Show workspace commits clearly in Changes (#2350)

* feat(commits): distinguish workspace history from base commits

Keep every workspace commit visible while bounding base history to ten
context commits, and make push and base state readable in the commit rail.

* fix(commits): preserve history when base refs disappear

Fall back to recent HEAD history for stale saved bases, and reject truncated
git output instead of presenting an incomplete commit list.

* fix(commits): classify history against the current base

Use the furthest-ahead local or remote base for classification, and re-infer
base history when saved worktree metadata points to a deleted branch.

packages/app/src/git/commits-section/commit-graph-node.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+import { View } from "react-native";
+import { StyleSheet } from "react-native-unistyles";
+import type { ClassifiedCheckoutCommit } from "@/git/use-commits-query";
+
+interface CommitGraphNodeProps {
+  commit: ClassifiedCheckoutCommit;
+  isFirst: boolean;
+  isLast: boolean;
+}
+
+export function CommitGraphNode({ commit, isFirst, isLast }: CommitGraphNodeProps) {
+  const isOnBase = commit.isOnBase;
+  const railColor = isOnBase ? styles.railBase : styles.railWorkspace;
+  const markerColor = isOnBase ? styles.markerBase : styles.markerWorkspace;
+
+  return (
+    <View style={styles.container}>
+      {isFirst && isLast ? null : (
+        <View
+          style={[styles.rail, railColor, isFirst && styles.railFirst, isLast && styles.railLast]}
+        />
+      )}
+      <View
+        testID={commit.isOnRemote ? "commit-dot-remote" : "commit-dot-local"}
+        style={[styles.marker, markerColor, !commit.isOnRemote && styles.markerRing]}
+      />
+    </View>
+  );
+}
+
+const MARKER_SIZE = 8;
+const RAIL_WIDTH = 2;
+
+const styles = StyleSheet.create((theme) => ({
+  container: {
+    width: MARKER_SIZE,
+    alignSelf: "stretch",
+    alignItems: "center",
+    justifyContent: "center",
+    position: "relative",
+    flexShrink: 0,
+  },
+  rail: {
+    position: "absolute",
+    top: -theme.spacing[1] - 1,
+    bottom: -theme.spacing[1] - 1,
+    width: RAIL_WIDTH,
+  },
+  railFirst: {
+    top: "50%",
+  },
+  railLast: {
+    bottom: "50%",
+  },
+  railBase: {
+    backgroundColor: theme.colors.foregroundMuted,
+  },
+  railWorkspace: {
+    backgroundColor: theme.colors.accent,
+  },
+  marker: {
+    width: MARKER_SIZE,
+    height: MARKER_SIZE,
+    borderRadius: theme.borderRadius.full,
+    borderWidth: theme.borderWidth[2],
+    zIndex: 1,
+  },
+  markerBase: {
+    backgroundColor: theme.colors.foregroundMuted,
+    borderColor: theme.colors.foregroundMuted,
+  },
+  markerWorkspace: {
+    backgroundColor: theme.colors.accent,
+    borderColor: theme.colors.accent,
+  },
+  markerRing: {
+    backgroundColor: theme.colors.surface0,
+  },
+}));

packages/app/src/git/commits-section/commit-row.tsx

@@ -1,18 +1,33 @@
 import { memo, useCallback } from "react";
-import { Pressable, Text, View } from "react-native";
+import { Pressable, Text, View, type PressableStateCallbackType } from "react-native";
 import { StyleSheet } from "react-native-unistyles";
-import type { CheckoutCommit } from "@getpaseo/protocol/messages";
 import { ThemedChevron, chevronColorMapping } from "@/git/themed-chevron";
+import type { ClassifiedCheckoutCommit } from "@/git/use-commits-query";
 import { formatTimeAgo } from "@/utils/time";
-import { dotStyles } from "./shared";
+import { CommitGraphNode } from "./commit-graph-node";
 
 interface CommitRowProps {
-  commit: CheckoutCommit;
+  commit: ClassifiedCheckoutCommit;
+  isFirst: boolean;
+  isLast: boolean;
   now: Date;
   onCommitPress: (sha: string) => void;
 }
 
-export const CommitRow = memo(function CommitRow({ commit, now, onCommitPress }: CommitRowProps) {
+function commitRowPressableStyle({
+  hovered,
+  pressed,
+}: PressableStateCallbackType & { hovered?: boolean }) {
+  return [styles.row, (Boolean(hovered) || pressed) && styles.rowActive];
+}
+
+export const CommitRow = memo(function CommitRow({
+  commit,
+  isFirst,
+  isLast,
+  now,
+  onCommitPress,
+}: CommitRowProps) {
   const handlePress = useCallback(() => {
     onCommitPress(commit.sha);
   }, [commit.sha, onCommitPress]);
@@ -22,16 +37,17 @@ export const CommitRow = memo(function CommitRow({ commit, now, onCommitPress }:
       accessibilityRole="button"
       testID={`commit-row-${commit.shortSha}`}
       onPress={handlePress}
-      style={styles.row}
+      style={commitRowPressableStyle}
     >
-      <View
+      <CommitGraphNode commit={commit} isFirst={isFirst} isLast={isLast} />
-        testID={commit.isOnRemote ? "commit-dot-remote" : "commit-dot-local"}
+      <View style={styles.commitDetails}>
-        style={commit.isOnRemote ? dotStyles.dotRemote : dotStyles.dotLocal}
+        <Text style={styles.shortSha} numberOfLines={1}>
-      />
+          {commit.shortSha}
-      <Text style={styles.shortSha}>{commit.shortSha}</Text>
+        </Text>
-      <Text style={styles.subject} numberOfLines={1}>
+        <Text style={styles.subject} numberOfLines={1}>
-        {commit.subject}
+          {commit.subject}
-      </Text>
+        </Text>
+      </View>
       <Text style={styles.timestamp}>{formatTimeAgo(new Date(commit.authorDate), now)}</Text>
       <View style={styles.caret}>
         <ThemedChevron size={14} uniProps={chevronColorMapping} />
@@ -49,10 +65,21 @@ const styles = StyleSheet.create((theme) => ({
     paddingRight: theme.spacing[2],
     paddingVertical: theme.spacing[1],
   },
+  rowActive: {
+    backgroundColor: theme.colors.surfaceSidebarHover,
+  },
+  commitDetails: {
+    flex: 1,
+    minWidth: 0,
+    flexDirection: "row",
+    alignItems: "center",
+    gap: theme.spacing[1],
+  },
   shortSha: {
     fontSize: theme.fontSize.xs,
     fontFamily: theme.fontFamily.mono,
     color: theme.colors.foregroundMuted,
+    width: theme.spacing[16],
     flexShrink: 0,
   },
   subject: {

packages/app/src/git/commits-section/commits-section.tsx

@@ -67,8 +67,15 @@ function CommitsSectionContent({
   }
   return (
     <View style={styles.list}>
-      {query.data.commits.map((commit) => (
+      {query.data.commits.map((commit, index) => (
-        <CommitRow key={commit.sha} commit={commit} now={now} onCommitPress={onCommitPress} />
+        <CommitRow
+          key={commit.sha}
+          commit={commit}
+          isFirst={index === 0}
+          isLast={index === query.data.commits.length - 1}
+          now={now}
+          onCommitPress={onCommitPress}
+        />
       ))}
     </View>
   );
@@ -110,7 +117,10 @@ export function CommitsSection({ serverId, cwd, onCommitPress }: CommitsSectionP
   if (query.status === "unsupported") {
     return null;
   }
-  const commitCount = query.status === "loaded" ? query.data.commits.length : null;
+  const commitCount =
+    query.status === "loaded"
+      ? query.data.commits.filter((commit) => !commit.isOnBase).length
+      : null;
 
   return (
     <View style={styles.container}>

packages/app/src/git/commits-section/shared.ts

@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-import { StyleSheet } from "react-native-unistyles";
-import type { CheckoutCommit } from "@getpaseo/protocol/messages";
-
-export type CheckoutCommitFile = CheckoutCommit["files"][number];
-
-export type FilePressHandler = (commit: CheckoutCommit, file: CheckoutCommitFile) => void;
-
-export const DOT_SIZE = 8;
-
-// The "on remote" dot is intentionally understated: the local-only ring is the
-// state worth noticing (you still have work to push), so the remote fill is
-// dimmed toward the background rather than rendered at full-strength green.
-const REMOTE_DOT_OPACITY = 0.55;
-
-/**
- * A local-only commit is a hollow ring; a commit that has reached the remote
- * is a subtle (dimmed) filled green dot.
- */
-export const dotStyles = StyleSheet.create((theme) => ({
-  dotLocal: {
-    width: DOT_SIZE,
-    height: DOT_SIZE,
-    borderRadius: theme.borderRadius.full,
-    backgroundColor: "transparent",
-    borderWidth: theme.borderWidth[1],
-    borderColor: theme.colors.foregroundMuted,
-    flexShrink: 0,
-  },
-  dotRemote: {
-    width: DOT_SIZE,
-    height: DOT_SIZE,
-    borderRadius: theme.borderRadius.full,
-    backgroundColor: theme.colors.statusSuccess,
-    opacity: REMOTE_DOT_OPACITY,
-    flexShrink: 0,
-  },
-}));

packages/app/src/git/use-commits-query.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { CheckoutCommit } from "@getpaseo/protocol/messages";
+import invariant from "tiny-invariant";
 import { useFetchQuery } from "@/data/query";
 import { checkoutCommitsQueryKey } from "@/git/query-keys";
 import { useHostRuntimeClient, useHostRuntimeIsConnected } from "@/runtime/host-runtime";
@@ -16,7 +17,11 @@ interface UseCheckoutCommitsQueryOptions {
 
 export interface CheckoutCommitsData {
   baseRef: string | null;
-  commits: CheckoutCommit[];
+  commits: ClassifiedCheckoutCommit[];
+}
+
+export interface ClassifiedCheckoutCommit extends CheckoutCommit {
+  isOnBase: boolean;
 }
 
 export type CheckoutCommitsQueryResult =
@@ -69,10 +74,13 @@ export function useCheckoutCommitsQuery({
 }: UseCheckoutCommitsQueryOptions): CheckoutCommitsQueryResult {
   const client = useHostRuntimeClient(serverId);
   const isConnected = useHostRuntimeIsConnected(serverId);
-  // COMPAT(commitsList): added in v0.1.110, remove gate after 2027-01-16.
+  // COMPAT(commitsList): added in v0.1.110, remove after 2027-01-16.
+  // COMPAT(commitBaseClassification): added in v0.2.0, remove after 2027-01-23.
   // Single capability-detection site; downstream reads a clean load-state union.
   const capabilityPresent = useSessionStore(
-    (state) => state.sessions[serverId]?.serverInfo?.features?.commitsList === true,
+    (state) =>
+      state.sessions[serverId]?.serverInfo?.features?.commitsList === true &&
+      state.sessions[serverId]?.serverInfo?.features?.commitBaseClassification === true,
   );
 
   const canFetch = Boolean(cwd) && Boolean(client) && isConnected;
@@ -84,7 +92,12 @@ export function useCheckoutCommitsQuery({
       if (!client) {
         throw new Error("Host disconnected");
       }
-      return client.listCheckoutCommits(cwd);
+      const data = await client.listCheckoutCommits(cwd);
+      const commits = data.commits.map((commit) => {
+        invariant(commit.isOnBase !== undefined, "Host omitted commit base classification");
+        return { ...commit, isOnBase: commit.isOnBase };
+      });
+      return { baseRef: data.baseRef, commits };
     },
     enabled: queryEnabled,
     staleTimeMs: CHECKOUT_COMMITS_STALE_TIME,

packages/app/src/i18n/resources/ar.ts

@@ -795,7 +795,7 @@ export const ar: TranslationResources = {
         deletedFile: "تم الحذف",
         commits: {
           title: "الإيداعات",
-          countLabel: "{{count}} من الإيداعات الأخيرة",
+          countLabel: "{{count}} من إيداعات مساحة العمل",
           fileDiffEmpty: "لا توجد تغييرات لعرضها",
           fileDiffError: "تعذّر تحميل فروق الملف",
           loading: "جارٍ تحميل الإيداعات…",

packages/app/src/i18n/resources/en.ts

@@ -805,7 +805,7 @@ export const en = {
         deletedFile: "Deleted",
         commits: {
           title: "Commits",
-          countLabel: "{{count}} recent commits",
+          countLabel: "{{count}} workspace commits",
           fileDiffEmpty: "No changes to display",
           fileDiffError: "Failed to load file diff",
           loading: "Loading commits…",

packages/app/src/i18n/resources/es.ts

@@ -826,7 +826,7 @@ export const es: TranslationResources = {
         deletedFile: "Eliminado",
         commits: {
           title: "Commits",
-          countLabel: "{{count}} commits recientes",
+          countLabel: "{{count}} commits del espacio de trabajo",
           fileDiffEmpty: "No hay cambios para mostrar",
           fileDiffError: "Error al cargar el diff del archivo",
           loading: "Cargando commits…",

packages/app/src/i18n/resources/fr.ts

@@ -825,7 +825,7 @@ export const fr: TranslationResources = {
         deletedFile: "Supprimé",
         commits: {
           title: "Commits",
-          countLabel: "{{count}} commits récents",
+          countLabel: "{{count}} commits de l’espace de travail",
           fileDiffEmpty: "Aucune modification à afficher",
           fileDiffError: "Échec du chargement du diff du fichier",
           loading: "Chargement des commits…",

packages/app/src/i18n/resources/ja.ts

@@ -806,7 +806,7 @@ export const ja: TranslationResources = {
         deletedFile: "削除済み",
         commits: {
           title: "コミット",
-          countLabel: "最近のコミット数: {{count}}",
+          countLabel: "ワークスペースのコミット数: {{count}}",
           fileDiffEmpty: "表示する変更はありません",
           fileDiffError: "ファイル差分の読み込みに失敗しました",
           loading: "コミットを読み込み中…",

packages/app/src/i18n/resources/pt-BR.ts

@@ -817,7 +817,7 @@ export const ptBR: TranslationResources = {
         deletedFile: "Excluído",
         commits: {
           title: "Commits",
-          countLabel: "{{count}} commits recentes",
+          countLabel: "{{count}} commits do espaço de trabalho",
           fileDiffEmpty: "Nenhuma alteração para exibir",
           fileDiffError: "Falha ao carregar diff do arquivo",
           loading: "Carregando commits…",

packages/app/src/i18n/resources/ru.ts

@@ -817,7 +817,7 @@ export const ru: TranslationResources = {
         deletedFile: "Удалено",
         commits: {
           title: "Коммиты",
-          countLabel: "{{count}} последних коммитов",
+          countLabel: "{{count}} коммитов рабочего пространства",
           fileDiffEmpty: "Нет изменений для отображения",
           fileDiffError: "Не удалось загрузить различия файла",
           loading: "Загрузка коммитов…",

packages/app/src/i18n/resources/zh-CN.ts

@@ -787,7 +787,7 @@ export const zhCN: TranslationResources = {
         deletedFile: "已删除",
         commits: {
           title: "提交",
-          countLabel: "最近 {{count}} 个提交",
+          countLabel: "{{count}} 个工作区提交",
           fileDiffEmpty: "没有可显示的更改",
           fileDiffError: "加载文件差异失败",
           loading: "正在加载提交…",

packages/protocol/src/messages.checkout-commits.test.ts

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ describe("checkout.commits.list schemas", () => {
           authorName: "Ada",
           authorDate: "2026-06-13T10:00:00.000Z",
           isOnRemote: true,
+          isOnBase: false,
           files: [
             { path: "src/a.ts", additions: 10, deletions: 2, status: "modified" },
             { path: "src/b.ts", additions: 5, deletions: 0, status: "added" },
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ describe("checkout.commits.list schemas", () => {
           authorName: "Ada",
           authorDate: "2026-06-13T11:00:00.000Z",
           isOnRemote: false,
+          isOnBase: true,
           files: [{ path: "src/c.ts", additions: 1, deletions: 1 }],
         },
       ],
@@ -61,10 +63,37 @@ describe("checkout.commits.list schemas", () => {
 
     expect(parsed.payload).toEqual(payload);
     expect(parsed.payload.commits[0]?.isOnRemote).toBe(true);
+    expect(parsed.payload.commits[0]?.isOnBase).toBe(false);
     expect(parsed.payload.commits[1]?.isOnRemote).toBe(false);
+    expect(parsed.payload.commits[1]?.isOnBase).toBe(true);
     expect(parsed.payload.commits[1]?.files[0]?.status).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
+  test("still parses commits from hosts without base classification", () => {
+    const parsed = CheckoutCommitsListResponseSchema.parse({
+      type: "checkout.commits.list.response",
+      payload: {
+        cwd: "/tmp/repo",
+        baseRef: "main",
+        commits: [
+          {
+            sha: "1111111111111111111111111111111111111111",
+            shortSha: "1111111",
+            subject: "Legacy commit",
+            authorName: "Ada",
+            authorDate: "2026-06-13T10:00:00.000Z",
+            isOnRemote: true,
+            files: [],
+          },
+        ],
+        error: null,
+        requestId: "request-commits",
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(parsed.payload.commits[0]?.isOnBase).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   test("accepts a null baseRef and an error payload", () => {
     const payload = {
       cwd: "/tmp/repo",
@@ -107,16 +136,17 @@ describe("checkout.commits.list schemas", () => {
     ).toMatchObject({ type: "checkout.commits.list.response" });
   });
 
-  test("accepts the commitsList server_info feature flag", () => {
+  test("accepts the commit history server_info feature flags", () => {
     expect(
       ServerInfoStatusPayloadSchema.parse({
         status: "server_info",
         serverId: "srv_test",
         features: {
           commitsList: true,
+          commitBaseClassification: true,
         },
       }).features,
-    ).toEqual({ commitsList: true });
+    ).toEqual({ commitsList: true, commitBaseClassification: true });
   });
 
   test("still parses server_info without the commitsList feature flag", () => {

packages/protocol/src/messages.ts

@@ -1732,6 +1732,8 @@ const CheckoutCommitSchema = z.object({
   authorName: z.string(),
   authorDate: z.string(), // ISO 8601
   isOnRemote: z.boolean(), // false = local-only (unpushed)
+  // COMPAT(commitBaseClassification): added in v0.2.0, remove optional after 2027-01-23.
+  isOnBase: z.boolean().optional(),
   files: z.array(CheckoutCommitFileSchema),
 });
 
@@ -2777,6 +2779,8 @@ export const ServerInfoStatusPayloadSchema = z
         projectCreateDirectory: z.boolean().optional(),
         // COMPAT(commitsList): added in v0.1.110, remove gate after 2027-01-16.
         commitsList: z.boolean().optional(),
+        // COMPAT(commitBaseClassification): added in v0.2.0, remove gate after 2027-01-23.
+        commitBaseClassification: z.boolean().optional(),
         // COMPAT(providerRemoval): added in v0.1.105, drop the gate when floor >= v0.1.105.
         providerRemoval: z.boolean().optional(),
         // COMPAT(importSessionWorkspaceTarget): added in v0.1.110, remove gate after 2027-01-16.

packages/server/src/server/daemon-client.e2e.test.ts

@@ -1008,6 +1008,7 @@ test("receives server_info on websocket connect", async () => {
   expect(serverInfo?.features?.["terminal-restore-modes"]).toBe(true);
   expect(serverInfo?.features?.hubRelationship).toBe(true);
   expect(serverInfo?.features?.commitsList).toBe(true);
+  expect(serverInfo?.features?.commitBaseClassification).toBe(true);
   expect(serverInfo?.desktopManaged).toBe(false);
   expect(serverInfo?.features?.daemonSelfUpdate).toBe(true);
   expect(serverInfo?.features?.worktreeRestore).toBe(true);

packages/server/src/server/websocket-server.ts

@@ -1408,6 +1408,8 @@ export class VoiceAssistantWebSocketServer {
         projectCreateDirectory: true,
         // COMPAT(commitsList): added in v0.1.110, remove gate after 2027-01-16.
         commitsList: true,
+        // COMPAT(commitBaseClassification): added in v0.2.0, remove gate after 2027-01-23.
+        commitBaseClassification: true,
         // COMPAT(providerRemoval): added in v0.1.105, drop the gate when floor >= v0.1.105.
         providerRemoval: true,
         // COMPAT(importSessionWorkspaceTarget): added in v0.1.110, remove gate after 2027-01-16.

packages/server/src/utils/checkout-git.commits.test.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { tmpdir } from "os";
 import { join } from "path";
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { listCheckoutCommits } from "./checkout-git.js";
+import { writePaseoWorktreeMetadata } from "./worktree-metadata.js";
 
 const tempDirs: string[] = [];
 
@@ -73,6 +74,9 @@ describe("listCheckoutCommits", () => {
     expect(commits[0]?.isOnRemote).toBe(false);
     expect(commits[1]?.isOnRemote).toBe(true);
     expect(commits[2]?.isOnRemote).toBe(true);
+    expect(commits[0]?.isOnBase).toBe(false);
+    expect(commits[1]?.isOnBase).toBe(false);
+    expect(commits[2]?.isOnBase).toBe(true);
 
     expect(commits[0]?.files).toEqual([
       { path: "bar.txt", additions: 1, deletions: 0, status: "added" },
@@ -92,6 +96,26 @@ describe("listCheckoutCommits", () => {
     const { baseRef, commits } = await listCheckoutCommits({ cwd: repoDir });
     expect(baseRef).toBeNull();
     expect(commits.map((entry) => entry.subject)).toEqual(["initial"]);
+    expect(commits[0]?.isOnBase).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps recent history when the saved base branch no longer exists", async () => {
+    const { repoDir, tempDir } = initRepoOnMain();
+    const worktreesRoot = join(tempDir, "worktrees");
+    const worktreeDir = join(worktreesRoot, "repo-hash", "feature");
+    mkdirSync(join(worktreesRoot, "repo-hash"), { recursive: true });
+    git(["worktree", "add", "-b", "feature", worktreeDir], repoDir);
+    commitFile(worktreeDir, "feature.txt", "feature\n", "Feature work");
+    writePaseoWorktreeMetadata(worktreeDir, { baseRefName: "deleted-base" });
+
+    const { baseRef, commits } = await listCheckoutCommits({
+      cwd: worktreeDir,
+      context: { worktreesRoot },
+    });
+
+    expect(baseRef).toBe("main");
+    expect(commits.map((entry) => entry.subject)).toEqual(["Feature work", "initial"]);
+    expect(commits.map((entry) => entry.isOnBase)).toEqual([false, true]);
   });
 
   it("marks all commits local-only when there is no remote", async () => {
@@ -122,19 +146,77 @@ describe("listCheckoutCommits", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
-  it("limits history and unpushed classification to the 20 most recent commits", async () => {
+  it("keeps local base commits out of workspace history when the local base is ahead", async () => {
+    const { repoDir, tempDir } = initRepoOnMain();
+    addBareRemote(repoDir, tempDir);
+    git(["push", "-u", "origin", "main"], repoDir);
+    commitFile(repoDir, "local-base.txt", "base\n", "Local base work");
+    git(["checkout", "-b", "feature"], repoDir);
+    commitFile(repoDir, "feature.txt", "feature\n", "Feature work");
+
+    const { commits } = await listCheckoutCommits({ cwd: repoDir });
+
+    expect(commits.map(({ subject, isOnBase }) => ({ subject, isOnBase }))).toEqual([
+      { subject: "Feature work", isOnBase: false },
+      { subject: "Local base work", isOnBase: true },
+      { subject: "initial", isOnBase: true },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("shows every workspace commit followed by at most 10 base commits", async () => {
     const { repoDir } = initRepoOnMain();
+    for (let index = 1; index <= 14; index += 1) {
+      commitFile(repoDir, "base-history.txt", `${index}\n`, `Base ${index}`);
+    }
+    git(["checkout", "-b", "feature"], repoDir);
     for (let index = 1; index <= 24; index += 1) {
+      commitFile(repoDir, "workspace-history.txt", `${index}\n`, `Workspace ${index}`);
+    }
+
+    const { commits } = await listCheckoutCommits({ cwd: repoDir });
+
+    expect(commits).toHaveLength(34);
+    expect(commits.every((entry) => entry.isOnRemote === false)).toBe(true);
+    expect(commits.slice(0, 24).map((entry) => entry.subject)).toEqual(
+      Array.from({ length: 24 }, (_, index) => `Workspace ${24 - index}`),
+    );
+    expect(commits.slice(0, 24).every((entry) => entry.isOnBase === false)).toBe(true);
+    expect(commits.slice(24).map((entry) => entry.subject)).toEqual(
+      Array.from({ length: 10 }, (_, index) => `Base ${14 - index}`),
+    );
+    expect(commits.slice(24).every((entry) => entry.isOnBase === true)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("starts base context at the fork point when the base branch has advanced", async () => {
+    const { repoDir } = initRepoOnMain();
+    commitFile(repoDir, "shared.txt", "shared\n", "Shared base");
+    git(["checkout", "-b", "feature"], repoDir);
+    commitFile(repoDir, "feature.txt", "feature\n", "Feature work");
+    git(["checkout", "main"], repoDir);
+    commitFile(repoDir, "newer-base.txt", "newer\n", "Newer base");
+    git(["checkout", "feature"], repoDir);
+
+    const { commits } = await listCheckoutCommits({ cwd: repoDir });
+
+    expect(commits.map(({ subject, isOnBase }) => ({ subject, isOnBase }))).toEqual([
+      { subject: "Feature work", isOnBase: false },
+      { subject: "Shared base", isOnBase: true },
+      { subject: "initial", isOnBase: true },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("limits base-branch history to 10 commits", async () => {
+    const { repoDir } = initRepoOnMain();
+    for (let index = 1; index <= 14; index += 1) {
       commitFile(repoDir, "history.txt", `${index}\n`, `Commit ${index}`);
     }
 
     const { commits } = await listCheckoutCommits({ cwd: repoDir });
 
-    expect(commits).toHaveLength(20);
-    expect(commits.every((entry) => entry.isOnRemote === false)).toBe(true);
     expect(commits.map((entry) => entry.subject)).toEqual(
-      Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, index) => `Commit ${24 - index}`),
+      Array.from({ length: 10 }, (_, index) => `Commit ${14 - index}`),
     );
+    expect(commits.every((entry) => entry.isOnBase === true)).toBe(true);
   });
 
   it("shows merged branch commits and compares the merge against its first parent", async () => {

packages/server/src/utils/checkout-git.ts

@@ -1988,8 +1988,9 @@ export async function getCheckoutStatus(
   };
 }
 
-// The explorer is a recent-history view, not a full repository log.
+// Workspace history stays complete; base history is bounded context until the
-const MAX_CHECKOUT_COMMITS = 20;
+// commits list supports paging older base commits.
+const CHECKOUT_BASE_COMMIT_LIMIT = 10;
 // Bytes git emits between fields/records. We split parsed output on these.
 const COMMIT_FIELD_SEPARATOR = "\x00";
 const COMMIT_RECORD_SEPARATOR = "\x1e";
@@ -2009,6 +2010,12 @@ interface ParsedCheckoutCommit {
   files: CheckoutCommitFile[];
 }
 
+interface CheckoutCommitLogInput {
+  cwd: string;
+  revision: string;
+  maxCount?: number;
+}
+
 function mapNameStatusLetter(letter: string): CheckoutCommitFileStatus | undefined {
   switch (letter) {
     case "A":
@@ -2133,14 +2140,11 @@ function parseCheckoutCommitRecords(stdout: string): ParsedCheckoutCommit[] {
 
 // Returns commits reachable from HEAD that are not reachable from any remote ref.
 async function getUnpushedCommitShas(cwd: string, context?: CheckoutContext): Promise<Set<string>> {
-  const { stdout } = await runGitCommand(
+  const { stdout } = await runGitCommand(["rev-list", "HEAD", "--not", "--remotes"], {
-    ["rev-list", `--max-count=${MAX_CHECKOUT_COMMITS}`, "HEAD", "--not", "--remotes"],
+    cwd,
-    {
+    envOverlay: READ_ONLY_GIT_ENV,
-      cwd,
+    logger: context?.logger,
-      envOverlay: READ_ONLY_GIT_ENV,
+  });
-      logger: context?.logger,
-    },
-  );
   return new Set(
     stdout
       .split("\n")
@@ -2149,58 +2153,104 @@ async function getUnpushedCommitShas(cwd: string, context?: CheckoutContext): Pr
   );
 }
 
-/**
+async function getCheckoutCommitRecords({
- * Lists the current branch's 20 most recent commits, newest first, each flagged
+  cwd,
- * local-only vs on-remote with per-commit file +/- stats.
+  revision,
- */
+  maxCount,
+}: CheckoutCommitLogInput): Promise<ParsedCheckoutCommit[]> {
+  const args = [
+    "log",
+    revision,
+    "--diff-merges=first-parent",
+    `--format=${COMMIT_LOG_FORMAT}`,
+    "--raw",
+    "--numstat",
+    "-M",
+  ];
+  if (maxCount !== undefined) {
+    args.splice(2, 0, `--max-count=${maxCount}`);
+  }
+
+  const result = await runGitCommand(args, { cwd, envOverlay: READ_ONLY_GIT_ENV });
+  if (result.truncated) {
+    throw new Error("Commit history exceeded the git output limit");
+  }
+  return parseCheckoutCommitRecords(result.stdout);
+}
+
 export interface CheckoutCommitsResult {
   baseRef: string | null;
   commits: CheckoutCommit[];
 }
 
+async function tryResolveCheckoutCommitsBaseRef(
+  cwd: string,
+  baseRef: string | null,
+  currentBranch: string,
+): Promise<string | null> {
+  if (!baseRef) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  const normalizedBaseRef = normalizeLocalBranchRefName(baseRef);
+  if (!normalizedBaseRef || normalizedBaseRef === currentBranch) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  return resolveMostAheadBaseRef(cwd, normalizedBaseRef).catch(() => null);
+}
+
 export async function listCheckoutCommits({
   cwd,
+  context,
 }: {
   cwd: string;
+  context?: CheckoutContext;
 }): Promise<CheckoutCommitsResult> {
   const currentBranch = await getCurrentBranch(cwd);
   if (!currentBranch) {
     return { baseRef: null, commits: [] };
   }
 
-  const { resolvedBaseRef } = await resolveBaseRefForCwd(cwd);
+  const { resolvedBaseRef } = await resolveBaseRefForCwd(cwd, context);
   const normalizedBaseRef = resolvedBaseRef ? normalizeLocalBranchRefName(resolvedBaseRef) : null;
-  let comparisonBaseRef: string | null = null;
+  let comparisonBaseRef = await tryResolveCheckoutCommitsBaseRef(
-  if (resolvedBaseRef && normalizedBaseRef && normalizedBaseRef !== currentBranch) {
+    cwd,
-    try {
+    resolvedBaseRef,
-      comparisonBaseRef = await resolveBestComparisonBaseRef(cwd, resolvedBaseRef);
+    currentBranch,
-    } catch {
+  );
-      // History does not depend on the configured base being available.
+  if (!comparisonBaseRef && normalizedBaseRef && normalizedBaseRef !== currentBranch) {
-    }
+    // Saved worktree metadata can outlive a renamed or deleted base branch.
+    comparisonBaseRef = await tryResolveCheckoutCommitsBaseRef(
+      cwd,
+      await resolveBaseRef(cwd),
+      currentBranch,
+    );
   }
 
-  // Single pass: `--raw` carries the status letter, `--numstat` the +/- counts.
+  let workspaceRecords: ParsedCheckoutCommit[] = [];
-  // (`--name-status` cannot be combined with `--numstat` — git emits only one.)
+  let baseRevision = "HEAD";
-  const logResult = await runGitCommand(
+  if (comparisonBaseRef) {
-    [
+    const [records, mergeBase] = await Promise.all([
-      "log",
+      getCheckoutCommitRecords({ cwd, revision: `${comparisonBaseRef}..HEAD` }),
-      "HEAD",
+      tryResolveMergeBase(cwd, comparisonBaseRef),
-      "--diff-merges=first-parent",
+    ]);
-      `--max-count=${MAX_CHECKOUT_COMMITS}`,
+    workspaceRecords = records;
-      `--format=${COMMIT_LOG_FORMAT}`,
+    baseRevision = mergeBase ?? "";
-      "--raw",
+  }
-      "--numstat",
-      "-M",
-    ],
-    { cwd, envOverlay: READ_ONLY_GIT_ENV },
-  );
 
-  const records = parseCheckoutCommitRecords(logResult.stdout);
+  const baseRecords = baseRevision
+    ? await getCheckoutCommitRecords({
+        cwd,
+        revision: baseRevision,
+        maxCount: CHECKOUT_BASE_COMMIT_LIMIT,
+      })
+    : [];
+  const records = [...workspaceRecords, ...baseRecords];
   if (records.length === 0) {
     return { baseRef: comparisonBaseRef, commits: [] };
   }
 
   const unpushedShas = await getUnpushedCommitShas(cwd);
+  const workspaceShas = new Set(workspaceRecords.map((record) => record.sha));
 
   const commits = records.map((record) => ({
     sha: record.sha,
@@ -2209,6 +2259,7 @@ export async function listCheckoutCommits({
     authorName: record.authorName,
     authorDate: record.authorDate,
     isOnRemote: !unpushedShas.has(record.sha),
+    isOnBase: !workspaceShas.has(record.sha),
     files: record.files,
   }));