Feature: Per-terminal session affinity for --continue

[kitaekatt]

Note: This is a resubmission of #18624, which was automatically closed as a duplicate of #15047. These are different issues:

Issue	Type	Problem
#15047	Bug	Ralph-wiggum stop hook triggers in a different session (cross-session hook interference)
#18624	Feature	--continue resumes wrong session (should prefer terminal-local history)

#15047 is about hooks leaking across sessions. This issue is about improving --continue UX with per-terminal affinity. Related scenario (multi-terminal), but different problems requiring different solutions.

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Problem

When using --continue, Claude Code resumes the most recently active session globally. This causes friction for users with multiple long-running terminal sessions:

1. User has a long-running Claude session in Terminal A
2. Other Claude sessions occur in Terminals B, C, D
3. User needs to restart Terminal A's session (e.g., to pick up config changes)
4. --continue resumes the wrong session (most recent globally, not Terminal A's session)

The /resume list becomes unwieldy with many sessions, and while users can specify a session ID explicitly, this is high-friction and users often don't discover the session is "stale" until after attempting to continue.

Proposed Solution

Add per-terminal session affinity for --continue. The goal: when a user types --continue in a terminal, it should resume the session that was last active in that specific terminal, not globally.

Example Implementation Approach

One possible approach: persist session-to-terminal mappings using a "best available terminal identifier" pattern. Claude Code may have other internal mechanisms that could achieve the same goal.

On session exit: Store a mapping from terminal identifier → session ID

On --continue (without explicit session): Check for a stored mapping for the current terminal identifier before falling back to global recency

Terminal identifier priority list (use best available):

Priority	Identifier	Source	Notes
1	$ITERM_SESSION_ID	iTerm2	Unique per tab, survives splits
2	$KITTY_WINDOW_ID	Kitty	Unique per window
3	$WT_SESSION	Windows Terminal	Session GUID
4	$TERM_SESSION_ID	macOS Terminal.app	Per-window
5	$TMUX + $TMUX_PANE	tmux	Survives detach/reattach
6	$STY + window	GNU Screen	Screen session identifier
7	tty output	Universal fallback	Recycled on terminal close

Storage format (example):

{
  "identifier_type": "KITTY_WINDOW_ID",
  "identifier_value": "12345",
  "session_id": "abc-def-123",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-16T..."
}

Edge case - TTY recycling: For the TTY fallback (which gets recycled when terminals close/reopen), add a staleness check (e.g., ignore mappings older than 24 hours).

User Experience

Before: User must remember session IDs or scroll through /resume to find the right session

After: --continue "just works" - it continues whatever session was last active in this terminal, regardless of activity in other terminals

Notes

• The above is one possible implementation approach - Claude Code may have other internal mechanisms that could achieve the same goal more elegantly
• The identifier list is extensible as terminal emulators add new session identifiers
• Falls back gracefully: terminals without recognized identifiers behave as today (global recency)
• No breaking changes to existing behavior

[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.