feat(coding-agent): added git isolation and keybinding utilities for autoresearch

- Added git branch isolation for autoresearch sessions with automatic branch creation, reuse, and worktree safety checks.
- Added scope definition sections (Files in Scope, Off Limits, Constraints) to autoresearch template for explicit session boundaries.
- Added keybinding matcher utilities for consistent escape/cancel key handling across interactive components.
- Added ASI metadata validation (hypothesis and rollback context) in log_experiment tool for experiment tracking.
- Refactored keybinding logic across 13 components to use centralized matcher functions instead of inline key checks.

packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # Changelog
 
 ## [Unreleased]
+
 ### Breaking Changes
 
 - Renamed hashline edit operation types: `append` → `append_at`, `prepend` → `prepend_at`, `append_eof` → `append_file`, `prepend_bof` → `prepend_file`
@@ -10,6 +11,12 @@
 
 ### Added
 
+- Added git branch isolation for autoresearch sessions via `ensureAutoresearchBranch()` to safely revert failed experiments
+- Added branch status line to autoresearch initialization and resume prompts showing created or reused branch name
+- Added `Files in Scope`, `Off Limits`, and `Constraints` sections to autoresearch.md template for explicit scope definition
+- Added validation of ASI metadata requirements in `log_experiment` tool, requiring hypothesis for all runs and rollback context for failed runs
+- Added keybinding matcher utilities `matchesAppInterrupt()` and `matchesSelectCancel()` for consistent escape key handling across components
+- Added support for customizable `app.interrupt` and `tui.select.cancel` keybindings in interactive components
 - Added `defaultInactive` property to `ToolDefinition` to allow tools to be registered but excluded from the initial active set, with extension responsibility for activation/deactivation
 - Added dynamic tool activation/deactivation in autoresearch mode via `setActiveTools()` API
 - Added separate initialization and resume workflows for autoresearch with `command-initialize.md` and `command-resume.md` prompts
@@ -36,10 +43,17 @@
 
 ### Changed
 
+- Changed autoresearch startup to create or reuse a dedicated `autoresearch/...` git branch before enabling the experiment loop
+- Changed autoresearch to refuse startup when unrelated worktree changes would make auto-reverts unsafe
+- Changed autoresearch prompts to emphasize scope and constraints as source of truth for session direction
+- Changed component escape key handling to use keybinding manager for `app.interrupt` and `tui.select.cancel` with fallback to raw Escape matching
+- Updated autoresearch prompt guidance to require explicit files in scope, off-limits paths, and session constraints
 - Changed autoresearch command to use intent-based initialization instead of goal parameter, with user input dialog for new sessions
+- Changed autoresearch startup to create or reuse a dedicated `autoresearch/...` git branch before enabling the experiment loop, and to refuse startup when unrelated worktree changes would make auto-reverts unsafe
 - Changed autoresearch startup to activate experiment tools (`init_experiment`, `run_experiment`, `log_experiment`) only when autoresearch mode is enabled
 - Changed autoresearch shutdown to deactivate experiment tools when mode is disabled or cleared
 - Changed autoresearch session rehydration to dynamically manage experiment tool activation based on session state
+- Changed autoresearch prompts and notes guidance to require explicit files in scope, off-limits paths, and session constraints
 - Refactored hashline edit validation to enforce stricter anchor requirements per operation type
 - Updated edit application logic to handle explicit file-level operations (`append_eof`, `prepend_bof`) separately from anchor-based operations
 - Changed `setWidget` API to accept `ExtensionWidgetOptions` parameter for placement control
@@ -62,6 +76,11 @@
 - Removed `shouldAutocorrect` function and related boundary line deduplication logic from hashline editor
 - Removed auto-correction of off-by-one range edits that duplicated closing braces or boundary lines
 
+### Fixed
+
+- Fixed autoresearch logging to require durable ASI metadata (hypothesis, rollback_reason, next_action_hint) for every run including rollback context for discarded, crashed, and checks-failed experiments
+- Fixed autoresearch logging to require durable ASI metadata for every run, including rollback context for discarded, crashed, and checks-failed experiments
+
 ## [13.14.0] - 2026-03-20
 
 ### Added

packages/coding-agent/src/autoresearch/command-initialize.md

@@ -2,10 +2,13 @@ Set up autoresearch for this intent:
 
 {{intent}}
 
+{{branch_status_line}}
+
 Explain briefly what autoresearch will do in this repository, then initialize the workspace.
 
 Your first actions:
 - write `autoresearch.md`
+- define `Files in Scope`, `Off Limits`, and `Constraints` in `autoresearch.md`
 - define the benchmark entrypoint in `autoresearch.sh`
 - optionally add `autoresearch.checks.sh` if correctness or quality needs a hard gate
 - run `init_experiment`

packages/coding-agent/src/autoresearch/command-resume.md

@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ Resume autoresearch from the attached notes.
 
 @{{autoresearch_md_path}}
 
-Use the notes as the source of truth for the current direction.
+{{branch_status_line}}
+
+Use the notes as the source of truth for the current direction, scope, and constraints.
 - inspect recent git history for context
 - inspect `autoresearch.jsonl` if it exists
 - continue the most promising unfinished branch

packages/coding-agent/src/autoresearch/git.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+import type { ExtensionAPI } from "../extensibility/extensions";
+import { PROTECTED_AUTORESEARCH_FILES } from "./helpers";
+
+const AUTORESEARCH_BRANCH_PREFIX = "autoresearch/";
+const BRANCH_NAME_MAX_LENGTH = 48;
+
+export interface EnsureAutoresearchBranchFailure {
+	error: string;
+	ok: false;
+}
+
+export interface EnsureAutoresearchBranchSuccess {
+	branchName: string;
+	created: boolean;
+	ok: true;
+}
+
+export type EnsureAutoresearchBranchResult = EnsureAutoresearchBranchFailure | EnsureAutoresearchBranchSuccess;
+
+export async function ensureAutoresearchBranch(
+	api: ExtensionAPI,
+	workDir: string,
+	goal: string | null,
+): Promise<EnsureAutoresearchBranchResult> {
+	const repoRootResult = await api.exec("git", ["rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"], { cwd: workDir, timeout: 5_000 });
+	if (repoRootResult.code !== 0) {
+		return {
+			error: "Autoresearch requires a git repository so it can isolate experiments and revert failed runs safely.",
+			ok: false,
+		};
+	}
+
+	const currentBranchResult = await api.exec("git", ["branch", "--show-current"], { cwd: workDir, timeout: 5_000 });
+	const currentBranch = currentBranchResult.stdout.trim();
+	if (currentBranch.startsWith(AUTORESEARCH_BRANCH_PREFIX)) {
+		return {
+			branchName: currentBranch,
+			created: false,
+			ok: true,
+		};
+	}
+
+	const dirtyPathsResult = await api.exec("git", ["status", "--porcelain", "--untracked-files=all"], {
+		cwd: workDir,
+		timeout: 5_000,
+	});
+	if (dirtyPathsResult.code !== 0) {
+		return {
+			error: `Unable to inspect git status before starting autoresearch: ${mergeStdoutStderr(dirtyPathsResult).trim() || `exit ${dirtyPathsResult.code}`}`,
+			ok: false,
+		};
+	}
+
+	const unsafeDirtyPaths = parseUnsafeDirtyPaths(dirtyPathsResult.stdout);
+	if (unsafeDirtyPaths.length > 0) {
+		const preview = unsafeDirtyPaths.slice(0, 5).join(", ");
+		const suffix = unsafeDirtyPaths.length > 5 ? ` (+${unsafeDirtyPaths.length - 5} more)` : "";
+		return {
+			error:
+				"Autoresearch needs a clean git worktree before it can create an isolated branch. " +
+				`Commit or stash these paths first: ${preview}${suffix}`,
+			ok: false,
+		};
+	}
+
+	const branchName = await allocateBranchName(api, workDir, goal);
+	const checkoutResult = await api.exec("git", ["checkout", "-b", branchName], { cwd: workDir, timeout: 10_000 });
+	if (checkoutResult.code !== 0) {
+		return {
+			error:
+				`Failed to create autoresearch branch ${branchName}: ` +
+				`${mergeStdoutStderr(checkoutResult).trim() || `exit ${checkoutResult.code}`}`,
+			ok: false,
+		};
+	}
+
+	return {
+		branchName,
+		created: true,
+		ok: true,
+	};
+}
+
+function parseUnsafeDirtyPaths(statusOutput: string): string[] {
+	const unsafePaths = new Set<string>();
+	for (const line of statusOutput.split("\n")) {
+		const trimmedLine = line.trimEnd();
+		if (trimmedLine.length < 4) continue;
+		const rawPath = trimmedLine.slice(3).trim();
+		if (rawPath.length === 0) continue;
+		const renameParts = rawPath.split(" -> ");
+		const normalizedPath = normalizeStatusPath(renameParts[renameParts.length - 1] ?? rawPath);
+		if (normalizedPath.length === 0) continue;
+		if (PROTECTED_AUTORESEARCH_FILES.some(path => path === normalizedPath)) continue;
+		unsafePaths.add(normalizedPath);
+	}
+	return [...unsafePaths];
+}
+
+function normalizeStatusPath(path: string): string {
+	let normalized = path.trim();
+	if (normalized.startsWith('"') && normalized.endsWith('"')) {
+		normalized = normalized.slice(1, -1);
+	}
+	if (normalized.startsWith("./")) {
+		normalized = normalized.slice(2);
+	}
+	return normalized;
+}
+
+async function allocateBranchName(api: ExtensionAPI, workDir: string, goal: string | null): Promise<string> {
+	const baseName = `${AUTORESEARCH_BRANCH_PREFIX}${slugifyGoal(goal)}-${currentDateStamp()}`;
+	let candidate = baseName;
+	let suffix = 2;
+	while (await branchExists(api, workDir, candidate)) {
+		candidate = `${baseName}-${suffix}`;
+		suffix += 1;
+	}
+	return candidate;
+}
+
+async function branchExists(api: ExtensionAPI, workDir: string, branchName: string): Promise<boolean> {
+	const result = await api.exec("git", ["show-ref", "--verify", "--quiet", `refs/heads/${branchName}`], {
+		cwd: workDir,
+		timeout: 5_000,
+	});
+	return result.code === 0;
+}
+
+function slugifyGoal(goal: string | null): string {
+	const normalized = (goal ?? "")
+		.toLowerCase()
+		.replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, "-")
+		.replace(/^-+|-+$/g, "");
+	const trimmed = normalized.slice(0, BRANCH_NAME_MAX_LENGTH).replace(/-+$/g, "");
+	return trimmed || "session";
+}
+
+function currentDateStamp(): string {
+	const now = new Date();
+	const year = String(now.getFullYear());
+	const month = String(now.getMonth() + 1).padStart(2, "0");
+	const day = String(now.getDate()).padStart(2, "0");
+	return `${year}${month}${day}`;
+}
+
+function mergeStdoutStderr(result: { stderr: string; stdout: string }): string {
+	return `${result.stdout}${result.stderr}`;
+}

packages/coding-agent/src/autoresearch/helpers.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@ export const METRIC_LINE_PREFIX = "METRIC";
 export const ASI_LINE_PREFIX = "ASI";
 export const EXPERIMENT_MAX_LINES = 10;
 export const EXPERIMENT_MAX_BYTES = 4 * 1024;
+export const PROTECTED_AUTORESEARCH_FILES = [
+	"autoresearch.jsonl",
+	"autoresearch.md",
+	"autoresearch.ideas.md",
+	"autoresearch.sh",
+	"autoresearch.checks.sh",
+] as const;
 
 const DENIED_KEY_NAMES = new Set(["__proto__", "constructor", "prototype"]);
 

packages/coding-agent/src/autoresearch/index.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import type { ExtensionContext, ExtensionFactory } from "../extensibility/extens
 import commandInitializeTemplate from "./command-initialize.md" with { type: "text" };
 import commandResumeTemplate from "./command-resume.md" with { type: "text" };
 import { createDashboardController } from "./dashboard";
+import { ensureAutoresearchBranch } from "./git";
 import { readMaxExperiments, resolveWorkDir, validateWorkDir } from "./helpers";
 import promptTemplate from "./prompt.md" with { type: "text" };
 import resumeMessageTemplate from "./resume-message.md" with { type: "text" };
@@ -131,6 +132,12 @@ export const createAutoresearchExtension: ExtensionFactory = api => {
 			const hasAutoresearchMd = fs.existsSync(autoresearchMdPath);
 
 			if (hasAutoresearchMd) {
+				const branchResult = await ensureAutoresearchBranch(api, workDir, runtime.goal);
+				if (!branchResult.ok) {
+					ctx.ui.notify(branchResult.error, "error");
+					return;
+				}
+
 				setMode(ctx, true, runtime.goal, "on");
 				runtime.experimentsThisSession = 0;
 				runtime.autoResumeTurns = 0;
@@ -139,6 +146,9 @@ export const createAutoresearchExtension: ExtensionFactory = api => {
 				api.sendUserMessage(
 					renderPromptTemplate(commandResumeTemplate, {
 						autoresearch_md_path: autoresearchMdPath,
+						branch_status_line: branchResult.created
+							? `Created and checked out dedicated git branch \`${branchResult.branchName}\` before resuming.`
+							: `Using dedicated git branch \`${branchResult.branchName}\`.`,
 					}),
 				);
 				return;
@@ -156,12 +166,25 @@ export const createAutoresearchExtension: ExtensionFactory = api => {
 				return;
 			}
 
+			const branchResult = await ensureAutoresearchBranch(api, workDir, intent);
+			if (!branchResult.ok) {
+				ctx.ui.notify(branchResult.error, "error");
+				return;
+			}
+
 			setMode(ctx, true, intent, "on");
 			runtime.experimentsThisSession = 0;
 			runtime.autoResumeTurns = 0;
 			dashboard.updateWidget(ctx, runtime);
 			await api.setActiveTools([...new Set([...api.getActiveTools(), ...EXPERIMENT_TOOL_NAMES])]);
-			api.sendUserMessage(renderPromptTemplate(commandInitializeTemplate, { intent }));
+			api.sendUserMessage(
+				renderPromptTemplate(commandInitializeTemplate, {
+					branch_status_line: branchResult.created
+						? `Created and checked out dedicated git branch \`${branchResult.branchName}\`.`
+						: `Using dedicated git branch \`${branchResult.branchName}\`.`,
+					intent,
+				}),
+			);
 		},
 	});
 

packages/coding-agent/src/autoresearch/prompt.md

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ You are running an autonomous experiment loop. Keep iterating until the user int
    - Identify the true bottleneck or quality constraint.
    - Check existing scripts, benchmark harnesses, and config files.
 2. Keep your notes in `autoresearch.md`.
-   - Record the goal, the benchmark command, the primary metric, important secondary metrics, and the running ideas backlog.
+   - Record the goal, the benchmark command, the primary metric, important secondary metrics, the files in scope, hard constraints, and the running ideas backlog.
    - Update the notes whenever the strategy changes.
 3. Use `autoresearch.sh` as the canonical benchmark entrypoint.
    - If it does not exist yet, create it.
@@ -87,6 +87,15 @@ Suggested structure:
 - primary metric:
 - secondary metrics:
 
+## Files in Scope
+- path:
+
+## Off Limits
+- path:
+
+## Constraints
+- rule:
+
 ## Baseline
 - metric:
 - notes:
@@ -104,6 +113,7 @@ Suggested structure:
 - Do not game the benchmark.
 - Do not overfit to synthetic inputs if the real workload is broader.
 - Preserve correctness.
+- Only modify files that are explicitly in scope for the current session.
 - If you create `autoresearch.checks.sh`, treat it as a hard gate for `keep`.
 - If the user sends another message while a run is in progress, finish the current run and logging cycle first, then address the new input in the next iteration.
 

packages/coding-agent/src/autoresearch/resume-message.md

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 The autoresearch loop ended unexpectedly. Resume it now.
 
 - Read `autoresearch.md` and `autoresearch.jsonl`.
+- Treat `autoresearch.md` as the source of truth for the current direction, scope, and constraints.
 - Inspect recent git history for context.
 - Continue from the most promising unfinished direction.
 {{#if has_ideas}}

packages/coding-agent/src/autoresearch/tools/log-experiment.ts

@@ -5,7 +5,14 @@ import { Text } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { Type } from "@sinclair/typebox";
 import type { ToolDefinition } from "../../extensibility/extensions";
 import type { Theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
-import { formatNum, inferMetricUnitFromName, mergeAsi, resolveWorkDir, validateWorkDir } from "../helpers";
+import {
+	formatNum,
+	inferMetricUnitFromName,
+	mergeAsi,
+	PROTECTED_AUTORESEARCH_FILES,
+	resolveWorkDir,
+	validateWorkDir,
+} from "../helpers";
 import {
 	cloneExperimentState,
 	computeConfidence,
@@ -52,14 +59,6 @@ const logExperimentSchema = Type.Object({
 	),
 });
 
-const PROTECTED_AUTORESEARCH_FILES = [
-	"autoresearch.jsonl",
-	"autoresearch.md",
-	"autoresearch.ideas.md",
-	"autoresearch.sh",
-	"autoresearch.checks.sh",
-] as const;
-
 interface PreservedFile {
 	content: Buffer;
 	path: string;
@@ -107,6 +106,12 @@ export function createLogExperimentTool(
 			}
 
 			const mergedAsi = mergeAsi(runtime.lastRunAsi, sanitizeAsi(params.asi));
+			const asiValidationError = validateAsiRequirements(mergedAsi, params.status);
+			if (asiValidationError) {
+				return {
+					content: [{ type: "text", text: `Error: ${asiValidationError}` }],
+				};
+			}
 			const experiment: ExperimentResult = {
 				commit: params.commit.slice(0, 7),
 				metric: params.metric,
@@ -220,6 +225,23 @@ function sanitizeAsiValue(value: unknown): ASIData[string] | undefined {
 	return undefined;
 }
 
+export function validateAsiRequirements(asi: ASIData | undefined, status: ExperimentResult["status"]): string | null {
+	if (!asi) {
+		return "asi is required. Include at minimum a non-empty hypothesis.";
+	}
+	if (typeof asi.hypothesis !== "string" || asi.hypothesis.trim().length === 0) {
+		return "asi.hypothesis is required and must be a non-empty string.";
+	}
+	if (status === "keep") return null;
+	if (typeof asi.rollback_reason !== "string" || asi.rollback_reason.trim().length === 0) {
+		return "asi.rollback_reason is required for discard, crash, and checks_failed results.";
+	}
+	if (typeof asi.next_action_hint !== "string" || asi.next_action_hint.trim().length === 0) {
+		return "asi.next_action_hint is required for discard, crash, and checks_failed results.";
+	}
+	return null;
+}
+
 function validateSecondaryMetrics(state: ExperimentState, metrics: NumericMetricMap, force: boolean): string | null {
 	if (state.secondaryMetrics.length === 0) return null;
 	const knownNames = new Set(state.secondaryMetrics.map(metric => metric.name));

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/agent-dashboard.ts

@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ import { discoverAgents } from "../../task/discovery";
 import type { AgentDefinition, AgentSource } from "../../task/types";
 import { shortenPath } from "../../tools/render-utils";
 import { theme } from "../theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 
 type SourceTabId = "all" | AgentSource;
@@ -993,7 +994,7 @@ export class AgentDashboard extends Container {
 		}
 
 		if (this.#createSpec) {
-			if (matchesKey(data, "escape") || matchesKey(data, "esc")) {
+			if (matchesAppInterrupt(data)) {
 				this.#clearCreateFlow();
 				this.#buildLayout();
 				return;
@@ -1017,7 +1018,7 @@ export class AgentDashboard extends Container {
 		}
 
 		if (this.#createInput || this.#createGenerating) {
-			if (matchesKey(data, "escape") || matchesKey(data, "esc")) {
+			if (matchesAppInterrupt(data)) {
 				if (!this.#createGenerating) {
 					this.#clearCreateFlow();
 					this.#buildLayout();
@@ -1037,7 +1038,7 @@ export class AgentDashboard extends Container {
 		}
 
 		if (this.#editInput) {
-			if (matchesKey(data, "escape") || matchesKey(data, "esc")) {
+			if (matchesAppInterrupt(data)) {
 				this.#cancelModelEdit();
 				return;
 			}
@@ -1048,7 +1049,7 @@ export class AgentDashboard extends Container {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		if (matchesKey(data, "escape") || matchesKey(data, "esc")) {
+		if (matchesAppInterrupt(data)) {
 			if (this.#searchQuery.length > 0) {
 				this.#searchQuery = "";
 				this.#applyFilters();

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/extensions/extension-dashboard.ts

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
 import { Settings } from "../../../config/settings";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "../../../modes/components/dynamic-border";
 import { theme } from "../../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { ExtensionList } from "./extension-list";
 import { InspectorPanel } from "./inspector-panel";
 import { applyFilter, createInitialState, filterByProvider, refreshState, toggleProvider } from "./state-manager";
@@ -251,7 +252,7 @@ export class ExtensionDashboard extends Container {
 		}
 
 		// Escape - clear search first, then close
-		if (matchesKey(data, "escape") || matchesKey(data, "esc")) {
+		if (matchesAppInterrupt(data)) {
 			if (this.#state.searchQuery.length > 0) {
 				this.#state.searchQuery = "";
 				this.#state.searchFiltered = this.#state.tabFiltered;

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/history-search.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 	visibleWidth,
 } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import type { HistoryEntry, HistoryStorage } from "../../session/history-storage";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ export class HistorySearchComponent extends Container {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc")) {
+		if (matchesAppInterrupt(keyData)) {
 			this.#onCancel();
 			return;
 		}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/hook-editor.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  */
 import { Container, Editor, matchesKey, Spacer, Text, type TUI } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { getEditorTheme, theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { getEditorCommand, openInEditor } from "../../utils/external-editor";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ export class HookEditorComponent extends Container {
 		}
 
 		// Escape to cancel
-		if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc")) {
+		if (matchesAppInterrupt(keyData)) {
 			this.#onCancelCallback();
 			return;
 		}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/hook-input.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
  */
 import { Container, Input, Markdown, matchesKey, Spacer, Text, type TUI } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { getMarkdownTheme, theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { CountdownTimer } from "./countdown-timer";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ export class HookInputComponent extends Container {
 		this.#countdown?.reset();
 		if (matchesKey(keyData, "enter") || matchesKey(keyData, "return") || keyData === "\n") {
 			this.#onSubmitCallback(this.#input.getValue());
-		} else if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc")) {
+		} else if (matchesAppInterrupt(keyData)) {
 			this.#onCancelCallback();
 		} else {
 			this.#input.handleInput(keyData);

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/hook-selector.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import {
 	visibleWidth,
 } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { getMarkdownTheme, theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesSelectCancel } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { CountdownTimer } from "./countdown-timer";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 
@@ -173,7 +174,7 @@ export class HookSelectorComponent extends Container {
 			this.#onLeftCallback?.();
 		} else if (matchesKey(keyData, "right")) {
 			this.#onRightCallback?.();
-		} else if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc") || matchesKey(keyData, "ctrl+c")) {
+		} else if (matchesSelectCancel(keyData)) {
 			this.#onCancelCallback();
 		}
 	}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/mcp-add-wizard.ts

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { analyzeAuthError, discoverOAuthEndpoints } from "../../mcp/oauth-discov
 import type { MCPHttpServerConfig, MCPServerConfig, MCPSseServerConfig, MCPStdioServerConfig } from "../../mcp/types";
 import { shortenPath } from "../../tools/render-utils";
 import { theme } from "../theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 
 type TransportType = "stdio" | "http" | "sse";
@@ -452,7 +453,7 @@ export class MCPAddWizard extends Container {
 		}
 
 		// Handle Escape (always handled by wizard)
-		if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape")) {
+		if (matchesAppInterrupt(keyData)) {
 			if (this.#currentStep === "name") {
 				// Cancel wizard
 				this.#onCancelCallback();

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/model-selector.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,17 @@
 import { ThinkingLevel } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-agent-core";
 import { getSupportedEfforts, type Model, modelsAreEqual } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-ai";
-import { Container, Input, matchesKey, Spacer, type Tab, TabBar, Text, type TUI, visibleWidth } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
+import {
+	Container,
+	getKeybindings,
+	Input,
+	matchesKey,
+	Spacer,
+	type Tab,
+	TabBar,
+	Text,
+	type TUI,
+	visibleWidth,
+} from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { MODEL_ROLE_IDS, MODEL_ROLES, type ModelRegistry, type ModelRole } from "../../config/model-registry";
 import { resolveModelRoleValue } from "../../config/model-resolver";
 import type { Settings } from "../../config/settings";
@@ -647,7 +658,7 @@ export class ModelSelectorComponent extends Container {
 		}
 
 		// Escape or Ctrl+C - close selector
-		if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc") || matchesKey(keyData, "ctrl+c")) {
+		if (getKeybindings().matches(keyData, "tui.select.cancel")) {
 			this.#onCancelCallback();
 			return;
 		}
@@ -698,7 +709,7 @@ export class ModelSelectorComponent extends Container {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc") || matchesKey(keyData, "ctrl+c")) {
+		if (getKeybindings().matches(keyData, "tui.select.cancel")) {
 			if (this.#menuStep === "thinking" && this.#menuSelectedRole !== null) {
 				this.#menuStep = "role";
 				const roleIndex = MENU_ROLE_ACTIONS.findIndex(action => action.role === this.#menuSelectedRole);

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/oauth-selector.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { getOAuthProviders, type OAuthProviderInfo } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-ai";
 import { Container, matchesKey, Spacer, TruncatedText } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesSelectCancel } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import type { AuthStorage } from "../../session/auth-storage";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 /**
@@ -202,7 +203,7 @@ export class OAuthSelectorComponent extends Container {
 			}
 		}
 		// Escape or Ctrl+C
-		else if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc") || matchesKey(keyData, "ctrl+c")) {
+		else if (matchesSelectCancel(keyData)) {
 			this.stopValidation();
 			this.#onCancelCallback();
 		}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/session-selector.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 	visibleWidth,
 } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import type { SessionInfo } from "../../session/session-manager";
 import { fuzzyFilter } from "../../utils/fuzzy";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
@@ -219,7 +220,7 @@ class SessionList implements Component {
 			return;
 		}
 		// Escape - cancel
-		if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc")) {
+		if (matchesAppInterrupt(keyData)) {
 			if (this.onCancel) {
 				this.onCancel();
 			}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/settings-selector.ts

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import type {
 } from "../../config/settings-schema";
 import { SETTING_TABS, TAB_METADATA } from "../../config/settings-schema";
 import { getCurrentThemeName, getSelectListTheme, getSettingsListTheme, theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { getTabBarTheme } from "../shared";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 import { PluginSettingsComponent } from "./plugin-settings";
@@ -521,7 +522,7 @@ export class SettingsSelectorComponent extends Container {
 		}
 
 		// Escape at top level cancels
-		if ((matchesKey(data, "escape") || matchesKey(data, "esc")) && !this.#currentSubmenu) {
+		if (matchesAppInterrupt(data) && !this.#currentSubmenu) {
 			this.callbacks.onCancel();
 			return;
 		}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/status-line-segment-editor.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 import { Container, matchesKey, padding } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import type { StatusLineSegmentId } from "../../config/settings-schema";
 import { theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { ALL_SEGMENT_IDS } from "./status-line/segments";
 
 // Segment display names and short descriptions
@@ -239,7 +240,7 @@ export class StatusLineSegmentEditorComponent extends Container {
 			const left = this.#getSegmentsForColumn("left").map(s => s.id);
 			const right = this.#getSegmentsForColumn("right").map(s => s.id);
 			this.callbacks.onSave(left, right);
-		} else if (matchesKey(data, "escape") || matchesKey(data, "esc")) {
+		} else if (matchesAppInterrupt(data)) {
 			this.callbacks.onCancel();
 		}
 	}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/tree-selector.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import type { TreeFilterMode } from "../../config/settings-schema";
 import { theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesAppInterrupt } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import type { SessionTreeNode } from "../../session/session-manager";
 import { shortenPath } from "../../tools/render-utils";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
@@ -702,7 +703,7 @@ class TreeList implements Component {
 			if (selected && this.onSelect) {
 				this.onSelect(selected.node.entry.id);
 			}
-		} else if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc")) {
+		} else if (matchesAppInterrupt(keyData)) {
 			if (this.#searchQuery) {
 				this.#searchQuery = "";
 				this.#applyFilter();
@@ -807,7 +808,7 @@ class LabelInput implements Component {
 		if (matchesKey(keyData, "enter") || matchesKey(keyData, "return") || keyData === "\n") {
 			const value = this.#input.getValue().trim();
 			this.onSubmit?.(this.entryId, value || undefined);
-		} else if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc")) {
+		} else if (matchesAppInterrupt(keyData)) {
 			this.onCancel?.();
 		} else {
 			this.#input.handleInput(keyData);

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/user-message-selector.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { type Component, Container, matchesKey, Spacer, Text, truncateToWidth } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { matchesSelectCancel } from "../../modes/utils/keybinding-matchers";
 import { DynamicBorder } from "./dynamic-border";
 
 interface UserMessageItem {
@@ -91,14 +92,8 @@ class UserMessageList implements Component {
 				this.onSelect(selected.id);
 			}
 		}
-		// Escape - cancel
-		else if (matchesKey(keyData, "escape") || matchesKey(keyData, "esc")) {
-			if (this.onCancel) {
-				this.onCancel();
-			}
-		}
-		// Ctrl+C - cancel
-		else if (matchesKey(keyData, "ctrl+c")) {
+		// Escape / cancel
+		else if (matchesSelectCancel(keyData)) {
 			if (this.onCancel) {
 				this.onCancel();
 			}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/utils/keybinding-matchers.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import { getKeybindings, matchesKey } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
+
+/**
+ * Match the coding-agent interrupt key.
+ *
+ * Interactive mode installs a keybinding manager that exposes `app.interrupt`
+ * globally, but some isolated component tests still run with only TUI
+ * keybindings registered. In that case, fall back to raw Escape matching.
+ */
+export function matchesAppInterrupt(data: string): boolean {
+	const keybindings = getKeybindings();
+	const interruptKeys = keybindings.getKeys("app.interrupt");
+	if (interruptKeys.length > 0) {
+		return keybindings.matches(data, "app.interrupt");
+	}
+	return matchesKey(data, "escape") || matchesKey(data, "esc");
+}
+
+export function matchesSelectCancel(data: string): boolean {
+	return getKeybindings().matches(data, "tui.select.cancel");
+}

packages/coding-agent/test/autoresearch-state.test.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { Snowflake } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-utils";
 import { isAutoresearchShCommand } from "../src/autoresearch/helpers";
 import { createAutoresearchExtension } from "../src/autoresearch/index";
 import { reconstructStateFromJsonl } from "../src/autoresearch/state";
+import { validateAsiRequirements } from "../src/autoresearch/tools/log-experiment";
 import type {
 	ExtensionAPI,
 	ExtensionCommandContext,
@@ -118,12 +119,18 @@ describe("autoresearch command guard", () => {
 interface AutoresearchCommandHarness {
 	command: RegisteredCommand;
 	ctx: ExtensionCommandContext;
+	execCalls: Array<{ args: string[]; command: string }>;
 	sentMessages: string[];
 	inputCalls: Array<{ title: string; placeholder: string | undefined }>;
 	notifications: Array<{ message: string; type: "info" | "warning" | "error" | undefined }>;
 }
 
-function createAutoresearchCommandHarness(cwd: string, inputResult: string | undefined): AutoresearchCommandHarness {
+function createAutoresearchCommandHarness(
+	cwd: string,
+	inputResult: string | undefined,
+	execImpl?: (command: string, args: string[]) => Promise<{ code: number; stderr: string; stdout: string }>,
+): AutoresearchCommandHarness {
+	const execCalls: Array<{ args: string[]; command: string }> = [];
 	const sentMessages: string[] = [];
 	const inputCalls: Array<{ title: string; placeholder: string | undefined }> = [];
 	const notifications: Array<{ message: string; type: "info" | "warning" | "error" | undefined }> = [];
@@ -131,6 +138,13 @@ function createAutoresearchCommandHarness(cwd: string, inputResult: string | und
 
 	const api = {
 		appendEntry(_customType: string, _data?: unknown): void {},
+		exec: async (commandName: string, args: string[]) => {
+			execCalls.push({ args: [...args], command: commandName });
+			if (execImpl) {
+				return execImpl(commandName, args);
+			}
+			return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: "" };
+		},
 		on(): void {},
 		registerCommand(name: string, options: Omit<RegisteredCommand, "name">): void {
 			command = { name, ...options };
@@ -191,7 +205,7 @@ function createAutoresearchCommandHarness(cwd: string, inputResult: string | und
 		waitForIdle: async () => {},
 	} as unknown as ExtensionCommandContext;
 
-	return { command, ctx, sentMessages, inputCalls, notifications };
+	return { command, ctx, execCalls, sentMessages, inputCalls, notifications };
 }
 
 interface AutoresearchLifecycleHarness {
@@ -289,7 +303,30 @@ describe("autoresearch command startup", () => {
 	it("asks for intent and sends an initialization prompt when no autoresearch.md exists", async () => {
 		const dir = makeTempDir();
 		tempDirs.push(dir);
-		const harness = createAutoresearchCommandHarness(dir, "reduce edit benchmark runtime variance");
+		let currentBranch = "main";
+		const branches = new Set<string>();
+		const harness = createAutoresearchCommandHarness(
+			dir,
+			"reduce edit benchmark runtime variance",
+			async (command, args) => {
+				if (command !== "git") return { code: 1, stderr: "unexpected command", stdout: "" };
+				if (args[0] === "rev-parse") return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: `${dir}\n` };
+				if (args[0] === "branch" && args[1] === "--show-current") {
+					return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: `${currentBranch}\n` };
+				}
+				if (args[0] === "status") return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: "" };
+				if (args[0] === "show-ref") {
+					const branchName = args[args.length - 1]?.replace("refs/heads/", "") ?? "";
+					return { code: branches.has(branchName) ? 0 : 1, stderr: "", stdout: "" };
+				}
+				if (args[0] === "checkout" && args[1] === "-b") {
+					currentBranch = args[2] ?? currentBranch;
+					branches.add(currentBranch);
+					return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: "" };
+				}
+				return { code: 1, stderr: `unexpected git args: ${args.join(" ")}`, stdout: "" };
+			},
+		);
 
 		await harness.command.handler("", harness.ctx);
 
@@ -299,8 +336,12 @@ describe("autoresearch command startup", () => {
 		expect(harness.sentMessages).toHaveLength(1);
 		expect(harness.sentMessages[0]).toContain("Set up autoresearch for this intent:");
 		expect(harness.sentMessages[0]).toContain("reduce edit benchmark runtime variance");
+		expect(harness.sentMessages[0]).toContain("Created and checked out dedicated git branch");
 		expect(harness.sentMessages[0]).toContain("Explain briefly what autoresearch will do in this repository");
+		expect(harness.sentMessages[0]).toContain("Files in Scope");
 		expect(harness.notifications).toEqual([]);
+		const checkoutCall = harness.execCalls.find(call => call.command === "git" && call.args[0] === "checkout");
+		expect(checkoutCall?.args[2]).toMatch(/^autoresearch\/reduce-edit-benchmark-runtime-variance-\d{8}$/);
 	});
 
 	it("resumes from autoresearch.md without asking for intent when notes already exist", async () => {
@@ -308,7 +349,14 @@ describe("autoresearch command startup", () => {
 		tempDirs.push(dir);
 		const autoresearchMdPath = path.join(dir, "autoresearch.md");
 		fs.writeFileSync(autoresearchMdPath, "# Autoresearch\n\nExisting notes\n");
-		const harness = createAutoresearchCommandHarness(dir, "ignored");
+		const harness = createAutoresearchCommandHarness(dir, "ignored", async (command, args) => {
+			if (command !== "git") return { code: 1, stderr: "unexpected command", stdout: "" };
+			if (args[0] === "rev-parse") return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: `${dir}\n` };
+			if (args[0] === "branch" && args[1] === "--show-current") {
+				return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: "autoresearch/existing-20260322\n" };
+			}
+			return { code: 1, stderr: `unexpected git args: ${args.join(" ")}`, stdout: "" };
+		});
 
 		await harness.command.handler("", harness.ctx);
 
@@ -319,7 +367,9 @@ describe("autoresearch command startup", () => {
 				"",
 				`@${autoresearchMdPath}`,
 				"",
-				"Use the notes as the source of truth for the current direction.",
+				"Using dedicated git branch `autoresearch/existing-20260322`.",
+				"",
+				"Use the notes as the source of truth for the current direction, scope, and constraints.",
 				"- inspect recent git history for context",
 				"- inspect `autoresearch.jsonl` if it exists",
 				"- continue the most promising unfinished branch",
@@ -338,6 +388,37 @@ describe("autoresearch command startup", () => {
 		expect(harness.sentMessages).toEqual([]);
 		expect(harness.notifications).toEqual([{ message: "Autoresearch intent is required", type: "info" }]);
 	});
+
+	it("refuses to start when non-autoresearch files are dirty on a non-autoresearch branch", async () => {
+		const dir = makeTempDir();
+		tempDirs.push(dir);
+		const harness = createAutoresearchCommandHarness(
+			dir,
+			"reduce edit benchmark runtime variance",
+			async (command, args) => {
+				if (command !== "git") return { code: 1, stderr: "unexpected command", stdout: "" };
+				if (args[0] === "rev-parse") return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: `${dir}\n` };
+				if (args[0] === "branch" && args[1] === "--show-current") {
+					return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: "main\n" };
+				}
+				if (args[0] === "status") {
+					return { code: 0, stderr: "", stdout: " M packages/coding-agent/src/sdk.ts\n" };
+				}
+				return { code: 1, stderr: `unexpected git args: ${args.join(" ")}`, stdout: "" };
+			},
+		);
+
+		await harness.command.handler("", harness.ctx);
+
+		expect(harness.sentMessages).toEqual([]);
+		expect(harness.notifications).toEqual([
+			{
+				message:
+					"Autoresearch needs a clean git worktree before it can create an isolated branch. Commit or stash these paths first: packages/coding-agent/src/sdk.ts",
+				type: "error",
+			},
+		]);
+	});
 });
 
 describe("autoresearch lifecycle tool activation", () => {
@@ -369,3 +450,34 @@ describe("autoresearch lifecycle tool activation", () => {
 		expect(harness.setActiveToolsCalls).toEqual([["read"]]);
 	});
 });
+
+describe("autoresearch ASI requirements", () => {
+	it("requires a hypothesis for every run", () => {
+		expect(validateAsiRequirements(undefined, "keep")).toBe(
+			"asi is required. Include at minimum a non-empty hypothesis.",
+		);
+		expect(validateAsiRequirements({}, "keep")).toBe("asi.hypothesis is required and must be a non-empty string.");
+	});
+
+	it("requires rollback metadata for failed runs", () => {
+		expect(validateAsiRequirements({ hypothesis: "try a smaller cache" }, "discard")).toBe(
+			"asi.rollback_reason is required for discard, crash, and checks_failed results.",
+		);
+		expect(
+			validateAsiRequirements(
+				{ hypothesis: "try a smaller cache", rollback_reason: "metric regressed" },
+				"checks_failed",
+			),
+		).toBe("asi.next_action_hint is required for discard, crash, and checks_failed results.");
+		expect(
+			validateAsiRequirements(
+				{
+					hypothesis: "try a smaller cache",
+					next_action_hint: "re-run with lower batch size",
+					rollback_reason: "metric regressed",
+				},
+				"crash",
+			),
+		).toBeNull();
+	});
+});

packages/coding-agent/test/keybindings-escape-components.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from "bun:test";
+import { getBundledModel } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-ai";
+import { KeybindingsManager } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent/config/keybindings";
+import type { ModelRegistry } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent/config/model-registry";
+import { Settings } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent/config/settings";
+import { ModelSelectorComponent } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent/modes/components/model-selector";
+import { SessionSelectorComponent } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent/modes/components/session-selector";
+import { initTheme } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent/modes/theme/theme";
+import type { SessionInfo } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent/session/session-manager";
+import { setKeybindings, type TUI } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
+
+beforeAll(() => {
+	initTheme();
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+	setKeybindings(KeybindingsManager.inMemory());
+	vi.restoreAllMocks();
+});
+
+function createSession(id: string, title: string): SessionInfo {
+	return {
+		path: `/tmp/${id}.jsonl`,
+		id,
+		cwd: "/tmp",
+		title,
+		created: new Date("2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"),
+		modified: new Date("2024-01-02T00:00:00Z"),
+		messageCount: 1,
+		firstMessage: `${title} first message`,
+		allMessagesText: `${title} first message`,
+	};
+}
+
+describe("component escape bindings", () => {
+	it("uses app.interrupt for session selector cancel without changing Ctrl+C exit", () => {
+		const keybindings = KeybindingsManager.inMemory({
+			"app.interrupt": "alt+x",
+		});
+		setKeybindings(keybindings);
+
+		const onCancel = vi.fn();
+		const onExit = vi.fn();
+		const selector = new SessionSelectorComponent(
+			[createSession("session-a", "Alpha"), createSession("session-b", "Beta")],
+			() => {},
+			onCancel,
+			onExit,
+		);
+
+		selector.handleInput("\x1b");
+		expect(onCancel).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+		selector.handleInput("\x1bx");
+		expect(onCancel).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+		selector.handleInput("\x03");
+		expect(onExit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+	});
+
+	it("uses tui.select.cancel for model selector cancellation", async () => {
+		const keybindings = KeybindingsManager.inMemory({
+			"tui.select.cancel": "ctrl+g",
+		});
+		setKeybindings(keybindings);
+
+		const model = getBundledModel("anthropic", "claude-sonnet-4-5");
+		if (!model) {
+			throw new Error("Expected bundled model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5");
+		}
+
+		const settings = Settings.isolated({
+			modelRoles: {
+				default: `${model.provider}/${model.id}`,
+			},
+		});
+		const modelRegistry = {
+			getAll: () => [model],
+			getDiscoverableProviders: () => [],
+		} as unknown as ModelRegistry;
+		const ui = {
+			requestRender: vi.fn(),
+		} as unknown as TUI;
+		const onCancel = vi.fn();
+
+		const selector = new ModelSelectorComponent(
+			ui,
+			model,
+			settings,
+			modelRegistry,
+			[{ model, thinkingLevel: "off" }],
+			() => {},
+			onCancel,
+		);
+
+		await Bun.sleep(0);
+
+		selector.handleInput("\x1b");
+		expect(onCancel).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+		selector.handleInput("\x07");
+		expect(onCancel).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+	});
+});