# Unread count shows Unread (14) but /unread is empty

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/unread-count-shows-unread-14-but-unread-is-empty/403986
**Category:** Bug
**Created:** [May 28, 2026, 10:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unread-count-shows-unread-14-but-unread-is-empty/403986 "2026-05-28T10:00:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 15

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![sam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sam/32/102149_2.png) [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unread-count-shows-unread-14-but-unread-is-empty/403986/15 "2026-06-03T00:11:03Z")

</div>

@zogstrip made a fix to the regression here that caused this:

> <https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/5c131b79347465c55b26c1b02b890aa54e558686>
>
> The "Unread (N)" badge could count a topic that did not appear on the
> /unread pa…ge (and, conversely, a genuinely unread topic could be hidden
> from /unread). See https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/403986.
> 
> Both the count and the list bound their results by the user's "old
> unread" cutoff, \`user\_stats.first\_unread\_at\`, which is computed from
> \`topics.updated\_at\`. The count (TopicTrackingState) filters on
> \`topics.updated\_at \>= first\_unread\_at\`, but since 17555ae8798 (#40127)
> the /unread list (TopicQuery#apply\_max\_age\_limit) filtered on
> \`topics.bumped\_at\` instead. A small action at the tail of a topic
> (close, auto-close, category change, ...) moves \`updated\_at\` but not
> \`bumped\_at\`, so such a topic passed the count's filter yet failed the
> list's filter: it was counted but never listed.
> 
> \#40127 switched to \`bumped\_at\` for suggested topics, where bounding by
> last visible activity is the desired behaviour, so reverting it is not
> an option. Instead, \`apply\_max\_age\_limit\` now takes an explicit
> \`age\_column\` that defaults to \`updated\_at\` (keeping the unread and new
> lists consistent with the count), and the suggested-topics callers pass
> \`age\_column: :bumped\_at\` to preserve their behaviour.

OpenAI was just deployed (2 mins left).

---

_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unread-count-shows-unread-14-but-unread-is-empty/403986)._