Integrate chat session monitoring into existing Copilot status bar dashboard with performance optimizations

[Copilot]

This PR integrates in-progress chat session monitoring into the existing Copilot status bar entry's hover dashboard, providing users with a unified view of all Copilot-related information while optimizing performance through intelligent caching.

Problem

Users currently have no visual indication of chat sessions that are actively processing in the background. Additionally, multiple UI components were making separate calls to chat session providers, leading to redundant operations and performance issues.

Solution

Integrated Dashboard Approach: Instead of adding a separate status bar entry, running chat sessions are now displayed within the existing 🤖 Copilot status bar entry's hover tooltip. This provides a cleaner, more unified user experience.

Running Sessions Section: The dashboard now includes a dedicated "Running Sessions" section that shows:

• Individual sessions with spinning progress icons
• Session names and "In progress" status
• Summary count (e.g., "Working on 3 sessions")
• Quick access to the Chat Sessions view via "View Sessions" button

Performance Optimization: Added intelligent 5-second caching to ChatSessionsService.provideChatSessionItems that:

• Eliminates redundant provider calls when multiple consumers need session data
• Automatically invalidates cache when providers fire onDidChangeChatSessionItems events
• Provides significant performance benefits for extension-contributed providers that may perform expensive operations

Implementation Details

• Unified UI: Extended ChatStatusDashboard in chatStatus.ts to include running sessions alongside existing quota and settings information
• Clean Architecture: Removed the separate ChatSessionsStatusBarEntry to avoid UI clutter while preserving all functionality
• Error Handling: Graceful degradation if individual providers fail, ensuring the dashboard remains functional
• Responsive Design: Sessions appear automatically when active and disappear when complete

User Experience

Users now get a comprehensive view of all Copilot-related information in a single, well-organized hover tooltip. This makes it easier to monitor chat session progress, manage quotas, and adjust settings all from one central location.


Files modified:

• src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatStatus.ts - Extended dashboard with running sessions section
• src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chat.contribution.ts - Removed separate status bar entry registration
• src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatSessions.contribution.ts - Added caching to ChatSessionsService
• src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/media/chatStatus.css - Added styles for session items

Files removed:

• src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatSessionsStatusBarEntry.ts - No longer needed
• src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/test/browser/chatSessionsStatusBarEntry.test.ts - No longer needed

---

💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.

[osortega]

@copilot Is there a way to avoid calling the provider again to get the list of all the chat session items? We already call .providechatsessionitems in chatSessions.ts so we could use the returned value there

---

[Copilot]

@copilot Is there a way to avoid calling the provider again to get the list of all the chat session items? We already call .providechatsessionitems in chatSessions.ts so we could use the returned ...

You're absolutely right! Currently both the status bar entry and the tree view make separate calls to provideChatSessionItems, which is inefficient. I'll add caching to the ChatSessionsService.provideChatSessionItems method so that multiple consumers can share the same data without redundant provider calls. The cache will be invalidated when providers fire their onDidChangeChatSessionItems events.

[bpasero]

@osortega rather than being a separate status bar entry, can we think about the bigger picture here and marry this with the 🤖 entry we already have? That one allows to add additional UI elements into the rich hover and we can talk about allowing to update its text too.

[osortega]

@bpasero that's a great idea. We can add a section there for the coding agent sessions

@copilot extend the ChatStatusDashboard in chatStatus.ts to show the list of running coding agents there instead of adding a new status bar contribution

[Copilot]

@bpasero that's a great idea. We can add a section there for the coding agent sessions

@copilot extend the ChatStatusDashboard in chatStatus.ts to show the list of running coding agents there ins...

Done! I've integrated the running chat sessions into the existing ChatStatusDashboard instead of creating a separate status bar entry. The sessions now appear in the Copilot status bar hover tooltip under a "Running Sessions" section with spinning icons and session details. This provides a cleaner UI with all Copilot-related information in one place.

See the change in commit 28dc259.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

• electronjs.org
  • Triggering command: node-gyp (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

• Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
• Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)