Mission Control for Long-Running AI
Replace vague loading with a real task workbench.
`agent-progress-ui` is an open-source React UI system for deep research, code agents, and long-running AI tasks. Show liveness, stages, and proof instead of trapping users behind a spinner.
Liveness
Always prove the task is still alive.
Stages
Stable checkpoints instead of fake progress bars.
Evidence
Sources, tools, drafts, and reviewable artifacts.
Live Scenario
Agent Workbench2-10 minutes. This is no longer a loading state.
Build and smoke checks are underway.
Stage Rail
Lock scope, constraints, and success criteria.
Read files and infer the safe edit boundary.
Mutate the project with checkpoints.
Execute tests and gather proof.
Collect diffs, screenshots, and review notes.
Artifacts
diff
Patch previewA reviewable diff summary with ownership notes.
Evidence Feed
Build and smoke checks are underway.
The code changes are stable enough for verification.
The user can leave without losing progress.
A patch preview is available before verification.
The agent is editing and staging artifacts for review.
Safe edit boundaries are now visible.
Why this exists
Long-running AI work needs observability, not decoration.
Once a task crosses the 10-second mark, users stop asking “is this pretty?” and start asking “is this alive?”, “what is it doing?”, and “can I safely leave?”. This project turns those questions into reusable UI primitives.
Anti-pattern
A single spinner that runs for 30 seconds with no evidence.
Anti-pattern
A fake 64% progress bar for work that depends on external sources or tools.
Anti-pattern
One visual treatment for executing, waiting on rate limits, and waiting on the user.
Three layers
A system, not a spinner.
The package is organized around the three surfaces that matter in long-running AI experiences: keep the task alive, show the stage, and emit proof as the system learns or changes the world.
Liveness Layer
Every task proves the system is still alive without turning the interface into a spinner prison.
Stage Layer
Progress is communicated as a stable sequence of stages instead of fake percentages.
Evidence Layer
Users see sources, tools, drafts, and artifacts as they appear, which is how trust is actually built.
State machine
Stable states are more trustworthy than fake percentages.
`agent-progress-ui` ships with a fixed state machine, reducer, and scenario catalog so teams can design around real execution phases instead of ambiguous “thinking” copy.
Event schema sample
{
"id": "agent-15",
"taskId": "task_agent_01",
"type": "step_completed",
"state": "ready_for_review",
"timestamp": "2026-04-29T09:02:02.000Z",
"title": "Ready for review",
"message": "Diffs, artifacts, and next steps are bundled for inspection.",
"stepId": "agent-verify",
"stepLabel": "Run checks",
"elapsedMs": 122000,
"artifact": {
"type": "bundle",
"id": "agent-review",
"label": "Review bundle",
"description": "Diff, screenshots, logs, and verification output."
}
}Examples