fix(channels): keep markup out of the status label and make the line opt-in

Reasoning and commentary lines arrive channel-formatted, so falling back to their
raw text leaked <i> markup into the status label; only structured work lines carry a
clean label/detail pair. Defaulting the line to off keeps existing progress drafts
byte-identical until a channel opts in.

docs/concepts/progress-drafts.md

@@ -173,9 +173,9 @@ Configure with `channels.<channel>.streaming.progress.status`:
 
 | Mode       | Behavior                                                       |
 | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
-| `activity` | Names the current work, e.g. `▸ Exec: run tests` (default)      |
-| `minimal`  | Static `▸ Working` label, still with elapsed time              |
-| `off`      | No status line                                                  |
+| `off`      | No status line (default)                                        |
+| `activity` | Names the current work, e.g. `▸ Exec: run tests`                |
+| `minimal`  | Static `▸ Working` label, still with elapsed time               |
 
 ```json5
 {
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ Configure with `channels.<channel>.streaming.progress.status`:
       streaming: {
         mode: "progress",
         progress: {
-          status: "minimal",
+          status: "activity",
         },
       },
     },
@@ -192,6 +192,11 @@ Configure with `channels.<channel>.streaming.progress.status`:
 }
 ```
 
+The line is off by default: progress drafts already name the current work, so the status
+line mainly adds elapsed time and the steer hint, and enabling it changes what every
+draft in that channel looks like. Turn it on per channel when a turn's duration matters
+more than draft compactness.
+
 Because the line is part of the progress draft, it appears only when that channel runs
 `streaming.mode: "progress"`. It is transport-only: it never enters the session
 transcript or the model context.

src/channels/progress-draft-compositor.ts

@@ -244,14 +244,14 @@ export function createChannelProgressDraftCompositor(params: {
   };
 
   const resolveActivityLabel = (): string | undefined => {
-    const newest = lines.at(-1);
-    if (!newest) {
+    // Only structured work lines carry a clean label/detail pair. String lines are
+    // already channel-formatted (reasoning and commentary arrive with markup), so using
+    // their text would leak `<i>` and friends into the status line.
+    const newest = lines.findLast((line) => typeof line !== "string");
+    if (!newest || typeof newest === "string" || !newest.label) {
       return undefined;
     }
-    if (typeof newest === "string") {
-      return newest;
-    }
-    return newest.detail ? `${newest.label}: ${newest.detail}` : newest.label || newest.text;
+    return newest.detail ? `${newest.label}: ${newest.detail}` : newest.label;
   };
 
   const resolveStatusLine = (): string | undefined => {

src/channels/streaming.test.ts

@@ -181,11 +181,11 @@ describe("streaming config resolution", () => {
 });
 
 describe("progress draft status mode", () => {
-  it("defaults to activity", () => {
-    expect(resolveChannelProgressDraftStatusMode(undefined)).toBe("activity");
-    expect(
-      resolveChannelProgressDraftStatusMode({ streaming: { mode: "progress" } } as never),
-    ).toBe("activity");
+  it("stays off until a channel opts in", () => {
+    expect(resolveChannelProgressDraftStatusMode(undefined)).toBe("off");
+    expect(resolveChannelProgressDraftStatusMode({ streaming: { mode: "progress" } } as never)).toBe(
+      "off",
+    );
   });
 
   it("honors an explicit per-channel mode", () => {
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ describe("progress draft status mode", () => {
       resolveChannelProgressDraftStatusMode({
         streaming: { mode: "progress", progress: { status: "loud" } },
       } as never),
-    ).toBe("activity");
+    ).toBe("off");
   });
 });
 

src/channels/streaming.ts

@@ -923,7 +923,7 @@ export function resolveChannelProgressDraftMaxLines(
 
 export function resolveChannelProgressDraftStatusMode(
   entry: StreamingCompatEntry | null | undefined,
-  defaultValue: StatusFooterMode = "activity",
+  defaultValue: StatusFooterMode = "off",
 ): StatusFooterMode {
   const configured = resolveChannelProgressDraftConfig(entry).status;
   return configured === "off" || configured === "minimal" || configured === "activity"

src/config/types.base.ts

@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ export type StatusFooterMode = "off" | "minimal" | "activity";
 export type ChannelStreamingProgressConfig = {
   /** Initial progress title. "auto" picks from labels; false hides the title. Default: "auto". */
   label?: string | false;
-  /** Trailing status line: "activity" names the current work, "minimal" shows only elapsed time. Default: "activity". */
+  /** Trailing status line: "activity" names the current work, "minimal" shows only elapsed time. Default: "off". */
   status?: StatusFooterMode;
   /** Candidate labels for label="auto". Defaults to OpenClaw's built-in progress labels. */
   labels?: string[];