Operator Workbench

Entangle ships an operator workbench, not just a runtime process. The workbench has two surfaces:

Studio for visual inspection and operation;
CLI for headless, repeatable, scriptable operation.

Both consume the same Host-owned state. Neither owns truth.

What Studio is for

Use Studio when you need context across several runtime objects at once:

active graph topology and revisions;
node and edge state;
package-source inventory;
runtime state, reconciliation, and recovery;
session timelines and per-node session detail;
runner turns with engine outcomes and memory-synthesis status;
approval records and operator decisions;
artifact list, detail, preview, history, diff, restore, promotion;
memory pages and focused registers;
source-change candidate evidence with diff and file preview;
live host events and runtime trace.

Studio shows User Node identity, runtime health, active conversations, pending approvals, and links into the participant surface. The user-facing conversation and approval workflow belongs to the User Client exposed by a human-interface runtime.

What CLI is for

Use CLI when the workflow should be repeatable, terminal-native, or suitable for automation:

pnpm --filter @entangle/cli dev host status --summary
pnpm --filter @entangle/cli dev host graph get --summary
pnpm --filter @entangle/cli dev host sessions list --summary
pnpm --filter @entangle/cli dev host runtimes list --summary
pnpm --filter @entangle/cli dev host events list --runtime-trace-only --summary

CLI is strongest for validation, import/export, dry runs, summaries, smoke checks, and scripted inspection.

Workbench objects

The workbench is organized around runtime objects:

packages define portable agent assets;
graph revisions capture topology;
nodes bind packages into a graph;
edges define allowed relationships;
runtimes execute assigned nodes;
sessions organize work;
turns record runner execution;
approvals pause policy-sensitive actions;
artifacts carry durable work products;
memory keeps node context visible;
source-change candidates expose workspace changes before acceptance;
events and traces explain what happened.

Shared vocabulary

Studio and CLI share presentation helpers and host-client contracts. A session status, runtime health finding, artifact lifecycle, approval state, memory page, or source-change candidate means the same thing in both places. A visual investigation can move into a terminal one without translating concepts by hand.

Operator discipline

Inspect through Host APIs.
Mutate graph and runtime state through Host-owned routes.
Keep runner-owned files behind Host read models — the projection store is the truth.
Use dry runs for dangerous mutations where available.
Use status, trace, recovery, and smoke evidence before resetting state.
Use destructive volume reset only when the active profile should be wiped.