2034438 - The Google Search page performed by the AI assistant is missing from history when navigating back

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Core :: Machine Learning: Frontend, defect)

Description

[Rares Doghi, Desktop QA]

Attachment: Search.mp4

Found in

• Nightly 152.0a1 (2026-04-23)

Affected versions

• Nightly 152.0a1 (2026-04-23)
  Beta 151.0b1
  Release 150

Affected platforms

• All

Steps to reproduce

1. Reach a pair of shoes on amazon.com
2. Ask the Assistant for a different pair of shoes it would need to search for on google.
3. Ask the assistant for a Link to the first suggestion.
4. Click the link from the latest response.
5. Hit The Back navigation button.

Expected result

• The Google search page done by the AI model should be displayed.

Actual result

• The Original page from before the google search page is displayed.

Regression range
N/A

Comment 1

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco]]

The severity field is not set for this bug.
:Mardak, could you have a look please?

For more information, please visit BugBot documentation.

Comment 2

[Chloe Zhou [:chloezhou]]

Attachment: Bug 2034438 - Mark assistant search history entries as having user interaction so Back doesn't skip them r=#ai-frontend-reviewers-rotation

When the assistant runs the search tool, it navigates the user's tab to the SERP programmatically. Because the navigation isn't a user gesture and the user typically doesn't scroll or click on the SERP before asking a follow-up, the resulting nsISHEntry never gets its hasUserInteraction flag set. With browser.navigation.requireUserInteraction on (the default), the Back button then skips that entry on the way back from any subsequent page, making it look like the SERP was never in history at all.

Set hasUserInteraction = true on the new SHEntry right after the navigation completes in RunSearch.#performSearchAndWait, since the search was explicitly requested by the user via the assistant.

Comment 3

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://github.com/mozilla-firefox/firefox/commit/bb200f4f03fb
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/8619835f97a0
Mark assistant search history entries as having user interaction so Back doesn't skip them r=cmurray

Comment 4

[Serban Stanca [:SerbanS]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/8619835f97a0

Comment 5

[Rares Doghi, Desktop QA]

Verified as fixed in our latest Nightly 153.0a1 (2026-06-03)

Comment 6

[Ryan VanderMeulen [:RyanVM]]

Is this something we need to nominate for Beta uplift?

Comment 7

[Phabricator Automation]

firefox-beta Uplift Approval Request

• User impact if declined/Reason for urgency: When a user asks the assistant to search and then clicks a result, pressing Back jumps past the SERP back to whatever was on the tab before the assistant ran — making it look like the search history vanished. This is confusing and a notable usability regression specifically for assistant initiated workflows.
• Code covered by automated testing?: yes
• Fix verified in Nightly?: yes
• Needs manual QE testing?: no
• Steps to reproduce for manual QE testing:
• Risk associated with taking this patch: low
• Explanation of risk level: The change is a single-line behavior tweak scoped to RunSearch.#performSearchAndWait — it sets hasUserInteraction = true only on the SHEntry produced by the assistant's own programmatic navigation, after that navigation completes. It can't affect non-assistant navigations or sites the user reaches by other means.
• String changes made/needed?: None
• Is Android affected?: no

Comment 8

[Chloe Zhou [:chloezhou]]

Attachment: Bug 2034438 - Mark assistant search history entries as having user interaction so Back doesn't skip them

When the assistant runs the search tool, it navigates the user's tab to the SERP programmatically. Because the navigation isn't a user gesture and the user typically doesn't scroll or click on the SERP before asking a follow-up, the resulting nsISHEntry never gets its hasUserInteraction flag set. With browser.navigation.requireUserInteraction on (the default), the Back button then skips that entry on the way back from any subsequent page, making it look like the SERP was never in history at all.

Set hasUserInteraction = true on the new SHEntry right after the navigation completes in RunSearch.#performSearchAndWait, since the search was explicitly requested by the user via the assistant.

Original Revision: https://phabricator.services.mozilla.com/D302900

Comment 9

[Pulsebot]

https://github.com/mozilla-firefox/firefox/commit/f69797987e83
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-beta/rev/c3e6b67c3f8b

Comment 10

[Rares Doghi, Desktop QA]

Verified as fixed in our latest Beta 152.0b10