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Claude Code Checkpoint Recovery Capability Pack Skill

Expert Claude Code checkpoint recovery capability pack for auditing automatic edit tracking, choosing restore versus summarize actions in /rewind, and recovering from bad turns without losing git history.

by kiannidev·added 2026-06-13·
Claude CodeCodexWindsurfGeminiCursorCLI
HarnessClaude CodeCodexWindsurfGeminiCursorCLI
Level:expertType:capability-packVerified:validated
Review first — review before installing

Open the source and read safety notes before installing.

Safety notes

  • This skill recommends checkpoint actions; it must not run `/rewind` restore or summarize without explicit user approval.
  • Restore code and conversation reverts both files and chat history to a prior prompt; confirm the target checkpoint before acting.
  • Restore code alone keeps conversation but reverts file edits; restore conversation alone keeps current files but rewinds chat.
  • Summarize compresses conversation segments without changing files on disk; it is not a substitute for git revert when bash commands modified files.
  • Checkpointing does not track files changed by bash commands such as `rm`, `mv`, or `cp`; use git or manual recovery for those paths.

Privacy notes

  • The /rewind menu lists every user prompt in the session, which may expose internal task names, credentials pasted in prompts, or customer context.
  • Restored prompts reappear in the input field and may contain sensitive instructions that should be redacted before sharing screens.
  • Session transcripts persist with checkpoints for up to 30 days by default; treat resumed sessions as containing prior sensitive content.
  • Public support notes should describe the recovery lane and checkpoint choice, not full prompt text or complete file diffs.

Prerequisites

  • An active or resumable Claude Code session where checkpoint recovery is needed.
  • Permission to run `/rewind` or use double-Esc when the prompt input is empty.
  • Awareness of whether problematic changes came from Claude file tools, bash commands, or manual edits outside the session.
  • Git or other version control available when permanent history or collaboration rollback is required.

Schema details

Install type
package
Reading time
8 min
Difficulty score
76
Troubleshooting
Yes
Breaking changes
No
Source repository stats
Scope
Source repo
Package metadata
Skill and platform metadata
Skill type
capability-pack
Skill level
expert
Verification
validated
Verified at
2026-06-13
Retrieval sources
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/checkpointinghttps://code.claude.com/docs/en/sessionshttps://code.claude.com/docs/en/interactive-modehttps://code.claude.com/docs/en/commandshttps://code.claude.com/docs/en/skillshttps://code.claude.com/docs/en/features-overviewhttps://github.com/anthropics/claude-codehttps://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
Tested platforms
ClaudeClaude CodeCodexCursorWindsurfGeneric AGENTS
PlatformSupportInstall path
claude-codeNative.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
codexNative.agents/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
windsurfNative.windsurf/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
geminiNative.gemini/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md or .agents/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
cursorAdapter.cursor/rules/<skill-name>.mdc
cliManualAGENTS.md or tool-specific context file
Full copyable content
# Trigger
"Apply the Claude Code checkpoint recovery capability pack to this session."

# Required output
1) Checkpoint inventory and failure lane (code, conversation, or both)
2) Source-backed /rewind action recommendation: restore, summarize, or fork
3) Bash-change and external-edit limitations called out explicitly
4) Verification steps and git complement notes
5) Privacy-safe summary of prompts and file paths reviewed

About this resource

Knowledge Freshness

This capability pack is grounded in Claude Code checkpointing, sessions, interactive mode, commands, skills, and features-overview documentation verified on 2026-06-13. Prefer live official docs over remembered keyboard shortcuts when reviewing new Claude Code releases.

Retrieval Sources

Scope Note

This is not a git tutorial. Use it as a reusable recovery workflow when Claude Code session-level undo is faster than branch surgery but you still need to understand bash-tracking limits and when git remains the source of truth.

Core Workflow

  1. Classify the failure lane: bad file edits, bad conversation direction, both, or context pressure without wanting file changes.
  2. Confirm how the unwanted change was introduced: Claude file editing tools, bash command side effects, manual external edits, or another concurrent session touching the same files.
  3. Open /rewind or press double-Esc with an empty prompt input. If the input contains text, double-Esc clears it instead of opening the menu.
  4. Select the target user prompt checkpoint. Each user prompt creates a new checkpoint for tracked file edits.
  5. Choose the action that matches the lane:
    • Restore code and conversation when both should return to the checkpoint.
    • Restore conversation when files are correct but chat direction is wrong.
    • Restore code when conversation should continue but edits should revert.
    • Summarize from here to compress from the selected message forward.
    • Summarize up to here to compress earlier setup while keeping recent detail.
  6. If branching is needed instead of in-place recovery, use claude --continue --fork-session to preserve the original session intact.
  7. Verify file state, restored prompt text, and whether bash-affected files need separate git or manual repair.
  8. Document what was restored, what remains outside checkpoint scope, and any follow-up git commits required.

Capability Scope

  • Automatic checkpoint tracking for Claude file editing tools.
  • /rewind restore and summarize action selection.
  • Session forking versus in-place recovery decisions.
  • Bash command and external edit limitation awareness.
  • Checkpoint persistence across resumed sessions.
  • Privacy-safe recovery handoff notes.

Compatibility

Native

  • Claude Code / Claude: use as an Agent Skill when triaging a session that needs selective undo, targeted summarization, or forked retry.

Manual Adaptation

  • Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, and Generic AGENTS workflows: use the workflow as a deterministic checklist for Claude Code session recovery in support runbooks.

Required Inputs

  • Symptom description and approximate prompt where the session went off track.
  • Whether bash commands, manual edits, or concurrent sessions may have changed files outside checkpoint tracking.
  • Current git status if permanent rollback or collaboration sync is needed.
  • Whether the goal is code revert, conversation rewind, context compression, or a forked retry.

Production Rules

  • Treat checkpoints as session-level local undo, not permanent version history.
  • Continue using git for commits, branches, review, and collaboration rollback.
  • Never assume bash-driven file changes are reversible through /rewind.
  • Confirm the selected checkpoint before restore actions; they are destructive to later session state in that branch of the conversation.
  • Prefer summarize when the goal is context space without disk changes.
  • Prefer fork when you want to preserve the original session for comparison.
  • Redact sensitive prompt text before sharing recovery steps publicly.

Review Matrix

Situation First route Safer first check
Claude edited the wrong files Restore code Confirm edits came from file tools, not bash
Conversation drifted but code is fine Restore conversation Pick checkpoint before the bad direction
Both code and chat need reset Restore code and conversation Verify checkpoint predates the mistake
Long debug thread needs compression Summarize from here or up to here Confirm files on disk should stay unchanged
Want to retry without losing original Fork session Use --continue --fork-session
rm or mv broke files Git or manual repair Checkpoints do not track bash file ops

Output Contract

  1. Failure lane and checkpoint target recommendation.
  2. Evidence reviewed, including bash versus file-tool change source.
  3. Exact /rewind or fork action with expected outcome.
  4. Verification checklist for files, conversation, and git state.
  5. Limitations explicitly stated for untracked change types.
  6. Privacy-safe summary suitable for an issue or support handoff.

Duplicate Check

Checked content/skills, content/guides, generated catalog text, and open pull requests for Claude Code Checkpoint Recovery, /rewind, checkpointing, and session fork workflows. Official docs describe checkpointing, but no skills entry provides a reusable Claude Code checkpoint recovery workflow with action matrix and bash-limitation contract.

Editorial Disclosure

Submitted as an independent source-backed HeyClaude content entry by kiannidev. It is based on public Claude Code documentation, the public Anthropic claude-code repository, and Google Search Central helpful-content guidance. No paid placement, referral link, affiliate link, or vendor sponsorship is used.

#claude-code#checkpointing#rewind#session-recovery#capability-pack

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