[FEATURE] Session Templates - Save and Load Chat Sessions with Context

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

When starting a new Claude Code session, I often need to load extensive context before I can actually start working:

My CLAUDE.md triggers a startup script that reads multiple .md files
This initial setup takes ~1 minute and consumes ~50k tokens
For debugging tasks, I load additional context files, sometimes reaching 100k+ tokens before being "ready"
Every new chat requires repeating this entire setup process

This wastes significant time and tokens, especially when working on the same project repeatedly.

Proposed Solution

Proposed Solution
Introduce a Session Template feature that allows users to save and load chat sessions with their full context.
Commands:

/template save <name> - Save current session as a reusable template
/template load <name> - Load a saved template into a new (or current) chat
/template list - Show available templates
/template delete <name> - Remove a template

Save Options:
When saving, the user can choose between:

--full - Saves the complete chat history 1:1 (exact duplicate)
--compact - Saves a compacted/summarized version (saves tokens)

Storage Location:
Templates could be stored in .claude/templates/ within the project directory, making them:

Version-controllable
Shareable with team members
Project-specific

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

`bash# First time: Do the full setup

[Claude reads CLAUDE.md, loads context files, ~100k tokens used]

Save this "ready state" as a template

/template save debug-feature-x --full

Later: Start a new chat and instantly restore the context

/template load debug-feature-x

→ Chat restored with full context, ready to work immediately

Benefits

Time savings: No need to repeat setup for every new session
Token savings: Avoid re-reading the same files repeatedly
Better workflow: Create purpose-specific templates (debugging, review, feature-work, etc.)
Team collaboration: Share templates via git
`

Additional Context

Additional Considerations

When loading a template mid-conversation, a compaction might be needed to merge contexts
Templates could include metadata (creation date, token count, description)
Could integrate with existing /compact functionality