[FEATURE]
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
Type
Feature request
Environment
- Claude desktop app, Code tab
- App version: Claude 1.46388.4 (50e62f) 2026-09-05T01:57:47.000Z
- OS: macOS
Current behavior
In the Code tab, the "more actions" (⋯) menu in the top-right corner is not
rendered until a session exists. The Files view lives inside that menu, so
there is no way to browse the working directory until at least one message
has been sent.
Expected behavior
The ⋯ menu — or at minimum its Files view — should be reachable on the
pre-session screen, once a working directory has been selected.
Why this matters
Browsing the project is often what I want to do before writing the first
prompt: checking which files exist, confirming I opened the right directory,
or deciding what to ask about.
Today the workaround is to send a throwaway message (e.g. hi) purely to
instantiate the session and unlock the menu. That adds a wasted turn to the
transcript and pushes the first real message into second position in the
conversation.
Proposed Solution
Possible approaches
- Render the ⋯ menu on the pre-session screen with session-scoped items
(rename, archive, export) disabled, keeping directory-scoped items such as
Files enabled.
- Or surface Files as its own control on the new-session screen.
Notes
I can't tell from the outside whether the current behavior is intentional or
an oversight, so I'm filing this as a request rather than a bug.
Alternative Solutions
_No response_
Priority
High - Significant impact on productivity
Feature Category
File operations
Use Case Example
_No response_
Additional Context
_No response_