fix(strip): a pill no longer sticks to the cursor after a missed release

desktop/line-budgets.json

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     "renderer/remote-shim.ts": 3176,
     "renderer/state/chat-reducer.ts": 3397,
     "renderer/styles/globals.css": 2960,
-    "renderer/components/SessionStrip.tsx": 2784,
+    "renderer/components/SessionStrip.tsx": 2820,
     "main/main.ts": 2604,
     "shared/types.ts": 2391,
     "renderer/components/SyncPanel.tsx": 2060,

desktop/src/renderer/components/SessionStrip.tsx

@@ -970,8 +970,28 @@ export default function SessionStrip({
     pointerCaptureId.current = e.pointerId;
   }, [sessions, sessionStatuses, activeSessionId, onSelectSession, metrics, measurementsOf, tearOffModel]);
 
+  // A press whose release never reached handlePointerUp. WHY (Destin,
+  // 2026-09-28: pills "stuck to my mouse ... even when i've clicked away"):
+  // 'html-drag' takes no pointer capture, so a release off the strip was lost,
+  // the press stayed armed, and merely crossing the strip later dragged a pill.
+  const abandonPress = useCallback(() => {
+    if (dragOrigin.current === null) return;
+    const wasDragging = isDragging.current;
+    dragOrigin.current = null; isDragging.current = false; overIdRef.current = null;
+    setDragId(null); setOverId(null); setDragLeft(null); setDragActive(false);
+    setTimeout(() => { suppressClick.current = false; }, 0);
+    if (wasDragging && tearOffModel !== 'html-drag') (window as any).claude?.detach?.dragEnded?.();
+  }, [tearOffModel]);
+
   const handlePointerMove = useCallback((e: React.PointerEvent) => {
     if (e.pointerType) lastPointerType.current = e.pointerType;
+    // No button held = the release was missed (abandonPress). The dragover
+    // feed passes no `buttons`; a live tear-off ends on its captured pointerup.
+    if (dragOrigin.current !== null && liveDetachedWindowId.current === null
+        && typeof e.buttons === 'number' && (e.buttons & 1) === 0) {
+      abandonPress();
+      return;
+    }
     // Live tear-off continuation — runs even after we've cleared dragId so the
     // detached window keeps following the cursor. Must be checked BEFORE the
     // dragId null-guard below.
@@ -1152,7 +1172,23 @@ export default function SessionStrip({
       : leadDrawn;
     const next = nextSlotId(rects, dragId, overIdRef.current, centre, tv.dir);
     if (next !== overIdRef.current) { overIdRef.current = next; setOverId(next); }
-  }, [dragId, tearOffModel]);
+  }, [dragId, tearOffModel, abandonPress]);
+
+  // A release anywhere while a press is armed (handlePointerUp runs first and
+  // disarms, so this catches only the missed ones). pointercancel for a finger
+  // only: a mouse's is the browser drag 'html-drag' wants, ended by dragend.
+  const pressArmed = dragId !== null;
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!pressArmed) return;
+    const onUp = () => abandonPress();
+    const onCancel = (e: PointerEvent) => { if (e.pointerType === 'touch') abandonPress(); };
+    window.addEventListener('pointerup', onUp);
+    window.addEventListener('pointercancel', onCancel);
+    return () => {
+      window.removeEventListener('pointerup', onUp);
+      window.removeEventListener('pointercancel', onCancel);
+    };
+  }, [pressArmed, abandonPress]);
 
   const handlePointerUp = useCallback((e: React.PointerEvent) => {
     if (isDragging.current) hoverLock.current = { x: e.clientX };   // see hoverLock

desktop/tests/SessionStrip.test.tsx

@@ -421,6 +421,29 @@ describe('html-drag tear-off', () => {
       expect(dt.dropEffect).toBe('none'); // never claimed the drag
     });
 
+    it('a press released away from the strip does not leave the pill stuck to the cursor', () => {
+      // No pointer capture on this model, so the release can land anywhere.
+      // A later press elsewhere that sweeps across the strip (selecting chat
+      // text, say) must not pick the old pill up.
+      const { bar, pills } = mount();
+      const twin = () => bar.querySelector(':scope > div[aria-hidden]:not([data-ghost])');
+      fireEvent.pointerDown(pills[1], { button: 0, buttons: 1, clientX: 100, clientY: 10, pointerId: 1, pointerType: 'mouse' });
+      fireEvent.pointerUp(document.body, { button: 0, buttons: 0, clientX: 100, clientY: 300, pointerId: 1, pointerType: 'mouse' });
+      fireEvent.pointerMove(bar, { buttons: 1, clientX: 160, clientY: 10, pointerId: 1, pointerType: 'mouse' });
+      fireEvent.pointerMove(bar, { buttons: 1, clientX: 200, clientY: 10, pointerId: 1, pointerType: 'mouse' });
+      expect(twin()).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('hovering with no button held never drags, even if the release was missed entirely', () => {
+      // The release can be swallowed outright (a window switch, a native menu).
+      const { bar, pills } = mount();
+      const twin = () => bar.querySelector(':scope > div[aria-hidden]:not([data-ghost])');
+      fireEvent.pointerDown(pills[1], { button: 0, buttons: 1, clientX: 100, clientY: 10, pointerId: 1, pointerType: 'mouse' });
+      fireEvent.pointerMove(bar, { buttons: 0, clientX: 160, clientY: 10, pointerId: 1, pointerType: 'mouse' });
+      fireEvent.pointerMove(bar, { buttons: 0, clientX: 200, clientY: 10, pointerId: 1, pointerType: 'mouse' });
+      expect(twin()).toBeNull();
+    });
+
     it('a drag that nothing accepted opens a new window — the desktop drop, as on Windows', () => {
       // Escape ends a drag identically (dropEffect 'none'); Destin chose the
       // desktop drop over Escape — cancelling is dragging back into the strip.