Toolbar

Key Ideas

• Persistent Utility Dock: the toolbar is always available without replacing the main route.
• Multi-Tool Surface: System, Files, Terminal, Standalone, and Gap chat belong together as operational aids.
• Contextual Chat: chat can attach to a Gap or remain standalone.
• Stateful But Recoverable: toolbar state should persist enough to survive normal navigation without owning product state.

Purpose

The toolbar exists to keep supporting work close at hand. Users need system notices, source files, terminal access, standalone agent conversations, and Gap chat while they inspect or edit the main surface.

It should reduce context switching without turning every tool into a full page.

Expected Role

The toolbar should provide persistent assistance for work in progress:

• System shows local notices and operation events;
• Files lets users inspect project files and search source;
• Terminal exposes controlled shell access;
• Standalone supports broad agent conversation and worktree-backed experiments;
• Gap chat supports conversation tied to specific work.

Current implementation details that matter to intent:

• toolbar tab order is System, Files, Terminal, Standalone, then opened Gap chats;
• tab state is stored in browser local storage;
• only relevant chat tabs are polled;
• output and queued messages are session-specific;
• toolbar layout can be expanded or resized without changing main route.

The toolbar should expose shared backend capability, not implement its own product rules.

Future Direction

Future toolbar behavior may become an agent cockpit: active claims, pending approvals, fleet events, file context, live terminals, and conversational steering.

The dock should remain a utility surface that follows the user through the product rather than a destination page competing with the main work surfaces.