Claude Code Has a Hidden Interactive Tutorial: /powerup

TL;DR Type /powerup and access 18 interactive lessons with animated demos right in your terminal. Each one teaches a feature most people miss. Even if you're a power user, you'll discover something.

Since version 2.1.90, Claude Code includes a built-in lesson system. It's not static documentation — these are interactive tutorials with code snippets, animated demos, and gamified progress. Each "power-up" covers a specific feature you can try on the spot.

The interesting part: it's not just for beginners. As a heavy user, I discovered you can append & to the end of a bash command to have Claude run it in the background and supervise it — something I hadn't seen in any documentation.

Result:

> /powerup

Power-ups 0/18 unlocked ████░░░░░░░░░░░

Each power-up teaches one thing Claude Code can do
that most people miss. Open one, read it, try it, mark it done.

  o Talk to your codebase      @ files, line refs
  o Steer with modes           shift+tab, plan, auto
  o Undo anything              /rewind, Esc-Esc
  o Run in the background      tasks, /tasks
  o Teach Claude your rules    CLAUDE.md, /memory
  o Extend with tools          MCP, /mcp
  o Automate your workflow     skills, hooks
  o Multiply yourself          subagents, /agents
  o Code from anywhere         /remote-control, /teleport
  o Dial the model             /model, /effort

How to use it

1. Open the power-ups menu

/powerup

You'll see the full list with your progress. Select any to open it.

2. Read, try, mark as done

Each power-up has explanatory text, code snippets, and an animated demo. Once you've tried it, mark it as completed. Your progress is saved.

3. Discover what you didn't know

Some power-ups that surprise even advanced users:

• Run in the background: ! npm run build & — the trailing & makes Claude run the command in the background and supervise it. You can keep working.
• Steer with modes: Shift+Tab cycles between default, plan, and auto mode without opening any menu.
• Undo anything: Esc+Esc opens rewind directly, without typing /rewind.

Reference

Official docs: Changelog — v2.1.90