adjusted functionality and documentation around windows WSL usage

johnabbott72 · johnabbott72 · commit eeabcbbd01c0 · 2025-11-06T09:51:47.000-05:00
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ A cross‑platform desktop UI (Avalonia/.NET 8) for driving the Codex CLI app se
 - Start a Codex session and stream assistant output in real time
 - Send user input that is wrapped as protocol `Submission`s (app server)
 - Auto‑approve exec/patch requests (automatic)
-- Select a Codex profile (from `config.toml`) and load MCP servers from a JSON config
+- Pick a model (built-in or from `config.toml` profiles) and load MCP servers from a JSON config (see [Windows setup](README.windows.md) for a WSL recipe)
 - Keep multiple Codex sessions active at once using the tabbed header (each tab title shows its live status, e.g., `Session 2 – thinking…`)
 – See live token usage and estimated context remaining in the header
 
@@ -23,37 +23,26 @@ A cross‑platform desktop UI (Avalonia/.NET 8) for driving the Codex CLI app se
 
 ## Platform Setup & CLI Modes
 
-Semantic Developer can drive the Codex CLI from Linux, macOS, or Windows. On Windows you can choose to run Codex natively or through WSL; toggle this at runtime in **CLI Settings → Use WSL**.
+Semantic Developer can drive the Codex CLI from Linux, macOS, or Windows.
 
 ### Linux
 
 - Install the .NET 8 SDK and the Codex CLI in your Linux environment.
 - Profiles live under `~/.codex/config.toml`; prompts under `~/.codex/prompts/`.
 - MCP config file: `~/.config/SemanticDeveloper/mcp_servers.json`.
-- Leave **Use WSL** off (Linux builds interact with the native tooling directly).
 
 ### macOS
 
 - Install .NET 8 (e.g., `brew install dotnet-sdk`) and the Codex CLI (`brew install codex` or the official installer).
 - Profiles/prompts: `~/.codex/config.toml` and `~/.codex/prompts/`.
 - MCP config file: `~/Library/Application Support/SemanticDeveloper/mcp_servers.json`.
-- Keep **Use WSL** off; the CLI launches natively on macOS.
 
-### Windows (native CLI)
+### Windows
 
+- RECOMMENDED see [Windows setup](README.windows.md) recipe
 - Install the Windows .NET 8 SDK and Codex CLI for Windows, ensuring `codex.exe` is on your Windows `PATH`.
 - Profiles/prompts default to `%USERPROFILE%\.codex\config.toml` and `%USERPROFILE%\.codex\prompts\` (respect `CODEX_HOME` if set).
 - MCP config file: `%AppData%\SemanticDeveloper\mcp_servers.json`.
-- Leave **Use WSL** unchecked—MCP commands and the Codex process execute as Windows binaries, so use Windows paths in `mcp_servers.json`.
-
-### Windows (Codex inside WSL)
-
-- Install the Codex CLI inside your WSL distribution along with any MCP servers you want to run (for example `pip install`, `npm install`, etc.).
-- In **CLI Settings** enable **Use WSL**. When checked:
-  - The Codex CLI and MCP servers launch through `wsl.exe`, so command paths in `mcp_servers.json` should be Linux paths (for example `~/.local/bin/mcp-atlassian`).
-  - Profiles/prompts remain in the WSL home (`~/.codex/config.toml`, `~/.codex/prompts/`). The app bridges to them automatically.
-  - The MCP configuration file stays on the Windows side (`%AppData%\SemanticDeveloper\mcp_servers.json`); only the command execution happens in WSL.
-- Leave **Use WSL** on only when the Codex CLI is installed in WSL. Disable it if you want to run the Windows binaries instead.
 
 ## Build & Run
 
@@ -70,18 +59,17 @@ Semantic Developer can drive the Codex CLI from Linux, macOS, or Windows. On Win
 2. Click “Restart Session” to launch `codex app-server` in the workspace directory (a session also starts automatically after you select a workspace).
 3. Type into the input box and press Enter to send. Output appears in the right panel.
 4. “CLI Settings” lets you change:
-   - Profile (from Codex `config.toml`) — passed via `-c profile=<name>`
-     - `config.toml` path: `$CODEX_HOME/config.toml` (defaults to `~/.codex/config.toml`)
-   - Default model & reasoning effort
+   - Model & reasoning effort
      - Before a session starts, the picker loads from `SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper/models.json` so you can choose models offline. Keep this file updated as Codex releases new entries.
-     - Once a session is running the dialog refreshes with the live catalog. Configured profiles from `config.toml` are appended and marked with an asterisk; selecting a profile disables the reasoning picker and lets the profile decide the model/effort.
+     - When the app connects to Codex, the dialog refreshes with the live catalog.
+     - Any profiles defined in `config.toml` (e.g., `$CODEX_HOME/config.toml`, defaulting to `~/.codex/config.toml`) are appended to the list and marked with an asterisk (`*`). Selecting a profile locks the reasoning controls and lets the profile determine the model/effort.
+     - Profiles are optional—if you don’t have one, simply pick a built-in model.
    - Verbose logging (show suppressed output)
    - Enable MCP support (loads MCP servers from your JSON config and passes them directly to Codex)
      - MCP config locations:
        - Linux: `~/.config/SemanticDeveloper/mcp_servers.json`
        - macOS: `~/Library/Application Support/SemanticDeveloper/mcp_servers.json`
        - Windows: `%AppData%\SemanticDeveloper\mcp_servers.json`
-     - When **Use WSL** is enabled, keep the config file in the Windows location above but supply Linux paths in the `command`/`cwd` fields—the app relays each server through WSL.
 - Use API Key for Codex CLI (pipes the key to `codex login --with-api-key` before sessions; does not rely on existing CLI auth)
   - Allow network access for tools (sets sandbox_policy.network_access=true on turns so MCP tools can reach the network)
   - Without API key enabled, the app proactively authenticates with `codex auth login` (falling back to `codex login`) before sessions so your chat/GPT token is used.
@@ -98,6 +86,8 @@ Semantic Developer can drive the Codex CLI from Linux, macOS, or Windows. On Win
 
 ### Profiles (config.toml) example
 
+If you define profiles in `config.toml`, Semantic Developer surfaces them in the model picker (marked with `*`) alongside the built-in catalog. They’re entirely optional—the app works out of the box with the bundled models.
+
 Example `config.toml` profiles:
 
 ```toml
@@ -275,7 +265,7 @@ Selection behavior:
 ## Project Layout
 
 - `SemanticDeveloper/` — App source (UI, services, models).
-- `proto-reference/` — Rust protocol reference for Codex (not built by this project). Includes MCP/client protocol shapes.
+- `Installers/` — Installer projects for Linux, Mac OS and Windows - untested as of yet...
 
 ## Notes
 
diff --git a/README.windows.md b/README.windows.md
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+# Semantic Developer on Windows via WSL2 + WSLg
+
+The recommended Windows setup runs both the Codex CLI and Semantic Developer inside WSL2 so you get a consistent Linux environment while still launching the Avalonia UI through WSLg. The steps below assume Windows 11 or Windows 10 22H2 (build 19045) with administrative rights.
+
+## 1. Install WSL (Ubuntu)
+1. Open an elevated PowerShell window.
+2. Enable WSL + the Virtual Machine Platform:
+   ```powershell
+   wsl --install -d Ubuntu
+   ```
+   > If you already have WSL installed, ensure it’s version 2 (`wsl --set-default-version 2`).
+3. Reboot when prompted.
+4. Launch the new Ubuntu instance from the Start menu and create your Linux user.
+
+## 2. Update packages inside Ubuntu
+```bash
+sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
+```
+
+## 3. Install Node.js 22 (required by the Codex CLI)
+```bash
+wget -qO- https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
+sudo apt install -y nodejs
+node --version  # should print v22.x
+```
+
+## 4. Install .NET 8 SDK
+```bash
+wget https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/$(lsb_release -rs)/packages-microsoft-prod.deb
+sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb
+sudo apt update
+sudo apt install -y dotnet-sdk-8.0
+
+dotnet --info  # confirm it reports .NET 8
+```
+
+## 5. Install the Codex CLI
+```bash
+sudo npm install -g @openai/codex
+codex app-server --help  # quick sanity check
+```
+
+## 6. Prepare Semantic Developer
+1. Pick a workspace directory inside WSL (e.g., `~/code`).
+2. Clone or copy this repository there:
+   ```bash
+   mkdir -p ~/code
+   cd ~/code
+   git clone https://github.com/semantic-developer/SemanticDeveloper.git
+   cd SemanticDeveloper
+   ```
+3. Restore/build to ensure dependencies are ready:
+   ```bash
+   dotnet build SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper.sln
+   ```
+
+## 7. Enable WSLg (GUI support)
+WSLg ships enabled by default on Windows 11. To double‑check:
+Run C:\Program Files\WSL\wslsettings\wslsettings.exe and check that 'Enable GUI applications' is turned on under 'Optional Features'
+
+## 8. Install X11 client libraries (required for Avalonia on some distros)
+Inside Ubuntu:
+```bash
+sudo apt install -y libx11-dev libxext-dev libxrandr-dev libxcursor-dev libxfixes-dev libxi-dev libxrender-dev
+```
+
+## 9. Launch Semantic Developer
+From Ubuntu:
+```bash
+cd ~/code/SemanticDeveloper
+dotnet run --project SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper
+```
+WSLg should display the Semantic Developer UI on Windows. If the window fails to appear, check `wsl --status` to confirm WSLg is running and verify the X11 libraries are installed.
+
+## 10. Notes & Tips
+- Store Codex profiles and prompts inside the WSL home (`~/.codex/config.toml`, `~/.codex/prompts/`); Semantic Developer detects them automatically.
+- MCP server definitions live at `~/.config/SemanticDeveloper/mcp_servers.json` within Ubuntu.
+- Access Windows files from WSL using `/mnt/c/...`, but for best performance keep your workspace inside the Linux filesystem (e.g., `~/code`).
+- To update Codex or Node.js later:
+  ```bash
+  sudo npm update -g @openai/codex
+  sudo npm cache verify
+  ```
+- If you prefer the UI to launch quickly from Windows Terminal, create a profile that runs `wsl.exe -d Ubuntu -- cd ~/code/SemanticDeveloper && dotnet run --project SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper`.
+
+Happy coding!
+
+## 11. RECOMMENDED - For browser access to links directly from WSL and SemanticDeveloper
+- Install a browser - I like Brave
+```bash
+sudo apt update
+sudo apt install -y curl apt-transport-https
+
+sudo curl -fsSLo /usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg
+echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/brave-browser-archive-keyring.gpg] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list
+
+sudo apt update
+sudo apt install -y brave-browser
+
+# test it
+brave-browser
+```
diff --git a/SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper/MainWindow.axaml.cs b/SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper/MainWindow.axaml.cs
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
 using Avalonia.Controls;
 using Avalonia.Interactivity;
-using Avalonia.Threading;
 using SemanticDeveloper.Models;
 using SemanticDeveloper.Services;
 using SemanticDeveloper.Views;
@@ -19,7 +18,6 @@ public partial class MainWindow : Window, INotifyPropertyChanged
     private SessionTab? _selectedSession;
     private int _sessionCounter = 0;
     private AppSettings _sharedSettings;
-    private bool _profileCheckPerformed;
 
     public MainWindow()
     {
@@ -146,43 +144,6 @@ private void OnOpenReadmeClick(object? sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
     private void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string? name = null)
         => PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(name));
 
-    protected override void OnOpened(EventArgs e)
-    {
-        base.OnOpened(e);
-        Dispatcher.UIThread.Post(async () => await EnsureProfilesConfiguredAsync());
-    }
-
-    private async Task EnsureProfilesConfiguredAsync()
-    {
-        if (_profileCheckPerformed)
-            return;
-        _profileCheckPerformed = true;
-
-        try
-        {
-            var profiles = CodexConfigService.TryGetProfiles();
-            if (profiles.Count > 0)
-                return;
-
-            var info = new InfoDialog
-            {
-                Title = "Add a Codex Profile",
-                Message = BuildNoProfileMessage()
-            };
-
-            await info.ShowDialog(this);
-
-            if (SelectedSession is not null)
-            {
-                await OpenCliSettingsAsync(SelectedSession);
-            }
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            Debug.WriteLine($"Failed to prompt for profile setup: {ex.Message}");
-        }
-    }
-
     private async Task OpenCliSettingsAsync(SessionTab session)
     {
         var updated = await session.View.ShowCliSettingsDialogAsync(_sharedSettings);
@@ -198,21 +159,6 @@ private async Task OpenCliSettingsAsync(SessionTab session)
         }
     }
 
-    private static string BuildNoProfileMessage()
-    {
-        var baseMessage = "No Codex CLI profiles were found in ~/.codex/config.toml.\n\nCreate a profile under [profiles.<name>] with the model you want to use, for example:\n\n[profiles.default]\nmodel = \"gpt-5-codex\"\nmodel_provider = \"openai\"\n\napproval_policy = \"never\"\nmodel_reasoning_effort = \"high\"\nmodel_reasoning_summary = \"auto\"\n\nAfter you add a profile, select it in CLI Settings so sessions know which model to run.";
-
-        var source = CodexConfigService.LastProfileSource;
-        var error = CodexConfigService.LastProfileError;
-        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(source) && string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(error))
-            return baseMessage;
-
-        var diagnostics = "\n\nDiagnostics:\n" + (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(source) ? " • Source: (unknown)" : $" • Source: {source}");
-        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(error))
-            diagnostics += $"\n • Error: {error}";
-        return baseMessage + diagnostics;
-    }
-
     private async Task CloseSessionAsync(SessionTab tab)
     {
         if (!_sessions.Contains(tab))
diff --git a/SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper/Views/AboutDialog.axaml b/SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper/Views/AboutDialog.axaml
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
         x:Class="SemanticDeveloper.Views.AboutDialog"
         Width="420" 
         Height="420"
+        MinWidth="420"
+        MinHeight="420"
         WindowStartupLocation="CenterOwner"
         CanResize="False"
         SystemDecorations="Full"
diff --git a/SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper/Views/CliSettingsDialog.axaml b/SemanticDeveloper/SemanticDeveloper/Views/CliSettingsDialog.axaml
@@ -53,29 +53,48 @@
                     </ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
                 </ComboBox>
             </StackPanel>
-            <CheckBox Content="Verbose logging (show suppressed content)" IsChecked="{Binding VerboseLoggingEnabled, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
+            <CheckBox Content="Verbose logging (show suppressed content)"
+                      IsChecked="{Binding VerboseLoggingEnabled, Mode=TwoWay}"
+                      HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+                      Margin="0,0,24,0"/>
             <Separator/>
             <StackPanel>
-                <CheckBox Content="Use API Key for Codex CLI" IsChecked="{Binding UseApiKey, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
+                <CheckBox Content="Use API Key for Codex CLI"
+                          IsChecked="{Binding UseApiKey, Mode=TwoWay}"
+                          HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+                          Margin="0,0,24,0"/>
                 <TextBlock Text="API Key" Margin="0,8,0,4"/>
                 <TextBox Text="{Binding ApiKey, Mode=TwoWay}"
                          PasswordChar="•"
                          Watermark="Enter API key"
                          ToolTip.Tip="When enabled, the app pipes your key to 'codex login --with-api-key' before sessions"
-                         MaxWidth="550"/>
-                <TextBlock Margin="0,6,0,0" Foreground="#888" FontSize="12" Text="Stored in settings.json. When enabled, the app authenticates with your key and does not rely on existing CLI login." MaxWidth="550" TextWrapping="Wrap"/>
+                         HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+                         Margin="0,0,24,0"/>
+                <TextBlock Margin="0,6,24,0" Foreground="#888" FontSize="12" Text="Stored in settings.json. When enabled, the app authenticates with your key and does not rely on existing CLI login." TextWrapping="Wrap"/>
             </StackPanel>
             <Separator/>
             <StackPanel>
-                <CheckBox Content="Enable MCP support (load servers from config)" IsChecked="{Binding McpEnabled, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
-                <TextBlock Margin="0,4,0,6" Foreground="#888" FontSize="12" Text="Loads MCP servers from mcp_servers.json in your app data folder and passes them directly to Codex." MaxWidth="550" TextWrapping="Wrap"/>
+                <CheckBox Content="Enable MCP support (load servers from config)"
+                          IsChecked="{Binding McpEnabled, Mode=TwoWay}"
+                          HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+                          Margin="0,0,24,0"/>
+                <TextBlock Margin="0,4,24,6" Foreground="#888" FontSize="12" Text="Loads MCP servers from mcp_servers.json in your app data folder and passes them directly to Codex." TextWrapping="Wrap"/>
                 <StackPanel IsEnabled="{Binding McpEnabled}">
-                    <CheckBox Content="Allow network access for tools (MCP, web fetches)" IsChecked="{Binding AllowNetworkAccess, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
-                    <TextBlock Margin="0,4,0,6" Foreground="#888" FontSize="12" Text="Enables outbound network for tool calls (e.g., MCP servers) by setting sandbox_policy.network_access=true on turns." MaxWidth="550" TextWrapping="Wrap"/>
+                    <CheckBox Content="Allow network access for tools (MCP, web fetches)"
+                              IsChecked="{Binding AllowNetworkAccess, Mode=TwoWay}"
+                              HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+                              Margin="0,0,24,0"/>
+                    <TextBlock Margin="0,4,24,6" Foreground="#888" FontSize="12" Text="Enables outbound network for tool calls (e.g., MCP servers) by setting sandbox_policy.network_access=true on turns." TextWrapping="Wrap"/>
                     <TextBlock Text="MCP Results" FontWeight="SemiBold"/>
-                    <CheckBox Content="Show MCP results in log" IsChecked="{Binding ShowMcpResultsInLog, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
-                    <CheckBox Content="Only show when not editing (auto)" IsChecked="{Binding ShowMcpResultsOnlyWhenNoEdits, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
-                    <TextBlock Margin="0,4,0,0" Foreground="#888" FontSize="12" Text="When enabled, the app surfaces top results (titles + URLs) for search-like tools. During code-editing turns, it suppresses unless disabled." MaxWidth="550" TextWrapping="Wrap"/>
+                    <CheckBox Content="Show MCP results in log"
+                              IsChecked="{Binding ShowMcpResultsInLog, Mode=TwoWay}"
+                              HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+                              Margin="0,0,24,0"/>
+                    <CheckBox Content="Only show when not editing (auto)"
+                              IsChecked="{Binding ShowMcpResultsOnlyWhenNoEdits, Mode=TwoWay}"
+                              HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+                              Margin="0,0,24,0"/>
+                    <TextBlock Margin="0,4,24,0" Foreground="#888" FontSize="12" Text="When enabled, the app surfaces top results (titles + URLs) for search-like tools. During code-editing turns, it suppresses unless disabled." TextWrapping="Wrap"/>
                 </StackPanel>
             </StackPanel>
             </StackPanel>
