Multiline Input - Claude Code
Shift+Enter, Option+Enter, or backslash+Enter for multi-line prompts.
Multiline input lets you compose long prompts without hitting submit on every line break.
What it does
Shift+Enter, Option+Enter, or a trailing backslash followed by Enter all insert a newline into the prompt buffer instead of sending it. You can paste multi-line code blocks, write step-by-step instructions, or draft a structured prompt in place. Regular Enter still submits when you're ready.
When to use it
- Pasting code samples, logs, or error messages into a prompt.
- Writing a structured brief with sections and bullets.
- Composing a prompt that mixes prose with file paths or commands.
- Any time your prompt is longer than one terminal line.
Gotchas
- Some terminals don't distinguish Shift+Enter from Enter. Use backslash + Enter as a universal fallback.
- Bracketed paste mode affects how multi-line pastes are interpreted - enable it in your terminal config.
- Vim mode has its own multiline behavior. Use
ofrom normal mode to open a new line cleanly.
Official docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/interactive-mode.md#multiline-input
Technical content at the intersection of AI and development. Building with AI agents, Claude Code, and modern dev tools - then showing you exactly how it works.
Was this helpful?
Related Guides
Related Tools
Zed
High-performance code editor built in Rust with native AI integration. Sub-millisecond input latency. Built-in assistant...
View Tool
Claude Code
Anthropic's agentic coding CLI. Runs in your terminal, edits files autonomously, spawns sub-agents, and maintains memory...
View ToolCodeburn
Interactive TUI dashboard that shows exactly where your Claude Code and Cursor tokens are going, in real time.
View Tool
Claude Opus 4.7
Anthropic's flagship reasoning model. Best-in-class for coding, long-context analysis, and agentic workflows. 1M token c...
View ToolRelated Videos
Generate Videos in Codex + Claude Code with This...
Check out HeyGen! https://heygen.1stcollab.com/developersdigest The video introduces HeyGen, an AI video generation platform with a rich API and a CLI that lets developers create, fetch, and manipula...
10x Design in Claude Code and Codex
Try Higgsfield: https://higgsfield.ai/s/higgsfield-general-campaign-developersdigest-juDMTi AI coding agents can build entire websites in minutes, but the default results often still look generic and...
Self Improving Applications with Claude Code & Codex
Build a Self‑Improving Next.js App: Supabase + Vercel Eve + GitHub Issues + Agent Loops Check out Supabase: https://supabase.plug.dev/1wWOTGS The video demonstrates how to build and deploy a self-im...
Related Posts
Claude Outages Are a Workflow Design Problem
Claude outages and 529 overloads expose whether your AI coding workflow has checkpoints, receipts, model-switch paths, a...
Claude Opus 4.8 Is an Agent Honesty Release
Claude Opus 4.8 looks like a benchmark bump, but the developer story is better honesty, dynamic workflows, and effort co...
Anthropic Sonnet 4.5 in Claude Code
Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.5 isn't just another model increment. The company claims they've observed it maintaining foc...
Make Your Coding Agents Talk: Voice Summaries with the Rime CLI
The Rime CLI streams natural-sounding text-to-speech straight from your terminal, so Claude Code, Codex, Devin, and Open...
How to Make Claude Code 10x Better at Design: Image and Video Assets From the Agent Loop
Claude Code and Codex can build a website in minutes, but the result often looks generic and obviously AI-generated. Hig...
Don't Paste the AI vs Vomit vs NoBuzz: AI Slop Tools Compared
dontpastetheai.com, Vomit, and NoBuzz hit Hacker News in the same week. A social contract, a local rewrite, and a second...
