pyro-mcp/docs/roadmap/llm-chat-ergonomics/4.8.0-first-class-chat-environment-selection.md

4.8.0 First-Class Chat Environment Selection

Status: Planned

Goal

Make curated environment choice part of the normal chat-host path so full project work is not implicitly tied to one default environment.

Public API Changes

Environment selection should become first-class in the chat-host path:

• pyro mcp serve should accept an explicit environment
• pyro host connect should accept and preserve an explicit environment
• pyro host print-config and pyro host repair should preserve the selected environment where relevant
• named modes should be able to recommend a default environment when one is better for the workflow, without removing explicit user choice

Implementation Boundaries

• keep environment selection aligned with the existing curated environment catalog
• avoid inventing host-specific environment behavior for the same mode
• keep the default environment path simple for the quickest evaluator flow
• ensure the chosen environment is visible from generated config, help text, and diagnostics

Non-Goals

• no custom user-built environment pipeline in this milestone
• no per-host environment negotiation logic
• no attempt to solve arbitrary dependency installation through environment sprawl alone

Acceptance Scenarios

• a user can choose a build-oriented environment such as debian:12-build before connecting the chat host
• host helpers, raw server startup, and printed configs all preserve the same environment choice
• docs can teach whole-project development without pretending every project fits the same default environment

Required Repo Updates

• README, install docs, integrations docs, public contract, and host examples updated to show environment selection in the chat-host path
• help text updated for raw server startup and host helpers
• at least one guest-backed smoke scenario updated to prove a non-default environment in the chat-host flow