[BUG] Persistent server-side session billing phantom usage — cannot be killed from client
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?
<html>
<body>
<!--StartFragment--><html><head></head><body><h1>Phantom Usage Billing from Persistent Server-Side Session — Cannot Be Killed from Client</h1>
<h2>Summary</h2>
<p>A persistent server-side session (<code>cse_011xh9K8QGegFReA9TF8sShr</code>) is billing API usage against my Claude Pro account with no user-initiated activity. The session survives logout, process termination, phone session termination, and Cowork VM deletion. It reconnects automatically every time the app starts and polls <code>api.anthropic.com</code> continuously. Usage has been draining silently over 3–4 days across fresh 5-hour windows.</p>
<hr>
<h2>Environment</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>App version:</strong> 1.9659.2 (MSIX, Windows Store)</li>
<li><strong>Platform:</strong> Windows 11 (win32 x64), OS 10.0.26200</li>
<li><strong>CPU:</strong> AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS (16 cores)</li>
<li><strong>Memory:</strong> 15 GB</li>
<li><strong>Plan:</strong> Claude Pro</li>
<li><strong>Install type:</strong> MSIX (windowsStore)</li>
<li><strong>Account domain:</strong> iima.ac.in</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2>Persistent Session Details</h2>
Field | Value
-- | --
Session ID | cse_011xh9K8QGegFReA9TF8sShr
Environment ID | env_01SZgj3zV5duebrXCdeKRWba
Account ID | 3db1c9d4-0eb8-4481-9636-da8170d39e1c
Org ID | cd73ff3a-d5cb-4a7d-8492-8035d2578d73
First observed | 2026-05-28
Still active | 2026-05-31 21:17 UTC (confirmed)
<hr>
<h2>What Has Been Ruled Out</h2>
<ul>
<li>✅ Not unauthorized account access (only 2 known sessions: phone + PC)</li>
<li>✅ Not rolling window misunderstanding</li>
<li>✅ Not Windows Task Scheduler tasks</li>
<li>✅ Not MCP connectors running independently</li>
<li>✅ Not Cowork scheduled tasks (disabled, confirmed in <code>scheduled-tasks.json</code>)</li>
<li>✅ Not a local process issue (session persists with app fully closed)</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2>Root Cause Assessment</h2>
<p>The session <code>cse_011xh9K8QGegFReA9TF8sShr</code> is a server-side persistent bridge session tied to environment <code>env_01SZgj3zV5duebrXCdeKRWba</code>. It appears to be:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Kept alive server-side</strong> regardless of client state</li>
<li><strong>Re-attached to the same environment</strong> on every login, preventing logout from resetting it</li>
<li><strong>Billing usage</strong> during periods when no local client is active</li>
</ol>
<p>The client has no mechanism to permanently invalidate this session. Only server-side invalidation of the session and environment IDs will resolve this.</p>
<hr>
<h2>Request</h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>Manually invalidate</strong> session <code>cse_011xh9K8QGegFReA9TF8sShr</code> and environment <code>env_01SZgj3zV5duebrXCdeKRWba</code> server-side</li>
<li><strong>Investigate what billed 9% of a fresh 5-hour window</strong> between 15:00–18:57 UTC on 2026-05-31 with no client active</li>
<li><strong>Add a client-side mechanism</strong> to fully terminate persistent sessions (logout should invalidate server-side, not just drop the local token)</li>
<li><strong>Consider crediting</strong> usage consumed by this phantom session</li>
</ol>
<hr>
<h2>Related Issues</h2>
<ul>
<li>Orphaned background processes on Windows (app quit does not kill all <code>claude.exe</code> PIDs)</li>
<li>Cowork scheduled tasks firing on app open when tasks were missed (batch fire bug)</li>
</ul></body></html><!--EndFragment-->
</body>
</html>
What Should Happen?
-
Error Messages/Logs
-Steps to Reproduce
-
Claude Model
None
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
-
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
PowerShell
Additional Information
_No response_
This issue has 1 comment on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗