claude /recap: Recover Your Workflow After Stepping Away

When you come back to your desk after lunch and look at the screen, there are moments you think, "What was I doing again?" Scrolling up to re-read the conversation is a waste of time. With the /recap command, your work so far gets summarized in one line, letting you recover your flow at once.

Definition (What It Is)

/recap is a command that summarizes your current session (the bundle of in-progress work while Claude Code is kept open) in one line. It briefly organizes and shows what you've been doing so far.

Without re-reading the long conversation log from the beginning, it helps you quickly grasp just the key points. It especially shines when you come back after stepping away.

How to Use It (By Difficulty)

Basic — Summarizing in One Line

/recap

Type this single line and your work so far comes out summarized in one line. It briefly tells you what you were in the middle of and how far it progressed, so you can look at that and continue working right away.

Real-World Example

When you face the screen after coming back from lunch, typing /recap lets you instantly grasp what work you were in the middle of in the morning. It's useful in every moment when work was briefly interrupted and restarts, such as after coming back from a meeting or returning from another task.

Taking It Further

Being able to summarize in one line means you can quickly recover your flow even after stepping away. If you're someone who works in many interrupted stretches, try making it a habit to press /recap first each time you sit back down. The effort of scrolling up to jog your memory every time disappears.

Summary

/recap is a command that summarizes your current session in one line. Typing it briefly organizes the work you've done so far, letting you quickly recover your flow. It's great to press first when you come back after stepping away for lunch or a meeting.

Reference: Claude Code v2.1.154 (2026.05)