Claude/Code/Q/Is there a way to rewind to a previous point in a session and fork the discussion?

• Is there a way to rewind to a previous point in a Claude/Code session and fork the discussion?

  • AI Answer

    • AI/Response
      • Short answer: Yes. /rewind (or double-tap Esc when the prompt is empty) rolls back to a prior checkpoint; it mutates the session in place. To preserve the original and branch, follow with /branch. There is no single command that rewinds and forks atomically as of 2026-06.
      • /rewind — roll back to any earlier checkpoint:
        • Type /rewind in the prompt (or double-tap Esc with an empty input) to open a list of every prior user turn as a checkpoint.
        • For each checkpoint you can choose:
          • Restore code and conversation — reverts both file edits and conversation history to that point; the original prompt is placed back in the input field.
          • Restore conversation — rewinds history only; keeps current file state.
          • Restore code — reverts file edits only; keeps the full conversation.
          • Summarize from here / up to here — compresses rather than discards turns.
        • Important: /rewind mutates the current session in place — the "forward" history after the checkpoint is discarded. It does not create a fork on its own. Claude Code shows "The conversation will be forked" as a description, but as of 2026-06 a confirmed bug means no separate resumable fork is saved (GitHub #55347).
        • Out of scope: commands with external side effects (git push, API calls, package installs) are not reverted — only in-session file edits and conversation turns.
      • /branch — fork from the current point (no rollback):
        • /branch [optional-name] copies the session at its current state into a new session ID, leaving the original intact for later /resume.
        • /fork was the earlier name; it was renamed /branch (around v2.1.77).
        • From the terminal: claude --resume <session-id> --fork-session or claude --continue --fork-session achieves the same result from outside the interactive session.
        • Session-scoped permission approvals do not carry over to the new branch.
      • Two-step: rewind then fork (branch from a prior point):
        • There is no single command for "go back to message N and branch from there."
        • Workaround: run /rewind → "Restore code and conversation" to roll the current session back to the target checkpoint, then immediately run /branch to fork from that restored point.
        • Forked sessions are grouped under their root session in the /resume picker; press → to expand the group and see child branches.
      • VSCode / IDE extension:
        • Rewind and fork per-message are also available via UI controls on individual messages in the Claude Code VSCode extension (shipped in v2.1.19; Threads by Boris Cherny).
      • Sources: Checkpointing — Claude Code Docs · Manage sessions — Branch a session — Claude Code Docs · /rewind bug #55347 (GitHub) · How to Use Claude Code /rewind (mindstudio.ai) · Mastering /btw, /fork, and /rewind (Towards AI)