Browser session cleanup and data retention are separate design concerns

A common architecture has an automation download a report, save a debugging screenshot, and close a temporary browser session, with the next run beginning from an empty profile. The article argues that discarding the browser's temporary state does not determine how long the workflow's other outputs should be kept. It recommends first deciding which browser state should persist between runs, since cookies and local storage affect login and session behavior. Workflow outputs such as reports, failure screenshots, request traces, job records, and retry records each serve different purposes and should be assigned their own owner, storage location, access rules, and removal responsibility. The author presents this as a design exercise rather than a security audit, noting that appropriate retention periods depend on each user's requirements. The main takeaway is that explicit ownership prevents artifacts from lingering indefinitely simply because the browser itself was disposable.