MCP Test: flag authorizing before the background connect; notice copy says Connectors

The GUI's fast poll keyed off a status the task hadn't set yet, so a failing Test
looked dead until the 5s tick.

coworker/server/app.py

@@ -1177,6 +1177,7 @@ def create_app(manager: SessionManager) -> FastAPI:
         # browser and waits on the loopback callback — that can take minutes, so it
         # runs as a background task; the GUI polls /v1/mcp for the status flip
         # (authorizing → connected | needs_auth + last_error).
+        manager.begin_mcp_connect(name)  # authorizing shows on the very next poll
         asyncio.create_task(manager.connect_mcp(name))
         return {"ok": True, "started": True}
 
@@ -2367,7 +2368,7 @@ def create_app(manager: SessionManager) -> FastAPI:
             engine._append_notice(
                 "mcp_error",
                 f"MCP server “{name}” failed to start{detail}"[:300]
-                + " — see Settings ▸ MCP",
+                + " — see Settings ▸ Connectors",
             )
         # Auto-compaction failure prompt (OPE-27): only an ATTENDED session may be asked
         # Retry/Trim — unattended runs auto-trim (the policy in engine._compact_now).

coworker/server/manager.py

@@ -1303,6 +1303,15 @@ class SessionManager:
             )
         return out
 
+    def begin_mcp_connect(self, name: str) -> None:
+        """Flag `authorizing` BEFORE the background connect task starts. The GUI's
+        fast poll keys off this status; the first refresh used to outpace the task,
+        so a failing Test showed nothing until the lazy 5s tick (owner-hit
+        2026-08-21 — the button looked dead). Known names only, so an unknown
+        server can't wedge the flag (connect_mcp only clears it on a match)."""
+        if name in read_global():
+            self._mcp_authorizing.add(name)
+
     async def connect_mcp(self, name: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
         """Connect one server NOW — for OAuth servers this may open the browser and wait
         for the loopback callback, so callers run it as a background task and watch
@@ -1346,6 +1355,7 @@ class SessionManager:
                 return {"ok": False, "error": self._mcp_errors[name]}
             finally:
                 self._mcp_authorizing.discard(name)
+        self._mcp_authorizing.discard(name)  # begin_mcp_connect flagged a name we never matched
         return {"ok": False, "error": f"unknown MCP server: {name}"}
 
     async def mcp_connect_connector(self, name: str) -> dict[str, Any]:

surfaces/gui/src/itemsFromMessages.test.ts

@@ -113,12 +113,12 @@ describe("itemsFromMessages mcp failure", () => {
   it("replays the persisted mcp_error marker as a warn notice WITHOUT retry", () => {
     const items = itemsFromMessages([
       { role: "user", content: "hi" },
-      { role: "notice", kind: "mcp_error", text: "MCP server “sales-db” failed to start — see Settings ▸ MCP" },
+      { role: "notice", kind: "mcp_error", text: "MCP server “sales-db” failed to start — see Settings ▸ Connectors" },
     ] as any);
     expect(items[1]).toEqual({
       kind: "notice",
       tone: "warn",
-      text: "MCP server “sales-db” failed to start — see Settings ▸ MCP",
+      text: "MCP server “sales-db” failed to start — see Settings ▸ Connectors",
     });
   });
 });

tests/test_server.py

@@ -1080,3 +1080,26 @@ def test_set_provider_persists_extra_fields(tmp_path):
     manager.set_provider("ollama", {"base_url": ""})
     providers = {p["name"]: p for p in manager.get_providers()}
     assert "base_url" not in providers["ollama"]["values"]
+
+
+def test_mcp_connect_route_flags_authorizing_immediately(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Owner-hit 2026-08-21: the Test button looked dead — the connect ran as a
+    background task, and the GUI's first refresh landed before the task set
+    `authorizing`, so the fast poll never armed. The route must flag it
+    synchronously (and only for known servers, so nothing wedges)."""
+    import asyncio
+
+    from coworker.server import SessionManager
+
+    mgr = SessionManager(data_dir=tmp_path / "data")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "coworker.server.manager.read_global", lambda: {"sales-db": {"command": "x"}}
+    )
+    mgr.begin_mcp_connect("sales-db")
+    assert "sales-db" in mgr._mcp_authorizing
+    mgr.begin_mcp_connect("nope")
+    assert "nope" not in mgr._mcp_authorizing
+    # An unmatched name clears the flag instead of wedging "Testing…" forever.
+    monkeypatch.setattr("coworker.server.manager.load_mcp_servers", lambda *a, **k: [])
+    res = asyncio.run(mgr.connect_mcp("sales-db"))
+    assert not res["ok"] and "sales-db" not in mgr._mcp_authorizing