Fix desktop messages not appearing live until refocus (#59)

Desktop mode's focus gating (from #49) made losing OS focus send "leave"
for every open room, which stopped live message delivery to that room,
not just notification eligibility -- so a message wouldn't render until
the room was manually left and rejoined. Room join/leave is now gated on
visibility alone, matching the browser; notification eligibility gets its
own separate signal (a "focus"/"blur" WS frame tracked by a new
Redis-backed FocusPresence), so a connected-but-unfocused desktop member
still gets notified without losing live delivery.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

backend/app/main.py

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ from app.routers import (
 from app.ws.broadcaster import Broadcaster
 from app.ws.chat import router as ws_router
 from app.ws.connection_manager import ConnectionManager
+from app.ws.focus_presence import FocusPresence
 from app.ws.global_presence import GlobalPresence
 from app.ws.presence import Presence
 
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
     app.state.redis = Redis.from_url(settings.redis_url, decode_responses=True)
     app.state.presence = Presence(app.state.redis)
     app.state.global_presence = GlobalPresence(app.state.redis)
+    app.state.focus_presence = FocusPresence(app.state.redis)
     app.state.broadcaster = Broadcaster(app.state.redis, app.state.connection_manager)
 
     app.include_router(health.router)

backend/app/routers/webhooks.py

@@ -25,4 +25,5 @@ async def incoming_webhook_endpoint(
 
     broadcaster = request.app.state.broadcaster
     presence = request.app.state.presence
-    await broadcast_new_message(db, broadcaster, presence, room.id, message, sender)
+    focus_presence = request.app.state.focus_presence
+    await broadcast_new_message(db, broadcaster, presence, focus_presence, room.id, message, sender)

backend/app/services/message_events.py

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from app.services.link_preview_service import fetch_and_broadcast_link_preview
 from app.services.push_service import send_push_to_user
 from app.services.webhook_service import dispatch_event
 from app.ws.broadcaster import Broadcaster
+from app.ws.focus_presence import FocusPresence
 from app.ws.presence import Presence
 
 
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ async def _notify_offline_members(
     db: AsyncSession,
     broadcaster: Broadcaster,
     presence: Presence,
+    focus_presence: FocusPresence,
     room_id: uuid.UUID,
     sender: User,
     message: Message,
@@ -25,12 +27,28 @@ async def _notify_offline_members(
         select(RoomMembership.user_id).where(RoomMembership.room_id == room_id)
     )
     member_ids = {row[0] for row in result.all()}
+    connected_ids = await presence.connected_user_ids(room_id)
     # Subtract the sender explicitly rather than relying on them being
     # "connected" (true for the WS path, since they just sent this over an
     # active connection -- not true for the incoming-webhook REST path,
     # which has no WS connection for the attributed sender at all).
-    offline_ids = member_ids - await presence.connected_user_ids(room_id) - {sender.id}
-    if not offline_ids:
+    offline_ids = member_ids - connected_ids - {sender.id}
+
+    # #59: a desktop-mode member can be *connected* to this room's channel
+    # (it's open on screen, live messages are rendering) while their window
+    # sits unfocused behind something else -- still exactly the situation a
+    # desktop notification should fire for, same as #49's original intent.
+    # This used to be handled by the client faking "offline" (leaving the
+    # room's channel on blur), which also silently stopped live delivery to
+    # that room; FocusPresence is a separate signal so notification
+    # eligibility no longer has to ride on room-connection state at all.
+    connected_but_unfocused_ids = {
+        user_id
+        for user_id in connected_ids - {sender.id}
+        if await focus_presence.is_unfocused(user_id)
+    }
+    notify_ids = offline_ids | connected_but_unfocused_ids
+    if not notify_ids:
         return
 
     result = await db.execute(
@@ -38,12 +56,10 @@ async def _notify_offline_members(
     )
     mentioned_ids = {row[0] for row in result.all()}
 
-    # This is also exactly the right audience for "give this room an unread
-    # dot": presence.connected_user_ids(room_id) means "has this room's
-    # channel joined right now" -- which the client only does while the tab
-    # is genuinely foregrounded (see useChatSocket.ts's visibility-gated
-    # join/leave), so a backgrounded-but-open room correctly lands here too,
-    # not just rooms that aren't open at all.
+    # Unread-dot audience stays exactly offline_ids, not notify_ids: a
+    # connected-but-unfocused member still has the room open and rendering
+    # on screen right now, so it isn't actually "unread" for them the way a
+    # room they haven't got open at all is.
     for user_id in offline_ids:
         await broadcaster.publish_to_user(
             user_id,
@@ -56,7 +72,7 @@ async def _notify_offline_members(
 
     room = await db.get(Room, room_id)
     title = f"#{room.name}" if room else "New message"
-    for user_id in offline_ids:
+    for user_id in notify_ids:
         mentioned = user_id in mentioned_ids
         if message.content:
             prefix = f"{sender.username} mentioned you: " if mentioned else f"{sender.username}: "
@@ -131,6 +147,7 @@ async def broadcast_new_message(
     db: AsyncSession,
     broadcaster: Broadcaster,
     presence: Presence,
+    focus_presence: FocusPresence,
     room_id: uuid.UUID,
     message: Message,
     sender: User,
@@ -161,7 +178,7 @@ async def broadcast_new_message(
         await broadcaster.publish_to_user(
             unhidden_user_id, {"type": "room_added", "room_id": str(room_id)}
         )
-    await _notify_offline_members(db, broadcaster, presence, room_id, sender, message)
+    await _notify_offline_members(db, broadcaster, presence, focus_presence, room_id, sender, message)
     await dispatch_event(db, "message.created", room_id, payload)
     _maybe_fetch_link_preview(broadcaster, room_id, message)
 

backend/app/ws/chat.py

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ class ClientEnvelope(BaseModel):
     file_id: uuid.UUID | None = None
     message_id: uuid.UUID | None = None
     emoji: str | None = None
+    focused: bool | None = None
 
 
 async def _is_room_member(db: AsyncSession, room_id: uuid.UUID, user_id: uuid.UUID) -> bool:
@@ -79,8 +80,14 @@ async def chat_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket, db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
     manager = websocket.app.state.connection_manager
     presence = websocket.app.state.presence
     global_presence = websocket.app.state.global_presence
+    focus_presence = websocket.app.state.focus_presence
     broadcaster = websocket.app.state.broadcaster
     joined_rooms: set[uuid.UUID] = set()
+    # Tracks this connection's last-reported focus state (see the "focus"
+    # envelope below) so the disconnect cleanup can release FocusPresence's
+    # refcount if the socket closes while still blurred -- mirroring how
+    # joined_rooms tracks per-connection room membership for its own cleanup.
+    is_blurred = False
     manager.register_user(user.id, websocket)
     # Only broadcast on a genuine offline->online transition (this user's
     # first open connection), not for every extra tab -- broadcast_member_
@@ -133,6 +140,25 @@ async def chat_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket, db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
                     await presence.leave(envelope.room_id, user.id)
                     joined_rooms.discard(envelope.room_id)
 
+                elif envelope.type == "focus":
+                    # Sent only by the desktop client (#59), independent of
+                    # room join/leave -- see FocusPresence's docstring for
+                    # why widening desktop_notification eligibility this
+                    # way no longer needs to touch live room delivery at
+                    # all, unlike the "leave the room's channel on blur"
+                    # approach this replaced.
+                    if envelope.focused is None:
+                        await websocket.send_json({"type": "error", "detail": "focused required"})
+                        continue
+                    if envelope.focused:
+                        if is_blurred:
+                            await focus_presence.mark_focused(user.id)
+                            is_blurred = False
+                    else:
+                        if not is_blurred:
+                            await focus_presence.mark_blurred(user.id)
+                            is_blurred = True
+
                 elif envelope.type == "message":
                     if envelope.room_id is None or (
                         not envelope.content
@@ -185,7 +211,9 @@ async def chat_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket, db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
                     # incoming-webhook path also calls it, and a webhook's
                     # attributed sender may not actually be watching.
                     await mark_room_read(db, envelope.room_id, user.id)
-                    await broadcast_new_message(db, broadcaster, presence, envelope.room_id, message, user)
+                    await broadcast_new_message(
+                        db, broadcaster, presence, focus_presence, envelope.room_id, message, user
+                    )
 
                 elif envelope.type == "edit":
                     if envelope.room_id is None or envelope.message_id is None or not envelope.content:
@@ -268,5 +296,7 @@ async def chat_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket, db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
         manager.unregister_user(user.id, websocket)
         for room_id in joined_rooms:
             await presence.leave(room_id, user.id)
+        if is_blurred:
+            await focus_presence.mark_focused(user.id)
         if await global_presence.disconnect(user.id):
             await broadcast_member_updated(db, broadcaster, user.id)

backend/app/ws/focus_presence.py

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+import uuid
+
+from redis.asyncio import Redis
+
+
+class FocusPresence:
+    """Cross-instance "is this desktop-mode user's window currently
+    unfocused," used only to widen desktop_notification/push eligibility
+    beyond plain room-connection state (#59). A Redis hash (field =
+    user_id, value = refcount of that user's currently-blurred desktop
+    connections), parallel to Presence/GlobalPresence.
+
+    Absence from this hash is the default and means "focused." That default
+    is also exactly right for every browser-tab connection: only the
+    desktop client ever sends focus/blur frames at all (see chat.py's
+    "focus" envelope handling), so a browser user never appears here --
+    their attention is already fully captured by Presence's room-connection
+    state, which stays visibility-gated with no separate focus signal.
+
+    Refcounted for the same multi-connection reason as Presence/
+    GlobalPresence, with the same known simplification: two desktop windows
+    for one user, one focused and one blurred, count as "unfocused" here
+    (refcount > 0) even though the user does have attention somewhere. That
+    errs toward notifying rather than silently missing one, which is the
+    safer failure mode for a notification.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, redis: Redis) -> None:
+        self._redis = redis
+
+    def _key(self) -> str:
+        return "presence:unfocused"
+
+    async def mark_blurred(self, user_id: uuid.UUID) -> None:
+        await self._redis.hincrby(self._key(), str(user_id), 1)
+
+    async def mark_focused(self, user_id: uuid.UUID) -> None:
+        key = self._key()
+        field = str(user_id)
+        remaining = await self._redis.hincrby(key, field, -1)
+        if remaining <= 0:
+            await self._redis.hdel(key, field)
+
+    async def is_unfocused(self, user_id: uuid.UUID) -> bool:
+        return await self._redis.hexists(self._key(), str(user_id))

backend/tests/test_desktop_notifications.py

@@ -128,6 +128,87 @@ def test_desktop_notification_not_sent_to_room_member_who_is_present(ws_client_f
         assert live_message["type"] == "message"
 
 
+def test_desktop_notification_sent_to_connected_but_blurred_member(ws_client_factory):
+    # #59: bob keeps the room's channel joined (so live delivery to a room
+    # actually open on screen never stops) but reports his desktop window
+    # as unfocused via a "focus" frame -- the whole point of this fix is
+    # that notification eligibility no longer needs the client to fake
+    # "offline" by leaving the room's channel, which used to also break
+    # live delivery until the room was manually left and rejoined.
+    instance1 = ws_client_factory()
+    instance2 = ws_client_factory()
+
+    alice = _register_ws(instance1, _unique("alice"))
+    room = instance1.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")}).json()
+
+    _register_ws(instance2, _unique("bob"))
+    instance2.post(f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/join")
+
+    with instance2.websocket_connect("/ws/chat") as bob_ws:
+        bob_ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        assert bob_ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+
+        bob_ws.send_json({"type": "focus", "focused": False})
+        # Sync barrier -- see test_mentions.py's identical pattern: a
+        # second (idempotent) join only acks once the prior "focus"
+        # frame's own handling (and commit) has completed.
+        bob_ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        assert bob_ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+
+        with instance1.websocket_connect("/ws/chat") as alice_ws:
+            alice_ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+            assert alice_ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+            message = _send_and_sync(alice_ws, room["id"], "you awake?")
+            assert message["type"] == "message"
+
+        # Live delivery still works -- bob's room channel was never left.
+        live_message = _recv(bob_ws)
+        assert live_message["type"] == "message"
+        assert live_message["content"] == "you awake?"
+
+        # ...and he's still notified, despite being "connected" to the room.
+        desktop_note = _recv(bob_ws)
+        assert desktop_note == {
+            "type": "desktop_notification",
+            "id": message["id"],
+            "room_id": room["id"],
+            "title": f"#{room['name']}",
+            "body": f"{alice['username']}: you awake?",
+        }
+
+
+def test_desktop_notification_not_sent_after_refocus(ws_client_factory):
+    # Proves the "focus" signal is a live toggle, not one-way -- blurring
+    # and then refocusing before the message arrives must fully cancel out.
+    instance1 = ws_client_factory()
+    instance2 = ws_client_factory()
+
+    alice = _register_ws(instance1, _unique("alice"))
+    room = instance1.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")}).json()
+
+    _register_ws(instance2, _unique("bob"))
+    instance2.post(f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/join")
+
+    with instance2.websocket_connect("/ws/chat") as bob_ws:
+        bob_ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        assert bob_ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+
+        bob_ws.send_json({"type": "focus", "focused": False})
+        bob_ws.send_json({"type": "focus", "focused": True})
+        bob_ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        assert bob_ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+
+        with instance1.websocket_connect("/ws/chat") as alice_ws:
+            alice_ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+            assert alice_ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+            _send_and_sync(alice_ws, room["id"], "hello again")
+
+        # Refocused before the message arrived -- only the live broadcast,
+        # same as test_desktop_notification_not_sent_to_room_member_who_is_present.
+        live_message = _recv(bob_ws)
+        assert live_message["type"] == "message"
+
+
 def test_desktop_notification_not_sent_to_non_member(ws_client_factory):
     instance1 = ws_client_factory()
     instance2 = ws_client_factory()

frontend/src/ws/useChatSocket.ts

@@ -10,20 +10,23 @@ interface UseChatSocketOptions {
 const RECONNECT_BASE_DELAY_MS = 1000
 const RECONNECT_MAX_DELAY_MS = 30000
 
-// #49 follow-up: a bare `document.visibilityState` check (below) means "not
-// minimized/hidden" -- in a browser tab that's a decent proxy for "the user
-// could be looking at this," since visibility already tracks whether this is
-// the active tab. Inside an Electron BrowserWindow it isn't: visibilityState
-// only flips on minimize/hide, not on losing OS focus, so a window sitting
-// open-but-unfocused behind another app never registers as "gone." That's
-// exactly the state a desktop notification needs to fire in, so desktop mode
-// additionally requires document.hasFocus(). Gated on desktopMode so regular
-// browser-tab behavior (already relied on by Web Push and the unread dot) is
-// completely unchanged.
 const desktopMode = isDesktopNotificationsSupported()
 
-function isPresent(): boolean {
-  return document.visibilityState === 'visible' && (!desktopMode || document.hasFocus())
+// Room join/leave (live message delivery) depends only on visibility --
+// "not minimized/hidden" -- exactly like a browser tab, in every mode.
+//
+// #49 originally had desktop mode additionally require document.hasFocus()
+// here, on the theory that losing OS focus should count as "not present"
+// the same way backgrounding a browser tab does. #59: that conflated two
+// separate concerns onto one signal -- losing focus made the desktop client
+// send "leave" for every open room, which stopped *live delivery* to a room
+// still fully visible on screen, not just notification eligibility. A
+// message wouldn't appear until the room was manually left and rejoined
+// (e.g. switching rooms and back), which is what actually got reported.
+// Focus now drives its own separate signal (see the "focus" WS frame below
+// and FocusPresence server-side) instead of gating room membership at all.
+function isVisible(): boolean {
+  return document.visibilityState === 'visible'
 }
 
 // One connection per authenticated session, established as soon as the app
@@ -47,7 +50,7 @@ export function useChatSocket({ onUnauthenticated }: UseChatSocketOptions) {
   // backgrounded user the same as a disconnected one instead of assuming a
   // live WebSocket delivery the user can't actually see will do the job.
   const desiredRoomsRef = useRef(new Set<string>())
-  const isVisibleRef = useRef(isPresent())
+  const isVisibleRef = useRef(isVisible())
 
   const sendRoomFrame = useCallback((type: 'join' | 'leave', roomId: string) => {
     const ws = socketRef.current
@@ -56,6 +59,18 @@ export function useChatSocket({ onUnauthenticated }: UseChatSocketOptions) {
     }
   }, [])
 
+  // #59: reports this desktop window's focus state as its own signal,
+  // completely separate from room join/leave above -- see FocusPresence
+  // server-side. No-op (and never called) outside desktop mode, matching
+  // how the server only ever expects "focus" frames from the desktop
+  // client at all.
+  const sendFocusFrame = useCallback(() => {
+    const ws = socketRef.current
+    if (ws && ws.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
+      ws.send(JSON.stringify({ type: 'focus', focused: document.hasFocus() }))
+    }
+  }, [])
+
   useEffect(() => {
     let stopped = false
     let reconnectDelay = RECONNECT_BASE_DELAY_MS
@@ -91,12 +106,18 @@ export function useChatSocket({ onUnauthenticated }: UseChatSocketOptions) {
         // comment): reconnecting from a backgrounded tab should stay
         // "left" for the same reason backgrounding leaves in the first
         // place (see desiredRoomsRef's comment above).
-        isVisibleRef.current = isPresent()
+        isVisibleRef.current = isVisible()
         if (isVisibleRef.current) {
           for (const roomId of desiredRoomsRef.current) {
             sendRoomFrame('join', roomId)
           }
         }
+        // The server's FocusPresence state for this user doesn't survive a
+        // dropped connection either (see chat.py's disconnect cleanup) --
+        // report the current value fresh on every (re)connect, not just on
+        // the next focus/blur transition, so a reconnect while unfocused
+        // (e.g. after a deploy) doesn't leave the server assuming focused.
+        if (desktopMode) sendFocusFrame()
       }
 
       ws.onmessage = (event) => {
@@ -139,35 +160,39 @@ export function useChatSocket({ onUnauthenticated }: UseChatSocketOptions) {
       socketRef.current?.close()
       socketRef.current = null
     }
-  }, [sendRoomFrame])
+  }, [sendRoomFrame, sendFocusFrame])
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    function handlePresenceChange() {
-      const present = isPresent()
-      if (present === isVisibleRef.current) return
-      isVisibleRef.current = present
+    function handleVisibilityChange() {
+      const visible = isVisible()
+      if (visible === isVisibleRef.current) return
+      isVisibleRef.current = visible
       for (const roomId of desiredRoomsRef.current) {
-        sendRoomFrame(present ? 'join' : 'leave', roomId)
-      }
-    }
-    document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', handlePresenceChange)
-    // Only in desktop mode -- see isPresent()'s comment above. Blur/focus on
-    // a browser tab fire on every click into/out of the page (e.g. opening
-    // devtools), which would be a far noisier signal than intended there;
-    // browser tabs stay on visibilitychange alone, unchanged from before.
-    if (desktopMode) {
-      window.addEventListener('focus', handlePresenceChange)
-      window.addEventListener('blur', handlePresenceChange)
-    }
-    return () => {
-      document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', handlePresenceChange)
-      if (desktopMode) {
-        window.removeEventListener('focus', handlePresenceChange)
-        window.removeEventListener('blur', handlePresenceChange)
+        sendRoomFrame(visible ? 'join' : 'leave', roomId)
       }
     }
+    document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', handleVisibilityChange)
+    return () => document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', handleVisibilityChange)
   }, [sendRoomFrame])
 
+  // #59: focus/blur reporting, entirely separate from the visibility effect
+  // above -- losing OS focus no longer touches room membership at all, just
+  // this signal (consumed server-side by FocusPresence to widen desktop-
+  // notification eligibility). Only in desktop mode: on a browser tab,
+  // focus/blur fire on every click into/out of the page (e.g. opening
+  // devtools), a far noisier signal than intended, and browser tabs don't
+  // need it anyway -- visibility alone already matches pre-#49 behavior
+  // there.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!desktopMode) return
+    window.addEventListener('focus', sendFocusFrame)
+    window.addEventListener('blur', sendFocusFrame)
+    return () => {
+      window.removeEventListener('focus', sendFocusFrame)
+      window.removeEventListener('blur', sendFocusFrame)
+    }
+  }, [sendFocusFrame])
+
   const subscribe = useCallback((handler: (envelope: ServerEnvelope) => void) => {
     subscribersRef.current.add(handler)
     return () => {
@@ -193,7 +218,7 @@ export function useChatSocket({ onUnauthenticated }: UseChatSocketOptions) {
       // room stays in desiredRoomsRef regardless, so the next genuine
       // foreground transition (handleVisibilityChange below) still joins
       // it, just deferred instead of wrongly immediate.
-      isVisibleRef.current = isPresent()
+      isVisibleRef.current = isVisible()
       if (isVisibleRef.current) sendRoomFrame('join', roomId)
     },
     [sendRoomFrame],