Nanobot adapts its workbench for phones and explains the headless-server handoff

Nanobot’s September 12–13 workbench changes address two ways a local-first agent becomes awkward outside a developer’s desktop. A headless-server user reported that the launcher opened links, a browser without JavaScript, then left the password unexplained when the user tried Firefox from another machine. The response keeps the localhost bind but makes the transfer to a usable client browser part of the product flow.

A separate mobile change, merged September 13, reorganizes the composer according to its available width. Attachment and model controls stay left, voice and send stay right, and access mode plus context usage move into a metadata row. The textarea stays mounted through layout changes so responsive presentation does not discard drafts, selection or ongoing input-method composition.

The facts

- The mobile composer uses 36-pixel visual circles with 44-pixel hit areas for attachment and send controls. - Context usage opens in a bottom sheet on narrow composers while desktop retains a popover. - Mobile chart details toggle by tap; nested details stay inside the modal boundary and focus is restored on dismissal. - Settings categories use an anchored, non-modal menu with bounded height, while Manual Restart remains separate. - The headless launcher detects links, lynx and w3m, and prints manual access guidance when a usable browser cannot open or --no-open is selected. - Login help explains tokenIssueSecret and static token password sources; the contributor reports real SSH-tunnel tests for IPv4, IPv6 and a specific interface.

Why it matters

These changes make the project’s browser workbench usable from the machines people actually have: a phone and a server need different interaction paths from a workstation. The adoption signal is concrete but bounded. One reported headless installation exposed the handoff gap, while the mobile work reshapes several connected controls rather than merely changing a button. Neither source establishes a measured increase in users or a general accessibility certification.

Current

Inspected on 2026-09-14. The Nanobot stable-channel baseline is v0.3.0 published 2026-07-25T08:08:47Z. The primary source was merged 2026-09-13T15:35:17Z when captured. Mainline merges, open proposals and packaged releases are distinct availability states; the release baseline does not establish that a proposal has shipped.

Evidence

Primary evidence: HKUDS/nanobot PR #5755 (https://github.com/HKUDS/nanobot/pull/5755). Supporting context: HKUDS/nanobot PR #5735 (https://github.com/HKUDS/nanobot/pull/5735); HKUDS/nanobot issue #5726 (https://github.com/HKUDS/nanobot/issues/5726). Public source bodies and linked documentation were inspected. Contributor test results remain attributed reports, not independently reproduced experiments.

Operator take

For a remote installation, retain the narrow bind and test the documented tunnel before opening the service to a wider network. On a phone, verify drafts survive rotation, the keyboard does not bury send controls, and context details can be opened and dismissed without trapping focus. The mobile contributor reports previews at 320 and 390 pixels, landscape and desktop resize; those are useful starting points rather than a substitute for testing the operator’s actual device.

Caveat

Both changes were merged into mainline when inspected, but the latest stable release in the inspected feed remained v0.3.0 from July 25. This is not a claim that every installed package already contains them. Mobile work is frontend-only; it does not change scheduling, provider behavior or saved configuration. Reported browser and tunnel tests belong to the contributors, not this newsroom.