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/rewind is not a general undo button for shell commands. Claude Code describes it as returning the conversation and/or code to an earlier checkpoint, but Bash command changes such as moving a file are outside the checkpoint tracking described in Anthropic documentation quoted in a GitHub issue. If Bash deleted or overwrote something, do not count on /rewind to restore it.
What Claude Code’s /rewind does
Anthropic’s Claude Code cheatsheet and command reference describe /rewind as returning the conversation and/or code to an earlier checkpoint. The cheatsheet also lists pressing Esc twice to open the rewind/checkpoint menu.
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That scope matters: a checkpoint can help with eligible code edits, but it does not mean Claude Code has a snapshot of every change made to the computer while a session is running.
Why Bash deletions are different
A Claude Code GitHub issue quotes checkpointing documentation stating that changes made by Bash commands are not tracked, using mv old.txt new.txt as an example of a change that cannot be undone through rewind. A command such as rm can likewise remove a file outside the documented checkpoint coverage. Therefore, running /rewind should not be treated as a way to retrieve files deleted by Bash.
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This is a boundary on what the documented feature covers, not proof that a deleted file is impossible to recover from every source. A Git repository, backup, filesystem snapshot, or other independent copy may still contain it. The available sources do not establish a universal recovery procedure for files deleted by shell commands.
What to do if Bash already removed a file
- Stop relying on
/rewindas the recovery mechanism. It can rewind eligible conversation or code changes, but the documented scope does not cover Bash side effects. - Check independent copies. Look in the project’s Git history, backups, or filesystem snapshots if you have them. Which one can help depends on what was configured before the deletion.
- Avoid writing to the affected storage if the file is important. The sources here do not specify a recovery method or guarantee that deleted data can be restored; avoid assuming a particular tool will succeed.
How to reduce the risk next time
Keep an independent copy
Use version control or a separate backup before asking an agent to run destructive commands. These safeguards are distinct from Claude Code checkpoints: they provide a recovery source outside the conversation’s rewind feature.
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Consider command-level snapshots for shell side effects
Tools in this category aim to capture changes around shell commands and provide command-level undo. The bashback project page describes snapshots and undo for side effects such as rm and mv. That is the project publisher’s description, not an independently verified guarantee; do not treat it as equivalent to Anthropic’s built-in checkpointing.
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Anthropic’s environment-variable reference says that setting CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_FILE_CHECKPOINTING disables file checkpointing, which prevents /rewind from restoring code changes. The reference describes the effect when the variable is set; it does not establish that it is enabled by default.
A reported exception is not a recovery feature
The GitHub issue also describes one user’s report that a tracked file moved with Bash unexpectedly reappeared in a particular environment. The report calls the behavior unexpected and does not overturn the documented scope or establish that rewind generally restores Bash changes. Treat it as an isolated, surprising interaction—not a recovery method to depend on.
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