# Auto-Start Implementation Summary

## Changes Implemented

### ✅ 1. Created Auto-Start Decorator

**File**: `src/cli/commands/browser.py`

Added `@requires_server` decorator that:
- Checks if server is running via `get_server_status()`
- Auto-starts server using `ensure_server_running()` if needed
- Shows brief status messages ("⚡ Starting server... ✓ Started on port 8851")
- Handles failures gracefully with helpful error panels

### ✅ 2. Applied Decorator to Commands

Applied `@requires_server` to **11 commands**:

#### Control Commands (5)
1. `navigate_to_url` - Navigate to URL
2. `fill_field` - Fill form fields
3. `click_element` - Click elements
4. `scroll_page` - Scroll page
5. `submit_form` - Submit forms

#### Extract Commands (3)
6. `extract_content` - Extract readable content (Readability.js)
7. `extract_semantic` - Extract semantic DOM structure
8. `extract_selector` - Extract by CSS selector

#### Other Commands (3)
9. `logs` - Query console logs
10. `screenshot` - Take screenshots
11. `test` - Interactive test mode

### ✅ 3. Updated Status Command

**File**: `src/cli/commands/status.py`

Changed server status message from:
```
Server        ○ Not running
```

To:
```
Server        ○ Not running (will auto-start on first command)
```

### ✅ 4. Updated Help Text

**File**: `src/cli/commands/browser.py`

Updated `browser` group docstring:
- Changed: "The server must be running before using these commands."
- To: "The server will auto-start if not already running."
- Removed: "Start the server: mcp-browser start" from prerequisites
- Kept: "Install and connect Chrome extension" and "Navigate to a website"

### ✅ 5. Created Test Script

**File**: `test_auto_start.py`

Validation script that tests:
- Initial server status check
- `ensure_server_running()` functionality
- Server status after auto-start
- Idempotence (calling again returns same server)

### ✅ 6. Created Documentation

**File**: `AUTO_START_IMPLEMENTATION.md`

Comprehensive documentation covering:
- Overview and implementation details
- Commands with/without auto-start
- User experience examples
- Technical implementation
- Testing instructions
- Benefits and design notes

## Commands That Do NOT Auto-Start

As specified in requirements, these commands do NOT auto-start:

- ✅ `mcp-browser start` / `serve` - Start server themselves
- ✅ `mcp-browser stop` - Stop server
- ✅ `mcp-browser init` - Configuration only
- ✅ `mcp-browser doctor` - Diagnostic only
- ✅ `mcp-browser setup` - Setup workflow
- ✅ `mcp-browser status` - Status check (mentions auto-start)

## User Experience Flow

### Before (Manual Start Required)
```bash
$ mcp-browser browser control navigate https://example.com
✗ No active server found. Start with: mcp-browser start

$ mcp-browser start
✓ Server started on port 8851

$ mcp-browser browser control navigate https://example.com
✓ Successfully navigated
```

### After (Auto-Start)
```bash
$ mcp-browser browser control navigate https://example.com
⚡ Starting server... ✓ Started on port 8851
→ Navigating to https://example.com...
✓ Successfully navigated to: https://example.com
```

## Key Design Decisions

1. **Decorator Pattern**: Clean, reusable, maintainable
2. **Idempotent**: Safe to call multiple times
3. **Brief Messages**: Single-line status update (not verbose)
4. **Graceful Failures**: Clear error panels with next steps
5. **No Breaking Changes**: Existing behavior preserved
6. **Port Handling**: Commands still accept `--port` override

## Testing

Run the test script:
```bash
python test_auto_start.py
```

Or test manually:
```bash
# Ensure server is stopped
mcp-browser stop

# Run any browser command - should auto-start
mcp-browser browser control navigate https://example.com

# Check status - should show running
mcp-browser status
```

## Files Modified

1. `src/cli/commands/browser.py` - Decorator + 11 command updates + help text
2. `src/cli/commands/status.py` - Status message update
3. `test_auto_start.py` (new) - Test script
4. `AUTO_START_IMPLEMENTATION.md` (new) - Detailed documentation
5. `IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md` (new) - This file

## LOC Delta

- **Added**: ~50 lines (decorator definition, documentation)
- **Modified**: 11 decorators applied (1 line each)
- **Total Impact**: Minimal, focused changes

## Next Steps

To verify implementation:
1. Run test script: `python test_auto_start.py`
2. Test manually with server stopped
3. Verify status command shows new message
4. Test that commands without decorator still work (start, stop, etc.)
