Leftmark / Guides

How to resume a Claude Code session

To pick up your last conversation, run claude --continue (or claude -c) in the same folder. To choose an older one, run claude --resume and pick it from the list. To jump straight to one, run claude --resume <session-id-or-name>.

Updated 13 November 2026 · Checked against the Claude Code docs

The four ways back into a session

Command	What it does
`claude --continue`	Reopens the most recent session in the current folder.
`claude --resume`	Opens the session picker for this folder.
`claude --resume <name or id>`	Resumes that session directly. An ID works from any folder.
`/resume`	Switches to another session from inside a running one.

Claude Code saves every session as you work, so closing the terminal or running /clear doesn't lose it.

Continue the last session

cd ~/code/my-app
claude --continue

Sessions belong to the folder you started them in. Run --continue from a different folder and you get that folder's last session, not the one you wanted. If nothing comes back, check you're in the right directory first.

Pick an older session from the list

claude --resume

The picker lists this folder's sessions with their name or title, how long ago they were active, the git branch and the file size. A few keys make it much faster:

Type to search, or paste a pull request URL to find the session that opened it.
Space previews a session before you open it.
Ctrl+A widens the list to every project on your Mac. Ctrl+W widens it to every worktree of this repository.
Ctrl+B shows only sessions from the current git branch.
Ctrl+R renames the highlighted session.

Resume a specific session by ID or name

claude --resume 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000
claude --resume auth-refactor

A session ID works from any folder: Claude Code looks in the current project first, then every other project on the machine. A name looks across the current repository and its worktrees. If two sessions share a name, the picker opens with that name typed in.

You can also pass a prompt to send as soon as it opens:

claude --resume auth-refactor "Finish this PR"

Name sessions so you can find them later

Unnamed sessions get a generated title from your first prompt, which is hard to remember. Name the ones you'll come back to:

claude -n auth-refactor        # when you start
/rename auth-refactor          # during the session

Resume without changing the original: fork it

claude --resume auth-refactor --fork-session
claude --continue --fork-session

Forking copies the conversation into a new session ID, so you can try another approach and keep the original intact. Inside a session, /branch does the same.

Where Claude Code stores sessions

Each session is a JSONL transcript at ~/.claude/projects/<project>/<session-id>.jsonl, where <project> is your working folder's path with symbols turned into dashes. The file name is the session ID. Claude Code deletes transcripts after 30 days by default; raise cleanupPeriodDays in settings.json to keep them longer.

When resume can't find your session

Wrong folder. --continue and the picker only show the current folder. Press Ctrl+A in the picker, or resume by ID.
It was a claude -p run. Print-mode and Agent SDK sessions don't appear in the picker or in --continue. Resume them by ID.
It's older than 30 days. The transcript may have been cleaned up.
"No conversation found with session ID". No stored transcript matches that ID, or more than one project holds a copy of it.

Never hunt for a session again

The hard part isn't the command. It's remembering which of yesterday's six sessions was fixing the login bug. Leftmark is a Mac app, now in beta, where every request you give Claude Code becomes a ticket, with the session ID, folder and branch saved on it. Open the ticket, copy its resume command, and you're back in that exact session.

Request an invite →

Questions

How do I continue my last Claude Code session?

Run claude --continue (or claude -c) in the same folder you started it in. It reopens the most recent session from that folder.

How do I resume a Claude Code session after closing the terminal?

Sessions are saved as you work, so closing the terminal doesn't lose them. Run claude --resume to pick one from the list, or claude --resume followed by its ID or name to open it directly.

Why can't claude --resume find my session?

The picker only shows sessions from the current folder, so you may be in the wrong one: press Ctrl+A to see every project. Sessions from claude -p runs don't appear in the picker; resume those by ID. Transcripts older than 30 days may have been cleaned up.

Where are Claude Code sessions stored?

As JSONL files at ~/.claude/projects/<project>/<session-id>.jsonl, where <project> is your working folder's path with symbols turned into dashes. They're kept for 30 days by default; change cleanupPeriodDays in settings.json to keep them longer.

How do I find a Claude Code session ID?

The transcript's file name is the session ID. Easier: name sessions with claude -n or /rename, then resume them by name. Leftmark also saves the session ID on the ticket for each request.