Skip to content

Configurable exit resume hint #4066

Description

@MattPD

Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve

Since v1.0.64, the exit message's copilot --resume=... hint always shows the alphanumeric session ID, even for sessions that have been renamed (via /rename or auto-generated naming). This was an intentional fix (#3128) to avoid ambiguity between near-duplicate AI-generated titles, but it removed the option for users who deliberately rename sessions to something memorable and would prefer to see and reuse that name at exit. There's currently no setting to restore the previous behavior.

Proposed solution

Add a user setting, e.g. "exitMessage.resumeHint": "id" | "name" | "auto", that controls what the exit hint prints:

  • "id" (default) - current behavior, always show the session ID. Preserves the reliability fix from Bring back the alphanumeric Session ID #3128 for users who don't opt in.
  • "name" - show the friendly/renamed name when the session has one, falling back to ID otherwise.
  • "auto" - same heuristic the CLI used pre-1.0.64 (ID unless renamed).

This keeps the current default intact while letting users who prefer memorable, renamed resume hints opt back in.

Example prompts or workflows

  • User runs /rename my-feature-work, exits, and sees copilot --resume=my-feature-work instead of copilot --resume=a1b2c3d4-....
  • User sets "exitMessage.resumeHint": "name" once in settings.json; every future session exit reflects the friendly name when one exists.
  • /settings set exitMessage.resumeHint name toggles it from within the CLI without hand-editing settings.json.
  • Users who don't set the option see no change in behavior (still ID-only, per Bring back the alphanumeric Session ID #3128).

Additional context

Related discussion: #3128 ("Bring back the alphanumeric Session ID") - the maintainer response there (and the v1.0.64 changelog entry "Exit message always shows the session ID in the resume command instead of the friendly name") explains the reasoning for defaulting to ID. This request isn't to revert that default, just to make it configurable for users with the opposite preference.

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

No one assigned

    Labels

    area:configurationConfig files, instruction files, settings, and environment variablesarea:sessionsSession management, resume, history, session picker, and session state

    Fields

    No fields configured for Feature.

    Projects

    No projects

    Milestone

    No milestone

    Relationships

    None yet

    Development

    No branches or pull requests

    Issue actions