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Returning to a coding agent and finding an empty checklist can feel like lost work. But a blank task list does not by itself show that the agent deleted anything: the checklist may have been conversation history, temporary session memory, a repository file, or an issue in a team tracker. Those layers have different persistence rules, and the details depend on the product.
What “task list” can mean
A coding agent may keep several kinds of state, and they are not interchangeable:
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- Conversation history: the messages in a chat. A new chat may not include an earlier chat’s messages.
- Session memory: temporary context used during a session. It may be cleared when that session ends.
- Durable project memory or files: notes stored in a repository or another persistent location. These can be available across conversations if the agent is configured to use them.
- Workspace and tracker state: code changes in an agent’s workspace, or tasks recorded in a repository or team issue tracker. These may be separate from both the chat and the agent’s memory.
So when a list seems to vanish, first identify what it was and where it was saved. A fresh conversation can lose access to chat context without deleting a repository note or issue; a separate workspace can also mean uncommitted code is not present in a different task.
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Why a new chat may look like a reset
In Visual Studio Code, chats, sessions, and memory have distinct meanings. Microsoft says, “A new chat starts blank and doesn’t inherit the conversation history of the other chats.” A fork, by contrast, inherits the conversation history up to the point where it branches. A new session starts without the previous chat’s history and may use a distinct workspace or execution environment. See Microsoft’s Understand sessions and chats.
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VS Code also distinguishes memory from conversation context. Its documentation describes user and repository memory as persisting across conversations, while session memory is cleared when the session ends. That does not mean every checklist is automatically saved as memory: a visible list in a chat and a durable repository note are different things. The relevant details are in Microsoft’s Copilot memory documentation.
New chat, fork, or new session?
- New chat: use it for a blank conversation; it does not inherit another chat’s history.
- Fork: use it to branch from earlier conversation history. A fork is a conversation branch, not automatically a separate code worktree.
- New session: use it for a separate session; do not assume it carries over the earlier chat or workspace state.
OpenAI sessions and Codex Cloud tasks are different cases
OpenAI documents session continuity in the Agents API: “The Agents API retains session state so work can continue across turns.” That is a product-specific statement about API sessions, not a guarantee that a checklist in every coding-agent chat will survive a reset. If an event stream disconnects, the guidance is to retrieve the existing session and its saved items before retrying; an idle session alone does not establish that the task succeeded. See the Agents API (beta) FAQ.
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Codex Cloud has a separate task-and-workspace model. OpenAI advises continuing unfinished work in the original task. Its help documentation states, “Starting a new task creates a separate workspace and does not recover another task’s uncommitted changes.” A new task should therefore not be treated as a way to reopen work left uncommitted in a different task’s workspace. Codex Cloud guidance also references GitHub and Linear workflows; check current feature availability for your product and account. See Using Codex Cloud.
How to keep the task list between sessions
Put the current plan somewhere durable, then point the agent to it when you return. A small repository note is useful for work tied to a codebase; use the team’s issue tracker for shared or cross-project work if that is already the team workflow. Do not assume the agent will import either automatically.
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- Before ending the session, ask the agent to update a project task note. Store it in the repository location your team uses and include the goal, completed work, remaining steps, key decisions, verification status, and relevant file paths.
- For shared work, update the existing tracker item. Keep the authoritative status in the team’s established tracker rather than relying on a checklist visible only in one chat. Codex Cloud documentation describes GitHub and Linear workflows, but availability can depend on the product and account.
- When you return, choose whether you need the old conversation. Resume the intended session when its history matters. Otherwise, start a new conversation and explicitly tell the agent to read the task note or tracker item. In VS Code, fork when you want a branch of a prior conversation; use a new session for unrelated work.
- Check the workspace before starting over. If important changes may be uncommitted, return to the original task or workspace and verify what is saved before switching to another one.
Archive is not the same as delete
In VS Code, archiving a session does not delete it, while permanent deletion cannot be undone. Deleting a session can also remove its associated worktree, putting uncommitted files that exist only there at risk. If you want to clear the session from view while keeping it, archive rather than delete; before permanent deletion, check whether anything important exists only in that worktree. Microsoft explains the distinction in Understand sessions and chats.
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- Which product and surface was it? A chat checklist, a memory feature, an API session, a task workspace, and a tracker item have different persistence rules.
- Did you return to the same chat or task? A new chat may not carry history; a new Codex Cloud task has a separate workspace.
- Was the session archived or deleted? In VS Code those are different operations, and deletion is permanent.
- Was the plan saved outside the conversation? Look in the repository note or team tracker, not only in chat history.
- Could code changes be uncommitted in another worktree? Inspect the original workspace before assuming a new task recovered them.
The documented examples here establish behavior for VS Code, the OpenAI Agents API, and Codex Cloud—not every coding agent. They also do not show whether any particular missing list was deleted, hidden, or left in another session. Treat a blank view as a reason to check the relevant chat, memory, workspace, and tracker before recreating the plan.
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