fix: wait for workspace policy before creation

frontend/src/api/sessions.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { apiFetch } from "./client";
 import { getSettings } from "./settings";
-import { workspacePreferences, type WorkspacePreference } from "../workspaces/drafts";
+import { workspacePolicyGate, workspacePreferences, type WorkspacePreference } from "../workspaces/drafts";
 import type {
   Principal, ResumeSessionResult, SessionScope, SessionSummary, SessionDocument, UiResponse,
 } from "./types";
@@ -24,9 +24,11 @@ async function selectedPreferences(): Promise<WorkspacePreference> {
 
 export async function createSession(i: NewSessionInput) {
   const preferences = await selectedPreferences();
+  await workspacePolicyGate.waitFor(i.workspaceId ?? preferences.workspaceId);
+  const selection = workspacePreferences.load();
   return apiFetch<{ id: string }>("/sessions", {
     method: "POST",
-    body: JSON.stringify({ ...preferences, ...i }),
+    body: JSON.stringify({ ...selection, ...i }),
   });
 }
 

frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx

@@ -21,10 +21,12 @@ test("new sessions send the browser-selected workspace, model, provider, and thi
   localStorage.setItem("thothii.workspace-registry.v1.preferences", JSON.stringify({
     workspaceId: "psd-clinical", provider: "zai", model: "glm-5.2", thinking: "high",
   }));
-  server.use(http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
-    body = await request.json();
-    return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
-  }));
+  server.use(
+    http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
+      body = await request.json();
+      return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
+    }),
+  );
   render(<SteerInput sessionId={null} />);
 
   await userEvent.type(screen.getByRole("textbox", { name: /new question/i }), "q");
@@ -231,6 +233,62 @@ test("switching workspaces replaces an out-of-policy model before session creati
   }));
 });
 
+test("immediate submit waits for a switched workspace policy before creating a session", async () => {
+  let body: unknown;
+  let releasePolicy!: () => void;
+  let policyRequestStarted = false;
+  const policyMayFinish = new Promise<void>((resolve) => { releasePolicy = resolve; });
+  localStorage.setItem("thothii.workspace-registry.v1.preferences", JSON.stringify({
+    workspaceId: "research", provider: "deepseek", model: "deepseek-v4-pro", thinking: "medium",
+  }));
+  const revision = (id: string) => ({
+    id, commit: "a".repeat(40), blob: "b".repeat(40), snapshotPath: "/snapshot", state: "operational" as const,
+  });
+  server.use(
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/settings", () => HttpResponse.json({ workspace: "research" })),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces", () => HttpResponse.json([
+      { id: "research", name: "research", file: "research.yaml", displayName: "Research", revision: revision("research") },
+      { id: "psd-clinical", name: "psd-clinical", file: "psd-clinical.yaml", displayName: "PSD Clinical", revision: revision("psd-clinical") },
+    ])),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces/research", () => HttpResponse.json({
+      workspace: { llm_policy: { allowed: ["deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro"] } }, revision: revision("research"),
+    })),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces/psd-clinical", async () => {
+      policyRequestStarted = true;
+      await policyMayFinish;
+      return HttpResponse.json({
+        workspace: { llm_policy: { default: "zai/glm-5.2", allowed: ["zai/glm-5.2"] } },
+        revision: revision("psd-clinical"),
+      });
+    }),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/models", () => HttpResponse.json({ models: [
+      { provider: "zai", id: "glm-5.2", name: "GLM-5.2", reasoning: true },
+      { provider: "deepseek", id: "deepseek-v4-pro", name: "DeepSeek V4 Pro", reasoning: true },
+    ] })),
+    http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
+      body = await request.json();
+      return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
+    }),
+  );
+  const client = new QueryClient({ defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } } });
+  render(<QueryClientProvider client={client}><ComposerFooter /><SteerInput sessionId={null} /></QueryClientProvider>);
+
+  const workspaceSelector = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Workspace" });
+  await waitFor(() => expect(workspaceSelector).toHaveTextContent("psd-clinical"));
+  await userEvent.selectOptions(workspaceSelector, "psd-clinical");
+  await waitFor(() => expect(policyRequestStarted).toBe(true));
+  await userEvent.type(screen.getByRole("textbox", { name: /new question/i }), "q");
+  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /send/i }));
+
+  expect(body).toBeUndefined();
+  expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /send/i })).toBeDisabled();
+  releasePolicy();
+
+  await waitFor(() => expect(body).toEqual({
+    question: "q", workspaceId: "psd-clinical", provider: "zai", model: "glm-5.2", thinking: "medium",
+  }));
+});
+
 test("pulses the stop dot only while the harness is working", () => {
   const { rerender } = render(<SteerInput sessionId="s1" working />);
   const dot = () =>

frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { getSettings } from "../api/settings";
 import { getWorkspace, listWorkspaces } from "../api/workspaces";
 import { listModels } from "../api/models";
 import { useSessionStore } from "../store/sessionStore";
-import { workspacePreferences, type WorkspacePreference } from "../workspaces/drafts";
+import { workspacePolicyGate, workspacePreferences, type WorkspacePreference } from "../workspaces/drafts";
 
 const THINKING_LEVELS = ["low", "medium", "high"] as const;
 
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ export function SteerInput({
     setLastUserEntry({ kind: "input", text: trimmed });
     onSessionCreating?.(trimmed);
     try {
+      await workspacePolicyGate.waitFor(workspacePreferences.load().workspaceId);
       const { id } = await createSession({ question: trimmed, ...workspacePreferences.load() });
       onSessionCreated?.(id);
       setText("");
@@ -174,7 +175,7 @@ export function ComposerFooter() {
 
   const workspace = preferences.workspaceId ?? settings?.workspace ?? "";
   const selectedWorkspace = workspaces.find((candidate) => candidate.id === workspace);
-  const { data: workspaceRecord } = useQuery({
+  const { data: workspaceRecord, isError: workspacePolicyError } = useQuery({
     queryKey: ["workspace", workspace],
     queryFn: () => getWorkspace(workspace),
     // Legacy metadata responses do not carry a registry revision, so retain the
@@ -210,7 +211,18 @@ export function ComposerFooter() {
     setPreferences(next);
   }, [allowedModels, preferences, workspaceRecord]);
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!selectedWorkspace?.revision) return;
+    if (workspaceRecord) workspacePolicyGate.resolve(workspace);
+    else if (workspacePolicyError) workspacePolicyGate.reject(workspace);
+  }, [selectedWorkspace, workspace, workspacePolicyError, workspaceRecord]);
+
   function update(patch: WorkspacePreference) {
+    if (
+      patch.workspaceId
+      && patch.workspaceId !== workspace
+      && workspaces.some((candidate) => candidate.id === patch.workspaceId && candidate.revision)
+    ) workspacePolicyGate.begin(patch.workspaceId);
     const next = workspacePreferences.save({ ...preferences, ...patch });
     setPreferences(next);
   }

frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,44 @@ export interface WorkspaceDraft {
   updatedAt: string;
 }
 
+let pendingPolicy: { workspaceId: string; promise: Promise<void>; resolve: () => void } | undefined;
+let failedPolicy: { workspaceId: string; error: Error } | undefined;
+
+/** In-memory handoff between the footer's policy query and all session entry points. */
+export const workspacePolicyGate = {
+  begin(workspaceId: string): void {
+    if (pendingPolicy?.workspaceId === workspaceId) return;
+    if (failedPolicy?.workspaceId === workspaceId) failedPolicy = undefined;
+    let resolve!: () => void;
+    const promise = new Promise<void>((onResolve) => {
+      resolve = onResolve;
+    });
+    pendingPolicy = { workspaceId, promise, resolve };
+  },
+
+  resolve(workspaceId: string): void {
+    if (pendingPolicy?.workspaceId === workspaceId) {
+      pendingPolicy.resolve();
+      pendingPolicy = undefined;
+    }
+    if (failedPolicy?.workspaceId === workspaceId) failedPolicy = undefined;
+  },
+
+  reject(workspaceId: string): void {
+    if (pendingPolicy?.workspaceId !== workspaceId) return;
+    pendingPolicy.resolve();
+    pendingPolicy = undefined;
+    failedPolicy = { workspaceId, error: new Error("Selected workspace policy could not be loaded.") };
+  },
+
+  waitFor(workspaceId: string | undefined): Promise<void> {
+    const failed = failedPolicy;
+    if (failed && failed.workspaceId === workspaceId) return Promise.reject(failed.error);
+    const pending = pendingPolicy;
+    return pending && pending.workspaceId === workspaceId ? pending.promise : Promise.resolve();
+  },
+};
+
 const PREFIX = "thothii.workspace-registry.v1";
 const DRAFT_PREFIX = `${PREFIX}.draft.`;