A few users in the case management application have been sporadically experiencing there screen collapse and they cannot expand or review context. [unable to attach image/video]
Issue occurred intermittently from August 20-27. One specific instance was between 1:30 – 2:15pm ET on August 27.
Steps I've taken to troubleshoot:
Cannot reproduce on my Macbook
Same subset of users using Chrome experiencing the issue
Checked with @Darren using DevTools if changing the screen size would reproduce the issue and it did not (context customer cannot reproduce right now either)
Additional info: (Cloud or Self-hosted, Screenshots)
On a Retool Cloud app (case management), a subset of end users—all on Chrome—intermittently had their app view/screen 'collapse' with no ability to expand or review context, occurring sporadically from Aug 20–27, 2026 (notably Aug 27, 1:30–2:15pm ET); it can't be reproduced on the reporter's machine and doesn't reproduce by resizing the window in DevTools.
AI Response
Intermittent, user-specific 'collapsing' of an app view on Chrome most closely matches known layout-width regressions where an app's Max width or a panel unexpectedly resets/shrinks under certain screen or session conditions rather than a true expand/collapse control. As a first step, explicitly pin the app/container Max width to 100% (or a fixed value) instead of leaving it on a resetting default, and have affected users hard-refresh and clear cache to rule out a stale client build. Since the issue only surfaced in a narrow window and can't be reproduced, capturing the app version, exact screen resolution/zoom level, and a screen recording from an affected Chrome user during a recurrence will be key to isolating whether it's tied to the width-reset behavior. No corroborating platform incident was found for the reported window, so the two reports below—both describing spontaneous, environment-dependent layout collapse—are the most relevant leads.
Sources
Spacing Max Width Resetting
A solved, actively-discussed report of an app's Max width spontaneously resetting from 100% to a fixed width, causing the view to render collapsed/narrow without any user change—closely matching the collapse symptom and offering the pin-width workaround. Sidebar shrinking randomly on bigger screens
Corroborates the pattern of a Retool layout element randomly shrinking/collapsing for only certain screens/sessions while working fine elsewhere, consistent with this intermittent, subset-of-users behavior.
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Hey @Darren - this issue is occurring frequently again for the customer. Expanding and decreasing screen size does not fix the issue, but exiting Chrome and re-entering the application does.
Hi team - escalating this although originally not urgent for our customer as it was not reproducing. Now, it is consistently reproducing. Do you have any other troubleshooting steps we should try?
Sorry for the delay, @Genna_Schwarz! I've done some initial investigation here but it hasn't been particularly fruitful. Do you think you could get me a JSON export of the app in question? Assuming this is limited to a single app, at least.
The other relevant update - we're very close to opening up beta access for a brand new layout engine that will address a whole slew of similar issues. I can look into getting you in!
Hey @Darren - Sorry I have been OOO. Are there any risks, costs or migrating considerations when moving to the new layout engine? What is the overall impact?
Have we confirmed this would fix the issue? Thanks for you help
(Optional) An app (or two) that's been painfully slow for your users, and roughly what makes it heavy — component count, nested containers, big tables, list views, etc.
Underwriting is dealing with collapsing view issues.
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