[BUG] /compact no longer clears conversation window — scroll indicator unusable as context gauge
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?
Title: /compact no longer clears conversation window — scroll indicator unusable as context gauge
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Describe the bug
Previously, running /compact would visually clear the conversation window. The message history would be
replaced with a summary, and the scroll indicator would show that the window was nearly empty. This gave a
clear confirmation that compact had run, and made the scroll indicator useful for judging how full the
context was getting.
Recently, this behavior changed. After running /compact, the conversation window is completely unchanged
— All previous messages remain visible; nothing is summarized or cleared visually.
What Should Happen?
Expected behavior
The conversation window should update to show a summary (or be cleared), consistent with how it worked
previously. The scroll indicator should reflect the compressed context state.
Actual behavior
The window stays exactly as it was before /compact was run. The scroll indicator always shows a full
window regardless of compact having run.
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
To reproduce
- Have a long conversation in Claude Code
- Run /compact
- Observe that the conversation window does not change — full history remains visible
Claude Model
Sonnet (default)
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
v2.1.104
Platform
Other
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
Windows Terminal
Additional Information
Impact
- No visual confirmation that compact ran successfully
- The scroll indicator is no longer useful for gauging context fullness
- No way to tell when auto-compact might fire mid-session
6 Comments
Found 3 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
There are many, many good reasons why the scrollback should not be cleared. We have fought for a long time to get that feature; please don't work against it with this anti-bug.
https://xkcd.com/1172/
I wasn't aware that people wanted this change. I wouldn't want to inconvenience people, but I liked that the compact erased the previous conversations. Since I work with strict recording and memory notes, I don't need it, plus I added 2 hooks which makes Claude Code write a snapshot of the conversation before compact to memory, plus after each change or fix I have exact steps which I copy paste to update all relevent MD files and memory of what we did, so the screen keeping the conversation is useless to me. But I can also see how it could be helpful if you don't work with strict guidelines.
I now understand the change was intentional — keeping history visible is useful.
My concern is losing the ability to gauge context fullness.
Would it be possible to add a context usage indicator (e.g., a percentage or bar) so users can see how full the context is without needing to infer it from the scroll position?
Closing — apparently, this was an intentional change.
Opening a separate feature request.
This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.