fix(ui): view-switcher navigation from chat route, add beta banner

"AI Gateway" in the topnav view switcher only called setMode(), which
is meaningful inside the dashboard SPA shell but a no-op on /chat,
which lives outside it (only "Chat" had a real navigation). Now
switching modes from the chat route does a real navigation back to
the dashboard root.

Also adds a persistent banner across all chat routes flagging it as a
pre-v0 feature not for production use, with a feedback link.

ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/Navbar/ViewSwitcher.test.tsx

@@ -2,13 +2,14 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { act, fireEvent, render, screen, waitFor } from "@testing-library/react";
 import ViewSwitcher from "./ViewSwitcher";
 
-const { mockUsePluginMode, mockUseUISettings, state } = vi.hoisted(() => {
+const { mockUsePluginMode, mockUseUISettings, mockUsePathname, state } = vi.hoisted(() => {
   const state = {
     mode: "ai-gateway" as string,
     setMode: vi.fn(),
     plugins: [] as { name: string; display_name: string; url: string }[],
     activePlugin: null as { name: string; display_name: string; url: string } | null,
     enableChatUI: false,
+    pathname: "/ui/",
   };
   return {
     state,
@@ -19,11 +20,13 @@ const { mockUsePluginMode, mockUseUISettings, state } = vi.hoisted(() => {
       activePlugin: state.activePlugin,
     })),
     mockUseUISettings: vi.fn(() => ({ data: { values: { enable_chat_ui: state.enableChatUI } } })),
+    mockUsePathname: vi.fn(() => state.pathname),
   };
 });
 
 vi.mock("@/contexts/PluginModeContext", () => ({ usePluginMode: mockUsePluginMode }));
 vi.mock("@/app/(dashboard)/hooks/uiSettings/useUISettings", () => ({ useUISettings: mockUseUISettings }));
+vi.mock("next/navigation", () => ({ usePathname: mockUsePathname }));
 // Deterministic hrefs so navigation assertions don't depend on server_root_path.
 vi.mock("@/utils/migratedPages", () => ({ migratedHref: (seg: string) => `/ui/${seg}` }));
 
@@ -42,6 +45,7 @@ describe("ViewSwitcher", () => {
     state.mode = "ai-gateway";
     state.plugins = [];
     state.enableChatUI = false;
+    state.pathname = "/ui/";
     state.setMode.mockClear();
   });
 
@@ -100,6 +104,23 @@ describe("ViewSwitcher", () => {
     expect(state.setMode).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("navigates back to the dashboard when a mode entry is picked from the chat route", async () => {
+    state.enableChatUI = true;
+    state.pathname = "/ui/chat";
+    state.plugins = [{ name: "litellm-platform-plugin", display_name: "Chat UI", url: "http://localhost:3300" }];
+    render(<ViewSwitcher />);
+
+    act(() => {
+      fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button"));
+    });
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText("AI Gateway")).toBeInTheDocument());
+    act(() => {
+      fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("AI Gateway"));
+    });
+    expect(state.setMode).toHaveBeenCalledWith("ai-gateway");
+    expect(assignSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/ui/");
+  });
+
   it("hides the Chat entry from everyone when disabled", async () => {
     state.enableChatUI = false;
     state.plugins = [{ name: "obs", display_name: "Observability", url: "http://localhost:9000" }];

ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/Navbar/ViewSwitcher.tsx

@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ export default function ViewSwitcher() {
       return;
     }
     setMode(key);
+    // The chat route lives outside the dashboard SPA shell that reacts to `mode`,
+    // so switching modes from there needs a real navigation, not just state.
+    if (isChatRoute) {
+      window.location.assign(migratedHref(""));
+    }
   };
 
   return (

ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/chat/ChatShell.tsx

@@ -80,105 +80,119 @@ const ChatShell: React.FC<ChatShellProps> = ({ children }) => {
   const isChatsRoute = pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.chats;
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex h-full w-full bg-background overflow-hidden">
-      <div
-        className="shrink-0 bg-secondary border-r flex flex-col overflow-hidden"
-        style={{ width: sidebarCollapsed ? 56 : 260, transition: "width 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)" }}
-      >
-        <div className="flex items-center justify-start px-2.5 py-3 shrink-0">
-          <TooltipProvider delayDuration={200}>
-            <Tooltip>
-              <TooltipTrigger asChild>
-                <button
-                  onClick={() => setSidebarCollapsed((v) => !v)}
-                  className="p-1.5 rounded-md text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground flex items-center cursor-pointer transition-colors"
-                  style={{ background: "none", border: "none" }}
-                >
-                  {sidebarCollapsed ? <PanelLeftOpen className="h-4 w-4" /> : <PanelLeftClose className="h-4 w-4" />}
-                </button>
-              </TooltipTrigger>
-              <TooltipContent side="right">
-                <p>{sidebarCollapsed ? "Expand sidebar" : "Collapse sidebar"}</p>
-              </TooltipContent>
-            </Tooltip>
-          </TooltipProvider>
-        </div>
+    <div className="flex h-full w-full flex-col bg-background overflow-hidden">
+      <div className="shrink-0 border-b border-amber-200 bg-amber-50 px-4 py-1.5 text-center text-[13px] text-amber-800">
+        This is a pre-v0 feature. Do not use in production, it may change unexpectedly. Please share feedback{" "}
+        <a
+          href="https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/discussions/32085"
+          target="_blank"
+          rel="noreferrer"
+          className="font-medium underline"
+        >
+          here
+        </a>
+        .
+      </div>
+      <div className="flex flex-1 min-h-0 overflow-hidden">
+        <div
+          className="shrink-0 bg-secondary border-r flex flex-col overflow-hidden"
+          style={{ width: sidebarCollapsed ? 56 : 260, transition: "width 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)" }}
+        >
+          <div className="flex items-center justify-start px-2.5 py-3 shrink-0">
+            <TooltipProvider delayDuration={200}>
+              <Tooltip>
+                <TooltipTrigger asChild>
+                  <button
+                    onClick={() => setSidebarCollapsed((v) => !v)}
+                    className="p-1.5 rounded-md text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground flex items-center cursor-pointer transition-colors"
+                    style={{ background: "none", border: "none" }}
+                  >
+                    {sidebarCollapsed ? <PanelLeftOpen className="h-4 w-4" /> : <PanelLeftClose className="h-4 w-4" />}
+                  </button>
+                </TooltipTrigger>
+                <TooltipContent side="right">
+                  <p>{sidebarCollapsed ? "Expand sidebar" : "Collapse sidebar"}</p>
+                </TooltipContent>
+              </Tooltip>
+            </TooltipProvider>
+          </div>
 
-        <div className="px-2 pb-1 shrink-0">
-          <NavItem
-            icon={<Pencil className="h-4 w-4" />}
-            label="New chat"
-            onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats)}
-            collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
-          />
-          <NavItem
-            icon={<Search className="h-4 w-4" />}
-            label="Search chats"
-            onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats)}
-            collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
-          />
-        </div>
-
-        <Separator className="mx-2 shrink-0" />
-
-        <div className="px-2 py-1 shrink-0">
-          <NavItem
-            icon={<MessageSquare className="h-4 w-4" />}
-            label="Chats"
-            onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats)}
-            active={isChatsRoute}
-            collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
-          />
-          <NavItem
-            icon={<LayoutGrid className="h-4 w-4" />}
-            label="Integrations"
-            onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.integrations)}
-            active={pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.integrations}
-            collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
-          />
-          <NavItem
-            icon={<KeyRound className="h-4 w-4" />}
-            label="Credentials"
-            onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.credentials)}
-            active={pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.credentials}
-            collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
-          />
-          <NavItem
-            icon={<Lock className="h-4 w-4" />}
-            label="API Keys"
-            onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.apiKeys)}
-            active={pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.apiKeys}
-            collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
-          />
-          <NavItem
-            icon={<BarChart3 className="h-4 w-4" />}
-            label="Usage"
-            onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.usage)}
-            active={pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.usage}
-            collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
-          />
-        </div>
-
-        <Separator className="mx-2 shrink-0" />
-
-        {!sidebarCollapsed && (
-          <div className="flex-1 overflow-hidden flex flex-col">
-            <ConversationList
-              conversations={conversations}
-              activeConversationId={activeConversationId}
-              onSelect={(id) => router.push(`${CHAT_ROUTES.chats}?id=${id}`)}
-              onDelete={(id) => {
-                deleteConversation(id);
-                if (id === activeConversationId) router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats);
-              }}
-              onNewChat={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats)}
-              onRename={renameConversation}
+          <div className="px-2 pb-1 shrink-0">
+            <NavItem
+              icon={<Pencil className="h-4 w-4" />}
+              label="New chat"
+              onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats)}
+              collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
+            />
+            <NavItem
+              icon={<Search className="h-4 w-4" />}
+              label="Search chats"
+              onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats)}
+              collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
             />
           </div>
-        )}
-      </div>
 
-      <div className="flex-1 flex flex-col overflow-hidden min-w-0">{children}</div>
+          <Separator className="mx-2 shrink-0" />
+
+          <div className="px-2 py-1 shrink-0">
+            <NavItem
+              icon={<MessageSquare className="h-4 w-4" />}
+              label="Chats"
+              onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats)}
+              active={isChatsRoute}
+              collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
+            />
+            <NavItem
+              icon={<LayoutGrid className="h-4 w-4" />}
+              label="Integrations"
+              onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.integrations)}
+              active={pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.integrations}
+              collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
+            />
+            <NavItem
+              icon={<KeyRound className="h-4 w-4" />}
+              label="Credentials"
+              onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.credentials)}
+              active={pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.credentials}
+              collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
+            />
+            <NavItem
+              icon={<Lock className="h-4 w-4" />}
+              label="API Keys"
+              onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.apiKeys)}
+              active={pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.apiKeys}
+              collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
+            />
+            <NavItem
+              icon={<BarChart3 className="h-4 w-4" />}
+              label="Usage"
+              onClick={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.usage)}
+              active={pathname === CHAT_ROUTES.usage}
+              collapsed={sidebarCollapsed}
+            />
+          </div>
+
+          <Separator className="mx-2 shrink-0" />
+
+          {!sidebarCollapsed && (
+            <div className="flex-1 overflow-hidden flex flex-col">
+              <ConversationList
+                conversations={conversations}
+                activeConversationId={activeConversationId}
+                onSelect={(id) => router.push(`${CHAT_ROUTES.chats}?id=${id}`)}
+                onDelete={(id) => {
+                  deleteConversation(id);
+                  if (id === activeConversationId) router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats);
+                }}
+                onNewChat={() => router.push(CHAT_ROUTES.chats)}
+                onRename={renameConversation}
+              />
+            </div>
+          )}
+        </div>
+
+        <div className="flex-1 flex flex-col overflow-hidden min-w-0">{children}</div>
+      </div>
     </div>
   );
 };