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[FEATURE]: Sidebar project list does not scale for large project counts (UX regression / feature request) #9088
Description
Feature hasn't been suggested before.
- I have verified this feature I'm about to request hasn't been suggested before.
Describe the enhancement you want to request
Description
The current sidebar project list UI optimizes well for users with a small number of projects, but does not scale for users with many projects.
Previously, projects were displayed as a readable list of names. I kept the list manually ordered alphabetically and could identify and navigate projects at a glance. With the current UI:
- Projects are displayed as single initial letters, which are not unique when the project count is large.
- Hovering over a project shows the list of sessions rather than the project name, so it does not help with project identification.
The application works correctly, but usability is significantly reduced for workflows involving many projects.
Context
I have approximately 200 projects. With this scale:
- Initial-letter icons are ambiguous and unusable for fast navigation.
- The previous wider, name-based list scaled much better.
- The new compact layout likely makes sense for users with only a few projects, but it removes an important affordance for larger collections.
Expected / requested behavior
One or more of the following would address the issue:
- An option to show full project names in the sidebar.
- An option to keep the project list automatically ordered alphabetically.
- Always show the project name on hover instead of the session list.
Actual behavior
- Sidebar shows only project initials, with many duplicated.
- Hover shows sessions instead of identifying the project.
Notes
- This is not a correctness bug, but a usability regression for high project counts.
- The previous behavior supported this workflow extremely well.
Reacted by Zelin Li, Alexander Vasin, criew and knd060
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github-actions commentedon Jan 17, 2026
This issue might be a duplicate of existing issues. Please check:
Feel free to ignore if this doesn't address your specific case.
stenci commentedon Jan 17, 2026
I don’t consider this a duplicate of #7877. That issue appears to refer to the web UI, which I’m not familiar with, my feedback is specific to the desktop UI.
In the desktop app, the left sidebar can contain any number of explicitly opened projects. Users control which projects are open, when they are closed, and can rename projects or assign icons. This is different from an automatic “last N projects” or LRU-style list.
I’m also not sure what “showing the last 5 projects” means in the context of the desktop app, since the sidebar is not limited to a fixed number and is not automatically managed in that way.
This request is about improving usability of the desktop project sidebar when managing a large number of open projects, rather than about recent-projects navigation.
playeriv65 commentedon Mar 14, 2026
Agree. Maybe letting the width of the sidebar be adjustable, showing more letters of the workspace, will help.
github-actions commentedon Jul 6, 2026
To stay organized issues are automatically closed after 60 days of no activity. If the issue is still relevant please open a new one.