feat: add setting to disable diff visualization to prevent LSP crashes

hannesrudolph · claude · hannesrudolph · commit 9e5c504c1cdb · 2025-06-16T13:10:31.000-06:00
Added a new setting `disableDiffVisualization` that allows users to disable the diff view when editing files. When enabled, files will open directly in the editor instead of showing a side-by-side diff view. This helps prevent Language Server Protocol (LSP) crashes that can occur with very large files, particularly affecting C# developers. The changes made by Roo are still visible in the chat window. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
diff --git a/.changeset/disable-diff-visualization.md b/.changeset/disable-diff-visualization.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+"roo-cline": patch
+---
+
+Add setting to disable diff visualization to prevent LSP crashes
+
+Added a new setting `disableDiffVisualization` that allows users to disable the diff view when editing files. When enabled, files will open directly in the editor instead of showing a side-by-side diff view. This helps prevent Language Server Protocol (LSP) crashes that can occur with very large files, particularly affecting C# developers. The changes made by Roo are still visible in the chat window.
diff --git a/packages/types/src/global-settings.ts b/packages/types/src/global-settings.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ export const globalSettingsSchema = z.object({
 
 	rateLimitSeconds: z.number().optional(),
 	diffEnabled: z.boolean().optional(),
+	disableDiffVisualization: z.boolean().optional(),
 	fuzzyMatchThreshold: z.number().optional(),
 	experiments: experimentsSchema.optional(),
 
@@ -211,6 +212,7 @@ export const EVALS_SETTINGS: RooCodeSettings = {
 	terminalShellIntegrationDisabled: true,
 
 	diffEnabled: true,
+	disableDiffVisualization: false,
 	fuzzyMatchThreshold: 1,
 
 	enableCheckpoints: false,
diff --git a/src/core/task/Task.ts b/src/core/task/Task.ts
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ export type TaskOptions = {
 	provider: ClineProvider
 	apiConfiguration: ProviderSettings
 	enableDiff?: boolean
+	disableDiffVisualization?: boolean
 	enableCheckpoints?: boolean
 	fuzzyMatchThreshold?: number
 	consecutiveMistakeLimit?: number
@@ -198,6 +199,7 @@ export class Task extends EventEmitter<ClineEvents> {
 		provider,
 		apiConfiguration,
 		enableDiff = false,
+		disableDiffVisualization = false,
 		enableCheckpoints = true,
 		fuzzyMatchThreshold = 1.0,
 		consecutiveMistakeLimit = 3,
@@ -242,7 +244,7 @@ export class Task extends EventEmitter<ClineEvents> {
 		this.consecutiveMistakeLimit = consecutiveMistakeLimit
 		this.providerRef = new WeakRef(provider)
 		this.globalStoragePath = provider.context.globalStorageUri.fsPath
-		this.diffViewProvider = new DiffViewProvider(this.cwd)
+		this.diffViewProvider = new DiffViewProvider(this.cwd, disableDiffVisualization)
 		this.enableCheckpoints = enableCheckpoints
 
 		this.rootTask = rootTask
diff --git a/src/core/webview/ClineProvider.ts b/src/core/webview/ClineProvider.ts
@@ -529,6 +529,7 @@ export class ClineProvider
 			apiConfiguration,
 			organizationAllowList,
 			diffEnabled: enableDiff,
+			disableDiffVisualization,
 			enableCheckpoints,
 			fuzzyMatchThreshold,
 			experiments,
@@ -542,6 +543,7 @@ export class ClineProvider
 			provider: this,
 			apiConfiguration,
 			enableDiff,
+			disableDiffVisualization,
 			enableCheckpoints,
 			fuzzyMatchThreshold,
 			task,
@@ -569,6 +571,7 @@ export class ClineProvider
 		const {
 			apiConfiguration,
 			diffEnabled: enableDiff,
+			disableDiffVisualization,
 			enableCheckpoints,
 			fuzzyMatchThreshold,
 			experiments,
@@ -578,6 +581,7 @@ export class ClineProvider
 			provider: this,
 			apiConfiguration,
 			enableDiff,
+			disableDiffVisualization,
 			enableCheckpoints,
 			fuzzyMatchThreshold,
 			historyItem,
@@ -1546,6 +1550,7 @@ export class ClineProvider
 			ttsEnabled: stateValues.ttsEnabled ?? false,
 			ttsSpeed: stateValues.ttsSpeed ?? 1.0,
 			diffEnabled: stateValues.diffEnabled ?? true,
+			disableDiffVisualization: stateValues.disableDiffVisualization ?? false,
 			enableCheckpoints: stateValues.enableCheckpoints ?? true,
 			soundVolume: stateValues.soundVolume,
 			browserViewportSize: stateValues.browserViewportSize ?? "900x600",
diff --git a/src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts b/src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts
@@ -645,6 +645,11 @@ export const webviewMessageHandler = async (
 			await updateGlobalState("diffEnabled", diffEnabled)
 			await provider.postStateToWebview()
 			break
+		case "disableDiffVisualization":
+			const disableDiffVisualization = message.bool ?? false
+			await updateGlobalState("disableDiffVisualization", disableDiffVisualization)
+			await provider.postStateToWebview()
+			break
 		case "enableCheckpoints":
 			const enableCheckpoints = message.bool ?? true
 			await updateGlobalState("enableCheckpoints", enableCheckpoints)
diff --git a/src/integrations/editor/DiffViewProvider.ts b/src/integrations/editor/DiffViewProvider.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,10 @@ export class DiffViewProvider {
 	private streamedLines: string[] = []
 	private preDiagnostics: [vscode.Uri, vscode.Diagnostic[]][] = []
 
-	constructor(private cwd: string) {}
+	constructor(
+		private cwd: string,
+		private disableDiffVisualization: boolean = false,
+	) {}
 
 	async open(relPath: string): Promise<void> {
 		this.relPath = relPath
@@ -92,7 +95,13 @@ export class DiffViewProvider {
 			this.documentWasOpen = true
 		}
 
-		this.activeDiffEditor = await this.openDiffEditor()
+		// If diff visualization is disabled, open the file directly
+		if (this.disableDiffVisualization) {
+			const document = await vscode.workspace.openTextDocument(absolutePath)
+			this.activeDiffEditor = await vscode.window.showTextDocument(document, { preview: false })
+		} else {
+			this.activeDiffEditor = await this.openDiffEditor()
+		}
 		this.fadedOverlayController = new DecorationController("fadedOverlay", this.activeDiffEditor)
 		this.activeLineController = new DecorationController("activeLine", this.activeDiffEditor)
 		// Apply faded overlay to all lines initially.
diff --git a/src/shared/ExtensionMessage.ts b/src/shared/ExtensionMessage.ts
@@ -188,6 +188,7 @@ export type ExtensionState = Pick<
 	| "terminalZdotdir"
 	| "terminalCompressProgressBar"
 	| "diffEnabled"
+	| "disableDiffVisualization"
 	| "fuzzyMatchThreshold"
 	// | "experiments" // Optional in GlobalSettings, required here.
 	| "language"
diff --git a/src/shared/WebviewMessage.ts b/src/shared/WebviewMessage.ts
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ export interface WebviewMessage {
 		| "ttsSpeed"
 		| "soundVolume"
 		| "diffEnabled"
+		| "disableDiffVisualization"
 		| "enableCheckpoints"
 		| "browserViewportSize"
 		| "screenshotQuality"
diff --git a/webview-ui/src/components/settings/ApiOptions.tsx b/webview-ui/src/components/settings/ApiOptions.tsx
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ const ApiOptions = ({
 	setErrorMessage,
 }: ApiOptionsProps) => {
 	const { t } = useAppTranslation()
-	const { organizationAllowList } = useExtensionState()
+	const { organizationAllowList, disableDiffVisualization, setDisableDiffVisualization } = useExtensionState()
 
 	const [customHeaders, setCustomHeaders] = useState<[string, string][]>(() => {
 		const headers = apiConfiguration?.openAiHeaders || {}
@@ -476,8 +476,19 @@ const ApiOptions = ({
 				<>
 					<DiffSettingsControl
 						diffEnabled={apiConfiguration.diffEnabled}
+						disableDiffVisualization={disableDiffVisualization}
 						fuzzyMatchThreshold={apiConfiguration.fuzzyMatchThreshold}
-						onChange={(field, value) => setApiConfigurationField(field, value)}
+						onChange={(field, value) => {
+							if (field === "disableDiffVisualization") {
+								setDisableDiffVisualization(value)
+								vscode.postMessage({
+									type: "disableDiffVisualization",
+									bool: value,
+								})
+							} else {
+								setApiConfigurationField(field, value)
+							}
+						}}
 					/>
 					<TemperatureControl
 						value={apiConfiguration.modelTemperature}
diff --git a/webview-ui/src/components/settings/DiffSettingsControl.tsx b/webview-ui/src/components/settings/DiffSettingsControl.tsx
@@ -5,12 +5,14 @@ import { VSCodeCheckbox } from "@vscode/webview-ui-toolkit/react"
 
 interface DiffSettingsControlProps {
 	diffEnabled?: boolean
+	disableDiffVisualization?: boolean
 	fuzzyMatchThreshold?: number
-	onChange: (field: "diffEnabled" | "fuzzyMatchThreshold", value: any) => void
+	onChange: (field: "diffEnabled" | "disableDiffVisualization" | "fuzzyMatchThreshold", value: any) => void
 }
 
 export const DiffSettingsControl: React.FC<DiffSettingsControlProps> = ({
 	diffEnabled = true,
+	disableDiffVisualization = false,
 	fuzzyMatchThreshold = 1.0,
 	onChange,
 }) => {
@@ -23,6 +25,13 @@ export const DiffSettingsControl: React.FC<DiffSettingsControlProps> = ({
 		[onChange],
 	)
 
+	const handleDisableDiffVisualizationChange = useCallback(
+		(e: any) => {
+			onChange("disableDiffVisualization", e.target.checked)
+		},
+		[onChange],
+	)
+
 	const handleThresholdChange = useCallback(
 		(newValue: number[]) => {
 			onChange("fuzzyMatchThreshold", newValue[0])
@@ -61,6 +70,19 @@ export const DiffSettingsControl: React.FC<DiffSettingsControlProps> = ({
 							{t("settings:advanced.diff.matchPrecision.description")}
 						</div>
 					</div>
+
+					<div>
+						<VSCodeCheckbox
+							checked={disableDiffVisualization}
+							onChange={handleDisableDiffVisualizationChange}>
+							<span className="font-medium">
+								{t("settings:advanced.diff.disableVisualization.label")}
+							</span>
+						</VSCodeCheckbox>
+						<div className="text-vscode-descriptionForeground text-sm">
+							{t("settings:advanced.diff.disableVisualization.description")}
+						</div>
+					</div>
 				</div>
 			)}
 		</div>
diff --git a/webview-ui/src/components/settings/SettingsView.tsx b/webview-ui/src/components/settings/SettingsView.tsx
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ const SettingsView = forwardRef<SettingsViewRef, SettingsViewProps>(({ onDone, t
 		browserViewportSize,
 		enableCheckpoints,
 		diffEnabled,
+		disableDiffVisualization,
 		experiments,
 		fuzzyMatchThreshold,
 		maxOpenTabsContext,
@@ -280,6 +281,7 @@ const SettingsView = forwardRef<SettingsViewRef, SettingsViewProps>(({ onDone, t
 			vscode.postMessage({ type: "ttsSpeed", value: ttsSpeed })
 			vscode.postMessage({ type: "soundVolume", value: soundVolume })
 			vscode.postMessage({ type: "diffEnabled", bool: diffEnabled })
+			vscode.postMessage({ type: "disableDiffVisualization", bool: disableDiffVisualization })
 			vscode.postMessage({ type: "enableCheckpoints", bool: enableCheckpoints })
 			vscode.postMessage({ type: "browserViewportSize", text: browserViewportSize })
 			vscode.postMessage({ type: "remoteBrowserHost", text: remoteBrowserHost })
diff --git a/webview-ui/src/context/ExtensionStateContext.tsx b/webview-ui/src/context/ExtensionStateContext.tsx
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ export interface ExtensionStateContextType extends ExtensionState {
 	setTtsEnabled: (value: boolean) => void
 	setTtsSpeed: (value: number) => void
 	setDiffEnabled: (value: boolean) => void
+	setDisableDiffVisualization: (value: boolean) => void
 	setEnableCheckpoints: (value: boolean) => void
 	setBrowserViewportSize: (value: string) => void
 	setFuzzyMatchThreshold: (value: number) => void
@@ -154,6 +155,7 @@ export const ExtensionStateContextProvider: React.FC<{ children: React.ReactNode
 		ttsEnabled: false,
 		ttsSpeed: 1.0,
 		diffEnabled: false,
+		disableDiffVisualization: false,
 		enableCheckpoints: true,
 		fuzzyMatchThreshold: 1.0,
 		language: "en", // Default language code
@@ -342,6 +344,8 @@ export const ExtensionStateContextProvider: React.FC<{ children: React.ReactNode
 		setTtsEnabled: (value) => setState((prevState) => ({ ...prevState, ttsEnabled: value })),
 		setTtsSpeed: (value) => setState((prevState) => ({ ...prevState, ttsSpeed: value })),
 		setDiffEnabled: (value) => setState((prevState) => ({ ...prevState, diffEnabled: value })),
+		setDisableDiffVisualization: (value) =>
+			setState((prevState) => ({ ...prevState, disableDiffVisualization: value })),
 		setEnableCheckpoints: (value) => setState((prevState) => ({ ...prevState, enableCheckpoints: value })),
 		setBrowserViewportSize: (value: string) =>
 			setState((prevState) => ({ ...prevState, browserViewportSize: value })),
diff --git a/webview-ui/src/i18n/locales/en/settings.json b/webview-ui/src/i18n/locales/en/settings.json
@@ -469,6 +469,10 @@
 			"matchPrecision": {
 				"label": "Match precision",
 				"description": "This slider controls how precisely code sections must match when applying diffs. Lower values allow more flexible matching but increase the risk of incorrect replacements. Use values below 100% with extreme caution."
+			},
+			"disableVisualization": {
+				"label": "Disable diff visualization",
+				"description": "When enabled, files will open directly in the editor instead of showing a diff view. This can prevent LSP crashes with very large files. You can still see the changes in the chat window."
 			}
 		}
 	},
