Claude Code /status Command Explained: Your Session Dashboard

What is /status

When using Claude Code, you might run into situations like:

Forgetting which model you’re currently using — Opus or Sonnet?
Not sure which Git branch you’re working on
Wanting to know whether your account is API or subscription, without digging through settings
After a long conversation, wondering how much context space is left

This information is scattered across different places. Having to check each one separately is annoying.

This is where the /status command comes in.

/status is a built-in Claude Code command that displays the complete status of your current session. Model, account, working directory, Git branch, context usage — all the session metadata you care about, presented in one command.

In short: a dashboard that shows Claude Code’s current “runtime state.”

How to Use It

Basic Usage

In Claude Code’s interactive mode, type:

/status

That’s it. Claude Code outputs a structured status summary covering all key information about your current session.

No arguments, no options. Type it and see.

What It Tells You

Account Information

/status first tells you about your account type and authentication method:

Account type — whether you’re logged in with an API Key or OAuth (subscription account)
Plan — if you’re a subscriber, it shows whether you’re on Pro or Max

Why does this matter? Because your account type directly determines your billing model and usage limits. API users pay per token; subscribers use quota. Different account types call for different optimization strategies.

Current Model

Shows the model you’re currently using:

Claude Opus 4.6
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Claude Haiku 4.5

If you’ve specified a default model in CLAUDE.md or your settings but aren’t sure it took effect, /status gives you the answer instantly.

Working Directory

Shows Claude Code’s current working directory path.

This seems mundane, but it’s useful when:

You have multiple terminal windows open with Claude Code in different projects and want to confirm “where am I right now”
You’ve used /add-dir to add extra directories and want to verify the working scope
In a monorepo, you need to confirm whether Claude Code is at the root or inside a specific package

Git Status

If the current directory is a Git repository, /status shows:

Branch — which branch you’re on
Dirty — whether there are uncommitted changes

You don’t need to exit Claude Code to run git status — one /status confirms your version control state. This is especially helpful during feature development involving multiple branches, quickly telling you “which line am I on.”

Context Usage

Shows how much of the context window has been used — how much is consumed and how much remains.

This is one of the most practical pieces of information in /status. The context window is Claude Code’s most critical resource, and knowing its usage helps you:

Decide whether you need to /compact the conversation
Estimate how much more content can be processed
Proactively clean up before the context fills up

Tools and MCP Status

/status also shows the number of available tools and information about connected MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers.

If you’ve configured MCP tools but aren’t sure whether they connected successfully, /status lets you verify quickly — no need to dig through config files or try calling tools to test.

Who Should Use /status

Multi-Project Developers

If you use Claude Code across multiple projects, /status helps you quickly confirm your current session context — which project, which branch, which model. Avoid developing on the wrong branch or wasting quota with Opus when you didn’t need to.

Claude Code Newcomers

If you’re just getting started with Claude Code, /status is the most direct way to understand “what’s happening right now.” No need to remember where each setting is configured — one command shows the full picture.

People Debugging Environment Issues

When Claude Code isn’t behaving as expected, the first step is often checking the environment:

Is the model correct?
Is the working directory correct?
Is the MCP connection healthy?
Is the context nearly full?

/status can rule out most environmental factors in 5 seconds.

Practical Tips

Tip 1: Glance at /status Before Starting a New Task

You don’t need to check it with every message, but spending 2 seconds on /status before starting an important task is a good habit. Confirm that the model, branch, and context are all as expected — avoid getting halfway through only to discover “I was on the wrong branch.”

Tip 2: Pair with /compact for Context Management

/status tells you how much context is used; /compact helps you free up space. Use them together:

/status to check context usage
If usage is high, /compact to compress
/status again to confirm space was freed

This is much more proactive than waiting for Claude Code’s automatic compression, and yields better results.

Tip 3: Use /status to Verify Configuration

After changing model settings in CLAUDE.md, adding MCP tools, or adjusting permission settings, use /status to quickly verify they took effect. It’s more efficient and reliable than “trying something to see if it works.”

Tip 4: First Step in Troubleshooting

Claude Code acting weird? Don’t rush to restart the session. Check /status first:

The model might not be what you think it is
You might have accidentally switched to the wrong branch
An MCP tool might have disconnected
The context might be nearly full

More often than not, the root cause is the environment, not the model. /status helps you pinpoint it quickly.

/status vs /config vs /context

All three commands relate to “understanding the current state,” but they focus on different aspects:

	/status	/config	/context
Focus	Overall session status overview	Configuration details and settings	Detailed context usage analysis
Depth	Broad and shallow — wide coverage	Deep into config specifics	Deep into context specifics
Primary use	Quick confirmation that “everything’s fine”	Reviewing and adjusting settings	Optimizing context management
Analogy	Car dashboard	Car settings menu	Detailed fuel report

My recommendations:

Want a quick overview of the current session → /status
Want to view or modify specific configurations → /config
Want to deeply analyze context usage and optimize → /context

Final Thoughts

/status is one of the most “boring” commands in Claude Code — it doesn’t write code, fix bugs, or perform any actual operations. It does one thing: tells you the current state.

But it’s precisely this “boring” nature that makes it the most reliable diagnostic tool.

When something goes wrong, many people’s first instinct is to “start over” — open a new session, re-describe requirements, re-run everything. But most of the time, the problem isn’t the conversation itself — it’s the environment: wrong model, wrong branch, full context, disconnected tools.

Diagnose first, act second. This is the fundamental principle of any troubleshooting. /status is Claude Code’s “diagnostic command” — before you decide to start over, spend 2 seconds checking whether the environment is the issue.

Next time Claude Code isn’t performing as expected, resist the urge to complain that “the model got dumber.” Type /status — the answer might be right there on the dashboard.