Claude Code CLI Reference
Complete reference for the Claude Code command-line interface.
Installation
System Requirements
- macOS 13.0+, Windows 10 1809+, Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+, Alpine 3.19+
- 4GB+ RAM
- Internet connection required
- Shell: Bash, Zsh, PowerShell, CMD
- Windows: Git for Windows required
Methods
# Native (Recommended)
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
# Homebrew (macOS)
brew install --cask claude-code
# WinGet (Windows)
winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode
# npm (legacy)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
# Direct invocation
npx @anthropic-ai/claude-code
# Update to latest
npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Initial Login
claude # First run opens browser for login
Supports: Claude Pro, Teams, Enterprise, Console, Bedrock, Vertex AI, Foundry.
Credentials stored at ~/.claude.json.
Basic Usage
# Interactive mode (default)
claude
# Start with initial prompt
claude "explain this codebase"
# Non-interactive / print mode
claude -p "what does this function do?"
# Pipe input
cat file.ts | claude -p "review this code"
# Resume last conversation
claude --continue
# Resume specific conversation
claude --resume <session-id>
CLI Flags
Session Management Flags
| Flag |
Short |
Description |
--help |
-h |
Show help message |
--version |
-v |
Show version number |
--print |
-p |
Non-interactive mode: print response and exit |
--verbose |
|
Enable verbose/debug logging |
--debug [category] |
|
Debug logging for specific category |
--model |
-m |
Override model (e.g., sonnet, opus, haiku) |
--continue |
-c |
Resume most recent conversation |
--resume |
-r |
Resume specific conversation by ID |
--fork-session |
|
Create new session from current context |
--teleport |
|
Resume a web session locally |
--remote "task" |
|
Create cloud session |
--worktree |
-w |
Run in isolated git worktree |
Output & Format Flags
| Flag |
Description |
--output-format |
Output format: text (default), json, stream-json |
--max-turns |
Maximum conversation turns in non-interactive mode |
--max-budget-usd |
Spending limit per session |
--no-input |
Skip initial user input (for piped content) |
--input-format |
Input format: text (default), stream-json |
--json-schema |
Structured output with JSON schema (print mode) |
Permission & Security Flags
| Flag |
Description |
--dangerously-skip-permissions |
Skip all permission prompts (use with caution) |
--allowedTools |
Comma-separated list of allowed tools |
--disallowedTools |
Comma-separated list of disallowed tools |
--permission-mode |
Permission mode: default, plan, acceptEdits, dontAsk, bypassPermissions |
--permission-prompt-tool |
MCP tool for handling permission prompts |
Configuration Flags
| Flag |
Description |
--system-prompt |
Override entire system prompt (use with -p) |
--append-system-prompt |
Append text to system prompt |
--system-prompt-file |
Load system prompt from file |
--append-system-prompt-file |
Append system prompt from file |
--mcp-config |
Path to MCP config JSON file |
--settings |
Load settings from file or JSON string |
--agents |
Define custom agents as JSON |
--plugin-dir |
Load plugin from directory (repeatable) |
--add-dir |
Add additional working directories to context |
--init |
Run initialization hooks |
--maintenance |
Run maintenance hooks |
PR & Review Flags
| Flag |
Description |
--from-pr <url> |
Load PR context from GitHub URL |
--fallback-model |
Fallback model if primary unavailable |
Agent Team Flags
| Flag |
Description |
--teammate-mode |
Run as part of an agent team |
--chrome |
Enable Chrome browser for agent |
--no-chrome |
Disable Chrome browser |
--strict-mcp-config |
Fail on invalid MCP config |
--setting-sources |
Show which file each setting comes from |
--include-partial-messages |
Include partial messages in stream output |
--betas |
Enable beta features |
--no-session-persistence |
Disable session persistence |
--allow-dangerously-skip-permissions |
Allow skipping permissions programmatically |
Auth CLI
claude auth login # Login to Anthropic
claude auth logout # Logout
claude auth status # Show auth status
claude agents # Manage agent teams
claude update # Update Claude Code
claude mcp add-json <name> <json> # Add MCP from JSON blob
claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop # Import from Claude Desktop
Session ID Flags
| Flag |
Description |
--session-id |
Set specific session ID |
--conversation-id |
Set conversation ID within session |
Environment Variables
Authentication
| Variable |
Description |
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY |
API key for Anthropic direct access |
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN |
OAuth/bearer token for API access |
CLAUDE_CODE_API_KEY |
Alternative API key variable |
Provider Selection
| Variable |
Description |
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK |
1 to use AWS Bedrock |
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX |
1 to use Google Vertex AI |
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL |
Custom API base URL |
AWS Bedrock Configuration
| Variable |
Description |
ANTHROPIC_BEDROCK_BASE_URL |
Bedrock endpoint URL |
AWS_REGION |
AWS region for Bedrock |
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID |
AWS access key |
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY |
AWS secret key |
AWS_SESSION_TOKEN |
AWS session token (for temporary creds) |
AWS_PROFILE |
AWS profile name |
ANTHROPIC_MODEL |
Override model ID for Bedrock |
Google Vertex Configuration
| Variable |
Description |
ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_PROJECT_ID |
GCP project ID |
CLOUD_ML_REGION |
GCP region |
ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_BASE_URL |
Custom Vertex endpoint |
Model Overrides
| Variable |
Description |
ANTHROPIC_MODEL |
Override default model ID |
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL |
Override Sonnet model ID |
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL |
Override Opus model ID |
CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL |
Reasoning effort: low, medium, high |
Behavior Configuration
| Variable |
Description |
DISABLE_AUTOMEMORY |
1 to disable auto-memory |
DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER |
1 to disable auto-updates |
DISABLE_BUG_COMMAND |
1 to disable /bug command |
CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS |
Override max output tokens |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC |
1 to disable telemetry |
CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TELEMETRY |
Enable OpenTelemetry |
CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_DOCTOR |
1 to skip doctor checks |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_FAST_MODE |
Disable fast Opus mode |
CLAUDE_CODE_SIMPLE |
Use minimal system prompt |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_1M_CONTEXT |
Disable large context window |
CLAUDE_CODE_SHELL |
Override shell detection |
BASH_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS |
Bash command timeout in ms |
MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS |
MCP tool output token limit |
SLASH_COMMAND_TOOL_CHAR_BUDGET |
Skill character budget |
Directory Overrides
| Variable |
Description |
CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR |
Custom config directory location |
CLAUDE_CODE_TMPDIR |
Override temporary directory |
Cloud Provider: Microsoft Foundry
| Variable |
Description |
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_FOUNDRY |
1 to use Microsoft Foundry |
Agent Teams & Advanced
| Variable |
Description |
CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS |
Enable agent teams feature |
CLAUDE_CODE_TEAM_NAME |
Team name for agent teams |
CLAUDE_CODE_PLAN_MODE_REQUIRED |
Require plan mode for teammates |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON |
Disable background cron tasks |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS |
Disable all background tasks |
CLAUDE_CODE_SHELL_PREFIX |
Prefix for shell commands |
mTLS & Client Certificates
| Variable |
Description |
CLAUDE_CODE_CLIENT_CERT |
Client certificate path for mTLS |
CLAUDE_CODE_CLIENT_KEY |
Client private key path |
CLAUDE_CODE_CLIENT_KEY_PASSPHRASE |
Passphrase for client key |
Proxy & Network
| Variable |
Description |
HTTP_PROXY / HTTPS_PROXY |
HTTP/S proxy URL |
NO_PROXY |
Proxy bypass list |
NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED |
0 to skip TLS verification |
CLAUDE_CODE_PROXY_RESOLVES_HOSTS |
Let proxy handle DNS resolution |
Model Aliases
| Alias |
Resolves To |
opus |
claude-opus-4-6 |
sonnet |
claude-sonnet-4-6 |
haiku |
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 |
opusplan |
Opus with plan mode |
sonnet[1m] |
Sonnet with 1M context |
claude-opus-4-6[1m] |
Opus with 1M context |
Exit Codes
| Code |
Meaning |
0 |
Success |
1 |
General error |
2 |
Invalid arguments |
Examples
# Use specific model
claude -m claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 -p "quick question"
# JSON output for scripting
claude -p "list files" --output-format json
# Multi-turn with max turns
claude -p "refactor this" --max-turns 5
# With Bedrock
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK=1 AWS_REGION=us-east-1 claude
# With Vertex
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX=1 ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_PROJECT_ID=my-project claude
# Add extra directories
claude --add-dir /path/to/other/repo
# With custom MCP config
claude --mcp-config ./custom-mcp.json
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