90 lines
9.9 KiB
Markdown
90 lines
9.9 KiB
Markdown
# CLI reference
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> Complete reference for Claude Code command-line interface, including commands and flags.
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## CLI commands
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| Command | Description | Example |
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| :--------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `claude` | Start interactive REPL | `claude` |
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| `claude "query"` | Start REPL with initial prompt | `claude "explain this project"` |
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| `claude -p "query"` | Query via SDK, then exit | `claude -p "explain this function"` |
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| `cat file \| claude -p "query"` | Process piped content | `cat logs.txt \| claude -p "explain"` |
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| `claude -c` | Continue most recent conversation | `claude -c` |
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| `claude -c -p "query"` | Continue via SDK | `claude -c -p "Check for type errors"` |
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| `claude -r "<session-id>" "query"` | Resume session by ID | `claude -r "abc123" "Finish this PR"` |
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| `claude update` | Update to latest version | `claude update` |
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| `claude mcp` | Configure Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers | See the [Claude Code MCP documentation](/en/docs/claude-code/mcp). |
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## CLI flags
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Customize Claude Code's behavior with these command-line flags:
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| Flag | Description | Example |
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| :------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `--add-dir` | Add additional working directories for Claude to access (validates each path exists as a directory) | `claude --add-dir ../apps ../lib` |
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| `--agents` | Define custom [subagents](/en/docs/claude-code/sub-agents) dynamically via JSON (see below for format) | `claude --agents '{"reviewer":{"description":"Reviews code","prompt":"You are a code reviewer"}}'` |
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| `--allowedTools` | A list of tools that should be allowed without prompting the user for permission, in addition to [settings.json files](/en/docs/claude-code/settings) | `"Bash(git log:*)" "Bash(git diff:*)" "Read"` |
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| `--disallowedTools` | A list of tools that should be disallowed without prompting the user for permission, in addition to [settings.json files](/en/docs/claude-code/settings) | `"Bash(git log:*)" "Bash(git diff:*)" "Edit"` |
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| `--print`, `-p` | Print response without interactive mode (see [SDK documentation](/en/docs/claude-code/sdk) for programmatic usage details) | `claude -p "query"` |
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| `--append-system-prompt` | Append to system prompt (only with `--print`) | `claude --append-system-prompt "Custom instruction"` |
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| `--output-format` | Specify output format for print mode (options: `text`, `json`, `stream-json`) | `claude -p "query" --output-format json` |
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| `--input-format` | Specify input format for print mode (options: `text`, `stream-json`) | `claude -p --output-format json --input-format stream-json` |
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| `--include-partial-messages` | Include partial streaming events in output (requires `--print` and `--output-format=stream-json`) | `claude -p --output-format stream-json --include-partial-messages "query"` |
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| `--verbose` | Enable verbose logging, shows full turn-by-turn output (helpful for debugging in both print and interactive modes) | `claude --verbose` |
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| `--max-turns` | Limit the number of agentic turns in non-interactive mode | `claude -p --max-turns 3 "query"` |
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| `--model` | Sets the model for the current session with an alias for the latest model (`sonnet` or `opus`) or a model's full name | `claude --model claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929` |
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| `--permission-mode` | Begin in a specified [permission mode](iam#permission-modes) | `claude --permission-mode plan` |
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| `--permission-prompt-tool` | Specify an MCP tool to handle permission prompts in non-interactive mode | `claude -p --permission-prompt-tool mcp_auth_tool "query"` |
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| `--resume` | Resume a specific session by ID, or by choosing in interactive mode | `claude --resume abc123 "query"` |
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| `--continue` | Load the most recent conversation in the current directory | `claude --continue` |
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| `--dangerously-skip-permissions` | Skip permission prompts (use with caution) | `claude --dangerously-skip-permissions` |
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<Tip>
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The `--output-format json` flag is particularly useful for scripting and
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automation, allowing you to parse Claude's responses programmatically.
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</Tip>
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### Agents flag format
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The `--agents` flag accepts a JSON object that defines one or more custom subagents. Each subagent requires a unique name (as the key) and a definition object with the following fields:
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| Field | Required | Description |
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| :------------ | :------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `description` | Yes | Natural language description of when the subagent should be invoked |
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| `prompt` | Yes | The system prompt that guides the subagent's behavior |
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| `tools` | No | Array of specific tools the subagent can use (e.g., `["Read", "Edit", "Bash"]`). If omitted, inherits all tools |
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| `model` | No | Model alias to use: `sonnet`, `opus`, or `haiku`. If omitted, uses the default subagent model |
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Example:
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```bash theme={null}
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claude --agents '{
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"code-reviewer": {
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"description": "Expert code reviewer. Use proactively after code changes.",
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"prompt": "You are a senior code reviewer. Focus on code quality, security, and best practices.",
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"tools": ["Read", "Grep", "Glob", "Bash"],
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"model": "sonnet"
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},
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"debugger": {
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"description": "Debugging specialist for errors and test failures.",
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"prompt": "You are an expert debugger. Analyze errors, identify root causes, and provide fixes."
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}
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}'
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```
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For more details on creating and using subagents, see the [subagents documentation](/en/docs/claude-code/sub-agents).
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For detailed information about print mode (`-p`) including output formats,
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streaming, verbose logging, and programmatic usage, see the
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[SDK documentation](/en/docs/claude-code/sdk).
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## See also
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* [Interactive mode](/en/docs/claude-code/interactive-mode) - Shortcuts, input modes, and interactive features
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* [Slash commands](/en/docs/claude-code/slash-commands) - Interactive session commands
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* [Quickstart guide](/en/docs/claude-code/quickstart) - Getting started with Claude Code
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* [Common workflows](/en/docs/claude-code/common-workflows) - Advanced workflows and patterns
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* [Settings](/en/docs/claude-code/settings) - Configuration options
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* [SDK documentation](/en/docs/claude-code/sdk) - Programmatic usage and integrations
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