feat: add remount command to recreate containers preserving writable layer

Adds a `remount` action that commits the container's current state into
its image, removes the old container, then creates a fresh one from the
updated image. The new container picks up any new mounts, env vars, or
network config from createContainer() while preserving installed packages
and configs from the writable layer.

Useful when createContainer() gains new volume mounts (like /board) and
existing creatures need to pick them up without losing their self-installed
tools (supervisord, python packages, etc).

- supervisor: remount() method (docker commit + rm + spawnCreature)
- orchestrator: POST /api/creatures/:name/remount endpoint
- dashboard: remount button with confirmation dialog

Made-with: Cursor

Author: rsdouglas

dashboard/src/components/CreatureDetail.tsx

@@ -74,6 +74,11 @@ export function CreatureDetail() {
         <button className="bg-white border border-[#d0d0d0] text-text-secondary px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded text-[11px] cursor-pointer hover:bg-[#f5f5f5] hover:text-text-primary transition-colors" onClick={() => api.creatureAction(name, 'wake')}>wake</button>
         <button className="bg-white border border-[#d0d0d0] text-text-secondary px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded text-[11px] cursor-pointer hover:bg-[#f5f5f5] hover:text-text-primary transition-colors disabled:opacity-40 disabled:cursor-not-allowed" disabled={degraded} title={degraded ? 'Orchestrator degraded' : undefined} onClick={() => { api.creatureAction(name, 'restart'); refresh(); }}>restart</button>
         <button className="bg-white border border-warn text-warn-light px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded text-[11px] cursor-pointer hover:bg-[#fffbf5] transition-colors disabled:opacity-40 disabled:cursor-not-allowed" disabled={degraded} title={degraded ? 'Orchestrator degraded' : undefined} onClick={() => { api.creatureAction(name, 'rebuild'); refresh(); }}>rebuild</button>
+        <button className="bg-white border border-[#d0d0d0] text-text-secondary px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded text-[11px] cursor-pointer hover:bg-[#f5f5f5] hover:text-text-primary transition-colors disabled:opacity-40 disabled:cursor-not-allowed" disabled={degraded} title={degraded ? 'Orchestrator degraded' : 'Recreate container preserving installed packages'} onClick={() => {
+          if (confirm(`Remount "${name}"? Preserves installed packages but restarts the container.`)) {
+            api.creatureAction(name, 'remount'); refresh();
+          }
+        }}>remount</button>
         <button className="bg-white border border-warn text-warn-light px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded text-[11px] cursor-pointer hover:bg-[#fffbf5] transition-colors" onClick={() => {
           if (confirm(`Archive creature "${name}"? It will be stopped and moved to the archive.`)) {
             api.creatureAction(name, 'archive').then(() => { refresh(); selectCreature(null); });

src/host/index.ts

@@ -320,6 +320,12 @@ export class Orchestrator {
     await supervisor.restart();
   }
 
+  async remountCreature(name: string): Promise<void> {
+    const supervisor = this.supervisors.get(name);
+    if (!supervisor) throw new Error(`creature "${name}" is not running`);
+    await supervisor.remount();
+  }
+
   async spawnCreature(name: string, _dir: string, purpose?: string, genome = 'dreamer', model?: string): Promise<void> {
     console.log(`[orchestrator] spawning "${name}"...`);
     const result = await spawnCreature({ name, purpose, genome, model });
@@ -800,6 +806,21 @@ export class Orchestrator {
           return;
         }
 
+        if (action === 'remount' && req.method === 'POST') {
+          const health = getStatus();
+          if (health.status !== 'healthy') {
+            res.writeHead(503, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
+            res.end(JSON.stringify({ error: 'Orchestrator degraded — cannot remount creatures', dependencies: health.dependencies }));
+            return;
+          }
+          try {
+            console.log(`[${name}] developer-initiated remount`);
+            await this.remountCreature(name);
+            res.writeHead(200); res.end('ok');
+          } catch (err: any) { res.writeHead(400); res.end(err.message); }
+          return;
+        }
+
         if (action === 'wake' && req.method === 'POST') {
           try {
             const supervisor = this.supervisors.get(name);

src/host/supervisor.ts

@@ -114,6 +114,34 @@ export class CreatureSupervisor {
     this.status = 'starting';
     await this.spawnCreature();
   }
+  // Recreate container preserving its writable layer (installed packages,
+  // configs, etc.). Commits the container state into the image, removes the old
+  // container, then creates a fresh one from the updated image — picking up any
+  // new mounts, env vars, or network config. Running processes stop but their
+  // installed artifacts survive.
+  async remount(): Promise<void> {
+    this.expectingExit = true;
+    this.clearTimers();
+    this.healthyAt = null;
+    const cname = this.containerName();
+
+    console.log(`[${this.name}] remounting: committing container state to image`);
+    try { execSync(`docker stop ${cname}`, { stdio: 'ignore', timeout: 15_000 }); } catch {}
+    try {
+      execSync(`docker commit ${cname} ${cname}`, { stdio: 'ignore', timeout: 60_000 });
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error(`[${this.name}] remount: commit failed — container preserved, aborting`, err);
+      this.expectingExit = false;
+      throw err;
+    }
+    try { execSync(`docker rm -f ${cname}`, { stdio: 'ignore' }); } catch {}
+
+    this.creature = null;
+    this.currentSHA = getCurrentSHA(this.dir);
+    this.status = 'starting';
+    await this.spawnCreature();
+  }
+
 
   // Full rebuild: destroys container (writable layer lost). Developer-only.
   async rebuild(): Promise<void> {