[eric] browser: dead-dashboard dispatches fail in 1s instead of burning turns, recovery skips systemic causes

backend/apps/agents/agent_manager.py

@@ -3386,8 +3386,13 @@ class AgentManager:
             if not text:
                 text = await _dispatch(browser_fast_path.compose_task(prompt, brief))
                 if browser_fast_path.dispatch_failed(text):
-                    logger.info(f"[browser-fast-path] first dispatch failed for {session_id}; one recovery dispatch")
-                    text = await _dispatch(browser_fast_path.recovery_task(prompt, text))
+                    # Retry only transient failures; a dead dashboard fails the
+                    # retry identically, so skip it and tell the user instead.
+                    if ws_manager.global_connections:
+                        logger.info(f"[browser-fast-path] first dispatch failed for {session_id}; one recovery dispatch")
+                        text = await _dispatch(browser_fast_path.recovery_task(prompt, text))
+                    else:
+                        text = browser_fast_path.NO_DASHBOARD_REPLY
                 if not text:
                     text = "The browser agent couldn't complete this and gave no report."
         except asyncio.CancelledError:

backend/apps/agents/browser/browser_agent.py

@@ -1596,6 +1596,19 @@ async def run_browser_agents(
     """
     pass  # Browser agent launch captured via session dump
 
+    # No dashboard renderer means every browser command is dead on arrival;
+    # failing here saves the 2-5 LLM turns a sub burns narrating timeouts at a
+    # corpse before card-gone detection trips.
+    if not ws_manager.global_connections:
+        logger.warning("[browser-agent] dispatch refused: no dashboard connected")
+        return [{
+            "summary": (
+                "Error: no dashboard window is connected, so browser tools cannot run. "
+                "Tell the user to open the OpenSwarm window and try again; do not retry until they do."
+            ),
+            "action_log": [], "final_screenshot": None,
+        } for _ in tasks]
+
     pre_selected = set(pre_selected_browser_ids or [])
 
     async def _run_one(task_def: dict) -> dict:

backend/apps/agents/browser/browser_fast_path.py

@@ -125,6 +125,12 @@ def dispatch_failed(summary: str) -> bool:
     return not ("OUTCOME: DONE" in s.upper() or "learned skill replay" in s)
 
 
+NO_DASHBOARD_REPLY = (
+    "I can't drive a browser right now because no OpenSwarm window is connected. "
+    "Open the app window and send this again."
+)
+
+
 def recovery_task(prompt: str, first_report: str) -> str:
     """One informed retry, replacing the orchestrator's recovery role. Verify-
     first wording keeps a maybe-already-sent irreversible step from repeating."""

backend/tests/test_browser_fast_path.py

@@ -92,3 +92,15 @@ def test_text_normalizes_to_message_without_phone_number():
     assert _normalize_for_classifier(sms) == sms
     count = "count messages containing the exact text r10-os"
     assert "message r10-os" in _normalize_for_classifier(count)
+
+
+def test_dispatch_refused_instantly_when_no_dashboard_connected():
+    import asyncio
+    from backend.apps.agents.browser.browser_agent import run_browser_agents
+    from backend.apps.agents.core.ws_manager import ws_manager
+
+    assert not ws_manager.global_connections
+    results = asyncio.run(run_browser_agents(tasks=[{"task": "go to example.com"}], model="sonnet"))
+    assert len(results) == 1
+    assert results[0]["summary"].startswith("Error: no dashboard window is connected")
+    assert dispatch_failed(results[0]["summary"])