VSCode extension sidebar: session delete updates timestamp but doesn't remove from list until restart
Description
In the VSCode native extension, using the Claude panel docked in the primary side bar (left side), the session list shows all sessions. Attempting to delete a session from this list does not remove it — instead the entry's timestamp updates to "now", but the session stays visible in the list.
Reproduction
- Open VSCode with the Claude Code extension docked in the primary side bar (not the separate Copilot-style tab).
- View the session list in the panel.
- Delete a session.
Observed: The deleted session remains in the list; only its displayed timestamp changes to the current time.
Expected: The session should be removed from the list immediately, matching the behavior seen in the separate extension tab (see below).
Comparison case (works correctly)
When using the Claude extension shown as a separate tab alongside GitHub Copilot, deleting a session works as expected — it disappears from the list immediately.
Additional detail
After restarting VSCode, the session deleted via the primary-side-bar panel is gone — confirming the delete was recorded server-side/on disk. The bug is purely in the UI not refreshing/removing the entry after a delete in that panel, until a restart forces a re-read of the session list.
Workaround
Restarting VSCode clears the stale entry from the list (since the underlying delete already succeeded). No other workaround found — deleting again, refreshing the panel, etc. does not clear it without a restart.
Environment
- OS: Linux
- VSCode: Remote/server build, Stable commit
e4c7e7b1d6d060162f4aa7f8225271b67ce1df75 - Claude Code extension:
anthropic.claude-code, two versions observed installed locally: v2.1.220 and v2.1.221 (issue reproduces on latest, v2.1.221)
Update
Found the fix. The underlying issue is that if the chat is open in the editor, the primary side bar UI briefly flickers and is unable to delete. However, if the user closes it from the VS Code editor tab first, it is able to close.
Proposed fix
Treat the delete click as closing the tab in the editor first, then the UI should be able to remove the entry from itself.