Claude Code Cheat Sheet (Beta)

Your complete guide to mastering Claude Code - from zero to hero in minutes!

After testing Claude Code extensively, I've developed this comprehensive cheat sheet that will take you from basic to advanced user without wasting time. Whether you're completely new to Claude Code or looking to master advanced features, this guide has you covered.

Quick Start

# Windows users
wsl

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

# Launch interactive REPL
claude

# Check version
claude --version

📚 Table of Contents

• 🟢 Level 1: Basic Commands
• 🟡 Level 2: Intermediate Commands
• 🟠 Level 3: Advanced Commands
• 🔴 Level 4: Expert Commands
• 🔵 Level 5: Power User Commands
• 🟣 Level 6: Master Commands
• 🤝 Contributing
• 📄 License

Pages

• 🤖 Subagents - Specialized AI agents for specific development tasks

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🟢 Level 1: Basic Commands

Essential commands to get started

Installation & Getting Started

# Install Claude Code
curl -sL https://install.anthropic.com | sh

# Start interactive REPL
claude

# Start with initial prompt
claude "summarize this project"

# Check version
claude --version

# Update to latest version
claude update

Basic Navigation

/help                     # Show help and available commands
/exit                     # Exit the REPL
/clear                    # Clear conversation history
/config                   # Open config panel
/doctor                   # Check Claude Code installation health

Basic File Operations

# Print mode (SDK) - execute and exit
claude -p "explain this function"

# Process piped content
cat logs.txt | claude -p "explain"

# Continue most recent conversation
claude -c

# Continue via SDK
claude -c -p "Check for type errors"

Session Management

# Resume session by ID
claude -r "abc123" "Finish this PR"

# Resume with flag
claude --resume abc123 "query"

# Continue session
claude --continue

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+C                    # Cancel current operation
Ctrl+D                    # Exit Claude Code
Tab                       # Auto-complete
Up/Down                   # Navigate command history

🟡 Level 2: Intermediate Commands

Configuration and model management

Model Configuration

# Switch models
claude --model sonnet                    # Use Sonnet model
claude --model opus                      # Use Opus model
claude --model claude-sonnet-4-20250514  # Use specific model version

Directory Management

# Add additional working directories
claude --add-dir ../apps ../lib

# Validate directory paths
claude --add-dir /path/to/project

Output Formatting

# Different output formats
claude -p "query" --output-format json
claude -p "query" --output-format text
claude -p "query" --output-...