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+# v0.5.3 Manual Smoke-Test Checklist (WSL + Native Windows)
+
+**Branch:** `feat/v0.5.3-persistent-session-mode`
+**Build artifact for WSL:** `dist/ctask-linux-amd64` (already produced by `just build-linux`)
+
+This checklist covers what the automated test suite cannot exercise: TTY +
+tmux interaction, real workspace creation/launch, multi-terminal reattach.
+Run each step in order; record PASS/FAIL inline as you go.
+
+---
+
+## Setup
+
+### S1. Stage the binary on PATH inside WSL
+
+The `claude` agent is not installed in your `debian-dev` WSL distro, so for
+the smoke tests we substitute `bash` as the agent via `--agent bash`. The
+purpose of these tests is the ctask + tmux dispatch — the agent is just a
+"thing that runs inside tmux."
+
+```bash
+# Inside WSL (debian-dev):
+mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
+cp /mnt/c/Users/Warren/claude_tasks/ctask/dist/ctask-linux-amd64 ~/.local/bin/ctask
+chmod +x ~/.local/bin/ctask
+export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
+ctask --version          # Expect: ctask v0.5.3
+which tmux && tmux -V    # Expect: /usr/bin/tmux, tmux 3.5a (or similar)
+```
+
+If `~/.local/bin` is not already on PATH in your shell init, add `export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"` to `~/.bashrc`.
+
+### S2. Choose a smoke-test root
+
+```bash
+export CTASK_ROOT=/tmp/ctask-053-smoke
+mkdir -p "$CTASK_ROOT"
+```
+
+Using a temp root keeps your real workspaces untouched. Cleanup is one
+`rm -rf` at the end.
+
+---
+
+## Owner-create path (Step 3)
+
+### O1. Enable persistent mode and create a project
+
+```bash
+export CTASK_SESSION_MODE=persistent
+ctask new --project --agent bash ctask-053-smoke
+```
+
+**Expected:**
+
+- A line like `[ctask] created projects/2026-05-08_ctask-053-smoke`
+- Banner lines: `[ctask] local :: ctask-053-smoke` and the workspace path
+- A bash prompt appears (you are inside tmux + bash + the workspace's
+  `ctask-053-smoke/` project subdirectory)
+- Status line indicates you're attached to the tmux session
+
+### O2. Detach without exiting
+
+Press `Ctrl-b d` (default tmux prefix). You should return to your outer
+shell and see no error.
+
+### O3. Verify the tmux session is alive
+
+```bash
+tmux ls
+```
+
+**Expected:** A line containing `ctask-projects-ctask-053-smoke-<6hex>`.
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+---
+
+## Passive reattach (Step 4)
+
+### P1. Reattach via resume
+
+```bash
+ctask resume ctask-053-smoke
+```
+
+**Expected:**
+
+- Immediate reattach (sub-second). No "[ctask] adopting orphaned..." line.
+- Same bash prompt as before. Scrollback intact (you can scroll up and see
+  the original banner).
+- No new banner line is printed (passive reattach does not print one).
+
+### P2. Detach again
+
+`Ctrl-b d`.
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+---
+
+## Adopted reattach (Step 5)
+
+### A1. Simulate orphan: kill the heartbeating ctask process
+
+In a fresh outer shell (NOT inside the tmux session):
+
+```bash
+pgrep -af 'ctask resume ctask-053-smoke' | head -5
+# Note the PID of the ctask process (the parent that owns the lease, NOT bash inside tmux).
+# It is usually the most recent one.
+pgrep -f 'ctask resume ctask-053-smoke' | xargs -r kill -9
+```
+
+The tmux session itself stays alive (only the ctask process owning the
+lease is killed). Verify:
+
+```bash
+tmux ls   # Expected: ctask-projects-ctask-053-smoke-<hash> still listed
+```
+
+Wait at least 60 seconds so the lease's last_heartbeat_at goes stale (the
+threshold is 60s — see `internal/session/heartbeat.go:15`).
+
+### A2. Reattach — adoption should fire
+
+```bash
+ctask resume ctask-053-smoke
+```
+
+**Expected:**
+
+- A line on stderr: `[ctask] adopting orphaned persistent session (previous owner exited without finalizing)`
+- Then the user is reattached to the same bash session inside tmux.
+
+### A3. End the session and inspect the summary
+
+Inside the bash session: `exit` to leave bash.
+Then: `Ctrl-b &` to confirm killing the tmux window, OR
+`tmux kill-session -t ctask-projects-ctask-053-smoke-<hash>` from outside.
+
+Wait ~3 seconds (polling interval) for the foreground `ctask resume` to
+detect session end and finalize.
+
+```bash
+WS=$CTASK_ROOT/projects/2026-05-08_ctask-053-smoke
+cat "$WS/.ctask/last-session-summary.json" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null \
+  || cat "$WS/.ctask/last-session-summary.json"
+```
+
+**Expected fields present:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "end_reason": "tmux_session_ended",
+  "detected_via": "polling",
+  "session_ownership": "adopted",
+  "adopted_from_orphan_at": "2026-05-08T..."
+}
+```
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+---
+
+## Non-TTY refusal (Step 6)
+
+### T1. Pipe stdin to break the TTY check
+
+```bash
+echo "" | ctask resume ctask-053-smoke
+```
+
+**Expected:** A multi-line refusal message containing:
+- `interactive terminal`
+- `ssh -t <host> ctask resume <workspace>`
+- `ctask resume <workspace> --direct`
+
+Exit code: 1.
+
+### T2. SSH-without-t equivalent (optional)
+
+If you have ssh server running on localhost:
+
+```bash
+ssh localhost -- bash -lc "PATH=\$HOME/.local/bin:\$PATH CTASK_SESSION_MODE=persistent CTASK_ROOT=$CTASK_ROOT ctask resume ctask-053-smoke"
+```
+
+**Expected:** Same refusal message (no `-t` means no TTY allocation).
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+---
+
+## Nested tmux refusal (Step 7)
+
+```bash
+TMUX=fake-tmux-env-value ctask resume ctask-053-smoke
+```
+
+**Expected:** Refusal with text containing:
+- `cannot attach while already inside tmux`
+- `ctask resume <workspace> --direct`
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+---
+
+## --direct confirmation (Step 8)
+
+### D1. Recreate a tmux session for the workspace
+
+If you killed it during the adoption test, recreate via owner-create:
+
+```bash
+ctask resume --agent bash ctask-053-smoke
+# Detach with Ctrl-b d.
+tmux ls   # Expected: session listed again
+```
+
+### D2. Try opening with --direct
+
+```bash
+ctask open --direct ctask-053-smoke
+```
+
+**Expected (interactive prompt):**
+
+```
+A persistent tmux session exists for this workspace:
+  ctask-projects-ctask-053-smoke-<hash>
+
+Opening a direct-mode shell may create conflicting workspace activity.
+The recommended path is:
+  ctask attach ctask-053-smoke
+
+Continue with --direct anyway? [y/N]
+```
+
+Type `n` and press Enter. Expected: exits with `Error: canceled by user`.
+
+### D3. Confirm --direct then bypass
+
+Run again:
+
+```bash
+ctask open --direct ctask-053-smoke
+```
+
+Type `y` and press Enter. Expected: the v0.4 active-session warning fires
+(an EXISTING tmux session means there's an active lease too). Either
+answer to that prompt is fine — the goal is just to confirm the --direct
+prompt fired and the user can proceed past it.
+
+Detach / exit any shells you opened.
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+---
+
+## tmux missing — workspace NOT created (Step 9)
+
+This is the most important refusal: a missing tmux must not leave a
+half-initialized workspace on disk.
+
+### M1. Hide tmux from PATH
+
+```bash
+ORIG_PATH=$PATH
+export PATH=$(echo "$PATH" | tr ':' '\n' | grep -v '/bin$\|/usr/bin' | paste -sd:)
+# Verify tmux is gone:
+which tmux && echo "ERROR: tmux still on PATH"  # Should NOT print "ERROR..."
+```
+
+If your `~/.local/bin/ctask` is no longer on PATH after this, copy it
+back: `cp $HOME/.local/bin/ctask ./ctask-temp && export PATH=$PWD:$PATH`
+(or just use a full path below).
+
+### M2. Try `ctask new` with persistent mode
+
+```bash
+ctask new --project --agent bash ctask-053-no-tmux
+```
+
+**Expected (refusal BEFORE workspace.Create):**
+
+```
+Error: ctask is configured for persistent sessions, but tmux is not installed.
+
+Install tmux:
+  Debian/Ubuntu/WSL:  sudo apt install tmux
+  ...
+```
+
+### M3. Verify NO workspace was created
+
+```bash
+ls "$CTASK_ROOT/projects/" 2>/dev/null
+# Expected: empty or only the ctask-053-smoke directory from earlier — NO ctask-053-no-tmux
+```
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+### M4. Restore PATH
+
+```bash
+export PATH=$ORIG_PATH
+which tmux  # Expected: /usr/bin/tmux
+```
+
+---
+
+## Native Windows refusal (Step 10)
+
+In a Windows PowerShell window (NOT WSL):
+
+```powershell
+cd C:\Users\Warren\claude_tasks\ctask
+go build -o ctask.exe .
+$env:CTASK_SESSION_MODE = "persistent"
+$env:WSL_DISTRO_NAME = $null  # Make sure we're not pretending to be WSL
+.\ctask.exe new --no-launch ctask-053-windows
+```
+
+**Expected:**
+
+```
+Error: ctask persistent mode requires tmux, which is not supported on native Windows.
+
+Recommended:
+  Run ctask from WSL and install tmux there:
+    sudo apt install tmux
+
+Or bypass persistent mode:
+  ctask new <workspace> --direct
+```
+
+Exit code: 1. NO workspace created (verify under `%USERPROFILE%\ai-workspaces\`).
+
+### --direct under persistent on Windows
+
+```powershell
+.\ctask.exe new --no-launch --direct ctask-053-win-direct
+```
+
+**Expected:** workspace created with one warning line:
+`[ctask] warning: --direct bypassing persistent mode (no tmux session exists for this workspace)`
+
+Cleanup:
+
+```powershell
+.\ctask.exe delete --force ctask-053-win-direct  # if --force exists
+# Or remove manually:
+Remove-Item -Recurse -Force (Get-ChildItem -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\ai-workspaces\general" -Filter "*ctask-053-win-direct*").FullName
+$env:CTASK_SESSION_MODE = $null
+Remove-Item ctask.exe
+```
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+---
+
+## Doctor output (Step 11)
+
+In WSL with the smoke-test root still set:
+
+```bash
+unset CTASK_SESSION_MODE
+ctask doctor 2>&1 | grep -E "Session mode|tmux"
+# Expected: [INFO] Session mode: direct (tmux not required)
+
+CTASK_SESSION_MODE=persistent ctask doctor 2>&1 | grep -E "Session mode|tmux"
+# Expected:
+# [INFO] Session mode: persistent
+# [INFO] tmux found: tmux 3.5a (/usr/bin/tmux)
+```
+
+PASS / FAIL: ___
+
+---
+
+## Cleanup (Step 12)
+
+```bash
+unset CTASK_SESSION_MODE
+# Kill any leftover tmux sessions from smoke testing:
+tmux ls 2>/dev/null | grep '^ctask-' | cut -d: -f1 | xargs -r -I{} tmux kill-session -t {}
+# Wipe the smoke-test root:
+rm -rf "$CTASK_ROOT"
+unset CTASK_ROOT
+# Optionally remove the WSL-staged binary:
+rm -f ~/.local/bin/ctask
+```
+
+---
+
+## Reporting back
+
+When complete, report PASS/FAIL for each labeled section back to me. If
+all pass, I'll merge the branch to `main` and you can `just install` and
+optionally `git tag v0.5.3`. If any fail, paste the exact output and I'll
+investigate.