TodoWrite tool loses todo items between interactions

[gmelli]

Description

Todo items created with the TodoWrite tool disappear from the active list between interactions, even though they haven't been marked complete or explicitly removed.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Add a todo item using TodoWrite tool
2. Continue working in the same session
3. Todo list gets reset or items disappear without explicit removal
4. Items have to be manually re-added

Expected Behavior

• Todo items should persist throughout the entire session
• Items should only be removed when explicitly marked complete or deleted
• State should be maintained across tool interactions

Actual Behavior

• Todo items silently disappear from the active list
• System reminders show empty todo list even after items were added
• Lost track of critical task (accuracy benchmark publication) that was never marked complete

Impact

• Breaks trust in the persistence system
• Critical tasks can be forgotten
• Undermines the core value of the TodoWrite tool

Environment

• Claude Code (claude-opus-4-1-20250805)
• macOS Darwin 24.6.0
• Session: 2025-09-18

Severity

High - This is a core functionality issue that defeats the purpose of todo tracking

Additional Context

The todo state seems to reset or not persist properly. Commitments tracked via external journal system remain, but the TodoWrite internal state doesn't maintain consistency.

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] TodoWrite Tool Overwrites Entire Todo List Instead of Updating Individual Items #2250
2. [BUG] Todo's don't seem to reliably survive compaction #979
3. [BUG] Todo lists are unexpectedly shared between the main conversation and Task agents, with TodoWrite operations completely replacing the entire list #1824

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

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically closed as a duplicate of #2250.

If this is incorrect, please re-open this issue or create a new one.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

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.