[BUG] TypeError: Q.text.startsWith is not a function

[samsondw]

Problem (one or two sentences)

Something went wrong during task. Sent to screen asking me to report issue here.
TypeError: Q.text.startsWith is not a function

Context (who is affected and when)

I've been using RooCode for a while and this is the first I have seen this error. Perhaps it's something new in this version.

Reproduction steps

1.) Ubuntu Linux 24.04, VS Code (v1.107.1) + RooCode Extension (v3.38.2)
2.) Gave a task in Orchestrate mode

Expected result

The task starts and initializes other steps (Project Research, etc) and finally finishes.

Actual result

The task started, began Project Research, then sent me to an error screen.

Variations tried (optional)

No response

App Version

v3.38.2

API Provider (optional)

OpenRouter

Model Used (optional)

qwen3-coder

Roo Code Task Links (optional)

No response

Relevant logs or errors (optional)

Error Stack:
TypeError: Q.text.startsWith is not a function
    at useEffect( (../../../../webview-ui/src/components/chat/ChatView.tsx:1022:22)
    at Pj (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/react-dom@18.3.1_react@18.3.1/node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.production.min.js:243:331)
    at Xk (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/react-dom@18.3.1_react@18.3.1/node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.production.min.js:285:110)
    at Ck (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/react-dom@18.3.1_react@18.3.1/node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.production.min.js:272:184)
    at jg (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/react-dom@18.3.1_react@18.3.1/node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.production.min.js:127:104)
    at Wk (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/react-dom@18.3.1_react@18.3.1/node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.production.min.js:282:469)
    at Sk (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/react-dom@18.3.1_react@18.3.1/node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.production.min.js:280:397)
    at d)break;b=a.eventTimes;for (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/react-dom@18.3.1_react@18.3.1/node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.production.min.js:269:268)
    at J (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/scheduler@0.23.2/node_modules/scheduler/cjs/scheduler.production.min.js:13:202)
    at S (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/scheduler@0.23.2/node_modules/scheduler/cjs/scheduler.production.min.js:14:127)


Component Stack:

at k7 (../../../../webview-ui/src/components/chat/ChatView.tsx:68:3)
at PG (../../../../webview-ui/src/App.tsx:69:5)
at p (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/@radix-ui+react-context@1.1.2_@types+react@18.3.23_react@18.3.1/node_modules/@radix-ui/react-context/dist/index.mjs:27:14)
at Y6e (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/@radix-ui+react-tooltip@1.2.6_@types+react-dom@18.3.7_@types+react@18.3.23__@types+reac_99504aa956c623e0884a4e3cb215669a/node_modules/@radix-ui/react-tooltip/dist/index.mjs:29:4)
at rRt (../../../../webview-ui/src/components/ui/tooltip.tsx:8:27)
at aC (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/@tanstack+react-query@5.76.1_react@18.3.1/node_modules/@tanstack/react-query/build/modern/QueryClientProvider.js:20:2)
at ZPt (../../../../webview-ui/src/i18n/TranslationContext.tsx:16:73)
at QPt (../../../../webview-ui/src/context/ExtensionStateContext.tsx:189:89)
at kPt (../../../../webview-ui/src/components/ErrorBoundary.tsx:18:2)
at i (../../../../node_modules/.pnpm/react-i18next@15.5.1_i18next@25.2.1_typescript@5.8.3__react-dom@18.3.1_react@18.3.1__react@18.3.1_typescript@5.8.3/node_modules/react-i18next/dist/es/withTranslation.js:6:4)
    at CG

[roomote]

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

Root Cause:
The error TypeError: Q.text.startsWith is not a function occurs in the TTS (text-to-speech) useEffect hook at line 1014-1045 of ChatView.tsx. The code checks typeof lastMessage.text === "string" but then calls lastMessage.text.startsWith("{") in a separate condition. This creates a time-of-check-time-of-use (TOCTOU) vulnerability where lastMessage.text could potentially be a non-string value (possibly from malformed API responses from certain models like qwen3-coder).

Proposed Fix:
Capture lastMessage.text in a local variable before performing type checks and operations on it:

// Before (lines 1017-1023):
if (
    typeof lastMessage.text === "string" &&
    (lastMessage.say === "text" || lastMessage.say === "completion_result") &&
    !lastMessage.partial &&
    !lastMessage.text.startsWith("{")
) {

// After:
const messageText = lastMessage.text
if (
    typeof messageText === "string" &&
    (lastMessage.say === "text" || lastMessage.say === "completion_result") &&
    !lastMessage.partial &&
    !messageText.startsWith("{")
) {

This ensures we check and use the same value, preventing any potential race conditions or type mismatches.

Files to modify:

1. webview-ui/src/components/chat/ChatView.tsx - Fix the TTS useEffect hook

Testing:

• Run existing tests to ensure no regressions
• The fix is defensive and maintains the existing behavior while adding robustness

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

[hannesrudolph]

Are you able to provider a screenshot of this happening?

[hannesrudolph]

@roomote approve

[roomote]

Thanks for the approval! I'll proceed with implementing the fix to capture lastMessage.text in a local variable before performing type checks and operations. This will prevent the TOCTOU (time-of-check-time-of-use) vulnerability. Opening a PR shortly.

[roomote]

Opened PR #10536 with my attempt at addressing this. The fix captures lastMessage.text in a local variable before performing type checks and operations, preventing the TOCTOU vulnerability. Feedback welcome!