fix(cli): wire AffectUpdate + AwaitingLlmFirstToken into --send presenter (v0.14.1)

The CLI presenter at cli.py:201 carries its own isinstance check on
the Event union (mirroring the TUI presenter's same pattern). v0.11.0
+ v0.14.0 added AffectUpdate + AwaitingLlmFirstToken to the wire layer
but only updated the TUI presenter, leaving the CLI presenter stuck
on the pre-v0.11.0 event vocabulary.

Effect: `ratatoskr --send` crashes with AssertionError on any v0.28.0+
server emitting either of those events. Persona-enabled agents
(affect_update fires on every qualifying turn) and slow-first-token
turns (awaiting_llm_first_token heartbeats fire at 5s intervals) are
both reliably broken. Surfaced while running a wire-trace smoke test
against a Gemma4-based Tier 3 agent.

Patch-bump per SemVer discipline: corrects drift on the just-shipped
surface (v0.11.0 / v0.14.0 wire layer); no public signature change,
no new behavior, existing callers don't care — the bug fix lets them
keep working against current servers.

Routing additions in cli.py:
- AffectUpdate: stderr line with status + (for current) dominant_emotion
- AwaitingLlmFirstToken: stderr line with turn_id + elapsed (seconds)

docs/SPEC-PIN.md

@@ -7,11 +7,19 @@ documents the pin, the vendored artifacts, and the bump procedure.
 
 | Field | Value |
 |---|---|
-| Worldtree git SHA | `55101e909abcd2219833266b6f905c5bc956e0f0` |
-| Worldtree HEAD message | `memory: snapshot — #177 Vili v1 + persona async-decouple shipped as v0.19.0` |
-| Pinned on | 2026-05-20 |
-| Pinned by | brokkr-smithy-dev (initial scaffold) |
-| Worldtree version at pin | `v0.19.0` |
+| Worldtree git SHA | `562001af28d752c3a60d449c7ddd09f44fa9dc9a` |
+| Worldtree HEAD message | `feat(#201): v0.29.0 — awaiting_llm_first_token SSE heartbeat` |
+| Pinned on | 2026-05-26 |
+| Pinned by | ratatoskr-dev (bump for #201 awaiting_llm_first_token SSE) |
+| Worldtree version at pin | `v0.29.0` |
+
+## Pin history
+
+| Date | SHA | Version | Notable deltas consumed |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| 2026-05-26 | `562001a` | v0.29.0 | #201 — new SSE event `awaiting_llm_first_token` (heartbeat during BuildingPrompt → CallingLLM gap, default 5s interval) |
+| 2026-05-25 | `da93ca7` | v0.28.0 | #204 — new SSE event `affect_update` (current/scheduled), new endpoint `GET /agents/{id}/persona_state`, auth-model doc edits |
+| 2026-05-20 | `55101e9` | v0.19.0 | initial scaffold pin |
 
 ## Vendored artifacts
 

docs/contracts/issues/13.contract.md

@@ -158,8 +158,12 @@ New `Static(id="pane-name")` widget alongside the existing `identity` + `hint` w
 - **INV-016**: Input retains keyboard focus across `Ctrl+1` / `Ctrl+2` tab switches.
 - **INV-017** *(amended v0.5.0)*: `thinking-current` Static docks to the top of the **right column** (above `TabbedContent`), not the left column. Live thinking visibility persists across tab switches. v0.5.0 moves it from left → right so the left column is genuinely content-only.
 - **INV-018**: CLI mode (`ratatoskr.cli._amain`) is unaffected. CLI keeps inline `· tool_start: …` / `· tool_result: …` rendering on stderr per issue #12 INV-005.
-- **INV-019** *(new v0.5.0)*: Two TabPanes in the right column: `Tools` (id `tools-tab`, contains `#tools-log`) + `Debug` (id `debug-tab`, contains `#debug-log`). Ctrl+1 activates Tools; Ctrl+2 activates Debug. `pane-name` Static reflects the active tab name dynamically.
-- **INV-020** *(new v0.5.0)*: Render-exception fallback (INV-009) preserves routing per event class: `ToolStart` / `ToolResult` fallback writes to `tools_log`; `WorkerPhase` / `Thinking` / `TextBoundary` fallback writes to `debug_log`; everything else falls back to `log`.
+- **INV-019** *(amended v0.6.0)*: Three TabPanes in the right column: `Tools` (id `tools-tab`, contains `#tools-log`) + `Debug` (id `debug-tab`, contains `#debug-log`) + `Thinking` (id `thinking-tab`, contains `#thinking-log`). Ctrl+1/Ctrl+2/Ctrl+3 activate respective tabs. `pane-name` Static reflects active tab name dynamically.
+- **INV-020** *(amended v0.6.0)*: Render-exception fallback (INV-009) preserves routing per event class: `ToolStart` / `ToolResult` → `tools_log`; `Thinking` → `thinking_log`; `WorkerPhase` / `TextBoundary` → `debug_log`; everything else → `log`.
+- **INV-021** *(new v0.6.0)*: `Text` events do NOT route to `log` per-delta. They accumulate into `TuiPresenterState.text_buffer` and update a single `current_text` Static (docked above the prompt). On terminal event (`Done`/`Error`/`Cancelled`), `current_text` is cleared and (raw mode) accumulated text or (non-raw) post-Done `Markdown(response)` is written to `log`. The pre-v0.6.0 per-token RichLog spam is retired.
+- **INV-022** *(amended v0.7.1)*: Thinking deltas COALESCE on `\n` boundaries before writing to `thinking_log`. The first delta of a run writes `Rule(title=f"turn N · thinking #K start")`; subsequent deltas accumulate in `TuiPresenterState.thinking_chunk_buffer`; whenever the buffer contains `\n`, the leading line(s) flush as RichLog entries (one entry per natural paragraph). The run closes on the next non-thinking event: any tail in the buffer flushes as a final line, then `Rule(title=f"turn N · thinking #K end")`. Pre-v0.7.1 per-delta-per-line caused token-spam (Worldtree emits thinking at token granularity); coalescing produces one log line per natural paragraph, not per token.
+- **INV-023** *(new v0.6.0)*: Turn-ID header `Rule(title=f"turn N")` is written to all four log panes (`log`, `tools_log`, `debug_log`, `thinking_log`) by `_stream_turn_worker` on the first event of each turn — enables cross-pane visual correlation during multi-turn debugging.
+- **INV-024** *(amended v0.6.5)*: `thinking-current` Static REMOVED. v0.6.1 placed it inside the Thinking pane (docked bottom); operators reported the bottom-docked Static "scrolling a little section at the bottom" (its 200-char tail acting as a scroll-window) instead of letting the whole pane scroll. v0.6.5 deletes the Static entirely and streams Thinking deltas directly into `thinking_log` (the scrollable RichLog) — the whole pane scrolls naturally as content arrives. The Rule(start) at the first delta of a run is now the live "thinking is happening" indicator.
 
 ## TESTS (additions / changes to test_tui.py)
 

docs/contracts/issues/15.contract.md

@@ -0,0 +1,290 @@
+---
+contract_version: "2.1"
+target_module: "ratatoskr.tier3"
+scope: "New module `ratatoskr.tier3` exposing Worldtree's Tier 3 (consumer-defined) agent lifecycle: `define_agent` (POST /agents/define), `patch_agent` (PATCH /agents/<id>), `delete_agent` (DELETE /agents/<id>), plus `Tier3AgentInfo` frozen dataclass. Plus a thin CLI entry point (`python -m ratatoskr.tier3 <define|patch|delete>`) that mirrors `ratatoskr.cli`'s env-var posture (`WORLDTREE_API_URL`, `WORLDTREE_API_KEY`). Convention-aligned with `ratatoskr.sessions` (issue #2): caller-owned httpx.AsyncClient, no Worldtree imports, response parsing into frozen dataclass, exception `.body` truncated to `[:1024]`. Picker stays generic — agents with `:` in agent_id show in the list like any other per issue #8's out-of-scope clause. Goal: ratatoskr operators can define, mutate, and delete Tier 3 agents from the command line, then exercise the full session flow against them to observe how Tier 3 agent_ids (colon-containing) flow through the picker / session-create / SSE stream."
+depends_on:
+  - "httpx"
+used_by: []
+language: "python"
+complexity: "low"
+estimated_loc: 250
+confidence: 0.9
+assumptions:
+  - "Tier 3 endpoints land at the same `WORLDTREE_API_URL` as the rest of the Conversation API — no separate hostname / port. Auth via the same bearer key. The caller's user_id is derived server-side from the API key's owner; the agent's `agent_id` is constructed as `<auth_user_id>:<agent_name>`. Live probe against personal Worldtree (2026-05-25) confirmed: POST with `{agent_name: 'smoke-test', ...}` and `Authorization: Bearer <key>` returned `agent_id=ratatoskr:smoke-test`, `user_id=ratatoskr`."
+  - "Per Worldtree spec §2576-2750: `agent_name` is a strict slug `[a-z][a-z0-9-]{2,63}` and immutable after definition. `user_id` is derived from the auth, must be slug-safe (`[a-z][a-z0-9-]{2,63}` per Phase 2.0 gate). PATCH accepts ONLY `system_prompt` and/or `model`; any other key (including the immutable `agent_name`, `user_id`, or layer fields `persona`/`motivational`/`valence`/`memory` — even with `null` value) returns 422 `field_not_mutable` BEFORE the DB lookup."
+  - "**Layer fields are explicitly null** on define. Phase 2.0 ships baseline addressing + ownership + lifecycle only; `persona` / `motivational` / `valence` / `memory` are schema-reserved. Non-null on these → 422 `layer_deferred`. The module's `define_agent` does NOT expose these as parameters at all — sending them would require an amendment when a future Phase enables them."
+  - "**`model` field is a provider model ID, not a profile alias.** Live probe found: `model='default'` (an llm_profiles profile name) returns 422 `model_not_available`; `model='qwen3.6-35-a3b'` (an actual provider model ID) returns 201. The CLI / module take the string verbatim and pass through — validation is server-side. Operators discover valid IDs via the model `metadata` on existing sessions or out-of-band."
+  - "**Quota: 50 Tier 3 agents per Heimdall key.** 51st define → 429 `agent_quota_exceeded` with `Retry-After: 0`. The module raises `Tier3QuotaExceeded(retry_after=0)` — the retry_after field captures the header value verbatim for forward-compat if Worldtree later returns a non-zero throttle."
+  - "**Key-revocation cascade is server-side.** When an API key is revoked (`DELETE /admin/keys/{key_id}`), every Tier 3 agent with `owner_key_hash` equal to the revoked key's hash is soft-deleted in the same SQL transaction. Active sessions on those agents return 401 `auth_revoked` on next message. The ratatoskr module doesn't track or simulate this — operators discover it via runtime 401s and the admin-side audit log."
+  - "**Picker integration is implicit** — no changes to `ratatoskr.tui.AgentPickerApp` for this issue. Tier 3 agents appear in `GET /agents` if defined and the picker's existing format `{agent_id} · {name} — {description}` renders the colon-containing agent_id without special-casing. Per issue #8 out-of-scope clause, ratatoskr does not visually distinguish Tier 1 vs Tier 3 in the picker — same UX surface."
+  - "**Session-create with colon-containing agent_id works unchanged.** Issue #5 already routes `end_user_id` into the POST /sessions body, which Tier 3 session-create requires from Phase 2.0 (per spec §2649-2664). No `ratatoskr.sessions` change needed."
+  - "**CLI uses argparse with subparsers** (define / patch / delete). The subparsers entry point lives at `python -m ratatoskr.tier3` via `__main__.py`. Output on success: prints a one-line summary (`defined ratatoskr:wizard (qwen3.6-35-a3b)` / `patched ratatoskr:wizard` / `deleted ratatoskr:wizard`). Output on error: `[<error_code>] <message>` to stderr + non-zero exit. Exit codes mirror `ratatoskr.cli`: 0 happy / 10 usage / 11 auth / 20 api-failure / 21 network."
+  - "**No `list` subcommand in v1.** A `tier3 list` operation would have to filter `GET /agents` by prefix-matching the caller's user_id, but that prefix isn't exposed in the response — only the agent_id is, and you'd have to introspect the auth's user_id. Operators discover their own Tier 3 agents by reading the `GET /agents` list (which the picker already surfaces) and looking for `<their-user-id>:*` entries. Add `list` in a follow-up if operators report friction."
+  - "**Module is standalone**: does NOT import or interact with `ratatoskr.sessions` / `ratatoskr.sse_client` / `ratatoskr.tui` / `ratatoskr.cli` beyond reusing the `USER_AGENT` constant from `ratatoskr.cli`. Cross-module use is one-way (cli supplies the user-agent string; tier3 does not import sessions). This keeps the module surface minimal and testable in isolation."
+  - "**The CLI's `python -m ratatoskr.tier3` entry point uses sys.argv handling that mirrors `ratatoskr.cli`** — a top-level `main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int` function that argparse-dispatches to subcommand handlers. Each subcommand handler is an async coroutine wrapped by `asyncio.run(...)`. Auth resolution: `--api-key` flag > `$WORLDTREE_API_KEY` env > `_AuthError` (exit 11). Server URL: `--server` > `$WORLDTREE_API_URL` > default `http://localhost:8000` (same default as `ratatoskr.cli`)."
+  - "**Tests use `respx` for HTTP mocking** (same pattern as `tests/test_sessions.py`). New test file: `tests/test_tier3.py`. Cover all success + error response codes per the ERROR_ROUTING matrix below. No live network in unit tests — the live smoke is in the acceptance criteria, not the unit tests."
+open_questions:
+  - "Should `define_agent` accept an optional `bifrost` parameter for Bifrost-bound Tier 3 sessions? The spec §2658 shows `bifrost` as a session-create field (not define-time). Draft: no — Bifrost binding is per-session; if a Tier 3 agent needs Bifrost on every session, that's an orthogonal feature on POST /sessions, not POST /agents/define. Issue #5's `--end-user-id` already covers the session-create-side parameters."
+  - "Should the CLI also offer `--end-user-id` for sessions created via tier3 + ratatoskr-cli composition? Draft: no — once an agent is defined, operators use the main `ratatoskr --new --agent <id> --end-user-id <eid>` flow; tier3 CLI is define/patch/delete only."
+  - "Should `delete_agent` support a `--force` flag for 'really delete even if active sessions exist'? Per spec §2634-2639, `DELETE` already cancels active sessions and revokes the per-resource scope grant on the owner — there's no soft fail. Draft: no — the spec's hard-delete-with-cascade behavior is the right shape; ratatoskr doesn't need to wrap it."
+prd:
+  issue: 15
+  issue_url: "https://gitea.phasefinal.com/vh/ratatoskr/issues/15"
+  body_sha256_16: "03367d7b451ab17f"
+  lock_in_comment_id: null
+  lock_in_sha256_16: null
+  lock_in_at: null
+  pinned_at: "2026-05-25T03:21:38+00:00"
+dependencies:
+  - issue: 2
+    path: "src/ratatoskr/sessions.py"
+    reason: "Convention dependency, not a code dependency. Issue #2 (`ratatoskr.sessions`) is the posture template: caller-owned httpx client, async-native, no Worldtree imports, response-parsing into frozen dataclasses, exception body truncation to [:1024]. `ratatoskr.tier3` follows the same shape verbatim."
+  - issue: 3
+    path: "src/ratatoskr/cli.py"
+    reason: "Convention dependency only. `ratatoskr.tier3.__main__` mirrors `ratatoskr.cli`'s argparse + env-fallback + exit-code shape. Imports `USER_AGENT` from `ratatoskr.cli` so outbound HTTP carries the same identity string."
+---
+
+# Tier 3 — Consumer-defined agent lifecycle module
+
+## Context
+
+Worldtree's Tier 3 (Phase 2.0, spec §2576-2750) lets the consumer define their own agents at `<user_id>:<agent_name>`. The agent's `user_id` is the auth's user identity (derived from the API key's owner); the `agent_name` is supplied at define-time. The lifecycle is owner-only — only the key that defined an agent can patch / delete it (modulo the key-revocation cascade).
+
+`ratatoskr.tier3` exposes this lifecycle as a Python module + small CLI tool. Picker integration is implicit (Tier 3 agents already appear in `GET /agents` per issue #8). Session-create works unchanged through `ratatoskr.sessions.create_session` since the colon-containing agent_id is opaque to that layer.
+
+## Public surface
+
+```python
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class Tier3AgentInfo:
+    """Worldtree Tier 3 agent envelope returned by define / patch."""
+
+    agent_id: str       # f"{user_id}:{agent_name}"
+    user_id: str
+    agent_name: str
+    system_prompt: str
+    model: str
+    created_at: str     # ISO 8601 with offset
+    updated_at: str     # ISO 8601 with offset
+
+
+async def define_agent(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    *,
+    agent_name: str,
+    system_prompt: str,
+    model: str,
+) -> Tier3AgentInfo:
+    """POST /agents/define → 201 with Tier3AgentInfo. See FN define_agent."""
+
+
+async def patch_agent(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    agent_id: str,
+    *,
+    system_prompt: str | None = None,
+    model: str | None = None,
+) -> Tier3AgentInfo:
+    """PATCH /agents/<id> → 200 with updated Tier3AgentInfo. See FN patch_agent."""
+
+
+async def delete_agent(client: httpx.AsyncClient, agent_id: str) -> None:
+    """DELETE /agents/<id> → 204. See FN delete_agent."""
+```
+
+## Exception classes
+
+```python
+class Tier3QuotaExceeded(Exception):
+    """429 agent_quota_exceeded — 50-agent cap reached on the Heimdall key."""
+    def __init__(self, *, retry_after: int) -> None: ...
+    retry_after: int
+
+class Tier3UserIdUnsupported(Exception):
+    """403 tier3_user_id_unsupported — auth's user_id not slug-safe."""
+
+class Tier3FieldNotMutable(Exception):
+    """422 field_not_mutable — PATCH carrying an immutable key."""
+    def __init__(self, *, field: str | None) -> None: ...
+    field: str | None
+
+class Tier3LayerDeferred(Exception):
+    """422 layer_deferred — define carrying non-null layer field."""
+    def __init__(self, *, field: str | None) -> None: ...
+    field: str | None
+
+class Tier3AgentNotFound(Exception):
+    """404 — patch/delete on non-existent agent."""
+    def __init__(self, *, agent_id: str) -> None: ...
+    agent_id: str
+
+# Reused from ratatoskr.sessions (one-way import — sessions doesn't depend on tier3):
+# SessionApiFailed(status, body) for all other non-2xx responses.
+```
+
+## Functions
+
+### FN define_agent
+
+```
+FN define_agent(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    *, agent_name: str, system_prompt: str, model: str,
+) -> Tier3AgentInfo
+BRIEF: POST /agents/define → 201 with Tier3AgentInfo.
+
+PRE-001: agent_name matches `[a-z][a-z0-9-]{2,63}` (slug guard — client-side
+         assert; the server enforces too, but this prevents wire round-trip
+         for trivially-bad input).
+PRE-002: system_prompt is non-empty.
+PRE-003: model is non-empty.
+
+STEPS:
+  1. assert PRE-001/002/003.
+  2. body = {
+       "agent_name": agent_name,
+       "system_prompt": system_prompt,
+       "model": model,
+     }
+  3. resp = await client.post("/agents/define", json=body)
+  4. ROUTE response status:
+     201 → parse body into Tier3AgentInfo, return.
+     422 → inspect error_code:
+       layer_deferred → raise Tier3LayerDeferred(field=err.get("field"))
+       (others) → raise SessionApiFailed(status=422, body=resp.content)
+     403 + tier3_user_id_unsupported → raise Tier3UserIdUnsupported
+     429 → raise Tier3QuotaExceeded(retry_after=int(resp.headers.get("Retry-After", 0)))
+     other → raise SessionApiFailed(status, body)
+
+POST-001: returned Tier3AgentInfo has agent_id of shape "<user_id>:<agent_name>".
+```
+
+### FN patch_agent
+
+```
+FN patch_agent(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient, agent_id: str,
+    *, system_prompt: str | None = None, model: str | None = None,
+) -> Tier3AgentInfo
+BRIEF: PATCH /agents/<id> → 200 with updated Tier3AgentInfo.
+
+PRE-001: agent_id contains `:` (Tier 3 shape).
+PRE-002: at least one of system_prompt or model is non-None (no-op patches
+         are still server-accepted but client-side assert avoids the round-trip).
+
+STEPS:
+  1. assert PRE-001/002.
+  2. body = {}; if system_prompt is not None: body["system_prompt"] = system_prompt;
+     if model is not None: body["model"] = model.
+  3. resp = await client.patch(f"/agents/{agent_id}", json=body)
+  4. ROUTE response status:
+     200 → parse, return.
+     404 → raise Tier3AgentNotFound(agent_id=agent_id)
+     422 + field_not_mutable → raise Tier3FieldNotMutable(field=err.get("field"))
+     other → raise SessionApiFailed(status, body)
+```
+
+### FN delete_agent
+
+```
+FN delete_agent(client: httpx.AsyncClient, agent_id: str) -> None
+BRIEF: DELETE /agents/<id> → 204.
+
+PRE-001: agent_id contains `:` (Tier 3 shape).
+
+STEPS:
+  1. assert PRE-001.
+  2. resp = await client.delete(f"/agents/{agent_id}")
+  3. ROUTE response status:
+     204 → return None.
+     404 → raise Tier3AgentNotFound(agent_id=agent_id)
+     other → raise SessionApiFailed(status, body)
+```
+
+## CLI surface (`python -m ratatoskr.tier3`)
+
+```
+$ python -m ratatoskr.tier3 define --name wizard \
+    --system-prompt "You are a guided-elicitation wizard..." \
+    --model qwen3.6-35-a3b
+defined ratatoskr:wizard (qwen3.6-35-a3b)
+
+$ python -m ratatoskr.tier3 patch ratatoskr:wizard --system-prompt "New prompt"
+patched ratatoskr:wizard
+
+$ python -m ratatoskr.tier3 delete ratatoskr:wizard
+deleted ratatoskr:wizard
+```
+
+Auth + server URL: same env-var fallback as `ratatoskr.cli`. Exit codes: 0 / 10 (usage) / 11 (auth) / 20 (api-failure) / 21 (network).
+
+## Invariants
+
+- **INV-001**: `define_agent` request body carries exactly `{agent_name, system_prompt, model}` — no layer fields, no `bifrost`, no `metadata`. Phase 2.0 baseline shape only.
+- **INV-002**: `patch_agent` request body carries ONLY `system_prompt` and/or `model` — every other key is omitted. Server-side 422 `field_not_mutable` is the safety net; client-side body-construction is the first line.
+- **INV-003**: `delete_agent` is fire-and-confirm — no body, no retry, no soft-delete. Cascade handling is server-side; ratatoskr doesn't track it.
+- **INV-004**: All exceptions carry a `[:1024]` body cap (when applicable) per the issue #2 convention.
+- **INV-005**: CLI auth resolution mirrors `ratatoskr.cli`: `--api-key` flag > `$WORLDTREE_API_KEY` > exit 11.
+- **INV-006**: CLI server URL resolution mirrors `ratatoskr.cli`: `--server` > `$WORLDTREE_API_URL` > `http://localhost:8000`.
+- **INV-007**: Module never imports `ratatoskr.sessions` / `ratatoskr.sse_client` / `ratatoskr.tui` (one-way: only `cli.USER_AGENT` is imported, and only by `__main__.py` for the outbound User-Agent header).
+- **INV-008**: All HTTP through caller-owned `httpx.AsyncClient` — module never constructs its own client. (`__main__` constructs one for the CLI entry point per ratatoskr.cli's pattern.)
+
+## TESTS (tests/test_tier3.py — new file)
+
+```
+- test_define_happy: 201 + full response shape → Tier3AgentInfo populated.
+- test_define_quota_exceeded: 429 + Retry-After header → Tier3QuotaExceeded(retry_after=N).
+- test_define_user_id_unsupported: 403 tier3_user_id_unsupported → Tier3UserIdUnsupported.
+- test_define_layer_deferred_persona: 422 layer_deferred → Tier3LayerDeferred (would only fire if the body sent a layer field; the module never sends one, so this asserts server-side defense but reflecting a 422 we don't actually generate. Test exercises the response path, not the request).
+- test_define_bad_slug: PRE-001 assertion fires before HTTP for agent_name="X" (uppercase) or "ab" (too short).
+- test_define_empty_prompt: PRE-002 assertion fires for empty system_prompt.
+- test_define_other_5xx: 503 → SessionApiFailed(status=503).
+- test_patch_happy_both_fields: 200 + updated body → Tier3AgentInfo.
+- test_patch_happy_single_field: 200 with only system_prompt set; body omits model.
+- test_patch_field_not_mutable: 422 field_not_mutable → Tier3FieldNotMutable.
+- test_patch_404: 404 → Tier3AgentNotFound(agent_id=...).
+- test_patch_no_args: PRE-002 assertion fires (both None).
+- test_patch_non_tier3_id: PRE-001 assertion fires for agent_id without `:`.
+- test_delete_happy: 204 → returns None.
+- test_delete_404: 404 → Tier3AgentNotFound.
+- test_delete_non_tier3_id: PRE-001 assertion fires.
+- test_delete_other_5xx: 500 → SessionApiFailed.
+- test_cli_define_happy: argv → 201 mock → stdout="defined ratatoskr:wizard (qwen3.6-35-a3b)" + exit 0.
+- test_cli_patch_happy: argv → 200 mock → stdout="patched ratatoskr:wizard" + exit 0.
+- test_cli_delete_happy: argv → 204 mock → stdout="deleted ratatoskr:wizard" + exit 0.
+- test_cli_missing_auth: no API key → stderr "[auth_error]" + exit 11.
+- test_cli_api_failed: 500 mock → stderr "[api_failed]" + exit 20.
+```
+
+## ERROR_ROUTING (module + CLI)
+
+| HTTP shape | error_code | Exception (module) | CLI label | Exit |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| 201 / 200 / 204 | — | (none — happy) | one-line confirmation on stdout | 0 |
+| 429 | agent_quota_exceeded | `Tier3QuotaExceeded(retry_after=N)` | `[quota_exceeded] retry_after=N` | 20 |
+| 403 | tier3_user_id_unsupported | `Tier3UserIdUnsupported` | `[user_id_unsupported]` | 20 |
+| 404 | — | `Tier3AgentNotFound(agent_id=...)` | `[agent_not_found] <id>` | 20 |
+| 422 | field_not_mutable | `Tier3FieldNotMutable(field=...)` | `[field_not_mutable] field=...` | 20 |
+| 422 | layer_deferred | `Tier3LayerDeferred(field=...)` | `[layer_deferred] field=...` | 20 |
+| any other non-2xx | — | `SessionApiFailed(status, body)` | `[api_failed] status=N body=...` | 20 |
+| httpx.ConnectError / ReadTimeout / TransportError | — | propagates | `[network_error] T: M` | 21 |
+| PRE-001/002/003 assertion violation | — | `AssertionError` | `[usage_error] <msg>` | 10 |
+| no auth | — | `_AuthError` (reused from cli) | `[auth_error] no API key` | 11 |
+
+## Layout after this module lands
+
+```
+src/ratatoskr/
+  __init__.py
+  cli.py            (existing, unchanged)
+  sessions.py       (existing, unchanged)
+  sse_client.py     (existing, unchanged)
+  tui.py            (existing, unchanged)
+  tier3.py          NEW
+  __main__/         (no change — main cli still entry-point)
+
+# CLI invocation:
+$ python -m ratatoskr.tier3 define --name wizard ...
+$ python -m ratatoskr.tier3 patch ratatoskr:wizard ...
+$ python -m ratatoskr.tier3 delete ratatoskr:wizard
+```

docs/conversation-api-spec.md

@@ -55,6 +55,69 @@ conversation_api:
 
 ---
 
+## Authorization model — agent invocation
+
+When you call `POST /sessions` against an agent, the authorization check that fires depends on **which kind of agent** you target. There are two distinct scope namespaces — the spelling differs by one character (`agent` vs `agents`) and the granting mechanism differs entirely. Confusing the two is a common source of bug reports.
+
+### Tier 1 — foundational agents (no `:` in agent_id)
+
+Agents bundled with Worldtree: `mimir`, `lofn`, `soong`, `forseti`, `domari`, `vili`, `actor`, `saga`, `bragi`, `leif`, `troi`, `cara`, `glados`, and any future Asgardian. The agent_id is a simple slug like `mimir` — no colon.
+
+> **About tiers:** Your `tier` is set on the `users` table row your API key resolves to, assigned at key-mint time (see `POST /admin/keys`). Tiers are `anonymous` (dev-mode unauthenticated), `user` (default for newly-issued keys), `free`/`pro` (subscription-shaped, not actively differentiated), and `admin`. The tier you have is visible via `GET /me`'s `tier` field. Tier-derived scopes come from `config/policies.yaml > tiers.<tier>.scopes` — there is no per-key scope override.
+
+**Authorization rule (singular `agent`):**
+
+```yaml
+- id: agent-call-baseline-allow
+  principal:
+    tiers: ["anonymous", "user", "free", "pro", "admin"]
+  action: "agent.call:*"
+  resource: "*"
+  effect: allow
+```
+
+This baseline rule lives at `config/policies.yaml`. Every authenticated tier — including the `user` tier that newly-issued keys default to — already passes this check for every Tier 1 agent. **There is no per-agent scope you can add to "grant" Tier 1 access; it's covered by tier.**
+
+If you get a 422 calling a Tier 1 agent (e.g., `lofn` rejecting with `end_user_id_required`), that's a **request-body validation**, not a scope denial. Check the `error_code` in the response detail — `END_USER_ID_REQUIRED` means the agent requires an `end_user_id` field in the request body; `AUTH_SCOPE_DENIED` (403) would be the actual scope problem. They're not interchangeable.
+
+### Tier 3 — consumer-defined agents (`:` in agent_id)
+
+Agents created at runtime via `POST /agents/define`. The agent_id is `<owner_user_id>:<agent_name>`, e.g., `acme:support-bot`. The `:` in the path is the trigger that switches the auth model.
+
+**Authorization is DB-backed per-resource, NOT policy-driven (plural `agents`):**
+
+```
+scope action checked: agents.call:<owner_user_id>:<agent_name>
+                       ^^^^^^
+                       PLURAL — different namespace from Tier 1
+```
+
+There is **no blanket allow rule** for `agents.call:*` in policy. The grant comes from the live `consumer_agents` table:
+
+- A non-soft-deleted row in `consumer_agents` owned by `ctx.user_id` IS the grant.
+- Cascade soft-delete and owner-initiated `DELETE` revoke it.
+- Missing row → policy defaults to deny (403 `auth_scope_denied`).
+
+To "add the scope" for a Tier 3 agent, you don't amend any config or call an admin endpoint — you `POST /agents/define` to register it under your `user_id`. Owning the row IS the grant. You cannot call another user's Tier 3 agent; ownership is checked at session-create (`row.user_id == ctx.user_id`).
+
+### Common pitfalls
+
+- **Singular vs plural.** Tier 1 uses `agent.call:*` (singular `agent`). Tier 3 uses `agents.call:<owner>:<name>` (plural `agents`). One character difference, two completely different mechanisms. There is no Tier 1 scope named `agent.call:mimir` or `agents.call:mimir` — Tier 1 is granted by baseline rule, not per-agent name.
+- **No scope-mutation API.** `POST /admin/keys` accepts `{user_id, label, tier}` only. There is no per-key scope override mechanism in the storage schema. To change a user's effective scopes, change their `tier`, not their key. Per-resource Tier 3 grants flow through `POST /agents/define` (and its DELETE counterpart), not through admin endpoints.
+- **422 vs 403.** A 422 is body-validation (e.g., `end_user_id_required`); a 403 is auth-policy denial (`auth_scope_denied`). Different fix paths. Read the `error_code` in `detail`.
+
+### Quick decision table for consumers
+
+| Target | Auth requirement |
+|---|---|
+| Tier 1 agent (e.g., `mimir`) | Authenticated tier ≥ `user`. No additional body requirements |
+| Tier 1 agent `lofn` (the default welcoming intermediary) | Authenticated tier ≥ `user` + `end_user_id` field required in request body. 422 `END_USER_ID_REQUIRED` if absent |
+| Tier 3 agent (any agent_id containing `:`) | `end_user_id` field required in body. AND the row must be owner-matched: `POST /agents/define` first to create a row under your `user_id`, then session-create works against your existing key. Cross-user Tier 3 invocation is rejected with 403 |
+
+> **Programmatic discovery of `end_user_id` requirements:** as of v0.22.x there is no field on `GET /agents` indicating which agents require `end_user_id` — the spec line above (lofn + Tier 3) is the authoritative list, and 422 `END_USER_ID_REQUIRED` is the fallback signal at request time. Adding a discoverable `requires_end_user_id` field on `AgentInfoResponse` is on the table as a small future capability; ping if you want to drive it.
+
+---
+
 ## GET /me
 
 Returns the authenticated principal's identity and key metadata. Lets a client verify its key on boot without triggering agent-config-loading side effects.
@@ -1878,6 +1941,65 @@ Tool-using turns cycle through `CallingLLM → ProcessingTools → CallingLLM
 
 Clients that don't need phase events can filter on `event["type"] != "worker_phase"` client-side. Existing SSE consumers that switch on `event["type"]` ignore this event type without code changes.
 
+### affect_update
+
+Persona-state observability event (issue #204). Fires twice per turn for agents with `persona.enabled: true` on non-ephemeral sessions; suppressed entirely for persona-disabled agents (e.g. `domari`, `muninn`), Tier 3 consumer-defined agents (Phase 2.0), and ephemeral sessions.
+
+**Start-of-turn — `status: "current"`:**
+
+Emitted immediately at the start of each qualifying turn, before any `worker_phase` event. Carries the agent's current persona snapshot reflecting all prior turns' completed appraisals.
+
+```json
+{
+  "type": "affect_update",
+  "status": "current",
+  "turn_id": 42,
+  "snapshot": {
+    "agent_id": "mimir",
+    "pad": {"pleasure": 0.52, "arousal": 0.47, "dominance": 0.50},
+    "dominant_emotion": "curiosity",
+    "emotions_active": [
+      {"type": "curiosity", "intensity": 0.6, "decay_remaining_s": 202.7}
+    ],
+    "baseline_pad": {"pleasure": 0.50, "arousal": 0.40, "dominance": 0.50},
+    "mood_drift": {"valence_delta": 0.02, "arousal_delta": 0.07},
+    "last_updated_at": "2026-05-25T22:30:18+00:00"
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**End-of-turn — `status: "scheduled"`:**
+
+Emitted after the post-turn appraisal task has been scheduled (per #177 Phase A's fire-and-forget discipline) and before `done`. Lightweight notification — no PAD numbers, since the appraisal is still running asynchronously. The result lands in the NEXT turn's `status: "current"` snapshot.
+
+```json
+{"type": "affect_update", "status": "scheduled", "turn_id": 42}
+```
+
+`scheduled` is skipped on turn failure/cancel paths (the appraisal was never reached); `current` still fires unconditionally for qualifying turns.
+
+Bootstrap reads available via `GET /agents/{agent_id}/persona_state` (same `snapshot` shape, requires `persona.read` scope).
+
+### awaiting_llm_first_token
+
+Periodic heartbeat event (issue #201) emitted at a configurable interval during the gap between `worker_phase: phase="BuildingPrompt"` and `worker_phase: phase="CallingLLM"`. Solves the legitimate-slow first-token visibility gap: consumer TUIs can render a "thinking for Ns…" timer rather than a frozen line during heavy-CoT prompt warmup.
+
+```json
+{
+  "type": "awaiting_llm_first_token",
+  "turn_id": 42,
+  "elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt": 5012.3
+}
+```
+
+`elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt` is the server-authoritative wall-clock milliseconds since `BuildingPrompt` was emitted. Independent of network latency or clock skew.
+
+Heartbeats stop the moment the engine produces its first event (the `CallingLLM` marker). They do NOT re-fire during tool-roundtrip `CallingLLM` re-entries — the heartbeat is scoped to the FIRST `BuildingPrompt → CallingLLM` gap only.
+
+**Configuration:** `conversation_api.awaiting_llm_first_token_heartbeat_s` (default `5.0`). Per-agent override via `agent.conversation.awaiting_llm_first_token_heartbeat_s`. Value `0.0` disables emission entirely.
+
+Cancellation paths (stall watchdog, user-cancel) also stop the heartbeat — no `awaiting_llm_first_token` event appears after the terminal `cancelled` event.
+
 ### thinking
 
 Incremental reasoning/thinking content (from thinking-enabled models).

docs/conversation_api.contract.md

@@ -1851,6 +1851,103 @@ SQLite `consumer_agents` table.
   before any other processing; non-slug user_ids return 403
   `tier3_user_id_unsupported`.
 
+### Persona-state observability (issue #204)
+
+- **INV-204-1 (affect_update event type)**: `affect_update` is a
+  top-level SSE event `type` discriminator, sibling to `worker_phase`
+  / `tool_*` / `text` / `thinking` / `done`. Not a `worker_phase` sub-
+  phase. INV-061's "BuildingPrompt is the FIRST event" property is
+  scoped to `worker_phase` events only — `affect_update status="current"`
+  may precede BuildingPrompt for persona-enabled agents.
+- **INV-204-2 (per-turn emission)**: For agents with persona enabled
+  on non-ephemeral sessions, `stream_turn` emits `status="current"`
+  before any other SSE event on a successful or failed turn, and
+  `status="scheduled"` after `update_after_turn` schedules the
+  appraisal task (success path only — skipped on cancel / error
+  before update_after_turn was reached). See contract
+  `docs/contracts/issues/204.contract.md`.
+- **INV-204-3 (emission suppression)**: Persona-disabled agents and
+  ephemeral sessions emit ZERO `affect_update` events.
+- **INV-204-6 / INV-204-7 (persona_state endpoint)**: New
+  `GET /agents/{agent_id}/persona_state` gated on Heimdall scope
+  `persona.read`. Route ordering: auth → Tier 3 short-circuit (404
+  `persona_not_configured`) → Tier 1/2 existence (404
+  `agent_not_available`) → persona-enabled check (404
+  `persona_not_configured`) → snapshot (200).
+- **INV-204-9 (read-only registry primitive)**: `PersonaRegistry.get_state`
+  is mutex-free and never mutates `persona.emotions`. Eventual
+  consistency under concurrent `_appraisal_wrapper` mutations.
+- **INV-204-14 (replay participation)**: `affect_update` events flow
+  through `_publish`, so SSE resume / replay handles them with no
+  special case.
+
+## Amendment — AwaitingLLMFirstToken heartbeat (issue #201, INV-201-1..7)
+
+Adds a periodic SSE heartbeat event during the gap between
+`BuildingPrompt` and `CallingLLM` so consumers can distinguish
+"engine is thinking" from "engine is wedged" without out-of-band
+server inspection. Filed by ratatoskr-dev; ships in v0.29.0.
+
+- **INV-201-1 (new top-level event type)**: `awaiting_llm_first_token`
+  is a new top-level SSE event type, sibling to `worker_phase` /
+  `tool_*` / `text` / `thinking` / `debug` / `done` / `affect_update`.
+  `_WORKER_PHASE_VOCAB` is NOT extended; INV-053 / INV-054 unchanged.
+  Same precedent as #204's `affect_update`.
+
+- **INV-201-2 (config-gated emission)**: Heartbeat emission requires
+  `awaiting_llm_first_token_heartbeat_s > 0.0`. When the resolved
+  value is `0.0`, the heartbeat task is never started and zero
+  `awaiting_llm_first_token` events emit for the turn. When > 0.0,
+  the task starts immediately after `_publish_phase("BuildingPrompt")`
+  and emits an event every `interval` seconds until cancelled.
+
+- **INV-201-3 (defense-in-depth cancellation)**: The heartbeat task
+  is cancelled at three sites (idempotent via the `_cancel_heartbeat`
+  helper): (a) immediately before `_publish_phase("CallingLLM")` on
+  the engine-first-event path; (b) inside the `cancelled`/`error`
+  handling that wraps `_handle_cancel` (covers stall + user-cancel
+  paths); (c) in the outer `finally` block alongside
+  `_clear_stall_timer`. After cancellation, no further
+  `awaiting_llm_first_token` events emit.
+
+- **INV-201-4 (wire shape)**: Payload is exactly `{type:
+  "awaiting_llm_first_token", turn_id: <int>,
+  elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt: <float>}` plus the composite `id:
+  "<turn_id>:<seq>"` stamped by `_publish`. No additional fields.
+  `elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt` is `(time.monotonic() -
+  building_prompt_t) * 1000.0` where `building_prompt_t` is captured
+  immediately before `BuildingPrompt` is published.
+
+- **INV-201-5 (first-gap-only scope)**: Heartbeat is scoped to the
+  FIRST `BuildingPrompt → CallingLLM` gap of the turn. Tool round-trip
+  `CallingLLM` re-entries (INV-058) emit ZERO
+  `awaiting_llm_first_token` events. Out-of-scope sub-phases
+  (`AwaitingToolResult`, `AwaitingNextLLMCall`) would be separate
+  follow-up features.
+
+- **INV-201-6 (replay participation)**: Heartbeat events flow through
+  `_publish → _replay_buffer + queue` per INV-060 — same replay
+  semantics as worker_phase events. On `Last-Event-ID` reconnect,
+  prior heartbeats replay identically.
+
+- **INV-201-7 (config resolution precedence)**: Per-agent
+  `agent.conversation.awaiting_llm_first_token_heartbeat_s` →
+  `api_cfg.awaiting_llm_first_token_heartbeat_s` → built-in `5.0`.
+  Negative values raise `ConfigurationError` at agent load; `0.0`
+  is valid and means "disabled." Mirrors the `_resolve_stall_timeout_s`
+  precedence pattern (INV-038).
+
+### Mechanism note
+
+The heartbeat task is a separate `asyncio.Task` (NOT `loop.call_later`,
+because heartbeats repeat at an interval rather than fire once at a
+timeout). An `asyncio.Queue` shared between the heartbeat task and the
+generator carries events; the generator uses
+`asyncio.wait(return_when=FIRST_COMPLETED)` to race the engine's
+`__anext__` against the heartbeat queue's `get` ONLY during the first
+iteration. After `CallingLLM` fires, the heartbeat task is cancelled
+and subsequent iterations use the original non-race pattern.
+
 ### Storage extension
 
 The `consumer_agents` table lives in `core/heimdall/storage/sqlite.py`

persistent-memory.md

@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ separate dev team rather than an in-tree Worldtree tool.
 
 ## Current state / in-flight
 
-_As of 2026-05-24 (post-v0.5.0 content-only main pane + Debug tab):_
+_As of 2026-05-25 (post-v0.8.2 drop double-print; v0.9.0 live-md next):_
 
-**Status: v0.5.0 shipped.** Nine core issues complete (`sse_client`
+**Status: v0.8.2 shipped.** Eleven core features complete (`sse_client`
 #1, `sessions` #2, `cli` #3, `tui` #4, `--end-user-id` #5, TUI
 startup error visibility #6, presenter contract semantics amendment
 #12, startup agent picker #8, §5 layout reshape + Tools pane #13)
@@ -51,7 +51,19 @@ Static in the footer (static "Tools" v1; dynamic when more tabs
 land). CLI mode (--send) unaffected by design — INV-018.
 
 Last commits on `main`:
-- v0.5.0 refactor(tui): content-only main pane + Debug tab + chrome dark
+- v0.8.2 fix(tui): drop post-Done Markdown body re-render (no double-print)
+- `11ef683` fix(tui,sse): inline Text streaming + empty-id keepalive skip (v0.8.1)
+- `9fade55` feat(local_agents): JSON-backed local tier-3 index + picker merge (v0.8.0)
+- `9918c10` fix(tui): coalesce thinking deltas on `\n` (v0.7.1)
+- `c086ae2` feat(tier3): ratatoskr.tier3 module + CLI (v0.7.0)
+- `d356990` refactor(tui): thinking streams into thinking-log (v0.6.5)
+- `82437bd` style(tui): picker highlighted item → Aurora blue (v0.6.4)
+- `ac690c1` style(tui): restore Australis palette, only $background → pure black (v0.6.3)
+- `d845b20` style(tui): neutralize Australis dark palette (v0.6.2, reverted)
+- `8463eb2` style(tui): kill remaining blue + thinking-current into pane (v0.6.1)
+- `cfee89a` refactor(tui): streaming + turn headers + Thinking pane (v0.6.0)
+- `7106af5` style(tui): UI polish pass — terminal label colors, placeholders (v0.5.1)
+- `ffd22fb` refactor(tui): content-only main pane + Debug tab + chrome dark (v0.5.0)
 - `2756f5f` style(tui): apply Australis theme to TUI chrome + widgets (v0.4.1)
 - `24e4371` feat(tui): issue #13 — §5 layout reshape + Tools pane (v0.4.0)
 - `d30be12` feat(sessions,cli,tui): issue #8 — startup agent picker (v0.3.0)

pyproject.toml

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "ratatoskr"
-version = "0.5.0"
+version = "0.14.1"
 description = "Worldtree Conversation API debug TUI — multi-pane observability dashboard"
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.12"
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ Repository = "https://gitea.phasefinal.com/vh/ratatoskr"
 # Ratatoskr is built against Worldtree at this commit; the vendored
 # spec snapshot in docs/ reflects that SHA.
 [tool.ratatoskr.spec-pin]
-worldtree-spec-rev = "55101e909abcd2219833266b6f905c5bc956e0f0"
-worldtree-version = "v0.19.0"
-pinned-on = "2026-05-20"
+worldtree-spec-rev = "562001af28d752c3a60d449c7ddd09f44fa9dc9a"
+worldtree-version = "v0.29.0"
+pinned-on = "2026-05-26"
 
 [tool.hatch.build.targets.wheel]
 packages = ["src/ratatoskr"]

src/ratatoskr/cli.py

@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import httpx
 
 from ratatoskr.sessions import AgentNotFound, SessionApiFailed, create_session
 from ratatoskr.sse_client import (
+    AffectUpdate,
+    AwaitingLlmFirstToken,
     CancelAlreadyCompleted,
     CancelFailed,
     Cancelled,
@@ -205,6 +207,7 @@ class CliPresenterState:
             (
                 WorkerPhase, Thinking, Text, TextBoundary,
                 ToolStart, ToolResult, Done, Error, Cancelled,
+                AffectUpdate, AwaitingLlmFirstToken,
             ),
         )
         # Thinking events accumulate into the open run.
@@ -275,6 +278,28 @@ class CliPresenterState:
                 f". text_boundary: kind={event.kind} char_offset={event.char_offset}\n"
             )
             return
+        if isinstance(event, AffectUpdate):
+            # Worldtree #204 / v0.28.0. CLI surface is debug telemetry —
+            # one line to stderr with status + (for current) dominant_emotion.
+            if event.snapshot is not None:
+                dom = event.snapshot.get("dominant_emotion")
+                stderr.write(
+                    f". affect_update: status={event.status} turn_id={event.turn_id} "
+                    f"dominant_emotion={dom!r}\n"
+                )
+            else:
+                stderr.write(
+                    f". affect_update: status={event.status} turn_id={event.turn_id}\n"
+                )
+            return
+        if isinstance(event, AwaitingLlmFirstToken):
+            # Worldtree #201 / v0.29.0. Heartbeat during BuildingPrompt →
+            # CallingLLM gap. Stderr surface, one line per heartbeat.
+            secs = event.elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt / 1000.0
+            stderr.write(
+                f". awaiting_llm_first_token: turn_id={event.turn_id} elapsed={secs:.1f}s\n"
+            )
+            return
 
 
 async def _cancel_and_log(

src/ratatoskr/local_agents.py

@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+"""Local index of tier-3 agents defined via `python -m ratatoskr.tier3`.
+
+Workaround for Worldtree's ``GET /agents`` not returning consumer-defined
+agents (the public list excludes tier-3 per-spec; see issue #15 smoke
+findings). Local file maintains a list of agent_ids + display metadata so
+the picker can show them alongside foundational agents.
+
+Storage shape: JSON at ``$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/ratatoskr/local_agents.json``
+(default ``~/.config/ratatoskr/local_agents.json``). Override via
+``$RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS`` env var for tests / per-machine isolation.
+
+If Worldtree later starts returning tier-3 agents in ``GET /agents``, this
+module's role narrows to redundant local cache; can be removed cleanly
+since the picker's dedup-by-agent-id keeps remote-wins behavior.
+
+Failure modes are lenient: missing file → empty index; corrupt JSON or
+schema mismatch → empty index (no crash). The picker continues to show
+foundational agents either way; the local-tier-3 surface degrades to
+"operator passes --agent ratatoskr:<name> explicitly" — the
+pre-v0.8.0 workflow.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import os
+from dataclasses import asdict, dataclass
+from pathlib import Path
+
+_SCHEMA_VERSION = 1
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class LocalAgentEntry:
+    """One row in the local tier-3 agent index.
+
+    Schema:
+      - ``agent_id``: full "user_id:agent_name" string (Worldtree-owned).
+      - ``agent_name``: slug from define (display name).
+      - ``model``: provider model ID at last define/patch.
+      - ``description``: synthetic display string (typically derived from
+        the system_prompt's first line + a "(tier 3)" prefix; the picker
+        uses this in its ``{id} · {name} — {description}`` rendering).
+      - ``defined_at``: ISO-8601 timestamp from the Tier3AgentInfo response.
+    """
+
+    agent_id: str
+    agent_name: str
+    model: str
+    description: str
+    defined_at: str
+
+
+def _local_agents_path() -> Path:
+    """Resolve the local index file path with XDG + env-var override."""
+    override = os.environ.get("RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS")
+    if override:
+        return Path(override)
+    xdg = os.environ.get("XDG_CONFIG_HOME")
+    base = Path(xdg) if xdg else (Path.home() / ".config")
+    return base / "ratatoskr" / "local_agents.json"
+
+
+def load_local_agents() -> list[LocalAgentEntry]:
+    """Read the local index. Returns ``[]`` on missing file, corrupt JSON,
+    schema mismatch, or any read error — never raises.
+    """
+    path = _local_agents_path()
+    if not path.exists():
+        return []
+    try:
+        raw = json.loads(path.read_text())
+    except (json.JSONDecodeError, OSError):
+        return []
+    if not isinstance(raw, dict) or raw.get("version") != _SCHEMA_VERSION:
+        return []
+    agents = raw.get("agents", [])
+    if not isinstance(agents, list):
+        return []
+    out: list[LocalAgentEntry] = []
+    for item in agents:
+        if not isinstance(item, dict):
+            continue
+        try:
+            out.append(LocalAgentEntry(**item))
+        except TypeError:
+            # Malformed row (missing/extra fields) — skip silently.
+            continue
+    return out
+
+
+def _save_local_agents(agents: list[LocalAgentEntry]) -> None:
+    """Persist the index. Creates parent dir as needed."""
+    path = _local_agents_path()
+    path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    payload = {"version": _SCHEMA_VERSION, "agents": [asdict(a) for a in agents]}
+    path.write_text(json.dumps(payload, indent=2))
+
+
+def add_local_agent(entry: LocalAgentEntry) -> None:
+    """Add (or replace) an agent in the local index. agent_id is the key."""
+    agents = [a for a in load_local_agents() if a.agent_id != entry.agent_id]
+    agents.append(entry)
+    _save_local_agents(agents)
+
+
+def update_local_agent(entry: LocalAgentEntry) -> None:
+    """Update an existing entry. Identical semantics to ``add_local_agent``
+    (agent_id is the dedup key), exposed separately so callers can
+    self-document intent.
+    """
+    add_local_agent(entry)
+
+
+def remove_local_agent(agent_id: str) -> None:
+    """Remove an entry by agent_id. No-op if absent (idempotent)."""
+    agents = [a for a in load_local_agents() if a.agent_id != agent_id]
+    _save_local_agents(agents)
+
+
+def make_description(system_prompt: str) -> str:
+    """Synthesize a one-line description for the picker from a system prompt.
+
+    Strategy: first non-empty line, stripped of leading markdown heading
+    markers and whitespace, prefixed with "(tier 3) ", truncated to 80
+    chars. Falls back to "(tier 3) custom system prompt" if the prompt is
+    empty (defensive — define rejects empty prompts at PRE-002).
+    """
+    for line in system_prompt.splitlines():
+        stripped = line.lstrip("# ").strip()
+        if stripped:
+            label = f"(tier 3) {stripped}"
+            return label[:80] + ("…" if len(label) > 80 else "")
+    return "(tier 3) custom system prompt"

src/ratatoskr/sessions.py

@@ -89,6 +89,46 @@ class SessionApiFailed(Exception):
         self.body = body
 
 
+# Worldtree #204 / v0.28.0 — persona_state endpoint failure modes.
+class PersonaNotConfigured(Exception):
+    """Raised on HTTP 404 `persona_not_configured` from GET persona_state.
+
+    Agent exists but has no persona surface: persona-disabled Tier 1/2
+    agents (e.g. `domari`, `muninn`) and all Tier 3 consumer-defined
+    agents (Phase 2.0). Distinct from `AgentNotAvailable` which means the
+    agent_id is unknown entirely.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *, agent_id: str) -> None:
+        super().__init__(f"persona not configured for agent_id: {agent_id!r}")
+        self.agent_id = agent_id
+
+
+class AgentNotAvailable(Exception):
+    """Raised on HTTP 404 `agent_not_available` from GET persona_state.
+
+    The agent_id is unknown to the server. Distinct from
+    `PersonaNotConfigured` (agent exists but has no persona).
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *, agent_id: str) -> None:
+        super().__init__(f"agent not available: {agent_id!r}")
+        self.agent_id = agent_id
+
+
+class AuthScopeDenied(Exception):
+    """Raised on HTTP 403 `auth_scope_denied` from a Heimdall-scoped endpoint.
+
+    The API key lacks the required scope (e.g. `persona.read` for
+    GET /agents/{id}/persona_state). User-tier keys carry `persona.read`
+    by default; this surfaces when a narrower key is in use.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *, scope: str) -> None:
+        super().__init__(f"auth scope denied: required={scope!r}")
+        self.scope = scope
+
+
 async def list_sessions(
     client: httpx.AsyncClient,
     *,
@@ -200,3 +240,45 @@ async def list_agents(client: httpx.AsyncClient) -> list[AgentInfo]:
         )
         for item in body
     ]
+
+
+async def get_persona_state(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient, agent_id: str
+) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """GET /agents/{agent_id}/persona_state — fetch current persona snapshot.
+
+    Worldtree #204 / v0.28.0. Returns the same `snapshot` dict shape as the
+    `affect_update` SSE event's `status="current"` emission: pad,
+    dominant_emotion, emotions_active, baseline_pad, mood_drift,
+    last_updated_at. Bootstrap read for clients that want to populate a
+    persona pane on session-open without waiting for turn-1's `affect_update`.
+
+    Auth: requires Heimdall `persona.read` scope (user-tier default).
+
+    Failure modes (mapped to typed exceptions per the spec error_codes):
+      - 404 `persona_not_configured` → PersonaNotConfigured (persona-disabled
+        agents: domari / muninn, and all Tier 3 in Phase 2.0)
+      - 404 `agent_not_available` → AgentNotAvailable (unknown agent_id)
+      - 403 `auth_scope_denied` → AuthScopeDenied (key lacks persona.read)
+      - any other non-2xx → SessionApiFailed (preserves the broader-error
+        precedent from list_agents / list_sessions / create_session)
+    """
+    assert client is not None
+    assert agent_id and isinstance(agent_id, str)
+
+    resp = await client.get(f"/agents/{agent_id}/persona_state")
+    if resp.status_code == 200:
+        return resp.json()
+    # Discriminate the 4xx error_code sub-codes; everything else falls through.
+    try:
+        err = resp.json()
+        error_code = err.get("error_code") if isinstance(err, dict) else None
+    except ValueError:
+        error_code = None
+    if resp.status_code == 404 and error_code == "persona_not_configured":
+        raise PersonaNotConfigured(agent_id=agent_id)
+    if resp.status_code == 404 and error_code == "agent_not_available":
+        raise AgentNotAvailable(agent_id=agent_id)
+    if resp.status_code == 403 and error_code == "auth_scope_denied":
+        raise AuthScopeDenied(scope="persona.read")
+    raise SessionApiFailed(status=resp.status_code, body=resp.content)

src/ratatoskr/sse_client.py

@@ -111,6 +111,55 @@ class Cancelled:
     partial_message_id: int | None
 
 
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class AwaitingLlmFirstToken:
+    """SSE event `awaiting_llm_first_token`: heartbeat during slow first-token.
+
+    Fires at the configured interval (default 5s) during the gap between
+    `worker_phase` phase=BuildingPrompt and phase=CallingLLM. Lets clients
+    render a live "thinking for Ns…" indicator instead of a frozen line
+    during legitimate-slow first-token latency. Stops the moment CallingLLM
+    fires (defense-in-depth at three sites); no heartbeat after Cancelled
+    or stalled terminal events. Tool round-trip re-entries do NOT re-fire
+    heartbeats — INV-201-5 scopes the mechanism to the FIRST gap only.
+
+    `elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt` is server-authoritative
+    `time.monotonic()`-based — independent of network latency or clock
+    skew, monotonically increasing across the heartbeat sequence.
+
+    See docs/conversation-api-spec.md § awaiting_llm_first_token
+    (Worldtree #201, v0.29.0).
+    """
+
+    sse_id: SseId
+    turn_id: int
+    elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt: float
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class AffectUpdate:
+    """SSE event `affect_update`: persona-state observability snapshot.
+
+    Two emissions per qualifying turn (persona-enabled agent on non-
+    ephemeral session): `status="current"` at turn start carrying the full
+    snapshot, `status="scheduled"` after post-turn appraisal kicks off
+    (lightweight — `snapshot` is None). Suppressed entirely for persona-
+    disabled agents (e.g. `domari`, `muninn`), Tier 3 consumer-defined
+    agents (Phase 2.0), and ephemeral sessions.
+
+    Bootstrap reads available via `GET /agents/{agent_id}/persona_state`
+    (same `snapshot` shape, requires `persona.read` scope).
+
+    See docs/conversation-api-spec.md § affect_update (Worldtree #204,
+    v0.28.0).
+    """
+
+    sse_id: SseId
+    status: str  # "current" | "scheduled"
+    turn_id: int
+    snapshot: dict[str, Any] | None  # None when status="scheduled"
+
+
 Event = (
     WorkerPhase
     | Thinking
@@ -121,6 +170,8 @@ Event = (
     | Done
     | Error
     | Cancelled
+    | AffectUpdate
+    | AwaitingLlmFirstToken
 )
 
 
@@ -284,6 +335,26 @@ def _envelope_for_type(body: dict[str, Any], sse_id: SseId) -> Event:
             reason=body.get("reason"),
             partial_message_id=body.get("partial_message_id"),
         )
+    if t == "awaiting_llm_first_token":
+        # Worldtree #201 / v0.29.0: top-level heartbeat during BuildingPrompt
+        # → CallingLLM gap. Lets clients render live elapsed-time indicators
+        # instead of frozen lines on legitimate-slow first-token latency.
+        return AwaitingLlmFirstToken(
+            sse_id=sse_id,
+            turn_id=body["turn_id"],
+            elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt=body["elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt"],
+        )
+    if t == "affect_update":
+        # Worldtree #204 / v0.28.0: persona-state observability event.
+        # status="current" carries full snapshot at turn start;
+        # status="scheduled" omits snapshot (lightweight post-appraisal-
+        # kickoff notification).
+        return AffectUpdate(
+            sse_id=sse_id,
+            status=body["status"],
+            turn_id=body["turn_id"],
+            snapshot=body.get("snapshot"),
+        )
     raise ValueError(f"unknown SSE event type: {t!r}")
 
 
@@ -309,6 +380,14 @@ async def _iter_events(
             # with a bad id is still a keepalive). Don't reorder.
             if sse.data == "":
                 continue
+            # v0.8.1: empty-id frames are also treated as keepalives. Worldtree
+            # SOMETIMES emits events without an `id:` line (observed mid-stream
+            # on the qwen3.6-35-a3b-heretic provider, 2026-05-25). Per the SSE
+            # RFC, events without ids are legitimate (they just don't update
+            # Last-Event-ID); the previous strict behavior crashed every turn
+            # on the offending agent. Treat same as empty-data: skip silently.
+            if sse.id == "":
+                continue
             try:
                 sse_id = _parse_sse_id(sse.id)
             except ValueError as exc:

src/ratatoskr/tier3.py

@@ -0,0 +1,471 @@
+"""Worldtree Tier 3 (consumer-defined) agent lifecycle client.
+
+Implements docs/contracts/issues/15.contract.md. Caller-owned httpx.AsyncClient
+posture (same as ratatoskr.sessions). Exposes three lifecycle operations:
+
+- ``define_agent`` — POST /agents/define
+- ``patch_agent`` — PATCH /agents/<id>
+- ``delete_agent`` — DELETE /agents/<id>
+
+Plus a frozen ``Tier3AgentInfo`` dataclass for the response shape. The picker
+already handles colon-containing agent_ids generically (issue #8); session
+creation works unchanged via ``ratatoskr.sessions.create_session``.
+
+Spec reference: ``docs/conversation-api-spec.md`` §2576-2750 (Phase 2.0).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import re
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+
+import httpx
+
+from ratatoskr.sessions import SessionApiFailed
+
+# Per spec §2627: agent_name + user_id slugs are `[a-z][a-z0-9-]{2,63}`.
+_SLUG_RE = re.compile(r"^[a-z][a-z0-9-]{2,63}$")
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class Tier3AgentInfo:
+    """Worldtree Tier 3 agent envelope returned by define / patch.
+
+    INV-001: ``agent_id`` is always shape ``"<user_id>:<agent_name>"`` —
+    constructed server-side from the auth's user_id + the supplied agent_name.
+    """
+
+    agent_id: str
+    user_id: str
+    agent_name: str
+    system_prompt: str
+    model: str
+    created_at: str
+    updated_at: str
+
+
+class Tier3QuotaExceeded(Exception):
+    """Raised on HTTP 429 ``agent_quota_exceeded`` — 50-agent cap reached
+    on the Heimdall key. ``retry_after`` captures the Retry-After header
+    verbatim (defaults to 0 per spec §2675; forward-compat for non-zero)."""
+
+    def __init__(self, *, retry_after: int) -> None:
+        super().__init__(f"Tier 3 agent quota exceeded (retry_after={retry_after})")
+        self.retry_after = retry_after
+
+
+class Tier3UserIdUnsupported(Exception):
+    """Raised on HTTP 403 ``tier3_user_id_unsupported`` — auth's user_id
+    is not slug-safe per Phase 2.0 gate (spec §2626)."""
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        super().__init__("tier3 caller user_id is not slug-safe")
+
+
+class Tier3FieldNotMutable(Exception):
+    """Raised on HTTP 422 ``field_not_mutable`` — PATCH request body
+    carried a key that's immutable post-define (``agent_name``, ``user_id``,
+    or any layer field). Server rejects BEFORE the DB lookup (spec §2644)."""
+
+    def __init__(self, *, field: str | None) -> None:
+        super().__init__(f"field not mutable on Tier 3 patch: {field!r}")
+        self.field = field
+
+
+class Tier3LayerDeferred(Exception):
+    """Raised on HTTP 422 ``layer_deferred`` — define request carried a
+    non-null layer field (``persona`` / ``motivational`` / ``valence`` /
+    ``memory``). Phase 2.0 ships baseline only; layers are schema-reserved.
+
+    Note: ``define_agent`` never sends layer fields, so this exception is
+    defense-against-server-side-changes / forward-compat. INV-001 in the
+    request body construction is the first line of defense.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *, field: str | None) -> None:
+        super().__init__(f"tier3 layer field deferred: {field!r}")
+        self.field = field
+
+
+class Tier3AgentNotFound(Exception):
+    """Raised on HTTP 404 — PATCH or DELETE on a non-existent agent_id
+    (spec §2634 + §2641)."""
+
+    def __init__(self, *, agent_id: str) -> None:
+        super().__init__(f"tier3 agent not found: {agent_id!r}")
+        self.agent_id = agent_id
+
+
+def _extract_error_code(resp: httpx.Response) -> str | None:
+    """Pluck the ``detail.error_code`` from a Worldtree error envelope.
+
+    Worldtree wraps API errors in ``{"detail": {"error_code": "...", ...}}``
+    per the spec. Returns None on shape mismatch (so callers fall through
+    to the generic ``SessionApiFailed`` branch).
+    """
+    try:
+        body = resp.json()
+    except ValueError:
+        return None
+    detail = body.get("detail") if isinstance(body, dict) else None
+    if isinstance(detail, dict):
+        code = detail.get("error_code")
+        if isinstance(code, str):
+            return code
+    return None
+
+
+def _extract_error_field(resp: httpx.Response) -> str | None:
+    """Pluck ``detail.field`` from a Worldtree error envelope (used for
+    ``field_not_mutable`` and ``layer_deferred`` to surface which field
+    triggered the rejection). Returns None on shape mismatch.
+    """
+    try:
+        body = resp.json()
+    except ValueError:
+        return None
+    detail = body.get("detail") if isinstance(body, dict) else None
+    if isinstance(detail, dict):
+        field = detail.get("field")
+        if isinstance(field, str):
+            return field
+    return None
+
+
+def _parse_tier3_agent_info(body: dict) -> Tier3AgentInfo:
+    """Parse a Worldtree Tier 3 agent JSON body into the frozen dataclass."""
+    return Tier3AgentInfo(
+        agent_id=body["agent_id"],
+        user_id=body["user_id"],
+        agent_name=body["agent_name"],
+        system_prompt=body["system_prompt"],
+        model=body["model"],
+        created_at=body["created_at"],
+        updated_at=body["updated_at"],
+    )
+
+
+async def define_agent(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    *,
+    agent_name: str,
+    system_prompt: str,
+    model: str,
+) -> Tier3AgentInfo:
+    """POST /agents/define — create a Tier 3 agent.
+
+    See contract FN define_agent. Validates the agent_name slug client-side
+    before the network round-trip; server-side validation is the safety net.
+    Returns a fully populated Tier3AgentInfo on 201. Routes documented error
+    codes to typed exceptions; unknown non-2xx → SessionApiFailed.
+    """
+    assert client is not None
+    assert _SLUG_RE.match(agent_name), (
+        f"agent_name must match [a-z][a-z0-9-]{{2,63}}: {agent_name!r}"
+    )
+    assert system_prompt, "system_prompt must be non-empty"
+    assert model, "model must be non-empty"
+
+    body = {
+        "agent_name": agent_name,
+        "system_prompt": system_prompt,
+        "model": model,
+    }
+    resp = await client.post("/agents/define", json=body)
+
+    if resp.status_code == 201:
+        return _parse_tier3_agent_info(resp.json())
+    if resp.status_code == 429:
+        # Spec §2675: 51st define → 429 with Retry-After: 0.
+        try:
+            retry_after = int(resp.headers.get("Retry-After", "0"))
+        except (TypeError, ValueError):
+            retry_after = 0
+        raise Tier3QuotaExceeded(retry_after=retry_after)
+    if resp.status_code == 403:
+        if _extract_error_code(resp) == "tier3_user_id_unsupported":
+            raise Tier3UserIdUnsupported()
+    if resp.status_code == 422:
+        code = _extract_error_code(resp)
+        if code == "layer_deferred":
+            raise Tier3LayerDeferred(field=_extract_error_field(resp))
+    raise SessionApiFailed(status=resp.status_code, body=resp.content)
+
+
+async def patch_agent(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    agent_id: str,
+    *,
+    system_prompt: str | None = None,
+    model: str | None = None,
+) -> Tier3AgentInfo:
+    """PATCH /agents/<id> — mutate system_prompt and/or model.
+
+    See contract FN patch_agent. Per spec §2641: only system_prompt + model
+    are mutable in Phase 2.0; any other key returns 422 field_not_mutable.
+    """
+    assert client is not None
+    assert ":" in agent_id, f"tier 3 agent_id must contain ':': {agent_id!r}"
+    assert system_prompt is not None or model is not None, (
+        "patch requires at least one of system_prompt or model"
+    )
+
+    body: dict[str, str] = {}
+    if system_prompt is not None:
+        body["system_prompt"] = system_prompt
+    if model is not None:
+        body["model"] = model
+    resp = await client.patch(f"/agents/{agent_id}", json=body)
+
+    if resp.status_code == 200:
+        return _parse_tier3_agent_info(resp.json())
+    if resp.status_code == 404:
+        raise Tier3AgentNotFound(agent_id=agent_id)
+    if resp.status_code == 422:
+        code = _extract_error_code(resp)
+        if code == "field_not_mutable":
+            raise Tier3FieldNotMutable(field=_extract_error_field(resp))
+    raise SessionApiFailed(status=resp.status_code, body=resp.content)
+
+
+async def delete_agent(client: httpx.AsyncClient, agent_id: str) -> None:
+    """DELETE /agents/<id> — owner hard-delete (cancels active sessions
+    server-side per spec §2636).
+
+    See contract FN delete_agent. 204 on success; 404 if the agent_id
+    doesn't exist; other non-2xx → SessionApiFailed.
+    """
+    assert client is not None
+    assert ":" in agent_id, f"tier 3 agent_id must contain ':': {agent_id!r}"
+
+    resp = await client.delete(f"/agents/{agent_id}")
+    if resp.status_code == 204:
+        return
+    if resp.status_code == 404:
+        raise Tier3AgentNotFound(agent_id=agent_id)
+    raise SessionApiFailed(status=resp.status_code, body=resp.content)
+
+
+# ---- CLI (`python -m ratatoskr.tier3 <subcommand>`) ------------------------
+#
+# Auth + server URL resolution mirrors ratatoskr.cli verbatim. Exit codes
+# mirror ratatoskr.cli: 0 happy / 10 usage / 11 auth / 20 api-failure /
+# 21 network. Outbound requests carry the same User-Agent string.
+
+
+class _Tier3UsageError(Exception):
+    """Argparse usage violation → exit 10."""
+
+
+class _Tier3AuthError(Exception):
+    """No API key resolvable → exit 11."""
+
+
+def _build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        prog="python -m ratatoskr.tier3",
+        description="Worldtree Tier 3 (consumer-defined) agent lifecycle.",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument("--api-key", dest="api_key", default=None)
+    parser.add_argument("--server", dest="server", default=None)
+    sub = parser.add_subparsers(dest="cmd", required=True)
+
+    p_define = sub.add_parser("define", help="Create a Tier 3 agent.")
+    p_define.add_argument("--name", required=True, help="agent_name (slug).")
+    p_define.add_argument(
+        "--system-prompt", dest="system_prompt", required=True,
+        help="System prompt the agent ships with.",
+    )
+    p_define.add_argument(
+        "--model", required=True,
+        help="Provider model ID (NOT a profile alias; e.g., qwen3.6-35-a3b).",
+    )
+
+    p_patch = sub.add_parser("patch", help="Mutate system_prompt and/or model.")
+    p_patch.add_argument("agent_id", help='Full "<user_id>:<agent_name>" form.')
+    p_patch.add_argument("--system-prompt", dest="system_prompt", default=None)
+    p_patch.add_argument("--model", default=None)
+
+    p_delete = sub.add_parser("delete", help="Hard-delete a Tier 3 agent.")
+    p_delete.add_argument("agent_id", help='Full "<user_id>:<agent_name>" form.')
+
+    return parser
+
+
+def _resolve_auth(ns: argparse.Namespace) -> tuple[str, str]:
+    """Resolve API key + server URL with the same env-var fallback as cli.py."""
+    import os
+
+    api_key = ns.api_key or os.environ.get("WORLDTREE_API_KEY") or ""
+    if not api_key:
+        raise _Tier3AuthError("no API key (set --api-key or WORLDTREE_API_KEY)")
+    server_url = (
+        ns.server or os.environ.get("WORLDTREE_API_URL") or "http://localhost:8000"
+    )
+    return api_key, server_url
+
+
+async def _run_define(ns: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
+    api_key, server_url = _resolve_auth(ns)
+    from ratatoskr.cli import USER_AGENT
+    from ratatoskr.local_agents import (
+        LocalAgentEntry,
+        add_local_agent,
+        make_description,
+    )
+
+    async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+        base_url=server_url,
+        headers={
+            "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
+            "User-Agent": USER_AGENT,
+        },
+        timeout=httpx.Timeout(connect=10.0, read=30.0, write=10.0, pool=10.0),
+    ) as client:
+        info = await define_agent(
+            client,
+            agent_name=ns.name,
+            system_prompt=ns.system_prompt,
+            model=ns.model,
+        )
+        # v0.8.0: persist to local index so the picker can show it.
+        add_local_agent(
+            LocalAgentEntry(
+                agent_id=info.agent_id,
+                agent_name=info.agent_name,
+                model=info.model,
+                description=make_description(info.system_prompt),
+                defined_at=info.created_at,
+            )
+        )
+        print(f"defined {info.agent_id} ({info.model})")
+        return 0
+
+
+async def _run_patch(ns: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
+    api_key, server_url = _resolve_auth(ns)
+    from ratatoskr.cli import USER_AGENT
+    from ratatoskr.local_agents import (
+        LocalAgentEntry,
+        make_description,
+        update_local_agent,
+    )
+
+    if ns.system_prompt is None and ns.model is None:
+        raise _Tier3UsageError(
+            "patch requires at least one of --system-prompt or --model"
+        )
+    async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+        base_url=server_url,
+        headers={
+            "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
+            "User-Agent": USER_AGENT,
+        },
+        timeout=httpx.Timeout(connect=10.0, read=30.0, write=10.0, pool=10.0),
+    ) as client:
+        info = await patch_agent(
+            client,
+            ns.agent_id,
+            system_prompt=ns.system_prompt,
+            model=ns.model,
+        )
+        # v0.8.0: refresh local index with the post-patch state.
+        update_local_agent(
+            LocalAgentEntry(
+                agent_id=info.agent_id,
+                agent_name=info.agent_name,
+                model=info.model,
+                description=make_description(info.system_prompt),
+                defined_at=info.updated_at,
+            )
+        )
+        print(f"patched {info.agent_id}")
+        return 0
+
+
+async def _run_delete(ns: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
+    api_key, server_url = _resolve_auth(ns)
+    from ratatoskr.cli import USER_AGENT
+    from ratatoskr.local_agents import remove_local_agent
+
+    async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+        base_url=server_url,
+        headers={
+            "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
+            "User-Agent": USER_AGENT,
+        },
+        timeout=httpx.Timeout(connect=10.0, read=30.0, write=10.0, pool=10.0),
+    ) as client:
+        await delete_agent(client, ns.agent_id)
+        # v0.8.0: drop from local index so the picker stops listing it.
+        remove_local_agent(ns.agent_id)
+        print(f"deleted {ns.agent_id}")
+        return 0
+
+
+def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
+    """Sync entry point — argparse + dispatch + error → exit-code mapping.
+
+    Mirrors ratatoskr.cli.main()'s error-routing matrix:
+      0  happy
+      10 usage error
+      11 auth error
+      20 api-failure (typed exception or generic SessionApiFailed)
+      21 network error
+    """
+    import asyncio
+    import sys
+
+    parser = _build_parser()
+    try:
+        ns = parser.parse_args(argv)
+    except SystemExit as exc:
+        return int(exc.code) if exc.code is not None else 0
+
+    handler = {
+        "define": _run_define,
+        "patch": _run_patch,
+        "delete": _run_delete,
+    }[ns.cmd]
+
+    try:
+        return asyncio.run(handler(ns))
+    except _Tier3UsageError as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"[usage_error] {exc}\n")
+        return 10
+    except _Tier3AuthError as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"[auth_error] {exc}\n")
+        return 11
+    except AssertionError as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"[usage_error] {exc}\n")
+        return 10
+    except Tier3QuotaExceeded as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"[quota_exceeded] retry_after={exc.retry_after}\n")
+        return 20
+    except Tier3UserIdUnsupported:
+        sys.stderr.write("[user_id_unsupported]\n")
+        return 20
+    except Tier3AgentNotFound as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"[agent_not_found] {exc.agent_id}\n")
+        return 20
+    except Tier3FieldNotMutable as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"[field_not_mutable] field={exc.field}\n")
+        return 20
+    except Tier3LayerDeferred as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"[layer_deferred] field={exc.field}\n")
+        return 20
+    except SessionApiFailed as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(
+            f"[api_failed] status={exc.status} body={exc.body!r}\n"
+        )
+        return 20
+    except (httpx.ConnectError, httpx.ReadTimeout, httpx.TransportError) as exc:
+        sys.stderr.write(f"[network_error] {type(exc).__name__}: {exc}\n")
+        return 21
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    import sys
+
+    sys.exit(main())

tests/test_local_agents.py

@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+"""Tests for ratatoskr.local_agents.
+
+Use ``$RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS`` env-var override + pytest tmp_path to
+isolate from the operator's real ``~/.config/ratatoskr/local_agents.json``.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+from ratatoskr.local_agents import (
+    LocalAgentEntry,
+    _local_agents_path,
+    add_local_agent,
+    load_local_agents,
+    make_description,
+    remove_local_agent,
+    update_local_agent,
+)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def local_path(tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> Path:
+    """Point $RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS at a fresh tmp file for the test."""
+    path = tmp_path / "local_agents.json"
+    monkeypatch.setenv("RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS", str(path))
+    return path
+
+
+def _entry(
+    agent_id: str = "ratatoskr:wizard",
+    agent_name: str = "wizard",
+    model: str = "qwen3.6-35-a3b",
+    description: str = "(tier 3) test agent",
+    defined_at: str = "2026-05-25T00:00:00+00:00",
+) -> LocalAgentEntry:
+    return LocalAgentEntry(
+        agent_id=agent_id,
+        agent_name=agent_name,
+        model=model,
+        description=description,
+        defined_at=defined_at,
+    )
+
+
+class TestPathResolution:
+    def test_env_override(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setenv("RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS", "/tmp/custom-agents.json")
+        assert _local_agents_path() == Path("/tmp/custom-agents.json")
+
+    def test_xdg_config_home(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.delenv("RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS", raising=False)
+        monkeypatch.setenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", "/tmp/xdg-config")
+        assert (
+            _local_agents_path()
+            == Path("/tmp/xdg-config/ratatoskr/local_agents.json")
+        )
+
+    def test_default_home(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.delenv("RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS", raising=False)
+        monkeypatch.delenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", raising=False)
+        path = _local_agents_path()
+        assert path == Path.home() / ".config" / "ratatoskr" / "local_agents.json"
+
+
+class TestLoadEmpty:
+    def test_missing_file_returns_empty(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        assert not local_path.exists()
+        assert load_local_agents() == []
+
+    def test_corrupt_json_returns_empty(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        local_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        local_path.write_text("not json at all")
+        assert load_local_agents() == []
+
+    def test_wrong_schema_version_returns_empty(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        local_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        local_path.write_text(json.dumps({"version": 999, "agents": []}))
+        assert load_local_agents() == []
+
+    def test_missing_version_key_returns_empty(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        local_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        local_path.write_text(json.dumps({"agents": []}))
+        assert load_local_agents() == []
+
+    def test_malformed_row_skipped(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        local_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        local_path.write_text(
+            json.dumps(
+                {
+                    "version": 1,
+                    "agents": [
+                        {"agent_id": "incomplete"},  # missing required fields
+                        {
+                            "agent_id": "ratatoskr:good",
+                            "agent_name": "good",
+                            "model": "m",
+                            "description": "d",
+                            "defined_at": "t",
+                        },
+                    ],
+                }
+            )
+        )
+        entries = load_local_agents()
+        assert len(entries) == 1
+        assert entries[0].agent_id == "ratatoskr:good"
+
+
+class TestAdd:
+    def test_add_one(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        add_local_agent(_entry())
+        entries = load_local_agents()
+        assert len(entries) == 1
+        assert entries[0].agent_id == "ratatoskr:wizard"
+
+    def test_add_two_different(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        add_local_agent(_entry(agent_id="ratatoskr:a", agent_name="a"))
+        add_local_agent(_entry(agent_id="ratatoskr:b", agent_name="b"))
+        ids = {e.agent_id for e in load_local_agents()}
+        assert ids == {"ratatoskr:a", "ratatoskr:b"}
+
+    def test_add_replaces_same_id(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        add_local_agent(_entry(model="old-model"))
+        add_local_agent(_entry(model="new-model"))
+        entries = load_local_agents()
+        assert len(entries) == 1
+        assert entries[0].model == "new-model"
+
+    def test_creates_parent_dirs(
+        self, tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    ) -> None:
+        nested = tmp_path / "deep" / "nested" / "path" / "agents.json"
+        monkeypatch.setenv("RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS", str(nested))
+        add_local_agent(_entry())
+        assert nested.exists()
+
+
+class TestUpdate:
+    def test_update_changes_existing(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        add_local_agent(_entry(model="v1"))
+        update_local_agent(_entry(model="v2"))
+        entries = load_local_agents()
+        assert len(entries) == 1
+        assert entries[0].model == "v2"
+
+
+class TestRemove:
+    def test_remove_existing(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        add_local_agent(_entry())
+        remove_local_agent("ratatoskr:wizard")
+        assert load_local_agents() == []
+
+    def test_remove_missing_is_noop(self, local_path: Path) -> None:
+        add_local_agent(_entry())
+        remove_local_agent("ratatoskr:doesnotexist")
+        assert len(load_local_agents()) == 1
+
+
+class TestMakeDescription:
+    def test_first_nonempty_line(self) -> None:
+        prompt = "\n\n# IDENTITY\nYou are a test agent..."
+        desc = make_description(prompt)
+        assert desc.startswith("(tier 3) IDENTITY")
+
+    def test_strips_heading_markers(self) -> None:
+        prompt = "# A nice heading\nMore prompt..."
+        desc = make_description(prompt)
+        assert "(tier 3) A nice heading" == desc
+
+    def test_truncates_long(self) -> None:
+        prompt = "x" * 200
+        desc = make_description(prompt)
+        # 80 char cap including the prefix
+        assert len(desc) == 81  # 80 + ellipsis char
+        assert desc.endswith("…")
+
+    def test_empty_prompt_fallback(self) -> None:
+        desc = make_description("")
+        assert desc == "(tier 3) custom system prompt"
+
+    def test_whitespace_only_fallback(self) -> None:
+        desc = make_description("   \n\n  ")
+        assert desc == "(tier 3) custom system prompt"

tests/test_sessions.py

@@ -6,11 +6,15 @@ import respx
 
 from ratatoskr.sessions import (
     AgentInfo,
+    AgentNotAvailable,
     AgentNotFound,
+    AuthScopeDenied,
     InvalidCursor,
+    PersonaNotConfigured,
     SessionApiFailed,
     SessionPage,
     create_session,
+    get_persona_state,
     list_agents,
     list_sessions,
 )
@@ -556,3 +560,108 @@ class TestListAgents:
             with pytest.raises(SessionApiFailed) as excinfo:
                 await list_agents(client)
         assert excinfo.value.status == 401
+
+
+class TestGetPersonaState:
+    """Worldtree #204 / v0.28.0 — GET /agents/{agent_id}/persona_state.
+
+    Bootstrap read for the persona snapshot — same shape as `affect_update`'s
+    `current` snapshot. Auth via `persona.read` scope (user-tier default).
+    """
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_happy_full_snapshot(self) -> None:
+        """happy_full_snapshot [happy,tracer]: 200 → snapshot dict with pad +
+        dominant_emotion + emotions_active + baseline_pad + mood_drift.
+        """
+        snapshot = {
+            "agent_id": "mimir",
+            "pad": {"pleasure": 0.52, "arousal": 0.47, "dominance": 0.50},
+            "dominant_emotion": "curiosity",
+            "emotions_active": [
+                {"type": "curiosity", "intensity": 0.6, "decay_remaining_s": 202.7}
+            ],
+            "baseline_pad": {"pleasure": 0.50, "arousal": 0.40, "dominance": 0.50},
+            "mood_drift": {"valence_delta": 0.02, "arousal_delta": 0.07},
+            "last_updated_at": "2026-05-25T22:30:18+00:00",
+        }
+        respx.get("https://w.example/agents/mimir/persona_state").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(200, json=snapshot)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            result = await get_persona_state(client, "mimir")
+        assert result == snapshot
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_persona_not_configured_404(self) -> None:
+        """persona_not_configured_404 [error]: 404 with error_code
+        persona_not_configured → PersonaNotConfigured. Agent exists but has
+        no persona surface (e.g. domari, muninn, Tier 3).
+        """
+        respx.get("https://w.example/agents/domari/persona_state").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                404, json={"error_code": "persona_not_configured", "message": "no persona"}
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(PersonaNotConfigured) as exc_info:
+                await get_persona_state(client, "domari")
+        assert exc_info.value.agent_id == "domari"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_agent_not_available_404(self) -> None:
+        """agent_not_available_404 [error]: 404 with error_code
+        agent_not_available → AgentNotAvailable. Distinct from
+        persona_not_configured — the agent_id itself is unknown.
+        """
+        respx.get("https://w.example/agents/bogus/persona_state").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                404, json={"error_code": "agent_not_available", "message": "unknown agent"}
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(AgentNotAvailable) as exc_info:
+                await get_persona_state(client, "bogus")
+        assert exc_info.value.agent_id == "bogus"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_auth_scope_denied_403(self) -> None:
+        """auth_scope_denied_403 [error]: 403 with error_code auth_scope_denied
+        → AuthScopeDenied. Key lacks `persona.read` scope.
+        """
+        respx.get("https://w.example/agents/mimir/persona_state").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                403,
+                json={"error_code": "auth_scope_denied", "message": "missing persona.read"},
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(AuthScopeDenied) as exc_info:
+                await get_persona_state(client, "mimir")
+        assert exc_info.value.scope == "persona.read"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_404_unknown_error_code_falls_through(self) -> None:
+        """404_unknown_error_code_falls_through [adversarial]: 404 without the
+        two known error codes → SessionApiFailed (don't swallow novel failure
+        modes as something more specific than they are).
+        """
+        respx.get("https://w.example/agents/mimir/persona_state").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(404, json={"error_code": "novel_404"})
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(SessionApiFailed) as exc_info:
+                await get_persona_state(client, "mimir")
+        assert exc_info.value.status == 404
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_500_unexpected_status(self) -> None:
+        """500_unexpected_status [error]: 5xx → SessionApiFailed (matches the
+        list_agents / list_sessions / create_session precedent)."""
+        respx.get("https://w.example/agents/mimir/persona_state").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(500, content=b"boom")
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(SessionApiFailed) as exc_info:
+                await get_persona_state(client, "mimir")
+        assert exc_info.value.status == 500

tests/test_sse_client.py

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import pytest
 import respx
 
 from ratatoskr.sse_client import (
+    AffectUpdate,
+    AwaitingLlmFirstToken,
     CancelAlreadyCompleted,
     Cancelled,
     CancelResult,
@@ -711,6 +713,47 @@ def _sse_raw_chunk(sse_id: str, raw_data: str) -> bytes:
     return f"id: {sse_id}\ndata: {raw_data}\n\n".encode()
 
 
+def _sse_no_id_chunk(data: str) -> bytes:
+    """SSE frame with NO id line + arbitrary data (v0.8.1: keepalive shape)."""
+    return f"data: {data}\n\n".encode()
+
+
+class TestEmptyIdSkipped:
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_empty_id_on_first_event_skipped(self) -> None:
+        """empty_id_on_first_event_skipped [v0.8.1]: stream starts with an
+        event carrying NO `id:` line → httpx_sse exposes sse.id == ''
+        (no prior id to inherit). Pre-v0.8.1: MalformedSseId raw='' crashed
+        the turn. v0.8.1: treat same as empty-data keepalive — skip silently.
+
+        Observed 2026-05-25 on Worldtree's qwen3.6-35-a3b-heretic provider:
+        the first stream frame had no id line, every turn died with
+        `[malformed_sse_id] raw=''`.
+        """
+        from ratatoskr.sse_client import Done as _Done
+        from ratatoskr.sse_client import Text as _Text
+
+        # First frame: no id line (httpx_sse → sse.id = ""). Skip it.
+        # Subsequent frames have ids; normal processing resumes.
+        stream = (
+            _sse_no_id_chunk('{"type":"keepalive"}')  # ← skipped (sse.id == "")
+            + _sse_chunk("42:1", {"type": "text", "content": "first"})
+            + _sse_chunk("42:2", _DONE_42_6)
+        )
+        respx.post("https://w.example/sessions/s1/messages").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                200, headers={"content-type": "text/event-stream"}, content=stream
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            events = [e async for e in stream_turn(client, "s1", "hi")]
+        # 2 events — the no-id frame is invisible (no MalformedSseId crash).
+        assert len(events) == 2
+        assert isinstance(events[0], _Text)
+        assert events[0].content == "first"
+        assert isinstance(events[1], _Done)
+
+
 class TestEmptyDataSkipped:
     @respx.mock
     async def test_empty_data_skipped(self) -> None:
@@ -836,3 +879,164 @@ class TestEmptyDataSkipped:
         assert exc_info.value.raw == "x" * 200
         # Exception message also only contains the truncated form
         assert "x" * 5000 not in str(exc_info.value)
+
+
+class TestAffectUpdate:
+    """Worldtree #204 / v0.28.0 — persona-state observability SSE event.
+
+    Two emissions per qualifying turn (persona-enabled agent, non-ephemeral
+    session): `status: "current"` at turn start with full snapshot, then
+    `status: "scheduled"` near turn end (lightweight, no snapshot).
+
+    See docs/conversation-api-spec.md § affect_update.
+    """
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_current_status_parsed_with_snapshot(self) -> None:
+        """current_status_parsed_with_snapshot [tracer]: status=current carries
+        the full snapshot dict; AffectUpdate.snapshot is populated with the
+        nested PAD / dominant_emotion / emotions_active fields.
+        """
+        snapshot = {
+            "agent_id": "mimir",
+            "pad": {"pleasure": 0.52, "arousal": 0.47, "dominance": 0.50},
+            "dominant_emotion": "curiosity",
+            "emotions_active": [
+                {"type": "curiosity", "intensity": 0.6, "decay_remaining_s": 202.7}
+            ],
+            "baseline_pad": {"pleasure": 0.50, "arousal": 0.40, "dominance": 0.50},
+            "mood_drift": {"valence_delta": 0.02, "arousal_delta": 0.07},
+            "last_updated_at": "2026-05-25T22:30:18+00:00",
+        }
+        stream = _sse_chunk(
+            "42:1",
+            {
+                "type": "affect_update",
+                "status": "current",
+                "turn_id": 42,
+                "snapshot": snapshot,
+            },
+        ) + _sse_chunk("42:2", _DONE_42_6)
+        respx.post("https://w.example/sessions/s1/messages").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                200, headers={"content-type": "text/event-stream"}, content=stream
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            events = [e async for e in stream_turn(client, "s1", "hi")]
+        affect = events[0]
+        assert isinstance(affect, AffectUpdate)
+        assert affect.status == "current"
+        assert affect.turn_id == 42
+        assert affect.snapshot == snapshot
+        assert affect.sse_id == SseId(42, 1)
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_scheduled_status_parsed_no_snapshot(self) -> None:
+        """scheduled_status_parsed_no_snapshot [trace]: status=scheduled carries
+        no snapshot field; AffectUpdate.snapshot is None.
+        """
+        stream = (
+            _sse_chunk("42:1", {"type": "text", "content": "x"})
+            + _sse_chunk(
+                "42:2",
+                {"type": "affect_update", "status": "scheduled", "turn_id": 42},
+            )
+            + _sse_chunk("42:3", _DONE_42_6)
+        )
+        respx.post("https://w.example/sessions/s1/messages").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                200, headers={"content-type": "text/event-stream"}, content=stream
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            events = [e async for e in stream_turn(client, "s1", "hi")]
+        affect = next(e for e in events if isinstance(e, AffectUpdate))
+        assert affect.status == "scheduled"
+        assert affect.turn_id == 42
+        assert affect.snapshot is None
+        assert affect.sse_id == SseId(42, 2)
+
+
+class TestAwaitingLlmFirstToken:
+    """Worldtree #201 / v0.29.0 — `awaiting_llm_first_token` SSE heartbeat.
+
+    Top-level event (not a worker_phase extension) fired during the
+    BuildingPrompt → CallingLLM gap at the configured interval (default
+    5s). Server-authoritative elapsed_ms is time.monotonic()-based and
+    monotonically increasing across the heartbeat sequence.
+
+    See docs/conversation-api-spec.md § awaiting_llm_first_token.
+    """
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_single_heartbeat_parsed(self) -> None:
+        """single_heartbeat_parsed [tracer]: type=awaiting_llm_first_token →
+        AwaitingLlmFirstToken(turn_id, elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt).
+        """
+        stream = _sse_chunk(
+            "42:1",
+            {
+                "type": "awaiting_llm_first_token",
+                "turn_id": 42,
+                "elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt": 5012.3,
+            },
+        ) + _sse_chunk("42:2", _DONE_42_6)
+        respx.post("https://w.example/sessions/s1/messages").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                200, headers={"content-type": "text/event-stream"}, content=stream
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            events = [e async for e in stream_turn(client, "s1", "hi")]
+        beat = events[0]
+        assert isinstance(beat, AwaitingLlmFirstToken)
+        assert beat.turn_id == 42
+        assert beat.elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt == 5012.3
+        assert beat.sse_id == SseId(42, 1)
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_heartbeat_sequence_monotonic(self) -> None:
+        """heartbeat_sequence_monotonic [scenario]: three consecutive heartbeats
+        in one turn — elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt monotonically increases,
+        all carry the same turn_id.
+        """
+        stream = (
+            _sse_chunk(
+                "42:1",
+                {
+                    "type": "awaiting_llm_first_token",
+                    "turn_id": 42,
+                    "elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt": 5000.0,
+                },
+            )
+            + _sse_chunk(
+                "42:2",
+                {
+                    "type": "awaiting_llm_first_token",
+                    "turn_id": 42,
+                    "elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt": 10005.4,
+                },
+            )
+            + _sse_chunk(
+                "42:3",
+                {
+                    "type": "awaiting_llm_first_token",
+                    "turn_id": 42,
+                    "elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt": 15011.8,
+                },
+            )
+            + _sse_chunk("42:4", _DONE_42_6)
+        )
+        respx.post("https://w.example/sessions/s1/messages").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                200, headers={"content-type": "text/event-stream"}, content=stream
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            events = [e async for e in stream_turn(client, "s1", "hi")]
+        beats = [e for e in events if isinstance(e, AwaitingLlmFirstToken)]
+        assert len(beats) == 3
+        elapsed = [b.elapsed_ms_since_building_prompt for b in beats]
+        assert elapsed == sorted(elapsed)  # monotonically increasing
+        assert all(b.turn_id == 42 for b in beats)

tests/test_tier3.py

@@ -0,0 +1,491 @@
+"""Tests for ratatoskr.tier3 per docs/contracts/issues/15.contract.md."""
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import httpx
+import pytest
+import respx
+
+from ratatoskr.sessions import SessionApiFailed
+from ratatoskr.tier3 import (
+    Tier3AgentInfo,
+    Tier3AgentNotFound,
+    Tier3FieldNotMutable,
+    Tier3LayerDeferred,
+    Tier3QuotaExceeded,
+    Tier3UserIdUnsupported,
+    define_agent,
+    delete_agent,
+    main,
+    patch_agent,
+)
+
+_FULL_AGENT_RESP = {
+    "agent_id": "ratatoskr:wizard",
+    "user_id": "ratatoskr",
+    "agent_name": "wizard",
+    "system_prompt": "You are a wizard.",
+    "model": "qwen3.6-35-a3b",
+    "created_at": "2026-05-25T03:20:09.703601+00:00",
+    "updated_at": "2026-05-25T03:20:09.703601+00:00",
+}
+
+
+class TestDefineAgent:
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_happy_define(self) -> None:
+        """happy_define [happy,tracer]: 201 → fully populated Tier3AgentInfo."""
+        respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(201, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            info = await define_agent(
+                client,
+                agent_name="wizard",
+                system_prompt="You are a wizard.",
+                model="qwen3.6-35-a3b",
+            )
+        assert isinstance(info, Tier3AgentInfo)
+        assert info.agent_id == "ratatoskr:wizard"
+        assert info.user_id == "ratatoskr"
+        assert info.agent_name == "wizard"
+        assert info.model == "qwen3.6-35-a3b"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_request_body_shape(self) -> None:
+        """request_body_shape [trace]: outbound JSON is exactly the three keys."""
+        import json as _json
+
+        route = respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(201, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            await define_agent(
+                client,
+                agent_name="wizard",
+                system_prompt="You are a wizard.",
+                model="qwen3.6-35-a3b",
+            )
+        body = _json.loads(route.calls[0].request.content)
+        # INV-001: exactly these three keys — no layer fields, no metadata.
+        assert body == {
+            "agent_name": "wizard",
+            "system_prompt": "You are a wizard.",
+            "model": "qwen3.6-35-a3b",
+        }
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_quota_exceeded(self) -> None:
+        """quota_exceeded [error]: 429 + Retry-After → Tier3QuotaExceeded."""
+        respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                429,
+                headers={"Retry-After": "0"},
+                json={"detail": {"error_code": "agent_quota_exceeded"}},
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(Tier3QuotaExceeded) as exc:
+                await define_agent(
+                    client,
+                    agent_name="overflow",
+                    system_prompt="x",
+                    model="m",
+                )
+        assert exc.value.retry_after == 0
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_user_id_unsupported(self) -> None:
+        """user_id_unsupported [error]: 403 + error_code → Tier3UserIdUnsupported."""
+        respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                403, json={"detail": {"error_code": "tier3_user_id_unsupported"}}
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(Tier3UserIdUnsupported):
+                await define_agent(
+                    client, agent_name="wizard", system_prompt="x", model="m"
+                )
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_layer_deferred(self) -> None:
+        """layer_deferred [error]: 422 + layer_deferred → Tier3LayerDeferred(field)."""
+        respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                422,
+                json={"detail": {"error_code": "layer_deferred", "field": "persona"}},
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(Tier3LayerDeferred) as exc:
+                await define_agent(
+                    client, agent_name="wizard", system_prompt="x", model="m"
+                )
+        assert exc.value.field == "persona"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_bad_slug_assert(self) -> None:
+        """bad_slug_assert [adversarial]: agent_name with uppercase → AssertionError, no HTTP."""
+        route = respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(201, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(AssertionError):
+                await define_agent(
+                    client, agent_name="Wizard", system_prompt="x", model="m"
+                )
+        assert route.call_count == 0
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_short_slug_assert(self) -> None:
+        """short_slug_assert [adversarial]: agent_name len < 3 → AssertionError."""
+        route = respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(201, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(AssertionError):
+                await define_agent(
+                    client, agent_name="ab", system_prompt="x", model="m"
+                )
+        assert route.call_count == 0
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_empty_prompt_assert(self) -> None:
+        """empty_prompt_assert [adversarial]: empty system_prompt → AssertionError."""
+        route = respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(201, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(AssertionError):
+                await define_agent(
+                    client, agent_name="wizard", system_prompt="", model="m"
+                )
+        assert route.call_count == 0
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_other_5xx(self) -> None:
+        """other_5xx [error]: 503 → SessionApiFailed(status=503)."""
+        respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(503, content=b"upstream out")
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(SessionApiFailed) as exc:
+                await define_agent(
+                    client, agent_name="wizard", system_prompt="x", model="m"
+                )
+        assert exc.value.status == 503
+
+
+class TestPatchAgent:
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_happy_patch_both_fields(self) -> None:
+        """happy_patch_both_fields: both fields set → request body has both."""
+        import json as _json
+
+        updated = {
+            **_FULL_AGENT_RESP,
+            "system_prompt": "new prompt",
+            "model": "different-model",
+        }
+        route = respx.patch("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:wizard").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(200, json=updated)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            info = await patch_agent(
+                client,
+                "ratatoskr:wizard",
+                system_prompt="new prompt",
+                model="different-model",
+            )
+        body = _json.loads(route.calls[0].request.content)
+        assert body == {"system_prompt": "new prompt", "model": "different-model"}
+        assert info.system_prompt == "new prompt"
+        assert info.model == "different-model"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_happy_patch_single_field(self) -> None:
+        """happy_patch_single_field: omit model → body has system_prompt only."""
+        import json as _json
+
+        updated = {**_FULL_AGENT_RESP, "system_prompt": "only this"}
+        route = respx.patch("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:wizard").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(200, json=updated)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            await patch_agent(client, "ratatoskr:wizard", system_prompt="only this")
+        body = _json.loads(route.calls[0].request.content)
+        # INV-002: body omits the None-valued field entirely
+        assert body == {"system_prompt": "only this"}
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_field_not_mutable(self) -> None:
+        """field_not_mutable [error]: 422 + error_code → Tier3FieldNotMutable(field)."""
+        respx.patch("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:wizard").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                422,
+                json={
+                    "detail": {"error_code": "field_not_mutable", "field": "agent_name"}
+                },
+            )
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(Tier3FieldNotMutable) as exc:
+                await patch_agent(
+                    client, "ratatoskr:wizard", system_prompt="x"
+                )
+        assert exc.value.field == "agent_name"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_404(self) -> None:
+        """404 [error]: PATCH on non-existent agent → Tier3AgentNotFound."""
+        respx.patch("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:ghost").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(404, content=b"")
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(Tier3AgentNotFound) as exc:
+                await patch_agent(
+                    client, "ratatoskr:ghost", system_prompt="x"
+                )
+        assert exc.value.agent_id == "ratatoskr:ghost"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_no_fields_assert(self) -> None:
+        """no_fields_assert [adversarial]: both None → AssertionError, no HTTP."""
+        route = respx.patch("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:wizard").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(200, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(AssertionError):
+                await patch_agent(client, "ratatoskr:wizard")
+        assert route.call_count == 0
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_non_tier3_id_assert(self) -> None:
+        """non_tier3_id_assert [adversarial]: agent_id without `:` → AssertionError."""
+        route = respx.patch("https://w.example/agents/mimir").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(200, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(AssertionError):
+                await patch_agent(client, "mimir", system_prompt="x")
+        assert route.call_count == 0
+
+
+class TestDeleteAgent:
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_happy_delete(self) -> None:
+        """happy_delete [happy,tracer]: 204 → returns None."""
+        respx.delete("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:wizard").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(204)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            result = await delete_agent(client, "ratatoskr:wizard")
+        assert result is None
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_404(self) -> None:
+        """404 [error]: DELETE on non-existent agent → Tier3AgentNotFound."""
+        respx.delete("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:ghost").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(404)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(Tier3AgentNotFound) as exc:
+                await delete_agent(client, "ratatoskr:ghost")
+        assert exc.value.agent_id == "ratatoskr:ghost"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_non_tier3_id_assert(self) -> None:
+        """non_tier3_id_assert [adversarial]: agent_id without `:` → AssertionError."""
+        route = respx.delete("https://w.example/agents/mimir").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(204)
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(AssertionError):
+                await delete_agent(client, "mimir")
+        assert route.call_count == 0
+
+    @respx.mock
+    async def test_other_5xx(self) -> None:
+        """other_5xx [error]: 500 → SessionApiFailed."""
+        respx.delete("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:wizard").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(500, content=b"oops")
+        )
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(base_url="https://w.example") as client:
+            with pytest.raises(SessionApiFailed) as exc:
+                await delete_agent(client, "ratatoskr:wizard")
+        assert exc.value.status == 500
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def _isolated_local_agents(
+    tmp_path: "Path", monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> "Path":
+    """Isolate the v0.8.0 local-tier-3 index from the operator's real file."""
+    path = tmp_path / "local_agents.json"
+    monkeypatch.setenv("RATATOSKR_LOCAL_AGENTS", str(path))
+    return path
+
+
+class TestCli:
+    @respx.mock
+    def test_cli_define_happy(
+        self,
+        capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+        monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+        _isolated_local_agents: "Path",
+    ) -> None:
+        """cli_define_happy [happy]: argv → 201 mock → stdout confirmation;
+        local index updated with the new entry (v0.8.0 hook).
+        """
+        from ratatoskr.local_agents import load_local_agents
+
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_URL", "https://w.example")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_KEY", "k")
+        respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(201, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        rc = main([
+            "define",
+            "--name", "wizard",
+            "--system-prompt", "You are a wizard.",
+            "--model", "qwen3.6-35-a3b",
+        ])
+        out = capsys.readouterr()
+        assert rc == 0
+        assert out.out.strip() == "defined ratatoskr:wizard (qwen3.6-35-a3b)"
+        # v0.8.0: local index now has the new entry.
+        entries = load_local_agents()
+        assert len(entries) == 1
+        assert entries[0].agent_id == "ratatoskr:wizard"
+        assert entries[0].model == "qwen3.6-35-a3b"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    def test_cli_patch_happy(
+        self,
+        capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+        monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+        _isolated_local_agents: "Path",
+    ) -> None:
+        """cli_patch_happy [happy]: argv → 200 mock → stdout confirmation;
+        local index refreshed with the post-patch state.
+        """
+        from ratatoskr.local_agents import load_local_agents
+
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_URL", "https://w.example")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_KEY", "k")
+        respx.patch("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:wizard").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(200, json=_FULL_AGENT_RESP)
+        )
+        rc = main(["patch", "ratatoskr:wizard", "--system-prompt", "new"])
+        out = capsys.readouterr()
+        assert rc == 0
+        assert out.out.strip() == "patched ratatoskr:wizard"
+        entries = load_local_agents()
+        assert len(entries) == 1
+        assert entries[0].agent_id == "ratatoskr:wizard"
+
+    @respx.mock
+    def test_cli_delete_happy(
+        self,
+        capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+        monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+        _isolated_local_agents: "Path",
+    ) -> None:
+        """cli_delete_happy [happy]: argv → 204 mock → stdout confirmation;
+        local index entry removed (v0.8.0 hook).
+        """
+        from ratatoskr.local_agents import (
+            LocalAgentEntry,
+            add_local_agent,
+            load_local_agents,
+        )
+
+        # Pre-populate so we can verify removal.
+        add_local_agent(LocalAgentEntry(
+            agent_id="ratatoskr:wizard",
+            agent_name="wizard",
+            model="m",
+            description="d",
+            defined_at="t",
+        ))
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_URL", "https://w.example")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_KEY", "k")
+        respx.delete("https://w.example/agents/ratatoskr:wizard").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(204)
+        )
+        rc = main(["delete", "ratatoskr:wizard"])
+        out = capsys.readouterr()
+        assert rc == 0
+        assert out.out.strip() == "deleted ratatoskr:wizard"
+        assert load_local_agents() == []
+
+    def test_cli_missing_auth(
+        self, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str], monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    ) -> None:
+        """cli_missing_auth [error]: no api-key → stderr [auth_error] + exit 11."""
+        monkeypatch.delenv("WORLDTREE_API_KEY", raising=False)
+        rc = main([
+            "define",
+            "--name", "wizard",
+            "--system-prompt", "x",
+            "--model", "m",
+        ])
+        err = capsys.readouterr().err
+        assert rc == 11
+        assert "[auth_error]" in err
+
+    @respx.mock
+    def test_cli_api_failed(
+        self, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str], monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    ) -> None:
+        """cli_api_failed [error]: 500 → stderr [api_failed] + exit 20."""
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_URL", "https://w.example")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_KEY", "k")
+        respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(500, content=b"upstream out")
+        )
+        rc = main([
+            "define",
+            "--name", "wizard",
+            "--system-prompt", "x",
+            "--model", "m",
+        ])
+        err = capsys.readouterr().err
+        assert rc == 20
+        assert "[api_failed]" in err
+
+    @respx.mock
+    def test_cli_quota_exceeded(
+        self, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str], monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    ) -> None:
+        """cli_quota_exceeded [error]: 429 → stderr [quota_exceeded] + exit 20."""
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_URL", "https://w.example")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_KEY", "k")
+        respx.post("https://w.example/agents/define").mock(
+            return_value=httpx.Response(
+                429,
+                headers={"Retry-After": "0"},
+                json={"detail": {"error_code": "agent_quota_exceeded"}},
+            )
+        )
+        rc = main([
+            "define",
+            "--name", "wizard",
+            "--system-prompt", "x",
+            "--model", "m",
+        ])
+        err = capsys.readouterr().err
+        assert rc == 20
+        assert "[quota_exceeded]" in err
+
+    def test_cli_patch_no_fields(
+        self, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str], monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    ) -> None:
+        """cli_patch_no_fields [error]: patch with no flags → [usage_error] + exit 10."""
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_URL", "https://w.example")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("WORLDTREE_API_KEY", "k")
+        rc = main(["patch", "ratatoskr:wizard"])
+        err = capsys.readouterr().err
+        assert rc == 10
+        assert "[usage_error]" in err

uv.lock

@@ -968,7 +968,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "ratatoskr"
-version = "0.5.0"
+version = "0.14.1"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "httpx" },