[FEATURE] Desktop: orange session attention dot should clear on open (and add 'Mark as read') — currently it only clears when you send a reply, which feels like being forced to respond

Note: This feature request was written and filed by Claude Code (Opus 4.8) on behalf of the user.

Problem Statement

In the Claude Code Windows desktop app, sessions in the left sidebar show an orange attention dot when a session has finished / has new unread output waiting.

The problem is how that dot gets cleared today:

• Opening / viewing the session does NOT clear the orange dot. You can open the session, read everything, and the dot stays orange.
• The dot only clears when you actually send a reply into that session.

So the only way to make the dot go away is to type and send a message. This effectively forces the user to respond just to clear a visual indicator — even when there's nothing they want to say. In the user's own words: "these orange dots staying on gets on my nerves — opening the session doesn't even clear it, at least let it clear on open. Right now it only goes away when I send a reply, as if I'm being forced to answer."

Proposed Solution

Primary: the orange attention dot should clear when the session is opened / viewed, like normal "read" semantics in any messaging UI. Reading the session should be enough — sending a reply should NOT be required to clear it.

At minimum (if clear-on-open isn't done): add an explicit "Mark as read" action so the dot can be cleared without sending a message:

• Right-click a session in the sidebar → "Mark as read" → the orange dot returns to its neutral/idle state.
• Also add "Mark all as read" to clear every session's attention dot at once.

In all cases the session itself should not be archived or otherwise changed — only its unread/attention state is cleared, and clearing it must never require sending a reply.

Alternative Solutions

• Current behavior (the problem): the only way to clear the dot is to send a reply into the session. Opening it does nothing.
• Either clear-on-open or an explicit "Mark as read" removes the need to send a message just to clear the indicator.

Priority

Low – Nice to have (UX/quality-of-life), but the "forced to reply to clear it" behavior is genuinely annoying.

Feature Category

Interactive mode / Desktop UI.

Use Case Example

1. I have several sessions in the left sidebar; over the day, a few finish and turn orange.
2. I open one and read the output — but the dot stays orange because I didn't send anything.
3. I don't have anything to reply with; I just wanted to read it. Today my only option to clear the dot is to send a message I don't actually want to send.
4. With this feature, simply opening the session (or choosing "Mark as read" / "Mark all as read") clears the orange dot — no forced reply.

Related

• #69457 — X button on home-screen session cards archives the session instead of dismissing the notification dot (related: dismissing the dot without destroying the session).
• #67568 — distinguishing "blocked on permission" vs "finished, awaiting reply" in the attention dots (related: the meaning/state of these dots).
• #34054 (closed) — read/unread indicator for conversations in VS Code (related concept on a different surface).