feat(ui): bring back quick launcher

ui/desktop/src/App.tsx

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import ProviderSettings from './components/settings/providers/ProviderSettingsPa
 import { AppLayout } from './components/Layout/AppLayout';
 import { ChatProvider } from './contexts/ChatContext';
 import { DraftProvider } from './contexts/DraftContext';
+import LauncherView from './components/LauncherView';
 
 import 'react-toastify/dist/ReactToastify.css';
 import { useConfig } from './components/ConfigContext';
@@ -89,8 +90,7 @@ const PairRouteWrapper = ({
   const routeState =
     (location.state as PairRouteState) || (window.history.state as PairRouteState) || {};
   const [searchParams] = useSearchParams();
-  const [initialMessage] = useState(routeState.initialMessage);
-
+  const initialMessage = routeState.initialMessage;
   const resumeSessionId = searchParams.get('resumeSessionId') ?? undefined;
 
   return (
@@ -485,6 +485,21 @@ export function AppInner() {
     };
   }, []);
 
+  // Handle initial message from launcher
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const handleSetInitialMessage = (_event: IpcRendererEvent, ...args: unknown[]) => {
+      const initialMessage = args[0] as string;
+      if (initialMessage) {
+        console.log('Received initial message from launcher:', initialMessage);
+        navigate('/pair', { state: { initialMessage } });
+      }
+    };
+    window.electron.on('set-initial-message', handleSetInitialMessage);
+    return () => {
+      window.electron.off('set-initial-message', handleSetInitialMessage);
+    };
+  }, [navigate]);
+
   if (fatalError) {
     return <ErrorUI error={new Error(fatalError)} />;
   }
@@ -510,6 +525,7 @@ export function AppInner() {
       <div className="relative w-screen h-screen overflow-hidden bg-background-muted flex flex-col">
         <div className="titlebar-drag-region" />
         <Routes>
+          <Route path="launcher" element={<LauncherView />} />
           <Route
             path="welcome"
             element={<WelcomeRoute onSelectProvider={() => setDidSelectProvider(true)} />}

ui/desktop/src/components/LauncherView.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import { useRef, useState } from 'react';
+
+export default function LauncherView() {
+  const [query, setQuery] = useState('');
+  const inputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
+
+  const handleSubmit = (e: React.FormEvent) => {
+    e.preventDefault();
+    if (query.trim()) {
+      // Create a new chat window with the query
+      const workingDir = window.appConfig?.get('GOOSE_WORKING_DIR') as string;
+      window.electron.createChatWindow(query, workingDir);
+      setQuery('');
+      // Don't manually close - the blur handler will close the launcher when the new window takes focus
+    }
+  };
+
+  const handleKeyDown = (e: React.KeyboardEvent) => {
+    // Close on Escape
+    if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+      window.electron.closeWindow();
+    }
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div className="h-screen w-screen flex items-center justify-center bg-transparent overflow-hidden">
+      <form
+        onSubmit={handleSubmit}
+        className="w-[600px] bg-background-default/95 backdrop-blur-lg rounded-lg shadow-2xl border border-border-default"
+      >
+        <input
+          ref={inputRef}
+          type="text"
+          value={query}
+          onChange={(e) => setQuery(e.target.value)}
+          onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
+          className="w-full bg-transparent text-text-default text-xl px-6 py-4 outline-none placeholder-text-muted rounded-lg"
+          placeholder="Ask goose anything..."
+          autoFocus
+        />
+      </form>
+    </div>
+  );
+}

ui/desktop/src/main.ts

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   MenuItem,
   Notification,
   powerSaveBlocker,
+  screen,
   session,
   shell,
   Tray,
@@ -502,7 +503,7 @@ const windowPowerSaveBlockers = new Map<number, number>(); // windowId -> blocke
 
 const createChat = async (
   app: App,
-  _query?: string,
+  initialMessage?: string,
   dir?: string,
   _version?: string,
   resumeSessionId?: string,
@@ -703,6 +704,13 @@ const createChat = async (
   log.info('Opening URL: ', formattedUrl);
   mainWindow.loadURL(formattedUrl);
 
+  // If we have an initial message, send it to the window once it's ready
+  if (initialMessage) {
+    mainWindow.webContents.once('did-finish-load', () => {
+      mainWindow.webContents.send('set-initial-message', initialMessage);
+    });
+  }
+
   // Set up local keyboard shortcuts that only work when the window is focused
   mainWindow.webContents.on('before-input-event', (event, input) => {
     if (input.key === 'r' && input.meta) {
@@ -793,6 +801,65 @@ const createChat = async (
   return mainWindow;
 };
 
+const createLauncher = () => {
+  const launcherWindow = new BrowserWindow({
+    width: 600,
+    height: 80,
+    frame: false,
+    transparent: process.platform === 'darwin',
+    backgroundColor: process.platform === 'darwin' ? '#00000000' : '#ffffff',
+    webPreferences: {
+      preload: path.join(__dirname, 'preload.js'),
+      nodeIntegration: false,
+      contextIsolation: true,
+      additionalArguments: [JSON.stringify(appConfig)],
+      partition: 'persist:goose',
+    },
+    skipTaskbar: true,
+    alwaysOnTop: true,
+    resizable: false,
+    movable: true,
+    minimizable: false,
+    maximizable: false,
+    fullscreenable: false,
+    hasShadow: true,
+    vibrancy: process.platform === 'darwin' ? 'window' : undefined,
+  });
+
+  // Center on screen
+  const primaryDisplay = screen.getPrimaryDisplay();
+  const { width, height } = primaryDisplay.workAreaSize;
+  const windowBounds = launcherWindow.getBounds();
+
+  launcherWindow.setPosition(
+    Math.round(width / 2 - windowBounds.width / 2),
+    Math.round(height / 3 - windowBounds.height / 2)
+  );
+
+  // Load launcher window content
+  const url = MAIN_WINDOW_VITE_DEV_SERVER_URL
+    ? new URL(MAIN_WINDOW_VITE_DEV_SERVER_URL)
+    : pathToFileURL(path.join(__dirname, `../renderer/${MAIN_WINDOW_VITE_NAME}/index.html`));
+
+  url.hash = '/launcher';
+  launcherWindow.loadURL(formatUrl(url));
+
+  // Destroy window when it loses focus
+  launcherWindow.on('blur', () => {
+    launcherWindow.destroy();
+  });
+
+  // Also destroy on escape key
+  launcherWindow.webContents.on('before-input-event', (event, input) => {
+    if (input.key === 'Escape') {
+      launcherWindow.destroy();
+      event.preventDefault();
+    }
+  });
+
+  return launcherWindow;
+};
+
 // Track tray instance
 let tray: Tray | null = null;
 
@@ -1659,28 +1726,6 @@ const focusWindow = () => {
   }
 };
 
-const registerGlobalHotkey = (accelerator: string) => {
-  // Unregister any existing shortcuts first
-  globalShortcut.unregisterAll();
-
-  try {
-    globalShortcut.register(accelerator, () => {
-      focusWindow();
-    });
-
-    // Check if the shortcut was registered successfully
-    if (globalShortcut.isRegistered(accelerator)) {
-      return true;
-    } else {
-      console.error('Failed to register global hotkey');
-      return false;
-    }
-  } catch (e) {
-    console.error('Error registering global hotkey:', e);
-    return false;
-  }
-};
-
 async function appMain() {
   // Ensure Windows shims are available before any MCP processes are spawned
   await ensureWinShims();
@@ -1736,8 +1781,13 @@ async function appMain() {
     });
   });
 
-  // Register the default global hotkey
-  registerGlobalHotkey('CommandOrControl+Alt+Shift+G');
+  try {
+    globalShortcut.register('CommandOrControl+Alt+Shift+G', () => {
+      createLauncher();
+    });
+  } catch (e) {
+    console.error('Error registering launcher hotkey:', e);
+  }
 
   session.defaultSession.webRequest.onBeforeSendHeaders((details, callback) => {
     details.requestHeaders['Origin'] = 'http://localhost:5173';
@@ -1990,6 +2040,13 @@ async function appMain() {
     }
   );
 
+  ipcMain.on('close-window', (event) => {
+    const window = BrowserWindow.fromWebContents(event.sender);
+    if (window && !window.isDestroyed()) {
+      window.close();
+    }
+  });
+
   ipcMain.on('notify', (_event, data) => {
     try {
       // Validate notification data

ui/desktop/src/renderer.tsx

@@ -8,20 +8,25 @@ import { client } from './api/client.gen';
 const App = lazy(() => import('./App'));
 
 (async () => {
-  console.log('window created, getting goosed connection info');
-  const baseUrl = await window.electron.getGoosedHostPort();
-  if (baseUrl === null) {
-    window.alert('failed to start goose backend process');
-    return;
+  // Check if we're in the launcher view (doesn't need goosed connection)
+  const isLauncher = window.location.hash === '#/launcher';
+
+  if (!isLauncher) {
+    console.log('window created, getting goosed connection info');
+    const baseUrl = await window.electron.getGoosedHostPort();
+    if (baseUrl === null) {
+      window.alert('failed to start goose backend process');
+      return;
+    }
+    console.log('connecting at', baseUrl);
+    client.setConfig({
+      baseUrl,
+      headers: {
+        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+        'X-Secret-Key': await window.electron.getSecretKey(),
+      },
+    });
   }
-  console.log('connecting at', baseUrl);
-  client.setConfig({
-    baseUrl,
-    headers: {
-      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
-      'X-Secret-Key': await window.electron.getSecretKey(),
-    },
-  });
 
   ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(
     <React.StrictMode>