fix(app): chat UI polish — persistent dot, rail alignment, cohesive segments, smooth scroll

packages/app/src/design-polish.css

@@ -209,23 +209,7 @@
 [data-part-enter] {
   animation: timeline-enter var(--motion-enter-duration) var(--motion-enter-ease) backwards;
 }
-/* Prose-fragment cards get a snappier, blur-free entrance (#265): 150ms
-   ease-out, 10px rise, no blur. Faster than the general timeline-enter because
-   these settle during active streaming — the eye is already watching the bottom
-   edge, so the entrance can be crisp without startling. */
-[data-prose-fragment][data-part-enter] {
-  animation: prose-fragment-enter 150ms ease-out backwards;
-}
-@keyframes prose-fragment-enter {
-  from {
-    opacity: 0;
-    transform: translateY(10px);
-  }
-  to {
-    opacity: 1;
-    transform: translateY(0);
-  }
-}
+
 /* The open cascade holds at frame 0 (opacity 0, risen, blurred) until the
    timeline has settled at the bottom — released by removing
    [data-entrance-pending] (message-timeline.tsx entranceReady). Also keeps
@@ -279,9 +263,6 @@
     --motion-enter-rise: 0px;
     --motion-enter-blur: 0px;
   }
-  [data-prose-fragment][data-part-enter] {
-    animation: none;
-  }
 }
 
 /* ── inline code: readable in both schemes ── */

packages/app/src/index.css

@@ -378,44 +378,14 @@
 
 /* The thought rail's live node: a spherical-harmonic morphing dot that pulses
    through Y_l^m silhouettes via SMIL path animation (sphere → shape → sphere).
-   The grow animation fires on mount (7→13px). Honours reduced motion. */
+   display:block kills the inline SVG baseline gap (~2-3px descender space)
+   that otherwise pushes the dot above its intended centre. */
 .thought-rail-dot--harmonic {
-  animation: thought-rail-grow 150ms ease-out both;
-}
-/* Travelling dot (#265): after the first measurement settles, the dot
-   transitions smoothly to track the latest prose-fragment card. The settled
-   class gates the transition so the initial mount uses the grow animation
-   alone — no slide from top:0 to the first measured position. */
-.thought-rail-dot--settled {
-  transition: top 150ms ease-out;
-}
-/* The rail line extends in sync with the dot — same timing so the spine
-   grows as the dot descends. */
-[data-slot="thought-rail-line"] {
-  transition: height 150ms ease-out;
-}
-@keyframes thought-rail-grow {
-  from {
-    transform: scale(0.538); /* 7/13 — starts at done-dot size */
-    opacity: 0.7;
-  }
-  to {
-    transform: scale(1);
-    opacity: 1;
-  }
+  display: block;
 }
 @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
-  .thought-rail-dot--harmonic {
-    animation: none;
-  }
   .thought-rail-dot--harmonic .harmonic-dot-shape animate {
     /* SMIL respects this; browsers also pause SMIL under reduced-motion */
     display: none;
   }
-  .thought-rail-dot--settled {
-    transition: none;
-  }
-  [data-slot="thought-rail-line"] {
-    transition: none;
-  }
 }

packages/app/src/pages/session/timeline/message-timeline.tsx

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { useMutation } from "@tanstack/solid-query"
 import { createVirtualizer, defaultRangeExtractor, elementScroll, type VirtualItem } from "@tanstack/solid-virtual"
 import { Accordion } from "@opencode-ai/ui/accordion"
 import { AmicodeEntityRail } from "@opencode-ai/ui/amicode-entity-rail"
-import { DEFAULT_DOT_CENTRE, ThoughtRail, ThoughtRailLabel, THOUGHT_RAIL_INSET, shouldRenderRail } from "./thought-rail"
+import { DEFAULT_DOT_CENTRE, ThoughtRail, ThoughtRailLabel, THOUGHT_RAIL_INSET, shouldRenderRail, dotCentreForGroup } from "./thought-rail"
 import { formatElapsed, formatTokens, turnTokens } from "@opencode-ai/ui/amicode-thinking"
 import {
   AmicodeEntityView,
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ import { notifySessionTabsRemoved } from "@/components/titlebar-session-events"
 import { sessionTitle } from "@/utils/session-title"
 import { scheduleConnectedMeasure } from "./measure"
 import { observeElementOffsetReconnectAware } from "./observe-element-offset"
+import { smoothScrollInterpolate, SMOOTH_SCROLL_DURATION } from "./smooth-scroll"
 import { createTimelineProjection } from "./projection"
 import { MessageComment, SummaryDiff, TimelineRow, TimelineRowMap } from "./rows"
 import { filterVirtualIndexes } from "./virtual-items"
@@ -702,6 +703,64 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
       )
     },
   })
+
+  // ── Smooth scroll (#631) ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+  // Custom RAF loop for bottom-follow scrolls (180ms ease-out cubic). Instant
+  // scrollToEnd is used for mount, reveal, and prepend-anchor; smooth only for
+  // the "new content arrived while anchored" path. Cancels on user gesture.
+  let smoothFrame: number | undefined
+  let smoothStartY = 0
+  let smoothStartTime = 0
+  const prefersReducedMotion = typeof window !== "undefined"
+    ? window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)")
+    : undefined
+
+  const cancelSmoothScroll = () => {
+    if (smoothFrame !== undefined) {
+      cancelAnimationFrame(smoothFrame)
+      smoothFrame = undefined
+    }
+  }
+
+  const smoothScrollToEnd = () => {
+    const el = listRoot()
+    if (!el) { virtualizer.scrollToEnd(); return }
+    // Reduced motion: instant
+    if (prefersReducedMotion?.matches) { virtualizer.scrollToEnd(); return }
+    // Compute target (max scroll position = scrollHeight - clientHeight)
+    const target = el.scrollHeight - el.clientHeight
+    const current = el.scrollTop
+    if (Math.abs(target - current) < 2) return // already there
+    // If an animation is in flight, restart from current position
+    cancelSmoothScroll()
+    smoothStartY = current
+    smoothStartTime = performance.now()
+    const tick = (now: number) => {
+      const elapsed = now - smoothStartTime
+      const y = smoothScrollInterpolate(smoothStartY, target, elapsed, SMOOTH_SCROLL_DURATION)
+      el.scrollTop = y
+      if (elapsed < SMOOTH_SCROLL_DURATION) smoothFrame = requestAnimationFrame(tick)
+      else smoothFrame = undefined
+    }
+    smoothFrame = requestAnimationFrame(tick)
+  }
+
+  // Cancel smooth scroll on user gesture (wheel, touch, pointer)
+  onMount(() => {
+    const el = listRoot()
+    if (!el) return
+    const cancel = () => cancelSmoothScroll()
+    el.addEventListener("wheel", cancel, { passive: true })
+    el.addEventListener("touchstart", cancel, { passive: true })
+    el.addEventListener("pointerdown", cancel)
+    onCleanup(() => {
+      el.removeEventListener("wheel", cancel)
+      el.removeEventListener("touchstart", cancel)
+      el.removeEventListener("pointerdown", cancel)
+      cancelSmoothScroll()
+    })
+  })
+
   const resizeItem = virtualizer.resizeItem
   let resizeAnchorScheduled = false
   const anchorResizedBottom = () => {
@@ -710,7 +769,7 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
     queueMicrotask(() => {
       resizeAnchorScheduled = false
       if (!props.shouldAnchorBottom() || props.hasScrollGesture()) return
-      virtualizer.scrollToEnd()
+      smoothScrollToEnd()
     })
   }
   virtualizer.resizeItem = (index, size) => {
@@ -819,7 +878,7 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
       if (index === undefined) return
       virtualizer.scrollToIndex(index, { align: "center" })
     })
-    props.setScrollToEnd?.(() => virtualizer.scrollToEnd())
+    props.setScrollToEnd?.(() => smoothScrollToEnd())
     props.setHistoryAnchor?.({ capture: capturePrependAnchor, restore: restorePrependAnchor })
   })
 
@@ -843,7 +902,7 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
     if (resizePinFrame !== undefined) cancelAnimationFrame(resizePinFrame)
     clearPrependAnchor()
     if (prependAnchorFrame !== undefined) cancelAnimationFrame(prependAnchorFrame)
-    virtualizer.scrollToEnd()
+    smoothScrollToEnd()
   }
 
   let measuredSessionKey = sessionKey()
@@ -1479,38 +1538,38 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
       if (row._tag === "Thinking") {
         const hasOutput = hasAssistantParts(row.userMessageID)
         // Dot stays on Thinking only while no output exists
-        return { first: true, last: !hasOutput, running: row.turnRunning && !hasOutput }
+        return { first: true, last: !hasOutput, running: row.turnRunning && !hasOutput, prose: false }
       }
       if (row._tag !== "AssistantPart") return undefined
       if (!shouldRenderRail(row)) return undefined
-      // Last AssistantPart gets the dot when the turn is still running
-      return { first: false, last: row.lastAssistantPart, running: row.turnRunning && row.lastAssistantPart }
+      // Last AssistantPart gets the dot when the turn is still running.
+      // prose = text content that grows → dot bottom-anchored.
+      // !prose = tool/status row → dot at dotCentre.
+      // A "part" group can be either text or a single tool — check the actual part.
+      let isProse = false
+      if (row.group.type === "part") {
+        const part = getMsgPart(row.group.ref.messageID, row.group.ref.partID)
+        isProse = part?.type === "text"
+      }
+      return { first: false, last: row.lastAssistantPart, running: row.turnRunning && row.lastAssistantPart, prose: isProse }
     }
 
-    // The dot sits on the row's FIRST TEXT LINE, wherever the content puts it
-    // (Kate 2026-08-24: dots must line up with the text they coincide with).
-    // Prose and rail-label rows put it at the default 11px; rows that open
-    // with a card (a tool chip, a group header, a widget preview) start their
-    // first line lower by that card's own padding — measured, not tabulated,
-    // because the set of card species is open-ended. The ResizeObserver
-    // re-measures when async card content mounts (deferToolContent) or
-    // streaming reflows the row; observers exist only on rendered rows, so
-    // the count is bounded by the virtualizer's window.
+    // The dot aligns with the vertical centre of the row's first text line.
+    // Initialized from dotCentreForGroup (deterministic per row type) so the
+    // dot starts in the right place without waiting for DOM measurement.
+    // ResizeObserver refines the value once the content has rendered.
     let turnEl: HTMLDivElement | undefined
-    const [dotCentre, setDotCentre] = createSignal(DEFAULT_DOT_CENTRE)
-    const [dotSettled, setDotSettled] = createSignal(false)
+    const initialDotCentre = () => {
+      const row = input.row()
+      if (row._tag === "Thinking") return dotCentreForGroup("thinking")
+      if (row._tag === "AssistantPart") return dotCentreForGroup(row.group.type)
+      return DEFAULT_DOT_CENTRE
+    }
+    const [dotCentre, setDotCentre] = createSignal(initialDotCentre())
     const measureDotCentre = () => {
       if (!turnEl || !rail()) return
       const hostTop = turnEl.getBoundingClientRect().top
-      // Travelling dot (#265): ONLY the running dot tracks the last
-      // prose-fragment card. The done-dot stays at the first text line
-      // (top of the row) so the rail reads as a sequence of origin marks.
-      const r = rail()
-      const isRunning = r && r.last && r.running
-      const fragments = isRunning ? turnEl.querySelectorAll("[data-prose-fragment]") : undefined
-      const lastFragment = fragments && fragments.length > 0 ? (fragments[fragments.length - 1] as HTMLElement) : null
-      const target = lastFragment ?? turnEl
-      const walker = document.createTreeWalker(target, NodeFilter.SHOW_TEXT)
+      const walker = document.createTreeWalker(turnEl, NodeFilter.SHOW_TEXT)
       let node: Node | null
       while ((node = walker.nextNode())) {
         if (!node.textContent?.trim()) continue
@@ -1519,13 +1578,10 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
         const rect = range.getClientRects()[0]
         if (!rect || rect.height === 0) continue
         const centre = rect.top + rect.height / 2 - hostTop
-        // When targeting a fragment, the dot can be anywhere down the row
-        // (no ceiling). For non-fragment rows the 80px ceiling guards against
-        // mid-virtualisation nonsense measurements.
-        const maxCentre = lastFragment ? Infinity : 80
-        if (centre > 0 && centre < maxCentre) setDotCentre(Math.max(DEFAULT_DOT_CENTRE, Math.round(centre * 2) / 2))
-        if (!dotSettled()) setDotSettled(true)
-        return
+        if (centre > 0 && centre < 80) {
+          setDotCentre(Math.max(DEFAULT_DOT_CENTRE, Math.round(centre * 2) / 2))
+          return
+        }
       }
     }
     onMount(() => {
@@ -1546,6 +1602,7 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
           "md:max-w-200 2xl:max-w-[1000px]": props.centered,
           "md:mx-auto": props.centered,
           "pt-3": previousAssistantPart(),
+          "md:pl-3": assistantPart(),
         }}
       >
         <div
@@ -1560,8 +1617,8 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
                 first={r().first}
                 last={r().last}
                 running={r().running}
+                prose={r().prose}
                 dotCentre={dotCentre()}
-                settled={dotSettled()}
                 turnStartedAt={"turnStartedAt" in input.row() ? (input.row() as any).turnStartedAt : undefined}
                 tokens={r().running && r().last ? assistantTokensForTurn(input.row().userMessageID) || undefined : undefined}
               />

packages/app/src/pages/session/timeline/model-pure.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import type { Message, UserMessage } from "@opencode-ai/sdk/v2"
+import type { Accessor } from "solid-js"
+
+export function selectUserMessages(messages: Message[]) {
+  return messages.filter((message): message is UserMessage => message.role === "user")
+}
+
+export function isTimelineReady(messages: Message[] | undefined, loading: boolean) {
+  return messages !== undefined && (messages.some((message) => message.role === "user") || !loading)
+}
+
+export function selectVisibleUserMessages(messages: UserMessage[], revertMessageID?: string) {
+  if (!revertMessageID) return messages
+  return messages.filter((message) => message.id < revertMessageID)
+}
+
+export async function loadOlderTimeline(input: {
+  sessionID: Accessor<string | undefined>
+  more: Accessor<boolean>
+  loading: Accessor<boolean>
+  loadMore: (sessionID: string) => Promise<void>
+  before?: () => void
+  after?: (done: boolean) => void
+}) {
+  const id = input.sessionID()
+  if (!id || !input.more() || input.loading()) return
+
+  input.before?.()
+  await input.loadMore(id).catch((error) => {
+    if (input.sessionID() === id) input.after?.(true)
+    throw error
+  })
+  if (input.sessionID() !== id) return
+  input.after?.(true)
+}

packages/app/src/pages/session/timeline/model.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
 import type { AssistantMessage, Message, UserMessage } from "@opencode-ai/sdk/v2"
-import { isTimelineReady, loadOlderTimeline, selectUserMessages, selectVisibleUserMessages } from "./model"
+import { isTimelineReady, loadOlderTimeline, selectUserMessages, selectVisibleUserMessages } from "./model-pure"
 
 const user = (id: string) => ({ id, role: "user" }) as UserMessage
 const assistant = (id: string) => ({ id, role: "assistant" }) as AssistantMessage

packages/app/src/pages/session/timeline/model.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ import { createMemo, createResource, onCleanup, untrack, type Accessor } from "s
 import { useServerSync } from "@/context/server-sync"
 import { useSync } from "@/context/sync"
 import { same } from "@/utils/same"
+import { isTimelineReady, loadOlderTimeline, selectUserMessages, selectVisibleUserMessages } from "./model-pure"
+export { isTimelineReady, loadOlderTimeline, selectUserMessages, selectVisibleUserMessages } from "./model-pure"
 
 const emptyUserMessages: UserMessage[] = []
 const sessionFreshness = 15_000
@@ -93,36 +95,3 @@ export function createTimelineModel(input: {
     refreshTimer = undefined
   }
 }
-
-export function selectUserMessages(messages: Message[]) {
-  return messages.filter((message): message is UserMessage => message.role === "user")
-}
-
-export function isTimelineReady(messages: Message[] | undefined, loading: boolean) {
-  return messages !== undefined && (messages.some((message) => message.role === "user") || !loading)
-}
-
-export function selectVisibleUserMessages(messages: UserMessage[], revertMessageID?: string) {
-  if (!revertMessageID) return messages
-  return messages.filter((message) => message.id < revertMessageID)
-}
-
-export async function loadOlderTimeline(input: {
-  sessionID: Accessor<string | undefined>
-  more: Accessor<boolean>
-  loading: Accessor<boolean>
-  loadMore: (sessionID: string) => Promise<void>
-  before?: () => void
-  after?: (done: boolean) => void
-}) {
-  const id = input.sessionID()
-  if (!id || !input.more() || input.loading()) return
-
-  input.before?.()
-  await input.loadMore(id).catch((error) => {
-    if (input.sessionID() === id) input.after?.(true)
-    throw error
-  })
-  if (input.sessionID() !== id) return
-  input.after?.(true)
-}