Claude Code One-Shot

For deep coding sessions that need lots of context and are straightforward to test. One-shot execution — no questions, no help, just results.

When to Use

Complex refactoring or feature implementation
Tasks with clear success criteria (tests pass, script runs, etc.)
Delegating work that would bloat your context
Parallel task execution across worktrees

Basic Usage

# One-shot task (exits when done)
claude --print "Your detailed task here" --dangerously-skip-permissions

# In a specific directory
cd /path/to/project && claude --print "Build X" --dangerously-skip-permissions

Key Flags

| Flag | Purpose | |------|---------| | --print "prompt" | One-shot mode, exits when complete | | --dangerously-skip-permissions | Auto-approve all file/command operations |

Prompt Style

Be explicit. Tell it exactly what to do and NOT to do:

claude --print "Create fizzbuzz.sh that prints FizzBuzz 1-30. Make it executable. ONE SHOT - no questions, just implement it." --dangerously-skip-permissions

Key phrases:

"No questions, just do it"
"ONE SHOT"
"Do NOT ask for clarification"

Background Execution

For longer tasks, run in background with PTY:

# Start in background
exec pty:true background:true workdir:~/project command:"claude --print 'Build a REST API for todos' --dangerously-skip-permissions"

# Monitor progress
process action:log sessionId:XXX

# Check completion
process action:poll sessionId:XXX

Parallel Tasks with Worktrees

For multiple independent tasks:

# Create worktrees
git worktree add -b feat/auth /tmp/auth-work main
git worktree add -b feat/api /tmp/api-work main

# Run Claude Code in each (parallel)
cd /tmp/auth-work && claude --print "Implement OAuth2 login" --dangerously-skip-permissions &
cd /tmp/api-work && claude --print "Add REST endpoints for users" --dangerously-skip-permissions &

# Wait for both
wait

NixOS Note

Claude Code may generate #!/bin/bash shebangs. Fix with:

sed -i '1s|#!/bin/bash|#!/usr/bin/env bash|' script.sh

Rules

Verify results — run the code, check the tests, confirm it works
Clear prompts — ambiguity leads to questions or wrong output
Isolated workspaces — don't run in your main project directory for risky tasks
Git init required — Claude Code needs a git repo to operate