diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/SidebarChat.tsx b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/SidebarChat.tsx
index 982bccb896a..1d8edeadb53 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/SidebarChat.tsx
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/SidebarChat.tsx
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@ import { useAccessor, useChatThreadsState, useChatThreadsStreamState, useSetting
 
 import { TextAreaFns } from '../util/inputs.js';
 import { PastThreadsList } from './SidebarThreadSelector.js';
-import { VoidChatArea, ButtonSubmit, ButtonStop } from './composer/VoidChatArea.js';
-import { SelectedFiles } from './composer/SelectedFiles.js';
 import { scrollToBottom } from './composer/ScrollToBottomContainer.js';
 import { ChatMessageList } from './composer/ChatMessageList.js';
 import { ComposerInputSection } from './composer/ComposerInputSection.js';
@@ -29,22 +27,6 @@ import ErrorBoundary from './ErrorBoundary.js';
 import { useImageAttachments } from '../util/useImageAttachments.js';
 import { usePDFAttachments } from '../util/usePDFAttachments.js';
 import { useTranslation } from '../util/useTranslation.js';
-import { IconX, IconWarning, IconLoading, TypingCursor } from './shared/icons.js';
-import { getBasename, getFolderName, getRelative, voidOpenFileFn } from './shared/pathUtils.js';
-import { ToolChildrenWrapper, CodeChildren, ListableToolItem } from './tools/ToolPrimitives.js';
-import { ChatBubble } from './chat/ChatBubble.js';
-
-// Re-export shared modules for existing consumers (will migrate imports over time).
-export { IconX, IconWarning, IconLoading, TypingCursor } from './shared/icons.js';
-export { getBasename, getFolderName, getRelative, voidOpenFileFn } from './shared/pathUtils.js';
-export { ToolChildrenWrapper, CodeChildren, ListableToolItem } from './tools/ToolPrimitives.js';
-export { VoidChatArea, ButtonSubmit, ButtonStop } from './composer/VoidChatArea.js';
-export { SelectedFiles } from './composer/SelectedFiles.js';
-export { CommandBarInChat } from './composer/CommandBarInChat.js';
-export { ChatBubble } from './chat/ChatBubble.js';
-
-
-
 
 export const SidebarChat = () => {
 	const textAreaRef = useRef<HTMLTextAreaElement | null>(null)
@@ -268,7 +250,6 @@ export const SidebarChat = () => {
 		onChangeText,
 		onKeyDown,
 		onInputFocus: () => { chatThreadsService.setCurrentlyFocusedMessageIdx(undefined) },
-		onRemoveStagingLast: () => { chatThreadsService.popStagingSelections(1) },
 		imageAttachments,
 		removeImage,
 		retryImage,
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/ComposerInputArea.tsx b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/ComposerInputArea.tsx
index 31adb0c1c0a..b6c14888ff5 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/ComposerInputArea.tsx
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/ComposerInputArea.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ export type ComposerInputAreaProps = {
 	onChangeText: (value: string) => void;
 	onKeyDown: (e: KeyboardEvent<HTMLTextAreaElement>) => void;
 	onInputFocus: () => void;
-	onRemoveStagingLast: () => void;
 	imageAttachments: ChatImageAttachment[];
 	removeImage: (id: string) => void;
 	retryImage: (id: string) => Promise<void>;
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@ export const ComposerInputArea = ({
 	onChangeText,
 	onKeyDown,
 	onInputFocus,
-	onRemoveStagingLast,
 	imageAttachments,
 	removeImage,
 	retryImage,
@@ -141,7 +139,7 @@ export const ComposerInputArea = ({
 		/>
 		<StagingContextChips
 			selections={selections}
-			onRemoveLast={onRemoveStagingLast}
+			onRemoveAt={(idx) => setSelections(selections.filter((_, i) => i !== idx))}
 		/>
 	</VoidChatArea>
 );
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/StagingContextChips.tsx b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/StagingContextChips.tsx
index 63b96b042e3..81e03e42464 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/StagingContextChips.tsx
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/StagingContextChips.tsx
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ import { StagingSelectionItem } from '../../../../common/chatThreadServiceTypes.
 
 type StagingContextChipsProps = {
 	selections: StagingSelectionItem[];
-	onRemoveLast: () => void;
+	onRemoveAt: (index: number) => void;
 };
 
-export const StagingContextChips = ({ selections, onRemoveLast }: StagingContextChipsProps) => {
+export const StagingContextChips = ({ selections, onRemoveAt }: StagingContextChipsProps) => {
 	if (selections.length === 0) {
 		return null;
 	}
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export const StagingContextChips = ({ selections, onRemoveLast }: StagingContext
 						<button
 							type="button"
 							className='btn btn-icon btn-ghost ml-1 text-void-fg-3 hover:text-void-fg-1'
-							onClick={onRemoveLast}
+							onClick={() => onRemoveAt(idx)}
 							aria-label={`Remove ${name}`}
 						>
 							×
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/test/common/designSystem.test.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/test/common/designSystem.test.ts
index 4e00fdfaeb3..b517ee23cef 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/test/common/designSystem.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/cortexide/test/common/designSystem.test.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,8 @@ suite('designSystem (Phase 1 — onboarding adoption)', () => {
 
 const voidOnboardingPath = join(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '../../browser/react/src/onboarding/VoidOnboarding.tsx');
 const settingsPath = join(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '../../browser/react/src/settings/Settings.tsx');
+const sidebarChatPath = join(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '../../browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/SidebarChat.tsx');
+const stagingContextChipsPath = join(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '../../browser/react/src/sidebar-tsx/composer/StagingContextChips.tsx');
 
 suite('designSystem (Phase 1 — void onboarding adoption)', () => {
 
@@ -98,3 +100,19 @@ suite('designSystem (Phase 1 — settings adoption)', () => {
 		assert.ok(src.includes("'dropdown "), 'expected dropdown class on Ollama selects');
 	});
 });
+
+suite('designSystem (Phase 1 — sidebar chat shell)', () => {
+
+	test('SidebarChat has no legacy re-exports', () => {
+		const src = readFileSync(sidebarChatPath, 'utf8');
+		assert.ok(!src.includes('Re-export shared modules'), 'SidebarChat should not re-export extracted modules');
+		assert.ok(!src.includes('export { IconX'), 'SidebarChat should not re-export icons');
+		assert.ok(src.includes('export const SidebarChat'), 'SidebarChat remains the sidebar entry component');
+	});
+
+	test('StagingContextChips removes by index', () => {
+		const src = readFileSync(stagingContextChipsPath, 'utf8');
+		assert.ok(src.includes('onRemoveAt'), 'expected index-based chip removal');
+		assert.ok(src.includes('onRemoveAt(idx)'), 'remove button should target clicked chip');
+	});
+});