trading_agent.runtime.steering_inbox

Messages from the user that arrive while a desk is in the middle of a model turn.

Without steering, a message sent while the desk is busy waits until the turn ends, which can be minutes. With it, the message goes into this inbox instead, and the running turn picks it up at its next tool round: the agent loop adds it to the conversation before the next model call, and the Claude runner hands it over in a PostToolUse hook. A message the turn never picks up, because the turn ended without another tool round, is queued as its own turn afterwards, so nothing is lost.

Typical usage example:

inbox = SteeringInbox(event_bus, 'main') inbox.add(trigger, running_trigger_id) text = inbox.take_text()

SteeringInbox

SteeringInbox(event_bus, desk_name)

One desk's messages waiting to be handed to the running turn.

Creates an empty inbox.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
event_bus	EventBus	Where deliveries are announced.	required
desk_name	str	The desk.	required

Source code in src/trading_agent/runtime/steering_inbox.py

def __init__(self, event_bus: event_bus_module.EventBus, desk_name: str):
    """Creates an empty inbox.

    Args:
        event_bus (event_bus_module.EventBus): Where deliveries are announced.
        desk_name (str): The desk.
    """
    self._event_bus = event_bus
    self._desk_name = desk_name
    self._waiting: list[trigger_module.Trigger] = []
    self._running_trigger_id: str | None = None

add

add(trigger, running_trigger_id)

Keeps a message for the running turn.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
trigger	Trigger	The user's message.	required
running_trigger_id	str	The trigger of the turn that is running.	required

Source code in src/trading_agent/runtime/steering_inbox.py

def add(
    self, trigger: trigger_module.Trigger, running_trigger_id: str
) -> None:
    """Keeps a message for the running turn.

    Args:
        trigger (trigger_module.Trigger): The user's message.
        running_trigger_id (str): The trigger of the turn that is running.
    """
    self._waiting.append(trigger)
    self._running_trigger_id = running_trigger_id

take_text

take_text()

Hands every waiting message to the running turn, as one block of text.

Returns:

Type	Description
str | None	The messages, each with its time, or None when none is waiting.

Source code in src/trading_agent/runtime/steering_inbox.py

def take_text(self) -> str | None:
    """Hands every waiting message to the running turn, as one block of text.

    Returns:
        str | None: The messages, each with its time, or None when none is waiting.
    """
    if not self._waiting:
        return None
    taken = self._waiting
    self._waiting = []
    parts = []
    for trigger in taken:
        moment = trigger.created_at.astimezone(_INDIA)
        parts.append(
            f'[Message from the user at {moment:%H:%M:%S} IST, sent while you were working. Take it into account now; it may change what you are doing.]\n{trigger.text}'
        )
        self._event_bus.publish(
            event_module.Event.now(
                event_module.EventKind.STEERING,
                self._desk_name,
                {
                    'trigger_id': trigger.trigger_id,
                    'into_trigger_id': self._running_trigger_id,
                    'delivered': True,
                },
            )
        )
    return '\n\n'.join(parts)

take_undelivered

take_undelivered()

Removes the messages the turn never picked up, so they can be queued as their own turns.

Returns:

Type	Description
list[Trigger]	The messages, oldest first.

Source code in src/trading_agent/runtime/steering_inbox.py

def take_undelivered(self) -> list[trigger_module.Trigger]:
    """Removes the messages the turn never picked up, so they can be queued as their own turns.

    Returns:
        list[trigger_module.Trigger]: The messages, oldest first.
    """
    taken = self._waiting
    self._waiting = []
    for trigger in taken:
        self._event_bus.publish(
            event_module.Event.now(
                event_module.EventKind.STEERING,
                self._desk_name,
                {
                    'trigger_id': trigger.trigger_id,
                    'into_trigger_id': self._running_trigger_id,
                    'delivered': False,
                },
            )
        )
    return taken