Reference
CLI reference
Complete reference for Claude Code command-line interface, including commands and flags.
CLI commands
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
claude | Start interactive REPL | claude |
claude "query" | Start REPL with initial prompt | claude "explain this project" |
claude -p "query" | Query via SDK, then exit | claude -p "explain this function" |
cat file | claude -p "query" | Process piped content | cat logs.txt | claude -p "explain" |
claude -c | Continue most recent conversation | claude -c |
claude -c -p "query" | Continue via SDK | claude -c -p "Check for type errors" |
claude -r "<session-id>" "query" | Resume session by ID | claude -r "abc123" "Finish this PR" |
claude update | Update to latest version | claude update |
claude mcp | Configure Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers | See the Claude Code MCP documentation. |
CLI flags
Customize Claude Code’s behavior with these command-line flags:
| Flag | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
--add-dir | Add additional working directories for Claude to access (validates each path exists as a directory) | claude --add-dir ../apps ../lib |
--allowedTools | A list of tools that should be allowed without prompting the user for permission, in addition to settings.json files | "Bash(git log:*)" "Bash(git diff:*)" "Read" |
--disallowedTools | A list of tools that should be disallowed without prompting the user for permission, in addition to settings.json files | "Bash(git log:*)" "Bash(git diff:*)" "Edit" |
--print, -p | Print response without interactive mode (see SDK documentation for programmatic usage details) | claude -p "query" |
--output-format | Specify output format for print mode (options: text, json, stream-json) | claude -p "query" --output-format json |
--input-format | Specify input format for print mode (options: text, stream-json) | claude -p --output-format json --input-format stream-json |
--verbose | Enable verbose logging, shows full turn-by-turn output (helpful for debugging in both print and interactive modes) | claude --verbose |
--max-turns | Limit the number of agentic turns in non-interactive mode | claude -p --max-turns 3 "query" |
--model | Sets the model for the current session with an alias for the latest model (sonnet or opus) or a model’s full name | claude --model claude-sonnet-4-20250514 |
--permission-mode | Begin in a specified permission mode | claude --permission-mode plan |
--permission-prompt-tool | Specify an MCP tool to handle permission prompts in non-interactive mode | claude -p --permission-prompt-tool mcp_auth_tool "query" |
--resume | Resume a specific session by ID, or by choosing in interactive mode | claude --resume abc123 "query" |
--continue | Load the most recent conversation in the current directory | claude --continue |
--dangerously-skip-permissions | Skip permission prompts (use with caution) | claude --dangerously-skip-permissions |
The --output-format json flag is particularly useful for scripting and
automation, allowing you to parse Claude’s responses programmatically.
For detailed information about print mode (-p) including output formats,
streaming, verbose logging, and programmatic usage, see the
SDK documentation.
See also
- Interactive mode - Shortcuts, input modes, and interactive features
- Slash commands - Interactive session commands
- Quickstart guide - Getting started with Claude Code
- Common workflows - Advanced workflows and patterns
- Settings - Configuration options
- SDK documentation - Programmatic usage and integrations