Open Cowriting Review Panel from the markdown file/tab right-click menu #41

New Issue

2026-06-12T15:56:36Z

benstull commented

2026-06-12 15:56:36 +00:00

Summary

As a writer, I can right-click a markdown file in the Explorer or its editor
tab and choose "Open Cowriting Review Panel", so that I can reach the
review surface without remembering the command palette entry or the
ctrl+alt+r keybinding.

Problem / pain

The interactive review surface — the track-changes / interactive-review preview
(cowriting.showTrackChangesPreview, "Cowriting: Open Review Preview") — is the
single most important affordance the plugin offers, yet it is currently only
discoverable two ways: the command palette and the ctrl+alt+r
keybinding. Neither is where a writer's hand naturally goes. Right-clicking a
file or a tab is the muscle-memory gesture for "do something with this document,"
and the review panel is absent from that menu — so first-time and occasional
users don't find it.

Who feels it

Writers using the plugin to review human+machine changes — especially new users
who haven't learned the keybinding, and anyone working mouse-first.

Desired outcome / value

The review panel is discoverable from the right-click context menu on a
markdown document, so a writer can open it the obvious way. Lowers the
discoverability floor for the plugin's central feature.

Acceptance — "done right"

Right-clicking a markdown file in the Explorer shows a "Open Cowriting
Review Panel" item that opens the review preview for that file.
Right-clicking a markdown editor tab shows the same item, opening the
review preview for that document.
The item appears only for markdown resources (.md), not for other file
types.
Selecting it invokes cowriting.showTrackChangesPreview against the
right-clicked document (not merely the active editor, when they differ).
The existing command-palette entry and ctrl+alt+r keybinding continue to work
unchanged.
E2E browser coverage asserts the menu item is contributed and opens the
preview (per the mandatory E2E tier for UI surfaces).

Scope / non-goals

In scope: explorer/context and editor/title/context menu contributions
in package.json with a markdown when clause, wiring the command to act on
the right-clicked resource URI.
Non-goals: no change to the review panel's behavior or rendering; no new
toolbar/title-bar button (editor/title); no context-menu entry for non-markdown
files; no rename of the underlying command id.

Assumptions · constraints · dependencies

The command cowriting.showTrackChangesPreview already exists and is the
correct target; it currently keys off the active markdown editor and may need to
accept a resource URI argument so the explorer/tab right-click targets the
clicked document.
VS Code renders the command's own title in context menus. The requested
label "Open Cowriting Review Panel" differs from the current title "Cowriting:
Open Review Preview" — see Solution notes.
Related: the review surface itself is the F10 interactive-review work (#29) and
its F7 rendered-preview lineage; this issue only adds an entry point to it.

Source / signal

Self-originated — capture session vscode-cowriting-plugin-0035 (operator ask:
"Add 'Open Cowriting Review Panel' to the context menu when you right-click a
markdown file or its tab").

Priority (WSJF)

Value (med — discoverability of the core feature) · Time-criticality (low) ·
Opportunity-enablement (low) ÷ Size (very small) → modest-but-favorable score.
priority/P2.

Decomposition

Add explorer/context menu item for .md resources → cowriting.showTrackChangesPreview.
Add editor/title/context menu item for markdown tabs → same command.
Make the command accept the right-clicked resource URI (open the clicked doc, not just the active editor).
Decide/apply the menu label (see Solution notes) so it reads "Open Cowriting Review Panel".
E2E coverage: menu contributed + opens preview.

Solution notes (optional — NOT a design)

To make the menu read "Open Cowriting Review Panel" there are a few options,
none binding: (a) retitle the command to "Cowriting: Open Cowriting Review Panel" (note the doubled word in palette display) or simply "Open Cowriting Review Panel"; (b) keep the command title and accept the menu showing "Open
Review Preview"; (c) introduce a thin alias command with the desired title that
delegates to showTrackChangesPreview. The operator's stated wording is "Open
Cowriting Review Panel" — pick the option that yields that text with the least
surface churn at implementation time.

## Summary As a writer, I can **right-click a markdown file in the Explorer or its editor tab** and choose **"Open Cowriting Review Panel"**, so that I can reach the review surface without remembering the command palette entry or the `ctrl+alt+r` keybinding. ## Problem / pain The interactive review surface — the track-changes / interactive-review preview (`cowriting.showTrackChangesPreview`, *"Cowriting: Open Review Preview"*) — is the single most important affordance the plugin offers, yet it is currently only discoverable two ways: the **command palette** and the **`ctrl+alt+r`** keybinding. Neither is where a writer's hand naturally goes. Right-clicking a file or a tab is the muscle-memory gesture for "do something with this document," and the review panel is absent from that menu — so first-time and occasional users don't find it. ## Who feels it Writers using the plugin to review human+machine changes — especially new users who haven't learned the keybinding, and anyone working mouse-first. ## Desired outcome / value The review panel is **discoverable from the right-click context menu** on a markdown document, so a writer can open it the obvious way. Lowers the discoverability floor for the plugin's central feature. ## Acceptance — "done right" - Right-clicking a **markdown file in the Explorer** shows a **"Open Cowriting Review Panel"** item that opens the review preview for that file. - Right-clicking a **markdown editor tab** shows the same item, opening the review preview for that document. - The item appears **only for markdown** resources (`.md`), not for other file types. - Selecting it invokes `cowriting.showTrackChangesPreview` against the right-clicked document (not merely the active editor, when they differ). - The existing command-palette entry and `ctrl+alt+r` keybinding continue to work unchanged. - E2E browser coverage asserts the menu item is contributed and opens the preview (per the mandatory E2E tier for UI surfaces). ## Scope / non-goals - **In scope:** `explorer/context` and `editor/title/context` menu contributions in `package.json` with a markdown `when` clause, wiring the command to act on the right-clicked resource URI. - **Non-goals:** no change to the review panel's behavior or rendering; no new toolbar/title-bar button (`editor/title`); no context-menu entry for non-markdown files; no rename of the underlying command id. ## Assumptions · constraints · dependencies - The command `cowriting.showTrackChangesPreview` already exists and is the correct target; it currently keys off the active markdown editor and may need to accept a resource URI argument so the explorer/tab right-click targets the clicked document. - VS Code renders the **command's own `title`** in context menus. The requested label "Open Cowriting Review Panel" differs from the current title "Cowriting: Open Review Preview" — see Solution notes. - Related: the review surface itself is the F10 interactive-review work (#29) and its F7 rendered-preview lineage; this issue only adds an entry point to it. ## Source / signal Self-originated — capture session **vscode-cowriting-plugin-0035** (operator ask: "Add 'Open Cowriting Review Panel' to the context menu when you right-click a markdown file or its tab"). ## Priority (WSJF) Value (med — discoverability of the core feature) · Time-criticality (low) · Opportunity-enablement (low) ÷ Size (very small) → modest-but-favorable score. `priority/P2`. ## Decomposition - [ ] Add `explorer/context` menu item for `.md` resources → `cowriting.showTrackChangesPreview`. - [ ] Add `editor/title/context` menu item for markdown tabs → same command. - [ ] Make the command accept the right-clicked resource URI (open the clicked doc, not just the active editor). - [ ] Decide/apply the menu label (see Solution notes) so it reads "Open Cowriting Review Panel". - [ ] E2E coverage: menu contributed + opens preview. ## Solution notes (optional — NOT a design) To make the menu read **"Open Cowriting Review Panel"** there are a few options, none binding: (a) retitle the command to `"Cowriting: Open Cowriting Review Panel"` (note the doubled word in palette display) or simply `"Open Cowriting Review Panel"`; (b) keep the command title and accept the menu showing "Open Review Preview"; (c) introduce a thin alias command with the desired title that delegates to `showTrackChangesPreview`. The operator's stated wording is "Open Cowriting Review Panel" — pick the option that yields that text with the least surface churn at implementation time.

benstull added the type/story priority/P2 labels 2026-06-12 15:56:36 +00:00

benstull referenced this issue

2026-06-12 17:51:20 +00:00

Preview toolbar as the primary interaction surface — adaptive "Ask Claude…" + Pin baseline buttons #43

benstull added a new dependency 2026-06-12 17:55:05 +00:00

#43 Preview toolbar as the primary interaction surface — adaptive "Ask Claude…" + Pin baseline buttons

benstull referenced this issue from a commit

2026-06-12 23:04:09 +00:00

feat(#41): Open Cowriting Review Panel from markdown file/tab right-click

benstull referenced a pull request that will close this issue

2026-06-12 23:04:36 +00:00

feat(#41): Open Cowriting Review Panel from markdown file/tab right-click #45