Enhance cloud sandbox UX for remote connections (#334644)

* Agent Host changes for agents/cloud-sandbox-ux-enhancement

* Fix sandbox activation races and initial connection interactivity

Reject stale activation results after cancellation, feature teardown, or provider replacement. Keep initial sandbox connections read-only while preserving input during self-healing reconnects.

Add regression coverage for review feedback on #334644, including actual environment lookup failures.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: osortega

src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/chatGroupView.ts

@@ -230,30 +230,41 @@ export class ChatGroupView extends Disposable implements ISerializableView {
 			if (archived) {
 				const action = getChatSessionArchiveActionPresentation(this._archiveActionWording.read(reader)).unarchive;
 				return {
-					message: localize('sessionReadOnlyBanner.archived', "Archived sessions are read-only."),
-					action: {
-						label: action.title.value,
-						run: () => this._commandService.executeCommand(UNARCHIVE_SESSION_COMMAND_ID, context.session),
+					archived: true,
+					content: {
+						message: localize('sessionReadOnlyBanner.archived', "Archived sessions are read-only."),
+						action: {
+							label: action.title.value,
+							run: () => this._commandService.executeCommand(UNARCHIVE_SESSION_COMMAND_ID, context.session),
+						},
 					},
 				};
 			}
-			return { message: localize('sessionReadOnlyBanner.message', "This chat is read-only") };
+			return { archived: false, content: { message: localize('sessionReadOnlyBanner.message', "This chat is read-only") } };
 		});
 
 		const surface = derived<IChatGroupSurface>(reader => {
 			const readOnly = readOnlyContent.read(reader);
-			if (readOnly) {
-				return { banner: readOnly, recovery: undefined };
+			if (readOnly?.archived) {
+				return { banner: readOnly.content, recovery: undefined };
 			}
 
+			// Keep the banner while history loads to avoid flashing the centered recovery state.
 			const view = currentView.read(reader);
-			const recovery = view?.hasVisibleTranscriptContent.read(reader)
+			const transcriptSettled = view === undefined || !view.isLoadingTranscript.read(reader);
+			const recovery = !transcriptSettled || view?.hasVisibleTranscriptContent.read(reader)
 				? undefined
 				: this._connection.recoveryContent.read(reader);
 			if (recovery) {
 				return { banner: undefined, recovery };
 			}
-			return { banner: this._connection.bannerContent.read(reader), recovery: undefined };
+			// Explain connection-related read-only state before falling back to the generic notice.
+			const connectionBanner = this._connection.bannerContent.read(reader);
+			if (connectionBanner) {
+				return { banner: connectionBanner, recovery: undefined };
+			}
+
+			return { banner: readOnly?.content, recovery: undefined };
 		});
 
 		this._contextDisposables.add(autorun(reader => {

src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/chatView.ts

@@ -72,6 +72,14 @@ export abstract class AbstractChatView extends Disposable implements ISerializab
 	 */
 	readonly hasVisibleTranscriptContent: IObservable<boolean> = constObservable(false);
 
+	/**
+	 * Whether this view is still resolving its chat model, during which
+	 * {@link hasVisibleTranscriptContent} is not yet meaningful — it reads `false` for a transcript
+	 * that simply has not arrived yet as well as for one that does not exist. Views that never load
+	 * a model report `false`, since for them the answer is already final.
+	 */
+	readonly isLoadingTranscript: IObservable<boolean> = constObservable(false);
+
 	/**
 	 * Show the given chat in this view. The default implementation is a
 	 * no-op; subclasses that host a chat widget (e.g. `ChatView`) override

src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/remoteHostUnavailableEmptyState.css

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 }
 
 .remote-host-unavailable-empty-state.hidden,
+.remote-host-unavailable-empty-state-description.hidden,
 .remote-host-unavailable-empty-state-progress.hidden,
 .remote-host-unavailable-empty-state-action.hidden,
 .remote-host-unavailable-empty-state-auto-connect.hidden {

src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/remoteHostUnavailableEmptyState.ts

@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ import { defaultButtonStyles, defaultCheckboxStyles } from '../../../platform/th
 
 export interface IRemoteHostUnavailableEmptyStateContent {
 	readonly title: string;
-	readonly description: string;
+	/** Omitted when the title already says everything, leaving the title and action to speak. */
+	readonly description?: string;
 	readonly progress?: string;
 	readonly action?: {
 		readonly label: string;
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ export class RemoteHostUnavailableEmptyState extends Disposable {
 		icon.appendChild(renderIcon(Codicon.debugDisconnect));
 
 		this._title = dom.append(this.domNode, dom.$('h2.remote-host-unavailable-empty-state-title'));
-		this._description = dom.append(this.domNode, dom.$('p.remote-host-unavailable-empty-state-description'));
+		this._description = dom.append(this.domNode, dom.$('p.remote-host-unavailable-empty-state-description.hidden'));
 		this._progress = dom.append(this.domNode, dom.$('p.remote-host-unavailable-empty-state-progress.hidden'));
 		// Connect progress changes while the user waits (waiting → download
 		// percentage), so announce it politely rather than leaving it silent.
@@ -85,6 +86,8 @@ export class RemoteHostUnavailableEmptyState extends Disposable {
 		this._autoConnectListener.clear();
 		this.domNode.classList.toggle('hidden', !content);
 		if (!content) {
+			this._description.textContent = '';
+			this._description.classList.add('hidden');
 			this._progress.textContent = '';
 			this._progress.classList.add('hidden');
 			this._actionContainer.classList.add('hidden');
@@ -98,7 +101,8 @@ export class RemoteHostUnavailableEmptyState extends Disposable {
 
 		this.domNode.setAttribute('aria-label', content.title);
 		this._title.textContent = content.title;
-		this._description.textContent = content.description;
+		this._description.textContent = content.description ?? '';
+		this._description.classList.toggle('hidden', !content.description);
 		this._progress.textContent = content.progress ?? '';
 		this._progress.classList.toggle('hidden', !content.progress);
 		if (!content.action) {

src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/sessionRemoteConnection.ts

@@ -10,9 +10,10 @@ import { Disposable, MutableDisposable } from '../../../base/common/lifecycle.js
 import { autorun, derived, derivedObservableWithCache, IObservable, IReader, observableSignal, observableValue, transaction } from '../../../base/common/observable.js';
 import { localize } from '../../../nls.js';
 import { ILogService } from '../../../platform/log/common/log.js';
-import { isAgentHostProvider } from '../../common/agentHostSessionsProvider.js';
+import { IAgentHostConnectionLabels, isAgentHostProvider } from '../../common/agentHostSessionsProvider.js';
 import { SessionRemoteConnectionFailureReason, SessionRemoteConnectionStatus } from '../../services/sessions/common/session.js';
 import { IActiveSession } from '../../services/sessions/common/sessionsManagement.js';
+import { ISessionsProvider } from '../../services/sessions/common/sessionsProvider.js';
 import { ISessionsProvidersService } from '../../services/sessions/browser/sessionsProvidersService.js';
 import { IRemoteHostUnavailableEmptyStateContent } from './remoteHostUnavailableEmptyState.js';
 import { ISessionReadOnlyBannerContent } from './sessionReadOnlyBanner.js';
@@ -63,6 +64,13 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 	 * `connect()` joins an in-flight dial rather than starting a second one.
 	 */
 	private readonly _autoConnected = observableValue<IActiveSession | undefined>(this, undefined);
+	/**
+	 * The session a connect has already been started for, however it ended. Distinguishes a host
+	 * that has never been dialled — where the action reads as "Connect" — from one that was tried
+	 * and did not come up, where it reads as "Retry". Latched separately from {@link _attempt},
+	 * which clears once an attempt settles and so cannot answer "has this been tried at all".
+	 */
+	private readonly _connectAttempted = observableValue<IActiveSession | undefined>(this, undefined);
 	/**
 	 * Whether the host should be started without waiting for a click. Gated on a
 	 * stopped host the provider can start, and on not having tried yet — one
@@ -170,6 +178,7 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 			this._session.set(session, tx);
 			this._attempt.set(undefined, tx);
 			this._autoConnected.set(undefined, tx);
+			this._connectAttempted.set(undefined, tx);
 		});
 	}
 
@@ -197,7 +206,10 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 
 		const statusBefore = session.remoteConnectionStatus?.get();
 		this._logService.info(`[SessionRemoteConnection] connect: starting ${provider.remoteAddress ?? provider.id}, statusBefore=${statusBefore?.kind}`);
-		this._attempt.set({ kind: 'active', session, message: undefined, statusBefore }, undefined);
+		transaction(tx => {
+			this._attempt.set({ kind: 'active', session, message: undefined, statusBefore }, tx);
+			this._connectAttempted.set(session, tx);
+		});
 		const remoteAddress = provider.remoteAddress;
 		if (remoteAddress && provider.onDidReportConnectProgress) {
 			this._progressListener.value = provider.onDidReportConnectProgress(progress => {
@@ -255,7 +267,26 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 			: status;
 	}
 
-	private _getRemoteHostConnectProgress(session: IActiveSession, status: SessionRemoteConnectionStatus | undefined, reader: IReader): string | undefined {
+	private _getConnectionLabels(provider: ISessionsProvider | undefined): IAgentHostConnectionLabels {
+		if (provider && isAgentHostProvider(provider) && provider.connectionLabels) {
+			return provider.connectionLabels;
+		}
+		const hostLabel = provider?.label ?? localize('sessionRemoteHost.unknown', "The remote host");
+		return {
+			unavailableTitle: localize('sessionRemoteHost.disconnectedTitle', "Cannot Connect to {0}", hostLabel),
+			unavailableDescription: localize('sessionRemoteHost.disconnected', "Cannot reach {0}.", hostLabel),
+			unavailable: localize('sessionRemoteHost.disconnected', "Cannot reach {0}.", hostLabel),
+			connectingTitle: localize('sessionRemoteHost.connectingTitle', "Connecting to {0}", hostLabel),
+			connectingDescription: localize('sessionRemoteHost.startingDescription', "Starting {0}.", hostLabel),
+			connecting: localize('sessionRemoteHost.waitingForConnection', "Waiting for agent host connection..."),
+			reconnecting: localize('sessionRemoteHost.reconnecting', "Reconnecting to {0}...", hostLabel),
+			reconnectingIn: seconds => localize('sessionRemoteHost.reconnectingIn', "Reconnecting to {0} in {1}s", hostLabel, seconds),
+			incompatibleTitle: localize('sessionRemoteHost.incompatibleTitle', "Cannot Connect to {0}", hostLabel),
+			incompatible: localize('sessionRemoteHost.incompatibleDescription', "{0} is incompatible with this version of Visual Studio Code.", hostLabel),
+		};
+	}
+
+	private _getRemoteHostConnectProgress(session: IActiveSession, status: SessionRemoteConnectionStatus | undefined, labels: IAgentHostConnectionLabels, reader: IReader): string | undefined {
 		const attempt = this._attempt.read(reader);
 		if (attempt?.kind !== 'active' || attempt.session !== session || status?.kind === 'connected') {
 			return undefined;
@@ -271,9 +302,7 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 		const settling = status?.kind === 'connecting'
 			|| status?.kind === 'reconnecting'
 			|| isSameRemoteConnectionStatus(status, attempt.statusBefore);
-		return settling
-			? localize('sessionRemoteHost.waitingForConnection', "Waiting for agent host connection...")
-			: undefined;
+		return settling ? labels.connecting : undefined;
 	}
 
 	private _getRemoteHostUnavailableContent(reader: IReader): IRemoteHostUnavailableEmptyStateContent | undefined {
@@ -285,16 +314,17 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 		const status = this._getEffectiveStatus(reader);
 		const provider = this._sessionsProvidersService.getProvider(session.providerId);
 		const hostLabel = provider?.label ?? localize('sessionRemoteHost.unknown', "The remote host");
+		const labels = this._getConnectionLabels(provider);
 		if (status?.kind === 'connected') {
 			return undefined;
 		}
 		if (status?.kind === 'incompatible') {
 			return {
-				title: localize('sessionRemoteHost.incompatibleTitle', "Cannot Connect to {0}", hostLabel),
-				description: localize('sessionRemoteHost.incompatibleDescription', "{0} is incompatible with this version of Visual Studio Code.", hostLabel),
+				title: labels.incompatibleTitle,
+				description: labels.incompatible,
 			};
 		}
-		const progressMessage = this._getRemoteHostConnectProgress(session, status, reader);
+		const progressMessage = this._getRemoteHostConnectProgress(session, status, labels, reader);
 		const autoConnectPending = this._autoConnectPending.read(reader);
 		const canStartHost = !!provider && isAgentHostProvider(provider) && !!provider.connect;
 		const autoConnect = canStartHost && provider.autoConnect
@@ -310,11 +340,12 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 				&& attempt.session === session
 				&& attempt.statusBefore?.kind === 'disconnected'
 				&& attempt.statusBefore.reason === SessionRemoteConnectionFailureReason.HostNotRunning);
-		if (progressMessage || autoConnectPending) {
+		// Include externally started connects; reconnecting keeps its delayed countdown banner.
+		if (progressMessage || autoConnectPending || status?.kind === 'connecting') {
 			return {
-				title: localize('sessionRemoteHost.connectingTitle', "Connecting to {0}", hostLabel),
-				description: localize('sessionRemoteHost.startingDescription', "Starting {0}.", hostLabel),
-				progress: progressMessage ?? localize('sessionRemoteHost.waitingForConnection', "Waiting for agent host connection..."),
+				title: labels.connectingTitle,
+				description: labels.connectingDescription,
+				progress: progressMessage ?? labels.connecting,
 				autoConnect: startedFromStoppedHost ? autoConnect : undefined,
 			};
 		}
@@ -335,14 +366,14 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 			};
 		}
 		return {
-			title: localize('sessionRemoteHost.disconnectedTitle', "Cannot Connect to {0}", hostLabel),
-			description: localize('sessionRemoteHost.disconnected', "Cannot reach {0}.", hostLabel),
+			title: labels.unavailableTitle,
+			description: labels.unavailableDescription,
 			// An unreachable host is often transient — a dropped tunnel, a sleeping
 			// machine — so offer a manual retry even though there is nothing local
 			// to start and so nothing to do automatically.
 			action: canStartHost
 				? {
-					label: localize('sessionRemoteHost.retry', "Retry"),
+					label: this._connectActionLabel(session, reader),
 					run: () => this.connect(),
 				}
 				: undefined,
@@ -358,17 +389,18 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 		const status = this._getEffectiveStatus(reader);
 		const provider = this._sessionsProvidersService.getProvider(session.providerId);
 		const hostLabel = provider?.label ?? localize('sessionRemoteHost.unknown', "The remote host");
-		const progressMessage = this._getRemoteHostConnectProgress(session, status, reader);
+		const labels = this._getConnectionLabels(provider);
+		const progressMessage = this._getRemoteHostConnectProgress(session, status, labels, reader);
 		// Mirror the recovery state: while an automatic start is pending the
 		// action must not appear, even for the frame before the attempt registers.
-		if (progressMessage || this._autoConnectPending.read(reader)) {
+		if (progressMessage || this._autoConnectPending.read(reader) || status?.kind === 'connecting') {
 			return {
 				icon: Codicon.sync,
-				message: progressMessage ?? localize('sessionRemoteHost.waitingForConnection', "Waiting for agent host connection..."),
+				message: progressMessage ?? labels.connecting,
 			};
 		}
 
-		if (!status || status.kind === 'connected' || status.kind === 'connecting') {
+		if (!status || status.kind === 'connected') {
 			return undefined;
 		}
 
@@ -377,7 +409,7 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 			// so this banner is the only place the incompatibility can be explained.
 			return {
 				icon: Codicon.debugDisconnect,
-				message: localize('sessionRemoteHost.incompatibleDescription', "{0} is incompatible with this version of Visual Studio Code.", hostLabel),
+				message: labels.incompatible,
 			};
 		}
 
@@ -386,13 +418,11 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 			return this._reconnectingBannerVisible.read(reader)
 				? {
 					icon: Codicon.sync,
-					message: seconds === undefined
-						? localize('sessionRemoteHost.reconnecting', "Reconnecting to {0}...", hostLabel)
-						: localize('sessionRemoteHost.reconnectingIn', "Reconnecting to {0} in {1}s", hostLabel, seconds),
+					message: seconds === undefined ? labels.reconnecting : labels.reconnectingIn(seconds),
 					// The banner is a live region, so the per-second countdown would
 					// otherwise queue an announcement every tick. Keep the spoken
 					// text stable and let only the visible text count down.
-					ariaLabel: localize('sessionRemoteHost.reconnecting', "Reconnecting to {0}...", hostLabel),
+					ariaLabel: labels.reconnecting,
 					action: seconds !== undefined && provider && isAgentHostProvider(provider) && provider.reconnectNow
 						? {
 							label: localize('sessionRemoteHost.tryNow', "Try Now"),
@@ -416,15 +446,27 @@ export class SessionRemoteConnection extends Disposable {
 		}
 		return {
 			icon: Codicon.debugDisconnect,
-			message: localize('sessionRemoteHost.disconnected', "Cannot reach {0}.", hostLabel),
+			message: labels.unavailable,
 			// A dropped tunnel or a sleeping machine is usually transient, so a
 			// manual retry is worth offering even with nothing local to start.
 			action: provider && isAgentHostProvider(provider) && provider.connect
 				? {
-					label: localize('sessionRemoteHost.retry', "Retry"),
+					label: this._connectActionLabel(session, reader),
 					run: () => this.connect(),
 				}
 				: undefined,
 		};
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * The wording for the action that establishes the connection. A host that has never been
+	 * dialled from this view is offered a plain "Connect": presenting it as a retry would imply an
+	 * attempt the user never made, and for hosts that must be resumed rather than merely reached,
+	 * the first dial is a deliberate choice rather than a recovery.
+	 */
+	private _connectActionLabel(session: IActiveSession, reader: IReader): string {
+		return this._connectAttempted.read(reader) === session
+			? localize('sessionRemoteHost.retry', "Retry")
+			: localize('sessionRemoteHost.connect', "Connect");
+	}
 }

src/vs/sessions/common/agentHostSessionsProvider.ts

@@ -46,6 +46,20 @@ export interface IAgentHostAutoConnect {
 	setEnabled(enabled: boolean): void;
 }
 
+/** Localized labels shared by connection banners and recovery screens. */
+export interface IAgentHostConnectionLabels {
+	readonly unavailableTitle: string;
+	readonly unavailableDescription?: string;
+	readonly unavailable: string;
+	readonly connectingTitle: string;
+	readonly connectingDescription?: string;
+	readonly connecting: string;
+	readonly reconnecting: string;
+	reconnectingIn(seconds: number): string;
+	readonly incompatibleTitle: string;
+	readonly incompatible: string;
+}
+
 /**
  * Declares that a provider is one of many interchangeable members of a single
  * user-facing host. Members collapse into one `IAgentHostFilterEntry` that
@@ -153,6 +167,9 @@ export interface IAgentHostSessionsProvider extends ISessionsProvider {
 	 */
 	readonly autoConnect?: IAgentHostAutoConnect;
 
+	/** Optional labels for providers whose display name does not name the host. */
+	readonly connectionLabels?: IAgentHostConnectionLabels;
+
 	/**
 	 * When `true`, the workspace picker keeps this provider's browse
 	 * action(s) enabled even while {@link connectionStatus} reports