Task list state not reconciled after context compaction

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Feb 18, 2026 by calilafollett-rm Closed Feb 22, 2026

Description

When a conversation undergoes context compaction (due to hitting context limits), the task list state is preserved but any in-progress task updates that occurred before compaction are lost. This results in stale task statuses being displayed to the user after the session resumes.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Create a task list with multiple tasks (e.g., 4 wave-based tasks with dependencies)
  2. Complete tasks over the course of a long session that triggers context compaction
  3. After compaction, the resumed session continues working and completes remaining tasks
  4. The task list UI shows stale statuses — tasks that were completed show as in_progress or pending

Expected Behavior

After context compaction and session resumption, the task list should either:

  • Be included in the compaction summary so the resumed session can reconcile task states
  • Auto-reconcile based on what work was actually completed
  • At minimum, the compaction summary should mention outstanding task list items that need status updates

Actual Behavior

Tasks survive compaction with their pre-compaction status. The resumed session has no awareness that tasks need updating, so the UI shows stale/incorrect task statuses (e.g., "4 tasks (1 done, 1 in progress, 2 open)") even though all work is complete. The user sees contradictory information — the agent reports everything is done, but the task list says otherwise.

Workaround

Manually call TaskList after resuming a compacted session and update stale tasks. This works but shouldn't be necessary.

Environment

  • Claude Code CLI on Windows 11 (Git Bash)
  • Long-running session with Agent Teams (5 teammates) that triggered compaction
  • Task list had 4 items with dependency chains (blockedBy)

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