Session Restore
Bring back useful workspace context after relaunch.
Availability
Implemented in the stable source; configuration and compatibility limits are described below.
Reviewed against stable v0.5.1. Rust candidate additions are labeled separately. Release status.
The pain this solves
- Rebuilding tabs and panes after relaunch interrupts work.
- Saved scrollback and directories help even when processes cannot survive.
What ships with it
- Stable restore saves tabs, selected state, splits, pane state, and directories.
- Bounded scrollback and supported AI resume metadata can be reapplied.
- Restore does not preserve live processes or the original PTY.
Questions this answers
- What tab and pane state does Chau7 restore?
- Are live processes preserved across app restart?
- Can supported AI sessions relaunch from saved metadata?
How it works
Stable save data can include tab identifiers and labels, selected-tab state, working directories, split layout, focused pane, per-pane state, and terminal scrollback. The app reconstructs tabs and defers some background-tab restoration.
After the tab model is restored, Chau7 reapplies saved terminal context such as scrollback and supported AI-session resume metadata. This is workspace restoration, not a process snapshot.
Shells and child processes are not kept alive across an app restart. Restoring a tab does not preserve a running build, server, SSH process, or original PTY; supported AI CLIs may be relaunched using saved resume metadata.
Why it matters
Saved tab and pane context reduces the work of rebuilding a terminal workspace after relaunch, while setting clear expectations about what can and cannot survive.
In the Rust/GPUI candidate
The unreleased Rust/GPUI 0.6rc candidate source includes explicit Swift or Next restore import, saved-context validation, a dry-run report, and refusal to overwrite existing Rust restore data. This is static source evidence; end-to-end migration and runtime acceptance are pending.
Candidate features and migration plan. Download links continue to serve the latest stable release.
Frequently asked questions
Does restore preserve live shell processes?
No. It recreates sessions and reapplies saved metadata; it cannot keep original processes or the PTY alive across an app restart.
What workspace context is saved?
Stable tab state includes working directory, tab metadata, selected tab, split layout, focused pane, pane state, and scrollback context.
Can AI sessions resume?
Saved metadata can include a supported AI CLI resume command. That may relaunch a CLI session; it is not restoration of the original live process.