Research: Fix Audit Chat Active Conversation Preservation

Feature: 093-fix-audit-chat-active-preserve Date: 2026-03-17

No Outstanding Unknowns

All technical decisions were resolved during specification and clarification. No external research was required.

Decision Log

1. Preserve active conversation regardless of message count

• Decision: Remove conv.messages.length > 0 gate from the localOnlyPreserved filter
• Rationale: The activeConversationId is set synchronously when the user navigates to a conversation. Messages load asynchronously via loadMessagesFromServer. The message count gate creates a race condition where the periodic loadConversationsFromServer refresh can fire between navigation and message load completion, wiping the conversation from the store.
• Alternatives considered:
  • Grace period timer after activation — rejected (adds complexity, still has a timing window)
  • Separate isMessageLoading state flag — rejected (over-engineering for one predicate change)
  • Debounce loadConversationsFromServer after navigation — rejected (delays all refreshes, not just audit conversations)

2. Align local-only path with server-returned path

• Decision: Match the behavior already present in the server-conversation mapping (lines 847-851) where isActive alone preserves messages without a count check
• Rationale: Consistency within the same function reduces surprise. Both code paths handle the same conceptual scenario (active conversation during refresh) and should use the same criteria.
• Alternatives considered: None — this is clearly the right approach for consistency