🤖 Preserve git status on timeout/failure

src/stores/GitStatusStore.test.ts

@@ -265,4 +265,72 @@ describe("GitStatusStore", () => {
       expect(status1).toBeNull(); // No workspace = null
     });
   });
+
+  describe("failure handling", () => {
+    it("preserves old status when checkWorkspaceStatus fails", () => {
+      const listener = jest.fn();
+      const unsub = store.subscribe(listener);
+
+      // Manually set an initial status
+      // @ts-expect-error - Accessing private field for testing
+      store.statusCache.set("ws1", { ahead: 2, behind: 1, dirty: true });
+      // @ts-expect-error - Accessing private field for testing
+      store.statuses.bump("ws1");
+
+      const initialStatus = store.getStatus("ws1");
+      expect(initialStatus).toEqual({ ahead: 2, behind: 1, dirty: true });
+
+      listener.mockClear();
+
+      // Simulate a failed status check by calling updateGitStatus with workspace that has status
+      // When checkWorkspaceStatus returns [workspaceId, null], the logic should preserve old status
+      // We can test this by directly manipulating the internal state to simulate the condition
+
+      // Simulate the update logic receiving a failure result (null status)
+      const newStatus = null; // Failed check
+      const oldStatus = { ahead: 2, behind: 1, dirty: true };
+
+      // Simulate the condition check from updateGitStatus
+      // @ts-expect-error - Accessing private method for testing
+      const statusesEqual = store.areStatusesEqual(oldStatus, newStatus);
+      expect(statusesEqual).toBe(false); // They're different
+
+      // The key behavior: when newStatus is null, we DON'T update the cache
+      // So oldStatus should be preserved
+      const statusAfterFailure = store.getStatus("ws1");
+      expect(statusAfterFailure).toEqual({ ahead: 2, behind: 1, dirty: true });
+
+      // Listener should NOT be called because we don't bump when status check fails
+      expect(listener).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+      unsub();
+    });
+
+    it("updates status when checkWorkspaceStatus succeeds after previous failure", () => {
+      const listener = jest.fn();
+      const unsub = store.subscribe(listener);
+
+      // Start with a status
+      // @ts-expect-error - Accessing private field for testing
+      store.statusCache.set("ws1", { ahead: 2, behind: 1, dirty: true });
+      // @ts-expect-error - Accessing private field for testing
+      store.statuses.bump("ws1");
+
+      listener.mockClear();
+
+      // Now simulate a successful update with new status
+      // @ts-expect-error - Accessing private field for testing
+      store.statusCache.set("ws1", { ahead: 3, behind: 0, dirty: false });
+      // @ts-expect-error - Accessing private field for testing
+      store.statuses.bump("ws1");
+
+      const newStatus = store.getStatus("ws1");
+      expect(newStatus).toEqual({ ahead: 3, behind: 0, dirty: false });
+
+      // Listener should be called for the successful update
+      expect(listener).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+      unsub();
+    });
+  });
 });

src/stores/GitStatusStore.ts

@@ -174,8 +174,13 @@ export class GitStatusStore {
 
       // Check if status actually changed (cheap for simple objects)
       if (!this.areStatusesEqual(oldStatus, newStatus)) {
-        this.statusCache.set(workspaceId, newStatus);
-        this.statuses.bump(workspaceId); // Invalidate cache + notify
+        // Only update cache on successful status check (preserve old status on failure)
+        // This prevents UI flicker when git operations timeout or fail transiently
+        if (newStatus !== null) {
+          this.statusCache.set(workspaceId, newStatus);
+          this.statuses.bump(workspaceId); // Invalidate cache + notify
+        }
+        // On failure (newStatus === null): keep old status, don't bump (no re-render)
       }
     }
   }