"What's new" shown every startup in sandbox / fresh install where state file doesn't exist

[HaleTom]

Problem

Every time opencode launches in a sandboxed or ephemeral environment (Docker, CI, disposable dev container, OpenCode Desktop sandbox), the "what's new" announcement dialog is shown on every startup.

The state directory (~/.local/share/cortexkit/magic-context/) is writable — the issue is that the last_announced_version state file simply doesn't exist at the start of the session. The sandbox's filesystem is ephemeral and does not persist between launches.

Root cause

packages/plugin/src/shared/announcement.ts:

shouldShowAnnouncement() (line 87): calls readLastAnnouncedVersion(), which returns "" when the file doesn't exist. Since "" !== "0.21.7", the announcement always shows.

markAnnouncementSeen() (line 72): does write the file successfully during the session — but the file is wiped with the sandbox on next launch, so it's back to "" next time.

Sandbox startup (empty state)
  → readLastAnnouncedVersion() → ""  (file doesn't exist)
  → "" !== "0.21.7" → true
  → shows "what's new" dialog
  → markAnnouncementSeen("0.21.7")  → writes file (wiped next session)
  → Next startup: repeat forever

Additional concern: new users

A user seeing Magic Context for the first time (fresh install, no state file ever) is shown a list of minor patch-release bullet points they have no context to interpret. This is confusing and provides no value — a new user needs onboarding, not changelogs.

Proposed fix

shouldShowAnnouncement() should differentiate between "user has seen a previous announcement" and "no state file exists at all (fresh install or sandbox)":

export function shouldShowAnnouncement(): boolean {
    if (!ANNOUNCEMENT_VERSION || ANNOUNCEMENT_FEATURES.length === 0) return false;
    const lastVersion = readLastAnnouncedVersion();
    // No previous state at all → fresh install or ephemeral sandbox.
    // Don't pester new users with changelogs they have no context for.
    if (!lastVersion) return false;
    return lastVersion !== ANNOUNCEMENT_VERSION;
}

This way:

• Fresh install / sandbox: "" → false → no dialog (new user doesn't see irrelevant changelog)
• Existing user with persisted state: version mismatch check as before (upgrade notes work normally)
• Announcement shown during session: markAnnouncementSeen writes the version, suppressing it for the remainder of the session

Environment

• Plugin version: 0.21.7+
• File: packages/plugin/src/shared/announcement.ts
• State path: ~/.local/share/cortexkit/magic-context/last_announced_version

[ualtinok]

Thanks for the explanation, your proposed solution causes the announcement to never show because user then will never have the file. I think the right way is to initialize the file on first install and later announce only on changes. Will implement like that.

[HaleTom]

@ualtinok Please reopen: I've now got 0.21.8 installed (see RHS), but the "what's new" is appearing for the PREVIOUS version:

[alfonso-magic-context]

Reopened and fixed. The fix seeds the last_announced_version state file to the current version on first run, so:

• Fresh installs no longer get a changelog they have no context for.
• Ephemeral/sandbox environments (Docker, CI, disposable containers) where the storage dir is wiped between launches no longer re-show the dialog on every startup.
• Real upgrades still announce exactly once — an existing user already has a state file at the prior version, so the version change shows it and dismissing advances the file.

The "showing the previous version's announcement on 0.21.8" you hit was the same root cause (state seeded to the wrong baseline). Committed (d202671); it'll ship in the next patch release. Leaving open until then so you can confirm it's resolved on the published build.

[alfonso-magic-context]

The seeding fix described above shipped in v0.22.1 (current release is v0.23.0). Fresh/sandbox installs now write the state file on first run and stay quiet; the announcement only appears after a genuine version change, once.

Closing — reopen if a ≥ v0.22.1 install still shows the dialog repeatedly.