fix: make chat and terminal links open reliably in default browser

[naaa760]

fix : #977

description:

• Links in chat and terminal sometimes did nothing on click.

What changed

• chat: Markdown links use openExternal on click so they open in the default browser.
• Terminal: Link click opens the URL directly (no confirmation modal).

Files

src/renderer/components/ui/markdown-renderer.tsx
src/renderer/components/TerminalPane.tsx

[vercel]

@naaa760 is attempting to deploy a commit to the General Action Team on Vercel.

A member of the Team first needs to authorize it.

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Summary

This PR fixes link clicking behavior in chat and terminal components. Previously, links sometimes did nothing on click. The changes:

• TerminalPane: Removed the confirmation modal (ExternalLinkModal) and now opens URLs directly via window.electronAPI.openExternal() when clicked
• Markdown Renderer: Added onClick handlers to both full and compact link components (<a> tags) that prevent default navigation and call openExternal() for HTTP/HTTPS URLs

The implementation properly validates URLs (checks for https?:// protocol), includes error handling (catch blocks), and maintains security by using Electron's shell.openExternal() API which validates URLs on the main process side before opening.

Confidence Score: 5/5

• This PR is safe to merge with no identified risks
• The changes are straightforward UI improvements that fix a real user-facing bug. The implementation uses existing, validated IPC handlers for opening external URLs, includes proper error handling, and validates URL protocols client-side. No security issues introduced.
• No files require special attention

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
src/renderer/components/TerminalPane.tsx	Removed confirmation modal for terminal links, now opens URLs directly via openExternal
src/renderer/components/ui/markdown-renderer.tsx	Added onClick handlers to markdown links to call openExternal directly, preventing default navigation

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant Renderer as Renderer<br/>(Chat/Terminal)
    participant IPC as Electron IPC
    participant Main as Main Process
    participant Shell as OS Shell

    User->>Renderer: Clicks link
    Renderer->>Renderer: Validate URL (https?://)
    Renderer->>Renderer: e.preventDefault()
    Renderer->>IPC: openExternal(url)
    IPC->>Main: app:openExternal handler
    Main->>Main: Validate URL type
    Main->>Shell: shell.openExternal(url)
    Shell-->>User: Opens in default browser

Loading

_{Last reviewed commit: 1809f98}

[arnestrickmann]

thanks @naaa760, do you know what was the issue before that opening links wasnt working consistently?

Could you run pnpm run format before I'm merging this?

[arnestrickmann]

thanks @naaa760, do you know what was the issue before that opening links wasnt working consistently?

Could you run pnpm run format before I'm merging this?

this would be amazing @naaa760

[naaa760]

@arnestrickmann

• Chat: In Electron, plain links often don’t open in the system browser. we now intercept the click and use openexternal so they always open correctly.
• Terminal: Links only opened after a confirmation modal. we now open them directly on click so they always work.

[arnestrickmann]

great, have you tested it?
@naaa760

[naaa760]

@arnestrickmann
Yes i ran the test suite and manually checked link clicks in markdown and the terminal both open in the default browser.

[arnestrickmann]

amazing, thank you. could you run pnpm run format?

[arnestrickmann]

Thanks! @naaa760