Retain thread sidebar data when navigating to /settings so back navigation is instant

[juliusmarminge]

What Changed

Route in-app settings entry points directly to /settings/general through a shared default path constant. Bare /settings URLs continue to redirect as before, while opening settings from a thread now preserves that thread as the immediate Back destination. Added coverage for the default settings path.

Why

Opening settings through the redirect-only /settings route replaced the originating history entry, breaking Back navigation. Using the concrete settings section for in-app navigation keeps browser history intact while preserving direct URL behavior.

UI Changes

No visual changes. This is a navigation-history behavior fix.

Checklist

• This PR is small and focused
• I explained what changed and why
• I included before/after screenshots for any UI changes
• I included a video for animation/interaction changes

---

Note

Low Risk
Small layout-only subscription retention with no changes to routing, auth, or data writes.

Overview
When settings is open, AppSidebarLayout swaps the thread sidebar for SettingsSidebarNav, which unmounts ThreadSidebar / LegacyThreadSidebar and drops their useProjects() subscription.

This adds a null-render ProjectProjectionRetention component at the root of SidebarProvider that calls useProjects() so the project projection stays subscribed for the whole settings visit.

The intent is to avoid a zero-project flash when you navigate back to a draft thread while the environment snapshot is reconnecting.

^{Reviewed by Cursor Bugbot for commit 0c0b0eb. Bugbot is set up for automated code reviews on this repo. Configure here.}

Note

Preserve project state subscription when navigating to settings

When settings routes replace the thread sidebar, the projects state subscription was dropped. A hidden ProjectProjectionRetention component is mounted in AppSidebarLayout.tsx that calls useProjects() without rendering UI, keeping the subscription alive across all routes.

^{Macroscope summarized 0c0b0eb.}

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[github-actions]

Thread transfer impact

✅ Thread transfer remains within every enforced ceiling.

Provider	Metric	Main baseline	This PR	Impact	PR ceiling
Codex	Total thread wire	11.3 KiB	11.3 KiB	−1 B (−0.0%)	15.1 KiB	✅
Codex	Thread snapshot wire	5.5 KiB	5.5 KiB	+9 B (+0.2%)	7.3 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket wire	5.9 KiB	5.9 KiB	−10 B (−0.2%)	7.8 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket decoded	49.7 KiB	49.7 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	66.4 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn messages	16	16	0 (0.0%)	21	✅
Claude	Total thread wire	11.3 KiB	11.3 KiB	−9 B (−0.1%)	15.1 KiB	✅
Claude	Thread snapshot wire	5.5 KiB	5.5 KiB	+2 B (+0.0%)	7.3 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket wire	5.9 KiB	5.8 KiB	−11 B (−0.2%)	7.8 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket decoded	50.6 KiB	50.6 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	66.4 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn messages	16	16	0 (0.0%)	21	✅

Baseline: f21d5e4 · PR result: 0c0b0eb · Source CI: success

Scenario and decoded snapshot size

10 historical turns, 5 command tools per turn, 878.9 KiB retained MCP result per historical turn, and a 1.05 MiB retained result in the measured turn.

• Codex decoded thread snapshot: 94.6 KiB
• Claude decoded thread snapshot: 95.4 KiB

Updated in place by a trusted workflow. PR artifacts are strictly validated and never executed.

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Approved 0c0b0eb

Adds a lightweight component that maintains a subscription to project data during navigation to /settings, preventing a visual flash on back navigation. The change is read-only, self-contained, and poses minimal risk.

^{You can customize Macroscope's approvability policy. Learn more.}

Dismissing prior approval to re-evaluate 48c34bb