Add Casting back-navigation, fix truncated prompt generation (v1.12.91)

Characters/Cast gains a "Casting" button back to the active casting
session, the pipeline stepper renders on the Library section, and the
stepper's Cast Characters stop navigates instead of side-effect-running
sheet generation. Prompt generation: 4096-token budget (1600 truncated
the four-prompt JSON so two fields silently arrived empty), truncated
answers salvage completed fields, all-empty responses fail loudly, and
partial results name the missing prompts. The PDF-extraction progress
pill is enlarged and vertically centered.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -9,6 +9,17 @@ Follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/) · versioned wi
 
 ---
 
+## [1.12.91] — 2026-07-04
+
+### Fixed
+- **No way back from Cast Characters to the casting script** — the Characters/Cast view's production bar now has a "Casting" button that returns to the active casting session (via the reader's cast-restore), the pipeline stepper now also renders on the Library section so prev/next navigation works from there too, and the stepper's "Cast Characters" stop now *navigates* to the Characters/Cast view instead of kicking off sheet generation as a side effect of clicking a navigation element.
+- **Two of the four generation prompts silently came back empty** — the LLM's answer was truncated by a too-small output budget (1600 tokens for four prompts, one of them multi-section), the JSON parse failed, and the UI showed success with two empty boxes. The budget is now 4096 tokens, a cut-off answer is salvaged for the fields that did complete, an all-empty response is a loud server error instead of a silent success, and a partial result names exactly which prompts are missing so you know to hit Generate again.
+
+### Changed
+- **"Reading PDF… page N / M" progress pill enlarged and vertically centered** in the document pane (was a small pill pinned to the top edge), so long extractions have a clearly visible "still working" signal.
+
+---
+
 ## [1.12.90] — 2026-07-04
 
 ### Fixed

VERSION

@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.12.90
+1.12.91

routes/conversation.py

@@ -885,7 +885,10 @@ async def character_generate_prompts(request: Request):
             {"role": "user", "content": user},
         ],
         "temperature": 0.7,
-        "max_tokens": 1600,
+        # Four prompts, one of them multi-section (SillyTavern) — a tighter cap
+        # truncated the JSON mid-output, the parse failed, and the two later
+        # fields silently came back empty.
+        "max_tokens": 4096,
     }
     if model:
         payload["model"] = model
@@ -901,8 +904,14 @@ async def character_generate_prompts(request: Request):
         raise HTTPException(502, f"LLM prompt generation failed: {e}")
 
     content = re.sub(r"<think>.*?</think>", "", raw, flags=re.DOTALL).strip() or raw
+    block = _extract_json_block(content)
+    # If the model still got cut off mid-string, closing the dangling string +
+    # object often salvages the fields that DID complete.
+    candidates = [content, block]
+    if block:
+        candidates.extend([block + "\"}", block + "}"])
     result = {}
-    for cand in (content, _extract_json_block(content)):
+    for cand in candidates:
         if not cand:
             continue
         try:
@@ -912,12 +921,17 @@ async def character_generate_prompts(request: Request):
                 break
         except Exception:
             continue
-    return {
+    out = {
         "voice_design_prompt": str(result.get("voice_design_prompt") or "").strip(),
         "image_prompt": str(result.get("image_prompt") or "").strip(),
         "silly_tavern_prompt": str(result.get("silly_tavern_prompt") or "").strip(),
         "concept_art_prompt": str(result.get("concept_art_prompt") or "").strip(),
     }
+    if not any(out.values()):
+        # A silent all-empty response looked identical to success in the UI —
+        # fail loudly so the client can show a real error instead.
+        raise HTTPException(502, "LLM returned no parseable prompts — try again (or a different model)")
+    return out
 
 
 @router.post("/api/attribute-dialogue")

static/index.html

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
   <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no">
   <meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark">
   <meta name="theme-color" content="#2563EB">
-  <meta name="app-version" content="1.12.90">
+  <meta name="app-version" content="1.12.91">
   <link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.webmanifest">
   <link rel="icon" href="/static/icon.svg" type="image/svg+xml">
   <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/static/icon.svg">
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 
   <!-- ── Core styles (local — no CDN dependency for first paint) ────────── -->
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/vendor/mdi/materialdesignicons.min.css">
-  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/style.css?v=1.12.90">
+  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/style.css?v=1.12.91">
 
 
   <!-- ── Flag icons — non-blocking (loaded async, icons appear after JS) ── -->
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ window.toggleNavTree = function(treeId, chevronId) {
 </script>
 
 <!-- loader.js: fetches sections → loads JS modules → removes skeleton -->
-<script src="/static/loader.js?v=1.12.90"></script>
+<script src="/static/loader.js?v=1.12.91"></script>
 
 </body>
 </html>

static/js/library-characters.js

@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ async function libraryRenderCharacters() {
     prod.innerHTML = '<div class="lib-chars-prod-head" style="--pk1:' + cov.c1 + ';--pk2:' + cov.c2 + '">'
       + '<div class="lib-chars-prod-title"><span class="mdi mdi-bookshelf"></span> ' + escHtml(book) + '</div>'
       + '<div class="lib-chars-prod-actions">'
+      +   '<button class="btn-secondary btn-sm lib-chars-casting-btn" data-book="' + escHtml(book) + '" title="Back to the casting script (speaker attribution)"><span class="mdi mdi-drama-masks"></span> Casting</button>'
       +   '<button class="btn-secondary btn-sm lib-chars-cast-btn" data-book="' + escHtml(book) + '" title="Re-run character sheet generation"><span class="mdi mdi-account-details-outline"></span> Cast Characters</button>'
       +   '<button class="btn-secondary btn-sm lib-chars-reh-btn"  data-book="' + escHtml(book) + '" title="Open in Script Rehearsal"><span class="mdi mdi-theater"></span> Rehearse</button>'
       +   '<button class="btn-secondary btn-sm lib-chars-read-btn" data-book="' + escHtml(book) + '" title="Open in Read Aloud"><span class="mdi mdi-book-open-page-variant-outline"></span> Read Aloud</button>'
@@ -72,6 +73,12 @@ async function libraryRenderCharacters() {
       + '</div>';
 
     // Action buttons
+    prod.querySelector('.lib-chars-casting-btn').addEventListener('click', function () {
+      // Back to the casting script. If a casting session is active, navTo's
+      // synchronous cast-restore (nav.js) reopens it directly; otherwise this
+      // lands on the reader so the book can be opened and cast from there.
+      if (typeof navTo === 'function') navTo('s-reader');
+    });
     prod.querySelector('.lib-chars-cast-btn').addEventListener('click', function () {
       if (typeof productionOpenInReader === 'function') productionOpenInReader(book);
       toast('Open the book in Read Aloud then click Cast Characters', 'info');
@@ -607,12 +614,18 @@ async function _charDetailPage(rec, allChars) {
       if (!r.ok) throw new Error((await r.json().catch(function () { return {}; })).detail || r.statusText);
       const d = await r.json();
       if (!rec.sheet) rec.sheet = {};
-      ['voice_design_prompt', 'image_prompt', 'silly_tavern_prompt', 'concept_art_prompt'].forEach(function (k) {
+      const labels = { voice_design_prompt: 'Voice Design', image_prompt: 'Character Image', silly_tavern_prompt: 'SillyTavern', concept_art_prompt: 'Concept Art' };
+      const missing = [];
+      Object.keys(labels).forEach(function (k) {
         if (d[k]) rec.sheet[k] = d[k];
+        else if (!rec.sheet[k]) missing.push(labels[k]);
       });
       rec.updated = new Date();
       if (typeof clPut === 'function') await clPut(rec);
-      toast('Generation prompts created', 'success');
+      // A partially-cut-off LLM answer used to look exactly like success with
+      // two silently empty boxes — say which ones are missing instead.
+      if (missing.length) toast('Generated, but incomplete — missing: ' + missing.join(', ') + '. Click Generate again.', 'error');
+      else toast('Generation prompts created', 'success');
       _charDetailPage(rec, allChars);   // re-render so the boxes show the new content
     } catch (err) {
       toast('Prompt generation failed: ' + (err.message || err), 'error');

static/js/library.js

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ window.navLibraryView = function (view) {
   document.querySelectorAll('[data-library-panel]').forEach(function (el) {
     el.classList.toggle('is-active', el.dataset.libraryPanel === view);
   });
+  // Characters/Cast is the pipeline's "Cast Characters" stop — keep the
+  // stepper's current-step highlight in sync when the tab is opened directly.
+  if (view === 'characters' && typeof refreshWorkflowCrumbs === 'function') refreshWorkflowCrumbs('chars');
   libraryRender(view);
 };
 

static/js/reader.js

@@ -601,13 +601,15 @@ async function readerLoadPdf(file) {
   await readerExtractPdfText(loaded);
 }
 
-// Lightweight floating parse-progress line shown in the document pane for big PDFs.
+// Floating parse-progress pill for big PDFs — sticky at ~mid-height of the
+// document pane and sized to be legible from across the room, since a 300-page
+// extraction can take a while and this is the only "still working" signal.
 function readerShowParseProgress(total) {
   const doc = $('reader-doc'); if (!doc) return { update() {}, done() {} };
   const el = document.createElement('div');
   el.className = 'reader-parsing';
-  el.innerHTML = '<span class="mdi mdi-loading mdi-spin" style="font-size:16px;"></span> <span>Reading PDF… page 0 / ' + total + '</span>';
-  el.style.cssText = 'position:sticky; top:12px; z-index:100; margin:0 auto -42px; background:var(--accent); color:#fff; padding:6px 14px; border-radius:20px; font-size:12px; display:inline-flex; align-items:center; gap:8px; box-shadow:0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,.25); font-weight:600;';
+  el.innerHTML = '<span class="mdi mdi-loading mdi-spin" style="font-size:26px;"></span> <span>Reading PDF… page 0 / ' + total + '</span>';
+  el.style.cssText = 'position:sticky; top:40vh; z-index:100; margin:0 auto -64px; background:var(--accent); color:#fff; padding:14px 28px; border-radius:32px; font-size:18px; display:inline-flex; align-items:center; gap:12px; box-shadow:0 6px 24px rgba(0,0,0,.35); font-weight:700;';
   doc.insertBefore(el, doc.firstChild);
   const label = el.querySelector('span:last-child');
   return {

static/js/utils.js

@@ -818,7 +818,11 @@ function workflowCrumbGo(key) {
     if (typeof navTo === 'function') navTo('s-reader');
     if (typeof audiobookOpenCastView === 'function') audiobookOpenCastView();
   } else if (key === 'chars') {
-    if (typeof csForReader === 'function') csForReader();
+    // Navigate to the Characters/Cast library view — generating sheets stays
+    // on the explicit "Cast Characters" buttons; a navigation stop must never
+    // kick off an LLM run as a side effect.
+    if (typeof navTo === 'function') navTo('s-library');
+    if (typeof navLibraryView === 'function') navLibraryView('characters');
     _wfActive = 'chars';
     refreshWorkflowCrumbs();
   } else if (key === 'rehearser') {

static/nav.js

@@ -204,6 +204,7 @@
     if (typeof window.refreshWorkflowCrumbs === 'function') {
       if (sectionId === 's-rehearser') window.refreshWorkflowCrumbs('rehearser');
       else if (sectionId === 's-reader') window.refreshWorkflowCrumbs('source');
+      else if (sectionId === 's-library' && (window._libraryView || 'books') === 'characters') window.refreshWorkflowCrumbs('chars');
     }
   };
 

static/sections/s-library.html

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
         </div>
       </div>
 
+      <div class="wf-stepper" id="wf-stepper-library" hidden></div>
+
       <div class="lib-tabs">
         <button class="lib-tab is-active" data-library-view="books" onclick="navLibraryView('books')"><span class="mdi mdi-book-open-page-variant-outline"></span> Books</button>
         <button class="lib-tab" data-library-view="plays" onclick="navLibraryView('plays')"><span class="mdi mdi-theater"></span> Theater Plays</button>