[BUG] Desktop: chat started on mobile takes minutes to appear in Recents

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?

A chat started from the Claude mobile app takes several minutes to appear in the Recents sidebar of the Claude desktop app (macOS).

Nothing I tried speeds this up:

• Desktop window visible and focused
• Clicking around in the window
• Switching between Chat and Code and back
• Fully quitting and reopening the desktop app
• Searching for the chat's title (it shows up in search results right away, but seeing it there doesn't add it to Recents)

The only thing that makes it appear immediately is opening it from search. After that, new messages sent from mobile show up on desktop in real time. It also eventually appears in Recents on its own, after several minutes.

So message sync itself works; only the Recents list lags.

What Should Happen?

Chats active on mobile should appear in the desktop app's Recents sidebar within seconds, without needing to search for and open them.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Have the Claude desktop app open and signed in (macOS).
2. On the Claude mobile app (same account), start a new chat and send a few messages.
3. Watch the desktop app's Recents sidebar. The chat doesn't appear for several minutes, even with the window focused, after clicking around, after switching Chat/Code tabs, or after quitting and reopening the app.
4. In the desktop app, search for the chat's title. It appears in search results immediately.
5. Open it from search. It's now added to Recents, and further mobile messages appear on desktop in real time.

Observed Sep 30, 2026, roughly 5:01–5:13 AM PT.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

• Claude desktop app: 2.16120.0 (macOS, Apple Silicon / arm64; Electron 44.4.3)
• Claude iOS app: 1.260925.19

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS (desktop app); iOS (mobile app)

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

• Correction: an earlier version of this report called this a "Remote Control chat." It isn't a Claude Code Remote Control session; it's a regular Claude app chat started on mobile (running in the cloud, with the Mac linked through the desktop app).
• Terminal/Shell field doesn't apply; this is the Claude desktop app, not a terminal.
• Ctrl+R doesn't reload the desktop app, so a full quit and reopen was the only way to test a refresh.
• Related: #78229 (scheduled-task sessions missing from desktop Recents, Search-only), #83610 (desktop-to-mobile session list stale/missing), #69878 (Remote Control message delays).