Craig's Claude Code Tips

⌨️

Keyboard Shortcuts

Essential

Mac	Windows	Action
`↵ Return`	`Enter`	Send message / submit
`⎋ Esc`	`Esc`	Interrupt / stop generation
`⎋` `⎋`	`Esc` `Esc`	Open rewind menu — go back in conversation or code
`⌃C`	`Ctrl+C`	Cancel current operation (hard stop)
`⌃D`	`Ctrl+D`	Exit Claude Code
`⇧ Tab`	`Shift+Tab`	Cycle modes: Normal → Auto-Accept → Plan

Navigation

Mac	Windows	Action
`⌃R`	`Ctrl+R`	Search command history
`⌃T`	`Ctrl+T`	Toggle task list
`⌃O`	`Ctrl+O`	Toggle verbose transcript
`⌃G`	`Ctrl+G`	Open external editor (write long prompts)
`⌃V`	`Ctrl+V`	Paste image — screenshots, diagrams
`⌃S`	`Ctrl+S`	Stash current prompt (save for later)
`⌘P`	`Alt+P`	Open model picker — switch models quickly
`⌘T`	`Alt+T`	Toggle extended thinking

Editing (Bash-style)

Mac	Windows	Action
`⌃A` / `⌃E`	`Ctrl+A` / `Ctrl+E`	Start / end of line
`⌥F` / `⌥B`	`Alt+F` / `Alt+B`	Word forward / back
`⌃W`	`Ctrl+W`	Delete previous word
`\` + `↵`	`\` + `Enter`	New line without sending

Background Tasks

Mac	Windows	Action
`⌃B`	`Ctrl+B`	Send running task to background

💡 Run /terminal-setup to enable ⇧ ↵ for multi-line input in iTerm2 & VS Code. Run /keybindings to customize all shortcuts.

⚡

Slash Commands

Session Control

Command	Action
`/clear`	Reset conversation history (fresh start)
`/compact [hint]`	Compress context to save tokens. Optional hint for what to keep.
`/rewind`	Go back in conversation AND/OR code changes
`/export [file]`	Export conversation to file or clipboard
`/cost`	Show session cost & token usage
`/usage`	Show plan usage & rate limits
`/context`	Token consumption visualization

Configuration

Command	Action
`/config`	Open settings panel
`/model`	Switch between Sonnet / Opus / Haiku
`/permissions`	View & update tool permissions
`/keybindings`	Open keyboard shortcuts config file
`/vim`	Toggle vim mode for input
`/terminal-setup`	Setup Shift+Enter for multi-line input

Development

Command	Action
`/init`	Create CLAUDE.md for your project — do this first!
`/memory`	View & edit CLAUDE.md project memory
`/review`	Code review analysis
`/doctor`	Environment diagnostics & health check
`/agents`	Manage sub-agents
`/mcp`	Manage MCP servers

Advanced

Command	Action
`/insights`	Generate HTML usage report New
`/pr_comments`	View GitHub PR feedback
`/install-github-app`	Setup automated PR reviews
`/tasks`	Persistent task list management
`/teleport`	Transfer session between web ↔ local

🚀

CLI Launch Flags

Starting Sessions

Flag	Action
`claude`	Start interactive session
`claude "query"`	Start with an initial prompt
`claude -p "query"`	Print mode — answer & exit (for scripting)
`claude -c`	Continue last conversation
`claude -r "name"`	Resume specific session by name or ID
`claude -w name`	Start in isolated git worktree

Model & Behavior

Flag	Action
`--model sonnet`	Use Sonnet (fast, cheap)
`--model opus`	Use Opus (smartest)
`--agent my-agent`	Use a specific sub-agent
`--permission-mode plan`	Start in plan mode
`--max-turns N`	Limit conversation turns
`--max-budget-usd N`	Set max spend limit

Context & Directories

Flag	Action
`--add-dir ../path`	Add extra directories to context
`--chrome`	Enable browser integration
`--verbose`	Show detailed logging

Permissions

Flag	Action
`--allowedTools`	Whitelist specific tools
`--disallowedTools`	Block specific tools
`--tools "Bash,Edit"`	Restrict to only these tools

Output Formats (for -p mode)

Flag	Action
`--output-format text`	Plain text (default)
`--output-format json`	Structured JSON
`--output-format stream-json`	Real-time streaming JSON

💡 Pipe data in! git diff | claude -p "review this" or cat error.log | claude -p "explain"

🧩

The Big 5 — Claude Code Extension System

01

CLAUDE.md — Project Memory

What

A markdown file Claude reads every session. Your project's "brain dump" — coding style, architecture, common commands, conventions.

Where

.claude/CLAUDE.md (project) or ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (global)

Create

Run /init in your project — Claude generates it for you

02

Custom Slash Commands

What

Your own /commands. Markdown files with prompts that YOU invoke. Like prompt templates.

Where

.claude/commands/ (project) or ~/.claude/commands/ (global)

Use

Filename = command name. review.md → type /project:review

03

Skills — Auto-Invoked Knowledge

What

Like commands, but Claude decides when to use them automatically. You DON'T invoke them — Claude detects when they're relevant.

Where

.claude/skills/ with a SKILL.md inside each skill folder

Use

Just work on your project — Claude picks up relevant skills from context

04

Sub-Agents — Specialized Helpers

What

Separate Claude instances with their own context & role. Like team members: reviewer, debugger, architect, etc.

Where

.claude/agents/ (markdown files with YAML metadata)

Invoke

/agents to manage, or just say "Use the reviewer agent"

CLI

--agent my-agent or --agents '{json}'

05

MCP Servers — External Tool Connections

What

Connect Claude to external tools: GitHub, Notion, databases, APIs, browsers, etc.

Setup

claude mcp add <name> <command>

List

claude mcp list

Config

--mcp-config ./mcp.json at launch

+

Plugins — Community Extensions

What

Bundles of commands, skills, hooks & more from the community

Browse

/plugin to browse, install, enable, disable

Dir

--plugin-dir ./my-plugins for local plugins

How They Differ

Custom Commands→YOU invoke them

vs

Skills→CLAUDE invokes them

vs

Sub-Agents→Separate AI instances

vs

MCP→External tool connections

🔄

Permission Modes

🙋

Normal

Claude asks permission for every tool use — read, write, bash, etc.

⚡

Auto-Accept

Claude runs tools WITHOUT asking. Faster but less control. Good for trusted tasks.

📋

Plan Mode

Claude ONLY reads & plans. Won't write or run anything. Review first, then switch to Normal to execute.

💡 Best workflow: Start in Plan Mode to explore & understand the problem. Review Claude's plan. Switch to Normal/Auto-Accept to implement.

🔄 Cycle through modes with Shift+Tab → Normal → Auto-Accept → Plan → Normal…

🪝

Hooks — Event Automation

Hook	Description
`PreToolUse`	Runs BEFORE Claude uses a tool — validate, block, or modify
`PostToolUse`	Runs AFTER a tool — check results, auto-format, lint
`UserPromptSubmit`	Before your message is processed
`Stop`	When Claude finishes its response
`SessionStart`	When a session begins
`SessionEnd`	When a session ends
`PreCompact`	Before context compression
`Notification`	When Claude sends a notification

💡 Auto-run prettier after every file edit, or block writes to .env files. Configure in your settings JSON.

✨

Input Superpowers

Feature	Description
`@` mention	Type `@` to reference files & folders. Claude reads them into context.
`!` prefix	Type `!` to run shell commands inline. E.g., `! git status`
Paste images	`Ctrl+V` to paste screenshots, diagrams, error images directly
Pipe input	`cat file.py \| claude -p "explain"` — feed data directly
Multi-dir	`claude --add-dir ../api ../web` — work across multiple projects
Worktrees	`claude -w feature` — isolated git branch + Claude session

⚠️ Pro tip: Use @ references instead of copy-pasting file contents. It's smarter with context and uses fewer tokens.

⚙️

Configuration

Settings Priority (highest → lowest)

Level	Location
Enterprise	`/etc/claude-code/managed-settings.json`
Project Local	`.claude/settings.local.json` (your personal project settings)
Project Shared	`.claude/settings.json` (committed to git, shared with team)
User Global	`~/.claude/settings.json` (your defaults)

Config CLI

Command	Action
`claude config list`	Show all settings
`claude config get key`	Check a value
`claude config set key value`	Change a value
`claude config add key value`	Add to array

💡 Allow git commands without asking: add "Bash(git:*)" to your allowedTools in settings.

📁

File Structure Map

Project Level (.claude/)

File / Dir	Purpose
`CLAUDE.md`	Project memory — conventions, architecture, commands
`settings.json`	Shared project settings (committed to git)
`settings.local.json`	Your personal settings (gitignored)
`commands/`	Project slash commands (*.md files)
`skills/`	Project skills (folders with SKILL.md)
`agents/`	Project sub-agents (*.md files)

Global Level (~/.claude/)

File / Dir	Purpose
`CLAUDE.md`	Global memory (applies to ALL projects)
`settings.json`	Global settings
`commands/`	Personal global commands
`skills/`	Personal global skills
`keybindings.json`	Custom keyboard shortcuts

⏪

Rewind & Checkpoints

Key / Command	Action
`Esc` `Esc`	Open rewind menu anywhere
`/rewind`	Same but typed as a command

Rewind Options

Option	Description
Conversation	Go back in chat only. Code stays as-is.
Code	Restore files only. Conversation stays.
Full Rewind	Restore both conversation AND code to a point.

⚠️ Bash side-effects (database changes, API calls, deleted files via rm) can't be rewound. Checkpoints only track file edits by Claude. Use Git for permanent safety.

🎯

Pro Workflow

Starting a New Project

cd project && claude → /init → Edit CLAUDE.md → Code!

The Plan → Execute Pattern

Shift+Tab → Plan Mode → Describe what you want → Review Claude's plan → Shift+Tab → Normal/Auto → Execute

Saving Money

Strategy	Why
Use `/compact`	When context gets big, compress it. Saves tokens dramatically.
Use `/clear`	Between unrelated tasks. Don't carry irrelevant context.
Use Sonnet	For routine tasks. Save Opus for complex architecture decisions.
Use `@` refs	Instead of pasting code — smarter context management.

Debugging Like a Pro

Strategy	Why
Paste errors	Copy-paste the full error message. Claude parses stack traces brilliantly.
Paste screenshots	`Ctrl+V` a screenshot of the bug. Claude sees it.
Pipe logs	`cat error.log \| claude -p "what's wrong?"`
`/doctor`	If something feels broken, run this first.

Parallel Development

Strategy	How
Worktrees	`claude -w feature-auth` — isolated branch + session
Multiple dirs	`--add-dir ../api ../web` — work across repos
Background	`Ctrl+B` sends a task to background so you can start another
Agent Teams	Multiple Claude instances collaborating (experimental) New

🛠️

Create Custom Commands

Setup Steps

Step	Action
1. Create file	`.claude/commands/review.md`
2. Write prompt	The markdown content IS the prompt Claude will use
3. Use it	Type `/project:review` in Claude Code

Optional YAML Frontmatter

Key	Purpose
`argument-hint`	Placeholder text for argument input
`description`	Shows in /help listing
`allowed-tools`	Restrict what tools the command can use
`model`	Force a specific model for this command

Variable: $ARGUMENTS

Use $ARGUMENTS in your markdown — it gets replaced with whatever you type after the command.

💡 /project:review src/auth.ts → $ARGUMENTS = "src/auth.ts"

📋

Quick Reference — Most Used Combos

Daily Essentials

What	How
Start project	`cd project && claude`
Continue where I left off	`claude -c`
Quick question, no session	`claude -p "how do I..."`
Review my changes	`git diff \| claude -p "review"`
Explain error	`cat error.log \| claude -p "explain"`
Check cost	Type `/cost` anytime
Undo mistake	`Esc` `Esc` → rewind

Power Moves

What	How
Parallel sessions	`claude -w feature-a` + `claude -w feature-b`
Custom reviewer agent	Create `.claude/agents/reviewer.md`
Auto-format on edit	PostToolUse hook → run prettier
Budget limit	`claude -p --max-budget-usd 2 "query"`
Scripted automation	`claude -p --output-format json "query" \| jq`

Craig's Claude Code Tips 2026 Edition

Claude Code Cheat Sheet

Keyboard Shortcuts

Slash Commands

CLI Launch Flags

The Big 5 — Claude Code Extension System

Permission Modes

Hooks — Event Automation

Input Superpowers

Configuration

File Structure Map

Rewind & Checkpoints

Pro Workflow

Create Custom Commands

Quick Reference — Most Used Combos