Command reference Β· Cursor CLI
/fork
Branches the current chat into a new session, the original stays untouched.
/fork creates a copy of the current Cursor CLI conversation as a new, independent session; the original session remains unchanged and usable. The fork takes over the entire conversation history so far, including all previous messages, and can then be continued separately, for example to try an alternative approach without losing or altering the original chat. The process can be repeated any number of times, so a single chat can branch into multiple independent threads.
In the currently shipped CLI build, /duplicate, /clone, and /branch are recorded in the code as equivalent short forms that trigger the same command; the official slash commands reference page, however, currently only names /fork itself without mentioning these short forms - an earlier changelog entry had only listed /branch and /duplicate as aliases, with /clone missing there too. Unlike /rewind, which jumps back to an earlier point within the same chat, /fork creates two parallel, completely separate sessions.
π THE SAME TASK (βBRANCH SESSION (FORK/BRANCH)β) ON OTHER PLATFORMS
β WHEN TO USE IT?
Try two different approaches in parallel
/fork β then test an alternative implementation approach in the new chat
Safeguard a risky attempt without endangering the main session
/fork before an experimental refactor branches off, the original stays untouched
β WHEN NOT TO?
The existing path should simply continue linearly
A fork creates an additional, completely separate session that then has to be managed separately.
Better: Keep writing normally in the current chat
Old failed attempts should disappear from the history
/fork only creates an additional copy; it doesn't delete or clean up anything in the original.
Better: Use /rewind to jump back to an earlier state within the same chat
SOURCES
- Cursor Docs β Slash Commands β cursor.com
- Cursor Docs β Changelog β cursor.com