Tell Harness: Observe a Long-Running Run

Overview

runStream() gives a PHP caller completed agent-loop checkpoints, while onEvent() receives lifecycle observations in source order. This is the Tell surface for worker progress, server-sent events, telemetry, and tool/inference debugging; it does not require parsing TOON, NDJSON, or a trace file.

Consume the generator fully before getReturn(). In a durable run this is also the point at which Tell is allowed to publish the new conversation head.

Example

<?php
require 'examples/boot.php';
require_once dirname(__DIR__).'/Support.php';

use Cognesy\Tell\Tell;
use Cognesy\Tell\Data\TellEventEnvelope;
use Cognesy\Tell\Data\TellRequest;

$project = TellHarnessExample::project();
$eventTypes = [];

try {
    $tell = Tell::open($project);
    $stream = $tell->runStream(
        TellRequest::prompt(
            'Inspect the available context, use a tool if one is useful, then '
            .'give a concise report.',
        )
            ->maxSteps(5)
            ->onEvent(
                static function (TellEventEnvelope $event) use (&$eventTypes): void {
                    $eventTypes[] = $event->kind;
                    echo json_encode($event->toArray(), JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR)."\n";
                },
            ),
    );

    foreach ($stream as $progress) {
        echo sprintf(
            '[checkpoint] steps=%d tools=%s status=%s%s',
            $progress->stepCount(),
            $progress->hasToolCalls() ? 'yes' : 'no',
            $progress->status()?->value ?? 'unknown',
            PHP_EOL,
        );
    }
    $result = $stream->getReturn();

    echo "\n=== Tell Result ===\n";
    echo $result->text(), "\n";
    echo 'Observed events: '.count($eventTypes)."\n";

    assert(
        $result->isCompleted(),
        'Expected a completed streamed Tell result.',
    );
    assert($eventTypes !== [], 'Expected at least one Tell lifecycle event.');
} finally {
    TellHarnessExample::remove($project);
}

Key Points

• A checkpoint represents a completed agent-loop step, not an arbitrary token.
• TellEventEnvelope::toArray() is the stable, redacted event contract for logs, queues, server-sent events, and telemetry.
• Treat source events and raw payloads as in-process diagnostic details; do not forward them blindly across a process boundary.