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Feature Proposal: Option to Prevent Editor Focus Disruption During File Edits #4784

@hannesrudolph

Description

@hannesrudolph

What specific problem does this solve?

When Roo Code edits files, it opens diff views that steal focus from whatever the user is currently working on. This creates a frustrating, disruptive experience that makes it nearly impossible to work alongside Roo.

Who is affected: Anyone who tries to continue working while Roo Code is editing files

When this happens: Every time Roo edits a file - which can be dozens of times during a single task

Current behavior:

  • I'm typing in my current file
  • Roo starts editing another file
  • A diff view pops up and steals my focus
  • My typing suddenly goes into the wrong file
  • I have to stop what I'm doing and switch back
  • This happens over and over, making parallel work impossible

Expected behavior:

  • I can keep working without interruption
  • Roo's edits happen in the background
  • My focus stays where I put it
  • I can review changes when I'm ready, not when forced to

Impact:

  • Constant interruptions destroy productivity
  • Text gets typed into wrong files
  • Can't effectively work while Roo is active
  • Forced to wait for Roo to finish before continuing my work

How should this be solved?

Solution:
Add an experimental setting that prevents file edits from stealing focus.

What users need:

  1. A simple toggle in experimental settings
  2. When enabled: File edits happen without disrupting the user's current focus
  3. When disabled: Current behavior (for users who prefer seeing diffs immediately)

User experience when enabled:

  • I can type uninterrupted while Roo works
  • Files update in the background
  • I stay focused on my task
  • I can review changes in the chat or open files when convenient
  • No more focus stealing, no more disruption

Acceptance Criteria

Given I enable the "prevent focus disruption" experimental setting
When Roo edits any file
Then my current focus remains unchanged
And I can continue typing without interruption
And the file is still edited successfully
But no UI elements steal my focus
Given I'm actively typing in file A
When Roo edits file B with this setting enabled
Then I continue typing in file A without any disruption
And file B is updated in the background
And I'm never forced to switch context

Trade-offs and Risks

Benefits:

  • Enables true parallel work with Roo
  • Eliminates constant context switching
  • Improves developer productivity
  • Makes Roo less intrusive

Trade-offs:

  • Users won't see visual diffs immediately
  • Must check chat or files to see what changed
  • Files will not be opened in vscode so the diagnostics will not operate on those files
  • Some users may prefer immediate visual feedback

Mitigation:

  • Experimental setting allows users to choose their preference
  • Can be toggled on/off based on current needs
  • Default behavior remains unchanged

Related Discussions

Related to #1696 - This setting would also help C# developers experiencing LSP crashes
Related to #2122 - Directly addresses the focus stealing problem

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