fix(tui): use braille dots for the active task/status spinner (#16)

Replace the pulsing-star active-marker animation (✦✧✶✷✸✹) with the same
braille dotted frames used by the bottom thinking-word spinner, so the
working/thinking indicator is a single standardized animation. The active
marker now reuses SPINNER_FRAMES via ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES; STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES
is kept as a backward-compatible alias. The reduced-motion / static active
marker becomes the calm dot (●) instead of a static star.

Tests updated to assert braille frames and the dot reduced-motion glyph.

Author: elkaix

src/pythinker_code/ui/shell/glyphs.py

@@ -21,29 +21,32 @@
 SHAPE_FRAME_INTERVAL_S: Final = 0.45
 #: Static stand-in used when motion is disabled.
 REDUCED_MOTION_GLYPH: Final = "●"
-#: Pulsing-star frames for the active task/status marker. Ten one-cell frames
-#: ease through neighboring star glyphs so the header twinkle changes smoothly
-#: while keeping the label column stable.
-STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES: Final = ("✦", "✧", "✶", "✷", "✸", "✹", "✸", "✷", "✶", "✧")
-#: Seconds each star-spinner frame stays on screen.
-STAR_SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S: Final = 0.08
+#: Braille dotted frames for the active task/status marker beside pinned todos.
+ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES: Final = SPINNER_FRAMES
+#: Seconds each active-marker braille frame stays on screen.
+ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S: Final = SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S
+#: Backward-compatible aliases for the historical star spinner names.
+STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES: Final = ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES
+STAR_SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S: Final = ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S
 
 #: Transcript row marker for assistant/tool-call lines.
 TRANSCRIPT_ASSISTANT_MARKER: Final = "⏺"
 #: Transcript prompt marker for submitted user input.
 TRANSCRIPT_PROMPT_MARKER: Final = "❯"
 #: Transcript marker for completed thinking/status timing rows.
 TRANSCRIPT_STATUS_MARKER: Final = "✻"
-#: Transcript marker for active task/status rows.
-TRANSCRIPT_ACTIVE_MARKER: Final = "✶"
+#: Transcript marker for active task/status rows when motion is disabled.
+TRANSCRIPT_ACTIVE_MARKER: Final = REDUCED_MOTION_GLYPH
 #: Transcript gutter marker for tool results.
 TRANSCRIPT_TOOL_GUTTER: Final = "⎿"
 
 __all__ = [
     "SPINNER_FRAMES",
     "SHAPE_FRAMES",
+    "ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES",
     "SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S",
     "SHAPE_FRAME_INTERVAL_S",
+    "ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S",
     "STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES",
     "STAR_SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S",
     "REDUCED_MOTION_GLYPH",

src/pythinker_code/ui/shell/motion.py

@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@
 from pythinker_code.ui.shell.components.render_utils import cell_width
 from pythinker_code.ui.shell.design_system import ShellTone, shell_style
 from pythinker_code.ui.shell.glyphs import (
+    ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
+    ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES,
     REDUCED_MOTION_GLYPH,
     SHAPE_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
     SHAPE_FRAMES,
     SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
     SPINNER_FRAMES,
-    STAR_SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
-    STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES,
     TRANSCRIPT_ACTIVE_MARKER,
 )
 from pythinker_code.ui.theme import tui_rich_style
@@ -155,14 +155,17 @@ def spinner_frame_at(
 
 
 def active_marker_frame(elapsed_s: float, *, reduced_motion: bool = False) -> str:
-    """Return the current pulsing-star frame for the active task marker (``✶``).
+    """Return the current braille dotted frame for the active task marker.
 
-    Reduced motion pins to the static ``✶`` so the marker stays calm.
+    Reduced motion pins to the static dot so the marker stays calm.
     """
     if reduced_motion or reduced_motion_enabled():
         return TRANSCRIPT_ACTIVE_MARKER
-    idx = int(max(0.0, elapsed_s) / STAR_SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S) % len(STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES)
-    return STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES[idx]
+    return spinner_frame_at(
+        elapsed_s,
+        frames=ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES,
+        interval_s=ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
+    )
 
 
 def _candidate_parts(snapshot: ActivitySnapshot) -> list[str]:

src/pythinker_code/ui/shell/tool_renderers/_render_utils.py

@@ -148,8 +148,8 @@ def loading_marker(
     """Return the app-wide task marker.
 
     Running tasks pulse the transcript marker in muted grey; completed tasks
-    show the same marker as a static green dot. The animated braille spinner is
-    reserved for the bottom thinking-word status.
+    show the same marker as a static green dot. The animated braille spinner stays
+    reserved for activity/status lines such as the pinned todo header.
     """
     if done:
         return Text(f"{TRANSCRIPT_ASSISTANT_MARKER} ", style=tui_rich_style("success"))

tests/ui_and_conv/test_live_view_notifications.py

@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ def _todo_tool_result(items: list[TodoDisplayItem]) -> ToolResult:
 def test_working_indicator_pins_todos_under_spinner(monkeypatch):
     now = 1000.0
     monkeypatch.setattr(live_view_module.time, "monotonic", lambda: now)
-    # Pin the animated star marker to its static ``✶`` frame so this
+    # Pin the animated braille marker to its static dot so this
     # structure-focused assertion does not depend on the animation phase.
     monkeypatch.setenv("PYTHINKER_REDUCED_MOTION", "1")
     view = _LiveView(StatusUpdate())
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ def test_working_indicator_pins_todos_under_spinner(monkeypatch):
     now = 1060.0
     rendered = _render(view._working_indicator())
 
-    assert "✶ Explore project context — blogs page and image components… (1m 0s)" in rendered
+    assert "● Explore project context — blogs page and image components… (1m 0s)" in rendered
     # Active todo now appears both in the spinner header and the pinned list;
     # done todos sort to the bottom and are dropped by the 5-row cap when
     # active + pending already fill the rows.

tests/ui_and_conv/test_live_view_todos.py

@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ def _todo_result(call_id: str = "todo-1") -> ToolResult:
 def test_todo_update_pins_current_task_under_activity_line(monkeypatch) -> None:
     now = 1000.0
     monkeypatch.setattr(_live_view_module.time, "monotonic", lambda: now)
-    # Pin the animated star marker to its static ``✶`` frame for a deterministic
+    # Pin the animated braille marker to its static dot for a deterministic
     # assertion on the activity-line content.
     monkeypatch.setenv("PYTHINKER_REDUCED_MOTION", "1")
     view = _LiveView(StatusUpdate(context_tokens=10_000))
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def test_todo_update_pins_current_task_under_activity_line(monkeypatch) -> None:
     now = 1460.0
     rendered = _render(view._working_indicator())
 
-    assert "✶ Implement pinned todos… (7m 40s · ↓ 10k tokens)" in rendered
+    assert "● Implement pinned todos… (7m 40s · ↓ 10k tokens)" in rendered
     assert rendered.count("Implement pinned todos") == 2
     assert "⎿  ■ Implement pinned todos" in rendered
     assert "✓ Explore UI" in rendered
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ def test_active_todo_activity_line_does_not_alternate_with_spinner_verb(monkeypa
     now = 1465.0
     rendered = _render(view._working_indicator())
 
-    assert "✶ Implement pinned todos… (7m 45s · ↓ 10k tokens)" in rendered
+    assert "● Implement pinned todos… (7m 45s · ↓ 10k tokens)" in rendered
     assert _live_view_module.spinner_message(now) not in rendered
     assert "⎿  ■ Implement pinned todos" in rendered
     assert "✓ Explore UI" in rendered
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ def test_spinner_verb_shows_until_next_todo_becomes_active(monkeypatch) -> None:
     now = 1465.0
     rendered = _render(view._working_indicator())
 
-    assert f"✶ {_live_view_module.spinner_message(now)} (7m 45s · ↓ 10k tokens)" in rendered
+    assert f"● {_live_view_module.spinner_message(now)} (7m 45s · ↓ 10k tokens)" in rendered
     assert "⎿  □ Next task" in rendered
     assert "✓ Finished task" in rendered
 

tests/ui_and_conv/test_render_hardening.py

@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ def test_spinner_frames_have_single_source() -> None:
     # All three modules must reference the same frames object — no copies.
     assert motion._FRAMES is glyphs.SPINNER_FRAMES
     assert spinner_words.SPINNER_FRAMES is glyphs.SPINNER_FRAMES
+    assert glyphs.ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES is glyphs.SPINNER_FRAMES
     assert motion._FRAME_INTERVAL_S == glyphs.SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S
+    assert glyphs.ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S == glyphs.SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S
 
 
 def test_reduced_motion_glyph_centralized() -> None:

tests/ui_and_conv/test_shell_motion.py

@@ -5,10 +5,12 @@
 from rich.style import Style
 
 from pythinker_code.ui.shell.glyphs import (
+    ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
+    ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES,
+    REDUCED_MOTION_GLYPH,
     SHAPE_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
-    STAR_SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
-    STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES,
-    TRANSCRIPT_ACTIVE_MARKER,
+    SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S,
+    SPINNER_FRAMES,
 )
 from pythinker_code.ui.shell.motion import (
     ActivitySnapshot,
@@ -65,20 +67,20 @@ def test_reduced_motion_uses_static_glyph():
     assert spinner_frame_at(0.2, reduced_motion=True) == "●"
 
 
-def test_active_marker_frame_animates_through_star_frames():
+def test_active_marker_frame_animates_through_braille_dot_frames():
     seen = {
-        active_marker_frame(i * STAR_SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S)
-        for i in range(len(STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES))
+        active_marker_frame(i * ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S)
+        for i in range(len(ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES))
     }
-    assert len(STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES) == 10
-    assert "✷" in STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES
-    assert STAR_SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S == 0.08
-    assert seen == set(STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES)
-    assert all(len(frame) == 1 for frame in STAR_SPINNER_FRAMES)
+    assert ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES is SPINNER_FRAMES
+    assert ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S == SPINNER_FRAME_INTERVAL_S
+    assert "⠸" in ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES
+    assert seen == set(ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES)
+    assert all(len(frame) == 1 for frame in ACTIVE_MARKER_FRAMES)
 
 
-def test_active_marker_frame_reduced_motion_pins_static_star():
-    assert active_marker_frame(0.5, reduced_motion=True) == TRANSCRIPT_ACTIVE_MARKER
+def test_active_marker_frame_reduced_motion_pins_static_dot():
+    assert active_marker_frame(0.5, reduced_motion=True) == REDUCED_MOTION_GLYPH
 
 
 def test_activity_status_line_contains_label_elapsed_tokens_and_interrupt_hint():