From 87010242d49045c8918c2b968d76f41bde266666 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "google-labs-jules[bot]"
 <161369871+google-labs-jules[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sat, 9 May 2026 22:34:24 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] feat: add clear search recovery action to empty state

Co-authored-by: AhmmedSamier <17784876+AhmmedSamier@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .jules/palette.md                             |  3 +++
 vscode-extension/src/search-provider.ts       | 21 ++++++++++++++++---
 .../test/suite/reference-code-lens.test.ts    |  2 +-
 3 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 .jules/palette.md

diff --git a/.jules/palette.md b/.jules/palette.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..517b0a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.jules/palette.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+## 2024-05-09 - Providing Actionable Recovery Paths in Empty States
+**Learning:** When users encounter an empty search state, simply showing a "No results" message creates friction, forcing them to manually clear the input to try again. By providing an actionable recovery path directly within the empty state container (like a 'Clear Search' button), the interface becomes much more intuitive and reduces the number of interactions required to recover from a failed search.
+**Action:** When designing empty states in the UI (e.g., no search results, empty lists), always provide an actionable recovery path directly within the empty state container to reduce interaction friction.
diff --git a/vscode-extension/src/search-provider.ts b/vscode-extension/src/search-provider.ts
index 577b3fa..b7e89f3 100644
--- a/vscode-extension/src/search-provider.ts
+++ b/vscode-extension/src/search-provider.ts
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ export class SearchProvider {
     private readonly CMD_SWITCH_SCOPE = 'command:switch-scope-everything';
     private readonly CMD_REBUILD_INDEX = 'command:rebuild-index';
     private readonly CMD_CLEAR_CACHE = 'command:clear-cache';
+    private readonly CMD_CLEAR_SEARCH = 'command:clear-search';
     private readonly CMD_SETTINGS = 'command:open-settings';
     private readonly ID_EMPTY_STATE = 'empty-state';
 
@@ -1578,6 +1579,17 @@ export class SearchProvider {
             return true;
         }
 
+        if (selected.result.item.id === this.CMD_CLEAR_SEARCH) {
+            quickPick.value = '';
+            this.handleQueryChange(
+                quickPick,
+                '',
+                () => {},
+                () => {},
+            );
+            return true;
+        }
+
         return selected.result.item.id === this.ID_EMPTY_STATE;
     }
 
@@ -1662,13 +1674,16 @@ export class SearchProvider {
             this.CMD_NATIVE_SEARCH,
         );
 
-        // 4. Rebuild Index Action
+        // 4. Clear Search Action
+        addCommandItem('Clear Search', 'Start a new search', new vscode.ThemeIcon('clear-all'), this.CMD_CLEAR_SEARCH);
+
+        // 5. Rebuild Index Action
         addCommandItem('Rebuild Index', 'Fix missing files', new vscode.ThemeIcon('refresh'), this.CMD_REBUILD_INDEX);
 
-        // 5. Clear Cache Action
+        // 6. Clear Cache Action
         addCommandItem('Clear Index Cache', 'Fix corruption', new vscode.ThemeIcon('trash'), this.CMD_CLEAR_CACHE);
 
-        // 6. Settings Action
+        // 7. Settings Action
         addCommandItem(
             'Configure Settings',
             'Check exclusion rules',
diff --git a/vscode-extension/src/test/suite/reference-code-lens.test.ts b/vscode-extension/src/test/suite/reference-code-lens.test.ts
index 5efdd8e..a798eef 100644
--- a/vscode-extension/src/test/suite/reference-code-lens.test.ts
+++ b/vscode-extension/src/test/suite/reference-code-lens.test.ts
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ export const variable = 42;
                     if (args && args.length >= 3 && Array.isArray(args[2])) {
                         const locations = args[2];
                         const hasDeclaration = locations.some(
-                            (loc: any) =>
+                            (loc: vscode.Location) =>
                                 loc.uri.toString() === mockDocument.uri.toString() &&
                                 loc.range.isEqual(lenses[0].range),
                         );