diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatListRenderer.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatListRenderer.ts
index fa6cbe6ed8d..fae571673e9 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatListRenderer.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatListRenderer.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ import { IChatChangesSummaryPart, IChatCodeCitations, IChatErrorDetailsPart, ICh
 import { getNWords } from '../common/chatWordCounter.js';
 import { CodeBlockModelCollection } from '../common/codeBlockModelCollection.js';
 import { ChatAgentLocation, ChatConfiguration, ChatModeKind, CollapsedToolsDisplayMode, ThinkingDisplayMode } from '../common/constants.js';
+import { localChatSessionType } from '../common/chatSessionsService.js';
+import { getChatSessionType } from '../common/chatUri.js';
 import { MarkUnhelpfulActionId } from './actions/chatTitleActions.js';
 import { ChatTreeItem, IChatCodeBlockInfo, IChatFileTreeInfo, IChatListItemRendererOptions, IChatWidgetService } from './chat.js';
 import { ChatAgentHover, getChatAgentHoverOptions } from './chatAgentHover.js';
@@ -1163,7 +1165,9 @@ export class ChatListItemRenderer extends Disposable implements ITreeRenderer<Ch
 	}
 
 	private shouldShowFileChangesSummary(element: IChatResponseViewModel): boolean {
-		return element.isComplete && this.configService.getValue<boolean>('chat.checkpoints.showFileChanges');
+		// Only show file changes summary for local sessions - background sessions already have their own file changes part
+		const isLocalSession = getChatSessionType(element.sessionResource) === localChatSessionType;
+		return element.isComplete && isLocalSession && this.configService.getValue<boolean>('chat.checkpoints.showFileChanges');
 	}
 
 	private getDataForProgressiveRender(element: IChatResponseViewModel) {