Print it or keep it open. It collects the commands and working habits from all three guides.
The one-page cheat sheet
The commands and working habits from all three guides.
The whole idea in one line: Claude gathers context (reads your files) → acts (edits, calculates, drafts) →
verifies (checks its own work), looping until done. You delegate, describe the job well, then judge whether it's right.
What the words mean
Terminal
an app where you type a computer instruction instead of clicking a button
CLAUDE.md
a text file that gives Claude standing instructions for your work
Skill
a saved method Claude can run again
Git
version history for a folder, so you can return to an earlier save point
MCP
a standard way to connect Claude to a live tool or data source
Hook
an automatic check that runs at a set point in the work
Install once
Mac / Linux
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Windows
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
Homebrew
brew install --cask claude-code
Then cd into a folder with real work and type claude.
First run opens your browser to log in. /help lists everything.
Start a task
cd <folder>
point it at real files — don't paste them in
/init
draft a starter CLAUDE.md from the folder
Manage Claude's working memory
/clear
wipe working memory — every time you switch tasks
/compact
long task not done? summarise & keep going
/context
see how full the window is
/btw
drop in an aside that won't derail the task
Think before it touches anything
Shift+Tab
plan mode — explores & proposes, no edits until you approve the plan
Recover when it drifts
Esc
stop it mid-action; context kept, just re-brief
/rewind
(or Esc Esc) roll back to a checkpoint, try again
/model
switch models — lighter routine, heavier hard thinking
Shortcuts the Anthropic team actually use
#
tell it to remember something — writes it to memory for next time
!
run a computer command without leaving Claude
Ctrl+R
show the full output Claude saw — check its working
voice
turn on Mac dictation and speak the brief
Four habits that separate value from quitting
Be specific. Brief it like a sharp analyst — the precise brief gets the usable answer.
/clear between tasks. A polluted session is half of all "Claude got dumber" complaints.
Give it a way to check itself. "Reconcile to the £35M plan and flag if off" makes the check part of the work.
Plan what matters; correct early. Corrected the same thing twice? Stop, /clear, rewrite the brief.
Where it breaks (so you trust it correctly)
It can be confidently wrong. Never ship a number you didn't verify.
Garbage in, garbage out. Give it the real file, not a screenshot.
Long sessions rot. Quality drops as the window fills — /clear is the fix.
Automation amplifies mistakes. An unwatched workflow with a weak check ships bad numbers at scale.