This page defines recurring semantic aliases, minified-symbol search handles, and terminology used across the Claude Code internals wiki.
Scope and caveats
- Semantic aliases are wiki terms, not upstream/public API names.
- Minified symbols are build-specific search handles for the analyzed
cli.renamed.js artifact.
- Prefer semantic aliases in prose and preserve exact strings/symbols in source-anchor tables.
- Use alias-first source-anchor tables:
Semantic alias, Source, Approximate location, exact string/symbol, and meaning.
High-value semantic aliases
| Semantic alias | Minified symbol or string | Meaning |
|---|
| Outer bootstrap | J9A | Late bootstrap/version/update entry path before main runtime dispatch. |
| Top-level main | O4A | Environment initialization and deep-link/top-level startup path. |
| Commander root | w4A | Root claude command construction and mode routing. |
| Headless runner | runHeadless, runHeadlessStreamingForTesting | Print/SDK stream loop and headless framing. |
| Interactive session loop | pT$, aa4 | TUI session loop and interactive picker/session paths. |
| Session discovery | loadConversationForResume | Finds latest/explicit/search-selected session records. |
| Session restore | OG8 | Rehydrates a transcript into the live session envelope. |
| Tool execution boundary | U85 | Permission, hook, denial/allow telemetry, and tool execution mediator. |
| MCP command registrar | rR4 | Registers the mcp command family. |
| MCP runtime coordinator | fH9 | Connects regular, always-load, and claude.ai connector MCP configs. |
| Plugin command registrar | fC4 | Registers plugin / plugins command families. |
| Remote bridge process | bridgeMain | Bridge process entry family. |
| Remote Control bridge | initReplBridge | Interactive Remote Control bridge initializer. |
| System frame emitter | session_state_changed, control_request, related strings | SDK/headless/session frame family. |
| Prompt dynamic boundary | __SYSTEM_PROMPT_DYNAMIC_BOUNDARY__ | Split between stable and dynamic system-prompt sections. |
| Semantic name | Source-visible tool name | Meaning |
|---|
| Shell command tool | Bash | Shell/process execution. |
| File read tool | Read | File content reads. |
| File pattern tool | Glob | Glob-style file discovery. |
| Content search tool | Grep | Content search. |
| File edit tool | Edit | Single-file edit operation. |
| File write tool | Write | File write operation. |
| URL fetch tool | WebFetch | Fetch URL/domain content. |
| Web search tool | WebSearch | Search web content through provider/runtime support. |
| Todo tool | TodoWrite | Plan/todo state tracking. |
| Skill tool | Skill | Runtime skill loading. |
| Task tools | TaskCreate, TaskGet, TaskList, TaskUpdate, SendMessage | Subagent/task dispatch and state. |
Terminology
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Source anchor | A file path plus approximate line/byte offset and exact string/symbol used to find behavior in the analyzed bundle. |
| Semantic alias | A stable wiki label for a minified or cross-cutting runtime concept. |
| Minified anchor | A build-specific function, variable, or string handle used only for source lookup. |
| Live envelope | In-memory session state: model, cwd, tools, hooks, permissions, transcript state, tasks, and bridge state. |
| Local JSONL transcript | Append-only session file used for resume, continue, fork, rewind, and mirroring. |
| Sidechain transcript | Separate transcript for a delegated task/subagent, linked back to the parent session. |
| Hook | In-process lifecycle extension point such as PreToolUse or SessionEnd. |
| Frame | Serialized headless/SDK/remote message such as session_state_changed or control_request. |
| Protocol method | JSON-RPC or HTTP method/path such as MCP tools/list or provider /v1/messages. |
| Permission mode | Runtime setting/flag that controls tool approval behavior. |
| Execution boundary | The point where visibility, allow/deny rules, hooks, host approval, and tool-specific guards converge before a tool runs. |
| Context compaction | Summarizing/replacing prior conversation context to stay within token budgets. |
| Remote Control | Bridge/control projection over a local session, surfaced by remote-control, --remote-control, and --rc. |
| Teleport | Remote/session resume path with repository/session consistency guardrails. |
| GrowthBook gate | Feature-evaluation path whose tengu_* strings often indicate staged rollout or telemetry surfaces. |
Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|
| CLI | Command-line interface. |
| TUI | Terminal user interface. |
| SDK | Software development kit / external host integration surface. |
| SSE | Server-Sent Events. |
| JSONL | JSON Lines. |
| MCP | Model Context Protocol. |
| LSP | Language Server Protocol. |
| JSC | JavaScriptCore. |
| OTEL | OpenTelemetry. |
| CWD | Current working directory. |
| FD | File descriptor. |
| UUID | Universally unique identifier. |
