[FEATURE] VS Code: easy session resume after accidental close

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

It is very easy to accidentally close a Claude Code session tab in VS Code — a misclick on the X, Cmd+W, or closing a split panel. Once closed, the session (with its full context, in-progress work, and conversation history) is gone from the VS Code UI. The only recovery path is dropping to the terminal and using claude --resume <session-id>, which requires knowing the session ID and leaves the VS Code integration behind.

This is particularly costly for long sessions involving research, multi-step implementation, or design discussions where the accumulated context is the primary value.

Proposed Solution

Add a "Resume Recent Session" option to the VS Code extension, accessible from:

1. The Claude Code panel header — a dropdown or button showing recent sessions (similar to how terminal tabs show recent sessions)
2. The VS Code command palette — Claude Code: Resume Session command that shows a picker with recent sessions, their titles/summaries, and timestamps

The session picker should show:

• Session title (auto-generated or user-set)
• Last activity timestamp
• First line or summary of the conversation
• Working directory

This is analogous to how VS Code's built-in terminal supports "Relaunch Terminal" and how browser tabs can be restored with Cmd+Shift+T.

Why this matters more for Claude Code than for regular tabs

A normal file tab can be reopened trivially — the file is on disk. A Claude Code session represents accumulated LLM context that took real time and cost to build. Losing it means re-doing research, re-explaining context, and re-establishing the working state. The cost of accidental closure is disproportionately high compared to other VS Code tabs.

Current Workaround

1. Open a terminal
2. Run claude --resume to see the session list
3. Find the right session by timestamp/title
4. Run claude --resume <session-id>
5. Continue in the terminal (losing VS Code integration)

Related Issues

• #34098 — fuzzy search for --resume (CLI-side improvement)
• #32513 — session summary in --resume picker (CLI-side improvement)
• #35022 — deserialization bugs when VS Code tries to restore tabs

This request is about bringing the --resume capability into the VS Code extension UI natively, not about fixing the CLI experience.

Priority

Medium - Important for my workflow

Feature Category

IDE integration