Claude Code Cheat Sheet

100%
Claude Code v2.1.114 Last updated: April 18, 2026
⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts
General Controls
CtrlC Cancel input/generation
CtrlD Exit session
CtrlL Clear prompt input + force full screen redraw
CtrlO Toggle transcript viewer (verbose tool usage); cycles focus view in fullscreenNEW
CtrlU Clear entire input buffer
CtrlY Restore cleared input buffer
CtrlG Open in editor (same as Ctrl+X Ctrl+E)
CtrlR Reverse search history
CtrlX CtrlK Kill all background agents (press twice to confirm)
CtrlB Background running tasks
CtrlT Toggle task list
EscEsc Rewind or summarize
Mode Switching
⇧TabShiftTab Cycle permission modes (default → acceptEdits → plan → …)
Mac Option Keys (configure Option as Meta)
Windows Alt Keys
⌥PAltP Switch model
⌥TAltT Toggle extended thinking
⌥OAltO Toggle fast mode
Input
\Enter Newline
Prefixes
/ Slash command
! Direct bash
@ File mention + autocomplete
Platform Notes
Terminal Terminal.app or iTerm2 — run /terminal-setup after install
Install brew install claude-code or npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Terminal Windows Terminal (recommended) — PowerShell, cmd, or WSL
Install winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode or npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
WSL Recommended for Linux-style tooling and /etc/claude-code/ managed policy
🔌 MCP Servers
Add Servers
--transport http Remote HTTP (recommended)
--transport stdio Local process
--transport sse Remote SSE
Scopes
Local ~/.claude.json (you only)
Project .mcp.json (shared/VCS)
User ~/.claude.json (global)
Manage
/mcp Interactive UI
claude mcp list List all servers
maxResultSizeChars _meta["anthropic/maxResultSizeChars"] raises per-tool text threshold (up to 500K chars)NEW
⚡ Slash Commands
Session
/clear Clear conversation
/compact [focus] Compact context
/branch [name] Branch conversation (/fork alias)
/cost Token usage (per-model + cache breakdown)NEW
/context Visualize context (grid)
/diff Interactive diff viewer
/copy [N] Copy last (or Nth) response
/recap Summarize session context when returningNEW
/undo Alias for /rewindNEW
/rewind Rewind conv / code checkpoint
/export Export conversation
/plan [desc] Enter plan mode directly
/resume [session] Resume by ID/name
/focus Toggle focus view (fullscreen only)NEW
Config
/model [model] Switch model (←→ effort)NEW
/fast [on|off] Toggle fast mode
/theme Change color theme — includes "Auto (match terminal)" dark/light option
/permissions View/update permissions
/effort [level] Set effort (low/medium/high/xhigh/max); opens interactive slider with arrow keys when called without args
/color [color] Set prompt-bar color
/keybindings Customize keyboard shortcuts
/terminal-setup Configure terminal keybindings
Tools
/init Create CLAUDE.md
/memory Edit CLAUDE.md files, toggle auto memory, view entries
/mcp Manage MCP servers
/hooks Manage hooks
/skills List available skills
/agents Manage agent configurationsNEW
/review [PR] Review PR locally
/ultrareview [PR#] Cloud code review — parallel multi-agent analysis
/simplify [focus] Code review + fix (3 agents)NEW
/security-review Scan diff for vulnerabilities
/less-permission-prompts Add allowlist to reduce promptsNEW
/loop [interval] [prompt] Recurring task (/proactive alias)NEW
/chrome Chrome integration
/ide IDE integrations status
/reload-plugins Hot-reload plugins
/add-dir <path> Add working directory
Special
/btw <question> Ask a side question without adding to the conversation
/extra-usage Extra usage when rate limited
/voice Toggle push-to-talk voice dictation
/doctor Diagnose installation
/insights Analyze sessions report
/desktop Continue in Desktop app
/rename [name] Rename current session
/help Show help + commands
/feedback Submit feedback (alias: /bug)
📁 Memory & Files
CLAUDE.md Locations
./CLAUDE.md or ./.claude/CLAUDE.md Project (team-shared)
./CLAUDE.local.md Local personal project notes (gitignored)
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md Personal (all projects) — /Users/<you>/.claude/
%USERPROFILE%\.claude\CLAUDE.md Personal (all projects) — C:\Users\<you>\.claude\
/etc/claude-code/CLAUDE.md Managed policy (macOS, org-wide)
%ProgramData%\ClaudeCode\CLAUDE.md Managed policy (Windows) or /etc/claude-code/ under WSL
Rules & Import
.claude/rules/*.md Project rules
~/.claude/rules/*.md User rules
%USERPROFILE%\.claude\rules\*.md User rules
paths: frontmatter Path-specific rules
@path/to/file Import in CLAUDE.md
Auto Memory
~/.claude/projects/<proj>/memory/ Project memory dir
%USERPROFILE%\.claude\projects\<proj>\memory\ Project memory dir
MEMORY.md auto-loads at startup (first 25KB or 200 lines); topic files load on demand
🧠 Workflows & Tips
Plan Mode
⇧TabShiftTab Normal → Auto-Accept → Plan
--permission-mode plan Start in plan mode
Plan file naming Files named after your prompt (e.g. fix-auth-race-snug-otter.md)
Thinking & Effort
⌥TAltT Toggle thinking on/off
"ultrathink" Max effort for turn
CtrlO See thinking (verbose)
/effort ○ low · ◐ medium · ● high · ★ xhigh · ★★ max
Auto Mode Denied
/permissions → Recent Retry denied with RNEW
Git Worktrees
--worktree name Isolated branch per feature
isolation: worktree Agent in own worktree
sparsePaths Checkout only needed dirs
workspace.git_worktree Status line JSON: linked worktree pathNEW
/batch Auto-creates worktrees
Voice Mode
/voice Enable push-to-talk
Space (hold) Record, release to send
20 languages EN, ES, FR, DE, CZ, PL…
Context Management
/context Usage + optimization tips
/compact [focus] Compress with focus
Auto-compact ~95% capacity (thrash detection: 3x)NEW
1M context Opus 4.6 (Max/Team/Ent)
CLAUDE.md Survives compaction!
Session Power Moves
claude -c Continue last conv
claude -r "name" Resume by name
/btw question Side Q, no context cost
SDK / Headless
claude -p "query" Non-interactive
--output-format json Structured output
--max-budget-usd 5 Cost cap
cat file | claude -p Pipe input
type file | claude -p Pipe input (PowerShell: Get-Content file | claude -p)
Scheduling & Remote
/loop 5m msg Recurring task
--remote Web session on claude.ai
⚙️ Config & Env
Config Files
~/.claude/settings.json User settings
%USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json User settings
.claude/settings.json Project (shared)
.claude/settings.local.json Local only
~/.claude.json OAuth, MCP, state
%USERPROFILE%\.claude.json OAuth, MCP, state
.mcp.json Project MCP servers
managed-settings.d/ Drop-in policy fragments
Key Settings
modelOverrides Map model picker → custom IDs
autoMemoryDirectory Custom memory dir
worktree.sparsePaths Sparse checkout dirs
sandbox.failIfUnavailable Exit if sandbox fails
hooks: if Conditional hooks (permission rule syntax)
DISABLE_PROMPT_CACHING* Startup warning when prompt caching is disabledNEW
Monitor tool Stream events from background scriptsNEW
PermissionDenied Hook: auto-mode denialNEW
showThinkingSummaries Opt-in (off by default now)NEW
allowedChannelPlugins Admin channel plugin allowlist
hooks: "defer" Pause headless → resume later
disableSkillShellExec Block !`cmd`NEW
forceRemoteSettings… Block until freshNEW
refreshInterval Re-run custom status line every N secNEW
Key Env Vars
export VAR=value Set env in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile
setx VAR value Persist env (PowerShell: $env:VAR="value" for session)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
ANTHROPIC_MODEL
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL Proxy/gateway override
ANTHROPIC_BETAS Additional beta headers
ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION Custom /model entry
MAX_THINKING_TOKENS 0=off
ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H Opt into 1h prompt cache TTLNEW
FORCE_PROMPT_CACHING_5M Force 5-min prompt cache TTLNEW
CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AWAY_SUMMARY Force recap when telemetry disabledNEW
CLAUDECODE Detect CC shell (=1)
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON Disable scheduled tasks
API_TIMEOUT_MS API timeout (default: 600000ms)
MCP_TIMEOUT MCP server startup timeout (ms)
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_POWERSHELL_TOOL Use PowerShell tool instead of Bash on Windows
CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE
CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_AUTO_MEMORY
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_1M_CONTEXT
🔧 Skills & Agents
Built-in Skills
Skill tool Discovers built-in slash commands (/init, /review, /security-review…)NEW
/simplify Code review (3 parallel agents)
/batch Large parallel changes (5-30 worktrees)
/debug [desc] Troubleshoot from debug log
/loop [interval] Recurring scheduled task
/claude-api Load API + SDK reference
Custom Skill Locations
.claude/skills/<name>/ Project skills
~/.claude/skills/<name>/ Personal skills
%USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\<name>\ Personal skills
Skill Frontmatter
description Auto-invocation trigger
allowed-tools Skip permission prompts
model Override model for skill
effort Override effort level
paths: [globs] Path-specific (YAML list)NEW
context: fork Run in subagent
$ARGUMENTS User input placeholder
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR} Skill's own directory
!`cmd` Dynamic context injection
plugin bin/ Ship executables for Bash toolNEW
Built-in Agents
Explore Fast read-only (Haiku)
Plan Research for plan mode
General Full tools, complex tasks
Bash Terminal separate context
Bash / PowerShell Terminal separate context (PowerShell when CLAUDE_CODE_USE_POWERSHELL_TOOL=1)
Agent Frontmatter
permissionMode default/acceptEdits/plan/dontAsk/bypassPermissions
isolation: worktree Run in git worktree
memory: user|project|local Persistent memory
background: true Background task
maxTurns Limit agentic turns
initialPrompt Auto-submit first turn
SendMessage Resume agents (replaces resume)
@agent-name Mention named subagentsNEW
🖥️ CLI & Flags
Core Commands
claude Interactive
claude "q" With prompt
claude -p "q" Headless (SDK)
claude -c Continue last
claude -r "n" Resume by ID/name
claude update Update
claude auth login Sign in (--sso, --console)
claude agents List agents
claude mcp MCP config
claude plugin Plugin management
Key Flags
--model Set model
-n / --name Session name
--resume, -r Resume session
--continue, -c Continue most recent
--add-dir Add working dir
--agent Use agent
--agents Define agents via JSON
--allowedTools Pre-approve tools
--disallowedTools Remove tools
--allow-danger… Add bypassPerms to ⇧Tab cycle
--output-format text/json/stream-json
--json-schema Structured output
--max-turns Limit turns
--max-budget-usd Cost cap
--exclude-dyn… Better prompt cachingNEW
--bare Minimal (no hooks/MCP/memory)
--channels MCP push notifications
--remote Web session on claude.ai
--rc / --remote-control Remote Control mode
--effort low/medium/high/xhigh/max
--permission-mode default/acceptEdits/plan/auto/dontAsk/bypassPermissions
--dangerously-skip-permissions Skip all prompts ⚠️
--chrome / --no-chrome Chrome on/off
--debug [filter] Debug logging
--system-prompt Custom system prompt
--settings <file> Load settings JSON