refactor: remove emojis from error messages and logs (#300)

- Replace emoji icons with text-based equivalents:
  - Success: ✓ -> [OK]
  - Error: ✗/❌ -> [ERROR]
  - Warning: ⚠️ -> [WARN]
  - Info: ℹ️ -> [INFO]
  - Robot: 🤖 -> removed or replaced with text
  - Lock: 🔐/🔒 -> removed
  - Globe: 🌐 -> removed

- Keep colors for different message types (error=red, warning=amber, info=blue)
- Update screenshot examples and documentation
- Update tests to match new icon format

Note: Emojis in test files for Unicode/grapheme handling are intentionally kept
as they test Unicode character support, not error message display.

Co-authored-by: Droid Agent <droid@factory.ai>

Author: echobt

cortex-cli/src/agent_cmd.rs

@@ -1010,7 +1010,7 @@ async fn run_create(args: CreateArgs) -> Result<()> {
         }
     }
 
-    println!("🤖 Cortex Agent Creator");
+    println!("Cortex Agent Creator");
     println!("{}", "=".repeat(40));
     println!();
 
@@ -1348,7 +1348,7 @@ async fn run_generate(args: CreateArgs) -> Result<()> {
         }
     }
 
-    println!("🤖 Cortex AI Agent Generator");
+    println!("Cortex AI Agent Generator");
     println!("{}", "=".repeat(40));
     println!();
 

cortex-cli/src/github_cmd.rs

@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ async fn run_github_agent(args: RunArgs) -> Result<()> {
     let event = parse_event(&args.event, &event_content)
         .with_context(|| format!("Failed to parse {} event", args.event))?;
 
-    println!("🤖 Cortex GitHub Agent");
+    println!("Cortex GitHub Agent");
     println!("{}", "=".repeat(40));
     println!("Repository: {}", repository);
     println!("Event type: {}", args.event);
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ async fn handle_issue_comment(
         return Ok(());
     }
 
-    println!("   🤖 Cortex command detected!");
+    println!("   Cortex command detected!");
 
     // Initialize GitHub client
     let client = GitHubClient::new(token, repository)?;
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ fn parse_cortex_command(text: &str) -> String {
 
 /// Get help message for Cortex commands.
 fn get_help_message() -> String {
-    r#"## 🤖 Cortex Commands
+    r#"## Cortex Commands
 
 | Command | Description |
 |---------|-------------|

cortex-cli/src/styled_output.rs

@@ -133,11 +133,11 @@ impl MessageType {
     /// Get the icon for this message type.
     fn icon(&self) -> &'static str {
         match self {
-            MessageType::Success => "✓",
-            MessageType::Error => "✗",
-            MessageType::Warning => "⚠",
-            MessageType::Info => "ℹ",
-            MessageType::Dim => "·",
+            MessageType::Success => "[OK]",
+            MessageType::Error => "[ERROR]",
+            MessageType::Warning => "[WARN]",
+            MessageType::Info => "[INFO]",
+            MessageType::Dim => "-",
         }
     }
 
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ pub fn print_error(message: &str) {
 /// # Example
 /// ```
 /// print_warning("Configuration file not found, using defaults");
-/// // Output: ⚠ Configuration file not found, using defaults (in amber)
+/// // Output: [WARN] Configuration file not found, using defaults (in amber)
 /// ```
 pub fn print_warning(message: &str) {
     print_styled_internal(MessageType::Warning, message, true, false);
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ pub fn print_warning(message: &str) {
 /// # Example
 /// ```
 /// print_info("Processing 42 files...");
-/// // Output: ℹ Processing 42 files... (in blue)
+/// // Output: [INFO] Processing 42 files... (in blue)
 /// ```
 pub fn print_info(message: &str) {
     print_styled_internal(MessageType::Info, message, true, false);
@@ -379,19 +379,19 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn test_message_type_icons() {
-        assert_eq!(MessageType::Success.icon(), "✓");
-        assert_eq!(MessageType::Error.icon(), "✗");
-        assert_eq!(MessageType::Warning.icon(), "⚠");
-        assert_eq!(MessageType::Info.icon(), "ℹ");
-        assert_eq!(MessageType::Dim.icon(), "·");
+        assert_eq!(MessageType::Success.icon(), "[OK]");
+        assert_eq!(MessageType::Error.icon(), "[ERROR]");
+        assert_eq!(MessageType::Warning.icon(), "[WARN]");
+        assert_eq!(MessageType::Info.icon(), "[INFO]");
+        assert_eq!(MessageType::Dim.icon(), "-");
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn test_format_styled_no_color() {
         // When colors are disabled, should just return icon + message
         std::env::set_var("NO_COLOR", "1");
         let result = format_styled(MessageType::Success, "test message");
-        assert!(result.contains("✓"));
+        assert!(result.contains("[OK]"));
         assert!(result.contains("test message"));
         std::env::remove_var("NO_COLOR");
     }

cortex-commands/src/builtin/agents_cmd.rs

@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ impl AgentsCommand {
         let mut output = String::new();
 
         // Built-in agents
-        output.push_str("🤖 Built-in Agents:\n");
+        output.push_str("Built-in Agents:\n");
         for agent in &result.builtin_agents {
             let suffix = if agent.is_subagent { " (subagent)" } else { "" };
             output.push_str(&format!(
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ impl AgentsCommand {
         }
 
         if result.has_global_agents {
-            output.push_str("🌐 Global Agents:\n");
+            output.push_str("Global Agents:\n");
             for agent in result.agents.iter().filter(|d| !d.is_project_local) {
                 output.push_str(&format!(
                     "  @{:<16} {} ({})\n",

cortex-commands/src/builtin/commands_cmd.rs

@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ impl CommandsCommand {
         }
 
         if result.has_global_commands {
-            output.push_str("🌐 Global Commands:\n");
+            output.push_str("Global Commands:\n");
             for cmd in result.commands.iter().filter(|c| !c.is_project_local) {
                 output.push_str(&format!("  /{:<16} {}\n", cmd.name, cmd.description));
             }

cortex-engine/src/health.rs

@@ -49,13 +49,13 @@ impl HealthStatus {
         }
     }
 
-    /// Get status emoji.
+    /// Get status symbol (text-based, no emoji).
     pub fn emoji(&self) -> &'static str {
         match self {
-            Self::Healthy => "✓",
-            Self::Degraded => "⚠",
-            Self::Unhealthy => "✗",
-            Self::Unknown => "?",
+            Self::Healthy => "[OK]",
+            Self::Degraded => "[WARN]",
+            Self::Unhealthy => "[ERROR]",
+            Self::Unknown => "[?]",
         }
     }
 }

cortex-engine/src/output.rs

@@ -576,7 +576,7 @@ impl ResultFormatter {
     /// Format a success result.
     pub fn success(&self, message: &str) -> String {
         if self.show_success {
-            format!("✓ {message}")
+            format!("[OK] {message}")
         } else {
             String::new()
         }
@@ -585,20 +585,20 @@ impl ResultFormatter {
     /// Format an error result.
     pub fn error(&self, message: &str) -> String {
         if self.show_errors {
-            format!("✗ {message}")
+            format!("[ERROR] {message}")
         } else {
             String::new()
         }
     }
 
     /// Format a warning.
     pub fn warning(&self, message: &str) -> String {
-        format!("⚠ {message}")
+        format!("[WARN] {message}")
     }
 
     /// Format info.
     pub fn info(&self, message: &str) -> String {
-        format!("ℹ {message}")
+        format!("[INFO] {message}")
     }
 }
 
@@ -672,9 +672,9 @@ mod tests {
     fn test_result_formatter() {
         let formatter = ResultFormatter::new();
 
-        assert!(formatter.success("Done").contains("✓"));
-        assert!(formatter.error("Failed").contains("✗"));
-        assert!(formatter.warning("Warn").contains("⚠"));
+        assert!(formatter.success("Done").contains("[OK]"));
+        assert!(formatter.error("Failed").contains("[ERROR]"));
+        assert!(formatter.warning("Warn").contains("[WARN]"));
     }
 
     #[test]

cortex-engine/src/permission/prompts.rs

@@ -145,19 +145,19 @@ impl PermissionPrompt {
         let mut output = String::new();
 
         // Header
-        output.push_str(&format!("🔐 Permission Request\n"));
-        output.push_str(&format!("─────────────────────\n"));
+        output.push_str("Permission Request\n");
+        output.push_str("─────────────────────\n");
 
         // Tool and action
         output.push_str(&format!("Tool: {}\n", self.tool));
         output.push_str(&format!("Action: {}\n", self.action));
 
         // Risk level with color hint
         let risk_str = match self.context.risk_level {
-            RiskLevel::Low => "Low ✓",
-            RiskLevel::Medium => "Medium ⚠",
-            RiskLevel::High => "High ⚠⚠",
-            RiskLevel::Critical => "Critical ⛔",
+            RiskLevel::Low => "Low",
+            RiskLevel::Medium => "Medium",
+            RiskLevel::High => "High",
+            RiskLevel::Critical => "Critical",
         };
         output.push_str(&format!("Risk: {}\n", risk_str));
 

cortex-engine/src/safety.rs

@@ -352,10 +352,10 @@ pub fn requires_approval(analysis: &SafetyAnalysis, policy: &AskForApproval) ->
 /// Format a safety analysis for display.
 pub fn format_analysis(analysis: &SafetyAnalysis) -> String {
     let risk_indicator = match analysis.risk_level {
-        RiskLevel::Safe => "✓ Safe",
-        RiskLevel::Medium => "⚠ Medium Risk",
-        RiskLevel::High => "⚠ High Risk",
-        RiskLevel::Critical => "⛔ Critical Risk",
+        RiskLevel::Safe => "[OK] Safe",
+        RiskLevel::Medium => "[WARN] Medium Risk",
+        RiskLevel::High => "[WARN] High Risk",
+        RiskLevel::Critical => "[CRITICAL] Critical Risk",
     };
 
     let mut output = format!("{}: {}", risk_indicator, analysis.reason);

cortex-engine/src/tools/artifacts.rs

@@ -181,8 +181,8 @@ fn create_truncated_output(lines: &[&str], max_lines: usize, artifact_path: &Pat
 
     format!(
         "{}\n\n[... {} more lines omitted ...]\n\n\
-         📄 Full output saved to: {}\n\
-         💡 Use Read tool to view the full artifact if needed.",
+         Full output saved to: {}\n\
+         [TIP] Use Read tool to view the full artifact if needed.",
         shown_text,
         omitted,
         artifact_path.display()