From 6097b704bb7f88520343f3ac4c19cbf8b60c3a91 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sawyer <sawyer@dirtroad.dev>
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:36:08 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] feat(web): Settings opens as a dialog with its left nav, no
 breadcrumbs (CL-9672)

---
 apps/web/src/app.tsx                          | 24 ++++--
 apps/web/src/pages/settings-dialog.css        | 80 +++++++++++++++++++
 ...{settings-page.tsx => settings-dialog.tsx} | 47 ++++++-----
 apps/web/src/routes.tsx                       |  9 +--
 apps/web/src/settings/styles.css              | 19 -----
 5 files changed, 131 insertions(+), 48 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 apps/web/src/pages/settings-dialog.css
 rename apps/web/src/pages/{settings-page.tsx => settings-dialog.tsx} (71%)

diff --git a/apps/web/src/app.tsx b/apps/web/src/app.tsx
index 4a4c38d846..4c1cc9b583 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/app.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { Button, EmptyState } from "@corbits/react-ui";
 import { WorkbenchLoadingState } from "@/chat";
 import { QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { BoldIconProvider, WarningCircle } from "@/lib/icons";
-import { useMemo } from "react";
+import { useMemo, useState } from "react";
 
 import { AuthScreen } from "./auth-screen";
 import { BenchProvider } from "./bench-context";
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ import { OnboardingPage } from "./pages/onboarding-page";
 import { ProvisioningErrorPage } from "./pages/provisioning-error-page";
 import { createAppQueryClient } from "./query-client";
 import { Redirect } from "./redirect";
-import { APP_ROUTES, LOGIN_PATH, matchesRoute, ONBOARDING_PATH } from "./routes";
+import { SettingsDialog } from "./pages/settings-dialog";
+import { APP_ROUTES, LOGIN_PATH, matchesRoute, ONBOARDING_PATH, SETTINGS_PATH } from "./routes";
 import type { SessionState, SessionUser } from "./session";
 import { AppShell } from "./shell/app-shell";
 import { ComposerInsertionProvider } from "./shell/composer-insertion";
@@ -62,7 +63,13 @@ function Shell({
   // cache; wired to `onSignOut` so a session going invalid anywhere routes
   // the whole shell back to login, not just one stuck panel.
   const queryClient = useMemo(() => createAppQueryClient(onSignOut), [onSignOut]);
-  const route = APP_ROUTES.find((candidate) => matchesRoute(candidate.path, path));
+  // Settings is a dialog over the last page, so that page stays mounted
+  // behind it; a cold load of /settings falls back to /new.
+  const settingsOpen = matchesRoute(SETTINGS_PATH, path);
+  const [backdropPath, setBackdropPath] = useState(settingsOpen ? "/new" : path);
+  if (!settingsOpen && backdropPath !== path) setBackdropPath(path);
+  const pagePath = settingsOpen ? backdropPath : path;
+  const route = APP_ROUTES.find((candidate) => matchesRoute(candidate.path, pagePath));
   return (
     <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
       <NavigationProvider navigate={navigate} onSignOut={onSignOut} user={user}>
@@ -70,9 +77,16 @@ function Shell({
           <ComposerInsertionProvider>
             <ShellChromeProvider path={path} navigate={navigate}>
               <CommandPaletteProvider path={path} navigate={navigate}>
-                <AppShell path={path} user={user} onSignOut={onSignOut}>
-                  {route === undefined ? <NotFoundPage /> : route.render(path, navigate)}
+                <AppShell path={pagePath} user={user} onSignOut={onSignOut}>
+                  {route === undefined ? <NotFoundPage /> : route.render(pagePath, navigate)}
                 </AppShell>
+                {settingsOpen ? (
+                  <SettingsDialog
+                    path={path}
+                    navigate={navigate}
+                    onClose={() => navigate(backdropPath)}
+                  />
+                ) : null}
               </CommandPaletteProvider>
             </ShellChromeProvider>
           </ComposerInsertionProvider>
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pages/settings-dialog.css b/apps/web/src/pages/settings-dialog.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..50b42df71a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/pages/settings-dialog.css
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+/* Settings as a dialog: raised card, left section nav + one section body. */
+[data-slot="dialog-content"].settings-dialog {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 0;
+  width: min(calc(100vw - 2rem), 960px);
+  max-width: none;
+  height: 80vh;
+  max-height: none;
+  padding: 0;
+  border: 0;
+  border-radius: 12px;
+  background: var(--card, var(--popover));
+  box-shadow: var(--raised);
+}
+
+.settings-dialog-head {
+  padding: 14px 56px 12px 20px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+}
+
+.settings-dialog-title {
+  font-size: 16px;
+  font-weight: 800;
+  letter-spacing: -0.01em;
+}
+
+.settings-dialog-layout {
+  flex: 1;
+  min-height: 0;
+}
+
+.settings-dialog-body {
+  flex: 1;
+  min-width: 0;
+  padding: 20px;
+}
+
+@media (max-width: 640px) {
+  [data-slot="dialog-content"].settings-dialog {
+    width: 100vw;
+    height: 100dvh;
+    border-radius: 0;
+    top: 0;
+    left: 0;
+    translate: none;
+    max-width: none;
+  }
+
+  .settings-dialog-layout {
+    flex-direction: column;
+  }
+
+  .settings-dialog-layout .settings-nav {
+    width: 100%;
+    flex-direction: row;
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+    gap: 0.5rem;
+    padding: 0.5rem;
+    border-right: 0;
+    border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+    overflow: auto hidden;
+  }
+
+  .settings-dialog-layout .settings-nav-group {
+    flex-direction: row;
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+    gap: 0.25rem;
+  }
+
+  .settings-dialog-layout .settings-nav [data-slot="sidebar-item-row"] {
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+    white-space: nowrap;
+  }
+
+  .settings-dialog-layout .settings-nav-heading,
+  .settings-dialog-layout .settings-nav-advanced {
+    display: none;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pages/settings-page.tsx b/apps/web/src/pages/settings-dialog.tsx
similarity index 71%
rename from apps/web/src/pages/settings-page.tsx
rename to apps/web/src/pages/settings-dialog.tsx
index 9e1d473043..47fbcc3a3c 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/pages/settings-page.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/pages/settings-dialog.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
-// Thin mount: this file only adapts the app's bench-selection state and
-// the URL into the shape `@/settings`'s shell expects.
+// Thin mount: adapts the bench-selection state and the URL into the shape
+// `@/settings`'s shell expects, and presents it over whatever page is behind.
 
 import { flattenSettingsSections, resolveActiveSection, SettingsShell } from "@/settings";
-import { PageShell } from "@corbits/react-ui";
+import {
+  Dialog,
+  DialogBody,
+  DialogContent,
+  DialogHeader,
+  DialogTitle,
+} from "@corbits/react-ui/ui/dialog";
 
 import { useBench } from "../bench-context";
 import { useSignOut } from "../navigation";
@@ -14,15 +20,17 @@ import {
 } from "../path-ids";
 import { resolveAppSettingsSectionGroups } from "../settings-groups";
 import { SettingsNav } from "./settings-nav";
-import { StageTopBar } from "../shell/stage-top-bar";
+import "./settings-dialog.css";
 import { useSettingsAccess } from "../settings-access";
 
-export function SettingsRoute({
+export function SettingsDialog({
   path,
   navigate,
+  onClose,
 }: {
   readonly path: string;
   readonly navigate: (to: string) => void;
+  readonly onClose: () => void;
 }) {
   const { selectedTenantId, selectedPrincipalId } = useBench();
   const onSignOut = useSignOut();
@@ -58,16 +66,19 @@ export function SettingsRoute({
   }
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex h-full min-h-0 flex-col">
-      <StageTopBar crumbs={[{ label: "Settings" }]} />
-      <div className="settings-page-head">
-        <h1>Settings</h1>
-        <p>Personal and shared, side by side.</p>
-      </div>
-      <div className="settings-layout min-h-0 flex-1">
-        <SettingsNav path={path} onNavigate={navigate} />
-        <div className="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-y-auto">
-          <PageShell width="full" className="page-fill">
+    <Dialog
+      open
+      onOpenChange={(next) => {
+        if (!next) onClose();
+      }}
+    >
+      <DialogContent className="settings-dialog" aria-describedby={undefined}>
+        <DialogHeader className="settings-dialog-head">
+          <DialogTitle className="settings-dialog-title">Settings</DialogTitle>
+        </DialogHeader>
+        <div className="settings-layout settings-dialog-layout">
+          <SettingsNav path={path} onNavigate={navigate} />
+          <DialogBody className="settings-dialog-body">
             <SettingsShell
               sections={sections}
               activeId={activeSection?.id ?? null}
@@ -79,9 +90,9 @@ export function SettingsRoute({
                 ...(onSignOut !== undefined ? { onSignOut } : {}),
               }}
             />
-          </PageShell>
+          </DialogBody>
         </div>
-      </div>
-    </div>
+      </DialogContent>
+    </Dialog>
   );
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/routes.tsx b/apps/web/src/routes.tsx
index 43d6465bc6..b41f1adb04 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/routes.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/routes.tsx
@@ -59,9 +59,6 @@ const ToolsRoute = lazy(async () => ({
 const InsightsRoute = lazy(async () => ({
   default: (await import("./pages/insights-page")).InsightsRoute,
 }));
-const SettingsRoute = lazy(async () => ({
-  default: (await import("./pages/settings-page")).SettingsRoute,
-}));
 const SkillDetailRoute = lazy(async () => ({
   default: (await import("./pages/skill-detail-page")).SkillDetailRoute,
 }));
@@ -259,12 +256,12 @@ export const APP_ROUTES: readonly AppRoute[] = [
     render: (path: string) => <InsightsRoute path={path} />,
   },
   {
+    // Presented as a dialog over the page behind it by `Shell` (app.tsx); the
+    // route exists so the palette and path matching still know Settings.
     path: SETTINGS_PATH,
     label: "Settings",
     icon: <SlidersHorizontal />,
-    render: (path: string, navigate: (to: string) => void) => (
-      <SettingsRoute path={path} navigate={navigate} />
-    ),
+    render: () => <></>,
   },
 ];
 
diff --git a/apps/web/src/settings/styles.css b/apps/web/src/settings/styles.css
index 21d3d93b3f..dffe57f23b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/settings/styles.css
+++ b/apps/web/src/settings/styles.css
@@ -748,28 +748,9 @@
   color: var(--ink-2);
 }
 
-.settings-page-head {
-  flex-shrink: 0;
-  padding: 24px 28px 16px;
-}
-
 /* react-ui's SettingsPanel card: ring-as-border like the mockup's raised cards. */
 .settings-stage-body > section.border {
   border-color: transparent;
   border-radius: 12px;
   box-shadow: var(--raised);
 }
-
-.settings-page-head h1 {
-  margin: 0;
-  font-size: 26px;
-  font-weight: 800;
-  letter-spacing: -0.02em;
-  line-height: 1.2;
-}
-
-.settings-page-head p {
-  margin: 6px 0 0;
-  color: var(--ink-2);
-  font-size: 15px;
-}