seeones · Oct 10, 2026 · Oct 10, 2026 · Oct 10, 2026
@@ -119,10 +119,16 @@ export const stories: Record<string, Story> = {
 			</AppProviders>
 		)
 	},
-	"auto-approve-settings": async () => {
+	"auto-approve-settings": async ({ followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs }) => {
 		const { AutoApproveSettingsStory } =
 			await import("@/components/settings/__tests__/AutoApproveSettings.visual.fixture")
-		return <AutoApproveSettingsStory />
+		return (
+			<AutoApproveSettingsStory
+				followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs={
+					typeof followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs === "number" ? followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs : undefined
+				}
+			/>
+		)
 	},
 	"chat-text-area": async () => {
 		const { ChatTextAreaStory } = await import("@/components/chat/__tests__/ChatTextArea.visual.fixture")

@@ -59,6 +59,13 @@
 					? followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs
 					: DEFAULT_FOLLOWUP_TIMEOUT_MS
 
+			// A timeout of 0 (or negative) means "never auto-select": don't start a
+			// countdown at all, and let the user choose an answer manually.
+			if (timeoutMs <= 0) {
+				setCountdown(null)
+				return () => onCancelAutoApproval?.()
+			}
+
 			// Convert milliseconds to seconds for the countdown
 			setCountdown(Math.floor(timeoutMs / 1000))
 

@@ -100,6 +100,55 @@ describe("FollowUpSuggest", () => {
 		expect(screen.getByText(/Selecting in 3s/)).toBeInTheDocument()
 	})
 
+	it("should not show countdown and should not auto-select when timeout is 0", () => {
+		const testState: TestExtensionState = {
+			...defaultTestState,
+			followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs: 0,
+		}
+
+		const { unmount } = renderWithTestProviders(
+			<FollowUpSuggest
+				suggestions={mockSuggestions}
+				onSuggestionClick={mockOnSuggestionClick}
+				ts={123}
+				onCancelAutoApproval={mockOnCancelAutoApproval}
+			/>,
+			testState,
+		)
+
+		// A timeout of 0 means "never auto-select": no countdown should be shown.
+		expect(screen.queryByText(/\d+s/)).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+
+		// Advancing time must not trigger the auto-selection callback.
+		act(() => {
+			vi.advanceTimersByTime(10000)
+		})
+		expect(mockOnSuggestionClick).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+		// Unmounting still notifies the caller that no auto-approval is pending.
+		unmount()
+		expect(mockOnCancelAutoApproval).toHaveBeenCalled()
+	})
+
+	it("should not show countdown for negative timeout values", () => {
+		const testState: TestExtensionState = {
+			...defaultTestState,
+			followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs: -1000,
+		}
+
+		renderWithTestProviders(
+			<FollowUpSuggest
+				suggestions={mockSuggestions}
+				onSuggestionClick={mockOnSuggestionClick}
+				ts={123}
+				onCancelAutoApproval={mockOnCancelAutoApproval}
+			/>,
+			testState,
+		)
+
+		expect(screen.queryByText(/\d+s/)).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+	})
+
 	it("should not display countdown timer when isAnswered is true", () => {
 		renderWithTestProviders(
 			<FollowUpSuggest

@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ export const AutoApproveSettings = ({
 							label={t("settings:autoApprove.followupQuestions.timeoutLabel")}>
 							<div className="flex items-center gap-2">
 								<Slider
-									min={1000}
+									min={0}
 									max={300000}
 									step={1000}
 									value={[followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs]}
@@ -318,7 +318,9 @@ export const AutoApproveSettings = ({
 								<span className="w-20">{followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs / 1000}s</span>
 							</div>
 							<div className="text-vscode-descriptionForeground text-sm mt-1">
-								{t("settings:autoApprove.followupQuestions.timeoutLabel")}
+								{followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs === 0
+									? t("settings:autoApprove.followupQuestions.timeoutZeroDescription")
+									: t("settings:autoApprove.followupQuestions.timeoutLabel")}
 							</div>
 						</SearchableSetting>
 					</div>

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 import React from "react"
 
+import { within } from "@testing-library/react"
+
 import { render, screen, fireEvent } from "@/utils/test-utils"
 
 import { AutoApproveSettings } from "../AutoApproveSettings"
@@ -354,3 +356,38 @@ describe("AutoApproveSettings - Save/Discard contract", () => {
 		expectNoImmediateUpdateSettings()
 	})
 })
+
+// The follow-up timeout slider is exercised here rather than in the visual suite:
+// behavior lives in Vitest and *.visual.tsx keeps only a focused screenshot.
+describe("AutoApproveSettings - follow-up timeout slider", () => {
+	// The Radix Slider root carries data-testid; the element with role="slider" is
+	// its thumb, which owns aria-valuemin/aria-valuenow.
+	const getSliderThumb = (): HTMLElement => within(screen.getByTestId("followup-timeout-slider")).getByRole("slider")
+
+	it("renders the slider with a zero minimum that allows a never-auto-select timeout", () => {
+		renderSettings({ alwaysAllowFollowupQuestions: true, followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs: 0 })
+
+		const thumb = getSliderThumb()
+
+		expect(thumb).toHaveAttribute("aria-valuemin", "0")
+		expect(thumb).toHaveAttribute("aria-valuenow", "0")
+	})
+
+	it("describes a zero timeout as never auto-selecting", () => {
+		renderSettings({ alwaysAllowFollowupQuestions: true, followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs: 0 })
+
+		// The translation mock returns the key verbatim, so the zero branch is
+		// distinguishable from the positive branch by its key alone.
+		expect(screen.getByText("settings:autoApprove.followupQuestions.timeoutZeroDescription")).toBeInTheDocument()
+		expect(screen.queryByText("settings:autoApprove.followupQuestions.timeoutLabel")).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+	})
+
+	it("describes a positive timeout with the wait-time label", () => {
+		renderSettings({ alwaysAllowFollowupQuestions: true, followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs: 60000 })
+
+		expect(screen.getByText("settings:autoApprove.followupQuestions.timeoutLabel")).toBeInTheDocument()
+		expect(
+			screen.queryByText("settings:autoApprove.followupQuestions.timeoutZeroDescription"),
+		).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+	})
+})
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ interface AutoApproveState {
 	alwaysAllowSubtasks: boolean
 	alwaysAllowExecute: boolean
 	alwaysAllowFollowupQuestions: boolean
+	followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs?: number
 	destructiveCommandGuardEnabled: boolean
 	alwaysDenyUnapprovedCommands: boolean
 	allowedCommands: string[]
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ interface AutoApproveState {
 	allowedMaxCost?: number
 }
 
-export function AutoApproveSettingsStory() {
+export function AutoApproveSettingsStory({ followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs }: { followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs?: number }) {
 	// The blanket auto-deny checkbox is pinned here in its operative mode: with
 	// the destructive command guard on it is the fail-closed policy, and the
 	// guard's hidden command-list editors would otherwise vary the snapshot.
@@ -34,7 +35,8 @@ export function AutoApproveSettingsStory() {
 		alwaysAllowModeSwitch: false,
 		alwaysAllowSubtasks: false,
 		alwaysAllowExecute: true,
-		alwaysAllowFollowupQuestions: false,
+		alwaysAllowFollowupQuestions: followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs !== undefined,
+		followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs,
 		destructiveCommandGuardEnabled: true,
 		alwaysDenyUnapprovedCommands: true,
 		allowedCommands: [],
@@ -62,6 +64,7 @@ export function AutoApproveSettingsStory() {
 					return { ...current, [field]: Array.isArray(value) ? [...value] : [] }
 				case "allowedMaxRequests":
 				case "allowedMaxCost":
+				case "followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs":
 					return { ...current, [field]: typeof value === "number" ? value : undefined }
 				default:
 					return current

@@ -17,4 +17,14 @@ for (const theme of visualThemes) {
 		await expect(checkbox).toBeChecked()
 		await expect(story).toHaveScreenshot(`auto-approve-settings-${theme.name}.png`)
 	})
+
+	// Behavioral assertions for the slider (minimum, current value, and the zero-timeout
+	// description) live in AutoApproveSettings.spec.tsx. This visual test establishes a
+	// deterministic zero-timeout state and makes the focused screenshot assertion.
+	test(`renders the zero follow-up timeout in the VS Code ${theme.name} theme`, async ({ mount, page }) => {
+		const component = mountedStory(await mount("auto-approve-settings", { followupAutoApproveTimeoutMs: 0 }))
+		await applyVisualTheme(page, theme)
+		const story = component.getByTestId("auto-approve-settings-story")
+		await expect(story).toHaveScreenshot(`auto-approve-settings-followup-zero-${theme.name}.png`)
+	})
 }
@@ -415,7 +415,8 @@
 		"followupQuestions": {
 			"label": "Question",
 			"description": "Automatically select the first suggested answer for follow-up questions after the configured timeout",
-			"timeoutLabel": "Time to wait before auto-selecting the first answer"
+			"timeoutLabel": "Time to wait before auto-selecting the first answer",
+			"timeoutZeroDescription": "Set to 0 to never auto-select — always wait for you to choose an answer manually"
 		},
 		"execute": {
 			"label": "Execute",