fix: only allow going up in history when not already in history if input is empty (#654)

\+ cleanup below input help to be "ctrl+c to exit | "/" to see commands
| enter to send" now that we have command autocompletion
\+ minor other drive-by code cleanups

---------

Signed-off-by: Thibault Sottiaux <tibo@openai.com>

codex-cli/src/components/chat/terminal-chat-input.tsx

@@ -245,30 +245,40 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
         }
 
         if (_key.upArrow) {
-          // Only recall history when the caret was *already* on the very first
+          let moveThroughHistory = true;
+
+          // Only use history when the caret was *already* on the very first
           // row *before* this key-press.
           const cursorRow = editorRef.current?.getRow?.() ?? 0;
           const wasAtFirstRow = (prevCursorRow.current ?? cursorRow) === 0;
+          if (!(cursorRow === 0 && wasAtFirstRow)) {
+            moveThroughHistory = false;
+          }
 
-          if (history.length > 0 && cursorRow === 0 && wasAtFirstRow) {
+          // Only use history if we are already in history mode or if the input is empty.
+          if (historyIndex == null && input.trim() !== "") {
+            moveThroughHistory = false;
+          }
+
+          // Move through history.
+          if (history.length && moveThroughHistory) {
+            let newIndex: number;
             if (historyIndex == null) {
               const currentDraft = editorRef.current?.getText?.() ?? input;
               setDraftInput(currentDraft);
-            }
-
-            let newIndex: number;
-            if (historyIndex == null) {
               newIndex = history.length - 1;
             } else {
               newIndex = Math.max(0, historyIndex - 1);
             }
             setHistoryIndex(newIndex);
+
             setInput(history[newIndex]?.command ?? "");
             // Re-mount the editor so it picks up the new initialText
             setEditorKey((k) => k + 1);
-            return; // we handled the key
+            return; // handled
           }
-          // Otherwise let the event propagate so the editor moves the caret
+
+          // Otherwise let it propagate.
         }
 
         if (_key.downArrow) {
@@ -339,73 +349,60 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
   const onSubmit = useCallback(
     async (value: string) => {
       const inputValue = value.trim();
-      // If the user only entered a slash, do not send a chat message
+
+      // If the user only entered a slash, do not send a chat message.
       if (inputValue === "/") {
         setInput("");
         return;
       }
-      // Skip this submit if we just autocompleted a slash command
+
+      // Skip this submit if we just autocompleted a slash command.
       if (skipNextSubmit) {
         setSkipNextSubmit(false);
         return;
       }
+
       if (!inputValue) {
         return;
-      }
+      } else if (inputValue === "/history") {
-
-      if (inputValue === "/history") {
         setInput("");
         openOverlay();
         return;
-      }
+      } else if (inputValue === "/help") {
-
-      if (inputValue === "/help") {
         setInput("");
         openHelpOverlay();
         return;
-      }
+      } else if (inputValue === "/diff") {
-
-      if (inputValue === "/diff") {
         setInput("");
         openDiffOverlay();
         return;
-      }
+      } else if (inputValue === "/compact") {
-
-      if (inputValue === "/compact") {
         setInput("");
         onCompact();
         return;
-      }
+      } else if (inputValue.startsWith("/model")) {
-
-      if (inputValue.startsWith("/model")) {
         setInput("");
         openModelOverlay();
         return;
-      }
+      } else if (inputValue.startsWith("/approval")) {
-
-      if (inputValue.startsWith("/approval")) {
         setInput("");
         openApprovalOverlay();
         return;
-      }
+      } else if (inputValue === "exit") {
-
-      if (inputValue === "q" || inputValue === ":q" || inputValue === "exit") {
         setInput("");
-        // wait one 60ms frame
         setTimeout(() => {
           app.exit();
           onExit();
           process.exit(0);
-        }, 60);
+        }, 60); // Wait one frame.
         return;
       } else if (inputValue === "/clear" || inputValue === "clear") {
         setInput("");
         setSessionId("");
         setLastResponseId("");
-        // Clear the terminal screen (including scrollback) before resetting context
-        clearTerminal();
 
-        // Emit a system notice in the chat; no raw console writes so Ink keeps control.
+        // Clear the terminal screen (including scrollback) before resetting context.
+        clearTerminal();
 
         // Emit a system message to confirm the clear action.  We *append*
         // it so Ink's <Static> treats it as new output and actually renders it.
@@ -449,7 +446,7 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
             await clearCommandHistory();
             setHistory([]);
 
-            // Emit a system message to confirm the history clear action
+            // Emit a system message to confirm the history clear action.
             setItems((prev) => [
               ...prev,
               {
@@ -466,7 +463,7 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
 
         return;
       } else if (inputValue === "/bug") {
-        // Generate a GitHub bug report URL pre‑filled with session details
+        // Generate a GitHub bug report URL pre‑filled with session details.
         setInput("");
 
         try {
@@ -519,10 +516,10 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
 
         return;
       } else if (inputValue.startsWith("/")) {
-        // Handle invalid/unrecognized commands.
+        // Handle invalid/unrecognized commands. Only single-word inputs starting with '/'
-        // Only single-word inputs starting with '/' (e.g., /command) that are not recognized are caught here.
+        // (e.g., /command) that are not recognized are caught here. Any other input, including
-        // Any other input, including those starting with '/' but containing spaces
+        // those starting with '/' but containing spaces (e.g., "/command arg"), will fall through
-        // (e.g., "/command arg"), will fall through and be treated as a regular prompt.
+        // and be treated as a regular prompt.
         const trimmed = inputValue.trim();
 
         if (/^\/\S+$/.test(trimmed)) {
@@ -549,11 +546,13 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
       // detect image file paths for dynamic inclusion
       const images: Array<string> = [];
       let text = inputValue;
+
       // markdown-style image syntax: ![alt](path)
       text = text.replace(/!\[[^\]]*?\]\(([^)]+)\)/g, (_m, p1: string) => {
         images.push(p1.startsWith("file://") ? fileURLToPath(p1) : p1);
         return "";
       });
+
       // quoted file paths ending with common image extensions (e.g. '/path/to/img.png')
       text = text.replace(
         /['"]([^'"]+?\.(?:png|jpe?g|gif|bmp|webp|svg))['"]/gi,
@@ -562,6 +561,7 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
           return "";
         },
       );
+
       // bare file paths ending with common image extensions
       text = text.replace(
         // eslint-disable-next-line no-useless-escape
@@ -578,10 +578,10 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
       const inputItem = await createInputItem(text, images);
       submitInput([inputItem]);
 
-      // Get config for history persistence
+      // Get config for history persistence.
       const config = loadConfig();
 
-      // Add to history and update state
+      // Add to history and update state.
       const updatedHistory = await addToHistory(value, history, {
         maxSize: config.history?.maxSize ?? 1000,
         saveHistory: config.history?.saveHistory ?? true,
@@ -723,8 +723,7 @@ export default function TerminalChatInput({
           />
         ) : (
           <Text dimColor>
-            send q or ctrl+c to exit | send "/clear" to reset | send "/help" for
+            ctrl+c to exit | "/" to see commands | enter to send
-            commands | press enter to send | shift+enter for new line
             {contextLeftPercent > 25 && (
               <>
                 {" — "}

codex-cli/tests/terminal-chat-input-multiline.test.tsx

@@ -24,35 +24,6 @@ vi.mock("../src/utils/input-utils.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 describe("TerminalChatInput multiline functionality", () => {
-  it("renders the multiline editor component", async () => {
-    const props: ComponentProps<typeof TerminalChatInput> = {
-      isNew: false,
-      loading: false,
-      submitInput: () => {},
-      confirmationPrompt: null,
-      explanation: undefined,
-      submitConfirmation: () => {},
-      setLastResponseId: () => {},
-      setItems: () => {},
-      contextLeftPercent: 50,
-      openOverlay: () => {},
-      openDiffOverlay: () => {},
-      openModelOverlay: () => {},
-      openApprovalOverlay: () => {},
-      openHelpOverlay: () => {},
-      onCompact: () => {},
-      interruptAgent: () => {},
-      active: true,
-      thinkingSeconds: 0,
-    };
-
-    const { lastFrameStripped } = renderTui(<TerminalChatInput {...props} />);
-    const frame = lastFrameStripped();
-
-    // Check that the help text mentions shift+enter for new line
-    expect(frame).toContain("shift+enter for new line");
-  });
-
   it("allows multiline input with shift+enter", async () => {
     const submitInput = vi.fn();