SubMiner/backlog/tasks/task-258 - Stop-plugin-auto-start-from-spawning-separate-texthooker-helper.md

id, title, status, assignee, created_date, updated_date, labels, dependencies, priority

id	title	status	assignee	created_date	updated_date	labels	dependencies	priority
TASK-258	Stop plugin auto-start from spawning separate texthooker helper	Done	codex	2026-03-30 06:25	2026-03-30 06:26	bug texthooker launcher plugin startup		high

Description

Change the mpv/plugin auto-start path so normal SubMiner startup owns texthooker and websocket startup inside the main --start app instance. Keep standalone subminer texthooker / plain --texthooker available for explicit external use, but stop the plugin from spawning a second helper subprocess during regular auto-start.

Acceptance Criteria

• #1 Plugin auto-start includes texthooker on the main --start command when texthooker is enabled.
• #2 Plugin auto-start no longer spawns a separate standalone --texthooker helper subprocess during normal startup.
• #3 Regression coverage fails before the fix and passes after the fix for the plugin auto-start path.
• #4 Standalone external subminer texthooker / plain --texthooker entrypoints remain available for explicit helper use.

Implementation Plan

1. Flip the mpv/plugin start-gate regression so enabled texthooker is folded into the main --start command and standalone helper subprocesses are rejected.
2. Update plugin process command construction so start includes --texthooker when enabled and the separate helper-launch path becomes a no-op for normal auto-start.
3. Run plugin Lua regressions, adjacent launcher tests, and typecheck to verify behavior and preserve explicit standalone --texthooker entrypoints.

Implementation Notes

Design approved by user: normal in-app startup should own texthooker/websocket; texthookerOnlyMode should stay explicit external-only.

Root cause path: mpv/plugin auto-start in plugin/subminer/process.lua launched binary_path --start ... and then separately spawned binary_path --texthooker --port .... That created the standalone helper process observed live (SubMiner --texthooker --port 5174) instead of relying on the normal app instance.

Fix: build_command_args('start', overrides) now appends --texthooker when texthooker is enabled, and the old helper-launch path is reduced to a no-op so normal auto-start remains single-process.

Verification: lua scripts/test-plugin-start-gate.lua, lua scripts/test-plugin-process-start-retries.lua, bun test launcher/mpv.test.ts launcher/commands/playback-command.test.ts launcher/config/args-normalizer.test.ts, and bun run typecheck. Standalone launcher/app entrypoints for explicit subminer texthooker / plain --texthooker were left untouched.

Final Summary

Stopped the mpv/plugin auto-start path from spawning a second standalone texthooker helper. Texthooker now rides on the main --start app instance for normal startup, with Lua regressions updated to require --texthooker on the main start command and reject separate helper subprocesses. Explicit standalone subminer texthooker / plain --texthooker entrypoints remain available.