claude.sh

claude.sh is a minimal, dependency-free reimplementation of Claude Code as a single bash script. It replaces ~380,000 lines of TypeScript and 266 npm packages with roughly 1,500 lines of shell script, requiring only curl and jq. The tool provides a full REPL loop for interacting with Claude models, including real-time streaming, tool execution, and session management — all with instant startup and no Node.js runtime.

• Real-time streaming via FIFO pipe so text appears as Claude generates it, providing a responsive interactive experience
• 6 built-in tools (Bash, Read, Edit, Write, Glob, Grep) enabling Claude to read, write, and search files and run shell commands
• Tool chaining supports up to 25 tool calls per turn, allowing complex multi-step tasks
• Permission prompting asks before running non-safe commands, with y/n/a options and configurable permission modes (ask, allow, deny)
• CLAUDE.md loading reads project instructions from CLAUDE.md files up the directory tree for project-aware context
• Git-aware context injects branch name, status, and recent commits into the system prompt automatically
• Session save/resume auto-saves conversations on exit and allows resuming by ID or interactive list
• Retry with backoff handles 429/529 rate limit errors with exponential backoff
• Cost tracking displays per-turn and session token cost totals
• Slash commands including /help, /cost, /model, /clear, /save, /resume, /commit, and /diff
• Pipe mode allows non-interactive use: echo "explain this" | ./claude.sh
• Modular architecture split across api.sh, json.sh, tools.sh, and tui.sh for maintainability

To get started, clone the repository, make the script executable with chmod +x claude.sh, set your ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable, and run ./claude.sh. Optionally install ripgrep for better search and python3 for the edit tool.