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[FEATURE]: Left-edge prompt navigation rail using MessageNav #52500
Description
Feature hasn't been suggested before.
- I have verified this feature I'm about to request hasn't been suggested before.
Related requests exist: #40826 and #48292. The similar floating-rail proposal #39361 and PR #39351 were closed without merging, so I cannot honestly check the no-previous-suggestion box. This issue tracks a focused implementation proposal and requests design review.
Describe the enhancement you want to request
Long desktop/web conversations are difficult to navigate by scrolling. Add a compact, Codex-style rail on the left edge of the conversation pane: one horizontal marker per user prompt, hover/focus to preview the original input, and click or Enter/Space to jump to that turn. Highlight the current turn and hide the rail on narrow screens or sessions with only one prompt.
Reuse the existing MessageNav and session reveal/scroll logic. Handle virtualized history, attachment-only prompts, and reduced-motion preferences. Scope this to navigation within a session; no session-list changes or message mutation.
Would the core team approve this interaction and left-edge placement? The intended contribution includes navigation/accessibility tests and before/after recordings. Design approval is still pending.
Activity
github-actions commentedon Oct 1, 2026
This issue might be a duplicate of existing issues. Please check:
opencodejr commentedon Oct 28, 2026
Thanks for the careful write-up and for linking the earlier attempts!
To restate it: you're proposing a compact rail on the left edge of the desktop/web conversation pane. It would have one marker per user prompt, a preview of the prompt on hover or focus, click or Enter/Space to jump to that turn, and a highlight on the current turn. It would be hidden on narrow screens and in sessions with only one prompt. Maintainers will consider it; whether the interaction and placement are approved is their call.
Some context that may matter for the design review:
dev(feat(app): port session turn navigator to beta #57519, feat(app): add experimental turn navigator setting #57522, fix(app): make the turn navigator easier to hit and land on the right turn #57572), turned off by default (fix(app): turn the experimental turn navigator off by default #57645), and then removed entirely in a later refactor ("refactor(app): remove the turn navigator").MessageNavisn't rendered anywhere at the moment, and refactor(session-ui): remove components nothing renders #58619 proposes removing it. A design based on reusing it may need to account for that.Related issues and PRs:
MessageNavwith hover previews and per-message colour dots