version: "1.0.1" name: "desktop-shell-maximize-gate" description: "How to gate maximize-state fixes in a custom desktop shell without missing restored-state regressions" domain: "testing" confidence: "medium" source: "hicks-maximize-clipping-gate"
Context
Use this when a desktop app owns its own chrome or hosts web UI content inside a native shell, and a bug only appears when the window is maximized.
Pattern
- Capture the same route in both restored and maximized states.
- Check shell primitives first: titlebar, menu/header row, nav rail, active accent, and outer content edges.
- Verify the maximize fix did not just hide the symptom by introducing new inset spacing or clipping elsewhere.
- Run the state transition both ways: restored → maximized → restored.
- End with one restored resize smoke check so edge/corner hit targets are still credible.
Good signs
- The active navigation marker stays fully visible in maximized state.
- Shell chrome and page content sit inside the visible work area with no clipped edges.
- Restored mode looks unchanged after the maximize/restore cycle.
Anti-patterns
- Trusting a maximized screenshot without checking the restored state afterward
- Verifying only the web content while ignoring native titlebar and resize affordances
- Approving a fix that solves clipping by adding obvious new gaps or layout drift