Run Shell Commands Without Leaving Claude Code

Claude Code has a built-in bash mode: type ! followed by any command and it runs directly in your shell, without Claude interpreting or approving it. Output appears in real time and gets added to the conversation context — Claude sees the result and can act on it.

This is one of those features you don't discover by reading the docs — you see someone use it. You're debugging, need a quick git log or a cat of a file, and instead of jumping to another tab you just type ! git log --oneline -5. Seems minor, but it eliminates the constant context switching.

It's not an obvious feature, but once you discover it, it changes how you work. No need to open another terminal or split pane. You type, it runs, you keep talking.

TL;DR Prefix any command with ! to run it directly. Use Ctrl+B to send long-running processes to the background. Claude sees the output from both.

Result:

> ! git status

On branch feature/auth
Changes not staged for commit:
  modified:   src/auth/login.ts
  modified:   src/auth/session.ts

How to use it

1. Run a quick command

Type ! followed by the command:

! npm test
! git diff --stat
! ls -la src/

Claude doesn't intervene — the command goes straight to your shell. But the output is added to the conversation, so you can ask "what failed?" right after.

2. Send a long process to the background

If a command takes too long (builds, tests, dev servers), press Ctrl+B while it's running:

! npm run build
# taking too long → press Ctrl+B
# Claude is available again while the build finishes in background

You can also ask Claude directly to run something in the background.

3. History-based autocomplete

Type ! followed by the first few letters and press Tab. Claude Code autocompletes from previous ! commands in the current project.

! np  → Tab → ! npm test

And to search your previous prompts, not just ! commands? Press Ctrl+R for reverse search over your prompt history — across every project, too.

Reference

Official docs: Interactive mode — Bash mode