idea/feat: going back and forth

src/main/app/window.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { BrowserWindow } from 'electron';
 import appIcon from '@/assets/images/emdash/emdash_logo.png?asset';
+import { appSettingsService } from '@main/core/settings/settings-service';
 import { capture, checkAndReportDailyActiveUser } from '@main/lib/telemetry';
 import { registerExternalLinkHandlers } from '@main/utils/externalLinks';
 import { APP_ORIGIN } from './protocol';
@@ -24,6 +25,10 @@ export function createMainWindow(): BrowserWindow {
       // Allow using <webview> in renderer for in‑app browser pane.
       // The webview runs in a separate process; nodeIntegration remains disabled.
       webviewTag: true,
+      // Enables rubber-band scrolling on macOS, which also makes Chromium
+      // emit horizontal wheel events for 2-finger trackpad swipes when the
+      // page can't scroll further — required for our swipe-nav handler.
+      scrollBounce: true,
       // __dirname resolves to out/main/ at runtime; preload is at out/preload/index.mjs
       preload: join(__dirname, '../preload/index.mjs'),
     },
@@ -54,6 +59,31 @@ export function createMainWindow(): BrowserWindow {
     checkAndReportDailyActiveUser();
   });
 
+  // macOS trackpad two-finger swipe navigation (respects setting)
+  if (process.platform === 'darwin') {
+    mainWindow.on('swipe', (_event, direction) => {
+      void appSettingsService.get('navigation').then((navigation) => {
+        if (!navigation.trackpadSwipe) return;
+        if (direction === 'left') {
+          mainWindow?.webContents.send('navigate:back');
+        } else if (direction === 'right') {
+          mainWindow?.webContents.send('navigate:forward');
+        }
+      });
+    });
+  }
+
+  // Windows/Linux mouse back/forward buttons via app-command
+  if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
+    mainWindow.on('app-command', (_event, command) => {
+      if (command === 'browser-backward') {
+        mainWindow?.webContents.send('navigate:back');
+      } else if (command === 'browser-forward') {
+        mainWindow?.webContents.send('navigate:forward');
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
   // Cleanup reference on close
   mainWindow.on('closed', () => {
     mainWindow = null;

src/main/core/settings/schema.ts

@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ export const keyboardSettingsSchema = z
       closeModal: z.string().optional(),
       nextProject: z.string().optional(),
       prevProject: z.string().optional(),
+      navigateBack: z.string().optional(),
+      navigateForward: z.string().optional(),
       newTask: z.string().optional(),
       newProject: z.string().optional(),
       openInEditor: z.string().optional(),
@@ -95,6 +97,10 @@ export const interfaceSettingsSchema = z.object({
   autoRightSidebarBehavior: z.boolean(),
 });
 
+export const navigationSettingsSchema = z.object({
+  trackpadSwipe: z.boolean(),
+});
+
 export const browserPreviewSettingsSchema = z.object({ enabled: z.boolean() });
 
 export const openInSettingsSchema = z.object({
@@ -111,6 +117,7 @@ export const APP_SETTINGS_SCHEMA_MAP = {
   theme: themeSchema,
   openIn: openInSettingsSchema,
   interface: interfaceSettingsSchema,
+  navigation: navigationSettingsSchema,
   terminal: terminalSettingsSchema,
   browserPreview: browserPreviewSettingsSchema,
 } as const;
@@ -124,6 +131,7 @@ export const appSettingsSchema = z.object({
   theme: themeSchema,
   openIn: openInSettingsSchema,
   interface: interfaceSettingsSchema,
+  navigation: navigationSettingsSchema,
   terminal: terminalSettingsSchema,
   browserPreview: browserPreviewSettingsSchema,
 });

src/main/core/settings/settings-registry.ts

@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ export const SETTINGS_DEFAULTS = {
     taskHoverAction: 'delete' as const,
     autoRightSidebarBehavior: false,
   },
+  navigation: {
+    trackpadSwipe: true,
+  },
   browserPreview: {
     enabled: true,
   },

src/renderer/components/AppKeyboardShortcuts.tsx

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { useHotkey } from '@tanstack/react-hotkeys';
 import { useAppSettingsKey } from '@renderer/core/app/use-app-settings-key';
 import { useShowModal } from '@renderer/core/modal/modal-provider';
 import { useWorkspaceLayoutContext } from '@renderer/core/view/layout-provider';
+import { useNavigationHistory } from '@renderer/core/view/navigation-history-provider';
 import { useNavigate, useParams, useWorkspaceSlots } from '@renderer/core/view/navigation-provider';
 import { getEffectiveHotkey } from '@renderer/hooks/useKeyboardShortcuts';
 import { useTheme } from '@renderer/hooks/useTheme';
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ export function AppKeyboardShortcuts() {
   const { toggleLeft, toggleRight } = useWorkspaceLayoutContext();
   const { toggleTheme } = useTheme();
   const { navigate } = useNavigate();
+  const { canGoBack, canGoForward, goBack, goForward } = useNavigationHistory();
 
   // Resolve current project context from whichever view is active
   const { currentView } = useWorkspaceSlots();
@@ -45,6 +47,14 @@ export function AppKeyboardShortcuts() {
     showNewProject({ strategy: 'local', mode: 'pick' })
   );
 
+  useHotkey(getEffectiveHotkey('navigateBack', keyboard), () => goBack(), {
+    enabled: canGoBack,
+  });
+
+  useHotkey(getEffectiveHotkey('navigateForward', keyboard), () => goForward(), {
+    enabled: canGoForward,
+  });
+
   useHotkey(
     getEffectiveHotkey('newTask', keyboard),
     () => {

src/renderer/components/settings/SettingsPage.tsx

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
 import TelemetryCard from './TelemetryCard';
 import TerminalSettingsCard from './TerminalSettingsCard';
 import ThemeCard from './ThemeCard';
+import { TrackpadNavigationSettingsCard } from './TrackpadNavigationSettingsCard';
 import { UpdateCard } from './UpdateCard';
 
 export type SettingsPageTab =
@@ -125,6 +126,7 @@ export function SettingsPage({
       sections: [
         { component: <ThemeCard /> },
         { component: <TerminalSettingsCard /> },
+        { title: 'Navigation', component: <TrackpadNavigationSettingsCard /> },
         { title: 'Keyboard shortcuts', component: <KeyboardSettingsCard /> },
         {
           title: 'Tools',

src/renderer/components/settings/TrackpadNavigationSettingsCard.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import { useAppSettingsKey } from '@renderer/core/app/use-app-settings-key';
+import { Switch } from '../ui/switch';
+
+export function TrackpadNavigationSettingsCard() {
+  const { value, update, isLoading, isSaving } = useAppSettingsKey('navigation');
+
+  return (
+    <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-4 rounded-xl border border-border/60 bg-muted/10 p-4">
+      <div className="flex flex-1 flex-col gap-0.5">
+        <span className="text-sm font-medium text-foreground">Trackpad swipe navigation</span>
+        <span className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+          Navigate back and forward between views using trackpad swipe gestures.
+        </span>
+      </div>
+      <Switch
+        checked={value?.trackpadSwipe ?? true}
+        disabled={isLoading || isSaving}
+        onCheckedChange={(trackpadSwipe) => update({ trackpadSwipe })}
+      />
+    </div>
+  );
+}

src/renderer/components/titlebar/Titlebar.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
-import { PanelLeft, PanelRight } from 'lucide-react';
+import { ChevronLeft, ChevronRight, PanelLeft, PanelRight } from 'lucide-react';
 import { ReactNode } from 'react';
+import { Button } from '@renderer/components/ui/button';
 import { Toggle } from '@renderer/components/ui/toggle';
 import { useWorkspaceLayoutContext } from '@renderer/core/view/layout-provider';
+import { useNavigationHistory } from '@renderer/core/view/navigation-history-provider';
 import { useWorkspaceSlots } from '@renderer/core/view/navigation-provider';
 import { cn } from '@renderer/lib/utils';
 import ShortcutHint from '../ui/shortcut-hint';
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ import { Tooltip, TooltipContent, TooltipTrigger } from '../ui/tooltip';
 export function Titlebar({ leftSlot, rightSlot }: { leftSlot?: ReactNode; rightSlot?: ReactNode }) {
   const { isRightOpen, setCollapsed, isLeftOpen } = useWorkspaceLayoutContext();
   const { RightPanel } = useWorkspaceSlots();
+  const { canGoBack, canGoForward, goBack, goForward } = useNavigationHistory();
   return (
     <header
       className={cn(
@@ -20,7 +23,43 @@ export function Titlebar({ leftSlot, rightSlot }: { leftSlot?: ReactNode; rightS
       <div className="pointer-events-auto flex w-full items-center gap-1">
         {!isLeftOpen && <div className="[-webkit-app-region:no-drag]"></div>}
         <div className="flex w-full items-center justify-between">
-          <div className="flex items-center justify-start [-webkit-app-region:no-drag]">
+          <div className="flex items-center justify-start gap-0.5 [-webkit-app-region:no-drag]">
+            <Tooltip>
+              <TooltipTrigger>
+                <Button
+                  variant="ghost"
+                  size="icon-sm"
+                  className="size-7 text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground disabled:opacity-40"
+                  disabled={!canGoBack}
+                  onClick={() => goBack()}
+                  aria-label="Go back"
+                >
+                  <ChevronLeft className="h-4 w-4" />
+                </Button>
+              </TooltipTrigger>
+              <TooltipContent>
+                Go back
+                <ShortcutHint settingsKey="navigateBack" />
+              </TooltipContent>
+            </Tooltip>
+            <Tooltip>
+              <TooltipTrigger>
+                <Button
+                  variant="ghost"
+                  size="icon-sm"
+                  className="size-7 text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground disabled:opacity-40"
+                  disabled={!canGoForward}
+                  onClick={() => goForward()}
+                  aria-label="Go forward"
+                >
+                  <ChevronRight className="h-4 w-4" />
+                </Button>
+              </TooltipTrigger>
+              <TooltipContent>
+                Go forward
+                <ShortcutHint settingsKey="navigateForward" />
+              </TooltipContent>
+            </Tooltip>
             {!isLeftOpen && (
               <Tooltip>
                 <TooltipTrigger>

src/renderer/core/stores/navigation-store.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { makeAutoObservable, toJS } from 'mobx';
 import type { NavigationSnapshot } from '@shared/view-state';
-import type { ViewId, WrapParams } from '../view/registry';
+import { views, type ViewId, type WrapParams } from '../view/registry';
 import type { Snapshottable } from './snapshottable';
 
 type ViewParamsStore = Partial<{ [K in ViewId]: WrapParams<K> }>;
@@ -26,7 +26,9 @@ export class NavigationStore implements Snapshottable<NavigationSnapshot> {
   }
 
   restoreSnapshot(snapshot: Partial<NavigationSnapshot>): void {
-    if (snapshot.currentViewId) this.currentViewId = snapshot.currentViewId as ViewId;
+    if (snapshot.currentViewId && snapshot.currentViewId in views) {
+      this.currentViewId = snapshot.currentViewId as ViewId;
+    }
     if (snapshot.viewParams) this.viewParamsStore = snapshot.viewParams as ViewParamsStore;
   }
 }