[Bug] Ordered list start index not preserved in user messages
Bug Description
Summary
User-submitted ordered lists are re-rendered starting at 1 regardless of the numbers typed in the source markdown. This breaks reference-by-number when users and Claude are co-referencing items from a previously-numbered list.
Environment
- Claude Code desktop app (macOS)
- Version: Claude 1.3561.0 (fbc74b) 2026-04-20T14:59:51.000Z
Repro
- Claude sends a reply containing a numbered list with items 1 through 6.
- User types a response that uses the same indices to address specific items, e.g.:
- Agree, let's do this.
- Does this need to be codified?
- User submits.
- The rendered user message shows these as
1.and2., losing the original indices.
Expected
One of:
- (a) Preserve the start-index of the ordered list. CommonMark already supports this —
5. foo\n6. barrenders as<ol start="5">. HTML's nativestartattribute handles it without any custom logic. - (b) Render user input as verbatim/monospace so numbers survive literally.
Actual
All ordered lists in user messages are renormalised to start at 1 and increment sequentially — suggesting the renderer is using a CSS counter or a JS-level markdown transform that overrides the parser's start value rather than passing it through.
Impact
When users and Claude are collaborating on a numbered structure (Claude proposes N options, user responds selectively by number), number-stability is load-bearing. Without it, Claude can't tell which items the user addressed and has to ask — a wasted round-trip. Noticed unprompted in a real collaboration session on 2026-04-22.
Suggested fix
Preserve the start attribute on <ol> when rendering user markdown. Pass the first list item's number through instead of implicitly defaulting to 1.
Environment Info
- Platform: darwin
- Terminal: Apple_Terminal
- Version: 2.1.92
- Feedback ID: 92a7c3b5-b523-4930-ac5b-ba30c45dc774
Errors
[]This issue has 1 comment on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗