feat: CEO-grade A2A — New DM composer, CEO-DM wake, docs scrub (#547)

* feat(panel): CEO New-DM composer and direct-thread replies on the A2A page

* docs(agents): remove dm-the-CEO teaching; fix Board/HoM dead-end escalation recipes

* feat(a2a): CEO-authored DMs wake offline recipients via the a2a_request dispatch path

* fix(a2a,panel): wake only read_a2a-capable roles; case-insensitive header defaults; wider DM picker exclusions

* docs(map): CEO-DM wake mechanics, requires_ack override, A2A composer components; comms-model update

---------

Co-authored-by: Renn F <rennf93@users.noreply.github.com>

docs/map/panel.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ The Next.js 16 control panel (`panel/`, package `roboco-panel` v0.14.0) is the s
 | `panel/src/app/(dashboard)/tasks/page.tsx` + `tasks/[taskId]/page.tsx` | Task list + task detail (tabbed) |
 | `panel/src/app/(dashboard)/kanban/page.tsx` | Operator kanban (dev/qa/pm/pr-review views) |
 | `panel/src/app/(dashboard)/prompter/page.tsx` | Intake chat (single + MegaTask batch scope) |
-| `panel/src/app/(dashboard)/a2a/page.tsx` | A2A Live: org-wide switchboard/list + transcript + CEO reply composer, live via `/ws/system` `a2a.message` frames |
+| `panel/src/app/(dashboard)/a2a/page.tsx` | A2A Live: org-wide switchboard/list + transcript + CEO reply composer + "New DM" dialog to open a fresh CEO-owned 1:1, live via `/ws/system` `a2a.message` frames |
 | `panel/src/app/(dashboard)/settings/page.tsx` + `settings/ai-providers/page.tsx` | Settings: feature flags, AI routing, transcript retention, self-hosted |
 | `panel/src/app/(dashboard)/{agents,projects,products,business,journals,git,knowledge-base,auditor,work-sessions,notifications}/page.tsx` | Per-domain pages |
 | `panel/src/app/(auth)/login/page.tsx` | Cloud-auth login form (email/password → `useLogin` → `/auth/login`); only reachable/relevant once `proxy.ts` starts gating the `(dashboard)` group |
@@ -24,14 +24,14 @@ The Next.js 16 control panel (`panel/`, package `roboco-panel` v0.14.0) is the s
 | `panel/src/components/metrics/` | delivery-tab, usage-time-series-chart, agent/team-usage-chart, model-usage-donut, sessions-table |
 | `panel/src/components/kanban/{core,shared,views}/` | core: kanban-board/column/card + bypass-preconditions; views: dev/qa/pm/pr-review kanban |
 | `panel/src/components/prompter/` | intake-form, chat-messages, chat-composer, draft-proposal-card, batch-review-card, success-card, board-review-sent-card |
-| `panel/src/components/a2a/` | a2a-switchboard (org-chart pair cards, 45s pulse fade) + a2a-switchboard-utils (pairKey/grouping/pulse), a2a-pair-card, a2a-conversation-list (classic fallback), a2a-transcript, a2a-reply-composer (CEO chime-in), a2a-utils |
+| `panel/src/components/a2a/` | a2a-switchboard (org-chart pair cards, 45s pulse fade) + a2a-switchboard-utils (pairKey/grouping/pulse), a2a-pair-card, a2a-conversation-list (classic fallback), a2a-transcript, a2a-reply-composer (CEO chime-in on a watched conversation), a2a-new-dm-dialog (CEO opens a fresh 1:1), a2a-direct-composer (CEO's own thread, no task link required), a2a-utils |
 | `panel/src/components/tasks/` + `tasks/task-detail/` | task-table, create/edit-task-dialog, task-filters, acceptance-criteria-editor, dependency-selector, task-detail tabs (overview/plan/progress/commits/sessions/notes/dependencies/**findings**) |
 | `panel/src/components/settings/` | feature-flags-card, ai-routing-card, transcript-retention-card, self-hosted-section, `x-credentials-card.tsx` (write-only OAuth 1.0a secrets, mounted in `settings/page.tsx`) |
 | `panel/src/components/conventions/conventions-tab.tsx` | Per-project architecture map + health (in edit-project dialog) |
 | `panel/src/components/projects/`, `agents/`, `business/`, `auditor/`, `knowledge-base/`, `git/`, `journals/`, `work-sessions/`, `notifications/`, `rate-limit/`, `layout/`, `ui/` | Per-domain component groups; `ui/` = Radix-based primitives (dialog, table, tabs, select, switch, required-notes-dialog, sonner toaster, markdown) |
 | `panel/src/hooks/use-websocket.ts` | Shared `useWebSocket<T>(path, handlers?, isSystem?)` hook (auto-reconnect, heartbeat) |
 | `panel/src/hooks/use-{tasks,agents,projects,products,usage,prompter,secretary,dashboard,git,journals,notifications,knowledge-base,observability,work-sessions,providers,rate-limit-{sync,websocket}}.ts` | TanStack Query + zustand data hooks |
-| `panel/src/hooks/use-a2a-live.ts` | `useA2AConversations` / `useA2AAdminPairs` / `useA2AMessages` (TanStack Query over `a2aApi`) + `useReplyAsCeo` mutation; `a2aLiveKeys` query-key namespace |
+| `panel/src/hooks/use-a2a-live.ts` | `useA2AConversations` / `useA2AAdminPairs` / `useA2AMessages` (TanStack Query over `a2aApi`) + `useReplyAsCeo` / `useCreateCeoConversation` / `useSendCeoMessage` mutations; `a2aLiveKeys` query-key namespace |
 | `panel/src/lib/api/*.ts` | Per-domain axios clients (`client.ts` shared instance; `release.ts`, `playbooks.ts`, `prompter-live.ts`, `tasks.ts`, `settings.ts`, `usage.ts`, `cockpit.ts`, `a2a.ts`, `auth.ts` (status/login/logout), `x.ts` (post queue + credentials), `roadmap.ts` (cycles + item approve/reject), …) |
 | `panel/src/lib/websocket/connection.ts` | `WebSocketConnection` class + `getWebSocketUrl` |
 | `panel/src/store/{rate-limit-store,notifications-store,usage-store,ui-store}.ts` + `lib/stores/` | zustand stores (`lib/stores/` now exports `scroll-restoration-store` only; `ui-store` is sole-canonical under `src/store/`) |
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ The Next.js 16 control panel (`panel/`, package `roboco-panel` v0.14.0) is the s
 | Roadmap Review Queue | `components/dashboard/roadmap-review-queue.tsx` | CEO per-item approve (materializes BACKLOG task)/reject on the Product Owner's held roadmap cycle; hidden until authored |
 | Feature Flags | `components/settings/feature-flags-card.tsx` | Toggles persisted to settings store; takes effect on next backend restart |
 | Intake / MegaTask | `app/(dashboard)/prompter/page.tsx` + `components/prompter/*` | Live SSE chat with spawned Claude/Grok intake agent; single-project, product, or multi-project (`project_ids`) MegaTask → `propose_batch` → `confirm-batch` |
-| A2A Live (switchboard + reply) | `app/(dashboard)/a2a/page.tsx` + `components/a2a/*` | CEO watches every agent-to-agent conversation live: default org-chart switchboard (pair cards grouped by cell/PM-chain/board, pulsing on fresh `a2a.message` frames) or the classic conversation list; drill-in shows the transcript + a reply composer that lets the CEO chime into the thread as itself (task-linked conversations only) |
+| A2A Live (switchboard + reply + New DM) | `app/(dashboard)/a2a/page.tsx` + `components/a2a/*` | CEO watches every agent-to-agent conversation live: default org-chart switchboard (pair cards grouped by cell/PM-chain/board, pulsing on fresh `a2a.message` frames) or the classic conversation list; drill-in shows the transcript + a reply composer that lets the CEO chime into a watched thread as itself (task-linked conversations only). "New DM" opens a fresh CEO-owned 1:1 with any DM-capable agent (no task link needed); the recipient is woken via the a2a_request dispatch path if offline, and the CEO's own threads render with `A2ADirectComposer` instead of the reply composer |
 | Project Settings / Conventions | `components/projects/edit-project-dialog.tsx` + `components/conventions/conventions-tab.tsx` | Per-project `.roboco/conventions.yml` map + health; Save / Restore via PR |
 | Usage Dashboard | `components/dashboard/usage-overview-panel.tsx` + `hooks/use-usage.ts` | Token/cost totals; live WS snapshot with HTTP-polling fallback |
 | Kanban | `components/kanban/{core,views}/*` | dnd-kit drag board; dev/qa/pm/pr-review views; drag routes through admin status-override with bypass-precondition prompt |
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ The Next.js 16 control panel (`panel/`, package `roboco-panel` v0.14.0) is the s
 |---|---|---|---|
 | `useWebSocket<T>` | hook | `hooks/use-websocket.ts` | Single shared WS per path; auto-reconnect, heartbeat, message dispatch |
 | `WebSocketConnection` | class | `lib/websocket/connection.ts` | Low-level WS lifecycle; `getWebSocketUrl` builds `/ws/<path>` |
-| `api` (axios instance) | const | `lib/api/client.ts` | Shared client; baseURL `API_URL`, injects `X-Agent-ID/Role=CEO`, rate-limit retry (3) |
+| `api` (axios instance) | const | `lib/api/client.ts` | Shared client; baseURL `API_URL`, DEFAULTS (not forces, since wave 3) `X-Agent-ID/Role=CEO` via `has()`/`set()` — a caller-set header (e.g. the CEO-DM composer's literal `"ceo"` slug, needed verbatim by its route) wins; rate-limit retry (3) |
 | `releaseApi` | module | `lib/api/release.ts` | `getProposal/approve/reject`; 404→null, non-404 rethrow |
 | `authApi` | module | `lib/api/auth.ts` | `status/login/logout`; `status` always available (public probe), `login` posts an OAuth2 form body (FastAPI Users cookie route, not JSON) |
 | `useLogin`/`useAuthStatus`/`useLogout` | hooks | `hooks/use-auth.ts` | TanStack Query wrappers over `authApi`; login page + `proxy.ts`-gated flows |
@@ -81,7 +81,10 @@ The Next.js 16 control panel (`panel/`, package `roboco-panel` v0.14.0) is the s
 | `useA2AAdminPairs` / `useA2AConversations` / `useA2AMessages` | hooks | `hooks/use-a2a-live.ts` | TanStack Query wrappers over `a2aApi.listAdminPairs/listAdminConversations/listAdminMessages`; 30s `staleTime`, invalidated by `a2a.message` frames |
 | `useReplyAsCeo` | hook | `hooks/use-a2a-live.ts` | Mutation wrapping `a2aApi.replyAsCeo`; invalidates the conversation list + the watched transcript's messages on success |
 | `A2ASwitchboard` / `A2APairCard` | comp | `components/a2a/a2a-switchboard.tsx` + `a2a-pair-card.tsx` | Org-chart pair cards grouped into sections (cell/PM-chain/board/cross-team) via `groupPairsBySection`; each card pulses for `PAIR_PULSE_FADE_MS` (45s) after a matching live frame |
-| `A2AReplyComposer` | comp | `components/a2a/a2a-reply-composer.tsx` | CEO chime-in box on a selected conversation; disabled when the conversation has no linked task (A2A sends require one) |
+| `A2AReplyComposer` | comp | `components/a2a/a2a-reply-composer.tsx` | CEO chime-in box on a selected WATCHED conversation; disabled when it has no linked task (A2A sends require one) |
+| `A2ANewDmDialog` | comp | `components/a2a/a2a-new-dm-dialog.tsx` | CEO-voiced "start a fresh 1:1" entry point; `AgentSelector` with `excludeRoles` dropping self + non-`read_a2a` roles (auditor/pr_reviewer/prompter/secretary); `useCreateCeoConversation` opens the thread and sends the first message in one call |
+| `A2ADirectComposer` | comp | `components/a2a/a2a-direct-composer.tsx` | Composer for a conversation the CEO itself owns (`agent_a`/`agent_b === "ceo"`); posts via `useSendCeoMessage`/the plain per-conversation send route, NOT the interject-as-ceo route `A2AReplyComposer` uses — no task link required |
+| `useCreateCeoConversation` / `useSendCeoMessage` | hooks | `hooks/use-a2a-live.ts` | Mutations wrapping `a2aApi.createConversation`/`sendCeoMessage`; both force `X-Agent-ID: "ceo"` (literal slug, not the UUID) on the request and invalidate the conversation list (+ that conversation's messages for the send) |
 | `useUsageStore` | store | `store/usage-store.ts` | zustand: live usage snapshot, wsState, polling fallback |
 | `skippedPreconditions` | fn | `components/kanban/core/bypass-preconditions.ts` | Lists material lifecycle preconditions a drag would skip (PR/docs/subtasks-terminal) |
 | `KanbanBoard` | comp | `components/kanban/core/kanban-board.tsx` | dnd-kit board; routes drag→`useUpdateTask` (admin override) or in-band lifecycle verb; notes dialog for pass-qa/fail-qa/complete |
@@ -95,7 +98,7 @@ The Next.js 16 control panel (`panel/`, package `roboco-panel` v0.14.0) is the s
 | `DeliveryTabContent` | comp | `components/metrics/delivery-tab.tsx` | Cycle-time/bottleneck/rework/scorecard panels |
 
 ## Data Flow
-Browser → nginx :3000 → (panel Next.js server for pages; `/api/*` and `/ws/*` proxied to `orchestrator:8000`). All client calls use relative URLs: `API_URL="/api"` (axios `baseURL`) and `WS_URL="/ws"` (`getWebSocketUrl`) — no CORS because the browser sees one origin. When cloud auth is armed (`ROBOCO_CLOUD_AUTH_ENABLED`), every navigation to a `(dashboard)` route first runs `proxy.ts` (Next 16's rename of `middleware.ts`), which probes `/auth/status` directly against the docker-internal orchestrator URL (not through nginx) and redirects to `/login` when no `roboco_session` cookie is present; a probe failure/timeout fails OPEN to "cloud auth off" so a slow/unreachable backend never blocks navigation. The login page (`(auth)/login/page.tsx`) posts credentials via `authApi.login` (OAuth2 form body, FastAPI Users' cookie route) and the session cookie rides back on the response. The shared axios client injects `X-Agent-ID=<CEO_AGENT_ID>` + `X-Agent-Role=CEO_ROLE` headers for API authorization. Live events flow: orchestrator `StreamEventBus` → `websocket_bridge` → per-resource `/ws/{agents,notifications,system}` sockets → panel `useWebSocket` hooks → zustand stores / TanStack Query cache. Usage snapshots (`USAGE_SNAPSHOT`) and rate-limit lifecycle (`RATE_LIMIT_HIT/LIFTED`) arrive on the single shared `/ws/system` stream mounted in providers; on any non-`connected` state the usage store clears its snapshot so the panel falls back to HTTP-polling summary until a fresh frame lands. The A2A page's `useA2ALiveStream` is a second, independent consumer of that same shared `/ws/system` connection (not a new socket): every persisted A2A message publishes an `a2a.message` frame, which the page uses purely to invalidate-on-frame (REST via `a2aApi` stays the source of truth for full message bodies, since the frame's excerpt is capped) and to drive the switchboard's 45s pulse fade on the matching pair card.
+Browser → nginx :3000 → (panel Next.js server for pages; `/api/*` and `/ws/*` proxied to `orchestrator:8000`). All client calls use relative URLs: `API_URL="/api"` (axios `baseURL`) and `WS_URL="/ws"` (`getWebSocketUrl`) — no CORS because the browser sees one origin. When cloud auth is armed (`ROBOCO_CLOUD_AUTH_ENABLED`), every navigation to a `(dashboard)` route first runs `proxy.ts` (Next 16's rename of `middleware.ts`), which probes `/auth/status` directly against the docker-internal orchestrator URL (not through nginx) and redirects to `/login` when no `roboco_session` cookie is present; a probe failure/timeout fails OPEN to "cloud auth off" so a slow/unreachable backend never blocks navigation. The login page (`(auth)/login/page.tsx`) posts credentials via `authApi.login` (OAuth2 form body, FastAPI Users' cookie route) and the session cookie rides back on the response. The shared axios client DEFAULTS `X-Agent-ID=<CEO_AGENT_ID>` + `X-Agent-Role=CEO_ROLE` headers for API authorization — `has()`/`set()`, not a flat overwrite, so a call that already set its own headers (the CEO-DM composer's `X-Agent-ID: "ceo"`, needed literally by its route) keeps them. Live events flow: orchestrator `StreamEventBus` → `websocket_bridge` → per-resource `/ws/{agents,notifications,system}` sockets → panel `useWebSocket` hooks → zustand stores / TanStack Query cache. Usage snapshots (`USAGE_SNAPSHOT`) and rate-limit lifecycle (`RATE_LIMIT_HIT/LIFTED`) arrive on the single shared `/ws/system` stream mounted in providers; on any non-`connected` state the usage store clears its snapshot so the panel falls back to HTTP-polling summary until a fresh frame lands. The A2A page's `useA2ALiveStream` is a second, independent consumer of that same shared `/ws/system` connection (not a new socket): every persisted A2A message publishes an `a2a.message` frame, which the page uses purely to invalidate-on-frame (REST via `a2aApi` stays the source of truth for full message bodies, since the frame's excerpt is capped) and to drive the switchboard's 45s pulse fade on the matching pair card.
 
 ## Mermaid
 ```mermaid
@@ -140,7 +143,7 @@ panel/ (Next.js 16, package roboco-panel v0.14.0)
 │       ├── tasks/page.tsx + tasks/[taskId]/page.tsx
 │       ├── kanban/page.tsx                 (dev/qa/pm/pr-review views)
 │       ├── prompter/page.tsx               (intake chat: single + MegaTask batch)
-│       ├── a2a/page.tsx                    (A2A Live: switchboard/list + transcript + CEO reply)
+│       ├── a2a/page.tsx                    (A2A Live: switchboard/list + transcript + CEO reply/direct composer + New DM)
 │       ├── settings/page.tsx + settings/ai-providers/page.tsx
 │       └── {agents,projects,products,business,journals,git,knowledge-base,auditor,work-sessions,notifications}/page.tsx
 ├── src/components/
@@ -151,7 +154,7 @@ panel/ (Next.js 16, package roboco-panel v0.14.0)
 │   │   ├── shared/
 │   │   └── views/                          (dev/qa/pm/pr-review kanban)
 │   ├── prompter/                           (intake-form, chat-messages, chat-composer, draft-proposal-card, batch-review-card, success-card, board-review-sent-card)
-│   ├── a2a/                                (a2a-switchboard + a2a-switchboard-utils, a2a-pair-card, a2a-conversation-list, a2a-transcript, a2a-reply-composer, a2a-utils)
+│   ├── a2a/                                (a2a-switchboard + a2a-switchboard-utils, a2a-pair-card, a2a-conversation-list, a2a-transcript, a2a-reply-composer, a2a-new-dm-dialog, a2a-direct-composer, a2a-utils)
 │   ├── tasks/ + tasks/task-detail/         (task-table, create/edit-task-dialog, task-filters, acceptance-criteria-editor, dependency-selector; detail tabs: overview/plan/progress/commits/sessions/notes/dependencies/findings)
 │   ├── settings/                           (feature-flags-card, ai-routing-card, transcript-retention-card, self-hosted-section, x-credentials-card)
 │   ├── conventions/conventions-tab.tsx     (per-project architecture map + health)
@@ -224,6 +227,8 @@ Deliberately **not** on this card (compose/env-coupled, unsafe for a runtime tog
 - **A2A page activity is A2A-only by design**: `latestPulseTimestamps` (switchboard-utils) derives pulses purely from `a2a.message` frames on `/ws/system`, never from the verb/flow traffic sharing that same stream — a CEO ruling, not an oversight, so don't "fix" the switchboard to also light up on ordinary gateway verbs.
 - **A2A reply composer is read-only on a task-less conversation**: the backend's `reply_as_ceo` route 400s exactly when the watched conversation has no `task_id` (A2A sends always ride the gateway `send` path, which requires one) — the panel pre-empts that bounce with an explanatory message instead of letting the POST fail. Conversation `status` does NOT gate the composer; the CEO's reply lands in its own direct thread with the participant, not into the watched conversation.
 - **Switchboard "peeked pair" state**: a pair with `conversation_id: null` (never talked) has nothing to select via `?conversation=`, so `page.tsx` tracks it separately (`peekedPair`) and renders its own empty state — don't conflate this with the ordinary `selectedId` empty-state path when touching the drill-in panel.
+- **`a2aApi.createConversation`/`sendCeoMessage` must pass `X-Agent-ID: "ceo"` explicitly** (via axios per-call `headers`) — the backend routes they hit resolve the caller's identity from that raw header rather than a DB lookup, so the client's *default* `CEO_AGENT_ID` (a UUID) would persist as `agent_a`/`from_agent` and break every downstream `"ceo"`-string check (reply-budget gate, reply-composer recipient exclusion, admin pairing). `client.ts`'s interceptor uses `has()`/`set()` (case-insensitive) specifically so this per-call override isn't clobbered — `AxiosHeaders` bracket access is case-sensitive and would have silently lost a lowercase key.
+- **`A2ANewDmDialog`'s `AgentSelector` uses `excludeRoles`**, a new prop that drops roles from the roster before grouping (not just filters within a group) — used here to exclude the CEO itself plus every role without `read_a2a` on its manifest (auditor, pr_reviewer, prompter, secretary), since a DM to one of them would be a black hole no one ever reads.
 
 ## Drift from CLAUDE.md
 - CLAUDE.md says panel lives at `roboco/panel/` inside this repo — confirmed (no longer a separate `roboco-panel` project). No drift.
@@ -252,6 +257,7 @@ Deliberately **not** on this card (compose/env-coupled, unsafe for a runtime tog
 > - `abf4b35f` (2026-07-17, PR #546, "wave-1 quick wins") — notifications page resolves `from_agent` via `getAgentDisplayName` (was `notification.from_agent.slice(0, 8)`, a raw UUID prefix); metrics charts (usage time-series, agent/team usage, model donut) gained a "no data" empty state alongside the existing loading skeleton.
 > - `ca07c83f` + `40b1a586` (2026-07-17, PR #546) — scroll-bounce fix: `scroll-restoration.tsx`'s route key now strips UI-only params before comparing (`UI_ONLY_PARAMS=["expanded"]`, exported `buildRouteKey`) so a tasks-page row expand/collapse no longer forks/resets the saved scroll position; new floating `ScrollJumpButtons` (`components/scroll-jump-buttons.tsx`, mounted as a `<main>` sibling in `(dashboard)/layout.tsx`) re-observes `<main>`'s children via `MutationObserver` across a Suspense fallback→content swap so the `ResizeObserver` never watches a detached fallback node; the dead, unfiltered duplicate `hooks/use-scroll-restoration.ts` was deleted; `agent-utils.ts` `AGENT_NAMES` gains `system: "System"` for backend-authored notifications/events.
 > - `d83104e9` + `9a08cb3e` (2026-07-17, PR #546) — `ai-routing-card.tsx` confirm/toast copy now reads "Role/global routing now on … — per-agent pins kept" (was "All agents now on … Clears any overrides"), matching the backend fix that mode switches no longer wipe the whole `model_assignments` table — see `docs/map/support-services.md`.
+> - **Wave 3** (2026-07-17, branch `feature/wave-3-a2a-ceo`, PR #547) — CEO New-DM composer: `a2a-new-dm-dialog.tsx` (opens a fresh CEO-owned 1:1, `AgentSelector`'s new `excludeRoles` prop) + `a2a-direct-composer.tsx` (posts in a CEO-owned thread, no task link needed) wired into `page.tsx`'s composer-selection branch (CEO-owned thread → direct composer; task-linked watched thread → reply composer; else read-only). `use-a2a-live.ts` adds `useCreateCeoConversation`/`useSendCeoMessage`; `lib/api/a2a.ts` adds `createConversation`/`sendCeoMessage` (both force `X-Agent-ID: "ceo"` per-call). `client.ts`'s header injection changed from an unconditional overwrite to a `has()`/`set()` default so a per-call override survives. Backend: `A2AService._maybe_wake_ceo_recipient` wakes an offline `read_a2a`-capable recipient of a CEO DM via the `a2a_request` dispatch path — see `docs/map/a2a-audit-journal-permissions.md`. Same branch also scrubbed "message the CEO" recipes from `docs/rag`/`agents/prompts` (agents are never taught to DM the CEO — reply-only).
 
 ## Regression Risks