Desktop @ file search was recursively walking the filesystem with a local skip list, which let Python and Node generated directories leak into results and diverged from CLI behavior. Route candidate discovery through the same git-first model: tracked files, untracked files with exclude-standard, and ripgrep fallback for non-git folders, then derive selectable directories from those candidates.
Constraint: Desktop picker must select both files and directories without surfacing ignored project artifacts.
Constraint: No new dependencies; reuse the existing git, ripgrep, settings, and ignore utilities.
Rejected: Maintain a hardcoded directory denylist | it would drift from CLI and miss project-specific ignore rules.
Rejected: Full recursive readdir scanning | it ignores git index semantics and makes large dependency trees visible.
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Directive: Keep desktop @ file candidate discovery aligned with src/hooks/fileSuggestions.ts before changing ranking or ignore behavior.
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/filesystem.test.ts
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test -- FileSearchMenu.test.tsx ChatInput.test.tsx
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint && bun run test -- --run && bun run build
Tested: bun run check:server
Tested: bun run check:coverage
Tested: bun run verify
Not-tested: Native Windows/Linux manual UI smoke; path handling relies on cross-platform git/ripgrep wrappers and normalized relative paths.
- Input @ in composer to open file search popup showing project root
- Filter files/directories by typing, navigate with keyboard or mouse
- Click directory to enter subdirectory, type / to navigate deeper
- Enter selects item and inserts path text at cursor, popup closes
- Parse filter path (e.g. @src/components/) to auto-navigate and search
- Desktop: filesystem browse/search API supports includeFiles and search
- Web: directory tree browser with real-time search filtering
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)
