English documentation · runtime 7.24.4 · SDK 2.6.7. Content is maintained with runtime development; see each guide's scope and review date.

Conversation recap

Status: Current Scope: AX Code TUI conversation recaps Last reviewed: 2026-09-26 Owner: AX Code runtime maintainers

Use /recap in an idle TUI session to catch up on the recent conversation, including after resuming a saved session. AX Code summarizes up to eight recent user turns in a short banner: the objective, confirmed progress, verification, and the next step or blocker. The banner stays while you type and disappears when you start another turn, change sessions, or the conversation changes. /recap waits for the whole session tree: while goal-mode or task subagents are still running, it asks you to wait instead of summarizing incomplete work.

The recap uses a model and can be incomplete or inaccurate. It favors the latest request and outcomes when a conversation exceeds its input budget. Check the transcript for exact results. Recaps do not modify the transcript, run tools, or change task status.

AX Code also generates a recap automatically once the whole session tree has settled — the turn is complete and no subagent is still running — and the prompt has been quiet for five seconds. Typing pauses the countdown; clearing the prompt starts it again. Generation starts shortly before the delay mark (pregenerate, default true) so the banner can appear at the mark instead of one model latency after it; a pregenerated recap is discarded silently if you type before the mark. Sessions that used subagents get a conversation-scope recap; plain sessions get a recap of the latest turn. Configure automatic display in tui.json:

{
  "idle_recap": {
    "enabled": true,
    "delay_ms": 5000,
    "pregenerate": true
  }
}

Set enabled to false to disable automatic recaps. /recap remains available. Set pregenerate to false to generate only after the full delay, which avoids a model call when you resume typing inside the window. Generation uses the recap agent’s configured model when available, then the provider’s small model, then the session model. Recaps make a separate model request and may consume provider quota. Failed or unfinished turns and managed AX Engine sessions do not generate recaps. Manual requests show a notice when no recap is available; automatic failures stay silent and get one retry after thirty seconds, cancelled as soon as you type or move on. Use /recap to retry explicitly.

Each session keeps its last recap, so the session picker shows a short preview of what a session last did before you resume it. The stored preview is a display hint only: it is never sent to the model, never becomes a transcript message, and is cleared when you revert the session.

/compact summarizes older history for the model to free context. /summarize remains its alias. Use /recap for a catch-up banner and /compact when you need context compression.