Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal-native coding agent. It runs inside your shell, reads your repository, and edits files with your explicit permission — no proprietary IDE required.
What makes it different
- Repo-aware — it maps the codebase before acting.
- Permissioned edits — every write is confirmed unless you allow-list a path.
- MCP support — connect external tools (databases, browsers, ticketing systems) via the Model Context Protocol.
- Sub-agents & hooks — spawn scoped agents and run shell hooks at lifecycle events.
When to reach for it
- Non-trivial refactors, cross-file changes, and repo-wide migrations.
- CI-friendly automation (Claude Code has headless and GitHub Action modes).
- Teams that prefer editor-agnostic tooling.
Learn more
- Product page: <https://claude.com/product/claude-code>
- Docs: <https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code>