[BUG] Artifact content frozen after publishing - version increments but preview doesn't update

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Desktop

What's Wrong?

After an artifact is published in Claude Desktop, requesting updates to that artifact fails silently. Claude does not increment the version number and does not re-render the artifact preview. Instead, Claude acknowledges the requested change and outputs the updated code as inline text in the chat, leaving the original artifact preview frozen at its initial state.

Environment

• Claude Desktop App (not Claude Code CLI)
• OS: macOS
• Date: 2026-02-20

Steps to Reproduce

1. Ask Claude to create an HTML/React artifact (e.g., 'create an interactive dashboard')
2. Artifact renders correctly in the preview pane
3. Request a change (e.g., 'add a button', 'change the color scheme')
4. Expected: Artifact preview updates with new version (v2) showing the changes
5. Actual:

• No version increment occurs
• Artifact preview remains unchanged (frozen at v1)
• Claude outputs the updated code as inline text in the chat response
• The artifact panel shows the original content, not the updated version

Expected Behavior

When requesting changes to an existing artifact, Claude should:

• Update the artifact preview with the new content
• Increment the version number (v1 → v2 → v3)
• Keep the code in the artifact panel, not output it inline

Actual Behavior

• Artifact preview is frozen after initial creation/publishing
• Claude outputs updated code as plain text in chat instead of updating the artifact
• No version increment happens
• The only way to see changes is to read the inline code output, not the artifact preview

Additional Context

This makes artifacts essentially unusable for iterative development. The feature works for initial creation but breaks completely on any subsequent update request.

Related Discussions

• Reddit: 'Has anyone else had issues with artifacts not rendering in Claude Desktop (Windows)?' — https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1qv2uh3/has_anyone_else_had_issues_with_artifacts_not/ (Feb 3, 2026)
• Reddit: 'Claude.ai - anyone else having issues with artefacts not updating' — https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1n93vsb/claudeai_anyone_else_having_issues_with_artefacts/ (Sep 5, 2025)
• Medium: 'Stop Fighting with Claude: Why Your Artifacts Won't Update (And the Simple Fix)' — https://medium.com/rigel-computer-com/stop-fighting-with-claude-why-your-artifacts-wont-update-and-the-simple-fix-b39c5016d7a4 (Sep 25, 2025)
• DevRadar: 'Fix Claude AI Artifacts Not Working - 2026 Solutions' — https://devradar.dev/guides/claude-ai-artifacts-not-working (Jan 5, 2026)