# 2026-07-06 — ScreenConnect skill: full-fleet listing fix

## User
- **User:** Howard Enos (howard)
- **Machine:** Howard-Home
- **Role:** tech

## Session Summary

Fixed the `screenconnect` skill's reported inability to list the full agent fleet.
The prior state believed the RESTful API Manager extension on the ACG instance
(`computerguru.screenconnect.com`) exposed no full-fleet enumeration method — only
`GetSessionsByName`, an exact-name lookup — and the SKILL.md/reference docs framed
this as a gap needing Mike to update the extension.

That premise was wrong about the cause. Empirical probing of the live extension
found that `GetSessionsByFilter` **does** exist; earlier probing had simply never
tried it. It was distinguishable because it returned a different error
(`InvalidOperationException: "Session filter cannot be null"`) than the
"web method does not exist" every other candidate returned. Discovery of its
signature followed: the parameter is named `sessionFilter` (not `filter`), it takes
a ScreenConnect session-filter expression, and string literals are single-quoted.
`SessionType = 'Access'` returns all 958 unattended agents; `SessionType = 'Support'`
returns the 24 on-demand sessions; `CustomProperty1 = '<Company>'` does per-client
listing; `Name LIKE '*<substr>*'` does partial-name search; `AND`/`OR` compose.

Implemented the fix across the client (`get_sessions_by_filter`, a
`build_session_filter` builder, `list_sessions` convenience), the CLI (`sessions`
now defaults to the whole Access fleet, with new `--like`, `--company`, `--site`,
`--tag`, `--type`, `--filter`, `--limit` flags; `status` reports real fleet counts),
the self-test (added coverage), and both doc files (documented the filter language,
removed the stale "MISSING / needs extension update" framing).

Ran `/code-review` at high effort via the workflow backend. It caught three real
regressions I had introduced plus four robustness/quality issues. All seven were
fixed and re-verified live. The self-test grew from the original set to 19 checks,
all passing against the live instance. The repo's background auto-sync committed and
pushed the changes (commits `7dc5198` then `12c3d83`); `main` is level with
`origin/main`.

## Key Decisions

- **Probe the live extension rather than trust the documented gap.** The "GetSessions
  unavailable" note was a conclusion from incomplete probing; treating the API surface
  as empirically discoverable (not fixed) surfaced `GetSessionsByFilter`.
- **Route full-fleet listing through a filter builder, not ad-hoc strings.** A
  `build_session_filter(**parts)` keeps CLI flags declarative and centralizes literal
  escaping.
- **`sessions` defaults to the whole Access fleet.** The headline use case is "show me
  every agent"; a bare `sessions` now does that (958), with `--company`/`--like`/etc.
  narrowing.
- **A targeted selector defaults `--type` to `all`, a bare listing defaults to
  `access`.** This restores the old type-agnostic by-name behavior (Support/Meeting
  sessions resolve) while keeping the fleet default meaningful.
- **`status` auth check stays on the cheap `GetSessionsByName('')`; fleet counts are
  best-effort.** Keeps `status` fast and functional even on an extension version
  lacking `GetSessionsByFilter`.
- **Kept SQL-style `''` quote-doubling for escaping** after verifying it round-trips
  live (matched "Andy's Mobile Fuel").

## Problems Encountered

- **Full-fleet listing believed impossible.** Root cause: `GetSessionsByFilter` never
  probed. Resolved by discovering the method, its `sessionFilter` param name, and the
  `SessionType = 'Access'` match-all form.
- **`GetSessionsByName('')` returns only blank-name sessions (3), not the fleet.**
  Confirmed it is an exact `Name ==` match, so it cannot be coaxed into listing —
  hence the filter method is required.
- **Three regressions from the first-pass rewrite** (caught by `/code-review`):
  (1) `--limit` truncated `--json`, breaking the "json is always full" contract —
  fixed so `--limit` only caps the human-readable print; (2) `--type all` fell through
  to the Access-only default — fixed with an `(SessionType = 'Access' OR SessionType =
  'Support')` clause (verified 982 = 958 + 24); (3) `--name` lost type-agnostic
  lookup — fixed via context-aware `--type` defaulting. All re-verified live.
- **`status` was downloading the full fleet twice just to count, and would fail if the
  filter method were absent.** Decoupled the auth check (cheap `GetSessionsByName`)
  from best-effort fleet counting wrapped in try/except.
- **`/tmp` write blocked by the harness hook** during a shell sanity check (expected
  Windows `/tmp` rule); switched to a repo-relative scratch path.

## Configuration Changes

Modified (all under `.claude/skills/screenconnect/`):
- `scripts/sc_client.py` — added `get_sessions_by_filter()`, `_filter_literal()`,
  `build_session_filter()`, `list_sessions()`; added `SESSION_TYPE_LITERALS`; updated
  module/method docstrings.
- `scripts/sc.py` — `cmd_status` decoupled (cheap auth + best-effort counts);
  `cmd_sessions` reworked with `_effective_type()`, limit-only-on-print; added
  `--like/--company/--site/--tag/--type/--filter/--limit` flags; updated usage
  docstring.
- `scripts/selftest.py` — restored `Authenticated` assertion, added `--type all`,
  `--like`, `--filter`, `--company`, `--limit`, and a "limit does not truncate json"
  check (`out_json_min_len`). Now 19 checks.
- `SKILL.md` — documented `GetSessionsByFilter` as the enumeration path + CLI examples;
  replaced the "MISSING, needs Mike" framing with "absent aliases, not needed".
- `references/api-reference.md` — added `GetSessionsByFilter` row + a session-filter
  language section.

## Credentials & Secrets

No new credentials. API secret unchanged: SOPS vault `msp-tools/screenconnect.sops.yaml`
field `credentials.api_secret` (env override `SCREENCONNECT_API_SECRET`). Auth remains
two headers — `CTRLAuthHeader: <raw api_secret>` (no "Basic" prefix) and
`Origin: https://computerguru.screenconnect.com`.

## Infrastructure & Servers

- **Instance:** `https://computerguru.screenconnect.com`
- **Extension GUID:** `2d558935-686a-4bd0-9991-07539f5fe749` (RESTful API Manager)
- **Endpoint:** `POST <instance>/App_Extensions/<guid>/Service.ashx/<Method>`
- **Fleet snapshot (2026-07-06):** 958 Access (unattended agents) + 24 Support = 982.
- **Custom properties:** CP1=Company, CP2=Site, CP3=Tag (up to CP8; CP4 seen holding a
  role like Server/Desktop, CP5 "Syncro-Matched" on some records).
- **SessionType literals:** `Access` = 2, `Support` = 0, `Meeting` = none present.

## Commands & Outputs

```bash
SC="bash .claude/scripts/py.sh C:/claudetools/.claude/skills/screenconnect/scripts/sc.py"

# full fleet (958), per-client, partial name, all types
$SC sessions
$SC sessions --company "Ridgetop Group"          # 14
$SC sessions --like DELL --limit 3
$SC sessions --type all --json | ...              # 982

# the discovery: filter method exists, param is sessionFilter
$SC raw --method GetSessionsByFilter --body '{"sessionFilter":"SessionType = '"'"'Access'"'"'"}'
```

Key probe results:
- `GetSessionsByFilter {}` -> `InvalidOperationException: "Session filter cannot be null"` (method EXISTS).
- `{"filter":""}` -> `"Unknown parameter: filter"`; `{"sessionFilter":"x"}` -> `[]` (valid, matched none).
- `SessionType = 'Access'` -> 958; `'Support'` -> 24; `'Access' OR 'Support'` -> 982.
- `CustomProperty1 = 'Safesite'` -> 62; `Name LIKE '*DELL*'` -> 26.
- Escaping verified: `CustomProperty1 LIKE '*Andy''s*'` -> 1 (matched "Andy's Mobile Fuel").

Self-test: `19/19 passed, 0 failed` against the live instance.

## Pending / Incomplete Tasks

- None for the skill itself. The GuruRMM addon plan it prototypes is unchanged and
  still gated on Mike's go (SPEC-024, RMM_THOUGHTS Feature 7 / Refinement 7a).
- Unrelated working-tree drift left untouched: `projects/dataforth-dos`,
  `projects/discord-bot`, `projects/msp-tools/guru-rmm`,
  `projects/msp-tools/security-assessment` (submodule pointers), `projects/radio-show`
  (untracked). Not part of this work.

## Reference Information

- Commits: `7dc5198` (initial fix) and `12c3d83` (review fixes) — both auto-sync
  commits from HOWARD-HOME; `main` == `origin/main`.
- Skill dir: `.claude/skills/screenconnect/`
- Filter language ref: `.claude/skills/screenconnect/references/api-reference.md`
  (session-filter section).
