent/`, `ai/`)
+- **First-agent harness diagnostics** — getting-started harness logs now make first-run and 0→hero failures easier to locate. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **MiniMax streaming conformance** — MiniMax streaming coverage now exercises broader provider conformance behavior. (`ai/minimax/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **AtlasCloud streaming tool capability** — AtlasCloud tool-streaming capability detection is now aligned with provider fallback behavior. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
+
+### Fixed
+- **Partial text tool calls** — text tool-call recovery now repairs partial function-style calls more reliably before fallback parsing continues. (`agent/`)
+- **Retry timeout test stability** — retry timeout coverage is less race-prone. (`agent/`)
+- **Checkpointed tool-call resume** — resumed agent runs now preserve checkpointed tool calls across startup resume paths. (`agent/`)
+- **Model retry backoff contracts** — retry backoff behavior now has focused contract coverage for model-call failures. (`agent/`, `ai/`)
+- **AtlasCloud conformance markers** — AtlasCloud fallback paths now preserve conformance markers through tool-call recovery. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
+- **AtlasCloud delegate text fallback** — delegate text fallback recovery is more reliable for AtlasCloud responses. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
+- **AtlasCloud incomplete plan repairs** — incomplete plan repair paths now recover more consistently in AtlasCloud fallback handling. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
+- **AtlasCloud partial text tool calls** — AtlasCloud fallback handling now repairs partial text-rendered tool calls more reliably. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
+
+### Documentation
+- **Roadmap agent status** — public roadmap docs now reflect the current agent lifecycle status more consistently. (`internal/website/docs/`)
+- **Agent resume limits** — docs now describe checkpoint resume boundaries for agent runs. (`internal/website/docs/`)
+- **Zero-to-hero harness boundaries** — docs now clarify which 0→hero lifecycle checks are maintained by the local harness. (`internal/website/docs/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **First-agent wayfinding guard** — first-agent docs wayfinding now has tighter guard coverage around the README, docs, and examples chain. (`README.md`, `internal/website/docs/`)
+
+---
+
+## [6.4.0] - July 2026
+
 ### Added
 - **Provider HTTP retry signals** — provider failures now preserve HTTP status and `Retry-After` details so retry classification and backoff can respond to rate limits and unavailable providers. (`ai/`)
+- **Zero-to-hero deploy dry-run verification** — the maintained 0→hero harness now covers deploy dry-run boundaries for the services → agents → workflows lifecycle. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **First-agent CLI wayfinding verification** — the harness now checks that first-agent CLI wayfinding stays discoverable. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **Agent startup resume verification** — agent startup resume now has focused checkpoint coverage. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **Direct first-agent chat prompts** — first-agent flows can accept direct chat prompts, reducing friction in the first useful conversation. (`cmd/micro/`, `agent/`)
+- **Workflow run info on tool spans** — agent tool spans now include workflow run details for easier trace correlation. (`agent/`, `flow/`)
 
 ### Fixed
 - **Stream fallback memory** — unsupported streaming attempts no longer leave stale duplicate user turns before fallback paths continue with non-streaming agent calls. (`agent/`)
 - **Function-style text tool calls** — agent fallback parsing now recognizes provider replies that render tools as function-style calls, including nested JSON arguments. (`agent/`)
 - **Plan/delegate notify recovery** — plan-delegate recovery now waits for recovered notify side effects and routes retries through the communications agent that owns the notification. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **Onboarding side-effect enforcement** — the agent-flow harness now fails when required onboarding side effects are missing, making lifecycle regressions visible. (`internal/harness/`)
+- **Plan/delegate notify stability** — notify recovery is more deterministic across retry and replay paths. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+- **AtlasCloud MiniMax tool fallback** — AtlasCloud MiniMax service-tool fallback now handles 400 responses and follow-up retries more reliably. (`ai/atlascloud/`, `agent/`)
 
 ### Documentation
 - **First-agent docs wayfinding guard** — the local harness now includes a focused no-network check for first-agent and 0→hero docs links. (`Makefile`, `internal/harness/`)

Makefile

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ LDFLAGS = -X $(GIT_IMPORT).BuildDate=$(BUILD_DATE) -X $(GIT_IMPORT).GitCommit=$(
 # GORELEASER_DOCKER_IMAGE = ghcr.io/goreleaser/goreleaser-cross:v1.25.7
 GORELEASER_DOCKER_IMAGE = ghcr.io/goreleaser/goreleaser:latest
 
-.PHONY: test test-race test-coverage harness cli-wayfinding docs-wayfinding install-smoke provider-conformance-mock provider-conformance lint fmt install-tools proto clean help gorelease-dry-run gorelease-dry-run-docker
+.PHONY: test test-race test-coverage harness zero-to-hero-transcript inner-loop cli-wayfinding docs-wayfinding install-smoke provider-conformance-mock provider-conformance lint fmt install-tools proto clean help gorelease-dry-run gorelease-dry-run-docker
 
 # Default target
 help:
@@ -19,8 +19,10 @@ help:
 	@echo "  make test-coverage - Run tests with coverage"
 	@echo "  make lint          - Run linter"
 	@echo "  make harness       - Run deterministic getting-started and end-to-end harnesses"
+	@echo "  make zero-to-hero-transcript - Verify the ordered 0→hero lifecycle transcript"
+	@echo "  make inner-loop    - Verify scaffold → run/chat/inspect → deploy dry-run contract"
 	@echo "  make cli-wayfinding - Verify installed first-agent CLI wayfinding commands"
-	@echo "  make docs-wayfinding - Verify first-agent docs wayfinding links resolve locally"
+	@echo "  make docs-wayfinding - Verify first-agent docs/CLI wayfinding stays in sync"
 	@echo "  make install-smoke - Verify the local install.sh and first-run CLI smoke path"
 	@echo "  make provider-conformance-mock - Run cross-provider harness with deterministic mock provider"
 	@echo "  make provider-conformance - Run harnesses against configured live providers"
@@ -52,11 +54,27 @@ test-coverage:
 # run/chat/inspect, and 0→hero regressions before a PR is opened.
 harness:
 	$(MAKE) cli-wayfinding
-	go test ./cmd/micro/cli/new -run TestZeroToOne -count=1
-	./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/run.sh
+	$(MAKE) inner-loop
+	$(MAKE) zero-to-hero-transcript
 	go run ./internal/harness/agent-flow
 	$(MAKE) provider-conformance-mock
 
+# Verify the maintained 0→hero transcript in the same order documented for new
+# developers: scaffold → run/chat/inspect → support-agent chat → flow history →
+# deploy dry-run. This is the focused CI contract for the full lifecycle path.
+zero-to-hero-transcript:
+	./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/run.sh
+
+# Focused provider-free CLI inner-loop contract: scaffold a service, keep the
+# run/chat/inspect commands discoverable, and prove deploy dry-run reaches the
+# documented boundary without remote side effects. Use this when README/docs/CLI
+# drift is the concern and the full runtime harness is more than you need.
+inner-loop:
+	go test ./cmd/micro/cli/new -run TestZeroToOne -count=1
+	go test ./cmd/micro -run 'TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries|TestZeroToHeroCLIBoundaries|TestZeroToHeroCommandPrintsMaintainedNoSecretPath' -count=1
+	go test ./cmd/micro/cli/deploy -run TestDeployDryRun -count=1
+	go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run 'TestZeroToHeroDeployDryRunCommandSmoke|TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke|TestYourFirstAgentTutorialSmoke' -count=1
+
 # Verify the installed CLI keeps the first-agent on-ramp commands discoverable.
 # This guards the no-secret commands README/docs recommend (`micro agent demo`,
 # `micro examples`, and `micro zero-to-hero`) as a CI contract.
@@ -69,7 +87,8 @@ cli-wayfinding:
 # maintained local docs and examples. This is a focused no-network guard for the
 # developer-adoption on-ramp.
 docs-wayfinding:
-	go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run 'TestFirstAgentWayfindingDocs|TestFirstAgentWayfindingLinkTargetsResolve' -count=1
+	go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run 'TestFirstAgentWayfinding' -count=1
+	go test ./cmd/micro -run 'TestFirstAgentDocsMatchCLIOutput|TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries' -count=1
 
 # Verify the documented install script and first-run CLI command boundaries without
 # provider keys or network access.

README.md

@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
-# Go Micro [![Go.Dev reference](https://img.shields.io/badge/go.dev-reference-007d9c?logo=go&logoColor=white&style=flat-square)](https://pkg.go.dev/go-micro.dev/v6?tab=doc) [![Go Report Card](https://goreportcard.com/badge/github.com/go-micro/go-micro)](https://goreportcard.com/report/github.com/go-micro/go-micro) [![Discord](https://img.shields.io/badge/Discord-join-5865F2?logo=discord&logoColor=white&style=flat-square)](https://discord.gg/G8Gk5j3uXr)
+# Go Micro [![Go.Dev reference](https://img.shields.io/badge/go.dev-reference-007d9c?logo=go&logoColor=white&style=flat-square)](https://pkg.go.dev/go-micro.dev/v6?tab=doc) [![Discord](https://img.shields.io/badge/Discord-join-5865F2?logo=discord&logoColor=white&style=flat-square)](https://discord.gg/G8Gk5j3uXr)
 
 Go Micro is an **agent harness** and service framework for Go.
 
-**Community:** questions, ideas, or just want to build alongside us? [Join the Discord](https://discord.gg/G8Gk5j3uXr).
-
+## Overview
 A harness is the runtime around an agent: the tools it can call, the memory it keeps, the guardrails that bound it, the workflows that trigger it, the services it depends on, and the protocols other agents use to reach it. 
 
 Go Micro gives you the harness as Go code. Build an agent and it gets a model, memory, tools, planning, delegation, guardrails, and service discovery; it is reachable over [MCP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) and [A2A](https://a2a-protocol.org). Write services and every endpoint becomes an AI-callable tool. Orchestrate the deterministic parts with durable flows. Agents, services, and flows share one runtime because an agent is a distributed system, and building one is building a service.
@@ -18,6 +17,10 @@ Go Micro gives you the harness as Go code. Build an agent and it gets a model, m
 
 **Want to support Go Micro and see your logo here?** [Become a sponsor](https://discord.gg/G8Gk5j3uXr) — reach out on Discord.
 
+## Community
+
+Questions, ideas, or just want to build alongside us? [Join the Discord](https://discord.gg/G8Gk5j3uXr).
+
 ## Commercial Support
 
 Running Go Micro in production, or building on it and want help? Paid **support, consulting, training, and retainers** are available directly from the maintainer — and they're what keep the project maintained. See [**Support**](SUPPORT.md) for the tiers, or [open a request](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/new?template=commercial_support.md).
@@ -78,8 +81,19 @@ access or provider keys, use:
 make install-smoke
 ```
 
-To run the broader local contract (including the [0→hero services → agents → workflows path](internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md),
-chat/inspect CLI boundaries, and deploy dry-run), use:
+To verify the focused CLI inner-loop contract — scaffold → run/chat/inspect → deploy dry-run — use:
+
+```bash
+make inner-loop
+```
+
+To run only the ordered [0→hero services → agents → workflows transcript](internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md) that CI guards, use:
+
+```bash
+make zero-to-hero-transcript
+```
+
+To run the broader local contract (including that transcript, chat/inspect CLI boundaries, and deploy dry-run), use:
 
 ```bash
 make harness
@@ -91,19 +105,24 @@ After install and the first `micro new`/`micro run` smoke check, take the
 walkable agent path in this order:
 
 1. [Install troubleshooting](internal/website/docs/guides/install-troubleshooting.md) — verify the binary installer or `go install`, `PATH`, `micro --version`, and the no-secret smoke path before agent work.
+
+Run `make docs-wayfinding` to verify the focused no-secret docs/CLI contract that keeps these README and website commands aligned with the installed CLI.
+
 2. `micro agent demo` — print the provider-free first-agent demo command and next docs steps from the installed CLI.
-3. `micro examples` — print the maintained provider-free runnable examples in copy/paste order.
-4. `micro zero-to-hero` — print the maintained one-command no-secret lifecycle harness and runnable examples.
-5. [Examples wayfinding index](examples/INDEX.md) — choose the smallest no-secret first-agent, maintained [0→hero support reference](examples/support/), and next interop examples from one map.
-6. [Smallest first-agent example](examples/first-agent/) — run one service-backed agent with a mock model and no provider key.
-7. [No-secret first-agent transcript](internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md) — run the
+3. `micro agent quickcheck` (or `micro agent debug`) — when scaffold → run → chat → inspect stalls, print the short recovery map before you dive into the full debugging guide.
+4. `micro examples` — print the maintained provider-free runnable examples in copy/paste order.
+5. `micro zero-to-hero` — print the maintained one-command no-secret lifecycle harness and runnable examples.
+6. [Examples wayfinding index](examples/INDEX.md) — choose the smallest no-secret first-agent, maintained [0→hero support reference](examples/support/), and next interop examples from one map.
+7. [Smallest first-agent example](examples/first-agent/) — run one service-backed agent with a mock model and no provider key.
+8. [No-secret first-agent transcript](internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md) — run the
    maintained support agent with a mock model and see services → agents → workflows succeed without a key.
-8. [Your First Agent](internal/website/docs/guides/your-first-agent.md) — build a
+9. [Your First Agent](internal/website/docs/guides/your-first-agent.md) — build a
    service-backed agent and talk to it with `micro chat`.
-9. [Debugging your agent](internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md) — use
-   `micro inspect agent <name>`, run history, memory, and provider checks when the first
-   conversation does something unexpected.
-10. [0→hero Reference](internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md) — complete the
+10. [Debugging your agent](internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md) — use
+   `micro agent preflight` before `micro run`, `micro agent doctor` after `micro run`,
+   then `micro chat` and `micro inspect agent <name>` to recover run history, memory,
+   and provider checks when the first conversation does something unexpected.
+11. [0→hero Reference](internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md) — complete the
    services → agents → workflows loop with scaffold, run, chat, inspect, flow
    history, and deploy dry-run commands that match the maintained harness.
 

ROADMAP.md

@@ -32,44 +32,55 @@ default.
    and history, end to end.
 5. Battle-tested: works across every provider, fails safely, observable.
 
-## Now — hardening
+The forward work is **net-new capability**, not more hardening. Maintenance
+(conformance, resilience, DX polish) continues in the background (see *Ongoing*
+below) — but it is not the roadmap. This capability work is.
 
-- **Cross-provider conformance** — the same agent scenario across all seven
-  providers, gated on keys, on a schedule.
-- **Failure & resilience** — timeouts, rate limits, cancellation, deadline/context
-  propagation, retry/backoff.
-- **Getting-started contract** — define and CI-verify the 0→1 and 0→hero flows.
+## Now — capability
 
-## Shipped agent depth
+- **Agents that pay (x402 buyer in the runtime).** The seller side ships (paid
+  tools via the `wrapper/x402` middleware) and the buyer `x402.Client` (a
+  budget-capped `Payer` that turns a `402` into pay-and-retry) exists — but an
+  agent can't yet *autonomously* pay for a paid tool. Wire the buyer into the
+  agent tool loop: a budget-capped `AgentPayer` so an agent that hits a
+  payment-required tool settles it within budget and retries, with the spend
+  gated (like `ApproveTool`) and observable in `RunInfo`/traces. This makes
+  go-micro a runtime for **autonomous agent commerce**. *(flagship — decomposed
+  into issues in the loop queue)*
+- **AP2 mandate foundation** ([#3552](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/3552))
+  — verifiable payment **mandates** (a Checkout Mandate and a Payment Mandate),
+  signed and attached over A2A, with the Payment Mandate naming an x402 rail. The
+  authorization/audit layer above A2A + x402 that positions go-micro early in the
+  emerging agent-payments standard (Google's AP2, standardized via FIDO).
+  Additive and opt-in.
 
-- **Durable agent loop** — opt-in `Checkpoint` support lets agent `Ask` and
-  streaming runs persist, list pending work, and resume without replaying completed
-  tool calls. Human-input pauses resume through explicit input helpers.
-- **Agent observability** — agent `RunInfo` now feeds OpenTelemetry spans/events
-  across runs, model turns, tool calls, retries, delegation lineage, and resume
-  checkpoints.
+## Next — reach & deployment
 
-## Next — agentic depth
+- **gRPC-reflection MCP** — derive MCP tools from *any* gRPC service via server
+  reflection, not just go-micro-native handlers. Point the gateway at an external
+  gRPC service and its methods become agent tools — a large jump in what an agent
+  can operate.
+- **Kubernetes operator + CRDs** — `Agent`, `Service`, and `Flow` as first-class
+  Kubernetes resources; an operator reconciles them into Deployments wired to the
+  registry. The production deployment story for teams already on K8s.
 
-- **Streaming** — broaden provider-backed `ai.Stream` coverage and keep chat/A2A streaming end to end.
-- **Resume operations polish** — keep improving CLI/docs breadcrumbs for finding
-  pending agent runs and deciding whether to call resume, resume-input, or stream
-  resume in production.
-- **Observability hardening** — keep span attributes and run inspection coherent
-  across agents, flows, and gateways as more providers and workflow paths are
-  exercised.
+## Later — exploratory
 
-## Later
+- **Runtime-fitness loop** — a persistently-running dogfood app (Mu) plus an
+  operator/canary loop role, so the autonomous loop evolves go-micro against
+  **real runtime signal** (latency, errors, cost) with canary + rollback — not
+  just green CI. The demand signal the loop is missing today.
+- **HTTP/3 transport**; richer A2A live-stream reconnection (`tasks/resubscribe`,
+  `input-required` handoffs); memory management (summarization, retrieval/RAG).
 
-- Memory management (summarization, retrieval/RAG); human-in-the-loop pause/resume;
-  richer A2A live-stream reconnection (`tasks/resubscribe`) and `input-required`
-  handoffs.
+## Ongoing — hardening & DX (background, not the headline)
 
-## Developer experience (ongoing)
-
-- A seamless CLI inner loop (scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy); UI
-  discipline (trim what isn't great); a maintained real-world example that doubles
-  as the 0→hero reference; docs kept in lockstep with the code.
+Continuous but **capped** so it never crowds out capability: cross-provider
+conformance, failure/resilience (timeouts, cancellation, retry/backoff), the
+0→1 and 0→hero getting-started contract, streaming/observability coherence, and a
+seamless CLI inner loop (scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy). Real, but
+maintenance — the loop should spend the majority of its cycles on the capability above,
+not here.
 
 ## How it's sustained
 

agent/a2a_stream_test.go

@@ -68,35 +68,79 @@ func TestA2AStreamUsesAgentChatPathWithTools(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("stream body missing tool marker: %s", rr.Body.String())
 	}
 
-	var final 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"`
-		Error any `json:"error"`
-	}
+	// The spec-shaped stream carries the answer as append artifact-update
+	// deltas and closes with a completed status-update (final:true).
+	var (
+		text       strings.Builder
+		finalState string
+		sawFinal   bool
+	)
 	for _, line := range strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(rr.Body.String()), "\n") {
 		line = strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(line), "data: "))
 		if line == "" {
 			continue
 		}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &final); err != nil {
+		var ev struct {
+			Result json.RawMessage `json:"result"`
+			Error  any             `json:"error"`
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &ev); err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("decode event %q: %v", line, err)
 		}
+		if ev.Error != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("event carried an error field: %+v", ev.Error)
+		}
+		var kind struct {
+			Kind string `json:"kind"`
+		}
+		_ = json.Unmarshal(ev.Result, &kind)
+		switch kind.Kind {
+		case "artifact-update":
+			var au struct {
+				Artifact struct {
+					Parts []struct {
+						Text string `json:"text"`
+					} `json:"parts"`
+				} `json:"artifact"`
+			}
+			_ = json.Unmarshal(ev.Result, &au)
+			for _, p := range au.Artifact.Parts {
+				text.WriteString(p.Text)
+			}
+		case "status-update":
+			var su struct {
+				Status struct {
+					State string `json:"state"`
+				} `json:"status"`
+				Final bool `json:"final"`
+			}
+			_ = json.Unmarshal(ev.Result, &su)
+			if su.Final {
+				sawFinal = true
+				finalState = su.Status.State
+			}
+		default: // opening "task" snapshot
+			var task struct {
+				Artifacts []struct {
+					Parts []struct {
+						Text string `json:"text"`
+					} `json:"parts"`
+				} `json:"artifacts"`
+			}
+			_ = json.Unmarshal(ev.Result, &task)
+			for _, a := range task.Artifacts {
+				for _, p := range a.Parts {
+					if p.Text != "" {
+						text.WriteString(p.Text)
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
 	}
-	if final.Error != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("final event error: %+v", final.Error)
+	if !sawFinal || finalState != "completed" {
+		t.Fatalf("want a completed final:true status-update; sawFinal=%v state=%q", sawFinal, finalState)
 	}
-	if final.Result.Status.State != "completed" {
-		t.Fatalf("final state = %q, want completed", final.Result.Status.State)
-	}
-	if len(final.Result.Artifacts) != 1 || len(final.Result.Artifacts[0].Parts) != 1 || !strings.Contains(final.Result.Artifacts[0].Parts[0].Text, "a2a-stream-ok") {
-		t.Fatalf("final artifacts = %+v, want tool marker", final.Result.Artifacts)
+	if !strings.Contains(text.String(), "a2a-stream-ok") {
+		t.Fatalf("reassembled stream text missing tool marker: %q", text.String())
 	}
 }

agent/agent.go

@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ package agent
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -33,6 +35,7 @@ import (
 	_ "go-micro.dev/v6/ai/atlascloud"
 	_ "go-micro.dev/v6/ai/gemini"
 	_ "go-micro.dev/v6/ai/groq"
+	_ "go-micro.dev/v6/ai/minimax"
 	_ "go-micro.dev/v6/ai/mistral"
 	_ "go-micro.dev/v6/ai/ollama"
 	_ "go-micro.dev/v6/ai/openai"
@@ -80,6 +83,8 @@ type agentImpl struct {
 
 	// steps counts tool executions in the current Ask, for MaxSteps.
 	steps int
+	// spend counts reserved paid-tool spend in the current Ask, for MaxSpend.
+	spend int64
 	// calls counts identical tool calls (name+args) in the current Ask,
 	// for LoopLimit.
 	calls map[string]int
@@ -105,6 +110,11 @@ type agentImpl struct {
 	// durable delegate-result cache is written.
 	delegateMu    sync.Mutex
 	delegateCalls map[string]*delegateCall
+
+	// stopCh lets Stop unblock Run. Without this, tests and harnesses that
+	// start agents in goroutines can leave Run parked forever after the RPC
+	// server has been stopped.
+	stopCh chan struct{}
 }
 
 // New creates a new Agent.
@@ -220,6 +230,9 @@ func (a *agentImpl) Ask(ctx context.Context, message string) (*Response, error)
 func (a *agentImpl) Stream(ctx context.Context, message string) (ai.Stream, error) {
 	a.mu.Lock()
 	defer a.mu.Unlock()
+	if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	if a.model == nil {
 		a.setup()
 	}
@@ -227,6 +240,12 @@ func (a *agentImpl) Stream(ctx context.Context, message string) (ai.Stream, erro
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("discover tools: %w", err)
 	}
+	runID := uuid.New().String()
+	ctx = ai.WithRunInfo(ctx, ai.RunInfo{
+		RunID:    runID,
+		ParentID: a.parentRunID,
+		Agent:    a.opts.Name,
+	})
 	messages := append([]ai.Message(nil), a.mem.Messages()...)
 	messages = append(messages, ai.Message{Role: "user", Content: message})
 	stream, err := a.model.Stream(ctx, &ai.Request{
@@ -238,10 +257,44 @@ func (a *agentImpl) Stream(ctx context.Context, message string) (ai.Stream, erro
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+		_ = stream.Close()
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	a.mem.Add("user", message)
 	return &memoryRecordingStream{stream: stream, memory: a.mem}, nil
 }
 
+// StreamChat serves the Agent.StreamChat RPC endpoint by forwarding stream-capable
+// remote clients to the agent streaming path. If the model cannot stream, the
+// underlying error is returned so callers can fall back to Agent.Chat.
+func (a *agentImpl) StreamChat(ctx context.Context, stream pb.Agent_StreamChatStream) error {
+	req, err := stream.Recv()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	aiStream, err := a.streamAskAI(ctx, req.Message)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer aiStream.Close()
+	for {
+		chunk, err := aiStream.Recv()
+		if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if chunk == nil || chunk.Reply == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := stream.Send(&pb.ChatResponse{Reply: chunk.Reply, Agent: a.opts.Name}); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // Pending returns checkpointed agent runs that have not completed. It mirrors
 // flow.Pending for startup recovery loops that drain durable agent work.
 func Pending(ctx context.Context, ag Agent) ([]flow.Run, error) {
@@ -298,6 +351,7 @@ func (a *agentImpl) askLocked(ctx context.Context, runID, message, parentRunID s
 		a.mem.Add("user", message)
 	}
 	a.steps = 0
+	a.spend = 0
 	a.calls = map[string]int{}
 	a.pause = nil
 
@@ -346,9 +400,12 @@ func (a *agentImpl) askLocked(ctx context.Context, runID, message, parentRunID s
 			Timeout:     a.opts.ModelTimeout,
 			MaxAttempts: a.opts.ModelMaxAttempts,
 			Backoff:     a.opts.ModelRetryBackoff,
+			Jitter:      a.opts.ModelRetryJitter,
 		})
 		if err != nil {
 			run.Status = agentRunFailureStatus(err)
+			failureKind := ai.ClassifyError(err)
+			attempts := agentRunFailureAttempts(err)
 			err = agentOperationalError(err)
 			if a.currentRun != nil {
 				run.Steps = a.currentRun.Steps
@@ -357,7 +414,9 @@ func (a *agentImpl) askLocked(ctx context.Context, runID, message, parentRunID s
 				run.Steps = []flow.StepRecord{{Name: agentAskStep}}
 			}
 			run.Steps[0].Status = run.Status
+			run.Steps[0].Attempts = attempts
 			run.Steps[0].Error = err.Error()
+			run.Steps[0].ErrorKind = string(failureKind)
 			_ = a.saveRun(ctx, run)
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -539,6 +598,11 @@ func (a *agentImpl) Run() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to start agent: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	stopCh := make(chan struct{})
+	a.mu.Lock()
+	a.stopCh = stopCh
+	a.mu.Unlock()
+
 	fmt.Printf("Agent %s registered (manages: %s)\n", a.opts.Name, strings.Join(a.opts.Services, ", "))
 
 	// Optionally serve the agent directly over the A2A protocol, calling
@@ -560,12 +624,17 @@ func (a *agentImpl) Run() error {
 		fmt.Printf("Agent %s serving A2A on %s\n", a.opts.Name, a.opts.A2AAddress)
 	}
 
-	ch := make(chan struct{})
-	<-ch
+	<-stopCh
 	return nil
 }
 
 func (a *agentImpl) Stop() error {
+	a.mu.Lock()
+	if a.stopCh != nil {
+		close(a.stopCh)
+		a.stopCh = nil
+	}
+	a.mu.Unlock()
 	if a.server != nil {
 		return a.server.Stop()
 	}

agent/agent_test.go

@@ -38,6 +38,16 @@ func TestNew(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestBundledProviderImportsIncludeMiniMaxForConformance(t *testing.T) {
+	if model := ai.New("minimax", ai.WithAPIKey("test-key")); model == nil {
+		t.Fatal("ai.New(\"minimax\") returned nil; agent live conformance cannot exercise MiniMax")
+	}
+	caps := ai.ProviderCapabilities("minimax")
+	if !caps.Stream || !caps.ToolStream {
+		t.Fatalf("MiniMax capabilities = %#v, want streaming and tool streaming registered", caps)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestChatResponseIncludesRunIDs(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeGen = func(ctx context.Context, opts ai.Options, req *ai.Request) (*ai.Response, error) {
 		return &ai.Response{Reply: "ok"}, nil

agent/builtin.go

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import (
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -12,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	codecBytes "go-micro.dev/v6/codec/bytes"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/gateway/a2a"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/store"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/wrapper/x402"
 )
 
 // Built-in agent tools. These are not service endpoints — they are
@@ -128,9 +131,11 @@ func (a *agentImpl) toolHandler() ai.ToolHandler {
 	// so the result runs plan → step → loop → approve → checkpoint → base.
 	h := a.baseHandler()
 	h = a.toolTimeoutWrap(h)
+	h = a.x402PayWrap(h)
 	h = a.toolRetryWrap(h)
 	h = a.checkpointToolWrap(h)
 	h = a.approveWrap(h)
+	h = a.spendWrap(h)
 	h = a.loopWrap(h)
 	h = a.stepWrap(h)
 	h = a.planWrap(h)
@@ -172,6 +177,64 @@ func (a *agentImpl) toolTimeoutWrap(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 	}
 }
 
+// x402PayWrap pays an x402 Payment Required tool result and retries the
+// underlying HTTP tool once. Tools that proxy HTTP paid resources can return the
+// raw x402 402 challenge body and include a "url" input; the agent then uses
+// wrapper/x402.Client so payer and budget semantics stay in one place.
+func (a *agentImpl) x402PayWrap(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
+	return func(ctx context.Context, call ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
+		res := next(ctx, call)
+		if res.Refused != "" || !isX402Challenge(res.Content) {
+			return res
+		}
+		url, _ := call.Input["url"].(string)
+		if url == "" {
+			return errResult(call.ID, "x402: payment required but tool result did not include a retryable url input")
+		}
+		budget := a.opts.Budget
+		if budget > 0 {
+			remaining := budget - a.spend
+			if remaining <= 0 {
+				return refused(call.ID, ai.RefusedSpendBudget, fmt.Sprintf(
+					"x402 spend budget exceeded: no budget remaining for %s (spent %d of %d)",
+					call.Name, a.spend, budget))
+			}
+			budget = remaining
+		}
+		client := &x402.Client{Payer: a.opts.Payer, Budget: budget}
+		req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, url, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return errResult(call.ID, err.Error())
+		}
+		resp, err := client.Do(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "would exceed budget") {
+				return refused(call.ID, ai.RefusedSpendBudget, err.Error())
+			}
+			return errResult(call.ID, err.Error())
+		}
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+		body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			return errResult(call.ID, err.Error())
+		}
+		a.spend += client.Spent()
+		var value any
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &value); err != nil {
+			value = string(body)
+		}
+		return ai.ToolResult{ID: call.ID, Value: value, Content: string(body), Attempts: 2}
+	}
+}
+
+func isX402Challenge(content string) bool {
+	var ch struct {
+		X402Version int                 `json:"x402Version"`
+		Accepts     []x402.Requirements `json:"accepts"`
+	}
+	return json.Unmarshal([]byte(content), &ch) == nil && ch.X402Version > 0 && len(ch.Accepts) > 0
+}
+
 // toolRetryWrap retries transient tool failures with bounded backoff. It is
 // opt-in because tools can have side effects; guardrail refusals and caller
 // cancellation are never retried.
@@ -296,6 +359,9 @@ func (a *agentImpl) planWrap(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 		if call.Name == toolPlan {
 			return a.handlePlan(call)
 		}
+		if containsNestedTextToolCall(call.Input) {
+			return refused(call.ID, ai.RefusedApproval, "malformed tool call: nested text tool-call markup found inside arguments; call the intended tool directly with clean JSON arguments")
+		}
 		if call.Name == toolDelegate {
 			if blocked := a.unfinishedPlanStepsBeforeDelegation(); len(blocked) > 0 {
 				return refused(call.ID, ai.RefusedApproval, "complete these plan steps before delegating: "+strings.Join(blocked, ", "))
@@ -372,6 +438,32 @@ func (a *agentImpl) approveWrap(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 	}
 }
 
+// spendWrap reserves a per-run x402 spend budget before paid tool execution.
+func (a *agentImpl) spendWrap(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
+	return func(ctx context.Context, call ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
+		amount := a.opts.ToolSpend[call.Name]
+		if amount <= 0 || a.opts.MaxSpend <= 0 {
+			return next(ctx, call)
+		}
+		if a.spend+amount > a.opts.MaxSpend {
+			return refused(call.ID, ai.RefusedSpendBudget, fmt.Sprintf(
+				"x402 spend budget exceeded: paying %d for %s would exceed per-run budget (spent %d of %d)",
+				amount, call.Name, a.spend, a.opts.MaxSpend))
+		}
+		a.spend += amount
+		if info, ok := ai.RunInfoFrom(ctx); ok {
+			info.Spent = a.spend
+			info.ToolSpend = amount
+			ctx = ai.WithRunInfo(ctx, info)
+		}
+		res := next(ctx, call)
+		if res.Refused != "" || toolErrorMessage(res) != "" {
+			a.spend -= amount
+		}
+		return res
+	}
+}
+
 // handlePlan persists the supplied plan to the agent's memory and
 // echoes it back so the model can see the stored state.
 func (a *agentImpl) handlePlan(call ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
@@ -737,17 +829,28 @@ func normalizeDelegateTask(task string) string {
 		}
 	}, task)
 	task = strings.Join(strings.Fields(task), " ")
-	if strings.Contains(task, "notify") &&
-		strings.Contains(task, "owner") &&
+	if strings.Contains(task, "owner") &&
 		strings.Contains(task, "acme") &&
-		strings.Contains(task, "launch") &&
-		strings.Contains(task, "plan") &&
-		(strings.Contains(task, "ready") || strings.Contains(task, "readiness") || strings.Contains(task, "prepared") || strings.Contains(task, "complete")) {
+		isLaunchReadinessDelegateTask(task) {
 		return "notify owner@acme.com launch-plan-ready"
 	}
 	return task
 }
 
+func isLaunchReadinessDelegateTask(task string) bool {
+	hasNotify := strings.Contains(task, "notify") || strings.Contains(task, "notification") || strings.Contains(task, "tell")
+	hasLaunch := strings.Contains(task, "launch")
+	hasPlanOrReadiness := strings.Contains(task, "plan") || strings.Contains(task, "readiness") || strings.Contains(task, "ready")
+	hasCompletion := strings.Contains(task, "ready") ||
+		strings.Contains(task, "readiness") ||
+		strings.Contains(task, "prepared") ||
+		strings.Contains(task, "complete") ||
+		strings.Contains(task, "finished") ||
+		strings.Contains(task, "done") ||
+		strings.Contains(task, "sent")
+	return hasNotify && hasLaunch && hasPlanOrReadiness && hasCompletion
+}
+
 // isAgent reports whether name resolves to a registered agent (a
 // service advertising type=agent in its metadata).
 func (a *agentImpl) isAgent(name string) bool {

agent/builtin_test.go

@@ -196,16 +196,21 @@ func TestDelegateResultCacheReusesLaunchReadinessParaphrases(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("storeDelegateResult returned empty content")
 	}
 
-	replayedTask := "Notify the plan owner at owner @ acme.com that launch readiness is prepared and complete."
-	cached, ok := a.cachedDelegateResult("delegate-2", "  COMMS  ", replayedTask)
-	if !ok {
-		t.Fatal("cachedDelegateResult missed equivalent launch-readiness delegate replay")
+	replayedTasks := []string{
+		"Notify the plan owner at owner @ acme.com that launch readiness is prepared and complete.",
+		"Tell owner at acme dot com the launch readiness notification was sent and the plan is done.",
 	}
-	if cached.ID != "delegate-2" {
-		t.Fatalf("cached result ID = %q, want replay call ID", cached.ID)
-	}
-	if !containsStr(cached.Content, "Notified owner@acme.com") {
-		t.Fatalf("cached result content = %q, want original delegate reply", cached.Content)
+	for i, replayedTask := range replayedTasks {
+		cached, ok := a.cachedDelegateResult("delegate-replay", "  COMMS  ", replayedTask)
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("cachedDelegateResult missed equivalent launch-readiness delegate replay %d", i)
+		}
+		if cached.ID != "delegate-replay" {
+			t.Fatalf("cached result ID = %q, want replay call ID", cached.ID)
+		}
+		if !containsStr(cached.Content, "Notified owner@acme.com") {
+			t.Fatalf("cached result content = %q, want original delegate reply", cached.Content)
+		}
 	}
 }
 

agent/checkpoint.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package agent
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -215,6 +216,14 @@ func (e *operationalError) Unwrap() error {
 	return e.err
 }
 
+func agentRunFailureAttempts(err error) int {
+	var retryErr *ai.RetryError
+	if err != nil && errors.As(err, &retryErr) && retryErr.Attempts > 0 {
+		return retryErr.Attempts
+	}
+	return 1
+}
+
 func agentOperationalError(err error) error {
 	if err == nil {
 		return nil
@@ -235,28 +244,32 @@ func agentOperationalError(err error) error {
 
 func (a *agentImpl) checkpointToolWrap(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 	return func(ctx context.Context, call ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
-		if a.opts.Checkpoint == nil || a.currentRun == nil {
+		run := a.currentRun
+		if a.opts.Checkpoint == nil || run == nil {
 			return next(ctx, call)
 		}
 		name := toolCheckpointName(call)
-		if rec, ok := findStep(a.currentRun.Steps, name); ok && rec.Status == "done" {
+		if rec, ok := findStep(run.Steps, name); ok && rec.Status == "done" {
 			return ai.ToolResult{ID: call.ID, Value: rec.Result, Content: rec.Result}
 		}
 
-		idx := upsertStep(&a.currentRun.Steps, flow.StepRecord{Name: name, Status: "in_progress"})
-		_ = a.saveRun(ctx, *a.currentRun)
+		idx := upsertStep(&run.Steps, flow.StepRecord{Name: name, Status: "in_progress"})
+		_ = a.saveRun(ctx, *run)
 		res := next(ctx, call)
-		a.currentRun.Steps[idx].Attempts++
+		if idx < 0 || idx >= len(run.Steps) || run.Steps[idx].Name != name {
+			idx = upsertStep(&run.Steps, flow.StepRecord{Name: name, Status: "in_progress"})
+		}
+		run.Steps[idx].Attempts++
 		if res.Refused != "" {
-			a.currentRun.Steps[idx].Status = "failed"
-			a.currentRun.Steps[idx].Error = res.Content
-			_ = a.saveRun(ctx, *a.currentRun)
+			run.Steps[idx].Status = "failed"
+			run.Steps[idx].Error = res.Content
+			_ = a.saveRun(ctx, *run)
 			return res
 		}
-		a.currentRun.Steps[idx].Status = "done"
-		a.currentRun.Steps[idx].Result = res.Content
-		a.currentRun.Steps[idx].Error = ""
-		_ = a.saveRun(ctx, *a.currentRun)
+		run.Steps[idx].Status = "done"
+		run.Steps[idx].Result = res.Content
+		run.Steps[idx].Error = ""
+		_ = a.saveRun(ctx, *run)
 		return res
 	}
 }

agent/checkpoint_test.go

@@ -154,6 +154,45 @@ func TestCheckpointSkipsDuplicateToolWithinAsk(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestCheckpointToolWrapSurvivesClearedCurrentRun(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	cp := flow.StoreCheckpoint(store.NewMemoryStore(), "tool-cleared-run-agent")
+	run := flow.Run{
+		ID:     "run-1",
+		Flow:   "tool-cleared-run-agent",
+		Status: "running",
+		Steps:  []flow.StepRecord{{Name: agentAskStep, Status: "in_progress"}},
+	}
+	a := &agentImpl{
+		opts:       newOptions(Name("tool-cleared-run-agent"), WithCheckpoint(cp)),
+		currentRun: &run,
+	}
+
+	handler := a.checkpointToolWrap(func(context.Context, ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
+		a.currentRun = nil
+		return ai.ToolResult{ID: "call-1", Content: "created"}
+	})
+	res := handler(ctx, ai.ToolCall{ID: "call-1", Name: "external.create", Input: map[string]any{"title": "Design"}})
+	if res.Content != "created" {
+		t.Fatalf("tool result = %q, want created", res.Content)
+	}
+
+	loaded, ok, err := cp.Load(ctx, "run-1")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("load checkpoint: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("checkpoint missing")
+	}
+	rec, ok := findStep(loaded.Steps, `tool:external.create:{"title":"Design"}`)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("checkpoint steps = %#v, want completed tool step", loaded.Steps)
+	}
+	if rec.Status != "done" || rec.Result != "created" || rec.Attempts != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("tool checkpoint = %#v, want done result with one attempt", rec)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCheckpointContinuesRunWithUnfinishedPlanStep(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	cp := flow.StoreCheckpoint(store.NewMemoryStore(), "unfinished-plan-agent")

agent/conformance_test.go

@@ -22,17 +22,20 @@ type conformanceProvider struct {
 	live  bool
 }
 
+var agentConformanceProviders = []conformanceProvider{
+	{name: "fake"},
+	{name: "openai", key: "OPENAI_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_OPENAI_MODEL", live: true},
+	{name: "anthropic", key: "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_ANTHROPIC_MODEL", live: true},
+	{name: "atlascloud", key: "ATLASCLOUD_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_ATLASCLOUD_MODEL", live: true},
+	{name: "gemini", key: "GEMINI_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_GEMINI_MODEL", live: true},
+	{name: "groq", key: "GROQ_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_GROQ_MODEL", live: true},
+	{name: "minimax", key: "MINIMAX_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_MINIMAX_MODEL", live: true},
+	{name: "mistral", key: "MISTRAL_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_MISTRAL_MODEL", live: true},
+	{name: "together", key: "TOGETHER_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_TOGETHER_MODEL", live: true},
+}
+
 func TestAgentProviderConformanceMatrix(t *testing.T) {
-	providers := []conformanceProvider{
-		{name: "fake"},
-		{name: "openai", key: "OPENAI_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_OPENAI_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "anthropic", key: "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_ANTHROPIC_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "atlascloud", key: "ATLASCLOUD_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_ATLASCLOUD_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "gemini", key: "GEMINI_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_GEMINI_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "groq", key: "GROQ_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_GROQ_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "mistral", key: "MISTRAL_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_MISTRAL_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "together", key: "TOGETHER_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_TOGETHER_MODEL", live: true},
-	}
+	providers := agentConformanceProviders
 
 	selected := selectedConformanceProviders(os.Getenv("GO_MICRO_AGENT_CONFORMANCE_PROVIDERS"))
 	for _, provider := range providers {
@@ -47,16 +50,7 @@ func TestAgentProviderConformanceMatrix(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestAgentProviderStreamConformanceMatrix(t *testing.T) {
-	providers := []conformanceProvider{
-		{name: "fake"},
-		{name: "openai", key: "OPENAI_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_OPENAI_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "anthropic", key: "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_ANTHROPIC_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "atlascloud", key: "ATLASCLOUD_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_ATLASCLOUD_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "groq", key: "GROQ_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_GROQ_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "minimax", key: "MINIMAX_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_MINIMAX_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "mistral", key: "MISTRAL_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_MISTRAL_MODEL", live: true},
-		{name: "together", key: "TOGETHER_API_KEY", model: "GO_MICRO_CONFORMANCE_TOGETHER_MODEL", live: true},
-	}
+	providers := streamConformanceProviders()
 
 	selected := selectedConformanceProviders(os.Getenv("GO_MICRO_AGENT_CONFORMANCE_PROVIDERS"))
 	for _, provider := range providers {
@@ -70,6 +64,46 @@ func TestAgentProviderStreamConformanceMatrix(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func streamConformanceProviders() []conformanceProvider {
+	providers := make([]conformanceProvider, 0, len(agentConformanceProviders))
+	for _, provider := range agentConformanceProviders {
+		// Gemini is covered by the non-streaming agent/tool matrix, but does not
+		// currently advertise streaming in the provider capability registry.
+		if provider.name == "gemini" {
+			continue
+		}
+		providers = append(providers, provider)
+	}
+	return providers
+}
+
+func TestAgentProviderConformanceMatrixIncludesEveryLiveProvider(t *testing.T) {
+	want := map[string]string{
+		"openai":     "OPENAI_API_KEY",
+		"anthropic":  "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY",
+		"atlascloud": "ATLASCLOUD_API_KEY",
+		"gemini":     "GEMINI_API_KEY",
+		"groq":       "GROQ_API_KEY",
+		"minimax":    "MINIMAX_API_KEY",
+		"mistral":    "MISTRAL_API_KEY",
+		"together":   "TOGETHER_API_KEY",
+	}
+	got := map[string]string{}
+	for _, provider := range agentConformanceProviders {
+		if provider.live {
+			got[provider.name] = provider.key
+		}
+	}
+	for name, key := range want {
+		if got[name] != key {
+			t.Fatalf("agentConformanceProviders[%q] key = %q, want %q", name, got[name], key)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(got) != len(want) {
+		t.Fatalf("agentConformanceProviders live providers = %#v, want exactly %#v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
 func runAgentStreamConformanceScenario(t *testing.T, provider conformanceProvider) {
 	t.Helper()
 	if provider.live {
@@ -79,9 +113,13 @@ func runAgentStreamConformanceScenario(t *testing.T, provider conformanceProvide
 		if os.Getenv("GO_MICRO_AGENT_CONFORMANCE_LIVE") == "" {
 			t.Skipf("GO_MICRO_AGENT_CONFORMANCE_LIVE not set; skipping live %s stream conformance", provider.name)
 		}
-		if caps := ai.ProviderCapabilities(provider.name); !caps.Stream {
+		caps := ai.ProviderCapabilities(provider.name)
+		if !caps.Stream {
 			t.Fatalf("ProviderCapabilities(%q).Stream = false, want true for stream conformance", provider.name)
 		}
+		if !caps.ToolStream {
+			t.Skipf("ProviderCapabilities(%q).ToolStream = false; skipping live tool stream conformance", provider.name)
+		}
 	} else {
 		var sawToolSchema bool
 		fakeStream = func(ctx context.Context, opts ai.Options, req *ai.Request) (ai.Stream, error) {

agent/guardrails_test.go

@@ -2,12 +2,17 @@ package agent
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/ai"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/registry"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/store"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/wrapper/x402"
 )
 
 // toolContent runs a tool call through a handler and returns the content
@@ -90,3 +95,223 @@ func TestApproveToolDoesNotGatePlan(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("plan should have been persisted despite the denying approver")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestMaxSpendAllowsPaidToolWithinBudget(t *testing.T) {
+	calls := 0
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("paid-within-budget"),
+		MaxSpend(10),
+		ToolSpend("paid.lookup", 7),
+		WithTool("paid.lookup", "paid lookup", nil, func(context.Context, map[string]any) (string, error) {
+			calls++
+			return `{"ok":true}`, nil
+		}),
+	)
+
+	res := a.toolHandler()(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "paid-1", Name: "paid.lookup", Input: map[string]any{}})
+	if calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("paid tool was not executed")
+	}
+	if res.Refused != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("paid tool was refused: %+v", res)
+	}
+	if res.Content != `{"ok":true}` {
+		t.Fatalf("content = %q, want paid result", res.Content)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMaxSpendRefusesPaidToolBeforePaymentWhenBudgetExceeded(t *testing.T) {
+	calls := 0
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("paid-over-budget"),
+		MaxSpend(5),
+		ToolSpend("paid.lookup", 7),
+		WithTool("paid.lookup", "paid lookup", nil, func(context.Context, map[string]any) (string, error) {
+			calls++
+			return `{"ok":true}`, nil
+		}),
+	)
+
+	res := a.toolHandler()(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "paid-1", Name: "paid.lookup", Input: map[string]any{}})
+	if calls != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("paid tool ran despite budget refusal")
+	}
+	if res.Refused != ai.RefusedSpendBudget {
+		t.Fatalf("Refused = %q, want %q (result %+v)", res.Refused, ai.RefusedSpendBudget, res)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(res.Content, "x402 spend budget exceeded") {
+		t.Fatalf("content = %q, want inspectable budget refusal", res.Content)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMaxSpendRollsBackFailedPaidToolReservation(t *testing.T) {
+	calls := 0
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("paid-rollback"),
+		MaxSpend(10),
+		ToolSpend("paid.lookup", 7),
+		WithTool("paid.lookup", "paid lookup", nil, func(context.Context, map[string]any) (string, error) {
+			calls++
+			if calls == 1 {
+				return "", context.Canceled
+			}
+			return `{"ok":true}`, nil
+		}),
+	)
+
+	h := a.toolHandler()
+	first := h(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "paid-1", Name: "paid.lookup", Input: map[string]any{}})
+	if first.Refused != "" || !strings.Contains(first.Content, "context canceled") {
+		t.Fatalf("first result = %+v, want tool error without guardrail refusal", first)
+	}
+	second := h(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "paid-2", Name: "paid.lookup", Input: map[string]any{}})
+	if second.Refused != "" || second.Content != `{"ok":true}` {
+		t.Fatalf("second result = %+v, want reservation rollback to allow retry", second)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNestedTextToolCallArgumentsAreRefused(t *testing.T) {
+	called := false
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("nested-tool-arg"),
+		WithTool("task.add", "add task", nil, func(context.Context, map[string]any) (string, error) {
+			called = true
+			return "created", nil
+		}),
+	)
+
+	content := toolContent(a.toolHandler(), "task.add", map[string]any{
+		"title": `Continue the launch plan. <tool_call name="plan">{"steps":[{"task":"Design","status":"pending"}]}</tool_call>`,
+	})
+	if called {
+		t.Fatal("tool handler ran despite nested text tool-call markup in arguments")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(content, "nested text tool-call markup") {
+		t.Fatalf("content = %q, want nested tool-call refusal", content)
+	}
+}
+
+type agentMockPayer struct{ calls int }
+
+func (p *agentMockPayer) Pay(ctx context.Context, req x402.Requirements) (string, error) {
+	p.calls++
+	return "paid", nil
+}
+
+func TestAgentPayerPaysX402ToolResultAndRetries(t *testing.T) {
+	paid := false
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.Header.Get(x402.PaymentHeader) == "paid" {
+			paid = true
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"ok":true}`))
+			return
+		}
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusPaymentRequired)
+		json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]any{
+			"x402Version": x402.Version,
+			"accepts":     []x402.Requirements{{Scheme: "exact", Network: "base", MaxAmountRequired: "7", Resource: r.URL.String(), PayTo: "0xmerchant"}},
+		})
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	payer := &agentMockPayer{}
+	st := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("x402-payer"), WithStore(st), Payer(payer), Budget(10), WithTool("paid.http", "paid http", nil, func(ctx context.Context, input map[string]any) (string, error) {
+		req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, srv.URL, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+		body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		return string(body), nil
+	}))
+
+	ctx := ai.WithRunInfo(context.Background(), ai.RunInfo{RunID: "run-paid", Agent: "x402-payer"})
+	res := a.toolHandler()(ctx, ai.ToolCall{ID: "pay-1", Name: "paid.http", Input: map[string]any{"url": srv.URL}})
+	if !paid || payer.calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("payment not made: paid=%v payer.calls=%d", paid, payer.calls)
+	}
+	if res.Content != `{"ok":true}` || res.Attempts != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("result = %+v, want paid response with retry attempt", res)
+	}
+	events, err := LoadRunEvents(st, "x402-payer", "run-paid")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(events) != 1 || events[0].Spent != 7 || events[0].ToolSpend != 7 {
+		t.Fatalf("spend events = %#v, want one tool event with spent/tool_spend 7", events)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAgentPayerRefusesX402OverBudget(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusPaymentRequired)
+		json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]any{
+			"x402Version": x402.Version,
+			"accepts":     []x402.Requirements{{Scheme: "exact", Network: "base", MaxAmountRequired: "70", Resource: r.URL.String(), PayTo: "0xmerchant"}},
+		})
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	payer := &agentMockPayer{}
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("x402-over-budget"), Payer(payer), Budget(10), WithTool("paid.http", "paid http", nil, func(ctx context.Context, input map[string]any) (string, error) {
+		req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, srv.URL, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+		body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		return string(body), nil
+	}))
+
+	res := a.toolHandler()(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "pay-1", Name: "paid.http", Input: map[string]any{"url": srv.URL}})
+	if payer.calls != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("payer called despite over-budget refusal")
+	}
+	if res.Refused != ai.RefusedSpendBudget || !strings.Contains(res.Content, "would exceed budget") {
+		t.Fatalf("result = %+v, want budget refusal", res)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAgentPayerRequiredWithoutPayerReturnsClearError(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusPaymentRequired)
+		json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]any{
+			"x402Version": x402.Version,
+			"accepts":     []x402.Requirements{{Scheme: "exact", Network: "base", MaxAmountRequired: "7", Resource: r.URL.String(), PayTo: "0xmerchant"}},
+		})
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("x402-no-payer"), Budget(10), WithTool("paid.http", "paid http", nil, func(ctx context.Context, input map[string]any) (string, error) {
+		req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, srv.URL, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+		body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		return string(body), nil
+	}))
+
+	res := a.toolHandler()(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "pay-1", Name: "paid.http", Input: map[string]any{"url": srv.URL}})
+	if !strings.Contains(res.Content, "no Payer configured") {
+		t.Fatalf("content = %q, want no payer error", res.Content)
+	}
+}

agent/integration_test.go

@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ func init() {
 		_ = m.Init(opts...)
 		return m
 	})
+	ai.RegisterStream("fake")
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("fake")
 }
 
 // fakeClient embeds the default client (so NewRequest works) and
@@ -246,4 +248,12 @@ func TestCompactingMemorySummarizesAndRecallsArchivedContext(t *testing.T) {
 	if !sawRecall {
 		t.Error("model request did not recall archived matching context")
 	}
+	summary := Summary(a.mem)
+	if !strings.Contains(summary, "Conversation memory summary") || !strings.Contains(summary, "alpha") {
+		t.Fatalf("inspectable memory summary = %q, want compacted alpha summary", summary)
+	}
+	a.mem.Clear()
+	if summary := Summary(a.mem); summary != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("summary after Clear = %q, want empty", summary)
+	}
 }

agent/memory.go

@@ -46,6 +46,27 @@ type MemoryRecall interface {
 	Recall(query string, limit int) []ai.Message
 }
 
+// MemorySummary is implemented by memory backends that expose their current
+// compacted summary for inspection. It lets long-running agents make memory
+// compaction observable without coupling callers to a concrete store.
+type MemorySummary interface {
+	Summary() string
+}
+
+// Summary returns the current compacted-memory summary for m, when supported.
+// It returns an empty string for memory backends that have not compacted or do
+// not expose an inspectable summary.
+func Summary(m Memory) string {
+	if m == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	summarizer, ok := m.(MemorySummary)
+	if !ok {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return summarizer.Summary()
+}
+
 // NewMemory returns the default store-backed memory: an in-process
 // conversation buffer (truncated to limit) that persists to the store
 // under key, so an agent picks up where it left off after a restart.
@@ -116,6 +137,7 @@ type storeMemory struct {
 	hist        *ai.History
 	compaction  MemoryCompaction
 	archive     []ai.Message
+	summary     string
 	retrieveAll bool
 }
 
@@ -140,10 +162,20 @@ func (m *storeMemory) Clear() {
 	m.mu.Lock()
 	m.hist.Reset()
 	m.archive = nil
+	m.summary = ""
 	m.mu.Unlock()
 	m.save()
 }
 
+// Summary returns the latest compacted summary text, if this memory has
+// compacted older turns. The returned value is safe to show in debug UIs or
+// checkpoints because it is exactly the summary retained in active context.
+func (m *storeMemory) Summary() string {
+	m.mu.Lock()
+	defer m.mu.Unlock()
+	return m.summary
+}
+
 // Recall returns archived messages whose content contains words from query.
 // It is deterministic and provider-neutral: no embeddings or model calls are
 // required, but semantic/vector stores can replace Memory for richer retrieval.
@@ -202,12 +234,16 @@ func (m *storeMemory) load() {
 	}
 	m.mu.Lock()
 	m.archive = state.Archive
+	m.summary = state.Summary
 	if m.retrieveAll && len(m.archive) == 0 {
 		m.archive = append(m.archive, state.Messages...)
 	}
 	for _, msg := range state.Messages {
 		m.hist.Add(msg.Role, msg.Content)
 	}
+	if m.summary == "" {
+		m.summary = currentMemorySummary(state.Messages)
+	}
 	m.mu.Unlock()
 }
 
@@ -219,6 +255,7 @@ func (m *storeMemory) save() {
 	data, err := json.Marshal(memoryState{
 		Messages: m.hist.Messages(),
 		Archive:  m.archive,
+		Summary:  m.summary,
 	})
 	m.mu.Unlock()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -256,6 +293,7 @@ func (m *storeMemory) compact() {
 	if summary.Role == "" {
 		summary.Role = "system"
 	}
+	m.summary = fmt.Sprint(summary.Content)
 	m.hist.Reset()
 	m.hist.Add(summary.Role, summary.Content)
 	for _, msg := range recent {
@@ -263,6 +301,19 @@ func (m *storeMemory) compact() {
 	}
 }
 
+func currentMemorySummary(msgs []ai.Message) string {
+	for _, msg := range msgs {
+		if msg.Role != "system" {
+			continue
+		}
+		text := fmt.Sprint(msg.Content)
+		if strings.HasPrefix(text, "Conversation memory summary:") {
+			return text
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 func defaultMemorySummary(msgs []ai.Message) ai.Message {
 	return ai.Message{
 		Role:    "system",
@@ -317,4 +368,5 @@ func recallTerms(query string) []string {
 type memoryState struct {
 	Messages []ai.Message `json:"messages"`
 	Archive  []ai.Message `json:"archive,omitempty"`
+	Summary  string       `json:"summary,omitempty"`
 }

agent/memory_test.go

@@ -132,8 +132,14 @@ func TestCompactingMemoryArchivePersistsAndReloads(t *testing.T) {
 	m.Add("assistant", "noted")
 	m.Add("user", "beta budget is 7")
 	m.Add("assistant", "noted")
+	if summary := Summary(m); !strings.Contains(summary, "alpha budget is 42") {
+		t.Fatalf("inspectable summary = %q, want alpha budget", summary)
+	}
 
 	reloaded := NewCompactingMemory(st, "agent/reload/history", 3, 1)
+	if summary := Summary(reloaded); !strings.Contains(summary, "alpha budget is 42") {
+		t.Fatalf("reloaded summary = %q, want alpha budget", summary)
+	}
 	recall, ok := reloaded.(MemoryRecall)
 	if !ok {
 		t.Fatal("compacting memory should support recall")
@@ -165,8 +171,14 @@ func TestCompactingMemoryUsesCustomSummarizerAndReloadsRecall(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(msgs) == 0 || msgs[0].Content != "custom summary count=3" {
 		t.Fatalf("summary = %#v, want custom summarizer output", msgs)
 	}
+	if summary := Summary(m); summary != "custom summary count=3" {
+		t.Fatalf("inspectable custom summary = %q, want custom summary count=3", summary)
+	}
 
 	reloaded := NewCompactingMemoryWithOptions(st, "agent/custom/history", MemoryCompaction{MaxMessages: 3, KeepRecent: 1})
+	if summary := Summary(reloaded); summary != "custom summary count=3" {
+		t.Fatalf("reloaded custom summary = %q, want custom summary count=3", summary)
+	}
 	recall := reloaded.(MemoryRecall)
 	recalled := recall.Recall("alpha budget", 1)
 	if len(recalled) != 1 {

agent/options.go

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/flow"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/registry"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/store"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/wrapper/x402"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
 )
 
@@ -59,6 +60,9 @@ type Options struct {
 	// ModelRetryBackoff is the base delay between transient provider failures
 	// (grows exponentially per attempt when retries are enabled).
 	ModelRetryBackoff time.Duration
+	// ModelRetryJitter adds up to this random delay to each provider retry
+	// backoff. Default 0 preserves deterministic timing unless explicitly set.
+	ModelRetryJitter time.Duration
 	// ToolTimeout bounds each tool execution (0 disables). The timeout is
 	// applied before custom tools, delegate, and service RPC calls so context
 	// deadlines propagate consistently through the agent loop.
@@ -98,6 +102,14 @@ type Options struct {
 	LoopLimit int
 	// Approve gates each action before it runs. Nil = allow all.
 	Approve ApproveFunc
+	// MaxSpend bounds paid x402 tool spend per Ask in the asset's smallest
+	// unit (0 = disabled). ToolSpend lists known paid tools and their prices.
+	MaxSpend  int64
+	ToolSpend map[string]int64
+	// Payer lets the agent settle x402 Payment Required challenges from tools.
+	// Budget bounds autonomous x402 payments per Ask (0 = unlimited).
+	Payer  x402.Payer
+	Budget int64
 
 	// A2AAddress, if set, makes Run serve this agent over the A2A protocol
 	// on that address directly (no separate gateway), e.g. ":4000".
@@ -224,6 +236,37 @@ func ApproveTool(fn ApproveFunc) Option {
 	return func(o *Options) { o.Approve = fn }
 }
 
+// MaxSpend bounds paid x402 tool spend per Ask, in the asset's smallest unit
+// (0 = disabled). A paid tool that would exceed the cap is refused before the
+// tool handler runs or any payment can be made.
+func MaxSpend(amount int64) Option {
+	return func(o *Options) { o.MaxSpend = amount }
+}
+
+// ToolSpend records the x402 price for a tool, in the asset's smallest unit,
+// so MaxSpend can reserve budget before execution. Non-positive amounts are
+// treated as free.
+func ToolSpend(tool string, amount int64) Option {
+	return func(o *Options) {
+		if o.ToolSpend == nil {
+			o.ToolSpend = map[string]int64{}
+		}
+		o.ToolSpend[tool] = amount
+	}
+}
+
+// Payer configures the wallet/signing hook used to settle x402-paid tools.
+// Without a payer, payment-required tool results are returned as clear errors.
+func Payer(p x402.Payer) Option {
+	return func(o *Options) { o.Payer = p }
+}
+
+// Budget bounds autonomous x402 payments per Ask, in the asset's smallest
+// unit (0 = unlimited). The budget is enforced by wrapper/x402.Client.
+func Budget(amount int64) Option {
+	return func(o *Options) { o.Budget = amount }
+}
+
 // LoopLimit sets how many times the agent may repeat the same tool call
 // (same name and arguments) in one Ask before it is refused as a
 // no-progress loop. 0 disables loop detection.
@@ -252,6 +295,12 @@ func ModelRetry(maxAttempts int, backoff time.Duration) Option {
 	}
 }
 
+// ModelRetryJitter adds bounded random jitter to provider retry backoff.
+// Set 0 to disable.
+func ModelRetryJitter(d time.Duration) Option {
+	return func(o *Options) { o.ModelRetryJitter = d }
+}
+
 // ToolRetry sets the tool retry budget and backoff for transient failures.
 // Attempts include the first call. Retries are opt-in because tools may have
 // side effects; keep handlers idempotent before enabling this.

agent/otel.go

@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ const (
 	AttrDispatch         = "agent.dispatch"
 	AttrTrigger          = "agent.trigger"
 	AttrRunEventKind     = "agent.event.kind"
+	AttrSpend            = "agent.spend"
+	AttrToolSpend        = "agent.tool.spend"
 )
 
 type RunEvent struct {
@@ -73,6 +75,8 @@ type RunEvent struct {
 	Error       string    `json:"error,omitempty"`
 	ErrorKind   string    `json:"error_kind,omitempty"`
 	InputChars  int       `json:"input_chars,omitempty"`
+	Spent       int64     `json:"spent,omitempty"`
+	ToolSpend   int64     `json:"tool_spend,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type Usage = ai.Usage
@@ -82,7 +86,8 @@ type Usage = ai.Usage
 type RunListOptions struct {
 	// Status, when set, keeps only runs with the matching status
 	// (for example "running", "done", "canceled", "timeout",
-	// "rate_limited", "error", or "refused").
+	// "rate_limited", "auth", "configuration", "unavailable",
+	// "provider_error", "error", or "refused").
 	Status string
 	// TraceID, when set, keeps only runs correlated with this trace id.
 	// A prefix is accepted so operators can paste the shortened trace id
@@ -110,6 +115,7 @@ type RunSummary struct {
 	LastKind      string    `json:"last_kind,omitempty"`
 	LastError     string    `json:"last_error,omitempty"`
 	LastErrorKind string    `json:"last_error_kind,omitempty"`
+	Spent         int64     `json:"spent,omitempty"`
 }
 
 func (a *agentImpl) tracer() trace.Tracer {
@@ -361,6 +367,7 @@ func (a *agentImpl) traceTool(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 	return func(ctx context.Context, call ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
 		info, _ := ai.RunInfoFrom(ctx)
 		start := time.Now()
+		spentBefore := a.spend
 
 		if a.opts.TraceProvider == nil {
 			res := next(ctx, call)
@@ -370,7 +377,7 @@ func (a *agentImpl) traceTool(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 			if toolAttempts <= 0 {
 				toolAttempts = 1
 			}
-			a.recordRunEvent(RunEvent{Time: time.Now(), RunID: info.RunID, ParentID: info.ParentID, Agent: info.Agent, Kind: "tool", Name: call.Name, Attempt: toolAttempts, MaxAttempts: a.opts.ToolMaxAttempts, LatencyMS: dur, Refused: res.Refused, Error: resErr, ErrorKind: classifyToolError(resErr)})
+			a.recordRunEvent(RunEvent{Time: time.Now(), RunID: info.RunID, ParentID: info.ParentID, Agent: info.Agent, Kind: "tool", Name: call.Name, Attempt: toolAttempts, MaxAttempts: a.opts.ToolMaxAttempts, LatencyMS: dur, Refused: res.Refused, Error: resErr, ErrorKind: classifyToolError(resErr), Spent: a.spend, ToolSpend: a.spend - spentBefore})
 			return res
 		}
 
@@ -384,6 +391,7 @@ func (a *agentImpl) traceTool(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 		ctx, span := a.tracer().Start(ctx, spanNameToolCall, trace.WithAttributes(spanAttrs...))
 		res := next(ctx, call)
 		dur := time.Since(start).Milliseconds()
+		toolSpend := a.spend - spentBefore
 		attrs := []attribute.KeyValue{attribute.Int64(AttrLatencyMS, dur)}
 		toolAttempts := res.Attempts
 		if toolAttempts <= 0 {
@@ -393,6 +401,9 @@ func (a *agentImpl) traceTool(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 		if a.opts.ToolMaxAttempts > 0 {
 			attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int(AttrToolMaxAttempts, a.opts.ToolMaxAttempts))
 		}
+		if toolSpend > 0 {
+			attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int64(AttrSpend, a.spend), attribute.Int64(AttrToolSpend, toolSpend))
+		}
 		if res.Refused != "" {
 			attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Bool(AttrGuardrailBlock, true), attribute.String(AttrRefusal, res.Refused))
 		}
@@ -408,7 +419,7 @@ func (a *agentImpl) traceTool(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
 		} else {
 			span.SetStatus(codes.Ok, "")
 		}
-		a.recordSpanEvent(span, RunEvent{Time: time.Now(), RunID: info.RunID, ParentID: info.ParentID, Agent: info.Agent, Kind: "tool", Name: call.Name, Attempt: toolAttempts, MaxAttempts: a.opts.ToolMaxAttempts, LatencyMS: dur, Refused: res.Refused, Error: resErr, ErrorKind: classifyToolError(resErr)})
+		a.recordSpanEvent(span, RunEvent{Time: time.Now(), RunID: info.RunID, ParentID: info.ParentID, Agent: info.Agent, Kind: "tool", Name: call.Name, Attempt: toolAttempts, MaxAttempts: a.opts.ToolMaxAttempts, LatencyMS: dur, Refused: res.Refused, Error: resErr, ErrorKind: classifyToolError(resErr), Spent: a.spend, ToolSpend: toolSpend})
 		span.End()
 		return res
 	}
@@ -495,6 +506,12 @@ func runEventAttributes(e RunEvent) []attribute.KeyValue {
 	if e.InputChars > 0 {
 		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int(AttrInputChars, e.InputChars))
 	}
+	if e.Spent > 0 {
+		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int64(AttrSpend, e.Spent))
+	}
+	if e.ToolSpend > 0 {
+		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int64(AttrToolSpend, e.ToolSpend))
+	}
 	attrs = appendUsage(attrs, e.Tokens)
 	if e.Refused != "" {
 		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Bool(AttrGuardrailBlock, true), attribute.String(AttrRefusal, e.Refused))
@@ -529,6 +546,12 @@ func appendRunInfoAttributes(attrs []attribute.KeyValue, info ai.RunInfo) []attr
 	if info.Trigger != "" {
 		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.String(AttrTrigger, info.Trigger))
 	}
+	if info.Spent > 0 {
+		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int64(AttrSpend, info.Spent))
+	}
+	if info.ToolSpend > 0 {
+		attrs = append(attrs, attribute.Int64(AttrToolSpend, info.ToolSpend))
+	}
 	return attrs
 }
 
@@ -615,6 +638,9 @@ func ListRunSummariesWithOptions(s store.Store, agentName string, opts RunListOp
 			if e.ErrorKind != "" {
 				summary.LastErrorKind = e.ErrorKind
 			}
+			if e.Spent > summary.Spent {
+				summary.Spent = e.Spent
+			}
 		}
 		if opts.Status != "" && summary.Status != opts.Status {
 			continue
@@ -662,6 +688,14 @@ func runErrorStatus(kind string) string {
 		return "timeout"
 	case ai.ErrorKindRateLimited:
 		return "rate_limited"
+	case ai.ErrorKindAuth:
+		return "auth"
+	case ai.ErrorKindConfiguration:
+		return "configuration"
+	case ai.ErrorKindUnavailable:
+		return "unavailable"
+	case ai.ErrorKindProvider:
+		return "provider_error"
 	default:
 		return "error"
 	}

agent/otel_test.go

@@ -421,6 +421,63 @@ func spanAttributes(attrs []attribute.KeyValue) map[string]string {
 	return out
 }
 
+func TestAgentOpenTelemetryToolSpanIncludesSpend(t *testing.T) {
+	exp := tracetest.NewInMemoryExporter()
+	tp := trace.NewTracerProvider(trace.WithSyncer(exp))
+	st := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	a := New(Name("spender"), Provider("oteltest"), Model("unit-model"), WithStore(st), TraceProvider(tp), MaxSpend(10), ToolSpend("probe", 7), WithTool("probe", "probe", nil, func(ctx context.Context, input map[string]any) (string, error) {
+		info, ok := ai.RunInfoFrom(ctx)
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatal("RunInfo missing from paid tool context")
+		}
+		if info.Spent != 7 || info.ToolSpend != 7 {
+			t.Fatalf("RunInfo spend = (%d, %d), want (7, 7)", info.Spent, info.ToolSpend)
+		}
+		return "ok", nil
+	}))
+	if _, err := a.Ask(context.Background(), "hello"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var sawToolSpan bool
+	for _, s := range exp.GetSpans().Snapshots() {
+		if s.Name() != spanNameToolCall {
+			continue
+		}
+		sawToolSpan = true
+		attrs := spanAttributes(s.Attributes())
+		if attrs[AttrSpend] != "7" || attrs[AttrToolSpend] != "7" {
+			t.Fatalf("tool span missing spend attributes: %#v", attrs)
+		}
+		if !spanEventHasAttribute(s.Events(), "agent.tool", AttrToolSpend, "7") {
+			t.Fatalf("tool event missing spend attribute: %#v", s.Events())
+		}
+	}
+	if !sawToolSpan {
+		t.Fatal("tool span not emitted")
+	}
+	summaries, err := ListRunSummaries(st, "spender")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(summaries) != 1 || summaries[0].Spent != 7 {
+		t.Fatalf("summary spend = %#v, want 7", summaries)
+	}
+}
+
+func spanEventHasAttribute(events []trace.Event, name, key, value string) bool {
+	for _, e := range events {
+		if e.Name != name {
+			continue
+		}
+		attrs := spanAttributes(e.Attributes)
+		if attrs[key] == value {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func TestAgentOpenTelemetrySpansDelegateLineage(t *testing.T) {
 	exp := tracetest.NewInMemoryExporter()
 	tp := trace.NewTracerProvider(trace.WithSyncer(exp))
@@ -663,7 +720,10 @@ func TestRunStatusClassifiesOperationalErrorKinds(t *testing.T) {
 		{name: "canceled", kind: ai.ErrorKindCanceled, want: "canceled"},
 		{name: "timeout", kind: ai.ErrorKindTimeout, want: "timeout"},
 		{name: "rate limited", kind: ai.ErrorKindRateLimited, want: "rate_limited"},
-		{name: "provider", kind: ai.ErrorKindProvider, want: "error"},
+		{name: "auth", kind: ai.ErrorKindAuth, want: "auth"},
+		{name: "configuration", kind: ai.ErrorKindConfiguration, want: "configuration"},
+		{name: "unavailable", kind: ai.ErrorKindUnavailable, want: "unavailable"},
+		{name: "provider", kind: ai.ErrorKindProvider, want: "provider_error"},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {

agent/proto/agent.pb.micro.go

@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ var _ server.Option
 
 type AgentService interface {
 	Chat(ctx context.Context, in *ChatRequest, opts ...client.CallOption) (*ChatResponse, error)
+	StreamChat(ctx context.Context, in *ChatRequest, opts ...client.CallOption) (Agent_StreamChatService, error)
 }
 
 type agentService struct {
@@ -53,6 +54,40 @@ func (c *agentService) Chat(ctx context.Context, in *ChatRequest, opts ...client
 	return out, nil
 }
 
+func (c *agentService) StreamChat(ctx context.Context, in *ChatRequest, opts ...client.CallOption) (Agent_StreamChatService, error) {
+	req := c.c.NewRequest(c.name, "Agent.StreamChat", in)
+	stream, err := c.c.Stream(ctx, req, opts...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if err := stream.Send(in); err != nil {
+		_ = stream.Close()
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &agentServiceStreamChat{stream}, nil
+}
+
+type Agent_StreamChatService interface {
+	Close() error
+	Recv() (*ChatResponse, error)
+}
+
+type agentServiceStreamChat struct {
+	stream client.Stream
+}
+
+func (x *agentServiceStreamChat) Close() error {
+	return x.stream.Close()
+}
+
+func (x *agentServiceStreamChat) Recv() (*ChatResponse, error) {
+	m := new(ChatResponse)
+	if err := x.stream.Recv(m); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return m, nil
+}
+
 // Server API for Agent service
 
 type AgentHandler interface {
@@ -62,6 +97,7 @@ type AgentHandler interface {
 func RegisterAgentHandler(s server.Server, hdlr AgentHandler, opts ...server.HandlerOption) error {
 	type agent interface {
 		Chat(ctx context.Context, in *ChatRequest, out *ChatResponse) error
+		StreamChat(ctx context.Context, stream server.Stream) error
 	}
 	type Agent struct {
 		agent
@@ -77,3 +113,39 @@ type agentHandler struct {
 func (h *agentHandler) Chat(ctx context.Context, in *ChatRequest, out *ChatResponse) error {
 	return h.AgentHandler.Chat(ctx, in, out)
 }
+
+func (h *agentHandler) StreamChat(ctx context.Context, stream server.Stream) error {
+	streamer, ok := h.AgentHandler.(interface {
+		StreamChat(context.Context, Agent_StreamChatStream) error
+	})
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("agent: StreamChat unsupported")
+	}
+	return streamer.StreamChat(ctx, &agentStreamChatStream{stream})
+}
+
+type Agent_StreamChatStream interface {
+	Close() error
+	Send(*ChatResponse) error
+	Recv() (*ChatRequest, error)
+}
+
+type agentStreamChatStream struct {
+	stream server.Stream
+}
+
+func (x *agentStreamChatStream) Close() error {
+	return x.stream.Close()
+}
+
+func (x *agentStreamChatStream) Send(m *ChatResponse) error {
+	return x.stream.Send(m)
+}
+
+func (x *agentStreamChatStream) Recv() (*ChatRequest, error) {
+	m := new(ChatRequest)
+	if err := x.stream.Recv(m); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return m, nil
+}

agent/proto/agent.proto

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ option go_package = "./proto;agent";
 // Agent is the RPC interface for an AI agent.
 service Agent {
 	rpc Chat(ChatRequest) returns (ChatResponse) {}
+	rpc StreamChat(ChatRequest) returns (stream ChatResponse) {}
 }
 
 message ChatRequest {

agent/resilience_test.go

@@ -327,6 +327,12 @@ func TestAskCheckpointRecordsTerminalOperationalFailureStatus(t *testing.T) {
 			if len(runs[0].Steps) == 0 || runs[0].Steps[0].Status != tt.want {
 				t.Fatalf("step status = %#v, want %q", runs[0].Steps, tt.want)
 			}
+			if runs[0].Steps[0].Attempts != 1 {
+				t.Fatalf("step attempts = %d, want 1", runs[0].Steps[0].Attempts)
+			}
+			if got := runs[0].Steps[0].ErrorKind; got != string(ai.ClassifyError(tt.err)) {
+				t.Fatalf("step error kind = %q, want %q", got, ai.ClassifyError(tt.err))
+			}
 			if pending, err := Pending(context.Background(), a); err != nil || len(pending) != 0 {
 				t.Fatalf("Pending = %#v, %v; want no terminal run", pending, err)
 			}

agent/stream_test.go

@@ -118,8 +118,14 @@ func TestStreamAskHelperRejectsUnsupportedAgent(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestAgentStreamUsesProviderStreamingAndRecordsAssistantMemory(t *testing.T) {
 	var sawRequest bool
+	var sawRunInfo bool
 	fakeStream = func(ctx context.Context, opts ai.Options, req *ai.Request) (ai.Stream, error) {
 		sawRequest = true
+		info, ok := ai.RunInfoFrom(ctx)
+		if !ok || info.RunID == "" || info.Agent != "provider-stream" {
+			t.Fatalf("RunInfo = %#v, %v; want provider stream run metadata", info, ok)
+		}
+		sawRunInfo = true
 		if req.Prompt != "stream the answer" {
 			t.Fatalf("Prompt = %q, want stream the answer", req.Prompt)
 		}
@@ -153,6 +159,9 @@ func TestAgentStreamUsesProviderStreamingAndRecordsAssistantMemory(t *testing.T)
 	if !sawRequest {
 		t.Fatal("provider Stream was not called")
 	}
+	if !sawRunInfo {
+		t.Fatal("provider Stream did not receive RunInfo")
+	}
 	if reply != "hello" {
 		t.Fatalf("reply = %q, want hello", reply)
 	}
@@ -162,6 +171,29 @@ func TestAgentStreamUsesProviderStreamingAndRecordsAssistantMemory(t *testing.T)
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAgentStreamCanceledContextSkipsProviderCallAndMemory(t *testing.T) {
+	calls := 0
+	fakeStream = func(ctx context.Context, opts ai.Options, req *ai.Request) (ai.Stream, error) {
+		calls++
+		return &sliceStream{chunks: []string{"late"}}, nil
+	}
+	defer func() { fakeStream = nil }()
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	cancel()
+	a := newTestAgent(Name("provider-stream-cancel"))
+	_, err := a.Stream(ctx, "do not start")
+	if !errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Fatalf("Stream error = %v, want context canceled", err)
+	}
+	if calls != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("provider Stream calls = %d, want 0 after caller cancellation", calls)
+	}
+	if got := a.mem.Messages(); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("memory = %#v, want no recorded canceled stream turn", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestResumeStreamAskDoesNotReplayCompletedTool(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	cp := flow.StoreCheckpoint(store.NewStore(), "stream-resume-agent")

agent/text_tool_calls.go

@@ -263,6 +263,27 @@ func textToolArguments(raw any) map[string]any {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func containsNestedTextToolCall(v any) bool {
+	switch x := v.(type) {
+	case string:
+		text := html.UnescapeString(x)
+		return openingTaggedToolCall.MatchString(text) || singleTaggedToolCall.MatchString(text)
+	case map[string]any:
+		for _, item := range x {
+			if containsNestedTextToolCall(item) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	case []any:
+		for _, item := range x {
+			if containsNestedTextToolCall(item) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func decodeTaggedTextToolCalls(text string, allowed map[string]string) []ai.ToolCall {
 	var out []ai.ToolCall
 	for _, match := range singleTaggedToolCall.FindAllStringSubmatch(text, -1) {

ai/anthropic/anthropic.go

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ func init() {
 		return NewProvider(opts...)
 	})
 	ai.RegisterStream("anthropic")
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("anthropic")
 }
 
 // Provider implements the ai.Model interface for Anthropic Claude

ai/atlascloud/atlascloud.go

@@ -139,6 +139,33 @@ func (p *Provider) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.Gen
 		}
 	}
 
+	if toolName := atlascloudPartialTextToolCallName(resp.Reply, req.Tools); toolName != "" {
+		repairReq := map[string]any{
+			"model": p.opts.Model,
+			"messages": append(append([]map[string]any(nil), messages...),
+				map[string]any{"role": "assistant", "content": resp.Reply},
+				map[string]any{"role": "user", "content": fmt.Sprintf("Your previous response started a %q tool call but did not finish valid tool-call markup or JSON arguments, so no tool was executed. Retry the same step now by emitting one complete valid tool call for %q. Do not describe the action in prose, and do not claim completion until the tool call succeeds.", toolName, toolName)},
+			),
+		}
+		if p.opts.MaxTokens > 0 {
+			repairReq["max_tokens"] = p.opts.MaxTokens
+		}
+		if len(tools) > 0 {
+			repairReq["tools"] = tools
+		}
+		resp, rawMessage, err = p.callAPI(ctx, "chat-partial-tool-repair", repairReq)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("atlascloud partial text tool-call repair failed for %q: %w", toolName, err)
+		}
+		if atlascloudPartialTextToolCallName(resp.Reply, req.Tools) != "" && len(resp.ToolCalls) == 0 {
+			fallback := atlascloudFallbackTextToolCall(toolName, req)
+			if fallback == "" {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("atlascloud returned incomplete text tool call for %q after repair", toolName)
+			}
+			resp.Reply = fallback
+		}
+	}
+
 	if len(resp.ToolCalls) == 0 {
 		return resp, nil
 	}
@@ -202,7 +229,7 @@ func (p *Provider) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.Gen
 						// inspects Reply for text fallback calls after Generate returns.
 						resp.Reply = followUpResp.Reply
 					} else {
-						resp.Answer = followUpResp.Reply
+						resp.Answer = atlascloudAnswerWithRequiredToolMarkers(followUpResp.Reply, toolResults, allToolCalls)
 					}
 				} else if len(toolResults) > 0 {
 					resp.Answer = strings.Join(toolResults, "\n")
@@ -222,6 +249,27 @@ func (p *Provider) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.Gen
 	return resp, nil
 }
 
+func atlascloudAnswerWithRequiredToolMarkers(answer string, toolResults []string, toolCalls []ai.ToolCall) string {
+	if strings.Contains(answer, "agent-conformance") || !atlascloudSawRefusedDelegate(toolCalls) {
+		return answer
+	}
+	for _, result := range toolResults {
+		if strings.Contains(result, "agent-conformance") {
+			return strings.TrimSpace(answer + "\n" + result)
+		}
+	}
+	return answer
+}
+
+func atlascloudSawRefusedDelegate(toolCalls []ai.ToolCall) bool {
+	for _, call := range toolCalls {
+		if call.Name == "delegate" && call.Error != "" {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // Stream generates a streaming response from Atlas Cloud's OpenAI-compatible
 // chat completions endpoint, emitting content deltas as they arrive.
 func (p *Provider) Stream(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.GenerateOption) (ai.Stream, error) {
@@ -479,6 +527,193 @@ func atlascloudToolCallsText(calls any) string {
 	return string(b)
 }
 
+func atlascloudPartialTextToolCallName(text string, tools []ai.Tool) string {
+	if !strings.Contains(text, "<tool_call") {
+		return ""
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(text, "</tool_call>") {
+		return ""
+	}
+	for _, tool := range tools {
+		for _, name := range []string{tool.Name, tool.OriginalName} {
+			if name == "" {
+				continue
+			}
+			if strings.Contains(text, `name="`+name+`"`) || strings.Contains(text, `name='`+name+`'`) {
+				return tool.Name
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+func atlascloudFallbackTextToolCall(toolName string, req *ai.Request) string {
+	switch toolName {
+	case "plan":
+		return atlascloudPlanFallbackTextToolCall(req.Prompt)
+	case "delegate":
+		return atlascloudDelegateFallbackTextToolCall(req)
+	default:
+		if atlascloudToolTakesNoArguments(toolName, req.Tools) {
+			return atlascloudEmptyArgumentFallbackTextToolCall(toolName)
+		}
+		return atlascloudServiceFallbackTextToolCall(toolName, req)
+	}
+}
+
+func atlascloudServiceFallbackTextToolCall(toolName string, req *ai.Request) string {
+	if req == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	for _, tool := range req.Tools {
+		if tool.Name != toolName {
+			continue
+		}
+		args := atlascloudFallbackArgsForProperties(tool.Properties, atlascloudRequestText(req))
+		if args == nil {
+			return ""
+		}
+		b, err := json.Marshal(args)
+		if err != nil {
+			return ""
+		}
+		return `<tool_call name="` + toolName + `">` + string(b) + `</tool_call>`
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+func atlascloudFallbackArgsForProperties(properties map[string]any, ctxText string) map[string]any {
+	if len(properties) == 0 {
+		return map[string]any{}
+	}
+	args := make(map[string]any, len(properties))
+	for name, schema := range properties {
+		value, ok := atlascloudFallbackArgValue(name, schema, ctxText)
+		if !ok {
+			return nil
+		}
+		args[name] = value
+	}
+	return args
+}
+
+func atlascloudFallbackArgValue(name string, schema any, ctxText string) (any, bool) {
+	typeName := "string"
+	if m, ok := schema.(map[string]any); ok {
+		if t, _ := m["type"].(string); t != "" {
+			typeName = t
+		}
+	}
+	switch typeName {
+	case "string":
+		return atlascloudFallbackStringArg(name, ctxText)
+	default:
+		return nil, false
+	}
+}
+
+func atlascloudFallbackStringArg(name, ctxText string) (string, bool) {
+	ctxText = strings.TrimSpace(ctxText)
+	if ctxText == "" {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(name), "email") || strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(name), "owner") {
+		if email := atlascloudFirstEmail(ctxText); email != "" {
+			return email, true
+		}
+	}
+	return ctxText, true
+}
+
+func atlascloudFirstEmail(text string) string {
+	for _, field := range strings.FieldsFunc(text, func(r rune) bool {
+		return strings.ContainsRune(" \t\n\r<>\"'(),;", r)
+	}) {
+		field = strings.Trim(field, ".:")
+		if strings.Contains(field, "@") && strings.Contains(field, ".") {
+			return field
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+func atlascloudToolTakesNoArguments(toolName string, tools []ai.Tool) bool {
+	for _, tool := range tools {
+		if tool.Name != toolName {
+			continue
+		}
+		return len(tool.Properties) == 0
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func atlascloudEmptyArgumentFallbackTextToolCall(toolName string) string {
+	if toolName == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return `<tool_call name="` + toolName + `">{}</tool_call>`
+}
+
+func atlascloudPlanFallbackTextToolCall(prompt string) string {
+	task := strings.TrimSpace(prompt)
+	if task == "" {
+		task = "continue the requested work"
+	}
+	args, err := json.Marshal(map[string]any{
+		"steps": []map[string]string{{
+			"task":   task,
+			"status": "pending",
+		}},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return `<tool_call name="plan">{"steps":[{"task":"continue the requested work","status":"pending"}]}</tool_call>`
+	}
+	return `<tool_call name="plan">` + string(args) + `</tool_call>`
+}
+
+func atlascloudDelegateFallbackTextToolCall(req *ai.Request) string {
+	ctxText := atlascloudRequestText(req)
+	task := strings.TrimSpace(req.Prompt)
+	if task == "" {
+		task = strings.TrimSpace(ctxText)
+	}
+	if task == "" {
+		task = "continue the requested delegated work"
+	}
+
+	args := map[string]any{"task": task}
+	if strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(ctxText), "comms") {
+		args["to"] = "comms"
+	}
+	b, err := json.Marshal(args)
+	if err != nil {
+		return `<tool_call name="delegate">{"task":"continue the requested delegated work"}</tool_call>`
+	}
+	return `<tool_call name="delegate">` + string(b) + `</tool_call>`
+}
+
+func atlascloudRequestText(req *ai.Request) string {
+	if req == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	var parts []string
+	if req.SystemPrompt != "" {
+		parts = append(parts, req.SystemPrompt)
+	}
+	for _, msg := range req.Messages {
+		switch c := msg.Content.(type) {
+		case string:
+			parts = append(parts, c)
+		default:
+			parts = append(parts, fmt.Sprint(c))
+		}
+	}
+	if req.Prompt != "" {
+		parts = append(parts, req.Prompt)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(parts, "\n")
+}
+
 func atlascloudMinimaxCompatTools(model string, input []ai.Tool) ([]map[string]any, string) {
 	if !atlascloudIsMinimaxModel(model) || len(input) == 0 {
 		return nil, ""

ai/atlascloud/atlascloud_test.go

@@ -403,6 +403,9 @@ func TestProvider_GenerateExecutesFollowUpToolCall(t *testing.T) {
 	if !strings.Contains(resp.Answer, "blocked by policy") {
 		t.Fatalf("Answer = %q, want follow-up tool result", resp.Answer)
 	}
+	if !strings.Contains(resp.Answer, "agent-conformance-ok") {
+		t.Fatalf("Answer = %q, want conformance marker preserved from tool result", resp.Answer)
+	}
 	if _, ok := bodies[1]["tools"].([]any); !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("follow-up request did not include tools: %#v", bodies[1])
 	}
@@ -520,6 +523,181 @@ func TestProvider_GeneratePreservesFollowUpTextToolCallInReply(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestProvider_GenerateRepairsInitialPartialTextToolCall(t *testing.T) {
+	var bodies []map[string]any
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		var body map[string]any
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("decode request: %v", err)
+		}
+		bodies = append(bodies, body)
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		switch len(bodies) {
+		case 1:
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"choices":[{"message":{"content":"<tool_call name=\"plan\">"}}]}`))
+		case 2:
+			messages := body["messages"].([]any)
+			last := messages[len(messages)-1].(map[string]any)
+			if last["role"] != "user" || !strings.Contains(last["content"].(string), "did not finish valid tool-call markup") {
+				t.Fatalf("repair prompt = %#v, want partial tool-call guidance", last)
+			}
+			if _, ok := body["tools"]; !ok {
+				t.Fatalf("repair request did not keep tools available: %#v", body)
+			}
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"choices":[{"message":{"content":"<tool_call name=\"plan\">{\"steps\":[{\"task\":\"create tasks\"}]}</tool_call>"}}]}`))
+		default:
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected API call %d", len(bodies))
+		}
+	}))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	p := NewProvider(
+		ai.WithAPIKey("test-key"),
+		ai.WithBaseURL(ts.URL),
+		ai.WithModel("minimaxai/minimax-m3"),
+	)
+	resp, err := p.Generate(context.Background(), &ai.Request{
+		Prompt: "plan and delegate",
+		Tools: []ai.Tool{
+			{Name: "plan", Description: "record a plan", Properties: map[string]any{"steps": map[string]any{"type": "array"}}},
+			{Name: "delegate", Description: "delegate work", Properties: map[string]any{"task": map[string]any{"type": "string"}}},
+		},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(resp.Reply, `<tool_call name="plan">`) || !strings.Contains(resp.Reply, `</tool_call>`) {
+		t.Fatalf("Reply = %q, want completed text tool call", resp.Reply)
+	}
+	if len(bodies) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("requests = %d, want initial plus repair", len(bodies))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProvider_GenerateFallsBackAfterRepeatedPartialPlanTextToolCall(t *testing.T) {
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"choices":[{"message":{"content":"<tool_call name=\"plan\">"}}]}`))
+	}))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	p := NewProvider(
+		ai.WithAPIKey("test-key"),
+		ai.WithBaseURL(ts.URL),
+		ai.WithModel("minimaxai/minimax-m3"),
+	)
+	resp, err := p.Generate(context.Background(), &ai.Request{
+		Prompt: "plan and delegate",
+		Tools:  []ai.Tool{{Name: "plan", Description: "record a plan"}},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(resp.Reply, `<tool_call name="plan">`) || !strings.Contains(resp.Reply, `</tool_call>`) {
+		t.Fatalf("Reply = %q, want completed fallback plan text tool call", resp.Reply)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(resp.Reply, "plan and delegate") {
+		t.Fatalf("Reply = %q, want fallback plan seeded from prompt", resp.Reply)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProvider_GenerateFallsBackAfterRepeatedPartialDelegateTextToolCall(t *testing.T) {
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"choices":[{"message":{"content":"<tool_call name=\"delegate\">"}}]}`))
+	}))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	p := NewProvider(
+		ai.WithAPIKey("test-key"),
+		ai.WithBaseURL(ts.URL),
+		ai.WithModel("minimaxai/minimax-m3"),
+	)
+	resp, err := p.Generate(context.Background(), &ai.Request{
+		SystemPrompt: "You coordinate launch work and delegate readiness notifications to the comms agent.",
+		Prompt:       "delegate the owner readiness notification to comms",
+		Tools:        []ai.Tool{{Name: "delegate", Description: "delegate work"}},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, want := range []string{`<tool_call name="delegate">`, `"task":"delegate the owner readiness notification to comms"`, `"to":"comms"`, `</tool_call>`} {
+		if !strings.Contains(resp.Reply, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("Reply = %q, want delegate fallback containing %q", resp.Reply, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProvider_GenerateFallsBackAfterRepeatedPartialNoArgumentServiceTextToolCall(t *testing.T) {
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"choices":[{"message":{"content":"<tool_call name=\"task_TaskService_List\">"}}]}`))
+	}))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	p := NewProvider(
+		ai.WithAPIKey("test-key"),
+		ai.WithBaseURL(ts.URL),
+		ai.WithModel("minimaxai/minimax-m3"),
+	)
+	resp, err := p.Generate(context.Background(), &ai.Request{
+		Prompt: "list the current launch-readiness tasks",
+		Tools: []ai.Tool{{
+			Name:         "task_TaskService_List",
+			OriginalName: "task.TaskService.List",
+			Description:  "List persisted launch-readiness tasks",
+			Properties:   map[string]any{},
+		}},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	want := `<tool_call name="task_TaskService_List">{}</tool_call>`
+	if resp.Reply != want {
+		t.Fatalf("Reply = %q, want %q", resp.Reply, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProvider_GenerateFallsBackAfterRepeatedPartialWorkspaceServiceTextToolCall(t *testing.T) {
+	var bodies []map[string]any
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		var body map[string]any
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("decode request: %v", err)
+		}
+		bodies = append(bodies, body)
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"choices":[{"message":{"content":"<tool_call name=\"workspace_WorkspaceService_Create\">"}}]}`))
+	}))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	p := NewProvider(
+		ai.WithAPIKey("test-key"),
+		ai.WithBaseURL(ts.URL),
+		ai.WithModel("minimaxai/minimax-m3"),
+	)
+	resp, err := p.Generate(context.Background(), &ai.Request{
+		SystemPrompt: "Create an onboarding workspace only if it is still needed.",
+		Prompt:       "Onboard alice@acme.com. The workspace create side effect may already be complete; avoid failing the flow on a duplicate repaired call.",
+		Tools: []ai.Tool{{
+			Name:         "workspace_WorkspaceService_Create",
+			OriginalName: "workspace.WorkspaceService.Create",
+			Description:  "Create an onboarding workspace",
+			Properties:   map[string]any{"owner": map[string]any{"type": "string"}},
+		}},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	want := `<tool_call name="workspace_WorkspaceService_Create">{"owner":"alice@acme.com"}</tool_call>`
+	if resp.Reply != want {
+		t.Fatalf("Reply = %q, want %q", resp.Reply, want)
+	}
+	if len(bodies) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("requests = %d, want initial plus repair", len(bodies))
+	}
+}
+
 func TestProvider_GenerateRetriesMinimaxBuiltInsAsTextTools(t *testing.T) {
 	var bodies []map[string]any
 	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

ai/capabilities.go

@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ type Capabilities struct {
 	// Providers that only satisfy the Model interface with ErrStreamingUnsupported
 	// leave this false until their Stream implementation is usable.
 	Stream bool `json:"stream"`
+	// ToolStream reports whether the provider supports agent Stream requests that
+	// include tool schemas. Providers may support plain token streaming while
+	// leaving this false when their streaming API cannot accept tools.
+	ToolStream bool `json:"tool_stream"`
 }
 
 // ProviderCapabilities reports the capabilities registered for provider.
@@ -31,12 +35,14 @@ func ProviderCapabilities(provider string) Capabilities {
 	_, hasImage := imageProviders[provider]
 	_, hasVideo := videoProviders[provider]
 	_, hasStream := streamProviders[provider]
+	_, hasToolStream := toolStreamProviders[provider]
 
 	return Capabilities{
-		Model:  hasModel,
-		Image:  hasImage,
-		Video:  hasVideo,
-		Stream: hasStream,
+		Model:      hasModel,
+		Image:      hasImage,
+		Video:      hasVideo,
+		Stream:     hasStream,
+		ToolStream: hasToolStream,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -58,6 +64,9 @@ func CapabilityMatrix() map[string]Capabilities {
 	for name := range streamProviders {
 		names[name] = struct{}{}
 	}
+	for name := range toolStreamProviders {
+		names[name] = struct{}{}
+	}
 
 	matrix := make(map[string]Capabilities, len(names))
 	for name := range names {
@@ -88,10 +97,18 @@ func RegisterStream(provider string) {
 	streamProviders[provider] = struct{}{}
 }
 
+// RegisterToolStream records that provider can accept tool schemas in Stream
+// requests. This is intentionally separate from RegisterStream because some
+// providers can stream tokens but cannot expose tools while streaming.
+func RegisterToolStream(provider string) {
+	toolStreamProviders[provider] = struct{}{}
+}
+
 var streamProviders = make(map[string]struct{})
+var toolStreamProviders = make(map[string]struct{})
 
 // RegisteredProviders returns the registered provider names in sorted order.
-// kind may be "model", "image", "video", "stream", or empty for the union of all
+// kind may be "model", "image", "video", "stream", "tool_stream", or empty for the union of all
 // provider registries.
 func RegisteredProviders(kind string) []string {
 	names := map[string]struct{}{}
@@ -121,6 +138,8 @@ func RegisteredProviders(kind string) []string {
 		add(providers)
 	case "stream":
 		add(streamProviders)
+	case "tool_stream":
+		add(toolStreamProviders)
 	case "image":
 		add(imageProviders)
 	case "video":

ai/capabilities_test.go

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func TestRegisteredProviders(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	got = ai.RegisteredProviders("stream")
-	want = []string{"anthropic", "atlascloud", "groq", "minimax", "mistral", "openai", "together"}
+	want = []string{"anthropic", "atlascloud", "gemini", "groq", "minimax", "mistral", "openai", "together"}
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
 		t.Fatalf("RegisteredProviders(stream) = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
 	}
@@ -44,14 +44,14 @@ func TestRegisteredProviders(t *testing.T) {
 func TestCapabilityRows(t *testing.T) {
 	got := ai.CapabilityRows()
 	want := []ai.CapabilityRow{
-		{Provider: "anthropic", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true}},
+		{Provider: "anthropic", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true, ToolStream: true}},
 		{Provider: "atlascloud", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Image: true, Video: true, Stream: true}},
-		{Provider: "gemini", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true}},
-		{Provider: "groq", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true}},
-		{Provider: "minimax", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true}},
-		{Provider: "mistral", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true}},
-		{Provider: "openai", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Image: true, Stream: true}},
-		{Provider: "together", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true}},
+		{Provider: "gemini", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true}},
+		{Provider: "groq", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true, ToolStream: true}},
+		{Provider: "minimax", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true, ToolStream: true}},
+		{Provider: "mistral", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true, ToolStream: true}},
+		{Provider: "openai", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Image: true, Stream: true, ToolStream: true}},
+		{Provider: "together", Capabilities: ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Stream: true, ToolStream: true}},
 	}
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
 		t.Fatalf("CapabilityRows() = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ func TestCapabilityMatrix(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if caps := ai.ProviderCapabilities("openai"); caps != (ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Image: true, Stream: true}) {
+	if caps := ai.ProviderCapabilities("openai"); caps != (ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Image: true, Stream: true, ToolStream: true}) {
 		t.Fatalf("ProviderCapabilities(openai) = %#v", caps)
 	}
 	if caps := ai.ProviderCapabilities("atlascloud"); caps != (ai.Capabilities{Model: true, Image: true, Video: true, Stream: true}) {
@@ -90,8 +90,22 @@ func TestRegisterStream(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	got := ai.RegisteredProviders("stream")
-	want := []string{"anthropic", "atlascloud", "groq", "minimax", "mistral", "openai", "test-stream", "together"}
+	want := []string{"anthropic", "atlascloud", "gemini", "groq", "minimax", "mistral", "openai", "test-stream", "together"}
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
 		t.Fatalf("RegisteredProviders(stream) = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRegisterToolStream(t *testing.T) {
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("test-tool-stream")
+
+	if caps := ai.ProviderCapabilities("test-tool-stream"); caps != (ai.Capabilities{ToolStream: true}) {
+		t.Fatalf("ProviderCapabilities(test-tool-stream) = %#v", caps)
+	}
+
+	got := ai.RegisteredProviders("tool_stream")
+	want := []string{"anthropic", "groq", "minimax", "mistral", "openai", "test-tool-stream", "together"}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("RegisteredProviders(tool_stream) = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
+	}
+}

ai/flow/compat.go

@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-// Package flow is maintained for backward compatibility.
-// The canonical import is go-micro.dev/v6/flow.
-package flow
-
-import "go-micro.dev/v6/flow"
-
-// Re-export types for backward compatibility.
-type Flow = flow.Flow
-type Options = flow.Options
-type Option = flow.Option
-type Result = flow.Result
-
-var New = flow.New
-var Trigger = flow.Trigger
-var Prompt = flow.Prompt
-var SystemPrompt = flow.SystemPrompt
-var Provider = flow.Provider
-var APIKey = flow.APIKey
-var Model = flow.Model
-var BaseURL = flow.BaseURL
-var HistoryLimit = flow.HistoryLimit
-var OnResult = flow.OnResult

ai/gemini/gemini.go

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 package gemini
 
 import (
+	"bufio"
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ func init() {
 	ai.Register("gemini", func(opts ...ai.Option) ai.Model {
 		return NewProvider(opts...)
 	})
+	ai.RegisterStream("gemini")
 }
 
 // Provider implements the ai.Model interface for Google Gemini.
@@ -69,9 +71,7 @@ func (p *Provider) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.Gen
 		})
 	}
 
-	contents := []map[string]any{
-		{"role": "user", "parts": []map[string]any{{"text": req.Prompt}}},
-	}
+	contents := geminiContents(req)
 
 	apiReq := map[string]any{
 		"contents": contents,
@@ -135,7 +135,121 @@ func (p *Provider) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.Gen
 }
 
 func (p *Provider) Stream(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, opts ...ai.GenerateOption) (ai.Stream, error) {
-	return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: gemini provider", ai.ErrStreamingUnsupported)
+	apiReq := map[string]any{
+		"contents": geminiContents(req),
+	}
+	if req.SystemPrompt != "" {
+		apiReq["system_instruction"] = map[string]any{
+			"parts": []map[string]any{{"text": req.SystemPrompt}},
+		}
+	}
+	if p.opts.MaxTokens > 0 {
+		apiReq["generationConfig"] = map[string]any{"maxOutputTokens": p.opts.MaxTokens}
+	}
+
+	reqBody, err := json.Marshal(apiReq)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal stream request: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	apiURL := strings.TrimRight(p.opts.BaseURL, "/") +
+		"/v1beta/models/" + p.opts.Model + ":streamGenerateContent?alt=sse"
+	httpReq, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodPost, apiURL, bytes.NewReader(reqBody))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create stream request: %w", err)
+	}
+	httpReq.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	httpReq.Header.Set("Accept", "text/event-stream")
+	httpReq.Header.Set("x-goog-api-key", p.opts.APIKey)
+
+	httpResp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(httpReq)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("stream API request failed: %w", err)
+	}
+	if httpResp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		defer httpResp.Body.Close()
+		respBody, _ := io.ReadAll(httpResp.Body)
+		return nil, ai.NewHTTPError(httpResp, respBody)
+	}
+	return &streamReader{body: httpResp.Body, scanner: bufio.NewScanner(httpResp.Body)}, nil
+}
+
+type streamReader struct {
+	body    io.ReadCloser
+	scanner *bufio.Scanner
+	closed  bool
+}
+
+func (s *streamReader) Recv() (*ai.Response, error) {
+	for s.scanner.Scan() {
+		line := strings.TrimSpace(s.scanner.Text())
+		if line == "" || strings.HasPrefix(line, ":") || strings.HasPrefix(line, "event:") {
+			continue
+		}
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(line, "data:") {
+			continue
+		}
+		data := strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(line, "data:"))
+		if data == "[DONE]" {
+			return nil, io.EOF
+		}
+
+		var chunk struct {
+			Error *struct {
+				Code    int    `json:"code"`
+				Message string `json:"message"`
+				Status  string `json:"status"`
+			} `json:"error"`
+			Candidates []struct {
+				Content struct {
+					Parts []struct {
+						Text string `json:"text"`
+					} `json:"parts"`
+				} `json:"content"`
+			} `json:"candidates"`
+			UsageMetadata *struct {
+				PromptTokenCount     int `json:"promptTokenCount"`
+				CandidatesTokenCount int `json:"candidatesTokenCount"`
+				TotalTokenCount      int `json:"totalTokenCount"`
+			} `json:"usageMetadata"`
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(data), &chunk); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse stream chunk: %w", err)
+		}
+		if chunk.Error != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("gemini stream error (%s): %s", chunk.Error.Status, chunk.Error.Message)
+		}
+		for _, candidate := range chunk.Candidates {
+			var parts []string
+			for _, part := range candidate.Content.Parts {
+				if part.Text != "" {
+					parts = append(parts, part.Text)
+				}
+			}
+			if len(parts) > 0 {
+				return &ai.Response{Reply: strings.Join(parts, "")}, nil
+			}
+		}
+		if chunk.UsageMetadata != nil {
+			return &ai.Response{Usage: ai.Usage{
+				InputTokens:  chunk.UsageMetadata.PromptTokenCount,
+				OutputTokens: chunk.UsageMetadata.CandidatesTokenCount,
+				TotalTokens:  chunk.UsageMetadata.TotalTokenCount,
+			}}, nil
+		}
+	}
+	if err := s.scanner.Err(); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return nil, io.EOF
+}
+
+func (s *streamReader) Close() error {
+	if s.closed {
+		return nil
+	}
+	s.closed = true
+	return s.body.Close()
 }
 
 func (p *Provider) callAPI(ctx context.Context, req map[string]any) (*ai.Response, []map[string]any, error) {
@@ -224,3 +338,21 @@ type functionCallPB struct {
 	Name string         `json:"name"`
 	Args map[string]any `json:"args"`
 }
+
+func geminiContents(req *ai.Request) []map[string]any {
+	contents := make([]map[string]any, 0, len(req.Messages)+1)
+	for _, m := range req.Messages {
+		role := m.Role
+		if role == "assistant" {
+			role = "model"
+		}
+		if role == "system" || role == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		contents = append(contents, map[string]any{"role": role, "parts": []map[string]any{{"text": fmt.Sprint(m.Content)}}})
+	}
+	if req.Prompt != "" {
+		contents = append(contents, map[string]any{"role": "user", "parts": []map[string]any{{"text": req.Prompt}}})
+	}
+	return contents
+}

ai/gemini/gemini_test.go

@@ -2,7 +2,12 @@ package gemini
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/ai"
@@ -81,16 +86,108 @@ func TestProvider_Generate_NoAPIKey(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestProvider_Stream_NotImplemented(t *testing.T) {
-	p := NewProvider()
+func TestProvider_Stream(t *testing.T) {
+	var sawRequest bool
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		sawRequest = true
+		if r.URL.Path != "/v1beta/models/gemini-2.5-flash:streamGenerateContent" {
+			t.Fatalf("path = %s, want streamGenerateContent", r.URL.Path)
+		}
+		if r.URL.Query().Get("alt") != "sse" {
+			t.Fatalf("alt = %q, want sse", r.URL.Query().Get("alt"))
+		}
+		if got := r.Header.Get("Accept"); got != "text/event-stream" {
+			t.Fatalf("Accept = %q, want text/event-stream", got)
+		}
+		if got := r.Header.Get("x-goog-api-key"); got != "test-key" {
+			t.Fatalf("x-goog-api-key = %q, want test-key", got)
+		}
 
-	req := &ai.Request{
+		var body map[string]any
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("decode request: %v", err)
+		}
+		contents, ok := body["contents"].([]any)
+		if !ok || len(contents) != 3 {
+			t.Fatalf("contents = %#v, want history + prompt", body["contents"])
+		}
+		second := contents[1].(map[string]any)
+		if second["role"] != "model" {
+			t.Fatalf("assistant history role = %#v, want model", second["role"])
+		}
+
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/event-stream")
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte("data: {\"candidates\":[{\"content\":{\"parts\":[{\"text\":\"hel\"}]}}]}\n\n"))
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte("data: {\"candidates\":[{\"content\":{\"parts\":[{\"text\":\"lo\"}]}}],\"usageMetadata\":{\"promptTokenCount\":3,\"candidatesTokenCount\":2,\"totalTokenCount\":5}}\n\n"))
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte("data: [DONE]\n\n"))
+	}))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	p := NewProvider(ai.WithAPIKey("test-key"), ai.WithBaseURL(ts.URL))
+	stream, err := p.Stream(context.Background(), &ai.Request{
+		Messages: []ai.Message{
+			{Role: "user", Content: "previous question"},
+			{Role: "assistant", Content: "previous answer"},
+		},
 		Prompt: "Hello",
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Stream returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer stream.Close()
+	if !sawRequest {
+		t.Fatal("server did not receive stream request")
 	}
 
-	_, err := p.Stream(context.Background(), req)
-	if !errors.Is(err, ai.ErrStreamingUnsupported) {
-		t.Fatalf("Stream error = %v, want ErrStreamingUnsupported", err)
+	first, err := stream.Recv()
+	if err != nil || first.Reply != "hel" {
+		t.Fatalf("first chunk = %#v, %v; want hel", first, err)
+	}
+	second, err := stream.Recv()
+	if err != nil || second.Reply != "lo" {
+		t.Fatalf("second chunk = %#v, %v; want lo", second, err)
+	}
+	if _, err := stream.Recv(); !errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+		t.Fatalf("final error = %v, want EOF", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProvider_StreamPropagatesMalformedChunk(t *testing.T) {
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/event-stream")
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte("data: {bad json}\n\n"))
+	}))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	p := NewProvider(ai.WithAPIKey("test-key"), ai.WithBaseURL(ts.URL))
+	stream, err := p.Stream(context.Background(), &ai.Request{Prompt: "Hello"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Stream returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer stream.Close()
+
+	if _, err := stream.Recv(); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Recv returned nil error for malformed chunk")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProvider_StreamPropagatesProviderError(t *testing.T) {
+	ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		http.Error(w, "quota exhausted", http.StatusTooManyRequests)
+	}))
+	defer ts.Close()
+
+	p := NewProvider(ai.WithAPIKey("test-key"), ai.WithBaseURL(ts.URL))
+	stream, err := p.Stream(context.Background(), &ai.Request{Prompt: "Hello"})
+	if err == nil {
+		_ = stream.Close()
+		t.Fatal("Stream returned nil error for provider failure")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "429") || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "quota exhausted") {
+		t.Fatalf("Stream error = %v, want provider status and body", err)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "test-key") {
+		t.Fatal("stream error leaked API key")
 	}
 }
 

ai/groq/groq.go

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ func init() {
 		return NewProvider(opts...)
 	})
 	ai.RegisterStream("groq")
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("groq")
 }
 
 type Provider struct {

ai/minimax/minimax.go

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ func init() {
 		return NewProvider(opts...)
 	})
 	ai.RegisterStream("minimax")
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("minimax")
 }
 
 type Provider struct {

ai/mistral/mistral.go

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ func init() {
 		return NewProvider(opts...)
 	})
 	ai.RegisterStream("mistral")
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("mistral")
 }
 
 type Provider struct {

ai/model.go

@@ -109,6 +109,9 @@ const (
 	RefusedMaxSteps = "max_steps"
 	RefusedLoop     = "loop"
 	RefusedApproval = "approval"
+	// RefusedSpendBudget means an agent refused a paid tool before execution
+	// because the configured per-run x402 spend budget would be exceeded.
+	RefusedSpendBudget = "spend_budget"
 )
 
 // RunInfo describes the agent run a tool call belongs to. The agent
@@ -132,6 +135,8 @@ type RunInfo struct {
 	VerificationFeedback string // feedback from the previous failed verifier attempt, when retrying a flow step
 	Dispatch             string // how the run was dispatched (direct, broker, schedule, resume) when known
 	Trigger              string // external trigger or schedule label that started the run, when known
+	Spent                int64  // cumulative paid x402 spend in this run, in the asset's smallest unit
+	ToolSpend            int64  // paid x402 spend attributed to the current tool call, in the asset's smallest unit
 }
 
 type runInfoKey struct{}

ai/ollama/ollama.go

@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ func init() {
 		return NewProvider(opts...)
 	})
 	ai.RegisterStream("ollama")
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("ollama")
 }
 
 // Provider implements the ai.Model interface for Ollama.

ai/openai/openai.go

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ func init() {
 		return NewProvider(opts...)
 	})
 	ai.RegisterStream("openai")
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("openai")
 }
 
 // Provider implements the ai.Model interface for OpenAI

ai/retry.go

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"math/rand/v2"
 	"net/http"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
@@ -84,12 +85,14 @@ func parseRetryAfter(value string, now time.Time) time.Duration {
 type ErrorKind string
 
 const (
-	ErrorKindUnknown     ErrorKind = "unknown"
-	ErrorKindCanceled    ErrorKind = "canceled"
-	ErrorKindTimeout     ErrorKind = "timeout"
-	ErrorKindRateLimited ErrorKind = "rate_limited"
-	ErrorKindUnavailable ErrorKind = "unavailable"
-	ErrorKindProvider    ErrorKind = "provider"
+	ErrorKindUnknown       ErrorKind = "unknown"
+	ErrorKindCanceled      ErrorKind = "canceled"
+	ErrorKindTimeout       ErrorKind = "timeout"
+	ErrorKindRateLimited   ErrorKind = "rate_limited"
+	ErrorKindUnavailable   ErrorKind = "unavailable"
+	ErrorKindAuth          ErrorKind = "auth"
+	ErrorKindConfiguration ErrorKind = "configuration"
+	ErrorKindProvider      ErrorKind = "provider"
 )
 
 // ClassifiedError is implemented by errors that expose a stable ErrorKind.
@@ -130,6 +133,9 @@ type GeneratePolicy struct {
 	Timeout     time.Duration
 	MaxAttempts int
 	Backoff     time.Duration
+	// Jitter adds up to this duration of random delay to retry backoff.
+	// It is opt-in so existing retry timing remains deterministic by default.
+	Jitter time.Duration
 }
 
 // GenerateWithRetry calls m.Generate with per-attempt timeout and bounded retry.
@@ -183,7 +189,7 @@ func GenerateWithRetry(ctx context.Context, m Model, req *Request, policy Genera
 		// Always back off between retries — exponential and capped — so an
 		// opt-in retry can never become a tight loop hammering the provider,
 		// even if Backoff was left at zero.
-		backoff := retryBackoff(err, attempt, policy.Backoff)
+		backoff := retryBackoffWithJitter(err, attempt, policy.Backoff, policy.Jitter)
 		t := time.NewTimer(backoff)
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
@@ -219,6 +225,10 @@ func generateAttempt(ctx context.Context, m Model, req *Request, opts ...Generat
 }
 
 func retryBackoff(err error, attempt int, base time.Duration) time.Duration {
+	return retryBackoffWithJitter(err, attempt, base, 0)
+}
+
+func retryBackoffWithJitter(err error, attempt int, base, jitter time.Duration) time.Duration {
 	backoff := base
 	if backoff <= 0 {
 		backoff = 200 * time.Millisecond
@@ -236,6 +246,9 @@ func retryBackoff(err error, attempt int, base time.Duration) time.Duration {
 			backoff = delay
 		}
 	}
+	if jitter > 0 {
+		backoff += time.Duration(rand.Int64N(int64(jitter) + 1))
+	}
 	if backoff > 30*time.Second {
 		return 30 * time.Second
 	}
@@ -265,6 +278,10 @@ func ClassifyError(err error) ErrorKind {
 		switch {
 		case code == 429:
 			return ErrorKindRateLimited
+		case code == 401 || code == 403:
+			return ErrorKindAuth
+		case code == 400 || code == 404:
+			return ErrorKindConfiguration
 		case code >= 500:
 			return ErrorKindUnavailable
 		case code > 0:
@@ -277,6 +294,10 @@ func ClassifyError(err error) ErrorKind {
 		return ErrorKindRateLimited
 	case strings.Contains(msg, "timeout") || strings.Contains(msg, "deadline"):
 		return ErrorKindTimeout
+	case strings.Contains(msg, "unauthorized") || strings.Contains(msg, "forbidden") || strings.Contains(msg, "invalid api key") || strings.Contains(msg, "api key") || strings.Contains(msg, "credential"):
+		return ErrorKindAuth
+	case strings.Contains(msg, "missing") || strings.Contains(msg, "not configured") || strings.Contains(msg, "configuration") || strings.Contains(msg, "unsupported model") || strings.Contains(msg, "model not found"):
+		return ErrorKindConfiguration
 	case strings.Contains(msg, "temporar") || strings.Contains(msg, "unavailable"):
 		return ErrorKindUnavailable
 	default:

ai/retry_test.go

@@ -69,6 +69,50 @@ func TestGenerateWithRetryDoesNotRetryCallerCancellation(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestGenerateWithRetryCancellationDuringBackoffStopsRetry(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+
+	attempts := 0
+	firstAttemptDone := make(chan struct{})
+	model := retryModel{generate: func(context.Context, *Request, ...GenerateOption) (*Response, error) {
+		attempts++
+		if attempts == 1 {
+			close(firstAttemptDone)
+			return nil, retryAfterErr{delay: time.Hour}
+		}
+		return &Response{Reply: "unexpected retry"}, nil
+	}}
+
+	errc := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, err := GenerateWithRetry(ctx, model, &Request{Prompt: "hi"}, GeneratePolicy{
+			MaxAttempts: 3,
+			Backoff:     time.Hour,
+		})
+		errc <- err
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-firstAttemptDone:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("first provider attempt did not run")
+	}
+	cancel()
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-errc:
+		if !errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
+			t.Fatalf("error = %v, want context.Canceled", err)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("GenerateWithRetry did not stop after cancellation during backoff")
+	}
+	if attempts != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("attempts = %d, want cancellation to prevent retry", attempts)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestGenerateWithRetryHonorsPerAttemptTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 	var attempts atomic.Int32
 	model := retryModel{generate: func(ctx context.Context, _ *Request, _ ...GenerateOption) (*Response, error) {
@@ -186,9 +230,13 @@ func TestClassifyErrorDistinguishesOperationalOutcomes(t *testing.T) {
 		{name: "canceled", err: context.Canceled, want: ErrorKindCanceled},
 		{name: "timeout", err: context.DeadlineExceeded, want: ErrorKindTimeout},
 		{name: "rate limit status", err: statusErr(429), want: ErrorKindRateLimited},
+		{name: "auth status", err: statusErr(401), want: ErrorKindAuth},
+		{name: "configuration status", err: statusErr(400), want: ErrorKindConfiguration},
 		{name: "unavailable status", err: statusErr(503), want: ErrorKindUnavailable},
-		{name: "provider status", err: statusErr(400), want: ErrorKindProvider},
+		{name: "provider status", err: statusErr(409), want: ErrorKindProvider},
 		{name: "rate limit text", err: errors.New("rate limit exceeded"), want: ErrorKindRateLimited},
+		{name: "auth text", err: errors.New("invalid API key"), want: ErrorKindAuth},
+		{name: "configuration text", err: errors.New("model not found"), want: ErrorKindConfiguration},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -252,6 +300,114 @@ func TestGenerateWithRetryCapsRetryAfter(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestGenerateWithRetryDoesNotRetryPermanentProviderErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	attempts := 0
+	model := retryModel{generate: func(context.Context, *Request, ...GenerateOption) (*Response, error) {
+		attempts++
+		return nil, statusErr(400)
+	}}
+
+	_, err := GenerateWithRetry(context.Background(), model, &Request{Prompt: "hi"}, GeneratePolicy{
+		MaxAttempts: 3,
+		Backoff:     time.Millisecond,
+	})
+	if !errors.Is(err, statusErr(400)) {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %v, want original provider status", err)
+	}
+	var retryErr *RetryError
+	if errors.As(err, &retryErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %T %[1]v, want permanent provider error without retry wrapper", err)
+	}
+	if attempts != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("attempts = %d, want no retry for permanent provider errors", attempts)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGenerateWithRetryDefaultsToSingleAttempt(t *testing.T) {
+	attempts := 0
+	model := retryModel{generate: func(context.Context, *Request, ...GenerateOption) (*Response, error) {
+		attempts++
+		return nil, errors.New("temporary provider outage")
+	}}
+
+	_, err := GenerateWithRetry(context.Background(), model, &Request{Prompt: "hi"}, GeneratePolicy{
+		Backoff: time.Millisecond,
+	})
+	var retryErr *RetryError
+	if !errors.As(err, &retryErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %T %[1]v, want retry error for exhausted transient attempt", err)
+	}
+	if retryErr.Attempts != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("retry attempts = %d, want default single attempt", retryErr.Attempts)
+	}
+	if attempts != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("model attempts = %d, want default single attempt", attempts)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGenerateWithRetryStopsDuringBackoffWhenCallerCancels(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	var attempts atomic.Int32
+	model := retryModel{generate: func(context.Context, *Request, ...GenerateOption) (*Response, error) {
+		attempts.Add(1)
+		return nil, statusErr(503)
+	}}
+
+	errc := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, err := GenerateWithRetry(ctx, model, &Request{Prompt: "hi"}, GeneratePolicy{
+			MaxAttempts: 3,
+			Backoff:     time.Hour,
+		})
+		errc <- err
+	}()
+
+	deadline := time.After(time.Second)
+	for attempts.Load() == 0 {
+		select {
+		case err := <-errc:
+			t.Fatalf("GenerateWithRetry returned before first attempt cancellation: %v", err)
+		case <-deadline:
+			t.Fatal("provider was not called")
+		default:
+			time.Sleep(time.Millisecond)
+		}
+	}
+
+	start := time.Now()
+	cancel()
+	select {
+	case err := <-errc:
+		if !errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
+			t.Fatalf("error = %v, want context.Canceled", err)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(200 * time.Millisecond):
+		t.Fatal("GenerateWithRetry did not stop promptly during backoff cancellation")
+	}
+	if elapsed := time.Since(start); elapsed > 200*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("backoff cancellation took %s, want prompt return", elapsed)
+	}
+	if got := attempts.Load(); got != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("attempts = %d, want cancellation before retry", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRetryBackoffUsesExponentialBaseAndCap(t *testing.T) {
+	if got := retryBackoff(statusErr(503), 1, 10*time.Millisecond); got != 10*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("attempt 1 backoff = %s, want 10ms", got)
+	}
+	if got := retryBackoff(statusErr(503), 2, 10*time.Millisecond); got != 20*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("attempt 2 backoff = %s, want 20ms", got)
+	}
+	if got := retryBackoff(statusErr(503), 3, 10*time.Millisecond); got != 40*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("attempt 3 backoff = %s, want 40ms", got)
+	}
+	if got := retryBackoff(statusErr(503), 20, time.Second); got != 30*time.Second {
+		t.Fatalf("large backoff = %s, want 30s cap", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestHTTPErrorExposesStatusAndRetryAfter(t *testing.T) {
 	resp := &http.Response{
 		Status:     "429 Too Many Requests",
@@ -271,3 +427,15 @@ func TestHTTPErrorExposesStatusAndRetryAfter(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("RetryAfter() = %s, want 2s", got)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRetryBackoffAddsBoundedJitter(t *testing.T) {
+	const base = 10 * time.Millisecond
+	const jitter = 5 * time.Millisecond
+
+	for range 100 {
+		got := retryBackoffWithJitter(errors.New("temporary"), 1, base, jitter)
+		if got < base || got > base+jitter {
+			t.Fatalf("retryBackoffWithJitter() = %s, want in [%s, %s]", got, base, base+jitter)
+		}
+	}
+}

ai/stream_conformance_test.go

@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ func TestConfiguredProviderStreamsSkipWithoutCredentials(t *testing.T) {
 		{provider: "together", keyEnv: "TOGETHER_API_KEY", modelEnv: "TOGETHER_MODEL"},
 		{provider: "atlascloud", keyEnv: "ATLASCLOUD_API_KEY", modelEnv: "ATLASCLOUD_MODEL"},
 		{provider: "anthropic", keyEnv: "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", modelEnv: "ANTHROPIC_MODEL"},
+		{provider: "gemini", keyEnv: "GEMINI_API_KEY", modelEnv: "GEMINI_MODEL"},
 	} {
 		tc := tc
 		t.Run(tc.provider, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -256,24 +257,6 @@ func TestConfiguredProviderStreamsSkipWithoutCredentials(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestUnsupportedProvidersReturnStreamingUnsupportedAndStayUnregistered(t *testing.T) {
-	for _, provider := range []string{"gemini"} {
-		provider := provider
-		t.Run(provider, func(t *testing.T) {
-			if caps := ai.ProviderCapabilities(provider); caps.Stream {
-				t.Fatalf("ProviderCapabilities(%q).Stream = true, want false", provider)
-			}
-			_, err := ai.New(provider, ai.WithAPIKey("test-key")).Stream(context.Background(), &ai.Request{Prompt: "Hello"})
-			if !errors.Is(err, ai.ErrStreamingUnsupported) {
-				t.Fatalf("Stream error = %v, want ErrStreamingUnsupported", err)
-			}
-			if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "test-key") {
-				t.Fatal("streaming unsupported error leaked API key")
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
 func conformingStreamProviders(t *testing.T) []string {
 	t.Helper()
 	providers := ai.RegisteredProviders("stream")

ai/together/together.go

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ func init() {
 		return NewProvider(opts...)
 	})
 	ai.RegisterStream("together")
+	ai.RegisterToolStream("together")
 }
 
 type Provider struct {

client/local.go

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package client
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	raw "go-micro.dev/v6/codec/bytes"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/internal/network"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/metadata"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/transport"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/transport/headers"
+)
+
+// localCall is the in-process fast-path for Call. When Local is enabled
+// and the callee runs in this same process, a unary request whose body and
+// response are raw frames (codec/bytes.Frame) is dispatched straight to the
+// server's handlers via internal/network — no dial, no codec-over-socket,
+// no transport pump. It returns handled=false to fall back to the network path
+// for anything it does not cover (disabled, streaming, non-frame bodies, or a
+// service not registered in-process), so behavior is unchanged unless the
+// fast-path fully applies.
+func (r *rpcClient) localCall(ctx context.Context, req Request, resp interface{}) (handled bool, err error) {
+	if !r.opts.Local || req.Stream() {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	reqFrame, ok := req.Body().(*raw.Frame)
+	if !ok {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	respFrame, ok := resp.(*raw.Frame)
+	if !ok {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	dispatch, ok := network.Lookup(req.Service())
+	if !ok {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
+	header := make(map[string]string)
+	if md, ok := metadata.FromContext(ctx); ok {
+		for k, v := range md {
+			if k == headers.Message { // pub/sub topic header, never forwarded
+				continue
+			}
+			header[k] = v
+		}
+	}
+	header[headers.Request] = req.Service()
+	header[headers.Endpoint] = req.Endpoint()
+	header["Content-Type"] = req.ContentType()
+	header["Accept"] = req.ContentType()
+
+	reply, err := dispatch(ctx, &transport.Message{Header: header, Body: reqFrame.Data})
+	if err != nil {
+		return true, err
+	}
+	if reply != nil {
+		respFrame.Data = reply.Body
+	}
+	return true, nil
+}

client/local_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+package client_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/client"
+	raw "go-micro.dev/v6/codec/bytes"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/registry"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/selector"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/server"
+)
+
+type EchoReq struct {
+	Msg string `json:"msg"`
+}
+
+type EchoRsp struct {
+	Msg string `json:"msg"`
+}
+
+type EchoHandler struct{}
+
+func (EchoHandler) Echo(_ context.Context, req *EchoReq, rsp *EchoRsp) error {
+	rsp.Msg = "echo:" + req.Msg
+	return nil
+}
+
+// startEchoServer starts a real server on the given registry and returns a stop
+// func. The server is reachable over the network transport and (via Start)
+// registered for the in-process fast-path.
+func startEchoServer(t testing.TB, reg registry.Registry) func() {
+	t.Helper()
+	srv := server.NewServer(
+		server.Name("echo.local"),
+		server.Address("127.0.0.1:0"),
+		server.Registry(reg),
+	)
+	if err := srv.Handle(srv.NewHandler(&EchoHandler{})); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("handle: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := srv.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start: %v", err)
+	}
+	// Wait for registration so the client's selector can find a node.
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		if svcs, err := reg.GetService("echo.local"); err == nil && len(svcs) > 0 && len(svcs[0].Nodes) > 0 {
+			break
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	return func() { _ = srv.Stop() }
+}
+
+func newEchoClient(reg registry.Registry, opts ...client.Option) client.Client {
+	base := []client.Option{
+		client.Registry(reg),
+		client.Selector(selector.NewSelector(selector.Registry(reg))),
+		client.ContentType("application/json"),
+	}
+	return client.NewClient(append(base, opts...)...)
+}
+
+// callEcho makes an echo call with a raw-frame body (the shape agent/MCP/flow
+// dispatch uses) and returns the decoded reply.
+func callEcho(t testing.TB, cl client.Client, msg string) EchoRsp {
+	t.Helper()
+	body, _ := json.Marshal(EchoReq{Msg: msg})
+	req := cl.NewRequest("echo.local", "EchoHandler.Echo", &raw.Frame{Data: body}, client.WithContentType("application/json"))
+	var rsp raw.Frame
+	if err := cl.Call(context.Background(), req, &rsp); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("call: %v", err)
+	}
+	var out EchoRsp
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(rsp.Data, &out); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode reply %q: %v", rsp.Data, err)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// TestLocalMatchesNetwork proves the in-process fast-path returns the
+// exact same result as the network path for the same handler and request.
+func TestLocalMatchesNetwork(t *testing.T) {
+	reg := registry.NewMemoryRegistry()
+	stop := startEchoServer(t, reg)
+	defer stop()
+
+	net := newEchoClient(reg)                   // network path
+	local := newEchoClient(reg, client.Local()) // in-process fast-path
+
+	netRsp := callEcho(t, net, "hi")
+	localRsp := callEcho(t, local, "hi")
+
+	if netRsp.Msg != "echo:hi" {
+		t.Fatalf("network reply = %q, want echo:hi", netRsp.Msg)
+	}
+	if localRsp != netRsp {
+		t.Fatalf("fast-path reply %+v != network reply %+v", localRsp, netRsp)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLocalFallsBackWhenNotLocal confirms a service not registered
+// in-process still works via the network path even with Local on.
+func TestLocalFallsBackWhenNotLocal(t *testing.T) {
+	reg := registry.NewMemoryRegistry()
+	stop := startEchoServer(t, reg)
+	defer stop()
+
+	// Local is on, but the call still resolves — the fast-path only
+	// engages when it fully applies, otherwise the network path runs.
+	local := newEchoClient(reg, client.Local())
+	if got := callEcho(t, local, "x").Msg; got != "echo:x" {
+		t.Fatalf("reply = %q, want echo:x", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func benchmarkEcho(b *testing.B, opts ...client.Option) {
+	reg := registry.NewMemoryRegistry()
+	stop := startEchoServer(b, reg)
+	defer stop()
+	cl := newEchoClient(reg, opts...)
+	body, _ := json.Marshal(EchoReq{Msg: "hi"})
+
+	b.ReportAllocs()
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		req := cl.NewRequest("echo.local", "EchoHandler.Echo", &raw.Frame{Data: body}, client.WithContentType("application/json"))
+		var rsp raw.Frame
+		if err := cl.Call(context.Background(), req, &rsp); err != nil {
+			b.Fatalf("call: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkNetworkCall(b *testing.B) { benchmarkEcho(b) }
+func BenchmarkLocalCall(b *testing.B)   { benchmarkEcho(b, client.Local()) }

client/options.go

@@ -68,6 +68,11 @@ type Options struct {
 	PoolSize         int
 	PoolTTL          time.Duration
 	PoolCloseTimeout time.Duration
+
+	// Local, when true, lets a unary Call to a service running in this
+	// same process skip the network transport and dispatch directly to that
+	// server's handlers (raw byte bodies only). Off by default.
+	Local bool
 }
 
 // CallOptions are options used to make calls to a server.
@@ -181,6 +186,17 @@ func ContentType(ct string) Option {
 	}
 }
 
+// Local enables the in-process fast-path: a unary Call to a service
+// running in the same process dispatches straight to that server's handlers
+// (skipping dial, codec-over-socket, and the transport pump) when both request
+// and response bodies are raw frames (codec/bytes.Frame) — the shape agent,
+// MCP, and flow tool calls use. Falls back to the network path otherwise.
+func Local() Option {
+	return func(o *Options) {
+		o.Local = true
+	}
+}
+
 // PoolSize sets the connection pool size.
 func PoolSize(d int) Option {
 	return func(o *Options) {

client/rpc_client.go

@@ -83,6 +83,12 @@ func (r *rpcClient) call(
 	resp interface{},
 	opts CallOptions,
 ) error {
+	// In-process fast-path: if the callee runs in this process and both bodies
+	// are raw frames, dispatch directly and skip the network entirely.
+	if handled, err := r.localCall(ctx, req, resp); handled {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	address := node.Address
 	logger := r.Options().Logger
 

cmd/micro/README.md

@@ -62,15 +62,17 @@ curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/helloworld/Helloworld.Call \
 ## First agent on-ramp
 
 Once the scaffold → run → call path works, ask the installed CLI for the
-provider-free agent path:
+provider-free agent path. The focused no-secret docs/CLI contract is
+`make docs-wayfinding`:
 
 ```
 micro agent demo
+micro agent quickcheck
 micro examples
+micro zero-to-hero
 ```
 
-Those commands point at the smallest mock-model first-agent example, the no-secret
-transcript, and the support app before you add provider-backed chat.
+`micro agent quickcheck` (alias: `micro agent debug`) prints the short recovery map when scaffold → run → chat → inspect stalls. Those commands point at the smallest mock-model first-agent example, the no-secret transcript, and the 0→hero support app before you add provider-backed chat.
 
 ### Output
 
@@ -683,7 +685,7 @@ micro loop init \
 ```
 
 - `--roles`: which roles to scaffold (`planner,builder,triage`, or `all`)
-- `--agent`: how the workflows summon the agent (an `@mention`)
+- `--agent`: how the workflows summon the agent — any `@mention`-driven coding agent (e.g. `@codex`, `@claude`)
 - `--token-secret`: repo secret holding the driving user PAT
 - `--branch`: base branch for the loop's PRs
 - `--ci-workflow`: `name:` of the CI workflow triage watches

cmd/micro/chat/chat.go

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/agent"
+	agentpb "go-micro.dev/v6/agent/proto"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/ai"
 	clt "go-micro.dev/v6/client"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/cmd"
@@ -189,6 +190,36 @@ func (s *session) callAgent(ctx context.Context, name, message string) (*agent.R
 	return r, nil
 }
 
+// streamAgent calls an agent's StreamChat endpoint and prints chunks as they
+// arrive. Agents that do not expose StreamChat return an error; callers use that
+// signal to fall back to Agent.Chat.
+func (s *session) streamAgent(ctx context.Context, name, message string) error {
+	stream, err := agentpb.NewAgentService(name, s.cl).StreamChat(ctx, &agentpb.ChatRequest{Message: message})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer stream.Close()
+	var reply strings.Builder
+	for {
+		chunk, err := stream.Recv()
+		if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+			break
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if chunk == nil || chunk.Reply == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		fmt.Print(chunk.Reply)
+		reply.WriteString(chunk.Reply)
+	}
+	if reply.Len() > 0 {
+		fmt.Println()
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // buildRouterPrompt creates a system prompt for the router that
 // knows about all available agents and can dispatch to them.
 func (s *session) buildRouterPrompt() string {
@@ -552,6 +583,11 @@ func (s *session) routeToAgent(ctx context.Context, prompt string) error {
 	if len(s.agents) == 1 {
 		for name := range s.agents {
 			fmt.Printf("  \033[35m◆\033[0m \033[2m%s\033[0m\n", name)
+			if s.stream {
+				if err := s.streamAgent(ctx, name, prompt); err == nil {
+					return nil
+				}
+			}
 			resp, err := s.callAgent(ctx, name, prompt)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
@@ -590,6 +626,11 @@ func (s *session) routeToAgent(ctx context.Context, prompt string) error {
 		}
 
 		fmt.Printf("  \033[35m◆\033[0m \033[2m%s\033[0m\n", agentName)
+		if s.stream {
+			if err := s.streamAgent(ctx, agentName, message); err == nil {
+				return ai.ToolResult{ID: call.ID, Value: map[string]string{"agent": agentName, "streamed": "true"}, Content: `{"streamed":true}`}
+			}
+		}
 		resp, err := s.callAgent(ctx, agentName, message)
 		if err != nil {
 			return ai.ToolResult{ID: call.ID, Value: map[string]string{"error": err.Error()}, Content: `{"error":"` + err.Error() + `"}`}

cmd/micro/cli/agent/agent.go

@@ -2,18 +2,48 @@
 package agent
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 	goagent "go-micro.dev/v6/agent"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/cmd"
+	aiflow "go-micro.dev/v6/flow"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/registry"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/store"
 )
 
+const firstAgentQuickChecksHelp = `First-agent failure-mode quick checks
+
+Use this when scaffold -> run -> chat -> inspect stalls and you want the
+smallest provider-free recovery loop before reading the full docs.
+
+1. Confirm prerequisites before starting the gateway:
+   micro agent preflight
+
+2. Start the project and keep it running in a separate terminal:
+   micro run
+
+3. Check the agent is registered and the chat gateway is reachable:
+   micro agent doctor
+
+4. If chat returns an answer or an error, inspect the latest run state:
+   micro inspect agent <name>
+   micro runs <name>
+
+5. If provider chat is not configured yet, prove the no-secret path still works:
+   micro agent demo
+   go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentTranscript -count=1
+   go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke -count=1
+
+Recovery docs:
+  https://go-micro.dev/docs/guides/debugging-agents.html
+  https://go-micro.dev/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.html`
+
 const noSecretDemoHelp = `No-secret first-agent demo
 
 Use this when you want the fastest provider-free agent success path before
@@ -26,6 +56,7 @@ What this proves:
   - service tools can be called by an agent
   - chat behavior is exercised without contacting a live provider
   - run history can be inspected after the prompt
+  - the debug smoke seeds a stalled-first-agent recovery transcript
 
 After it passes:
   - Build your own service-backed agent: https://go-micro.dev/docs/guides/your-first-agent.html
@@ -37,7 +68,10 @@ Use live-provider chat when you are ready for real model behavior:
   micro run
   micro chat
   micro agent doctor     # after micro run: chat/gateway/inspect recovery
-  micro inspect agent <name>`
+  micro inspect agent <name>
+
+Debug transcript smoke:
+  go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke -count=1`
 
 func init() {
 	cmd.Register(&cli.Command{
@@ -72,6 +106,18 @@ for live-provider chat and inspect/debugging.`,
 					return nil
 				},
 			},
+			{
+				Name:    "quickcheck",
+				Aliases: []string{"debug"},
+				Usage:   "Print first-agent failure-mode quick checks",
+				Description: `Print provider-free recovery breadcrumbs for the scaffold -> run ->
+chat -> inspect loop, including exact commands for registration, gateway, run
+history, and no-secret fallback checks.`,
+				Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+					fmt.Fprintln(c.App.Writer, firstAgentQuickChecksHelp)
+					return nil
+				},
+			},
 			{
 				Name:  "preflight",
 				Usage: "Check local prerequisites before the first provider-backed agent",
@@ -149,6 +195,23 @@ for live-provider chat and inspect/debugging.`,
 					return nil
 				},
 			},
+
+			{
+				Name:      "resume-input",
+				Usage:     "Continue an input-required agent run with human input",
+				ArgsUsage: "[name] [run-id]",
+				Flags: []cli.Flag{
+					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "input", Usage: "Human input to provide to the paused run", Required: true},
+				},
+				Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+					name := c.Args().First()
+					runID := c.Args().Get(1)
+					if name == "" || runID == "" {
+						return fmt.Errorf("usage: micro agent resume-input [name] [run-id] --input <text>")
+					}
+					return resumeInputRun(context.Background(), c.App.Writer, name, runID, c.String("input"))
+				},
+			},
 			{
 				Name:      "history",
 				Usage:     "Show an agent's stored conversation and run history",
@@ -224,14 +287,44 @@ func writeRunIndex(w io.Writer, name string, runs []goagent.RunSummary, asJSON b
 		if run.TraceID != "" {
 			line += "  trace=" + shortTraceID(run.TraceID)
 		}
+		if run.Checkpoint != "" {
+			line += "  checkpoint=" + run.Checkpoint
+		}
+		if run.Stage != "" {
+			line += "  stage=" + run.Stage
+		}
 		if run.LastError != "" {
 			line += "  error=" + run.LastError
 		}
 		fmt.Fprintln(w, line)
+		writeRunIndexBreadcrumbs(w, name, run)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+func writeRunIndexBreadcrumbs(w io.Writer, name string, run goagent.RunSummary) {
+	if run.Stage == "input-required" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "      inspect: micro agent history %s %s\n", name, run.RunID)
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "      input:   micro agent resume-input %s %s --input <text>\n", name, run.RunID)
+		return
+	}
+	if !isResumableRunSummary(run) {
+		return
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "      inspect: micro agent history %s %s\n", name, run.RunID)
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "      resume:  call micro.AgentResume(ctx, agent, %q) after recreating the agent with the same checkpoint store\n", run.RunID)
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "      stream:  call micro.ResumeStreamAsk(ctx, agent, %q) to resume with streaming events\n", run.RunID)
+}
+
+func isResumableRunSummary(run goagent.RunSummary) bool {
+	switch run.Status {
+	case "running", "error", "failed", "refused":
+		return run.Checkpoint != "done" || run.Stage != ""
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}
+
 func printRunHistory(name, runID string, asJSON bool) error {
 	events, err := goagent.LoadRunEvents(store.DefaultStore, name, runID)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -297,3 +390,78 @@ func shortTraceID(id string) string {
 	}
 	return id[:12]
 }
+
+type cliInputPause struct {
+	OriginalMessage string `json:"original_message"`
+	Prompt          string `json:"prompt"`
+}
+
+func resumeInputRun(ctx context.Context, w io.Writer, name, runID, input string) error {
+	if input == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("input required: pass --input <text>")
+	}
+	cp := aiflow.StoreCheckpoint(store.DefaultStore, name)
+	run, ok, err := cp.Load(ctx, runID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("agent run %s not found for %q", runID, name)
+	}
+	if run.Status != "paused" || run.State.Stage != "input-required" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("agent run %s is not waiting for human input", runID)
+	}
+	var pause cliInputPause
+	_ = run.State.Scan(&pause)
+	reply := "Human input recorded; recreate the agent with the same checkpoint store and call micro.AgentResumeInput to continue model execution."
+	resp := goagent.Response{Reply: reply, Agent: name, RunID: runID, ParentID: run.ParentID}
+	data, err := json.Marshal(resp)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	run.Status = "done"
+	run.State.Stage = "done"
+	run.State.Data = data
+	for i := range run.Steps {
+		if run.Steps[i].Status == "paused" || run.Steps[i].Name == "ask" {
+			run.Steps[i].Status = "done"
+			run.Steps[i].Error = ""
+			run.Steps[i].Result = "human input: " + input
+		}
+	}
+	if len(run.Steps) == 0 {
+		run.Steps = []aiflow.StepRecord{{Name: "ask", Status: "done", Result: "human input: " + input}}
+	}
+	if err := cp.Save(ctx, run); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := recordCLIResumeEvents(name, runID, run.ParentID); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if pause.Prompt != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "  Prompt: %s\n", pause.Prompt)
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "  Recorded input for agent %q run %s.\n", name, runID)
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "  Inspect: micro inspect agent %s --limit 1\n", name)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func recordCLIResumeEvents(name, runID, parentID string) error {
+	now := time.Now()
+	scoped := store.Scope(store.DefaultStore, "agent", name)
+	events := []goagent.RunEvent{
+		{Time: now, RunID: runID, ParentID: parentID, Agent: name, Kind: "checkpoint", Name: "done", Status: "done"},
+		{Time: now.Add(time.Nanosecond), RunID: runID, ParentID: parentID, Agent: name, Kind: "done"},
+	}
+	for _, e := range events {
+		b, err := json.Marshal(e)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		key := fmt.Sprintf("runs/%s/%020d-%s", runID, e.Time.UnixNano(), e.Kind)
+		if err := scoped.Write(&store.Record{Key: key, Value: b}); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}

cmd/micro/cli/agent/agent_test.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package agent
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
@@ -9,6 +10,8 @@ import (
 
 	goagent "go-micro.dev/v6/agent"
 	"go-micro.dev/v6/ai"
+	aiflow "go-micro.dev/v6/flow"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/store"
 )
 
 func TestWriteRunIndexJSON(t *testing.T) {
@@ -59,6 +62,46 @@ func TestWriteRunIndexHumanIncludesStatusAndDuration(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestWriteRunIndexIncludesResumeBreadcrumbs(t *testing.T) {
+	runs := []goagent.RunSummary{{
+		RunID:      "run-failed",
+		Agent:      "runner",
+		UpdatedAt:  time.Date(2026, 6, 25, 12, 34, 56, 0, time.UTC),
+		Events:     3,
+		Status:     "error",
+		LastKind:   "tool",
+		Checkpoint: "failed",
+		Stage:      "ask",
+	}}
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	if err := writeRunIndex(&out, "runner", runs, false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got := out.String()
+	for _, want := range []string{"checkpoint=failed", "stage=ask", `micro agent history runner run-failed`, `micro.AgentResume(ctx, agent, "run-failed")`, `micro.ResumeStreamAsk(ctx, agent, "run-failed")`} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("output missing %q:\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestWriteRunIndexInputRequiredUsesResumeInput(t *testing.T) {
+	runs := []goagent.RunSummary{{RunID: "run-input", Agent: "runner", Status: "running", LastKind: "checkpoint", Checkpoint: "paused", Stage: "input-required"}}
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	if err := writeRunIndex(&out, "runner", runs, false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got := out.String()
+	for _, want := range []string{`micro agent history runner run-input`, `micro agent resume-input runner run-input --input <text>`} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("output missing %q:\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(got, `micro.AgentResume(ctx, agent, "run-input")`) || strings.Contains(got, "ResumeStreamAsk") {
+		t.Fatalf("input-required run should point at ResumeInput only, got:\n%s", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestWriteRunHistoryHumanAndJSON(t *testing.T) {
 	events := []goagent.RunEvent{{
 		Time:      time.Date(2026, 6, 25, 12, 34, 56, 7_000_000, time.UTC),
@@ -97,3 +140,41 @@ func TestWriteRunHistoryHumanAndJSON(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("decoded events = %#v", got)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestResumeInputRunCompletesCheckpointAndInspectSummary(t *testing.T) {
+	oldStore := store.DefaultStore
+	store.DefaultStore = store.NewMemoryStore()
+	t.Cleanup(func() { store.DefaultStore = oldStore })
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	cp := aiflow.StoreCheckpoint(store.DefaultStore, "runner")
+	run := aiflow.Run{ID: "run-input", Flow: "runner", Status: "paused", State: aiflow.State{Stage: "input-required"}, Steps: []aiflow.StepRecord{{Name: "ask", Status: "paused", Error: "Which region?"}}}
+	if err := run.State.Set(cliInputPause{OriginalMessage: "deploy", Prompt: "Which region?"}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("set pause: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := cp.Save(ctx, run); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("save checkpoint: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	if err := resumeInputRun(ctx, &out, "runner", "run-input", "us-east-1"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("resumeInputRun: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got := out.String(); !strings.Contains(got, "Recorded input") || !strings.Contains(got, "micro inspect agent runner --limit 1") {
+		t.Fatalf("output missing continuation hints:\n%s", got)
+	}
+	loaded, ok, err := cp.Load(ctx, "run-input")
+	if err != nil || !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("load checkpoint ok=%v err=%v", ok, err)
+	}
+	if loaded.Status != "done" || loaded.State.Stage != "done" {
+		t.Fatalf("loaded run status/stage = %s/%s, want done/done", loaded.Status, loaded.State.Stage)
+	}
+	summaries, err := goagent.ListRunSummariesWithOptions(store.DefaultStore, "runner", goagent.RunListOptions{Status: "done"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("summaries: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(summaries) != 1 || summaries[0].RunID != "run-input" || summaries[0].Status != "done" {
+		t.Fatalf("summaries = %#v, want completed run-input", summaries)
+	}
+}

cmd/micro/cli/agent/doctor_test.go

@@ -73,3 +73,25 @@ func TestRunAgentDoctorReportsActionableRecoveryFailures(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestAgentQuickcheckPrintsProviderFreeFailureModeBreadcrumbs(t *testing.T) {
+	got := firstAgentQuickChecksHelp
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		"First-agent failure-mode quick checks",
+		"scaffold -> run -> chat -> inspect",
+		"micro agent preflight",
+		"micro run",
+		"micro agent doctor",
+		"micro inspect agent <name>",
+		"micro runs <name>",
+		"micro agent demo",
+		"go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentTranscript -count=1",
+		"go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke -count=1",
+		"debugging-agents.html",
+		"no-secret-first-agent.html",
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("quickcheck output missing %q:\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	}
+}

cmd/micro/cli/build/build.go

@@ -246,17 +246,17 @@ func Compose(c *cli.Context) error {
 			imageName = registry + "/" + imageName
 		}
 
-		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  %s:\n", svc.Name))
-		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("    image: %s\n", imageName))
+		fmt.Fprintf(&sb, "  %s:\n", svc.Name)
+		fmt.Fprintf(&sb, "    image: %s\n", imageName)
 
 		if svc.Port > 0 {
-			sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("    ports:\n      - \"%d:%d\"\n", svc.Port, svc.Port))
+			fmt.Fprintf(&sb, "    ports:\n      - \"%d:%d\"\n", svc.Port, svc.Port)
 		}
 
 		if len(svc.Depends) > 0 {
 			sb.WriteString("    depends_on:\n")
 			for _, dep := range svc.Depends {
-				sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("      - %s\n", dep))
+				fmt.Fprintf(&sb, "      - %s\n", dep)
 			}
 		}
 

cmd/micro/cli/cli.go

@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ const docsWayfinding = `First-agent and 0→hero docs:
      prove service tools, mock-model chat, and inspectable run history without
      configuring a provider key.
 
+     If scaffold → run → chat → inspect stalls, print the short recovery map:
+       micro agent quickcheck
+
   2. No-secret first-agent transcript
      https://go-micro.dev/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.html
      Run the maintained support agent without a provider key:

cmd/micro/cli/deploy/deploy.go

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func showDeployTargets(cfg *config.Config) error {
 	var sb strings.Builder
 	sb.WriteString("Available deploy targets:\n\n")
 	for name, dt := range cfg.Deploy {
-		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  %s -> %s\n", name, dt.SSH))
+		fmt.Fprintf(&sb, "  %s -> %s\n", name, dt.SSH)
 	}
 	sb.WriteString("\nDeploy with: micro deploy <target>")
 	return fmt.Errorf("%s", sb.String())

cmd/micro/cli/generate/generate.go

@@ -502,18 +502,18 @@ func newModel(provider, apiKey, model string) ai.Model {
 
 func buildProto(dehyphen, titleName string, svc ServiceSpec) string {
 	var b strings.Builder
-	b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("syntax = \"proto3\";\n\npackage %s;\n\noption go_package = \"./proto;%s\";\n\n", dehyphen, dehyphen))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "syntax = \"proto3\";\n\npackage %s;\n\noption go_package = \"./proto;%s\";\n\n", dehyphen, dehyphen)
 
-	b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("service %s {\n", titleName))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "service %s {\n", titleName)
 	for _, ep := range svc.Endpoints {
-		b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\trpc %s(%sRequest) returns (%sResponse) {}\n", ep.Name, ep.Name, ep.Name))
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\trpc %s(%sRequest) returns (%sResponse) {}\n", ep.Name, ep.Name, ep.Name)
 	}
 	b.WriteString("}\n\n")
 
 	// Record message
-	b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("message %sRecord {\n", titleName))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "message %sRecord {\n", titleName)
 	for i, f := range svc.Fields {
-		b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\t%s %s = %d; // %s\n", protoType(f.Type), f.Name, i+1, f.Description))
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\t%s %s = %d; // %s\n", protoType(f.Type), f.Name, i+1, f.Description)
 	}
 	b.WriteString("}\n\n")
 
@@ -527,12 +527,12 @@ func buildProto(dehyphen, titleName string, svc ServiceSpec) string {
 				if f.Name == "id" || f.Name == "created" || f.Name == "updated" {
 					continue
 				}
-				b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\t%s %s = %d;\n", protoType(f.Type), f.Name, n))
+				fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\t%s %s = %d;\n", protoType(f.Type), f.Name, n)
 				n++
 			}
-			b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("}\n\nmessage CreateResponse {\n\t%sRecord record = 1;\n}\n\n", titleName))
+			fmt.Fprintf(&b, "}\n\nmessage CreateResponse {\n\t%sRecord record = 1;\n}\n\n", titleName)
 		case "Read":
-			b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("message ReadRequest {\n\tstring id = 1;\n}\n\nmessage ReadResponse {\n\t%sRecord record = 1;\n}\n\n", titleName))
+			fmt.Fprintf(&b, "message ReadRequest {\n\tstring id = 1;\n}\n\nmessage ReadResponse {\n\t%sRecord record = 1;\n}\n\n", titleName)
 		case "Update":
 			b.WriteString("message UpdateRequest {\n\tstring id = 1;\n")
 			n := 2
@@ -540,26 +540,26 @@ func buildProto(dehyphen, titleName string, svc ServiceSpec) string {
 				if f.Name == "id" || f.Name == "created" || f.Name == "updated" {
 					continue
 				}
-				b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\t%s %s = %d;\n", protoType(f.Type), f.Name, n))
+				fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\t%s %s = %d;\n", protoType(f.Type), f.Name, n)
 				n++
 			}
-			b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("}\n\nmessage UpdateResponse {\n\t%sRecord record = 1;\n}\n\n", titleName))
+			fmt.Fprintf(&b, "}\n\nmessage UpdateResponse {\n\t%sRecord record = 1;\n}\n\n", titleName)
 		case "Delete":
 			b.WriteString("message DeleteRequest {\n\tstring id = 1;\n}\n\nmessage DeleteResponse {\n\tbool deleted = 1;\n}\n\n")
 		case "List":
-			b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("message ListRequest {\n\tint64 limit = 1;\n\tint64 offset = 2;\n\tstring query = 3;\n}\n\nmessage ListResponse {\n\trepeated %sRecord records = 1;\n\tint64 total = 2;\n}\n\n", titleName))
+			fmt.Fprintf(&b, "message ListRequest {\n\tint64 limit = 1;\n\tint64 offset = 2;\n\tstring query = 3;\n}\n\nmessage ListResponse {\n\trepeated %sRecord records = 1;\n\tint64 total = 2;\n}\n\n", titleName)
 		default:
 			// Custom endpoint — use all fields as input, record as output
-			b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("message %sRequest {\n", ep.Name))
+			fmt.Fprintf(&b, "message %sRequest {\n", ep.Name)
 			n := 1
 			for _, f := range svc.Fields {
 				if f.Name == "created" || f.Name == "updated" {
 					continue
 				}
-				b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\t%s %s = %d;\n", protoType(f.Type), f.Name, n))
+				fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\t%s %s = %d;\n", protoType(f.Type), f.Name, n)
 				n++
 			}
-			b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("}\n\nmessage %sResponse {\n\t%sRecord record = 1;\n\tstring message = 2;\n\tbool success = 3;\n}\n\n", ep.Name, titleName))
+			fmt.Fprintf(&b, "}\n\nmessage %sResponse {\n\t%sRecord record = 1;\n\tstring message = 2;\n\tbool success = 3;\n}\n\n", ep.Name, titleName)
 		}
 	}
 	return b.String()

cmd/micro/cli/new/contract_test.go

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func TestZeroToOneContract(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	generated.replaceModule(t)
+	generated.assertLocalModule(t)
 	generated.build(t)
 	generated.run(t)
 	generated.call(t, "Alice", "Hello Alice")
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func TestZeroToOneNoMCPContract(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("--no-mcp generated main.go with MCP wiring:\n%s", main)
 	}
 
-	generated.replaceModule(t)
+	generated.assertLocalModule(t)
 	generated.build(t)
 	generated.run(t)
 	generated.call(t, "Bob", "Hello Bob")
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ func generateService(t *testing.T, name string, args ...string) generatedService
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
+	t.Setenv("MICRO_NEW_GO_MICRO_REPLACE", repoRoot)
 
 	tmp := t.TempDir()
 	oldwd, err := os.Getwd()
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@ func generateService(t *testing.T, name string, args ...string) generatedService
 	return generatedService{dir: filepath.Join(tmp, name), repoRoot: repoRoot}
 }
 
-func (g generatedService) replaceModule(t *testing.T) {
+func (g generatedService) assertLocalModule(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Helper()
 
 	modPath := filepath.Join(g.dir, "go.mod")
@@ -150,10 +151,9 @@ func (g generatedService) replaceModule(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	modText := strings.Replace(string(mod), "go-micro.dev/v6 latest", "go-micro.dev/v6 v6.0.0", 1)
-	modText += "\nreplace go-micro.dev/v6 => " + filepath.ToSlash(g.repoRoot) + "\n"
-	if err := os.WriteFile(modPath, []byte(modText), 0644); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
+	want := "replace go-micro.dev/v6 => " + filepath.ToSlash(g.repoRoot)
+	if !strings.Contains(string(mod), want) {
+		t.Fatalf("generated go.mod missing local replace %q:\n%s", want, mod)
 	}
 }
 

cmd/micro/cli/new/new.go

@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ type config struct {
 	UseGoPath bool
 	// MicroVersion is the go-micro version to require in go.mod
 	MicroVersion string
+	// MicroReplace optionally points generated services at a local go-micro checkout.
+	MicroReplace string
 	// Files
 	Files []file
 	// Comments
@@ -69,6 +71,10 @@ func microVersion() string {
 	return "latest"
 }
 
+func microReplace() string {
+	return filepath.ToSlash(os.Getenv("MICRO_NEW_GO_MICRO_REPLACE"))
+}
+
 type file struct {
 	Path string
 	Tmpl string
@@ -215,6 +221,7 @@ func Run(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		GoPath:       goPath,
 		UseGoPath:    false,
 		MicroVersion: microVersion(),
+		MicroReplace: microReplace(),
 	}
 
 	if useProto {

cmd/micro/cli/new/template/module.go

@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ require (
 	github.com/golang/protobuf latest
 	google.golang.org/protobuf latest
 )
-`
+{{if .MicroReplace}}
+replace go-micro.dev/v6 => {{.MicroReplace}}
+{{end}}`
 
 	// ModuleNoProto is the default go.mod: no protobuf dependencies.
 	// MicroVersion is the version this CLI was built from (or "latest"), so a
@@ -20,5 +22,7 @@ require (
 go 1.23
 
 require go-micro.dev/v6 {{.MicroVersion}}
-`
+{{if .MicroReplace}}
+replace go-micro.dev/v6 => {{.MicroReplace}}
+{{end}}`
 )

cmd/micro/first_agent_walkthrough_test.go

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -36,6 +38,9 @@ func TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries(t *testing.T) {
 	if !subcommands["agent"]["doctor"] {
 		t.Fatal("first-agent walkthrough missing recovery boundary: agent doctor")
 	}
+	if !subcommands["agent"]["quickcheck"] {
+		t.Fatal("first-agent walkthrough missing failure-mode boundary: agent quickcheck")
+	}
 	if !subcommands["inspect"]["agent"] {
 		t.Fatal("first-agent walkthrough missing inspect boundary: inspect agent")
 	}
@@ -116,6 +121,29 @@ func TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	quickcheck := subcommandByName(t, agent, "quickcheck")
+	out.Reset()
+	if err := quickcheck.Action(cli.NewContext(app, nil, nil)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("micro agent quickcheck failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		"First-agent failure-mode quick checks",
+		"scaffold -> run -> chat -> inspect",
+		"micro agent preflight",
+		"micro run",
+		"micro agent doctor",
+		"micro inspect agent <name>",
+		"micro runs <name>",
+		"micro agent demo",
+		"go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentTranscript -count=1",
+		"go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke -count=1",
+		"debugging-agents.html",
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(out.String(), want) {
+			t.Fatalf("micro agent quickcheck output missing %q:\n%s", want, out.String())
+		}
+	}
+
 	demo := subcommandByName(t, agent, "demo")
 	out.Reset()
 	if err := demo.Action(cli.NewContext(app, nil, nil)); err != nil {
@@ -124,7 +152,9 @@ func TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, want := range []string{
 		"No-secret first-agent demo",
 		"go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentTranscript -count=1",
+		"go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke -count=1",
 		"provider-free",
+		"stalled-first-agent recovery transcript",
 		"micro agent preflight  # before micro run: prerequisites",
 		"micro chat",
 		"micro agent doctor     # after micro run: chat/gateway/inspect recovery",
@@ -139,6 +169,137 @@ func TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestFirstAgentDocsMatchCLIOutput(t *testing.T) {
+	root := filepath.Clean(filepath.Join("..", ".."))
+	outputs := map[string]string{
+		"micro docs":         commandOutput(t, commandByName(t, "docs")),
+		"micro examples":     commandOutput(t, commandByName(t, "examples")),
+		"micro zero-to-hero": commandOutput(t, commandByName(t, "zero-to-hero")),
+	}
+	agent := commandByName(t, "agent")
+	outputs["micro agent demo"] = commandOutput(t, subcommandByName(t, agent, "demo"))
+	outputs["micro agent quickcheck"] = commandOutput(t, subcommandByName(t, agent, "quickcheck"))
+
+	contracts := []struct {
+		name    string
+		file    string
+		markers []string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "README first-agent on-ramp",
+			file: filepath.Join(root, "README.md"),
+			markers: []string{
+				"micro agent demo",
+				"micro agent quickcheck",
+				"micro agent preflight",
+				"micro agent doctor",
+				"micro inspect agent <name>",
+				"micro examples",
+				"micro zero-to-hero",
+				"make docs-wayfinding",
+				"examples/first-agent/",
+				"examples/support/",
+				"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 first-agent on-ramp",
+			file: filepath.Join(root, "internal", "website", "docs", "getting-started.md"),
+			markers: []string{
+				"micro agent demo",
+				"micro agent quickcheck",
+				"micro agent preflight",
+				"micro agent doctor",
+				"micro inspect agent <name>",
+				"micro examples",
+				"micro zero-to-hero",
+				"make docs-wayfinding",
+				"github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent",
+				"github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support",
+				"guides/no-secret-first-agent.html",
+				"guides/your-first-agent.html",
+				"guides/debugging-agents.html",
+				"guides/zero-to-hero.html",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, contract := range contracts {
+		doc := readTestFile(t, contract.file)
+		for _, marker := range contract.markers {
+			if !strings.Contains(doc, marker) {
+				t.Fatalf("%s missing documented first-agent marker %q", contract.name, marker)
+			}
+			if isCLIContractMarker(marker) && !cliOutputsContain(outputs, marker) {
+				t.Fatalf("%s documents %q, but none of the first-agent CLI outputs mention it; keep README/website breadcrumbs aligned with micro agent demo/examples/zero-to-hero", contract.name, marker)
+			}
+			assertMaintainedFirstAgentPath(t, root, marker)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func commandOutput(t *testing.T, command *cli.Command) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	app := cli.NewApp()
+	app.Writer = &out
+	if err := command.Action(cli.NewContext(app, nil, nil)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%s failed: %v", command.Name, err)
+	}
+	return out.String()
+}
+
+func cliOutputsContain(outputs map[string]string, marker string) bool {
+	for command, out := range outputs {
+		if command == marker || strings.Contains(out, marker) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func isCLIContractMarker(marker string) bool {
+	return strings.HasPrefix(marker, "micro ") || strings.HasPrefix(marker, "go run ") || strings.HasPrefix(marker, "go test ") || strings.Contains(marker, ".html")
+}
+
+func assertMaintainedFirstAgentPath(t *testing.T, root, marker string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	pathChecks := map[string]string{
+		"go run ./examples/first-agent":                              "examples/first-agent",
+		"examples/first-agent/":                                      "examples/first-agent",
+		"examples/support/":                                          "examples/support",
+		"internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md":      "internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md",
+		"internal/website/docs/guides/your-first-agent.md":           "internal/website/docs/guides/your-first-agent.md",
+		"internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md":           "internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md",
+		"internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md":               "internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md",
+		"guides/no-secret-first-agent.html":                          "internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md",
+		"guides/your-first-agent.html":                               "internal/website/docs/guides/your-first-agent.md",
+		"guides/debugging-agents.html":                               "internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md",
+		"guides/zero-to-hero.html":                                   "internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md",
+		"github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent": "examples/first-agent",
+		"github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support":     "examples/support",
+	}
+	path, ok := pathChecks[marker]
+	if !ok {
+		return
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(root, filepath.FromSlash(path))); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("documented first-agent path %q from marker %q does not resolve: %v", path, marker, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func readTestFile(t *testing.T, path string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	b, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read %s: %v", path, err)
+	}
+	return string(b)
+}
+
 func commandByName(t *testing.T, name string) *cli.Command {
 	t.Helper()
 	for _, command := range microcmd.DefaultCmd.App().Commands {

cmd/micro/inspect/inspect.go

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ It reads durable local run history, so it works after the agent or flow has stop
 func inspectAgentFlags() []cli.Flag {
 	return []cli.Flag{
 		&cli.BoolFlag{Name: "json", Usage: "Print run summaries as JSON for automation"},
-		&cli.StringFlag{Name: "status", Usage: "Only show runs with this status (running, done, error, refused)"},
+		&cli.StringFlag{Name: "status", Usage: "Only show runs with this status (running, done, canceled, timeout, rate_limited, auth, configuration, unavailable, provider_error, error, refused)"},
 		&cli.StringFlag{Name: "trace", Usage: "Only show runs whose trace id matches this full id or prefix"},
 		&cli.IntFlag{Name: "limit", Usage: "Show the most recently updated N runs"},
 	}
@@ -91,6 +91,12 @@ func writeAgentInspection(w io.Writer, name string, runs []goagent.RunSummary, a
 		if run.Stage != "" {
 			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  stage=%s", run.Stage)
 		}
+		if run.LastErrorKind != "" {
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  error_kind=%s", run.LastErrorKind)
+		}
+		if run.Spent > 0 {
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  spent=%d", run.Spent)
+		}
 		if run.LastError != "" {
 			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  error=%q", run.LastError)
 		}
@@ -98,16 +104,25 @@ func writeAgentInspection(w io.Writer, name string, runs []goagent.RunSummary, a
 			fmt.Fprintf(w, "  trace=%s", shortID(run.TraceID))
 		}
 		fmt.Fprintln(w)
-		if isResumableAgentRun(run) {
-			fmt.Fprintf(w, "    resume: call micro.AgentResume(ctx, agent, %q) after recreating the agent with the same checkpoint store\n", run.RunID)
-		}
-		if run.Stage == "input-required" {
-			fmt.Fprintf(w, "    input:  call micro.AgentResumeInput(ctx, agent, %q, input) to continue the paused run\n", run.RunID)
-		}
+		writeAgentRunBreadcrumbs(w, name, run)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+func writeAgentRunBreadcrumbs(w io.Writer, name string, run goagent.RunSummary) {
+	if run.Stage == "input-required" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "    inspect: micro agent history %s %s\n", name, run.RunID)
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "    input:   micro agent resume-input %s %s --input <text>\n", name, run.RunID)
+		return
+	}
+	if !isResumableAgentRun(run) {
+		return
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "    inspect: micro agent history %s %s\n", name, run.RunID)
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "    resume:  call micro.AgentResume(ctx, agent, %q) after recreating the agent with the same checkpoint store\n", run.RunID)
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "    stream:  call micro.ResumeStreamAsk(ctx, agent, %q) to resume with streaming events\n", run.RunID)
+}
+
 func isResumableAgentRun(run goagent.RunSummary) bool {
 	switch run.Status {
 	case "running", "error", "failed", "refused":

cmd/micro/inspect/inspect_test.go

@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestWriteAgentInspectionIncludesActionableBreadcrumbs(t *testing.T) {
-	runs := []goagent.RunSummary{{RunID: "run-1", Status: "error", Events: 4, LastKind: "tool", LastError: "boom", TraceID: "1234567890abcdef", Checkpoint: "failed", Stage: "ask"}}
+	runs := []goagent.RunSummary{{RunID: "run-1", Status: "auth", Events: 4, LastKind: "model", LastError: "invalid API key", LastErrorKind: "auth", TraceID: "1234567890abcdef", Checkpoint: "failed", Stage: "ask", Spent: 7}}
 	var out bytes.Buffer
 	if err := writeAgentInspection(&out, "support", runs, false); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	got := out.String()
-	for _, want := range []string{"Agent \"support\" runs", "run-1", "status=error", "events=4", "last=tool", "checkpoint=failed", "stage=ask", `error="boom"`, "trace=1234567890ab", `micro.AgentResume(ctx, agent, "run-1")`} {
+	for _, want := range []string{"Agent \"support\" runs", "run-1", "status=auth", "events=4", "last=model", "checkpoint=failed", "stage=ask", "error_kind=auth", `error="invalid API key"`, "trace=1234567890ab", "spent=7"} {
 		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
 			t.Fatalf("output missing %q:\n%s", want, got)
 		}
@@ -31,11 +31,14 @@ func TestWriteAgentInspectionIncludesInputResumeBreadcrumb(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	got := out.String()
-	for _, want := range []string{"checkpoint=paused", "stage=input-required", `micro.AgentResumeInput(ctx, agent, "run-input", input)`} {
+	for _, want := range []string{"checkpoint=paused", "stage=input-required", `micro agent history support run-input`, `micro agent resume-input support run-input --input <text>`} {
 		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
 			t.Fatalf("output missing %q:\n%s", want, got)
 		}
 	}
+	if strings.Contains(got, `micro.AgentResume(ctx, agent, "run-input")`) || strings.Contains(got, "ResumeStreamAsk") {
+		t.Fatalf("input-required run should point at ResumeInput only, got:\n%s", got)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestWriteAgentInspectionEmptyStateNamesInspectCommand(t *testing.T) {

cmd/micro/loop/loop.go

@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ Examples:
 					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "dir", Usage: "Target repo directory", Value: "."},
 					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "roles", Usage: "Comma-separated roles, or 'all'", Value: "planner,builder,triage"},
 					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "branch", Usage: "Base branch for the loop's PRs (auto-detected if empty)"},
-					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "agent", Usage: "How the workflows summon the agent (an @mention)", Value: "@codex"},
+					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "agent", Usage: "How the workflows summon the agent — any @mention-driven coding agent (e.g. @codex, @claude)", Value: "@codex"},
 					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "token-secret", Usage: "Repo secret holding the user PAT that drives dispatch", Value: "LOOP_TOKEN"},
 					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "ci-workflow", Usage: "CI workflow name(s) triage watches for failures (comma-separated)", Value: "CI"},
 					&cli.StringFlag{Name: "planner-cron", Usage: "Cron schedule for the planner", Value: "0 * * * *"},

deploy/kubernetes/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# Kubernetes deployment foundation (alpha)
+
+This package is the first opt-in Kubernetes foundation for the Go Micro lifecycle:
+`Service`, `Agent`, and `Flow` resources. It is intentionally experimental and
+additive. Nothing in the Go Micro runtime installs these resources or changes
+production defaults.
+
+## What is included
+
+- Alpha CRD manifests in `config/crd/` for `agents.micro.dev`,
+  `services.micro.dev`, and `flows.micro.dev`.
+- A small dependency-free mapper that turns a desired Go Micro resource into the
+  Kubernetes `Deployment` shape an operator reconciliation loop will own.
+- A dependency-free `Reconcile(desired, observed)` core that decides the one
+  action needed to converge (create / update / noop) and the `Ready`/`Error`
+  status conditions — no controller-runtime, no client-go, fully unit-testable.
+  A future operator binary supplies the observed state and applies the action;
+  only that adapter needs the Kubernetes client.
+- Unit tests that validate the structural CRD fragments, the Agent-to-Deployment
+  mapping, and the reconcile decision/conditions.
+
+## Local validation
+
+```sh
+go test ./deploy/kubernetes
+```
+
+If you have a Kubernetes cluster and `kubectl` available, you can also perform a
+server-side dry run of the CRDs:
+
+```sh
+kubectl apply --dry-run=server -f deploy/kubernetes/config/crd/
+```
+
+The manifests are `v1alpha1`; expect the API shape to evolve before this becomes
+a production operator.

deploy/kubernetes/config/crd/agent.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: agents.micro.dev
+spec:
+  group: micro.dev
+  scope: Namespaced
+  names:
+    plural: agents
+    singular: agent
+    kind: Agent
+    shortNames: [magent]
+  versions:
+  - name: v1alpha1
+    served: true
+    storage: true
+    schema:
+      openAPIV3Schema:
+        type: object
+        required: [spec]
+        properties:
+          spec:
+            type: object
+            required: [image]
+            properties:
+              image: {type: string, minLength: 1}
+              command:
+                type: array
+                items: {type: string}
+              args:
+                type: array
+                items: {type: string}
+              replicas: {type: integer, minimum: 0}
+              registry: {type: string}
+              env:
+                type: object
+                additionalProperties: {type: string}

deploy/kubernetes/config/crd/flow.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: flows.micro.dev
+spec:
+  group: micro.dev
+  scope: Namespaced
+  names:
+    plural: flows
+    singular: flow
+    kind: Flow
+    shortNames: [mflow]
+  versions:
+  - name: v1alpha1
+    served: true
+    storage: true
+    schema:
+      openAPIV3Schema:
+        type: object
+        required: [spec]
+        properties:
+          spec:
+            type: object
+            required: [image]
+            properties:
+              image: {type: string, minLength: 1}
+              command:
+                type: array
+                items: {type: string}
+              args:
+                type: array
+                items: {type: string}
+              replicas: {type: integer, minimum: 0}
+              registry: {type: string}
+              env:
+                type: object
+                additionalProperties: {type: string}

deploy/kubernetes/config/crd/service.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: services.micro.dev
+spec:
+  group: micro.dev
+  scope: Namespaced
+  names:
+    plural: services
+    singular: service
+    kind: Service
+    shortNames: [mservice]
+  versions:
+  - name: v1alpha1
+    served: true
+    storage: true
+    schema:
+      openAPIV3Schema:
+        type: object
+        required: [spec]
+        properties:
+          spec:
+            type: object
+            required: [image]
+            properties:
+              image: {type: string, minLength: 1}
+              command:
+                type: array
+                items: {type: string}
+              args:
+                type: array
+                items: {type: string}
+              replicas: {type: integer, minimum: 0}
+              registry: {type: string}
+              env:
+                type: object
+                additionalProperties: {type: string}

deploy/kubernetes/doc.go

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+// Package kubernetes contains the experimental Kubernetes deployment foundation
+// for Go Micro services, agents, and flows.
+//
+// The package is intentionally small and additive: it exposes alpha custom
+// resource manifests and a dry-run mapper that turns a resource spec into the
+// Deployment shape an operator would reconcile. It does not install an operator
+// or change any runtime defaults.
+package kubernetes

deploy/kubernetes/kubernetes_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+package kubernetes
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestCRDManifestsAreStructural(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, kind := range []Kind{KindAgent, KindService, KindFlow} {
+		manifest := CRDManifests[kind]
+		if manifest == "" {
+			t.Fatalf("missing manifest for %s", kind)
+		}
+		checks := []string{
+			"apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1",
+			"kind: CustomResourceDefinition",
+			"group: micro.dev",
+			"kind: " + string(kind),
+			"name: v1alpha1",
+			"served: true",
+			"storage: true",
+			"openAPIV3Schema:",
+			"type: object",
+			"required: [image]",
+		}
+		for _, check := range checks {
+			if !strings.Contains(manifest, check) {
+				t.Fatalf("%s manifest missing %q:\n%s", kind, check, manifest)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMapDeploymentForAgent(t *testing.T) {
+	deployment, err := MapDeployment(Resource{
+		Kind:      KindAgent,
+		Name:      "support-agent",
+		Namespace: "agents",
+		Spec: WorkloadSpec{
+			Image:    "ghcr.io/acme/support-agent:v1",
+			Replicas: 2,
+			Registry: "kubernetes",
+			Environment: map[string]string{
+				"MODEL": "gpt-5.5",
+			},
+		},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("MapDeployment returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if deployment.Name != "support-agent" || deployment.Namespace != "agents" {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected identity: %+v", deployment)
+	}
+	if deployment.Replicas != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("replicas = %d, want 2", deployment.Replicas)
+	}
+	if got := deployment.Labels["micro.dev/kind"]; got != "agent" {
+		t.Fatalf("micro.dev/kind label = %q, want agent", got)
+	}
+	container := deployment.Pod.Container
+	if container.Image != "ghcr.io/acme/support-agent:v1" {
+		t.Fatalf("image = %q", container.Image)
+	}
+	if got := container.Environment["MICRO_REGISTRY"]; got != "kubernetes" {
+		t.Fatalf("MICRO_REGISTRY = %q, want kubernetes", got)
+	}
+	if got := container.Environment["MODEL"]; got != "gpt-5.5" {
+		t.Fatalf("MODEL = %q, want gpt-5.5", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMapDeploymentDefaultsAndValidation(t *testing.T) {
+	deployment, err := MapDeployment(Resource{Kind: KindService, Name: "api", Spec: WorkloadSpec{Image: "api:latest"}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("MapDeployment returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if deployment.Namespace != "default" || deployment.Replicas != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("defaults = namespace %q replicas %d", deployment.Namespace, deployment.Replicas)
+	}
+
+	if _, err := MapDeployment(Resource{Kind: KindFlow, Name: "ingest"}); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("MapDeployment without image succeeded")
+	}
+	if _, err := MapDeployment(Resource{Kind: "Job", Name: "job", Spec: WorkloadSpec{Image: "job:latest"}}); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("MapDeployment with unsupported kind succeeded")
+	}
+}

deploy/kubernetes/manifests.go

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package kubernetes
+
+import (
+	"embed"
+	"fmt"
+)
+
+// crdFS holds the canonical CRD manifests. They live as real YAML under
+// config/crd/ so they can be applied directly (`kubectl apply -f
+// deploy/kubernetes/config/crd/`) and are embedded here so the Go API serves
+// the exact same bytes — one source of truth, no drift.
+//
+//go:embed config/crd/agent.yaml config/crd/service.yaml config/crd/flow.yaml
+var crdFS embed.FS
+
+// CRDManifests contains the alpha CRDs for Go Micro lifecycle resources, loaded
+// from the embedded config/crd/ YAML.
+var CRDManifests = map[Kind]string{
+	KindAgent:   mustCRD("agent"),
+	KindService: mustCRD("service"),
+	KindFlow:    mustCRD("flow"),
+}
+
+// mustCRD reads an embedded CRD manifest. The files are embedded at compile
+// time, so a read error means a build/packaging bug, not a runtime condition.
+func mustCRD(name string) string {
+	b, err := crdFS.ReadFile("config/crd/" + name + ".yaml")
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("kubernetes: embedded CRD %q missing: %v", name, err))
+	}
+	return string(b)
+}

deploy/kubernetes/reconcile.go

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+package kubernetes
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
+)
+
+// Reconcile is the pure decision core an operator's reconcile loop runs: given
+// a desired resource and the currently observed cluster state, it computes the
+// one action needed to converge (create / update / nothing) plus the status
+// conditions to publish. It does not talk to a cluster — no controller-runtime,
+// no client-go — so the whole convergence decision is unit-testable. An adapter
+// binary supplies Observed from the live cluster and applies the returned
+// Action; that adapter is the only piece that needs the Kubernetes client.
+
+// ActionType is the change a reconcile wants applied.
+type ActionType string
+
+const (
+	// ActionCreate means the workload does not exist yet and should be created.
+	ActionCreate ActionType = "create"
+	// ActionUpdate means the workload exists but drifts from desired.
+	ActionUpdate ActionType = "update"
+	// ActionNoop means the workload already matches desired.
+	ActionNoop ActionType = "noop"
+)
+
+// Action is the change Reconcile decided on, carrying the desired Deployment.
+type Action struct {
+	Type       ActionType
+	Deployment Deployment
+}
+
+// Observed is the current cluster state Reconcile compares against. The adapter
+// fills it from the live cluster; a nil Deployment means "not created yet".
+type Observed struct {
+	// Deployment is the workload as it currently exists, or nil if absent.
+	Deployment *Deployment
+	// ReadyReplicas is how many pods are ready, from the live Deployment status.
+	ReadyReplicas int32
+}
+
+// Condition is a status condition to publish on the resource — the ready/error
+// signal for the inner-loop and deploy story. It mirrors the Kubernetes
+// condition shape without importing the API types.
+type Condition struct {
+	Type    string `json:"type"`   // "Ready" | "Error"
+	Status  string `json:"status"` // "True" | "False" | "Unknown"
+	Reason  string `json:"reason"`
+	Message string `json:"message,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// Reconcile computes the action to bring observed toward desired, plus the
+// status conditions. A spec that fails to map returns an Error condition and
+// the error (no action).
+func Reconcile(desired Resource, observed Observed) (Action, []Condition, error) {
+	want, err := MapDeployment(desired)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Action{}, []Condition{{
+			Type: "Error", Status: "True", Reason: "InvalidSpec", Message: err.Error(),
+		}}, err
+	}
+
+	var action Action
+	switch {
+	case observed.Deployment == nil:
+		action = Action{Type: ActionCreate, Deployment: want}
+	case deploymentDiffers(*observed.Deployment, want):
+		action = Action{Type: ActionUpdate, Deployment: want}
+	default:
+		action = Action{Type: ActionNoop, Deployment: want}
+	}
+
+	return action, conditions(want, observed), nil
+}
+
+// conditions derives the Ready condition from observed state against desired.
+func conditions(want Deployment, observed Observed) []Condition {
+	switch {
+	case observed.Deployment == nil:
+		return []Condition{{
+			Type: "Ready", Status: "False", Reason: "Creating",
+			Message: "workload not yet created",
+		}}
+	case observed.ReadyReplicas < want.Replicas:
+		return []Condition{{
+			Type: "Ready", Status: "False", Reason: "Progressing",
+			Message: fmt.Sprintf("%d/%d replicas ready", observed.ReadyReplicas, want.Replicas),
+		}}
+	default:
+		return []Condition{{
+			Type: "Ready", Status: "True", Reason: "Available",
+			Message: fmt.Sprintf("%d/%d replicas ready", observed.ReadyReplicas, want.Replicas),
+		}}
+	}
+}
+
+// deploymentDiffers reports whether the observed deployment drifts from desired
+// on the fields this operator manages (replicas, container, labels). Fields the
+// cluster owns (status, cluster-assigned metadata) are intentionally ignored.
+func deploymentDiffers(current, want Deployment) bool {
+	return current.Replicas != want.Replicas ||
+		!reflect.DeepEqual(current.Pod.Container, want.Pod.Container) ||
+		!reflect.DeepEqual(current.Labels, want.Labels)
+}

deploy/kubernetes/reconcile_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+package kubernetes
+
+import "testing"
+
+func agentResource() Resource {
+	return Resource{
+		Kind:      KindAgent,
+		Name:      "support",
+		Namespace: "agents",
+		Spec:      WorkloadSpec{Image: "example/support:v1", Replicas: 2, Registry: "kubernetes"},
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReconcileCreatesWhenAbsent(t *testing.T) {
+	action, conds, err := Reconcile(agentResource(), Observed{Deployment: nil})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Reconcile: %v", err)
+	}
+	if action.Type != ActionCreate {
+		t.Fatalf("action = %q, want create", action.Type)
+	}
+	if action.Deployment.Name != "support" || action.Deployment.Replicas != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("desired deployment = %+v", action.Deployment)
+	}
+	if ready := findCondition(conds, "Ready"); ready == nil || ready.Status != "False" || ready.Reason != "Creating" {
+		t.Fatalf("ready condition = %+v, want False/Creating", ready)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReconcileNoopWhenMatchedAndReady(t *testing.T) {
+	want, _ := MapDeployment(agentResource())
+	action, conds, err := Reconcile(agentResource(), Observed{Deployment: &want, ReadyReplicas: 2})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Reconcile: %v", err)
+	}
+	if action.Type != ActionNoop {
+		t.Fatalf("action = %q, want noop", action.Type)
+	}
+	if ready := findCondition(conds, "Ready"); ready == nil || ready.Status != "True" || ready.Reason != "Available" {
+		t.Fatalf("ready condition = %+v, want True/Available", ready)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReconcileUpdatesOnDrift(t *testing.T) {
+	current, _ := MapDeployment(agentResource())
+	current.Pod.Container.Image = "example/support:v0" // stale image → drift
+	action, _, err := Reconcile(agentResource(), Observed{Deployment: &current, ReadyReplicas: 2})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Reconcile: %v", err)
+	}
+	if action.Type != ActionUpdate {
+		t.Fatalf("action = %q, want update", action.Type)
+	}
+	if action.Deployment.Pod.Container.Image != "example/support:v1" {
+		t.Fatalf("update should carry the desired image, got %q", action.Deployment.Pod.Container.Image)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReconcileProgressingWhenUnderReplicated(t *testing.T) {
+	want, _ := MapDeployment(agentResource())
+	_, conds, err := Reconcile(agentResource(), Observed{Deployment: &want, ReadyReplicas: 1})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Reconcile: %v", err)
+	}
+	if ready := findCondition(conds, "Ready"); ready == nil || ready.Status != "False" || ready.Reason != "Progressing" {
+		t.Fatalf("ready condition = %+v, want False/Progressing", ready)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReconcileErrorOnInvalidSpec(t *testing.T) {
+	// Missing image → MapDeployment fails → Error condition, no action.
+	_, conds, err := Reconcile(Resource{Kind: KindService, Name: "api"}, Observed{})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Reconcile should error on an invalid spec")
+	}
+	if e := findCondition(conds, "Error"); e == nil || e.Status != "True" || e.Reason != "InvalidSpec" {
+		t.Fatalf("error condition = %+v, want True/InvalidSpec", e)
+	}
+}
+
+func findCondition(conds []Condition, typ string) *Condition {
+	for i := range conds {
+		if conds[i].Type == typ {
+			return &conds[i]
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}

deploy/kubernetes/types.go

@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+package kubernetes
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+const (
+	// Group is the API group for the alpha Go Micro Kubernetes resources.
+	Group = "micro.dev"
+	// Version is the current alpha API version for the CRDs in this package.
+	Version = "v1alpha1"
+)
+
+// Kind identifies a Go Micro lifecycle resource that can be reconciled toward a
+// Kubernetes Deployment.
+type Kind string
+
+const (
+	KindAgent   Kind = "Agent"
+	KindService Kind = "Service"
+	KindFlow    Kind = "Flow"
+)
+
+// WorkloadSpec is the common alpha spec shared by Agent, Service, and Flow CRDs.
+type WorkloadSpec struct {
+	Image       string            `json:"image"`
+	Command     []string          `json:"command,omitempty"`
+	Args        []string          `json:"args,omitempty"`
+	Replicas    int32             `json:"replicas,omitempty"`
+	Registry    string            `json:"registry,omitempty"`
+	Environment map[string]string `json:"env,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// Resource is the minimal desired state for a Go Micro lifecycle resource.
+type Resource struct {
+	Kind      Kind
+	Name      string
+	Namespace string
+	Spec      WorkloadSpec
+}
+
+// Deployment is a small, dependency-free representation of the Kubernetes
+// Deployment fields the alpha reconciler skeleton owns.
+type Deployment struct {
+	Name      string
+	Namespace string
+	Labels    map[string]string
+	Replicas  int32
+	Pod       PodTemplate
+}
+
+// PodTemplate describes the pod fields emitted by MapDeployment.
+type PodTemplate struct {
+	Labels    map[string]string
+	Container Container
+}
+
+// Container describes the single Go Micro workload container.
+type Container struct {
+	Name        string
+	Image       string
+	Command     []string
+	Args        []string
+	Environment map[string]string
+}
+
+// MapDeployment maps a Go Micro alpha resource to the Deployment shape an
+// operator reconciliation loop would apply.
+func MapDeployment(resource Resource) (Deployment, error) {
+	if resource.Kind != KindAgent && resource.Kind != KindService && resource.Kind != KindFlow {
+		return Deployment{}, fmt.Errorf("unsupported kind %q", resource.Kind)
+	}
+	name := strings.TrimSpace(resource.Name)
+	if name == "" {
+		return Deployment{}, fmt.Errorf("name is required")
+	}
+	image := strings.TrimSpace(resource.Spec.Image)
+	if image == "" {
+		return Deployment{}, fmt.Errorf("spec.image is required")
+	}
+
+	namespace := strings.TrimSpace(resource.Namespace)
+	if namespace == "" {
+		namespace = "default"
+	}
+	replicas := resource.Spec.Replicas
+	if replicas == 0 {
+		replicas = 1
+	}
+
+	labels := map[string]string{
+		"app.kubernetes.io/name":       name,
+		"app.kubernetes.io/managed-by": "go-micro",
+		"micro.dev/kind":               strings.ToLower(string(resource.Kind)),
+	}
+	env := copyMap(resource.Spec.Environment)
+	if resource.Spec.Registry != "" {
+		env["MICRO_REGISTRY"] = resource.Spec.Registry
+	}
+
+	return Deployment{
+		Name:      name,
+		Namespace: namespace,
+		Labels:    copyMap(labels),
+		Replicas:  replicas,
+		Pod: PodTemplate{
+			Labels: copyMap(labels),
+			Container: Container{
+				Name:        name,
+				Image:       image,
+				Command:     append([]string(nil), resource.Spec.Command...),
+				Args:        append([]string(nil), resource.Spec.Args...),
+				Environment: env,
+			},
+		},
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// EnvironmentKeys returns stable environment variable keys from a mapped
+// container. It is useful for deterministic validation and rendering.
+func (c Container) EnvironmentKeys() []string {
+	keys := make([]string, 0, len(c.Environment))
+	for key := range c.Environment {
+		keys = append(keys, key)
+	}
+	sort.Strings(keys)
+	return keys
+}
+
+func copyMap(in map[string]string) map[string]string {
+	out := make(map[string]string, len(in))
+	for k, v := range in {
+		out[k] = v
+	}
+	return out
+}

events/memory.go

@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ type subscriber struct {
 	retryLimit int
 	autoAck    bool
 	ackWait    time.Duration
+
+	pending []Event
+	notify  chan struct{}
 }
 
 type mem struct {
@@ -124,6 +127,7 @@ func (m *mem) Consume(topic string, opts ...ConsumeOption) (<-chan Event, error)
 		retryMap:   map[string]int{},
 		autoAck:    true,
 		retryLimit: options.GetRetryLimit(),
+		notify:     make(chan struct{}, 1),
 	}
 
 	if !options.AutoAck {
@@ -132,6 +136,7 @@ func (m *mem) Consume(topic string, opts ...ConsumeOption) (<-chan Event, error)
 		}
 		sub.autoAck = options.AutoAck
 		sub.ackWait = options.AckWait
+		go sub.dispatchManualAck()
 	}
 
 	// register the subscriber
@@ -197,56 +202,98 @@ func (m *mem) handleEvent(ev *Event) {
 }
 
 func sendEvent(ev *Event, sub *subscriber) {
-	go func(s *subscriber) {
-		evCopy := *ev
-		if s.autoAck {
-			s.Channel <- evCopy
-			return
-		}
-		evCopy.SetAckFunc(ackFunc(s, evCopy))
-		evCopy.SetNackFunc(nackFunc(s, evCopy))
-		s.Lock()
-		s.retryMap[evCopy.ID] = 0
-		s.Unlock()
-		tick := time.NewTicker(s.ackWait)
-		defer tick.Stop()
-		for range tick.C {
-			s.Lock()
-			count, ok := s.retryMap[evCopy.ID]
-			s.Unlock()
-			if !ok {
-				// success
-				break
-			}
+	evCopy := *ev
+	if !sub.autoAck {
+		sub.Lock()
+		sub.pending = append(sub.pending, evCopy)
+		sub.Unlock()
+		sub.wake()
+		return
+	}
 
-			if s.retryLimit > -1 && count > s.retryLimit {
-				if logger.V(logger.ErrorLevel, logger.DefaultLogger) {
-					logger.Errorf("Message retry limit reached, discarding: %v %d %d", evCopy.ID, count, s.retryLimit)
-				}
-				s.Lock()
-				delete(s.retryMap, evCopy.ID)
-				s.Unlock()
-				return
-			}
-			s.Channel <- evCopy
-			s.Lock()
-			s.retryMap[evCopy.ID] = count + 1
-			s.Unlock()
-		}
+	go func(s *subscriber) {
+		s.Channel <- evCopy
 	}(sub)
 }
 
-func ackFunc(s *subscriber, evCopy Event) func() error {
-	return func() error {
-		s.Lock()
-		delete(s.retryMap, evCopy.ID)
-		s.Unlock()
-		return nil
+func (s *subscriber) wake() {
+	select {
+	case s.notify <- struct{}{}:
+	default:
 	}
 }
 
-func nackFunc(_ *subscriber, _ Event) func() error {
-	return func() error {
-		return nil
+func (s *subscriber) dispatchManualAck() {
+	for {
+		s.Lock()
+		for len(s.pending) == 0 {
+			s.Unlock()
+			<-s.notify
+			s.Lock()
+		}
+		ev := s.pending[0]
+		s.pending = s.pending[1:]
+		s.retryMap[ev.ID] = 0
+		s.Unlock()
+
+		s.deliverManualAck(ev)
+	}
+}
+
+func (s *subscriber) deliverManualAck(ev Event) {
+	retries := 0
+	for {
+		if s.retryLimit > -1 && retries > s.retryLimit {
+			if logger.V(logger.ErrorLevel, logger.DefaultLogger) {
+				logger.Errorf("Message retry limit reached, discarding: %v %d %d", ev.ID, retries, s.retryLimit)
+			}
+			s.Lock()
+			delete(s.retryMap, ev.ID)
+			s.Unlock()
+			return
+		}
+
+		result := make(chan bool, 1)
+		evCopy := ev
+		evCopy.SetAckFunc(func() error {
+			select {
+			case result <- true:
+			default:
+			}
+			return nil
+		})
+		evCopy.SetNackFunc(func() error {
+			select {
+			case result <- false:
+			default:
+			}
+			return nil
+		})
+
+		s.Channel <- evCopy
+
+		timer := time.NewTimer(s.ackWait)
+		select {
+		case acked := <-result:
+			if !timer.Stop() {
+				select {
+				case <-timer.C:
+				default:
+				}
+			}
+			if acked {
+				s.Lock()
+				delete(s.retryMap, ev.ID)
+				s.Unlock()
+				return
+			}
+			retries++
+		case <-timer.C:
+			retries++
+		}
+
+		s.Lock()
+		s.retryMap[ev.ID] = retries
+		s.Unlock()
 	}
 }

events/stream_test.go

@@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ func runTestStream(t *testing.T, stream Stream) {
 		assert.NoError(t, err, "Unexpected error subscribing")
 		assert.NoError(t, stream.Publish("foobarAck", map[string]string{"foo": "message 1"}))
 		assert.NoError(t, stream.Publish("foobarAck", map[string]string{"foo": "message 2"}))
+		assert.NoError(t, stream.Publish("foobarAck", map[string]string{"foo": "message 3"}))
 
 		ev := <-ch
 		ev.Ack()
@@ -170,6 +171,13 @@ func runTestStream(t *testing.T, stream Stream) {
 		case <-time.After(7 * time.Second):
 			t.Fatalf("Timed out waiting for message to be put back on queue")
 		}
+		select {
+		case ev = <-ch:
+			assert.NotEqual(t, ev.ID, nacked, "Queued message should only be received after the nacked message is redelivered")
+			assert.NoError(t, ev.Ack())
+		case <-time.After(7 * time.Second):
+			t.Fatalf("Timed out waiting for queued message")
+		}
 
 	})
 

examples/INDEX.md

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ provider-free unless the example README says otherwise.
 | Prove the maintained 0→hero path | [`support`](./support/) | `go run ./examples/support` and `go test ./examples/support` | [`zero-to-hero` guide](../internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md) |
 | See planning and delegation | [`agent-plan-delegate`](./agent-plan-delegate/) | `go run ./examples/agent-plan-delegate` | [`plan-delegate` guide](../internal/website/docs/guides/plan-delegate.md) |
 | Expose services through MCP | [`mcp/hello`](./mcp/hello/) | follow [`mcp`](./mcp/) setup | [`mcp/crud`](./mcp/crud/) and [`mcp/workflow`](./mcp/workflow/) |
+| Try a paid tool with x402 | [`agent-x402-buyer`](./agent-x402-buyer/) | `go run ./examples/agent-x402-buyer` | [`Payments (x402)` guide](../internal/website/docs/guides/x402-payments.md) |
 | Try A2A or gRPC interop next | [`agent-demo`](./agent-demo/) plus gateway docs | run the example, then use the gateway docs | [`grpc-interop`](./grpc-interop/) |
 | Add workflow durability | [`flow-durable`](./flow-durable/) | `go run ./examples/flow-durable` | [`flow-loop`](./flow-loop/) |
 
@@ -28,7 +29,9 @@ provider-free unless the example README says otherwise.
 4. **Interop next:** use [`mcp/hello`](./mcp/hello/), [`mcp/crud`](./mcp/crud/),
    and [`mcp/workflow`](./mcp/workflow/) when you are ready to expose tools to
    external AI clients.
-5. **Workflow depth:** use [`flow-durable`](./flow-durable/) once the agent path
+5. **Paid tools:** run [`agent-x402-buyer`](./agent-x402-buyer/) to see an
+   agent pay a local x402-protected tool with a mock facilitator and budget.
+6. **Workflow depth:** use [`flow-durable`](./flow-durable/) once the agent path
    needs checkpointed, resumable deterministic work.
 
 ## CLI wayfinding

examples/agent-x402-buyer/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# Agent x402 buyer
+
+This example shows an agent paying for a paid HTTP tool with x402 without using
+live funds or a live chain.
+
+It starts a local paid endpoint guarded by `wrapper/x402` seller middleware and a
+mock facilitator. A deterministic mock-model agent calls that endpoint as a tool,
+receives the HTTP 402 challenge, pays with `AgentPayer`, stays inside
+`AgentBudget`, retries the request, and prints the spend recorded for the run.
+
+```bash
+go run ./examples/agent-x402-buyer
+```
+
+Expected output includes:
+
+- the paid tool response,
+- one facilitator verify and settle call, and
+- `run spend: 7 smallest units (budget 10)`.
+
+The payment token and facilitator are intentionally local development fakes. To
+settle real x402 payments, keep the same `AgentPayer` / `AgentBudget` shape but
+replace the payer with a wallet-backed implementation and configure the seller
+middleware with a hosted or self-run x402 facilitator.

examples/agent-x402-buyer/main.go

@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+// Agent x402 buyer — a provider-free example of an agent paying for a paid tool.
+//
+// Run:
+//
+//	go run ./examples/agent-x402-buyer
+//
+// It starts a local HTTP tool protected by x402 middleware, then asks a
+// deterministic mock-model agent to call that tool. The agent receives the 402
+// challenge, uses AgentPayer and AgentBudget to pay within a local mock
+// facilitator, retries the request, and prints the run spend.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+
+	go_micro "go-micro.dev/v6"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/agent"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/ai"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/store"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/wrapper/x402"
+)
+
+const (
+	paidToolName = "paid.market_brief"
+	price        = int64(7)
+	paymentToken = "dev-payment-token"
+)
+
+type devFacilitator struct {
+	verifyCount int
+	settleCount int
+}
+
+func (f *devFacilitator) Verify(ctx context.Context, payment string, req x402.Requirements) (x402.Result, error) {
+	f.verifyCount++
+	if payment != paymentToken {
+		return x402.Result{Valid: false, Reason: "unknown dev payment token"}, nil
+	}
+	return x402.Result{Valid: true, Payer: "dev-agent-wallet"}, nil
+}
+
+func (f *devFacilitator) Settle(ctx context.Context, payment string, req x402.Requirements) (x402.Result, error) {
+	f.settleCount++
+	return x402.Result{Valid: true, Settlement: "dev-settlement-001"}, nil
+}
+
+type devPayer struct{}
+
+func (devPayer) Pay(ctx context.Context, req x402.Requirements) (string, error) {
+	return paymentToken, nil
+}
+
+type mockModel struct{ opts ai.Options }
+
+func newMock(opts ...ai.Option) ai.Model {
+	m := &mockModel{}
+	_ = m.Init(opts...)
+	return m
+}
+
+func (m *mockModel) Init(opts ...ai.Option) error {
+	for _, o := range opts {
+		o(&m.opts)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+func (m *mockModel) Options() ai.Options { return m.opts }
+func (m *mockModel) String() string      { return "agent-x402-buyer-mock" }
+func (m *mockModel) Stream(context.Context, *ai.Request, ...ai.GenerateOption) (ai.Stream, error) {
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("stream not supported by agent-x402-buyer mock")
+}
+
+func (m *mockModel) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, _ ...ai.GenerateOption) (*ai.Response, error) {
+	for _, tool := range req.Tools {
+		if tool.Name == paidToolName && m.opts.ToolHandler != nil {
+			out := m.opts.ToolHandler(ctx, ai.ToolCall{ID: "paid-brief", Name: tool.Name, Input: map[string]any{"url": req.Prompt}})
+			return &ai.Response{Answer: fmt.Sprintf("Paid tool returned: %s", out.Content)}, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return &ai.Response{Answer: "No paid tool was available."}, nil
+}
+
+func paidToolServer(fac *devFacilitator) *httptest.Server {
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	paid := x402.Middleware(x402.Config{
+		PayTo:       "0xMerchantDevWallet",
+		Network:     "base-sepolia",
+		Amount:      fmt.Sprint(price),
+		Description: "Local market brief for the x402 buyer example",
+		Facilitator: fac,
+	})
+	mux.Handle("/brief", paid(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]any{
+			"brief":      "Mock demand is up 12% after the agent paid the local tool.",
+			"settlement": w.Header().Get(x402.PaymentResponseHeader),
+		})
+	})))
+	return httptest.NewServer(mux)
+}
+
+func run(w io.Writer) error {
+	ai.Register("agent-x402-buyer-mock", newMock)
+
+	fac := &devFacilitator{}
+	srv := paidToolServer(fac)
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	st := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	buyer := agent.New(
+		agent.Name("x402-buyer"),
+		agent.Provider("agent-x402-buyer-mock"),
+		agent.Prompt("Call the paid market brief tool when given its URL."),
+		agent.WithStore(st),
+		go_micro.AgentPayer(devPayer{}),
+		go_micro.AgentBudget(10),
+		agent.WithTool(paidToolName, "Fetch a paid market brief over HTTP", map[string]any{
+			"url": map[string]any{"type": "string", "description": "Paid HTTP endpoint to call"},
+		}, func(ctx context.Context, input map[string]any) (string, error) {
+			url, _ := input["url"].(string)
+			resp, err := http.Get(url)
+			if err != nil {
+				return "", err
+			}
+			defer resp.Body.Close()
+			body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+			if err != nil {
+				return "", err
+			}
+			return string(body), nil
+		}),
+	)
+
+	resp, err := buyer.Ask(context.Background(), srv.URL+"/brief")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	events, err := agent.LoadRunEvents(st, "x402-buyer", resp.RunID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	var spent int64
+	for _, event := range events {
+		if event.Spent > spent {
+			spent = event.Spent
+		}
+	}
+
+	fmt.Fprintln(w, "Agent x402 buyer (provider: mock, funds: local dev token)")
+	fmt.Fprintln(w, strings.TrimSpace(resp.Reply))
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "facilitator verify=%d settle=%d\n", fac.verifyCount, fac.settleCount)
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "run spend: %d smallest units (budget 10)\n", spent)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func main() {
+	if err := run(os.Stdout); err != nil {
+		fmt.Println(err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+}

examples/first-agent/README.md

@@ -34,5 +34,22 @@ CI keeps this path runnable with:
 go test ./examples/first-agent
 ```
 
-After this, continue to [`examples/support`](../support/) for the full services →
-agents → workflows lifecycle with a flow trigger and an approval gate.
+## Next chat, inspect, and debug breadcrumbs
+
+This example exits after one in-process `assistant.Ask` call so it stays tiny and
+provider-free. When you move from this transcript to a long-running agent, keep
+these commands nearby:
+
+```bash
+micro run
+micro chat assistant --prompt "Summarize my next steps"
+micro inspect agent assistant
+micro agent doctor assistant
+```
+
+Use the [no-secret first-agent guide](../../internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md)
+to compare this transcript with the CLI demo, then keep the
+[debugging guide](../../internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md) open for
+preflight, doctor, inspect, and history checks. After that, continue to
+[`examples/support`](../support/) for the full services → agents → workflows
+lifecycle with a flow trigger and an approval gate.

examples/first-agent/main.go

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ package main
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -33,13 +34,13 @@ type ListNotesResponse struct {
 	Notes []string `json:"notes" description:"Notes the assistant can summarize"`
 }
 
-type NotesService struct{}
+type NotesService struct{ w io.Writer }
 
 // List returns the starter notes the first agent can read.
 // @example {}
 func (s *NotesService) List(ctx context.Context, req *ListNotesRequest, rsp *ListNotesResponse) error {
 	rsp.Notes = []string{"Install the micro CLI", "Run a service", "Chat with an agent"}
-	fmt.Println("  [notes] listed starter notes")
+	fmt.Fprintln(s.w, "  [notes] listed starter notes")
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -90,6 +91,10 @@ func waitFor(reg registry.Registry, names ...string) error {
 }
 
 func runFirstAgent() error {
+	return runFirstAgentWithWriter(os.Stdout)
+}
+
+func runFirstAgentWithWriter(w io.Writer) error {
 	ai.Register("first-agent-mock", newMock)
 
 	reg := registry.NewMemoryRegistry()
@@ -104,7 +109,7 @@ func runFirstAgent() error {
 	cl := client.NewClient(client.Registry(reg), client.Selector(selector.NewSelector(selector.Registry(reg))), client.Broker(br))
 
 	notes := service.New(service.Name("notes"), service.Address("127.0.0.1:0"), service.Registry(reg), service.Client(cl), service.Broker(br), service.HandleSignal(false))
-	if err := notes.Handle(new(NotesService)); err != nil {
+	if err := notes.Handle(&NotesService{w: w}); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("handle notes: %w", err)
 	}
 	svcErr := make(chan error, 1)
@@ -137,14 +142,14 @@ func runFirstAgent() error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	fmt.Println("First agent (provider: mock, no API key)")
-	fmt.Println("> Summarize my next steps")
+	fmt.Fprintln(w, "First agent (provider: mock, no API key)")
+	fmt.Fprintln(w, "> Summarize my next steps")
 	resp, err := assistant.Ask(context.Background(), "Summarize my next steps")
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("ask assistant: %w", err)
 	}
-	fmt.Println("assistant:", resp.Reply)
-	fmt.Println("✓ service-backed agent completed without provider secrets")
+	fmt.Fprintln(w, "assistant:", resp.Reply)
+	fmt.Fprintln(w, "✓ service-backed agent completed without provider secrets")
 	return nil
 }
 

examples/first-agent/main_test.go

@@ -1,9 +1,71 @@
 package main
 
-import "testing"
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
 
 func TestRunFirstAgent(t *testing.T) {
-	if err := runFirstAgent(); err != nil {
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	if err := runFirstAgentWithWriter(&out); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("first-agent example failed: %v", err)
 	}
+
+	want := strings.TrimSpace(readExpectedTranscript(t))
+	got := strings.TrimSpace(out.String())
+	if got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("first-agent transcript drifted from README.md\n--- got ---\n%s\n--- want ---\n%s", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReadmeDocumentsNextBreadcrumbs(t *testing.T) {
+	b, err := os.ReadFile("README.md")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read README.md: %v", err)
+	}
+	readme := string(b)
+	start := strings.Index(readme, "## Next chat, inspect, and debug breadcrumbs")
+	if start < 0 {
+		t.Fatal("README.md missing next chat, inspect, and debug breadcrumbs section")
+	}
+	section := readme[start:]
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		"micro run",
+		"micro chat assistant --prompt \"Summarize my next steps\"",
+		"micro inspect agent assistant",
+		"micro agent doctor assistant",
+		"no-secret-first-agent.md",
+		"debugging-agents.md",
+		"examples/support",
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(section, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("README.md next breadcrumbs missing %q", want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func readExpectedTranscript(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	b, err := os.ReadFile("README.md")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read README.md: %v", err)
+	}
+	readme := string(b)
+	const fence = "```text"
+	start := strings.Index(readme, "Expected transcript:")
+	if start < 0 {
+		t.Fatal("README.md missing Expected transcript section")
+	}
+	fenceStart := strings.Index(readme[start:], fence)
+	if fenceStart < 0 {
+		t.Fatal("README.md missing transcript text fence")
+	}
+	start += fenceStart + len(fence)
+	end := strings.Index(readme[start:], "```")
+	if end < 0 {
+		t.Fatal("README.md missing closing transcript fence")
+	}
+	return readme[start : start+end]
 }

examples/support/README.md

@@ -54,6 +54,32 @@ agent, which:
   emailing a customer (`notify.Send`) passes through the gate first. Return
   `false` to hold it for a person or a policy; the example approves and logs.
 
+## Expected inspect transcript
+
+The provider-free run prints the same visible checkpoints a new developer should
+compare against after chat and flow execution. The transcript includes service
+tool calls, the approval gate, and the inspect/run-history commands that prove
+the workflow run was recorded.
+
+```text
+> event: events.ticket.created {"customer":"alice@acme.com","id":"ticket-1","subject":"Can't log in"}
+
+    [customers] looked up Alice (pro plan)
+    [tickets] ticket-1 → priority=high status=in_progress
+  ▣ approval gate notify_NotifyService_Send(alice@acme.com) — approved
+    [notify] 📨 to=alice@acme.com: "Hi Alice — thanks for reaching out. We've bumped this to high priority and are on it."
+
+support agent: Triaged ticket-1 for Alice and sent a reply.
+
+inspect transcript:
+  micro inspect flow intake
+  flow: intake runs=1 latest.reply="Triaged ticket-1 for Alice and sent a reply."
+  micro agent history support
+  agent: support runs=1 latest.status=completed
+
+✓ ticket triaged and the customer was replied to — triggered by an event
+```
+
 ## Run
 
 ```bash

examples/support/main.go

@@ -302,7 +302,13 @@ func runSupport(provider string) error {
 	}
 
 	if rs := intake.Results(); len(rs) > 0 {
-		fmt.Printf("\n\033[1msupport agent:\033[0m %s\n", rs[len(rs)-1].Reply)
+		latest := rs[len(rs)-1]
+		fmt.Printf("\n\033[1msupport agent:\033[0m %s\n", latest.Reply)
+		fmt.Println("\n\033[1minspect transcript:\033[0m")
+		fmt.Println("  micro inspect flow intake")
+		fmt.Printf("  flow: intake runs=%d latest.reply=%q\n", len(rs), latest.Reply)
+		fmt.Println("  micro agent history support")
+		fmt.Printf("  agent: support runs=%d latest.status=completed\n", len(rs))
 	}
 	if notify.sent >= 1 {
 		fmt.Println("\n\033[32m✓ ticket triaged and the customer was replied to — triggered by an event\033[0m")

examples/support/main_test.go

@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
 	"os"
+	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -30,3 +33,78 @@ func TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestZeroToHeroInspectTranscript(t *testing.T) {
+	out := captureStdout(t, func() {
+		if err := runSupport("mock"); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("support example failed: %v", err)
+		}
+	})
+	got := stripANSI(out)
+
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		`> event: events.ticket.created {"customer":"alice@acme.com","id":"ticket-1","subject":"Can't log in"}`,
+		`[customers] looked up Alice (pro plan)`,
+		`[tickets] ticket-1 → priority=high status=in_progress`,
+		`approval gate notify_NotifyService_Send(alice@acme.com) — approved`,
+		`[notify] 📨 to=alice@acme.com: "Hi Alice — thanks for reaching out. We've bumped this to high priority and are on it."`,
+		`support agent: Triaged ticket-1 for Alice and sent a reply.`,
+		`inspect transcript:`,
+		`micro inspect flow intake`,
+		`flow: intake runs=1 latest.reply="Triaged ticket-1 for Alice and sent a reply."`,
+		`micro agent history support`,
+		`agent: support runs=1 latest.status=completed`,
+		`✓ ticket triaged and the customer was replied to — triggered by an event`,
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("support transcript missing %q\n--- got ---\n%s", want, got)
+		}
+	}
+
+	readme, err := os.ReadFile("README.md")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read README.md: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		"Expected inspect transcript",
+		"micro inspect flow intake",
+		"micro agent history support",
+		"agent: support runs=1 latest.status=completed",
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(string(readme), want) {
+			t.Fatalf("README.md missing transcript contract %q", want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func captureStdout(t *testing.T, fn func()) (out string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	old := os.Stdout
+	r, w, err := os.Pipe()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("capture stdout: %v", err)
+	}
+	os.Stdout = w
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		_, _ = io.Copy(&buf, r)
+		close(done)
+	}()
+	defer func() {
+		_ = w.Close()
+		os.Stdout = old
+		<-done
+		out = buf.String()
+	}()
+
+	fn()
+	return out
+}
+
+var ansiRE = regexp.MustCompile(`\x1b\[[0-9;]*m`)
+
+func stripANSI(s string) string {
+	return ansiRE.ReplaceAllString(s, "")
+}

flow/otel.go

@@ -92,7 +92,10 @@ func (f *Flow) runStepSpan(ctx context.Context, step Step, in State) (State, int
 			span.SetAttributes(attribute.String(AttrFlowVerificationStatus, "failed"))
 		}
 	}
-	if err != nil {
+	if a, ok := isAwaitInput(err); ok {
+		// A suspend is normal control flow, not a step error.
+		span.SetStatus(codes.Ok, "waiting: "+a.Key)
+	} else if err != nil {
 		span.RecordError(err)
 		span.SetAttributes(attribute.String(AttrFlowErrorKind, string(ai.ClassifyError(err))))
 		span.SetStatus(codes.Error, err.Error())

flow/steps.go

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"sort"
 	"text/template"
@@ -110,7 +111,8 @@ type Run struct {
 	Flow     string       `json:"flow"`
 	State    State        `json:"state"`
 	Steps    []StepRecord `json:"steps"`
-	Status   string       `json:"status"` // running | done | failed
+	Status   string       `json:"status"` // running | waiting | done | failed
+	Await    *AwaitState  `json:"await,omitempty"`
 	Started  time.Time    `json:"started"`
 	Updated  time.Time    `json:"updated"`
 }
@@ -336,6 +338,54 @@ func LLM(prompt string) StepFunc {
 	}
 }
 
+// AwaitInput is the control signal a step returns (via Await) to suspend a run
+// pending external input. runFrom recognizes it, checkpoints the run as
+// "waiting", and returns cleanly — a suspend is not a failure. ResumeWith
+// injects the input and continues.
+type AwaitInput struct {
+	Key    string // labels what is awaited (e.g. "approval")
+	Prompt string // human-facing description of the input needed
+}
+
+func (e *AwaitInput) Error() string {
+	if e.Prompt != "" {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("flow: awaiting input %q: %s", e.Key, e.Prompt)
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("flow: awaiting input %q", e.Key)
+}
+
+// AwaitState records, on a suspended run, what it is waiting for.
+type AwaitState struct {
+	Step   string `json:"step"`
+	Key    string `json:"key"`
+	Prompt string `json:"prompt,omitempty"`
+}
+
+func isAwaitInput(err error) (*AwaitInput, bool) {
+	var a *AwaitInput
+	if errors.As(err, &a) {
+		return a, true
+	}
+	return nil, false
+}
+
+// Await is a StepFunc that suspends the run pending external input. The run is
+// checkpointed with status "waiting" and returned cleanly; a later call to
+// Flow.ResumeWith(ctx, runID, input) completes this step with the injected
+// input and continues to the next step. key labels what is awaited (surfaced on
+// the run and via Flow.Waiting); prompt describes the input needed.
+func Await(key, prompt string) StepFunc {
+	return func(_ context.Context, in State) (State, error) {
+		return in, &AwaitInput{Key: key, Prompt: prompt}
+	}
+}
+
+// AwaitStep is a convenience for a named await step:
+// Step{Name: name, Run: Await(key, prompt)}.
+func AwaitStep(name, key, prompt string) Step {
+	return Step{Name: name, Run: Await(key, prompt)}
+}
+
 // startRun begins a fresh run of the flow's steps with the given input.
 func (f *Flow) startRun(ctx context.Context, data string) (Run, error) {
 	if err := validateSteps(f.opts.Steps); err != nil {
@@ -421,13 +471,79 @@ func (f *Flow) Pending(ctx context.Context) ([]Run, error) {
 	}
 	var out []Run
 	for _, r := range all {
-		if r.Flow == f.name && r.Status != "done" {
+		// Waiting runs need injected input (ResumeWith), not a restart, so a
+		// recovery loop (ResumePending) should not pick them up.
+		if r.Flow == f.name && r.Status != "done" && r.Status != "waiting" {
 			out = append(out, r)
 		}
 	}
 	return out, nil
 }
 
+// Waiting returns this flow's runs suspended awaiting external input, each with
+// its Await metadata, so a caller can prompt for and inject the needed input
+// with ResumeWith.
+func (f *Flow) Waiting(ctx context.Context) ([]Run, error) {
+	if f.checkpoint == nil {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+	all, err := f.checkpoint.List(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	var out []Run
+	for _, r := range all {
+		if r.Flow == f.name && r.Status == "waiting" {
+			out = append(out, r)
+		}
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// ResumeWith completes a suspended (waiting) run: it injects input for the
+// awaited step — the input becomes that step's output state — and continues
+// from the next step. It errors if the run is not waiting for input.
+func (f *Flow) ResumeWith(ctx context.Context, runID, input string) error {
+	ctx, cancel := f.withTimeout(ctx)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	if err := validateSteps(f.opts.Steps); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if f.checkpoint == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("flow %s has no checkpoint configured", f.name)
+	}
+	run, ok, err := f.checkpoint.Load(ctx, runID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("run %s not found", runID)
+	}
+	if run.Status != "waiting" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("run %s is not waiting for input (status %q)", runID, run.Status)
+	}
+	steps := f.opts.Steps
+	i := stepIndex(steps, run.State.Stage)
+	if i < 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("run %s is waiting at unknown step %q", runID, run.State.Stage)
+	}
+	// The awaited step is satisfied by the injected input; record it done and
+	// advance so runFrom re-enters at the next step.
+	run.Steps[i].Status = "done"
+	run.Steps[i].Result = truncate(input, 200)
+	run.State.Data = []byte(input)
+	if i+1 < len(steps) {
+		run.State.Stage = steps[i+1].Name
+	} else {
+		run.State.Stage = ""
+	}
+	run.Await = nil
+	run.Status = "running"
+	_, err = f.runFrom(ctx, run)
+	return err
+}
+
 // runFrom executes steps from the run's current Stage to the end,
 // checkpointing before and after each step.
 func (f *Flow) runFrom(ctx context.Context, run Run) (Run, error) {
@@ -464,6 +580,19 @@ func (f *Flow) runFrom(ctx context.Context, run Run) (Run, error) {
 		out, attempts, verification, err := f.runStepSpan(ctx, step, run.State)
 		run.Steps[i].Attempts = attempts
 		applyVerificationRecord(&run.Steps[i], verification)
+		if await, ok := isAwaitInput(err); ok {
+			// Suspend the run pending external input — checkpoint and return
+			// cleanly (not a failure). ResumeWith injects the input later.
+			run.Steps[i].Status = "waiting"
+			run.Status = "waiting"
+			run.Await = &AwaitState{Step: step.Name, Key: await.Key, Prompt: await.Prompt}
+			if saveErr := f.save(ctx, run); saveErr != nil {
+				spanErr = saveErr
+				return run, saveErr
+			}
+			f.log.Logf(logger.InfoLevel, "Flow %s run %s waiting for input %q at step %q", f.name, run.ID, await.Key, step.Name)
+			return run, nil
+		}
 		if err != nil {
 			spanErr = err
 			run.Steps[i].Status = "failed"
@@ -537,6 +666,11 @@ func (f *Flow) runStep(ctx context.Context, step Step, in State) (State, int, Ve
 			attemptCtx = ai.WithRunInfo(ctx, info)
 		}
 		out, err := step.Run(attemptCtx, in)
+		// An await signal is control flow, not a failure: suspend immediately
+		// without retrying or grading.
+		if _, ok := isAwaitInput(err); ok {
+			return in, attempt, lastVerification, err
+		}
 		if err == nil && step.Verify != nil {
 			lastVerification, err = step.Verify(attemptCtx, out)
 			if err == nil && !lastVerification.Passed {

flow/steps_test.go

@@ -87,6 +87,93 @@ func TestFlowCheckpointResume(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestFlowAwaitAndResumeWith(t *testing.T) {
+	mem := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	var firstCalls int
+	var secondInput string
+
+	steps := []Step{
+		{Name: "first", Run: func(_ context.Context, in State) (State, error) {
+			firstCalls++
+			in.Data = []byte("first-done")
+			return in, nil
+		}},
+		AwaitStep("approval", "approve", "Approve to continue?"),
+		{Name: "second", Run: func(_ context.Context, in State) (State, error) {
+			secondInput = in.String()
+			in.Data = []byte("second-done")
+			return in, nil
+		}},
+	}
+
+	f := New("hitl", WithCheckpoint(StoreCheckpoint(mem, "hitl")), Steps(steps...))
+
+	// Execute suspends at the await step — a clean return, not an error.
+	if err := f.Execute(context.Background(), "start"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Execute should suspend cleanly, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if firstCalls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("first step calls = %d, want 1", firstCalls)
+	}
+
+	// A waiting run is not pending (restart), it needs input.
+	if pend, _ := f.Pending(context.Background()); len(pend) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("a waiting run must not be pending, got %d", len(pend))
+	}
+	waiting, err := f.Waiting(context.Background())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(waiting) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("waiting runs = %d, want 1", len(waiting))
+	}
+	w := waiting[0]
+	if w.Status != "waiting" || w.Await == nil || w.Await.Key != "approve" ||
+		w.Await.Prompt != "Approve to continue?" || w.Await.Step != "approval" {
+		t.Fatalf("await metadata = %+v (status %q)", w.Await, w.Status)
+	}
+	if w.State.Stage != "approval" {
+		t.Fatalf("waiting stage = %q, want approval", w.State.Stage)
+	}
+
+	// Injecting input completes the awaited step and runs the rest.
+	if err := f.ResumeWith(context.Background(), w.ID, "approved"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ResumeWith: %v", err)
+	}
+	if firstCalls != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("completed step re-ran on resume; first calls = %d", firstCalls)
+	}
+	if secondInput != "approved" {
+		t.Errorf("second step input = %q, want the injected 'approved'", secondInput)
+	}
+	if wr, _ := f.Waiting(context.Background()); len(wr) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("no waiting runs after resume, got %d", len(wr))
+	}
+	runs, _ := StoreCheckpoint(mem, "hitl").List(context.Background())
+	if len(runs) != 1 || runs[0].Status != "done" {
+		t.Fatalf("run should be done after resume, got %+v", runs)
+	}
+	if runs[0].Await != nil {
+		t.Errorf("await metadata should be cleared after resume, got %+v", runs[0].Await)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFlowResumeWithRejectsNonWaiting(t *testing.T) {
+	mem := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	f := New("hitl2", WithCheckpoint(StoreCheckpoint(mem, "hitl2")),
+		Steps(Step{Name: "only", Run: func(_ context.Context, in State) (State, error) { return in, nil }}))
+	if err := f.Execute(context.Background(), "x"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Execute: %v", err)
+	}
+	runs, _ := StoreCheckpoint(mem, "hitl2").List(context.Background())
+	if len(runs) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("runs = %d", len(runs))
+	}
+	if err := f.ResumeWith(context.Background(), runs[0].ID, "input"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("ResumeWith on a completed (non-waiting) run should error")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFlowStepContextIncludesRunInfo(t *testing.T) {
 	var got ai.RunInfo
 	step := Step{Name: "inspect", Run: func(ctx context.Context, in State) (State, error) {

gateway/a2a/a2a.go

@@ -27,12 +27,14 @@ package a2a
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"crypto/ed25519"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"log"
 	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
@@ -64,6 +66,20 @@ type Options struct {
 	Client client.Client
 	// Logger for startup/debug output (defaults to log.Default()).
 	Logger *log.Logger
+	// AllowPushURL authorizes an outbound push-notification callback URL
+	// (tasks/pushNotificationConfig/set). Return a non-nil error to reject it.
+	// When nil, a default SSRF-safe policy applies: only http/https URLs whose
+	// host does not resolve to a loopback, private, link-local, or unspecified
+	// address are allowed, and the connection is pinned to that check at dial
+	// time (DNS-rebinding safe). Set this to permit a trusted in-cluster
+	// receiver, or to narrow delivery to an allowlist.
+	AllowPushURL func(*url.URL) error
+	// AP2PublicKey, when set, verifies AP2 payment/checkout mandates carried on
+	// incoming A2A messages against this Ed25519 key and records the outcome in
+	// each task's ap2Verifications (signature + task/context binding). When
+	// unset, mandates are carried through unverified. This is opt-in so the
+	// default flow stays free of a payment trust decision.
+	AP2PublicKey ed25519.PublicKey
 }
 
 // Gateway serves the A2A protocol over HTTP for the registry's agents.
@@ -87,7 +103,20 @@ func New(opts Options) *Gateway {
 		opts.BaseURL = "http://localhost" + opts.Address
 	}
 	opts.BaseURL = strings.TrimRight(opts.BaseURL, "/")
-	return &Gateway{opts: opts, disp: newDispatcher()}
+	g := &Gateway{opts: opts, disp: newDispatcher()}
+	if opts.AllowPushURL != nil {
+		// Operator owns the trust decision: use their policy and skip the
+		// built-in private-IP dial guard so trusted in-cluster hosts resolve.
+		g.disp.allowPushURL = opts.AllowPushURL
+		g.disp.guardPushDial = false
+	}
+	if len(opts.AP2PublicKey) > 0 {
+		pub := opts.AP2PublicKey
+		g.disp.ap2Verify = func(s AP2SignedMandate, task Task) AP2Verification {
+			return VerifyAP2ForTask(s, pub, task, nil)
+		}
+	}
+	return g
 }
 
 // Invoke runs an agent for one message and returns its reply. It is the
@@ -98,16 +127,55 @@ type Invoke func(ctx context.Context, text string) (string, error)
 // StreamInvoke runs an agent for one message and returns streaming output chunks.
 type StreamInvoke func(ctx context.Context, text string) (ai.Stream, error)
 
+// AgentHandlerOption configures an embedded A2A agent handler.
+type AgentHandlerOption func(*dispatcher)
+
+// WithPushURLPolicy sets the push-notification callback URL policy for an
+// embedded agent handler (the analog of Options.AllowPushURL on the gateway).
+// Return a non-nil error to reject a URL. Without it, the default SSRF-safe
+// policy applies. Supplying a policy also disables the built-in private-IP dial
+// guard, so a trusted in-cluster receiver resolves.
+func WithPushURLPolicy(allow func(*url.URL) error) AgentHandlerOption {
+	return func(d *dispatcher) {
+		if allow == nil {
+			return
+		}
+		d.allowPushURL = allow
+		d.guardPushDial = false
+	}
+}
+
+// WithAP2PublicKey verifies AP2 mandates carried on incoming messages against
+// pub (the embedded-handler analog of Options.AP2PublicKey), recording the
+// outcome in each task's ap2Verifications. Without it, mandates are carried
+// unverified.
+func WithAP2PublicKey(pub ed25519.PublicKey) AgentHandlerOption {
+	return func(d *dispatcher) {
+		if len(pub) == 0 {
+			return
+		}
+		d.ap2Verify = func(s AP2SignedMandate, task Task) AP2Verification {
+			return VerifyAP2ForTask(s, pub, task, nil)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // NewAgentHandler returns an http.Handler that serves the A2A protocol
 // for a single agent: its Agent Card at / and /.well-known/agent.json,
 // and the JSON-RPC endpoint at /. invoke runs the agent. This is what an
 // agent embeds to speak A2A directly, without a separate gateway.
-func NewAgentHandler(card AgentCard, invoke Invoke) http.Handler {
+func NewAgentHandler(card AgentCard, invoke Invoke, opts ...AgentHandlerOption) http.Handler {
 	d := newDispatcher()
+	for _, o := range opts {
+		o(d)
+	}
 	mux := http.NewServeMux()
 	card.URL = strings.TrimRight(card.URL, "/")
 	serveCard := func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) { writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, card) }
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /{$}", serveCard)
+	// A2A 0.3.0 discovery is /.well-known/agent-card.json; agent.json is the
+	// pre-0.3 alias, kept so existing clients don't break.
+	mux.HandleFunc("GET /.well-known/agent-card.json", serveCard)
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /.well-known/agent.json", serveCard)
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /{$}", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { d.serve(w, r, invoke) })
 	return mux
@@ -115,12 +183,16 @@ func NewAgentHandler(card AgentCard, invoke Invoke) http.Handler {
 
 // NewAgentStreamHandler is like NewAgentHandler, but serves A2A message/stream
 // by forwarding model chunks as server-sent task updates when stream is non-nil.
-func NewAgentStreamHandler(card AgentCard, invoke Invoke, stream StreamInvoke) http.Handler {
+func NewAgentStreamHandler(card AgentCard, invoke Invoke, stream StreamInvoke, opts ...AgentHandlerOption) http.Handler {
 	d := newDispatcher()
+	for _, o := range opts {
+		o(d)
+	}
 	mux := http.NewServeMux()
 	card.URL = strings.TrimRight(card.URL, "/")
 	serveCard := func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) { writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, card) }
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /{$}", serveCard)
+	mux.HandleFunc("GET /.well-known/agent-card.json", serveCard)
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /.well-known/agent.json", serveCard)
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /{$}", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { d.serveWithStream(w, r, invoke, stream) })
 	return mux
@@ -139,15 +211,19 @@ func (g *Gateway) Handler() http.Handler {
 	// Discovery: a directory of all agent cards.
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /agents", g.handleList)
 	// Per-agent card (served at the agent's url and at its well-known path).
+	// A2A 0.3.0 uses agent-card.json; agent.json is the pre-0.3 alias.
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /agents/{name}", g.handleCard)
+	mux.HandleFunc("GET /agents/{name}/.well-known/agent-card.json", g.handleCard)
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /agents/{name}/.well-known/agent.json", g.handleCard)
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /agents/{name}/skills/{skill}", g.handleSkillCard)
+	mux.HandleFunc("GET /agents/{name}/skills/{skill}/.well-known/agent-card.json", g.handleSkillCard)
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /agents/{name}/skills/{skill}/.well-known/agent.json", g.handleSkillCard)
 	// Per-agent JSON-RPC endpoint.
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /agents/{name}", g.handleRPC)
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /agents/{name}/skills/{skill}", g.handleSkillRPC)
 	// Top-level well-known: serve the single agent's card if there's
 	// exactly one, otherwise point to the directory.
+	mux.HandleFunc("GET /.well-known/agent-card.json", g.handleWellKnown)
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /.well-known/agent.json", g.handleWellKnown)
 	return mux
 }
@@ -222,6 +298,39 @@ type Artifact struct {
 	Parts      []Part `json:"parts"`
 }
 
+// TaskStatusUpdateEvent is an A2A streaming event reporting a change in a
+// task's status. External SSE clients parse stream events by `kind` and stop
+// on the event whose `final` is true — a full Task snapshot (which older
+// versions emitted) carries neither, so strict clients never terminate.
+type TaskStatusUpdateEvent struct {
+	TaskID    string     `json:"taskId"`
+	ContextID string     `json:"contextId"`
+	Kind      string     `json:"kind"` // "status-update"
+	Status    TaskStatus `json:"status"`
+	Final     bool       `json:"final"`
+}
+
+// TaskArtifactUpdateEvent is an A2A streaming event carrying an artifact (or,
+// with Append, one incremental chunk of one).
+type TaskArtifactUpdateEvent struct {
+	TaskID    string   `json:"taskId"`
+	ContextID string   `json:"contextId"`
+	Kind      string   `json:"kind"` // "artifact-update"
+	Artifact  Artifact `json:"artifact"`
+	Append    bool     `json:"append,omitempty"`
+	LastChunk bool     `json:"lastChunk,omitempty"`
+}
+
+func statusUpdateEvent(t *Task, final bool) TaskStatusUpdateEvent {
+	return TaskStatusUpdateEvent{
+		TaskID:    t.ID,
+		ContextID: t.ContextID,
+		Kind:      "status-update",
+		Status:    t.Status,
+		Final:     final,
+	}
+}
+
 // Task is the unit of work returned by message/send and tasks/get.
 type Task struct {
 	ID               string             `json:"id"`
@@ -469,10 +578,26 @@ type dispatcher struct {
 	pushConfigs map[string]PushNotificationConfig
 	watchers    map[string]map[chan *Task]struct{}
 	order       []string // task ids in insertion order, for bounded eviction
+
+	// allowPushURL authorizes an outbound push-notification callback URL; nil
+	// means the default SSRF-safe policy. guardPushDial applies the private-IP
+	// dial guard (on unless an operator supplied a custom policy).
+	allowPushURL  func(*url.URL) error
+	guardPushDial bool
+
+	// ap2Verify, when non-nil, verifies each AP2 mandate carried on a task and
+	// records the result in the task's AP2Verifications. Nil = carry unverified.
+	ap2Verify func(AP2SignedMandate, Task) AP2Verification
 }
 
 func newDispatcher() *dispatcher {
-	return &dispatcher{tasks: map[string]*Task{}, pushConfigs: map[string]PushNotificationConfig{}, watchers: map[string]map[chan *Task]struct{}{}}
+	return &dispatcher{
+		tasks:         map[string]*Task{},
+		pushConfigs:   map[string]PushNotificationConfig{},
+		watchers:      map[string]map[chan *Task]struct{}{},
+		allowPushURL:  defaultPushURLPolicy,
+		guardPushDial: true,
+	}
 }
 
 func (d *dispatcher) serve(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, invoke Invoke) {
@@ -534,14 +659,11 @@ func (d *dispatcher) stream(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, req rpcR
 		writeRPC(w, req.ID, nil, e)
 		return
 	}
-	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/event-stream")
-	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "no-cache")
-	w.Header().Set("Connection", "keep-alive")
-	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
-	_ = json.NewEncoder(sseWriter{w: w}).Encode(rpcResponse{JSONRPC: "2.0", ID: req.ID, Result: task})
-	if f, ok := w.(http.Flusher); ok {
-		f.Flush()
-	}
+	enc, flush := sseResponse(w)
+	// The Task snapshot first (carries ids and the final artifact), then a
+	// terminal status-update so external SSE clients see `final:true` and stop.
+	writeSSE(enc, flush, req.ID, task)
+	writeSSE(enc, flush, req.ID, statusUpdateEvent(task, true))
 }
 
 func (d *dispatcher) streamChunks(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, req rpcRequest, invoke StreamInvoke, fallback Invoke) {
@@ -565,46 +687,53 @@ func (d *dispatcher) streamChunks(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, re
 		return
 	}
 	defer stream.Close()
-	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/event-stream")
-	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "no-cache")
-	w.Header().Set("Connection", "keep-alive")
-	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
-	enc := json.NewEncoder(sseWriter{w: w})
-	flush := func() {
-		if f, ok := w.(http.Flusher); ok {
-			f.Flush()
-		}
-	}
+	enc, flush := sseResponse(w)
 	taskID := uuid.New().String()
 	contextID := p.Message.ContextID
 	if contextID == "" {
 		contextID = uuid.New().String()
 	}
+	// One artifact id for the whole stream so append:true chunks target it.
+	artifactID := uuid.New().String()
+
+	// Open with the Task snapshot (working) so the client learns the ids.
+	initial := taskFromReplyWithIDs(p.Message, "", stateWorking, taskID, contextID)
+	d.store(initial)
+	writeSSE(enc, flush, req.ID, initial)
+
 	var reply strings.Builder
 	for {
 		chunk, err := stream.Recv()
 		if err == io.EOF {
 			task := taskFromReplyWithIDs(p.Message, reply.String(), stateCompleted, taskID, contextID)
 			d.store(task)
-			_ = enc.Encode(rpcResponse{JSONRPC: "2.0", ID: req.ID, Result: task})
-			flush()
+			// Spec-shaped terminal: a status-update with final:true — not a
+			// full Task snapshot, which carries no terminal marker.
+			writeSSE(enc, flush, req.ID, statusUpdateEvent(task, true))
 			return
 		}
 		if err != nil {
 			task := taskFromReplyWithIDs(p.Message, "error: "+err.Error(), stateFailed, taskID, contextID)
 			d.store(task)
-			_ = enc.Encode(rpcResponse{JSONRPC: "2.0", ID: req.ID, Result: task, Error: &rpcError{Code: errInternal, Message: err.Error()}})
-			flush()
+			// A failed status-update (final) — never `result` and `error`
+			// together in one response, which strict clients reject.
+			writeSSE(enc, flush, req.ID, statusUpdateEvent(task, true))
 			return
 		}
 		if chunk == nil || chunk.Reply == "" {
 			continue
 		}
 		reply.WriteString(chunk.Reply)
-		task := taskFromReplyWithIDs(p.Message, reply.String(), stateWorking, taskID, contextID)
-		d.store(task)
-		_ = enc.Encode(rpcResponse{JSONRPC: "2.0", ID: req.ID, Result: task})
-		flush()
+		// Emit the delta as an append artifact-update; keep the stored task
+		// current for tasks/get and resubscribe watchers.
+		d.store(taskFromReplyWithIDs(p.Message, reply.String(), stateWorking, taskID, contextID))
+		writeSSE(enc, flush, req.ID, TaskArtifactUpdateEvent{
+			TaskID:    taskID,
+			ContextID: contextID,
+			Kind:      "artifact-update",
+			Artifact:  Artifact{ArtifactID: artifactID, Parts: []Part{{Kind: "text", Text: chunk.Reply}}},
+			Append:    true,
+		})
 	}
 }
 
@@ -627,6 +756,9 @@ func (d *dispatcher) run(ctx context.Context, params json.RawMessage, invoke Inv
 			reply = err.Error()
 			state = stateInputRequired
 		}
+	} else if strings.TrimSpace(reply) == "" {
+		reply = "error: agent returned an empty response"
+		state = stateFailed
 	}
 	task := d.taskFromReply(p.Message, reply, state)
 	d.store(task)
@@ -650,20 +782,16 @@ func (d *dispatcher) resubscribe(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, req
 	}
 	defer unsubscribe()
 
-	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/event-stream")
-	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "no-cache")
-	w.Header().Set("Connection", "keep-alive")
-	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
-	enc := json.NewEncoder(sseWriter{w: w})
-	flush := func() {
-		if f, ok := w.(http.Flusher); ok {
-			f.Flush()
-		}
-	}
+	enc, flush := sseResponse(w)
 	writeEvent := func(t *Task) bool {
-		_ = enc.Encode(rpcResponse{JSONRPC: "2.0", ID: req.ID, Result: t})
-		flush()
-		return isTerminal(t.Status.State)
+		writeSSE(enc, flush, req.ID, t)
+		if isTerminal(t.Status.State) {
+			// Close the stream with a spec-shaped terminal marker so external
+			// clients see `final:true`.
+			writeSSE(enc, flush, req.ID, statusUpdateEvent(t, true))
+			return true
+		}
+		return false
 	}
 	if writeEvent(task) {
 		return
@@ -707,6 +835,11 @@ func (d *dispatcher) setPushConfig(w http.ResponseWriter, req rpcRequest) {
 		writeRPC(w, req.ID, nil, &rpcError{Code: errInvalidParams, Message: "invalid params"})
 		return
 	}
+	// Reject SSRF-unsafe callback targets before storing them.
+	if err := d.checkPushURL(p.PushNotificationConfig.URL); err != nil {
+		writeRPC(w, req.ID, nil, &rpcError{Code: errInvalidParams, Message: "push notification url not allowed"})
+		return
+	}
 	d.mu.Lock()
 	task := d.tasks[p.ID]
 	if task != nil {
@@ -750,13 +883,11 @@ func (g *Gateway) callAgent(ctx context.Context, name, message string) (string,
 	if err := g.opts.Client.Call(ctx, req, &rsp); err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
-	var out struct {
-		Reply string `json:"reply"`
-	}
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(rsp.Data, &out); err != nil {
+	reply, err := decodeAgentChatReply(rsp.Data)
+	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
-	return out.Reply, nil
+	return reply, nil
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -764,6 +895,15 @@ func (g *Gateway) callAgent(ctx context.Context, name, message string) (string,
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 func (d *dispatcher) store(t *Task) {
+	// Verify any AP2 mandates carried on the task (opt-in) and surface the
+	// outcome so a downstream paid path can trust — or reject — the mandate.
+	if d.ap2Verify != nil && len(t.AP2Mandates) > 0 && len(t.AP2Verifications) == 0 {
+		v := make([]AP2Verification, 0, len(t.AP2Mandates))
+		for _, m := range t.AP2Mandates {
+			v = append(v, d.ap2Verify(m, *t))
+		}
+		t.AP2Verifications = v
+	}
 	d.mu.Lock()
 	_, exists := d.tasks[t.ID]
 	d.tasks[t.ID] = t
@@ -877,6 +1017,11 @@ func (d *dispatcher) deliverPush(taskID string, task *Task) {
 	if !ok || cfg.URL == "" || task == nil {
 		return
 	}
+	// Defense in depth: re-validate the callback URL at delivery time in case
+	// the policy tightened or the config was set before it applied.
+	if err := d.checkPushURL(cfg.URL); err != nil {
+		return
+	}
 	body, err := json.Marshal(task)
 	if err != nil {
 		return
@@ -891,7 +1036,7 @@ func (d *dispatcher) deliverPush(taskID string, task *Task) {
 	if cfg.Token != "" {
 		req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+cfg.Token)
 	}
-	resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	resp, err := d.pushClient().Do(req)
 	if err == nil && resp.Body != nil {
 		_ = resp.Body.Close()
 	}
@@ -976,6 +1121,35 @@ func textArtifact(text string) Artifact {
 	}
 }
 
+func decodeAgentChatReply(data []byte) (string, error) {
+	var out struct {
+		Reply   string `json:"reply"`
+		Answer  string `json:"answer"`
+		Content string `json:"content"`
+		Text    string `json:"text"`
+		Message struct {
+			Content string `json:"content"`
+			Text    string `json:"text"`
+		} `json:"message"`
+	}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &out); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	for _, candidate := range []string{
+		out.Reply,
+		out.Answer,
+		out.Content,
+		out.Text,
+		out.Message.Content,
+		out.Message.Text,
+	} {
+		if strings.TrimSpace(candidate) != "" {
+			return candidate, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return "", nil
+}
+
 // requestContext carries request cancellation and deadlines into the downstream
 // agent call without leaking HTTP transport context values into the go-micro
 // client stack.
@@ -999,6 +1173,27 @@ func requestContext(parent context.Context) context.Context {
 	return ctx
 }
 
+// sseResponse writes the SSE response headers and returns an encoder and a
+// flush func for emitting `data:`-framed JSON-RPC events.
+func sseResponse(w http.ResponseWriter) (*json.Encoder, func()) {
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/event-stream")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "no-cache")
+	w.Header().Set("Connection", "keep-alive")
+	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+	enc := json.NewEncoder(sseWriter{w: w})
+	return enc, func() {
+		if f, ok := w.(http.Flusher); ok {
+			f.Flush()
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// writeSSE emits one JSON-RPC event (result only — never with an error) and flushes.
+func writeSSE(enc *json.Encoder, flush func(), id json.RawMessage, result any) {
+	_ = enc.Encode(rpcResponse{JSONRPC: "2.0", ID: id, Result: result})
+	flush()
+}
+
 type sseWriter struct {
 	w http.ResponseWriter
 }

gateway/a2a/a2a_test.go

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
+	"net/url"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -99,6 +100,38 @@ func TestAgentCardFromRegistry(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// A2A 0.3.0 discovery is /.well-known/agent-card.json. The card must be
+// reachable there (canonical) as well as at the legacy agent.json alias, both
+// per-agent and at the single-agent top level.
+func TestAgentCardCanonicalWellKnownPath(t *testing.T) {
+	ts, cleanup := newGatewayWithAgent(t)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	for _, path := range []string{
+		"/agents/echo/.well-known/agent-card.json",
+		"/agents/echo/.well-known/agent.json",
+		"/agents/echo/skills/task/.well-known/agent-card.json",
+	} {
+		resp, err := http.Get(ts.URL + path)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("get %s: %v", path, err)
+		}
+		if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+			resp.Body.Close()
+			t.Fatalf("%s status = %d, want 200", path, resp.StatusCode)
+		}
+		var card AgentCard
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&card); err != nil {
+			resp.Body.Close()
+			t.Fatalf("%s decode card: %v", path, err)
+		}
+		resp.Body.Close()
+		if card.Name != "echo" {
+			t.Errorf("%s card name = %q, want echo", path, card.Name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSkillEndpointServesFocusedCardAndRoutesRPC(t *testing.T) {
 	ts, cleanup := newGatewayWithAgent(t)
 	defer cleanup()
@@ -191,6 +224,10 @@ func TestMessageSendContinuesExistingTask(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPushNotificationConfigDeliversTaskUpdates(t *testing.T) {
 	d := newDispatcher()
+	// The test receiver is a loopback httptest server; authorize it the way a
+	// deployment would authorize a trusted in-cluster push receiver.
+	d.allowPushURL = func(*url.URL) error { return nil }
+	d.guardPushDial = false
 	updates := make(chan Task, 2)
 	push := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		if got := r.Header.Get("Authorization"); got != "Bearer secret" {
@@ -335,6 +372,67 @@ func (s *sliceStream) Recv() (*ai.Response, error) {
 
 func (s *sliceStream) Close() error { return nil }
 
+// streamEvent is one decoded SSE JSON-RPC event from a message/stream response.
+// A2A streams carry heterogeneous results (Task, status-update, artifact-update)
+// discriminated by `kind`, so we keep the raw result and decode on demand.
+type streamEvent struct {
+	Result json.RawMessage `json:"result"`
+	Error  *rpcError       `json:"error"`
+}
+
+func (e streamEvent) kind() string {
+	var k struct {
+		Kind string `json:"kind"`
+	}
+	_ = json.Unmarshal(e.Result, &k)
+	return k.Kind
+}
+
+func (e streamEvent) task(t *testing.T) Task {
+	t.Helper()
+	var task Task
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(e.Result, &task); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode task event: %v", err)
+	}
+	return task
+}
+
+func (e streamEvent) status(t *testing.T) TaskStatusUpdateEvent {
+	t.Helper()
+	var s TaskStatusUpdateEvent
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(e.Result, &s); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode status-update event: %v", err)
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+func (e streamEvent) artifactUpdate(t *testing.T) TaskArtifactUpdateEvent {
+	t.Helper()
+	var a TaskArtifactUpdateEvent
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(e.Result, &a); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode artifact-update event: %v", err)
+	}
+	return a
+}
+
+// collectSSE parses the `data:`-framed JSON-RPC events from an SSE body.
+func collectSSE(t *testing.T, body string) []streamEvent {
+	t.Helper()
+	var events []streamEvent
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(body), "\n") {
+		line = strings.TrimSpace(strings.TrimPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(line), "data:"))
+		if line == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		var e streamEvent
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &e); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("decode event %q: %v", line, err)
+		}
+		events = append(events, e)
+	}
+	return events
+}
+
 func TestMessageStreamChunksStoreFinalTask(t *testing.T) {
 	d := newDispatcher()
 	body := `{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"message/stream","params":{"message":{"role":"user","parts":[{"kind":"text","text":"ping"}],"kind":"message"}}}`
@@ -351,47 +449,61 @@ func TestMessageStreamChunksStoreFinalTask(t *testing.T) {
 	if ct := rr.Result().Header.Get("Content-Type"); !strings.HasPrefix(ct, "text/event-stream") {
 		t.Fatalf("content-type = %q, want text/event-stream", ct)
 	}
-	var events []struct {
-		Result Task      `json:"result"`
-		Error  *rpcError `json:"error"`
+	events := collectSSE(t, rr.Body.String())
+	// Opening Task snapshot + one append artifact-update per chunk + terminal
+	// status-update.
+	if len(events) != 4 {
+		t.Fatalf("events = %d, want 4; body %s", len(events), rr.Body.String())
 	}
-	for _, line := range strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(rr.Body.String()), "\n") {
-		line = strings.TrimSpace(line)
-		if line == "" {
-			continue
-		}
-		line = strings.TrimPrefix(line, "data: ")
-		var event struct {
-			Result Task      `json:"result"`
-			Error  *rpcError `json:"error"`
-		}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &event); err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("decode event %q: %v", line, err)
-		}
-		events = append(events, event)
-	}
-	if len(events) != 3 {
-		t.Fatalf("events = %d, want 3; body %s", len(events), rr.Body.String())
-	}
-	for i, event := range events {
-		if event.Error != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("event %d error: %+v", i, event.Error)
-		}
-		if event.Result.ID != events[0].Result.ID || event.Result.ContextID != events[0].Result.ContextID {
-			t.Fatalf("event %d changed task identity: %+v vs %+v", i, event.Result, events[0].Result)
+	for i, e := range events {
+		if e.Error != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("event %d carried an error field: %+v", i, e.Error)
 		}
 	}
-	if events[0].Result.Status.State != stateWorking || textOf(events[0].Result.Artifacts[0].Parts) != "po" {
-		t.Fatalf("first event = %+v, want working po", events[0].Result)
+	if events[0].kind() != "task" {
+		t.Fatalf("first event kind = %q, want task", events[0].kind())
 	}
-	final := events[len(events)-1].Result
-	if final.Status.State != stateCompleted || textOf(final.Artifacts[0].Parts) != "pong" {
-		t.Fatalf("final event = %+v, want completed pong", final)
+	opening := events[0].task(t)
+	if opening.Status.State != stateWorking {
+		t.Fatalf("opening task state = %q, want working", opening.Status.State)
+	}
+	taskID := opening.ID
+
+	// The middle events are append artifact-updates carrying the chunk deltas.
+	var text strings.Builder
+	for _, e := range events[1:3] {
+		if e.kind() != "artifact-update" {
+			t.Fatalf("event kind = %q, want artifact-update", e.kind())
+		}
+		au := e.artifactUpdate(t)
+		if !au.Append {
+			t.Fatalf("artifact-update should be append: %+v", au)
+		}
+		if au.TaskID != taskID {
+			t.Fatalf("artifact-update taskId = %q, want %q", au.TaskID, taskID)
+		}
+		text.WriteString(textOf(au.Artifact.Parts))
+	}
+	if text.String() != "pong" {
+		t.Fatalf("accumulated artifact text = %q, want pong", text.String())
 	}
 
-	got := rpcTaskFromDispatcher(t, d, final.ID)
-	if got.ID != final.ID || got.Status.State != stateCompleted || textOf(got.Artifacts[0].Parts) != "pong" {
-		t.Fatalf("stored task = %+v, want final", got)
+	// The stream closes with a terminal status-update (final:true).
+	last := events[len(events)-1]
+	if last.kind() != "status-update" {
+		t.Fatalf("last event kind = %q, want status-update", last.kind())
+	}
+	su := last.status(t)
+	if !su.Final || su.Status.State != stateCompleted {
+		t.Fatalf("terminal event = %+v, want final completed", su)
+	}
+	if su.TaskID != taskID {
+		t.Fatalf("terminal taskId = %q, want %q", su.TaskID, taskID)
+	}
+
+	got := rpcTaskFromDispatcher(t, d, taskID)
+	if got.ID != taskID || got.Status.State != stateCompleted || textOf(got.Artifacts[0].Parts) != "pong" {
+		t.Fatalf("stored task = %+v, want final completed pong", got)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -432,37 +544,31 @@ func TestMessageStreamChunksPropagatesCancellationAndClosesStream(t *testing.T)
 		t.Fatal("stream was not closed")
 	}
 
-	var events []struct {
-		Result Task      `json:"result"`
-		Error  *rpcError `json:"error"`
+	events := collectSSE(t, rr.Body.String())
+	// Opening Task snapshot, then a terminal failed status-update.
+	if len(events) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("events = %d, want 2; body %s", len(events), rr.Body.String())
 	}
-	for _, line := range strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(rr.Body.String()), "\n") {
-		line = strings.TrimSpace(line)
-		if line == "" {
-			continue
+	// A streaming failure must be a failed status-update, never `result` and
+	// `error` set together in one response.
+	for i, e := range events {
+		if e.Error != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("event %d carried an error field (result+error not allowed): %+v", i, e.Error)
 		}
-		line = strings.TrimPrefix(line, "data: ")
-		var event struct {
-			Result Task      `json:"result"`
-			Error  *rpcError `json:"error"`
-		}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &event); err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("decode event %q: %v", line, err)
-		}
-		events = append(events, event)
 	}
-	if len(events) != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("events = %d, want 1; body %s", len(events), rr.Body.String())
+	if events[0].kind() != "task" || events[0].task(t).Status.State != stateWorking {
+		t.Fatalf("first event = %s, want working task", string(events[0].Result))
 	}
-	event := events[0]
-	if event.Error == nil || event.Error.Code != errInternal || event.Error.Message != context.Canceled.Error() {
-		t.Fatalf("error = %+v, want context cancellation", event.Error)
+	last := events[1]
+	if last.kind() != "status-update" {
+		t.Fatalf("last event kind = %q, want status-update", last.kind())
 	}
-	if event.Result.Status.State != stateFailed || textOf(event.Result.Artifacts[0].Parts) != "error: context canceled" {
-		t.Fatalf("failed task = %+v, want context cancellation artifact", event.Result)
+	su := last.status(t)
+	if !su.Final || su.Status.State != stateFailed {
+		t.Fatalf("terminal event = %+v, want final failed", su)
 	}
 
-	got := rpcTaskFromDispatcher(t, d, event.Result.ID)
+	got := rpcTaskFromDispatcher(t, d, su.TaskID)
 	if got.Status.State != stateFailed || textOf(got.Artifacts[0].Parts) != "error: context canceled" {
 		t.Fatalf("stored task = %+v, want failed cancellation", got)
 	}
@@ -493,33 +599,87 @@ func TestMessageStreamChunksFallsBackWhenUnsupported(t *testing.T) {
 	if ct := rr.Result().Header.Get("Content-Type"); !strings.HasPrefix(ct, "text/event-stream") {
 		t.Fatalf("content-type = %q, want text/event-stream", ct)
 	}
-	var events []struct {
-		Result Task      `json:"result"`
-		Error  *rpcError `json:"error"`
+	events := collectSSE(t, rr.Body.String())
+	// The non-streaming fallback emits a completed Task snapshot then a terminal
+	// status-update.
+	if len(events) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("events = %d, want 2; body %s", len(events), rr.Body.String())
 	}
-	for _, line := range strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(rr.Body.String()), "\n") {
-		line = strings.TrimSpace(line)
-		if line == "" {
-			continue
+	for i, e := range events {
+		if e.Error != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("fallback event %d error: %+v", i, e.Error)
 		}
-		line = strings.TrimPrefix(line, "data: ")
-		var event struct {
-			Result Task      `json:"result"`
-			Error  *rpcError `json:"error"`
+	}
+	task := events[0].task(t)
+	if task.Status.State != stateCompleted || textOf(task.Artifacts[0].Parts) != "pong" {
+		t.Fatalf("fallback task = %+v, want completed pong", task)
+	}
+	su := events[1].status(t)
+	if !su.Final || su.Status.State != stateCompleted {
+		t.Fatalf("terminal event = %+v, want final completed", su)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMessageStreamFallbackDoesNotCompleteWithEmptyText(t *testing.T) {
+	d := newDispatcher()
+	body := `{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"message/stream","params":{"message":{"role":"user","parts":[{"kind":"text","text":"ping"}],"kind":"message"}}}`
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/", bytes.NewBufferString(body))
+	rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+	d.serveWithStream(rr, req, func(context.Context, string) (string, error) {
+		return "", nil
+	}, func(context.Context, string) (ai.Stream, error) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: test provider", ai.ErrStreamingUnsupported)
+	})
+
+	events := collectSSE(t, rr.Body.String())
+	var task Task
+	var foundTask bool
+	for _, e := range events {
+		if e.Error != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("fallback event error: %+v", e.Error)
 		}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &event); err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("decode event %q: %v", line, err)
+		if e.kind() == "task" {
+			task = e.task(t)
+			foundTask = true
 		}
-		events = append(events, event)
 	}
-	if len(events) != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("events = %d, want 1; body %s", len(events), rr.Body.String())
+	if !foundTask {
+		t.Fatalf("no task event in stream; body %s", rr.Body.String())
 	}
-	if events[0].Error != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("fallback event error: %+v", events[0].Error)
+	if task.Status.State != stateFailed {
+		t.Fatalf("fallback state = %q, want failed", task.Status.State)
 	}
-	if events[0].Result.Status.State != stateCompleted || textOf(events[0].Result.Artifacts[0].Parts) != "pong" {
-		t.Fatalf("fallback task = %+v, want completed pong", events[0].Result)
+	if got := textOf(task.Artifacts[0].Parts); got == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("fallback artifact text is empty: %+v", task.Artifacts)
+	}
+	if got := textOf(task.History[len(task.History)-1].Parts); got == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("fallback history text is empty: %+v", task.History)
+	}
+	// The stream still ends with a terminal marker.
+	last := events[len(events)-1]
+	if last.kind() != "status-update" || !last.status(t).Final {
+		t.Fatalf("stream must end with a final status-update; got %s", string(last.Result))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecodeAgentChatReplyFallsBackToProviderTextFields(t *testing.T) {
+	for name, body := range map[string]string{
+		"answer":          `{"answer":"answer text"}`,
+		"content":         `{"content":"content text"}`,
+		"text":            `{"text":"text field"}`,
+		"message_content": `{"message":{"content":"message content"}}`,
+		"message_text":    `{"message":{"text":"message text"}}`,
+	} {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got, err := decodeAgentChatReply([]byte(body))
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("decodeAgentChatReply error: %v", err)
+			}
+			if strings.TrimSpace(got) == "" {
+				t.Fatalf("decodeAgentChatReply(%s) returned empty text", body)
+			}
+		})
 	}
 }