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 bar
Section titled “Window bar”The floating bar at the bottom of the chat area lists open windows:
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Window icons | Switch to an open window (Chat, Files, Terminal, and so on). When there is room, each icon 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 bar renders whenever a thread is selected.
Click an icon to focus that window. In expanded layout, the active window fills the view.
Window launcher
Section titled “Window launcher”A vertical overlay on the right edge of the chat area opens a new window:
| 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 Window 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 Window bar.
Chat footer
Section titled “Chat footer”The chat footer shows:
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Git Ops (left) | Commit, push, create PR, and other git actions |
| Window bar (center) | Switch between open dock windows |
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 Window bar to move between windows. Click the layout button to cycle back to the tiled view.
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 the + button next to the sidebar Chats heading (New chat in new workspace) or ⌘⇧T, or delete one. A chat pane is a separate conversation pane for the current thread. Add one with New Chat in the chat header, 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.