show "Viewed Image" when the model views an image (#4475)

<img width="1022" height="339" alt="Screenshot 2025-09-29 at 4 22 00 PM"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/12da7358-19be-4010-a71b-496ede6dfbbf"
/>

codex-rs/core/src/codex.rs

@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ use crate::protocol::Submission;
 use crate::protocol::TokenCountEvent;
 use crate::protocol::TokenUsage;
 use crate::protocol::TurnDiffEvent;
+use crate::protocol::ViewImageToolCallEvent;
 use crate::protocol::WebSearchBeginEvent;
 use crate::rollout::RolloutRecorder;
 use crate::rollout::RolloutRecorderParams;
@@ -2469,13 +2470,21 @@ async fn handle_function_call(
                 ))
             })?;
             let abs = turn_context.resolve_path(Some(args.path));
-            sess.inject_input(vec![InputItem::LocalImage { path: abs }])
+            sess.inject_input(vec![InputItem::LocalImage { path: abs.clone() }])
                 .await
                 .map_err(|_| {
                     FunctionCallError::RespondToModel(
                         "unable to attach image (no active task)".to_string(),
                     )
                 })?;
+            sess.send_event(Event {
+                id: sub_id.clone(),
+                msg: EventMsg::ViewImageToolCall(ViewImageToolCallEvent {
+                    call_id: call_id.clone(),
+                    path: abs,
+                }),
+            })
+            .await;
 
             Ok("attached local image path".to_string())
         }

codex-rs/core/src/rollout/policy.rs

@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ pub(crate) fn should_persist_event_msg(ev: &EventMsg) -> bool {
         | EventMsg::ListCustomPromptsResponse(_)
         | EventMsg::PlanUpdate(_)
         | EventMsg::ShutdownComplete
+        | EventMsg::ViewImageToolCall(_)
         | EventMsg::ConversationPath(_) => false,
     }
 }

codex-rs/exec/src/event_processor_with_human_output.rs

@@ -580,6 +580,14 @@ impl EventProcessor for EventProcessorWithHumanOutput {
             EventMsg::ListCustomPromptsResponse(_) => {
                 // Currently ignored in exec output.
             }
+            EventMsg::ViewImageToolCall(view) => {
+                ts_println!(
+                    self,
+                    "{} {}",
+                    "viewed image".style(self.magenta),
+                    view.path.display()
+                );
+            }
             EventMsg::TurnAborted(abort_reason) => match abort_reason.reason {
                 TurnAbortReason::Interrupted => {
                     ts_println!(self, "task interrupted");

codex-rs/mcp-server/src/codex_tool_runner.rs

@@ -280,6 +280,7 @@ async fn run_codex_tool_session_inner(
                     | EventMsg::ConversationPath(_)
                     | EventMsg::UserMessage(_)
                     | EventMsg::ShutdownComplete
+                    | EventMsg::ViewImageToolCall(_)
                     | EventMsg::EnteredReviewMode(_)
                     | EventMsg::ExitedReviewMode(_) => {
                         // For now, we do not do anything extra for these

codex-rs/protocol/src/protocol.rs

@@ -477,6 +477,9 @@ pub enum EventMsg {
 
     ExecCommandEnd(ExecCommandEndEvent),
 
+    /// Notification that the agent attached a local image via the view_image tool.
+    ViewImageToolCall(ViewImageToolCallEvent),
+
     ExecApprovalRequest(ExecApprovalRequestEvent),
 
     ApplyPatchApprovalRequest(ApplyPatchApprovalRequestEvent),
@@ -1074,6 +1077,14 @@ pub struct ExecCommandEndEvent {
     pub formatted_output: String,
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize, Serialize, TS)]
+pub struct ViewImageToolCallEvent {
+    /// Identifier for the originating tool call.
+    pub call_id: String,
+    /// Local filesystem path provided to the tool.
+    pub path: PathBuf,
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize, Serialize, PartialEq, TS)]
 #[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
 pub enum ExecOutputStream {

codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget.rs

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ use codex_core::protocol::TokenUsageInfo;
 use codex_core::protocol::TurnAbortReason;
 use codex_core::protocol::TurnDiffEvent;
 use codex_core::protocol::UserMessageEvent;
+use codex_core::protocol::ViewImageToolCallEvent;
 use codex_core::protocol::WebSearchBeginEvent;
 use codex_core::protocol::WebSearchEndEvent;
 use codex_protocol::ConversationId;
@@ -538,6 +539,15 @@ impl ChatWidget {
         ));
     }
 
+    fn on_view_image_tool_call(&mut self, event: ViewImageToolCallEvent) {
+        self.flush_answer_stream_with_separator();
+        self.add_to_history(history_cell::new_view_image_tool_call(
+            event.path,
+            &self.config.cwd,
+        ));
+        self.request_redraw();
+    }
+
     fn on_patch_apply_end(&mut self, event: codex_core::protocol::PatchApplyEndEvent) {
         let ev2 = event.clone();
         self.defer_or_handle(
@@ -1398,6 +1408,7 @@ impl ChatWidget {
             EventMsg::PatchApplyBegin(ev) => self.on_patch_apply_begin(ev),
             EventMsg::PatchApplyEnd(ev) => self.on_patch_apply_end(ev),
             EventMsg::ExecCommandEnd(ev) => self.on_exec_command_end(ev),
+            EventMsg::ViewImageToolCall(ev) => self.on_view_image_tool_call(ev),
             EventMsg::McpToolCallBegin(ev) => self.on_mcp_tool_call_begin(ev),
             EventMsg::McpToolCallEnd(ev) => self.on_mcp_tool_call_end(ev),
             EventMsg::WebSearchBegin(ev) => self.on_web_search_begin(ev),

codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui__chatwidget__tests__local_image_attachment_history_snapshot.snap

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+source: tui/src/chatwidget/tests.rs
+expression: combined
+---
+• Viewed Image
+  └ example.png

codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/tests.rs

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ use codex_core::protocol::ReviewRequest;
 use codex_core::protocol::StreamErrorEvent;
 use codex_core::protocol::TaskCompleteEvent;
 use codex_core::protocol::TaskStartedEvent;
+use codex_core::protocol::ViewImageToolCallEvent;
 use codex_protocol::ConversationId;
 use crossterm::event::KeyCode;
 use crossterm::event::KeyEvent;
@@ -794,6 +795,25 @@ fn custom_prompt_enter_empty_does_not_send() {
     assert!(rx.try_recv().is_err(), "no app event should be sent");
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn view_image_tool_call_adds_history_cell() {
+    let (mut chat, mut rx, _op_rx) = make_chatwidget_manual();
+    let image_path = chat.config.cwd.join("example.png");
+
+    chat.handle_codex_event(Event {
+        id: "sub-image".into(),
+        msg: EventMsg::ViewImageToolCall(ViewImageToolCallEvent {
+            call_id: "call-image".into(),
+            path: image_path,
+        }),
+    });
+
+    let cells = drain_insert_history(&mut rx);
+    assert_eq!(cells.len(), 1, "expected a single history cell");
+    let combined = lines_to_single_string(&cells[0]);
+    assert_snapshot!("local_image_attachment_history_snapshot", combined);
+}
+
 // Snapshot test: interrupting a running exec finalizes the active cell with a red ✗
 // marker (replacing the spinner) and flushes it into history.
 #[test]

codex-rs/tui/src/diff_render.rs

@@ -268,7 +268,9 @@ pub(crate) fn display_path_for(path: &Path, cwd: &Path) -> String {
     let chosen = if path_in_same_repo {
         pathdiff::diff_paths(path, cwd).unwrap_or_else(|| path.to_path_buf())
     } else {
-        relativize_to_home(path).unwrap_or_else(|| path.to_path_buf())
+        relativize_to_home(path)
+            .map(|p| PathBuf::from_iter([Path::new("~"), p.as_path()]))
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| path.to_path_buf())
     };
     chosen.display().to_string()
 }

codex-rs/tui/src/history_cell.rs

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use crate::diff_render::create_diff_summary;
+use crate::diff_render::display_path_for;
 use crate::exec_cell::CommandOutput;
 use crate::exec_cell::OutputLinesParams;
 use crate::exec_cell::TOOL_CALL_MAX_LINES;
@@ -1037,6 +1038,17 @@ pub(crate) fn new_patch_apply_failure(stderr: String) -> PlainHistoryCell {
     PlainHistoryCell { lines }
 }
 
+pub(crate) fn new_view_image_tool_call(path: PathBuf, cwd: &Path) -> PlainHistoryCell {
+    let display_path = display_path_for(&path, cwd);
+
+    let lines: Vec<Line<'static>> = vec![
+        vec!["• ".dim(), "Viewed Image".bold()].into(),
+        vec!["  └ ".dim(), display_path.dim()].into(),
+    ];
+
+    PlainHistoryCell { lines }
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn new_reasoning_block(
     full_reasoning_buffer: String,
     config: &Config,