Feature request for product/service
Cursor IDE
Describe the request
The problem
During a long agent session, side tasks often come up: write tests for a module we just discussed, refactor something peripheral, explore an alternative approach.
Cursor already has useful building blocks, but they don’t quite cover this workflow:
/multitask / subagents — partially isolated context, but results are aggregated back into the parent thread. Not a truly independent session.
New chat + worktree — fresh context and file isolation, but fully manual. The agent can’t trigger it mid-conversation.
Cloud agents — separate sessions, but not integrated into the “delegate this while we keep going here” local workflow.
The parent thread accumulates noise; subagents stay tied to the current conversation; manually opening a new tab breaks the flow.
Reference: Claude Code Desktop
Claude Code handles this well with a combination of:
Fresh-context subagents — delegation prompt only, not the full parent history (unless explicitly forked).
isolation: worktree — isolated checkout per delegated task, no file collisions.
Parallel sessions in the sidebar — each session is an independent tab, auto worktree, easy monitoring (Cmd+N, split-pane).
Subagent panes in the Desktop UI — live visibility into delegated work.
The agent can delegate a side task without polluting the main conversation, with disk isolation when needed.
Feature request: “Spawn Side Session”
From an ongoing agent session, the agent (or user) should be able to create a side session:
Property Desired behavior
UI
New chat tab / Agents sidebar entry, visible in parallel
Context
Fresh: seed prompt + project rules/MCP, without parent chat history
Worktree
Optional isolation: worktree (user-configurable default) for tasks that edit files
Parent ↔ child link
“Spawned from” badge + clickable link; notification on completion
Handoff back
Short summary in parent (optional); diff review + Apply/Reject like existing worktrees
User control
Confirm-before-spawn setting; user can also say “spawn this as a side session”
Example workflow
Session A (discussing ingestion architecture)
→ agent identifies: “I can write the semantic validation tests in parallel”
→ spawn_side_session({
title: “Semantic validation tests”,
prompt: “Write tests for validate_semantic_layer…”,
isolation: “worktree”,
notify_parent: “summary_only”
})
→ Session B opens in a new tab, dedicated worktree
→ Session A continues without waiting
→ On completion: notification + link to Session B’s diff
How this differs from what Cursor has today
Current capability Limitation Side Session would fix
/multitask
Results merged into parent
Truly independent UI session
Task subagents
No new chat tab
Dedicated tab + sidebar entry
Manual worktree
Friction, not agent-driven
One-step spawn from conversation
Cloud agents
Off local desktop, higher latency
Immediate local parallelism
Suggested technical shape
Agent tool spawn_side_session (or MCP in cursor-app-control) with: title, prompt, isolation (none | worktree), branch_prefix, model, notify_parent.
Minimal inheritance: AGENTS.md, rules, workspace MCP servers — not parent chat history.
Reuse existing worktree infra (worktrees.json, Apply/Delete).
Configurable concurrency limit (e.g. 3 active side sessions).
Optional auto-archive when PR merges or session completes (similar to Claude Code Desktop).
Why this matters
Context: main thread stays focused on the current topic.
Real parallelism: independent tasks without queueing or polluting the parent.
File isolation: worktree by default for edits, fewer conflicts.
Visibility: Agents sidebar as a dashboard of active sessions.
Product parity: workflow already familiar to Claude Code users; friction for those comparing tools.
Suggested rollout
MVP
Agent tool + new tab + fresh prompt + optional worktree + completion notification
V2
Split-pane (two sessions side by side)
Resume / handoff between sessions
“Build in Parallel” on plans → side sessions instead of inline subagents only
V3
Subagents with isolation: worktree + promote to full session
SDK: Agent.spawnSideSession(…)
TL;DR
Let the agent spawn side sessions: new chat tabs with fresh context and optional worktree isolation, triggered mid-conversation — so I can delegate parallel work without manually opening a new chat or cluttering the current thread.