# Does Claude Code remember between sessions?

> Claude Code carries some information between sessions through persistent instructions and auto memory. A new session starts with fresh conversation context; --continue or --resume reopens a saved local conversation instead. Keep exact task status in a reviewed handoff file, such as one saved to 1folder, and ask the next session to read it.

*Picture: Where each app keeps what it makes. Claude Code: Project instructions (persistent rules in claude.md or agents.md), Auto memory (learnings saved across sessions), Saved conversations (reopen with --continue or --resume). Release handoff, a page saved by Claude Code: Release: 1.4 candidate; Verified: export test passed; Unverified: Windows packaging; Next: inspect the installer.* Claude Code’s own instructions, auto memory and saved conversations serve different purposes from a checked release handoff.

## Choose what should survive the session

1. **Use persistent instructions for lasting rules.** Claude Code documents project instructions in CLAUDE.md and support for reading a repository’s AGENTS.md instead. Keep stable conventions and check commands there, following the repository’s existing instruction-file rules.
2. **Review auto memory separately.** Claude Code can save learnings automatically, including corrections and preferences. Its memory guide explains how this differs from instructions you write. Do not assume it is a complete, reviewed record of the task.
3. **Resume when you want the existing conversation.** Run claude --continue to reopen the most recent session in the current directory, or claude --resume to choose one. Starting a genuinely new session gives you fresh conversation context rather than all previous conversations.
4. **Save a precise working handoff.** For exact state, write a note with the code revision, changed files, actual check results and next action. Keep it locally, or ask [connected Claude Code](https://1folderapp.com/integrations/claude-code-mcp.md) to save it in 1folder for another session or AI app to read.

   *Picture: In Claude Code, you type: “Save Release handoff in 1folder with the current revision, export test result, unverified Windows packaging and next step.” Claude Code saves Release handoff (a page saved by Claude Code) to 1folder.*

## What persists, and how to use it

| | What it keeps | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md | Written instructions loaded as persistent project context | Build commands and stable coding conventions |
| Auto memory | Learnings Claude saves as you work | Recurring corrections and preferences |
| Saved local conversation | Conversation history that can be resumed | Return to a previous sitting |
| An explicit handoff | The current state and evidence you choose to save | Transfer a task deliberately and verify it |

Checked on November 11, 2026. Native behavior comes from Claude Code’s memory, architecture and common workflows docs; the handoff is a suggested workflow.

## How to save Claude Code context between sessions

Decide whether you need the conversation or the state of the project. Reopening a saved conversation is convenient for continuing the same investigation. [A handoff](https://1folderapp.com/how-to/claude-code-handoff.md) is more useful when another app will continue, when the code has changed since the last session or when a reviewer needs a short statement of what was actually verified.

For a release candidate, the note might say that the export test passed, Windows packaging was not checked and the next step is to inspect the installer. Include the branch and commit it describes. The next session should confirm those details against the checkout before acting on them.

## Where does Claude Code save files?

In a local session, Claude Code works with the project directory and paths you give it. Its architecture guide says it can access that directory and its subdirectories, plus other files with permission. Ask for the absolute path of a [generated report](https://1folderapp.com/how-to/claude-code-html-report.md) before assuming it is in your downloads.

Claude Code also saves local conversation records under ~/.claude/projects/ so sessions can be resumed. These records are different from the source code and deliverables it edits. A file written locally does not appear in 1folder unless you upload it or ask a connected app to save it there.

## End with evidence, start by reading it

- In Claude Code: “Write a release handoff with the current project path, branch and commit, changed files, exact checks run and results, unverified Windows packaging and the next step. Save it as Release handoff in my Releases folder in 1folder and return its private link.”
- In Codex: “Read Release handoff in 1folder, then inspect this checkout. Confirm the revision and report any mismatch. Continue with the unverified packaging step and update the same handoff with the checks you actually ran.”

## A shared file is not shared model memory

1folder can keep the brief, decisions and report that several connected apps need. Connect each app with https://1folderapp.com/mcp, sign in and allow the relevant folder. Ask the next app to read the saved file; nothing imports the prior chat automatically.

Updates to the same file become versions showing who changed it. Compare or undo a mistaken edit while keeping the same link. Keep Git history and code review in the repository workflow: a shared handoff does not transfer uncommitted code or replace a source backup.

## Questions

### Does Claude Code remember all context between sessions?

No. Its docs say a new session starts with a fresh context window. Persistent instructions and auto memory carry selected information; resuming a saved conversation is a different action.

### Is auto memory the same as a task handoff?

No. Auto memory stores learnings Claude chooses to save. A handoff explicitly records the task’s state and evidence so you and the next session can review it.

### Can I keep context without a 1folder account?

Yes. Use Claude Code’s persistent instructions, auto memory and resume options, or keep a handoff file in your project. 1folder helps when you want a shared file link and versions across apps.

### Does 1folder read the local conversation records?

No. It stores only the files you upload or ask the connected app to save. It does not inspect local session records or move chat history.

## Sources

- [Claude Code: How Claude remembers your project](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory)
- [Claude Code: How Claude Code works](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/how-claude-code-works)
- [Claude Code: Common workflows](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/common-workflows)

Checked on November 11, 2026.

## Read next

- [Claude Code handoff: pass work to a new session](https://1folderapp.com/how-to/claude-code-handoff.md): Write a Claude Code handoff with the revision, changed files, checks and next steps. Compare HANDOFF.md, resume and compact, and save it to 1folder to share.
- [Claude Code HTML report: publish it with a link](https://1folderapp.com/how-to/claude-code-html-report.md): Ask Claude Code or Codex for one HTML report, save it to 1folder and turn on its public link. Keep one address for revisions, within the hosting limits.
- [Use Claude Code and Codex together on the same files, with Cursor too](https://1folderapp.com/integrations/claude-code-and-codex-together.md): Use Claude Code, Codex and Cursor together with a saved handoff, code revision and checks. Connect each app once and keep the next agent’s starting point clear.
- [An AI agent workspace: shared files for every agent you use](https://1folderapp.com/use-cases/ai-agent-workspace.md): 1folder gives Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and your chat apps one shared workspace of files. Each agent gets its own access; every change is a version.

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