Expose a workspace inspector for desktop sessions so users can browse the active project, preview files, inspect session-derived changes, and review diffs even when the work directory is not a git repository.
Constraint: The workspace view must work for temporary and non-git project directories.
Rejected: Rely only on git status | non-git sessions would lose the changed-files surface.
Confidence: medium
Scope-risk: moderate
Directive: Keep undo semantics separate from workspace browsing; checkpoint-backed rewind should remain the source of truth for rollback.
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/sessions.test.ts src/server/__tests__/workspace-service.test.ts
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test -- src/components/workspace/WorkspacePanel.test.tsx src/stores/workspacePanelStore.test.ts
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Tested: git diff --check
Not-tested: Full desktop packaged app build after this commit
This introduces a persisted light/dark appearance setting, maps the desktop shell onto semantic theme tokens, and reworks the highest-traffic chat/settings surfaces so the new dark mode is usable without regressing the original light theme.
The same pass tightens markdown rendering for chat replies by improving inline code, table overflow handling, and safe external-link behavior so dark-mode content stays legible in real conversations.
Constraint: Preserve the existing light theme while adding a user-selectable dark theme in Settings > General
Constraint: Avoid introducing new dependencies for styling or markdown handling
Rejected: Replacing the light palette with a single dual-purpose palette | would risk broad visual regressions across the existing desktop UI
Rejected: Implementing dark mode only for shell chrome | leaves chat markdown, diffs, and permission flows visually broken
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Reversibility: clean
Directive: New desktop UI should use semantic theme variables instead of hard-coded color literals so both themes stay aligned
Tested: bun run lint; bun run test; bun run build; browser review of theme switching, provider/permission states, and chat surfaces
Not-tested: Prototype-style pages with remaining hard-coded colors (scheduled/session control mock surfaces) were not fully normalized in this change
The desktop app now keeps the composer stable while turns are active,
reduces low-signal tool noise in the transcript, restores project context
under the composer after session creation, and relies on the CLI's own
permission requests instead of injecting broader desktop-side Bash asks.
This also brings in the supporting desktop app source tree and the server
routes/session metadata needed for git info, filesystem browsing, session
resume, slash commands, and SDK-backed permission bridging so the UI can
operate as a coherent feature instead of a partial patch.
Constraint: Desktop transcript needs to stay usable during long multi-tool sessions without hiding file-change diffs
Constraint: Permission prompts must mirror CLI behavior closely enough that read-only commands do not get desktop-only prompts
Rejected: Keep rendering Read/Bash bodies inline | too noisy and unlike the intended transcript model
Rejected: Commit only the touched desktop files | would leave the newly introduced desktop app incomplete in git history
Confidence: medium
Scope-risk: broad
Reversibility: messy
Directive: Treat non-writing tools as summary-first transcript events; do not re-expand them by default without validating the UX against long sessions
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test -- --run
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/conversations.test.ts
Not-tested: Manual visual regression against the exact screenshots in a live desktop session
Not-tested: Full root TypeScript check (repository still has unrelated extracted-native parse failures)
