Organize projects and sessions

What projects and conversations contain#

A project identifies a local working directory. A conversation stores a task's messages and tool activity. A project can contain several conversations, but creating one does not copy the directory, create a Git branch, or establish a worktree.

Create a project or open an existing directory#

Beside Projects in the sidebar, click the folder-plus button (Add Project) to open the New project dialog.

New directories default to the Onevium folder in your user home directory. The dialog shows the actual path. Creating a folder does not download code, install dependencies, or initialize Git. For existing code, choose the root containing its README and package or build configuration, not its parent directory.

Create a conversation in the right project#

1. Click the project name to expand its conversations.
2. Hover over the project row and click its pencil button (New Conversation). You can also use New session at the top of the sidebar, but check the current directory first.
3. In the new conversation, confirm the project path, provider, model, and permissions before sending the task.

Investigate how this project handles member invitations.
First report the working directory and Git branch, or say it is not a Git project.
Find the interface entry, server handling, and related tests. Cite file paths.
Do not edit files, install dependencies, or start services.
List anything you cannot find instead of guessing.

Clicking a project name mainly expands or collapses its list. Open one of its conversations or create a conversation from that project row to establish the working context. Keep follow-ups for the same goal together; create another conversation for an independent goal.

Give a conversation a recognizable title and marker

For a local main conversation, right-click its sidebar row and choose Rename…. Enter a name such as Check invitation permissions and click Save. To ask for a suggestion, click Generate with AI, review or edit the proposed text, then Save; generating alone does not apply it. Naming settings selects the naming model and rules. Wait for an active task to finish before requesting AI naming; manual naming remains available. Automatic naming does not silently replace a manually saved title.

Right-click a main conversation and choose Markers, select an emoji or color, then click Save markers. If reusable labels are already configured, choose them under Your labels in the same panel. Check the sidebar row afterward. For example, use a magnifying-glass marker for a review task; the marker does not change the conversation's actual running or completed state.

Put status and channel context where you can read them

Open Settings → Appearance → Sidebar and session list. Under Layout preset, try Status on the right: markers and source icons remain on the left, while activity status moves to the right. You can set each position separately and adjust Sidebar text size without changing message or code text.

For channel conversations, Channel conversation titles controls whether sender and group/contact names appear before the title. These display options do not change the source message. Return to a familiar conversation and verify both its title and activity status remain easy to read.

View two conversations side by side#

Drag another conversation from the sidebar into the chat area. Release it when the left or right split drop zone appears. In split view, click the column you intend to use before typing and check its title and project.

Drag the divider to resize columns. The close button in a column header closes that column only. Its … menu provides actions including rename, close, and close other columns. Conversations remain available from the sidebar.

When you drag a conversation or reorder split columns, information overlays step aside to leave the drop area clear. Each conversation remembers whether its information card is shown, so changing one conversation's view does not set it for every conversation.

Split view does not isolate files. Two columns using the same directory see the same files. Before parallel edits, use separate checkouts or assign non-overlapping files explicitly.

Find child conversations in the tree

When a lead creates real child conversations, the sidebar nests them beneath their parent. Expand the parent to see members and click a member to open its own conversation. Pinning the parent brings its children into the pinned section.

Inside a member conversation, follow live replies, handle approvals, or add instructions as you would in an ordinary conversation. The tree records task ownership; it does not create separate file copies. An idle member does not prove the overall task is complete. See Teams for assignments and reports.

Continue earlier work#

Click a sidebar conversation to continue it. Use the search button beside Projects to find projects and conversations. The conversation's right-click menu includes Copy Path to verify its directory and Open in Terminal, which opens Onevium's built-in terminal.

When switching to a large conversation, Onevium shows the target context first and mounts the transcript in smaller batches. Drafts, attachments, split views, and background responses stay associated with their conversations. Check the target title and composer before continuing; a very large individual message can still take time to render. Compact Agent cards retain actual progress, so switching away or seeing a shorter card does not mean its task has finished.

Read the latest result before resuming, then recheck facts that may have changed:

Continue this task. First list what is complete and what comes next.
Recheck the current branch, working-tree changes, and relevant services.
Do not treat the previous log as evidence that the same state still holds.

Archive and restore conversations#

Hover over an ordinary conversation row to reveal its trash button. Removed records can be found under Settings → Archived sessions, where Restore brings them back. For a pinned item, unpin it first to use the removal entry.

Restoring a conversation does not revert code or restart exited processes. Permanent deletion in the archive is a separate action. Use Restore for records you want to keep.

Troubleshoot project context#

Next steps#

Use files, terminal, and Review to inspect work. See memory and recap for handoffs and Goal for continued work toward an outcome.