github / github/app

Increase contrast for the currently selected session

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Description

### Feature summary

Make the currently selected session clearly distinguishable with a higher-contrast background and border.

### What problem are you trying to solve?

The current selected-session state in the session list is too subtle. With eye-friendly monitor settings commonly used by developers who spend all day looking at screens—lower brightness, warmer color temperature, reduced contrast, night-light modes, or similar calibration—it is difficult to tell which session is currently active.

This creates repeated visual friction when working with many parallel sessions: I have to stop and carefully scan the sidebar before I can confirm which session I am viewing. The selection state should remain obvious across supported themes and display configurations.

### Proposed solution

Use a visibly stronger selected state for the current session row:

Apply a filled, higher-contrast background using the active theme's accent or selection token.
Add a clear border or leading indicator in the same accent color used for the focused composer/text-box border.
Preserve readable text and icon contrast in light and dark themes.
Keep hover, unread, running, and selected states visually distinct.
Aim for at least 3:1 non-text contrast between the selected state and adjacent session rows.

For the current GitHub theme, a green-tinted selected background matching the focused text-box border would work well. The exact color should remain theme-aware rather than hard-coded.

### Workflow impact

This would help developers managing many concurrent sessions, especially people using low-brightness, warm-color, reduced-contrast, night-light, or other eye-comfort monitor settings during long workdays. It would make session switching faster, reduce accidental work in the wrong session, and improve basic visual accessibility.

### Installation context

GitHub Copilot desktop app on Windows; applies to the session sidebar across platforms.

### Additional context

The key requirement is persistent, immediately recognizable contrast for the active session—not only a subtle hover effect or small icon. Ideally the selected state should be tested across every built-in theme and under reduced-contrast display conditions.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by locating the session sidebar's selected-row styling and the theme tokens used by the focused composer or text-box border. Compare the selected, hover, unread, and running states across built-in light and dark themes, then verify that the selected session is visibly distinct while text and icons remain readable.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
github
Domain
accessibility, design, desktop
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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