DeskPilot

Author(s)

• Raimund Andree

Tags

Copilot GitHubCopilot ShellPilot Agent AI GUI AgenticOperatingModel Windows Linux macOS

Functions

Start-DeskPilot

PSEditions

Core

Dependencies

This module has no dependencies.

Release Notes

## [0.3.0-preview0001] - 2026-07-09

### Added

- **Automatic update checks with a consent-gated in-app update.** DeskPilot now
 polls the PowerShell Gallery for a newer release in the background (every 5
 minutes by default, configurable in **Settings → Engine & data → Updates**, plus
 a manual **Check for updates** button) and, when one is found, shows a dismissible
 banner in the UI. Clicking **Update now** installs the newest DeskPilot **and**
 ShellPilot into the CurrentUser scope, then **force-reloads ShellPilot live in the
 Engine Runspace** so the Engine update takes effect immediately; DeskPilot's own
 host code can't hot-swap in-process, so a one-click **Restart DeskPilot** relaunch
 applies it (a fresh process imports the updated modules, keeping your
 Conversations). Full releases are offered by default; an
 opt-in **Include preview releases** setting also considers previews, and updating
 DeskPilot to a preview accepts a preview ShellPilot too — otherwise both are
 pinned to stable. The check is fail-silent and never blocks serving (it runs in a
 background job), and the notice is web-UI only (no console output). New
 `GET /api/update`, `POST /api/update/check`, `POST /api/update/install`, and
 `POST /api/update/restart` routes; new `updateCheckIntervalMinutes` and
 `updateIncludePrereleases` Settings; new `Get-DpUpdateStatus`,
 `Invoke-DpSelfUpdate`, `Get-DpUpdatePayload`, `Update-DpUpdateCheckState`,
 `Update-DpEngineModule` (live Engine reload) and `Restart-DpHost` (relaunch)
 helpers (replacing the launch-only, console-only `Get-DpUpdateNotice`); +20 unit
 tests.
- **DeskPilot version shown in the sidebar corner.** The running version (from
 `GET /api/health`) now appears as a muted `DeskPilot vX.Y.Z` line in the
 bottom-left of the sidebar, so the installed build is always visible at a glance
 (and easy to quote alongside the update banner).
- **Set up CopilotAtelier from the Agent menu.** The Agent dropdown has a new
 **Set up CopilotAtelier…** action that provisions the
 [CopilotAtelier](https://github.com/raandree/CopilotAtelier) customization set —
 the curated agents, skills, instructions and prompt files that feed the very
 menu it lives in. Because CopilotAtelier is a repository rather than an
 installable module, DeskPilot downloads it (a zip of the `main` branch over
 HTTPS from the fixed first-party URL, extracted under the data directory) and
 runs its `Setup-CopilotSettings.ps1`, which links
 `~/.copilot/{agents,instructions,skills,prompts}` to a synced copy. It is
 deliberately **not a one-click action**: choosing the menu item first opens a
 consent dialog that spells out exactly what the script changes (the `~/.copilot`
 junctions, VS Code `settings.json`/`keybindings.json`, and the
 `COPILOT_ALLOW_ALL` user environment variable) before anything is downloaded or
 run, and the script then runs in a visible PowerShell console the user drives so
 its own safety prompts (OneDrive account choice, replacing a non-empty folder)
 work. Windows only — the script uses NTFS junctions; on other platforms the
 files are fetched for a manual run. New `POST /api/atelier/setup` route and
 `Get-DpAtelierSource` / `Invoke-DpAtelierSetup` helpers (+4 unit tests).
- **The Agent list now refreshes without a restart.** Agents that appear after
 startup — most notably from the new CopilotAtelier setup, which runs in a
 separate console — now show up in the Agent menu on their own. The SPA
 re-checks the list on a short interval and whenever the window regains focus or
 the tab becomes visible (so returning from the setup console refreshes it), and
 `GET /api/agents` now adopts the conventional `~/.copilot/agents` folder the
 moment it exists even if it was absent at startup (new `Resolve-DpAgentsRoot`
 helper), so a selected Agent also reaches the Turn. Previously the Agents folder
 was resolved once at startup, so a freshly-created `~/.copilot/agents` (e.g. the
 CopilotAtelier junction) stayed invisible until DeskPilot was restarted. Polling
 was chosen over a server-side folder watcher to fit the single-threaded,
 no-persistent-SSE Host Server. (+3 unit tests.)
- **Publishable from the PowerShell Gallery, with the web UI bundled.** The
 DeskPilot web UI now ships inside the module (ModuleBuilder `CopyPaths`), so
 `Install-Module DeskPilot; Start-DeskPilot` serves the full interface from the
 installed module with no build step and nothing extra to download. The shipped
 `Start-DeskPilot` resolves its assets internally (`$PSScriptRoot/web`) — the
 public `-WebRoot` parameter is gone — and fails fast with a clear message if the
 bundle is missing or incomplete; a source checkout and the tests serve
 `source/web` via the `DESKPILOT_WEB_ROOT` environment variable so UI edits still
 hot-reload without a rebuild. ShellPilot stays resolved at runtime by
 `Resolve-DpEngineModule` (not a hard manifest dependency, so import never fails
 when the engine is absent), and the manifest metadata (author,
 project/license/icon URIs, description, tags) is filled in for the Gallery
 listing. A fail-silent
 launch-time check reports when a newer DeskPilot is available on the Gallery.
 Added an MIT `LICENSE`, Gallery/CI README badges, a new `Get-DpUpdateNotice`
 helper, and web-asset guard tests (bundle presence, Linux case-sensitivity of
 asset references, and a no-secrets scan). The `web/` folder was relocated to
 `source/web/`.
- **Persistent memory (DeskPilot learns who you are).** DeskPilot now carries
 durable memory across conversations, injected into every turn. Two parts: a
 **User profile** — the note you write about yourself (the existing preferences,
 now framed as your profile, up to 8,000 characters) — and a new agent-curated
 **Agent memory** — durable, declarative facts the agent keeps about you and your
 environment (conventions, tools, observed preferences, lessons), up to 12,000
 characters. Both are shown as fenced *reference notes* in the system prompt so a
 recalled fact is never mistaken for a new instruction. The agent keeps its memory
 up to date two ways: **automatically** (a throttled, best-effort background step
 after some turns — default on, announced with a toast, one toggle to disable) and
 **manually** (an "Update from this conversation" button). Learning writes facts
 only, never secrets or one-off task state, and never changes your visible
 messages. Manage it all in **Settings → Memory**: view, edit, or clear either
 store, with a live character/budget count. New endpoints `GET`/`PUT /api/memory`
 and `POST /api/memory/learn`; new helpers `Get-DpMemoryLimits`,
 `Import-DpMemoryStore`, `Save-DpMemoryStore`, `New-DpMemoryPrompt`,
 `ConvertFrom-DpMemoryResult`, `Get-DpMemoryPayload`; a new `agent-memory.json`
 store and a `memoryLearning` setting (+17 unit tests).
- **Automatic conversation compaction (Memory & context).** When a conversation
 fills most of the model's context window, DeskPilot can now summarise its earlier
 turns automatically so it keeps working instead of overflowing — the same
 summarise-and-keep-recent **Compact** it already offered, run for you after a turn
 once the context passes a threshold you set. Your visible messages are always
 kept, and every automatic compaction is announced with a toast. New **Memory &
 context** settings: an on/off toggle (default **on**), a **Compact when context
 reaches** percentage (50–95, default 80), and **Recent messages to keep in full**
 (2–100, default 4). The same keep-recent setting now also drives the manual
 Compact action. No new endpoint — auto-compaction reuses
 `POST /api/conversations/{id}/compact`. The Session Info panel shows a one-line
 indicator when auto-compaction is on. (+6 unit tests.)
- **Richer Usage panel.** The credits/usage popover now shows the **tokens in /
 tokens out** split (prompt vs. completion) for both the session and all-time
 counters, a **Top models** list for the session (ranked by tokens), and the
 credits-per-day chart gained a **30-day** range alongside 7d and 14d. All from
 data already tracked — no extra cost or Engine change.
- **Session info + Compact conversation (like GitHub Copilot).** Each conversation
 now has a **Session Info** panel — opened from a glanceable **context meter**
 pill in the top bar or the **⋯** menu — showing the conversation's accumulated
 cost (credits and $) and turn count, and a **Context Window** gauge: how much of
 the model's context window the last turn used, with a hatched *reserved for
 response* tail and an estimated split into **Messages** vs. **System + tools**.
 The context figure is measured exactly from the Engine's reported `promptTokens`;
 the per-part breakdown is a labelled client-side estimate. A **Compact
 conversation** button summarises the earlier turns into a short briefing so
 future turns send far fewer tokens — your visible messages stay intact; only what
 is replayed to the model shrinks. New endpoint
 `POST /api/conversations/{id}/compact` (runs a pure-reasoning turn with all tools
 disabled) and a new `compactedUtc` conversation field. New helpers
 `New-DpCompactionPrompt`, `ConvertFrom-DpCompactionResult`, and
 `Compress-DpConversationHistory` (+16 unit tests).
- **A richer conversation menu.** The per-conversation **⋯** menu is now grouped
 into clear sections with several new actions: **Open in new window** (opens the
 conversation in a separate browser window via a `/?c=<id>` deep link),
 **Duplicate** (an independent copy of the title, messages, and history),
 **Mark as unread** / **Mark as read** with an unread dot, a bold title, and a
 **Mark N as read** control under the list, an optional **Colour** label from a
 fixed palette (shown as a dot on the row), **Copy transcript** (the Markdown
 transcript straight to the clipboard), and **Details** (a read-only popover with
 the created/updated times, messa