From 2ad1313cb48cb491c4426af88a685716b19b2323 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ammar <ammar+ai@ammar.io>
Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2026 11:36:38 -0600
Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?=F0=9F=A4=96=20fix:=20soften=20delayed-start=20?=
 =?UTF-8?q?retry=20banner?=
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Avoid claiming the stream was interrupted while the first response is still stuck in pre-stream startup. Long SSH init hooks can legitimately delay stream-start even when the response will eventually begin, so the RetryBarrier now uses delayed-start copy for that state and includes a regression test.

---

_Generated with `mux` • Model: `openai:gpt-5.4` • Thinking: `xhigh` • Cost: `$2.42`_

<!-- mux-attribution: model=openai:gpt-5.4 thinking=xhigh costs=2.42 -->
---
 .../ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.test.tsx         | 20 +++++++++++++++++++
 .../Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.tsx     | 14 ++++++++++++-
 2 files changed, 33 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/src/browser/features/Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.test.tsx b/src/browser/features/Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.test.tsx
index cdba1aad97..05f30cb212 100644
--- a/src/browser/features/Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.test.tsx
+++ b/src/browser/features/Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.test.tsx
@@ -136,6 +136,26 @@ describe("RetryBarrier", () => {
     globalThis.document = undefined as unknown as Document;
   });
 
+  test("uses delayed-start copy while the first response is still starting", () => {
+    currentWorkspaceState = createWorkspaceState({
+      isStreamStarting: true,
+      messages: [
+        {
+          type: "user",
+          id: "user-1",
+          historyId: "user-1",
+          content: "Hello",
+          historySequence: 1,
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    const view = render(<RetryBarrier workspaceId="ws-1" />);
+
+    expect(view.getByText("Response startup is taking longer than expected")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(view.queryByText("Stream interrupted")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   test("shows error details when manual resume fails before stream events", async () => {
     resumeStreamResult = {
       success: false,
diff --git a/src/browser/features/Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.tsx b/src/browser/features/Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.tsx
index 5da7b154d4..0a1f5e5ff1 100644
--- a/src/browser/features/Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.tsx
+++ b/src/browser/features/Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier.tsx
@@ -242,11 +242,23 @@ export const RetryBarrier: React.FC<RetryBarrierProps> = (props) => {
   const lastMessage = getLastNonDecorativeMessage(workspaceState.messages);
   const lastStreamError = lastMessage?.type === "stream-error" ? lastMessage : null;
   const interruptionReason = lastStreamError?.errorType === "rate_limit" ? "Rate limited" : null;
+  const isWaitingForInitialResponse =
+    lastMessage?.type === "user" && workspaceState.isStreamStarting;
 
   let statusIcon: React.ReactNode = (
     <AlertTriangle aria-hidden="true" className="text-warning h-4 w-4 shrink-0" />
   );
-  let statusText: React.ReactNode = <>{interruptionReason ?? "Stream interrupted"}</>;
+  let statusText: React.ReactNode = (
+    <>
+      {interruptionReason ??
+        // A trailing user message means the backend has not emitted stream-start yet.
+        // Long init hooks (for example over SSH) can legitimately keep us here, so avoid
+        // claiming the stream was interrupted until we have evidence that it actually was.
+        (isWaitingForInitialResponse
+          ? "Response startup is taking longer than expected"
+          : "Stream interrupted")}
+    </>
+  );
   let actionButton: React.ReactNode = (
     <button
       className="bg-warning font-primary text-background cursor-pointer rounded border-none px-4 py-2 text-xs font-semibold whitespace-nowrap transition-all duration-200 hover:-translate-y-px hover:brightness-120 active:translate-y-0 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50"