Conversation text direction

Scient can control the direction of conversational text without mirroring the application shell. This is useful when working in Hebrew, Arabic, or another right-to-left language while code, paths, and the rest of the app remain in their familiar layout. In Settings → Appearance → Conversation text direction:

• Automatic infers a stable direction for each complete message. RTL prose makes the message RTL; an English-only message is LTR.
• Right to left keeps conversation prose, lists, tables, and the composer right-to-left.
• Left to right keeps those surfaces left-to-right.

The setting is a local presentation preference. It does not change the text sent to a provider or the direction of the rest of the application.

While an assistant response is streaming, its base direction stays stable so the layout does not jump as more text arrives. The completed response is then resolved from its full content.

Bullet and numbered lists are treated as one group. In Automatic mode, any RTL prose in the list makes the whole list RTL; an English-only list is LTR, and items (including nested lists) inherit that group direction. An explicit RTL or LTR setting remains authoritative for the complete list.

Headings follow the message’s main direction even when their title is written in another language. A heading inside a table follows the table’s direction.

Tables follow the same whole-group rule: Hebrew content makes the table RTL, while an English-only table remains LTR even inside an RTL message. Every normal cell follows the table’s direction, so a single English cell does not break the alignment of an RTL table.

Code remains left-to-right so commands, paths, syntax, and source files keep their normal reading and copying order. A plain-text copy box follows its own strong script when it is unambiguous; mixed plain text follows the selected conversation mode (or remains automatic).

In clearly RTL prose within an RTL-base message, standalone flow arrows are displayed in the reading direction. Technical and ambiguous arrow usage is preserved. An explicitly LTR-base message never rewrites arrows, even when a local block contains Hebrew.