[DOCS] Agent view docs omit that `/bg` and `←` keep directories added with `/add-dir`

Status Fixed / completed

Maintainer reply None cached

Activity 3 comments · opened May 19, 2026 · closed Jun 4, 2026

Documentation Type

Missing documentation (feature not documented)

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view

Section/Topic

From inside a session and the attach/detach guidance for background sessions

Current Documentation

The docs currently say:

Press Enter or → on a row to attach when you want the full conversation. The session takes over the terminal exactly as if you had run claude. Press ← on an empty prompt to detach and return to the table. To move a session you already have open into agent view, run /bg inside it, or press ← on an empty prompt to background it and open agent view in one step. Backgrounding from an interactive session starts a fresh process that resumes from the saved conversation... Configuration flags from the original launch carry through to the backgrounded session, so its MCP servers, settings, and fallback model remain in effect: --mcp-config and --strict-mcp-config --settings --add-dir --plugin-dir --fallback-model --allow-dangerously-skip-permissions

Related docs also say:

/add-dir <path> ... You can later resume the session from the added directory with --continue or --resume

and:

--continue, -c ... Includes sessions that added this directory with /add-dir

What's Wrong or Missing?

The agent view docs explain that launch-time flags carry through to backgrounded sessions, but they do not say that directories added later with /add-dir are also preserved when you background with /bg or press ← to detach.

Because the preserved-state list is framed as "Configuration flags from the original launch," a reader can reasonably infer that only startup --add-dir values survive. The v2.1.144 behavior change for /bg and ←-detach preserving directories added via /add-dir is not documented on the page that teaches those flows.

Suggested Improvement

Add an explicit note in agent-view near the /bg / detach behavior, for example:

Backgrounding also preserves directories added earlier in the session with /add-dir, so the backgrounded session and later --continue / --resume lookups still include those directories.

If the behavior is identical for both /bg and ←-detach, say that directly on the same page so users do not have to infer it from separate /add-dir, --continue, and session-picker pages.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

| Page | Line(s) | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view | 60-65, 258-269 | /bg and ← detach are documented, but preserved state is described only in terms of original launch flags |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands | 43-46 | /add-dir and /background are documented separately, but not tied together |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference | 62, 100 | --continue and --resume mention sessions that added the current directory with /add-dir |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sessions | 35 | Session picker includes sessions started elsewhere that added the current directory with /add-dir |

Total scope: 4 pages affected

Version context: This missing clarification matters for the v2.1.144 change: /bg and ←-detach now preserve directories added via /add-dir.

View original on GitHub ↗

3 Comments

github-actions[bot] · 4 months ago

Found 1 possible duplicate issue:

https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/59593

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
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coygeek · 4 months ago

Issue #60414 Verification

Title: [DOCS] Agent view docs omit that /bg and ← keep directories added with /add-dir
Issue Date: 2026-05-19
Verification Date: 2026-06-04
Status: RESOLVED

---

Issue Summary

This issue reports that the agent-view documentation did not explicitly say that backgrounding a session with /bg or with the ← detach shortcut preserves directories that were added earlier in the session with /add-dir, which forced readers to infer that behavior from separate /add-dir, --continue, --resume, and session-picker documentation.

---

Verification Results

Claim 1: The `agent-view` page does not say that backgrounding with `/bg` keeps directories added during the session with `/add-dir`

Status: RESOLVED

At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view, lines 277-290, the page now says:

"Run /background or its alias /bg to move the current conversation into a background session." "Directories you added during the session with /add-dir also carry through."

Verdict: The agent-view page now explicitly documents the previously missing behavior. It no longer limits the preserved state to original launch flags; it directly states that directories added later with /add-dir also carry through to the backgrounded session.

---

Claim 2: Readers must infer the detach behavior from separate `/add-dir`, `--continue`, `--resume`, and session-picker pages instead of seeing it on `agent-view`

Status: RESOLVED

At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view, lines 179-185, the page now says:

"Press ← on an empty prompt to detach and return to agent view." "Pressing ← on an empty prompt works from any Claude Code session, not only ones you attached to from agent view. It backgrounds the current session and opens agent view with that row selected..."

The companion pages still describe the lookup behavior for added directories:

At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands, line 48: "You can later resume the session from the added directory with --continue or --resume" At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference, line 63: "--continue ... Includes sessions that added this directory with /add-dir" At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference, line 103: "--resume ... Includes sessions that added this directory with /add-dir." At https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sessions, line 35: "the session picker shows interactive sessions from the current worktree, plus sessions started elsewhere that added the current directory with /add-dir"

Verdict: The missing bridge note is now present on the agent-view page itself, and the related pages still document how added directories affect session lookup. Readers no longer have to infer the background-preservation behavior solely from separate pages.

---

Current State

| Claim | Status |
|-------|--------|
| Claim 1: agent-view now states that directories added with /add-dir also carry through when the session is backgrounded | RESOLVED |
| Claim 2: agent-view now directly covers the backgrounding flow, while the related /add-dir and resume docs still describe lookup behavior | RESOLVED |

---

Suggested Fix

N/A - issue has been resolved.

---

References

URL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view
Lines 179-185: Documents ← as a detach shortcut that backgrounds the current session and opens agent view
URL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-view
Lines 277-290: Documents /bg backgrounding and explicitly states that directories added during the session with /add-dir also carry through
URL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands
Line 48: States that /add-dir sessions can later be resumed from the added directory with --continue or --resume
URL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference
Lines 63-63: States that --continue includes sessions that added the current directory with /add-dir
URL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference
Lines 103-103: States that --resume includes sessions that added the current directory with /add-dir
URL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sessions
Lines 35-35: States that the session picker includes sessions started elsewhere that added the current directory with /add-dir

---

Conclusion & Recommendation

Primary Concern: The agent-view docs did not explicitly say that /bg and ← preserve directories added during the session with /add-dir.

Resolution Status: RESOLVED

Recommendation: CLOSE

The current agent-view page now includes the missing note that directories added during the session with /add-dir also carry through when the session is backgrounded. Because the page also defines ← as a backgrounding shortcut and the related resume/session-picker pages still document added-directory lookup behavior, the reported documentation gap has been closed.

github-actions[bot] · 2 months ago

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.