fix(desktop): preserve sidebar workspace targets across new drafts

apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ import {
 } from '../store/pet-overlay'
 import { $filePreviewTarget, $previewTarget, closeActiveRightRailTab } from '../store/preview'
 import { $activeGatewayProfile, $freshSessionRequest, $profileScope, refreshActiveProfile } from '../store/profile'
-import { $startWorkSessionRequest, followActiveSessionCwd, resolveNewSessionCwd } from '../store/projects'
+import { $startWorkSessionRequest, followActiveSessionCwd } from '../store/projects'
 import { $reviewOpen, REVIEW_PANE_ID } from '../store/review'
 import {
   $activeSessionId,
@@ -65,8 +65,6 @@ import {
   sessionPinId,
   setAwaitingResponse,
   setBusy,
-  setCurrentBranch,
-  setCurrentCwd,
   setCurrentModel,
   setCurrentProvider,
   setMessages,
@@ -117,6 +115,7 @@ import { useRouteResume } from './session/hooks/use-route-resume'
 import { useSessionActions } from './session/hooks/use-session-actions'
 import { useSessionListActions } from './session/hooks/use-session-list-actions'
 import { useSessionStateCache } from './session/hooks/use-session-state-cache'
+import { startWorkspaceSession } from './session/workspace-session-target'
 import { AppShell } from './shell/app-shell'
 import { useOverlayRouting } from './shell/hooks/use-overlay-routing'
 import { useStatusSnapshot } from './shell/hooks/use-status-snapshot'
@@ -735,42 +734,16 @@ export function DesktopController() {
 
   const startSessionInWorkspace = useCallback(
     (path: null | string) => {
-      startFreshSessionDraft()
-
-      // A worktree lane carries its own path; the trunk "+" can be path-less (the
-      // main checkout is implicit), so fall back to the active project's root
-      // instead of no-op'ing on null — that was "+ on main does nothing".
-      const target = path?.trim() || resolveNewSessionCwd()
-
-      if (!target) {
-        return
-      }
-
-      // The next message creates the backend session in $currentCwd, so seed
-      // it (and the branch) from the workspace the user clicked the + on.
-      setCurrentCwd(target)
-      void requestGateway<{ branch?: string; cwd?: string }>('config.get', { key: 'project', cwd: target })
-        .then(info => {
-          const resolved = info.cwd || target
-
-          setCurrentCwd(resolved)
-          setCurrentBranch(info.branch || '')
-
-          // An EXPLICIT target (a worktree/lane path — e.g. just-created via
-          // "convert a branch" / "new worktree") drills the sidebar into that
-          // project so the new lane is visible at once. Without this, a brand-new
-          // worktree session is invisible from the all-projects overview (the
-          // live overlay skips `.worktrees` rows, and the session.info cwd-follow
-          // only fires on a same-session move, not a fresh session). The
-          // path-less trunk "+" keeps the current scope untouched.
-          if (path?.trim()) {
-            restoreWorktree(resolved)
-            void followActiveSessionCwd(resolved)
-          }
-        })
-        .catch(() => undefined)
+      startWorkspaceSession({
+        activeSessionIdRef,
+        followActiveSessionCwd,
+        onExplicitWorkspace: restoreWorktree,
+        path,
+        requestGateway,
+        startFreshSessionDraft
+      })
     },
-    [requestGateway, startFreshSessionDraft]
+    [activeSessionIdRef, requestGateway, startFreshSessionDraft]
   )
 
   // Composer "branch off into a new worktree": the composer already created the

apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-cwd-actions.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+import { act, cleanup, render, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react'
+import type { MutableRefObject } from 'react'
+import { useEffect } from 'react'
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+import {
+  $currentBranch,
+  $currentCwd,
+  $newChatWorkspaceTarget,
+  setCurrentBranch,
+  setCurrentCwd,
+  setCurrentCwdTransient,
+  setNewChatWorkspaceTarget
+} from '@/store/session'
+
+import { useCwdActions } from './use-cwd-actions'
+
+type CwdActionsHandle = ReturnType<typeof useCwdActions>
+
+function deferred<T>() {
+  let resolve!: (value: T) => void
+
+  const promise = new Promise<T>(done => {
+    resolve = done
+  })
+
+  return { promise, resolve }
+}
+
+function Harness({
+  activeSessionIdRef,
+  onReady,
+  requestGateway
+}: {
+  activeSessionIdRef: MutableRefObject<string | null>
+  onReady: (handle: CwdActionsHandle) => void
+  requestGateway: <T>(method: string, params?: Record<string, unknown>) => Promise<T>
+}) {
+  const actions = useCwdActions({
+    activeSessionId: activeSessionIdRef.current,
+    activeSessionIdRef,
+    requestGateway
+  })
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    onReady(actions)
+  }, [actions, onReady])
+
+  return null
+}
+
+describe('useCwdActions draft workspace target', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    setCurrentCwd('')
+    setCurrentBranch('')
+    setNewChatWorkspaceTarget(undefined)
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup()
+    setCurrentCwd('')
+    setCurrentBranch('')
+    setNewChatWorkspaceTarget(undefined)
+    vi.restoreAllMocks()
+  })
+
+  it('ignores stale draft cwd normalization after a newer no-workspace target wins', async () => {
+    const projectInfo = deferred<{ branch?: string; cwd?: string }>()
+    const requestGateway = vi.fn(async () => projectInfo.promise as never)
+    const activeSessionIdRef: MutableRefObject<string | null> = { current: null }
+    let handle: CwdActionsHandle | null = null
+
+    render(
+      <Harness
+        activeSessionIdRef={activeSessionIdRef}
+        onReady={h => (handle = h)}
+        requestGateway={requestGateway}
+      />
+    )
+    await waitFor(() => expect(handle).not.toBeNull())
+
+    let pendingChange!: Promise<void>
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      pendingChange = handle!.changeSessionCwd('/stale-workspace')
+    })
+
+    expect($newChatWorkspaceTarget.get()).toBe('/stale-workspace')
+
+    setNewChatWorkspaceTarget(null)
+    setCurrentCwdTransient('')
+    projectInfo.resolve({ branch: 'main', cwd: '/normalized-stale-workspace' })
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await pendingChange
+    })
+
+    expect($newChatWorkspaceTarget.get()).toBeNull()
+    expect($currentCwd.get()).toBe('')
+    expect($currentBranch.get()).toBe('')
+  })
+})

apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-cwd-actions.ts

@@ -2,7 +2,13 @@ import { type MutableRefObject, useCallback } from 'react'
 
 import { useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 import { notify, notifyError } from '@/store/notifications'
-import { $currentCwd, setCurrentBranch, setCurrentCwd } from '@/store/session'
+import {
+  $currentCwd,
+  $newChatWorkspaceTargetGeneration,
+  setCurrentBranch,
+  setCurrentCwd,
+  setNewChatWorkspaceTarget
+} from '@/store/session'
 import type { SessionRuntimeInfo } from '@/types/hermes'
 
 interface CwdActionsOptions {
@@ -55,22 +61,30 @@ export function useCwdActions({
 
       if (!activeSessionId) {
         setCurrentCwd(trimmed)
+        const workspaceGeneration = setNewChatWorkspaceTarget(trimmed)
 
         try {
           const info = await requestGateway<{ branch?: string; cwd?: string }>('config.get', {
             key: 'project',
             cwd: trimmed
           })
 
+          if ($newChatWorkspaceTargetGeneration.get() !== workspaceGeneration || activeSessionIdRef.current) {
+            return
+          }
+
           // Adopt the backend's normalized cwd so the persisted workspace and
           // branch stay consistent with what the agent will use.
           if (info.cwd) {
             setCurrentCwd(info.cwd)
+            setNewChatWorkspaceTarget(info.cwd)
           }
 
           setCurrentBranch(info.branch || '')
         } catch {
-          setCurrentBranch('')
+          if ($newChatWorkspaceTargetGeneration.get() === workspaceGeneration && !activeSessionIdRef.current) {
+            setCurrentBranch('')
+          }
         }
 
         return
@@ -103,7 +117,7 @@ export function useCwdActions({
         })
       }
     },
-    [activeSessionId, copy, onSessionRuntimeInfo, requestGateway]
+    [activeSessionId, activeSessionIdRef, copy, onSessionRuntimeInfo, requestGateway]
   )
 
   return { changeSessionCwd, refreshProjectBranch }

apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions.test.tsx

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { cleanup, render, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { act, cleanup, render, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react'
 import type { MutableRefObject } from 'react'
 import { useEffect } from 'react'
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
@@ -10,9 +10,12 @@ import {
   $activeSessionId,
   $currentCwd,
   $messages,
+  $newChatWorkspaceTarget,
   $resumeFailedSessionId,
   setActiveSessionId,
+  setCurrentCwd,
   setMessages,
+  setNewChatWorkspaceTarget,
   setResumeFailedSessionId,
   setSessions
 } from '@/store/session'
@@ -31,6 +34,7 @@ vi.mock('@/hermes', async importOriginal => ({
 }))
 
 const RUNTIME_SESSION_ID = 'rt-new-001'
+type HarnessHandle = Pick<ReturnType<typeof useSessionActions>, 'createBackendSessionForSend' | 'startFreshSessionDraft'>
 
 function storedSession(overrides: Partial<SessionInfo> = {}): SessionInfo {
   return {
@@ -55,7 +59,7 @@ function Harness({
   onReady,
   requestGateway
 }: {
-  onReady: (create: (preview?: string | null) => Promise<string | null>) => void
+  onReady: (handle: HarnessHandle) => void
   requestGateway: <T>(method: string, params?: Record<string, unknown>) => Promise<T>
 }) {
   const ref = <T,>(value: T): MutableRefObject<T> => ({ current: value })
@@ -78,13 +82,16 @@ function Harness({
   })
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    onReady(actions.createBackendSessionForSend)
-  }, [actions.createBackendSessionForSend, onReady])
+    onReady(actions)
+  }, [actions, onReady])
 
   return null
 }
 
-async function createWith(profileSetup: () => void): Promise<Record<string, unknown> | undefined> {
+async function createWith(
+  profileSetup: () => void,
+  beforeCreate?: (handle: HarnessHandle) => Promise<void> | void
+): Promise<Record<string, unknown> | undefined> {
   let createParams: Record<string, unknown> | undefined
 
   const requestGateway = vi.fn(async (method: string, params?: Record<string, unknown>) => {
@@ -97,13 +104,23 @@ async function createWith(profileSetup: () => void): Promise<Record<string, unkn
     return {} as never
   })
 
-  $currentCwd.set('')
+  setCurrentCwd('')
+  setNewChatWorkspaceTarget(undefined)
   profileSetup()
 
-  let create: ((preview?: string | null) => Promise<string | null>) | null = null
-  render(<Harness onReady={c => (create = c)} requestGateway={requestGateway} />)
-  await waitFor(() => expect(create).not.toBeNull())
-  await create!()
+  let handle: HarnessHandle | null = null
+  render(<Harness onReady={h => (handle = h)} requestGateway={requestGateway} />)
+  await waitFor(() => expect(handle).not.toBeNull())
+
+  if (beforeCreate) {
+    await act(async () => {
+      await beforeCreate(handle!)
+    })
+  }
+
+  await act(async () => {
+    await handle!.createBackendSessionForSend()
+  })
 
   return createParams
 }
@@ -113,7 +130,8 @@ describe('createBackendSessionForSend profile routing', () => {
     cleanup()
     $newChatProfile.set(null)
     $activeGatewayProfile.set('default')
-    $currentCwd.set('')
+    setCurrentCwd('')
+    setNewChatWorkspaceTarget(undefined)
     vi.restoreAllMocks()
   })
 
@@ -592,3 +610,44 @@ describe('resumeSession warm-cache mapping integrity', () => {
     expect(runtimeIdByStoredSessionIdRef.current.get('stored-A')).toBe('rt-A')
   })
 })
+
+describe('createBackendSessionForSend workspace target', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup()
+    $newChatProfile.set(null)
+    $activeGatewayProfile.set('default')
+    setCurrentCwd('')
+    setNewChatWorkspaceTarget(undefined)
+    vi.restoreAllMocks()
+  })
+
+  it('omits cwd for an explicit no-workspace draft even when global cwd changes before send', async () => {
+    const params = await createWith(
+      () => {
+        $activeGatewayProfile.set('default')
+      },
+      handle => {
+        handle.startFreshSessionDraft({ workspaceTarget: null })
+        $currentCwd.set('/project-open-in-file-browser')
+      }
+    )
+
+    expect(params).not.toHaveProperty('cwd')
+    expect($newChatWorkspaceTarget.get()).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
+  it('uses the clicked workspace target instead of a later global cwd value', async () => {
+    const params = await createWith(
+      () => {
+        $activeGatewayProfile.set('default')
+      },
+      handle => {
+        handle.startFreshSessionDraft({ workspaceTarget: '/clicked-workspace' })
+        $currentCwd.set('/project-open-in-file-browser')
+      }
+    )
+
+    expect(params).toMatchObject({ cwd: '/clicked-workspace' })
+  })
+
+})