prompt draft save/restore in Chat Session view

- Add detectWorkspace() utility in packages/api/src/lib/workspace-detector.ts
  that walks up from process.cwd() looking for .gadget/workspace.json
- Update gadget-drone to detect workspace at startup, change to workspace
  directory, and restore original startup directory on shutdown
- Update gadget-tasks with same workspace detection pattern
- Both tools now fail fast if started outside a managed workspace
- Prevents creating invalid workspaces when started from subdirectories

gadget-code/frontend/package.json

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
     "@replit/codemirror-lang-csharp": "^6.2.0",
     "@uiw/codemirror-theme-tomorrow-night-blue": "^4.25.9",
     "@uiw/react-codemirror": "^4.25.9",
+    "lucide-react": "^1.16.0",
     "marked": "^16.4.2",
     "react": "^19.2.5",
     "react-dom": "^19.2.5",

gadget-code/frontend/src/components/ExpandedPromptEditor.tsx

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ interface ExpandedPromptEditorProps {
   onPromptChange: (value: string) => void;
   onSubmit: (e: React.FormEvent) => void;
   onClose: () => void;
+  onClearPrompt: () => void;
   disabled: boolean;
   placeholder: string;
   isProcessing: boolean;
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ export default function ExpandedPromptEditor({
   onPromptChange,
   onSubmit,
   onClose,
+  onClearPrompt,
   disabled,
   placeholder,
   isProcessing,
@@ -106,6 +108,15 @@ export default function ExpandedPromptEditor({
         <div className="flex items-center justify-between px-4 py-2 bg-bg-tertiary border-b border-border-subtle shrink-0">
           <span className="text-sm font-medium text-text-secondary">Prompt Editor</span>
           <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
+            <button
+              type="button"
+              onClick={onClearPrompt}
+              disabled={!promptInput}
+              className="px-4 py-1.5 text-text-secondary hover:text-text-primary hover:bg-bg-secondary rounded transition-colors disabled:opacity-50 disabled:cursor-not-allowed text-sm"
+              title="Clear prompt text"
+            >
+              Clear
+            </button>
             {isProcessing ? (
               <button
                 type="button"
@@ -153,7 +164,7 @@ export default function ExpandedPromptEditor({
 
         {/* Footer — Keyboard Shortcuts */}
         <div className="px-4 py-2 text-xs text-text-muted border-t border-border-subtle shrink-0 flex items-center justify-between">
-          <span>Esc to close · Ctrl+Enter to send</span>
+          <span>Esc to close · Ctrl+Enter to send · Clear to reset</span>
           <span className="font-mono">{promptInput.length} chars</span>
         </div>
       </div>

gadget-code/frontend/src/pages/ChatSessionView.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { useState, useEffect, useRef, useContext, useCallback } from 'react';
 import { useParams, useNavigate, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';
+import { BrushCleaning, Maximize2 } from 'lucide-react';
 import { socketClient } from '../lib/socket';
 import { chatSessionApi, projectApi, providerApi, type ChatSession, type ChatTurn, type ChatTurnBlock, ChatTurnStats, ChatSessionMode, type AiProvider, type Project } from '../lib/api';
 import { WorkspaceMode } from '../lib/types';
@@ -66,7 +67,13 @@ export default function ChatSessionView() {
   const [project, setProject] = useState<Project | null>(null);
   const [session, setSession] = useState<ChatSession | null>(null);
   const [turns, setTurns] = useState<ChatTurn[]>([]);
-  const [promptInput, setPromptInput] = useState('');
+  const [promptInput, setPromptInput] = useState(() => {
+    if (sessionId) {
+      const saved = localStorage.getItem(`dtp_draft_prompt_${sessionId}`);
+      if (saved) return saved;
+    }
+    return '';
+  });
   const [isProcessing, setIsProcessing] = useState(false);
   const [isAborting, setIsAborting] = useState(false);
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);
@@ -125,6 +132,17 @@ export default function ChatSessionView() {
     scrollToBottom();
   }, [turns]);
 
+  // Persist draft prompt to localStorage so it survives page refreshes and navigation
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!sessionId) return;
+    const key = `dtp_draft_prompt_${sessionId}`;
+    if (promptInput) {
+      localStorage.setItem(key, promptInput);
+    } else {
+      localStorage.removeItem(key);
+    }
+  }, [promptInput, sessionId]);
+
   useEffect(() => {
     return () => {
       if (toastTimerRef.current) {
@@ -1283,6 +1301,7 @@ export default function ChatSessionView() {
               setIsExpandedEditor(false);
             }}
             onClose={() => setIsExpandedEditor(false)}
+            onClearPrompt={() => setPromptInput('')}
             disabled={promptDisabled}
             placeholder={promptPlaceholder}
             isProcessing={isProcessing}
@@ -1315,17 +1334,26 @@ export default function ChatSessionView() {
           {/* Prompt Input */}
           <div className="border-t border-border-subtle p-4 bg-bg-secondary shrink-0">
             <form onSubmit={handleSubmitPrompt} className="flex gap-2">
-              <button
-                type="button"
-                onClick={() => setIsExpandedEditor(true)}
-                disabled={promptDisabled || !!editorFilePath}
-                className="p-2 text-text-muted hover:text-text-primary hover:bg-bg-tertiary rounded transition-colors disabled:opacity-50 disabled:cursor-not-allowed self-end"
-                title="Open expanded prompt editor"
-              >
-                <svg className="w-4 h-4" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" stroke="currentColor">
-                  <path strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" strokeWidth={2} d="M4 8V4m0 0h4M4 4l5 5m11-1V4m0 0h-4m4 0l-5 5M4 16v4m0 0h4m-4 0l5-5m11 5l-5-5m5 5v-4m0 4h-4" />
-                </svg>
-              </button>
+              <div className="flex flex-col self-end">
+                <button
+                  type="button"
+                  onClick={() => setIsExpandedEditor(true)}
+                  disabled={promptDisabled || !!editorFilePath}
+                  className="p-2 text-text-muted hover:text-text-primary hover:bg-bg-tertiary rounded transition-colors disabled:opacity-50 disabled:cursor-not-allowed"
+                  title="Open expanded prompt editor"
+                >
+                  <Maximize2 size={16} />
+                </button>
+                <button
+                  type="button"
+                  onClick={() => setPromptInput('')}
+                  disabled={!promptInput}
+                  className="p-2 text-text-muted hover:text-text-primary hover:bg-bg-tertiary rounded transition-colors disabled:opacity-50 disabled:cursor-not-allowed"
+                  title="Clear prompt"
+                >
+                  <BrushCleaning size={16} />
+                </button>
+              </div>
               <textarea
                 ref={inputRef}
                 value={promptInput}

gadget-code/pnpm-lock.yaml

@@ -285,9 +285,15 @@ importers:
       '@uiw/react-codemirror':
         specifier: ^4.25.9
         version: 4.25.9(@babel/runtime@7.29.2)(@codemirror/autocomplete@6.20.2)(@codemirror/language@6.12.3)(@codemirror/lint@6.9.6)(@codemirror/search@6.7.0)(@codemirror/state@6.6.0)(@codemirror/theme-one-dark@6.1.3)(@codemirror/view@6.42.1)(codemirror@6.0.2)(react-dom@19.2.5(react@19.2.5))(react@19.2.5)
+      lucide-react:
+        specifier: ^1.16.0
+        version: 1.16.0(react@19.2.5)
       marked:
         specifier: ^16.4.2
         version: 16.4.2
+      react:
+        specifier: ^19.2.5
+        version: 19.2.5
       slug:
         specifier: ^11.0.1
         version: 11.0.1
@@ -2332,6 +2338,11 @@ packages:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-NxVFwLAnrd9i7KUBxC4DrUhmgjzOs+1Qm50D3oF1/oL+r1NpZ4gA7xvG0/zJ8evR7zIKn4vLf7qTNduWFtCrRw==}
     engines: {node: 20 || >=22}
 
+  lucide-react@1.16.0:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-dYwyPzb4MEKpGUmNYk3WKWPnMrHs3FKM+q94kAnJrcDIqqn1hq2xY8scaS2ovsOCM5D51ey2gaRG3PBb1vgoYQ==}
+    peerDependencies:
+      react: ^16.5.1 || ^17.0.0 || ^18.0.0 || ^19.0.0
+
   luxon@3.6.1:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-tJLxrKJhO2ukZ5z0gyjY1zPh3Rh88Ej9P7jNrZiHMUXHae1yvI2imgOZtL1TO8TW6biMMKfTtAOoEJANgtWBMQ==}
     engines: {node: '>=12'}
@@ -5487,6 +5498,10 @@ snapshots:
 
   lru-cache@11.3.5: {}
 
+  lucide-react@1.16.0(react@19.2.5):
+    dependencies:
+      react: 19.2.5
+
   luxon@3.6.1: {}
 
   lz-string@1.5.0: {}

gadget-drone/src/gadget-drone.ts

@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import path from "node:path";
 import { io, ManagerOptions, SocketOptions, Socket } from "socket.io-client";
 import { input as inqInput, password as inqPassword } from "@inquirer/prompts";
 
+import { detectWorkspace } from "@gadget/api";
+
 import AgentService, { IAgentWorkOrder } from "./services/agent.ts";
 import AiService from "./services/ai.ts";
 import PlatformService from "./services/platform.ts";
@@ -62,6 +64,7 @@ class GadgetDrone extends GadgetProcess {
   private socket: ClientSocket | undefined;
   private isShuttingDown: boolean = false;
   private heartbeatTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
+  private startupDir: string | undefined = undefined;
 
   get name(): string {
     return "GadgetDrone";
@@ -83,11 +86,38 @@ class GadgetDrone extends GadgetProcess {
     this.hookProcessSignals();
     await this.startServices();
 
+    /*
+     * Detect workspace directory by walking up the directory tree.
+     * This allows starting the drone from anywhere within a workspace's hierarchy.
+     */
+
+    const detection = await detectWorkspace();
+    this.startupDir = detection.startupDir;
+
+    if (!detection.found) {
+      this.log.error("no workspace found", {
+        startupDir: detection.startupDir,
+        message: "Start the drone from within a managed workspace or its subdirectories. No .gadget/workspace.json found in any parent directory.",
+      });
+      throw new Error(
+        "No workspace found. Cannot start drone in an unmanaged directory.",
+      );
+    }
+
+    // Change to the workspace directory for all operations
+    const workspaceDir = detection.workspaceDir!;
+    process.chdir(workspaceDir);
+
+    this.log.info("workspace detected", {
+      workspaceDir,
+      startupDir: detection.startupDir,
+      navigated: workspaceDir !== detection.startupDir,
+    });
+
     /*
      * Initialize workspace directory structure and load/create workspace identity.
      */
 
-    const workspaceDir = process.cwd();
     await WorkspaceService.initialize(workspaceDir);
     this.log.info("workspace initialized", {
       workspaceId: WorkspaceService.workspaceId,
@@ -170,6 +200,16 @@ class GadgetDrone extends GadgetProcess {
 
     await this.stopServices();
 
+    /*
+     * Restore the original startup directory before exiting.
+     * This ensures the shell returns to the directory where the
+     * drone was originally started.
+     */
+    if (this.startupDir) {
+      process.chdir(this.startupDir);
+      this.log.info("restored startup directory", { startupDir: this.startupDir });
+    }
+
     return 0;
   }
 

gadget-tasks/src/gadget-tasks.ts

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import PlatformService from "./services/platform.ts";
 import SchedulerService from "./services/scheduler.ts";
 import TaskLockService from "./services/lock.ts";
 
-import { GadgetLog, type IDroneRegistration, type IProject } from "@gadget/api";
+import { GadgetLog, detectWorkspace, type IDroneRegistration, type IProject } from "@gadget/api";
 import { GadgetProcess } from "./lib/process.ts";
 
 const log = new GadgetLog({ name: "GadgetTasks", slug: "gadget-tasks" });
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ interface UserCredentials {
 
 class GadgetTasks extends GadgetProcess {
   private selectedDrone: IDroneRegistration | null = null;
+  private startupDir: string | undefined = undefined;
 
   get name(): string {
     return "GadgetTasks";
@@ -36,6 +37,34 @@ class GadgetTasks extends GadgetProcess {
   async start(): Promise<void> {
     this.hookProcessSignals();
 
+    /*
+     * Detect workspace directory by walking up the directory tree.
+     * This allows starting from anywhere within a workspace's hierarchy.
+     */
+
+    const detection = await detectWorkspace();
+    this.startupDir = detection.startupDir;
+
+    if (!detection.found) {
+      this.log.error("no workspace found", {
+        startupDir: detection.startupDir,
+        message: "Start gadget-tasks from within a managed workspace or its subdirectories. No .gadget/workspace.json found in any parent directory.",
+      });
+      throw new Error(
+        "No workspace found. Cannot start gadget-tasks in an unmanaged directory.",
+      );
+    }
+
+    // Change to the workspace directory for all operations
+    const workspaceDir = detection.workspaceDir!;
+    process.chdir(workspaceDir);
+
+    this.log.info("workspace detected", {
+      workspaceDir,
+      startupDir: detection.startupDir,
+      navigated: workspaceDir !== detection.startupDir,
+    });
+
     // 1. Acquire singleton lock via Redis
     const lockAcquired = await TaskLockService.acquire();
     if (!lockAcquired) {
@@ -78,6 +107,14 @@ class GadgetTasks extends GadgetProcess {
     await PlatformService.stop();
     await TaskLockService.release();
 
+    /*
+     * Restore the original startup directory before exiting.
+     */
+    if (this.startupDir) {
+      process.chdir(this.startupDir);
+      this.log.info("restored startup directory", { startupDir: this.startupDir });
+    }
+
     this.log.info("shutdown complete");
     return 0;
   }

packages/api/src/index.ts

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export * from "./lib/log-transport-console.ts";
 export * from "./lib/log-transport-file.ts";
 export * from "./lib/log-transport-socket.ts";
 export * from "./lib/log-file.ts";
+export * from "./lib/workspace-detector.ts";
 
 /*
  * Data Model Interfaces

packages/api/src/lib/workspace-detector.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+// src/lib/workspace-detector.ts
+// Copyright (C) 2026 Rob Colbert <rob.colbert@openplatform.us>
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import path from "node:path";
+
+export interface WorkspaceDetectionResult {
+  found: boolean;
+  workspaceDir?: string;
+  startupDir: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Walks up the directory tree from startDir looking for .gadget/workspace.json.
+ * Returns the workspace directory if found, or { found: false } if not.
+ *
+ * @param startDir - The directory to start searching from (defaults to process.cwd())
+ * @returns Promise resolving to workspace detection result
+ */
+export async function detectWorkspace(
+  startDir: string = process.cwd(),
+): Promise<WorkspaceDetectionResult> {
+  const startupDir = path.resolve(startDir);
+  let currentDir = startupDir;
+
+  // Walk up the directory tree until we hit root
+  while (true) {
+    const workspaceFile = path.join(currentDir, ".gadget", "workspace.json");
+
+    try {
+      await fs.access(workspaceFile);
+      // Found the workspace
+      return {
+        found: true,
+        workspaceDir: currentDir,
+        startupDir,
+      };
+    } catch {
+      // workspace.json not found in this directory, go up one level
+    }
+
+    const parentDir = path.dirname(currentDir);
+
+    // Check if we've reached the root (parent equals current)
+    if (parentDir === currentDir) {
+      break;
+    }
+
+    currentDir = parentDir;
+  }
+
+  // No workspace.json found in any parent directory
+  return {
+    found: false,
+    startupDir,
+  };
+}