diff --git a/.github/forge-posts/v1.2.0.md b/.github/forge-posts/v1.2.0.md
index 0d3a52a..eded536 100644
--- a/.github/forge-posts/v1.2.0.md
+++ b/.github/forge-posts/v1.2.0.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ versionsnatur: "Major-UI-Cycle"
 - Auto-Tell-Tabs unterscheiden sich jetzt visuell: jeder Tell-Partner bekommt ein eigenes Icon (envelope/star/heart/bell/bookmark/flag/fire) plus eigene Farbe aus 12-Farb-Palette — 84 Icon-Farb-Kombinationen, gleicher Partner ergibt konsistent dieselbe Kombination
 - Pulsierender roter Dot oben rechts am Sidebar-Icon wenn ein Tab ungelesene Nachrichten hat. Sanft, 2-Sekunden-Cycle, lässt sich über `Configuration.ReduceMotion` deaktivieren (UI-Toggle kommt in v1.3.0)
 - Migration v14 → v15: alte `HellionThemeEnabled` und `HellionThemeWindowOpacity` Konfigurationsfelder entfernt, alle anderen Settings bleiben erhalten
-- Bug-Fix: Settings speichern zerstört nicht mehr den Chat-Verlauf — weder bei den dauerhaften Tabs noch bei den Auto-Tell-Tabs
+- Bug-Fix: Settings speichern zerstört nicht mehr den Chat-Verlauf. Der schwere Refilter-Cycle läuft jetzt nur noch wenn sich Filter-relevante Settings tatsächlich geändert haben (Privacy-Filter, gemerkte Channels, Tab-Channel-Auswahl) — Cosmetic-Änderungen wie Theme oder Tab-Icons lassen den Chat unverändert. Persistente Tabs und Auto-Tell-Tabs überleben beide
 - Bug-Fix: Sidebar-Buttons sitzen jetzt vertikal in einer Linie mit der ersten Message-Zeile, Status-Bar-Versionsname wird vollständig angezeigt
 
 Animation-Polish (Lerps, Theme-Crossfade, Header-Quick-Picker) folgt in v1.3.0. v1.2.0 ist bewusst Hard-Switch — sauberes Layout zuerst, Bewegung später.
diff --git a/HellionChat/HellionChat.yaml b/HellionChat/HellionChat.yaml
index 1959b4d..ff4bd30 100755
--- a/HellionChat/HellionChat.yaml
+++ b/HellionChat/HellionChat.yaml
@@ -114,13 +114,15 @@ changelog: |-
 
   Bug fixes from in-game testing:
 
-  - Settings save no longer wipes the in-session chat history of
-    persistent tabs (Tab.Clone preserved Identifier but not
-    Messages — Identifier-based mapping now restores the live
-    MessageList onto cloned tabs).
-  - Settings save no longer clears Auto-Tell tabs either
-    (ClearAllTabs/FilterAllTabs now skip TempTabs since their
-    messages have no DB persistence to refilter from).
+  - Settings save no longer wipes chat history by default. The
+    heavy ClearAllTabs + FilterAllTabsAsync refilter cycle now
+    only runs when a filter-relevant setting actually changed
+    (Privacy filter, persisted channels, per-tab channel
+    selection). Cosmetic changes — theme, tab icons, layout
+    flags — keep the in-session chat intact. Combined with an
+    Identifier-based MessageList restore in Configuration.
+    UpdateFrom and a TempTab skip in ClearAllTabs/FilterAllTabs,
+    persistent tabs and Auto-Tell tabs both survive the save.
   - Sidebar buttons now align vertically with the first message
     row (top padding mirrors the chat header toolbar height).
   - Sidebar child window no longer paints the top padding with
diff --git a/HellionChat/Ui/Settings.cs b/HellionChat/Ui/Settings.cs
index 2a61094..8bafce8 100755
--- a/HellionChat/Ui/Settings.cs
+++ b/HellionChat/Ui/Settings.cs
@@ -210,14 +210,24 @@ public sealed class SettingsWindow : Dalamud.Interface.Windowing.Window
         var fontSizeChanged = Math.Abs(Mutable.SymbolsFontSizeV2 - Plugin.Config.SymbolsFontSizeV2) > 0.001
                           || Math.Abs(Mutable.FontSizeV2 - Plugin.Config.FontSizeV2) > 0.001;
         var italicStateChanged = Mutable.ItalicEnabled != Plugin.Config.ItalicEnabled;
+        // v1.2.0 — Refilter only if a filter-relevant setting actually
+        // changed. The Clear+Refilter cycle reloads messages from the DB,
+        // which silently wipes any in-session message that wasn't
+        // persisted (Privacy-First config blocks most channels from DB).
+        // Cosmetic changes (theme, tab icons, layout flags) trigger no
+        // refilter — chat history stays intact.
+        var filtersChanged = HasFilterRelevantChanges();
 
         Plugin.Config.UpdateFrom(Mutable, true);
 
         // save after 60 frames have passed, which should hopefully not
         // commit any changes that cause a crash
         Plugin.DeferredSaveFrames = 60;
-        Plugin.MessageManager.ClearAllTabs();
-        Plugin.MessageManager.FilterAllTabsAsync();
+        if (filtersChanged)
+        {
+            Plugin.MessageManager.ClearAllTabs();
+            Plugin.MessageManager.FilterAllTabsAsync();
+        }
 
         if (fontChanged || fontSizeChanged || italicStateChanged)
             Plugin.FontManager.BuildFonts();
@@ -233,4 +243,59 @@ public sealed class SettingsWindow : Dalamud.Interface.Windowing.Window
 
         Initialise();
     }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// v1.2.0 — Detects whether any setting that influences message
+    /// filtering changed between Plugin.Config and the Mutable working
+    /// copy. Used to gate the heavy ClearAllTabs+FilterAllTabsAsync cycle
+    /// in Save: cosmetic changes (theme, tab icons, layout flags) do not
+    /// touch the chat log, only filter-relevant changes do. Without this
+    /// gate, every settings save wipes the chat history of any channel
+    /// the Privacy filter blocks from being persisted to the DB —
+    /// reported by Flo from in-game testing 2026-05-05/06.
+    /// </summary>
+    private bool HasFilterRelevantChanges()
+    {
+        // Top-level privacy controls.
+        if (Mutable.PrivacyFilterEnabled != Plugin.Config.PrivacyFilterEnabled) return true;
+        if (Mutable.PrivacyPersistUnknownChannels != Plugin.Config.PrivacyPersistUnknownChannels) return true;
+        if (!Mutable.PrivacyPersistChannels.SetEquals(Plugin.Config.PrivacyPersistChannels)) return true;
+
+        // FilterIncludePreviousSessions changes the GetMostRecentMessages
+        // window in MessageManager.FilterAllTabs and is therefore filter-
+        // relevant even though it lives outside the Privacy block.
+        if (Mutable.FilterIncludePreviousSessions != Plugin.Config.FilterIncludePreviousSessions) return true;
+
+        // Per-tab channel selection. Compare persistent tabs only —
+        // TempTabs are session-only and never refiltered anyway.
+        var origPersistent = Plugin.Config.Tabs.Where(t => !t.IsTempTab).ToList();
+        var newPersistent = Mutable.Tabs.Where(t => !t.IsTempTab).ToList();
+
+        if (origPersistent.Count != newPersistent.Count) return true; // add or delete
+
+        for (var i = 0; i < origPersistent.Count; i++)
+        {
+            var orig = origPersistent[i];
+            var neu = newPersistent[i];
+
+            // Identifier mismatch at the same index means reorder or
+            // a slot got swapped — treat as filter-relevant so the new
+            // channel-selection layout actually applies.
+            if (orig.Identifier != neu.Identifier) return true;
+
+            if (orig.ExtraChatAll != neu.ExtraChatAll) return true;
+            if (!orig.ExtraChatChannels.SetEquals(neu.ExtraChatChannels)) return true;
+
+            // SelectedChannels is a Dictionary<ChatType, (ChatSource, ChatSource)>
+            // — value-tuple equality already does the right thing per-pair.
+            if (orig.SelectedChannels.Count != neu.SelectedChannels.Count) return true;
+            foreach (var pair in orig.SelectedChannels)
+            {
+                if (!neu.SelectedChannels.TryGetValue(pair.Key, out var nv)) return true;
+                if (!pair.Value.Equals(nv)) return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/docs/CHANGELOG.md b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
index bb8f605..c00a694 100644
--- a/docs/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ und verlinkt für Details auf die Release-Pages.
 - Appearance settings cleaned: legacy theme-engine bindings replaced by Themes tab (introduced in v1.1.0)
 
 ### Fixed
-- Settings save no longer wipes the in-session chat history of persistent tabs (`Tab.Clone` preserved `Identifier` but not `Messages` — Identifier-based mapping now restores the live `MessageList` onto cloned tabs)
-- Settings save no longer clears Auto-Tell tab message history (`ClearAllTabs`/`FilterAllTabs` now skip TempTabs since their messages have no DB persistence to refilter from)
+- Settings save no longer wipes chat history by default — the heavy `ClearAllTabs + FilterAllTabsAsync` cycle now only runs when a filter-relevant setting actually changed (Privacy filter, persisted channels, per-tab channel selection). Cosmetic changes keep the in-session chat intact
+- Identifier-based `MessageList` restore in `Configuration.UpdateFrom` plus TempTab skip in `ClearAllTabs`/`FilterAllTabs` ensure persistent tabs and Auto-Tell tabs both survive the save
 - Sidebar buttons now align vertically with the first message row (top padding mirrors the chat header toolbar height)
 - Sidebar child window no longer paints the top padding area with its frame background
 - Status bar version slot (`vX.Y.Z · Hellion`) no longer clips its rightmost character