Cheat Sheet
Cheat Sheet
Section titled “Cheat Sheet”Quick reference for commands, patterns, and workflows you’ll use throughout the course.
Essential Claude Code Commands
Section titled “Essential Claude Code Commands”| Command | Description |
|---|---|
claude | Start Claude Code in current directory |
claude "prompt" | Send a one-shot prompt |
claude -p project | Start with a specific project context |
/help | Show available commands in an active session |
/clear | Clear conversation history |
/compact | Summarise conversation to save tokens |
/exit | Close Claude Code session |
Ctrl+C | Cancel current operation or exit (alternative) |
Course Slash Commands
Section titled “Course Slash Commands”These are the custom commands created for each lab in this course:
| Command | Theme | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
/CC.m1.lb1 - /CC.m1.lb5 | Theme 1: Digital Workspace | Set up workspace, templates, knowledge base |
/CC.m2.lb1 - /CC.m2.lb5 | Theme 2: Content Processing | Process meetings, PDFs, web content, voice |
/CC.m3.lb1 - /CC.m3.lb5 | Theme 3: Document Creation | Generate docs, spreadsheets, presentations |
/CC.m4.lb1 - /CC.m4.lb5 | Theme 4: External APIs | Connect to Gamma, Gemini, ElevenLabs |
To use a slash command:
- Start Claude Code in your workspace directory
- Type the command (e.g.,
/CC.m1.lb1) - Follow the prompts
- Review the output
Effective Prompting Patterns
Section titled “Effective Prompting Patterns”Be Specific
Section titled “Be Specific”❌ "Create a file"✅ "Create a file called meeting-notes.md in ~/Documents/Obsidian/Meetings with today's date as the title"Provide Context
Section titled “Provide Context”❌ "Summarise this"✅ "Read the meeting transcript in @meeting-raw.md and extract: 1. Key decisions made 2. Action items with owners 3. Questions for follow-up"Request Format
Section titled “Request Format”❌ "Give me a summary"✅ "Summarise this in a markdown table with columns: Topic | Decision | Owner | Due Date"Reference Files
Section titled “Reference Files”❌ "Look at the file"✅ "Read @project-spec.md and create a task list from the requirements section"Common File Operations
Section titled “Common File Operations”| Task | Prompt Pattern |
|---|---|
| Create file | ”Create a file called X in folder Y with content Z” |
| Read file | ”Read @filename.md and summarise the key points” |
| Edit file | ”In @filename.md, change the section on X to say Y” |
| Search | ”Find all files in ~/Documents containing the word ‘spec‘“ |
| Move file | ”Move @old-location.md to ~/Documents/Archive/“ |
| Rename file | ”Rename @draft.md to @final.md” |
Claude Code Skills Reference
Section titled “Claude Code Skills Reference”| Skill | Command Pattern | Output |
|---|---|---|
| docx | ”Use the docx skill to create…” | Word document (.docx) |
| xlsx | ”Use the xlsx skill to create…” | Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx) |
| pptx | ”Use the pptx skill to create…” | PowerPoint (.pptx) |
| brand-guidelines | ”Use the brand-guidelines skill to create… | Brand document (.docx) |
Example:
"Use the pptx skill to create a presentation about quarterly results with:- Slide 1: Title slide- Slide 2: Revenue chart- Slide 3: Key metrics table- Slide 4: Next steps"CLAUDE.md Template
Section titled “CLAUDE.md Template”Every project benefits from a CLAUDE.md file that tells Claude Code how you work:
# Project Name
## Overview
Brief description of this project and what you're building.
## Key Files
- `src/` - Source code or main content- `docs/` - Documentation- `templates/` - Reusable templates- `archive/` - Old versions
## Conventions
- Use British English (colour, organisation, behaviour)- Dates in DD/MM/YYYY format- Markdown for all documentation- File names in kebab-case (like-this.md)
## Common Tasks
- Create blog post: "Use the blog-post template to..."- Process meeting: "Read @meeting-raw.md and extract..."- Generate report: "Use the docx skill to..."
## Context
Add any project-specific context that Claude Code should know about your preferences, workflow, or requirements.Keyboard Shortcuts (Terminal)
Section titled “Keyboard Shortcuts (Terminal)”These work in most terminals:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+C | Cancel current operation |
Ctrl+D | Exit Claude Code session |
↑ / ↓ | Navigate command history |
Ctrl+L | Clear terminal screen |
Cmd+K (Mac) | Clear terminal screen |
Tab | Auto-complete file/folder names |
Troubleshooting Quick Reference
Section titled “Troubleshooting Quick Reference”| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| ”command not found” | Ensure Claude Code is installed: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code |
| ”Authentication failed” | Run claude auth and sign in again |
| ”Rate limited” | Wait a few minutes before trying again |
| ”File not found” | Check the path with ls - use absolute paths if relative paths don’t work |
| ”Permission denied” | Check file permissions with ls -la filename |
| ”Cannot read file” | Make sure you’re in the right directory - use pwd to check |
| ”API error” | Check your internet connection and API credits |
| Claude Code won’t start | Restart terminal, verify Node.js is installed: node --version |
Need more help? Check the Troubleshooting Guide or review the FAQ.
Want to dive deeper? Each module has an overview page that explains the concepts in detail: