Essential Commands | Claude Code Recap Card T01

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Shift+Tab`	Cycle permission mode (Manual, acceptEdits, Plan, auto); sessions start in auto since v2.1.283 unless overridden
`Ctrl+O`	Toggle verbose transcript
`Ctrl+C`	Interrupt (idle: clears input)
`Esc`	Interrupt Claude or close a dialog; `Esc Esc` opens rewind
`↑` / `↓`	Message history
`Tab`	Accept autocomplete suggestion
`Ctrl+X Ctrl+K`	Stop background subagents
`Ctrl+Enter` / `Ctrl+X Ctrl+S`	Send queued messages now

Core slash commands

/help           Help and available commands
/clear          Clear context (reset)
/compact        Compress history
/model          Choose model; Enter saves, s applies once
/cost           Session cost (alias of /usage)
/status         Status tab: version, model, account
/context        Context usage breakdown

Permission modes

claude                    Interactive mode (default)
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
                          Bypass permission prompts; requires isolation
claude --allowedTools "Edit,Read,Bash"
                          Pre-approve tools; --tools restricts availability

Quick start

# Launch Claude Code
claude

# CLAUDE.md is loaded automatically at startup
# To add a file during the session:
@src/auth.ts Look at this function

# Non-interactive mode (scripts)
claude -p "Analyze this file" < input.txt

# Continue last session
claude --continue

Session commands

/new            New session (alias for /clear)
/resume         Resume a session (opens the picker)
/branch         Branch the conversation here

Command	Effect
`/compact`	Summarize and free up space
`/clear`	Full reset
`@file`	Reference a file in the prompt

Custom slash commands

# Invoke a custom command
/command-name [args]

# Defined in:
.claude/skills/command-name/SKILL.md

Essential tips

Verbosity control: use --verbose at launch, or Ctrl+O in session, to see the full turn-by-turn transcript.

Multiline: Shift+Enter in the terminal to add a new line without submitting.

Vim mode: /config → Editor mode, or {"editorMode": "vim"} in ~/.claude/settings.json. The /vim command was removed in v2.1.92.