- Claude Code
- Anthropic's command-line coding tool that runs an AI model locally in your terminal, with permission to read, edit, and create files on your computer.
- Terminal
- A text-based interface for issuing commands directly to your operating system, used to install and run developer tools like Claude Code.
- IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
- A desktop application that combines a file explorer, code editor, and AI chat panel in one window, used to write and manage software projects.
- VS Code
- Microsoft's free, widely used code editor that supports extensions, including one that embeds Claude Code directly into the interface.
- Antigravity
- Google's AI-focused code editor built on top of VS Code, with a cleaner modern UI and deeper agent integration.
- CLAUDE.md
- A markdown file placed in a project that Claude Code automatically reads at the start of every session, used to set persistent instructions, conventions, and context.
- System prompt
- Hidden text injected at the top of an AI conversation before the user types anything, used to shape how the model behaves throughout the session.
- Token
- The unit AI models use to measure text, roughly equivalent to a short word or word fragment, and the basis for usage limits and billing.
- Context window
- The maximum number of tokens a model can hold in active memory at once, typically 200,000 to 1,000,000 depending on the model.
- Steerability
- How tightly an AI's output can be guided toward a desired result; high steerability narrows the range of likely responses to closely match intent.
- Context management
- The practice of controlling what tokens fill a model's context window so it stays accurate, affordable, and within size limits.
- Compaction
- Compressing earlier parts of a conversation into a denser summary so the model can keep working without exceeding its context limit.
- Auto compact buffer
- A reserved slice of the context window that triggers automatic compaction once the rest of the conversation has filled up.
- Plan mode
- A Claude Code mode that only researches and drafts a step-by-step plan without editing files, used to scope work before any code is written.
- Bypass permissions mode
- A Claude Code setting that lets the agent read, edit, and create files without asking for approval each time, trading safety for speed.
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)
- An open protocol that lets AI agents call external tools and services through a standard interface, used to extend Claude Code with capabilities like browser control or API access.
- MCP server
- A program that exposes a set of tools to AI agents over the Model Context Protocol, such as a Gmail or ClickUp integration.
- Chrome DevTools MCP
- An MCP server that lets an AI agent control and inspect a live Chrome browser to navigate pages, click elements, and capture screenshots.
- Skill
- A markdown file inside a project's skills folder that defines a reusable workflow Claude can invoke on demand, often calling its own scripts.
- Front matter
- A small metadata block at the top of a markdown file containing fields like name and description, used by Claude Code to decide when to load a skill.