Helm mobile UI research sweep — tracking issue (62 findings)

[aasis21]

↻ Mobile refactored to RTK (#143). The mobile app was restructured into CORE (session/ — RTK slice + reducers + selectors) / EDGE (session/runtime/ + services/) / SHELL (ui/ + app/), and the 1219-line lib/sessionManager.ts god-object was deleted. File paths and symbols cited in the issues indexed below have moved to that layout — each linked issue now carries its own "↻ Code moved" pointer at the top. The refactor was behavior-preserving, so every finding here still reproduces.

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Tracking issue for the Helm mobile UI research sweep — a deep review of the mobile web app (landing + live/demo session) using Playwright against the dev server, full source review of every UI component + CSS, and a competitor-UI gap analysis (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Codex).

It indexes the 62 findings filed as #1–#62. Checkboxes below double as a triage board.

Recommended priority

P0 — Safety-critical (4)

Trust/permission correctness — users can act on incomplete or misleading information.

• No "Stop / interrupt generation" control while the agent is streaming #1 — No "Stop / interrupt generation" control while the agent is streaming
• Approval banner omits the command/args even though the message carries them #27 — Approval banner omits the command/args even though the message carries them
• Both "Allow" buttons are visually prominent while "Deny" is de-emphasized #29 — Both "Allow" buttons are visually prominent while "Deny" is de-emphasized
• Approval decision send failure is silent (optimistic dismiss, no retry) #31 — Approval decision send failure is silent (optimistic dismiss, no retry)

P1 — Bugs & reliability (16)

Silent failures, missing states, and incorrect rendering.

• Composer draft text is lost on session switch or reload #8 — Composer draft text is lost on session switch or reload
• Markdown renderer doesn't support GFM tables #17 — Markdown renderer doesn't support GFM tables
• Markdown renderer flattens nested lists (indentation ignored) #18 — Markdown renderer flattens nested lists (indentation ignored)
• Mode menu overlaps / obscures the approval banner #28 — Mode menu overlaps / obscures the approval banner
• Approval is not announced to screen readers (no role="alert" / aria-live) #32 — Approval is not announced to screen readers (no role="alert" / aria-live)
• Multiple stacked approval banners can push the composer off-screen #35 — Multiple stacked approval banners can push the composer off-screen
• "Leave this session" / row ✕ removes a session with no confirmation #36 — "Leave this session" / row ✕ removes a session with no confirmation
• Session drawer has no focus trap, no Escape-to-close, and no aria-label #41 — Session drawer has no focus trap, no Escape-to-close, and no aria-label
• Session error message is captured but never surfaced in the UI #42 — Session error message is captured but never surfaced in the UI
• Silent transport drop shows "Quiet" (idle) instead of "Offline" #44 — Silent transport drop shows "Quiet" (idle) instead of "Offline"
• sendPrompt failure leaves the optimistic bubble with no error / retry state #45 — sendPrompt failure leaves the optimistic bubble with no error / retry state
• Mode change failure is not rolled back (UI shows new mode, agent still on old) #46 — Mode change failure is not rolled back (UI shows new mode, agent still on old)
• No visible keyboard focus indicators on session controls (outline removed) #47 — No visible keyboard focus indicators on session controls (outline removed)
• Composer mode menu doesn't close on outside-click or Escape #49 — Composer mode menu doesn't close on outside-click or Escape
• Install command code block is visually truncated on mobile (full command unreadable) #53 — Install command code block is visually truncated on mobile (full command unreadable)
• No visualViewport handling — iOS soft keyboard can cover the composer #59 — No visualViewport handling — iOS soft keyboard can cover the composer

P2 — Enhancements, a11y & polish (42)

Parity with leading agent UIs, accessibility, and visual refinement.

• No visible "Scroll to latest" button when scrolled up during streaming #2 — No visible "Scroll to latest" button when scrolled up during streaming
• Send button does not become a Stop button while a turn is in flight #3 — Send button does not become a Stop button while a turn is in flight
• No "queue / steer while running" feedback when sending during an active turn #4 — No "queue / steer while running" feedback when sending during an active turn
• Tool cards show output only after completion — no live stdout streaming #5 — Tool cards show output only after completion — no live stdout streaming
• Composer has no attachment / image upload support #6 — Composer has no attachment / image upload support
• Composer has no voice dictation / mic input #7 — Composer has no voice dictation / mic input
• "Enter sends" with no option — easy to send prompts accidentally on mobile #9 — "Enter sends" with no option — easy to send prompts accidentally on mobile
• No expand / full-screen editor for long prompts #10 — No expand / full-screen editor for long prompts
• No slash-commands, prompt templates, or suggested prompts #11 — No slash-commands, prompt templates, or suggested prompts
• Code blocks have no Copy button #12 — Code blocks have no Copy button
• Code blocks drop the language label (fence info string is parsed then discarded) #13 — Code blocks drop the language label (fence info string is parsed then discarded)
• No syntax highlighting in code blocks #14 — No syntax highlighting in code blocks
• No copy affordance on assistant messages #15 — No copy affordance on assistant messages
• Tool-card ARGUMENTS / RESULT / command have no Copy button #16 — Tool-card ARGUMENTS / RESULT / command have no Copy button
• Markdown renderer lacks strikethrough, task lists, and images #19 — Markdown renderer lacks strikethrough, task lists, and images
• User messages have no timestamp (only assistant turns show time) #20 — User messages have no timestamp (only assistant turns show time)
• No long-press / context menu on messages (copy, share, quote) #21 — No long-press / context menu on messages (copy, share, quote)
• File edits are shown as raw args, not a diff with +/- coloring #22 — File edits are shown as raw args, not a diff with +/- coloring
• Tool summary falls back to raw JSON.stringify (ugly, overlong one-liners) #23 — Tool summary falls back to raw JSON.stringify (ugly, overlong one-liners)
• Tool result preview is truncated with no "view full output" #24 — Tool result preview is truncated with no "view full output"
• No grouping/collapsing of long tool-call runs (wall of cards in autopilot) #25 — No grouping/collapsing of long tool-call runs (wall of cards in autopilot)
• Nested scroll: tool result max-height creates scroll-within-scroll on mobile #26 — Nested scroll: tool result max-height creates scroll-within-scroll on mobile
• Approval banner has no timeout countdown despite timeout→deny behavior #30 — Approval banner has no timeout countdown despite timeout→deny behavior
• Approval buttons' aria-label is just the option label (no tool context) #33 — Approval buttons' aria-label is just the option label (no tool context)
• No pre-execution command editing before approving a tool call #34 — No pre-execution command editing before approving a tool call
• No way to rename a session from the phone #37 — No way to rename a session from the phone
• No session search / filter in the drawer #38 — No session search / filter in the drawer
• Relative time renders "0s" for just-now (should read "now") #39 — Relative time renders "0s" for just-now (should read "now")
• No unread-activity indicator per session or on the drawer button #40 — No unread-activity indicator per session or on the drawer button
• No offline / reconnect banner in the thread when the relay drops #43 — No offline / reconnect banner in the thread when the relay drops
• Icon buttons (38px) and send button (36px) are below the 44px touch-target minimum #48 — Icon buttons (38px) and send button (36px) are below the 44px touch-target minimum
• Low contrast: faint text (--fg-faint) on background fails WCAG AA #50 — Low contrast: faint text (--fg-faint) on background fails WCAG AA
• Body text uses absolute px and ignores OS dynamic text size #51 — Body text uses absolute px and ignores OS dynamic text size
• Entire thread is aria-live="polite" — streaming may flood screen readers #52 — Entire thread is aria-live="polite" — streaming may flood screen readers
• Empty chat state is a plain dim line — no illustrated empty state or suggested prompts #54 — Empty chat state is a plain dim line — no illustrated empty state or suggested prompts
• No skeleton loaders during session restore (only a pulsing "H") #55 — No skeleton loaders during session restore (only a pulsing "H")
• No desktop/tablet layout — session content is fixed at 760px with large empty gutters #56 — No desktop/tablet layout — session content is fixed at 760px with large empty gutters
• Dark-only: no light theme / prefers-color-scheme support #57 — Dark-only: no light theme / prefers-color-scheme support
• Long sessions render the entire timeline with no virtualization #58 — Long sessions render the entire timeline with no virtualization
• No haptic feedback when confirming an approval (only on arrival) #60 — No haptic feedback when confirming an approval (only on arrival)
• No pull-to-refresh to load earlier history (state exists, gesture missing) #61 — No pull-to-refresh to load earlier history (state exists, gesture missing)
• Decorative SVG icons expose as unlabeled images in the a11y tree #62 — Decorative SVG icons expose as unlabeled images in the a11y tree

By theme

Safety-critical (4)

• No "Stop / interrupt generation" control while the agent is streaming #1 — No "Stop / interrupt generation" control while the agent is streaming
• Approval banner omits the command/args even though the message carries them #27 — Approval banner omits the command/args even though the message carries them
• Both "Allow" buttons are visually prominent while "Deny" is de-emphasized #29 — Both "Allow" buttons are visually prominent while "Deny" is de-emphasized
• Approval decision send failure is silent (optimistic dismiss, no retry) #31 — Approval decision send failure is silent (optimistic dismiss, no retry)

Approvals & permissions (6)

• Mode menu overlaps / obscures the approval banner #28 — Mode menu overlaps / obscures the approval banner
• Approval banner has no timeout countdown despite timeout→deny behavior #30 — Approval banner has no timeout countdown despite timeout→deny behavior
• Approval is not announced to screen readers (no role="alert" / aria-live) #32 — Approval is not announced to screen readers (no role="alert" / aria-live)
• Approval buttons' aria-label is just the option label (no tool context) #33 — Approval buttons' aria-label is just the option label (no tool context)
• No pre-execution command editing before approving a tool call #34 — No pre-execution command editing before approving a tool call
• Multiple stacked approval banners can push the composer off-screen #35 — Multiple stacked approval banners can push the composer off-screen

Streaming & generation controls (4)

• No visible "Scroll to latest" button when scrolled up during streaming #2 — No visible "Scroll to latest" button when scrolled up during streaming
• Send button does not become a Stop button while a turn is in flight #3 — Send button does not become a Stop button while a turn is in flight
• No "queue / steer while running" feedback when sending during an active turn #4 — No "queue / steer while running" feedback when sending during an active turn
• Tool cards show output only after completion — no live stdout streaming #5 — Tool cards show output only after completion — no live stdout streaming

Composer (7)

• Composer has no attachment / image upload support #6 — Composer has no attachment / image upload support
• Composer has no voice dictation / mic input #7 — Composer has no voice dictation / mic input
• Composer draft text is lost on session switch or reload #8 — Composer draft text is lost on session switch or reload
• "Enter sends" with no option — easy to send prompts accidentally on mobile #9 — "Enter sends" with no option — easy to send prompts accidentally on mobile
• No expand / full-screen editor for long prompts #10 — No expand / full-screen editor for long prompts
• No slash-commands, prompt templates, or suggested prompts #11 — No slash-commands, prompt templates, or suggested prompts
• Composer mode menu doesn't close on outside-click or Escape #49 — Composer mode menu doesn't close on outside-click or Escape

Markdown & code rendering (7)

• Code blocks have no Copy button #12 — Code blocks have no Copy button
• Code blocks drop the language label (fence info string is parsed then discarded) #13 — Code blocks drop the language label (fence info string is parsed then discarded)
• No syntax highlighting in code blocks #14 — No syntax highlighting in code blocks
• No copy affordance on assistant messages #15 — No copy affordance on assistant messages
• Markdown renderer doesn't support GFM tables #17 — Markdown renderer doesn't support GFM tables
• Markdown renderer flattens nested lists (indentation ignored) #18 — Markdown renderer flattens nested lists (indentation ignored)
• Markdown renderer lacks strikethrough, task lists, and images #19 — Markdown renderer lacks strikethrough, task lists, and images

Tool-call cards (6)

• Tool-card ARGUMENTS / RESULT / command have no Copy button #16 — Tool-card ARGUMENTS / RESULT / command have no Copy button
• File edits are shown as raw args, not a diff with +/- coloring #22 — File edits are shown as raw args, not a diff with +/- coloring
• Tool summary falls back to raw JSON.stringify (ugly, overlong one-liners) #23 — Tool summary falls back to raw JSON.stringify (ugly, overlong one-liners)
• Tool result preview is truncated with no "view full output" #24 — Tool result preview is truncated with no "view full output"
• No grouping/collapsing of long tool-call runs (wall of cards in autopilot) #25 — No grouping/collapsing of long tool-call runs (wall of cards in autopilot)
• Nested scroll: tool result max-height creates scroll-within-scroll on mobile #26 — Nested scroll: tool result max-height creates scroll-within-scroll on mobile

Sessions & drawer (7)

• "Leave this session" / row ✕ removes a session with no confirmation #36 — "Leave this session" / row ✕ removes a session with no confirmation
• No way to rename a session from the phone #37 — No way to rename a session from the phone
• No session search / filter in the drawer #38 — No session search / filter in the drawer
• Relative time renders "0s" for just-now (should read "now") #39 — Relative time renders "0s" for just-now (should read "now")
• No unread-activity indicator per session or on the drawer button #40 — No unread-activity indicator per session or on the drawer button
• Session drawer has no focus trap, no Escape-to-close, and no aria-label #41 — Session drawer has no focus trap, no Escape-to-close, and no aria-label
• No pull-to-refresh to load earlier history (state exists, gesture missing) #61 — No pull-to-refresh to load earlier history (state exists, gesture missing)

Pairing & onboarding (1)

• Install command code block is visually truncated on mobile (full command unreadable) #53 — Install command code block is visually truncated on mobile (full command unreadable)

Accessibility (a11y) (6)

• No visible keyboard focus indicators on session controls (outline removed) #47 — No visible keyboard focus indicators on session controls (outline removed)
• Icon buttons (38px) and send button (36px) are below the 44px touch-target minimum #48 — Icon buttons (38px) and send button (36px) are below the 44px touch-target minimum
• Low contrast: faint text (--fg-faint) on background fails WCAG AA #50 — Low contrast: faint text (--fg-faint) on background fails WCAG AA
• Body text uses absolute px and ignores OS dynamic text size #51 — Body text uses absolute px and ignores OS dynamic text size
• Entire thread is aria-live="polite" — streaming may flood screen readers #52 — Entire thread is aria-live="polite" — streaming may flood screen readers
• Decorative SVG icons expose as unlabeled images in the a11y tree #62 — Decorative SVG icons expose as unlabeled images in the a11y tree

Performance (1)

• Long sessions render the entire timeline with no virtualization #58 — Long sessions render the entire timeline with no virtualization

Mobile-specific (3)

• No long-press / context menu on messages (copy, share, quote) #21 — No long-press / context menu on messages (copy, share, quote)
• No visualViewport handling — iOS soft keyboard can cover the composer #59 — No visualViewport handling — iOS soft keyboard can cover the composer
• No haptic feedback when confirming an approval (only on arrival) #60 — No haptic feedback when confirming an approval (only on arrival)

General UX (10)

• User messages have no timestamp (only assistant turns show time) #20 — User messages have no timestamp (only assistant turns show time)
• Session error message is captured but never surfaced in the UI #42 — Session error message is captured but never surfaced in the UI
• No offline / reconnect banner in the thread when the relay drops #43 — No offline / reconnect banner in the thread when the relay drops
• sendPrompt failure leaves the optimistic bubble with no error / retry state #45 — sendPrompt failure leaves the optimistic bubble with no error / retry state
• Empty chat state is a plain dim line — no illustrated empty state or suggested prompts #54 — Empty chat state is a plain dim line — no illustrated empty state or suggested prompts
• No skeleton loaders during session restore (only a pulsing "H") #55 — No skeleton loaders during session restore (only a pulsing "H")
• No desktop/tablet layout — session content is fixed at 760px with large empty gutters #56 — No desktop/tablet layout — session content is fixed at 760px with large empty gutters
• Dark-only: no light theme / prefers-color-scheme support #57 — Dark-only: no light theme / prefers-color-scheme support
• Silent transport drop shows "Quiet" (idle) instead of "Offline" #44 — Silent transport drop shows "Quiet" (idle) instead of "Offline"
• Mode change failure is not rolled back (UI shows new mode, agent still on old) #46 — Mode change failure is not rolled back (UI shows new mode, agent still on old)

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Index generated from a UI research sweep (Playwright live review + source audit + competitor gap analysis). No code was committed to the repo as part of this research.

[aasis21]

Sweep complete — all 62 findings (#1–#62) from this UI research sweep have been triaged and closed across the fleet-fix waves (safety/reliability/streaming/composer/markdown/tool-cards/session-mgmt/accessibility/polish). Closing the tracker as fully swept.