Assistant starts on the homelab show at once: fast reads for 45 s, the button stays Starting… until its session shows

docs/REMOTE.md

@@ -239,7 +239,8 @@ THE LAPTOP'S LINK (link.py, 2026-10-15, my request: "as much support and smooth
   page only ever talks to the laptop's server (/api/homelab/...). What the homelab's page refuses, it refuses here too,
   with the same words: the same rules, checked in one place.
 - Linked, the laptop's app also: reads the homelab's sessions, queue and running task through it every 20 s (ssh every
-  60 s without it); opens a homelab session's screen inside this window (#/assistant/h<slot>: approve its Submit, reply,
+  60 s without it; every 3 s for 45 s after a start or an answer there, gui.homelab_soon, so a new session shows at once
+  and its row's button says "Starting…" until it does); opens a homelab session's screen inside this window (#/assistant/h<slot>: approve its Submit, reply,
   end it); shows each company-site row's place in the homelab's queue, with "Start on the homelab" next to "Start here"
   (greyed out with the queue's reason when it can't start there now); Apply's "Run on: This computer / The homelab"
   (the homelab's page runs Apply on its virtual screen, one NUworks machine at a time as always; its log, screenshots,

src/nuauto/gui.py

@@ -1413,7 +1413,9 @@ def homelab_review():
 
 HOMELAB_EVERY = 60  # seconds between reads of the homelab's sessions over ssh (in the background)
 LINK_EVERY = 20     # the same through the app's link (sessions, queue, its running task: one cheap request each)
-_homelab = {"at": 0.0, "sessions": [], "busy": False, "queue": None, "task": None, "commit": None, "error": None}
+SOON_EVERY, SOON_FOR = 3, 45  # after a start or an answer there: every 3 s for 45 s (a new session takes a few seconds to show)
+_homelab = {"at": 0.0, "sessions": [], "busy": False, "queue": None, "task": None, "commit": None, "error": None,
+            "soon_until": 0.0}
 
 
 def homelab_assistants():
@@ -1423,7 +1425,7 @@ def homelab_assistants():
     if VIEW or config.DEMO and not config.DEMO_LINK or not config.REMOTE_APP or config.IS_SERVER:
         return []
     from nuauto import link
-    every = LINK_EVERY if link.linked() else HOMELAB_EVERY
+    every = SOON_EVERY if time.time() < _homelab["soon_until"] else LINK_EVERY if link.linked() else HOMELAB_EVERY
     if time.time() - _homelab["at"] > every and not _homelab["busy"]:
         _homelab["busy"] = True
         threading.Thread(target=homelab_read, daemon=True).start()
@@ -1449,8 +1451,9 @@ def homelab_read():
 
 
 def homelab_soon():
-    """Read the homelab again at the next chance (something was started or answered there)."""
+    """Read the homelab again at the next chance, and often for a while (something was started or answered there)."""
     _homelab["at"] = 0
+    _homelab["soon_until"] = time.time() + SOON_FOR
 
 
 def link_state():

src/nuauto/gui_static/app.js

@@ -1558,8 +1558,14 @@ function assistantStart(d, r, tab, testid, args) {
   return assistantStartButton(d, r, tab, testid, args);
 }
 
+// Rows started on the homelab whose session doesn't show yet ("tab-row" -> until when): their button stays "Starting…"
+// through every redraw until it shows (the lists reload by themselves then), or 45 s pass
+const starting = {};
+
 function assistantStartButton(d, r, tab, testid, args) {
+  const key = `${tab}-${r.row}`;
   const remote = (d.homelab || []).find((s) => s.tab === tab && s.row === r.row);
+  if (remote || (d.sessions || []).some((s) => s.tab === tab && s.row === r.row)) delete starting[key];
   if (remote) {  // the homelab's assistant has this row: its screen, in this app (linked) or in NUauto on the homelab
     const wait = remote.attention && remote.attention.kind;
     const text = wait ? "assistant on the homelab: waiting for you" : "assistant running on the homelab";
@@ -1590,14 +1596,20 @@ function assistantStartButton(d, r, tab, testid, args) {
   // Apply, the same button as a NUworks row's: on the homelab when this is its page, or Run on says the homelab (the
   // laptop's app, through its link; the queue says when it can't); otherwise here
   const there = onHomelab() || d.linked && S.queue;
-  if (there && (onHomelab() || runOn() === "homelab")) return el("span", { class: "row" }, chip, el("button", { class: "btn small",
-    testid: onHomelab() ? testid : `${testid}-homelab-start`, text: "Apply", disabled: args.disabled || !!(q && !q.start),
-    title: q && !q.start ? q.text : "Starts the assistant on the homelab now, for just this job (you answer it on its screen)", onclick: async (e) => {
+  const pending = starting[key] > Date.now();
+  if (there && (onHomelab() || runOn() === "homelab")) return el("span", { class: "row" }, pending ? null : chip, el("button", { class: "btn small",
+    testid: onHomelab() ? testid : `${testid}-homelab-start`, text: pending ? "Starting…" : "Apply", disabled: pending || args.disabled || !!(q && !q.start),
+    title: pending ? "Its session shows up here in a few seconds" : q && !q.start ? q.text :
+      "Starts the assistant on the homelab now, for just this job (you answer it on its screen)", onclick: async (e) => {
       const btn = e.currentTarget;
       btn.disabled = true;
       btn.textContent = "Starting…";
+      starting[key] = Date.now() + 45000;
       const ok = await action("assist", onHomelab() ? args.body : { ...args.body, on: "homelab" });
-      setTimeout(() => { if (S.screen && S.screen.reload) S.screen.reload(); }, ok ? 9000 : 0);  // its session shows up in a few seconds
+      if (!ok) delete starting[key];
+      const redraw = () => { if (S.screen && S.screen.reload) S.screen.reload(); };
+      redraw();  // the queue says it runs now; the button stays "Starting…" until its session shows
+      if (ok) setTimeout(() => { if (starting[key]) { delete starting[key]; redraw(); } }, 45500);  // it never showed: Apply again
     } }));
   const full = (d.sessions || []).length >= (d.slots || 1);
   const startHere = el("button", { class: "btn small", text: "Apply", testid, disabled: full || (args.disabled || false),
@@ -1621,8 +1633,9 @@ function assistantsBar(d) {
   const here = (d.sessions || []).length, there = (d.homelab || []).length;
   if (!here && !there && !onHomelab()) return null;
   const waits = [...(d.sessions || []), ...(d.homelab || [])].filter((s) => s.attention && s.attention.kind).length;
-  const parts = [`Assistants: ${here} of ${d.slots} running${onHomelab() ? "" : " here"}`];
-  if (there) parts.push(`${there} on the homelab`);
+  // (laptop) with every one on the homelab, the line says that, not "0 of 3 running here"
+  const parts = here || !there ? [`Assistants: ${here} of ${d.slots} running${onHomelab() ? "" : " here"}`] : [];
+  if (there) parts.push(`${parts.length ? "" : "Assistants: "}${there} running on the homelab`);
   if (waits) parts.push(`${waits} ${waits === 1 ? "waits" : "wait"} for you (Today lists ${waits === 1 ? "it" : "them"})`);
   if (here >= d.slots) parts.push(onHomelab() ? "end one (on its screen) to start another" : "finish one (type /exit in its window) to start another");
   const q = d.queue || {};

tests/test_remote.py

@@ -1107,6 +1107,21 @@ def boom():
     gui.homelab_assistants()
     wait_idle()
     assert gui._homelab["busy"] is False and gui._homelab["at"] > 0
+    # something was started there: read again now, then every SOON_EVERY seconds for a while (its session shows late)
+    remote.homelab_sessions = lambda: []
+    gui.homelab_soon()
+    gui.homelab_assistants()
+    wait_idle()
+    gui._homelab["at"] -= gui.SOON_EVERY + 1
+    reads_before = gui._homelab["at"]
+    gui.homelab_assistants()
+    wait_idle()
+    assert gui._homelab["at"] > reads_before                                 # read again after SOON_EVERY, not HOMELAB_EVERY
+    gui._homelab["soon_until"] = 0
+    gui._homelab["at"] -= gui.SOON_EVERY + 1
+    reads_before = gui._homelab["at"]
+    gui.homelab_assistants()
+    assert gui._homelab["at"] == reads_before and not gui._homelab["busy"]   # the while is over: HOMELAB_EVERY again
 finally:
     gui.VIEW, config.DEMO, config.REMOTE_ASSIST, config.IS_SERVER, config.REMOTE_APP, config.HAS_SERVER = real_flags
     threading.excepthook = threading.__excepthook__