picker-first startup with per-project sticky override (T-115)

Boot used to auto-open app.lastProject and fall back to the CWD; new
default is the welcome screen as the project picker. Sticky-open is
opt-in: a checkbox on each recent-projects row toggles a
startupSticky flag, and clide auto-opens iff exactly one row has it.
Two-or-more, or none, ⇒ picker (unambiguous user intent).

RecentProject gains the boolean (persisted in app.recentProjects);
ProjectManager exposes stickyProjectPath, openStickyOrNothing,
setStickyStartup, isStickyStartup, and preserves the flag across
reopens.

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

.pql/changelog/ticket_history/2026-05.sql

@@ -1813,3 +1813,6 @@ INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by,
 INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by, changed_at, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('T-104', 'status', 'in_progress', 'done', NULL, '2026-05-18 07:53:10', '2026-05-18 07:53:10', '2026-05-18 07:53:10', NULL, 'ce2b66658977edc3fddc78079d7852e5', 1) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;
 INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by, changed_at, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('T-109', 'status', 'backlog', 'in_progress', NULL, '2026-05-18 08:02:06', '2026-05-18 08:02:06', '2026-05-18 08:02:06', NULL, 'ee75fea173ae492a6ad8a1d888a2142d', 1) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;
 INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by, changed_at, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('T-109', 'status', 'in_progress', 'done', NULL, '2026-05-18 08:07:23', '2026-05-18 08:07:23', '2026-05-18 08:07:23', NULL, '9dd61b76946909aa44edaf9d1c1741a0', 1) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;
+INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by, changed_at, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('T-121', 'status', 'backlog', 'done', NULL, '2026-05-18 08:22:19', '2026-05-18 08:22:19', '2026-05-18 08:22:19', NULL, '861af9256207314d681e51abc77c386f', 1) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;
+INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by, changed_at, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('T-115', 'status', 'backlog', 'in_progress', NULL, '2026-05-18 08:23:34', '2026-05-18 08:23:34', '2026-05-18 08:23:34', NULL, '94f4a894c1dddfa87ee8306a9758c808', 1) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;
+INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by, changed_at, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('T-115', 'status', 'in_progress', 'done', NULL, '2026-05-18 08:26:05', '2026-05-18 08:26:05', '2026-05-18 08:26:05', NULL, 'b8978359fc1b83ea0bcfc6cd5d34d5de', 1) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;

.pql/changelog/tickets/2026-05.sql

@@ -1895,3 +1895,28 @@ INSERT INTO tickets (id, type, parent_id, title, description, status, priority,
 Order matters: 2 → 3 → 1 (clean changelog, release, then doc the workflow).
 
 Source: consultants.md "Docs — Findings".', 'done', 'medium', NULL, NULL, NULL, '2026-05-17 18:48:03', '2026-05-18 08:07:23', NULL, '7c1f64a5aef6e3e92157691a2b192beb', 1) ON CONFLICT(id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_id=excluded.parent_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);
+INSERT INTO tickets (id, type, parent_id, title, description, status, priority, assigned_to, team, decision_ref, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('T-121', 'task', 'T-97', 'cut interim release to drain Unreleased (split from T-109)', 'Item 3 of T-109. With CONTRIBUTING.md landed and [Unreleased] consolidated, the remaining piece is cutting an actual release so the ~80-commit Unreleased backlog drains into a dated heading.
+
+Per .claude/skills/git-commit/SKILL.md "Cutting a release":
+1. Move every [Unreleased] entry under a new `## [X.Y.Z] — YYYY-MM-DD` heading.
+2. Leave an empty [Unreleased] skeleton.
+3. Bump pubspec.yaml version: (drop the -dev suffix for the tag).
+4. Commit subject: `release vX.Y.Z`.
+
+Version pick is the user''s call — likely 2.1.0 given the scope since 2.0.0 (D-66 95% coverage gate, T-117 keymap, contrast-gate split, IPC hardening, panel-keyboard parity, etc.).
+
+Source: consultants.md "Docs — Findings" item 3.', 'done', 'medium', NULL, NULL, NULL, '2026-05-18 08:07:23', '2026-05-18 08:22:19', NULL, '6f9f48da5d95074af1abed3df64b109a', 1) ON CONFLICT(id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_id=excluded.parent_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);
+INSERT INTO tickets (id, type, parent_id, title, description, status, priority, assigned_to, team, decision_ref, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('T-115', 'story', NULL, 'startup project picker; "always open this project" override', 'Startup flow change: on launch, always show the project picker screen unless the user has explicitly checked an "always open this project" box for a specific project (sticky default).
+
+**Acceptance:**
+1. Default startup: project picker is the first screen, regardless of last-opened state.
+2. Picker has an "always open this project on launch" checkbox per project entry.
+3. If exactly one project has that flag set, startup skips the picker and opens that project directly.
+4. The flag is per-project, persisted in app settings (probably under `app.startupProject`).
+5. The checkbox can be unticked from the welcome view to restore picker-first behavior.
+
+**Notes:** today the app auto-opens `app.lastProject` on boot (kernel/src/project.dart `openLast`). The new flow inverts the default — picker is the steady state, sticky-open is opt-in per project.
+
+**Out of scope:** multi-project workspaces, project groups, recent-project ordering changes.
+
+**Source:** user request 2026-05-17.', 'done', 'medium', NULL, NULL, NULL, '2026-05-17 19:10:21', '2026-05-18 08:26:05', NULL, 'dc53a7ac8809206c2824d316750ec28a', 1) ON CONFLICT(id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_id=excluded.parent_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ heading, and (b) bumping `pubspec.yaml` `version:` in the same commit.
 
 ### Added
 
+- Startup project picker — clide now opens to the welcome screen by
+  default instead of auto-opening the last project. A per-row
+  "always open this project on launch" checkbox in welcome's RECENT
+  list sets a sticky-startup flag; if exactly one project has it,
+  that one opens directly. Two or more, or none ⇒ picker (T-115).
+
 ### Changed
 
 ### Deprecated

lib/builtin/welcome/src/welcome_view.dart

@@ -264,7 +264,13 @@ class _RecentColumn extends StatelessWidget {
             if (recents.isEmpty)
               const ClideText('No recent projects.', muted: true, fontSize: 14)
             else
-              for (final r in recents) _RecentRow(project: r, tokens: tokens, onTap: () => _openRecent(r.path)),
+              for (final r in recents)
+                _RecentRow(
+                  project: r,
+                  tokens: tokens,
+                  onTap: () => _openRecent(r.path),
+                  onToggleSticky: () => kernel.project.setStickyStartup(r.path, !r.startupSticky),
+                ),
           ],
         );
       },
@@ -279,10 +285,16 @@ class _RecentColumn extends StatelessWidget {
 }
 
 class _RecentRow extends StatelessWidget {
-  const _RecentRow({required this.project, required this.tokens, required this.onTap});
+  const _RecentRow({
+    required this.project,
+    required this.tokens,
+    required this.onTap,
+    required this.onToggleSticky,
+  });
   final RecentProject project;
   final SurfaceTokens tokens;
   final VoidCallback onTap;
+  final VoidCallback onToggleSticky;
 
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
@@ -318,6 +330,8 @@ class _RecentRow extends StatelessWidget {
                 ],
               ),
             ),
+            _StickyToggle(sticky: project.startupSticky, tokens: tokens, onTap: onToggleSticky),
+            const SizedBox(width: 12),
             ClideText(project.timeAgo, muted: true, fontSize: 13),
           ],
         ),
@@ -326,6 +340,41 @@ class _RecentRow extends StatelessWidget {
   }
 }
 
+/// Sticky-startup checkbox shown on each recent-project row (T-115).
+/// When exactly one row is checked, clide opens that project on next
+/// launch instead of showing the picker. Tooltip explains the rule.
+class _StickyToggle extends StatelessWidget {
+  const _StickyToggle({required this.sticky, required this.tokens, required this.onTap});
+  final bool sticky;
+  final SurfaceTokens tokens;
+  final VoidCallback onTap;
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    return ClideTooltip(
+      message: sticky ? 'Always open this project on launch (uncheck to restore picker)' : 'Always open this project on launch',
+      child: Semantics(
+        button: true,
+        checked: sticky,
+        label: 'always open this project on launch',
+        child: ClideTappable(
+          onTap: onTap,
+          builder: (context, hovered, _) => Container(
+            width: 18,
+            height: 18,
+            decoration: BoxDecoration(
+              color: sticky ? tokens.statusBarItemActiveBackground : null,
+              border: Border.all(color: hovered || sticky ? tokens.panelActiveBorder : tokens.globalBorder),
+              borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(3),
+            ),
+            child: sticky ? ClideIcon(PhosphorIcons.check, size: 12, color: tokens.buttonForeground) : null,
+          ),
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}
+
 class _StatusLine extends StatelessWidget {
   const _StatusLine({required this.tokens, required this.kernel});
   final SurfaceTokens tokens;

lib/kernel/src/project.dart

@@ -9,20 +9,46 @@ import 'package:clide/kernel/src/toolchain.dart';
 import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
 
 class RecentProject {
-  const RecentProject({required this.path, required this.name, this.branch, required this.lastOpened});
+  const RecentProject({
+    required this.path,
+    required this.name,
+    this.branch,
+    required this.lastOpened,
+    this.startupSticky = false,
+  });
 
   final String path;
   final String name;
   final String? branch;
   final DateTime lastOpened;
 
-  Map<String, dynamic> toJson() => {'path': path, 'name': name, 'branch': branch, 'lastOpened': lastOpened.toIso8601String()};
+  /// When set, this project is preferred on startup over the picker.
+  /// If exactly one recent has this flag, [ProjectManager.openStickyOrNothing]
+  /// opens it directly; otherwise the welcome screen takes over (T-115).
+  final bool startupSticky;
+
+  RecentProject copyWith({bool? startupSticky, DateTime? lastOpened, String? branch}) => RecentProject(
+        path: path,
+        name: name,
+        branch: branch ?? this.branch,
+        lastOpened: lastOpened ?? this.lastOpened,
+        startupSticky: startupSticky ?? this.startupSticky,
+      );
+
+  Map<String, dynamic> toJson() => {
+        'path': path,
+        'name': name,
+        'branch': branch,
+        'lastOpened': lastOpened.toIso8601String(),
+        if (startupSticky) 'startupSticky': true,
+      };
 
   factory RecentProject.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) => RecentProject(
         path: json['path'] as String? ?? '',
         name: json['name'] as String? ?? '',
         branch: json['branch'] as String?,
         lastOpened: DateTime.tryParse(json['lastOpened'] as String? ?? '') ?? DateTime.now(),
+        startupSticky: json['startupSticky'] as bool? ?? false,
       );
 
   String get relativePath {
@@ -104,8 +130,15 @@ class ProjectManager extends ChangeNotifier {
 
     final branch = await _currentBranch(root);
     final name = root.split('/').last;
+    // Preserve the sticky-startup flag across reopens — otherwise the
+    // user would have to re-toggle it every time they touched the
+    // project (T-115).
+    final wasSticky = isStickyStartup(root);
     _recents.removeWhere((r) => r.path == root);
-    _recents.insert(0, RecentProject(path: root, name: name, branch: branch, lastOpened: DateTime.now()));
+    _recents.insert(
+      0,
+      RecentProject(path: root, name: name, branch: branch, lastOpened: DateTime.now(), startupSticky: wasSticky),
+    );
     if (_recents.length > 10) _recents = _recents.sublist(0, 10);
     await _settings.set<String>('app.recentProjects', jsonEncode(_recents.map((r) => r.toJson()).toList()));
 
@@ -122,6 +155,42 @@ class ProjectManager extends ChangeNotifier {
     return open(last);
   }
 
+  /// Path of the lone sticky-startup project, or null if zero or
+  /// multiple recents have the flag. Zero ⇒ show the picker; multiple
+  /// ⇒ ambiguous, also show the picker (T-115).
+  String? get stickyProjectPath {
+    final sticky = _recents.where((r) => r.startupSticky).toList();
+    return sticky.length == 1 ? sticky.first.path : null;
+  }
+
+  /// Open the single sticky-startup project, if any. Returns false on
+  /// "no unambiguous sticky" so the caller (main.dart) can fall through
+  /// to the welcome screen.
+  Future<bool> openStickyOrNothing() async {
+    final path = stickyProjectPath;
+    if (path == null) return false;
+    final dir = Directory(path);
+    if (!await dir.exists()) return false;
+    return open(path);
+  }
+
+  /// Toggle the per-project sticky-startup flag and persist. No-op if
+  /// the path isn't in recents (open the project first to land it
+  /// there).
+  Future<void> setStickyStartup(String path, bool value) async {
+    final idx = _recents.indexWhere((r) => r.path == path);
+    if (idx < 0) return;
+    if (_recents[idx].startupSticky == value) return;
+    _recents[idx] = _recents[idx].copyWith(startupSticky: value);
+    await _settings.set<String>('app.recentProjects', jsonEncode(_recents.map((r) => r.toJson()).toList()));
+    notifyListeners();
+  }
+
+  bool isStickyStartup(String path) {
+    final idx = _recents.indexWhere((r) => r.path == path);
+    return idx >= 0 && _recents[idx].startupSticky;
+  }
+
   Future<void> close() async {
     if (_current == null) return;
     _current = null;

lib/main.dart

@@ -156,10 +156,10 @@ Future<void> main() async {
 
   if (!kIsWeb) {
     await services.project.loadRecents();
-    var opened = await services.project.openLast();
-    if (!opened) {
-      opened = await services.project.open(Directory.current.path);
-    }
+    // T-115: picker-first. Auto-open only when exactly one recent has
+    // its sticky-startup flag set; otherwise the welcome tab (default
+    // workspace content) serves as the project picker.
+    final opened = await services.project.openStickyOrNothing();
     if (opened) {
       services.panels.activateTab(Slots.workspace, 'claude.primary');
     }