fix(app): resolve terminal profiles at creation boundary

Profile placeholders were reaching spawned processes because each menu decided whether to resolve them. Keep UI callers profile-only and perform empty-prompt resolution once when the workspace terminal is created.

packages/app/e2e/browser/launcher-tab.spec.ts

@@ -22,11 +22,23 @@ import {
   setupDeterministicPrompt,
 } from "../support/helpers/terminal-perf";
 import { seedWorkspace, type SeededWorkspace } from "../support/helpers/seed-client";
+import {
+  expectTerminalOutputContains,
+  seedTerminalProfiles,
+  type TerminalProfile,
+} from "../support/helpers/new-workspace-launch";
 
 // ─── Shared state ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 let workspace: SeededWorkspace;
 
+const EMPTY_PROMPT_PROFILE: TerminalProfile = {
+  id: "e2e-empty-prompt",
+  name: "Empty Prompt",
+  command: "/bin/sh",
+  args: ["-c", 'echo prompt-args: "$#"; sleep 10', "profile-name", "{{{prompt}}}"],
+};
+
 test.beforeAll(async () => {
   workspace = await seedWorkspace({ repoPrefix: "launcher-e2e-" });
 });
@@ -137,6 +149,23 @@ test.describe("Tab creation", () => {
     expect(terminalTabs.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
   });
 
+  test("launching a profile from the New tab menu drops its empty prompt argument", async ({
+    page,
+  }) => {
+    test.setTimeout(45_000);
+    const profileSeed = await seedTerminalProfiles([EMPTY_PROMPT_PROFILE]);
+
+    try {
+      await gotoWorkspace(page, workspace.workspaceId);
+      await page.getByTestId("workspace-new-tab-menu-trigger").filter({ visible: true }).click();
+      await page.getByRole("menuitem", { name: EMPTY_PROMPT_PROFILE.name }).click();
+
+      await expectTerminalOutputContains(page, "prompt-args: 0");
+    } finally {
+      await profileSeed.restore();
+    }
+  });
+
   test("tab bar shows action buttons per pane", async ({ page }) => {
     await gotoWorkspace(page, workspace.workspaceId);
     await assertSingleNewTabButton(page);

packages/app/src/components/split-container.tsx

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ import {
   WorkspaceDesktopTabsRow,
   type WorkspaceDesktopTabRowItem,
 } from "@/screens/workspace/workspace-desktop-tabs-row";
-import type { TerminalProfileInput } from "@/screens/workspace/terminals/use-workspace-terminals";
+import type { TerminalProfile } from "@getpaseo/protocol/messages";
 import {
   WorkspaceTabPresentationResolver,
   WorkspaceTabIcon,
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ interface SplitContainerProps {
   onCloseTabsToRight: (tabId: string, paneTabs: WorkspaceTabDescriptor[]) => Promise<void> | void;
   onCloseOtherTabs: (tabId: string, paneTabs: WorkspaceTabDescriptor[]) => Promise<void> | void;
   onCreateDraftTab: (input: { paneId?: string }) => void;
-  onCreateTerminalTab: (input: { paneId?: string; profile?: TerminalProfileInput }) => void;
+  onCreateTerminalTab: (input: { paneId?: string; profile?: TerminalProfile }) => void;
   onCreateBrowserTab: (input: { paneId?: string }) => void;
   showCreateBrowserTab?: boolean;
   buildPaneContentModel: (input: {

packages/app/src/screens/workspace/terminals/use-workspace-terminals.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
 import { useMutation, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import type { DaemonClient } from "@getpaseo/client/internal/daemon-client";
+import type { TerminalProfile } from "@getpaseo/protocol/messages";
+import { resolveTerminalProfileLaunch } from "@getpaseo/protocol/terminal-profiles";
 import type { WorkspaceDescriptor } from "@/stores/session-store";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { useReplicaQuery } from "@/data/query";
@@ -17,19 +19,11 @@ import {
   upsertCreatedTerminalPayload,
 } from "@/screens/workspace/terminals/state";
 
-interface TerminalProfileInput {
-  name: string;
-  command: string;
-  args?: string[];
-}
-
 interface PendingTerminalCreateInput {
   paneId?: string;
-  profile?: TerminalProfileInput;
+  profile?: TerminalProfile;
 }
 
-export type { TerminalProfileInput };
-
 interface UseWorkspaceTerminalsInput {
   client: DaemonClient | null;
   isConnected: boolean;
@@ -135,10 +129,13 @@ export function useWorkspaceTerminals(input: UseWorkspaceTerminalsInput) {
       if (!client || !workspaceDirectory) {
         throw new Error(t("workspace.terminal.hostDisconnected"));
       }
-      const payload = _input?.profile
+      const profile = _input?.profile
-        ? await client.createTerminal(workspaceDirectory, _input.profile.name, undefined, {
+        ? resolveTerminalProfileLaunch(_input.profile, "")
-            command: _input.profile.command,
+        : undefined;
-            args: _input.profile.args,
+      const payload = profile
+        ? await client.createTerminal(workspaceDirectory, profile.name, undefined, {
+            command: profile.command,
+            args: profile.args,
             workspaceId: normalizedWorkspaceId || undefined,
           })
         : await client.createTerminal(workspaceDirectory, undefined, undefined, {

packages/app/src/screens/workspace/workspace-desktop-tabs-row.tsx

@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ import {
   resolveTerminalProfiles,
 } from "@getpaseo/protocol/terminal-profiles";
 import { buildSettingsHostSectionRoute } from "@/utils/host-routes";
-import type { TerminalProfileInput } from "@/screens/workspace/terminals/use-workspace-terminals";
+import type { TerminalProfile } from "@getpaseo/protocol/messages";
 import { TerminalProfileIcon } from "@/components/terminal-profile-icon";
 import { useWorkspaceLayoutStore } from "@/stores/workspace-layout-store";
 import { buildWorkspaceTabPersistenceKey } from "@/workspace-tabs/model";
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ function TabLabelMeasurement({
 interface TerminalProfileMenuItemProps {
   profile: { id: string; name: string; command: string; args?: string[]; icon?: string };
   disabled?: boolean;
-  onLaunch: (profile: TerminalProfileInput) => void;
+  onLaunch: (profile: TerminalProfile) => void;
 }
 
 function TerminalProfileMenuItem({ profile, disabled, onLaunch }: TerminalProfileMenuItemProps) {
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ interface TabTargetLauncherOptions {
   onOpenChanges: () => void;
   onOpenFiles: () => void;
   onOpenPullRequest: () => void;
-  onCreateTerminalWithProfile: (profile: TerminalProfileInput) => void;
+  onCreateTerminalWithProfile: (profile: TerminalProfile) => void;
 }
 
 interface WorkspaceNewTabButtonProps extends TabTargetLauncherOptions {
@@ -660,7 +660,7 @@ interface WorkspaceDesktopTabsRowProps {
   onCloseTabsToRight: (tabId: string) => Promise<void> | void;
   onCloseOtherTabs: (tabId: string) => Promise<void> | void;
   onCreateDraftTab: (input: { paneId?: string }) => void;
-  onCreateTerminalTab: (input: { paneId?: string; profile?: TerminalProfileInput }) => void;
+  onCreateTerminalTab: (input: { paneId?: string; profile?: TerminalProfile }) => void;
   onCreateBrowserTab: (input: { paneId?: string }) => void;
   showCreateBrowserTab?: boolean;
   disableCreateTerminal?: boolean;
@@ -1396,7 +1396,7 @@ function ResolvedWorkspaceDesktopTabsRow({
   }, [onCreateTerminalTab, paneId]);
 
   const handleCreateTerminalWithProfile = useCallback(
-    (profile: TerminalProfileInput) => {
+    (profile: TerminalProfile) => {
       onCreateTerminalTab({ paneId, profile });
     },
     [onCreateTerminalTab, paneId],

packages/app/src/screens/workspace/workspace-screen.tsx

@@ -180,13 +180,10 @@ import {
   buildSettingsHostRoute,
   buildSettingsHostSectionRoute,
 } from "@/utils/host-routes";
-import {
+import { useWorkspaceTerminals } from "@/screens/workspace/terminals/use-workspace-terminals";
-  useWorkspaceTerminals,
+import type { TerminalProfile } from "@getpaseo/protocol/messages";
-  type TerminalProfileInput,
-} from "@/screens/workspace/terminals/use-workspace-terminals";
 import { useDaemonConfig } from "@/hooks/use-daemon-config";
 import {
-  resolveTerminalProfileLaunch,
   getTerminalProfileIcon,
   resolveTerminalProfiles,
 } from "@getpaseo/protocol/terminal-profiles";
@@ -930,7 +927,7 @@ interface WorkspaceHeaderMenuProps {
   menuSettingsIcon: ReactElement;
   onCreateDraftTab: () => void;
   onCreateTerminal: () => void;
-  onCreateTerminalWithProfile: (profile: TerminalProfileInput) => void;
+  onCreateTerminalWithProfile: (profile: TerminalProfile) => void;
   onCreateBrowser: () => void;
   onOpenImportSheet: () => void;
   onCopyWorkspacePath: () => void;
@@ -940,7 +937,7 @@ interface WorkspaceHeaderMenuProps {
 interface HeaderMenuProfileItemProps {
   profile: { id: string; name: string; command: string; args?: string[]; icon?: string };
   disabled: boolean;
-  onCreateTerminalWithProfile: (profile: TerminalProfileInput) => void;
+  onCreateTerminalWithProfile: (profile: TerminalProfile) => void;
 }
 
 function HeaderMenuProfileItem({
@@ -949,7 +946,7 @@ function HeaderMenuProfileItem({
   onCreateTerminalWithProfile,
 }: HeaderMenuProfileItemProps) {
   const handleSelect = useCallback(() => {
-    onCreateTerminalWithProfile(resolveTerminalProfileLaunch(profile, ""));
+    onCreateTerminalWithProfile(profile);
   }, [onCreateTerminalWithProfile, profile]);
 
   const icon = getTerminalProfileIcon(profile);
@@ -1196,7 +1193,7 @@ interface WorkspaceHeaderTitleBarProps {
   menuSettingsIcon: ReactElement;
   onCreateDraftTab: () => void;
   onCreateTerminal: () => void;
-  onCreateTerminalWithProfile: (profile: TerminalProfileInput) => void;
+  onCreateTerminalWithProfile: (profile: TerminalProfile) => void;
   onCreateBrowser: () => void;
   onOpenImportSheet: () => void;
   onCopyWorkspacePath: () => void;
@@ -2604,7 +2601,7 @@ function WorkspaceScreenContent({
   const handleCreateTerminal = useStableEvent(createTerminal);
 
   const handleCreateTerminalWithProfile = useCallback(
-    (profile: TerminalProfileInput) => {
+    (profile: TerminalProfile) => {
       createTerminal({ profile });
     },
     [createTerminal],

packages/protocol/src/terminal-profiles.test.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   getTerminalProfileIcon,
   guessTerminalProfileIcon,
   profileTakesPrompt,
+  resolveTerminalProfileLaunch,
   resolveTerminalProfiles,
   substitutePrompt,
 } from "./terminal-profiles.js";
@@ -285,6 +286,22 @@ describe("substitutePrompt", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("resolveTerminalProfileLaunch", () => {
+  it("turns an empty prompt profile into a spawnable command with no prompt argument", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveTerminalProfileLaunch(
+        {
+          id: "agent",
+          name: "Agent",
+          command: "agent-cli",
+          args: [PROMPT_SENTINEL],
+        },
+        "",
+      ),
+    ).toEqual({ name: "Agent", command: "agent-cli", args: [] });
+  });
+});
+
 describe("formatResolvedCommand", () => {
   it("joins the command and its args with spaces", () => {
     expect(formatResolvedCommand({ command: "/bin/sh", args: ["-c", "echo hi"] })).toBe(