goose/documentation/docs/guides/managing-goose-sessions.md

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1	Managing Sessions

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Managing Goose Sessions

A session is a single, continuous interaction between you and Goose, providing a space to ask questions and prompt action. In this guide, we'll cover how to start, exit, and resume a session.

Start Session

From your terminal, navigate to the directory from which you'd like to start, and run: ```sh goose session ``` After choosing an LLM provider, you’ll see the session interface ready for use. Type your questions, tasks, or instructions directly into the input field, and Goose will immediately get to work.

    To start a new session at any time, click the three dots in the top-right corner of the application and select **New Session** from the dropdown menu.

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:::info If this is your first session, Goose will prompt you for an API key to access an LLM (Large Language Model) of your choice. For more information on setting up your API key, see the Installation Guide. Here is the list of supported LLMs. :::

Name Session

By default, Goose will provide a random string as the name of your session. If you'd like to provide a specific name, this is where you'd do so. For example to name your session `react-migration`, you would run:

    ```
    goose session -n react-migration
    ```

    You'll know your session has started when your terminal looks similar to the following:

    ```
    starting session | provider: openai model: gpt-4o
    logging to ~/.config/goose/sessions/react-migration.json1
    ```
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    Session management features, such as **naming** and **resuming** sessions, are **not** currently available in the Goose Desktop. If you'd like to see these features added, please [open an issue on GitHub](https://github.com/block/goose/issues/new?template=Blank+issue).
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Exit Session

To save and exit a session, hold down `Ctrl` + `C`. Alternatively, you can type `exit` to save and exit the session.

    Your session will be stored locally in `~/.config/goose/sessions`.
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To exit a session, simply close the application.
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Resume Session

To resume your latest session, you can run the following command:

    ```
     goose session -r
    ```

    To resume a specific session, run the following command: 

    ```
    goose session -r --name <name>
    ```
    For example, to resume the session named `react-migration`, you would run:

    ```
    goose session -r --name react-migration
    ```

    :::tip
    While you can resume sessions using the commands above, we recommend creating new sessions for new tasks to reduce the chance of [doom spiraling](/docs/troubleshooting#stuck-in-a-loop-or-unresponsive).
    :::

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<TabItem value="ui" label="Goose Desktop">
    Session management features, such as **naming** and **resuming** sessions, are **not** currently available in the Goose Desktop. If you'd like to see these features added, please [open an issue on GitHub](https://github.com/block/goose/issues/new?template=Blank+issue).
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