[ENHANCEMENT] Per-conversation file diff: show all file changes for a task in one place

[saneroen]

Problem (one or two sentences)

Users have to scroll through the whole chat to see which files were changed in a conversation. There’s no single place that lists all edits for that task.

Context (who is affected and when)

Anyone who uses Roo Code for multi-file or longer tasks: after the agent edits several files, they want to review “what changed in this conversation” without re-reading every message. Especially when returning to a past task from History.

Desired behavior (conceptual, not technical)

For each conversation (task), show a dedicated “file changes” summary: a list of files that were changed in that conversation, with the option to expand and see the diff for each file. Similar to Cursor’s “file diff” per chat: one place per conversation to see all changes.

Constraints / preferences (optional)

Should appear only when the task has at least one file edit (create/apply diff/edit file, etc.).
Prefer placement below the scrollable chat so it doesn’t push the thread down.
Reuse existing diff rendering and path display for consistency.
No need to change how edits are stored; derive the list from existing task messages.

Request checklist

• I've searched existing Issues and Discussions for duplicates
• This describes a specific problem with clear context and impact

Roo Code Task Links (optional)

No response

Acceptance criteria (optional)

Given a task where the user approved one or more file edits (new file, edit file, apply diff, etc.), when the user is viewing that task in the Chat tab, then a “file changes” section is visible (e.g. “X file(s) changed in this conversation”) and expanding it shows each changed file with an expandable diff.
Given a task with no file edits (e.g. only reads or commands), when viewing that task, then no “file changes” section is shown.
When the user expands a file in the list, the diff matches what was applied and uses the same style as inline diff blocks in chat.
The section does not appear in History list view; it is only in the Chat view for the active/selected task.

Proposed approach (optional)

Derive the list of file changes from the task’s UI messages: collect messages that represent file-edit tool results (e.g. “tool” with payloads like newFileCreated / editedExistingFile / appliedDiff, including both “say” and “ask” tool messages so approved edits are included).
Add a single collapsible panel (e.g. below the scrollable chat, above the input/buttons) that shows “X file(s) changed” and, when expanded, one row per file with an expandable diff (reuse existing diff component and path display).
No new persistence or backend API; all data already exists in the task’s messages.

Trade-offs / risks (optional)

Including both “ask” and “say” tool messages ensures approved edits are shown even though the UI keeps them as ask messages; the only downside is that a single pending (unapproved) tool at the end would also appear until approved or rejected.
Putting the panel below the chat avoids pushing the thread down but means users must scroll to the bottom to see it; that’s an acceptable trade-off for a summary that’s most useful after reading the conversation.

[roomote]

I've analyzed this issue and here's my proposed implementation plan:

Proposed Plan

1. Create a new FileChangesSummary component (webview-ui/src/components/chat/FileChangesSummary.tsx)

• Accepts the task's visibleMessages (or groupedMessages) array as a prop.
• Scans messages for file-edit operations by checking both type: "ask" and type: "say" messages whose JSON-parsed text has a tool field in {"editedExistingFile", "appliedDiff", "newFileCreated", "insertContent", "searchAndReplace"} (the same editFileTools set already used in ChatView.tsx line ~1195).
• Deduplicates by file path, keeping the last edit per file so the diff shown is the most recent version.
• Renders a collapsible panel:
  • Collapsed state: Shows "X file(s) changed in this conversation" with a chevron toggle.
  • Expanded state: Lists each changed file as a row. Each row is itself expandable and renders the diff using the existing CodeAccordian component (already used throughout ChatRow.tsx and BatchDiffApproval.tsx).
• The panel is only rendered when there is at least one file edit message (satisfying the "no file edits = no section" acceptance criterion).

2. Integrate into ChatView.tsx

• Place the FileChangesSummary panel between the Virtuoso scroll area and the action buttons/ChatTextArea (around line ~1785 in the current layout). This matches the issue's preference of "below the scrollable chat, above the input/buttons."
• Pass visibleMessages to the component. It will derive the file list internally via useMemo.
• The component is only rendered when task is truthy (i.e., not on the home screen), and only when file edits exist.

3. Styling

• Use Tailwind CSS classes consistent with the existing UI.
• Reuse CodeAccordian and the existing path display (tool.path) for visual consistency with inline diff blocks.
• Use VSCode CSS variables (via Tailwind mappings in index.css) for theme-appropriate colors.

4. No backend changes

• All data is derived from existing ClineMessage objects already available in the UI. No new persistence, API, or message types are needed.

5. Tests

• Add unit tests for the new component verifying:
  • Correct extraction of file changes from messages
  • Deduplication by path
  • Rendering only when file edits exist
  • Expand/collapse behavior

---

Trade-offs noted: Including both "ask" and "say" tool messages means a pending (unapproved) edit would also appear until approved/rejected, as acknowledged in the issue.

Please mention @roomote in a comment saying that you approve this plan, and I'll proceed with the implementation.

[saneroen]

Claiming