claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [DOCS] Session resumption docs missing /recap command and away-summary controls [1 comments, 2 participants]

Documentation Type

Missing documentation (feature not documented)

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/common-workflows

Section/Topic

Resume previous conversations and the related recap controls for returning to a session (/recap, /config, and CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AWAY_SUMMARY)

Current Documentation

The current resume docs explain how to reopen a session, but they do not describe any recap feature when returning:

When starting Claude Code, you can resume a previous session:

• claude --continue continues the most recent conversation in the current directory
• claude --resume opens a conversation picker or resumes by name
• claude --from-pr 123 resumes sessions linked to a specific pull request

From inside an active session, use /resume to switch to a different conversation.

Later on the same page, the resume section says:

• The resumed conversation starts with the same model and configuration as the original

1. Context Restoration: The conversation resumes with all previous context intact

The commands reference lists /resume, but not /recap:

/resume [session] | Resume a conversation by ID or name, or open the session picker. Alias: /continue

The environment variable reference documents telemetry opt-out, but not any away-summary override:

DISABLE_TELEMETRY | Set to 1 to opt out of Statsig telemetry (note that Statsig events do not include user data like code, file paths, or bash commands)

I could not find any code.claude.com page documenting a recap feature, a /recap command, a recap-related /config setting, or the CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AWAY_SUMMARY environment variable.

What's Wrong or Missing?

Changelog v2.1.108 added a user-facing recap feature for returning to a session, but the docs do not currently explain any part of that workflow.

A. The resume workflow omits the recap behavior

Users are told they can resume prior sessions, but not that Claude can provide a recap when they come back after being away.

B. The manual /recap entry point is undocumented

The commands reference does not list /recap, so users cannot discover that the recap can be invoked on demand.

C. The configuration and telemetry-disabled override are undocumented

The docs do not explain that recap behavior is configurable in /config, and they do not document CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AWAY_SUMMARY for forcing the feature when telemetry is disabled.

Because all three surfaces are undocumented, users returning to a session have no official guidance on when recap appears automatically, how to trigger it manually, or how telemetry settings affect it.

Suggested Improvement

Update the session-resume documentation and related references to document the recap feature introduced in v2.1.108.

Minimum fix:

1. In common-workflows, add a short note under Resume previous conversations describing when Claude shows a recap after you've been away and what problem it solves.
2. In commands, add /recap with a one-line description explaining that it generates a recap of the current session context.
3. In settings, document the /config control for recap / away-summary behavior and include the persisted setting if this preference is stored in settings files.
4. In env-vars, add CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AWAY_SUMMARY with an explanation that it forces recap behavior when telemetry is disabled.
5. Cross-reference the telemetry interaction from data-usage or the relevant telemetry docs so users understand why recap behavior may differ when DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 is set.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

Total scope: 5 pages affected

Source: Changelog v2.1.108

Exact changelog entry:

Added recap feature to provide context when returning to a session, configurable in /config and manually invocable with /recap; force with CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AWAY_SUMMARY if telemetry disabled.