feat(companion): support runtime client autoConnect mode

docs/api/PROTOCOL.md

@@ -1430,5 +1430,5 @@ For more implementation details, see:
 - Protocol types: `src/gateway/protocol.ts`
 - Handlers: `src/gateway/handlers/`
 - Gateway server: `src/gateway/server.ts`
-- Companion runtime client helper: `src/companion/runtimeClient.ts` (node + system + `canvas.*` typed RPC wrappers)
+- Companion runtime client helper: `src/companion/runtimeClient.ts` (node + system + `canvas.*` typed RPC wrappers, optional `autoConnect`)
 - Platform companion wrappers: `src/companion/platformClients.ts`

docs/plans/state.json

@@ -232,6 +232,20 @@
       ],
       "test_status": "pnpm test:run src/companion/platformClients.test.ts src/companion/platformClients.integration.test.ts + pnpm typecheck passing"
     },
+    "companion-runtime-client-autoconnect": {
+      "status": "completed",
+      "date": "2026-02-17",
+      "updated": "2026-02-17",
+      "summary": "Added optional `autoConnect` support to `CompanionRuntimeClient` so RPC calls can establish connections on demand, including connect de-duplication to avoid concurrent open races, plus integration coverage.",
+      "files_modified": [
+        "src/companion/runtimeClient.ts",
+        "src/companion/runtimeClient.test.ts",
+        "README.md",
+        "docs/api/PROTOCOL.md",
+        "docs/plans/state.json"
+      ],
+      "test_status": "pnpm test:run src/companion/runtimeClient.test.ts src/companion/platformClients.test.ts src/companion/platformClients.integration.test.ts + pnpm typecheck passing"
+    },
     "browser-tools-activation-clarity": {
       "status": "completed",
       "date": "2026-02-17",