Optional per-environment colors in the thread sidebar

[Oghara]

I regularly switch between local and remote environments in T3C, and it can be hard to tell which environment each thread belongs to.

Would you be open to optional per-environment colors in the thread sidebar?

I built a local desktop prototype to test the idea.

• Choose a color for each environment under Settings / Connections.
• Show it as a narrow marker on each environment's thread rows.
• Leave the existing styling unchanged.
• Store the choice locally on the client, keyed by environment ID.

Here are some screenshots

I found a few related proposals. #6875 tackles the same environment-identification problem with custom machine icons and notes that color alone is less accessible. #6705 suggests a similar color marker for projects, while #7836 explores grouping threads by environment.

I can share the implementation details if useful.

[t3dotgg]

Note

🤖 GPT-5.6 Sol responding on behalf of Theo

Issue #8479 adds a mobile destination-identification case that belongs with this color proposal.

The current mobile new-task composer includes a selectable on <environment> control. The reported problem occurs earlier in the flow: one project group contains three rows with the same project name and absolute path, but each row points to a different environment. The user cannot identify the destination before choosing a row. The smaller request is to show the environment name prominently on each project row and keep the destination clear in the composer. The report also asks for a more prominent, desktop-style selector presentation. That is a UI proposal, not evidence that mobile has no selector.

The same report asks for optional environment colors on project rows, active-session rows, and the composer. The color can be automatic with an override or fully opt-in. Text labels still matter because color alone must not carry the identity. The screenshot and exact three-row reproduction remain in the source report.

[YazanKittaneh]

+1, with a slightly different angle on the same problem. I use one web client (served from my Mac through a Cloudflare tunnel) with three environments added: the Mac, a home server, and a second server. Several projects exist on more than one machine, so the sidebar shows near-identical project rows.

What I'd like is a default project icon color per environment: pick "green" for the Mac once, and every project on that environment, including new ones, gets a green icon unless I override it. Today I can only set colors one project at a time, so I scripted 26 project updates by hand, and new projects still come in uncolored.

Storing it per client, keyed by environment ID as proposed above, would work for me. One request: a setting on the server would apply in every browser and phone I connect from, not just the one where I set it.

[hustfyb]

+1 — same problem, and I think the smallest useful shape is a color on the environment icon that already exists.

On current main, Settings → Connections already lets you pick a per-machine Icon (environmentIcon in packages/contracts/src/settings.ts, EnvironmentIconPicker.tsx), and the environment badges (ProjectEnvironmentBadge, EnvironmentContextChip) already render icon + label. What is missing is a color for that icon, and any color at all on the rows where the confusion actually happens:

• sidebar thread rows and project rows — one project on three machines gives three near-identical rows
• the composer's on <environment> destination control
• the mobile equivalents

What I would use, concretely:

• opt-in and off by default, chosen per environment, stored keyed by environmentId as proposed above. I would also second the server-side default from @YazanKittaneh, so the same colors show up on every device I connect from rather than only in the browser where I set them.
• a small fixed palette instead of a free color picker, with light/dark variants that keep contrast, so it still looks intentional inside every theme.
• color never carries identity alone: the machine icon and the environment label stay, and the color rides along with the icon rather than replacing it.

[fl0r14n28]

Adding another concrete use case from the macOS desktop app: I use two MacBooks connected through T3 Connect, one for work and one for personal projects. Both environments appear in the same sidebar, and I switch between them from either Mac.

The environment name helps, but I still have to read the small label on each thread to tell which machine it belongs to. Both machines use a laptop icon, and threads without a project have no project icon to help distinguish them.

What would help most:

• Choose a persistent color per environment in Settings, for example blue for the work Mac and purple for the personal Mac.
• Show it on the existing environment icon or label below each sidebar thread, including threads without a project. A subtle row marker would also work.
• Keep the environment name and icon visible, so color is an additional cue.
• Include the local environment too. When switching Macs, I want each machine to keep its color regardless of which one is local to the client.

This would make it much easier to see where a session runs at a glance. The two machines have different repositories and service connections, so distinguishing the execution environment matters beyond tidying up the sidebar.

[yungweng]

lgtm; ship it!