Claude CLI
Basic Usage
claude # Interactive REPL
claude "query" # Start REPL with prompt
claude -p "query" # Non-interactive, exit after execution
cat file | claude -p "query" # Pipe input
claude -c # Continue most recent conversation
claude -r "session" "query" # Resume specific session
Core Flags
| Flag |
Description |
-p, --print |
Non-interactive mode (required for automation) |
--output-format |
text(default)/json/stream-json |
--input-format |
Input format: text/stream-json (-p only) |
--model |
Model: sonnet/opus/haiku or full name |
--fallback-model |
Fallback model on overload (-p only) |
--system-prompt |
Replace system prompt |
--append-system-prompt |
Append to system prompt (recommended) |
--system-prompt-file |
Load system prompt from file (-p only) |
--append-system-prompt-file |
Append system prompt from file (-p only) |
--tools |
Limit tools: "Bash,Edit,Read" or "" to disable all |
--allowedTools |
Allow without confirmation: "Bash(git *)" "Read" |
--disallowedTools |
Disable specific tools |
--mcp-config |
MCP config: file path or JSON |
--strict-mcp-config |
Use only specified MCP config |
--setting-sources |
Setting sources: user,project,local or "" to disable |
--settings |
Additional settings file |
--permission-mode |
Permission mode: plan etc. |
--dangerously-skip-permissions |
Skip all permissions |
--permission-prompt-tool |
MCP tool for permission prompts (-p only) |
--max-budget-usd |
API spend limit (-p only) |
--max-turns |
Turn limit (-p only) |
--json-schema |
Validate output JSON structure (-p only) |
--agent |
Specify agent for current session |
--agents |
Custom sub-agent JSON |
--add-dir |
Add extra working directory |
--chrome / --no-chrome |
Enable/disable Chrome browser integration |
--init / --init-only |
Run init hooks (latter exits after running) |
--session-id |
Specify session ID (must be UUID) |
--fork-session |
Create new session on resume (with -r/-c) |
--from-pr |
Resume session associated with specified PR |
--remote |
Create web session on claude.ai |
--teleport |
Resume web session to local terminal |
--no-session-persistence |
Disable session persistence (-p only) |
--disable-slash-commands |
Disable slash commands |
--include-partial-messages |
Include partial stream events (requires stream-json) |
--betas |
API beta headers (API key users only) |
--plugin-dir |
Load plugin directory (repeatable) |
--debug |
Debug: "api,mcp" or "!statsig,!file" |
--verbose |
Verbose output |
Token-Saving Mode
Minimize token consumption (suitable for simple tasks):
claude -p \
--setting-sources "" \
--strict-mcp-config --mcp-config '{"mcpServers":{}}' \
--disable-slash-commands \
--tools "" \
"query"
Result: 76k tokens → 1.5k tokens (~98% reduction)
Structured Output
# Boolean
claude -p --output-format json \
--json-schema '{"type":"object","properties":{"result":{"type":"boolean"}},"required":["result"]}' \
"query" | jq '.structured_output'
# Complex structure
claude -p --output-format json \
--json-schema '{"type":"object","properties":{"items":{"type":"array","items":{"type":"string"}}},"required":["items"]}' \
"query"
Sub-Agent Format
claude --agents '{
"reviewer": {
"description": "Code review expert, use proactively after code changes",
"prompt": "You are a senior code reviewer focusing on quality, security, and best practices",
"tools": ["Read", "Grep", "Glob"],
"model": "sonnet"
}
}'
| Field |
Required |
Description |
description |
Yes |
When to invoke |
prompt |
Yes |
Sub-agent system prompt |
tools |
No |
Available tools, inherits all by default |
model |
No |
sonnet/opus/haiku/inherit |
System Prompt Strategy
| Flag |
Behavior |
Use Case |
--system-prompt |
Full replacement |
Need full control |
--append-system-prompt |
Append |
Preserve default capabilities (recommended) |
--system-prompt-file |
Replace from file |
Version-controlled prompts |
--append-system-prompt-file |
Append from file |
Version-controlled appending |
Comparison with Codex
| Operation |
Claude |
Codex |
| Non-interactive |
-p |
exec |
| Skip confirmation |
--dangerously-skip-permissions |
--yolo |
| JSON output |
--output-format json |
--json |
| Session resume |
-r / -c |
resume |
Docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt
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