# Chats and session continuity

## A conversation is not a running process

V3Code stores native chat threads locally and lets you switch between them.
Background subagents are also persisted threads that can be opened from the Agents
panel. A saved transcript does not mean a model request or terminal process is still
running after the application closes.

Use **New Chat** for a fresh conversation. When continuing an existing task, reopen
its conversation and check the project, selected model, and last completed action
before asking the agent to proceed.

## Keep a handoff outside the transcript

For longer work, ask the agent to record the objective, decisions, changed files, and
remaining verification in a project document. Review it for accuracy.

[Project instructions](/editor/project-instructions), [Memory](/editor/memory), and
chat history serve different purposes. A new conversation does not automatically
receive every detail of a previous one, and compacted context is not an exact replay.

## Background work

The native agent supports background delegation and persistent terminal commands.
Check their reported status rather than assuming a completed chat response means all
background work finished. Ask for the command output or worker result.

Before switching projects, verify where active tasks are working. Before closing
the editor, preserve changes and record what is unfinished.

## Troubleshooting

If a conversation appears to have stalled, check for an approval request or provider
error. An unexpected-error message may allow you to continue by sending another
message; inspect the last action first to avoid duplicating a write.

Report the editor version, operating system, mode, provider, and the visible error
without including credentials. External ACP agents may have separate session storage
and recovery behavior.