[Desktop] [Feature Request] Sort project groups by most recent activity (not alphabetical) when "Group by project" is selected

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

In Claude Code Desktop, when the session list is set to "Group by project", the project groups themselves appear to be ordered alphabetically (or by some non-recency criterion). This means the project I just worked on five minutes ago can sit halfway down the list, while a project I haven't touched in months sits at the top just because its name starts with "A".

For users who switch between projects frequently throughout the day, this forces unnecessary scanning every time the session list is opened. The view becomes navigation-by-alphabet rather than navigation-by-recency.

Proposed Solution

Within each project group, sort sessions by updated_at (or last_activity) descending by default. The most recently active session should always appear at the top of its group.

Optionally, expose a sort toggle (date desc / date asc / alphabetical) in the group header for users who want a different order — but the sensible default should be "most recent first", matching the existing "Group by date" view's implicit ordering.

Example:

Current behavior (apparent ordering, unclear basis):

▼ my-frontend
Old session from last month
Random one-off question
Refactor auth module ← actually edited 10 minutes ago
Dashboard polish

Proposed behavior (date desc):

▼ my-frontend
Refactor auth module (10 min ago)
Dashboard polish (yesterday)
Random one-off question (Mar 20)
Old session from last month (Feb 14)

"Most recent first" is the universal default for any chronological list (email, IDE recent files, browser history, Git log). For a tool where resuming the most recent session is the dominant action, defaulting to any other order creates unnecessary cognitive load on every navigation.

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

My situation:

I switch between 4–5 active projects throughout a typical workday. The "Group by project" view is great for focusing on one project's history, but the project groups themselves are not sorted by recency — they appear to be alphabetical.

The pain point in practice:

I just finished a 30-minute session in frontend-redesign. I switch to a meeting, come back, want to continue. I open the session list grouped by project — and frontend-redesign is fourth from the top because the alphabet says so. I have to scan past three projects I haven't touched in weeks (or months) to find the one I was just in.

This happens every single context switch. Multiply by 10–20 context switches a day across active projects, and it adds up to real friction.

With the proposed change:

I open the session list. The project I just left is at the top. One click, I'm back in. Done.

This is exactly how iMessage, Slack, LINE, WhatsApp, and every modern messaging app orders conversations — and for good reason: recency matches how humans actually navigate active work.

Environment:

• Claude Code Desktop
• OS: macOS
• Version: Claude 1.5354.0 (9a9e3d) 2026-04-29T01:14:34.000Z

Additional Context

_No response_