StudyMesh:MAIN Add notes-first workspace draft flow

apps/studymesh/src/components/Dasboard/Dashboard.tsx

@@ -92,6 +92,52 @@ const DEFAULT_STUDY_PATH_OPENED_KEY = 'studymesh-default-study-path-opened-v1'
 const USER_ROLE_CHANGED_EVENT = 'studymesh-user-role-changed'
 const OPEN_SAVED_DASHBOARDS_EVENT = 'studymesh-open-saved-dashboards'
 
+const createNotesPageDashboard = (markdown: string): DefaultDashboard => {
+  const createdAt = new Date().toISOString()
+  const titleMatch = markdown.match(/^#\s+(.+)$/m)
+  const title = titleMatch?.[1]?.trim() || 'Untitled notes'
+  const widgetId = `notes-page-${Date.now()}`
+
+  return {
+    name: title,
+    layout: {
+      type: 'row',
+      weight: 100,
+      children: [
+        {
+          type: 'tabset',
+          weight: 100,
+          active: true,
+          selected: 0,
+          children: [
+            {
+              type: 'tab',
+              name: 'Notes',
+              component: 'CustomWidget',
+              config: {
+                customProps: {
+                  widgetId,
+                  components: [
+                    {
+                      id: `${widgetId}-markdown`,
+                      type: 'MarkdownBlock',
+                      props: {
+                        __blockType: 'MarkdownBlock',
+                        title: 'Scratch notes',
+                        markdown,
+                      },
+                    },
+                  ],
+                },
+              },
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  }
+}
+
 const Dashboards = () => {
   const {
     theme,
@@ -448,6 +494,25 @@ const Dashboards = () => {
     addDashboard()
   }
 
+  const startNotesPageDashboard = (markdown: string) => {
+    if (!isAdmin || !markdown.trim()) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    const notesDashboard = createNotesPageDashboard(markdown.trim())
+
+    if (openDashboards[selectedDashboard] && selectedDashboardIsEmpty) {
+      replaceDashboard(selectedDashboard, notesDashboard)
+    } else {
+      addDashboard(notesDashboard)
+    }
+
+    dispatchWorkspaceOnboardingEvent({
+      type: 'saved-dashboard-opened',
+      dashboardName: notesDashboard.name,
+    })
+  }
+
   const openSavedDashboardInWorkspace = (dashboard: SavedDashboard) => {
     if (openDashboards[selectedDashboard] && selectedDashboardIsEmpty) {
       replaceDashboard(selectedDashboard, {
@@ -1459,6 +1524,7 @@ const Dashboards = () => {
       onMessagesChange={(messages) =>
         updateDashboardChatMessages(currentDashboard, messages)
       }
+      onCreateNotesPage={startNotesPageDashboard}
       onClose={closeDashboardChatPanel}
     />
   )
@@ -1604,6 +1670,7 @@ const Dashboards = () => {
                         onUploadMaterial={() => openCreationSources('upload')}
                         onPasteNotes={() => openCreationSources('paste')}
                         onQuickCreate={openQuickCreateFromEmptyDashboard}
+                        onStartNotesPage={startNotesPageDashboard}
                         onOpenSavedLibrary={openSavedLibraryFromEmptyState}
                         dashboardOptions={visibleDashboardOptions}
                         onOpenDashboard={openSavedDashboardInWorkspace}
@@ -1813,6 +1880,7 @@ const Dashboards = () => {
           onUploadMaterial={() => openCreationSources('upload')}
           onPasteNotes={() => openCreationSources('paste')}
           onQuickCreate={openQuickCreateFromEmptyDashboard}
+          onStartNotesPage={startNotesPageDashboard}
           onOpenSavedLibrary={openSavedLibraryFromEmptyState}
           dashboardOptions={visibleDashboardOptions}
           onOpenDashboard={openSavedDashboardFromEmptyState}

apps/studymesh/src/components/Dasboard/DashboardEmptyState.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
-import React from 'react'
-import { Box, Button, Chip, Paper, Stack, Typography } from '@mui/material'
+import React, { useState } from 'react'
+import {
+  Box,
+  Button,
+  Chip,
+  Paper,
+  Stack,
+  TextField,
+  Typography,
+} from '@mui/material'
 import { alpha } from '@mui/material/styles'
 import AutoStoriesIcon from '@mui/icons-material/AutoStories'
 import CloudUploadIcon from '@mui/icons-material/CloudUpload'
@@ -23,6 +31,7 @@ interface DashboardEmptyStateProps {
   onUploadMaterial: () => void
   onPasteNotes: () => void
   onQuickCreate: (intent: EmptyDashboardQuickCreate) => void
+  onStartNotesPage: (markdown: string) => void
   onOpenSavedLibrary: () => void
   dashboardOptions: SavedDashboard[]
   onOpenDashboard: (dashboard: SavedDashboard) => void
@@ -61,6 +70,7 @@ const DashboardEmptyState = ({
   onUploadMaterial,
   onPasteNotes,
   onQuickCreate,
+  onStartNotesPage,
   onOpenSavedLibrary,
   dashboardOptions,
   onOpenDashboard,
@@ -87,6 +97,8 @@ const DashboardEmptyState = ({
       : 'Open existing study guide'
     : 'Open existing dashboard'
   const featuredFolders = folderEntries.slice(0, 4)
+  const [notesDraft, setNotesDraft] = useState('')
+  const normalizedNotesDraft = notesDraft.trim()
 
   return (
     <Box
@@ -245,6 +257,81 @@ const DashboardEmptyState = ({
             <ChevronRightIcon color="primary" />
           </Paper>
 
+          <Paper
+            elevation={0}
+            sx={{
+              p: { xs: 1.25, sm: 1.5 },
+              borderRadius: 2.5,
+              border: 1,
+              borderColor: (theme) => alpha(theme.palette.primary.main, 0.24),
+              bgcolor: (theme) => alpha(theme.palette.primary.main, 0.055),
+            }}
+          >
+            <Stack spacing={1.25}>
+              <Box>
+                <Typography variant="subtitle1" fontWeight={900}>
+                  Start with notes, not AI
+                </Typography>
+                <Typography
+                  variant="body2"
+                  color="text.secondary"
+                  sx={{ mt: 0.3 }}
+                >
+                  Write freely in Markdown like a blank Notion page. It opens as
+                  a temporary dashboard with one notes widget, and it only
+                  becomes a saved dashboard when you save it.
+                </Typography>
+              </Box>
+              <TextField
+                value={notesDraft}
+                onChange={(event) => setNotesDraft(event.target.value)}
+                placeholder={
+                  '# My notes\n\nDump your thoughts, links, questions, or source material here...'
+                }
+                multiline
+                minRows={5}
+                fullWidth
+                inputProps={{ 'aria-label': 'Markdown notes draft' }}
+                sx={{
+                  '& .MuiOutlinedInput-root': {
+                    borderRadius: 2,
+                    bgcolor: 'background.paper',
+                    alignItems: 'flex-start',
+                    fontFamily: 'JetBrains Mono, monospace',
+                    fontSize: '0.92rem',
+                  },
+                }}
+              />
+              <Stack direction={{ xs: 'column', sm: 'row' }} spacing={1}>
+                <Button
+                  variant="contained"
+                  onClick={() => onStartNotesPage(normalizedNotesDraft)}
+                  disabled={!isAdmin || !normalizedNotesDraft}
+                  sx={{
+                    textTransform: 'none',
+                    fontWeight: 900,
+                    borderRadius: 2,
+                  }}
+                >
+                  Open notes page
+                </Button>
+                <Button
+                  variant="outlined"
+                  onClick={onPasteNotes}
+                  disabled={!isAdmin}
+                  sx={{
+                    textTransform: 'none',
+                    fontWeight: 900,
+                    borderRadius: 2,
+                    bgcolor: 'background.paper',
+                  }}
+                >
+                  Use Creation instead
+                </Button>
+              </Stack>
+            </Stack>
+          </Paper>
+
           <Box
             sx={{
               display: 'grid',

apps/studymesh/src/components/dashboardChat/DashboardChatPanel.tsx

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ interface DashboardChatPanelProps {
   dashboard?: StateDashboard
   messages: DashboardChatMessage[]
   onMessagesChange: (messages: DashboardChatMessage[]) => void
+  onCreateNotesPage?: (markdown: string) => void
   onClose: () => void
 }
 
@@ -56,11 +57,13 @@ const DashboardChatPanel = ({
   dashboard,
   messages,
   onMessagesChange,
+  onCreateNotesPage,
   onClose,
 }: DashboardChatPanelProps) => {
   const theme = useTheme()
   const isMobile = useMediaQuery(theme.breakpoints.down('md'))
   const [draft, setDraft] = useState('')
+  const [notesDraft, setNotesDraft] = useState('')
   const [error, setError] = useState('')
   const [activeStartedAt, setActiveStartedAt] = useState<number | null>(null)
   const [elapsedSeconds, setElapsedSeconds] = useState(0)
@@ -289,6 +292,57 @@ const DashboardChatPanel = ({
         </Stack>
       </Box>
 
+      {onCreateNotesPage && (
+        <Box
+          sx={{
+            px: 2,
+            py: 1.5,
+            borderBottom: 1,
+            borderColor: 'divider',
+            bgcolor: 'background.default',
+          }}
+        >
+          <Stack spacing={1}>
+            <Box>
+              <Typography variant="subtitle2" fontWeight={900}>
+                Private notes lane
+              </Typography>
+              <Typography variant="caption" color="text.secondary">
+                Think out loud without asking AI. Turn it into a temporary
+                Markdown dashboard when it becomes useful.
+              </Typography>
+            </Box>
+            <TextField
+              value={notesDraft}
+              onChange={(event) => setNotesDraft(event.target.value)}
+              placeholder="Write your own notes here..."
+              multiline
+              minRows={3}
+              fullWidth
+              size="small"
+              inputProps={{ 'aria-label': 'Private notes draft' }}
+            />
+            <Button
+              variant="outlined"
+              size="small"
+              onClick={() => {
+                const markdown = notesDraft.trim()
+                if (!markdown) return
+                onCreateNotesPage(markdown)
+                setNotesDraft('')
+              }}
+              disabled={!notesDraft.trim()}
+              sx={{
+                alignSelf: 'flex-start',
+                textTransform: 'none',
+                fontWeight: 800,
+              }}
+            >
+              Open as notes dashboard
+            </Button>
+          </Stack>
+        </Box>
+      )}
       <Box
         sx={{
           flex: 1,

apps/studymesh/tests/unit/components/dashboard/Dashboard.test.tsx

@@ -223,6 +223,10 @@ describe('Dashboards', () => {
     expect(
       screen.getByRole('button', { name: /paste notes/i }),
     ).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByText(/start with notes, not ai/i)).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(
+      screen.getByRole('textbox', { name: /markdown notes draft/i }),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument()
     expect(
       screen.getByRole('button', { name: /create quiz/i }),
     ).toBeInTheDocument()
@@ -246,6 +250,30 @@ describe('Dashboards', () => {
     ).not.toBeInTheDocument()
   })
 
+  it('turns an empty dashboard notes draft into a temporary Markdown dashboard', () => {
+    const replaceDashboard = vi.fn()
+    mockDashboardProvider({ replaceDashboard })
+
+    render(<Dashboards />)
+
+    fireEvent.change(
+      screen.getByRole('textbox', { name: /markdown notes draft/i }),
+      { target: { value: '# Biology dump\n\n- cells need energy' } },
+    )
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /open notes page/i }))
+
+    expect(replaceDashboard).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      0,
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        name: 'Biology dump',
+        layout: expect.objectContaining({ type: 'row' }),
+      }),
+    )
+    expect(JSON.stringify(replaceDashboard.mock.calls[0][1].layout)).toContain(
+      'cells need energy',
+    )
+  })
+
   it('opens the Study Path modal when the primary empty workspace action is used', () => {
     const createHubListener = vi.fn()
     window.addEventListener('studymesh-open-create-hub', createHubListener)