Short answer: VS Code documents how its own Copilot session history is stored, optionally synced to a GitHub account, and cleaned up—including worktrees that contain code changes. It can also discover sessions from Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot app, Claude Code, and Codex. That discovery does not establish that VS Code stores, syncs, or deletes those apps’ original session data.
What counts as a session in VS Code?
A VS Code session groups a unit of work: its workspace, code changes, and one or more chats. Each chat has its own conversation history and context. Closing a chat tab hides it without deleting its conversation; marking work done removes it from the active list while retaining its title and history. Archiving hides a session while retaining it.
Separate conversation histories do not necessarily mean separate files. As the VS Code documentation puts it, “Separate conversations don’t guarantee separate files.” Chats using the same folder or worktree can affect the same files. Use worktree isolation when changes need to remain separate.
Where VS Code Copilot session data is stored
VS Code’s documented Copilot session-history feature uses a local SQLite database. Its history can include repository, branch, working directory, timestamps, agent or participant, conversation turns, files touched, and external references such as pull request and issue numbers or commit SHAs. This describes that VS Code feature; it is not a statement about how every standalone coding agent stores its data.
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VS Code documents local session tracking and cloud sync as separate controls:
| Setting or control | Documented behavior |
|---|---|
github.copilot.chat.localIndex.enabled |
Controls local session tracking; listed as enabled by default in the VS Code documentation. |
chat.sessionSync.enabled |
Controls syncing sessions to a GitHub account; listed as enabled by default. Set it to false to keep session data local. |
chat.sessionSync.excludeRepositories |
Accepts exact repository names or glob patterns to keep matching repositories’ sessions local. |
These defaults and controls are those stated in the VS Code documentation, checked October 7, 2026; settings can change. Enterprise owners can govern session sync through GitHub.com enterprise policy, and the VS Code CopilotSessionSync group policy can force it off.
Synced sessions are private to the user’s personal account by default; sharing is explicit. VS Code says it strips secrets such as tokens, API keys, and credentials before data leaves the machine. Turning sync off does not remove sessions already synced to the cloud.
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How archive, deletion, and sync removal differ
- Close a chat tab: hides the chat; its conversation remains.
- Mark a session done: removes completed work from the active list while retaining its title and history.
- Archive a session: hides it while retaining it.
- Delete a chat or session: permanent. VS Code warns, “Deleting a session is irreversible.”
To remove synced session data, run the github.copilot.sessionSync.deleteSessions command and choose cloud-only deletion or local-and-cloud deletion. The latter cannot be undone. Disabling sync is not a substitute for deleting data already in the cloud.
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How to review and clean up inactive worktrees
VS Code’s manual cleanup editor is a review-and-confirm workflow, not an automatic purge. The editor offers inactivity thresholds of 7, 15, 30, 60, or 90 days, shows estimated worktree size, and lets you confirm which items to clean up.
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- Open the Command Palette and run Chat: Open Worktree Cleanup.
- Select an inactivity threshold and review the eligible sessions and estimated worktree sizes.
- Select the worktrees you want removed and confirm the cleanup.
Cleanup marks selected sessions done and schedules their worktrees for removal. Before removing a worktree, VS Code attempts to commit uncommitted changes to that session’s branch. If changes cannot be preserved or removal fails, the worktree remains. Session and branch history are retained; restoring a session recreates its worktree.
The cleanup editor excludes sessions that are active, running, waiting for input, pinned, done, archived, untitled, in an error state, or newer than the chosen inactivity period. It also excludes worktrees whose size cannot be measured.
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Cleanup suggestions are prompts, not deletion triggers
An experimental suggestion can be enabled with chat.agentSessions.sessionStorageCleanupSuggestion.enabled; the setting is disabled by default in the VS Code settings reference. The suggestion appears when inactive worktrees occupy at least 5 GiB or when 20 worktrees qualify. Those thresholds prompt you to open the cleanup editor; they do not cause automatic deletion.
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Automatic cleanup of merged sessions is a separate preview
Automatic cleanup for merged sessions is distinct from the manual editor and is documented as a preview feature. Both settings for marking eligible sessions done and deleting them after a grace period are disabled by default. The recommended grace period is 15 days.
Eligibility requires an inactive session with a merged pull request and no related open pull requests; external sessions are excluded. For this lifecycle, VS Code removes a worktree only when its branch tracks an upstream and has no outgoing commits or uncommitted changes. If Git state is unknown or a condition is unmet, the worktree is retained. VS Code does not force-remove it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What VS Code’s external-session discovery does—and does not—mean
VS Code says its sessions list can discover supported local sessions created by Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot app, Claude Code, and Codex. Copilot sessions include repository-associated sessions updated within the last seven days. External sessions are hidden by default; available filters include recent sessions, the last 24 hours, the last seven days, or all discovered sessions.
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Discovery is not a documented cross-product storage or deletion contract. The reviewed VS Code material does not establish each standalone product’s local file paths, cloud-retention rules, account policies, or deletion behavior. Nor does it say that deleting an external session from VS Code erases the source session in its standalone application. Treat VS Code cleanup as applying to the VS Code-managed session or worktree described by the relevant control, not as proof of deletion everywhere.
Which cleanup action should you use?
| Your goal | Use | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Get completed work out of the active list but keep its history | Mark the session done | Retains the title and history. |
| Hide a session without deleting it | Archive it | Retains the session; an associated shared worktree may remain. |
| Free space from inactive VS Code worktrees after review | Chat: Open Worktree Cleanup | Marks selected sessions done and schedules worktree removal; attempts to preserve uncommitted changes and retains history. |
| Remove synced Copilot session data | github.copilot.sessionSync.deleteSessions |
Choose cloud-only or local-and-cloud deletion; the latter is irreversible. |
| Delete a session and its associated worktree | Delete the session | Permanent; worktree removal depends on whether another linked session still uses it. |
| Delete an original session in a standalone agent | Use that agent’s own controls | VS Code’s discovery documentation does not specify the external application’s deletion behavior. |
For a session that matters, inspect and preserve its code changes before any permanent deletion. Conversation history, cloud copies, and worktree files are separate things to consider; removing one does not necessarily remove the others.
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