Claude Code Guide

For reference and contributions, visit the official Claude Code documentation

Contents

Fast paths: Install · Commands · Config · MCP · Agents · Troubleshoot

Full content map

• Getting Started
• Quick Start
• System Requirements

• Initial Setup

• Configuration & Environment

• Environment Variables

• Configuration Files

• Commands & Usage

• Slash Command Reference

• CLI Quick Reference

• Interface & Input

• Keyboard Shortcuts

• Vim Mode

• Advanced Features

• Thinking Mode
• Effort Levels
• Fast Mode
• Auto Mode
• Plan Mode
• Background Tasks
• Workflows & Scheduling
• Remote Sessions
• Claude in Chrome
• Sandbox Mode
• LSP Tool
• Sub Agents
• Agent Teams
• Skills
• Plugin System
• Worktree Isolation
• Native Installer
• Authentication CLI
• Agent Management CLI
• Remote Control
• Managed Settings
• Model Updates
• Theming & Customization
• Code Review
• Insights
• MCP Integration

• Hooks System

• Security & Permissions

• Dangerous Mode

• Security Best Practices

• Automation & Integration

• Automation & Scripting
• Auto PR Review

• Issue Triage

• Help & Troubleshooting

• Installation Issues
• MCP Issues
• Best Practices

• Monitoring & Alerting

• Third-Party Integrations

• Provider Setup Examples
• DeepSeek Integration

Getting Started

Enable sound alerts when claude completes the task:

claude config set --global preferredNotifChannel terminal_bell

Quick Start

[!TIP] Send claude or npx claude in terminal to start the interface

Go to Help & Troubleshooting to fix issues...

# Native Installer (preferred — no Node.js required) ⭐️
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# Windows
/* Via CMD (native)      */ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd
/* Via Powershell        */ irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
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# macOS / Linux / WSL
/* Via Terminal          */ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
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# Arch
/* Via Terminal          */ yay -S claude-code*/
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# Alternative (npm) — useful when your environment already standardizes on Node.js
# Requires Node.js 18+
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# Windows
/* Via CMD (npm)         */ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
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# macOS
/* Via Terminal          */ brew install node && npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
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# Linux
/* Via Terminal          */ sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nodejs npm
/* Via Terminal          */ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
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# WSL/GIT
/* Via Terminal          */ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
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# Docker
/* Windows (CMD)         */ docker run -it --rm -v "%cd%:/workspace" -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key" node:20-slim bash -lc "npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code && cd /workspace && claude"
/* macOS/Linux (bash/zsh)*/ docker run -it --rm -v "$PWD:/workspace" -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key" node:20-slim bash -lc 'npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code && cd /workspace && claude'
/* No bash Fallback      */ docker run -it --rm -v "$PWD:/workspace" -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key" node:20-slim sh -lc 'npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code && cd /workspace && claude'
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# Check if claude is installed correctly
/* Linux                 */ which claude
/* Windows               */ where claude
/* Universal             */ claude --version
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# Common Management
/*claude config          */ Configure settings
/*claude mcp list        */ Setup MCP servers, you can also replace "list" with add/remove
/*claude agents          */ Open the agent/session dashboard
/*claude update          */ Run a manual update check

[!Tip] Open Project Via Terminal Into VS Code / Cursor

$ - cd /path/to/project

$ - code .

Make sure you have the (Claude Code extension) installed in your VS Code / Cursor

System Requirements

• OS: macOS 10.15+, Ubuntu 20.04+/Debian 10+, or Windows 10/11 or WSL

• Hardware: 4GB RAM minimum 8GB+ recommended

• Software: Git 2.23+ is optional for PR/worktree workflows. Node.js 18+ is only required for npm-based installation; the native installer bundles its own runtime.

• Internet: Connection for API calls

Initial Setup

[!Tip] Find API key from Anthropic Console

Do NOT commit real keys use git-ignored files, OS key stores, or secret managers

# Universal
/* Authenticate via Anthropic account     */ claude auth login
/* Authenticate via Console/API billing   */ claude auth login --console
/* Switch accounts inside Claude          */ /login
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# Windows
/* Set-api-key        */ set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here-here
/* cmd-masked-check   */ echo OK: %ANTHROPIC_API_KEY:~0,8%***
/* Set-persistent-key */ setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-your-key-here-here"
/* cmd-unset-key      */ set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=
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# Linux
/* Set-api-key        */ export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here-here"
/* masked-check       */ echo "OK: ${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY:0:8}***"
/* remove-session     */ unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
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# Powershell
/* ps-session         */ $env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-your-key-here-here"
/* ps-masked-check    */ "OK: $($env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.Substring(0,8))***"
/* ps-persist         */ [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY","sk-your-key-here-here","User")
/* ps-rotate          */ $env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-new-key"
/* ps-remove          */ Remove-Item Env:\ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
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# Other...
# persist-bash/*      */ echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here-here"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc
# persist-zsh /*      */ echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here-here"' >> ~/.zshrc  && source ~/.zshrc
# persist-fish/*      */ fish -lc 'set -Ux ANTHROPIC_API_KEY sk-your-key-here-here'
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Configuration & Environment

Environment Variables

You can also set any of these in settings.json under the "env" key for automatic application.

[!Important] **Windows Users replace ex