Remember workspace mode across app launches

frontend/src/components/GuestPaymentWarningDialog.tsx

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   restoreMapleApiAuthForUser,
   stopAgentRuntimeForUser
 } from "@/services/agentRuntimeService";
+import { resetWorkspaceModePreference } from "@/services/workspaceModePreference";
 import { useState } from "react";
 import { getBillingService } from "@/billing/billingService";
 
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ export function GuestPaymentWarningDialog({ open, onOpenChange }: GuestPaymentWa
       nativeAuthCleared = true;
       await os.signOut();
       signedOut = true;
+      resetWorkspaceModePreference();
       queryClient.clear();
     } catch (error) {
       console.error("Error during sign out:", error);

frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import {
 import { isTauriDesktop } from "@/utils/platform";
 import { useOpenSecret } from "@opensecret/react";
 import { FEATURE_FLAGS, flagsClient, isForcedOn } from "@/services/flags";
+import { rememberWorkspaceMode } from "@/services/workspaceModePreference";
 import { UpgradePromptDialog } from "@/components/UpgradePromptDialog";
 import { hasApiAccess } from "@/billing/billingAccess";
 import { WorkspaceModeSwitch, type WorkspaceMode } from "@/components/WorkspaceModeSwitch";
@@ -145,11 +146,13 @@ export function Sidebar({
 
     if (nextMode === "chat") {
       returnToHome({ replace: false });
+      rememberWorkspaceMode(nextMode);
       return;
     }
 
     try {
       await router.navigate({ to: "/agent" });
+      rememberWorkspaceMode(nextMode);
     } catch (error) {
       workspaceModeNavigationStartedRef.current = false;
       setPendingWorkspaceMode(null);

frontend/src/components/VerificationModal.tsx

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
   restoreMapleApiAuthForUser,
   stopAgentRuntimeForUser
 } from "@/services/agentRuntimeService";
+import { resetWorkspaceModePreference } from "@/services/workspaceModePreference";
 import { getBillingService } from "@/billing/billingService";
 import { navigateToSafeInternalRedirect } from "@/utils/internalRedirect";
 
@@ -148,6 +149,7 @@ export function VerificationModal() {
       nativeAuthCleared = true;
       await os.signOut();
       signedOut = true;
+      resetWorkspaceModePreference();
       queryClient.clear();
     } catch (error) {
       console.error("Error during sign out:", error);

frontend/src/components/WorkspaceModeSwitch.tsx

@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import { Bot, MessageCircle, type LucideIcon } from "lucide-react";
 
+import type { WorkspaceMode } from "@/services/workspaceModePreference";
 import { cn } from "@/utils/utils";
 
-export type WorkspaceMode = "chat" | "agent";
+export type { WorkspaceMode } from "@/services/workspaceModePreference";
 
 type WorkspaceModeOption = {
   mode: WorkspaceMode;

frontend/src/components/settings/DeleteAccountSettings.tsx

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
   clearMapleApiAuthForUser,
   restoreMapleApiAuthForUser
 } from "@/services/agentRuntimeService";
+import { resetWorkspaceModePreference } from "@/services/workspaceModePreference";
 import { SettingsPage, SettingsSection } from "./SettingsPage";
 
 export function DeleteAccountSettings() {
@@ -90,6 +91,8 @@ export function DeleteAccountSettings() {
         cleanupBlockRef.current.retainUntilNextSession();
       }
 
+      resetWorkspaceModePreference();
+
       try {
         getBillingService().clearToken();
       } catch (clearError) {

frontend/src/components/settings/SettingsLayout.tsx

@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import {
   restoreMapleApiAuthForUser,
   stopAgentRuntimeForUser
 } from "@/services/agentRuntimeService";
+import { resetWorkspaceModePreference } from "@/services/workspaceModePreference";
 import { useLocalState } from "@/state/useLocalState";
 import type { TeamStatus } from "@/types/team";
 import { isIOS } from "@/utils/platform";
@@ -328,6 +329,7 @@ function SettingsLayoutContent() {
       nativeAuthCleared = true;
       await os.signOut();
       signedOut = true;
+      resetWorkspaceModePreference();
       queryClient.clear();
       await router.invalidate();
       await router.navigate({ to: "/" });

frontend/src/main.tsx

@@ -1,13 +1,18 @@
 import { StrictMode } from "react";
 import { createRoot } from "react-dom/client";
-import App from "./app";
-import { waitForPlatform } from "@/utils/platform";
+import { isTauriDesktop, waitForPlatform } from "@/utils/platform";
+import { restoreWorkspaceModeAtLaunch } from "@/services/workspaceModePreference";
 
 // Initialize platform detection before rendering
 async function initializeApp() {
   // Wait for platform detection to complete
   // This ensures all platform checks are correct from the first render
   await waitForPlatform();
+  restoreWorkspaceModeAtLaunch(isTauriDesktop());
+
+  // Create the router only after restoring the launch route so its first
+  // location snapshot matches the user's saved mode.
+  const { default: App } = await import("./app");
 
   // Render the app
   const rootElement = document.getElementById("root")!;

frontend/src/services/workspaceModePreference.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+
+import {
+  getLaunchWorkspacePath,
+  getStoredWorkspaceMode,
+  rememberWorkspaceMode,
+  resetWorkspaceModePreference,
+  WORKSPACE_MODE_STORAGE_KEY
+} from "./workspaceModePreference";
+
+class MemoryStorage {
+  private readonly values = new Map<string, string>();
+
+  getItem(key: string): string | null {
+    return this.values.get(key) ?? null;
+  }
+
+  setItem(key: string, value: string): void {
+    this.values.set(key, value);
+  }
+}
+
+describe("workspace mode preference", () => {
+  test("defaults missing and invalid preferences to Chat Mode", () => {
+    const storage = new MemoryStorage();
+
+    expect(getStoredWorkspaceMode(storage)).toBe("chat");
+
+    storage.setItem(WORKSPACE_MODE_STORAGE_KEY, "invalid");
+    expect(getStoredWorkspaceMode(storage)).toBe("chat");
+  });
+
+  test("persists repeated mode changes for later launches", () => {
+    const storage = new MemoryStorage();
+
+    rememberWorkspaceMode("agent", storage);
+    expect(getStoredWorkspaceMode(storage)).toBe("agent");
+
+    rememberWorkspaceMode("chat", storage);
+    expect(getStoredWorkspaceMode(storage)).toBe("chat");
+
+    rememberWorkspaceMode("agent", storage);
+    expect(getStoredWorkspaceMode(storage)).toBe("agent");
+  });
+
+  test("resets the launch preference to Chat when an account leaves", () => {
+    const storage = new MemoryStorage();
+    rememberWorkspaceMode("agent", storage);
+
+    resetWorkspaceModePreference(storage);
+
+    expect(getStoredWorkspaceMode(storage)).toBe("chat");
+  });
+
+  test("ignores unavailable storage", () => {
+    const unreadableStorage = {
+      getItem: () => {
+        throw new Error("unavailable");
+      },
+      setItem: () => {
+        throw new Error("unavailable");
+      }
+    };
+
+    expect(getStoredWorkspaceMode(unreadableStorage)).toBe("chat");
+    expect(() => rememberWorkspaceMode("agent", unreadableStorage)).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  test("restores Agent Mode from a bare desktop home launch", () => {
+    const storage = new MemoryStorage();
+    rememberWorkspaceMode("agent", storage);
+
+    expect(
+      getLaunchWorkspacePath(
+        {
+          pathname: "/",
+          search: "",
+          hash: "",
+          agentModeAvailable: true
+        },
+        storage
+      )
+    ).toBe("/agent");
+  });
+
+  test("keeps Chat Mode as the default launch mode", () => {
+    const storage = new MemoryStorage();
+
+    expect(
+      getLaunchWorkspacePath(
+        {
+          pathname: "/",
+          search: "",
+          hash: "",
+          agentModeAvailable: true
+        },
+        storage
+      )
+    ).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  test("does not override unsupported platforms, deep links, or home callbacks", () => {
+    const storage = new MemoryStorage();
+    rememberWorkspaceMode("agent", storage);
+
+    expect(
+      getLaunchWorkspacePath(
+        {
+          pathname: "/",
+          search: "",
+          hash: "",
+          agentModeAvailable: false
+        },
+        storage
+      )
+    ).toBeNull();
+    expect(
+      getLaunchWorkspacePath(
+        {
+          pathname: "/settings",
+          search: "",
+          hash: "",
+          agentModeAvailable: true
+        },
+        storage
+      )
+    ).toBeNull();
+    expect(
+      getLaunchWorkspacePath(
+        {
+          pathname: "/",
+          search: "?login=true",
+          hash: "",
+          agentModeAvailable: true
+        },
+        storage
+      )
+    ).toBeNull();
+  });
+});

frontend/src/services/workspaceModePreference.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+export type WorkspaceMode = "chat" | "agent";
+
+export const WORKSPACE_MODE_STORAGE_KEY = "workspaceMode";
+
+type WorkspaceModeStorage = Pick<Storage, "getItem" | "setItem">;
+
+type LaunchLocation = {
+  pathname: string;
+  search: string;
+  hash: string;
+  agentModeAvailable: boolean;
+};
+
+function getBrowserStorage(): WorkspaceModeStorage | null {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") return null;
+
+  try {
+    return window.localStorage;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+export function getStoredWorkspaceMode(
+  storage: WorkspaceModeStorage | null = getBrowserStorage()
+): WorkspaceMode {
+  if (!storage) return "chat";
+
+  try {
+    return storage.getItem(WORKSPACE_MODE_STORAGE_KEY) === "agent" ? "agent" : "chat";
+  } catch {
+    return "chat";
+  }
+}
+
+export function rememberWorkspaceMode(
+  mode: WorkspaceMode,
+  storage: WorkspaceModeStorage | null = getBrowserStorage()
+): void {
+  if (!storage) return;
+
+  try {
+    storage.setItem(WORKSPACE_MODE_STORAGE_KEY, mode);
+  } catch {
+    // A storage failure should never prevent the user from changing modes.
+  }
+}
+
+export function resetWorkspaceModePreference(
+  storage: WorkspaceModeStorage | null = getBrowserStorage()
+): void {
+  rememberWorkspaceMode("chat", storage);
+}
+
+export function getLaunchWorkspacePath(
+  location: LaunchLocation,
+  storage: WorkspaceModeStorage | null = getBrowserStorage()
+): "/agent" | null {
+  if (
+    !location.agentModeAvailable ||
+    location.pathname !== "/" ||
+    location.search !== "" ||
+    location.hash !== ""
+  ) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  return getStoredWorkspaceMode(storage) === "agent" ? "/agent" : null;
+}
+
+export function restoreWorkspaceModeAtLaunch(agentModeAvailable: boolean): void {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") return;
+
+  const path = getLaunchWorkspacePath({
+    pathname: window.location.pathname,
+    search: window.location.search,
+    hash: window.location.hash,
+    agentModeAvailable
+  });
+  if (!path) return;
+
+  try {
+    window.history.replaceState(window.history.state, "", path);
+  } catch {
+    // Keep the default home route if this webview does not allow history replacement.
+  }
+}