Chat Panel

The Monday Morning desktop app includes a chat panel — an integrated interface for interacting with Claude directly from within the app. Instead of switching between the desktop app and a separate Claude Code terminal, you can start conversations, ask questions, and kick off implementations without leaving your project view.

What the chat panel does

The chat panel is a sidebar that opens alongside your spec detail view, kanban board, or any other app screen. It connects to Claude Code and provides a conversational interface with one key advantage: automatic context loading.

When you open the chat panel from a spec, Monday Morning pre-loads the conversation with:

The spec’s spec.md content
The spec’s requirements.md (if present)
The spec’s implementation.md (current task state)
Any prior-work.md matches

You don’t paste context or explain what you’re working on. The chat session already knows.

Opening the chat panel

You can open the chat panel in several ways:

Action	What happens
Click the chat icon on a spec card	Opens chat with that spec’s context loaded
Use the keyboard shortcut	Opens chat with the current view’s context
Click “Open in Chat” from spec detail	Opens chat pre-loaded with the spec

The panel slides in from the right side of the app. You can resize it, collapse it, or pop it out into a separate window.

Starting implementation from chat

The most common workflow is to open chat on a spec and ask Claude to start working on tasks. Because the spec context is already loaded, you can say things like:

“Start working on T2”
“What’s the best approach for the authentication task?”
“Run the tests for the completed work”

Claude reads the implementation plan from implementation.md and understands the task structure, dependencies, and what’s already been completed.

This is equivalent to running /mm:spec-start from a terminal — but without leaving the desktop app.

How chat relates to Claude Code sessions

The chat panel wraps a Claude Code session. Under the hood, it’s the same Claude Code that runs in your terminal, with the same tool access and file system permissions. The difference is purely in the interface:

	Terminal (Claude Code)	Chat Panel
Context loading	Manual or via `/mm:spec-start`	Automatic from the spec you’re viewing
File access	Full project access	Full project access
Tool access	All MCP tools	All MCP tools
Interface	Text terminal	Graphical panel with message history

The chat panel doesn’t limit what Claude can do — it’s a convenience layer for the most common interaction pattern: working on specs.

Conversation persistence

Chat conversations are associated with your current session. When you close the chat panel and reopen it on the same spec, the conversation history is preserved for that session. If you switch to a different spec, a new conversation starts with that spec’s context.

Long-running conversations are not archived permanently — the chat panel is designed for active work sessions, not historical reference. For decisions and context worth preserving, create a note with /mm:note.

When to use chat vs. terminal

Use the chat panel when:

You’re browsing specs in the desktop app and want to start working on one
You want automatic context loading without manually running commands
You prefer a graphical chat interface

Use the terminal when:

You’re already in your editor and terminal workflow
You need to run complex shell commands alongside Claude
You’re working outside the scope of a single spec

Both approaches produce the same results — the chat panel is about convenience and integration, not different capabilities.

Desktop App Overview — the full desktop app feature set