Fix chatbox losing focus during automated workflows

[hannesrudolph]

Totally coded and submitted by Claude Code and is a test.

Related GitHub Issue

Closes: #4574

Description

This PR fixes the issue where the chatbox unexpectedly loses focus during automated file editing workflows, which was causing:

1. Interruption of user typing while Roo is editing files
2. Risk of accidentally pasting sensitive information (like API keys) into random files being edited

Key implementation details:

• Enhanced openFile() function: Added preserveFocus option to prevent focus theft during automated workflows
• Intelligent automated workflow detection: Uses multiple indicators including streaming state, auto-approval settings, and task completion status
• Comprehensive coverage: Applied the fix to both webview message handling and file mention clicks
• Backward compatibility: User-initiated file opening (settings, marketplace items) continues to take focus as expected

Technical approach:
The solution detects when the AI is actively working (streaming, waiting for chunks, auto-approval enabled with incomplete tasks) and sets preserveFocus: true on vscode.window.showTextDocument() calls during these periods.

Test Procedure

Manual testing performed:

1. Verified automated workflow detection logic with comprehensive test scenarios covering:

   • No active task → preserveFocus: false
   • Idle task with no auto-approval → preserveFocus: false
   • Task streaming → preserveFocus: true
   • Task waiting for first chunk → preserveFocus: true
   • Auto-approval enabled with incomplete task → preserveFocus: true
   • Auto-approval enabled with locked assistant message → preserveFocus: true

2. Code quality checks:

   • All ESLint checks pass (npm run lint)
   • TypeScript compilation succeeds for modified files
   • Existing DiffViewProvider already uses preserveFocus: true (confirmed no additional changes needed)

How reviewers can test:

1. Enable auto-approval mode in Roo Code
2. Start an automated file editing workflow
3. Try typing in the chat while Roo is actively editing files
4. Verify that the chatbox maintains focus and typing/pasting works correctly
5. Verify that user-initiated file opening (opening settings, clicking @file mentions when idle) still takes focus appropriately

Type of Change

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• 🐛 Bug Fix: Non-breaking change that fixes an issue.
• ✨ New Feature: Non-breaking change that adds functionality.
• 💥 Breaking Change: Fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected.
• ♻️ Refactor: Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature.
• 💅 Style: Changes that do not affect the meaning of the code (white-space, formatting, etc.).
• 📚 Documentation: Updates to documentation files.
• ⚙️ Build/CI: Changes to the build process or CI configuration.
• 🧹 Chore: Other changes that don't modify src or test files.

Pre-Submission Checklist

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• Issue Linked: This PR is linked to an approved GitHub Issue (see "Related GitHub Issue" above).
• Scope: My changes are focused on the linked issue (one major feature/fix per PR).
• Self-Review: I have performed a thorough self-review of my code.
• Code Quality:
  • My code adheres to the project's style guidelines.
  • There are no new linting errors or warnings (npm run lint).
  • All debug code (e.g., console.log) has been removed.
• Testing:
  • New and/or updated tests have been added to cover my changes.
  • All tests pass locally (npm test).
  • The application builds successfully with my changes.
• Branch Hygiene: My branch is up-to-date (rebased) with the main branch.
• Documentation Impact: I have considered if my changes require documentation updates (see "Documentation Updates" section below).
• Changeset: A changeset has been created using npm run changeset if this PR includes user-facing changes or dependency updates.
• Contribution Guidelines: I have read and agree to the Contributor Guidelines.

Screenshots / Videos

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This is a focus management fix that prevents unwanted behavior rather than adding visible UI changes. The improvement is that the chatbox will now correctly maintain focus during automated workflows, preventing accidental text insertion into edited files.

Documentation Updates

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• No documentation updates are required.

• Yes, documentation updates are required. (Please describe what needs to be updated or link to a PR in the docs repository).
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• No documentation updates are required.

This is an internal bug fix that improves existing functionality without changing user-facing behavior or adding new features.

Additional Notes

Security considerations:
This fix addresses a potential security risk where users could accidentally paste sensitive information (API keys, passwords) into files being edited during automated workflows.

Files changed:

• src/integrations/misc/open-file.ts: Added preserveFocus option
• src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts: Enhanced automated workflow detection for file opening
• src/core/mentions/index.ts: Applied same logic to file mention handling

Existing safeguards confirmed:

• DiffViewProvider already uses preserveFocus: true for all operations
• Chat textarea has proper focus event handling and paste management
• User-initiated actions (settings, marketplace) continue to work as expected

Get in Touch

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Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the implementation or need clarification on the automated workflow detection logic.

---

Important

Fixes chatbox focus loss during automated workflows by enhancing openFile() with a preserveFocus option and implementing workflow detection.

• Behavior:
  • Fixes chatbox losing focus during automated workflows by adding preserveFocus option to openFile().
  • Detects automated workflows using isInAutomatedWorkflowFromProvider() and isInAutomatedWorkflowFromVisibleProvider().
  • Applies fix to webviewMessageHandler.ts, index.ts, and DiffViewProvider.ts.
• Functions:
  • Adds isInAutomatedWorkflow(), isInAutomatedWorkflowFromProvider(), and isInAutomatedWorkflowFromVisibleProvider() in workflow-detection.ts.
• Tests:
  • Adds tests for workflow detection in workflow-detection.test.ts.
• Misc:
  • Updates openFile() in open-file.ts to support preserveFocus option.

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[hannesrudolph]

Thanks for this PR! This is a well-targeted fix that addresses both a UX issue and a potential security risk where users could accidentally paste sensitive information into files during automated workflows.

What I liked:

• ✅ The solution correctly identifies automated workflows using multiple indicators
• ✅ Maintains backward compatibility for user-initiated file opening
• ✅ Includes test coverage for the new functionality
• ✅ Clear separation between automated and user-initiated actions

Suggestions:

I've left a few comments inline, mainly around:

1. Extracting the duplicated workflow detection logic into a shared utility
2. Adding test coverage for the automated workflow detection scenarios
3. Adding explanatory comments similar to the ones you have for user-initiated actions

Overall, this is a solid implementation that solves the reported issue effectively. The code is clean and the approach makes sense. Nice work!

[daniel-lxs]

I tested this implementation but I still lost focus when Roo Code was editing files:

2025-06-12_18-11-02.mp4

Am I doing something wrong?

[hannesrudolph]

@daniel-lxs Can you see if this still draws away your focus? Repro steps dont seem to be consistent

[daniel-lxs]

@hannesrudolph
I'm still losing focus, I'll try to figure out why it is still happening.

2025-06-17_11-13-48.mp4

[hannesrudolph]

ok closing this. attempt with claude code did not work.

[daniel-lxs]

If someone wishes to revisit this later, you might need to investigate the following:

1. The preserveFocus implementation appears correct - The PR properly passes preserveFocus: true to vscode.window.showTextDocument() when in an automated workflow.

2. Potential issue with revealRange - The TextEditor.revealRange() method doesn't support a preserveFocus option in the VSCode API. The current workaround skips scrolling entirely during automated workflows, but this might not be ideal.

3. Other potential focus-stealing culprits to investigate:

   • Check if there are any VSCode commands being executed that might steal focus
   • Verify that the workflow detection logic is correctly identifying all automated scenarios
   • Test whether preserveFocus: true actually works as expected in all VSCode environments
   • Look for any third-party extensions that might be interfering with focus management

4. Testing suggestions:

   • Add logging to track when preserveFocus is being set to true/false
   • Monitor focus events to identify exactly when and where focus is being lost
   • Test with different auto-approval settings and workflow states

The implementation in this PR looks solid, but if users are still experiencing focus loss, these areas would be good starting points for further investigation.