萃靈 Essevin
Yesterday, you used Claude Code to plan an Osaka trip. The flights, hotel shortlist and daily route were settled, but the budget was only half complete when you closed the Terminal for the day.
The least useful way to restart this morning is to paste the entire brief again and hope the AI reconstructs every decision correctly.
Claude Code saves a conversation as a session. Provided that session persistence was enabled, you can reopen yesterday's conversation with its goals, decisions and progress intact.
The shortest answer is one command:
claude --continueThat continues the most recent conversation in the current directory. If you want to choose a particular session yourself, enter this inside Claude Code:
/resumeNeither action requires programming knowledge. They simply answer one question: which working notebook should Claude reopen?
Resume restores the conversation, not the entire computer
Think of a session as a set of meeting minutes that is updated throughout a task. Closing the Terminal pauses the meeting. Resuming the session next morning reopens those minutes so everyone can review what was already discussed.
A resumed session can bring back:
your conversation history with Claude;
goals, constraints and choices confirmed in that conversation;
file paths and progress discussed in the session;
the session's name and identifier.
It is not a time machine for the rest of your computer. It does not automatically recreate a background process, recover unsaved content from another application, reopen a submitted browser form or reverse later changes in a third-party system. Files on disk may also have changed since the last conversation.
The useful distinction is simple: resume reopens the working record. It does not restore the whole office to the moment you left.
The fastest route: --continue
If you have one main task and are still working in its original folder, go to that folder and run:
cd <original-working-directory>
claude --continueThe short form is:
claude -cClaude Code 2.1.220 help text defines --continue precisely: it continues the most recent conversation in the current directory. The directory is therefore part of the selection rule. Run it from a different folder and you may continue a different task, or fail to find the session you expected.
This is a good fit when you use one folder for one ongoing piece of work, such as:
refining one travel itinerary over several days;
organising reading notes in one working folder;
building several CV and cover-letter versions for different roles.
When you have several tasks: use the /resume picker
If you opened several conversations during the week, do not guess which one was most recent. Enter this inside Claude Code:
/resumeIt opens a session picker so you can select the conversation you need. You can also launch the picker from the shell:
claude --resumeIf you already know the session ID, resume it directly:
claude --resume <session-id>-r is the short form of --resume. Most people should not need to memorise a UUID. Naming sessions at the start is far more practical.
Rename an existing conversation with:
/rename Osaka trip - budgetOr name a new session when launching it:
claude --name "Osaka trip - budget"The --name value appears in the prompt box, the /resume picker and the Terminal title. A useful name includes both the topic and the task. “Osaka trip - budget” or “CV - marketing roles” will still make sense next week; “work” will not.
A reliable three-step routine
Take the half-finished travel plan as an example.
Step 1: reopen the session. Use claude --continue if the original folder contains one main task. Use the /resume picker if you have several sessions to choose from.
Step 2: ask for a progress check before any edits. A useful prompt is:
Do not modify any files yet. Summarise five points: the objective, work completed,
work remaining, confirmed decisions, and the recommended next step.This short check catches the most expensive mistakes early: resuming the wrong session, carrying forward an outdated decision, or assuming the current files still match the conversation.
Step 3: confirm, then continue. For example: “That status is correct. Complete days four and five now. Keep the daily budget limit and do not add more attractions.” One confirmation connects today's work to yesterday's decisions without rebuilding the entire brief.
Choosing between resume, compact and clear
These actions solve different problems:
Situation | Use |
|---|---|
Continue the latest work in the same directory |
|
Choose one conversation from several older sessions |
|
Keep the same task but reduce a long context |
|
Start an unrelated topic with empty context |
|
Keep the original progress and test another direction |
|
/compact summarises a long current conversation while retaining the main goals and decisions. Use it when the same task should continue but its context has become crowded. It is not a session picker.
/clear starts a new empty-context session for an unrelated topic. It does not delete the older session; you can still find that work later through /resume. It is like opening a blank notebook, not throwing the previous notebook away.
When you want to branch from an earlier session without reusing its session ID, run:
claude --resume <session-id> --fork-sessionThe fork gets a new session ID and the original remains separate. A travel plan can preserve the five-day Osaka option while another branch explores seven days across Osaka and Kyoto. A CV can retain its original emphasis while a separate branch tests a shorter version.
Five common mistakes
Running --continue from the wrong directory. Its selection is based on the current directory. Check your location first, or switch to the /resume picker.
Mixing unrelated topics in one session. A morning travel plan, an afternoon CV revision and an evening household bill review should not share one context. Create and name a separate session for each substantial piece of work.
Saying only “continue” after resuming. That instruction has no checkpoint. Ask Claude to restate the five progress points before allowing changes.
Assuming external state was restored. Session history does not guarantee the state of background processes, browsers or third-party systems. Re-read current files or query the live system when freshness matters.
Disabling persistence. The --no-session-persistence option prevents sessions from being saved and therefore makes them unavailable for later resume. The local help text notes that this option applies only to print mode. Do not use it for work you expect to continue later.
Treat a session as a piece of work, not a chat window
The most valuable habit is not memorising more commands. It is giving every substantial task a clear name, a stable folder and a short progress check when you return.
The same routine works for a travel plan, CV revision, report, reading notes or household budget. Claude Code may have “Code” in its name, but session management is simply a way to complete long tasks across several days.
For users in Hong Kong and China who still need access to Claude Code, Essevin supports connection through two environment variables to a stable gateway. There is no need to change code or use a foreign credit card, and local payment methods are available. Once connected, name the first session and use /resume the next day instead of starting from zero.
Information in this article is current as of 31 July 2026 and is provided for general reference only; it does not constitute advice of any kind. Third-party product features, pricing and policies are subject to their official announcements. Essevin service details are as shown on essevin.com and in the console.