[BUG] Desktop app (macOS 1.52386.6): "+ New" re-focuses the previous session instead of creating one; message is delivered to the old session

Summary

In the Claude Desktop app (macOS) Code tab, clicking "+ New" does not create a new session. The app shows the empty new-session composer for a moment, then re-focuses the previously active session in the same second, and the message typed into the "new" composer is delivered to that old session. No new session appears in the sidebar, no new transcript file is written, and (for a Remote Control environment) the claude remote-control server never receives a spawn request.

This looks like a heavier variant of #93709 ("+New" inherits the previous project): here "+New" resolves to the previous session itself.

Environment

• Claude Desktop 1.52386.6 (auto-updated from 1.49585.0 within the last few days)
• Bundled CCD: [CCD] Initialized with version 2.1.270
• macOS 26.4 (25E246), Apple Silicon
• Sessions are created in a Remote Control environment hosted on the same Mac: claude remote-control --name ... --spawn same-dir (CLI 2.1.263) running in tmux; 17/32 sessions attached, status "Connected".

Steps to reproduce

1. Open the Code tab, have a session focused (session A).
2. Click + New in the sidebar (environment = the Remote Control environment).
3. Type any message (e.g. "test") and send.

Expected: a new session is created; a new row appears in the sidebar; the message goes to the new session.

Actual: the composer bounces back to session A; the message is delivered to session A; the sidebar shows no new row.

Reproduced 6 times within ~15 minutes, including after a full Cmd+Q restart of the app (restart did not help). Interestingly, "+ New" did work three times earlier in the same hour, so it is intermittent / state-dependent.

Log evidence (~/Library/Logs/Claude/main.log, local time)

Working case (earlier the same morning) — null then a new session id a few seconds later:

10:00:54 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=null
10:00:58 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=null
10:00:58 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=session_01GZCZ…   <- new id
10:01:20 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=null
10:01:26 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=session_01JjBE…   <- new id (session A)

Failing case — null then the same old session id within the same second, every time:

10:13:04 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=null
10:13:06 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=session_01JjBE…   <- session A again
10:13:06 handoff: publishing session_01JjBE…
10:21:04 Starting app                                                       <- full restart (Cmd+Q)
10:21:22 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=null
10:21:22 [CCD] LocalSessions.setFocusedSession: sessionId=session_01JjBE…   <- session A again
10:27:36 … same pattern
10:28:47 … same pattern

Server/host side during the failing window:

• ~/.claude/projects/<dir>/ gets no new *.jsonl; the old session's transcript grows with the misrouted user messages.
• claude remote-control (tmux) logs nothing — no new child process (claude --print --sdk-url …) is spawned, capacity stays 17/32.

Impact

Messages meant for a fresh conversation silently land in an unrelated existing conversation (I sent a "test" and then a real request into a finished, unrelated session before noticing). There is no error or indication in the UI.

Workarounds that do work

• Start the session from an external terminal (cd <dir> && claude --remote-control "<title>") — same workaround as #93709.
• iPhone app "new session" with the Remote Control environment selected.

Related

• #93709 — "+New" creates a session bound to the previous project (WSL). Same "+New inherits previous state" family; this report is macOS and binds to the previous session.
• #93834 — sidebar sessions vanish after 1.49585 -> 1.52386 (same update).