Claude Code: Complete Cheat Sheet & Power User Guide

AI coding assistant that lives in your terminal. Understands your codebase, writes code, fixes bugs, handles git workflows through natural language.

🚀 Quick Start

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

# Start
cd your-project
claude

📋 Installation & Setup

System Requirements

• OS: macOS 10.15+, Ubuntu 20.04+, Windows (via WSL only)
• Node.js: 18+ (recommended: 20+)
• Account: Claude Max subscription OR Anthropic API key

Installation Options

# Method 1: NPM (recommended)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Method 2: UV (Python users)
uv tool install @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Method 3: Binary download from GitHub releases

API Configuration

# Set API key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here

# Add to shell profile
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key' >> ~/.bashrc

Tip: Claude Max subscription is more economical for regular users than pay-per-use API.

🎯 Core Usage

Usage Modes

Mode	Command	Use Case
Interactive	claude	Normal development
One-shot	claude -p "question"	Quick tasks
Headless	claude -p "task" --output-format stream-json	CI/Automation
Planning	Shift+Tab Shift+Tab	Plan without executing

Model Selection

claude --model claude-opus-4     # Most capable
claude --model claude-sonnet-4   # Balanced (default)
claude --model claude-haiku-3.5  # Fastest/cheapest

🔧 All Interactive Commands

Command	Purpose	Example
/add-dir	Add working directory	/add-dir ~/projects
/bug	Report issues	/bug describe_problem
/clear	Clear context (saves tokens)	/clear
/compact	Keep summary, clear context	/compact [instructions]
/config	Open config panel	/config
/cost	Show session cost	/cost
/doctor	Check installation health	/doctor
/exit	Exit REPL	/exit
/help	Show all commands	/help
/ide	Connect to IDE	/ide
/init	Generate CLAUDE.md docs	/init
/install-github-app	Setup GitHub Actions	/install-github-app
/login	Switch accounts	/login
/logout	Sign out	/logout
/mcp	Manage MCP servers	/mcp
/memory	Edit memory files	/memory
/model	Change AI model	/model claude-opus-4
/permissions	Manage tool permissions	/permissions
/pr-comments	Get PR comments	/pr-comments 123
/release-notes	View updates	/release-notes
/resume	Resume conversation	/resume session_id
/review	Review pull request	/review 123
/status	Show system status	/status
/terminal-setup	Hidden: Optimize terminal	/terminal-setup
/upgrade	Upgrade to Max plan	/upgrade
/vim	Toggle vim mode	/vim

🔥 Hidden Power Features

1. Dangerous Mode (Automation)

# Skip all permission prompts
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p "fix all linting errors"

# Recommended: Use in Docker container
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/workspace claude-container

2. Terminal Setup (Hidden Command)

/terminal-setup
# Enables: Shift+Enter for newlines, bell notifications, optimized settings

3. Pre-commit Hook Integration

# .pre-commit-config.yaml
repos:
  - repo: local
    hooks:
      - id: claude-lint
        name: Claude Auto-lint
        entry: claude
        args: ["-p", "fix linting and formatting", "--dangerously-skip-permissions"]
        language: system
        files: \.(js|ts|py)$

4. Permission Management

# Allow specific tools without prompts
/permissions add Edit
/permissions add "Bash(git commit:*)"
/permissions deny "Bash(rm*)"

# Session-specific permissions
claude --allowedTools Edit,Bash

5. Planning Mode

# Press Shift+Tab twice for planning mode (no file writes)
Shift+Tab Shift+Tab

🌐 Cross-Platform Setup

Windows (WSL Required)

# 1. Install WSL2
wsl --install Ubuntu

# 2. Access Windows projects
cd /mnt/c/Users/YourUsername/Projects
cursor .  # or code .

# 3. Install Claude Code in WSL
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

macOS

# Use Homebrew
brew install node
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# For M1/M2 Macs
arch -arm64 npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Install Node.js 20
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Install Claude Code
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Fix PATH if needed
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc

🔌 IDE Integration

VS Code

# Install extension
code --install-extension anthropic.claude-code

# Connect
/ide

Cursor

cursor .  # Launch in project
# In integrated terminal: claude

Universal Access

• Shortcuts: Cmd+Esc (Mac) / Ctrl+Esc (Windows/Linux)
• Context sharing: Open files, selections, linter errors
• Visual diffs: Apply changes directly in IDE

🛠️ MCP (Model Context Protocol) Setup

Essential MCP Servers

# Quick install script
claude mcp add sequential-thinking -s user -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking
claude mcp add filesystem -s user -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/Projects
claude mcp add puppeteer -s user -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer
claude mcp add fetch -s user -- npx -y @kazuph/mcp-fetch

API-Based Servers

# GitHub (requires token)
claude mcp add github -s user -- env GITHUB_TOKEN=token npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github

# Brave Search (requires API key)
claude mcp add brave-search -s user -- env BRAVE_API_KEY=key npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search

Manual Configuration (Better Method)

Create .claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "~/Projects"]
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {"GITHUB_TOKEN": "your_token"}
    }
  }
}

MCP Scopes

Scope	Location	Usage
local	./.claude.json	Current directory only
project	./.claude/settings.json	Shareable with team
user	~/.claude.json	All your projects

Popular MCP Servers

Server	Purpose	Package
Sequential Thinking	Multi-step reasoning	@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking
Filesystem	File operations	@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem
Puppeteer	Browser automation	@modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer
GitHub	Git operations	@modelcontextprotocol/server-github
Sentry	Error monitoring	@sentry/mcp-server
Linear	Project management	@linear/mcp-server
DigitalOcean	Cloud deployment	@digitalocean/mcp

📝 Custom Commands & Templates

Slash Commands

Create .claude/commands/fix-issue.md:

Fix GitHub issue: $ARGUMENTS

Steps:
1. `gh issue view $ARGUMENTS`
2. Search codebase for relevant files
3. Implement fix
4. Write tests
5. Create PR

Usage: /project:fix-issue 123

Personal Commands

Add to ~/.claude/commands/ for global availability.

💡 Pro Tips & Tricks

🎯 Workflow Hacks

# Error interruption
Esc  # Stop Claude immediately
> "Revert last changes and try different approach"

# Context management
/clear    # Between major tasks (saves tokens)
/compact  # Keep summary, reduce context

# UV package manager fix (Claude struggles with uv)
> "Use uv add, not pip install. Always use uv commands."

🚀 Rapid Development Pattern

1. Describe project in natural language
2. Let Claude create plan (8-12 steps typical)
3. Use /clear between major sections
4. Press ↑ + "continue" for next steps
5. 30-45 minutes for most projects regardless of complexity

📚 Documentation Before Code

# Best practice for new frameworks
> "Read the Next.js 14 docs at https://nextjs.org/docs then create project with latest best practices"

🎨 CLAUDE.md Personalization

# Custom CLAUDE.md
## Team
- Lead: [Your Name/Nickname] 
- Package Manager: uv (NOT pip!)
- Test Runner: pytest

## Project Notes
- Ask [Your Name] for deployment access
- Always use feature branches

🔧 Advanced Configuration

User Config (~/.claude.json)

{
  "defaultModel": "claude-sonnet-4",
  "permissions": {
    "allowedTools": ["Edit", "Bash(git*)"],
    "deniedTools": ["Bash(rm*)"]
  },
  "preferences": {
    "autoCompact": true,
    "compactThreshold": 50000
  }
}

Environment Variables

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key
export CLAUDE_MODEL=claude-sonnet-4
export MCP_DEBUG=true
export CLAUDE_DEBUG=true

🏢 Enterprise Features

Amazon Bedrock

export AWS_PROFILE=your-profile
claude --provider bedrock --model anthropic.claude-3-5-sonnet

Google Vertex AI

export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/service-account.json
claude --provider vertex --model claude-3-5-sonnet

🐛 Common Issues & Fixes

Installation Problems

# Command not found
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# Permission denied (don't use sudo!)
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'

WSL Issues

# Wrong npm (using Windows instead of WSL)
which npm  # Should show /usr/bin/npm

# Performance issues
# Edit %USERPROFILE%\.wslconfig
[wsl2]
memory=8GB
processors=4

MCP Debugging

claude --mcp-debug  # Debug MCP issues
/mcp               # Check server status
claude mcp list    # List configured servers

Rate Limiting

/cost      # Check usage
/clear     # Clear context to save tokens
/upgrade   # Get Claude Max for higher limits

🎥 Quick Commands Reference

# Project setup
claude /init                           # Generate docs
claude /ide                            # Connect to IDE

# Development
claude -p "fix all TypeScript errors"  # Quick fixes
claude -p "add tests for auth module"  # Add functionality
claude -p "optimize this component"    # Improvements

# Git workflows
claude -p "review this PR and suggest improvements"
claude -p "create commit message for current changes"
claude -p "resolve merge conflicts"

# Automation
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p "lint and format all files"

📚 Resources

• Docs: https://docs.anthropic.com/claude-code
• GitHub: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code
• NPM: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@anthropic-ai/claude-code
• Best Practices: https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/claude-code-best-practices

Community Guides

• Harper Reed's Workflow
• Philipp Spiess's Tips
• MCP Setup Guide

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🎯 The Claude Code Mindset

1. Think conversations, not commands - Use natural language
2. Iterate rapidly - First attempt won't be perfect
3. Context is king - Be specific, clear frequently
4. Monitor & interrupt - Use Esc when things go wrong
5. Document everything - Future you will thank you

Need help? Use /bug in Claude Code or join community discussions. Happy coding! 🚀