fix(desktop): honor default project directory for new sessions (#43234)

* fix(desktop): honor default project directory for new sessions The Settings picker persisted project-dir.json but the renderer kept seeding new chats from sticky localStorage home. Prefer the configured default on boot and session.create, pin TERMINAL_CWD at backend spawn, and reject packaged install-dir paths that regressed after #37536. Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com> * fix(desktop): address review on default project dir PR Add workspace cwd precedence tests, extract isPackagedInstallPath for platform test coverage, and stop rewriting live $currentCwd when a session is already active (cache-only until the next new chat). Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com> --------- Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
2026-06-09 23:28:59 -05:00
parent 8f73d0d945
commit 1770263ccc
12 changed files with 263 additions and 12 deletions
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
  $connection,
  $sessions,
  $workingSessionIds,
+  ensureDefaultWorkspaceCwd,
  setConnection,
  setSessionsLoading
 } from '@/store/session'
@@ -351,6 +352,7 @@ export function useGatewayBoot({
          message: translateNow('boot.steps.loadingSettings'),
          progress: 97
        })
+        await ensureDefaultWorkspaceCwd()
        await callbacksRef.current.refreshHermesConfig()

        if (cancelled) {
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
  $sessions,
  $yoloActive,
  getRememberedWorkspaceCwd,
+  workspaceCwdForNewSession,
  sessionPinId,
  setActiveSessionId,
  setAwaitingResponse,
@@ -311,8 +312,9 @@ export function useSessionActions({
      })
      setSessionStartedAt(null)
      setTurnStartedAt(null)
-      // New chats inherit the current workspace.
-      setCurrentCwd(getRememberedWorkspaceCwd())
+      // New chats start in the configured default project dir when set,
+      // otherwise the sticky last-used workspace (PR #37586).
+      setCurrentCwd(workspaceCwdForNewSession())
      setCurrentBranch('')
      clearComposerDraft()
      clearComposerAttachments()
@@ -333,7 +335,7 @@ export function useSessionActions({
        // Route the new chat to the chosen profile's backend (null = primary,
        // so single-profile users are unaffected).
        await ensureGatewayProfile($newChatProfile.get())
-        const cwd = $currentCwd.get().trim() || getRememberedWorkspaceCwd()
+        const cwd = $currentCwd.get().trim() || workspaceCwdForNewSession()
        // Pass the owning profile so a new chat under a non-launch profile (global
        // remote mode) builds its agent + persists against THAT profile's home/db.
        const newChatProfile = $newChatProfile.get()
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { sessionTitle } from '@/lib/chat-runtime'
 import { triggerHaptic } from '@/lib/haptics'
 import { Archive, ArchiveOff, FolderOpen, Loader2, Trash2 } from '@/lib/icons'
 import { notify, notifyError } from '@/store/notifications'
-import { setSessions } from '@/store/session'
+import { applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir, ensureDefaultWorkspaceCwd, setSessions } from '@/store/session'
 import type { SessionInfo } from '@/types/hermes'

 import { EmptyState, ListRow, LoadingState, SectionHeading, SettingsContent } from './primitives'
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ function DefaultProjectDirSetting() {

      setDir(result.dir)
      setFallback(result.defaultLabel)
+      applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir(result.dir)
    })

    return () => {
@@ -221,7 +222,8 @@ function DefaultProjectDirSetting() {

      const result = await settings.setDefaultProjectDir(picked.dir)
      setDir(result.dir)
-      notify({ durationMs: 2_000, kind: 'success', message: s.defaultDirUpdated })
+      applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir(result.dir)
+      notify({ durationMs: 4_000, kind: 'success', message: s.defaultDirUpdated })
    } catch (err) {
      notifyError(err, s.updateDirFailed)
    } finally {
@@ -241,6 +243,8 @@ function DefaultProjectDirSetting() {
    try {
      await settings.setDefaultProjectDir(null)
      setDir(null)
+      applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir(null)
+      await ensureDefaultWorkspaceCwd()
    } catch (err) {
      notifyError(err, s.clearDirFailed)
    } finally {
@@ -268,7 +272,7 @@ function DefaultProjectDirSetting() {
            )}
          </div>
        }
-        description={dir || s.defaultsTo(fallback || '~/hermes-projects')}
+        description={dir || s.defaultsTo(fallback || '~')}
        title={dir ? dir : s.notSet}
      />
    </div>
@@ -55,8 +55,9 @@ declare global {
      setPreviewShortcutActive?: (active: boolean) => void
      openExternal: (url: string) => Promise<void>
      fetchLinkTitle: (url: string) => Promise<string>
+      sanitizeWorkspaceCwd: (cwd?: null | string) => Promise<{ cwd: string; sanitized: boolean }>
      settings: {
-        getDefaultProjectDir: () => Promise<{ defaultLabel: string; dir: null | string }>
+        getDefaultProjectDir: () => Promise<{ defaultLabel: string; dir: null | string; resolvedCwd: string }>
        pickDefaultProjectDir: () => Promise<{ canceled: boolean; dir: null | string }>
        setDefaultProjectDir: (dir: null | string) => Promise<{ dir: null | string }>
      }
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ export const en: Translations = {
      defaultDirTitle: 'Default project directory',
      defaultDirDesc:
        'New sessions start in this folder unless you pick another. Leave it unset to use your home directory.',
-      defaultDirUpdated: 'Default project directory updated',
+      defaultDirUpdated: 'Default project directory updated — start a new chat (Ctrl/⌘+N) for it to take effect',
      defaultsTo: label => `Defaults to ${label}.`,
      change: 'Change',
      choose: 'Choose',
@@ -3,13 +3,17 @@ import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import type { SessionInfo } from '@/types/hermes'

 import {
+  $activeSessionId,
  $attentionSessionIds,
+  $currentCwd,
  $workingSessionIds,
+  applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir,
  getRecentlySettledSessionIds,
  mergeSessionPage,
  sessionPinId,
  setSessionAttention,
-  setSessionWorking
+  setSessionWorking,
+  workspaceCwdForNewSession
 } from './session'

 const session = (over: Partial<SessionInfo>): SessionInfo => ({
@@ -138,6 +142,43 @@ describe('mergeSessionPage', () => {
  })
 })

+describe('workspaceCwdForNewSession', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir(null)
+    $currentCwd.set('')
+    $activeSessionId.set(null)
+    window.localStorage.removeItem('hermes.desktop.workspace-cwd')
+  })
+
+  it('prefers the configured default over the sticky remembered workspace', () => {
+    window.localStorage.setItem('hermes.desktop.workspace-cwd', '/home/user/sticky')
+    applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir('/home/user/configured')
+
+    expect(workspaceCwdForNewSession()).toBe('/home/user/configured')
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to the remembered workspace when no configured default is set', () => {
+    window.localStorage.setItem('hermes.desktop.workspace-cwd', '/home/user/sticky')
+
+    expect(workspaceCwdForNewSession()).toBe('/home/user/sticky')
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to the live cwd when neither configured nor remembered values exist', () => {
+    $currentCwd.set('/home/user/live')
+
+    expect(workspaceCwdForNewSession()).toBe('/home/user/live')
+  })
+
+  it('does not rewrite the live cwd while a session is active', () => {
+    $activeSessionId.set('sess-1')
+    $currentCwd.set('/live/session/path')
+    applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir('/home/user/configured')
+
+    expect($currentCwd.get()).toBe('/live/session/path')
+    expect(workspaceCwdForNewSession()).toBe('/home/user/configured')
+  })
+})
+
 describe('getRecentlySettledSessionIds', () => {
  afterEach(() => {
    vi.useRealTimers()
@@ -10,8 +10,71 @@ type Updater<T> = T | ((current: T) => T)

 const WORKSPACE_CWD_KEY = 'hermes.desktop.workspace-cwd'

+// Cached copy of Settings → Sessions → Default project directory. The main
+// process persists this in project-dir.json, but the renderer must also honor it
+// when seeding $currentCwd — otherwise PR #37586's sticky localStorage home dir
+// wins and new sessions ignore the user's explicit picker choice.
+let configuredDefaultProjectDir = ''
+
 export const getRememberedWorkspaceCwd = (): string => storedString(WORKSPACE_CWD_KEY)?.trim() || ''

+export const getConfiguredDefaultProjectDir = (): string => configuredDefaultProjectDir
+
+export async function syncConfiguredDefaultProjectDir(): Promise<string> {
+  const settings = window.hermesDesktop?.settings?.getDefaultProjectDir
+
+  if (!settings) {
+    configuredDefaultProjectDir = ''
+
+    return ''
+  }
+
+  const { dir } = await settings()
+  configuredDefaultProjectDir = dir?.trim() || ''
+
+  return configuredDefaultProjectDir
+}
+
+/** Align the renderer workspace with the main-process default (home dir when
+ *  packaged, optional Settings override). Clears stale install-dir paths that
+ *  PR #37586's localStorage stickiness can preserve across the #37536 fix. */
+export async function ensureDefaultWorkspaceCwd(): Promise<void> {
+  const sanitize = window.hermesDesktop?.sanitizeWorkspaceCwd
+
+  if (!sanitize) {
+    return
+  }
+
+  await syncConfiguredDefaultProjectDir()
+  const configured = getConfiguredDefaultProjectDir()
+
+  const seedLiveCwd = (cwd: string) => {
+    if (cwd && !$activeSessionId.get()) {
+      setCurrentCwd(cwd)
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (configured) {
+    const { cwd } = await sanitize(configured)
+    seedLiveCwd(cwd)
+
+    return
+  }
+
+  const { cwd } = await sanitize(getRememberedWorkspaceCwd())
+  seedLiveCwd(cwd)
+}
+
+export function applyConfiguredDefaultProjectDir(dir: null | string | undefined): void {
+  configuredDefaultProjectDir = dir?.trim() || ''
+
+  // Cache only — new chats read this via workspaceCwdForNewSession(). Do not
+  // rewrite the live workspace (or localStorage) while a session is active.
+  if (configuredDefaultProjectDir && !$activeSessionId.get()) {
+    setCurrentCwd(configuredDefaultProjectDir)
+  }
+}
+
 interface AppAtom<T> {
  get: () => T
  set: (value: T) => void
@@ -171,6 +234,11 @@ export const setCurrentCwd = (next: Updater<string>) => {
  persistString(WORKSPACE_CWD_KEY, $currentCwd.get().trim() || null)
 }

+/** Workspace for a brand-new chat. Explicit Settings override wins; otherwise
+ *  fall back to the sticky last-used folder, then whatever is already live. */
+export const workspaceCwdForNewSession = (): string =>
+  getConfiguredDefaultProjectDir() || getRememberedWorkspaceCwd() || $currentCwd.get().trim()
+
 export const setCurrentBranch = (next: Updater<string>) => updateAtom($currentBranch, next)
 export const setCurrentUsage = (next: Updater<UsageStats>) => updateAtom($currentUsage, next)
 export const setSessionStartedAt = (next: Updater<number | null>) => updateAtom($sessionStartedAt, next)