feat(coding-agent): add before_provider_headers extension hook (#6350)

* feat(coding-agent): add before_provider_headers extension hook

Extensions can already rewrite the request payload through before_provider_request, but there is no way to adjust the outgoing HTTP
headers of a provider call. This hook fills that gap for cases like request tracing, session correlation, or tenant routing.

Handlers mutate the headers map in place - a null value deletes a header - and the return value is ignored, so a handler cannot accidentally drop auth or attribution headers by
forgetting to spread.

* docs(coding-agent): document before_provider_headers extension hook

Add the before_provider_headers section and lifecycle-diagram entry to
extensions.md; drop the now-superseded proposal file.

Author: pmateusz

packages/coding-agent/docs/extensions.md

@@ -294,6 +294,7 @@ user sends prompt ────────────────────
   │   │                                            │       │
   │   ├─► turn_start                               │       │
   │   ├─► context (can modify messages)            │       │
+  │   ├─► before_provider_headers (can mutate headers)     |
   │   ├─► before_provider_request (can inspect or replace payload)
   │   ├─► after_provider_response (status + headers, before stream consume)
   │   │                                            │       │
@@ -643,6 +644,24 @@ pi.on("context", async (event, ctx) => {
 });
 ```
 
+#### before_provider_headers
+
+Fired after the outgoing HTTP headers are assembled. Use it to add, override, or remove request headers.
+
+Handlers mutate `event.headers` in place. Set a key to a string to add or override it, or to `null` to delete it.
+
+```typescript
+pi.on("before_provider_headers", (event, ctx) => {
+  // Add or override — e.g. a session id for gateway tracing/attribution
+  event.headers["x-session-id"] = ctx.sessionManager.getSessionId();
+
+  // Drop a tracking header pi adds for this call
+  event.headers["X-OpenRouter-Title"] = null;
+});
+```
+
+Runs once per provider request; retries reuse the same headers rather than re-firing the hook.
+
 #### before_provider_request
 
 Fired after the provider-specific payload is built, right before the request is sent. Handlers run in extension load order. Returning `undefined` keeps the payload unchanged. Returning any other value replaces the payload for later handlers and for the actual request.

packages/coding-agent/src/core/extensions/index.ts

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ export type {
 	BashToolResultEvent,
 	BeforeAgentStartEvent,
 	BeforeAgentStartEventResult,
+	BeforeProviderHeadersEvent,
 	BeforeProviderRequestEvent,
 	BeforeProviderRequestEventResult,
 	BuildSystemPromptOptions,

packages/coding-agent/src/core/extensions/runner.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  */
 
 import type { AgentMessage } from "@earendil-works/pi-agent-core";
-import type { ImageContent, Model } from "@earendil-works/pi-ai";
+import type { ImageContent, Model, ProviderHeaders } from "@earendil-works/pi-ai";
 import type { KeyId } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";
 import { type Theme, theme } from "../../modes/interactive/theme/theme.ts";
 import type { ResourceDiagnostic } from "../diagnostics.ts";
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import type { BuildSystemPromptOptions } from "../system-prompt.ts";
 import type {
 	BeforeAgentStartEvent,
 	BeforeAgentStartEventResult,
+	BeforeProviderHeadersEvent,
 	BeforeProviderRequestEvent,
 	CompactOptions,
 	ContextEvent,
@@ -145,6 +146,7 @@ type RunnerEmitEvent = Exclude<
 	| UserBashEvent
 	| ContextEvent
 	| BeforeProviderRequestEvent
+	| BeforeProviderHeadersEvent
 	| BeforeAgentStartEvent
 	| MessageEndEvent
 	| ResourcesDiscoverEvent
@@ -1013,6 +1015,37 @@ export class ExtensionRunner {
 		return currentPayload;
 	}
 
+	async emitBeforeProviderHeaders(headers: ProviderHeaders): Promise<ProviderHeaders> {
+		const ctx = this.createContext();
+
+		for (const ext of this.extensions) {
+			const handlers = ext.handlers.get("before_provider_headers");
+			if (!handlers || handlers.length === 0) continue;
+
+			for (const handler of handlers) {
+				try {
+					// Handlers mutate `headers` in place; the return value is ignored.
+					const event: BeforeProviderHeadersEvent = {
+						type: "before_provider_headers",
+						headers,
+					};
+					await handler(event, ctx);
+				} catch (err) {
+					const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+					const stack = err instanceof Error ? err.stack : undefined;
+					this.emitError({
+						extensionPath: ext.path,
+						event: "before_provider_headers",
+						error: message,
+						stack,
+					});
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		return headers;
+	}
+
 	async emitBeforeAgentStart(
 		prompt: string,
 		images: ImageContent[] | undefined,

packages/coding-agent/src/core/extensions/types.ts

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import type {
 	Model,
 	OAuthCredentials,
 	OAuthLoginCallbacks,
+	ProviderHeaders,
 	SimpleStreamOptions,
 	TextContent,
 	ToolResultMessage,
@@ -663,6 +664,16 @@ export interface BeforeProviderRequestEvent {
 	payload: unknown;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Fired after request headers are assembled, before the provider HTTP call.
+ * Handlers mutate `headers` in place (e.g. to inject tracing/session headers);
+ * the return value is ignored. A `null` value deletes that header.
+ */
+export interface BeforeProviderHeadersEvent {
+	type: "before_provider_headers";
+	headers: ProviderHeaders;
+}
+
 /** Fired after a provider response is received and before the response stream is consumed. */
 export interface AfterProviderResponseEvent {
 	type: "after_provider_response";
@@ -1005,6 +1016,7 @@ export type ExtensionEvent =
 	| SessionEvent
 	| ContextEvent
 	| BeforeProviderRequestEvent
+	| BeforeProviderHeadersEvent
 	| AfterProviderResponseEvent
 	| BeforeAgentStartEvent
 	| AgentStartEvent
@@ -1171,6 +1183,7 @@ export interface ExtensionAPI {
 		event: "before_provider_request",
 		handler: ExtensionHandler<BeforeProviderRequestEvent, BeforeProviderRequestEventResult>,
 	): void;
+	on(event: "before_provider_headers", handler: ExtensionHandler<BeforeProviderHeadersEvent>): void;
 	on(event: "after_provider_response", handler: ExtensionHandler<AfterProviderResponseEvent>): void;
 	on(event: "before_agent_start", handler: ExtensionHandler<BeforeAgentStartEvent, BeforeAgentStartEventResult>): void;
 	on(event: "agent_start", handler: ExtensionHandler<AgentStartEvent>): void;

packages/coding-agent/src/core/sdk.ts

@@ -313,6 +313,19 @@ export async function createAgentSession(options: CreateAgentSessionOptions = {}
 			const timeoutMs = options?.timeoutMs ?? providerRetrySettings.timeoutMs ?? effectiveTimeoutMs;
 			const websocketConnectTimeoutMs =
 				options?.websocketConnectTimeoutMs ?? settingsManager.getWebSocketConnectTimeoutMs();
+			let headers = mergeProviderAttributionHeaders(
+				model,
+				settingsManager,
+				options?.sessionId,
+				auth.headers,
+				options?.headers,
+			);
+			// Let extensions inject/adjust per-request headers (e.g. tracing, session correlation)
+			// after static assembly, before the provider HTTP call.
+			const headerRunner = extensionRunnerRef.current;
+			if (headerRunner?.hasHandlers("before_provider_headers")) {
+				headers = await headerRunner.emitBeforeProviderHeaders(headers ?? {});
+			}
 			return streamSimple(model, context, {
 				...options,
 				apiKey: auth.apiKey,
@@ -321,13 +334,7 @@ export async function createAgentSession(options: CreateAgentSessionOptions = {}
 				websocketConnectTimeoutMs,
 				maxRetries: options?.maxRetries ?? providerRetrySettings.maxRetries,
 				maxRetryDelayMs: options?.maxRetryDelayMs ?? providerRetrySettings.maxRetryDelayMs,
-				headers: mergeProviderAttributionHeaders(
-					model,
-					settingsManager,
-					options?.sessionId,
-					auth.headers,
-					options?.headers,
-				),
+				headers,
 			});
 		},
 		onPayload: async (payload, _model) => {

packages/coding-agent/src/index.ts

@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ export type {
 	BashToolCallEvent,
 	BeforeAgentStartEvent,
 	BeforeAgentStartEventResult,
+	BeforeProviderHeadersEvent,
 	BeforeProviderRequestEvent,
 	BeforeProviderRequestEventResult,
 	BuildSystemPromptOptions,

packages/coding-agent/test/extensions-runner.test.ts

@@ -906,4 +906,58 @@ describe("ExtensionRunner", () => {
 			expect(runner.hasHandlers("agent_end")).toBe(false);
 		});
 	});
+
+	describe("before_provider_headers", () => {
+		it("lets a handler mutate headers in place and preserves existing headers", async () => {
+			const extCode = `
+				export default function(pi) {
+					pi.on("before_provider_headers", (event) => {
+						event.headers["X-Turn-Index"] = "3";
+					});
+				}
+			`;
+			fs.writeFileSync(path.join(extensionsDir, "headers.ts"), extCode);
+
+			const result = await discoverAndLoadExtensions([], tempDir, tempDir);
+			const runner = new ExtensionRunner(result.extensions, result.runtime, tempDir, sessionManager, modelRegistry);
+
+			expect(runner.hasHandlers("before_provider_headers")).toBe(true);
+
+			const headers = await runner.emitBeforeProviderHeaders({ "User-Agent": "kimchi/1.0" });
+			expect(headers["X-Turn-Index"]).toBe("3");
+			expect(headers["User-Agent"]).toBe("kimchi/1.0");
+		});
+
+		it("isolates a throwing handler and still applies the others", async () => {
+			const throwing = `
+				export default function(pi) {
+					pi.on("before_provider_headers", () => {
+						throw new Error("header handler boom");
+					});
+				}
+			`;
+			const good = `
+				export default function(pi) {
+					pi.on("before_provider_headers", (event) => {
+						event.headers["X-Good"] = "yes";
+					});
+				}
+			`;
+			fs.writeFileSync(path.join(extensionsDir, "a-throwing.ts"), throwing);
+			fs.writeFileSync(path.join(extensionsDir, "b-good.ts"), good);
+
+			const result = await discoverAndLoadExtensions([], tempDir, tempDir);
+			const runner = new ExtensionRunner(result.extensions, result.runtime, tempDir, sessionManager, modelRegistry);
+			const errors: Array<{ event: string; error: string }> = [];
+			runner.onError((err) => errors.push(err));
+
+			const headers = await runner.emitBeforeProviderHeaders({ "User-Agent": "x" });
+
+			expect(headers["X-Good"]).toBe("yes");
+			expect(headers["User-Agent"]).toBe("x");
+			expect(errors).toHaveLength(1);
+			expect(errors[0].event).toBe("before_provider_headers");
+			expect(errors[0].error).toContain("header handler boom");
+		});
+	});
 });