Command-line reference

This page is the table-first companion to Commands and flags. It centralizes the source-visible root flags, command families, aliases, and mode-specific CLI surfaces so narrative pages can link here instead of repeating long option lists.

Scope and caveats

• This is a source-anchored reference for the analyzed cli.js bundle, not a replacement for live claude --help output.
• Hidden and feature-gated options are included when existing docs have direct anchors.
• The bundle is minified, so approximate line numbers and byte offsets are search handles rather than stable public API names.

Source anchors

Semantic alias	Source file	Approximate location	Anchor	Meaning
CommanderRoot	cli.js	line ~19525, byte 0xdbf0e0	async function w4A	Commander root construction and mode routing.
ClaudeRootCommand	cli.js	line ~19525, byte 0xdbf678	H.name("claude")	Root command name and description.
PrintModeFlag	cli.js	line ~19525, byte 0xdbf921	-p, --print	Selects non-interactive print/headless mode.
ToolAllowListFlag	cli.js	line ~19525, byte 0xdc09bd	--allowedTools, --allowed-tools <tools...>	Tool allow-list flag.
PermissionModeFlag	cli.js	line ~19525, byte 0xdc10d9	--permission-mode <mode>	Session permission mode selector.
ContinueSessionFlag	cli.js	line ~19525, byte 0xdc114e	-c, --continue	Continue the most recent conversation in the current directory.
ResumeSessionFlag	cli.js	line ~19525, byte 0xdc11af	-r, --resume [value]	Resume by session ID or open picker/search.
RemoteSessionFlag	cli.js	line ~19550, byte 0xdcb633	--remote [description|session_id|url]	Remote session creation/attach flag.
RemoteControlFlag	cli.js	line ~19550, byte 0xdcb6f2	--remote-control [name]	Remote Control flag.
DoctorCommand	cli.js	line ~19550, byte 0xdcd0b4	H.command("doctor")	Auto-updater health check command.
UpdateCommandFamily	cli.js	line ~19550, byte 0xdcd261	H.command("update").alias("upgrade")	Update/upgrade command family.

Root invocation modes

Mode	Representative surface	Behavior
Interactive TUI	default TTY invocation	Starts the interactive session loop after trust/auth/settings/context setup.
Headless/print	-p, --print	Runs the scriptable path with stdout result/stream framing.
SDK-style headless	--sdk-url, stream/control frames	Exposes structured frames and control requests for external hosts.
Resume/continue	--continue, --resume, --session-id	Restores a local JSONL session into the live envelope.
Remote/teleport/control	--remote, --teleport, --remote-control, --rc	Adds bridge/session-ingress control around the same session model.

Root flag families

Family	Flags	Primary owner
Diagnostics	-d, --debug [filter], --debug-file, --debug-to-stderr, --mcp-debug, --verbose	Diagnostics and debug logs
Headless/SDK output	-p, --print, --output-format, --input-format, --json-schema, --sdk-url, --include-partial-messages, --session-mirror	Headless streaming and resilience
Thinking and budget	--thinking, --thinking-display, --max-thinking-tokens, --max-turns, --max-budget-usd, --task-budget	Model selection, calls, usage, quota, and billing
Tools and permissions	--tools, --allowedTools, --allowed-tools, --disallowedTools, --disallowed-tools, --permission-mode, --permission-prompt-tool, --dangerously-skip-permissions	Tool inventory and schemas
Prompt and context	--system-prompt, --system-prompt-file, --append-system-prompt, --append-system-prompt-file, --add-dir, --exclude-dynamic-system-prompt-sections, --plan-mode-instructions	Prompt assembly scenarios
Sessions	-c, --continue, -r, --resume, --fork-session, --no-session-persistence, --resume-session-at, --rewind-files, --session-id, --name	Session resume and transcripts
Models and auth	--model, --fallback-model, --betas	Models, providers, and auth
Settings and integrations	--settings, --managed-settings, --setting-sources, --mcp-config, --strict-mcp-config, --plugin-dir, --plugin-url, --agents, --ide, --chrome, --file	Settings schema reference
Remote and deep links	--remote, --teleport, --remote-control, --rc, --remote-control-session-name-prefix, --prefill, --deep-link-origin	Remote control and teleport

Command families

Command	Anchor	Runtime role
auth	H.command("auth")	Login, logout, and status flows for account credentials.
mcp	McpCommandRegistrar	Manages MCP servers and can start the Claude Code MCP server.
mcp serve	command("serve"), line ~9173, byte 0xbf3ccb	Starts the Claude Code MCP server.
mcp add-from-claude-desktop	line ~9173, byte 0xbf44e2	Imports MCP servers from Claude Desktop config.
plugin / plugins	PluginCommandRegistrar	Manages plugins, marketplaces, local/session plugins, and plugin capabilities.
project purge [path]	H.command("project")	Deletes project-scoped Claude Code state.
setup-token	H.command("setup-token")	Sets up a long-lived authentication token flow.
agents	H.command("agents")	Opens/manages background agents and dispatched sessions.
ultrareview [target]	H.command("ultrareview [target]")	Runs cloud-hosted multi-agent code review.
auto-mode	H.command("auto-mode")	Inspects or critiques auto-mode classifier configuration.
remote-control / rc	H.command("remote-control", {hidden: true}).alias("rc")	Starts local-session Remote Control.
doctor	H.command("doctor")	Checks auto-updater and related health state.
update / upgrade	H.command("update").alias("upgrade")	Checks for and installs updates.
install [target]	H.command("install [target]")	Installs a stable/latest/specific native build.

Aliases and spelling variants

Alias or variant	Canonical surface
upgrade	update
rc	remote-control
--rc [name]	--remote-control [name]
--allowed-tools	--allowedTools
--disallowed-tools	--disallowedTools

Parse-time optimization

CommanderRoot has a fast path for -p/--print: when print mode is selected and no cc:// or cc+unix:// URI argument is present, the root options can be parsed before the heavier subcommand tree is registered. This keeps common headless runs lighter.

Related docs

• Commands and flags
• CLI main paths
• Headless streaming and resilience
• Tool inventory and schemas
• Remote control and teleport