ADR 0034: Merge the command palette into global search

• Status: Accepted
• Date: 2026-07-30
• Related: 08-component-spec §16 · 09-plugin-command-palette · 04-builtin-commands · 04-e2e-test-plan · decision D014
• Updates: removes the standalone command palette surface described in 08-component-spec §16

Context

The app shipped two overlapping "find anything" surfaces:

• A command palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P) that lists built-in and plugin commands, opened from a dedicated top-bar button and a separate overlay.
• A global search (Cmd/Ctrl+K) that lists sessions, pages, and settings.

Both are searchable overlays with the same interaction model (type, arrow, Enter, Esc). Keeping them separate meant two surfaces to maintain, a second button in the top bar, and a split mental model for users: "commands live here, everything else lives there." The top-bar command-palette button also competed for space with the search button.

Decision

1. Remove the standalone command palette overlay (CommandPalette.tsx) and its top-bar button.
2. Render the command list (built-in + plugin commands) as a Commands section inside the existing global search dialog (SearchDialog.tsx), using the same role="listbox" / role="option" semantics and flat option-index navigation as the other result groups.
3. The openCommandPalette shortcut (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P, per D014) now opens the global search dialog, which contains the Commands section. Cmd/Ctrl+K continues to open the same dialog. Both chords reach commands.
4. Remove the redundant "Command Palette" entry from the application View menu (the View menu already has "Search"). The shortcut id is retained so the keyboard-shortcuts settings page and plugin command discovery keep working.
5. The command data path is unchanged: api.searchCommands and runPaletteCommand (built-in + plugin bridge) are reused by the search dialog.

Consequences

• One searchable surface covers sessions, pages, settings, and commands.
• The top bar loses a button; search is the single entry point for discovery.
• Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P still works and now lands on the unified search with the command list available; muscle memory is preserved.
• CommandPalette.tsx, its CSS surface, and the paletteOpen state are removed.
• Plugin command discovery (E2E-023) and disable-removes-contributions (E2E-025) are re-expressed against the global search.

Alternatives

Keep two separate surfaces

Rejected: duplicates interaction logic and UI, adds a second top-bar button, and forces users to decide which surface holds what. The merge simplifies both code and UX.

Hide commands behind a query in global search

Rejected: the command palette was reachable with an empty query (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P showed all commands). The Commands section therefore renders even with an empty query so the shortcut keeps its behavior.

References

• apps/desktop/src/components/SearchDialog.tsx (Commands section)
• apps/desktop/src/components/ConversationTopbar.tsx (button removed)
• apps/desktop/src/App.tsx (openCommandPalette → opens search)
• apps/desktop/electron/main/application-menu.ts (menu item removed)
• apps/desktop/src/lib/api.ts (searchCommands reused)
• apps/desktop/src/lib/commands.ts (runPaletteCommand reused)
• docs/spec/06-delivery/04-e2e-test-plan.md (E2E-023, E2E-025 updated)