Feature request: Show timestamps in session list and per-message timestamps in conversation view

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Mar 13, 2026 by cosmic-dynasty Closed Mar 16, 2026

Summary

When browsing past conversations in Claude Code, the session list shows relative dates (e.g., "3d", "1d") but no absolute dates. When you open a conversation, there are no timestamps shown on individual messages.

Current behavior

  • Session list shows relative time only ("3d", "2d", "1d", "now")
  • No way to know the exact date/time a session occurred without checking the filesystem
  • Inside a conversation (via --resume), no per-message timestamps are shown
  • Timestamps do exist in the .jsonl files ("timestamp": "2026-03-09T19:27:29.957Z") — they're just not surfaced in the UI

Expected behavior

Session list:

  • Show absolute date alongside or instead of relative time (e.g., "Mar 9, 2026" or hover to reveal)
  • Optionally: show both relative and absolute on hover

Conversation view:

  • Show a timestamp on each message (user and assistant)
  • Format: something like Mar 9, 2026 · 1:27 PM in a muted/small style
  • Could be toggled or shown on hover to avoid clutter

Why this matters

When returning to old conversations for reference (debugging, reviewing past decisions, auditing agent actions), knowing when something was said is critical context. "3d ago" becomes meaningless after a week. The data is already stored — it just needs to be rendered.

Workaround

I built a local viewer that parses the .jsonl files and renders sessions with full timestamps as a static HTML file. It works but requires manual regeneration. A native solution would be far better.

Environment

  • Claude Code version: 2.1.71
  • Platform: macOS Sequoia (darwin 24.6.0)

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