eleven / messenger Public

apps: adding the whiteboard to a chat now opens it (#1035)

Board gates its canvas behind an explicit `open` flag (an empty board is
a real starting state, unlike poll's "nothing to show yet") — but every
"add this app to the chat" doorway only ever fired groupapps.add, never
board.open, so the widget bar/Interface pane showed nothing until someone
remembered to type /board.

installGroupApp() centralizes "add a shared app to a chat" and, when the
app declares an `openEvent`, fires it right after the add lands. Wired
into all four doorways: both Apps sheets (legacy + places UI), the /board
@here-equivalent auto-add-on-first-use path, and picking apps at group
creation. Web-only — native has no board renderer yet, so there's nothing
to mirror there.

Co-authored-by: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

James Adam 3 months ago ae305ffbf20fab45129553100a1685d4d44cedbd parent 3f44816

6 files changed, +65 −12

changelog/2026-07-15-whiteboard-opens-on-add.md +5 −0
test/apps.test.mjs +28 −0
web/static/apps.js +19 −7
web/static/apps/board.js +6 −0
web/static/groupactions.js +4 −3
web/static/newchat.js +3 −2

diff --git a/changelog/2026-07-15-whiteboard-opens-on-add.md b/changelog/2026-07-15-whiteboard-opens-on-add.md

new file mode 100644

index 0000000..670f030

--- /dev/null

+++ b/changelog/2026-07-15-whiteboard-opens-on-add.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@

+🤖 **Adding the whiteboard to a chat now actually shows it.** Sharing the

+Whiteboard app into a chat used to add it to the widget bar but leave the

+canvas hidden until someone remembered to type `/board` — until then it just

+looked broken. Now adding it (from the Apps sheet, from `/board` itself, or

+when picking apps for a brand-new group) opens the canvas right away.

diff --git a/test/apps.test.mjs b/test/apps.test.mjs

index b56d4a8..8c5b18d 100644

--- a/test/apps.test.mjs

+++ b/test/apps.test.mjs

@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ import {

groupAppsFor,

groupCapableApps,

appGlyphInto,

+ installGroupApp,

spaceAppsApp,

spaceAppsFor,

spaceCapableApps,

@@ -751,6 +752,33 @@ await test("board: close hides the panel without touching strokes; idempotent",

assert.equal(s.strokes.length, 1);

});

+await test("installGroupApp adds the app and, for openEvent apps (board), opens it too", async () => {

+ resetThread("installGroupChat1");

+ const sent = [];

+ setEmitTransport((threadId, event) => (sent.push({ threadId, event }), Promise.resolve(true)));

+ assert.equal(await installGroupApp("installGroupChat1", boardApp), true);

+ assert.deepEqual(sent.map((s) => s.event.type), ["groupapps.add", "board.open"]);

+ assert.ok(sent.every((s) => s.threadId === "installGroupChat1"));

+});

+await test("installGroupApp is a no-op when the app is already added — no re-add, no re-open", async () => {

+ resetThread("installGroupChat2");

+ foldEvent("installGroupChat2", { type: "groupapps.add", app: "board", name: "Ana" }, { id: 1 });

+ assert.ok(groupAppsFor("installGroupChat2").some((a) => a.name === "board"));

+ const sent = [];

+ setEmitTransport((threadId, event) => (sent.push(event), Promise.resolve(true)));

+ assert.equal(await installGroupApp("installGroupChat2", boardApp), true);

+ assert.equal(sent.length, 0, "already added — nothing re-emitted, including no re-open");

+});

+await test("installGroupApp doesn't fire an openEvent for apps that don't declare one (poll)", async () => {

+ resetThread("installGroupChat3");

+ const sent = [];

+ setEmitTransport((threadId, event) => (sent.push(event), Promise.resolve(true)));

+ assert.equal(await installGroupApp("installGroupChat3", pollApp), true);

+ assert.deepEqual(sent.map((e) => e.type), ["groupapps.add"]);

+});

await test("board: owned types are exactly open/close/stroke/clear", () => {

assert.deepEqual(boardApp.types, ["board.open", "board.close", "board.stroke", "board.clear"]);

});

diff --git a/web/static/apps.js b/web/static/apps.js

index 387fd66..12bbb7b 100644

--- a/web/static/apps.js

+++ b/web/static/apps.js

@@ -741,6 +741,21 @@ export async function installSpaceApp(app) {

return emitAppEvent(tid, { type: "spaceapps.add", app: app.name });

}

+// installGroupApp emits the groupapps.add for `app` in `threadId`. Returns

+// true when the install event was sent (or the app was already added) —

+// shared by both Apps sheets (legacy + places UI) so every doorway that adds

+// a shared app to a chat behaves the same. Some apps (board) gate their own

+// visible content behind a separate "open" event rather than rendering

+// something the moment they're added (see board.js's `openEvent` doc

+// comment) — for those, fire that event too, right after the add lands, so

+// the app is actually visible instead of silently present but empty.

+export async function installGroupApp(threadId, app) {

+ if (groupAppsFor(threadId).some((a) => a.name === app.name)) return true;

+ if (!(await emitAppEvent(threadId, { type: "groupapps.add", app: app.name }))) return false;

+ if (app.openEvent) await emitAppEvent(threadId, { type: app.openEvent });

+ return true;

// The apps a user could add to a group — feeds the "Add apps" picker.

export function groupCapableApps() {

return apps.filter((a) => a.places.includes("chat") && a.render);

@@ -1687,12 +1702,9 @@ export function runCommand(text, activeThreadId, respond) {

reply({ sender, text: `${HERE_FLAG} shares an app with a group — it only works in a group chat.` });

return;

}

- if (!groupAppsFor(activeThreadId).some((a) => a.name === app.name)) {

- const sent = await emitAppEvent(activeThreadId, { type: "groupapps.add", app: app.name });

- if (!sent) {

- reply({ sender, text: `Couldn't add ${app.title || app.name} — check your connection and try again.` });

- return;

- }

+ if (!(await installGroupApp(activeThreadId, app))) {

+ reply({ sender, text: `Couldn't add ${app.title || app.name} — check your connection and try again.` });

+ return;

}

if (!args) return; // just the install — the "added … to this chat" action line is the record

// target stays THIS chat: the event goes to the shared instance.

@@ -1751,7 +1763,7 @@ export function runCommand(text, activeThreadId, respond) {

threadIsGroupFn(activeThreadId) &&

!groupAppsFor(activeThreadId).some((a) => a.name === app.name)

) {

- await emitAppEvent(activeThreadId, { type: "groupapps.add", app: app.name });

+ await installGroupApp(activeThreadId, app);

}

if (!target) {

diff --git a/web/static/apps/board.js b/web/static/apps/board.js

index ea5988d..41d390b 100644

--- a/web/static/apps/board.js

+++ b/web/static/apps/board.js

@@ -53,6 +53,12 @@ export const app = defineApp({

// model; the ambient panel retired with #405). /board in a group adopts it.

places: ["chat"],

placeNote: "A whiteboard is for sketching together — it lives in a group chat.",

+ // Unlike poll (which just renders nothing when it has zero polls), an empty

+ // board is still the useful starting state, so it's gated behind an explicit

+ // `open` flag instead. `openEvent` tells the Add-apps flow (groupactions.js)

+ // to fire this the moment the app is added, so the canvas shows up right

+ // away rather than sitting invisible until someone remembers to run /board.

+ openEvent: "board.open",

initialState: () => ({ open: false, strokes: [] }),

events: {

"board.open": (s) => (s.open ? s : { ...s, open: true }),

diff --git a/web/static/groupactions.js b/web/static/groupactions.js

index f53422e..89f5998 100644

--- a/web/static/groupactions.js

+++ b/web/static/groupactions.js

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { processImage } from "/static/media.js";

import { avatarFor, threadAvatarFor, paintAvatar, avatarEl, avatarURLs } from "/static/avatars.js";

import { searchIdx } from "/static/searchui.js";

import { rosterLabel, publishedLabel, rosterMatches, rosterPresence, setPresenceLine, agentTag, pickerName, pickerSection } from "/static/rosterui.js";

-import { emitAppEvent, appGlyphInto, groupAppsFor, listedApps, spaceAppsFor, spaceAppInfo, installSpaceApp, spaceThreadId } from "/static/apps.js";

+import { emitAppEvent, appGlyphInto, groupAppsFor, listedApps, spaceAppsFor, spaceAppInfo, installSpaceApp, installGroupApp, spaceThreadId } from "/static/apps.js";

import { displayNameFor, presenceLabel, renameNotice } from "/static/ui.js";

import { autoGroupTitle } from "/static/format.js";

import { clearThread as storeClearThread } from "/static/store.js";

@@ -1045,7 +1045,8 @@ function manageChatApps(chat) {

btn.disabled = true;

// Truthy = the event was sent; the echo folds the change for everyone

// (the widget bar + action line are the visible record) — done here.

- if (await emitAppEvent(tid, { type: added ? "groupapps.remove" : "groupapps.add", app: app.name })) {

+ const ok = added ? await emitAppEvent(tid, { type: "groupapps.remove", app: app.name }) : await installGroupApp(tid, app);

+ if (ok) {

backdrop.remove();

return;

}

@@ -1171,7 +1172,7 @@ export function manageGroupApps(opts = {}) {

return {

ok: true,

text: `One shared ${title} for everyone in this chat — and only this chat. Everyone here sees the same copy, beside the conversation.`,

- action: { label: "Add to this chat", run: () => emitAppEvent(tid, { type: "groupapps.add", app: app.name }) },

+ action: { label: "Add to this chat", run: () => installGroupApp(tid, app) },

};

}

// opt === "space"

diff --git a/web/static/newchat.js b/web/static/newchat.js

index 53c0c46..8de0606 100644

--- a/web/static/newchat.js

+++ b/web/static/newchat.js

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { ICON_WRENCH } from "/static/icons.js";

import { session, roster, myUserId, threads, threadKeys, threadApp, activeId, nicknames, threadName, threadKeyB64, hidden, dmClosed, embed, setActiveId, ENABLE_BOTS, ENABLE_APPS, ENABLE_MEMBER_APPS, PLACES_UI, instanceKey, ws, tiers, tierKeys, tierKeyB64 } from "/static/shellstate.js";

import { avatarFor, avatarEl, paintAvatar } from "/static/avatars.js";

import { decrypt, encrypt, generateKey, importKey, wrapThreadKey } from "/static/crypto.js";

-import { appGlyphInto, personalApps, groupCapableApps, emitAppEvent } from "/static/apps.js";

+import { appGlyphInto, personalApps, groupCapableApps, appByName, installGroupApp } from "/static/apps.js";

import { rosterLabel, publishedLabel, rosterMatches, rosterPresence, setPresenceLine, agentTag, pickerName, pickerSection } from "/static/rosterui.js";

// ---- new chat (roster picker) -------------------------------------------

@@ -494,7 +494,8 @@ const disc = document.createElement("button");

// Birth apps ride the fresh log; best-effort in order — a failed

// add is recoverable from ⋮ → Apps, never a failed group.

for (const name of birthApps) {

- await emitAppEvent(tid, { type: "groupapps.add", app: name }).catch(() => {});

+ const app = appByName(name);

+ if (app) await installGroupApp(tid, app).catch(() => {});

}

return tid;

})(),