#6302·CodeWhale

open_application reports launched:true when merely resolving a running app

Author: HmbownCreated Sep 17, 2026Updated Sep 17, 2026

open_application reports launched: true even when it merely resolved an already-running process. The value is hardcoded in the return at src/backends/darwin.mjs:747 — the launch branch above it (if (!p?.found)) is conditional, but the receipt is not.

Observed during the 0.8.0 acceptance pass (Hmbown/Codewhale#6300): re-binding the already-running TextEdit (pid 90943) returned launched: true. Same receipt-honesty class as Hmbown/Codewhale#5927.

Fix: track whether this call actually launched the process and report that. JS-layer only (darwin.mjs); still needs the usual propagation (marketplace mirror, Core vendored copy, bundle rebuild) plus an app restart to pick it up — restart, not reinstall, so no TCC risk. Add a regression test asserting launched: false on re-bind.