diff --git a/docs/design-379.md b/docs/design-379.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5c2f7ddf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/design-379.md
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+# Design: Searchable Repository Selection in New Worktree Dialog
+
+## 1. Problem Statement
+
+GitHub issue [#379](https://github.com/stablyai/orca/issues/379): when creating a new worktree, the user must manually scroll a plain `Select` dropdown to pick the target repository. This does not scale once Orca manages many repositories.
+
+The current Radix `Select` in `AddWorktreeDialog` has two product problems:
+
+- It forces serial scanning instead of direct search.
+- It makes the most important first step in the worktree-creation flow slower than every subsequent step.
+
+The issue has no explicit acceptance criteria, so implementation requirements are inferred from the existing UX:
+
+- Users must be able to search for a repository by name while creating a worktree.
+- Existing auto-preselection behavior (preselectedRepoId, activeWorktreeRepoId, activeRepoId fallback chain) must keep working.
+- Keyboard and mouse selection must both work.
+- The change must not break the rest of the create-worktree flow: setup lookup, issue-command lookup, validation, and Enter-to-create behavior.
+
+## 2. Approach
+
+Replace the repository `Select` with a searchable combobox built from Orca's existing `Command` primitive (cmdk-based) and a new shared `Popover` primitive (Radix-based).
+
+Rationale:
+
+- A combobox is the standard pattern for "pick one item from a potentially long list, with search."
+- Orca already ships `cmdk`-based command surfaces and Radix primitives, so this fits the existing stack without introducing new dependencies.
+- Keeping the search scoped to the repo field preserves the current worktree-creation layout instead of turning the entire dialog into a command palette.
+- Search logic lives in a pure helper (`searchRepos`) so matching rules are explicit and regression-testable outside React.
+
+### Matching and ranking
+
+- Search is case-insensitive substring matching.
+- Primary target is `repo.displayName` (what issue #379 is specifically about). Secondary target is `repo.path` for disambiguating repos with similar display names.
+- Ranking uses position-based scoring: matches earlier in the string rank higher. Display-name matches always outrank path-only matches (path scores are offset by 1000). Ties preserve original list order.
+- Empty query returns the full eligible repo list in its original order.
+
+## 3. Implementation Plan
+
+### `src/renderer/src/components/ui/popover.tsx`
+
+New shared Popover wrapper around Radix `Popover`. Follows the same styling conventions as existing `dialog.tsx`, `select.tsx`, and `dropdown-menu.tsx`. Generic and reusable — not inlined inside the worktree dialog.
+
+### `src/renderer/src/lib/repo-search.ts`
+
+New pure helper (`searchRepos`) that filters and ranks eligible repositories by a query string. Normalizes trimming and lowercasing in one place. Scoring logic:
+
+- Display-name hit: score = index of substring match within `displayName`.
+- Path-only hit: score = 1000 + index of substring match within `path`.
+- No hit: excluded from results.
+- Stable sort by `(score, originalIndex)` so equivalent matches preserve list order.
+
+### `src/renderer/src/lib/repo-search.test.ts`
+
+Unit tests covering:
+
+- Empty query returns all repos in original order.
+- Display-name matching is case-insensitive.
+- Path fallback works when the display name does not match.
+- Display-name matches rank ahead of path-only matches.
+
+### `src/renderer/src/components/repo/RepoCombobox.tsx`
+
+New reusable combobox component. Props: `repos`, `value`, `onValueChange`, optional `placeholder`.
+
+Key design decisions:
+
+- **External filtering**: `Command` is rendered with `shouldFilter={false}` because filtering is handled by `searchRepos`, not by cmdk's built-in filter. This keeps ranking rules in the pure helper where they are testable.
+- **Trigger and content markup**: Both the trigger `Button` and `PopoverContent` carry `data-repo-combobox-root="true"` so the parent dialog's keydown handler can detect events originating inside the combobox surface (see Section 5).
+- **Selected repo display**: The trigger renders the selected repo using the existing `RepoDotLabel` component, consistent with how repos appear elsewhere in Orca.
+- **Result items**: Each item shows `RepoDotLabel` for the display name plus the full `repo.path` as secondary text, so repos with similar names are visually distinguishable.
+- **Popover width**: `PopoverContent` uses `w-[var(--radix-popover-trigger-width)]` to match the trigger width for visual alignment.
+- **Focus management**: `CommandInput` has `autoFocus` so the search input receives focus immediately when the popover opens.
+- **Query reset on close**: `handleOpenChange` clears the query when the popover closes so stale filter text from a previous interaction does not hide repos on the next open.
+- **Empty state**: `CommandEmpty` shows an explicit message when no repo matches.
+
+### `src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/AddWorktreeDialog.tsx`
+
+Changes to the existing dialog:
+
+- Replace the `Select` repository control with `RepoCombobox`.
+- All existing repo-selection state and side effects are preserved unchanged: `repoId`, `handleRepoChange`, auto-preselection on open, hook lookup, and issue-command lookup.
+- Update the dialog-level `handleKeyDown` to suppress Enter when the event target lives inside a `[data-repo-combobox-root="true"]` element (see Section 5).
+
+## 4. Edge Cases
+
+| Scenario | Handling |
+|---|---|
+| No eligible git repos | Existing guard closes the dialog; the combobox is never rendered in a broken state. |
+| Only one eligible repo | The combobox still renders normally. Search is trivial, but the UI stays consistent. |
+| Multiple repos share a similar display name | Search also matches `repo.path`, and each item shows the full path as secondary text for disambiguation. |
+| User opens combobox, types a query, closes, reopens | Query resets on close so the next open starts from the full list. |
+| Enter pressed while focus is inside the repo search input | The dialog-level create shortcut is suppressed for events originating inside the combobox (see Section 5). |
+| Preselected repo is not the first repo in the list | Auto-preselection logic is unchanged; the selected value is still controlled by `repoId` state. |
+| Repo list changes while the dialog is open | The combobox renders from the live `eligibleRepos` array and updates reactively. If the selected repo disappears, existing dialog validation prevents create without a valid `selectedRepo`. |
+
+## 5. Regressions and Mitigations
+
+### Enter inside repo search creates a worktree
+
+This is the most important correctness constraint. Without mitigation, typing a search query and pressing Enter to select a repo would bubble up to the dialog's keydown handler and trigger worktree creation.
+
+Mitigation: `data-repo-combobox-root="true"` is placed on both the combobox trigger button and the popover content. The dialog's `handleKeyDown` checks `e.target.closest('[data-repo-combobox-root="true"]')` and returns early when it finds a match. This covers Enter events from:
+
+- The `CommandInput` search field (inside the popover content).
+- The trigger button itself when the popover is closed (Enter should open the popover, not submit the form).
+
+An inline comment in `handleKeyDown` documents why this guard exists.
+
+### Stale search query hides repos on reopen
+
+Mitigation: `RepoCombobox.handleOpenChange` resets the query to `''` whenever the popover closes. An inline comment documents the timing interaction with the dialog's own delayed field reset.
+
+### Repo preselection breaks
+
+Mitigation: `repoId` remains the single source of truth for the selected repository. Only the presentation control was swapped; the state management and auto-selection logic in `AddWorktreeDialog` are untouched.
+
+### Users cannot distinguish similarly named repos
+
+Mitigation: Each combobox item shows both the `RepoDotLabel` display name and the full `repo.path` as secondary text.
+
+### Matching behavior drifts over time
+
+Mitigation: Search rules live in the pure `searchRepos` helper with dedicated unit tests, not inlined in JSX.
+
+## 6. Test Plan
+
+### Unit tests (`repo-search.test.ts`)
+
+- Empty query returns all repos in original order.
+- Display-name matching is case-insensitive.
+- Path fallback works when the display name does not match.
+- Display-name matches rank ahead of path-only matches.
+
+### Manual verification
+
+- Open the New Worktree dialog with multiple repos.
+- Confirm the repo field opens a searchable combobox instead of a plain dropdown.
+- Type part of a repo name and verify the list filters immediately.
+- Press Enter to select a filtered repo and verify the dialog does not submit.
+- Create a worktree after selecting a repo through search and verify the existing create flow still works end-to-end (setup, issue command, metadata).
+- Reopen the dialog and verify the previous search text is cleared.
+- Verify the preselected repo still appears when opening from flows that pass `preselectedRepoId`.
+- Verify keyboard navigation (arrow keys, Enter to select, Escape to close popover) works within the combobox.
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/repo/RepoCombobox.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/repo/RepoCombobox.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1b03c976
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/repo/RepoCombobox.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+import React, { useCallback, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
+import { Check, ChevronsUpDown } from 'lucide-react'
+import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
+import {
+ Command,
+ CommandEmpty,
+ CommandInput,
+ CommandItem,
+ CommandList
+} from '@/components/ui/command'
+import { Popover, PopoverContent, PopoverTrigger } from '@/components/ui/popover'
+import { searchRepos } from '@/lib/repo-search'
+import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
+import type { Repo } from '../../../../shared/types'
+import RepoDotLabel from './RepoDotLabel'
+
+type RepoComboboxProps = {
+ repos: Repo[]
+ value: string
+ onValueChange: (repoId: string) => void
+ placeholder?: string
+}
+
+export default function RepoCombobox({
+ repos,
+ value,
+ onValueChange,
+ placeholder = 'Select repo...'
+}: RepoComboboxProps): React.JSX.Element {
+ const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)
+ const [query, setQuery] = useState('')
+
+ const selectedRepo = useMemo(
+ () => repos.find((repo) => repo.id === value) ?? null,
+ [repos, value]
+ )
+ const filteredRepos = useMemo(() => searchRepos(repos, query), [repos, query])
+
+ const handleOpenChange = useCallback((nextOpen: boolean) => {
+ setOpen(nextOpen)
+ // Why: the create-worktree dialog delays its own field reset until after
+ // close animation, so the repo picker must clear its local filter here or a
+ // stale query can reopen to an apparently missing repo list.
+ if (!nextOpen) {
+ setQuery('')
+ }
+ }, [])
+
+ const handleSelect = useCallback(
+ (repoId: string) => {
+ onValueChange(repoId)
+ setOpen(false)
+ setQuery('')
+ },
+ [onValueChange]
+ )
+
+ return (
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ No repositories match your search.
+ {filteredRepos.map((repo) => (
+ handleSelect(repo.id)}
+ className="items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2"
+ >
+
+
+
+
{repo.path}
+
+
+ ))}
+
+
+
+
+ )
+}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/AddWorktreeDialog.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/AddWorktreeDialog.tsx
index bd88c55f..5a8abf38 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/AddWorktreeDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/AddWorktreeDialog.tsx
@@ -15,14 +15,7 @@ import {
} from '@/components/ui/dialog'
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input'
-import {
- Select,
- SelectTrigger,
- SelectValue,
- SelectContent,
- SelectItem
-} from '@/components/ui/select'
-import RepoDotLabel from '@/components/repo/RepoDotLabel'
+import RepoCombobox from '@/components/repo/RepoCombobox'
import { parseGitHubIssueOrPRNumber } from '@/lib/github-links'
import { activateAndRevealWorktree } from '@/lib/worktree-activation'
import { isGitRepoKind } from '../../../../shared/repo-kind'
@@ -351,12 +344,14 @@ const AddWorktreeDialog = React.memo(function AddWorktreeDialog() {
})
}, [isOpen, repoId, suggestedName])
- // Safety guard: creating a worktree requires at least one repo.
+ // Safety guard: creating a worktree requires at least one git repo. Non-git
+ // folders can exist in the sidebar, but this dialog only works for repos
+ // that can actually host a worktree, so close before rendering an empty picker.
useEffect(() => {
- if (isOpen && repos.length === 0) {
+ if (isOpen && eligibleRepos.length === 0) {
handleOpenChange(false)
}
- }, [eligibleRepos.length, handleOpenChange, isOpen, repos.length])
+ }, [eligibleRepos.length, handleOpenChange, isOpen])
// Load hook state and the effective issue-command template for the selected repo.
useEffect(() => {
@@ -458,6 +453,13 @@ const AddWorktreeDialog = React.memo(function AddWorktreeDialog() {
const handleKeyDown = useCallback(
(e: React.KeyboardEvent) => {
if (e.key === 'Enter' && !e.shiftKey && repoId && name.trim() && !creating) {
+ // Why: Enter inside the repository search surface should select/filter
+ // repos, not bubble up and submit the entire create-worktree dialog.
+ // The guard is scoped to Enter only so future keyboard shortcuts added
+ // to this handler are not silently swallowed.
+ if ((e.target as HTMLElement | null)?.closest('[data-repo-combobox-root="true"]')) {
+ return
+ }
if (
shouldWaitForSetupCheck ||
shouldWaitForIssueAutomationCheck ||
@@ -495,26 +497,7 @@ const AddWorktreeDialog = React.memo(function AddWorktreeDialog() {
{/* Repo selector */}
-
+
{/* Name */}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/ui/popover.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/ui/popover.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f1edb1fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/ui/popover.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+'use client'
+
+import * as React from 'react'
+import { Popover as PopoverPrimitive } from 'radix-ui'
+
+import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
+
+function Popover(props: React.ComponentProps) {
+ return
+}
+
+function PopoverTrigger(props: React.ComponentProps) {
+ return
+}
+
+function PopoverContent({
+ className,
+ align = 'center',
+ sideOffset = 4,
+ ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps) {
+ return (
+
+
+
+ )
+}
+
+export { Popover, PopoverContent, PopoverTrigger }
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/repo-search.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/repo-search.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..16eb31cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/repo-search.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { searchRepos } from './repo-search'
+import type { Repo } from '../../../shared/types'
+
+function makeRepo(overrides: Partial = {}): Repo {
+ return {
+ id: 'repo-1',
+ path: '/Users/test/src/orca',
+ displayName: 'stablyai/orca',
+ badgeColor: '#22c55e',
+ addedAt: 0,
+ ...overrides
+ }
+}
+
+describe('repo-search', () => {
+ it('returns all repos in original order for an empty query', () => {
+ const repos = [
+ makeRepo({ id: '1', displayName: 'alpha', path: '/tmp/alpha' }),
+ makeRepo({ id: '2', displayName: 'beta', path: '/tmp/beta' })
+ ]
+
+ expect(searchRepos(repos, '')).toEqual(repos)
+ })
+
+ it('treats a whitespace-only query as an empty query', () => {
+ const repos = [
+ makeRepo({ id: '1', displayName: 'alpha', path: '/tmp/alpha' }),
+ makeRepo({ id: '2', displayName: 'beta', path: '/tmp/beta' })
+ ]
+
+ expect(searchRepos(repos, ' ')).toEqual(repos)
+ })
+
+ it('matches display names case-insensitively', () => {
+ const repos = [
+ makeRepo({ id: '1', displayName: 'stablyai/orca', path: '/repos/orca' }),
+ makeRepo({ id: '2', displayName: 'stablyai/noqa', path: '/repos/noqa' })
+ ]
+
+ expect(searchRepos(repos, 'ORCA').map((repo) => repo.id)).toEqual(['1'])
+ })
+
+ it('falls back to matching repo paths', () => {
+ const repos = [
+ makeRepo({ id: '1', displayName: 'frontend', path: '/src/team-a/orca' }),
+ makeRepo({ id: '2', displayName: 'backend', path: '/src/team-b/noqa' })
+ ]
+
+ expect(searchRepos(repos, 'team-a').map((repo) => repo.id)).toEqual(['1'])
+ })
+
+ it('keeps display-name matches ahead of path-only matches', () => {
+ const repos = [
+ makeRepo({ id: '1', displayName: 'misc', path: '/src/orca-tools/misc' }),
+ makeRepo({ id: '2', displayName: 'orca', path: '/src/team-a/project' })
+ ]
+
+ expect(searchRepos(repos, 'orca').map((repo) => repo.id)).toEqual(['2', '1'])
+ })
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/repo-search.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/repo-search.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3a510385
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/repo-search.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import type { Repo } from '../../../shared/types'
+
+// Display-name matches must always outrank path-only matches. This offset is
+// added to every path-match score so that even a path hit at index 0 scores
+// higher than the worst possible display-name hit. The value must exceed any
+// realistic displayName length.
+const PATH_SCORE_OFFSET = 1000
+
+type RepoMatch = {
+ repo: Repo
+ score: number
+ index: number
+}
+
+function matchScore(repo: Repo, query: string): number | null {
+ const displayNameIndex = repo.displayName.toLowerCase().indexOf(query)
+ if (displayNameIndex !== -1) {
+ return displayNameIndex
+ }
+
+ const pathIndex = repo.path.toLowerCase().indexOf(query)
+ if (pathIndex !== -1) {
+ // Why: repo-name matches are what issue #379 is about. Path search only
+ // exists as a fallback disambiguator, so it should never outrank an actual
+ // display-name match for the same query.
+ return PATH_SCORE_OFFSET + pathIndex
+ }
+
+ return null
+}
+
+export function searchRepos(repos: Repo[], rawQuery: string): Repo[] {
+ const query = rawQuery.trim().toLowerCase()
+ if (!query) {
+ return repos
+ }
+
+ const matches: RepoMatch[] = []
+ for (const [index, repo] of repos.entries()) {
+ const score = matchScore(repo, query)
+ if (score !== null) {
+ matches.push({ repo, score, index })
+ }
+ }
+
+ matches.sort((a, b) => a.score - b.score || a.index - b.index)
+ return matches.map((match) => match.repo)
+}