--- sidebar_position: 1 title: Session Management sidebar_label: Session Management --- import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs'; import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem'; import { AppWindow, PanelLeft, FolderDot, Paperclip, Copy, Edit2, Trash2, Download, Upload, ChefHat } from 'lucide-react'; A session is a single, continuous interaction between you and goose, providing a space to ask questions and prompt action. This guide covers how to manage the session lifecycle. ## Start Session :::info First-time setup In your first session, goose prompts you to [set up an LLM (Large Language Model) provider](/docs/getting-started/installation#set-llm-provider). ::: When you open goose, you'll see the session interface ready for use. Just type—[or speak](/docs/guides/sessions/in-session-actions#voice-dictation "Learn how to enable voice dictation")—your questions, requests, or instructions directly into the input field, and goose will immediately get to work. To start a new chat session: 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `Home` or `Chat` in the sidebar 3. Send your first prompt from the chat box goose Desktop supports working with multiple active chat sessions in the same window. Your new sessions are added to the `Chat` section of the sidebar, so you can quickly switch between your 10 most recent sessions. Just click a session to [continue working](#resume-session) in that session. To change your working directory, click the directory switcher at the bottom of the app. :::info Starting Sessions in a New Window To start a session in a new window, click the button in the top-left. After you send your first prompt, the new session is added to the `Chat` section of the sidebar. On macOS, you can also use the goose dock icon to quickly start sessions: - **Drag and drop** a folder onto the goose icon to open a new session in that directory - **Right-click** the goose icon and select `New Window` to open a new session in your most recent directory ::: #### Keyboard Shortcuts You can also use keyboard shortcuts to start a new session or manage goose windows. | Action | macOS | Windows/Linux | |--------|-------|---------------| | New Session with [Quick Launcher](#quick-launcher) | `Cmd+Option+Shift+G` | `Ctrl+Alt+Shift+G` | | New Session in Current Directory | `Cmd+N` | `Ctrl+N` | | New Session in Current Directory (Same Window) | `Cmd+T` | `Ctrl+T` | | New Session in Different Directory | `Cmd+O` | `Ctrl+O` | | Toggle Sidebar | `Cmd+B` | `Ctrl+B` | | Open Settings | `Cmd+,` | `Ctrl+,` | | Focus goose Window | `Cmd+Option+G` | `Ctrl+Alt+G` | | Keep goose Window Always on Top | `Cmd+Shift+T` | `Ctrl+Shift+T` | #### Customize Keyboard Shortcuts You can customize these keyboard shortcuts in the **Settings** menu: 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `Settings` 3. Click the `Keyboard` tab Changes to global shortcuts (Focus Window, Quick Launcher) take effect immediately. Changes to application shortcuts (New Chat, Settings, etc.) require restarting goose. #### Quick Launcher Start a new session by typing your prompt into a popup: 1. Press `Cmd+Option+Shift+G` (macOS) or `Ctrl+Alt+Shift+G` (Windows/Linux) to open the popup 2. Type your prompt and press `Enter` The session opens to your most recently opened directory in a new goose window. From your terminal, navigate to the directory from which you'd like to start, and run the [session](/docs/guides/goose-cli-commands#session-options) command: ```sh goose session ``` ## Name Session A session's display name is auto-generated based on the context of your initial prompt. Session names help you identify goose sessions so you can switch between active sessions or [resume a session](#resume-session). You can edit session names after they're created: 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `View All` at the bottom of the `Chat` section 3. Hover over the session you'd like to rename 4. Click the button that appears on the session card 5. In the "Edit Session Description" modal that opens: - Enter your new session description (up to 200 characters) - Press `Enter` to save or `Escape` to cancel - Or click the `Save` or `Cancel` buttons 6. A success toast notification will confirm the change Session names appear in the `Chat` section of the sidebar, the `Window` menu, and the Dock (macOS) or taskbar (Windows) menu. goose sessions are given an auto-generated name based on the context of your initial prompt. If you'd like to provide a specific session name, you can do so when starting a session. For example, to name your session "react-migration", run: ```sh goose session --name react-migration ``` If you want to confirm the session name, run: ```sh goose session list -l 1 ``` Example result: ```text Available sessions: 20260213_9 - react-migration - 2026-02-13 16:20:37 UTC ``` In the output above, `20260213_9` is the session ID. Session IDs use the format `YYYYMMDD_`. Many [goose CLI commands](/docs/guides/goose-cli-commands) let you identify a session by name (`--name` / `-n`) as an alternative to `--session-id`. :::tip Disable AI-generated Session Naming Use [`GOOSE_DISABLE_SESSION_NAMING`](/docs/guides/environment-variables#session-management) to keep the default name instead of calling a model to generate one (useful in CI/headless workflows). The default name in goose Desktop is "New Chat" and the default name in goose CLI is "CLI Session". ::: ## Exit Session Note that sessions are automatically saved when you exit. To exit a session, simply close the application. To exit a session, type `exit`. Alternatively, you exit the session by holding down `Ctrl+C`. Your session will be stored in goose's [local SQLite database](/docs/guides/logs#session-records). ## Search Sessions Search allows you to find specific content within sessions or find specific sessions. You can use keyboard shortcuts and search bar buttons to search sessions in goose Desktop. | Action | macOS | Windows/Linux | |--------|-------|---------------| | Open Search | `Cmd+F` | `Ctrl+F` | | Next Match | `Cmd+G` or `↓` | `Ctrl+G` or `↓` | | Previous Match | `Shift+Cmd+G` or `↑` | `Shift+Ctrl+G` or `↑` | | Use Selection for Find | `Cmd+E` | n/a | | Toggle Case-Sensitivity | `Aa` | `Aa` | | Close Search | `Esc` or `X` | `Esc` or `X` | :::tip Customize Search Shortcuts You can [customize](#keyboard-shortcuts) the Find, Find Next, and Find Previous keyboard shortcuts in **Settings** → **Keyboard** tab. ::: :::info No Regex or operator support Using regular expressions or search operators in search text isn't supported. ::: The following scenarios are supported: #### Search Within Current Session To find specific content within your current session: 1. Use `Cmd+F` to open the search bar 2. Enter your search term 3. Use shortcuts and search bar buttons to navigate the results #### Search Across Sessions To search conversation history across all your sessions: 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `View All` at the bottom of the `Chat` section 3. Use `Cmd+F` (or `Ctrl+F`) to open the search bar 4. Enter your search term 5. Use keyboard shortcuts and search bar buttons to navigate the results (`Cmd+E` not supported) This searches the content of messages in your conversations. The search is limited to the 10 most recent matching messages across sessions. If your search term appears in many messages, the search will only return a subset of sessions. :::tip Ask goose directly You can also use the built-in [Chat Recall extension](/docs/mcp/chatrecall-mcp) to ask goose to search your conversation history: - "Find my earlier conversation about React hooks from last week" - "Show me sessions where I worked on database migrations" ::: #### Search Within Current Session Search functionality is provided by your terminal interface. Use the appropriate shortcut for your environment: | Terminal | Operating System | Shortcut | |----------|-----------------|-----------| | iTerm2 | macOS | `Cmd+F` | | Terminal.app | macOS | `Cmd+F` | | Windows Terminal | Windows | `Ctrl+F` | | Linux Terminal | Linux | `Ctrl+F` | To find specific content within your current session: 1. Use the shortcut to open the search bar 2. Enter your search term 3. Use shortcuts and search bar buttons to navigate the results :::info Your specific terminal emulator may use a different keyboard shortcut. Check your terminal's documentation or settings for the search command. ::: #### Search Across All Session Content To search conversation content across all your sessions, start a goose session and ask directly: - "Find my earlier conversation about React hooks from last week" - "Show me sessions where I worked on database migrations" goose will search your session history and show relevant conversations with context from matching sessions. :::info This functionality requires the built-in [Chatrecall extension](/docs/mcp/chatrecall-mcp) to be enabled. ::: #### Search Session Data Directly The [`session list`](/docs/guides/goose-cli-commands#session-list-options) subcommand with supported options can be useful for some search operations. You can also query the SQLite database directly: ```bash # Search session descriptions sqlite3 ~/.local/share/goose/sessions/sessions.db \ "SELECT id, description FROM sessions WHERE description LIKE '%your search term%';" # Search by working directory sqlite3 ~/.local/share/goose/sessions/sessions.db \ "SELECT id, description, working_dir FROM sessions WHERE working_dir LIKE '%project-name%';" # List recent sessions sqlite3 ~/.local/share/goose/sessions/sessions.db \ "SELECT id, description, created_at FROM sessions ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 10;" ``` :::info Session Storage Migration Starting with version 1.10.0, goose uses a SQLite database (`sessions.db`) instead of individual `.jsonl` files. Legacy `.jsonl` files remain on disk but are no longer managed by goose. ::: ## Resume Session You can switch between active sessions in the sidebar or resume any session from your history. #### Switch Between Active Sessions goose Desktop allows you to switch between multiple chat sessions in the same window. You can start a task in one session, switch to another to do some work, and return to the first session when the task is completed. Your most recent sessions (up to 10) are available in the sidebar for quick access: 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. In the `Chat` section, click any session to switch to it Visual indicators help you track session status: - **Blue spinning icon** - Session is actively processing a request - **Green dot** - Session completed a task while you were viewing a different session - **Red dot** - Session encountered an error In addition, sessions that are started from a recipe display the icon. :::tip You can [rename sessions](#name-session) to make it easier to identify specific sessions. ::: #### Resume from Session History To find and resume sessions beyond your 10 most recent: 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `View All` at the bottom of the `Chat` section 3. Find the session you'd like to resume. goose provides [search features](#search-sessions) to help you find the session. 4. Choose how to resume: - Click `Resume` to continue in the current window - Click `New Window` to open in a new window To resume your latest session, you can run the following command: ``` goose session -r ``` To resume a specific session, run the following command: ``` goose session -r --name ``` For example, to resume the session named `react-migration`, you would run: ``` goose session -r --name react-migration ``` Sessions created in goose Desktop can be resumed in the CLI and vice versa. All sessions are stored in the [same database](/docs/guides/logs#session-records). :::tip Create New Sessions for New Tasks While you can resume sessions, we recommend creating new sessions for new tasks to reduce the chance of [doom spiraling](/docs/troubleshooting/known-issues#stuck-in-a-loop-or-unresponsive). ::: ### Resume Project-Based Sessions Project-based sessions are only available through the CLI. You can use the [`project`](/docs/guides/goose-cli-commands#project) and [`projects`](/docs/guides/goose-cli-commands#projects) commands to start or resume sessions from a project, which is a tracked working directory with session metadata. For a complete guide to using Projects, see [Managing Projects Guide](/docs/guides/managing-projects). ## Duplicate Sessions Create a complete copy of any session to reuse configurations, experiment with variations, or preserve important work. Duplicate a session from the session list: 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `View All` at the bottom of the `Chat` section 3. Find the session you want to duplicate 4. Hover over the session card to reveal the action buttons 5. Click the button that appears in the top-right corner The duplicated session includes: - Complete conversation history - All session metadata and settings - Provider and model configuration - Extension data and configurations - Recipe information (if applicable) The new session is named the same as the original and appears at the top of your session list. :::tip Duplicate vs Fork Session - **Duplicate** (Copy button in session list): Creates a complete copy of the entire session. Use this to preserve a working session or reuse its configuration. - **[Fork Session](/docs/guides/sessions/in-session-actions#fork-session)** (Edit button on a message): Creates a new session with conversation history up to a specific edited message. Use this when editing a message to explore different approaches from that point. ::: Create a new session by copying all messages from a previous session using the `--fork` flag along with `--resume`. ```bash # Fork the most recent session goose session --resume --fork # Fork a specific session by name goose session --resume --fork --name my-project # Fork a specific session by ID goose session --resume --fork --session-id 20251108_3 # Fork and show message history goose session --resume --fork --history ``` The forked session includes: - Complete conversation history from the original session - All session metadata and settings - Provider and model configuration - Extension data and configurations - Recipe information (if applicable) ## Delete Sessions You can delete sessions directly from the Desktop app: 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `View All` at the bottom of the `Chat` section 3. Find the session you want to delete 4. Hover over the session card to reveal the action buttons 5. Click the button that appears 6. Confirm the deletion in the modal that appears :::warning Permanent deletion Deleting a session from goose Desktop will also delete it from the CLI. This action cannot be undone. ::: The session will be immediately removed from your session history and the underlying session record will be deleted from local storage. You can remove sessions using CLI commands. For detailed instructions on session removal, see the [CLI Commands documentation](/docs/guides/goose-cli-commands#session-remove-options). ## Import Sessions Import complete sessions from JSON files to restore, share, or migrate sessions between goose instances. Importing creates a new session with a new ID rather than overwriting existing sessions. 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `View All` at the bottom of the `Chat` section 3. Click the `Import Session` button in the top-right corner 4. Select a `.json` session file that was previously exported from goose 5. The session will be imported with a new session ID 6. A success notification will confirm the import Session import is currently only available through the Desktop app. ## Export Sessions Export complete sessions as JSON files for backup, sharing, migration, or archival. Exported files preserve all session data including conversation history, metadata, and settings. 1. Click the button in the top-left to open the sidebar 2. Click `View All` at the bottom of the `Chat` section 3. Find the session you want to export 4. Hover over the session card to reveal the action buttons 5. Click the button that appears 6. The session will be downloaded as a `.json` file named after the session description Export sessions for backup, sharing, migration, or documentation purposes. You can export as JSON files to preserve complete session data including conversation history, metadata, and settings, or as Markdown files to get a formatted, readable version of the conversation. From your terminal, run the [`session export`](/docs/guides/goose-cli-commands#session-export-options) subcommand: ```bash goose session export ```