Feature Request: Isolated Research Context ("Research Sidebar") Within Active Sessions

Problem

When working in an ongoing Claude Code terminal session, there are frequent moments where I need to research something — look up a library, explore an approach, ask a conceptual question — without interrupting the active session context. Currently the only option is to ask inline, which either pollutes the session history with off-topic exchanges or forces me to open a completely separate Claude window and lose the connection to my current work entirely.

Proposed Feature

A "research mode" or research sidebar that:

1. Spawns an isolated context (separate from the active session) triggered by a keyboard shortcut or UI button
2. Has full access to the current working directory so it can read relevant files for context
3. Returns a summary or specific findings back into the active session on demand — not the full research thread, just the useful output
4. Does not add the research exchange to the active session's conversation history

Workflow as Experienced

Active terminal session → I need to research something → trigger isolated research context → get my answer → pull findings back into session → continue where I left off, session history unchanged

Why It Matters

Sessions carry cumulative context. Research tangents dilute that context and push earlier important state out of the window faster. A clean separation between "doing" and "researching" would make long working sessions significantly more effective.

Closest Analog

Similar to how some IDEs let you open a scratch file without affecting your project state — except for conversation context rather than code.