Working with a manuscript and a reference file should reduce context switching, not create another search problem. Give the two files explicit roles, then move the reference tab to the adjacent pane so the writing target stays distinct. In the observed interface, draft.md and reference.md began in the left pane; after dragging the reference.md tab to the adjacent pane, the two files belonged to different panes.
Give each file one job
Use draft.md for writing and reference.md for reading. Put a clear heading at the top of each file so the active document can be recognized from its content, not only from a similar-looking tab label.
Open both files in the left pane of the same workspace. The observed starting screen placed draft.md and reference.md together in that pane. Read the heading and first line of each file before moving the reference.
Set a two-pane layout
The controlled workspace selected a two-pane layout, and the saved state retained that split setting. This establishes that the layout was stored. It does not reveal pane widths, cursor positions, or tab membership.
Set the split before arranging tabs. Changing the layout and order together repeatedly makes it difficult to identify which state persisted after reopening.
Drag reference.md to the adjacent pane
Drag the reference.md tab from the left pane to the tab bar of the adjacent pane. After the move, the observed interface structure placed draft.md in split group 3 and reference.md in adjacent split group 30. The two files therefore belonged to separate panes.
This moves a tab between visible panes; it does not move either file on disk. The recorded hashes for draft.md and reference.md were unchanged. A separate saved-state test set the workspace tab order to reference.md, draft.md.
Close and reopen the same workspace
After ordering the tabs, close the workspace and reopen the same workspace file. The reopened state retained the two-pane setting, two tabs, and the order reference.md, draft.md.
That saved-state evidence shows that the two-pane setting and workspace tab order survived this close-and-open sequence. The separate interface test records the cross-pane drag itself and the resulting split-group membership. Keep those two observations distinct in the work log.
Verify content before typing
After reopening, read the active tab name, heading, and first line before entering text. A heading such as “Draft” in one file and “Reference only” in the other catches a wrong target sooner than tab position alone.
For longer projects, keep a stable ordering rule: reference material first, active manuscript after it. The rule remains useful when chapters change because it describes purpose rather than a temporary screen location.
Recover when the state differs
First confirm that you reopened the same workspace, not a similarly named folder. List the tab count and full paths, remove ambiguity from duplicate filenames, then reapply the layout and order one at a time. If a file no longer exists, solve the storage-path problem before treating it as a tab-layout issue.
Do not add a third pane merely because more files exist. Prove the two-pane, two-tab restart first. Add another pane only when a third document must remain visible throughout the task and when the narrower text columns are still readable.
Completion means dragging reference.md from the left pane to the adjacent pane and confirming that draft.md and reference.md belong to separate panes afterward. Also retain the recorded two-pane setting, two expected tabs, and reference-first order after reopening. Checking role, pane, and restart state in sequence helps prevent editing the wrong source.
