🤖 refactor: simplify workspace creation and title generation

docs/AGENTS.md

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # AGENT INSTRUCTIONS
 
+**Edits to this file must be minimal and token-efficient.** Think carefully about how to represent information concisely. Avoid redundant examples or verbose explanations when the knowledge can be conveyed in a sentence or two.
+
 ## Project Context
 
 - Project is named `mux`
@@ -365,6 +367,27 @@ If IPC is hard to test, fix the test infrastructure or IPC layer, don't work aro
 
 **For per-operation state tied to async workflows, parent components should own all localStorage operations.** Child components should notify parents of user intent without manipulating storage directly, preventing bugs from stale or orphaned state across component lifecycles.
 
+**Always use persistedState helpers (`usePersistedState`, `readPersistedState`, `updatePersistedState`) instead of direct `localStorage` calls** - provides cross-component sync and consistent error handling.
+
+**Avoid destructuring props in function signatures** - Use `props.fieldName` instead of destructuring in the parameter list. Destructuring duplicates field names and makes refactoring more cumbersome.
+
+```typescript
+// ❌ BAD - Duplicates field names, harder to refactor
+export function MyComponent({
+  field1,
+  field2,
+  field3,
+  onAction,
+}: MyComponentProps) {
+  return <div onClick={onAction}>{field1}</div>;
+}
+
+// ✅ GOOD - Single source of truth, easier to refactor
+export function MyComponent(props: MyComponentProps) {
+  return <div onClick={props.onAction}>{props.field1}</div>;
+}
+```
+
 ## Module Imports
 
 - **NEVER use dynamic imports** - Always use static `import` statements at the top of files. Dynamic imports (`await import()`) are a code smell that indicates improper module structure.

src/App.tsx

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { useResumeManager } from "./hooks/useResumeManager";
 import { useUnreadTracking } from "./hooks/useUnreadTracking";
 import { useAutoCompactContinue } from "./hooks/useAutoCompactContinue";
 import { useWorkspaceStoreRaw, useWorkspaceRecency } from "./stores/WorkspaceStore";
-import { FirstMessageInput } from "./components/FirstMessageInput";
+import { ChatInput } from "./components/ChatInput/index";
 
 import { useStableReference, compareMaps } from "./hooks/useStableReference";
 import { CommandRegistryProvider, useCommandRegistry } from "./contexts/CommandRegistryContext";
@@ -120,10 +120,9 @@ function AppInner() {
         window.history.replaceState(null, "", newHash);
       }
 
-      // Update window title with workspace name (prefer displayName if available)
+      // Update window title with workspace name
       const metadata = workspaceMetadata.get(selectedWorkspace.workspaceId);
-      const workspaceName =
-        metadata?.displayName ?? metadata?.name ?? selectedWorkspace.workspaceId;
+      const workspaceName = metadata?.name ?? selectedWorkspace.workspaceId;
       const title = `${workspaceName} - ${selectedWorkspace.projectName} - cmux`;
       void window.api.window.setTitle(title);
     } else {
@@ -630,7 +629,8 @@ function AppInner() {
                 return (
                   <ModeProvider projectPath={projectPath}>
                     <ThinkingProvider projectPath={projectPath}>
-                      <FirstMessageInput
+                      <ChatInput
+                        variant="creation"
                         projectPath={projectPath}
                         projectName={projectName}
                         onWorkspaceCreated={(metadata) => {

src/components/AIView.tsx

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { StreamingBarrier } from "./Messages/ChatBarrier/StreamingBarrier";
 import { RetryBarrier } from "./Messages/ChatBarrier/RetryBarrier";
 import { PinnedTodoList } from "./PinnedTodoList";
 import { getAutoRetryKey, VIM_ENABLED_KEY } from "@/constants/storage";
-import { ChatInput, type ChatInputAPI } from "./ChatInput";
+import { ChatInput, type ChatInputAPI } from "./ChatInput/index";
 import { RightSidebar, type TabType } from "./RightSidebar";
 import { useResizableSidebar } from "@/hooks/useResizableSidebar";
 import {
@@ -462,6 +462,7 @@ const AIViewInner: React.FC<AIViewProps> = ({
         </div>
 
         <ChatInput
+          variant="workspace"
           workspaceId={workspaceId}
           onMessageSent={handleMessageSent}
           onTruncateHistory={handleClearHistory}

src/components/ChatInput/CreationCenterContent.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import React from "react";
+
+interface CreationCenterContentProps {
+  projectName: string;
+  isSending: boolean;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Center content displayed during workspace creation
+ * Shows either a loading spinner or welcome message
+ */
+export function CreationCenterContent({ projectName, isSending }: CreationCenterContentProps) {
+  return (
+    <div className="flex flex-1 items-center justify-center">
+      {isSending ? (
+        <div className="text-center">
+          <div className="bg-accent mb-3 inline-block h-8 w-8 animate-spin rounded-full border-4 border-solid border-current border-r-transparent"></div>
+          <p className="text-muted text-sm">Creating workspace...</p>
+        </div>
+      ) : (
+        <div className="max-w-2xl px-8 text-center">
+          <h1 className="text-foreground mb-4 text-2xl font-semibold">{projectName}</h1>
+          <p className="text-muted text-sm leading-relaxed">
+            Describe what you want to build. A new workspace will be created with an automatically
+            generated branch name. Configure runtime and model options below.
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+}

src/components/ChatInput/CreationControls.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+import React from "react";
+import { RUNTIME_MODE, type RuntimeMode } from "@/types/runtime";
+import { TooltipWrapper, Tooltip } from "../Tooltip";
+import { Select } from "../Select";
+
+interface CreationControlsProps {
+  branches: string[];
+  trunkBranch: string;
+  onTrunkBranchChange: (branch: string) => void;
+  runtimeMode: RuntimeMode;
+  sshHost: string;
+  onRuntimeChange: (mode: RuntimeMode, host: string) => void;
+  disabled: boolean;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Additional controls shown only during workspace creation
+ * - Trunk branch selector (which branch to fork from)
+ * - Runtime mode (local vs SSH)
+ */
+export function CreationControls(props: CreationControlsProps) {
+  return (
+    <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-3 gap-y-2">
+      {/* Trunk Branch Selector */}
+      {props.branches.length > 0 && (
+        <div className="flex items-center gap-1" data-component="TrunkBranchGroup">
+          <label htmlFor="trunk-branch" className="text-muted text-xs">
+            From:
+          </label>
+          <Select
+            id="trunk-branch"
+            value={props.trunkBranch}
+            options={props.branches}
+            onChange={props.onTrunkBranchChange}
+            disabled={props.disabled}
+            className="max-w-[120px]"
+          />
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      {/* Runtime Selector */}
+      <div className="flex items-center gap-1" data-component="RuntimeSelectorGroup">
+        <label className="text-muted text-xs">Runtime:</label>
+        <Select
+          value={props.runtimeMode}
+          options={[
+            { value: RUNTIME_MODE.LOCAL, label: "Local" },
+            { value: RUNTIME_MODE.SSH, label: "SSH" },
+          ]}
+          onChange={(newMode) => {
+            const mode = newMode as RuntimeMode;
+            props.onRuntimeChange(mode, mode === RUNTIME_MODE.LOCAL ? "" : props.sshHost);
+          }}
+          disabled={props.disabled}
+          aria-label="Runtime mode"
+        />
+        {props.runtimeMode === RUNTIME_MODE.SSH && (
+          <input
+            type="text"
+            value={props.sshHost}
+            onChange={(e) => props.onRuntimeChange(RUNTIME_MODE.SSH, e.target.value)}
+            placeholder="user@host"
+            disabled={props.disabled}
+            className="bg-separator text-foreground border-border-medium focus:border-accent w-32 rounded border px-1 py-0.5 text-xs focus:outline-none disabled:opacity-50"
+          />
+        )}
+        <TooltipWrapper inline>
+          <span className="text-muted cursor-help text-xs">?</span>
+          <Tooltip className="tooltip" align="center" width="wide">
+            <strong>Runtime:</strong>
+            <br />
+            • Local: git worktree in ~/.cmux/src
+            <br />• SSH: remote clone in ~/cmux on SSH host
+          </Tooltip>
+        </TooltipWrapper>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}