Introduce explicit repro-fix, inspect, cold-start, and review-eval modes across the MCP server, CLI, and host helpers, with canonical mode-to-tool mappings, narrowed schemas, and mode-specific tool descriptions on top of the existing workspace runtime.
Reposition the docs, host onramps, and use-case recipes so named modes are the primary user-facing startup story while the generic no-mode workspace-core path remains the escape hatch, and update the shared smoke runner to validate repro-fix and cold-start through mode-backed servers.
Validation: UV_OFFLINE=1 UV_CACHE_DIR=.uv-cache uv run pytest --no-cov tests/test_api.py tests/test_server.py tests/test_host_helpers.py tests/test_public_contract.py tests/test_cli.py tests/test_workspace_use_case_smokes.py; UV_OFFLINE=1 UV_CACHE_DIR=.uv-cache make check; UV_OFFLINE=1 UV_CACHE_DIR=.uv-cache make dist-check; real guest-backed make smoke-repro-fix-loop smoke-cold-start-validation outside the sandbox.
Add workspace summary across the CLI, SDK, and MCP, and include it in the workspace-core profile so chat hosts can review one concise view of the current session.
Persist lightweight review events for syncs, file edits, patch applies, exports, service lifecycle, and snapshot activity, then synthesize them with command history, current services, snapshot state, and current diff data since the last reset.
Update the walkthroughs, use-case docs, public contract, changelog, and roadmap for 4.3.0, and make dist-check invoke the CLI module directly so local package reinstall quirks do not break the packaging gate.
Validation: uv lock; ./.venv/bin/pytest --no-cov tests/test_vm_manager.py tests/test_cli.py tests/test_api.py tests/test_server.py tests/test_public_contract.py tests/test_workspace_use_case_smokes.py; UV_OFFLINE=1 UV_CACHE_DIR=.uv-cache make check; UV_OFFLINE=1 UV_CACHE_DIR=.uv-cache make dist-check; real guest-backed workspace create -> patch apply -> workspace summary --json -> delete smoke.
Turn the stable workspace surface into five documented, runnable stories with a shared guest-backed smoke runner, new docs/use-cases recipes, and Make targets for cold-start validation, repro/fix loops, parallel workspaces, untrusted inspection, and review/eval workflows.
Bump the package and catalog surface to 3.6.0, update the main docs to point users from the stable workspace walkthrough into the recipe index and smoke packs, and mark the 3.6.0 roadmap milestone done.
Fix a regression uncovered by the real parallel-workspaces smoke: workspace_file_read must not bump last_activity_at. Verified with uv lock, UV_CACHE_DIR=.uv-cache make check, UV_CACHE_DIR=.uv-cache make dist-check, and USE_CASE_ENVIRONMENT=debian:12 UV_CACHE_DIR=.uv-cache make smoke-use-cases.
