Sidecar Panels

Power Strip sidecars are compact panels that open beside the desktop strip. They provide focused access to project content and configured tools without opening the full ThinkForge window.

Open or switch a panel

The sidecar is a narrow fixed-width panel that uses the available screen height, up to its configured maximum. It prefers the left side of Power Strip and opens on the right when there is not enough space.

Clicking the button for the open panel closes it. Clicking another panel button replaces the current content.

The header can contain:

  • The panel title
  • An active-project badge where relevant
  • A behavior control for the close policy
  • A close button

Close Policies

A sidecar can inherit its app-profile default or store a panel-specific override:

  • Stay open
  • Close after the primary item action
  • Close after a successful action
  • Close when focus is lost

The meaning of a primary or successful action depends on the panel. A panel does not close merely because it was opened.

Recents

Recents shows up to 15 recently accessed documents. It can be toggled between the active project and all projects. It reads the same recent-document history Project Navigator uses; Power Strip does not maintain its own list.

When a row has reliable save information, a small second line identifies the source, such as Saved by ThinkForge or Saved by ThinkForge MCP. Older access-only rows remain single-line. The label describes the last completed save recorded by a known ThinkForge workflow; it is not guessed from filesystem notifications or the foreground application.

The sidecar refreshes itself when the history changes. There is no manual refresh requirement.

Available behavior:

  • Click to open a document
  • Drag a document to another application
  • Open
  • Pin or unpin
  • Add to Smart Clipboard
  • Copy path
  • Rename

The Recents context menu does not include Reveal in Explorer.

Smart Clipboard

Smart Clipboard shows the persistent clipboard stack.

Available behavior:

  • Click an item to copy it back to the system clipboard
  • Drag text, files, or folders out
  • Drop content onto the panel
  • Open a physical item, or open text as a note
  • Edit an item when the Composer is available
  • Copy to the system clipboard
  • Save captured content
  • Rename, reveal, or copy the path for physical items
  • Remove an item

Dragging a text item supplies text or a file, depending on what the receiving application accepts.

Pinned

Pinned shows pinned documents, folders, and tags.

  • A document opens in ThinkForge.
  • A folder opens the Folder sidecar at that location.
  • Documents and folders can be dragged out.
  • Content dropped on the panel is saved to _captured.
  • Dropping onto a pinned folder row saves into that folder.

Document and folder rows use the normal file or directory context menus. Other entries expose simpler unpin, copy-path, or rename behavior.

Folder

Folder is a project-relative browser bound to a specific folder. Multiple Folder command instances can be configured, and the command icon reflects the folder's assigned color.

The listing:

  • Shows directories before files
  • Sorts directories alphabetically
  • Sorts files by most recently modified
  • Hides system directories
  • Filters files to supported browsable extensions
  • Allows back navigation, including above the originally bound folder within the project

Files can be opened or dragged out. Files and text can be dropped on the panel or onto a child folder.

The file context menu includes open, pin, Smart Clipboard, reveal, copy path, rename, move to trash, and copy or move within the project.

The directory context menu can create a subfolder or a new Markdown, HTML, JSON, CSV, or text document. It also exposes pin, rename, reveal, copy path, and copy or move actions. It does not expose a delete action.

The footer has three capture actions:

  • Quick Note Here
  • Paste From Clipboard Here
  • Paste and Rename

Agent

Choose a Tool for an Agent button to give that button its own settings. Its panel lets you choose input, configure the Tool, and run it.

The panel provides:

  • Input, Choose Files..., and a place to drop source files or folders
  • Save as default input, when offered, to keep the chosen input for this placement
  • AI Reference Rules and Add Reference File... for AI Tools
  • Save New Files To for a configurable destination, or a Save Location explanation
  • Tool Configuration for applicable settings
  • Run

Dropping files, folders, or text on the Agent command button runs the bound agent with that material as context. The sidecar itself is a configuration and execution surface, not a drag-out document list.

Automation

Choose an automation for an Automation button. Its panel provides Documents or folders, Optional guidance, and a save destination when the connected Tools can use one. Expand Tools in this automation to change each Tool's Settings.

Choose Run Automation to run with saved input. Dropping files, folders, or text on the command button supplies the input for that run instead. AI-backed Tools read the saved guidance text files.

The panel has no Stop control. Closing the panel or Activity cards does not stop the run. See Agents and Automations.

Workspaces

Workspaces is a compact companion to Project Navigator's Workspace tab. Use the selector to switch between Current (All Activity) and any saved workspace. Active saved workspaces appear first with an active marker, followed by the remaining saved workspaces.

Current shows recent files and folders from ThinkForge activity tracking. You can choose Now, Today, or 14 Days; switch between modified files and all activity; and optionally filter by one document tag. The result contains up to 20 matching items. Files open normally and files or folders can be dragged into another application.

Select a saved workspace to see its description, active status, and referenced documents. Drops are accepted only while a saved workspace is selected, and they always add to that selected workspace. If it has a valid import-folder setting, the dropped files are copied there first.

Use Open Workspace to launch the selected Current or saved workspace in a focused modal. It contains the complete Workspace view, including custom dates, exclusions, goals, tools, and session creation, without switching into the main ThinkForge window.

Doc Search embeds the folder-search experience and supports keyword, smart, and tag search modes.

Search results can be opened, dragged out, pinned, added to Smart Clipboard, revealed, or copied by path where the result represents a physical document. A current-project result dropped on a Project Map background becomes a generation source; dropping it on a node creates an attachment. Dropping it there leaves the original project file in place.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts can represent a folder, document, workspace, tag, or automation.

Activation is type-specific:

  • Folder opens the Folder sidecar
  • Document opens the document
  • Workspace, tag, and automation shortcuts open their corresponding location

Workspace shortcuts do not switch the active workspace, and automation shortcuts do not execute an automation directly.

Only document and folder shortcuts support drag-out. Their context menus inherit file or directory actions and add shortcut rename or removal. Other shortcut types primarily support removal.

Browser Agent

Browser Agent combines an agent configuration panel with a current-page input section and Chrome connection status. Running it requests page content from the extension and then executes the bound agent.

AI actions can read the deployment's saved local text references. The output folder saved in this sidecar is not applied to browser execution. See Context and Input.

Browser Command Settings

Save Chat and Capture Page can open a settings sidecar for their individual command slot. It configures capture or save modes and optional metadata. Other browser commands do not use this panel.

Execution Activity

Tool runs appear in Activity cards with progress and available results or errors. Select the fixed Activity bell to reopen recent runs. Closing the cards does not stop execution.

Bound Agent buttons also show execution status, and Power Strip glows while work is running. Activity cards do not require a matching visible Agent command.

Drag-and-Drop Summary

Panel support differs deliberately by panel:

  • Recents, Smart Clipboard, Pinned, Folder, Workspaces, Doc Search, and document or folder Shortcuts support drag-out.
  • Smart Clipboard, Pinned, Folder, and Workspaces accept panel drops.
  • Agent and Automation command buttons accept dropped input. Their panels also let you configure input for a run or save it for later.
  • Browser Agent gets its main input from Chrome.

Not every sidecar supports the same drag, drop, or context-menu operations.