This is a narrower alternative to #54816, scoped to search only the
currently-loaded thread, excluding tool output or thinking blocks (happy
to follow up on those, see next). It uses a custom bar confined to
`agent_ui` rather than `BufferSearchBar` + `SearchableItem`, avoiding
the cross-crate plumbing that #54816 reached. Open as draft pending
direction from @benbrandt on what scope/approach would be acceptable for
in-thread search.
<img width="959" height="609" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8971e432-61d3-46db-a6a4-2bbd355089e7"
/>
## What this PR does
Adds a search bar to the agent panel, triggered by Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on
macOS), that lets users grep the currently-loaded thread without leaving
the agent panel; not cross-thread or cross-agent.
- Searches visible content only: user messages, assistant message
chunks, and tool-call labels. Thought blocks and rendered tool-call
content (collapsed by default) are intentionally skipped so that:
1. The visible match count matches what the user sees.
2. The search experience is consistent between tool output blocks in the
current Zed session, ans tool output blocks from past sessions, which
are not rendered - see issue #57230
- Highlights matches inline via `Markdown::set_search_highlights` for
markdown-rendered content and
`Editor::highlight_background(HighlightKey::BufferSearchHighlights, …)`
for past user messages (rendered through `MessageEditor`'s inner
`Editor`, not through markdown).
- Next/prev navigation, case/whole-word/regex toggles (same UI as
`BufferSearchBar`).
- Returns focus to the message editor on dismiss so the user can keep
typing immediately.
<details><summary>Commits (authored by Claude 4.7 Opus, max)</summary>
### Seven logical commits
1. **`agent_ui: Add in-thread search bar`** — initial implementation:
bar UI, keymap bindings under `AcpThreadSearchBar` context, markdown
highlight plumbing, focus-restore on dismiss.
2. **`agent_ui: Add unit tests for in-thread search`** — coverage of the
matcher across entry kinds and the dismiss-clears-highlights path.
3. **`agent_ui: Limit search to visible tool-call text`** — UX fixes
from manual testing: `track_focus` so `AcpThreadSearchBar` context lands
in the editor's dispatch chain; red border on zero-match query; skip
tool-call content (only search labels).
4. **`agent_ui: Fix Esc dispatch, smart toggle, error message, skip
Thought blocks`** — round 2 of UX fixes: contribute `AcpThreadSearchBar`
context from `ThreadView` when bar is visible, smart Ctrl/Cmd+F
outside-the-bar focuses instead of closing, regex error message row,
skip `AssistantMessageChunk::Thought`.
5. **`agent_ui: Polish thread search bar — Esc routing, user-message
highlights, action forwarding`** — `search::*` action forwarders on
`ThreadView`; `cx.defer` around the activate callback (fixes a
double-borrow panic); `editor::actions::Cancel` interception so Esc
dismisses our bar instead of escaping to the workspace's
`BufferSearchBar`; user-message highlights via the inner `Editor`; muted
zero-match counter; three new gpui regression tests.
6. **agent_ui: Fix Shift+Enter shadowing in thread search bar`** —
capture-phase intercept of `editor::Newline*` on the bar's `bar_row`
element so a base keymap binding `shift-enter` at the `Editor` context
(e.g. JetBrains → `editor::NewlineBelow`) can't shadow the bar's
`agent::SelectPreviousThreadMatch`. Adds a regression test that loads
`default-linux.json` + `linux/jetbrains.json` and asserts `shift-enter`
navigates instead of inserting a newline.
7. `agent_ui: Debounce thread search, refresh on thread changes,
highlight user messages`** — last round before maintainer review: 150 ms
debounce on the match rescan; subscribe to `AcpThread` updates so
results/highlights/counter follow a streaming conversation live;
navigate the list to the entry owning the active match; `.ok()` instead
of `let _ =`; assorted cleanups; two new regression tests
(`test_thread_search_refreshes_on_new_thread_entry`,
`test_thread_search_scrolls_to_later_user_message_match`).
</details>
8 gpui tests cover the load-bearing logic (`cargo test -p agent_ui --lib
-- thread_search`). All pass.
## Manual testing
Verified on Linux against `upstream/main` `13e7c11768` (full `release`
profile, with LTO and `codegen-units=1` built and tested at that
commit). Branch since merged with `upstream/main` `a6780a5`. Of the 100
intervening upstream commits, several touch files in this diff; one
produced a real conflict in `crates/agent_ui/src/conversation_view.rs`
(`gpui::{...}` import block — both sides added new, non-overlapping
symbols; resolved by union).
- Bar opens / dismisses via Ctrl+F and Esc
- Next/prev navigation via Enter / Shift+Enter / F3 / Shift+F3 / chevron
buttons
- Case / whole-word / regex toggles via buttons and via Alt+C / Alt+W /
Alt+R (Linux)
- Highlights inside past user messages render correctly on the
`MessageEditor`'s inner `Editor`
- query text turns red on no-match; bad regex shows error message;
zero-match counter stays muted (not red)
- `search::*` actions fire from outside the bar (focus in message
editor) via the `ThreadView`-level forwarders
- Workspace pane `BufferSearchBar` is unaffected; the two bars hold
independent state
- Feature looks great in light mode and dark mode, and with various
themes
- Navigating to a match in a past user message scrolls that message into
view (its top to the viewport top)
- Results update live as the agent streams new messages while the bar is
open (debounced ~150 ms, same for typing)
[Zed agent thread search subscribe to thread
updates.webm](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/75585fee-ba25-42ac-9dde-16c8e152fb06)
<details><summary>Full manual test plan</summary>
### Setup (preconditions for every test below unless otherwise noted)
1. Launch the dev binary: `./target/release-fast/zed --user-data-dir
~/.local/share/zed-dev-feat`
2. Open the agent panel, start a thread, send 2–3 prompts so the thread
contains:
- At least one user prompt with a distinctive substring (e.g.
`watermelon`)
- At least one assistant message with a distinctive substring
- At least one tool call with a known label substring
- At least one collapsed Thinking block
3. In parallel: have at least one code editor open in a workspace pane
(some tests cross-check that path).
### Core matching
#### T-001 — Ctrl+F opens the bar with focus in query
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** With focus in the agent panel's message editor, press Ctrl+F
(Linux) / Cmd+F (macOS). The search bar appears at the top of the thread
view and the query input is focused.
#### T-002a — Active match visually distinct from inactive matches
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** Type a query that produces ≥3 matches. The current ("active")
match must be visually different from the others — different highlight
color, not just position. If they look identical, this may be a theme
issue (`search_active_match_background` vs `search_match_background` too
close on the entry's background); note the theme.
#### T-002b — User-prompt text gets inline highlight, not just match
count
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 17:15 (fix shipped 2026-05-15 16:15;
regression-guarded by
`test_thread_search_highlights_user_message_editor`)
**Repro:** Send a user prompt containing a distinctive substring. Then
search that substring. The user prompt text **must** show yellow
highlight, not just be counted. The bar's matcher reads from
`message.content.markdown()` but the on-screen render goes through a
`MessageEditor`; the current code only highlights via
`Markdown::set_search_highlights`, which misses the editor.
**Notes:** Fix routes user-message matches through
`Editor::highlight_background(HighlightKey::BufferSearchHighlights, …)`
— the same path `Editor`'s own `SearchableItem` impl uses.
`collect_markdowns` no longer pulls the user message's markdown
(avoiding double-counting). The bar now maintains separate
`highlighted_markdowns` and `highlighted_editors` lists for clean-up.
Match-target enum (`MatchTarget::Markdown` vs `MatchTarget::Editor`)
tags each match so active-vs-inactive re-paint can dispatch correctly.
Pending runtime verification on next `release-fast` build.
#### T-003 — Enter / Shift+Enter in bar navigates matches
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-25 14:00 (verified on `release` build)
**Repro:** With focus in the query, type a query with ≥3 matches. Press
Enter → counter `1/N → 2/N → 3/N`. Press Shift+Enter → reverses (and no
`\n`s are output in the search box). F3 / Shift+F3 same.
### Option toggles
#### T-004 — Alt+C toggles case sensitivity from inside bar
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 07:50
**Repro:** With focus in query, press Alt+C. `Aa` button toggles state;
results re-filter.
#### T-005 — Alt+W toggles whole-word from inside bar
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** Same as T-004, with Alt+W toggling `wd` button.
#### T-006 — Alt+R toggles regex from inside bar (Linux)
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30 (fix shipped 2026-05-15 06:35)
**Repro:** Press Alt+R. `.*` button toggles.
**Notes:** macOS keymap (`alt-cmd-x`) left unchanged in this session —
it matches the wider macOS Zed convention.
#### T-006a — Tooltips on toggle buttons show their hotkey
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** Hover each toggle button (`Aa`, `wd`, `.*`). Tooltip shows
action name AND keybinding (e.g. "Toggle Case Sensitive · Alt+C").
### Error / empty states
#### T-007 — Empty matches: no red border on bar input
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** Type `zzzzzzz`. Query text turns red. Counter shows `0/0`.
Bar input border stays **neutral**, no red box.
#### T-008 — Bad-regex error message
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30 (error renders aligned with the
input)
**Repro:** Switch to regex mode, type `[`. Error message appears below
bar, aligned with the input.
#### T-019 — Zero-match counter not colored red
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30 (fix shipped 2026-05-15 06:30)
**Repro:** Type a query with no matches. The counter (`0/0`) stays
muted, **not** red. MPS-parity.
### Dismissal & re-entry
#### T-009 — Esc doesn't interrupt agent generation
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** Start a long prompt; while the agent is generating, open the
search bar and press Esc. Bar closes, generation continues.
#### T-010 — Close-X button position
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** Look at the bar. Close (X) button is on the right side, after
the nav arrows (`<` `>` `1/N` `X`). NOT free-floating left of the input.
#### T-011 — Ctrl+F in bar selects all query text
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** With bar open and query containing text, press Ctrl+F. All
query text becomes selected (next keystroke replaces).
#### T-012 — Ctrl+F outside the bar (bar already open) does not crash
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30 (fix shipped 2026-05-15 06:30;
regression-guarded by
`test_thread_search_select_next_from_thread_view_update_does_not_panic`)
**Repro:** Bar visible, focus in the message editor (not the bar). Press
Ctrl+F. Bar gets re-focused, query text is selected. **Must not crash.**
**Notes:** Original crash also reproducible from Enter / Shift+Enter
inside the bar after a search had matches. Fix wraps the
`on_activate_match` callback's `view.update` in `cx.defer`.
#### T-021 — Esc dismisses agent bar (not the unrelated workspace pane's
BufferSearchBar)
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30 (fix shipped 2026-05-15 14:40;
regression-guarded by `test_thread_search_editor_cancel_dismisses_bar`)
**Repro:** Open a file in a workspace pane editor (e.g.
`settings.json`). Open BufferSearchBar there. Switch focus to the agent
panel, open agent search bar, type a query. Press Esc. **The agent bar
must dismiss; the workspace pane's BufferSearchBar must remain.**
**Notes:** Root cause: `Editor::cancel` in single-line mode calls
`cx.propagate()`. The propagated `editor::actions::Cancel` walked past
our bar all the way to `Workspace`, where `BufferSearchBar::register`
had registered a workspace-wide handler that dismissed the active pane's
bar. Fix: `ThreadView` now catches `editor::actions::Cancel` when the
bar is visible.
### Action routing while bar is open, focus is in the message editor
#### T-013 — F3 / Shift+F3 from outside the bar
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30 (Enter from outside is *expected*
not to work — message editor's `enter` binding outranks. F3 is the
canonical out-of-bar nav key.)
**Repro:** Bar open with matches, focus in message editor. Press F3 →
next match. Shift+F3 → previous.
#### T-014 — Alt+C / Alt+W / Alt+R from outside the bar
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30 (fix shipped 2026-05-15 02:30;
`ThreadView` forwarders for `search::ToggleCaseSensitive`,
`ToggleWholeWord`, `ToggleRegex`, `FocusSearch`)
**Repro:** Bar visible, focus in message editor. Alt+C/W/R toggles the
bar's options and re-runs search.
### Nav buttons
#### T-022 — `<` / `>` chevron buttons in the bar advance match
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** With ≥2 matches, click `<` → previous. Click `>` → next.
Wraps at ends.
### Coexistence with workspace-pane buffer search
#### T-015 — Ctrl+F in a workspace-pane editor still opens
`BufferSearchBar` (no agent-panel takeover)
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** Focus a code editor in a workspace pane, press Ctrl+F. The
pane's `BufferSearchBar` opens as before; agent panel's bar does NOT
open.
#### T-016 — Independent bars: agent vs workspace pane
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-05-15 15:30
**Repro:** Have both bars open simultaneously. They hold independent
state (different queries, different toggles, independent dismissal).
### Tool-call content (auto-expand on match)
#### T-017 — Auto-expand collapsed tool calls on match
**Status:** ⏸️ BLOCKED (not implemented; out of scope for current
session)
**Repro:** Have a tool call whose collapsed content contains a unique
substring. Search that substring. The tool call auto-expands so the
match is visible. After dismissal, the tool call collapses again unless
the user manually expanded it before.
#### T-018 — Auto-expand collapsed Thinking blocks on match
**Status:** ⏸️ BLOCKED (not implemented; out of scope for current
session)
**Repro:** Same shape as T-017 for a collapsed Thinking block.
#### T-019 — Streaming results automatically highlighted / live thread
search
**Status:** ✅ PASS 2026-06-08
**Repro:** Send prompt "Write a 5-paragraph story about a researcher who
hated noise. The last paragraph should be a one-sentence: "So she moved
to <name of the quietest continent on Earth>" (replace that <name> with
the actual name)", then search for `Antarctica`.
</details>
## Known limitations
1. (pre-existing, not from this PR): search highlights inside markdown
table cells can be visually offset by a few characters in columns
starting with the second. The bug lives in `crates/markdown`'s render
layer - see issue #57229
2. (excluded vs. #54816 to keep the scope tight): raw tool-call
input/output JSON and terminal scrollback are not indexed.
3. Navigating to a search hit located **below the fold of a very long
user message** highlights the match but only scrolls the message's top
into view, so the hit can stay off-screen until you scroll manually.
Past user messages render through an `AutoHeight` `Editor` inside a
virtualized `List`, which can't reliably drive intra-entry autoscroll
the way markdown content does. User messages are usually shorter than a
viewport, so this is left unaddressed.
4. Plain-text search across triple-backtick fences does not match (the
fence characters live in the markdown source; regex search with explicit
fence handling does).
5. The literal text "Thinking" rendered as the thought-disclosure header
is not searchable (rendered chrome, not markdown source).
Self-Review Checklist:
- [x] I've reviewed my own diff for quality, security, and reliability
- No new `unsafe` introduced; no network, file-system, or process APIs
touched; only added dep is `search` (promoted from dev-dep to runtime),
already used by this crate's tests; `MessageEditor::editor()` accessor
widening is `pub(crate)` (in-crate only). Assessment: no new attack
surface.
- [x] Unsafe blocks (if any) have justifying comments
- [x] The content is consistent with the [UI/UX
checklist](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#uiux-checklist)
— partially; see "What I did NOT verify" above
- [ ] I did not verify **macOS and Windows**. Keymap entries exist for
all three platforms (`AcpThreadSearchBar` context bindings) but I only
verified Linux at runtime.
- [x] Tests cover the new/changed behavior
- [x] Performance impact has been considered and is acceptable:
regexp-searching for "t.e" in a thread almost at the context limit (919k
tokens) felt instant, and navigation among the 2100+ results occurred at
the keyboard autorepeat rate.
- [ ] Haven't measured against the 8ms / 120fps frame budget.
Partially closes#39338
Release Notes:
- Added in-thread search to the agent panel (Ctrl/Cmd+F)
---------
Co-authored-by: Bennet Bo Fenner <bennetbo@gmx.de>
10628c3d2c