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VS Code windows can get stuck with a black screen if 2 simultaneous "new chat response" messages occur #329482
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[-]I randomly getting a black screen when using 30 VS Code instances[/-][+]I randomly get a black screen when using 30 VS Code instances[/+]on Aug 6, 2026 Very likely related to #261660 , see if minimize and restore brings the rendering.
Can you capture https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/wiki/Runtime-debugging#using-etw-on-windows with only
CPU UsageandGPU activity, also switch logging mode to memory given the random nature of the issue. Send it to vscode-logs@microsoft.com , also record the process tree of the app and the pid of windows that exhibited the behavior.- changed the title
[-]I randomly get a black screen when using 30 VS Code instances[/-][+]VS Code windows can get stuck with a black screen if 2 simultaneous "new chat response" messages occur[/+]on Aug 11, 2026 Robo (@deepak1556) I figured out the repro -- it happens when 2 near-simultaneous "New chat response" messages come in (from the accessibility.signals.chatUserActionRequired setting announcement == auto, see https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/blob/main/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/accessibility/chatAccessibilityService.ts). Still sort of random, but I can repro it after several tries. The stuck black screen can happen to 1 or both windows (not to the other windows that don't receive the new chat response). The 30 VS Code instances I don't believe are necessary (I could confirm that later if necessary...it might also be possible to construct a small repro extension to make it even easier to repro). The repro and symptom do not sound like that linked issue. It stopped reproing for a few days because I was only sending chat messages to one VS Code window at a time (even with the 30 VS Code instances still).
I sent the OneDrive link to the ETL files and the other info in email.
I reproed the bug with only 16 VS Code instances open -- this time, Copilot is busy doing something in the background, but I can't see what it's doing (I can tell, because the session in progress appears when I try to close the window). Also, Copilot created an extension that it said could potentially repro it more easily, but I haven't had time to try it yet.
Can you share the extension over the mail, I have a fix in the works based on the etw findings. If there is a reliable repro would help test it before I push it across in the runtime. Thanks!
Robo (@deepak1556) With the extension I was able to repro it like ~10 times so far, but I'm still unable to find a way to get it to repro consistently. Did you still want the extension? Just the vsix and/or the source code? Do I send it to vscode-logs@microsoft.com? I've reproed it with as few as 2 VS Code instances open, but it seems easier to repro with at least 5, and opening VS Code instances at the same time a chat message arrives might increase the repro probability. When the bug repros with the extension, it seems to impact multiple instances at the same time like 2-4 of the 5 instances instead of the expected 1 instance were the bug to be randomly independent for each instance.
If you can share the extension source thats better and you can send it to vscode-logs@microsoft.com, thanks!
10 remaining items
We had to revert the runtime version for an unrelated regression, will followup with another update targeting this issue.
Sean McManus (@sean-mcmanus) can you check if the issue repros with latest insiders
This bug has been fixed in the latest release of VS Code Insiders!
Sean McManus (@sean-mcmanus), you can help us out by commenting
/verifiedif things are now working as expected.If things still don't seem right, please ensure you're on version 5c91732 of Insiders (today's or later - you can use
Help: Aboutin the command palette to check), and leave a comment letting us know what isn't working as expected.Happy Coding!
Robo (@deepak1556) Yes it's fixed, thanks a lot -- given that I didn't hit it today and I usually was hitting it many times a day.
Does this issue occur when all extensions are disabled?: ? (I don't think extensions can cause this issue)
Version: 1.133.0-insider (user setup)
Commit: 780ea33
Date: 2026-08-06T02:53:01Z
Electron: 42.8.0
ElectronBuildId: 14845705
Chromium: 148.0.7778.280
Node.js: 24.18.0
V8: 14.8.178.38-electron.0
@github/copilot: 1.0.78
@github/copilot-sdk: 1.0.9-preview.3
OS: 780ea33
Steps to Reproduce:
UPDATE: These repro steps are out-of-date: see the response below for the updated repro steps.
Bug: Randomly (as in it works initially and then randomly repros over time), a random instance gets a black screen that is unusable. How can I get more info diagnose the cause? It seems like some rendering bug. It just started happening today when I switched from 20 to 30 instances. I don't believe I'm running out of memory because my memory has room and I can get it to run out of memory by using a larger workspace and it gives me a different error (the out of memory popup).
I'm trying to see if Copilot can help diagnose the cause...it's setting up some stuff to try.