Sidequest: Spawn Parallel Claude Sessions

Launch a new Claude Code session in a separate terminal to work on a different task while keeping your current session active.

Usage

code

/sidequest "Add a settings page with dark mode toggle"
/sidequest "Set up the database schema" --no-context
/sidequest  # Interactive prompt for task description

What It Does

•
Gathers context (unless --no-context):
- •Current working directory
- •Current git branch
- •Brief summary of what's being worked on
- •Key files recently modified/read
•
Opens new terminal tab/window:
- •macOS Terminal.app or iTerm2 supported
- •Automatically detects which terminal is in use

•

Starts Claude with context:

bash

cd "<current_directory>" && claude -p "<context_prompt>"

•
Returns control to original session (user continues main task)

Flags

Flag	Description
`--no-context`	Start fresh without context from parent session
`--iterm`	Force use of iTerm (auto-detected by default)
`--terminal`	Force use of Terminal.app (auto-detected by default)

Implementation

When user invokes /sidequest, execute the following:

Step 1: Parse Arguments

Check if the user provided:

•A task description (required, or prompt for it)
•--no-context flag (skip context entirely)

If no task description provided, ask the user what they want to work on.

Step 2: Ask About Context (unless --no-context)

IMPORTANT: If --no-context was NOT specified, use the AskUserQuestion tool to ask:

code

Use AskUserQuestion with:
- question: "Include a summary of this chat in the sidequest?"
- header: "Context"
- options:
  1. "Yes, include summary" - "Pass context about current work to help the new session understand what you're doing"
  2. "No, start fresh" - "Start the sidequest with no context from this session"

Step 3: Gather Context (if user chose to include summary)

If user selected "Yes, include summary":

•Summarize the current conversation (what task is being worked on, key decisions made)
•Get current git branch: git branch --show-current
•Identify key files from recent tool calls
•Note any relevant todos or blockers

If user selected "No, start fresh":

•Skip context gathering, proceed with just the task description

Step 4: Build Context Prompt

Format the prompt for the new session:

With context:

code

SIDEQUEST from main task.

Main task context:
- Working directory: /path/to/project
- Git branch: feature/user-auth
- Was working on: <summary of current task>
- Key files: <recent files>
- Progress: <key progress and decisions made>

Your sidequest task: <user's task description>

This is separate from the main task. Focus only on this sidequest.

Without context:

code

SIDEQUEST MODE

Your task: <user's task description>

This is an independent task. Focus only on completing this sidequest.

Step 5: Detect Terminal and Launch

bash

# Detect terminal
if [[ -z "$TERMINAL_APP" ]]; then
  if [[ "$TERM_PROGRAM" == "iTerm.app" ]]; then
    TERMINAL_APP="iTerm"
  else
    TERMINAL_APP="Terminal"
  fi
fi

# Escape the prompt for shell
ESCAPED_PROMPT=$(echo "$CONTEXT_PROMPT" | sed 's/"/\\"/g')

# Launch based on terminal
if [[ "$TERMINAL_APP" == "iTerm" ]]; then
  osascript -e "tell application \"iTerm\"
    tell current window
      create tab with default profile
      tell current session
        write text \"cd '$PWD' && claude -p \\\"$ESCAPED_PROMPT\\\"\"
      end tell
    end tell
  end tell"
else
  osascript -e "tell application \"Terminal\"
    activate
    do script \"cd '$PWD' && claude -p \\\"$ESCAPED_PROMPT\\\"\"
  end tell"
fi

Step 6: Confirm to User

After launching, inform the user:

code

Sidequest started in new terminal!
Task: <task description>
Continue your main quest here.

Example Workflow

Main terminal (building user authentication):

code

You: Working on the login API endpoint...
You: /sidequest "Add a settings page with dark mode toggle"

Claude: [AskUserQuestion]
        Include a summary of this chat in the sidequest?

        > Yes, include summary
          No, start fresh

You: (selects "Yes, include summary")

Claude: Sidequest started in new terminal!
        Task: Add a settings page with dark mode toggle
        Context: Included summary of current auth work
        Continue your main quest here.

You: (continues auth work)

New terminal (opens automatically):

code

Claude: SIDEQUEST MODE
        Task: Add a settings page with dark mode toggle

        Context from main session:
        - Working on: Building user authentication with JWT
        - Branch: feature/user-auth
        - Key files: auth.ts, login.tsx, middleware.ts
        - Progress: Login endpoint complete, working on token refresh

        Let me look at the existing pages structure...

Example without context:

code

You: /sidequest "Set up CI/CD pipeline" --no-context
Claude: Sidequest started in new terminal!
        Task: Set up CI/CD pipeline
        (No context passed - starting fresh)

Script Location

The sidequest shell script is located at:

code

${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/sidequest/scripts/sidequest.sh

Execution

To run a sidequest:

bash

bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/sidequest/scripts/sidequest.sh" \
  --task "Your task description" \
  --context "Summary of current work" \
  --branch "$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo 'N/A')" \
  --files "auth.ts,login.tsx"

Or without context:

bash

bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/sidequest/scripts/sidequest.sh" \
  --task "Your task description" \
  --no-context

Requirements

•macOS (uses osascript for terminal control)
•Terminal.app or iTerm2
•Claude Code CLI installed (claude command available)

Notes

•The sidequest runs independently - changes in one session don't affect the other
•Both sessions share the same working directory and git state
•Be careful with conflicting file edits between sessions
•Use git stash if you need to switch context between sessions