smithers integration: 0.31.x makes two workarounds deletable, upstream fixes in flight for the rest

[roninjin10]

Hi @RonTuretzky 👋 — smithers maintainer here. We read the .smithers/ gateway embedding, the src/seam client, and the build backend closely — it's a solid integration, and it surfaced real upstream API gaps we're now fixing. This is the vibecode-room-side action list, smallest-effort-first. Happy to send PRs for any of it.

1 · Delete after bumping 0.23.0 → 0.31.x

You're pinned at 0.23.0 (package.json#L37, .smithers/package.json#L17). Two workarounds are already obsolete upstream:

Workaround	Fixed upstream	Action
parked-run cancel dance	the gateway cancels parked runs itself since 0.31.x → gateway.js@v0.31.0#L9558	delete
rpcRaw any-cast	SmithersGatewayClient exposes a public rpcRaw since 0.31.0 → SmithersGatewayClient.ts#L319	call it directly, drop the cast

While bumping: VIBERSYN_BUILD.md#L23-L25 still carries the stale global-install guidance — worth refreshing in the same PR.

2 · Staleness in the integration

• Stale spec — d1-fix-steer-loop.md#L14-L17 says the steer loop signals with a static correlationId = "steer", but the current workflow already passes the dynamic ctx.input.correlationId (vibersyn-process.tsx#L167-L174). The spec describes a bug that no longer exists — worth updating before someone "fixes" it back.
• Private internals — the embedded self-issued RPCs (gateway.ts#L117-L145, smithers-client.ts#L177-L214) go through the private routeRequest / internal connection shapes. They work today, but can shift on any minor — §3 has the sanctioned replacement in flight.

3 · Upstream gaps — fixes in flight on smithersai/smithers

Your embedding surfaced these. We're filing them from this review and will cross-link the numbers here as they land on the tracker.

Upstream gap	What it unblocks here
WaitForEvent timeout deadlines don't wake a parked run (gateway.js@v0.31.0#L5852, deferred-state-bridge.js#L1135)	deleting your deadline tracker (gateway.ts#L94-L100, #L185-L210) — keep it until this ships
Gateway.register typing is non-generic (index.d.ts@v0.31.0#L1515)	dropping the casts in gateway.ts#L61-L80
no public API for embedded self-issued RPCs	moving gateway.ts#L117-L145 + smithers-client.ts#L177-L214 off private internals

4 · Proposed sub-issues

• bump smithers 0.23.0 → 0.31.x, delete the two §1 workarounds, refresh VIBERSYN_BUILD.md#L23-L25
• let smithers own the claude CLI lifecycle in the build backend — smithers.ts#L1-L14, #L70-L155 spawn the CLI directly and hand-roll timeout/salvage; running it as a smithers agent (timeoutMs/heartbeatTimeoutMs, durable retries) deletes that block
• update the stale steer-loop spec to match the dynamic-correlationId code (§2)
• swap the seam client's poll loop for gateway push events — smithers-client.ts#L125-L137 polls run state; the gateway's WS event stream covers it once you're on 0.31.x

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Compiled against vibecode-room@355e89d with every claim checked against smithers v0.31.0 source. We're happy to send PRs — the version bump is the natural first one.