feat(tui): supported risk notes with warning glyphs in settings lists

- Add support for risk notes and warning markers on setting items in the TUI settings list component.
- Update the external thinking setting schema and help command to include a warning about provider abuse enforcement.

packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Changed
+
+- `/settings` rows can now carry a risk note: a warning glyph on the row plus a warning-colored line above the description. `External Thinking` (`externalThinking`, `--external-thinking`) is the first user — providers have flagged the request shape it produces as abuse, up to account-level enforcement, so both the settings entry and `--help` now say so.
+
 ## [17.3.8] - 2026-08-19
 
 ### Added

packages/coding-agent/src/commands/launch-help.ts

@@ -78,7 +78,8 @@ export const launchHelp = {
 			description: "Enable the advisor runtime (passively reviews each turn and injects notes)",
 		}),
 		"external-thinking": Flags.boolean({
-			description: "Use a private scratchpad while disabling supported GPT, Claude, and Gemini reasoning",
+			description:
+				"Use a private scratchpad while disabling supported GPT, Claude, and Gemini reasoning (at your own risk: providers have flagged this request shape as abuse)",
 		}),
 		hook: Flags.string({ description: "Load a hook/extension file (can be used multiple times)", multiple: true }),
 		extension: Flags.string({

packages/coding-agent/src/config/settings-schema.ts

@@ -199,6 +199,12 @@ interface UiBase {
 	group?: string;
 	label: string;
 	description: string;
+	/**
+	 * Risk note. Marks the settings row with a warning glyph and renders above
+	 * the description in warning styling. For settings that can get the user
+	 * rate-limited, flagged, or banned — not for merely advanced options.
+	 */
+	warning?: string;
 	/** Condition function name - setting only shown when true */
 	condition?: string;
 }
@@ -1139,6 +1145,8 @@ export const SETTINGS_SCHEMA = {
 			group: "Thinking",
 			label: "External Thinking",
 			description: "Private scratchpad; not shown to user. Disables supported GPT, Claude, and Gemini reasoning",
+			warning:
+				"At your own risk: providers have flagged this request shape as abuse, up to account-level enforcement",
 		},
 	},
 

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/settings-defs.ts

@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ interface BaseSettingDef {
 	path: SettingPath;
 	label: string;
 	description: string;
+	/** Risk note shown in warning styling; set for settings that can get the user flagged or banned. */
+	warning?: string;
 	tab: SettingTab;
 	/** Section within the tab; items are ordered by TAB_GROUPS[tab] and rendered under a heading row. */
 	group?: string;
@@ -162,7 +164,15 @@ function pathToSettingDef(path: SettingPath): SettingDef | null {
 
 	const schemaType = getType(path);
 	const condition = ui.condition ? CONDITIONS[ui.condition] : undefined;
-	const base = { path, label: ui.label, description: ui.description, tab: ui.tab, group: ui.group, condition };
+	const base = {
+		path,
+		label: ui.label,
+		description: ui.description,
+		warning: ui.warning,
+		tab: ui.tab,
+		group: ui.group,
+		condition,
+	};
 
 	if (schemaType === "boolean") {
 		return { ...base, type: "boolean" };

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/settings-selector.ts

@@ -927,67 +927,47 @@ export class SettingsSelectorComponent implements Component {
 		}
 
 		const currentValue = this.#getCurrentValue(def);
-		const changed = this.#isChanged(def, currentValue);
+		const item = {
+			id: def.path,
+			label: def.label,
+			description: def.description,
+			warning: def.warning,
+			changed: this.#isChanged(def, currentValue),
+		};
 
 		switch (def.type) {
 			case "boolean":
-				return {
-					id: def.path,
-					label: def.label,
-					description: def.description,
-					currentValue: currentValue ? "true" : "false",
-					values: ["true", "false"],
-					changed,
-				};
+				return { ...item, currentValue: currentValue ? "true" : "false", values: ["true", "false"] };
 
 			case "enum":
-				return {
-					id: def.path,
-					label: def.label,
-					description: def.description,
-					currentValue: String(currentValue ?? ""),
-					values: [...def.values],
-					changed,
-				};
+				return { ...item, currentValue: String(currentValue ?? ""), values: [...def.values] };
 
 			case "submenu":
 				return {
-					id: def.path,
-					label: def.label,
-					description: def.description,
+					...item,
 					currentValue: this.#getSubmenuCurrentValue(def.path, currentValue),
 					submenu: (cv, done) => this.#createSubmenu(def, cv, done),
-					changed,
 				};
 
 			case "text":
 				return {
-					id: def.path,
-					label: def.label,
-					description: def.description,
+					...item,
 					currentValue: this.#formatTextInputValue(def, currentValue),
 					submenu: (cv, done) => this.#createTextInput(def, cv, done),
-					changed,
 				};
 
 			case "providerLimits":
 				return {
-					id: def.path,
-					label: def.label,
-					description: def.description,
+					...item,
 					currentValue: this.#formatProviderLimitsValue(currentValue),
 					submenu: (_cv, done) => this.#createProviderLimitsInput(done),
-					changed,
 				};
 
 			case "multiselect":
 				return {
-					id: def.path,
-					label: def.label,
-					description: def.description,
+					...item,
 					currentValue: this.#formatMultiSelectValue(def, currentValue),
 					submenu: (_cv, done) => this.#createMultiSelect(def, done),
-					changed,
 				};
 		}
 	}

packages/coding-agent/src/modes/theme/tui-adapters.ts

@@ -254,6 +254,8 @@ export function getSettingsListTheme(): SettingsListTheme {
 			label: (text: string) => text,
 			value: (text: string) => text,
 			description: (text: string) => text,
+			warning: (text: string) => text,
+			warningMark: "!",
 			cursor: "> ",
 			hint: (text: string) => text,
 			heading: (text: string) => text,
@@ -267,6 +269,8 @@ export function getSettingsListTheme(): SettingsListTheme {
 		value: (text: string, selected: boolean, changed: boolean) =>
 			changed ? theme.fg("statusLineGitDirty", text) : selected ? theme.fg("accent", text) : theme.fg("muted", text),
 		description: (text: string) => theme.fg("dim", text),
+		warning: (text: string) => theme.fg("warning", text),
+		warningMark: theme.status.warning,
 		cursor: theme.fg("accent", `${theme.nav.cursor} `),
 		hint: (text: string) => theme.fg("dim", text),
 		heading: (text: string, dimmed: boolean) =>