fix(desktop): render /new sessions as siblings not branches (#99648)

Salvage of PR #99679 by 686f6c61, rebased onto current main.

/new and idle/daily resets keep parent_session_id for durable lineage,
and the sidebar's flattenSessionsWithBranches nested on that field
alone — so a platform's chats collapsed into one growing nested chain
of branches even though none of them were /branch forks. The backend
records the distinction on disk already (model_config._reset_from vs
_branched_from, gateway/session_recovery.py:433) but list payloads
strip model_config before any UI can read it.

- forkParentId(): nest only genuine forks — _branched_from wins, a
  _reset_from parent means top-level sibling, legacy/optimistic rows
  with only parent_session_id keep nesting.
- _session_row_dict lifts _reset_from/_branched_from out of
  model_config so compact list rows (which strip that heavy field)
  carry the distinction; tui_gateway project-tree rows project the two
  markers too.
- Optimistic desktop /branch rows stamp _branched_from so the flat
  render stays correct before the authoritative row arrives.

Disk lineage is unchanged. Tests: a _reset_from chain renders flat,
a genuine fork still nests beside a reset sharing the same parent,
and list_sessions_rich promotes both markers (also under
compact_rows=True).

Closes #99648.

apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/utils.ts

@@ -1724,6 +1724,7 @@ function buildOptimisticSession(
     model: created.info?.model ?? null,
     output_tokens: 0,
     parent_session_id: parentSessionId,
+    ...(parentSessionId ? { _branched_from: parentSessionId } : {}),
     preview,
     profile: profileKey,
     source: 'tui',

apps/desktop/src/lib/session-branch-tree.test.ts

@@ -4,16 +4,36 @@ import type { SessionInfo } from '@/types/hermes'
 
 import { makeSessionInfo } from '../test/session-info'
 
-import { flattenSessionsWithBranches } from './session-branch-tree'
+import { flattenSessionsWithBranches, forkParentId } from './session-branch-tree'
 
 const session = (id: string, overrides: Partial<SessionInfo> = {}): SessionInfo =>
   makeSessionInfo({ id, message_count: 1, source: 'cli', title: id, ...overrides })
 
+const fork = (id: string, parentId: string, overrides: Partial<SessionInfo> = {}): SessionInfo =>
+  session(id, { _branched_from: parentId, parent_session_id: parentId, ...overrides })
+
+const reset = (id: string, parentId: string, overrides: Partial<SessionInfo> = {}): SessionInfo =>
+  session(id, { _reset_from: parentId, parent_session_id: parentId, ...overrides })
+
+describe('forkParentId', () => {
+  it('returns undefined for /new and idle/daily reset lineage', () => {
+    expect(forkParentId(reset('next', 'prev'))).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
+  it('returns the branch parent for a genuine /branch fork', () => {
+    expect(forkParentId(fork('branch', 'parent'))).toBe('parent')
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to parent_session_id for legacy/optimistic forks without the marker', () => {
+    expect(forkParentId(session('branch', { parent_session_id: 'parent' }))).toBe('parent')
+  })
+})
+
 describe('flattenSessionsWithBranches', () => {
   it('nests branch rows under their parent with tree stems', () => {
     const parent = session('parent', { last_active: 20 })
-    const branchA = session('branch-a', { last_active: 15, parent_session_id: 'parent' })
+    const branchA = fork('branch-a', 'parent', { last_active: 15 })
-    const branchB = session('branch-b', { last_active: 10, parent_session_id: 'parent' })
+    const branchB = fork('branch-b', 'parent', { last_active: 10 })
 
     expect(flattenSessionsWithBranches([parent, branchA, branchB])).toEqual([
       { session: parent },
@@ -24,7 +44,7 @@ describe('flattenSessionsWithBranches', () => {
 
   it('follows a compressed parent via lineage root id', () => {
     const tip = session('tip', { _lineage_root_id: 'root', last_active: 30 })
-    const branch = session('branch', { parent_session_id: 'root', last_active: 10 })
+    const branch = fork('branch', 'root', { last_active: 10 })
 
     expect(flattenSessionsWithBranches([tip, branch])).toEqual([
       { session: tip },
@@ -98,7 +118,7 @@ describe('flattenSessionsWithBranches', () => {
   })
 
   it('keeps orphan branches at the top level when the parent is missing', () => {
-    const branch = session('branch', { parent_session_id: 'missing' })
+    const branch = fork('branch', 'missing')
 
     expect(flattenSessionsWithBranches([branch])).toEqual([{ session: branch }])
   })
@@ -119,7 +139,7 @@ describe('flattenSessionsWithBranches', () => {
   it("preserveOrder keeps the caller's root order even when activity is newer lower down", () => {
     const important = session('important', { last_active: 10 })
     const background = session('background', { last_active: 99 })
-    const branch = session('branch', { last_active: 50, parent_session_id: 'important' })
+    const branch = fork('branch', 'important', { last_active: 50 })
 
     expect(
       flattenSessionsWithBranches([important, background, branch], { preserveOrder: true }).map(e => ({
@@ -132,4 +152,38 @@ describe('flattenSessionsWithBranches', () => {
       { id: 'background', stem: undefined }
     ])
   })
+
+  it('renders /new and idle/daily resets as siblings, not nested branches', () => {
+    const first = session('first', { last_active: 10 })
+    const second = reset('second', 'first', { last_active: 20 })
+    const third = reset('third', 'second', { last_active: 30 })
+
+    expect(flattenSessionsWithBranches([first, second, third]).map(e => ({ id: e.session.id, stem: e.branchStem }))).toEqual([
+      { id: 'third', stem: undefined },
+      { id: 'second', stem: undefined },
+      { id: 'first', stem: undefined }
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('still nests a genuine fork when a reset sibling shares the same parent_session_id', () => {
+    const parent = session('parent', { last_active: 10 })
+    const branch = fork('branch', 'parent', { last_active: 15 })
+    const nextTopic = reset('next', 'parent', { last_active: 20 })
+
+    expect(flattenSessionsWithBranches([parent, branch, nextTopic]).map(e => ({ id: e.session.id, stem: e.branchStem }))).toEqual([
+      { id: 'next', stem: undefined },
+      { id: 'parent', stem: undefined },
+      { id: 'branch', stem: '└─ ' }
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('nests a parent_session_id-only row (optimistic / legacy fork) when _reset_from is absent', () => {
+    const parent = session('parent', { last_active: 20 })
+    const branch = session('branch', { last_active: 10, parent_session_id: 'parent' })
+
+    expect(flattenSessionsWithBranches([parent, branch])).toEqual([
+      { session: parent },
+      { branchStem: '└─ ', session: branch }
+    ])
+  })
 })

apps/desktop/src/lib/session-branch-tree.ts

@@ -17,6 +17,28 @@ export interface FlattenSessionsOptions {
 
 const recency = (session: SessionInfo): number => session.last_active || session.started_at || 0
 
+/**
+ * Parent id to nest under, or undefined for a top-level sibling.
+ *
+ * `/new` and idle/daily rotation keep `parent_session_id` for durable lineage
+ * but stamp `_reset_from`. Those are new conversations, not nested forks.
+ * Genuine `/branch` writes `_branched_from`. Optimistic desktop branch rows
+ * (and legacy forks minted before the marker) only have `parent_session_id`.
+ */
+export function forkParentId(session: SessionInfo): string | undefined {
+  if (session._reset_from?.trim()) {
+    return undefined
+  }
+
+  const branchedFrom = session._branched_from?.trim()
+
+  if (branchedFrom) {
+    return branchedFrom
+  }
+
+  return session.parent_session_id?.trim() || undefined
+}
+
 // Profile-qualified compression lineage, same key as mergeSessionPage (store/session.ts). The
 // backend's `_lineage_root_id` follows compression edges only; /branch and /new children get
 // their own root, so rows sharing a key are one conversation, never a fork.
@@ -97,7 +119,7 @@ export function flattenSessionsWithBranches(
   const nestedIds = new Set<string>()
 
   for (const session of sessions) {
-    const parentId = session.parent_session_id?.trim()
+    const parentId = forkParentId(session)
 
     if (!parentId) {
       continue

apps/desktop/src/types/hermes.ts

@@ -562,8 +562,15 @@ export interface SessionInfo {
   message_count: number
   model: null | string
   output_tokens: number
-  /** Parent conversation when this row is a /branch fork. */
+  /** Parent conversation id. Written for genuine /branch forks *and* for
+   *  /new / idle / daily resets (durable lineage). Nesting uses
+   *  {@link _branched_from} vs {@link _reset_from}, not this field alone. */
   parent_session_id?: null | string
+  /** Predecessor of a /new or idle/daily reset. Not a fork — the sidebar
+   *  renders these as siblings of the previous topic. */
+  _reset_from?: null | string
+  /** Parent of a genuine /branch fork. The sidebar nests only these. */
+  _branched_from?: null | string
   /** Durable server-side pin flag (`sessions.pinned`). The list endpoints
    *  back-fill pinned conversations past their LIMIT, so a pinned row is
    *  always present in a page — which makes this authoritative for the

hermes_state.py

@@ -525,6 +525,29 @@ class SessionDB(
                 resolved = data.pop(f"_{column}_resolved")
                 if column in data:
                     data[column] = resolved
+        # Lift /new vs /branch markers out of model_config so list payloads
+        # (which strip that heavy field) can still tell a reset sibling from
+        # a genuine fork. Keep this a local helper: tests sometimes replace
+        # the SessionDB name with a factory lambda.
+        if not (data.get("_reset_from") and data.get("_branched_from")):
+            raw = data.get("model_config")
+            cfg = None
+            if isinstance(raw, str) and raw:
+                try:
+                    cfg = json.loads(raw)
+                except (TypeError, ValueError):
+                    cfg = None
+            elif isinstance(raw, dict):
+                cfg = raw
+            if isinstance(cfg, dict):
+                if not data.get("_reset_from"):
+                    value = cfg.get("_reset_from")
+                    if isinstance(value, str) and value.strip():
+                        data["_reset_from"] = value.strip()
+                if not data.get("_branched_from"):
+                    value = cfg.get("_branched_from")
+                    if isinstance(value, str) and value.strip():
+                        data["_branched_from"] = value.strip()
         return data
 
     @staticmethod

tests/hermes_state/test_hermes_state.py

@@ -3057,6 +3057,32 @@ class TestListSessionsRich:
         assert "delegate" not in ids, "Delegate sub-agent should not appear in default list"
         assert "root" in ids
 
+    def test_rich_list_promotes_reset_and_branch_markers(self, db):
+        """List rows expose _reset_from / _branched_from so UIs can tell a
+        /new reset from a genuine /branch without reading model_config."""
+        db.create_session("parent", "cli")
+        db.create_session(
+            "reset_child",
+            "cli",
+            parent_session_id="parent",
+            model_config={"_reset_from": "parent"},
+        )
+        db.create_session(
+            "branch_child",
+            "cli",
+            parent_session_id="parent",
+            model_config={"_branched_from": "parent"},
+        )
+
+        by_id = {row["id"]: row for row in db.list_sessions_rich()}
+        assert by_id["reset_child"]["_reset_from"] == "parent"
+        assert not by_id["reset_child"].get("_branched_from")
+        assert by_id["branch_child"]["_branched_from"] == "parent"
+        assert not by_id["branch_child"].get("_reset_from")
+        compact = {row["id"]: row for row in db.list_sessions_rich(compact_rows=True)}
+        assert compact["reset_child"]["_reset_from"] == "parent"
+        assert compact["branch_child"]["_branched_from"] == "parent"
+
 
 
 class TestCompressionChainProjection:

tui_gateway/methods_projects.py

@@ -321,7 +321,8 @@ def _project_tree_row(r: dict) -> dict:
     """Project a SessionDB row to the minimal shape the sidebar renders (grouping fields +
     what ``SidebarSessionRow`` reads), minus the heavy columns."""
     row = {k: r.get(k) for k in (
-        "id", "_lineage_root_id", "_lineage_ids", "parent_session_id", "title", "preview")}
+        "id", "_lineage_root_id", "_lineage_ids", "parent_session_id",
+        "_reset_from", "_branched_from", "title", "preview")}
     row.update(
         started_at=r.get("started_at") or 0, ended_at=r.get("ended_at"),
         last_active=r.get("last_active") or r.get("started_at") or 0,