feat(web): add a setting to hide thread details by default

apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx

@@ -1783,8 +1783,15 @@ export default function ChatView(props: ChatViewProps) {
       state.threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey,
       activeThreadRef,
       threadPanelPresentation,
+      state.threadDetailsOpenByDefault,
     ),
   );
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
+    if (!clientSettingsHydrated) return;
+    useRightPanelStore
+      .getState()
+      .setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(settings.threadDetailsOpenByDefault);
+  }, [clientSettingsHydrated, settings.threadDetailsOpenByDefault]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!activeThreadRef || !previewSessionsReady) return;

apps/web/src/components/chat/ThreadDetailsCard.tsx

@@ -47,7 +47,12 @@ export function ThreadDetailsCard({
   const mode = placement ? "inline" : "popover";
   const topInset = canvas?.detailsCardTopInset ?? 0;
   const inlineOpen = useRightPanelStore((state) =>
-    selectThreadPanelOpen(state.threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey, threadRef, "inline"),
+    selectThreadPanelOpen(
+      state.threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey,
+      threadRef,
+      "inline",
+      state.threadDetailsOpenByDefault,
+    ),
   );
   const popoverOpen = useRightPanelStore((state) =>
     selectThreadPanelOpen(state.threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey, threadRef, "popover"),

apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx

@@ -595,6 +595,9 @@ export function useSettingsRestore(onRestored?: () => void) {
     DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.persistComposerContextStrip
       ? ["Composer context"]
       : []),
+    ...(settings.threadDetailsOpenByDefault !== DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.threadDetailsOpenByDefault
+      ? ["Thread details"]
+      : []),
     ...getChangedTypographySettingLabels(settings),
     ...(settings.diffFilesCollapsed !== DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.diffFilesCollapsed
       ? ["Default diff file state"]
@@ -726,6 +729,7 @@ export function useSettingsRestore(onRestored?: () => void) {
       inAppNotificationsEnabled: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.inAppNotificationsEnabled,
       wordWrap: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.wordWrap,
       persistComposerContextStrip: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.persistComposerContextStrip,
+      threadDetailsOpenByDefault: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.threadDetailsOpenByDefault,
       diffFilesCollapsed: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.diffFilesCollapsed,
       diffIgnoreWhitespace: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.diffIgnoreWhitespace,
       diffLayout: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.diffLayout,
@@ -1346,6 +1350,33 @@ export function AppearanceSettingsPanel() {
           }
         />
 
+        <SettingsRow
+          {...searchableSetting("thread-details")}
+          description="Show the workspace card at the top right when a thread opens."
+          resetAction={
+            settings.threadDetailsOpenByDefault !==
+            DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.threadDetailsOpenByDefault ? (
+              <SettingResetButton
+                label="thread details"
+                onClick={() =>
+                  updateSettings({
+                    threadDetailsOpenByDefault: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.threadDetailsOpenByDefault,
+                  })
+                }
+              />
+            ) : null
+          }
+          control={
+            <Switch
+              checked={settings.threadDetailsOpenByDefault}
+              onCheckedChange={(checked) =>
+                updateSettings({ threadDetailsOpenByDefault: Boolean(checked) })
+              }
+              aria-label="Show thread details when a thread opens"
+            />
+          }
+        />
+
         <SettingsRow
           {...searchableSetting("chat-width")}
           description="Set how wide messages and the composer can grow on large screens."

apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSearch.ts

@@ -298,6 +298,12 @@ export const SETTINGS_SEARCH_ITEMS = [
     title: "Composer context",
     to: "/settings/appearance",
   },
+  {
+    id: "thread-details",
+    title: "Thread details",
+    to: "/settings/appearance",
+    searchTerms: ["workspace card panel hide default new thread git scripts open"],
+  },
   {
     id: "project-grouping",
     title: "Project grouping",

apps/web/src/rightPanelStore.test.ts

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ beforeEach(() => {
   useRightPanelStore.setState({
     byThreadKey: {},
     threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey: {},
+    threadDetailsOpenByDefault: true,
     userActionRevisionByThreadKey: {},
     closeRevisionByThreadKey: {},
   });
@@ -762,6 +763,50 @@ describe("rightPanelStore", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("keeps an explicit thread-details choice when the default changes", async () => {
+    const store = useRightPanelStore.getState();
+    const inline = (ref: typeof refA, openByDefault: boolean) =>
+      selectThreadPanelOpen(
+        useRightPanelStore.getState().threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey,
+        ref,
+        "inline",
+        openByDefault,
+      );
+
+    store.setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(false);
+    expect(inline(refA, false)).toBe(false);
+    expect(inline(refB, false)).toBe(false);
+
+    store.setThreadPanelOpen(refA, "inline", true);
+    await reloadRightPanelStore();
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(false);
+    expect(inline(refA, false)).toBe(true);
+    expect(inline(refB, false)).toBe(false);
+
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadPanelOpen(refA, "inline", false);
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(true);
+    expect(inline(refA, true)).toBe(false);
+    expect(inline(refB, true)).toBe(true);
+
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(false);
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().open(refA, "diff");
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(true);
+    expect(inline(refA, true)).toBe(false);
+
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(false);
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadPanelOpen(refB, "popover", true);
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(true);
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().toggleThreadPanel(refB, "inline");
+    expect(inline(refB, true)).toBe(false);
+
+    const refC = scopeThreadRef("env-1" as EnvironmentId, ThreadId.make("thread-C"));
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(true);
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadPanelOpen(refC, "inline", true);
+    await reloadRightPanelStore();
+    useRightPanelStore.getState().setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault(false);
+    expect(inline(refC, false)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("tracks inline and popover visibility independently", () => {
     const store = useRightPanelStore.getState();
 

apps/web/src/rightPanelStore.ts

@@ -102,7 +102,9 @@ export interface ThreadRightPanelState {
 }
 
 export interface ThreadPanelVisibility {
-  inlineOpen: boolean;
+  // Absent follows the setting. A boolean is this thread's choice, even when
+  // it matches the setting.
+  inlineOpen?: boolean;
   popoverOpen: boolean;
 }
 
@@ -112,6 +114,9 @@ interface RightPanelStoreState {
   requestMaximize: (ref: ScopedThreadRef) => void;
   consumeMaximizeRequest: (ref: ScopedThreadRef) => boolean;
   threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey: Record<string, ThreadPanelVisibility>;
+  // Synced from client settings. Not persisted here; missing thread entries follow it.
+  threadDetailsOpenByDefault: boolean;
+  setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault: (open: boolean) => void;
   userActionRevisionByThreadKey: Record<string, number>;
   closeRevisionByThreadKey: Record<string, number>;
   getUserActionRevision: (ref: ScopedThreadRef) => number;
@@ -210,10 +215,11 @@ const EMPTY_THREAD_STATE: ThreadRightPanelState = {
   surfaces: [],
 };
 
-const DEFAULT_THREAD_PANEL_VISIBILITY: ThreadPanelVisibility = {
-  inlineOpen: true,
-  popoverOpen: false,
-};
+interface ResolvedThreadPanelVisibility {
+  readonly inlineOpen: boolean;
+  readonly popoverOpen: boolean;
+  readonly explicit: boolean;
+}
 
 const singletonSurface = (
   kind: Exclude<RightPanelKind, "file" | "preview" | "terminal" | "pull-request">,
@@ -339,17 +345,30 @@ const updateThreadStateMap = (
 const updateThreadPanelVisibilityMap = (
   byThreadKey: Record<string, ThreadPanelVisibility>,
   threadKey: string,
-  updater: (current: ThreadPanelVisibility) => ThreadPanelVisibility,
+  openByDefault: boolean,
+  updater: (current: ResolvedThreadPanelVisibility) => ResolvedThreadPanelVisibility,
 ): Record<string, ThreadPanelVisibility> => {
-  const current = byThreadKey[threadKey] ?? DEFAULT_THREAD_PANEL_VISIBILITY;
+  const had = byThreadKey[threadKey];
+  const current: ResolvedThreadPanelVisibility = {
+    inlineOpen: had?.inlineOpen ?? openByDefault,
+    popoverOpen: had?.popoverOpen ?? false,
+    explicit: had?.inlineOpen !== undefined,
+  };
   const next = updater(current);
-  if (next.inlineOpen && !next.popoverOpen) {
-    if (!(threadKey in byThreadKey)) return byThreadKey;
+  if (next === current) return byThreadKey;
+
+  if (!next.explicit && !next.popoverOpen) {
+    if (!had) return byThreadKey;
     const { [threadKey]: _removed, ...rest } = byThreadKey;
     return rest;
   }
-  if (next === current) return byThreadKey;
-  return { ...byThreadKey, [threadKey]: next };
+  const stored: ThreadPanelVisibility = next.explicit
+    ? { inlineOpen: next.inlineOpen, popoverOpen: next.popoverOpen }
+    : { popoverOpen: next.popoverOpen };
+  if (had?.inlineOpen === stored.inlineOpen && had?.popoverOpen === stored.popoverOpen) {
+    return byThreadKey;
+  }
+  return { ...byThreadKey, [threadKey]: stored };
 };
 
 type RightPanelStoreData = Pick<
@@ -358,28 +377,31 @@ type RightPanelStoreData = Pick<
 >;
 
 const updateThread = (
-  state: RightPanelStoreData,
+  state: RightPanelStoreData & { readonly threadDetailsOpenByDefault: boolean },
   threadKey: string,
   updater: (current: ThreadRightPanelState) => ThreadRightPanelState,
 ): RightPanelStoreData => {
   const current = state.byThreadKey[threadKey] ?? EMPTY_THREAD_STATE;
   const byThreadKey = updateThreadStateMap(state.byThreadKey, threadKey, updater);
   const next = byThreadKey[threadKey] ?? EMPTY_THREAD_STATE;
   let threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey = state.threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey;
+  const openByDefault = state.threadDetailsOpenByDefault;
 
   if (!current.isOpen && next.isOpen) {
     threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey = updateThreadPanelVisibilityMap(
       threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey,
       threadKey,
+      openByDefault,
       (visibility) => (visibility.popoverOpen ? { ...visibility, popoverOpen: false } : visibility),
     );
   } else if (current.isOpen && !next.isOpen) {
     threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey = updateThreadPanelVisibilityMap(
       threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey,
       threadKey,
+      openByDefault,
       (visibility) =>
         visibility.popoverOpen && !visibility.inlineOpen
-          ? { ...visibility, inlineOpen: true }
+          ? { ...visibility, inlineOpen: true, explicit: true }
           : visibility,
     );
   }
@@ -608,6 +630,11 @@ export const useRightPanelStore = create<RightPanelStoreState>()(
         return true;
       },
       threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey: {},
+      threadDetailsOpenByDefault: true,
+      setThreadDetailsOpenByDefault: (open) =>
+        set((state) =>
+          state.threadDetailsOpenByDefault === open ? state : { threadDetailsOpenByDefault: open },
+        ),
       userActionRevisionByThreadKey: {},
       closeRevisionByThreadKey: {},
       getUserActionRevision: (ref) =>
@@ -1068,9 +1095,17 @@ export const useRightPanelStore = create<RightPanelStoreState>()(
           threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey: updateThreadPanelVisibilityMap(
             state.threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey,
             scopedThreadKey(ref),
+            state.threadDetailsOpenByDefault,
             (visibility) => {
-              const key = presentation === "inline" ? "inlineOpen" : "popoverOpen";
-              return visibility[key] === open ? visibility : { ...visibility, [key]: open };
+              if (presentation === "inline") {
+                // Matching the inherited default is still an explicit choice.
+                return visibility.explicit && visibility.inlineOpen === open
+                  ? visibility
+                  : { ...visibility, inlineOpen: open, explicit: true };
+              }
+              return visibility.popoverOpen === open
+                ? visibility
+                : { ...visibility, popoverOpen: open };
             },
           ),
         })),
@@ -1079,9 +1114,10 @@ export const useRightPanelStore = create<RightPanelStoreState>()(
           threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey: updateThreadPanelVisibilityMap(
             state.threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey,
             scopedThreadKey(ref),
+            state.threadDetailsOpenByDefault,
             (visibility) =>
               presentation === "inline"
-                ? { ...visibility, inlineOpen: !visibility.inlineOpen }
+                ? { ...visibility, inlineOpen: !visibility.inlineOpen, explicit: true }
                 : { ...visibility, popoverOpen: !visibility.popoverOpen },
           ),
         })),
@@ -1123,10 +1159,13 @@ export const useRightPanelStore = create<RightPanelStoreState>()(
             ([threadKey]) => !isPullRequestsPanelKey(threadKey),
           ),
         ),
+        // Popovers do not survive reload. Only an explicit inline choice does.
         threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey: Object.fromEntries(
           Object.entries(state.threadPanelVisibilityByThreadKey).flatMap(
             ([threadKey, visibility]) =>
-              visibility.inlineOpen ? [] : [[threadKey, { inlineOpen: false, popoverOpen: false }]],
+              visibility.inlineOpen === undefined
+                ? []
+                : [[threadKey, { inlineOpen: visibility.inlineOpen, popoverOpen: false }]],
           ),
         ),
       }),
@@ -1172,17 +1211,23 @@ export function selectThreadRightPanelState(
 export function selectThreadPanelVisibility(
   byThreadKey: Record<string, ThreadPanelVisibility>,
   ref: ScopedThreadRef | null | undefined,
-): ThreadPanelVisibility {
-  if (!ref) return DEFAULT_THREAD_PANEL_VISIBILITY;
-  return byThreadKey[scopedThreadKey(ref)] ?? DEFAULT_THREAD_PANEL_VISIBILITY;
+  openByDefault = true,
+): { inlineOpen: boolean; popoverOpen: boolean } {
+  if (!ref) return { inlineOpen: openByDefault, popoverOpen: false };
+  const stored = byThreadKey[scopedThreadKey(ref)];
+  return {
+    inlineOpen: stored?.inlineOpen ?? openByDefault,
+    popoverOpen: stored?.popoverOpen ?? false,
+  };
 }
 
 export function selectThreadPanelOpen(
   byThreadKey: Record<string, ThreadPanelVisibility>,
   ref: ScopedThreadRef | null | undefined,
   presentation: ThreadPanelPresentation,
+  openByDefault = true,
 ): boolean {
-  const visibility = selectThreadPanelVisibility(byThreadKey, ref);
+  const visibility = selectThreadPanelVisibility(byThreadKey, ref, openByDefault);
   return presentation === "inline" ? visibility.inlineOpen : visibility.popoverOpen;
 }
 

docs/user/appearance.md

@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@ The controls retreat as the composer docks after you send the first message.
 Turn on **Composer context** to keep those controls visible after the thread starts. This preference
 applies to the web and desktop clients.
 
+## Thread details
+
+Turn off **Thread details** in **Settings → Appearance** to leave the workspace card at the top
+right closed until you open it. The top-right button and its shortcut still toggle the card. This
+preference applies to the web and desktop clients.
+
 ## Math
 
 Turn on **Render math** in **Settings → Appearance** to typeset LaTeX in messages and Markdown

packages/contracts/src/settings.test.ts

@@ -416,6 +416,18 @@ describe("ClientSettings composer context strip", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("ClientSettings thread details", () => {
+  it("stays open by default and accepts a closed preference", () => {
+    expect(decodeClientSettings({}).threadDetailsOpenByDefault).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      decodeClientSettingsPatch({ threadDetailsOpenByDefault: false }).threadDetailsOpenByDefault,
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      decodeClientSettings({ threadDetailsOpenByDefault: false }).threadDetailsOpenByDefault,
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("ClientSettings word wrap", () => {
   it("defaults word wrap on", () => {
     expect(decodeClientSettings({}).wordWrap).toBe(true);

packages/contracts/src/settings.ts

@@ -418,6 +418,7 @@ export const ClientSettingsSchema = Schema.Struct({
   persistComposerContextStrip: Schema.Boolean.pipe(
     Schema.withDecodingDefault(Effect.succeed(false)),
   ),
+  threadDetailsOpenByDefault: Schema.Boolean.pipe(Schema.withDecodingDefault(Effect.succeed(true))),
 
   favorites: ModelFavorites.pipe(Schema.withDecodingDefault(Effect.succeed([]))),
   providerModelPreferences: ProviderModelPreferences.pipe(
@@ -1624,6 +1625,7 @@ export const ClientSettingsPatch = Schema.Struct({
   fontFamilyTerminal: Schema.optionalKey(FontFamilyPreference),
   fontSmoothing: Schema.optionalKey(Schema.Boolean),
   persistComposerContextStrip: Schema.optionalKey(Schema.Boolean),
+  threadDetailsOpenByDefault: Schema.optionalKey(Schema.Boolean),
   favorites: Schema.optionalKey(ModelFavorites),
   providerModelPreferences: Schema.optionalKey(ProviderModelPreferences),
   pullRequestMergeMethodOverrides: Schema.optionalKey(