fix: terminal links broken on line breaks in CLI output

[continue]

Problem

Links in the terminal output are broken when they span across line breaks. This is specifically affecting the CLI output.

Example

Current broken output:

<https://github.com/continuedev/continue/disc>
  ussions/8240

Expected output:

<https://github.com/continuedev/continue/discussions/8240>

Solution

Added URL pattern detection to MarkdownRenderer to prevent URLs from being broken across lines when the terminal wraps text. URLs are now rendered as individual Text components within a flexbox layout, which prevents Ink's text wrapping from splitting them mid-URL.

Changes

• Add URL regex pattern to detect http:// and https:// links (including angle-bracket format)
• Render URLs in cyan color for better visibility
• Use Box with flexWrap to allow proper text flow without breaking URLs
• Add test cases for URL rendering

Testing

Added unit tests in MarkdownRenderer.url.test.tsx to verify:

• URLs are rendered without breaking across lines
• Angle-bracket URLs are handled correctly
• Multiple URLs in the same content work properly
• URLs work alongside other markdown formatting

Fixes https://linear.app/continue/issue/CON-4799

---

This agent session was co-authored by bdougieyo and Continue.

---

Summary by cubic

Prevents URLs in CLI Markdown output from breaking across line wraps by rendering them as single tokens within a flex-wrapped container. Fixes CON-4799.

• Bug Fixes
  • Detect and preserve http/https and angle-bracket URLs via regex.
  • Use a flex-wrapped Box only when URLs are present to prevent mid-URL wraps and keep compatibility.
  • Color URLs cyan for visibility.

^{Written for commit be5070b. Summary will update automatically on new commits.}

[bdougie]

Testing Instructions

This PR fixes backward compatibility issues with URL rendering in the CLI's MarkdownRenderer. Here's how to test it locally:

1. Build Local Dependencies and Link

Since the CLI is part of a monorepo with dependencies on core and other packages, you need to build those first:

cd extensions/cli
npm run build:local-deps  # Builds all required monorepo packages
npm run build
npm link  # Links the CLI for local testing

2. Run the Test Suite

# Run all MarkdownRenderer tests
npm test -- MarkdownRenderer

# Run specific URL handling tests  
npm test -- MarkdownRenderer.url.test.tsx

# Run backward compatibility tests
npm test -- MarkdownRenderer.test.tsx

3. Manual Testing with the Linked CLI

# Test URL rendering in an interactive session
cn chat

# Then paste: "Check out https://github.com/continuedev/continue/discussions/8240"

4. Test Specific Scenarios

# Test URL rendering (should be cyan, no line breaks)
cn -p "Tell me about https://github.com/continuedev/continue/discussions/8240"

# Test mixed content (URLs + markdown)
cn -p "This is **bold** text with https://continue.dev link"

# Test angle-bracket URLs  
cn -p "Link: <https://continue.dev>"

Alternative: Quick Test with Published CLI

If you just want to verify the fix without building from source:

npm i -g @continuedev/cli
cn

Key Changes Verified

• ✅ URLs render in cyan color without line breaks
• ✅ Non-URL content uses Text component (backward compatibility)
• ✅ URLs use Box layout to prevent line breaking
• ✅ Existing tests continue to pass

The fix conditionally uses Box layout only when URLs are detected, otherwise falls back to the simple Text component for backward compatibility.

[cubic-dev-ai]

No issues found across 2 files

[github-actions]

⚠️ PR Title Format

Your PR title doesn't follow the conventional commit format, but this won't block your PR from being merged. We recommend using this format for better project organization.

Expected Format:

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

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[cubic-dev-ai]

No issues found across 1 file

[bdougie]

I've tried testing this local but the build won't pass preventing me from running npm link. Any support on running this local would be helpful.

cd extensions/cli
npm run build:local-deps # Builds all required monorepo packages
npm run build
npm link # Links the CLI for local testing

[bdougie]

this is a problem on ink. Saw this in Claude Code this morning.