Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/harshul786/claude-code-source/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
A session is a persistent conversation between you and Claude Code. Sessions store your conversation history, file context, and any memory Claude has built up — so you can resume exactly where you left off.
How sessions work
Each time you run claude in a directory, a session is created and stored as a JSONL transcript file. Sessions are tied to your project directory and persist across terminal restarts.
# Start a new session
claude
# Continue the most recent session in the current directory
claude --continue
# or
claude -c
# Resume by session ID or title (opens interactive picker with no argument)
claude --resume
# or
claude -r
The /session command
Use /session inside an interactive session to view your current session’s URL and QR code when connected in remote mode.
The /session command shows a QR code link only when Claude Code is running in remote mode (started with --remote). In local mode it shows your current session info.
Listing and resuming sessions
You can resume past sessions directly from the command line:
# Resume the most recent session in the current directory
claude --resume
# or using the short flag
claude -r
# Open the interactive resume picker (search by title or ID)
claude -r "auth refactor"
# Resume a specific session by full session ID
claude -r a1b2c3d4-e5f6-...
/resume command:
> /resume
> /resume "auth refactor"
Session management via the SDK
If you’re using the Claude Code SDK, you can manage sessions programmatically:
import { listSessions, getSessionInfo, getSessionMessages, renameSession, tagSession, forkSession } from '@anthropic-ai/claude-code'
// List sessions for a project
const sessions = await listSessions({ dir: '/path/to/project' })
// Get a single session's metadata
const info = await getSessionInfo(sessionId)
// Read the conversation messages
const messages = await getSessionMessages(sessionId, { limit: 50 })
// Rename a session
await renameSession(sessionId, 'Refactor auth module')
// Tag a session for later reference
await tagSession(sessionId, 'important')
// Fork a session from a specific point
const { sessionId: newId } = await forkSession(sessionId, {
upToMessageId: messages[10].uuid
})
Background sessions
Claude Code can run sessions in the background while you continue working. Background sessions are useful for long-running tasks like large refactors or test runs.
# Start Claude with a prompt and run in background
claude --print "Run all tests and fix any failures" &
> Launch a background agent to audit all TODO comments in the codebase
Use /cost to check token usage and estimated cost for the current session at any time.
Session storage
Sessions are stored locally as JSONL files. The default location is:
| Platform | Path |
|---|
| macOS / Linux | ~/.claude/projects/<project-hash>/ |
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Claude\projects\<project-hash>\ |
Clearing and compacting
If a session grows too long, use /compact to summarize older context and free up space in the context window, or /clear to start a fresh conversation while staying in the same session.
See Memory and Context for more details on managing context.