fix(desktop): restore channel browsing and add recent sorting

desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelBrowserDialog.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ import {
 
 import type { Channel } from "@/shared/api/types";
 import { scoreChannelMatch } from "@/features/channels/lib/channelSearchScore";
+import {
+  type ChannelSortMode,
+  sortChannelsForSidebar,
+} from "@/features/sidebar/lib/channelSortPreference";
 import { ListSortDescending } from "@/shared/ui/icons";
 import {
   Dialog,
@@ -45,10 +49,11 @@ import {
 } from "@/features/sidebar/ui/CreateChannelFormFields";
 
 type BrowserTab = "all" | "joined" | "archived";
-type ChannelSort = "alphabetical" | "members";
+type ChannelSort = ChannelSortMode | "members";
 
 const CHANNEL_SORT_OPTIONS: { label: string; value: ChannelSort }[] = [
-  { label: "Alphabetical", value: "alphabetical" },
+  { label: "Alphabetical", value: "alpha" },
+  { label: "Recent", value: "recent" },
   { label: "Most members", value: "members" },
 ];
 
@@ -102,7 +107,7 @@ export function ChannelBrowserDialog({
 }: ChannelBrowserDialogProps) {
   const [query, setQuery] = React.useState("");
   const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = React.useState<BrowserTab>("all");
-  const [sort, setSort] = React.useState<ChannelSort>("alphabetical");
+  const [sort, setSort] = React.useState<ChannelSort>("alpha");
   const [selectedIndex, setSelectedIndex] = React.useState<number | null>(null);
   const [joiningChannelId, setJoiningChannelId] = React.useState<string | null>(
     null,
@@ -132,7 +137,7 @@ export function ChannelBrowserDialog({
   const isForumMode = channelTypeFilter === "forum";
   const canCreate = Boolean(onCreateChannel);
   const createKind = isForumMode ? "forum" : "stream";
-  const browseTitle = isForumMode ? "Add a forum" : "Add a channel";
+  const browseTitle = isForumMode ? "Add a forum" : "Browse channels";
   const searchPlaceholder = canCreate
     ? isForumMode
       ? "Search or create a forum"
@@ -206,23 +211,30 @@ export function ChannelBrowserDialog({
   const isSearching = deferredQuery.length > 0;
 
   const orderedVisibleChannels = React.useMemo(() => {
-    return [...visibleChannels].sort((a, b) => {
-      // While searching, best match wins so the channel you meant floats to
-      // the top; ties fall back to the user's chosen sort below.
-      if (isSearching) {
-        const scoreA = matchScoreById.get(a.id) ?? Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY;
-        const scoreB = matchScoreById.get(b.id) ?? Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY;
-        if (scoreA !== scoreB) return scoreA - scoreB;
-      }
-
-      if (sort === "members" && b.memberCount !== a.memberCount) {
-        return b.memberCount - a.memberCount;
-      }
-
-      return a.name.localeCompare(b.name, undefined, { sensitivity: "base" });
-    });
+    const sorted =
+      sort === "members"
+        ? [...visibleChannels].sort(
+            (a, b) =>
+              b.memberCount - a.memberCount ||
+              a.name.localeCompare(b.name, undefined, {
+                sensitivity: "base",
+              }),
+          )
+        : sortChannelsForSidebar(visibleChannels, sort);
+
+    if (!isSearching) return sorted;
+
+    return sorted.sort(
+      (a, b) =>
+        (matchScoreById.get(a.id) ?? Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY) -
+        (matchScoreById.get(b.id) ?? Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY),
+    );
   }, [isSearching, matchScoreById, sort, visibleChannels]);
 
+  const selectedSortLabel =
+    CHANNEL_SORT_OPTIONS.find((option) => option.value === sort)?.label ??
+    "Alphabetical";
+
   const allTabLabel = isForumMode ? "All forums" : "All channels";
 
   // Whether an exact name match already exists — if so we don't offer to
@@ -320,7 +332,7 @@ export function ChannelBrowserDialog({
     if (!open) {
       setQuery("");
       setActiveTab("all");
-      setSort("alphabetical");
+      setSort("alpha");
       setSelectedIndex(null);
       setJoiningChannelId(null);
       setMode("browse");
@@ -500,11 +512,7 @@ export function ChannelBrowserDialog({
                 <DropdownMenu>
                   <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
                     <Button
-                      aria-label={`Sort ${entityLabel}s: ${
-                        sort === "alphabetical"
-                          ? "Alphabetical"
-                          : "Most members"
-                      }`}
+                      aria-label={`Sort ${entityLabel}s: ${selectedSortLabel}`}
                       data-testid="channel-browser-sort"
                       size="icon-xs"
                       type="button"

desktop/src/features/search/ui/SearchResultItem.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   type LucideIcon,
 } from "lucide-react";
 
+import { HashSearch } from "@/shared/ui/icons";
 import {
   resolveUserLabel,
   resolveUserSecondaryLabel,
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ export type SearchResult =
       kind: "action";
       action: {
         description?: string;
-        id: "create-agent" | "create-channel";
+        id: "browse-channels" | "create-agent" | "create-channel";
         title: string;
       };
     }
@@ -69,6 +70,9 @@ export function resultIcon(
   channelLookup: ReadonlyMap<string, Channel>,
 ) {
   if (result.kind === "action") {
+    if (result.action.id === "browse-channels") {
+      return HashSearch;
+    }
     return result.action.id === "create-agent" ? Bot : Plus;
   }
 

desktop/src/features/search/ui/TopbarSearch.tsx

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ type TopbarSearchProps = {
   onOpenChannel: (channelId: string) => void;
   onOpenResult: (hit: SearchHit) => void;
   onOpenUser?: (user: UserSearchResult) => void | Promise<void>;
+  onBrowseChannels?: () => void | Promise<void>;
   onCreateAgent?: () => void | Promise<void>;
   onCreateChannel?: () => void | Promise<void>;
   suggestionChannels?: Channel[];
@@ -393,6 +394,7 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
   onOpenChannel,
   onOpenResult,
   onOpenUser,
+  onBrowseChannels,
   onCreateAgent,
   onCreateChannel,
   suggestionChannels,
@@ -426,6 +428,16 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
   const suggestionActionResults = React.useMemo(() => {
     const actions: SearchResult[] = [];
 
+    if (onBrowseChannels) {
+      actions.push({
+        kind: "action",
+        action: {
+          id: "browse-channels",
+          title: "Browse channels",
+        },
+      });
+    }
+
     if (onCreateChannel) {
       actions.push({
         kind: "action",
@@ -447,7 +459,7 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
     }
 
     return actions;
-  }, [onCreateAgent, onCreateChannel]);
+  }, [onBrowseChannels, onCreateAgent, onCreateChannel]);
   const suggestionResults = React.useMemo(
     () => [...suggestedResults, ...suggestionActionResults],
     [suggestedResults, suggestionActionResults],
@@ -513,7 +525,11 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
 
       if (result.kind === "action") {
         setSelectedMenuIndex(0);
-        if (result.action.id === "create-channel") {
+        if (result.action.id === "browse-channels") {
+          openAfterExit(() => {
+            void onBrowseChannels?.();
+          });
+        } else if (result.action.id === "create-channel") {
           openAfterExit(() => {
             void onCreateChannel?.();
           });
@@ -528,6 +544,7 @@ export function TopbarSearch({
       onOpenResult(result.hit);
     },
     [
+      onBrowseChannels,
       onCreateAgent,
       onCreateChannel,
       onOpenChannel,

desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebar.tsx

@@ -554,6 +554,7 @@ export function AppSidebar({
         <AppSidebarPinnedHeader
           channelLabels={dmChannelLabels}
           currentPubkey={currentPubkey}
+          onBrowseChannels={onBrowseChannels}
           onCreateAgent={onCreateAgent}
           onCreateChannel={handleOpenCreateChannel}
           onOpenDm={onOpenDm}
@@ -720,7 +721,7 @@ export function AppSidebar({
                       }
                       actionsTestId="section-actions-channels"
                       listTestId="stream-list"
-                      quickCreateLabel="Add channel"
+                      quickCreateLabel="Browse channels"
                       onQuickCreateClick={onBrowseChannels}
                       showQuickCreate
                       onMarkAllRead={onMarkAllChannelsRead}

desktop/src/features/sidebar/ui/AppSidebarPinnedHeader.tsx

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ type SidebarSelectedView =
 type AppSidebarPinnedHeaderProps = {
   channelLabels: Record<string, string>;
   currentPubkey?: string;
+  onBrowseChannels?: () => void;
   onCreateAgent: () => void;
   onCreateChannel: () => void;
   onOpenDm: (input: { pubkeys: string[] }) => Promise<void>;
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ type AppSidebarPrimaryMenuProps = {
 export function AppSidebarPinnedHeader({
   channelLabels,
   currentPubkey,
+  onBrowseChannels,
   onCreateAgent,
   onCreateChannel,
   onOpenDm,
@@ -69,6 +71,7 @@ export function AppSidebarPinnedHeader({
         onOpenChannel={onSelectChannel}
         onOpenResult={onOpenSearchResult}
         onOpenUser={(user) => onOpenDm({ pubkeys: [user.pubkey] })}
+        onBrowseChannels={onBrowseChannels}
         onCreateAgent={onCreateAgent}
         onCreateChannel={onCreateChannel}
         suggestionChannels={suggestionChannels}

desktop/tests/e2e/channel-browser.spec.ts

@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ test("channel browser shows channels not yet joined", async ({ page }) => {
 
   await openChannelBrowser(page);
   await expect(page.getByTestId("channel-browser-dialog")).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(
+    page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Browse channels" }),
+  ).toBeVisible();
 
   // "design" and "sales" are open channels the mock user is NOT a member of
   await expect(page.getByTestId("browse-channel-design")).toBeVisible();
@@ -108,6 +111,33 @@ test("channel browser sorts alphabetically or by member count", async ({
   );
 });
 
+test("channel browser sorts by recent activity", async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.goto("/");
+
+  await openChannelBrowser(page);
+  const rows = page.locator('[data-testid^="browse-channel-"]');
+
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-browser-sort").click();
+  await page.getByTestId("channel-browser-sort-recent").click();
+
+  await expect(rows).toHaveText([
+    /#all-replies/,
+    /#deep-history/,
+    /#general/,
+    /#agents/,
+    /#sales/,
+    /#engineering/,
+    /#design/,
+    /#random/,
+    /#secret-projects/,
+    /#welcome-everyone/,
+  ]);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("channel-browser-sort")).toHaveAttribute(
+    "aria-label",
+    "Sort channels: Recent",
+  );
+});
+
 test("channel browser search filters by name", async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto("/");