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1. github-actions

   added

   bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working

   area:core

   data-loss

   has reproHas detailed reproduction stepsHas detailed reproduction steps

   on May 25, 2026
2. github-actions commented on May 25, 2026

   

   github-actionsbot

   on May 25, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

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   Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

   1. Silent retention cleanup deletes session transcripts with no warning, opt-in, or recovery #59248
   2. [BUG] cleanupPeriodDays: 99999 ignored — 490 sessions silently deleted despite explicit setting #41458
   3. Critical: Claude Code silently deletes conversation history without user consent #46621

   This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

   • If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
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3. jshaofa-ui commented on May 25, 2026

   

   jshaofa-ui

   on May 25, 2026

   More actions

   Solution: claude-code #62250 — Session transcripts silently deleted by cleanupPeriodDays

   Issue Summary

   cleanupPeriodDays (default 30) deletes session transcript JSONLs keyed on file mtime, not conversation last-activity timestamp. Silent permanent deletion with no warning, no trash, no undo. 11 transcripts lost in the reporter's case.

   Root Cause Analysis

   Three distinct problems in src/utils/cleanup.ts:

   1. mtime as deletion key: File mtime is externally mutable — backup/restore, sync tools, or any touch/os.utime call changes it independently of actual session activity.

   2. Silent permanent deletion: fsImpl.unlink() with no warning, no trash, no log. Users have zero visibility until sessions are gone.

   3. cleanupPeriodDays: 0 footgun: 0 means "delete everything now" not "disable cleanup". Combined with shouldSkipPersistence() treating === 0 as "don't persist", setting it to 0 wipes all transcripts AND prevents new ones.

   Proposed Fix

   Phase 1: Key on transcript metadata, not mtime

   // Before: uses file mtime
   async function unlinkIfOld(filePath, cutoffDate, fsImpl) {
     const stats = await fsImpl.stat(filePath)
     if (stats.mtime < cutoffDate) {
       await fsImpl.unlink(filePath)
       return true
     }
   }
   
   // After: read last activity from transcript itself
   async function unlinkIfOld(filePath, cutoffDate, fsImpl) {
     const stats = await fsImpl.stat(filePath)
     // Read the JSONL and find the last message timestamp
     const lastActivity = await getLastActivityTimestamp(filePath, fsImpl)
     if (lastActivity && lastActivity < cutoffDate) {
       // Archive instead of delete (Phase 2)
       await archiveFile(filePath, fsImpl)
       return true
     }
     // Fallback to mtime only if we can't read the transcript
     if (!lastActivity && stats.mtime < cutoffDate) {
       await archiveFile(filePath, fsImpl)
       return true
     }
   }
   
   async function getLastActivityTimestamp(filePath, fsImpl): Promise<Date | null> {
     try {
       const content = await fsImpl.readFile(filePath, 'utf-8')
       const lines = content.trim().split('\n')
       if (lines.length === 0) return null
       // Last non-empty line should contain a message with timestamp
       for (let i = lines.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
         try {
           const entry = JSON.parse(lines[i])
           if (entry.timestamp) return new Date(entry.timestamp)
           if (entry.ts) return new Date(entry.ts)
         } catch {}
       }
     } catch {}
     return null
   }

   Phase 2: Archive/trash instead of unlink

   async function archiveFile(filePath, fsImpl) {
     const archiveDir = path.join(
       path.dirname(filePath),
       '.claude-archive',
       new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10)
     )
     await fsImpl.mkdir(archiveDir, { recursive: true })
     const archivePath = path.join(
       archiveDir,
       `${Date.now()}-${path.basename(filePath)}`
     )
     await fsImpl.rename(filePath, archivePath)
     // Log prominently
     console.warn(
       `[cleanup] Archived old session transcript: ${filePath} → ${archivePath}`
     )
   }

   Phase 3: Safer defaults and split the 0 overload

   // settings.ts
   const CLEANUP_SCHEMA = z.object({
     cleanupPeriodDays: z.number().int().min(1).default(90), // 90 days, min 1
     cleanupAction: z.enum(['archive', 'delete', 'skip']).default('archive'),
     cleanupEnabled: z.boolean().default(false), // opt-in, not opt-out
   })

   Key changes:

   • Default retention: 30 → 90 days
   • Default action: delete → archive
   • Default enabled: true → false (opt-in)
   • 0 no longer valid; use cleanupEnabled: false to disable

   Phase 4: First-run warning

   // On first cleanup run, show a warning
   if (!settings.cleanupWarningShown) {
     console.warn(
       `[cleanup] Session transcript cleanup is enabled. ` +
       `Transcripts older than ${settings.cleanupPeriodDays} days will be ` +
       `${settings.cleanupAction === 'delete' ? 'permanently deleted' : 'archived'}. ` +
       `Set cleanupEnabled: false to disable. ` +
       `Set cleanupPeriodDays to adjust retention window.`
     )
     settings.cleanupWarningShown = true
   }

   Test Plan

   1. mtime independence: Create a transcript with mtime 40 days ago but last message timestamp 2 days ago → should NOT be deleted
   2. archive vs delete: Verify archived files appear in .claude-archive/ directory
   3. 0 handling: Setting cleanupPeriodDays: 0 should be rejected by schema validation
   4. opt-in behavior: With default settings, cleanup should not run
   5. warning display: First cleanup run should show a prominent warning

   Impact Assessment

   • Severity: P0 data loss bug
   • Affected users: Anyone who backs up/restores/syncs ~/.claude, anyone keeping sessions >30 days
   • Fix complexity: Low (primarily changing the deletion key and adding archive logic)
   • Risk: Minimal — this is a defensive change that only makes cleanup safer

   Submission

   Post as comment on: #62250
4. ojura commented on May 25, 2026

   

   ojura

   on May 25, 2026

   Author

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   Folding into #59248 (the canonical silent-retention-deletion thread). Posted the mtime-keying mechanism, the cleanupPeriodDays: 0 overload, the #41458 / #45735 setting-sources bypass, and a SessionStart backup-hook stopgap there. Closing as a duplicate of #59248.
5. ojura

   closed this as completedon May 25, 2026
6. github-actions commented on Jul 19, 2026

   

   github-actionsbot

   on Jul 19, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

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   This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.
7. github-actions

   locked as resolved and limited conversation to collaborators on Jul 19, 2026