diff --git a/internal/web/service/tgbot/tgbot_delete_after_test.go b/internal/web/service/tgbot/tgbot_delete_after_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..be4aa2a02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/web/service/tgbot/tgbot_delete_after_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package tgbot
+
+import "testing"
+
+// A transient "delete after N seconds" message must not reset the conversation
+// state when its timer fires: the user may have advanced to the next wizard step
+// (setting a fresh state) within that window, and clearing it would silently
+// drop their next input.
+func TestDeleteMessageAfterDelayKeepsUserState(t *testing.T) {
+	userStateMgr.reset()
+	t.Cleanup(userStateMgr.reset)
+
+	const chatID = int64(4242)
+	userStateMgr.set(chatID, "awaiting_comment")
+
+	tg := &Tgbot{}
+	tg.deleteMessageAfterDelay(chatID, 1, 0)
+
+	if st, ok := userStateMgr.get(chatID); !ok || st != "awaiting_comment" {
+		t.Fatalf("delayed message deletion cleared the conversation state: got (%q, %v), want (%q, true)", st, ok, "awaiting_comment")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/web/service/tgbot/tgbot_send.go b/internal/web/service/tgbot/tgbot_send.go
index 4578619d0..b53aa6400 100644
--- a/internal/web/service/tgbot/tgbot_send.go
+++ b/internal/web/service/tgbot/tgbot_send.go
@@ -228,16 +228,25 @@ func (t *Tgbot) SendMsgToTgbotDeleteAfter(chatId int64, msg string, delayInSecon
 		return
 	}
 
-	// Delete the sent message after the specified number of seconds
-	go func() {
-		time.Sleep(time.Duration(delayInSeconds) * time.Second) // Wait for the specified delay
-		t.deleteMessageTgBot(chatId, sentMsg.MessageID)         // Delete the message
-		userStateMgr.clear(chatId)
-	}()
+	// Delete the sent message after the specified number of seconds.
+	go t.deleteMessageAfterDelay(chatId, sentMsg.MessageID, delayInSeconds)
+}
+
+// deleteMessageAfterDelay waits delayInSeconds and then removes the message. It
+// deliberately does not touch the conversation state: every caller that ends a
+// wizard step already clears the state synchronously, and clearing it here — up
+// to several seconds later — would wipe a state the user set for the next step
+// in the meantime, silently dropping their following input.
+func (t *Tgbot) deleteMessageAfterDelay(chatId int64, messageID, delayInSeconds int) {
+	time.Sleep(time.Duration(delayInSeconds) * time.Second)
+	t.deleteMessageTgBot(chatId, messageID)
 }
 
 // deleteMessageTgBot deletes a message from the chat.
 func (t *Tgbot) deleteMessageTgBot(chatId int64, messageID int) {
+	if bot == nil {
+		return
+	}
 	params := telego.DeleteMessageParams{
 		ChatID:    tu.ID(chatId),
 		MessageID: messageID,