cli-doc

name	cli-doc
description	Complete official documentation for the Claude Code CLI — launch commands, all CLI flags, slash commands reference, interactive mode keyboard shortcuts, Vim editor mode, keybindings configuration, terminal setup, and the built-in tools reference.
user-invocable	false

CLI Documentation

This skill provides the complete official documentation for the Claude Code command-line interface, interactive mode, keybindings, terminal configuration, and built-in tools.

Quick Reference

Launch Commands

Command	Description
claude	Start interactive session
claude "query"	Start interactive session with initial prompt
claude -p "query"	Print mode — query and exit (non-interactive)
cat file | claude -p "query"	Process piped content
claude -c	Continue most recent conversation
claude -r "<session>" "query"	Resume session by ID or name
claude update	Update to latest version
claude install [version]	Install or reinstall native binary
claude auth login	Sign in to Anthropic account
claude auth logout	Sign out
claude auth status	Show auth status (JSON; --text for readable)
claude agents	List configured subagents
claude mcp	Configure MCP servers
claude plugin	Manage plugins
claude project purge [path]	Delete all local project state
claude remote-control	Start Remote Control server
claude setup-token	Generate long-lived OAuth token for CI
claude ultrareview [target]	Run ultrareview non-interactively

Key CLI Flags

Flag	Description
-p, --print	Non-interactive print mode
-c, --continue	Continue most recent conversation
-r, --resume	Resume session by ID or name
-n, --name	Set display name for session
--model	Set model (sonnet, opus, or full name)
--permission-mode	Start in default, acceptEdits, plan, auto, or bypassPermissions
--add-dir	Add additional working directories
--output-format	Print mode output: text, json, stream-json
--max-turns	Limit agentic turns (print mode only)
--max-budget-usd	Spending cap in dollars (print mode only)
--system-prompt	Replace entire system prompt
--append-system-prompt	Append to default system prompt
--system-prompt-file	Replace system prompt from file
--append-system-prompt-file	Append system prompt from file
--tools	Restrict available tools ("" = none, "Bash,Edit,Read")
--allowedTools	Tools that run without permission prompts
--disallowedTools	Tools removed from model context
--bare	Minimal mode — skips hooks, skills, plugins, MCP
--dangerously-skip-permissions	Skip all permission prompts
--worktree, -w	Start in isolated git worktree
--plugin-dir	Load plugin from directory or zip
--mcp-config	Load MCP servers from JSON
--effort	Set effort level: low, medium, high, xhigh, max
--debug	Enable debug mode (optional category filter)
--verbose	Enable verbose turn-by-turn output
--version, -v	Show version number

System Prompt Flags

Flag	Behavior
--system-prompt	Replaces entire default prompt
--system-prompt-file	Replaces with file contents
--append-system-prompt	Appends to default prompt
--append-system-prompt-file	Appends file contents to default prompt

--system-prompt and --system-prompt-file are mutually exclusive. Append flags can combine with either replacement flag. Prefer append flags to preserve Claude's built-in capabilities.

Slash Commands (Key Selection)

Command	Purpose
/add-dir <path>	Add working directory for current session
/batch <instruction>	Parallel large-scale codebase changes (Skill)
/btw <question>	Side question without adding to conversation
/clear	Start new conversation (aliases: /reset, /new)
/compact [instructions]	Summarize conversation to free context
/config	Open settings UI (alias: /settings)
/context	Visualize context usage
/copy [N]	Copy last assistant response to clipboard
/diff	Interactive diff viewer for uncommitted changes
/doctor	Diagnose installation and settings
/effort [level]	Set model effort level
/exit	Exit the CLI (alias: /quit)
/help	Show help and commands
/hooks	View hook configurations
/init	Initialize CLAUDE.md
/keybindings	Open keybindings config file
/memory	Edit CLAUDE.md memory files
/mcp	Manage MCP server connections
/model [model]	Select or change the AI model
/permissions	Manage allow/ask/deny tool rules (alias: /allowed-tools)
/plan [description]	Enter plan mode
/recap	Generate session summary on demand
/reload-plugins	Reload active plugins without restarting
/remote-control	Make session available for remote control (alias: /rc)
/rename [name]	Rename current session
/resume [session]	Resume conversation by ID or name (alias: /continue)
/review [PR]	Review a pull request
/rewind	Rewind to a previous checkpoint (aliases: /checkpoint, /undo)
/skills	List available skills
/status	Show version, model, account, connectivity
/tasks	List and manage background tasks
/theme	Change color theme
/tui [default|fullscreen]	Set terminal UI renderer
/usage	Show session cost and plan usage (aliases: /cost, /stats)
/voice [hold|tap|off]	Toggle voice dictation

Commands marked Skill use the skill mechanism. MCP servers can add /mcp__<server>__<prompt> commands dynamically.

Keyboard Shortcuts

General Controls

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+C	Cancel current input or generation
Ctrl+D	Exit session
Ctrl+G or Ctrl+X Ctrl+E	Open in external editor
Ctrl+L	Redraw screen
Ctrl+O	Toggle transcript viewer
Ctrl+R	Reverse search command history
Ctrl+B	Background running task
Ctrl+T	Toggle task list
Ctrl+X Ctrl+K	Kill all background agents
Shift+Tab	Cycle permission modes
Option+P / Alt+P	Switch model
Option+T / Alt+T	Toggle extended thinking
Option+O / Alt+O	Toggle fast mode

Text Editing

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+A	Move to start of line
Ctrl+E	Move to end of line
Ctrl+K	Delete to end of line
Ctrl+U	Delete to start of line
Ctrl+W	Delete previous word
Ctrl+Y	Paste deleted text
Alt+B / Alt+F	Move cursor back/forward one word

Multiline Input

Method	Shortcut
Quick escape	\ + Enter (all terminals)
Control sequence	Ctrl+J (all terminals)
Shift+Enter	Native in iTerm2, WezTerm, Ghostty, Kitty, Warp, Apple Terminal, Windows Terminal
VS Code / Cursor / Zed	Run /terminal-setup once

Quick Prefixes

Prefix	Effect
/ at start	Open command/skill menu
! at start	Shell mode — run directly
@	File path autocomplete

Built-in Tools

Tool	Permission Required	Description
Agent	No	Spawn a subagent
AskUserQuestion	No	Ask multiple-choice questions
Bash	Yes	Execute shell commands
CronCreate	No	Schedule recurring/one-shot prompts
CronDelete	No	Cancel a scheduled task
CronList	No	List scheduled tasks
Edit	Yes	Targeted file edits
EnterPlanMode	No	Switch to plan mode
EnterWorktree	No	Create/enter isolated git worktree
ExitPlanMode	Yes	Present plan and exit plan mode
ExitWorktree	No	Exit worktree and return to original dir
Glob	No	Find files by pattern
Grep	No	Search file contents
LSP	No	Code intelligence (definitions, refs, types)
Monitor	Yes	Watch background output and react (v2.1.98+)
NotebookEdit	Yes	Modify Jupyter notebook cells
PowerShell	Yes	Execute PowerShell commands
Read	No	Read file contents
Skill	Yes	Execute a skill
TaskCreate/Get/List/Update	No	Manage task list (interactive sessions)
TodoWrite	No	Manage task checklist (headless/SDK)
WebFetch	Yes	Fetch content from URL
WebSearch	Yes	Perform web searches
Write	Yes	Create or overwrite files

Keybindings Configuration

File: ~/.claude/keybindings.json (open with /keybindings)

{
  "$schema": "https://www.schemastore.org/claude-code-keybindings.json",
  "bindings": [
    {
      "context": "Chat",
      "bindings": {
        "ctrl+e": "chat:externalEditor",
        "ctrl+u": null
      }
    }
  ]
}

Key contexts: Global, Chat, Autocomplete, Confirmation, Transcript, HistorySearch, Task, Select, Scroll

Action format: namespace:action (e.g. chat:submit, app:toggleTodos). Set to null to unbind. Changes apply live without restart.

Reserved (cannot be rebound): Ctrl+C, Ctrl+D, Ctrl+M, Caps Lock

Terminal Configuration

Issue	Fix
Shift+Enter submits (VS Code / Cursor / Zed)	Run /terminal-setup once
Option shortcuts do nothing on macOS	Enable Option as Meta in terminal settings
No alert when Claude finishes	Set preferredNotifChannel: "terminal_bell" in settings, or use a Notification hook
Running inside tmux	Add set -g allow-passthrough on, set -s extended-keys on, set -as terminal-features 'xterm*:extkeys' to ~/.tmux.conf
Display flickers / scrollback jumps	Run /tui fullscreen or set CLAUDE_CODE_NO_FLICKER=1
Vim keys in prompt	/config → Editor mode, or set editorMode: "vim" in settings

Custom themes: JSON files in ~/.claude/themes/<slug>.json. Fields: name, base (dark/light/etc.), overrides (color token map).

Full Documentation

For the complete official documentation, see the reference files:

• CLI Reference — all CLI commands and flags
• Commands — complete slash commands reference
• Interactive Mode — keyboard shortcuts, Vim mode, shell mode, background tasks
• Keybindings — keybindings config file, contexts, actions, keystroke syntax
• Terminal Configuration — Shift+Enter, Option key, tmux, themes, fullscreen mode
• Tools Reference — built-in tools, Bash behavior, LSP, Monitor, PowerShell

Sources

• CLI Reference: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference.md
• Commands: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands.md
• Interactive Mode: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/interactive-mode.md
• Keybindings: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/keybindings.md
• Terminal Configuration: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/terminal-config.md
• Tools Reference: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference.md