Feature: Session persistence with --continue flag

[evansenter]

Summary

Add ability to resume the previous conversation session with a --continue flag.

Usage

# Start fresh (current behavior)
clemini

# Resume last session
clemini --continue
clemini -c

Implementation

1. Session State Storage

Save session state to ~/.clemini/session.json (or similar):

{
  "interaction_id": "abc123...",
  "model": "gemini-3-flash-preview",
  "cwd": "/path/to/project",
  "updated_at": "2026-01-17T18:00:00Z"
}

2. CLI Flag

Add --continue / -c flag to clap args.

3. Restoration Logic

On startup with --continue:

• Load session state from file
• Pass interaction_id to first run_interaction() call
• Gemini's interaction history handles the rest

4. Session Updates

After each interaction, update the stored session state.

Considerations

• Multiple projects: Should sessions be per-cwd? Store in .clemini/session.json in project root?
• Expiration: Gemini interactions may expire. Handle gracefully if --continue fails.
• Clear on /clear: The /clear command should also clear the persisted session.

Related

• Architecture: Unify MCP and REPL code paths #36 - Unified architecture (completed, laid groundwork)

[evansenter]

Extended features from #28

The following ideas from #28 could be added as future extensions:

Named session resumption

clemini --resume abc123  # Resume specific session by ID

Session list command

> /sessions
[1] abc123 - ~/projects/foo - 2 hours ago
[2] def456 - ~/projects/bar - yesterday

Multi-session storage

Instead of single session.json, store multiple sessions in ~/.clemini/sessions/:

{
  "id": "abc123",
  "interaction_id": "gemini-interaction-xyz",
  "cwd": "/home/user/project",
  "model": "gemini-3-flash-preview",
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2024-01-15T11:45:00Z"
}

Related

• Smarter context management #8 - context management (sessions + summarization work together)

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Consolidated from #28