[BUG] Conversation not auto-resumed when returning to a project directory

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Description

When switching between projects and returning to a previous project directory,
Claude Code does not automatically resume the last conversation for that project.
Instead, it always starts a fresh session, losing all previous context.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open project A and start a conversation with claude
2. Switch to project B (cd /path/to/project-b)
3. Return to project A (cd /path/to/project-a)
4. Run claude
5. Previous conversation from step 1 is gone — fresh session starts

Suggested Fix

Auto-resume the most recent session for the current working directory when
running claude, unless the user explicitly wants a fresh session
(e.g. via a --new flag).

Impact

Causes loss of context and frustration when working across multiple projects,
which is a very common developer workflow.

What Should Happen?

Expected Behavior

When navigating back to a project directory, Claude Code should automatically
resume the last conversation associated with that directory — similar to how
VS Code restores the last open files per workspace.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Description

When switching between projects and returning to a previous project directory,
Claude Code does not automatically resume the last conversation for that project.
Instead, it always starts a fresh session, losing all previous context.

Expected Behavior

When navigating back to a project directory, Claude Code should automatically
resume the last conversation associated with that directory — similar to how
VS Code restores the last open files per workspace.

Actual Behavior

Every claude invocation starts a fresh session regardless of whether a previous
session exists for that directory. Users must explicitly run claude --continue
or claude --resume to restore context.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open project A and start a conversation with claude
2. Switch to project B (cd /path/to/project-b)
3. Return to project A (cd /path/to/project-a)
4. Run claude
5. Previous conversation from step 1 is gone — fresh session starts

Suggested Fix

Auto-resume the most recent session for the current working directory when
running claude, unless the user explicitly wants a fresh session
(e.g. via a --new flag).

Impact

Causes loss of context and frustration when working across multiple projects,
which is a very common developer workflow.

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.1.5749 (ecf3d9) 2026-03-08T18:23:37.000Z

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

_No response_