[FEATURE] Desktop: show each session's status (whose turn it is) and where it stopped in the sidebar
Problem. I run many Claude Code sessions in parallel in the desktop app. The sidebar only shows a static title, so to know where each session stopped, and whether it is waiting on me, I have to open them one by one.
Workaround I use today. A rule in my global CLAUDE.md makes every session call set_session_title on itself at the end of each reply, using an emoji for whose turn it is and a short lowercase summary (up to ~26 chars, which is what fits in the sidebar):
- ⏳ waiting on me:
⏳ review ner plan - ⚙️ Claude is working:
⚙️ running ocr - 👥 waiting on someone else:
👥 john: approve vps access - ✅ done:
✅ request submitted
A "manager" session can also sweep all open sessions (list_sessions + list_events) and rename them in one go. Glancing at the sidebar now tells me exactly which sessions are blocked on me. It works surprisingly well.
Why it should be native.
- It costs a tool call on every reply and depends on the model remembering the rule.
- It overwrites the title the user chose; a separate status line/badge would keep both.
- Sessions only update when they reply, so the status goes stale when things change outside the session.
- A native version could offer a sidebar filter for "waiting on you" and a notification when a session flips to it.
Proposal. Next to each session, show (1) a status: waiting on you / working / waiting on someone else / done, and (2) a few-word summary of where it stopped, both refreshed at the end of every turn.
Related: #37349 (closed as stale), #64415.