fix(webview): batch repeated tool preambles

webview-ui/src/components/chat/__tests__/ChatView.spec.tsx

@@ -463,6 +463,45 @@ describe("ChatView - Tool Batching Tests", () => {
 			expect(toolRow?.text).toContain('"path":"b.ts"')
 		})
 	})
+
+	it("shows a repeated assistant preamble once while batching readFile asks", async () => {
+		renderChatView()
+		const preamble = "I'll read the files now."
+
+		mockPostMessage({
+			clineMessages: [
+				{ type: "say", say: "task", ts: 1, text: "Read the relevant files." },
+				{ type: "say", say: "text", ts: 2, text: preamble },
+				{
+					type: "ask",
+					ask: "tool",
+					ts: 3,
+					text: JSON.stringify({ tool: "readFile", path: "a.ts" }),
+				},
+				{ type: "say", say: "text", ts: 4, text: preamble },
+				{
+					type: "ask",
+					ask: "tool",
+					ts: 5,
+					text: JSON.stringify({ tool: "readFile", path: "b.ts" }),
+				},
+			],
+		})
+
+		await waitFor(() => {
+			const textRows = mockVirtuosoState.lastData.filter(
+				(message) => message.type === "say" && message.say === "text" && message.text === preamble,
+			)
+			const toolRows = mockVirtuosoState.lastData.filter(
+				(message) => message.type === "ask" && message.ask === "tool",
+			)
+
+			expect(textRows).toHaveLength(1)
+			expect(toolRows).toHaveLength(1)
+			const toolPayload = JSON.parse(toolRows[0]?.text ?? "{}") as { batchFiles?: Array<{ path?: string }> }
+			expect(toolPayload.batchFiles?.map(({ path }) => path)).toEqual(["a.ts", "b.ts"])
+		})
+	})
 })
 
 describe("ChatView - Aggregated Costs Lifecycle", () => {

webview-ui/src/utils/__tests__/batchNearby.spec.ts

@@ -94,6 +94,76 @@ describe("batchNearby", () => {
 		expect(result[0].text).toBe("BATCH:match-1,match-2")
 	})
 
+	test("repeated assistant preambles between matching tools are consumed by a successful batch", () => {
+		const preamble = "I'll read the files now."
+		const messages = [
+			msg(preamble, "say", "text"),
+			msg("match-1", "ask"),
+			msg("", "say", "api_req_started"),
+			msg(preamble, "say", "text"),
+			msg("match-2", "ask"),
+			msg(preamble, "say", "text"),
+			msg("match-3", "ask"),
+		]
+		const result = batchNearby(messages, {
+			isTarget: isMatch,
+			isIgnorableBetweenTargets,
+			isBoundary,
+			synthesize: synthesizeBatch,
+		})
+
+		expect(result).toHaveLength(2)
+		expect(result[0].text).toBe(preamble)
+		expect(result[1].text).toBe("BATCH:match-1,match-2,match-3")
+	})
+
+	test("distinct assistant text between matching tools remains a boundary", () => {
+		const messages = [
+			msg("I'll read the files now.", "say", "text"),
+			msg("match-1", "ask"),
+			msg("I found something important.", "say", "text"),
+			msg("match-2", "ask"),
+		]
+		const result = batchNearby(messages, {
+			isTarget: isMatch,
+			isIgnorableBetweenTargets,
+			isBoundary,
+			synthesize: synthesizeBatch,
+		})
+
+		expect(result).toEqual(messages)
+	})
+
+	test("restores a repeated preamble when no later target is found", () => {
+		const preamble = "I'll read the files now."
+		const messages = [
+			msg(preamble, "say", "text"),
+			msg("match-1", "ask"),
+			msg(preamble, "say", "text"),
+			msg("different tool", "ask"),
+		]
+		const result = batchNearby(messages, {
+			isTarget: isMatch,
+			isIgnorableBetweenTargets,
+			isBoundary,
+			synthesize: synthesizeBatch,
+		})
+
+		expect(result).toEqual(messages)
+	})
+
+	test("an item matching target and boundary stops the current batch", () => {
+		const messages = [msg("match-1", "ask"), msg("match-boundary", "ask"), msg("match-2", "ask")]
+		const result = batchNearby(messages, {
+			isTarget: isMatch,
+			isIgnorableBetweenTargets: () => false,
+			isBoundary: (item) => item.text === "match-boundary",
+			synthesize: synthesizeBatch,
+		})
+
+		expect(result).toEqual(messages)
+	})
+
 	test("boundary message stops batching", () => {
 		const messages = [msg("match-1", "ask"), msg("visible text", "say", "text"), msg("match-2", "ask")]
 		const result = batchNearby(messages, {

webview-ui/src/utils/batchNearby.ts

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 	/** Returns true if this item is the target type to batch (e.g., readFile ask) */
 	isTarget: (item: T) => boolean
 	/** Returns true if this item can be skipped over when looking for more targets */
-	isIgnorableBetweenTargets: (item: T) => boolean
+	isIgnorableBetweenTargets: (item: T, batchContext?: T) => boolean
 	/** Returns true if this item is a semantic boundary that stops merging */
 	isBoundary: (item: T) => boolean
 	/** Synthesize a batch of items into a single item */
@@ -43,15 +43,22 @@
 			const batch: T[] = [items[i]]
 			let j = i + 1
 			const pendingIgnorable: T[] = []
+			let batchContext: T | undefined
+
+			for (let contextIndex = i - 1; contextIndex >= 0; contextIndex--) {
+				if (!isIgnorableBetweenTargets(items[contextIndex])) {
+					batchContext = items[contextIndex]
+					break
+				}
+			}
 
 			while (j < items.length) {
-				if (isBoundary(items[j])) {
+				if (isBoundary(items[j]) && !isIgnorableBetweenTargets(items[j], batchContext)) {
 					break // boundary stops the batch
-				}
-				if (isTarget(items[j])) {
+				} else if (isTarget(items[j])) {
 					batch.push(items[j])
 					j++
-				} else if (isIgnorableBetweenTargets(items[j])) {
+				} else if (isIgnorableBetweenTargets(items[j], batchContext)) {
 					pendingIgnorable.push(items[j]) // track but don't commit yet
 					j++
 				} else {

webview-ui/src/utils/chatBatchingPredicates.ts

@@ -8,9 +8,18 @@
  * Messages that can be safely skipped over when batching tool asks.
  * These are low-information or invisible messages that don't affect semantics.
  */
-export const isIgnorableBetweenTargets = (msg: BatchableMessage): boolean => {
+export const isIgnorableBetweenTargets = (msg: BatchableMessage, batchContext?: BatchableMessage): boolean => {
 	if (msg.type !== "say") return false
-	return msg.say === "api_req_started" || (msg.say === "text" && !msg.text?.trim()) || msg.say === "reasoning"
+	return (
+		msg.say === "api_req_started" ||
+		(msg.say === "text" &&
+			(!msg.text?.trim() ||
+				(batchContext?.type === "say" &&
+					batchContext.say === "text" &&
+					!!batchContext.text?.trim() &&
+					msg.text === batchContext.text))) ||
+		msg.say === "reasoning"
+	)
 }
 
 /**