feat: preempt active runs in interrupt queue mode

README.md

@@ -1201,8 +1201,8 @@ Notes:
 - `collect` keeps all queued requests (subject to `cap`).
 - `followup` keeps at most one pending item while a request is active; newer followups replace older pending items.
 - `steer` and `steer_backlog` replace pending backlog with the newest request while one is active.
-- `interrupt` uses steer-backlog queueing behavior; active work still requires `agent.cancel` for best-effort cancellation.
-- `interrupt` currently does not force-stop already running work; use `agent.cancel` for active cancellation.
+- `interrupt` uses steer-backlog queueing behavior and now also requests active-run cancellation when a newer request arrives.
+- Active cancellation remains best-effort and stops at agent safe points; use `agent.cancel` for explicit user-triggered cancellation control.
 - `debounce_ms` delays the next queued execution, helping collapse bursty same-session traffic.
 - `summarize_overflow` enables richer overflow error messages and payload metadata.
 - On overflow, `drop_old` evicts the oldest pending request, `drop_new` rejects the new request.

docs/api/PROTOCOL.md

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ The gateway serialises agent work **per session**, not per WebSocket connection:
 
 - Requests that target the same `sessionId` run one-at-a-time (FIFO) in a per-session lane.
 - Requests for different sessions can run in parallel.
-- Lane policy is configurable (`collect`, `followup`, `steer_backlog`, `interrupt`) with per-channel and per-session overrides.
+- Lane policy is configurable (`collect`, `followup`, `steer`, `steer_backlog`, `interrupt`) with per-channel and per-session overrides.
 - Session-local overrides can be managed at runtime via `agent.send` commands: `/queue`, `/queue set ...`, `/queue reset`.
 
 This is implemented via a per-lane queue (`LaneQueue`) in the gateway server, and used by `agent.send` and `agent.cancel`.
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ sequenceDiagram
   G-->>C: result.cancelled=true/false
 ```
 
+`interrupt` queue mode also requests active-run cancellation when a newer request is enqueued for the same session lane. Cancellation still completes at agent/tool-loop safe points.
+
 ### Base URL
 
 - WebSocket: `ws://localhost:18800` (or `wss://` if using TLS)

docs/plans/state.json

@@ -5163,10 +5163,26 @@
         "docs/plans/state.json"
       ],
       "test_status": "Docs-only change (no code paths affected)"
+    },
+    "queue-interrupt-active-cancel": {
+      "status": "completed",
+      "date": "2026-02-18",
+      "updated": "2026-02-18",
+      "summary": "Implemented Tier A queue-interrupt semantics hardening in gateway routing: interrupt mode now requests cancellation of active session work when a newer request arrives, while preserving best-effort safe-point cancellation. Added session-level cancellation API, handler integration, regression tests, and docs updates.",
+      "files_modified": [
+        "src/gateway/session-bridge.ts",
+        "src/gateway/session-bridge.test.ts",
+        "src/gateway/handlers/agent.ts",
+        "src/gateway/handlers/agent.test.ts",
+        "README.md",
+        "docs/api/PROTOCOL.md",
+        "docs/plans/state.json"
+      ],
+      "test_status": "pnpm test:run src/gateway/session-bridge.test.ts src/gateway/handlers/agent.test.ts + pnpm typecheck passing"
     }
   },
   "overall_progress": {
-    "total_test_count": 1900,
+    "total_test_count": 1903,
     "all_tests_passing": true,
     "p0_completion": "3/3 (100%)",
     "p1_completion": "4/4 (100%)",
@@ -5186,7 +5202,7 @@
     "gmail_auth_cli": "flynn gmail-auth command implemented with OAuth2 flow, doctor check, config routed to Telegram",
     "native_audio_support": "completed — smart routing for native audio (Gemini/OpenAI/GitHub) vs Whisper transcription fallback",
     "remaining_phases_completion": "Phase 1: 3/3 (100%) — context levels, command registry, memory structure. Phase 2: 3/3 (100%) — component registry, confidence routing, history index. Phase 3: 2/2 (100%) — adaptive memory/compaction, truthfulness/autonomy hardening",
-    "next_up": "Monitor production feedback for bidirectional session-transfer command behavior across Telegram/TUI and prioritize the next post-parity reliability/capability slice"
+    "next_up": "Implement Tier A2 from the OpenClaw roadmap: daily memory-log cadence + proactive extraction beyond compaction-only paths"
   },
   "soul_md_and_cron_create": {
     "date": "2026-02-11",

src/gateway/handlers/agent.test.ts

@@ -367,4 +367,64 @@ describe('createAgentHandlers queue policy resolution', () => {
     expect((event.data as { code: number }).code).toBe(3);
     expect((event.data as { queue?: { code: string } }).queue?.code).toBe('overflow');
   });
+
+  it('requests active-session cancellation when interrupt mode receives a new message', async () => {
+    const mockAgent = {
+      process: vi.fn(async () => 'ok'),
+      consumeContextAlert: vi.fn(() => undefined),
+      getContextBudget: vi.fn(() => ({
+        estimatedTokens: 0,
+        contextWindow: 128000,
+        remainingTokens: 128000,
+        usagePct: 0,
+        thresholdPct: 80,
+        thresholdTokens: 102400,
+        shouldCompact: false,
+      })),
+      getUsage: vi.fn(() => ({
+        primary: { inputTokens: 0, outputTokens: 0, calls: 0 },
+        delegation: {},
+        total: { inputTokens: 0, outputTokens: 0, calls: 0, estimatedCost: 0 },
+      })),
+      getModelTier: vi.fn(() => 'default'),
+      setModelTier: vi.fn(),
+      compact: vi.fn(async () => null),
+      reset: vi.fn(),
+    };
+
+    const sessionBridge = {
+      getAgent: vi.fn(() => mockAgent),
+      getSessionId: vi.fn(() => 'ws:s1'),
+      setBusy: vi.fn(),
+      setOnToolUse: vi.fn(),
+      isBusy: vi.fn(() => false),
+      cancelSession: vi.fn(() => true),
+      cancel: vi.fn(() => true),
+    };
+
+    const laneQueue = {
+      enqueue: vi.fn(async (_laneId: string, work: () => Promise<unknown>) => work()),
+      cancel: vi.fn(),
+      isProcessing: vi.fn(() => true),
+    } as unknown as LaneQueue;
+
+    const handlers = createAgentHandlers({
+      sessionBridge: sessionBridge as unknown as AgentHandlerDeps['sessionBridge'],
+      laneQueue,
+      resolveQueuePolicy: vi.fn(() => ({ mode: 'interrupt' as const })),
+    });
+
+    const sent: OutboundMessage[] = [];
+    const send = vi.fn((msg: OutboundMessage) => sent.push(msg));
+
+    await handlers['agent.send']({
+      id: 7,
+      method: 'agent.send',
+      params: { message: 'newest', connectionId: 'conn-1' },
+    }, send);
+
+    expect(sessionBridge.cancelSession).toHaveBeenCalledWith('ws:s1');
+    expect(sessionBridge.cancel).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect((sent[0] as GatewayEvent).event).toBe('done');
+  });
 });

src/gateway/handlers/agent.ts

@@ -58,6 +58,20 @@ export function createAgentHandlers(deps: AgentHandlerDeps) {
       const laneId = sessionId ?? connectionId;
       const channel = sessionId?.split(':', 1)[0] ?? 'ws';
       const resolvedPolicy = deps.resolveQueuePolicy?.({ laneId, sessionId, connectionId, channel });
+      const laneQueueWithProcessing = deps.laneQueue as LaneQueue & { isProcessing?: (lane: string) => boolean };
+      const laneIsProcessing = typeof laneQueueWithProcessing.isProcessing === 'function'
+        ? laneQueueWithProcessing.isProcessing(laneId)
+        : false;
+
+      // Interrupt mode should preempt active work when a newer request arrives.
+      // LaneQueue itself only rejects queued entries, so we also request agent cancellation.
+      if (resolvedPolicy?.mode === 'interrupt' && laneIsProcessing) {
+        if (sessionId) {
+          deps.sessionBridge.cancelSession(sessionId);
+        } else {
+          deps.sessionBridge.cancel(connectionId);
+        }
+      }
 
       // Enqueue the work — if the lane is idle it runs immediately,
       // otherwise it waits for earlier requests on the same session to finish.

src/gateway/session-bridge.test.ts

@@ -185,6 +185,30 @@ describe('SessionBridge', () => {
     expect(cancelSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it('cancelSession requests cancellation when session has a busy connection', () => {
+    const bridge = createBridge();
+    bridge.connect('conn-1');
+    bridge.connect('conn-2');
+    bridge.switchSession('conn-2', 'ws:conn-1');
+
+    const agent = bridge.getAgent('conn-1');
+    if (!agent) {
+      throw new Error('Expected agent for conn-1');
+    }
+    const cancelSpy = vi.spyOn(agent, 'cancel');
+
+    bridge.setBusy('conn-2', true);
+    expect(bridge.cancelSession('ws:conn-1')).toBe(true);
+    expect(cancelSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it('cancelSession returns false when no active operation exists', () => {
+    const bridge = createBridge();
+    bridge.connect('conn-1');
+
+    expect(bridge.cancelSession('ws:conn-1')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   it('switchSession changes session for a connection', () => {
     const bridge = createBridge();
     bridge.connect('conn-1');

src/gateway/session-bridge.ts

@@ -132,6 +132,30 @@ export class SessionBridge {
     return true;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Request cancellation for the active operation in a session.
+   * Returns true if at least one connection in the session is currently busy.
+   */
+  cancelSession(sessionId: string): boolean {
+    const clients = Array.from(this.clients.values()).filter((client) => client.sessionId === sessionId);
+    if (clients.length === 0) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    const hasBusyClient = clients.some((client) => client.busy);
+    if (!hasBusyClient) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    const agent = this.agents.get(sessionId);
+    if (!agent) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    agent.cancel();
+    return true;
+  }
+
   /** Set onToolUse callback for a connection's agent. */
   setOnToolUse(connectionId: string, callback: ((event: ToolUseEvent) => void) | undefined): void {
     const client = this.clients.get(connectionId);