Always focus the resource the agent is working on, and its browser tab

The resource panel had a carve-out: an already-open browser session declined
to replace another selection and only got an attention marker, so agent
browser work happened off-screen. The panel now follows the agent to whatever
it touches — browser included — and an event can still opt out explicitly.

The browser panel also follows the agent BETWEEN tabs: the store already
tracked automationTabId (and the strip marked it), but the visible tab never
changed. It now switches when the agent's target tab changes, so watching the
agent never means hunting for the tab it moved to. Keyed on the target
changing rather than on it being set, so a user who browses elsewhere
mid-run is only pulled along when the agent itself moves.

Author: Sg312

apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/home/components/mothership-view/components/resource-content/components/browser-session/browser-session.tsx

@@ -608,6 +608,24 @@ export function BrowserSession({
 
   useEffect(() => onBrowserOmniboxFocus(focusOmnibox, scopeId), [focusOmnibox, scopeId])
 
+  // Follow the agent's tab. The panel already marks the automated tab in the
+  // strip; this makes it the VISIBLE one, so watching the agent never means
+  // hunting for which tab it moved to. Keyed on the automation target
+  // CHANGING, not on it merely being set — the user can still browse a
+  // different tab mid-run and is only pulled along when the agent itself
+  // moves to another tab.
+  const followedAutomationTabRef = useRef<string | null>(null)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!automationActive || !automationTabId) {
+      if (!automationActive) followedAutomationTabRef.current = null
+      return
+    }
+    if (followedAutomationTabRef.current === automationTabId) return
+    followedAutomationTabRef.current = automationTabId
+    if (automationTabId === activeTabId) return
+    sendBrowserPanelAction('switch-tab', { tabId: automationTabId }, scopeId)
+  }, [activeTabId, automationActive, automationTabId, scopeId])
+
   // Sim owns keyboard events while its renderer has focus. Claim Cmd+L here
   // before the workspace's global "Go to Logs" command can navigate away.
   useEffect(() => {

apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/home/hooks/use-chat.test.ts

@@ -61,26 +61,24 @@ describe('selectDeletedWorkflowResources', () => {
 })
 
 describe('shouldActivateResourceEvent', () => {
-  it('keeps background browser activity from replacing another selected resource', () => {
-    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('file-1', 'browser-session')).toBe(false)
+  it('surfaces browser work even when another resource is selected', () => {
+    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('file-1', 'browser-session')).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  it('allows an explicit user action to surface the browser over another selection', () => {
-    expect(
-      shouldActivateResourceEvent('file-1', 'browser-session', {
-        activate: true,
-      })
-    ).toBe(true)
+  it('surfaces every other resource the agent touches', () => {
+    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('file-1', 'workflow-1')).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('browser-session', 'terminal-session')).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent(null, 'browser-session')).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  it('activates the browser when nothing else is selected', () => {
-    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent(null, 'browser-session')).toBe(true)
-    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('browser-session', 'browser-session')).toBe(true)
+  it('honors an explicit request to activate', () => {
+    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('file-1', 'browser-session', { activate: true })).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  it('activates a non-browser resource even when another resource is selected', () => {
-    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('file-1', 'workflow-1')).toBe(true)
-    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('browser-session', 'terminal-session')).toBe(true)
+  it('lets an event opt out of stealing focus', () => {
+    expect(shouldActivateResourceEvent('file-1', 'browser-session', { activate: false })).toBe(
+      false
+    )
   })
 })
 

apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/home/hooks/use-chat.ts

@@ -1215,22 +1215,18 @@ export interface ResourceEventOptions {
 export type ResourceEventHandler = (resourceId: string, options?: ResourceEventOptions) => void
 
 /**
- * Whether a streamed resource event should activate its tab. Resources switch
- * into view as the agent creates or edits them; only an already-open browser
- * session declines to replace an existing selection (it gets an attention
- * marker instead), unless the event explicitly requests activation — which
- * `openBrowserResource` does when it newly opens the browser tab, so agent
- * browser work surfaces on first open and stays put once the user has
- * deliberately switched away.
+ * Whether a streamed resource event should activate its tab. The panel always
+ * follows the agent: whatever it is creating, editing, or driving becomes the
+ * visible resource, browser sessions included. The parameters are retained so
+ * callers stay explicit about the resource in play, and so a future opt-out
+ * (an event that deliberately declines focus) has a place to live.
  */
 export function shouldActivateResourceEvent(
-  activeResourceId: string | null,
-  resourceId: string,
+  _activeResourceId: string | null,
+  _resourceId: string,
   options?: ResourceEventOptions
 ): boolean {
-  if (options?.activate === true) return true
-  if (resourceId !== BROWSER_SESSION_RESOURCE_ID) return true
-  return !activeResourceId || activeResourceId === resourceId
+  return options?.activate !== false
 }
 
 /**
@@ -2022,24 +2018,16 @@ export function useChat(
     [workspaceId]
   )
 
-  const openBrowserResource = useCallback(
-    (activate = false) => {
-      // A newly opened browser tab surfaces like any other agent-created
-      // resource. Only an ALREADY-open browser tab stays in the background
-      // behind another selection — the user saw it and switched away, so
-      // ongoing agent activity earns an attention marker, not a tab switch.
-      const newlyOpened = addResource({
-        type: 'browser',
-        id: BROWSER_SESSION_RESOURCE_ID,
-        title: 'Browser',
-      })
-      onResourceEventRef.current?.(
-        BROWSER_SESSION_RESOURCE_ID,
-        activate || newlyOpened ? { activate: true } : undefined
-      )
-    },
-    [addResource]
-  )
+  const openBrowserResource = useCallback(() => {
+    // Browser work surfaces like any other agent activity: the panel follows
+    // the agent to the browser whether or not the session was already open.
+    addResource({
+      type: 'browser',
+      id: BROWSER_SESSION_RESOURCE_ID,
+      title: 'Browser',
+    })
+    onResourceEventRef.current?.(BROWSER_SESSION_RESOURCE_ID, { activate: true })
+  }, [addResource])
 
   const getResourceActivityTracker = useCallback(
     (generation: number, targetChatId?: string) => {
@@ -2155,7 +2143,7 @@ export function useChat(
   // (message components dispatch the request; this hook owns the resource).
   useEffect(() => {
     return onOpenInBrowserPanel((url) => {
-      openBrowserResource(true)
+      openBrowserResource()
       void openUrlInNewBrowserTab(url, desktopScopeIdRef.current).catch((error) => {
         logger.warn('Failed to open chat link in a new browser tab', {
           error: getErrorMessage(error),