claw-code/PARITY.md

PARITY GAP ANALYSIS

Scope: read-only comparison between the original TypeScript source at /home/bellman/Workspace/claw-code/src/ and the Rust port under rust/crates/.

Method: compared feature surfaces, registries, entrypoints, and runtime plumbing only. No TypeScript source was copied.

Executive summary

The Rust port has a good foundation for:

• Anthropic API/OAuth basics
• local conversation/session state
• a core tool loop
• MCP stdio/bootstrap support
• CLAW.md discovery
• a small but usable built-in tool set

It is not feature-parity with the TypeScript CLI.

Largest gaps:

• plugins are effectively absent in Rust
• hooks are parsed but not executed in Rust
• CLI breadth is much narrower in Rust
• skills are local-file only in Rust, without the TS registry/bundled pipeline
• assistant orchestration lacks TS hook-aware orchestration and remote/structured transports
• services beyond core API/OAuth/MCP are mostly missing in Rust

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tools/

TS exists

Evidence:

• src/tools/ contains broad tool families including AgentTool, AskUserQuestionTool, BashTool, ConfigTool, FileReadTool, FileWriteTool, GlobTool, GrepTool, LSPTool, ListMcpResourcesTool, MCPTool, McpAuthTool, ReadMcpResourceTool, RemoteTriggerTool, ScheduleCronTool, SkillTool, Task*, Team*, TodoWriteTool, ToolSearchTool, WebFetchTool, WebSearchTool.
• Tool execution/orchestration is split across src/services/tools/StreamingToolExecutor.ts, src/services/tools/toolExecution.ts, src/services/tools/toolHooks.ts, and src/services/tools/toolOrchestration.ts.

Rust exists

Evidence:

• Tool registry is centralized in rust/crates/tools/src/lib.rs via mvp_tool_specs().
• Current built-ins include shell/file/search/web/todo/skill/agent/config/notebook/repl/powershell primitives.
• Runtime execution is wired through rust/crates/tools/src/lib.rs and rust/crates/runtime/src/conversation.rs.

Missing or broken in Rust

• No Rust equivalents for major TS tools such as AskUserQuestionTool, LSPTool, ListMcpResourcesTool, MCPTool, McpAuthTool, ReadMcpResourceTool, RemoteTriggerTool, ScheduleCronTool, Task*, Team*, and several workflow/system tools.
• Rust tool surface is still explicitly an MVP registry, not a parity registry.
• Rust lacks TS’s layered tool orchestration split.

Status: partial core only.

---

hooks/

TS exists

Evidence:

• Hook command surface under src/commands/hooks/.
• Runtime hook machinery in src/services/tools/toolHooks.ts and src/services/tools/toolExecution.ts.
• TS supports PreToolUse, PostToolUse, and broader hook-driven behaviors configured through settings and documented in src/skills/bundled/updateConfig.ts.

Rust exists

Evidence:

• Hook config is parsed and merged in rust/crates/runtime/src/config.rs.
• Shell-command PreToolUse / PostToolUse hooks execute via rust/crates/runtime/src/hooks.rs.
• Conversation runtime runs pre/post hooks around tool execution in rust/crates/runtime/src/conversation.rs.
• Hook config can now be inspected through a dedicated Rust /hooks report in rust/crates/commands/src/lib.rs and rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs.
• Prompt guidance mentions hooks in rust/crates/runtime/src/prompt.rs.

Missing or broken in Rust

• No TS-style matcher-based hook config model; Rust only supports merged string command lists under settings.hooks.PreToolUse and PostToolUse.
• No TS-style prompt/agent/http hook types, PostToolUseFailure, PermissionDenied, or richer hook lifecycle surfaces.
• No TS-equivalent interactive /hooks browser/editor; Rust currently provides inspection/reporting only.
• No PreToolUse/PostToolUse input rewrite, MCP-output mutation, or continuation-stop behavior beyond allow/deny plus feedback text.

Status: basic shell hook runtime plus /hooks inspection; richer TS hook model still missing.

---

plugins/

TS exists

Evidence:

• Built-in plugin scaffolding in src/plugins/builtinPlugins.ts and src/plugins/bundled/index.ts.
• Plugin lifecycle/services in src/services/plugins/PluginInstallationManager.ts and src/services/plugins/pluginOperations.ts.
• CLI/plugin command surface under src/commands/plugin/ and src/commands/reload-plugins/.

Rust exists

Evidence:

• Local plugin manifests, registry/state, install/update/uninstall flows, and bundled/external discovery live in rust/crates/plugins/src/lib.rs.
• Runtime config parses plugin settings (enabledPlugins, external directories, install root, registry path, bundled root) in rust/crates/runtime/src/config.rs.
• CLI wiring builds a PluginManager, exposes /plugin inspection/reporting, and now exposes /reload-plugins runtime rebuild/reporting in rust/crates/commands/src/lib.rs and rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs.
• Plugin-provided tools are merged into the runtime tool registry in rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs and rust/crates/tools/src/lib.rs.

Missing or broken in Rust

• No TS-style marketplace/discovery/editor UI; current surfaces are local manifest/reporting oriented.
• Plugin-defined slash commands are validated from manifests but not exposed in the CLI runtime.
• Plugin hooks and lifecycle commands are validated but not wired into the conversation runtime startup/shutdown or hook runner.
• No plugin-provided MCP/server extension path.
• /reload-plugins only rebuilds the current local runtime; it is not a richer TS hot-reload/plugin-browser flow.

Status: local plugin discovery/install/inspection exists; TS marketplace/runtime-extension parity is still partial.

---

skills/ and CLAW.md discovery

TS exists

Evidence:

• Skill loading/registry pipeline in src/skills/loadSkillsDir.ts, src/skills/bundledSkills.ts, and src/skills/mcpSkillBuilders.ts.
• Bundled skills under src/skills/bundled/.
• Skills command surface under src/commands/skills/.

Rust exists

Evidence:

• Skill tool in rust/crates/tools/src/lib.rs now resolves workspace-local .codex/.claw skills plus legacy /commands entries through shared runtime discovery.
• /skills exists in rust/crates/commands/src/lib.rs and rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs, listing discoverable local skills and checked skill directories in the current workspace context.
• CLAW.md discovery is implemented in rust/crates/runtime/src/prompt.rs.
• Rust supports /memory and /init via rust/crates/commands/src/lib.rs and rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs.

Missing or broken in Rust

• No bundled skill registry equivalent.
• No MCP skill-builder pipeline.
• No TS-style live skill discovery/reload/change handling.
• No comparable session-memory / team-memory integration around skills.

Status: local/workspace skill loading plus minimal /skills discovery; bundled/MCP parity still missing.

---

cli/

TS exists

Evidence:

• Large command surface under src/commands/ including agents, hooks, mcp, memory, model, permissions, plan, plugin, resume, review, skills, tasks, and many more.
• Structured/remote transport stack in src/cli/structuredIO.ts, src/cli/remoteIO.ts, and src/cli/transports/*.
• CLI handler split in src/cli/handlers/*.

Rust exists

Evidence:

• Shared slash command registry in rust/crates/commands/src/lib.rs.
• Rust slash commands currently cover help, status, compact, model, permissions, clear, cost, resume, config, hooks, memory, init, diff, version, export, session, plugin, reload-plugins, agents, and skills.
• Main CLI/repl/prompt handling lives in rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs.

Missing or broken in Rust

• Missing major TS command families: /hooks, /mcp, /plan, /review, /tasks, and many others.
• No Rust equivalent to TS structured IO / remote transport layers.
• No TS-style handler decomposition for auth/plugins/MCP/agents.
• JSON prompt mode now maintains clean transport output in tool-capable runs; targeted CLI coverage should guard against regressions.

Status: functional local CLI core, much narrower than TS.

---

assistant/ (agentic loop, streaming, tool calling)

TS exists

Evidence:

• Assistant/session surface at src/assistant/sessionHistory.ts.
• Tool orchestration in src/services/tools/StreamingToolExecutor.ts, src/services/tools/toolExecution.ts, src/services/tools/toolOrchestration.ts.
• Remote/structured streaming layers in src/cli/structuredIO.ts and src/cli/remoteIO.ts.

Rust exists

Evidence:

• Core loop in rust/crates/runtime/src/conversation.rs.
• Stream/tool event translation in rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs.
• Session persistence in rust/crates/runtime/src/session.rs.

Missing or broken in Rust

• No TS-style hook-aware orchestration layer.
• No TS structured/remote assistant transport stack.
• No richer TS assistant/session-history/background-task integration.
• JSON output path is no longer single-turn only on this branch, and tool-capable prompt output now stays transport-clean like the TypeScript behavior.

Status: strong core loop, missing orchestration layers.

---

services/ (API client, auth, models, MCP)

TS exists

Evidence:

• API services under src/services/api/*.
• OAuth services under src/services/oauth/*.
• MCP services under src/services/mcp/*.
• Additional service layers for analytics, prompt suggestion, session memory, plugin operations, settings sync, policy limits, team memory sync, notifier, voice, and more under src/services/*.

Rust exists

Evidence:

• Core Anthropic API client in rust/crates/api/src/{client,error,sse,types}.rs.
• OAuth support in rust/crates/runtime/src/oauth.rs.
• MCP config/bootstrap/client support in rust/crates/runtime/src/{config,mcp,mcp_client,mcp_stdio}.rs.
• Usage accounting in rust/crates/runtime/src/usage.rs.
• Remote upstream-proxy support in rust/crates/runtime/src/remote.rs.

Missing or broken in Rust

• Most TS service ecosystem beyond core messaging/auth/MCP is absent.
• No TS-equivalent plugin service layer.
• No TS-equivalent analytics/settings-sync/policy-limit/team-memory subsystems.
• No TS-style MCP connection-manager/UI layer.
• Model/provider ergonomics remain thinner than TS.

Status: core foundation exists; broader service ecosystem missing.

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Critical bug status in this worktree

Fixed

• Prompt mode tools enabled
  • rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs now constructs prompt mode with LiveCli::new(model, true, ...).
• Default permission mode = DangerFullAccess
  • Runtime default now resolves to DangerFullAccess in rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs.
  • Clap default also uses DangerFullAccess in rust/crates/claw-cli/src/args.rs.
  • Init template writes dontAsk in rust/crates/claw-cli/src/init.rs.
• Streaming {} tool-input prefix bug
  • rust/crates/claw-cli/src/main.rs now strips the initial empty object only for streaming tool input, while preserving legitimate {} in non-stream responses.
• Unlimited max_iterations
  • Verified at rust/crates/runtime/src/conversation.rs with usize::MAX.

JSON prompt output cleanliness status

• JSON prompt output cleanliness
  • Verified clean in tool-capable prompt mode: stdout remains a single final JSON object when tools fire.