redis-gui-foundation/plans/2026-03-31-hac-22-db-switcher-hardening.md

HAC-22 DB Switcher Hardening

Date: 2026-03-31 UTC Owner: Senior Frontend Engineer Issue: HAC-22 Scope: desktop-v1 user-visible frontend hardening only

Context

• apps/desktop already ships a visible DB switcher, but the current UI only renders four fixed choices: db0, db1, db2, and db5.
• Current product scope already includes one active standalone Redis connection, explicit DB context, and DB-scoped browse / inspect / command flows.
• The hardcoded four-item list is weaker than the current product boundary and makes shell-level verification less representative for operators who need to move across common DB indexes.

Decision

• Do not expand product scope or alter backend contracts.
• Keep the existing rail placement and interaction model for the DB switcher.
• Widen the visible DB switcher to a predictable default operator range and ensure the currently active DB remains selectable even when it falls outside the default range.

Planned Implementation

1. Add a shared frontend helper that returns DB labels for the switcher.
2. Default the visible range to db0 through db15.
3. If the active DB falls outside that range, inject it into the visible list and keep the options numerically ordered.
4. Cover the helper with focused Vitest cases.
5. Update shared frontend and QA docs so runbooks no longer imply a four-item-only DB switcher.

Acceptance

• The visible DB switcher no longer depends on a four-item hardcoded list.
• Operators can select common DB indexes from db0 through db15 without editing connection drafts.
• An active DB outside the default range still appears in the switcher and stays selectable.
• pnpm --filter @redis-gui/desktop test and pnpm run desktop:build remain green.