feat(sessions): suggest recent workspace paths in new-session cwd input

Author: e2e

server/modules/providers/services/home-dirs.service.ts

@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ import { readdir, realpath } from 'node:fs/promises';
  * containment and returns [].
  */
 
-export const MAX_DIR_SUGGESTIONS = 20;
+// 50, not 20: the cwd input doubles as a click-through directory browser and
+// an alphabetical cut hides late-alphabet folders (e.g. ~/workspace) entirely.
+export const MAX_DIR_SUGGESTIONS = 50;
 
 /** Absolute HOME path — clients join it with home-relative picks. */
 export function getHomeDir(): string {

src/components/sidebar/view/subcomponents/SidebarNewSession.tsx

@@ -22,6 +22,24 @@ const PROVIDERS: { id: SpawnProvider; label: string }[] = [
   { id: 'omp', label: 'Oh My Pi' },
 ];
 
+// Working directories of successful spawns, most recent first. Typing an
+// absolute path once is enough — later sessions pick it from the dropdown.
+const RECENT_CWDS_KEY = 'chatmux-recent-spawn-cwds';
+const RECENT_CWDS_MAX = 5;
+
+function readRecentCwds(): string[] {
+  try {
+    const raw = localStorage.getItem(RECENT_CWDS_KEY);
+    const parsed: unknown = raw ? JSON.parse(raw) : [];
+    return Array.isArray(parsed)
+      ? parsed.filter((entry): entry is string => typeof entry === 'string' && entry.length > 0).slice(0, RECENT_CWDS_MAX)
+      : [];
+  } catch {
+    // localStorage unavailable (SSR/tests) or corrupted payload.
+    return [];
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Unified new-session form. GJC boots through the control tower; every other
  * provider boots its native CLI in tmux through /sessions/external/spawn.
@@ -37,12 +55,27 @@ export default function SidebarNewSession({
   const [open, setOpen] = useState(initiallyOpen);
   const [provider, setProvider] = useState<SpawnProvider>('gjc');
   const [name, setName] = useState('');
-  const [cwd, setCwd] = useState('');
+  const [recentCwds, setRecentCwds] = useState<string[]>(readRecentCwds);
+  // The most recent working directory is the best default: repeated spawns
+  // in the same repo need no path input at all.
+  const [cwd, setCwd] = useState(() => readRecentCwds()[0] ?? '');
   const [status, setStatus] = useState<SpawnStatus>({ kind: 'idle' });
 
+  const rememberCwd = (path: string) => {
+    const next = [path, ...recentCwds.filter((entry) => entry !== path)].slice(0, RECENT_CWDS_MAX);
+    setRecentCwds(next);
+    try {
+      localStorage.setItem(RECENT_CWDS_KEY, JSON.stringify(next));
+    } catch {
+      // best-effort persistence
+    }
+  };
+
   const reset = () => {
     setName('');
-    setCwd('');
+    // Keep the path of least resistance: the next spawn most likely targets
+    // the same repo, so the field reopens prefilled with the latest cwd.
+    setCwd(readRecentCwds()[0] ?? '');
     setStatus({ kind: 'idle' });
   };
 
@@ -64,6 +97,7 @@ export default function SidebarNewSession({
           detail?: string;
         };
         if (response.ok && data.ok) {
+          rememberCwd(trimmedCwd);
           setOpen(false);
           reset();
           return;
@@ -82,6 +116,7 @@ export default function SidebarNewSession({
       const response = await api.externalCliSessionSpawn(provider, trimmedName, trimmedCwd);
       const body = await response.json().catch(() => null);
       if (response.ok && body?.data?.ok) {
+        rememberCwd(trimmedCwd);
         setOpen(false);
         reset();
         onCreated();
@@ -140,6 +175,8 @@ export default function SidebarNewSession({
         onChange={setCwd}
         onSubmit={() => void spawn()}
         placeholder={t('newSessionForm.workingDirectoryPlaceholder')}
+        quickPicks={recentCwds}
+        quickPicksLabel={t('newSessionForm.recentPaths')}
       />
       {status.kind === 'error' && <p className="text-[11px] text-red-500">{status.text}</p>}
       <div className="flex items-center justify-end gap-2">

src/shared/view/HomeDirInput.tsx

@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ type HomeDirInputProps = {
   onSubmit?: () => void;
   placeholder?: string;
   className?: string;
+  /** Known-good absolute or home-relative paths surfaced while the input is empty (e.g. recent spawn cwds). */
+  quickPicks?: string[];
+  quickPicksLabel?: string;
 };
 
 const DEBOUNCE_MS = 200;
@@ -21,7 +24,15 @@ const DEBOUNCE_MS = 200;
  * the endpoint takes home-relative prefixes only). Click or Tab (first match)
  * completes. Best-effort — endpoint errors just hide the dropdown.
  */
-export default function HomeDirInput({ value, onChange, onSubmit, placeholder, className }: HomeDirInputProps) {
+export default function HomeDirInput({
+  value,
+  onChange,
+  onSubmit,
+  placeholder,
+  className,
+  quickPicks,
+  quickPicksLabel,
+}: HomeDirInputProps) {
   const [suggestions, setSuggestions] = useState<string[]>([]);
   const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
   // Absolute HOME path, learned from the endpoint (every response carries it).
@@ -34,7 +45,9 @@ export default function HomeDirInput({ value, onChange, onSubmit, placeholder, c
     if (debounceRef.current) {
       clearTimeout(debounceRef.current);
     }
-    const relative = toHomeRelative(value, home);
+    // Empty input browses HOME itself: focusing the blank field lists the
+    // top-level folders so a working directory is reachable by clicks alone.
+    const relative = value.trim() ? toHomeRelative(value, home) : '';
     if (relative === null) {
       setSuggestions([]);
       // An absolute path was typed before we learned HOME — fetch it once and
@@ -87,6 +100,14 @@ export default function HomeDirInput({ value, onChange, onSubmit, placeholder, c
     setOpen(true);
   };
 
+  // Final selections (recent paths) fill the field as-is and close the list.
+  const pickQuick = (path: string) => {
+    onChange(path);
+    setOpen(false);
+  };
+
+  const visibleQuickPicks = value.trim() === '' ? (quickPicks ?? []) : [];
+
   return (
     <div className="relative">
       <input
@@ -119,8 +140,31 @@ export default function HomeDirInput({ value, onChange, onSubmit, placeholder, c
         placeholder={placeholder}
         className={className ?? 'w-full rounded-md border border-border bg-transparent px-2 py-1.5 text-sm outline-none focus:border-blue-500/60'}
       />
-      {open && suggestions.length > 0 && (
+      {open && (suggestions.length > 0 || visibleQuickPicks.length > 0) && (
         <div className="absolute inset-x-0 top-full z-20 mt-1 max-h-48 overflow-y-auto rounded-md border border-border bg-card shadow-lg">
+          {visibleQuickPicks.length > 0 && (
+            <>
+              {quickPicksLabel && (
+                <div className="px-2 pb-0.5 pt-1.5 text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-wider text-muted-foreground">
+                  {quickPicksLabel}
+                </div>
+              )}
+              {visibleQuickPicks.map((path) => (
+                <button
+                  key={`quick:${path}`}
+                  type="button"
+                  onMouseDown={(event) => {
+                    event.preventDefault();
+                    pickQuick(path);
+                  }}
+                  className="block w-full truncate px-2 py-1.5 text-left text-xs font-medium text-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-muted/60"
+                >
+                  {path}
+                </button>
+              ))}
+              {suggestions.length > 0 && <div className="mx-2 my-1 border-t border-border/60" />}
+            </>
+          )}
           {suggestions.map((suggestion) => (
             <button
               key={suggestion}