feat: scene management for RP settings

MLXServer.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj

@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@
 
 /* Begin PBXBuildFile section */
 		0168AEE16009097901363E16 /* ModelManager.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 922CBDC9206737BD04AF2874 /* ModelManager.swift */; };
+		07119250A7F9D6ECE7F6B8FD /* SceneCommands.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 0F03A123A8908714A89315FE /* SceneCommands.swift */; };
 		165E8AB6ADAE1D59B1A86420 /* Preferences.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 145B888FBDD4F931512C5473 /* Preferences.swift */; };
 		189362AAE2CDE5D4B3428334 /* ToolCallParser.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = E73B165A1822729C907791AE /* ToolCallParser.swift */; };
+		20FFB5DBF75AA6C359AAE31C /* SceneManagementView.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 37FEB592E5E717F817B03151 /* SceneManagementView.swift */; };
 		29879D696584B96CC56560DF /* ChatExporter.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = D7C9BAD674E29688ACE53B0B /* ChatExporter.swift */; };
 		2CAAF7129F7CC45200FA9F6B /* ModelPickerView.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = C3C3A76C02AF70A9D8F868FC /* ModelPickerView.swift */; };
 		2D08769282BD71C170DB0943 /* InferenceStats.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = E35452B166893B25E765FF70 /* InferenceStats.swift */; };
@@ -25,23 +27,29 @@
 		7CD765C1E2F9F4D7504C8D09 /* Assets.xcassets in Resources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = B629DA084A9A40E54F8EA5FA /* Assets.xcassets */; };
 		80646C5066BF79BC76E1D9D7 /* ModelConfig.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 38DFC212AF4359A45FBE22BA /* ModelConfig.swift */; };
 		84D32315B418B5243E017350 /* ToolPromptBuilder.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 16AE82A64D1D07AE3CD8D33A /* ToolPromptBuilder.swift */; };
+		85FB1EB49D76A9F21E181346 /* ChatScene.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = C04EE8E6418EC6E9B66999B0 /* ChatScene.swift */; };
 		945474365D0B3E961811909A /* MLXVLM in Frameworks */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; productRef = D5E8E1C2DD8D8AABB4306193 /* MLXVLM */; };
 		B1D9BC407DB7DB1489230C20 /* MonitorView.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 4239CFF94B819C35A8D4D617 /* MonitorView.swift */; };
 		B5AA6E3B4BE21676226B342B /* ChatViewModel.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = B8BD93859F0291F1A3E09DA5 /* ChatViewModel.swift */; };
 		B6D3662995B885C102876B4A /* MLXLMCommon in Frameworks */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; productRef = 9090667D4134056AE66DC2F1 /* MLXLMCommon */; };
 		C07A377244DCD67F4FE709FE /* DownloadModalView.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 2DC8C86D397B1FCA08E07CBD /* DownloadModalView.swift */; };
+		CBA88529F8BE7BD0518994AD /* SceneSelectionView.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = B5B5ABDEB6F5C54856EB1A9E /* SceneSelectionView.swift */; };
+		CFEE79815DFB80E51FE3745A /* SceneStore.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = C234359924C542F07ED926A2 /* SceneStore.swift */; };
 		D666A311788375E8A061C832 /* SettingsView.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 4147321383E94E9F17A0154E /* SettingsView.swift */; };
 		D96DDE66F76FDDA642629E17 /* APIModels.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = F1A52E2C9964ADA9D841A89B /* APIModels.swift */; };
+		DF5C525DBD2E3153256951C1 /* SceneManagementWindow.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = BA1592FD260014C4FBDB6995 /* SceneManagementWindow.swift */; };
 		F546CE5955ED253D8A793D5E /* MarkdownUI in Frameworks */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; productRef = A98257123539E9E738213BFA /* MarkdownUI */; };
 		FAF7D4714AC6D02674920208 /* ChatMessage.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = A4B359324B5FD8D106C74338 /* ChatMessage.swift */; };
 		FCD48F8C132A2B830A15EEB4 /* MLXLLM in Frameworks */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; productRef = 3F5A4AC6DBAF7CA686ECA74E /* MLXLLM */; };
 /* End PBXBuildFile section */
 
 /* Begin PBXFileReference section */
+		0F03A123A8908714A89315FE /* SceneCommands.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = SceneCommands.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		145B888FBDD4F931512C5473 /* Preferences.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = Preferences.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		16AE82A64D1D07AE3CD8D33A /* ToolPromptBuilder.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = ToolPromptBuilder.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		2DC8C86D397B1FCA08E07CBD /* DownloadModalView.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = DownloadModalView.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		2E2FCA55CEBEBCED78D9479A /* SaveChatCommands.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = SaveChatCommands.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		37FEB592E5E717F817B03151 /* SceneManagementView.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = SceneManagementView.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		38DFC212AF4359A45FBE22BA /* ModelConfig.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = ModelConfig.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		3AF462805202797F61422AEE /* MLXServer.entitlements */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = text.plist.entitlements; path = MLXServer.entitlements; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		3D08828E16B17EF02C14243E /* APIServer.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = APIServer.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
@@ -52,8 +60,12 @@
 		944C699FBB76C734C9DF2F2E /* ContentView.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = ContentView.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		A4B359324B5FD8D106C74338 /* ChatMessage.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = ChatMessage.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		B0EAB35D7130D56B9E7484BA /* StatusBarView.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = StatusBarView.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		B5B5ABDEB6F5C54856EB1A9E /* SceneSelectionView.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = SceneSelectionView.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		B629DA084A9A40E54F8EA5FA /* Assets.xcassets */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = folder.assetcatalog; path = Assets.xcassets; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		B8BD93859F0291F1A3E09DA5 /* ChatViewModel.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = ChatViewModel.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		BA1592FD260014C4FBDB6995 /* SceneManagementWindow.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = SceneManagementWindow.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		C04EE8E6418EC6E9B66999B0 /* ChatScene.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = ChatScene.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		C234359924C542F07ED926A2 /* SceneStore.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = SceneStore.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		C3C3A76C02AF70A9D8F868FC /* ModelPickerView.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = ModelPickerView.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		C67742651DB486871CEF1612 /* MLXServerApp.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = MLXServerApp.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		D733A0D1D4AC25DDDA6C8684 /* LocalModelResolver.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = LocalModelResolver.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
@@ -125,6 +137,9 @@
 				2DC8C86D397B1FCA08E07CBD /* DownloadModalView.swift */,
 				C3C3A76C02AF70A9D8F868FC /* ModelPickerView.swift */,
 				4239CFF94B819C35A8D4D617 /* MonitorView.swift */,
+				37FEB592E5E717F817B03151 /* SceneManagementView.swift */,
+				BA1592FD260014C4FBDB6995 /* SceneManagementWindow.swift */,
+				B5B5ABDEB6F5C54856EB1A9E /* SceneSelectionView.swift */,
 				4147321383E94E9F17A0154E /* SettingsView.swift */,
 				B0EAB35D7130D56B9E7484BA /* StatusBarView.swift */,
 			);
@@ -135,6 +150,7 @@
 			isa = PBXGroup;
 			children = (
 				2E2FCA55CEBEBCED78D9479A /* SaveChatCommands.swift */,
+				0F03A123A8908714A89315FE /* SceneCommands.swift */,
 			);
 			path = Commands;
 			sourceTree = "<group>";
@@ -143,6 +159,7 @@
 			isa = PBXGroup;
 			children = (
 				A4B359324B5FD8D106C74338 /* ChatMessage.swift */,
+				C04EE8E6418EC6E9B66999B0 /* ChatScene.swift */,
 				E35452B166893B25E765FF70 /* InferenceStats.swift */,
 				38DFC212AF4359A45FBE22BA /* ModelConfig.swift */,
 			);
@@ -154,6 +171,7 @@
 			children = (
 				B8BD93859F0291F1A3E09DA5 /* ChatViewModel.swift */,
 				922CBDC9206737BD04AF2874 /* ModelManager.swift */,
+				C234359924C542F07ED926A2 /* SceneStore.swift */,
 			);
 			path = ViewModels;
 			sourceTree = "<group>";
@@ -259,6 +277,7 @@
 				4CB13DC1AC7A500DDBB443EC /* ChatInputView.swift in Sources */,
 				FAF7D4714AC6D02674920208 /* ChatMessage.swift in Sources */,
 				5C1E8FE1C521914CEF98D3AA /* ChatMessagesView.swift in Sources */,
+				85FB1EB49D76A9F21E181346 /* ChatScene.swift in Sources */,
 				B5AA6E3B4BE21676226B342B /* ChatViewModel.swift in Sources */,
 				5946258F1DE88CE904584E0B /* ContentView.swift in Sources */,
 				C07A377244DCD67F4FE709FE /* DownloadModalView.swift in Sources */,
@@ -272,6 +291,11 @@
 				B1D9BC407DB7DB1489230C20 /* MonitorView.swift in Sources */,
 				165E8AB6ADAE1D59B1A86420 /* Preferences.swift in Sources */,
 				4158FA884D981D73288FB74C /* SaveChatCommands.swift in Sources */,
+				07119250A7F9D6ECE7F6B8FD /* SceneCommands.swift in Sources */,
+				20FFB5DBF75AA6C359AAE31C /* SceneManagementView.swift in Sources */,
+				DF5C525DBD2E3153256951C1 /* SceneManagementWindow.swift in Sources */,
+				CBA88529F8BE7BD0518994AD /* SceneSelectionView.swift in Sources */,
+				CFEE79815DFB80E51FE3745A /* SceneStore.swift in Sources */,
 				D666A311788375E8A061C832 /* SettingsView.swift in Sources */,
 				621B7E4382199AC1378F5F9C /* StatusBarView.swift in Sources */,
 				189362AAE2CDE5D4B3428334 /* ToolCallParser.swift in Sources */,

MLXServer/Commands/SceneCommands.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import SwiftUI
+
+struct SceneCommands: Commands {
+    @Environment(\.openWindow) private var openWindow
+
+    var body: some Commands {
+        CommandMenu("Scenes") {
+            Button("Manage Scenes…") {
+                openWindow(id: SceneManagementWindow.windowID)
+            }
+            .keyboardShortcut(",", modifiers: [.command, .shift])
+        }
+    }
+}

MLXServer/ContentView.swift

@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@ import UniformTypeIdentifiers
 
 struct ContentView: View {
     @Environment(ModelManager.self) private var modelManager
+    @Environment(\.openWindow) private var openWindow
+    @Environment(SceneStore.self) private var sceneStore
     @State private var chatVM: ChatViewModel?
     @State private var showLoadError = false
     @State private var showMonitor = false
+    @State private var showScenePicker = false
     @State private var exportDocument: ChatExportDocument?
     @State private var exportErrorMessage: String?
 
@@ -142,11 +145,30 @@ struct ContentView: View {
 
         // New conversation
         Button {
-            chatVM?.newConversation()
+            showScenePicker = true
         } label: {
             Label("New Chat", systemImage: "plus.message")
         }
         .keyboardShortcut("n", modifiers: .command)
+        .popover(isPresented: $showScenePicker, arrowEdge: .top) {
+            SceneSelectionView(
+                scenes: sceneStore.scenes,
+                activeSceneId: chatVM?.activeScene?.id,
+                currentModelName: modelManager.currentModel?.displayName,
+                onSelectNeutral: {
+                    showScenePicker = false
+                    Task { await chatVM?.startNewConversation(scene: nil) }
+                },
+                onSelectScene: { scene in
+                    showScenePicker = false
+                    Task { await chatVM?.startNewConversation(scene: scene) }
+                },
+                onManageScenes: {
+                    showScenePicker = false
+                    openWindow(id: SceneManagementWindow.windowID)
+                }
+            )
+        }
     }
 
     @ViewBuilder

MLXServer/MLXServerApp.swift

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import MLX
 @main
 struct MLXServerApp: App {
     @State private var modelManager = ModelManager()
+    @State private var sceneStore = SceneStore()
 
     init() {
         MLX.GPU.set(cacheLimit: 20 * 1024 * 1024)
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ struct MLXServerApp: App {
         WindowGroup {
             ContentView()
                 .environment(modelManager)
+                .environment(sceneStore)
                 .task {
                     // Auto-load: configured default → last used → built-in default
                     let modelId = Preferences.defaultModelId ?? Preferences.lastModelId ?? ModelConfig.default.id
@@ -25,11 +27,19 @@ struct MLXServerApp: App {
         .defaultSize(width: 800, height: 700)
         .commands {
             SaveChatCommands()
+            SceneCommands()
         }
 
+        Window("Scenes", id: SceneManagementWindow.windowID) {
+            SceneManagementView()
+                .environment(sceneStore)
+        }
+        .defaultSize(width: 900, height: 560)
+
         #if os(macOS)
         Settings {
             SettingsView()
+                .environment(sceneStore)
         }
         #endif
     }

MLXServer/Models/ChatScene.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import Foundation
+
+struct ChatScene: Codable, Identifiable, Hashable {
+    let id: UUID
+    var name: String
+    var modelId: String?
+    var systemPrompt: String
+    var starterPrompt: String
+
+    init(
+        id: UUID = UUID(),
+        name: String,
+        modelId: String? = nil,
+        systemPrompt: String = "",
+        starterPrompt: String = ""
+    ) {
+        self.id = id
+        self.name = name
+        self.modelId = modelId
+        self.systemPrompt = systemPrompt
+        self.starterPrompt = starterPrompt
+    }
+
+    var trimmedName: String {
+        name.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
+    }
+
+    var displayName: String {
+        trimmedName.isEmpty ? "Untitled Scene" : trimmedName
+    }
+
+    var resolvedModel: ModelConfig? {
+        guard let modelId else { return nil }
+        return ModelConfig.availableModels.first(where: { $0.id == modelId })
+    }
+
+    static let empty = ChatScene(name: "New Scene")
+}

MLXServer/Utilities/Preferences.swift

@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ import Foundation
 enum Preferences {
     nonisolated(unsafe) private static let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
 
+    private static let jsonEncoder = JSONEncoder()
+    private static let jsonDecoder = JSONDecoder()
+
     // MARK: - Last used model
 
     private static let lastModelKey = "lastModelId"
@@ -31,6 +34,30 @@ enum Preferences {
         set { defaults.set(newValue, forKey: systemPromptKey) }
     }
 
+    // MARK: - Scenes
+
+    private static let scenesKey = "chatScenes"
+    private static let lastSceneIdKey = "lastSceneId"
+
+    static var scenes: [ChatScene] {
+        get {
+            guard let data = defaults.data(forKey: scenesKey) else { return [] }
+            return (try? jsonDecoder.decode([ChatScene].self, from: data)) ?? []
+        }
+        set {
+            guard let data = try? jsonEncoder.encode(newValue) else { return }
+            defaults.set(data, forKey: scenesKey)
+        }
+    }
+
+    static var lastSceneId: UUID? {
+        get {
+            guard let rawValue = defaults.string(forKey: lastSceneIdKey) else { return nil }
+            return UUID(uuidString: rawValue)
+        }
+        set { defaults.set(newValue?.uuidString, forKey: lastSceneIdKey) }
+    }
+
     // MARK: - API server
 
     private static let apiPortKey = "apiPort"

MLXServer/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel {
     var conversation = Conversation()
     var inputText = ""
     var attachedImages: [NSImage] = []
+    var activeScene: ChatScene?
     var isGenerating = false
     var tokensPerSecond: Double = 0
     var promptTokens: Int = 0
@@ -26,11 +27,15 @@ final class ChatViewModel {
         self.modelManager = modelManager
     }
 
+    var activeSceneName: String {
+        activeScene?.displayName ?? "Neutral"
+    }
+
     /// Ensure a ChatSession exists for the current model.
     private func ensureSession() {
         guard let container = modelManager.modelContainer else { return }
         if chatSession == nil {
-            let systemPrompt = Preferences.systemPrompt
+            let systemPrompt = effectiveSystemPrompt
             // Pass enable_thinking to the Jinja chat template context.
             // Qwen3.5 and similar models use this to control reasoning mode.
             let thinkingContext: [String: any Sendable]? = Preferences.enableThinking
@@ -45,6 +50,17 @@ final class ChatViewModel {
         }
     }
 
+    private var effectiveSystemPrompt: String {
+        let parts = [
+            Preferences.systemPrompt,
+            activeScene?.systemPrompt ?? ""
+        ]
+        .map { $0.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines) }
+        .filter { !$0.isEmpty }
+
+        return parts.joined(separator: "\n\n")
+    }
+
     func send() {
         let text = inputText.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
         guard !text.isEmpty, modelManager.isReady else { return }
@@ -147,7 +163,30 @@ final class ChatViewModel {
     func newConversation() {
         stop()
         conversation.clear()
+        inputText = ""
+        activeScene = nil
         resetSession()
+        Preferences.lastSceneId = nil
+    }
+
+    func startNewConversation(scene: ChatScene?) async {
+        stop()
+
+        if let config = scene?.resolvedModel,
+           modelManager.currentModel?.id != config.id {
+            await modelManager.loadModel(config)
+        }
+
+        conversation.clear()
+        activeScene = scene
+        inputText = scene?.starterPrompt.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines) ?? ""
+        attachedImages = []
+        resetSession()
+        Preferences.lastSceneId = scene?.id
+
+        if !inputText.isEmpty {
+            send()
+        }
     }
 
     /// Reset the chat session (e.g. on model switch or new conversation).

MLXServer/ViewModels/SceneStore.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+import Foundation
+
+@Observable
+@MainActor
+final class SceneStore {
+    var scenes: [ChatScene]
+
+    init() {
+        self.scenes = Preferences.scenes
+    }
+
+    func addScene(copying scene: ChatScene? = nil) -> ChatScene {
+        let nextScene: ChatScene
+        if let scene {
+            nextScene = ChatScene(
+                name: scene.displayName,
+                modelId: scene.modelId,
+                systemPrompt: scene.systemPrompt,
+                starterPrompt: scene.starterPrompt
+            )
+        } else {
+            nextScene = .empty
+        }
+        scenes.append(nextScene)
+        persist()
+        return nextScene
+    }
+
+    func updateScene(id: UUID, _ mutate: (inout ChatScene) -> Void) {
+        guard let index = scenes.firstIndex(where: { $0.id == id }) else { return }
+        mutate(&scenes[index])
+        persist()
+    }
+
+    func deleteScene(id: UUID) {
+        scenes.removeAll { $0.id == id }
+        persist()
+    }
+
+    func deleteScenes(ids: some Sequence<UUID>) {
+        let idsToDelete = Set(ids)
+        scenes.removeAll { idsToDelete.contains($0.id) }
+        persist()
+    }
+
+    func deleteScenes(at offsets: IndexSet) {
+        scenes.remove(atOffsets: offsets)
+        persist()
+    }
+
+    func scene(id: UUID?) -> ChatScene? {
+        guard let id else { return nil }
+        return scenes.first(where: { $0.id == id })
+    }
+
+    private func persist() {
+        Preferences.scenes = scenes
+    }
+}

MLXServer/Views/SceneManagementView.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,275 @@
+import SwiftUI
+
+struct SceneManagementView: View {
+    @Environment(SceneStore.self) private var sceneStore
+
+    @State private var selectedSceneId: UUID?
+    @State private var renamingSceneId: UUID?
+    @State private var renameDraft = ""
+    @State private var pendingDeleteSceneIDs: [UUID] = []
+    @FocusState private var focusedRenameSceneId: UUID?
+
+    var body: some View {
+        NavigationSplitView {
+            Group {
+                if sceneStore.scenes.isEmpty {
+                    ContentUnavailableView(
+                        "No Scenes Yet",
+                        systemImage: "theatermasks",
+                        description: Text("Use the add button in the toolbar to create a scene.")
+                    )
+                } else {
+                    List(selection: $selectedSceneId) {
+                        ForEach(sceneStore.scenes) { scene in
+                            VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 2) {
+                                if renamingSceneId == scene.id {
+                                    TextField("Scene Name", text: $renameDraft)
+                                        .textFieldStyle(.roundedBorder)
+                                        .focused($focusedRenameSceneId, equals: scene.id)
+                                        .onSubmit {
+                                            commitRename(for: scene.id)
+                                        }
+                                } else {
+                                    Text(scene.displayName)
+                                }
+
+                                Text(scene.resolvedModel?.displayName ?? "Current model")
+                                    .font(.caption)
+                                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                            }
+                            .tag(scene.id)
+                            .onTapGesture(count: 2) {
+                                beginRename(scene)
+                            }
+                            .contextMenu {
+                                Button("Rename") {
+                                    beginRename(scene)
+                                }
+                                Button("Duplicate") {
+                                    duplicateScene(scene)
+                                }
+                                Divider()
+                                Button("Delete", role: .destructive) {
+                                    confirmDelete(sceneIDs: [scene.id])
+                                }
+                            }
+                        }
+                        .onDelete(perform: deleteScenes)
+                    }
+                    .navigationTitle("Scenes")
+                    .listStyle(.sidebar)
+                }
+            }
+        } detail: {
+            if let selectedScene = sceneStore.scene(id: selectedSceneId) {
+                SceneEditorView(scene: selectedScene)
+            } else {
+                ContentUnavailableView(
+                    "No Scene Selected",
+                    systemImage: "slider.horizontal.3",
+                    description: Text("Select a scene in the sidebar or create one from the toolbar.")
+                )
+            }
+        }
+        .navigationTitle("Scenes")
+        .frame(minWidth: 760, minHeight: 480)
+        .toolbar {
+            ToolbarItemGroup {
+                Button {
+                    createAndSelectScene()
+                } label: {
+                    Label("New Scene", systemImage: "plus")
+                }
+
+                Button {
+                    duplicateSelectedScene()
+                } label: {
+                    Label("Duplicate Scene", systemImage: "plus.square.on.square")
+                }
+                .disabled(sceneStore.scene(id: selectedSceneId) == nil)
+
+                Button(role: .destructive) {
+                    if let selectedSceneId {
+                        confirmDelete(sceneIDs: [selectedSceneId])
+                    }
+                } label: {
+                    Label("Delete Scene", systemImage: "trash")
+                }
+                .disabled(sceneStore.scene(id: selectedSceneId) == nil)
+            }
+        }
+        .confirmationDialog(
+            deleteDialogTitle,
+            isPresented: deleteConfirmationBinding,
+            titleVisibility: .visible
+        ) {
+            Button("Delete", role: .destructive) {
+                performConfirmedDelete()
+            }
+            Button("Cancel", role: .cancel) {
+                pendingDeleteSceneIDs = []
+            }
+        } message: {
+            Text(deleteDialogMessage)
+        }
+        .onAppear {
+            if selectedSceneId == nil {
+                selectedSceneId = sceneStore.scenes.first?.id
+            }
+        }
+        .onChange(of: sceneStore.scenes.count) {
+            if sceneStore.scene(id: selectedSceneId) == nil {
+                selectedSceneId = sceneStore.scenes.first?.id
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private func deleteScenes(at offsets: IndexSet) {
+        let sceneIDs = offsets.map { sceneStore.scenes[$0].id }
+        confirmDelete(sceneIDs: sceneIDs)
+    }
+
+    private func beginRename(_ scene: ChatScene) {
+        selectedSceneId = scene.id
+        renamingSceneId = scene.id
+        renameDraft = scene.displayName
+        focusedRenameSceneId = scene.id
+    }
+
+    private func commitRename(for id: UUID) {
+        let trimmedName = renameDraft.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
+        sceneStore.updateScene(id: id) {
+            $0.name = trimmedName.isEmpty ? "Untitled Scene" : trimmedName
+        }
+        renamingSceneId = nil
+        focusedRenameSceneId = nil
+    }
+
+    private func confirmDelete(sceneIDs: [UUID]) {
+        pendingDeleteSceneIDs = sceneIDs
+    }
+
+    private func performConfirmedDelete() {
+        let idsToDelete = Set(pendingDeleteSceneIDs)
+        pendingDeleteSceneIDs = []
+        sceneStore.deleteScenes(ids: idsToDelete)
+        if let selectedSceneId, idsToDelete.contains(selectedSceneId) {
+            self.selectedSceneId = sceneStore.scenes.first?.id
+        }
+        if let renamingSceneId, idsToDelete.contains(renamingSceneId) {
+            self.renamingSceneId = nil
+            focusedRenameSceneId = nil
+            renameDraft = ""
+        }
+    }
+
+    private func createAndSelectScene() {
+        let created = sceneStore.addScene()
+        selectedSceneId = created.id
+    }
+
+    private func duplicateSelectedScene() {
+        guard let selectedScene = sceneStore.scene(id: selectedSceneId) else { return }
+        duplicateScene(selectedScene)
+    }
+
+    private func duplicateScene(_ scene: ChatScene) {
+        let duplicated = sceneStore.addScene(copying: scene)
+        selectedSceneId = duplicated.id
+    }
+
+    private func deleteScene(_ id: UUID) {
+        sceneStore.deleteScene(id: id)
+        if selectedSceneId == id {
+            selectedSceneId = sceneStore.scenes.first?.id
+        }
+    }
+
+    private var deleteConfirmationBinding: Binding<Bool> {
+        Binding(
+            get: { !pendingDeleteSceneIDs.isEmpty },
+            set: { isPresented in
+                if !isPresented {
+                    pendingDeleteSceneIDs = []
+                }
+            }
+        )
+    }
+
+    private var deleteDialogTitle: String {
+        pendingDeleteSceneIDs.count == 1 ? "Delete Scene?" : "Delete Scenes?"
+    }
+
+    private var deleteDialogMessage: String {
+        if pendingDeleteSceneIDs.count == 1,
+           let scene = sceneStore.scene(id: pendingDeleteSceneIDs.first) {
+            return "\"\(scene.displayName)\" will be removed from your saved scenes."
+        }
+        return "\(pendingDeleteSceneIDs.count) scenes will be removed from your saved scenes."
+    }
+}
+
+private struct SceneEditorView: View {
+    @Environment(SceneStore.self) private var sceneStore
+
+    let scene: ChatScene
+
+    var body: some View {
+        Form {
+            Section("Details") {
+                TextField("Name", text: binding(for: \.name))
+
+                Picker("Model", selection: modelBinding) {
+                    Text("Current model").tag(Optional<String>.none)
+                    ForEach(ModelConfig.availableModels) { model in
+                        Text(model.displayName).tag(Optional(model.id))
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            Section("Scene Prompt") {
+                TextEditor(text: binding(for: \.systemPrompt))
+                    .font(.body.monospaced())
+                    .frame(minHeight: 150)
+
+                Text("Appended after the base system prompt when this scene starts a new chat.")
+                    .font(.caption)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+            }
+
+            Section("Starter Prompt") {
+                TextEditor(text: binding(for: \.starterPrompt))
+                    .font(.body.monospaced())
+                    .frame(minHeight: 120)
+
+                Text("Sent automatically as the first user message when this scene starts a new chat.")
+                    .font(.caption)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+            }
+        }
+        .formStyle(.grouped)
+        .navigationTitle(scene.displayName)
+    }
+
+    private var modelBinding: Binding<String?> {
+        Binding(
+            get: { sceneStore.scene(id: scene.id)?.modelId },
+            set: { newValue in
+                sceneStore.updateScene(id: scene.id) {
+                    $0.modelId = newValue
+                }
+            }
+        )
+    }
+
+    private func binding(for keyPath: WritableKeyPath<ChatScene, String>) -> Binding<String> {
+        Binding(
+            get: { sceneStore.scene(id: scene.id)?[keyPath: keyPath] ?? scene[keyPath: keyPath] },
+            set: { newValue in
+                sceneStore.updateScene(id: scene.id) {
+                    $0[keyPath: keyPath] = newValue
+                }
+            }
+        )
+    }
+}

MLXServer/Views/SceneManagementWindow.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import Foundation
+
+enum SceneManagementWindow {
+    static let windowID = "scene-manager"
+}

MLXServer/Views/SceneSelectionView.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+import SwiftUI
+
+struct SceneSelectionView: View {
+    let scenes: [ChatScene]
+    let activeSceneId: UUID?
+    let currentModelName: String?
+    let onSelectNeutral: () -> Void
+    let onSelectScene: (ChatScene) -> Void
+    let onManageScenes: () -> Void
+
+    var body: some View {
+        VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 12) {
+            Text("Start New Chat")
+                .font(.headline)
+
+            sceneButton(
+                title: "Neutral",
+                subtitle: currentModelName.map { "Keeps \($0) and only uses the base system prompt." }
+                    ?? "Keeps the current model and only uses the base system prompt.",
+                isSelected: activeSceneId == nil,
+                action: onSelectNeutral
+            )
+
+            if !scenes.isEmpty {
+                Divider()
+
+                ForEach(scenes) { scene in
+                    sceneButton(
+                        title: scene.displayName,
+                        subtitle: sceneSubtitle(for: scene),
+                        isSelected: activeSceneId == scene.id,
+                        action: { onSelectScene(scene) }
+                    )
+                }
+            }
+
+            Divider()
+
+            Button("Manage Scenes…", action: onManageScenes)
+                .buttonStyle(.plain)
+                .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+        }
+        .padding(16)
+        .frame(width: 320)
+    }
+
+    @ViewBuilder
+    private func sceneButton(
+        title: String,
+        subtitle: String,
+        isSelected: Bool,
+        action: @escaping () -> Void
+    ) -> some View {
+        Button(action: action) {
+            HStack(alignment: .top, spacing: 10) {
+                Image(systemName: isSelected ? "checkmark.circle.fill" : "circle")
+                    .foregroundStyle(isSelected ? Color.accentColor : Color.secondary.opacity(0.45))
+                    .padding(.top, 2)
+
+                VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 3) {
+                    Text(title)
+                        .foregroundStyle(.primary)
+                    Text(subtitle)
+                        .font(.caption)
+                        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                        .multilineTextAlignment(.leading)
+                }
+
+                Spacer(minLength: 0)
+            }
+            .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .leading)
+            .padding(10)
+            .background(isSelected ? Color.accentColor.opacity(0.08) : Color.secondary.opacity(0.06))
+            .clipShape(RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 10, style: .continuous))
+        }
+        .buttonStyle(.plain)
+    }
+
+    private func sceneSubtitle(for scene: ChatScene) -> String {
+        let modelText = scene.resolvedModel?.displayName ?? "Current model"
+        if scene.systemPrompt.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines).isEmpty {
+            return "\(modelText) • No extra scene prompt"
+        }
+        return "\(modelText) • Adds scene prompt"
+    }
+}

MLXServer/Views/SettingsView.swift

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import SwiftUI
 
 struct SettingsView: View {
+    @Environment(\.openWindow) private var openWindow
+    @Environment(SceneStore.self) private var sceneStore
     @State private var systemPrompt: String = Preferences.systemPrompt
     @State private var apiPort: String = String(Preferences.apiPort)
     @State private var apiAutoStart: Bool = Preferences.apiAutoStart
@@ -49,6 +51,26 @@ struct SettingsView: View {
                     .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
             }
 
+            Section("Scenes") {
+                Button("Manage Scenes…") {
+                    openWindow(id: SceneManagementWindow.windowID)
+                }
+
+                Text("Create reusable roleplay or task presets with a dedicated model, extra system prompt, and an auto-sent opening message.")
+                    .font(.caption)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+
+                if sceneStore.scenes.isEmpty {
+                    Text("No saved scenes yet.")
+                        .font(.caption)
+                        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                } else {
+                    Text("Saved scenes: \(sceneStore.scenes.count)")
+                        .font(.caption)
+                        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                }
+            }
+
             Section("API Server") {
                 HStack {
                     Text("Port")

MLXServer/Views/StatusBarView.swift

@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ struct StatusBarView: View {
                     .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
             }
 
+            Label(viewModel.activeSceneName, systemImage: "theatermasks")
+                .font(.caption)
+                .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+
             Spacer()
 
             // GPU memory

README.md

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ open "build/Debug/MLX Server.app"
 ## App Features
 
 - **Chat interface** with markdown rendering and model-aware image attachments (file picker, drag & drop, clipboard paste, Finder copy-paste on vision-capable models)
+- **Scene-based chat starts** — New Chat opens a scene picker with Neutral plus saved scenes, each with an optional model override, a scene prompt layered onto the base system prompt, and an auto-sent starter prompt
 - **Model picker** in toolbar with local/download status indicators and re-download button
 - **Download progress modal** — shows file progress, percentage, and speed when downloading a new model
 - **Thinking mode** — models like Qwen3.5 can reason internally before responding; thinking content appears in a collapsible box. Toggle on/off in Settings.
@@ -34,7 +35,8 @@ open "build/Debug/MLX Server.app"
 - **Export chat** — File > Export Chat (Cmd+Shift+S) saves conversations as Markdown or RTF (Pages-compatible)
 - **Status bar** showing model name, context window, tokens/sec, token counts, GPU memory, API server status
 - **Keyboard shortcuts**: `Cmd+N` (new chat), `Cmd+Return` (send), `Escape` (stop), `Cmd+1/2/3/4` (switch models), `Cmd+Shift+S` (export)
-- **Settings** (`Cmd+,`): default model, thinking mode toggle, system prompt, API port, API auto-start, idle unload timeout
+- **Scene management** — create and edit reusable roleplay/task presets from the New Chat flow or Settings
+- **Settings** (`Cmd+,`): default model, thinking mode toggle, base system prompt, scene management, API port, API auto-start, idle unload timeout
 - **Idle auto-unload** — model is unloaded after configurable idle time (resets on both user input and model output), reloaded on next request
 
 ## API Server
@@ -91,10 +93,14 @@ MLXServer/
 ├── Models/
 │   ├── ModelConfig.swift           — Model definitions, alias/repoId resolution
 │   └── ChatMessage.swift           — Chat message data model, thinking tag parser
+│   └── ChatScene.swift             — Persisted chat scene presets (prompt + model + starter)
 ├── ViewModels/
 │   ├── ModelManager.swift          — Model loading/switching, download tracking, idle unload
 │   └── ChatViewModel.swift         — Chat state, ChatSession, API server lifecycle
+│   └── SceneStore.swift            — Scene persistence and editing operations
 ├── Views/
+│   ├── SceneSelectionView.swift    — New chat scene picker popover
+│   ├── SceneManagementView.swift   — Scene editor and list management
 │   ├── ModelPickerView.swift       — Toolbar model selector with re-download
 │   ├── ChatMessagesView.swift      — Scrollable message list with markdown + thinking blocks
 │   ├── ChatInputView.swift         — Text input + image attach (paste, drag, picker)
@@ -113,7 +119,7 @@ MLXServer/
     ├── LocalModelResolver.swift    — Offline-first HuggingFace cache resolution (sandbox + system)
     ├── ChatExporter.swift          — Export conversations to Markdown or RTF
     ├── FocusedValues.swift         — FocusedValue keys for menu bar integration
-    └── Preferences.swift           — UserDefaults wrapper
+    └── Preferences.swift           — UserDefaults wrapper, including scene persistence
 
 project.yml     — xcodegen project spec (dependencies, settings, deployment target)
 build.sh        — One-command build script (xcodegen + xcodebuild)