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Your First Session

Learn the basics of working with Claude Code.

This page covers the essential concepts you need to start being productive: starting sessions, understanding how Claude interacts with your codebase, and the key commands you'll use daily.

Starting a Session​

There are two ways to use Claude Code: interactively (conversation) or non-interactively (single command).

Interactive Mode​

Use this for ongoing conversations where you'll ask follow-up questions:

# Start in current directory — Claude will see your project files
claude

# Start with a prompt — begins the conversation with your request
claude "explain this codebase"

# Resume last conversation — continues where you left off
claude -c

Non-Interactive Mode​

Use this for one-off commands or scripting:

# Print mode — single response, no interaction, then exit
claude -p "what does this function do?"

# Pipe input — great for processing errors or logs
cat error.log | claude -p "explain this error"

Basic Interactions​

Once in a session, Claude can do much more than just answer questions. You can:

  • Ask questions about your code
  • Request changes to files
  • Run commands through Claude
  • Navigate the codebase together

Example Session​

Here's what a typical conversation looks like. Notice how Claude uses tools (search, read, write) automatically:

You: what files handle authentication?

Claude: Looking at your codebase...
[Uses Grep/Glob to search]
Authentication is handled in:
- src/auth/login.ts - Login logic
- src/auth/middleware.ts - Auth middleware
- src/utils/jwt.ts - Token handling

You: add rate limiting to the login endpoint

Claude: I'll add rate limiting to the login endpoint.
[Reads files, proposes changes]
...

Claude figures out which tools to use based on what you ask.

Understanding Permissions​

Claude Code asks for permission before potentially dangerous operations. This is a safety feature that lets you review actions before they happen:

  • Writing files — Creating or modifying code
  • Running commands — Executing bash/shell commands
  • Network access — Making external requests

When prompted, you can allow once, allow always (for the session), or deny.

To reduce permission prompts, pre-approve common safe operations via /permissions or in your settings file.

For comprehensive security configuration, see Security Best Practices.

Essential Commands​

You'll use these slash commands frequently. Type / to see all available commands:

CommandAction
/helpShow all commands
/clearReset conversation — start fresh
/compactCompress context — use when context gets full
/modelSwitch AI model — Sonnet, Opus, or Haiku
/configOpen settings — configure preferences

Press Esc twice to cancel the current action or open the rewind menu (to undo).

Tips for Beginners​

These habits will help you get better results:

  1. Start with questions — Ask Claude to explain the codebase before making changes. Understanding first prevents mistakes.
  2. Be specific — Clear prompts get better results. "Fix the auth bug" is worse than "Fix the bug where users get logged out after refresh in src/auth/session.ts"
  3. Review changes — Check diffs before accepting writes. Claude shows you what it will change.
  4. Use plan mode — For complex tasks, let Claude plan first. Press Shift+Tab to cycle to plan mode.

Next Steps​