Desktop sessions can switch provider and model while a CLI subprocess is already alive, so the server now serializes runtime restarts and marks provider-managed launches to prevent stale settings env from overriding the selected provider. Provider settings also write API key env consistently and clear stale managed keys before syncing.
This includes the related desktop/docs brand asset refresh and keeps the desktop locale default in Chinese, with tests updated to match the current provider semantics.
Constraint: Session-scoped model selection must win over cc-haha/settings.json and inherited ANTHROPIC_* values.
Rejected: Store the selected model as a global provider activeModel | chat runtime selection is per session.
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Directive: Do not remove CLAUDE_CODE_PROVIDER_MANAGED_BY_HOST without validating Desktop provider switching against stale settings env.
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/conversation-service.test.ts src/server/__tests__/conversations.test.ts src/server/__tests__/providers.test.ts src/server/__tests__/providers-real.test.ts
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test src/stores/settingsStore.test.ts
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Tested: git diff --check
Not-tested: Full desktop production package/signing.
