Claude Code Cheat Sheet

Claude Code 2.1.x

Last verified: March 2026· Sources: code.claude.com official docs

Recent Changes--bare flag — minimal headless--channels — MCP push (preview)effort frontmatter for skills & agents/branch replaces /forkSendMessage auto-resumes agentsAuto mode (Team+)

🖥️ CLI & Flags

Core Commands

claudeInteractive

claude "q"With prompt

claude -p "q"Headless

claude -cContinue last

claude -r "n"Resume

claude updateUpdate

Key Flags

--modelSet model

-wGit worktree

-n / --nameSession name

--add-dirAdd dir

--agentUse agent

--allowedToolsPre-approve

--output-formatjson/stream

--max-turnsLimit turns

--max-budget-usdCost cap

--consoleAuth via Anthropic Console

--verboseVerbose

--bareMinimal headlessNEW

--channelsMCP pushNEW

--remoteWeb session

--effortlow/med/high/max

--permission-modeplan/default/...

--dangerously-skip-permissionsSkip all

--chromeChrome integration

--teleportPull web session locally

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

General Controls

CtrlCCancel input/generation

CtrlDExit session

CtrlLClear screen

CtrlOToggle verbose output

CtrlRReverse search history

CtrlGOpen prompt in editor

Background & Tasks

CtrlBBackground running task

CtrlTToggle task list

CtrlVPaste image

CtrlFKill background agents (x2)

EscEscRewind / undo

Mode Switching

⇧TabCycle permission modes

⌥PSwitch model

⌥TToggle thinking

Input

⌥EnterNewline (quick)

CtrlJNewline (control seq)

Prefixes

/Slash command

!Direct bash

@File mention + autocomplete

Session Picker

↑↓Navigate

←→Expand / collapse

PPreview

RRename

/Search

AAll projects

BCurrent branch

⚡ Slash Commands

Session

/clearClear conversation

/compact [focus]Compact context

/resumeResume/switch session

/rename [name]Name current session

/branch [name]Branch conversation

/costToken usage stats

/contextVisualize context (grid)

/diffInteractive diff viewer

/copyCopy last response

/exportExport conversation

Config

/configOpen settings

/model [model]Switch model

/fast [on|off]Toggle fast mode

/vimToggle vim mode

/themeChange color theme

/permissionsView/update permissions

/effort [level]Set effort (low/med/high/max)

/color [color]Set prompt-bar color

/keybindingsCustomize shortcuts

/terminal-setupConfigure terminal keys

Tools

/initCreate CLAUDE.md

/memoryEdit CLAUDE.md files

/mcpManage MCP servers

/hooksManage hooks

/skillsList available skills

/agentsManage agents

/chromeChrome integration

/reload-pluginsHot-reload plugins

/add-dir <path>Add working directory

Special

/btw <question>Side question (no context)

/plan [desc]Plan mode (+ auto-start)

/loop [interval]Schedule recurring task

/voicePush-to-talk (20 langs)

/doctorDiagnose installation

/pr-comments [PR]Fetch GitHub PR comments

/statsUsage streaks & prefs

/insightsAnalyze sessions report

/desktopContinue in Desktop app

/remote-controlBridge to claude.ai (/rc)

/usagePlan limits & rate status

/scheduleCloud scheduled tasks

/security-reviewSecurity analysis

/helpShow help + commands

/feedbackSubmit feedback (/bug)

/release-notesView full changelog

🔄 Workflows & Tips

Plan Mode

⇧TabNormal → Auto-Accept → Plan

--permission-mode planStart in plan mode

Thinking & Effort

⌥TToggle thinking on/off

"ultrathink"Max effort for turn

CtrlOSee thinking (verbose)

/effortlow · med · highNEW

Git Worktrees

--worktree nameIsolated branch per feature

isolation: worktreeAgent in own worktree

sparsePathsCheckout only needed dirsNEW

/batchAuto-creates worktrees

Voice Mode

/voiceEnable push-to-talk

Space (hold)Record, release to send

20 languagesEN, ES, FR, DE, CZ, PL...

Context Management

/contextUsage + optimization tips

/compact [focus]Compress with focus

Auto-compact~95% capacity

1M contextOpus 4.6 (Max/Team/Ent)

CLAUDE.mdSurvives compaction!

Session Power Moves

claude -cContinue last conv

claude -r "name"Resume by name

/btw questionSide Q, no context cost

SDK / Headless

claude -p "query"Non-interactive

--output-format jsonStructured output

--max-budget-usd 5Cost cap

cat file | claude -pPipe input

Scheduling & Remote

/loop 5m msgRecurring task

/rcRemote control

--remoteWeb session on claude.ai

🧩 Skills & Agents

Built-in Skills

/simplifyCode review (3 parallel agents)

/batchLarge parallel changes (5-30)

/debug [desc]Troubleshoot from debug log

/loop [interval]Recurring scheduled task

/claude-apiLoad API + SDK reference

Custom Skill Locations

.claude/skills/<name>/Project skills

~/.claude/skills/<name>/Personal skills

Skill Frontmatter

descriptionAuto-invocation trigger

allowed-toolsSkip permission prompts

modelOverride model for skill

effortOverride effort levelNEW

context: forkRun in subagent

$ARGUMENTSUser input placeholder

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}Skill's own directory

! `cmd`Dynamic context injection

Built-in Agents

ExploreFast read-only (Haiku)

PlanResearch for plan mode

GeneralFull tools, complex tasks

BashTerminal separate context

Agent Frontmatter

permissionModedefault/acceptEdits/plan/...

isolation: worktreeRun in git worktree

memory: user|projectPersistent memory

background: trueBackground task

maxTurnsLimit agentic turns

SendMessageResume agentsNEW

🧠 Memory & Files

CLAUDE.md Locations

./CLAUDE.mdProject (team-shared)

~/.claude/CLAUDE.mdPersonal (all projects)

/etc/claude-code/Managed (org-wide)

Rules & Import

.claude/rules/*.mdProject rules

~/.claude/rules/*.mdUser rules

paths: frontmatterPath-specific rules

@path/to/fileImport in CLAUDE.md

Auto Memory

~/.claude/projects/<proj>/memory/

MEMORY.md+ topic files, auto-loaded

🔌 MCP Servers

Add Servers

--transport httpRemote HTTP (recommended)

--transport stdioLocal process

--transport sseRemote SSE

Scopes

Local.claude.json (per project)

Project.mcp.json (shared/VCS)

User~/.claude.json (global)

Manage

/mcpInteractive UI

claude mcp listList all servers

claude mcp serveCC as MCP server

ElicitationServers request input mid-taskNEW

⚙️ Config & Env

Config Files

~/.claude/settings.jsonUser settings

.claude/settings.jsonProject (shared)

.claude/settings.local.jsonLocal only

~/.claude.jsonOAuth, MCP, state

.mcp.jsonProject MCP servers

Key Settings

modelOverridesMap model picker → custom IDs

autoMemoryDirectoryCustom memory dir

worktree.sparsePathsSparse checkout dirsNEW

Key Env Vars

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

ANTHROPIC_MODEL

CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVELlow/med/high

MAX_THINKING_TOKENS0=off

ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTIONCustom /model entry

CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_SEED_DIRPlugin seed dirs

CLAUDECODEDetect CC shell (=1)

IS_DEMODemo mode (hide email/org)

Verified against official docs at code.claude.com/docs · March 2026

Opus 4.6 · Sonnet 4.6 · Haiku 4.5

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