---
schema_version: 1
id: RAC-KTR5QS8WHG69
type: roadmap
---
# RAC v0.8.4 — Explorer Action Workflows

## Status

Planned

## Context

v0.8.3 presents recommendations, but acting on them still requires users to
leave Explorer, locate files, and open tools by hand.

The Explorer requirement's Act capability requires navigating efficiently
from findings to remediation workflows. Explorer locates, explains, and
recommends; external tools remain responsible for editing, authoring, and
applying changes (DESIGN-action-workflows, ADR-024).

Repositories without structured knowledge also need a supported path in:
the guided import workflow (DESIGN-import-workflow) wraps Core ingestion so
existing documents become structured artifacts without silent mutation.

## Outcomes

- Users move directly from a finding to the affected artifact in their own
  editor.
- Every repository-changing workflow previews its changes and requires
  explicit confirmation.
- Long-running operations report their state, progress, and result.

## Initiatives

### Initiative 1 — Finding Actions

From any finding or recommendation, support:

- Open Artifact
- Open Related Artifact
- Show Recommendation
- Show Relationship Impact
- Open In Editor
- Export Finding

The expected path is: Finding → Recommendation → Open Artifact → Open In
Editor → user remediates.

### Initiative 2 — Editor Integration

Implement editor launch per DESIGN-editor-integration:

- Configurable editor command (for example `explorer.editor.command: cursor`)
  covering editors such as VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Vim, Neovim, Emacs, and
  JetBrains IDEs.
- Editor selection offered during first run and changeable later.
- If unconfigured: prompt the user, fall back to the system default, and
  provide guidance.

### Initiative 3 — Guided Import

Implement the import workflow per DESIGN-import-workflow, wrapping the Core
ingest service:

1. Document selection — show detected artifact counts.
2. Import review — show the artifacts that would be created.
3. Confirmation — require explicit user confirmation.

Import is deterministic, with no AI interpretation. RAC Core owns ingestion;
Explorer owns workflow presentation.

### Initiative 4 — Change Preview and Confirmation

Any workflow capable of changing repository contents presents a preview
before applying it. Explorer never silently mutates repository knowledge.

### Initiative 5 — Operation Feedback

Long-running operations display:

- current state
- progress where available
- completion result
- errors

## Implementation Contract

The following decisions are pinned for v0.8.4.

### Editor Integration

- `rac.explorer.editor` resolves the editor command from `$VISUAL`, then
  `$EDITOR`; when neither is set it returns guidance rather than guessing.
  Launch is fire-and-forget (`Popen`) through a module-level runner seam so
  tests inject a spy and no real editor starts.
- The context view gains an `e` binding: Open In Editor on the current
  artifact. The outcome (launched, or guidance when unconfigured) is shown as
  a text status line.
- A persisted editor preference and first-run editor selection are deferred to
  v0.8.6 preferences; v0.8.4 uses the standard `$VISUAL`/`$EDITOR` convention.
  Terminal editors that need the TUI suspended are a later enhancement; v0.8.4
  targets GUI editors (Cursor, VS Code, …) per DESIGN-editor-integration.

### Guided Import

- `/import <source> [target]` wraps the Core ingest service: conversion runs in
  a Textual worker (operation feedback — Converting → Preview → Result), the
  preview shows the source, converter, target path, and the converted Markdown,
  and writing requires explicit confirmation (`y`). Import never overwrites an
  existing file. Output equals `rac ingest` (ADR-015); Explorer owns only the
  workflow. `import` joins the command registry.

### Change Preview and Confirmation

- Any workflow that can change repository contents previews first and applies
  only on explicit confirmation; Explorer never silently mutates the
  repository (ADR-024). Import and recommendation export both use this path.

### Export Finding

- The recommendations screen gains an `x` binding: export the current
  recommendations to a Markdown file, with the same preview-and-confirm flow.

### Deferred From Initiative 1

- Open Artifact, Show Recommendation, and the relationship view already exist
  (v0.8.1–v0.8.3); Open Related Artifact and Show Relationship Impact as
  interactive traversal are delivered by v0.8.5 relationship navigation.

### Scope

- No Core or service changes beyond consuming the existing ingest service; no
  JSON contract movement; existing CLI output byte-identical. New modules
  `editor.py`, `screens/confirm.py`, `screens/import_.py`; the explorer battery
  absorbs the tests.

## Non-Goals

- Direct artifact editing or content authoring inside Explorer (ADR-024)
- Saving content changes from Explorer
- Replacing existing editing tools
- Automated fixes applied without confirmation

## Success Measures

- A user can move from a repository finding to the affected artifact open in
  their configured editor without manually locating files.
- No Explorer workflow changes repository contents without a preview and an
  explicit confirmation.
- Import through Explorer produces the same results as `rac ingest`
  (ADR-015).

## Related Decisions

- ADR-015
- ADR-024
- ADR-006

## Related Designs

- explorer-action-workflows
- explorer-editor-integrations
- explorer-import-workflow
- explorer-recommendations

## Related Requirements

- rac-product-knowledge-navigator-explorer

## Dependencies

- v0.8.3 recommendation presentation
- v0.8.1 first run experience (editor selection)
- Existing ingest service
- v0.8.0 operation interface (progress, cancellation)
