[FEATURE] Delete Specific Turns Within a Session

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Feature Request: Delete Specific Turns Within a Session

Problem

Currently, there is no way to delete individual turns (message pairs) from within an active or past session. The only options are:

• /clear — wipes the entire current session
• /compact — summarizes history but doesn't allow selective removal
• Double-Esc rewind — only works in real-time during an active session, not on saved history
• Manually editing the .jsonl transcript file — fragile and error-prone

Requested Feature

Add the ability to selectively delete one or more turns from within a session, both in the TUI and when resuming past sessions.

Possible implementations:

• TUI interaction: hover over a message and press a key (e.g. d or Delete) to remove that turn from the context
• Slash command: /delete-turn [N] to delete the Nth turn (or the last turn by default)
• In /resume session viewer: allow editing turns before re-loading a past session

Use Cases

• Remove a turn where the wrong context was provided, without restarting the entire session
• Clean up sensitive information from session history
• Reduce context window noise by pruning irrelevant back-and-forth exchanges
• Fix a derailed conversation without losing all prior useful context

Related Issues

• #30078 — Delete individual sessions from history
• #18293 — Manual session deletion UI in VS Code extension
• #10791 — One-shot command to wipe all conversation history

Additional Context

This is a more granular version of the session-deletion requests already filed. While those address deleting entire sessions, this request focuses on surgical editing within a session — analogous to how some chat UIs allow deleting or editing individual messages.

Proposed Solution

Add the ability to selectively delete one or more turns from within a session, both in the TUI and when resuming past sessions.

Possible implementations:

• TUI interaction: hover over a message and press a key (e.g. d or Delete) to remove that turn from the context
• Slash command: /delete-turn [N] to delete the Nth turn (or the last turn by default)
• In /resume session viewer: allow editing turns before re-loading a past session

Alternative Solutions

Currently the only alternatives are:

• /clear — wipes the entire current session (too destructive)
• /compact — summarizes history but doesn't allow selective removal
• Double-Esc rewind — only works in real-time during an active session, not on saved history
• Manually editing the .jsonl transcript file — fragile and error-prone

None of these provide the surgical, per-turn editing capability needed.

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

Example scenarios:

1. Wrong context provided: I accidentally paste the wrong file contents in a turn. Instead of restarting the whole session, I want to delete just that turn and re-provide the correct context.

1. Sensitive information cleanup: A turn accidentally includes an API key or password. I need to remove it from session history without wiping the entire session.

1. Reducing context noise: After a long debugging session, several early turns contain outdated information that is now actively misleading the model. I want to prune those specific turns to improve response quality.

1. Fixing a derailed conversation: Claude misunderstood a request in turn 5, and the subsequent turns compounded the error. I want to delete turns 5–8 and re-steer without losing the useful context from turns 1–4.

Additional Context

This is a more granular version of existing session-deletion requests. While those address deleting entire sessions, this request focuses on surgical editing within a session — analogous to how some chat UIs allow deleting or editing individual messages.

Related Issues

• #30078 — Delete individual sessions from history
• #18293 — Manual session deletion UI in VS Code extension
• #10791 — One-shot command to wipe all conversation history