fix(workspace): _profileDefaultWorkspace persists after newSession() (#823)

Closes #823.

Separates two conflated semantics in S._profileDefaultWorkspace:
- Persistent blank-page default (set by boot/settings, never nulled)
- Profile-switch one-shot (now S._profileSwitchWorkspace, consumed by newSession())

newSession() priority: switchWs → current session → _profileDefaultWorkspace.
switchToWorkspace() clears _profileSwitchWorkspace on explicit switch.

9 new tests. 1777/1777 suite. Browser-verified.

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # Hermes Web UI -- Changelog
 
+## [v0.50.139] — 2026-04-22
+
+### Fixed
+- **Default workspace persists after session delete** — the blank new-chat page now shows the configured default workspace even after creating and deleting sessions. Root cause: `newSession()` consumed `S._profileDefaultWorkspace` for a one-shot profile-switch semantic, leaving it null on all subsequent returns to blank state. Fix: introduced `S._profileSwitchWorkspace` as a dedicated one-shot flag for profile switches; `S._profileDefaultWorkspace` is now persistent from boot throughout the session lifecycle. Workspace chip, `promptNewFile`, `promptNewFolder`, and `switchToWorkspace` all continue to work correctly. Closes #823. (#824)
+
 ## [v0.50.138] — 2026-04-22
 
 ### Fixed

static/panels.js

@@ -809,6 +809,9 @@ async function switchToWorkspace(path,name){
       session_id:S.session.session_id, workspace:path, model:S.session.model
     })});
     S.session.workspace=path;
+    // Explicit workspace switch = user overriding any pending profile-switch default.
+    // Clear the one-shot flag so a subsequent newSession() inherits this choice instead.
+    S._profileSwitchWorkspace=null;
     syncTopbar();
     await loadDir('.');
     showToast(t('workspace_switched_to',name||getWorkspaceFriendlyName(path)));
@@ -953,8 +956,12 @@ async function switchToProfile(name) {
     _workspaceList = null;
     await loadWorkspaceList();
     if (data.default_workspace) {
-      // Always store the profile default for new sessions
+      // Always store the persistent profile default — used for blank-page display
+      // and workspace auto-bind throughout the session lifecycle (#804, #823).
       S._profileDefaultWorkspace = data.default_workspace;
+      // Also set the one-shot flag consumed by newSession() so the first new
+      // session after a profile switch inherits this workspace (#424).
+      S._profileSwitchWorkspace = data.default_workspace;
 
       if (S.session && !sessionInProgress) {
         // Empty session (no messages yet) — safe to update it in place

static/sessions.js

@@ -14,10 +14,13 @@ async function newSession(flash){
   updateQueueBadge();
   S.toolCalls=[];
   clearLiveToolCards();
-  // Use profile default workspace for new sessions after a profile switch (one-shot),
+  // One-shot profile-switch workspace: applied to the first new session after a profile
-  // otherwise inherit from the current session (or let server pick the default)
+  // switch, then cleared.  Use a dedicated flag so S._profileDefaultWorkspace (the
-  const inheritWs=S._profileDefaultWorkspace||(S.session?S.session.workspace:null);
+  // persistent boot/settings default) is not consumed and remains available for the
-  S._profileDefaultWorkspace=null; // consume — only applies to the first new session after switch
+  // blank-page display on all subsequent returns to the empty state (#823).
+  const switchWs=S._profileSwitchWorkspace;
+  S._profileSwitchWorkspace=null;
+  const inheritWs=switchWs||(S.session?S.session.workspace:null)||(S._profileDefaultWorkspace||null);
   const data=await api('/api/session/new',{method:'POST',body:JSON.stringify({model:$('modelSelect').value,workspace:inheritWs,profile:S.activeProfile||'default'})});
   S.session=data.session;S.messages=data.session.messages||[];
   S.lastUsage={...(data.session.last_usage||{})};

tests/test_profile_default_workspace_823.py

@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+"""Tests for #823 — _profileDefaultWorkspace persists after newSession() (#804 follow-up)
+
+Root cause: newSession() consumed S._profileDefaultWorkspace for the one-shot
+profile-switch semantic (setting it to null after the first new session). This
+caused the blank-page default workspace display to regress after any session
+was created and then deleted.
+
+Fix: introduce S._profileSwitchWorkspace as the dedicated one-shot flag for
+profile-switch semantics; S._profileDefaultWorkspace is now persistent.
+"""
+import pathlib
+import re
+
+REPO = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.parent
+
+
+def read(rel):
+    return (REPO / rel).read_text(encoding='utf-8')
+
+
+class TestProfileDefaultWorkspacePersistence:
+    """_profileDefaultWorkspace must NOT be nulled by newSession()."""
+
+    def test_new_session_does_not_null_profile_default_workspace(self):
+        src = read('static/sessions.js')
+        m = re.search(r'async function newSession\(.*?\n\}', src, re.DOTALL)
+        assert m, "newSession not found"
+        fn = m.group(0)
+        # The old consume pattern must be gone
+        assert '_profileDefaultWorkspace=null' not in fn and \
+               '_profileDefaultWorkspace = null' not in fn, (
+            "newSession must NOT null S._profileDefaultWorkspace — it is the persistent "
+            "boot/settings default used for blank-page display after session delete (#823)"
+        )
+
+    def test_new_session_uses_dedicated_switch_workspace_flag(self):
+        src = read('static/sessions.js')
+        m = re.search(r'async function newSession\(.*?\n\}', src, re.DOTALL)
+        assert m
+        fn = m.group(0)
+        assert '_profileSwitchWorkspace' in fn, (
+            "newSession must read S._profileSwitchWorkspace for the one-shot "
+            "profile-switch inherit, not S._profileDefaultWorkspace"
+        )
+        # It should null the switch flag, not the default
+        assert '_profileSwitchWorkspace=null' in fn or '_profileSwitchWorkspace = null' in fn, (
+            "newSession must null S._profileSwitchWorkspace after consuming it"
+        )
+
+    def test_new_session_still_inherits_default_workspace(self):
+        """newSession must still pass a workspace to /api/session/new —
+        now via the _profileSwitchWorkspace → current session → _profileDefaultWorkspace chain."""
+        src = read('static/sessions.js')
+        m = re.search(r'async function newSession\(.*?\n\}', src, re.DOTALL)
+        assert m
+        fn = m.group(0)
+        # inheritWs must be computed and passed to /api/session/new
+        assert 'inheritWs' in fn or 'inherit' in fn.lower(), (
+            "newSession must compute an inheritWs from switch/current/default workspace"
+        )
+        assert '_profileDefaultWorkspace' in fn, (
+            "newSession must fall through to S._profileDefaultWorkspace as last resort"
+        )
+
+
+class TestProfileSwitchWorkspaceSetter:
+    """panels.js must set _profileSwitchWorkspace on profile switch."""
+
+    def test_panels_sets_profile_switch_workspace(self):
+        src = read('static/panels.js')
+        # Find the profile-switch workspace block
+        assert 'S._profileSwitchWorkspace' in src, (
+            "panels.js must set S._profileSwitchWorkspace during profile switch "
+            "so newSession() can apply it to the first new session"
+        )
+
+    def test_panels_still_sets_profile_default_workspace(self):
+        src = read('static/panels.js')
+        assert 'S._profileDefaultWorkspace = data.default_workspace' in src, (
+            "panels.js must still set S._profileDefaultWorkspace (persistent default) "
+            "alongside S._profileSwitchWorkspace"
+        )
+
+    def test_both_set_together_in_same_block(self):
+        src = read('static/panels.js')
+        default_pos = src.find('S._profileDefaultWorkspace = data.default_workspace')
+        switch_pos = src.find('S._profileSwitchWorkspace = data.default_workspace')
+        assert default_pos != -1, "S._profileDefaultWorkspace setter not found"
+        assert switch_pos != -1, "S._profileSwitchWorkspace setter not found"
+        # Both must be set within 200 chars of each other (same block)
+        assert abs(default_pos - switch_pos) < 300, (
+            "_profileDefaultWorkspace and _profileSwitchWorkspace must be set "
+            "together in the same profile-switch workspace block"
+        )
+
+
+    def test_switch_to_workspace_clears_profile_switch_workspace(self):
+        """Opus Q4: when the user manually changes workspace, the pending one-shot
+        switch flag should be cleared so a subsequent newSession() inherits the
+        user's explicit choice rather than the stale profile-switch default."""
+        src = read('static/panels.js')
+        m = re.search(r'async function switchToWorkspace\(.*?\n\}', src, re.DOTALL)
+        assert m, "switchToWorkspace not found"
+        fn = m.group(0)
+        assert '_profileSwitchWorkspace=null' in fn or '_profileSwitchWorkspace = null' in fn, (
+            "switchToWorkspace must null S._profileSwitchWorkspace after a manual switch "
+            "so the next newSession() inherits the user's explicit workspace choice"
+        )
+
+
+class TestBlankPageAfterSessionDelete:
+    """After all sessions are deleted, blank page must still show default workspace."""
+
+    def test_sync_workspace_displays_reads_profile_default(self):
+        """syncWorkspaceDisplays relies on S._profileDefaultWorkspace which must
+        still be set after a session is created and deleted."""
+        src = read('static/panels.js')
+        m = re.search(r'function syncWorkspaceDisplays\(\)\{.*?\n\}', src, re.DOTALL)
+        assert m, "syncWorkspaceDisplays not found"
+        fn = m.group(0)
+        assert '_profileDefaultWorkspace' in fn, (
+            "syncWorkspaceDisplays must read S._profileDefaultWorkspace as fallback"
+        )
+
+    def test_prompt_new_file_reads_profile_default(self):
+        """promptNewFile on blank page reads _profileDefaultWorkspace which must
+        be non-null even after a newSession() + deleteSession() cycle."""
+        src = read('static/ui.js')
+        m = re.search(r'async function promptNewFile\(\)\{.*?\n\}', src, re.DOTALL)
+        assert m, "promptNewFile not found"
+        fn = m.group(0)
+        assert '_profileDefaultWorkspace' in fn, (
+            "promptNewFile must read S._profileDefaultWorkspace (must persist after newSession)"
+        )