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Glossary

Basket

Last updated

Definition

The basket is a Pairbar window layout that docks the official Claude and Codex desktop apps together with one Pairbar sidebar in a single frame, so the two behave like one window you move, resize and rearrange together.

Also called: basket layout, docked layout, Claude and Codex side by side.

macOS can tile two windows next to each other, but tiled windows stay separate: each has its own sidebar, and moving one leaves the other behind. The basket is a group instead. The sidebar and a thin frame form one surface, the two apps sit inside it as one inset card, and dragging or resizing the basket moves everything together.

ArrangementWhat it shows
Side by sideboth apps next to each other; drag the line between them to share the room
Stackedone app above the other
Focusone app at a time in the whole card, the other right behind it; Swap apps (⌃⌥⌘S) brings it forward

The alternative is Overlay, where Pairbar's sidebar lies over the overlay sidebar position of whichever app is in front and the other app's window comes to the same spot when you open one of its chats.

In Pairbar

Choose Basket from the layout button in the sidebar's header or ⌘K. The window you're using stays put and the other app docks next to it. With Hide Claude's and Codex's own sidebars in the basket on (the default), Pairbar presses each app's own View-menu item so its sidebar is the only one. Neither app gets narrower than 420 pt as far as the basket allows, the basket remembers its place for each set of displays, and Save current setup… keeps named setups that can come back when displays change. Moving windows needs the Accessibility permission; Screen Recording is optional and only makes animations smoother. See Window layouts.

Frequently asked questions

Is the basket the same as macOS window tiling?
No. Tiling places two independent windows side by side. The basket groups Claude and Codex with one sidebar in one frame, so they move, resize and swap together.
Does the basket change the Claude or Codex apps?
No. They're the official apps, positioned from the outside. Pairbar only hides their own sidebars through their View menus, and shows them again when you go back to Overlay.
Does the basket work with Stage Manager or full screen?
It works with Stage Manager, but Stage Manager may move one window into its own stage (Pairbar warns). A window in macOS full screen leaves the basket.

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