[BUG] Dispatch: responses not rendered in main thread on desktop or mobile — only visible in background conversations

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?

When using Dispatch from the iOS Claude app (phone) while the desktop Claude app is also running, Dispatch responses are generated and delivered to the backend, but never rendered in the main Dispatch thread on either platform. Responses only appear if I manually navigate to the background/detail conversations in the desktop app.

Messages show "Read" confirmation marks, confirming the backend received and processed them. But no assistant responses appear in the main Dispatch UI on desktop or mobile. This creates a completely one-sided conversation — I had no idea Dispatch was responding until I explored the background conversations on desktop.

This persisted across multiple messages over ~8 hours (4:18 AM – 12:12 PM, April 7, 2026).

Related issues: #40178, #40194

What Should Happen?

Dispatch responses should appear in the main Dispatch thread on both the desktop app and the iOS app immediately after being generated, not only in background conversations.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude desktop app on Mac with Cowork/Dispatch running
2. Open Claude iOS app on iPhone and navigate to the Dispatch tab
3. Send a message from the phone to Dispatch
4. Dispatch processes the message and responds (confirmed via background conversations on desktop)
5. Check the main Dispatch screen on both phone and desktop — no responses rendered
6. Navigate to background conversations on desktop — responses are there
7. Repeat with multiple messages over hours — same behavior every time

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude Desktop App (Cowork/Dispatch mode), April 7, 2026

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Environment: MacBook Pro (macOS) + iPhone (iOS Claude app), Max plan. Cowork settings: Keep awake ON, Allow all browser actions ON, Computer use enabled, Code permissions: Auto accept edits.

The "Read" marks and the presence of responses in background conversations confirm the full pipeline works: messages are received, Dispatch processes them, and responses are generated and stored. The issue is specifically in the main Dispatch thread UI rendering — responses exist in the backend but are not surfaced in the primary Dispatch view on either platform. This suggests a frontend rendering bug in the Dispatch thread component, not a delivery or backend issue.

Screenshots of the one-sided conversation are available from both iOS and desktop showing the same behavior.