Author: Kenny Damian
Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenny-damian-90aba221a
I've spent 600+ hours inside Claude Code.
Here's the complete cheat sheet I wish I had before starting.
Saving this will save you dozens of hours of trial and error.
1ļøā£ INSTALL IN 30 SECONDS
Mac / Linux / Windows
ā Go to claude.ai/install
ā Or run: brew install --cask claude-code
Runs in your terminal. No IDE, no setup maze.
2ļøā£ CLAUDE.md = YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM
Without CLAUDE.md ā generic AI
With CLAUDE.md ā expert in your stack, your rules, your workflows
Where I keep it:
ā ./CLAUDE.md for each repo
ā ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md for global rules
ā .claude/rules/ for path rules
Keep under 200 lines. Clear, direct, specific.
3ļøā£ SLASH COMMANDS THAT MATTER
Inside Claude Code I use:
ā /init to auto-build CLAUDE.md from code
ā /compact when context starts to bloat
ā /memory to check and edit what it remembers
ā /cost to track token usage
ā /review for pull requests
ā /vim and /terminal-setup for smooth editing
4ļøā£ SKILLS = REUSABLE KNOWLEDGE
Folder: .claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md
I keep skills for:
ā n8n flows
ā data enrichment
ā campaign copy
ā design briefs
Skills handle knowledge.
MCP handles actions.
5ļøā£ MCP SERVERS = YOUR APP STORE
Connect once, Claude handles endpoints.
Examples:
ā claude mcp add --transport http [name] [url]
ā claude mcp add --transport stdio [name] -- [command]
Scope by: local, project, or user.
Gmail, Sheets, Slack, CRM, databases. One bridge for your whole stack.
6ļøā£ HOOKS = AUTOMATION INSIDE CLAUDE
Fire on events, not prompts:
ā PreToolUse to block risky commands
ā PostToolUse to auto-format code
ā SessionStart to reload context
ā Notification to get desktop alerts
My favorite: auto-run Prettier after each edit. Set once, forget.
7ļøā£ KEYBOARD + SESSION POWER
Daily keys: Ctrl+C, Ctrl+L, Ctrl+R, Ctrl+G, Esc Esc, Alt+T, Ctrl+V
Session flow:
ā /rename inside
ā claude -n "feature-name" to start
ā claude -c to continue last
ā claude -r "project-name" to jump back
ā claude --fork-session to branch work
8ļøā£ CLI FLAGS THAT CHANGE THE GAME
ā claude -p "query" for one-shot runs
ā claude --add-dir ../other-repo to merge context
ā claude --max-turns 5 to control loops
ā claude --effort high for deep thinking
ā claude --max-budget-usd 5 to control spend
ā claude --permission-mode plan for read-only
Headless mode (-p) is how you plug Claude into scripts and CI.
I turned all of this into a one-page visual cheat sheet below š
Here's the complete cheat sheet I wish I had before starting.
Saving this will save you dozens of hours of trial and error.
1ļøā£ INSTALL IN 30 SECONDS
Mac / Linux / Windows
ā Go to claude.ai/install
ā Or run: brew install --cask claude-code
Runs in your terminal. No IDE, no setup maze.
2ļøā£ CLAUDE.md = YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM
Without CLAUDE.md ā generic AI
With CLAUDE.md ā expert in your stack, your rules, your workflows
Where I keep it:
ā ./CLAUDE.md for each repo
ā ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md for global rules
ā .claude/rules/ for path rules
Keep under 200 lines. Clear, direct, specific.
3ļøā£ SLASH COMMANDS THAT MATTER
Inside Claude Code I use:
ā /init to auto-build CLAUDE.md from code
ā /compact when context starts to bloat
ā /memory to check and edit what it remembers
ā /cost to track token usage
ā /review for pull requests
ā /vim and /terminal-setup for smooth editing
4ļøā£ SKILLS = REUSABLE KNOWLEDGE
Folder: .claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md
I keep skills for:
ā n8n flows
ā data enrichment
ā campaign copy
ā design briefs
Skills handle knowledge.
MCP handles actions.
5ļøā£ MCP SERVERS = YOUR APP STORE
Connect once, Claude handles endpoints.
Examples:
ā claude mcp add --transport http [name] [url]
ā claude mcp add --transport stdio [name] -- [command]
Scope by: local, project, or user.
Gmail, Sheets, Slack, CRM, databases. One bridge for your whole stack.
6ļøā£ HOOKS = AUTOMATION INSIDE CLAUDE
Fire on events, not prompts:
ā PreToolUse to block risky commands
ā PostToolUse to auto-format code
ā SessionStart to reload context
ā Notification to get desktop alerts
My favorite: auto-run Prettier after each edit. Set once, forget.
7ļøā£ KEYBOARD + SESSION POWER
Daily keys: Ctrl+C, Ctrl+L, Ctrl+R, Ctrl+G, Esc Esc, Alt+T, Ctrl+V
Session flow:
ā /rename inside
ā claude -n "feature-name" to start
ā claude -c to continue last
ā claude -r "project-name" to jump back
ā claude --fork-session to branch work
8ļøā£ CLI FLAGS THAT CHANGE THE GAME
ā claude -p "query" for one-shot runs
ā claude --add-dir ../other-repo to merge context
ā claude --max-turns 5 to control loops
ā claude --effort high for deep thinking
ā claude --max-budget-usd 5 to control spend
ā claude --permission-mode plan for read-only
Headless mode (-p) is how you plug Claude into scripts and CI.
I turned all of this into a one-page visual cheat sheet below š
Images:
