Lesson 13: Reference Materials

Complete reference guide for Claude Code commands, settings, and features.

Prerequisites

Completed Lessons 1-12 - Full tutorial completion
Bookmark this page - Quick reference for daily use
Return as needed - Look up specifics when working

Usage: This is a reference document. Read through once, then return when you need specific information.

Slash Commands

Core Commands

Command	Description	Usage
`/help`	Show help information	`You> /help`
`/help skills`	Show all available skills	`You> /help skills`
`/exit`	Exit the session	`You> /exit`
`/plan`	Enter plan mode	`You> /plan`
`/mode <mode>`	Change permission mode	`You> /mode accept-edits`

Skills Commands

Command	Description	Usage
`/commit [message]`	Create git commit	`You> /commit`
`/memory`	Edit CLAUDE.md	`You> /memory`
`/config`	Interactive configuration	`You> /config`
`/stats`	Show session statistics	`You> /stats`
`/cost`	Show cost breakdown	`You> /cost`
`/pr`	Create pull request	`You> /pr`

Session Commands

Command	Description	Usage
`/sessions`	List recent sessions	`You> /sessions`
`/resume [id]`	Resume a session	`You> /resume abc123`
`/compact`	Compact conversation	`You> /compact`
`/tasks`	Show background tasks	`You> /tasks`

CLI Flags

Basic Flags

Flag	Description	Example
`-h, --help`	Show help	`claude --help`
`-v, --version`	Show version	`claude --version`
`-p, --prompt`	Single prompt mode	`claude -p "Hello"`
`-c, --command`	Run command	`claude -c "npm test"`
`-r, --read`	Read file	`claude -r file.py -p "Explain"`

Session Flags

Flag	Description	Example
`--resume`	Resume last session	`claude --resume`
`--resume <id>`	Resume specific session	`claude --resume abc123`
`--plan`	Start in plan mode	`claude --plan`
`--model <name>`	Specify model	`claude --model claude-opus-4-5`

Configuration Flags

Flag	Description	Example
`--mode <mode>`	Permission mode	`claude --mode accept-edits`
`--config <path>`	Config file location	`claude --config custom.json`
`--max-tokens <n>`	Max token limit	`claude --max-tokens 100000`
`--temperature <n>`	Response randomness	`claude --temperature 0.5`

Utility Flags

Flag	Description	Example
`--list-sessions`	List all sessions	`claude --list-sessions`
`--clean-sessions`	Clean old sessions	`claude --clean-sessions --older-than 7d`
`--show-config`	Show current config	`claude --show-config`
`--background`	Run in background	`claude --background "npm test"`

Built-in Tools

File Operations

Read Tool

Purpose: View file contents
Permission required: Always
Usage: Automatic when reading files

Edit Tool

Purpose: Modify existing files
Permission required: Always (unless in accept-edits mode)
Usage: Shows diff before applying

Write Tool

Purpose: Create new files
Permission required: Always (unless in accept-edits mode)
Usage: Shows full content before creating

Search Tools

Glob Tool

Purpose: Find files by pattern
Patterns: *.py, src/**/*.js, test_*
Usage: Find all Python files

Grep Tool

Purpose: Search file contents
Supports: Regex, file filters
Usage: Search for "TODO" comments

Execution Tool

Bash Tool

Purpose: Run shell commands
Permission required: Always (safety)
Usage: Run tests, Install dependencies

Keyboard Shortcuts

Session Control

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+C`	Cancel current operation
`Ctrl+D`	Exit session (EOF)
`Ctrl+L`	Clear screen (keep history)
`Ctrl+P`	Cycle permission modes
`Ctrl+Shift+P`	Switch to Default mode
`Ctrl+O`	Toggle "Don't Ask" mode
`Escape`	Cancel current operation

Input Editing

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+A`	Move to beginning of line
`Ctrl+E`	Move to end of line
`Ctrl+U`	Clear to beginning of line
`Ctrl+K`	Clear to end of line
`Ctrl+W`	Delete previous word
`Ctrl+Y`	Paste deleted text

Shortcut	Action
`↑/↓`	Navigate command history
`Ctrl+R`	Search history
`Ctrl+G`	Cancel history search

Settings Reference

Settings Structure

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "permissionMode": "default",
  "maxTokens": 200000,
  "temperature": 0.7,
  "permissions": {
    "allowedOperations": [],
    "deniedOperations": [],
    "allowedPatterns": [],
    "deniedPatterns": []
  },
  "git": {
    "attribution": {
      "enabled": true,
      "format": "Co-Authored-By: {model} <noreply@anthropic.com>"
    }
  },
  "mcpServers": {},
  "hooks": {}
}

Model Settings

Available Models:

claude-opus-4-5 - Most capable
claude-sonnet-4-5 - Balanced (default)
claude-haiku-4-5 - Fastest

Configuration:

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "maxTokens": 200000,
  "temperature": 0.7
}

Permission Modes

Modes:

default - Ask for everything
accept-edits - Auto-approve edits
dont-ask - Auto-approve most operations
bypass - No prompts (use caution)

Configuration:

{
  "permissionMode": "default"
}

MCP Servers

STDIO Server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

HTTP Server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "api": {
      "url": "https://api.example.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Hooks

Pre-commit:

{
  "hooks": {
    "pre-commit": [
      {"command": "npm", "args": ["run", "lint"]}
    ]
  }
}

Post-edit:

{
  "hooks": {
    "post-edit": {
      "pattern": "*.js",
      "command": "npm",
      "args": ["run", "format", "--", "$FILE"]
    }
  }
}

File Locations

Configuration Files

Linux/macOS:

User settings: ~/.config/claude-code/settings.json
User skills: ~/.claude/skills/
Session data: ~/.local/state/claude-code/sessions/

Windows:

User settings: %APPDATA%\claude-code\settings.json
User skills: %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\
Session data: %LOCALAPPDATA%\claude-code\sessions\

Project Files

Project-level:

Settings: .claude/settings.json
Skills: .claude/skills/
Context: CLAUDE.md

Ignored by git:

.claude-code/ - Local project settings

Environment Variables

Variable	Purpose	Example
`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	API authentication	`sk-ant-...`
`CLAUDE_MODEL`	Default model	`claude-sonnet-4-5`
`CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR`	Config directory	`/custom/path`
`CLAUDE_PERMISSION_MODE`	Permission mode	`accept-edits`

Setting environment variables:

# Temporary
export CLAUDE_MODEL="claude-opus-4-5"

# Permanent (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
export CLAUDE_MODEL="claude-sonnet-4-5"
export CLAUDE_PERMISSION_MODE="default"

Common Patterns

Reading Files

Single file:

You> Read @src/main.py

Multiple files:

You> Read all Python files in src/

Specific function:

You> Read the auth function in @src/api.py

Editing Files

Simple edit:

You> Add error handling to @src/main.py

Specific change:

You> Rename the 'data' variable to 'userData' in @src/user.js

Refactor:

You> Extract the validation logic into a separate function

Git Operations

Commit:

You> /commit

Commit with message:

You> /commit -m "Fix login bug"

Pull request:

You> /pr

Search history:

You> When was the auth feature added?

Search Patterns

Grep (content):

You> Search for "TODO" in all Python files
You> Find functions that call the database

Glob (files):

You> List all test files
You> Find all JSON configuration files

Error Messages

Common Errors and Solutions

"Permission denied"

Check file permissions
Verify permission mode
Run as appropriate user

"File not found"

Use absolute paths
Check current directory
Verify file exists

"API key invalid"

Check ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
Verify key is active
Check account status

"Session not found"

Check session ID
Use /sessions to list
Resume with correct ID

"Configuration error"

Validate JSON syntax
Check file location
Verify settings structure

Quick Reference Card

Essential Commands

# Start Claude
claude

# Single prompt
claude -p "Your prompt"

# Run command
claude -c "npm test"

# Read file
claude -r file.py -p "Explain this"

# Resume session
claude --resume

In-Session Commands

You> /help          # Show help
You> /exit          # Exit session
You> /commit        # Create commit
You> /pr            # Create PR
You> /stats         # Show stats
You> /plan          # Enter plan mode
You> /mode <mode>   # Change mode

Tips

Use @ for files: @src/file.py
Be specific: Clear requests = better responses
Review diffs: Always check before accepting
Use plan mode: For complex tasks
Check stats: Monitor usage with /stats

Support Resources

Documentation

Official Docs: https://docs.claude.com/claude-code
API Reference: https://docs.anthropic.com/claude/reference
GitHub: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code

Community

Discord: https://discord.gg/anthropic
GitHub Issues: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues
GitHub Discussions: https://github.com/anthropics/laude-code/discussions

Getting Help

In Claude Code:

You> /help

Report bugs: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues

Feature requests: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/discussions

Summary

This reference guide covers:

Slash commands - All in-session commands
CLI flags - Command-line options
Built-in tools - Read, Edit, Write, Grep, Glob, Bash
Keyboard shortcuts - Quick navigation
Settings - Complete configuration reference
File locations - Where files are stored
Environment variables - Runtime configuration
Common patterns - Frequent workflows
Error messages - Troubleshooting

Congratulations! 🎉

You've completed the comprehensive Claude Code tutorial!

What you've learned: ✅ Installation and setup ✅ Basic operations and permissions ✅ Codebase navigation ✅ Skills and configuration ✅ MCP integrations ✅ Advanced features ✅ Git integration ✅ IDE integration ✅ Common workflows ✅ Best practices ✅ Complete reference

Next steps:

Build real projects with Claude Code
Explore the official documentation
Join the community
Create custom skills for your workflows
Share your knowledge with others

Remember:

Start with plan mode for complex tasks
Always review diffs before accepting
Use /stats to monitor usage
Ask specific questions with context
Leverage CLAUDE.md for project context

Happy coding with Claude! 🚀

Back to Tutorial Index

Prerequisites​

Slash Commands​

Core Commands​

Skills Commands​

Session Commands​

CLI Flags​

Basic Flags​

Session Flags​

Configuration Flags​

Utility Flags​

Built-in Tools​

File Operations​

Search Tools​

Execution Tool​

Keyboard Shortcuts​

Session Control​

Input Editing​

History Navigation​

Settings Reference​

Settings Structure​

Model Settings​

Permission Modes​

MCP Servers​

Hooks​

File Locations​

Configuration Files​

Project Files​

Environment Variables​

Common Patterns​

Reading Files​

Editing Files​

Git Operations​

Search Patterns​

Error Messages​

Common Errors and Solutions​

Quick Reference Card​

Essential Commands​

In-Session Commands​

Tips​

Support Resources​

Documentation​

Community​

Getting Help​

Summary​

Congratulations! 🎉​