[FEATURE] Desktop app: conversational mode without requiring a project folder

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

The Claude Code desktop app requires a folder to start any session. There's no lightweight mode for quick conversations — asking how a tool works, exploring an idea, or figuring out whether something is worth setting up. The terminal handles this fine, but the desktop app is the entry point for designers and non-engineers, and the folder requirement is a real barrier to using it as a thinking tool, not just a coding agent

Proposed Solution

A conversational mode in the desktop app that starts without requiring a project folder. Optionally, the ability to add a folder mid-session if needed.

Alternative Solutions

Using Claude directly from the terminal works, but that's not accessible to non-engineers who are otherwise capable of using the Claude Code productively.

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

I'm a Staff Product Designer and consultant with a Claude Max subscription, using Claude Code for agentic work on real projects. When I want to ask a general question — how a tool works, whether something is worth setting up — I have to context-switch to Claude.ai, which has no continuity with my Claude Code sessions. Context gets lost, things get repeated, and the workflow feels fragmented, working against having a real AI collaborator.

Additional Context

macOS, Claude Code desktop app.