feat: add excluded words filter for session list (#154)

* feat: add excluded words filter for session list

Add a configurable list of words that hides matching sessions from the
dispatch list. Sessions are excluded if their summary or any turn user
message contains one of the words (case-insensitive matching).

- Add ExcludedWords field to config and FilterOptions
- Add SQL filtering with parameterized NOT LIKE + NOT EXISTS subquery
- Add Excluded Words text field to the Settings panel (comma-separated)
- Reload session list on config panel close to apply changes immediately
- Add tests for summary match, turn match, case insensitivity, multi-word

Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>

* docs: add word filtering to README, website, and changelog

- Add Word filtering feature bullet to README
- Update Settings panel field count (10 to 12) in README
- Add excluded_words to config.astro options table and JSON example
- Add Word Filtering feature section to features.astro with screenshot
- Update Settings Panel description in features.astro (12 fields)
- Add screenshot capture for excluded words field in screenshot.go
- Add Unreleased section to CHANGELOG with the new feature

Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>

* chore: regenerate screenshots with excluded words field

Regenerated all 190 screenshots across 5 themes. The config panel and
config-editing screenshots now include the Excluded Words field, and a
new excluded-words screenshot shows the field focused with sample words.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>

* fix(web): auto-generate changelog page from CHANGELOG.md

Replace the hardcoded, stale changelog.astro with a build-time reader
that parses the root CHANGELOG.md using marked. The page now stays in
sync automatically with every release, no manual HTML updates needed.

Also adds an 'All features' link below the feature grid on the landing
page for discoverability.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>

---------

Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>

Author: jongio

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/), and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).
 
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Added
+- **Word filtering** — new `excluded_words` config option and Settings panel field. Enter a comma-separated list of words; sessions whose name or turn content contains any word (case-insensitive) are hidden from the list
+
 ## [v0.11.1] — 2026-06-21
 
 ### Changed

README.md

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ Dispatch reads your local Copilot CLI session store and presents every past sess
 
 - **Full-text search** (`/`) — FTS5 full-text search with BM25 ranking when available, falling back to LIKE for older CLI versions. Two-tier: quick search (summaries, branches, repos, directories) returns results instantly; deep search (turns, checkpoints, files, refs) kicks in after 300ms. Searching a number (e.g. "42", "#42", "PR42") also matches session refs (PRs, issues, commits)
 - **Directory filtering** (`f`) — hierarchical tree panel for toggling directory exclusion, persisted to config
+- **Word filtering** (Settings panel) — comma-separated list of words to exclude sessions by content. Sessions whose name or conversation turns contain any excluded word (case-insensitive) are hidden from the list
 - **Sorting** (`s` / `S`) — 5 fields (updated, folder, name, created, turns) with toggleable direction
 - **Grouping (pivot) modes** (`Tab`) — flat, folder, repo, branch, date — displayed as collapsible trees with session counts
 - **Time range filtering** (`1`–`4`) — 1 hour, 1 day, 7 days, all
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ Dispatch reads your local Copilot CLI session store and presents every past sess
 - **Work status detection** — analyzes `plan.md` files to identify sessions with incomplete planned work. Colored dots show completion status in the session list and preview panel. Press `R` to explicitly scan work status. Filter by work completion via the `!` status picker. Supports AI-powered analysis via Copilot SDK `analyze_completion` tool
 - **Session hiding** (`h` / `H`) — hide sessions from the list, toggle visibility of hidden sessions, persistent state
 - **Session favorites** (`*`) — star sessions as favorites. Filter to show only favorites via the `!` status picker
-- **Settings panel** (`,`) — 10 fields: Yolo Mode, Agent, Model, Launch Mode, Pane Direction, Terminal, Shell, Custom Command, Theme, Crash Recovery
+- **Settings panel** (`,`) — 12 fields: Yolo Mode, Agent, Model, Launch Mode, Pane Direction, Terminal, Shell, Custom Command, Theme, Crash Recovery, Preview Position, Excluded Words
 - **Shell picker** — auto-detects installed shells, modal picker when multiple available
 - **5 built-in themes** — Dispatch Dark, Dispatch Light, Campbell, One Half Dark, One Half Light + custom via Windows Terminal JSON
 - **Help overlay** (`?`) — two-column grouped keyboard shortcuts

internal/config/config.go

@@ -115,6 +115,11 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Terminal and Shell settings are still used.
 	CustomCommand string `json:"custom_command,omitempty"`
 
+	// ExcludedWords is a list of words used to filter sessions from the
+	// dispatch list. Sessions whose summary or turn content contains any
+	// of these words (case-insensitive) are hidden from the session list.
+	ExcludedWords []string `json:"excluded_words,omitempty"`
+
 	// HiddenSessions is a list of session IDs that the user has chosen to
 	// hide from the main session list. They can be revealed with the
 	// "show hidden" toggle and unhidden individually.

internal/data/models.go

@@ -208,6 +208,10 @@ type FilterOptions struct {
 	HasRefs      bool       `json:"has_refs,omitempty"`
 	ExcludedDirs []string   `json:"excluded_dirs,omitempty"`
 
+	// ExcludedWords is a list of words that hide sessions whose summary
+	// or turn content contains any of these words (case-insensitive).
+	ExcludedWords []string `json:"excluded_words,omitempty"`
+
 	// DeepSearch controls the breadth of the text search. When false
 	// (default / quick mode), only session-level fields are searched
 	// (summary, branch, repository, cwd). When true (deep mode), related

internal/data/store.go

@@ -368,6 +368,15 @@ func (fb *filterBuilder) apply(f FilterOptions) {
 			fb.args = append(fb.args, escapeLIKE(dir)+"%")
 		}
 	}
+	if len(f.ExcludedWords) > 0 {
+		for _, word := range f.ExcludedWords {
+			pattern := "%" + escapeLIKE(strings.ToLower(word)) + "%"
+			fb.wheres = append(fb.wheres,
+				`(LOWER(COALESCE(s.summary,'')) NOT LIKE ? ESCAPE '\'`+
+					` AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM turns t3 WHERE t3.session_id = s.id AND LOWER(t3.user_message) LIKE ? ESCAPE '\'))`)
+			fb.args = append(fb.args, pattern, pattern)
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 func (fb *filterBuilder) joinSQL() string {

internal/data/store_test.go

@@ -906,6 +906,90 @@ func TestFilterCombinedRepositoryAndBranch(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestFilterByExcludedWords_Summary(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	defer func() { _ = s.Close() }()
+	populateTestData(t, s)
+
+	// "auth" appears in sess-1 summary "Implement auth module"
+	sessions, err := s.ListSessions(
+		context.Background(),
+		FilterOptions{ExcludedWords: []string{"auth"}},
+		SortOptions{Field: SortByUpdated, Order: Descending}, 0,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ListSessions with ExcludedWords: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, sess := range sessions {
+		if sess.ID == "sess-1" {
+			t.Error("sess-1 should be excluded by ExcludedWords matching summary")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFilterByExcludedWords_TurnContent(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	defer func() { _ = s.Close() }()
+	populateTestData(t, s)
+
+	// "fuzzy" appears in sess-2 turn "Implement fuzzy search"
+	sessions, err := s.ListSessions(
+		context.Background(),
+		FilterOptions{ExcludedWords: []string{"fuzzy"}},
+		SortOptions{Field: SortByUpdated, Order: Descending}, 0,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ListSessions with ExcludedWords (turn): %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, sess := range sessions {
+		if sess.ID == "sess-2" {
+			t.Error("sess-2 should be excluded by ExcludedWords matching turn content")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFilterByExcludedWords_CaseInsensitive(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	defer func() { _ = s.Close() }()
+	populateTestData(t, s)
+
+	// "AUTH" should match case-insensitively against "Implement auth module"
+	sessions, err := s.ListSessions(
+		context.Background(),
+		FilterOptions{ExcludedWords: []string{"AUTH"}},
+		SortOptions{Field: SortByUpdated, Order: Descending}, 0,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ListSessions with ExcludedWords (case): %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, sess := range sessions {
+		if sess.ID == "sess-1" {
+			t.Error("sess-1 should be excluded by case-insensitive ExcludedWords match")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFilterByExcludedWords_MultipleWords(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newTestStore(t)
+	defer func() { _ = s.Close() }()
+	populateTestData(t, s)
+
+	// "auth" excludes sess-1, "experiment" excludes sess-4
+	sessions, err := s.ListSessions(
+		context.Background(),
+		FilterOptions{ExcludedWords: []string{"auth", "experiment"}},
+		SortOptions{Field: SortByUpdated, Order: Descending}, 0,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ListSessions with multiple ExcludedWords: %v", err)
+	}
+	for _, sess := range sessions {
+		if sess.ID == "sess-1" || sess.ID == "sess-4" {
+			t.Errorf("%s should be excluded by ExcludedWords", sess.ID)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFilterNoResults(t *testing.T) {
 	s := newTestStore(t)
 	defer func() { _ = s.Close() }()

internal/tui/components/configpanel.go

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ const (
 	cfgTheme
 	cfgWorkspaceRecovery
 	cfgPreviewPosition
+	cfgExcludedWords
 	cfgFieldCount
 )
 
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ type ConfigPanel struct {
 	theme             string // active color scheme name ("auto" or a scheme name)
 	workspaceRecovery bool
 	previewPosition   string // "right", "bottom", "left", "top"
+	excludedWords     string // comma-separated list of filter words
 
 	// Available options for cycling.
 	terminals  []string
@@ -95,6 +97,7 @@ type ConfigValues struct {
 	Theme             string
 	WorkspaceRecovery bool
 	PreviewPosition   string
+	ExcludedWords     string // comma-separated filter words
 }
 
 // SetValues loads the config panel state from external values.
@@ -110,6 +113,7 @@ func (c *ConfigPanel) SetValues(v ConfigValues) {
 	c.theme = v.Theme
 	c.workspaceRecovery = v.WorkspaceRecovery
 	c.previewPosition = v.PreviewPosition
+	c.excludedWords = v.ExcludedWords
 }
 
 // Values returns the current state of all editable fields.
@@ -126,6 +130,7 @@ func (c *ConfigPanel) Values() ConfigValues {
 		Theme:             c.theme,
 		WorkspaceRecovery: c.workspaceRecovery,
 		PreviewPosition:   c.previewPosition,
+		ExcludedWords:     c.excludedWords,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -210,6 +215,11 @@ func (c *ConfigPanel) HandleEnter() tea.Cmd {
 		c.textInput.SetValue(c.customCommand)
 		c.textInput.CharLimit = 256
 		return c.textInput.Focus()
+	case cfgExcludedWords:
+		c.editing = true
+		c.textInput.SetValue(c.excludedWords)
+		c.textInput.CharLimit = 512
+		return c.textInput.Focus()
 	case cfgTheme:
 		c.theme = c.cycleTheme(c.theme)
 	case cfgWorkspaceRecovery:
@@ -235,6 +245,8 @@ func (c *ConfigPanel) ConfirmEdit() {
 		c.model = val
 	case cfgCustomCommand:
 		c.customCommand = val
+	case cfgExcludedWords:
+		c.excludedWords = val
 	default:
 		// Non-editable fields are ignored.
 	}
@@ -288,6 +300,7 @@ func (c ConfigPanel) View() string {
 		{"Theme", themeDisplay(c.theme), false},
 		{"Crash Recovery", boolDisplay(c.workspaceRecovery), false},
 		{"Preview Position", previewPositionDisplay(c.previewPosition), false},
+		{"Excluded Words", stringDisplay(c.excludedWords), false},
 	}
 
 	var body strings.Builder
@@ -328,6 +341,14 @@ func (c ConfigPanel) View() string {
 		body.WriteString(styles.DimmedStyle.Render("  Example: my-tool --session {sessionId}") + "\n")
 	}
 
+	// Contextual help when the Excluded Words field is focused.
+	if c.cursor == cfgExcludedWords {
+		body.WriteString("\n")
+		body.WriteString(styles.DimmedStyle.Render("  Comma-separated words to filter out sessions.") + "\n")
+		body.WriteString(styles.DimmedStyle.Render("  Matches against session name and turn content.") + "\n")
+		body.WriteString(styles.DimmedStyle.Render("  Example: MANDATORY, internal, secret") + "\n")
+	}
+
 	body.WriteString("\n")
 	if c.editing {
 		body.WriteString(styles.DimmedStyle.Render("Enter confirm · Esc cancel"))

internal/tui/model.go

@@ -284,6 +284,7 @@ func NewModel() Model {
 		Theme:             cfg.Theme,
 		WorkspaceRecovery: cfg.WorkspaceRecovery,
 		PreviewPosition:   cfg.EffectivePreviewPosition(),
+		ExcludedWords:     strings.Join(cfg.ExcludedWords, ", "),
 	})
 
 	// Build the list of available theme names for the config panel.
@@ -344,6 +345,7 @@ func NewModel() Model {
 
 	m.filter.Since = timeRangeToSince(m.timeRange)
 	m.filter.ExcludedDirs = cfg.ExcludedDirs
+	m.filter.ExcludedWords = cfg.ExcludedWords
 	m.preview.SetConversationSort(cfg.ConversationNewestFirst)
 	return m
 }
@@ -801,6 +803,7 @@ func (m Model) handleKey(msg tea.KeyPressMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 			CustomCommand:     m.cfg.CustomCommand,
 			Theme:             m.cfg.Theme,
 			WorkspaceRecovery: m.cfg.WorkspaceRecovery,
+			ExcludedWords:     strings.Join(m.cfg.ExcludedWords, ", "),
 		})
 		m.state = stateConfigPanel
 		return m, nil
@@ -1215,7 +1218,7 @@ func (m Model) handleConfigKey(msg tea.KeyPressMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		case key.Matches(msg, keys.Enter):
 			m.configPanel.ConfirmEdit()
 			m.saveConfigFromPanel()
-			return m, nil
+			return m, m.loadSessionsCmd()
 		default:
 			var cmd tea.Cmd
 			m.configPanel, cmd = m.configPanel.Update(msg)
@@ -1225,9 +1228,8 @@ func (m Model) handleConfigKey(msg tea.KeyPressMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 
 	switch {
 	case key.Matches(msg, keys.Escape):
-		// Cancel — close without saving (changes already persisted per-toggle).
 		m.state = stateSessionList
-		return m, nil
+		return m, m.loadSessionsCmd()
 	case key.Matches(msg, keys.Up):
 		m.configPanel.MoveUp()
 	case key.Matches(msg, keys.Down):
@@ -1259,6 +1261,8 @@ func (m *Model) saveConfigFromPanel() {
 	m.cfg.WorkspaceRecovery = v.WorkspaceRecovery
 	m.cfg.PreviewPosition = v.PreviewPosition
 	m.previewPosition = v.PreviewPosition
+	m.cfg.ExcludedWords = parseExcludedWords(v.ExcludedWords)
+	m.filter.ExcludedWords = m.cfg.ExcludedWords
 	resolveTheme(m.cfg)
 	// If the user switched back to "auto", re-apply with the detected
 	// terminal brightness so colours adapt immediately.
@@ -1272,6 +1276,25 @@ func (m *Model) saveConfigFromPanel() {
 	}
 }
 
+// parseExcludedWords splits a comma-separated string into trimmed, non-empty words.
+func parseExcludedWords(s string) []string {
+	if strings.TrimSpace(s) == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	parts := strings.Split(s, ",")
+	words := make([]string, 0, len(parts))
+	for _, p := range parts {
+		w := strings.TrimSpace(p)
+		if w != "" {
+			words = append(words, w)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(words) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return words
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Mouse handling
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

internal/tui/model_update_test.go

@@ -1643,8 +1643,8 @@ func TestHandleConfigKey_EscapeClosesPanel(t *testing.T) {
 	if rm.state != stateSessionList {
 		t.Errorf("state = %v, want stateSessionList", rm.state)
 	}
-	if cmd != nil {
-		t.Error("escape from config should return nil cmd")
+	if cmd == nil {
+		t.Error("escape from config should return a reload cmd")
 	}
 }
 
@@ -4064,3 +4064,35 @@ func TestLaunchExternal_ErrorIncludesContext(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("error %q should mention shell name", errStr)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestParseExcludedWords(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name  string
+		input string
+		want  []string
+	}{
+		{"empty string", "", nil},
+		{"whitespace only", "   ", nil},
+		{"single word", "MANDATORY", []string{"MANDATORY"}},
+		{"multiple words", "foo, bar, baz", []string{"foo", "bar", "baz"}},
+		{"trailing comma", "foo, bar,", []string{"foo", "bar"}},
+		{"leading comma", ",foo", []string{"foo"}},
+		{"extra whitespace", "  one ,  two  , three  ", []string{"one", "two", "three"}},
+		{"duplicate commas", "a,,b", []string{"a", "b"}},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := parseExcludedWords(tc.input)
+			if len(got) != len(tc.want) {
+				t.Fatalf("parseExcludedWords(%q) = %v (len %d), want %v (len %d)",
+					tc.input, got, len(got), tc.want, len(tc.want))
+			}
+			for i := range tc.want {
+				if got[i] != tc.want[i] {
+					t.Errorf("parseExcludedWords(%q)[%d] = %q, want %q",
+						tc.input, i, got[i], tc.want[i])
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

internal/tui/screenshot.go

@@ -455,6 +455,18 @@ func (c *captureCtx) captureFeatures(subDir string) []Screenshot {
 		m.recalcLayout()
 		addOverlay("config-editing", m)
 	}
+	{
+		m := newBase()
+		m.state = stateConfigPanel
+		m.configPanel.SetValues(c.configVals)
+		m.configPanel.SetThemeOptions(c.themeNames)
+		// Navigate to the Excluded Words field (index 11).
+		for range 11 {
+			m.configPanel.MoveDown()
+		}
+		m.recalcLayout()
+		addOverlay("excluded-words", m)
+	}
 
 	// ── Shell picker ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
 	{
@@ -640,6 +652,7 @@ func CaptureScreenshots(dbPath string, width, height int) ([]Screenshot, error)
 			Shell:             "pwsh",
 			Theme:             "Dispatch Dark",
 			WorkspaceRecovery: true,
+			ExcludedWords:     "MANDATORY, context_aware",
 		},
 		themeNames: append([]string{"auto"}, styles.BuiltinSchemeNames()...),
 	}