Claude Code Side Chats: Gone When You Quit (Ctrl+; and /btw)
Claude Code desktop side chats (Ctrl+; on Windows, Cmd+; on Mac, or /btw) see your whole session and send nothing back, and the Claude Code desktop app doesn't save them when you quit. How to use Claude Code side chats, what they can and can't see, and the f key that forks a side answer into a subagent with tools. ---- ❤️ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/DIYSmartCode Higgsfield AI — Create AI Videos & Visuals Get 10% OFF here: https://higgsfield.ai?fpr=thomas-dccf7e 🚀 DYNAMOUS AI COMMUNITY Want to learn agentic coding with live daily events and workshops? Check out Dynamous AI: https://dynamous.ai/?code=646a60 Get 10% off here 👉 https://shorturl.smartcode.diy/dynamous_ai_10_percent_discount ⚡ HOSTINGER — RELIABLE HOSTING FOR YOUR PROJECTS (10% OFF) Whether you're shipping a portfolio, a side project, n8n flows, or AI agents — I use Hostinger for fast, affordable VPS + web hosting. Get 10% off here 👉 https://hostinger.com/DIYSMARTCODE n8n: https://n8n.partnerlinks.io/diysmartcode (Affiliate links — costs you nothing, supports the channel.) ---- What you will see in this 1-minute breakdown: • Opening a side chat in the Claude Code desktop app: Ctrl+; or Cmd+;, or /btw in the prompt box, in a pane beside the session with a tab for each side chat (Claude desktop v2.42304.0) • What it sees: your messages, Claude's replies and the tool results, so it can answer about a file Claude already opened, shown in a real Claude Code 2.1.310 session; the only gap is the reply still being written • What flows back: nothing, the main session's history stays unchanged, and a side question costs little while the prompt cache is warm • Where side chats run (local, SSH and WSL sessions) and what is kept: the desktop app never saves them to disk; the terminal keeps the thread in memory and replays the newest 20 exchanges until you press x • The f key: forks a terminal side answer into a background subagent with full tool access, local sessions only • In the VS Code extension, /btw opens a panel where you can ask follow-ups, and the thread survives window reloads Claude Code desktop docs (Ask a side question without derailing the session): https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop Claude Code interactive mode (Side questions with /btw): https://code.claude.com/docs/en/interactive-mode Claude desktop changelog (v2.42304.0, /btw side chats in a pane): https://claude.com/docs/cowork/changelog Claude Code commands reference (/btw): https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands Claude Code in VS Code (/btw panel): https://code.claude.com/docs/en/vs-code Side chat, or straight into the main thread: where do your quick questions go? #ClaudeCode #ClaudeCodeDesktop #ClaudeDesktop #Claude #ClaudeAI #Anthropic #ClaudeCodeTutorial #ClaudeAITutorial #SideChat #btw #AICoding #AIAgents #AgenticCoding #Subagents #PromptCaching #DeveloperTools #CodingTools #VibeCoding #ClaudeBasics #Shorts