# Upgrade Guide — v0.18.6

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## What Changed

### Lifeline topic verification now retries on transient network errors

When the Telegram Lifeline topic check fails with a transient error (such as a network timeout during startup), the system now waits 3 seconds and retries once before reporting a degradation. Previously, a single `sendChatAction` timeout would immediately trigger a "Using unverified lifeline topic ID" degradation report even though the lifeline topic itself was almost certainly still valid.

If the retry succeeds, no degradation is reported. If the retry also fails, degradation is reported as before — but with "after retry" noted in the reason for clarity.

## What to Tell Your User

- **Fewer false alarms at startup**: I should no longer report lifeline degradation during startup when there's a brief network hiccup. The warning will only appear if the connection is genuinely unavailable.

## Summary of New Capabilities

| Capability | How to Use |
|-----------|-----------|
| Lifeline retry on transient errors | Automatic — no configuration needed |
