fix(approval): make "always" auto-approve work for credentialed HTTP requests (#1257)

The HTTP tool returned `ApprovalRequirement::Always` for requests with
credentials, but `Always` is hardcoded to ignore the session auto-approve
set. This meant users who clicked "always" were re-prompted on every
subsequent HTTP call — the UI offered "always" but the backend ignored it.

Two fixes:
1. HTTP credentialed requests now return `UnlessAutoApproved` instead of
   `Always`, so the session auto-approve set is respected.
2. `StatusUpdate::ApprovalNeeded` now carries `allow_always: bool`. All
   channel UIs (Telegram, Slack, Signal, REPL, Web) conditionally hide
   the "always" option when a tool truly requires per-invocation approval
   (`ApprovalRequirement::Always`, e.g. destructive shell commands).

Also boxes `PendingApproval` in `AgenticLoopResult::NeedApproval` to fix
a pre-existing clippy `large_enum_variant` warning.

Regression tests included (test_credentialed_requests_respect_auto_approve,
test_allow_always_matches_approval_requirement) but CI heuristic cannot
detect them in cross-fork PR diffs.

[skip-regression-check]

Co-authored-by: Tyler <[email protected]>

src/channels/channel.rs

@@ -305,6 +305,11 @@ pub enum StatusUpdate {
         tool_name: String,
         description: String,
         parameters: serde_json::Value,
+        /// When `true`, the UI should offer an "always" option that auto-approves
+        /// future calls to this tool for the rest of the session.  When `false`
+        /// (i.e. `ApprovalRequirement::Always`), the tool must be approved every
+        /// time and the "always" button should be hidden.
+        allow_always: bool,
     },
     /// Extension needs user authentication (token or OAuth).
     AuthRequired {

src/channels/relay/channel.rs

@@ -423,6 +423,7 @@ impl Channel for RelayChannel {
             tool_name,
             description,
             parameters,
+            allow_always: _,
         } = status
         else {
             return Ok(());
@@ -794,6 +795,7 @@ mod tests {
                     tool_name: "shell".into(),
                     description: "run command".into(),
                     parameters: serde_json::json!({}),
+                    allow_always: true,
                 },
                 &metadata,
             )
@@ -822,6 +824,7 @@ mod tests {
                     tool_name: "shell".into(),
                     description: "run command".into(),
                     parameters: serde_json::json!({}),
+                    allow_always: true,
                 },
                 &metadata,
             )
@@ -854,6 +857,7 @@ mod tests {
                     tool_name: "shell".into(),
                     description: "run command".into(),
                     parameters: serde_json::json!({}),
+                    allow_always: true,
                 },
                 &metadata,
             )

src/channels/repl.rs

@@ -539,6 +539,7 @@ impl Channel for ReplChannel {
                 tool_name,
                 description,
                 parameters,
+                allow_always,
             } => {
                 let term_width = crossterm::terminal::size()
                     .map(|(w, _)| w as usize)
@@ -582,9 +583,13 @@ impl Channel for ReplChannel {
                 }
 
                 eprintln!("  \u{2502}");
-                eprintln!(
-                    "  \u{2502} \x1b[32myes\x1b[0m (y) / \x1b[34malways\x1b[0m (a) / \x1b[31mno\x1b[0m (n)"
-                );
+                if allow_always {
+                    eprintln!(
+                        "  \u{2502} \x1b[32myes\x1b[0m (y) / \x1b[34malways\x1b[0m (a) / \x1b[31mno\x1b[0m (n)"
+                    );
+                } else {
+                    eprintln!("  \u{2502} \x1b[32myes\x1b[0m (y) / \x1b[31mno\x1b[0m (n)");
+                }
                 eprintln!("  {bot_border}");
                 eprintln!();
             }

src/channels/signal.rs

@@ -915,20 +915,28 @@ impl Channel for SignalChannel {
             tool_name,
             description: _,
             parameters,
+            allow_always,
         } = &status
             && let Some(target_str) = metadata.get("signal_target").and_then(|v| v.as_str())
         {
             let params_json = serde_json::to_string_pretty(parameters).unwrap_or_default();
+            let always_line = if *allow_always {
+                format!(
+                    "\n• `always` or `a` - Approve and auto-approve future {} requests",
+                    tool_name
+                )
+            } else {
+                String::new()
+            };
             let message = format!(
                 "⚠️ *Approval Required*\n\n\
                  *Request ID:* `{}`\n\
                  *Tool:* {}\n\
                  *Parameters:*\n```\n{}\n```\n\n\
                  Reply with:\n\
-                 • `yes` or `y` - Approve this request\n\
-                 • `always` or `a` - Approve and auto-approve future {} requests\n\
+                 • `yes` or `y` - Approve this request{}\n\
                  • `no` or `n` - Deny",
-                request_id, tool_name, params_json, tool_name
+                request_id, tool_name, params_json, always_line
             );
             self.send_status_message(target_str, &message).await;
         }

src/channels/wasm/wrapper.rs

@@ -2043,6 +2043,7 @@ impl WasmChannel {
                 tool_name,
                 description,
                 parameters,
+                allow_always,
                 ..
             } => {
                 // WASM channels (Telegram, Slack, etc.) cannot render
@@ -2081,6 +2082,11 @@ impl WasmChannel {
                     })
                     .unwrap_or_default();
 
+                let reply_hint = if *allow_always {
+                    "Reply \"yes\" to approve, \"no\" to deny, or \"always\" to auto-approve."
+                } else {
+                    "Reply \"yes\" to approve or \"no\" to deny."
+                };
                 let prompt = format!(
                     "Approval needed: {tool_name}\n\
                      {description}\n\
@@ -2088,7 +2094,7 @@ impl WasmChannel {
                      Parameters:\n\
                      {params_preview}\n\
                      \n\
-                     Reply \"yes\" to approve, \"no\" to deny, or \"always\" to auto-approve."
+                     {reply_hint}"
                 );
 
                 let metadata_json = serde_json::to_string(metadata).unwrap_or_default();
@@ -2981,15 +2987,23 @@ fn status_to_wit(
             request_id,
             tool_name,
             description,
+            allow_always,
             ..
-        } => wit_channel::StatusUpdate {
-            status: wit_channel::StatusType::ApprovalNeeded,
-            message: format!(
-                "Approval needed for tool '{}'. {}\nRequest ID: {}\nReply with: yes (or /approve), no (or /deny), or always (or /always).",
-                tool_name, description, request_id
-            ),
-            metadata_json,
-        },
+        } => {
+            let reply_hint = if *allow_always {
+                "yes (or /approve), no (or /deny), or always (or /always)"
+            } else {
+                "yes (or /approve) or no (or /deny)"
+            };
+            wit_channel::StatusUpdate {
+                status: wit_channel::StatusType::ApprovalNeeded,
+                message: format!(
+                    "Approval needed for tool '{}'. {}\nRequest ID: {}\nReply with: {}.",
+                    tool_name, description, request_id, reply_hint
+                ),
+                metadata_json,
+            }
+        }
         StatusUpdate::JobStarted {
             job_id,
             title,
@@ -3670,6 +3684,7 @@ mod tests {
                     tool_name: "http_request".into(),
                     description: "Fetch weather".into(),
                     parameters: serde_json::json!({"url": "https://wttr.in"}),
+                    allow_always: true,
                 },
                 &metadata,
             )
@@ -4131,6 +4146,7 @@ mod tests {
                 tool_name: "http_request".to_string(),
                 description: "Fetch weather data".to_string(),
                 parameters: serde_json::json!({"url": "https://api.weather.test"}),
+                allow_always: true,
             },
             &metadata,
         )
@@ -4156,6 +4172,7 @@ mod tests {
                 tool_name: "http_request".to_string(),
                 description: "Fetch weather data".to_string(),
                 parameters: serde_json::json!({"url": "https://api.weather.test"}),
+                allow_always: true,
             },
             &metadata,
         )

src/channels/web/mod.rs

@@ -374,6 +374,7 @@ impl Channel for GatewayChannel {
                 tool_name,
                 description,
                 parameters,
+                allow_always,
             } => SseEvent::ApprovalNeeded {
                 request_id,
                 tool_name,
@@ -381,6 +382,7 @@ impl Channel for GatewayChannel {
                 parameters: serde_json::to_string_pretty(&parameters)
                     .unwrap_or_else(|_| parameters.to_string()),
                 thread_id,
+                allow_always,
             },
             StatusUpdate::AuthRequired {
                 extension_name,

src/channels/web/static/app.js

@@ -1138,18 +1138,19 @@ function showApproval(data) {
   approveBtn.textContent = I18n.t('approval.approve');
   approveBtn.addEventListener('click', () => sendApprovalAction(data.request_id, 'approve'));
 
-  const alwaysBtn = document.createElement('button');
-  alwaysBtn.className = 'always';
-  alwaysBtn.textContent = I18n.t('approval.always');
-  alwaysBtn.addEventListener('click', () => sendApprovalAction(data.request_id, 'always'));
-
   const denyBtn = document.createElement('button');
   denyBtn.className = 'deny';
   denyBtn.textContent = I18n.t('approval.deny');
   denyBtn.addEventListener('click', () => sendApprovalAction(data.request_id, 'deny'));
 
   actions.appendChild(approveBtn);
-  actions.appendChild(alwaysBtn);
+  if (data.allow_always !== false) {
+    const alwaysBtn = document.createElement('button');
+    alwaysBtn.className = 'always';
+    alwaysBtn.textContent = I18n.t('approval.always');
+    alwaysBtn.addEventListener('click', () => sendApprovalAction(data.request_id, 'always'));
+    actions.appendChild(alwaysBtn);
+  }
   actions.appendChild(denyBtn);
   card.appendChild(actions);
 

src/channels/web/types.rs

@@ -177,6 +177,8 @@ pub enum SseEvent {
         parameters: String,
         #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
         thread_id: Option<String>,
+        /// Whether the "always" auto-approve option should be shown.
+        allow_always: bool,
     },
     #[serde(rename = "auth_required")]
     AuthRequired {
@@ -1080,6 +1082,7 @@ mod tests {
             description: "Run ls".to_string(),
             parameters: "{}".to_string(),
             thread_id: Some("t1".to_string()),
+            allow_always: true,
         };
         let ws = WsServerMessage::from_sse_event(&sse);
         match ws {