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Overview

OpenHands CLI automatically saves your conversation history in ~/.openhands/conversations. You can resume any previous conversation to continue where you left off.

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Listing Previous Conversations

To see a list of your recent conversations, run: 
openhands --resume
This displays up to 15 recent conversations with their IDs, timestamps, and a preview of the first user message: 
Recent Conversations:
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 1. abc123def456 (2h ago)
    Fix the login bug in auth.py

 2. xyz789ghi012 (yesterday)
    Add unit tests for the user service

 3. mno345pqr678 (3 days ago)
    Refactor the database connection module
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To resume a conversation, use: openhands --resume <conversation-id>

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Resuming a Specific Conversation

To resume a specific conversation, use the --resume flag with the conversation ID: 
openhands --resume <conversation-id>
For example: 
openhands --resume abc123def456

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Resuming the Latest Conversation

To quickly resume your most recent conversation without looking up the ID, use the --last flag: 
openhands --resume --last
This automatically finds and resumes the most recent conversation.

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How It Works

When you resume a conversation:
  1. OpenHands loads the full conversation history from disk
  2. The agent has access to all previous context, including:
    • Your previous messages and requests
    • The agent’s responses and actions
    • Any files that were created or modified
  3. You can continue the conversation as if you never left
The conversation history is stored locally on your machine. If you delete the ~/.openhands/conversations directory, your conversation history will be lost.

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Tips

  • Copy the conversation ID: When you exit a conversation, OpenHands displays the conversation ID. You can copy this for later use.
  • Use descriptive first messages: The conversation list shows a preview of your first message, so starting with a clear description helps you identify conversations later.
  • Combine with other flags: You can combine --resume with other flags like --always-approve or --llm-approve:
openhands --resume abc123def456 --llm-approve

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See Also

  • CLI Mode - Getting started with the OpenHands CLI
  • CLI Settings - Configuration and command reference
  • ACP Resume - Resuming conversations in ACP mode