03 - Continue an Existing Session#

You don't need to start fresh every time. Helmor supports resuming sessions so you can iterate on agent work without losing context.

How resumption works#

When you send a follow-up message to an existing session, Helmor:

Retrieves the stored provider_session_id from the database.
Passes it to the sidecar as a resume parameter.
The agent provider picks up where it left off — full conversation history is preserved.

The agent sees all prior messages, tool calls, and file state from the session, so you can reference earlier work without repeating yourself.

When to continue vs. start new#

Scenario	Action
Agent got 80% right, needs a tweak	Continue the session.
Agent misunderstood the task entirely	Consider discarding and starting a new session with a clearer prompt.
Different task in the same workspace	Start a new session — keeps history clean.
App crashed mid-session	Reopen the workspace and send a follow-up. Helmor reconnects using the stored session ID.

Sending a follow-up#

Open the workspace with the existing session.
Type your refinement in the composer (e.g., "Also add a test for the edge case where the input is empty").
Press Enter. The agent resumes with full context.

Tips for effective continuations#

Be specific about what to change — "fix the return type on line 42" works better than "something's off."
Reference the agent's prior output — "The function you added in utils.ts needs error handling."
Keep it scoped — each follow-up should have one clear goal.

Error recovery#

If the session can't resume (e.g., the provider session expired), Helmor surfaces a clear error. Start a new session and paste relevant context from the previous one.

A 45-second heartbeat timeout detects unresponsive sidecar processes — you'll see an error rather than an infinite hang.