[BUG] Desktop: per-session banner says background-task session will auto-archive, contradicting "Archive inactive sessions: Never"
Environment
- Claude desktop app, Code tab
- Windows 11 Enterprise, build 10.0.26200
Summary
A session running a background task shows a banner claiming it will be auto-archived once the background task finishes — even though the "Archive inactive sessions" setting is set to Never, and that setting's own description explicitly says sessions with running/background work are exempt.
Repro
- Set Settings → Archive inactive sessions to Never. The setting's full label and description read, verbatim:
> Archive inactive sessions
> Automatically archive local sessions after a period of no activity. Sessions that are running or have background work are never archived, and a worktree with uncommitted changes is kept on disk.
The dropdown next to it is set to Never.
- Start a task that continues running in the background (in this case, asking Claude to verify a DNS fix, which kept running server-side after the chat turn ended).
- The session shows this banner, verbatim:
> Running in the background — I'll be notified when it completes, then verify the actual DNS fix live.
>
> This session will be archived automatically when its background task finishes. [Stop task and archive]
("Stop task and archive" is a clickable link in the banner, not just text.)
Expected
Per the "Archive inactive sessions" setting (Never, with background-work sessions explicitly stated as exempt), the session should not be scheduled for auto-archive, and the banner should not tell the user it will be.
Actual
The banner unconditionally states the session will be archived once its background task completes, regardless of the "Archive inactive sessions" setting. This is either:
- a UI copy bug (the banner doesn't check the user's setting before rendering that line), or
- a genuinely separate auto-archive-on-background-task-completion mechanism that isn't gated by "Archive inactive sessions" at all, contradicting that setting's own description.
Either way there's a real discrepancy between what the settings page promises and what the in-session banner tells the user will happen. It isn't yet confirmed which side is actually wrong — that would need someone to let a background task finish while the setting is Never and check whether the session actually gets archived.
Related issues
- #75548 (closed) — auto-archive killing actively running sessions despite background work
- #60043 — long working sessions auto-archive mid-conversation, no opt-out
- #75941 — sessions auto-archived repeatedly without user action
None of these document this specific setting-vs-banner contradiction.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code