Anthropic just released a massive update to Claude Code — their CLI-based AI coding assistant — and the ecosystem of plugins, MCP servers, and slash commands has exploded. I spent the last week testing, organizing, and documenting everything. Here’s the complete reference.
This guide covers 55 essential CLI commands and 37 production-ready MCP servers and plugins, all with exact install commands. Bookmark this — you’ll need it.
What Is Claude Code?
Claude Code is Anthropic’s terminal-based AI coding assistant. Unlike ChatGPT or Copilot, it lives in your terminal, has full access to your file system, can run shell commands, edit files, and connect to external tools via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Think of it as a senior developer sitting next to you who can actually execute code, not just suggest it.
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Claude Code CLI Commands — Complete Reference
Every command you need to run, configure, and automate Claude Code.
Installation
| Command |
What It Does |
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code |
Install Claude Code CLI globally via npm |
claude update |
Update Claude Code to the latest version |
npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code && npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest |
Uninstall and reinstall the latest version |
Quick Start
| Command |
What It Does |
claude |
Start an interactive session (REPL) in the current directory |
claude -p "your prompt" |
Run a one-shot query and exit (print mode) |
claude -p "your prompt" --output-format json |
One-shot query with JSON output |
echo "your prompt" | claude -p |
Pipe input to Claude Code via stdin |
Permissions
| Command |
What It Does |
claude --allowedTools "Bash(git *)" "Read" |
Allow specific tools for the session |
claude --disallowedTools "Bash(rm *)" "Write" |
Disallow specific tools for the session |
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions |
Skip all permission prompts (use with caution) |
Model
| Command |
What It Does |
claude --model <model-name> |
Specify a model for the session (e.g., claude-sonnet-4-20250514) |
/model <model-name> |
Set model within an interactive session |
/config |
View and modify Claude Code settings |
Slash Commands
| Command |
What It Does |
/help |
Show available slash commands and usage tips |
/compact |
Compact the conversation to save context space |
/compact <instructions> |
Compact with specific focus instructions |
clear |
Clear conversation history and free up context |
/cost |
Show token usage, cost, and duration stats |
/terminal-setup |
Install Shift+Enter keybinding for multi-line input |
/vim |
Toggle vim mode for editing (on/off) |
/init |
Initialize a CLAUDE.md project memory file |
/pr-comments |
Fetch and review pull request comments |
Subagent
| Command |
What It Does |
/spawn <task> |
Launch a subagent to handle a task in parallel |
Task tool |
Programmatic subagent invocation within sessions |
MCP
| Command |
What It Does |
claude mcp add <name> -- <command> <args...> |
Add an stdio MCP server (e.g., my-server -p 3000) |
claude mcp add <name> -e KEY=VALUE -- <command> |
Add an MCP server with environment variables |
claude mcp add <name> -t sse -e KEY=VALUE <url> |
Add an SSE MCP server with auth headers |
claude mcp add <name> -t http <url> |
Add a streamable HTTP MCP server |
claude mcp list |
List all configured MCP servers |
claude mcp remove <name> |
Remove an MCP server by name |
Memory
| Command |
What It Does |
Create CLAUDE.md in project root |
Project memory file — loaded automatically in project sessions |
Create ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md |
Global user memory file — loaded across all projects |
Create <subdir>/CLAUDE.md |
Nested memory file — loaded when working in that subdirectory |
Automation
| Command |
What It Does |
git diff | claude -p "What changed?" |
Pipe git diff to Claude for analysis |
git diff --cached | claude -p "Generate commit message" |
Generate commit message from staged changes |
cat logs.txt | claude -p "Find the errors" |
Analyze log files with Claude |
cat error.png | claude -p "Fix this error" |
Send screenshots of errors for debugging |
Headless
| Command |
What It Does |
claude -p --output-format json "prompt" |
JSON output for automation scripts |
claude -p --output-format stream-json "prompt" |
Streaming JSON output for long tasks |
claude -p --max-turns 30 "prompt" |
Limit agent loops in headless mode (default 200) |
claude --allowedTools "Bash" "Read" "Edit" -p "prompt" |
Pre-approve specific tools in non-interactive mode |
CI/CD
| Command |
What It Does |
claude -p --output-format json "review PR #42" |
Automated PR review via CLI |
claude -p "fix issue #123" > fix.patch 2>&1 |
Auto-fix issues and output patches |
git ls-files -m | xargs wc -l | claude -p "prioritize changes" |
Analyze and prioritize file changes |
Worktrees
| Command |
What It Does |
git worktree add ../feature-branch |
Create a worktree for parallel development |
git worktree list |
List all active worktrees |
git worktree remove <path> |
Remove a worktree when done |
Hooks
| Command |
What It Does |
~/.claude/settings.json hooks configuration |
Configure pre/post tool call hooks (matchers + commands) |
Environment
| Command |
What It Does |
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY |
Set API key (Claude Max/Pro users skip this) |
ANTHROPIC_MODEL |
Override default model selection |
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK=1 |
Use AWS Bedrock as the backend |
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX=1 |
Use Google Vertex AI as the backend |
DISABLE_INTERACTIVITY=1 |
Disable interactive prompts in CI environments |
FORCE_AUTOUPDATER=0 |
Disable the auto-updater |
MAX_THINKING_TOKENS |
Set extended thinking token budget |
Claude Code MCP Servers & Plugins — The Definitive List
MCP servers extend Claude Code with external tool access. Here are the 37 best ones with exact install commands.
Development
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| GitHub MCP Server |
Official GitHub integration — repos, PRs, issues, CI/CD, code search, actions |
claude mcp add github -e GITHUB_TOKEN=$GITHUB_TOKEN -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github |
| Git MCP Server |
Advanced git operations beyond basic CLI — log, diff, blame, branch management |
claude mcp add git -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-git |
| File System MCP |
Advanced file operations — read, write, search, directory traversal across project |
claude mcp add filesystem -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/allowed/dir |
| Claude Code MCP |
Run Claude Code as a one-shot MCP server — nested agents for complex multi-step edits |
claude mcp add claude-code -- npx -y claude-code-mcp |
Database
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| PostgreSQL MCP |
Natural language queries and operations on PostgreSQL databases |
claude mcp add postgres -e POSTGRES_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host/db -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres |
| SQLite MCP |
SQLite database management, queries, schema inspection |
claude mcp add sqlite -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-sqlite /path/to/database.db |
| Supabase MCP |
Connect to Supabase — auth, database, storage, edge functions |
claude mcp add supabase -e SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN=$TOKEN -- npx -y @supabase/mcp-server-supabase |
Search
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Brave Search MCP |
Web and local search using Brave Search API — real-time research |
claude mcp add brave-search -e BRAVE_API_KEY=$KEY -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search |
| Fetch MCP |
Web content fetching and conversion to LLM-readable markdown |
claude mcp add fetch -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-fetch |
Browser
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Playwright MCP |
Browser automation using accessibility trees — web testing, scraping, E2E testing |
claude mcp add playwright -- npx -y @playwright/mcp |
| Puppeteer MCP |
Browser automation and web scraping with headless Chrome |
claude mcp add puppeteer -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer |
| Firecrawl MCP |
Web scraping and crawling — extracts clean content from any URL |
claude mcp add firecrawl -e FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=$KEY -- npx -y firecrawl-mcp |
DevOps
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Docker MCP |
Manage Docker containers, images, compose from Claude Code |
claude mcp add docker -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-docker |
| Kubernetes MCP |
K8s cluster management — pods, deployments, services, logs |
claude mcp add kubernetes -- npx -y mcp-server-kubernetes |
Cloud
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| AWS MCP |
AWS services integration — S3, Lambda, EC2, CloudFormation |
claude mcp add aws -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-aws |
| Terraform MCP |
Terraform operations — plan, apply, state management |
claude mcp add terraform -- npx -y terraform-mcp-server |
Communication
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Slack MCP |
Team communication — channels, messages, threads, reactions |
claude mcp add slack -e SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=$TOKEN -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-slack |
| Gmail MCP |
Read, send, search emails via Gmail API |
claude mcp add gmail -e GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/creds.json -- npx -y @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp |
| Google Calendar MCP |
Calendar events, scheduling, availability checks |
claude mcp add google-calendar -e GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/creds.json -- npx -y @gongrzhe/server-google-calendar-mcp |
Google
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Google Drive MCP |
File access, search, and management for Google Drive |
claude mcp add gdrive -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-gdrive |
| Google Maps MCP |
Location services, directions, place details, geocoding |
claude mcp add google-maps -e GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=$KEY -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps |
Monitoring
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Sentry MCP |
Error tracking — view issues, stack traces, performance data from Sentry |
claude mcp add sentry -e SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN=$TOKEN -- npx -y @sentry/mcp-server |
Memory
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Memory MCP |
Knowledge graph-based persistent memory across sessions |
claude mcp add memory -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory |
Research
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Context7 MCP |
Up-to-date library documentation — fetches latest docs for any package |
claude mcp add context7 -- npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp |
Project Mgmt
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Linear MCP |
Project management — issues, projects, cycles, teams, comments |
claude mcp add linear -e LINEAR_API_KEY=$KEY -- npx -y linear-mcp-server |
| Notion MCP |
Notion workspace — pages, databases, blocks, search |
claude mcp add notion -e NOTION_API_KEY=$KEY -- npx -y @notionhq/notion-mcp-server |
| Jira MCP |
Jira integration — issues, sprints, boards, transitions |
claude mcp add jira -e JIRA_API_TOKEN=$TOKEN -e JIRA_USER_EMAIL=$EMAIL -e JIRA_BASE_URL=$URL -- npx -y @aashari/jira-mcp-server |
Design
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Figma MCP |
Figma design file access — read frames, components, export assets |
claude mcp add figma -e FIGMA_ACCESS_TOKEN=$TOKEN -- npx -y figma-mcp-server |
| Google Stitch MCP |
AI-native UI design — generate screens from text prompts |
claude mcp add stitch -e STITCH_API_KEY=$KEY -- npx -y google-stitch-mcp |
AI Tools
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| Perplexity MCP |
AI-powered search with citations — deep research mode |
claude mcp add perplexity -e PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=$KEY -- npx -y perplexity-mcp |
| OpenAI MCP |
Access OpenAI models (GPT-4, DALL-E, Whisper) from Claude Code |
claude mcp add openai -e OPENAI_API_KEY=$KEY -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-openai |
| Hugging Face MCP |
Access Hugging Face models, datasets, and Spaces |
claude mcp add huggingface -e HF_TOKEN=$TOKEN -- npx -y @huggingface/mcp-server |
Productivity
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| CC Usage |
CLI dashboard for analyzing Claude Code logs — costs, tokens, session stats |
npx -y ccusage@latest |
| Claude Command Suite |
119+ professional slash commands for code review, features, security, architecture |
npx -y claude-command-suite@latest |
| Claude Squad |
Terminal app managing multiple Claude Code agents in separate workspaces |
brew install claude-squad # or: go install github.com/smtg-ai/claude-squad@latest |
| Claude Flow |
Autonomous code writing, editing, testing, and optimization orchestration |
npx -y claude-flow@latest |
Meta
| Plugin |
What It Does |
Install Command |
| MCP Builder |
Scaffold new MCP servers with proper JSON schema — creates server templates |
claude mcp add mcp-builder -- npx -y mcp-builder |
How to Add MCP Servers
The basic syntax:
claude mcp add <name> -e KEY=VALUE -- npx -y <package>
Manage your servers:
claude mcp list # see all configured servers
claude mcp get github # inspect a specific server
claude mcp remove github # remove a server
My Top 10 Picks
- GitHub MCP — PRs, issues, code search. Non-negotiable.
- Playwright MCP — browser automation with accessibility trees.
- Context7 MCP — fetches live library docs. Solves the training cutoff problem.
- PostgreSQL MCP — query your database in natural language.
- Brave Search MCP — real-time web search from your terminal.
- Memory MCP — knowledge graph persistence across sessions.
- Slack MCP — send messages, read channels, manage threads.
- Sentry MCP — debug production errors without leaving your terminal.
- CC Usage — track your Claude Code costs and token usage.
- Claude Command Suite — 119+ pre-built slash commands.
Wrapping Up
Claude Code is the most powerful AI coding tool available right now — but only if you know how to configure it. The CLI commands keep you productive, the MCP servers give it superpowers, and the automation patterns make it work at scale.
Start with the install, add 3-5 MCP servers that match your workflow, and build from there.
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