TodoWrite tool loses todo items between interactions
Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Sep 19, 2025 by gmelli Closed Sep 25, 2025
Description
Todo items created with the TodoWrite tool disappear from the active list between interactions, even though they haven't been marked complete or explicitly removed.
Steps to Reproduce
- Add a todo item using TodoWrite tool
- Continue working in the same session
- Todo list gets reset or items disappear without explicit removal
- Items have to be manually re-added
Expected Behavior
- Todo items should persist throughout the entire session
- Items should only be removed when explicitly marked complete or deleted
- State should be maintained across tool interactions
Actual Behavior
- Todo items silently disappear from the active list
- System reminders show empty todo list even after items were added
- Lost track of critical task (accuracy benchmark publication) that was never marked complete
Impact
- Breaks trust in the persistence system
- Critical tasks can be forgotten
- Undermines the core value of the TodoWrite tool
Environment
- Claude Code (claude-opus-4-1-20250805)
- macOS Darwin 24.6.0
- Session: 2025-09-18
Severity
High - This is a core functionality issue that defeats the purpose of todo tracking
Additional Context
The todo state seems to reset or not persist properly. Commitments tracked via external journal system remain, but the TodoWrite internal state doesn't maintain consistency.
This issue has 3 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗