Keyboard Shortcut
Ctrl+C — cancel input or exit
Clears whatever you've typed if the input line isn't empty; pressed again quickly on an empty line, it exits Claude Code.
Ctrl+C is context-sensitive: with text in the input box, it clears that text first rather than immediately quitting, which avoids accidentally exiting when you meant to clear a half-typed message.
On an empty input line, it behaves like the shell convention it borrows from — pressing it exits the session.
This is different from Esc, which interrupts Claude mid-response rather than touching your input or exiting anything — see the Esc entry for that distinction.
Press Ctrl+C to clear input, or on an empty line to exitFrequently asked questions
What does Ctrl+C — cancel input or exit do in Claude Code?
Clears whatever you've typed if the input line isn't empty; pressed again quickly on an empty line, it exits Claude Code.
How do I use it?
Try: Press Ctrl+C to clear input, or on an empty line to exit
Any caveats to know about?
This is different from Esc, which interrupts Claude mid-response rather than touching your input or exiting anything — see the Esc entry for that distinction.
Is this covered in the Claude Code Toolkit?
Yes — Ctrl+C — cancel input or exit and patterns like it are part of the full command, hook, and template pack included with a Claude Code Toolkit subscription.
Want the full command, hook, and template pack?
This is one pattern out of the full Claude Code Toolkit — subscribe for the complete set, plus everything we add going forward.
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