fix(search): keep partial coverage through persisted search compaction

compactRetrievalCitations kept only citations, dropping data.retrieval, and
stripToolResultOutput applies it on both save and load. A reloaded timed-out
search with no matches therefore rendered "No results", which the live UI and
the tool itself deliberately avoid because partial results cannot establish
absence.

Compaction now keeps a bounded retrieval: { status: 'partial' } marker (never
the full retrieval object), and re-compacting compacted output keeps it.
Complete searches compact exactly as before.

Author: waleedlatif1

apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/home/components/message-content/components/agent-group/search-activity.test.tsx

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import { act } from 'react'
 import { createRoot, type Root } from 'react-dom/client'
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { compactRetrievalCitations } from '@/lib/mothership/chat/retrieval-citations'
 import { MainAgentActivity } from '@/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/home/components/message-content/components/agent-group/main-agent-activity'
 import { ToolCallItem } from '@/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/home/components/message-content/components/agent-group/tool-call-item'
 import type { ToolCallData } from '@/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/home/types'
@@ -311,6 +312,26 @@ describe('search in shared tool activity', () => {
     expect(container.textContent).not.toContain('No results')
   })
 
+  function renderReloadedEmptySearch(status: 'partial' | 'complete') {
+    const output = compactRetrievalCitations('search_workspace', {
+      success: true,
+      data: { results: [], retrieval: { status, timedOutLegs: [] } },
+    })
+    render([{ ...tool, status: 'success', result: { success: true, output } }])
+  }
+
+  it('never claims no results for a reloaded partial empty search', () => {
+    renderReloadedEmptySearch('partial')
+    expect(header()).toBeNull()
+    expect(container.textContent).not.toContain('No results')
+  })
+
+  it('still reports no results for a reloaded complete empty search', () => {
+    renderReloadedEmptySearch('complete')
+    expand()
+    expect(container.textContent).toContain('No results')
+  })
+
   it('preserves available source matches when retrieval is partial', () => {
     const search = completedSearch('partial', 'Available matches')
     const output = search.result!.output as { data: Record<string, unknown> }

apps/sim/lib/mothership/chat/persisted-message.test.ts

@@ -561,6 +561,43 @@ describe('persisted-message', () => {
 })
 
 describe('stripToolResultOutput', () => {
+  it('keeps the partial-coverage marker of an empty search through save and reload', () => {
+    const message: PersistedMessage = {
+      id: 'msg-search',
+      role: 'assistant',
+      content: '',
+      timestamp: '2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+      contentBlocks: [
+        {
+          type: 'tool',
+          phase: 'call',
+          toolCall: {
+            id: 'search',
+            name: 'search_workspace',
+            state: 'success',
+            result: {
+              success: true,
+              output: {
+                success: true,
+                data: {
+                  query: 'q',
+                  results: [],
+                  retrieval: { status: 'partial', timedOutLegs: ['vector'] },
+                },
+              },
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      ],
+    }
+    const reloaded = stripToolResultOutput(stripToolResultOutput(message))
+
+    expect(reloaded.contentBlocks?.[0].toolCall?.result?.output).toEqual({
+      success: true,
+      data: { results: [], retrieval: { status: 'partial' } },
+    })
+  })
+
   it('drops result.output but keeps success and error', () => {
     const message: PersistedMessage = {
       id: 'msg-1',

apps/sim/lib/mothership/chat/retrieval-citations.test.ts

@@ -33,4 +33,21 @@ describe('persisted retrieval citations', () => {
       })
     ).toBeUndefined()
   })
+  it('keeps only a partial-coverage marker, and keeps it through re-compaction', () => {
+    const compact = compactRetrievalCitations('search_workspace', {
+      success: true,
+      data: { results: [], retrieval: { status: 'partial', timedOutLegs: ['vector', 'keyword'] } },
+    })
+    expect(compact).toEqual({
+      success: true,
+      data: { results: [], retrieval: { status: 'partial' } },
+    })
+    expect(compactRetrievalCitations('search_workspace', compact)).toEqual(compact)
+    expect(
+      compactRetrievalCitations('search_workspace', {
+        success: true,
+        data: { results: [], retrieval: { status: 'complete', timedOutLegs: [] } },
+      })
+    ).toEqual({ success: true, data: { results: [] } })
+  })
 })

apps/sim/lib/mothership/chat/retrieval-citations.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import { isRecordLike } from '@sim/utils/object'
 
-/** Keeps only bounded display evidence when large retrieval results leave the live stream. */
+/**
+ * Keeps only bounded display evidence when large retrieval results leave the live stream,
+ * plus a partial-coverage marker so an empty timed-out search never reads as "No results".
+ */
 export function compactRetrievalCitations(toolName: string, raw: unknown): unknown {
   if (!['search_workspace', 'read_document'].includes(toolName)) return undefined
   let output: unknown = raw
@@ -43,5 +46,9 @@ export function compactRetrievalCitations(toolName: string, raw: unknown): unkno
     }
     return [citation]
   })
-  return { success: true, data: { results: citations } }
+  const partial = isRecordLike(data.retrieval) && data.retrieval.status === 'partial'
+  return {
+    success: true,
+    data: { results: citations, ...(partial ? { retrieval: { status: 'partial' } } : {}) },
+  }
 }