diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 57f740d3..8b61708a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,20 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.8.3] - 2026-03-02
+
+- Chat: added user-message display controls for plain-text rendering and sticky headers, so you can tune readability to match your preferences.
+- Chat/UI: overhauled the context panel with reusable tabs and embedded session chat (_beta_), making parallel context work easier without losing place.
+- Chat: improved code block presentation with cleaner action alignment, restored horizontal scrolling, and polished themed highlighting across chat messages and tool output (thanks to @nelsonPires5).
+- Diff: added quick open-in-editor actions from diff views that jump to the first changed line, so it is faster to move from review to edits.
+- Git: refined Git sidebar tab behavior and spacing, plus bulk-revert with confirmations for easier cleanup.
+- Git: fixed commit staging edge cases by filtering stale deleted paths before staging, reducing pathspec commit failures.
+- Git/Worktrees: restored branch rename/edit controls in draft sessions when working in a worktree directory, so branch actions stay available earlier.
+- Chat: model picker now supports collapsible provider groups and remembers expanded state between sessions.
+- Settings: reorganized chat display settings into a more compact two-column layout, so more new options are easier to navigate.
+- Mobile/UI: fixed session-title overflow in compact headers so running/unread indicators and actions remain visible (thanks to @iamhenry).
+
+
 ## [1.8.2] - 2026-03-01
 
 - Updates: hardened the self-update flow with safer release handling and fallback behavior, reducing failed or stuck updates.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 281d9928..772d5858 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "openchamber-monorepo",
-  "version": "1.8.2",
+  "version": "1.8.3",
   "description": "OpenChamber monorepo workspace for web, ui, and desktop runtimes",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
diff --git a/packages/desktop/package.json b/packages/desktop/package.json
index cdf0d1d3..dc48749f 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/package.json
+++ b/packages/desktop/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@openchamber/desktop",
-  "version": "1.8.2",
+  "version": "1.8.3",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "desktopPrerequisites": [
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.lock b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
index 793fca27..ecbc1e5c 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
@@ -2670,7 +2670,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "openchamber-desktop"
-version = "1.8.2"
+version = "1.8.3"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "base64 0.22.1",
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.toml b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
index 2ca172b7..d84b4908 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "openchamber-desktop"
-version = "1.8.2"
+version = "1.8.3"
 edition = "2021"
 publish = false
 
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/tauri.conf.json b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/tauri.conf.json
index 1f693f25..8fdbec40 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/tauri.conf.json
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/tauri.conf.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "$schema": "../node_modules/@tauri-apps/cli/schema.json",
   "productName": "OpenChamber",
-  "version": "1.8.2",
+  "version": "1.8.3",
   "identifier": "ai.opencode.openchamber",
   "build": {
     "beforeDevCommand": "node ./scripts/dev-web-server.mjs",
diff --git a/packages/ui/package.json b/packages/ui/package.json
index c9a72fc7..244330d7 100644
--- a/packages/ui/package.json
+++ b/packages/ui/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@openchamber/ui",
-  "version": "1.8.2",
+  "version": "1.8.3",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "main": "src/main.tsx",
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/sections/openchamber/OpenChamberPage.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/sections/openchamber/OpenChamberPage.tsx
index 684c47ec..3c5a18f2 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/sections/openchamber/OpenChamberPage.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/sections/openchamber/OpenChamberPage.tsx
@@ -102,7 +102,23 @@ const ShortcutsSectionContent: React.FC = () => {
 
 // Visual section: Theme Mode, Font Size, Spacing, Corner Radius, Input Bar Offset (mobile), Nav Rail
 const VisualSectionContent: React.FC = () => {
-    return <OpenChamberVisualSettings visibleSettings={['theme', 'fontSize', 'terminalFontSize', 'spacing', 'cornerRadius', 'inputBarOffset', 'terminalQuickKeys', 'navRail']} />;
+    const isVSCode = isVSCodeRuntime();
+    const visibleSettings: Array<'theme' | 'fontSize' | 'terminalFontSize' | 'spacing' | 'cornerRadius' | 'inputBarOffset' | 'terminalQuickKeys' | 'navRail' | 'mermaidRendering' | 'userMessageRendering' | 'stickyUserHeader'> = [
+        'theme',
+        'fontSize',
+        'terminalFontSize',
+        'spacing',
+        'cornerRadius',
+        'inputBarOffset',
+        'terminalQuickKeys',
+        'navRail',
+    ];
+
+    if (isVSCode) {
+        visibleSettings.push('mermaidRendering', 'userMessageRendering', 'stickyUserHeader');
+    }
+
+    return <OpenChamberVisualSettings visibleSettings={visibleSettings} />;
 };
 
 // Chat section: Default Tool Output, User message rendering, Diff layout, Mobile status bar, Show reasoning traces, Queue mode, Persist draft
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/session/SessionSidebar.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/session/SessionSidebar.tsx
index c509834b..a6c156b4 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/session/SessionSidebar.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/session/SessionSidebar.tsx
@@ -1275,7 +1275,7 @@ export const SessionSidebar: React.FC<SessionSidebarProps> = ({
 
       // Always return early if same session is selected to avoid unnecessary store operations
       if (sessionId === currentSessionId) {
-        if (!allowReselect) {
+        if (allowReselect) {
           onSessionSelected?.(sessionId);
         }
         return;
diff --git a/packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md
index 294e22ac..897dd8a3 100644
--- a/packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+## [1.8.3] - 2026-03-02
+
+- Chat: added user-message display options for plain-text rendering and sticky headers, with preferences persisted in settings.
+- Chat: improved code block readability with cleaner header actions, restored horizontal scrolling, and more polished themed highlighting in markdown and tool output (thanks to @nelsonPires5).
+- Chat: model picker provider groups are now collapsible, with expanded/collapsed state remembered.
+
 ## [1.8.2] - 2026-03-01
 
 - Chat: improved message readability with cleaner tool/reasoning rendering and more polished markdown presentation in long responses.
diff --git a/packages/vscode/package.json b/packages/vscode/package.json
index bb210908..f695b710 100644
--- a/packages/vscode/package.json
+++ b/packages/vscode/package.json
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   "name": "openchamber",
   "displayName": "OpenChamber",
   "description": "AI coding assistant powered by OpenCode",
-  "version": "1.8.2",
+  "version": "1.8.3",
   "publisher": "fedaykindev",
   "private": true,
   "repository": {
diff --git a/packages/web/package.json b/packages/web/package.json
index 79a5711c..7e3b00aa 100644
--- a/packages/web/package.json
+++ b/packages/web/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@openchamber/web",
-  "version": "1.8.2",
+  "version": "1.8.3",
   "private": false,
   "type": "module",
   "main": "./server/index.js",