Switching folders in UI causes confusing session loss - no warning, hard to recover #16266

Activity

1. github-actions

   added

   duplicateThis issue or pull request already existsThis issue or pull request already exists

   on Jan 4, 2026
2. edumusikse commented on Jan 4, 2026

   

   edumusikse

   on Jan 4, 2026

   Author

   More actions

   Additional Finding: Session file exists but won't load

   After further investigation, the session file still exists and is intact (2.9MB):

   ~/.claude/projects/-Users-stephan--claude-worktrees-public-vibrant-robinson/e986589c-0371-495c-80cc-4b9225c637cd.jsonl
   

   The file contains the full conversation history in JSONL format. However:

   1. The Mac app doesn't show this session in the session picker
   2. Running claude --resume <session-id> from terminal works, but the session doesn't appear in the Mac app
   3. Even after resuming via terminal, the Mac app and terminal appear to be running separate instances that don't sync

   This means users' work isn't actually deleted - it's just inaccessible through normal UI flows. The session recovery mechanism is broken or not properly integrated between the Mac app and terminal CLI.

   This is especially frustrating because the data is RIGHT THERE but users have no way to access it through the app they're using.
3. github-actions commented on Jan 4, 2026

   

   github-actionsBot

   on Jan 4, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

   More actions

   Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

   1. [BUG] Switching folders in UI causes confusing session "loss" #16264
   2. [BUG] claude --resume only shows one session despite multiple saved sessions (Windows) #16235
   3. claude --resume lists only recent ~10 sessions despite having 38 in ~/.claude/projects #2333

   This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

   • If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
   • To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

   🤖 Generated with Claude Code
4. edumusikse

   closed this as completedon Jan 4, 2026
5. edumusikse commented on Jan 4, 2026

   

   edumusikse

   on Jan 4, 2026

   Author

   More actions

   Feature Request: Reliable Session Archive & Restore for Mac App

   This issue has caused real productivity loss. The user had a substantial session (444 user messages, 635 assistant responses, ~63k tokens of context) that is now inaccessible through the Mac app despite the session file being intact on disk.

   What's needed:

   1. Session export/backup - Ability to explicitly save a session to a portable format that can be restored later

   2. Session sync between Mac app and terminal - Currently these run as separate processes with no shared state. A session resumed in terminal doesn't appear in the Mac app.

   3. Session browser in Mac app - A clear UI to browse ALL sessions across all projects, not just the current directory. The current /resume picker defaults to current directory only, hiding other sessions.

   4. Confirmation before destructive actions - Switching folders should warn users that they'll lose access to their current session context.

   5. "Return to previous session" option - After switching folders, there should be an obvious way to get back.

   This is a paying customer who lost hours of built-up context. The data exists in ~/.claude/projects/ but there's no reliable way to restore it in the Mac app. This undermines trust in the tool for any serious work.
6. edumusikse commented on Jan 4, 2026

   

   edumusikse

   on Jan 4, 2026

   Author

   More actions

   Workaround: Session Backup Script

   Until this is fixed, here's a backup script that runs hourly via cron to prevent session loss:

   Gist: https://gist.github.com/edumusikse/c824afa6d4eb6e74cf284a06025e09fc

   Setup

   # Create backup directory
   mkdir -p ~/Documents/claude-session-backups
   
   # Download script
   curl -o ~/Documents/claude-session-backups/backup-claude-sessions.sh \
     https://gist.githubusercontent.com/edumusikse/c824afa6d4eb6e74cf284a06025e09fc/raw/backup-claude-sessions.sh
   
   # Make executable
   chmod +x ~/Documents/claude-session-backups/backup-claude-sessions.sh
   
   # Add to crontab (runs every hour at :30)
   (crontab -l 2>/dev/null; echo ""; echo "# CLAUDE CODE SESSION BACKUP"; echo "30 * * * * /bin/bash -lc \"$HOME/Documents/claude-session-backups/backup-claude-sessions.sh\" >/dev/null 2>&1") | crontab -

   Features

   • Backs up all non-empty session files from ~/.claude/projects/
   • Creates timestamped backups in ~/Documents/claude-session-backups/
   • Only backs up sessions modified in last 24 hours
   • Auto-cleans backups older than 30 days
   • Logs activity to backup.log

   This won't restore sessions to the Mac app, but at least you won't lose the data.
7. github-actions commented on Jan 12, 2026

   

   github-actionsBot

   on Jan 12, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

   More actions

   This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.
8. github-actions

   locked as resolved and limited conversation to collaborators on Jan 12, 2026