Fix sidechat CDP and button selectors\n\n- sidechat_manager._ev: use id=1 and returnByValue to match ev()\n- cmd_sidechat_create: find + button via Side chats header proximity\n- cmd_sidechat_create: use cmd_send for initial message (not DOM hack)\n- Integrate ensure_sidebar with retry

bin/muse-chat-api.py

@@ -279,16 +279,40 @@ def cmd_sidechat_create(ws):
           if (btn) btn.click();
         })()""")
         _time.sleep(2)
+    # The + button sits next to the "Side chats" header (see screenshot 2026-10-04).
+    # It's not labeled "New side chat" - find it by proximity to the header text.
     result = ev(ws, """(() => {
-      const btn = [...document.querySelectorAll('button')].find(b =>
+      // Strategy 1: Find button with "+" text near "Side chats"
+      const header = [...document.querySelectorAll('*')].find(el =>
+        el.textContent.trim() === 'Side chats' && el.children.length === 0);
+      if (header) {
+        // Look for + button in the header's parent or siblings
+        const parent = header.parentElement;
+        if (parent) {
+          const plus = [...parent.querySelectorAll('button')].find(b =>
+            (b.textContent||'').includes('+') || (b.getAttribute('aria-label')||'').toLowerCase().includes('add'));
+          if (plus) { plus.click(); return 'CLICKED_VIA_HEADER'; }
+        }
+      }
+      // Strategy 2: Find any button with "+" that's near the top
+      const plusBtn = [...document.querySelectorAll('button')].find(b => {
+        const t = (b.textContent||'').trim();
+        const al = (b.getAttribute('aria-label')||'').toLowerCase();
+        return t === '+' || al.includes('new side') || al.includes('add chat');
+      });
+      if (plusBtn) { plusBtn.click(); return 'CLICKED_VIA_PLUS'; }
+      // Strategy 3 (fallback): old aria-label exact match
+      const oldBtn = [...document.querySelectorAll('button')].find(b =>
         (b.getAttribute('aria-label')||'') === 'New side chat');
-      if (!btn) return 'NOT_FOUND';
+      if (oldBtn) { oldBtn.click(); return 'CLICKED_VIA_ARIA'; }
-      btn.click();
+      return 'NOT_FOUND';
-      return 'CLICKED';
     })()""")
     if result == 'NOT_FOUND':
-        print("ERROR: 'New side chat' button not found (sidebar may be closed)", file=sys.stderr)
+        print("ERROR: New side chat + button not found (sidebar may be closed)", file=sys.stderr)
         sys.exit(1)
+    # Log which strategy worked for debugging
+    import sys as _sys
+    print(f"Sidechat create: {result}", file=_sys.stderr)
     import time as _time
     # Poll for URL to change to a thread URL (up to 15s)
     # Fixed 2026-10-04: was sleeping 5s and reading once, often captured
@@ -306,21 +330,11 @@ def cmd_sidechat_create(ws):
     # the first message. Send a system message to trigger ID assignment,
     # then re-read the URL.
     if url.endswith("/thread/new"):
-        ev(ws, """(() => {
+        # Use proven cmd_send to trigger real thread ID
-          const input = document.querySelector('[contenteditable="true"]');
+        try:
-          if (!input) return 'NO_INPUT';
+            cmd_send(ws, "[System: Side chat created]")
-          input.focus();
+        except Exception as e:
-          document.execCommand('insertText', false, '[System: Side chat created]');
+            print(f"Warning: initial send failed: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
-          return 'READY';
-        })()""")
-        _time.sleep(1)
-        # Click send
-        ev(ws, """(() => {
-          const btn = [...document.querySelectorAll('button')].find(b =>
-            (b.getAttribute('aria-label')||'').toLowerCase().includes('send'));
-          if (btn) { btn.click(); return 'SENT'; }
-          return 'NO_BTN';
-        })()""")
         # Poll for URL to change from /thread/new to /thread/<uuid>
         for i in range(15):
             _time.sleep(1)

bin/sidechat_manager.py

@@ -15,13 +15,13 @@ import json
 
 def _ev(ws, js, await_result=True):
     """Evaluate JS via CDP, return result.
-    Uses id=1 to match muse-chat-api.py's ev() on shared websocket.
+    Matches muse-chat-api.py's ev() exactly (id=1, returnByValue).
-    Fixed 2026-10-04: was using id=100, causing response mismatch.
+    Fixed 2026-10-04: was using id=100, missing returnByValue.
     """
     import json as _json
     ws.send(_json.dumps({
         "id": 1, "method": "Runtime.evaluate",
-        "params": {"expression": js, "awaitPromise": True}
+        "params": {"expression": js, "returnByValue": True, "awaitPromise": await_result}
     }))
     resp = _json.loads(ws.recv())
     result = resp.get("result", {}).get("result", {})