Terminal Quick Reference

⚡ Your Superpowers

Tab Auto-Complete

cd Doc[TAB] → cd Documents/

Start typing, hit Tab, let the computer finish. Double-tap Tab to see options.

↑ Up Arrow History

↑ / ↓ — Cycle through previous commands

No retyping! Press ↑ to find commands you used before. Ctrl+R to search.

Drag & Drop Files

Drag any file into the terminal and it types the full path automatically. No typing long paths!

Copy & Paste from Google

Found a command online? Copy it. Paste it. It works. Learn what it does later (or don't).

Command	What It Does	Example
`pwd`	Print Working Directory — "Where am I?"	/Users/jeff/Documents
`ls`	List files — "What's here?"	Shows files and folders
`ls -la`	List all files with details	Shows hidden files + details
`cd folder`	Change directory — Go into a folder	cd Documents
`cd ..`	Go up one level	Back to parent folder
`cd ~`	Go to home directory	/Users/jeff
`cd -`	Go back to previous folder	Toggles between last two locations

📄 File Operations

Command	What It Does	Example
`mkdir name`	Make directory — Create a folder	mkdir projects
`touch file`	Create an empty file	touch notes.txt
`cp file newfile`	Copy a file	cp notes.txt backup.txt
`cp -r folder newfolder`	Copy a folder and contents	cp -r projects projects-backup
`mv file folder/`	Move file to a folder	mv notes.txt Documents/
`mv old new`	Rename a file or folder	mv notes.txt todo.txt
`rm file`	⚠️ Remove file (no undo!)	rm notes.txt
`rm -r folder`	⚠️ Remove folder + contents	rm -r old-project

Warning: rm deletes immediately — no Trash/Recycle Bin recovery!

👁️ Viewing Files

Command	What It Does	Example
`cat file`	Display entire file contents	cat readme.txt
`less file`	View file (scroll with arrows, quit with 'q')	less log.txt
`head file`	Show first 10 lines	head data.csv
`tail file`	Show last 10 lines	tail log.txt
`tail -f file`	Watch file in real-time (great for logs)	tail -f server.log
`open file`	Open file with default application	open report.pdf

🔍 Search & Find

Command	What It Does	Example
`grep "word" file`	Search for text in a file	grep "error" log.txt
`grep -r "word" folder/`	Search in all files in a folder	grep -r "todo" projects/
`find . -name "*.pdf"`	Find all PDF files	Finds every .pdf file
`find . -name "report"`	Find files with "report" in name	Finds any file with "report"
`find . -type d`	Find all directories	Lists all folders only

🤖 OpenClaw Commands

The system that runs AI assistants

Core Commands

Command	What It Does
`openclaw status`	Show channel health and recent sessions
`openclaw health`	Fetch health from the running gateway
`openclaw logs`	Tail gateway file logs
`openclaw doctor`	Health checks + quick fixes
`openclaw skills`	List available skills
`openclaw agents`	List and manage isolated agents
`openclaw sessions`	List stored conversation sessions

Gateway Management

Command	What It Does
`openclaw gateway status`	Show gateway service status + probe
`openclaw gateway start`	Start the Gateway service
`openclaw gateway stop`	Stop the Gateway service
`openclaw gateway restart`	Restart the Gateway service
`openclaw gateway run`	Run gateway in foreground (for debugging)
`openclaw gateway health`	Fetch Gateway health
`openclaw gateway discover`	Find local gateways on your network

🎯 The TUI (Terminal User Interface)

Run openclaw tui for a visual interface. Navigate with arrow keys, press Enter to select, 'q' to quit. No typing required!

💻 Claude Code

AI coding assistant in your terminal

Command	What It Does
`claude`	Start Claude Code in current directory
`claude /help`	Show all available commands
`claude /compact`	Compress conversation history
`claude /clear`	Clear the conversation
`claude /exit`	Exit Claude Code

Slash Commands (Inside Claude)

/help — Show all commands
/clear — Fresh start
/compact — Save tokens
/exit — Goodbye

Natural Language

Just type what you want:

"Find all files that import React"
"Explain what this function does"
"Refactor to use async/await"
"Debug why this isn't working"

🎯 The "I'm Stuck" Hack

When you get stuck, just use Claude. Copy the error message → Paste to Claude. Take a screenshot → Drop it in Claude. Say "I don't know what this means" or "Fix this for me." The beauty: You don't need to understand the problem. Claude does the troubleshooting for you.