can set a work directory in assistant chats (#534)

apps/x/apps/main/src/ipc.ts

@@ -685,6 +685,19 @@ export function setupIpcHandlers() {
       const mimeType = mimeMap[ext] || 'application/octet-stream';
       return { data: buffer.toString('base64'), mimeType, size: stat.size };
     },
+    'dialog:openDirectory': async (event, args) => {
+      const win = BrowserWindow.fromWebContents(event.sender);
+      const defaultPath = args.defaultPath ? resolveShellPath(args.defaultPath) : os.homedir();
+      const result = await dialog.showOpenDialog(win!, {
+        title: args.title ?? 'Choose work directory',
+        defaultPath,
+        properties: ['openDirectory', 'createDirectory'],
+      });
+      if (result.canceled || result.filePaths.length === 0) {
+        return { path: null };
+      }
+      return { path: result.filePaths[0] ?? null };
+    },
     // Knowledge version history handlers
     'knowledge:history': async (_event, args) => {
       const commits = await versionHistory.getFileHistory(args.path);

apps/x/apps/renderer/src/components/chat-input-with-mentions.tsx

@@ -10,8 +10,10 @@ import {
   FileSpreadsheet,
   FileText,
   FileVideo,
+  FolderCog,
   Globe,
   Headphones,
+  ImagePlus,
   LoaderIcon,
   Mic,
   Plus,
@@ -23,8 +25,10 @@ import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
 import {
   DropdownMenu,
   DropdownMenuContent,
+  DropdownMenuItem,
   DropdownMenuRadioGroup,
   DropdownMenuRadioItem,
+  DropdownMenuSeparator,
   DropdownMenuTrigger,
 } from '@/components/ui/dropdown-menu'
 import {
@@ -169,6 +173,7 @@ function ChatInputInner({
   const [searchEnabled, setSearchEnabled] = useState(false)
   const [searchAvailable, setSearchAvailable] = useState(false)
   const [isRowboatConnected, setIsRowboatConnected] = useState(false)
+  const [workDir, setWorkDir] = useState<string | null>(null)
 
   // When a run exists, freeze the dropdown to the run's resolved model+provider.
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -251,6 +256,55 @@ function ChatInputInner({
     return () => window.removeEventListener('models-config-changed', handler)
   }, [loadModelConfig])
 
+  // Load currently configured work directory
+  const loadWorkDir = useCallback(async () => {
+    try {
+      const result = await window.ipc.invoke('workspace:readFile', { path: 'config/workdir.json' })
+      const parsed = JSON.parse(result.data)
+      const value = typeof parsed?.path === 'string' ? parsed.path.trim() : ''
+      setWorkDir(value || null)
+    } catch {
+      setWorkDir(null)
+    }
+  }, [])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    loadWorkDir()
+  }, [isActive, loadWorkDir])
+
+  const handleSetWorkDir = useCallback(async () => {
+    try {
+      const { path: chosen } = await window.ipc.invoke('dialog:openDirectory', {
+        title: 'Choose work directory',
+        defaultPath: workDir ?? undefined,
+      })
+      if (!chosen) return
+      await window.ipc.invoke('workspace:writeFile', {
+        path: 'config/workdir.json',
+        data: JSON.stringify({ path: chosen }, null, 2),
+      })
+      setWorkDir(chosen)
+      toast.success(`Work directory set: ${chosen}`)
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error('Failed to set work directory', err)
+      toast.error('Failed to set work directory')
+    }
+  }, [workDir])
+
+  const handleClearWorkDir = useCallback(async () => {
+    try {
+      await window.ipc.invoke('workspace:writeFile', {
+        path: 'config/workdir.json',
+        data: JSON.stringify({}, null, 2),
+      })
+      setWorkDir(null)
+      toast.success('Work directory cleared')
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error('Failed to clear work directory', err)
+      toast.error('Failed to clear work directory')
+    }
+  }, [])
+
   // Check search tool availability (exa or signed-in via gateway)
   useEffect(() => {
     const checkSearch = async () => {
@@ -484,14 +538,53 @@ function ChatInputInner({
         />
       </div>
       <div className="flex items-center gap-2 px-4 pb-3">
+        <DropdownMenu>
+          <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
             <button
               type="button"
-          onClick={() => fileInputRef.current?.click()}
               className="flex h-7 w-7 shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full text-muted-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-muted hover:text-foreground"
-          aria-label="Attach files"
+              aria-label="Add"
             >
               <Plus className="h-4 w-4" />
             </button>
+          </DropdownMenuTrigger>
+          <DropdownMenuContent align="start" className="min-w-56">
+            <DropdownMenuItem onSelect={() => fileInputRef.current?.click()}>
+              <ImagePlus className="size-4" />
+              <span>Add files or photos</span>
+            </DropdownMenuItem>
+            <DropdownMenuItem onSelect={() => { void handleSetWorkDir() }}>
+              <FolderCog className="size-4" />
+              <span>{workDir ? 'Change work directory' : 'Set work directory'}</span>
+            </DropdownMenuItem>
+            {workDir && (
+              <>
+                <DropdownMenuSeparator />
+                <DropdownMenuItem onSelect={() => { void handleClearWorkDir() }}>
+                  <X className="size-4" />
+                  <span>Clear work directory</span>
+                </DropdownMenuItem>
+              </>
+            )}
+          </DropdownMenuContent>
+        </DropdownMenu>
+        {workDir && (
+          <Tooltip>
+            <TooltipTrigger asChild>
+              <button
+                type="button"
+                onClick={handleSetWorkDir}
+                className="flex h-7 max-w-[180px] shrink-0 items-center gap-1.5 rounded-full border border-border bg-muted/40 px-2.5 text-xs text-muted-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-muted hover:text-foreground"
+              >
+                <FolderCog className="h-3.5 w-3.5" />
+                <span className="truncate">{workDir.split('/').pop() || workDir}</span>
+              </button>
+            </TooltipTrigger>
+            <TooltipContent side="top">
+              Work directory: {workDir}
+            </TooltipContent>
+          </Tooltip>
+        )}
         {searchAvailable && (
           searchEnabled ? (
             <button

apps/x/packages/core/src/agents/runtime.ts

@@ -35,6 +35,19 @@ import { getRaw as getInlineTaskAgentRaw } from "../knowledge/inline_task_agent.
 import { getRaw as getAgentNotesAgentRaw } from "../knowledge/agent_notes_agent.js";
 
 const AGENT_NOTES_DIR = path.join(WorkDir, 'knowledge', 'Agent Notes');
+const WORKDIR_CONFIG_FILE = path.join(WorkDir, 'config', 'workdir.json');
+
+function loadUserWorkDir(): string | null {
+    try {
+        if (!fs.existsSync(WORKDIR_CONFIG_FILE)) return null;
+        const raw = fs.readFileSync(WORKDIR_CONFIG_FILE, 'utf-8');
+        const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as { path?: unknown };
+        const value = typeof parsed.path === 'string' ? parsed.path.trim() : '';
+        return value || null;
+    } catch {
+        return null;
+    }
+}
 
 function loadAgentNotesContext(): string | null {
     const sections: string[] = [];
@@ -1094,6 +1107,28 @@ export async function* streamAgent({
             if (agentNotesContext) {
                 instructionsWithDateTime += `\n\n${agentNotesContext}`;
             }
+            const userWorkDir = loadUserWorkDir();
+            if (userWorkDir) {
+                loopLogger.log('injecting user work directory', userWorkDir);
+                instructionsWithDateTime += `\n\n# User Work Directory
+The user has chosen the following directory as their current **work directory**:
+
+\`${userWorkDir}\`
+
+Treat this as the **default location** for file operations whenever the user refers to files generically:
+- "list the files", "show me what's in here", "what's the latest report" — list or look in the work directory.
+- "save this", "export it", "write that to a file" — write the output into the work directory unless the user names another location.
+- "open the file I was just working on", "the doc from earlier" — assume the work directory first.
+
+Use absolute paths rooted at this directory. On macOS/Linux call \`executeCommand\` with POSIX commands (\`ls\`, \`cat\`, \`cp\`, etc.) operating on \`${userWorkDir}\`. On Windows use the equivalent cmd syntax. For reading file contents use \`parseFile\` or \`LLMParse\` with the absolute path; you do NOT need to copy the file into the workspace first.
+
+**Exceptions — these ALWAYS take precedence over the work directory default:**
+1. **Knowledge base questions.** If the user asks about anything in the knowledge graph (notes, people, organizations, projects, topics) or paths starting with \`knowledge/\`, use the workspace tools against \`knowledge/\` as documented above. Do NOT redirect those into the work directory.
+2. **Explicit paths.** If the user names a different directory or gives an absolute/relative path (e.g. "in ~/Downloads", "from /tmp/foo", "the Desktop"), honor that path exactly and ignore the work-directory default for that request.
+3. **Workspace-specific operations.** Anything that obviously belongs in the Rowboat workspace (config files, MCP servers, agent schedules, etc.) stays in the workspace, not the work directory.
+
+Do not announce the work directory unless it's relevant. Just use it.`;
+            }
             // Always inject a Middle Pane section so the LLM has a clear, up-to-date signal
             // that supersedes any earlier middle-pane mention in the conversation history.
             const middlePaneHeader = `\n\n# Middle Pane (Current State)\nThis section reflects what the user has open in the middle pane RIGHT NOW, at the time of their latest message. **This is authoritative and overrides any earlier mention of a note or web page in this conversation** — if the conversation history references a different note or browser page, the user has since closed or navigated away from it. Do not treat earlier context as current.\n\n`;

apps/x/packages/shared/src/ipc.ts

@@ -483,6 +483,16 @@ const ipcSchemas = {
     req: z.object({ path: z.string() }),
     res: z.object({ data: z.string(), mimeType: z.string(), size: z.number() }),
   },
+  // Native dialog channels
+  'dialog:openDirectory': {
+    req: z.object({
+      defaultPath: z.string().optional(),
+      title: z.string().optional(),
+    }),
+    res: z.object({
+      path: z.string().nullable(),
+    }),
+  },
   // Knowledge version history channels
   'knowledge:history': {
     req: z.object({ path: RelPath }),