Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Summary

In Control UI, streaming responses with thinking/reasoning content display each chunk as a separate message bubble instead of accumulating in a single bubble. This fragments the thinking process across multiple bubbles.

Steps to reproduce

1. Open Control UI in browser
2. Send a message that triggers a thinking/reasoning response
3. Observe that each streaming chunk appears as a new message bubble instead of accumulating in one bubble

Expected behavior

Thinking/reasoning content should accumulate in a single message bubble during streaming, with the content updating in place rather than creating new bubbles.

Actual behavior

Each streaming chunk creates a new message bubble, causing the thinking process to be displayed across multiple separate bubbles.

OpenClaw version

2026.3.2

Operating system

Windows 11

Install method

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

Root cause: In the a$ function (chat rendering), each streaming chunk generates a new stream item with a unique key that includes timestamp: stream:${sessionKey}:${streamStartedAt}. This causes the framework to treat each chunk as a new message.

Suggested fix: Use a fixed key like stream:${sessionKey} so the same bubble is updated instead of creating new ones.