Claude Code CLI Guide

📥 Installation

Open PowerShell and run this single command to install Claude Code:

# Install Claude Code on Windows
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iexpowershell

Alternative installation methods:

# With WinGet
winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

# With Homebrew (if you use it)
brew install --cask claude-code

# Update to the latest version
claude updatepowershell

💻 Commands from PowerShell

These commands are typed directly in the terminal, before starting a Claude session.

Practical examples

# Navigate to your project first
cd C:\Users\YourName\Projects\my-project

# Start Claude
claude

# Quick question without opening a session
claude -p "what does this function do?"

# Continue where you left off yesterday
claude -c

# Resume a specific session from history
claude -rpowershell

⚙ Slash Commands (inside Claude)

These commands are typed while Claude is already running, during an interactive session.

Navigation & session

Code & changes

Configuration

🏴 Flags & Options

These options are added to the claude command when launching from PowerShell.

# Complex task with deep reasoning
claude --effort high "optimize these SQL queries"

# Use Opus for very complex tasks
claude --model opus "refactor the entire authentication layer"

# Auto mode (careful: approves everything without asking)
claude --permission-mode acceptEditspowershell

🏃 Basic Workflow

Here's what a typical Claude Code session looks like from scratch:

📄 Working with Your Code

Claude Code automatically reads files from your project — no manual uploads needed.

Exploring the project

# Inside Claude, type in plain language:
what does this project do?
explain the folder structure
what technologies does it use?
where is the main entry point?claude

Making code changes

# Claude finds the file, shows the change, and asks for approval
add a function that validates email addresses to utils.js
create a reusable button component
add error handling to all API callsclaude

Multi-file changes

# Claude coordinates changes across multiple files automatically
add input validation to the registration form,
update both the frontend and the backendclaude

🍀 Git Integration

You can ask Claude to perform Git operations in plain language:

# View changes and status
what files have I modified?
show me the last 5 commits

# Commits
commit my changes with a descriptive message

# Branches
create a new branch called feature/auth-redesign
switch to the develop branch

# Code review before committing
/code-reviewclaude

🚀 PowerShell Pipes & Automation

One of the CLI's biggest advantages is chaining commands through the PowerShell pipeline:

# Analyze the last lines of a log
Get-Content app.log -Tail 100 | claude -p "what errors are here?"

# Summarize test failures
npm test 2>&1 | claude -p "summarize failures and suggest fixes"

# Auto-generate a README
claude -p "generate a README.md for this project" > README.md

# Run tests and commit if they pass
claude "run the tests and commit if they pass"

# Scan specific code for issues
Get-Content src/auth.js | claude -p "look for security vulnerabilities"powershell

⚖ CLI vs Claude Desktop (GUI)

⚡ Quick Reference

Everything essential at a glance:

💡 Context Tips

Claude has a context limit (session memory). For large projects:

Keyboard shortcuts inside Claude