Allow browsing the file tree before starting a chat (desktop app)

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

Summary

In the desktop app, the file/folder panel is only available once a chat
session exists. There's no way to browse a project's structure before
starting a conversation.

Current behavior

1. Open Claude Code desktop.
2. Before starting a chat, there is no file tree — the sidebar is empty

or unavailable.

1. Only after selecting a directory and sending a first message does the

file panel populate.

Why this matters

Browsing the tree is often what tells me what to ask for. In an
unfamiliar repo I want to see the layout first, then write a prompt that
names the right files and directories. Right now the order is inverted: I
have to open a chat and ask Claude to print the structure, which burns a
turn and tokens on something the UI already knows.

The practical result is worse first prompts. Vague opening messages cost
more than a good one, because the agent spends its first several tool
calls rediscovering layout I could have handed it up front.

This gets worse with multiple projects: choosing which directory to
point a session at is itself a decision that benefits from seeing what's
in each one.

Proposed behavior

Decouple workspace browsing from session creation. Concretely, any of:

• Show a file tree for the selected working directory as soon as a

directory is chosen, before the first message is sent.

• Add a directory picker on the "new chat" screen that renders the tree

in the sidebar immediately.

• Allow opening a folder as a persistent workspace, with chats created

inside it, rather than each chat independently establishing its own
directory context.

Alternatives I've tried

• Asking Claude to print the tree in the first message — works, but

spends a turn and doesn't help me write that first message.

• Keeping the folder open in Finder / an editor alongside — works, but

defeats the point of having a file panel in the app.

Environment

• Claude Code desktop, version: <fill in>
• OS: macOS <fill in>

Proposed Solution

Summary

In the desktop app, the file/folder panel is only available once a chat
session exists. There's no way to browse a project's structure before
starting a conversation.

Current behavior

1. Open Claude Code desktop.
2. Before starting a chat, there is no file tree — the sidebar is empty

or unavailable.

1. Only after selecting a directory and sending a first message does the

file panel populate.

Why this matters

Browsing the tree is often what tells me what to ask for. In an
unfamiliar repo I want to see the layout first, then write a prompt that
names the right files and directories. Right now the order is inverted: I
have to open a chat and ask Claude to print the structure, which burns a
turn and tokens on something the UI already knows.

The practical result is worse first prompts. Vague opening messages cost
more than a good one, because the agent spends its first several tool
calls rediscovering layout I could have handed it up front.

This gets worse with multiple projects: choosing which directory to
point a session at is itself a decision that benefits from seeing what's
in each one.

Proposed behavior

Decouple workspace browsing from session creation. Concretely, any of:

• Show a file tree for the selected working directory as soon as a

directory is chosen, before the first message is sent.

• Add a directory picker on the "new chat" screen that renders the tree

in the sidebar immediately.

• Allow opening a folder as a persistent workspace, with chats created

inside it, rather than each chat independently establishing its own
directory context.

Alternatives I've tried

• Asking Claude to print the tree in the first message — works, but

spends a turn and doesn't help me write that first message.

• Keeping the folder open in Finder / an editor alongside — works, but

defeats the point of having a file panel in the app.

Environment

• Claude Code desktop, version: <fill in>
• OS: macOS <fill in>

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

Critical - Blocking my work

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

_No response_

Additional Context

_No response_