Fix memory stream nack ordering

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

.github/loop/PRIORITIES.md

@@ -21,9 +21,8 @@ changes, architectural rewrites. Those go to the human.
 
 ## Work queue (ranked)
 
-1. **Add provider-gated agent conformance matrix** ([#4568](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4568)) — The README, website, and recent blog story now promise one harness where services, agents, workflows, MCP/A2A, guardrails, memory, and providers behave as one runtime. The roadmap still names cross-provider conformance as the top Now hardening gap, and developer adoption depends on trust that the first real provider behaves like the no-secret mock path. Keep this first because it turns the lived agent-harness claim into a repeatable, CI/scheduled contract without adding install friction for local users.
-2. **Make AtlasCloud universe A2A reachability probe deterministic** ([#4504](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4504)) — The universe checkout flow completes, but the A2A reachability probe can time out under AtlasCloud. This remains a direct cross-framework operability seam in the services → agents → workflows lifecycle and is the highest-value open interop gap after provider conformance.
-3. **Polish resume and inspect breadcrumbs for agent runs** ([#4569](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4569)) — Durable runs, streaming, and human-input pauses are now part of the core story, but the developer inner loop still has to make the next command obvious when an agent pauses or needs inspection. This ranks after the active Now hardening items, while keeping adoption pressure in the queue: chat → inspect → resume should feel like one walkable workflow, not an internal operations exercise.
+1. **Fix in-memory stream Nack redelivery ordering** ([#4690](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4690)) — Master is red from `events` `TestStream/memory/AckingNacking`, where manual NACK can let unrelated queued messages arrive before the nacked event is redelivered. The loop depends on green CI as its evaluator, and reliable event redelivery underpins flows and agent-triggered workflows, so restore the existing contract before deeper feature work.
+2. **Harden agent provider failure resilience** ([#4650](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/issues/4650)) — With scheduled cross-provider conformance closed by #4678, the first-agent fixture races closed by #4684/#4667, and initial provider failure metadata recorded by #4688, the next Now-roadmap reliability seam is making timeouts, cancellation, rate limits, retry/backoff, and inspectable failure metadata predictable through the agent loop. Keep this scoped to existing behavior and tests; surface any breaking API or default changes as human review notes instead of queue work.
 
 _Seeded by Claude Code from the roadmap + open issues; thereafter maintained by the
 architecture-review pass._

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -17,8 +17,30 @@ below is kept current between tags and rolled into the next version when it ship
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+- **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
+- **Plan-delegate plan persistence** — plan/delegate runs now persist plan state more defensively across harness scenarios. (`agent/`, `internal/harness/`)
+
+### Fixed
+- **Zero-to-hero fixture output race** — 0→hero fixture output is less race-prone during harness runs. (`internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/`)
+
+---
+
+## [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/`)
 
 ### Fixed
 - **A2A fallback artifact text** — A2A fallback responses now avoid leaking provider artifact text into agent-visible output. (`gateway/a2a/`, `agent/`)
@@ -26,6 +48,20 @@ below is kept current between tags and rolled into the next version when it ship
 - **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`)
 
 ---
 

README.md

@@ -98,18 +98,20 @@ 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.
 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.
 

agent/agent.go

@@ -355,6 +355,8 @@ func (a *agentImpl) askLocked(ctx context.Context, runID, message, parentRunID s
 		})
 		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
@@ -363,7 +365,9 @@ 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
 		}

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 {

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)
 			}

ai/atlascloud/atlascloud.go

@@ -554,8 +554,104 @@ func atlascloudFallbackTextToolCall(toolName string, req *ai.Request) string {
 	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 {

ai/atlascloud/atlascloud_test.go

@@ -628,6 +628,76 @@ func TestProvider_GenerateFallsBackAfterRepeatedPartialDelegateTextToolCall(t *t
 	}
 }
 
+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) {

cmd/micro/cli/agent/agent.go

@@ -14,6 +14,32 @@ import (
 	"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
+
+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
@@ -72,6 +98,18 @@ 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",
@@ -224,14 +262,44 @@ 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:   call micro.AgentResumeInput(ctx, agent, %q, input) to continue the input-required run\n", 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 {

cmd/micro/cli/agent/agent_test.go

@@ -59,6 +59,46 @@ 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.AgentResumeInput(ctx, agent, "run-input", input)`} {
+		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),

cmd/micro/cli/agent/doctor_test.go

@@ -73,3 +73,24 @@ 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",
+		"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/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/first_agent_walkthrough_test.go

@@ -38,6 +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")
 	}
@@ -118,6 +121,28 @@ 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",
+		"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 {
@@ -150,6 +175,7 @@ func TestFirstAgentDocsMatchCLIOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	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
@@ -161,6 +187,10 @@ func TestFirstAgentDocsMatchCLIOutput(t *testing.T) {
 			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",
 				"examples/first-agent/",
@@ -176,6 +206,10 @@ func TestFirstAgentDocsMatchCLIOutput(t *testing.T) {
 			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",
 				"github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent",

cmd/micro/inspect/inspect.go

@@ -98,16 +98,25 @@ 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:   call micro.AgentResumeInput(ctx, agent, %q, input) to continue the input-required run\n", 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

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ func TestWriteAgentInspectionIncludesActionableBreadcrumbs(t *testing.T) {
 		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=error", "events=4", "last=tool", "checkpoint=failed", "stage=ask", `error="boom"`, "trace=1234567890ab", `micro agent history support run-1`, `micro.AgentResume(ctx, agent, "run-1")`, `micro.ResumeStreamAsk(ctx, agent, "run-1")`} {
 		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.AgentResumeInput(ctx, agent, "run-input", input)`} {
 		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) {

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/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, "")
+}

internal/docs/AGENT_CONFORMANCE.md

@@ -3,8 +3,11 @@
 `go test ./...` includes `TestAgentProviderConformanceMatrix`, a shared agent
 scenario that runs against every registered chat provider. The scenario asks an
 agent to call a deterministic local tool, verifies the tool receives `ai.RunInfo`,
-and checks the final response carries the conformance marker. A fake provider path
-runs on every machine without network access so CI always exercises the harness.
+and checks the final response carries the conformance marker. The live matrix
+includes MiniMax in the tool/guardrail path in addition to providers with
+streaming coverage, so every supported chat provider has at least one key-gated
+agent contract. A fake provider path runs on every machine without network
+access so CI always exercises the harness.
 
 Live providers are opt-in to avoid flaky unauthenticated PR checks and accidental
 API spend. To run the live matrix, set `GO_MICRO_AGENT_CONFORMANCE_LIVE=1` plus the
@@ -40,7 +43,20 @@ live model credits.
 
 Use `make provider-conformance` when you want the live-provider sweep: providers
 without keys are skipped, and configured providers must satisfy the same harness
-contract.
+contract. For the exact scheduled command, run:
+
+```sh
+go run ./internal/harness/provider-conformance \
+  -providers anthropic,openai,gemini,groq,minimax,mistral,together,atlascloud \
+  -harnesses agent,universe,agent-flow,plan-delegate,a2a-stream-fallback \
+  -summary-json provider-conformance-summary.json \
+  -summary-markdown provider-conformance-summary.md \
+  -capabilities-markdown provider-capabilities.md
+```
+
+The generated summary records one row for every selected provider/harness pair;
+missing live-provider keys become skipped rows for each harness, while configured
+providers produce pass/fail rows per harness.
 
 ## Scheduled CI
 

internal/harness/plan-delegate/main.go

@@ -474,10 +474,11 @@ func runPlanDelegate(provider string) error {
 		agent.Name("conductor"),
 		agent.Address("127.0.0.1:0"),
 		agent.Services("task"),
-		agent.Prompt("You coordinate launch work. Plan first, create exactly one Design task, one Build task, and one Ship task, then delegate exactly one readiness notification to the \"comms\" agent. Do not create duplicate tasks and do not send notifications yourself."),
+		agent.Prompt("You coordinate launch work. Before any task or delegate tool call, you must persist the launch-readiness plan with the built-in plan tool. Then create exactly one Design task, one Build task, and one Ship task, then delegate exactly one readiness notification to the \"comms\" agent. Do not create duplicate tasks and do not send notifications yourself."),
 		agent.Provider(provider), agent.APIKey(apiKey),
 		agent.WithRegistry(reg), agent.WithClient(cl), agent.WithStore(mem),
 		agent.WithCheckpoint(conductorCheckpoint),
+		agent.WrapTool(requirePersistedPlanBeforeConductorActions(mem)),
 	}
 	conductorOpts = append(conductorOpts, liveAgentOpts...)
 	conductor := agent.New(conductorOpts...)
@@ -531,11 +532,8 @@ func runPlanDelegate(provider string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// Prove plan was persisted to the real store.
-	if recs, _ := store.Scope(mem, "agent", "conductor").Read("plan"); len(recs) > 0 {
-		fmt.Printf("\n\033[1mstored plan (agent/conductor/plan):\033[0m %s\n", string(recs[0].Value))
-	} else {
-		return fmt.Errorf("plan was not persisted")
+	if err := requireConductorPlan(context.Background(), mem, conductor); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 	if taskSvc.count() == 0 || notifySvc.count() != 1 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unexpected side effects: tasks=%d notify=%d", taskSvc.count(), notifySvc.count())
@@ -545,6 +543,46 @@ func runPlanDelegate(provider string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func requirePersistedPlanBeforeConductorActions(mem store.Store) ai.ToolWrapper {
+	return func(next ai.ToolHandler) ai.ToolHandler {
+		return func(ctx context.Context, call ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
+			if call.Name == "plan" {
+				return next(ctx, call)
+			}
+			if recs, err := store.Scope(mem, "agent", "conductor").Read("plan"); err == nil && len(recs) > 0 {
+				return next(ctx, call)
+			}
+			msg := "persist the launch-readiness plan first by calling the built-in plan tool before task or delegate side effects"
+			return ai.ToolResult{
+				ID:      call.ID,
+				Value:   map[string]string{"error": msg},
+				Content: `{"error":"` + msg + `"}`,
+				Refused: ai.RefusedApproval,
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func requireConductorPlan(ctx context.Context, mem store.Store, conductor agent.Agent) error {
+	recs, _ := store.Scope(mem, "agent", "conductor").Read("plan")
+	if len(recs) == 0 && conductor != nil {
+		fmt.Print("\n\033[33mwarning:\033[0m conductor completed side effects without a persisted plan; retrying plan persistence once before final assertions.\n")
+		_, err := conductor.Ask(ctx, "Persist the launch-readiness plan now using the built-in plan tool before answering. Record exactly these completed steps: Design launch task, Build launch task, Ship launch task, and delegate owner readiness notification to comms. Do not call task or notify tools.")
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("plan was not persisted at agent/conductor/plan and recovery prompt failed after completed side effects: %w", err)
+		}
+		recs, _ = store.Scope(mem, "agent", "conductor").Read("plan")
+	}
+	if len(recs) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("plan was not persisted at agent/conductor/plan; conductor completed task/notify side effects without calling the built-in plan tool")
+	}
+	if len(recs) != 1 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unexpected persisted conductor plans at agent/conductor/plan: got %d records, want 1", len(recs))
+	}
+	fmt.Printf("\n\033[1mstored plan (agent/conductor/plan):\033[0m %s\n", string(recs[0].Value))
+	return nil
+}
+
 func planDelegateConductorStep(conductor agent.Agent, taskSvc *TaskService, notifySvc *NotifyService) flow.StepFunc {
 	return func(ctx context.Context, in flow.State) (flow.State, error) {
 		prompt := "Create three launch tasks (Design, Build, Ship), then make sure owner@acme.com is notified: " + in.String()
@@ -630,11 +668,11 @@ func waitForPlanDelegateExecution(done <-chan error, taskSvc *TaskService, notif
 			tasks := taskSvc.count()
 			notify := notifySvc.count()
 			if err != nil {
+				if hasCompletedPlanDelegateSideEffects(tasks, notify) {
+					fmt.Printf("\n\033[33mwarning:\033[0m flow execute returned after completed side effects: %v\n", err)
+					return nil
+				}
 				if isClientTimeout(err) {
-					if tasks > 0 && notify == 1 {
-						fmt.Printf("\n\033[33mwarning:\033[0m flow execute returned after completed side effects: %v\n", err)
-						return nil
-					}
 					return classifiedPlanDelegateTimeout(tasks, notify, err)
 				}
 				if isUnfinishedPlanError(err) && tasks > 0 && notify == 0 && recoverMissingNotify != nil {
@@ -678,6 +716,10 @@ func waitForNotifySideEffect(notifySvc *NotifyService, timeout time.Duration) (b
 	}
 }
 
+func hasCompletedPlanDelegateSideEffects(tasks, notify int) bool {
+	return tasks == 3 && notify == 1
+}
+
 func classifiedPlanDelegateTimeout(tasks, notify int, err error) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf("provider latency/outage during plan-delegate before required side effects completed (tasks=%d/3 notify=%d/1); retry live provider or inspect provider logs if this recurs: %w", tasks, notify, err)
 }

internal/harness/plan-delegate/main_test.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package main
 import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
+	"reflect"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -401,6 +402,88 @@ func (a failingAgent) Run() error                                           { re
 func (a failingAgent) Stop() error                                          { return nil }
 func (a failingAgent) String() string                                       { return "failing" }
 
+func TestRequireConductorPlanRecoversAfterCompletedSideEffects(t *testing.T) {
+	mem := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	ag := &scriptedAgent{replies: []func(context.Context, string) (*agent.Response, error){
+		func(ctx context.Context, prompt string) (*agent.Response, error) {
+			if !strings.Contains(prompt, "built-in plan tool") || !strings.Contains(prompt, "Do not call task or notify tools") {
+				return nil, errors.New("missing scoped plan recovery prompt")
+			}
+			if err := store.Scope(mem, "agent", "conductor").Write(&store.Record{Key: "plan", Value: []byte(`{"steps":[{"task":"Design launch task","status":"done"}]}`)}); err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			return &agent.Response{Reply: "Plan persisted."}, nil
+		},
+	}}
+
+	if err := requireConductorPlan(context.Background(), mem, ag); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("requireConductorPlan returned %v, want recovered plan", err)
+	}
+	if ag.calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("conductor calls = %d, want one plan recovery prompt", ag.calls)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRequireConductorPlanFailureNamesScopedRecord(t *testing.T) {
+	err := requireConductorPlan(context.Background(), store.NewMemoryStore(), &scriptedAgent{replies: []func(context.Context, string) (*agent.Response, error){
+		func(context.Context, string) (*agent.Response, error) {
+			return &agent.Response{Reply: "Done without plan."}, nil
+		},
+	}})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("requireConductorPlan returned nil, want missing plan diagnostic")
+	}
+	for _, want := range []string{"agent/conductor/plan", "without calling the built-in plan tool"} {
+		if got := err.Error(); !strings.Contains(got, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("error = %q, want %q", got, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRequirePersistedPlanBeforeConductorActionsBlocksSideEffects(t *testing.T) {
+	mem := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	called := false
+	wrapped := requirePersistedPlanBeforeConductorActions(mem)(func(context.Context, ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
+		called = true
+		return ai.ToolResult{ID: "call-1", Content: `{"ok":true}`}
+	})
+
+	res := wrapped(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "call-1", Name: "task.Add"})
+	if called {
+		t.Fatal("side-effecting tool ran before persisted plan")
+	}
+	if res.Refused != ai.RefusedApproval {
+		t.Fatalf("Refused = %q, want %q", res.Refused, ai.RefusedApproval)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(res.Content, "built-in plan tool") {
+		t.Fatalf("Content = %q, want plan-first steering message", res.Content)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRequirePersistedPlanBeforeConductorActionsAllowsPlanAndPlannedActions(t *testing.T) {
+	mem := store.NewMemoryStore()
+	var calls []string
+	wrapped := requirePersistedPlanBeforeConductorActions(mem)(func(ctx context.Context, call ai.ToolCall) ai.ToolResult {
+		calls = append(calls, call.Name)
+		if call.Name == "plan" {
+			if err := store.Scope(mem, "agent", "conductor").Write(&store.Record{Key: "plan", Value: []byte(`{"steps":[{"task":"Design","status":"pending"}]}`)}); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("write plan: %v", err)
+			}
+		}
+		return ai.ToolResult{ID: call.ID, Content: `{"ok":true}`}
+	})
+
+	if res := wrapped(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "call-1", Name: "plan"}); res.Refused != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("plan Refused = %q, want allowed", res.Refused)
+	}
+	if res := wrapped(context.Background(), ai.ToolCall{ID: "call-2", Name: "task.Add"}); res.Refused != "" {
+		t.Fatalf("planned action Refused = %q, want allowed", res.Refused)
+	}
+	if want := []string{"plan", "task.Add"}; !reflect.DeepEqual(calls, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("calls = %v, want %v", calls, want)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestPlanDelegateConductorRetriesAfterPlanOnlySuccess(t *testing.T) {
 	taskSvc := new(TaskService)
 	notifySvc := new(NotifyService)
@@ -600,6 +683,28 @@ func TestPlanDelegateExecutionAcceptsClientTimeoutAfterSideEffects(t *testing.T)
 	}
 }
 
+func TestPlanDelegateExecutionAcceptsApprovalPauseAfterSideEffects(t *testing.T) {
+	taskSvc := new(TaskService)
+	for _, title := range []string{"Design", "Build", "Ship"} {
+		var rsp AddResponse
+		if err := taskSvc.Add(context.Background(), &AddRequest{Title: title}, &rsp); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Add(%q): %v", title, err)
+		}
+	}
+	notifySvc := new(NotifyService)
+	var rsp SendResponse
+	if err := notifySvc.Send(context.Background(), &SendRequest{To: "owner@acme.com", Message: "The launch plan is ready"}, &rsp); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Send: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	done <- errors.New("agent run abc paused for approval: The comms agent is repeatedly timing out (408 errors) while retrying the launch-readiness notification")
+
+	if err := waitForPlanDelegateExecution(done, taskSvc, notifySvc, nil); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("waitForPlanDelegateExecution returned %v, want completed side effects to satisfy approval pause", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestPlanDelegateExecutionClassifiesClientTimeoutBeforeSideEffects(t *testing.T) {
 	done := make(chan error, 1)
 	done <- errors.New(`{"id":"go.micro.client","code":408,"detail":"<nil>","status":"Request Timeout"}`)

internal/harness/provider-conformance/main.go

@@ -92,11 +92,11 @@ func main() {
 			if *requireConfiguredFlag {
 				fmt.Printf("FAIL %s: missing API key (%s)\n", provider, msg)
 				failed++
-				results = append(results, conformanceResult{Provider: provider, Status: statusFailed, Error: "missing API key: " + msg})
+				results = append(results, missingKeyResults(provider, harnesses, statusFailed, "missing API key: "+msg)...)
 			} else {
 				fmt.Printf("- %s: skipped (%s)\n", provider, msg)
 				skipped++
-				results = append(results, conformanceResult{Provider: provider, Status: statusSkipped, Error: msg})
+				results = append(results, missingKeyResults(provider, harnesses, statusSkipped, msg)...)
 			}
 			continue
 		}
@@ -166,6 +166,20 @@ type conformanceSummary struct {
 	Failed       int                 `json:"failed"`
 }
 
+func missingKeyResults(provider string, harnesses []string, status, detail string) []conformanceResult {
+	results := make([]conformanceResult, 0, len(harnesses))
+	for _, harness := range harnesses {
+		results = append(results, conformanceResult{
+			Provider: provider,
+			Harness:  harness,
+			Phase:    harnessPhase(harness),
+			Status:   status,
+			Error:    detail,
+		})
+	}
+	return results
+}
+
 func writeSummaryJSON(path string, summary conformanceSummary) error {
 	b, err := json.MarshalIndent(summary, "", "  ")
 	if err != nil {

internal/harness/provider-conformance/main_test.go

@@ -77,6 +77,23 @@ func TestCapabilityMatrixHasRegisteredProviders(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestMissingKeyResultsReportsEachHarness(t *testing.T) {
+	results := missingKeyResults("openai", []string{"agent", "plan-delegate"}, statusSkipped, "set OPENAI_API_KEY")
+	if len(results) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("missingKeyResults returned %d results, want 2", len(results))
+	}
+
+	wants := []conformanceResult{
+		{Provider: "openai", Harness: "agent", Phase: harnessPhase("agent"), Status: statusSkipped, Error: "set OPENAI_API_KEY"},
+		{Provider: "openai", Harness: "plan-delegate", Phase: harnessPhase("plan-delegate"), Status: statusSkipped, Error: "set OPENAI_API_KEY"},
+	}
+	for i, want := range wants {
+		if results[i] != want {
+			t.Fatalf("result[%d] = %#v, want %#v", i, results[i], want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestWriteCapabilityMarkdown(t *testing.T) {
 	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "capabilities.md")
 	rows := []ai.CapabilityRow{

internal/harness/universe/main.go

@@ -269,13 +269,21 @@ func completeNotifyOnObservedSideEffect(ctx context.Context, in flow.State, ntf
 			in.Data = []byte("Buyer notified.")
 			return in, nil
 		}
+		wait := time.NewTimer(25 * time.Millisecond)
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
-			if dispatchErr != nil {
-				return in, dispatchErr
+			if !wait.Stop() {
+				<-wait.C
 			}
-			return in, ctx.Err()
-		case <-time.After(25 * time.Millisecond):
+			if dispatchErr == nil {
+				return in, ctx.Err()
+			}
+			// A timed-out Agent.Chat call can report the caller context as done
+			// while the remote agent is still finishing its notify tool call.
+			// Keep watching for the idempotent side effect until the local settle
+			// window expires so a post-side-effect timeout does not strand the
+			// durable checkout run as pending.
+		case <-wait.C:
 		}
 	}
 	if dispatchErr != nil {
@@ -349,14 +357,55 @@ func check(cond bool, format string, args ...any) {
 // should not depend on a live model deciding to send another notification.
 func a2aReachable(ctx context.Context, base, agent string) error {
 	probe := "A2A reachability probe only. Reply with the words concierge reachable. Do not call tools or send notifications."
-	reply, err := a2a.NewClient(base+"/agents/"+agent).Send(ctx, probe)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	deadline, ok := ctx.Deadline()
+	if !ok {
+		deadline = time.Now().Add(10 * time.Second)
 	}
-	if strings.TrimSpace(reply) == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("empty A2A reply")
+
+	var lastErr error
+	for attempt := 1; ; attempt++ {
+		if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+			if lastErr != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("A2A reachability probe failed after %d attempt(s): %w", attempt-1, lastErr)
+			}
+			return err
+		}
+
+		remaining := time.Until(deadline)
+		if remaining <= 0 {
+			if lastErr != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("A2A reachability probe failed after %d attempt(s): %w", attempt-1, lastErr)
+			}
+			return context.DeadlineExceeded
+		}
+
+		attemptTimeout := 4 * time.Second
+		if remaining < attemptTimeout {
+			attemptTimeout = remaining
+		}
+		attemptCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, attemptTimeout)
+		reply, err := a2a.NewClient(base+"/agents/"+agent).Send(attemptCtx, probe)
+		cancel()
+		if err == nil && strings.TrimSpace(reply) != "" {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if err == nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("empty A2A reply")
+		}
+		lastErr = err
+
+		if time.Until(deadline) <= 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("A2A reachability probe failed after %d attempt(s): %w", attempt, lastErr)
+		}
+		time.Sleep(minDuration(200*time.Millisecond*time.Duration(attempt), time.Until(deadline)))
 	}
-	return nil
+}
+
+func minDuration(a, b time.Duration) time.Duration {
+	if a < b {
+		return a
+	}
+	return b
 }
 
 func providerKey(provider string) string {

internal/harness/universe/main_test.go

@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ package main
 import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -25,6 +28,31 @@ func TestUniverseHarnessContract(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestA2AReachableRetriesTransientTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls int64
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if got, want := r.URL.Path, "/agents/concierge"; got != want {
+			t.Fatalf("path = %q, want %q", got, want)
+		}
+		if atomic.AddInt64(&calls, 1) == 1 {
+			time.Sleep(5 * time.Second)
+			return
+		}
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		fmt.Fprint(w, `{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":{"kind":"task","id":"task-1","contextId":"ctx-1","status":{"state":"completed"},"artifacts":[{"artifactId":"artifact-1","parts":[{"kind":"text","text":"concierge reachable"}]}]}}`)
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 6*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	if err := a2aReachable(ctx, srv.URL, "concierge"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("a2aReachable returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got := atomic.LoadInt64(&calls); got < 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("A2A calls = %d, want retry after transient timeout", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestNotifyStepCompletesAfterObservedSideEffectTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 	ntf := new(Notify)
 	before := atomic.LoadInt64(&ntf.sent)
@@ -69,6 +97,42 @@ func TestNotifyStepCompletesAfterObservedSideEffectTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestNotifyStepWaitsForObservedSideEffectAfterCanceledDispatchContext(t *testing.T) {
+	ntf := new(Notify)
+	before := atomic.LoadInt64(&ntf.sent)
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	cancel()
+
+	go func() {
+		time.Sleep(30 * time.Millisecond)
+		var rsp SendResponse
+		if err := ntf.Send(context.Background(), &SendRequest{
+			To:      "buyer@acme.com",
+			Message: "Your order is confirmed.",
+		}, &rsp); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("send notification: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	out, err := completeNotifyOnObservedSideEffect(
+		ctx,
+		flow.State{Data: []byte(`{"order":"order-1"}`)},
+		ntf,
+		before,
+		time.Second,
+		errors.New("client observed timeout"),
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("notify completion returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got := out.String(); got != "Buyer notified." {
+		t.Fatalf("result = %q, want Buyer notified.", got)
+	}
+	if got := atomic.LoadInt64(&ntf.sent); got != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("notifications sent = %d, want 1", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestNotifyStepRejectsClaimedCompletionWithoutSideEffect(t *testing.T) {
 	ntf := new(Notify)
 	before := atomic.LoadInt64(&ntf.sent)

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

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ func TestZeroToHeroReferenceDocs(t *testing.T) {
 		"go test ./cmd/micro -run TestZeroToHeroCLIBoundaries -count=1",
 		"go test ./cmd/micro/cli/deploy -run TestDeployDryRun -count=1",
 		"go test ./examples/first-agent -run TestRunFirstAgent -count=1",
-		"go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle' -count=1",
+		"go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle|TestZeroToHeroInspectTranscript' -count=1",
 		"./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/run.sh",
 		"micro zero-to-hero",
 		"go run ./internal/harness/agent-flow",
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ func TestZeroToHeroReferenceDocs(t *testing.T) {
 		"go test ./cmd/micro -run 'TestFirstAgentWalkthroughCLIBoundaries|TestExamplesWayfindingIndexStaysLinked|TestExamplesCommandPointsAtWayfindingIndex|TestZeroToHeroCLIBoundaries|TestZeroToHeroCommandPrintsMaintainedNoSecretPath' -count=1",
 		"go test ./cmd/micro/cli/deploy -run TestDeployDryRun -count=1",
 		"go test ./examples/first-agent -run TestRunFirstAgent -count=1",
-		"go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle' -count=1",
+		"go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle|TestZeroToHeroInspectTranscript' -count=1",
 	} {
 		if !strings.Contains(runScript, want) {
 			t.Fatalf("0→hero CI run script missing lifecycle command %q", want)
@@ -293,6 +294,7 @@ func TestFirstAgentWayfindingDocs(t *testing.T) {
 				"micro zero-to-hero",
 				"internal/website/docs/guides/no-secret-first-agent.md",
 				"internal/website/docs/guides/your-first-agent.md",
+				"micro chat",
 				"internal/website/docs/guides/debugging-agents.md",
 				"micro inspect agent <name>",
 				"internal/website/docs/guides/zero-to-hero.md",
@@ -362,6 +364,7 @@ func TestFirstAgentWayfindingDocs(t *testing.T) {
 				"https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent",
 				"guides/no-secret-first-agent.html",
 				"guides/your-first-agent.html",
+				"micro chat",
 				"guides/debugging-agents.html",
 				"micro inspect agent <name>",
 				"guides/zero-to-hero.html",
@@ -381,6 +384,7 @@ func TestFirstAgentWayfindingDocs(t *testing.T) {
 				"https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent",
 				"guides/no-secret-first-agent.html",
 				"guides/your-first-agent.html",
+				"micro chat",
 				"guides/debugging-agents.html",
 				"micro inspect agent <name>",
 				"guides/zero-to-hero.html",
@@ -396,6 +400,7 @@ func TestFirstAgentWayfindingDocs(t *testing.T) {
 				"https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support",
 				"guides/no-secret-first-agent.html",
 				"guides/your-first-agent.html",
+				"micro chat",
 				"guides/debugging-agents.html",
 				"micro inspect agent <name>",
 				"guides/zero-to-hero.html",
@@ -433,6 +438,7 @@ func TestFirstAgentWayfindingCanonicalTrailStaysInSync(t *testing.T) {
 		"examples/support",
 		"no-secret-first-agent",
 		"your-first-agent",
+		"micro chat",
 		"debugging-agents",
 		"micro inspect agent <name>",
 		"zero-to-hero",
@@ -489,6 +495,7 @@ func TestFirstAgentWayfindingCanonicalTrailStaysInSync(t *testing.T) {
 				"examples/first-agent",
 				"examples/support",
 				"your-first-agent",
+				"micro chat",
 				"debugging-agents",
 				"micro inspect agent <name>",
 			},
@@ -998,6 +1005,190 @@ func TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestFirstAgentCLIChatInspectFixture(t *testing.T) {
+	root := filepath.Clean(filepath.Join("..", "..", ".."))
+	absRoot, err := filepath.Abs(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("resolve repository root: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	workspace := t.TempDir()
+	home := filepath.Join(workspace, "home")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(home, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create fixture home: %v", err)
+	}
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(workspace, "go.mod"), "module example.com/first-agent-cli-fixture\n\ngo 1.24\n\nrequire go-micro.dev/v6 v6.0.0\n\nreplace go-micro.dev/v6 => "+filepath.ToSlash(absRoot)+"\n")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(workspace, "main.go"), firstAgentCLIFixtureSource())
+	runInWorkspace(t, workspace, "go", "mod", "tidy")
+
+	micro := buildMicroBinary(t, absRoot)
+	fixtureBin := filepath.Join(workspace, "first-agent-cli-fixture")
+	runInWorkspace(t, workspace, "go", "build", "-o", fixtureBin, ".")
+	fixture := exec.Command(fixtureBin)
+	fixture.Dir = workspace
+	fixture.Env = append(os.Environ(),
+		"HOME="+home,
+		"MICRO_AI_API_KEY=",
+		"OPENAI_API_KEY=",
+		"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=",
+		"GEMINI_API_KEY=",
+	)
+	var fixtureOut lockedBuffer
+	fixture.Stdout = &fixtureOut
+	fixture.Stderr = &fixtureOut
+	if err := fixture.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("start first-agent CLI fixture: %v\n%s", err, fixtureOut.String())
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		if fixture.Process != nil {
+			_ = fixture.Process.Signal(os.Interrupt)
+			_ = fixture.Process.Kill()
+		}
+	}()
+
+	waitForCLIOutput(t, &fixtureOut, "first-agent fixture ready", 15*time.Second)
+	waitForRegisteredAgent(t, micro, home, "assistant", &fixtureOut, 15*time.Second)
+
+	chat := runMicroCLIWithHome(t, micro, home, "chat", "--prompt", "Summarize my first-agent next steps", "assistant")
+	for _, want := range []string{"assistant:", "install the CLI", "run a service", "chat with an agent"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(chat, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("micro chat assistant output missing %q:\n%s\nfixture output:\n%s", want, chat, fixtureOut.String())
+		}
+	}
+
+	stopFixture(t, fixture)
+
+	inspect := runMicroCLIWithHome(t, micro, home, "inspect", "agent", "assistant", "--limit", "1")
+	for _, want := range []string{`Agent "assistant" runs`, "status=done", "last=done"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(inspect, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("micro inspect agent assistant output missing %q:\n%s\nfixture output:\n%s", want, inspect, fixtureOut.String())
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func stopFixture(t *testing.T, cmd *exec.Cmd) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if cmd.Process == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	_ = cmd.Process.Signal(os.Interrupt)
+	go func() { done <- cmd.Wait() }()
+	select {
+	case <-done:
+	case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		_ = cmd.Process.Kill()
+		<-done
+	}
+}
+
+func waitForCLIOutput(t *testing.T, out *lockedBuffer, want string, timeout time.Duration) {
+	t.Helper()
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(timeout)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		if strings.Contains(out.String(), want) {
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	t.Fatalf("timed out waiting for fixture output %q; got:\n%s", want, out.String())
+}
+
+func waitForRegisteredAgent(t *testing.T, micro, home, agent string, fixtureOut *lockedBuffer, timeout time.Duration) {
+	t.Helper()
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(timeout)
+	var lastOut []byte
+	var lastErr error
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		cmd := exec.Command(micro, "agent", "list")
+		cmd.Env = microCLIEnv(home)
+		lastOut, lastErr = cmd.CombinedOutput()
+		if lastErr == nil && strings.Contains(string(lastOut), agent) {
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	t.Fatalf("timed out waiting for registered agent %q; last micro agent list error: %v\nlast output:\n%s\nfixture output:\n%s", agent, lastErr, lastOut, fixtureOut.String())
+}
+
+type lockedBuffer struct {
+	mu sync.Mutex
+	b  strings.Builder
+}
+
+func (b *lockedBuffer) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	b.mu.Lock()
+	defer b.mu.Unlock()
+	return b.b.Write(p)
+}
+
+func (b *lockedBuffer) String() string {
+	b.mu.Lock()
+	defer b.mu.Unlock()
+	return b.b.String()
+}
+
+func firstAgentCLIFixtureSource() string {
+	return `package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"syscall"
+
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/agent"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/ai"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/service"
+	"go-micro.dev/v6/store"
+)
+
+type NotesService struct{}
+type ListNotesRequest struct{}
+type ListNotesResponse struct { Notes []string ` + "`json:\"notes\" description:\"Notes the assistant can summarize\"`" + ` }
+
+func (s *NotesService) List(ctx context.Context, req *ListNotesRequest, rsp *ListNotesResponse) error {
+	rsp.Notes = []string{"Install the CLI", "Run a service", "Chat with an agent"}
+	return 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 "first-agent-cli-fixture" }
+func (m *mockModel) Stream(context.Context, *ai.Request, ...ai.GenerateOption) (ai.Stream, error) { return nil, fmt.Errorf("stream unsupported") }
+func (m *mockModel) Generate(ctx context.Context, req *ai.Request, _ ...ai.GenerateOption) (*ai.Response, error) {
+	for _, tool := range req.Tools { if strings.Contains(tool.Name, "List") && m.opts.ToolHandler != nil { m.opts.ToolHandler(ctx, ai.ToolCall{ID:"list-notes", Name: tool.Name, Input: map[string]any{}}); break } }
+	return &ai.Response{Answer: "assistant: your first agent should install the CLI, run a service, then chat with an agent."}, nil
+}
+
+func main() {
+	ai.Register("first-agent-cli-fixture", newMock)
+	home, _ := os.UserHomeDir()
+	st := store.NewFileStore(store.DirOption(filepath.Join(home, "micro", "store")))
+	defer st.Close()
+
+	svc := service.New(service.Name("notes"), service.Address("127.0.0.1:0"))
+	if err := svc.Handle(&NotesService{}); err != nil { panic(err) }
+	go func() { if err := svc.Run(); err != nil { fmt.Println(err); os.Exit(1) } }()
+	defer svc.Server().Stop()
+
+	a := agent.New(agent.Name("assistant"), agent.Address("127.0.0.1:0"), agent.Services("notes"), agent.Provider("first-agent-cli-fixture"), agent.WithStore(st))
+	go func() { if err := a.Run(); err != nil { fmt.Println(err); os.Exit(1) } }()
+	defer a.Stop()
+
+	fmt.Println("first-agent fixture ready")
+	stop := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+	signal.Notify(stop, os.Interrupt, syscall.SIGTERM)
+	<-stop
+}
+`
+}
+
 func seedNoSecretAgentDebuggingState(t *testing.T, st store.Store) {
 	t.Helper()
 	scoped := store.Scope(st, "agent", "assistant")
@@ -1038,18 +1229,22 @@ func buildMicroBinary(t *testing.T, root string) string {
 func runMicroCLIWithHome(t *testing.T, micro, home string, args ...string) string {
 	t.Helper()
 	cmd := exec.Command(micro, args...)
-	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(),
+	cmd.Env = microCLIEnv(home)
+	out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("micro %s failed: %v\n%s", strings.Join(args, " "), err, out)
+	}
+	return string(out)
+}
+
+func microCLIEnv(home string) []string {
+	return append(os.Environ(),
 		"HOME="+home,
 		"MICRO_AI_API_KEY=",
 		"OPENAI_API_KEY=",
 		"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=",
 		"GEMINI_API_KEY=",
 	)
-	out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("micro %s failed: %v\n%s", strings.Join(args, " "), err, out)
-	}
-	return string(out)
 }
 
 func TestFirstAgentWayfindingTargetsExist(t *testing.T) {

internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/run.sh

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ run_step "run/chat/inspect: first-agent CLI boundaries" \
 run_step "deploy dry-run: configured target plan" \
   go test ./cmd/micro/cli/deploy -run TestDeployDryRun -count=1
 run_step "chat/inspect: no-secret first-agent transcript and docs" \
-  go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run 'TestNoSecretFirstAgentTranscript|TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReferenceDocs|TestZeroToHeroDeployDryRunCommandSmoke|TestYourFirstAgentTutorialSmoke' -count=1
+  go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run 'TestNoSecretFirstAgentTranscript|TestFirstAgentCLIChatInspectFixture|TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReferenceDocs|TestZeroToHeroDeployDryRunCommandSmoke|TestYourFirstAgentTutorialSmoke' -count=1
 
 # Deterministic no-secret reference scenarios. These use the real Go Micro
 # runtime and mock only the LLM provider. The support example is the maintained
@@ -34,6 +34,6 @@ run_step "chat/inspect: no-secret first-agent transcript and docs" \
 run_step "first-agent app: runnable provider-free example" \
   go test ./examples/first-agent -run TestRunFirstAgent -count=1
 run_step "0→hero app: support lifecycle smoke" \
-  go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle' -count=1
+  go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle|TestZeroToHeroInspectTranscript' -count=1
 run_step "flow history: deterministic services → agents → workflows harnesses" \
   go test ./internal/harness/universe ./internal/harness/plan-delegate -run 'Test.*Harness|TestPlanDelegateEndToEnd|TestPlanDelegateFlowHandoff' -count=1

internal/website/docs/architecture.md

@@ -104,16 +104,25 @@ If you are new, follow the architecture in the same order the runtime composes i
    CLI, `PATH`, version, and no-secret smoke path are healthy.
 2. [`micro agent demo`](getting-started.html#first-agent-on-ramp) — print the
    provider-free first-agent command and next docs steps from the installed CLI.
-3. [Smallest first-agent example](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent)
+3. `micro agent quickcheck` (or `micro agent debug`) — print the short recovery
+   map when scaffold → run → chat → inspect stalls.
+4. `micro examples` — list 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](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/blob/master/examples/INDEX.md)
+   — choose the smallest no-secret first-agent, support reference, and interop
+   examples from one map.
+7. [Smallest first-agent example](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent)
    — run one service-backed agent with a mock model.
-4. [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) — see the
+8. [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) — see the
    maintained support-agent path work without a provider key.
-5. [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) — build and chat with a
+9. [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) — build and chat with a
    service-backed agent.
-6. [Debugging your agent](guides/debugging-agents.html) — inspect service
-   registration, tools, memory, providers, and run history.
-7. [0→hero Reference](guides/zero-to-hero.html) — walk scaffold → run → chat →
-   inspect → flow → deploy dry-run as the maintained lifecycle contract.
+10. [Debugging your agent](guides/debugging-agents.html) — inspect service
+    registration, tools, memory, providers, and run history.
+11. [0→hero Reference](guides/zero-to-hero.html) — walk scaffold → run → chat →
+    inspect → flow → deploy dry-run as the maintained lifecycle contract.
 
 ## Related
 

internal/website/docs/getting-started.md

@@ -57,14 +57,15 @@ After this quick start, follow the agent path in order:
 
 1. [Install troubleshooting](guides/install-troubleshooting.html) — verify the CLI install before agent work.
 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](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/blob/master/examples/INDEX.md) — choose the smallest no-secret first-agent, maintained [0→hero support reference](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support), and next interop examples from one map.
-6. [Smallest first-agent example](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent) — run one service-backed agent with a mock model and no provider key.
-7. [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) — run a useful support agent with a mock model before setting up a provider key.
-8. [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) — build a service-backed agent and talk to it with `micro chat`.
-9. [Debugging your agent](guides/debugging-agents.html) — use `micro inspect agent <name>` to inspect service registration, tool calls, run history, memory, provider failures, and flow handoffs when the agent surprises you.
-10. [0→hero reference path](guides/zero-to-hero.html) — prove the full scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy dry-run lifecycle with commands exercised by `make harness`.
+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](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/blob/master/examples/INDEX.md) — choose the smallest no-secret first-agent, maintained [0→hero support reference](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support), and next interop examples from one map.
+7. [Smallest first-agent example](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent) — run one service-backed agent with a mock model and no provider key.
+8. [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) — run a useful support agent with a mock model before setting up a provider key.
+9. [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) — build a service-backed agent and talk to it with `micro chat`.
+10. [Debugging your agent](guides/debugging-agents.html) — use `micro agent preflight` before `micro run`, `micro agent doctor` after `micro run`, then `micro chat` and `micro inspect agent <name>` to recover service registration, tool calls, run history, memory, provider failures, and flow handoffs when the agent surprises you.
+11. [0→hero reference path](guides/zero-to-hero.html) — prove the full scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy dry-run lifecycle with commands exercised by `make harness`.
 
 ## Write a Service
 

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

@@ -24,10 +24,11 @@ Use the recovery command that matches where you are in the first-agent journey:
 | Checkpoint | When to use it | Command |
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | Install troubleshooting | `micro` is not installed, not on `PATH`, or the shell cannot run it. | [Install troubleshooting](install-troubleshooting.html) |
+| Quick recovery map | The first-agent loop stalled and you want the short scaffold → run → chat → inspect checklist before reading this full guide. | `micro agent quickcheck` (alias: `micro agent debug`) |
 | Preflight before `micro run` | You have not started the local runtime yet and want to verify Go, CLI, provider-key, and gateway-port prerequisites. | `micro agent preflight` |
 | Doctor after `micro run` | `micro run` is active, but chat, the `/agent` gateway, agent registration, provider settings, or inspect/run history is not behaving. | `micro agent doctor` |
 
-`micro agent preflight` is read-only and runs before the first local run; failed
+`micro agent quickcheck` is the quickest breadcrumb when you are unsure where the first-agent path failed: it prints the preflight, run, doctor, inspect, and no-secret fallback commands in one place. `micro agent preflight` is read-only and runs before the first local run; failed
 checks include `Fix:` and `Next:` lines for Go, CLI installation, provider-key
 setup, and the local gateway port. Once `micro run` is already up, switch to
 `micro agent doctor` so the recovery output follows the live gateway, chat

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

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ cloud credentials?"
 | Inspect | `micro inspect agent <name>`, `micro agent history <name>`, `micro inspect flow <flow>`, and `micro flow runs <flow>` remain discoverable for run history; the no-secret debugging smoke seeds durable agent history and runs the documented inspect/history commands without provider keys. | `go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestNoSecretFirstAgentDebuggingSmoke -count=1` |
 | Deploy | `micro deploy --dry-run prod` resolves the documented deploy target without touching remote infrastructure. | `go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestZeroToHeroDeployDryRunCommandSmoke -count=1` |
 | Smallest first agent | `examples/first-agent` runs one service-backed agent with a deterministic mock model and no provider key. | `go test ./examples/first-agent -run TestRunFirstAgent -count=1` |
-| Runtime reference app | `examples/support` runs typed services, an agent using those services as tools, an event-driven flow handoff, and an approval gate with only the model mocked. | `go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle' -count=1` |
+| Runtime reference app | `examples/support` runs typed services, an agent using those services as tools, an event-driven flow handoff, and an approval gate with only the model mocked. | `go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle|TestZeroToHeroInspectTranscript' -count=1` |
 | Runtime harnesses | Real services, agents, durable flows, store-backed history, delegation, and A2A run with only the model mocked. | `./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/run.sh` and `make provider-conformance-mock` |
 
 ## Find the one-command entrypoint
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ go test ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci -run TestZeroToHeroDeployDryRunComman
 go test ./examples/first-agent -run TestRunFirstAgent -count=1
 
 # Maintained 0→hero support-desk reference app.
-go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle' -count=1
+go test ./examples/support -run 'TestRunSupportMockSmoke|TestZeroToHeroReadmeDocumentsLifecycle|TestZeroToHeroInspectTranscript' -count=1
 
 # Durable services → agents → workflows reference scenarios.
 ./internal/harness/zero-to-hero-ci/run.sh

internal/website/docs/index.md

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ It's built on a pluggable architecture of Go interfaces: service discovery, clie
 
 ## Learn More
 
-Start with [Getting Started](getting-started.html) for install and the first local service. Then follow the first-agent on-ramp in the same order as the README: `micro agent demo` for the installed no-secret CLI affordance, `micro examples` for the provider-free examples map, `micro zero-to-hero` for the maintained lifecycle harness, [examples wayfinding index](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/blob/master/examples/INDEX.md) for the runnable examples map, [the smallest first-agent example](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent) for the fastest provider-free run, [the 0→hero support reference](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support) for the full no-secret lifecycle example, [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) to run a mock-model support agent, [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) to build and chat with a service-backed agent, [Debugging your agent](guides/debugging-agents.html) to use `micro inspect agent <name>` for runs and memory, and the [0→hero reference path](guides/zero-to-hero.html) to walk the full scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy dry-run lifecycle covered by CI.
+Start with [Getting Started](getting-started.html) for install and the first local service. Then follow the first-agent on-ramp in the same order as the README: `micro agent demo` for the installed no-secret CLI affordance, `micro examples` for the provider-free examples map, `micro zero-to-hero` for the maintained lifecycle harness, [examples wayfinding index](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/blob/master/examples/INDEX.md) for the runnable examples map, [the smallest first-agent example](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent) for the fastest provider-free run, [the 0→hero support reference](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support) for the full no-secret lifecycle example, [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) to run a mock-model support agent, [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) to build a service-backed agent and talk to it with `micro chat`, [Debugging your agent](guides/debugging-agents.html) to use `micro inspect agent <name>` for runs and memory, and the [0→hero reference path](guides/zero-to-hero.html) to walk the full scaffold → run → chat → inspect → deploy dry-run lifecycle covered by CI.
 
 Otherwise continue to read the docs for more information about the framework.
 
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Otherwise continue to read the docs for more information about the framework.
 - [Smallest first-agent example](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/first-agent) - Run one service-backed agent with a deterministic mock model
 - [0→hero support reference](https://github.com/micro/go-micro/tree/master/examples/support) - Run the maintained no-secret services → agents → workflows example
 - [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) - Run the first useful agent path without a provider key
-- [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) - Build a service-backed agent end to end
+- [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) - Build a service-backed agent and talk to it with `micro chat`
 - [MCP & AI Agents](mcp.html) - Turn services into AI-callable tools with the Model Context Protocol
 - [CLI & Gateway Guide](guides/cli-gateway.html) - Development vs Production modes
 - [`micro loop` quickstart](guides/micro-loop.html) - Scaffold an autonomous CI-gated improvement loop
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ Otherwise continue to read the docs for more information about the framework.
 
 - [0→hero Reference](guides/zero-to-hero.html) - Walk scaffold → run → chat → `micro inspect agent <name>` → deploy dry-run with CI-backed commands
 - [No-secret first-agent transcript](guides/no-secret-first-agent.html) - Run the first useful agent path without a provider key
-- [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) - Build a service-backed agent end to end
+- [Your First Agent](guides/your-first-agent.html) - Build a service-backed agent and talk to it with `micro chat`
 - [Building AI-Native Services](guides/ai-native-services.html) - End-to-end tutorial for MCP-enabled services
 - [MCP Security Guide](guides/mcp-security.html) - Auth, scopes, rate limiting, and audit logging
 - [Tool Description Best Practices](guides/tool-descriptions.html) - Writing docs that make agents effective