feat(sessions): sort session list by filesystem modTime#2972
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Codex Review
Verdict: LGTM — no blocking issues
Structure: Single commit, 6 files, all changes are on-topic (session recency sorting + file tree modTime sort). No unrelated changes.
Design: The approach is correct. mod_time is already present in viking_fs.ls() output, so adding it to the list response is zero extra I/O. Frontend simplification from 1+N requests to 1 is a clear win.
One design note (non-blocking, already discussed with author):
- Directory mtime ≠ last-activity time. On Unix filesystems, a directory's mtime only updates when entries are created/deleted/renamed inside it — not when an existing file (like
messages.jsonlor.meta.json) is written in-place. So a session receiving new messages may not bubble to the top of the list. This is a trade-off vs. the previous approach of reading.meta.json'supdated_atper session. Acceptable for the 1-request simplification; revisit if users report stale ordering.
Fix applied during review: Renamed reversedSessions → playgroundSessions in agent-panel.tsx — the variable no longer reverses anything, it just filters from the recency-sorted list.
Compatibility: mod_time is an additive field. Existing callers (Python SDK, bot) use .get() to access dict fields, so no breakage.
The AgentPanel used to call POST /sessions on every page load (via a
useEffect gated on botHealth.isSuccess), creating empty UUID sessions
even when the user never sent a message. These orphan sessions cluttered
the session list.
Fix: generate a client-side UUID as the initial sessionId instead of an
empty string. The session is lazily created on the backend by the first
addMessage call (POST /sessions/{id}/messages uses auto_create=True).
- Remove startSession() and its auto-create useEffect
- Always have a sessionId (createRandomUuid fallback)
- Simplify useChat params (persistMessages always true, no preview fallback)
- Remove dead isCreating UI branch
- Call onSessionChange on mount so the URL stays in sync
- Error retry button now uses handleNewSession()
Closes: orphan empty sessions created on playground page load
- Backend: add mod_time to session list API response (from viking_fs.ls stat) - Frontend: useSessionListByRecency sorts by mod_time instead of N detail fetches - Frontend: sidebar and playground history use recency-sorted list - Frontend: sortTreeEntries sorts directories by modTime descending Reduces session list load from 1+N requests to 1 request.
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qin-ctx
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Summary
Session lists in the web studio (sidebar + playground history) were sorted by name order with a
.reverse()hack. This PR adds proper recency sorting using the session directory's filesystem mtime.Changes
Backend (
openviking/service/session_service.py)sessions()list API now includesmod_timefromviking_fs.ls()stat output — zero extra I/O since the entry already carries itFrontend types (
web-studio/types/ov-server/api/v1/sessions.ts)SessionListItemgainsmod_time: stringFrontend hooks (
web-studio/src/lib/sessions/use-sessions.ts)useSessionListByRecencysimplified: sorts bymod_timedirectly from the list response instead of issuing N per-session detail requests viauseQueriesFrontend consumers
app-shell.tsx: sidebar usesuseSessionListByRecency, removes.reverse()hackagent-panel.tsx: playground history filters from the recency-sorted listFile tree (
web-studio/src/routes/playground/-lib/utils.ts)sortTreeEntriessorts directories bymodTimestampdescending (newest first), fallback to nameImpact
updated_atfrom .meta.json