ARES

Agent Source Boundary and API Decoupling Inventory

• Status: Proposed
• Created: 2026-05-17
• Tracking issue: #2453

Problem

The WebUI currently depends on Ares Agent Python source being importable at runtime. In local installs this usually means a neighboring checkout; in the multi-container Docker setup it means the WebUI reads the ares-agent-src volume that the agent container also uses.

That source mount is a compatibility bridge, not the desired long-term contract. Even when mounted read-only on the WebUI side, it couples WebUI releases to Ares Agent internal module layout and makes the multi-container setup look more isolated than it really is.

Current safety posture

• The multi-container compose files mount ares-agent-src read-only into the WebUI service by default.
• docker_init.bash prunes the agent source subtree from chown so read-only mounts do not break startup.
• If an operator overrides the compose files with a mutable agent-source mount, startup now emits a notable warning. The WebUI still starts because local dev checkouts and custom deployments may intentionally be writable, but the warning makes the reduced boundary explicit.

Source-access inventory

These are the current WebUI capabilities that still rely on Agent source or ares_cli/agent modules being importable. Each item should eventually move behind an explicit, versioned Agent API or a packaged library contract that does not require mounting the live source checkout.

WebUI capability	Current dependency	Desired API / contract	Notes
Browser chat execution	run_agent.AIAgent imported by api/streaming.py	Run lifecycle API: start, observe, status, cancel, approval, clarify, final usage	Covered by the runtime-adapter migration in #1925, but still source-backed today.
Runtime event rendering	WebUI callbacks around Agent token/reasoning/tool events	Stable event envelope for tokens, reasoning, progress, tool lifecycle, approvals, clarify, errors, and final usage	The existing run-adapter RFC describes the browser-facing shape; Agent still needs a durable producer contract.
Profile list/create/delete/seed	ares_cli.profiles from api/profiles.py	Profile management API with profile metadata, env/runtime context, seed/delete operations, and validation errors	WebUI has fallback filesystem handling for some operations, but feature parity follows Ares CLI internals.
Goal command state	ares_cli.goals from api/goals.py	Goal CRUD/control API: get, save, pause/resume/clear, and status	Should preserve current /goal WebUI behavior without direct module import.
Slash command registry and plugin commands	ares_cli.commands and ares_cli.plugins from api/commands.py	Command/plugin capability discovery API scoped by active profile	WebUI should render command help from a stable capability response.
Provider/auth/model catalogs	ares_cli.models, ares_cli.auth, and agent.credential_pool from api/config.py	Provider registry, model catalog, auth status, OAuth/credential-pool status APIs	WebUI has static fallbacks, but exact parity and custom provider state come from Agent internals.
Redaction helper parity	agent.redact.redact_sensitive_text from api/helpers.py	Redaction service/library contract with signature/version compatibility	WebUI keeps a fallback redactor because this import has changed before.
CLI/Gateway session bridge	Agent state.db schema and gateway metadata read by sidebar/session helpers	Session listing/transcript/metadata API for non-WebUI-originated sessions	Direct SQLite/schema coupling should narrow over time, especially for messaging/email/gateway sessions.

Decoupling task list

1. Keep the Docker default safe: WebUI-side ares-agent-src stays read-only in two- and three-container compose files.
2. Keep documenting the boundary honestly: multi-container isolates process, network, and resources, not filesystem/source compatibility.
3. Warn loudly when the WebUI container sees a writable agent-source mount in Docker, because that weakens the defense-in-depth posture.
4. Convert runtime execution first through the #1925 RuntimeAdapter path instead of adding new direct imports.
5. For each inventory row, file or link a follow-up that defines the Agent API response shape before replacing the import.
6. Do not claim the source mount can be removed until chat execution, provider catalogs/auth status, profiles, goals, commands/plugins, redaction, and imported Agent/Gateway sessions all have stable replacement contracts.

Non-goals for this slice

• Do not remove ARES_WEBUI_AGENT_DIR.
• Do not break local source-checkout development.
• Do not fail startup solely because the agent source is writable.
• Do not replace the runtime adapter or Ares Agent API in this document-only inventory slice.

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