ChatGPT Projects anchor on old topics, ignore new prompts in GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.5
ChatGPT Projects users report the assistant getting stuck on previous conversation topics and ignoring explicit subject switches, especially in multi-file technical projects.
ChatGPT Projects users are reporting a persistent bug in which the assistant anchors on a previous topic and ignores new prompts, even when the user explicitly switches subjects. The pattern appears most often in projects with multiple uploaded files, long chat histories, and related but distinct technical topics. After asking about a script, then switching to a separate server diagnostic question, ChatGPT continues responding as if the script is still the subject. The behavior has been observed on both GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.5.
Users describe the issue as the opposite of context loss — an over-reliance on recent exchanges that bleeds into unrelated follow-ups. Workarounds under discussion include starting a fresh chat within the same project, removing old source files, or explicitly telling the model "I changed topic." No official acknowledgment or fix timeline has been posted by OpenAI. The report comes from a technical user planning to file a support ticket, suggesting the bug is reproducible enough to warrant formal escalation.