[Desktop] Sidebar session indicator keeps pulsing gray while session is idle (2.1.197)
Open 💬 0 comments Opened Jul 6, 2026 by guruk
Environment
- Claude Desktop app with Claude Code sessions, claude-code runtime 2.1.197
- macOS (Darwin 25.3.0), Apple Silicon
Bug
A session entry in the sidebar keeps pulsing/blinking gray as if the agent were actively working, even though the session is fully idle.
Verified on the affected machine while the indicator was pulsing:
- no background shell tasks, no monitors, no scheduled wakeups pending for that session
- no child processes (renders/servers) attached; the only processes referencing the session were the app's own runtime
- harness task list empty
A second session in the same project directory had a live process doing legitimate work at the time — possibly the activity indicator is attributed to the wrong sidebar row, or the pulse state fails to clear after background tasks complete.
Repro (as observed)
- Run a long session that uses many
run_in_backgroundbash tasks + a ScheduledWakeup (all complete). - Have a second active session in the same project.
- The first (idle) session's sidebar row keeps pulsing gray indefinitely; it survives idling for hours. User reports it persists.
Expected
Activity pulse only while that session is actually running work, clearing when idle.
Impact
Cosmetic but confusing/annoying — user can't tell which session is actually busy.