Slash Commands

Daily Commands

/compact [focus]	Compress context; keep key memory
/resume	Resume or switch sessions
/context	Visualize context usage
/memory	Open or edit memory files
/permissions	View or change approval mode
/model [model]	Switch model
/effort [level]	Set reasoning effort

Project & Workflow

/init	Create a project CLAUDE.md
/mcp	Manage MCP servers
/hooks	Manage hooks
/agents	Manage agents
/plan [desc]	Enter plan mode
/branch [name]	Fork conversation / branch context
/config	Open settings

Memory & Project Files

Where Context Lives

Choice	Use when	Watch for
./CLAUDE.md	You want shared repo instructions, build commands, and project conventions	Keep it durable and concise, not a dump of session chatter
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md	You want personal defaults across many projects	Avoid repo-specific rules that teammates should see
/etc/claude-code/CLAUDE.md	Your org needs managed instructions users should not bypass	Too heavy for personal workflow notes
auto memory	Claude should remember corrections and local facts over time	Machine-local and less portable than authored guidance

Rules & Imports

.claude/rules/*.md	Project rules file set for more focused guidance
@path/to/file	Import files inside CLAUDE.md
paths:	Path-scoped rules in frontmatter

CLAUDE.md vs Auto Memory

Choice	Use when	Watch for
CLAUDE.md	You want durable instructions you author deliberately	Best for commands, repo structure, coding rules, and safety policy
auto memory	Claude should retain corrections and learned facts across sessions	Useful, but less predictable and not as portable

Permissions, Hooks & MCP

Permission Modes

Choice	Use when	Watch for
plan	You want research, planning, or architectural thinking without edits	Safest mode, but intentionally slower for execution
default	You want the normal interactive baseline	Expect prompts before riskier actions
acceptEdits	You want faster editing while still gating risky tools	Good speed trade-off, but still not full automation
bypassPermissions	You are in tightly trusted automation or fully controlled contexts	High risk; not a normal day-to-day setting

settings.json & Hooks

{
  "permissions": { "allow": ["Read", "Glob"], "deny": ["Bash(rm *)"] },
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [{
      "matcher": "Bash",
      "hooks": [{ "type": "command", "command": "check-command.sh $INPUT" }]
    }]
  }
}

Hook Events & Results

PreToolUse	Before tool execution
PostToolUse	After tool execution
Stop	At response completion
exit 0	Allow tool to proceed
exit 2	Block tool execution
stdout JSON	Structured feedback back to Claude

MCP Commands

claude mcp add my-server -- npx my-mcp-server
claude mcp add --transport http sentry https://mcp.sentry.dev/mcp
claude mcp list
claude mcp get my-server
claude mcp remove my-server
claude mcp serve

MCP Scope

Choice	Use when	Watch for
project	The repo should share the same MCP server config	Put it in `.mcp.json` so the setup travels with the project
user	You want personal MCP servers across many repos	Lives in `~/.claude.json`; teammates will not inherit it
stdio	The server runs as a local process on your machine	Best for local tooling; install/runtime is your responsibility
http / sse	You connect to remote MCP servers over the network	Credentials, latency, and remote availability matter more

CLI & Automation

Core Commands

claude                  # interactive
claude "query"          # start with prompt
claude -p "query"       # headless
claude -c               # continue last
claude -r "name"        # resume named session

Key Flags

-p	Headless / print mode
--output-format	text / json / stream / stream-json
--json-schema	Constrain structured output
--model	Set model ID or shortcut
--effort	low / medium / high / max / auto
--allowedTools	Pre-approve restricted tool set
--max-turns	Cap turns in automation

Automation Examples

claude -p "summarize main.py" --output-format json
claude -p "list TODOs" --json-schema todo.schema.json
git diff | claude -p "review this diff"
cat log.txt | claude -p "explain the failure"

Agents, Skills & Worktrees

Choose The Execution Path

Choice	Use when	Watch for
/btw	You want a side question using the current conversation context	No tools; it cannot inspect the repo or gather new facts
Explore agent	You want fast read-only investigation	Good for research, not normal editing
General agent	You want a delegated worker with normal tool access	Fresh context means you must specify the task clearly
Skill	You want a reusable workflow or parameterized prompt bundle	Better for repeated tasks than ad hoc questions
/batch	You want parallel worktree execution across subtasks	Higher overhead; best when the task splits cleanly

Worktrees & Skill Fields

--worktree name	Run session in dedicated git worktree
isolation: worktree	Agent frontmatter for worktree isolation
background: true	Run agent in background
maxTurns	Limit agentic turn count
allowed-tools	Pre-approve tools inside a skill
context: fork	Run the skill in a subagent
$ARGUMENTS	User input placeholder in a skill

Keyboard & Input

High-Value Keys

Ctrl+C	Cancel current input or generation
Ctrl+G	Open the current prompt in your editor
Ctrl+T	Toggle the task list
Shift+Tab	Cycle permission modes
\ + Enter	Insert a quick newline
/ / ! / @	Command, shell, and file-path prefixes

Config & Defaults

Config Files

Choice	Use when	Watch for
.claude/settings.json	The project should share the same defaults	Commit only when the team should inherit the behavior
.claude/settings.local.json	You want local-only project overrides	Keep personal tweaks and secrets out of shared config

Context Moves

/compact	Compress context near capacity
/context	See token or context usage

CLAUDE CODE QUICK REFERENCE