github / github/copilot-cli

Session picker: selected-but-inactive row is indistinguishable from other inactive rows (low contrast)

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area:sessions area:theming-accessibility
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Shell
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Description

Describe the bug

In the sessions sidebar (shown via the session picker / /resume view), there are three distinct visual states for a row, but only two are easily distinguishable:

  1. Active session (the one currently open) - solid, high-contrast accent-blue background. Clear.
  2. Selected/cursor row (the row the keyboard/mouse cursor is on, used to switch-to or close a session, when it isn't the active one) - a subtle dark grey background.
  3. Other inactive sessions (not selected, not active) - plain background, no highlight.

The problem: state 2's highlight color is too close in luminance to the plain background (state 3), especially in the default theme: "github" palette. When only two sessions are open (one active, one selected-but-inactive), it's very hard to tell that the second row is actually focused/selected at all.

Steps to reproduce
  1. Open Copilot CLI with 2+ saved sessions.
  2. Open the sessions view (e.g. /resume, or the sessions sidebar shown in some UI surfaces).
  3. Move the selection cursor to a session row that is not the currently active one.
  4. Observe that the "selected" row's background is only marginally darker/lighter than an unselected, non-active row.
Expected behavior

The selected-but-inactive row should have a clearly distinguishable background (e.g., a mid-contrast highlight) independent of the active-row accent color and the plain inactive-row background, so all three states are visually unambiguous at a glance - regardless of which of the 5 whole-theme presets (default, github, dim, high-contrast, colorblind) is active.

Additional context
  • Checked copilot help config / the full settings reference - there is currently no granular setting to override just this element; only whole-palette theme switching is exposed.
  • Suggested labels: area:sessions, area:theming-accessibility
  • CLI version: 1.0.79, Windows 11, Windows Terminal, theme: "github" (default)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start at the /resume session picker and locate the row styling and the five whole-theme presets: default, github, dim, high-contrast, and colorblind. Compare selected-but-inactive rows with other inactive rows in each preset. Done means all three session states are visually distinguishable without adding a granular configuration setting.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
shell
Domain
accessibility, cli, design
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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