Summary
There is no way to delete a specific session transcript from Anthropic's servers via the CLI. This is a meaningful data-leak surface when a session accidentally contains sensitive material (e.g. a secret pasted into the chat).
Observed behaviour
Deleting the local .jsonl file and associated session files under ~/.claude/ does not remove the session from server-side storage. claude --resume <id> still restores the full transcript after local files are deleted, confirming the conversation is retained server-side.
Problem
If a user accidentally pastes a secret (API key, PAT, password) into a session, their current options are:
- Submit a bulk data-deletion request via privacy.anthropic.com (removes all conversations, not just the affected one)
- Hope the secret is rotated before it can be misused
There is no surgical, immediate path to delete a single session.
Requested feature
claude session delete <session-id>
- Deletes the specified session from both local storage and Anthropic's servers immediately
- Exits with a clear error if the session ID is not found (already the case for
--resume)
- Optionally:
claude session delete --current to delete the active session on exit
Related issues
Those issues focus on UX convenience; this one is specifically about the security gap between local deletion and server-side retention.
Why this matters
Users reasonably assume that deleting local session files removes the data. The current behaviour — where --resume fetches from the server after local files are gone — is undocumented and surprising. It leaves sensitive data on Anthropic's servers with no per-session remediation path.
Summary
There is no way to delete a specific session transcript from Anthropic's servers via the CLI. This is a meaningful data-leak surface when a session accidentally contains sensitive material (e.g. a secret pasted into the chat).
Observed behaviour
Deleting the local
.jsonlfile and associated session files under~/.claude/does not remove the session from server-side storage.claude --resume <id>still restores the full transcript after local files are deleted, confirming the conversation is retained server-side.Problem
If a user accidentally pastes a secret (API key, PAT, password) into a session, their current options are:
There is no surgical, immediate path to delete a single session.
Requested feature
--resume)claude session delete --currentto delete the active session on exitRelated issues
/deletecommand for current sessionThose issues focus on UX convenience; this one is specifically about the security gap between local deletion and server-side retention.
Why this matters
Users reasonably assume that deleting local session files removes the data. The current behaviour — where
--resumefetches from the server after local files are gone — is undocumented and surprising. It leaves sensitive data on Anthropic's servers with no per-session remediation path.