[Detail Bug] AI shell sidebar: collapsed Observability sub-rail “Add” CTAs do nothing (intent not emitted)

[detail-app]

Detail Bug Report

https://app.detail.dev/org_3377c26d-da48-4ccd-b83a-22c542f4fe83/bugs/bug_b55b6202-007d-490f-aa2e-bf52a1e9f162

Introduced in #31911 by @karanh37 on Aug 29, 2026

Summary

• Context: SubPanel.tsx and SubRail.tsx are the expanded/collapsed views of the ai-shell sub-nav. The collapsed sub-rail is the default sub-mode surface (subCollapsed initialises to true, Sidebar.tsx:57-58).
• Bug: The collapsible-sub-rail builder in Sidebar.tsx:159 wires onClick: () => item.path && navigate(item.path) for every rail item and never calls emitIntent. SubRail.tsx:57-76 renders items without an href (where item.href is item.path) as a plain <button onClick={item.onClick}> with data-testid="ask-sub-rail-item-<key>". For the two intent-only SubNavItems in observability.module.tsx (add-test-case, add-bundle-suite), item.path is undefined and item.intent is set but never read — so the visible CTA renders as a labeled, aria-labelled, clickable chip that performs no action when clicked.
• Actual vs. expected: Clicking + Add Test Case (or + Add Bundle Suite) in the collapsed sub-rail should open the corresponding create drawer — the route layout registers useIntent listeners for exactly that (ObservabilityLayout.tsx:37-46). Instead the chip does nothing: no drawer, no navigation, no feedback. A clickable chip that performs no action is a defect.
• Impact: The defect only manifests in AI app mode for users who are seeing the collapsed sub-rail (default state, persisted per-browser via localStorage). For that cohort, the two Observability create CTAs in the sub-rail are dead controls; other create affordances on the page may still exist depending on the active Data Quality tab.

Code with Bug

openmetadata-ui/src/main/resources/ui/src/components/platform/ai-shell/Sidebar/Sidebar.tsx

const railItem: RailItem = {
  key: item.key,
  icon,
  activeIcon: item.railActiveIcon ?? item.activeIcon,
  label: t(item.railLabelKey ?? item.labelKey),
  href: item.path,
  onClick: () => item.path && navigate(item.path), // <-- BUG 🔴 ignores item.intent; intent-only items have no path so click is a no-op
  isActive: activeKey === item.key,
};

openmetadata-ui/src/main/resources/ui/src/components/platform/ai-shell/Sidebar/SubRail.tsx

<button aria-label={item.label} className={itemClassName}
  data-testid={`ask-sub-rail-item-${item.key}`} type="button"
  onClick={item.onClick}>
  <Icon height={20} width={20} />
</button>

Explanation

Two Observability sub-nav items are defined as intent-only actions (no path) in openmetadata-ui/src/main/resources/ui/src/components/observability/ObservabilityModule/observability.module.tsx:

{
  key: 'add-test-case',
  icon: Plus,
  labelKey: 'label.add-test-case',
  emphasized: true,
  intent: Intent.AddTestCase,
},
{
  key: 'add-bundle-suite',
  icon: Plus,
  labelKey: 'label.add-bundle-suite',
  emphasized: true,
  intent: Intent.AddBundleSuite,
  requiredPermission: {
    resource: ResourceEntity.TEST_SUITE,
    operation: Operation.Create,
  },
},

In the expanded view, SubPanel.tsx handles these correctly by emitting item.intent before attempting navigation. In the collapsed rail, Sidebar.tsx only navigates when item.path exists, so intent-only items attach an onClick that always short-circuits and does nothing. ObservabilityLayout.tsx already registers useIntent listeners that open the corresponding drawers, so wiring the rail click to emit the intent fixes the broken behavior.

Codebase Inconsistency

openmetadata-ui/src/main/resources/ui/src/components/platform/ai-shell/Sidebar/SubPanel.tsx (reference behavior):

const handleItemClick = useCallback(
  (item: SubNavItem) => {
    if (item.intent) {
      emitIntent(item.intent);
      return;
    }
    if (item.path) {
      navigate(item.path);
    }
  },
  [navigate]
);

This shows the intended click semantics for the same SubNavItem data model; the rail should behave consistently.

Recommended Fix

Update the sub-rail item builder in Sidebar.tsx to mirror SubPanel’s click behavior by emitting item.intent when present, otherwise navigating to item.path. Also mirror SubPanel’s requiredPermission filtering for parity; without it, enabling intent emission would open the Bundle Suite drawer for users who lack TEST_SUITE.Create (the drawer itself does not re-check that permission).

History

This bug was introduced in commit 2807684. The port that created the OSS AI-mode Sidebar wrote the sub-rail click handler as () => item.path && navigate(item.path) (no intent branch), making intent-only items a silent no-op in the collapsed rail.