diff --git a/.changeset/remove-legacy-archive-migration.md b/.changeset/remove-legacy-archive-migration.md
index 3b161b7..b6dd83e 100644
--- a/.changeset/remove-legacy-archive-migration.md
+++ b/.changeset/remove-legacy-archive-migration.md
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@
"@jmfederico/pi-web": patch
---
-Remove the legacy session archive migration from session daemon startup. Setting `PI_WEB_DATA_DIR` only selects where PI WEB-managed state lives; it never moves or copies existing state, and each data directory is independent.
+Remove the legacy session archive migration from session daemon startup. Each `PI_WEB_DATA_DIR` data directory is independent: pointing PI WEB at a new data directory starts there with empty registries and no session archives.
You are only affected if you have session archives created before July 2026 in the default `~/.pi-web` data directory and you newly set a custom `PI_WEB_DATA_DIR`. To carry those archives over, stop PI WEB, then copy `archived-sessions.json` and the `archived-sessions/` directory from the old data directory into the new one.
diff --git a/docs/config.html b/docs/config.html
index 6311f7f..aff0352 100644
--- a/docs/config.html
+++ b/docs/config.html
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@
PI_WEB_DATA_DIR |
Process/env |
Not supported locally |
- Restart services before changing; selects a new state location without moving existing state |
+ Restart services before changing; existing state stays in the previous data directory |
| Session daemon socket |
diff --git a/docs/config.md b/docs/config.md
index 0934a6f..fbf97a2 100644
--- a/docs/config.md
+++ b/docs/config.md
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ Rows with JSON key `—` are runtime-only environment variables, not config-file
`PI_WEB_DATA_DIR` sets the root for PI WEB-managed runtime state and defaults to `~/.pi-web`. Unless a more specific path override is configured, PI WEB stores its project and machine registries, locally discovered plugins, default session-daemon socket, and session archives beneath this root.
-Changing `PI_WEB_DATA_DIR` only selects where state lives; it never moves or copies existing state. Each data directory is independent, so after pointing PI WEB at a new root it starts there with empty registries and no session archives. To carry session archives over, stop PI WEB, then copy `archived-sessions.json` and the `archived-sessions/` directory from the old data directory into the new one before starting it again.
+Each data directory is independent: after pointing PI WEB at a new root, it starts there with empty registries and no session archives. To carry session archives over, stop PI WEB, then copy `archived-sessions.json` and the `archived-sessions/` directory from the old data directory into the new one before starting it again.
This setting does not change the PI WEB config file selected by `PI_WEB_CONFIG` or Pi-owned state such as the active session files selected by `PI_CODING_AGENT_SESSION_DIR`.