Claude Code Cheatsheet

⚙

Install & Authentication

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash Install Claude Code (native binary, recommended)

source ~/.bashrc Reload shell after install

claude --version Verify installation

claude auth login Sign in to your Anthropic account

claude auth logout Log out from your account

claude auth status Show authentication status

claude update Update to latest version

▶

CLI Commands

claude Start interactive session in current directory

claude "explain this project" Start session with an initial prompt

claude -p "your task" Run one-off query then exit (non-interactive)

cat file.txt | claude -p "explain" Process piped content

claude -c Continue most recent conversation

claude --model sonnet Start with a specific model

claude --debug Start with debug logging enabled

⚡

Slash Commands (Inside Session)

/help Show help and all available commands

/clear Clear conversation history and free context. Aliases: /reset, /new

/compact [instructions] Compress conversation with optional focus instructions

/cost Show token usage statistics for current session

/context Visualize context window usage as a colored grid

/model [model] Select or switch AI model mid-session

/status Show version, model, account and connectivity

/init Initialize project with CLAUDE.md guide

/doctor Diagnose and verify installation and settings

/memory Edit CLAUDE.md memory files and auto-memory

/permissions View or update tool permissions

/feedback Submit feedback or report a bug. Alias: /bug

/exit Exit Claude Code. Alias: /quit

🧠

Model Selection

/model Open interactive model picker

/model haiku Claude Haiku — fastest & cheapest, simple tasks

/model sonnet recommended Claude Sonnet — best balance of speed and quality

/model opus Claude Opus — most powerful, complex reasoning

Keyboard shortcut

Alt+P (Option+P on macOS) Switch model without clearing your current prompt

⌨

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+C Cancel current input or generation

Ctrl+D Exit Claude Code session

Ctrl+L Clear terminal screen (keeps conversation)

Ctrl+R Reverse search through command history

Ctrl+G Open current prompt in your default text editor

Shift+Tab Toggle between Auto-Accept, Plan, and Normal mode

Esc + Esc Rewind conversation to a previous point

\ + Enter Multiline input — works in all terminals

🔤

Quick Input Prefixes

! npm test Bash mode — run shell command directly, output added to conversation

@ filename File path mention — triggers file path autocomplete

/ command Slash command or skill invocation

Useful combos

cat logs.txt | claude -p "explain errors" Pipe any file content directly into Claude

git diff main | claude -p "review for security" Pipe git diff for an instant code review

💻

Working with Code (Natural Language)

Explain what main.py does

Add error handling to main.py

Write unit tests for the get_users function

Find and fix the bug in main.py

Refactor this function to use async/await

Create a new file called auth.py with JWT login

Review all files and summarize the project

🔌

MCP Servers

claude mcp list Show all configured MCP servers

claude mcp add <name> Add a new MCP server

claude mcp remove <name> Remove an MCP server

claude mcp get <name> Show details of a specific server

/mcp Manage MCP connections and OAuth inside session

.mcp.json Project-level MCP config file — place in project root

💡

Pro Tips & Best Practices

/clear Use between unrelated tasks — free reset, zero token cost

/compact Use at logical breakpoints — after research or completing a milestone

/cost Check token spend regularly during long sessions

/init Run this first in any new project to auto-generate CLAUDE.md

Always run claude from inside your project directory Claude reads your files automatically for full context

Use Sonnet by default, Opus only when needed Sonnet handles 80% of tasks at significantly lower cost

Keep active MCP servers under 10 per project Too many MCPs reduce your usable context window

Use CLAUDE.md to give Claude persistent project context Add your stack, conventions, and common commands — loaded every session