https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/output-styles

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Output styles

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Adapt Claude Code for uses beyond software engineering

Output styles allow you to use Claude Code as any type of agent while
keeping its core capabilities, such as running local scripts, reading
/writing files, and tracking TODOs.

 
Built-in output styles

Claude Code's Default output style is the existing system prompt,
designed to help you complete software engineering tasks efficiently.

There are two additional built-in output styles focused on teaching
you the codebase and how Claude operates:

  * Explanatory: Provides educational "Insights" in between helping
    you complete software engineering tasks. Helps you understand
    implementation choices and codebase patterns.

  * Learning: Collaborative, learn-by-doing mode where Claude will
    not only share "Insights" while coding, but also ask you to
    contribute small, strategic pieces of code yourself. Claude Code
    will add TODO(human) markers in your code for you to implement.

 
How output styles work

Output styles directly modify Claude Code's system prompt.

  * Non-default output styles exclude instructions specific to code
    generation and efficient output normally built into Claude Code
    (such as responding concisely and verifying code with tests).
  * Instead, these output styles have their own custom instructions
    added to the system prompt.

 
Change your output style

You can either:

  * Run /output-style to access the menu and select your output style
    (this can also be accessed from the /config menu)

  * Run /output-style [style], such as /output-style explanatory, to
    directly switch to a style

These changes apply to the local project level and are saved in
.claude/settings.local.json.

 
Create a custom output style

To set up a new output style with Claude's help, run /
output-style:new I want an output style that ...

By default, output styles created through /output-style:new are saved
as markdown files at the user level in ~/.claude/output-styles and
can be used across projects. They have the following structure:

---
name: My Custom Style
description:
  A brief description of what this style does, to be displayed to the user
---

# Custom Style Instructions

You are an interactive CLI tool that helps users with software engineering
tasks. [Your custom instructions here...]

## Specific Behaviors

[Define how the assistant should behave in this style...]

You can also create your own output style Markdown files and save
them either at the user level (~/.claude/output-styles) or the
project level (.claude/output-styles).

 
Comparisons to related features

 
Output Styles vs. CLAUDE.md vs. --append-system-prompt

Output styles completely "turn off" the parts of Claude Code's
default system prompt specific to software engineering. Neither
CLAUDE.md nor --append-system-prompt edit Claude Code's default
system prompt. CLAUDE.md adds the contents as a user message
following Claude Code's default system prompt. --append-system-prompt
appends the content to the system prompt.

 
Output Styles vs. Agents

Output styles directly affect the main agent loop and only affect the
system prompt. Agents are invoked to handle specific tasks and can
include additional settings like the model to use, the tools they
have available, and some context about when to use the agent.

 
Output Styles vs. Custom Slash Commands

You can think of output styles as "stored system prompts" and custom
slash commands as "stored prompts".

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On this page

  * Built-in output styles
  * How output styles work
  * Change your output style
  * Create a custom output style
  * Comparisons to related features
  * Output Styles vs. CLAUDE.md vs. --append-system-prompt
  * Output Styles vs. Agents
  * Output Styles vs. Custom Slash Commands