Test: "Other Files" section in the Agents window Changes view

[benibenj]

Refs:

• anyOS @rwoll
• anyOS @lszomoru

Complexity: 2

Create Issue

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The Changes view in the Agents window now has an "Other Files" section. It lists files that the agent created, edited or deleted outside the session''s workspace folders during the session. These files are not part of the workspace and won''t be committed, so they get their own collapsible section below the file changes tree (and above the CI checks section).

Note: only files touched via the agent''s edit/create/delete file tool are picked up here. Files the agent merely reads, or side effects of running terminal commands, are not listed.

Prerequisites

• Latest VS Code Insiders
• Ensure the "chat.agentHost.enabled": true setting is enabled
• Open the Agents window

How to produce out-of-workspace edits

The easiest way is to have the agent write to a location outside your workspace folder, for example:

• Ask the Copilot agent to "create a plan for feature XYZ" — it typically writes the plan into its session-state folder, which lives outside the workspace folder.
• Ask the agent to edit a file that lives in a different workspace/folder than the one open in the session.

Testplan

• Start a new Copilot session with a workspace folder open
• Send a prompt that makes the agent create or edit a file outside the workspace folder (see suggestions above)
  • Confirm an "Other Files" section appears in the Changes view listing that file
  • Confirm files edited inside the workspace still appear in the normal file changes tree and are not duplicated in "Other Files"
• Look at the rows in the "Other Files" section
  • Confirm each row shows the file icon, name and a change badge: A for created, M for modified, D for deleted (deleted files are shown struck through)
  • Hovering the section header explains these files live outside the workspace and won''t be committed
• Click on a modified file
  • Confirm it opens a diff against its pre-session content
• Click on a created or deleted file, and use the inline "Open File" action on a row
  • Confirm the file opens in a normal editor
• Collapse/expand the "Other Files" section header (mouse click and keyboard Enter/Space); resize it via the sash
  • Confirm the section collapses/expands and resizes as expected and the state feels stable while the agent keeps streaming
• Continue the session so the agent makes more out-of-workspace edits
  • Confirm the list updates live as files are created/edited/deleted
• Switch to a different session / archived session
  • Confirm the "Other Files" section reflects the active session and disappears when there are no external files