[BUG] CLI does not persist conversation to local .jsonl in 2.1.113/2.1.114/2.1.227; /resume shows empty; cloud history also missing

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?

Summary

Claude Code CLI (verified on 2.1.113, 2.1.114, 2.1.227) no longer writes conversation content to local ~/.claude/projects/<project>/<sessionId>.jsonl. Only metadata is written. As a result:

• /resume shows an empty list
• Session history in the VSCode extension is empty
• Reloading the VSCode window loses the current chat with no way to recover
• Cloud-side (claude.ai/code) also has no record of these sessions

This appears to be a regression or intentional behavior change with no user-facing configuration to opt out.

Environment

• OS: Linux (RHEL 9.8, kernel 5.14) — HPC login node
• Shell: bash
• Claude Code versions tested (all affected): 2.1.113, 2.1.114, 2.1.227
• Entrypoints tested (all affected): claude-vscode (extension), cli (VSCode integrated terminal), cli (independent SSH)
• Account: Claude Pro

Reproduction

1. Launch claude (any of the three versions above), in any entrypoint
2. Send any message, e.g. hello
3. Exit (Ctrl-D)
4. Inspect ~/.claude/projects/<encoded-cwd>/

Expected: A .jsonl file named <sessionId>.jsonl containing user + assistant messages.

Actual: No .jsonl for the new session ID. Only pre-existing files are present, and they contain only pointer metadata:

{"type":"teleported-from","remoteSessionId":"session_01QWrUrzERK82QrU3Ga6z4f9","messageCount":0}

or

{"type":"ai-title","sessionId":"...","aiTitle":"..."}

~/.claude/sessions/<pid>.json contains only process metadata (pid/cwd/version/entrypoint), no messages.

Diagnostics performed

Ruled out:

• Disk full / quota (2.2T free, 32G quota remaining)
• Directory permissions (verified writable)
• Corrupted config (~/.claude.json has no history/save/sync/telem keys)
• CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PROMPT_HISTORY=1 env var — present when spawned from VSCode extension/Desktop, but absent in independent SSH; behavior is identical
• Version regression — three consecutive versions affected

Confirmed via a second user on the same HPC cluster using Claude Desktop (entrypoint=claude-desktop, version 2.1.219): same env vars injected, same non-persistence.

Expected fix

Either:

1. Restore local .jsonl write for CLI sessions (recommended), or
2. Provide a documented, user-controllable option to enable local persistence, or
3. Ensure teleported-from sessions are actually retrievable from cloud with a documented way to list/restore them

What Should Happen?

When I use claude CLI to have a conversation, the messages should be written to ~/.claude/projects/<encoded-cwd>/<sessionId>.jsonl so that:

1. /resume can list and restore past sessions
2. The VSCode extension's Session History panel shows my past chats
3. Reloading the VSCode window does not lose the current conversation
4. I have a local record I can inspect, back up, or feed to other tools

Currently on 2.1.113 / 2.1.114 / 2.1.227, no .jsonl with actual message content is ever written (only pointer/metadata files with messageCount: 0), regardless of entrypoint (VSCode extension, VSCode integrated terminal, or independent SSH). This makes local session recovery impossible.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Code CLI (verified on versions 2.1.113, 2.1.114, and 2.1.227).

1. Open a shell (any of these entrypoints all reproduce the bug):

• VSCode extension chat panel
• VSCode integrated terminal running claude
• Independent SSH session running claude

1. Start a new session and send a message, e.g.:

> hello

Wait for the assistant reply.

1. Optionally send a second message to confirm the session is active:

> this is a test

1. Exit the CLI (Ctrl-D or /exit). Note the sessionId shown in ~/.claude/sessions/<pid>.json, e.g.:

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.114 (Claude Code) Also reproduced on: 2.1.113 (Claude Code) and 2.1.227 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Other Linux

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

_No response_