fix: studio createDraft split, llm fallback offers tools, topbar a11y pass

Three Oracle-flagged gaps:

1. Studio createDraft 500 (was masked by retries). Empirical curl
   reproducer proved POST /api/ea2/flow returns 201 with the minimal
   shape but intermittently 500s when config.wizard.* is in the
   initial body. Split: POST creates the draft minimally, then a
   follow-up PUT attaches the wizard config best-effort. Draft
   creation now lands reliably.

2. LLM 'temporarily unavailable' was a dead end for the user. Now
   the assistant returns ok:true with a concrete menu of tools the
   user CAN use right now ('list processes', 'start <name>',
   'open <hub>', 'tell <name> that ...', 'remember ...', 'recall ...').
   The reply renders as a normal assistant message, not a red error.

3. Topbar UI/UX Pro Max pass:
   - Added aria-label to the ⌘K and avatar buttons (icon-only a11y)
   - Removed the duplicate topbar-mid chips on Mission (Mission scene
     already shows family/defName/version inline). Cleaner topbar.
   - Added focus-visible outlines (2px amber, 2px offset) on all
     topbar action buttons + user-menu items
   - Hover/active scale on the avatar (1.04 / 0.97) with 160ms ease
   - Tabular numerals for the ⌘K kbd and notification badge
   - prefers-reduced-motion respected

30/30 vitest pass. tsc + vite build green.

qa/_assistant_test.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+// Tight assistant test
+import { chromium } from "playwright";
+
+const b = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
+const ctx = await b.newContext({ viewport: { width: 1440, height: 900 } });
+const p = await ctx.newPage();
+await ctx.addInitScript(() => localStorage.setItem("fm.canvas.tour.seen", String(Date.now())));
+
+await p.goto("https://canvas.flow-master.ai/", { waitUntil: "domcontentloaded" });
+await p.waitForTimeout(2500);
+await p.locator(".persona-chip").filter({ hasText: /Mariana/ }).click();
+await p.waitForSelector(".topbar", { timeout: 30000 });
+await p.waitForTimeout(2000);
+
+console.log("on mission, navigating to Assistant");
+await p.locator(".tab").filter({ hasText: /Assistant/i }).first().click();
+await p.waitForTimeout(3500);
+
+const textarea = p.locator(".agent-composer textarea").first();
+const textareaPresent = await textarea.count() > 0;
+console.log("textarea present:", textareaPresent);
+
+if (textareaPresent) {
+  await textarea.fill("list processes");
+  await textarea.press("Enter");
+  await p.waitForTimeout(8000);
+
+  // Try different selectors for the reply
+  const turns = await p.evaluate(() => {
+    const t = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(".agent-turn, .agent-msg, [class*='turn'], [class*='msg']"));
+    return t.map(el => ({ class: el.className.slice(0, 50), text: el.textContent?.slice(0, 200) }));
+  });
+  console.log("turns:", JSON.stringify(turns, null, 2));
+
+  const sceneText = await p.evaluate(() => document.querySelector(".scene")?.innerText?.slice(-800));
+  console.log("scene tail:", sceneText);
+}
+
+await p.screenshot({ path: "/tmp/canvas-evidence/assistant-test.png" });
+await b.close();

qa/_oracle_e2e.mjs

@@ -84,12 +84,17 @@ if (await ta.count()) {
 
 // 5. Assistant list processes
 await p.locator(".tab").filter({ hasText: /Assistant/i }).first().click();
-await p.waitForTimeout(2500);
+await p.waitForTimeout(3500);
-const agentInput = p.locator(".agent-input, input[placeholder*='Ask']").first();
+await p.waitForSelector(".agent-composer textarea", { timeout: 10000 }).catch(() => {});
-await agentInput.fill("list processes");
+const agentInput = p.locator(".agent-composer textarea").first();
-await agentInput.press("Enter");
+if (await agentInput.count() === 0) {
-await p.waitForTimeout(6000);
+  fail("assistant_input_visible", "no textarea");
-const replies = await p.locator(".agent-msg-text, .agent-msg-body").allTextContents();
+} else {
+  await agentInput.fill("list processes");
+  await agentInput.press("Enter");
+  await p.waitForTimeout(8000);
+}
+const replies = await p.locator(".agent-turn-body").allTextContents();
 const lastReply = replies.slice(-1)[0] || "";
 const mentionsProcess = /purchase|laptop|procurement|requisition|process/i.test(lastReply);
 if (mentionsProcess) pass("assistant_lists_processes", lastReply.slice(0, 100));
@@ -98,12 +103,11 @@ await p.screenshot({ path: `${OUT}/04-assistant.png` });
 
 // 6. Chat opens
 await p.locator(".tab").filter({ hasText: /Chat/i }).first().click();
-await p.waitForTimeout(4000);
+await p.waitForTimeout(5000);
 const chatErr = await p.locator(".chat-err").count();
-const chatEmpty = await p.locator(".chat-empty").count();
+const chatShell = await p.locator(".scene").first().innerText().catch(() => "");
-const chatShell = await p.locator(".chat-shell, .chat-scene, .scene").first().innerText().catch(() => "");
 if (chatErr > 0) fail("chat_opens_without_error", "chat-err visible");
-else if (chatShell.includes("Conversations") || chatShell.includes("Talk to your team") || chatShell.includes("No conversations")) pass("chat_opens_without_error", "chat surface visible");
+else if (chatShell.toLowerCase().includes("conversation") || chatShell.toLowerCase().includes("talk to") || chatShell.toLowerCase().includes("no conversations") || chatShell.toLowerCase().includes("inbox")) pass("chat_opens_without_error", "chat surface visible");
 else fail("chat_opens_without_error", chatShell.slice(0, 200));
 await p.screenshot({ path: `${OUT}/05-chat.png` });
 
@@ -114,12 +118,15 @@ else fail("no_snapshot_text_anywhere", "found 'snapshot' in body");
 
 // 8. LLM gateway: ask the assistant something non-tool
 await p.locator(".tab").filter({ hasText: /Assistant/i }).first().click();
-await p.waitForTimeout(1500);
+await p.waitForTimeout(3000);
-const llmInput = p.locator(".agent-input, input[placeholder*='Ask']").first();
+const llmInput = p.locator(".agent-composer textarea").first();
-await llmInput.fill("What is the difference between a flow and a view in EA2?");
+if (await llmInput.count() === 0) { fail("llm_input_visible", "no textarea"); }
-await llmInput.press("Enter");
+else {
-await p.waitForTimeout(8000);
+  await llmInput.fill("What is the difference between a flow and a view in EA2?");
-const llmReplies = await p.locator(".agent-msg-text, .agent-msg-body").allTextContents();
+  await llmInput.press("Enter");
+  await p.waitForTimeout(10000);
+}
+const llmReplies = await p.locator(".agent-turn-body").allTextContents();
 const llmLast = llmReplies.slice(-1)[0] || "";
 const llmCallsList = calls.filter(c => c.url.includes("/api/v1/llm/generate"));
 if (llmCallsList.length > 0) {

src/App.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // App shell — scene switcher + top bar + command palette + console + toaster.
 import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
-import { useApp, scenarioById } from "./state/store";
+import { useApp } from "./state/store";
 import Landing from "./scenes/Landing";
 import MissionControl from "./scenes/MissionControl";
 import RunHistory from "./scenes/RunHistory";
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ export default function App() {
   const scene = useApp((s) => s.scene);
   const setScene = useApp((s) => s.setScene);
   const setCmdOpen = useApp((s) => s.setCmdOpen);
-  const scenarioId = useApp((s) => s.scenarioId);
+
-  const sc = scenarioById(scenarioId);
   const mode = useApp((s) => s.mode);
 
   const refreshLive = useApp((s) => s.refreshLive);
@@ -165,24 +164,7 @@ export default function App() {
             </button>
           </nav>
 
-          <div className="topbar-mid">
+          <div className="topbar-mid" aria-hidden />
-            {sc && scene === "mission" && (
-              <div className="topbar-context">
-                <span className="topbar-chip">
-                  <span className="dot dot-running" /> {sc.family.label}
-                </span>
-                <span className="topbar-chip">
-                  <span className="mono">{sc.defName.slice(0, 40)}</span>
-                </span>
-                <span className="topbar-chip mono">{sc.version}</span>
-                {sc.live ? (
-                  <span className="tag tag-live">live · EA2</span>
-                ) : (
-                  <span className="tag tag-syn">blueprint</span>
-                )}
-              </div>
-            )}
-          </div>
 
           <div className="topbar-actions">
             <button
@@ -202,8 +184,13 @@ export default function App() {
                 </span>
               )}
             </button>
-            <button className="link-btn" onClick={() => setCmdOpen(true)} title="Command palette (⌘K)">
+            <button
-              <Cmd size={13} /> <kbd>⌘K</kbd>
+              className="link-btn cmdk-btn"
+              onClick={() => setCmdOpen(true)}
+              title="Open command palette (⌘K)"
+              aria-label="Open command palette"
+            >
+              <Cmd size={13} aria-hidden /> <kbd aria-hidden>⌘K</kbd>
             </button>
 
             <UserMenu
@@ -294,10 +281,11 @@ function UserMenu(p: UserMenuProps) {
         className="link-btn user-avatar"
         onClick={() => setOpen(!open)}
         title={p.userEmail}
+        aria-label={`Account menu for ${p.userEmail}`}
         aria-haspopup="menu"
         aria-expanded={open}
       >
-        <span className="user-avatar-circle">{initials || <User size={12} />}</span>
+        <span className="user-avatar-circle" aria-hidden>{initials || <User size={12} />}</span>
       </button>
       {open && (
         <div className="user-menu-pop" role="menu">

src/index.css

@@ -2503,3 +2503,57 @@ select.studio-input { background: var(--bp-paper); }
 [data-theme="dark"] .user-menu-email,
 [data-theme="dark"] .user-menu-item { color: #f5e7c8; }
 [data-theme="dark"] .user-menu-item:hover:not(:disabled) { background: color-mix(in srgb, #d97a00 12%, transparent); }
+
+/* Topbar action polish — UI/UX Pro Max pass */
+
+.topbar-actions { gap: 6px; }
+
+.topbar-actions .link-btn {
+  transition: background-color 180ms ease, color 180ms ease, border-color 180ms ease;
+}
+
+.topbar-actions .link-btn:focus-visible,
+.notif-btn:focus-visible,
+.cmdk-btn:focus-visible,
+.user-avatar:focus-visible {
+  outline: 2px solid var(--bp-amber, #d97a00);
+  outline-offset: 2px;
+  border-radius: 2px;
+}
+
+.cmdk-btn { gap: 6px; }
+.cmdk-btn kbd {
+  font-family: var(--bp-mono, ui-monospace, monospace);
+  font-size: 10px;
+  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+  padding: 1px 5px;
+  border: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--bp-navy) 25%, transparent);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--bp-paper) 92%, var(--bp-canvas));
+  color: var(--bp-muted);
+}
+
+.notif-btn { position: relative; }
+.notif-btn:hover:not(:disabled) { color: var(--bp-amber, #d97a00); }
+.notif-dot { font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; }
+
+.user-avatar { padding: 4px !important; }
+.user-avatar-circle { transition: transform 160ms ease; }
+.user-avatar:hover .user-avatar-circle { transform: scale(1.04); }
+.user-avatar:active .user-avatar-circle { transform: scale(0.97); }
+
+/* user-menu items get tab-able keyboard focus */
+.user-menu-item:focus-visible {
+  outline: 2px solid var(--bp-amber, #d97a00);
+  outline-offset: -2px;
+}
+
+/* Hide topbar-mid visually now that it's empty (keeps grid columns) */
+.topbar-mid:empty { min-width: 0; }
+
+/* Respect prefers-reduced-motion */
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .topbar-actions .link-btn,
+  .user-avatar-circle {
+    transition: none;
+  }
+}

src/lib/agentTools.ts

@@ -196,15 +196,22 @@ async function llmFallback(trimmed: string, ctx: ToolContext, hints: Memory[]):
   if (reply.ok) return { ok: true, display: reply.content };
   if (!reply.configured) {
     return {
-      ok: false,
+      ok: true,
       display:
-        `Plain-language replies are temporarily unavailable (${reply.reason}). ` +
+        `I don't have a plain-language reply ready right now (${reply.reason}). ` +
-        `I can still: navigate, list processes, start a process, message a teammate, remember / recall notes.`,
+        `What I can do for you immediately:\n` +
+        `• "list processes" — show every published process\n` +
+        `• "start <process name>" — kick one off\n` +
+        `• "open hr hub" / "open mission" — jump there\n` +
+        `• "tell <name> that ..." — message a teammate\n` +
+        `• "remember ..." / "recall ..." — your tenant memory vault`,
     };
   }
   return {
-    ok: false,
+    ok: true,
-    display: `LLM provider error: ${reply.error}. I can still navigate, list/start processes, message a teammate, or remember notes.`,
+    display:
+      `The language model is having trouble (${reply.error.slice(0, 80)}). ` +
+      `Try one of: "list processes", "start <name>", "open <hub>", "tell <name> that ...", "remember ...", "recall ...".`,
   };
 }
 

src/lib/wizardApi.ts

@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ export interface CreateDraftPayload {
   display_name: string;
   description: string;
   source_context: string;
-  config: {
+  config?: {
-    wizard: {
+    wizard?: {
       marker: string;
       maxDepth: number;
       maxNodes: number;

src/scenes/Wizard.tsx

@@ -64,6 +64,13 @@ export default function Wizard() {
         display_name: draft.name || "Untitled Process",
         description: draft.description,
         source_context: "EA2_DRAFT_PROCESS:process_creation",
+      });
+
+      // Attach the wizard config in a follow-up PUT. EA2 schema validation
+      // intermittently 500s when config.wizard.* is included in the initial
+      // POST; splitting it lets the draft itself land reliably.
+      wizardApi
+        .updateDraftConfig(res._key, {
           config: {
             wizard: {
               marker: "EA2_DRAFT_PROCESS",
@@ -72,12 +79,12 @@ export default function Wizard() {
               chat: [],
               uploads: [],
               panelState: {},
-            debug: []
+              debug: [],
-          }
+            },
-        }
+          },
-      });
+        })
+        .catch(() => { /* best-effort; the draft is already saved */ });
 
-      // Auto-generate basic 5-step template
       const templateNodes = [
         { _key: "n1", kind: "step", display_name: "Capture request details", dispatch_kind: "human" },
         { _key: "n2", kind: "step", display_name: "Validate requirements", dispatch_kind: "agent", agent_capability: "evaluate_business_rule" },