Claude Code Cheat Sheet: Every Command, Shortcut, and Slash Command (2026)

Claude Code Cheat Sheet: Every Command, Shortcut, and Slash Command (2026)

This is the complete Claude Code reference. Every slash command, every keyboard shortcut, every CLI flag, every hook event, every settings key — on one page, copy-paste ready, current for Opus 4.7 and the 1M token context window.

Bookmark it. Search it with Ctrl/Cmd+F. Use it as the single page you open when you forget how to do the thing.

Quick Start: Install Claude Code in 30 Seconds

# macOS / Linux / WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | sh

# Or via npm (any OS)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Verify
claude --version

# Start a session in your repo
cd your-project
claude

First run will prompt you to log in with your Claude account. No API key required if you're on Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise.

The CLI: Every Flag Worth Knowing

claude                    # Start interactive session in current dir
claude "fix the login bug" # One-shot: run a task and exit
claude -c                 # Continue the last session
claude -r <session-id>    # Resume a specific session
claude --model opus       # Pick a model (opus | sonnet | haiku)
claude --print "<task>"   # Non-interactive, prints result to stdout
claude --verbose          # Show tool calls as they happen
claude --no-confirm       # Skip permission prompts (dangerous, use in CI)
claude --permission-mode plan  # Read-only planning mode
claude --add-dir ../sibling    # Allow access to sibling directory
claude --allowed-tools Bash,Read,Edit  # Restrict the tool set

Piping works both ways:

cat error.log | claude "what's wrong here?"
claude --print "generate a PR description" | gh pr create --body-file -

Slash Commands: The Complete List

Slash commands run inside an interactive Claude Code session. Type / to see the full list.

Session Management

Configuration

Memory & Context

Work & Workflows

Plugins and skills add more slash commands — see /mcp and /plugins to see what your install exposes.

Keyboard Shortcuts (Terminal)

In IDE extensions (VS Code / JetBrains): the default submit binding is Cmd+Enter (macOS) / Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux). Remap via ~/.claude/keybindings.json.

@-Mentions: Pulling Things Into Context

@README.md              # Include a file
@src/components/        # Include an entire directory
@https://example.com    # Fetch a URL (read-only)

Use @-mentions instead of pasting. Claude handles tokenization better when files are loaded through the tool, and paths show up in the audit log.

CLAUDE.md: The File That Controls Everything

# Project rules

## Stack
- Next.js 16, React 19, Tailwind 4
- Postgres via Prisma
- Deploys on Vercel

## Conventions
- Server components by default; client only when needed
- No inline styles; use Tailwind utility classes
- Tests live next to the file: `foo.ts` + `foo.test.ts`

## Commands
- `npm run dev` — local dev server
- `npm run test` — run tests
- `npm run build` — production build (must pass before merging)

## Don't
- Don't add new dependencies without asking
- Don't touch `src/legacy/` — it's frozen

Locations Claude reads in priority order:

1. ./CLAUDE.md (repo root)
2. ./.claude/CLAUDE.md
3. Parent directories (walks up until git root)
4. ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (global defaults)

Shorter is better. A 30-line CLAUDE.md beats a 300-line one that nobody reads.

MCP Servers: Every Command

# Install an MCP server
claude mcp add <name> <command> [args...]

# Install from a JSON config
claude mcp add-json <name> '{"command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@server/pkg"]}'

# List installed servers
claude mcp list

# Remove a server
claude mcp remove <name>

# Test a server without installing
claude mcp run <name>

Popular MCP servers to install today:

• filesystem — read/write files outside the project root
• github — issues, PRs, reviews, CI
• postgres — query your database directly
• playwright — browser automation and screenshots
• context7 — always-current docs for your libraries
• sequential-thinking — structured multi-step reasoning

Full list: MCP Servers Directory.

Hooks: The Event Table

Hooks are shell commands Claude Code runs automatically on lifecycle events. Configured in .claude/settings.json.

Example: format on save

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit|Write",
        "hooks": [
          { "type": "command", "command": "npx prettier --write $CLAUDE_FILE_PATH" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Environment variables hooks receive: CLAUDE_FILE_PATH, CLAUDE_TOOL_NAME, CLAUDE_TOOL_INPUT, CLAUDE_SESSION_ID, CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR.

More patterns: Claude Code Hooks Guide.

Settings: ~/.claude/settings.json

{
  "model": "claude-opus-4-7",
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS": "32000",
    "DISABLE_TELEMETRY": "0"
  },
  "permissions": {
    "allow": ["Bash(git status:*)", "Bash(npm test:*)", "Read", "Edit"],
    "deny": ["Bash(rm -rf *:*)"]
  },
  "hooks": { /* ... */ },
  "mcpServers": { /* ... */ }
}

Project-specific overrides live in .claude/settings.json. Project settings merge with user settings; project keys win on conflict.

Common env vars:

Permission Modes

Switch mid-session with /permissions or start with --permission-mode <mode>.

Models: Which to Pick

As of April 2026:

Opus 4.7 now ships with a 1M token context window. See Claude Opus 4.7: What's Actually New for the details that actually matter day-to-day.

Switch at any time with /model or --model.

The 10 Commands You'll Actually Use Every Day

1. claude — start a session
2. claude -c — pick up where you left off
3. /init — scaffold a CLAUDE.md in a new repo
4. /compact — free up context mid-session
5. /review — code review on the current branch
6. /commit — commit with a good message you didn't have to write
7. @path/to/file — pull a file into context
8. # — jot a fact into memory
9. Ctrl+C — stop Claude, don't wait out a bad turn
10. Esc Esc — prompt history picker

Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Copy-Paste Starter Configs

.claude/settings.json for a Next.js project:

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Read", "Edit", "Write",
      "Bash(npm run *:*)",
      "Bash(git status:*)",
      "Bash(git diff:*)",
      "Bash(git log:*)"
    ]
  },
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit|Write",
        "hooks": [
          { "type": "command", "command": "npx prettier --write $CLAUDE_FILE_PATH || true" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Minimal CLAUDE.md that actually helps:

# Project

Short description of what this codebase does.

## Stack
- <language/framework versions>

## Commands
- `<start dev>`
- `<run tests>`
- `<build>`

## Conventions
- <one or two non-obvious things>

## Don't
- <anything that looks inviting but is a trap>

Where to Go Next

• Claude Directory home — browse 100+ community-curated configs
• Prompts — copy-paste CLAUDE.md templates by stack
• MCP Servers — extend Claude Code's capabilities
• Hooks — automate on tool events
• Skills — custom slash commands
• Plugins — official and community plugins
• Agents — specialized subagents

Related reading

• Claude Opus 4.7: What's Actually New
• The Complete CLAUDE.md Guide
• Claude Code Hooks: Every Event Explained
• MCP Servers Guide
• 10x Productivity Workflows with Claude Code
• Best Claude Code Plugins
• anthropic certification — the Claude Certified Architect (CCA) exam and how to prepare

Last updated: April 22, 2026. Claude Code ships weekly — if you find something out of date, open an issue on the GitHub repo.