Using the local diagnostics dashboard and agent REPL

Start with the intended workflow

Give developers a local diagnostics and interaction surface during evaluation.

The agent REPL exposes session commands for model selection, profile and status inspection, context, history and reset. The diagnostics dashboard supports panes and deterministic one-shot output. A session-local SEA preference does not by itself prove durable evidence retrieval occurred.

Local entry points

Run from the ABI checkout with the CLI built and available on PATH. Use disposable data for evaluation; do not connect a test to a live memory store.

ABI_WDBX_PERSIST=0 abi dashboard --pane system --once --json
ABI_WDBX_PERSIST=0 abi agent tui

Acceptance and limits

Use one-shot diagnostics in automation and a terminal for interactive acceptance. Confirm the displayed data source and fallback disclosures before interpreting a pane as an observation of a live service.

Interactive editing and refresh require a supported terminal.

A dashboard view is not a production health certification or proof of provider execution.

Automated and interactive checks

One-shot output is suitable for a captured diagnostics check; interactive acceptance should use a real terminal. The redirected REPL example inspects help, status and context, then exits without a generation prompt. Persistence is disabled for this example, so it cannot be mistaken for evidence of stored learning.

ABI_WDBX_PERSIST=0 abi agent tui <<'REPL'
/help
/status
/context
/quit
REPL

Read the session boundaries

The diagnostics panes cover system, plugins, storage/WDBX, scheduler and memory. The REPL has a separate command surface for the current session. Changing a model label does not establish that a provider model executed; local generation remains subject to its disclosed completion route. The SEA toggle is a session preference, while durable evidence behavior belongs to the separate configured retrieval path. Context and history are bounded views, not a complete transcript of all earlier work.

Acceptance for operators

Verify pane navigation, help discoverability, exit behavior and restoration of terminal modes after normal exit or interruption. Compare a one-shot JSON report with the visible pane while noting differing refresh times and declared data sources. Exercise a narrow terminal and redirected input so an interactive assumption does not break automation. Check that errors remain readable and that a missing backend is disclosed as fallback or unavailable. These interface checks establish usability of the local surface; operational health and provider acceptance remain separate observations.