[BUG] [alpha] Call Stack `presentationHint: "label"` rows still behave like real selectable frames

[angelicameri]

Project

ide

Description

In the mounted Call Stack panel, debugger adapters can return stack frames with:

• presentationHint: "label"

Per the Debug Adapter Protocol, those are artificial visual label/separator rows.

But CallStackPanel still treats them like normal actionable frames.

Visible result:

• a row can be styled like a label,
• but it still shows pointer/selection behavior,
• clicking it still calls frame selection,
• and double-click can still try to navigate.

So a visual separator/label can behave like a real stack frame in the active UI.

Root Cause

The active panel explicitly detects label frames:

• /src/components/debugger/CallStackPanel.tsx:64
  • const isLabel = () => props.frame.presentationHint === "label";

And it renders them differently as label-style text:

• /src/components/debugger/CallStackPanel.tsx:79-83

But the same row container always stays interactive:

• /src/components/debugger/CallStackPanel.tsx:67-77
  • cursor-pointer
  • onClick={props.onSelect}
  • onDblClick={props.onNavigate}

Those handlers are the normal frame actions:

• /src/components/debugger/CallStackPanel.tsx:127-129
  • handleSelectFrame(frameId) calls debug.selectFrame(frameId)
• /src/components/debugger/CallStackPanel.tsx:131-136
  • handleNavigateToFrame(frame) dispatches editor:goto when a path exists

The mismatch is spec-visible too: the DAP StackFrame.presentationHint docs describe label as an artificial frame used as a visual label or separator, not a normal stack frame target:

• https://microsoft.github.io/debug-adapter-protocol/specification
  • StackFrame.presentationHint section

So the component recognizes label rows for rendering, but does not stop them from behaving like ordinary selectable/navigable frames.

Error Message

Debug Logs

System Information

- Cortex IDE `alpha`
- Platform: any

Screenshots

output.mp4

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start a debug session with an adapter that emits a stack frame using presentationHint: "label".
2. Open Call Stack.
3. Find the row rendered as a label/separator.
4. Click it.
5. Double-click it if it carries a source path.
6. Observe the resulting selection/navigation behavior.

Expected Behavior

A presentationHint: "label" row should behave like a visual label/separator only.

It should not be treated like a normal selectable or navigable frame row.

Actual Behavior

The row is styled as a label, but the same container still behaves like a normal frame:

• it is clickable,
• it can become selected,
• and double-click can still trigger navigation.

Additional Context

This is not the same as the current live/local Call Stack issues:

• live #20612 Debug: Focus Call Stack command does nothing
• live #29890 Run and Debug: Call Stack entries are mouse-only (clickable divs not focusable, no role/aria-selected)
• live #36743 Debugger Missing Thread Selection UI (Functional Gap)
• live #37394 Call Stack single-click selects a frame but only double-click actually navigates to it
• live #37408 Call Stack switching threads does not refresh Watch expressions, so watch values can stay stale
• live #37418 Call Stack copy tooltip hardcodes Ctrl+C on macOS
• live #37430 Call Stack can keep highlighting the wrong thread after a later stop event
• live #37524 Call Stack selecting a different frame does not retarget Disassembly view because DisassemblyView still uses stackFrames[0]
• live #37546 Call Stack selecting a thread with no frames can leave the Variables panel showing stale scopes from the previous frame
• live #37588 Call Stack copy button remains active with no frames and can overwrite the clipboard with an empty string
• live #37592 Call Stack thread rows can be indistinguishable when different threads share the same name
• live #37624 Call Stack Copy Call Stack can drop visible source names and replace them with unknown for pathless frames
• live #37628 Call Stack Restart Frame button can disappear when the adapter omits canRestart on frames
• local bug-report-call-stack-right-clicking-a-frame-falls-back-to-the-native-context-menu-and-loses-copy-frame-actions.md

Those issues cover command routing, generic keyboard accessibility, missing thread-selection affordance, frame click behavior, stale state after thread/frame changes, copy issues, restart-frame visibility, and lost frame context actions.

This report is specifically about presentationHint: "label" semantics in the mounted CallStackPanel.

Why it is different:

• the panel already distinguishes label rows visually,
• but it still routes them through the normal frame-selection/navigation path,
• so the bug is the label-row interaction contract itself, not generic row accessibility or another stale-state bug.

Duplicate Check

Re-checked local (bug-3, bugs-codex) and targeted live repo searches across open and closed issues with:

• "Call Stack" presentationHint label
• "Call Stack" artificial frame
• "Call Stack" visual label separator
• local grep for presentationHint === "label", artificial frame, visual label, and existing Call Stack drafts

Findings:

• Local: no matching report found for this specific label-row interaction path in the mounted CallStackPanel.
• Live repo: no matching issue found in PlatformNetwork/bounty-challenge for this exact presentationHint: "label" Call Stack behavior at check time (2026-03-25 UTC).
• Closest live/local items are different:
  • frame click / double-click behavior for normal frames,
  • generic row accessibility,
  • stale thread/frame synchronization issues,
  • copy/restart action issues.
• Why they are different:
  • none of those reports cover the active CallStackPanel recognizing presentationHint: "label" for visual rendering while still treating the same row as a normal selectable/navigable stack frame.

[willkhinz]

This looks straightforward. I'm opening a PR with a solution in just a moment.

[willkhinz]

I have opened a Pull Request with the fix here: #37757

Thanks!

[echobt]

✅ Validated

Validation Summary

Duplicate Check: NOT A DUPLICATE

• Similar issues ([BUG] [alpha] Call Stack single-click selects a frame but only double-click actually navigates to it #37394, [BUG] [alpha] Call Stack Load more frames... row is a visible no-op #36249, etc.) were found with high similarity (0.70-0.75)
• Semantic comparison confirmed this is a DISTINCT bug:
  • [BUG] [alpha] Call Stack single-click selects a frame but only double-click actually navigates to it #37394: About single-click vs double-click for NORMAL frames
  • [BUG] [alpha] Call Stack Load more frames... row is a visible no-op #36249: About "Load more frames..." being a no-op
  • This issue: Specifically about presentationHint: "label" rows being incorrectly interactive

Screenshot Analysis: VALID

• Video shows actual Cortex IDE Run and Debug panel
• Demonstrates label rows ("async call", "[native code]") being clickable/selectable
• Screenshot is authentic and coherent with bug description

Code Verification: BUG CONFIRMED

File: /src/components/debugger/CallStackPanel.tsx

Line 64: const isLabel = () => props.frame.presentationHint === "label";

• Code correctly DETECTS label frames

Lines 67-77: Row container ALWAYS has:

• cursor-pointer class
• onClick={props.onSelect} handler
• onDblClick={props.onNavigate} handler

Lines 79-83: Label frames rendered differently (italic, weak color)

THE BUG: The component recognizes label frames for visual styling but does NOT prevent them from being interactive. The click handlers fire for label rows when they should be non-interactive visual separators per DAP spec.

Component Accessibility: VERIFIED

• CallStackPanel is mounted in DebuggerPanel (line 96)
• DebuggerPanel is accessible via "Run and Debug" in the UI
• Component is reachable through normal UI navigation

Conclusion

This is a VALID bug. Label rows with presentationHint: "label" are visual separators that should not respond to clicks or navigation, but the current implementation allows them to behave like normal selectable frames.