Working with Multiple Sessions

Overview

Each session in CodeMantis has its own context window, message history, and Claude Code process. This means you can run multiple sessions in the same project simultaneously — each focused on a different task, with no cross-contamination of context.

This guide explains when and how to use multiple sessions effectively.

When to Open a New Session

Start a new session (Cmd + N) when:

• You're switching to a different task — a new feature, a separate bug, or a different area of the codebase
• The context meter is in the yellow or red zone (70%+) — a fresh session starts with a clean context window
• You want to experiment without affecting your main conversation
• You need a dedicated space for research, review, or brainstorming

Session Strategies

Research + Build

Keep two sessions open:

This keeps your build session's context focused on implementation rather than diluted with exploratory questions.

Parallel Features

When working on two independent features:

Each session stays focused on its own feature. Claude's context in each session only contains information relevant to that feature.

Experimentation

Open a throwaway session to try a different approach:

1. Create a new session (Cmd + N)
2. Name it "Experiment: approach B"
3. Try the alternative approach
4. If it works, continue. If not, close the session — your main session is unaffected.

Code Review

Dedicate a session to reviewing code:

1. Create a session named "Review"
2. Switch to Plan mode
3. Ask Claude to review recent changes, explain decisions, or identify issues
4. Switch back to your build session to apply fixes

Organizing Your Sessions

Name everything

Double-click a session tab to rename it. Good names describe the task: "Auth Feature", "Bug Fix #42", "Research: DB schema", "Experiment: Redis cache". This makes the sub-tab bar scannable at a glance.

Watch the status dots

• Green = idle (waiting for your input)
• Yellow pulsing = Claude is working

You can type in one session while Claude works in another.

Use History for completed work

When you finish a task, close the session. It appears in Claude History where you can resume it later if needed. This keeps your sub-tab bar clean while preserving all conversation context.

Managing Context Across Sessions

Each session has its own independent context window. This is both the main benefit and the main limitation of multiple sessions.

Benefits:

• Each session starts fresh with the full context budget
• Research conversations don't consume context in your build session
• Throwing away a session doesn't lose context in other sessions

Limitations:

• Context is not shared between sessions — if Claude learned something in Session 1, Session 2 doesn't know about it
• You may need to re-explain some context when switching tasks between sessions

When context gets full

Check the context meter at the bottom of the sidebar:

Use the /compact slash command to compress conversation history in the current session. This frees up context space without starting over.

Using Assistants Alongside Sessions

Assistant tabs (OpenAI, Gemini, Claude API) are another way to parallelize work without using Claude Code's context:

• Brainstorm in an assistant tab, then bring the best idea to your Claude Code session
• Get a second opinion on code by pasting it into a different model
• Write documentation in an assistant while Claude Code builds the feature

Assistants are chat-only — they can't edit files or run commands — so they complement Claude Code sessions rather than replacing them.

Tips

• Two sessions is the sweet spot for most workflows. One for the main task, one for exploration or review.
• Name your sessions immediately. "Session", "Session 2", "Session 3" is useless when you have four tabs open.
• Close sessions you're done with. They're preserved in History and you can always resume.
• Use the Project Log to see what happened across all sessions — it aggregates changelog entries from every session into one timeline.

Related Articles

• Sessions & Session Management — Creating, switching, and closing sessions
• Claude History — Resume closed sessions
• Context Meter — Monitor context window usage
• Multi-AI Assistants — Use other AI models alongside Claude Code
• Project Log — Unified timeline across all sessions