> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cortex-foundation-add13747-droid-1a2462c9-cor-444-sanitize.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sessions

> Every interactive run is a session written to disk as you go — list, resume, rewind, fork, export, import, share, lock, and clean up.

Every interactive run is a session: the transcript, the tool calls, and the context Cortex built up along the way. Sessions are written to disk as you go, so you can close the terminal and pick the work back up later. The CLI also remembers the server-side Code session id for each workspace, so terminal turns continue the same coding session you see in the web app.

## Listing

```bash theme={null}
cortex sessions
```

By default this shows sessions started in the current directory.

| Flag                                               | Effect                                  |
| -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `--all`                                            | Include sessions from other directories |
| `--days <N>` · `--since <date>` · `--until <date>` | Filter by date                          |
| `--favorites`                                      | Only favourites                         |
| `-s`, `--search <TEXT>`                            | Match on title or id                    |
| `-l`, `--limit <N>`                                | Cap the list                            |
| `--json`                                           | Machine-readable                        |

## Resuming

```bash theme={null}
cortex resume                 # pick from recent sessions
cortex resume --last          # straight back into the most recent one
cortex resume --pick          # force the picker
cortex resume <SESSION_ID>    # a specific session
cortex resume --all           # do not filter the picker by directory
```

Inside the TUI, `/resume [session-id]` does the same, and **Ctrl+S** or **Ctrl+O** opens the sessions panel:

<Frame caption="/resume: type to search; each row shows the title, age, message count, and branch. Enter resumes, f favourites, d deletes.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cortex-foundation-add13747-droid-1a2462c9-cor-444-sanitize/f_vF1T0UHRUAu9OO/images/cli/runtime/120x40/resume-picker.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=f_vF1T0UHRUAu9OO&q=85&s=2cc91310f585847152d60ac8437f0ee0" alt="Cortex CLI resume picker listing recent sessions" width="1232" height="912" data-path="images/cli/runtime/120x40/resume-picker.png" />
</Frame>

`cortex run --continue` continues the most recent session non-interactively; `cortex run --session <ID>` continues a specific one. A persisted [goal](/cli/goal) comes back with the session.

## Starting fresh

`/new` starts a new session without leaving the TUI. `/clear` empties the conversation but keeps the session — it asks first, and says exactly what is dropped and what is kept.

<Frame caption="/clear: the transcript is dropped; git, files, and config stay as they are.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cortex-foundation-add13747-droid-1a2462c9-cor-444-sanitize/f_vF1T0UHRUAu9OO/images/cli/runtime/120x40/clear-confirm.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=f_vF1T0UHRUAu9OO&q=85&s=5318a7abb7086cd2cacbdc306959aba1" alt="Cortex CLI clear-conversation confirmation with Yes, clear and No, keep it" width="1232" height="912" data-path="images/cli/runtime/120x40/clear-confirm.png" />
</Frame>

## Rewinding and forking

Press **Esc** twice quickly to open the rewind overlay. Use **←** / **→** to pick an earlier point, then **Enter** to roll back to it, **f** to fork a new session from it, or **Esc** to cancel. `/rewind [steps]`, `/undo`, and `/redo` cover the same ground from the composer; `/fork [name]` forks the current session.

## Exporting

```bash theme={null}
cortex export                          # most recent session
cortex export <SESSION_ID> -o out.json
cortex export <SESSION_ID> -f yaml     # json (default), yaml, or csv
cortex export <SESSION_ID> --pretty
```

From the TUI, `/export` offers Markdown, JSON, or plain text and writes `cortex_<title>_<date>.<ext>` to your documents or home directory. Markdown exports keep the model's reasoning in a collapsed details block when present.

## Importing

```bash theme={null}
cortex import session.json
cortex import https://example.com/session.json
cortex import -                         # from stdin
cortex import session.json --force      # overwrite an existing session
cortex import session.json --resume     # import and open it
```

## Sharing

`cortex run --share` shares the session on completion and prints the URL. In the TUI, `/share [duration]` creates a link; durations read `30d`, `24h`, `60m`, or `never`.

## Protecting sessions from cleanup

```bash theme={null}
cortex lock add <SESSION_ID> -r "reference for the migration"
cortex lock list
cortex lock check <SESSION_ID>
cortex lock remove <SESSION_ID>
```

Locked sessions survive `cortex compact` and `cortex delete`.

## Deleting and cleaning up

```bash theme={null}
cortex delete <SESSION_ID>          # asks first
cortex delete <SESSION_ID> --yes

cortex compact status               # what cleanup would reclaim
cortex compact run --dry-run
cortex compact run                  # compact logs, sessions, history
cortex compact vacuum --session-days 30
cortex compact logs --keep-days 7
```

`cortex cache` manages the model, response, and update caches separately; `cortex logs` reads and prunes log files.

## Titles and favourites

`/rename <name>`, `/favorite`, `/unfavorite`. `/session` prints the current session's details; `/timeline` shows its timeline.

## Where sessions live

`~/.cortex/sessions/` by default, with `goal.json` beside a session that has a goal, and `~/.cortex/code-sessions.json` mapping each workspace to its Code session id. `cortex debug paths` prints the real locations on your machine. See [Configuration → Data locations](/cli/configuration#data-locations).

## Related

* [Goals](/cli/goal)
* [Headless runs](/cli/headless) — continuing a session across `cortex exec` invocations.
* [Code sessions](/code/sessions) — the same sessions in the web app.