[FEATURE] --export-on-exit CLI flag with optional path
Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Feb 5, 2026 by aharbuz Closed Feb 9, 2026
Summary
Add a CLI flag to automatically export conversations when a session ends, with an optional path argument.
Proposed Syntax
# Export to default location (~/.claude/exports/)
claude --export-on-exit
# Export to specific relative path (resolved from cwd)
claude --export-on-exit ./AGENTS/convos/
# Export to absolute path
claude --export-on-exit /path/to/exports/
Use Case
Many users have workflows that benefit from systematic conversation archival:
- Context management: When context gets high, users start fresh sessions but want to preserve the previous conversation
- Progress tracking: Teams document work in
AGENTS/convos/or similar directories - Auditability: Keeping records of AI-assisted development sessions
Currently this requires:
- Remembering to run
/exportmanually before ending - Or setting up a
SessionEndhook (which works but requires more setup)
A CLI flag would make this a one-liner for users who always want exports.
Suggested Behavior
- Accepts relative paths (resolved from cwd at session start)
- Accepts absolute paths
- Falls back to
~/.claude/exports/if no path given - Filename format:
YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-{short-session-id}.jsonl - Only exports on normal session end (not on
/logoutor crashes)
Related Issues
- #19086 - PostCommand hook for
/export(complementary) - #18803 - Conversation Sharing / Export (broader scope)
- #19233 - Per-Conversation Export
Workaround
Currently using a SessionEnd hook that reads transcript_path and copies to the desired location. Works but requires users to set up the hook manually.
This issue has 3 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗