feat(maestro): retained-worktree store in state_dir (#78)

Per-entry JSON files under <state_dir>/retained-worktrees/, written like
sidecar records: atomic tmp+rename, missing/malformed files tolerated on
read. Entries carry path, base repo, branch, reason (force-killed,
exited-with-unsaved-work), timestamp; they leave on reclaim or when
prune_missing notices the directory was removed by hand.

CLAUDE.md

@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ nix/                     # Home Manager module (`services.maestro`)
 
 See `docs/INSTALL.md` for end-user install instructions.
 
+`docs/WORKTREES.md` is the contract for session worktrees — placement,
+collisions, what blocks a kill, what `--force` retains, and what reclaim
+touches. Read it before changing anything that creates or removes one.
+
 `nix run .#dev` (or `just dev`) brings up the whole local stack under
 process-compose: a debug daemon on 127.0.0.1:7071, then Vite on :5173 once the
 daemon answers `/api/info`. The SPA proxies `/api/*` back to the daemon, so only

DESIGN.md

@@ -79,16 +79,15 @@ no bounce. Tokens `--dur-fast`/`--dur`/`--dur-slow`.
   `connecting` state pill pulses.
 - Interaction: row hover/focus, button press (1px), input focus ring, chevron
   rotation, theme-toggle sun/moon swap.
-- Modal: bottom-sheet slide-up on mobile, scale-pop on ≥600px.
 - Every animation has a `prefers-reduced-motion: reduce` path (pulses off,
   transitions near-instant).
 
 ## Layout & structure
 
 Mobile-first, structural responsiveness (not fluid type). Single `≤520px`
-breakpoint stacks the header (full-width search, wrapped actions). `≥600px`
-switches the spawn modal from bottom-sheet to centered dialog. A faint slate grid texture sits on `--bg` as
-terminal atmosphere (very low contrast, not decoration).
+breakpoint stacks the header (full-width search, wrapped actions). A faint
+slate grid texture sits on `--bg` as terminal atmosphere (very low contrast,
+not decoration).
 
 ## Components
 
@@ -101,8 +100,10 @@ Three surfaces, all DOM built in TS, styled by class:
   no-sessions, no-search-match.
 - **Attach** — header (back, `session <id>`, live/closed/error state pill) over
   a framed dark xterm with a green cursor.
-- **Spawn modal** — bottom-sheet/dialog form; mono inputs with green focus
-  ring; grouped worktree fieldset.
+- **Draft pane** — the spawn form mounted inline in an empty split pane,
+  focusable like any session pane; mono inputs with green focus ring; grouped
+  worktree fieldset. Spawn opens one (reusing an empty focused pane, else
+  splitting), and "Spawn similar" seeds one from a session's dir + command.
 
 Interactive elements ship default / hover / focus-visible / active / disabled
 states; the accent green is used only for action, selection, focus, and live
@@ -111,5 +112,5 @@ status — never decoration.
 ## Dev review aids (DEV-only, stripped from production)
 
 `web/src/mock.ts` + query params seed a representative catalog without a running
-daemon: `?mock` (seed sessions), `?mock&spawn` (open the spawn modal),
+daemon: `?mock` (seed sessions), `?mock&spawn` (open a draft pane),
 `?theme=light|dark` (pin a theme). Guarded by `import.meta.env.DEV`.

crates/maestro-cli/src/sessions.rs

@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ mod tests {
             command: command.into(),
             env: HashMap::new(),
             metadata: HashMap::new(),
+            worktree: None,
             status: SessionStatus::Running,
             created_at: Utc.with_ymd_and_hms(2026, 5, 25, 12, 0, 0).unwrap(),
             foreground: None,

crates/maestro-daemon/src/config.rs

@@ -103,6 +103,11 @@ impl DaemonConfig {
     pub fn spawn_history_path(&self) -> PathBuf {
         self.state_dir.join("spawn-history.jsonl")
     }
+
+    /// Retained-worktree store directory (#78): `<state_dir>/retained-worktrees/`.
+    pub fn retained_worktree_dir(&self) -> PathBuf {
+        self.state_dir.join("retained-worktrees")
+    }
 }
 
 /// Env-var overrides applied by [`load_config`]. Tests pass explicit

crates/maestro-daemon/src/lib.rs

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ pub mod panes;
 pub mod proc;
 pub mod projects;
 pub mod pty;
+pub mod retained_store;
 pub mod session;
 pub mod sidecar;
 pub mod spawn_history;

crates/maestro-daemon/src/projects.rs

@@ -262,10 +262,16 @@ impl ProjectScanner {
 
     /// Cached snapshot, rescanning (off-thread) when the TTL has lapsed.
     pub async fn repos(&self) -> std::sync::Arc<Vec<DiscoveredRepo>> {
+        self.repos_inner(false).await
+    }
+
+    async fn repos_inner(&self, force: bool) -> std::sync::Arc<Vec<DiscoveredRepo>> {
         let mut cache = self.cache.lock().await;
-        if let Some((at, repos)) = cache.as_ref() {
-            if at.elapsed() < self.ttl {
-                return repos.clone();
+        if !force {
+            if let Some((at, repos)) = cache.as_ref() {
+                if at.elapsed() < self.ttl {
+                    return repos.clone();
+                }
             }
         }
         let roots = self.roots.clone();
@@ -281,9 +287,11 @@ impl ProjectScanner {
         repos
     }
 
-    /// Rescan now, ignoring the TTL. Called by the background timer.
+    /// Rescan now, ignoring the TTL. Called by the background timer — going
+    /// through `repos()` would hit the cache and make most ticks no-ops,
+    /// leaving requests to pay for the rescan instead (#54 review).
     async fn refresh(&self) {
-        self.repos().await;
+        self.repos_inner(true).await;
     }
 
     /// Spawn the slow background refresh task. Drop the returned handle to

crates/maestro-daemon/src/retained_store.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,319 @@
+//! Store of retained worktrees (#78): worktrees the daemon created whose
+//! session is gone.
+//!
+//! One JSON file per entry under `<state_dir>/retained-worktrees/`, written
+//! the way `sidecar.rs` writes session records — atomic tmp+rename replace,
+//! missing or malformed files tolerated on read. The store survives a daemon
+//! restart; it is the recovery path for everything else in the worktree
+//! lifecycle.
+//!
+//! It is not an ownership record: it must never be consulted to decide whether
+//! a path may be adopted. Its only job is to remember what the daemon is
+//! holding so it can be listed and reclaimed.
+
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+
+use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
+use uuid::Uuid;
+
+#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+pub enum RetainedStoreError {
+    #[error("io: {0}")]
+    Io(#[from] std::io::Error),
+    #[error("json: {0}")]
+    Json(#[from] serde_json::Error),
+}
+
+/// Why a worktree outlived its session. Kebab-case on the wire; new variants
+/// are additive but clients should render unknown reasons generically.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "kebab-case")]
+pub enum RetainedReason {
+    /// The session was killed with `--force` while its worktree held unsaved
+    /// work.
+    ForceKilled,
+    /// The session ended by itself and its worktree held unsaved work.
+    ExitedWithUnsavedWork,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize)]
+pub struct RetainedWorktree {
+    pub id: Uuid,
+    pub path: PathBuf,
+    pub base_repo: PathBuf,
+    pub branch: String,
+    pub reason: RetainedReason,
+    pub retained_at: DateTime<Utc>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct RetainedStore {
+    dir: PathBuf,
+}
+
+impl RetainedStore {
+    pub fn new(dir: impl Into<PathBuf>) -> Self {
+        Self { dir: dir.into() }
+    }
+
+    pub fn dir(&self) -> &Path {
+        &self.dir
+    }
+
+    fn path_for(&self, id: Uuid) -> PathBuf {
+        self.dir.join(format!("{id}.json"))
+    }
+
+    /// Record a retained worktree and return the entry that was written.
+    pub fn retain(
+        &self,
+        path: &Path,
+        base_repo: &Path,
+        branch: &str,
+        reason: RetainedReason,
+    ) -> Result<RetainedWorktree, RetainedStoreError> {
+        let entry = RetainedWorktree {
+            id: Uuid::new_v4(),
+            path: path.to_path_buf(),
+            base_repo: base_repo.to_path_buf(),
+            branch: branch.to_string(),
+            reason,
+            retained_at: Utc::now(),
+        };
+        self.overwrite(&entry)?;
+        Ok(entry)
+    }
+
+    /// Atomically write `entry`. Creates the directory if it does not exist.
+    pub fn overwrite(&self, entry: &RetainedWorktree) -> Result<(), RetainedStoreError> {
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&self.dir)?;
+        let final_path = self.path_for(entry.id);
+        let tmp = self.dir.join(format!("{}.json.tmp", entry.id));
+        let json = serde_json::to_vec_pretty(entry)?;
+        std::fs::write(&tmp, json)?;
+        std::fs::rename(&tmp, &final_path)?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Drop one entry. No-op when the id is unknown — reclaiming an entry the
+    /// store already lost (e.g. pruned) must not fail.
+    pub fn remove(&self, id: Uuid) -> Result<(), RetainedStoreError> {
+        match std::fs::remove_file(self.path_for(id)) {
+            Ok(()) => Ok(()),
+            Err(e) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound => Ok(()),
+            Err(e) => Err(e.into()),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Read every entry. Files that are missing or malformed are skipped
+    /// silently: a corrupt record must not hide the others, and an empty or
+    /// absent directory simply means nothing is retained.
+    pub fn load_all(&self) -> Result<Vec<RetainedWorktree>, RetainedStoreError> {
+        let mut out = Vec::new();
+        let entries = match std::fs::read_dir(&self.dir) {
+            Ok(e) => e,
+            Err(e) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound => return Ok(out),
+            Err(e) => return Err(e.into()),
+        };
+        for entry in entries {
+            let entry = entry?;
+            let path = entry.path();
+            if path.extension().and_then(|s| s.to_str()) != Some("json") {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let Ok(bytes) = std::fs::read(&path) else {
+                continue;
+            };
+            if let Ok(worktree) = serde_json::from_slice::<RetainedWorktree>(&bytes) {
+                out.push(worktree);
+            }
+        }
+        out.sort_by_key(|w| w.retained_at);
+        Ok(out)
+    }
+
+    /// Drop entries whose worktree directory no longer exists — somebody
+    /// removed it by hand. Returns the ids that were pruned.
+    pub fn prune_missing(&self) -> Result<Vec<Uuid>, RetainedStoreError> {
+        let mut pruned = Vec::new();
+        for entry in self.load_all()? {
+            if !entry.path.exists() {
+                self.remove(entry.id)?;
+                pruned.push(entry.id);
+            }
+        }
+        Ok(pruned)
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use chrono::Duration;
+    use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+    fn tmp_dir() -> tempfile::TempDir {
+        tempfile::tempdir().expect("tempdir")
+    }
+
+    fn sample_path(root: &std::path::Path, name: &str) -> PathBuf {
+        let p = root.join(name);
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&p).expect("mkdir");
+        p
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn retain_then_load_round_trips_every_field() {
+        let dir = tmp_dir();
+        let store = RetainedStore::new(dir.path());
+        let wt = sample_path(dir.path(), "wt");
+        let repo = sample_path(dir.path(), "repo");
+
+        let entry = store
+            .retain(&wt, &repo, "feature/login", RetainedReason::ForceKilled)
+            .expect("retain");
+
+        let all = store.load_all().expect("load_all");
+        assert_eq!(all, vec![entry.clone()]);
+        assert_eq!(entry.path, wt);
+        assert_eq!(entry.base_repo, repo);
+        assert_eq!(entry.branch, "feature/login");
+        assert_eq!(entry.reason, RetainedReason::ForceKilled);
+        let age = Utc::now() - entry.retained_at;
+        assert!(age >= Duration::zero() && age < Duration::minutes(1));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reason_serializes_kebab_case() {
+        let json =
+            serde_json::to_string(&RetainedReason::ExitedWithUnsavedWork).expect("serialize");
+        assert_eq!(json, r#""exited-with-unsaved-work""#);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn entries_survive_a_restart() {
+        let dir = tmp_dir();
+        let wt = sample_path(dir.path(), "wt");
+
+        let first = RetainedStore::new(dir.path());
+        let entry = first
+            .retain(&wt, dir.path(), "main", RetainedReason::ForceKilled)
+            .expect("retain");
+
+        // A fresh store over the same state_dir — what a daemon restart sees.
+        let second = RetainedStore::new(dir.path());
+        assert_eq!(second.load_all().expect("load_all"), vec![entry]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_store_reads_as_empty() {
+        let dir = tmp_dir();
+        let store = RetainedStore::new(dir.path().join("does-not-exist"));
+        assert_eq!(store.load_all().expect("load_all"), Vec::new());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn malformed_entries_are_skipped_silently() {
+        let dir = tmp_dir();
+        let store = RetainedStore::new(dir.path());
+        let wt = sample_path(dir.path(), "wt");
+        store
+            .retain(&wt, dir.path(), "kept", RetainedReason::ForceKilled)
+            .expect("retain");
+        std::fs::write(dir.path().join("not-a-uuid.json"), b"{oops").expect("write junk");
+
+        let all = store.load_all().expect("load_all");
+        assert_eq!(all.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(all[0].branch, "kept");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ids_are_unique() {
+        let dir = tmp_dir();
+        let store = RetainedStore::new(dir.path());
+        let a = store
+            .retain(dir.path(), dir.path(), "a", RetainedReason::ForceKilled)
+            .expect("retain");
+        let b = store
+            .retain(dir.path(), dir.path(), "b", RetainedReason::ForceKilled)
+            .expect("retain");
+        assert_ne!(a.id, b.id);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn remove_drops_the_entry() {
+        let dir = tmp_dir();
+        let store = RetainedStore::new(dir.path());
+        let wt = sample_path(dir.path(), "wt");
+        let entry = store
+            .retain(&wt, dir.path(), "main", RetainedReason::ForceKilled)
+            .expect("retain");
+
+        store.remove(entry.id).expect("remove");
+        assert_eq!(store.load_all().expect("load_all"), Vec::new());
+
+        // Removing an unknown id is a no-op, not an error.
+        store.remove(entry.id).expect("remove again");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn load_all_is_sorted_by_time() {
+        let dir = tmp_dir();
+        let store = RetainedStore::new(dir.path());
+        let mut first = store
+            .retain(dir.path(), dir.path(), "first", RetainedReason::ForceKilled)
+            .expect("retain");
+        first.retained_at -= Duration::hours(1);
+        store.overwrite(&first).expect("rewrite");
+
+        let second = store
+            .retain(
+                dir.path(),
+                dir.path(),
+                "second",
+                RetainedReason::ForceKilled,
+            )
+            .expect("retain");
+
+        let branches: Vec<_> = store
+            .load_all()
+            .expect("load_all")
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|e| e.branch)
+            .collect();
+        assert_eq!(branches, vec!["first", "second"]);
+        let _ = second;
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn prune_missing_drops_gone_directories_only() {
+        let dir = tmp_dir();
+        let store = RetainedStore::new(dir.path());
+        let alive = sample_path(dir.path(), "alive");
+        let gone = sample_path(dir.path(), "gone");
+        let keep = store
+            .retain(&alive, dir.path(), "keep", RetainedReason::ForceKilled)
+            .expect("retain");
+        let drop = store
+            .retain(
+                &gone,
+                dir.path(),
+                "drop",
+                RetainedReason::ExitedWithUnsavedWork,
+            )
+            .expect("retain");
+        std::fs::remove_dir_all(&gone).expect("rm");
+
+        let pruned = store.prune_missing().expect("prune_missing");
+        assert_eq!(pruned, vec![drop.id]);
+
+        let branches: Vec<_> = store
+            .load_all()
+            .expect("load_all")
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|e| e.branch)
+            .collect();
+        assert_eq!(branches, vec!["keep"]);
+        let _ = keep;
+    }
+}

crates/maestro-daemon/src/session.rs

@@ -226,6 +226,25 @@ impl SessionManager {
                 let WorktreeSpec {
                     base_repo, branch, ..
                 } = spec;
+                // `run_add` adopts a leftover tree for this branch — the
+                // dirty-work guard refuses to delete unsaved work and the path
+                // is deterministic, so erroring would burn the branch forever.
+                // A tree a *live* session is using is a different matter:
+                // two sessions must not share one checkout, so reject it here
+                // where the session records are visible (#67 review).
+                let planned = self.inner.worktree_mgr.planned_path(base_repo, branch);
+                if self
+                    .inner
+                    .sessions
+                    .lock()
+                    .await
+                    .values()
+                    .any(|r| r.worktree_path.as_deref() == Some(planned.as_path()))
+                {
+                    return Err(SessionError::Worktree(
+                        crate::worktree::WorktreeError::PathExists { path: planned },
+                    ));
+                }
                 let path = if spec.create_branch {
                     self.inner.worktree_mgr.add_new(base_repo, branch)
                 } else {
@@ -290,6 +309,12 @@ impl SessionManager {
             command: req.command,
             env: req.env,
             metadata: req.metadata,
+            worktree: worktree_path.as_ref().zip(worktree_base_repo.as_ref()).map(
+                |(path, base_repo)| maestro_protocol::SessionWorktree {
+                    path: path.clone(),
+                    base_repo: base_repo.clone(),
+                },
+            ),
             status: SessionStatus::Running,
             created_at: Utc::now(),
             // A freshly-spawned session is producing its initial output; the
@@ -430,6 +455,7 @@ impl SessionManager {
                     command: String::new(),
                     env: Default::default(),
                     metadata: Default::default(),
+                    worktree: None,
                     status: SessionStatus::Running,
                     created_at: Utc::now(),
                     // Activity is unknown on adoption; the watcher fills it in.
@@ -457,8 +483,11 @@ impl SessionManager {
                 SessionRecord {
                     session: session.clone(),
                     fifo_path,
-                    worktree_path: None,
-                    worktree_base_repo: None,
+                    // Restored from the sidecar: without it the recovered
+                    // session cleans up nothing on kill, and the leftover
+                    // directory blocks that branch forever (#54 review).
+                    worktree_path: session.worktree.as_ref().map(|w| w.path.clone()),
+                    worktree_base_repo: session.worktree.as_ref().map(|w| w.base_repo.clone()),
                     bridge,
                 },
             );

crates/maestro-daemon/src/worktree.rs

@@ -53,15 +53,27 @@ impl WorktreeManager {
     /// The override root gets the repo's basename too: without it two repos
     /// spawning the same branch name target one directory and the second
     /// fails with `PathExists`.
+    /// Where [`Self::add_new`] / [`Self::add_existing`] would place this
+    /// branch's worktree. Callers use it to check ownership before creating.
+    pub fn planned_path(&self, base_repo: &Path, branch: &str) -> PathBuf {
+        self.target_path(base_repo, branch)
+    }
+
     fn target_path(&self, base_repo: &Path, branch: &str) -> PathBuf {
-        let slug = sanitize_branch_for_path(branch);
+        // An unusable branch name falls back to a digest rather than escaping
+        // the root; `run_add` surfaces git's own error for it anyway.
+        let slug = branch_relpath(branch).unwrap_or_else(|| PathBuf::from(short_hash(branch)));
         let main = main_checkout(base_repo);
         match &self.root_override {
             Some(root) => {
-                let repo = main
+                // Basename alone collides for two checkouts of the same name
+                // (`~/a/maestro` and `~/b/maestro`), so disambiguate with a
+                // digest of the full path (#54 review).
+                let base = main
                     .file_name()
                     .map(|n| n.to_string_lossy().into_owned())
                     .unwrap_or_else(|| "repo".into());
+                let repo = format!("{base}-{}", short_hash(&main.to_string_lossy()));
                 root.join(repo).join(slug)
             }
             None => main.join("worktrees").join(slug),
@@ -91,6 +103,16 @@ impl WorktreeManager {
         // path, so a previously-leaked entry doesn't block this branch.
         prune(base_repo)?;
         if path.symlink_metadata().is_ok() {
+            // A tree we left behind for this very branch — the dirty-work
+            // guard refuses to delete unsaved work, and the path is
+            // deterministic, so erroring here would burn the branch
+            // permanently: no spawn could ever produce a worktree for it
+            // again and the product offers no way to clear it. Adopt it
+            // instead; landing in the operator's own unsaved work on the
+            // branch they asked for is what they wanted (#67 review).
+            if registered_for(base_repo, &path, branch) {
+                return Ok(path);
+            }
             return Err(WorktreeError::PathExists { path });
         }
         // The parent (`<repo>/worktrees` or the override root) may not exist
@@ -170,6 +192,34 @@ fn main_checkout(path: &Path) -> PathBuf {
         .unwrap_or_else(|| path.to_path_buf())
 }
 
+/// True when `path` is already a registered worktree of `base_repo` holding
+/// `branch` — i.e. one this daemon created for this branch and later declined
+/// to remove.
+fn registered_for(base_repo: &Path, path: &Path, branch: &str) -> bool {
+    let Ok(out) = Command::new("git")
+        .arg("-C")
+        .arg(base_repo)
+        .args(["worktree", "list", "--porcelain"])
+        .output()
+    else {
+        return false;
+    };
+    let want = path.canonicalize().unwrap_or_else(|_| path.to_path_buf());
+    let text = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
+    let mut here = false;
+    for line in text.lines() {
+        if let Some(p) = line.strip_prefix("worktree ") {
+            let p = PathBuf::from(p);
+            here = p.canonicalize().unwrap_or(p) == want;
+        } else if here {
+            if let Some(r) = line.strip_prefix("branch ") {
+                return r.trim() == format!("refs/heads/{branch}");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    false
+}
+
 /// `Some(inner)` when a registered worktree lives under `path`. Git omits
 /// those directories from `git status`, so the dirty-work guard cannot see
 /// them and removal would delete them (#54 review).
@@ -180,26 +230,62 @@ fn nested_worktree(path: &Path) -> Option<PathBuf> {
         .args(["worktree", "list", "--porcelain"])
         .output()
         .ok()?;
+    // `worktree list` prints fully-resolved paths while ours comes from
+    // `--git-common-dir` and may still hold symlinks. Comparing the two forms
+    // directly makes the guard silently pass on any symlinked repo path — and
+    // this guard is what stands between a kill and deleting an inner
+    // worktree's uncommitted work (#54 review).
+    let needle = path.canonicalize().unwrap_or_else(|_| path.to_path_buf());
     let text = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
     text.lines()
         .filter_map(|l| l.strip_prefix("worktree "))
         .map(PathBuf::from)
-        .find(|p| p != path && p.starts_with(path))
+        .find(|p| {
+            let real = p.canonicalize().unwrap_or_else(|_| p.clone());
+            real != needle && real.starts_with(&needle)
+        })
 }
 
-fn sanitize_branch_for_path(branch: &str) -> String {
-    let mut out = String::with_capacity(branch.len());
-    for c in branch.chars() {
-        if c.is_ascii_alphanumeric() || c == '-' || c == '_' {
-            out.push(c);
-        } else if c == '/' || c == '.' {
-            out.push('-');
-        }
+/// Short digest used to disambiguate override roots.
+///
+/// Hand-rolled FNV-1a rather than `DefaultHasher`: this value becomes a
+/// directory name, and `DefaultHasher`'s algorithm is explicitly not
+/// guaranteed stable across Rust releases — a toolchain bump would remap every
+/// repo to a new directory and orphan the worktrees under the old one
+/// (#67 review).
+fn short_hash(s: &str) -> String {
+    let mut h: u32 = 0x811c_9dc5;
+    for b in s.as_bytes() {
+        h ^= u32::from(*b);
+        h = h.wrapping_mul(0x0100_0193);
     }
-    if out.is_empty() {
-        out.push_str("wt");
+    format!("{h:08x}")
+}
+
+/// The relative directory a branch's worktree lives in.
+///
+/// A git branch name is already a valid relative path — git stores it as
+/// `.git/refs/heads/feat/example` — so it is used verbatim and `feat/example`
+/// nests under `worktrees/feat/`. That keeps the path readable *and* keeps the
+/// mapping injective: flattening `/` and `.` to `-` made `feat/x`, `feat.x`
+/// and `feat-x` share one directory, and with deterministic paths plus
+/// `PathExists` as a hard error the losers could never get a worktree at all
+/// (#54 review).
+///
+/// Git already forbids holding both `feat` and `feat/x`, so the directory
+/// collision that nesting could cause cannot arise from valid refs. Only
+/// traversal and absolute components are rejected.
+fn branch_relpath(branch: &str) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    use std::path::Component;
+    let candidate = Path::new(branch);
+    if branch.is_empty()
+        || !candidate
+            .components()
+            .all(|c| matches!(c, Component::Normal(_)))
+    {
+        return None;
     }
-    out
+    Some(candidate.to_path_buf())
 }
 
 /// `Some(reason)` when deleting `path` would destroy work.

crates/maestro-daemon/tests/session_manager.rs

@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ async fn kill_removes_worktree_even_when_spec_says_keep() {
     let fx = DaemonFixture::new();
     let repo = TempDir::new().unwrap();
     init_repo(repo.path());
-    let wt_path = repo.path().join("worktrees").join("feat-keep");
+    let wt_path = repo.path().join("worktrees").join("feat").join("keep");
 
     let s = fx
         .manager
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ async fn kill_leaves_worktree_with_unsaved_work_on_disk() {
     let fx = DaemonFixture::new();
     let repo = TempDir::new().unwrap();
     init_repo(repo.path());
-    let wt_path = repo.path().join("worktrees").join("feat-guarded");
+    let wt_path = repo.path().join("worktrees").join("feat").join("guarded");
 
     let s = fx
         .manager

crates/maestro-daemon/tests/sidecar.rs

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ fn sample(id: Uuid) -> Session {
         command: "bash".into(),
         env: HashMap::from([("FOO".into(), "bar".into())]),
         metadata: HashMap::from([("name".into(), Value::String("maestro-impl".into()))]),
+        worktree: None,
         status: SessionStatus::Running,
         created_at: DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339("2026-05-24T12:00:00Z")
             .unwrap()

crates/maestro-daemon/tests/worktree.rs

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ fn add_places_worktree_inside_the_base_repo_by_default() {
     let mgr = WorktreeManager::new(None);
 
     let path = mgr.add_new(&repo, "feat/example").expect("add worktree");
-    assert_eq!(path, repo.join("worktrees").join("feat-example"));
+    assert_eq!(path, repo.join("worktrees").join("feat").join("example"));
     assert!(path.exists());
     assert!(path.join("README").exists());
 
@@ -74,7 +74,24 @@ fn worktree_root_override_redirects_placement() {
     // repos spawning the same branch name don't target one directory.
     let repo_name = repo.file_name().unwrap();
     let path = mgr.add_new(&repo, "feat/example").expect("add worktree");
-    assert_eq!(path, wt_root.path().join(repo_name).join("feat-example"));
+    // The override root disambiguates same-named checkouts with a digest of
+    // the full repo path, and the branch keeps its own shape.
+    // <root>/<repo basename>-<digest>/feat/example
+    let prefix = format!("{}-", repo_name.to_string_lossy());
+    let repo_dir_name = path
+        .strip_prefix(wt_root.path())
+        .unwrap()
+        .components()
+        .next()
+        .unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        repo_dir_name
+            .as_os_str()
+            .to_string_lossy()
+            .starts_with(&prefix),
+        "{path:?}"
+    );
+    assert!(path.ends_with("feat/example"), "{path:?}");
     assert!(path.exists());
 }
 
@@ -86,7 +103,7 @@ fn existing_directory_at_target_path_is_an_error_carrying_the_path() {
 
     // A predictable path means collisions are possible; they must be
     // reported, never silently relocated.
-    std::fs::create_dir_all(repo.join("worktrees").join("feat-collide")).unwrap();
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(repo.join("worktrees").join("feat").join("collide")).unwrap();
 
     let mgr = WorktreeManager::new(None);
     let err = mgr.add_new(&repo, "feat/collide").unwrap_err();
@@ -94,7 +111,8 @@ fn existing_directory_at_target_path_is_an_error_carrying_the_path() {
     assert!(
         msg.contains(
             repo.join("worktrees")
-                .join("feat-collide")
+                .join("feat")
+                .join("collide")
                 .to_str()
                 .unwrap()
         ),
@@ -312,10 +330,9 @@ fn placement_resolves_a_linked_worktree_to_the_main_checkout() {
         !inner.starts_with(&outer),
         "must not nest: {inner:?} inside {outer:?}"
     );
-    assert_eq!(
-        inner.parent().and_then(|p| p.parent()),
-        Some(repo.canonicalize().unwrap().as_path()),
-        "placed against the main checkout"
+    assert!(
+        inner.starts_with(repo.canonicalize().unwrap().join("worktrees")),
+        "placed against the main checkout: {inner:?}"
     );
 }
 
@@ -363,3 +380,65 @@ fn override_root_keeps_repos_apart() {
     let b = mgr.add_new(b_dir.path(), "feat/shared").expect("repo b");
     assert_ne!(a, b, "same branch name in two repos must not collide");
 }
+
+/// Flattening `/` and `.` to `-` made these three share one directory, and a
+/// deterministic path plus a hard `PathExists` meant the losers could never
+/// get a worktree (#54 review).
+#[test]
+fn similar_branch_names_get_distinct_directories() {
+    let repo_dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let repo = repo_dir.path().to_path_buf();
+    init_repo(&repo);
+
+    let mgr = WorktreeManager::new(None);
+    let a = mgr.add_new(&repo, "feat/x").expect("feat/x");
+    let b = mgr.add_new(&repo, "feat.x").expect("feat.x");
+    let c = mgr.add_new(&repo, "feat-x").expect("feat-x");
+    assert_ne!(a, b);
+    assert_ne!(b, c);
+    assert_ne!(a, c);
+    assert!(a.ends_with("feat/x"), "{a:?}");
+}
+
+/// The dead end the cleanup guard created: it refuses to delete unsaved work,
+/// the path is deterministic, and `PathExists` is a hard error — so one stray
+/// untracked file used to burn that branch permanently, with no way to clear
+/// it from the product. The leftover is adopted instead (#67 review).
+#[test]
+fn a_guarded_leftover_is_adopted_rather_than_burning_the_branch() {
+    let repo_dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let repo = repo_dir.path().to_path_buf();
+    init_repo(&repo);
+
+    let mgr = WorktreeManager::new(None);
+    let first = mgr.add_new(&repo, "feat/resume").expect("add");
+    std::fs::write(first.join("notes.txt"), b"unsaved\n").unwrap();
+
+    // The guard refuses, leaving it on disk.
+    mgr.remove(&repo, &first)
+        .expect_err("dirty tree is guarded");
+    assert!(first.exists());
+
+    // Spawning that branch again lands in the operator's own work, not an error.
+    let again = mgr
+        .add_existing(&repo, "feat/resume")
+        .expect("leftover is adopted");
+    assert_eq!(again, first);
+    assert!(
+        again.join("notes.txt").exists(),
+        "their work is still there"
+    );
+}
+
+/// Adoption must not extend to a directory that merely sits in the way.
+#[test]
+fn an_unrelated_directory_at_the_target_path_is_still_an_error() {
+    let repo_dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let repo = repo_dir.path().to_path_buf();
+    init_repo(&repo);
+
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(repo.join("worktrees").join("feat").join("squatter")).unwrap();
+    let mgr = WorktreeManager::new(None);
+    mgr.add_new(&repo, "feat/squatter")
+        .expect_err("a non-worktree directory must not be adopted");
+}

crates/maestro-e2e/src/client.rs

@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;
 
 use futures_util::{SinkExt, StreamExt};
-use maestro_protocol::{CatalogEvent, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonClient, Session};
+use maestro_protocol::{
+    BranchInfo, CatalogEvent, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonClient, Project, Session,
+};
 use tokio_tungstenite::tungstenite::client::IntoClientRequest;
 use tokio_tungstenite::tungstenite::Message as WsMessage;
 use tokio_tungstenite::{connect_async, MaybeTlsStream, WebSocketStream};
@@ -62,6 +64,14 @@ impl TestClient {
         Ok(self.daemon.kill_session(id).await?)
     }
 
+    pub async fn list_projects(&self) -> Result<Vec<Project>, ClientError> {
+        Ok(self.daemon.list_projects().await?)
+    }
+
+    pub async fn list_branches(&self, path: &str) -> Result<Vec<BranchInfo>, ClientError> {
+        Ok(self.daemon.list_branches(path).await?)
+    }
+
     /// Connect to the daemon's per-session WS and return the stream. The
     /// caller drives the conversation.
     pub async fn attach(

crates/maestro-e2e/src/daemon.rs

@@ -29,11 +29,32 @@ impl Daemon {
         Self::spawn_at(SocketAddr::from((Ipv4Addr::LOCALHOST, free_port()))).await
     }
 
+    /// Spawn with a config file pre-seeded at the daemon's expected path
+    /// (`$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/maestro/config.toml`).
+    pub async fn spawn_with_config(toml: &str) -> Self {
+        Self::spawn_config_at(
+            SocketAddr::from((Ipv4Addr::LOCALHOST, free_port())),
+            Some(toml),
+        )
+        .await
+    }
+
     /// Spawn on a caller-supplied bind address.
     pub async fn spawn_at(bind: SocketAddr) -> Self {
+        Self::spawn_config_at(bind, None).await
+    }
+
+    /// Spawn on a caller-supplied bind address, with an optional config file.
+    async fn spawn_config_at(bind: SocketAddr, config: impl Into<Option<&str>>) -> Self {
         let home = TempDir::new().expect("home tmpdir");
         let tmux = TempDir::new().expect("tmux tmpdir");
 
+        if let Some(toml) = config.into() {
+            let dir = home.path().join(".config").join("maestro");
+            std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).expect("config dir");
+            std::fs::write(dir.join("config.toml"), toml).expect("write config.toml");
+        }
+
         let child = launch(bind, home.path(), tmux.path());
         let me = Self {
             bind_addr: bind,

crates/maestro-e2e/src/lib.rs

@@ -14,5 +14,5 @@ pub mod daemon;
 pub mod util;
 
 pub use build::workspace_target_bin;
-pub use client::TestClient;
+pub use client::{ClientError, TestClient};
 pub use daemon::Daemon;

crates/maestro-e2e/tests/e2e.rs

@@ -35,6 +35,22 @@ fn create_req(cwd: &std::path::Path, command: &str) -> CreateSessionRequest {
     }
 }
 
+/// Spawn request carrying a worktree spec against `base`.
+fn worktree_req(base: &std::path::Path, branch: &str, create_branch: bool) -> CreateSessionRequest {
+    CreateSessionRequest {
+        cwd: base.to_path_buf(),
+        command: "sleep 30".into(),
+        env: HashMap::new(),
+        metadata: HashMap::new(),
+        worktree: Some(WorktreeSpec {
+            base_repo: base.to_path_buf(),
+            branch: branch.into(),
+            cleanup_on_kill: true,
+            create_branch,
+        }),
+    }
+}
+
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
 async fn lists_spawned_sessions() {
     let (_daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
@@ -140,7 +156,7 @@ async fn kill_removes_clean_worktree() {
     assert!(
         worktrees
             .iter()
-            .any(|w| w.contains("worktrees/feature-e2e")),
+            .any(|w| w.contains("worktrees/feature/e2e")),
         "expected a worktree for feature/e2e under <repo>/worktrees, got: {worktrees:?}"
     );
 
@@ -170,7 +186,11 @@ async fn kill_spares_worktree_with_uncommitted_changes() {
 
     let base = TempDir::new().unwrap();
     init_repo(base.path());
-    let wt_path = base.path().join("worktrees").join("feature-unsaved");
+    let wt_path = base
+        .path()
+        .join("worktrees")
+        .join("feature")
+        .join("unsaved");
 
     let req = CreateSessionRequest {
         cwd: base.path().to_path_buf(),
@@ -204,6 +224,19 @@ async fn kill_spares_worktree_with_uncommitted_changes() {
         wt_path.exists(),
         "guarded worktree must be left on disk after kill"
     );
+    // Left findable, not silently half-deleted: git still registers it and
+    // the uncommitted edit survives byte for byte (#66).
+    assert!(
+        git_worktree_list(base.path())
+            .iter()
+            .any(|w| w.contains("feature/unsaved")),
+        "guarded worktree must stay registered in git worktree list"
+    );
+    assert_eq!(
+        std::fs::read(wt_path.join("README")).unwrap(),
+        b"unsaved edits\n",
+        "uncommitted changes must survive the guarded kill"
+    );
 }
 
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
@@ -240,6 +273,283 @@ async fn spawn_on_existing_branch_checks_it_out() {
     client.kill_session(s.id).await.expect("kill");
 }
 
+/// #66: a fresh branch spawns a worktree at `<repo>/worktrees/<branch>` and
+/// the session actually runs inside it — `current_cwd` comes from tmux's live
+/// pane state, not from the spawn request.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn spawn_new_branch_creates_worktree_and_runs_in_it() {
+    let (_daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
+
+    let base = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    init_repo(base.path());
+    let wt_path = base.path().join("worktrees").join("feature").join("fresh");
+
+    let s = client
+        .spawn_session(&worktree_req(base.path(), "feature/fresh", true))
+        .await
+        .expect("spawn new-branch worktree");
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        s.cwd, wt_path,
+        "session must report the worktree as its cwd"
+    );
+    assert!(wt_path.is_dir(), "worktree directory must exist on disk");
+
+    // The activity watcher fills `current_cwd` from tmux's pane_current_path,
+    // so this is the daemon confirming where the process really runs.
+    wait_for_async(
+        "session's live cwd is the worktree",
+        Duration::from_secs(20),
+        || {
+            let client = client.clone();
+            let id = s.id;
+            let want = wt_path.clone();
+            async move {
+                client
+                    .list_sessions()
+                    .await
+                    .ok()
+                    .and_then(|ss| ss.iter().find(|s| s.id == id).cloned())
+                    .map(|s| s.current_cwd == Some(want.clone()))
+                    .unwrap_or(false)
+            }
+        },
+    )
+    .await;
+
+    client.kill_session(s.id).await.expect("kill");
+}
+
+/// #66: a second spawn onto a branch that already has a worktree is rejected
+/// with a structured worktree error; the first worktree stays intact.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn second_spawn_on_same_branch_is_rejected() {
+    let (_daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
+
+    let base = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    init_repo(base.path());
+
+    let first = client
+        .spawn_session(&worktree_req(base.path(), "feature/dup", true))
+        .await
+        .expect("first spawn");
+    let dup = client
+        .spawn_session(&worktree_req(base.path(), "feature/dup", true))
+        .await;
+    match dup {
+        Err(maestro_e2e::ClientError::Api(maestro_protocol::ClientError::Api { info, .. })) => {
+            assert_eq!(
+                info.code, "worktree_failed",
+                "expected worktree error: {info:?}"
+            );
+        }
+        other => panic!("expected rejection for duplicate branch, got {other:?}"),
+    }
+
+    // Exactly one registration, one directory, still usable.
+    // Count branch records only: the worktree path now contains the branch
+    // name too (`worktrees/feature/dup`), so a substring match over every line
+    // would count the same tree twice.
+    let holders = git_worktree_list(base.path())
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|w| w.as_str() == "branch refs/heads/feature/dup")
+        .count();
+    assert_eq!(holders, 1, "duplicate spawn must not register another tree");
+    assert!(
+        base.path()
+            .join("worktrees")
+            .join("feature")
+            .join("dup")
+            .is_dir(),
+        "original worktree must be untouched"
+    );
+
+    client.kill_session(first.id).await.expect("kill");
+}
+
+/// #66/#56: when the client picks a *linked worktree* as base_repo, placement
+/// resolves through `--git-common-dir` to the main checkout, so the new tree
+/// lands at `<main>/worktrees/<branch>` instead of nesting inside another
+/// worktree.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn spawn_from_linked_worktree_places_in_main_checkout() {
+    let (_daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
+
+    let base = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    init_repo(base.path());
+    let linked = base.path().join("linked");
+    run_git(
+        &[
+            "worktree",
+            "add",
+            "-q",
+            "-b",
+            "other",
+            &linked.to_string_lossy(),
+        ],
+        base.path(),
+    );
+
+    let s = client
+        .spawn_session(&worktree_req(&linked, "feature/nested", true))
+        .await
+        .expect("spawn from linked worktree");
+
+    let want = base.path().join("worktrees").join("feature").join("nested");
+    assert_eq!(
+        s.cwd, want,
+        "worktree must be placed under the main checkout"
+    );
+    assert!(want.is_dir());
+    assert!(
+        !s.cwd.starts_with(&linked),
+        "worktrees must never nest inside another worktree"
+    );
+
+    client.kill_session(s.id).await.expect("kill");
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// GET /api/projects + /api/branches (#54/#55/#66)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// #66: two repos under a configured `[spawn].project_roots` root are both
+/// discovered by `GET /api/projects`; git activity gives every repo a
+/// `last_activity`, and spawning inside one merges its command into the
+/// project entry via spawn history.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn projects_endpoint_discovers_roots_and_merges_activity() {
+    let root = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let alpha = make_repo(root.path(), "alpha");
+    make_repo(root.path(), "beta");
+
+    let daemon = Daemon::spawn_with_config(&format!(
+        "[spawn]\nproject_roots = [\"{}\"]\nproject_scan_depth = 2\n",
+        root.path().display()
+    ))
+    .await;
+    let client = TestClient::new(&daemon.http_base());
+
+    let projects = client.list_projects().await.expect("list projects");
+    let names: Vec<&str> = projects.iter().map(|p| p.name.as_str()).collect();
+    assert!(
+        names.contains(&"alpha") && names.contains(&"beta"),
+        "both repos must be discovered, got: {names:?}"
+    );
+
+    let find = |name: &str| {
+        projects
+            .iter()
+            .find(|p| p.name == name)
+            .cloned()
+            .expect("project present")
+    };
+    // Both have commits, so git activity alone populates last_activity…
+    assert!(
+        find("alpha").last_activity.is_some(),
+        "git activity must surface"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        find("beta").last_activity.is_some(),
+        "git activity must surface"
+    );
+    // …and neither has been spawned into yet.
+    assert_eq!(find("alpha").last_command, None);
+    assert_eq!(find("beta").last_command, None);
+
+    // Spawning inside alpha writes durable history; /api/projects folds it in.
+    let s = client
+        .spawn_session(&create_req(&alpha, "sleep 30"))
+        .await
+        .expect("spawn in alpha");
+
+    wait_for_async(
+        "alpha's project entry reflects spawn history",
+        Duration::from_secs(5),
+        || {
+            let client = client.clone();
+            async move {
+                client
+                    .list_projects()
+                    .await
+                    .ok()
+                    .map(|ps| {
+                        ps.iter()
+                            .find(|p| p.name == "alpha")
+                            .map(|p| p.last_command.as_deref() == Some("sleep 30"))
+                            .unwrap_or(false)
+                    })
+                    .unwrap_or(false)
+            }
+        },
+    )
+    .await;
+
+    // beta was never spawned into: no command recorded there.
+    let beta_after = client
+        .list_projects()
+        .await
+        .expect("list after spawn")
+        .into_iter()
+        .find(|p| p.name == "beta")
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(beta_after.last_command, None);
+
+    client.kill_session(s.id).await.expect("kill");
+}
+
+/// #66: `GET /api/branches` lists every local branch, flags the main
+/// checkout's HEAD with `is_head`, and reports which linked worktree holds an
+/// occupied branch.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+async fn branches_endpoint_lists_branches_and_flags_occupied() {
+    let (_daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
+
+    let base = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    init_repo(base.path());
+    run_git(&["branch", "feature/taken"], base.path());
+    run_git(&["branch", "feature/free"], base.path());
+    let holder = base.path().join("holder-wt");
+    run_git(
+        &[
+            "worktree",
+            "add",
+            "-q",
+            &holder.to_string_lossy(),
+            "feature/taken",
+        ],
+        base.path(),
+    );
+
+    let branches = client
+        .list_branches(&base.path().to_string_lossy())
+        .await
+        .expect("list branches");
+    let by_name = |name: &str| {
+        branches
+            .iter()
+            .find(|b| b.name == name)
+            .cloned()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("branch {name} missing from {branches:?}"))
+    };
+
+    let main = by_name("main");
+    assert!(main.is_head, "main is the main checkout's HEAD");
+    assert_eq!(main.worktree, None);
+
+    let taken = by_name("feature/taken");
+    assert!(!taken.is_head);
+    assert_eq!(
+        taken.worktree.as_deref(),
+        Some(holder.canonicalize().unwrap().as_path()),
+        "occupied branch must report its holding worktree"
+    );
+
+    let free = by_name("feature/free");
+    assert!(!free.is_head);
+    assert_eq!(free.worktree, None, "unoccupied branch must be spawnable");
+}
+
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
 async fn daemon_restart_recovers_session() {
     let (mut daemon, client) = bring_up().await;
@@ -428,6 +738,15 @@ fn init_repo(dir: &std::path::Path) {
     run_git(&["commit", "-q", "-m", "initial"], dir);
 }
 
+/// Real git repo at `<root>/<name>`, canonicalized (the scanner canonicalizes
+/// discovered paths too, so comparisons must agree on the real path).
+fn make_repo(root: &std::path::Path, name: &str) -> std::path::PathBuf {
+    let dir = root.join(name);
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
+    init_repo(&dir);
+    dir.canonicalize().unwrap()
+}
+
 fn run_git(args: &[&str], cwd: &std::path::Path) {
     let out = Command::new("git")
         .arg("-C")

crates/maestro-protocol/src/client.rs

@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ use uuid::Uuid;
 
 use crate::routes::{self, UrlError};
 use crate::{
-    ApiError, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonInfo, DirListing, ErrorInfo, GitRoot, Project,
-    RecentDirs, Session,
+    ApiError, BranchInfo, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonInfo, DirListing, ErrorInfo, GitRoot,
+    Project, RecentDirs, Session,
 };
 
 /// Time budget for establishing a TCP connection to the daemon.
@@ -143,6 +143,11 @@ impl DaemonClient {
         self.get(routes::PROJECTS, &[]).await
     }
 
+    pub async fn list_branches(&self, path: &str) -> Result<Vec<BranchInfo>, ClientError> {
+        self.get(routes::BRANCHES, &[(routes::PATH_QUERY, path)])
+            .await
+    }
+
     // -- plumbing -----------------------------------------------------------
 
     async fn get<T: DeserializeOwned>(

crates/maestro-protocol/src/lib.rs

@@ -53,6 +53,14 @@ pub struct Session {
     pub env: HashMap<String, String>,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub metadata: HashMap<String, Value>,
+    /// The worktree this session owns, when it was spawned with one.
+    ///
+    /// Persisted rather than kept in memory only: after a daemon restart the
+    /// recovered session must still know what to clean up, and with
+    /// deterministic worktree paths a forgotten association leaves a directory
+    /// that blocks that branch from ever being spawned again (#54 review).
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub worktree: Option<SessionWorktree>,
     pub status: SessionStatus,
     pub created_at: DateTime<Utc>,
     /// Current foreground command in the session's pane (e.g. `claude`,
@@ -127,6 +135,14 @@ fn default_true() -> bool {
     true
 }
 
+/// The worktree a running session owns, carried on [`Session`] so it survives
+/// a daemon restart.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct SessionWorktree {
+    pub path: PathBuf,
+    pub base_repo: PathBuf,
+}
+
 /// HTTP `POST /api/sessions` body.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct CreateSessionRequest {
@@ -410,6 +426,7 @@ mod tests {
             command: "claude".into(),
             env: HashMap::from([("FOO".into(), "bar".into())]),
             metadata: HashMap::from([("name".into(), Value::String("maestro-impl".into()))]),
+            worktree: None,
             status: SessionStatus::Running,
             created_at: DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339("2026-05-24T12:00:00Z")
                 .unwrap()

crates/maestro-testing/src/lib.rs

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ pub fn session(id: Uuid, cwd: &str, command: &str) -> Session {
         command: command.into(),
         env: HashMap::new(),
         metadata: HashMap::new(),
+        worktree: None,
         status: SessionStatus::Running,
         created_at: Utc::now(),
         foreground: None,

crates/maestro-tui/src/action.rs

@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ pub enum Action {
     AttachHighlighted,
     ToggleAttachHighlighted,
     NewDraftPane,
+    /// Fast-forward spawn (#67): spawn immediately with every default
+    /// resolved; unresolvable defaults open a pre-filled draft instead.
+    FastForwardSpawn,
     KillHighlighted,
 
     // Tabs
@@ -79,6 +82,7 @@ impl Action {
             "AttachHighlighted" => return Ok(Action::AttachHighlighted),
             "ToggleAttachHighlighted" => return Ok(Action::ToggleAttachHighlighted),
             "NewDraftPane" => return Ok(Action::NewDraftPane),
+            "FastForwardSpawn" => return Ok(Action::FastForwardSpawn),
             "KillHighlighted" => return Ok(Action::KillHighlighted),
             "NewTab" => return Ok(Action::NewTab),
             "CloseTab" => return Ok(Action::CloseTab),
@@ -197,6 +201,16 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(err, ActionParseError::Malformed("GotoTab(3".into()));
     }
 
+    /// The fast-forward pair sits next to the draft-pane key (#67).
+    #[test]
+    fn fast_forward_spawn_round_trips() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            Action::parse("FastForwardSpawn").unwrap(),
+            Action::FastForwardSpawn
+        );
+        assert_eq!(Action::FastForwardSpawn.to_string(), "FastForwardSpawn");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn display_round_trips() {
         for a in [

crates/maestro-tui/src/app.rs

@@ -12,12 +12,13 @@
 
 use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
 use std::io::Stdout;
+use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::time::Duration;
 
 use chrono::Utc;
 use crossterm::event::{Event as CtEvent, EventStream};
 use futures_util::StreamExt;
-use maestro_protocol::{routes, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonClient, NameBatch};
+use maestro_protocol::{routes, BranchInfo, CreateSessionRequest, DaemonClient, NameBatch};
 use ratatui::backend::CrosstermBackend;
 use ratatui::Terminal;
 use uuid::Uuid;
@@ -54,6 +55,14 @@ pub struct App {
     help: HelpOverlay,
     chord: ChordState,
     daemon: DaemonClient,
+    /// Results of draft data loads, delivered back to the event loop.
+    ///
+    /// These are network calls — `/api/projects` on a cold cache walks all of
+    /// `$HOME` — and awaiting them inside `perform` froze the whole TUI: no
+    /// keys, no frames, attached panes stalled, for up to the request timeout
+    /// (#67 review). They run as detached tasks and post here instead.
+    draft_tx: tokio::sync::mpsc::UnboundedSender<DraftUpdate>,
+    draft_rx: tokio::sync::mpsc::UnboundedReceiver<DraftUpdate>,
     /// Direct HTTP for the one endpoint [`DaemonClient`] doesn't cover yet:
     /// `GET /api/names` (#64).
     http: reqwest::Client,
@@ -86,12 +95,25 @@ pub enum Effect {
     },
     /// Fetch presets / projects / names for a freshly opened draft (#64).
     LoadDraft(usize),
+    /// Fast-forward spawn (#67): resolve every default from the daemon and
+    /// spawn with no form; unresolvable defaults open a pre-filled draft.
+    FastForward,
     /// A reroll drained the draft's local name batch (#64).
     RefillNames(usize),
+    /// The draft's target changed: probe `/api/gitroot` so the worktree
+    /// section knows its base repo (#65). `seq` guards stale answers.
+    ProbeGitRoot {
+        tab: usize,
+        seq: u32,
+        path: PathBuf,
+    },
+    /// Fetch the draft target's branches from `/api/branches` (#65).
+    LoadBranches(usize),
 }
 
 impl App {
     pub fn new(cfg: TuiConfig, catalog: CatalogStore, daemon: DaemonClient) -> Self {
+        let (draft_tx, draft_rx) = tokio::sync::mpsc::unbounded_channel();
         let chord_timeout = cfg.chord_timeout;
         let help = HelpOverlay {
             lines: render_help_lines(&cfg),
@@ -110,6 +132,8 @@ impl App {
             chord: ChordState::new(chord_timeout),
             daemon,
             http,
+            draft_tx,
+            draft_rx,
             region: RegionMap::default(),
             last_sent_size: HashMap::new(),
             clicks: ClickTracker::default(),
@@ -131,6 +155,9 @@ impl App {
                         return Ok(());
                     }
                 }
+                Some(update) = self.draft_rx.recv() => {
+                    self.apply_draft_update(update).await;
+                }
                 _ = self.catalog.changed() => {
                     // Render on next loop iteration.
                 }
@@ -191,8 +218,13 @@ impl App {
                 Effect::Attach(id) => self.attach(id),
                 Effect::Spawn(req) => self.submit_spawn(req).await,
                 Effect::Kill(id) => self.submit_kill(id).await,
-                Effect::LoadDraft(tab_idx) => self.load_draft_data(tab_idx).await,
-                Effect::RefillNames(tab_idx) => self.refill_names(tab_idx).await,
+                Effect::LoadDraft(tab_idx) => self.spawn_load_draft(tab_idx),
+                Effect::FastForward => self.spawn_fast_forward(),
+                Effect::RefillNames(tab_idx) => self.spawn_refill_names(tab_idx),
+                Effect::ProbeGitRoot { tab, seq, path } => {
+                    self.spawn_probe_git_root(tab, seq, path)
+                }
+                Effect::LoadBranches(tab) => self.spawn_load_branches(tab),
                 Effect::Forward { id, bytes } => {
                     if let Some(handle) = self.emulators.get(id) {
                         let _ = handle.tx.send(SessionInput::Bytes(bytes)).await;
@@ -273,6 +305,7 @@ impl App {
                 self.state.open_draft_pane();
                 effects.push(Effect::LoadDraft(self.state.active_tab_idx));
             }
+            Action::FastForwardSpawn => effects.push(Effect::FastForward),
             Action::AttachHighlighted | Action::ToggleAttachHighlighted => {
                 if let Some(sid) = self.pick_sidebar_target() {
                     effects.push(Effect::Attach(sid));
@@ -349,66 +382,149 @@ impl App {
         if draft.take_name_refill() {
             effects.push(Effect::RefillNames(tab_idx));
         }
-        effects
-    }
-
-    /// One `/api/names` batch. [`DaemonClient`] has no typed call for this
-    /// route yet, so it goes through plain reqwest against the same base URL
-    /// and query contract (`routes::NAMES` + `routes::COUNT_QUERY`).
-    async fn fetch_names(&self, count: usize) -> Vec<String> {
-        let url = format!(
-            "{}{}",
-            maestro_protocol::routes::normalize_base(self.daemon.base()),
-            routes::NAMES
-        );
-        match self
-            .http
-            .get(url)
-            .query(&[(routes::COUNT_QUERY, count)])
-            .send()
-            .await
-        {
-            Ok(resp) => resp
-                .json::<NameBatch>()
-                .await
-                .map(|batch| batch.names)
-                .unwrap_or_default(),
-            Err(_) => Vec::new(),
+        if let Some((seq, path)) = draft.take_gitroot_probe() {
+            effects.push(Effect::ProbeGitRoot {
+                tab: tab_idx,
+                seq,
+                path,
+            });
         }
+        if draft.take_branch_load().is_some() {
+            effects.push(Effect::LoadBranches(tab_idx));
+        }
+        effects
     }
 
     /// Populate a freshly opened draft: presets from `/api/info` (falling back
     /// to the built-ins already in place), projects from `/api/projects`, and
     /// a first name batch. Applies only if that tab still shows the draft —
     /// a slow response must never clobber what replaced it.
-    async fn load_draft_data(&mut self, tab_idx: usize) {
-        let (info, projects) = tokio::join!(self.daemon.daemon_info(), self.daemon.list_projects());
-        let names = self.fetch_names(crate::draft::NAME_BATCH_SIZE).await;
-        let Some(PaneRef::Draft(draft)) = self
+    /// Kick off the draft's initial data load without blocking the loop.
+    fn spawn_load_draft(&self, tab: usize) {
+        let Some(draft) = self.draft_id(tab) else {
+            return;
+        };
+        let (daemon, http, base, tx) = self.loader_handles();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            let (info, projects) = tokio::join!(daemon.daemon_info(), daemon.list_projects());
+            let names = fetch_names(&http, &base, crate::draft::NAME_BATCH_SIZE).await;
+            let _ = tx.send(DraftUpdate::Data {
+                draft,
+                info: info.ok(),
+                projects: projects.ok(),
+                names,
+            });
+        });
+    }
+
+    fn spawn_refill_names(&self, tab: usize) {
+        let Some(draft) = self.draft_id(tab) else {
+            return;
+        };
+        let (_, http, base, tx) = self.loader_handles();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            let names = fetch_names(&http, &base, crate::draft::NAME_BATCH_SIZE).await;
+            let _ = tx.send(DraftUpdate::Names { draft, names });
+        });
+    }
+
+    fn spawn_probe_git_root(&self, tab: usize, seq: u32, path: PathBuf) {
+        let Some(draft) = self.draft_id(tab) else {
+            return;
+        };
+        let (daemon, _, _, tx) = self.loader_handles();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            let root = daemon
+                .git_root(&path.to_string_lossy())
+                .await
+                .ok()
+                .and_then(|g| g.root);
+            let _ = tx.send(DraftUpdate::GitRoot { draft, seq, root });
+        });
+    }
+
+    fn spawn_load_branches(&self, tab: usize) {
+        let Some(draft) = self.draft_id(tab) else {
+            return;
+        };
+        let Some(cwd) = self
             .state
             .tabs
-            .get_mut(tab_idx)
-            .and_then(|t| t.pane.as_mut())
+            .get(tab)
+            .and_then(|t| t.pane.as_ref())
+            .and_then(|p| match p {
+                PaneRef::Draft(d) => d.cwd(),
+                _ => None,
+            })
         else {
             return;
         };
-        if let Ok(info) = info {
-            draft.home_dir.clone_from(&info.home_dir);
-            if !info.presets.is_empty() {
-                draft.set_presets(info.presets);
-            }
-        }
-        if let Ok(projects) = projects {
-            draft.set_projects(projects, Utc::now());
-        }
-        if !names.is_empty() {
-            draft.seed_names(names);
+        let (_, http, base, tx) = self.loader_handles();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            let branches = fetch_branches(&http, &base, &cwd).await;
+            let _ = tx.send(DraftUpdate::Branches {
+                draft,
+                cwd,
+                branches,
+            });
+        });
+    }
+
+    /// The draft pane living in `tab`, by identity.
+    fn draft_id(&self, tab: usize) -> Option<u64> {
+        match self.state.tabs.get(tab).and_then(|t| t.pane.as_ref()) {
+            Some(PaneRef::Draft(d)) => Some(d.id),
+            _ => None,
         }
     }
 
-    /// Fetch a fresh name batch after a reroll drained the local queue.
-    async fn refill_names(&mut self, tab_idx: usize) {
-        let names = self.fetch_names(crate::draft::NAME_BATCH_SIZE).await;
+    fn loader_handles(
+        &self,
+    ) -> (
+        DaemonClient,
+        reqwest::Client,
+        String,
+        tokio::sync::mpsc::UnboundedSender<DraftUpdate>,
+    ) {
+        (
+            self.daemon.clone(),
+            self.http.clone(),
+            self.daemon.base().to_string(),
+            self.draft_tx.clone(),
+        )
+    }
+
+    /// Fold a finished background load into the draft that asked for it.
+    async fn apply_draft_update(&mut self, update: DraftUpdate) {
+        if let DraftUpdate::FastForward {
+            info,
+            projects,
+            names,
+        } = update
+        {
+            self.fast_forward_spawn(info, projects, names).await;
+            return;
+        }
+        let want = match &update {
+            DraftUpdate::Data { draft, .. }
+            | DraftUpdate::Names { draft, .. }
+            | DraftUpdate::GitRoot { draft, .. }
+            | DraftUpdate::Branches { draft, .. } => *draft,
+            // Handled above; it targets no particular draft.
+            DraftUpdate::FastForward { .. } => unreachable!(),
+        };
+        // Find it by identity: closing a tab shifts every index to its right,
+        // so an in-flight load addressed by index would be dropped or land on
+        // whatever pane inherited the slot (#67 review).
+        let Some(tab_idx) = self
+            .state
+            .tabs
+            .iter()
+            .position(|t| matches!(&t.pane, Some(PaneRef::Draft(d)) if d.id == want))
+        else {
+            // The draft went away while the request was in flight.
+            return;
+        };
         let Some(PaneRef::Draft(draft)) = self
             .state
             .tabs
@@ -417,9 +533,112 @@ impl App {
         else {
             return;
         };
-        if !names.is_empty() {
-            draft.extend_names(names);
+        let mut follow_up_branches = false;
+        match update {
+            DraftUpdate::Data {
+                info,
+                projects,
+                names,
+                ..
+            } => {
+                if let Some(info) = info {
+                    draft.home_dir.clone_from(&info.home_dir);
+                    if !info.presets.is_empty() {
+                        draft.set_presets(info.presets);
+                    }
+                }
+                if let Some(projects) = projects {
+                    draft.set_projects(projects, Utc::now());
+                }
+                if !names.is_empty() {
+                    draft.seed_names(names);
+                }
+            }
+            DraftUpdate::Names { names, .. } => {
+                if !names.is_empty() {
+                    draft.extend_names(names);
+                }
+            }
+            DraftUpdate::GitRoot { seq, root, .. } => {
+                draft.resolve_gitroot(seq, root);
+                follow_up_branches = draft.take_branch_load().is_some();
+            }
+            DraftUpdate::Branches { cwd, branches, .. } => {
+                draft.set_branches(&cwd, branches);
+            }
+            DraftUpdate::FastForward { .. } => unreachable!(),
         }
+        if follow_up_branches {
+            self.spawn_load_branches(tab_idx);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Fast-forward spawn (#67): one keystroke, every default resolved, no
+    /// form. The most recent project, its last command (or the first
+    /// non-custom preset), a freshly generated name, worktree on with a new
+    /// branch named after that name. Anything unresolvable — no projects
+    /// known yet, no command, no name — downgrades to a draft pane seeded
+    /// with whatever did resolve.
+    /// Load what the fast path needs without blocking the loop — the same
+    /// reason the draft loaders were moved off it (#67 review): a cold
+    /// `/api/projects` walks all of `$HOME`, and pressing the key must not
+    /// freeze keys, frames and attached panes until it returns.
+    fn spawn_fast_forward(&self) {
+        let (daemon, http, base, tx) = self.loader_handles();
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            let (info, projects) = tokio::join!(daemon.daemon_info(), daemon.list_projects());
+            let names = fetch_names(&http, &base, crate::draft::NAME_BATCH_SIZE).await;
+            let _ = tx.send(DraftUpdate::FastForward {
+                info: info.ok(),
+                projects: projects.ok(),
+                names,
+            });
+        });
+    }
+
+    async fn fast_forward_spawn(
+        &mut self,
+        info: Option<maestro_protocol::DaemonInfo>,
+        projects: Option<Vec<maestro_protocol::Project>>,
+        names: Vec<String>,
+    ) {
+        // Keep the home dir: without it the pre-filled draft renders
+        // unabbreviated paths and "Other directory…" seeds `/` instead of
+        // home, so the two draft entry points disagreed (#67 review).
+        let home_dir = info
+            .as_ref()
+            .map(|i| i.home_dir.clone())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        let presets = match info {
+            Some(info) if !info.presets.is_empty() => info.presets,
+            _ => Vec::new(),
+        };
+        let discovered = projects.unwrap_or_default();
+        let resolved =
+            crate::fast_forward::resolve(&discovered, &presets, names.first().cloned(), Utc::now());
+        if let Some(req) = resolved.build_request() {
+            // Never eat a pane already showing something: the spawn takes a
+            // fresh tab, same as opening a draft over a session would.
+            if self.state.active_tab().pane.is_some() {
+                self.state.new_tab();
+            }
+            self.submit_spawn(req).await;
+            return;
+        }
+        // Unresolved defaults: a draft pre-filled with what did resolve.
+        self.state.open_draft_pane();
+        let Some(PaneRef::Draft(draft)) = self.state.active_tab_mut().pane.as_mut() else {
+            return;
+        };
+        draft.home_dir = home_dir;
+        if !presets.is_empty() {
+            draft.set_presets(presets);
+        }
+        draft.set_projects(discovered, Utc::now());
+        resolved.apply_to_draft(draft);
+        // A missing generated name still arrives here; seeding is a no-op
+        // once apply_to_draft has set a touched name.
+        draft.seed_names(names);
     }
 
     async fn submit_spawn(&mut self, req: CreateSessionRequest) {
@@ -609,10 +828,87 @@ fn render_help_lines(cfg: &TuiConfig) -> Vec<String> {
     lines
 }
 
+/// A completed background load, applied on the event loop.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+enum DraftUpdate {
+    Data {
+        draft: u64,
+        info: Option<maestro_protocol::DaemonInfo>,
+        projects: Option<Vec<maestro_protocol::Project>>,
+        names: Vec<String>,
+    },
+    Names {
+        draft: u64,
+        names: Vec<String>,
+    },
+    GitRoot {
+        draft: u64,
+        seq: u32,
+        root: Option<PathBuf>,
+    },
+    Branches {
+        draft: u64,
+        cwd: PathBuf,
+        branches: Vec<BranchInfo>,
+    },
+    /// A fast-forward's data arrived; resolution and spawn happen on the loop.
+    FastForward {
+        info: Option<maestro_protocol::DaemonInfo>,
+        projects: Option<Vec<maestro_protocol::Project>>,
+        names: Vec<String>,
+    },
+}
+
+/// `GET /api/names?count=N`. Free function: the spawned loaders have no `self`.
+async fn fetch_names(http: &reqwest::Client, base: &str, count: usize) -> Vec<String> {
+    let url = format!(
+        "{}{}",
+        maestro_protocol::routes::normalize_base(base),
+        routes::NAMES
+    );
+    match http
+        .get(url)
+        .query(&[(routes::COUNT_QUERY, count)])
+        .send()
+        .await
+    {
+        Ok(resp) => resp
+            .json::<NameBatch>()
+            .await
+            .map(|batch| batch.names)
+            .unwrap_or_default(),
+        Err(_) => Vec::new(),
+    }
+}
+
+/// `GET /api/branches?path=`. On failure the picker stays empty and "new
+/// branch" mode still works.
+async fn fetch_branches(
+    http: &reqwest::Client,
+    base: &str,
+    path: &std::path::Path,
+) -> Vec<BranchInfo> {
+    let url = format!(
+        "{}{}",
+        maestro_protocol::routes::normalize_base(base),
+        routes::BRANCHES
+    );
+    match http
+        .get(url)
+        .query(&[(routes::PATH_QUERY, path.to_string_lossy().as_ref())])
+        .send()
+        .await
+    {
+        Ok(resp) => resp.json::<Vec<BranchInfo>>().await.unwrap_or_default(),
+        Err(_) => Vec::new(),
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
     use crate::action::Action;
+    use crate::draft::DraftField;
     use crate::keymap::Mode;
     use maestro_config::TuiSection;
 
@@ -694,6 +990,7 @@ mod tests {
                 cwd: std::path::PathBuf::from("/"),
                 env: Default::default(),
                 metadata: Default::default(),
+                worktree: None,
                 status: SessionStatus::Running,
                 created_at: Utc::now(),
                 foreground: None,
@@ -755,6 +1052,147 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    /// The fast-forward keystroke itself is side-effect-free until its
+    /// daemon fetches come back.
+    #[test]
+    fn fast_forward_spawn_dispatches_the_fast_forward_effect() {
+        let mut app = make_app();
+        assert_eq!(
+            app.dispatch(Action::FastForwardSpawn),
+            vec![Effect::FastForward]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Every default resolves: the POST goes straight out — most recent
+    /// project, its last command, generated name, worktree branch named
+    /// after it (#67).
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn fast_forward_spawns_immediately_when_every_default_resolves() {
+        use axum::routing::{get, post};
+        use axum::Json;
+        use serde_json::json;
+        use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+
+        async fn info() -> Json<serde_json::Value> {
+            Json(json!({
+                "hostname": "box", "version": "0.1.0", "home_dir": "/home/u",
+                "presets": [{"id": "claude", "label": "Claude", "command": "claude"}]
+            }))
+        }
+        async fn projects() -> Json<serde_json::Value> {
+            Json(json!([
+                {"path": "/repos/old", "name": "old",
+                 "last_activity": chrono::Utc::now().to_rfc3339(), "last_command": "zsh"},
+                {"path": "/repos/fresh", "name": "fresh", "base_repo": "/repos/fresh",
+                 "last_activity": chrono::Utc::now().to_rfc3339(), "last_command": "aider"}
+            ]))
+        }
+        async fn names() -> Json<serde_json::Value> {
+            Json(json!({"names": ["crimson-otter"]}))
+        }
+        let posted: Arc<Mutex<Vec<serde_json::Value>>> = Arc::default();
+        let seen = posted.clone();
+        async fn spawn_session(
+            axum::extract::State(seen): axum::extract::State<Arc<Mutex<Vec<serde_json::Value>>>>,
+            Json(body): Json<serde_json::Value>,
+        ) -> Json<serde_json::Value> {
+            seen.lock().unwrap().push(body);
+            Json(json!({
+                "id": uuid::Uuid::from_u128(77).to_string(),
+                "cwd": "/repos/fresh", "command": "aider",
+                "status": "Running", "created_at": chrono::Utc::now().to_rfc3339()
+            }))
+        }
+
+        let app_router = axum::Router::new()
+            .route(maestro_protocol::routes::INFO, get(info))
+            .route(maestro_protocol::routes::PROJECTS, get(projects))
+            .route(maestro_protocol::routes::NAMES, get(names))
+            .route(
+                maestro_protocol::routes::SESSIONS,
+                post(spawn_session).with_state(seen),
+            );
+        let listener = tokio::net::TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:0").await.unwrap();
+        let base = format!("http://{}", listener.local_addr().unwrap());
+        tokio::spawn(async move { axum::serve(listener, app_router).await.unwrap() });
+
+        let mut app = make_app_at(&base);
+        let effects = app.dispatch(Action::FastForwardSpawn);
+        // The fast path loads off the event loop now; the run loop drains the
+        // channel, so do that by hand.
+        app.perform(effects).await;
+        let update = tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(5), app.draft_rx.recv())
+            .await
+            .expect("load completed")
+            .expect("channel open");
+        app.apply_draft_update(update).await;
+
+        let posts = posted.lock().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(posts.len(), 1, "one immediate POST, no form shown");
+        let req = &posts[0];
+        assert_eq!(req["cwd"], json!("/repos/fresh"));
+        assert_eq!(req["command"], json!("aider"));
+        assert_eq!(req["metadata"]["name"], json!("crimson-otter"));
+        assert_eq!(req["worktree"]["base_repo"], json!("/repos/fresh"));
+        assert_eq!(req["worktree"]["branch"], json!("crimson-otter"));
+        assert_eq!(req["worktree"]["create_branch"], json!(true));
+    }
+
+    /// No projects known yet: nothing can resolve, so the keystroke opens a
+    /// draft pane (focused, Insert mode) instead of guessing (#67).
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn unresolvable_defaults_open_a_prefilled_draft_instead() {
+        use axum::routing::get;
+        use axum::Json;
+        use serde_json::json;
+
+        async fn info() -> Json<serde_json::Value> {
+            Json(json!({
+                "hostname": "box", "version": "0.1.0", "home_dir": "/home/u",
+                "presets": [{"id": "claude", "label": "Claude", "command": "claude"}]
+            }))
+        }
+        async fn projects() -> Json<serde_json::Value> {
+            Json(json!([]))
+        }
+        async fn names() -> Json<serde_json::Value> {
+            Json(json!({"names": ["amber-falcon"]}))
+        }
+
+        let app_router = axum::Router::new()
+            .route(maestro_protocol::routes::INFO, get(info))
+            .route(maestro_protocol::routes::PROJECTS, get(projects))
+            .route(maestro_protocol::routes::NAMES, get(names));
+        let listener = tokio::net::TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:0").await.unwrap();
+        let base = format!("http://{}", listener.local_addr().unwrap());
+        tokio::spawn(async move { axum::serve(listener, app_router).await.unwrap() });
+
+        let mut app = make_app_at(&base);
+        let effects = app.dispatch(Action::FastForwardSpawn);
+        // The fast path loads off the event loop now; the run loop drains the
+        // channel, so do that by hand.
+        app.perform(effects).await;
+        let update = tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(5), app.draft_rx.recv())
+            .await
+            .expect("load completed")
+            .expect("channel open");
+        app.apply_draft_update(update).await;
+
+        assert!(
+            matches!(app.state.active_tab().pane, Some(PaneRef::Draft(_))),
+            "the fallback is a draft pane"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(app.state.focus, Focus::Pane);
+        assert_eq!(app.state.mode, Mode::Insert);
+        let PaneRef::Draft(draft) = app.state.active_tab().pane.as_ref().unwrap() else {
+            panic!("expected a draft pane");
+        };
+        // Whatever did resolve (nothing project-side) is seeded; the
+        // generated name still lands so the form is ready to go.
+        assert_eq!(draft.name.value(), "amber-falcon");
+        assert_eq!(draft.command(), "claude");
+    }
+
     /// A valid form flows through: pick a project (set directly — the picker
     /// itself is covered in `draft.rs`), select the custom tile, type a
     /// command, then submit from the Spawn row.
@@ -767,6 +1205,8 @@ mod tests {
         };
 
         draft.picked_cwd = Some(std::path::PathBuf::from("/srv/work"));
+        draft.base_repo = Some(std::path::PathBuf::from("/srv/work"));
+        draft.probed_cwd = Some(std::path::PathBuf::from("/srv/work"));
         draft.selected_preset = draft.presets.len() - 1; // custom
         app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Tab); // preset → custom command
         for c in "claude".chars() {
@@ -777,6 +1217,9 @@ mod tests {
         for c in "crimson-otter".chars() {
             app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::char(c));
         }
+        app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Tab); // → worktree toggle
+        app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Tab); // → branch mode
+        app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Tab); // → new-branch name
         app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Tab); // → submit
 
         match app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Enter).as_slice() {
@@ -793,6 +1236,49 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Editing the raw path with the worktree toggle on schedules a
+    /// `/api/gitroot` probe so the section learns its base repo (#65).
+    #[test]
+    fn typing_a_raw_path_schedules_a_gitroot_probe() {
+        let mut app = make_app();
+        app.dispatch(Action::NewDraftPane);
+        let PaneRef::Draft(draft) = app.state.active_tab_mut().pane.as_mut().unwrap() else {
+            panic!("expected a draft pane");
+        };
+        draft.cwd_raw_visible = true;
+        draft.focused_field = DraftField::CwdRaw;
+
+        let effects = app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::char('/'));
+        assert!(
+            matches!(
+                effects.as_slice(),
+                [Effect::ProbeGitRoot { tab: 0, seq: 2, .. }]
+            ),
+            "{effects:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Switching the worktree branch source to Existing schedules one
+    /// `/api/branches` load for the current target (#65).
+    #[test]
+    fn switching_to_existing_branch_mode_schedules_a_branch_load() {
+        let mut app = make_app();
+        app.dispatch(Action::NewDraftPane);
+        let PaneRef::Draft(draft) = app.state.active_tab_mut().pane.as_mut().unwrap() else {
+            panic!("expected a draft pane");
+        };
+        draft.picked_cwd = Some(std::path::PathBuf::from("/srv/repo"));
+        draft.base_repo = Some(std::path::PathBuf::from("/srv/repo"));
+        draft.probed_cwd = Some(std::path::PathBuf::from("/srv/repo"));
+        draft.focused_field = DraftField::BranchMode;
+
+        let effects = app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Right);
+        assert!(
+            matches!(effects.as_slice(), [Effect::LoadBranches(0)]),
+            "{effects:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
     /// Submitting with no directory names the missing field inside the form
     /// and posts nothing (#64).
     #[test]
@@ -800,7 +1286,7 @@ mod tests {
         let mut app = make_app();
         app.dispatch(Action::NewDraftPane);
         // Walk to Submit without picking anything.
-        for _ in 0..3 {
+        for _ in 0..4 {
             app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Tab);
         }
         assert!(app.handle_draft_input(&InputKey::Enter).is_empty());
@@ -909,7 +1395,15 @@ mod tests {
         let mut app = make_app_at(&base);
         let effects = app.dispatch(Action::NewDraftPane);
         assert!(matches!(effects.as_slice(), [Effect::LoadDraft(0)]));
+        // `perform` only spawns the load — it must not block the event loop on
+        // the network (#67 review). The result arrives on the draft channel,
+        // which the run loop drains; do that by hand here.
         app.perform(effects).await;
+        let update = tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(5), app.draft_rx.recv())
+            .await
+            .expect("load completed")
+            .expect("channel open");
+        app.apply_draft_update(update).await;
 
         let PaneRef::Draft(draft) = app.state.active_tab().pane.as_ref().unwrap() else {
             panic!("expected a draft pane");
@@ -1002,6 +1496,7 @@ mod tests {
                 cwd: std::path::PathBuf::from("/"),
                 env: Default::default(),
                 metadata: Default::default(),
+                worktree: None,
                 status: SessionStatus::Running,
                 created_at: Utc::now(),
                 foreground: None,

crates/maestro-tui/src/catalog.rs

@@ -188,6 +188,7 @@ mod tests {
             cwd: std::path::PathBuf::from("/tmp"),
             env: Default::default(),
             metadata: Default::default(),
+            worktree: None,
             status: SessionStatus::Running,
             created_at: Utc::now(),
             foreground: None,

crates/maestro-tui/src/config.rs

@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ const DEFAULT_NORMAL: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
     // Catalog actions
     ("enter", "AttachHighlighted"),
     ("s", "NewDraftPane"),
+    // Fast-forward spawn (#67): the draft-pane key's neighbour does the same
+    // thing with every default resolved and no form.
+    ("S", "FastForwardSpawn"),
     ("x", "KillHighlighted"),
     // Tabs
     ("ctrl-t", "NewTab"),
@@ -159,6 +162,10 @@ mod tests {
             cfg.keymap.resolve(Mode::Normal, "s"),
             Some(Action::NewDraftPane),
         );
+        assert_eq!(
+            cfg.keymap.resolve(Mode::Normal, "S"),
+            Some(Action::FastForwardSpawn),
+        );
     }
 
     #[test]

crates/maestro-tui/src/fast_forward.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,283 @@
+//! Fast-forward spawn (#67): one keystroke, every default resolved, no form.
+//!
+//! The defaults mirror what a draft pane would settle on after the operator
+//! picked the most recent project and kept their hands off everything else:
+//! its last command (or the first non-custom preset), a freshly generated
+//! name, and a worktree with a branch named after that name. Any default
+//! that cannot be resolved — no projects yet, no command, no generated
+//! name — downgrades the keystroke to a draft pane pre-filled with whatever
+//! did resolve ([`FastForwardDefaults::apply_to_draft`]).
+
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
+use maestro_protocol::{CreateSessionRequest, Project, SpawnPreset, WorktreeSpec};
+
+use crate::draft::DraftPane;
+
+/// What one fast-forward keystroke resolved. Every field optional: `None`
+/// anywhere means "open a draft instead of spawning".
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct FastForwardDefaults {
+    pub project: Option<Project>,
+    pub command: Option<String>,
+    pub name: Option<String>,
+}
+
+/// Resolve the fast-forward defaults from the daemon's answers. `name` is
+/// `None` when `/api/names` yielded nothing; `presets` may be empty (the
+/// caller falls back to the built-ins it already has).
+pub fn resolve(
+    projects: &[Project],
+    presets: &[SpawnPreset],
+    name: Option<String>,
+    now: DateTime<Utc>,
+) -> FastForwardDefaults {
+    let project = crate::projects::sort_projects(projects.to_vec(), now)
+        .into_iter()
+        .next();
+    let command = project
+        .as_ref()
+        .and_then(|p| p.last_command.clone())
+        .filter(|c| !c.trim().is_empty())
+        .or_else(|| {
+            presets
+                .iter()
+                .find(|p| !p.command.is_empty())
+                .map(|p| p.command.clone())
+        });
+    FastForwardDefaults {
+        project,
+        command,
+        name,
+    }
+}
+
+impl FastForwardDefaults {
+    /// The spawn request when *every* default resolved: worktree on, new
+    /// branch named after the generated session name, base repo from the
+    /// scan (`None` means the project is itself a main checkout).
+    pub fn build_request(&self) -> Option<CreateSessionRequest> {
+        let project = self.project.as_ref()?;
+        let command = self.command.as_deref()?.trim();
+        let name = self.name.as_deref()?;
+        if command.is_empty() || name.is_empty() {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let mut metadata = std::collections::HashMap::new();
+        metadata.insert(
+            "name".to_string(),
+            serde_json::Value::String(name.to_string()),
+        );
+        Some(CreateSessionRequest {
+            cwd: project.path.clone(),
+            command: command.to_string(),
+            env: Default::default(),
+            metadata,
+            worktree: Some(WorktreeSpec {
+                base_repo: project
+                    .base_repo
+                    .clone()
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|| project.path.clone()),
+                branch: name.to_string(),
+                cleanup_on_kill: true,
+                create_branch: true,
+            }),
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Seed a fresh draft pane with whatever did resolve — the fallback when
+    /// [`Self::build_request`] is `None`. The operator fills in the rest.
+    pub fn apply_to_draft(&self, draft: &mut DraftPane) {
+        if let Some(project) = &self.project {
+            draft.picked_cwd = Some(PathBuf::from(&project.path));
+            // The scan already knows this directory's repo (#61): no probe
+            // round trip needed, exactly like picking the row by hand.
+            draft.base_repo = Some(
+                project
+                    .base_repo
+                    .clone()
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|| project.path.clone()),
+            );
+            draft.probed_cwd = Some(PathBuf::from(&project.path));
+        }
+        if let Some(command) = &self.command {
+            if let Some(idx) = draft.presets.iter().position(|p| &p.command == command) {
+                draft.selected_preset = idx;
+            } else if !command.trim().is_empty() {
+                // A last_command no preset advertises lands in custom free text.
+                draft.selected_preset = draft.presets.len().saturating_sub(1);
+                draft.custom_command = crate::text_input::TextInput::with_value(command);
+            }
+        }
+        if let Some(name) = &self.name {
+            draft.set_name(name.clone());
+            // Seeded, not generated: a later refill must not clobber it.
+            draft.name_touched = true;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use chrono::TimeDelta;
+
+    fn project(path: &str, days_ago: i64, cmd: Option<&str>) -> Project {
+        Project {
+            path: PathBuf::from(path),
+            name: path.rsplit('/').next().unwrap_or(path).into(),
+            is_worktree: false,
+            base_repo: None,
+            last_activity: Some(Utc::now() - TimeDelta::days(days_ago)),
+            last_command: cmd.map(String::from),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn repo_project(path: &str, base: &str, days_ago: i64, cmd: Option<&str>) -> Project {
+        Project {
+            base_repo: Some(PathBuf::from(base)),
+            ..project(path, days_ago, cmd)
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn preset(id: &str, command: &str) -> SpawnPreset {
+        SpawnPreset {
+            id: id.into(),
+            label: id.into(),
+            command: command.into(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn resolves_every_default_from_the_most_recent_project() {
+        let projects = vec![
+            project("/repos/old", 30, Some("zsh")),
+            repo_project("/repos/fresh", "/repos/fresh", 0, Some("claude")),
+        ];
+        let presets = vec![preset("aider", "aider"), preset("custom", "")];
+        let r = resolve(&projects, &presets, Some("amber-falcon".into()), Utc::now());
+        assert_eq!(
+            r.project.as_ref().unwrap().path,
+            PathBuf::from("/repos/fresh")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(r.command.as_deref(), Some("claude"));
+        assert_eq!(r.name.as_deref(), Some("amber-falcon"));
+
+        let req = r.build_request().expect("all defaults resolved");
+        assert_eq!(req.cwd, PathBuf::from("/repos/fresh"));
+        assert_eq!(req.command, "claude");
+        assert_eq!(
+            req.metadata.get("name").and_then(|v| v.as_str()),
+            Some("amber-falcon")
+        );
+        let wt = req.worktree.expect("worktree on");
+        assert_eq!(wt.base_repo, PathBuf::from("/repos/fresh"));
+        assert_eq!(wt.branch, "amber-falcon");
+        assert!(wt.create_branch, "fresh branch named after the session");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn worktree_of_the_most_recent_project_targets_its_base_repo() {
+        let projects = vec![repo_project("/repos/main/wt-x", "/repos/main", 0, None)];
+        let r = resolve(
+            &projects,
+            &[preset("zsh", "zsh")],
+            Some("s".into()),
+            Utc::now(),
+        );
+        let wt = r.build_request().unwrap().worktree.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(wt.base_repo, PathBuf::from("/repos/main"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_last_command_falls_back_to_the_first_non_custom_preset() {
+        let projects = vec![project("/repos/p", 0, None)];
+        let presets = vec![preset("custom", ""), preset("claude", "claude")];
+        let r = resolve(&projects, &presets, Some("n".into()), Utc::now());
+        assert_eq!(r.command.as_deref(), Some("claude"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn an_empty_last_command_is_no_command_at_all() {
+        let projects = vec![project("/repos/p", 0, Some(""))];
+        let presets = vec![preset("custom", "")];
+        let r = resolve(&projects, &presets, Some("n".into()), Utc::now());
+        assert_eq!(r.command, None);
+        assert!(r.build_request().is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn nothing_resolves_when_no_projects_are_known_yet() {
+        let r = resolve(
+            &[],
+            &[preset("claude", "claude")],
+            Some("n".into()),
+            Utc::now(),
+        );
+        assert_eq!(r.project, None);
+        // No project → no directory → no request, even with command + name.
+        assert!(r.build_request().is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_missing_generated_name_downgrades_to_a_draft() {
+        let projects = vec![project("/repos/p", 0, Some("claude"))];
+        let r = resolve(&projects, &[preset("claude", "claude")], None, Utc::now());
+        assert!(r.build_request().is_none(), "no name → no immediate spawn");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unresolvable_defaults_still_seed_the_draft_with_what_resolved() {
+        let projects = vec![repo_project("/repos/p", "/repos/p", 0, Some("aider"))];
+        let r = resolve(&projects, &[preset("aider", "aider")], None, Utc::now());
+
+        let mut draft = DraftPane::default();
+        r.apply_to_draft(&mut draft);
+        assert_eq!(draft.cwd(), Some(PathBuf::from("/repos/p")));
+        assert_eq!(draft.base_repo, Some(PathBuf::from("/repos/p")));
+        assert_eq!(draft.command(), "aider");
+        assert!(
+            draft.name.value().is_empty(),
+            "nothing to seed the name with"
+        );
+        assert!(draft.worktree_enabled);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_resolved_name_survives_late_refills_and_tracks_the_branch() {
+        let projects = vec![project("/repos/p", 0, Some("claude"))];
+        let named = resolve(
+            &projects,
+            &[preset("claude", "claude")],
+            Some("amber-falcon".into()),
+            Utc::now(),
+        );
+        let mut draft = DraftPane::default();
+        named.apply_to_draft(&mut draft);
+        // A later batch must not overwrite the name the spawn was seeded with.
+        draft.seed_names(vec!["late-name".into()]);
+        assert_eq!(draft.name.value(), "amber-falcon");
+        assert_eq!(draft.branch.value(), "amber-falcon");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn an_unresolved_name_still_gets_generated_by_a_later_batch() {
+        let projects = vec![project("/repos/p", 0, Some("claude"))];
+        let r = resolve(&projects, &[preset("claude", "claude")], None, Utc::now());
+        let mut draft = DraftPane::default();
+        r.apply_to_draft(&mut draft);
+        draft.seed_names(vec!["late-name".into()]);
+        assert_eq!(draft.name.value(), "late-name");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_last_command_no_preset_advertises_lands_in_custom_text() {
+        let projects = vec![project("/repos/p", 0, Some("nvim -d"))];
+        let r = resolve(&projects, &[preset("claude", "claude")], None, Utc::now());
+        let mut draft = DraftPane::default();
+        r.apply_to_draft(&mut draft);
+        assert_eq!(draft.command(), "nvim -d");
+        assert!(draft.is_custom());
+    }
+}

crates/maestro-tui/src/lib.rs

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ pub mod cli;
 pub mod config;
 pub mod draft;
 pub mod emulators;
+pub mod fast_forward;
 pub mod input;
 pub mod keymap;
 pub mod overlays;

crates/maestro-tui/src/sidebar.rs

@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ mod tests {
             cwd: std::path::PathBuf::from("/tmp"),
             env: Default::default(),
             metadata,
+            worktree: None,
             status: SessionStatus::Running,
             created_at: Utc::now(),
             foreground: None,
@@ -179,6 +180,7 @@ mod tests {
             cwd: std::path::PathBuf::from("/tmp"),
             env: Default::default(),
             metadata: HashMap::new(),
+            worktree: None,
             status: SessionStatus::Running,
             created_at: Utc::now(),
             foreground: None,

docs/WORKTREES.md

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+# Worktrees
+
+Maestro can create a git worktree for a session and is responsible for it from
+that moment until the worktree is removed. This document is the contract for
+that lifetime: where a worktree goes, what ends a session, what survives, and
+what the operator has to do by hand.
+
+It exists because the rules here are not guessable from the code. Every rule
+below was decided once, re-litigated in review, and decided the same way again.
+The reasoning is written down alongside each rule so the next reader does not
+have to reconstruct it.
+
+## Nothing is ever adopted
+
+The daemon only ever removes a worktree it created in this session's lifetime or
+recorded in its retained store. It never takes ownership of a directory it finds
+on disk, whatever that directory looks like.
+
+There is no reliable way to ask "is this worktree mine?". A git worktree carries
+no marker distinguishing one a daemon made from one a human made ten minutes
+earlier, and any heuristic that answers the question will eventually answer it
+wrong — in the direction of deleting somebody's work.
+
+So the daemon does not ask. If the target path is occupied by anything at all, it
+picks a different path.
+
+## Placement
+
+A worktree for branch `<branch>` of repository `<repo>` goes to
+`<repo>/worktrees/<branch>`, where `<repo>` is the main checkout — not whichever
+worktree the request happened to come from.
+
+The branch name is used verbatim as a relative path, so `feature/login` becomes
+`worktrees/feature/login`. A branch name that cannot be a relative path falls
+back to a short hash of the branch.
+
+If that path exists, the daemon appends `-2`, then `-3`, and so on until it finds
+a free one. The suffix names the **directory only**. The branch is whatever was
+requested; a second worktree of the same branch is not what happens here, because
+git refuses to check the same branch out twice and the branch picker already
+marks branches that are checked out elsewhere.
+
+### The `worktree_root` override
+
+`[daemon].worktree_root` moves every worktree out of the repository and under one
+root. The per-repository directory is the repository's basename plus a short
+digest of its full path — the digest is what keeps two repositories with the same
+basename apart. Inside it the layout and the collision suffix are the same.
+
+## What ends a session
+
+`DELETE /api/sessions/:id` is **refused** when the session's worktree holds
+unsaved work, meaning any of:
+
+- uncommitted changes to tracked files
+- untracked files that are not ignored
+- commits on the branch reachable from no remote-tracking ref
+
+Ignored files never block. Every Rust worktree has a `target/`; if ignored files
+counted, no session would ever be killable.
+
+The refusal is a structured error naming what blocked it and how much of it there
+is, so a client can say "3 uncommitted files, 2 unpushed commits". The session
+keeps running and the worktree is untouched.
+
+The point of refusing rather than cleaning up is that the session stays as the
+operator's handle on their own unfinished work. A session that is killed while
+its worktree still matters leaves a directory nobody is looking at.
+
+A consequence, accepted deliberately: a feature branch almost always has unpushed
+commits, so `--force` is the ordinary way to end a session, not an exception.
+That is only safe because force retains.
+
+### `--force`
+
+`--force` overrides the refusal and nothing else. It ends the session and
+**retains** the worktree, which enters the retained store with reason
+`force-killed`. Force never removes a tree that would have blocked.
+
+Ending a session and destroying its work are two separate destructive acts. Each
+is chosen on its own, and the second one — reclaim — is chosen while looking at
+exactly what would be lost.
+
+### Exiting on its own
+
+A session that ends by itself — the command finished, the operator typed `exit` —
+never reaches the kill path. When the watcher notices the tmux session is gone it
+applies the same rule: a pristine worktree is removed, anything else is retained
+with reason `exited-with-unsaved-work`.
+
+Nobody is waiting for an answer here, so there is nothing to refuse; the choice is
+only between removing and retaining. It uses the same predicate as the kill, from
+the same place, so the two paths cannot drift apart.
+
+## The retained store
+
+A `state_dir`-backed record of worktrees the daemon created that no longer have a
+session. For each one: the path, the base repository, the branch, why it was
+retained, and when.
+
+It survives a daemon restart. It is the recovery path for everything above — a
+store that is lost on restart is worse than no store, because the worktrees are
+still on disk with nothing pointing at them.
+
+Entries leave when the worktree is reclaimed, and when the daemon notices the
+directory is gone because somebody removed it by hand.
+
+**It is not an ownership record.** It must never be consulted to decide whether a
+path may be adopted — see the first rule. Its only job is to remember what the
+daemon is holding so that it can be listed and reclaimed.
+
+## Reclaim
+
+`GET /api/worktrees` lists the store: path, base repository, branch, reason, when,
+and what is currently in the way. The in-the-way breakdown is recomputed on read,
+not stored, so a tree whose work has since been pushed says so.
+
+`DELETE /api/worktrees/<id>` reclaims one. It removes the directory and drops the
+store entry. It does **not** consult the guard — reclaim is the deliberate
+destructive act, and the operator chose it while looking at what was in the way.
+
+It never deletes the branch. `git worktree remove` leaves the ref, and reclaiming
+a tree must not throw away commits on it. This is worth saying out loud in every
+client, because "reclaim" otherwise sounds like it takes the commits too.
+
+Nothing is reclaimed automatically. There is no age-based expiry and no bulk
+reclaim.

web/README.md

@@ -20,9 +20,10 @@ src/
   main.ts        # entry point, hash-route dispatch
   api.ts         # daemon HTTP API client
   events.ts      # `/api/events` WebSocket subscriber
-  catalog.ts     # session tree view (groups by working directory)
-  attach.ts      # xterm.js + attach WS view
-  spawn.ts       # spawn-session modal
+   catalog.ts     # session tree view (groups by working directory)
+   attach.ts      # xterm.js + attach WS view
+   multiview.ts   # tabs + split panes; draft panes host the spawn form
+   spawnForm.ts   # shared spawn form (preset tiles, project picker, worktree)
   theme.ts       # dark/light theme toggle + persistence
   types.ts       # mirror of `maestro-protocol` JSON shapes
   styles.css     # design-system tokens + component styles
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ follows the OS by default and can be pinned via the header toggle (persisted in
 
 `mock.ts` is a DEV-only fixture (stripped from production builds): visit the dev
 server with `?mock` to seed a representative catalog without a running daemon,
-`?mock&spawn` to open the spawn modal, and `?theme=light|dark` to pin a theme.
+`?mock&spawn` to open a draft pane, and `?theme=light|dark` to pin a theme.
 
 Routing is hash-based:
 - `#/` → catalog

web/src/catalog.ts

@@ -6,9 +6,15 @@ import type { Session } from "./types.js";
 import { abbreviateFolderName, sessionName } from "./types.js";
 import type { TreeNode } from "./tree.js";
 import { buildTree } from "./tree.js";
-import { openSpawnModal } from "./spawn.js";
 import { createThemeToggle } from "./theme.js";
 
+/** Ask the shell to open a new draft pane (#62). Handled in main.ts, where the
+ *  multi-view controller lives; dispatched from every Spawn affordance. */
+export const OPEN_SPAWN_EVENT = "catalog-open-spawn";
+export function requestOpenSpawn(): void {
+  document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(OPEN_SPAWN_EVENT));
+}
+
 const collapsed = new Set<string>();
 
 function renderNode(node: TreeNode, depth: number): HTMLElement {
@@ -190,7 +196,9 @@ export function renderTopbar(store: CatalogStore, onToggleSidebar?: () => void):
   spawnBtn.type = "button";
   spawnBtn.className = "btn btn-primary spawn-btn";
   spawnBtn.textContent = "+ Spawn";
-  spawnBtn.addEventListener("click", () => openSpawnModal());
+  // The keyboard pair sits right here in the tooltip (#67).
+  spawnBtn.title = "Draft pane: n — fast-forward spawn: N";
+  spawnBtn.addEventListener("click", () => requestOpenSpawn());
   actions.appendChild(spawnBtn);
   return header;
 }
@@ -342,7 +350,7 @@ export function renderSidebar(store: CatalogStore, opts: SidebarOptions = {}): S
     treeHost.replaceChildren();
     if (sessions.length === 0) {
       treeHost.appendChild(
-        renderEmpty(filter.trim().length > 0, () => openSpawnModal()),
+        renderEmpty(filter.trim().length > 0, () => requestOpenSpawn()),
       );
       return;
     }
@@ -364,14 +372,8 @@ export function renderSidebar(store: CatalogStore, opts: SidebarOptions = {}): S
   const rerenderHandler = () => refresh();
   document.addEventListener("catalog-rerender", rerenderHandler);
 
-  // Spawn similar: reopen the spawn modal pre-seeded from a session's dir and
-  // command (matched back to a preset by the form) — but with a freshly
-  // generated name rather than the original's, since it's a new session.
-  const spawnSimilarHandler = (ev: Event) => {
-    const s = (ev as CustomEvent<Session>).detail;
-    openSpawnModal({ cwd: s.cwd, command: s.command });
-  };
-  document.addEventListener("catalog-spawn-similar", spawnSimilarHandler);
+  // "Spawn similar" (#28) is dispatched here and handled in main.ts, where the
+  // multi-view controller can seed a draft pane with the session's dir/command.
 
   const unsubscribe = store.subscribe(refresh);
 
@@ -391,7 +393,6 @@ export function renderSidebar(store: CatalogStore, opts: SidebarOptions = {}): S
     },
     dispose() {
       document.removeEventListener("catalog-rerender", rerenderHandler);
-      document.removeEventListener("catalog-spawn-similar", spawnSimilarHandler);
       unsubscribe();
     },
   };

web/src/fastForward.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  buildFastForwardRequest,
+  fastForwardSeed,
+  resolveFastForward,
+} from "./fastForward.js";
+import type { Project, SpawnPreset } from "./types.js";
+
+const presets: SpawnPreset[] = [
+  { id: "custom", label: "Custom…", command: "" },
+  { id: "claude", label: "Claude", command: "claude" },
+];
+
+function project(overrides: Partial<Project>): Project {
+  return {
+    path: "/repos/p",
+    name: "p",
+    last_activity: new Date().toISOString(),
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+describe("resolveFastForward (#67)", () => {
+  it("resolves every default from the most recent project", () => {
+    const projects = [
+      project({ path: "/repos/old", name: "old", last_activity: "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z" }),
+      project({
+        path: "/repos/fresh",
+        name: "fresh",
+        base_repo: "/repos/fresh",
+        last_command: "aider",
+      }),
+    ];
+    const res = resolveFastForward(projects, presets, "amber-falcon");
+    expect(res.project?.path).toBe("/repos/fresh");
+    expect(res.command).toBe("aider");
+    expect(res.name).toBe("amber-falcon");
+
+    const req = buildFastForwardRequest(res)!;
+    expect(req.cwd).toBe("/repos/fresh");
+    expect(req.command).toBe("aider");
+    expect(req.metadata).toEqual({ name: "amber-falcon" });
+    expect(req.worktree).toEqual({
+      base_repo: "/repos/fresh",
+      branch: "amber-falcon",
+      cleanup_on_kill: true,
+      create_branch: true,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to the first non-custom preset when there is no last command", () => {
+    const res = resolveFastForward([project({ last_command: undefined })], presets, "n");
+    expect(res.command).toBe("claude");
+  });
+
+  it("treats an empty last command as no command", () => {
+    const res = resolveFastForward([project({ last_command: "" })], [presets[0]], "n");
+    expect(res.command).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(buildFastForwardRequest(res)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("resolves nothing when no projects are known yet", () => {
+    const res = resolveFastForward([], presets, "n");
+    expect(res.project).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(buildFastForwardRequest(res)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("downgrades to a draft when the generated name is missing", () => {
+    const res = resolveFastForward([project({ last_command: "claude" })], presets);
+    expect(res.name).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(buildFastForwardRequest(res)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("seeds the fallback draft with whatever did resolve", () => {
+    const res = resolveFastForward(
+      [project({ path: "/repos/p", base_repo: "/repos/p", last_command: "aider" })],
+      presets,
+    );
+    expect(fastForwardSeed(res)).toEqual({
+      cwd: "/repos/p",
+      command: "aider",
+      name: "",
+      worktreeEnabled: true,
+      worktreeBranch: undefined,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("leaves the worktree default alone when not even a project resolved", () => {
+    // Not `false`: the form defaults the toggle on and a false would stick,
+    // so the fallback draft would disagree with a normally-opened draft and
+    // with the TUI's fast path.
+    const seed = fastForwardSeed(resolveFastForward([], presets));
+    expect(seed.worktreeEnabled).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(seed.cwd).toBe("");
+  });
+});

web/src/fastForward.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+// Fast-forward spawn (#67): one keystroke, every default resolved, no form.
+// Pure resolution only — the caller (main.ts) owns the fetches and the POST,
+// and falls back to a seeded draft pane when anything is missing.
+
+import type { CreateSessionRequest, Project, SpawnPreset } from "./types.js";
+import { sortProjects } from "./projectList.js";
+
+/** What one fast-forward keystroke resolved. Anything absent means "open a
+ *  draft pre-filled with the rest instead of spawning". */
+export interface FastForwardResolution {
+  project?: Project;
+  command?: string;
+  name?: string;
+}
+
+/** The defaults: most recent project (fresh-first, same ordering the picker
+ *  shows), its last command falling back to the first non-custom preset, and
+ *  a freshly generated name when the daemon supplied one. */
+export function resolveFastForward(
+  projects: Project[],
+  presets: SpawnPreset[],
+  name?: string,
+): FastForwardResolution {
+  const project = sortProjects(projects, new Date())[0];
+  const lastCommand = project?.last_command?.trim();
+  const command =
+    lastCommand || presets.find((p) => p.command !== "")?.command || undefined;
+  return { project, command, name: name || undefined };
+}
+
+/** The immediate spawn request — worktree on, new branch named after the
+ *  generated session name — or `null` when any default is missing. */
+export function buildFastForwardRequest(
+  res: FastForwardResolution,
+): CreateSessionRequest | null {
+  const { project, command, name } = res;
+  if (!project || !command?.trim() || !name) return null;
+  return {
+    cwd: project.path,
+    command,
+    metadata: { name },
+    worktree: {
+      base_repo: project.base_repo ?? project.path,
+      branch: name,
+      cleanup_on_kill: true,
+      create_branch: true,
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+/** Seed for the fallback draft pane: whatever did resolve goes into the
+ *  form; the rest stays with its own defaults. */
+export function fastForwardSeed(res: FastForwardResolution) {
+  return {
+    cwd: res.project?.path ?? "",
+    command: res.command ?? "",
+    name: res.name ?? "",
+    // Left undefined rather than false when nothing resolved: the form
+    // defaults the toggle on, and `false` would stick, so the fallback draft
+    // would disagree with both a normally-opened draft and the TUI's fast path
+    // (#67 review).
+    worktreeEnabled: res.project ? true : undefined,
+    worktreeBranch:
+      res.project && res.name ? res.name : undefined,
+  };
+}

web/src/html.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-// One HTML escaper. Previously written four times, in catalog.ts, spawn.ts,
-// types.ts and attach.ts.
+// One HTML escaper. Previously written four times, in catalog.ts, types.ts
+// and attach.ts.
 
 export function escapeHtml(s: string): string {
   return s

web/src/kit.css

@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
   background: color-mix(in oklab, var(--surface) 40%, var(--bg));
 }
 
-.kit-slot .modal-body {
+.kit-slot .spawn-form {
   padding: 0;
   min-width: 200px;
 }

web/src/kit.ts

@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ export function renderKit(): HTMLElement {
   {
     const { el, body } = section(
       "Buttons — current",
-      "The shipping button styles — now the bracket terminal style, as used across the header, modal, and empty states.",
+      "The shipping button styles — now the bracket terminal style, as used across the header, panes, and empty states.",
     );
     body.append(
       specimen("btn-primary", btn("btn btn-primary", "+ Spawn")),
@@ -170,12 +170,12 @@ export function renderKit(): HTMLElement {
     search.type = "search";
     search.className = "search";
     search.placeholder = "Search sessions…";
-    const text = h("div", "modal-body");
+    const text = h("div", "spawn-form");
     const ti = document.createElement("input");
     ti.type = "text";
     ti.placeholder = "branch-name";
     text.appendChild(ti);
-    const sel = h("div", "modal-body");
+    const sel = h("div", "spawn-form");
     const s = document.createElement("select");
     s.innerHTML = `<option>thinkpad</option><option>tower</option><option>pi</option>`;
     sel.appendChild(s);

web/src/main.ts

@@ -3,13 +3,25 @@ import { ConnectionPool } from "./connections.js";
 import { installHudKeybind } from "./debug.js";
 import { CatalogStore } from "./events.js";
 import { shouldRetryClose } from "./reconnect.js";
+import {
+  createSession,
+  fetchNames,
+  getDaemonInfo,
+  projects as fetchProjects,
+} from "./api.js";
+import {
+  buildFastForwardRequest,
+  fastForwardSeed,
+  resolveFastForward,
+} from "./fastForward.js";
+import { FALLBACK_PRESETS } from "./spawnForm.js";
 import { mountHud, type Hud } from "./hud.js";
 import { emptyLayout, type Layout, openSessions } from "./layout.js";
 import { createMultiView, type MultiView } from "./multiview.js";
 import { loadLayout, saveLayout } from "./persistence.js";
-import { openSpawnModal } from "./spawn.js";
+import { OPEN_SPAWN_EVENT } from "./catalog.js";
 import { initTheme } from "./theme.js";
-import { sessionName } from "./types.js";
+import { sessionName, type Project, type Session, type SpawnPreset } from "./types.js";
 import { installViewportSizing } from "./viewport.js";
 import "./styles.css";
 
@@ -212,7 +224,8 @@ function renderWelcome(): HTMLElement {
   spawn.type = "button";
   spawn.className = "btn btn-primary";
   spawn.textContent = "+ Spawn session";
-  spawn.addEventListener("click", () => openSpawnModal());
+  spawn.title = "Draft pane: n — fast-forward spawn: N";
+  spawn.addEventListener("click", () => requestOpenSpawn());
   (el.querySelector(".empty-actions") as HTMLElement).appendChild(spawn);
   return el;
 }
@@ -251,6 +264,84 @@ function showMultiView(): void {
   updateShellRoute();
 }
 
+// Spawn affordances (#62): the header button, the sidebar's empty state, and
+// `?mock&spawn` all open a draft pane; "Spawn similar" seeds one with the
+// cloned session's dir + command.
+function requestOpenSpawn(): void {
+  showMultiView();
+  mv.openDraft();
+}
+document.addEventListener(OPEN_SPAWN_EVENT, () => requestOpenSpawn());
+document.addEventListener("catalog-spawn-similar", (ev) => {
+  const s = (ev as CustomEvent<Session>).detail;
+  showMultiView();
+  mv.openDraft({ cwd: s.cwd, command: s.command });
+});
+
+// Fast-forward spawn (#67): the draft pane's keystroke neighbour spawns
+// immediately with every default resolved — most recent project, its last
+// command (or the first non-custom preset), a fresh name, worktree on with
+// a new branch named after that name. Anything unresolvable (no projects
+// known yet, no command, no generated name) opens a draft pre-filled with
+// what did resolve instead.
+async function requestFastForward(): Promise<void> {
+  showMultiView();
+  const [discovered, name] = await Promise.all([
+    fetchProjects().catch(() => [] as Project[]),
+    fetchNames(1)
+      .then((batch) => batch.names[0])
+      .catch(() => undefined),
+  ]);
+  let presets: SpawnPreset[] = FALLBACK_PRESETS;
+  try {
+    const info = await getDaemonInfo();
+    if (info.presets?.length) presets = info.presets;
+  } catch {
+    /* keep fallbacks */
+  }
+  const resolved = resolveFastForward(discovered, presets, name);
+  const req = buildFastForwardRequest(resolved);
+  if (req) {
+    try {
+      const session = await createSession(req);
+      // Mount it, the way the TUI's fast path attaches. Without this the
+      // keystroke creates a session and leaves the UI untouched, so it reads
+      // as a dead key (#67 review).
+      mv.openSessionBeside(session.id);
+      updateShellRoute();
+      return;
+    } catch {
+      // A failed POST degrades to the same pre-filled draft as an
+      // unresolvable default — never a silent dead keystroke.
+    }
+  }
+  mv.openDraft(fastForwardSeed(resolved));
+}
+
+// Keyboard pair (#67): `n` opens a draft pane, `N` fast-forwards a spawn.
+// Ignored while typing anywhere (form fields, the terminal's hidden
+// textarea, search) so an attached session's keys are never hijacked.
+document.addEventListener("keydown", (e) => {
+  if (e.ctrlKey || e.altKey || e.metaKey) return;
+  const target = e.target as HTMLElement | null;
+  if (
+    target &&
+    (target.tagName === "INPUT" ||
+      target.tagName === "TEXTAREA" ||
+      target.tagName === "SELECT" ||
+      target.isContentEditable)
+  ) {
+    return;
+  }
+  if (e.key === "n") {
+    e.preventDefault();
+    requestOpenSpawn();
+  } else if (e.key === "N") {
+    e.preventDefault();
+    void requestFastForward();
+  }
+});
+
 type Route =
   | { kind: "catalog" }
   | { kind: "attach"; sessionId: string }

web/src/mock.ts

@@ -135,10 +135,10 @@ export function seedMock(store: CatalogStore): void {
     sessions,
   });
 
-  // `?mock&spawn` auto-opens the spawn modal for visual review, with the spawn
+  // `?mock&spawn` auto-opens a draft pane for visual review, with the spawn
   // backend endpoints stubbed so presets/projects/gitroot all render.
   if (location.search.includes("spawn")) {
     stubSpawnApi();
-    void import("./spawn.js").then((m) => m.openSpawnModal());
+    document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("catalog-open-spawn"));
   }
 }

web/src/multiview.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+// @vitest-environment happy-dom
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+import { emptyLayout, leaves, type Layout } from "./layout.js";
+import { splitLeaf } from "./layout.js";
+import { createMultiView, type MultiView } from "./multiview.js";
+import type { ConnectionPool } from "./connections.js";
+import type { SidebarHandle } from "./catalog.js";
+
+function stubFetch(): void {
+  vi.stubGlobal(
+    "fetch",
+    vi.fn(async (input: RequestInfo | URL) => {
+      const url = String(input);
+      const body = url.includes("/api/info")
+        ? { hostname: "h", version: "0", home_dir: "/home/user", presets: [] }
+        : url.includes("/api/projects")
+          ? []
+          : url.includes("/api/names")
+            ? { names: ["allegro-cello"] }
+            : undefined;
+      return new Response(JSON.stringify(body), { status: 200 });
+    }),
+  );
+}
+
+function fakePool(): ConnectionPool {
+  return {
+    setVisible() {},
+    setFocus() {},
+  } as unknown as ConnectionPool;
+}
+
+function fakeSidebar(): SidebarHandle {
+  return {
+    el: document.createElement("aside"),
+    setActive() {},
+    setHighlights() {},
+    dispose() {},
+  };
+}
+
+function makeMv(layout: Layout): MultiView {
+  return createMultiView({
+    pool: fakePool(),
+    layout,
+    sidebar: fakeSidebar(),
+    infoFor: () => ({ name: "sess", command: "bash" }),
+    onDisconnect: () => {},
+    renderWelcome: () => document.createElement("div"),
+  });
+}
+
+/** Drain the microtask queue so the draft form's async seed application lands. */
+async function flush(): Promise<void> {
+  for (let i = 0; i < 20; i++) await Promise.resolve();
+}
+
+describe("multiview openDraft (#62)", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    stubFetch();
+    document.body.replaceChildren();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+  });
+
+  it("turns an empty tab into a draft pane", async () => {
+    const layout = emptyLayout();
+    const mv = makeMv(layout);
+    document.body.appendChild(mv.el);
+
+    mv.openDraft();
+    await flush();
+
+    const ls = leaves(layout.tabs[0].root);
+    expect(ls).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(ls[0].sessionId).toBeNull();
+    expect(ls[0].draft).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(mv.el.querySelector(".mv-draft")).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it("splits the focused session pane into a fresh draft", async () => {
+    const layout = emptyLayout();
+    const tab = layout.tabs[0];
+    const first = splitLeaf(tab, "", "s1", "row", true);
+    tab.focusedLeafId = first;
+    const mv = makeMv(layout);
+    document.body.appendChild(mv.el);
+    mv.render();
+
+    mv.openDraft();
+    await flush();
+
+    const ls = leaves(tab.root);
+    expect(ls).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(ls[0].sessionId).toBe("s1");
+    const draftLeaf = ls.find((l) => l.sessionId === null)!;
+    expect(draftLeaf.draft).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(tab.focusedLeafId).toBe(draftLeaf.id);
+    expect(mv.el.querySelectorAll(".mv-pane")).toHaveLength(2);
+  });
+
+  it("reuses the focused pane when it is already empty", async () => {
+    const layout = emptyLayout();
+    const tab = layout.tabs[0];
+    const first = splitLeaf(tab, "", "s1", "row", true);
+    const empty = splitLeaf(tab, first, null, "row", true);
+    tab.focusedLeafId = empty;
+    const mv = makeMv(layout);
+    document.body.appendChild(mv.el);
+    mv.render();
+
+    mv.openDraft();
+    await flush();
+
+    const ls = leaves(tab.root);
+    expect(ls).toHaveLength(2);
+    const target = ls.find((l) => l.id === empty)!;
+    expect(target.draft).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(tab.focusedLeafId).toBe(empty);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps the draft form instance when an unrelated session closes (#68)", async () => {
+    const layout = emptyLayout();
+    const tab = layout.tabs[0];
+    const s1 = splitLeaf(tab, "", "s1", "row", true);
+    const draftLeaf = splitLeaf(tab, s1, null, "row", true);
+    tab.focusedLeafId = draftLeaf;
+    const mv = makeMv(layout);
+    document.body.appendChild(mv.el);
+    mv.render();
+    await flush();
+
+    const nameInput = mv.el.querySelector(".mv-draft input[name=name]") as HTMLInputElement;
+    nameInput.value = "wip";
+    nameInput.dispatchEvent(new Event("input"));
+    await flush();
+    expect(leaves(tab.root).find((l) => l.id === draftLeaf)?.draft?.name).toBe("wip");
+
+    const formBefore = mv.el.querySelector(".mv-draft");
+    mv.closeSession("s1");
+    await flush();
+
+    expect(mv.el.querySelector(".mv-draft")).toBe(formBefore);
+    expect((mv.el.querySelector(".mv-draft input[name=name]") as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe("wip");
+  });
+
+  it("seeds a clone's cwd and command into the draft", async () => {
+    const layout = emptyLayout();
+    const mv = makeMv(layout);
+    document.body.appendChild(mv.el);
+
+    mv.openDraft({ cwd: "/home/user/proj", command: "claude" });
+    await flush();
+
+    const leaf = leaves(layout.tabs[0].root)[0];
+    expect(leaf.draft?.cwd).toBe("/home/user/proj");
+    expect(leaf.draft?.command).toBe("claude");
+  });
+});

web/src/multiview.ts

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
   closeTab,
   findLeaf,
   type Dir,
+  type Draft,
   type Layout,
   leaves,
   locateSession,
@@ -48,10 +49,15 @@ export interface MultiView {
   /** Bring a session into the layout: focus it if already open, else fill the
    *  focused pane (or open the first pane in an empty tab). */
   openSession: (sessionId: string) => void;
+  openSessionBeside: (sessionId: string) => void;
   /** Drop the pane showing `sessionId` (the session was disconnected/killed). */
   closeSession: (sessionId: string) => void;
   /** Every session currently shown in some pane, across all tabs. */
   openSessions: () => Set<string>;
+  /** Open a draft pane (issue #62): reuse the focused pane if it is already
+   *  empty, otherwise split the focused pane. `seed` pre-fills the form
+   *  ("Spawn similar" clones a session's cwd + command). */
+  openDraft: (seed?: Partial<Draft>) => void;
   /** Start dragging a sidebar session into the canvas (issue #32). The
    *  controller owns drag-vs-tap: a tap lets the row's normal click open it, a
    *  drag shows drop zones to place it. */
@@ -65,9 +71,11 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
   const { pool, layout, sidebar, infoFor, onDisconnect, renderWelcome } = opts;
   const persist = () => opts.onLayoutChange?.();
 
-  // Draft-pane forms (#57) carry global listeners (dir autocomplete), so each
-  // render tears down the previous generation before rebuilding the canvas.
-  const draftForms = new Set<SpawnFormHandle>();
+  // Draft-pane forms (#57) carry global listeners (dir autocomplete), so forms
+  // whose leaves are gone are destroyed on each render. Forms for draft leaves
+  // that survive the render are reused in place (#68): rebuilding one mid-edit
+  // would drop focus, caret and selection, and re-fetch info/projects/names.
+  const draftForms = new Map<string, SpawnFormHandle>();
 
   const el = document.createElement("div");
   el.className = "mv";
@@ -145,30 +153,35 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
       // Draft pane (#57): an empty pane is a spawn form. Values hang off the
       // leaf (never persisted) so each draft keeps its own half-filled state;
       // submitting fills this leaf with the new session in place.
-      const form = createSpawnForm({
-        seed: leaf.draft ?? undefined,
-        class: "mv-draft",
-        onChange: (values) => {
-          leaf.draft = values;
-        },
-        onSuccess: (session) => {
-          // The pane can be closed while the POST is in flight. Mounting the
-          // session onto a leaf no longer in the tree would strand it in no
-          // pane at all, so only claim the leaf while it is still there —
-          // searching every tab, since the operator may have switched tabs
-          // while the request was in flight.
-          const host = layout.tabs.find((t) => leaves(t.root).includes(leaf));
-          if (host) {
-            leaf.sessionId = session.id;
-            leaf.draft = null;
-            host.focusedLeafId = leaf.id;
-          }
-          render();
-          opts.onOpenSessionsChange?.();
-        },
-      });
-      draftForms.add(form);
-      host.appendChild(form.el);
+      const form = draftForms.get(leaf.id);
+      if (form) {
+        host.appendChild(form.el);
+      } else {
+        const created = createSpawnForm({
+          seed: leaf.draft ?? undefined,
+          class: "mv-draft",
+          onChange: (values) => {
+            leaf.draft = values;
+          },
+          onSuccess: (session) => {
+            // The pane can be closed while the POST is in flight. Mounting the
+            // session onto a leaf no longer in the tree would strand it in no
+            // pane at all, so only claim the leaf while it is still there —
+            // searching every tab, since the operator may have switched tabs
+            // while the request was in flight.
+            const host = layout.tabs.find((t) => leaves(t.root).includes(leaf));
+            if (host) {
+              leaf.sessionId = session.id;
+              leaf.draft = null;
+              host.focusedLeafId = leaf.id;
+            }
+            render();
+            opts.onOpenSessionsChange?.();
+          },
+        });
+        draftForms.set(leaf.id, created);
+        host.appendChild(created.el);
+      }
     }
 
     const tools = document.createElement("div");
@@ -366,11 +379,82 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
     render();
   }
 
+  /// Mount a session without evicting one.
+  ///
+  /// `openSession` deliberately replaces the focused pane (VS Code style) for
+  /// a sidebar click, but the fast path must never do that: pressing the key
+  /// while attached would drop the running session out of the layout
+  /// entirely. Follows `openDraft`'s rule instead — reuse an empty pane, else
+  /// split beside the focused one (#67 review).
+  function openSessionBeside(sessionId: string): void {
+    const loc = locateSession(layout, sessionId);
+    if (loc) {
+      layout.activeTabId = loc.tab.id;
+      loc.tab.focusedLeafId = loc.leaf.id;
+      render();
+      return;
+    }
+    const tab = activeTab(layout);
+    if (!tab.root || !tab.focusedLeafId || !findLeaf(tab.root, tab.focusedLeafId)) {
+      tab.focusedLeafId = splitLeaf(tab, "", sessionId, "row", true);
+      render();
+      opts.onOpenSessionsChange?.();
+      return;
+    }
+    const target = findLeaf(tab.root, tab.focusedLeafId)!;
+    if (!target.sessionId) {
+      target.sessionId = sessionId;
+      target.draft = null;
+    } else {
+      tab.focusedLeafId = splitLeaf(tab, target.id, sessionId, "row", true);
+    }
+    render();
+    opts.onOpenSessionsChange?.();
+  }
+
+  function openDraft(seed?: Partial<Draft>): void {
+    const tab = activeTab(layout);
+    const draft = (): Draft => ({ command: "", cwd: "", name: "", ...seed });
+    if (!tab.root || !tab.focusedLeafId || !findLeaf(tab.root, tab.focusedLeafId)) {
+      // Empty tab (or stale focus): the draft becomes the first pane.
+      tab.focusedLeafId = splitLeaf(tab, "", null, "row", true);
+      findLeaf(tab.root!, tab.focusedLeafId)!.draft = draft();
+      render();
+      return;
+    }
+    const target = findLeaf(tab.root, tab.focusedLeafId)!;
+    if (!target.sessionId && !target.draft) {
+      // An already-empty pane becomes the draft in place.
+      target.draft = draft();
+    } else {
+      // Split a fresh draft beside the focused pane.
+      tab.focusedLeafId = splitLeaf(tab, target.id, null, "row", true);
+      findLeaf(tab.root, tab.focusedLeafId)!.draft = draft();
+    }
+    render();
+  }
+
   // ---- top-level render ----
 
+  /** Destroy forms whose leaf is no longer a draft (leaf removed or filled by
+   *  a session). Surviving draft leaves keep their form instance (#68). */
+  function pruneForms(tab: { root: Node | null }): void {
+    const alive = new Set(
+      tab.root
+        ? leaves(tab.root)
+            .filter((l) => !l.sessionId)
+            .map((l) => l.id)
+        : [],
+    );
+    for (const [id, f] of draftForms) {
+      if (!alive.has(id)) {
+        f.destroy();
+        draftForms.delete(id);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   function render(): void {
-    for (const f of draftForms) f.destroy();
-    draftForms.clear();
     renderTabs();
     canvas.replaceChildren();
     const tab = activeTab(layout);
@@ -379,6 +463,7 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
     el.classList.toggle("mv-mobile-solo", isMobile && layout.tabs.length === 1);
 
     if (!tab.root) {
+      pruneForms(tab);
       pool.setVisible([]);
       pool.setFocus(null);
       canvas.appendChild(renderWelcome());
@@ -394,12 +479,14 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
 
     if (isMobile) {
       renderMobile(tab);
+      pruneForms(tab);
       persist();
       return;
     }
 
     const hosts: { id: string; host: HTMLElement; info?: AttachInfo }[] = [];
     canvas.appendChild(buildTree(tab.root, hosts));
+    pruneForms(tab);
     pool.setVisible(hosts.map((h) => ({ id: h.id, pane: h.host, info: h.info })));
     syncFocus();
     persist();
@@ -640,6 +727,8 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
   return {
     el,
     openSession,
+    openSessionBeside,
+    openDraft,
     closeSession,
     openSessions: () => openSessions(layout),
     beginSessionDrag,

web/src/spawn.ts

@@ -1,68 +0,0 @@
-// The spawn modal (issue #27): bottom-sheet/dialog chrome around the shared
-// spawn form (spawnForm.ts). The modal coexists with the inline draft panes
-// (#57) until a later issue deletes it.
-
-import { createSpawnForm, type SpawnFormSeed } from "./spawnForm.js";
-
-/** Seed values for the spawn form — used by "clone" to reopen the dialog with
- * the same cwd, command, and name as an existing session. */
-export type SpawnPrefill = SpawnFormSeed;
-
-export function openSpawnModal(prefill?: SpawnPrefill): void {
-  const existing = document.getElementById("modal-host");
-  if (existing) existing.remove();
-
-  const host = document.createElement("div");
-  host.id = "modal-host";
-  host.className = "modal-backdrop";
-  host.innerHTML = `
-    <div class="modal spawn-modal" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="spawn-title">
-      <header class="modal-header">
-        <h2 id="spawn-title">Spawn session</h2>
-        <button type="button" class="btn btn-icon close" aria-label="Close">✕</button>
-      </header>
-      <div class="form-slot"></div>
-    </div>
-  `;
-  document.body.appendChild(host);
-
-  const formHandle = createSpawnForm({
-    seed: prefill,
-    class: "modal-body",
-    onSuccess(session) {
-      close();
-      location.hash = `#/attach/${encodeURIComponent(session.id)}`;
-    },
-  });
-  (host.querySelector(".form-slot") as HTMLElement).replaceWith(formHandle.el);
-
-  const close = () => {
-    formHandle.destroy();
-    host.remove();
-  };
-  // The modal keeps its Cancel affordance; the shared form ships only Submit.
-  const actions = formHandle.el.querySelector(".form-actions") as HTMLElement;
-  const cancel = document.createElement("button");
-  cancel.type = "button";
-  cancel.className = "btn btn-ghost cancel";
-  cancel.textContent = "Cancel";
-  cancel.addEventListener("click", close);
-  actions.prepend(cancel);
-
-  host.querySelector(".close")?.addEventListener("click", close);
-  host.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
-    if (e.target === host) close();
-  });
-  window.addEventListener(
-    "keydown",
-    (e) => {
-      if (e.key === "Escape") close();
-    },
-    { once: true },
-  );
-
-  // ---- clone seed ------------------------------------------------------
-  if (prefill) {
-    (host.querySelector("#spawn-title") as HTMLElement).textContent = "Clone session";
-  }
-}

web/src/spawnForm.test.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ const base: SpawnFormValues = {
   worktreeEnabled: false,
   worktreeBranch: "",
   worktreeBranchMode: "new",
+  worktreeBranchEdited: false,
 };
 
 describe("buildSpawnRequest", () => {

web/src/spawnForm.ts

@@ -16,15 +16,19 @@ import { abbreviateCwd, abbreviateFolderName } from "./types.js";
  * from the repository's existing branches (#61). */
 export type WorktreeBranchMode = "new" | "existing";
 
-/** Seed values for the spawn form — used by "clone" to reopen with the same
- * cwd, command, and name as an existing session, and by draft panes to restore
- * their own half-filled state after a re-render. */
+/** Seed values for the spawn form — used by "clone" to open a draft with the
+ * same cwd, command, and name as an existing session, and by draft panes to
+ * restore their own half-filled state after a re-render. */
 export interface SpawnFormSeed {
   command?: string;
   cwd?: string;
   name?: string;
   worktreeEnabled?: boolean;
   worktreeBranch?: string;
+  /** Whether the operator typed the branch themselves, rather than it having
+   *  been auto-synced from the session name. Carried separately because the
+   *  value alone cannot distinguish the two. */
+  worktreeBranchEdited?: boolean;
   worktreeBranchMode?: WorktreeBranchMode;
   cwdRawVisible?: boolean;
 }
@@ -37,6 +41,7 @@ export interface SpawnFormValues {
   name: string;
   worktreeEnabled: boolean;
   worktreeBranch: string;
+  worktreeBranchEdited: boolean;
   /** "new" creates the branch; "existing" checks out a picked one (#61). */
   worktreeBranchMode: WorktreeBranchMode;
   /** Whether the cwd lives in the raw text input (vs a picked recent row). */
@@ -83,8 +88,9 @@ export function buildSpawnRequest(
 }
 
 /** Built-ins used when the daemon's `/api/info` presets can't be fetched
- * (older daemon, transient error). Mirrors `maestro_config::builtin_presets`. */
-const FALLBACK_PRESETS: SpawnPreset[] = [
+ * (older daemon, transient error). Mirrors `maestro_config::builtin_presets`.
+ * Exported for the fast-forward spawn's preset fallback (#67). */
+export const FALLBACK_PRESETS: SpawnPreset[] = [
   { id: "claude", label: "Claude", command: "claude" },
   { id: "opencode", label: "opencode", command: "opencode" },
   { id: "zsh", label: "Shell", command: "zsh" },
@@ -99,7 +105,7 @@ export interface SpawnFormHandle {
 
 export interface SpawnFormOptions {
   seed?: SpawnFormSeed;
-  /** Extra class(es) for the <form> root (e.g. `modal-body` in the modal). */
+  /** Extra class(es) for the <form> root (e.g. `mv-draft` in a draft pane). */
   class?: string;
   /** Fired whenever any value changes (input, tile pick, checkbox). */
   onChange?: (values: SpawnFormValues) => void;
@@ -108,7 +114,7 @@ export interface SpawnFormOptions {
 }
 
 /** The spawn form itself — preset tiles, project picker, name, worktree.
- * Shared by the modal (`spawn.ts`) and inline draft panes (issue #57). */
+ * Mounted inline by draft panes (issue #57). */
 export function createSpawnForm(opts: SpawnFormOptions): SpawnFormHandle {
   const prefill = opts.seed ?? {};
 
@@ -174,7 +180,7 @@ export function createSpawnForm(opts: SpawnFormOptions): SpawnFormHandle {
     </div>
   `;
   // Field queries are scoped to this form instance — several forms can be
-  // mounted at once (modal + draft panes), so ids would collide.
+  // mounted at once (one per draft pane), so ids would collide.
 
   const errEl = form.querySelector(".form-error") as HTMLElement;
   const cmdTiles = form.querySelector(".cmd-tiles") as HTMLElement;
@@ -229,6 +235,7 @@ export function createSpawnForm(opts: SpawnFormOptions): SpawnFormHandle {
       name: nameInput.value,
       worktreeEnabled: wtEnabled.checked,
       worktreeBranch: branchValue(),
+      worktreeBranchEdited: branchEdited,
       worktreeBranchMode: branchMode,
       cwdRawVisible: !cwdRawWrap.hidden,
     });
@@ -238,7 +245,11 @@ export function createSpawnForm(opts: SpawnFormOptions): SpawnFormHandle {
   // The worktree branch defaults to the session name — including a clone's
   // prefilled name — and tracks it on reroll/edit until the user types their
   // own branch. Only in "new" mode: an existing-branch pick is not a name.
-  let branchEdited = Boolean(prefill.worktreeBranch);
+  // True only once the operator types their own branch. It cannot be inferred
+  // from the seed: in "new" mode `emit()` publishes the auto-synced session
+  // name, so seeding from it froze the branch after any form rebuild
+  // (#67 review). `worktreeBranchEdited` is carried explicitly instead.
+  let branchEdited = Boolean(prefill.worktreeBranchEdited);
   const syncBranchToName = () => {
     if (!branchEdited && branchMode === "new") branchInput.value = nameInput.value;
   };
@@ -539,6 +550,16 @@ export function createSpawnForm(opts: SpawnFormOptions): SpawnFormHandle {
   /** Decide how the worktree section describes the current target. Called
    * once the initial load has settled `cwd`. */
   function resolveBaseRepo(): void {
+    // Nothing to resolve when the operator turned the worktree off — the
+    // section would otherwise rebuild expanded under an unchecked box, and
+    // fire a `/api/gitroot` probe for a worktree nobody asked for
+    // (#67 review).
+    if (!wtEnabled.checked) {
+      wtBody.hidden = true;
+      wtHint.hidden = true;
+      inferredBaseRepo = null;
+      return;
+    }
     if (!cwd) {
       inferredBaseRepo = null;
       wtBody.hidden = true;
@@ -633,11 +654,14 @@ export function createSpawnForm(opts: SpawnFormOptions): SpawnFormHandle {
       return;
     }
     for (const b of branches) {
-      // A branch another worktree holds stays visible but unpickable — git
-      // would refuse to check it out twice; the path says who holds it.
-      const o = opt(b.worktree ? `${b.name} — held by ${b.worktree}` : b.name, b.name);
-      o.disabled = Boolean(b.worktree);
-      o.title = b.worktree ?? "";
+      // A branch that is already checked out anywhere stays visible but
+      // unpickable — git refuses a second checkout. That includes the main
+      // checkout's own HEAD, which is commonly `main` and would otherwise be
+      // the default pick, making every existing-branch spawn fail (#54 review).
+      const held = b.worktree ?? (b.is_head ? "the main checkout" : null);
+      const o = opt(held ? `${b.name} — held by ${held}` : b.name, b.name);
+      o.disabled = held !== null;
+      o.title = held ?? "";
       branchSelect.appendChild(o);
     }
   }
@@ -684,6 +708,7 @@ export function createSpawnForm(opts: SpawnFormOptions): SpawnFormHandle {
         name: nameInput.value,
         worktreeEnabled: wtEnabled.checked,
         worktreeBranch: branchValue(),
+        worktreeBranchEdited: branchEdited,
         worktreeBranchMode: branchMode,
       },
       inferredBaseRepo,

web/src/styles.css

@@ -1205,72 +1205,9 @@ textarea {
   border-color: var(--accent-strong);
 }
 
-/* ---------- modal ---------- */
+/* ---------- forms ---------- */
 
-.modal-backdrop {
-  position: fixed;
-  inset: 0;
-  background: oklch(0.12 0.01 256 / 0.6);
-  backdrop-filter: blur(3px);
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: flex-end;
-  justify-content: center;
-  padding: 0;
-  z-index: var(--z-modal);
-  animation: fade var(--dur) var(--ease-out);
-}
-
-@media (min-width: 600px) {
-  .modal-backdrop {
-    align-items: center;
-    padding: var(--sp-6);
-  }
-}
-
-.modal {
-  background: var(--surface);
-  border-radius: var(--r-3) var(--r-3) 0 0;
-  border: 1px solid var(--border);
-  width: 100%;
-  max-width: 560px;
-  max-height: 92vh;
-  display: flex;
-  flex-direction: column;
-  box-shadow: var(--shadow-2);
-  animation: sheet-up var(--dur-slow) var(--ease-out);
-}
-
-@media (min-width: 600px) {
-  .modal {
-    border-radius: var(--r-3);
-    animation: pop var(--dur) var(--ease-out);
-  }
-}
-
-.modal-header {
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  justify-content: space-between;
-  padding: var(--sp-3);
-  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
-}
-
-.modal-header h2 {
-  margin: 0;
-  font-size: var(--fs-15);
-  font-weight: 600;
-  display: inline-flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  gap: var(--sp-2);
-}
-
-.modal-header h2::before {
-  content: "+";
-  color: var(--accent);
-  font-weight: 700;
-}
-
-.modal-body {
+.spawn-form {
   padding: var(--sp-3);
   overflow: auto;
   display: flex;
@@ -1280,7 +1217,6 @@ textarea {
   scrollbar-color: var(--border-strong) transparent;
 }
 
-.modal-body label,
 .spawn-form label {
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
@@ -1290,7 +1226,6 @@ textarea {
   letter-spacing: 0.01em;
 }
 
-.modal-body label.row-inline,
 .spawn-form label.row-inline {
   flex-direction: row;
   align-items: center;
@@ -1300,10 +1235,9 @@ textarea {
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
-.modal-body input[type="text"],
-.modal-body input[type="search"],
-.modal-body select,
-.spawn-form input[type="text"] {
+.spawn-form input[type="text"],
+.spawn-form input[type="search"],
+.spawn-form select {
   background: var(--surface-2);
   border: 1px solid var(--border);
   border-radius: var(--r-2);
@@ -1318,23 +1252,20 @@ textarea {
     background var(--dur-fast) var(--ease-out);
 }
 
-.modal-body input[type="text"]:hover,
-.modal-body select:hover,
-.spawn-form input[type="text"]:hover {
+.spawn-form input[type="text"]:hover,
+.spawn-form select:hover {
   border-color: var(--border-strong);
 }
 
-.modal-body input[type="text"]:focus,
-.modal-body input[type="search"]:focus,
-.modal-body select:focus,
-.spawn-form input[type="text"]:focus {
+.spawn-form input[type="text"]:focus,
+.spawn-form input[type="search"]:focus,
+.spawn-form select:focus {
   outline: none;
   border-color: var(--accent);
   background: var(--surface);
   box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px var(--accent-tint);
 }
 
-.modal-body input[type="checkbox"],
 .spawn-form input[type="checkbox"] {
   width: 18px;
   height: 18px;
@@ -1359,13 +1290,6 @@ textarea {
   font-size: var(--fs-13);
 }
 
-.modal-actions {
-  display: flex;
-  gap: var(--sp-2);
-  justify-content: flex-end;
-  margin-top: var(--sp-2);
-}
-
 .form-error {
   color: var(--danger);
   margin: 0;
@@ -1381,7 +1305,6 @@ textarea {
 
 /* ---------- spawn form: tiles + recents picker (#27) ---------- */
 
-.spawn-modal .field,
 .spawn-form .field {
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
@@ -1611,7 +1534,7 @@ textarea {
 
 .dir-ac {
   position: fixed;
-  z-index: var(--z-toast); /* above the modal it completes within */
+  z-index: var(--z-toast); /* above the draft pane it completes within */
   margin: 0;
   padding: var(--sp-1);
   list-style: none;
@@ -1759,26 +1682,6 @@ textarea {
   }
 }
 
-@keyframes fade {
-  from {
-    opacity: 0;
-  }
-}
-
-@keyframes sheet-up {
-  from {
-    transform: translateY(16px);
-    opacity: 0;
-  }
-}
-
-@keyframes pop {
-  from {
-    transform: scale(0.98);
-    opacity: 0;
-  }
-}
-
 /* ---------- responsive ---------- */
 
 @media (max-width: 520px) {
@@ -2119,15 +2022,6 @@ textarea {
   flex: 1;
   min-width: 0;
   min-height: 0;
-  overflow-y: auto;
-  scrollbar-width: thin;
-  scrollbar-color: var(--border-strong) transparent;
-  /* The modal form got its stacking and padding from `.modal-body`; in a pane
-     the form is the host, so it carries them itself. */
-  display: flex;
-  flex-direction: column;
-  gap: var(--sp-2);
-  padding: var(--sp-3);
 }
 
 /* pane tools cluster (disconnect / split / close), top-right corner. The attach