[VS Code] DuoChat can take a long time to initialize

Checklist

• I'm using the latest version of the extension (see the latest version in the right column of this page)
  • Extension version: v5.19.0
• I'm using the latest VS Code version (find the latest version here)
  • VS Code version: v1.95.3
• I'm using a supported version of GitLab (see README for the supported version)
  • GitLab version: "happens on gitlab.com"

Problem

DuoChat takes a 'long time' to initialize. During initialization, the Chat tab is not visible in the sidebar, and there is no other indication that Chat is loading.

The time taken seems to be dependent on the size of the workspace.

Timings

Non-scientific, performed on an M1 Max Macbook Pro:

1. https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-vscode-extension/: about 5s.
2. https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/: About 1 minute.

Other Notes

Related slack discussion: https://gitlab.slack.com/archives/C058YCHP17C/p1732647601823749