Session Management

Overview

Claude Code supports named sessions for better workflow organization. Use this skill to manage complex, long-running work across multiple sessions.

Available Commands

Command	Description
/rename	Name the current session
/resume	Resume a previous session (REPL)
claude --resume <name>	Resume from terminal

Workflow Patterns

1. Debugging Sessions

Name debug sessions for easy resumption:

# Start debugging
/rename debugging-auth-issue

# ... work on the issue ...

# If you need to pause, session is auto-saved
# Resume later:
claude --resume debugging-auth-issue

2. Feature Development Checkpoints

Create checkpoints during long feature work:

# After completing milestone 1
/rename feature-x-milestone-1

# Continue in new session
# Reference old session if needed

3. PR Review Sessions

For complex PR reviews that span multiple sittings:

# Start review
/rename pr-review-123

# Take breaks without losing context
# Resume:
claude --resume pr-review-123

4. Investigation Sessions

When investigating issues that may require research:

# Start investigation
/rename investigate-memory-leak

# Pause to gather more info externally
# Resume with full context:
claude --resume investigate-memory-leak

Resume Screen Features

The /resume screen provides:

• Grouped forked sessions: See related sessions together
• Keyboard shortcuts:
  • P - Preview session content
  • R - Rename a session
• Recent sessions: Sorted by last activity

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use descriptive, hyphenated names:

Pattern	Example	Use Case
debugging-<issue>	debugging-auth-401	Bug investigation
feature-<name>-<milestone>	feature-search-v2	Feature development
pr-review-<number>	pr-review-156	PR reviews
investigate-<topic>	investigate-perf	Research
refactor-<area>	refactor-api-layer	Refactoring work

When to Name Sessions

Name sessions when:

• Work will span multiple days
• You might need to pause unexpectedly
• The session contains valuable context
• You want to reference it later

Session Cleanup

Unnamed sessions are eventually garbage collected. Named sessions persist longer. Periodically clean up old named sessions you no longer need.

Integration with Sanctum

Combine session management with other Sanctum skills:

1. Before starting: Run Skill(sanctum:git-workspace-review) to capture context
2. Name the session: /rename <descriptive-name>
3. Work: Use appropriate skills for the task
4. Resume if needed: claude --resume <name>

Troubleshooting

Session Not Found

If a named session isn't appearing in /resume:

• Check for typos in the name
• Sessions may expire after extended inactivity
• Use /resume screen to browse available sessions

Lost Context After Resume

If context seems incomplete after resuming:

• Use /catchup to refresh git state
• Re-run Skill(sanctum:git-workspace-review) if needed

See Also

• /catchup - Refresh context from git changes
• /clear - Start fresh session
• Skill(sanctum:git-workspace-review) - Capture repo context