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First, find out what is actually in the working tree
From the repository directory, run:
git status
git diff
git diff --cachedgit status reports tracked and untracked changes. git diff shows unstaged edits; git diff --cached shows changes staged for the next commit. Check the untracked-file list as well: configuration can hide untracked files from status output. These commands show repository state, not the agent’s private reasoning or terminal history. Git’s status manual documents what the command reports.
If you are not in the expected project directory, locate the actual working tree before drawing conclusions. For example, Claude Code sessions are stored locally per project directory, according to the Claude Code FAQ. A session opened in another project context may not be the one you expect.
Separate the four kinds of state
- Conversation: The transcript or session identifier may still be available to resume.
- Execution: A model response, shell command, or other tool call may have stopped, finished, or remained in progress. Do not assume it completed or will replay.
- Files: Edits already written to the working tree can remain after the agent process ends.
- Version control: Git records staged content in commits and can save work in progress with a stash. Neither one restores a lost conversation or an active process.
A “resume” feature is therefore not, by itself, a guarantee that all four states have been restored consistently.
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What resuming means depends on the product
Claude Code CLI
The Claude Code CLI reference documents claude -c to continue the most recent conversation in the current directory and claude -r "<session>" to resume by session ID or name. The FAQ also documents claude --continue and claude --resume, and says Ctrl+C cancels the current generation so you can redirect the conversation. These are conversation controls; the documentation does not establish that an in-flight command will finish, that file edits will be rolled back, or that a tool call will automatically run again.
Claude Managed Agents
Claude Managed Agents has different, explicitly documented behavior. Its session event documentation says a user.interrupt stops an in-progress model response immediately. If tool calls are underway, applying the interrupt can take longer and the session stays running until it applies. Once idle, the session history is preserved unless deleted, and the sandbox is checkpointed.
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There is an important retention distinction: the history can persist while the sandbox state expires 30 days after sandbox creation; resuming after that starts with a fresh sandbox. The same documentation says a session budget cap pauses work before its next model request; raising or removing the cap resumes paused work automatically. These rules apply to Managed Agents, not Claude Code CLI generally.
Other coding tools and editors
Do not infer a crash-recovery guarantee across products. VS Code can discover supported local sessions from Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot app, Claude Code, and Codex, but session discovery does not establish how each tool handles an interruption. Exact mid-refactor recovery behavior for Codex CLI and several other agents is not established here.
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Cursor’s documentation search result describes automatic Agent checkpoints of code changes, but its destination redirected to a general documentation index. That is not enough to give reliable current click-by-click restore instructions or detailed caveats.
Preserve useful partial work before you resume
- Inspect. Review
git status,git diff, andgit diff --cached. Open changed and untracked files that matter to the refactor. - Choose what to keep. If the current work is useful, make an intentional commit or save it with
git stash. A commit records staged contents; a stash saves work in progress for later restoration. See the Git commit manual and Git stash manual. - Verify the preservation step. Check status and, for a commit, its diff or contents. For a stash, confirm it appears in the stash list before proceeding.
- Resume or restart with the files as the source of truth. Ask the agent to inspect the current diff and files, identify what is complete and what is incomplete, and continue from that state. Do not ask it to repeat the entire refactor before checking for duplicate or conflicting edits.
Avoid destructive restore or reset operations until you know exactly which changes you intend to discard. Git can preserve repository content; it cannot recover hidden model reasoning, lost terminal output, or an interrupted process.
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Prevent overlapping work during long refactors
For a long refactor, make small, intentional commits or stashes at useful checkpoints and keep concise task notes if the reasoning or next steps matter. These are safeguards for your workflow, not guarantees about an agent’s recovery behavior.
Take care with parallel chats. VS Code warns that separate conversations using the same folder or worktree may still edit the same files. When independent edits matter, use a separate worktree where supported; otherwise, treat the shared files as a shared workspace and inspect changes before proceeding. VS Code’s chat-session documentation covers the distinction.
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Recovery depends on the agent and version, whether it runs locally or in a managed environment, what was saved, and whether a tool call was active. No single “resume” button can be assumed to restore transcript, execution, files, and Git state together.
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