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Claude Code is a command-line tool powered by Anthropic’s Claude models. You run it in your terminal, point it at any project, and interact through natural language. It reads your files, writes code, runs shell commands, manages git, and coordinates complex multi-step tasks — all while asking for your approval before taking any action that modifies your system. Unlike code completion tools that operate on a single file, Claude Code works at the codebase level. It can search across your entire project, understand context across many files, and carry out multi-step workflows that would otherwise require you to orchestrate many separate tools.

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What Claude Code can do

  • Edit files — Read, create, and modify files using targeted string replacement or full rewrites
  • Run shell commands — Execute bash commands, build scripts, test runners, and arbitrary shell operations
  • Search your codebase — Find files by pattern (glob), search content with ripgrep, and navigate large projects quickly
  • Manage git workflows — Stage changes, create commits, review diffs, manage branches, and read PR comments
  • Connect to MCP servers — Extend Claude Code with external tools and data sources using the Model Context Protocol
  • Integrate with your IDE — Use Claude Code from within VS Code and JetBrains IDEs via the bridge extension
  • Run parallel agents — Spawn sub-agents to tackle large tasks concurrently, coordinated by a multi-agent orchestrator
  • Fetch web content — Retrieve URLs and run web searches without leaving the terminal

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Why use Claude Code

Claude Code reduces the friction between having an idea and seeing it in code. Instead of context-switching between your editor, terminal, browser, and documentation, you describe what you want and Claude Code executes the steps. It handles the mechanical parts of software development — finding the right file, writing the boilerplate, wiring up the test — so you can focus on the decisions that actually require your judgment. The permission system ensures you stay in control: Claude Code shows you every file it plans to modify and every command it plans to run before it acts.

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Next steps

Quick Start

Run your first Claude Code session in under 5 minutes

Installation

Install, authenticate, and verify your setup

How it works

Understand the tool system, permission model, and agent loop

Guides

Learn how to use Claude Code for real coding tasks