command

/clear

Wipe the conversation and reset Claude Code's context window — same session, no files touched.

Discards conversation history — all prior turns drop from active context
Reclaims the context window — frees tokens for new work
Re-establishes base context — CLAUDE.md and project memory reload fresh
Preserves your session — same directory and model; a reset, not a restart
Leaves files and git untouched — purely a conversational reset

The fastest way to make Claude Code sharper mid-session isn't a better prompt — it's /clear.

When a conversation runs long, every earlier turn still rides along in the context window. That stale history competes for attention and can quietly bias answers toward an old task. /clear wipes the conversation and resets the context window — same session, same working directory, nothing on disk touched. Claude reloads CLAUDE.md and project memory fresh and starts clean.

The nuance worth knowing: /clear is not /compact. /compact summarizes and keeps a condensed memory of where you've been; /clear discards entirely. Reach for clear when you switch to an unrelated task; reach for compact when you want more headroom on the same one.

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Twitter/X

/clear in Claude Code wipes the conversation and resets the context window — same session, nothing on disk changes. Use it when switching to an unrelated task so stale context stops biasing answers. Not /compact: that summarizes, clear discards. #ClaudeCode

Bluesky

Handy Claude Code tip: /clear resets the conversation and frees the context window without leaving your session or touching any files. It's the clean-slate move when you jump to a new task — different from /compact, which summarizes instead of discarding. #ClaudeCode

Substack

A small Claude Code habit that pays off: when a session gets long and answers start drifting, /clear gives you a clean slate. It discards the conversation history and resets the context window — but keeps your session and working directory, and never touches files on disk. Worth distinguishing from /compact: compact summarizes and carries a condensed memory forward, while clear wipes the slate entirely. Use clear when you change tasks; use compact when you want more room on the same one. Subscribe for more practical Claude Code notes.