Feature Specification: Calm workspace shell

Feature Branch: t3/polish-gtk-ui-ux Created: 2026-10-11 Status: Implemented and verified Input: Study T3 Code, Vercel, Linear and visually polished Rust applications; polish the native UI/UX and submit a PR.

User Scenarios & Testing

US1 — Find the workspace that needs me (P1)

When several agents are running, ordinary progress should recede and requests should remain prominent. The selected workspace should have a structural cue in addition to its background, including in high contrast.

Acceptance: Working and Done retain their words and indicators without a filled badge. Approval, Input, Warning, Error, Waiting and Failed retain filled badges. Selection has an inset leading marker without changing row or terminal geometry. Existing priority ordering, close targets and keyboard focus remain usable.

US2 — Start from an empty window (P2)

An empty window explains the next action rather than only reporting absence. An empty workspace explains how to start a terminal. Each primary action shows its actual keyboard shortcut and invokes the existing action.

Acceptance: The first screen says “Start with a project” and explains choosing a folder and launching a shell or agent. A workspace without tabs says “Open a terminal”. New Workspace and New Tab remain the primary actions. Their shortcut hints fit at 360px with enlarged text; no redundant controls or fake content.

US3 — Keep the chrome quiet (P2)

Board and Changes controls should read as secondary tools; the active Changes toggle remains distinguishable. Terminal cards use restrained elevation rather than stacked shadows; urgent pane rings keep their existing strength.

Acceptance: Desktop tools are flat at rest, reveal hover/press feedback, and use an outlined checked state. Light/dark, custom accents and high contrast retain readable text, selection and focus. Existing breakpoint behavior is preserved.

Requirements

• FR-001: Preserve native navigation, approvals, PTYs and all existing actions.
• FR-002: Preserve desktop fonts, theme tokens, reduced motion and immediate keyboard feedback.
• FR-003: Compare three concrete visual directions before implementation.
• FR-004: Review native light/dark, narrow and enlarged-text renders; run the full verification gate.
• FR-005: Keep the change confined to GUI presentation and its verification/docs.

Edge Cases and Assumptions

Long workspace names still ellipsize with complete tooltips. Urgency outranks selection on panes. Keyboard close actions remain reachable. Native desktop patterns take precedence over copying web layouts. No new bitmap asset is needed; imagegen's code-native exception applies. Make Bot UI's webhook workflow does not apply. Existing screenshots are evidence, not generated mockups. No unresolved clarification is necessary for this authorized polish pass.

Success Criteria

The two empty-state actions reach their existing dialogs/handlers. At 360px, including Sans 18, action and shortcut bounds remain inside the window. Native scene comparison confirms working status is quieter than approval, selection remains visible and terminal cards have less chrome. Full verification passes and a second reviewer checks the diff and native evidence against docs/17.