> ## Documentation Index¶
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt¶
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.¶
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# Optimize your terminal setup¶
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> Claude Code works best when your terminal is properly configured. Follow these guidelines to optimize your experience.¶
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### Themes and appearance¶
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Claude cannot control the theme of your terminal. That's handled by your terminal application. You can match Claude Code's theme to your terminal any time via the `/config` command.¶
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For additional customization of the Claude Code interface itself, you can configure a [custom status line](/en/statusline) to display contextual information like the current model, working directory, or git branch at the bottom of your terminal.¶
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### Line breaks¶
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You have several options for entering line breaks into Claude Code:¶
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* **Quick escape**: Type `\` followed by Enter to create a newline¶
* **Shift+Enter**: Works out of the box in iTerm2, WezTerm, Ghostty, and Kitty¶
* **Keyboard shortcut**: Set up a keybinding to insert a newline in other terminals¶
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**Set up Shift+Enter for other terminals**¶
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Run `/terminal-setup` within Claude Code to automatically configure Shift+Enter for VS Code, Alacritty, Zed, and Warp.¶
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<Note>¶
The `/terminal-setup` command is only visible in terminals that require manual configuration. If you're using iTerm2, WezTerm, Ghostty, or Kitty, you won't see this command because Shift+Enter already works natively.¶
</Note>¶
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**Set up Option+Enter (VS Code, iTerm2 or macOS Terminal.app)**¶
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**For Mac Terminal.app:**¶
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1. Open Settings → Profiles → Keyboard¶
2. Check "Use Option as Meta Key"¶
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**For iTerm2 and VS Code terminal:**¶
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1. Open Settings → Profiles → Keys¶
2. Under General, set Left/Right Option key to "Esc+"¶
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**For VS Code terminal:**¶
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Set `"terminal.integrated.macOptionIsMeta": true` in VS Code settings.¶
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### Notification setup¶
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When Claude finishes working and is waiting for your input, it fires a notification event. You can surface this event as a desktop notification through your terminal or run custom logic with [notification hooks](/en/hooks#notification).¶
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#### Terminal notifications¶
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Kitty and Ghostty support desktop notifications without additional configuration. iTerm 2 requires setup:¶
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1. Open iTerm 2 Settings → Profiles → Terminal¶
2. Enable "Notification Center Alerts"¶
3. Click "Filter Alerts" and check "Send escape sequence-generated alerts"¶
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If notifications aren't appearing, verify that your terminal app has notification permissions in your OS settings.¶
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Other terminals, including the default macOS Terminal, do not support native notifications. Use [notification hooks](/en/hooks#notification) instead.¶
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#### Notification hooks¶
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To add custom behavior when notifications fire, such as playing a sound or sending a message, configure a [notification hook](/en/hooks#notification). Hooks run alongside terminal notifications, not as a replacement.¶
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### Handling large inputs¶
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When working with extensive code or long instructions:¶
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* **Avoid direct pasting**: Claude Code may struggle with very long pasted content¶
* **Use file-based workflows**: Write content to a file and ask Claude to read it¶
* **Be aware of VS Code limitations**: The VS Code terminal is particularly prone to truncating long pastes¶
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### Vim Mode¶
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Claude Code supports a subset of Vim keybindings that can be enabled with `/vim` or configured via `/config`.¶
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The supported subset includes:¶
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* Mode switching: `Esc` (to NORMAL), `i`/`I`, `a`/`A`, `o`/`O` (to INSERT)¶
* Navigation: `h`/`j`/`k`/`l`, `w`/`e`/`b`, `0`/`$`/`^`, `gg`/`G`, `f`/`F`/`t`/`T` with `;`/`,` repeat¶
* Editing: `x`, `dw`/`de`/`db`/`dd`/`D`, `cw`/`ce`/`cb`/`cc`/`C`, `.` (repeat)¶
* Yank/paste: `yy`/`Y`, `yw`/`ye`/`yb`, `p`/`P`¶
* Text objects: `iw`/`aw`, `iW`/`aW`, `i"`/`a"`, `i'`/`a'`, `i(`/`a(`, `i[`/`a[`, `i{`/`a{`¶
* Indentation: `>>`/`<<`¶
* Line operations: `J` (join lines)¶
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See [Interactive mode](/en/interactive-mode#vim-editor-mode) for the complete reference.¶