Cycle 7 research gate: expand the evidence-backed parallel build backlog #37

Goal

Complete the Cycle 7 evidence-backed research and select buildable, non-duplicative work for a coordinated implementation wave.

Research gate checklist

• Search AI and gaming workflows across GitHub issues, Hacker News, OpenAI Developer Community, Unity MCP, SDL, Sunshine, Steam for Linux, Proton GE, and Vibepollo.
• Record dated source observations, audiences, workarounds, evidence limits, and inaccessible/sparse coverage in docs/roadmap/ai-gaming-opportunities.md.
• Separate third-party reports from confirmed OpenController gaps; make no prevalence claims.
• Audit each candidate against current code, tests, docs, examples, and existing issues.
• Create eight candidates: Make timed button presses cancellation-safe #39–Verify recorded controller traces offline #42 and Design the DualSense adaptive-trigger protocol and ownership boundary #44–Preserve recoverable hub state when disconnectAll partially fails #47.
• Get independent repository and candidate reviews; refine unclear acceptance and defer protocol work that lacks an implementation owner.
• Rank opportunities and select six issues with explicit file ownership and a real Clarify keyboard-mouse profile output semantics #41 -> Define the public motion value and axis contract #45 documentation stack.
• Define the DAG and the parallel build/review/merge loop in the roadmap.
• Merge research decision PR docs: record Cycle 7 research decision #48 to close this gate and unblock the selected build issues.

Decision

Selected for the Cycle 7 build wave:

1. Make timed button presses cancellation-safe #39 — cancellation-safe timed button presses (core runtime/API).
2. Preserve recoverable hub state when disconnectAll partially fails #47 — all-settled ControllerHub disconnect with per-ID failure accounting.
3. Clarify keyboard-mouse profile output semantics #41 — clarify keyboard-mouse profile report semantics.
4. Verify recorded controller traces offline #42 — offline verification of logged controller-state transitions.
5. Add a safe MCP controller action example #40 — allowlisted, dry-run-first MCP controller action example.
6. Define the public motion value and axis contract #45 — document motion units and coordinate-frame limits; stack after Clarify keyboard-mouse profile output semantics #41 because both edit docs/controller-profiles.md.

Deferred outside the active milestone:

• Wait for native helper readiness acknowledgement #46 helper readiness handshake: wait for an agreed shipped-helper acknowledgement and protocol/lifecycle owner.
• Design the DualSense adaptive-trigger protocol and ownership boundary #44 adaptive-trigger protocol design: wait for agreed direction, schema, capability negotiation, and an in-repository actuator consumer.

The full dated source log, candidate ranking, repository findings, coverage gaps, and lane ownership are recorded in docs/roadmap/ai-gaming-opportunities.md. External reports motivate workflows but do not show OpenController incidents. Reddit and some developer forum searches returned HTTP 403; Steam Community results were sparse; accessibility coverage remains incomplete.

DAG

• Cycle 6 gate Cycle 6 research gate: select and ship one bounded reliability improvement #35 -> closeout PR docs: close out cycle 6 and open cycle 7 gate #43 -> this Cycle 7 research gate Cycle 7 research gate: expand the evidence-backed parallel build backlog #37.
• Gate Cycle 7 research gate: expand the evidence-backed parallel build backlog #37 blocks Make timed button presses cancellation-safe #39, Add a safe MCP controller action example #40, Clarify keyboard-mouse profile output semantics #41, Verify recorded controller traces offline #42, and Preserve recoverable hub state when disconnectAll partially fails #47.
• Clarify keyboard-mouse profile output semantics #41 blocks Define the public motion value and axis contract #45 to keep the shared profile documentation stack ordered.
• Selected implementation PRs -> independent review and required checks -> Cycle 7 closeout PR -> close milestone 6 and open the next research gate.
• Design the DualSense adaptive-trigger protocol and ownership boundary #44 and Wait for native helper readiness acknowledgement #46 remain deferred and outside the active build wave.

Project V2 creation is blocked by the authenticated GitHub integration's missing Projects write permission. Until access is restored, track this DAG with repository milestone 6, cycle labels, and native issue dependencies.

Gate closeout

Research decision PR #48 merged at a550a0c and closed this issue. The selected issues are unblocked except #45, which remains intentionally blocked by #41 for the documentation stack.