[BUG] 'New' Has No Option to Work on a Different Project

### Preflight Checklist

- [x] I have searched [existing issues](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20label%3Abug) and this hasn't been reported yet
- [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
- [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

### What's Wrong?

On using Claude Code and working on a project, there is no apparent way to start work on a different project.

### What Should Happen?

There should be an easy obvious way to switch to a new/different project, especially via the 'New' function.

### Error Messages/Logs

```shell
N/A
```

### Steps to Reproduce

1. New user / fresh install: in Claude Code, add a folder and do some work.
2. Decide to work on something else. Click 'New'.

RESULT: You are still in the first project. You can open another folder and do other work, but Claude's internal tracking and memory is logging memory to the original project.

NOTE: Prior to the first prompt of this new conversation, you cannot switch projects. It looks like maybe you can issue a prompt, and then the UI for changing projects (which is kludgy and awful) becomes available.

### Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

### Is this a regression?

I don't know

### Last Working Version

N/A

### Claude Code Version

Latest Claude desktop app. This command does not work, with or without the /.

### Platform

Anthropic API

### Operating System

Windows

### Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

### Additional Information

I've done enough software development to hear the voices disregarding this issue for various reasons.. ''User error', 'Working as intended', etc. If this is you, you are fouling up. This is absolutely a bug, and whatever you are doing to avoid the pain of it (unless you only work on one project) is a work around to an issue you should be focusing on.

Reproduce the reported flow in the Claude desktop app: add a folder, do some work, then click “New” and open another folder before sending a prompt. Check whether the new conversation uses the new project for internal tracking and memory; done means users can switch projects before their first prompt and the new project is tracked.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.