claude-howto/CATALOG.md

Claude Code Feature Catalog

Quick reference guide to all Claude Code features: commands, agents, skills, plugins, and hooks.

Navigation: Commands | Permission Modes | Subagents | Skills | Plugins | MCP Servers | Hooks | Memory | New Features

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Summary

Feature	Built-in	Examples	Total	Reference
Slash Commands	55+	8	63+	01-slash-commands/
Subagents	6	11	17	04-subagents/
Skills	5 bundled	4	9	03-skills/
Plugins	-	3	3	07-plugins/
MCP Servers	1	8	9	05-mcp/
Hooks	25 events	8	8	06-hooks/
Memory	7 types	3	3	02-memory/
Total	99	45	119

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Slash Commands

Commands are user-invoked shortcuts that execute specific actions.

Built-in Commands

Command	Description	When to Use
/help	Show help information	Get started, learn commands
/btw	Side question without adding to context	Quick tangent questions
/chrome	Configure Chrome integration	Browser automation
/clear	Clear conversation history	Start fresh, reduce context
/diff	Interactive diff viewer	Review changes
/config	View/edit configuration	Customize behavior
/status	Show session status	Check current state
/agents	List available agents	See delegation options
/skills	List available skills	See auto-invoke capabilities
/hooks	List configured hooks	Debug automation
/insights	Analyze session patterns	Session optimization
/install-slack-app	Install Claude Slack app	Slack integration
/keybindings	Customize keyboard shortcuts	Key customization
/mcp	List MCP servers	Check external integrations
/memory	View loaded memory files	Debug context loading
/mobile	Generate mobile QR code	Mobile access
/passes	View usage passes	Subscription info
/plugin	Manage plugins	Install/remove extensions
/plan	Enter planning mode	Complex implementations
/rewind	Rewind to checkpoint	Undo changes, explore alternatives
/checkpoint	Manage checkpoints	Save/restore states
/cost	Show token usage costs	Monitor spending
/context	Show context window usage	Manage conversation length
/export	Export conversation	Save for reference
/extra-usage	Configure extra usage limits	Rate limit management
/feedback	Submit feedback or bug report	Report issues
/login	Authenticate with Anthropic	Access features
/logout	Sign out	Switch accounts
/sandbox	Toggle sandbox mode	Safe command execution
/vim	Toggle vim mode	Vim-style editing
/doctor	Run diagnostics	Troubleshoot issues
/reload-plugins	Reload installed plugins	Plugin management
/release-notes	Show release notes	Check new features
/remote-control	Enable remote control	Remote access
/permissions	Manage permissions	Control access
/session	Manage sessions	Multi-session workflows
/rename	Rename current session	Organize sessions
/resume	Resume previous session	Continue work
/todo	View/manage todo list	Track tasks
/tasks	View background tasks	Monitor async operations
/copy	Copy last response to clipboard	Share output quickly
/teleport	Transfer session to another machine	Continue work remotely
/desktop	Open Claude Desktop app	Switch to desktop interface
/theme	Change color theme	Customize appearance
/usage	Show API usage statistics	Monitor quota and costs
/fork	Fork current conversation	Explore alternatives
/stats	Show session statistics	Review session metrics
/statusline	Configure status line	Customize status display
/stickers	View session stickers	Fun rewards
/fast	Toggle fast output mode	Speed up responses
/terminal-setup	Configure terminal integration	Setup terminal features
/upgrade	Check for updates	Version management

Custom Commands (Examples)

Command	Description	When to Use	Scope	Installation
/optimize	Analyze code for optimization	Performance improvement	Project	cp 01-slash-commands/optimize.md .claude/commands/
/pr	Prepare pull request	Before submitting PRs	Project	cp 01-slash-commands/pr.md .claude/commands/
/generate-api-docs	Generate API documentation	Document APIs	Project	cp 01-slash-commands/generate-api-docs.md .claude/commands/
/commit	Create git commit with context	Commit changes	User	cp 01-slash-commands/commit.md .claude/commands/
/push-all	Stage, commit, and push	Quick deployment	User	cp 01-slash-commands/push-all.md .claude/commands/
/doc-refactor	Restructure documentation	Improve docs	Project	cp 01-slash-commands/doc-refactor.md .claude/commands/
/setup-ci-cd	Setup CI/CD pipeline	New projects	Project	cp 01-slash-commands/setup-ci-cd.md .claude/commands/
/unit-test-expand	Expand test coverage	Improve testing	Project	cp 01-slash-commands/unit-test-expand.md .claude/commands/

Scope: User = personal workflows (~/.claude/commands/), Project = team-shared (.claude/commands/)

Reference: 01-slash-commands/ | Official Docs

Quick Install (All Custom Commands):

cp 01-slash-commands/*.md .claude/commands/

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Permission Modes

Claude Code supports 6 permission modes that control how tool use is authorized.

Mode	Description	When to Use
default	Prompt for each tool call	Standard interactive use
acceptEdits	Auto-accept file edits, prompt for others	Trusted editing workflows
plan	Read-only tools only, no writes	Planning and exploration
auto	Accept all tools without prompting	Fully autonomous operation (Research Preview)
bypassPermissions	Skip all permission checks	CI/CD, headless environments
dontAsk	Skip tools that would require permission	Non-interactive scripting

Note

: auto mode is a Research Preview feature (March 2026). Use bypassPermissions only in trusted, sandboxed environments.

Reference: Official Docs

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Subagents

Specialized AI assistants with isolated contexts for specific tasks.

Built-in Subagents

Agent	Description	Tools	Model	When to Use
general-purpose	Multi-step tasks, research	All tools	Inherits model	Complex research, multi-file tasks
Plan	Implementation planning	Read, Glob, Grep, Bash	Inherits model	Architecture design, planning
Explore	Codebase exploration	Read, Glob, Grep	Haiku 4.5	Quick searches, understanding code
Bash	Command execution	Bash	Inherits model	Git operations, terminal tasks
statusline-setup	Status line configuration	Bash, Read, Write	Sonnet 4.6	Configure status line display
Claude Code Guide	Help and documentation	Read, Glob, Grep	Haiku 4.5	Getting help, learning features

Subagent Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Description
name	string	Agent identifier
description	string	What the agent does
model	string	Model override (e.g., haiku-4.5)
tools	array	Allowed tools list
effort	string	Reasoning effort level (low, medium, high)
initialPrompt	string	System prompt injected at agent start
disallowedTools	array	Tools explicitly denied to this agent

Custom Subagents (Examples)

Agent	Description	When to Use	Scope	Installation
code-reviewer	Comprehensive code quality	Code review sessions	Project	cp 04-subagents/code-reviewer.md .claude/agents/
code-architect	Feature architecture design	New feature planning	Project	cp 04-subagents/code-architect.md .claude/agents/
code-explorer	Deep codebase analysis	Understanding existing features	Project	cp 04-subagents/code-explorer.md .claude/agents/
clean-code-reviewer	Clean Code principles review	Maintainability review	Project	cp 04-subagents/clean-code-reviewer.md .claude/agents/
test-engineer	Test strategy & coverage	Test planning	Project	cp 04-subagents/test-engineer.md .claude/agents/
documentation-writer	Technical documentation	API docs, guides	Project	cp 04-subagents/documentation-writer.md .claude/agents/
secure-reviewer	Security-focused review	Security audits	Project	cp 04-subagents/secure-reviewer.md .claude/agents/
implementation-agent	Full feature implementation	Feature development	Project	cp 04-subagents/implementation-agent.md .claude/agents/
debugger	Root cause analysis	Bug investigation	User	cp 04-subagents/debugger.md .claude/agents/
data-scientist	SQL queries, data analysis	Data tasks	User	cp 04-subagents/data-scientist.md .claude/agents/
performance-optimizer	Profiling & performance tuning	Bottleneck investigation	Project	cp 04-subagents/performance-optimizer.md .claude/agents/

Scope: User = personal (~/.claude/agents/), Project = team-shared (.claude/agents/)

Reference: 04-subagents/ | Official Docs

Quick Install (All Custom Agents):

cp 04-subagents/*.md .claude/agents/

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Skills

Auto-invoked capabilities with instructions, scripts, and templates.

Example Skills

Skill	Description	When Auto-Invoked	Scope	Installation
code-review	Comprehensive code review	"Review this code", "Check quality"	Project	cp -r 03-skills/code-review .claude/skills/
brand-voice	Brand consistency checker	Writing marketing copy	Project	cp -r 03-skills/brand-voice .claude/skills/
doc-generator	API documentation generator	"Generate docs", "Document API"	Project	cp -r 03-skills/doc-generator .claude/skills/
refactor	Systematic code refactoring (Martin Fowler)	"Refactor this", "Clean up code"	User	cp -r 03-skills/refactor ~/.claude/skills/

Scope: User = personal (~/.claude/skills/), Project = team-shared (.claude/skills/)

Skill Structure

~/.claude/skills/skill-name/
├── SKILL.md          # Skill definition & instructions
├── scripts/          # Helper scripts
└── templates/        # Output templates

Skill Frontmatter Fields

Skills support YAML frontmatter in SKILL.md for configuration:

Field	Type	Description
name	string	Skill display name
description	string	What the skill does
autoInvoke	array	Trigger phrases for auto-invocation
effort	string	Reasoning effort level (low, medium, high)
shell	string	Shell to use for scripts (bash, zsh, sh)

Reference: 03-skills/ | Official Docs

Quick Install (All Skills):

cp -r 03-skills/* ~/.claude/skills/

Bundled Skills

Skill	Description	When Auto-Invoked
/simplify	Review code for quality	After writing code
/batch	Run prompts on multiple files	Batch operations
/debug	Debug failing tests/errors	Debugging sessions
/loop	Run prompts on interval	Recurring tasks
/claude-api	Build apps with Claude API	API development

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Plugins

Bundled collections of commands, agents, MCP servers, and hooks.

Example Plugins

Plugin	Description	Components	When to Use	Scope	Installation
pr-review	PR review workflow	3 commands, 3 agents, GitHub MCP	Code reviews	Project	/plugin install pr-review
devops-automation	Deployment & monitoring	4 commands, 3 agents, K8s MCP	DevOps tasks	Project	/plugin install devops-automation
documentation	Doc generation suite	4 commands, 3 agents, templates	Documentation	Project	/plugin install documentation

Scope: Project = team-shared, User = personal workflows

Plugin Structure

.claude-plugin/
├── plugin.json       # Manifest file
├── commands/         # Slash commands
├── agents/           # Subagents
├── skills/           # Skills
├── mcp/              # MCP configurations
├── hooks/            # Hook scripts
└── scripts/          # Utility scripts

Reference: 07-plugins/ | Official Docs

Plugin Management Commands:

/plugin list              # List installed plugins
/plugin install <name>    # Install plugin
/plugin remove <name>     # Remove plugin
/plugin update <name>     # Update plugin

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MCP Servers

Model Context Protocol servers for external tool and API access.

Common MCP Servers

Server	Description	When to Use	Scope	Installation
GitHub	PR management, issues, code	GitHub workflows	Project	claude mcp add github -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
Database	SQL queries, data access	Database operations	Project	claude mcp add db -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres
Filesystem	Advanced file operations	Complex file tasks	User	claude mcp add fs -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem
Slack	Team communication	Notifications, updates	Project	Configure in settings
Google Docs	Document access	Doc editing, review	Project	Configure in settings
Asana	Project management	Task tracking	Project	Configure in settings
Stripe	Payment data	Financial analysis	Project	Configure in settings
Memory	Persistent memory	Cross-session recall	User	Configure in settings
Context7	Library documentation	Up-to-date docs lookup	Built-in	Built-in

Scope: Project = team (.mcp.json), User = personal (~/.claude.json), Built-in = pre-installed

MCP Configuration Example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Reference: 05-mcp/ | MCP Protocol Docs

Quick Install (GitHub MCP):

export GITHUB_TOKEN="your_token" && claude mcp add github -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github

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Hooks

Event-driven automation that executes shell commands on Claude Code events.

Hook Events

Event	Description	When Triggered	Use Cases
SessionStart	Session begins/resumes	Session initialization	Setup tasks
InstructionsLoaded	Instructions loaded	CLAUDE.md or rules file loaded	Custom instruction handling
UserPromptSubmit	Before prompt processing	User sends message	Input validation
PreToolUse	Before tool execution	Before any tool runs	Validation, logging
PermissionRequest	Permission dialog shown	Before sensitive actions	Custom approval flows
PostToolUse	After tool succeeds	After any tool completes	Formatting, notifications
PostToolUseFailure	Tool execution fails	After tool error	Error handling, logging
Notification	Notification sent	Claude sends notification	External alerts
SubagentStart	Subagent spawned	Subagent task starts	Initialize subagent context
SubagentStop	Subagent finishes	Subagent task complete	Chain actions
Stop	Claude finishes responding	Response complete	Cleanup, reporting
StopFailure	API error ends turn	API error occurs	Error recovery, logging
TeammateIdle	Teammate agent idle	Agent team coordination	Distribute work
TaskCompleted	Task marked complete	Task done	Post-task processing
TaskCreated	Task created via TaskCreate	New task created	Task tracking, logging
ConfigChange	Configuration updated	Settings modified	React to config changes
CwdChanged	Working directory changes	Directory changed	Directory-specific setup
FileChanged	Watched file changes	File modified	File monitoring, rebuild
PreCompact	Before compact operation	Context compression	State preservation
PostCompact	After compaction completes	Compaction done	Post-compact actions
WorktreeCreate	Worktree being created	Git worktree created	Setup worktree environment
WorktreeRemove	Worktree being removed	Git worktree removed	Cleanup worktree resources
Elicitation	MCP server requests input	MCP elicitation	Input validation
ElicitationResult	User responds to elicitation	User responds	Response processing
SessionEnd	Session terminates	Session termination	Cleanup, save state

Example Hooks

Hook	Description	Event	Scope	Installation
validate-bash.py	Command validation	PreToolUse:Bash	Project	cp 06-hooks/validate-bash.py .claude/hooks/
security-scan.py	Security scanning	PostToolUse:Write	Project	cp 06-hooks/security-scan.py .claude/hooks/
format-code.sh	Auto-formatting	PostToolUse:Write	User	cp 06-hooks/format-code.sh ~/.claude/hooks/
validate-prompt.py	Prompt validation	UserPromptSubmit	Project	cp 06-hooks/validate-prompt.py .claude/hooks/
context-tracker.py	Token usage tracking	Stop	User	cp 06-hooks/context-tracker.py ~/.claude/hooks/
pre-commit.sh	Pre-commit validation	PreToolUse:Bash	Project	cp 06-hooks/pre-commit.sh .claude/hooks/
log-bash.sh	Command logging	PostToolUse:Bash	User	cp 06-hooks/log-bash.sh ~/.claude/hooks/
dependency-check.sh	Vulnerability scan on manifest changes	PostToolUse:Write	Project	cp 06-hooks/dependency-check.sh .claude/hooks/

Scope: Project = team (.claude/settings.json), User = personal (~/.claude/settings.json)

Hook Configuration

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "command": "~/.claude/hooks/validate-bash.py"
      }
    ],
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Write",
        "command": "~/.claude/hooks/format-code.sh"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Reference: 06-hooks/ | Official Docs

Quick Install (All Hooks):

mkdir -p ~/.claude/hooks && cp 06-hooks/*.sh ~/.claude/hooks/ && chmod +x ~/.claude/hooks/*.sh

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Memory Files

Persistent context loaded automatically across sessions.

Memory Types

Type	Location	Scope	When to Use
Managed Policy	Org-managed policies	Organization	Enforce org-wide standards
Project	./CLAUDE.md	Project (team)	Team standards, project context
Project Rules	.claude/rules/	Project (team)	Modular project rules
User	~/.claude/CLAUDE.md	User (personal)	Personal preferences
User Rules	~/.claude/rules/	User (personal)	Modular personal rules
Local	./CLAUDE.local.md	Local (git-ignored)	Machine-specific overrides (not in official docs as of March 2026; may be legacy)
Auto Memory	Automatic	Session	Auto-captured insights and corrections

Scope: Organization = managed by admins, Project = shared with team via git, User = personal preferences, Local = not committed, Session = auto-managed

Reference: 02-memory/ | Official Docs

Quick Install:

cp 02-memory/project-CLAUDE.md ./CLAUDE.md
cp 02-memory/personal-CLAUDE.md ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md

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New Features (March 2026)

Feature	Description	How to Use
Remote Control	Control Claude Code sessions remotely via API	Use the remote control API to send prompts and receive responses programmatically
Web Sessions	Run Claude Code in a browser-based environment	Access via claude web or through the Anthropic Console
Desktop App	Native desktop application for Claude Code	Use /desktop or download from Anthropic website
Agent Teams	Coordinate multiple agents working on related tasks	Configure teammate agents that collaborate and share context
Task List	Background task management and monitoring	Use /tasks to view and manage background operations
Prompt Suggestions	Context-aware command suggestions	Suggestions appear automatically based on current context
Git Worktrees	Isolated git worktrees for parallel development	Use worktree commands for safe parallel branch work
Sandboxing	Isolated execution environments for safety	Use /sandbox to toggle; runs commands in restricted environments
MCP OAuth	OAuth authentication for MCP servers	Configure OAuth credentials in MCP server settings for secure access
MCP Tool Search	Search and discover MCP tools dynamically	Use tool search to find available MCP tools across connected servers
Scheduled Tasks	Set up recurring tasks with /loop and cron tools	Use /loop 5m /command or CronCreate tool
Chrome Integration	Browser automation with headless Chromium	Use --chrome flag or /chrome command
Keyboard Customization	Customize keybindings including chord support	Use /keybindings or edit ~/.claude/keybindings.json
Auto Mode	Fully autonomous operation without permission prompts (Research Preview)	Use --mode auto or /permissions auto; March 2026
Channels	Multi-channel communication (Telegram, Slack, etc.) (Research Preview)	Configure channel plugins; March 2026
Voice Dictation	Voice input for prompts	Use microphone icon or voice keybinding
Agent Hook Type	Hooks that spawn a subagent instead of running a shell command	Set "type": "agent" in hook configuration
Prompt Hook Type	Hooks that inject prompt text into the conversation	Set "type": "prompt" in hook configuration
MCP Elicitation	MCP servers can request user input during tool execution	Handle via Elicitation and ElicitationResult hook events
WebSocket MCP Transport	WebSocket-based transport for MCP server connections	Use "transport": "websocket" in MCP server config
Plugin LSP Support	Language Server Protocol integration via plugins	Configure LSP servers in plugin.json for editor features
Managed Drop-ins	Organization-managed drop-in configurations (v2.1.83)	Admin-configured via managed policies; auto-applied to all users

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Quick Reference Matrix

Feature Selection Guide

Need	Recommended Feature	Why
Quick shortcut	Slash Command	Manual, immediate
Persistent context	Memory	Auto-loaded
Complex automation	Skill	Auto-invoked
Specialized task	Subagent	Isolated context
External data	MCP Server	Real-time access
Event automation	Hook	Event-triggered
Complete solution	Plugin	All-in-one bundle

Installation Priority

Priority	Feature	Command
1. Essential	Memory	cp 02-memory/project-CLAUDE.md ./CLAUDE.md
2. Daily Use	Slash Commands	cp 01-slash-commands/*.md .claude/commands/
3. Quality	Subagents	cp 04-subagents/*.md .claude/agents/
4. Automation	Hooks	cp 06-hooks/*.sh ~/.claude/hooks/ && chmod +x ~/.claude/hooks/*.sh
5. External	MCP	claude mcp add github -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
6. Advanced	Skills	cp -r 03-skills/* ~/.claude/skills/
7. Complete	Plugins	/plugin install pr-review

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Complete One-Command Installation

Install all examples from this repository:

# Create directories
mkdir -p .claude/{commands,agents,skills} ~/.claude/{hooks,skills}

# Install all features
cp 01-slash-commands/*.md .claude/commands/ && \
cp 02-memory/project-CLAUDE.md ./CLAUDE.md && \
cp -r 03-skills/* ~/.claude/skills/ && \
cp 04-subagents/*.md .claude/agents/ && \
cp 06-hooks/*.sh ~/.claude/hooks/ && \
chmod +x ~/.claude/hooks/*.sh

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Additional Resources

• Official Claude Code Documentation
• MCP Protocol Specification
• Learning Roadmap
• Main README

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Last Updated: April 2026 Claude Code Version: 2.1+