feat(code): point back to the previous thread after a switch - #5172
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Mason Daugherty (mdrxy) merged 5 commits intoJul 31, 2026
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Switching threads mid-session replaced the transcript without telling the user how to get back, so the outgoing thread's ID scrolled out of reach. Reuse the `/clear` hint (extracted into `_mount_previous_thread_hint`) so a switch away from a non-empty thread mounts "Previous thread: <id> (Resume with /threads -r)" under the "Resumed thread" note. Co-authored-by: open-swe[bot] <open-swe@users.noreply.github.com>
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July 30, 2026 18:05
`/threads -r` previously refused any thread owned by a different agent, telling the user to switch agents first. It now resolves the thread with its owner and prompts to switch, then restarts the server against that agent and resumes the exact thread requested. The saved default agent is left alone, matching launch-time `-r`; a failed restart rolls back the thread pointers, approval mode, and cwd. Also harden the previous-thread hint shared by `/clear`, `/force-clear`, thread switches, and the new cross-agent resume: - Guard the mount half. It was best-effort only around the resumability lookup, so a mount fault escaped into two callers that wrap the call in a rollback -- undoing a completed switch and reporting "Failed to switch to thread ..." or "Could not switch to agent ..." after the new server was already healthy. - Suppress the hint when the owning agent is unknown, or when a cross-agent thread is paired with a remote server that cannot perform the restart `-r` would need. - Log store failures at `info` rather than `debug`, so the branch is visible in the Debug Console ring buffer. - Cover the error branches, the mount failure, and the mount ordering, and anchor the no-checkpoint test so it no longer passes when the hint is removed outright.
![open-swe[bot]](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/1395372?s=60&v=4){kind=small}
A picker swap told the user to quit and relaunch with `-r <thread>` to reach the thread it left behind. That was the only option when `/threads -r` refused cross-agent threads, but it now offers a switch, so the relaunch became the long way around. The swap now tries the in-session hint first and keeps the relaunch command only as a fallback for sessions `-r` cannot serve -- chiefly a remote server that cannot restart into the owning agent. `_mount_previous_thread_hint` reports whether it mounted anything so callers can make that choice. Also stop a restored goal review from burying the transcript notes. Both resume paths deferred to `_load_thread_history` to resolve a pending review, which mounted the interactive prompt before the "Resumed thread" and "Previous thread" lines -- leaving an informational note sitting under a question the user was being asked to answer. Both now pass `resolve_pending_goal=False` and remount the review last, matching how the startup sequence already defers it. The deferred remount is guarded at both sites: it runs inside a rollback handler in one and during exception propagation in the other, so an unguarded raise would undo a completed switch or mask the original error. Finally, let the cross-agent prompt's help line wrap. At 48 columns and below the 38-cell line needs two rows, and the fixed single row clipped the `Esc: cancel` half -- hiding how to back out exactly where the dialog was hardest to read.
Mason Daugherty (mdrxy)
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> [!CAUTION] > Merging this PR will automatically publish to **PyPI** and create a **GitHub release**. For the full release process, see [`.github/RELEASING.md`](https://github.com/langchain-ai/deepagents/blob/main/.github/RELEASING.md). --- _Release notes preview: keep this section in sync with the package `CHANGELOG.md`. Publish reads the merged CHANGELOG via `release.yml`, not this PR description — keep them aligned anyway so the PR stays an accurate historical record for reviewers and anyone returning later._ --- ## [0.1.51](deepagents-code==0.1.50...deepagents-code==0.1.51) (2026-07-31) ### Features - The status bar and usage view now show the running session cost. ([#5036](#5036)) - Removed redundant `shell` and `web_search` prompt guidance. ([#5213](#5213)) - After switching threads, Deep Agents now points back to the previous thread. ([#5172](#5172)) - Leaving `/mcp` with pending toggles now prompts you to reconnect. ([#5211](#5211)) - `dcode config get` now accepts configuration sections. ([#5134](#5134)) ### Fixes - Kept the `/goal` criteria prompt responsive. ([#5142](#5142)) - Improved goal handling so underspecified objectives can be resolved from conversation context. ([#5201](#5201)) - Released the turn when an interrupted worker never starts. ([#5196](#5196)) - Hid timestamp footers together with their associated rows. ([#5167](#5167)) - Fixed editable SDK detection by scanning and correlating SDK locations more accurately. ([#5199](#5199)) - Improved `doctor` output to explain why it may not have a latest-version answer. ([#5209](#5209)) _End release notes preview._ --- > [!NOTE] > A **New Contributors** section is appended to the GitHub release notes automatically at publish time (see [Release Pipeline](https://github.com/langchain-ai/deepagents/blob/main/.github/RELEASING.md#release-pipeline), step 2). --------- Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: langchain-oss-automated-triage[bot] <248757908+langchain-oss-automated-triage[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
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The REPL now shows a
Previous thread: <id> (Resume with /threads -r)hint after switching threads, matching/clear.Switching threads mid-session (
/threads,/threads -r) replaced the transcript with no way back — the outgoing thread's ID scrolled out of reach, unlike/clear, which already mounts aPrevious thread: <id> (Resume with /threads -r)hint. The/clearlogic is extracted into_mount_previous_thread_hintand reused by the switch path, mounted directly under theResumed thread: <id>note. Threads with no checkpoint row (i.e. the previous thread was empty) still get no hint, since-rcan't resume them.Made by Open SWE