fix(windows): stabilize local and SSH execution for wizard and sessions

- Use full agent path (claude.exe) on Windows to avoid shell:true
  which breaks stdin piping for stream-json input mode
- Fix SSH condition to check enabled flag, not just config existence
- Pass sessionSshRemoteConfig through inline wizard to enable remote execution
- Add synopsis SSH inheritance from parent session as backend workaround

Fixes local wizard crashing with exit code 1 and SSH sessions
incorrectly using local paths when SSH was disabled.

BUILDING_WINDOWS.md

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Building and Running on Windows
+
+This guide provides instructions for setting up your environment and running the Maestro application on a Windows machine.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:
+
+*   **Node.js:** Version 22 or later.
+*   **Python:** Version 3 or later.
+
+Additionally, you will need the Visual Studio Build Tools to compile native Node.js modules used in this project.
+
+### Installing Visual Studio Build Tools
+
+1.  **Download the Build Tools:**
+    *   Go to the [Visual Studio Downloads page](https://my.visualstudio.com/Downloads?q=Visual%20Studio%202022).
+    *   You may need to log in with a Microsoft account.
+    *   Download the **Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022**.
+
+2.  **Run the Installer:**
+    *   When the installer launches, you will be prompted to select workloads.
+    *   Check the box for **Desktop development with C++**.
+    *   Proceed with the installation.
+
+3.  **Verify the Setup:**
+    *   After the installation is complete, open a PowerShell terminal in the project root.
+    *   Run `npm ci` to install dependencies. If you have already run `npm install`, you can run `npx electron-rebuild` to rebuild the native modules.
+
+## Running the Application in Development Mode
+
+There are two ways to run the application in development mode on Windows: using the provided script or by running the steps manually.
+
+### Using the Development Script (Recommended)
+
+The easiest way to start the development environment is to use the `dev:win` npm script. This script automates the entire process.
+
+Open a PowerShell terminal and run:
+```powershell
+npm run dev:win
+```
+
+This will handle all the necessary build steps and launch the application.
+
+### Manual Steps
+
+If you encounter issues with the `dev:win` script or prefer to run the steps manually, follow this procedure.
+
+1.  **Build the application:**
+    ```powershell
+    npm run build
+    ```
+
+2.  **Start the Vite renderer:**
+    ```powershell
+    npm run dev:renderer
+    ```
+
+3.  **Start the Electron main process:**
+    Open a **new** PowerShell terminal and run the following command:
+    ```powershell
+    npm run build:prompts; npx tsc -p tsconfig.main.json; $env:NODE_ENV='development'; npx electron .
+    ```
+
+This will launch the application in development mode with hot-reloading for the renderer.

src/main/index.ts

@@ -423,6 +423,7 @@ function setupIpcHandlers() {
 		agentConfigsStore,
 		settingsStore: store,
 		getMainWindow: () => mainWindow,
+    sessionsStore,
 	});
 
 	// Persistence operations - extracted to src/main/ipc/handlers/persistence.ts

src/main/ipc/handlers/index.ts

@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@ export function registerAllHandlers(deps: HandlerDependencies): void {
 		agentConfigsStore: deps.agentConfigsStore,
 		settingsStore: deps.settingsStore,
 		getMainWindow: deps.getMainWindow,
+    sessionsStore: deps.sessionsStore,
 	});
 	registerPersistenceHandlers({
 		settingsStore: deps.settingsStore,

src/main/ipc/handlers/process.ts

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ export interface ProcessHandlerDependencies {
 	agentConfigsStore: Store<AgentConfigsData>;
 	settingsStore: Store<MaestroSettings>;
 	getMainWindow: () => BrowserWindow | null;
+  	sessionsStore: Store<{ sessions: any[] }>;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -66,7 +67,7 @@ export interface ProcessHandlerDependencies {
  * - runCommand: Execute a single command and capture output
  */
 export function registerProcessHandlers(deps: ProcessHandlerDependencies): void {
-	const { getProcessManager, getAgentDetector, agentConfigsStore, settingsStore, getMainWindow } =
+	const { getProcessManager, getAgentDetector, agentConfigsStore, settingsStore, getMainWindow, sessionsStore } =
 		deps;
 
 	// Spawn a new process for a session
@@ -108,6 +109,26 @@ export function registerProcessHandlers(deps: ProcessHandlerDependencies): void
 				const processManager = requireProcessManager(getProcessManager);
 				const agentDetector = requireDependency(getAgentDetector, 'Agent detector');
 
+				// Synopsis SSH Fix: If this is a synopsis session and it's missing SSH config,
+				// try to inherit it from the parent session. This is a backend workaround for
+				// a suspected frontend state issue where the remote config isn't passed.
+				const synopsisMatch = config.sessionId.match(/^(.+)-synopsis-\d+$/);
+				if (synopsisMatch && (!config.sessionSshRemoteConfig || !config.sessionSshRemoteConfig.enabled)) {
+					const originalSessionId = synopsisMatch[1];
+					const sessions = sessionsStore.get('sessions', []);
+					const originalSession = sessions.find(s => s.id === originalSessionId);
+
+					if (originalSession && originalSession.sessionSshRemoteConfig?.enabled) {
+					const sshConfig = originalSession.sessionSshRemoteConfig;
+					config.sessionSshRemoteConfig = sshConfig;
+					logger.info(`Inferred SSH config for synopsis session from parent session`, LOG_CONTEXT, {
+						sessionId: config.sessionId,
+						originalSessionId: originalSessionId,
+						sshRemoteId: sshConfig.remoteId,
+					});
+					}
+				}
+
       // Get agent definition to access config options and argument builders
       const agent = await agentDetector.getAgent(config.toolType);
       // Use INFO level on Windows for better visibility in logs
@@ -245,6 +266,13 @@ export function registerProcessHandlers(deps: ProcessHandlerDependencies): void
 				// ========================================================================
 				// Command Resolution: Apply session-level custom path override if set
 				// This allows users to override the detected agent path per-session
+				//
+				// WINDOWS FIX: On Windows, prefer the resolved agent path with .exe extension
+				// to avoid using shell:true in ProcessManager. When shell:true is used,
+				// stdin piping through cmd.exe is unreliable - data written to stdin may not
+				// be forwarded to the child process. This breaks stream-json input mode.
+				// By using the full path with .exe extension, ProcessManager will spawn
+				// the process directly without cmd.exe wrapper, ensuring stdin works correctly.
 				// ========================================================================
 				let commandToSpawn = config.sessionCustomPath || config.command;
 				let argsToSpawn = finalArgs;
@@ -254,6 +282,20 @@ export function registerProcessHandlers(deps: ProcessHandlerDependencies): void
 						customPath: config.sessionCustomPath,
 						originalCommand: config.command,
 					});
+				} else if (isWindows && agent?.path && !config.sessionSshRemoteConfig?.enabled) {
+					// On Windows LOCAL execution, use the full resolved agent path if it ends with .exe or .com
+					// This avoids ProcessManager setting shell:true for extensionless commands,
+					// which breaks stdin piping (needed for stream-json input mode)
+					// NOTE: Skip this for SSH sessions - SSH uses the remote agent path, not local
+					const pathExt = require('path').extname(agent.path).toLowerCase();
+					if (pathExt === '.exe' || pathExt === '.com') {
+					commandToSpawn = agent.path;
+					logger.debug(`Using full agent path on Windows to avoid shell wrapper`, LOG_CONTEXT, {
+						originalCommand: config.command,
+						resolvedPath: agent.path,
+						reason: 'stdin-reliability',
+					});
+					}
 				}
 
       // ========================================================================
@@ -271,10 +313,11 @@ export function registerProcessHandlers(deps: ProcessHandlerDependencies): void
           toolType: config.toolType,
           isTerminal: config.toolType === 'terminal',
           hasSessionSshRemoteConfig: !!config.sessionSshRemoteConfig,
-          willUseSsh: config.toolType !== 'terminal' && !!config.sessionSshRemoteConfig,
+          sshEnabled: config.sessionSshRemoteConfig?.enabled,
+          willUseSsh: config.toolType !== 'terminal' && config.sessionSshRemoteConfig?.enabled,
         });
       }
-      if (config.toolType !== 'terminal' && config.sessionSshRemoteConfig) {
+      if (config.toolType !== 'terminal' && config.sessionSshRemoteConfig?.enabled) {
         // Session-level SSH config provided - resolve and use it
         logger.info(`Using session-level SSH config`, LOG_CONTEXT, {
           sessionId: config.sessionId,

src/renderer/App.tsx

@@ -6325,7 +6325,7 @@ You are taking over this conversation. Based on the context above, provide a bri
 					customArgs: activeSession.customArgs,
 					customEnvVars: activeSession.customEnvVars,
 					customModel: activeSession.customModel,
-					customContextWindow: activeSession.customContextWindow,
+					customContextWindow: activeSession.customContextWindow,,
 					sessionSshRemoteConfig: activeSession.sessionSshRemoteConfig,
 				}
 			);
@@ -6507,7 +6507,8 @@ You are taking over this conversation. Based on the context above, provide a bri
 				activeSession.name, // Session/project name
 				activeTab.id, // Tab ID for per-tab isolation
 				activeSession.id, // Session ID for playbook creation
-				activeSession.autoRunFolderPath // User-configured Auto Run folder path (if set)
+				activeSession.autoRunFolderPath, // User-configured Auto Run folder path (if set)
+				activeSession.sessionSshRemoteConfig // SSH remote config for remote execution
 			);
 
 			// Rename the tab to "Wizard" immediately when wizard starts
@@ -6589,7 +6590,8 @@ You are taking over this conversation. Based on the context above, provide a bri
 				activeSession.name,
 				newTab.id,
 				activeSession.id,
-				activeSession.autoRunFolderPath // User-configured Auto Run folder path (if set)
+				activeSession.autoRunFolderPath, // User-configured Auto Run folder path (if set)
+				activeSession.sessionSshRemoteConfig // SSH remote config for remote execution
 			);
 
 			// Show a system log entry

src/renderer/components/Wizard/services/phaseGenerator.ts

@@ -1098,8 +1098,8 @@ class PhaseGenerator {
         agentCommand: agent.command,
         argsCount: argsForSpawn.length,
         promptLength: prompt.length,
-        hasRemoteSsh: !!config.sessionSshRemoteConfig?.enabled,
-        remoteId: config.sessionSshRemoteConfig?.remoteId || null,
+        hasRemoteSsh: !!config.sshRemoteConfig?.enabled,
+        remoteId: config.sshRemoteConfig?.remoteId || null,
       });
       window.maestro.process
         .spawn({

src/renderer/global.d.ts

@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ interface AgentConfig {
 	binaryName?: string;
 	available: boolean;
 	path?: string;
+  	customPath?: string;
 	command: string;
 	args?: string[];
 	hidden?: boolean;

src/renderer/hooks/useInlineWizard.ts

@@ -143,6 +143,12 @@ export interface InlineWizardState {
 	subfolderPath: string | null;
 	/** User-configured Auto Run folder path (overrides default projectPath/Auto Run Docs) */
 	autoRunFolderPath: string | null;
+	/** SSH remote configuration (for remote execution) */
+	sessionSshRemoteConfig?: {
+		enabled: boolean;
+		remoteId: string | null;
+		workingDirOverride?: string;
+	};
 }
 
 /**
@@ -199,6 +205,7 @@ export interface UseInlineWizardReturn {
 	 * @param tabId - The tab ID to associate the wizard with
 	 * @param sessionId - The session ID for playbook creation
 	 * @param autoRunFolderPath - User-configured Auto Run folder path (if set, overrides default projectPath/Auto Run Docs)
+   * @param sessionSshRemoteConfig - SSH remote configuration (for remote execution)
 	 */
 	startWizard: (
 		naturalLanguageInput?: string,
@@ -208,7 +215,12 @@ export interface UseInlineWizardReturn {
 		sessionName?: string,
 		tabId?: string,
 		sessionId?: string,
-		autoRunFolderPath?: string
+		autoRunFolderPath?: string,
+		sessionSshRemoteConfig?: {
+			enabled: boolean;
+			remoteId: string | null;
+			workingDirOverride?: string;
+		}
 	) => Promise<void>;
 	/** End the wizard and restore previous UI state */
 	endWizard: () => Promise<PreviousUIState | null>;
@@ -450,7 +462,12 @@ export function useInlineWizard(): UseInlineWizardReturn {
 			sessionName?: string,
 			tabId?: string,
 			sessionId?: string,
-			configuredAutoRunFolderPath?: string
+			configuredAutoRunFolderPath?: string,
+			sessionSshRemoteConfig?: {
+				enabled: boolean;
+				remoteId: string | null;
+				workingDirOverride?: string;
+			}
 		): Promise<void> => {
 			// Tab ID is required for per-tab wizard management
 			const effectiveTabId = tabId || 'default';
@@ -506,6 +523,7 @@ export function useInlineWizard(): UseInlineWizardReturn {
 				subfolderName: null,
 				subfolderPath: null,
 				autoRunFolderPath: effectiveAutoRunFolderPath,
+        		sessionSshRemoteConfig,
 			}));
 
 			try {
@@ -574,6 +592,7 @@ export function useInlineWizard(): UseInlineWizardReturn {
 						goal: goal || undefined,
 						existingDocs: docsWithContent.length > 0 ? docsWithContent : undefined,
 						autoRunFolderPath: effectiveAutoRunFolderPath,
+           				sessionSshRemoteConfig,
 					});
 
 					// Store conversation session per-tab
@@ -708,6 +727,7 @@ export function useInlineWizard(): UseInlineWizardReturn {
 						goal: currentState.goal || undefined,
 						existingDocs: undefined,
 						autoRunFolderPath: effectiveAutoRunFolderPath,
+            			sessionSshRemoteConfig: currentState.sessionSshRemoteConfig,
 					});
 					conversationSessionsMap.current.set(tabId, session);
 					// Update mode to 'new' since we're proceeding with a new plan
@@ -888,6 +908,7 @@ export function useInlineWizard(): UseInlineWizardReturn {
 						goal: currentState.goal || undefined,
 						existingDocs: undefined, // Will be loaded separately if needed
 						autoRunFolderPath: effectiveAutoRunFolderPath,
+          				sessionSshRemoteConfig: currentState.sessionSshRemoteConfig,
 					});
 
 					conversationSessionsMap.current.set(tabId, session);

src/renderer/services/inlineWizardConversation.ts

@@ -90,6 +90,12 @@ export interface InlineWizardConversationConfig {
 	existingDocs?: ExistingDocument[];
 	/** Auto Run folder path */
 	autoRunFolderPath?: string;
+	/** SSH remote configuration (for remote execution) */
+	sessionSshRemoteConfig?: {
+		enabled: boolean;
+		remoteId: string | null;
+		workingDirOverride?: string;
+	};
 }
 
 /**
@@ -108,6 +114,12 @@ export interface InlineWizardConversationSession {
 	systemPrompt: string;
 	/** Whether the session is active */
 	isActive: boolean;
+	/** SSH remote configuration (for remote execution) */
+	sessionSshRemoteConfig?: {
+		enabled: boolean;
+		remoteId: string | null;
+		workingDirOverride?: string;
+	};
 }
 
 /**
@@ -250,6 +262,8 @@ export function startInlineWizardConversation(
 		projectName: config.projectName,
 		systemPrompt,
 		isActive: true,
+		// Only pass SSH config if it is explicitly enabled to prevent false positives in process manager
+		sessionSshRemoteConfig: config.sessionSshRemoteConfig?.enabled ? config.sessionSshRemoteConfig : undefined,
 	};
 }
 
@@ -439,6 +453,7 @@ function buildArgsForAgent(agent: any): string[] {
 			// The agent can read files to understand the project, but cannot write/edit
 			// This ensures the wizard conversation phase doesn't make code changes
 			if (!args.includes('--allowedTools')) {
+       		 // Split tools into separate arguments for better cross-platform compatibility (especially Windows)
 				args.push('--allowedTools', 'Read', 'Glob', 'Grep', 'LS');
 			}
 			return args;
@@ -648,6 +663,8 @@ export async function sendWizardMessage(
 					command: agent.command,
 					args: argsForSpawn,
 					prompt: fullPrompt,
+					// Pass SSH config for remote execution
+					sessionSshRemoteConfig: session.sessionSshRemoteConfig,
 				})
 				.then(() => {
 					callbacks?.onReceiving?.();