checkpointing.md Claude Code Docs, 2026-01-31 03:42 UTC → 2026-02-09 15:17 UTC

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5# Checkpointing5# Checkpointing

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7> Automatically track and rewind Claude's edits to quickly recover from unwanted changes.7> Track, rewind, and summarize Claude's edits and conversation to manage session state.

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9Claude Code automatically tracks Claude's file edits as you work, allowing you to quickly undo changes and rewind to previous states if anything gets off track.9Claude Code automatically tracks Claude's file edits as you work, allowing you to quickly undo changes and rewind to previous states if anything gets off track.

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20* Checkpoints persist across sessions, so you can access them in resumed conversations20* Checkpoints persist across sessions, so you can access them in resumed conversations

21* Automatically cleaned up along with sessions after 30 days (configurable)21* Automatically cleaned up along with sessions after 30 days (configurable)

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23### Rewinding changes23### Rewind and summarize

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25Press `Esc` twice (`Esc` + `Esc`) or use the `/rewind` command to open up the rewind menu. You can choose to restore:25Press `Esc` twice (`Esc` + `Esc`) or use the `/rewind` command to open the rewind menu. A scrollable list shows each of your prompts from the session. Select the point you want to act on, then choose an action:

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27* **Conversation only**: Rewind to a user message while keeping code changes27* **Restore code and conversation**: revert both code and conversation to that point

28* **Code only**: Revert file changes while keeping the conversation28* **Restore conversation**: rewind to that message while keeping current code

29* **Both code and conversation**: Restore both to a prior point in the session29* **Restore code**: revert file changes while keeping the conversation

30* **Summarize from here**: compress the conversation from this point forward into a summary, freeing context window space

31* **Never mind**: return to the message list without making changes

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33After restoring the conversation or summarizing, the original prompt from the selected message is restored into the input field so you can re-send or edit it.

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35#### Restore vs. summarize

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37The three restore options revert state: they undo code changes, conversation history, or both. "Summarize from here" works differently:

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39* Messages before the selected message stay intact

40* The selected message and all subsequent messages get replaced with a compact AI-generated summary

41* No files on disk are changed

42* The original messages are preserved in the session transcript, so Claude can reference the details if needed

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44This is similar to `/compact`, but targeted: instead of summarizing the entire conversation, you keep early context in full detail and only compress the parts that are using up space. You can type optional instructions to guide what the summary focuses on.

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46<Note>

47 Summarize keeps you in the same session and compresses context. If you want to branch off and try a different approach while preserving the original session intact, use [fork](/en/how-claude-code-works#resume-or-fork-sessions) instead (`claude --continue --fork-session`).

48</Note>

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31## Common use cases50## Common use cases

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33Checkpoints are particularly useful when:52Checkpoints are particularly useful when:

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35* **Exploring alternatives**: Try different implementation approaches without losing your starting point54* **Exploring alternatives**: try different implementation approaches without losing your starting point

36* **Recovering from mistakes**: Quickly undo changes that introduced bugs or broke functionality55* **Recovering from mistakes**: quickly undo changes that introduced bugs or broke functionality

37* **Iterating on features**: Experiment with variations knowing you can revert to working states56* **Iterating on features**: experiment with variations knowing you can revert to working states

57* **Freeing context space**: summarize a verbose debugging session from the midpoint forward, keeping your initial instructions intact

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39## Limitations59## Limitations

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