For reference and contributions, visit the official Claude Code documentation

Claude Code Status License

Section Status Other Resources
Getting Started ✅ Claude-Code Docs
Configuration & Environment Variables ✅ Claude-Code via Discord
Commands & Usage ✅ Security Agents SKILL.md
Interface & Input ✅ Let Agent Create SKILL.md
Advanced Features ✅ 954+ Agent Skills
Automation & Integration ✅ No cost ai resources
Help & Troubleshooting ✅ 250+ Mermaid templates
Third-Party Integrations ✅ Discord Communication MCP

Fast paths: Install · Commands · Config · MCP · Agents · Troubleshoot

Area Start here Also useful
Getting Started Quick Start Initial Setup, System Requirements
Configuration Environment Variables Configuration Files
Commands Slash Commands CLI Quick Reference
Interface Keyboard Shortcuts Vim Mode
Advanced Features Plan Mode, Auto Mode, MCP Sub Agents, Skills, Hooks
Security Security & Permissions Dangerous Mode, Best Practices
Automation Automation & Scripting PR Review, Issue Triage
Help Troubleshooting Best Practices, Monitoring
Third-Party Integrations DeepSeek Integration Provider Setup Examples

Enable sound alerts when claude completes the task:

claude config set --global preferredNotifChannel terminal_bell

[!TIP] Send claude or npx claude in terminal to start the interface

Go to Help & Troubleshooting to fix issues...

# Native Installer (preferred — no Node.js required) ⭐️
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Windows
/* Via CMD (native)      */ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd
/* Via Powershell        */ irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# macOS / Linux / WSL
/* Via Terminal          */ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Arch
/* Via Terminal          */ yay -S claude-code*/
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# Alternative (npm) — useful when your environment already standardizes on Node.js
# Requires Node.js 18+
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Windows
/* Via CMD (npm)         */ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
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# macOS
/* Via Terminal          */ brew install node && npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Linux
/* Via Terminal          */ sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nodejs npm
/* Via Terminal          */ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# WSL/GIT
/* Via Terminal          */ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Docker
/* Windows (CMD)         */ docker run -it --rm -v "%cd%:/workspace" -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key" node:20-slim bash -lc "npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code && cd /workspace && claude"
/* macOS/Linux (bash/zsh)*/ docker run -it --rm -v "$PWD:/workspace" -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key" node:20-slim bash -lc 'npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code && cd /workspace && claude'
/* No bash Fallback      */ docker run -it --rm -v "$PWD:/workspace" -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key" node:20-slim sh -lc 'npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code && cd /workspace && claude'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Check if claude is installed correctly
/* Linux                 */ which claude
/* Windows               */ where claude
/* Universal             */ claude --version
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Common Management
/*claude config          */ Configure settings
/*claude mcp list        */ Setup MCP servers, you can also replace "list" with add/remove
/*claude agents          */ Open the agent/session dashboard
/*claude update          */ Run a manual update check

[!Tip] Open Project Via Terminal Into VS Code / Cursor

$ - cd /path/to/project

$ - code .

Make sure you have the (Claude Code extension) installed in your VS Code / Cursor

  • OS: macOS 10.15+, Ubuntu 20.04+/Debian 10+, or Windows 10/11 or WSL
  • Hardware: 4GB RAM minimum 8GB+ recommended
  • Software: Git 2.23+ is optional for PR/worktree workflows. Node.js 18+ is only required for npm-based installation; the native installer bundles its own runtime.
  • Internet: Connection for API calls

[!Tip] Find API key from Anthropic Console

Do NOT commit real keys use git-ignored files, OS key stores, or secret managers

# Universal
/* Authenticate via Anthropic account     */ claude auth login
/* Authenticate via Console/API billing   */ claude auth login --console
/* Switch accounts inside Claude          */ /login
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Windows
/* Set-api-key        */ set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here-here
/* cmd-masked-check   */ echo OK: %ANTHROPIC_API_KEY:~0,8%***
/* Set-persistent-key */ setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-your-key-here-here"
/* cmd-unset-key      */ set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Linux
/* Set-api-key        */ export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here-here"
/* masked-check       */ echo "OK: ${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY:0:8}***"
/* remove-session     */ unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Powershell
/* ps-session         */ $env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-your-key-here-here"
/* ps-masked-check    */ "OK: $($env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.Substring(0,8))***"
/* ps-persist         */ [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY","sk-your-key-here-here","User")
/* ps-rotate          */ $env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-new-key"
/* ps-remove          */ Remove-Item Env:\ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Other...
# persist-bash/*      */ echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here-here"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc
# persist-zsh /*      */ echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here-here"' >> ~/.zshrc  && source ~/.zshrc
# persist-fish/*      */ fish -lc 'set -Ux ANTHROPIC_API_KEY sk-your-key-here-here'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can also set any of these in settings.json under the "env" key for automatic application.

[!Important] Windows Users replace export with set or setx for perm

# Environment toggles (put in ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here-here"      # API key sent as X-Api-Key header (interactive usage: /login)
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="my-auth-token"           # Custom Authorization header; Claude adds "Bearer " prefix automatically
export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS="X-Trace-Id: 12345"   # Extra request headers (format: "Name: Value")

export ANTHROPIC_MODEL="sonnet"                                  # Custom model name or alias to use
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL="sonnet"                   # Default Sonnet alias or pinned Sonnet model ID
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL="opus"                       # Default Opus alias or pinned Opus model ID
export ANTHROPIC_SMALL_FAST_MODEL="haiku-model"                  # Haiku-class model for background tasks (placeholder)
export ANTHROPIC_SMALL_FAST_MODEL_AWS_REGION="REGION"            # Override AWS region for the small/fast model on Bedrock (placeholder)

export AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK="bedrock_..."         # Amazon Bedrock API key/token for authentication

export BASH_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS=60000                  # Default timeout (ms) for long-running bash commands
export BASH_MAX_TIMEOUT_MS=300000                     # Maximum timeout (ms) allowed for long-running bash commands
export BASH_MAX_OUTPUT_LENGTH=20000                   # Max characters in bash outputs before middle-truncation

export CLAUDE_BASH_MAINTAIN_PROJECT_WORKING_DIR=1     # (0 or 1) return to original project dir after each Bash command
export CLAUDE_BASH_NO_LOGIN=1                         # Force BashTool to skip login shell startup files
export CLAUDE_CODE_API_KEY_HELPER_TTL_MS=600000       # Interval (ms) to refresh creds when using apiKeyHelper
export CLAUDE_CODE_IDE_SKIP_AUTO_INSTALL=1            # (0 or 1) skip auto-installation of IDE extensions
export CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS=4096             # Max number of output tokens for most requests

export CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK=1                      # (0 or 1) use Amazon Bedrock
export CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX=0                       # (0 or 1) use Google Vertex AI
export CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_BEDROCK_AUTH=0                # (0 or 1) skip AWS auth for Bedrock (e.g., via LLM gateway)
export CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH=0                 # (0 or 1) skip Google auth for Vertex (e.g., via LLM gateway)

export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=0     # (0 or 1) disable nonessential traffic (equivalent to DISABLE_* below)
export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_TERMINAL_TITLE=0           # (0 or 1) disable automatic terminal title updates

export CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1         # (0 or 1) enable agent teams research preview
export CLAUDE_CODE_ADDITIONAL_DIRECTORIES_CLAUDE_MD=1 # (0 or 1) load CLAUDE.md from --add-dir paths
export CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TASKS=false                 # Set to "false" to disable the task system

export DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=0                          # (0 or 1) disable automatic updates (overrides autoUpdates setting)
export DISABLE_BUG_COMMAND=0                          # (0 or 1) disable the /bug command
export DISABLE_COST_WARNINGS=0                        # (0 or 1) disable cost warning messages
export DISABLE_ERROR_REPORTING=0                      # (0 or 1) opt out of Sentry error reporting
export DISABLE_NON_ESSENTIAL_MODEL_CALLS=0            # (0 or 1) disable model calls for non-critical paths
export DISABLE_TELEMETRY=0                            # (0 or 1) opt out of Statsig telemetry

export HTTP_PROXY="http://proxy:8080"                 # HTTP proxy server URL
export HTTPS_PROXY="https://proxy:8443"               # HTTPS proxy server URL

export MAX_THINKING_TOKENS=0                          # (0 or 1 to turn off/on) force a thinking budget for the model
export MCP_TIMEOUT=120000                             # MCP server startup timeout (ms)
export MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT=60000                         # MCP tool execution timeout (ms)
export MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS=25000                    # Max tokens allowed in MCP tool responses (default 25000)

export USE_BUILTIN_RIPGREP=0                          # (0 or 1) set 0 to use system-installed rg instead of bundled one

# Vertex AI region overrides follow VERTEX_REGION_CLAUDE_<MODEL_FAMILY>.
export VERTEX_REGION_CLAUDE_3_5_HAIKU="REGION"        # 3.x family example
export VERTEX_REGION_CLAUDE_4_6_SONNET="REGION"       # Sonnet family example
export VERTEX_REGION_CLAUDE_4_8_OPUS="REGION"         # Opus family example

# -- Session and runtime controls ---------------------------------------------
export CLAUDE_CODE_SIMPLE=1                            # Minimal mode: disables MCP tools, attachments, hooks, CLAUDE.md, and skills
export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_1M_CONTEXT=1                # Disable 1 M-token context window (use default shorter context)
export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS=1          # Disable background tasks entirely
export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1        # Opt out of experimental beta features
export CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_CONNECT_IDE=false              # Disable automatic IDE connection on startup
export CLAUDE_CODE_TMPDIR="/custom/tmp"                # Override the temp directory Claude Code uses
export CLAUDE_CODE_SHELL="/bin/zsh"                    # Override shell detection (force a specific shell)
export CLAUDE_CODE_SHELL_PREFIX="command-wrapper"      # Prefix/wrap every shell command Claude runs
export CLAUDE_CODE_FILE_READ_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS=50000   # Override max output tokens for the Read tool
export CLAUDE_CODE_PROXY_RESOLVES_HOSTS=true           # Let the HTTP/HTTPS proxy handle DNS resolution
export CLAUDE_CODE_EXIT_AFTER_STOP_DELAY=30000         # Auto-exit SDK mode after idle for N ms
export CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_GIT_TIMEOUT_MS=30000         # Timeout (ms) for plugin git operations
export CLAUDE_CODE_ACCOUNT_UUID="uuid"                 # Override account UUID (SDK / automation flows)
export CLAUDE_CODE_USER_EMAIL="[email protected]"       # Override user email (SDK / automation flows)
export CLAUDE_CODE_ORGANIZATION_UUID="uuid"            # Override organization UUID (SDK / automation flows)
export ENABLE_CLAUDEAI_MCP_SERVERS=false               # Opt out from claude.ai-synced MCP servers
export FORCE_AUTOUPDATE_PLUGINS=1                      # Allow plugin auto-update even when main updater is disabled
export IS_DEMO=1                                       # Demo mode — hides email/org from the UI
export NO_PROXY="localhost,127.0.0.1"                  # Bypass proxy for specified hosts (comma-separated)

# -- Provider, terminal, and telemetry controls --------------------------------
export CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AUTO_MODE=1                  # Enable auto mode on Bedrock, Vertex, and Foundry for Opus 4.7/4.8
export CLAUDE_CODE_USE_POWERSHELL_TOOL=1               # Enable PowerShell tool where available; Windows provider sessions may default to it
export CLAUDE_CODE_POWERSHELL_RESPECT_EXECUTION_POLICY=1 # Opt out of PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass behavior
export CLAUDE_CODE_NO_FLICKER=1                        # Prefer flicker-free alternate-screen rendering where supported
export CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY=1    # Let compatible gateways populate the model picker from /v1/models
export CLAUDE_CODE_FORCE_SYNC_OUTPUT=1                 # Force synchronized terminal output when auto-detection misses support
export CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE=1       # Let package-manager installs run background upgrades where supported
export ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H=true                   # Opt in to 1-hour prompt cache TTL when your provider supports it
export OTEL_LOG_TOOL_DETAILS=1                         # Include tool parameters in tool_decision telemetry events
export OTEL_METRICS_INCLUDE_ENTRYPOINT=true            # Include session entrypoint on OpenTelemetry metrics

claude config set -g theme dark                               # Theme: dark | light | light-daltonized | dark-daltonized
claude config set -g preferredNotifChannel iterm2_with_bell   # Notification channel: iterm2 | iterm2_with_bell | terminal_bell | notifications_disabled
claude config set -g autoUpdates true                         # Auto-download & install updates (applied on restart)
claude config set -g verbose true                             # Show full bash/command outputs

claude config set -g attribution false                        # Omit "co-authored-by Claude" in git commits/PRs
claude config set -g forceLoginMethod claudeai                 # Restrict login flow: claudeai | console
claude config set -g model "sonnet"                          # Default model override; use a full model ID only when pinning
claude config set -g statusLine '{"type":"command","command":"~/.claude/statusline.sh"}'  # Custom status line

claude config set -g enableAllProjectMcpServers true              # Auto-approve all MCP servers from .mcp.json
claude config set -g enabledMcpjsonServers '["memory","github"]'  # Approve specific MCP servers
claude config set -g disabledMcpjsonServers '["filesystem"]'      # Reject specific MCP servers

(Memory type) Claude Code offers four memory locations in a hierarchical structure, each serving a different purpose:

Memory Type Location Purpose Use Case Examples Shared With
Enterprise policy macOS: /Library/Application Support/ClaudeCode/CLAUDE.mdLinux: /etc/claude-code/CLAUDE.mdWindows: C:\ProgramData\ClaudeCode\CLAUDE.md Organization-wide instructions managed by IT/DevOps Company coding standards, security policies, compliance requirements All users in organization
Project memory ./CLAUDE.md Team-shared instructions for the project Project architecture, coding standards, common workflows Team members via source control
User memory ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md Personal preferences for all projects Code styling preferences, personal tooling shortcuts Just you (all projects)
Project memory (local) ./CLAUDE.local.md Personal project-specific preferences (git-ignored) Your sandbox URLs, preferred test data, personal overrides Just you (current project)
Project rules .claude/rules/*.md Modular project rules (loaded alongside CLAUDE.md) Linting rules, API conventions, per-directory standards Team members via source control

All memory files are automatically loaded into Claude Code's context when launched. Files higher in the hierarchy take precedence and are loaded first, providing a foundation that more specific memories build upon.

.claude/rules/ Directory

The .claude/rules/ directory lets you break project instructions into separate Markdown files instead of one large CLAUDE.md. Every *.md file inside is automatically loaded into context alongside CLAUDE.md. This is useful for:

  • Modular organization: Separate concerns (e.g., api-conventions.md, testing-rules.md)
  • Per-directory overrides: Nested rules/ directories can apply scoped rules
  • Team collaboration: Different team members can own different rule files via PR review

Auto-Memory

Claude can save useful working context during your sessions, such as project conventions, tooling preferences, and architectural decisions it observes while helping you. Use /memory to inspect, edit, or remove saved memories.

Auto-memory is most useful for context you would otherwise repeat across sessions:

  • Preferred build, test, and lint commands
  • Local conventions that are not obvious from code alone
  • Architecture decisions that influence future edits
  • Team preferences that should shape how Claude proposes changes

Keep durable team rules in CLAUDE.md or .claude/rules/. Treat auto-memory as helpful working context, not as the only source of truth.

Command Purpose
/add-dir Add additional working directories
/agents Manage custom AI subagents for specialized tasks
/branch Branch or fork the current conversation into a separate session
/bug Report bugs (sends conversation to Anthropic)
/clear Clear conversation history
/compact [instructions] Compact conversation with optional focus instructions
/config Open the Settings interface (Config tab)
/context Visualize current context usage as a colored grid
/copy Copy conversation content to clipboard
/code-review [effort] Run correctness-focused code review; use --fix to apply findings or --comment for PR comments
/color Set or randomize the current session accent color
/debug Troubleshoot current session and diagnose issues
/doctor Checks the health of your Claude Code installation
/effort Pick reasoning effort for the current model/session
/exit Exit the REPL
/export [filename] Export the current conversation to a file or clipboard
/fast Toggle fast mode for accelerated Opus responses where available
/goal Set a completion condition so Claude keeps working across turns until it is met
/help Get usage help
/init Initialize project with CLAUDE.md guide
/insights Generate an interactive HTML report analyzing your coding habits
/keybindings Configure custom keyboard shortcuts
/login Switch Anthropic accounts
/loop Schedule a recurring prompt or slash command
/logout Sign out from your Anthropic account
/mcp Manage MCP server connections and OAuth authentication
/memory Edit CLAUDE.md memory files
/model Select or change the AI model
/permissions View or update tool permissions
/plan Enter plan mode directly from the prompt
/plugins Manage plugins (install, enable, disable, marketplace)
/pr_comments View pull request comments
/release-notes Open the built-in release notes view
/rename <name> Rename the current session for easier identification
/resume [session] Resume a conversation by ID or name, or open session picker
/rules View and manage .claude/rules/ directory (modular project rules)
/rewind Rewind the conversation and/or code to a previous point
/sandbox View sandbox dependency status with installation instructions
/scroll-speed Tune mouse wheel scroll speed with a live preview
/settings Open Settings interface (alias for /config)
/simplify Run cleanup-only review for reuse, simplification, efficiency, and altitude
/status Open Settings interface (Status tab) showing version, model, account
/statusline Set up Claude Code's status line UI
/tasks List and manage background tasks
/teleport Resume a remote session from claude.ai (subscribers only)
/terminal-setup Install Shift+Enter key binding for newlines (iTerm2, VS Code, Kitty, Alacritty, Zed, Warp, and WezTerm)
/remote-env Configure remote environment settings
/theme Change the color theme
/todos List current TODO items
/ultrareview [target] Run comprehensive cloud code review with parallel multi-agent analysis
/usage Show plan usage limits and rate limit status (subscription plans)
/usage-credits Enable or inspect usage credits for higher-throughput modes
/workflows View dynamic workflow runs and background orchestration status
/batch Run batch operations on multiple files (bundled skill)
Flag / Command Description Example
-d, --debug Enable debug mode (shows detailed debug output). claude -d -p "query"
--include-partial-messages partial message streaming support via CLI flag claude -p "query" --include-partial-messages
--verbose Override verbose mode setting from config (shows expanded logging / turn-by-turn output). claude --verbose
-p, --print Print response and exit (useful for piping output). claude -p "query"
--output-format <format> Output format (only works with --print): text (default), json (single result), or stream-json (realtime streaming). claude -p "query" --output-format json
--input-format <format> Input format (only works with --print): text (default) or stream-json (realtime streaming input). claude -p --output-format stream-json --input-format stream-json
--replay-user-messages Re-emit user messages from stdin back to stdout for acknowledgment — only works with --input-format=stream-json and --output-format=stream-json. claude --input-format stream-json --output-format stream-json --replay-user-messages
--allowedTools, --allowed-tools <tools...> Comma/space-separated list of tool names to allow (e.g. "Bash(git:*) Edit"). --allowed-tools "Bash(git:*)" Edit"
--disallowedTools, --disallowed-tools <tools...> Comma/space-separated list of tool names to deny (e.g. "Bash(git:*) Edit"). --disallowed-tools "Edit"
--mcp-config <configs...> Load MCP servers from JSON files or strings (space-separated). claude --mcp-config ./mcp-servers.json
--strict-mcp-config Only use MCP servers from --mcp-config, ignoring other MCP configurations. claude --mcp-config ./a.json --strict-mcp-config
--append-system-prompt <prompt> Append a system prompt to the default system prompt (useful in print mode). claude -p --append-system-prompt "Do X then Y"
--permission-mode <mode> Permission mode for the session (choices include acceptEdits, auto, bypassPermissions, default, plan). claude --permission-mode plan
--permission-prompt-tool <tool> Specify an MCP tool to handle permission prompts in non-interactive mode. claude -p --permission-prompt-tool mcp_auth_tool "query"