Link and switch local workspaces

Keep your projects on disk and open the one you need from the workspace switcher. Linking a folder does not import its workspace archives.

1. Link your workspace files

In the editor, open Workspaces in the sidebar and click the Switch workspace icon beside the current name. The same drawer changes from workspace contents to your linked projects. Open Link workspace and choose Link workspace files and select one or more .rawql files. Their names appear in the drawer; your current work stays open. Use the search field to filter by name or relative path.

Use Save workspace as, beside the workspace name, to save your current SQL, notebooks, dashboards and data as a .rawql archive. The file is linked and becomes the active workspace immediately. Its filename replaces the workspace title. The suggested name uses My-Workspace-YYYYMMDDHHmmss.rawql, with a UTC timestamp.

To open another file directly, choose Add new > Workspace. RawQL adds it to the linked list, saves your current workspace and opens the selection. Cancelling the file picker keeps your current workspace open.

2. Link a folder of projects

From Link workspace, choose Link a folder and select a local directory. RawQL discovers .rawql files in that folder and its subfolders. Hidden directories and dependency folders such as node_modules are skipped. Only file handles, names and relative paths are remembered; the archives are not read or copied into browser storage.

Add another file on disk, then click Refresh linked folders to discover it. Expand or collapse folders and nested subfolders just like the workspace file tree. Search reveals matching projects inside collapsed folders. Duplicate links are ignored. An empty folder can stay linked for later. Discovery is manual, so RawQL does not continuously scan your disk.

3. Switch and keep your changes

Select a workspace from the list and allow local read/write access when the browser asks. RawQL saves the current workspace before opening your selection, restores the selected project’s SQL, notebooks, dashboard definitions and tabs, and returns the drawer to the selected workspace’s files. Its name appears at the top. Click the switch icon again to return to the project tree; a checkmark identifies the active project. Notebook cells and dashboard queries are not automatically executed by switching.

Changes in a linked workspace save automatically to its original local .rawql file. Keep a separate backup if you need the original snapshot unchanged. The browser workspace, My Workspace, keeps its existing browser autosave instead. You can return to it from the same project tree. The switch icon or Escape also returns to the current workspace’s files without changing projects.

The linked file is the source of truth when you reopen it. Wait for Saved locally before closing or reloading. If a switch is interrupted, RawQL recovers the selected archive without mixing in the previous project’s definitions. If the switch cannot be confirmed, further disk saves are blocked. Use Save workspace as to save and activate a separate file.

The project tree and linking do not unpack inactive projects. Opening the selected archive still requires disk reading, validation and rebuilding its active DuckDB runtime; larger projects take longer. Only the active project’s data is loaded. Linked source connections are kept separately for each workspace.

4. Permissions, recovery and unlinking

Direct links require a desktop browser with File System Access support, such as Chrome or Edge, on HTTPS or localhost. Other browsers keep the existing Import workspace and Save workspace as workflow. Links are specific to this browser profile and site address: a PR preview and the production site have separate link lists.

If access expires, grant access when selecting a workspace. If a file moves, link it again at its new location. An unreadable or invalid selection leaves the current workspace in place. A failed save blocks switching so you can use Save workspace as to preserve your work. RawQL detects changes to a linked file’s size or modification time and refuses to overwrite that externally changed file; save a separate copy before reopening it.

Switch away from a workspace, then open its options menu and choose Unlink to remove the shortcut. Choose Unlink folder in a linked folder’s options to stop future discovery; its individual workspace links remain until you unlink them. Neither action deletes files from disk. Clear all workspace data and signing out clear the editor, remembered links and source connections from this browser without deleting linked files on disk.

Try it with two projects

1. Create a SQL file containing SELECT 'Project A' AS project and save the workspace as project-a.rawql.
2. Save as project-b.rawql, then change the query to SELECT 'Project B' AS project and wait for Saved locally.
3. Open the workspace list and select project-a. Its query appears. Select project-b and compare the query.
4. Edit project-b, switch to project-a, then return to project-b. Your changes are restored from its local file.
5. Link their parent folder and refresh it after adding a third .rawql file. Its name appears without opening it.