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Guide · Open source

How to use claude-code-system-prompts: read and compare prompts

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

claude-code-system-prompts is an open-source MIT-licensed collection of the prompts that Claude Code, Anthropic's coding assistant, uses behind the scenes. It is a reading resource, not a program you run. This guide shows you how to get a copy, find the prompt files you care about, use the changelog to see how prompts change between releases, and know when to look at tweakcc instead.

Claude CodePiebald-AI/claude-code-system-prompts · ★ 13.1k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Clone the repository. Run git clone https://github.com/Piebald-AI/claude-code-system-prompts in the folder where you want the files.
  2. 2Open the system-prompts folder. Browse the markdown files there. Each one holds a single prompt.
  3. 3Pick a prompt from the README index. Use the descriptions and token counts in the README to choose which prompt to read.
  4. 4Read the prompt file. Open the file in any text editor or markdown viewer to read the full prompt text.
  5. 5Check CHANGELOG.md. Look up the prompt's entries to see how it changed across Claude Code versions.
  6. 6Optional: look at tweakcc. If you want to modify prompts in your own Claude Code installation, read the tweakcc project linked from the README.

What this repository contains

The repository is a catalog of Claude Code's system prompts, tool descriptions, sub-agent prompts and utility prompts. The README says the prompts are extracted from Claude Code's published npm package and listed as markdown files, each with a token count.

Claude Code does not use a single system prompt. The README describes large sections added depending on environment and config, separate descriptions for built-in tools such as Write, Bash and TodoWrite, separate prompts for built-in agents such as Explore and Plan, and utility prompts for tasks like conversation compaction and CLAUDE.md generation.

  • Sub-agent prompts, including Explore and Plan mode (enhanced)
  • Creation assistants, such as CLAUDE.md creation and status line setup
  • Slash command prompts, such as /batch and the /code-review variants
  • A CHANGELOG.md that tracks prompt changes across Claude Code releases

Get a copy of the repository

The README's install method is to clone the repository with git. Run the command below in the folder where you want the files to live. Once cloned, you can browse the files in any editor or on GitHub.

The README lists no prerequisites beyond what cloning needs. Because this is a read-online resource, there is nothing to build or configure.

git clone https://github.com/Piebald-AI/claude-code-system-prompts

Find the prompt you want to read

Prompt files live in the system-prompts folder. Each file name starts with a category, such as agent-prompt-, followed by a short description. For example, agent-prompt-explore.md holds the system prompt for the Explore subagent, and agent-prompt-plan-mode-enhanced.md holds the enhanced Plan subagent prompt.

The README's index lists each prompt with a one-line description and its token count. Use that list to pick files, then open them. Token counts are approximate: the README notes that interpolated values such as tool names and sub-agent lists mean the count in a live session can differ slightly.

  • Start with the index in the README to see every prompt and its description
  • Open a file under system-prompts/ to read the full text
  • Compare the token counts to get a rough sense of prompt size

Track how prompts change between versions

The README says the repository is updated within minutes of each Claude Code release. The CHANGELOG.md file records how the system prompts changed across versions, so you can see what was added, removed or reworded over time.

The README also says the maintainers post a summary of prompt changes for each release on X under @PiebaldAI, and that starring the repository notifies you of new releases through GitHub.

  • Open CHANGELOG.md and scan entries for the prompt you are studying
  • Watch the repository on GitHub if you want release notices

Use tweakcc if you want to customize Claude Code

The README points to tweakcc, a separate project by the same maintainers, for changing individual prompt pieces in your own Claude Code installation. According to the README, tweakcc lets you edit prompts as markdown files, patches your npm-based or native (binary) installation with them, and provides diffing and conflict management when your edits and Anthropic's changes touch the same prompt.

The README says tweakcc patches the same strings that this repository extracts, so the prompts you read here correspond to what it edits. Reading this repository does not change anything on your machine.

What people use it for

  • Reading how Claude Code is instructed to handle a task, such as the /init CLAUDE.md creation prompt
  • Studying how a coding agent's sub-agent prompts for Explore and Plan are structured
  • Comparing prompt wording across releases using the changelog
  • Reviewing the built-in tool descriptions for Write, Bash and TodoWrite
  • Planning a customization with tweakcc by first reading the original prompt text

Frequently asked questions

Is claude-code-system-prompts free?

Yes. The repository is licensed under MIT, according to the project's listing. You can clone and read it at no cost.

Do I need to install anything to use it?

No. The README's install method is to clone the repository with git, and it lists no prerequisites. It is a set of markdown files you read, not software you run.

Is this official documentation from Anthropic?

No. It is a third-party extraction of prompts from Claude Code's published npm package. The README says the prompts come directly from the compiled source, but it is not Anthropic's documentation.

Can I use this repository to write or run code?

No. It contains only prompt text, so there is nothing executable in it. To run code you need Claude Code or another coding tool.

How do I see how Claude Code prompts changed between versions?

Open CHANGELOG.md in the repository. The README says it lists prompt changes across versions, and the repository is updated within minutes of each Claude Code release.

How does this compare with tweakcc?

They serve different purposes. This repository is a read-only catalog of the prompts. The README describes tweakcc as the tool for editing those prompts and patching them into your own Claude Code installation.

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Our verdict

This repository suits developers who want to read how Claude Code is instructed, researchers studying prompt design for coding agents, and anyone tracking prompt changes over time. It is a poor choice if you want software to write or run code, or if you need official Anthropic documentation, since it is a third-party extraction.

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