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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Cowork Settings > Instructions field silently reverts to stale content (server-side, ~15 min latency) [2 comments, 3 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#51018•Fetched 2026-04-20 12:06:47
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Error Message

Error Messages/Logs

No error messages — the save appears to succeed silently. The revert happens server-side with no client-side indication. The only way to detect it is by reopening Settings or starting a new session and observing the stale content.

Root Cause

This bug affects the Cowork desktop app (Electron-based), not the Claude Code CLI directly. Filed here because Cowork desktop issues are tracked in this repo.

Code Example

No error messages — the save appears to succeed silently. The revert happens server-side with no client-side indication. The only way to detect it is by reopening Settings or starting a new session and observing the stale content.
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Preflight Checklist

  • I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
  • This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
  • I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

The Cowork desktop app's Settings → Cowork → "Instructions" field silently reverts to a stale cached version approximately 15 minutes after every manual save. This has been happening consistently for over five weeks (mid-March to 19 April 2026).

This is the field described as "Instructions here apply to all Cowork sessions." It feeds into .claude/CLAUDE.md in each session VM.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Open Claude desktop app → Settings → Cowork
  2. Delete everything in the Instructions field
  3. Paste a simple test string: TEST RULE 001
  4. Save — dialog closes cleanly
  5. Reopen Settings → Cowork — confirm TEST RULE 001 is there
  6. Wait 20+ minutes, do nothing
  7. Reopen Settings → Cowork

Actual: An older, stale version of instructions has replaced it.

Key Evidence:

  • Settings → General → "Personal preferences" persists correctly. Only the Cowork "Instructions" field reverts.
  • The two fields are confirmed independent — they show different content simultaneously and appear in different locations in the session system prompt (<user_preferences> vs .claude/CLAUDE.md).
  • The stale content does not exist anywhere on the local machine. Byte-level searches of %APPDATA%\Claude, %LOCALAPPDATA%\Claude, and ~/.claude/ returned empty. The revert source is server-side.
  • No other devices are writing to this field — ruled out web UI, phone app, local files, and Windows scheduled tasks.
  • The stale version it reverts TO is always the same ~16K char snapshot. My current version is ~10K chars.
  • I have a scheduled 3-hourly drift monitor with timestamped SHA256 evidence of every reversion.

Environment:

  • Claude desktop app v1.3109.0 (Electron/41.2.0)
  • Claude Code CLI v2.1.104
  • Windows 10 build 26200, MSIX install
  • Account: [email protected]
  • Previously reported via email to [email protected] on 16 April 2026

What Should Happen?

When I save content in Settings → Cowork → Instructions, it should persist permanently until I manually change it again. No background process should silently overwrite manual edits.

Error Messages/Logs

No error messages — the save appears to succeed silently. The revert happens server-side with no client-side indication. The only way to detect it is by reopening Settings or starting a new session and observing the stale content.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open Claude desktop app → Settings → Cowork
  2. Delete everything in the Instructions text field
  3. Paste a simple test string: TEST RULE 001
  4. Save — dialog closes cleanly
  5. Reopen Settings → Cowork — confirm TEST RULE 001 is there
  6. Wait 20+ minutes, do nothing
  7. Reopen Settings → Cowork
  8. Observe: the old stale content (~16K chars) has replaced your test string

Note: Settings → General → "Personal preferences" is NOT affected — only the Cowork-specific Instructions field reverts. This has reproduced every time for over 5 weeks.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

2.1.104 (Claude Code CLI) / 1.3109.0 (Claude Desktop App, Electron/41.2.0)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

This bug affects the Cowork desktop app (Electron-based), not the Claude Code CLI directly. Filed here because Cowork desktop issues are tracked in this repo.

Previously reported to [email protected] on 16 April 2026 with full evidence including SHA256-timestamped drift logs from a 3-hourly automated monitor. Support directed me to /bug which correctly identified this as a server-side issue outside CLI scope.

The bug has persisted for over 5 weeks (mid-March to 19 April 2026). This is the primary configuration surface for Claude's behaviour across all Cowork sessions — when it silently reverts, sessions receive outdated instructions with no warning.

extent analysis

TL;DR

The most likely fix for the issue is to investigate and resolve the server-side caching mechanism that is causing the Cowork "Instructions" field to revert to a stale version.

Guidance

  • Investigate the server-side caching mechanism to determine why it is reverting the "Instructions" field to a stale version after 15 minutes.
  • Verify that the issue is indeed server-side by checking the Anthropic API and Claude Code CLI versions to ensure they are up-to-date.
  • Consider implementing a temporary workaround, such as periodically resaving the "Instructions" field, to mitigate the issue until a permanent fix is found.
  • Review the automated drift logs and SHA256-timestamped evidence to gain a better understanding of the reversion pattern and potential triggers.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue is related to a server-side caching mechanism and not a specific code implementation.

Notes

The issue has been persistent for over 5 weeks, and the root cause is likely related to the server-side caching mechanism. Resolving this issue will require investigation and potential changes to the server-side infrastructure.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround, such as periodically resaving the "Instructions" field, until the server-side caching mechanism can be investigated and resolved. This will help mitigate the issue and prevent sessions from receiving outdated instructions.

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