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[Feature]: Stop auto-scrolling when the user reads earlier streamed output #3925
Description
Activity
- added a commit that references this issue
on Jul 22, 2026 This is extremely annoying. Honestly it causes me to curse at my screen on a regular basis. Hoping the PR can be merged.
This one matters a lot for us too. We often want to re-read what the agent explained a minute ago while it keeps working, and right now that is basically impossible.
On top of the auto-scroll itself, the scrolling is genuinely buggy while a response is streaming. The viewport jitters back and forth constantly, so even when you manage to hold a position for a second, the content keeps shifting under the cursor. It feels less like "follow the output" and more like the scroll container is fighting itself on every update.
So from our side: detaching auto-scroll on manual scroll up would already be a huge win, but the jitter during streaming looks like a separate problem worth fixing alongside it.
Note: AI-written comment, posted on Karsten's instruction.
Reacted by rodalpho
Before submitting
Area
apps/desktop
Problem or use case
While an agent is generating a response, each new output update scrolls the conversation back toward the bottom. I often want to read earlier parts of the response while the agent continues working, but streamed updates repeatedly pull the viewport away from what I am reading.
Proposed solution
Only follow new streamed output while the viewport is already at or near the bottom. If the user scrolls upward, detach auto-scroll and preserve their current reading position as new output arrives. Show a small “Jump to latest” or “New output” control, and resume automatic following after the user returns to the bottom.
Why this matters
Long-running agent tasks produce useful intermediate explanations, logs, and partial results. Being able to read those while generation continues makes the waiting time useful and prevents the interface from fighting deliberate user navigation.
Smallest useful scope
During active generation, detect a manual upward scroll and stop moving the viewport until the user scrolls back to the bottom or clicks a “Jump to latest” button.
Alternatives considered
Waiting for generation to finish avoids the problem but prevents reading and reviewing output concurrently. Manually scrolling upward after every streamed update is frustrating and unreliable.
Risks or tradeoffs
The bottom-proximity threshold should tolerate small layout shifts and avoid detaching when the user has not intentionally scrolled. The UI should make it clear that newer output exists while auto-follow is paused.
Examples or references
Many chat and log-streaming interfaces distinguish between “following” the latest output and a reader who has intentionally scrolled away from the bottom.
Contribution