feat(web): drop a folder on the sidebar to add a project

[yordis]

• Adding the first project is the one thing every install has to do, and it required knowing the app's vocabulary before anything worked: a command palette, an environment, a source, and a typed path.
• Dragging a folder in is how every other app on the machine takes a directory, and it is what people try first. An empty sidebar already looks like a drop target whether or not it is one.
• Dropping opens a prefilled confirmation instead of adding silently, so an accidental drop is still recoverable and the path stays visible before anything is created.

[cursor]

PR Summary

Low Risk
Additive UX and optional bridge API; project creation still goes through the existing confirm/browse flow with no new server paths.

Overview
Desktop users can drag a folder onto the sidebar to start adding a project. The sidebar only enables drop handling when desktopBridge.getPathForDroppedFile exists (Electron preload uses webUtils.getPathForFile); browser tabs keep normal drag behavior with no fake drop target.

Drops open Add project with the folder path prefilled for confirmation rather than creating a project silently. The command palette bus and reducer now accept an optional path on the add-project intent; startAddProjectAtPath skips environment/source pickers, routes WSL UNC paths via shared resolveWslProjectTarget, and closes the palette with a toast if the primary environment is unavailable.

New makeProjectFolderDropHandlers covers drag enter/leave flicker, file-only drops, and path resolution failures. Empty-sidebar copy mentions “or drop a folder here,” with a dashed outline while dragging.

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Review details

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Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between c27da9a and 2774e0d.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• apps/web/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx

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Run ID: b6d51f28-e724-4aa4-bf3f-4ac06e2eb483

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between aaf82e9 and c27da9a.

📒 Files selected for processing (12)

• apps/desktop/src/preload.ts
• apps/web/src/commandPaletteBus.ts
• apps/web/src/components/CommandPalette.logic.test.ts
• apps/web/src/components/CommandPalette.logic.ts
• apps/web/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx
• apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
• apps/web/src/components/sidebar/projectFolderDrop.test.ts
• apps/web/src/components/sidebar/projectFolderDrop.ts
• docs/fork/0008-drop-a-folder-to-add-a-project.md
• docs/fork/README.md
• docs/user/thread-sidebar.md
• packages/contracts/src/ipc.ts

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Walkthrough

The desktop sidebar now accepts dropped project folders. The preload bridge resolves dropped-file paths, and the command palette opens Add Project with a validated, prefilled path. Tests and documentation cover the new desktop-only flow.

Changes

Desktop folder drop

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Dropped-file path contract packages/contracts/src/ipc.ts, apps/desktop/src/preload.ts	The IPC contract defines DroppedFileHandle and optional path resolution. The preload bridge returns resolved paths or null for invalid handles and empty paths.
Sidebar folder drop handling apps/web/src/components/sidebar/projectFolderDrop.ts, apps/web/src/components/sidebar/projectFolderDrop.test.ts, apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx	Desktop file drags activate the sidebar target. The handler finds the first folder, resolves its path, creates the project, and reports rejected drops. Tests cover drag state, child transitions, valid folders, and invalid entries.
Add Project path propagation apps/web/src/commandPaletteBus.ts, apps/web/src/components/CommandPalette.logic.ts, apps/web/src/components/CommandPalette.logic.test.ts, apps/web/src/components/CommandPalette.tsx	Add-project intents carry an optional path. Path-based opens validate the primary environment and start browsing at the supplied path. Existing pathless opens retain the picker flow.
Folder drop documentation docs/fork/0008-drop-a-folder-to-add-a-project.md, docs/fork/README.md, docs/user/thread-sidebar.md	Documentation describes desktop folder drops, feedback, invalid drops, local-device scope, remote alternatives, and browser limitations.

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~25 minutes

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to c27da

This PR adds folder drag-and-drop project creation with a confirmation step; no actionable merge-blocking risk remains based on the supplied evidence.

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  participant User
  participant Sidebar
  participant DesktopBridge
  participant CommandPalette
  participant Environment
  User->>Sidebar: drop project folder
  Sidebar->>DesktopBridge: resolve dropped folder path
  DesktopBridge-->>Sidebar: return folder path
  Sidebar->>CommandPalette: open Add Project with path
  CommandPalette->>Environment: validate primary connection
  Environment-->>CommandPalette: return connection status
  CommandPalette->>CommandPalette: open browse view at path

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Suggested reviewers: juliusmarminge, t3dotgg

Poem

A rabbit drops a folder bright,
The sidebar guides it into sight.
A path is found, the checks all pass,
Add Project opens with the class.
Invalid hops get toasted fare—
Desktop folders now travel there.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 3 | ❌ 2

❌ Failed checks (2 warnings)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Description check	⚠️ Warning	The description explains the motivation but omits the required What Changed, Why, UI Changes, and Checklist sections.	Use the template headings, describe the implementation, explain the rationale, add UI screenshots or a video, and complete the checklist.
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 25.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly summarizes the primary change: adding a project by dropping a folder on the sidebar.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

✨ Finishing Touches 💡 1

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• Commit on current branch

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Commit unit tests in branch yordis/feat-drop-folder-to-add-project

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[cursor]

Cursor Bugbot has reviewed your changes using default effort and found 1 potential issue.

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[yordis]

Screen.Recording.2026-08-17.at.6.28.59.AM.mov