automations: fix: preserve view during run archival

[Ulugbek Abdullaev (ulugbekna)]

Summary

Preserve the Automations custom view when the underlying active Automation run is archived or when provider-driven session/chat lifecycle changes select a fallback.

Explicit session and chat open actions continue to dismiss the custom view.

Problem

Automation History renders provider-backed sessions while the Sessions grid remains alive behind the full-surface Automations view.

If the underlying active run was archived, SessionsService reacted by opening the new-session composer. That automatic fallback used the same navigation path as an explicit user action, so it called hideCustomView(), navigated away from Automations, and cleared the persisted custom-view selection.

Fix

• Distinguish explicit open actions from automatic lifecycle reconciliation.
• Keep custom-view dismissal separate from open cancellation.
• Preserve the active custom view while reconciling:
  • an archived active session;
  • a removed active session, with or without another visible fallback;
  • a removed active chat.
• Keep explicit session, chat, New Session, and Quick Chat opens dismissing custom views.
• Report failures from detached automatic fallback promises through onUnexpectedError.
• Clarify the explicit-open versus reactive-fallback contract in the Sessions layout specification.

The implementation remains provider-neutral and does not special-case the Automations view ID.

Important behavior

Trigger	Reconcile hidden Sessions state	Dismiss custom view
Explicitly open a session/chat	Yes	Yes
Explicitly open New Session/Quick Chat	Yes	Yes
Active session becomes archived	Yes	No
Provider removes the active session	Yes	No
Provider removes the active chat	Yes	No

An explicit folder-less New Session action also dismisses the custom view when the hidden grid is already on its empty slot. The no-op automatic fallback remains before open-token acquisition, so it cannot cancel an unrelated pending explicit open.

Tests

Added focused coverage for:

• archiving the active session while a custom view is visible;
• active-session removal without a fallback;
• active-session removal with another visible fallback;
• active-chat removal;
• explicit open actions dismissing the custom view;
• no-op automatic fallback remaining inert during delayed explicit navigation.

Validation:

• npm run typecheck-client
• ./scripts/test.sh --run src/vs/sessions/services/sessions/test/browser/sessionsManagementService.test.ts
  • 115 passing
  • 2 pre-existing pending
• git diff --check

Manual verification

Repeated the reported sequence in an isolated Agents Code OSS window:

1. Open an unarchived Automation history run.
2. Return to Automations.
3. Archive the same run.

Verified at both the default wide viewport and 1208×768:

• Automations remained visible.
• The run remained in History as archived.
• Its Archive action disappeared.
• Neither the new-session composer nor the Files/editor pane became visible.

[vs-code-engineering]

📬 CODENOTIFY

The following users are being notified based on files changed in this PR:

Sandeep Somavarapu (@sandy081)

Matched files:

• src/vs/sessions/services/sessions/browser/sessionsService.ts
• src/vs/sessions/services/sessions/test/browser/sessionsManagementService.test.ts

Ladislau Szomoru (@lszomoru)

Matched files:

• src/vs/sessions/services/sessions/browser/sessionsService.ts
• src/vs/sessions/services/sessions/test/browser/sessionsManagementService.test.ts

[Copilot]

Copilot review overview

🟢 Approval recommended

The implementation is localized, provider-neutral, and adequately covered by focused tests.

Review tier: Balanced
Findings: None

What changed in this PR

Preserves active custom views while Sessions reconciles automatic lifecycle changes.

Changes:

• Separates explicit navigation from automatic fallback behavior.
• Reports detached fallback failures and adds focused regression tests.
• Documents the custom-view navigation contract.

File	Description
src/​vs/​sessions/​services/​sessions/​browser/​sessionsService.ts	Adds navigation intent handling.
src/​vs/​sessions/​services/​sessions/​test/​browser/​sessionsManagementService.test.ts	Covers archival, removal, fallback, and explicit navigation.
src/​vs/​sessions/​LAYOUT.md	Documents dismissal behavior.

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