fix(web): remember editor selections before opening folders

[Yash-Singh1]

Problem

Choosing an editor in the folder picker immediately opened the folder, leaving no way to set a preference without launching it. On macOS, a zed executable earlier on PATH could also point to OpenZFS instead of the Zed editor.

Change

In the toolbar picker, selecting an editor now saves it as the preferred editor; the menu picker still opens the folder. On macOS, editor lookup checks the Zed app bundle before PATH candidates.

Scope and approval

This is a focused fix for editor selection and launch behavior. No prior issue or discussion was needed.

Verification

Added picker tests for saving the preference in local and remote modes, and a server test for selecting the macOS Zed bundle when another zed is on PATH. Tests were added but not run.

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Approved at 9003267

Macroscope's review found this PR approvable — This is a narrowly scoped editor-launch bug fix: toolbar selections are remembered without opening a folder, while menu launches remain unchanged, and macOS Zed resolution avoids a PATH name collision. Regression coverage covers both UI modes and the bundle-selection scenario.

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[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

• Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.config.ts
• Review profile: CHILL
• Plan: Team
• Run ID: c6b8ee27-f5e9-4aa9-bdfb-ac20876a235f

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 98a6246 and 9003267.

📒 Files selected for processing (4)

• apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts
• apps/web/src/components/chat/OpenInPicker.test.tsx
• apps/web/src/components/chat/OpenInPicker.tsx
• packages/shared/src/editor.ts

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📝 Walkthrough

The changes update editor selection behavior in the chat picker and change macOS Zed command resolution to check app-bundle candidates before PATH commands.

Changes: Editor picker selection

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Editor selection and launch behavior apps/web/src/components/chat/OpenInPicker.tsx, apps/web/src/components/chat/OpenInPicker.test.tsx	Selecting an editor opens it only in menu presentation. Other presentations save it as the preferred editor. Tests cover local-exec and remote-links launch actions.

macOS Zed command resolution

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Zed candidate priority and launch validation packages/shared/src/editor.ts, apps/server/src/process/externalLauncher.test.ts	On macOS, Zed app-bundle candidates are checked before PATH commands. Tests verify bundle-based launches for directory and file targets when a PATH executable is also present.

Priority: ⬇️ Low

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~20 minutes

Change: Bug fix

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  actor User
  participant OpenInPicker
  participant PreferredEditorHook
  participant LocalCommand
  participant SSHEditorURL
  User->>OpenInPicker: Select VS Code
  OpenInPicker->>PreferredEditorHook: Save preferred editor
  User->>OpenInPicker: Click open
  alt local-exec mode
    OpenInPicker->>LocalCommand: Run editor command
  else remote-links mode
    OpenInPicker->>SSHEditorURL: Open remote editor URL
  end

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Suggested reviewers: juliusmarminge

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 90032

No actionable merge-blocking risk is established. Run the added tests as part of normal validation before merging.

Pre-merge checks · 4

Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check		The title is concise, specific, and accurately describes the primary web behavior change.
Description check		The description includes all required sections, explains the problem and fix, provides scope rationale, and lists the verification coverage and test status. It does not include before/after screenshot…
Linked Issues check		Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check		Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

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[github-actions]

Thread transfer impact

✅ Thread transfer remains within every enforced ceiling.

Provider	Metric	Main baseline	This PR	Impact	PR ceiling
Codex	Total thread wire	4.9 KiB	5.0 KiB	+23 B (+0.5%)	6.8 KiB	✅
Codex	Thread snapshot wire	3.8 KiB	3.8 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	4.9 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket wire	1.2 KiB	1.2 KiB	+23 B (+1.9%)	2.0 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket decoded	20.8 KiB	20.9 KiB	+41 B (+0.2%)	29.3 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn messages	1	2	+1 (+100.0%)	8	✅
Claude	Total thread wire	5.0 KiB	5.0 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	6.8 KiB	✅
Claude	Thread snapshot wire	3.8 KiB	3.8 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	4.9 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket wire	1.2 KiB	1.2 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	2.0 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket decoded	21.2 KiB	21.2 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	29.3 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn messages	2	2	0 (0.0%)	8	✅

Baseline: 98a6246 · PR result: 9003267 · Source CI: success

Scenario and decoded snapshot size

10 historical turns, 5 command tools per turn, 878.9 KiB retained MCP result per historical turn, and a 1.05 MiB retained result in the measured turn.

• Codex decoded thread snapshot: 108.5 KiB
• Claude decoded thread snapshot: 108.8 KiB

Updated in place by a trusted workflow. PR artifacts are strictly validated and never executed.