Claude Code Cheat Sheet
A searchable, printable Claude Code reference — CLI commands, slash commands, modes, flags, configuration and handy workflows. Free.
Launching
10claude
Start an interactive session in the current dir
claude "fix the build"
Start with an initial prompt
claude -p "explain this repo"
Print mode: run once, print result, exit
cat log | claude -p "find the error"
Pipe stdin into print mode
claude -c / claude --continue
Continue the most recent conversation
claude -r / claude --resume
Resume: pick an earlier session
claude --resume <session-id>
Resume a specific session by id
claude update
Update the CLI to the latest version
claude doctor
Diagnose the installation and health
claude mcp
Configure MCP servers from the CLI
Slash commands
12/help
List available commands and usage
/clear
Clear conversation history and context
/compact
Summarize and compact the context
/init
Generate a CLAUDE.md for the project
/model
Switch the active model
/agents
Create and manage subagents
/mcp
View and manage MCP server connections
/config
Open the settings / configuration panel
/review
Review a pull request or the current diff
/vim
Enable Vim keybindings in the prompt
/memory
Edit the CLAUDE.md memory files
/cost
Show token usage and cost for the session
Prompt prefixes
6@path/to/file
Reference a file or directory in context
# remember this
Add a line to memory (choose which CLAUDE.md)
! ls -la
Bash mode: run a shell command directly
/command
Run a built-in or custom slash command
@folder/
Reference a whole directory
paste image
Paste a screenshot to include it
Modes
6Shift + Tab
Cycle modes: normal → auto-accept → plan
auto-accept edits
Apply file edits without confirming each one
plan mode
Research and propose a plan; make no changes
normal mode
Ask for confirmation on each action
--permission-mode plan
Start directly in plan mode
--permission-mode acceptEdits
Start with edits auto-accepted
Keyboard shortcuts
9Esc
Interrupt Claude mid-response
Esc Esc
Edit a previous message / rewind
Ctrl + C
Cancel current input or generation
Ctrl + D
Exit the Claude Code session
Ctrl + L
Clear the terminal screen
Ctrl + R
Toggle verbose / expanded output
Up / Down
Browse input history
Shift + Tab
Cycle permission modes
\ + Enter
Insert a newline in the prompt
Common flags
10--model <name>
Choose the model (e.g. opus, sonnet)
--add-dir <path>
Grant access to an extra directory
--permission-mode <m>
plan | acceptEdits | default | bypassPermissions
--allowedTools "Bash,Edit"
Pre-allow specific tools
--disallowedTools "Bash"
Block specific tools
--output-format json
Structured output for scripting (print mode)
--max-turns 5
Limit agentic turns in print mode
--append-system-prompt "..."
Append to the system prompt
--verbose
Show full turn-by-turn output
--dangerously-skip-permissions
Skip all permission prompts (use with care)
Configuration & memory
9.claude/settings.json
Project settings (shared, committed)
.claude/settings.local.json
Project settings (personal, git-ignored)
~/.claude/settings.json
User-level settings for all projects
CLAUDE.md
Project memory loaded into every session
CLAUDE.local.md
Personal project memory (git-ignored)
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
Global memory for all projects
.claude/commands/*.md
Custom slash commands
.mcp.json
Project-scoped MCP server definitions
permissions.allow / deny
Allow / deny tool rules in settings.json
Hooks
8PreToolUse
Run a command before a tool executes
PostToolUse
Run after a tool finishes (e.g. lint/format)
UserPromptSubmit
Run when you submit a prompt
Stop
Run when Claude finishes responding
SubagentStop
Run when a subagent finishes
SessionStart
Run when a session begins
Notification
Run on notifications (e.g. awaiting input)
matcher: "Edit|Write"
Scope a hook to specific tools
MCP servers
8claude mcp add <name> -- <cmd>
Add a stdio MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>
Add a remote HTTP MCP server
claude mcp list
List configured MCP servers
claude mcp get <name>
Show details of one server
claude mcp remove <name>
Remove an MCP server
/mcp
View status and authenticate servers
--mcp-config <file>
Load MCP servers from a JSON file
@server:resource
Reference an MCP resource in a prompt
Handy workflows
8claude "/review"
Review the current diff before committing
plan first, then build
Shift+Tab to plan mode, approve, then execute
# add a project convention
Quickly persist a rule to CLAUDE.md
@file.php explain this
Drop a file into context with a question
claude -p "..." | tee out.txt
Script Claude and capture the output
git diff | claude -p "write a commit msg"
Generate a commit message from a diff
/clear between tasks
Reset context when switching topics
/compact when long
Compact a long session to free up context
No entry matches “:q”.
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