Claude Code CLI Cheatsheet

Q: How do I start a new Claude Code session?

Run the 'claude' command in your project directory to start an interactive session. First-time use will prompt you to log in to your Anthropic account. You can also use 'claude -p "prompt"' for one-shot queries.

Q: What models does Claude Code support?

It defaults to Claude 4 Sonnet and supports switching models via --model, e.g., claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-opus-4-20250514. The model list evolves with Anthropic API updates.

Q: How do I manage file context in a session?

Use /add to add files to context, /drop to remove files, and /read to view file contents. Use --resume to restore prior session context.

Q: What is CLAUDE.md used for?

CLAUDE.md is a project-level instruction file placed in the project root. It tells Claude Code about project structure, coding conventions, testing requirements, and other context. It is loaded automatically on session start.

Q: Can Claude Code be extended?

Yes, via MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools and Extensions. MCP tools integrate external APIs and data sources. Extensions provide custom hooks and feature enhancements.

Claude Code is Anthropic's AI coding assistant CLI tool that integrates into terminal workflows, supporting code generation, editing, review, debugging, and more. This cheatsheet covers common commands and configurations from basic startup to advanced extensions.

Updated: 2026-07-17·31 commands

Overview

Claude Code is Anthropic's official AI coding assistant CLI, deeply integrated into terminal development workflows. It supports interactive sessions, code generation and editing, file operations, Git integration, and extensibility through the MCP protocol.

Quick Start

``bash # Start an interactive session claude

# One-shot query claude -p "Explain this codebase"

# Start with a specific model claude --model claude-sonnet-4-20250514`

Refer to the command table below for detailed usage.

`Basic Commands`

Use the claude command to start an interactive session, or -p for one-shot queries. --resume restores the previous session context. --print outputs in plain text (non-interactive).

`Session Commands`

Manage conversations with / prefixed commands: /help for assistance, /clear to clear the screen, /compact to compress context and save tokens, /cost to view session costs, /doctor to diagnose issues.

`Code Operations`

Use /bug to analyze code bugs, /review to review code changes, /add and /drop to manage context files, /read and /write for file I/O, /edit for code editing, /diff to view changes, /undo to revert modifications.

`Configuration`

Project-level configuration is defined in CLAUDE.md. User-level settings go in .claude/settings.json. Hooks provide custom script triggers. MCP tools and Extensions offer extensible integration capabilities.

`Advanced`

Advanced features include claude update for version updates, claude --verbose for detailed output, claude --version to check version, claude ssh for remote SSH mode, and claude mcp` for MCP tool management.

Basic Usage(5)

Command	Level	Example
`claude` Start an interactive Claude Code session	Basic	`claude`
`claude -p` One-shot prompt without interactive session	Basic	`claude -p 'Write a Python function to sort a list'`
`claude --resume` Resume context from the last interactive session	Basic	`claude --resume`
`claude --print` Output in plain text format, suitable for piping	Basic	`claude --print -p 'List all files'`
`claude --model` Specify which Claude model to use	Intermediate	`claude --model claude-opus-4-20250514`

Chat Commands(5)

Command	Level	Example
`/help` Show help for all available commands	Basic	`/help`
`/clear` Clear the current session terminal display	Basic	`/clear`
`/compact` Compact session context to save tokens	Intermediate	`/compact`
`/cost` Show current session token usage and cost estimate	Basic	`/cost`
`/doctor` Diagnose Claude Code environment issues	Intermediate	`/doctor`

Code Operations(9)

Command	Level	Example
`/bug` Analyze specified files for potential bugs	Intermediate	`/bug src/app.py`
`/review` Review code changes or entire files	Intermediate	`/review`
`/add` Add files to the session context	Basic	`/add src/main.ts src/utils.ts`
`/drop` Remove files from the session context	Basic	`/drop src/utils.ts`
`/read` Read file contents into the session context	Basic	`/read package.json`
`/write` Write generated content to a file	Basic	`/write src/newfile.py`
`/edit` Edit code or text content	Intermediate	`/edit src/app.ts -p 'Add error handling'`
`/diff` View diff of changes in current context	Basic	`/diff`
`/undo` Undo the last code modification	Basic	`/undo`

Configuration(7)

Command	Level	Example
`CLAUDE.md` Project-level instruction file (auto-loaded into context)	Intermediate	`echo 'Use TypeScript strict mode' > CLAUDE.md`
`.claude/settings.json` User-level configuration file (JSON format)	Intermediate	`cat .claude/settings.json`
`claude hooks` Configure custom hook scripts (pre/post actions)	Expert	`claude hooks add pre-commit 'npm run lint'`
`MCP tools` Integrate external tools and data sources via MCP protocol	Expert	`claude mcp add weather --url https://api.weather.com/mcp`
`claude extensions` Manage Claude Code extensions	Expert	`claude extensions list`
`CLAUDE_PROJECT.md` Shared project-level instruction file across projects	Intermediate	`cat ~/.claude/CLAUDE_PROJECT.md`
`claude config` View or modify Claude Code configuration	Intermediate	`claude config set theme dark`

Advanced(5)

Command	Level	Example
`claude update` Update Claude Code to the latest version	Basic	`claude update`
`claude --verbose` Enable verbose logging output	Intermediate	`claude --verbose`
`claude --version` Show Claude Code version information	Basic	`claude --version`
`claude ssh` Connect to a remote Claude Code session via SSH	Expert	`claude ssh user@remote-host`
`claude mcp` Manage MCP tools (add/remove/list)	Expert	`claude mcp list`

FAQ

How do I start a new Claude Code session?

What models does Claude Code support?

How do I manage file context in a session?

What is CLAUDE.md used for?

Can Claude Code be extended?

This cheatsheet is compiled from official tool documentation. Last updated: 2026-07-17.