[BUG] Cross-platform sync failure (Desktop/Web/Android) causing Cowork conversations and chats to disappear — suspected server-side incident
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?
There is a synchronization failure between Claude Desktop, Claude Web (claude.ai), and the Claude Android app that has resulted in Cowork conversations and some regular chats disappearing entirely.
Timeline:
A few days before July 26, 2026: I noticed the web app was consistently lagging behind Desktop and Android — conversations and updates made on Desktop/Android weren't reflecting on Web in real time. I reported this directly to Fin (AI support agent) at the time. Since Desktop and Android still seemed to work and stay in sync with each other, I continued working normally on those two surfaces.
July 26, 2026: The issue escalated. Multiple Cowork conversations, and some regular chats, disappeared from the sidebar entirely — not archived, not deleted by me. This is visible across devices (same account, different machines), which points to a server-side sync/storage issue rather than a local cache problem on one device.
Mobile app status: As of now, the Cowork conversations still appear on the Android app — though I'm not fully certain all of them are present (I haven't cross-checked the full list against what was previously visible on Desktop/Web).
I have not tested iOS or macOS, only Windows Desktop, Web, and Android.
Operating System
Windows (Desktop), Android (mobile), Web (browser — OS not applicable)
What Should Happen?
Desktop, Web, and Android should stay consistently synchronized for Cowork conversations and chats, with no silent data loss. If a sync delay occurs, it should not result in permanent, cross-device disappearance of conversation history.
Error Messages/Logs
No error dialog was shown when conversations disappeared. Separately, attempting to reach human support through the in-app Cowork contact screen shows a blank white page.
**Local folder access failure from mobile — technical detail:**
My Cowork conversations were configured with access to a local folder on my Windows PC (used to periodically save deliverables and markdown files). Attempting to use that local-file access from within a Cowork conversation on the Android app fails, with three distinct errors observed:
Tool: mcp__remote-devices__device_list_dir
Input: { "path": "C:\Users\<redacted>\<Folder1>\<Folder2>\<Folder3>\<Project Folder>" }
Error: No such tool available: mcp__remote-devices__device_list_dir
Tool: mcp__remote-devices__device_commit_files
Input: { "files": [{"fileUuid": "3467b48b-7b51-4e54-8dbb-2d9b1c933852", "devicePath": "C:\\Users\\<redacted>\\<Folder1>\\<Folder2>\\<Folder3>\\<Project Folder>\\<file>.md"}] }
Error: No such tool available: mcp__remote-devices__device_commit_files
Tool: mcp__remote-devices__get_device_info
Error: The device this session is bound to is not connected to the bridge.
This points to a broken device bridge between the mobile app and the Desktop app: the mobile Cowork session appears to reference a device/session binding whose local-file MCP tools (mcp__remote-devices__*) are either unregistered or unreachable, even though (per Anthropic's own documentation) local file access should work through the Desktop app when it's open and connected. Given the timing, this looks related to the same sync breakdown described above rather than a separate issue.Steps to Reproduce
Not reliably reproducible on demand. Observed sequence:
Use Cowork/chat across Desktop, Web, and Android on the same account, with a local folder connected via Desktop.
Notice Web lagging behind Desktop/Android for some period.
Continue using Desktop and Android normally.
At some point (in my case, July 26, 2026), Cowork conversations and some chats disappear from the sidebar across all devices.
From Android, attempt to access/save to the previously connected local folder — fails with the errors above.
Claude Model
Not sure / Multiple models
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
N/A — issue appears server-side, not tied to a specific client version
Claude Code Version
N/A — Claude Desktop (Cowork), Claude Web, Claude Android
Platform
Other
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
Other
Additional Information
I believe this is a server-side sync incident affecting multiple accounts, not an isolated case — I did not archive, delete, or otherwise trigger removal of any conversation. Supporting evidence:
Anthropic's status page (status.claude.com) confirms two incidents on July 26 (09:17 UTC) and July 27 (08:16 UTC), both explicitly listing Claude Cowork as an affected service, though neither incident description mentions conversation/session loss specifically.
Related reports already on this tracker describing the same disappearance pattern: #59850, #54113, #22931, #60669.
I could not reach human support through the in-app contact screen (blank page) and had to go through Fin on support.claude.com, which initially gave inaccurate information before correcting itself, and confirmed no live human escalation is available through that channel — only an eventual email follow-up with no ticket number.
If you're experiencing this too, please comment below with:
Which surfaces you use (Desktop / Web / iOS / Android / macOS) and which OS/versions
Your plan (Free / Pro / Max / Team / Enterprise)
Roughly when you first noticed sync lag, and when (if applicable) conversations actually disappeared
Whether it affected Cowork conversations, regular chats, or both
Whether you've had contact with support/Fin about it, and what response you got
The more independent reports with dates/times, the easier it'll be for Anthropic to correlate this with a specific backend incident.
18 Comments
I am also experiencing this.
Messages on Android do not appear in web, even with forced refreshes and Chrome restart. If I sent a message on web, it silently forks the conversation and the Android conversational turns are lost (on both web and Android).
Max plan.
Noticed yesterday.
Regular chat, not Cowork.
No contact with support.
Surfaces: Windows Desktop app, Web (claude.ai), Android
Plan: Pro
Timeline: Cross-surface sync worked for weeks. Around Aug 3, 2026, one-way failure began: sessions started on Desktop no longer appear on Web or Android. The reverse still works — sessions started on phone/web appear on Desktop normally.
Affected: Cowork sessions and chats started on Desktop.
Support contact: Spent ~4 hours troubleshooting via Claude, including an advised uninstall/reinstall of the Desktop app, which deleted my local session history without resolving the sync issue. Flagging so others don't reinstall — it doesn't help and destroys local data.
Notes: Timing is shortly after the July 26–27 incidents that listed Claude Cowork as affected.
Update (Aug 10): Isolated the variable further — regular Chat sessions are propagating correctly across surfaces (tested live, multiple round-trips, synced within seconds). A Cowork session started immediately afterward has not appeared on other surfaces at all. This suggests the failure may be specific to Cowork's sync/storage path rather than a general surface-to-surface sync issue — worth checking whether Cowork sessions use a different backend sync mechanism than standard chats.
Corroborating on Windows desktop, Max plan, ongoing as of August 2026.
This issue is one instance of a systemic pattern I have documented across
eleven defects, validated against the official documentation and this
tracker, published here: https://gist.github.com/53f85e6d48eaec4a661209fcf3f49ae6.git.
This issue corresponds to Defect 11 in that report. The pattern ties together stale persisted state, broken
session isolation, unenforced controls, and update regressions; treating
these as isolated symptoms is why they keep recurring.
Chat pin/rename state and other chat information not syncing across devices,
I'm experiencing a cross-device sync failure with claude.ai. I pinned a chat and renamed it on one device, but neither the pin status nor the new title appears on my other device(s) — the chat still shows its old name and is not pinned. Sometimes chats themselves are not synced.
This matches a known issue reported on GitHub (anthropics/claude-code #81658), which describes a synchronization failure between Claude Desktop, Web, and the Android app where conversations and metadata updates lag or fail to propagate across devices on the same account, pointing to a server-side sync/storage issue rather than a local cache problem.
Devices affected: Mac desktop app, iPhone app, iPad app
I have the same problem. I am using MacOS claud app. some of the older chats still sync. If I add to the chat on my Mac, I see it on my other devices. if an add to the same chat on my other devices, I see it on the Mac. These are all older chats. But any of the recent chats created on the Mac are orphaned. I do not see them in claude.ai or on any of my other devices. I would say this is a significant problem
I have the same problem, I'm using several devices based on MacOS and iOS and conversations aren't sync cross-platforms. Claude Pro plan
I'm experiencing the exact same issue as described here.
My case:
This appears to be the mobile sync issue described in the main report. Adding my case to the evidence pile.
experiencing same issue
same here, anyone has solution?
Got this workaround from Gemini [sic]
GitHub Issue #81658 (and related community tickets like #15881, #30675, and #58477) highlighting that Claude Cowork does not natively propagate or sync context across different apps and devices has not received an official automatic backend fix from Anthropic.By design, Claude Cowork environments run on isolated local virtual machines or individual browser extension sandboxes. This isolation prevents your workspace state, custom skills, and active conversations from automatically syncing between the Claude Desktop app, Claude Code CLI, mobile app, and the web interface.However, developers and the community have established a highly effective 5-minute workaround to bridge your Cowork spaces manually.
The Workaround: Use a Private GitHub BridgeBecause Claude cannot pass the VM context across apps on its own, you can use a private GitHub repository to serve as a single source of truth for your workspace configuration, markdown logs (CLAUDE.md), and custom instructions.1. Push Your Cowork Workspace to GitHubCreate a private GitHub repository named something like claude-cowork-bridge.Initialize Git in your local Cowork workspace directory.Push all your core files—especially your background workspace rules, agent configuration profiles, and context files—to that private repo.2. Connect Your Other Apps to the RepoOpen the Claude Mobile App or Claude.ai Web Interface.Start a new chat or project, and select Add content from GitHub.Authenticate your account and select your claude-cowork-bridge repository.Instruct Claude to read your CLAUDE.md or system prompt files right away.3. Maintain Sync via CommitsWhen you create new skills or update project files on your desktop, push the updates to your private repository.When switching to your mobile app or web app, simply refresh or request Claude to pull/re-read the repository to bring its context up to speed.Critical Limitations to NoteConnectors Don't Sync: This method will sync text files, memory logs, and custom rules. It will not carry over authenticated app connectors (like your specific desktop Google Drive, Gmail, or local database connections) to your mobile app. You must log into those connectors individually on each separate platform.
I am not using cowork. But here is my workaround. Create the project and/or chat on the claude.ai website. After that, it seems to sync. Fingers crossed it will continue to do so.
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<p class="p1">Cowork project, chat history, and 23 scheduled tasks missing — matches #81658, coincides with Aug 16 Cowork outage</p>
<p class="p1"><b>Labels to add if the form lets you:</b> <span class="s1">bug</span></p>
<p class="p2"><b>Summary</b></p>
<p class="p1">My "Dad Partners" Cowork project and all 23 of my recurring scheduled tasks disappeared from Claude Desktop (and claude.ai web) between August 13–20, 2026, with no action taken on my end to delete them. This closely matches the pattern described in #81658.</p>
<p class="p2"><b>Environment</b></p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Platform: Claude Desktop for macOS</li>
<li class="li1">Mac: MacBook Pro, Apple M1</li>
<li class="li1">macOS version: 26.5.2 (25F84)</li>
<li class="li1">Claude Desktop app version: Claude 1.32885.1 (a757f5) 2026-08-18T19:00:11.000Z</li>
<li class="li1">Account plan: Pro</li>
<li class="li1">Account email: darbyentllc@gmail.com</li>
</ul>
<p class="p2"><b>Timeline</b></p>
Date | Event
-- | --
(months prior) | App update caused "Dad Partners" project to briefly duplicate into two copies
Aug 5, 2026 | Last confirmed local evidence of all 23 scheduled tasks and Cowork Artifacts actively running (see Evidence below)
Aug 13, 2026 | Noticed only one Dad Partners project remained, and only one scheduled task showing
Aug 16, 2026 | Anthropic status page confirms a Cowork authentication outage this date
Aug 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 2026 | Reported issue via Fin support chat, five times total — no human response received on any of them
Today | Filing this issue
<p class="p4"><b>Symptoms</b></p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Cowork project ("Dad Partners") reduced from two copies to one, with the surviving copy missing chat history / knowledge base content</li>
<li class="li1">All 23 scheduled tasks (morning-briefing, dp-weekly-review, dp-monthly-summary, weekly-inbox-cleanup-digest, dad-partners-weekly-summary, and 18 others) gone from both Claude Desktop and claude.ai web</li>
<li class="li1">No corresponding delete action taken by me</li>
<li class="li1">Scope: both Cowork sessions and scheduled tasks affected; unclear if regular (non-Cowork) chat threads are also affected</li>
</ul>
<p class="p2"><b>Evidence this is server-side, not local deletion</b></p>
<p class="p1">Local files on my Mac show these tasks and sessions were active through recent dates, with no local trace of me deleting anything:</p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">~/Documents/Claude/Scheduled/ — still contains a folder for each of the 23 task names, all named per their function (not manually created), last modified August 5, 2026</li>
<li class="li1">~/Documents/Claude/Artifacts/ — regular Cowork-generated artifacts through August 5, 2026</li>
<li class="li1">~/Library/Application Support/Claude/local-agent-mode-sessions/ — currently retains session data only back to August 11, 2026, despite months of prior activity</li>
</ul>
<p class="p2"><b>Related issues</b></p>
<p class="p1">This appears to match the pattern in #81658 (Cowork conversations/chats disappearing across devices, confirmed server-side incidents July 26–27, 2026) and the issues it references: #59850, #54113, #22931, #60669.</p>
<p class="p2"><b>Support history</b></p>
<p class="p1">Reported via the in-app Fin support chat five separate times (Aug 14, 17, 18, 19, 20) with no human response on any occasion.</p>
<p class="p2"><b>Request</b></p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Restoration of the missing Dad Partners project content and the 23 scheduled tasks (or their configuration/history if full restoration isn't possible)</li>
<li class="li1">Confirmation of whether this account was affected by the July 26–27 or August 16 incidents</li>
<li class="li1">Escalation to a human on Product Support, since the in-app channel has not responded after five attempts</li>
</ul>
</body>
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Same problem. Synching between Windows PC and Android worked fine until 16th August.
Today, new chats on Android don't appear on Web or vice versa.
Existing chats do update between platforms in both directions/
Which surfaces you use:
I use desktop, web and Android
Desktop to Web syncs fine
Android missing chats
Your plan (Free / Pro / Max / Team / Enterprise)
PRO
Roughly when you first noticed sync lag, and when (if applicable) conversations actually disappeared:
August 28
Whether it affected Cowork conversations, regular chats, or both:
Both. I see Chat and Cowork merged as merged in the desktop.
Whether you've had contact with support/Fin about it, and what response you got
Did not contact, I will keep waiting for a resolution here as many people already reported the problem.
Same thing happening to me. I'm on Pro, using the Claude Desktop app on a Windows PC and the Claude app on an Android phone. Cowork conversations that show up fine on my PC just aren't there on my phone — not something I archived or deleted, they're just gone from the sidebar. Confirmed I'm signed into the same account on both.
Seems like the same cross-device sync issue described above. Just wanted to add my case since it's still happening.
Update on my own battle with this issue -
My Android app unexpectedly logged out ("blipped out") on its own earlier (just before 1 am 05 Sep 26. After manually logging back in on Android, Cowork sync between Desktop and Android started working correctly again — the session now appears and stays in sync on both.
This suggests the sync issue may be tied to a stale or broken session/auth state on the mobile client rather than a purely client-local bug — forcing re-authentication seems to have cleared it. May be worth others logging out / back in on their devices.
Sync issue: only chats up to Sep 4 shown on Desktop & Web, all chats visible on mobile
Plan: Claude Enterprise
Affected platforms: Claude Desktop (Linux, CachyOS) and Claude Web (browser) only show chats up to and including September 4, 2026. All newer chats/Cowork sessions are missing from the sidebar on both platforms.
Not affected: On mobile (Claude smartphone app), all chats are displayed fully and up to date, including the ones missing on Desktop/Web.
Reproduction: Issue persists across multiple app restarts and cache clears.
Suspected cause: Server-side sync issue, since the same account shows different data states across different devices, similar to issue #81658.
Experiencing the same with my enterprise account.
Tried everything: relogged-in, end task, cleared cache.
The problem remains unresolved.