The Claude Code SDK

The Claude Code SDK lets you run Claude Code programmatically from within your own applications, scripts, and automation pipelines. Available for TypeScript, Python, and the CLI, it gives you the same powerful AI coding capabilities you use in the terminal — but integrated into any workflow you can imagine.

What the SDK Provides

The SDK runs the exact same Claude Code you use interactively. It has access to all the same tools, inherits settings from any Claude Code configuration in the current directory, and can read, search, and (with permission) modify your codebase.

• Same functionality as the terminal version of Claude Code
• Inherits all settings from Claude Code instances in the same directory
• Read-only permissions by default for safety
• Available in TypeScript, Python, and as a CLI tool
• Streams results message-by-message for real-time processing

Basic TypeScript Usage

Here is a simple example that asks Claude Code to analyze a directory for duplicate code:

1import { query } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-code";
2
3const prompt = "Look for duplicate queries in the ./src/queries directory";
4
5for await (const message of query({ prompt })) {
6  console.log(JSON.stringify(message, null, 2));
7}

When you run this script, you see the raw conversation between your local Claude Code and the Claude model, streamed message by message. The final message contains Claude's complete analysis.

Configuring Permissions

By default, the SDK only has read-only permissions — it can read files, search directories, and run grep, but cannot write, edit, or create files. To enable write access, explicitly grant tools:

1for await (const message of query({
2  prompt: "Refactor the utils module to use named exports",
3  options: {
4    allowedTools: ["Edit", "Write"]
5  }
6})) {
7  console.log(JSON.stringify(message, null, 2));
8}

Practical Applications

The SDK unlocks powerful automation scenarios that go far beyond interactive coding:

• Git hooks — automatically review staged changes before each commit
• Build scripts — analyze and optimize code during the build process
• CI/CD pipelines — run code quality checks with AI-powered analysis
• Documentation generation — automatically create or update docs from code changes
• Code maintenance — scheduled scripts that find and report technical debt
• Custom development tools — build team-specific CLI tools powered by Claude

The SDK essentially lets you add AI-powered intelligence to any part of your development process. Combined with hooks, MCP servers, and GitHub integration, it forms the foundation for a fully automated, AI-augmented development workflow.