fix(workspace): open the link pickers on a workspace that already has the project's name

When no workspace is linked, both link pickers opened on "create a quick
workspace", even when the list showed a workspace with exactly the name the
create would use. Enter then made a second workspace with that name, splitting
the team's skills and memory between the two.

- `sameNamedWorkspace()` (workspace-name.ts) finds a listed workspace whose
  name matches the proposed one, comparing case- and whitespace-insensitively.
- `altimate-code link` and the TUI's on-demand picker open on that workspace
  and mark it "same name as this project".
- Creating a workspace with a name that is already listed asks for
  confirmation first (defaulting to no in the CLI).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_0172qrhMa5TQgETASi5hxMqD

Author: ralphstodomingo

packages/opencode/src/altimate/workspace/workspace-name.ts

@@ -47,3 +47,26 @@ export function workspaceLabel(name: string, id: string | undefined, budget = MA
   // so it is what survives.
   return label.length > budget ? suffix.trim() : label
 }
+
+/** A name as the link pickers compare it: control characters and runs of whitespace
+ * collapsed, trimmed, case folded. */
+function comparableName(name: string): string {
+  return name
+    .replace(/[\u0000-\u001F\u007F-\u009F\u2028\u2029]+/g, " ")
+    .replace(/\s+/g, " ")
+    .trim()
+    .toLowerCase()
+}
+
+/** The first listed workspace already named what a quick create would call this
+ * project, or undefined. The link pickers open on it instead of on "create", and
+ * creating a second workspace with that name takes a confirmation: two workspaces
+ * with one name split a team's skills and memory without anyone noticing. */
+export function sameNamedWorkspace<T extends { name: string }>(
+  list: readonly T[],
+  proposedName: string,
+): T | undefined {
+  const target = comparableName(proposedName)
+  if (!target) return undefined
+  return list.find((workspace) => comparableName(workspace.name) === target)
+}

packages/opencode/src/cli/cmd/link.ts

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ import {
 } from "@/altimate/workspace/browser-handoff"
 import { accountDigest, recordApprovedBinding } from "@/altimate/workspace/state"
 import type { SeedOutcome } from "@/altimate/workspace/memory-backfill"
+import { sameNamedWorkspace } from "@/altimate/workspace/workspace-name"
 
 const CREATE_NEW_SENTINEL = "__create_new__"
 const SET_UP_IN_BROWSER_SENTINEL = "__browser_handoff__"
@@ -245,6 +246,9 @@ export const LinkCommand = cmd({
       ? projectNameFromRemote(identifier.repoRemote)
       : projectNameFromPath(identifier.projectPath)
     const currentId = existing?.datamate.id
+    // A listed workspace already named what a quick create would use. The picker
+    // opens on it rather than on create, and creating a namesake is confirmed.
+    const namesake = sameNamedWorkspace(list, autoName)
     // Sanitized once here so every downstream display (the picker message,
     // the "Kept" outro, hyperlink()'s own text) is covered — hyperlink()
     // only sanitized its own `text` param, not the raw name reaching
@@ -312,7 +316,12 @@ export const LinkCommand = cmd({
         return {
           value: String(dm.id),
           label: dm.id === currentId ? `● ${hyperlink(safeDmName, currentManageUrl)}` : `  ${safeDmName}`,
-          hint: dm.id === currentId ? "currently linked here" : undefined,
+          hint:
+            dm.id === currentId
+              ? "currently linked here"
+              : dm.id === namesake?.id
+                ? "same name as this project"
+                : undefined,
         }
       }),
     ]
@@ -322,7 +331,7 @@ export const LinkCommand = cmd({
         ? `Currently linked to "${hyperlink(currentName!, currentManageUrl)}". Pick a workspace (or create a new one):`
         : "Pick a workspace to link (or create a new one):",
       options,
-      initialValue: currentId !== undefined ? String(currentId) : CREATE_NEW_SENTINEL,
+      initialValue: currentId !== undefined ? String(currentId) : namesake ? String(namesake.id) : CREATE_NEW_SENTINEL,
     })
 
     if (prompts.isCancel(pick)) {
@@ -336,6 +345,16 @@ export const LinkCommand = cmd({
     }
 
     if (pick === CREATE_NEW_SENTINEL) {
+      if (namesake) {
+        const again = await prompts.confirm({
+          message: `A workspace named "${stripControlChars(namesake.name)}" already exists. Create another one with the same name?`,
+          initialValue: false,
+        })
+        if (prompts.isCancel(again) || !again) {
+          prompts.outro("No changes.")
+          return
+        }
+      }
       await createThenBindOrRebind(identifier, autoName, args.directory, existing)
       return
     }

packages/opencode/src/plugin/tui/altimate/workspace.tsx

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import open from "open"
 // altimate_change start - the /workspace action menu
 import * as Manage from "@/altimate/workspace/manage"
 import { describeSyncProblems } from "@/altimate/workspace/skill-sync"
-import { inertWorkspaceName } from "@/altimate/workspace/workspace-name"
+import { inertWorkspaceName, sameNamedWorkspace } from "@/altimate/workspace/workspace-name"
 // altimate_change end
 import { createSignal, onCleanup, onMount } from "solid-js"
 import {
@@ -998,6 +998,13 @@ function OnDemandPickerDialog(props: OnDemandPickerProps) {
     }
   })
 
+  // A listed workspace already named what a quick create would use: the picker
+  // opens on it, and creating a namesake is confirmed first.
+  const namesake = () => {
+    const list = datamates()
+    return list ? sameNamedWorkspace(list, props.defaultName) : undefined
+  }
+
   const options = () => {
     const list = datamates()
     // No ``disabled: true`` — DialogSelect filters those out (Kilo cycle 6).
@@ -1014,7 +1021,12 @@ function OnDemandPickerDialog(props: OnDemandPickerProps) {
       ...list.map((dm) => ({
         title: dm.id === props.currentlyLinkedDatamateId ? `● ${dm.name}` : `  ${dm.name}`,
         value: dm.id,
-        description: dm.id === props.currentlyLinkedDatamateId ? "currently linked to this project" : undefined,
+        description:
+          dm.id === props.currentlyLinkedDatamateId
+            ? "currently linked to this project"
+            : dm.id === namesake()?.id
+              ? "same name as this project"
+              : undefined,
       })),
     ]
   }
@@ -1023,7 +1035,7 @@ function OnDemandPickerDialog(props: OnDemandPickerProps) {
     <props.api.ui.DialogSelect<number>
       title="Link this project to a workspace"
       options={options()}
-      current={props.currentlyLinkedDatamateId ?? CREATE_NEW_SENTINEL}
+      current={props.currentlyLinkedDatamateId ?? namesake()?.id ?? CREATE_NEW_SENTINEL}
       onSelect={(option) => {
         if (option.value === -1) {
           props.api.ui.dialog.clear()
@@ -1041,7 +1053,20 @@ function OnDemandPickerDialog(props: OnDemandPickerProps) {
                   matchedBy: props.matchedBy,
                 }
               : undefined
-          void createAndBindInline(props.api, props.identifier, props.defaultName, rebindFrom)
+          const create = () => void createAndBindInline(props.api, props.identifier, props.defaultName, rebindFrom)
+          const twin = namesake()
+          if (!twin) {
+            create()
+            return
+          }
+          props.api.ui.dialog.replace(() => (
+            <props.api.ui.DialogConfirm
+              title="Create a workspace with the same name?"
+              message={`A workspace named "${inertWorkspaceName(twin.name)}" already exists. Create another one called "${props.defaultName}"?`}
+              onConfirm={create}
+              onCancel={() => props.api.ui.dialog.clear()}
+            />
+          ))
           return
         }
         // Picked an existing workspace.

packages/opencode/test/altimate/workspace/same-named-workspace.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+// altimate_change - new file
+//
+// The link pickers open on a listed workspace that already has the name a quick
+// create would use, instead of on "create", so a second workspace with the same name
+// takes a deliberate choice.
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { sameNamedWorkspace } from "../../../src/altimate/workspace/workspace-name"
+
+const ws = (id: number, name: string) => ({ id, name })
+
+describe("sameNamedWorkspace", () => {
+  test.each([
+    ["exact name", [ws(1, "analytics")], "analytics", 1],
+    ["case differs", [ws(1, "Analytics")], "analytics", 1],
+    ["surrounding and inner whitespace differ", [ws(1, "  data   platform ")], "data platform", 1],
+    ["a control character in the listed name", [ws(1, "analy\u0007tics")], "analy tics", 1],
+    ["no workspace has the name", [ws(1, "marketing"), ws(2, "finance")], "analytics", undefined],
+    ["a longer name that only starts the same", [ws(1, "analytics-prod")], "analytics", undefined],
+    ["the first of two namesakes wins", [ws(3, "analytics"), ws(4, "ANALYTICS")], "analytics", 3],
+    ["an empty proposed name matches nothing", [ws(1, "")], "   ", undefined],
+    ["an empty list", [], "analytics", undefined],
+  ] as const)("%s", (_label, list, proposed, expected) => {
+    expect(sameNamedWorkspace(list, proposed)?.id).toBe(expected)
+  })
+
+  test("returns the listed object itself, so callers keep its id and display name", () => {
+    const listed = ws(7, "Analytics")
+    expect(sameNamedWorkspace([ws(1, "other"), listed], "analytics")).toBe(listed)
+  })
+})