permissions/ask: gate 'approve_always' palette entry on MCP-ness

Only MCP tools have a persistence target for 'approve_always' (the
connector's trusted-tools list); for native tools the decision lives
only in the in-memory runtime ruleset. Reflect that in the wire palette
so the FE can stay a pure renderer of allowed_decisions instead of
peeking at context.mcp_connector_id to decide whether to show the
'Always Allow' button.

The backend still accepts an 'approve_always' reply for any tool kind
(in-memory promotion is harmless), it just doesn't advertise it when
there's nowhere to persist.

surfsense_backend/app/agents/multi_agent_chat/middleware/shared/permissions/ask/payload.py

@@ -17,14 +17,21 @@ from app.agents.new_chat.permissions import Rule
 
 PERMISSION_ASK_INTERRUPT_TYPE = "permission_ask"
 
-_PERMISSION_ASK_DECISIONS: list[str] = [
+_BASE_PERMISSION_ASK_DECISIONS: list[str] = [
     LC_DECISION_APPROVE,
     LC_DECISION_REJECT,
     LC_DECISION_EDIT,
-    SURFSENSE_DECISION_APPROVE_ALWAYS,
 ]
 
 
+def _is_mcp_tool(tool: BaseTool | None) -> bool:
+    """An MCP tool advertises a connector id in its langchain metadata."""
+    if tool is None:
+        return False
+    metadata = getattr(tool, "metadata", None) or {}
+    return metadata.get("mcp_connector_id") is not None
+
+
 def _card_fields_from_tool(tool: BaseTool | None) -> dict[str, Any]:
     """Project the FE card's tool-scoped fields out of a BaseTool."""
     if tool is None:
@@ -52,10 +59,15 @@ def build_permission_ask_payload(
 ) -> dict[str, Any]:
     """Build the permission-ask interrupt payload.
 
-    ``tool`` carries the FE card's tool-scoped fields (description, MCP
+    ``approve_always`` is added to the palette only for MCP tools, since that
-    connector). When omitted the card still renders, just without the
+    is the only case where the user's choice can persist beyond the current
-    "Always Allow against this connected account" surface.
+    agent instance (saved to the connector's trusted-tools list). Native
+    tools fall back to the once/reject/edit triad.
     """
+    allowed_decisions = list(_BASE_PERMISSION_ASK_DECISIONS)
+    if _is_mcp_tool(tool):
+        allowed_decisions.append(SURFSENSE_DECISION_APPROVE_ALWAYS)
+
     context: dict[str, Any] = {
         "patterns": patterns,
         "rules": [
@@ -68,7 +80,7 @@ def build_permission_ask_payload(
     return build_lc_hitl_payload(
         tool_name=tool_name,
         args=args,
-        allowed_decisions=_PERMISSION_ASK_DECISIONS,
+        allowed_decisions=allowed_decisions,
         interrupt_type=PERMISSION_ASK_INTERRUPT_TYPE,
         context=context,
     )

surfsense_backend/tests/unit/agents/multi_agent_chat/middleware/shared/permissions/test_lc_hitl_wire.py

@@ -64,8 +64,12 @@ async def test_permission_ask_payload_uses_lc_hitl_shape():
     ], f"REGRESSION: permission ask reverted to legacy shape; got {value!r}"
     review = value.get("review_configs")
     assert isinstance(review, list) and len(review) == 1
-    # ``approve_always`` must be in the palette so the FE can render the promote button.
+    palette = review[0]["allowed_decisions"]
-    assert "approve_always" in review[0]["allowed_decisions"]
+    # Native tool (no ``tool=`` argument): the palette must include the
+    # once/reject/edit triad. ``approve_always`` is gated on MCP-ness and
+    # therefore *omitted* here — palette content per tool kind is
+    # exercised in ``test_permission_ask_mcp_context``.
+    assert "approve" in palette and "reject" in palette and "edit" in palette
     assert value.get("interrupt_type") == "permission_ask"
     # SurfSense context rides through verbatim for FE explainability.
     assert value["context"]["patterns"] == ["rm/*"]

surfsense_backend/tests/unit/agents/multi_agent_chat/middleware/shared/permissions/test_permission_ask_mcp_context.py

@@ -81,6 +81,53 @@ def test_payload_omits_tool_fields_when_tool_is_none():
     assert "tool_description" not in ctx
 
 
+def test_palette_includes_approve_always_for_mcp_tool():
+    """Saving to the connector's trusted-tools list is only possible for MCP tools."""
+    tool = _make_mcp_tool(
+        name="linear_create_issue", connector_id=42, connector_name="Linear"
+    )
+    palette = build_permission_ask_payload(
+        tool_name=tool.name,
+        args={},
+        patterns=[tool.name],
+        rules=[_ask_rule(tool.name)],
+        tool=tool,
+    )["review_configs"][0]["allowed_decisions"]
+    assert "approve_always" in palette
+
+
+def test_palette_excludes_approve_always_for_native_tool():
+    """Native tools have no place to persist trust, so don't offer the button."""
+    native = StructuredTool(
+        name="rm",
+        description="Remove a file.",
+        coroutine=_noop,
+        args_schema=_NoArgs,
+        metadata={"hitl": True},
+    )
+    palette = build_permission_ask_payload(
+        tool_name=native.name,
+        args={"path": "/tmp/x"},
+        patterns=[native.name],
+        rules=[_ask_rule(native.name)],
+        tool=native,
+    )["review_configs"][0]["allowed_decisions"]
+    assert "approve_always" not in palette
+    assert palette == ["approve", "reject", "edit"]
+
+
+def test_palette_excludes_approve_always_when_tool_is_none():
+    """Without a tool object the middleware can't tell — fall back to the safe triad."""
+    palette = build_permission_ask_payload(
+        tool_name="rm",
+        args={"path": "/tmp/x"},
+        patterns=["rm"],
+        rules=[_ask_rule("rm")],
+        tool=None,
+    )["review_configs"][0]["allowed_decisions"]
+    assert palette == ["approve", "reject", "edit"]
+
+
 def test_payload_omits_falsy_mcp_metadata_fields():
     tool = StructuredTool(
         name="anon_tool",