ADR 0146: Assign outer and inner work-panel resize ownership by boundary

• Status: Superseded by ADR 0151
• Date: 2026-09-02
• Related: ADR 0122, ADR 0132

Context

The visible work panel is an in-flow right column backed by a native width reservation. Its renderer divider and the native window's right edge are both resize affordances, but assigning both gestures to the same dimension makes it impossible to adjust the panel without changing the conversation width, or to adjust the conversation without changing the panel preference.

Decision

When the work panel is open:

• The outer native right edge, including right corners where Electron reports them, owns the panel target. Main keeps the base conversation width fixed, previews the bounded 244..720px panel target to the renderer, and commits the target after the native resize stream settles. The native minimum is temporarily lowered to allow the panel target to reach its minimum.
• The inner renderer divider owns the base conversation width. Pointer and keyboard changes use the bounded window/setWorkPanelChatWidth({width}) target-state channel (1040..10000px) and preserve the currently active panel reservation. Requests are serialized so a fast pointer stream cannot reorder native bounds updates; when the work area is too tight, the conversation target stops before it would narrow the panel. Cancellation sends the press-time target again.
• Left and non-right native edges retain their existing base-window behavior. Display transitions, maximized/fullscreen deferral, persisted base bounds, and work-area reservation clamping continue to follow ADR 0122 and ADR 0132.

The event is Electron-local and does not change the host protocol version.

Consequences

The two resize gestures have an unambiguous dimension owner. The renderer must temporarily block composited Browser and plugin views during either gesture, and the panel separator's accessible value describes the conversation target, not the panel target. Linux uses the main-process right-edge cursor position as the fallback because Electron's will-resize edge detail is not available on that platform.

Alternatives rejected

• Keep the old renderer divider as the panel resizer and let native edges resize the chat: this does not satisfy the requested boundary ownership.
• Expose an unrestricted BrowserWindow resize IPC: this would weaken the target-state and validation boundary without being needed for either gesture.