[Feature Request] Native quote/citation UI for in-conversation message references
Bug Description
Feature Request: In-conversation Quote / Citation UI
Summary
Both Claude Code CLI and the Claude Desktop app lack a native quote/citation feature. Users currently rely on manually typing >
markdown syntax to reference previous messages, which is inefficient and error-prone.
Problem
When having long, multi-turn conversations, users frequently need to reference specific parts of earlier messages (both their own
and Claude's). Currently:
- Users must manually copy-paste text and format it with >
- There's no way to link a quote back to its source message
- Quoting multiple passages requires repetitive manual work
- Context gets lost in long conversations without clear references
Proposed Solution
Add a native quote/citation mechanism that allows users to:
- Select any text from any previous message (AI or user) and insert it as a quote in the current input
- Quote multiple passages within a single prompt message
- Auto-link quoted text to its source message for traceability
For Claude Code CLI:
- Keyboard shortcut or command to select and quote from conversation history
- Rendered with clear visual distinction (e.g., indented block with source reference)
For Claude Desktop (Windows/Mac):
- Right-click or highlight-to-quote UI
- Drag-and-drop quote insertion
- Visual indicator showing which message the quote originates from
Why This Matters
- Precision: Eliminates ambiguity about what the user is responding to
- Efficiency: Reduces manual copy-paste overhead in long conversations
- Context preservation: Especially critical when conversations span hundreds of messages
- Accessibility: Makes complex multi-topic discussions manageable
Prior Art
- Slack, Discord, Telegram all support message quoting
- GitHub Issues/PRs support quote-reply
- These are considered essential features for threaded communication
---Submitted by @____natu______ (Gles)
Environment Info
- Platform: win32
- Terminal: windows-terminal
- Version: 2.1.45
- Feedback ID: 76c88700-eb48-4ee5-b8d9-7ebbfb2874d4
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