feat(web): a Messages only level shows just what you and the agent say

apps/mobile/src/features/settings/appearance/sections/ToolCallsAppearanceSection.tsx

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ const TOOL_CALL_VISIBILITY_OPTIONS: ReadonlyArray<{
   { value: "showAll", label: "Show all" },
   { value: "hideSuccessful", label: "Hide successful" },
   { value: "hideAll", label: "Hide all" },
+  { value: "messagesOnly", label: "Messages only" },
   { value: "zen", label: "Zen" },
 ];
 
@@ -40,8 +41,9 @@ export function ToolCallsAppearanceSection() {
         ))}
       </SettingsSection>
       <Text className="px-2 text-sm text-foreground-muted">
-        Hide the commands, edits, and searches agents run. Hide successful keeps failures. Zen shows
-        only final answers. Approvals, questions, and errors always show.
+        Hide the commands, edits, and searches agents run. Hide successful keeps failures. Messages
+        only also hides thinking and subagents. Zen shows only final answers. Approvals, questions,
+        and errors always show.
       </Text>
     </View>
   );

apps/mobile/src/features/settings/settings-search.ts

@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ const SETTINGS_SEARCH_TERMS = {
     "work log",
     "zen",
     "final answers only",
+    "messages only",
+    "hide thinking",
   ],
   SettingsNavigation: ["tabs", "tab order", "reorder", "hide tabs"],
   SettingsKeyboard: ["return key", "send message", "new line", "hardware keyboard"],

apps/mobile/src/lib/threadActivity.test.ts

@@ -1281,7 +1281,7 @@ describe("buildThreadFeed", () => {
     const running = { runId, status: "running" as const, startedAt: at(1), completedAt: null };
     const rows = (
       items: ReadonlyArray<OrchestrationV2TurnItem>,
-      toolCallVisibility: "hideSuccessful" | "hideAll" | "zen",
+      toolCallVisibility: "hideSuccessful" | "hideAll" | "messagesOnly" | "zen",
       latestRun: ThreadFeedLatestRun | null = null,
     ) =>
       deriveThreadFeedPresentation(
@@ -1340,6 +1340,25 @@ describe("buildThreadFeed", () => {
       "wake",
       "thinking:",
     ]);
+
+    const thought = {
+      ...base("thought", at(3), 9),
+      type: "reasoning" as const,
+      text: "Checking the captures",
+      streaming: false,
+    };
+    expect(rows([user, step, thought, passed, failed, final], "messagesOnly")).toEqual([
+      "user",
+      "fold",
+      "step",
+      "final",
+    ]);
+    expect(rows([user, thought, passed, final], "messagesOnly")).toEqual(["user", "final"]);
+    expect(rows([user, step, thought, passed], "messagesOnly", running)).toEqual([
+      "user",
+      "step",
+      "thinking:",
+    ]);
   });
 });
 

apps/mobile/src/lib/threadActivity.ts

@@ -1372,7 +1372,7 @@ const visibleActivityGroups = new WeakMap<
   { readonly visibility: ToolCallVisibility; readonly group: ThreadFeedActivityGroup | null }
 >();
 
-function zenKeepsActivity(activity: ThreadFeedActivity): boolean {
+function shownWithoutWorkLog(activity: ThreadFeedActivity): boolean {
   const item = activity.projectedItem.item;
   return (
     activity.prominent ||
@@ -1391,8 +1391,8 @@ function activityGroupForVisibility(
   const cached = visibleActivityGroups.get(entry);
   if (cached?.visibility === visibility) return cached.group;
   const activities = entry.activities.filter((activity) =>
-    visibility === "zen"
-      ? zenKeepsActivity(activity)
+    visibility === "zen" || visibility === "messagesOnly"
+      ? shownWithoutWorkLog(activity)
       : !workEntryHiddenByToolCallVisibility(activity.workEntry, visibility),
   );
   const group =

apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.logic.test.ts

@@ -2980,14 +2980,16 @@ describe("v2 run and attempt history", () => {
     const ended = { ...running, turnEnded: true };
     const rows = (
       timelineEntries: ReadonlyArray<TimelineEntry>,
-      toolCallVisibility: "hideSuccessful" | "hideAll" | "zen",
+      toolCallVisibility: "hideSuccessful" | "hideAll" | "messagesOnly" | "zen",
       latestRun?: typeof ended | typeof running,
+      pendingApprovalRequestIds?: ReadonlySet<RuntimeRequestId>,
     ) =>
       deriveMessagesTimelineRows({
         timelineEntries,
         expandedRunIds: new Set([runId]),
         isWorking: latestRun !== undefined,
         ...(latestRun ? { latestRun } : {}),
+        ...(pendingApprovalRequestIds ? { pendingApprovalRequestIds } : {}),
         turnDiffSummaries: [],
         supportsConversationRollback: false,
         toolCallVisibility,
@@ -3050,6 +3052,89 @@ describe("v2 run and attempt history", () => {
       "working-indicator-row",
       "live-activity-row",
     ]);
+
+    const work = (
+      id: string,
+      itemType: "reasoning" | "todo_list" | "error" | "approval_request" | "user_input_request",
+      second: number,
+      extra: Partial<Extract<TimelineEntry, { kind: "work" }>["entry"]> = {},
+    ): Extract<TimelineEntry, { kind: "work" }> => ({
+      id,
+      kind: "work",
+      createdAt: at(second),
+      entry: {
+        id,
+        createdAt: at(second),
+        runId,
+        label: id,
+        tone: "info",
+        itemType,
+        toolLifecycleStatus: "completed",
+        ...extra,
+      },
+    });
+    const thought = work("thought", "reasoning", 6, { detail: "Checking the captures" });
+    const tasks = work("tasks", "todo_list", 6);
+    const child: TimelineEntry = {
+      id: "child",
+      kind: "event",
+      createdAt: at(7),
+      projectedItem: {
+        item: { id: "child", type: "subagent", runId },
+      } as OrchestrationV2ProjectedTurnItem,
+    };
+    const steps = [thought, tasks, child, passed, failed];
+    expect(rows([user, step, ...steps, final], "messagesOnly")).toEqual([
+      "user",
+      "turn-fold:turn-1",
+      "step",
+      "final",
+    ]);
+    expect(rows([user, ...steps, final], "messagesOnly")).toEqual(["user", "final"]);
+    expect(
+      rows(
+        [
+          user,
+          step,
+          { ...thought, entry: { ...thought.entry, toolLifecycleStatus: "inProgress" } },
+        ],
+        "messagesOnly",
+        running,
+      ),
+    ).toEqual(["user", "working-indicator-row", "step", "live-activity-row"]);
+    const requestId = RuntimeRequestId.make("approval-request");
+    const approval = work("approval", "approval_request", 10, {
+      toolLifecycleStatus: "inProgress",
+      projectedItem: {
+        item: { id: "approval", type: "approval_request", requestId, runId },
+      } as OrchestrationV2ProjectedTurnItem,
+    });
+    const answered = work("answered", "user_input_request", 11, {
+      questionAnswer: {
+        requestId: RuntimeRequestId.make("input-request"),
+        questionTextById: { scope: "Which scope?" },
+        answers: { scope: "Web" },
+        attachmentsByQuestionId: {},
+      },
+    });
+    const errored = work("errored", "error", 12, { tone: "error", toolLifecycleStatus: "failed" });
+    expect(
+      rows(
+        [user, step, thought, approval, answered, errored],
+        "messagesOnly",
+        running,
+        new Set([requestId]),
+      ),
+    ).toEqual(["user", "working-indicator-row", "step", "approval", "answered", "errored"]);
+    // Find and citations open the fold that holds an in-between message.
+    const foldRunIds = (toolCallVisibility: "messagesOnly" | "zen") =>
+      timelineTurnFoldRunIdsByEntryId({
+        timelineEntries: [user, step, ...steps, final],
+        isWorking: false,
+        toolCallVisibility,
+      });
+    expect(foldRunIds("messagesOnly").get("step")).toBe(runId);
+    expect(foldRunIds("zen").get("step")).toBeUndefined();
   });
   it("collapses only output from a superseded V2 attempt within the active logical run", () => {
     const runId = "run-steered" as never;

apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.logic.ts

@@ -1378,7 +1378,7 @@ function settleSupersededReasoning(entries: ReadonlyArray<TimelineEntry>) {
   });
 }
 
-function workShownAsFinalAnswerOnly(
+function shownWithoutWorkLog(
   entry: TimelineEntry,
   pendingApprovalRequestIds: ReadonlySet<RuntimeRequestId> | undefined,
 ): boolean {
@@ -1460,7 +1460,7 @@ function timelineRowEntries(
     const steerAnswerIds = deriveInFlightSteerAnswerIds(entries);
     shown = entries.filter((entry, index) => {
       if (entry.kind !== "message") {
-        return workShownAsFinalAnswerOnly(entry, input.pendingApprovalRequestIds);
+        return shownWithoutWorkLog(entry, input.pendingApprovalRequestIds);
       }
       const { message } = entry;
       return (
@@ -1472,6 +1472,11 @@ function timelineRowEntries(
           (answeringRunId === null || message.runId !== answeringRunId))
       );
     });
+  } else if (visibility === "messagesOnly") {
+    shown = entries.filter(
+      (entry) =>
+        entry.kind === "message" || shownWithoutWorkLog(entry, input.pendingApprovalRequestIds),
+    );
   } else if (visibility !== "showAll") {
     shown = entries.filter(
       (entry) =>

apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx

@@ -1223,6 +1223,7 @@ const TOOL_CALL_VISIBILITY_LABELS: Record<ToolCallVisibility, string> = {
   showAll: "Show all",
   hideSuccessful: "Hide successful",
   hideAll: "Hide all",
+  messagesOnly: "Messages only",
   zen: "Zen",
 };
 
@@ -1234,7 +1235,7 @@ function ToolCallVisibilityRow() {
   return (
     <SettingsRow
       {...searchableSetting("tool-call-visibility")}
-      description="Hide the commands, edits, and searches agents run. Hide successful keeps failures. Zen shows only final answers. Approvals, questions, and errors always show."
+      description="Hide commands, edits, and searches. Hide successful keeps failures. Messages only also hides thinking, tasks, and subagents. Zen shows only final answers. Approvals, questions, and errors always show."
       resetAction={
         settings.toolCallVisibility !== DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.toolCallVisibility ? (
           <SettingResetButton

apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSearch.ts

@@ -480,7 +480,7 @@ export const SETTINGS_SEARCH_ITEMS = [
     title: "Tool calls in chat",
     to: "/settings/chat",
     searchTerms: [
-      "hide tool calls commands edits searches work log activity quiet chat zen final answers only",
+      "hide tool calls commands edits searches work log activity quiet chat zen final answers only messages thinking reasoning thoughts tasks subagents",
     ],
   },
   {

docs/user/activity-log.md

@@ -24,11 +24,12 @@ were affected.
 (mobile) hides commands, file edits, searches, and MCP tool calls
 from the conversation. **Hide successful** shows a call while it runs and keeps
 it only if it fails. **Hide all** hides every call and shows **Thinking** while the agent works.
-**Zen** also hides the agent's in-between messages, so each turn shows your message
-and the agent's last reply, which appears when the turn ends. If you steer while the agent is
-answering, the answer it finished before reading your steer stays too. On web and desktop, Find
-shows the in-between messages while it is open. Approvals, questions, and errors always show. The
-setting applies to this browser or device only.
+**Messages only** also hides the agent's thinking, task lists, and subagents, so the conversation
+shows only what you and the agent say. **Zen** also hides the agent's in-between messages, so each
+turn shows your message and the agent's last reply, which appears when the turn ends. If you steer
+while the agent is answering, the answer it finished before reading your steer stays too. On web
+and desktop, Find shows the in-between messages while it is open. Approvals, questions, and errors
+always show. The setting applies to this browser or device only.
 
 ## Screen reader announcements
 

packages/contracts/src/settings.ts

@@ -343,7 +343,13 @@ export type ChatWidth = typeof ChatWidth.Type;
 export const EffortDisplay = Schema.Literals(["label", "bars"]);
 export type EffortDisplay = typeof EffortDisplay.Type;
 
-export const ToolCallVisibility = Schema.Literals(["showAll", "hideSuccessful", "hideAll", "zen"]);
+export const ToolCallVisibility = Schema.Literals([
+  "showAll",
+  "hideSuccessful",
+  "hideAll",
+  "messagesOnly",
+  "zen",
+]);
 export type ToolCallVisibility = typeof ToolCallVisibility.Type;
 
 /** What the open thread reads to a screen reader: turn status, the agent's in-between messages too, or every step. */