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[Bug]: Control UI: streaming text disappears when tool calls display is hidden (4.14 regression) #67250

@rocksbq-a11y

Description

@rocksbq-a11y

Bug type

Behavior bug (incorrect output/state without crash)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

Bug Description

After upgrading to 4.14, streaming text output in the Control UI disappears completely when tool calls display is hidden. In 4.9, streaming text was visible regardless of tool calls visibility.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open Control UI (webchat)
  2. Go to settings and turn OFF tool calls display (or set streaming mode to quiet/partial)
  3. Send a message to the agent
  4. Observe: streaming text either does not appear at all, or flashes briefly and disappears

Expected Behavior (4.9)

  • Streaming text appears in the chat bubble and persists, even when tool calls display is hidden
  • A working indicator ("...") appears while the agent is thinking/working
  • Submitted messages appear immediately in the chat

Actual Behavior (4.14)

Scenario Result
Tool calls ON, send message Streaming text visible, works normally
Tool calls OFF, send message Streaming text disappears or flashes briefly, no working indicator
Tool calls OFF, message submit Message appears after several seconds delay, not immediately

Additional Observations

  • The working indicator ("...") that existed in 4.9 is completely missing in 4.14 when tool calls are hidden
  • When tool calls are hidden and the agent has no text output yet, the entire message area renders as blank with no feedback
  • The message submission feels delayed — messages appear only after the agent finishes processing

Root Cause (Code Evidence)

In the Control UI bundle, the message rendering logic:

if(!x && !ee && ...) return h; // ee = showToolCalls
When tool calls are hidden (ee = false) and no text content yet (!x = true), the render returns empty state  causing streaming text to disappear.
Environment

OpenClaw version: 4.14
macOS 26.4, Node v22.22.1
Channel: webchat / Control UI

### Steps to reproduce

1. Open Control UI (webchat)
2. Go to settings and turn OFF tool calls display (or set streaming mode to quiet/partial)  
3. Send a message to the agent
4. Observe: streaming text either does not appear at all, or flashes briefly and disappears

### Expected behavior

- Streaming text appears in the chat bubble and persists, even when tool calls display is hidden
- A working indicator ("...") appears while the agent is thinking/working
- Submitted messages appear immediately in the chat


### Actual behavior

| Scenario | Result |
|----------|--------|
| Tool calls ON, send message | Streaming text visible, works normally |
| Tool calls OFF, send message | Streaming text disappears or flashes briefly, no working indicator |
| Tool calls OFF, message submit | Message appears after several seconds delay, not immediately |

### OpenClaw version

OpenClaw version: 4.14

### Operating system

macOS 26.4, Node v22.22.1

### Install method

npm

### Model

minimax-m2.7

### Provider / routing chain

minimax

### Additional provider/model setup details

_No response_

### Logs, screenshots, and evidence

```shell

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

No response

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