kandev/docs/plans/sidebar-empty-task-alignment/task-01-align-empty-task-message.md

id, title, status, wave, depends_on, plan, spec

id	title	status	wave	depends_on	plan	spec
01-align-empty-task-message	Align empty task message	done	1		plan.md	../../specs/ui/sidebar-empty-task-alignment.md

Task 01: Align empty task message

Intent

Align the desktop app sidebar's empty task message with its Tasks section title without changing the shared mobile task-switcher inset or the task list's full-width surface.

Root cause

The desktop navigation starts with px-2; its Tasks title adds px-2 and renders at x=16. The Tasks content wrapper cancels the navigation inset with -mx-2, while the shared empty state uses px-3, rendering its text at x=12. The four-pixel difference is the reported drift.

Acceptance

• On the expanded desktop app sidebar, the No tasks yet. text anchor matches the Tasks title x-coordinate within subpixel tolerance.
• The empty task scroll surface stays transparent and spans the full navigation width; task rows, group headers, load errors, and other sidebar sections keep their current geometry.
• At the mobile Playwright viewport, the desktop app sidebar remains hidden and the existing mobile task composition remains visible and unchanged.

Regression tests (write first)

• apps/web/e2e/tests/task/sidebar-scroll-preservation.spec.ts: extend the existing keeps the empty list transparent and uses the full sidebar width test. Locate the empty state through data-slot="task-switcher-empty-state", derive its text x-coordinate as getBoundingClientRect().x + parseFloat(getComputedStyle(element).paddingLeft), and compare it with the Tasks title span's bounding-box x-coordinate. Add the slot marker first, run the test before the padding override, and record the expected RED mismatch (currently x=12 versus x=16).
• apps/web/e2e/tests/task/mobile-task-listing-display.spec.ts: extend uses Kanban on a phone without overwriting a saved Pipeline preference to assert app-sidebar-layout is hidden while mobile-kanban-layout is visible. This guards the viewport boundary and is expected to remain green.

Implementation

• apps/web/components/task/task-switcher.tsx: add data-slot="task-switcher-empty-state" to the existing empty-message element. Preserve its base px-3 class.
• apps/web/components/app-sidebar/sections/tasks-section.tsx: add [&_[data-slot=task-switcher-empty-state]]:px-4 to the wrapper that already owns -mx-2. Do not change shared task rows or mobile wrappers.

Files likely touched

• apps/web/components/task/task-switcher.tsx
• apps/web/components/app-sidebar/sections/tasks-section.tsx
• apps/web/e2e/tests/task/sidebar-scroll-preservation.spec.ts
• apps/web/e2e/tests/task/mobile-task-listing-display.spec.ts
• docs/plans/sidebar-empty-task-alignment/plan.md
• docs/plans/sidebar-empty-task-alignment/task-01-align-empty-task-message.md

Dependencies

None.

Parallelism

Sequential. The RED geometry assertion, host-scoped class change, and desktop/mobile checks share one behavior and one production build.

Inputs

• Repair behavior in docs/specs/ui/sidebar-empty-task-alignment.md.
• Root-cause geometry and host-scoping design in docs/plans/sidebar-empty-task-alignment/plan.md.
• Existing empty-list coverage in apps/web/e2e/tests/task/sidebar-scroll-preservation.spec.ts.
• Existing phone composition coverage in apps/web/e2e/tests/task/mobile-task-listing-display.spec.ts.

Verification

Bootstrap a fresh worktree once if dependencies are absent:

(cd apps && pnpm install --frozen-lockfile)

Add the slot marker and geometry assertion, then run the desktop regression before the host override (RED):

(cd apps/web && pnpm e2e:run --project chromium tests/task/sidebar-scroll-preservation.spec.ts -- --grep "keeps the empty list transparent")

Apply the minimal host override, rerun the same command (GREEN), then run mobile preservation coverage against the fresh build:

(cd apps/web && pnpm e2e:run --no-build --project mobile-chrome tests/task/mobile-task-listing-display.spec.ts -- --grep "uses Kanban on a phone")

Run targeted static checks:

(cd apps/web && pnpm run typecheck)
(cd apps/web && pnpm exec eslint components/task/task-switcher.tsx components/app-sidebar/sections/tasks-section.tsx e2e/tests/task/sidebar-scroll-preservation.spec.ts e2e/tests/task/mobile-task-listing-display.spec.ts)
(cd apps/web && pnpm exec prettier --check components/task/task-switcher.tsx components/app-sidebar/sections/tasks-section.tsx e2e/tests/task/sidebar-scroll-preservation.spec.ts e2e/tests/task/mobile-task-listing-display.spec.ts)
(cd apps/web && pnpm run i18n:ratchet)
git diff --check

The managed desktop E2E run rebuilds the production web assets. Confirm each focused command discovers one test before treating it as evidence.

Output contract

Report the RED and GREEN x-coordinates, exact commands and test counts, changed files, mobile preservation result, generated artifacts, cleanup evidence, risks, and synchronized task/plan statuses in the same conversation.

Results

• Added a stable empty-state slot while preserving the shared px-3 default, then applied px-4 only from the desktop Tasks host.
• Extended the existing desktop E2E with text-anchor geometry coverage. Its RED run found the expected 4px drift; its GREEN run passed one test after the host override.
• Extended the existing phone scenario to prove the desktop sidebar remains hidden; the focused mobile Chrome run passed one test.
• Confirmed the final desktop geometry in an isolated mock instance: Tasks title x=16, empty text x=16, delta 0.
• Passed web typecheck, targeted ESLint and Prettier, the i18n ratchet, and git diff --check. Captured and inspected a synthetic 1280x800 PR screenshot, then stopped the browser and isolated app.