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[Bug] Version 1.4.204 (1.4.204) Completely unusable #21041
Description
via Discord
Clicking on a tab switches to an open .md file which says the file is unable to load.
Opening a new terminal tab switches to the same broken open .md file
Tabs flash and open then close.
My work has completely stopped in Orca. HELP PLEASE
Activity
orca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 17, 2026
via DiscordHere to help! Can you share more info? e.g. OS info, local / remote / ssh
The fastest way would be to point an AI at it and ask "why did I get this "selector_not_found" message in Orca?"
and can share the AI response here 🫡
AmethystLiang commentedon Sep 17, 2026
thanks for reporting. looking into it
orca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 17, 2026
via DiscordI also keep getting this and the flickering, see https://discord.com/channels/1492228674081263786/1550053764096987227
AmethystLiang commentedon Sep 17, 2026
thanks for reporting. looking into it
LesleyMurfin commentedon Sep 17, 2026
This is the exact same underlying defect as #21189: clicking a tab or closing tabs pointing to an unresolvable or missing worktree selector raises
selector_not_found.Why this makes Orca unusable
When a tab points to an unresolvable or missing worktree, attempting to close it or switch tabs causes the runtime to throw
selector_not_found. In Orca's tab lifecycle, encounteringselector_not_founddropped the close tombstone on the client. On the next broadcast / reconciler pass, the tab immediately resurrects and re-opens. This results in a high-frequency flicker loop (tabs flashing, opening, and closing) where users are unable to close or switch away from broken tabs, completely locking up Orca.Fix
This is addressed in PR #21277 (#21277):
selector_not_foundas an idempotent clean close on the host ({ closed: true, notFound: true }) instead of rejecting the RPC call.selector_not_found, preventing ghost tab resurrection and permanently stopping the flicker loop.orca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 18, 2026
via Discordnwparkeris looking into itorca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 18, 2026
via DiscordFix is merged, I can cut a release for this now 🤔
nwparker commentedon Sep 18, 2026
PR #21277 is merged and addresses the related stale session-tab close lifecycle, but I’m leaving this issue open pending release verification. The final fix deliberately treats
selector_not_foundas transient and only makes definitivetab_not_found/terminal_tab_not_foundclose responses durable. Because this report is specifically about broken file loading and tabs flashing/opening/closing, we need to confirm the released build resolves that path before closing it.nwparker commentedon Sep 18, 2026
Fixed in PR #21363 and merged as
07e8c851b8b03651468459d9a63c285329e6e105.The editor now evicts a host-mirrored file tab when its read still returns
selector_not_foundafter the existing bounded retry window. This prevents the stale markdown tab from being reselected and flashing back during session reconciliation. Local and transient file-read behavior is unchanged.Validation passed locally (focused regression test, typecheck, changed-code quality) and the required CI gates for typecheck, static analysis, and packaging passed. The issue is closed pending release verification.
Revert "fix(editor): evict stale mirrored file tabs (#21363)" (#21368)
orca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 18, 2026
via DiscordStill working through this... trying to get a release out tonight
fix(editor): reword the host-unresolved copy and namespace its sentinel
fix(editor): keep an unresolvable mirrored file tab open with a truth…
fix(editor): keep an unresolvable mirrored file tab open with a truth…
Revert "fix(editor): evict stale mirrored file tabs (stablyai#21363)" (…
orca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 21, 2026
via DiscordThank you so much, I really appreciate working on this
nwparker!orca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 21, 2026
via DiscordQuick followup, I can't even close .md tabs. When I try, the UI flashes, and then nothing happens. Sometimes I get a new error message like this one. It feels very buggy.
orca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 21, 2026
via Discordwaterwings-- which version of Orca is this on now?orca-discord-issues commentedon Sep 21, 2026
via Discordand this is using remote or SSH ?
Any extra info will help us fully narrow this one down