Cmd. /init
Starts creation or updating of project instructions. Review the proposed file contents and project scope.
Key takeaways
- Initialize a project
CLAUDE.md. - Check the input surface and availability before using the examples below.
Purpose
Initialize a project CLAUDE.md.
/initAvailability
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Input surface | Running CLI prompt |
| Kind | Built-in |
| Status | Current reference |
| Aliases | — |
| Documented minimum | Not specified |
| Reviewed against | 2026-09-22 · Claude Code 2.1.278 |
The installed command menu and account or organization settings determine availability.
Examples
/initEffects and persistence
Starts creation or updating of project instructions. Review the proposed file contents and project scope.
Project instruction fallback
When a project has no CLAUDE.md, Claude Code reads AGENTS.md. Change this under Project instructions in /config. This fallback is not yet available on Bedrock, Vertex, or Foundry.
Key takeaways
- Covers the everyday command set: session start (
/help,/status,/doctor), continue-or-reset, model and usage controls, and pre-ship review. /usageis the single cost-and-quota command;/costand/statsare aliases, with/statsopening on the Stats tab.- On the Anthropic API
/modelmapsfableto Fable 5.1 (Claude Code v2.1.255+; Fable 5 on older builds),opusto Opus 5, andsonnetto Sonnet 5;bestprefers the latest Fable when available. Opus 5 requires Claude Code v2.1.219+ and has native 1M context. - Fable 5.1 (
claude-fable-5-1, released 2026-09-01) keeps Fable 5 pricing, 1M context, 128K output, and always-on adaptive thinking, but cache reads cost $0.25/MTok. Forcedtool_choice, cross-model thinking blocks, and editing earlier turns are breaking changes on the Messages API. - Claude Code reruns Fable requests flagged by the biology classifier on Opus 5 and cybersecurity flags on Opus 4.8;
switchModelsOnFlag: falsedisables the switch. - Subscription-plan access to the Fable family requires usage credits; API integrations must treat HTTP 200 responses with
stop_reason: "refusal"as a separate successful response state. /rewindrecovers a previous state but is not a substitute for git;/branchswitches to a new branch,/forkstarts a copied background session, and/subtaskdelegates within this conversation./pr-comments(v2.1.91) and/vim(v2.1.92) were removed; view PR comments by asking Claude, and toggle Vim mode via/config.- v2.1.251 adds the
/usagespend-limit bar,/costprompt-cache metrics, per-model effort persistence, and correct model-switch/fallback tool and reasoning configuration.
Cautions
Review generated CLAUDE.md instructions for the actual repository; remove assumptions that do not fit its workflow.