fix(cases): clone into the chosen folder itself, not a subfolder of it

The custom folder was treated as a parent, so the repository landed in <folder>/<case name>. The chosen folder is now the clone destination: an empty existing folder is cloned into directly (CloneOptions.intoEmptyDir, no temporary sibling, never removed on failure), a new folder is created, and a folder with files is refused.

src/git-clone.ts

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 import { spawn, execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
 import { randomBytes } from 'node:crypto';
 import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { rename, rm } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { lstat, readdir, rename, rm } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { basename, dirname, join } from 'node:path';
 import { EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS } from './config/exec-timeout.js';
 
@@ -188,8 +188,13 @@ export interface GitFailure {
 export interface CloneOptions {
   /** Pre-validated operand from `parseGitRepositoryUrl`. */
   repository: string;
-  /** Absolute destination directory. Must NOT exist; created by git. */
+  /** Absolute destination directory. Must NOT exist (created by git), unless `intoEmptyDir` is set. */
   destination: string;
+  /**
+   * Clone straight into `destination` when it already exists as an EMPTY directory (the folder a user
+   * picked), instead of refusing it. A folder with anything in it, or a symlink, is still refused.
+   */
+  intoEmptyDir?: boolean;
   /** Optional branch or tag (`--branch <ref> --single-branch`). */
   ref?: string;
   /** `--depth 1`: history-less but much faster on large repos. */
@@ -847,6 +852,25 @@ export async function probeGitRemote(
   };
 }
 
+/** True for a real (not symlinked) directory with nothing in it. Any read error counts as not empty. */
+async function isEmptyDirectory(path: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const st = await lstat(path);
+    return st.isDirectory() && (await readdir(path)).length === 0;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+/** Remove everything inside `path`, keeping `path` itself. Best effort. */
+async function emptyDirectory(path: string): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    for (const entry of await readdir(path)) await rm(join(path, entry), { recursive: true, force: true });
+  } catch {
+    /* nothing to clean, or it vanished */
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Clone `repository` into `destination`.
  *
@@ -872,10 +896,19 @@ export async function cloneRepository(opts: CloneOptions): Promise<CloneResult>
     };
   }
   if (existsSync(opts.destination)) {
-    return {
-      ok: false,
-      failure: { code: 'DESTINATION_EXISTS', message: 'The destination directory already exists.', stderr: '' },
-    };
+    if (!opts.intoEmptyDir || !(await isEmptyDirectory(opts.destination))) {
+      return {
+        ok: false,
+        failure: { code: 'DESTINATION_EXISTS', message: 'The destination directory already exists.', stderr: '' },
+      };
+    }
+    // The folder is the user's own, so there is no temporary sibling to rename into place: git fills it.
+    const direct = await runGit(buildCloneArgs(opts), opts.timeoutMs ?? GIT_CLONE_TIMEOUT_MS, MAX_STDERR_BYTES);
+    if (direct.code === 0 && !direct.spawnError) return { ok: true, stderr: sanitizeGitOutput(direct.stderr) };
+    // It was empty when the clone began, so whatever is in it now is this attempt's partial tree. The
+    // folder itself stays.
+    await emptyDirectory(opts.destination);
+    return { ok: false, failure: classifyGitFailure(direct.stderr, direct.timedOut, direct.spawnError) };
   }
 
   // Sibling of the destination (same filesystem), so the rename is atomic.

src/web/public/index.html

@@ -3658,15 +3658,15 @@
             </div>
             <div class="form-row" id="cloneCustomPathToggleRow">
               <label class="checkbox-row"><input type="checkbox" id="cloneCustomPathToggle" onchange="app.toggleCloneCustomPath()"> 📁 Clone into a custom folder</label>
-              <span class="form-hint">By default the clone goes under ~/codeman-cases. Choose another folder and it is cloned there instead; it is listed like any other case, and deleting the case only unlinks it (your files stay).</span>
+              <span class="form-hint">By default the clone goes under ~/codeman-cases. Choose a folder and the repository is cloned into that folder itself (it must be empty); it is listed like any other case, and deleting the case only unlinks it (your files stay).</span>
             </div>
             <div class="form-row" id="cloneCustomPathRow" style="display:none">
-              <label>Parent Folder</label>
+              <label>Folder</label>
               <div class="path-input-group">
                 <input type="text" id="cloneCasePath" placeholder="~/projects" autocomplete="off" autocapitalize="off" autocorrect="off" spellcheck="false" oninput="app.updateCloneCasePathPreview()">
                 <button type="button" class="btn path-input-browse" onclick="app.openCloneCasePathPicker()">Browse&hellip;</button>
               </div>
-              <span class="form-hint" id="cloneCasePathPreview">Pick the folder the clone should be created inside.</span>
+              <span class="form-hint" id="cloneCasePathPreview">Pick the empty folder to clone into.</span>
             </div>
             <div class="form-row">
               <label>Branch or Tag (optional)</label>

src/web/public/session-ui.js

@@ -4142,26 +4142,24 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
     const hint = document.getElementById('cloneCaseNameHint');
     if (hint) {
       hint.textContent = custom.checked
-        ? 'Filled in from the URL. Cloned into a folder of this name inside the parent folder below.'
+        ? 'Filled in from the URL. Names the case only: the repository is cloned into the folder chosen below.'
         : 'Filled in from the URL. Cloned into ~/codeman-cases/<name>, so deleting the case deletes this working tree.';
     }
     this.updateCloneCasePathPreview();
   },
 
-  /** The folder the clone would be created in: the parent field plus the case name. */
+  /** The folder the repository is cloned into: exactly what the field holds (no case name is added). */
   _cloneTargetPath() {
-    const rawParent = (document.getElementById('cloneCasePath')?.value || '').trim();
-    const name = (document.getElementById('cloneCaseName')?.value || '').trim();
-    if (!rawParent || !name) return '';
+    const raw = (document.getElementById('cloneCasePath')?.value || '').trim();
     // Trailing slashes off, but `/` stays the root rather than becoming an empty path.
-    return `${rawParent.replace(/\/+$/, '')}/${name}`;
+    return raw.length > 1 ? raw.replace(/\/+$/, '') || '/' : raw;
   },
 
   updateCloneCasePathPreview() {
     const hint = document.getElementById('cloneCasePathPreview');
     if (!hint) return;
     const target = this._cloneTargetPath();
-    hint.textContent = target ? `Will clone into: ${target}` : 'Pick the folder the clone should be created inside.';
+    hint.textContent = target ? `Will clone into: ${target}` : 'Pick the empty folder to clone into.';
   },
 
   openCloneCasePathPicker() {
@@ -4214,14 +4212,12 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
   onCloneNameEdited() {
     // Once the user types a name, autofill stops fighting them.
     this._cloneNameEdited = !!document.getElementById('cloneCaseName')?.value.trim();
-    this.updateCloneCasePathPreview();
   },
 
   onCloneUrlInput() {
     const url = document.getElementById('cloneRepoUrl')?.value.trim() || '';
     const nameInput = document.getElementById('cloneCaseName');
     if (nameInput && !this._cloneNameEdited) nameInput.value = this._repoNameFromUrl(url);
-    this.updateCloneCasePathPreview();
     clearTimeout(this._clonePreflightTimer);
     this._clonePreflightAbort?.abort();
     this._clonePreflightAbort = null;
@@ -4277,7 +4273,6 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
     // the case name is validated against), but never over a name the user typed.
     const nameInput = document.getElementById('cloneCaseName');
     if (nameInput && !this._cloneNameEdited && parse.suggestedName) nameInput.value = parse.suggestedName;
-    this.updateCloneCasePathPreview();
 
     const where = parse.owner ? `${parse.provider} ${parse.owner}/${parse.repo}` : `${parse.provider} ${parse.repo}`;
     if (data.gitAvailable === false) {

src/web/routes/case-routes.ts

@@ -714,6 +714,7 @@ export function registerCaseRoutes(
 
       const casesDir = resolveCasesDir(user);
       let casePath: string | null;
+      let intoEmptyDir = false;
       if (customPath !== undefined) {
         const prepared = await prepareNewCasePath(customPath, {
           home: homedir(),
@@ -738,18 +739,12 @@ export function registerCaseRoutes(
                 : prepared.code === 'EXISTS'
                   ? ApiErrorCode.ALREADY_EXISTS
                   : ApiErrorCode.INVALID_INPUT,
-            prepared.reason
-          );
-        }
-        // git clones into a fresh folder it creates itself; an empty existing one is refused rather than
-        // removed and re-made (the removal could race another writer).
-        if (prepared.existedEmpty) {
-          reply.code(409);
-          return createErrorResponse(
-            ApiErrorCode.ALREADY_EXISTS,
-            `${prepared.path} already exists. Pick a parent folder where the case folder does not exist yet.`
+            prepared.code === 'EXISTS'
+              ? `${customPath} already has files in it. Pick an empty folder, or a folder that does not exist yet.`
+              : prepared.reason
           );
         }
+        intoEmptyDir = prepared.existedEmpty;
         casePath = prepared.path;
         // The same folder listed as a local case in the cases dir would make deleting it remove files.
         if (existsSync(join(casesDir, name))) {
@@ -776,7 +771,8 @@ export function registerCaseRoutes(
         return createErrorResponse(ApiErrorCode.ALREADY_EXISTS, `That folder is already the case "${linkedAs}"`);
       }
       if (
-        existsSync(casePath) ||
+        // A custom folder was judged by prepareNewCasePath (an existing empty one is fine).
+        (customPath === undefined && existsSync(casePath)) ||
         linkedCases[name] ||
         dockerCases.some((item) => item.name === name) ||
         remoteCases.some((item) => item.name === name)
@@ -797,6 +793,7 @@ export function registerCaseRoutes(
       const clone = await cloneRepository({
         repository: parsed.repository,
         destination: casePath,
+        ...(intoEmptyDir ? { intoEmptyDir: true } : {}),
         withoutCredentialHelpers: cloneWithoutCredentialHelpers(req),
         ...(ref ? { ref } : {}),
         ...(shallow ? { shallow: true } : {}),