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Ptah Documentation

Switching Workspaces

Switching Workspaces

Section titled “Switching Workspaces”

You can only have one active workspace at a time. Switching replaces the current file tree, analysis snapshot, git state, and per-workspace config with the target workspace’s.

From the UI

Section titled “From the UI”

Three entry points, all equivalent:

  1. File → Open Folder — picks a fresh folder.
  2. File → Open Recent — pick from the last ~10 workspaces.
  3. Status bar → workspace name — click the active workspace label to open a quick switcher.

Workspace quick switcher

When you switch:

  • Unsaved chat drafts in the current workspace are preserved and restored when you come back.
  • Running agents in the current workspace are not interrupted. They continue in the background and you’ll see their completion notifications even after switching.
  • The new workspace’s file tree, git state, and analysis load immediately. If analysis is stale, a re-scan kicks off in the background.

From the CLI

Section titled “From the CLI”

Pass a folder path as the first argument to the Ptah binary:

Terminal window
ptah /path/to/other-project

If Ptah is already running, the existing window switches to the new workspace. If Ptah isn’t running, it launches with that workspace active.

This is the mechanism editor integrations use to open a project in Ptah with a single shortcut.

Persistent state per workspace

Section titled “Persistent state per workspace”

Each workspace keeps its own:

  • Open chats and chat history (.ptah/chats/).
  • Panel layout (sidebar width, open tabs, etc.).
  • Expanded file tree nodes.
  • Per-workspace config (.claude/, .ptah/).

Switching away and back restores all of the above. See Workspace restoration for what survives a full app restart.