**Category:** fix
**User Impact:** The sidebar now presents unread activity consistently:
unread rooms are bold, offscreen activity is counted by destination, and
DMs or directed activity receive stronger emphasis.
**Problem:** Sidebar unread state was split across competing signals:
agent work could trigger overflow, message totals inflated its count,
non-DM rows showed redundant numerals, and routine room activity looked
as urgent as DMs or directed messages. This made the sidebar noisy and
made the overflow value harder to interpret.
**Solution:** Use one stable offscreen unread control that counts rooms
and DMs—not messages—and remove agent work from that signal. Keep
ordinary room activity quiet; promote DMs, mentions, broadcasts, and
relevant thread replies; preserve DM avatars and targeting; bold every
unread room; and retain thread dots while removing non-DM numerals.
<details>
<summary>File changes</summary>
**desktop/src-tauri/src/unread_catch_up.rs**
Classifies relevant thread replies as priority activity during native
unread catch-up so startup state matches live rendering.
**desktop/src/app/AppShell.tsx**
Passes the priority unread destination set into the sidebar.
**desktop/src/features/channels/useUnreadChannels.ts**
Projects unread destinations, priority state, and thread replies
consistently while keeping Dock badge behavior separate from sidebar
emphasis.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/lib/useOffscreenActivityChannelIds.test.mjs**
Removes tests for the superseded agent/activity overflow projection.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/lib/useOffscreenActivityChannelIds.ts**
Removes the old agent-plus-message overflow projection so agent work
alone no longer creates the unread indicator.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/lib/useSidebarActivityOverflow.ts**
Replaces activity-volume overflow state with unread-destination overflow
state.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/lib/useSidebarUnreadOverflow.test.mjs**
Covers priority detection and destination-count labels for the new
overflow projection.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/lib/useSidebarUnreadOverflow.ts**
Counts distinct offscreen unread destinations and determines quiet
versus primary treatment per direction.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebar.tsx**
Renders one stable overflow control, preserves protected-DM visibility
filtering, and prioritizes visible unread DMs for previews and
navigation.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebar.types.ts**
Adds the priority unread destination set to the sidebar contract.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/CustomChannelSection.tsx**
Stops forwarding non-DM unread counts into custom channel rows.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/MoreUnreadButton.test.mjs**
Updates control coverage for explicit emphasis, destination labels, and
DM targeting.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/MoreUnreadButton.tsx**
Applies quiet or primary treatment without changing geometry,
accessibility text, DM avatars, or click behavior.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/SidebarSection.tsx**
Removes non-DM row numerals while retaining unread weight and thread
preview affordances.
**desktop/src/shared/ui/UnreadPill.tsx**
Shares one composition between quiet and primary states so only color
treatment changes.
**desktop/tests/e2e/badge.spec.ts**
Covers destination counting, promotion without count inflation,
DM/thread priority, row bolding, and removed numerals; also captures the
reviewed UI states.
**desktop/tests/e2e/channel-activity-popover.spec.ts**
Updates channel activity assertions for the numeral-free row treatment.
**desktop/tests/e2e/channels.spec.ts**
Updates channel unread expectations to use bold text rather than a row
count.
**desktop/tests/e2e/thread-unread.spec.ts**
Keeps thread unread-dot and popover coverage while asserting the room
itself is bold.
</details>
## Reproduction steps
1. Open a workspace with enough sidebar destinations to scroll rooms
above or below the viewport.
2. Receive ordinary unread activity in an offscreen room; verify one
quiet `N unread` indicator appears and counts the room once regardless
of message volume.
3. Receive a mention, broadcast, or relevant thread reply in an
offscreen room; verify the same count becomes primary without changing
its geometry or adding a badge.
4. Receive an unread DM, including thread-only activity; verify the
indicator is primary, shows the DM avatar when available, and navigates
to that DM.
5. Scroll the destination onscreen or mark it read; verify the count and
treatment update from the remaining offscreen destinations.
6. Inspect unread non-DM rows; verify their names are bold, numeric
badges are absent, and thread dots still open the unread-thread preview.
## Screenshots
### Ordinary unread room
Routine offscreen room activity uses the quiet treatment.
### Directed unread activity
The same destination count becomes primary when an offscreen room has
directed activity; geometry and label remain unchanged.
### Thread-only unread DM
A DM stays primary and retains its avatar even when only its thread has
unread activity.
---------
Signed-off-by: Taylor Ho <taylorkmho@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Rizz <302abe414ca6e3134763d2539bfcf145aea2a63fe5f8455204ed602fd40cf381@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
Co-authored-by: Carl <acda9e433d19dcd0e6b6840f7f4b98f3a56f1fab98049d444c087019e6d36560@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
**Category:** fix
**User Impact:** Sidebar mention numerals now match the user's
theme/accent color and appear for mentions inside threads, not just
top-level channel messages. Hover-to-preview on channel rows is
unchanged.
**Problem:** Follow-ups to #6696:
1. The mention numeral used a fixed red `--notification` token that
ignored the user's theme and accent selection.
2. The numeral read `appBadgeCount`, which deliberately excludes
threaded replies (Home's badge subtotal counts those toward the Dock
badge). Mentions inside threads therefore never surfaced a numeral on
the channel row — only the generic thread-activity dot.
**Solution:**
1. The badge now reuses the primary accent pair (`bg-primary` /
`text-primary-foreground`), the same treatment as the DM count badge, so
it follows whatever accent the user applies — including the pinned
neutral accent of the Buzz themes. The now-unused `--notification`
tokens and Tailwind utilities are removed.
2. Non-DM rows now count every unread mention/broadcast — threaded or
top-level — via a new `highPriorityCount` channel projection, replacing
the boolean `highPriorityUnread` across the TS contract, the Tauri
SQLite store, the e2e mock bridge, and the native test rig. The Dock/app
badge projection (`appBadgeCount`) is unchanged, so Dock totals do not
double-count thread activity that Home already counts.
The hover-to-preview channel activity popover is untouched; e2e coverage
now pins the combination (thread mention → numeral, no dot, popover
still opens and lists the mentioning reply).
<details>
<summary>File changes</summary>
**desktop/src/features/channels/useUnreadChannels.ts**
Non-DM sidebar counts switch from `appBadgeCount` to the
mention/broadcast-inclusive `highPriorityCount`; the high-priority
channel set derives from the same count.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/SidebarSection.tsx**
Badge drops the fixed notification classes and inherits the
accent-following default.
**desktop/src/shared/styles/globals/theme.css /
desktop/tailwind.config.js**
Remove the unused fixed `--notification` tokens and semantic utilities.
**desktop/src/shared/api/tauriObservedUnread.ts /
desktop/src-tauri/src/observed_unread.rs**
Projection contract: `highPriorityUnread: bool` → `highPriorityCount:
u64`, aggregated per unread high-priority event.
**desktop/src/testing/e2eBridge.ts /
desktop/src/features/channels/observedUnreadNativeRig.mjs**
Mock/native-rig projections mirror the new count field.
**desktop/src/features/channels/observedUnreadNative.test.mjs**
Native badge-lane test seeds a high-priority event to match the
numeral's new semantics.
**desktop/tests/e2e/badge.spec.ts**
Top-level mention test now asserts the badge equals the applied accent
(seeded `#22c55e` under an adversarial theme). New test: in-thread
mention shows the numeral, no dot, and the hover preview popover still
lists the mentioning reply.
**desktop/tests/e2e/channel-activity-popover.spec.ts /
desktop/tests/e2e/thread-unread.spec.ts**
Seeded fixtures that mention the user now expect the numeral (which
subsumes the dot).
</details>
## Reproduction steps
1. Pick any theme + accent color in Settings → Appearance.
2. Receive a top-level message mentioning you in an inactive channel →
the row shows a numeral pill in your accent color.
3. Receive a reply **inside a thread** that mentions you in an inactive
channel → the row shows the numeral (previously only a dot).
4. Hover the row → the channel activity preview still opens and lists
the mentioning reply.
5. Switch accents/themes → the pill re-colors accordingly; the Dock
badge count is unchanged from before.
## Verification
- `tsc --noEmit`, Biome, `check:px-text` — clean
- Desktop unit tests: 179/179 channel-suite; full suite has one
pre-existing failure from #6590 (`useRetainedProjectGitViews.test.mjs`
loader error, fails on clean `main`)
- Tauri Rust: `observed_unread` tests + clippy + fmt — clean
- Playwright smoke: badge (19), channel-activity-popover (10),
thread-unread (13), plus channels/inbox/stream/messaging/mentions suites
— all green
## Screenshots
Screenshots are posted in the PR discussion using immutable
repository-hosted image URLs.
Signed-off-by: tulsi <tulsi@block.xyz>
**Category:** fix
**User Impact:** Stream and forum channels now show an accessible
numeric badge for unread mentions while mention chips remain clear in
every theme.
**Problem:** Mention notifications contributed to the app and Dock
badge, but inactive stream and forum rows only became bold, making it
difficult to see where multiple mentions were waiting. Mention styling
and generic destructive colors could also lose contrast or visual
meaning in some themes.
**Solution:** Use the same app-badge projection for non-DM channel
mention counts, while preserving regular unread bolding, thread activity
dots, DM counts, and manual unread behavior. Dedicated notification and
opaque mention-highlight tokens keep the new treatments stable and
readable across syntax themes.
<details>
<summary>File changes</summary>
**desktop/src/features/channels/useUnreadChannels.ts**
Projects app-badge-eligible mention and broadcast counts into stream and
forum channel rows while retaining DM-specific counting and
manual-unread semantics.
**desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/SidebarSection.tsx**
Renders an accessible numeric notification pill on inactive non-DM
channels and preserves the thread activity dot fallback.
**desktop/src/shared/styles/globals/markdown.css**
Applies the shared opaque yellow highlight to human and agent mention
chips, including hover treatment.
**desktop/src/shared/styles/globals/theme.css**
Adds fixed notification and mention-highlight tokens with
theme-independent contrast.
**desktop/tailwind.config.js**
Exposes the notification token pair through semantic Tailwind utilities.
**desktop/tests/e2e/badge.spec.ts**
Covers aggregated mention counts, broadcasts, unchanged unread tiers,
exact accessible text, and badge contrast under an adversarial theme.
**desktop/tests/e2e/mentions.spec.ts**
Covers human and agent mention styling, hover behavior, dark mode, and
WCAG text contrast.
</details>
## Reproduction steps
1. Open a stream or forum channel, then navigate to another channel.
2. Receive two messages that mention you in the inactive channel.
3. Confirm the inactive row is bold and shows a red `2` pill matching
the two notifications added to the app or Dock badge.
4. Receive a regular channel message and confirm the row only becomes
bold, without a numeric pill.
5. Receive a reply in an interested thread and confirm the channel
retains its activity dot instead of a mention count.
6. Switch between light and dark themes and confirm human and agent
mention chips remain yellow with near-black readable text, including on
hover.
## Screenshots
Screenshots are posted in the PR discussion using immutable
repository-hosted image URLs.
Signed-off-by: tulsi <tulsi@block.xyz>
## Summary
- apply the inactive primary-navigation opacity treatment to every
sidebar destination, including Pulse, Projects, and Workflows
- remove the duplicated Inbox and Agents conditionals so future gated
rows inherit the same hierarchy
- add E2E coverage for all inactive rows and restoration to full opacity
when selected
## Validation
- `pnpm --dir desktop build:e2e`
- `pnpm --dir desktop exec playwright test badge.spec.ts --grep "primary
navigation rows share the same inactive emphasis" --project=smoke`
- pre-push hook: desktop check, typecheck, and 4,984 unit tests
Signed-off-by: Wes <wesbillman@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Carl <c7ebe626f000404285d3686e1dc74cc07cc60a9754a150041ba132e14bd3e2ec@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
## Summary
- Keep selected sidebar rows regular by default; manually unread rows
become bold immediately.
- Apply a clearer dark-mode hierarchy: standard inactive rows at 75%,
muted rows at 45%, and unread rows at full emphasis.
- Keep hover text color stable while retaining the selected-row and
unread cues.
## Validation
- `pnpm typecheck`
- `pnpm build:e2e`
- Playwright: sidebar badge and channel-mute coverage
## Screenshots
Posted in the PR comments.
---------
Signed-off-by: kenny lopez <klopez4212@gmail.com>
## Summary
- show relevant unread threads and active agents when hovering a channel
- keep channel-level unread emphasis separate from thread activity dots
- make activity rows navigate to the thread and remove demo-only data
## Test plan
- `just ci` (all stages passed except the final duplicate native check,
which ran out of disk after its earlier clippy pass)
- `cd desktop && pnpm exec playwright test
tests/e2e/channel-activity-popover.spec.ts --project=smoke`
---------
Signed-off-by: kenny lopez <klopez4212@gmail.com>
