To continue the most recent Claude Code conversation in a project, run claude --continue (or claude -c) from that project’s directory. To choose a previous conversation, run claude --resume (or claude -r) to open the session picker. By default, the picker shows sessions from the current worktree. Press Ctrl+W to include all worktrees in the repository, or Ctrl+A to include every project on the machine. [1]
Choose the right CLI command
| What you want to do | Command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Continue the latest conversation in the current project | claude --continue or claude -c |
Reopens the most recent session in the current directory. |
| Choose a previous conversation | claude --resume or claude -r |
Opens the session picker. It starts with the current worktree; use Ctrl+W or Ctrl+A to widen the list. |
Claude Code sessions are tied to a project directory. If the conversation you want is not listed, first check the picker’s scope: use Ctrl+W for other worktrees in the same repository, or Ctrl+A for sessions from other projects on the machine. [1]
Try resuming from VS Code
A commenter on a Windows VS Code issue suggested typing /resume in the extension’s chat input to open a session picker. Treat this as a community suggestion, not verified current extension instructions. In that issue, the author reported that VS Code extension version 2.1.76 showed a picker on macOS but not on Windows; this was a report about a specific setup, not all versions or installations. If the extension does not offer a picker, try the CLI options above. [3]
If the conversation looks missing or incomplete
First distinguish no conversation in the picker from a conversation that opens but appears to show only recent messages. If a session is absent, widen the picker’s scope before assuming the session is lost. An abbreviated display alone also does not prove that earlier history is gone.
In a maintainer comment on a historical issue, a test on Claude Code 2.1.233 on Linux restored the full conversation despite stale sessions-index.json data. The maintainer said the screen could show only recent messages while the full transcript remained available with Ctrl+O. The same comment described the old session-index mechanism as replaced in 2.1.30 and later history-truncation fixes in 2.1.77, 2.1.91, and 2.1.108. These are attributed, version-specific statements—not a guarantee about every installation or a current troubleshooting guide. [4]
If your installed version supports the shortcut, check the full transcript before concluding that history was lost. If the session is still absent after widening the picker, or the transcript is genuinely incomplete, the sources here do not establish a safe, universal repair. Other users reported partial recovery and unsuccessful manual index edits; those reports do not make editing session files a reliable fix. [5]
Production API continuity is a separate workflow
The Claude Messages API is stateless by default: an application supplies the conversation history with each request. Anthropic also documents beta message threads, which let later requests send only new messages; a thread expires five minutes after its last request and is deleted no more than one hour after its last use. [6]
That API continuity is distinct from resuming a saved Claude Code CLI or extension session. The API documentation reviewed here does not describe a way to reopen or share a Claude Code session through the Messages API; that is a limit of the documentation reviewed, not proof that no such integration exists. [1][6]
In short: run --continue from the project directory for its most recent conversation; use --resume to open the picker. If a session is missing from the list, widen the picker with Ctrl+W or Ctrl+A before treating it as lost. Treat the VS Code /resume suggestion and historical troubleshooting reports with their stated limitations.
Sources
Manage sessions — Claude Code Docs
CLI reference — Claude Code Docs
VS Code Extension: No option to resume previous conversations on Windows
Resume shows only partial conversation history due to stale sessions-index.json
Chat history loss after PC restart, /resume recovers only 20–40% of context