Conversation
- Add /rewind command to Chapter 01 Session commands reference table - Update /rename description to mention auto-generate option (no argument) - Update /allow-all to document on/off/show subcommands (v1.0.12) - Add /rewind to Chapter 02 context management section with explanation - Add /rewind to Context Efficiency Tips table in Chapter 02 - Update Chapter 02 Key Takeaways to include /rewind Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
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@copilot What about the "/clear now abandons the current session entirely, while /new starts a fresh conversation (keeping the old session backgrounded)" https://github.com/github/copilot-cli/blob/main/changelog.md |
Updated context usage descriptions and usage instructions for commands.
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Pull request overview
Updates the beginner course docs to reflect recent GitHub Copilot CLI changes, notably the new /rewind timeline picker and expanded /allow-all subcommand syntax.
Changes:
- Document
/rewind(timeline picker + Esc Esc shortcut) and incorporate it into context-management guidance. - Update
/allow-alldocumentation to reflecton|off|showsubcommands. - Update session/context command guidance to include
/newand/renameauto-generate behavior.
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| 01-setup-and-first-steps/README.md | Updates command reference tables (including /allow-all [on|off|show], /rewind, /new, and /rename auto-generate mention). |
| 02-context-conversations/README.md | Expands the “manage context” section and tips to include /new and /rewind, plus updates the Key Takeaways list. |
Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)
01-setup-and-first-steps/README.md:427
- In the Session commands table,
/clearis defined as abandoning the session with no history saved, which is more specific than the earlier "Clear conversation and start fresh" description above. Consider harmonizing the wording across both tables so the behavior is described consistently in one place.
| `/clear` | Abandons the current session (no history saved) and starts a fresh conversation |
| `/compact` | Summarize conversation to reduce context usage |
| `/context` | Show context window token usage and visualization |
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| > 💡 **When to use `/clear`**: If you've been reviewing `books.py` and want to switch to discussing `utils.py`, run `/clear` first. Otherwise stale context from the old topic may confuse responses. | ||
| > 💡 **When to use `/clear` or `/new`**: If you've been reviewing books.py and want to switch to discussing utils.py, run /new first (or /clear if you don't need the session history). Otherwise stale context from the old topic may confuse responses. |
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In this callout, command names and filenames aren’t consistently formatted: books.py/utils.py should be code-formatted, and the references to /new and /clear later in the sentence should also be wrapped in backticks (and include the leading slash consistently). This improves readability and matches the earlier formatting in the same line ("/clear or /new").
| > 💡 **When to use `/clear` or `/new`**: If you've been reviewing books.py and want to switch to discussing utils.py, run /new first (or /clear if you don't need the session history). Otherwise stale context from the old topic may confuse responses. | |
| > 💡 **When to use `/clear` or `/new`**: If you've been reviewing `books.py` and want to switch to discussing `utils.py`, run `/new` first (or `/clear` if you don't need the session history). Otherwise stale context from the old topic may confuse responses. |
| > /context | ||
| Context usage: 45,000 / 128,000 tokens (35%) | ||
| Context usage: 62k/200k tokens (31%) | ||
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This /context example uses a different token-limit format ("62k/200k") than the other context examples later in the chapter (e.g., "45,000 / 128,000 tokens"). Consider standardizing the formatting and/or adding a short note that the context limit varies by model/config so readers aren’t confused by conflicting numbers.
| 2. **Multi-turn conversations** build on each other as context accumulates | ||
| 3. **Sessions auto-save**: use `--continue` or `--resume` to pick up where you left off | ||
| 4. **Context windows** have limits: manage them with `/context`, `/clear`, and `/compact` | ||
| 4. **Context windows** have limits: manage them with `/context`, `/clear`, `/rewind`, and `/compact` |
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Key Takeaways lists commands for managing context limits but omits /new, which is introduced earlier in this chapter as a primary way to start fresh (and is referenced in the Context Efficiency Tips table). Consider adding /new here or adjusting the wording so the summary matches the commands recommended above.
| 4. **Context windows** have limits: manage them with `/context`, `/clear`, `/rewind`, and `/compact` | |
| 4. **Context windows** have limits: manage them with `/context`, `/clear`, `/new`, `/rewind`, and `/compact` |
| | Command | What It Does | When to Use | | ||
| |---------|--------------|-------------| | ||
| | `/help` | Show all available commands | When you forget a command | | ||
| | `/clear` | Clear conversation and start fresh | When switching topics | |
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/clear is described here as "Clear conversation and start fresh", but later in the same chapter it’s described more specifically as abandoning the session with no history saved. Consider aligning these descriptions (e.g., add the "no history saved" detail here, or simplify the later one) so beginners don’t get conflicting guidance about what /clear does.
This issue also appears on line 425 of the same file.
| | `/clear` | Clear conversation and start fresh | When switching topics | | |
| | `/clear` | Abandon the current session, clear the conversation, and start fresh with no history saved | When switching topics | |
| | `/clear` | Abandons the current session (no history saved) and starts a fresh conversation | | ||
| | `/compact` | Summarize conversation to reduce context usage | | ||
| | `/context` | Show context window token usage and visualization | | ||
| | `/new` | Ends the current session (saving it to history for search/resume) and starts a fresh conversation. | |
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Minor punctuation consistency: the /new description ends with a trailing period, while the surrounding rows don’t. Consider removing the final period to keep the table formatting consistent.
| | `/new` | Ends the current session (saving it to history for search/resume) and starts a fresh conversation. | | |
| | `/new` | Ends the current session (saving it to history for search/resume) and starts a fresh conversation | |
Recover changes from PR #22 which were merged into the since-deleted staged branch and never reached main. Includes: - /rewind timeline picker documentation (Ch 01, 02) - /allow-all on|off|show subcommands (Ch 01) - /rename auto-generate option (Ch 01) - Updated context management section (Ch 02) - Alphabetized command tables (Ch 01) Original PR: #22 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
docs: recover PR #22 updates (rewind, allow-all, rename)
What Changed in Copilot CLI (past 7 days)
Two beginner-relevant features were added or updated in recent Copilot CLI releases:
1.
/rewind— Timeline Picker (v1.0.13, 2026-03-30)/rewind(and pressing Esc twice) now opens a timeline picker that lets users roll back to any earlier point in their conversation history — not just the previous snapshot. This is a very useful feature for beginners who go down the wrong path and want to backtrack without starting a fresh session.2.
/allow-allsubcommands (v1.0.12, 2026-03-26)/allow-allnow supports three subcommands:on,off, andshow— to enable, disable, or check the current allow-all permission mode. Previously documented as just a toggle with no subcommands.3.
/renameauto-generate (v1.0.12, 2026-03-26)/session rename(and/rename) can now be called without an argument to auto-generate a session name from conversation history.Course Sections Updated
Chapter 01 — Setup and First Steps (
01-setup-and-first-steps/README.md)/allow-allto documenton|off|showsubcommands/rewindcommand with description; updated/renameto note auto-generate optionChapter 02 — Context and Conversations (
02-context-conversations/README.md)/rewindto the code example with an explanatory callout tip/rewind("Went down wrong path")/rewindalongside/context,/clear, and/compactSource Announcements