Release v0.1.21

Ship binary-safe artifact storage and portal/TUI file handling updates.
Refresh system-agent cron defaults, builder/sample docs, changelog, README banners, and workspace package versions for the 0.1.21 release.

Author: affandar

.github/copilot-instructions.md

@@ -158,6 +158,7 @@ Current overlap to preserve unless intentionally changed:
 - `t` in the sessions pane opens the rename-title dialog
 - `t` in the logs inspector toggles log tailing
 - `Ctrl+A` in the prompt opens the attach-file dialog
+- `x` in the files inspector deletes the selected artifact after confirmation
 - `o` in the files inspector opens the selected file in the OS default app
 - `f` in the logs inspector opens the log-filter dialog, `f` in the files inspector opens the files-filter dialog, and `f` in the stats inspector cycles between session, fleet, and users views
 
@@ -181,6 +182,8 @@ you must also keep [`.github/skills/pilotswarm-tui/SKILL.md`](./skills/pilotswar
 
 For the native TUI files inspector, keep the standard outer inspector shell as the top-level pane chrome. Do not reintroduce a second files-specific top-level shell around the tab body.
 
+Pane headers in the shared UI should stay compact. Keep title text data plain; the portal may use a slim card header, while the TUI should render pane titles without a highlighted header background. When a pane narrows, prefer dropping low-priority title metadata such as session ids or recent-window labels before squeezing content.
+
 Use the `pilotswarm-tui` agent/skill for TUI-specific work. Treat it as the canonical short-form memory for the current TUI design choices and maintenance preferences.
 
 ## Builder Agent Templates

.github/skills/pilotswarm-tui/SKILL.md

@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ Do not bypass shared selectors/components with host-only UI logic unless the beh
 
 - Preserve the existing PilotSwarm terminal workflow and information density.
 - Pane titles live in borders, not as duplicate content inside panes.
+- Keep title run data plain. The portal may use a slim painted card header, while the TUI should render pane titles without a highlighted header background. When panes narrow, drop low-priority title metadata like session ids or recent-window labels before squeezing content.
 - Shared selectors are the source of truth for visible state.
 - Non-user / non-assistant transcript items render as cards.
 - Mouse copy must stay pane-local.
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ Do not bypass shared selectors/components with host-only UI logic unless the beh
 - Live-updating logs and activity panes should auto-follow only while the user is at the bottom; scrolling upward pauses follow mode until the user returns to the bottom.
 - In the sessions pane, `f` opens the session owner filter; keep terminal help text and docs aligned with that binding.
 - In the stats inspector, `f` cycles between the session, fleet, and users views; keep terminal and portal behavior aligned.
+- In the files inspector, `x` deletes the selected artifact after confirmation; keep terminal and portal behavior aligned.
 - In the native TUI, the files inspector should render inside the standard outer inspector shell rather than introducing a second files-specific top-level shell.
 - In the portal inspector, reserve a consistent header row height so tabs with header actions and tabs without them start their tab strip at the same vertical position; keep inspector tab/action buttons compact rather than oversized.
 

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,34 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 0.1.21 — 2026-04-22
+
+### SDK / Artifact Storage
+
+- **Binary-safe artifact pipeline** — `uploadArtifact`, `downloadArtifact`, and `listArtifacts` now carry metadata (`contentType`, `isBinary`, `sizeBytes`, `uploadedAt`, `source`) and preserve raw bytes for binary artifacts instead of forcing UTF-8 text conversion.
+- **`write_artifact` binary support** — agents can now write binary artifacts by supplying `encoding: "base64"` with `contentType`; the handler also accepts `content_type` as a compatibility alias.
+- **Artifact validation and limits** — binary uploads are validated with `file-type` magic-byte sniffing, reject declared-vs-detected MIME mismatches, and enforce a separate binary size cap via `PILOTSWARM_ARTIFACT_BINARY_MAX_BYTES`.
+
+### Portal / TUI / Shared UI
+
+- **Binary artifact downloads** — the portal download route now returns raw bytes with the stored content type, and the shared browser/runtime transport exposes artifact metadata without forcing binary payloads through text-only preview RPCs.
+- **Metadata-aware files inspector** — the shared files browser now stores artifact metadata records, short-circuits binary previews, renders a download-only binary placeholder in the portal, and keeps native download/open flows intact.
+- **Files actions and linked items** — the files inspector now supports deleting the selected artifact, and the linked-item picker can open visible `http(s)` URLs alongside artifact downloads.
+- **Pane-title cleanup** — shared pane title data stays plain so the portal can paint a compact header strip while the native TUI keeps unhighlighted pane borders; narrow panes now drop low-priority title metadata first.
+
+### System Agents / Management
+
+- **Longer default cron cadences** — `sweeper` now defaults to 30 minutes, `resourcemgr` to 10 minutes, `pilotswarm` supervision to 10 minutes, and `facts-manager` curation to 180 seconds by default.
+- **Owner-filter guardrails for system sessions** — autonomous system-session discovery now avoids applying owner filters unless explicitly requested, reducing false "missing system agent" conclusions.
+
+### Docs / Builders / Samples
+
+- **Canonical artifact docs refreshed** — the SDK guide, system reference, builder-template docs, and package READMEs now describe binary artifact handling and the download-only browser contract for non-text files.
+- **DevOps sample docs refreshed** — the sample now documents that the same artifact handoff flows can carry binary outputs through `write_artifact` using `contentType` plus base64 encoding.
+
+### Tests
+
+- **Artifact regression coverage** — added focused local tests for binary artifact stores, tool handlers, portal download/meta routes, shared file-browser state, and browser/runtime contract checks.
+
 ## 0.1.20 — 2026-04-18
 
 ### SDK / Inspection Toolset

README.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ A durable execution runtime for [GitHub Copilot SDK](https://github.com/github/c
 
 For the fastest first run, start with the [Docker Quickstart Guide](docs/getting-started-docker-appliance.md).
 
-**v0.1.20** — Agent inspection toolset (`read_agent_events`, fleet/session metric and skill-usage tools), `agent-tuner` system agent, stats-pane key/value tables and scroll-stability fix. See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for details.
+**v0.1.21** — Binary-safe artifact uploads/downloads, metadata-aware portal/TUI file handling, linked-item URL opening, and longer default system-agent cron cadences. See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for details.
 
 ## Builder Agents
 

docs/builder-agents.md

@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ Builder templates should assume:
 - if an app needs a custom model catalog, check in `.model_providers.example.json`, create a local gitignored `.model_providers.json` from it, and keep provider keys in `.env` / `.env.remote`
 - builder templates should scaffold both `.env.example` and `.model_providers.example.json` from PilotSwarm's own example-file shape, then create local `.env` / `.model_providers.json` copies and add those real files to `.gitignore`
 - Azure deployment guidance should prefer `kubectl create secret generic ... --from-env-file=...` when semicolon-bearing values such as Azure Storage connection strings are involved
+- builder guidance should treat `write_artifact` / `export_artifact` as the canonical text-and-binary artifact path, using `contentType` plus base64 encoding for binary files and documenting download-only browser behavior for non-text previews
 
 ## Maintenance Rule
 

docs/design-default-agent.md

@@ -152,14 +152,14 @@ Your primary job is to keep the runtime clean by periodically scanning for
 and deleting completed, failed, or orphaned sessions.
 
 ## Default Behavior
-1. Every 60 seconds, use scan_completed_sessions (graceMinutes=5) to find stale sessions.
+1. Every 30 minutes, use scan_completed_sessions (graceMinutes=5) to find stale sessions.
 2. For each stale session, use cleanup_session to delete it.
 3. Log a brief summary of what was cleaned up.
-4. Use the wait tool to sleep for 60 seconds, then repeat.
+4. Use `cron(seconds=1800, reason="scan for stale sessions and prune orchestration history")` to keep the recurring schedule active.
 
 ## User Configuration
 Users may chat with you to adjust:
-- Cleanup interval (default: 60s)
+- Cleanup interval (default: 30m)
 - Grace period before deletion (default: 5 min)
 - Whether to include orphans (default: yes)
 - Pause/resume cleanup

docs/keybindings.md

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ These keys work whenever focus is not in the prompt editor.
 | `n` | Create a new session |
 | `Shift+N` | Open the model picker before creating a session |
 | `r` | Refresh sessions and visible data |
-| `a` | Open the linked-artifact download picker |
+| `a` | Open the linked-item picker for current chat artifacts and visible URLs |
 | `m` | Cycle inspector tab (`sequence` → `logs` → `nodes` → `history` → `files` → `stats`) |
 | `[` / `]` | Resize the main split |
 | `c` | Cancel the selected session |
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ These keys work whenever focus is not in the prompt editor.
 |-----|--------|
 | `j` / `k` | Move file selection |
 | `f` | Open the files-filter dialog (`Selected session` vs `All sessions`) |
+| `x` | Delete the selected artifact (with confirmation) |
 | `v` | Toggle fullscreen files mode |
 | `o` | Open the selected file in the OS default app |
 
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ These keys work whenever focus is not in the prompt editor.
 | `j` / `k` | Scroll preview |
 | `Ctrl+D` / `Ctrl+U` | Page preview down / up |
 | `g` / `G` | Jump to preview top / bottom |
+| `x` | Delete the selected artifact (with confirmation) |
 | `v` | Toggle fullscreen files mode |
 | `Esc` | Exit fullscreen files mode |
 | `o` | Open the selected file in the OS default app |
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ Notes:
 | model picker | `j/k`, arrows, `Enter`, `Esc` |
 | session agent picker | `j/k`, arrows, `Enter`, `Esc` |
 | session owner filter | `j/k`, arrows, `Space`, `Esc` |
-| linked-artifact picker | `j/k`, arrows, `Enter`, `Esc`, `a` |
+| linked-item picker | `j/k`, arrows, `Enter`, `Esc`, `a` |
 | log/files filters | `Tab` / `Shift+Tab`, `j/k`, arrows, `Enter`, `Esc` |
 | rename dialog | type text, `←/→`, `Home`, `End`, `Backspace`, `Enter`, `Esc` |
 | attach-file dialog | type path, `←/→`, `Home`, `End`, `Backspace`, `Enter`, `Esc` |