Add copilot coding-agent notes

[ceej640]

Closes #17.

Summary:

• Add an append-only JSONL CodingNotesStore for copilot-to-coding-agent feedback.
• Add leave_coding_agent_note and list_coding_agent_notes tools, registered with the app tools package.
• Store notes in the active session directory when available, with a storage-path fallback.
• Document the note format and add focused tests.

Verification:

• .\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pytest tests/test_coding_notes.py -q -p no:cacheprovider
• git diff --check

[pskeshu]

On this and on another PR related, a general question is - should we be calling our system copilot? Isn't that a copyrighted term? Do we come up with an alternate description to gently? Perhaps a harness, or environment? Or any other Entity object. I think we had decided on Agent in gently, IIRC. And how does one interface a coding agent to our agent entity, so that there is less friction in the coding agent accessing our agent in runtime in traceback is an important question.

…

On Sat, 30 May 2026 at 22:26, ceej640 ***@***.***> wrote: Closes #17 <https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/issues/17>. Summary: - Add an append-only JSONL CodingNotesStore for copilot-to-coding-agent feedback. - Add leave_coding_agent_note and list_coding_agent_notes tools, registered with the app tools package. - Store notes in the active session directory when available, with a storage-path fallback. - Document the note format and add focused tests. Verification: - .\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pytest tests/test_coding_notes.py -q -p no:cacheprovider - git diff --check ------------------------------ You can view, comment on, or merge this pull request online at: https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31 Commit Summary - 000d48b <pskeshu@000d48b> Add copilot coding-agent notes File Changes (5 files <https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31/files>) - *A* docs/coding-agent-notes.md <https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31/files#diff-e1a40c3bd920be5c696c392f08e5931488a5f774c14a459ee92f5add5d17156e> (46) - *M* gently/app/tools/__init__.py <https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31/files#diff-2e3b208f2c86988f7242988f6779358ec6a3e7acb5256170e36a2ae3b1f904a7> (1) - *A* gently/app/tools/coding_notes_tools.py <https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31/files#diff-02c20ffdc27c8a6da97f00ee3471367287d32fec6aead9af6df7d271c09fdb1b> (97) - *A* gently/harness/coding_notes.py <https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31/files#diff-db26fc55be25d0f4ad9e190f094d439a7a23a9b081795ef1b02ba1f05b3b01f9> (121) - *A* tests/test_coding_notes.py <https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31/files#diff-01cc6db85cbb02a35b10e348944bc8dfc4d54f1bfe2ba79a95a667f336755fa4> (79) Patch Links: - https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31.patch - https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31.diff — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <https://github.com/pskeshu/gently/pull/31?email_source=notifications&email_token=ABVNN4HMKKZQ2XFRGLNW56D45OJ5LA5CNFSNUABEM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2QOVWGYUTFOF2WK43UF4ZTONZVGQYTINRQHGTHEZLBONXW5KTTOVRHGY3SNFRGKZFFMV3GK3TUVRTG633UMVZF6Y3MNFRWW>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABVNN4GFYPNFGJ4OURXWOW345OJ5LAVCNFSM6AAAAACZUCTE7CVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43ASLTON2WKOZUGU2TMMZTGU2DGMY> . You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

-- Kesavan

[ceej640]

Yes, I think you are right to avoid calling the system "copilot". Even apart from possible brand/legal confusion, it is conceptually less clear than Gently's own terms.

For this PR, I would rename the language toward:

• "Gently agent" for the runtime entity inside Gently
• "coding agent" for an external software agent reading/debugging/modifying the codebase
• "agent notes" or "coding-agent notes" for this specific handoff channel

That would keep the tool purpose without implying the product itself is a copilot.

On the interface question: I think the low-friction bridge needs to be machine-readable and session-aware. The coding agent should be able to discover sessions, fetch runtime tracebacks/logs, inspect exported debug bundles, and leave notes that attach to a session/tool call/error rather than just writing free text somewhere. This PR covers only the note channel; #30 covers the debug export side. Longer term, those should probably converge into an "agent runtime bridge": note store + trace/debug export + stable CLI/HTTP access to session/runtime evidence.

[ceej640]

Follow-up implemented from this thread in commit 1121399.

I kept the tool names stable but changed the new note source/default wording away from "copilot" and toward "Gently agent" / "coding-agent notes". New records now default to source: gently_agent, and the docs/tests use the updated terminology.

Verification:

• pytest tests/test_coding_notes.py -q -p no:cacheprovider
• git diff --check