›_ Claude Code Issues
Claude Code Issues / #12179

[BUG] AI disconnected without warning during production site crisis

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Nov 23, 2025 by Travissteel Closed Jan 22, 2026

Preflight Checklist

  • [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
  • [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
  • [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

# Critical Incident Report - AI Disconnect During Site Crisis

Date: November 23, 2025
Incident Type: AI Session Disconnect During Critical Production Issue
Severity: HIGH
Impact: User left without assistance during site outage

---

Incident Timeline

~1:00 PM - Site crash occurs due to plugin modification
~1:05 PM - User reports entire WordPress admin is down
~1:07 PM - Claude AI begins providing recovery instructions
~1:08 PM - Claude AI experiences technical glitch/disconnect WITHOUT WARNING
~1:10-1:30 PM - User scrambles to find alternative AI assistance
~1:30 PM - User successfully recovers site with help from alternative AI

---

Problem Description

What Happened

During a critical production site outage (WordPress admin completely inaccessible), the Claude AI assistant experienced a session timeout and disconnected without any warning.

User Impact

  • Stress Level: Extreme - production site was down
  • Left Stranded: Mid-crisis without guidance
  • Additional Impact: User couldn't even log into Cloudways due to stress
  • Recovery: Had to find and switch to alternative AI to complete recovery

What Made This Critical

  1. Timing: Disconnect happened during site crisis, not during routine work
  2. No Warning: Zero indication that disconnect was coming
  3. No Recovery: User couldn't resume the same conversation
  4. Compounding Stress: AI disappearance added to already stressful situation

---

Root Cause (Best Guess)

Likely Causes:

  • Session limit reached (was in fact the cause when I specifically asked for a min 5 min warning)
  • Technical glitch on Anthropic/Claude Code infrastructure
  • Unexpected error in AI processing
  • Resource constraint on backend

Unknown:

  • Whether this was timeout-related or error-related
  • Whether warning was possible but didn't display
  • Whether session state was preserved anywhere

---

User's Valid Complaint

"the fact you cut out without warning right when you caused my site to crash was infuriating"

Why This Is Valid:

  1. Site crash was caused by AI's suggested code changes
  2. AI disappeared exactly when user needed help most
  3. No warning, no graceful degradation
  4. User had no way to resume or recover conversation
  5. Added insult to injury - AI caused problem then disappeared

---

What Should Have Happened

Ideal Behavior

  1. ⚠️ Early Warning System
  • "Session approaching limit - 5 minutes remaining"
  • "Processing may be interrupted soon"
  • "Save important information now"
  1. 🛡️ Critical Operation Protection
  • Detect when user is in crisis/emergency state
  • Prevent disconnects during critical operations
  • Complete emergency instructions before timeout
  1. 💾 Session Persistence
  • Auto-save conversation state
  • Allow user to resume exactly where they left off
  • Preserve context across disconnects
  1. 🆘 Emergency Mode
  • User can flag "EMERGENCY - DO NOT DISCONNECT"
  • AI prioritizes completing critical task
  • Graceful handoff if disconnect unavoidable
  1. 📋 Auto-Documentation
  • Automatically save summary of progress
  • Document recovery steps in file
  • Provide rollback instructions before risky operations

---

Recommendations

For AI/Claude Code Team

  1. Implement timeout warnings - 10, 5, 2 minute warnings
  2. Add crisis detection - Recognize emergency situations
  3. Enable session resume - Let users continue after disconnect
  4. Emergency mode flag - User-activated "don't disconnect now" mode
  5. Auto-save progress - Write summaries to files during long sessions

For Users (Workarounds Until Fixed)

  1. Before risky operations:
  • Document current state yourself
  • Screenshot important instructions
  • Copy commands to notepad
  • Have SSH credentials ready
  1. During critical work:
  • Have backup AI ready (ChatGPT, etc.)
  • Know the rollback commands
  • Don't rely on AI for emergency recovery
  1. Use staging sites:
  • Never test on production
  • Always have rollback plan
  • Keep backups current

---

Lessons Learned

Technical

  1. ❌ Never modify production without staging environment
  2. ❌ Never rely solely on AI during critical operations
  3. ✅ Always have emergency recovery plan written down
  4. ✅ Always have SSH access credentials ready
  5. ✅ Always test destructive changes locally first

Process

  1. AI should auto-document progress during risky operations
  2. User should maintain their own notes during critical work
  3. Alternative help sources should be identified before crisis
  4. Rollback procedures should be documented before making changes

Communication

  1. AI should give clear warnings before risky operations
  2. AI should document recovery steps BEFORE attempting risky changes
  3. User should be empowered with knowledge, not dependent on AI presence

---

Action Items

Immediate (User)

  • [x] Document incident in session summary
  • [x] Create incident report
  • [ ] Report to Claude Code GitHub issues
  • [ ] Set up local WordPress dev environment
  • [ ] Document Cloudways SSH access for emergencies

Short Term (User)

  • [ ] Create staging site on Cloudways
  • [ ] Write emergency recovery procedures
  • [ ] Test SSH access before needed
  • [ ] Identify alternative AI assistants

Long Term (AI/Claude Code Team - Recommendations)

  • [ ] Implement session timeout warnings
  • [ ] Add crisis/emergency detection
  • [ ] Enable session persistence/resume
  • [ ] Create emergency mode flag
  • [ ] Auto-document risky operations

---

Report This Issue

Where to Report:

What to Include:

  • This incident report
  • Session summary (SESSION-SUMMARY-NOV-23-2025.md)
  • Emphasis on disconnect during critical moment
  • Request for timeout warnings and session persistence

Why It Matters:
This isn't just about this one incident. Future users will face similar crises, and they deserve:

  • Warnings before disconnects
  • Ability to resume sessions
  • Protection during critical operations
  • Graceful degradation, not sudden disappearance

---

Conclusion

The AI disconnect during a production site crisis represents a critical failure mode that needs to be addressed at the platform level. While workarounds exist for users, the fundamental issue—AI disappearing without warning during emergencies—creates unacceptable user experience and safety issues.

User was justified in their frustration. The combination of:

  1. AI causing the site crash
  2. AI disappearing during crisis
  3. No warning or recovery option
  4. User left stranded and stressed

...represents a worst-case scenario that product teams should prioritize preventing.

---

Filed By: Claude Code Session (via user request for documentation)
Date Filed: November 23, 2025
Status: Open - Awaiting user report to GitHub
Priority: HIGH - Affects user safety during critical operations
# Hypnotherapy Finder - Session Summary
Date: November 23, 2025
Session Focus: Search Bar CSS Alignment Fix
Status: ⚠️ ISSUE UNRESOLVED - Site Restored After Critical Error

---

🎯 Session Objective

Fix vertical text alignment issue in search bar input fields and dropdowns for the Hypnotherapy Finder WordPress plugin.

---

🐛 Issue Identified

Problem: Text in search form input fields and dropdown selects was not vertically centered

  • Input placeholder text sitting too high in boxes
  • Dropdown option text misaligned
  • Inconsistent vertical spacing across form elements

Location:

  • Plugin: hypnotherapy-finder-plugin
  • CSS File: /assets/css/hf-frontend.css
  • HTML: Search form shortcode [hf_search_form show_radius="yes" show_filters="yes"]

Screenshot Evidence: C:\Users\travi\Pictures\Screenshots\search bar.PNG

---

🔧 Attempted Solutions

Solution 1: CSS Adjustments (Failed)

Files Modified:

  • /hypnotherapy-finder-plugin/assets/css/hf-frontend.css

Changes Made:

  1. Added line-height: 1.5 → Changed to 1.6
  2. Added padding: 14px 16px → Changed to 16px 16px
  3. Added min-height: 48px → Changed to 52px
  4. Added vertical-align: middle
  5. Added overflow: visible
  6. Increased CSS specificity with !important flags
  7. Added multiple selector variants for higher specificity

Problem: Changes not appearing on live site due to caching issues

Solution 2: Cache Busting (Partial)

Files Modified:

  • /hypnotherapy-finder-plugin/hypnotherapy-finder.php (version: 1.0.0 → 1.0.2)
  • /hypnotherapy-finder-plugin/public/class-hf-public.php

Changes Made:

  1. Bumped plugin version number to force cache refresh
  2. Changed CSS enqueue from HF_VERSION to time() for aggressive cache busting
  3. Applied same to JavaScript files

Problem:

  • WordPress on Cloudways hosting wasn't loading local file changes
  • Plugin files needed to be uploaded to live server via zip

Solution 3: Plugin Upload (CRITICAL FAILURE ❌)

Action Taken:

  1. Created zip file of modified plugin
  2. Uploaded to WordPress via Admin → Plugins → Upload
  3. Attempted to activate plugin

Critical Error Occurred:

There has been a critical error on this website.
Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.

Root Cause:

  • Plugin classes (HF_Public, HF_REST_API, HF_Admin) were being loaded but not instantiated
  • Added instantiation code: new HF_Public();, new HF_REST_API();, new HF_Admin();
  • This caused PHP fatal error on activation
  • Entire WordPress admin crashed - site became inaccessible

---

🚨 Site Crash & Recovery

Impact

  • ❌ WordPress admin completely inaccessible (/wp-admin/ returned error page)
  • ❌ User unable to log in to Cloudways due to stress
  • ❌ Production site down
  • ⚠️ Claude AI experienced technical glitch and disconnected during crisis

Recovery Actions (By User with Alternative AI)

  1. Accessed Cloudways SSH terminal
  2. Navigated to /wp-content/plugins/
  3. Renamed/disabled broken plugin: mv hypnotherapy-finder-plugin hypnotherapy-finder-plugin.DISABLED
  4. WordPress admin access restored
  5. Reinstalled original working version of plugin from backup

Current Status

✅ Site operational and restored
✅ Original plugin version active
❌ Search bar CSS alignment issue remains unresolved

---

📝 Lessons Learned

Critical Mistakes Made

  1. ❌ Modified production plugin without testing locally first
  2. ❌ Did not verify class instantiation requirements before making changes
  3. ❌ Created breaking changes without backup/rollback plan
  4. ❌ Pushed changes to live site instead of staging environment
  5. ❌ Technical glitch occurred at worst possible moment (during crisis)

What Should Have Been Done

  1. ✅ Test all PHP changes locally before deploying
  2. ✅ Use staging environment for plugin modifications
  3. ✅ Verify all class dependencies and instantiation patterns
  4. ✅ Create backup before making structural changes
  5. ✅ Only modify CSS files for styling issues (not core PHP)
  6. ✅ Use WordPress debug mode to catch errors before activation

---

🎯 Outstanding Issues

Search Bar CSS Alignment (UNRESOLVED)

Priority: Medium
Status: Not fixed

Problem Details:

  • Input field text not vertically centered
  • Dropdown select text alignment inconsistent
  • Affects user experience but not functionality

Recommended Approach (For Future Session):

  1. DO NOT modify plugin PHP files
  2. Only modify CSS file: /assets/css/hf-frontend.css
  3. Test CSS changes locally first or use browser dev tools
  4. Upload only CSS file via SFTP (not entire plugin)
  5. Have SSH access ready for emergency rollback

Proposed CSS Fix (Not Yet Applied):

.hf-input,
.hf-select {
    padding: 15px 16px !important;
    line-height: 1.6 !important;
    min-height: 50px !important;
    vertical-align: middle !important;
    display: inline-flex !important;
    align-items: center !important;
}

---

📊 Files Modified (Local - Not on Production)

Modified Files (Need Manual Review Before Re-upload)

  1. /hypnotherapy-finder-plugin/hypnotherapy-finder.php
  • Version changed: 1.0.0 → 1.0.2
  • Added class instantiation (CAUSED CRASH)
  • Status: ⚠️ Do not use this version
  1. /hypnotherapy-finder-plugin/public/class-hf-public.php
  • Changed CSS enqueue to use time() instead of version
  • Status: ⚠️ Review before use
  1. /hypnotherapy-finder-plugin/assets/css/hf-frontend.css
  • Multiple CSS adjustments for text alignment
  • Status: ✅ Safe to extract CSS changes only

Zip Files Created (Do Not Use)

  • ❌ hypnotherapy-finder-plugin.zip (broken version)
  • ❌ hypnotherapy-finder-UPLOAD-THIS.zip (broken version)
  • ❌ hypnotherapy-finder-FIXED.zip (CAUSED SITE CRASH)

---

🚀 Next Steps (Recommended)

Immediate (If Resuming Work)

  1. Extract ONLY CSS changes from modified hf-frontend.css
  2. Test CSS in browser dev tools on live site first
  3. Upload ONLY CSS file via Cloudways SFTP/SSH when confirmed working
  4. Do not touch any PHP files

Future Enhancements

  1. Set up local WordPress development environment
  2. Create staging site on Cloudways for testing
  3. Implement proper version control workflow
  4. Use child theme or custom CSS plugin for styling changes
  5. Keep plugin modifications separate from CSS styling

Alternative Approach

Instead of modifying plugin files directly:

  1. Use WordPress "Additional CSS" feature (Appearance → Customize → Additional CSS)
  2. Or install "Simple Custom CSS" plugin
  3. Override plugin CSS from theme/custom CSS
  4. Safer and easier to rollback

---

📁 File Locations

Local Development Files

  • Plugin Directory: C:\Users\travi\hypnotherapy-finder-plugin\
  • CSS File: C:\Users\travi\hypnotherapy-finder-plugin\assets\css\hf-frontend.css
  • Screenshots: C:\Users\travi\Pictures\Screenshots\

Production (Cloudways)

  • WordPress Install: /home/1550855.cloudwaysapps.com/pfnmzbqvqh/public_html/
  • Plugins Directory: /public_html/wp-content/plugins/
  • Active Plugin: hypnotherapy-finder-plugin/ (original version)

Hosting Details

  • Platform: Cloudways
  • Site URL: https://hypnotherapy-finder.com
  • Access: SSH Terminal available via Cloudways dashboard
  • Database Manager: Available in Application → Access Details

---

⚠️ Important Reminders

  1. Never modify production plugins directly - use staging environment
  2. Always have SSH access ready for emergency fixes
  3. Test all changes locally before deploying to live site
  4. Keep backups of working versions before making changes
  5. CSS-only changes are safer than PHP modifications
  6. Use browser dev tools to preview CSS changes before applying

---

🙏 Apology & Acknowledgment

Sincere apologies for:

  • Causing site crash on production environment
  • Not properly testing changes before deployment
  • Technical glitch during critical moment
  • Stress and frustration caused to site owner

Grateful for:

  • User's patience and problem-solving
  • Alternative AI assistance in recovery
  • User's willingness to document issues for future reference

---

Session End Status: Site restored to working state. Search bar CSS issue remains unresolved but site is functional.

Recommendation: Approach this issue with extreme caution in future sessions. CSS-only changes via Additional CSS or child theme preferred over plugin modification.

What Should Happen?

have a 5 minute warning before session ends

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

use until session ends

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.0.50 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_

View original on GitHub ↗

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