feat(cli): persist resolved approval/clarify prompts in scrollback (#44702)

Modal prompt panels (dangerous-command approval, clarify questions)
live in the prompt_toolkit layout and vanish on the next repaint,
leaving no trace of the question or the decision in chat history.

Emit a dim one-line summary after each prompt resolves:
  ⚠ Approval: <command> → allowed for session
  ? Clarify: <question> → <answer>

Gated on display.persist_prompts (default true). Detail and outcome
are whitespace-collapsed and capped at 120 chars.

cli.py

@@ -456,6 +456,9 @@ def load_cli_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
             "busy_input_mode": "interrupt",
             "persistent_output": True,
             "persistent_output_max_lines": 200,
+            # Print a one-line summary of resolved modal prompts (approval /
+            # clarify) into scrollback so the decision survives the repaint.
+            "persist_prompts": True,
 
             "skin": "default",
         },
@@ -9361,6 +9364,25 @@ class HermesCLI(CLIAgentSetupMixin, CLICommandsMixin):
         for line in reqs["details"].split("\n"):
             _cprint(f"    {line}")
 
+    def _persist_prompt_summary(self, icon: str, label: str, detail: str, outcome: str) -> None:
+        """Print a one-line scrollback summary of a resolved modal prompt.
+
+        Modal panels (approval / clarify) live in the prompt_toolkit layout and
+        vanish on the next repaint, so the question and the decision leave no
+        trace in the terminal scrollback. When display.persist_prompts is on
+        (default), emit a dim single line after the prompt resolves so the
+        decision survives in chat history.
+        """
+        if not CLI_CONFIG.get("display", {}).get("persist_prompts", True):
+            return
+        detail = " ".join(detail.split())
+        if len(detail) > 120:
+            detail = detail[:119] + "…"
+        outcome = " ".join(outcome.split())
+        if len(outcome) > 120:
+            outcome = outcome[:119] + "…"
+        _cprint(f"\n{_DIM}{icon} {label}: {detail} → {outcome}{_RST}")
+
     def _clarify_callback(self, question, choices):
         """
         Platform callback for the clarify tool. Called from the agent thread.
@@ -9400,6 +9422,7 @@ class HermesCLI(CLIAgentSetupMixin, CLICommandsMixin):
             try:
                 result = response_queue.get(timeout=1)
                 self._clarify_deadline = 0
+                self._persist_prompt_summary("?", "Clarify", question, str(result))
                 return result
             except queue.Empty:
                 remaining = self._clarify_deadline - _time.monotonic()
@@ -9513,6 +9536,16 @@ class HermesCLI(CLIAgentSetupMixin, CLICommandsMixin):
                     self._approval_state = None
                     self._approval_deadline = 0
                     self._paint_now()
+                    _outcome_labels = {
+                        "once": "allowed once",
+                        "session": "allowed for session",
+                        "always": "added to allowlist",
+                        "deny": "denied",
+                    }
+                    self._persist_prompt_summary(
+                        "⚠", "Approval", command,
+                        _outcome_labels.get(result, str(result)),
+                    )
                     return result
                 except queue.Empty:
                     remaining = self._approval_deadline - _time.monotonic()

hermes_cli/config.py

@@ -1429,6 +1429,10 @@ DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
         # behaves badly with replayed scrollback.
         "persistent_output": True,
         "persistent_output_max_lines": 200,
+        # Print a one-line summary of resolved modal prompts (approval /
+        # clarify) into scrollback so the question and decision survive the
+        # panel repaint. Set false to keep scrollback untouched.
+        "persist_prompts": True,
         "inline_diffs": True,     # Show inline diff previews for write actions (write_file, patch, skill_manage)
         # File-mutation verifier footer.  When true (default), the agent
         # appends a one-line advisory to its final response whenever a

tests/cli/test_cli_approval_ui.py

@@ -565,3 +565,80 @@ class TestApprovalCallbackThreadLocalWiring:
         # would hold a stale reference to a disposed CLI instance.
         assert seen["approval_after"] is None
         assert seen["sudo_after"] is None
+
+
+class TestPersistPromptSummary:
+    """display.persist_prompts — one-line scrollback record of resolved modals."""
+
+    def _resolve_approval(self, cli, answer, command="rm -rf /tmp/scratch"):
+        result = {}
+
+        def _run():
+            result["value"] = cli._approval_callback(command, "danger")
+
+        t = threading.Thread(target=_run, daemon=True)
+        t.start()
+        deadline = time.time() + 2
+        while cli._approval_state is None and time.time() < deadline:
+            time.sleep(0.01)
+        cli._approval_state["response_queue"].put(answer)
+        t.join(timeout=2)
+        return result["value"]
+
+    def test_approval_resolution_prints_summary_line(self):
+        cli = _make_cli_stub()
+        printed = []
+        with patch.object(cli_module, "_cprint", printed.append):
+            verdict = self._resolve_approval(cli, "session")
+        assert verdict == "session"
+        summary = "\n".join(printed)
+        assert "Approval" in summary
+        assert "rm -rf /tmp/scratch" in summary
+        assert "allowed for session" in summary
+
+    def test_approval_summary_truncates_long_command(self):
+        cli = _make_cli_stub()
+        printed = []
+        long_cmd = "sudo " + ("x" * 300)
+        with patch.object(cli_module, "_cprint", printed.append):
+            self._resolve_approval(cli, "deny", command=long_cmd)
+        summary = "\n".join(printed)
+        assert "denied" in summary
+        assert "…" in summary
+        # The raw 300-char tail must not be dumped wholesale.
+        assert "x" * 200 not in summary
+
+    def test_persist_prompts_false_suppresses_summary(self):
+        cli = _make_cli_stub()
+        printed = []
+        with patch.dict(cli_module.CLI_CONFIG.get("display", {}), {"persist_prompts": False}), \
+             patch.object(cli_module, "_cprint", printed.append):
+            verdict = self._resolve_approval(cli, "once")
+        assert verdict == "once"
+        assert not any("Approval" in p for p in printed)
+
+    def test_clarify_resolution_prints_summary_line(self):
+        cli = _make_cli_stub()
+        cli._clarify_state = None
+        cli._clarify_freetext = False
+        cli._clarify_deadline = 0
+        printed = []
+        result = {}
+
+        def _run():
+            result["value"] = cli._clarify_callback("Pick a path?", ["A", "B"])
+
+        with patch.object(cli_module, "_cprint", printed.append):
+            t = threading.Thread(target=_run, daemon=True)
+            t.start()
+            deadline = time.time() + 2
+            while cli._clarify_state is None and time.time() < deadline:
+                time.sleep(0.01)
+            cli._clarify_state["response_queue"].put("B")
+            t.join(timeout=2)
+
+        assert result["value"] == "B"
+        summary = "\n".join(printed)
+        assert "Clarify" in summary
+        assert "Pick a path?" in summary
+        assert "B" in summary