Desktop app: no way to remove a project from recents or re-root a session without editing ~/.claude.json
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Jun 14, 2026 by ronenkofman Closed Jun 17, 2026
Environment: Claude desktop app (macOS), Claude Code v2.1.121
Summary
Once a desktop session is rooted in a folder, there is no accessible way to (a) remove that project from the recent-projects list, or (b) change/clear the working directory of the running session. The project label + diff + "Create PR" button stay pinned to the original repo for the life of the session, even when all work happens in a different repo.
Steps to reproduce
- Launch a session rooted in repo A.
- Do all work in a different repo B (e.g. added via additional working directory).
- Try to make the app stop showing repo A in the status bar / recents.
Actual behavior
- No per-item "remove from recents / forget project" control in the new-session project list.
- No UI to re-root or detach the working directory of the current session.
- The only removal path is manually editing
~/.claude.jsonprojects, and even that fails while the app is open because the live session rewrites the entry on exit.
Expected behavior
- A per-item "Remove from recents / Forget project" action in the recents list.
- A way to change or detach a session's working directory from the UI.
Impact
Persistently visible and confusing; pushes users toward hand-editing internal config files, which is error-prone and risks unrelated state.
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