/history command should list past conversations, not clear the current one
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Apr 1, 2026 by mdfisher-glitchprod Closed May 10, 2026
Problem
The /history command in Claude Code clears the current conversation. This is the opposite of what every CLI user expects.
In every major CLI tool — bash, zsh, PowerShell, Python REPL, Node REPL, SQL clients — history lists previous commands/sessions. It is one of the most universally consistent conventions in command-line interfaces.
Making /history a destructive action (clearing the conversation) with no confirmation prompt is surprising and leads to data loss.
What happened
- User asked Claude how to view past conversation history
- Claude suggested
/history(a reasonable guess given universal CLI convention) - The conversation was immediately cleared with no confirmation
- All conversation context was lost
Suggested fix
/historyshould list or browse past conversations (the JSONL files in~/.claude/projects/)- The clear/reset behavior should remain under
/clear(which already exists and is intuitive) - If
/historymust remain as clear for backwards compatibility, at minimum add a confirmation prompt before destroying the session
Environment
- Claude Code CLI on Windows + WSL2
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