fix(desktop): restore focus to new workspace modal after alt-tab

[kkjcheng]

Summary

• The new workspace modal Dialog used non-modal mode (modal={false} default), so Radix UI did not trap focus
• When alt-tabbing away and back, focus landed on the window body instead of returning to the modal
• Enabled modal on both NewWorkspaceModal and DashboardNewWorkspaceModal Dialog variants to activate Radix's built-in focus trap

Test plan

• Open the new workspace modal
• Alt-tab to another application, then alt-tab back
• Verify focus returns to the modal (e.g. typing should land in the prompt input, not behind the modal)
• Verify Escape still closes the modal
• Verify clicking the overlay still closes the modal

---

Summary by cubic

Restores focus and keeps the New Workspace dialogs open after alt-tab by enabling modal on the Dialog and preventing focus-outside dismiss in DashboardNewWorkspaceModal.

• Bug Fixes
  • After alt-tab, focus returns to the modal and it stays open (no unintended dismiss).
  • Escape and overlay click still close the modal.

^{Written for commit bdf35f2. Summary will update on new commits.}

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Bug Fixes
  • Workspace creation dialogs now prevent interaction with other interface elements while open, ensuring true modal behavior.
  • Dialog content now blocks focus from leaving the modal, improving accessibility and preventing accidental focus loss during workspace creation.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: defaults

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 7ff55958-eddd-4e93-a592-2c1aa7e0839a

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between a8d490f and bdf35f2.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• apps/desktop/src/renderer/routes/_authenticated/components/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal.tsx

🚧 Files skipped from review as they are similar to previous changes (1)

• apps/desktop/src/renderer/routes/_authenticated/components/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal.tsx

---

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Enabled the modal prop on Dialogs in two workspace modal components and added a onFocusOutside={(e) => e.preventDefault()} handler to the Dashboard modal; existing open state and close handlers remain unchanged.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
NewWorkspaceModal apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/NewWorkspaceModal/NewWorkspaceModal.tsx	Added modal prop to Dialog to make it modal; open={isOpen} and existing close handler unchanged.
DashboardNewWorkspaceModal apps/desktop/src/renderer/routes/_authenticated/components/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal.tsx	Added modal prop to Dialog and onFocusOutside={(e) => e.preventDefault()} on DialogContent to prevent focus-leave dismissal; open and close behavior preserved.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~10 minutes

Possibly related issues

• Create workspace modal dismisses on Cmd+Tab #2235 — Both changes enable modal=true and add focus-out prevention, addressing Radix DismissableLayer dismissal-on-focus bugs described in the issue.

Poem

🐰
I hopped in code and set it tight,
Two dialogs now hold focus right.
No stray clicks to send them roaming,
Modal doors keep pathways homing.
A tiny tweak — the UX glowing.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 2 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (2 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: enabling modal behavior to restore focus to the new workspace modal after alt-tab.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description includes a clear summary, detailed test plan, related technical context, and follows most template requirements with comprehensive information about the fix.

_{✏️ Tip: You can configure your own custom pre-merge checks in the settings.}

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[cubic-dev-ai]

No issues found across 2 files

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Summary

This PR enables modal mode on both NewWorkspaceModal and DashboardNewWorkspaceModal Dialog components so that Radix UI activates its built-in focus trap, restoring focus to the modal after an alt-tab.

Key changes:

• NewWorkspaceModal: adds modal prop to <Dialog> — correctly paired with the existing onFocusOutside={(e) => e.preventDefault()} on DialogContent.
• DashboardNewWorkspaceModal: adds modal prop to <Dialog> — but is missing onFocusOutside={(e) => e.preventDefault()}, meaning Radix's default dismiss-on-focus-outside will fire and close the modal when the user alt-tabs away. The fix is incomplete for this variant.

Confidence Score: 3/5

Not safe to merge as-is — DashboardNewWorkspaceModal will close on alt-tab instead of preserving focus, making the fix worse than the original bug for that variant.

The fix is correct and complete for NewWorkspaceModal, but DashboardNewWorkspaceModal is missing the onFocusOutside prevention that is essential to the stated goal. Without it, modal=true causes Radix to dismiss the dialog on alt-tab, which is a regression. One targeted one-liner fix is needed before merge.

apps/desktop/src/renderer/routes/_authenticated/components/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal.tsx — needs onFocusOutside={(e) => e.preventDefault()} on DialogContent

Vulnerabilities

No security concerns identified. Changes are limited to dialog focus-management props with no data handling or auth implications.

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/NewWorkspaceModal/NewWorkspaceModal.tsx	Adds modal prop to Dialog to activate Radix focus trap; already has onFocusOutside prevention to keep the dialog open on alt-tab — this file is correct.
apps/desktop/src/renderer/routes/_authenticated/components/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal.tsx	Adds modal prop to Dialog but is missing onFocusOutside={(e) => e.preventDefault()}, so alt-tabbing away will close the modal entirely instead of preserving and restoring focus.

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant OS
    participant RadixDialog as Radix Dialog (modal=true)
    participant DialogContent

    User->>RadixDialog: Opens modal
    RadixDialog->>DialogContent: Traps focus inside FocusScope

    User->>OS: Alt-tab away
    OS-->>RadixDialog: Window loses focus → onFocusOutside fires

    alt NewWorkspaceModal (has onFocusOutside preventDefault)
        DialogContent-->>RadixDialog: e.preventDefault() — suppress close
        RadixDialog-->>DialogContent: Modal stays open
        User->>OS: Alt-tab back
        OS-->>RadixDialog: Window regains focus
        RadixDialog-->>DialogContent: Focus restored to modal ✅
    else DashboardNewWorkspaceModal (missing preventDefault)
        DialogContent-->>RadixDialog: Default: onOpenChange(false)
        RadixDialog-->>DialogContent: Modal closes ❌
        User->>OS: Alt-tab back
        OS-->>User: Modal is gone — fix incomplete
    end

Loading

Comments Outside Diff (1)

1. apps/desktop/src/renderer/routes/_authenticated/components/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal/DashboardNewWorkspaceModal.tsx, line 30-33 (link)

   Missing onFocusOutside prevention — modal will close on alt-tab

   DashboardNewWorkspaceModal sets modal (good, fixes focus trap on return), but it is missing the onFocusOutside={(e) => e.preventDefault()} handler that NewWorkspaceModal already carries.

   With modal={true}, Radix UI's default behavior for onFocusOutside is to call onOpenChange(false) — i.e., close the dialog — when focus leaves the window scope. This means that when the user alt-tabs away, DashboardNewWorkspaceModal will close entirely rather than keeping the modal open and restoring focus on return. This is arguably worse than the original bug.

   NewWorkspaceModal avoids this by suppressing the default:

   onFocusOutside={(e) => e.preventDefault()}

   The same handler should be added to DashboardNewWorkspaceModal's DialogContent:

_{Reviews (1): Last reviewed commit: "fix(desktop): restore focus to new works..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

[Kitenite]

Superseded by #3392, which applies this same focus-trap fix to both the v1 (NewWorkspaceModal) and v2 (DashboardNewWorkspaceModal) dialogs on the sync-ws-v1-v2 branch. Credit retained — the fix is yours, just carried forward onto the branch where both variants currently live. Thanks @kkjcheng!