[FEATURE] /new slash command to switch to a fresh session while preserving the current one

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/21646
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/17120
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/12941

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This is not a duplicate of the suggested issues:

• #21646 is about a keyboard shortcut to submit a prompt in a fresh context (/clear + submit as one action)
• #17120 is about /restart to refresh the environment (reload plugins/hooks) without exiting
• #12941 is about /clone to fork/duplicate a conversation to try different approaches from the same point

My request is specifically about switching to a brand-new session while preserving the current one, so you can /resume back to it later. The key difference is session persistence — none of the above issues address the ability to leave a session intact, start fresh, and return later. It's analogous to opening a new browser tab while keeping the old one.

I found this while making the very same feature request.

Here's an idea though, you could try to wrap claude in a script that restarts on a specific exit code:

  # ~/bin/claude-tabs (make executable)
  #!/bin/bash
  while true; do
      claude "$@"
      exit_code=$?
      [[ $exit_code -eq 42 ]] || break  # Exit code 42 = restart
  done

Then a /new skill could do: exit 42

Not tested it, but Claude came up with this.

Thanks @RickMeijer, that's a creative workaround idea!

Also, a small note on my previous comment: the "browser tab" analogy would work too, but even just being able to switch sessions within the same instance would be sufficient for my use case.

Also would like this feature, I try to keep my context windows in check and therefore my number of sessions is higher with discrete implementation in each. Having to exit and come back in is an odd behavior to try to remember each time.

Additionally, it would be great if /new could optionally accept a session name, like /new <session-name>.

This would make it easier to identify and resume specific sessions later. Currently, sessions get auto-generated names, which makes it hard to find the right one when using /resume.

Example:

/new bugfix-auth       # starts a new session named "bugfix-auth"
/new                   # starts a new session with auto-generated name (current behavior)

Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.

I would love this feature. I find myself using /new very frequently but then the session's history gets wiped out and I can't come back to it via /resume.

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.