Sidebar: workspace chat list not visible until clicking folder chevron

[PhilippeRoy]

Sidebar: workspace chat list is not visible until clicking the folder chevron

Describe the bug
When navigating to a workspace (either via URL or by clicking the workspace name in the sidebar), the chat list remains hidden. The user must click a small folder chevron icon to expand the workspace and see the chat list. Clicking the workspace name should also expand the workspace to show its chats.

To Reproduce

1. Open the app with ?workspace=/some/path (or any workspace path)
2. Notice the sidebar shows the workspace name but no chat list
3. The chat list only appears after clicking the tiny folder chevron icon next to the workspace name

Expected behavior

• When navigating to a workspace (clicking its name), the workspace should auto-expand to show the chat list
• When loading a page with a ?workspace= URL parameter, that workspace should auto-expand

Technical details
The issue is in SidebarWorkspaceList.svelte. The openWorkspace() function navigates to the workspace URL but does not expand the workspace. The onMount also does not auto-expand the workspace from the URL.

Patch (source-level diff)

Two changes to cptr/frontend/src/lib/components/SidebarWorkspaceList.svelte:

Change 1 — openWorkspace() function:

function openWorkspace(e: MouseEvent, path: string) {
    if (e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey) return;
    e.preventDefault();
    // NEW: expand the workspace when clicking the name
    if (!expandedWorkspaces.has(path)) {
        const next = new Set(expandedWorkspaces);
        next.add(path);
        expandedWorkspaces = next;
        if (!wsChatsCache.has(path)) fetchWorkspaceChats(path);
    }
    goto(`/?workspace=${encodeURIComponent(path)}`);
    closeMobileSidebar();
}

Change 2 — inside onMount():

onMount(async () => {
    // ... existing sortable setup ...
    // ... existing socket listener ...

    // NEW: auto-expand the workspace from the URL on page load
    if (currentPath && !expandedWorkspaces.has(currentPath)) {
        const next = new Set(expandedWorkspaces);
        next.add(currentPath);
        expandedWorkspaces = next;
        await fetchWorkspaceChats(currentPath);
    }
});

For pipx installations (no source available):
Edit the compiled JS file at _app/immutable/nodes/0.<hash>.js:

1. In function N(e,t){...} — add ,l(x).has(t)||O(t) after the goto() call
2. In L(()=>{...}) — add ,l(D)&&!l(x).has(l(D))&&O(l(D)) before the closing })
3. Bump the service worker version timestamp to force re-cache

[tjbck]

This is currently intended but we're open to discussions here!

[PhilippeRoy]

I think this feature should be configurable - a toggle in Appearance settings like autoExpandWorkspace that defaults to true so it doesn't break existing expectations. Users who prefer manual control can turn it off.

I'll post a link to a patch implementation on top of the original fix in a follow-up comment below.

[PhilippeRoy]

Here's the branch with the full implementation including the toggle:

https://github.com/PhilippeRoy/computer/tree/fix/auto-expand-workspace

The patch adds an autoExpandWorkspace toggle in Appearance settings (default: true). When enabled, clicking a workspace name or navigating via ?workspace= URL auto-expands the sidebar. When disabled, the original behavior is preserved (manual chevron click required).

It's on top of the original fix - two commits:

1. 8f5e43f - the core auto-expand fix
2. e6f90a8 - the user preference toggle + Appearance UI + i18n keys

For pipx users, just the first commit is enough. The second is only if you want the settings toggle.