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Claude Code

Official Docs: docs.anthropic.com/claude-code Category: CLI

Claude Code is Anthropic's official command-line interface for working with Claude. It provides a powerful terminal-based AI coding experience.

Works With

Claude Code uses Claude models exclusively - Sonnet, Opus, and Haiku.

Configuration

See Understanding Config Directories for general concepts.

Claude Code stores its configuration in ~/.claude/:

File/Directory Purpose
settings.json User settings, API keys, preferences
settings.local.json Machine-specific settings (not synced)
CLAUDE.md Global agent instructions
agents/ Custom agent definitions
skills/ Custom skills and commands
statusline.sh Custom statusline script
projects/ Project-specific settings

Global Instructions (CLAUDE.md)

The ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md file contains instructions that apply to all your Claude Code sessions:

# My Development Preferences

- Use TypeScript with strict mode
- Prefer functional programming patterns
- Always include error handling
- Write tests for new functions

Project Instructions

Create a CLAUDE.md in your project root for project-specific instructions:

# Project: My App

This is a Next.js 14 app with:
- App Router
- Prisma + PostgreSQL
- Tailwind CSS

Follow the patterns in existing code.

Tips & Tricks

Community Tips

This section collects tips from real users. Contribute your tips!

Useful commands:

  • /help - Show available commands
  • /clear - Clear conversation
  • /compact - Summarize conversation
  • /cost - Show token usage

Workflow tips:

  • Start sessions with clear context about what you're working on
  • Use CLAUDE.md files to avoid repeating instructions
  • The /compact command helps when conversations get long

Custom statusline:

Customize your terminal statusline to show model, tokens, and git info:

# ~/.claude/statusline.sh
echo "Claude | $MODEL | $TOKENS tokens | $GIT_BRANCH"

Common Issues

"API key not found"

  • Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable
  • Or add to ~/.claude/settings.json

"Context too long"

  • Use /compact to summarize
  • Start a new session with /clear
  • Be more specific in your requests

"CLAUDE.md not loading"

  • Check file is in project root or ~/.claude/
  • Verify file permissions
  • Restart Claude Code

Community Resources

Help Improve This Page

Know a tip that's not listed? Found a helpful video tutorial? Contribute to this page.