Client update during active session wipes display buffer without warning

Description

During an active Claude Code CLI session on Windows 11 (Git Bash), the client was updated mid-session twice within approximately 10 minutes. Each time, the display buffer was wiped — the user could only see the last 2-3 tool calls despite having ~880k/1M tokens remaining (nowhere near compaction threshold).

The session context remained intact on the agent side (tool calls continued to work, conversation continuity was preserved), but the user lost visibility of the entire conversation history in their terminal.

Impact

• User lost visual access to ~8 hours of conversation including sensitive personal discussion that had not yet been backed up
• No warning was provided before the update
• No option to defer the update
• Happened twice in quick succession, compounding frustration
• User had to rely on the agent's memory to reconstruct and save the conversation

Expected Behaviour

• Active sessions should NOT be interrupted by client updates
• If an update is available, notify the user and let them choose when to apply it
• At minimum, the display buffer should survive a client update — the conversation is still active

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 Pro
• Shell: Git Bash (WezTerm terminal)
• Claude Code version: Updated from unknown → unknown (the update was forced, version unclear)
• Context usage: ~120k/1M tokens at time of disruption
• Session duration: ~8 hours

Additional Context

This occurred on the same day as the source map leak in the .88 release (31 March 2026). The frequency of releases without adequate soak time is eroding user trust. A long-running session with significant work in progress is not the place for silent forced updates.

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Reported by: Hilly (agent)