feat(cli): add -c/--continue alias and 'nothing to continue' notice

cli/src/__tests__/cli-args.test.ts

@@ -179,6 +179,39 @@ describe('Freebuff CLI Argument Parsing', () => {
     expect(result.initialPrompt).toBeNull()
   })
 
+  test('accepts -c as continue without a conversation id', () => {
+    const result = parseArgs({
+      argv: ['node', 'freebuff', '-c'],
+      isFreebuff: true,
+      version: '1.0.0',
+    })
+
+    expect(result.continue).toBe(true)
+    expect(result.continueId).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  test('accepts --continue as continue without a conversation id', () => {
+    const result = parseArgs({
+      argv: ['node', 'freebuff', '--continue'],
+      isFreebuff: true,
+      version: '1.0.0',
+    })
+
+    expect(result.continue).toBe(true)
+    expect(result.continueId).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  test('accepts -c with an explicit conversation id', () => {
+    const result = parseArgs({
+      argv: ['node', 'freebuff', '-c', 'abc-123'],
+      isFreebuff: true,
+      version: '1.0.0',
+    })
+
+    expect(result.continue).toBe(true)
+    expect(result.continueId).toBe('abc-123')
+  })
+
   test('parses --trust-agents and defaults it to false', () => {
     expect(
       parseArgs({

cli/src/app.tsx

@@ -169,6 +169,12 @@ export const App = ({
   // State to track which chat to resume (set when user selects from history)
   const [resumeChatId, setResumeChatId] = useState<string | null>(null)
   const [continueRequested, setContinueRequested] = useState(continueChat)
+  // Raw `-c` / `--continue` from the command line, captured once at launch.
+  // The chat's "nothing to continue" notice keys off this, not
+  // `continueRequested`: a history-pick resume flips that state too, but
+  // resuming a past conversation never satisfies a launch-time request to
+  // resume a live session.
+  const continueFlagRequested = continueChat
 
   const handleResumeChat = useCallback(
     (chatId: string) => {
@@ -262,6 +268,7 @@ export const App = ({
       logoutMutation={logoutMutation}
       continueChat={effectiveContinueChat}
       continueChatId={effectiveContinueChatId}
+      continueRequested={continueFlagRequested}
       authStatus={authStatus}
       initialMode={initialMode}
       gitRoot={gitRoot}
@@ -287,6 +294,7 @@ interface AuthedSurfaceProps {
   logoutMutation: ReturnType<typeof useAuthState>['logoutMutation']
   continueChat: boolean
   continueChatId: string | undefined
+  continueRequested: boolean
   authStatus: AuthStatus
   initialMode: AgentMode | undefined
   gitRoot: string | null | undefined
@@ -333,6 +341,7 @@ export const AuthedSurfaceRoutes = ({
   setUser,
   logoutMutation,
   authStatus,
+  continueRequested,
   initialMode,
   gitRoot,
   onSwitchToGitRoot,
@@ -369,6 +378,7 @@ export const AuthedSurfaceRoutes = ({
       gitRoot={gitRoot}
       onSwitchToGitRoot={onSwitchToGitRoot}
       freebuffSession={session}
+      continueRequested={continueRequested}
     />
   )
 }

cli/src/chat.tsx

@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ import {
 import { ChatInputBar } from './components/chat-input-bar'
 import { ChatHeader } from './components/chat-header'
 import { FreebuffActiveSessionSummary } from './components/freebuff-active-session-summary'
+import { FreebuffNothingToContinueNotice } from './components/freebuff-nothing-to-continue-notice'
 import { LoadPreviousButton } from './components/load-previous-button'
 import { QueuePanel } from './components/queue-panel'
 import { ReviewScreen } from './components/review-screen'
@@ -166,6 +167,7 @@ export const Chat = ({
   gitRoot,
   onSwitchToGitRoot,
   freebuffSession,
+  continueRequested,
 }: {
   consumeInitialPrompt: () => string | null
   fileTree: FileTreeNode[]
@@ -178,6 +180,8 @@ export const Chat = ({
   gitRoot?: string | null
   onSwitchToGitRoot?: () => void
   freebuffSession: FreebuffSessionResponse | null
+  /** Raw `-c` / `--continue` flag, before history-pick resume folds in. */
+  continueRequested?: boolean
 }) => {
   const [forceFileOnlyMentions, setForceFileOnlyMentions] = useState(false)
   const headerRef = useRef<BoxRenderable | null>(null)
@@ -2341,6 +2345,15 @@ export const Chat = ({
               {freebuffAdmissionNotice(freebuffSession)}
             </text>
           )}
+        {/* Launch-time `-c` / `--continue` with no live session to resume.
+            Distinct from the admission notice above, which never fires on a
+            `status: 'none'` session. */}
+        {IS_FREEBUFF && (
+          <FreebuffNothingToContinueNotice
+            continueRequested={continueRequested === true}
+            session={freebuffSession}
+          />
+        )}
         {inputMode === 'help' && !freebuffControlsOpen && <HelpBanner />}
 
         {shouldShowStatusLine && (

cli/src/cli-args.ts

@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export function parseArgs({
       .description('Freebuff - Free AI coding assistant')
       .version(version, '-v, --version', 'Print the CLI version')
       .option(
-        '--continue [conversation-id]',
+        '-c, --continue [conversation-id]',
         'Continue from a previous conversation (optionally specify a conversation id)',
       )
       .option(
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ export function parseArgs({
         'Remove any existing CLI log files before starting',
       )
       .option(
-        '--continue [conversation-id]',
+        '-c, --continue [conversation-id]',
         'Continue from a previous conversation (optionally specify a conversation id)',
       )
       .option(

cli/src/components/__tests__/freebuff-nothing-to-continue.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test'
+import { createTestRenderer } from '@opentui/core/testing'
+import { createRoot, flushSync } from '@opentui/react'
+import React from 'react'
+
+import {
+  FreebuffNothingToContinueNotice,
+  NOTHING_TO_CONTINUE_MESSAGE,
+  shouldShowContinueNotice,
+} from '../freebuff-nothing-to-continue-notice'
+import { initializeThemeStore } from '../../hooks/use-theme'
+
+import type { FreebuffSessionResponse } from '../../types/freebuff-session'
+
+const ACTIVE_SESSION = {
+  status: 'active',
+  accessTier: 'full',
+  instanceId: 'i-1',
+  model: 'model',
+  admittedAt: '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z',
+  expiresAt: '2026-01-01T01:00:00Z',
+  remainingMs: 3_600_000,
+} satisfies FreebuffSessionResponse
+
+let cleanupRenderer: (() => void) | undefined
+
+beforeAll(() => {
+  initializeThemeStore()
+})
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  cleanupRenderer?.()
+  cleanupRenderer = undefined
+})
+
+const renderNotice = async () => {
+  const setup = await createTestRenderer({ width: 100, height: 3 })
+  const root = createRoot(setup.renderer)
+  cleanupRenderer = () => {
+    flushSync(() => root.unmount())
+    setup.renderer.destroy()
+  }
+  flushSync(() =>
+    root.render(
+      <FreebuffNothingToContinueNotice
+        continueRequested={true}
+        session={{ status: 'none' }}
+      />,
+    ),
+  )
+  await setup.renderOnce()
+  return setup
+}
+
+describe('FreebuffNothingToContinueNotice', () => {
+  test('tells the user there is nothing to continue', async () => {
+    const setup = await renderNotice()
+    const frame = setup.captureCharFrame().replace(/\s+/g, ' ')
+
+    expect(frame).toContain('nothing to continue')
+    expect(frame).toContain('no active session was found')
+  })
+
+  test('mentions starting a new session as the way forward', async () => {
+    const setup = await renderNotice()
+
+    expect(setup.captureCharFrame()).toContain('Pick a model below to start')
+  })
+
+  test('wraps the message on a narrow terminal rather than clipping it', async () => {
+    const setup = await createTestRenderer({ width: 40, height: 4 })
+    const root = createRoot(setup.renderer)
+    cleanupRenderer = () => {
+      flushSync(() => root.unmount())
+      setup.renderer.destroy()
+    }
+    flushSync(() =>
+      root.render(
+        <FreebuffNothingToContinueNotice
+          continueRequested={true}
+          session={{ status: 'none' }}
+        />,
+      ),
+    )
+    await setup.renderOnce()
+
+    const frame = setup.captureCharFrame().replace(/\s+/g, ' ')
+    expect(frame).toContain(NOTHING_TO_CONTINUE_MESSAGE.replace(/\s+/g, ' '))
+  })
+
+  test('renders nothing when no continue was requested', async () => {
+    const setup = await createTestRenderer({ width: 100, height: 3 })
+    const root = createRoot(setup.renderer)
+    cleanupRenderer = () => {
+      flushSync(() => root.unmount())
+      setup.renderer.destroy()
+    }
+    flushSync(() =>
+      root.render(
+        <FreebuffNothingToContinueNotice
+          continueRequested={false}
+          session={{ status: 'none' }}
+        />,
+      ),
+    )
+    await setup.renderOnce()
+
+    expect(setup.captureCharFrame().trim()).toBe('')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('shouldShowContinueNotice', () => {
+  test('only ever shows on a `status: none` session', () => {
+    expect(shouldShowContinueNotice(true, { status: 'none' })).toBe(true)
+
+    const resumed: FreebuffSessionResponse[] = [
+      ACTIVE_SESSION,
+      { status: 'takeover_prompt', model: 'model' },
+      { status: 'ended', freebucksRefund: 4 },
+      { status: 'superseded' },
+      { status: 'banned' },
+    ]
+    for (const session of resumed) {
+      expect(shouldShowContinueNotice(true, session)).toBe(false)
+    }
+  })
+
+  test('still probing (null session) never shows the notice', () => {
+    expect(shouldShowContinueNotice(true, null)).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  test('without the `-c` / `--continue` flag nothing renders', () => {
+    expect(shouldShowContinueNotice(false, { status: 'none' })).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldShowContinueNotice(false, ACTIVE_SESSION)).toBe(false)
+  })
+})

cli/src/components/freebuff-nothing-to-continue-notice.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import React from 'react'
+
+import { useTheme } from '../hooks/use-theme'
+
+import type { FreebuffSessionResponse } from '../types/freebuff-session'
+
+/** Shown when the user launched with `-c` / `--continue` but the probe found
+ *  no active session to resume (no seat, expired, or explicitly ended). */
+export const NOTHING_TO_CONTINUE_MESSAGE =
+  "There's nothing to continue — no active session was found. Pick a model below to start a new one."
+
+/** The notice must only ever appear when the user asked to resume a live
+ *  session AND no session is actually resumed. A successful resume either
+ *  lands outside this surface entirely or surfaces a `status: 'active'` /
+ *  takeover session, never a `status: 'none'` one, so gating on that status
+ *  is what makes the notice mean "nothing was resumed". Exported so the
+ *  invariant is testable without mounting the whole chat surface. */
+export const shouldShowContinueNotice = (
+  continueRequested: boolean,
+  session: FreebuffSessionResponse | null,
+): boolean => continueRequested && session?.status === 'none'
+
+interface FreebuffNothingToContinueNoticeProps {
+  /** The raw `-c` / `--continue` flag, before history-pick resume folds in. */
+  continueRequested: boolean
+  session: FreebuffSessionResponse | null
+}
+
+/**
+ * Says the launch-time request to resume a live session found nothing, rather
+ * than behaving like a plain first launch. Renders nothing unless a continue
+ * was requested and no session was resumed.
+ */
+export const FreebuffNothingToContinueNotice: React.FC<
+  FreebuffNothingToContinueNoticeProps
+> = ({ continueRequested, session }) => {
+  const theme = useTheme()
+  if (!shouldShowContinueNotice(continueRequested, session)) return null
+  return (
+    <text style={{ fg: theme.secondary, wrapMode: 'word', marginTop: 1 }}>
+      {NOTHING_TO_CONTINUE_MESSAGE}
+    </text>
+  )
+}