Claude Code Cheat Sheet

Quick reference for Claude Code's common commands, keyboard shortcuts, and operations.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shift+Tab - Permission Mode Switching

Cycle through three permission modes:

Normal Mode → Auto-Accept Mode → Plan Mode → Normal Mode

Normal Mode: Default mode, each operation requires confirmation
Auto-Accept Mode: Auto-accept edits (bottom displays ⏵⏵ accept edits on)
Plan Mode: Read-only mode (bottom displays ⏸ plan mode on), only plans without executing

Built-in Commands

Basic Commands

bash

/help          # View help information
/clear         # Clear conversation history
/quit          # Exit Claude Code

Model Switching

bash

/model         # View current model
/model opus    # Switch to Opus 4.6 (most powerful)
/model sonnet  # Switch to Sonnet 4.6 (default, balanced)
/model haiku   # Switch to Haiku 4.5 (fastest)

Model details:

Opus 4.6 (claude-opus-4-6): Most powerful, suitable for complex tasks
Sonnet 4.6 (claude-sonnet-4-6): Default, balances performance and cost
Haiku 4.5 (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001): Fastest, suitable for simple tasks

Fast Mode

bash

/fast          # Toggle fast mode (uses the same Opus 4.6 but outputs faster)

Note: /fast does not switch to a different model, it uses the same Opus 4.6 model but with faster output.

Cost Management

bash

/cost          # View current session's API usage cost

Displays:

Input tokens
Output tokens
Total cost (USD)

Skills Invocation

bash

/<skill-name>  # Invoke user skill

Common Skills:

/commit - Smart commit
/review - Code review
/test - Generate tests
/docs - Generate documentation

Permission Response Options

When Claude requests permission, you can choose:

Claude wants to:
  • Read file: src/config.ts
  • Write file: src/auth.ts
  • Run command: npm test

Allow? [y/n/always/never]

y - Allow this operation
n - Deny this operation
always - Always allow this type of operation for this session
never - Always deny this type of operation for this session

Command Line Startup Options

Basic Startup

bash

# Start in current directory
claude

# Specify working directory
claude /path/to/project

Permission Modes

bash

# Auto-accept mode
claude --permission-mode auto

# Ask mode (default)
claude --permission-mode ask

# Custom mode
claude --permission-mode custom

Model Selection

bash

# Use Opus model
claude --model opus

# Use Sonnet model (default)
claude --model sonnet

# Use Haiku model
claude --model haiku

Headless Mode

bash

# For CI/CD
claude --headless "Run tests and generate report"

Other Options

bash

# View version
claude --version

# View help
claude --help

Configuration Files

Global Configuration

Location: ~/.config/claude/config.json

json

{
  "apiKey": "sk-ant-...",
  "defaultModel": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
  "permissionMode": "ask",
  "theme": "dark",
  "autoSave": true
}

Project Configuration

Location: .claude/settings.json

json

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
  "permissionMode": "custom",
  "allowedPaths": ["src/**", "tests/**"],
  "blockedPaths": [".env", "secrets/**"],
  "allowedCommands": ["npm test", "npm run build"],
  "blockedCommands": ["rm -rf", "git push --force"]
}

Project Description

Location: CLAUDE.md (auto-loaded into context)

markdown

# Project Name

## Tech Stack
- React 18
- TypeScript 5

## Code Standards
- Use functional components and Hooks
- All components must have TypeScript types

## Common Commands
- Development: `npm run dev`
- Testing: `npm test`

Auto Memory System

Memory Directory

Location: ~/.claude/projects/<project-hash>/memory/

MEMORY.md

Auto-loaded into context (first 200 lines)
Used to store project-related persistent information
Persists across sessions

Topic Files

Create topic files to organize memory:

debugging.md - Debugging experience
patterns.md - Code patterns
conventions.md - Project conventions

Environment Variables

API Key

bash

# Anthropic API
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY='sk-ant-...'

AWS Bedrock

bash

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID='...'
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY='...'
export AWS_REGION='us-east-1'

Proxy Settings

bash

export HTTP_PROXY='http://proxy:8080'
export HTTPS_PROXY='http://proxy:8080'

Debug Mode

bash

export ANTHROPIC_LOG=debug

Common Operation Patterns

Quick Iteration

Press Shift+Tab to switch to Auto-Accept Mode
Develop quickly without confirming each time
Press Shift+Tab to return to Normal Mode when done

Complex Task Planning

Press Shift+Tab twice to switch to Plan Mode
Claude creates a detailed plan but doesn't execute
Review the plan then press Shift+Tab to return to Normal Mode
After confirming, Claude executes the plan

Cost Control

Use /cost to view current cost
Use /model haiku for simple tasks
Use /model opus for complex tasks
Use /fast to speed up output

File Operations

Read Files

You: Read src/App.tsx

Create Files

You: Create src/utils/helper.ts, implement a date formatting function

Modify Files

You: Add a new route after line 20 in src/App.tsx

Batch Operations

You: Read all .tsx files in src/components/ directory

Command Execution

Run Tests

You: Run all tests

Install Dependencies

You: Install axios and @types/axios

Git Operations

You: Check git status
You: Commit all changes, commit message is "Add user authentication"

Code Generation

Component Generation

You: Create a React component UserCard, props include name, email, avatar

API Endpoint

You: Create an Express API endpoint POST /api/users

Test Generation

You: Generate unit tests for src/utils/helper.ts

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

Check permission configuration in .claude/settings.json
Use always option to allow similar operations

Invalid API Key

bash

# Check environment variable
echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

# Reset
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY='sk-ant-...'

Network Connection Issues

bash

# Test connection
curl https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages

# Use proxy
export HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy:8080

Command Not Found

bash

# Check installation
which claude

# Reinstall
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Best Practices

1. Specify File Paths Clearly

✅ Good: Modify src/components/Button.tsx ❌ Bad: Modify the Button component

2. Provide Sufficient Context

✅ Good: Add a "Remember me" checkbox to the login form, use localStorage to save state ❌ Bad: Add remember me feature

3. Use CLAUDE.md

Create CLAUDE.md in project root, documenting:

Project description
Tech stack
Code standards
Common commands

4. Use Permission Modes Appropriately

Normal Mode: Important operations, uncertain tasks
Auto-Accept Mode: Trusted tasks, quick iteration
Plan Mode: Complex tasks, need review first

5. Monitor Costs Regularly

Use the /cost command to monitor API usage.

Quick Reference Card

Start Claude Code

bash

claude                    # Current directory
claude /path/to/project   # Specified directory
claude --model opus       # Use Opus model

Switch Modes

bash

Shift+Tab                 # Cycle permission modes
/model opus               # Switch to Opus
/fast                     # Fast mode

View Information

bash

/help                     # Help
/cost                     # Cost
/model                    # Current model

Permission Responses

bash

y                         # Allow this time
n                         # Deny this time
always                    # Always allow
never                     # Always deny

Getting Help

Command line help: claude --help
Online help: /help
Issue reporting: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues
Full documentation: Claude Code Documentation

Claude Code Cheat Sheet ​

Keyboard Shortcuts ​

Shift+Tab - Permission Mode Switching ​

Built-in Commands ​

Basic Commands ​

Model Switching ​

Fast Mode ​

Cost Management ​

Skills Invocation ​

Permission Response Options ​

Command Line Startup Options ​

Basic Startup ​

Permission Modes ​

Model Selection ​

Headless Mode ​

Other Options ​

Configuration Files ​

Global Configuration ​

Project Configuration ​

Project Description ​

Auto Memory System ​

Memory Directory ​

MEMORY.md ​

Topic Files ​

Environment Variables ​

API Key ​

AWS Bedrock ​

Proxy Settings ​

Debug Mode ​

Common Operation Patterns ​

Quick Iteration ​

Complex Task Planning ​

Cost Control ​

File Operations ​

Read Files ​

Create Files ​

Modify Files ​

Batch Operations ​

Command Execution ​

Run Tests ​

Install Dependencies ​

Git Operations ​

Code Generation ​

Component Generation ​

API Endpoint ​

Test Generation ​

Troubleshooting ​

Permission Denied ​

Invalid API Key ​

Network Connection Issues ​

Command Not Found ​

Best Practices ​

1. Specify File Paths Clearly ​

2. Provide Sufficient Context ​

3. Use CLAUDE.md ​

4. Use Permission Modes Appropriately ​

5. Monitor Costs Regularly ​

Quick Reference Card ​

Start Claude Code ​

Switch Modes ​

View Information ​

Permission Responses ​

Getting Help ​

Claude Code Cheat Sheet

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shift+Tab - Permission Mode Switching

Built-in Commands

Basic Commands

Model Switching

Fast Mode

Cost Management

Skills Invocation

Permission Response Options

Command Line Startup Options

Basic Startup

Permission Modes

Model Selection

Headless Mode

Other Options

Configuration Files

Global Configuration

Project Configuration

Project Description

Auto Memory System

Memory Directory

MEMORY.md

Topic Files

Environment Variables

API Key

AWS Bedrock

Proxy Settings

Debug Mode

Common Operation Patterns

Quick Iteration

Complex Task Planning

Cost Control

File Operations

Read Files

Create Files

Modify Files

Batch Operations

Command Execution

Run Tests

Install Dependencies

Git Operations

Code Generation

Component Generation

API Endpoint

Test Generation

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

Invalid API Key

Network Connection Issues

Command Not Found

Best Practices

1. Specify File Paths Clearly

2. Provide Sufficient Context

3. Use CLAUDE.md

4. Use Permission Modes Appropriately

5. Monitor Costs Regularly

Quick Reference Card

Start Claude Code

Switch Modes

View Information

Permission Responses

Getting Help