Debugging

When things are not working as expected:

• Run /doctor for diagnostics. It checks your installation, configuration, and common issues.
• Use background terminal tasks for processes that produce logs (dev servers, watchers). This gives Claude better visibility into what is happening.
• Provide screenshots when debugging visual issues. Claude Code can read images.
• Check /mcp to verify MCP server connections if external tools are not responding.

Environment tips

• Use a standalone terminal (iTerm2, Alacritty, Windows Terminal) rather than your IDE's built-in terminal. IDE terminals can cause stability issues with long-running sessions.
• Enable the status line to monitor context usage, active model, and session cost at a glance.
• Use /fast mode for quick, straightforward tasks. It uses the same model but with faster output. Note that fast mode is billed to extra usage from the first token.