[BUG] After Subtask complete if you have a queued message, it automatically returns from the sub task.

[NotADev137]

Problem (one or two sentences)

I wanted it to reevaluate certain aspect of the subtask, just as it was summarizing the subtask completion. It simply assumed it as completion and automatically without me clicking the return from subtask button.

Context (who is affected and when)

I wanted it to reevaluate certain aspect of the subtask, just as it was summarizing the subtask completion. It simply assumed it as completion and automatically without me clicking the return from subtask button.

Reproduction steps

When it is summarizing the subtask completion, send a message, it will get queued but it will never reach it and return from the subtask.

Expected result

Queued message should be accepted in the subtask and the return should only happen after clicking the return from subtask button.

Actual result

message gets queued but it will never reach it and auto return from the subtask.

Variations tried (optional)

No response

App Version

3.38.3

API Provider (optional)

Anthropic

Model Used (optional)

Claude Opus 4.5

Roo Code Task Links (optional)

No response

Relevant logs or errors (optional)

[roomote]

I've analyzed this issue and here's my proposed implementation plan:

Root Cause

The bug is in src/core/task/Task.ts in the ask() method (around lines 1219-1241). When a subtask calls attempt_completion and shows the "Return from Subtask" approval dialog:

1. askFinishSubTaskApproval() calls askApproval("tool", JSON.stringify({ tool: "finishTask" }))
2. This triggers Task.ask() with type === "tool"
3. If there's a queued message, the code at lines 1226-1234 auto-approves ANY tool ask (including "finishTask"):

   if (type === "tool" || type === "command" || ...) {
       this.handleWebviewAskResponse("yesButtonClicked", message.text, message.images)
   }

This auto-approval causes the subtask to return to the parent immediately, ignoring the user's queued message which was intended as feedback to continue the subtask.

Proposed Fix

Modify the queued message handling in Task.ask() to treat the "finishTask" tool specially:

1. When the ask type is "tool" and the ask text contains "finishTask", treat queued messages as feedback (like clicking "no" with text) rather than auto-approval
2. This will cause askFinishSubTaskApproval() to return false, which pushes a tool denied result and allows the subtask to continue processing the user's feedback

Code Change Location

src/core/task/Task.ts - The ask() method, specifically the block at lines 1219-1241.

Implementation

Check if the tool being approved is "finishTask" before auto-approving:

• If it IS "finishTask" and there's a queued message with text: treat as "messageResponse" (feedback to continue)
• If it's NOT "finishTask": keep existing behavior (auto-approve)

This approach ensures:

• Subtasks don't auto-return when the user has pending input
• Other tool approvals continue to work as expected
• The user can still click the "Return from Subtask" button manually when ready

Please mention @roomote in a comment saying that you approve this plan, and I'll proceed with the implementation.