Claude Code Commands

Mental model

Claude Code brings Claude directly into your terminal. Commands start with a / and provide ways to manage Claude’s behavior, handle files, navigate your project, and trigger tools without leaving the chat interface. Think of / commands as controlling the shell that surrounds Claude’s AI engine.

Basic session control

Task	Command
Start fresh	/clear
View shortcuts	/help
Exit CLI	/exit or /quit

Commands to manage the lifetime of your Claude Code session. Running /clear provides an empty context window without losing project memory.

/clear my-previous-task

Tip: You can resume a previous session with /resume and selecting it from the picker.

Project and files

Task	Command
Initialize	/init
Switch dir	/cd <path>
Add dir	/add-dir <path>

Claude Code needs to know what files it can access. /init creates a CLAUDE.md to guide Claude in your repository. /cd safely changes directories while preserving context.

/cd src/components

Gotcha: If you just want Claude to read files in another directory without moving the session, use /add-dir instead.

Model and context

Task	Command
Change model	/model
Adjust effort	/effort [level]
See context	/context

Large codebases fill the context window fast. /context visualizes what is taking up space. /model and /effort control which model runs and how much reasoning it applies.

/effort high
/compact

Note: Use /compact to summarize the current conversation to free up context space.

Background tasks

Task	Command
List tasks	/tasks
Detach session	/background
Copy to background	/fork

Claude Code can run tasks in the background. /tasks lists background work and subagents. /background lets the whole session run detached so you can close your terminal.

/fork

Tip: Use /subtask <task> to hand a side task to a background agent that will report back to your current conversation.

Code review and changes

Task	Command
View diff	/diff
Code review	/code-review
Batch changes	/batch <inst>

These commands analyze or manipulate your code at scale. /diff opens an interactive viewer. /code-review checks for correctness and can apply findings with --fix.

/code-review medium --fix

Warning: /batch will create isolated git worktrees and open PRs for each unit of work it identifies.

Troubleshooting

Task	Command
Run checkup	/doctor
Fix setup	/doctor
Rewind session	/rewind

If something breaks, /doctor runs a setup checkup to diagnose installation, path, and configuration issues. /rewind rolls code and conversation back to a checkpoint.

/doctor

Gotcha: /debug enables debug logging mid-session, which is useful if you didn’t start Claude with --debug.

Further reading

• Claude Code Interactive Mode — Keyboard shortcuts, Vim mode, and command history.
• Claude Code Skills — Learn how to create your own custom commands.
• Claude Code Agent View - Learn about background tasks.