From bec120bf905087fc33fc16dc9d598e086a178998 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Devansh Jain <31609257+devanshrj@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:54:50 -0800
Subject: [PATCH] fix: remove redundant --default flag and allow --conv default
 with --new-agent (#1127)

---
 src/headless.ts | 19 +++----------------
 src/index.ts    | 17 ++---------------
 2 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 31 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/headless.ts b/src/headless.ts
index 0c51d26..421f567 100644
--- a/src/headless.ts
+++ b/src/headless.ts
@@ -258,7 +258,6 @@ export async function handleHeadlessCommand(
       continue: { type: "boolean", short: "c" },
       resume: { type: "boolean", short: "r" },
       conversation: { type: "string" },
-      default: { type: "boolean" }, // Alias for --conv default
       "new-agent": { type: "boolean" },
       new: { type: "boolean" }, // Deprecated - kept for helpful error message
       agent: { type: "string", short: "a" },
@@ -414,20 +413,8 @@ export async function handleHeadlessCommand(
   let agent: AgentState | null = null;
   let specifiedAgentId = values.agent as string | undefined;
   let specifiedConversationId = values.conversation as string | undefined;
-  const useDefaultConv = values.default as boolean | undefined;
   const shouldContinue = values.continue as boolean | undefined;
   const forceNew = values["new-agent"] as boolean | undefined;
-
-  // Handle --default flag (alias for --conv default)
-  if (useDefaultConv) {
-    if (specifiedConversationId && specifiedConversationId !== "default") {
-      console.error(
-        "Error: --default cannot be used with --conversation (they're mutually exclusive)",
-      );
-      process.exit(1);
-    }
-    specifiedConversationId = "default";
-  }
   const systemPromptPreset = values.system as string | undefined;
   const systemCustom = values["system-custom"] as string | undefined;
   const systemAppend = values["system-append"] as string | undefined;
@@ -541,8 +528,8 @@ export async function handleHeadlessCommand(
     specifiedConversationId = "default";
   }
 
-  // Validate --conv default requires --agent
-  if (specifiedConversationId === "default" && !specifiedAgentId) {
+  // Validate --conv default requires --agent (unless --new-agent will create one)
+  if (specifiedConversationId === "default" && !specifiedAgentId && !forceNew) {
     console.error("Error: --conv default requires --agent <agent-id>");
     console.error("Usage: letta --agent agent-xyz --conv default");
     console.error("   or: letta --conv agent-xyz (shorthand)");
@@ -1091,7 +1078,7 @@ export async function handleHeadlessCommand(
   } else {
     // Default for headless: always create a new conversation to avoid
     // 409 "conversation busy" races (e.g., parent agent calling letta -p).
-    // Use --default or --conv default to explicitly target the agent's
+    // Use --conv default to explicitly target the agent's
     // primary conversation.
     const conversation = await client.conversations.create({
       agent_id: agent.id,
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index d09f90a..9f8a5f6 100755
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -416,7 +416,6 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
         continue: { type: "boolean" }, // Deprecated - kept for error message
         resume: { type: "boolean", short: "r" }, // Resume last session (or specific conversation with --conversation)
         conversation: { type: "string", short: "C" }, // Specific conversation ID to resume (--conv alias supported)
-        default: { type: "boolean" }, // Alias for --conv default (use agent's default conversation)
         "new-agent": { type: "boolean" }, // Force create a new agent
         new: { type: "boolean" }, // Deprecated - kept for helpful error message
         "init-blocks": { type: "string" },
@@ -525,20 +524,8 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   const shouldResume = (values.resume as boolean | undefined) ?? false;
   let specifiedConversationId =
     (values.conversation as string | undefined) ?? null; // Specific conversation to resume
-  const useDefaultConv = (values.default as boolean | undefined) ?? false; // --default flag
   const forceNew = (values["new-agent"] as boolean | undefined) ?? false;
 
-  // Handle --default flag (alias for --conv default)
-  if (useDefaultConv) {
-    if (specifiedConversationId && specifiedConversationId !== "default") {
-      console.error(
-        "Error: --default cannot be used with --conversation (they're mutually exclusive)",
-      );
-      process.exit(1);
-    }
-    specifiedConversationId = "default";
-  }
-
   // --new: Create a new conversation (for concurrent sessions)
   const forceNewConversation = (values.new as boolean | undefined) ?? false;
 
@@ -558,8 +545,8 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
     specifiedConversationId = "default";
   }
 
-  // Validate --conv default requires --agent
-  if (specifiedConversationId === "default" && !specifiedAgentId) {
+  // Validate --conv default requires --agent (unless --new-agent will create one)
+  if (specifiedConversationId === "default" && !specifiedAgentId && !forceNew) {
     console.error("Error: --conv default requires --agent <agent-id>");
     console.error("Usage: letta --agent agent-xyz --conv default");
     console.error("   or: letta --conv agent-xyz (shorthand)");