Resume Sessions by Name with --resume
One of Claude Code's most underused features is the ability to name and resume sessions across days or weeks. If you walk away from a task mid-session, you can pick up exactly where you left off.
# Name a session when starting
claude -n "auth-refactor"
# Resume it later by name
claude --resume auth-refactor
# Or pick from an interactive list
claude --resume
The --resume flag (alias -r) accepts either the name you assigned with -n (or the /rename command mid-session) or the session UUID. Sessions are stored in ~/.claude/ and persisted between restarts.
When you resume, Claude loads the full conversation transcript so it has context on what was done. Combined with the cleanupPeriodDays setting (default 30 days), you can safely defer work and return to it later.
If you want to branch from a saved session without overwriting it, add --fork-session:
claude --resume auth-refactor --fork-session
This creates a new session ID, so your original timeline is preserved while you explore a different direction. Named sessions also appear in the terminal title, making it easy to switch between multiple Claude Code windows without losing track of which task is which.
Name your sessions, and you will never have to re-explain context again.
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The autoUpdatesChannel setting pins Claude Code to a stable release track that skips versions with major regressions.
The language setting makes Claude respond in your preferred language by default, across every session and project.
The attribution setting lets you customize or completely remove Claude's Co-Authored-By trailer from git commits and pull requests.