[Code Quality] Standardize stderr usage for console output in workflow package

[github-actions]

Description

Standardize console output to use fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, ...) instead of fmt.Println(...) in the workflow package (~15 occurrences) to ensure consistent output handling and prevent issues with piped/redirected output.

Problem

Current State:

• ~15 occurrences of fmt.Println(console.Format...) in workflow package
• Output goes to stdout instead of stderr
• Inconsistent with codebase guidelines in AGENTS.md
• Can break when output is piped or redirected

Why it's problematic:

• All user-facing output should go to stderr (except JSON output)
• Current pattern: fmt.Println(console.FormatInfoMessage(...))
• Correct pattern: fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, console.FormatInfoMessage(...))
• Breaks piping and redirection expectations

Suggested Changes

Update all console output calls to use stderr:

// ❌ CURRENT - Output to stdout
fmt.Println(console.FormatInfoMessage("Refreshed stop-after time"))

// ✅ CORRECT - Output to stderr
fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, console.FormatInfoMessage("Refreshed stop-after time"))

Files Affected

Approximately 15 occurrences across:

• pkg/workflow/stop_after.go (lines 81-354)
• pkg/workflow/engine_firewall_support.go (line 72)
• pkg/workflow/mcp-config-custom.go
• Other workflow package files

Success Criteria

• All fmt.Println(console.Format...) calls changed to fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, console.Format...)
• Consistent stderr usage across workflow package
• All existing tests pass: make test
• Output correctly appears in stderr (not stdout)
• Follows guidelines documented in AGENTS.md

Implementation Strategy

1. Identify all occurrences: grep -r "fmt.Println(console\\.Format" pkg/workflow/
2. Replace pattern systematically file by file
3. Test each file after changes
4. Run full test suite to ensure no regressions

Source

Extracted from Terminal UI Analysis: Console Output Patterns discussion #10958

Priority

Medium - Improves output consistency and prevents piping issues

Estimated Effort

Medium - 1-2 hours to fix ~15 occurrences and test

AI generated by Discussion Task Miner - Code Quality Improvement Agent

• expires on Feb 4, 2026, 2:09 PM UTC

[github-actions]

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