[Feature]: Prioritize Sidebar V2 threads that need review

[saphid]

Before submitting

• I searched existing issues and did not find a duplicate.
• I am describing a concrete problem or use case, not just a vague idea.

Area

apps/web

Problem or use case

Sidebar V2 currently keeps active threads in creation order even when their status changes. A thread that has just finished can remain below several agents that are still working, so the next item that needs a person's attention is easy to miss.

This affects both the desktop/web sidebar and the native mobile thread list.

Proposed solution

Add an opt-in automatic ordering mode to the existing Sidebar/Thread List V2 settings:

1. Group active threads by attention state.
2. Default the priority to Needs review → Working → Other active.
3. Let the user reorder those three groups.
4. Within Needs review, show the most recently completed or attention-worthy thread first.
5. Clear a completed thread's device-local review priority when the user opens it.

Keep current creation-order behavior as the default, and leave Snoozed and Settled behavior unchanged.

Why this matters

The sidebar becomes an attention queue: finished, blocked, failed, or input-waiting work appears before work that is still progressing. Users can review completed work promptly without losing the ability to choose a different group priority.

Smallest useful scope

One device-local preference for automatic ordering and one preference for the three-group priority, shared by the web/desktop Sidebar V2 and native mobile Thread List V2 implementations. No server protocol or database migration.

Alternatives considered

• Hard-code Needs review first. This solves the immediate case but gives users no control over differing workflows.
• Always sort by last update. This causes working threads to churn and does not distinguish items that need human attention.
• Change the default globally. Keeping the feature opt-in avoids surprising existing Sidebar V2 users.

Risks or tradeoffs

The implementation touches both web and mobile because both clients expose Sidebar V2 independently, so the contribution is larger than a single-surface UI tweak. The behavior is nevertheless one setting contract and one ordering model. I would appreciate maintainer guidance on whether that cohesive cross-platform scope is acceptable in one PR or should be split by client.

Contribution

• I would be open to helping implement this.

[saphid]

I closed draft PR #4702 because opening an implementation before maintainer response got the issue-first sequence wrong. Its branch and media remain available as prototype evidence only.

After comparing the idea with current main, the implementation can be narrowed substantially:

• reorder only the active-card block; leave Snoozed and Settled classification, shelves, and ordering unchanged;
• put the cross-client classifier/comparator in packages/client-runtime, with thin web/mobile adapters;
• retain the existing separate persistence owners (web ClientSettings and mobile device-local preferences), rather than implying settings sync that does not exist;
• exclude filters ([Feature]: Add global thread filters to the Projects sidebar #1043), pins (Pin / unpin threads to keep important conversations at the top #698), backend/protocol changes, and remediation of the unread-completion bug Sidebar can miss unread Completed status for newly finished threads #3131.

One product choice still needs maintainer direction:

1. Preset scope: Static creation order / Needs review first / Working first. This is the smallest cross-client settings surface.
2. Full scope: Static mode plus a user-reorderable priority for Needs review / Working / Other active, as originally requested.

There is also an acknowledgement choice. “Needs review until opened” requires new mobile visit-state persistence and overlaps #3131. The smaller, lifecycle-aligned option is “Needs review until explicitly Settled,” using the existing cross-client Settle action as acknowledgement.

Would you prefer the preset or full priority scope, and should review priority clear on open or on Settle? I will wait for direction before preparing another implementation PR.