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1010

1111A markdown file of project instructions you write for AI coding agents. If your repository has one and no [CLAUDE.md](#claude-md), Claude reads it as your project instructions without you adding a second file. You can change the **Project instructions** setting in `/config` to have Claude read both files or only `CLAUDE.md`. Reading `AGENTS.md` directly requires Claude Code v2.1.277 or later. In some sessions Claude [can't read `AGENTS.md`](/docs/en/memory#when-agents-md-support-is-unavailable), so [import it from a `CLAUDE.md`](/docs/en/memory#share-one-file-with-other-coding-tools) there instead.

1212

13Learn more: [AGENTS.md](/docs/en/memory#agents-md)

13Learn more: [AGENTS.md](/docs/en/memory.md#agents-md)

1414

1515### Agent teams

1616

17Multiple independent Claude Code sessions coordinated by a team lead, with a shared task list and peer-to-peer messaging. Unlike [subagents](#subagent), which run within a single session and report only to the parent, teammates each have their own context window and you can interact with any of them directly. Agent teams are experimental and disabled by default; see [Enable agent teams](/docs/en/agent-teams#enable-agent-teams).

1818

19Learn more: [Run agent teams](/docs/en/agent-teams)

19Learn more: [Run agent teams](/docs/en/agent-teams.md)

2020

2121### Agentic coding

2222

2323A workflow where the AI can read files, run commands, and make changes autonomously while you watch, redirect, or step away, as opposed to chat-based assistants that only respond with text you must apply yourself. Claude Code is agentic because it has [tools](#tool) that let it act, not just advise.

2424

25Learn more: [How Claude Code works](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works)

25Learn more: [How Claude Code works](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works.md)

2626

2727### Agentic harness

2828

2929The tools, context management, and execution environment that turn a language model into a capable coding agent. Claude Code is the harness; Claude is the model inside it. The harness supplies file access, shell execution, permission gating, memory loading, and the loop that chains actions together.

3030

31Learn more: [How Claude Code works](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works)

31Learn more: [How Claude Code works](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works.md)

3232

3333### Agentic loop

3434

3535The cycle Claude works through for every task: gather context, take action, verify results, and repeat until done. Each tool use returns information that informs the next step. You can interrupt the loop at any point to redirect. Most extension points, including [hooks](#hook), [skills](#skill), and [MCP](#mcp-model-context-protocol), plug into specific phases of this loop.

3636

37Learn more: [How Claude Code works](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works#the-agentic-loop)

37Learn more: [How Claude Code works](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works.md#the-agentic-loop)

3838

3939### Artifact

4040

41A live, interactive web page Claude Code publishes from your session to a private URL on claude.ai, so you can see output visually or share it instead of reading terminal text. The page updates in place when the session republishes. Artifacts you create from Claude Code appear in the same gallery as artifacts created in claude.ai conversations. Sharing options depend on your plan: see [Share an artifact](/docs/en/artifacts#share-an-artifact).

4242

43Learn more: [Share session output as artifacts](/docs/en/artifacts)

43Learn more: [Share session output as artifacts](/docs/en/artifacts.md)

4444

4545### Auto memory

4646

4747Notes Claude writes for itself based on your corrections and preferences, stored per git repository under `~/.claude/projects/`. All worktrees of the same repository share one auto memory directory. The first 200 lines or 25 KB of the `MEMORY.md` index loads at the start of every session. Auto memory is the Claude-written counterpart to [CLAUDE.md](#claude-md), which you write.

4848

49Learn more: [Auto memory](/docs/en/memory#auto-memory)

49Learn more: [Auto memory](/docs/en/memory.md#auto-memory)

5050

5151### Auto mode

5252

53A [permission mode](#permission-mode) where a separate classifier model reviews actions instead of you, so Claude Code runs most of them without asking you. Claude Code still asks you before actions your explicit ask rules match. With Claude Code v2.1.283 or later, auto mode is the [built-in starting permission mode](/docs/en/permission-modes#which-mode-a-session-starts-in) for interactive terminal and VS Code sessions, and on earlier versions only on Pro, Max, and Team plans. The classifier blocks scope escalation, untrusted infrastructure, and [prompt injection](#prompt-injection). Tool results are stripped from what it sees, so hostile content in a file or web page can't manipulate it directly.

53A [permission mode](#permission-mode) where a separate classifier model reviews actions instead of you, so Claude Code runs most of them without asking you. Claude Code still asks you before actions your explicit ask rules match. With Claude Code v2.1.283 or later, auto mode is the [built-in starting permission mode](/docs/en/permission-modes.md#which-mode-a-session-starts-in) for interactive terminal and VS Code sessions, and on earlier versions only on Pro, Max, and Team plans. The classifier blocks scope escalation, untrusted infrastructure, and [prompt injection](#prompt-injection). Tool results are stripped from what it sees, so hostile content in a file or web page can't manipulate it directly.

5454

55Learn more: [Eliminate prompts with auto mode](/docs/en/permission-modes#eliminate-prompts-with-auto-mode)

55Learn more: [Eliminate prompts with auto mode](/docs/en/permission-modes.md#eliminate-prompts-with-auto-mode)

5656

5757## B

5858

from line 60

6060

6161With `--bare`, Claude Code starts without loading hooks, skills, custom commands, subagents, installed plugins, MCP servers, auto memory, or CLAUDE.md, apart from skills in a directory you pass with `--add-dir`. Recommended for CI and scripted calls where you need the same result on every machine.

6262

63Learn more: [Start faster with bare mode](/docs/en/headless#start-faster-with-bare-mode)

63Learn more: [Start faster with bare mode](/docs/en/headless.md#start-faster-with-bare-mode)

6464

6565### Bundled skills

6666

6767Prompt-based playbooks included with Claude Code, such as `/batch`, `/code-review`, `/debug`, and `/loop`. Unlike built-in commands, which execute fixed logic, bundled skills give Claude a detailed prompt and let it orchestrate the work, so they can spawn agents, read files, and adapt to your codebase.

6868

69Learn more: [Bundled skills](/docs/en/skills#bundled-skills)

69Learn more: [Bundled skills](/docs/en/skills.md#bundled-skills)

7070

7171## C

7272

from line 74

7474

7575An [MCP server](#mcp-model-context-protocol) that pushes events into your running session so Claude can react to things that happen while you're away from the terminal. Channels can be two-way: Claude reads an inbound event and replies back through the same channel. Telegram, Discord, and iMessage are included in the research preview.

7676

77Learn more: [Channels](/docs/en/channels)

77Learn more: [Channels](/docs/en/channels.md)

7878

7979### Checkpoint

8080

8181A restore point created at each prompt you send that starts a turn. Claude Code snapshots files before every edit so a checkpoint can revert them. Press `Esc` twice or run `/rewind` to restore code, conversation, or both to an earlier point, or to summarize part of the conversation from a selected message. Checkpoints are saved with the conversation, so a resumed session can still `/rewind` to them. They're separate from git and don't track changes made through the Bash tool.

8282

83Learn more: [Checkpointing](/docs/en/checkpointing)

83Learn more: [Checkpointing](/docs/en/checkpointing.md)

8484

8585### `.claude` directory

8686

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9494

9595You can place CLAUDE.md at project scope in `./CLAUDE.md` or `./.claude/CLAUDE.md`, at user scope in `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`, or as [managed policy](#managed-settings) for your organization. All discovered files are concatenated into context rather than overriding each other, ordered from broadest scope to most specific. Claude Code can also load a project's [AGENTS.md](#agents-md) files in place of CLAUDE.md.

9696

97Learn more: [CLAUDE.md files](/docs/en/memory#claude-md-files)

97Learn more: [CLAUDE.md files](/docs/en/memory.md#claude-md-files)

9898

9999### Cloud session

100100

101A Claude Code session that keeps running after you close your laptop, because it runs on cloud infrastructure instead of your machine. That infrastructure is Anthropic-managed by default, or a [self-hosted environment](/docs/en/self-hosted-environments) your organization operates. You start one from claude.ai/code, the Claude mobile app, the Desktop app with **Cloud** selected, `claude --cloud`, or a [cloud scheduled task](/docs/en/routines).

102102

103103A session in your terminal, IDE, or the Desktop app with **Local** selected is a local session; to reach a local session from another device, use [Remote Control](#remote-control).

104104

105Learn more: [Use Claude Code in the cloud](/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web)

105Learn more: [Use Claude Code in the cloud](/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web.md)

106106

107107### Command

108108

109109A reusable instruction you invoke by typing `/name` in the prompt. Built-in commands such as `/clear`, `/model`, and `/compact` control the session. You can define your own commands as files in `.claude/commands/`, or install them from a [plugin](#plugin). [Skills](#skill) are the recommended way to package multi-step commands.

110110

111Two other uses of the word are unrelated: `claude` CLI subcommands such as `claude mcp add`, listed in the [CLI reference](/docs/en/cli-reference#cli-commands), and the `command` field of a stdio [MCP server](#mcp-server) entry, which specifies the executable Claude Code launches to start the server.

111Two other uses of the word are unrelated: `claude` CLI subcommands such as `claude mcp add`, listed in the [CLI reference](/docs/en/cli-reference.md#cli-commands), and the `command` field of a stdio [MCP server](#mcp-server) entry, which specifies the executable Claude Code launches to start the server.

112112

113Learn more: [Commands](/docs/en/commands) · [Skills](/docs/en/skills)

113Learn more: [Commands](/docs/en/commands.md) · [Skills](/docs/en/skills.md)

114114

115115### Compaction

116116

117117Automatic summarization of your conversation when the [context window](#context-window) approaches its limit. Older tool outputs are cleared first, then the conversation is summarized. Project-root CLAUDE.md and auto memory survive compaction and reload from disk; instructions given only in conversation may be lost. Run `/compact` to trigger manually, optionally with a focus like `/compact focus on the API changes`.

118118

119Learn more: [What survives compaction](/docs/en/context-window#what-survives-compaction) · [When context fills up](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works#when-context-fills-up)

119Learn more: [What survives compaction](/docs/en/context-window.md#what-survives-compaction) · [When context fills up](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works.md#when-context-fills-up)

120120

121121### Connector

122122

123123An [MCP server](#mcp-server) added to your claude.ai account rather than configured in Claude Code. When you sign in to Claude Code with that account, your connectors appear in `/mcp` alongside the servers you added locally. Organizations can also provision connectors and set per-tool controls on them.

124124

125Learn more: [Use MCP servers from claude.ai](/docs/en/mcp#use-mcp-servers-from-claude-ai)

125Learn more: [Use MCP servers from claude.ai](/docs/en/mcp.md#use-mcp-servers-from-claude-ai)

126126

127127### Context window

128128

129129The working memory for a session, holding conversation history, file contents, command outputs, CLAUDE.md, auto memory, loaded skills, and system instructions. As you work, context fills up until [compaction](#compaction) summarizes it. Run `/context` to see what's using space. For the underlying model concept, see the [platform glossary](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/glossary#context-window).

130130

131Learn more: [Explore the context window](/docs/en/context-window)

131Learn more: [Explore the context window](/docs/en/context-window.md)

132132

133133## D

134134

from line 136

136136

137137A phone-initiated task router that spawns a Claude Code session in the Desktop app when you send a coding task from the Claude mobile app. Your prompt routes to the right tool automatically. Available on Pro and Max plans.

138138

139Learn more: [Sessions from Dispatch](/docs/en/desktop#sessions-from-dispatch)

139Learn more: [Sessions from Dispatch](/docs/en/desktop.md#sessions-from-dispatch)

140140

141141## E

142142

from line 144

144144

145145A setting that controls adaptive reasoning, which lets the model decide whether and how much to think on each step. Higher effort means more thinking tokens and deeper reasoning; lower effort is faster and cheaper. Effort is supported on Fable models, on Opus 4.6 and later, on Sonnet 4.6 and later, and on Haiku 5.5.

146146

147Learn more: [Adjust effort level](/docs/en/model-config#adjust-effort-level)

147Learn more: [Adjust effort level](/docs/en/model-config.md#adjust-effort-level)

148148

149149### Extended thinking

150150

151151Visible step-by-step reasoning the model performs before responding. You can adjust it with the [effort level](#effort-level), or cap thinking tokens with `MAX_THINKING_TOKENS` on models with a fixed thinking budget. Thinking appears in gray italic text in the terminal.

152152

153Learn more: [Use extended thinking](/docs/en/model-config#extended-thinking)

153Learn more: [Use extended thinking](/docs/en/model-config.md#extended-thinking)

154154

155155## F

156156

from line 158

158158

159159A block of YAML settings at the very top of a Markdown file, between an opening `---` line and a closing `---` line. Skills, subagents, output styles, and rules each read their configuration from frontmatter, such as a skill's `description` or a subagent's `tools`, and treat everything after the closing `---` as the instructions. The opening `---` must be the file's first line. Each file type accepts its own set of fields.

160160

161Learn more: [Skill frontmatter](/docs/en/skills#frontmatter-reference), [Subagent frontmatter](/docs/en/sub-agents#supported-frontmatter-fields), [Output style frontmatter](/docs/en/output-styles#frontmatter), [Rule frontmatter](/docs/en/memory#rules-frontmatter-reference)

161Learn more: [Skill frontmatter](/docs/en/skills.md#frontmatter-reference), [Subagent frontmatter](/docs/en/sub-agents.md#supported-frontmatter-fields), [Output style frontmatter](/docs/en/output-styles.md#frontmatter), [Rule frontmatter](/docs/en/memory.md#rules-frontmatter-reference)

162162

163163## H

164164

from line 172

172172* **Matcher**: filters which events fire it

173173* **Hook handler**: what runs

174174

175Learn more: [Get started with hooks](/docs/en/hooks-guide) · [Hooks reference](/docs/en/hooks)

175Learn more: [Get started with hooks](/docs/en/hooks-guide.md) · [Hooks reference](/docs/en/hooks.md)

176176

177177## M

178178

179179### Managed settings

180180

181Settings enforced org-wide by IT or DevOps, delivered from Anthropic's servers through the admin console or deployed to devices at an OS-level path outside `~/.claude`. User and project settings cannot override managed settings. Server-managed delivery applies on [eligible configurations](/docs/en/server-managed-settings#platform-availability); see [Security considerations](/docs/en/server-managed-settings#security-considerations). Use this for security policies, compliance requirements, or standardized tooling across a fleet.

181Settings enforced org-wide by IT or DevOps, delivered from Anthropic's servers through the admin console or deployed to devices at an OS-level path outside `~/.claude`. User and project settings cannot override managed settings. Server-managed delivery applies on [eligible configurations](/docs/en/server-managed-settings.md#platform-availability); see [Security considerations](/docs/en/server-managed-settings.md#security-considerations). Use this for security policies, compliance requirements, or standardized tooling across a fleet.

182182

183Learn more: [Server-managed settings](/docs/en/server-managed-settings) · [Settings files](/docs/en/settings#where-settings-live)

183Learn more: [Server-managed settings](/docs/en/server-managed-settings.md) · [Settings files](/docs/en/settings.md#where-settings-live)

184184

185185### MCP (Model Context Protocol)

186186

187187An open standard for connecting AI tools to external data sources and services. MCP servers give Claude new tools for Slack, Jira, databases, browsers, and hundreds of other integrations. You connect servers via `/mcp` or by adding them to `.mcp.json`. For the protocol itself, see the [platform glossary](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/glossary#mcp-model-context-protocol).

188188

189Learn more: [Model Context Protocol](/docs/en/mcp)

189Learn more: [Model Context Protocol](/docs/en/mcp.md)

190190

191191### MCP server

192192

193193A program that gives Claude tools, prompts, or resources over [MCP](#mcp-model-context-protocol). You add servers with `claude mcp add`, in `.mcp.json`, through a [plugin](#plugin), or as a claude.ai [connector](#connector). A local stdio server runs as a process Claude Code starts from the `command` and `args` fields of its configuration, which have nothing to do with the [commands](#command) you type at the prompt.

194194

195Learn more: [Model Context Protocol](/docs/en/mcp)

195Learn more: [Model Context Protocol](/docs/en/mcp.md)

196196

197197### MCP Tool Search

198198

199199A context-saving mechanism that defers MCP tool schemas until needed. Only tool names and server instructions load at startup; Claude fetches the full schema on demand when it decides to use a specific tool. This keeps idle MCP servers from consuming much context.

200200

201Learn more: [Scale with MCP Tool Search](/docs/en/mcp#scale-with-mcp-tool-search)

201Learn more: [Scale with MCP Tool Search](/docs/en/mcp.md#scale-with-mcp-tool-search)

202202

203203## N

204204

205205### Non-interactive mode

206206

207A mode that executes a single prompt and exits without an interactive prompt, invoked with `-p` or `--print`. Used for CI, scripts, and piping. The run is still saved as a resumable session unless you pass `--no-session-persistence`. The [Agent SDK](/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview) is the Python and TypeScript equivalent. Formerly called headless mode.

207A mode that executes a single prompt and exits without an interactive prompt, invoked with `-p` or `--print`. Used for CI, scripts, and piping. The run is still saved as a resumable session unless you pass `--no-session-persistence`. The [Agent SDK](/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview.md) is the Python and TypeScript equivalent. Formerly called headless mode.

208208

209Learn more: [Run Claude Code programmatically](/docs/en/headless)

209Learn more: [Run Claude Code programmatically](/docs/en/headless.md)

210210

211211## O

212212

from line 214

214214

215215A configuration that changes the instructions Claude Code gives Claude, to set response behavior, tone, or format. Unlike [CLAUDE.md](#claude-md), which adds project context alongside Claude Code's default instructions, a custom output style adds its own instructions and can leave out the default software engineering instructions.

216216

217Learn more: [Output styles](/docs/en/output-styles)

217Learn more: [Output styles](/docs/en/output-styles.md)

218218

219219## P

220220

from line 224

224224

225225The `default` mode is labeled Manual in the CLI, in the VS Code and JetBrains extensions, and in the desktop app, and Claude Code accepts `manual` as an alias for the value.

226226

227Learn more: [Choose a permission mode](/docs/en/permission-modes)

227Learn more: [Choose a permission mode](/docs/en/permission-modes.md)

228228

229229### Permission rule

230230

231231A settings entry that allows, asks about, or denies a tool invocation based on the tool name and argument pattern. Rules are evaluated deny→ask→allow, first match wins. Permission rules are fine-grained controls layered on top of the broader [permission mode](#permission-mode).

232232

233Learn more: [Configure permissions](/docs/en/permissions)

233Learn more: [Configure permissions](/docs/en/permissions.md)

234234

235235### Plan mode

236236

237237A [permission mode](#permission-mode) where Claude researches and proposes changes without editing your source files. It can read, search, and run exploration commands, then presents a plan for approval before touching anything. Enter plan mode with `/plan` or by pressing `Shift+Tab`.

238238

239Learn more: [Analyze before you edit with plan mode](/docs/en/permission-modes#analyze-before-you-edit-with-plan-mode)

239Learn more: [Analyze before you edit with plan mode](/docs/en/permission-modes.md#analyze-before-you-edit-with-plan-mode)

240240

241241### Plugin

242242

243A bundle of skills, hooks, subagents, and MCP servers packaged as a single installable unit. Plugin skills are namespaced as `plugin-name:skill-name` so multiple plugins coexist. Distribute plugins across teams via a [marketplace](/docs/en/plugins/overview).

244244

245Learn more: [Plugins](/docs/en/plugins/overview)

245Learn more: [Plugins](/docs/en/plugins/overview.md)

246246

247247### Project trust

248248

249A dialog accepting a directory before Claude Code loads its configuration. Acceptance is saved per project directory, except your home directory, where trust is held for the current session only and the prompt reappears on each launch. Until you trust a directory, Claude Code holds back some of the content its repository supplies, such as project allow rules and marketplaces from `.claude/settings.json`. [What runs before you trust a folder](/docs/en/permissions#what-runs-before-you-trust-a-folder) lists each kind of content, including what a `-p` session runs without a dialog.

249A dialog accepting a directory before Claude Code loads its configuration. Acceptance is saved per project directory, except your home directory, where trust is held for the current session only and the prompt reappears on each launch. Until you trust a directory, Claude Code holds back some of the content its repository supplies, such as project allow rules and marketplaces from `.claude/settings.json`. [What runs before you trust a folder](/docs/en/permissions.md#what-runs-before-you-trust-a-folder) lists each kind of content, including what a `-p` session runs without a dialog.

250250

251251Learn more: [The `.claude` directory](/docs/en/claude-directory)

252252

from line 254

254254

255255Hostile instructions embedded in a file, web page, or tool result that attempt to redirect Claude toward actions you never asked for. Claude Code's defenses include the permission system, command injection detection, and trust verification. [Auto mode](#auto-mode) adds a server-side probe that scans tool results for suspicious content and a classifier that reviews actions with tool results stripped, so injected text can't manipulate it directly.

256256

257Learn more: [Protect against prompt injection](/docs/en/security#protect-against-prompt-injection)

257Learn more: [Protect against prompt injection](/docs/en/security.md#protect-against-prompt-injection)

258258

259259## R

260260

261261### Remote Control

262262

263A way to continue a local Claude Code session from your phone or browser via claude.ai. Your code execution and files stay on your machine; the interface is remote. Different from a [cloud session](/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web), which runs in a cloud sandbox.

264264

265Learn more: [Remote Control](/docs/en/remote-control)

265Learn more: [Remote Control](/docs/en/remote-control.md)

266266

267267### Rules

268268

from line 276

276276

277277OS-level filesystem and network isolation for the Bash tool. Commands run inside a boundary you define upfront, so Claude can work freely within it without per-command approval prompts. Sandboxing is a separate layer from [permission rules](#permission-rule).

278278

279Learn more: [Sandboxing](/docs/en/sandboxing)

279Learn more: [Sandboxing](/docs/en/sandboxing.md)

280280

281281### Session

282282

283283A conversation tied to your current directory, with its own independent [context window](#context-window). Sessions can be resumed with `claude -c`, forked with `--fork-session` to preserve history under a new session ID, or run in parallel across terminals. Running `/clear` starts a new session; the previous one stays stored and is available via `/resume`. Each session's transcript is stored under `~/.claude/projects/`.

284284

285Learn more: [Work with sessions](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works#work-with-sessions)

285Learn more: [Work with sessions](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works.md#work-with-sessions)

286286

287287### Settings layers

288288

289The hierarchy Claude Code reads configuration from, in precedence order from highest to lowest: [managed policy](#managed-settings), settings you pass with the `--settings` flag, local settings at `.claude/settings.local.json`, project settings at `.claude/settings.json`, then user settings at `~/.claude/settings.json`. Arrays merge across layers; scalars at a higher layer override lower ones. See [Settings precedence](/docs/en/settings#settings-precedence).

290290

291Learn more: [Settings files](/docs/en/settings#where-settings-live)

291Learn more: [Settings files](/docs/en/settings.md#where-settings-live)

292292

293293### Skill

294294

from line 296

296296

297297Skills are the recommended successor to custom commands. A file at `.claude/commands/deploy.md` and one at `.claude/skills/deploy/SKILL.md` both create `/deploy` and work the same way; existing command files continue to work.

298298

299Learn more: [Extend Claude with skills](/docs/en/skills)

299Learn more: [Extend Claude with skills](/docs/en/skills.md)

300300

301301### Subagent

302302

303A specialized AI assistant that runs in its own context window with a custom system prompt, specific tool access, and independent permissions. It works on a delegated task and returns a summary to the main conversation. Use subagents to keep large explorations out of your primary context or to run parallel research. A subagent stays inside the session that spawned it. To pass findings between separate sessions you run yourself, use [cross-session messaging](/docs/en/cross-session-messaging).

304304

305305Built-in subagents include Explore, Plan, and general-purpose.

306306

307Learn more: [Create custom subagents](/docs/en/sub-agents)

307Learn more: [Create custom subagents](/docs/en/sub-agents.md)

308308

309309### Surface

310310

311Any place you access Claude Code: the CLI, VS Code, JetBrains, Desktop, or claude.ai. All surfaces share the same engine. Sessions on your machine read your local CLAUDE.md, settings, and skills; [cloud sessions](/docs/en/cloud-environments#what-carries-over-from-your-setup) start from a fresh clone of your repository and don't read `~/.claude/` on your machine. Slack and the Chrome extension are integrations that connect to a surface rather than surfaces themselves.

311Any place you access Claude Code: the CLI, VS Code, JetBrains, Desktop, or claude.ai. All surfaces share the same engine. Sessions on your machine read your local CLAUDE.md, settings, and skills; [cloud sessions](/docs/en/cloud-environments.md#what-carries-over-from-your-setup) start from a fresh clone of your repository and don't read `~/.claude/` on your machine. Slack and the Chrome extension are integrations that connect to a surface rather than surfaces themselves.

312312

313Learn more: [Platforms and integrations](/docs/en/platforms)

313Learn more: [Platforms and integrations](/docs/en/platforms.md)

314314

315315### System prompt

316316

317The instructions Claude Code sends ahead of your conversation on every request, covering how Claude uses tools, behaves safely, and formats its responses. You can add to the system prompt with `--append-system-prompt` or replace it with `--system-prompt`. The system prompt is the first layer of the [prompt cache](/docs/en/prompt-caching#how-the-cache-is-organized).

318318

319319Your [CLAUDE.md](#claude-md) files and the instructions of your [output style](#output-style) aren't part of the system prompt. Claude Code delivers them in the conversation as [system reminders](#system-reminder).

320320

321Learn more: [System prompt flags](/docs/en/cli-reference#system-prompt-flags)

321Learn more: [System prompt flags](/docs/en/cli-reference.md#system-prompt-flags)

322322

323323### System reminder

324324

from line 333

333333

334334In a logged API request, a system reminder appears wrapped in `<system-reminder>` tags inside a user message, or on some models as a separate message with the `system` role.

335335

336Learn more: [Context Claude Code adds outside the system prompt](/docs/en/agent-sdk/modifying-system-prompts#context-claude-code-adds-outside-the-system-prompt)

336Learn more: [Context Claude Code adds outside the system prompt](/docs/en/agent-sdk/modifying-system-prompts.md#context-claude-code-adds-outside-the-system-prompt)

337337

338338## T

339339

from line 341

341341

342342A command, `/teleport`, that pulls a cloud Claude Code session into your local terminal. Claude fetches the branch, loads the conversation history, and resumes from the cloud session's last state. The reverse direction is `--cloud`, which sends a local task to run in the cloud.

343343

344Learn more: [Continue a cloud session in your terminal](/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web#from-cloud-to-terminal)

344Learn more: [Continue a cloud session in your terminal](/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web.md#from-cloud-to-terminal)

345345

346346### Tool

347347

348348An action Claude can take: read a file, edit code, run a shell command, search the web, spawn a subagent. Tools are what make Claude Code agentic. Without them, Claude can only respond with text. Each tool use returns a result that informs Claude's next decision in the [agentic loop](#agentic-loop).

349349

350Learn more: [Tools available to Claude](/docs/en/tools-reference)

350Learn more: [Tools available to Claude](/docs/en/tools-reference.md)

351351

352352### Transcript

353353

354The stored record of a [session](#session). The conversation is what you and Claude exchange; the transcript is that conversation kept as a file, by default at `~/.claude/projects/<project>/<session-id>.jsonl`. Claude Code reads the file back when you resume, which is how a conversation continues after the session ends. For the on-screen view of the same conversation, see the [transcript viewer](/docs/en/interactive-mode#transcript-viewer).

355355

356Learn more: [Where transcripts are stored](/docs/en/sessions#where-transcripts-are-stored)

356Learn more: [Where transcripts are stored](/docs/en/sessions.md#where-transcripts-are-stored)

357357

358358### Turn

359359

360360One complete response from Claude within a [session](#session). A turn begins when you send a message and ends when Claude finishes responding, with any number of [tool](#tool) calls in between. [Stop hooks](#hook) fire at the end of each turn. A session consists of many turns, and the [agentic loop](#agentic-loop) describes what happens inside one.

361361

362Learn more: [How Claude Code works](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works#the-agentic-loop)

362Learn more: [How Claude Code works](/docs/en/how-claude-code-works.md#the-agentic-loop)

363363

364364## V

365365

366366### Verification loop

367367

368How a session knows the work is actually done instead of accepting a result that looks plausible. You give Claude a check it can run, such as a test suite, a build, or a screenshot comparison, and Claude iterates until the check passes instead of stopping after one attempt. A verification loop is the prerequisite for [`/goal`](/docs/en/goal), unattended runs, and [dynamic workflows](/docs/en/workflows): without one, the only thing deciding the agent is finished is the agent itself.

368How a session knows the work is actually done instead of accepting a result that looks plausible. You give Claude a check it can run, such as a test suite, a build, or a screenshot comparison, and Claude iterates until the check passes instead of stopping after one attempt. A verification loop is the prerequisite for [`/goal`](/docs/en/goal), unattended runs, and [dynamic workflows](/docs/en/workflows.md): without one, the only thing deciding the agent is finished is the agent itself.

369369

370Learn more: [Give Claude a way to verify its work](/docs/en/best-practices#give-claude-a-way-to-verify-its-work)

370Learn more: [Give Claude a way to verify its work](/docs/en/best-practices.md#give-claude-a-way-to-verify-its-work)

371371

372372## W

373373

from line 375

375375

376376An isolation mode that runs Claude in a separate git worktree under `.claude/worktrees/`, enabled with the `-w` flag or `isolation: worktree` in subagent config. Changes stay on a separate branch in a separate directory, so parallel agents each edit their own copy of the files.

377377

378Learn more: [Run parallel sessions with git worktrees](/docs/en/worktrees)

378Learn more: [Run parallel sessions with git worktrees](/docs/en/worktrees.md)

379379

380380***

381381

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