fix(agent): close the window-2 early-whenIdle race + sync cancellation RFC docs (review)

A reviewer found that window 2 (a cancel from a synchronous agent/status('running')
listener) had the same early-whenIdle() race that window 1 already guards: it
unconditionally `setStatus('idle')` + continue, which settles `whenIdle()`
waiters — so if the running listener cancels AND queues replacement work, the
waiter resolves while the replacement is still queued-and-unrun (the next
iteration runs it later, but the caller already observed quiescence).

Mirror window 1: after clearing the marker, only `setStatus('idle')` when
nothing new is queued; otherwise fall through to run the queued replacement
(status is already `running`), so `whenIdle()` resolves on that turn's
running→idle. Regression test reproduces the reviewer's interleaving (running
listener cancels A, sends B; whenIdle() resolves only after B ran).

Also syncs the cancellation contract in the two ACP RFCs that describe the live
behavior: `session/cancel` is the queue-aware `agent.cancel()` (drops an
about-to-start turn), not the old best-effort `agent.abort()` pre-step
limitation.

packages/agent-loop/src/loop.ts

@@ -201,14 +201,22 @@ export async function runLoop(ctx: Context, agent: ReactLoopAgent, handle: LoopH
 
     // Pre-step cancel (window 2): `setStatus('running')` emits `agent/status`
     // SYNCHRONOUSLY, so a `running` listener can `cancel()` in the gap between the
-    // check above and `runTurn`. `cancel()` already cleared the queued FIFO, so
-    // drop the turn before it starts (runTurn would otherwise throw on an empty
-    // queue) and transition back to idle — `running` was already emitted, so a
-    // real `idle` transition (which also settles waiters) balances the status.
+    // check above and `runTurn`. Mirror window 1: clear the marker, then
+    //   - if NOTHING new is queued, drop the about-to-run turn and transition
+    //     back to `idle` (`running` was already emitted, so a real idle
+    //     transition balances the status AND settles `whenIdle()` waiters);
+    //   - if a NEW prompt was queued AFTER the cancel (a `running` listener that
+    //     cancels then sends), the marker was for the cancelled work only — fall
+    //     through and run the new prompt's turn (status is already `running`), so
+    //     a `whenIdle()` waiter resolves on THAT turn's running→idle, not before
+    //     it runs. Settling here would resolve quiescence while the replacement
+    //     is still queued and unrun (the same early-resolve race window 1 fixes).
     if (handle.isCancelled()) {
       handle.clearCancel()
-      handle.setStatus('idle')
-      continue
+      if (!agent.inbox.hasQueued) {
+        handle.setStatus('idle')
+        continue
+      }
     }
 
     // Re-derive the turn number from the log each iteration (do NOT keep a local

packages/agent-loop/tests/cancel.spec.ts

@@ -252,6 +252,36 @@ describe('Agent.cancel()', () => {
     expect(agent.session.events.some(e => e.type === 'turn/start')).toBe(false)
   })
 
+  it('window 2: whenIdle() does NOT resolve early when a running listener cancels then queues replacement work', async () => {
+    // The window-1 early-resolve race has a window-2 twin: a synchronous
+    // agent/status('running') listener cancels the about-to-run turn AND queues a
+    // replacement. window 2 must NOT settle waiters (via setStatus('idle')) while
+    // the replacement is still queued-and-unrun — it must fall through and run it,
+    // so whenIdle() resolves on the replacement turn's running→idle, not before.
+    const adapter = new MockAdapter([textResponse('A reply'), textResponse('B reply')])
+    const ctx = await harness(adapter)
+    const agent = ctx.agentLoop.create('a1', { model: 'mock' })
+
+    let replaced = false
+    const dispose = ctx.on('agent/status', (subject, status) => {
+      if (subject !== agent || status !== 'running' || replaced) return
+      replaced = true
+      agent.cancel('drop A')
+      send(agent, 'B')
+    })
+
+    send(agent, 'A')
+    const idle = agent.whenIdle()
+    await idle
+    dispose()
+
+    // whenIdle() resolved only AFTER B's turn ran: B's user message + a turn/end
+    // are in the log, and A was dropped.
+    expect(userTexts(agent)).toContain('B')
+    expect(userTexts(agent)).not.toContain('A')
+    expect(agent.session.events.some(e => e.type === 'turn/end')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
   it('whenIdle() does NOT resolve early when a new prompt is queued during a pre-step cancel', async () => {
     // The subtle race: a whenIdle() waiter is registered for prompt A; cancel()
     // clears A; prompt B is queued BEFORE the loop resumes from the idle wait.