Cheat Sheet

Reference beginner

Starting Claude Code

Command Description
claude Interactive mode in current directory
claude "prompt" One-shot mode (answer and exit)
claude --resume Resume last conversation
claude --model opus Use a specific model
claude --headless -p "prompt" Non-interactive for scripting

Session Commands (Slash Commands)

Command Description
/help Show all available commands
/clear Wipe conversation, start fresh
/compact Summarise conversation to save context
/cost Show token usage for this session
/quit Exit Claude Code
/model Switch the AI model mid-session
/permissions View current permission settings

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Enter Send message
Shift+Enter New line (multi-line input)
Ctrl+C Cancel current generation
Ctrl+D Exit Claude Code
Esc Cancel current input
Up Arrow Recall previous message
Tab Accept autocomplete suggestion

Permission Responses

When Claude asks for approval:

Response Meaning
y Yes, approve this action
n No, reject and suggest alternative
a Always allow this type of action
Custom text Provide feedback/modification

Command-Line Flags

Flag Description
-p "prompt" Pass prompt directly (for scripting)
--headless No interactive UI (for automation)
--model [name] Choose model (opus, sonnet, haiku)
--output-format [type] Output as text, json, or markdown
--resume Resume last conversation
--version Show version
--dangerously-skip-permissions Skip all approval prompts

File Operations Quick Reference

Task Prompt Pattern
Create a file "Create [path] that [description]"
Edit a file "In [path], change [what] to [what]"
Delete a file "Delete [path]"
Rename a file "Rename [old] to [new]"
Move a file "Move [path] to [new-location]"
Read a file "Show me [path]" or "Read [path]"
Find files "Find all files that [criteria]"
Search code "Search for [pattern] in [scope]"

Git Operations Quick Reference

Task Prompt Pattern
Status "What's the git status?"
Commit "Commit with an appropriate message"
Diff "Show me what changed"
Branch "Create a branch for [feature]"
PR "Create a PR for this branch"
Merge conflicts "Help me resolve the merge conflicts"
Log "Show recent commit history"
Stash "Stash my current changes"

Common Workflow Patterns

Start a new feature

> I want to add [feature]. Let's plan first:
> 1. What files need to change?
> 2. What's the approach?
> Then implement it step by step.

Debug an issue

> I'm getting this error: [paste error]
> It happens when [trigger].
> The relevant code is in [file/area].

Refactor code

> Refactor [component/function] to [improvement].
> Keep the same external interface.
> Make sure tests still pass.

Code review

> Review the changes on this branch vs main.
> Focus on [bugs/security/performance/style].

Generate tests

> Write tests for [file/function].
> Cover: happy path, error cases, edge cases.
> Use [testing framework].

Configuration File Locations

File Location Purpose
CLAUDE.md Project root Project instructions
.claude/settings.json Project Shared team settings
.claude/settings.local.json Project Personal settings (gitignored)
.claude/commands/*.md Project Custom slash commands
~/.claude/settings.json Home Global user settings
~/CLAUDE.md Home Global instructions

Context Management

Situation Action
Long session, quality dropping /compact
Starting unrelated task /clear or new session
Need to reference earlier work --resume
Large codebase Focus: "I'm working in src/api/"
Context overwhelm Break into smaller tasks

Cost Awareness

Action Approximate Tokens
Simple question 1-5K
File creation 5-15K
Multi-file edit 10-50K
Full feature 50-200K
Long debugging session 100-500K

Use /cost to check actual usage during a session.