Desktop: make workspace selectable per session, not only launch-time cwd

[bagelcode-jhkim]

Summary

Hermes Desktop currently supports an initial project directory via:

hermes desktop --cwd <path>

or:

HERMES_DESKTOP_CWD=<path> hermes desktop

That is useful as a startup default, but it does not match the way a long-lived desktop app is used across multiple folders/projects. Selecting a folder in the Desktop side panel can also look like a workspace choice, but it does not reliably make that folder the actual workspace/cwd for new sessions.

Inspired by the Codex app and Claude app, Hermes Desktop should support adding/opening project folders inside the app and creating new sessions bound to those folders.

Current behavior

• Workspace/cwd can be specified at Desktop launch time with --cwd / HERMES_DESKTOP_CWD.
• Desktop is a long-lived multi-session app, but the workspace default is effectively process-level or app-level.
• The file/folder side panel can point at a folder, but that does not clearly become the actual agent workspace for a new session.
• New sessions do not expose an obvious per-session workspace selection flow.
• Switching among multiple projects requires relaunching Desktop with a different cwd or relying on ambiguous remembered workspace state.

Expected behavior

Desktop should treat workspace as a per-session property, not only a launch-time/default property.

Suggested UX:

1. Add an Add Folder / Open Workspace action.
2. Maintain a list of recent/known workspaces.
3. From a selected folder, allow New Session in this Workspace.
4. Persist the selected workspace path on the session.
5. Resuming that session should restore the same workspace/cwd.
6. File tools, terminal tools, code execution, and the file browser should operate relative to that session workspace.
7. Session list/header should show a workspace/project badge or folder name.

Why this matters

The Desktop app is naturally a multi-project interface:

• multiple simultaneous agent conversations
• multiple coding/research projects
• persistent sessions
• app-level session history
• workspace file browsing

A launch-time --cwd works for CLI/TUI because one terminal process usually maps to one working directory. Desktop needs a different model: workspace should be attached to the session or conversation, not just to the Electron app launch.

Codex app and Claude app provide a better mental model here: users add/open a folder, then create or resume sessions within that folder's context.

Proposed data model

Each session could store something like:

session.workspace = {
  path: "/Users/example/projects/my-app",
  name: "my-app"
}

or:

session.context = {
  workspace: {
    path: "/Users/example/projects/my-app",
    label: "my-app"
  }
}

This should be used to initialize:

• terminal cwd
• file/search/read/write tools
• code execution workdir
• file browser root
• project-specific context loading, e.g. AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, etc.

MVP acceptance criteria

• Desktop has an Add/Open Folder action.
• User can create a new session from a selected workspace.
• Session persists the workspace path.
• Resuming the session restores the workspace/cwd.
• Tool calls use the session workspace as their default working directory.
• Session list or header displays the current workspace/folder.
• Changing the file browser folder alone is not confused with changing the actual agent workspace, unless explicitly designed to do so.

Nice-to-have follow-ups

• Workspace-specific recent sessions.
• Workspace-specific default model/toolset/profile settings.
• Move/reassign an existing session to a workspace.
• Open workspace in terminal/Finder.
• Show a warning when the preview/file browser folder differs from the active agent workspace.

Related issues / distinction

This is related to, but distinct from:

• Desktop: add project_id-based session grouping (WebUI parity) #38680, which asks for project/session grouping.
• Desktop Working Directory setting does not override stale remembered workspace cwd #38855, which covers stale remembered workspace cwd overriding the configured working directory.
• Desktop Remote Gateway should support a true remote workspace/file browser #38671, which covers remote workspace/file browser behavior.

This issue is specifically about the local Desktop UX and session contract: selecting/opening a folder inside Desktop should let the user create a new session whose actual workspace/cwd is that folder.

Current workaround

Current workaround:

hermes desktop --cwd /path/to/project

This only sets the initial/default project directory at app launch and does not support smoothly switching among multiple project workspaces inside the Desktop app.

[hutengqi]

+1 — this matches my use case exactly. On Windows Desktop I work across several projects in parallel, and right now the only way to switch the agent's workspace is to relaunch with a different --cwd / HERMES_DESKTOP_CWD. The file side-panel looks like it should let me pick a workspace, but as the issue notes, selecting a folder there doesn't reliably become the actual cwd for new sessions.

The Codex/Claude-style flow described here (open a project folder in-app, bind it to the session, persist it on resume, and have file/terminal/code-exec tools all operate relative to that session workspace) would be a big quality-of-life win. A per-session workspace badge in the session list would also make multi-project use much clearer.

Would love to see this land. 👍

[mustafa-ramax]

+1 on this — coming from Claude Desktop, this is the missing piece for me.

The mental model from Claude Desktop / Codex is exactly right: open a folder → start a session inside it → all context (instructions, files, cwd) follows automatically.

[michaelmarconi]

Agree: I've come across from https://github.com/nesquena/hermes-webui, which has the workspace switcher and I'm really missing it!