Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Common workflows

Step-by-step guides for exploring codebases, fixing bugs, refactoring, testing, and other everyday tasks with Claude Code.

This page collects short recipes for everyday development. For higher-level guidance on prompting and context management, see Best practices.

This page covers:

• Prompt recipes for exploring code, fixing bugs, refactoring, testing, PRs, and documentation
• Resume previous conversations so a task can span multiple sittings
• Run parallel sessions with worktrees so concurrent edits don't collide
• Plan before editing to review changes before they touch disk
• Delegate research to subagents to keep your main context clean
• Pipe Claude into scripts for CI and batch processing

Prompt recipes

These are prompt patterns for everyday tasks like exploring unfamiliar code, debugging, refactoring, writing tests, and creating PRs. Each works in any Claude Code surface; adapt the wording to your project.

Understand new codebases

For configuring Claude Code in a monorepo or large codebase, see Monorepos and large repos.

Get a quick codebase overview

Suppose you've just joined a new project and need to understand its structure quickly.

Replace `/path/to/project` with the path to your project.

```text wrap theme={null}
what are the key data models?
```

```text wrap theme={null}
how is authentication handled?
```

• Start with broad questions, then narrow down to specific areas
• Ask about coding conventions and patterns used in the project
• Request a glossary of project-specific terms

Find relevant code

Suppose you need to locate code related to a specific feature or functionality.

• Be specific about what you're looking for
• Use domain language from the project
• Install a code intelligence plugin for your language to give Claude precise "go to definition" and "find references" navigation

---

Fix bugs efficiently

Suppose you've encountered an error message and need to find and fix its source.

• Tell Claude the command to reproduce the issue and get a stack trace
• Mention any steps to reproduce the error
• Let Claude know if the error is intermittent or consistent

---

Refactor code

Suppose you need to update old code to use modern patterns and practices.

For porting an entire codebase to a new language, see how Anthropic runs large-scale code migrations with Claude Code on the blog.

• Ask Claude to explain the benefits of the modern approach
• Request that changes maintain backward compatibility when needed
• Do refactoring in small, testable increments

---

Work with tests

Suppose you need to add tests for uncovered code.

Claude can generate tests that follow your project's existing patterns and conventions. When asking for tests, be specific about what behavior you want to verify. Claude examines your existing test files to match the style, frameworks, and assertion patterns already in use.

For comprehensive coverage, ask Claude to identify edge cases you might have missed. Claude can analyze your code paths and suggest tests for error conditions, boundary values, and unexpected inputs that are easy to overlook.

---

Create pull requests

You can create pull requests by asking Claude directly ("create a pr for my changes"), or guide Claude through it step-by-step:

To find the session later, run claude --from-pr 1234 with your own PR number, which opens the session picker filtered to sessions linked to that PR, or paste the PR URL into the /resume picker search. Claude Code links the session to the PR when Claude creates it with gh pr create or glab mr create, and when Claude works on an existing PR.

Handle documentation

Suppose you need to add or update documentation for your code.

• Specify the documentation style you want (JSDoc, docstrings, etc.)
• Ask for examples in the documentation
• Request documentation for public APIs, interfaces, and complex logic

---

Work in notes and non-code folders

Claude Code works in any directory. Run it inside a notes vault, a documentation folder, or any collection of markdown files to search, edit, and reorganize content the same way you would code.

The .claude/ directory and CLAUDE.md sit alongside other tools' config directories without conflict. Claude reads files fresh on each tool call, so it sees edits you make in another application the next time it reads that file.

---

Work with images

Suppose you need to work with images in your codebase, and you want Claude's help analyzing image content.

1. Drag and drop an image into the Claude Code window
2. Copy an image and paste it into the CLI with `Ctrl+V`, or with [`Alt+V` on Windows and WSL](/docs/en/interactive-mode#general-controls)
3. Provide an image path to Claude. E.g., "Analyze this image: /path/to/your/image.png"

```text wrap theme={null}
Describe the UI elements in this screenshot
```

```text wrap theme={null}
Are there any problematic elements in this diagram?
```

```text wrap theme={null}
This is our current database schema. How should we modify it for the new feature?
```

```text wrap theme={null}
What HTML structure would recreate this component?
```

• Use images when text descriptions would be unclear or cumbersome
• Include screenshots of errors, UI designs, or diagrams for better context
• You can work with multiple images in a conversation
• Image analysis works with diagrams, screenshots, mockups, and more
• When Claude references images (for example, [Image #1]), Cmd+Click (Mac) or Ctrl+Click (Windows/Linux) the link to open the image in your default viewer

---

Reference files and directories

Use @ to quickly include files or directories without waiting for Claude to read them.

This includes the full content of the file in the conversation.

This fetches data from connected MCP servers using the format @server:resource. See [MCP resources](/docs/en/mcp#use-mcp-resources) for details.

• File paths can be relative or absolute
• Type @ to open a path suggestion menu, then press Enter or Tab to accept the highlighted path and Enter again to send the message
• @ file references add CLAUDE.md in the file's directory and parent directories to context
• Directory references show file listings, not contents
• You can reference multiple files in a single message (for example, "@file1.js and @file2.js")

---

Run Claude on a schedule

Suppose you want Claude to handle a task automatically on a recurring basis, like reviewing open PRs every morning, auditing dependencies weekly, or checking for CI failures overnight.

Pick a scheduling option based on where you want the task to run:

---

Ask Claude about its capabilities

Claude has built-in access to its documentation and can answer questions about its own features and limitations.

Example questions

can Claude Code create pull requests?

how does Claude Code handle permissions?

what skills are available?

how do I use MCP with Claude Code?

how do I configure Claude Code for Amazon Bedrock?

what are the limitations of Claude Code?

• Claude always has access to the latest Claude Code documentation, regardless of the version you're using
• Ask specific questions to get detailed answers
• Claude can explain complex features like MCP integration, enterprise configurations, and advanced workflows

---

Resume previous conversations

When a task spans multiple sittings, pick up where you left off instead of re-explaining context. Claude Code saves every conversation locally.

claude --continue

This resumes the most recent session in the current directory; if there isn't one yet, it prints No conversation found to continue and exits. Use claude --resume to choose from a list, or /resume from inside a running session. See Manage sessions for naming, branching, and the full picker reference.

Run parallel sessions with worktrees

Work on a feature in one terminal while Claude fixes a bug in another, without the edits colliding. Each git worktree is a separate checkout on its own branch, created from an existing commit, so the repository needs at least one commit first.

claude --worktree feature-auth

Run the same command with a different name in a second terminal to start an isolated parallel session. In a repository with no commits, the command fails with Failed to resolve base branch "HEAD": git rev-parse failed. See Worktrees for cleanup, .worktreeinclude, and non-git VCS support. To monitor parallel sessions from one screen instead of separate terminals, see background agents.

Plan before editing

For changes you want to review before they touch disk, switch to plan mode. Claude reads files and proposes a plan but makes no edits until you approve. The status bar shows ⏸ plan mode on while plan mode is active.

claude --permission-mode plan

You can also press Shift+Tab mid-session until the status bar shows ⏸ plan mode on. See Plan mode for the approval flow and editing the plan in your text editor.

Delegate research to subagents

Exploring a large codebase fills your context with file reads. Delegate the exploration so only the findings come back.

use a subagent to investigate how our auth system handles token refresh

The subagent reads files in its own context window and reports a summary. See Subagents for defining custom agents with their own tools and prompts.

Pipe Claude into scripts

Run Claude non-interactively for CI, pre-commit hooks, or batch processing. Stdin and stdout work like any Unix tool.

git log --oneline -20 | claude -p "summarize these recent commits"

See Non-interactive mode for output formats, permission flags, and fan-out patterns.

Next steps