[FEATURE] Add /delete command to delete current session

[rstar327]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Currently, there is no built-in way to delete sessions from within Claude Code. When users want to remove old, test, or sensitive sessions, they must:

1. Exit Claude Code or open a separate terminal
2. Manually navigate to ~/.claude/projects/
3. Find the correct .jsonl session file
4. Manually delete the file

This breaks the workflow and is error-prone — especially for users who frequently create sessions for testing or experimentation and want to keep their session list clean when using /resume.

The existing /clear command only clears conversation history within the current session — it does not delete the session itself. There is currently no way to permanently remove a session without leaving Claude Code.

Proposed Solution

Add a /delete command with two modes:

Mode 1: Delete current session

/delete

Deletes the currently active session, prompts for confirmation, then exits or starts a new session.

> /delete
Delete current session "portfolio-fixes"? (y/n): y
Session deleted. Starting new session...

Mode 2: Delete session by name

/delete <session-name>

Deletes a specific session by name, similar to how /resume <session-name> works. Shows a list if the name matches multiple sessions.

> /delete my-old-session
Delete session "my-old-session"? (y/n): y
Session deleted.

Ambiguous name handling:

> /delete test
Multiple sessions found:
  1. test-auth-flow
  2. test-database-migration
  3. test-ui-components
Select a session to delete (1-3): 2
Delete session "test-database-migration"? (y/n): y
Session deleted.

Detailed behavior:

Scenario	Expected Behavior
/delete with no arguments	Targets the current active session
/delete <name> with exact match	Targets that specific session
/delete <name> with multiple matches	Shows numbered list to choose from
/delete <name> with no match	Error: No session found matching "<name>"
Confirmation declined (n)	Cancels, returns to current session
Deleting current active session	Starts a new session or exits
Deleting a non-active session	Remains in current session

Alternative Solutions

No response

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

1. I'm working on a project and create multiple test sessions to experiment with different approaches
2. After finding the right approach, I have 5-10 leftover test sessions cluttering my /resume list
3. One of those test sessions accidentally contains an API key I pasted during debugging
4. Currently, I have to exit Claude Code, navigate to ~/.claude/projects/, figure out which .jsonl files correspond to which sessions, and delete them manually
5. With /delete, I could simply type /delete test-session-3 and confirm — done in seconds without leaving Claude Code
6. This keeps the session list clean and the sensitive data removed immediately

Additional Context

This feature would complete the session lifecycle within Claude Code:

Create → Work → Resume → Clear → Delete

Currently the lifecycle is incomplete — users can create, work in, resume, and clear sessions, but cannot delete them without leaving the CLI.

How /delete fits with existing commands:

Command	What It Does
/resume	Lists and resumes a previous session
/clear	Clears conversation history (session still exists)
/delete (proposed)	Permanently deletes a session file

Additional considerations:

• A --force or -f flag could skip the confirmation prompt for power users
• Session files are stored as .jsonl in ~/.claude/projects/
• Should handle edge cases: non-existent sessions, permission errors, deleting the last session

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. [FEATURE] Add /list-sessions and /delete-session slash commands for better session management #16901
2. m #2562
3. [Feature Request] Add session deletion UI to VS Code extension and CLI #21734

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
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically closed as a duplicate of #16901.

If this is incorrect, please re-open this issue or create a new one.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

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.