Claude Code Command Cheat Sheet: Terminal, Slash, and Shortcut Keys All in One

Two command systems : Commands that start with claude are entered in the terminal shell and manage the session itself (start, continue, restore, upgrade). Commands that start with a slash / are entered inside the chat UI and control the current conversation. Mixing them makes the command fail.

Common terminal commands include: claude – start an interactive session. claude "改个登录页" – start a session and immediately supply the first prompt. claude -p "..." – ask a single question and exit, suitable for scripts or pipelines. claude -c – continue the most recent conversation. claude -r – restore a specific historical session. claude --model ... – launch with a specified model. claude update – upgrade to the latest version. claude mcp – configure the MCP server.

Practical example :

cat error.log | claude -p "挑出所有 ERROR 并按出现次数排序"

extracts error lines and sorts them by frequency without opening the interactive UI.

Slash commands (grouped by scenario) :

Token saving: /clear (reset context), /compact (compress conversation), /context (view token usage).

Configuration & status: /model, /effort, /config, /status, /cost, /permissions.

Memory & project: /init, /memory, /agents, /mcp.

Troubleshooting: /resume, /rewind, /export, /doctor, /help.

Advanced autonomy: /plan, /goal, /batch, /simplify, /code-review.

Background & orchestration: /background, /tasks (or /bashes), /loop, /schedule, /workflows.

UI & extensions: /theme, /fast, /skills, /hooks, /plugin.

Three high‑frequency input prefixes : ! – run a bash command and feed its output into the conversation, e.g., !git diff. @ – reference a file or directory, e.g., @src/app.js, which pulls the file into the session. # – write a line into project memory, e.g., # 这个项目用 pnpm 不用 npm, remembered for future turns.

Press Shift+Tab to cycle between interaction modes: normal (asks each step), auto‑accept (skips confirmations), and plan mode (lays out a plan before execution).

Essential shortcut keys : Esc – immediately interrupt the current operation.

Double Esc – revert or edit the previous message. Ctrl+R – reverse‑search command history. Ctrl+B – send the current long task to the background. Ctrl+L – clear the screen. Ctrl+C – interrupt the current action; with empty input, exit. Ctrl+D – exit the Claude Code session.

↑ / ↓ – navigate command history.

Conclusion : Although Claude Code defines hundreds of commands, the three rules to remember are: terminal commands start with claude, conversation commands start with /, and the quick‑input prefixes are ! @ #. Use /help to view the full command list instead of memorising everything.