[Roadmap] Don't create new chat on startup

[SakuraSakuraSakuraChan]

Why
A new “Chat” is created every time I open, and I have to delete it manually each time due to my OCD issue.
It feels more like a draft: if I don’t delete it, another one isn’t created. Still, leaving it there makes me uncomfortable, so it would be great if it weren’t created every time.

Description
If there’s already an existing chat, don’t create a new “Chat” on startup.

Requirements
I’m not sure about the implications, but I hope this wouldn’t break much.

[github-actions]

Thanks for reporting this — totally understandable annoyance.

Assessment

This is a confirmed behavior in the chat store initialization. The root cause is in src/common/stores/chat/store-chats.ts:

Line 66: The store always initializes with one empty conversation:

const defaultConversations: DConversation[] = [createDConversation()];

Lines 485-502: The merge function (Zustand persist rehydration) concatenates the default in-memory state with the stored conversations:

merge: (persistedState, currentState) => {
  const mergedConversations = [...(currentState?.conversations || [])]; // ← includes the default empty conv
  if (persistedState && ...) {
    mergedConversations.push(...storedConversations); // ← appends saved convs
  }
  // Result: [new empty chat, ...saved chats] — every single startup
}

Lines 508-512: The partialize filter strips empty conversations before saving (unless it's the only one), so this phantom chat never gets persisted — but it reappears fresh on every load.

Suggested Fix

Modify the merge function to skip the default empty conversation when stored conversations exist:

merge: (persistedState, currentState: ConversationsStore): ConversationsStore => {
  let mergedConversations: DConversation[];

  if (persistedState && typeof persistedState === 'object' && 'conversations' in persistedState) {
    const storedConversations = persistedState.conversations as ChatState['conversations'];
    if (storedConversations.length) {
      // Stored conversations exist — use them directly, no default empty chat
      mergedConversations = [...storedConversations];
    } else {
      // No stored conversations — keep the default empty one
      mergedConversations = [...(currentState?.conversations || [])];
    }
  } else {
    // No persisted state at all — keep the default
    mergedConversations = [...(currentState?.conversations || [])];
  }

  return {
    ...currentState,
    ...(persistedState as object),
    conversations: mergedConversations,
  };
},

This is a small, safe change: first-time users still get one empty chat, returning users get only their saved conversations without a phantom empty chat on top.

One consideration: the panes manager (store-panes-manager.ts _onConversationsChanged) already handles the case where panes reference valid conversations, so removing the default empty chat from the merge won't break pane initialization — it will simply focus the first stored conversation instead.

[enricoros]

@SakuraSakuraSakuraChan Good point - I'm also not super happy about that dynamic. Re-opening the last chat has also its own set of problems, such as newbies/elderly not knowing they should open a new context when starting to ask something new.

There are tickets in all directions about this @claude find them and merge the snapshot of the each thread below.

[claude]

Claude finished @enricoros's task in 4m 32s —— View job

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Related Issues: Startup Chat Behavior

• Search for related issues about startup chat creation, empty chats, and chat initialization
• Collect and summarize each related thread
• Compile consolidated snapshot of all threads

Found 4 related issues (including this one). Here's the snapshot of each thread:

---

Issue #203 — App: / (was: New Main Page) OPEN New UX

Author: @enricoros · Created: Nov 2023

Request: New landing page and startup logic. Cold starts (beyond ~1 hour) should offer the user choices rather than dumping them into the last chat:

• Continue last conversation
• Start new conversation with same persona
• Start total new conversation
• Use a different app within big-AGI
• Access quick functionality

Warm starts (within the hour) should restore the workspace as-is.

Status: Original roadmap item, no comments. Linked to #201 (layout redesign).

---

Issue #331 — [Suggestion] Optional Chat Expiry time OPEN type: feat

Author: @shiribailem · Created: Jan 2024

Request: Two features:

1. Default to new/blank chat on startup — user always deletes last chat before starting, wants a clean slate
2. Auto-expire old chats — automatically delete conversations after a configurable time (e.g., 1-2 days)

Status: No comments, no implementation.

---

Issue #919 — [Feature] New Chat on new page loading OPEN parked

Author: @DoS007 · Created: Jan 2026

Request: A /newchat page that auto-creates a fresh conversation on full page load — targeting less tech-savvy users (e.g., elderly) who accumulate very long single chats, burning tokens on irrelevant context.

Key discussion between @enricoros and @DoS007 converged on:

• A "Startup behavior" setting with options: Last Chat / New Chat / Auto
• Auto mode already exists on big-agi.com hosted version: if closed >15 minutes → new chat; if <15 minutes → restore workspace
• Desktop currently defaults to "restore workspace" (Last Chat equivalent)
• @enricoros prefers the automatic approach because tab-switching / quick reopens should restore, but reopening after days should start fresh

Status: Parked — waiting for new landing screen, new router with history, and rabbithole-level tracking.

---

Issue #1002 — [This issue] OPEN

Author: @SakuraSakuraSakuraChan · Created: Feb 2026

Request: Stop creating a phantom empty chat on every startup. Root cause identified in store-chats.ts:

• defaultConversations always creates one empty conversation
• merge function prepends it before stored conversations on rehydration
• partialize strips empty conversations before saving (so it never persists, but reappears every load)

---

Consolidated Design Space

All four issues circle the same fundamental question: what should the user see when they open big-AGI?

Approach	Who wants it	Pros	Cons
Always restore last workspace	Current desktop default	Continuity, no lost context	Newbies/elderly keep one giant chat forever; phantom empty chat annoys tidy users (#1002, #331)
Always new chat	#331, #1002 (partial)	Clean slate, prevents token waste	Disorienting if you just closed a tab; loses multi-pane layout
Auto (time-based)	#919, #203, @enricoros	Best of both — restore on quick reopen, fresh start after absence	Requires threshold tuning; already exists on hosted but not in open-source
Landing page with choices	#203	Maximum user agency	More complex UX; delays time-to-first-interaction

@enricoros's stated preferred direction (from #919): A "Startup behavior" preference (Last Chat / New Chat / Auto) with Auto using a ~15-minute inactivity threshold. The hosted version already implements this. The open-source version needs it backported and the phantom-chat bug (#1002) fixed regardless of which approach is chosen.

---

[enricoros]

@SakuraSakuraSakuraChan to sum it up, the latest idea is to have an option: a) Auto, b) Last Session, c) New chat.

The Auto behavior would be to open a new chat if you re-open the app after a while (so the Internet may not be to continue the chat) while re-open the last chat if you relaunch the app after a short time.

[DoS007]

@enricoros Yeah

@SakuraSakuraSakuraChan Are you happy with that?

[SakuraSakuraSakuraChan]

@SakuraSakuraSakuraChan to sum it up, the latest idea is to have an option: a) Auto, b) Last Session, c) New chat.

The Auto behavior would be to open a new chat if you re-open the app after a while (so the Internet may not be to continue the chat) while re-open the last chat if you relaunch the app after a short time.

Sounds good to me