feat(message): show past chat references and files in user message bubble

desktop/app.go

@@ -579,6 +579,21 @@ func (a *App) SubmitDisplayToTab(tabID, display, input string) {
 	ctrl.SubmitDisplay(display, input)
 }
 
+// SubmitDisplayToTabWithRefs submits a message with display text and persists
+// the user's past:chat references into the sidecar so they survive reload.
+func (a *App) SubmitDisplayToTabWithRefs(tabID, display, input string, references json.RawMessage) {
+	ctrl := a.ctrlByTabID(tabID)
+	if ctrl == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	ctrl.SubmitDisplay(display, input)
+	dir := ctrl.SessionDir()
+	if dir == "" {
+		dir = config.SessionDir()
+	}
+	_ = recordSessionReferences(dir, ctrl.SessionPath(), input, references)
+}
+
 func (a *App) bindControllerDisplayRecorder(ctrl *control.Controller) {
 	if ctrl == nil {
 		return
@@ -1505,6 +1520,7 @@ type HistoryMessage struct {
 	Messages   int               `json:"messages,omitempty"`
 	Summary    string            `json:"summary,omitempty"`
 	Archive    string            `json:"archive,omitempty"`
+	References json.RawMessage   `json:"references,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type HistoryToolCall struct {
@@ -1524,10 +1540,14 @@ func (a *App) HistoryForTab(tabID string) []HistoryMessage {
 		return []HistoryMessage{}
 	}
 	msgs := ctrl.History()
-	return historyMessages(msgs, sessionDisplayResolver(controllerSessionDir(ctrl), ctrl.SessionPath()))
+	dir := ctrl.SessionDir()
+	if dir == "" {
+		dir = config.SessionDir()
+	}
+	return historyMessages(msgs, sessionDisplayResolver(dir, ctrl.SessionPath()), sessionReferencesResolver(dir, ctrl.SessionPath()))
 }
 
-func historyMessages(msgs []provider.Message, resolveUserContent func(string) string) []HistoryMessage {
+func historyMessages(msgs []provider.Message, resolveUserContent func(string) string, resolveUserRefs func(string) json.RawMessage) []HistoryMessage {
 	out := make([]HistoryMessage, 0, len(msgs))
 	for _, m := range msgs {
 		content := m.Content
@@ -1552,6 +1572,11 @@ func historyMessages(msgs []provider.Message, resolveUserContent func(string) st
 			reasoning = m.ReasoningContent
 		}
 		hm := HistoryMessage{Role: string(m.Role), Content: content, Reasoning: reasoning}
+		if m.Role == provider.RoleUser && resolveUserRefs != nil {
+			if refs := resolveUserRefs(m.Content); len(refs) > 0 {
+				hm.References = refs
+			}
+		}
 		if m.Role == provider.RoleAssistant && len(m.ToolCalls) > 0 {
 			hm.ToolCalls = make([]HistoryToolCall, len(m.ToolCalls))
 			for i, tc := range m.ToolCalls {
@@ -1579,7 +1604,7 @@ func previewSessionMessages(sessionDir, path string) ([]HistoryMessage, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return historyMessages(loaded.Snapshot(), sessionDisplayResolver(sessionDir, sessionPath)), nil
+	return historyMessages(loaded.Snapshot(), sessionDisplayResolver(sessionDir, sessionPath), sessionReferencesResolver(sessionDir, path)), nil
 }
 
 type previewEventRecord struct {

desktop/frontend/src/App.tsx

@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ import {
   type Mode,
   type ProjectNode,
   type SessionMeta,
+  type SessionReference,
   type SettingsTab,
   type SettingsView,
   type TabMeta,
@@ -1377,7 +1378,7 @@ export default function App() {
   // (/skill, /hooks, /mcp) — goes straight to Submit, which the controller
   // resolves (a turn, or a listing Notice).
   const handleSend = useCallback(
-    async (displayText: string, submitText = displayText) => {
+    async (displayText: string, submitText = displayText, references?: SessionReference[]) => {
       const trimmed = displayText.trim();
       // "!<cmd>" runs a shell command directly, bypassing the model.
       if (trimmed.startsWith("!")) {
@@ -1449,7 +1450,7 @@ export default function App() {
       await setControllerCollaborationMode(collaborationMode);
       await setControllerToolApprovalMode(toolApprovalMode);
       if (goal.trim()) await setControllerGoal(goal);
-      send(trimmed, submitText.trim());
+      send(trimmed, submitText.trim(), references);
     },
     [applyGoal, closeTransientOverlays, collaborationMode, goal, send, runShell, notice, setControllerCollaborationMode, setControllerGoal, setControllerToolApprovalMode, steer, switchModel, t, toolApprovalMode],
   );

desktop/frontend/src/components/Composer.tsx

@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ export function Composer({
   modelLabel: string;
   tabId?: string;
   effort?: EffortInfo;
-  onSend: (displayText: string, submitText?: string) => void;
+  onSend: (displayText: string, submitText?: string, references?: SessionReference[]) => void;
   // Returns the un-sent text when cancelling before the server replied (so it can
   // be restored to the input); undefined for a normal cancel.
   onCancel: () => string | undefined;
@@ -818,7 +818,7 @@ export function Composer({
     if (disabled || submittingRef.current) return;
     const trimmedText = text.trim();
     if (pendingPaste > 0) return;
-    if (!trimmedText && attachments.length === 0 && workspaceRefs.length === 0) {
+    if (!trimmedText && attachments.length === 0 && workspaceRefs.length === 0 && sessionRefs.length === 0) {
       if (goalModeOn && !activeGoal) {
         setComposerPrompt(t("composer.goalInputRequired"));
         requestAnimationFrame(() => taRef.current?.focus());
@@ -846,7 +846,12 @@ export function Composer({
     const sessionContext = sessionRefs.length === 0 ? "" : await buildSessionContext(sessionRefs);
     const baseSubmitText = [expandPastedBlocks(trimmedText), refs].filter(Boolean).join(trimmedText && refs ? " " : "");
     const submitText = sessionContext ? `${sessionContext}${baseSubmitText}` : baseSubmitText;
-    onSend(displayText, submitText);
+    // Snapshot sessionRefs for UI display in the user message bubble. Pass
+    // separately from submitText (which is model-facing context). After the
+    // snapshot, clear sessionRefs as before — the snapshot is what the bubble
+    // will render.
+    const references = sessionRefs.length > 0 ? sessionRefs.slice() : undefined;
+    onSend(displayText, submitText, references);
     setText("");
     clearAttachments();
     setWorkspaceRefs([]);
@@ -1917,7 +1922,7 @@ export function Composer({
               <button
                 className="composer__btn composer__btn--send"
                 onClick={submit}
-                disabled={submitting || pendingPaste > 0 || ((!text.trim() && attachments.length === 0 && workspaceRefs.length === 0) && !(goalModeOn && !activeGoal)) || disabled}
+                disabled={submitting || pendingPaste > 0 || ((!text.trim() && attachments.length === 0 && workspaceRefs.length === 0 && sessionRefs.length === 0) && !(goalModeOn && !activeGoal)) || disabled}
               >
                 <ArrowUp size={16} />
               </button>

desktop/frontend/src/components/Message.tsx

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { parseAttachmentRefsForDisplay, sortDisplayAttachments } from "../lib/at
 import { app } from "../lib/bridge";
 import { useT } from "../lib/i18n";
 import type { Item, MessageActionScope } from "../lib/useController";
-import type { CheckpointMeta } from "../lib/types";
+import type { CheckpointMeta, SessionReference } from "../lib/types";
 
 type AssistantItem = Extract<Item, { kind: "assistant" }>;
 export type TurnActionMenu = "summary" | "rewind";
@@ -60,15 +60,26 @@ function attachmentIcon(kind: "image" | "file" | "folder") {
   return <FileText size={15} />;
 }
 
+// Extract the basename of a session .md path. Tolerates both / and \ separators
+// and trims any trailing ones before splitting. Returns the original string when
+// no separator is present (e.g. a bare filename).
+function baseName(p: string): string {
+  const trimmed = p.replace(/[\\/]+$/, "");
+  const parts = trimmed.split(/[\\/]/);
+  return parts[parts.length - 1] || trimmed;
+}
+
 export function UserMessage({
   text,
   failed,
+  references,
   turn,
   anchorId,
   id,
 }: {
   text: string;
   failed?: boolean;
+  references?: SessionReference[];
   turn?: number;
   anchorId?: string;
   id?: string;
@@ -148,6 +159,21 @@ export function UserMessage({
             ))}
           </div>
         )}
+        {references && references.length > 0 && (
+          <div className="msg__references" aria-label={t("msg.referencedSessions")}>
+            <div className="msg__references-label">{t("msg.referencedSessionsLabel")}</div>
+            {references.map((ref) => (
+              <div key={ref.path} className="msg__reference-item" title={ref.path}>
+                <MessageSquare size={13} className="msg__reference-icon" />
+                <span className="msg__reference-title">{ref.title}</span>
+                {typeof ref.turns === "number" && (
+                  <span className="msg__reference-turns">{t("msg.referenceTurns", { count: ref.turns })}</span>
+                )}
+                <span className="msg__reference-path">{baseName(ref.path)}</span>
+              </div>
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        )}
       </div>
     </div>
   );

desktop/frontend/src/components/Transcript.tsx

@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ export function Transcript({
           const tn = userTurn.get(it.id);
           activeTurn = tn;
           out.push(
-            <UserMessage key={it.id} id={it.id} text={it.text} failed={it.failed} turn={tn} anchorId={questionAnchorId(it.id)} />,
+            <UserMessage key={it.id} id={it.id} text={it.text} failed={it.failed} references={it.references} turn={tn} anchorId={questionAnchorId(it.id)} />,
           );
           break;
         }
@@ -700,7 +700,7 @@ function WarmTurnItems({
         const tn = userTurnMap.get(it.id);
         activeTurn = tn;
         nodes.push(
-          <UserMessage key={it.id} text={it.text} failed={it.failed} turn={tn} anchorId={questionAnchorId(it.id)} />,
+          <UserMessage key={it.id} id={it.id} text={it.text} failed={it.failed} references={it.references} turn={tn} anchorId={questionAnchorId(it.id)} />,
         );
         break;
       }

desktop/frontend/src/lib/bridge.ts

@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ export interface AppBindings {
   SubmitToTab(tabID: string, input: string): Promise<void>;
   SubmitDisplay(display: string, input: string): Promise<void>;
   SubmitDisplayToTab(tabID: string, display: string, input: string): Promise<void>;
+  SubmitDisplayToTabWithRefs(tabID: string, display: string, input: string, references: string): Promise<void>;
   RunShell(command: string): Promise<void>;
   RunShellForTab(tabID: string, command: string): Promise<void>;
   Steer(text: string): Promise<void>;
@@ -1375,6 +1376,9 @@ function makeMockApp(): AppBindings {
         async SubmitDisplayToTab(_tabID, display, input) {
           await withMockTabScope(_tabID, () => this.SubmitDisplay(display, input));
         },
+        async SubmitDisplayToTabWithRefs(_tabID, display, input, _references) {
+          await this.SubmitDisplay(display, input);
+        },
         async RunShell(command) {
           cancelled = false;
           emitMockTurnStarted();

desktop/frontend/src/lib/types.ts

@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ export interface HistoryMessage {
   messages?: number;
   summary?: string;
   archive?: string;
+  references?: SessionReference[] | string;
 }
 
 export interface HistoryToolCall {

desktop/frontend/src/lib/useController.ts

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import type {
   Mode,
   QuestionAnswer,
   SessionMeta,
+  SessionReference,
   TabMeta,
   ToolApprovalMode,
   WireApproval,
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ export type MessageActionScope = "fork" | "summ-from" | "summ-upto" | "conversat
 export type MessageActionState = { turn: number; scope: MessageActionScope };
 
 export type Item =
-  | { kind: "user"; id: string; text: string; failed?: boolean }
+  | { kind: "user"; id: string; text: string; failed?: boolean; references?: SessionReference[] }
   | { kind: "assistant"; id: string; text: string; reasoning: string; streaming: boolean }
   | { kind: "phase"; id: string; text: string }
   | { kind: "notice"; id: string; level: "info" | "warn"; text: string }
@@ -83,6 +84,7 @@ interface State {
   currentAssistant?: string;
   live?: LiveStream;
   pendingUser?: string;
+  pendingReferences?: SessionReference[];
   discardTurn?: boolean;
   turnStartAt: number;
   turnTokens: number;
@@ -166,7 +168,7 @@ function isReadOnlyTool(name: string): boolean {
 
 type Action =
   | { type: "event"; e: WireEvent }
-  | { type: "user"; text: string; seq: number }
+  | { type: "user"; text: string; seq: number; references?: SessionReference[] }
   | { type: "unsend" }
   | { type: "send_failed"; error: string }
   | { type: "backend_status"; running: boolean }
@@ -228,7 +230,8 @@ export function historyMessagesToItems(messages: HistoryMessage[], idPrefix: str
     }
     if (m.role === "user") {
       if (m.content.trim() === "") continue;
-      items.push({ kind: "user", id: `${idPrefix}${seq}`, text: m.content });
+      const refs = typeof m.references === "string" ? (() => { try { return JSON.parse(m.references); } catch { return undefined; } })() : m.references;
+      items.push({ kind: "user", id: `${idPrefix}${seq}`, text: m.content, references: Array.isArray(refs) ? refs : undefined });
       seq++;
       continue;
     }
@@ -299,8 +302,9 @@ function flushPendingUser(s: State): State {
   return {
     ...s,
     seq: s.seq + 1,
-    items: [...s.items, { kind: "user", id: `u${s.seq}`, text: s.pendingUser }],
+    items: [...s.items, { kind: "user", id: `u${s.seq}`, text: s.pendingUser, references: s.pendingReferences }],
     pendingUser: undefined,
+    pendingReferences: undefined,
   };
 }
 
@@ -444,16 +448,17 @@ export function reducer(s: State, a: Action): State {
       return {
         ...s,
         seq: seq + 1,
-        items: [...s.items, { kind: "user", id: `u${seq}`, text: a.text }],
+        items: [...s.items, { kind: "user", id: `u${seq}`, text: a.text, references: a.references }],
         running: true,
         turnStartAt: Date.now(),
         turnTokens: 0,
         turnTotalTokens: 0,
         pendingUser: a.text,
+        pendingReferences: a.references,
         discardTurn: false,
       };
     }
-    case "unsend": return { ...s, pendingUser: undefined, discardTurn: true, running: false, live: undefined };
+    case "unsend": return { ...s, pendingUser: undefined, pendingReferences: undefined, discardTurn: true, running: false, live: undefined };
     case "send_failed": {
       if (s.pendingUser === undefined) return s;
       let idx = -1;
@@ -463,7 +468,7 @@ export function reducer(s: State, a: Action): State {
       }
       const items = idx >= 0 ? s.items.map((it, i) => (i === idx ? { ...it, failed: true } : it)) : s.items;
       const notice: Item = { kind: "notice", id: `n${s.seq}`, level: "warn", text: a.error };
-      return { ...s, pendingUser: undefined, running: false, turnActive: false, live: undefined, seq: s.seq + 1, items: [...items, notice] };
+      return { ...s, pendingUser: undefined, pendingReferences: undefined, running: false, turnActive: false, live: undefined, seq: s.seq + 1, items: [...items, notice] };
     }
     case "backend_status": {
       if (a.running === s.running) return s;
@@ -734,15 +739,22 @@ export function useController() {
     return () => window.clearTimeout(timer);
   }, [activeTabId, reconcileTabRuntime, activeState.running, activeState.live]);
 
-  const send = useCallback((displayText: string, submitText = displayText) => {
+  const send = useCallback((displayText: string, submitText = displayText, references?: SessionReference[]) => {
     const submitForTab = (tabId: string) => {
       const seq = getOrCreateState(statesRef.current, tabId).seq;
-      dispatchTo(tabId, { type: "user", text: displayText, seq });
+      dispatchTo(tabId, { type: "user", text: displayText, seq, references });
       const display = displayText.trim();
       const submit = submitText.trim();
-      (display !== submit ? app.SubmitDisplayToTab(tabId, display, submit) : app.SubmitToTab(tabId, submit)).catch((error) => {
-        dispatchTo(tabId, { type: "send_failed", error: `Send failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}` });
-      });
+      const refsJson = references && references.length > 0 ? JSON.stringify(references) : "";
+      if (refsJson) {
+        app.SubmitDisplayToTabWithRefs(tabId, display, submit, refsJson).catch((error) => {
+          dispatchTo(tabId, { type: "send_failed", error: `Send failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}` });
+        });
+      } else {
+        (display !== submit ? app.SubmitDisplayToTab(tabId, display, submit) : app.SubmitToTab(tabId, submit)).catch((error) => {
+          dispatchTo(tabId, { type: "send_failed", error: `Send failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}` });
+        });
+      }
     };
     const tabId = activeTabIdRef.current ?? activeTabId;
     if (tabId) {

desktop/frontend/src/locales/en.ts

@@ -1139,6 +1139,9 @@ export const en = {
   "rewind.busyCode": "Rewinding code…",
   "rewind.busyBoth": "Rewinding code and conversation…",
   "msg.copied": "Copied",
+  "msg.referencedSessions": "Referenced sessions",
+  "msg.referencedSessionsLabel": "Referenced sessions:",
+  "msg.referenceTurns": "· {count} turns",
 
   // tool card summaries
   "tool.stepOne": "{n} step",

desktop/frontend/src/locales/zh.ts

@@ -1141,6 +1141,9 @@ export const zh: Record<DictKey, string> = {
   "rewind.busyCode": "正在回滚代码…",
   "rewind.busyBoth": "正在回滚代码和对话…",
   "msg.copied": "已复制",
+  "msg.referencedSessions": "引用的会话",
+  "msg.referencedSessionsLabel": "引用的会话：",
+  "msg.referenceTurns": "· {count} 轮",
 
   // 工具卡片摘要
   "tool.stepOne": "{n} 步",