Option to disable auto-opening of Preview panel when switching sessions

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

When switching between sessions in Claude Code Desktop, the Preview panel on the right side automatically reopens if that session previously had preview activity. This is disruptive to users who prefer a minimal workspace — the panel keeps appearing even when I have no intention of using the preview in the current session.

Additional context: all my sessions are opened under the same working directory path. This may mean the preview state is being keyed by directory rather than by session, causing the panel to auto-restore for every session switch, regardless of whether the specific session actually needs the preview.

Proposed Solution

Add a configuration option (e.g., in ~/.claude.json or settings.json) to control whether the Preview panel automatically restores its state when switching sessions:

"previewPanelAutoRestore": false

With this set to false, the Preview panel would remain closed on session switch and only open when the user explicitly clicks to open it. The default behavior (auto-restore) would remain unchanged for users who prefer it.

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

Critical - Blocking my work

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

_No response_

Additional Context

_No response_