tui: render whole agent turn under one zot header

Each assistant API message used to draw its own "zot" header, so a
turn that round-tripped through several tool_use / tool_result pairs
showed multiple headers (or, when the first assistant message was
pure tool_use, the header appeared late and earlier tool blocks
visibly snapped underneath it once the model started emitting text).

Track whether the previous non-compaction message in the transcript
belongs to the same turn (assistant or tool role) and suppress the
header on subsequent assistant messages and on the streaming overlay
while a turn is already open. Header now marks the speaker boundary
(you <-> agent), not the underlying API message boundary.

commit: 59057297765ee9e57863b845edf29e20239ae8c9
author: patriceckhart · 5mo ago · 2026-04-26 17:17 UTC
parent: 9cc50ec
signature: unsigned
refs: tag: v0.1.23

1 file · +58 -7

M internal/tui/view.go +58 -7


@@ -111,6 +111,13 @@ type msgCacheKey struct {
111	111		hash uint64
112	112		width int
113	113		expandAll bool
	114	+	// turnOpen is true when the previous rendered message belongs to
	115	+	// the same agent turn (assistant tool_use, or tool result). The
	116	+	// header ("▍ zot") is suppressed in that case so a single turn
	117	+	// — even one that spans many assistant/tool message round-trips
	118	+	// in the underlying API — renders under one header instead of a
	119	+	// new one per assistant message.
	120	+	turnOpen bool
114	121		}
115	122
116	123		// InvalidateRenderCache drops all cached message renders. The tui

@@ -189,7 +196,28 @@ func (v *View) BuildWithAnchors(width int) ([]string, []MessageAnchor) {
189	196		rendered := make([][]string, len(v.Messages))
190	197		total := 0
191	198		for idx, m := range v.Messages {
192		-	lines := v.renderMessageCached(m, width)
	199	+	// A turn is "open" once the assistant has started responding
	200	+	// to the most recent user prompt. Walk back over consecutive
	201	+	// assistant/tool messages: if any non-user message precedes
	202	+	// this one without a user message in between, we're inside
	203	+	// the same turn and should not draw a new "▍ zot" header.
	204	+	turnOpen := false
	205	+	if m.Role == provider.RoleAssistant {
	206	+	for j := idx - 1; j >= 0; j-- {
	207	+	prev := v.Messages[j]
	208	+	// Skip compaction summary messages — they're
	209	+	// rendered as a muted footer line (or hidden
	210	+	// entirely when collapsed) and don't open a turn.
	211	+	if prev.Meta["compaction"] == "true" {
	212	+	continue
	213	+	}
	214	+	if prev.Role == provider.RoleAssistant \|\| prev.Role == provider.RoleTool {
	215	+	turnOpen = true
	216	+	}
	217	+	break
	218	+	}
	219	+	}
	220	+	lines := v.renderMessageCached(m, width, turnOpen)
193	221		rendered[idx] = lines
194	222		total += len(lines) + 1 // +1 for the blank separator row
195	223		}

@@ -208,7 +236,25 @@ func (v *View) BuildWithAnchors(width int) ([]string, []MessageAnchor) {
208	236		// overlay below is the real content and a naked "zot" bar
209	237		// above it reads as a stray empty message.
210	238		if v.StreamingActive && strings.TrimSpace(v.Streaming) != "" {
211		-	out = append(out, v.Theme.FG256(v.Theme.Assistant, "▍ zot"))
	239	+	// Suppress the streaming "▍ zot" header if the turn is
	240	+	// already open (a previous assistant/tool message in this
	241	+	// turn already rendered one). Otherwise the streaming text
	242	+	// would jump from headerless to under a new header once it
	243	+	// finalises into a transcript message.
	244	+	turnOpen := false
	245	+	for j := len(v.Messages) - 1; j >= 0; j-- {
	246	+	prev := v.Messages[j]
	247	+	if prev.Meta["compaction"] == "true" {
	248	+	continue
	249	+	}
	250	+	if prev.Role == provider.RoleAssistant \|\| prev.Role == provider.RoleTool {
	251	+	turnOpen = true
	252	+	}
	253	+	break
	254	+	}
	255	+	if !turnOpen {
	256	+	out = append(out, v.Theme.FG256(v.Theme.Assistant, "▍ zot"))
	257	+	}
212	258		// Stream the partial assistant text through the same markdown
213	259		// renderer used for finalised messages so code fences, diffs,
214	260		// lists, and inline styles look the same while streaming and

@@ -287,18 +333,19 @@ func (v *View) refreshToolPaths() {
287	333		// been rendered before. The slice returned is shared — callers must
288	334		// not mutate it; Build() only ever appends to its own `out` so the
289	335		// shared slice is safe.
290		-	func (v *View) renderMessageCached(m provider.Message, width int) []string {
	336	+	func (v *View) renderMessageCached(m provider.Message, width int, turnOpen bool) []string {
291	337		key := msgCacheKey{
292	338		hash: hashMessage(m),
293	339		width: width,
294	340		expandAll: v.ExpandAll,
	341	+	turnOpen: turnOpen,
295	342		}
296	343		if v.renderCache != nil {
297	344		if lines, ok := v.renderCache[key]; ok {
298	345		return lines
299	346		}
300	347		}
301		-	lines := v.renderMessage(m, width)
	348	+	lines := v.renderMessage(m, width, turnOpen)
302	349		if v.renderCache != nil {
303	350		// Bound the cache: 4x the current message count is enough to
304	351		// survive /compact churn without leaking memory across a very

@@ -408,7 +455,7 @@ func fnv64aWrite(h uint64, p []byte) uint64 {
408	455		return h
409	456		}
410	457
411		-	func (v *View) renderMessage(m provider.Message, width int) []string {
	458	+	func (v *View) renderMessage(m provider.Message, width int, turnOpen bool) []string {
412	459		var lines []string
413	460
414	461		// Compaction summary: render as a single muted line at the end

@@ -438,8 +485,12 @@ func (v *View) renderMessage(m provider.Message, width int) []string {
438	485		}
439	486		}
440	487		case provider.RoleAssistant:
441		-	header := v.Theme.FG256(v.Theme.Assistant, "▍ zot")
442		-	lines = append(lines, header)
	488	+	// Only draw the agent header at the start of a turn. Mid-turn
	489	+	// assistant messages (e.g. another tool_use round-trip after a
	490	+	// tool result) reuse the header that's already on screen.
	491	+	if !turnOpen {
	492	+	lines = append(lines, v.Theme.FG256(v.Theme.Assistant, "▍ zot"))
	493	+	}
443	494		// Indent assistant body the same 4 cells the user body uses,
444	495		// so the conversation column lines up vertically. The width
445	496		// passed into the markdown renderer / wrap is reduced by the

 	hash      uint64
 	width     int
 	expandAll bool
+	// turnOpen is true when the previous rendered message belongs to
+	// the same agent turn (assistant tool_use, or tool result). The
+	// header ("▍ zot") is suppressed in that case so a single turn
+	// — even one that spans many assistant/tool message round-trips
+	// in the underlying API — renders under one header instead of a
+	// new one per assistant message.
+	turnOpen bool
 }
 // InvalidateRenderCache drops all cached message renders. The tui
 	rendered := make([][]string, len(v.Messages))
 	total := 0
 	for idx, m := range v.Messages {
-		lines := v.renderMessageCached(m, width)
+		// A turn is "open" once the assistant has started responding
+		// to the most recent user prompt. Walk back over consecutive
+		// assistant/tool messages: if any non-user message precedes
+		// this one without a user message in between, we're inside
+		// the same turn and should not draw a new "▍ zot" header.
+		turnOpen := false
+		if m.Role == provider.RoleAssistant {
+			for j := idx - 1; j >= 0; j-- {
+				prev := v.Messages[j]
+				// Skip compaction summary messages — they're
+				// rendered as a muted footer line (or hidden
+				// entirely when collapsed) and don't open a turn.
+				if prev.Meta["compaction"] == "true" {
+					continue
+				}
+				if prev.Role == provider.RoleAssistant || prev.Role == provider.RoleTool {
+					turnOpen = true
+				}
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		lines := v.renderMessageCached(m, width, turnOpen)
 		rendered[idx] = lines
 		total += len(lines) + 1 // +1 for the blank separator row
 	}
 	// overlay below is the real content and a naked "zot" bar
 	// above it reads as a stray empty message.
 	if v.StreamingActive && strings.TrimSpace(v.Streaming) != "" {
-		out = append(out, v.Theme.FG256(v.Theme.Assistant, "▍ zot"))
+		// Suppress the streaming "▍ zot" header if the turn is
+		// already open (a previous assistant/tool message in this
+		// turn already rendered one). Otherwise the streaming text
+		// would jump from headerless to under a new header once it
+		// finalises into a transcript message.
+		turnOpen := false
+		for j := len(v.Messages) - 1; j >= 0; j-- {
+			prev := v.Messages[j]
+			if prev.Meta["compaction"] == "true" {
+				continue
+			}
+			if prev.Role == provider.RoleAssistant || prev.Role == provider.RoleTool {
+				turnOpen = true
+			}
+			break
+		}
+		if !turnOpen {
+			out = append(out, v.Theme.FG256(v.Theme.Assistant, "▍ zot"))
+		}
 		// Stream the partial assistant text through the same markdown
 		// renderer used for finalised messages so code fences, diffs,
 		// lists, and inline styles look the same while streaming and
 // been rendered before. The slice returned is shared — callers must
 // not mutate it; Build() only ever appends to its own `out` so the
 // shared slice is safe.
-func (v *View) renderMessageCached(m provider.Message, width int) []string {
+func (v *View) renderMessageCached(m provider.Message, width int, turnOpen bool) []string {
 	key := msgCacheKey{
 		hash:      hashMessage(m),
 		width:     width,
 		expandAll: v.ExpandAll,
+		turnOpen:  turnOpen,
 	}
 	if v.renderCache != nil {
 		if lines, ok := v.renderCache[key]; ok {
 			return lines
 		}
 	}
-	lines := v.renderMessage(m, width)
+	lines := v.renderMessage(m, width, turnOpen)
 	if v.renderCache != nil {
 		// Bound the cache: 4x the current message count is enough to
 		// survive /compact churn without leaking memory across a very
 	return h
 }
-func (v *View) renderMessage(m provider.Message, width int) []string {
+func (v *View) renderMessage(m provider.Message, width int, turnOpen bool) []string {
 	var lines []string
 	// Compaction summary: render as a single muted line at the end
 			}
 		}
 	case provider.RoleAssistant:
-		header := v.Theme.FG256(v.Theme.Assistant, "▍ zot")
+		// Only draw the agent header at the start of a turn. Mid-turn
-		lines = append(lines, header)
+		// assistant messages (e.g. another tool_use round-trip after a
+		// tool result) reuse the header that's already on screen.
+		if !turnOpen {
+			lines = append(lines, v.Theme.FG256(v.Theme.Assistant, "▍ zot"))
+		}
 		// Indent assistant body the same 4 cells the user body uses,
 		// so the conversation column lines up vertically. The width
 		// passed into the markdown renderer / wrap is reduced by the