codex/agentydragon/tasks/22-message-rendering-layout-options.md

+++ id = "22" title = "Message Separation and Sender-Content Layout Options" status = "Done" dependencies = "" # No prerequisites last_updated = "2025-06-25T11:05:55.000000" +++

Summary

Add configurable options for inter-message spacing and sender-content line breaks in chat rendering.

Goal

Provide users with flexibility in how chat messages are visually separated and how sender labels are displayed relative to message content:

• Control whether an empty line is inserted between consecutive messages.
• Control whether sender and content appear on the same line or on separate lines.

Acceptance Criteria

• Introduce two new config flags under the UI section:
  • message_spacing: true|false controls inserting a blank line between messages when true.
  • sender_break_line: true|false controls breaking line after the sender label when true.
• Both flags default to false to preserve current compact layout.
• When message_spacing is enabled, render an empty line between each message bubble or block.
• When sender_break_line is enabled, render the sender label on its own line above the message content; otherwise render Sender: Content on a single line.
• Ensure both flags can be toggled independently and work together in any combination.
• Add unit tests to verify the four layout permutations produce the correct sequence of lines.

Implementation

Plan

• Add message_spacing and sender_break_line flags to the TUI config schema with default false.
• Update the TUI renderer (history_cell.rs) to conditionally insert blank lines between messages and break sender/content lines based on these flags.
• Document both flags under the [tui] section in codex-rs/config.md.
• Ensure existing unit tests in message_layout.rs cover all flag combinations and adjust or add tests if needed.

Notes

• These options improve readability for users who prefer more visual separation or clearer sender labels.
• Keep default settings unchanged to avoid surprising existing users.