Claude Code Desktop parallel sessions

This walkthrough is for the Code tab in Claude Desktop. It is a working sequence based on the documentation, not a record of a live test. Use a Git project where you have permission to edit, and identify the baseline commit you intend both tasks to start from. Code tab reference.

1. Open the project in the intended environment. For the example below, use Local.
2. Click + New session in the sidebar, or press Cmd+N on macOS / Ctrl+N on Windows.
3. For a Git repository, select worktree beside the branch name. Repeat for another task if both sessions will write. Merely opening a new session does not establish an isolated checkout.
4. Name the sessions for their tasks and confirm their working directories and branches before asking either to edit. The documented session and worktree controls are in Work in parallel with sessions.

Open Terminal from the session title bar. The integrated terminal starts in the session working directory. Run these read-only checks in each session; the output below is not supplied or fabricated. Integrated terminal.

git rev-parse --show-toplevel
git branch --show-current
git rev-parse HEAD
git status --short
git worktree list

Expected check: the two tasks should report different worktree directories and their intended branches. Compare each HEAD with the chosen baseline; do not assume new worktrees include uncommitted changes from the main checkout. If both report the same directory, pause concurrent writes and correct the session selection first. These checks establish checkout identity, not a guarantee that the tasks cannot conflict when later combined.

Use Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab to cycle through sessions on either platform. To show two sessions together, hold Cmd on macOS or Ctrl on Windows while clicking a sidebar session. When the split is active, a normal sidebar click replaces the focused pane. *Cmd+* / *Ctrl+* closes the focused pane. Session navigation and split view.

Dragging a terminal, file, browser or diff pane rearranges the workspace; it does not create another isolated coding session. Keep the session name, environment and checkout identity visible in your workflow. Arrange your workspace.

Editorial task example: give one session a documentation update and the other a small test improvement. Name the files each may change and the same baseline to inspect. If both need to edit a shared implementation file, coordinate that change or do it sequentially. Worktrees separate edits on disk; they do not resolve incompatible requirements or integration conflicts.

The documented default worktree location is <project-root>/.claude/worktrees/. For local sessions, change it through Settings > Claude Code > Worktree location. SSH has a connection-specific Worktree folder setting; follow that environment’s rules rather than assuming a local path applies remotely. Worktree locations.

A Git checkout does not automatically provide every ignored local dependency or configuration file. Verify the required environment before interpreting a failed test as a code regression. The documented .worktreeinclude mechanism can copy selected gitignored files into new worktrees. Treat this as a deliberate file-copy decision: include only files the task needs, and do not copy credentials or an entire ignored directory simply to silence setup errors. Copy gitignored files.

Worktrees have separate files and branches but share Git metadata. Some project-level settings and resources also carry across; this is not a separate permission or secret boundary. Check the documented settings, hooks and skills behavior for your version instead of assuming either total isolation or identical configuration. What worktrees share.

Local, SSH and Cloud are different execution choices. Confirm the selected environment before supplying paths or running commands. A local setup recipe does not establish a Cloud or SSH setup. Choose your environment.

Side Chat is for a side question, not a durable second coding task. It can read the main thread’s context without adding its answer back to that conversation. Open it with Cmd+; / Ctrl+; or /btw. The current Desktop documentation says Side Chats are not saved to disk and cannot be reopened after closing the app. Save useful conclusions into your own task checkpoint when appropriate. Side Chat behavior.

Open Changes to inspect the diff, and compare it with the task’s allowed files. Review the actual changes and test output; a finished chat alone does not mean the code is merged, pushed or deployed. Desktop diff view.

Before combining parallel work, recheck the destination baseline, inspect overlapping changes and run the relevant tests in the integration checkout. Merge, push and deploy only with the appropriate project authorization. If the first task changes assumptions used by the second, send the concrete change to the second task before accepting its result. These are editorial review practices, not a claim that Desktop automatically completes integration.

Checkpoint example — fill it with real values, not guesses:

Task and allowed files:
Environment, worktree path and branch:
Starting commit and current commit:
Uncommitted / untracked / ignored files to keep:
Changes completed and tests actually run:
Unresolved dependency or conflict:
Next action and required authorization:

To continue later, find the session in the sidebar, then verify the actual directory, branch and saved files against the checkpoint before issuing more edits. A transcript or summary is not a backup of the checkout. If the directory is missing or the branch has changed, recover the preserved work first; do not assume the conversation recreates it. The CLI-specific --resume rules are documented separately and should not be treated as a Desktop button workflow. Worktree resume behavior.

The Desktop archive icon can remove the session’s worktree. Before using it, preserve needed uncommitted, untracked and ignored files and confirm the intended work has been integrated or otherwise saved. Auto-archive after PR merge or close applies only to local sessions that have finished running; a closed PR can still contain work you want to keep. Review your retention choice before enabling it. Desktop archive behavior.

If a task is wrong, stop that task’s writes, inspect its diff and correct or discard only the intended changes through your normal review process. Do not delete the whole worktree as a first troubleshooting step. For idle-session context behavior, see Claude Code idle compaction.