tui: coalesce sequential status messages (+ tests)

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/interactive-mode.ts

@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 	private lastEscapeTime = 0;
 	private changelogMarkdown: string | null = null;
 
+	// Status line tracking (for mutating immediately-sequential status updates)
+	private lastStatusSpacer: Spacer | null = null;
+	private lastStatusText: Text | null = null;
+
 	// Streaming message tracking
 	private streamingComponent: AssistantMessageComponent | null = null;
 
@@ -984,10 +988,29 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 		return textBlocks.map((c) => (c as { text: string }).text).join("");
 	}
 
-	/** Show a status message in the chat */
+	/**
+	 * Show a status message in the chat.
+	 *
+	 * If multiple status messages are emitted back-to-back (without anything else being added to the chat),
+	 * we update the previous status line instead of appending new ones to avoid log spam.
+	 */
 	private showStatus(message: string): void {
-		this.chatContainer.addChild(new Spacer(1));
-		this.chatContainer.addChild(new Text(theme.fg("dim", message), 1, 0));
+		const children = this.chatContainer.children;
+		const last = children.length > 0 ? children[children.length - 1] : undefined;
+		const secondLast = children.length > 1 ? children[children.length - 2] : undefined;
+
+		if (last && secondLast && last === this.lastStatusText && secondLast === this.lastStatusSpacer) {
+			this.lastStatusText.setText(theme.fg("dim", message));
+			this.ui.requestRender();
+			return;
+		}
+
+		const spacer = new Spacer(1);
+		const text = new Text(theme.fg("dim", message), 1, 0);
+		this.chatContainer.addChild(spacer);
+		this.chatContainer.addChild(text);
+		this.lastStatusSpacer = spacer;
+		this.lastStatusText = text;
 		this.ui.requestRender();
 	}
 

packages/coding-agent/test/interactive-mode-status.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+import { Container } from "@mariozechner/pi-tui";
+import { beforeAll, describe, expect, test, vi } from "vitest";
+import { InteractiveMode } from "../src/modes/interactive/interactive-mode.js";
+import { initTheme } from "../src/modes/interactive/theme/theme.js";
+
+function renderLastLine(container: Container, width = 120): string {
+	const last = container.children[container.children.length - 1];
+	if (!last) return "";
+	return last.render(width).join("\n");
+}
+
+describe("InteractiveMode.showStatus", () => {
+	beforeAll(() => {
+		// showStatus uses the global theme instance
+		initTheme("dark");
+	});
+
+	test("coalesces immediately-sequential status messages", () => {
+		const fakeThis: any = {
+			chatContainer: new Container(),
+			ui: { requestRender: vi.fn() },
+			lastStatusSpacer: null,
+			lastStatusText: null,
+		};
+
+		(InteractiveMode as any).prototype.showStatus.call(fakeThis, "STATUS_ONE");
+		expect(fakeThis.chatContainer.children).toHaveLength(2);
+		expect(renderLastLine(fakeThis.chatContainer)).toContain("STATUS_ONE");
+
+		(InteractiveMode as any).prototype.showStatus.call(fakeThis, "STATUS_TWO");
+		// second status updates the previous line instead of appending
+		expect(fakeThis.chatContainer.children).toHaveLength(2);
+		expect(renderLastLine(fakeThis.chatContainer)).toContain("STATUS_TWO");
+		expect(renderLastLine(fakeThis.chatContainer)).not.toContain("STATUS_ONE");
+	});
+
+	test("appends a new status line if something else was added in between", () => {
+		const fakeThis: any = {
+			chatContainer: new Container(),
+			ui: { requestRender: vi.fn() },
+			lastStatusSpacer: null,
+			lastStatusText: null,
+		};
+
+		(InteractiveMode as any).prototype.showStatus.call(fakeThis, "STATUS_ONE");
+		expect(fakeThis.chatContainer.children).toHaveLength(2);
+
+		// Something else gets added to the chat in between status updates
+		fakeThis.chatContainer.addChild({ render: () => ["OTHER"], invalidate: () => {} });
+		expect(fakeThis.chatContainer.children).toHaveLength(3);
+
+		(InteractiveMode as any).prototype.showStatus.call(fakeThis, "STATUS_TWO");
+		// adds spacer + text
+		expect(fakeThis.chatContainer.children).toHaveLength(5);
+		expect(renderLastLine(fakeThis.chatContainer)).toContain("STATUS_TWO");
+	});
+});