Chat Dock
The chat dock is the main working area when a thread is active. Chat starts in the primary window, which you can close. Other panels open as separate dock windows you arrange in a grid or expanded layout.
Window switching
Section titled “Window switching”Window switching lives in the right activity bar: one button per open window, then one launcher per panel type.
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Window buttons | Switch to an open window (Chat, Files, Terminal, and so on). When there is room, each button shows that window’s title. |
| Layout button | Cycle layouts: column layout (windows at half width), three-column layout (windows at a third of the width), or expanded layout (one window fills the view) |
The window buttons render whenever a thread is selected.
Click a button to focus that window. In expanded layout, the active window fills the view.
Window launcher
Section titled “Window launcher”One launcher per panel type sits in the right activity bar, below the open-window buttons:
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Type icons | Open a new Chat, Files, Browser, Terminal, or Review window |
Chat is hidden when no workspace is selected. Browser is hidden when the built-in browser is disabled. Clicking a type always opens a new window, even if one of that type is already open.
Tasks windows open from the Tasks control and stay out of the activity bar. The Review icon shows a dot when uncommitted changes exist and no Review window is open. Once that window is open, the mark moves to the activity bar.
Chat footer
Section titled “Chat footer”The row under the composer holds the branch picker on the left and the Git Ops pill at the bottom right.
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Branch picker | Switch the thread’s workspace |
| Git Ops (right) | Commit, push, create PR, and other git actions |
Available panels
Section titled “Available panels”| Panel | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Chat | Talk to the AI agent in the primary window or an extra chat pane |
| Files | Browse and edit files in the workspace directory |
| Browser | Preview the running dev server (hidden when built-in browser is disabled) |
| Terminal | Interactive shell scoped to the workspace |
| Tasks | Manage project tasks |
| Review | View diffs and review changes (dot indicator when uncommitted changes exist) |
You can open more than one window of the same type. Chat starts with one primary window, and extra chat panes hold additional conversations for the thread.
Opening panels
Section titled “Opening panels”- Click a type icon in the Window launcher on the right of the chat area.
- Navigate to
/tasks— redirects to/and opens the Tasks panel.
Some agent tool calls open panels in the background without pulling you away from Settings or other routes.
Layout modes
Section titled “Layout modes”Column layout (default when extra windows are open) tiles windows side by side, each about half the dock’s width. Each window has its own title bar and close button.
Three-column layout narrows each window to roughly a third of the width so more windows fit side by side.
Expanded layout shows one window at a time. Swipe horizontally or use the activity bar’s window buttons to move between windows. Click the layout button to cycle back to the tiled view.
Expanding a chat window presents it exactly like the only-window view: full-bleed, with no tile title bar or border, and the composer in the chat column. Other window types keep their title bar while expanded.
With only the primary chat window open, the dock fills the view with chat and no grid chrome. When the app window is narrower than 1440px, opening a panel switches to it in expanded layout instead of tiling it beside the chat; a tiled row you already opened stays as you arranged it.
Workspaces and chat panes
Section titled “Workspaces and chat panes”The branch picker in the chat window footer switches the thread’s workspace. Select a workspace there, create a new one with New Chat on the sidebar Chats heading or ⌘⇧T, or delete one. A chat pane is a separate conversation pane for the current thread. Add one with the + button in the chat window’s title bar (labelled New chat window), or click a conversation in History to open it in a pane.
A dot beside a workspace branch flags its state, and hovering the dot names the reason: uncommitted changes in that checkout, which Tarsk counts as modified and untracked files; pull-request work such as an open PR or unpushed commits; an unread automated chat; or an agent that is working on the branch or waiting for you. Tarsk probes every workspace in the project’s checkouts when you open the picker, so the dots reflect the current state rather than only the workspace you last opened.