fix(vscode): preserve active editor pane

.changeset/steady-editor-tabs.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"kilo-code": patch
+---
+
+Open Kilo chats, settings, and files as tabs in the selected editor pane without creating, locking, or resizing editor panes.

packages/kilo-vscode/src/SettingsEditorProvider.ts

@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ export class SettingsEditorProvider implements vscode.Disposable {
         const provider = this.providers.get(view)
         provider?.postMessage({ type: "navigate", view, tab })
       }
-      existing.reveal(vscode.ViewColumn.One)
+      existing.reveal(vscode.ViewColumn.Active)
       this.providers.get(view)?.postMessage({ type: "navigate", view, ...(tab ? { tab } : {}) })
       return
     }
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ export class SettingsEditorProvider implements vscode.Disposable {
     const panel = vscode.window.createWebviewPanel(
       `kilo-code.new.${view}Panel`,
       PANEL_TITLES[view],
-      vscode.ViewColumn.One,
+      vscode.ViewColumn.Active,
       {
         enableScripts: true,
         retainContextWhenHidden: true,

packages/kilo-vscode/src/extension.ts

@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ export async function deactivate() {
   TelemetryProxy.getInstance().shutdown()
 }
 
-async function openKiloInNewTab(
+function openKiloInNewTab(
   context: vscode.ExtensionContext,
   connectionService: KiloConnectionService,
   agentManagerProvider: AgentManagerProvider,
@@ -601,20 +601,16 @@ async function openKiloInNewTab(
   remoteService: RemoteStatusService,
   autoApprove: ReturnType<typeof registerToggleAutoApprove>,
 ) {
-  const lastCol = Math.max(...vscode.window.visibleTextEditors.map((e) => e.viewColumn || 0), 0)
-  const hasVisibleEditors = vscode.window.visibleTextEditors.length > 0
-
-  if (!hasVisibleEditors) {
-    await vscode.commands.executeCommand("workbench.action.newGroupRight")
-  }
-
-  const targetCol = hasVisibleEditors ? Math.max(lastCol + 1, 1) : vscode.ViewColumn.Two
-
-  const panel = vscode.window.createWebviewPanel("kilo-code.new.TabPanel", EXTENSION_DISPLAY_NAME, targetCol, {
-    enableScripts: true,
-    retainContextWhenHidden: true,
-    localResourceRoots: [context.extensionUri],
-  })
+  const panel = vscode.window.createWebviewPanel(
+    "kilo-code.new.TabPanel",
+    EXTENSION_DISPLAY_NAME,
+    vscode.ViewColumn.Active,
+    {
+      enableScripts: true,
+      retainContextWhenHidden: true,
+      localResourceRoots: [context.extensionUri],
+    },
+  )
 
   panel.iconPath = {
     light: vscode.Uri.joinPath(context.extensionUri, "assets", "icons", "kilo-light.svg"),
@@ -636,11 +632,6 @@ async function openKiloInNewTab(
   tabProvider.resolveWebviewPanel(panel)
   tabPanels.set(panel, tabProvider)
 
-  // Wait for the new panel to become active before locking the editor group.
-  // This avoids the race where VS Code hasn't switched focus yet.
-  await waitForWebviewPanelToBeActive(panel)
-  await vscode.commands.executeCommand("workbench.action.lockEditorGroup")
-
   panel.onDidDispose(
     () => {
       console.log("[Kilo New] Tab panel disposed")
@@ -671,19 +662,3 @@ function ensureCommandsSkipShell(commands: string[]): void {
   if (missing.length === 0) return
   config.update("commandsToSkipShell", [...existing, ...missing], target)
 }
-
-function waitForWebviewPanelToBeActive(panel: vscode.WebviewPanel): Promise<void> {
-  if (panel.active) {
-    return Promise.resolve()
-  }
-
-  return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const disposable = panel.onDidChangeViewState((event) => {
-      if (!event.webviewPanel.active) {
-        return
-      }
-      disposable.dispose()
-      resolve()
-    })
-  })
-}

packages/kilo-vscode/tests/unit/extension-arch.test.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ const PKG_JSON_FILE = path.join(ROOT, "package.json")
 const SRC_DIR = path.join(ROOT, "src")
 const EXTENSION_FILE = path.join(ROOT, "src/extension.ts")
 const KILO_PROVIDER_FILE = path.join(ROOT, "src/KiloProvider.ts")
+const SETTINGS_PROVIDER_FILE = path.join(ROOT, "src/SettingsEditorProvider.ts")
 const VSCODE_HOST_FILE = path.join(ROOT, "src/agent-manager/vscode-host.ts")
 
 function sliceBlock(source: string, start: number): string {
@@ -202,6 +203,32 @@ describe("Extension — KiloProvider handler wiring", () => {
   })
 })
 
+describe("Extension — editor panel placement", () => {
+  const ext = fs.readFileSync(EXTENSION_FILE, "utf-8")
+  const settings = fs.readFileSync(SETTINGS_PROVIDER_FILE, "utf-8")
+
+  it("opens Kilo as a tab in the active editor group", () => {
+    const fn = ext.indexOf("function openKiloInNewTab")
+    expect(fn, "openKiloInNewTab must exist").toBeGreaterThan(-1)
+    const body = sliceBlock(ext, fn)
+
+    expect(body).toContain("vscode.ViewColumn.Active")
+    expect(body).not.toContain("visibleTextEditors")
+    expect(body).not.toContain("workbench.action.newGroupRight")
+    expect(body).not.toContain("workbench.action.lockEditorGroup")
+  })
+
+  it("opens and reveals Settings in the active editor group", () => {
+    const fn = settings.indexOf("openPanel(view")
+    expect(fn, "SettingsEditorProvider.openPanel must exist").toBeGreaterThan(-1)
+    const body = sliceBlock(settings, fn)
+
+    expect(body).toContain("existing.reveal(vscode.ViewColumn.Active)")
+    expect(body.match(/vscode\.ViewColumn\.Active/g)).toHaveLength(2)
+    expect(body).not.toContain("vscode.ViewColumn.One")
+  })
+})
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // KiloProvider — continueInWorktree error fallback
 //