Multi-Session Layout — Claude Cowork ★ Recommended: Option 2

Option 1: Session Tabs

Extends the existing Cowork layout with a horizontal session tab bar below the top nav — one session visible at a time, familiar browser-tab pattern.

yourapp.com/cowork
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Chat Cowork Code
● Invygo Review Analysis ×
● Q1 Revenue Report ×
● Competitor Research ×
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ME
Invygo Review Analysis ▾
merge this working tree with main
Ran 3 commands ▸

The merge ran into permission issues. Let me request delete permissions.

Used a tool ▸

Good, permissions enabled. Let me clean up and retry.

▢ Invygo master report
Opus 4.6 ▾
Q1 Revenue Report ▾
Summarize Q1 revenue by region
Used a tool ▸

Here's the Q1 breakdown by region:

  • MENA: $2.4M (+12%)
  • Europe: $1.8M (+3%)
  • APAC: $940K (-5%)

MENA continues to lead growth. Want me to generate a chart comparing these regions?

Opus 4.6 ▾
Competitor Research ▾
Find competitors in the KSA car subscription market
Ran a command ▸

I found 3 competitors matching your criteria:

  • Lumi — subscription-based, 200+ vehicles in Riyadh
  • Swapp — flexible plans, focuses on expats
  • Seez — car marketplace with subscription tier

Which would you like me to analyze in more depth first?

Opus 4.6 ▾
Progress
✓ ✓
See task progress for longer tasks.
invygo
▢ Instructions · CLAUDE.md
Context
1

UX Annotations

  • 1 Session tab bar sits below the mode tabs (Chat/Cowork/Code), providing a clear second-level hierarchy. Each tab shows task name, a live status dot (green = running, gray = idle), and a close button.
  • 2 Active session is highlighted; inactive tabs show truncated names. The "+" button creates new sessions instantly.
  • 3 The rest of the layout (icon rail, chat, sidebar) remains identical to current Cowork — zero learning curve.
  • 4 Status dots give at-a-glance awareness of which background sessions are actively working without switching to them.

Option 2: Split Panes

Terminal-multiplexer-inspired tiled panes where 2-4 sessions are visible simultaneously with resizable dividers and a layout toolbar.

yourapp.com/cowork
─ □ ✕
← →
Chat Cowork Code
+
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⏱
ME
Invygo Review Analysis ⋮
merge this working tree with main
Ran 3 commands ▸

The merge is done! The branch has been fast-forwarded into main.

Opus 4.6
Invygo master report · HTML
Invygo Master Review Report
3,850 reviews 3.00 avg +1.0 NPS
⋮⋮
Q1 Revenue Report ⋮
Summarize Q1 revenue by region
Used a tool ▸

Here's the Q1 breakdown:

  • MENA: $2.4M (+12%)
  • Europe: $1.8M (+3%)
  • APAC: $940K (-5%)
Opus 4.6
2

UX Annotations

  • 1 Layout toolbar in the top bar lets users toggle between preset arrangements: 2-up horizontal, 2-up vertical, 3-up grid, or single pane. No custom dragging needed.
  • 2 Each pane has its own header (task name, status dot, overflow menu) and its own input bar — fully independent sessions.
  • 3 Draggable divider between panes allows resizing. Double-click to reset to equal split. The grip handle makes the divider discoverable.
  • 4 Active pane has a subtle highlight border. Clicking anywhere in a pane makes it active. The icon rail is shared across all panes.
  • 5 Sessions with preview (like Invygo) show a mini split-view within their pane. Text-only sessions use full pane width for chat.

Option 3: Session Drawer

A collapsible session list drawer on the left edge, showing live status for all sessions — click to switch, drag to reorder.

yourapp.com/cowork
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← →
Chat Cowork Code
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ME
Sessions
Invygo Review Analysis
Running · 3 steps done · Has preview
Q1 Revenue Report
Running · Summarizing data
Competitor Research
Idle · Waiting for input
Logo Resize Batch
Completed · 12 files processed
4 sessions · 2 running
Invygo Review Analysis ▾
merge this working tree with main
Ran 3 commands ▸

The merge is done! The worktree-learning-industry branch has been fast-forwarded into main.

▢ Invygo master report
Opus 4.6 ▾
Q1 Revenue Report ▾
Summarize Q1 revenue by region
Used a tool ▸

Here's the Q1 breakdown by region:

  • MENA: $2.4M (+12%)
  • Europe: $1.8M (+3%)
  • APAC: $940K (-5%)

MENA continues to lead growth. Want me to generate a chart?

Opus 4.6 ▾
Competitor Research ▾
Find competitors in the KSA car subscription market

I found 3 competitors:

  • Lumi — 200+ vehicles in Riyadh
  • Swapp — flexible plans for expats
  • Seez — marketplace with subscription tier

Which would you like me to analyze first?

Opus 4.6 ▾
Logo Resize Batch ▾
Resize all logos in /assets/logos to 512x512
Ran a command ▸

All 12 logos have been resized to 512x512 and saved to /exports/logos/. The originals are untouched.

Opus 4.6 ▾
Progress
✓ ✓
Context
3

UX Annotations

  • 1 Session drawer toggles via the hamburger icon in the icon rail. When collapsed, only the icon rail is visible — zero space overhead. When expanded, shows ~200px session list.
  • 2 Each session card shows: status dot (running/idle/done), task name, one-line status text, and an optional mini-preview thumbnail for sessions with artifacts.
  • 3 Active session is highlighted with a left accent border. Clicking a different session card instantly switches the main chat area.
  • 4 Footer shows aggregate stats (total sessions, how many running) for quick orientation.
  • 5 The drawer can be dragged to resize, or collapsed entirely. The chat area expands to fill available space.

Option 4: Card Overview

A mission-control dashboard showing all active sessions as live-preview cards in a grid — click any card to expand to full view.

yourapp.com/cowork
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← →
Chat Cowork Code
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ME

Active Sessions

Invygo Review Analysis 2m ago
Invygo Master Review Report
3,850 3.00 +1.0
3 steps done · HTML preview
Q1 Revenue Report 5m ago
Summarize Q1 revenue by region
MENA: $2.4M (+12%), Europe: $1.8M...
Running · Generating charts
Competitor Research 15m ago
I found 3 competitors matching your criteria. Which would you like me to analyze first?
Waiting for input
Logo Resize Batch 1h ago
All 12 logos resized and saved to /exports/logos/
Completed · 12 files
+ New Session
4

UX Annotations

  • 1 Dashboard-first approach: the default Cowork view shows ALL sessions as cards, not a single chat. Users see everything at a glance before diving into any one session.
  • 2 Filter bar lets users quickly focus on running/idle/done sessions. Card count updates in real-time.
  • 3 Each card shows a mini-preview: either a rendered artifact thumbnail (for sessions with HTML/files) or a truncated chat transcript. This gives enough context to decide which session to open.
  • 4 Status-aware cards: running sessions pulse subtly, idle sessions show "Waiting for input" to draw attention, completed sessions fade slightly.
  • 5 "Open" button expands a card to the full Cowork chat view. A back button or the grid icon in the rail returns to the overview.

Option 5: Stacked Layers

Sessions as stacked cards you can peek at and swipe between, with a mini-map strip at the bottom showing all active sessions at a glance.

yourapp.com/cowork
─ □ ✕
← →
Chat Cowork Code
+
⚲
⏱
ME
Q1 Revenue
Invygo Review Analysis ▾ 2 of 4
merge this working tree with main
Ran 3 commands ▸

The merge is done! The worktree-learning-industry branch has been fast-forwarded into main.

▢ Invygo master report
Opus 4.6 ▾
Competitor
Q1 Revenue
Invygo Review
Competitor
Logo Resize
+
5

UX Annotations

  • 1 Active session fills the main area. Adjacent sessions peek from the left/right edges as narrow strips showing their name and status — swipe or click to switch.
  • 2 "2 of 4" counter in the header gives spatial orientation without taking space.
  • 3 Bottom minimap strip shows all sessions as tiny thumbnail cards with chat-line representations, label, and status dot. Click any to jump directly.
  • 4 The peek strips provide ambient awareness — you can see a session is running (pulsing dot) without leaving the current session.
  • 5 Supports keyboard shortcuts: Cmd+[ and Cmd+] to navigate between sessions, matching macOS window management muscle memory.

Summary & Recommendation

Option Approach Multi-Session UX
1: Session Tabs Horizontal tab bar below mode tabs — one session at a time ★★★☆☆
2: Split Panes Tiled panes with layout presets — 2-4 sessions visible simultaneously ★★★★★
3: Session Drawer Collapsible left drawer with live session list — one active, others in sidebar ★★★★☆
4: Card Overview Dashboard grid showing all sessions as preview cards — click to expand ★★★★☆
5: Stacked Layers Carousel-style stacked cards with peek edges and bottom minimap ★★★☆☆

★ Recommendation: Option 2 — Split Panes

Split Panes is the strongest fit for this use case because it directly addresses the core need: seeing multiple sessions at once. It draws from the terminal multiplexer concept the user referenced while maintaining Cowork's warm, approachable aesthetic. The layout preset toolbar (2-up, 3-up, single) makes it accessible to non-technical users who wouldn't know tmux commands. Each pane is fully independent with its own input bar, and the mix of preview-enabled and text-only sessions works naturally within the pane model. Option 3 (Session Drawer) is a strong runner-up for users who prefer single-session focus with quick switching.