Claude Code Session Tips
Quick reference for effective Claude Code usage.
Session Management
| Action | How | | ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Clear context | /clear (rename first with /rename for easy return) | | Resume session | claude --resume <session-id> | | Fork session | claude --continue --fork-session (branch off without modifying original) | | Clear input area | Esc Esc (double-tap) | | Clear single line | Ctrl+U (shell shortcut) | | Stash input | Ctrl+S - saves draft, auto-restores after next submit ([#14740][1], [source][2]) | | Optimize Rules | /claude-md-improver |
[1]: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/14740 [2]: https://x.com/adocomplete/status/2014047394585825296
Context Hygiene
/clearaggressively - long contexts slow responses/renamebefore clearing to make sessions findable
Quota Management (Max Subscription)
Key insight: Context size counts toward your quota. Each turn re-sends the entire conversation history.
| Context size | Per-turn cost | |--------------|---------------| | 20k (fresh) | 1x | | 100k | 5x | | 180k | 9x |
The rule: If your next question doesn't need previous context, /clear first.
Mid-work one-off questions:
- Option A: Ask parent to spawn subagent → still costs 1 parent turn
- Option B: New Ghostty tab → cheaper IF you use the knowledge implicitly without pasting back
- Best: New tab, absorb answer yourself, continue in parent with informed instructions
Auto-Compact Buffer ([source][3], [docs][4])
Formula: buffer = 13k + maxOutputTokens
| CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS | Buffer | Effective Context | |---------------------------------|--------|-------------------| | 22k (more context) | 35k | ~165k | | 32k (default) | 45k | ~155k | | 64k (max) | 77k | ~123k |
Trade-off: lower output tokens = more context but shorter max responses.
[3]: https://x.com/bcherny/status/2012670336362492296 [4]: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings
Theming & Appearance
Toggle CC's syntax theme: /config → Theme → Ctrl+T
- Syntax highlighting (code colors): Controlled by toggle. Disabling uses terminal's colors.
- Diff backgrounds (red/green): Hardcoded. Cannot be themed ([#1302][5], [#14144][6]).
[5]: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/1302 [6]: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/14144