fix(canvas): always run canvas generation as a cloud run

packages/ui/src/features/canvas/components/WebsiteContext.tsx

@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ import {
   EmptyMedia,
   EmptyTitle,
   Button as QuillButton,
+  Tooltip,
+  TooltipContent,
+  TooltipTrigger,
 } from "@posthog/quill";
 import { ANALYTICS_EVENTS } from "@posthog/shared/analytics-events";
 import { isTerminalStatus } from "@posthog/shared/domain-types";
@@ -30,6 +33,10 @@ import {
 import { useGenerateContext } from "@posthog/ui/features/canvas/hooks/useGenerateContext";
 import { MarkdownRenderer } from "@posthog/ui/features/editor/components/MarkdownRenderer";
 import { useSessionForTask } from "@posthog/ui/features/sessions/useSession";
+import {
+  type WorkspaceMode,
+  WorkspaceModeSelect,
+} from "@posthog/ui/features/task-detail/components/WorkspaceModeSelect";
 import { taskDetailQuery } from "@posthog/ui/features/tasks/queries";
 import { useSetHeaderContent } from "@posthog/ui/hooks/useSetHeaderContent";
 import { track } from "@posthog/ui/shell/analytics";
@@ -469,24 +476,47 @@ function GenerateWithAgent({
 }) {
   const { generate, isStarting } = useGenerateContext(channelId, channelName);
 
+  // Generation always runs in the cloud, except the dev-only picker below lets a
+  // local build of these features be tested before it's merged to the cloud env.
+  const [workspaceMode, setWorkspaceMode] = useState<WorkspaceMode>("cloud");
+
   const onGenerate = () => {
     track(ANALYTICS_EVENTS.CONTEXT_ACTION, {
       action_type: "generate_started",
       channel_id: channelId,
     });
-    void generate();
+    void generate(workspaceMode);
   };
 
   return (
-    <QuillButton
-      variant="outline"
-      size="default"
-      disabled={isStarting}
-      onClick={onGenerate}
-    >
-      {isStarting ? <Spinner size="1" /> : <SparkleIcon size={14} />}
-      {regenerate ? "Generate again" : "Generate with agent"}
-    </QuillButton>
+    <Flex align="center" gap="2">
+      <QuillButton
+        variant="outline"
+        size="default"
+        disabled={isStarting}
+        onClick={onGenerate}
+      >
+        {isStarting ? <Spinner size="1" /> : <SparkleIcon size={14} />}
+        {regenerate ? "Generate again" : "Generate with agent"}
+      </QuillButton>
+      {/* Dev-only: pick local vs cloud so a local build can be tested pre-merge. */}
+      {import.meta.env.DEV && (
+        <Tooltip>
+          <TooltipTrigger render={<div />}>
+            <WorkspaceModeSelect
+              value={workspaceMode}
+              onChange={setWorkspaceMode}
+              overrideModes={["local", "cloud"]}
+              disabled={isStarting}
+              size="1"
+            />
+          </TooltipTrigger>
+          <TooltipContent>
+            Dev mode only — generation always runs in the cloud in production.
+          </TooltipContent>
+        </Tooltip>
+      )}
+    </Flex>
   );
 }
 

packages/ui/src/features/canvas/freeform/FreeformGenerateBar.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
+import { Tooltip, TooltipContent, TooltipTrigger } from "@posthog/quill";
 import { useGenerateFreeformCanvas } from "@posthog/ui/features/canvas/hooks/useGenerateFreeformCanvas";
 import { PromptInput } from "@posthog/ui/features/message-editor/components/PromptInput";
 import type { EditorHandle } from "@posthog/ui/features/message-editor/types";
+import {
+  type WorkspaceMode,
+  WorkspaceModeSelect,
+} from "@posthog/ui/features/task-detail/components/WorkspaceModeSelect";
 import { forwardRef, useState } from "react";
 
 // Composer that kicks off freeform canvas generation as a dedicated task: the
@@ -55,13 +60,18 @@ export const FreeformGenerateBar = forwardRef<
   const isEdit = !!currentCode?.trim();
   const [useStarter, setUseStarter] = useState(true);
 
+  // Generation always runs in the cloud, except the dev-only picker below lets a
+  // local build of these features be tested before it's merged to the cloud env.
+  const [workspaceMode, setWorkspaceMode] = useState<WorkspaceMode>("cloud");
+
   const run = async (text: string) => {
     const instruction = text.trim();
     if (!instruction) return;
     const taskId = await generate({
       instruction,
       currentCode,
       useStarter: !isEdit && useStarter,
+      workspaceMode,
     });
     if (taskId) onStarted?.(taskId);
   };
@@ -92,6 +102,23 @@ export const FreeformGenerateBar = forwardRef<
           scratch)
         </label>
       )}
+      {/* Dev-only: pick local vs cloud so a local build can be tested pre-merge. */}
+      {import.meta.env.DEV && (
+        <Tooltip>
+          <TooltipTrigger render={<div className="self-start px-1" />}>
+            <WorkspaceModeSelect
+              value={workspaceMode}
+              onChange={setWorkspaceMode}
+              overrideModes={["local", "cloud"]}
+              disabled={isStarting}
+              size="1"
+            />
+          </TooltipTrigger>
+          <TooltipContent>
+            Dev mode only — generation always runs in the cloud in production.
+          </TooltipContent>
+        </Tooltip>
+      )}
     </div>
   );
 });

packages/ui/src/features/canvas/hooks/useGenerateContext.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
 } from "@posthog/core/task-detail/taskService";
 import { useService } from "@posthog/di/react";
 import { useHostTRPC } from "@posthog/host-router/react";
+import type { WorkspaceMode } from "@posthog/shared";
 import { buildContextGenerationPrompt } from "@posthog/ui/features/canvas/contextPrompt";
 import { useChannelTaskMutations } from "@posthog/ui/features/canvas/hooks/useChannelTasks";
 import { useFolderGenerationTaskMutation } from "@posthog/ui/features/canvas/hooks/useFolderGenerationTask";
@@ -14,10 +15,10 @@ import { useCallback, useState } from "react";
 
 // Kicks off CONTEXT.md generation as a repo-less task. The user no longer picks
 // a folder/repo up front — the agent decides at runtime whether it needs one and
-// asks the user to clarify if it can't find the right one. The task runs in a
-// per-task scratch dir (local), is filed to the channel, and recorded
-// server-side as the channel's generation task so every user's CONTEXT.md view
-// can track it.
+// asks the user to clarify if it can't find the right one. The task runs as a
+// cloud run (not a local agent) so generation proceeds server-side regardless of
+// which client kicked it off, is filed to the channel, and recorded server-side
+// as the channel's generation task so every user's CONTEXT.md view can track it.
 export function useGenerateContext(channelId: string, channelName: string) {
   const taskService = useService<TaskService>(TASK_SERVICE);
   const trpc = useHostTRPC();
@@ -27,51 +28,57 @@ export function useGenerateContext(channelId: string, channelName: string) {
   const { set: setGenerationTask } = useFolderGenerationTaskMutation(channelId);
   const [isStarting, setIsStarting] = useState(false);
 
-  const generate = useCallback(async (): Promise<string | null> => {
-    setIsStarting(true);
-    try {
-      const result = await taskService.createTask(
-        {
-          content: buildContextGenerationPrompt({ channelName, channelId }),
-          taskDescription: `Generate CONTEXT.md for #${channelName}`,
-          workspaceMode: "local",
-          allowNoRepo: true,
-        },
-        (output) => invalidateTasks(output.task),
-      );
+  const generate = useCallback(
+    async (workspaceMode: WorkspaceMode = "cloud"): Promise<string | null> => {
+      setIsStarting(true);
+      try {
+        const result = await taskService.createTask(
+          {
+            content: buildContextGenerationPrompt({ channelName, channelId }),
+            taskDescription: `Generate CONTEXT.md for #${channelName}`,
+            // Defaults to a cloud run — generation should never tie up (or
+            // depend on) the local machine, and it's never the sticky last-used
+            // workspace mode. The dev-only picker can override to "local" to
+            // test a local build of these features before merging.
+            workspaceMode,
+            allowNoRepo: true,
+          },
+          (output) => invalidateTasks(output.task),
+        );
 
-      if (!result.success) {
-        toast.error("Couldn't start CONTEXT.md generation", {
-          description: result.error,
+        if (!result.success) {
+          toast.error("Couldn't start CONTEXT.md generation", {
+            description: result.error,
+          });
+          return null;
+        }
+
+        const task = result.data.task;
+        // File into the channel + record as the (shared) generation task. Both
+        // are best-effort: a failure here shouldn't undo a started task.
+        void fileTask(channelId, task.id, task.title).catch(() => {});
+        void setGenerationTask(task.id).catch(() => {});
+        // Refresh the workspace cache so the new cloud workspace row appears and
+        // the task view resolves the cloud run instead of the repo-picker prompt.
+        void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+          queryKey: trpc.workspace.getAll.queryKey(),
         });
-        return null;
+        return task.id;
+      } finally {
+        setIsStarting(false);
       }
-
-      const task = result.data.task;
-      // File into the channel + record as the (shared) generation task. Both
-      // are best-effort: a failure here shouldn't undo a started task.
-      void fileTask(channelId, task.id, task.title).catch(() => {});
-      void setGenerationTask(task.id).catch(() => {});
-      // Repo-less tasks create no workspace row, so the usual workspace.create
-      // invalidation never fires — refresh the cache so the task view resolves
-      // its scratch cwd instead of showing the repo-picker prompt.
-      void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
-        queryKey: trpc.workspace.getAll.queryKey(),
-      });
-      return task.id;
-    } finally {
-      setIsStarting(false);
-    }
-  }, [
-    taskService,
-    trpc,
-    queryClient,
-    invalidateTasks,
-    fileTask,
-    setGenerationTask,
-    channelId,
-    channelName,
-  ]);
+    },
+    [
+      taskService,
+      trpc,
+      queryClient,
+      invalidateTasks,
+      fileTask,
+      setGenerationTask,
+      channelId,
+      channelName,
+    ],
+  );
 
   return { generate, isStarting };
 }

packages/ui/src/features/canvas/hooks/useGenerateFreeformCanvas.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
 } from "@posthog/core/task-detail/taskService";
 import { useService } from "@posthog/di/react";
 import { useHostTRPC } from "@posthog/host-router/react";
+import type { WorkspaceMode } from "@posthog/shared";
 import { buildFreeformGenerationPrompt } from "@posthog/ui/features/canvas/freeformPrompt";
 import { useChannelTaskMutations } from "@posthog/ui/features/canvas/hooks/useChannelTasks";
 import {
@@ -24,9 +25,9 @@ import { useCallback, useState } from "react";
 // so every client's canvas view tracks the in-flight run. Canvas generation
 // reads PostHog data via the MCP rather than repo code, so no repo is selected
 // up front — the agent attaches one lazily only if it decides it needs one. The
-// task runs in a per-task scratch dir (local) and the agent publishes the result
-// via the `desktop-file-system-canvas-partial-update` MCP tool — mirrors
-// useGenerateContext.
+// task runs as a cloud run (not a local agent) so generation proceeds
+// server-side regardless of which client kicked it off, and the agent publishes
+// the result via the `desktop-file-system-canvas-partial-update` MCP tool.
 export function useGenerateFreeformCanvas(args: {
   dashboardId: string;
   channelId: string;
@@ -56,6 +57,10 @@ export function useGenerateFreeformCanvas(args: {
       currentCode?: string;
       // Default on (opt out in the bar): seed the starter scaffold on first build.
       useStarter?: boolean;
+      // Dev-only override (the bar exposes a local/cloud picker in dev so a
+      // local build of these features can be tested before merging). Production
+      // always runs in the cloud — see the default below.
+      workspaceMode?: WorkspaceMode;
     }): Promise<string | null> => {
       setIsStarting(true);
       try {
@@ -73,7 +78,11 @@ export function useGenerateFreeformCanvas(args: {
             taskDescription: `Generate canvas "${name}"`,
             // Unattended generation: run in auto mode so it doesn't stall on edit-approval prompts.
             executionMode: "auto" as const,
-            workspaceMode: "local",
+            // Defaults to a cloud run — canvas generation should never tie up
+            // (or depend on) the local machine, and it's never the sticky
+            // last-used workspace mode. The dev-only picker can override to
+            // "local" to test a local build of these features before merging.
+            workspaceMode: opts.workspaceMode ?? "cloud",
             allowNoRepo: true,
             channelContext,
             channelName,
@@ -98,9 +107,8 @@ export function useGenerateFreeformCanvas(args: {
         useCanvasGenerationTrackerStore
           .getState()
           .track({ taskId: task.id, dashboardId, channelId, name });
-        // Repo-less tasks create no workspace row, so the usual workspace.create
-        // invalidation never fires — refresh the cache so the task view resolves
-        // its scratch cwd instead of showing the repo-picker prompt.
+        // Refresh the workspace cache so the new cloud workspace row appears and
+        // the task view resolves the cloud run instead of the repo-picker prompt.
         void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
           queryKey: trpc.workspace.getAll.queryKey(),
         });